it's no secret that i'm a fan of rock, so a story focusing on him coming from me probably isn't that big of a surprise. this is a story focusing more on the 2003 series incarnation of him, probably a weird choice since he was only in two episodes. the 2003 series was how i was introduced to the character and admittedly, i'm not very satisfied with how the series ended his arc. it felt very unfinished (as did the rest of the 2003 series but i won't get into that).
i've been planning this story since late july-august i believe? i had shown fauna the outline i had written when i was very tired and watching the 2003 series at my grandmother's house. and only now have i started. oops.
i'm going to try my best to write a chapter regularly (ideally once a week, or bi-weekly at the least.
random fact that no one would really care about: the title comes from a song by the artist "xxyyxx" that i had on repeat while writing!
anyway! this has gone on for too long, so here we go!
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10731950/1/About-You
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The sky was so blue that day.
It wasn't one of those days where the sky was a pale blue then would become more and more vibrant the higher you looked into the sky. It was a bright blue, like the dye that would stain your easter eggs, through and through. The clouds were so white and fluffy that day as well, it looked like a picture.
Too perfect to be real.
“Come here, Rock.”
A small boy looked to where the voice was coming from; his blue eyes wide with surprise as he slid off of his bed, causing his yellow sheets to slide off along with with him, and scurried off to the doorway.
There a woman with brown hair that obscured her face stood. Once Rock was right in front of her, his head lilting back to look up at her, the woman sank to her knees.
He felt her hands cup his face, squishing his chubby cheeks a bit, before pushing his dirty blonde locks out of his face.
“Your hair is getting pretty long, we should get it cut soon.” She smiled, running her fingers through the boy's hair. “Looks like it's getting darker too. I wonder if it'll get as dark as your daddy's soon.”
Rock grinned a big toothy grin, reaching out his arms as high as he could go before she sweeped him upwards while making a loud “woosh” noise.
“You're such a big boy now, soon Mommy won't be able to carry you anymore.”
His little arms wrapped tightly around her neck at the thought of not being able to be carried anymore. She let out a laugh at that; her laugh sounding like the flapping of a thousand butterfly wings.
The woman twirled, her hand cradling the back of his head and her arm hooking under his bum just in case he might let go. Her movements were slow, so Rock didn't feel sick or dizzy. He just felt comfort. Something he didn't really feel in his life.
The sound of a door opening made the woman stop spinning before pressing a kiss to Rock's forehead. “Looks like Daddy is home,” she said as she rested her forehead against Rock's.
She didn't have eyes.
--
Rock jolted himself awake, thought his body wasn't letting himself move. His heart was pounding inside his ribcage, the fact that he couldn't move beyond blinking repeatedly didn't help. His black hair clung to his damp forehead and back of the neck—disgusting, his pillow was probably wet as well.
He would have had someone take care of his wet sheets, but he really was not in a place to demand that his bedspread be changed. He wouldn't be able to demand such things for a very, very long time.
Rock had heard rumours that higher classed criminals were treated better; televisions in their visiting rooms, private eating quarters and they didn't have to work in the prison plant. Part of him had wished that maybe he didn't tell Tawashi and Astro not to worry about him having “dangerous psychic powers” anymore.
--
The sun had set, the sky looking like a canvas of oranges, reds, pinks and yellows and the clouds had a hint of lavender. The setting sun had cast long dark shadows onto Phoenix Island, giving everything a tint of orange and red. Sirens blared in the background, the sound of officers muttering and investigating the area had also mixed in with the chaos, or rather the aftermath of the day's rather insane events.
Rock Holmes willingly held his hands out for the officer, a small hiss passing his lips at the feeling of cool metal on his skin. He jumped a bit at the sound of the cuffs around his wrists clicking shut, the man feeling a bit paranoid that his delicate skin would have been pinched. He couldn't even be bothered to sigh in defeat at what had happened, he had closure. Closure about his family, who had turned out to be rather loving and were manipulated into giving him up unlike what he had been told.
Despite all of this, despite being helped by Astro from the Moon Tower and being trapped in the portal forever... Why did he feel so...?
“Be careful! That man has powerful psychic powers, he can manipulate you within seconds.” The sound of the old man's voice had ripped Rock from his thoughts, leaving him feeling a bit blurry and fogged up. He froze in his spot, his mouth was running on autopilot and he had no idea what was coming out.
“Don't worry, I...” A small smile crept onto Rock's features, his normally harsh blue eyes softened as he looked up at Tawashi. “...Don't have those powers anymore.”
Tawashi eyed him up for a moment. His harsh eyes flickering over Rock's form, reading every possible movement—no matter how subtle it may be, nothing was going to go past him, he needed to confirm that Rock wasn't lying. He sighed, satisfied with Rock's lack of any hint of him possibly lying.
“Take him away, boys.”
With that, Rock was lead into a car, the officers taking extra precaution to not look him in the eyes... Just in case.
--
Maybe then he would have been considered a more dangerous case, rather than a filler villain in a cheap cartoon that was locked up and forgotten about. Not literally of course but...
No, he knew he shouldn't be wishing that he had said something different. This was better, a whole lot better. They probably would have locked him up, have him relive those days at the Institute. Constantly monitored through glass while he was trapped in a tiny little room with no windows where he can't see the sky, his precious photos taken away and being beaten into submission.
His muscles tensed at the memories, he thrashed and stretched out—trying to get away from the dark hands reaching for him and electricity pulsing through every single fibre of his being. His legs felt like claws were sinking into the sinew before pulling and pulling and pulling--
“Damn!”
It was just a cramp from him trying to stretch out, looks like his sleep paralysis was gone.
Focus on the pain, Rock. Focus on it.
He couldn't have himself get stuck in a funk today—he had cafeteria duties today. He had a hard enough time in prison for his feminine appearance, he didn't need to be called a crybaby on top of it all.
The sound of a baton rattling against his jail door startled Rock, making him shoot upright in his loamy mattress. His head whipped towards the door, seeing a middle aged woman with narrow eyes staring right at him. Her baton slipped towards two of the bars before shifting it back and forth, still creating an orchestra of noise even while she spoke.
“113003, rise and shine! You're in the cafeteria today, right? Let's get a move on!”
Rock nodded, sliding off of the mattress—and taking his sheets with him a bit—before making his way to the door that was being unlocked. He held his arms out through the slot, hissing at the cool feeling of metal around his wrists.
With that, he followed behind the guard towards the cafeteria.
end
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