Trapped Under Pressure

Chapter 21

Ayyyyy.

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Bruce walked down the bright corridor, lost within his own thoughts. He could barely process what he had learnt. Robin had broke down in front of him, sobbing over the fact he had killed someone.  Bruce thought back to Damian and Jason; they had killed people before. They had been considered "villains" at one point. But Robin...

Robin was only 14! Actually, he was 15 now. He had missed his own birthday. He had missed Christmas, even. He had missed such amazing events and that was time he couldn't get back. Batman was enraged with the assassin that took him but he was also infuriated with himself.

If he had managed to protect Robin before hand, Robin wouldn't have missed such important times of his life. Six months, nearly seven. He had been with the mercenary for so long. If Batman had managed to protect him, none of this would have happened. Robin wouldn't have had to go through with so much. If only he had tried harder, worked hard, searched harder... Robin wouldn't be in such a position. Robin needed him and he had failed him. The guilt that had grown ever so slowly through each passing day, slowly consuming and eating him up; day by day which only served to multiply by ten today. 

The emotions that he had pushed away in order to focus on his task, the emotions he had bottled up for so long; only came back to haunt him this day. He was so happy having found Robin that he forgot to put the lid back on the ever growing emotions of guilt and sorrow. Those emotions grew and only seemed to grow some more by each passing moment, until they finally consumed him. They finally consumed his heart and left him empty inside. Much like Robin's supreme guilt had done to him.

Why hadn't he saved Robin earlier? Why did it take him so long to do something so simple? Why, just why? Batman felt pathetic; useless. He couldn't even save his own ward. Batman shook his head. The second he could, he was going to fully adopt Richard. He never really liked calling Dick the term "ward," after all; 'son' sounded much better.

~Eh..~

Jason walked through the illuminated corridors, a broad smile on his face - something unusual for him. Not that he cared, he was in a great mood.

He opened the door, waltzing straight in with a grin to see the object of his current happiness.

"What's up, little birdy?" Jason chirped. (ACKNOWLEDGE MY SHITTY PUN) Said person lifted their head to stare at him. Almost instantly, a small smile appeared on Dick's face.

"Hey Jason." Dick muttered, sitting up straight. Jason sat down on the small stool next to the bed, holding up a bag.

"I bare gifts!" Jason bellowed, trying to excite Dick. Dick merely smiled. Jason felt his grin waver and he inwardly frowned. "How does chocolate sound?" He offered, trying to keep up his enthusiasm.

"Sounds great." Robin's smile widened slightly. Curiously, he leaned down to see what was in the bag. For a split second, Jason frowned.

"Hey Dick, wanna go get something in the city? I'm thinking of chocolate." Jason asked. Dick immediately snapped up, all earlier signs of tiredness and boredom fading away instantly.

"YES! Did you even need to ask?" Dick shot up from his seat, shoving his phone into his pocket.

"I don't even know why I bothered to ask myself, actually. Flanders or McFist?" He questioned, grabbing his keys. (Who gets the reference?)

"Mcfist is more aster. Let's go there."  Dick offered, putting thought into his choice.

"Why is Mcfist more 'aster?'"