Chapter Text
Prologue: Your Scarecrow
Rain poured in drenching sheets as Jonathan Crane, a teenager, sat by himself on a swing in the Gotham Prep playground. He looked sad and heartbroken with the bruises clearly present on his face. He also had a black eye. It was normal for the lanky teen to be picked on for his appearance, as he wasn’t a ‘pretty boy’ like most of the other rich kids at Gotham Prep. None of them deserved to have the honor of being called a pretty boy, but a lot of the kids that went to that school were richer than Crane’s parents, who had him in this school under special scholarship, which had only been granted to him because his uncle was the mayor of the city.
Perhaps that was the real reason that Crane got picked on and hurt constantly. He didn’t belong as far as they were concerned, not actually from money. Despite that his father, Julian Crane, was a well-known novelist, his mother was a housewife that only worked part time at Paulie’s Diner. As far as his classmates were concerned, Jonathan Crane didn’t belong. He was riff raff that should’ve been in public school.
The sound of shoes squishing in the mud brought Crane’s face up as he saw his only actual friend at Gotham Prep moving toward him, carrying an umbrella: Harvey Dent.
“Johnny?” Harvey asked. He quickly pulled the umbrella over, trying to keep Crane from getting even more wet than he already was. “How long have you been out here? You’re going to be sick.”
Crane wiped tears away. “You will too if you don’t put the umbrella back over you.”
Harvey shook his head, bending down to be eye level with Crane. “Who hurt you?”
Crane looked away.
“I’m serious, Johnny,” Harvey sternly said.
Crane shook his head and then looked downward.
“It was Chip,” Harvey assumed. “Wasn’t it?” Rage crossed his face, as he had already known the answer without his friend having to even say a word. Charles Shreck was a menace at Gotham Prep. “That snob just doesn’t know when to quit.” He stood up.
Crane quickly took his hand, stopping him from moving off. “Don’t!”
Harvey narrowed his eyes in confusion. “That rich prick needs to be taught a lesson.”
Crane finally stood up off the swing. “I don’t want him to hurt you too.”
Harvey smirked. “I’m stronger than I look, Johnny.”
Crane shook his head. “You’re my only friend, Harvey. I can’t…” He looked away, uncertain where he was even going with what he was trying to say. All he knew was that Chip didn’t need to turn his attention toward the one person that had always been kind to him. That was more than likely because Harvey wasn’t quite normal for Gotham Prep either, but that was only because of his skin color. All of the other kids here were Caucasian, and children could be cruel when they didn’t know better or weren’t taught better.
Harvey suddenly hugged Crane. “It’s alright.” He pulled back. “I won’t let –”
“Oh, look!” the voice of Chip Shreck yelled from the entrance to Gotham Prep’s main building. “Ichabod Crane has a boyfriend!”
Harvey and Crane both turned as rage crept onto Harvey’s face.
Charles ‘Chip’ Shreck, a blond haired, bulky kid in a pinstriped suit strutted his way down the stairs from the entrance with several other boys, his posse, all following, laughing at Chip’s previous comment.
Harvey pulled out his coin and flipped it, catching it.
Crane placed a hand on Harvey’s shoulder. “Don’t.”
Harvey opened his hand, seeing that the coin had landed on tails. “Their time, Johnny. Gotta.” Handing over the umbrella to Crane, Harvey marched forward.
Chip cleared the distance to Harvey. “Oh, whatcha gonna do, Big Bad Harv? Gonna be his knight in shining armor?”
Harvey smirked. “Something like…” Without warning, he punched Chip in the face, sending him reeling.
The other teens sprung into action, attacking Harvey from all sides.
“No, stop!” Crane yelled. He rushed forward, dropping the umbrella.
Chip got to his feet and watched in delight as his posse attacked Harvey.
Crane reached out to grab one of the posse, but Chip clotheslined Crane to the ground with a thud.
“Ol’ Ichabod never learns, does he?” Chip asked. He picked Crane up by his hair, forcing him to look at Harvey being attacked. “Look at your white knight now. Do you like what you see?”
“Please, stop!” Crane yelled, tears streaming down his face.
Chip pulled Crane, dragging him away from the attack. “Wrong answer!” Beside Gotham Prep was a huge farm, as they were on the edge of the city limits. The nearest part of the farm was a corn field, which Chip drug Crane through. “Farmer Brown isn’t going to mind a visit.”
Chip dragged Crane toward the center of the field where a scarecrow sat on its pedestal. He then tossed Crane into the pedestal, knocking him out. “Never really liked this creepy thing anyway. Reaching up, Chip pulled the scarecrow down. “Farmer Brown may actually praise me for his newest acquisition.”
Chip pulled the unconscious Crane up onto the pedestal and draped his arms on the top to keep him in place. “Jonathan Crane, The Scarecrow. It suits you, Ichabod.” He looked around everywhere before facing Crane once more, grinning wide. “Doesn’t seem like enough. Gotta make you learn your lesson this time.”
Chip Shreck moved out of the cornfield. “Let’s go!”
The posse stopped attacking Harvey and moved over to Chip.
“The work is done,” Chip told them. They all cheered as Chip moved over to Harvey and bent down to him. “Now you’ll know to never mess with us again. Stay in your lane, Dent, and know your place.” Chip spat in Harvey’s face before they all moved off, laughing.
Harvey crawled on the ground, slowly trying to get to his feet. “Johnny?” He closed his eyes, feeling pain from the injuries, but he took several deep breaths and moved forward, having barely been able to see that Chip had dragged Crane off toward the farm during the attack.
Harvey Dent staggered out of the cornstalks and into the middle of the field. “Johnny?”
Jonathan Crane was completely naked, perched on the scarecrow pedestal, still out cold.
“Oh, God, Johnny!” Harvey yelled. He moved up to Crane and shook him, trying to get his friend to wake up. “Johnny!”
Twenty years later, Professor Jonathan Crane stood where his best friend had stood all those years ago. He opened his eyes and sighed, looking up at the fake scarecrow sitting on the pedestal, like nothing had ever happened. A grin formed on his face as he knew it was finally time to exact his long-awaited revenge.
“It’s all finally coming together!” Crane yelled at the fake scarecrow.
“Who’s out here?” an elderly, hateful voice asked in the distance. “Damn kids from that school always…” Farmer Geoffrey Brown moved out of the cornstalks with a pitchfork in hand.
Crane turned to face him, a wicked expression on his face.
“Who the hell are you?” Brown asked.
Crane smirked. “Don’t you recognize your scarecrow?”
Brown looked confused.
Crane quickly pulled up his arm as red gas shot out of his sleeve.
Brown coughed profusely, trying unsuccessfully to swat the gas away. “What is this?”
Crane moved toward him. “A taste of things to come.”
Brown looked up at him and screamed.
Snakes slithered out of Crane’s eyes and mouth, hissing at the farmer.
“No!” Brown yelled.
Crane laughed, grabbing Brown’s pitchfork from his hands. He reared it back and struck.