two | memory (two kids, you and me)

[bamboozlement]

Night - that’s when you do your work in this stoplight-colors uniform, eyes and identity concealed behind a red domino mask. You’re out patrolling on your own tonight, and the sounds of an altercation ring out from the darkened alley below, sounds you find all too familiar. Three well-muscled men - thugs - have a fourth man cornered on the ground; he’s younger, unruly red hair tied back with a white bandanna, either too drunk or too apathetic to fight back as the other three take turns kicking him down over and over again.

“... Call yourself a superhero? You dirty lowlife drunk …” one says, showing the bottom of his boot to the side of the redhead’s face. This is your cue to jump in. You call out from the rooftop above with a easy-going tone that manages to still mean business.

“That, coming from a guy wanted for assault in three different counties?” The thug looks up in surprise, trying to discern who’s speaking, and you work quickly, hurling a bat-shaped boomerang at his head, knocking him out and to the ground. The second man you take out with a five-ball bola thrown and wrapped around his neck as you leap to the ground, not missing a beat in your banter: “They really don’t make anonymous thugs like they used to, huh? Look how easy you break.” You land next to the last of the thugs and crack your elbow right into the side of his head, and he too slumps to the ground, unconscious.

You step forward out of the shadows toward the redhead kneeling on the pavement in bewilderment, a triumphant smile curving your mouth. “There. That’s better,” you say. “You’re Roy Harper, aren’t you?” (You know exactly who he is.) “I’m Robin. Version two, actually - although I bet you could figure that out on your own.”

“Why,” Roy asks, eyes turned up on you, “why are you helping me?”

“They took these from you back at the bar,” you say, holding out a bow and quiver of arrows for Roy to reclaim. “I thought you’d want them returned. My predecessor told me once that you were a good friend of his, before you fell off the wagon. I wanted to let you know I’m here if you ever need a friend.”

Roy takes his weapons and pulls himself to his feet, shaking his head. “I don’t need friends,” he protests, a slight slur blurring the edges of his words, “friends just let you down.” You smile knowingly, because you’ve said the same thing in the not-too-distant past.

“We all need friends, Roy.” You produce a grappling hook gun from your belt and aim it at the nearby rooftop. “You change your mind, just come find me.” You fire the gun and follow the wire up into the night, leaving Roy standing in the alley below.

“I’ll be waiting.”

audio; un: j.doe

[and not too long after that memory broadcasts, jason's voice follows, sharp and shaking with rage at the intrusion:]

Get. Out. Of my head. NOW.

Comments

[10milliondollars]

Well, I'm not really in your head, or I'd know how things turned out. I assumed that was aimed at the Network itself~ Sure you don't wanna talk about it? I've got plenty of experience in the Helping-Your-Bro department.

[Not that he'd ever had to deal with substance abuse. Vaughn was too high-strung for that. The guy rarely had anything with a high alcohol volume, but he still needed Rhys's help quite often.]

[bamboozlement]

Helping?

[the sound jason makes isn’t quite a laugh - it’s bitter and angry, entirely lacking mirth, an imperfect facsimile.]

OK, smart guy, with all of your experience, try this one. Roy didn’t find me - I found him, locked up on bogus war crimes charges in the armpit of the entire planet. [qurac. the same place jason was killed, years ago. ah, memories.] After he got rescued, we teamed up to fight some bad guys, do some good - even started our own little rent-a-hero business. His idea. And d’you know what happened? He almost died because he was dumb enough to get mixed up with me, because he was dumb enough to have me for a friend. This group of mercenaries kidnapped him, tortured him on a live internet stream, put it to a poll where viewers could vote on whether they’d kill him or let him live.

[and all of that? it frightened jason, enough that he broke off their partnership and pushed roy away, thinking that enforcing distance would be safer for both of them.]

He was right. Friends just let you down.

[and in jason’s mind, he’s the one who’s the letdown. like he told roy when he left - he couldn’t be the hero roy wanted him to be.]

So I’m dying to hear how you’re gonna help me with this.

[10milliondollars]

[That's...certainly a lot to take in. Rhys feels for the guy, he really does. He stays quiet for a long time, thinking over his words carefully.]

Well...Your first mistake was disappearing on him after a traumatic event like that. [Like Rhys had room to talk. A robot had reunited him with Vaughn after the fall of Helios.] You can't control what mercenaries do, and whatever they do? That's on them. That's not on you. It's not your fault they're evil. You left him at the worst possible moment, and that's how you let him down. Not by being his friend.

[He tries not to sound too smug about it, but he's corporate trash at heart, and he's not gonna sugar-coat anything for this hero wannabe.]

Being a hero means doing things you don't wanna do, getting your hands dirty, and making the toughest decisions. It's the sacrifice you make.

[bamboozlement]

[ouch. thing is, rhys isn't wrong - jason knew leaving roy would hurt him. he'd just convinced himself that it would hurt roy less than staying.]

I'm not a hero. Haven't been one in a long time.

[not since he died and was brought back, at least. maybe even before that.]

You really think I don't know that I let him down? [sometimes jason thinks that's all he is - a spectacular letdown.] Believe me, I know all about getting your hands dirty and making tough decisions. Splitting up the team wasn't an easy choice for me to make.

[10milliondollars]

I know it wasn't. And maybe it was the right decision to split up your team. Doesn't mean you should've just disappeared on your friend like that, though. You should get back in touch with him. Make things right.

It's gonna suck, but you gotta do it, man.

[bamboozlement]

[as much as jason hates to admit it, even just to himself, rhys is right. roy has been on jason’s mind a lot in the time since he left, but he’s been too afraid to contact him directly. what if he’s angry? what if he still hates jason? better to just keep his distance.]

Sure, I’ll get right on that. Wanna point me toward the next train to Gotham?

[10milliondollars]

I don't even know where Gotham is, dude.

[He sighs, a bit exasperated.]

I know you can't just call him up or head right back home, but taking this time to build your resolve and think about what you're gonna say might help you take care of things faster when you get back.

[bamboozlement]

It’s in New Jersey.

[which probably doesn’t mean anything either, but jason’s feeling contrary, so he offers no other explanation.]

All of that crap with Roy didn’t just happen, y’know. And if I haven’t come up with the resolve and right words by now, I don’t really think it’s gonna happen.

[10milliondollars]

Maybe if you've got someone egging you on to fix things, you'll find that resolve. And maybe I can help in the word department. We'll write a kickass speech together, and when you get home, just call Roy up and lay it on him. Maybe over drinks.

[Because how else do two men share their feelings?]

[bamboozlement]

He’s a recovering alcoholic.

[10milliondollars]

So go for coffee. Point is, meet up in public so he's got the choice to leave if he wants.

[bamboozlement]

I don’t go for coffee.

[he’s just stubbornly making excuses now. and jason’s about to say something about roy not trying to contact him either, so surely that means he wants to be left alone, right? but that’s not exactly true. roy showed up when jason was in trouble, getting one of the worst beatings of his life from batman, pulled him off that rooftop, and then - then jason woke up here in the domes. they didn’t have a chance to talk, but from what jason remembers through his concussed haze, roy didn’t seem angry. he sighs.]

Look, I’ll think about, OK?

[10milliondollars]

You should. Solid friendships shouldn't just be tossed away, even if you're trying to protect the other person.

[If there's one thing he's learned in life about relationships, it's that a best bro is priceless. Not that he isn't guilty of dropping Vaughn in favor of a couple of frat parties, but that's in the past now.]

[bamboozlement]

[dryly:] What’s your policy on slam-dunking ‘em into a dumpster?

[10milliondollars]

My policy is not to do it unless they try and stab me in the back. One of my friends double-crossed me, so I didn't bother springing her from her cell before I crashed our company's space station~

[So maybe he's not the best for giving advice about friendships.]

[bamboozlement]

Wow. That’s pretty cold, even by my standards.

[10milliondollars]

Well, she was involved in my demotion and was helping my arch enemy. I almost died. It served her right.

[bamboozlement]

Got no argument from me. But is she still your friend, after all that?

[10milliondollars]

She didn't survive. So I guess not.

[At least he sounds a little remorseful about it.]

[bamboozlement]

Guess that’s one way to end a friendship permanently.

[10milliondollars]

Guess so. I kinda regret it, but I can be incredibly petty, and maybe I'm not the most forgiving.

[bamboozlement]

So why again am I taking relationship advice from you?

[10milliondollars]

Learn from the mistakes of others? You're the one that's still listening to me.

[bamboozlement]

[that’s a fair point.]

Maybe I’m just really bored.

[10milliondollars]

Yeah, well, take it from me: Don't leave a guilty conscience up to chance.