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// Credit to artists of cover art & chapter art!
A/N -- WARNING: possible tissues needed :')
Songs listened to while writing this:
Howling - RY X
War of Hearts (Acoustic) - Ruelle
Safe And Sound (Taylor Swift) - Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider
Berlin - RY X
Anarchist (Unplugged) - YUNGBLUD
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The sound of incorrigible, bloodcurdling laughter could be heard throughout the majority of the dark streets of Gotham. The laughter was infamous, and only notoriously affiliated with one individual in particular; the Joker. The madman's identity wasn't a secret to the civilians of Gotham. Everyone knew who he was, and they also knew that all he stood for was maniacal chaos.
Unfortunately, Batman's most broken Robin was caught in the crossfire of that chaos, and had been for about a year now.
"Oh, Jason~!" the horrid voice called out in a sing-song tone, followed by the activation of blinding lights. It caused the beaten and battered man to wince quietly and shy away from the source of light, though all he could really do was turn his head away. He was seated, wrists bound to the wooden chair beneath him, as well as his ankles. Was he in Hell...? Had he died during a mission, and this was his punishment for failing Batman, as well as the rest of Gotham? The thought alone caused a deep frown to etch into his features, and a soft whimper to escape through his hoarse throat, soon lifting his head once his faded viridescent eyes had finally adjusted to the change of lighting.
"Poor, poor Jason... And here I thought the big bat would come rushing to your rescue, what a sob story..." The madman approached the detainee, gradually circling around the chair, wearing his permanent grin that just screamed insanity. The broken Robin couldn't do much but lightly tug at his restraints, but they were way too tight for him to break out from alone, especially in the condition he was currently in. Throughout the months he was missing from Wayne Manor, he had undergone a series of torturous stimulation and twisted games, and overtime they had rendered him completely helpless; unable to defend himself physically or verbally. He hated it. He hated not being able to do anything, as if watching his own end like a useless bystander.
"He'll come for me..."
Was all he could utter out, his voice low and strained from all of the screaming he'd done the past two days. He lifted his eyes to meet the clown's, the dry blood around his face making it difficult to display much emotion. The grin on the Joker's face morphed into a blatantly fake frown, and he halted right in front of the bound Robin, leaning down and placing his hands on his knees as if talking to a small child.
"Aww, now isn't that sweet! I admire your faith.. really, I do! But you Robin's are so... replaceable." He grinned again, "What makes you think he hasn't recruited another Robin by now? A better Robin? A Robin that's actually worth saving..?" Those few words registered into Jason's mind instantaneously, and a sharp pang of hurt and realisation hit his heart. He wouldn't... Bruce wouldn't just leave him. That was nuts. He was coming. By the end of the day, Jason was going to be saved, and he'd be home safe with his family. He.. He was coming... Right? By the time he snapped back into reality and abandoned his depressive train of thought, the Joker was gone, and.... and he was hanging..?
No longer feeling the uncomfortable wood beneath him, he glanced down, seeing his feet limply hanging down. His gaze then averted upwards, seeing his wrists now tied together rather than to the arms of the chair. What the Hell was going on?
Within a few seconds, he heard footsteps again. These ones were heavier though.. familiar, yet from a positive memory.
"Batman..?" his throat hurt to speak, but he forced it out anyway, "...is that you?"
Then, as if upon mention, the said man stepped out from the shadows, an emotionless expression under the cowl. For a split second, Jason's heart lifted and a small smile tugged at his chapped lips, relief washing over him at the very sight of the Bat. But then he spoke, and Jason's hopeful smile dropped.
"Wilful Jason, always ignoring danger and spitting at the idea of a risk.." the man spoke in his faux gruff voice, gradually stepping towards Jason - a step a minute. "You were never frightened enough.. now look at you. Hanging there, helpless, unable to save yourself."
Jason frowned, gripping onto the rope holding him hostage.
"Wh.. What? What are you talking about? I-I get it, I screwed up, i'm sorry. Just, please—"
"I've always wondered.." the cloaked man interrupted, causing the boy wonder to quieten down almost instantly. He had no willpower to fight back for his speech.
"Always..." he stepped even closer, now halting directly in front of him.
"..Were you scared at the end? Were you praying, that i'd come to save you?"
By now Jason realised, this wasn't the Bruce he knew. This wasn't the Bruce who had taken pity on him as an orphan who was trying to steal the tyres off of the Batmobile. This wasn't Bruce Wayne. But, there was one thing he couldn't put his finger on, why was the Bat speaking in past tense, as if all of this had already happened..?
...Had it already happened?
He swallowed, keeping his head hung low as the bat began to circle him like a lion stalking its prey, just like the Joker had done to him beforehand.
"Shut up.." He forced out, hatred lacing his words.
"I bet you hated me."
"Shut up!"
"I bet you wished I'd come in time to save you, huh, Jay?"
A pang of confusion hit him once again at the familiar nickname. The voice had changed again, it wasn't deep and gruff.. it was soft. Honest. Calming. A voice he'd fallen in love with.
"..Dick..?" he practically whimpered the name, having to hold back tears as the figure walked back around in front of him. It was him. It was the one person he trusted in his life. The one person he loved with all of his heart.
"Why couldn't you just listen, Jay? Why'd you have to go through all of this trouble..? My reckless, stubborn Jaybird.."
This wasn't real. This was a dream. No— this was a nightmare. A nightmare of his past. A nightmare he couldn't wake up from even if he tried. He was too weak. Jason Todd, was too weak.
"Dick.. please, don't let him do this.. Don't let him do this to me.. I can't— I can't go through this again. Please..!"
The ravenette was practically begging at this point, tugging at the ropes around his wrists and wincing at the way they dug into his skin, burning him deeply. Small streaks of blood dripped down his arms, but he couldn't feel it anymore. The physical pain was gone, because all of it had transferred to his heart which was slowly breaking apart, piece by piece.
"I thought— I thought i'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt." his voice was quiet and defeated this time around, all hope having been lost by now. He knew this was all in his head, but it didn't hurt any less. The fallen Robin, had broke.
Dick Grayson - more formerly known as Nightwing - took slow steps away from the hanging form, and with each step away, the reappeared Joker took a step forward.
"There's nothing I can do.. Jason." The word leaving the blue bird's mouth were so hesitant. As if he were being forced to say them, like Jason had been forced to endure this suffering. But, Dick wouldn't stand back and watch. He loved him, didn't he? He told him so every morning, so why...
"Bravo, bravo!"
This returning voice was too familiar, and Jason had just about had enough of hearing it pound into his skull every morning and every night. He didn't have a good sense of time in his position, but he could only assume it was a 24/7 occurrence.
"Give the boy an Oscar! I mean, really, I've never seen heartbreak played so beautifully!"
The clown prince wiped an imaginative tear away from his eye after he finished clapping, and managed to keep the impressed act up for just a few more seconds before he finally dropped it.
The ropes holding his wrists up like a pig in a slaughterhouse disappeared after that.
With a pained grunt, Jason's body hit the cold concrete, though he managed to hold himself up with shaky forearms; head hanging limply and eyes cast downwards.
"..Screw you.. Joker..."
The insane man just grinned at that, and as Jason finally willed himself to lift his head and focus those sharp eyes of his up at the taller figure, all he was was the glint of smiling teeth - and the light subtly reflecting off of something iron.
"You sound a little bored.. game of baseball?"
The fallen Robin's eyes widened as soon as he saw the Joker hoist the silhouette of the crowbar behind his shoulder,
"Batter up, bird boy!"
Then, with a fit of maniacal laughter and an explosion of pain impacting the side of his skull, everything went black.
----------------------------------------------------
Jason's body lurched upwards abruptly, leaving an outline of his back in a cold sweat behind on the soft mattress. He felt as though he couldn't breath, hand soon flying up to clutch at his hair nearby where the crowbar would have struck him as he breathed in irregular, heavy sets. The warm body beside him also sat up in a rush, sapphier blue eyes widened in both worry and concern as they scanned over the younger male carefully,
"Jason?"
The thinner form hopped up and sat on his knees beside the traumatized form, tears evidently welling up in those downcast green eyes of his.
"He- He tried to-!" Jason began in a panicked, quivering voice, and at that point, the other knew exactly what went wrong that night.
"Shhh," the blabber was cut off with a soothing hush as Jason's body was pulled sideways into a tight embrace. The younger didn't hesitate when moving closer to seek further comfort from the elder.
"It's okay, it was just a nightmare. I'm here, little wing. I'm here for you..."
A sensual kiss was pressed to his temple, and Jason couldn't have felt more relieved that everything he had just saw - was a delusion. His blue bird was here, with him, not with that freak. The calm and considerate voice of the ravenette was enough to relax Jason's irregular breaths and pounding heart after a few moments of indulging in the warmth and safety being offered to him, and without waiting another second, he blurted out what had been on his mind the moment he had awoken to the other.
"I love you, Dick. I love you so much."
The words were breathy and distant, but very true nonetheless. Dick knew that. Nothing scared Jason more than his own mind, and that was known among their little dysfunctional family. Dick always made sure he was okay. After what had happened all those years ago, he wouldn't let anybody hurt his little wing ever again.
"I love you too, Jay.. with all my heart."
The night was peaceful after that. The two didn't return to sleep, but rather held each other in their arms until the first crack of dawn shone through the window blinds. Although they'd be tired later on, it was worth every second, and that would never change for the two lovebirds.
It was them against the world; forever.