Uhhhh very late miwip wednesday? it is thursday.
I've had this au—Will as Robin, El as Batgirl, Mike as Spoiler + a few more Hawkins characters as Bats but I'll leave the rest a mystery for now—rattling around in my brain for like a week, and I don't know if I'll ever actually write out the full longfic idea I have for it, but I'll at least post snippets and some doodles 👍
Text under the cut if the images are hard to read hehe:
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“I know I did it to you when we first met,” the sound of boots hitting the rooftop echoes behind him, “But it’s really not proper vigilante etiquette to take off someone else’s mask.”
Mike whips around to face him—Robin, The Boy Wonder. While he’s figured out who the new Batgirl is, he hasn’t got a clue about this guy. Unless maybe it’s not just El—maybe all the Bats are connected to the lab? Robin could be a number, too.
He stares at the other boy, lost in thought, not sure what to say.
When it must fully register that his comment isn’t getting a response, Robin shrugs and retracts his grapple, clicking it into place on his utility belt as he steps closer out of the shadows.
Mike quickly puts his mask back on, just for something to do with his hands, something to interrupt his gawking at least for a second. When he looks again, there’s now a layer between them—flimsy blue fabric that makes it a little less clear that he’s still staring.
But how could he not? The two of them have only really met twice—when Robin had tackled him not realizing The Spoiler is a new hero not a villain, and when Robin had come to his window the following night telling him to hang up his cape. So really, this is the first time Mike can stop and take him in without some sense of urgency bleeding into the situation. The first time he can just… look.
His mask is a deep green leather molded into a sort of beak, and despite leaving a decent amount of his face uncovered, it conceals what could really be identifying—his eyes, his nose, parts of his cheeks. His warm smile is visible though, and Mike can’t help that his eyes are drawn to it. It’s just the part of his face I can see, he tells himself, but maybe that’s not the only reason.
Robin runs a gloved hand through his gelled-back hair, a chestnut brown that Mike bets would glisten in sunlight. But Robin isn’t someone you see during the day. Bats only come out at night in Hawkins, even ones who wear bright colors. Red, yellow, and green—he’s like a traffic light.
Only now while glancing up and down as he crosses the rooftop, does Mike really register how small a guy Robin is, noticeably shorter than Mike himself. But regardless, he still moves with confidence, it makes his presence seem larger somehow—wise beyond his years.
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Shadow Puppet: Promises, Promises
cw: threats, talk of death, (fairly mild.)
He didn't know what he was running from.
It was dark, dark enough that he could hardly tell where he was going, branches cutting his hands, his face, as he pushed through the brush. He couldn't see, but he wasn't lost.
Peter knew the island too well to ever be truly lost.
He had to get to a clear spot. He had to find an area to take off, to fly, and maybe he could get away.
But get away from what?
It had started with a chill down his spine, a whisper that told every instinct to flee, and he did.
He knew the darker side of the neverland wasn't something to be taken lightly.
So he ran and ran and ran, though he heard no crashing through the trees behind him, though he saw no sign of an enemy. The presence, whatever it was, was after him, and he couldn't stop.
He made a sharp left, tumbling into a familiar clearing and taking to the air with a flying leap that turned into just plain flying.
Whatever it was, it couldn't follow him up here. Unless—
Something seized his ankle in a bruising grip, cold as ice, and he looked down and saw nothing but he still couldn't escape it.
Fae magic. It had to be.
He kicked at it, trying to shake loose, but the nothing wouldn't budge. And of course it wasn't just nothing, it was darkness. Shade. His mind raced, poring over his recent interactions with the fair folk. Had he done something to offend them? Likely. Fae were finicky creatures, easily upset over trivial matters.
After a brief internal debate, he let himself sink to the ground, into the icy embrace of his own shadow.
If the fae sought his attention, they'd get it eventually, one way or another. Best to have it over with. Try and talk his way out of it.
The darkness was quick to seize him, his shadow moving on its own, wrapping frozen arms around his torso and hauling him back into the treeline with enough force that he could barely form words.
"Enough. I'm going willingly, you—" the shadow squeezed him as if to shut him up. "Enough!"
But it didn't seem to hear. The cold of its grasp was starting to seep into him, making him shiver, but all he could do was wait for it to reach its destination.
Eventually they came to another clear spot in the woods, this one softly lit by luminescent mushrooms. Or moss. It was hard to tell which was providing the glow. The faint light silhouetted three tall figures. Peter failed to catch a glimpse of their faces before being thrown at their feet, but he already knew they were fae. He stood up, making a big show of dusting himself off despite shaking with cold, and faced his hosts.
"Well that was unnecessary, don't you think? What happened to an invitation?"
The one in the middle stepped further into the glow, a faerie he knew as Locust. The light made their face look ghoulish, and were he not busy making polite conversation, Peter might've laughed.
"You are undeserving of our hospitality, Pan," Locust said, using the name he'd given them.
Pan. The old god of the wilds. He'd thought it fitting, and besides, even a child would know to never give one's true name to a fae.
"And what have I done to… not deserve this?" Peter questioned, and Locust sighed in exasperation.
"You and your crew were the first humans to set foot on this island in centuries. Your men are satisfied with merely dwelling here, but you've sought boons from us."
That he had. Flight. Safe passage throughout the island, so he might explore. His boys were daring, but only a handful of them were bold enough to follow his lead. He wondered if the faeries had staged similar meetings with those few, or if he was special.
"And I am grateful for your kindness," he replied with an easy smile. "But I don't see what this has to do with–"
"You've taken our gifts, and yet you convene with the merfolk. So tell me, Pan, are you our friend, or our enemy?"
"Why your friend, of course," Peter replied. "I had to speak with the merfolk you see, as they've been convening with my enemy."
"And who is your enemy?"
"A pirate captain," Peter said, flourishing his hands. "He prowls the island's waters, hunting me and my band."
"And you consider him a threat? You cannot die, boy."
"It's a sort of game we play. One day we may yet kill one another," he said casually.
"A day I've yet to see in all my life," one of the faeries behind Locust muttered. "The island refuses to let go of those who've tasted its lifeblood."
"Quiet, Wisp." Locust looked down at Peter. "If you wish to stay a friend to our people, conspiring with the mer is out of the question."
"Oh you know I'd never conspire–"
"Speaking then."
"Mhm." Peter's smile grew thin. Rotten luck that someone had seen him leaving the cove at all. Why should the fae get any say in his comings and goings? "I take it you'll snatch your gifts right back if I were to–"
"What is given cannot be ungiven," Locust said with a scowl. "Which is unfortunate. But should it happen again, you will be punished."
Through his dismay, a bit of glee shone through. A punishment from a faerie! He wondered what sorts of oddities they could come up with. He'd heard stories; children forced to count every leaf in the forest, unable to sleep until their task was complete; mortals bound to an eternal dance.
Locust must've caught wind of this, as they stepped in closer. "And nothing so trivial as a hundred years serving in our halls. To take our gifts yet disregard our wishes is to spit in our face, to incur our wrath." They leaned down until their face was inches away from Peter's. "Say another word to a mer and I will break every bone in your body, Pan. That is a promise."
They didn't wait for a response, vanishing back into the shadows almost immediately, Wisp tight on their heels.
Breaking bones wasn't quite as whimsical as counting leaves, but it didn't seem too awful. After all, a sip from the fountain and he'd be good as new, and even if he did go back to the cove, who was to say he'd be caught?
"Pan," said a soft voice, and he looked up. The smallest of the trio was still standing there, another faerie he was familiar with.
"Bell," he replied. It was the name she'd given him. Who was to say if it was anything like her true name? Who was to say what any fae names were really like? That particular curiosity of his would take a great deal of trickery to satisfy, but he was sure he'd get there one day.
Bell was fond of him. At least as fond as a faerie could be for a human. She was the one who'd given him flight in the first place; after he'd charmed her with a story or two, all he'd had to do was ask nicely.
"You know Locust means it," Bell said. "They made a promise. Such a thing cannot be taken lightly."
"I know," Peter replied, if only to placate her. Sweet Bell, to worry for him when there was nothing to worry about.
"You don't. I know you, Pan. Heed their words. Stay away from the cove, or you will be found out, and Locust will make good on their promise."
"Alright, alright, I will."
He wasn't sure if she truly believed him, but she gave him a smile, then turned to follow the others into the shadows.
Peter supposed it was a little childish to have crossed his fingers behind his back when he could've simply lied, but the little trick made him feel like it didn't quite count for a lie. Maybe that mattered.
He oriented himself quickly and took to the sky. It was a clear night, stars speckling the dark blue. The Scarlet Merry was just visible on the horizon, and he thought briefly of paying James a visit. Dispel the nervous energy he'd acquired from the meeting with a friendly skirmish.
But no, a warm fire and tall tales passed between him and his boys sounded far more inviting right now. Home it was.
As he flew, he was aware of his shadow, mirroring his movements far below. He tried to push that awareness down. To be followed by one's shadow was nothing new.
To be watched, however, was a different story.
tag list: (tagging the same group from Never. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to be removed! Planning on this being a three-parter, but we'll see where it goes)
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