Blue

💠 Ønę 💠

><>< ><>< ><>< ><>< ><>< ><>< ><><

Patrol was going great.

The sky was beautiful, not a rain cloud in sight. The air was thick with smog like it always was, even high up on the top of city buildings. But that was normal for Gotham City.

Jason Todd, just like his brothers and father, was a vigilante. He wore a mask and helmet to cover his entire face when he went out. Many of the biggest crime lords were terrified of the Red Hood. So jumping from rooftop to rooftop was something he used to. It was just like breathing.

At times like this, he truly loved being a vigilante. He loved the feeling he got when the air would rush through his hair and his clothes when he'd jump.

Jumping across one of the smaller buildings a banging noise rings into the air, followed by a soft crying noise. This made the hardass vigilante freeze and backtrack. Once he located the sound he slid down the side of the building and found himself standing in front of a small child with bright blue hair and light green eyes that would capture your heart the minute you laid eyes on them. Tears and fear brimmed in the boy's eyes and his face was red and puffy from screaming and crying.

Jason moves closer towards the boy and the boy tries to move away from him, his handcuffs banged against the side of the dumpster. The sound caught Jason off guard. He was expecting a kid, who looked no older than five, to be handcuffed to a smelly old dumpster in Gotham. But these handcuffs weren't just regular cuffs, they looked like the metahuman cuffs in Central City but they looked different. Like a more upgraded version of it.

Many different thoughts were running through the older vigilante's head. Why was this kid cuffed to a dumpster? Why was he even there in the first place and what kind of abilities were those cuffs dampening?

But the more prominent question was who would do this to a kid?

Removing his helmet he sets it on the ground next to him. Inching closer to the frightened boy he slowly raises his hands up to show he means him no harm, "It's alright. I'm gonna get those off you."

The boy allows him to get as close as the handcuffs but no further. Jason gently grabs ahold of the boy's hands and notices the various red marks on his wrists. He knew he needed to get the cuffs off the boy. Pulling out one of his smaller knives, he jams the blade into the keyhole and begins to jiggle it around on the hole. Small sparks begin to fly from the cuffs and they pop open. Jason made a small mental note to thank Tim when he saw him again.

When the cuffs released him the boy was still terrified of Jason. He backed up and firmly pressed his back against the wall, fear burned in his eyes and it covered his face. The small boy with blue hair was terrified of Jason. And Jason being Jason thought he could help the situation. He moved closer to the boy with his hands up, it was his attempt at showing the little boy that he meant him no harm. But when he got near the boy's feet a soft horse hiss escaped his throat airily.

Taking a closer look at the boy's face he sees a pair angry looking fangs protruding from where his canines would be. Seeing this devilish of a feature on a small adorable looking little kid made him jump back some. Through the tears, the boy says, "Laisse-moi... laisse-moi tranquille.."
[Leave me...Leave me alone...]

It took Jason a little bit to translate what the boy said but when he figured it out he says back, "Je ne vais pas te faire mal, je veux juste t'aider."
[I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help you.]

"Non, vous travaillez pour eux!" The boy replies shaking in fear, tears streaming down his face. Jason could tell right then and there that this little boy had been through hell.
[No, you work for them!]

Jason had no idea what this boy was talking about. Was there a secret organization kidnapping little kids and experimenting on them? He took one look at this little kid who was shaking in terror and saw a small part of himself. The side that was scared and afraid and on his own. So speaking in English he says in a normal comforting voice, "I don't work for any bad guys, kiddo. I work with Batman and help take down bad guys. I promise you that I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy's shaking started to decrease a little but didn't stop. He slowly moved forwards and allowed the vigilante near him. Jason's body heat seemed to draw in the boy, he was freezing. The air suddenly started to get colder there in the alleyway. Jason started to feel it as well. Picking up the small child, he was surprised that the kid even allowed him to pick him up. But what surprised him, even more, was how the child was clinging to his side. He barely had a hold of the kid.

Getting back up on top of the building he begins to run back to his apartment, the blue-haired boy still clinging to him as his life depended on it. As Jason got closer to his apartment he started to slow down. Moving the child to his hip he asks, "Alright buddy, how about we get you cleaned up and fed. That might make you feel a little better."

He climbs into his apartment and sets the little boy down. The little boy stood there in somewhat of a shock. He didn't understand Jason's actions. They were foreign to him. No one had ever shown him compassion before, not in a long time. Deep down he knew that he was safe with Jason so he slowly began to let his guard down. Moving towards the couch, the small boy climbs into the big red sofa and begins to slowly curl up into a ball, disappearing into cushions.

"Hey kiddo, how does Mac N' Cheese sound?" Jason asks as he looks through his cabinets. He soon stops when he doesn't hear a reply from the boy. Shutting the cabinet, he walks towards the couch and finds the boy fast asleep on the left cushion. Chuckling a little he grabs the blanket from the back of the couch and drapes it over the boy.

Seeing the boy it made him wonder if this is what Bruce felt when he took him or one of his brothers or sisters in. He couldn't help but smile at the boy. But then reality sank in and Jason's mind started to wonder. Did this kid have a family that was out there looking for him? Was he kidnapped and sent to creepy people that experimented on him?

Knowing that he wasn't going to get any answers tonight, he sat on the couch and pulled a book off the coffee table. Opening it, he begins to read. He figured he'd take the boy the cave in the morning and have Bruce run every test in the book to figure it out. Everything would be answered in the morning.

><>< ><>< ><>< ><>< ><>< ><>< ><><

_______________
Word Count: 1,239
_______________

Vote 🗳 | Comment ✍️ | Enjoy 🙂