Chapter Text
The breezy, crisp air of a shadowy April night was accompanied by the sound of crunching leaves and speeding vehicles as Batman rushed down the roads out to a distant warehouse in Sarajevo. Inside the warehouse, Batman's sidekick Robin, also known as billionaire Bruce Wayne's ward Jason Todd, was in grave danger and facing potentially fatal peril.
”HeheheHhahahHAHAHAHAAAAHAAHAHAHAHAAAA. Haha I do have to have to admit, this is kind of fun, kiddo! I hold rehearsals, you come in, and we do our parts! Perhaps we should put this on Broadway, heheehHhahahahHAHAHA!" The Joker laughed his terrifyingly sick laugh, gripping a crowbar in his gloved hands.
While Joker did his spiel, Jason lied on the cold hard ground, praying that his mentor would show up to save him, but until then, he knew he had to stay strong and fight back with what little strength he had left.
Batman, speeding through the cold along the gravel roads, was cursing the Joker in every way he could under his breath, swearing he'd never let his little bird get in the hands of a psychotic murderous sociopath ever again.
"Nawww, that looked like it really hurt, kiddo." Joker smiled sinisterly "So, why don't we try this?" Joker smiled even wider as metal hit skin once more and a sickening crack filled the room.
"Hoah, now hold on, that looked like it hurt a lot more, son. So let's try to clear this up, ok, pumpkin pie? What hurts more, A, or B? Forehand, or backhand?"
Robin tried to speak, but what came out was mere gasps off air.
”Heheh what was that, lil Jayjay? I think you may have a collapsed lung, that always impedes the oratory." Joker chuckled as he knelt down to Robin and ruffled the young vigilante's hair.
Robins only response was to spit blood into the jokers face smugly. To this, Joker griped Robins hair roughly in his hand, reefed his head back, and shoved Robins face into the hard, cold, cement floor, causing a sickening crack to fill the room as blood almost instantly started to spill from the young sidekicks nose.
“Now that was just plain rude. The first brat blunder at least had a set of manners, kid." Joker seethed as he pulled out a cloth to wipe the blood off his chin.
To this, Robin shifted his head, and did nothing more than smirk challengingly at his captor.
”Tt. Perhaps I'll have to teach a lesson so you can be more like him, perhaps then people would like you more, tweety-bird." Joker monologued with a scoff, seeming to do nothing but bore the young bird in his clutches, as Robin simply rolled his eyes and kept smirking.
"Mm. Nah. I'm just going to keep beating you with this crowbar, and see how that works out, Jayjay, whadduhay say?" Joker decided as he burst into a fit of sickening, insane laughter.
Joker put his foot on Robins shoulder, shoving it toward the floor as the boy was on an angle with his hands being cuffed behind him. All the while Joker kept laughing his terrifying laugh as the sound of metal hitting skin filled the room once more followed by inevitable cries of pain.
Batman was closing in on the warehouse, desperate to save his young protege. He wasn’t willing to lose his family twice, he couldn’t bear that pain, and he wouldn’t be able to tell his eldest, Nightwing about how he failed to save his little brother.
Joker shoved Robin aside into the Shadows, near the back of the room and started walking towards the door, shrugging his coat on.
”Ok kiddo, I gotta go. It’s been fun though right?” Joker smirked sinisterly as he turned to look at the boy wonder.
”When he got no response he continued.
”Well, maybe a smidge more fun for me then you, I’m just guessing since your being awful quiet. I hope your not ignoring me over there, that’s awfully rude.” Joker opened the warehouse door and stepped outside into the cool April breeze.
“Anywho, be a good little boy, stay in school, dont forget to do your homework, and be in bed by nine and listen to your old grumpy bat. And hey! Please tell the big man I said.... hello.” Joker said as he burst into spine chilling laughter making the young bird cringe.
The door closed and Jason sighed in relief. Jason roled onto his back, though that proved difficult with the pain he was in, tossed his knees over his head and roled backward so he was in a kneeling position and slid his hands down toward his feet, threading them through the handcuffs so he had his hands in front of him, rather than behind. He pushed himself up off the ground and willed himself to stand though he had hunchced over, his head hanging. He slowly raised his head and looked at the door, realizing he was on the opposite side of the room. Jason tried to take a step to walk toward the door, but as soon as he had moved his leg, he collapsed on the ground and was back to where he started. Realizing he was too weak to stand and walk, he sighed softly, and resorted to pulling himself across the room, leaving streaks of blood from his wounds in his wake.
Bruce pulled up to the bottom of a small hill, and jumped off his bike, letting it fall to the ground as he ran up the hill as fast as he could. Robin pulled himself over to the bottom of the door and reached for the handle. He tugged at it in hopes that the door would swing open, but whimpered desperately when the locked door didn’t budge. He got a firm grip on the doorknob and pulled himself up and shifted to rest his back against the cool door. He clutched his ribs as pain seared all through his body and rested the back of his head against the door. Robin closed his eyes and focused on his laboured and hitched breathing, though breathing was proven somewhat difficult with his damaged lung, until he heard a rythmic beeping in the background and let his eyes dart around the room, looking for the source of the noise. His eyes widened with fear when he noticed a bomb tucked up against the wall to his left, slowly and agonizingly counting down.
8
7
Batman neared the very top of the hill, hed make it in time.
5
4
Jason managed to Will himself to speak, knowing he woudnt make it out alive, and whispered “I’m sorry Bruce...” as tears welled up in his eyes.
3
Batman got the the top and started to run towards the door.
2
Bruce reached for the door knob
0
Bruce yelled out in shock as he was blasted back and his body hit the ground that was now covered in ashes.
”No! I can’t be to late! Jason!” Was the thought that kept circling Batman’s mind as he shoved wall panels and rubble aside looking for his partner and son. Batman moved one last wall panel and gasped at the limp body on the ground.
”No......”
Batman sunk to his knees and picked up the body bridal style.
”...Jason...”
Batman could feel the tears in his eyes and didn’t bother to try and hold them back. This was his son. How was he going to tell Dick? Or Alfred? Both boys had been like grandchildren to the old man that cared so much for them.
Bruce sat there a few more minuets before standing up and calling Alfred to Remote pilot the bike back to the cave and send the Batwing. Batman walked down the hill and set his bird carefully on the ground and examined him. That’s when he noticed a little piece of paper tucked into Jason’s cape at the collar. He tenderly took it out and unfolded it. It read
”Jokes on you Batsy! I hope you enjoy explaining this to the first brat! Hahaha!” In barely decipherable writing that was unmistakably the Jokers.
“You’ll pay for this Joker. I swear it!” Bruce scowled as he clenched the paper in his fists.