Forced Bonds

Chapter 39

This Chapter is Dedicated to:
Torroella03

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[Unknown]
November 3, 10:38 CST

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Claude stays silent, seemingly at ease with the answer. Can't miss something you never knew, after all.

"Do you regret it?" Claude finally asks.

"Sometimes," Robin replies. "It made me feel powerful, for a while. Like I was worth something. That I was doing something good with my life. But..." He trails off, eyes darkening in the artificial light. Claude can feel the tension in the air rise, but pays it no mind. It is nothing compared to other situations he has been in. "The things that I had built up for years all crumbled to dust so easily... After all the pain I went through," Robin holds his arms out to the side so Claude can get a better look at his body. There are so many scars that they seem to move in the butler's vision. His eyes would catch a new one with every instant making it impossible to see them as a whole. "For things to fall so easily, it doesn't seem worth it... And now I'm here. Some life, right? Sometimes I think it would've been better if I had rotted in the Juvie or even... died with my parents..."

They don't speak for a bit. Both reminiscing in the turmoil of their pathetic lives. The quiet grows on them both, and their mutual suffering brings them closer together. Robin doesn't mind this bond that they now share. After spilling generalizations of their life stories, Claude is the closest person to Robin's trust than anyone else. He is okay with that.

"You should go change, Robin."

He nods and heads off.

After, the teen has come out of his negative stupor and decided on a punishment for Claude.

"Acrobatics?" He repeats hesitantly, "I think I'm going to break something if I try that."

"All the better!" The teen exclaims excitedly. "Then Slade might think that you've learned your lesson! Besides, you know how to do basic things like martial arts, right?"

"I wouldn't call martial arts basic-"

"Pfft, you'll be fine."

Claude earns more than a few bruises throughout the rest of the day. Robin is having a blast. The only person who he has gotten to spend time with recently was Slade, so doing gymnastics with somebody else is like heaven.

It is too soon that the day ends and Claude leaves when the monitors show Slade's metal face, telling him that his punishment was over. He quickly left, probably to go and see Sir Chris. Robin smiles as he rounds the corner out of the gym, knowing he is already gone.

Robin hops down from the metal beams of the ceiling and stretches on the way to his room. Today had been good, despite the somewhat emotional roller coaster, it has helped him. He hasn't felt this genuinely happy in a while...

Robin opens his bedroom door and takes a step inside. He goes into his night routine, changing into his bed clothes and using the bathroom for a final time before he climbs into bed. He sinks into the sheets and the lights go out automatically. Pulling up the covers, he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

Yep, Robin contently thinks, today has been-

A hand clamps over his mouth, muffling his startled gasp. Not a moment later does he feel a weight on top of him as a shadowy figure straddles his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. His heart picks up pace, and he can't stop the damned flashbacks from coming:

Bruce tears off his dress shirt and uses it to tie Dick's hands to the bed leg. A bundle socks has already been shoved into the younger's mouth and is being held there with Bruce's shoelace in a tight knot around his head. Dick struggles and tries to plead sense to his mentor, but they are choked out by the cotton. Bruce gets on top of him from were he lays helpless on the floor. Dick can't do anything but stare up at him through his tears. "You need to learn,"  he says for a final time.

"What are you doing?" Robin askes Starfire. His arms are immobile in their casts and Star has pinned his only free leg. There isn't any moving or getting away from this one. It's like he never learns. Without intending to, she uses her super strength to open his jaw, silencing Robin from anymore words.

The Joker has just finish tying him up. Robin strains against the belts pinning his arms behind his back. He can hear his heart thudding in panic as he doesn't have enough time to escape before- Joker keels over him, lowering his hips in front of the fifteen year old's face. Robin can't do anything but stare as Joker speaks: "Suck it."

NEVER. AGAIN.

He bites the hand.

"Ouch! C'mon Dick, stop fighting. It's just me," the figure whispers intensely.

It takes some time, but his eyes finally adjust to the dark. He had lost the night vision function in his mask due to Slade's tampering, and he hadn't found the necessary tools to fix it yet. He stops struggling and stares up at the boy on top of him.

Tim?!

-Claude pets his frog with a finger, holding it close to his body as Slade looks down on him.

"Did you manage to do it?" Slade asks calmly.

"Yes, sir," Claude responds. "He was very easy to manipulate after he heard about... my life. I believe that with more encounters, he may come to trust me."

Slade nods his head, satisfied. He turns to look at the monitor of his apprentice's room and an excited smile graces his lips. Things are starting to roll.

"Master Slade?"

He turns back to look at his butler with disdain. Claude has put down the frog and is fidgeting with the monocle's chain where it attached to his collar. It is a nasty habit that he does when he is nervous.

"May I say it?"

Slade raises an amused eyebrow. "You may, after all, you did good work today."

Clause beams at the praise and immediately stands up straighter. After fixing his posture, he puts on a satisfied smile befitting a mad man. If Slade wasn't so rational minded, he might've been proud. Claude says the next two words with pride:

"Goal Accomplished."