#jason is so tall because he's filled with pettiness

[kal-derash]

I hear your Bruce as Brucie Wayne traumatizing the Justice League, and I raise you a resurrected Jason Todd, creating his own Brucie/Richie Wayne personality at galas and using it to punish his family for making him attend.

Bruce, Tim, Dick, and Damian have to watch Jason 'Crime Alley Born and Raised, Built Like a Tank' Todd giggle at some joke a socialite made and Barbara being an agent of chaos does her best to keep Jason talking like that. Does it irritate Jason to play dumb? Yes, but making his family suffer makes it worth it.

[gilbirda]

The Impostor

For DPxDC Week!

Day 2: Mistaken Identity.

[Read on AO3]

---

Finally, finally, she managed to convince Jason to take his damn medicines and lie down, his quiet snores slowly filling his bedroom. He looked so peaceful as he slept, one cheek pressed against the pillow and one hand reaching out to her - she had promised to stay at his side as he slept and took his hand to comfort him while the fever was still going down.

But he had eaten, his injuries were taken care of, no sign of infection and his temperature was fine. He just needed to sleep it off-

His phone started vibrating, startling her. She glanced at Jason since he was a light sleeper, but apparently the fever and the painkillers knocked him out enough to be dead (ha) to the world.

She checked the phone, not knowing who the caller was. Could be important, could be from his vigilante work. She picked it up.

“Boss!! We have a situation!” There were explosions in the background, and gunshots. “It’s an ambush! Argh-!”

The call disconnected.

Soon, the phone started receiving multiple messages - goons asking for help, details about the ambush from a gang that was trying to make Gotham their territory and had been harassing Jason and his people for a while, reports of injuries and losses.

This couldn’t wait, these people needed help from their boss. They didn’t know he had infiltrated the enemy base a few days ago and was still recovering. They didn’t know he couldn’t answer the call.

People were dying. People were going to die. If Jason didn’t do anything, they were going to lose.

But she couldn’t lose her boyfriend.

Not when they were doing so good after learning each other’s secrets. It had been rocky at first, discovering there were big parts of their lives they had been hiding; but in the end they discovered their love for each other was stronger than the hurt and decided to stay together. Their relationship was strong now, stronger than before.

Enough for her to know that Jason wouldn’t want her to reach the Bats for help.

The decision, in the end, wasn’t that difficult.

Jazz had helped Danny and the others fight ghosts since forever and she only stopped when she moved to Gotham for her new job. She was trained and was very resilient, she was liminal, and she knew enough about Red Hood’s patterns and modus operandi to make a decent imitation.

She also had inside information he had shared with her about this petty war with the new gang. Jazz knew who they were, where was their base of operations, who she had to take care of to make the war end. It shouldn’t be hard - Jason left them very weak after his assault a few days prior, and with the ambush to Red Hood’s base, they probably left their weak spots open to attacks.

She could do it. No sweat.

The only thing left to check was if his suit actually fit her. She was tall, an inch or two taller than Jason; but she wasn’t as big and muscular as him.

Only one way to know, she guessed.

Quietly and carefully, she fetched everything she would need from his room and started working on trying it on. She had helped put on (and take off, she thought with a slight blush) the suit enough times to know what to do.

It fit. Surprisingly, it fit too well. Who knew they were the same size? Kinda. In the shoulders part it was a bit too loose, especially the jacket, but nothing too obvious. Also the reinforced chest piece was firm enough that it masked her breasts if you didn’t look too closely.

Now, what to do with her hair…

An idea! It would have to do because she was in a hurry, but she had some wig caps from the last Halloween party - she went as Morticia Addams and had to wear that stuffy black wig for the whole night. It was worth it, but still.

Hair secured and gear in place, she checked that the weapons were all ready and strapped them on the holsters. Just in case, she also hid her retractable bo staff in the jacket.

Now, time to fake it till you make it.

***

Jason woke up with a start. What had woken him up? Why was he asleep? He remembered Jazz trying to make him eat some bland porridge stuff she made for him and then fighting her when she insisted he slept-

He really fell asleep, huh.

There was a buzzing sound in his bedroom, which was what woke him up. His phone.

Who the fuck was calling?

Rubbing the sleep away, he quickly went to check and maybe scream and whoever had the guts to wake him up at whatever time in the morning it was.

It was his older brother.

“What-”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Jason blinked slowly. He hadn’t done anything that deserved this reaction, not recently at least.

“Going after the Chiefs like that? Are you crazy?”

Huh. He did go after them a few days ago, he was still dealing with the fallout of a bad escape attempt, but nothing recent.

“What are you talking about? I’m at home right now.”

There was silence from the other end of the call.

“Check the news.”

Jason walked to his living room TV and turned it on, changing to the news channel and finding-

His eyebrows went to his hairline. Indeed, there was a live report in front of what Jason recognized as the Chief’s home base, where a live shootout was going on. Just as the reporter was trying to give a recap, there was an explosion in the background and the building kind of crumbled down on its own.

From the flames a figure emerged. One he was used to seeing in the mirror.

“What the fuck-”

Red Hood, in the flesh, grappling away from the destroyed base with a body tightly tucked under one arm. The impostor landed with a thud next to the reporter lady and nodded at her, dropping the unconscious body of the leader of the Chiefs and kicking him to make him roll to her feet. The man was beaten, gagged and tied up, watching with wide eyes at the impostor towering over him.

“And don’t even think about selling drugs to kids again.” The impostor said, the modulator masking anything about their own voice.

Jason narrowed his eyes, ignoring Dick’s screams from his phone about rushing into things and being reckless. There was something familiar about the other Hood, the way they held themself and were trying hard to imitate him in a way that would fool the untrained eye.

Other Hood did a salute at the camera and grappled away. The news channel switched back to the station as the anchors started discussing Red Hood’s latest antics. Jason switched off the TV.

“ - can’t believe this. Do you know-”

“That isn’t me, Dickolas.”

“Then tell me who the fuck desses up as you? Even better, who would steal a spare suit and impersonate you-”

“I don’t have spares. Just spare helmets. My spare was too fucked up to even think about repairs.”

Jason rushed back to his room, opening his drawers and checking that, indeed, his stuff was gone.

There were few people who had access to his apartment, even less who could enter his bedroom. And only one who knew him intimately enough to copy him this well.

The living room window carefully opened, the intruder quietly stepping into the room with a heavy sigh.

“Stuffy���” He heard his girlfriend’s voice, confirming his theory.

He hung up on Dick without warning and walked out of the bedroom, finding Jazz shaking her hair, red helmet in one hand and still wearing his suit. There were soot and scorch marks in the brown jacket, a gash on her leg that was already healing and one glove was stained red with blood.

Jazz stopped combing her hair and finally turned around, freezing when she saw him standing there watching her.

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Finally, she opened her mouth.

“I can explain.”

He lifted an eyebrow, eyes roaming her body and taking note of how it fit her so well. The only thing that could give away the deceit was her boobs, which he usually sang his praises about and loved to rest his head on, but were very noticeable now on her chest.

“Nice outfit.”

She blushed. “You aren’t mad?”

“No. I do have questions, though.” He licked his lips, doing another sweep. “And I’m kind of into this to be honest.”

Her blush got worse, she looked away. “I… There was an emergency and you needed to rest-”

“Okay.”

She looked back at him. “Okay?” Jazz tilted her head, confused.

His phone started vibrating again. It was Dick, probably to scream at him again, so he declined the call and threw his phone to the sofa, not caring if it landed in the cushions or not. His eyes were fixed on his girlfriend fiddling with the gloves, watching him, her lower lip between her teeth.

He needed to kiss her.

Fuck it.

He could blame it on the fever, maybe.

Jason made a run for it and jumped into her arms, circling his legs around her waist, grabbing her head and kissing her right on the lips. She laughed into the kiss, but responded accordingly, her hands under his butt and holding him secure against her body. God, she was so beautiful and strong and amazing-

“I think I see the appeal now.”

Her eyes shined with mischief. “Of what?”

“Everything. I want to rip the suit off you and eat you whole.”

She giggled again, kissing him softly on the lips.

---

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[aliasimagines]

First Time Visitor // Jason Todd

requested by @im-hqlover

The reader goes to the Wayne manor for the first time.

a/n: i have no idea if the title makes any sense. hope you like it ❤️

word count: 925

You held on to Jason's hand as your life depended on it as the two of you walked into the manor. He turned of the beeping alarm and locked the door.

Looking around you gasped. Holy hell, this place is beautiful. And you're only in the hallway yet.

Jason noticed this and honestly he still felt this even if he leaved here for years. Chuckling he took off his shoes.

"Wait till you see the rest"

With him leading theway the two of you walk further into the manor. Everything looks so fancy and expensive. Before you can stop yourself you speak:

"I can't imagine living here!"

Jason raises an eyebrow at you.

"I mean I can imagine it, sure but think about the disaster! Everything looks so breakable and you know how clumsy I can get." you ramble nervously. "I am so afraid that I will just break something and than Bruce will hate me and than we can't be together and.."

Jason interrupted with his laugh. He cupped your face.

"Baby, don't worry, 'kay? Bruce will not hate you. Even if you break something."

"Thanks, that's.. Kinda reassuring."

"You're welcome. Now come on I wanna show you something in my room."

"That's what he said..." you said causing Jason to chuckle, again. Soon you found yourself in front of a wall twice as tall as you filled with only bookshelf and many, many books.

"Oh, my, god." you squeaked excitedly. "This is incredible! You have an own little library! The heck! I am in love. Good luck trying to remove me from here, this is where I live now."

Jasom put an arm around you with a smile.

"I told you so. And for the contrary, I wouldn't mind you staying here."

Normally buy now your face would have heated up but right now you were too focused on gazing at the books and reading their titles. He gestured forward.

"Feel free to get your hands on them, doll. They don't bite."

For the next couple minutes (hour) you looked around, and talked about his books.

"Can I borrow this?" you ask holding up a book you wanted to read for a while.

"Sure. Anything you want. Okay maybe not my Shakespeares. We are not there yet." he said.

"Oh..."

"I'm just kidding. You can borrow those too..." he said forcing a smile. You laughed at him.

"Thanks Jay, that's super kind of you."

He smirked shifting closer to you.

"Yeah, I know..."

You looked at him, biting your lower lip.

"Is there any way I can thank you, my dear?"

"Well..." Jason leaned closer, and now you were only a few centimeters apart when with a sudden scream the alarm went off. You jumped slightly and you heard Jason mutter some swear words under his breath.

"Bruce and Alfred must have arrived." he said eventually standing up and straightening his shirt. Suddenly all your forgotten anxiety came back. Luckily Jason notices this and takes the book out of your hand and puts it on his bed. Now he takes your hands in his and looks at you.

" Hey, it's okay. They will love you. Okay, Bruce can be a little... Too much? He'll probably ask some questions, and give you the 'if you hurt my son' speech- and I know this fir a fact because I heard him practicing in front of the computer at 4 am... But it will be fine. And if you feel uncomfortable we can always come back to my room, alright?"

You nodded. Jason and you walked down, never letting go of each other's hand. Arriving downstairs where Bruce already sat at the huge dining table.

" Ay, Bruce! How was your flight? "

"Quiet. I didn't hear your puns for two days."

"Well, I, petty you." Jason responds laughing. Bruce stands up quickly hugs his ward.

"Hi Jason." letting go, he steps back and looks at you as he just acknowledged your presence in the room. "And you must be Y/N, right?"

Shaking a little you noded.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you Mr. Wayne."

"Oh please, Bruce is just fine."

At this moment a really annoyed looking Alfred comes in at puts a plate on the table where Bruce sat a few moments ago.

"Ohhh, thanks Alfred!" the man said.

"Well. Have a good apatite eating your.. Take out, sir." Alfred said with slight disgust. He turned towards the two of you. "It is a pleasure finally meeting you Miss Y/N. Master Bruce was bold enough to buy the two of you some food too. Would you like me to reheat them?"

"Yes, thank you Alfred, that would be great." said Jason laughing a little when he heard the butler whisper to himself about how cheap fast food was not even food. Soon all three of you sat at the table, Jason between you and Bruce, and ate. You talked, Bruce indeed did ask a few questions but they were like 'What's your favorite subject at school; favorite activities ect.'. He just wanted to get to know the person who was dating his son really. And you couldn't blame him for that. You also got the 'break my son's heart and I'll make your life miserable but otherwise we are cool and I'm glad you make him happy' speech too. Later you went back to Jay's room to play some video games (strictly with an open door, Bruce was clear about that.) And over all your first time at the manor was really good.

[winterwolf0916]

How the BatBoys met you.

There are many ways how they met you or even first words. I'll give a few places and dialogues here and there. So enjoy~ also a bit of a warning, my writing might seem horrible. Anywho, here ya go.

Dick

You both met while you were on the roof tops eating your cereal and gazing at the beautiful city lights since you felt bored and cramped in your apartment. Dick thought you were about to jump off considering the fact you were on the very edge of building and it was really dark so he couldn't see the utensil in your grasp or the bowl. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and pulled you back. Your cereal fell in the depths of the city.

Y/n: WHAT THE HELL?!

Dick: what the hell? WHAT THE HELL?! You were about to jump to your death! A simple thank you would be nice for saving your skin!

Y/n: jumping off?...to my death?...

Dick:...wasn't that what you were going to do?

Y/n: Dropping my CEREAL TO DEATH IS WHAT YOU DID!

Dick:... Woooops...

Dick: I can make it up to you...

Y/n: that is?

Dick: I'll bring cereal and we'll talk.

Y/n:...fine... But bring f/c! If not cancel the meeting!

Dick: yes ma'am.

2. You were one of the new recruits in the GCPD. Once you walked in and you were introduced to the other officers. Dick's heart couldn't be calmed, it was beating rapidly, and his hands became sweaty once he first saw you.

Random officer: and this is officer Richard Grayson.

Y/n: hello~

Dick:....

Random officer: *whispers to Dick* Dick! Introduce yourself to the new recruit. She ain't gonna bite.

Dick: *secretly wipes hand on pants and extends a hand to you.* H-hi name's Richard Grayson.

Random officer: *facepalm*

Y/n: *giggles* I know that.

Dick: you do?! Oh right...You don't have to call me officer Grayson. My friends call me Dick-I-I mean you can call me Dick.

Y/n: *shakes Dick's hand* haha. Name’s Y/n L/n, Dick.

Let's just say you both were assigned for a steak out for petty crooks. You both enjoyed talking in the car and became friends right away. You both caught the crooks and he offered to buy you some donuts after. ;)

Jason

At the bar. Basically Jason just came to drink his problems away. And you came because Riddler's Henchmen we're doing a weapon trading in the building. His eyes caught your figure and his heart started to beat faster. You sat on the stools and he scooted next to you. You were looking through your phone boredly and he finally spoke.

Jason: Want a drink?

Y/n:*keeps looking through phone*

He thought you were one of those girls that are hard to get so he decides to flirt.

Jason: Hello there~ care for a drink?

Y/n:*keeps ignoring but actually heard him. Though he was just a drunk pervert.*

Jason: Hey, do you-*places hand on shoulder and shakes you a little*

You took alarm that someone was touching you. You flipped him on the table that sent splinters to fly. He groaned loudly then he opened his eyes. You held your breath of how gorgeous his eyes are. 

Y/n: Oh! Sorry sir-I didn't I thought you were- I thought you were drunk.

Jason: Its fine hehe. Nice reflexes. 

Y/n: Thank you.

Later on you both spent time together in the bar talking. You quickly excused yourself to the bathroom and you changed to your suit. Right when you were about to take down Riddler’s men guess who came to the party to stop him as well. Red Bucket-I mean Red Hood. You both teamed up and took them down. You both shared your identities and bought a drink for each other.

2. He was driving around in Gotham after a heated argument with Bruce. And surprisingly maneuvering his motorcycle calms him down. Along with small stunts. He stopped on a red light and a deep breath remembering the arguments and yelling. His eyes wandered to the buildings but stopped at a coffee shop. You were sitting on a chair in nicely and comfortable attire while typing on your computer. His eyes never left your figure and his mouth was slightly open. The way how your h/c locks is naturally resting on your head. Your face lighting up when your beverage arrived. And he’s not forgetting how gorgeous your eyes look. He’s been staring for quite a while that he forgot the light turned green and cars honked behind him to move. He shook his head and drove forward but stopped by another red light.

Should he go back? What kind of beautiful woman is doing in a dangerous city like Gotham? He wanted to know more about you. He took a turn and entered the parking lot trying to find you. His heart dropped that the seat you were sitting in, was empty. Was he hallucinating? Or did she actually left? He lost hope and drove full speed to the exit. But you came out of the coffee shop and strolled to the middle of the street where he was about to leave. Right when you heard the engine you gazed at the driver and Jason gazed back at you. He took alarm that you were there and turned sharply. The wheels of his bike squeaked on the pavement and his motorbike was turned to the side and rolled into a wall of the coffee shop along tumbling onto chairs and tables. 

You took alarm and ran to him to see if he was ok. Customers came out of the shop and helped by moving the chairs and tables off of Jason. His bike was crushing his leg. The customers lifted it up while you and another person dragged him away. He was heavy. As you took off his helmet, you couldn't stop staring at his jawline and raven hair that matted his head. As he caught your eyes you snap out of your trance and scanned his figre to see if he had any other injuries.

Y/N: Are you alright?!

Jason: *stares at your eyes with a dreamy look* I am now.

Tim

There was an attack in the city. And a car was flying right at your direction. You shut your eyes shut and braced yourself for the impact but instead of a hard and crushing moment, a strong arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you fast. The sound of the car crashing onto the pavement made your eyes flicker. As you gazed at the broken vehicle that was about to end your life, your eyes travels to your hero. Red Robin (yum!)

Tim: are you alright?

Y/n: *wraps arms around him tightly for an embrace and squeeze your eyes shut.*

Tim: o-oh...u-uh...

You can hear his heartbeat rising that might explode in his chest. You couldn't help but squeeze tighter. He saved you. An innocent citizen about to be killed. Even thought he saved others in the past, you felt amazed and relived that some people wanted you alive. He hugged you back even though he didn't know what else to do. And you smiled a little of how pleasing it is for the hero giving a your welcome gesture. Dick noticed about the mini scene but he knows that they need to get back to work by defeating the villain thrashing around in the city.

Dick: Red Robin this guy ain't gonna stop for your romanticism. Were gonna need help. You can get back to your girlfriend once we're done.

Tim: *runs after Dick* SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!

2. You were a new member to the Young Justice. You’re powers are telequinesis and your name goes by s/n (superhero name). When Tim first saw you, he couldn't stop staring and his expression soften and yet astonished of you.

Y/n: hi I'm-

Tim: y/n...

Y/n: you know me?

Tim: w-w-what...o-oh nono it's just I already k-know your name but we haven't met.

Y/n:...what?

Tim: OH! I didn't meant to make that sound creepy it's just I saw you on the computer- NOT that I was stalking-I would never stalk- it just says the files about you-I'll stop talking.

Y/n: no please. You seem very interesting.

Tim: I-I-I d-do? Sorry let me restart*clears throat* I'm Tim Drake AKA Red Robin *extends hand*

Y/n: *shakes it* nice to meet you*smiles*

Tim:*chokes on his own spit because your smile is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen*

Y/n: are you ok?!

Tim:...yep..

The whole team laughed at Tim of how he is dealing his first impression meet you. As you were introduced to Tim, you couldn't help but your powers acted by itself since you couldn't control it, Tim was lifted off of the ground.

Tim: what is HAPPENING?!

Y/n: oh my Lord! IM SO SORRY ITS MY POWERS I CANT CONTROL IT!

Tim: what are you talking about? This is awesome! I can fly!

Y/n: oh er um... Thank you :')

And that moment on you both became friends or should I say have a crush towards each other.

Damian

1.) You were captured at a age 5 to the League of shadows along with other children. Ra’s Al Ghul and Talia Al Ghul had a project of making you and the children great followers and guards of Damian Al Ghul as he gets older. At age 10, after a long day of training, Talia knew it was time for you and the other children to meet Damian, so the bonds would be stronger with him. The children surrounded Damian greeting themselves to him, but you didn't take much interest of meeting with him so you snuck at the roof. Another figure snuck there and notice your presence.

Damian: Tt. Are you thinking of taking my place here? Get off of this rooftop or I’ll say a word to my mother about you.

Y/n: *stands up to face him* Who are you? Unlike you I have been at this top longer.

Damian: Do you not know? Damian Al Ghul. Grandson of the Demon’s Head. And I order you to leave.

Y/n: Oooh I’m so scared. *waving hands in the air* Are you going to blast your demonic powers at me?

He snarled. He challenged you to a fight of who would get the rooftop. Surprisingly it ended up with you both laying on your backs taking deep breaths.

Damian: You...fought...well.

Y/n: Hehe learned it...from Talia...

Damian: What...is your name?

Y/n: you’re going to tell your...mommy aren't you?

Damian: No. We both lost and won, therefore we are going to have to share this.

Y/n: Y/n L/n

Damian: what a beautiful name-I mean- its sounds decent.

you laughed. That's when you both became best of friends.

2.) You were a villain. v/n (villain name) is what they called you. One night you were thieving for jewelry. Two large bag sacks filled with diamonds, gold, and silver. You were about to take your leave until-

Damian: leaving so soon?

Y/n: If it isn't the Boy Wonder I kept hearing in the streets. You look shorter than I thought.

Damian: I’m taller than you...v/n

Y/n: yeesh. They are right. You do talk faster than acting. *pulls out gun and shoots him but he keeps dodging*

You both fought for a while till Damian won and you were dangling upside-down from the ropes. 

Damian: My guess you’ll be staying. And you are fun to knock around.

Y/n: Grrr… until we meet again Boy Wonder!

Damian: Good to make a first impression, v/n.

That's when later on you both start to get...feelings toward each other.

BONUS: For Damian x reader. 

3.) You were a new student at Gotham Academy. So many classes and hallways to get used to. Until your final class you were call up to the front to talk to the entire class of who you are and where were you from.

Y/n: H-Hello... My name is Y/n L/n.

Damian was doodling on his notebook until he heard your sweet voice. His head lifted up and his beautiful emerald eyes caught your figure. His expression softened from looking at you. He looked at you that you seemed gentle and delicate. He blinked his eyes many times that he has never seen anyone like you in Gotham Academy.

Random Kid: Speak louder I cant hear you!

Some kids in the class laughed that caused you to feel down. Until Damian grabbed a book, from a classmate behind him, and threw it to the random kid that interrupted your speech. 

Damian: Then how about you shut it. 

He snarled. The teacher told them to calm down and sent the boy, who interrupted you, to the nurses office, because the kid had a bleeding nose from Damian. Damian sat properly on his chair and placed his elbows on the desk, waiting patiently for you to keep going. After class the children left the campus to go home. But you sat on the stairs waiting for your mom to arrive. It started to rain and the front doors behind you were locked from the outside. You cradled your knees close to your chest as the wind whirled to you. Some how you couldn't feel the rain but you could still hear it. You looked up to find the same emerald eyes that saved you in last period.

Damian: Tt. What are you doing in the rain?

Y/n: My mother isn't here yet. How about yourself?

Damian: *sat next to you* I was talking with the principle about the incident in the class. 

Y/n: I don't know you. Why did you stick up for me?

Damian: Tt. Because you looked lost. And needed help. I haven't introduced myself. Damian Wayne *outstretches hand to you*

Y/n: Y/n...Y/n L/n.

[urfavepisces]

First Kiss

Pairing: Donald Pierce x Reader

Word Count: 2,301 (yea it’s a lot lmao)

Warnings: None.

A/N: I hope ya’ll enjoy it and as always let me know what you think (:

“Remember Kenny Johnson's party, back in the eleventh grade?" Your eyes focused in on your husband of five years.

Donald let out a short laugh, blue eyes gazing up at the dark sky before settling on you, "How could I forget?"

"That party got shot down by the sheriff himself.” Donald continued on as you took a swig of your beer.

Donald smiled before getting lost in the memory of you two being teenagers again.”Yea, good thing I wasn’t there when he got there. Dad would've kicked my ass from here to kingdom come."

"Yea and you've got me and Minnie Lawson to thank for that." You playfully shoved his shoulder, winking at him.

The memory is still clear in your mind, like it had just happened yesterday. It had a lot to do with being the true beginning of you and Donald.

When you had arrived with your two best friends, the party was in full swing. Kenny's older brother was twenty-one years old, so he had scored a few kegs for the party. The entire house was filled with high school students from John C. Moore High and the occasional guy who had graduated two years ago and didn't know when to stop coming to high school parties.

You had followed the two girls to the backyard, talking about anything and everything. You hadn’t even noticed Donald, who was off to the side with his buddies. He sure did notice you though. How couldn't he? You two were always more than friends but neither of you had admitted any type of feelings toward each other. You were too oblivious to notice the puppy dog eyes he always had around you and Donald surprisingly was scared of you rejecting him.

Rejection and Donald just didn’t go together; a lot of girls had crushes on him and some guys too. Sure he was tall and lanky but he was the star quarterback of the football team and in your small town that meant something. He was a town celebrity, most girls were always pushing each other down to talk to him and the guys either wanted to be him, be his friend or be with him.

Donald could have had anyone he wanted but his heart belonged to you, always did. Ever since you two met in junior high when you transferred in. He always felt something  for you that crossed that pesky friend line. He couldn't fathom you not liking him more than a friend so he kept it to himself. He decided that being your friend was more than enough and you two became close, secretly pining for one another.

Donald had departed from his friends and went to refill his cup and in seconds Minnie Lawson hand made her descent. She was notorious for being too forward especially with Donald. He just didn't like her that way at all. And back then he was different, naive and a little bit more understanding of people's actions.

"Hey Don!" Her shrill like voice sang out.

He visibly flinched at the unapproved nickname spilling from her lips, his shoulders tensed but he kept his annoyance hidden.

He half smiled at the girl before his eyes were drifting back to you where you had just let out a loud laugh at whatever your friend was saying.

Donald focused his attention back on the girl before him, not catching your eyes land on him.

"Hey Minnie.” The deep husky tone making Minnie shake in her boots. Donald had a knack for making girls nervous without even trying.

She inched close, her hand roughly grasping onto his arm, "I was wondering if you wanna get outta here?” Her eyes twinkled, giving away that she was indeed pretty buzzed but to be honest she was like this sober as well.

"You need to put that poor boy out of his misery hun." Ada had caught you staring at Donald and Minnie.

Your eyes snapped up to your best friend like she caught you doing something illegal and the smirk that graced her rosy colored lips instantly made you roll your eyes.

You started to laugh her statement off but she gave you that look that reminded you that she was your best friend for a reason. So you gulped the rest of your beer and made your way over to the two.

God, he looked so uncomfortable which was such a stark contrast from your husband today. He was usually so collected, not letting anyone make him feel as if he was inferior to them.

He hadn't noticed you approaching but when your voice cut through whatever Minnie was saying, he was definitely paying attention to you now.

"Hey Don." The nickname coming you was stark contrast to Minnie. You always felt like home to him.

"Hi." His blue eyes lit up at the sight of you while Minnie on the other hand glared at you.

You ignored her though, "You didn't forget about tonight did you? You still taking me home?"

Your smile nearly knocked off him off his feet and he really thanked the heavens for the out you were giving him.

He immediately put his red cup down, “I couldn't ever forget 'bout that. Come on let's go."

Donald grabbed onto your hand before turning to Minnie who had watched the whole exchange fuming with anger that you had the audacity to interrupt her.

“Have a good night.” He smirked at her, that had you jumping for joy well internally of course. You didn’t want to be rude.

Yea, it was petty but you didn’t care. Before you two exited through the side gate, you turned to wave goodbye to your two friends before they sent you knowing smiles.

You two settled into Donald’s truck and within seconds he was driving down the street.

“Thank you.” He smiled at you.

You shrugged, “I know how Minnie can be and she seems to have set her sights on you this year.”

He ran a hand through his hair, “Yea, she been cornerin’ me every chance she’s got. It’s startin’ to get annoyin’.”

“Well you gotta say something Don or get yourself a girl. Maybe she’ll leave you alone.” You fiddled with the radio as he stole glances at your profile.

“I don’t even think me gettin’ a girlfriend would make her stop. She’s persistent.” He chuckled at the girl’s insatiable need to get who ever she decided would be her next conquest.

“You aren’t wrong about that one.” You agreed.

Then you two fell into a comfortable silence, the radio playing oldies filled up the quiet as the truck trudged through town.

As Donald neared your street, the need to spend more time with you became greater and he didn’t want the the night to end. His fingers started to tap on the steer-wheel as he kept looking over at you, wanting to say something to get you stay. Only if he knew that all he did was have to ask and you’d say yes in a heartbeat.

But thank God for you because sometimes the tension and the obvious elephant in the room sometimes was too much for even you to ignore so you spoke up.

“I don’t really want to go home right now. You wanna go to Dana Pointe?” The mention of that specific place had Donald coughing and beating his chest with his hand to get some sort of reprieve.

You pat his back hard a couple of times, “Relax Don.” Your tone is soft and reassuring.

Dana Pointe was where everyone in high school went to make out and have sex. The area was secluded with a multitude of willow trees and it was private enough that you could do what you pleased without anyone seeing or hearing what was going on.

“We’re just gonna talk, hang out and that’s all.” You squeezed his hand to help combat whatever nervous energy was buzzing through him.

All he did was nod as he passed by your house and turned left at the next street.

You made it there in twenty minutes, parking by a large tree and no other car in sight.

When Donald turned the car off, the silence enveloped you two but before it got awkward you were asking him about football season and he was firing back questions about your art.

And soon you were reminiscing about past parties and laughing about the crazy things that took place.

“Jace was literally runnin’ with his pants around his ankles and by the time we had rounded the corner, I couldn’t keep it in anymore. He was so pissed we lied but man if that ain’t the fastest Jace Cooper ran in his entire life.” Donald was clutching his stomach and tears pricked his eyes from laughing so hard.

You had been laughing just as hard and your smile grew ten times as hard to see him like this.

“Okay okay that’s a good one. But remember last year when Danny had a party because his parents were out of town? I think you, me, Ada and Jason were playing beer pong when Danny ran into the room screaming that your Dad was on his way with a whole squadron behind him.”  

That night ended up being one for record books, you two had broken off from the group and ended up in a random backyard hiding from the police.

“I was shittin’ bricks. My dad was so close to findin’ me there and that would’ve been it for football season.” Donald leaned his head back on the back of the head rest.

“I don't even think he would’ve pulled you from the team. Your dad is too old school for that.”

He was going to respond but you had  had a nagging thought on your mind that you couldn’t let go of and even though you tried hard, you just couldn’t stop yourself.

“So… what happened with Rebecca?” Your question had Donald turning his head towards you, blue eyes staring into yours.

“Uh we just didn’t work out.” He shrugged as he picked at the seat.

“Yea? What happened?” You went on.

Your nerves were on edge and you just had to know if this girl was anything special.

“I’m interested in someone else.” His eyes darted between yours and your lips. The temperature of the truck increased tenfold and your heart was hammering in your chest.

You took your time answering, looking at Donald’s face, studying each of his features  and committing them to memory just how blue his eyes were.

“Who?” The question left your lips in a whisper.

Donald was done beating around the bush with you, you were all he wanted for so long and he didn’t want to deprive himself of it any longer.

As his eyes flicked to to your lips once more, his body scooted across the front seat until he was inches from you and his hand  gently grasped on your hip. The other cupping the side your jaw and caressing the skin there.

His lips met yours in a soft kiss and it had him pulling back in apology. His brain immediately went to a scenario that you didn’t want this to happen, so he opened his mouth to say sorry but you interrupted it.

“It’s okay.” You reached up to cup his face with both of your hands, encouraging him to go on.

And within seconds he was pushing forward, his lips molding perfectly against yours. You two ended up pushed up against the passenger door, your hands traveled to his hair and his to your waist. Both of you were putting your all into this first kiss, wanting to comit every detail to memory before your phone had decided to ring at the same time Donald’s dinged with numerous texts.

Donald’s dad had showed up with the calvary and everyone was getting cited for underage drinking.

Donald held your hand in his, the memories of your first kiss having him in state of pure happiness. 

“The best night of my life.” Donald winked at you.

“You damn right.” You leaned over your chair and kissed him.

Taglist:

@missphanosaur18

[letthesleepingdoglie]

From Whence He Sprang - 03

Title: A Street Rat Named Jason

Rated: M for Blood and Violence

Part: 03 of 18

Location Unknown

Time Unknown

Team Year One

This wasn’t the first time that Jason had lost a fight, but it was certainly one of the most painful. Between his obscured vision, the pain, and the inability to breathe deeply, Jason was helpless. He lay in a fetal position on the ground, clutching at his side as waves of pain from Raptor’s punch continued to radiate outwards. He didn’t know it, but Raptor had punched him directly in the liver because of how debilitatingly painful it usually was.

Someone took his arm and wrapped it around their shoulder in order to help him to his feet.

The pain from his gut wouldn’t let him stand up completely straight, but with the support, he was able to straighten up enough that breathing wasn’t as difficult as it had been. Jason blinked away the tears of pain in his eyes and saw that that the hispanic girl, the one that he’d tried to defend, had helped him up.

He clutched her tightly as he struggled to get his breathing back under control. The girl clutched his arm just as hard. “Thanks for trying to help me.” She whispered. Jason could see that her lips had split from Raptor’s backhanded blow. He winced.

“No… problem…” Jason huffed, his seizing lungs forcing him to take a breath halfway through his sentence.

Her eyes were filled with gratitude, and she gave him a faint smile. “I’m Lorena.”

“Jason.” He smiled back at her as reassuringly as he could in a body that was still experiencing pain induced spasms.

The relief of finding simple human contact in the nightmarish situation that they found themselves in dissipated quickly. Jason realized that he’d been so focused on dealing with the aftermath of his beating that he’d missed a large portion of the Grandmaster’s speech. He started listening, reasoning that it paid to pay attention to your kidnapper’s plans.

As if in response to the thought, the Grandmaster’s head swiveled and locked directly onto Jason. Despite the fact that he kept on speaking, their gazes stayed locked upon each other for a good few seconds, long enough for Jason to get the faint impression of eyes behind the dark lenses of his mask before the Grandmaster returned his gaze to the children in front of him.

“A thousand years of technological progress,” The Grandmaster said, “but society itself remains just as barbaric. Just as stupid. Crime. Poverty. War. Each of you has experienced the evil that runs rampant throughout the world. All of you are the products of sad and corrupt civilizations that have lost their way, led by petty men too blind to see the big picture.”

“We stand as a counter to this chaos. For centuries, the Court of Owls has worked to establish a better world, one defined by purpose, and order. But we need your help to do it.” He swept an arm out over the assembled children and the guards who stood around them. “The men and women standing amongst you are Talons, the most dedicated and loyal servants of the Court. Each of you was selected because it was believed that you had the potential to join them. But, here and now, we will see if you are worthy of that honor. You will be tested, and you will become the best we can make of you. You will be the protectors of the Court, and all that it stands for… or you will die trying”

The Grandmaster spread his arms out wide, casting an ever shifting shadow on the wall behind him in the candlelight. “I wish you the best of luck in the coming trials. Noctis Aeternum.”

Every Talon in the room, Raptor included, saluted in perfect unity, pounding their right fists into the middle of their chests. “Noctis Aeternum!” They shouted as one.

The Grandmaster nodded before turning and leaving the way he had come. As he disappeared from sight, most of the children looked around fearfully, wondering what was going to happen next. Their question was answered within moments.

Raptor stepped forward so that he stood directly in front of the podium that the Grandmaster had just vacated. “Aspirants, form five lines of ten.”

The other Talons moved in to herd them, but Jason and the others had gotten the message at this point. Fearfully but silently, they formed the five rows of ten children each.

The Talons stepped forward so that there was one at the head of each row. Jason took the opportunity to look around quickly. Lorena stood ahead of him in the same row, while another boy with sandy hair that he didn’t know stood behind him. He couldn’t really see the other kids ahead or behind either of them.

“Follow me.” The Talon at the head of their line said. He led them away from the large chamber that they had been standing in through a long and winding series of tunnels. “Keep silent.” He commanded them as they walked. “Stay in a single file line, and do not speak to anyone.”

The children complied, though it seemed like a pointless order, since there was no one else there to talk to at first. However, after a couple minutes of walking, Jason caught sight of people other than his fellow captives. They were all teenagers of varying ages, all clad in black training gear, each armed with knives, swords, and other deadly weapons.

Jason knew immediately what they were: Talons in training. Evidently, he and his group were merely the latest group of “aspirants” to pass through these halls. They all watched him and his group knowingly.

What really unnerved Jason about them were their eyes. They weren’t normal. The faint white lines of old surgical scars radiated outwards from their eyelids, which only served to draw attention to the eyes themselves. Where a normal person would have white in their eyes, their sclera were pure black, and their irises… their irises were pure yellow, almost like cut amber in their shine and intensity.

Their collective gazes unnerved him, and Jason looked away. Idly, he wondered if that was what the Talon’s eyes looked like, hidden under the lenses of his mask.

Then he decided he really didn’t want to know.

They arrived at their destination a few minutes later, a large room that was bare except for several exposed gears adorning the walls, like the inside of some enormous clock tower, and a large gate embedded into one of the walls. The gate, which was decorated with images of owls etched into its metal surface, was huge, easily 30 feet tall and 10 feet wide. There were two other Talons in the room as well, standing at attention at the sides of the gate.

At a nod from the Talon leading them, the two other Talons flanking the gate began cranking two enormous gears by hand with slow but steady motions. With the groan of straining metal and clanking machinery, the massive doors of the gate began to grind open.

“Behold the Labyrinth,’ The Talon said, gesturing towards the gateway. “Beyond this point, there is no return except as one worthy to belong to our order in both body and soul. Through that gate lies the path to death or glory. At the end of the Labyrinth, there is a fountain. Reach it and drink from it, and you will have passed the test. Fail to reach it, and you will die. There is no other option for you. Do you all understand me?”

No one replied, but the tension was palpable. From everything they’d seen so far, all ten of assembled children knew that the Talon wasn’t lying.

“Good.” The Talon nodded to himself as he saw how seriously they were taking the situation. There was a loud clank as the gate finished opening. “Who among you will go first?”

Silence. The kids all looked at each other, but none of them moved. It was dark; the candles on their side of the gate weren’t bright enough to illuminate the other side. To Jason, it looked like the mouth of a giant monster, ready to swallow all of them whole.

That image elicited fear in him, yes, but the fear turned into anger, and he steeled his nerve. He refused to be intimidated, especially in front of the people who had kidnapped him.

He started walking forward, ignoring the astonished and fearful stares of his fellow captives as he made his way towards the gate. Before he could get too far, the Talon stopped him with an outstretched arm. There was a sheathed knife held in his hand, which he held out to Jason.

“Use it well.” The Talon said.

The tone of his voice suggested that the words were traditional rather than earnest, but Jason took the knife all the same. It was a simple blade, but clearly well made, as was the sheathe. There were two leather strings attached to the sheathe so that he could tie it to whatever limb he chose to.  The ever present stylized owl was stamped onto the pommel of the blade, but it was otherwise free of ornamentation.

He gripped the sheathed knife in his hands tightly for a sense of reassurance before tying it into one of his belt loops. Despite the unease and uncertainty that he felt, the fact that he now had a weapon filled him with resolve. Briefly, he thought about attacking the Talon, but quickly banished the thought. Even if he managed to catch the Talon by surprise, and that was a big if, there was no way he would be able to take out the other two Talons flanking the gate and navigate his way out of wherever the hell he was.

Seeing no other option, Jason stepped through the archway and into the labyrinth.

He was tense as he crossed the threshold of the gate and into the labyrinth, ready to flee or fight at the first sign of danger, but nothing happened once he was through. Nothing emerged and tore his head from his shoulders, and nothing dragged him kicking and screaming into the darkness.

At least, not yet.

He tried to peer into the shadows in order to see if there was anything he should be worried about, but it was just too dark. All he could was that the room was big. Easily bigger than some of the apartment buildings that he’d broken into in Gotham’s outskirts.

“Use it well.” The Talon said again. One of his fellow captives was joining him in crossing through the gate. Jason turned to look and saw that it was the boy who’d been standing behind him in line. He was followed closely by Lorena, who still had her knife clutched in both hands.

One by one the other children entered until they were all through the gate, and just like Jason, their faces all reflected both amazement and fear at the sheer scale of the place. The mechanical grind of old gears moving sounded out again, catching their attention.

All the children turned to look at the gateway. The Talon that had brought them to the labyrinth stood in the middle of the gateway, watching impassively with his arm crossed as the doors began to slide shut.

“Good luck.” He said, just as the doors slammed shut with a loud metallic thud, leaving all ten of them standing and looking at each other blankly.

It was Jason who broke the silence. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” he said. “But I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

“Brothers and sisters, I call this session of the Court to order.” The Grandmaster said proudly as he regarded the people assembled in the luxuriously appointed room with him. The visitors, roughly 30 men and women in all, all wore clothes that were both stylish and expensive: fine dresses and jewels, silk shirts and hand-made suits.

They were all of different ethnicities and ages, from cities all over the world. The only outward sign that unified them was their masks, each formed from fine porcelain and shaped to resemble a stylized owl face.

It was a trifle theatrical, since everyone at this little gathering knew each other by name, but tradition dictated that the masks be worn to mark the occasion.

The Grandmaster raised a glass of wine in a toast. “May the work we do here usher in the dawn of a better world.”

“A better world.” The members of the Court intoned, raising their own glasses in reply.

The Grandmaster smiled as he removed his mask and drank. The others followed his example, imbibing their own glasses of alcohol, which were quickly topped up by uniformed servants. With the welcoming ceremony done, the visitors were free to mingle and chat amongst themselves until he officially began the trial.

Large TV monitors mounted on the walls displayed camera feeds, with some being dedicated to general surveillance of the labyrinth’s many corridors, while others centered on one of the five groups of children that were just beginning to enter the labyrinth. The feeds were monitored in a control room several floors below them, where dozens of technicians were preparing the traps and other obstacles scattered throughout the labyrinth.

It would begin shortly, the Grandmaster thought to himself. Once all the children had been brought into the labyrinth, the trial could begin.

“I gotta say, I’ve been looking forward to this.” a voice said to the Grandmaster, bringing him out of his contemplation.

He turned to look at the man who had spoken and was pleased to discover that it was Lincoln March.

Typically speaking, most members of the Court of Owls were born into the secretive organization. Only a select few individuals were brought in from the outside, recruited for their particular knowledge and skills or their alignment with the Courts goals and ideals. Lincoln was one of those select few, and he’d been recruited because he had fallen into both categories.

Lincoln was a self-made millionaire who’d made his fortune in the media industry. He’d started out running different websites as a teenager, eventually leveraging the revenue streams into a multi-billion media empire that produced everything from entertainment programs and smart-phone apps to documentaries and news broadcasts.

Another member of the court had met him, unmasked, at some event, and after that meeting had recommended him to the Court as a potential recruit to their cause. Tentative feelers had been put out, favors had been exchanged, and within a year Lincoln March had been invited to join their secret order. Now that he’d joined the Court, he helped shape public opinion in their interest.

That power made him a prized asset to the Court, despite his relative lack of seniority. That being said, he was still considered an outsider by most members of the Court, even though he’d been a part of the court for almost 5 years at this point.

“Grandmaster.” Lincoln said, inclining his head in greeting.

“Mr. March.” The Grandmaster replied, returning the gesture. “I’m pleased you could join us.”

“A pleasure.” March said, moving to stand next to the Grandmaster. Both men watched the screens as gates to the labyrinth slid shut. “Any idea on how well this year’s aspirants might do?”

The Grandmaster tilted his head in thought for a moment, glancing at the main view screen. “Too early to tell.” He said, catching a glimpse of the final group of children to enter the labyrinth on the screen. He recognized the young boy that Raptor had been making an example of before his arrival amongst them and smirked faintly. “Some have fire in them, but attitude must be combined with effectiveness to mean anything.”

Lincoln laughed in agreement at the observation. “True. We’ll see how long it takes for them to catch on.”

“Indeed." The Grandmaster smiled politely. "Please excuse me a moment.”

The Grandmaster made his way over to an intercom built into the wall, double checking the camera feeds to make sure all the aspirants were in place before pressed a button that connected him to the control room. “You may begin.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

They’d barely had enough time to introduce themselves to each other and take a few tentative forward when the labyrinth began to activate. The first sound to break the relative silence was the swoosh of rushing air as several bonfires suddenly burst into life, bathing Jason and his fellows in harsh yellow light.

Shielding his eyes as best he could, Jason looked around. Now that there was illumination, the room was finally revealed to him. It was shaped like an inverted cone, with the gateway they’d just entered through at the point. The floor was comprised of large stone tiles, and huge marble pillars with big fires on top of them lined the walls. Each of the walls had an etched mural, though Jason was too far away to make out any real detail.

At the far end of the room, about a football field away, Jason could see three tunnel entrances cut into the sheer rock of the far wall, high off the of the ground. Each doorway had an elevated platform about 10 feet high at its base. The platforms were unusual in that there was no obvious way to get on top of them, no stairs or ladders to climb up.

The second sound was a loud metallic crash, which caused most of the children to jump in surprise. The murals on the left and the right of their group had fallen forward to reveal several large cages, each of which contained a vicious looking attack dog.

Each of the dogs, upon being exposed to the relative freedom of the labyrinth, began to bark and snarl, throwing themselves at the sides of the cages in an attempt to break through the cold metal bars.

Jason’s eyes widened. Whether it was instinct, or simple knowledge that came from living in Gotham, a city with some of the most psychotic super-villains in the world, he knew what was going to happen next. “Run!” He shouted, already sprinting for the far side of the room.

Half of the others followed his advice, spurred into action by the urgency in Jason’s voice, while the other half remained still, looking between Jason and the dog cages in confusion. The cages opened with a dull clang that shook them out of their stupor. They’d realized what was going on.

They turned to run, but it was too late.

As one, the attack dogs leapt into action. Two of the stragglers were knocked off their feet in a blur of terrified screams, flailing limbs, and matted fur. Several dogs chased after the children who’d run off, but for the majority stayed behind and tore into the two who hadn’t heeded Jason’s warning in time.

The screams were terrible. Jason, running as fast as he could, spared a glance over his shoulder and caught sight of the two stragglers who’d been caught by the canines.

It wasn’t pretty.

Each of them had at least two or three dogs tearing into their flesh. One boy’s arm had been practically torn off by one dog, strings of bloody flesh still tenuously  connecting the limb to his body. Despite the pain that the boy must have been in, he still tried to fight the dogs off, stabbing wildly with the knife he still held onto in his one remaining hand.

Since he’d run first, Jason was at the head of the fleeing group. He slowed, debating whether or not he should turn around and try and help. There were only 12 dogs, and the kids were all armed with knives.  If he and the rest of the nearby kids who’d managed to escape the initial attack all worked as a group, they might be able to fight the dogs off and save the  kids who’d been left behind.

Before he could make a decision either way, a hand snatched the sleeve of his hoodie and pulled him towards the doorways.

“Come on!” Lorena shouted at him, pulling Jason away from the carnage.

He resisted briefly, long enough to fully take in the scene around him. Apart from him and Lorena, 5 of the other kids were still running for the opposite end of the room. The one who’d lost his arm was no longer moving or screaming, but the dogs were still tearing his body apart.

Another boy died right in front of Jason’s eyes. His screams were silenced as one of the dogs managed to close its teeth around the soft vulnerable flesh of his neck and tear his throat out.

What little resistance Jason had to the idea running for his life evaporated at that point, and he sprinted along behind Lorena as she ran towards one of the platforms.

For years, Jason had prided himself on being able to outrun anyone he couldn’t outfight on Gotham’s streets, but judging from how hard Lorena was having to pull on his arm in order to get him to keep up as they ran from the dogs, she could have easily left him in her dust if she wanted to.

“Hurry!” Jason urged as they reached the base of one of the the platforms. Some of the other children had reached the other platforms, and even now were trying to climb them. He understood their purpose now.

The dogs were deadly, but only if they could reach you. Given how tall the platforms were, it would be next to impossible for the dogs to reach their tops. Once he and Lorena reached the top of the platform, they’d be safe.

Lorena stared up in panic at the edge of the platform, which hung almost 5 feet above her head. She tried to jump and catch the edge, but she didn’t even come close. “How do we get up there?!”

Jason contemplated the problem. He doubted that an attempt to jump and catch the edge of the platform on his part would have any appreciable difference from Lorena’s attempt. He needed to figure something out quick. Already he could see some of the dogs at the far end of the room, who at this point had finished off their first victims, start charging towards them.

“Here!” Jason said, putting his back against the wall and cupping his hands. “I’ll lift you up, then you can reach down and help me up.”

Lorena hesitated for a split second before nodding. She put her foot in Jason’s cupped hands, hand placed on top of his head in an effort to stabilize herself as he lifted her as best he could, muscles straining at the effort.

Despite their best efforts, the edge of the platform remained just beyond her grasp.

“I still can’t reach it!” She told him. Lorena wanted to cry as she kept trying and failing to catch the lip of the platform. It was barely five or six inches away, but at the moment, it might as well have been five or six miles.

“Keep trying!” Jason said, voice heavy with the effort of keeping her aloft. He didn’t have the strength to boost her any further. He closed his eyes and tried not to panic, focusing all of his effort on keeping her weight supported.

Unexpectedly, Lorena’s weight became lighter in his hands.

Jason opened in his eyes in surprise, thinking that she had actually managed to grab the edge of the platform. Instead, he found another boy standing next to him supporting Lorena’s other leg. It was the boy who’d been standing behind him in line, the one with sandy hair.

The look in his eye told Jason that he understood what they were trying to do.

Jason nodded. He motioned up towards Lorena with his head. “On three. One, two, three!”

The two boys lifted with every ounce of strength that they had, propelling Lorena high enough to grab the edge and pull herself up. She quickly rotated her body so that she could reach down over the edge of the platform and help whoever was going to come up after her.

The other boy motioned for Jason to climb up next, cupping his hands in order to give him a foothold. Jason had just moved to face the wall when Lorena screamed out a warning.

“Look out!”

Jason knew what was coming, and reacted accordingly. He turned to the left, leaving his arm outstretched as he did so. The stray dog that had been chasing after them sunk its teeth into the exposed limb, making him cry out in pain. This wasn’t the first time that Jason had been bitten by an attack dog. Some of the people who ran Gotham’s scrapyards used dogs to scare away or attack would be scavengers.

One of the other scavengers had told Jason that the best thing to do was to give the dog your non-dominant arm, since it would just pull and tear on that instead of anything else that was more vital. It still hurt though. The dog’s momentum caused him to fall backwards into the other boy, knocking them both over onto the cold stone floor.

The dog snarled down at him around his arm, wrenching its head from side to side an an effort to tear his flesh apart. For his part, Jason yelled back at it in defiance, ignoring the pain as he tried to draw his knife from its sheathe at his side.

His fingers closed around the handle of the blade and, in one swift motion, Jason pulled it free and stabbed it into the dog’s exposed underside.

He’d been expecting the canine to die immediately, but it only gave the barest yipe of pain before biting down on his arm even harder. Over 300 pounds of force drove the dog’s sharp teeth into the flesh of his arm.

He withdrew the blade and prepared to stab again, but the dog’s thrashing body knocked the knife from his grasp, leaving him defenseless. This time, when Jason yelled, it was in pain and despair.

Fighting back against the dog’s thrashing movements as best he could, Jason tried to make his way over to the fallen blade, but it was useless. The dog was just too strong, and it had the leverage it needed to keep him pinned. This was it, Jason realized. He was about to die. The dog would keep him in place until its fellows reached him, and then they would all tear him apart, just like they had the first two kids that they had caught.

Jason drew the fist of his free hand back and punched the dog on the side of the head. He didn’t think it would do anything, and he was correct on that count, but he’d be damned if he let himself die without a fight.

Just as he drew his fist back to punch the dog again, a knife punched deep into the top of the dog’s skull, twisting once quickly before it withdrew. The dog’s thrashing stopped immediately, and Jason was able to extract his arm from its dead mouth, wincing as he did so. The boy whose name he still didn’t know reached down and pulled Jason to his feet, pushing the retrieved knife into Jason’s hand as he did so.

“Thanks.” Jason said shakily.

The boy nodded in acknowledgement but kept moving, taking a position at the bottom of the platform again and urgently motioning for Jason to climb up once again.

Jason moved to comply. That dog had been one of the stray ones that had ignored the first two children and chased after them. They didn’t have much time before the rest of the dogs arrived.

The other boy lifted Jason easily, allowing Lorena to reach down and pull him up.

The dogs were almost on top of the other boy at that point. The other boy quickly stepped away from the wall in order to give himself some room to build up speed before running at the wall as fast as he could, dogs snapping at his heels as he did.

Just before he reached the wall, the boy jumped, planting his foot as high as he could and kicking off the wall. The motion propelled him just a few inches higher, but that was all he needed in order to reach Jason and Lorena’s outstretched hands.

As soon as he caught the boy, Jason knew why he’d been so insistent that Jason went first. There was no way Lorena would have been able to lift him up on her own. Working in tandem, Lorena and Jason were able to lift the boy up high enough that he could catch the ledge on his own and pull himself up,

“Are you guys alright?” Lorena asked the both of them over dogs barking up at them from the base of the platform.

Both Jason and the other boy nodded breathlessly. Now that they were relatively safe, the adrenaline from their close brush with death began to wear off, and a profound sense of exhaustion washed over all of them.

All the other kids had managed to climb to the top of their respective platforms. Apart from Jason, Lorena and the other boy, there were four other survivors in view. Jason didn’t bother calling out to them, and neither did they. There was no way they’d be able to reach each other now, not with the dogs still swarming around this section of the labyrinth.

They were all on their own.

Jason stifled a grown as he pulled up his sleeve in order to inspect the damage the dog’s teeth had done.

“Is your arm ok?” Lorena asked.

“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt that bad.” He lied, pressing his hoodie back over the wound in order to staunch the bleeding as best he could. He’d taken worse, over the years. That being said, the dogs that he’d run into in Gotham’s scrapyards were pussycats compared to the ones that the Court had set loose on them.

Jason turned to face the other boy, hand still pressed to the wound on his arm. “Thanks for saving my butt back there.” He said, earnestly.

Once again, the boy replied wordlessly, nodding his head in acknowledgment.

Jason frowned. “Can you speak?”

The boy shook his head and then lifted his chin, exposing a long scar across his throat. Lorena gasped, while Jason let out a long slow breath. The scar looked deep. The other boy was lucky to be alive.

“Uh, well, anyway, thanks.” Jason said after a moment.

The boy nodded again and sat back, content to just sit and breathe after his brush with death. After briefly examining the tunnel entrance in order to make sure that there weren’t any lurking surprises in store, Jason was content to do the same, relaxing his muscles despite the ever present sound of dogs barking up at them.

For the moment, they were safe.

Whatever that meant in this death trap of a labyrinth.

———————————————————————————————————

“Impressive.” The Grandmaster said to himself as he watched the last of the aspirants reach the end of the first portion of the labyrinth. Of the 50 that had begun the trials at the start of the evening, 11 had died.

Those were good numbers.

The average number of deaths for the first trial was usually around 15 or so. After the first trial, the number of deaths tended to drop for every subsequent trial. The Grandmaster chalked it up to the fact that the children didn’t really appreciate the Court’s warnings up until they’d seen for themselves that death was certainly an option here.

It unusual, but not uncommon, for no aspirants to make it to the end of the labyrinth. One particularly bad year, the dogs had killed 37 of the aspirants, leaving only 13 to face the rest of the labyrinth’s trials. None of them had made it.

Such deaths were always regrettable, but also necessary.

The labyrinth was a test designed to push each aspirant to his or her breaking point, allowing the Court to see their true character and worth. It was only armed with this information that the Court would be able know which flaws to correct and which strengths to emphasize.

Even now, in the control room, the footage of the first trial would now be under review by Raptor and the other Talons who served as trainers here. They would examine each of the aspirant’s movements and reactions, tailoring the trials to any deficiencies that they found accordingly.

Survival of the fittest, as it were. It was only through the trials that the Court was able to rebuild each Talon in both body and soul, to serve faithfully and well.

The Grandmaster turned and waded back into the party, humming to himself and drinking his wine as he did so. The rest of the trials would take several days, but watching them never failed to put him in a good mood.

He couldn’t wait to see what happened next.