{traps and talons}

Oblivion tasted bloody. There was a distinct feeling of something burning at the back of his throat and though he was swimming in darkness, he was growing aware of himself. The burning became a dull, throbbing ache, and he felt himself sink deeper into the deep pool of blackness. He was sinking like a stone, and the world was turning into a monster as he was enveloped by fear and loathing.

He awoke to find himself chained to a chair. He felt cold, and pain lanced up his chest, sending his teeth gnashing against each other. His face was bare, and he felt a twinge of panic settle inside his chest as he blinked rapidly, his vision adjusting to the light around him. He felt sick. Nauseous. But not scared. Never scared.

After all, what could Talon have to fear? He had nothing to lose, not a love, not a heart, not a life.

"You're awake."

Talon squinted through the light, his body frozen against his metal bonds, and he took a deep breath. His body was small. His face was sallow and hollow, but it retained its childlike shape. He was not sure how old he was now, but he knew he could not be over twenty. He struggled to remember how old he had been when this had all started, but he came up dry. His nostrils flared as a light glared into his eyes, and he twisted a little in his seat.

"It's no use struggling," a voice yawned. Talon blinked as a hand snatched his chin, and forced his vision away from the bright light.

His eyes snapped wide. For a moment things seemed unclear, and at that point he felt himself falling backwards. You're dead, Talon thought numbly. I killed you.

"Surprised?" Jason Todd's eyes were dead. The rest of his body was very much alive, if not malnourished. He looked at Talon, and there was nothing in his eyes but pure, unadulterated hatred. Talon could almost feel his fury rolling off his thin body, slamming against his face like waves of ice.

"You…" Talon said, his voice feeling like glass sliding against his tongue. He blinked as Jason Todd smirked joylessly, his body going lax as he lifted Talon's chin higher. The back of his hand smacked against Talon's cheek, and his teeth cracked against each other, a sharp shudder of pain smashing through his skull as blood filled his mouth.

"Oh yeah," Todd snarled, grabbing Talon by his hair and yanking his head upward. "Me!"

Talon couldn't speak. The taste of blood was a acrid, metallic tang on his tongue, and he felt it dribble down his chin as he stared up at Todd. His eyes gave an echo of the boy's— a boy who couldn't be older than fifteen. They stared at each other, and Talon took a deep breath through his nose, his body giving an involuntary shudder. Todd's teeth bared in rage, and Talon blinked as his hair was yanked at, strands tearing from his scalp painfully. Todd twisted his hair, and Talon winced, his neck snapping to the side.

"Well?" Todd hissed, leaning close. His face had gone blank, cold fury slapping Talon in to face over and over and over again. Talon breathed, but it was all ice and wind, harsh as a winter's whip. "Nothing to say?"

Talon's lip trembled. He spat, and watched with a hollow gaze as spittle and blood slid down Todd's cheek splattering and sliding like a red tear. Kill me then, Dick Grayson thought, a challenge glowing in his dead blue eyes. Or try, dead boy. Dick's body jerked as he felt a knife slide between his ribs. He stared into the eyes of the boy he had tricked not too long ago into following him to his death. Talon had looked younger than the boy then, though he knew he was older, and it was easy to trap in him a building seconds from exploding. The Court of Owls had wanted to send Bruce Wayne a message. It hadn't worked out as planned.

Todd yanked the knife out and slammed it back into his abdomen just as the last wound began to heal. Talon's body gave another jerk on reflex, and he blinked rapidly from the harsh stinging of it all, the feeling of blood loss and decay and death sinking into his bones and drenching him in its chilly embrace. It sucked him back into life and breathed fire into his veins.

Jason Todd, fifteen and dead, smiled down at Talon in absolute disgust. He leaned very close, his lips brushing against Talon's ear.

"I heard the great Talon can't die," Jason breath tickling Dick's neck. His body shuddered against the steel buried deep into his stomach, blood coagulating around the wound. "Let's put that rumor to the test, shall we?"

No real story behind this one. It's an AU. I got prompted to do Talon!Dick on tumblr. I had fun with it?