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sylph_fics) wrote2006-07-14 11:08 pm
sylph_fics) wrote2006-07-14 11:08 pm
Entry tags:
Grrr, plotbunnies. Aerial Adventures.
...I came up with a title all on my own? Stop the presses!
Title: Aerial Adventures
Fandom: JLU
Pairing: none, yet
Characters: Batman, Black Canary
Rating: PG-13 for language, I suppose
This is all the fault of the JLU random fic generator. It told me about Black Canary and growing wings, and the muse bit. First it bit for art, though, which is located here.
Aerial Adventures
Of all the things Batman had considered when the call for assistance came in, this was certainly not one of them. He should have been warned by the fact that it came on his private channel, but... how could he have prepared for this? He shook his head once, sharply, in a vain attempt to clear absolutely unimpeded vision, and stepped out of the shadows, to the side of the heroine leaning against the alley wall. "Canary," he called to her softly, attempting to get her attention without frightening her, still only half-believing the evidence of his eyes--but when she wheeled to face him and fell, unbalanced by the heavy weight of coal-black feathers that flared at the sound of his voice, he had no choice but to believe. //What has happened?//
Her lovely voice was raw (from sobs? from pain?) and full of wrath when she answered him from her undignified sprawl almost at his feet in the alley filth, "Hi, Batman..." Her bright blue eyes were dark and red-rimmed and mascara-trails streaked her cheeks--//this has made her cry...// The thought angered him, brought the sharp clarity of anger to his confused thoughts--and he noticed the ripped, half-destroyed jacket she clutched tightly in her hands.
"See why I asked you to bring something spacious?" Bitter, biting sarcasm in her voice as she freed one hand from the jacket to wave backwards at the tall curves of black (just admit it) wings. "I'm not going to fit in a normal car for a while..."
"True," he agreed. The wings were slightly larger than Hawkgirl's, it appeared, and they must be heavy. He reached down to her, and with a slight twist of her lips, she put her hands in his and let him help her stand--//They are heavy. Her weight has increased by almost a third...// She was still not difficult to lift. Even on her feet, with the top curves of the wings well over a foot above her head, the ends of the primaries dragged along the ground. Something about that triggered a memory of an old book. "You should probably try to keep them off the ground," he offered softly, deciding that the first order of business was simply to get her to safety. Questioning her on her new... appendages... could wait until they were less likely to be overheard.
"I can't... it hurts to try. Please tell me it's not far? I'm having a hard time keeping my balance with these things..." For Black Canary to be having trouble with her balance... the admission must have been a bitter pill.
"A block, no more." He considered. "Would it be faster for me to carry you?"
"Probably so, yes..." Yet another admission she hated, acceptance of a weakness she couldn't change--the black wings fluttered angrily //They react to her moods, they're wired into her nervous system... This is not good.// He nodded.
"All right." He stepped to the side, releasing her hands. Determining the best way to carry a woman with large, mainly uncontrolled wings took a moment, but then he dipped slightly to catch her legs with his left arm, careful of the gauntlet spikes, and ran his right arm below the bottom of the wings. "Hold on to my shoulders," he told her, intending to use the change in position and his greater height to keep the wings off the ground. She gasped softly when he moved her and her wings flared open again, nearly staggering him, but her arms wrapped behind his neck, lifting herself and her wings, and he changed his grip slightly. "Good?"
"It's... fine. I'm sorry about the--"
"I do not believe this is your fault," he deliberately interrupted, and started to move rapidly towards the large, steel gray van he'd found in Bruce Wayne's garage. "Where is your bike?"
"In a mall parking lot, locked up tight. Not a problem yet... but I couldn't exactly take it to somewhere safe, either..." If her temper didn't improve within the next few hours, she was going to be... interesting to cope with. When she was angry, it was wisest to remain out of her way, he had observed--and she was still talking. "God, where counts as safe? I don't want the League to see me like this, I can't go home..."
Batman didn't like the level of stress in her voice, and spoke up before she could worry herself into tipping them off balance. "I had intended to take you home, but I see that is... unwise. I can offer you the shelter of the Cave, if you do not mind slightly cool conditions..."
She laughed against his throat. "As long as I don't get seen with these ridiculous things, I don't care if you put me in Antarctica!"
"Superman might object," he replied to that dryly. "I think the Cave will be sufficient. And only two people, barring myself, might see you. Both of whom understand the value of discretion. Is that acceptable?"
The blonde heroine in his arms stiffened a moment, wings fluttering. "I... yes. I assume one of those is your Robin?" She hadn't been a Gotham resident and hero this long without occasionally spotting of the red-suited, cheerfully violent teen... but they left each other alone.
"Yes," Batman agreed as he reached the van and settled her on her feet, opening the doors with keys retrieved from the belt.
"Hm... this isn't exactly your usual ride, but it's perfect for the moment," Dinah observed, putting a foot on the running board to step up into the van, ducking--and he saw it coming a moment too late to stop her. She'd dipped her head to get into the van--but had not reckoned for the wings. His call of "Canary!" and reach for her came in almost perfect stereo to her cry of pain as the (ulna or radius) bones of her wings slammed into the solid doorframe. He jumped forward to catch her, supporting her at the small of her back and one shoulder, listening to the choked noises of pain she was trying to suppress. "Are you--no."
Choked noises turned to a disdainful snort. "At least... you realized how stupid that was going to sound before you said it... Oh, fuck, that hurt... Damnit, Dinah, didn't you learn not to whack the wings when you hit the warehouse door?" She crouched carefully, and coaxed her wings through the door, carefully (perching) sitting on the edge of the seat. "Thank you," she added, looking out the door at him. "For catching me, I mean."
He twitched a shoulder slightly, dismissing it, and shut the door, walking around to take the driver's seat and put the van in gear. It was going to be at least an hour before they reached the Cave given the lack of a direct route between Bridgeton and his city, but they were on the way. "How much pain are you in?"
"Ah... six or seven. It feels like something in my back is broken, and all of the muscles feel like I pulled them. And the ache in the wings isn't helping... God, I have wings!" Her voice rose unsteadily at that last and he frowned. "Dinah. Stay with me. Do you want something for the pain?"
"Yes, please, if you have it..."
"Under the front passenger seat, there's a medical case. It pulls straight out towards you. Feel free." He heard the rustling of the case sliding out, and the noises of its opening, the search through it, and the hard swallow of someone taking pills dry after the snapping sound of a bottle opening.
"Thank you," she said again. "I... I'm sorry to impose, but you were the only person I could think of that wouldn't laugh at me."
"It's all right. It was a routine night... I don't mind the change." He was oddly pleased by the fact that she had trusted him with the knowledge of what had happened to her, but how... "What happened, Black Canary?"
"You might as well call me Dinah," she invited, her voice still sounding roughened, wrong to his ears. "I've been tracking a series of thefts in Jersey and Delaware--weird stuff, scepters and bones and pendants and such--and apparently, I wasn't as careful as I thought. I got a lead on where the goods might be--walked straight into a trap. It's a magic user, and he must be pretty powerful, because he chanted this incantation at me and these things started ripping themselves out of my back!" Her voice spiraled up again, but she controlled it. "Sorry. I ... think I passed out while they were growing, because when I got my eyes open again he was gone, the place was empty...What the hell kind of magic user curses someone with wings?! I mean, wings! Whatever happened to, oh, turning people into pigs or cursing them with boils?"
"The wings, at least, are... less detrimental than being turned into a pig, Dinah, you must admit... at least this way you could call for assistance, and still have use of limbs and voice..."
There was a sudden, almost mutinous silence from the back of the van, and he could almost feel the strength of her glare boring into the back of his cowl. It was long moments before she spoke. "I suppose you have a point..."
//But you're not happy about it. Yes, I know. I saw what they were doing to your balance--and you're going to be absolutely enraged when you realize what this will do to your fighting style if it can't be reversed. (Any spell can be broken). But at what cost?// He nodded slightly, acknowledging her words as he steered them through the traffic. "I think, if you lay on your chest, the back seat would be more comfortable... and you could rest the muscles you're straining to hold the wings."
"Batman... that's a wonderful idea. If I can get back there, I believe I will..." For that one sentence, she sounded better than she had all night. He listened to the sounds of rustling and her settling into the back, and he smiled slightly.
It took several minutes, but he eventually heard her breathing change to the soft sounds of sleep. //Good. You need it, // and he simply drove.
end part one
I live for feedback, folks, and am not too proud to beg for it. Please, please tell me what you think!
Title: Aerial Adventures
Fandom: JLU
Pairing: none, yet
Characters: Batman, Black Canary
Rating: PG-13 for language, I suppose
This is all the fault of the JLU random fic generator. It told me about Black Canary and growing wings, and the muse bit. First it bit for art, though, which is located here.
Aerial Adventures
Of all the things Batman had considered when the call for assistance came in, this was certainly not one of them. He should have been warned by the fact that it came on his private channel, but... how could he have prepared for this? He shook his head once, sharply, in a vain attempt to clear absolutely unimpeded vision, and stepped out of the shadows, to the side of the heroine leaning against the alley wall. "Canary," he called to her softly, attempting to get her attention without frightening her, still only half-believing the evidence of his eyes--but when she wheeled to face him and fell, unbalanced by the heavy weight of coal-black feathers that flared at the sound of his voice, he had no choice but to believe. //What has happened?//
Her lovely voice was raw (from sobs? from pain?) and full of wrath when she answered him from her undignified sprawl almost at his feet in the alley filth, "Hi, Batman..." Her bright blue eyes were dark and red-rimmed and mascara-trails streaked her cheeks--//this has made her cry...// The thought angered him, brought the sharp clarity of anger to his confused thoughts--and he noticed the ripped, half-destroyed jacket she clutched tightly in her hands.
"See why I asked you to bring something spacious?" Bitter, biting sarcasm in her voice as she freed one hand from the jacket to wave backwards at the tall curves of black (just admit it) wings. "I'm not going to fit in a normal car for a while..."
"True," he agreed. The wings were slightly larger than Hawkgirl's, it appeared, and they must be heavy. He reached down to her, and with a slight twist of her lips, she put her hands in his and let him help her stand--//They are heavy. Her weight has increased by almost a third...// She was still not difficult to lift. Even on her feet, with the top curves of the wings well over a foot above her head, the ends of the primaries dragged along the ground. Something about that triggered a memory of an old book. "You should probably try to keep them off the ground," he offered softly, deciding that the first order of business was simply to get her to safety. Questioning her on her new... appendages... could wait until they were less likely to be overheard.
"I can't... it hurts to try. Please tell me it's not far? I'm having a hard time keeping my balance with these things..." For Black Canary to be having trouble with her balance... the admission must have been a bitter pill.
"A block, no more." He considered. "Would it be faster for me to carry you?"
"Probably so, yes..." Yet another admission she hated, acceptance of a weakness she couldn't change--the black wings fluttered angrily //They react to her moods, they're wired into her nervous system... This is not good.// He nodded.
"All right." He stepped to the side, releasing her hands. Determining the best way to carry a woman with large, mainly uncontrolled wings took a moment, but then he dipped slightly to catch her legs with his left arm, careful of the gauntlet spikes, and ran his right arm below the bottom of the wings. "Hold on to my shoulders," he told her, intending to use the change in position and his greater height to keep the wings off the ground. She gasped softly when he moved her and her wings flared open again, nearly staggering him, but her arms wrapped behind his neck, lifting herself and her wings, and he changed his grip slightly. "Good?"
"It's... fine. I'm sorry about the--"
"I do not believe this is your fault," he deliberately interrupted, and started to move rapidly towards the large, steel gray van he'd found in Bruce Wayne's garage. "Where is your bike?"
"In a mall parking lot, locked up tight. Not a problem yet... but I couldn't exactly take it to somewhere safe, either..." If her temper didn't improve within the next few hours, she was going to be... interesting to cope with. When she was angry, it was wisest to remain out of her way, he had observed--and she was still talking. "God, where counts as safe? I don't want the League to see me like this, I can't go home..."
Batman didn't like the level of stress in her voice, and spoke up before she could worry herself into tipping them off balance. "I had intended to take you home, but I see that is... unwise. I can offer you the shelter of the Cave, if you do not mind slightly cool conditions..."
She laughed against his throat. "As long as I don't get seen with these ridiculous things, I don't care if you put me in Antarctica!"
"Superman might object," he replied to that dryly. "I think the Cave will be sufficient. And only two people, barring myself, might see you. Both of whom understand the value of discretion. Is that acceptable?"
The blonde heroine in his arms stiffened a moment, wings fluttering. "I... yes. I assume one of those is your Robin?" She hadn't been a Gotham resident and hero this long without occasionally spotting of the red-suited, cheerfully violent teen... but they left each other alone.
"Yes," Batman agreed as he reached the van and settled her on her feet, opening the doors with keys retrieved from the belt.
"Hm... this isn't exactly your usual ride, but it's perfect for the moment," Dinah observed, putting a foot on the running board to step up into the van, ducking--and he saw it coming a moment too late to stop her. She'd dipped her head to get into the van--but had not reckoned for the wings. His call of "Canary!" and reach for her came in almost perfect stereo to her cry of pain as the (ulna or radius) bones of her wings slammed into the solid doorframe. He jumped forward to catch her, supporting her at the small of her back and one shoulder, listening to the choked noises of pain she was trying to suppress. "Are you--no."
Choked noises turned to a disdainful snort. "At least... you realized how stupid that was going to sound before you said it... Oh, fuck, that hurt... Damnit, Dinah, didn't you learn not to whack the wings when you hit the warehouse door?" She crouched carefully, and coaxed her wings through the door, carefully (perching) sitting on the edge of the seat. "Thank you," she added, looking out the door at him. "For catching me, I mean."
He twitched a shoulder slightly, dismissing it, and shut the door, walking around to take the driver's seat and put the van in gear. It was going to be at least an hour before they reached the Cave given the lack of a direct route between Bridgeton and his city, but they were on the way. "How much pain are you in?"
"Ah... six or seven. It feels like something in my back is broken, and all of the muscles feel like I pulled them. And the ache in the wings isn't helping... God, I have wings!" Her voice rose unsteadily at that last and he frowned. "Dinah. Stay with me. Do you want something for the pain?"
"Yes, please, if you have it..."
"Under the front passenger seat, there's a medical case. It pulls straight out towards you. Feel free." He heard the rustling of the case sliding out, and the noises of its opening, the search through it, and the hard swallow of someone taking pills dry after the snapping sound of a bottle opening.
"Thank you," she said again. "I... I'm sorry to impose, but you were the only person I could think of that wouldn't laugh at me."
"It's all right. It was a routine night... I don't mind the change." He was oddly pleased by the fact that she had trusted him with the knowledge of what had happened to her, but how... "What happened, Black Canary?"
"You might as well call me Dinah," she invited, her voice still sounding roughened, wrong to his ears. "I've been tracking a series of thefts in Jersey and Delaware--weird stuff, scepters and bones and pendants and such--and apparently, I wasn't as careful as I thought. I got a lead on where the goods might be--walked straight into a trap. It's a magic user, and he must be pretty powerful, because he chanted this incantation at me and these things started ripping themselves out of my back!" Her voice spiraled up again, but she controlled it. "Sorry. I ... think I passed out while they were growing, because when I got my eyes open again he was gone, the place was empty...What the hell kind of magic user curses someone with wings?! I mean, wings! Whatever happened to, oh, turning people into pigs or cursing them with boils?"
"The wings, at least, are... less detrimental than being turned into a pig, Dinah, you must admit... at least this way you could call for assistance, and still have use of limbs and voice..."
There was a sudden, almost mutinous silence from the back of the van, and he could almost feel the strength of her glare boring into the back of his cowl. It was long moments before she spoke. "I suppose you have a point..."
//But you're not happy about it. Yes, I know. I saw what they were doing to your balance--and you're going to be absolutely enraged when you realize what this will do to your fighting style if it can't be reversed. (Any spell can be broken). But at what cost?// He nodded slightly, acknowledging her words as he steered them through the traffic. "I think, if you lay on your chest, the back seat would be more comfortable... and you could rest the muscles you're straining to hold the wings."
"Batman... that's a wonderful idea. If I can get back there, I believe I will..." For that one sentence, she sounded better than she had all night. He listened to the sounds of rustling and her settling into the back, and he smiled slightly.
It took several minutes, but he eventually heard her breathing change to the soft sounds of sleep. //Good. You need it, // and he simply drove.
end part one
I live for feedback, folks, and am not too proud to beg for it. Please, please tell me what you think!
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I really liked the story. I think you handled Dinah's freak out was very well. I mean, wings! I would freak out too, as cool as they might be, if they hurt and totally ruin your fighting style, equilibrium, etc. Batman's calm, collected advice, and his willingness to help, I think it's perfect. It's human!Batman, the guy who is a loner with the biggest junior superhero academy in DCU, the walking dichotomy. Cold, calm, warm, concerned.
I'm going to enjoy the actual logistics of wings a lot if you continue it, I definitely enjoyed them in this story. They might look pretty, but they are big, and they can't be comfortable, and how do you keep people from recognizing you when you have wings? I look forward to reading more, this was awesome :)
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Yes, yes it does. First I did the art, and then the fic demanded that it be written. *sigh* I need a sign that says "slave to plotbunnies". Thank you for the compliment! I'm nervous as heck about posting art, so... I soo glad you like it! Yes. *growls* The het is spreading... *hides* I swear. I'm gonna skip everything else and go write Gambit/Arsenal slash just to prove I can.
Why, thank you! I have every intention of continuing. It's not through yet. *nods* "Wings!" covers it nicely, and Dinah's just a teeny bit upset. I'm not sure she knows, yet, how bad this is going to be before it gets better.
Thank you again for the approval of my Bat! I like human!Batman, the guy that's exactly what you said, so that's the one I write (most of the time).
I've spent tons of time considering the logistics of wings with a writing partner of mine and for D&D, I think together we've finally figured out most of the problems someone with wings would face--and poor Dinah's going to get hit with all of them before it's all over. They are sure pretty, but man, the muscle control and strain! And the weight! And the fluttering and the reactions and... yeah, everything like that.
Thank you soo much! Hang around (but please, for your own safety, don't hold your breath) more'll be here. Like I said, they're not done.
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Oddly enough, the first question that crosses my mind is: "Why are her wings black, instead of blonde like her hair?" Yeah, my mind looks at everything from the odd perspective first, heh.
I'm very VERY curious to see what you do with the various logistics of having wings... ..I've spent a smidgen of thought here and there on the subject, but usually give it up as anti-academic, because the problem is, for a human to have wings capable of flight... ..the wingspan would be roughly equivalent to a hang-glider, which is WAY bigger than any of the pretty art ever depicts them. Too big to allow the person to walk anymore, really. And wings that don't fly? Are pretty much just a curse, right?
The other thing I'm totally curious on is the repeated noting of Dinah's voice... ..did the transformation remover her Canary Cry, as well? 'Cuz if it did, she's gonna be Really pissed!
Looking forward to more, thanks for sharing it with us!
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I thought about blonde, but then decided she was the Black Canary, and the blankety-blank magician thought it was funny.
I've spent way more than a smidge of thought, and have done a bit of compromising. They're big wings, but this was magic, so... a little cheating. She'll be able to use them eventually, but yeah. She doesn't have the strength, right now. And yes. Non-functional wings would be a real curse.
...I hadn't even thought about having her lose her Cry, my reasoning was that she screamed, a lot, cause it fucking hurt! ... *considers*
Thank you!.
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I too am a slave to plotbunnies..but I just throw em some carrots and tell em to grow a bit more...lol.
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You'll see, you'll see... My plotbunnies don't need carrots, they're normally the size of Great Danes!
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Eager to see how you continue this....^^
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Still squeeing, here, for your wonderful plot bunnies. The Big Event going to be involved in your slash porn?
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*chuckle* I like making people squee... and you guessed it. *nods*
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And Batman is perfect. *sigh*
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Flight would be hella cool, yeah--and yes, they would be awful at first.
Wow... you think my Bat is perfect? There are not words for how much that pleases me! *happy dance*
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I can't write Batman, I swear to God! I can write Bruce fine, but when he puts the cowl on, he tends to just stand there and glare at me. :( Batman doesn't like me...
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Anyway, I love. I love because it has Canary, and although my personal writing habits don't show it, she's one of my top three favorite people in the DCU. So anything that has her in it, I love anyway.
Also, I love because of the way you depicted her. It's hard (see canon) to write a tough woman who is going through a bad time and have her be vulnerable yet still in character . I think you walked that tightrope perfectly.
And I second
Also,
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(see canon), indeed. Stupid canon, and thank you! I tried, so I'm very, very glad to know I succeeded. She's hurt and she's scared and she's a little fucked up at the moment, but she's still one tough lady and you'd better remember it.
Aw! Thank you again! He's going to have such a difficult time with this whole thing.
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I love it. Bruce is great, being all reserved and comforting because of it.
Now I have to go keep reading. XD
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Thanks, Vic (Vicci?), I'm glad you like it! Bruce is wonderful in this, yes, even I think so.
Glad you like it!