Based on a prompt from the Young Justice Anonymous Fic Meme by f_flamequeen
TW for story: Graphic torture, non-graphic rape, depression, suicide attempts. Rated M for a reason.
TW for chapter: None
Pairing: Birdflash / WallyxDick
It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be simple. But that's how it always goes, isn't it? Just a ''simple'' mission, get in, gather the information, get out. Disappear. Like ghosts drifting through the walls; the world goes on as if nothing ever happened.
But it was never that simple. Something always happened, something that would set off the domino effect that came with being a hero; that came with getting nose to nose with madmen- murderers, for heaven's sake - for sending children to do an adult's job. An adult with half a life time worth of training and ohdeargod how could they not have expected this? Well, of course they expected the children to get hurt and bruised, burnt and broken but never this bad, never this horrible never -
Diana takes a deep breath as she circles the area for what feels like the hundredth time yet nothing changes. The scenery lies before her as it was a mere moment ago and remains unchanged. The rubble and the debris changes locations depending on whether Superman has turned it over or not; judging by the look on his face he already has, a million times, yet his efforts have remianed futile. They all search, for hours it seems but she can't be certain as no one stops to check the time - they don't have time, they have to find him before it's too late and what if he's under a beam or fifteen tons of concrete what if he's dead what if he's crushed oh dear Hera have mercy -
''He's gone''
Superm - no, Clark, looks at her as if he's trying to rip himself away and out of his own body, away from this delusional scene of everything they always knew could happen but never actually thought would happen because he's Robin, for god's sake it's Robin, their little, tiny acrobat who's become more like a son than anything over the years and he can't be gone, nonononononno she won't let him be gone he can't be -
''Diana?'' Clark's hand is large and heavy on her shoulder, adding to what feels like the weight of the world she can't tell if the sinking of her feet is just imaginary. ''Are you alr-''
''I'm fine''
She doesn't mean to brush him off. She can tell by the peculiar way his eyes glaze over, as if a shielding lid has slid over them, slid over him to protect him from what she's trying to deny, she can tell that he's hurt but at the moment she can't find it in her to care.
''Is Bruce..?''
''He's been notified'' Clark speaks as if it was any other day, as if nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary, like maybe they misplaced a jet or someone dropped their communicator - Barry, maybe - and it was all going to be fine if they just calmed down and breathed, dammit but she can't breathe she can't -
Diana clenches her eyes shut as she tries to compose herself .Tries to remember who she is and what she stands for but it's so hard to be brave. Nevermind facing Giganta or crushing meteors, this is different because this time she is utterly powerless. With all the gifts of the gods she is still so useless and it hurts how it hurts that the great Amazon who can deflect bullets and stop derailing trains can't even find a child who is like family to her.
''This isn't... this isn't your fault''
She can't tell if Clark is trying to convince her or himself, more so it sounds as if he's just murmuring empty words to fill the silence. The silence that isn't really a silence as much as it is the horrible sound of feet walking in circles and rocks being turned but revealing nothing and she can't take it anymore she has to get out has to find Bruce has to find something, anything that makes any sense at the moment and she -
Clark barely sees her as she speeds off into the night, disappearing as a glimmer in the starry canvas and for a second his mind stands still. Clark doesn't know if it scares him more that the child he has grown to love like a nephew is missing or that the strongest woman he knows can't take it; that she has to run away like a frightened girl and not the strong, powerful woman he knows and if she can't be brave, how can he? Clark doesn't know anything anymore but the one fact that they have all silently agreed on.
They have to find Robin.