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Title: Batman

Author: Snoopy

Rating: PG-13

Warning: Angst, Slash

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just an old shoe. That's it, a smelly, possibly mouldy shoe. Sue if ya want it, but otherwise…don't? Please? Pirdy please, with a cherry on top?

Plot Notes: Set Sumtime

Archive: If u wanna, but could u let me know???

Feedback: Flames, cherry bombs, whatever. All is welcome. ;)

Authors Notes: This is a story about people. It has words

"…" = Speech

'…' = Thoughts

Batman?

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Dank walls surrounded Ororo Munroe as she looked up from the torn, bloodied paper. Her hand shook as it clutched the precious scrap, and taught muscles resulted in white knuckles. A single tear rolled down her cheek to pool at the corner of her full lips. "I'm sorry…"
"He deserved better" Kitty's eyes were downcast. Unlike Ororo, Her features were streaked with tear-tracks, as if thousands of tiny rivers had carved glistening paths down her pale cheeks.
"Yes, he did" The deadened voice came from Todd. He was crouched below Freddie's mass, tracing designs on the worn rug with a long, slender finger. Lance sat beside Freddie, eyes vacant, mouth slack. The boys hair was mussed, his clothes loose and stained.
"He should have a proper funeral, Lance" Kitty's voice shook.
"They'll take him away, He'll be alone."
"Lance…"
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!"
Some one sighed. "How did it happen?" Todd couldn't tell who the voice belonged to, it didn't really matter anyway. Nothing really mattered anymore, nothing seemed real anymore.
"He was sad." The statement, seemingly innocent, brought on another barrage of questions.
"Why?" 'Pryde - always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong.'
"Me." That was Lance. Todd hadn't heard him talk much lately, not since it happened. Not since the note. 'I guess it was the blood', Todd reasoned mentally. 'He couldn't stop it.'
"What do you mean, Alvers." Scott Summers - arrogant bastard.
"He didn't know."
"Know what?" Lance met Summers shaded gaze for the first time. His eyes swam with unshed tears.
"I understand…"

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To Whom It May Concern.
Have you ever been so completely and utterly alone that even an ant seems like good company? That such a small thing could bring so much comfort amazes me, thrills me, because if all we need is an ant, then what the fuck are we doing running around with humans all the time? True, I'm not human - officially anyway - but it seems that all you or I or the jocks down the road ever do is to be around humans. We think we're better than the ants…

We're wrong.

I had an ant once. I was five. I had one ant and its whole family came to live with me. All for one, and one for all. That's what the Musketeers say, isn't it? All for one. All the ants came, just for my one, my Petunia.

There are a lot of things in life we can't explain. Someone once told me that the foolish believe they know everything, while the wise realise how little they truly know. Something like that, anyway.

I've been told by a lot of people that I could be brilliant, if I just APPLIED myself… yeah, right. I'm a freak, plain and simple. Yeah sure, I'm a mutant, but who really cares about that? What makes me freak is so much worse…

I walked in on him one day. He was dressed as a superhero, and that was when I knew. And right then, I didn't mind so much - I minded five seconds later, of course, when I took off down the hall, but in that one moment, it felt right. It felt real...

Real. Nothing's real anymore - not you, not me. Wait. Pain is real, pain and suffering. I forgot about them. Not sure why - they're a pretty big part of my life now. It won't go away. It bores into me, envelopes me. It's all I can see. You know what's worse? There's only one reason why I feel like this.

Him.

He doesn't love me, like I love him. That's OK, he won't have to worry about it now, not after tonight. I guess I just wish he understood, I wish he knew how much I care. Cared. I don't care anymore - I don't feel anymore. I'm just cold.

Todd's a good kid, really. No tact, but he means right. Tell him I love him like a brother, Freddy too. It's funny, for all the people in the world the ones I love the most are the ones that have done this to me. But most of all, tell him, my one and only hero, my Batman…

I love you
Goodbye.

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The End.