( closed ) twisted steel beneath my knees

[reneger]

Who: bruce wayne batsymbol & jason todd reneger
What: a fun family trip
When: late january into early february
Where: excelsior, the shadow realm
Content Warnings: shadowbugs, joker, head trauma, discussion of child trafficking and sexual assault, comic book violence

Comments

[reneger]

( bruce's reaction would have been entirely fair, if jason wasn't wearing his gear. sure, his shit looks. . . thinner than bruce's. less obvious armor, more ab-fitting rather than i built my abs onto this. and there's the whole - jason knew that guy was lurking around being sneaky, he was just waiting for the right time to turn around and fuck him over.

instead, bruce beats him to it, because of course he does. and jason idly turns around to face him. resists the urge to roll his eyes yet again. )

Before I bitch at you for being a dramatic asshole - you want me to get him, or do you want him? Since you've already put yourself between us an' all.

[batsymbol]

( it had been a kneejerk reaction. something maybe some part of him had wished he'd done for his parents. he was only a child, there was nothing he could have done, he's heard it plenty of times from alfred. but that doesn't make one stop thinking about what they could have or should have done. even if it made no sense. even if it would have been stupid. those thoughts never really go away. not when you're carrying the sort of trauma and survivors guilt bruce carries.

again, there's a sharp look from bruce at jason and rather than give an answer with his own words, he knocks his shoulder roughly against jason's. moves past him. guess that means he'll handle it himself.

like a creature of the night, he stalks towards his prey. steps heavy, shadows stretching behind him. the guy is reaching for his gun — for another shot to take and bruce moves with a swiftness, cape flowing behind as he does. he's angry, he's bruised, and he's fed up with being shot at tonight. or at having one of his shot at.

before another shot can be taken, he barrels into the guy, knocking him back, and they both fall into a pool of black ink — a shadow — that appears behind, disappearing within it. the slick looking shadow disappearing as well.

shadows are what bruce and jason are capable of moving through, so it's not a jarring sight to see. even if that particular shadow did look a little different than usual.

one, two, three, four... five seconds tick by before the guy falls out of another shadowy pool a few feet away. as before, the shadow disappearing. or maybe closing. like a door. bruce nowhere to be seen.

he's coughing, stumbling about for a second before he's reaching for his gun and pointing it at jason. hand a little shaky, but he gives a laugh. throws jason a he's dead. killed that sonuva bitch and you're next! before a shaky hand shoots at jason. )

[reneger]

( bruce is in a bitchy mood, and jason knows better than to get in the middle of him and kicking over assholes when he's like this. it's the look bruce throws jason - eyes visible in a way he's not quite accustomed to yet, but it also means the fuck off and let me handle it is right there, visible in more ways than just the way he shoulders his way on through.

they've both got some control over shadows, but jason's never leaned into it as hard as bruce is. he recognizes it when it's bruce versus just the trick of a light though; notices the inky black shadows expanding under them that aren't natural. doesn't say a word, when bruce and the guy fall through them.

because bruce is plenty capable of taking care of himself, jason doesn't need to go in after him even if he's got no idea where the hell he'd dropped himself off at. he's limited to the shadows he can see, what's visible right in front of him. bruce's line of sight doesn't give him much advantage over jason, so he should have popped up - somewhere around here. he doesn't, but the thug does.

jason doesn't blink. he pulls a bruce: lets the shadows consume him where he stands to take the impact of the bullet, before he's idly raising a throwing knife, and aiming straight for the guy's eye socket. there's none of his usual bravado, no snark, he's just - waiting for the guy to double over himself with a choked out curse before sauntering his way on over. lowers a hand to grab onto the guy by the back of his head, fingers twisting painfully into his hair to pull him up as jason leans down, closer. )

You wish it was that easy. If it was, I'd've killed him several times over.

( he's laughing again, knife still in his eye socket - up until jason reaches out with his free hand to yank it out. doesn't mind the blood and gore as the guy screeches, fingers grasping at the remnants of his eye, and instead pulls him down further so jason can shove a knee right into his sternum.

drops him to the ground after, letting the shadow suck the guy straight through it. it drops him off on the sidewalk, at a distance far enough away from jason that no one's going to be looking his way just yet as the guy screams.

which is good. because jason's not going anywhere. instead, he's wiping his knife off on his pants, and tilting his head back to look for mister bitchy. )

B.