Let me go, I don't want to be your hero
I don't want to be a big man
Just want to fight with everyone else
Your masquerade
I don't want to be a part of your parade.
- Hero, Family of the year
J'onn J'onzz came to Wayne manor to find it in disarray, and a small dark haired child in the centre of it, resting in the arms of Bruce Wayne himself, Alfred himself led him to the man who was rocking said child in his arms.
"J'onn glad you could come." Bruce greets him, hardly looking up and clutching the child in his arms tightly, eye's furrowed in concern as the boy slept
"This is Jason?" J'onn asked dropping his human attributes and using his green skin as he let a telepathic wave out and connected with the child's mind, latching onto it and feeling the turmoil the tiny creature was in
"Indeed, though we do not know how Jason he truly is." A voice said from behind J'onn who looked to see Richard, he smiled calmly and shook hands with the young man who came forward to greet him
"Then allow me to find out."
Jason's mind is a battlefield and J'onn pulls out quickly, curious as to how defended the child's mind is
"I cannot get into his mind, he has blocked me out. Perhaps your presence will help soothe him." J'onn says softly and Bruce sighs and nods and J'onn smiles softly.
And Bruce takes the plunge.
2 weeks, 6 days ago
Jason cradled his coffee, curled up on the battered old sofa in their 'living room' a term which had confused Kori' to no end once upon a time (surely you live in all rooms? Is there more living in this room than most?)
"Okay Jay-Bird?" Roy mocked as his slightly hungover friend looked over at him, crumpled baggy clothes making him look his age for once
"I will end you." Jason growled and Kori' laughs as she walks into the room
"I see the Princess is awake." Kori' says calmly and Jason snorts at the irony then sips at his coffee
"Aaw no fair, how come I get a threat and you let her tease you!" Roy whines and Jason laughs
"She can beat me up. I genuinely can end you." Jason says calmly, eye's sparkling and he and Kori' laugh as Roy splutters in indignation
"Wha-I- you little brat!" Roy huffs and Jason smirks before it drops and his eye's darken, his entire demeanour changing as he remembers what last night was for
"Did you find out who we're supposed to be going after?" Jason asks and the room goes quiet
"We're hearing whispers, or rather whimpers. It looks like some old friends are getting restless in Arkham and are reaching out." Roy says and Jason scowls
"If its Joker I'm not getting fucking involved- last thing we need right now is Bats watching our arses." Jason drawls and Roy sighs
"Not directly, all we know right now is Klarion is involved and we all know how much trouble he can cause."
An agent of Chaos and a Creature of Chaos magic, Jason sighed and rubbed at his head
"Someone pour me a drink." Jason murmurs and Kori' snorts
"I doubt it would help much, do you know what to do?" She asks, hand on hip and Jason yawns and rolls his shoulders back and lies his head back exhausted
"No, Dick always dealt with him, he never turned up under my watch." Jason says calmly and Roy snorts
"Then do we ask for help?" Roy asks and Jason shakes his head
"Not yet . Last thing we need is a bat brat getting in the way." Jason says calmly and Roy snorts
"You worried Big bro' will go all overprotective?" Roy asks and Jason scowled as Roy and Kori' laughed
"Fuck off Harper."
Now
Bruce finds himself in darkness, surrounded by ghost like figures, watching him from the shadows as they run around giggling (A/N They're in Jason's mind now)
"Daddy's here, Daddy's here!" They call in echoes and Bruce turns around seeing a door in sight
"I don't understand." Bruce growls and J'onn sighs sadly
"It is not uncommon for abused children to set up a place to hide within their minds, Jason appears to be better then most at this." J'onn says calmly and Bruce smiles sadly
"So through the door?" He asks calmly and J'onn nods
"Be warned though Bruce. Through the doors will be memories that will upset you." J'onn says calmly and Bruce sighs but nods and heads towards the door.
(A/N- most of what's next, if not all, will be memories and will all start with an italic sentence, centred, Jason's subconscious thoughts will be in bold and the rest will be in normal writing)
"It hurts please, no more, no more!"
Bruce recognises Jason's voice instantly and all of a sudden he finds himself in a dingy apartment, the smell of alcohol heavy in the air so much so that this small grotty apartment smells more like an English pub, stale but bleached as if someone had tried to scrub away the scent of drunken men and women.
He growls as he looks down and sees his Jason, crying desperately as he is laid on the floor in a foetal position, a man kicking and beating the young boy who is screaming pained, eye's that are neither blue or green but yet both flashing between a sapphire blue and a dark emerald green as bruises of yellow and purple and red litter his body, blood soaking pale skin
"How dare you!" The man screams at the little boy who is whimpering, his thin body shaking as he sobs
"Please Father! Please, I was just hungry!" Jason sobs into the foul floor, fingers desperately gripping, but finding no purchase on the floor
"Stealing from me will you little brat. You are lucky I don't kill you!"
"Please, someone kill me, please, please, please"
Bruce jumps in shock as he hears Jason's voice right next to him and J'onn places a hand on his shoulder
"It is Jason's subconscious thoughts, they will be littered around and most likely not pleasant. But perhaps they will help you understand." J'onn says gently and Bruce nods and tries to block out the image of the boy on the floor, screaming and sobbing for someone to save him
"Anyone, please, anyone."
And then the memory ends replaced by a music which calls from the next door. Bruce hesitates but there is something about the warmth radiating from the room which draws him in
"No one there is melancholy, it's an isle of happiness.
Don't you keep your dreamboat waiting, hope you have a pleasant stay"
Frank Sinatra. Bruce's mother favoured this song and apparently so did the young woman by the bed, looking down at a beaten and broken boy who is smiling sadly up at the woman, who has tears streaming down her cheeks as she strokes his cheek gently with one hand, her other hand stroking Jason's hand in her own
"I wish I was stronger." She whispers and Bruce watches as Jason laughs coldly, his eye's jaded and distant
"So do I." He whispers
"I wish I could kill him, for all that he's done to me."
"He loves you- you know, under all of that. He does love you. As do I." The woman, who Bruce supposes is Jason's mother says softly and brings her child's hand to her lips and kisses the knuckles gently
"This isn't love Mama', love isn't supposed to hurt so much."
"I don't think I believe in love." Jason whispers and his mother moves and sits so she is on the side of the bed, she leans down and hugs Jason tightly
"If I could I'd prove to you that there Is such a thing, but know that even if you don't believe me, I love you." She whispered
Bruce stared at the scene sadly, it certainly explained Jason's attitude, unfortunately the scene was drawing to a close and a door was appearing in the distance.
Not noticing the eye's in the darkness watching him.
-HK-
I owe you all like the biggest apology, this was meant to be longer but I wanted to get it out. My laptop charger broke grr and it cost about 50 to get a new one (I'm a student!). I know it's not much but I thought I'd rather post this then leave you hanging for a while.
I want to thank you all for your Faves, Follows and Reviews. You honestly light up my day.
HK