Agateophobia ~tadashi-bignerd-hamada
Agateophobia:Your muse thinks theyâre going crazy, and mine is trying to talk them down.
There were many things that she was proud of. Her name, for one. It sounded amazing. Mage Mundane. Gave no clue as to if she was a super, hero or villain. Just that she had a name and it alluded to her abilities. Or lack thereof. Ambiguity was fun. Most of the time.Â
Slowly, the witch moved her broom closer, the soft lights in the handle casting a small amount of light on the man in front of her. She adjusted her hat, slowly peeling away her mask and making it disappear in a small puff of smoke.Â
âMe? As real as I can tell. Do you want to check?âShe offered him a hand. He reached out, flames sparking from his fingertips. Michelle flinched as one of them nipped at her hand, moving up and singing the hem of her robes. He pulled his hand back and finally looked up at her, eyes meeting hers. She gave an inquisitive tilt of her head, and he scooted over enough for her to join him. She hovered her broom overhead, slipping off of it and taking a seat next to him, staring out over the city as explosions in the distance lit up an otherwise dark city.Â
They sat in silence, waiting for his ride to show.Â
An hour later and  more questions left Michelle with a few small burns, and a desperate need to claw at her own face. She didnât know how he could stand to be in his own head. She saw things, yes, but she was always sure they existed. Having someone ask you if the man on the opposing roof was real or not was unnerving when there was no man. Not even a heat signature. Nothing.Â
It was downright terrifying when Tadashi kept telling her about how he kept getting closer, how it sounded like Robert. It was terrifying because she didnât know how to help.Â
The purr of an engine below left her with twin feelings of terror and relief. If it wasnât Kemal, there was going to be problems. If it was, well, it wasnât hers anymore. She looked down. Kemal looked up at them, shooting her an annoyed look at the inaccessibility of their perch. She shrugged and pulled her broom out, flicking it so that it stood in front of him. She stepped lightly onto it, turning and offering her hand to the man behind her. Thankfully, he took it, and she brought them down to the seer.Â
She intruded on the moment for just a few seconds, watching as Kemal tenderly cupped the taller manâs face, murmuring softly, and then the world burst into flames around him, the sound of Michelleâs laughter fading into something dark and malevolent.Â
âTadashi!â Michelle hissed, and he felt fingernails digging into the sides of his face, the damp heat of the Mageâs breath on his face as she crowded into his space. He let out a plaintive noise and lashed out, flames surrounding them as he batted away the woman, the laughing, hissing woman. She snarled at him, the flames being batted away with- well he wasnât sure but it was weird. It felt odd, weird, unpleasant.Â
âTadashi, itâs not real. Itâs me you dumbass- repeat after me-â He shoved the woman, hard and scuttled backwards as he heard her yelp and swear. Another person swore- a man, and there was someone pulling him to his feet, hands on his face, warm and familiar. The scent of alcohol- deep and rich, but with a sharp bite. He knew that smell- whiskey, with a hint of cherry and the damp scent of soap suds, cleaning solution and the muddy mix of non-specific alcohol.Â
Thumbs brushed against his cheekbones, repetitive, warm. A low voice spoke to him, soothing and careful. Asking questions. He choked, trying to pull away. The hands let him for a moment and then they were back, looser. A pair of familiar eyes came into view. Worried ambers that flicked from his eyes to his lips to his hands to the person next to them, the woman, and back. Tadashi glanced at the woman, her hat missing and her robes scorched. She wore a face of anger, but whether it was rage at him or anger born of worry, he could not tell. Not with the man smiling so serenely behind her. Dr. Callaghan. He shivered, feeling the panic creep up again.Â
âTadashi?â There was a pause as Tadashi focused on the man. The man- Kemal, offered him a soft smile. âHey, Iâm here, luv. I know itâs scary, but Iâm here. Iâm here. Itâll be okay.â
âIâm going mad. Again.â He whispered. Kemal shook his head and gently tugged Tadashi towards a secluded corner of the roof, right beneath a lamp, the light golden and warm.
âNah. Not quite. We interrupted a job of Michelleâs. Got hit in the face with some gas canister from a nutjob with hay everywhere.âÂ
Tadashi settled against the door, hands clasping Kemalâs tightly, knuckles white and Kemal quiet, looking contemplative. Tadashi followed his line of sight. The rooftop spread out before them, lights twinkling.Â
âSo, I was thinking we might want to make a grypon or something out of parts. Or a pegasi. Something with wings so I can follow you folks when you start flying everywhere.âÂ
Tadashi looked at him, baffled. Kemal shot him a grin.Â
âIâm feeling left out. All of you can fly and Iâm stuck in the old beater I drive. Last I checked, the Sepia Seer is already not that terrifying. Having him drive a 92 Cavalier is not exactly respect inducing. And cramming the six of you into the back of that two seater? Yeah, not happening.âÂ
Tadashi narrowed his eyes, foocusing on Kemal, then glancing at the rooftops. A four-legged vehicle might work-
âSo, I was thinking, we could use those servos your brotherâs working on for the jointsâŚâÂ
âAre you nuts? Those things are specifically for items under ninety kilos-âÂ
âAre you calling me fat?â
âIâm saying, between you and the vehicle, youâd be well over ninety kilos-âÂ
âNot if we use that new alloy.âÂ
âAh, yes, the super conductive one. You do realize that one of your friends shoots lightening on a regular occurrence.âÂ
âYes, but we could insulate-â
By the time they had hammered out what wasnât feasible (most mythological animals), Tadashi was feeling.. better. The shadows werenât twitching in the corner of his vision, and he wasnât hearing faint strains of Michelleâs demonic laughter anymore. He glanced about, brows furrowed as he double checked what he saw.Â
Kemal smiled and helped Tadashi to his feet.Â
âSee? Not crazy. Just Fear gas. People from Gotham are sick fucks.â
âIâm sure he and Pitch would get along like bosom companions.â Tadashi replied dryly. Kemal let out a snort of laughter.Â
âBosom companions? Youâve been working too long with Michelle, âDashi. Besides, Pitch was hissing and spitting, angrier than a wet cat. It was entertaining to watch. Michelle sent me a copy of the video, if you want.â
Tadashi nodded, taking a deep breath of cool night air.Â