love at first sight

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan tires out his mate and leaves him asleep in his room. He goes downstairs to see what there is to see.

Oh. She's still there.

Well. He's not going to leave. She can leave. Fuck her. He's not going anywhere.

Comments

[manofmyword]

No. No, he can see that.

He spins through all the 'safe coins', trying to fix it. No, no, no, and nope.



Those aren't the only coins he has.



The Joker bites his lip. (Triangle.) Then he kisses Nathan on the cheek and teleports them both to the door, which he opens.

[Goldie-your-majesty?] he says, trying for lighthearted and not really making it all the way there. [Weeeee have a problem.]

[luminous_regnant]

[What is it?] she replies after a moment's delay.

[manofmyword]

[I went to Milliways with Nathan and while I was sleeping he turned into a statue and I can't unstick him with hexes. Could you help, please?]

[luminous_regnant]

She teleports into place without further ado. "A statue? Show me."

[manofmyword]

He steps out of the way and lets her see Nathan, still standing there just the way he was when the Joker found him, but now only about three feet from the doorway.

[luminous_regnant]

"...It looks like he starved to death. How could he possibly have starved to death?"

[manofmyword]

"I don't know," says the Joker, spreading his hands helplessly. "I was sleeping. I came downstairs and there he was. Can you fix him?"

[luminous_regnant]

Golden attempts a star.

"Star doesn't work," she says. "...The next one up can. Probably. Shell Bell got herself killed and her girlfriend was able to bring her back with one of the eight-pointed 'evils'. But with much less delay than it sounds like there may have been with Nathan."

[manofmyword]

"Then I'll make one of those," he says immediately. "I want my sweetie back."

[luminous_regnant]

Golden nods once. "...Haven't got an agony beam, don't want one, here." She wishes him a little device that vaguely resembles a digital egg timer. "Your own portable version. An evil is one hundred thousand units."

[manofmyword]

He fiddles with the device.



He staggers and narrowly misses falling into Nathan.



He transfers two new evils to Golden's chain.

[luminous_regnant]

Declaw-and-

[temporal_affairs]

"Wha?"

[manofmyword]

The Joker flings his arms around Nathan.

"You died, sweetheart," he says. "Don't do that. It makes me sad. I love you."

[temporal_affairs]

"I died? The last thing I remember I'd just stood up... and then I was very hungry for just a moment."

[manofmyword]

"Goldie said it looked like you starved," he says, and spends three hexes to give Nathan regenerative powers comparable to his own.

[temporal_affairs]

"How the hell did I starve? How long was I standing there?"

[luminous_regnant]

"Was anyone who's around now around then, Nathan?" asks Golden. "We could ask -" When he shakes his head, she says, "Well, what were you doing?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Arguing with the fucking Batlady," growls Nathan. "She snarled at me, I snarled back, I stood up - and - what you saw."

[manofmyword]

The Joker closes his eyes and hugs Nathan harder.

[temporal_affairs]

"But she hasn't got any sort of magic," says Nathan helplessly, hugging the Joker back, "has she?"

[luminous_regnant]

"...Let me go check the Belltower real quick."

Golden disappears, and reappears, and says:

"Stella owed her three wishes, and she collected."

[manofmyword]

"I'd say she's down one," says the Joker. "Oh, sweetie, she killed you. I'm sorry. I love you so much."

[temporal_affairs]

"I love you," murmurs Nathan. "I'm fine, babe, I'm fine now."

[manofmyword]

He presses his face against Nathan's shoulder for a moment, then glances back at Golden. "Thanks," he says softly.