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Seven days have passed since Bruce was sent to Stonegate Penitentiary. Stripped from his vigilante identity, forgotten as a hero, remembered as an outlaw, and betrayed by the ones he trusted the most. The one he loved the most has abandoned him too—Dick left. Another great man has fallen victim to the lies of the enemy, but what would Bruce know about that? He is not a hero anymore. Long gone are the days when he was part of the greatest.
This cell is made of old stones, the type of witnesses that remain as timeless judges who remember everyone's wrongdoings. These stones will perdure and remember that here the fall of Bruce Wayne has started.
"You got a visit, Wayne." The guard screams and opens the cell for Bruce to step out. Heavy is the weight of his legs, step by step, moving against the waters of loneliness and regret. Who has come to visit him? There is no one left on Bruce's side.
Following the steps of the guard, Bruce is led to a solitary confinement cell. His pulse races at the fast beat of his heart. "This is not where we received visits." How much Bruce despises the weakness of his voice, caused by sorrow, amplified by dehydration.
The guard taunts him, his shrieks of manic laughter echo the lonely corridor, but his bravado is gone once the door of the solitary confinement cell opens. The man waiting by the threshold of the door has the only smile that could light up Bruce's entire world. His soft blue eyes still evoke innocence and vulnerability. That man, however tall and strong he stands, would always be Bruce's submissive.
"Dick." Bruce's voice is a broken sigh.
"I thought you would be happier to see me... despite the circumstances." Optimism is one of Dick's strengths. No one can paint his skies grey.
Listening to Dick talk—without a fight taking hostage his smile—is a dream come true. Dick tells Bruce about his former employee, Derek Power's plans. "Nothing is at it seems. He might have taken over Wayne Enterprises, but he is walking on a thin line. For starters, he is at odds with the Commissioner... It's Barbara. She took the job. Anyway, Derek is still trying to control Gotham. He has a special paramilitary squad known as the Gotham Terrorist Oppression Unit (GTO) and I... I am the Commander, Bruce."
Bruce would take the misery in Dick's expression as proof that he heard Bruce's heart dropping on the floor. "That man... He took everything from me."
"I know!" Dick screams, taking Bruce's hand with his. "That's why I'm doing this. I will become Power's second hand and I will take him down from the inside. I promise you, Bruce, I promise you that I won't rest one until I get you out of here and I will get you back everything that it's yours.
The dark days trapped in this pigsty place have taken a toll on Bruce, who feels the floor crumbling under his feet, the room spiralling... His whole world as he knew it is gone and his boy, his sweet submissive boy is... gone too.
"I am here. I am here. I am not leaving. I will never leave you, Bruce." Dick clings to him as Bruce becomes weak in his arms. His whole world holds him in a tight embrace while Bruce fades away.
When Bruce wakes up, the hard mattress under his back reminds him of where he is. However, next to him, Dick lies by his side, wearing a sincere smile on his lips, eyes as bright as the Sun.
"Dick." There's a hidden apology in his tone. Only a few times Bruce has allowed himself to be this fragile in Dick's presence. It's such a disgraceful act for the man, who claimed to be Dick's guardian, mentor, and dominant.
"I heard you haven't been sleeping, hardly eating. That must be why you fainted." There's still pride and love in Dick's eyes when he looks at Bruce. It makes Bruce realize that Dick still has a choice, a way out to be free, far from the hardships that Bruce brought upon him. "You don't have to do this. You're still young."
"And I'm not getting any younger, Bruce. I said I would grow old with you and I plan to keep my promise." Dick makes a pause and his expression turn serious. His long fingers touch his neck, slowly unbuttoning the upper buttons of his winter shirt. "I think you should know why, but since you asked me, please never, never forget I'm yours."
The black collar, a symbol of ownership and loyalty, the very first one that Bruce gifted to Dick, rests on Dick's neck. "I promise you Powers will regret the day he took you away from me."
That abysmal pain in Dick's eyes. Oh, Bruce believes in the thirst for cold revenge that Dick preaches. Heads will roll, and blood will be spilt. That's a promise.