The elderly couple โ Margie and Paul โ both smile at you before they nod. Paul holds out the unopened menus to you and once you grab them, you head your way towards the kitchen. Pushing the door to the kitchen open, youโre immediately greeted with the familiar sizzling of patties and rhythmic chopping of lettuce.
โHey Johnny, the usual for Marge and Paul in booth six!โ
A quick โyep yepโ is thrown back at you in acknowledgement before youโre grabbing the ketchup and mustard bottle for booth two, and heading out the kitchen again.
The lunch rush had extended into a dinner rush at the diner tonight, but with all the good staff on, things were going exceptionally well, and tips were looking fantastic.ย
Approaching booth two, you set down the mustard and ketchup, the two teenage girls both quick to thank you before youโre headed towards the reception to put in Marge and Paulโs order โ with a heavy discount โ into the machine. The machine spits out a receipt and you stuff it into your apron pocket with the rest of the miscellaneous rubbish.
The bell at the top of the door rings signifying new customers, and you look up and โ Holy fucking shit.
Your jaw practically unhinges as the one and only Red Hood stands in front of the counter youโre situated behind, head tilted up, casually scanning the menu.ย
You might as well have a microphone taped to your neck with how loud that gulp was, but he doesn't say anything as he keeps scanning the menu. Before you can muster up the courage to ask him something โ anything โ he speaks.
โCould I just get two regular cheeseburgers โ one without pickles โ and a triple cheeseburger?โ
His voice is deeper than expected. You barely process that he has a voicechanger on before your hand quickly runs across the screen punching in his order.ย
โAny drinks with that?โ
A deep hum comes from him before he adds, โjust three cokes please.โ
You nod before adding the drinks to his order. Looking up, heโs got a credit card in his hand โ his fingers meticulously covering the name โ and you barely stutter out, โo-oh, uh, on the house.โ
โNo, let me pay.โ
You can feel your face flush pink but you shake your head no, and he mimics you by nodding yes. You groan before pushing through one burger.
โFine. $12.50.โ
He stops right above the card reader and you realise heโs caught onto you undercharging him.
โTriple that, and then Iโll pay.โ
You look at the white where his eyes are, and you can imagine he has a matching unamused expression. Your eyes glance down to his gloved hand where his hand is still hovering above the waiting card machine before a comical lightbulb lights up beside your head.
Please donโt pull your gun on me for this.
Your hand darts out from behind the counter, landing on top of his and pressing it to the reader. His head darts down and a beep reverberates around the silent air around you both before he realises what youโve done.
With your hand still on top of his, you look back up at his helmet and purse your lips to stifle your laughter. You take your hand off his and slowly back away.
โThank you. Your food should be ready in 15 minutes.โ
And youโre running off to the kitchen to tell Johnny.
Johnny couldnโt help when he peeked out the kitchen door to see the Red Hood, but the sight encouraged the man to have the food ready in 12 minutes instead of the 15. The cool breeze that snuck in from the front door had you taking your hoodie out your locker and shrugging it on.
You placed the takeaway food and coke cans in the plastic bag โ adding some extra sauces โ before you headed back out of the kitchen and to the front. The front counter was empty, and you headed towards the door, before spotting him leaning against the wall just outside.
Pushing the door open, a shiver crawls up your spine and his head snaps to you before he comes forward.
โHey, hereโs the food.โ
You hand the bag over to him, and he takes it from your hands. He stares at you for a second, and you shift awkwardly in your spot. He reaches a hand out to your stomach, and before you can flinch, heโs shoved something in your hoodie pocket and is jogging away.
โHey!โ
You yell out after him instinctively, before your hand goes wandering in your pocket. You feel what seems to beโฆ paper? Your hand pulls out a hundred dollar bill, and the last thing the cold air hears from you before you grumble your way inside isโฆ
I still recall my childhood, wild and free,
Untouched by shadows or evil expertise.
When every movie sparked wonder in my heart,
And every actor held a sacred part.
I never knew the world would tear apart,
Or that the blackness would break a trusting heart.
They used to play such beautifully woven roles,
In hearts we knitted, devoid of holes.
But then the blackness creeped and took control,
Puppeteering idols into monsters overall.
Day by day, the cruel darkness seeps,
To steal the pieces that I long to keep.
The places I once cherished, cracks and all,
Are dipped in porcelain, standing sharp and tall.
They whisper, "Blind yourself to what was true,
And let this costly madness conquer you."
Fools pay their gold to walk these hollow halls,
Enraptured by the gloss upon the walls.
Unknowing that the magic bled away,
To leave a soulless ghost on grand display.
Beneath the faux shine, the buried memories stay,
The ghost of every hope I used to hold,
Now nothing but a tragic pricey display,
A cheap museum where the past is sold.
The ones I loved, who walked with me at birth,
The pillars that I thought could never fall,
I realized as the shadows swept the earth,
Were the first victims of the blackness after all.
Through the heaviest dark, a sudden gleam,
A light so fierce it blinded me at first.
Allies found within a waking dream,
Who quenched my spirit when it died of thirst.
But looking closer through the ever bright glow,
I saw the aching truth they hid within.
They fought the very shadows I had known,
A silent war they were not sure to win.
In a world that sinks beneath the rising night,
We could not hold the torches we tried to start.
So, weighed down by the fading of the light,
We drifted out of reach and left apart.
And so I sit, my knees pressed to my chin,
My trembling hand begins to lose its grip.
The heavy torch demands I fold within,
Until the wooden handle starts to slipโฆ
The flame expires and the shadows win.
I feel the blackness wrap around my knees,
And tasting dread, I feel my spirit break.
The color, wonder, and the memories
Are drowned within a bitter, gray mistake.
With every flicker lost, the fire dies,
And I accept the sentence of the ground,
To crawl through dark beneath unpitying skies,
Where dark, suffocating chains are bound.
Yet still, I pray to crawl through grime,
To stretch my hands across the frozen floor,
And navigate the labyrinth of time
Until I see the light rise up once more.
Note: This will be a multi-chapter fic and my first ever batfam longfic! Updates may be sporadic! Pic is just a stand-in for vibes - readers are diverse and can be anyone!
tw: Near death experience, descriptions of death ( I swear it will get more positive after this chapter), blood, injury, themes of isolation, pain, and brief mentions of experimentation, lots of angst, brief hurt/comfort, Gotham typical crime
Summary: A ghost- that's what you are, at least to everyone else. Years ago, you were kidnapped and taken away to a mysterious lab on the fringes of Gotham to be experimented on due to your metahuman abilities, leaving everyone thinking you're dead. All you dream of is escape, which shows up one day in the form of the city's greatest vigilantes...and an unexpected family. Now you're going to create a new identity for yourself as Sparrow, and destroy those who ruined your life in the first place
Blood runs thicker than water.ย
Those words echoed in your mind, from a voice lost long ago in your memory, from someone forgotten. Why were you thinking of that now of all times, seconds away from your inevitable end? Blood runs thicker than water. Sure. If it werenโt for family, you wouldnโt be dying on the cold floor of a lab in the first place. Well, blood sure was thick as it dripped off your fingertips onto the ground, mixing with the darker, dried blood under your nails. Exhaustion had set in a long time ago, leaving you unable to move without furthering the injuries the scientists had left you with. Trying to escape had been a stupid decision, and the leftover โpunishmentโ here was enough proof.ย
The concrete made your limbs ache, feeling like a sheet of ice. A chill bit into your skin, sinking cold into your bones. Days ago, the scientists had left you for dead after the GCPD had figured out their operations. How many days had it been since they had fled the lab? Everything began blending together. The world would be clear, a crystalline view, and then bleed into a blurry haze.ย
Another wave of pain crashed down over you, making you dig your nails into the steel of the exam table before they slipped, sending you back to the floor again. A sharp pain twisted like a blade at your side from where a gash bled, the wound open for way too long for any normal human to survive, making the fabric stick against your skin. Tremors shook you, leaving you unable to control the twitching until an eerie stillness settled over your form. Lights flickered overhead, fading in and out.ย
Screaming was pointless- your throat was too bloody to do so. All your tears had dried up since you never cried in front of them. No, you wouldnโt give those monsters the satisfaction.ย
A crimson pool had gathered beneath you, the scent of iron filling your nose along with the sterile scent of the lab. A few sounds echoed down the halls of voices.ย
Darkness began to ebb at the edges of your vision, making everything seem both blurry and vivid at once. A claw curled around you, trying to tug you down into the abyss below, and tearing at your heart. There was a dark hole threatening to pull you in. Would dying be all that bad?ย
Nope. Not today. Not ever. Death had followed you all your life, like a shadow you couldnโt quite shake off. Whoever had said death was like drifting off into a peaceful sleep was lying. No, this was a fight, a fight where you were holding onto life like a thread, refusing to let go. If death were here, it would not be easy. You would fight it. Fight as you always have. All you ever knew was fighting, as if it were next to breathing.ย
Taking in a shaky breath, you reminded yourself that if you had done this once, you could do it again.ย
From the moment you were born, the doctors had been left without answers for the strange blood condition you had fought. Not after everything you had been through would you die alone in an abandoned lab in a pool of your own blood. Never. The scientists had never liked you being a fighter when you refused to take orders and ignored demands. Now you clung to the small part of you who could imagine a chance at a new life, and held onto it even as your breaths became fewer and fewer. Gasping, you kept clinging as the claw seemed to press down on your throat, sinking into it.ย
A small flicker of glowing light sparked at your fingertips before fading away and flooding the room back into darkness. They had always left you in the dark, and every day for the past few years had been nothing but endless dark, full of experiments, tests, and commands. Nothing but a weapon to mold, a thing to command and order around until it was discarded. The line between life and death relied on lab results, which you had walked carefully so you could find a life on the other side of these walls. Squeezing your eyes shut, you focused on that part of yourself.ย
During those endless nights, you would come up with songs to fill the endless silence. Lullabies from long ago, or random ones thrown together to pass the time. It seemed silly, but it kept you from losing your sanity.
Anything to hold on to hope. Under your breath, you whispered a melody, one you had written as a child, years before this place.
โA sparrow sang a song, even in a cage. One day, it would fly to the sky beyond, and the world would be its stage. Every day it sings, because hope carries wings until it finds the key it carried all along and flew free, never to be trapped again.โย
One day, you would have wings and fly far away from this place.ย
What if this were all just a nightmare, and you would wake up in a normal home with a normal life? An agonizing pain crawled up your spine, digging into your nerves like shards of glass, each pushing further in. Yup, this was a real nightmare brought to life.ย
ย If someone didnโt show up soon, you were done for.ย
โNo, I want to live,โ you internally begged. โI just want to get out of here. Donโt take me. Donโt take me.โ
Life could be cruel. After all, you never expected to go from being a girl trying to get by to a weapon left to die. Despite all its faults, you still wanted to live it.ย
There was a spark that hadnโt quite died out yet, buried deep within.ย
A noise tore you back into reality, followed by a few voices behind the door. Panic rose in you, flooding you with dread. What if the scientists had returned? There was no chance of living if they were.ย
The door flung open, where a few figures stared from the shadows. Trying to focus your vision, you squinted and could only make out a few bright colors.ย Footsteps got closer, each more measured than the last.ย
One, two, threeโฆ
A few voices whispered nearby, sounding strangely familiar. How many were there? Whoever it was, they couldnโt be good news.ย
โWhat do you want with me?โ you whispered with all your remaining strength.ย One emerged, stepping out of the shadows and towards you. A cold voice responded, โWeโre here to help you.โ
Help? Yes, help! At this point, you would take any sort of help if it meant survival. It was as if a star burst to life in a starless sky, bringing a tiny bit of light after an endless darkness. Finally, your body gave out from under you, sinking into the floor.ย
ย Your eyes widened at the recognition of the person before you as the figure got closer. Was it? No, it couldnโt beโฆthe Dark Knight.ย
One week earlierโฆ.
The cave seemed to be colder tonight as Bruce stared at the screen, trying to piece everything together. Tonight had gone unexpectedly, to say the least, but when was the unexpected ever new to him?ย
Gotham always seemed to be stuck in a perpetual shadow, yet tonight the city was darker if it were possible. One minute, Bruce was in the middle of giving a speech at a gala for the Gotham Institution of the Arts, and the next, the entire museum went dark. Everyone assumed it was Riddler or some other Rogue breaking in, until the whole city turned to an endless sea of shadow- a blackout. Gotham is already chaotic enough when itโs functioning normally. Well, as normal as Gotham can be on the normal scale. Luckily, Oracle had managed to track down the source of the power surge and hack into the cityโs main power center to fix the issue before any major damage could be done, so now the others were out fixing up any wreckage it may have caused. Crimes had already increased within the hours, and the GCPD had been flooded with calls of break-ins or worse across town. At least none of the rogues had escaped Arkham this time.ย
Oracleโs symbol appeared on screen, โPower-grid is secure, and everything seems to be running smoothly again. Everything okay on your end?โ
โEverythingโs fine. Nightwing and Robin are making sure the east side of town is okay, and Red Robin is speaking with the commissioner,โ Bruce responded, voice clipped with an edge of exhaustion.ย โDo you know what the source of the blackout is yet?โย
โAlways straight to the point,โ She internally rolled her eyes, โAt least thatโs nothing new.โย
โAs far as I can tell, there was a large power surge that overwhelmed the grid,โ she explained, pulling up a picture of the recent energy levels. Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, trying to see if there were any other signs of abnormalities. It seemed as if everything had been running smoothly until now. Odd.ย
ย โWhich would usually be due to some sort of faulty issue, but hereโs the thingโฆit would take a large amount of power to shut down a city of this size. Nothing about this is normal. Iโll keep looking.โ The screen went dark again.ย
Just as he had expected. Nothing about this felt random, but what would someone gain from turning off the cityโs power?ย
A nagging feeling in the back of his head kept warning him this was a part of something bigger, putting a pit of dread in his gut. It was a feeling he was all too familiar with right before something bad was about to happen, as if the city itself were whispering a warning. Memories of the aftermath of that dread followed him around like a shadow, never quite too far away.ย
Haunting. Unforgettable. Painful.ย
Joker was still in Arkham. He had already checked the moment the power returned.
Who would benefit from that much power? Even worse, what could have that much power? Mr. Freeze could be using it to fuel a new project, or maybe Poison Ivy has been making some sort of environmental statement? Nothing had been stolen except for a few small robberies during the blackout, which wasnโt really unusual for Gotham.ย
There were too many missing pieces right now, full of blank spaces, unable to be strung together. Without any information, trying to figure anything out for now was useless.ย
โJust when I think Gotham canโt get any darker,โ Dickโs voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back into reality.ย He strolled in, taking a seat on the edge of the keypad. Bruce scowled a bit, but said nothing. A long time ago, he learned that telling him to stay off the Caveโs equipment was useless.ย ย
โWhere are the others?โ he asked, turning to face him.ย
Dick shrugged, โI think Tim is still speaking with the commissioner, and Damian decided to go to bed. Cassandra and Stephanie went off to do who knows what.โย
Leaning back, Bruce let out a tired sigh, โDo you want to stay here tonight? I can have Alfred prepare your old room.โย
Hesitation glimmered in Dickโs eyes, as if he were considering it. So much had changed since he was that little boy holding tightly to Alfredโs hand as he showed him to his new room, but sometimes he would give anything to go back to those days.ย
โNah, I have to get back to Bludhaven by morning, so I should really head out,โ Dick responded, brushing off any of the earlier reluctance.ย โLet me know as soon as Babs has the information about the source. See ya, B!โ
The cave went quiet again. Bringing a family together was the easy part, but keeping them together was more difficult than it seemed. Although he had to admit most was his fault, with his ability to push those around him away so easily.ย
Bruce sat there for a while when a familiar voice said, โMaster Wayne, itโs far too late, and youโve been up for hours. Itโs time for you to get some sleep.โ A few feet away, Alfred stood calmly stirring a cup of tea.ย
โIโm fine, Alfred,โ he answered gruffly. โIf I can go over some of the recent activity recorded at the power company-โ
Alfred cut him off, nearly scolding, โHow many times must I remind you that sitting in a cave late into the night does not mean you are an actual bat? Now get some sleep.โ Bruce shot him a look, in which the butler responded, more softly, โThings have gotten quieter here ever since most of them moved out, hasnโt it? Now itโs only Duke and Damian who reside in the manor. Suppose itโs easier to sleep now that things are quiet.โย
Easier? It had only gotten harder when Bruce had to constantly worry about where his kids were and what they were doing. Always worrying if he would lose another, only to not be there in time all over again.ย
Quietly, Alfred added, โAs stressful as it was, I did always adore having a fresh face around here. My age is catching up with me, but I think I could still handle it.โ
Another? No, that was the last thing Bruce needed right now. Even if Jason often joked about his โadoption addiction,โ he wasnโt sure if he could handle another member of the family. Another person who could be lostโฆ
โGoodnight, Alfred,โ he said without looking up from the screen. With a sign, the butler left without a word.ย
A new message from Oracle flashed on the screen again, along with a sense of urgency in Barbaraโs voice. โHey, you may want to take a look at this. I think I found a lead and much more than we expected.โ
What do you mean โchatโ is now referring to ChatGPT and not twitch chat? What? What? What the fuck? No?
When I address chat I am speaking to a presumed Greek chorus of real human people shitposting on their lunch break, not a machine that devours lakes to covert electricity into slop.
quarterly reminder that if i reblog something ai-generated it is 110% and always an accident and for the love of god please tell me so i can delete it from my blog
