(FIC) Madness: Ch. 1 - The City
Taking a breather from all the final's stress, I'm so behind the flist is not even funny! I miss you all! *wishes school would go away*
Haaaappy birthday, jen_in_japan! Dear, I hope you have an amazing day filled with fun and love, I hope we get the chance to celebrate many together :) Your existance makes fandom -nay, the world! a better place, a kinder place, a funner, brighter, most magnificent place. You make every idea, every topic and shared memory shine. You're the visiting Kryptonian to my not-so-gloomy Gotham of fandom. Thanks for everything, kitten! Many happy returns! (also, tomorrow is your birthday in my time zone, so if I were you, I would expect borthday presents then! X)
Fandom: DCU
Title: The City
Series: Madness
Characters: Batman+Superman, Jason Blood
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1000+
Summary: Superman has died in Gotham. Had it happened anywhere else, this wouldn’t be possible. But Gotham takes care of her own.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I would sic them on Miller and there would be blood. That there is no blood is a sign that I don't.
A/N: Rebirth fic, written a while ago, betaed by jen_in_japan and damo_in_japan. But then I edited it extensively to make me happier with it, so really, all mistakes are mine.
The City
It was a vision of madness.
Jason Blood closed his eyes, trying to erase the image that had been branded into his brain.
It shouldn’t be. It couldn’t be. Not him.
He had been so young and eager before. He had been slow to smile and of few words, but his heart had been in the right place. It still was.
When the Kryptonian had come into equation, Jason had known it could only lead to disaster. The magician had left his charge alone for too many years for his opinion to have enough weight to discourage him. Yet, his boy had listened. He had been careful.
Stupid. How careful could one be when falling in love?
He had told him not to get close to the alien. He warned him that only madness would bloom if he followed the Kryptonian.
Bruce had blazed his own path to madness, never needing to follow anyone else’s. Jason should have known there was no tampering with destiny.
No warning could have saved his boy; he had been touched by an entity of power, an entity long forgotten by humans and demons alike. Primal. Obscure.
Gotham had marked Bruce, the Son of the Dark City, like she had marked many before him. Prompting them to greatness, brilliance, forging her own brand of protectors.
Madness. There was madness in the air.
Gotham was silent tonight. Her protector was being consumed by rage.
Magic. Jason tried not to shiver at the surges of power raking his frame, even in the still night. Everything was eerily still, and the alien…
Superman was dead.
His boy had forged his own path to madness, falling in love yet keeping his distance, hurting himself and others, never finding either the way to please his city or his heart. But now, finally, his voice was louder than the City’s. Finally, the city was answering to him, the roles of master and servant reversed. He had protected and nursed her, and now it was her turn to protect him and appease him.
Jason didn’t know what his role was. He didn’t want to know.
“Bruce, stop this. This… you know this isn’t right,” Jason pleaded the Dark Knight. He shone in the night, terrifying, a vision straight from hell.
“No. It stops tonight. No more. No more death. I’ve had it. I’ve had enough,” Bruce said, his voice dark and thunderous. A new wave of magic tore through the silent street.
Others had been present during the terrible fight that had taken the life of the Man of Steel. Had it happened anywhere else, this wouldn’t be happening. But the blood of the alien was seeping to the ground through the streets of Gotham, and Gotham was different. The city responded to the cries of her dwellers, sometimes crying in pain with them, sometimes sending help.
And sometimes, sometimes…
Batman had Superman’s battered body in his arms. He hadn’t released the body since the Kryptonian had fallen from the sky, blue and red and bright in this place of shadows.
Batman’s grief -and Jason could almost taste his grief in the air, like Gotham was grieving with him- and his anger had hit them hard, a wave of unbridled emotions that had knocked the Martian telepath unconscious.
The heroes present for the fight were glued to their spots, unable to move, the city keeping them away from her Knight and his fallen beloved. There was nothing they could do but stare.
The city bent around them, the buildings seeming to retreat, opening the street around the Dark Knight. Shadows had fallen over the spot where the body of the unconscious Doomsday lay. A few minutes ago, a gurgling sound had filled the street and Doomsday had started screaming.
He was silent now. It was impossible to know what had happened in the shadows.
Bruce’s children had flocked around Jason before they were paralyzed, and now looked at him, searching for answers. Why was their mentor’s grief upsetting reality? Why was there magic in the air? What were the creatures in the shadows? Their eyes asked hundreds of questions, but their mouths remained closed, forced to silence.
It seemed like only Jason had been allowed to speak. Gotham was keeping everyone else quiet, allowing her Knight to mourn in peace. “Bruce, please. You hate magic.” Jason cursed himself. His attempts to stop his former protégée felt feeble even to himself. A part of him -the part that had lived in Gotham for the last half of the century, perhaps- felt an excitement he couldn’t deny.
Gotham was alive.
“Magic,” Bruce spat, his voice filled with contempt. Behind him, Jason could feel a Green Lantern force himself to walk closer to them. “Magic is a shortcut. Magic-- magic is cheating. And right now,” Bruce turned to face them, and his eyes weren’t human anymore, they were burning blue stars. “All I need is to cheat death. I’m going to cheat death… and bring him back. To me.”
Jason felt one of the boys by his side unfreeze, and the kid ran towards Bruce like he was possessed. He hadn’t been able to move before, and now he ran. Jason felt his heart plummet; another of Gotham’s Knights was falling into madness.
“Kon!” Robin yelled. “Batman, bring Kon back. Bring him back to me.”
Batman stared down at his Robin and smiled. Jason closed his eyes in defeat. Bruce was going to do it.
“Kon. Yes. And Stephanie. Jay. Enough. I will bring back what’s mine. I’ve had enough.”
Batman began walking towards Jason. Once he was standing in front of him, he entrusted him with the body of the alien, his gloved hand brushing Jason’s. A surge of energy rippled through him at the touch.
Batman turned around again, and walked towards the shadows. He passed the pool of blood and his discarded cowl, and the earth started shaking. A gaping mouth of rock and darkness rose from the street, and the Dark Knight walked into it, fearless, determined.
Insane.
Jason knew Batman would accomplish what he wanted; the man was too stubborn, too tired and lost to accept failure.
But out of the darkness, Bruce would never return. His boy was lost forever.
Over the body of the alien, Jason bowed his head, defeated.
How careful could one be when falling in love?
Haaaappy birthday, jen_in_japan! Dear, I hope you have an amazing day filled with fun and love, I hope we get the chance to celebrate many together :) Your existance makes fandom -nay, the world! a better place, a kinder place, a funner, brighter, most magnificent place. You make every idea, every topic and shared memory shine. You're the visiting Kryptonian to my not-so-gloomy Gotham of fandom. Thanks for everything, kitten! Many happy returns! (also, tomorrow is your birthday in my time zone, so if I were you, I would expect borthday presents then! X)
Fandom: DCU
Title: The City
Series: Madness
Characters: Batman+Superman, Jason Blood
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1000+
Summary: Superman has died in Gotham. Had it happened anywhere else, this wouldn’t be possible. But Gotham takes care of her own.
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I would sic them on Miller and there would be blood. That there is no blood is a sign that I don't.
A/N: Rebirth fic, written a while ago, betaed by jen_in_japan and damo_in_japan. But then I edited it extensively to make me happier with it, so really, all mistakes are mine.
The City
It was a vision of madness.
Jason Blood closed his eyes, trying to erase the image that had been branded into his brain.
It shouldn’t be. It couldn’t be. Not him.
He had been so young and eager before. He had been slow to smile and of few words, but his heart had been in the right place. It still was.
When the Kryptonian had come into equation, Jason had known it could only lead to disaster. The magician had left his charge alone for too many years for his opinion to have enough weight to discourage him. Yet, his boy had listened. He had been careful.
Stupid. How careful could one be when falling in love?
He had told him not to get close to the alien. He warned him that only madness would bloom if he followed the Kryptonian.
Bruce had blazed his own path to madness, never needing to follow anyone else’s. Jason should have known there was no tampering with destiny.
No warning could have saved his boy; he had been touched by an entity of power, an entity long forgotten by humans and demons alike. Primal. Obscure.
Gotham had marked Bruce, the Son of the Dark City, like she had marked many before him. Prompting them to greatness, brilliance, forging her own brand of protectors.
Madness. There was madness in the air.
Gotham was silent tonight. Her protector was being consumed by rage.
Magic. Jason tried not to shiver at the surges of power raking his frame, even in the still night. Everything was eerily still, and the alien…
Superman was dead.
His boy had forged his own path to madness, falling in love yet keeping his distance, hurting himself and others, never finding either the way to please his city or his heart. But now, finally, his voice was louder than the City’s. Finally, the city was answering to him, the roles of master and servant reversed. He had protected and nursed her, and now it was her turn to protect him and appease him.
Jason didn’t know what his role was. He didn’t want to know.
“Bruce, stop this. This… you know this isn’t right,” Jason pleaded the Dark Knight. He shone in the night, terrifying, a vision straight from hell.
“No. It stops tonight. No more. No more death. I’ve had it. I’ve had enough,” Bruce said, his voice dark and thunderous. A new wave of magic tore through the silent street.
Others had been present during the terrible fight that had taken the life of the Man of Steel. Had it happened anywhere else, this wouldn’t be happening. But the blood of the alien was seeping to the ground through the streets of Gotham, and Gotham was different. The city responded to the cries of her dwellers, sometimes crying in pain with them, sometimes sending help.
And sometimes, sometimes…
Batman had Superman’s battered body in his arms. He hadn’t released the body since the Kryptonian had fallen from the sky, blue and red and bright in this place of shadows.
Batman’s grief -and Jason could almost taste his grief in the air, like Gotham was grieving with him- and his anger had hit them hard, a wave of unbridled emotions that had knocked the Martian telepath unconscious.
The heroes present for the fight were glued to their spots, unable to move, the city keeping them away from her Knight and his fallen beloved. There was nothing they could do but stare.
The city bent around them, the buildings seeming to retreat, opening the street around the Dark Knight. Shadows had fallen over the spot where the body of the unconscious Doomsday lay. A few minutes ago, a gurgling sound had filled the street and Doomsday had started screaming.
He was silent now. It was impossible to know what had happened in the shadows.
Bruce’s children had flocked around Jason before they were paralyzed, and now looked at him, searching for answers. Why was their mentor’s grief upsetting reality? Why was there magic in the air? What were the creatures in the shadows? Their eyes asked hundreds of questions, but their mouths remained closed, forced to silence.
It seemed like only Jason had been allowed to speak. Gotham was keeping everyone else quiet, allowing her Knight to mourn in peace. “Bruce, please. You hate magic.” Jason cursed himself. His attempts to stop his former protégée felt feeble even to himself. A part of him -the part that had lived in Gotham for the last half of the century, perhaps- felt an excitement he couldn’t deny.
Gotham was alive.
“Magic,” Bruce spat, his voice filled with contempt. Behind him, Jason could feel a Green Lantern force himself to walk closer to them. “Magic is a shortcut. Magic-- magic is cheating. And right now,” Bruce turned to face them, and his eyes weren’t human anymore, they were burning blue stars. “All I need is to cheat death. I’m going to cheat death… and bring him back. To me.”
Jason felt one of the boys by his side unfreeze, and the kid ran towards Bruce like he was possessed. He hadn’t been able to move before, and now he ran. Jason felt his heart plummet; another of Gotham’s Knights was falling into madness.
“Kon!” Robin yelled. “Batman, bring Kon back. Bring him back to me.”
Batman stared down at his Robin and smiled. Jason closed his eyes in defeat. Bruce was going to do it.
“Kon. Yes. And Stephanie. Jay. Enough. I will bring back what’s mine. I’ve had enough.”
Batman began walking towards Jason. Once he was standing in front of him, he entrusted him with the body of the alien, his gloved hand brushing Jason’s. A surge of energy rippled through him at the touch.
Batman turned around again, and walked towards the shadows. He passed the pool of blood and his discarded cowl, and the earth started shaking. A gaping mouth of rock and darkness rose from the street, and the Dark Knight walked into it, fearless, determined.
Insane.
Jason knew Batman would accomplish what he wanted; the man was too stubborn, too tired and lost to accept failure.
But out of the darkness, Bruce would never return. His boy was lost forever.
Over the body of the alien, Jason bowed his head, defeated.
How careful could one be when falling in love?