Stagnating world.
Rotten city. Whores and sycophants and cannibals compete with each other to rule over the garbage. They smile while they do it. Killing each other and filling the gutters with blood and feces. Gutters are the streets now. Nothing is clean. Not anymore.
I walk past it all. Through it all. Ignore another whore, put down another punk. That arm probably won't heal right.
Daniel's house. Might have been wrong about him. Thought he was a coward. Thought he was fat. Stagnating, like the world. Not rotten. Not yet. On his way, though. Always.
But wrong.
Welcomes me in. Re-evaluate his worth later. Nice guy, for now. Jupiter is in the background, looking disheveled. Hm. Might've walked in on something. Broke Daniel's new lock; he doesn't say anything about it. Isn't the first time; probably spent more money on locks than Archimedes.
Jupiter says something about knocking. Reply. She storms off. Always does. Seems to dislike me. Not a surprise.
Daniel laughs nervously. People-pleaser. Choosing between lover and a partner? He'll put it off. Until then, Jupiter's upstairs and we're in the basement. He's cleaned it up some. No more dust. Good thing. Nite Owl is back in action. Once-partner steps up again.
He's a good man. I've been difficult. I know this best. Looks upset about the interrupted tryst with Jupiter. Might snap again. Don't apologize. Don't ever apologize. But Daniel knows. Partners always know. Gives a little smile. At least there wasn't any of that handshaking stuff like before.
"So, uh . . . when're you gonna stop breaking my locks?" he asks.
I talk. Not a reply. "Should be in a bedroom. Not front door. Won't interrupt that way. Will wait 'til finished."
Starts to flush like a little girl. He starts talking fast, throwing out excuses and denials at the same time. Wants to keep up a face of innocence in terms to his relationship with Jupiter, though it's anything but. Hm.
"Relationship not secret. Doesn't matter."
"Eh, but-"
"Stumble across stuff. Everywhere in house. Clothes."
Again, bright red. He's not young anymore, but he's still embarrassed. Like the roommate that gets caught with a whore in their bed. Huh. Makes sense. The partner that gets caught with a colleague on their couch.
Might tease him a little too much. Interesting to see the reactions. Grown man acting like a teenager. He realizes my fun. Starts to glare. But it isn't serious. Like old times, back when we were partners busting gangs in the city. That kinda feeling.
Yeah. That's how it should have been.
Instead I'm standing in the snow. There's no justice here. So-called partner's behind me. So-called God in front of me. The world's screaming and it needs retribution, but there's a villain that's denying it. Too big for me.
Too big for all of us. Even if I was with my partner.
Huh. Don't like Jupiter. Don't dislike her. Hope she doesn't make Daniel go soft. Hope she doesn't break the bastard's heart. Hope they do okay. New partners.
Truth is, Nite Owl and Rorschach had been over a long time ago.
Now it's just Rorschach that's over.
A/N: Just finished watching the Watchmen movie. I read the comic a long time ago, so I figured, "Why not?" And though the comic is more pronounced in my memory, I really liked the movie! This just popped into my head. Like . . . Rorschach and Nite Owl were buddies. And then . . . and then they weren't. 'Cuz dammit, Rorschach, someone couldn't stay alive. So yeah. I really liked him. It made me sad that he died.