#specifically I’m thinking about that scene in the cave when he and todd look at eachother while charlie is talking to those girls

[neilperryismine]

something that i find so haunting about dps is that in every scene neil is so jumpy, he just can’t keep still — he’s either constantly jittering about, tapping his foot/moving his leg, and not keeping eye contact too long — and by the end, as he walks to his fathers office and then sits there, he’s completely still, completely resigned to his fate. it’s so clear that neil isn’t there anymore, we’re just watching a shell of a person who’s long gone.

[night-fallz]

Jason Todd x Avengers Crossover

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ao3 // Wattpad

previous II next

Unexpected (part 3)

If he knew that he would be blamed for murdering someone the moment he got back to Gotham, then Jason would’ve waited another week or two before returning.

No matter what a lot of people said, Jason wasn’t stupid. He knows not to expect things that were unlikely to happen.

Jason couldn’t risk raising his hopes when it came to the bats.

He knew that he wasn’t gonna receive a warm welcome filled with hugs and cupcakes. Honestly, the most he expected was a nod of acknowledgment. And if he was lucky, then maybe- maybe he would’ve gotten a smile with the quiet whisper of a welcome back.

It made his heart twist in all the wrong ways to know that his family didn’t trust him as much as he thought. Jason genuinely believed that he and the bats were on good enough terms to earn him the benefit of the doubt.

He forced himself not to flinch as he met Batman’s harsh, distrustful gaze.

“I wasn’t even here when he was killed,” Jason tried to say as calmly as he could, knowing that if he loses his temper, everyone would use it against him. “I was following a case up in New York.”

He couldn’t go back to Arkham! Not again. Not with the Joker only a few cells away from him, taunting him with his laughter— his voice filled with cruel exhilaration as he continuously promised Jason that they would play together once again. How he would soon be reunited with his favorite playmate.

His favorite Robin.

He heard someone suck in a breath behind him.

Jason didn’t expect anyone to defend him. Not against Batman. But still-

He didn’t expect them to just stand and watch as Batman tore him into shreds once again. Batman threw accusation over accusation, yet he never once provided a single piece of evidence that proved it was Jason that did it.

He took a step towards Jason and he had to force himself not to flinch. Batman wouldn’t… not with his kids in the same room.

He ignored the rising panic in his stomach. Jason was safe.

He was safe.

Bruce wouldn’t beat him in the cave. Not in front of everyone. Not in front of Damian.

Jason would be able to walk out of the cave with his ability to walk. He was gonna be okay.

“Look, B. You can even ask them,” he pointed at the spot where Dick and the others were standing. “I told them that I was leaving Gotham for a while.”

Batman turned to where Jason was pointing. “Well?” he asked expectantly.

The cave was engulfed in eerie silence before Tim opened his mouth, faltering a little when he met Jason’s pleading gaze. “He’s not lying Bruce. He told me that he had a mission out of Gotham while we were hanging out a few weeks ago.”

Jason could feel his chest loosen up for a few seconds, thankful that Tim confirmed his statement.

He remembered the day that Tim was talking about. The bats were getting even clingier than usual. They weren’t even trying to hide the fact that they were following Jason anymore.

Tim asked Jason if he wanted to watch a movie and Jason agreed.

The bats were gonna be watching him anyways— they didn’t even try to hide the fact that they bugged him and all the known safehouses he has.

At this point, Jason didn’t know whether he should feel offended with how much they underestimated or relieved.

They already viewed him as dangerous and unpredictable. If they ever find out that Jason’s been holding back, even if it was just a little-

He won’t let them throw him back to Arkham. Jason would rather go back to the League of Assassins.

If Jason wasn’t watching Batman so closely, he would’ve missed the sliver of a nod the man-made.

Jason tried not to think of the fact that Bruce immediately accepted Tim’s answer without hesitation.

For the millionth time in this conversation, he wished that he was wearing his helmet. Instead, he forced his expression to remain calm. To remain bored as turned back to Bruce an eyebrow raised.

“Is that good enough proof for you, old man?” he couldn’t help but spit out, bitterness clear in his voice.

Batman remained unaffected, not even bothering to verbally answer Jason’s question. Instead, he just nodded.

Jason’s heart clenched, of course, he wouldn’t get an apology. Batman was too prideful for that.

“Truth.” Cassandra’s voice rang across the cave, breaking the heavy silence. “No… not lie.”

Batman nodded once again and Cassandra’s eyes met his. It took everything in him to stop a retort from coming out of his mouth.

Couldn’t she have said that a few minutes ago? Before Batman ripped him apart like he was nothing but flimsy paper.

Still, he guessed he should be thankful that she defended him. Even though it was too late.

After a few seconds of no one saying anything, Dick broke the awkwardness with an annoying smile on his face. “Now that that’s settled, why don’t we get that movie started?”

It was only because of all his training that Jason didn’t break down right there.

Of course this was just another thing that they’d sweep under the rug. Something that they would never want to speak off again.

Discussions of what movie they were supposed to watch erupted the room. It didn’t take long for an argument to break out between Damian and Tim.

Jason watched the scene for a few seconds before looking away.

They looked like a real family.

He turned away, these things happened frequently enough for Jason to know that he wasn’t welcomed.

He blocked out all the noise as he walked towards his helmet, eager to put it back on.

It was only a matter of luck that the universe hated him so much that he knocked something down, the thumping noise alerting everyone that he was about to leave.

Jason couldn’t help but feel relieved that he put on his helmet as soon as he got his hands on it.

At least he didn’t have to go to all the trouble to force his expression to remain impassive anymore.

Batman could use it against him.

Dick’s eyebrows furrowed, “Where are you going, Jay? I thought you were joining us tonight.”

“Yeah, well maybe I’m not in the mood to watch a stupid movie tonight.” Jason spits out.

Was Dick being serious right now? There were so many things wrong with that question.

One: Why would Jason want to spend more time with the people who thought he murdered someone and didn’t even bother to defend him.

And two-

No one invited Jason.

Before anyone could say anything else, Jason hopped on his motorcycle. He needed to get out of the cave.

He could feel their eyes on his back but no one bothered to stop him.

The last thing he heard was Cassandra’s voice assuring the bats. “Be back,” she said with enough confidence that one would think that she could command Jason to turn around with only her words. “He will be back.”

Jason held in the harsh remark that threatened to leave his lips.

Plus, it wasn’t like Cassandra was lying. He knew it— and hell, the rest of Bats probably knew it too.

Jason would come back. He always did.

It wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go.

But for now, he needed to get away. He thought that one week would be enough to calm the pit.

It wasn’t.

In fact, he feels like the interaction with the bats today just made it worst.

He’ll stay away from them for two weeks. That should be enough time for the pit to stop screaming at him.

But who would he stay with?

Jason had enough experience to know that the best way to calm the pit was to surround yourself with people you trust.

Kori and Roy were still in space.

And Talia was busy with the civil war against Ra’s.

Jason had no one else.

Except-  

His phone grew heavier in his pocket and he remembered that an Avenger owed him a favor.

Clint said that Jason could text him whenever.

And the more he thought about it, the more Jason decided that he did trust the archer in some way.  

Jason soon found himself staring at the side mirror of the vehicle and poisonous green eyes stared back.

He quickly averted his eyes.

Clint was his last choice. And Jason couldn’t risk being in the peak of a pit episode without anyone to keep him in his place.  

He could do this.

It wasn’t like he had another choice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

notes:

Balancing out school and volleyball was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Only one month has passed and I am swamped with work.

I don’t know how I feel about this chapter. It’s not my best work but I wanted to put something out for you guys!!

I hope that you liked it.

I’m gonna spend this weekend to try and get my life together so hopefully, that means that next week will be easier for me.

Especially since I still need to finish my permit course. (If you couldn’t tell, I’m kinda hating sophomore year of high school right now)

Like always, please leave a comment. i love reading them and they just motivate me so much! And they would help an extra ton these days.

And once again, if you have any fanfic requests, questions, or just suggestions for a specific fanfic i’m writing, just leave it in a comment down below or you can just message me here on tumblr.  

[becausewerebatfam]

Our Future (1)

Jason Todd x Reader

After a failed mission you and Jason are being left behind to care for a kid while the rest of the team look for Duella Dent.

Warning: Language and maybe suggestive content.

A yellow portal opened in the middle of the street prompting everyone’s attention. Batman scowled knowing exactly what was going to happen. He readied himself for the threat to come when the portal sparked and grew to stable conditions.

“Sh*t-” a smallish boy groaned as he fell out of the portal and landed on the ground face first. Lucky for him he had a full helmet to protect him from any serious damage. As soon as he was out the portal shrank until it had completely vanished. The boy shook his head a few times trying to recalibrate himself. “Well f*ck this-” he pulled the helmet off when he noticed half of his vision was compromised by large and small cracks alike.

“You look a little young to be using that kind of language.” Batman guessed the boy to be around preteen age after seeing his face.

The boy’s eyes widened when he saw who he was in the presence of. “Holy sh*t it’s really you Batman!” This Batman was wearing a cape, not a trenchcoat. He had made it to the right place or time to be exact.

+++

“I would never sleep with you! Not even in a million years you-you-” 

“Handsome jerk?” he offered with a playful smirk. Jason admitted he would cross the line often when it came to you. It was just a natural instinct for him to flirt with and or around you just for the attention. He didn’t care if it was negative or positive he just wanted your attention at all times.

“Grrrahhh!” You stormed out with a frustrated semi-groan scream combo. If you stayed any longer you probably would have given in. 

While some girls fantasized about a sweet, romantic gentleman who treated them like princesses you preferred the rugged, confident guys with cocky attitudes. You never knew that was your type but you fell in love with Jason who was all those things so you figured it out along the way. 

There was shock mixed with confusion on Wally’s face as he and the others watched your retreating figure. “What was that?”

“Todd’s attempt at courtship.” Damian had been witness to this and many similar scenes between the two of you. 

Jason sat back with a triumphant smirk. He had waited all day for this moment of satisfaction. While others were content seeing their loved ones smile Jason looked for a more explosive reaction.

“Courtship?” Wally asked thinking he had to have misheard the young Wayne because Jason looked way too happy for someone who just got turned down. 

Wally and Jon looked at each other with mouths agape when Damian nodded. They shrugged wondering what the heck he was so happy about. Jon was particularly glad to finally have someone else around who thought the interactions between you two were strange. 

Dick laughed and explained the unique situation between you and Jason. "Y/N is just as stubborn and headstrong as Jason.” Neither of you wanted to admit it but you liked each other. Jason would chase away any guys who dared go near you even if they were just friends. While you would sabotage his flirting or act out physically by hitting him. “She says it’s accidentally but-”

Everyone became silent as the Batmobile came into the Batcave at full speed. Bruce emerged asking for you by name.

“She’s not here,” Jason immediately got up getting a bad feeling from Bruce’s entrance. 

“We need to find her.”

Jason didn’t need to be told twice to go look for you. He was already thinking of all the places you could be. If he hadn’t pissed you off you would still be there waiting for Bruce to brief you on your next case. But because of him you left fuming. 

He got on his bike and sped out of the cave missing the moment when Bruce let out his new young companion from the Batmobile. The young boy starred in awe at the distant Red Hood.

“Really Bruce another one?” Dick joked.

“Father, when will you stop picking up orphans?”

“I’m no orphan!” The young boy quickly turned around to face the small crowd of heroes. Upon recognizing Damian he stood up to him with an evil grin. The boy was younger than Damian but taller. “Mom wasn’t joking when she said you were a small fry.”

Damian practically growled at the comment. He would have attacked the boy if it weren’t for Jon holding onto his cape. “Small fry is easy to upset,” Jon warned. He gave the kid one of his signature smiles and like a properly educated child introduced himself. “Hi, I’m-”

“Jonathon Kent, I guess right now you’re still Superboy.” He then turned to the others and correctly identified them. “Tim, Wally, Dick- I know all of you so there’s no need for introductions.”

“Great,” Dick smiled warmly to the kid. “Maybe you should introduce yourself then.” 

Damian didn’t like the know it all kid. “Tell us who you are this instant!” 

The kid wasn’t easily intimidated. He kept his cool knowing Damian wasn’t a real threat to him. “Chill the f*ck down.” The boy crossed his arms, unwilling to disclose his identity to them.

Behind the kid, Bruce stood holding his helmet. It was an exact replica of Jason’s with a few aesthetic differences. The main one being that it was black with gold details and had bat ears like the cowl, reminiscent of your costume. It also had a gold bat symbol on the button that latched the helmet. 

Gasps filled the cave along with Damian’s signature, “Tt”. The symbols, the colorway, the language... it was all adding up in everyone’s mind except Wally. “What?” he asked. 

“His name is James Todd.” Bruce disclosed the nine-year-old's name. “He’s Y/N and Jason’s son from the future, Bat Hood.” On the ride to the Batcave James had disclosed various information to Bruce. 

He still saw him as his loving grandfather but clearly, it was time that made him soften to the Bruce he knew. “Hey!” James didn’t want anyone else knowing the specifics. Time travel was a very complicated thing with many rules and consequences. He was afraid his mission would be compromised but most importantly...his life was on the line. “You said you wouldn’t tell anyone.” 

“I lied,” Bruce deadpanned.

“G-pa Bruce would never lie to me!”

“G-pa!” Tim and Dick heartily laughed.

“I’ll make a note of it.” Bruce pulled out James utility belt and holster with two handguns strapped to it. “I’ll also make sure to keep you from getting your hands on fully loaded guns.”

James groaned in annoyance, "I’m very safe AND an awesome shot.” It was true. He had been taught since he was young, well younger, and had earned both yours and Jason’s trust in wielding the weapons. “Besides those are just blanks.”

Bruce crushed one of the bullets in his hands releasing a powdery substance. “Then what is this?”

“That’s classified.” James quickly turned away trying to avoid Bruce. 

“We can test it right now and find out.”

“Doubt it,” James smugly smiled. “The programming software needed to identify all the compounds in that drug hasn’t been built yet.” His eyes darted to Tim who would be the one to invent it.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Tim narrowed in on James. Like the good detective he was, Tim figured out he was being given a hint.

Bruce didn’t care for all that, he had already gotten his answer. “So it’s a drug.”

“Sh*t...” he sighed. “You really are good.”

Damian saw all the bad had been rolled into one package. “Guess Todd is as good a parent as I expected.” James seemed to be left to do as he pleased during his childhood. 

But it was strange. 

You also had your bad qualities but one thing Damian knew for sure was that you were strict and often disciplined Jason for his language. “But Y/N...”

“Hey, my old man and mom are the best!” James defended his lineage, letting everyone know that it wasn’t a lack of rules that had him a little on the rebellious side. For the first time, the boy seemed to act his age. He began to look vulnerable and small. “My mother was killed by the Joker and my father is in a coma.” 

The silence that fell on the room was quickly lifted by his next remark. 

“I live with you now UNCLE Damian.”

Damian’s eyes widened, did he really have to put up with such a brat? Is that what his future held? 

“I-I took down the Joker,” he proudly proclaimed. “This time for good... I didn’t kill him.” James was quick to clarify knowing Bruce’s moral compass would immediately be triggered. “I told the doctor’s at Arkham to test out the drug Tim and I made. It’s an anti-psychotic especially made for him.”

"But you’re just a kid,” Jon pointed out.

“I got it from a future where I was in my early twenties.” James had been visited by his future self to prevent the death of his parents but it was too late. The Joker had gotten to them there too. “Apparently, I become a pharmaceutical scientist.” He had some difficulty repeating his profession but they understood what he was trying to say. 

“Dent is traveling through time searching for this timeline to kill my parents before I’m born. She was the only one who didn’t like the new sane Joker so she’s trying to get rid of me by making sure I’m never born.” 

Now it was up to his nine-year-old self to travel even further back and stop her. “Obviously I can’t let her do that.”

Dick was the first to approach James and give him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry kid, we’ll help you.”

Damian saw the silver lining of this whole ordeal. “I will help and free myself of becoming a guardian to a brat like you.” Even though he said that Damian was actually worried for the kid.

“Thanks,” James felt relief wash over him. He wasn’t too sure he could get anyone to believe such a ridiculous, yet, true story.

“Can I just say, we definitely need to look into limiting the means of time travel in the future.” Wally found it unbelievable how many people were able to do so. “Seriously did you also invent some sort of time travel device Tim?”

+++

As Jason sped down the streets of Gotham he spotted you fighting in a poorly lit alley close to his apartment. A couple of scared women ran out from there clutching onto their bags. He figured you were on your way to his place when you stopped to help.

There were six or seven guys, one seemed to be out of the fight now. You had beat him up badly enough for him to sit out. Anger fueled your rampage on the men who were trying to rob and take advantage of women at night. “So you can’t get a date with those ugly mugs and decide to force yourselves on a lady?”

“Those b*tches were asking for it, wearing those short skirts-”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, your fist wouldn’t let him. “You can’t control yourself when a pretty woman walks by so she’s to blame? Pathetic!” At the moment you put your attention on the big mouthed creep the others tried hitting you from behind but were stopped by Jason.

“That’s no way to treat a lady,” Jason hit two of them with the back of his guns knocking them unconscious. He proceeded to point them at the last ones standing, “Now do you prefer to join your buddies or wait for the cops like good boys?”

They raised their arms in fear of being shot. “We’ll wait.”

“Good.”

When the cops rounded up the men Jason picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. “Now you are coming with me.”

“What the- Jason!” You protested when he sat you on his bike. 

“Don’t fight it Babe. We both know you were on your way to my place.” The blush on your face could not be hidden even in the dark of night. He knew he was right. “What were you gonna do? Were you going to keep the bed warm for me?”

“In your dreams Jason!”

He smirked, “In my dreams, we never make it to the bed.”

Yes, you were going to his place but you were only going to wait and apologize for letting your jealousy get the better of you. You knew your last mission together went wrong because you let your emotions get the best of you when Rose Wilson got too close to Jason. 

Jason sat in front of you waiting for your arms to wrap around him. It was always a good excuse to keep you close. He loved riding with you and vice versa.

The fact that he knew how it riled you up only made you angrier. He always did things to make you mad. You just wished he would admit why he did it, then maybe you could tell him how you really feel. You leaned forward staring at his broad shoulders as your arms snaked around him. “F*ck you Jason,” you let your head rest on him and smiled.

He smiled, content and happy to have found you. “You too Babe.” 

You were his everything.

+++

James became still as he saw Jason pull up with you in tow. The laughter of his father was just as he remembered it.

“I found Y/N getting her ass kicked by some drunk sleazeballs,” Jason informed them trying to bring light into the situation. Perhaps it was the darkness of the cave but everyone looked as if they had gotten bad news.

The moment was gone, you were back to hating his guts. “I never asked for your help!”

“Didn’t have to Babe; I saw you were in danger and jumped in.” Whenever Jason gloated he would put his hands on his hips and strike a classic Superman pose with his chest out, leaving himself open for attack. 

So you attacked, “You’re a real hero huh tough guy?” Your elbow dug into his stomach as you walked past him.  

He broke the stance, doubled over with a mix of laughter and pain.

“Are you sure those two are your parents?” Wally asked James in a low whisper only loud enough for him to hear.

The two of you stopped your fighting when Bruce called your names. That’s when you noticed the boy in the black military style cargo pants and boots. His plain black tee and gloves combo made it seem like he was a black ops agent ready to go out for night training. 

Jason similarly looked at the kid with question. “Who’s the kid?”

James smiled when he caught you looking at him. You were younger but you still looked like the mom he knew and loved. It had been long since he last saw you which made him want to run up to you, hug you and never let go.

“His name is James. He’s from the future, he’s trying to stop Duella Dent from killing his parents.” Bruce was careful not to give you and Jason any of the details. With how complicated you two were he figured it was best to let you two figure things out on your own. Clearly, time was the key for you two because as you were it didn’t seem James was a likely outcome. “You two will be watching him while the rest of us gather information.”

“Babysitting?” Jason was very disappointed. 

“I haven’t forgotten of your last mission,” Bruce warned. 

“That was her fault!” Jason pointed at you earning a kick to his well-toned ass.

“It was your fault and you know it!”

Bruce scowled at you two for behaving like children. “We’ll discuss who’s at fault later.” You three were the target so keeping you out of harm’s way was ideal. “Do not leave the cave.”

“But-”

You sighed placing your hand on Jason’s arm, effectively silencing him. “Maybe he’s right Jay, we don’t want to mess things up for James.” 

Seeing you had managed to placate Jason allowing Bruce and the others to proceed with their departure.

It was hard for you to sit on the sideline as well but this time there were far more important factors. Your ego and his were outweighed by the importance of the young boy’s parents. You couldn’t make the young boy return to his time without accomplishing his mission. If that meant you had to sit this one out then so be it.

Jason groaned, “Fine.”

Approaching the boy with a smile you reached out to him. “Hello, I’m Y/N.” The boy nearly knocked the air out of you. His arms wrapped around your waist hugging you tightly. 

Realizing what he had done, James backed away. “Sorry.”

You shook your head with slight laughter, “It’s okay.” The kid was too young to be tackling such problems. You were sure he needed comfort and proceeded to hug him this time. 

James hid his face in your stomach as he felt on the verge of tears. It was so unreal to be back in his mother’s arms.

Jason narrowed his eyes, "Hey kid what did you say your name was?”

“James.”

“Cool name,” Jason took his helmet off and set it on his bike. “I’m Jason.”

I know, it’s so good to see you awake old man.  “Cool name,” James smiled repeating his father’s line. 

-end-

pic credit; found it on Pinterest.

A/N: This is a two-shot so the next part will be out as soon as I finish. For now I just wanted to see if you all found it interesting to read ^^ Let me know.

[sassycassie-s-writing]

A Bad Beating

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Jason Todd/Red Hood feat. the BatFam

Rating: PG-13 (for blood)

Original Idea: *shrugs* Shower probably for most of the story. I saw a picture of Red Hood with his helmet cracked and thought, “How bad would he have to get hit to break that thing?”

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) Eeek this was fun! It’s a little gory but not too bad! @welovegroot @batboys-and-other-messes

^^^^^

I groaned in complaint. We’d never had a fight this bad before.

Or rather, we had, but we’d never taken a beating this horrendous.

Seriously. The guys nearly wiped the floor with us.

Once the last goon was down, unconscious on a pile of his coworkers, I collapsed. First to my hands and knees, and then just slid face-first into the floor. Everything was sore, and something was definitely bleeding.

“I require medical attention,” I muttered into the ground before planting my hands against it and pushing myself up. “Everywhere.”

I looked up, ignoring my neck yowling in pain.

“Hood? Hood, you okay?” I asked, dragging myself across the broken concrete floor towards where Jason was lying facedown. “Hood? Red Hood?”

Arms shaking, he managed to get his face off the ground too.

His helmet was broken, cracked and missing most of the face, though his left eye was still covered. His face was bleeding and his right eye was going to develop a black eye soon. “I’m good. I’m good,” he muttered. There was blood on his teeth. “You good, Star Beam?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m good,” I panted.

Both of us stumbled to our feet, exhausted, leaning on each other for support. My suit was torn and there was blood in my mouth. I wanted to spit it out, but then I remembered blood had DNA in it and decided I didn’t want to leave any more evidence about my identity at the crime scene than there already was. 

There was blood on my hands too. I wondered how much of it was mine.

Outside the dilapidated warehouse, Jason’s motorcycle was parked in front of a familiar vehicle—that I wouldn’t necessarily describe as a car.

The Batmobile.

Leaned against the Batmobile was a familiar figure.

Batman.

But it wasn’t Bruce’s jawline under the cowl.

It was Dick’s.

Damian, in his Robin costume, was standing next to Dick. His arms were folded and he was scowling behind his mask. “So that was a disaster,” he remarked.

“Shut up, brat,” Jason snapped.

“Jay,” I admonished. “He has a point. It wasn’t our best night.”

“To be fair, you two just took on thirty goons on your own all at the same time,” Dick said. “If it were anyone else they’d be lucky to take out two. You each got, what, fifteen? Give or take one or two? We were about to intervene but by the time we got here, you two only had two left.”

“You still could have intervened. My jaw would have thanked you,” Jason muttered, rubbing his jaw. “That last guy really packed a punch.”

“Maybe you should have let your girlfriend take him, then,” Damian snarked.

“Robin,” Dick warned quietly.

“Listen here you little—” Jason began.

“Hood,” I interrupted, elbowing him. “He’s just searching for a reaction.” I looked at Damian. “I’m not his girlfriend, Robin.”

Damian shrugged. “You’re clearly the more capable fighter,” he said. I bounced an eyebrow.

“Hey, gimme your keys, little wing,” Dick requested. “You two drive the Batmobile back to the cave. Robin and I will take your bike. You two are too beat up to balance on it.”

In a move that surprised me, Jason agreed with no argument. He dug his keys out of his pocket and threw them to Dick, who caught them deftly. Dick, in turn, threw the Batmobile keys to Jason. They bounced off his shoulder, but Jason managed to catch them.

Jason and I climbed into the Batmobile. Dick and Damian got on Jason’s bike. Once we were in the car, Jason pulled his broken helmet off and popped a molded mask onto his face.

“See ya at home,” Dick said over the comms.

“We’ll beat you there,” Jason said.

“Did you say ‘beat’ or ‘meet’? I couldn’t tell,” Dick taunted.

“Pick one,” I said. “Let’s go.”

The four of us took off.

^^^^^

“You are fortunate the consequences were not more severe,” Alfred said as he patched Jason’s worst injuries up.

“Yeah. I could be dead,” Jason replied sarcastically.

“Jay,” Bruce warned, not looking up from the computer.

“So why weren’t you out tonight? Why was Dick under the cowl?” I asked Bruce as Alfred turned his medical attention to me. I unzipped my suit and pulled the top off, leaving me in just my sports bra. My left shoulder had a large cut and I had something akin to road rash on my ribs.

“Alfred wouldn’t let me,” Bruce answered. “I broke a rib last week and I have to stay inside until it heals enough not to puncture a lung.”

“Good reason,” I remarked. “Missing the Nightwing suit, Dick?” I turned to look at Dick—then winced as it pulled on my ribs.

“A little,” he replied with a grin. “But I don’t mind all that much. Nightwing can have a couple nights off. Even if I can’t. But Nightwing fits me better, don’t you think?”

“Well the suit was tailored to your specifications,” I said sarcastically. “And it shows off your butt better since it doesn’t have a cape.”

“Shut up,” Dick snapped, blushing. I snickered.

“Yeah that’s gonna happen,” I muttered under my breath.

“So how’d it go?” Bruce asked. “I mean, obviously you two took quite the beating.”

“Beating? Beating? I haven’t had my butt handed to me that bad since the first days of training,” I complained. “We almost died. We’re lucky we even won.”

“There were thirty goons all at once against two of them,” Damian pointed out helpfully. I looked at him over Alfred’s shoulder. He was leaned against the computer desk with his arms folded. Why was he pointing anything out helpfully? He stood to gain nothing from informing Bruce what Jason and I went up against.

“Thirty?” Bruce asked.

“At least. That’s rounding,” Dick supplied.

“Felt like more,” I said.

“Not bad. If they were spread out and it was only a few at a time I’d be amused that you two got so near to defeat, but if it was thirty all at once I can understand why,” Bruce said.

Jason picked up his broken helmet with a disappointed expression. Alfred finished wrapping up my ribs and shoulder, so gingerly I got up, thanked him, and went to sit next to Jason on the floor of the Batcave. “Hey,” I said gently, nudging him with my good shoulder. “We did good. We still won.”

He smiled at me. “Yeah. Yeah we did.”

“Can’t even begin to describe how scared I was though,” I continued. Jason shot me a look. “Especially when I heard the crack of your helmet breaking. I thought it was a bone or your skull. It freaked me out. I’ve never been so close to death before within my own city. Out with a team somewhere else, sure, but not here at home.”

Jason wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay, Star Beam. It’s okay.”

“You sure she’s not your girlfriend?” Damian snarked from his position by the computer.

“Shut up, Damian!” Jason and I complained at the same time.

“Case in point,” Damian remarked.

I rested my head on Jason’s shoulder, ignoring Damian. “Are you as sore as I am?” I asked Jason.

“Yup,” he agreed, leaning his head on top of mine.

“I’m just gonna… close my eyes… for a minute…” I mumbled.

“You do that, sista,” Jason yawned.

Both of us heaved a sigh and relaxed. I felt myself dozing in and out of consciousness. Somewhere, I thought I heard a camera shutter go off, but I was too tired to care. Everything was aching and I was definitely taking the day off tomorrow.