...This one's a bit of a long one...
...Get ready for some big surprises!
Chapter Text
"What a cute little place!" gushed Destiny as she took in Arthur's apartment. "Except—well–that big gash on the wall? What happened…did you guys piss off a gigantic feral cat?"
Thinking of Ms. Lint, Arthur grunted. "Sort of." He shook his head at the perimeters of the room with disgust. "No—this was done by a dark witch who prefers to use lightning to communicate, instead of her words."
"Arthur!" the Tick admonished (however playfully) "that's no way to talk about Miss Fuzzball—even if she was a bit rude to us in the breakroom."
"She tried to take us hostage, Tick!" It was taking all of Arthur's resolve to keep himself from exploding. He was beyond stressed, and this conversation wasn't making it any easier.
"Miss Fuzzball'?" Destiny raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a handful…but I must say—I've never even heard of her."
Arthur grunted again. "How about 'Ms. Lint'?" he muttered. "That's her real superhero's name! Except now," he snorted, "she's 'Joan of Arc'...but why, I couldn't tell you—she's no kind of leader you'd want—and," he added hotly under his breath, "certainly not the Patron Saint of France."
"Sounds like you two have some kind of—history, I take it?" Destiny winked at Arthur, grinning knowingly.
"What!?" Arthur gulped, as the Tick looked on in watchful and silent amusement. "I–no! Definitely not!" His hands balled into fists of barely suppressed rage. "You—you don't know this woman! She—she's a monster—"
"I think that's a bit over the top there, Arthur." The Tick stepped in, patting his sidekick on the shoulder. "You must forgive Arthur," he allowed, "he's had a stressful day."
Arthur protested with a snort into what was left of his coffee. If you only knew , he thought, and tried to ignore the feeling of dread that was threatening to overcome him.
"Soooo…." The Tick turned his focus back to their most unusual visitor who was standing in Arthur's living room. "What brings you to The City?"
"YOU of course—Silly!" Destiny giggled, playfully giving the Tick a jab in his side, and to Arthur's astonishment, he laughed right along.
"But—" Arthur sputtered, "h-how did you know where he was? You say you haven't seen him in years and yet—he can't even remember sometimes what he did yesterday!"
"You mean you don't know about The Gift?" Destiny was gaping at Arthur as though he had three heads.
" 'The Gift'?" Arthur echoed dumbly. "What 'gift'?"
"THE Gift," grinned Destiny, twirling around as though in a daze, "the Gift that I and the Tick—and YOU Arthur—were ALL born with! The Gift to see the world in a way that nobody else can—or does—"
"Wait, wait, wait," Arthur cut in, "I don't have any gifts!"
"Oh, Arthur…" Destiny stopped twirling and stared at him as though she'd just given him the worst news in the world. "Of course you do! But the ability to see the truth in yourself was stolen from you….wasn't it?"
"Stolen?" Arthur's head was spinning. "By—by who?"
"Whoever tried to prevent you from discovering your real mission," Destiny replied, walking straight towards him as if on a mission of her own. "Whoever tried to keep you from seeking your—well—'destiny'...so to speak." And she winked at him once again.
"You mean like—" Arthur's mind flashed back to the cup of ice cream. "When—when the…." Why did he still have trouble saying that evil bastard's name? "When the Terror…" He shivered.
"He was lying, Arthur." Destiny placed a gentle hand on Arthur's shoulder (he tried hard not to flinch). "You've got so much more than he ever did….when he said that there was 'nothing there'...he wanted you to believe that there wasn't…but—it's just not true—you're so much more than you think—-"
"WAIT a second!" Arthur halted her in her tracks. "This—this is insane," he blurted in spite of himself, "how—how could you know what he said to me? I was there by myself when it happened. Nobody else heard him—they were all too busy killing or—dying—" He shivered. "Do you mean like—he put some kind of shield over me? Like—to keep me from—"
"Spreading your wings," Destiny finished for him, with a nod to Arthur's suit.
Arthur stared down at himself. He stared back at Destiny. The Tick was strangely silent. "I…." The room was spinning. "...need to sit down," he muttered, and then—somehow—he managed to make it over to the couch in a daze.
The Tick wandered over to him, gazing down at him like a gargoyle and cocking his head at him with concern. "Are you alright, Chum?"
Arthur snorted with bemusement as he fell back against the couch and shut his eyes. "Debatable." He kept one eye on Destiny. "I…kind of get what you're saying but…that doesn't explain how you knew what he said and—"
"The Gift, Arthur." Destiny joined him on the couch. "It's in my blood. Just as it is in yours." She turned towards him, as Arthur simply stared, "It's just been lying dormant."
"Until now!" beamed the Tick.
"Not…really…." Arthur muttered into his hands.
"Oh come on, man!" The Tick exclaimed, "you helped stop the Terror! You—"
"We've…been over that, Tick." Somehow Arthur pushed himself to his feet. "Look, uhhh—Destiny, do you want coffee or tea?"
"Tea please," smiled Destiny.
"Okay—" Arthur paused, as a sudden sharp pain shot through both of his temples. It took a moment before he could recover. "Tick," he mumbled, "I…gotta go take a shower—please make our guest some tea?" He had to get out of that suit.
"See you in a few Arthur?" Destiny waved at him from the couch.
"Yeah," Arthur said, trying to ignore the sudden fluttering of a certain eyelid. "See you…in a few." He retreated down the hall in a hurry, bolted into the bathroom, and shut the door fast behind him. He shed the suit like a man who was desperate to breathe, leaving it in a heap on the tiled bathroom floor. He jumped into the shower and turned the water on full blast.
He could still hear laughter echoing from the other room. Were they laughing about him? Shit.
Cut it out, Arthur, he admonished himself as he pounded his fist against the shower stall. That's the OLD you—and the OLD you was a paranoid freak who didn't know the difference between fantasy and reality…
He remembered when he'd once wondered if the Tick was real.
Now the Tick and Destiny were having a chat in his living room.
No, he wasn't losing his mind; this was just an average day for Arthur Everest.
He wasn't sure what 'average' even meant anymore. When you lived with a cartoonishly strong superhero, 'average' just went flying right out the window…kind of like how Ms. Lint had made her 'grand exit'.
If anything around Arthur Everest was 'average', it was Arthur Everest.
He could still hear the gravelly voice speak the words that would haunt him from childhood into his young adult years: "What's that behind your ear?" And then the chortle that followed it: "It's NOTHING!"
Arthur shivered even as the warm water poured over him.
YOU. GOT. NOTHING.
It sure hadn't felt like a lie at the time. He was only 12, and his life had been destroyed right before his very eyes.
What would his Dad think of him now?
"Come on, Chum!" He heard the Tick shout. "There's DANGER afoot!"
"I'm NOT a sidekick, Tick!"
"You're NOT my Dad."
Arthur shuddered, leaning hard against the wall of the shower stall as his breath came in short, rapid gasps of air. He tried to focus on something—anything—as the tiles on the ceiling began to blur through the drops of water and bend together, merging as though everything was a dream—-
"ARTHUR!" The door suddenly swung open, and there stood the Tick—who had barged right in without asking, and was staring right at him.
"TICK!" Arthur gasped, "What are you DOING in here!?"
"What are you doing, Arthur?" The Tick rarely got irate, but he was clearly (and unnervingly) more than a little annoyed.
"SHOWERING!" Arthur snapped, "And I'd like a little PRIVACY please!"
"Privacy is the problem, Arthur!" The Tick shook his head with clear disappointment. "Why would you leave the Flag Five—and not even tell me? I thought you wanted to be a superhero!"
"Not NOW, TICK!" Arthur bellowed.
"You could have told me before you decided—"
"Get the hell OUT!"
"Arthur…" The Tick stared down at the floor in astonishment. "You've lost your suit—"
"I didn't lose it!" Arthur snapped, "it's RIGHT THERE—On the floor, where I LEFT it!" He glowered at the Tick, practically shaking with anger. "Now GET—! THE HELL….OUT—!"
"Arthur…." The Tick's antennas were clearly agitated, as they were moving about wildly like a radio without a station. "You really shouldn't make such hasty decisions without first talking to—"
"GET," Arthur hollered, "OUT!" Without thinking he hurled a sponge at the Tick, while simultaneously trying to cover his privates. The Tick ducked as though it were a missile, but managed to avoid the sponge, which bounced off the wall and rested on Arthur's suit. The Tick picked up the suit as Arthur glared.
"You've surprised me, Chum." There was a tinge of sadness in the Tick's voice then, a tangible sorrow that Arthur had never heard. It made Arthur's heart skip a beat. There was a long and lengthy pause before the Tick slowly turned to leave. "But okay fine, I'll leave….difference is, I'm telling you first. Don't worry, I'll go and hang your suit up for you. You'll be needing it again soon," he said over his shoulder, only to add after a careful second's thought for good measure, "...Partner."
The door quickly but quietly shut, and Arthur finally let out the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding for so long.
Arthur had forgotten how good it felt to be called "partner"...but now he wasn't even sure if the Tick really meant it.
What kind of 'partner' would do what he did?
In the safety of solitude, he curled himself up in the corner of the shower and, making sure he was quiet enough so that no one could hear him, he cried.
"Arthur! You look awful." Destiny was waiting for him on the couch when he emerged from the bathroom, hardly as refreshed as he would have liked. He prayed she couldn't tell he had been crying. He hadn't cried since he was a little kid—he hadn't even cried after his father had been killed.
"Thanks," he mumbled, more bitterly than he'd intended. "I appreciate the compliment."
He took a seat gingerly on the arm of the couch and removed his glasses, pressing both palms to his world-weary eyes. "Where's the Tick?" he wondered aloud.
"Went out for provisions."
"Provisions?" Arthur muttered with slight amusement. "Like what?"
"Said we were out of popcorn. He plans to pop in a movie for us. We're gonna have a sleepover." She raised an eyebrow at Arthur. "Besides—you can't really blame him for going out, after you screamed at him like that."
He sank onto the couch with defeat. Shit—she'd probably heard the whole thing. "I'm….sorry you heard all of that," he murmured quietly. "Look—I'm—not usually like this—"
"Like what?" she smiled nonchalantly at him. "Like someone who's conflicted and hurting inside? Like someone who only wants to do what's right but is constantly being bombarded with two choices and must make a decision that could not only hurt themselves but others they care for—"
"Hold it!" Arthur stopped her abruptly. "How did you know all of that?"
"I told you," Destiny grinned knowingly at him, "It's because of the GIFT—"
"Right. The 'Gift'," Arthur groaned inwardly. "I get it. But seriously—and how did the Tick know I'd left the Flag Five anyway?" Arthur's eyes suddenly widened as the truth dawned on him. "You told him…" He glowered suspiciously at her. "Didn't you!?"
Destiny balked, sitting back with surprise. "Well you weren't going to tell him anytime soon—were you!"
"Unbelievable." Arthur muttered hotly under his breath. This was the last thing he needed today. "I don't get it! You claim that you somehow gave the Tick some way of—of finding me? Which means," he began to pace and ramble in spite of himself, "that it was you who—somehow—brought us together….Right?"
"Right," Destiny nodded hesitantly. "But—it's a little more complicated than that—"
"Of course it is," Arthur grumbled. His head was beginning to get that sharp ache at his temples again. "But here's what I don't get! Now that we're working together—you're only getting in the way—of everything!"
Destiny's lips pierced together in protest. "Now that's not fair—"
"You just—barge in here and—and show up like you've known us forever—but—I don't even know you! And the Tick only knows people I already know. For all I know—you're up to something and you're just—" He halted, cringing at the way he sounded. "-lying about everything!" he blurted out before he lost the nerve.
"Arthur…" Destiny leaned forward deliberately. "Do you know who my twin sister is?"
"How would i know that!?" Arthur wrung his hands in complete frustration. "I didn't even know you had a sister!"
"She's Fate," said Destiny quietly. "Typically we go hand in hand….but….when she was younger…she disappeared." To Arthur's horror, Destiny's eyes filled with tears and she looked away. "I…haven't been able to find her for a long time," she said. "One of the reasons I came to this City was….I thought that maybe she'd be here….because AEGIS would want someone like her in their corner…" Destiny looked pointedly at him again. "...we're all cut from the same cloth, Arthur….Only some of us…we had much more humble beginnings….without any guidebook. We had to discover our own identities on our own…in our own time—if we were lucky, that is," she added shortly. "Sometimes….we were prevented from discovering who we really were, before we reached the right age to be able to fully develop." She locked eyes with him then, and Arthur couldn't move. "Kind of like what happened to you," she said softly. "Our powers were suppressed or completely taken away….I fear that Fate's been sabotaged, and I fear that she might be in the grasp of evil….But that doesn't mean that Fate is dead, Arthur….Fate can find a way in the darkest of hours….You just have to know how to see your way through in the dark."
"You know…" Arthur's head was reeling. "You talk in riddles—like—a LOT and—I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying." He shifted uncomfortably. "What does any of this have to do with me?"
"I know you and the Tick will help me find Fate," said Destiny, "and bring us back together. It's because you found each other—together, you're the key—to everything possible!"
"I had the keys to the City," Arthur mumbled, "but…I don't anymore…"
"We'll get you back into the Flag Five," Destiny smiled at him. "Just you wait and see!"
"But I just resigned," Arthur stammered, staring in astonishment, "What makes you think I want to go back in the first place?"
"It's your dream," Destiny declared. "You're not going to lose sight of your dream. We'll get you back on the right path, Arthur—but you have to be willing to fight for it! And you have to be willing to know yourself—the TRUE you!"
"The…" Arthur's mind wobbled. "the…'TRUE me'?"
It was at that very moment that the front door blew open, and Tick strode into the room. In one hand he carried a deli-sized grocery bag and in his other hand was a giant blue Slurpee. "I see you two are getting acquainted," he noted as he observed the two on the couch. He then proceeded to the kitchen, and Arthur quickly scrambled to follow him.
"Tick—" Arthur stood at a short distance, hesitating in the doorway, unsure where to begin.
"I'm not a bomb, Arthur." The Tick shook his head at him and chuckled. "You can come on in." He pointed proudly at the bag. "We've got goodies galore! Tostitos, salsa, ice cream and soda! The works!"
"Tick…" Arthur grimaced; he hated apologies. "I'm—sorry—for going off on you like that—"
"All is forgiven," said the Tick. "Because you are going to tell Rathbone in the morning that you're sorry….." He swung around to face Arthur. "-Right?"
"What?" Arthur's hands balled into fists. "Why should I tell him I'm sorry? I didn't do anything wrong! I–I felt terrible for agreeing to spy on you—and—and—" Suddenly exhausted, he felt himself faltering. "Since I"m not really even a superhero, I—" His voice fell flat. "I don't really belong in the Flag Five anyway," he mumbled.
"Bullhockey!" barked the Tick.
Arthur shook his head. "I don't really have any superpowers, Tick," he confessed haltingly. "I may be your sidekick—but—" He leaned heavily against the wall. "-that's…all I really am." He groaned into his hands. "I'm SO sorry Tick—"
"Arthur…"
Arthur opened his eyes and gasped—the Tick was standing inches away from his face!
"I think you need a hug," said the Tick. "C'mere Chum!" Before Arthur could protest, he pulled him into a big bear hug.
"But—" Arthur squeaked through the frog in his throat, even as he was muffled against the Tick's thick chest, "I-I thought you hated me–"
" 'HATE'?" The Tick didn't break the embrace even as laughed, and his entire body shook with it, and Arthur shook with it too. "HA! I don't even know the MEANING of the word!"
"He really doesn't."
The two separated to see Destiny smiling from behind them. "He's actually incapable of hating," Destiny informed them.
"..He is?" Arthur stammered.
The Tick stared. "...I am?"
"You aren't…." Destiny thought of the right words, but realized there was only one: "Programmed…" she added haltingly, "...to think that way." Unable to face him, she dropped her eyes to the floor.
" 'Programmed'?" Arthur echoed. "What do you mean?" His eyes widened at the realization. "I-Is the Tick—"
"Holy Smokes Arthur—" Tick whirled about to grab his sidekick, who was also in a daze. "I AM a ROBOT!"
"NO, Tick…." Destiny pulled him around towards her. "You're NOT a robot! You're human—well—part human—But—you WERE designed—by a scientist, that is—-never to hate your fellow man…." Destiny looked the Tick deeply in the eyes, as the Tick stared back in shock. "You were designed with the intent," informed Destiny, "only….to love."
"Are you saying I was—" The Tick's head was reeling. "An—experiment?"
"For lack of a better word," Destiny allowed slowly and softly, "yes."
"Holy Smokes," muttered Arthur, unable to look away.
"You are a combination of human genes and superhero genes," Destiny went on, "with the intent of only doing good and ridding the world of evil. While your superhero's genetics were programmed and engineered scientifically, you've also got the added human element and experience of free will."
"I…" The Tick held his head in shock. "I think I better sit down…"
Arthur helped the Tick over to the couch, immediately grabbing a pillow for his head and propping it up behind him. "This scientist," Arthur prompted, "Who is he?"
"I met him only once," said Destiny, "right before I retired from AEGIS….because they were training me to be an assassin….that was when the Tick tried to help me escape." She tried to think as Arthur and the Tick stared back, dumbfounded into silence. "He was—let me see—Urmanian, I believe? I think his name was—"
"-Karamazov," Arthur finished, and the Tick's eyes widened with sudden recognition.
"Christ on a Cracker!" exclaimed the Tick. "Are you saying that Karamazov is—" He leapt to his feet with determination. "-my DAD?"