Hero x Villain // O/O // Closed

Rowan shrugged slightly. "Still. I…I'm sorry that I didn't show up when you first called." he couldn't tell Damian the truth. He knew what would happen if he did. The Reaper would kill him. Kill him and make sure Rowan knew, make sure every time he slept he saw the other man's body, twisted and broken and dead and– He took a deep breath, trying to push away those thoughts.

For a moment, Damian took in that apology and it felt like the world was fixed. He saw the truth in Rowan’s eyes and believed him- until reality slapped him in the face again. He knew he needed to remember that Rowan just killed people. Tens, maybe even hundreds of people. This man wasn’t sorry, no matter how much Damian wanted to believe that he was. But he brushed that aside for now, instead just tucking himself in Rowan’s side and closing his eyes as he ate a couple more scoops of ice cream.

Rowan let out a breath, and kept Damian close. "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to be done with me, you know. With this. Us." His voice was quiet. "I'm a shit boyfriend, I know that." He knew from Damian's perspective all Damian would see is that Rowan hadn't thought he was important enough to stop. That Rowan didn't care and maybe it would be better this way, if he let Damian go before he got too close.

^{(I keep reading writing prompts about a villain and a hero and the villain captures the hero and tortures them by like making them love the villain/straight up torture/treating them like a ‘pet’, and I can’t stop imagining that as Rowan and Damian, like after Rowan found out about Damian being the Frost, the Reaper captures Damian would be torturing him to get at Rowan)}

Damian paused, taking in those words. “I…” I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to be done with me. The words replayed in his head. “No!” He immediately said, shoving the ice cream aside before grabbing onto Rowan in a tight hug. “I don’t…” Damian didn’t want to be alone. Rowan was all he had left, and even if he did the horrendous things he did… Damian didn’t have anyone left. “You aren’t a shit boyfriend. A shit boyfriend would-” Hurt me. Ignore me. Never be there for me. Two out of three, Rowan did. But Damian forced that thought away as he finished his sentence, “A shit boyfriend wouldn’t love me. A shit boyfriend wouldn’t be here right now, sitting on the couch holding me while I eat ice cream and look like a mess.” Damian held onto Rowan a little tighter, shifting a little so he could sit on his lap and tuck his face in Rowan’s neck. “I don’t ever want to leave you.”

_{(oooh yess! Although at that point Rowan would have to be so far gone that he wasn't even in control at all. But it works!)}

Rowan swallowed softly, and held Damian close. "Alright. Sorry. I just…I wanted you to…" He didn't know what he wanted. "Sorry. I just wanted you to know that. That I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do this anymore. I know that…that I'm not…I'm not what most people would want. That I'm…I do things people can't forgive. Things they…they shouldn't forgive."

(Ooo cool, yay I’m excited)

“You don’t have to apologize,” Damian whispered, hugging onto Rowan a little bit tighter now because he was cold. “Let’s just… forget all that, for tonight. Just the here and now, just us,” Damian whispered, balling up Rowan’s shirt in his fist and taking a deep breath. He wanted to forget about Bailey, to forget about all the deaths that were on his boyfriend’s hands. It was just Damian and Rowan, Rowan and Damian.

Rowan nodded slightly, and held Damian close. "Okay. Okay." He replied softly, swallowing softly. He ate a little bit of ice cream, and kissed Damian's forehead. "Just us. Just for tonight."

Damian smiled a little at that, soaking in that gentle kiss. Damian wouldn’t leave him, especially not now. Not when the whole world felt fragile except for Rowan. “Can we go to your place?” Damian whispered, shivering a little and clinging onto Rowan a bit closer.

Rowan blinked, and nodded. "Alright. Uhm…what do you want to do about…about Bailey?" he asked slowly. "You shouldn't leave him here, the body will…do what bodies do." Rigor mortis, then start to decay as the acids from the stomach began to leak out, the body would stink and get soft and then there would be a disgusting mess.

Damian was silent for a moment. “Can we bury him? Or just… I don’t know,” Damian shook his head and pressed his face in Rowan’s shoulder. Bailey was like family to him, Damian felt like it would be cruel to bury him just anywhere. “I want to put him in a place where he won’t be disturbed,” Damian whispered, biting his lower lip and taking a deep breath. No more crying.

Rowan nodded. "Of course. Where do you want to bury him?" he asked. "Or there's the option of cremation, and then you could keep the ashes somewhere safe." he replied, holding Damian close, rubbing his back gently. He didn't know what else to do.

“Do you have any trees by your place?” Damian asked softly, closing his eyes. “Bailey always liked the woods. Some days we’d go hiking, and he’d always get so excited to come with us…” Damian told Rowan softly, taking a deep breath.

Rowan thought for a moment. "There's a stand of trees, yeah." he replied softly, kissing Damian's cheek. "We can bury him there, if you like." he kept holding his boyfriend.

“I’d like that a lot,” Damian whispered back, soaking in that gentle kiss on his cheek. Regardless of Rowan being the Reaper or not, he knew he could count on this man when it mattered most.

Rowan nodded. "Alright. How about you go out to my car, and I'll wrap Bailey up in a blanket and bring him out, okay? Will it be easier that way?" he asked, looking down at Damian.

“Yeah,” Damian replied softly, managing a small smile up at his boyfriend. “Thank you, Rowan. Really. I- I don’t know what I would’ve done without you,” Damian whispered softly before making himself stand up, then grab the ice cream tub and put it back in the freezer. “I’ll- I’ll meet you out there,” Damian told him softly, glancing back towards his room and ignoring the pang in his heart, then he finally made himself walk out the door so he wouldn’t end up getting emotional again.

Rowan nodded, and watched Damian go. He let out a breath, and headed into Damian's bedroom to deal with the body. He wrapped Bailey's body up in a blanket, handling it gently. He cradled it in his arms as he came out, locking the door to Damian's apartment behind him. He set the body in the trunk of the car before getting in the driver's seat. "How are you feeling?"

Damian had nestled himself in the car, tucking his legs close to his chest and closing his eyes. He focused his thoughts on Rowan, on all the good parts about him—not that parts about being the Reaper. It was enough to distract him the entire time as he sat, and he only cracked his eyes open when Rowan got in the car and spoke. “A little better,” Damian whispered, looking out the window, “and a little cold.” A lot cold.

Rowan nodded, and started the car, then turned on the heat. "Okay. We're gonna go to my place, bury Bailey, and then we can watch movies and cuddle or something, alright?" he replied softly, leaning over to kiss Damian's cheek. "Can you do that with me?"

“That sounds lovely,” Damian whispered back, and he could stop himself from wrapping his arms around Rowan’s neck when he leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then, he claimed a proper, lingering kiss on the lips. He didn’t want to let go yet, Rowan’s lips were just so soft and distracting, they made him feel all warm inside when everything else felt cold around him.

Rowan nodded, and kissed Damian back, wrapping his arms around the other male. "I'm so, so sorry, sweetheart." He said softly into the kiss. "If at some point, when you're ready, you want another dog, we can go out and find one together, yeah? I know some good, no kill shelters near here."

“That’d be perfect,” Damian responded softly, managing a small smile. “Really, really perfect.” Damian wasn’t sure if he was ready for another dog now, but the fact that Rowan was there for him, and always would be, filled his heart with warmth. Things would get better, especially when he had Rowan beside him.

Rowan nodded. "Alright." he pulled away. "Let's go, alright?" he started driving, smiling softly. He reached out to take Damian's hand in his as he drove.

Damian hummed his response and intertwined his fingers with Rowan’s, closing his eyes as he waited for them to get to the other’s home. Things would get better. Rowan was here with him, the death had stopped… everything was okay.

Rowan held onto Damian's hand gently as he drove, parking in the driveway for his home. "Come on. Let's bury him." he said, getting Bailey's body from the trunk and carrying it gently. "We'll get some shovels out of the shed, and bury him in the trees."

“Alright,” Damian whispered back, staying close to Rowan the entire time. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to talk Rowan enough for this. Even if he wasn’t sorry for being late, for doing what he did… this made up for it. Rowan’s kindness, his gentleness with Damian right now when he was so emotional, made up for it. Damian needed this -needed Rowan- right now more than ever.

Rowan led Damian towards the shed, taking a deep breath. "I need you to grab and carry the shovels, okay? I don't have a free hand to carry them right now. The shed should be unlocked." He kissed Damian's cheek softly.

“Okay,” Damian responded softly, holding his head high as he walked to the shed. He slowly opened it, and after a moment of looking, he grabbed two shovels. He walked back to Rowan, putting on a small smile. He told himself he wouldn’t cry anymore. Bailey was probably in a better place now anyways, and Rowan was here to support him now.

Rowan kissed his forehead when he came back. "Thank you, sweetheart." he said softly. "Let's go bury him now, okay?" he started walking, heading along a gravel path towards the rear of the building, going slow so that Damian could keep up easily.

((Hey dude I’m sorry I haven’t responded in so long))

Damian nodded weakly, keeping pace with Rowan. “Thank you, again, for this…” Damian said softly after a moment of silence. “Really. Thank you.” Rowan was helping more than Damian let on. He helped Damian stay calm, he helped him come to terms wit his dog’s death, he helped Damian just by being there.