"I don't want to fight you." Bruce said, lowering his hands down to his sides while gazing into (YN)'s eyes. Hatred, Blood lust, Anger, Distilled aggression was all that he saw in them...
"All evidence to the contrary."
"How are you here... I saw you die, We all watched it. Your execution was broadcasted for the world to see."
"Clearly Fate had different plans for me. Honestly, I don't know what clouded your judgement worse. Your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality." The boy hissed, pulling out one of his pistols, holding it in a firm grip.
"(YN).. I'm.. I'm sorry I couldn't save you back then. Please, let's just-"
"Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. But why.. Why, on god's green earth, is he still alive?" (YN) asked, pointing his gun toward the beaten and bloody Superman, whose unconscious body laid along the ground after Arkham had beaten him.
Bruce's eyes widened as he was asked this question... His son, former Red Robin, even more so the second Robin... Turned out to be like this...
"Ignoring what he had done... Blindly, stupidly disregarding the the graveyards him and the Joker filled? The heroes they had killed? The thousands who suffered? The friends he had crippled? Honestly, I was... I was hurt when I realized he was still alive.. That my death didn't mean enough to you for you to avenge me. That after Grayson and Alfred died, Tim and Barbra went missing, Damian betrayed us, I thought that me sticking around meant something to you...But instead, you pushed me away. You pushed ALL OF US away! Drove Damian to superman after he killed Dick, sent Tim on a mission that he never came back from, instructed Barbra to stay home..." The boy spoke through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed with grief and hatred on his focus...
"Then I went on a Suicide Mission, and nothing changed... All that happened was that instead of ignoring all the death and destruction the Joker caused, Superman became the one you let run loose! That your damned code only allowed more people to suffer and die! THAT NOT EVEN MY DEATH WAS ENOUGH FOR YOUR STUBORN, STUPID ASS TO SEE THAT YOU WERE WRONG!... Damn it... Damn it! DAMN IT! DAMN IT, IF HE TOOK YOU FROM THIS WORLD, I WOULD HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT SEARCH FOR THIS PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HERO! I would have sent him off to Hell for killing the man I once saw as a FATHER!" The boy shouted, arm shaking as the gun was now aimed at Bruce... Despite knowing that by now, if he wanted to, Bruce could have easily disarmed him.. Bruce wanted to listen. To hear, understand why his son was grieving so much... but...
"... You don't understand. I don't think you ever understood. Not then with The Joker, not now with Clark."
"What? What-Your moral code won't allow it? It's to hard to cross that line?"
"NO! God All mighty, No... It'd be to damned easy... All I've ever wanted to do was kill the Joker. To subject him to every torturous act he had ever committed, and then end him... The same could be said about Clark, but..." Bruce began, removing his cowl and allowing it to drop to the floor, ignoring the pistol that was aimed at him in favor of his son... "But if I do that.. Allow myself to go down into that place.. I'll never go bac-"
The sound of a pistol shot was all it took for Bruce to cut himself off and move, knowing that (YN) had pulled the trigger to shoot at him, clenching onto the gun with both hands...
"... Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin, Ivy, Scarecrow, or Dent. I'm talking about killing Him... Just him.. Because.. Because he ruined my family.. Our family.. Because he took me away from you..." (YN)'s voice shakily forced out, already knowing the answer... That ultimately, he never meant enough to his own father... Not enough for things to change... That before he died, it was Batman and Joker... now, in his new life, it was Batman and Superman... Right where the Joker left it off.
"I.. I am sorry, (YN).." Bruce said, lowering his head as he turned his back on him, making his way toward Clark...
However, (YN) shot his gun and fired directly at a sweet spot, with the bullet slipping past Bruce's armor plates and hitting him in the arm. Bruce gritted his teeth out in pain and gripped his shoulder, falling over as Arkham made his move. Now with the helmet on, and kryptonite knife in hand, (YN) ran in to finish what he had started. As he leaped off the ground with the knife in hand, a batarang hit his hand and made him drop the knife from his grasp. As the weapon hit the floor, Arkham's hand balled into a fist and crashed into Superman's face... Though (YN) turned his attention toward Bruce, who dropped the injection he just forced into his arm to recover from his bullet wound... Arkham stood up, not even bothering to take out the other knife. He knew that Bruce would just make him drop the other if he tried.
Instead, Arkham took a deep breath and tried to focus... To prevent his rage and hate control and screw him over... And once he did, he ran in and prepared a venom-fueled punch to hit Batman in the chest. Batman moved back and allowed Arkham to crash into where he stood. Coming up with an uppercut, Arkham managed to make direct contact with Bruce and made him stumble a bit. Taking this chance, Arkham grabbed Batman by the head and crashed his head into the support beam that secured itself near by. As Bruce stumbled back, Arkham grabbed his cape and covered Bruce's head, punching his stomach repeatedly while Bruce was forced to take it. Eventually, Batman managed to headbut Arkham and force him to lose balance. Such an attack was strong enough to break off pieces of Arkham's helmet and even damage it, forcing it to loose it's blue hue... And as Bruce realized that Arkham had venom equipment on him, he took out a batarang and slashed at the venom tank on his arm...
Such an attack made (YN) groan out in pain, clenching his arm as the strength and adrenaline he had felt was draining quickly, leaving his system as Bruce held his stomach and panted.
(YN)'s condition slowly grew worse. A mixture of venom and his blood spilt all over the ground, only being followed by his energy and strength to keep fighting...
All the boy could do was aim his gun at Batman, shaking with hate and anger as he let his temperament get the best of him, unaware that the damage to his helmet caused his face to be ever so slightly revealed...
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"You.. You did this to me..."The boy growled like a cornered, damaged animal... "You let them take me.. Torture me for more than a year! With.. with him.." He choked out, voice cracking as the boy unknowingly spilt out how damaged he really had been... How betrayed he had felt. By his own father...
Bruce, filled with shame, didn't see this boy as the hardened vigilante that patrolled Gotham. Rather, he saw his soldier... his partner.
His fault...
His greatest failure...
"(YN).. Son... Please, let me help you... You don't have to be saved through blood shed. Let.. Let me try to be the father you deserve... The one that shouldn't have turned away from you..." Bruce pleaded, reaching a hand out toward the broken boy...
Until (YN) gritted his teeth, smashing a smoke bomb onto the floor and vanishing from his sight... The only traces he had left behind was the knife, and his destroyed helmet...
Bruce hung his head, regretting the choices he had made regarding his family... how he did abandon them, turn them all aside... Just to focus on Clark...
The very same Clark who laid across the floor, beaten and bloody... Alone with Bruce as several thoughts raced through his mind, each more sorrowful than the last...
