As Jason walked through the orphanage, a ruckus caught his attention. A group of kids huddled together, laughing and whispering excitedly.
Curious he approached, noticing that they were all fixated on something in the middle of their circle.
As he got closer, his eyes landed on a comic book lying on the ground.
"What are you doing?" Jason's voice cut through the chatter.
The children instantly froze, their laughter dying in their throats as they scrambled to stand up forming a nervous line in front of him.
One of the boys, still clutching the comic book, hastily tried to hide it behind his back.
"Isn't it time to go take a shower and get ready for bed?" Jason asked, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Yes sir!" The children chorused in unison, their voices shaky.
They quickly began to disperse, hurrying away from the scene. But as they did, Jason's eyes zeroed in on the boy holding the comic.
"Malcolm!" He called, extending his hand toward the boy.
Malcolm hesitated, biting his lip reluctant to part with his prized possession.
"But... It's a gift from Erik, for my birthday." The boy pleaded, hoping to soften the man stern demeanor.
"Erik?" Jason's eyes narrowed. "When did he gave this to you?"
"Yes" The little boy stammered, thinking his explanation might allow him to keep it. "Just before you came."
Jason's interest piqued. "Oh? And where did he go?"
"If you tell me, I'll let you keep it" Jason added, his voice deceptively calm.
Malcolm's eyes lit up with hope. "Really?" He asked, a innocent smile onto his face.
The young boy scratched his head trying to recall. "I think he said he was going to the toilet."
"Fine. You can go." Jason said coldly, dismissing the boy with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you!" Malcolm exclaimed, beaming with relief as he clutched the Captain America comic to his chest and was about to leave.
But as he turned, Jason made a sharp sound with his mouth, drawing the boy's attention back to him.
"You know it's against the rules." Jason said coldly extending his hand again, this time with a steely glint in his eye.
"But... You said that-" Malcolm began, his voice faltering. Before he could finish, the man's face twisted with anger.
"Can none of you #!@!ng listen to what I say?" Jason roared, snatching the comic from the boy's hands with such force that it sent Malcolm stumbling backward onto the ground.
"Argh!" The child cried out, from the pain. He looked up at Jason, his eyes wide with fear.
"You're lucky I have another brat to deal with." The man sneered, a vicious smile curling on his lips.
The boy, seeing the maniacal gleam in the caregiver eyes, bit his lip, desperately trying to hold back his tears.
"You better hurry up." Jason growled, his voice dripping with menace. "Or I'll just take care of you first."
Terrified, Malcolm scrambled to his feet. His small body trembling as he turned and bolted toward his room tears streaming down his cheeks.
He didn't dare look back, his only thought was to escape the looming threat of the man's wrath.
"Good!" Jason muttered, a cruel satisfaction in his voice as he watched the boy flee.
He casually walked toward the restroom.
As he passed a trash bin, he tossed the Captain America comic inside without a second thought, the pages crumpling as they hit the bottom.
With a smug look on his face he continued on.. Feeling a twisted sense of control over the situation.
---
As Erik zipped up his pants, he was startled by an angry knock on the restroom door. "I know you're in there, Erik!" Jason's voice thundered from the other side.
The sudden surprise caused Erik's powers to activate involuntarily.
His hand, resting on the side of the urinal gripped to it and as he turned the entire fixture was torn clean off the wall.
Baam!
"Shit!" He muttered, desperately trying to detach the urinal still clinging to his hand.
The commotion caught Jason's attention and he stormed into the restroom to investigate.
When he entered, he was greeted by the sight of Erik standing amidst the chaos. The urinal shattered on the floor..
"ERIKKK!!" Jason yelled, his face red with fury. "You little #*cker!" He charged at him, ready to unleash his anger.
In that moment, Erik's Spider-Sense activated, giving him a split second to make a decision.
Should he defend himself or let the angry caregiver blow off some steam?
With a resigned sigh, He made his choice. 'Commedia dell'arte it is !'
The man grabbed him by the sweatshirt and with all his might, hurled him towards the door.
Erik flew through the air, crashing into the concrete floor outside the restroom.
"You're not even holding back, huh?" Erik muttered while slowly getting up still in all fours.
Throwing a nine-year-old like that… crashing on concrete… Erik thought, his eyes narrowing, hiding a deep simmering hate.
He wasn't injured.. In fact, he hadn't felt any pain at all. But that wasn't the point.
If it had been an ordinary child… He continued to brood, jaw tightening.
They could've cracked their head open. Broken a limb just from the fall.
Erik's fists clenched, his breath steady but the fire behind his eyes told another story.
"Shut your mouth!" Jason snarled, charging at him with a vicious full power kick aimed at his ribs.
Thanks to his Spider-Sense, Erik anticipated the blow. He let the momentum carry him, launching himself in a way that looked natural, real.
Rolling with the strike as if caught off guard. Finishing the motion with a theatrical groan. "Hunff!"
He stayed down for a moment, playing the part of someone hurt and winded.
Jason, fueled by rage, pounced on him and began raining punches on the boy face.
Erik raised his arms in response, trying to block as many hits as he could.
The goal was only to let him vent. But this was going a bit too far..
After what felt like an eternity, Jason's punches slowed and he was left gasping for breath hunched over Erik.
"Because of you, I've looked like a fool in front of Lady Yuan!" Jason spat, his knuckles bleeding from the relentless assault.
The thought of this humiliation surged through him, stoking his anger into a blazing fury.
"Unforgivable… unforgivable… unforgivable!" He repeated, nearly raving, his voice trembling with rage as he stared into Erik's hateful eyes.
His reason, already fragile shattered completely, leaving him consumed by madness.
With a savage growl, Jason lunged forward his hands clamping around the boy throat.
He pressed down, desperate to choke the life out of the one who had made him feel that way .
"Haven't you.. had... enough?" Erik asked, his voice calm as he stared directly into Jason's eyes.
His thoughts raced as the man grip tightened around his throat. Is this guy for real? Is he really trying to kill me over something so insignificant?
He's totally lost it.. Erik thought. His own hidden anger stirring beneath the surface, menacing to come out.
"Let... me... go." Erik muttered, annoyed and struggling to breathe.
"Shut it! Would you fucking shut up for once!?" Jason snapped, voice cracking into mania. "Shut up... shut up... shut up!"
His fingers clenched tighter around the boy throat, cutting off more air—choking him.
Erik didn't know if Jason truly meant to kill him.. But he wasn't about to wait and find out.
Letting the man vent was one thing.
But this..This was something else entirely.
He was trying to beat a child to death.
If it weren't him..With his powers, his strength.. What would've happened? Would there have been a corpse on the floor? Erik clenched his jaw, the thought burning through him.
Had Jason done this before? Had he already killed childrens?
The more Erik let his mind spiral, the more that old familiar rage, the one that never really left. Began to stir.
He hated him. Hated everything he stood for. People with no morals, no code. Just fists, cruelty and power used on the weak and innocent.
"You... ugh... piece... of... shit!" Erik snarled, his voice rasping through clenched teeth as he threw a punch straight into Jason's temple with all his might.