Tag Archives: starkroads

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

“Your happiness. I want you to be free from that thing.” She frowned, easing up off the ground. “What’s wrong with your hand? Let me see it.” Again she reached out, slowly. “Come on.” Like coaxing a wild animal.

His voice dropped into the most patronizingly sugary tone he could manage as he asked, “Are we going to keep talking like kindergarten teachers, or is this a short lived game?”  His arm stayed against his chest and he snorted.  “I’d prefer if you didn’t touch me.”

“Stop acting the fool and I’ll stop treating you as one.” One hand seized his elbow, and then it was as if she was falling, or the world went away; there was an unpleasant roiling in her gut.

Summer blinked, shaking her head hard. “What the fuck. Just happened.” She could see Tony, hand still clutched close to his chest, and the reactor seeming to flicker in and out of view. And nothing else. All around stretched greyness, filled with dim and sourceless light. She turned, slowly.

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

Startlement overset her into the ground. She stared upward, eyes fixed on the knife. “You don’t want to do that, Tony. Put the knife down.” Purposely, she stayed down, letting him tower over her. “You’ve been possessed by a demon. It’s gone now. You’re free.”

Tony laughed, sharp and bitter and harsh.  “No, you don’t say!” he barked out.  “That whole genius thing?  Yeah, it’s still a thing.”  He fell quiet then, as he turned his eyes towards the ground, blinking rapidly a few times and muttering a quiet, indistinct, “it’s so fucking bright out here,” to himself.

“Don’t be any more of a dick than you have to be,” Summer snapped. “Put the knife away.” A singing tension pervaded her body, winding muscles tight. This wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. She had helped him, hadn’t she? Nobody /wanted/ to be at the utter mercy of that kind of darkness.

Seeming distracted more than anything, he flipped the knife shut and closed it in his fist, which he brought up to massage one temple.  All the while, his left arm was kept close to his chest, the hand fixed in a near immobile claw.  His tension bled away slowly, until he was simply hunched and tired and almost small, in a way.  He slid her a weary glance from under his brows.  “What do you want?”

“Your happiness. I want you to be free from that thing.” She frowned, easing up off the ground. “What’s wrong with your hand? Let me see it.” Again she reached out, slowly. “Come on.” Like coaxing a wild animal.

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

Startlement overset her into the ground. She stared upward, eyes fixed on the knife. “You don’t want to do that, Tony. Put the knife down.” Purposely, she stayed down, letting him tower over her. “You’ve been possessed by a demon. It’s gone now. You’re free.”

Tony laughed, sharp and bitter and harsh.  “No, you don’t say!” he barked out.  “That whole genius thing?  Yeah, it’s still a thing.”  He fell quiet then, as he turned his eyes towards the ground, blinking rapidly a few times and muttering a quiet, indistinct, “it’s so fucking bright out here,” to himself.

“Don’t be any more of a dick than you have to be,” Summer snapped. “Put the knife away.” A singing tension pervaded her body, winding muscles tight. This wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. She had helped him, hadn’t she? Nobody /wanted/ to be at the utter mercy of that kind of darkness.

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

The demon’s trap vanished in an instant. Summer crouched, slowly, holding out a hand as to a feral cat. “Tony?” Ah, god, the shadows in his eyes cut like knives. “Tony, you’re safe now.” Gentle fingers brushed at the blood and water on his face, so like her own loved Tony. The lines etched in were different, a few scars and marks altered, but it was achingly close, and she wanted to draw him close.

Tony smacked her hand away with his right hand, his gloved left hand held protectively to his chest.  He lurched to his feet and stumbled back a few steps before straightening to…nearly his full height, shoulders still hunched with exhaustion.  He scrubbed his sleeve over his face and then plunged his hand into his pocket to pull out Anthony’s knife, which he flicked open only a bit less deftly than the demon.  “I wasn’t in trouble, you psychotic bitch!” he gritted out, knife held in a white knuckled grip as he pointed it at her, as if warding her off.

Startlement overset her into the ground. She stared upward, eyes fixed on the knife. “You don’t want to do that, Tony. Put the knife down.” Purposely, she stayed down, letting him tower over her. “You’ve been possessed by a demon. It’s gone now. You’re free.”

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

“I want Tony.” She ignored his insult; everything he said was true, and she did know it. He’d answered her question well enough. “It’s really that simple. You don’t belong here. Even if he’s not /my/ Tony, there are people who love him, and miss him.” Summer straightened her shoulders. With a quick motion, she hurled a mason jarful of holy water full in his face. “Go home, and leave us be.”

Demony had been about to reply, and he couldn’t quite get his mouth shut in time, unfortunately.  He reared back with an inhuman scream, the floor lurching once and lights shattering, but he came up short at the fire, and then stumbled forward a step.  He doubled over and retched, spitting up a mouthful of bloody water.  Somewhere a dog howled, before the noise cut off abruptly—keep working you fetid mutt—and left Demony staring blankly at Summer, blood running from his nose and down his chin.  And then he sort of…folded, slumping to his knees in an almost gentle manner, like a puppet with the strings cut.

He laughed, then; a strange, strained titter of a laugh, before he crooned, “Shhhhh.  Just sit tight.”  His head fell back and his chin dropped, and the smoke spilled out, fleeing through the patches where the water had broken the circle.

Tony pitched forward and caught himself on his elbows.  He took a moment to just breathe, panting harshly, before he slowly pushed himself back up to his knees, eyes wide as he stared at Summer.

The demon’s trap vanished in an instant. Summer crouched, slowly, holding out a hand as to a feral cat. “Tony?” Ah, god, the shadows in his eyes cut like knives. “Tony, you’re safe now.” Gentle fingers brushed at the blood and water on his face, so like her own loved Tony. The lines etched in were different, a few scars and marks altered, but it was achingly close, and she wanted to draw him close.

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

Summer couldn’t help but laugh. It might only be Tony’s body and not Tony’s self, but the wit was so close. Shaking her head, she gave up projective empathy and studied him for a long moment. “If fear is nice, does that make happiness or love bad?” One hand fished in the pockets of her trenchcoat, and she tried slipping somehow under the demon’s mind to find Tony.

Anthony rolled his eyes.  “Not at all.  Emotions aren’t magnets, you simpleton.  There aren’t opposite ends that repel each other.  They all mix and commingle in innumerable ways.  One would think you would know that better than a little ol’ demon.”  He quirked his head to the side, one eyebrow raised as he tracked the movement of her hand.  “What are you hoping to get out of this?”

“I want Tony.” She ignored his insult; everything he said was true, and she did know it. He’d answered her question well enough. “It’s really that simple. You don’t belong here. Even if he’s not /my/ Tony, there are people who love him, and miss him.” Summer straightened her shoulders. With a quick motion, she hurled a mason jarful of holy water full in his face. “Go home, and leave us be.”

starkroads:

iamthefirechild:

starkroads:

iamthefirechild said:

Off-guard is exactly where I want you. *draws the edges of the devil’s trap in an inch* Off-guard. A little frightened. *broadcasts fear at him*

*smiles placidly at her, eyes going half-lidded at the broadcast*  While I won’t complain about the free meal, I had to let you in before you got anywhere near my mind last time.  Why would you have any more luck now?

*shrugs* Might. Might not. *keeps giving him the fear* You like that, hey? Interesting.

Why wouldn’t I?  Every emotion tastes different, after all, from one person to the next.  And synthetic ones have a sort of plastic after taste to them.  It’s bizarre.

Summer couldn’t help but laugh. It might only be Tony’s body and not Tony’s self, but the wit was so close. Shaking her head, she gave up projective empathy and studied him for a long moment. “If fear is nice, does that make happiness or love bad?” One hand fished in the pockets of her trenchcoat, and she tried slipping somehow under the demon’s mind to find Tony.

starkroads:

iamthefirechild said:

Off-guard is exactly where I want you. *draws the edges of the devil’s trap in an inch* Off-guard. A little frightened. *broadcasts fear at him*

*smiles placidly at her, eyes going half-lidded at the broadcast*  While I won’t complain about the free meal, I had to let you in before you got anywhere near my mind last time.  Why would you have any more luck now?

*shrugs* Might. Might not. *keeps giving him the fear* You like that, hey? Interesting.