Fanfic: Camel's Back - part 1
I figured maybe after reading seftimiu's horrifyingly awesome horror, some happyverse might make a chaser.
Yeahhhhhhh I know Sam didn't do the trick with the mirrors - the roughs for this were done before Sammy's fortnight and well before Alchemy's fortnight. Both of which were very welcome, (thank you liabrown!) and I cleared up quite a lot. Butttttt.... Sammy and the mirror trick, I waffled over that for a long time before deciding to call the AU-card on it. So, obey axolotl_lan's mighty Trickster icon and Roll With It XD
Title: The Camel's Back, part 1
Author: Katzedecimal
Characters: Pipster, The Rogues, Dr. Alchemy, Kid Flash
Rating: R for violence and Digger Harkness naked and nude with no clothes on
Summary: When elephants fight, it is the grass who suffers.
Captain Boomerang was fidgetting and muttering to himself, cussing mostly, under the pool of streetlamp light. Even if he concentrated he couldn't hear the tones that Piper assured everyone would draw Desmond like a moth to a flame - that flame being Boomerang. Bait, that's what I am, bait on a hook. The knowledge that Piper was on the rooftop above him was no comfort; he wouldn't trust his life to that faggot, much less his beer. The knowledge that the other Rogues were nearby likewise didn't help much - they were the ones who set him up for this!
"Let's get down to business," Cold had said, "Desmond's approaching Rogues, double-crossing them and setting them up to take the fall. So far he's taken out Roy, Mark and Mick. He's setting things up so Flash and the cops don't even know he's involved, they only see that Rogues are pulling jobs and innocents are dying. They're callin' for our heads and meanwhile Desmond is trying to kill us. Anyone know why? Anyone poke him with a stick, speak up."
Piper just smirked. Sammy looked at him and shrugged, equally clueless. Top just maintained his Sam the Eagle look. Trickster played with his yo-yo. Then everybody looked at Captain Boomerang.
"................ wot? Wotcher all gawpin' at me for?"
Cold rolled his eyes, "Digger, three Rogues have been nearly killed. What EXACTLY did you do to the man to piss him off that much beyond your regular scope?"
"I din't do nuffin! ..Alright, I might've insulted 'im a bit but nuffin' more an' anyways, I insult everyone so who's surprised more than me?"
Trickster snickered before asking, "Insult him how? Is it 'your mother was a duck-billed platypus' insulting or 'I am ripping about your core identity and demoralizing you' insults?"
"Oh Digger's far too secure in his own masculinity to take pot-shots at someone else's self-worth in an attempt to make himself look better by comparison," Piper drawled, "He's much too mature for that sort of childish nonsense."
"Husha gob, ya fairy!"
"See?"
Top sneered and, after a sip of wine, said, "Enough stalling. What did you say to put the man in a spin?"
"Ah told yer, I din't say nuffin!"
Cold growled, "Tell us before I freeze yer balls off."
"I mmmmight have called him a bloody schizophrenic wivva dissociative disorder," Digger hedged, "But that's nuffin more than the truth."
"Yes, because calling someone insane is always nothing," Trickster said, rocking the cradle with his yo-yo.
"Sooooo you wouldn't have said this while, I don't know, say for example double-crossing him or anything, right Boomer?" Piper said, stretching. Sam kicked him under the table.
"Shutchergob!"
"No, of course not, silly of me, you wouldn't double-cross anybody... You'd get caught before you actually managed it."
"If there's something you're trying to say, queer-boy, out wivvit!"
Piper hid a smirk. "I'm not saying anything, Boomer, I'm just speculating on what probably didn't occur. I mean, it's not like you haven't been caught double-crossing your partners before and cussed them out, not that I speak from personal experience...."
"AWRIGHT YOU BLOODY FAGGOT JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TAKE A JOKE!"
"Siddown!" Sam grabbed Digger and forced him back into his chair, "No fighting!"
"Awww..."
"Shut it, Piper, that goes for you too."
"I never get to have any fun."
"Enough! Alright. Cold, I'm gettin' a picture here," Sammy sighed.
Cold facepalmed and nodded, "Digger pushed Desmond over the edge by being Digger. Now we have three hospitalized Rogues and a rising death toll and price on all our heads."
"Way to go, Digger."
"SHUT UP!"
"Figures, of all the cro-magnons in this place, it'd be you to ruin it for us all, you Australian reject," Top said, turning from his wine, "I don't see why I need to clean up his mess."
"We're all in this together, Roscoe," Sammy sighed, "And like the cops and Flash'll make any exception for you. Desmond's targetting all of us; it's up to all of us to put him down before the Flash puts us down."
Now he stood shivering under the spotlight, waiting for the lunatic to show up. On the rooftop above, Piper crouched, playing his tunes and his hearing cranked up to the max, listening for a) Dr. Alchemy and b) Flash. Kitty-corner in an alley, Captain Cold lurked behind a dumpster -- no day is good when you had to smell rotten Chinese food. Mirror Master's mirror showed the reflection of Piper; he stared at it intently, watching for Piper's sign.
It came. Alchemy was on his way.
"Evenin', mate," Digger said as he approached, "Fancy meetin' you here. Wot brings yer t'this end o' town?"
"I have a job."
"S'right? Well I'd be happy t'help out. No hard feelin's, right? We're all friends, us Rogues." Digger yawned, feeling the effects of Piper's flute, "Sorry 'bout that, late night last night, doncherknow."
Piper frowned. Digger was yawning, Alchemy should've at least been swaying by now. He adjusted the valves on his flute and tried again. This frequency would put Digger out as well but when was that a bad thing?
"You double-cross your friends," Alchemy said.
Digger yawned again and leaned against the street lamp, "All the time, everyone knows it's all just part o' th'game."
Piper adjusted the valves again, frowning. Desmond should have been dropping, what gives? Unless he was.... Ohhhhhh nooooo!! Piper signalled frantically at the mirror next to him. "Something's wrong," Sam murmured. He flashed a sign to Captain Cold.
"You double-cross me again." Alchemy had Digger by the shirt now. A quick gesture and his scarf dissolved into dust.
"Sod you, that was silk!" Buggerit, where the hell's Piper? Can't that bloody poof do anything right?
Alchemy followed his glance. Piper dropped the flute with a yelp and the lead flute dropped to crash onto the concrete below.
Mirror Master was the first to hit the pavement and the first down. Cold was moving in hot and that never went well for anyone, including him. Top was in a spin -- there was a tornado forming and Alchemy'd just sent something at it. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, to judge by the yell that followed. And he still hadn't released his choke-hold on Digger's neck.
The lack of soporific music meant that Digger was awake enough to go for his weapon. He managed a flick; it seemed useless but boomerangs do come back... right into the
back of Desmond's head. He used the opportunity to bring his hands and his knee up, breaking Desmond's hold, then managed a hard kick and danced away, gasping for breath. Then Alchemy gestured and he felt his clothes vaporise, taking his boomerangs with them. Bloody hell! Th'bloke was expecting this!
Piper pulled out his clarinet-styled flute. Whatever Desmond was doing, he should be able to shake up the vibrations. He tuned it quickly and blew a sharp, loud blast, shaking up the air. A sudden shower of fireworks and an exploding chicken forced Desmond further back, then the man was fighting the sticky threads from Trickster's glue gun.
Digger felt around for the lead flute. Never look a gift pipe in the mouth, he thought. He hefted it, testing its weight and balance, then threw it. He could make just about anything behave like a boomerang. It took an understanding of the engineering and physics and a very precise throw. He was good at it, really good.
But not good enough. Alchemy'd gotten out of Trickster's spider web and was lunging towards Digger. Trickster dove at him but Desmond waved his Philosopher's Stone and... there wasn't even time to scream.
Cold and Sammy were down, trying to breathe and turning cherry red. Trickster had swooped in to scoop up Boomer and come away gasping. Doing something to the air, Piper realized. Well, he was no Weather Wizard but he could whistle up the wind when he had to. He played for all he was worth, whipping up a gale, bringing fresh air in and keeping it moving.
They all heard the wail of sirens. Piper prayed that the others were out of range. He took out his tuning fork and struck it, creating the paralysing waves of ouch. The only way Desmond can defeat this is if he puts himself into a vacuum, Piper thought. Then he brought out his tone hammer and struck the fork sharply, creating a concussive shockwave.
Trickster was running on air, carrying the unconscious Boomerang over his shoulder, when the shockwave hit. Something was wrong with his head, he was having trouble balancing on his jet shoes and the shockwave sent him pinwheeling.
"Tricks! Over here!" Trickster cleared his vision enough to see Piper running across the rooftops. He followed Piper's voice, flailing a bit. He dropped Digger next to Piper before collapsing into the musician's arms, shuddering. "I'm sorry, I couldn't tell if you were out of range and I had to drop him fast," Piper told him, hugging him.
"I know- i- I know, thought I was good too, got a bit squeamish reaching fo-oor mmy sound dampener," Tricks said muzzily. His eyes were unfocussed and glassy. He gestured vaguely at the naked Aussie by way of explanation, "Digger. Hands s-ssscarred fer life... I n-need sex, h-haa haaawt Piper sex, only cure for dirty old Aussie mmm-men I ffear..." He nuzzled Piper's neck and sneaked a hand unsteadily under his cloak.
Piper had to giggle, "Yeahhhhhhhh hang on love, my eyes are gonna bleed if I have to look at Digger's witchetty grub for much longer." He unfastened his cloak and tucked it
around Digger, giving the man back some modesty for all the good it'd do when he woke up. He looked down at the street, searching for the other Rogues. Cold seemed to be recovering and Roscoe was limping out of range. "Hey guys, could use a hand up here!" he called.
"Sorry, Piper, cops are arriving. Better scram before Flash gets here," Cold called back.
"Are you crazy? - don't leave me here, these guys are hurt bad, how am I supposed to handle them alone?!" Cold just shook his head and stepped through Sam's mirror, leaving Piper alone with Trickster and Sleeping Beauty. "...you bastards." Piper stiffened and listened intently, "Flash!" He peered over the edge of the building. "He's got Alchemy. Good."
"S-seee we oughta teamed up with that g-guy inrrred whether he wannnted to or not," Trickster slurred.
"Ah you heard him on the news, he wants us all nailed whether we were involved or not. You know Flash, his idea of justice is as rigid as an iron rod, he doesn't bend at all. He.. CRAP!" Piper spun at a sudden sound, reflexively reaching for his flute.
"It's just me."
Piper almost sagged with relief, "Kid Flash! How'd you find me?"
"Was running on the rooftops and saw you sitting there. Uhhhh... is that..."
"Captain Boomerang naked as a jaybird? Yeah."
Kid Flash bent to check Boomerang's vital signs, "What happened?"
"Boomer pissed off Desmond, Desmond went loony and started hunting Rogues, a lot of people got hurt, Cold and Mirror Master decided we should take Desmond out ourselves, we did, they scarpered and left me with an injured Trickster and unconscious naked Boomerang."
"Why's he naked?"
"Desmond dissolved his clothes."
"Man that IS insane."
Trickster stirred and mumbled, "Stttop staaaaring at it- it it is liiike a-aa thing- y'know t-those things that the more you stare the mmmmore it looks back and then w-e'll be done, dead done." Kid Flash grinned and shook his head, kneeling to examine Trickster's eyes.
"Trickster's getting less coherant and I don't think they should be that colour."
Piper tried to stay calm but Kid Flash could hear the rising distress in his voice. "I'll take them to the General. You wait here, I'll come back for you too."
"I appreciate the help." Kid Flash just smiled then gathered up Captain Boomerang and was gone.
Trickster stirred, "mmmmpiper?"
"Yes love?"
"... you'll ssssstay?"
"I'll meet you there, love." Trickster nodded then abruptly passed out, holding Piper's hand. "James? James!!"
"How long ago did he pass out?" Kid Flash was back.
"Just now."
"Okay. They're expecting him," Kid Flash bent to scoop Trickster up.
"I'll meet you there."
* * * *
It was well into the next evening and Piper hadn't left James's side. Kid Flash - Wally - had been by frequently, in his civvies, bringing news and morale boosts. He'd proudly announced that he'd managed to get Flash to see that the Rogues had been duped victims, not co-conspirators, and gotten the rabble called off.
"That's an achievement," Piper snerked.
"Thank yuh, thank yuh verra much," Wally said in his best Elvis (which wasn't saying much.) "Heard anything about the others?"
Piper didn't look happy. "A few of them have been by," he said, "They just said thanks and that's it. Desmond had turned the air around them to carbon monoxide. They got checked out at the Merrick then went home."
"They went home."
"Yep."
"And left you to handle a couple of human horseshoe crabs by yourself."
"Yep."
Wally shook his head, "I don't get it, Piper -- why's a nice guy like you hanging out with a bunch of rats like them?"
Piper smirked mirthlessly, "You just said it, they're rats."
Wally shook his head again. "How is he?" he asked, nodding towards the twitching Trickster.
"They finished the last transfusion a couple of hours ago. They figure he should be coming around soon. He only got a fraction of what Desmond was doing to Boomer."
Wally nodded, "It's a good thing he didn't finish what he was doing to Boomer, either. They say he'll live but it was close."
James wanted to move but his body wasn't listening. He felt leaden and it was getting tingly too. What happened? Did he fall off his shoes? Was he crippled and forgotten? He heard the sound of hushed voices and called weakly, "hartleeeeey?"
Piper was instantly at his side, threading his fingers through James's, "Hey baby..."
"..toes," James said pathetically.
"Can you feel them?" Piper asked, instantly concerned.
"..not sure head fuzzy...tingles everywhere," James's eyelashes fluttered and he looked up blearily, "diii-id I fall?"
"No. Alchemy was turning the iron in Boomer's blood to copper; you got caught in it when you grabbed Boomer. You're going to be okay though. You're in a lot better shape than Boomer is."
"hug?" James asked, trying to lift his arms. Piper's arms instantly slid around him, pulling him close and rocking him as the tears spilled over. "It's okay Haaaart, y'said it'll be okay. N-now you're gonna hug annd we'll sleep and when I'm sleep yourra gunna go to that restaurant we like annn order lotsa food, you haven't been eating have you?"
Hartley had to smile and shook his head, "I couldn't leave you."
"I lalala lllike you here too. You hug nice." James made a kissy noise with his lips; Piper smiled and kissed him with utmost tenderness. He wiped at his tears, relieved that James was awake and hopeful that he'd be alright. "sex marathon," James said, "day i'mmm ahhhoowwwwwt of here... lots of sexy... sexings annd big meal annnd cuddles... buut i-i'm calling on moost of the cuddles now, whe-en they let me come home I'll be cuddled out until they are post-sexings cuddles, love those best." He hugged Piper once more, "Hartley, go, mangia mangia.." The blue eyes closed and he fell back to sleep.
Piper didn't let go, stroking the blond hair softly, tears trickling. After several minutes, he felt a hand fall lightly on his shoulder. "C'mon, Piper, you heard what he said," Wally said gently, smiling, "Let's get you something to eat. You know he'll be mad at you if you don't." Reluctantly Piper slid his arms away and tucked James in, stroking his cheek tenderly. Wally scribbled a note for Trickster, in case he woke and forgot where his boyfriend has gone, then tugged Piper out.
Yeahhhhhhh I know Sam didn't do the trick with the mirrors - the roughs for this were done before Sammy's fortnight and well before Alchemy's fortnight. Both of which were very welcome, (thank you liabrown!) and I cleared up quite a lot. Butttttt.... Sammy and the mirror trick, I waffled over that for a long time before deciding to call the AU-card on it. So, obey axolotl_lan's mighty Trickster icon and Roll With It XD
Title: The Camel's Back, part 1
Author: Katzedecimal
Characters: Pipster, The Rogues, Dr. Alchemy, Kid Flash
Rating: R for violence and Digger Harkness naked and nude with no clothes on
Summary: When elephants fight, it is the grass who suffers.
Captain Boomerang was fidgetting and muttering to himself, cussing mostly, under the pool of streetlamp light. Even if he concentrated he couldn't hear the tones that Piper assured everyone would draw Desmond like a moth to a flame - that flame being Boomerang. Bait, that's what I am, bait on a hook. The knowledge that Piper was on the rooftop above him was no comfort; he wouldn't trust his life to that faggot, much less his beer. The knowledge that the other Rogues were nearby likewise didn't help much - they were the ones who set him up for this!
"Let's get down to business," Cold had said, "Desmond's approaching Rogues, double-crossing them and setting them up to take the fall. So far he's taken out Roy, Mark and Mick. He's setting things up so Flash and the cops don't even know he's involved, they only see that Rogues are pulling jobs and innocents are dying. They're callin' for our heads and meanwhile Desmond is trying to kill us. Anyone know why? Anyone poke him with a stick, speak up."
Piper just smirked. Sammy looked at him and shrugged, equally clueless. Top just maintained his Sam the Eagle look. Trickster played with his yo-yo. Then everybody looked at Captain Boomerang.
"................ wot? Wotcher all gawpin' at me for?"
Cold rolled his eyes, "Digger, three Rogues have been nearly killed. What EXACTLY did you do to the man to piss him off that much beyond your regular scope?"
"I din't do nuffin! ..Alright, I might've insulted 'im a bit but nuffin' more an' anyways, I insult everyone so who's surprised more than me?"
Trickster snickered before asking, "Insult him how? Is it 'your mother was a duck-billed platypus' insulting or 'I am ripping about your core identity and demoralizing you' insults?"
"Oh Digger's far too secure in his own masculinity to take pot-shots at someone else's self-worth in an attempt to make himself look better by comparison," Piper drawled, "He's much too mature for that sort of childish nonsense."
"Husha gob, ya fairy!"
"See?"
Top sneered and, after a sip of wine, said, "Enough stalling. What did you say to put the man in a spin?"
"Ah told yer, I din't say nuffin!"
Cold growled, "Tell us before I freeze yer balls off."
"I mmmmight have called him a bloody schizophrenic wivva dissociative disorder," Digger hedged, "But that's nuffin more than the truth."
"Yes, because calling someone insane is always nothing," Trickster said, rocking the cradle with his yo-yo.
"Sooooo you wouldn't have said this while, I don't know, say for example double-crossing him or anything, right Boomer?" Piper said, stretching. Sam kicked him under the table.
"Shutchergob!"
"No, of course not, silly of me, you wouldn't double-cross anybody... You'd get caught before you actually managed it."
"If there's something you're trying to say, queer-boy, out wivvit!"
Piper hid a smirk. "I'm not saying anything, Boomer, I'm just speculating on what probably didn't occur. I mean, it's not like you haven't been caught double-crossing your partners before and cussed them out, not that I speak from personal experience...."
"AWRIGHT YOU BLOODY FAGGOT JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TAKE A JOKE!"
"Siddown!" Sam grabbed Digger and forced him back into his chair, "No fighting!"
"Awww..."
"Shut it, Piper, that goes for you too."
"I never get to have any fun."
"Enough! Alright. Cold, I'm gettin' a picture here," Sammy sighed.
Cold facepalmed and nodded, "Digger pushed Desmond over the edge by being Digger. Now we have three hospitalized Rogues and a rising death toll and price on all our heads."
"Way to go, Digger."
"SHUT UP!"
"Figures, of all the cro-magnons in this place, it'd be you to ruin it for us all, you Australian reject," Top said, turning from his wine, "I don't see why I need to clean up his mess."
"We're all in this together, Roscoe," Sammy sighed, "And like the cops and Flash'll make any exception for you. Desmond's targetting all of us; it's up to all of us to put him down before the Flash puts us down."
Now he stood shivering under the spotlight, waiting for the lunatic to show up. On the rooftop above, Piper crouched, playing his tunes and his hearing cranked up to the max, listening for a) Dr. Alchemy and b) Flash. Kitty-corner in an alley, Captain Cold lurked behind a dumpster -- no day is good when you had to smell rotten Chinese food. Mirror Master's mirror showed the reflection of Piper; he stared at it intently, watching for Piper's sign.
It came. Alchemy was on his way.
"Evenin', mate," Digger said as he approached, "Fancy meetin' you here. Wot brings yer t'this end o' town?"
"I have a job."
"S'right? Well I'd be happy t'help out. No hard feelin's, right? We're all friends, us Rogues." Digger yawned, feeling the effects of Piper's flute, "Sorry 'bout that, late night last night, doncherknow."
Piper frowned. Digger was yawning, Alchemy should've at least been swaying by now. He adjusted the valves on his flute and tried again. This frequency would put Digger out as well but when was that a bad thing?
"You double-cross your friends," Alchemy said.
Digger yawned again and leaned against the street lamp, "All the time, everyone knows it's all just part o' th'game."
Piper adjusted the valves again, frowning. Desmond should have been dropping, what gives? Unless he was.... Ohhhhhh nooooo!! Piper signalled frantically at the mirror next to him. "Something's wrong," Sam murmured. He flashed a sign to Captain Cold.
"You double-cross me again." Alchemy had Digger by the shirt now. A quick gesture and his scarf dissolved into dust.
"Sod you, that was silk!" Buggerit, where the hell's Piper? Can't that bloody poof do anything right?
Alchemy followed his glance. Piper dropped the flute with a yelp and the lead flute dropped to crash onto the concrete below.
Mirror Master was the first to hit the pavement and the first down. Cold was moving in hot and that never went well for anyone, including him. Top was in a spin -- there was a tornado forming and Alchemy'd just sent something at it. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, to judge by the yell that followed. And he still hadn't released his choke-hold on Digger's neck.
The lack of soporific music meant that Digger was awake enough to go for his weapon. He managed a flick; it seemed useless but boomerangs do come back... right into the
back of Desmond's head. He used the opportunity to bring his hands and his knee up, breaking Desmond's hold, then managed a hard kick and danced away, gasping for breath. Then Alchemy gestured and he felt his clothes vaporise, taking his boomerangs with them. Bloody hell! Th'bloke was expecting this!
Piper pulled out his clarinet-styled flute. Whatever Desmond was doing, he should be able to shake up the vibrations. He tuned it quickly and blew a sharp, loud blast, shaking up the air. A sudden shower of fireworks and an exploding chicken forced Desmond further back, then the man was fighting the sticky threads from Trickster's glue gun.
Digger felt around for the lead flute. Never look a gift pipe in the mouth, he thought. He hefted it, testing its weight and balance, then threw it. He could make just about anything behave like a boomerang. It took an understanding of the engineering and physics and a very precise throw. He was good at it, really good.
But not good enough. Alchemy'd gotten out of Trickster's spider web and was lunging towards Digger. Trickster dove at him but Desmond waved his Philosopher's Stone and... there wasn't even time to scream.
Cold and Sammy were down, trying to breathe and turning cherry red. Trickster had swooped in to scoop up Boomer and come away gasping. Doing something to the air, Piper realized. Well, he was no Weather Wizard but he could whistle up the wind when he had to. He played for all he was worth, whipping up a gale, bringing fresh air in and keeping it moving.
They all heard the wail of sirens. Piper prayed that the others were out of range. He took out his tuning fork and struck it, creating the paralysing waves of ouch. The only way Desmond can defeat this is if he puts himself into a vacuum, Piper thought. Then he brought out his tone hammer and struck the fork sharply, creating a concussive shockwave.
Trickster was running on air, carrying the unconscious Boomerang over his shoulder, when the shockwave hit. Something was wrong with his head, he was having trouble balancing on his jet shoes and the shockwave sent him pinwheeling.
"Tricks! Over here!" Trickster cleared his vision enough to see Piper running across the rooftops. He followed Piper's voice, flailing a bit. He dropped Digger next to Piper before collapsing into the musician's arms, shuddering. "I'm sorry, I couldn't tell if you were out of range and I had to drop him fast," Piper told him, hugging him.
"I know- i- I know, thought I was good too, got a bit squeamish reaching fo-oor mmy sound dampener," Tricks said muzzily. His eyes were unfocussed and glassy. He gestured vaguely at the naked Aussie by way of explanation, "Digger. Hands s-ssscarred fer life... I n-need sex, h-haa haaawt Piper sex, only cure for dirty old Aussie mmm-men I ffear..." He nuzzled Piper's neck and sneaked a hand unsteadily under his cloak.
Piper had to giggle, "Yeahhhhhhhh hang on love, my eyes are gonna bleed if I have to look at Digger's witchetty grub for much longer." He unfastened his cloak and tucked it
around Digger, giving the man back some modesty for all the good it'd do when he woke up. He looked down at the street, searching for the other Rogues. Cold seemed to be recovering and Roscoe was limping out of range. "Hey guys, could use a hand up here!" he called.
"Sorry, Piper, cops are arriving. Better scram before Flash gets here," Cold called back.
"Are you crazy? - don't leave me here, these guys are hurt bad, how am I supposed to handle them alone?!" Cold just shook his head and stepped through Sam's mirror, leaving Piper alone with Trickster and Sleeping Beauty. "...you bastards." Piper stiffened and listened intently, "Flash!" He peered over the edge of the building. "He's got Alchemy. Good."
"S-seee we oughta teamed up with that g-guy inrrred whether he wannnted to or not," Trickster slurred.
"Ah you heard him on the news, he wants us all nailed whether we were involved or not. You know Flash, his idea of justice is as rigid as an iron rod, he doesn't bend at all. He.. CRAP!" Piper spun at a sudden sound, reflexively reaching for his flute.
"It's just me."
Piper almost sagged with relief, "Kid Flash! How'd you find me?"
"Was running on the rooftops and saw you sitting there. Uhhhh... is that..."
"Captain Boomerang naked as a jaybird? Yeah."
Kid Flash bent to check Boomerang's vital signs, "What happened?"
"Boomer pissed off Desmond, Desmond went loony and started hunting Rogues, a lot of people got hurt, Cold and Mirror Master decided we should take Desmond out ourselves, we did, they scarpered and left me with an injured Trickster and unconscious naked Boomerang."
"Why's he naked?"
"Desmond dissolved his clothes."
"Man that IS insane."
Trickster stirred and mumbled, "Stttop staaaaring at it- it it is liiike a-aa thing- y'know t-those things that the more you stare the mmmmore it looks back and then w-e'll be done, dead done." Kid Flash grinned and shook his head, kneeling to examine Trickster's eyes.
"Trickster's getting less coherant and I don't think they should be that colour."
Piper tried to stay calm but Kid Flash could hear the rising distress in his voice. "I'll take them to the General. You wait here, I'll come back for you too."
"I appreciate the help." Kid Flash just smiled then gathered up Captain Boomerang and was gone.
Trickster stirred, "mmmmpiper?"
"Yes love?"
"... you'll ssssstay?"
"I'll meet you there, love." Trickster nodded then abruptly passed out, holding Piper's hand. "James? James!!"
"How long ago did he pass out?" Kid Flash was back.
"Just now."
"Okay. They're expecting him," Kid Flash bent to scoop Trickster up.
"I'll meet you there."
* * * *
It was well into the next evening and Piper hadn't left James's side. Kid Flash - Wally - had been by frequently, in his civvies, bringing news and morale boosts. He'd proudly announced that he'd managed to get Flash to see that the Rogues had been duped victims, not co-conspirators, and gotten the rabble called off.
"That's an achievement," Piper snerked.
"Thank yuh, thank yuh verra much," Wally said in his best Elvis (which wasn't saying much.) "Heard anything about the others?"
Piper didn't look happy. "A few of them have been by," he said, "They just said thanks and that's it. Desmond had turned the air around them to carbon monoxide. They got checked out at the Merrick then went home."
"They went home."
"Yep."
"And left you to handle a couple of human horseshoe crabs by yourself."
"Yep."
Wally shook his head, "I don't get it, Piper -- why's a nice guy like you hanging out with a bunch of rats like them?"
Piper smirked mirthlessly, "You just said it, they're rats."
Wally shook his head again. "How is he?" he asked, nodding towards the twitching Trickster.
"They finished the last transfusion a couple of hours ago. They figure he should be coming around soon. He only got a fraction of what Desmond was doing to Boomer."
Wally nodded, "It's a good thing he didn't finish what he was doing to Boomer, either. They say he'll live but it was close."
James wanted to move but his body wasn't listening. He felt leaden and it was getting tingly too. What happened? Did he fall off his shoes? Was he crippled and forgotten? He heard the sound of hushed voices and called weakly, "hartleeeeey?"
Piper was instantly at his side, threading his fingers through James's, "Hey baby..."
"..toes," James said pathetically.
"Can you feel them?" Piper asked, instantly concerned.
"..not sure head fuzzy...tingles everywhere," James's eyelashes fluttered and he looked up blearily, "diii-id I fall?"
"No. Alchemy was turning the iron in Boomer's blood to copper; you got caught in it when you grabbed Boomer. You're going to be okay though. You're in a lot better shape than Boomer is."
"hug?" James asked, trying to lift his arms. Piper's arms instantly slid around him, pulling him close and rocking him as the tears spilled over. "It's okay Haaaart, y'said it'll be okay. N-now you're gonna hug annd we'll sleep and when I'm sleep yourra gunna go to that restaurant we like annn order lotsa food, you haven't been eating have you?"
Hartley had to smile and shook his head, "I couldn't leave you."
"I lalala lllike you here too. You hug nice." James made a kissy noise with his lips; Piper smiled and kissed him with utmost tenderness. He wiped at his tears, relieved that James was awake and hopeful that he'd be alright. "sex marathon," James said, "day i'mmm ahhhoowwwwwt of here... lots of sexy... sexings annd big meal annnd cuddles... buut i-i'm calling on moost of the cuddles now, whe-en they let me come home I'll be cuddled out until they are post-sexings cuddles, love those best." He hugged Piper once more, "Hartley, go, mangia mangia.." The blue eyes closed and he fell back to sleep.
Piper didn't let go, stroking the blond hair softly, tears trickling. After several minutes, he felt a hand fall lightly on his shoulder. "C'mon, Piper, you heard what he said," Wally said gently, smiling, "Let's get you something to eat. You know he'll be mad at you if you don't." Reluctantly Piper slid his arms away and tucked James in, stroking his cheek tenderly. Wally scribbled a note for Trickster, in case he woke and forgot where his boyfriend has gone, then tugged Piper out.