Out of The Shadows: a platonic batfam rarepair event
@holyserverbatman
Out of the Shadows is a (mostly) Batfam-based fandom event. Our goal is to promote platonic pairings and tropes that are currently not as popular within the fandom, and to encourage fanwork variety.
We've wrapped up the prompt week for DC Out of The Shadows 2023! Thank you so much to those who participated, it's been fantastic. For those who didn't have the chance, there's still time! I know a few people have reached out about late submissions, you're in luck :)
We'll be accepting posts here Tumblr (remember to @holyserverbatman), and submissions to our AO3 Collection through August.
Thank you again to all those who have participated. If you take a look and find that you've got a fic that fits our event, feel free to submit it! Anything written and published June through August will be welcome. And if you just enjoy reading, then keep an eye on our collection! We've got some great stories there now, and hopefully some fun ones coming up!
Summary:
Bruce just received his driving license. Alfred suggests a nightly drive to test his skills.
Note:
Heads up I don’t know how to drive. I’m also not USAmerican. So, writing about driving and mentioning prom was fun.
But… um. I hope you’ll enjoy the fic! This was written for the Out of Shadow event by @holyserverbatman for the theme “young Bruce and Alfred.”
-
“I heard you might have news for me?”
Bruce sat down at the table, looking at the meal Alfred had made for him. It was of good taste - as usual, Alfred was an amazing cook - and in copious amounts. Alfred often told him with a smile that he had bocame a bottomless pit since hitting puberty. Bruce half suspected the butler was relieved he was eating at all, after the first year of their life together.
But what could he say? He couldn’t starve himself forever. Eventually, he had to keep on living. And since he had started working out, he found himself hungrier every day.
He was getting bulkier, and taller. He had recently reached the 6’1 mark and was still growing. He was the same height his father had been, would soon be taller.
And he had to keep living.
He would do something with that body and mind and money he was born with. Maybe it was by giving it to charity, by becoming a doctor or an expert in forensics or…
There were plans, somewhere, hidden in his room. He didn’t know if it was possible, didn’t know how he could even do it. But there were plans to do something greater than himself. Something that would help Gotham.
But no matter if it was possible or not, no matter his choices, he needed to eat. He needed to fuel his body to accomplish his goals. That was why he was eating so much.
No amount of food, no matter how good it was, no matter how hard Alfred tried, would ever be enough to feed the emptiness in the bottom of his stomach. To warm the block of ice that had settled in his chest almost ten years ago.
Alfred cleared his throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I’m sorry, Alfred. You were saying?”
The butler offered him a patient smile. “I believe we have something to celebrate today. A letter came earlier.”
Bruce took the letter Alfred was giving him, still a little confused. He opened it to find his newly acquired driving license. “Oh,” he simply said. He hadn’t expected it to arrive so early.
“You didn’t tell me you passed the exam,” Alfred said, sitting down next to him.
“I forgot about it,” was Bruce’s honest answer. It honestly wasn’t a big deal. He wasn’t stressed, or afraid he wouldn’t pass. He had taken to the skill naturally, and his driving instructor was confident. He just didn’t see it as anything worth noting. Not unlike eating, driving was a formality. A necessity.
“Why don’t we go on a drive after dinner, so you can show me your newly acquired skills?”
As Bruce hesitated, he added, “We could take the Rolls Royce.”
Bruce slowly nodded. He’d always loved beautiful cars. The perspective of driving the Rolls did sound appealing. Even since he was a child, he would stop whenever he saw a beautiful or brand-new car. His father had told him that he would gift him a sports car when he would be of age.
Well, he thought, looking at the license that he put on the side of the table, he guessed he was of age, now. And he could, technically, buy himself all the sports cars he wanted. But it wouldn’t be the same. It would never be the same. And maybe Alfred would give him something, he did say the driving license was worth celebrating after all. But no matter how much Alfred tried, no matter how much he loved Alfred, the man could never be a replacement for what he had lost. Not that he wanted him to be.
“We could take the Rolls, yes. I would like that.”
Alfred just gave him a stiff nod. Sometimes, even after all these years, Bruce still felt as if Alfred had trouble navigating with him. He had accepted it.
He knew he wasn’t the easiest person to navigate with. Not the way he once had been. Not the way he had been when Alfred first met him.
He didn’t know who he was. Who he wanted to become. But he could humor Alfred by driving a bit with him after dinner.
They finished eating quietly before walking toward the garage. Even after all these years, Bruce still felt a little uncomfortable around the cave system that went beneath the manor, remembering his terrible experience with bats.
Maybe one day, he would have them renovated. Make something out of it, perhaps more rooms, or storage, or an annex building for Wayne Enterprises. Or maybe something else entirely.
But for now, they turned toward the garage, fresh and clean, thankfully bat free. The car collection was still there, his parents’ possessions shining in all their glory. Bruce had been in all of these cars, but had never actually drove one. The only thing he had even driven was the driving school standard vehicle.
Once again, the memory of his father filled his mind. Would he have taken him driving before he officially got his license? He didn’t even ask Alfred to; the man has always been strict on rules. So, it’s a novelty, when they sit on the Rolls Royce, so clean it looked brand new, for him to take the driver seat instead of the passenger one or the backseat.
To his relief, Alfred took the passenger seat and didn’t sit in the back. He wasn’t really expecting him to, he himself had gone to the passenger seat as much as possible since he had reached the appropriate size. It was just that, sometimes, appearances demanded he sat in the back, rather than next to Alfred. Appearances. What a stupid thing. He was seventeen, no one would take him seriously anyway. He often wondered if he should just give up. Appear as stupid as everyone seemed to think he was and preserve his energy for something more important.
But Alfred had never underestimated him. Since that night, he had never underestimated his thoughts, his projects, his pain.
If he ever found himself in charge of a child, Bruce thought, he wouldn’t underestimate them.
He started the motor and took a few minutes to make sure everything was appropriate and settled before taking a breath.
“You have to lift up the handbrake,” Alfred gently told him. “I’m saying this, so you don’t forget there is one and try to start. We would both have a surprise.”
“I remembered,” Bruce lied. Right, yeah. Handbrake. The training car didn’t have one. And another thing they didn’t have…
“First gear should be enough to get out of the garage, we can speed up a bit more when we are on the road.”
Bruce nodded. “The school cars are automatic,” he justified.
“I know,” Alfred replied. “That is a shame. Everyone should learn how to drive a manual car; it gives you more of an idea of what’s going on.”
Bruce didn’t say anything to that, no wanting to get on Alfred’s bad side when he was like that. Instead, he pushed the clutch pedal to get out of the neutral gear and started the car.
As he rode through Bristol, he was slowly gaining more confidence. Alfred started the ride telling him when to change gear, but his advice became rarer as they progressed, until he was doing nothing but nodding and humming sometimes.
Until they stopped at a red light, and when it turned green and Bruce pushed the accelerator, the car made a horrible movement and stopped.
And, because it was Gotham, the car behind them started honking with passion.
“Ah, yes,” Alfred said, seemingly unbothered. “Starting in second gear is possible, but it requires a bit of practice, and the right technique.
Bruce just kept his eyes on the road as he restarted the car.
“But otherwise, I’m impressed. You are a smooth driver, especially for a beginner.”
Bruce didn’t tear his eyes off the road. “Thank you,” he said. Compliments from Alfred weren’t rare, per se, but they weren’t frequent enough for him to believe it was anything but sincere.
“So, I’m guessing you will have to choose which car you are going to use to pick up the person you’ll have chosen at the end of the year?”
Bruce blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I know for a fact you are quite popular. Several young ladies, and young men of your school would be more than ready to be your partner for the promenade dance.”
Bruce almost missed a turn. “How do you even know that?”
“Well,” Alfred said, not without a pinch of annoyance in his voice. “Turns out some teenagers talk about school matters with their butlers, and us butlers talk with each other.”
Bruce had to bite back the words “you’re not my butler” before they passed his lips. Alfred was his butler, technically and formally. But he was also so much more than that, and Bruce knew for a fact that some of his classmates used their staff as secret diaries because that was how they saw them. As diaries. Objects they could evacuate their problems and frustrations on. He would never see Alfred that way.
His parents had never raised him to see anyone as something else than a person deserving respect. And Alfred had kept their work strong.
“You guys are talking about prom?” he asked instead.
“Among other things, yes. It is, after all, an important milestone for young people in this country.”
Burce felt a shadow cross his heart. Yet another milestone he would live without his parents to watch him. Not the first, and certainly not the last. Still, with the very real probability that he would be named prom king, he had no choice but to show up, and with a partner. Appearances, again. He hated this.
He wondered idly if Harvey would agree to go with him. It would make the paparazzi use some ink. Maybe he would ask him if he already had someone to go with. If he had to be there, at least he could have fun.
They rode in silence for a short while after that, until Bruce started to feel himself growing tired. “Should we go back?” he asked. “Unless you want to make me parallel park and unpark, that is.”
Alfred gave him a smile. “I would not to torture you that way. Let’s go back, then.”
Despite everything, Bruce found himself smiling back.
A time would come, where Bruce would build his own car. Faster and most practical than most, and with no gear level, something Alfred wouldn’t let pass without a disapproving glare. A child, another child, would name said car, and would learn how to drive on it, under Bruce’s watchful glance, way before he would be of age.
The first of a long list of children that would end up driving his vehicle.
But that was for later.
For now, there were just the two of them. Two people who weren’t sure how to navigate with each other, who weren’t sure who they were just yet.
Just two people in a too clean Rolls Royce.
Note:
I hope you enjoyed. Many thanks to @ohmytoddhewitt for beta reading!
Dick had offered Barbara to hang out with him and Damian. The afternoon seemed nice until it turned into a kidnapping. Until Dick wouldn’t wake up. Until she and Damian had to cooperate to get all of them to safety.
Note:
This is my third fic for the DC out of the shadows event, by @holyserverbatman following the prompt: Barbara being badass in her wheelchair. Warning for kidnapping, head injury, fight and Damian’s debatable training. I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you’ll enjoy it!
-
“Gordon!”
Barbara grumbles and tries to push her pillow on her head. Why is someone waking her up so early? Is that Damian? Why is Damian waking her up?
Why is Damian waking her up? That is not normal. Why doesn’t she remember going to sleep? What happened?
Dick had called her for an outing with Damian. They went to the movies, got ice-cream and then…
A black truck. Too many men to fight off, let alone while keeping their secret. And then…
Nothing.
Bruce is never going to let them hear the end of it.
She blinks. She’s in a cell with Damian just above her. Dick is laying down on the other side. They are all locked up together, but not tied up. Clearly these people underestimate them.
“I’m up,” she says, pushing on her arms to sit down. Without surprise, her wheelchair is gone. She hopes it’s somewhere in the building and not destroyed.
“What happened?” she asks.
Damian looks at her for a second or two before answering, “we were ambushed. I wasn’t dosed with a drug dose as strong as you two, which is why I woke up earlier. I guess they didn’t account for my… resistance to poison.”
She nods. “Dick?” she asks. He hadn’t moved at all since the beginning of the conversation.
“He took a blow to the head,” Damian explains. “I tried waking him up, but I couldn't.”
She bites her lip nervously. They both know how bad it is. Head injuries have the potential to become really bad really fast, especially on someone who had gotten shot twice in the head. Dick had done miraculously good so far, but the thought that every time his head takes a hit could be the last had been weighing on them for a while now.
She crawls the few feet that separate them to check on him herself. Sure enough, there is blood matting his hair. He’s breathing, which is a relief, even if it’s a little fast to her liking. He doesn’t react when she tries to call him or shake him gently. Not that she was expecting him to, given Damian’s report.
“Father is going to send help,” Damian says. He’s terrified, she realizes. He’s not Robin, not even the grandson of Ra’s Al Ghul, here. He’s just Damian Wayne. Just a child whose big brother and most important person isn’t waking up. Might not wake up for a while, if ever. And this is terrifying.
“Yeah,” she says. “He will.” But this will take time. Time Dick might not have. He needs medical attention, and he needs it now.
“Hey,” she says to no one in particular. “He needs a hospital. You can keep us, but you have to let him go. He’s no use to you dead, isn’t he?”
No answer. She hadn’t seen a camera around, so there is a real possibility that they just let them without any surveillance. Like she thought: underestimating them. With Dick out of commission, they probably think a child and a disabled woman are harmless.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
“We’re going to have to get out of here,” she tells Damian. “We can’t really afford to wait for help.” And by that, she means Dick can’t afford it, but no need to worry Damian any further. Something tells her he understands anyway.
The kid looks at Dick, and then at her, eyes wide. “I can’t carry you both,” he says.
“I promise, you won’t have to.” If it comes to it, she will crawl out of here. But something tells her it won’t. These people underestimate them, but they’re not total idiots. A chair like hers can get them a fair amount of money. They probably kept it as an extra.
She looks at the cell. It’s relatively clean, as far as kidnapping goes. She doesn’t have as much experience as the Waynes in that matter but being the daughter of Gotham’s commissioner, it was always a risk. That, and both Batgirl and Oracle have saved kidnapped kids.
The lock is magnetic. They probably think it’s safer than one with a key, harder to open. They wouldn’t be wrong. It would probably be tougher to open. For anyone other than her, that is. She had seen this kind of lock, twice, while studying some buildings. She’s confident that if she manages to open the small panel on the door, she will be able to open the door.
She leaves Dick with Damian and moves toward the door. She usually has a few knives on her, an old habit from being both the daughter of the commissioner and trained by Batman, but one quick assessment tells her they’ve been taken. Figures. They don’t underestimate them enough to skip the body search.
She resorts to putting her nail in the small opening of the box. It’s glued, not screwed, which is a shame because screws might have been easier.
She curses.
“What is it?” Damian asks.
“I can’t get it open.”
The kid looks at her for a second. “Would a blade be useful?” he finally asks in a small voice.
She bites back a of course it would, trying not to sound too exasperated. Damian is scared, she remembers. And just a child. “They searched me,” she says instead. Surely, they searched Damian, too.
“I, um.” The kid does something with his jaw, and then spit something in his hand. He washes it quickly with his shirt before handing it to her.
She looks at him with wide eyes. It’s a razor blade.
Damian seems very interested in the floor. “They didn’t find this one. Grayson is against me keeping it, but I guess if it saves his life, he won’t mind.”
She nods slowly, taking the blade. She doesn’t want to know its initial purpose. Knowing the league, she can guess easily enough. She feels nauseous at the mere idea of a kid being trained to keep a blade in his mouth. But, she has to admit, right now, this is useful.
She slips the blade between the two parts of the panel. Looking carefully, there is some kind of map on the wall, but she can’t see it well from where she is. “Once I open the door, we won’t have much time before they find out we’ve escaped. Can I trust you to go find a storage room? That’s probably where my chair is, as well as some weapon. Once I have it, we will gain mobility, not to mention being able to secure Dick on it.”
The kid nods, acknowledging her words like a soldier. Something tells her he’s used to even less details on the plan. Working with Batman will do that to someone.
Finally, the box snaps open in her hands. Good. One quick look tells her the nature of the lock: she will be able to open it.
She’s proud to say she had steady hands. Even in situations like this, she keeps her hand steady enough so that she can make fast and precise movement around the wires.
Damian’s eyes are piercing on her, watching her. He’s preparing for the next step, but this is not only that. She knows that look, she’s often the one who has it on her face. He’s learning. And she knows him: he will learn fast. Fast enough to be the next Oracle, if he’s willing.
But she gets the thought out of her head, for now. The door snaps open, and they have to think fast. With the help of the cage’s bar, she gets herself out so that she can properly see the map. Damian on her toes.
“Here,” she says, showing a room on the map. “That should be it.”
Damian looks at her for half a second, probably more time than they can afford to lose, his eyes expressing what he doesn’t say. He trusts her. To take care of Dick while he’s aw ay. To lead him to the right room. To get them out of here. And she’s not going to betray that trust.
Then, he nods, and he disappears in the shadows.
She grinds her teeth. A bad habit, she knows. But waiting is hard, and she doesn’t have access to cameras to look out for Damian, here. She moves back in the cell, next to where Dick is still laying. He had not moved at all during the opening of the door. Thankfully, he’s still breathing in the same way he did when she first woke up. There is not much to do here: the blood on his scalp is already dry, and she has no way to help him without a hospital. She needs to trust Damian. He’s good, well trained, and competent. He will be back.
So, she waits.
And waits.
And waits.
Time stretches indefinitely, but really, she knows it’s probably only minutes later that Damian appears, pushing her chair in. She lets out a sigh of relief when she realizes it isn’t damaged.
“I couldn’t find the rest of our stuff,” he says. So, no phones or weapons. She wasn’t really counting on it. “They must have taken them to the second floor. I didn’t see anyone either. They just left us in this basement.”
Underestimating them again. This is good. “Good thing we don’t plan on going up. See this large room? That’s a garage.” At least she hopes so. “We’re getting a car and we’re getting out of here.”
Damian nods. “I also found this,” he says, showing a large kitchen knife on his belt. “Not my first choice of weapon, but better than nothing.”
She nods as she gets herself in the chair. “Help me secure Dick on me.”
Damian looks at her with wide eyes. “I can-”
“I need you to clear the path in front of us. It’s safer this way.”
Right now, it’s probably easier for her to carry a -the word feels wrong in her head – dead weight than it is for Damian.
If she had the choice, she probably wouldn’t have moved him without a stretcher, but they really don’t have that kind of luxury. So, instead, they secure him on the chair, his head on her shoulder, and hope they’re not doing more harm than good. But worry takes time, time they don’t have. Their captors might not be on the same level they are right now, but it doesn’t mean they won’t find out they escaped sooner or later. She hopes later, preferably after they are long gone, but she knows that, in that kind of situation, hope is a dangerous thing.
They start moving toward the garage. Despite carrying Dick, she’s still able to move fast enough to keep up with Damian, even if she suspects he’s not at his maximum running speed.
Things are going well.
Things are going great.
Up until there are voices behind them.
Damian turns, but she signals him to keep running. He does. They can outrun them. They will outrun them.
Until they reach the door of the garage, and it becomes clear they won’t.
Barbara breaks. Apparently, the men weren’t expecting that. She tosses her head backward, and she’s satisfied when she hears something crack, followed by a bunch of curses. She doesn’t dwell on it. She knows she can’t fight them all; not without risking Dick’s health. Besides, she has another job to do. The garage door isn’t going to open itself.
Damian seems on the same page, because they switch places, and she can see him getting the kitchen knife out from the corner of her eyes.
She trusts Damian to handle the fight. Instead, she focuses on the code that is locking the garage door. It seems like these guys rely a lot on technology. And this is, indeed, good technology. But, as an expert in tech, she knows one thing: relying too much on it is dangerous. Because there is always someone better than you that can turn your system against you. In that case, the better person is herself.
The door opens and she takes Damian’s shoulder to pull him with her inside the garage before it shuts again. It can’t be opened with the code anymore. She used a simple trick, but it might buy them some time. Not much, unfortunately.
She moves toward a black SUV that doesn’t resist much before it’s opened and hot-wired.
“You drive,” she tells Damian as she secures Dick in the passenger seat. She doesn’t miss the half smile that covers his face. The knife is gone, he’s got blood spots on his hands and the beginning of a bruise is forming below his left eye. She guesses he needs the win.
Just as she shuts the door after getting herself in, the garage door opens. Damian starts the car, and she stretches out of the window to push the emergency opening exit. And then, they’re on their way to freedom. The top of the car scratches on the door, Damian driving way faster than he normally should. But they’re free.
Unfortunately, freedom is hard to win, and hard to keep. Soon, there are multiple cars racing behind them.
Their captors aren’t letting them get away so easily.
“Focus on the road,” she tells Damian as she starts rummaging in the car for anything that can help. It takes her a few seconds to get her hands on a toolbox.
Good enough. She still trains regularly to throw batarangs. Screwdrivers are almost the same things. She looks inside the box. There are three cars behind them, and three screwdrivers. She can’t miss. The good thing is: she trained with Batman. Messing up had never been an option for her.
She opens the window, knowing she doesn’t have much time to aim. If they have guns, they will try to shoot her the second she gets out.
But she’s Oracle. She’s been Batgirl. And she’s fast.
She aims, launches, and feels satisfaction crawling on her spine when the first car makes an emergency stop, one of its tires exploding. Good. Minimal risk of death or injury for these guys, but they won’t be able to pursue them.
The other two cars soon follow the first one, and she finally allows herself to breathe. “Now, get us to the hospital,” she says. They are not far from Gotham, so she assumes Damian knows where he’s going. She won’t be able to truly relax until they reach Gotham’s general, and Dick is out of danger.
If she’s honest, she might not be able to relax until she’s positive the men who took them are safely locked up.
They haven’t made a few miles when they start hearing sirens. Damian curses.
“Pull over,” Barbara says. “They won’t hurt us.”
At least she hopes. Surely, her father’s influence extends here as well.
“Get out of the vehicle,” one of the policemen says.
“Listen,” Barbara tries. “We can explain everything, but you need to escort us to the hospital.”
“Yeah, right, you’ll explain why you have a kid driving and a corpse in the passenger seat on our way to the station.”
Damian opens his mouth, and she cuts him before he can antagonize the cops. “Look,” she doesn’t exactly like pulling that lever but, “my name is Barbara Gordon. I’m the daughter of commissioner James Gordon. Surely, you’ve heard of him. You can call him to check my story, but if one of you has ever been in his office, you’ve seen my face on the framed pictures he has. The two people here,” she waves her hand toward the front seats, “are Dick Grayson-Wayne and Damian Wayne, first and last sons of the billionaire Bruce Wayne. What do you want? Do you want to escort us to the hospital, or do you want to explain to James Gordon why you arrested his daughter and to Bruce Wayne why you denied his son potential life saving treatment?”
“Is that a threat, young lady?” the man asks.
“No, that’s fact. Please. His life might be in danger. You’re in this to help people, right? Take us to the hospital.”
The policemen seem to think about it for a few minutes before coming back.
“Right,” one of them say. “I guess it’s safer not to move him, so I’m going to drive the vehicle and my colleagues will escort us with the police cars.”
Barbara sighs. “Thank you,” she says as Damian reluctantly steps out of the driver’s seat to go sit next to her. The knowledge that they might not have been that kind if she hadn’t mentioned Bruce and her father tastes bitter in her mouth.
She wonders how Damian would take physical affection from her. He sits very still, eyes on Dick, and she thinks he looks in need of a hug. If Dick was in her place, he would half hug him and tell him everything would be alright. But she’s not Dick, and her relationship with Damian isn’t the same.
“It’s okay,” she still says in a low voice. “He will be fine.”
“Yes,” Damian replies, not taking his eyes off Dick. “I know.”
Everything happens too fast and too slow at the same time from there. They reach the hospital and get separated. Barbara gives her father’s number and Bruce’s number several times before giving her statement. Again, several times. A doctor examines her, but she’s fine, beside a few bruises and traces of the drug that have yet to leave her bloodstream. She asks about Dick, but they can’t tell her anything. If only she had a moment alone, she could hack into the hospital computer or get access to the camera, but she seems to be constantly swarmed by people.
She finally gets to call her dad, who tells her Bruce is already on his way to the hospital and asks if she needs him, or if he should focus his efforts on finding the kidnappers. She tells him she’s fine and promises to spend the day with Bruce and Alfred to ease his worries.
She also wants to track the kidnappers. And she knows Batman, with Oracle’s help, will have them locked up tonight, should her father fail. While she’s more comfortable in the clocktower, she can work from the cave.
She’s just getting in a corridor when she spots Damian. Band-Aids are on his face, as well as on his arms, and he had changed clothes. He turns when she calls out.
“Grayson is still in surgery,” he says when he sees her. “Father is talking with the doctors.”
She nods. And then, out of impulse, she does what she didn’t do in the car. She takes his arm and pulls him toward her. He let himself go, getting easily in the hug in a way she hadn’t expected.
The Damian she first met would never have let her do that. But now, he clings to her for a few seconds before letting go.
“You did good,” she says. “You were very brave.”
Damian nods. “You were impressive too,” he replies, looking at the ground. “I knew you were strong, but this was… you were impressive.”
She smiles. Not unlike his father’s, Damian’s compliments are hard to earn.
She doesn’t have time to reply before she can see Bruce coming toward them.
“Barbara,” he greets her. “Are you alright?”
She nods, and he sighs, with the face of a very very tired man he sometimes has. “Damian told me what happened. Thank you.”
She stops for a second. Did he just thank her? She nods slowly. “Anytime,” she says before thinking twice about it.
“Well,” she adds after reflection. “Hoping there won’t be a next time.”
Bruce gives her a sad, half smile. Maybe one day, when Dick will be better and they would go out for ice cream again, they would be able to laugh about it.
For now, they are alive, and they are safe. She keptthem safe.
And maybe there will be a next time, after all. But for now, they are safe.
Reading material, love, new beginnings, and blue haired samurai
AO3
Summary:
Jason had told Cass she could use his books as reading material. He didn’t expect her to find her way in his video games, as well.
Note:
A second fic for the DC out of shadow event by @holyserverbatman. It’s inspired by the prompt “Cass using daytime TV to learn English” but I changed it a little.
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
-
“What are you doing?”
Cass turned toward the door, where Jason was standing, his body taking almost the entire frame. She could understand, seeing him like this, why the Gotham underworld was scared of the Red Hood. But she wasn’t. For several reasons. One: she had sparred with him several times, and she was confident in her ability to take him down if needed. Two: there was very little chance of him wanting to actually hurt her. And three: she didn’t do anything to wrong him. This time.
“Learning.” She said, pointing vaguely at the TV. “Reading.”
His face twisted in a grimace. “Is it mine?”
“You told me I could!” she defended herself immediately. He did. He told her she could go into his room to take practice material.
“I told you you could take books, Cass. I didn’t say anything about video games.”
“But it’s better.” Books were long and scary and frustrating. The only ones with images were the ones for children, and Cassandra wasn’t a child. She never had been. “There are images, and they are speaking with the text! It’s better.”
Jason let out a long-suffering sigh and let himself into the room.
“Should I stop? Do you want me to?” she asked shyly. Jason hadn’t taken back his room in the manor for long, and he still struggled to be at ease with them. No matter how much he thought he was hiding it, it was impossible to get pass her. She didn’t want her small mistake about what he had allowed her to take and what he hadn’t to hurt him.
He sat next to her, letting his entire body fall. It was something she had noticed he was doing a lot in the manor, nowdays: being loud and taking space. She herself had never had that kind of habit: the stealthier she was, the better.
“No, it’s fine. But, just so you know, if what you’re looking for is something with voice and text, I do have DVDs. With the option to turn on subtitles.”
She shrugged. “I like the game. I like making choices.”
He made a vague move toward the TV. “Do you even know what this is about?”
“Of course, I do.” Was he underestimating her that much? She was probably slower than any or her sibling would be in the gameplay, but she had understood most of the words, occasionally looking up some on google images, and she had followed the story. “The protagonist is pursued by people because of her father’s secret, but she found her way into a house full of samurai. They have accepted to watch over her in exchange for her services as a maid. There is a war going on.” She had to admit she wasn’t on point with the exact context and implications of the war. She could probably ask Damian about it later. Surely, he would know about feudal Japan’s history.
“Yes, I mean, I get that you’re following the story,” so he wasn’t underestimating her that much. Good to know. “But you do realize the main point here is not the war, right?”
Oh. “Yes, I read the jacket. It’s a romance game.”
“And you’re cool with that?”
“Yes. Why not?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just never really took you for the romance type.”
This wasn’t exactly new. Because of who she was - a vigilante, a fighter- people didn’t often think she would be interested in this kind of things. But then again…
“You don’t look like it either. And there are two of these in your room.”
She was playing the samurai one, and had let the high school one aside. She had been scared the one taking place in a school would involve too much vocabulary the game would assume she was familiar with, when she wasn’t. As strange as it seemed, the samurai seemed a better choice in that regard.
Jason looked at the floor as if it was very interesting. “There are some more in my safe houses, actually, if you’re interested. And, yeah, I guess I don’t date. But it’s different in a game. Fiction versus reality, you know? What I want in a game is different from what I want in real life.”
She hummed, focusing her attention back on the game. She had a choice to make. “Do we learn kendo from the blue haired guy?”
“Depends? Do you want to get closer to him?”
“I am pursued. Learning kendo would be an effective way to defend myself.”
“That’s not really how this kind of game works.”
“Let’s learn kendo,” she decided, cliquing on the button.
An image of the blue haired guy, standing behind the protagonist as he was showing her how to use a sword filled the screen, and the dialogue continued. They just stayed silent for a while, Cass focusing on the words on the screen and the character’s voice before she said, “you have gun games, too.”
He let out another long sigh. “FPS, yeah. I guess they relax me. It doesn’t feel like shooting a real gun,” he said, answering the question she didn’t ask, “because no life is at stake. Not mine, and not the one of the guy in front of me. I know what you think about me, about what I did, what I do, please, don’t say you don’t care because that would be a lie and we both know it, but I promise you, I know what I’m doing when I shoot a gun, and video games are different.”
Do you? She wanted to ask, do you really know what you’re doing, do you really understand what a life is? Because how could people like him, how could people like them, who had died once and been given a second chance, may it be a few months or a few minutes after, really understand the finality of death?
But she didn’t say any of that, because she didn’t want to fight. Not now, not with him, not about that. He would see, one day, how important it was. Maybe he was already starting to see it, as his bullet became less and less lethal over time. She had faith. Batman would save him just like he saved her. Maybe not Bruce, but Batman.
“I didn’t want to try it,” she said instead. “I know it’s not the real thing, but I don’t like it.”
“Yeah, I get it,” he said, as if he hadn’t just accused her of hypocrisy. “Plus, it’s not like there is a lot of text in these, compared to visual novels. It’s not great practice, I guess.”
She nodded, glad the conversation moved to a more comfortable territory. They played a bit more in silence after that.
“Is that the ninja who saved us in the beginning?” Cass asked as a woman made her appearance. The second in the game after hours of playing, she noted.
Jason smirked. “Detective even in your downtime, I see. But yeah, she is. Badass ninja lady.”
Cass thought for a second before asking, “Can I date her?”
Jason let out a low laugh. “You’re starting to understand how the game works. But no, I don’t think so. I tried, and I couldn’t.”
“Lame.”
He snorted.
“What? That’s the right word.” Steph had taught it to her.
“Yeah,” he said, hands in the air in a defensive stance. “Yeah, that’s appropriate. Just weird in your mouth, that’s all.”
She didn’t say anything to that, instead playing a little more before deciding, “I’m dating Blue Haired Guy.”
“Is he your default option?”
“No? He’s nice, thought us kendo.”
“Yeah, he’s your default option.”
“How do people usually choose these things?”
“How would I know? I don’t date.”
“Maybe we should call Dick.”
“If you call Dick to choose who to date in a visual novel you are never allowed to touch my games ever again.”
So, it was decided. They wouldn’t call Dick, and they would date Blue Haired Guy.
“You could,” she said after a time. “You could date, if you wanted to.” He was conventionally good looking, despite the scars, and could hold a conversation.
“Yeah, I just… don’t want to,” he said, looking at the ceiling. “I never really thought about it, I guess. I think I have enough to take care of with myself before I involve someone else.”
She nodded. She could understand that, at least.
“I’ve killed so many people” said Blue Haired Guy on the speaker, as if reading their mind. “How could someone like me ever be worthy of your love?”
“Well, isn’t that bullshit,” Jason said. Cass ignored him. He wasn’t fully sincere anyway. He never was.
She looked at the screen. Two options were displayed. It took her a little while to understand them.
The first one was: I love you with the blood on your hands. Which was something so weird and foreign to her that she didn’t dwell on it.
The second one was: Let’s run away together. Which also wasn’t a very good choice. Running away from your responsibilities, from the consequences of your actions.
Her hands tightened on the controller.
She thought about it for a second, then chose the second option.
Run away.
Leave everything behind and start again. Find something to give meaning to your life, may it be love or justice.
Blue haired guy had found Batman in the protagonist, just like she once did.
For the DCOutoftheShadows warm up, Robin Steph 'preening', excited abt the new 'job' she has. Bruce is in the bg, waiting somewhat impatiently by the car.
A fic I wrote for the HSB Out of the Shadows Batfam event! Featured relationship is Dick&Roy, with the prompt "new job". Roy's car might have been stolen, and he's sure that his babysitter is going to quit on him, but luckily for him Dick turns up. And luckily for Dick, he's willing to lend an ear to Dick's problems too. A slice of life fic.
About 1.6k words
Early Nights and and Talking til Light
Roy was So late, and he was absolutely about to lose another babysitter. He glanced at his phone as he impatiently waited for the crosswalk lights to go green. 9:27. He was supposed to be home at 9, but Ollie had been threatened, so Arsenal to the rescue, and then he couldn't find his car? So that was going to be a problem. He desperately hoped that he'd just parked it somewhere stupid and forgotten, and that it hadn't been stolen.
But now he was running to get home before yet another babysitter decided that kid watching for such an unreliable parent wasn't worth it. Maybe it would be fine? Lian was 10 after all, she could take care of herself for a couple hours if needed. But he really would feel better if he had someone to leave her with.
As he finally got up the last flight of stairs (running the stairs was much faster than their building's old elevator) he slowed down to catch his breath. It wouldn't do him any good to run in their looking like he'd been running from something. He was sure his pale face was still flushed as he unlocked the door, but what else was new?
He opened the door half expecting a running tackle from his daughter, he hadn't given the sitter bedtime instructions after all, but he was surprised to find the combined living and kitchen area quiet and unoccupied. Quietly putting down his keys and hanging his coat in case Lian was asleep, he made his way to Liam's room.
He peeked in and saw the light was on, so he opened it wide to reveal-
"Dick?!"
"Hey Roy!" His friend gave one of his signature grins, "I was just finishing up this bedtime story for Lian."
"Daddy, you're home!" Lian said as she untangled herself and got up, clearly planning to jump at him, "Uncle Dick is reading me stories!"
Roy caught Lian, and gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her, "Yes I can see that," He shot Dick a confused and questioning look, "are you all ready for bed?" He asked her instead.
"Yup! We're just finishing one more story."
Roy smiled at that, she had clearly pushed Dick for 'just one more', and Dick obviously gave in. They were all soft to Lian.
"Alright cuddle bug, enjoy your story. Daddy's gonna get out of his work clothes and then I'll come kiss you good night, does that sound alright?"
"Yes!" Lian had already tucked herself back under the covers and into Dick's side.
Roy left with a smile towards Dick, and gesturing for him to join Roy in the living room once he was finished.
When Roy was dressed more comfortably and entered the living area again, he saw Dick in the kitchen. He waved in acknowledgment and went in to kiss Lian goodnight. "Did you have a fun night with your uncle, baby?"
"Yes! He's much better than Laura."
Roy frowned, "What's wrong with Laura?" He'd never heard Lian complain about her babysitter before. Had something gone wrong, was that why Dick was here?
"She's boring, she won't even do flips with me."
Roy smiled. Ah, nothing serious then. "You must have been pretty happy that Uncle Dick showed up then!"
So he was fishing for information, sue him.
"Yes! He said Laura could go home, and brought dinner for us! But then you took along time so we ate without you."
Roy felt a pang at that, he didn't think he'd forgotten any plans made with Dick? He was glad it wasn't an emergency though, Dick wouldn't have brought food if he needed immediate help.
"I'll have to catch you guys next time, huh" he smiled softly at Lian and gave her another forehead kiss. "Alright, goodnight bug. It's late, you can catch me up on the day's adventures tomorrow."
"Goodnight!"
Roy gave her one last kiss, and she scrunched up her nose. Obviously she was getting a bit too old for him to smother her in affection. Ah well, he turned if the light and watched he nightlight turn on and blew her one last kiss just to see her nose scrunch up again, before shutting the door.
He was greeted by the delicious smell of Thai food.
"Aww, you saved some for me!" Roy grinned, finally getting a good look at Dick. He was wearing casual athletic-leisure, and he seemed tired, but not horribly.
"Yes, and you're lucky I did, Lian vouched for you because it's your favorite." Dick said lightly, handing the freshly warmed plate over into Roy's grateful hands.
"You have my eternal gratitude for your generosity" he teased back, "come on, do you want to grab anything else for yourself?" He made his way to the living room.
Dick grabbed a sparkling water, and settled himself on the other end of the couch, facing Roy, before -while maintaining eye contact - stretching his legs out to lay over Roy's lap.
Roy lets it happen, shaking his head with an affectionate smile, and balancing his plate right on Dick's ankles.
"So, what bring you to my city tonight? Did your super-uncle sense tingle? 'Niece in danger of boredom.'" He imitated an announcer voice, and got Dick to smile.
"No, I actually just wanted to talk. It's been awhile since we had the chance, and I happened to be around."
"Yeah? Well you've definitely made Lian's week. I don't want to talk about my life, today's been a disaster, what's going on with you?"
"Oh, you know, this and that. I'm thinking of starting a new job - you know that I'm in Blüdhaven again?"
Roy nodded, he'd heard it from Donna.
"Well, I've gotten my operations back on track as Nightwing, but I haven't figured out what I'm going to do as a civilian yet."
Roy mulled on this as he ate his fried rice. With his mouth full he said, "you're not going to be a cop again, right?"
Dick scowled at him. "Firstly, gross, don't speak with your mouth full. Secondly, no. I think it was a bit too much last time."
Roy nodded. He agreed 100%, but he was glad that Dick had come to that conclusion himself because he never would have taken "that's too much" as anything other than a challenge coming from someone else.
"What have you been considering?"
Dick shifted, nearly unbalancing Roy's plate. "Maybe teaching self-defense classes? I liked coaching before."
Roy thought about that. It was fairly natural, and Dick would get to share his skills in that way Roy knew he loved to. "Do you think that might be precarious with all the injuries you get though?" He posited, guessing at Dick's hesitation.
Dick sighed.
So Roy guessed right then.
"Why not just stick with coaching the kids? You've always been good with them."
Dick frowned, "They're always so competitive. Last time one of the girls got really hurt because her mom pushed her too hard, I'm not sure if I can be part of that again."
Well that was understandable. "So let's be clear, you need something that pays well, has flexible hours, doesn't ask too many questions, and you being you, you'd like something where you feel like you have purpose too. The unicorn of jobs."
"Yeah." Dick flopped back so that he was staring at the ceiling.
"Come on, what else is going on. " Roy prodded, "you've done a dozen jobs, the search doesn't usually get this gloomy. What's got you bothered?"
Dick picked up a couch pillow that had been pushed onto the floor, and covered his face. "Bruce." He said, nearly intelligibly.
"Ah-" well that would do it, "what's he done this time?"
"He offered me a job at WE." Dick looked up from his self-enforced exile, pout on full display. "It's the perfect job, Roy. It's managing one of the charity funds. I can do it on my own schedule, mostly from home, and it would pay well of course too" he whined, back to staring at the ceiling.
Roy nodded empathetically, and then almost dropped his plate when Dick suddenly shot back up, incensed.
"Why would he even offer that! He knows I want to be independent of him. He knows I need my space." Dick buried his face in his hands, "What am J supposed to do with this Roy"
Roy put his plate on the coffee table and leaned over to gather Dick into his arms. "Come now Boy Wonder, you know you're not obligated to take anything your old man offers."
Dick just groans, and Roy realizes they aren't going to make any progress to a real solution. Not tonight, tonight Dick just needs to let it all out.
He detangles himself from Dick and goes to grab a couple sodas from his fridge (they'd long decided that drinking wasn't something they'd do together) and offers one to Dick.
"Awww you got my favorite kind." Dick coos in that obnoxious way he'd developed as an older brother to annoy his siblings.
"Yes, I got your horrible fruit mix sodas. Now, tell me what's really going on. You and B were doing better, what changed?"
"No, don't do that Roy. I don't want tonight to be all about me. I didn't come just to burden you-"
Roy rolled his eyes. "No, you came over and took care of my daughter and made sure I still have a babysitter who will answer when I call. Don't be ridiculous, you need to vent before this becomes a Grayson certified blowout. Talk to me."
Dick scowled, but settled back into the couch with his sofa in hand.
And Roy settled in for a long night with one of his best friends. And maybe he could get Dick to look into his car a bit later. He really hoped his car hadn't been stolen.
And that's it! Very rough, this is a warm up for the actual event and I definitely treated it as such :) Please be generous about any errors, this is entirely unedited. I might polish this one up though and get it on AO3 too. I'd love to hear what you have to say! I'm still quite new to the Titans, so definitely still getting a feel for it all.
Duke answers a call for backup in Blüdhaven. The impromptu team up leads to some conversations about Damian, and about siblinghood.
Note:
This was written for the DC out of shadow event, made by @holyserverbatman! I started a bit late, but I’m happy I can still have something about these two. I had the prompt: “Duke asking Dick how to be a good big brother” in mind but I took some liberties.
I hope you’ll enjoy the story!
-
Duke had to say: he didn’t expect the look of surprise that crossed Nightwing’s face when he showed up for backup. It was almost disappointment, and he would lie if he said it didn’t hurt a little.
“Expecting someone different?” he asked, crouching down on the roof. The darkness of Blüdhaven’s night contrasted with the bright light emitted from the building Nightwing had been watching.
“I was, actually,” Nightwing said honestly. “I thought you weren’t doing nights.”
Duke shrugged. “It’s been quiet, so I took a few days off. And everyone else had been busy when you asked for backup, so I figured I could come.”
“No, it’s nice, it’s just-”
“You wanted to see someone else.”
To his credit, Dick didn’t try to hide it. He nodded slowly. “I was hoping I could see Robin, in all honesty.”
Duke nodded. That made sense. Dick and Damian were really close, much more than Dick was with Duke, who had been staying mainly in Gotham. He had worked with Bruce, a bit with Cass and Tim, but never with Dick, out of the few tense moments where they were all together for a world ending event. Dick and Damian had been Batman and Robin, whereas Duke’s Robin had only been a copycat.
As if reading his mind, Dick let out a long sigh. “I don’t… we didn’t really start on the right foot, I guess. I wasn’t in a right place when we met.”
Duke snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Given what he had heard about that time, not in a right place was an understatement. But it wasn’t like he himself had been good and well adjusted when he started the We are Robin movement.
“What I mean is-”
Duke waved him off. “I know what you mean. And like, yeah. I’m ok to start again. Starting with this. You didn’t request backup to talk about feelings, right?”
Dick smiled. It seemed like this was an easier territory. “No, I didn’t. What you see here is an abandoned factory.”
Duke looked for a moment at the light coming out of the building. “Doesn’t seem abandoned to me.”
“Exactly. A group of arm dealers has established themselves in. Thirty, maybe forty men. With cutting edge weaponry. I want them out of my city and in prison.”
“Cops?”
“This isn’t Gotham. I don’t have a commissioner Gordon here,” Nightwing said before softening. “The captain I trust the most is aware I’m moving tonight, but she won’t send reinforcement. I understand her: she doesn’t want to risk her men taking a bullet, especially since we don’t know who within her rank will turn to their colleagues. She will come do the pickup afterwards, though.”
Duke let out a sarcastic smile. “So, we’re doing the dirty work and she takes credit.”
“Something like that. A problem?”
“No, not really.” It wasn’t as if it never happened in Gotham. It was frustrating, but it was part of the job.
“I’ve been observing them, while I waited for you to arrive.” Nightwing opened a hologram showing the blueprint of the building. “Here is the typical route of the guards. Here and here is where they could hide the merchandise. I don’t know if there are snipers, but if there are, they could be in this building, or in this tower or-”
“There are two snipers,” Duke cut him off. He showed their position on the map. “Here and here.”
To Dick’s questioning look, he replied. “They probably think their lasers are stealthy, but to me, it’s like pointing a light telling: I am here.”
Dick nodded. “Impressive,” he said, and Duke tried not to let the small remark get to him. Working with Batman, compliments were scarce, and he hadn’t gotten used to them. Just this one word filled him with pride.
“Then I suggest we split up to take care of them simultaneously and stealthily. We will regroup afterwards to take care of the guards and then enter the building. How does that sound? You feel up to it?”
That was another novelty. Batman never asked him if he was up to the task. He had to be. “Yes, I can do it. We take out the snipers and then?”
“I will meet you up on this bridge,” he said, showing a small metallic bridge linking up two buildings. “It should be in their blind spot. We will see from there.”
Duke nodded. Improvising then. It was good to him. Even with the most detailed of plans, he often ended up doing that anyway.
“Alright then. You take the east sniper; I take the west one. Meet you in ten minutes, here.”
“Understood. See you there.”
And with that, they were both gone in their separate direction. Duke toured the building, careful not to let himself be seen. He couldn’t help but notice Dick had given him the easiest man to take out. He didn’t really know how to feel about that. It was certain that the older man wasn’t underestimating him. He was valuable and needed backup. Still, Dick would take the most difficult and dangerous task for himself. He could understand. If it had been his city, his territory, and someone less experienced came to help him, he would probably have acted the same way.
He sneaked in behind his sniper. One quick glance into the dark showed him that Dick was doing the same. Now, he had to act fast: in one quick move he hit the man’s neck, efficiently making him fall unconscious. He mentally thanked Cass for teaching him this move before hurrying up to the rendez- vous point. He was just arriving on the platform when he saw Nightwing falling on it, his body moving like water. Anyone else than him probably wouldn’t have noticed him.
Perfect timing. And in less than ten minutes, too.
“Good job,” Nightwing said in a low voice. “We’re a bit in advance, so we will have to wait. A guard will be here in five.”
Duke nodded. So, that was what the ten minutes limit was about.
After a short time, Nightwing started talking again. That was another thing that differed from working with Batman. Bruce never used one more word than the ones that were strictly necessary.
“Thank you, for coming to help. You did good, with localizing the snipers and taking one out. I want this over tonight, and thanks to you, it might be possible.”
It was the second time Nightwing mentioned wanting the dealers to be put out this night, so it piked Duke’s curiosity. “Why? Is there something special about tonight? Are they planning something?”
Dick made a face. “No, but um… I am. Starfire asked for my help on something. I will be in space next week, maybe the week after, too. I don’t want to leave that kind of things in my city while I’m away.”
Duke suddenly realized something. “Oh, that was why,” he said before he could stop himself.
Dick tilted his head in an unsaid question.
“Da- Robin asked me to come to his art exhibit thing next week. B and A can’t join us until later, but I was wondering why he didn’t ask you.”
Something weird crossed Dick’s face. Something like disappointment, not in Duke, not in Damian, maybe in himself, but it didn’t stay more than one second, because there was a noise beneath them, and suddenly Dick Grayson was gone and Nightwing was back.
Before Duke could even see it, and that was saying something, the guard was tied up and silenced. “Come on,” Nightwing said. “Let’s move. Stay near me.”
Duke didn’t question it. They were in enemy territory, so now was not the time to debate a plan. Between the two of them, they made quick work of the guards. To Duke’s relief, none of them had the time to sound the alarm. They were unnoticed. It wouldn’t stay that way for long. Soon, one of the guards would miss a checkup and someone would notice they had a bat problem. But for now, Duke thought as he was working to deactivate the security on the window Nightwing was trying to open, they were blissfully ignored.
“He probably understands,” Duke said, before he wasn’t one to leave a discussion unfinished. “I don’t know Starfire as much as you do, but I guess she wouldn’t have asked you if it wasn’t important. And Robin knows that too.”
Nightwing let out a low laugh. “Are you trying to reassure me? Don’t worry, I know he understands.” The window opened with a loud noise, and they started to get into the over dated ventilation system that was thankfully big enough to fit them without difficulty.
“And I get why he asked you. He was probably scared Batgirl and Hood would tease him, Black Bat isn’t a fan of social gatherings, and I can’t see him asking Red Robin. You’re a good choice. You’re a good big brother.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Duke started, but he didn’t have time to elaborate, because there were suddenly voices under them. A man was barking orders all around.
“They finally realized we’re here,” Nightwing said. “They’re going to arm themselves.”
“If we get to the control room, we might be able to lock the door to the armory,” Duke suggested. Dick nodded, and they started moving toward the control room. As they reached it, a woman was screaming at two other goons. “I don’t care about that! Find them! I want to see them!”
Dick smiled. “Let’s give her what she’s asking for.”
They fell down in unison, and the woman barely had time to scream before she was put in a headlock and rendered unconscious. Duke could see one of the other goons pull out a gun, but he was on him before the man could think of pulling the trigger. He finished tying them up before joining Dick in front of the control panel. The man was already typing fast, bypassing security protocols.
Soon, the armories were safely locked and they even had some fun confusing the dealers by locking them and winning time. They were fighting a large number of enemies: their best shot was to separate them.
“Oracle?” Dick asked in his comm and Duke turned quickly toward him. He didn’t know she was on the case, but that made sense.
“I have access,” she said in both their earpieces. “Count on me to send them to you little by little.”
“And now?” Duke asked. There was already a group of men and women fast approaching.
Dick made a move toward the ceiling. “And now, you go up.” Duke obeyed, flying toward the ceiling with his grapples.
He wasn’t up for long when the door opened and Nightwing had half a dozen guns pointed at him.
“Hiya, fellas. Nice night we’re having today,” Nightwing said with a smile “A bit cold, but-”
A shot was fired in the wall just behind him.
“I should have guessed it was you,” said one of the dealers. “Kinda stupid to show up in here all alone.”
Nightwing leaned nonchalantly on one of the tables. “Well, see, here is the thing.” Duke stopped breathing for a second. He knew what was coming. “I’m not alone.”
Duke chose this moment to descend on them, and soon, Nightwing was bouncing with him. The dealers didn’t last long.
“You’re good,” Nightwing told him once they were done, waiting for the next ones.
“At fighting?”
“That and… big brother-ing. I don’t believe you when you say you’re not good. I think you would make a great big brother.”
That was unexpected. He thought that conversation was over. “I just… it’s very new to me. Sure, I took care of the neighbors’ kids and stuff, but it was never like this.”
So many things were new. The Signal, his powers. Adjusting to life without his parents, or, more accurately, with his parents in the state they were in. Working with Batman. Learning more about himself, without being able to tell his mom about it. And the people he could now go to with that. His kind of new family. Damian, who might look at him like his big brother, a title he wasn’t sure he deserved, just like all the others.
“There is no manual to be an oldest sibling. You try, you mess up. But, from what I saw, I think you’re doing great.” He looked at the monitors before saying “Go back up. Next wave is coming.”
Duke obediently grappled into the ceilling, putting himself in position. It was almost comical, how fast they were getting through the arm dealers. But he had to admit: they made a good team. Nightwing and The Signal. He liked the sound of that.
“I think it was the last of them,” Dick said after a few waves. “The only ones left are not fighting personnel and they are hiding.”
Duke looked at the monitors. He could see some people still on the cameras, but they didn’t seem armed. “Not hiding very well, apparently. Are we going to go get them?”
Dick shook his head. “No, let the police have them. I’ll send officer Rohrbach a message, it’s nice that they have something to do, right? Now, let’s get out of here. Half of the force wants to put a bullet in my head, we don’t want to be there when they show up.”
And with that, they were gone. After they had put a reasonable distance between them and the factory, Dick asked. “Do you need to go back to Gotham, now? Or can I offer you dinner?” he looked at the sun going up, “Or, breakfast, I guess.”
Duke looked at the rising sun for a moment. “Breakfast sounds nice, yeah.”
Dick put himself near the edge of a building. “Come on then,” he said, “I know a place that is open at this hour and doesn’t mind serving costumed freaks.”
And with that, light as air, he let himself fall down. Duke followed, his grappling style less polished, but still keeping up.
It was only when they were walking down the street that Dick said, “I’m glad Damian has someone else than me looking out for him. I meant it, when I said I think you’ll be a great big brother. And I’m counting on you.”
Duke thought of the night they just had. The peace offering, given their rocky start. The way Dick trusted him, while giving him the less dangerous tasks still. The compliments. The breakfast invitation.
“For the record,” he said. “I will be a great big brother too.”
The 2023 Out of The Shadows event is built to shine a light on some of the less prominent areas of the DC bat fandom. This involves focusing on characters, relationships, eras and tropes that aren't often the focus of fandom today. We've created some prompts below to spark your inspiration!
There are no word or quality requirements, all fanart and fanfic is welcome. We've already got a few submissions that we're excited to share!
Remember to tag #dcoutoftheshadows and @holyserverbatman to get your creations attached to the event, and remember you can add it to our AO3 collection as well!
If none of these prompts inspire you, then feel free to check out our list of character and relationship prompts that we collected from our survey here
If you are wondering what is not allowed, then check out this post here :)
And if you have any questions, or just want to share your excitement, then shoot us an ask! We can't wait to see what everyone makes!
Our event to bring less popular, older, and niche areas of the batfandom into the light is nearly here!
Can you believe we have just one more week before we start? It's just around the corner, starting this coming Monday, July 24th, and heading through the 30th! We've got our prompts all prettied up for you to check out below, and remember to check out our pinned post if you want to learn more about the event :)
If you want to tease anything that you're working on, then feel free to tag us for that too! And remember, you're not limited to our prompts, they're set up for inspiration, We'd love to see it all!
Hello!! As you can see from our recent posts, yes! So sorry for the delay in getting back to you, and for the postponement of the event itself. If you had something planned and you've already posted it, you can still get it added/shared now! We're accepting anything created in June or July 2023 to make up for our rescheduling.
Hello! You may have noticed that our event has not been advertised recently, that's our bad, sorry!! It was originally meant to be an event that took place throughout June, but unfortunately mods had conflicts. But we still want this to happen!
This event will now take place the week of July 24th-30th.
Out of respect to our original timeline, if you published anything in either June or July that fit our prompts, then feel free to tag us! We'll allow it all into the collection.
This is an event to bring less popular characters, relationships, and timelines into the light! The focus should be on less popular platonic pairings, and canon events that don't receive much attention. Are you passionate about Cassandra Cain? Does the New Teen Titans era hold in a special place in your heart? Do you love Sebastian Ives & Tim Drake? Does Dinah Lance's work with Barbara Gordon excite you? This is the event for you!
Our Prompts
Featured Relationships:
Alfred Pennyworth & young!Bruce Wayne
Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake
Dick Grayson & the Titans
Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd
Helena Bertenelli & Tim Drake
Duke Thomas & Damian Al Ghul-Wayne
robin!Jason Todd & batgirl!Barbara Gordon
Prompts:
Cass using daytime TV to practice her English
The consequences of Damian's metal spine
Duke asking Dick for advice on being a big brother
Babs being badass in a wheelchair
batgirl!Steph & robin!Damian & batman!Dick
Reverse Robins!AU - Duke becomes the Red Hood
All-Caste Jason
Remember to tag #dcoutoftheshadows and @holyserverbatman to get your creations attached to the event, and remember you can add it to our AO3 collection as well!
If none of these events inspire you, then feel free to check out our list of character and relationship prompts here!
If you are wondering what is not allowed, then check out this post here!
@dc-fandom-events, @dc-event-calendar
The 2023 Out of The Shadows event is built to shine a light on some of the less prominent areas of the DC bat fandom. As a general rule, this involves focusing on characters, relationships, eras and tropes that aren't often the focus of fandom today. If you're looking for specific ideas, we've collected a non-exclusive list that qualifies, drawn from suggestions made to the blog, check that below! If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask :)
Potential Character focuses:
Alfred Pennyworth
Barbara Gordon
Cassandra Cain
Cullen Row
Damian Wayne
Duke Thomas
Harper Row
Helena Bertenelli
Jim Gordon
Leslie Thompkins
Luke Fox
Mar'i Grayson
Matt McGinnis
Stephanie Brown
Terry McGinnis
Prompts:
Robin!Jason and Batgirl!Babs where Babs is semi-retired
Oracle!Babs takes Batgirl!Cass clothes shopping
Alfred and young!Bruce
Robin!Steph getting arrested and Officer!Dick bailing her out
Talia and Bruce learning to co-parent
Dick is Damian's parent
Helena Bertinelli & Barbara Gordon & Dinah Lance (Birds of Prey)
Bruce & Damian cuddle pollen
Good Parent Talia Al Ghul
DickBats era
Steph between 'dying' and returning, missing scenes with Leslie Thompkins
Ric (Dick Grayson) era
- Ric & Bea
Dick & Bruce & Damian post Bruce's return from the time stream
Cass & Jason enemy to caretaker
Bruce teaching Cass detective skills
Dick & Jason & Bruce bonding in Jason's Robin era
Tim and Steph as Red Robin and Batgirl (pre-reboot)
Also, generalized, any of the core bat-characters' relationships with their teams outside of the batfam. Teen Titans, Young Justice, and other assassin, civilian, and villain/rogue associates. If it's some thing you love to see, but only find a couple fics of here and there, then it probably qualifies!
The following popular relationships will not qualify for this event:
Jason Todd & Tim Drake
Jason Todd & Slade Wilson
Dick Grayson & Jason Todd Dick
Grayson & Wally West
Dick Grayson & Slade Wilson
Tim Drake & Damian Wayne
Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd
Lian Harper & Roy Harper & Jason Todd
Not Permitted tropes, characterizations, and trends:
Lazarus Influenced Jason Todd
Jason & Damian meet in the league of assassins
Titans Tower AUs
Generalized character bashing, particularly:
- Evil Talia
- Evil Damian
- Hal and/or Ollie bashing
- any of the batkids being a Bad Sibling
This isn't saying there's anything wrong with loving these relationships or using these tropes! This event isn't making any moral claims, we're just wanting to shift the light to what's less popular, and avoid bashing.
Holyserverbatman will be hosting two Warm-Up Weekends in preparation for the event in June!
We’d love to encourage fans, new and old, to join us in creating art for some of our favorite DC characters. These mini-events will be low-stress, opt-in weekends to create fic/art/etc. Our tracking tag will be #dcoutoftheshadows .
Our first Warm-Up Weekend will be in February, from Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th!
This three-day event will have 10 prompts for you to pick and choose from, and combine however you’d like. They are:
Pairings:
- Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne
- Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne
- Cassandra Cain & Barbara Gordon
- Stephanie Brown & Dick Grayson
- Dick Grayson & any Teen Titan(s) of your choosing
Prompts:
- New Job
- Civilian AU
- Great Grandpa Alfred
Canon Eras:
- Steph’s Robin Era
- No Man’s Land
You don’t have to use all of the provided prompts, and are welcome to use the same ones more than once. Other ideas can be found in our prompts lists, both of which can be found on our pinned post! Pairings/tropes that are not allowed can be found on our Rules page (also on the pinned post).
This mini-event will follow our main-event rules, meaning there are no min/max requirements.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions. We’re excited to see you all in February!
Since the month is now halfway over and we are swiftly approaching our reveal date (Jan. 31st!), we thought it was time to share with you the first batch of our Secret Santa aka Digital Detective Exchange!
Currently, all of these works are anonymous, so if you're curious about who the creators are, be sure to check them out at the end of the month!
A full list can be found at the collection page! Please also make sure to check the additional tags and warnings yourself - they are not listed here. Thank you <3
Feathers and Bones | Fic - Dick & Jason | NR | 4.3k | for Gen (That_Hippie_Chick on AO3)
“Where’s your bike?” Jason interrupted. “We can head back to the cave together.”
Well, that was…confusing, among other things. Dick just managed to stop himself from blurting out any of his surprise - at the fact Jason was going back to the cave at all and at the fact he wanted to go together - and say instead, “Sorry, no can do. I’ve got a few other things lined up for tonight.”
Or: When an injured Dick refuses to go back to the cave, Jason takes matters into his own hands. They have more arguments than breakthroughs, but it's a start.
Bandage | Art - Tim, Dami, Cass, Steph | G | for @kgraces
Winner Takes All | Fic - Batkids | G | 1.4k | for @kuna-mart
Bruce is at work and Alfred is on vacation, leaving the kids at home.
So naturally a prank war must occur.
an unfortunate glimpse of one Jason Todd experiencing Emotions | Fic - Joyfire | T | 1.5k | for @blackroseaki38
Normally, Jason wouldn't take off patrolling for long when he'd broken a bone. He’d take a week to rest and heal up a bit, use the time to strategize his next moves. He’d probably sit around sulking about whichever loser rogue managed to get the jump on him enough to injure him, torturing himself with gross bland foods and mind-numbing reality TV.
But not this time. Maybe Jason was a little hasty earlier, because there are some good things about his life.
Namely his two roommates-slash-best-friends-slash-embarrassing-crushes.
Home (is where the hearth is) | Fic - Batfam | T | 5.3k | for @huilian
What makes a house a home? Some would say it’s the habit of coming back to it, some would say it’s the presence of your belonging.
Some would say it’s the warm smell of a loved one cooking for you.
Or: five times Batfam members made food for each other in the late hours of night.
Rescue (Revenge) | Fic - Tim & Jason | G | 2.8k | for @valkirinii
Tim goes undercover to take down a dangerous gang, unknowingly putting himself in grave danger, only to come face to face with Gotham's newest crime lord, the Red Hood.
imitation, the sincerest form of flattery | Fic - Steph & Jason | T | 6.2k | for @blogofabookworm
Stephanie might be the only sidekick to not end up adopted and she might feel like coming back from apparent death wrecked her claim to being part of the family but she's fine. (Jason doesn't agree but he's taking the slow approach. He knows that you can't make someone agree that it is as easy as going home.)
When Bruce Wayne is in danger and people start wondering why Batman isn't coming to his rescue, Stephanie Brown has a plan just crazy enough to work.
my addicted heart shakes when you are gone | Fic - Tim & his parents | M | 1.2k | for @mynameisactuallyten
Tim is addicted to his parents love, and it wrecks him every time they leave.
Burning Questions | Fic - Dick, Steph, Jason | T | 5.8k | for @writergeek
“I don’t mean to complain or anything, but how do you keep up with this, Nightwing?”
Batgirl stood next to him on the rooftop, her arms resting on her thighs as she struggled to catch her breath. Only fire-forged stubbornness kept Dick from showing his own exhaustion quite as publicly.
“Not to burst your bubble… but it’s really not this bad, usually.”
“They must have heard about our visit. A warm welcome for the Gotham trash.” Jason’s voice was riddled with static, his looming shadow only the idea of a silhouette a couple of houses away.
It was supposed to be a normal night out in Blüdhaven with his siblings. 'Supposed to' being the operative word.
The Princes of Gotham | Fic - Dick & Jason | T | 1.5k so far | for @sassydefendorflower
Prince Richard knows two things:
He hates the man who destroyed his eye
Prince Jason died three years ago
Jason Todd knows two things:
He hates his brother, Richard
Richard killed him three years ago
Keep up, Richard | Art - Dick and Slade | T | for @withthekeyisking-writer
Slade wont give Dick a brake.
Happy Holidays stranger.
I Mustache if Something is Different | Art - Dick & Jason | G | for @nelson-and-murdock
Jason squinted at the baldcap that was handed to him.
"This doesn't even match my skin." He said.
"It matches Alfred's, though, and that's the goal, Little Wing." Dick replied, focused on the mirror as he fluffed up his eyebrows.
Dress up time at Wayne Manor ft Dick and Jason wearing Different™️ costumes
Fanart.
Holyserverbatman will be hosting two Warm-Up Weekends in preparation for the event in June!
We’d love to encourage fans, new and old, to join us in creating art for some of our favorite DC characters. These mini-events will be low-stress, opt-in weekends to create fic/art/etc. Our tracking tag will be #dcoutoftheshadows .
Our first Warm-Up Weekend will be in February, from Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th!
This three-day event will have 10 prompts for you to pick and choose from, and combine however you’d like. They are:
Pairings:
- Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne
- Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne
- Cassandra Cain & Barbara Gordon
- Stephanie Brown & Dick Grayson
- Dick Grayson & any Teen Titan(s) of your choosing
Prompts:
- New Job
- Civilian AU
- Great Grandpa Alfred
Canon Eras:
- Steph’s Robin Era
- No Man’s Land
You don’t have to use all of the provided prompts, and are welcome to use the same ones more than once. Other ideas can be found in our prompts lists, both of which can be found on our pinned post! Pairings/tropes that are not allowed can be found on our Rules page (also on the pinned post).
This mini-event will follow our main-event rules, meaning there are no min/max requirements.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions. We’re excited to see you all in February!
