I say that the song fits it, so try listening to it while reading it. It's Safe and SOund by Taylor Swift.
I remember tears streaming down your face, when I said "I'll never let you go." When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone."
Batman and Flash have been out for a few days on an important league mission, leaving you and me to stay at Mt. Justice for a few days. Miss Martian was visiting Mars; Aqualad was in Atlantis for the weekend; Superman was helping Superboy with his abilities somewhere in the desert, and Artemis was home sick.
I had just finished eating a snack when I heard someone crying. I discovered that you were in the darkest possible corner of your room sobbing your eyes out. Although I know that you spend most of your day hiding in the dark you usually have some habit that makes you shine, like your laugh. Today though, the dark was suffocating your light and uplifting spirit.
Today was the anniversary of the deaths of Mary and John Grayson.
You looked up at me and your ocean blue eyes met my emerald ones. You flung yourself at me, making us both tumble to the ground, but that didn't stop you from wrapping your thin arms around my waist and sobbing heavily into my shirt. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around you protectively while softly running my fingers through your ebony locks in an attempt to calm you down.
I hadn't noticed that you were mumbling nonsense until you finally uttered a coherent sentence. "Please don't let go," you begged. I tightened my grip on you as I softly reassured you. You look up our eyes once again meeting. You flawless porcelain skin looked a sickly pale color, your sapphire eyes red and puffy from crying, and fresh tears making their way down your cheeks. I wiped the tears off your face softly before you buried your face into my chest and tightened your own grip on my waist in the silent plea of "I don't want to be alone."
Again I ran my fingers through your hair comfortingly. We sat in silence until you voiced your plea, "Don't leave me here alone."
"I won't," I whispered back. I started to nuzzle my face into his hair as he got as near to me as humanly possible.
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight. Just close your eyes, the sun is going down you'll be alright no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.
I held onto you tightly as your sobs faded into hiccups, but when I tried to pull away, you started to panic. I tried to calm you but my efforts fell onto deaf ears, "He's out there! Zucco's out there! He, he's, going to want to finish the job and I," I slammed my hand over your mouth to stop you from going on.
"Everything's fine, you're fine, you're safe. I promise you, no one's going to get you, they'll have to go through me if they want to hurt you," I take a quick glance at the clock on your bedside table and notice that it was around sunset. Looking back at you I notice the dark bags under your eyes, indicating how truly physically and mentally exhausted you were. "Close your eyes, Dickie, get some sleep."
"But then they'll get you," you mumbled, sounded a lot like a frightened child, and for once I realized that that was exactly what you were; still a child, and very frightened. I smiled slightly at you.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. No monsters under the bed," I joked quietly before my voice took on a more serious tone, "No one is going to get me or you, and I can protect us both, I'm not completely useless."
"But," you start before I cut you off again.
"No 'buts'" I say sternly. "You're exhausted and you just keep wearing yourself out, just rest. I promise you that you and I will be perfectly fine when you wake up in the morning."
"Fine," you concede as you lay your head on my chest using me as your pillow. Although the gesture is small, the message it sends is not, 'I'm afraid and alone.'
I wrap my arms around the small boy in my arms as if to reply, 'I'm here, you're not alone, and I will protect you.'
Don't you dare look out your window, darling. Everything's on fire, the war outside our door keeps raging on.
Even though we were in a sort of safe and protected bubble at the moment, I knew that it wouldn't last forever. There will always be evil, I learned that much. We risk our lives to put an end to as much wrong doing in the world but someone or something bad will always be there. Regardless of how many times we put someone in jail or how often we defeat a villain.
As heroes we try to make peace in the world but the chaos throws off the balance and everything ends in turmoil. It's always one problem after another sometimes on or off the Earth. No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we put at stake for the greater good, there's always something else.
"It'll never end, will it?" I look down at Robin as he spoke. Sadness was in his eyes and exhaustion was written all over his face. Those two things were things that no thirteen year old boy should have. Life never does work the way it should though. That fact is only proven more as I looked into your puffy eyes and saw all the pain that you've hidden behind your sunglasses.
"No, it won't." I reply solemnly.
"There's always going to be another battle, another fight, and another war," he whispered back looking down, "Another death."
"Until that death is ours," I whispered back, "and I'm not going to stop until my body gives up on me."
"Agreed."
Simultaneously we both looked toward the door, knowing that on the other side of it, the world wasn't as safe as our little bubble.
Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music's gone.
I looked back at you but you refused to look back at me, you just kept staring at the door, as if waiting for the fight to burst through the door and end us. I could feel your muscles tense slightly. I start humming a song that Aunt Iris used to sing to me when I would get like this a few years ago when I first became Kid Flash. You turn your head to look at me, confusion and bewilderment written all over your face.
"What are you doing?" You whisper.
"Singing you a lullaby," I reply, "Whenever I got like this when I became Kid Flash, it wasn't a pretty picture. Aunt Iris would always sing this to me and it would always make me feel better, she doesn't sing it to me anymore, but it does still make me feel better. I was hoping it would make you feel better too." I continued singing it to you softly; although my voice isn't as Aunt Iris I thought I was doing a pretty good job.
"Thanks Wally."
I smiled knowing that the song was making you feel better. Your muscles relax and you started to put some of your weight on me.
"It's not a problem Dick," I reassured. I noticed then that the corners of your mouth were just slightly leaning up, meaning that you really were feeling better. The tears were gone, your face was regaining some color, and although your eyes were still puffy and red, they were no longer dead like when I first saw you.
Once more you tightened your grip on me. I continued singing softly until I could see you almost ready to fall asleep.
Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright; no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound. Ooh La la. Ooh La la. Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright; no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound. Ooh.
"Sleep," I instruct softly. I see your eyes close and feel your muscles relax slightly. I run my fingers through your hair as you drift off.
"Thanks Wally," I hear you mumble softly before you pass out from exhaustion both physically and mentally. I smile slightly and hum the lullaby to you again as I feel myself become tired as well.
"No problem," I place a small kiss on the top of your head before I too succumb to sleep.
Something I felt like writing the other day when it popped into my mind while i was listening to it :3 hope you all enjoyed!