Actions

Work Header

Finding Family

Summary:

Batty's always smiled, it was only later that he learned how.

Or, 50 snapshots from Koda's life.

Notes:

WARNINGS:
Animal - abuse, testing
Experimentation - medical, unethical, science
Trauma - cage
Mild sex jokes
Temporary blindness
Mental instability
Self-esteem issues

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

#49 - Hair

Koda can only ever remember one thing about his ma—a soft stroke here, her gentle caress smoothing out that always messed up (just like him) tuft of furry hair of his—but then reality returns, biting back with its ever-present sharp sting.

 

#28 - Sickness

They took his friend, took him beyond the door when he got too loud… his laughter stopped a long time ago.

 

#35 - Bonds

White coats with sharp pain-sticks coming closer—n-no, stop—can't escape, please no-no-nononooo!

 

#37 - Technology

He learned that the white coats are called humans and that the one with the stick (scalpel) is a doctor, he learned that they put something called technology in him, he learned that he is an experiment, and he learned about what happens to the broken subjects… he wishes he never found out.

 

#48 - Waves

"No, Nurse, ze zpecimen iz not zupposed to be’ave zis way; it appearz az zough it ‘az some’ow picked up on ze radio wavez und iz tranzmitting zem uzing ze antenna…”

 

#20 - Freedom

Watching birds fly past the window on the way to his cage, all without a care in the world but the troubles their little wings flap away, and he wishes, if only he too could fly free.

 

#26 - Forever

He isn't sure just when the other animals started calling him that, but it already feels like he’s always been Batty Koda.

 

#04 - Pain

They wonder how he stays so happy all the time… well, everyone has their way of coping, his is to turn everything into a joke… plus, Batty found out a while ago that he's great at pretending.

 

#43 - Sky

He can't believe it, he just can't believe it even when he knows it's true from the feel of the wind rushing past him to the new scents tickling his nose—he actually left, he’s finally escaped the nightmare!

 

#32 - Confusion

Noises,-bright-lights,-flashing,-everything’s-flashing; lab left behind, but madness ahead and Batty wonders, is there anything humans can’t corrupt?

 

#07 - Chocolate

Sweet, so sweet… urgh, hurts now… wh-why can't he, gah, c-can't breath—ch-choking!

 

#24 - Taste

Mm-hmmm, deliciously delectable, nothing like that brown bar he’d found or those stale pellets he’d been fed before… his first fresh fruit... what else has he been missing?

 

#10 - Ears

His eyesight was always bad, but Batty feels like it's been getting worse ever since he left… even if his ears are good, he's never not had… they did this, they must have... i-is it getting darker…?

 

#45 - Hell

Sometimes, Batty goes back to that place… the place with the poking, prodding, cutting, testing… and he quickly flicks his antenna, searching for what humans refer to as “ignorance is bliss”.

 

#18 - Speed

Forest approaching; 2 o’clo—please make sure to fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ri—green light, go-go-g—right turn, left turn, right, left, right, right, right… OOMPH!

 

#38 - Gift

Oh, did that little lightning bug say something about the Gift of Fairy—waitaminute... “I can see!”

 

#05 - Potatoes

Who cares if potatoes are in his rap; it rhymes, so it works!

 

#11 - Name

“So weird…” they said, but who cares, ‘cause he’s Batty and proud!

 

#39 - Smile

He… he hasn't seen anyone smile in so long, and now that he has, Batty’s determined to make sure they keep smiling.

 

#03 - Soft

He’s not sure what the little sprite’s name is, but Batty thinks he likes her already—he just knows those kind eyes, petite face, and her beaming grin that shifts so easily into a tender smile can make a friend out of anyone.

 

#08 - Happiness

As Crysta’s father, he is glad to see that his daughter has made yet another new friend, and as the Elder, he is more than happy to spread joy among all of the animals, even one that is as clearly kooky as this particular bat!

 

#40 - Innocence

Batty envies all those little light bugs and their naivety—Humans? Extinct? Ha!—and tries to warn the nice, pretty one (Crysta) not to go, but no one ever listens, no one ever bothers, so why should she?

 

#01 - Comfort

He pouts (yes, pouts) when Crysta tells him her plan and she lets out a small sigh in return, “It’s alright, Batty, I'll be fine—we’ll be fine, okay?”

 

#25 - Devotion

Batty doesn’t know what the fritz is wrong with him, but against his better judgment, he’s already charging after Crysta since he knows she’s putting herself in danger… sonic interference, that fairy’s already got him wrapped around her pinky!

 

#23 - Hands

Staring at the human's—he just left them! How could they have found him already?!—hands, Batty can’t help but shiver with fear knowing just what those things can do.

 

#21 - Life

Zak doesn’t know what the hell’s wrong with the stupid bat—he’s never seen the guy before in his life, and what’s the big deal about him being human!?

 

#27 - Blood

“No, I do not drink blood human—I am a Pteropodidae, not a Desmodontinae!—plus, you’d know if I did.”

 

#33 - Fear

“Of course I’m scared of humans, scratch that, I’m terrified—and you should be too!”

 

#12 - Sensual

Crysta tilted her head, floating crisscrossed over a branch, wondering just what Batty meant when he said that Zak has “no moral restraints whatsoever”.

 

#22 - Jealousy

Batty scoffs to himself—him, jealous of a human—pft, as if!

 

#31 - Home

Wings drooping slightly, Crysta watched her new friend tease and bicker with her human friend and her older fairy friends, and even if they’re all smiling (except for Zak, of course) she can’t help the sad look she sends the bat... Crysta wonders if Batty, no, Koda will ever realize that he's safe now… that he's home.

 

#29 - Melody

Zak smirks as he notices that wacky fly-boy tapping his foot (paw?) to the totally tubular beat his radio’s blaring—maybe Batty isn't half bad after all.

 

#41 - Completion

Batty frowned, suddenly disappointed that he was right... but at the same time, he can’t help but doubt that foolish, insensitive Zak is actually (intentionally) responsible for what Batty himself always said the little human would do.

 

#50 - Supernova

Magi Lune packs quite the punch, what with all that magic mojo she’s letting out there in that tree, but… it’s kinda nice, and warm, and makes him wanna snuggle up with all those other fairies… is this what Crysta’s feeling?

 

#17 - Tears

Magi Lune pauses for but a moment, sensing someone approaching whose heart cries out not only with tears but also with longing… still, she smiles, knowing this young soul is already on the way to mending thanks to her darling Crysta’s accepting and caring nature.

 

#30 - Star

Fractured figs… Crysta’s like a shooting star, the way she’s flitting about with all that shimmering, flickering fairy dust… no wonder she’s Magi Lune’s successor!

 

#13 - Death

First the smell of clean, antiseptic, distant, now the smell of fire, smoke, suffocating… he can't ever escape it.

 

#42 - Clouds

Ralph hesitated before continuing with the job as he somewhat worriedly waited for his buddy to respond, but, in contrast, Tony did so with an unimpressed look on his face, “Aw, don't worry about it so much, it was probably just the clouds a’ smoke makin’ ya think that; ain't no way that thing had an antenna stickin’ outta its head, let alone a human holdin’ on!”

 

#19 - Wind

A deep, throaty chuckle echoed out from Hexxus’ throat as his beautiful Leveler cut down yet another one of their precious trees—the fairies had failed to stop him, what do the foolish human and, of all things, a fruit bat think they’re doing when he can simply swat them out of the sky like the paltry bugs they are?

 

#16 - Weakness

Kneeling down, Zak can’t help but marvel at just how small, even fragile Batty seems now that he’s back to full size (he thought fruit bats were bigger than that), but despite his numerous injuries, Zak doesn't (not even for a second) believe Batty is weak—instead, Zak considers bat-man to be one of the strongest dudes he's ever met.

 

#15 - Touch

Batty can't believe he let the human hold him, considering the last time one of them did that… no—Zak’s a strange human, different from the others.

 

#06 - Rain

Even though his body was aching all over, his leaf covering was singed at the edges, and his red hair was plastered to his face, Pips couldn't help but laugh in triumph with arms raised to the sky as rain pelted Hexxus’ imprisoned form and coated the ground, putting out the numerous death flares—and to think it’s all thanks to the combined might of the fairies, Magi Lune’s sacrifice, Crysta (of course), the human responsible for it all, and that flying wacko… who knew a bat and a human would be what helped Crysta save the day?

 

#09 - Telephone

“I wasn't kidding about this thing getting great reception—keep in contact, kid, you ain't so bad!”

 

#36 - Market

Lou the goanna blinks as he watches that newcomer bat guy and the yummy snack—err, Crysta’s human friend—chat it up… weird, ‘cause he coulda sworn the last time he saw them the bat was offering the human up as an hors d’oeuvre.

 

#47 - Moon

Large eyes scanned the skies while their owner, Bark, hovered far behind the Beetle Boys gang—he didn't feel like racing for once, Bark was just fine with watching Pips, Crysta, Knotty, and the others go at it, but where was… oooh, there's BK taking the lead, shadow swooping down from the moon’s light!

 

#14 - Sex

“Oh, hey Crysta, you left your tree-door ope- MY EYES!

 

#02 - Kiss

Sooo… did he taste like chicken?”

 

#34 - Lightning/Thunder

As another rumble-flash! lit up the sky Koda curled his wings a little closer to his body, hugging the young fairies tighter… he remembers his first storm; this time he’ll be the one helping little ones through it.

 

#46 - Sun

‘The sun’ll come out, tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow… there’ll be sun!’ the first time he heard that song he thought the human was crazier than him, but now Koda thinks he finally sees what the girl meant.

 

#44 - Heaven

“Am I dead?” the little human asked once, and now Batty Koda knows that he is, ‘cause what else could this place be other than heaven?

Notes:

Inspired by the 1sentence challenge set Alpha on LiveJournal and DeskRage’s fic “Just One” on Fanfiction.net. This is my long overdue tribute to Robin Williams featuring one of the many characters this beloved man brought to life: Batty Koda from Ferngully, the first animated film he ever participated in. This fandom definitely deserves more love!

Once again, thank you for everything Robin Williams. You are dearly missed… may you Rest In Peace.