Hero x Villain // O/O // Closed

Rowan bit his lip when he heard the waver in Damian's voice. "Yeah. I-I'm on my way." he whispered. He got up on unsteady legs, heading home to get his car. He changed when he got home, not wanting to show up on the same outfit he had killed in, and then headed towards Damian's house.

Damian ended the phone call, just in time too because sobs spilled out of his lips like water boiling over. His bedroom was cold, not just chilly but cold because of the outburst he had when he first saw the sight on top of his bed. The temperature wasn’t cold enough to be unexplainable, it could’ve been blamed by the heater not working. Damian made himself get up on shaky legs and stagger to the couch, so he could be near the door when Rowan finally came. Tears still poured from his eyes, but he managed to hold in the sobs as he stared blankly at the ground.

(cue me being really anxious lmao)

Rowan drove to Damian's house, probably breaking the speed limit as he drove, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He knocked on the door to Damian's apartment, biting his lip, anxious. He didn't know what had happened, and he was so scared as to what might have. So, so frightened for his boyfriend.

(lmao legit I thought of this and I’m like ooooo I’m so ready to cry while writing this)

Damian leaped up of the couch when a knock sounded on the door. He slowly cracked open the door, but as soon as he saw it was Rowan he flung it open the rest of the way and just broke down. Tears bubbled out of his eyes and whimper came up his throat, “R-Rowan,” He croaked as he wrapped his arms around himself, not knowing how to say this or what to do now only that he wanted Rowan and he wanted to hide. Hide away from this horrible reality that happened.

(ahhhhhh fuck I'ma start crying aren't I)

Rowan's eyes widened a little, and he stepped inside, wrapping his arms around Damian and holding him. "Hey, what's wrong?" He whispered, rubbing Damian's back and trying to soothe him. He hated hearing these tears from his boyfriend. Hated hearing these sobs and tears.

(Lmao)

Damian pressed his face into Rowan’s chest, his shoulders shaking and his tears soaking into the man’s shirt. “R-Rowan, he-he’s dead,” Damian managed to get out before a sharp sob escaped his lips, “He’s dead, I walked in the bedroom and he’s dead and- and- and- I never got to say goodbye and- and-“ Damian couldn’t form anymore words. It hurt to much to talk about it. His best friend since childhood was dead. Damian just wanted one more day with him, one more chance to see him alive. But that fantasy was swiped away from him like an autumn leaf on the wind. “Rowan, B-Bailey’s dead,” Damian said, his voice coming out as a weak whisper as tears poured from his eyes when he looked up at the only person he had left, Rowan.

At Bailey's words, Rowan's shoulders sagged. He gathered the other male close. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry, Damian." He pressed a kiss to the top of Damian's head. He didn't know…if he could give Damian more time with Bailey. He didn't know if his powers worked that way. He didn't think they did. He could reanimate the body, sure, but it wouldn't truly be Bailey. It would be a caricature, under Rowan's control. And that would be far too cruel of him, if he did that. He couldn't do that. He closed his eyes, tears pricking at his own eyes. Sure, he had only met the dog a few times, but…he had been a sweet little thing, and now…he was dead.

Damian cried into Rowan’s shoulder, little hiccups coming out of him as his shoulder shook. Bailey was his best friend. That dog made Damian feel less alone in this tiny apart, he helped Damian get through shit better than a real person sometimes. But now that was all gone, and Damian didn’t know how to deal with it. “Rowan…” Damian whimpered softly, clutching tightly onto the man’s shirt. Damian didn’t want to be alone at all right now. “I don’t know what to do,” Damian whispered into Rowan’s shirt, holding onto him so tightly as if he thought Rowan would disappear forever too.

Rowan held Damian close, cradling him. "I know." He whispered. "I'm so sorry. I…" He wished he could have been here earlier. Wished…ah, but he couldn't change anything, no matter how dearly he wished he could. "I wish there was something I could do." He said softly, rocking Damian gently, trying to soothe him.

Damian lifted his head to look at Rowan, a dangerous thought popping into his mind. A dangerous thought that filled him with false hope. “C-Can’t you though?” Damian whispered, eyes wide and tears stopping, if only for a second. Damian grabbed Rowan’s hand and pulled him to his room -still cold- to reveal the bed. And a lump covered by a blanket. “Can’t you bring him back?” Damian asked, hope lighting inside his eyes.

Rowan shook his head, closing his eyes a little bit. "No, I can't." he whispered. "I'm sorry. I can…I can reanimate the body, but it wouldn't be him, Damian. It would just be his body under my control, not…" he trailed off, looking down at Damian and wishing he could do what Damian wanted him to. He bit his lip, holding Damian.

Damian shook his head, “N-No, you can, I’ve seen you do it, you can,” Damian reasoned, gripping onto Rowan’s shirt. “Y-You’ve brought people back to life, you can- can do a dog too,” Damian insisted, tugging at Rowan’s shirt with false, cruel hope in his eyes still. Bailey couldn’t be dead, Damian didn’t give up that easily. And now, with Rowan’s help, everything would be back to normal.

"I can't!" Rowan said again. "I'm so so sorry, Damian, but I can't bring him back. I can make his body move, but it won't be him. It won't be…his personality, his mind. It would just be me, and that would be more cruel than anything I've ever done before." He gently brushed back a strand of Damian's hair, cupping the other male's face in his hands. "I wish I could. But I can't."

“Rowan please, I’ll give you anything, please just- just-“ Damian looked at Rowan, and in that moment it was like it finally caught up to him. The tiny little hope that he’d still be able to see Bailey again disappeared from his eyes, and his words failed him. A tiny, broken sound escaped his throat, and he just collapsed into Rowan’s arms and sobbed. He tried to say something, but it came out indecipherable as he pressed his face into Rowan’s shoulder and clung to the only person he had left.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered again, wrapping his arms around Damian and holding him close, pressing a kiss to the top of Damian's head and feeling tears prick at his own eyes for Damian's grief. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." he held Damian and wished with all his heart that he could do something to help.

Damian sobbed, putting half his weight on Rowan. “Ple-“ Damian could hardly get the words out. He pressed his face into Rowan’s shoulder a bit harder, only because he felt his tears freezing up as they left his eyes. “Please don’t leave me too,” Damian whispered, just barely loud enough to be heard.

Rowan gathered Damian into his arms, stroking the back of the other male's head. "Never." he whispered. "I won't leave unless or until you want me to." he was as gentle as he could be and he wasn't lying. Not now. He didn't want to lie to Damian. He would never leave.

Damian stayed there, crying, for who knows how long. It just hurt so much. He always relied on Bailey, he could always come home to that dog and smile no matter how many times he almost died that day. And now it was all gone, just like that. “R-Rowan…” Damian clung to his shirt, “what am I- I supposed to do now?”

Rowan shook his head a little bit. "I don't know." he replied softly, arms wrapped around Damian and holding him as close as possible. "We…we can bury him on the land at my place, if you like. Or have him cremated? That's your choice. And…when you're ready, you can get a new dog. And I know it won't replace Bailey, it couldn't possibly, but you could still have a dog, if you wished to."

Damian sniffled a little, but nodded. “I- I’d like to bury him. I’d like that a lot,” He whispered, taking a deep shuddering breath. It would get better, Damian knew. But right now it just sucked. “I’m sorry for- for wanting to make you use your powers,” Damian whispered, his head slowly getting clearer with each deep inhale of Rowan’s scent that he took.

Rowan nodded slightly. "Alright. And as for that…it's fine, Damian. You're hurting. I understand that." he kissed Damian's cheek softly. "We can bury him whenever you like." he held his boyfriend close, rocking him a little bit and trying to comfort him as best as he knew how.

Damian sunk into the warm feeling that that kiss gave him. “Can we snuggle and eat ice cream on the couch?” Damian asked softly as he looked up at Rowan, sniffling a little with eyes all puffy and red. He wanted to forget all this and fall into a fantasy world were both Rowan and him were normal and happy.

Rowan nodded. "Mhm. We can." he replied softly. He reached down, picking Damian up, and carried him into the living room. He set Damian down on the couch. "I'll get the ice cream and some spoons." he kissed Damian's forehead, then went to the other male's kitchen, finding the ice cream and spoons and bringing it back.

Damian curled up, shivering because of his powers still a little hard to control and making everything feel cold. He quickly snatched the ice cream and spoon when offered, not hesitating to eat the delicious comfort food.

Rowan sat down with Damian, putting an arm around the other male's shoulders and eating some of the ice cream as well. "I'm so sorry." he said quietly, kissing Damian's forehead softly.

Damian leaned into him, digging his spoon into the ice cream to try to distract himself. “I guess it was his time to go… I just wasn’t ready yet,” Damian whispered softly, leaning into Rowan a bit more because the ice cream certainly wasn’t helping how cold he was. He closed his eyes, sniffling a little before adding, “Thank you for coming.”

Rowan sighed softly. "I know how that is, Damian." he murmured back. "I know. And of course I came. Why wouldn't I have come?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. He ate a little bit more ice cream, letting out a slow, soft breath.

Damian buried his face into Rowan’s shoulder a little more. “I saw an alert. I knew you were busy…” Gosh, how many people had died just because Damian didn’t get out there? How could I have been so stupid… what was I thinking, that Rowan would just stop because I called him? Yes, Damian had been hoping that Rowan would’ve stopped, that in some fantasy world Rowan wouldn’t do the things he did as the Reaper.

Rowan closed his eyes. Damn it. "…yeah. I'm…I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." he said softly, taking a deep breath. He wished he could tell Damian the truth. That he wasn't in control, that the Reaper wasn't the same person as him, that they shared a body but not a mind and if Rowan could get rid of the Reaper he would, even if it meant he died.

You should’ve come sooner. You should’ve stopped killing people. There’s already too much death… “You still came,” Damian mumbled back softly, shaking his thoughts away with another scoop of ice cream. “And you’re here now. That’s what matters to me,” Damian added, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes too.