Cuckoo and Sparrow (Young Justice)

Eli's Beginning

TW: TRAUMA AND MAJOR SADNESS. MEGA DEATH. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Rain pounded on the concrete streets of Gotham City mercilessly. Lightning struck, flashing its bright light across the sky, illuminating the litter-filled streets and alleys of the crime-ridden city. Thunder boomed and cracked, shaking the ground beneath the red sedan that eased down the road carefully.

The little boy in the backseat with inky black hair and bright blue eyes had his head resting back as he yawned, tired out from that day's activities, tears coming to his eyes before he rubbed them out. The boy was named Eli Perry.

"Just a little ways longer and we'll be home sweety. It's ok if you fall asleep, one of us will carry you inside." His beautiful Mother said from the front seat, wearing her fitting red sundress. Her long soft black hair fell in curls around her shoulders. Her diamond earrings glinted in the street lights they passed. Her voice was angelic to the boy, though he might have been biased- not that he knew what that word meant.

"No," he protested, another yawn breaking through, "I can stay awake." His voice betrayed his exhaustion, sounding small and tired.

"It's alright, champ, growing boys like you need their sleep." His Dad joked from the driver's seat, then yawned, his gravelly and tired voice surprisingly soothing. Though his tiredness was different from the boy's, the boy just needed sleep, the man, however, needed a week's hibernation and a month off work, and no more bills to worry about to fix his.

"Then what's your ex-eck-ex-cuse," Eli attempted to sound out the right way to say the word, "excuse?" He beamed proudly at the word and his Mom stifled a laugh, putting her hand to her mouth and looking away from her husband.

"Wha- hey! Now you listen here, boy.." he trailed off before laughing along with his wife and son.

The boy was happy, his Dad had taken off work today to spend time with him and his Mom because he had spent the week sick with the flu, and just got to feeling well enough to go out. He took them ice skating, then to dinner, then to a movie, then to ice cream, and then to a walk through the park. He never would have realized how much a lovely evening could turn so wrong so fast.

The light was the brightest thing he could ever remember seeing up until that point, even brighter than staring into the sun or at a light bulb even though his Mom told him not to. The sound, though? One would think it would be the deafening roar and crack of the thunder that echoed from the lightning strike right on their hood, but no. No, that wasn't the loudest noise. No, it was definitely the terror-filled scream that tore itself from his Mother's throat in a pitch so high and loud that he had never heard it from her before. The yell from his Father as he tried to ease the car to a stop, despite the obvious shock and adrenaline of the situation. He felt the stutter of the car as the wheels hydroplaned before hearing the squealing of the tires when they finally touched the pavement. He wouldn't realize it until later that the squealing he heard wasn't their tires. No, it was the tires of the smart car that couldn't stop in time for the red light because the roads were so slick.

He barely felt the impact at first, nor did he the second impact of the railing of some cafe, it all happened so fast, the light, the noise, the pain. The pain. That was the worst pain he felt in his life, his ribs hurt, his shoulder hurt, something was pinning his legs, his head was foggy and ringing and why was it so loud?

"Mom?" He croaked out. "Dad?" He blinked his eyes hard trying to focus. "What happened? Dad? Dad?" His voice was muffled to his own ears. He wasn't sure he was even speaking properly at the correct volume. What was the proper volume to use right now? His eyes finally found the form of his dad, the smell of smoke filling his nose and lungs as he coughed harshly.