Chapter Text
Bruce was riding home on his bike, just having won the first baseball game of the season. It’s a sport he had been doing for years since he was a toddler. His parents had always been so proud of him for engaging in the sport, so he kept it up. Don’t get anything wrong, he loved the sport, he thought it was therapeutic, even, to practice batting. He thought it was relaxing to be able to hit something with a bat without any repercussions. He also found it fun to people-watch from the sidelines. He had always been neutral about everything, which stays true for baseball. He liked watching the other team have their victories as much as he likes watching his own team have their victories, he never favored. Bruce had also made sure to always make sure the other team knew that after a game, he would compliment each player on their strengths. For example, the game he just won. The last person he congratulated was a player he heard the other team's coach call Finney, he complimented his arm, telling the boy his arm was mint. Bruce liked baseball, the way it was played, and the people who played it.
As he rode his bike, he passed two girls. They made eye contact with him, and he shot them a charming smile and a nod of acknowledgment. The two girls- from his class, he remembers, but not well enough to recall their names- giggle as they pass behind him. Bruce was popular, he knew that much, girls almost always chatted with him and flocked to his left and right. If they aren’t doing that, then they’re staring and whispering about him to their friends. No one has ever caught his attention, however. Like, sure, Stacy from English was nice-looking, but her personality was bland, and she was rude to people who didn’t do anything to deserve it. So, no, he hasn’t really found anyone he’s been attracted to yet. ‘Well there was one…’ Bruce shook his head, it was unimportant and pointless to think about, so he left those thoughts there.
He was a bit out of it as he turned the corner, suddenly noticing the black van and attempting to swerve around the vehicle parked there. Suddenly, the door to the driver's side opened in front of him. Bruce quickly swerved to avoid being hit, resulting in him falling off his bike.
“Oh my, I’m sorry about that, I didn’t see you coming, are you okay?” Bruce heard a man say above him. He sat up quickly and looked up at the man, he couldn’t see much, since the man had been wearing sunglasses and powdery-looking white makeup on his face. He also took note of the fact he was wearing a top-hat shading his face, and by proxy, obscured his face further. The outfit he was wearing was all black, and he had a cape. While the outside of the cape was all black, matching his outfit, the inside of it was a bright red. The clothes the man wore were tight around his torso. However, very loose around pretty much every other portion of his body made with what looked like a silky material. From far away, Bruce would have almost mistaken it for a dress. He then realized the man had extended a hand to him.
“Yeah- Yeah, I’m all right, just gave me a bit of a scare is all,” Bruce said casually, flashing a reassuring smile at the man as he took his hand to get up. Something contorted in the man's face, the wrinkles in his face adjusting to show off an emotion, that Bruce couldn’t quite catch since his eyes were covered and his face was obscured from the shade his top hat gave.
“Well how about I make it up to you, hm?” The man states, walking over to his opened door, and digging around in his van for a moment before taking out an unlabeled spray can and shaking it, “I have a side-gig being a magician, so, how about I show you a magic trick as a form of apology?”
“Yeah, all right!” Bruce sounded almost elated, he hasn’t seen a magic trick since he was 6 for his birthday party.
“All right, well, for the first trick,” the man walks to the back, motioning for Bruce to follow “I need you to pick out a balloon!”
Bruce follows the man, watching as he opens the back doors to his van. Just as Bruce got closer to the van, the man grabbed the balloons and tied them around his throat, harshly enough to restrain him, but not enough to cut off his breathing. He struggles against the man's hold, attempting to shout for help from anyone when suddenly something is being sprayed into his mouth. After he was sprayed with the unknown substance, Bruce was quickly losing consciousness, and without the strength to struggle or fight back, he was thrown into the back of the van with carelessness. Then, the world around Bruce faded to black.