#vivisection fic

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home Arc 3 Part 1

Happy WIP Wednesday! So last week, we had a tie between Bring Me Home and Answer My Call. The tie breaker didn't come in until Monday after I'd already finished the entire Bring Me Home chapter and half the Answer My Call one.

So y'all will be getting two fic upates today then I'm going to sleep. I'm tired after a full day of work with a call out. XP

If you want a say in next week's update, vote in the poll!

Welcome to Arc 3 of Bring Me Home! 🎉🎉🎉

Story Summary: Danny's parents find out his secret. It doesn't go well. But he's not alone. His friend Tim Drake, better known as Red Robin, and the Young Justice will not let him suffer.

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: fanon-typical violence. This is my dissection fic, but I don't think I crossed the line into graphic. Let me know if you disagree.

Arc 1: AO3

Arc 2: First, Last

-----

Danny waved goodbye to Sam and Tucker as he made his way home from school. They had a long weekend and he planned to fall into bed and take a long nap. And then maybe grab some midnight tacos as Phantom for dinner.

He hummed as he thought about how awesome those tacos would taste when reached his home. Still lost in his daydreams, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Only for electric pain to shoot up his arm. Danny screamed, paralyzed to the spot. He tried to pull his hand back, but something held him in place. He fell to his knees, arm still held out and radiating pain through the rest of his body.

“What? Danny!”

“M-mom?” he forced out between cries. “Hurts!”

He could feel his transformation tugging on his core and he tried to force it back.

“Jack! Quick, it’s Danny!”

“Please,” begged Danny. Even kneeling was getting to be too much. Blackness was threatening the edges of his vision so he closed his eyes. He had to keep from transforming. He had to.

He didn’t even have the breath to scream anymore.

He heard his dad’s voice. There was a flash of light. And then nothing.

---

The first thing Danny was aware of was that everything hurt. His muscles were aching and his right arm was practically numb. The next thing he noticed was that he way lying on something hard. He tried to roll over, only to realize he was strapped down. And not just at his wrists and ankles, but also at his waist and neck.

His eyes flew open in shock and he yelled in panic. Had Vlad gotten him?

“It’s awake, Mads!”

Orange filled his vision as his dad leaned over him.

“D-dad?” asked Danny. He felt his core humming in his chest. His core, not his heart. He twisted his head just enough to see a black jumpsuit.

He was Phantom. His parents knew.

His dad’s face contorted with anger, an expression he’d never once seen there before. “Don’t you dare call me that, impostor! What have you done with my son?”

“Dad, it’s me. I swear. I—I can explain.” He tugged on his restraints, trying to phase through them. Only to scream as the anti-ghost shielding shocked him.

His mom’s steps echoed from out of sight. “You aren’t escaping us that easily, ghost,” she spat the last word. “How long have you been possessing Danny?” She finally came into view, goggles blocking her eyes and her mouth hard.

“I’m not possessing him, I am Danny!”

She sneered. “Jack, now.”

“Release our son!” shouted his father. Then he pulled out a spray can and held down the nozzle.

Danny saw the mist approach him and scrunched his eyes closed as he turned his head to avoid the spray. But of course it was impossible. He whimpered as it settled on him, tiny pinpricks of burning. As he lay there, the feeling grew more and more intense until he couldn’t help but cry out.

And that’s when he breathed it in.

It was all agony, inside and out. The mist settled in his lungs, pure fire trying to melt core.

With a flash of light, he was Danny Fenton again. His heart beat in his chest and his lungs screamed for oxygen. The pain didn’t go away, but it lessened. Danny gasped in deep breaths, his limbs shaking in their restraints as he tried to push through the pain.

“Did it work?” asked his dad.

Fingers brushed his hair off his forehead. “Sweetie? Are you back with us?”

Danny opened his eyes, tears gathering and looked up at the face of his mother.

Her expression turned from hope to hatred so fast he thought he was dreaming. “Green eyes, Jack. The ghost is just trying to trick us.”

“The ghost repellent has never failed before. How are you surviving, ghost?”

Danny screwed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to see his parents’ faces. “It’s me, I promise. It’s me. I’m alive. I’m alive.”

“Stop lying!” screamed his mom.

Then he felt a sharp pain in his side, followed by a wave of agony. He felt like he was being electrocuted again. In defense, he transformed back into Phantom—his ghost form was so much more durable.

But the pain only got worse. He screamed. His wail was crawling its way up his throat, only to fizzle out into a wave of electricity when it hit the anti-ghost restraint strapped around his neck.

“Loud, isn’t it?” asked his father.

“Let’s shut it up, Jack,” said his mother.

“No, no please. It’s me, Danny!”

They ignored him, though. The pain stopped just long enough for him to gasp in a few breaths. Then piece of metal was being fixed under his jaw and over his mouth. His head was yanked up so it could be strapped in the back. Danny tried to yell into the muzzle, but it muffled all sound.

After that, he lost track of what they did. So many inventions were taken out, used, and discarded. Anything to destroy the ghost part of him or force him out of his living body.

He wished he could obey. That he could just be their son again and not Phantom. But he’d learned many times over the last three years that it was impossible. He was both Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom and spitting himself apart would only ever lead to destruction.

He didn’t know how many times he was forced into a transformation as his body tried to choose the form more resistant to the torture. It didn’t seem to matter, though, if he was Fenton or Phantom. His parents would check his eyes or use the ghost tracker and then the next wave of pain would wash over him.

Eventually, however, even his parents ran out of inventions to use.

“This isn’t working, Jackie.”

“What if we can’t force it out, Mads? What next?”

“We’ll cut it out. You know we’ve long hypothesized about the existence of a ghost heart. What better way to test our hypothesis than cutting the parasite out of our own son?”

Danny’s eyes flew open and he tugged with aching muscles, twisting as much as he was able. His muffled protests were ignored just as much as his words had been.

“Where do you think it’s hiding its heart?” asked his dad.

“We’ll use the Fenton Scanner to find the areas of densest ectoplasm concentration and search each of them.”

His mom stalked out of sight and Danny could hear her rummaging through various bins and cabinets looking for the scanner.

His dad, however, stared down at him, eyes hidden behind his goggles and his mouth in an uncharacteristic frown. “If you’re still in there, Danno, we’re gonna get rid of it. We’ll free you, son.”

Danny wanted to tell him he wasn’t trapped, to say again that he was himself, whatever he looked like. But all he could do was whimper and blink away the tears.

Then mom was back, a small scanner in her hand. She pointed it at Danny and he tensed, expecting more pain.

But he felt nothing. Soon enough, the device beeped and she waved over his dad.

“Look at this, sweetie. It’s working better than I expected. Only two main areas of ectoplasm concentration: his brain and his chest.”

“That’s awfully close to his heart, Mads. I don’t know if we can remove it without hurting Danny.”

“If we don’t remove it, he’ll be dead anyway!” Her last word caught on a sob.

Danny was crying in earnest now, too. This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. How long would it take anyone to even notice? Jazz was away at college, Tucker had plans with his parents all night, Sam was trying to get along with her parents to get out of a rich-person function later in the month, and he and Tim didn’t have a check-in until Sunday.

Could he survive his parents for two whole days until then?

He forced his eyes open to see his parents hugging. All he wanted was to be between them, caught up in their embrace. But instead he was strapped down to a hard, cold table.

They separated.

“Hold him still, Jack,” said his mom.

So Danny did the opposite. He ignored the ache of his muscles, the way they protested, to twist and yank and move as much as he could.

But his father’s hands were big and he was strong and Danny was tired. When his dad spread his hands over his shoulders and pressed, Danny couldn’t fight back. Above him stood his mom, holding a scalpel that glowed green.

Danny closed his eyes tightly when he saw her lower the blade. He couldn’t watch this. Then agony as it sliced through his skin.

Danny screamed into the muzzle. The pain was so intense that he could focus on nothing else. He didn’t know if his parents were talking to each other. He didn’t know what they were finding inside of him.

Instinct forced him to hide his core, to push it smaller and disguise it. But he knew that nothing would stop his parents forever.

He had no way to judge the passage of time. It felt like an eternity; it felt like a second.

Then the hands on him ripped away suddenly and new shouts, new voices, rang out in the lab.

Danny blinked his eyes open to see Sam and Tucker above him. Sam was paler than he’d ever seen her and Tucker didn’t look any better. He tried to talk to them, but the muzzle still covered his face.

Sam turned her head away and shouted, “Kon!”

A moment later, Superboy was landing next to her, his face grim. Then Danny’s restraints, muzzle included, fell to pieces. He was free.

He pushed himself up, needing to see, only to cry in pain and fall back down when the cuts on his chest protested the movement.

Sam and Tucker shouted at him, told him to stay still. Their words were fuzzy and hard to focus on. Everything was hard to focus on. But in the brief moment of time he’d been able to see more than the ceiling above him, he saw Tim in full Red Robin get up using his staff to keep his parents away.

Tim was here. And the world went black.

-----

Next

I no longer tag, but if you want notifications when I update, check out the Subscription Post.

After about 40k of writing, we're finally back to the scene that started it all! Only now with 4x the number of Young Justice on hand. About three years have passed between Arc 2 and Arc 3, so they've all gotten quite close. There's group chats. So many group chats. Danny's met more members of the Young Justice (and I may write a few of those meetings in the future which is 80% why I decided to make this a series rather than a single work on AO3).

But on the rescue team we've only got Red Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Impulse.

I'm about a third of the way through with major edits for Arc 2. So I'll probably start cross posting to AO3 quite soon! Main changes are in what Tim tells Bruce about where he is and what he's up to.

[thebucketpail]

Of course the one time I actually fill a prompt I forget to save it and end up losing it to the tumblr void.

Alas, if I find it I'll link it but until then, have this.

Tw: light gore, mentions of vivisection

____________

This wasn't the team's first lab break in and it definitely wouldn't be their last. That is to say, they've seen alot of shit. Alot of mad scientists and what resulted from their insanity, their cruelty. But they had never expected to find something like this on what was supposed to be a low stakes mission.

Robin had been the first to find the dingy little cell, not far from the main lab, and stood stunned in abject horror as the others came in behind him.

"Oh god," he heard Arrowette whisper, followed by a litany of strangled gasps and the sound of Superboy's knuckles cracking.

It was terrible, but Robin couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from the curled up teen tied to the wall.

The boy was unconscious, his stark white hair, matted with grime and some green substance, covered the top of his face, a muzzle covered the bottom. What was left visible was littered with cuts and angry purple bruises. Whatever clothes he had been wearing were tattered and torn, displaying yet more injuries.

What was probably the worst, as far as Robin could tell, was the dirty gauze haphazardly taped to his neck. The dressings were soaked through with more of that green liquid, which Robin relised with a hobble sink to his gut was probably the kid's blood.

Robin swallowed the bile threatening to rise to his throat and turned back toward his team. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, new plan," he said, doing his best to keep his leader voice, "Superboy, you get those chains off him. Team, this is no longer an Intel mission, this is search and rescue. Impulse, Secret, Arrowette, fan out. Check the rest of the building for any other prisoners. If you find anyone then report immediately. WG, you call back to Red. I'll see what I can pull out of their database. Remember to keep your heads."

A round of nods was all he got in return before everyone set out on their tasks.

Robin had just wormed his way to into the system when Superboy walked in, the unconscious kid in his arms, and a seriously pissed expression on his face.

"I never thought Cadmus could go this far," he growled, brows furrowing.

Robin grunted on acknowledgement, then made a light sound of surprise as the archaic system finally loaded.

"Well then it's a good thing we aren't at Cadmus then," he mumbled disbelieving as he dove further and further into the newly available files. Quickly, he pulled an empty USB from his utility belt and set to work downloading what looked important, facility locations, blueprints, documents, research, etc.

"Where are we then?" Superboy asked, setting the kid down to peer over Robin's shoulder.

"Some place called the GIW, ghost investigation ward," Robin murmered, "according to these files, they're some kind of government org, designed to hunt and study ghosts. Our guy over there," he jutted his chin toward the kid, "is apparently really powerful. They have alot of files on him and something called the ghost zone."

Suddenly they were interrupted by a serious of loud crashes followed by shouting and Impulse zipping into the room.

"Heyguyswegottago," he sped out before taking in a huge lung full of air and continuing at a slightly slower pace. Slightly. "Reinforcements just arrived and they don't look like they're happy to see us. We couldn't find anyone else other then some asshole scientists. Cissie kicked their butts."

Robin nodded and pulled the USB from the port. "Tell the other to meet back at the super cycle, it's time to go." Impulse nodded and sped back off.

--------

It wasn't their best escape, but it certainly wasn't their worst. Those GIW agents were persistant bastards but it wasn't anything the supercycle couldn't handle.

They were en route back the cave when Superboy called out, "Hey Rob, you might wanna see this." He and WG had been tasked with administering first aid (to the best of their abilities) to their rescue, so that wasn't exactly something Ribin was thrilled to hear.

He let Supercycle switch to auto pilot before climbing to the back seat to see what had his team so freaked out. And yeah. That would do it.

If he thought the neck wound was bad, that was nothing. What was left of the kids torn shirt was removed to reveal a massive Y-shaped incision across his chest. The scars were red and inflamed, mottled with angry bruises and so, so many tiny holes, giving the impression that the wound had been stitched uo and reopened on numerous occasions. The implications of the wound was clear.

Robin set his jaw as he met Superboy's eyes. The confusion was prominent. he didnt know what to do.

"Just do you're best to clean it for now," he said, "we'll have Red look at him when we get back to base."

As Robin settled back into the driver's seat, he mentally added the GIW to his list of enemies. Anyone who had the power to do that, government or not, was going down

[macksquestionablesideblog]

Hey tumblr I need your help finding a fic

It's a Danny Phantom vivisection fic I read a while back and it's one of my favorites ever, so I'd really like to find it again for a reread. I believe it was on ao3 and had multiple parts.

The overarching plot is Phantom gets captured by Maddie but she doesn't tell Jack. Jack and Maddie believe Danny has been kidnapped but the authorities brush the case off as a standard teenage runaway. Maddie and Jack spend all day searching for their lost boy and while Jack sleeps at night, Maddie sneaks off to torture Phantom, believing he was the cause of Danny's disappearance. Maddie eventually decides to let him go and Danny shows up in the middle of the night the next night, blind in one eye. She knows almost immediately how badly she fucked up.

Some standout details:

one of the first things Maddie does is cut Phantom's eye

Phantom refuses to tell his mom its him because he knows how much it would hurt her to know she hurt her son

Maddie fixates on how realistic and accurate Phantom's inner anatomy is to a human's

Phantom is uncomfortably restrained in a clear box

Maddie does something to prevent his ghostly wail so it's hard for him to speak (cuts his vocal chords I think) ((or maybe it was just a gag/muzzle...)

Please help me find this fic!!

Edit: Found the fic!! Here:

Thank you @itsyaboighostie!!

[needle-noggins]

vivisection fic is even more fun and wild than i thought it would be oooowheeeeeee

[madscientistenthusiast]

Vivisections are like gay sex to me

[tanglepelt]

Dc x dp idea 78

The infinite realm had gone livid. Sending ghost after ghost into the mortal realm. Seemingly in a search of something.

John and the league opt to summon the ghost king in hopes of figuring out why? Obviously having plans to seal him off if the need is there.

When they summon him they weren’t expecting what appeared to be a human teenager coming through the summoning circle.

Especially not one with glowing green cuffs. Torso with a freshly bleeding y. Nor the man in a white suit with a scalpel and suspicious green stains on the white outfit.

[daily-basil]

Otomerson's Pursuit AU is one of the most well-written, dark and emotional fics I've ever read. It doesn't center around Basil but like the rest of the cast his brain is absolutely fascinating to pick apart,,,

anyways. Here he is

[pokkeshii]

[snaileer]

If you’re sick of tired tropes clap your hands!

👏🏼👏🏼

If you’re sick of overwritten pity parties, clap your hands!

👏🏼👏🏼

If you’re sick of overused tropes, and you just want something new, if you’re sick of tired tropes, CLAP YOUR HANDS!

👏🏼👏🏼

[imekitty]

Created mostly by @chintadraws and arranged by me. If you've ever written a fic where Danny gets vivisected, feel free to play! I tried to make bingo possible in every direction! :D

[fangirlwriting-stories]

How To Cross Lines You're Unaware Exist

Summary: A guide by Maddie and Jack Fenton.

Author's Note: I've written the obligatory vivisection fic! That means I get my fandom gold access card now, right?

...

Danny isn’t sure how he actually made it back here, when he thinks about it.  He can’t walk, and it would take too much energy to turn his tail back into two legs.  He’s floating slowly and shakily down the street, only able to muster the energy to turn invisible whenever he sees someone coming.  But when he looks up, he sees home— his house— Fenton Works— the only place he has to go right now.  Jazz is home from college, there won’t be anyone in her dorm, and there’s no way he could get there anyway.  Sam’s parents hate him too much for that to be an option.  Tucker’s still away at Robotics camp for another week and he— he’s going to need someone to help him.  It’s probably a good thing Jazz is home, in that light.

He musters whatever he can gather up and turns intangible, then pushes himself upwards off the nearest building, straining himself as much as he can bear, which is thankfully enough to get him up and through the wall to his bedroom.  As soon as he makes it inside, he collapses, landing hard on the ground of his room with a loud crash.  He hears a startled yelp from the bedroom down the hall, and then Jazz’s bedroom door opening.

“Danny?” she calls.  “Is that you?”

Before Danny can call out some kind of answer, the sound of a car approaching comes from outside on the street, and a jolt of terror launches him across the room and locks his door.  He slumps down against it, and lets out a couple pained whimpers.  His chest does not like the decision he just made, though it was really an involuntary one.

The door slams open downstairs, and Danny hears his mother’s voice, frustrated and loud.  He hunches over on himself, which his chest doesn’t like either.

—fire his chest is on fire and he’s screaming can’t they hear him screaming why won’t they STOP—

“Jazz?  Danny?” his mother calls a second later.  “We’re going out tonight!  Can you both come down here for a second, please?”

Danny shoves his hands over his ears.  No, no, no no no no.

—he’s long passed the point of being above begging, especially when the GIW brought them in, but they’re not stopping either and the begging is doing NOTHING why is the begging doing nothing they listen when he begs for pizza for dinner how is that more important than this—

“I don’t know if Danny’s home yet, Mom!” Jazz calls, and Danny can hear her moving down the hall and towards the steps.

“Wait, what?  It’s almost midnight, Danny’s not home yet?” comes his father’s voice.

Jazz’s footsteps stop, and Danny hears two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs.

He’s pretty sure he knows what’s coming, so he gulps a couple heaps of air before, a second later, he hears a knock on his door.

“Danny, sweetie, are you in there?” his mom asks from the other side.

—“it really is impressive an impressive mimic,” Mom says, “the screams sound almost real”—

A gentle knock on the door.  “Danny?”

“Y— Ye— Yeah Mom,” Danny manages, somehow.  “I’m here.”

There’s a pause.  “Are you okay, sweetie?”

—“and these organs look almost human,” scientific fascination is abundant in her voice, the same intrigue that’s there when Jazz explains something about psychology or Danny rants to her about the stars—

“I’m f-f-fine,” Danny forces out, biting down on the pained cry that’s trying to escape.  “You s-said you were going out?”

“We were going to,” Mom says.

“The GIW helped us capture Phantom, but then it escaped,” Dad adds.  “We were going to go after it, but are you sure you’re okay, Danno?”

—“Mads, cut a portion of that one off,” Dad says, with all the delight he has when asking for a second brownie.  “The one that looks like a heart.”  A sigh, like how he sounds when Mom says no.  “And then we’ll have to sew it back up.  Ghost or not, it’ll need time to heal if we want to examine it more.”—

“I’m fine,” Danny says through gritted teeth.  “Go, go find him.”

“I can take care of Danny,” Jazz says quickly, and Danny can hear them shuffling towards the steps.  Jazz must be pushing them that direction.  “You shouldn’t leave a ghost to roam free, that could be dangerous!”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Mom says, sounding very much unsure herself.  “But we’ll keep our phones on, okay?  Call us if you need anything?”

—stitches pulling his chest back together, every part of him still on fire, he can feel his heart starting to grow a new valve—

“Of course,” Jazz says, and her voice is harder to hear now.  They’re downstairs.  “And don’t worry, I’ll call you if something happens with Danny.”

“Please do,” Mom says, muffled slightly by the sound of the front door opening.  “I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone, but even if we don’t catch it, we’ll try to be home before morning.  The GIW are out looking too, I’m sure we’ll get somewhere.”

—screaming his way through what little he has left, the scream breaking equipment, opening holes in the walls, pushing his parents back against a table.  Flying, flying, get AWAY—

The front door closes, but Danny doesn’t move.  He’s exhausted, but he’s pretty sure if he relaxes, he’ll pass out, and then he’ll change back, and then he won’t wake up.

There’s a long, long pause, and then the car drives away, and then footsteps start up the stairs.

He hears another knock on his door.

“D-Danny?” Jazz says.  There are tears in her voice.  “We’re… we’re alone in the house now.”

Danny slams his head back against the door and wails.

[mydetheturk]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Trigun (Anime & Manga 1995-2008), Trigun Stampede (Anime 2023) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Characters: Millions Knives (Trigun), Tesla (Trigun), Elendira the Crimsonnail (Trigun), Livio the Double Fang (Trigun), Razlo the Tri-Punisher of Death (Trigun), William Conrad | Revnant Vasquez Additional Tags: Medical Trauma, Vivisection, Eye Trauma, Dissociation, Body Horror, Alternate Universe, Nightmares, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Medical Procedures, Hurt/Comfort, Psychological Trauma, Breakfast, Emotional Support Thomas Summary:

Knives Remembers. (tesla doesn't need to remember tesla lived it)

~~

[feralsteddie]

I know we haven’t talked in forever and I am sorry. Just popping in to say hi 👋

Also your post about Eddie and Steve needing to be written more childish is such a hot take. Like I know that Eddie probably thinks bathroom humor is top tier. Steve definitely hops up to highfive trim of tall doors. Or Eddie and Steve wrestling like Eddie did with Dustin.

Oh don’t worry about it! I get it, life is busy, my dude, but it is good to hear from you!

God, I just, I know they’re deeply traumatised and have about fifty layers of mental issues between them, but also… they’re just a couple of guys???

Eddie looks like he makes ‘I fucked your mom’ jokes. Steve chronically shoves his friends off the couch. Eddie probably wipes his nose on his sleeve. Steve will stuff a whole slice of pizza in his face without breaking eye contact. Eddie once shoved his whole toe in Steve’s ear. Steve once kept putting sticks in Eddie’s hair while they were walking to see how long it took him to notice. They get high and debate Scooby Doo Villains. They piss with the door open. They have stupid little competitions that no one can comprehend. Robin once watched them wrestle on and off for a whole day because they decided it was the only way to settle any mild disagreement.

Like, just dumb boy shit??? Idk if it’s ‘cause they’re played by nearly 30 year old men (mentally Steve always looks like s3 to me tho) or if it’s bc a lot of the themes in steddie fic tend to be heavy, but… there really is just a lack of dude antics.

[fureliselost]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Danny Phantom, DCU Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Sam Manson & Jason Todd, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson & Jason Todd, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne Characters: Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: Vivisection, Aftermath of Torture, Mild Gore, Identity Reveal, Demon twins au, POV Jason Todd, POV Danny Fenton, POV Sam Manson, Everlasting trio, If You Squint - Freeform, Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Danny Fenton Is So Done, Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Twins, Danny Fenton is Not Okay, POV Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent Summary:

Jason was having an atypical day. Not that he had many of those, but today was atypical in a remarkable way — finding out the brat had a secret twin who faked his own death when he was called to help a friend in a sticky situation was far from something he would've imagined on his own.

OR: The Fentons vivisecc so Sam attacc and now there's reveals going on.

[pickleking8]

Adoption Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be --- Chapter 3

Words: 1,132

Ao3 Link

Previous - Next - Masterpost

TW: references to past trauma/vivisection/and death (done to a minor)

--------------------------------------

     Danny winced as he shifted in bed. The healing scar pulled on his skin, and it had started to itch. Ghosting his fingers over the makeshift bandages, he felt his way over the creases and wrinkles. He closed his eyes, hoping to see a comfortable field of darkness and to feel the lull of sleep, but all that approached him was green. That stupid neon green.

     Green, green, green everywhere! Slippery and disgustingly warm in that  that coated the table, reflecting the tinted lights that were glaring and cruel, flecks of green on the surgical blue of his parent’s gloves, just green everywhere. And it was all too bright.

     Danny’s eyes snapped open. He- he couldn’t. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this, he needed to get out, he needed to get away, he needed to get away from the grimy walls of the cheap hotel that seemed to be closing in on him all too quickly. 

     Danny flinched when he noticed the green light his eyes were giving off in his panic. It was a soft light, subtle, but much, much too green. Too neon. 

     Stupid color anyway, he thinks, shivering in the sudden chill that wafts over him when he throws the blankets off. He needs to get out. The floorboards creak as he makes his way across the room, glancing at Jazz, who was sleeping soundly in the bed. She looks tired, even in her sleep. Stressed, worried, upset. She’d been run ragged taking care of him the past week, not to mention the stress she’d been going through trying to make plans, trying to figure survival for them out… he’s sorry. 

     The hotel’s roof is surprisingly easy to access. The building has no alarms and barely any locked doors. Climbing the stairs winded him. He would have simply floated up, but the… incident had left him with little ectoplasm to spare; what he did have was going into keeping himself alive. No powers other than the barebones necessary could be used, meaning he had to climb the stairs like a normal person. He decided he didn’t like it. The night air was humid, but a light breeze still introduced a slight chill. Danny winced as his bare feet grated on the gravelly texture of the roof. He should have put on shoes. Sparing a glance over the edge of the roof, he shuddered, imagining what it would be like to have to deal with falling off a roof without his powers, and quickly snapping his gaze away from the edge. Nearing a secluded corner of the roof which hid behind a large air conditioning unit, Danny lowered himself with bated breath onto the precipice. Dangling his legs and kicking his feet, he leaned back onto his elbows and gazed at the few stars he could see in the cloud-ridden sky. They winked in and out of sight as the rain-laden clouds plodded past, but they remained. A steady fixture, something to be counted on. Persevering. Danny smiled. He liked stars. And so he stayed there, enjoying the way the air pulled on his feet as he swung them, feeling the breeze ruffle his hair, and keeping his gaze steadfastly on the sky. And it would be that unwavering gaze that was his undoing, for in his solitude, he quite terribly failed to notice Red Robin, who, at the moment, was in turn gazing slack-jawed back at Danny.

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     Tim had always admired the second Robin. Always looked up to him, respected him. He was an idol. He knew what he had looked like when he had died. And he knew that he was dead. He knew, without a doubt, that Jason was dead. So why, then, was what looked like a fifteen-year-old Jason Todd sitting on top of a roof of a shitty hotel. Swinging his legs and looking at the sky like he hadn’t a care in the world. Actually, scratch that.  He looked like he had several cares. Jason the kid winced when he brought up his arm to wipe his nose, and the hem of his too-small hoodie rode up to reveal dirtied bandages. 

     Tim’s breathing picked up. This couldn’t be Jason. This couldn’t. Jason was dead. Tim had seen his body, broken and drenched in bruises. And yet… this boy. Looking too much like Jason to be a coincidence. Wincing like he had a large wound on his chest. Something like an autopsy wound. Looking just a little too pale, too pallid to be on the safe end of healthy. Many evident bruises. It couldn’t be, and yet. Here he was. Here Jason was. 

     Tim had to tell the others. They would be ecstatic! Jason was alive. Somehow. They’d figure that part out later. But he was alive! Oh, just wait until he was back at the manor. Jason could have his room back! It wouldn’t sit empty anymore, serving only to remain silent under Bruce’s quiet gaze, a haunting monument to the lack of Jason. They didn’t bring it up. But it would be okay now! The room would no longer be silent! It would be okay. Yeah, it would be okay. 

     Calm down, Tim, he chided himself, It could be a clone. Or even just a doppelganger. It could be anyone (Or it could be Jason, a quiet part of himself whispered. It could be Jason again). He was broken out of his thoughts as the kid (Jason, it’s Jason) stirred. He shivered, as if he was just noticing the chill, and made to get up. He winced once more, bringing a hand to his chest this time, clutching it as if he was about to shatter. As luck would have it, as he turned to leave, his sleeve caught on one of the screws on the clunky AC unit. The boy (Jason) grimaced, annoyed, and yanked on his arm. He only succeeded in tearing his hoodie. Huffing, he simply walked away, steps light in a guard against the loose tarmac and hands stuffed firmly in the pockets of his hoodie. The door to the roof thudded closed, the sound resonating across the now empty rooftop. This was it. This was his chance! He could get Jason’s DNA off the sweatshirt scrap, he could prove his theory! 

     In no time at all, Red Robin was back on the ground with a little baggie containing the scrap securely in one of his many pockets. Heavy shoes pounding soundly against the street, he started running, eager. So very eager. In that, it was quite soon that he disappeared entirely from the flickering glow of the hotel’s neon sign, hungry tendrils of crackling light licking at his boots like a brilliant, dancing fire, and him leaving it to hum gratingly and alone in the night.

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Constructive criticism would be appreciated!

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Next - Masterpost

[moonshynecybin]

I know we have 0 proof and all assumptions but what do you think Vale s true self is like

like this