Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I do not own the characters Jericho OR the Herald. I simply borrowed them for this fanfiction.
Author's Note: THIS, my dear readers, is probably the FIRST Jericho and Herald romance fanfiction out there. I've been looking around everywhere for one but came up with zilch. I decided to make one it includes a couple of warped spoilers for the Teen Titans DC comics. So here it is! On a silver platter and all! And totally prepared for flaming! Oh, and by the way…'Jer' is pronounced as 'Jair'. AND please ignore the review i gave myself in the reviews space. i was totally high on mountain dew and forgot my basics. vell...dats it! yatta! have fun reading!
A Silent Side Story
Once the day was over, once everyone had eaten dinner, when mission reports and funny stories of the day were told, and everyone was drowsy with fatigue, the inhabitants of Titans Tower drifted off to their respectful rooms…all except for two who had other intentions on their mind. When everyone else had dispersed from the common room Jericho had followed his friend, The Herald, to the living quarters of the Tower. Their rooms were on the more quiet end of the tower near the evidence room where not that many considered going into. Their bedroom doors stood facing each other at the end of a dimly lit hall. Because of the seclusion they had no one ever saw how Jericho and Herald would often slip out of their room to go into the other several nights a month.
Not a single person knew about what went on between them and they were just alright with that. It wasn't that they didn't want people to know, they just believed that when the time came to come clean they'll be more than happy to tell all.
Unfortunately they weren't able to express these issues in the present company they had following down their path. Jericho and Herald's rooms were one floor down from the room belonging to the young members of Titans Europe. The two teenaged boys had to pass by that door every time they went down to their rooms and more often than not, at least one of members of Titans Europe followed behind them.
Bobby, the giant bear that a young heroine named Melvin created, was walking ahead of them with said girl cradled in his arms along with an infant and a little boy clutching to a blue blanket.
"Hey, need help with that load?" Herald asked as the bear neared a door to their right.
Bobby shook his head slowly and grinned in 'thanks anyway'. The bear entered through the doors and into a whimsically decorated space. The walls were painted with a country side theme complete with detailed trees, mountains and lakes. The ceiling was painted like the day sky and gave the room a very bright atmosphere. Bobby trudged around the room to put each child into the proper bed. Jericho had followed behind it and offered to help tuck them in.
Bobby smiled and handed Jericho Timmy, who stirred quietly in his sleep and rubbed his blue blanket against his cheek. Jericho carefully laid him in his red race car bed and tucked him in neatly.
"Thanks owl-eyes," Timmy mumbled.
Herald laughed quietly as he watched from the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms around his chest. Jericho can be such a motherly person sometimes. He should have been born a girl instead, Herald mused. Would've made this a lil' easier.
Jericho moved to the next bed which had several brightly colored pillows and lacy pink sheets. He took Melvin from Bobby's arm and laid her on the bed, undoing her blonde pigtails. Her hair fell around her shoulders and she yawned softly, mumbling, "Thank you."
She laid her head against the pillows and brought the sheet up to her chin. Jericho ran his fingers through her hair once before moving on to the next one. Bobby handed him Teether who sucked on his pacifier gently. The infant's eyes opened slowly and turned to Jericho's face. Teether cooed softly and snuggled into his chest. Jericho smiled contently as he shifted the infant to his shoulder and kissed the baby's head gently. He walked over to the crib and carefully placed him inside. He draped a blanket over Teether's little body and patted his head.
Bobby took a seat in the corner among a large pile of stuffed animals and waved Jericho good bye as the teen walked out the door. Jericho waved back, flipping off the switch beside the door and flashed Herald a smile. The room darkened, soft lights that resembled stars came on in the ceiling. Jericho gave them one last wave and Herald said, " 'night everyone."
"Good night," came the sleepy reply along with a coo and soft growl.
The door shut behind them and they continued down the hallway and took each other's hand once they turned the corner and went down a small flight of stairs. Their fingers laced into each other perfectly as they continued down the long, dim hall. Jericho's eyelids drooped and he yawned.
"Rough day?" Herald asked, a hint of sleepiness in his tone. Jericho nodded and yawned again. "I can't believe how much paper work you had to do. I'm surprised that you didn't drown in all that."
Jericho smiled lazily and gestured to him with an arched brow.
"Me?" he said. "Yeah it was pretty rough too. Cyborg and I had to teleport into at least a hundred TV channels to catch that Control Freak guy. You saw it right? How we both somehow landed in that America's Next Top Model show and nearly flattened that photographer?"
Jericho nodded and laughed silently remembering how Herald and Cyborg fell out of the ceiling of the studio and landed none too gracefully on a male photographer who let out a high pitched scream. Control Freak stood at the head of the runway laughing boastfully when he got distracted by a model that ran squealing past him in a very sheer lingerie set. Control Freak's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped. Herald had taken his chance and charged at the portly villain and hit him square in the face with a jaw shattering punch.
"It ain't nice to stare at a lady like that," Herald had seethed when he picked Control Freak off the floor and stared angrily into his face.
Jericho laughed again, the terrified expression and squeak that erupted from the TV surfing criminal was priceless.
Herald glanced at him and grinned. Jericho had a really nice smile, and even though he couldn't hear his voice, Herald thought he had a nice laugh too. He tightened his grip on Jericho's hand and led him past the evidence room and around another corner where their bedroom doors were. They stopped between the doors and Herald let go of Jericho's hand.
"So what'll it be?" he asked. "Yours or mine?"
Jericho looked to his left and right, contemplating his choice between the doors. He went up to the door with his name labeled on its plate and slipped inside, the door hissing quietly when it opened and closed. A flicker of disappointment grazed Herald's face when Jericho went inside without as much as a wave goodnight. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders and went into the opposite direction. The door swooshed open and he was about to enter when he heard another hiss behind him. Jericho came forward with his guitar in hand and a sleepy smile on his face.
Herald flicked on the lights once the door slid shut behind them. The room was very neat with a palette of silver and blue to match Herald's preferences. The walls were lined with framed photographs and posters of his favorite Jazz musicians. He set his silver horn on a stand on top of the black dresser and began to undo the clasp on his cape.
Jericho took a seat on a small black leather couch that was built into the far corner of the room beneath the window. He strummed a tune that he had heard on the radio while he was sitting at a computer typing out the mission reports from last week. The song played at least five times that day and he managed to catch its melody. He looked out at the dim lights of Jump City that was faintly reflected by the bay waters. A dreamy gaze came to his eyes as he tried to remember the lyrics the song.
What day is it…? And in what month…?
This clock never seemed so alive…
I can't keep up and I can't back down…
I've been losing…so much time…
He tapped his foot along with the tune and mouthed the lyrics. Jericho didn't look away from the view of the city lights until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jericho's fingers left the strings of his guitar and turned, his eyes widening a little. Herald had taken off his hooded cape, his gloves, his outer shirt with the silver horn insignia, and his mask. His eyes were a very dark brown and often expressed more feeling than anything else he had in his persona. His skin was dark and creamy, his hair was pitch black and closely cut to his head, and he had lips that were full and soft looking. Herald was a very handsome boy underneath that hood and mask. Jericho stared into his face for a very long time like he always did. Seeing him without his mask was something Jericho liked to treasure. Herald didn't take it off for more than one night a month. Guess tonight was that night.
"Stop starin' at me like that," Herald laughed. "It makes me think you're gonna take over my mind or something."
Jericho blinked and cocked his head to the side, brows furrowed in consideration. Herald's eyes widened and he said, "Don't joke like that!"
Jericho shrugged his shoulders and shifted his gaze back out the window with a playful smile. Herald took the guitar from his lap and plucked a couple of notes.
"You just gonna sleep in those?" he asked without looking up. For as long as they've been together Jericho had always kept all his clothes on whenever they went to bed. Their relationship was Their acts of 'love' haven't gone farther than a long kissing session. They were both very patient with each other, being careful not to do anything that would make the other uncomfortable. They were both still new to the whole 'same-sex' relationship and the fact that it was the first relationship of their lives didn't really help.
How it began they had no idea…but it was probably Jericho who started it. He always had the habit of taking Herald's hand a few times, bringing him into a one armed hug, and just tended to get too close for comfort. Herald used to assume that it was because Jericho had become attached to him like a little brother and wanted someone to look up to. Wow, he totally missed that target by a mile.
Or was it Herald's fault? There was that incident when he just suddenly looked at Jericho one day and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then running away before Jericho realized what had happened. It all just kind of went downhill from there. Herald began to spend more and more time with Jericho. Heck, the guy even went into his room early in the morning to do a wake-up call. After a couple of weeks they just…kind of…sort of…clicked. Their friendship had slowly turned into to something much—much more to the extent where they would exchange a quick kiss behind the backs of their fellow Titans. How the hell those people didn't find out was a mystery.
Jericho stood up and unfastened the gold braces on his wrists and put them beside the silver horn on the dresser. He undid he sash on his waist and pulled the purple tunic over his head. He folded it into a square, placing his braces and sash over it in a neat pile. His hands reached up to the bandage around his throat but stopped in midair. His lips tightened into a prim line and he let his arms fall back to his sides. Jericho yawned, perching himself on the edge of the bed and watched Herald pluck at the strings.
With chin in his hands he tried to decipher what he was trying to play. Jericho had been teaching him guitar lessons for a while now and he seemed to be getting it quite well. Thank goodness for his experience in musical arts because if he were like BeastBoy, who nearly snapped all his guitar strings, then he really would have had something to laugh about. After a split second he realized that Herald was just practicing his scales. Jericho watched with sleepy eyes as dark fingers skillfully dance across the guitar's neck. It wasn't long before Jericho's eyelids drooped closed and his breathing evened out.
Herald yawned, putting the guitar aside and slipping out of his boots. He got up sat beside Jericho who still sat and had his head propped up on his elbows. Herald laughed softly and gently shook him awake. Jericho's head lolled to the side and one of his hands fell into his lap.
"Jericho, time to turn in," Herald said quietly. He got up and went under the covers, giving his pillow a good few punches to fluff it up a little. Jericho went to turn off the lights and returned to the bed. He sat on the bed's edge as he took off his boots, neatly putting them beside each other below the night stand. He pulled his legs back, bringing the sheet up to his shoulder and snuggling into the pillow.
" 'night Jer." Herald said softly. Jericho opened his eyelids halfway, taking a long look at the dark skinned face that was a few inches away from his own. A smile crept to his lips and he kissed the tip of Herald's nose. Herald grunted and cracked open one of his eyes.
" 'night Jer!"
Jericho let out a ghost of a laugh and closed his eyes with a small smile still on his face.
A bright light beamed down on him and he squinted upwards and tried to block it out with his hands. He let out a gasp of surprise as a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his small body. He struggled and kicked furiously, yelling at the top of his voice.
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" he screamed.
"Shut up kid," growled the man who held him captive. The man pressed a jagged bladed knife against his throat. "If you know what's good for you you'll keep your little mouth shut before I decide to saw it out!"
He gulped, the edge of the knife poking hard into his throat.
"Jackel!" boomed a voice. The little boy looked up and saw a tall opening of white in the far end of the massive hall. A silhouette of a man stood there against the light. "Where are you? Show yourself!"
A deeper voice laughed somewhere in the darkness. "Why? Don't you want to play a little hide and seek with me?" the voice sneered.
"I'm not here for your sick games! Now why have you called me here?"
"Tsk tsk tsk…always get straight to the point hmm? That's no fun. But since you're here, I want you to give me all the military information you have concerning the development of new altered soldiers."
There was a pause. "…or?"
"Or I will have your little boy killed."
"Joseph?" the silhouetted man said. It was at that moment the little boy realized that it was his father. Joseph's eyes widened in shock. "How did you find him?" his father demanded.
"It wasn't that difficult to find out about your perfect normal life that you try to keep under wraps…now then…give me the information or your son will die!"
The knife pressed against his throat more firmly, a sharp pain flared on the spot when the skin was broken. He hissed in pain, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Daddy!" he cried out. "Please! They're hurting me! Make him stop!"
"Yes…why don't you help this poor child?" Jackel leered. "All you need to do is tell me what I want to know and he will be released."
His father stared at him for a long time then turned his face away with an unseen expression. He shook his head furiously screaming into the dark, "NO! I refuse to tell you anything!"
A loud bang erupted from somewhere and his father dodged the shot. Jackel snarled and bellowed, "Damn you! Damn you to hell you insolent desecrate! OPEN FIRE!"
Several gunshots were fired through the air. Joseph watched as his father charged forward, jumping into the darkness with a sword glinting in his hand. Shouts of pain echoed in the hall followed by the heavy thunks on bodies falling to the floor. Joseph tried to see into the dark and make out what was happening. A bullet whistled past and grazed his captive's shoulder. The man let out a cry of pain and Joseph took his chance. He bit down hard onto the arm around his chest. He kicked violently, pushing off the man's body. A searing pain flared in his neck and blood seeped through the front of his shirt. He stood there, completely still with wide green eyes and a trail of blood falling from the corner of his mouth.
"Joseph! NO!"
"D-daddy…" he choked out before falling into darkness again.
How long has it been? It felt like forever when he finally gained consciousness. His body felt so heavy lying beneath a suffocating blanket. His throat felt numb and breathing was difficult for him because of the tube inside his mouth. He tried to twitch the tip of his fingers or lift his eyelids but every part of his body didn't seem to listen.
"How could you let this happen to our son?!" screamed a woman's voice not too far away.
Mommy….
"…I couldn't tell them the information even if it costs severe casualties…"
….Daddy?
"Severe casualties?! He's your son dammit! Not one of your little minions! How could you let them hurt him like that?!"
"There were several risks. I didn't want to take that chance."
"You bastard!" his mother screeched. Joseph heard a loud smack and imagined his father getting struck across the face. His mother began letting out ragged breaths. "He almost died because of your sick devotion! How can you put their interests before our son's safety?!"
"I did what I had to!"
"That's sick," his mother's voice suddenly cold. "You risked the life of my son to keep that damn contract."
"Joseph is my son too! Don't you think I'm upset about what happened?" his father's voice rose threateningly. There was a long pause. He heard heavy footsteps approach his bed. Joseph could feel his father standing over him. "I wanted to save him…" he continued. "I really did…but…there are just some times that I can't let my family life in the way of a mission. He's here now. He's safe, far from anything that will harm him."
Joseph felt a warm hand push back his wavy hair and brush against his cheek gently. He used all his might to open his eyes a little. Everything was blurry but he could make out the hazy figures of his parents. His father was at his bedside leaning over him. His mother stood at the foot of the bed with an unseen expression on her face.
"No. No, he's not safe," she said in an icy whisper.
"What are you talking about?" he stood up straighter as he looked at her. Joseph could sense the tension become more dense and imagined his father's deepening frown.
"There's so much I can and can't do for him…but no matter what I want him to be safe from anything that will hurt him. And that includes you…"
Who was that speaking? Was it really his mother? That voice seemed so harsh and inhuman to his ears. It couldn't be the same mommy he knew. His mother had a beautiful voice that could sing like an angel and tell stories that seemed to spring to life. Where was that mother now?
Joseph couldn't understand what was happening but he felt scared. Scared like how those men had suddenly grabbed him from his bed and hissed that they would kill him if he screamed. Why was all this happening? Was his daddy in trouble? Or was it his fault? He tried to open his mouth to speak but his lips wouldn't follow his thoughts. He tried again, and with much more effort. He wanted to understand why everything was happening. But then Joseph's mind seemed to freeze up when heard a metallic click and his father drew in a sharp breath.
"Put that gun down Adeline…" his father said. He put up his hands and approached his mother slowly.
"No! Joseph almost died because of you! It's your fault that he might never speak again!" her voice suddenly panicked. She took a bold step forward and his father edged away from the bed but still tried to get closer to her.
A gun? Joseph used every bit of his strength to open his eyes wider, to shout something, to do anything. He knew that guns were made to hurt people. He didn't want his mother to hurt anybody. Especially not his dad!
Stop! Joseph screamed in his mind. Don't hurt daddy! Please mommy, don't hurt him! Don't—please!
"Adeline—"
"You don't care about anyone but yourself! You are not a father to him anymore! You have no right to call yourself my husband! You're nothing but a threat that can destroy my family and I won't let you do it!"
"Adeline please—!" his father said desperately and lunged forward for the gun.
"I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE EVER AGAIN!"
A single shot was fired and his father fell to the floor in a heap.
Jericho bolted upright, his chest heaving rapidly. He stumbled out of the bed, clawing at his throat and ripping off the bandages around it. When they fell away he clung to it desperately and breathed raggedly. His green eyes were wide as they darted around the dark room. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders beginning to shake with his mute sobs.
Herald had sat up at this point. He woke up several minutes ago when he heard Jericho's breathing begin to quicken. He watched in silence as Jericho tossed and turned frantically in his sleep. His frown deepened as the minutes ticked by and Jericho became more restless. Herald quietly shuffled out from beneath the sheets to sit on the edge of the bed. He sat there and gazed at Jericho's back for a moment before getting up and reaching to him.
"Jer?"
Jericho started, spinning around and looking at him with a fearful tear-streaked face. What he saw was a looming dark figure in the shadows of the room inching towards him. His eyes widened even further and his heartbeat quickened. He held up his arm in defense, the other hand clutched at the bandage on the floor.
Herald got down on his knees, his arm still reaching out for Jericho.
"Jericho? What's wrong?" he asked in concern. The boy paled even further and scrambled away. He got up and retreated to the corner of the room with his hand pressed against the scar on his throat.
Herald got up slowly and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. This had only happened once before and he had no idea of what to do during that time.
It was a few weeks ago in Jericho's bedroom during the dark hours of an early morning. Jericho had suddenly woken up from a fitful sleep, shaking and drenched in a cold sweat when Herald had asked what was wrong, Jericho simply pushed him away and shoved him out the door. He shut himself in there for almost a day.
Other Titans tried to coax him out but all they received was silence. Herald tried, he really did, but there was just no way to get Jericho out of there. So after a long hour of standing in front of the door and glaring at the nameplate he returned to his own room and waited. Herald sat on the couch by the window for the rest of the afternoon, ignoring calls to duty and saying that someone else can go. He waited for the rest of the evening—his stomach was too disgruntled to eat anything. He just sat there with his elbows on his knees and his hands laced together against his lips, waiting for the swooshing of doors outside his room.
It was almost one in the morning and he began to drift in and out of sleep when Jericho silently walked inside. Herald's mind snapped into reality and he straightened out his back. He watched as Jericho approached and collapsed onto the floor before him. Jericho stared up at him with glassy eyes and a pained frown. He lunged forward and clasped his arms tightly around Herald's waist and cried.
After several minutes of holding onto him Jericho finally let go and handed a letter he wrote that explained his behavior and gave his apologies. The letter explained how he would get nightmares. Terrible, traumatic nightmares about how he lost his voice and his father.
I've managed to bury those memories for good a long time ago. But now…somehow they came back. It's scary, having to relive that pain again. I try to forget but it just keeps coming back now. I just don't know how to deal with it. I'm sorry for being like this. I should have known better than to shut you out like that. When I was in there the pain just got worse. I didn't want to deal with it all alone like that but I didn't want to go out there and let you see me so broken down like some kind of demented child. I didn't know what to do…and I'm sorry! Please, don't be mad at me…the last thing I need is for you to start hating me…
When Herald had looked up from the letter Jericho had undid the bandage around his neck and revealed a long jagged scar that ran from underneath his jaw to his collar bone. His face was eerily blank as he looked away. Herald stood and gathered him up in his arms and hugged him tightly. Jericho didn't react to the embrace.
Herald was upset that Jericho would think that he would ever hate him for anything. He couldn't hate Jericho even if he tried or if his life was at stake. He just couldn't. But he felt lost because he was unsure of what he could do to help. If he dug too deep Jericho could really get hurt but if he did nothing then the same thing might happen.
He felt lost and close to heartbreak right now as he watched Jericho back against the wall and slide down the floor with his face twisted up in agony. Jericho wrapped his arms tightly around his knees, burying his face into them and shaking even worse than before. Herald took a breath and approached him.
If I really want to stay in this relationship, Herald thought. Then I gotta do whatever I can to make sure he's okay.
"Jericho?" Herald said sternly. He knelt down and laid a hand on his arm. Herald's eyes widened when Jericho knocked his hand away and glared at him angrily. Herald took a firm hold on his wrists, gritting his teeth when Jericho began to struggle. "Jericho—stop! Stop and look at me! I said look at me!"
He forced his wrists down and Jericho glared fiercely up at him. Herald returned the intense stare with his own. Jericho tugged at his grip, with every few tugs his angry expression changing slowly until there was nothing but grief. He gave up struggling all together and turned his head away. When his arms became limp his wrists were finally released.
Herald came closer and cupped Jericho's chin in his hand and slowly tilted it up. His eyes softened in pity at how weary and pale Jericho's face was. He brought up his other hand, cupping his face and gently rubbing off the tears.
"What's wrong?" he said quietly. Jericho shook his head slowly. Herald furrowed his brows. "Don't give me that," he said angrily and hardened his grip. "Something's up. You had another nightmare didn't you?"
Jericho became unresponsive and stared blankly into his face. He didn't want Herald to go through any trouble with him. It was best if he didn't do anything.
Dark eyes stared deep into blank green ones for the longest time. Herald let out a heavy sigh and leaned his forehead against the other's. He closed his eyes.
"Jericho," he said quietly. "I know about what you're going through. But I can't help you if you don't let me, y'know? I understand that you've got one hell of a messed up past that literally scarred you for life but…it's okay now. Whatever happened in the past should just stay there. Don't let it come back to mess with you like this. I get really worried about you."
Those words sank in deep. Jericho rested his hands on Herald's shoulders and a silent sob escaped his mouth.
"Shh…it's okay. It's alright now. Everything'll be fine…"
Jericho wrapped his arms tightly around his neck. He grazed his lips against Herald's ear and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry.'
"Don't be," he answered softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Herald rubbed Jericho's back gently and pulled away to look at him. Jericho's eyes had closed and he had relaxed. Herald ran his hand down along the scar gently. Jericho shuddered slightly at the feeling and grabbed onto his wrist. He felt Herald's fingers run through his wavy hair and his lips pressing against his mouth. Jericho's eyes opened halfway at the touch but then slid closed as he wrapped his arms around Herald's neck again to deepen the kiss.
When they broke apart they looked at each other for a while. It felt like an hour when Herald finally stood slowly and pulled Jericho along with him. Herald's arm snaked across Jericho's shoulders as they returned to the bed. They lay down against the mattress and didn't bother with the blankets.
"You okay now Jer?" Herald asked.
The boy nodded in response. They stared at the black ceiling in a daze until a smirk popped onto Herald's face
"Weird how so much drama can pass by in a few minutes, huh Jer?"
They laughed quietly at the comment. Herald sighed in relief and exhaustion. He was getting good in playing the role of a caring boyfriend but it really could tire a person out. But hey—Jericho was worth every bit of it. He stifled a yawn and closed his eyes.
Jericho lifted a hand to stroke the handsome dark face once and scooted closer. He positioned himself right underneath Herald's chin and wrapped his arm around his waist. His eyes closed when Herald sleepily enveloped him in his arms. They slept soundly for the rest of the night. Not a stir, a sound, nor a nightmare to break their peace.
Author's Closing Remarks: WHOOT! SAPPY ENDING! There you have it, the very first dose of a Herald and Jericho pairing! I am fully prepared for any and all flaming. I even got my flame proof suit right here baby! But who am I kidding? Nobody's going to read this. Oh well. But for those who did and are reading this note and you liked this story—type a at the beginning of your comment. YAY!