Midnighter finds video games fucking boring, to be honest. The computer predicts and calculates nearly everything of interest, and the rest is a lot of colors and lights. But the interesting element is magic, the thing his computer can't do shit about. When a guy he fucked a week back uses the SmartMark to tell him about a haunted video game, well, that's irresistible.
Also, he'd kind of like to see him again.
The coordinates John gives him are in some shitty forest in Georgia, somewhere slightly underground. The network has a little difficulty locating it, and Midnighter has to work through the equasions manually, but there he is, an hour after his summons, appearing out of an expanding square of yellow-orange light. Midnighter says Door and the portal disappears after him.
He looks around at the inexplicable crypt he's managed to wander into.
"Gotta talk to your interior designer. Invention of radio must've been a helluva shock for him."
John is... not great with video games. Or much of anything concerning modern technology. The console belongs to Chas who bought it for his daughter when she visits. Before today John had never touched the thing. But that was before everything went pear shaped.
When Midnighter arrives, John marches directly over to him, completely unphased by his method of entrance. "I inherited this house, and I happen to think it's incredible thank you." Yes, he'd called the guy for a purpose but that didn't mean he'd let a good lay insult a wealth of knowledge and memories from his mentor.
Before getting down to business John pauses, looking Midnighter over giving a single nod of approval. "You look much better from the last time I saw you. Staying fully intact agrees with you. Come on." Without another word he turns, trench coat flaring with him as he guides them both to the living area.
There a very realistic looking girl stands suspended in midscreen, swirls of red and orange spiraling around her. Her eyes are unblinking solid black discs and she reaches forward, fingers tapping against the edge of the screen from the inside.
John regards Midnighter with a look somewhere between exasperation and boredom. "This was supposed to be Tetris. I can send an entity to where they need to go but not while it's-" he flings a hand vaguely toward the screen. "Whatever that is. You can get her out, yeah?"
Midnighter, in Jeans and a sleeveless Superman T-shirt, but otherwise unburnt, shrugs and follows. "You're so fucking weird." He says it fondly. He's weird, too.
And then there's a haunted video game. "Fuck. You have a special kinda luck. I wouldn't know how to get her out. Delete her, maybe, but my computer isn't even picking her up."
It isn't the first time John's been called weird, and he expects plenty of other colorful adjectives from Midnighter in the future. He would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to whatever Midnighter would come up with.
The girl seems to hear Midnighter's revelation. The screen goes completely black again before faded white letters float inches above the television asking a single word question: START?
At that John picks up the controller and shoves it toward Midnighter's hands. "This one's on you, mate."
"How is this my problem again? I was hoping this was a bootycall." He grumbles, but he takes the controller anyway. He climbs, one stiff leg over the back of the sofa, before sitting. There are advantages to being tall as fuck, and that's one of them. "What do I get as a reward?"
He looks up at John with an expression that could be described as 'shit eating'. His thumb hovers over the start button. He's waiting.
"If we're successful in casting her out, then you'd be right as to the nature of the call." Now with Midnighter seated next to him on the couch John drops a hand on the other man's thigh. He turns his body at the waist and leans, placing a kiss on Midnighter's neck that turns to mouthing - and quickly stops only a few seconds in, pulling away fully. It's a promise, not an appetizer.
"But not until you get her out of there and I send her back to wherever, so chop chop."
"Promises, promises." But Midnighter hits the start button... and the room is plunged into blackness. It's just them on the sofa and a girl with nothing for eyes.
Midnighter, for his part, doesn't seem much bothered. "Okay, enough dramatics, you wanna use your words?"
As the room turns to black John looks up and emits a full, hearty laugh. This was something he could work with, and it's nice to not feel so damn useless in his own house.
"I'd say you've got yourself a nice start."
John stands and attempts to cross to another part of the room. As much as his legs move, no matter how fast, he goes nowhere. The smile fades without completely vanishing. This was going to be more difficult than he originally thought, but nothing they couldn't handle. Within seconds he flops back heavily on the couch.
He lifts both hands in front of his face, fingers dancing in the air as an incantation is murmured with practiced confidence. Thin tendrils of yellow light emerge from John's hands and as he motions through the air the lines begin to take shape of a circle within a circle within a circle dotted with various runes. A containment.
With a shove of his hands forward John attempts to push the circles toward the girl. Nothing happens, and with a laugh she hurls her knife at the couch. When it misses both of their heads it only reappears once again in the girl's hand.
John gives Midnighter an elbow to the arm, accompanied by a lift of the eyebrows and miming pressing buttons on a controller. It's obvious he's never done the latter in his life. "See if you can't ensnare her, yeah?"
"Oh, good, you're enjoying this?" He says, but his tone is cocky, interested. His smile is lop-sided.
Until the knife is thrown, and Midnighter reaches for it on instinct, reflexes good enough to catch it midair, but-- No. It disappears immediately.
Midnighter sighs, and resists the urge to pop open the controller and rewire it. We'll play it the girl's way, first. He moves the control sticks, and the couch zooms closer. Moves them in the other direction, and they zoom back. He presses the X and the girl jumps back, throws her knife-- instinctively, Midnighter hits the O. They dodge.
"It's set up like some fighting game, I think. I'm not an expert on this either, it's just innate." He taps his head-- the computer-- with one hand while the girl throws another knife-- she seems to have an endless supply-- and Midnighter hits dodge on instinct. "If we can get close enough, you wanna try your fancy tricks again?"
"Solving a problem using nothing but our wits? I can't see what there is to not like." John returns the smile, just as interested. Sure, he likely couldn't do this on his own, but with Midnighter here the girl is nothing more than a supernatural annoyance. Granted, one that got the heart rate up in between the total blackness and the knife throwing, but that only heightened the experience.
John's body shifts as the sofa dodges and the jostling makes it difficult to concentrate on maintaining his enchantment. That would require more focus the next time around. The allotted time for the spell runs out and the yellow light blinks out of the air. No matter. They can try again. Infinite lives or something, right?
"Let's give it another go then." He gives Midnighter's bicep a squeeze in both encouragement and for his own benefit. Hands move into incantation position and John readies himself to release the binding into the air as soon as necessary.
But first he needs to watch for yet another knife hurled their way.
A knife Midnighter catches again, one-handed. He grunts as it disappears, and focuses on the stupid game controller. "Gonna try something new."
He hits a few buttons, and the sofa moves in a wide arc, buoying around the girl. She's a child, in the end, looking up with something that might be confusion at their oblong orbit. "Try'n get at her while she's distracted."
This is a game with its own internal logic. John's not sure how long his magic will last here, or how potent it will be. Best work with what they both have as best as he understands it.
As the couch arcs back and forth John notes the timing of the movements, and once it gets close to the girl he quickly claps his hands together before snapping them apart. The circle reappears, lassoing the girl inside it and holding her still.
Instantly the girl freezes, a look of terror on her face at the unexpected turn of events. The game menu flashes in pale blue light between Midnighter and the girl.
The controller is immediately shoved off John's lap as if it were on fire. He doesn't need or want that thing. As it clatters to the ground John looks to Midnighter in distaste. Voodoo bullshit really.
The Latin incantation that he's uttered hundreds of times previously to send a soul from this realm to the next falls easily and automatically from his lips. John isn't even certain if this is the correct course of action, but why not follow instinct at this point?
In a slow trail upward the girl floats toward the ceiling and then disappears entirely. Light enters the room once more, but the couch has moved further away from the television.
That... worked? That worked. Oh, nice. He was not actually expecting it to work. He was once told that magic is less art than science, and takes a finely tuned mind to properly hone its abilities.
And John is... fun. He's fun.
"You could thank me with body language?" Another grin.
"You may be even more forward than I am, a true feat." It's not a bad thing, which John makes known by leaning against Midnighter's side and looking up. John is of a respectable height, but Midnighter still seems to absolutely dwarf him.
John lifts his arm alongside his torso, extending an index finger backward to poke Midnighter playfully against the chest. "Though you could do with being a little closer."
"Seems like I gotta be, to get some fucking attention, here. Fry a sea monster for you, help you get rid of a demon. What's a guy gotta do? You're the most expensive cheap date I've ever had."
With John's arms around him, it's easy to lean back, lying down until John is sprawled out atop him. It's a nice view.
"Need I remind you that I was the one who did the actual frying? Unless you're hiding something in your fingers that I don't know about."
John ignores the rest of the complaint, instead grabbing one of Midnighter's hands in his own and turning it over in his hands as if inspecting for tiny hidden flamethrowers. Once he's thoroughly certain that there's nothing hidden in M's hand, yet still not quite satisfied, he moves on to the arm to likewise inspect it through touch.
Midnighter rolls his eyes, but he's still grinning. "Feeling dramatic, huh?" He's at a good vantage point to reach over and run his knuckles down the length of John's jaw, feeling the stubble there.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Also, he'd kind of like to see him again.
The coordinates John gives him are in some shitty forest in Georgia, somewhere slightly underground. The network has a little difficulty locating it, and Midnighter has to work through the equasions manually, but there he is, an hour after his summons, appearing out of an expanding square of yellow-orange light. Midnighter says Door and the portal disappears after him.
He looks around at the inexplicable crypt he's managed to wander into.
"Gotta talk to your interior designer. Invention of radio must've been a helluva shock for him."
no subject
When Midnighter arrives, John marches directly over to him, completely unphased by his method of entrance. "I inherited this house, and I happen to think it's incredible thank you." Yes, he'd called the guy for a purpose but that didn't mean he'd let a good lay insult a wealth of knowledge and memories from his mentor.
Before getting down to business John pauses, looking Midnighter over giving a single nod of approval. "You look much better from the last time I saw you. Staying fully intact agrees with you. Come on." Without another word he turns, trench coat flaring with him as he guides them both to the living area.
There a very realistic looking girl stands suspended in midscreen, swirls of red and orange spiraling around her. Her eyes are unblinking solid black discs and she reaches forward, fingers tapping against the edge of the screen from the inside.
John regards Midnighter with a look somewhere between exasperation and boredom. "This was supposed to be Tetris. I can send an entity to where they need to go but not while it's-" he flings a hand vaguely toward the screen. "Whatever that is. You can get her out, yeah?"
no subject
And then there's a haunted video game. "Fuck. You have a special kinda luck. I wouldn't know how to get her out. Delete her, maybe, but my computer isn't even picking her up."
no subject
The girl seems to hear Midnighter's revelation. The screen goes completely black again before faded white letters float inches above the television asking a single word question: START?
At that John picks up the controller and shoves it toward Midnighter's hands. "This one's on you, mate."
no subject
He looks up at John with an expression that could be described as 'shit eating'. His thumb hovers over the start button. He's waiting.
no subject
"But not until you get her out of there and I send her back to wherever, so chop chop."
no subject
Midnighter, for his part, doesn't seem much bothered. "Okay, enough dramatics, you wanna use your words?"
The girl holds up a bloody knife.
"Great."
no subject
"I'd say you've got yourself a nice start."
John stands and attempts to cross to another part of the room. As much as his legs move, no matter how fast, he goes nowhere. The smile fades without completely vanishing. This was going to be more difficult than he originally thought, but nothing they couldn't handle. Within seconds he flops back heavily on the couch.
He lifts both hands in front of his face, fingers dancing in the air as an incantation is murmured with practiced confidence. Thin tendrils of yellow light emerge from John's hands and as he motions through the air the lines begin to take shape of a circle within a circle within a circle dotted with various runes. A containment.
With a shove of his hands forward John attempts to push the circles toward the girl. Nothing happens, and with a laugh she hurls her knife at the couch. When it misses both of their heads it only reappears once again in the girl's hand.
John gives Midnighter an elbow to the arm, accompanied by a lift of the eyebrows and miming pressing buttons on a controller. It's obvious he's never done the latter in his life. "See if you can't ensnare her, yeah?"
Seems about as plausible a plan as any.
no subject
Until the knife is thrown, and Midnighter reaches for it on instinct, reflexes good enough to catch it midair, but-- No. It disappears immediately.
Midnighter sighs, and resists the urge to pop open the controller and rewire it. We'll play it the girl's way, first. He moves the control sticks, and the couch zooms closer. Moves them in the other direction, and they zoom back. He presses the X and the girl jumps back, throws her knife-- instinctively, Midnighter hits the O. They dodge.
"It's set up like some fighting game, I think. I'm not an expert on this either, it's just innate." He taps his head-- the computer-- with one hand while the girl throws another knife-- she seems to have an endless supply-- and Midnighter hits dodge on instinct. "If we can get close enough, you wanna try your fancy tricks again?"
no subject
John's body shifts as the sofa dodges and the jostling makes it difficult to concentrate on maintaining his enchantment. That would require more focus the next time around. The allotted time for the spell runs out and the yellow light blinks out of the air. No matter. They can try again. Infinite lives or something, right?
"Let's give it another go then." He gives Midnighter's bicep a squeeze in both encouragement and for his own benefit. Hands move into incantation position and John readies himself to release the binding into the air as soon as necessary.
But first he needs to watch for yet another knife hurled their way.
no subject
He hits a few buttons, and the sofa moves in a wide arc, buoying around the girl. She's a child, in the end, looking up with something that might be confusion at their oblong orbit. "Try'n get at her while she's distracted."
no subject
As the couch arcs back and forth John notes the timing of the movements, and once it gets close to the girl he quickly claps his hands together before snapping them apart. The circle reappears, lassoing the girl inside it and holding her still.
Instantly the girl freezes, a look of terror on her face at the unexpected turn of events. The game menu flashes in pale blue light between Midnighter and the girl.
YES NO
It's Midnighter's choice.
no subject
Looking to John, "now do some voodoo bullshit and free her soul or whatever." Teamwork!
no subject
The Latin incantation that he's uttered hundreds of times previously to send a soul from this realm to the next falls easily and automatically from his lips. John isn't even certain if this is the correct course of action, but why not follow instinct at this point?
In a slow trail upward the girl floats toward the ceiling and then disappears entirely. Light enters the room once more, but the couch has moved further away from the television.
"I suppose you're going to expect a thank you."
no subject
And John is... fun. He's fun.
"You could thank me with body language?" Another grin.
no subject
John lifts his arm alongside his torso, extending an index finger backward to poke Midnighter playfully against the chest. "Though you could do with being a little closer."
no subject
With John's arms around him, it's easy to lean back, lying down until John is sprawled out atop him. It's a nice view.
no subject
John ignores the rest of the complaint, instead grabbing one of Midnighter's hands in his own and turning it over in his hands as if inspecting for tiny hidden flamethrowers. Once he's thoroughly certain that there's nothing hidden in M's hand, yet still not quite satisfied, he moves on to the arm to likewise inspect it through touch.
no subject