Chapter 25

A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back! Glad to see y'all're still enjoying the story so far! Glad to see all the reviews! Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I'm convinced my Master's program is trying to kill me. So yeah, updates are gonna be a bit sporadic right now. Remember, I don't own YJ or FNAF, just the story.

/comms/

Telepathy

Gotham City, October 22, 20:33EDT

There had been two hidden cameras in Michael's room.

The first one they had found had been hiding in the Fredbear plush sitting on his bed. The second had been in the plush Bonnie that his father had given him when he'd been seven.

The cameras were old, meaning that they hadn't been installed recently. But that didn't make it any less terrifying. The fact that they were old mean that they'd been inside those toys for years. His father had been spying on him and his siblings using the very toys that brought them comfort.

He supposed he shouldn't have been shocked. His father had set up other cameras throughout his old house after all. But this…

He felt violated. This had been the one place he felt free from his father. The one place where he wasn't associated with the man or feared people learning everything that had happened behind closed doors. And now…

Now he didn't feel safe in his own room anymore.

It felt like William was taunting him. Like he was saying that no matter where he went, he wouldn't be able to escape him.

Rubbing his arms as a shiver ran down his spine, he tossed a glance in the direction of his room. He couldn't hear anymore sounds of Batman searching through his room, double checking to make sure neither of them had missed anything.

He doubted they had; Robin's scanner had seemed pretty thorough.

And something in his gut told him that there weren't anymore.

Mike wasn't sure why, but after they had removed both cameras from the room, he suddenly felt the dull unease he always felt prickling the hairs on the back of his neck leave. He hadn't even known it had been there until it was gone. It was just something he was used to living with. Sure, it had lessened since he'd moved in with Henry, but it still had been there. Hell, he still sometimes woke up from a dead sleep in the middle of the night because it felt like something was watching him.

But it was something he chalked up to nightmares or paranoia due to his history.

Though at this point the universe seemed to love proving him wrong.

Across from him, Robin paced back and forth, looking towards the door frequently. No doubt he was just as irked as he had been when Henry had herded them to the living room, insisting they let the adults handle this. Both of them had argued, but neither had succeeded.

Still, he didn't doubt that the Dark Knight was going to chew them out for going behind his back. They could throw it back at him and ask their questions when that time came. Lord knew Mike had quite a few choice words for the shady Justice Leaguer. Especially after he tried to find a loophole that would keep him off the investigation again.

Mike would make sure to remind Batman that he was more than willing to go behind the League's back to find his bastard of a sperm donor if they kept trying stupid shit like this. And no doubt Robin would be all too happy to help.

The sooner the Dark Knight got it through his thick skull that he wasn't going to be deterred, the better. Ultimately, they were on the same team, and they wanted the same goal. It would be more beneficial to work together than to keep playing tug-o-war with his father's breadcrumbs. The man already had too far of a lead, there was no telling about how long they had before he extended the gap further by changing tactics again.

Of course, they wouldn't be able to fix this whole fiasco until Batman was done in his room. Which would probably be when he found the entrance to Narnia; because he didn't know what else he was looking for in there.

-.-

Henry paced outside the door to Michael's room, tossing glances at the tall shadowy form lurking inside. He was doing his best to be patient, but it was hard.

That man had been in Mike's room. He had put fucking cameras in Michael's bedroom. William had gotten past his security system without even tripping a single goddamn sensor.

Gritting his teeth, Henry ran a hand through his hair. This place was supposed to be safe. It was supposed to be somewhere where both of his boys felt safe in such a rough city. And, instead, Michael's privacy and safety had been violated by one of the very monsters he was trying to protect him from. Clearly there had been something he had overlooked, something that had allowed that bastard to waltz right in like he owned the place.

He would have to reevaluate the entire system.

Henry wanted to punch a hole through the nearest wall out of frustration.

But he held himself back for the sake of the teen downstairs. It was his responsibility to keep his godson safe, and he had clearly failed to do that given the current situation. He wasn't about to make it worse by accidentally forcing Mike to relive bad memories.

Still, that didn't mean it wasn't difficult to keep himself from throttling someone in an attempt to get answers.

"Mr. Emily," Efrem spoke, making his presence known, "I have looked through the security footage. On first glance, nothing appeared to be abnormal. However, I have seen a few discrepancies that might suggest interference and merit further investigation." He held up a flash drive, "I have made copies for Mr. Batman to investigate. Perhaps he may notice something that I missed."

Henry certainly hoped so, but he still intended to inspect the footage himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust Batman—though he would admit that the hero's methods were more than a little questionable at times—but he needed to see what happened. Hopefully that would help him see how Will got past his security.

At least this way he would feel like he was being useful.

So far, he hadn't felt like he'd contributed much to helping catch his ex-friend. He and Will had once been best friends—maybe even something more at one time or another—if there was anyone that should have been able to give more insights as to what the man was up to, it should've been him. Yet, it seemed like every bit of information he offered seemed to lead nowhere.

Probably because he didn't know his childhood best friend as well as he thought he had. All he really had known was the mask that had everyone fooled.

"Mr. Emily?"

Jerking out of his thoughts, Henry looked to meet Efrem's gaze.

The butler raised a brow, "Is everything alright, sir?"

"Yes, just lost in thought," he replied. "How are the boys?"

"Neither are happy that they've been confined to the living room."

He didn't doubt that. Both Mike and Robin had been arguing with him and Batman as they herded the boys out of the way. But it was for their own good. At least until Batman finished his investigation of the cameras and footage.

Movement came from the bedroom, prompting both men to look towards the Dark Knight as he stepped through the doorway, holding the cameras in evidence bags. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing else besides the two cameras the boys found," Batman answered, taking the offered flashdrive from Efrem. "The cameras seem old, so I don't think they were installed recently, but I won't know for certain until I get to inspect them more thoroughly."

Despite the severity of the situation, Henry couldn't help but sigh in relief. If the cameras hadn't been installed recently, that meant that they might've already been there when Mike moved in. Make no mistake, it was still a terrible situation, but it also meant that that man hadn't recently broken into the house.

Though that didn't mean he wasn't going to reevaluate the security system and find a way to scan every inch of the house for any unauthorized cameras.

Following the Dark Knight down the stairs, they made their way towards the living room where the two teens were waiting for them. Neither boy appeared to give any outward reaction to their appearance, but Henry would bet that they likely had a few choice words and questions.

Michael was already starting to drum his fingers against the armrest as he leaned back in his seat, a calculating look in his eye that reminded him of Will. No doubt the boy was already coming up with several arguments to throw back at them depending on their answers.

"All the surveillance devices have been removed," Batman spoke curtly, breaking the silence, "Hopefully we should be able to track the signal to find William's location."

Mike raised a brow, "You know, we would've known about the cameras sooner if you told me about what you found."

"The information was shared."

"Bullshit!" Rising from his seat, Mike crossed the room to glare up at the Dark Knight. "If you really shared it, we wouldn't have had to hack into the file to see what you found. So you can't be mad at us when this debacle is of your own making."

"Michael," Henry admonished gently.

"I'm not wrong, though," he argued. "It's this kind of paranoid shit my father's counting on."

The Batman didn't respond, his jaw clenched as he returned Michael's glare. Though it didn't seem to deter the teen; despite the fact he did not look very intimidating in his pajamas.

Henry sighed, stepping between the pair. "That's enough," he interrupted. "Listen, I know we're all frustrated about the situation, but fighting won't get us anywhere." He gave both the teens and the Batman a scolding look—a feat Henry was more than shocked to have achieved. "So let's take a step back, calm down, and then we'll regroup tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Fine," Mike muttered, stepping back and crossing his arms.

Giving the Batman a final nod, Henry turned his attention away from the Dynamic Duo as Efrem no doubt led them out. His gaze landed on Mike, watching as the teen glared after the Bat. However, instead of scolding the boy about his attitude, Henry paused as he saw Mike's knuckles turning white from how hard he was digging his nails into his arms, his jaw occasionally shifting as if he was chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Sighing, Henry took a moment to calm himself. Of course, Michael was snappy and on edge. Anyone would be if they learned they'd been spied on when they'd been at their most vulnerable. It was a huge violation of privacy.

Frankly, he wouldn't blame Mike if he wanted to switch rooms.

Actually, he'd be more shocked if Michael didn't want to switch rooms after this.

"Mikey?" he spoke up, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You doing ok?"

Henry could feel Mike shaking. Whether it was from fear, rage, or even a mix of both, he wasn't sure. Either way, his boy was in pain. And it was all his fault.

The teen didn't answer. Not that Henry blamed him. But that didn't stop the man's stomach from sinking. Especially after he noticed the bright red droplets welling from under where his nails were digging into his arms.

He didn't know what to do. Mike was suffering and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to go hunt down William and beat him within an inch of his life for everything he had done. But, unfortunately, that wouldn't help the situation at the present moment. Taking another breath to reign in his anger, he took a step closer, gently setting his other hand against the boy's fingers, trying to loosen the grip without startling him. "Mikey, son, please, you're hurting yourself."

To his relief, those brilliant blue-violets flickered towards him, realization slowly dawning on him as he looked down at his arm. Uncrossing his arms, Mike looked to his arm, staring in shock at the small cuts that began to stitch themselves shut before their eyes. "…Sorry."

"Oh, kiddo," he whispered sadly. Mike had nothing to apologize for. Especially not for something like this.

Michael didn't resist as Henry pulled him in for a hug, the teen's head resting on his chest as Henry ran his hand through his tangled hair.

Kissing the crown of his boy's head, Henry hugged the teen tighter. "You have nothing to be sorry for son. I should be the one apologizing."

In his arms, Mike stiffened and the boy pulled back, looking up in shock.

Before he could protest, Henry gave him a gentle but pointed look as he cupped his cheek. "Don't give me that look. It's my job to keep you safe. You should've been completely safe here, and I failed to do that. Can you forgive me?"

He could tell Mike was biting back an argument that said he didn't blame Henry for what happened, but he seemed to hold his tongue and simply nodded before he pressed back into the hug.

"If you want, we can move your stuff to a new room this weekend? Would that help?" he offered. "It's a bit late tonight, so if you want to sleep in one of the guest rooms—"

"Can…can I stay with you tonight?" a quiet voice asked hesitantly, "I…I don't want to be alone."

Henry could see the teen's ears turning a dark shade of violet in embarrassment. Undoubtedly his godson was internally beating himself up about asking for something so childish.

It made his heart sink. Henry knew Mike was typically rather reluctant to seek comfort. Mostly because of all the bullshit Will had done. Hell, Henry knew the kid had a seriously bad day if he got more than two hugs from him. And that was even with Michael slowly becoming more comfortable with seeking affection.

So, for him to be this clingy meant that the whole situation had rattled him more than he was letting on.

He'd have to call Ms. Canary and let her know of the new development.

"Yeah," he spoke up, running his fingers through tangled hair, "of course you can stay kiddo."

Without another word, Henry scooped up the teen up, much like how he used to carry Mike when he'd been little. Hopefully, both of them would be able to get some sleep tonight.

-.-

Metropolis, 23:12EDT

The cabin was relatively quiet as the jet rolled onto the runaway, pale fingers drumming against an armrest as violet eyes glared out the window. William was vaguely aware of the sound of Luthor typing in the next row, but he paid it little mind.

No, he was more focused on the fact that Michael had discovered his cameras. Well, his primary cameras. He still had other ways to keep an eye on his son, but they were far more convoluted than what he typically preferred. After all, Michael was now his only child. What kind of father would he be if he at least didn't make sure his son was behaving himself?

Not that it ever stopped the obstinate boy before.

If anything, William would bet his son's recent playdates with the League's brats was making his behavior worse than ever.

Still, it was frustrating. His son and the Dark Knight had been systematically dismantling his surveillance system, meaning that tracking the ongoing investigation was going to be much harder than it had been when he'd been watching his son. It was certainly helpful with how much time his boy had been investigating the case.

Though, it didn't hurt that it also allowed him to monitor the side effects of potential remnant withdrawal. Sure, Michael's current…condition significantly skewed his results, but data was data. It would be of use to him one way or another. Besides, he could always collect more pertinent information using other subjects. There was no limit in people that wouldn't be missed.

However, given the investigation's recent escalation, he would have to lay low for a while. The League was getting far too close for comfort. Hopefully a few weeks of radio silence would convince the Bat that his cameras were a dead end.

And he doubted Lex would mind. Even if there wasn't the other project he was brought in for, the man was already more than interested in his work. He would bet Lex would happily provide him with lab rats to play with in the meantime.

-.-

Gotham City, October 23, 08:30EDT

"Geeze, you look like shit."

Mike didn't doubt it. Even with the energy drink and coffee he chugged down that morning, he could still feel his eyes crossing with the effort it took to stay awake. Flopping down into his seat, he set his head down on the desk, hoping to catch a few more second of sleep. As expected, he slept like shit last night.

And, because of his inability to go to fucking bed, Henry had been forced to stay up and deal with his clingy ass. He felt terrible about it, he remembered the man saying earlier that week that he had some meeting with Wayne Enterprises today and now he was going to be exhausted for it. All because Michael had been too pathetic to grow up and sleep in his own bed.

Honestly, he didn't know why his uncle put up with him. All he ever seemed to give the man was nothing but trouble. Henry's life hadn't been nearly this difficult before Mike waltzed in a fucked everything up like he always did. He bet his uncle would be much happier without him in his life.

He bet everyone would be much happier if he just disappeared.

"Mike? Are you ok?"

Lifting his head, he met Artemis's and Bette's concerned gazes. The two blondes had their brows furrowed, occasionally giving the other a concerned glance. With an unhappy groan, he set his head back in his arms. Great, now he was worrying his friends too. They shouldn't have to worry about him. He was supposed to be strong enough to handle his own problems like an adult. Not be a burden to everyone around him. "I'm fine."

"Dude," Artemis muttered, "you look like you're gonna collapse."

"I just need to get another shot of caffeine," he muttered, running a hand down his face. "Think the vending machines are open yet?"

"Mike, I saw you practically inhale an energy drink not even ten minutes ago," Bette remarked. "I don't think that much caffeine is healthy."

"I've lived through worse."

"All the more reason you should be more concerned about your health," she replied. "I don't think you want to be in the hospital twice in one year."

He doubted his powers would let that happen, but Bette didn't know that.

"You know, if you go to the office, I think they'll let you go home," the blonde continued.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. He didn't get good grades by skipping class. He'd gone to school with a stomach bug before that made him want to puke his guts out every ten minutes. He could handle being tired.