#Went with Jason-Robin because I needed to Dadliest version of Bruce

[phantoms-lair]

45 for the crossover roulette.

MarvelxDC

~

"You okay?"

Peter looked up at the kid wearing a domino mask.

"Okay, kind of dumb question, but can you move? I don't think you want to be there if Klarion's next portal summons a monster."

"Who's Klarion?" Peter asked, confused.

"That," said the boy who on closer inspections was wearing...a really weird outfit and cape with a stylized R on the chest. He was pointing to what looked to be a floating kid in a school uniform with pale, almost blue skin and hair styled into horns. 'Klarion' was laughing as space and time seemed to rend around him.

"Okay, and what does Klarion want?" Peter asked, almost afraid to know.

"Chaos." Cape Boy said grimly. "No other goals. That's why we got you through a portal too, even though you're a hero."

"How do you know I'm a hero?" Not that it didn't feel good to be called that, but Cape Kid (Better, that one had alliteration) seemed to be putting a lot of faith in someone who fell through a random portal.

"You can see through the portals right before something falls out." Cape Kid point to one that now showed a stormy seas. "So we saw you saving that lady before you fell through. Awesome flip by the way. Can you teach me it? My older brother is an acrobat and I'd love to be able to show him up."

"Sorry," Peter apologized. "It's kind of something I can only do because of my mutati-" His Spider sense screamed and on instinct he grabbed Cape Kid and pulled him out of the way of a massive tentacle that slammed out of the sea-scape.

"ROBIN!" a voice called out.

"I'm okay B," Caped Kid, er Robin called out (guess that was what the R was for). "Portal Friend pulled me out of the way."

A man dressed in all in black landed next to them. For all the eared cowl and cape should have looked silly, this man carried it as intimidating. "Thank you. Your name?"

"Spiderman". It was impossible to see through the cowl, but Peter got the sense of an unimpressed eyebrow raised.

"It's no worse that Batman," Robin chided.

"It's not about the name. It's about the fact that he's trying to carry himself as an adult when he's clearly around your age."

What. The. F-.

"What are you talking about?" Peter tried to bluff. Sure he wasn't the tallest. But with the added muscle he looked more like a short adult than a teenager, right?

"You're in High School. Not even a senior." Batman said with absolute certainty.

Maybe he was psychic or something? Peter deflated.

"You're a teenager trying to carry yourself as an adult and you were fighting alone." It sounded like that that bit was what was upsetting him.

"Well, no one else knows I'm a teenager." Peter said nervously. "Most teenagers can't pick up cars." Not could most adults, but that was besides the point. "So any other heroes in NYC think I'm an adult too."

"Hn,"

"B says they're idiots," Robin translated cheerfully.

"Robin," Batman's tone held warning.

"Am I wrong?" Robin asked cheekily

"We need to focus on the matter at hand."

"That means I'm right," Robin stage whispered.

Peter couldn't help himself, he grinned. "So how can I help?"

"If you can keep Klarion distracted, I should be able to help Zatana get into place to stop the portals."

Peter grinned. "Oh don't worry, I can be very distracting."

~

"That was hilarious," Robin was almost bent in two laughing.

"Thank you, thank you." Peter mock bowed. "Man, Nightwing is going to be sorry he missed this. Oh Man, when you shot that web right in his face, gluing his mouth shut when he was gloating? That was great. Or when your asked what they were feeling him at the Victorian orphanage to turn his skin blue, and implied he just came out because he had the munchies-"

"Have you eaten?" Batman asked, ignoring Robin.

"Sorry?" the question took Peter off guard.

"Your suit was already scuffed when you arrived, so you'd either already been in a fight or at the end of a long patrol. You kept up a lot of high-energy movement and a powers like yours usually come with an increase in caloric needs. Have you eaten?" Batman repeated.

Peter's stomach answered for him with a low rumble.

"Hn."

"Batburger," Robin asked hopefully.

"No."

"...It's because of the fries, isn't it."

"You need to eat healthier."

"It's totally because of the fries." Robin nodded to himself.

"The fries?" Peter asked, confused.

"So this guy go the idea to open up a fast food burger place themed after Gotham's local vigilantes. The food pretty good for what it is, but recently they added a new option to the menu, seasoned fried with a spicy kick. But they called it Jokerizing the fries, and B is upset because he thinks it's trivializing what the Joker's victims go through."

Peter had no idea who the Joker was, but was guessing a villain. "...So would you say B's a little salty about the fries?"

Batman just looked to the smog filled sky, as if asking why all vigilantes acrobats had the same sense of humor.

"Finger's Deli."

"Yeah sure, their sandwiches are good." Robin shrugged. "What's your usual order?"

Oh, he was talking to him. "A cuban with pickles, squished real flat."

"Squished?' Robin asked. wrinkling his nose.

"It makes it crunchier." Peter defended.

"Stay here," Batman ordered, then fired his grapple gun and flew away. Hmm, maybe that was a feature he could add to his web slingers. "So do we know how I'm getting home?" Peter asked tentatively.

"No worries." Robin assured. "Zatana said everything Klarion pulled through will pop back into it's own reality in the next few hours. Yourself included."

"Cool, cool." So that was his big worry down. "Is Batman, like, your Dad or something?"

"He is." Robin confirmed "Not supposed to admit it, but it's kinda obvious. Like everyone assumes it anyways?"

"I can't imagine fighting crime with my un- a relative."

"Problems with your Dad?" Robin guessed.

"Not...really? He died when I was little. I don't even really remember him or Mom." Peter confessed.

Robin winced. "Sorry, I forget how often vigilantes are orphans."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, a lot of us. Including me and my brother and B."

"Um?"

"Adopted." Oh, that made sense. "Yeah, B keeps adopting kids who remind him of himself and then wonders why we're such drama queens who will go out in costumes to fight crime, including sneaking out if he tries to ban us." Robin laughed. "I can't complain though. Stealing his tires was the best decision I even made."

Peter made a choking noise "What?"

Robin shrugged. "I was young, homeless, and knew I could get top dollar for them. Like enough to keep me fed during winter. He catches me, I hit him with a tire iron because I'm sure I'm either going to juvie or he's going to steal my bones or something, and he just...asks me if I want to eat something. Took me to Batburger."

"Before the fries?"

"Before the fries?" Robin laughed, but it was a melancholy joy. "B's the best thing that ever happened to me. He gave me food and home, and never asked anything in return except for me to live my best life. I decided I wanted to be Robin because...I know what it's like to be that hopeless. And I want to give hope to everyone the way B gave it to me."

"There was a time when I was really afraid we were going to be homeless," Peter admitted. "And I know that's no where as bad as actually being, but..." Where was he going with this? He didn't like thinking of his early days. His disastrous wrestling career that ended in Uncle Ben's Death, trying to go to the Fantastic Four for a job and them telling him he couldn't get paid for being a hero.

Robin snorted. "I was there too, before the actually homeless thing happened. Don't feel like you haven't suffered enough to be at the trauma party because the absolute worst didn't happen. I'm guessing this is better since you have-" he gestured to Spiderman's costume, "-that setup." Pater laughed. "Dude, this outfit is completely scavenged. I sewed it out of old wrestler outfits. Made these," He pulled back his gloves, "out of scavenged metal and my uncles tools. The web fluid...okay I may have 'borrowed' some of what I needed from the high school chemistry department, but I've got a living culture now that just needs upkeep."

"That stuff's alive?" Robin's eyebrows shot up. "Sort of? It's a protean chain, crystalline in shape, but compressed. Once released it decompresses and expands exponentially before drying. Upside it also breaks down on it's own and is environmentally safe." Peter shrugged. "We are doing better though. My Guardian applied for some programs and I got a job. We're doing pretty okay now." Uncle Ben's life insurance had also helped. But there was no way he was counting that. He'd rather be homeless with his Uncle alive.

"I'm glad they applied for those programs. There al a lot of people who are either too proud, or think it's something that will be used against them." Robin said. And there was that melancholy twinge in his tone again. Had his parents refused those same programs before he was orphaned?

"I'm back." Batman interrupted in the same tone he had all night. He had a large plastic bag with him. Had he ordered in costume or changed out and changed back? Was this something he and Robin did often?

He sat down with them, pulled out the sandwich on top and then set it aside. He then pulled out another sandwich and a little side dish cup and handed them to Robin.

"Steamed vegetables?" Robin complained.

"I told you. You need to eat healthier." Batman said simply before handing the remaining bag contents to Peter. Three cubans -squished flat, a fruit cup, mac and cheese, and his own steamed vegetables.

"This is too much," Peter protested.

"It's not, I assure you." Batman paused. "Unless you meant it was too much to eat in one sitting, in which case it hopefully can travel with you when you go back."

"If I have to eat the veggies you do to," said Robin, tearing into his muffuletta.

"You don't even know me..." Peter said, "Why are you being so nice?"

Batman put his pastrami on rye down. He seemed to be cycling through several things to say.

"What does your support look like at home?"

"Like, my legal guardian?" Peter asked, confused.

"Does he know about your alternate identity?"

"She doesn't. She can't. She would blame herself for not figuring it our earlier, and the last thing I want to do is hurt her again. Besides, she's not exactly a fan of Spiderman."

"Friends?"

"Even worse. I had to send my best friend's Dad to jail. He will kill me, maybe literally, if he finds out I'm Spiderman."

"Work friends?" Robin asked, knowing Peter also held a job.

Peter snorted at that. "Don't have any. And even if I did it wouldn't be safe. My boss is the main printer of the articles about how Spiderman's a menace and needs to be hunted down."

Batman was frowning. "Other heroes?"

"Not really close to any. I've done some impromptu team-ups, but I think most of them find me kinda of annoying." Peter admitted.

Batman pinched his nose. "Because they assume you're an adult and picked up on your tones and mannerisms being more like a teenagers and rather than challenge the assumption of your age, decided you were an adult who was immature." he took a deep breath. "Spiderman this kind of life...it isn't one the works if you're by yourself. I was doing this for years before Robin joined me, but back then I had someone behind the scenes, even if he did nothing more than welcome me home at the end of each night. People need support, and that includes you. Whether it's your guardian, a friend of a fellow vigilante, as a human you need someone to lean on. Everyone does."

"And no offense, but it sounds like your civilian life is kind of a toxic echo chamber about your vigilante identity." Robin added. "That can not be good for your psyche."

"It's fine." Peter insisted, stuffing one of the sandwiches in his mouth. Neither Batman or Robin looked like they believed him.

"And maybe they're not wrong. Maybe I am bad at being a hero." Peter said, oddly defensively for someone deriding himself.

"I don't think that's true at all." Batman said gently. "I've barely known you an hour, Spiderman. And in that time you saved an elderly lady from your world, saved Robin, and helped fend off an avatar of Chaos."

"It was a good day." Peter muttered, busying himself with his sandwich.

"I think it's more you're a good person." Batman said kindly.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm not a screw up."

Batman's smile turned to a frown. "Who told you that?"

Technically lots of people. "Nobody had to."

"I don't believe that." Batman said with full confidence. Which was heartwarming until-

"Was it your Guardian?"

"Aunt May would never!" Peter spat out. "She's kind and so supportive. She's always been there even thought it's my fault-" Peter broke off.

"What's your fault?"

"It's my fault my Uncle's dead." Peter's voice cracked. Robin started to rise to his feet, but Batman stalled him with a raised hand.

"What happened?" Batman asked in his calm and even voice.

"I saw a guy getting robbed and I did nothing. I let it happen. All because the guy who was being robbed was a crook who'd cheated me out of money I'd earned. I thought it was karma. But that thief broke into our house when I wasn't home and he shot him!" Peter felt strangely exposed. He curled in on himself.

"You've never told anyone about this, have you?" Batman said, a statement more than an ask.

Peter shook his head.

Slowly Batman moved to put his hand on his shoulder. "I could tell. Because it seems you've never had anyone tell you it wasn't your fault."

Peter's head shot up. Adrenaline crashed through his body and he wasn't even sure why. "I let the guy go."

"You made a mistake in judgement. But given you had already been cheated by the man being robbed, you also had no way of knowing that first robbery wasn't personal."

"I still should have done something! With great power comes great responsibility." Peter insisted.

"Perhaps. But no amount of responsibility can equate to being omniscient. There was no way you could have foreseen what would happen."

"But....but..."

"Spiderman, when I was just a child myself, there was a movie I wanted to go see. I convinced my parents to take me." Robin moved in, shoulder to shoulder with Batman, reassuring him. "The movie was wonderful, everything I'd hoped. And then on the way home we were mugged. Neither of my parents made it."

Peter's breath caught in his throat.

"I blamed myself for wanting to see the movie and it took a lot of time and a very stubborn old man to help me understand it wasn't my fault. And I'm guessing the only reason no one's told you that is no one know you're blaming yourself. You're not responsible for your Uncle's death any more than I was responsible for my parents. You are a child. You deserve a support system. You deserve people you can open up with all the way. You deserve to not be constantly punishing yourself for giving the wrong person a second chance."

"I know I'm not persuasive enough to make you believe with one talk. And once Klarion's portal reverses I'll not have a chance to talk to you again. So please find someone in your world you can trust. If not your Aunt, another hero. If they're worth the title, they'll help."

"Maybe, I-" Peter cut off as his spider-sense gave a low tingle. "Uhhh, I think something's happening." "You're going back." Batman grabbed the rest of Peter's food and shoved it into his arms. "Tale the food and please talk to someone. You're doing so well and you deserve to have help and support." "I-" Anything Peter was going to say was cut off as Peter suddenly found himself sitting alone on a roof in NYC, the daylight suddenly glaring to eyes that had adjusted to the darkness of Gotham. He was back home. Batman and Robin were gone. He sat down on the roof and almost on auto pilot pulled out one of the sandwiches he was still holding. The paper was oddly deformed, he noticed as he unwrapped it. Almost like it had been-

Batman had squished his sandwiches after buying them. Because the deli hadn't and he'd wanted Peter to have the sandwich he wanted. It was such an Uncle Ben thing to do.

Maybe Batman was that world's Uncle Ben. Maybe Robin was that world's version of him. It was nice to think of that. That somewhere in the multiverse there was a world where he and Ben were in this together. Batman had said there was someone waited for him at home. That world's Aunt May?

He'd said he needed help, that he was allowed to ask for help. And Uncle Ben had never been wrong before.

~

Captain America let out a breath as the last of the Doombots fell. This had been a big one. An all hands on deck, fate-of-NYC. And God above it felt like this was becoming a monthly event. He was looking forward to heading home and taking a good long shower when Spiderman landed next to him.

"Hey Cap, can talk to you? For just a minute?"

As much as he wanted that shower, it was rare to see the cocky and wisecracking Webhead sound insecure. "Certainly. Shall I assume this requires more privacy that an open street?"

"Yeah, that would be good." Spiderman nodded enthusiastically. "We could go to a roof-no you don't have webslingers. That's rude."

Now Cap was getting concerned. Spiderman was acting...very not himself. He lead Spiderman away from the battle to a series of alleys he knew very well. If this was an imposter, he wasn't letting him pick the secondary location and made sure he had an advantage in terrain. Spiderman couldn't get full momentum of his swings here, but he himself could ricochet his shield into a near barrier. "Well?"

"Sorry," Spiderman said after a moment. "I'm trying really hard not to talk myself out of this for a third time."

The third time? Interesting.

He took a deep breath. "My name is Peter. I'm 16 years old. I'm barely keeping my head above water and I need help."