Watchmen: Dan/Adrian, PG-13
Title: The Dust Of Empires Chapter 1
Fandom: Watchmen
Verse: movie
Rating: PG-13 (NC-17 overall)
Pairings: Dan/Adrian, Dan/Laurie, Dr. Manhattan/Laurie
Warnings: sex, violence, angst, mentions of canon character death, AU
Beta: Thanks to karaokegal for beta-reading.
Spoilers: general Watchmen canon
Summary: Adrian had known that he would not survive the creation of his utopia unscathed, but he had never thought that it would be his own conscience trying to break him. Now, in the midst of his personal turmoil he is in dire need of the friendship of people who might never forgive him.
Chapter 1
Adrian was exhausted when he came home that night. Dusk had already settled outside, darkening the magnificent New York sky line visible through his living room window. Moving slowly through the room, Adrian dropped his suit jacket on a nearby arm chair before collapsing into the soft warmth of his sofa. His head came to rest on one of the few cushions and his eyes immediately closed. He hadn’t even bothered to switch on the lights.
Adrian’s day had been hectic, bustling and draining. A long and tedious meeting in the morning, two TV interviews in the afternoon, one of which he had skipped lunch for. Then he had to attend to yet another meeting. All these appointments led to such a backlog in his office work that he had to stay a few hours late to catch up on contracts and the correspondence that was too important for his secretary to take care of. Sometimes no amount of delegation seemed enough to lessen the work load.
However exhausted he might be, Adrian knew that he could not rest yet. He had yet to go on patrol and as night was fast encroaching, he’d have to leave soon. Grimacing in the darkness as his stomach growled, Adrian realized that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning. He knew he should really have dinner before leaving on patrol lest his hunger have a negative impact on his performance.
Forcing himself up from the couch, Adrian went to the kitchen and selected some slices of cold chicken from the meagre contents of his refrigerator Living alone, and working most hours of the day and night, he had no need to keep more than a few necessities in his home. Adrian assembled a light sandwich with the chicken and ate it slowly, leaning against the sterile stainless-steel kitchen counter as he stared at the floor on the far side of the room, leaving his mind blank for the moment to give it some rest.
Once he had finished eating, he hand-washed the plate and knife and covered the remaining chicken with a layer of cling-wrap. Afterwards he washed his hands and headed to his bedroom.
Ozymandias, as a crime fighter, no longer existed. Ozymandias had retired even before the Keene Act had been set in motion. No, Adrian’s current crime-fighting persona did not yet have a name; he suspected, though, that the press and the public would soon take care of that. They always did.
The glass showcase set into the wall displayed two costumes these days. One belonged to Ozymandias, the other was something entirely different. It was this one that Adrian now removed from its stand. Stripping off his daytime clothes, he now donned an attire that was considerably less impressive and elaborate than that of Ozymandias had been; thick black leather trousers, a fully armored, long-sleeved vest, combat boots, black gloves. All this was topped off by a black leather duster and a simple black helmet with a visor. This time, Adrian’s costume was designed for convenience only. It was secure and dark enough to serve as camouflage during the night. The only indulgence this costume provided was located in the visor; it contained a similar technology to the one that could be found in the night-vision goggles Nite Owl was so fond of.
During the few minutes it took to change into his costume, Adrian tuned into the police radio frequency and listened to the reports from cop to cop; there was already so much to do, Adrian mused as he slipped the portable scanner into an inside pocket of his coat. He left his apartment through a window and climbed down the fire escape, careful not to be seen by any passers by.
*
For Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II the night was already in full crime-fighting swing. They had started the night by breaking up a drug deal near the harbor. Once they made sure that the dealers were picked up by the police they returned to the Owl Ship where the police scanner was already reporting a gang feud escalating in the Bronx. Now they were back in Archie, ready to return to the owl’s nest when the scanner reported the next crime: two or more men breaking into an apartment on the Upper East Side
“Let’s get on it,” Nite Owl muttered with a grim and determined grin as he altered the coordinates to redirect the Owl Ship towards the location of the crime. Silk Spectre nodded, almost mirroring her partner’s expression and began readying Archie’s grappling hooks and any other equipment they might need.
They arrived at the high-rise a few minutes later, securing Archie to the rail surrounding the roof with one grappling line. With the other they swung over to an already broken window.
The moment Night Owl and Silk Spectre swung into the darkened room chaos broke loose. There were more than two burglars waiting for them, four to be exact. Fortunately, they did not seem to be professionals.
Two of the men were on Silk Spectre within a moment; she quickly stopped one of them with a well-aimed kick to the crotch while on the other side of the room Nite Owl swung a powerful punch at the next attacker, knocking him unconscious. A third burglar tackled Nite Owl to the ground where they each fought to overpower the other.
The last attacker had Silk Spectre cornered and was pressing up against her, going for intimidation before attempting a real attack. He pressed one leg between Silk Spectre’s thighs and nudged them apart, drawing a startled cry from her as she tried to break free.
Hearing Silk Spectre’s cry, Nite Owl put all his strength into shoving his attacker off, quickly ramming his throwing crescent into the man’s shoulder, effectively disarming and distracting him long enough to get up and come to his partner’s aid. In a flash Nite Owl was at the attacker’s back, hauling him off Silk Spectre and punching him squarely in the temple. The burglar struggled weakly, appearing too dazed to do much damage, but Nite Owl didn’t let him go until after he slammed the man into the wall and punched him once more forcefully. The criminal slid to the ground, unconscious.
Suddenly, the room was silent, save for a few groans coming from one of the burglars and the police sirens coming closer from the distance. Nite Owl took a deep, steadying breath and looked around at the mess they’d created. He sighed and shook his head, stopping the motion as he felt an arm softly slide around his waist.
“Let’s call it a night, Dan,” Silk Spectre suggested softly, resting her head against his shoulder.
*
Lights flickered on as Archimedes slowly hummed through the unused subway tunnel, coming to rest on its perch. Dan killed the engines and let the door open before leading the way out, Laurie following suite.
Daniel stepped up to his work bench and first removed his cowl and then his goggles. His gloves were dropped on the table next with a tired sigh. With a grimace, Dan wiped the sweat of his brow. God,, he needed a shower.
Laurie came up behind Dan, wrapping her arms around his waist. She tiredly rested her head against Dan’s strong back. It was late; early in the morning, really, and Laurie was beat.
“Eventful night, huh?” she commented.
“Yeah,” Dan breathed in reply, sounding slightly regretful. Laurie’s embrace tightened imperceptively as her fingers splayed across her boyfriend’s stomach. God, it had only been eight months; eight months since Karnak, eight months since Daniel Dreiberg had come out of retirement and once again assumed the identity of Night Owl II. Eight months ago Rorschach had died and in his memory, to honor it, Laurie thought, Daniel had gone back to crime fighting; and so had she. Within those eight months Daniel had gone from slightly pudgy, shy and laid back to active, quiet and tense. Needless to say, Laurie was worried.
Maybe Adrian Veidt had tricked the world’s super powers into tentative peace, but under the surface crime still boiled violently. Laurie and Dan still went out every night, risking their lives and freedom to clear at least some of the crime off New York’s streets, Keene Act or not. Laurie knew Daniel mainly did it for Roschach; she did it for Dan.
Yet lately, things had changed; Dan had changed. During the first few months after Antarctica, he’d clung to Laurie, frequently almost falling apart in her arms, though he often stopped himself before grief could consume him. Laurie almost wished she’d forced him to let it out then, because now she just wanted her soft, emotional Dan back; now that he was withdrawing from her day by day, becoming more distant, more quiet and at times more violent. This, of course, only applied to patrols; Dan was still one of the sweetest boyfriends Laurie could possibly imagine. But he’d changed; the vibrancy he used to possess had dulled by an alarming degree,
After long moments of revelling in each other’s warmth, Dan slowly turned in Laurie’s embrace to face her. He gently kissed her lips, and then rested his forehead against hers. “Let’s go to bed,” he murmured, managing a tired half-smile. Laurie nodded and let him lead her upstairs by the hand.
A/N: Please review. :)
Fandom: Watchmen
Verse: movie
Rating: PG-13 (NC-17 overall)
Pairings: Dan/Adrian, Dan/Laurie, Dr. Manhattan/Laurie
Warnings: sex, violence, angst, mentions of canon character death, AU
Beta: Thanks to karaokegal for beta-reading.
Spoilers: general Watchmen canon
Summary: Adrian had known that he would not survive the creation of his utopia unscathed, but he had never thought that it would be his own conscience trying to break him. Now, in the midst of his personal turmoil he is in dire need of the friendship of people who might never forgive him.
Chapter 1
Adrian was exhausted when he came home that night. Dusk had already settled outside, darkening the magnificent New York sky line visible through his living room window. Moving slowly through the room, Adrian dropped his suit jacket on a nearby arm chair before collapsing into the soft warmth of his sofa. His head came to rest on one of the few cushions and his eyes immediately closed. He hadn’t even bothered to switch on the lights.
Adrian’s day had been hectic, bustling and draining. A long and tedious meeting in the morning, two TV interviews in the afternoon, one of which he had skipped lunch for. Then he had to attend to yet another meeting. All these appointments led to such a backlog in his office work that he had to stay a few hours late to catch up on contracts and the correspondence that was too important for his secretary to take care of. Sometimes no amount of delegation seemed enough to lessen the work load.
However exhausted he might be, Adrian knew that he could not rest yet. He had yet to go on patrol and as night was fast encroaching, he’d have to leave soon. Grimacing in the darkness as his stomach growled, Adrian realized that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning. He knew he should really have dinner before leaving on patrol lest his hunger have a negative impact on his performance.
Forcing himself up from the couch, Adrian went to the kitchen and selected some slices of cold chicken from the meagre contents of his refrigerator Living alone, and working most hours of the day and night, he had no need to keep more than a few necessities in his home. Adrian assembled a light sandwich with the chicken and ate it slowly, leaning against the sterile stainless-steel kitchen counter as he stared at the floor on the far side of the room, leaving his mind blank for the moment to give it some rest.
Once he had finished eating, he hand-washed the plate and knife and covered the remaining chicken with a layer of cling-wrap. Afterwards he washed his hands and headed to his bedroom.
Ozymandias, as a crime fighter, no longer existed. Ozymandias had retired even before the Keene Act had been set in motion. No, Adrian’s current crime-fighting persona did not yet have a name; he suspected, though, that the press and the public would soon take care of that. They always did.
The glass showcase set into the wall displayed two costumes these days. One belonged to Ozymandias, the other was something entirely different. It was this one that Adrian now removed from its stand. Stripping off his daytime clothes, he now donned an attire that was considerably less impressive and elaborate than that of Ozymandias had been; thick black leather trousers, a fully armored, long-sleeved vest, combat boots, black gloves. All this was topped off by a black leather duster and a simple black helmet with a visor. This time, Adrian’s costume was designed for convenience only. It was secure and dark enough to serve as camouflage during the night. The only indulgence this costume provided was located in the visor; it contained a similar technology to the one that could be found in the night-vision goggles Nite Owl was so fond of.
During the few minutes it took to change into his costume, Adrian tuned into the police radio frequency and listened to the reports from cop to cop; there was already so much to do, Adrian mused as he slipped the portable scanner into an inside pocket of his coat. He left his apartment through a window and climbed down the fire escape, careful not to be seen by any passers by.
*
For Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II the night was already in full crime-fighting swing. They had started the night by breaking up a drug deal near the harbor. Once they made sure that the dealers were picked up by the police they returned to the Owl Ship where the police scanner was already reporting a gang feud escalating in the Bronx. Now they were back in Archie, ready to return to the owl’s nest when the scanner reported the next crime: two or more men breaking into an apartment on the Upper East Side
“Let’s get on it,” Nite Owl muttered with a grim and determined grin as he altered the coordinates to redirect the Owl Ship towards the location of the crime. Silk Spectre nodded, almost mirroring her partner’s expression and began readying Archie’s grappling hooks and any other equipment they might need.
They arrived at the high-rise a few minutes later, securing Archie to the rail surrounding the roof with one grappling line. With the other they swung over to an already broken window.
The moment Night Owl and Silk Spectre swung into the darkened room chaos broke loose. There were more than two burglars waiting for them, four to be exact. Fortunately, they did not seem to be professionals.
Two of the men were on Silk Spectre within a moment; she quickly stopped one of them with a well-aimed kick to the crotch while on the other side of the room Nite Owl swung a powerful punch at the next attacker, knocking him unconscious. A third burglar tackled Nite Owl to the ground where they each fought to overpower the other.
The last attacker had Silk Spectre cornered and was pressing up against her, going for intimidation before attempting a real attack. He pressed one leg between Silk Spectre’s thighs and nudged them apart, drawing a startled cry from her as she tried to break free.
Hearing Silk Spectre’s cry, Nite Owl put all his strength into shoving his attacker off, quickly ramming his throwing crescent into the man’s shoulder, effectively disarming and distracting him long enough to get up and come to his partner’s aid. In a flash Nite Owl was at the attacker’s back, hauling him off Silk Spectre and punching him squarely in the temple. The burglar struggled weakly, appearing too dazed to do much damage, but Nite Owl didn’t let him go until after he slammed the man into the wall and punched him once more forcefully. The criminal slid to the ground, unconscious.
Suddenly, the room was silent, save for a few groans coming from one of the burglars and the police sirens coming closer from the distance. Nite Owl took a deep, steadying breath and looked around at the mess they’d created. He sighed and shook his head, stopping the motion as he felt an arm softly slide around his waist.
“Let’s call it a night, Dan,” Silk Spectre suggested softly, resting her head against his shoulder.
*
Lights flickered on as Archimedes slowly hummed through the unused subway tunnel, coming to rest on its perch. Dan killed the engines and let the door open before leading the way out, Laurie following suite.
Daniel stepped up to his work bench and first removed his cowl and then his goggles. His gloves were dropped on the table next with a tired sigh. With a grimace, Dan wiped the sweat of his brow. God,, he needed a shower.
Laurie came up behind Dan, wrapping her arms around his waist. She tiredly rested her head against Dan’s strong back. It was late; early in the morning, really, and Laurie was beat.
“Eventful night, huh?” she commented.
“Yeah,” Dan breathed in reply, sounding slightly regretful. Laurie’s embrace tightened imperceptively as her fingers splayed across her boyfriend’s stomach. God, it had only been eight months; eight months since Karnak, eight months since Daniel Dreiberg had come out of retirement and once again assumed the identity of Night Owl II. Eight months ago Rorschach had died and in his memory, to honor it, Laurie thought, Daniel had gone back to crime fighting; and so had she. Within those eight months Daniel had gone from slightly pudgy, shy and laid back to active, quiet and tense. Needless to say, Laurie was worried.
Maybe Adrian Veidt had tricked the world’s super powers into tentative peace, but under the surface crime still boiled violently. Laurie and Dan still went out every night, risking their lives and freedom to clear at least some of the crime off New York’s streets, Keene Act or not. Laurie knew Daniel mainly did it for Roschach; she did it for Dan.
Yet lately, things had changed; Dan had changed. During the first few months after Antarctica, he’d clung to Laurie, frequently almost falling apart in her arms, though he often stopped himself before grief could consume him. Laurie almost wished she’d forced him to let it out then, because now she just wanted her soft, emotional Dan back; now that he was withdrawing from her day by day, becoming more distant, more quiet and at times more violent. This, of course, only applied to patrols; Dan was still one of the sweetest boyfriends Laurie could possibly imagine. But he’d changed; the vibrancy he used to possess had dulled by an alarming degree,
After long moments of revelling in each other’s warmth, Dan slowly turned in Laurie’s embrace to face her. He gently kissed her lips, and then rested his forehead against hers. “Let’s go to bed,” he murmured, managing a tired half-smile. Laurie nodded and let him lead her upstairs by the hand.
A/N: Please review. :)