This chapter contains:
Spoilers: General Season 1 and 2
Random Lyrics from: Alive (N' Out of Control) by Papa Roach
Pairings: Scenes of Spitfire, scenes of Chalant, DaddyFlash, DaddyBats and DaddyGreenArrow
Important Extra Notes: Now, no one hate me for this chapter. A lot of things go down and we learn about what Aeron did to Dick and Wally, along with some other things. I'm sorry for the slightly delayed update but that is because I just had surgery on Tuesday so I'm still recovering from that but to make up for it this chapter is close to 12,300 words since I don't know when the next chapter will be posted. I promise I will still try to do every week and/or two week updates. I struggled a lot with this chapter because of all of the raw emotion in here and the whole being of Ace (who you will meet when you read) but this seems to be the best way of putting everything so hopefully you all enjoy! Thanks for all of the support! :) I also know people get mad sometimes if there is no mention about character deaths so that is why it is in big, bold letters below.
This chapter is rated teen for some language, scenes of violence, little bits of disturbing matters, large amounts of angst, trigger warning for the topic of domestic abuse along with a trigger warning for a short mention of self-harm and heavy emotions.
(!) WARNING: TWO MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS TAKE PLACE IN THIS CHAPTER (!)
Translation Notes:
Romani:
"Mama ta și tata ar fi mândru de tine, fiule, și eu sunt prea. Întoarce-te la noi o zi. Eu voi fi mereu în așteptare." — "Your mother and father would be proud of you, son, and I am too. Come back to us one day. I will always be waiting."
"Tată, ajută-mă." — "Father, help me."
Tata — Dad
Spanish:
Amigo — friend, dude
for crying out loud i'm running from a comedown
FOUR YEARS LATER
There's a good sized crowd around two graves that don't hold any bodies.
It's early December and there's a chill in the air, fluffy flakes of white petty snow falling from the clouded sky above. There's a diverse difference in the crowd, like a spilt down the middle, as the families of the two marked gravestones are far from being at peace with each other.
On the right is a hyperactive family with Barry and Iris standing in the front, the elder speedster twitching and longing to go and run someplace. The chipped words that held his nephew's name were gnawing at his insides. Wally's parents stood closest to the grave, off to the side and decked in full black with thick coats enlarging their bodies to keep the frigid air around them from nipping at their insides and freezing their toes. The tears escaping Rudy and Mary could form Lake Michigan right then and there most likely.
Barry barely glances at the smaller amount of people to the left of him, mostly because Bruce was standing there in the front; lips pressed in a firm line and face drained of any emotion. Barry didn't want to ever have to be in the same room as the man again and if he wasn't in his civvies he probably would've socked him directly in the jaw by now.
On the left side of the cemetery is a small, quieter family that consisted of Bruce and Alfred to the side of the leftmost gravestone—with some members of the Justice League behind them along with all of the members of the new and old Young Justice Team (Bruce can't help but feel a stabbing pain when he remembers telling everyone Dick's civilian ID . . . he can't help but feel guilty because he would've loved the looks on everyone's face—Bruce knew he would've).
All are bunched up in jackets or coats, some of the women clutching the material closer to themselves in a delicate attempt at keeping warm. Dick didn't have any relatives and neither did Bruce, they also didn't allow anything to leak to the media with the help from Jim Gordon so it was a smaller gathering for them but that didn't hinder the love directed towards the two dreary grey gravestones in front of them.
A single priest stood in between the two graves, holy book in his hands and hardened features actually taking on, what looked like, a form of pity. He looked around at everyone standing before them, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to send two brave young men off. We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life, together."
Bruce tuned out the man after a moment, his mind still not being able to wrap around the cold, hard facts that had stared him in the face since the day the boys were kidnapped. He had searched for four years. They all had searched high and low, through hell and back—for four years with no leads and no successful findings of any evidence towards where Dick and Wally were. The capture had severed Barry and Bruce's friendship (or as close as you could get to something called friendship with Bruce) and Alfred was the one who had told Bruce it was time to face the facts about a month ago and as much as everyone wanted to deny it; Bruce told the same thoughts to both the Justice League and Young Justice Team who all agreed.
It was time to put the matter at rest.
To give both boys, who were presumed dead, final peace. So a double funeral was arranged (they were like brothers and though Bruce and Barry were no longer on speaking terms, everyone else thought it would be a good idea to put them to rest together).
The after effects of the decision was still occurring, painfully.
Artemis was clutching onto Zatanna's arm like a salvation, the tears wouldn't stop coming. She couldn't make them stop. Wally promised he would always come back to her, he was supposed to be her forever. Forever.
Zatanna was riddled with grief but she was able to compose herself enough to help Artemis through her pain, she and Dick weren't even together. Their last fling was a while ago . . . she would be alright crying about him alone in her room. She would be okay somehow.
M'gann and Conner stood close to each other, both putting their feelings on hold to console Gar who had been a mess. Dick was supposed to be his older brother, his knight—his family protector. He had promised! He had pulled Gar aside and promised him after his mother's death that everything would be okay, that he would always be there to help him and watch over him. But he wasn't. The young boy, now turned teenager, was too uncertain on all of his rage and sadness to act on any of it so he just accepted M'gann's motherly hug and held tight.
Bart was next to Barry, Aunt Iris with a hand on his shoulder and Jamie holding Bart's hand in a shabby attempt at comforting him. The past Blue Beetle muttered things in his head about how he swore the two were still alive because he could sense a life signal from both when they traveled some places as Jamie stood there but he ignored it, he just wanted to be there for his best friend (though he would never admit it).
Bart was destroyed on the inside—he stared at Wally's bedroom door in the cave and stared for hours. He would sit there and think that Wally would speed out of the room any second. Any second. But it never happened and Bart had cried too many times in Barry's shoulder to count because his big bro wasn't coming back.
Kaldur and Raquel stood towards the back, feeling strange at such a thing. The guilt ate Kaldur alive, it did. He knew he would never forget his fallen comrades.
Barbara had her arms wrapped around Tim's shoulders from a behind hug, the two stationed just a few feet away from the rest of their bat family. It was like Jason all over again and it was nauseating to the two that Jason's grave was hidden just a few yards away; behind the large oak tree with the many different colored leaves beautifying the ground around it.
The graves revolted everyone, no one would admit that though because this was supposed to be their friends' send off to death.
Wallace Rudolph West
Loved son whose words will never fade from this earth.
November 11th, 1994—2020
Wally's grave was too soundless for a person who had such a bubbling personally.
Richard John Grayson
Loved son whose laughter will never be forgotten from the shadows.
December 1st, 1996—2020
Dick's grave was too cold for someone who had so many wonderful ideas to save the world.
Artemis can't help but bitterly think about how sweet and ironic it is that both are named after their fathers'. Both were made to be legacies from birth. Artemis' hands wrapped around her lower abdomen and she watched a tear make a dampened mark on her white and grey Northface jacket and allowed a strangled laugh to escape her throat.
Wally's parents never gave him a chance with the name they bestowed on him, did they? Her brain can scarcely recollect the day she had told him that ("Were you an ugly baby or something? Is that why they named you something so—" and he had cut her off with a kiss before muttering that "It's family, what can you really do?" before lifting her body over to the queen sized bed behind them) and the outcome and it just causes more tears to come.
Zatanna squeezed her shoulder, "You okay?" she whispered, some aunts and uncles from Wally's family giving her a dirty look for the hallow laughter that had slipped past her chapped lips a few seconds before.
Artemis barely nods but Zatanna understands and pulls Artemis close to her in a side hug as the priest finishes up his main speech and now moves onto talking about each 'brother' separately. Artemis fuzzily remembers that his name is Reverend Dean. His low voice is ignored by Barry and Bruce, who are too busy still trying to figure out where their boys were though their graves were in front of them and before anyone knows the ceremony is over and people are slowly leaving the graveyard.
Everyone pays their respects as they pass by; leaving just Bruce, Barry, Artemis and Zatanna as the last ones standing there. Barry walks in front of Wally's grave and pats the top of the cool stone with his hand, like as if it was Wally sitting there instead, as the thin layer of snow that had been resting there was now dusted off.
"Hiya Kid," he murmurs and smiles shortly, his lips not really able to form a smile, "your parents aren't really talking to me right now. Neither is Wayne. I'm assuming you can guess why. Your ass didn't come home before curfew. Your stupid ass didn't come home safe." He chuckles bitterly and behind him Bruce flinches and it's hardly noticeable because he can hide things like that so well but Artemis sees and feels a million reactions. She might've lost her one true love but these two lost the people they basically called their sons.
Barry clears his throat before speaking again and Artemis knows she shouldn't listen in but she does anyway, "Your ass didn't ever come home because I wasn't able to protect you, like I promised I would." He rubs the cool rock, "I'm sorry Kid. I'm so damn sorry. I can promise you I'll look after your folks, Artemis, Iris . . . and hell, I don't think I'm ever letting Bart out of my sight again. But Wally, I promise I won't let them get hurt. I promise I won't break this one. I'll protect them with my life Kid, as you did every day of your life for all of the innocents in this world. I love you bud, I'll see you on the other side."
He turns and walks away without looking behind him and no one makes a move until Zatanna takes it upon herself to move in front of Dick's grave. She stares at his full name for what seems like the longest time until she whispers four simple words spelled backwards and Artemis goes to move forwards thinking she's trying to revive him or something only to stop herself when she connects the words in her brain and understands what she said (roughly translates to 'happy birthday Boy Wonder' in Artemis' head and it hits her like a ton of bricks because she remembers that exact birthday and the two's closeness and she feels horrible that they didn't get to ever say that they truly loved each other while on God's green earth).
Zatanna chuckles to herself and it brings Artemis back to the present. "I never got to say that backwards for you and I know how much I teased you with it. I thought I would have more time. But I guess not 'cause you're gone now." Artemis knows she stumbling through her words, doesn't know exactly what to say. But her next words do shock Artemis more than they should have. "I love you Dick."
She disappears after Artemis blinks and in that amount of time Bruce is moving towards Dick's gravestone and crouching down. His calloused thumb traces over the letters of his first name before he pulls it away and speaks.
"You did well son. You always did well. I'm proud of you for that." Artemis knows how Bruce is thanks to Dick's many stories of how he tried to act like a father figure or something of the sort and the hilarious fails. She understands his gruffness because he doesn't know anything else. Bruce stands up and before walking away he says one last thing that catches Artemis' attention. She can tell he's speaking a different language and if he had to guess the exact language she would go with Dick's first language—Romani. "Mama ta și tata ar fi mândru de tine, fiule, și eu sunt prea. Întoarce-te la noi o zi. Eu voi fi mereu în așteptare." He turns towards Artemis on his way past her and pinches her elbow in an attempt at some type of comfort, "I'll give you a ride to Gotham so you can pick him up,"
She sends him a generous look, "Thanks Bruce but if you don't want to—"
"I insist." He replies firmly and she nods her head in answer.
Bruce heads back to where his car is parked with Alfred and Artemis is alone, beside the gravestones of her two best friends. She moves over to Wally's stone and presses a lingering kiss to the top of it, pulling back with a chilling wetness on her lips from the snow and placing her hand overtop the words of 'never forgotten'.
"I love you babe. Forever and always Baywatch."
And she swears, she swears to whatever is above and whatever is below that there's a short whish sound behind her and a few words whispered in her ear but when she turns around there isn't anyone there but the wind and she holds onto the words she heard tight because it sounded like him and felt like him and she didn't want to come to terms with it that she lost him.
"Don't cry, beautiful. I love you too."
god forbid i know i've been a letdown
When Wally is back standing next to Dick, he gives the older man a pointed look.
"That was stupid Wally. Really, really stupid."
Wally leans on the tree next to his friend, staring at his girlfriend who still sat at his bare grave. "I had to say it one last time Dickie."
He shakes his head with a scoff, "What if she turned around just a second faster? She would've saw you and he would've came after her and us." Wally turns toward his friend and there's a stubborn look in his orbs.
"She's crying."
Dick rubbed at his eyes and avoided looking anywhere near his broken friend by their graves. "She'll get happy again man. She'll find someone else and be happy." As much as it pained him to say those words he knew he had to because Wally still didn't get it. He didn't understand that they weren't going to be broken of this horrid thing binding them and they wouldn't get to go home again. Wally bullheadedly runs a hand through his hair and clears his throat and it doesn't take a fool to know he's trying to push down the tears.
"I don't want her to have someone else Dick. No one else in this world knows her as well as I do."
Dick sighs and moves forwards, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Someone will figure it out."
He knows how Wally feels, damn it he does. Because he wants to do the same thing—he still wants to pull his bat family into a tight hug. It's been four years since he had last pulled Tim into a headlock to piss him off and ruffle at his hair. Four years since he had hugged Barbara tight, wiping away the tears off her face from the latest boy that had broken her heart—ready to kick ass if needed. Four years without Alfred's outstanding Chicken Alfredo drenched in delicious tasting sauce and a nice badass glass of chilled Pepsi on the side. Four years since he last saw Bruce give him a legit smile.
It had been even longer since he had seen Jason, five and a half actually, and even with the knowing feeling at the back of his brain that Jason's body was only a few feet away from his empty grave—Dick wished he was alive so he could have given him one last hug, or even hear him curse one last time (as he was known to have a vulgar mouth on him) but he knew none of it would happen.
They were like puppets now, controlled with malevolence by a lone puppet master's string; a string that held Aeron Hyades' disgusting aspect on the other end.
Wally noticed the fact of Dick zoning out with his thoughts after staring at his girlfriend for a few minutes longer. "Dude?" Dick looks up from his hands at Wally's words and the latter can see something like a tear fall from behind his friend's domino mask. "You okay?"
He nods and exhales heavily, turning away from the graveyard and looking at Wally.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good. So where else do you want to go before our 'free time' is over?" He spit out each word with malice and Wally was pretty sure that if Aeron could hear them they would both be getting the living daylights kicked out of them for the way Dick had spoken.
Wally scratches at the back of his cowl, "Maybe we could stop at—"
A single shrill beep echoed from both of their suits and Wally jumped from the sound. He looked fearfully at Dick who had nearly the same look plastered over his features. "Shit, shit, shit!" Wally muttered, scrambling to bring his hand up to his ear so he could turn on the com located there.
Dick did the same thing and was able to click his on faster as he spoke quickly, "Grayson, John, Richard checking in as Nightwing. Coded time is 2:36 in the afternoon." Wally looked to Dick after he finished speaking, hand lingering by his com.
"How did we lose track of time Dick? He's gonna kill us." Dick quickly shook his head, grabbing Wally's raised hand and pressing it to his ear so he could check in. Wally stumbled, trying to get the correct order of words.
"West, Rudolph, Wallace checking in as Kid Flash at 2:37 in the afternoon." Dick released Wally's hand with an audible sigh of relief. Both clicked off their coms so they could speak freely again.
Then Dick spoke in answer to the former's earlier question, "We—we must have gotten distracted by the funeral. We'll be okay Wally, we were only a minute late. He'll . . . he'll take mercy." Wally pulled at his hands, fidgeting in place.
"And if he doesn't?"
Dick simply stayed silent until Aeron's smooth voice came from their ears. "A minute late? Distracted by something boys?"
Wally was the one who turned on his ear com to respond, "Nothing. I-It was nothing sir, is there a mission for us or should we head back to—"
Aeron cut the speedster off carefully, clicking his tongue. "Come back home son, I have some very special news for the two of you that I think you'll both be very excited to hear." Aeron's voice cut out and Wally pulled down his googles over his eyes, flipping his com off again. They both hated ever having it on to respond to the horrid man, it unnerved them both too much. They turned off their coms whenever possible to try and get rid of that feeling and anything with it. Nothing could fully clench that feeling though.
"Damn it Dick, I don't want to live like this." Dick knew Wally's mind was filled with the atrocious ideals of what Aeron could possibly want to see them for. He could tell his best friend was freaking out on the inside. He moved forward and let his hand fall on Wally's shoulder in an attempt at giving his friend some type of reassurance.
"He didn't sound mad man, we'll be fine. Listen if he tries to do anything big I'll intervene alright?"
Wally instantly shook his head, shoving Dick's hand off him. "No Dick, I can't allow you to do that. You've been through—"
Dick moved forwards and gripped Wally's wrist gently, "We've both been through hell."
Wally stays silent for a minute until he allows a smile to slip across his face, patting Dick's hand. "Thanks dude," the sincere tone of his voice causes a wave of emotion to surge through Dick. If he could, he would take it all just so that Wally wasn't involved. He knew that even after four years the man still wasn't too fond on hiding what little feelings he had left and pushing through life on the blank poker face he wore.
It just wasn't his style, Dick knew.
Wally had never dealt with true loss, the biggest experience he had with it was the past four years they had been ripped from their only sense of sanity and love. Dick knew what loss was with his parents, Artemis with her criminal family—Wally had always tried to relate and be there for the two but he had no idea what it felt like until having to live in it. Aeron had torn him away from Artemis, Barry and his parents; and Dick knew he would probably rip the man to sheds if he had a chance—piece by piece, blood by gut.
Wally tugged his black goggles over his face, groaning when he felt the faint buzz of impatience in his bloodstream. "C'mon man, let's go." Dick whispered, trying his best to disregard the pain radiating from his brain—the stabbing in his gut.
Aeron wanted them there, now.
"I'm gonna run by—"
Dick froze in the action of pulling out his grapple gun with a shake of his head. "Wally, no. You can't."
"Dick I need to see her,"
Dick rubbed at his eyes with a grunt of disapproval, "You just risked our necks to see her ten minutes ago. You can't Wally and I'm so damn sorry about that. I am. But no one can find out what we've become."
Wally exhales once before taking off, and Dick follows after him with a simple click of his grapple gun and a somersault as he flies onto the roof of the nearest building.
reaching for the sky while laying in a gutter
Bruce's offer holds true as she ascends into his car and is met with a wave of eggnog-smelling heat. Bruce gives her a nod before meeting eyes with Alfred in the review mirror, "Head to Paula's apartment in Gotham Alfred, please."
"Right away sir," The butler replies in a chipper tone before starting to drive away while meanwhile Artemis sees the cause of the sweet smell is because a glass cup of eggnog sits next to Bruce in the cup holder and he isn't blind to the look of longing as she stares at the delightful treat.
Without any words he reaches into the compartment next to him and pulls out a small thermostat of the stuff, holding it out to Artemis. She looks at the container in question and doesn't take it until he sends a solemn nod her way and in return she takes a small sip of it greedily.
She knows she has to collect herself before they reach her mother's grungy apartment. Bruce says nothing else to her on the short ride back—the graves were in a fancier part of Blüdhaven as Barry and Bruce both came to the hallowed agreement that home was where the heart is—and the only thing aiding the dulled silence is the faint sound of Alfred's opera music playing from the front of the Rolls Royce (Beethoven's 5th Symphony if Artemis was hearing it correctly).
It took them thirty minutes of silence before they reached Gotham and Alfred pulled over to the side of the road a block over from Paula's apartment as to not raise any suspicion for such a nice car being in such a hazardous area. Artemis sends Bruce a calm smile as she reaches for the door handle.
"Thanks for the ride Bruce," She could swear the corner of his lips twitch into a small resemblance of a smile and a part of her wonders how the Batman is able to smile—frankly she thought he wasn't capable of such forward emotion.
He grabs her elbow gently to keep her from leaving and she turns to him in question, "Why don't you go get Ace and then I'll give you a ride back to Blüdhaven? I don't like you two walking that far alone."
Artemis had sold Wally and her Palo Alto apartment, knowing there was no use for it anymore after she had been living in Dick's apartment for so long. She moved all of the boxes, with help from Barry and Iris, into Dick's apartment and fixed it up a little—Bruce helped her with payments against her will because even though she was working two jobs and a side job as a superhero, times were still tight.
She mostly stayed there because it was like a home to her by now and it still held the spirits of her two best friends in a weird way (it was also a bonus that Gotham was only twenty minutes away and Central forty five—it eased both Bruce and Barry's worries that if Ace and her ever needed help either of them could be there in a matter of minutes to aid).
Though, Artemis would never admit how she appreciated the support from both men, she was glad they had grown so close to Ace. She was glad to have them. She pondered Bruce's response for only a few seconds before nodding her head, "Thanks Bruce. It . . . really means a lot."
Bruce released the hold he had on her elbow, looking towards Alfred. "You okay with waiting?"
Alfred met his eyes in the review mirror, "Of course sir. I haven't seen Master Wallace in a while, he never did tell me how that certain Pokémon movie ended."
Artemis and Bruce both laughed softly at the butler's reply, it was times like these that always reminded Artemis that she was surrounded by family. "Alright, I'll be back in a flash then."
With those final words she climbed out of the car and started making her way towards her mother's house, mind swirling with many different thoughts. At least Ace had other people to look out for him, it reassured her that he would always be protected.
That he wouldn't suffer the same fate as Wally and Dick.
kicking and screaming i am singing bloody murder
Dick's hand ghosts over the handprint scanner as he waits for it to accept his print. He had lost sight of Wally when they crossed through the slummy part of Blüdhaven, with its grimy streets and vile smell in the air.
"Come on, come on!" He mutters as the blue light slowly moves up and down his palm, confirming his ID to ensure no imposer was trying to get in.
Dick made it his responsibility to always keep an eye on Wally because over the years he had discovered that the older man didn't fare well when he was left alone with Aeron. Somehow Wally would always manage to piss off Aeron and end up bloody and bruised when Dick would finally find him—in a way he always saved Wally from death, as the speedster succeeded to piss off Aeron that bad nearly every time.
"Identification confirmed. Good afternoon Mister Grayson. Voice code please?"
He groaned quietly, removing his hand from the scanner and edgily tapping his fingers on his hip. "Richard Grayson, open."
"Thank you Mister Grayson. Welcome, Mister Hyades requires you to be present in room B3 immediately upon arrival."
Sometimes, Dick really hated the computer—it's all knowing womanish voice seemingly having a mind of its own as Aeron tweaked with the system to allow it to give it requests for Dick and Wally every day. Dick really hated it.
"I'm on my way Wall-Man, just hold on. I hope you didn't screw yourself over," he murmured quietly to himself as he entered the building, door closing soundlessly behind him with an advanced air lock. Dick took off in a run towards where room B3 was, knowing nothing good could be coming if Aeron had wanted a meeting in one of the mental rooms.
i'm alive when i'm vulnerable
"Thanks again Mom,"
"Anytime Artemis, be safe getting home okay?"
Artemis gave her mom a final nod as she exited the apartment, heading out of the building with Ace at her side. As she makes her way back to where Bruce parked, she sees a flash of green out of the corner of her eye and sees an arrow stuck in the brick of the alleyway next to her, rolling her eyes and tugging Ace's hand towards the dark shortcut.
"Let's go this way buddy, I think Uncle Ollie wants to say hi to us."
A smile crossed over Ace's features as he giddily nodded his head and they turned into the alleyway, Oliver Queen dropping down in front of them once they reached a dark enough spot out of view. Ace didn't waste a second in vaulting himself towards Oliver in a hug, the older man letting out an oomph sound as the young boy plowed into him. "Uncle Ollie!" He chuckled, upsetting the boy's blonde hair and returning the hug by giving him a tight squeeze.
Oliver looked over Ace's head to send a look to Artemis, whose lips were pinched in a smile (he had said it was no bother for him to keep an eye on Paula and him while Artemis was at the funeral).
He glanced back down at Ace, pulling back from the hug and resting his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Hey buddy, did you have fun at Grandma Paula's?"
Artemis scoffed from her spot, Oliver glancing over at her. "What?"
"I would be careful about what you say, she hates being called a grandma."
Oliver laughed loudly, "I think I can take care of myself Artemis but thanks for the heads up." Oliver turned his attention back to Ace and they chatted for a few minutes, Artemis getting lost in her thoughts. The older man distracts Ace by giving him his League transmitter to play with (just because he wants to see how many times Ace can call the Watchtower and stun them with his causal cuteness before they get annoyed) before walking over to Artemis and placing a hand on her shoulder.
She jumps and goes to hurdle away but calms herself after remembering where she was at.
"Did you fare okay at the funeral?"
Artemis half nods, shrugging. "Got some dirty looks from Wally's third cousin twice removed but besides that I think I faired alright. Zee helped me through it." Oliver doesn't miss her curt tone or how short she keeps her sentences.
He pauses a second, Ace telling Clark about his day muffled in the background, before speaking again.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there but funerals aren't really my thing." She understood his personal ties with death and why he didn't come. She was fine with it, everyone had their reasons. "Artemis," She looks up to him at his soft voice, her eyes pricking with unshed tears. "Are you . . . okay?"
A tear slips from her eye and he chuckles gently, holding open his arms as she moves in close to him for a hug. He holds her just as tight as he had held Ace, leaving a kiss on the top of her head. "I can't take it Ollie. He's everywhere. He's in me, he's in Ace. He's everywhere I go. But he's gone." She mutters in a hushed sob, Oliver simply rubbing her back.
They can faintly hear Ace messing with Red Tornado in the upbringing.
"I know it hurts sweetheart. I know it does. But you have to push through it. For your sake and for Ace."
The resemblance between Ace and Artemis is undoubtable—Ace has her blonde hair, wild like Wally's, with green eyes that Oliver swears are just as bright as Wally's were the day he realized he was in love with Artemis. There are freckles dotting his cheeks and he is a replica of Wally's personality. It was sudden, Ace, Artemis got morning sickness soon after her reunion with Wally and then Zatanna asked her of the impossible—if there was any chance she was pregnant. Artemis refused that thought completely but as the weeks stretched into months and hope for finding Dick and Wally dwindled; she decided she should get tested . . . to be sure.
They headed to one of the best doctors in the US (who was stationed at a hospital in Central City) and Artemis' life was turned upside down as the doctor confirmed what Zatanna had questioned.
Artemis was pregnant with Wally's baby and he was nowhere to be found.
One by one she revealed the news to the rest of the team and then she saved Barry and Bruce for last—who had both pulled her into a heartbreaking hug the moment after—and then soon after that she was giving birth. On April 14th, 2017; Wallace "Ace" Barry Crock was born.
Now he was three and a bubbling joy to have around, but it was always painful when he would ask about where his father was at. Artemis came to the answer of telling him that Wally was on an adventure and that she didn't know when he would be back but when he did return that he would pull Ace into a bone crushing hug (how can you explain death to a three year old?).
Artemis loved Ace with all of her heart but all of the Justice League could see how being a single mother was affecting her—especially with Artemis still wanting to be a superhero on the side—so every member of the Young Justice team and Justice League chipped in the help.
She's twenty five and the tolls of motherhood are always bold on her features. Her blonde hair is shorter, but still long, grey eyes dimmed but alive. Black is present under her eyes with secret hints of bruises and cuts on her hands from shooting different arrows on missions. She's shorter than Barry's lean figure and skinner than Oliver's bulked out chest, but muscles still weave under her skin.
A hand on her cheek brings her back to the present and she smiles shortly at Oliver's concerned face. "It'll be okay Artemis."
She laughs coldly, "That's what everyone keeps saying. But is that what you all really think?"
i'm out of control, i'm losing my soul
Dick can hear muffled shouting as he goes to yank open the door, only to be meant by Wally's bloody body located on the floor and Aeron standing over him with a set jaw and hateful eyes. Wally's eyes meet Dick's when the latter slams the door open and before Aeron can say anything Wally is struggling to stand up and yelling again. "Run Dick! Fucking run and don't turn back! He wants us, he wants us to kill them! We can't kill them, I can't kill him! I can't—"
Aeron comes to his senses and his foots collides with the speedster's face, effectively shutting him up. He leaves Wally and turns to Dick standing in the doorway, fists white from being clenched so tight. A wicked smile covers his lips and Dick feels disgusted by having to even look at the man.
Whatever 'cure' that Aeron had pumped into his bloodstream all those years ago had given him Wally's speed, though slightly slowed down, and Dick's hacking skills along with his signature acrobatic moves and flexibility. At the cost of that though, Aeron's face was mutated. He didn't look exactly like Two-Face but it was close; one side of his face was as it had been forever while the other side had his skin melting together and nose crooked and chin dislocated. Dick didn't know what kind of cure did that effect but he never questioned it as the rest of Aeron's body was dismembered by burn marks and marred skin from that fire in his past Dick would bet.
There's cutting scars on his wrists and arms and Wally had even swore to him that one night he saw some type of horrible skin deformation on Aeron's right shoulder blade but Dick never got an official look. The oddest thing both boys had noticed was the endless amount of scratch marks all over him, like as if he was always starching at his skin to get rid of something stuck inside.
All in all, Dick agreed with Wally.
Aeron Hyades was some sort of deranged creature out of a horror movie.
A tingling started at the bottom of Dick's back and he winced as Aeron drew closer to him, patting his cheek. "Hello Richard. Wallace over here isn't understanding what exactly I'm asking of you two. You see, you have no choice in the matter because of what is in your bloodstream but I figure I will allow you two compete this task in your own way. But if not then I will intervene."
Wally groaned in pain from the floor, willing himself to stand up as his accelerated healing worked speedily. "D-Don't listen to him Dick. He—he wants us to kill—"
Aeron cut Wally off, moving over and kicking him in the ribs for good measure.
"As I was saying. I have a very important mission for you two to compete. This will be the mission that allows you to show me that you are loyal to me—that Operation Blackout can finally be started. I'm going to give you the rest of the day and then three hours of the nighttime hours to yourself. In return after that final third hour, you will both be sent to kill your mentors."
Dick's stomach dropped, dropped down to his ankles.
Aeron wanted him to—to kill Bruce?
Dick unknowingly shook his head, taking a step back as the room started to spin around him.
"I-I can't kill B-Bruce," he mumbled, Aeron laughing mockingly.
"Once again, you have no choice my dear boy. This is the final step and then Operation Blackout will be ready to act on. So I suggest you use these free hours to yourselves wisely." Wally finally was able to stand up from the floor, moving over to where Dick stood and leaning on his shoulder.
"I-I won't do it." Wally gasped, flinching as Aeron sent a cold glare his way.
"It's either him or Artemis." Wally's eyes widened to the size of saucers and Dick tried desperately for his mind to stop spinning so that he could focus on the things happening in front of him.
"How do you—"
Aeron chuckled, waving his hand. "I hacked into the national database, got all of the information about you two and the rest of your little pathetic team. One of the many things bought by you by credit card, Wallace, was a silver engagement ring from a Tiffany's Store in Palo Alto. A side note on the digital receipt was the letters 'A-R-T-E-M-I-S' engraved on the inside of the ring. It was picked up from the store around five years ago."
Dick looked flabbergasted, "Wally, you were going to propose to Art?"
The speedster was confused and obviously flustered as he looked to his best friend, "Going to. I was going to."
"What happen—"
"This isn't the time for speaking about such nonsense you two so who will it be Wallace? Mentor or Missus West?" Dick wanted to slap the taunting smirk off Aeron's features, but he could see Wally's form sag as he came to his response. Aeron grinned at the two in front of him, clapping his hands together. "Perfect. By midnight tonight—Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen will be no more."
Dick really wanted to murder Aeron in that moment.
i can't be your angel when i'm living like a devil
It was a second 'cure' that Aeron had been working on since turning himself. He wanted Dick and Wally to be his own breed of soldiers and he wasn't stopping until he was able to complete that. After both had died he entered the room and pumped them full of the FTO2-CO2-B he had been working on which ultimately threw them both into a type of shock as their hearts raced to mimic heart attacks and then they were brought back to the living, good as new.
But that wasn't all.
Not only was the cure laced with Scarecrow toxin but it also had a new element that had attacked itself onto their separated red blood cells like a virus. The virus then was able to control their every move like a brainwashing type of thing, when activated by Aeron.
It worked liked mind control.
Aeron could be, at max, up to twenty football fields away and it would still work as long as he didn't lose focus in controlling them. He could flip a switch inside of them and they would do everything he would relay through their mind, or he could just make them do a movement or fight for him.
That's why Dick and Wally were trapped with him, in his screwed up lab in the outskirts of Blüdhaven, for four damn years.
And they couldn't escape.
Wally is twenty six now and his lean form is staggering with new muscles forced upon him and grey marks seemingly glued under his eyelids. His green eyes aren't as bright with mischievousness anymore, his jokes have lost their dry humor and instead just cause you to roll your eyes with an unstoppable snicker and his hands are always fidgeting in place or drumming against something—like as if he is always itching to run right back home. His jawline is more defined, with a faded scar of the same lightning bolt that marked his suit and followed his family located on the left side of his lower cheek. It's tiny and the stopping points are jagged but it's there and he had tried every possible thing to get it off but nothing worked. Now he wears it without doubt, like how it's imprinted on his skin-tight suit. Wally's red hair is crazed and sticking up in the front, like faint outlines of spikes. The freckles on his cheeks seem odd with his now slightly tanned complexion, his hands marred with cuts and callouses from endless hours of training. His arms are still thin but now hold an array of muscles and scraggy sort of power while his chest is 'something out of a horror movie' as Wally would put it himself.
As for his Kid Flash suit; Aeron had changed it so that instead of it showing the bold colors of yellow and red it displayed a chilling black and grey that intermixed with each other to create a stunning contrast as well as be able to blend in with the darkness that seemed to follow him. His goggled were matte black and reflected the nighttime moon in their lenses sometimes and it caused Wally's heart to twinge when he would see an arrow someplace. The only thing that reminded Wally of home, the only scrap of home he still had left—was a faded picture of his family sitting on a red couch. Wally was probably only five at the time and he was seated on Barry's left leg, the latter's large hands holding onto Wally's tiny torso. Iris is standing next to them on the left of the couch, hand on Barry's shoulder in a reassuring squeeze, while Mary sits next to Rudy to the left of Wally's uncle.
Wally keeps it hidden in the snack compartment of his suit; behind whatever candy bars he stashes there and he holds onto the foggy memory that is attached the picture (Iris grabbing it from his hands one misty morning when Wally was seventeen and pointing out that the couch clashes heavily with his hair and then Barry snickering from the living room as Wally runs out to swat at him). A part of him thinks that when he gets back home, he'll marry Artemis so that no more 'what if's' surround him. Because he loves her too much to think clearly half the time.
Dick's twenty fourth birthday was nine days before the funeral. He and Wally shared it by stealing a triple deluxe chocolate lover's cake from Betty's Cake and Bake Shop down on fourth and nine in Blüdhaven, as risky as traveling out that way was (Wally had gotten a strawberry and fudge cake for himself, along with a freshly baked batch of twenty four chocolate chip cookies). Whenever Dick looked at himself in the mirror, he felt like a different person had stolen his actual image and that a fake was gawking back at him. His hair was black and sometimes blood was streaked in from the latest training regimen or punishment he would have to endure (because he never did well with rules) but it was always smoothed down with whatever quick layer of hair gel he threw on it in the morning which always caused him to smell like freshly made wintergreen. His indigo eyes were more emotionless than they had ever been before, he didn't want Aeron to learn more about him, with a dark purple bruise starting to form over the left side of his temple. His sharp cheekbones were easy to see in any flickering light but the thin layer of obscure stumble he had yet to shave on his chin less noticeable in the shadows. He had grown another inch taller that actually brought him up to just about a few centimeters taller than Wally. His arms were bulky, he was determined on working out at all times because he would be lying if he didn't admit that an anger still bubbled inside of him for allowing all of this shit to happen to him, hands gritty and rough with taking down many thugs and very powerful men. His chest was marred, so damn marked that Wally sometimes blamed himself and other times can't look at his buddy shirtless when he would join him in the weight room. Dick understands because at times he wishes he had a different torso, one that didn't have so many cuts and burn marks scarring him. The brawl of his chest was larger now though, filled out as the rest of him was now.
Dick's Nightwing suit was now black and red, the bird on his chest serving as a sickening reminder of Jason and Tim because the red little bird was supposed to be Robin—Nightwing was blue (it didn't help that Jason's forever favorite color was blood red for some unusual reason). His suit was mainly the same because Aeron already knew it was fitted for the shadows, the only other main thing he tweaked was his arms. He told Dick that it was stupid to have no sleeves, that if he was ever captured it would never be possible to sneak things to escape. So he changed it to look like back how it did in January, Dick didn't have it in him to fight it.
The only thing he had that connected him to his past was a pocket sized Flying Grayson's poster that he had kept on his body subsequently joining the Young Justice Team and he had carried it with him on every mission he had been on since. It was weathered and the edges frayed, his parent's faces were nearly blended in with the white of the photo because of the repetitive motion of rubbing his thumb over that same spot so many times. On the back of the mini-sized poster was some bleeding black inked writing that was from his mother's beautiful cursive hand. It read 'keep this with you in times of need—love mamma and poppa' in Romani and the picture was as close to home as he could get.
All they have left are each other and now, after midnight that very night, the blood of their father figures dripping from their hands.
can't be your lover when i'm living like a rebel
He doesn't know why his mind brings him there.
Or what he thinks he'll be able to do considering he was supposed to be dead but he ends up on the ledge of the building across from where her apartment is, glassy eyes staring into her open kitchen window.
His domino mask is itchy and he feels vile with what he was tasked with to do from Aeron but he knows he can't avoid it. Aeron has complete control over him and his every movement—basically his every thought. To kill someone, that was bad. But to kill someone by force; someone who was his father . . . that was just impossible in Dick's eyes. Aeron knew what he was making the boys do so in return he was allowing them three hours of the nighttime hours to do what they wished.
Wally didn't wait any longer than he had to before darting off someplace and Dick just hoped that he was acting as stupid as he was by visiting her apartment.
His heart lurches when he sees her flutter into the kitchen, gently placing her empty plate in the sink and washing her hands. Dick gulps, feeling a warmth cover his body and heat in his lower gut.
She looked as beautiful as ever—long, black hair cascading down her back, cheekbones prominent and skin pastel yet as gorgeous as the night around him. He can see faint tracks of tear trails present on her face and though they aren't really noticeable they scream to Dick like tires on assault screeching to a stop.
She dries her hands and turns to grab a glass cup from the cabinet above her, her purple tank top riding up a little to allow Dick a short view of her lithe back muscles stirring with her movements. She moves over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of soda, popping the cap and pouring the liquid into the cup and Dick, as ravish as it is, really wants to grapple in there and pull Zatanna into a shameless kiss.
He had been keeping tabs on her and the rest of the team over the years to ensure that Gar didn't get into any bad trouble at school or Bart running too fast to a scene of crime.
Dick knew he had to move on, for many reasons, but the main being that she had a boyfriend now.
Actually, a fiancé.
He didn't like the man—Dick had dug into his dark past and found records of domestic assault along with getting arrested for drug use one time when he was a teenager. She had met him at a Bruce Wayne Charity Event (she had recently moved to Gotham about a year after his initial disappearance) and he had charmed her senseless. From then on they started dating and after three years of their relationship going strong with no reported mishaps he had proposed to her in September, which she said yes to.
Soon she would be the wife of Cooper Braxton; the wife to a big tough guy with a shady past.
Dick's Nightwing suit suddenly felt too tight on his body as he saw Cooper approach Zatanna from behind and wrap his arms around her waist; nuzzling his nose into her neck. Dick knew he was nothing compared to Cooper—the man was tall, probably around 6'2, with a chiseled out body and barren arms that showed he wasn't to be messed with. His black hair was a few shades lighter than Zatanna's (obviously dyed as Dick could guess), with brown eyes that seemed purple under certain lights.
A stinging feeling overtook his heart as Zatanna turned and kissed him full on the lips, pulling away to mumble something to him. Dick sighed as he started to stand up, grabbing his grapple gun from his belt and aiming it at one of the buildings to the right of him.
But, something caught his eye.
No longer trying to kiss him, Zatanna was pushing against Cooper as his hands tried to tug off her blue jeans. Dick narrowed his eyes as he gets more forceful and he doesn't waste time in shooting his grapple gun and walking off the edge of the building, swinging across the gap and landing next to the open window, hands clutching at the black wire holding him and ears open.
"Copper, get off. I can smell the alcohol on your breath." Zatanna's voice was growing unhinged as she tried to keep herself together and Dick understood then and there that she hadn't told him of her powers. If she wasn't at risk of exposing her superhero life, she would've flung him across the room by now.
Dick held his breath as he heard a smash and his mind started screaming at him that he should enter but he fought off the urge; promising himself that he would only step in if needed. He couldn't risk being seen.
"Come on 'tanna. S'fine. Let's go have some wild 'ex—"
A hit on his chest.
"Get away from me Cooper. You're drunk."
A loud sound of skin on skin. Dick's blood boiled but he held himself back.
"Where do you think you're going bitch?"
Dick launched himself into the apartment at the sound of her scream and a body hitting the floor—Zatanna feeling pain engulf her as the darkness took over.
you better take care of yourself
Dick nearly jumps out of his own skin when Zatanna lets out what sounds like a cry from beside him on the bed she's laying on. He calmly grabs the voice changer from the nightstand next to him, clicking the button once to turn it on.
She groans, fighting to get her body to listen to her and open her eyes. Or at least she tries to because when she struggles with forcing her eyelids open it feels like there's something holding them shut and she panics.
Her breathing became short and her heart raced as something in her mind muttered 'stuck' and she let out a scared sort of whimper. Dick cuffs her face with his hands softly, moving himself so that he's straddling her waist so that she doesn't shoot him away with a spell or something.
He shushes her calmly, thumbs stroking her cheeks.
"You're okay Zee, everything's alright. I took care of him, he's gone. He won't bother you again. Your eyes are just bruised and crusted over with some tears. But you'll be fine. He was able to knock you out, there's a bruise on your head but that's it. You've been out for an hour."
There's something calming in the unknown man's motives and Zatanna slows her breathing and lets out a shaky breath, willing her voice to work. "Thank y-you," she whispers and she feels lips gently brush her temple.
"Your welcome," something cold and wet is placed into her left hand, "this is a cold washcloth, dab at your eyes gently for a few seconds to get all the crap out and then you should be able to open your eyes."
She nods barely and feels his body move off of her own. She lifts the cloth to her eyes, starting to rub gingerly. "W-Who are y-you? Why did you s-save me?"
He chuckles and it reminds her of someone who was never found.
"Let's just say I'm someone you used to know." The voice is disarticulated and broken, deep and raspy.
"D-Dick?" It's a stupid guess because she knows he's gone but she can't think of anyone else who would put themselves at risk to save her.
The man presses a soft kiss to her lips and filled with fervor and longing and its over too quick when he pulls away. "I love you Zee. Be safe."
There's a soft breeze of air over her face as she is finally able to open her eyes and she simply sees that she's in her room and the window to the left of her is wide open; wind barreling in and slapping against the curtains. Her savior is gone.
i'm addicted to the misery in my head
Wally sits at his supposed grave, mind racing too fast for him to fully grab any of the thoughts filtering through it.
Killing Uncle Barry?
That was impossible.
It was literally impossible.
Wally couldn't do that—tear him away from Iris and Bart. Tear them away from their own anchor. Out of all of the things Aeron had made them do other the years he had never allowed killing; it was like an unsaid rule.
But why, why, was he trying to destroy them now by making them kill their father figures?
Wally would gladly rob a bank for crash course training or take a million punishments instead, if it met that he could save Barry. He didn't want to kill him. A part of him wished he was dead from one of the many escape attempts Dick and he had put together and failed at; a part of him wished Aeron had succeeded in going too far and had stabbed him through the heart.
Because Wally knew, God he knew, that if he killed Barry—he would never be able to live with himself. He just wouldn't be able to.
He would be a murderer.
A freaking murderer; one that haunted the news and clogged up the Most Wanted posters at the police station.
There's a static sound from his ear com that shakes the speedster from his thoughts and he silently lifts two fingers to turn it on. "Kid Flash." His voice is neutral as he answers and his gut twists at Aeron's laughter from the other end.
"Free time is up Wallace. Now either you go there yourself and kill him or I do it my way."
Wally wipes a tear away from his eye, standing up and wiping the specks of dirt from his suit. "I'm on my way to Central City right now. Flash out." Wally took out the ear com without waiting for a response, throwing it to the ground and smashing it with his foot.
He hated being told what to do.
i better stop before i end up dead
Bruce turns around in his office chair at the sound of someone moving behind him but is only meant by the flickering desk lamp sitting on the table in front of him. He rubs at the unshaved stubble on his blocky chin, fixing the stapler that had been moved a quarter of an inch from the speedy movement of whoever entered the room from the window.
"Step out of the shadows now or I'll break your arm in six places."
He expected it to be one of Riddler's thugs to be honest—they would be one of the only Gotham criminals that could ever be able to break into Wayne Manor without tripping any alarms. But nothing prepared him for the actual person that stepped out of the shadows in front of him and when Bruce saw the blue of Dick's Nightwing suit he vaulted himself out of his seat to try and hug him.
Dick took several steps back to avoid being hugged and Bruce could tell he was having an inner conflict of some sort take over his mind. "Don't make t-this any harder than it has to be B-Bruce. Please." Bruce was shell-shocked at the modest tone of Dick's voice, the raw emotion bleeding from it and broken letters.
Bruce raised his hands in surrender, "I can't believe you're alive. I never lost hope son." It's a challenge to keep his voice so steady and that's when his eyes adjust to the dimmed light and he sees Dick reaching for something located on the side of his belt, pulls something out of a hostler. "Son," there's a tremor in his tone.
A twitch of fear.
Dick raises the gun with trembling fingers and Bruce can see that the safety is off and that there's a long muzzled silencer on the end of it. The pistol is menacing. "I don't want to do this Bruce," his voice shakes and Bruce can hear the faint chatter of his fingernails on the metal of the gun.
"Then don't son."
He takes a step towards Dick and the latter steps back again, his back colliding with the wall. His finger squeezes the trigger faintly, "Y-You don't understand Bruce! I-I don't have a choice! Hyades, h-he is—he has us controlled! W-We've tried to escape so many damn times and he's caught us and punished us and God Bruce I've done—we've done—so many bad things that we didn't want to do! I don't want to do this." Dick's voice, which had been a muffled shout throughout his words, turned into a defeated mutter at the end which broke Bruce's heart.
He had to help his son.
"Dickie, it's okay. Everything is okay. Just hand me the gun, son. I can make it better." Dick felt the buzzing in the back of his head and fear seized him like a hand clutching his heart—Aeron was going to kill him. His father was going to die if he pulled the trigger or not. Bruce raised his hand and moved it towards the gun, fingers grazing the silencer.
"B-Bruce—I-I c-can't stop. He's going t-to—"
Bruce shushed him, moving another step closer.
"It's okay Dickie bird. I love you and we can get through this. That's all that matters. Even if I don't make it through this, you will." He cracked a smile and Dick felt the tears hit him all at once as they fell down his cheeks one after another.
Bruce hadn't called him that nickname since he was little. He would use it to calm him after bad nightmares, he would use it to scold him for running down the stairs and Alfred would use it to yell at him for putting three cookies into his mouth at once.
"It'll be okay Dick. Trust me."
He could feel Aeron taking control of him now, his fingers starting to move of his own accord.
"Tată, ajută-mă. Please tata."
Bruce smiled gently at Dick's Romani peeking through his words, fitting in and out.
"I love you Dick. Remember that." There was a flash of understanding on Bruce's face, an empathetic that Dick couldn't get out of it.
Aeron took full control and before Dick knew what was happening—his finger was tugging at the trigger and a bullet was fired from the gun; landing directly in Bruce's forehead. Dick screamed and scream and as Bruce's body crumbled to the ground he threw the gun across the room and lowered to his knees, holding tight onto his father's limp form.
Outside, an owl hooted once which was followed by a cricket chirping.
Dick's sobs were quiet against the nighttime noise.
so i climb to the top just to fall to the bottom
Wally gets to his Uncle's house at the exact time Barry is downstairs getting a glass of water for himself. He hears the swish of air behind him and turns around to see his nephew pulling off his cowl. Barry nearly drops the glass as he places it on the counter so he can rush over and pull Wally into a bone crushing hug.
Barry lets out a watery chuckle that breaks Wally's fragile heart into pieces and the red head can't hold in the sobs anymore as they fall out of him and salty tears dampen Barry's pajamas. The older man simply holds onto Wally tight, their hands clutching the other's shirt like a lifeline. "I knew you couldn't be dead Kid, I knew you would've outrun it."
Wally gasps and it's ridden so heavily with cries that it's nearly impossible for him to speak.
"Hyades—Uncle Barry he wants me t-to . . . Uncle B-Barry."
Wally feels like he did back when he was eleven and his father had yelled at him for stealing a twenty out of his wallet so Wally could fit in at school and buy the other kids' lunch. Rudy had gotten a little too worked up and his screams had terrified Wally so much that he ran all the way to Barry's house and the uncle sat there holding Wally for hours.
He was the same sobbing mess then as he was right now.
"I knew that bastard took you. Bruce said he was untraceable but I swear I checked every damn place in Gotham and Central and—"
"B-Blüdhaven. T-The lab is in Blüdhaven." Wally is barely able to choke it out and he can feel Aeron in the depths of his mind and his hands twitching in need of killing. He hates it and Barry pulls back and the smile on his face is so huge Wally thinks his face will crack under the pressure.
He holds Wally at arm's length and squeezes his shoulders happily, "Is so good to have you back kiddo. I've missed you. I've missed you a lot."
Wally shakes his head, hands vibrating sensitively. "U-Uncle Barry l-listen, h-h—he put some type of shit in our blood t-that makes u-us do things that we have no control over. And n-now—now he wants me to kill you."
Barry's face morphs into one of shock and then a sadness follows. "K-Kid, we can get you out of this. C'mon we can head to the cave and have Bruce call in the best doctors and—"
"No!" Wally's quiet shout silences Barry and he gives his nephew a hard look as Wally pushes himself backwards. "B-Barry I can't, I don't, I don't have any time ti—time. I'm so freakin' sorry I couldn't get out of this Barry but he's g-gonna—your gonna die. By m-me!" Wally shouts out in frustration at his unstoppable stuttering and Barry glances towards the stairs to make sure he didn't wake up Iris.
Barry's lips twitch into a smile for a second before flickering back to look at Wally who is hiccupping softly. His body is jittering, hands quaking as they fumble over themselves. Barry sighs in resentment, "I-I understand Kid. Listen, it's okay. It's okay."
Wally feels wrong about how much his uncle's voice calms him as he grows dizzy. Aeron takes control and makes his body shoot forward, pushing Barry into the wall with his hands around his throat. Wally looks horrified at what he's doing and Barry grins shortly, choking. Wally can barely stand to look into his eyes as Aeron makes him literally drain the life from him.
"Uncle Barry I—I'm—"
Barry is able to grab one of Wally's hands with his own, sending him a wink as he feels his lungs congest.
"I-I love y-you K—Kid. S-S—Survive."
He gags on his own final words and then his eyes slack and his body goes limp and Aeron let's go of his hold on Wally as the young man jerks his hand backwards so Barry's body can drop to the floor with a soft thump.
"Uncle B-Barry?" Wally questions bleakly, nudging the older man's shoulder and causing his head to merely loll from one side to another. "I'm sorry." He whispers, taking Barry's cold hand in his own.
He cries quietly while Iris stays sound asleep upstairs, Bart lost in a dream world of the Flash running circles around him up in Wally's old bedroom.
don't try and save me go take care of yourself
"What's going on? Why did you call us here so early Ollie?" Artemis questions as she and Ace zeta into the cave's mission room, the former grabbing Oliver by the arm to make sure her question isn't avoided. Zatanna gets a quick hug from Ace as she moves to her best friend's side.
As soon as Ace sees M'gann enter from the kitchen with Conner at her side he runs towards them and gives them a tight hug, then one to Kaldur and another to Jamie who laughs and mutters something in Spanish as he pats the young boy on the back (Ace loved Jamie and Bart for some reason). The rest of the League stands in front of the new and old Young Justice team together and Cassie is the one who notices the absence of the bat family and flashes.
"Where's Bats? Actually, where's the annoying bat family? And Flash and Impulse?"
Gar meanders into the room and hides behind Conner, grabbing his hand because the bad feeling in his gut isn't growing any better.
Clark says nothing as Artemis tugs at Oliver's arm, repeating her question. Before anyone knows what is happening, a million different news articles are on the holographic computer.
And the many different titles shake everyone to their very core.
BRUCE WAYNE MURDERED! and IS MILLIONAIRE'S DEATH AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT? along with NO EVIDENCE FOUND AT THE MURDER SCENE OF WEALTHY GOTHAM CITIZEN BRUCE WAYNE stared the team back in their faces, the different titles and fonts mocking them from the computer.
GENIUS BARRY ALLEN FOUND MURDERED IN SUBURBAN HOME plus CENTRAL CITY CITIZEN FOUND DEAD IN HOME WITH WIFE AND DISTANT COUSIN JUST UPSTAIRS with finally NO BLOOD ON SCENE OF SHOCKING DEATH—CASE STUMPING CCPD! gawking upon the people surrounded in the room.
Jamie had the common sense to turn Ace's shoulders so the boy was buried in his scrawny chest as Artemis' hand flew over her mouth. "Jamie!" Ace whined, the former Blue Beetle whispering things into Jamie's ear as he held Ace against him softly. He hushed the younger boy, rubbing his back.
"Just stay there for a minute amigo. There's some scary stuff on screen alright?"
Ace groaned loudly, the only sound in the room was Jamie and his conversation. "Fine, is Uncle Arrow watching another scary movie?"
Jamie sighed shakily as Oliver brought Artemis in close for a hug. "Yeah amigo. A really scary movie."
