This chapter contains:
Spoilers: Season 1 and Season 2
Random Lyrics from: Burn by Papa Roach
Pairings: Spitfire and Chalant
Important Extra Notes: I was going to post this yesterday I swear and then Black Ops III came out . . . any gamers out there will understand my distraction! XD There is a big foreshadowing twist in this chapter which if you pick up on, let me know in the reviews. I was originally not going to include it but in the end, I'm a sucker for happy endings even with a story like this one. So chapter ten will be the final chapter and then I believe I will do ten bonus chapters which will be one-shots (not 10,000 words but probably 3,000 words and up) taking place in the Whispers in the Night universe. So that would mean this story will end up with twenty chapters I think. Also, I've posted a new spitfire story called Heal these Wounds—please feel free to go and check it out if you haven't already and let me know what you think! :)
This chapter is rated teen for a suggestive themes, romance pieces, violence, language and slight graphic/gory matter at the end of this chapter—please keep that in mind.
NOTE: For Barry's birthday date I went off of the comics. Then for his actual age I went off the age that he was 40 from Young Justice so that would ultimately mean he was 44 when he died in this story; just to clear up any confusion.
NOTE #2: I would like to say a shout out and little disclaimer here. I read it's such a shame for us to part by robinwars a few days ago and the way it was written just was really good and the emotions were so on point so I put in a little scene that is a twist on their original writing—just not nearly as heart-jerking.
So a shout out to robinwars—that story was truly great!
Anyway, disclaimer: when you come across that little scene and think 'hey I've seen that before', that is most likely because it is just a twist on robinwars' work. I don't own that idea of course, all of that credit goes to the amazing original author!
lying, cheating, so deceiving
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Bart wasn't okay.
The day where everyone gathered around to see if he could walk, Wally on one side of him and Jamie on the other, it didn't go as planned. Bart went to stand up but faltered hallway through, crashing into Wally's side with the full weight of his body.
Then he had muttered the five words that caused Wally's world to once again crash around him.
"I can't feel my legs," he had muttered it so low even Jamie had trouble hearing it from where he clutched at the young speedster's other arm.
"What?" The teenager had demanded, eyes narrowed and Wally too flabbergasted to put together any words.
Dick and Artemis saw the fear, felt it, and ushered everyone out of the room quickly; knowing Bart would want some space. Zatanna stood at Dick's side, his body leaning slightly into hers from having been standing so long. Everyone had recovered pretty well since getting injured (the only person still having trouble was Oliver—his only problem was that he was pissed he was still stuck in an hospital bed in Star City with Dinah and Clark to watch over him).
Zatanna and Artemis were fully recovered; the former did in fact rip Dick a new one with the fact that her finger was now missing some skin but the acrobat had fixed it with some cheesy pick-up lines and cliché kisses.
Wally was doing great, his lungs were nearly healed and the only issue he still had was the fact that if he ran too fast in super speed his shoulder would start to burn and his lung start to not function correctly but besides that he was fine.
Dick was healing slower but doing well, his only issue was that he couldn't do too much exercise in a prolonged period of time; after a while he would need to take a break or sit down. But he was stubborn and working through it.
Bart sent Jamie a steely glare, "I said I can't feel my legs," he grit out, anger sprouting over his features. Wally looked to his girlfriend whose facial expression didn't offer him any comfort as he turned back around and helped Jamie place Bart back under the covers of the infirmary's hospital bed. Jamie let go of Bart as soon as his body was covered back up, his mouth twisted downwards in an illegible frown.
"What in the hell are you talking about? The doctors said you would be perfectly fine—"
"They said there was a possibility that I would be perfectly fine Jamie, but they also said there was a chance I would never be able to walk again."
Bart cut his best friend off with a threatening whisper, one that screamed volumes of indignant feelings. Dick seemed to shrink next to Zatanna, the latter turning and nuzzling her face into his neck to murmur some words of reassurance to him. Artemis sighed from her spot next to the two, taking a step forward to rest a hand on Wally's shoulder. He was back sitting down in the chair pulled up next to Bart's bedside, Jamie standing on the other side of his bed with his arms crossed furiously.
"You must be on too many painkillers, your mind is probably just screwed up I mean the doctors said you would be fine."
Artemis was starting to believe that pigheadedness ran in the blood of every male member of the Young Justice Team. But she could understand where Jamie was coming from; he didn't want to come to terms with the fact that now it was highly unlikely that his best friend, a speedster none the less, wouldn't be able to walk again.
"I said I can't feel my legs Jamie! How could that be because of morphine? They are numb right now, I can't feel anything!" Bart's shout startled Wally, whose hand accidently fell onto Bart's right leg.
Jamie shook his head as Bart stared daggers at the older speedster. "This isn't happening," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and running a hurried hand through his black locks. Bart chuckled bitterly from his spot in bed, glancing at Jamie first and then Wally. It unnerved the adults in the room, how unlike himself the bedridden teenager seemed.
"Well it is. Wally, get your hand off my leg I just told you I can't feel anything!"
He quickly did as he was told, trying his best to hide his shaking fingers from view. "S-Sorry."
It was a lame thing to say but what else could he say? Bart couldn't feel his legs! Was there any plus side to that? Jamie whirled around to face Dick who was in his civvies, classic shades thrown carelessly over his eyes.
"This is all your fault! If you two hadn't come back while still under freaking mind control Bart wouldn't be paralyzed!" Dick said nothing and Zatanna took it upon herself to stand up for him. She knew Jamie was mad but it was no excuse to come after Dick. He wasn't in control of their own actions.
"Jamie, you know they had no control over what they did. They remember every moment of it and feel horrible about it."
Jamie fired back a speedy jab, Artemis joining in to come to her friend's aid as Wally stared helplessly at Bart's covered legs.
Without thought his hands started vibrating from the anger surging through his veins, a soft humming entering the room. Bart watched Jamie fight with Artemis and Zatanna with saddened eyes, seeing Dick flinch nonchalantly at each insult slung his way. But as Wally looked back and forth between his hands and Bart's sheltered legs, he suddenly got a really stupid idea that might just work in bringing feeling back into Bart's legs.
He moved his vibrating hands forward, brow scrunching as he tried to remember where exactly the most powerful spots of the leg were. Uncle Barry had told him a while ago, back when Wally was still learning how to use his powers, figuring that since his nephew was a scientist—if he made Wally think like one there would be less chance of him crashing and burning often.
With a unobtrusive moment of triumph a few minutes later and the bickering between the three people behind him only growing louder, Wally braced his hands in the certain spots on Bart's legs; vibrating his hands wildly. Bart looked at Wally crazily, opening his mouth to reject to whatever the hell his older bro was doing but closing it just as fast as warmth spread quickly through his chilled legs.
He could feel.
He could feel!
The numbed feeling slowly disappeared and was replaced by a slushing warmth, one that engulfed his veins and rushed through his bones. Wally looked up from his hands to Bart's face, the latter grinning thankfully.
"W-Wally, i-it's working." He muttered, just barely loud enough for Wally to hear him. In return the older man chuckled, grabbing the attention of Jamie and the rest of the adults in the room.
"What the h—"
Before Jamie could finish, Wally was stopping and in a matter of seconds Bart was up and moving; darting to the left and zooming to the right. His laughter was infectious as he raced around the room; flicking Jamie in the face, tugging on Artemis' hair, patting Dick's shoulder and finally, hugging Wally.
He gasped at the sudden feeling of a frail body attached to his, wrapping his arms around the younger boy tightly. "Thank you," Bart murmured, Wally smiling as he pressed his face into his shoulder.
"Of course kiddo. I'll never let you down."
Both ignored the fact of how similar Wally's words were to that of something that Barry would've said.
i trusted you, broke me down
Dick disappears a few hours after Bart runs laps around Mount Justice, the cool spring April air fanning over his face with scents of blooming daisies and freshly mown grass, Zatanna searching everywhere until finally giving up and heading back to her room in the cave.
She's shocked when she pushes the door open and sees Dick laying down on her bed, unmasked eyes in a blank stare towards the ceiling. Saying nothing she enters the room and closes the door behind her, advancing towards the bedside. "Boy Wonder?" She whispers in question, Dick snorting quietly.
"I think I'm too old to be called that Zee."
Zatanna rolls her eyes as she climbs into bed beside him, his arm automatically wrapping around her lower waist as she rests her head on his chest. She subconsciously curls close into his side, feeling at home with the warmth coming from him. "If Artemis still calls Wally 'Baywatch' then I think I'm still allowed to call you 'Boy Wonder'. It's our thing Dick."
He goes uncharacteristically silent for a minute, Zatanna taking his calloused hand and playing with his fingers in waiting. She knows something serious is on his mind if he was so easily lost in thought. "How many things were Barry's?"
Zatanna sighs heavily, the topic at hand touchy.
Artemis had filled in Zatanna on everything she had missed, including how Bruce and Barry really died, about a month in from everyone's recovery. After hearing about it she didn't leave Dick's side for two whole days before he couldn't take not knowing anymore and demanded for her to tell him what was wrong.
All she said at the time was something along the lines of 'I'm sorry you had to go through that' before she had just cuddled into his side for that night. Zatanna knows logically that Dick and Wally hadn't had any time to actually grieve—but how do you grieve about such a thing?
She couldn't fathom watching her father's life drain out of his eyes at her expense, watch his blood coat the floor as she shot the bullet that killed him or choked the energy out of him.
Frankly, she was surprised Dick and Wally were still . . . alive.
It sounded harsh but it was a truth; how were they living with such an agonizing thing burdened on their shoulders all the time? Then to have to stand by idle and wait to see if someone they loved like a brother could walk again, to stand by and watch as Oliver still squirmed in pain whenever he jostled his ribs too badly and not be able to do anything about it?
All Zatanna knew for sure was the datum that if she had to go through something so melancholic on her own; she wouldn't be able to make it.
She was damn glad Dick was still holding on because she, as long as it took her to realize it, couldn't make it through life without him by her side.
"Dick," she spoke softly, gently, "what Wally and you had to do wasn't right. It was horrible, I understand that. But for you to move on . . . you have to let it go." She didn't have to look up at him to know what his eyes were probably wet with unshed tears because his voice said it all. It was hoarse in the beginning and cracking by the end.
"I was standing in front of him with a gun to his face. A man I idolized, respected and loved. A man who I looked to as a real father. As my father. I was begging when I was standing there . . . blubbering on about Aeron and what he was making me do. Bruce just . . . just he let me talk. He stood there and listened, listened to my stupid reasoning's he had no reason to believe. I could have been a Cadmus clone or something but he didn't for one second doubt that it was me so he stood there and listened to all that I had to say."
Zatanna fumbled with his thumb, tracing over a faint pink scar that had been there for the past six years.
He had told her he had gotten it from nearly dying one time when he was Robin; Bats and he were fighting a bunch of crooks on a rooftop and one had got the upper hand on him, throwing him off the edge. Dick wasn't worried at the time, thinking he had a spare grappling hook (because his had gotten destroyed during battle) but he didn't.
But Bats had heard the snap and the shout, knocking out three thugs with one hit and launching himself towards the boy; catching him before he could fall to his death. Dick had told Zatanna he would never forget the pure look of fear through Bruce's cowl, the thought stayed fresh on his mentor's face for the upcoming three weeks—that he had nearly lost the kid he cared for like a son so carelessly.
He said he always traced over the scar when he was feeling self-conscious or something close to it, as it reminded him that he was still a living, breathing human being.
"That's because he loved you Dick. Bruce loved you and he understood what you had to do." Dick shakes his head slightly, breath shuddering as he inhaled.
"I was so scared that I started speaking Romani halfway through, begged him to help me in the only language we both understood and shared. I think . . . he knew it was grim because I haven't spoken Romani since I was eleven. It's a lost language mostly, bits and pieces of Romanian and Gypsy crap. It always changes and for him to have been keeping up with it, to know what I was saying at the time . . . Zee," he pauses, biting his lip, "that met he always thought I would come back. That he never forgot about me and . . . and that's what hurts the most."
Zatanna finally gains the courage to look at him.
So she angles her face towards his so she can see what he looks like and what stares back at her is just a devastated thirteen year old little boy—a little baby Robin with its wings clipped. Dick's eyes are rimmed red with a glassy hue, blue irises nearly a darkened purple from the pain he feels, cheeks sullen, chin quivering in trying to hold in the sobs he so frantically wants to let out, black hair swept back sloppily and a green bruise on his forehead standing out among everything else.
He sniffled and Zatanna let out a watery chuckle, feeling choked up herself at how shattered he looked. "Oh Dick," she murmured, reaching up and brushing back a wild strain of his hair, "what did he do to you?"
That's all it takes for the dam to be broken and for the man to start outright sobbing; Zatanna shushing him and pulling him closer in her arms. And as he cries, she can hear one sentence repeated through it all that just rips apart her heart so much she isn't quite sure she can take it.
"Zee, it feels like the serum never left. I can still feel it in me, moving around a-and—it's still f-freaking there!"
She sits there and holds him, wishing there was something more she could do to make him feel normal again.
and you screwed me over
"Wally?"
He looks up from glaring at his souvenir shelf, seeing Artemis entering his old cave bedroom. It had been cleaned out years ago so it was nearly spotless; a complete one-eighty from Wally's messy personality. He has a gut feeling that either M'gann or Bart had been taking care of the room, making sure it was never too disordered or too clean.
The bed is perfectly made with pale white sheets and a yellow pillow (something Wally has the feeling Bart was too guilty to change because everyone knew Barry had given Wally that pillowcase after the Young Justice Team's very first successful mission).
The walls are stripped of the posters that used to hang there (a Flash Central City Celebration Day one Wally had nabbed from Barry's basement, Call of Duty Black Ops II Zombies exclusive pre-order poster from back before the game was released, AC/DC band 'rock n' roll' poster and finally a nerdy photograph that showed the full equation of pi that Dick had gotten for him for his fourteenth birthday) but unknown to Wally Bart had taken all of his posters and hung them in his room after he had 'died', just to have something to remind him of the red head.
It's almost stuffy in the room but besides it being unvarnished to the core, the one thing that remained the same was the wall of souvenirs that were polished and up kept to near perfect conditions over the years.
Wally figures Barry might've snuck in time to time and cleaned it up using one of Aunt Iris' 'badass cleaning rags' (her fancy name for what was a Magic Eraser).
The thought of his deceased uncle sends chills down Wally's spine. They had held two separate funerals for the two undercover heroes two months after the battle in the cave; Bruce was buried in Gotham while Barry was put to rest in Central City.
Dick showed at both funerals out of stultified respect.
Wally didn't show at neither.
Artemis walks up next to Wally, who stands in front of the shelve with his arms crossed and eyes lost in a different place, touching his shoulder lightly. He barely turns his head. "What are you doing Baywatch?"
The corner of his lips morph into a small smile, "Just checking out my souvenirs babe, why?"
Artemis sighs, moving so that she is standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "I meant, what are you doing to yourself Wally?" He feels silly, thinking she wouldn't have seen through his lie. She knows him better than that. He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'm fine babe," he replies jaggedly, trying to wave off the manner. Artemis doesn't look amused by his attempt of telling her to 'just forget about it'.
"Is this about Barry?"
He's caught off-guard by the direct nature of her tone but at the same time he isn't surprised—this was Artemis he was talking about.
"Uncle Barry? What, no, no I haven't thought about that in forever. I'm," his voice unexpectedly catches and she locks eyes with him. Wally decides to give up his façade as he reaches his hands up and swipes at his eyes. "Yeah. It's about Barry."
Artemis moves closer to him, "Talk to me Baywatch, what's the matter?"
He exhales sinfully, chewing on the inside of his cheek because he doesn't know what to say.
How to say it.
"I . . . I mean I haven't really grieved about it you know? I skipped Bruce and Barry's funerals yeah, but that was because I felt too guilty to even set foot anywhere near their bodies. I mean, how can you say goodbye to someone who watched you kill them? My parents screamed at me for missing Uncle Barry's funeral last month, after keeping all of their emotions bottled up so long about everything, they just let it all out. 'We never wanted you to be a superhero,' or 'you're better off dead than off running around the world because that's safer for you,' and 'do you understand what you've put us through Wallace?'. Just . . . all this shit I didn't want to hear. They, they don't know I killed him. They don't know how much it kills me every day, having to see Central City unable to connect the dots of why the Flash is suddenly cockier and slightly slower."
The first thing Wally did after recovering was take over the mantel of 'the Flash' in Central City. It was his name now—he wasn't Kid Flash, he was Flash. He didn't want to leave Iris to the fire of the city figuring out that Barry Allen was the Flash and now that he died the Flash had died with him, so he had changed his suit to match his uncle's and sped around the city; stopping the same crimes he had been stopping since he was younger.
Wally was never as fast as the Flash or Impulse; the explosion he had caused when he was a teenager had only given him the jest of the powers. How fast he was now was from years upon years of running, he had grown and done it all by himself . . . and through the help of Barry.
So yeah—now the Flash was brasher in front of the cameras, body slightly more muscular and skinner (as that's how Wally had been built all his life), he didn't flirt with Iris as much as used to on live camera after she would report a huge crime he had just stopped and he never stayed in the light too long; he would stop a crime and then disappear in a flash.
Artemis knew juggling two lives was becoming a huge struggle for Wally, as the world had no idea the original Flash had died, but she was helping him through it. He had stayed over with Iris in Central City for a few days five weeks ago and when he had come back to Artemis; he had collapsed in her arms saying over and over again how horrible he felt.
That was as close to grieving as she had seen Wally so this, what he was doing right now, was sadly overdue.
"Wally," He doesn't let her finish, green eyes closing as he starts speaking again.
"Every day I see his face Art, in everything I do. I see his face in Bart, I see his joy in Garfield, I see his kindness in M'gann, I see his muted hate for the damned villains in this world in Dick, I see his love in you and I see his attitude in me. I can't escape the feeling that he hates me for everything I've done. For what Iris is going through, for what Bart is going through. He hates me Artemis, and I'm so damn sure of it."
She takes his hands in hers and moves close, his forehead resting on hers. A lone tear slips down his cheek and she wonders just how many times he had cried himself to sleep over the blame so clearly eating him alive.
"Listen to me Wally, your uncle could never hate you. He loved you with everything he had, he took care of you your entire life. Iris and Barry took you in when your father was acting crazy or when your mother was too busy on business calls to make you dinner. He loved you Wally, you and only you." She moves forwards and brushes her lips over his, moving back again and feeling his hands heavy in hers. "He loved you Wally. I know he did."
Wally closes his eyes again, "He loved me?"
His voice was equal to that of a little kid's, one asking his parents for reassurance that there were no monsters in the closet.
Artemis smiled. "He loved you Baywatch. Always."
i'll be ignited
It's not long before Dick is able to stop his crying, Zatanna holding him tight the entire time, and he scoffs at himself afterwards. "Sorry, I'm acting like a big idiot. Got your shirt all soaked." Zatanna swatted at him, the latter chuckling.
"Crying doesn't mean you're weak or some shit Grayson, it just means you've been strong enough to hold it in all this time."
Dick grunted in mock agreement, abruptly lifting Zatanna up with his arms and rolling her over so she was straddling him around his lower waist. She sent him a strict glare, his hands holding tight onto her abdomen so that she wouldn't lose balance and topple off the side of the bed. "I've got to say though, that breakdown might've worked to my advantage. You see, your shirt is awfully see-through . . . "
He allowed his sentence to trail off as Zatanna looked down at herself, seeing with her own two eyes that her white shirt was in fact see-through—grabbing Dick's undivided attention. She looked back to him, a smirk staining his lips.
"You know how to ruin a moment better than Wally."
He laughed brazenly, cheeks flashing pink. "I really, really hope you aren't thinking of KF right now because that would be such a turn off."
Zatanna groaned, leaning down and pecking him full on the lips. She pulled back swiftly afterwards, knowing it would leave him wanting more. "You're always on my mind Boy Wonder, no one else but you. Don't be getting jealous now," He missed this, their constant banter that sliced through any sexual tension both were feeling. It all flowed just right, flawlessly. It was them.
His hands slipped under her shirt, trailing up the lenient skin of her back.
"Right, jealous? Me? Please." Zatanna smiled, her hands resting on his stomach after having been running through his messed up hair.
"Whelming bod you got now Dick," she pondered playfully, knowing that using one of his made-up-words from his childhood would brighten up his mood a lot. It was one of the traits Dick personally loved about Zatanna; to anyone that didn't know her as well as he did, she might've seemed stuck up. But she everything but that—she put everyone else before herself and made it her business to get into all of the things her friends, generally Dick, were into to be fair.
He grinned at her, her hands toying with the hem of his tee shirt. He went to say a frisky comeback but decided against it, something else and far more important coming to mind. "Zee, will you be my girlfriend?"
He can see the shock cross her face then the understanding and finally—the pure pleasure.
"Hell yes Grayson, I've been waiting for you to say that since forever."
She leans down to bring him into a heated kiss which only lasts for a second before Dick is gently pushing her away and she knows that the smug look on his features is a sign for an utterly maddening taunt to come.
"By the way, I think the word you're looking for is overwhelming. My body is overwhelming."
She has half a mind to slap him. "Shut up Grayson."
Then their lips are attached again before Dick can come up with anything else to say.
you turn me inside out
Dick had silently taken off after Zatanna and his 'reunion'. She had fallen asleep afterwards, content in his bare arms, and he had waited two hours before not being able to stand it anymore. It felt like something was moving under his skin, like a million different things were poking and screaming.
So with a careful hand and gentle movements he had slipped out from under the blankets, making sure his girlfriend (he could call her that now and he deemed it the best thing in the world) was wrapped tight by the warm blankets before leaning down and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead and taking off.
He was vigilant as he found his clothes around the room and grabbed his grapple gun for quick travel before leaving and making his way out of the cave though the zeta beam. He had winced as it had read out his name in a loud, firm voice; wondering how in the hell it didn't awake anyone nearby. He emerged in an abandoned alleyway filled with trash and stray cats, nose scrunching up at the musky smell that was Star City's dumpsters.
Dick was able to flout the smell and grapple to the roof, making his way across the many rooftops to where his destination rested in the outskirts of the city; the acrobat landing delicately on the ground in a hidden spot out of the view of any wandering guards. Then he approached the heavily guarded metal gate, grabbing his black sunglasses out of his pocket and placing on his face to hide his eyes.
"Hey, who goes there?" Dick scoffed under his breath, silently sniggering at the fact that he was able to make it close enough to the metal gate to touch it before one of the guards finally noticed him. He stopped walking, holding his hands up in peace as the man on the other side of the gate raised his gun so that the flashlight attachment glared in Dick's face.
His heart thumped rapidly in what Dick was going to do next and it killed him inside that this was the only way he could go about such a thing.
But he couldn't risk anyone finding out he was there and after spending undivided hours fanning through Bruce's notes on the new place, he knew that sneaking in and sneaking out wasn't a possibility—that he would have to go in and visit.
The only good news that Dick had found was the fact that any of the League's members were allowed any access to the building and if Dick said the right things and precise codes he would be allowed in with no further questions. It was easy . . . but that didn't lessen the feel of a weight weighing down on his chest.
"No need to shoot me. I'm Jason Todd."
The man didn't lower his gun, walkie-talkie crackling with static from his shoulder as he was sure his 'name' was being input into the database. Dick wasn't worried, he had forged a bunch of fake files on a private server that would allow him in.
The next minute passed in slow, unbreakable tension until the walkie-talkie crunched with sound again.
"Approved."
The man with the gun didn't show that he was entirely convinced even as the gate in front of them slowly started to creak open, Dick leaving his hands up as he stepped back. Even after Dick was on the other side of the gate, the man with the gun didn't show any signs of lowering the weapon. Dick had to keep himself from rolling his eyes as he saw the name Maroon glint off his gold nametag in the moonlight.
"I'm not any threat Maroon,"
"I don't trust that." Dick was impressed at how sturdy Maroon's voice was, how gritty.
"I know the League. Says it right there in my file."
"Still don't trust you."
The younger man couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, one that echoed oddly into the night. It was already bad enough he had to use the name of his dead brother (who might've been alive because he still couldn't shake the thought of the masked man who had saved him) and now this man, Maroon, was just pushing his buttons.
They stared walking down the gravel path, the sound of rocks crunching under their shoes the only other sound in the night until Dick decided to break that silence. It was annoying having the nose of an assault rifle shoved into his back.
"Ask me some security questions then. I know you have specific riddles for each of the Leaguers. I can promise that I know the answers to all of them." The feel of the cool iron slightly lessened and Dick could tell Maroon was busy having an inner war with himself. The thought made Dick chuckle again—trust was too fragile of a thing these days.
"Loss of one thing is the gain of another's."
"Doctor Fate. Code W-E-S-T."
"Mind as sharp—"
"—as an arrow. Green Arrow, code S-P-E-E-D-Y."
"Blue has never been a better color."
"Superman, code K-E-N-T."
"Never late."
"Flash, code I-R-I-S."
"Hero of the knight."
"Batman. Code . . . R-O-B-I-N-S."
They fired question and answer at one another, until the final code left Dick's lips and he felt drained of all energy. Maroon didn't say anything else after the kid in front of him had just listed each code for each Leaguer, finishing with the Dark Knight's.
"Believe me now?" Dick's tone is chipped as they approached the front entrance to the building, Maroon removing the gun from his back and keeping his eyes on the unlocked door.
"Yeah."
The conversation ends there and the lump in Dick's throat only tightens, making him feel like he's losing it. He was at the new prison that had finished being built only a few years before and it was made only for the worst criminals in the world. So far it had ten applicants. Two of them being ghouls from Dick's past—Sportsmaster and Aeron.
He just had to see Aeron and demand an answer for what was crawling around in his bloodstream, he had to know. He wasn't scared of anything—it was the most secure place on the planet excluding the idiotic guards who couldn't see someone standing directly in front of them. Dick exhaled, finally knowing what the pain he felt deep inside was from. Midnight Correctional was a prison you couldn't break out of; a thing with no emotions, just stone cold walls.
But the specialized codes and the people they corresponded with weren't.
They were living beings with feelings. When Dick was staying up all night memorizing the codes, he also understood each one on a personal level—why that certain League member picked it.
Doctor Fate's code was West because deep inside he never forgot about Kurt Nelson, never forgot about Wally and the fire that burned brightly within and the promise.
Speedy was Green Arrow's code as a reminder to never stop searching and to never stop believing.
Superman's code was Kent because it was the last name he shared with Conner, with his son.
Flash's code was his everything, his life beyond the speed force and being a superhero—because Iris was his home.
Robins, Batman's code, was a memoir for every sidekick—every son—that he had, that he has.
They didn't have to worry about real names being connected through any name ID's because no one in the prison cared so in a way a part of each of their hearts were placed in too bitter of a place. Maroon is the guard to lead Dick through a confusing maze of a million doors and his heart leaps in sullen fear when he pulls back ten locks to allow Dick entrance to Aeron's padded room.
"Five minutes."
"Thanks." Dick enters the room slowly and the sound of the door closing behind him is too loud in his ears.
Aeron is seated in the far corner, back facing him. "Can I leave yet Boogey? The food here is atrocious." The taunting manner in which Aeron speaks makes Dick realize that he doesn't know who's in the room with him, the older man not thinking of anything more than his regular guard coming in and dropping off his mush for the day. "Cat got your tongue Boo? Actually no, you don't know what that feels like. I'll have to tell Angel to visit sometime."
Dick swallows, finally gathering the valor to speak. "What did you turn me into?"
Aeron doesn't turn his head, instead laughing lowly. "Ah, Richard. It's been a long time my boy! Killed anyone new recently?" Dick knows the older man is smirking and knows he is just trying to fry his nerves so he pushes past the mocking and asks again.
"I'm not here to talk. I'm here for one answer."
"What I turned you into? Well let's see, that's a long list son—"
"Don't call me that!" Dick's voice rises to a harsh shout, rimmed with hate and hallowed with long-dried-out-tears. Aeron grins at the white wall in front of him.
"How's Wallace doing? I must congratulate you two, you both did outstanding with Allen and Wayne. Things went better than I thought they would."
"What. Did. You. Turn. Me. Into."
The silence is too quiet after five minutes and just as Dick goes to voice his mind Aeron turns his head and the mangled leer sitting there is enough to drive Dick mad. "I turned you into me, son."
"I will never be you."
Then Dick turns to leave, banging on the door three times as a signal to Maroon who doesn't waste time in swinging the door open. "You good?" He questions and Dick would be damned if he actually heard care laced under the older man's words.
"Yeah, get me the hell out of here."
Maroon nods and Dick leaves the room, both hesitating when cleft laughter comes from where Aeron sits. "You already are me son, that feeling of a million things squirming under your skin? That's withdrawal and unless you get another serum in you soon, you'll feel that for the rest of your life. Don't you know my boy? That's what I feel every day, the only difference is that mine isn't artificial. Mine is unending, something I can never escape from. So tell me, hero of the night, what will you do? Live with the feeling of a trillion insects under your skin or recreate the cure?"
Maroon looks from Aeron's back to Dick's face uneasily, brown eyes failing at hiding the anxious look within. Dick barely glances at Maroon, instead exiting the room so that he can close the door behind him.
"I'll survive," he muttered to himself as Maroon said nothing as he directed Dick back down the labyrinth of hallways to the front gate.
my world is upside down
It's too icy.
Too unresponsive.
Those are the first thoughts that enter Wally's mind after he runs to Central City, stopping inches away from his uncle's gravestone. His black jeans are sizzling slightly from the sheer fast rate of which Wally had ran without his suit, and truthfully he thought it was a miracle that his 'Nerds Get All the Girls' tee-shirt hadn't caught fire.
It was midday, the sun impetuous above and white fluffy clouds strewn throughout the glossy sky.
After his confession to Artemis the night before, he had decided it was time to face the demon on his shoulder—time to face the fact that his uncle was in fact dead and not coming back like in some tacky movie. Wally can only stare at the pastel stone, knowing that even though he went there to talk to Barry he just couldn't grasp the words lost in his throat.
Did he mention it was too cold of a place for his uncle to be buried?
Bartholomew Henry Allen
Back in a flash, always.
March 19th, 1976—December 11th, 2020
It's too bland for Uncle Barry, Wally finally thinks, inhaling the tainted air around him.
He suddenly wishes that his uncle's death was faked like theirs (Dick and his graves were removed now, barren spots in a yard of rotten bones) that Barry was just at home with Iris trying out his skills in baking. That he was watching old re-runs of Mythbusters in the living room, muttering remarks under his breath about how he had already figured out a million better way for how to determine that certain myth was false.
Or out in the front yard of the West-Allen residence, mowing the grass with a bare top half that would still cause Iris to blush; Wally hiding his laughter with a faked cough every time a pretty lady jogging down the street would stop to chat with Barry while Iris glowered daggers into that lady's back and fumed silently.
Hell, Wally would give anything to have Barry's collected voice speaking into his ear com steadily as they played a superhero version of the game 'Would You Rather?' while fighting a no-name criminal out on the street.
Wally could still remember the best rounds they had ever had, it had happened back a few years, he was fifteen at the time and the original Young Justice Team had only been assembled for two weeks. The two speedsters were zigzagging around a petrified scrawny kid who had stolen a couple grand from the bank, chatting away casually through the ear comm.
"Would you rather live with Aquaman and the fish or Green Arrow and the arrows?" Barry questioned, hearing his nephew scoff over the line.
"Green Arrow. He might be scarier but you guys are like, best friends so he would take it easy on me. Would you rather piss off Batman or fight against Superman?" The older man actually stopped running to send Wally a horrified glance.
"I'd rather get my ass kicked by Superman! What kind of question is that? First rule of the League, never piss off Bats because you will disappear off the planet or end up ten feet underground someplace."
Wally came to a screeching stop opposite his uncle, the two caging in the fearful teenager. "That's just urban legend, Bats wouldn't actually do any of that."
Barry raised an eyebrow, "You sure about that Kid?"
Wally debated the manner in his head as Barry easily sped towards the teen between them, pushing him to the ground and clicking handcuffs in place before grabbing the backpack full of money. "Well I was, until you told me otherwise."
The backpack landed on the gravel in front of Wally with a soft thump, Barry letting out a loud laugh, Wally knew there was a content twinkle in his uncle's eyes from behind the cowl. His gloved hand came to rest on his nephew's shoulder, "Just don't piss him off by doing something stupid when he assigns you guys' missions. I promise I'll always protect you Kid but if Bats comes after you, you can count me out."
Wally rolled his eyes as the sound of approaching sirens grew closer, "Geez, thanks Flash." His uncle's laughter had rang in his ears as they darted away before the police arrived, onto the next city crime scene.
It took a few extra seconds for Wally to snap himself out of the happy memory, reminding himself of where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. So with a labored breath he placed a hand on Barry's gravestone, squeezing his eyes shut. He had to do this if he wanted to move on. It was the only way.
"Hey Barry," his voice cracked and he wanted to curse himself out already, for being so weak but he powered through anyway, "um, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. Listen, I'm sorry I didn't come to your funeral. That was, that was wrong of me. Mom and Dad gave me hell for it you know?" Wally let out a sullen chortle, tears pricking at the back of his eyes already. "No need to come back and haunt me. Though I don't know, Iris really misses you—I think you should pay her a visit. Don't scare her or anything, just like hug her or something. She misses you a lot Uncle Barry. Bart too."
A breeze of wind floated by, leaf rustling and cool air hitting Wally's face gently.
He just wanted Uncle Barry back.
"I guess we both know that's not what I came here to really talk about. I'm sorry Barry, just God, I'm sorry. I always thought you would live forever, not that you would die from my own hands. I feel so guilty, I feel like you hate me. Artemis has told me otherwise but how can I believe otherwise without you here?"
Another gust of wind followed, "Do you understand Barry? Do you forgive me? Do you love me still, after all the shit I've done to you?"
He finds himself on his knees in front of the gravestone, eyes burning a hole into the carved words of 'flash'.
"I never planned any of this to happen. Getting kidnapped and then coming back to kill you and finding out I had a kid. Artemis tells me you and Bruce always kept a close eye on her and helped her out, so thank you for that. But I don't want you to be dead. I want you to be around to tell me the secret tricks in how to raise a kid. You and Iris basically raised me 'cause my parents didn't do shit."
He exhaled, it was unstable and loud. Too loud.
"I want you to come back Barry. I don't want to believe that you're dead." One tear slips from eye and then another and before long he was crying right then and there.
Wally doesn't hear the burst of air from a few feet away and he doesn't see the flash of red speed away.
you're not hurt, are you happy now
His mind is too crazed. Things are soaring in and out, wings flapping and dinosaurs watching. He's blind as he stumbles to the door, knocking roughly. Through the haze he can see her answer the door, the scared look that follows.
He holds up the sleek pistol in hand, the woman shouting for her husband and holding her hands up.
It takes Raphael five minutes to grab them and drag them to Central City Park.
Cop cars are surrounding him, demands being shouted through microphones. Raphael sends the people gawking around him a foul glare, laughing stridently and feeling the woman in his arms flinch.
The gun presses wildly into the man's head. "You all better listen up or these two will die. I want Nightwing and the Flash here within the hour and if they don't show well . . . Mister and Missus West will cease to exist!"
looking over your shoulder fucking me over
"Are you sure you can handle such a debriefing Richard? I can come down there and do it for you if you want." Dick shakes his head, locking eyes with Clark through the webcam hooked up to the cave's main computer.
"I'll be fine. Wally and I are in charge of this debrief and it needs to be done so we can save Wally's parents. We finally know who Aeron is behind the monster he became and for us to move on it's best for the team to be filled in."
Clark exhaled, still unsure about the entire thing.
He had never been too close to Dick, though Bruce as a mutual friend. He would always leave matters revolving around Dick and the Young Justice Team to Barry or Oliver, considering they were closer to the members within—so this was uncharted waters for the both of them. Sometimes, Clark assumed the only way the Justice League was able to function was because of how they all had one true goal; protecting the world and the only reason that worked was because they all were equals to each other, all managed each other.
But it was the actual friendships, the real friendships, inside that Clark believed kept everything together.
Clark was close to Diana, he felt she understood him nearly as well as the people in his Clark Kent life.
Dinah and Oliver had always shared a special bond outside of the superhero world, which transferred over to the League.
Oliver and Barry were close in real life as the former had helped the speedster through some tough times when he had first started out as a hero, still learning the odds and ends of his newfound powers.
Barry also joked around infinitely with both Green Lanterns, though Clark didn't think their friendship went outside of the League.
Plus, he was the only one who seemed able to break through the massive barrier that was Bruce and they had built a friendship through the passions Barry showed and the ones Bruce hid. None of them ever expected the Dark Knight to have one of his closest friends be a hyperactive speedster—but that was how irony worked, wasn't it?
Clark shook such thoughts out of his head, he didn't want to think of the dead in such a light, even if it was a happy one. It hurt him a lot when Bruce or Barry came to mind, the part that pissed him off the most was the fact that he wasn't there to do anything. He was Superman, Superman, for fuck's sake and had no idea who killed them, no way to save them.
To say the deaths of his two comrades hurt him was an understatement.
"Radio in if you need anything then, Black Canary and Captain Marvel are keeping watch on Hyades to make sure he doesn't do anything drastic while in wait for Wally and you to show up."
"The debrief will take less than ten minutes and then we'll be there. Nightwing o—"
"Richard?" Clark cut him off mid communication, still uncertain about such a situation. Dick could see the older man fidget tentatively through the monitor, face troubled. "I'm . . . sorry about Batman. Bruce was a . . . trusted ally and a great friend." He could see Dick look down at the keyboard for a second, before glancing back at his face through the screen.
"I miss him," he chuckled wryly, "a lot. More than I should."
Clark picked his next words wisely, not wanting to upset the former protégée. "That's understandable. It's a huge loss, one that a lot of us still haven't come to terms with." Dick nodded, eyelids fluttering closed for a moment.
"Richard, I can promise you I will find their killers." Clark was surprised with how fast his eyes shot back open, wide with rough apprehension.
"But we don't know who—"
"I'll find them and I will make sure they spend the rest of their lives behind bars." If Dick wasn't worried before, he was terrified now. One of the powerhouses of the Justice League had just vowed to find his father's murderer, without any idea that he was standing right before him. "Good luck with Hyades Richard, Superman out."
The connection fizzled out just as Wally sped into the room, coming to a stop next to his best friend. "Everyone is going to be here in a minute, you ready for this bud?" Dick exhaled heavily, dragging a hand down his face; cautious to not accidently pull off his domino mask.
"As ready as I ever will be." Wally sent him a sloppy grin but before he could say anything else, everyone started entering the main room.
Artemis and Wally had dropped off Ace in Star City a few hours before with Dinah and Oliver looking over him. They also figured it would be a great distraction for Ollie who was still holed up in the hospital bed—Ace had a great way of taking your mind off things. Dick and Wally moved back towards the computer so that they were front and center in the room and Dick waited until everyone was present before speaking.
"So as all of you know, Wally's parents were taken by Raphael Hyades not even an hour ago and he has sent a message to the world that he wants Wally and me only."
He looked around the room, taking in the nervous faces of his team. Artemis, Bart and Jamie were in a close cluster, faces hard and unwavering. M'gann, Conner and Gar stood on the other side, Conner's lips pulled in a taut frown as they listened warily. Tim, Barbara and Cassie were standing together, the last two with their arms crossed and Tim unintentionally fingering a hole in his cape out of concern. Kaldur and Zatanna were closest to Wally and Dick, listening fixedly.
"I was able to do some of my trademark hacking and I recovered any files revolving around Aeron Hyades. I found out a lot and most of it explains all of the things we didn't know. Though you guys aren't able to come on this mission with us, I still want you guys all on standby in case something go wrong—I want you guys on the coms to help us out. But to do that, you all need to understand who exactly Aeron Hyades is and why his father is seeking revenge."
Wally took over, letting out a dull laugh. "Without further wait, here is the true life of Aeron Hyades, also known as Victory."
Then with a simple thumb on the spacebar of the keyboard, multiple newspaper clippings appeared on screen, followed by a large family picture and too many blacked-out FBI, CIA, and Interpol case files.
this is far from over
"Aeron Victor Hyades, born January 16th, 1979. His age today is forty one." With a few extra clicks on the keyboard from Dick, the black lines faded out and words stood in their place. "As Robin and Wally already know from their past research; Aeron and his parents Eva and Raphael Hyades lived in a low-income apartment complex that caught fire on November 2nd, 1988 when Aeron was nine years old. Now the fire was brushed off as an accidental gas leak in which the town they lived in took full responsibility of."
"But there was a tragedy in that fire," Wally cut in, nodding towards Dick who continued.
"Eva Hyades, Aeron's mother, died from the fire. Reports state that Raphael was faced with a choice on who he could save as he only had time to run back into the building for one. He choose Aeron and that left a long lasting grudge. On top of all of that, there was speculation that the fire wasn't accidental—that it was started by mob boss Marcus Sandon."
Wally took over as Dick brought up a picture of a mangled body, Conner glancing down at Gar to make sure he was fairing okay (which he was, he wasn't a little kid anymore).
"Marcus was known for forcing people who lived in his area to pay him money and Raphael was one of the few looped into that. He didn't pay up one month and Marcus took care of it, by starting the fire. Or at least that's what Dick and I were able to put together." Dick looked grim as he brought up the next topic, still trying to put together the pieces in his mind on how Aeron was able to wipe himself from the system and not get caught for murder.
"On November 3rd, 1995 an unidentifiable body was found on the side of the street across from Aeron's old apartment complex. The body was cut up to pieces and marred in so many ways that it was deformed, impossible to get an ID on."
"Plus they didn't have the technically to do so back then," Wally interrupted, Dick sighing.
"The day before any trace of who Aeron was wiped from the international system. The facts all fit together that he killed the man, considering he would've been sixteen at the time and been physically able to do all things to the body that were done. The body disappeared off the planet after that but bearing in mind the fact that Marcus Sandon wasn't seen since that date I believe Aeron went back for revenge and killed the crime boss."
Wally scoffed, "And that started his obsession."
Artemis sent her boyfriend a worried glimpse, "Obsession?"
Dick nodded his head solemnly, "Obsession. I've found medical files that confirm Aeron having mental issues— he has Morgellons Disease, bipolar disorder and mild schizophrenia. Both are worsened because he is a genius in both science and math areas, Aeron having such a high IQ has made him doubt both diseases for a good part of his life which is why they are so bad now."
"His physical appearance didn't help," Wally noted, Dick turning to the computer and bringing up a picture from two years before.
"Aeron has burns all across his body from the fire, scars from scratching and cutting himself to try and deal with Morgellons Disease and a hideous deformation on his shoulder blade from birth that caused him torment for years. He wanted the cure to fix himself in every single way."
"So to deal with that," Wally muttered, "he became obsessed with finding a cure for himself. Obsessed to make the people who give him these issues and problems 'pay' for it. Starting when he was thirty five; he's traveled around the world kidnapping young adults, ages eighteen to thirty, and mutating their blood to try and create a cure. He did everything to anyone he captured; torture and death the two big things."
Dick shook his head, "He wanted to create a cure that would fix his skin condition and make him powerful, powerful enough to bring revenge on anyone who had ever doubted him or made fun of him."
"But it just gets better from there."
"Yeah," Dick brought up a new picture, one of a gravestone in a desolate field. The words were chipped and weathered heavily but everyone in the room could still make out the name.
Angel Everest Hyades
Brighter than the sun.
—
Bart is the first one to notice it. "Why is there no birth and death dates?" Jamie sends the boy a pained scowl from beside him because he thinks he understands exactly why there aren't any dates. Dick blinks his eyes a few times, as if to try and wipe the fact from his brain.
"Before the fire happened, Eva was pregnant with Aeron's younger sister. Angel. Aeron had gotten mad at his mother for saying no about something and in response he had kicked her in the stomach. In return, Eva miscarried. Aeron's foot had made contact with the little girl's head inside, instantly killing her. The picture on screen is her grave," he finished off dumbly, but how the hell else could he say it? It was horrible what Aeron had gone through and it pissed Dick off to no end that he actually felt bad for everything the sick man had gone through.
Wally picked up Dick's trailed off sentence, "The reason he did all that he did to us was because he was jealous—it was as simple as fucking that." He ended sardonically, Artemis not liking how impassive his voice sounded. "He envied me because I have so much family and rivals Dick because he had gone through something traumatic and yet still built a new one."
That's probably why he had us kill Barry and Bruce, Wally thought gravely as an afterthought.
"Aeron has been killing and leaving a trail of bodies behind for six years with his father's help. Aeron would torture and kill the failures, leaving his father to go and find a spot to bury the bodies." Dick answered, M'gann feeling disgusted. How could someone do such a thing and feel no remorse? She felt bad whenever she burned a batch of cookies.
"Dick did some extra research on Raphael and found that Aeron got all of his issues from his father and not Eva. His father shares the bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. We think Aeron getting captured was the trigger for Raphael going off the edge. He's been hearing Angel's voice in his head for his entire life but it didn't get serious until the trigger, Aeron, was ripped away from him. It only appeared whenever he would bury bodies. But now . . . everything's changed."
The room wad deathly quiet after Wally stopped speaking, no one knowing exactly what to say. Dick headed towards the zeta beam, hands toying with the grapple gun on his belt.
"Man," Wally looked over to see his best friend waiting for him, "come on. We gotta go save your parents."
Wally bobbed his head and followed Dick over to the zeta beam, the motion stirring Artemis and Zatanna in motion as they moved towards the computer. "Your coms are hooked up to the loud speaker for the computer. All of us will be able to hear whatever you guys say and you will be able to hear all of us," Artemis replied, Zatanna tapping a few buttons to make sure they were all hooked up correctly.
Without any other words Dick and Wally entered the zeta beam and vanished, the sound of the computer reading off their names way too garish in the apparently suffocating room.
"Nightwing, B-01. Flash, B-03."
when I get to watch you burn
It takes them two minutes to get to the park and Raphael lets out a booming laugh once he sees the heroes standing in front of him. "Ah, to what do I owe the pleasure boys?" Dick clutched his escrima sticks tight in his gloved hands, Wally literally vibrating from anger next to him.
"Let them go Raphael. It's over."
The cops around them watched warily as the older man let out another laugh, Mary West cringing in his grasp.
"It will never be over Nightwing. My son, he gave you two the world and you repay him by throwing him behind bars?"
"Your son was a monster!" Wally shouted, fingers clenched into fists at his sides.
Raphael locked eyes with the speedster as Rudy West struggled to get out of his grip, "He was immortal."
your time has come now
"I called you here to tell you that Aeron will come back for his revenge. I will be back for my revenge. These two were serve as a reminder for all of the things that could've been."
Then without any warning, he moved the gun and pulled the trigger.
you're gonna get what you deserve
"No!"
Wally's parents scatter, running to their son as he wraps himself in their arms. Dick stares at the dead body of Raphael, a pool of blood around the wound located directly in his forehead. Wally shushes his parents, not wanting them to blow his identity as the cops gently pried them from his hold; his mother's fingers still clutching tightly to his Flash suit before she's guided away.
Dick risks a glance at Wally whose perplexed expression says everything.
Relief flashes between them—relief that it wasn't Wally's parents in Raphael's position.
"Why?" Wally's question is bleak and both know they need to leave before the reporters stop them for questioning.
Dick reaches for his grapple gun, confused as ever. "I guess he just couldn't take the voice anymore. Come on, we have to go."
Wally nodded and zipped away, Dick aiming his grapple gun at the nearest building before he's gone too.
The lifeless eyes of Raphael Hyades seem to stare after the two heroes as they wane.
