#everyone eventually dies

[cookeybg]

Gotham Possesses

A cryptid Batfamily AU in which Gotham is the main character and follows its journey to consciousness as it follows its Bat and Birds. Chapters are short and a bit gloomy.

Main Characters: Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, The Joker (more characters pop up later, will add them then.)

No romantic relationships

Stuff to know: Cryptid Batfamily, grim, Melancholic mood, Angst, (let me know if I should add more tags)

Word Count: 584

[Here's my table of contents]

Chapter 7 - Gotham Transcends

She watched them swarm, at the behest of their white skinned jester whose hair was the same toxic color that painted her sewers. Born in a vat created by the corrupt, from the same poisonous liquid she tasted regularly. Whenever he appeared he stained her soil in the warmth of the living. Her Bat right behind him, protecting her, called him Joker.

And the jester would laugh.

A sound so chaotic, alluring, her attention captivated, ripped away from her Bat. Something in him resonated with the souls that walked her streets, that lived in her buildings, that wished for change. They would gather, hold him up and then recoil. He danced with her Bat unlike any other, fluid and unpredictable. His whispered thoughts, his actions, always directed towards her Bat. The jester needed him, loved him, loved her, wanted her changed. Her shadows played with the soundless song he wove. Enjoying their game.

Nightwing, her oldest bird went too far, in protection of the youngest, in reaction to the second. Her Bat had been gripped by something indescribable. Fear was at the forefront, determination followed closely. Her eldest bird sat hopeless, her youngest shocked. With rhythmic movements her Bat pounded his chest trying to bring him back. Her Bat could not, would not, let the jester die. Like with the others, she gave her Bat what he wanted, a helping hand. She plucked a bit of shadow and when her Bat cracked the Jester’s chest, she slipped in. Disoriented and confused he shot up, clutching at his chest, his laughter echoing, filling her with new sensation.

She had not known. She had been unaware.

She? …I?

I had not known?

The excuse fell flat. Ignorance did not justify the consequences of that night. What would transpire would be devastating. How would I have known that it was not love, what the jester felt.

No.

It was love, but it was twisted. It was obsession but more consuming. It was jealousy, but it was sinister. He wanted my Bat. His full attention and our birds would, have, paid the price.

Later, bound and imprisoned, he spoke to the shadows. He spoke to me in sweet hushed tones. Disappointed that his plan had failed, regretful. I could feel the thrill run through me, from him, when I would inadvertently respond. A flicker here, a subtle movement there. He saw me, followed me with his mismatched eyes and when he could, he would grasp the tether, trying to pull me in. The jester was dangerous and now he was aware, his connection to me, to my Bat.

It was hard resisting, but I would not be swayed. He was not brought back because I wanted him, his life is held within the hands of my Bat. All he had to do was let me know and I would cut the string, let the jester collapse like a marionette. Though he did not know the power he held, though he did not speak to me directly, though I brought him nothing but torment. My Bat still had faith in me. Cared for me.

I settled on him, dark tendrils wrapping around his neck, adoringly watching him work. I watched him fight, watched him run ragged for me. I curled in tighter, burying myself in his back. I smiled at the feeling, a laugh escaping, unheard.

Gotham is me. I am Gotham and the Bat is mine, the jester an after thought.

I had finally, fully, awakened.

This one was difficult to write. I like the Joker as a villain but now he has a bit of Gotham in him, like the robins, and that cannot bode well. Also, why does the last bit sound menacing? This is where the story led me T_T

I'm afraid to follow the path, but I must march on.

[cookeybg]

Gotham Possesses

A cryptid Batfamily AU in which Gotham is the main character and follows its journey to consciousness as it follows its Bat and Birds. Chapters are short and a bit gloomy.

Main Characters: Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake (more characters pop up later, will add them then.)

No romantic relationships

Stuff to know: Cryptid Batfamily, grim, Melancholic mood (let me know if I should add more tags)

Word Count: 622

[Here's my table of contents]

Chapter 6 - Gotham Hoped

She scanned the boy, her shadows briefly skimming his skin. His sharp eyes had been watching, always, at times through a lens. He had been there the day her first bird’s loved ones emptied their warmth into her soil. Too young to be witness to such horror, but nonetheless a rite of passage within her walls. The boy would slink through her streets like a mouse and hide on fire escapes, all to take images of her Bat and birds. The boy would look at the images and quietly he would murmur, he would question the absence of her missing bird and she would lament softly, rain hitting the rooftops in a steady stream. The boy’s curiosity was insatiable and his exploits grew, to soothe the itch, to fill his time, to ignore the loneliness. With a wistful pause she moved on, apathetic as the boy grew bolder, endangering himself. He was only a small curiosity. And small he was. Much too small when he forcibly inserted himself into her Bat’s life. Sharp as a whip and quick to steal the mantle, because her Bat needed a Robin. Her Bat did not want him. He would speak to the boy in short, gruff, noises and leave the boy to his own devices, denying him. Through the eyes of her Bat, she saw the neglect, the isolation. She felt the kinship. But her Bat was mired in his grief, blinded, he refused to take notice. The boy in turn took care of her Bat, tempered him. Brought a semblance of the Bat she knew before. Slowly, much slower than with the second, her Bat’s frost melted and he let the boy in. They danced on her roof tops, her streets, in her sewers and the bird flew like the ones before. The grief always present but now lessened, never forgotten. The bird was relentless whenever he caught the trace of a worm. Obsessions led to sleepless nights and he kept pushing. Always moving, until one night, disregarding a concussion, his exhaustion lulled him to sleep. The cold giving way to numbness, unaware that his small body was freezing. He became buried in snow, lost to winter’s wonder. This boy was her Bat’s new bird, a shaky tether he held on to, that she clutched at. She could not, would not let her Bat break again, so soon. With deliberate practice, she dislodged a piece of her shadow and let it slip through blue lips. She watched as her bird took a breath, frost falling off him as he painfully twitched back to consciousness. She didn’t need to gather her shadows to silence for no noise escaped him. His face contorted in pain, his mouth open in a silent scream, heart beating painfully slow. He lay hidden the whole city asleep. With stiff limbs she saw him push at the blanket of snow, with his eyes she saw the first rays of dawn. It was the first time she had ever heard a whispered word of gratitude directed towards her. She wrapped shadowy tendrils around him, warming him in her embrace, seeking comfort in their connection. In her newfound tether. In her new bird. Through his ears she heard the calls of her Bat, checking in on their bird. The bird answered, voice hoarse and waited for the beat of his heart to become normal. She felt the spark in his chest as she helped him on his way, shortening the distance, further silencing his steps, pushing him with a cold breeze towards her Bat’s cave, their home. Her shadows sifted through his hair. Her bird was no longer alone. The spark reignited a flame that had dwindled and Gotham found hope.

Hope you enjoy! :D