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Bud & Lou

Tittle : Bud & Lou

Fandom : Batman Telltale

Pairing : John Doe / Bruce Wayne

NdA : I know that inktober is mainly for drawings but I wanted to participate and, having no particular talent for drawing... Bud & Lou are the names of the hyena Harley has in some comics

“Hello, buddies! What’s up?” asked John with enthusiasm. He gently tapped the glass of the aquarium installed in the living room of the manor.

John had noticed it almost immediately when he had arrived here and visited the place. The fish were numerous and swimmed harmoniously in their large space arranged and maintained. By observing them more closely, he had found the activity very soothing and attached himself to them. Especially one of them, actually. Alfred had told him it was a guppy ; its scales were green and strewed with some yellow reflections. Did John identify with it at all ? Nah… Well, maybe a little. Just a little. This tiny fish, swimming in its bowl, following the group, distinguishing itself by its bright colour, and sometimes hid in a small chest in the decor, had conquered him. John sometimes spent hours watching it.

Bruce didn’t care much about it, he thought fish were a good therapy. When John started thinking too much, they would sit together in front of the aquarium. It happened often in the evening ; they turned off the lights and the blue glow of the aquarium projected on the walls a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Bruce had simply not thought of a small detail by letting John become so attached to such fragile animals…

“Hey, where’re you, Bud, best buddy? … Well, best after Bruce, of course! But don’t worry, you’re high on the list, number two, actually!” John giggled along the aquarium in search of the guppy. “Here you are!” he exclaimed before frowning and leaning toward the glass. “Oh no… No, no, no, no! Hang on!”

At the height of the panic, he tiptoed and plunged his arm into the aquarium without raising the sleeve of his jacket.He grabbed Bud between his fingers, trying to be as delicate as possible. The little fish was inert. It slipped in his hand, because of its scales, but did not make any movement.

“Breathe, Bud! It’s gonna be okay.”

John glanced around him in panic. What was he supposed to do? He closed his other hand on the fish without tightening it and rushed into the kitchen. He placed the little one in a bowl of water and opened the laptop that was lying on the work surface.

He opened the search engine and started typing different keywords. My fish don’t move, inert fish, dead fish ? All the answers afflicted him and brought no solution. He approached the bowl. Bud was not moving.

“Hi, John.”

“Bruce!” exclaimed John, turning back at the man who had just entered the kitchen. In the face of his panic, Bruce stepped back but looked at him with concern.

“John, what is it?”

“It’s Bud! He’s not moving! I don’t know what to do and this STUPID Internet is USELESS!! You think he’s dead? Please tell me he’s not dead! He can’t be dead, right?”

Bruce posa une main sur l’épaule de John et l’agrippa fermement.

“Calm down.” He tried to say with a firm voice.

“To calm down?? Bud may be DEAD!”

Bruce took a slight breath and approached the bowl on the table.The fish was indeed inert. Bruce made a grimace and glanced at John, whose expression became horrified. He took the bowl in his hands.

“Fine. Since no one wants to help me, I’m going to find out how…”

“John, it is dead. I’m sorry. Fish are fragile creatures, it happens often…”

John looked down on the fish and a nervous laugh escaped him. He gently rested the bowl on the table and shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh. Ok. Whatever.”

He came out of the kitchen and Bruce looked at him before he sighed. He passed a hand through his hair and looked down at the fish. He should have been more careful; John may not have been stable enough to attach himself to pets. He went out of the kitchen and went to the garden where he knew John liked to spend time. He did indeed find him at the edge of a small pool, his eyes fixed on the water lilies. He clenched his fists, visibly upset. Bruce put a gentle hand on his back.

“Hey. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Yeah. Told you : whatever.”

“Look, I… I know you liked it.”

“Yes, of course. But that’s not really the problem. I.... It happened so suddenly. We couldn’t.... We couldn’t do anything. And—” he laughed. “Well, everything we have is fragile, huh? Our existence is fragile. And ... We are. Maybe tomorrow you’ll be dead, too.”

Bruce remained silent for a long time, his hand still on John’s back. He had already thought about it, of course. Now that he had put Batman away, however, the risks were lower.

“Living carries a risk, yes. That doesn’t mean you have to stop breathing and live. Loving carries a risk, too. And yet here we are.”

John raised his head before snuggled up against Bruce.

“I loved it very much. It was green. And, you know, green is my color.”

“I know, yeah.” The silence stretched between them, more soothing. Bruce held John in his arms. His fingers stroked his back. “You want to bury him?” He finally asked. John nodded.

They buried the fish in the garden. John made a little speech, then they spoke no more about it. However John stopped looking at the aquarium. One night, Bruce came back with a surprise. He found John on the veranda and handed him a small bag containing a green fish, a guppy. John blinked several times before taking the bag in his hands.

“Bruce... but... it’ll die too.”

“It won’t stop you from loving it and taking care of it. Come on! It’s green. Green is your color.”

John gave him a huge smile before he laid a chaste kiss on his lips.

“Thanks Bruce!”

“So, what are you gonna call it?”

“Hum… Lou!”

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