Warning, Rated M for: Murder, mentions of rape, swearing, possible pedophilia, the harm and possible death of main characters, slash and fem/slash.
"What a beautiful sight. Here you lay before me, dying, and I stand before you, the only being in the world capable of saving your life. Although if you ask me whatever it is you've been doing until now could not have possibly been considered living. I have been here for a time, with my brothers, and I have seen you. You run around town behind your dear mother, balancing a brother and sister on each hip, eyes drinking in the beauty of your prison. You appreciate the beauty of this city like no other, I see that. I wonder if you've ever seen the outside of these great walls. Have you ever wanted to? I bet you have. I'd wager you'd like nothing better than to escape this world. To live freely, travelling and discovering the beauty of the night: to drown in a world of love and art and magic. Is that what you'd like? I can give it to you. Save your soul, rescue you from this imprisoned life. All you need to do is ask this of me, and I will allow you to walk by my side as a goddess. I shall grant you the life you have always desired. Is this what you want? Oh, silly me, here I've been prattling on and there you lay half dead already. You probably can't even speak, can you? No I suppose not. Well I see you blinking and your fingers twitching. If you wish not to die, simply nod your head once. That is all the assurance I shall need. Go on. Just once."
She nodded once. It was painful and for a second. While she lay in a pool of her own blood and sweat, and other bodily fluids, she wondered if he saw the motion at all. The feeling of a figure sweeping down beside her told her otherwise.
"Do not worry, my child," he cooed into her ear. "It will only hurt for a short while longer. Afterward you need not feel pain ever again. Just close your eyes and I shall save you."
His lips pressed against her neck in a smile. His hands gently caressed her hair. He uttered calming words. She obeyed. She closed her eyes.
Not much long after, all life left her body.
Blood trailed out of the alley and into the sewer. A foul thought appeared in the Boy Wonder's head, but all the same he pushed it back with the bile and tapped his communicator.
"Robin to Batman, I found the trail."
"Good work. I'll be there shortly."
Robin said nothing more and vanished into the shadows. He and Batman were in pursuit of an unknown criminal who had been killing his victims by slashing their throats and hanging them upside down by the feet in order to drain their blood. The only problem was that there were no traces of blood in the alleys where their bodies were found still hanging the next day.
Tonight there was a call to the Gotham City Police Department about a scream somewhere near Crime Alley. They'd come to investigate and decided it would benefit their cause if they split up. Luckily Robin's route passed by the only clinic in Park Row and he stopped by through the back in order to talk to the head doctor, Leslie Thompkins.
She confirmed hearing a man yell for help but as the only doctor in Crime Alley she couldn't leave with a room full of patients. If she left even for a second her office would become a war zone. Robin understood completely and followed her direction to this spot, where he now awaited his partner's arrival.
Everything about this disappearance was off. The body was nowhere in sight, blood was splattered everywhere, and this time there was a scream. There was never a report of a scream before, so why this time? Did the murderer mess up? Did someone see him? Were there now two victims? Would they ever be able to catch him?
Robin shook his head. Of course they'd catch him, they were Batman and Robin, The Dynamic Duo, the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder. No one escaped Gotham's two best detectives… Aside from Catwoman.
He was still anxious after the events that had transpired on New Year's Eve. Not to mention that confusing kiss he received from Zatana. Robin swiped his bottom lip with his thumb and sighed in aggravation. Uncertainty overwhelmed him.
A few drunkards were approaching the alley, prompting the bird to move farther back into the alley. A crunch beneath his boot warned him that he'd stepped on something. Once the three loud men passed by he reached down for the object. Batman chose this moment to drop down beside him.
"Is this-"
"A tooth," Batman confirmed, taking it gingerly between his thumb and index finger. It was indeed a large white incisor, slightly curved and a little over two inches.
"There's blood on it," Robin noticed aloud. "What kind of creature do you think that belongs to?"
The older vigilante regarded his protégé for a moment before slipping the tooth into an evidence bag he fished from his utility belt. "It's a crocodile tooth. Sewer King was here."
"Or at least his crocs were. Do you really think Sewer King's been killing all these people? He's not that smart."
"No, he's not. But we're out of options."
"So," the Boy Wonder trailed off as Batman swept away toward the bloody, slightly opened manhole cover. "Yeah I thought so."
Robin winced at the scent and sound of sewer water. Batman jumped in first and an audible splash met his ears. After shivering once and taking a deep breath Robin bounded into the dark cavity.
Batman had already turned on two flashlights and handed one to his partner. They tread through the water carefully, going against the current. The Sewer King had only been dealt with once before and hadn't made a peep on the surface of Gotham since. So why then, had he resurfaced now?
They'd followed the tall tale signs of violence until they heard a low growling and voices echoing off the walls.
"Please don't! I swear I'll let them all go!"
"Sewer King," both heroes muttered before running through the tunnels as quickly as possible.
"I will not allow you to continue your loathsome actions," a different voice proudly announced. "From today onward these children shall remain with us."
"And there's nothing you can do about it, you piece of shit!" a second unknown man snarled viciously.
"I shall escort these children home. Please take care of this vermin, Steren," the first voice-the calm voice-ordered.
"Heh, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," the gravelly voiced man sneered.
A sound like the sweeping of their capes echoed through the tunnels. Something dark blocked the dim light of the tunnel just ahead, halting the two heroes. They didn't know what to do, have no information about the criminals they were charging in to apprehend. They hadn't thought up a plan beforehand and now they were face to face with what could be some sort of poisonous gas.
The cloud of darkness swirled at the end of the tunnel, staying in one concentrated area, as if it were alive-watching them.
For a moment, Robin thought he saw eyes within the mysterious fog-Crimson eyes that bore into his own, reaching into his mind and violating his soul. He felt cold, frozen-his heart, his body. His breath slowed, his heart paused. Everything around him stilled: Batman, the sailed liquid at his feet. The only thing left moving was the shade. It shifted and swirled in place, hypnotizing the bird into a stupor.
It whispered into his mind. It whispered cruel things, kind things, truths and promises for the future. Whispered to him about his heart and his parents-it shouldn't know about the Graysons. Robin-Richard- should have been terrified, he was. But something, maybe someone, pushed the fear to the back of his mind.
While the world was stopped, while time froze and fears lay forgotten, Richard Grayson stepped forward, and slowly approached the lifelike phenomenon. He felt possessed. He wasn't himself. Robin would never approach a potential threat so lifelessly. It was out of his control. He was powerless to help himself and all he could do was stare as the fog shifted into the silhouette of a man much larger than himself.
He was a handsome man. Had angelic features-blond hair, pale skin, a warm smile. The only odd feature was his eyes. Their radiance lit Dick's vision ablaze. Red was all he could see: red eyes that sparked something in his heart.
'Give me your all' he whispered. His smile welcomed the young hero, arms open and waiting. He had no idea what that meant but Dick would have given him everything he could.
In the midst of the trance no one had noticed the gun pointed at the blond man, or the pleads of a dying man just a bit farther ahead.
Then time resumed.
The sound of a pistol reverberated through the narrow passage. It was deafening to the only two humans, Batman and Robin. The bullet was quick, soaring pass and snapping the young teen out of his intoxicated state. It wasn't quick enough though. The blond morphed back into his previous form and let out a dark chuckle.
"Until we meet again, Richard Grayson." And he vanished.
"Robin!" the roar came from Batman. The Dark Knight raced to his partner-his son-and fell to his knees, hands searching his body for any injury. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"
"I-I," he began but nothing cohesive came to mind.
The shooter walked toward them, silent aside from the soft sounds the water made from each step. Batman reeled on the individual, one hand armed with three batarangs and the other with a taser. Robin turned his head, still groggy to face the man who had supposedly just saved him. He was not a man at all but a boy. No older than Wally and Artemis in fact. His dark eyes told another story.
In the darkness his features couldn't be made out very well aside from the flaming red hair he sported and the grim frown he wore.
"He'll be like that for a while, Dark Knight," a voice with a hint of an accent informed the armed man. It wasn't the boy before them, but a female, who approached the trio and stood beside the young male. She too held a gun and a grimace, but her eyes scanned the Bat's protégé.
"Who are you?" Batman demanded dangerously.
"Just because we saved you does not mean we have to answer you," she replied, voice soft but equally dangerous. "Just know we are not here to harm either of you. We are only after the man-the monster-you saw."
"M-monster?" Robin finally choked out.
Her eyes, the same crimson shade as the man before, turned back to him. His eyes met her but the dread that he felt from the other eyes did not make its way into his heart this time. He wondered for a moment if that was good or bad. She smiled at him, concern evident in the slight hitch in her brow.
"We should go," her companion whispered roughly.
"You're right. This isn't the time," she agreed with a nod. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a small business card. With a hint of a smirk on her pink lips she flicked it toward Robin, who caught it. "If you're ever troubled by those who go bump in the night again, do not hesitate to call on me, young hero. I'm afraid you may just require my assistance after being marked by Nero."
"Nero?"
"Another time perhaps, Robin," she said with finality.
Her partner snorted and made a gesture too quickly with his hand. She nodded and retreated out of the tunnel, back the way she had come, while the boy fell to all fours and roared deeply. The liquid between them lurched up like a wall. Batman used his cape to shield Robin along with himself. When the water calmed Robin peeked down the tunnel and found the strange boy had disappeared.
He looked at the card for her information, but all that was written on it was Sage in beautiful golden ink.
Robin's eyes wandered back to the young woman who stood at the end of the tunnel. Light from the surface revealed her full form to him finally. Possibly seventeen, with auburn hair flying loosely behind her she turned to travel through the tunnel on her left. Her skin was milky white made even paler by the dark red and black she wore. Her eyes, focused back on him for a moment, were no longer red, but a sweet gold, like honey. Something happened when their eyes met.
Robin grew tired and both his mind and vision went black.
Sleep the woman's voice whispered to him, much like the monster who had called to him. And he did.
A piece of artwork I found on tumblr of Robin as a Vampire formed this idea in my mind. I'm going to stick to the DC universe of the supernatural creatures I use as much as possible just for fun.