Life Lesson Not Learned (Never Kidnap a Wayne Kid Twice)
Hiiiiiiii hello! It's been a while huh? Understatement of the year. I am slowly (SLOWLY) returning to writing after so many insane things happening in my life, my head has only began stopping to spin.
This is the direct sequel to Life Lessons (Never Kidnap a Wayne Kid) after like two years in the making, less crack than part 1, still pretty unserious if I do say so myself. Plenty of tone shifts clearly marking where I stopped for long periods and picked back up. lol. sorry about that.
As always, enjoy xx
Part 1 here
Pairing: Batfam x batsis!Nightshade!reader
Word count: 8818
Warnings: Language, gaslighting, reader is somewhat unstable (but it's funny), threats of murder, actual murder (non descriptive), severe injury (not expanded upon), blood, Tim is a menace, annoying man that cannot take a no for an answer (ugh), a splash of toxic masculinity, Nightshade Lore drop, semi crack, edited but chaotic because I left it and picked it back up at like 7 different moments in the last two years, abrupt ending.
Summary: The Deer did not learn from its previous encounter with you and returned for more, as unprepared and ill advised as the last time. If it wishes to test you again, then what else can you do than go through with it?
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Tim watched you as you paced around the small space backstage, biting on your closed fist nervously. Beside him, Damian seemed about to punch you for being so restless.
“Where is he” You mumbled to yourself, barely hearing Tim’s sigh. “Where is he”
“He’s…” He hesitated, then winced. “You know where he is”
“That means he’s gonna miss it” Damian rolled his eyes and began pushing you toward the stage. “As usual”
“This is his mother’s foundation, how can he miss it?” You snapped, careful not to yell too loud so the people on the other side of the curtain wouldn’t hear you. You planted your feet to the ground, making your little brother smack his face onto your side from the sudden resistance. He grunted and backed away with an indignant scoff.
“Was” Tim corrected. “Now it’s yours”
You took a deep breath. “I know you mean well, but you’re not helping right now–”
Your phone rang, and you picked up before checking the caller ID. “Bruce, it’s about to begin, what the hell is taking you so long?”
“Hey Tiny Wing” Definitely NOT Bruce answered.
“Oh, hey Dick” You sighed. You could hear wind through the speaker, and you knew he was perched on a rooftop somewhere. “What’s up?”
“The sky” He replied without missing a beat, then chuckled. You rolled your eyes. “I was calling to wish you good luck on your speech. I hope I didn't call too late”
“That’s… Very thoughtful of you, Dick. Thanks” You frowned. “And no. Bruce isn’t there yet and I’m about to strangle him”
Even if you couldn’t see him, you could just feel his good mood dampen a little. “Ah, well. He’s… Something has come up. Civilians in critical danger, he couldn’t… You know him”
You felt a weight press down on your chest at the mention, but you forced yourself to chase it away. You knew the feeling all too well of having to make an impossible choice between duty and personal matters, and you couldn’t really blame him. You understood, you really did, but you were hoping he could be there for you just this once. You took yet another deep breath and squared your shoulders.
“I see. Thanks for the heads up”
“I'm sorry” He sighed. “Go get ‘em, Tiny Wing. You’ll do great regardless”
“Thank you” You couldn’t help but smile. “Talk to you later, yeah?”
“See ya!”
You hung up the phone and put it back in your clutch, defeated. The sound of the zipper slowly closing was deafening.
“Let me guess, Bruce isn’t coming?” Tim gave you an apologetic expression when he understood you were no longer waiting for a call. “What was it this time–”
The frantic waving of a clipboard stopped him mid sentence. The gala coordinator, a middle aged woman with a steel glance that told you she was not to be trifled with, was suddenly in your face. “You're supposed to be on now, where's Mr. Wayne?”
You sighed and shook your head. “Caught up at work, it seems”
She froze for a moment, then frowned with what could almost be described as sympathy. You didn't need to see her perfectly outlined planner to know it was written in bold that you were supposed to be introduced by your father, who wasn't there and most likely wouldn't be seen at all for the night.
Far from being deterred by this setback, the coordinator nodded to herself and flipped the channel dial on the little radio strapped to her belt. “I'll call the tech team and tell them to skip the slides directly to your–”
“Hey, I can introduce you” Tim blurted out.
“Drake” Damian deadpanned. “You're terrible in front of crowds. And you suck at improv. And you hate it.”
“Mr. Drake,” The coordinator spun around, ignoring Damian's comments. “That would be great, but if you have to do it, it's now”
“I'll be fine” He shrugged, but you could see in his eyes he was forcing himself to be nonchalant about it. Damian was right, he would be like a fish out of the water in the spotlight.
"Famous last words" Damian muttered under his breath.
“Are you sure?” You asked, ignoring your younger brother. “You really don't have to, I can just go without too”
“Nah, tonight's your moment” He gave you a reassuring smile. “Don't worry about me”
You gave him a quick hug. “Thank you Timmy”
“Mr. Drake”
“Coming”
You followed him until the end of the curtain and watched as he went for the mic stand, visibly uncomfortable in front of the progressively quieting crowd. He cleared his throat and adjusted his bow tie.
“Hello Gotham”
Oh boy.
You managed to swallow your reaction to the absolutely awkward way he greeted the crowd, but Damian beside you obviously didn't hide his grimace.
“My name is Timothy Drake, for those who don't know me. I'm uh,” He gave a nervous chuckle. “I'm the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. But tonight, I am not here to talk business”
A fly could be heard buzzing around, you thought. The crowd was dead silent. Tim seemed to hesitate, then took a deep breath and inhaled some of that Red Robin confidence you had seen display a thousand times already.
“Tonight, we are here to celebrate the hard work of someone very important to me, and I would suppose, to this city as well. The Martha Wayne Foundation has relentlessly advocated for the safety and well being of those who have been betrayed by this city. It allows every year thousands of Gothamites to have access to housing and warm meals, and while a big part of it is due to your generous donations, the involvement of its strongest pillar is not to be underestimated. Three years ago, the mantle of director was passed down to a new Wayne generation, someone who has been passionate and unwavering in her convictions to make this city better. I never had the chance to meet Martha, but I am certain that if she was here with us tonight, she would be the proudest grandmother in the world. Without further ado, let’s welcome my big sister, or as you know her better, your choice for the Philanthropist of the Year Award, (Y/N)”
You were in shock as he called your name, applauding thundering from the crowd. What had started kind of a bad speech turned into something out of a movie. You had been left gaping like a fish, starry eyed, and you barely felt Damian’s gentle push forward. You walked, almost stumbled onto the stage, Tim meeting you halfway to the mic with a small smirk. You caught him in a quick hug and willed your emotions to calm down.
“Thank you” You said as you parted. “That was amazing”
“It’s what you deserve” His smile turned fond. “Now go get ‘em and their wallet”
You laughed and resumed your way to the podium.
“Wow, uh, this is a tough act to follow” You joked as you managed to get a grip on your emotions. A chuckle rippled through the crowd. “First of all, I want to thank Tim for this mind blowing introduction, and thank him for his constant support. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you Tim, you’re the best”
You glanced at the side of the stage and he gave you a grin with a thumbs up.
“Second of all, I want to dedicate this award to all of you for helping me, as Tim said it so well, to make this city better. I will try to keep this brief, but thanks to each and everyone of you who contributed to the foundation. My father, Bruce, trusted me with his mother’s most precious achievement, and while at times it seemed like a mountain of expectations to meet, it has been the three most fulfilling years of my life. And this year, because of all of you, we have reached a record number of donations in the foundation’s history. So thank you a thousand times for helping this city reach for the stars, and enjoy the rest of your night. Cheers”
Applauses went around again, and you retired backstage. Tim patted you on the shoulder as he fell in steps beside you, Damian doing the same on your other side.
“That was… Decent” Damian hummed.
You grinned, ruffling his hair. That was a high compliment by his standards, and you were touched. “Thanks Dames, it means a lot”
“Ek!” He ducked and slapped your hand away, then huffed as he replaced his hair.
“Seriously, congrats (Y/N)” Tim said as you climbed down the small set of stairs leading down the stage and into the ballroom. You passed through the curtain and reached the floor, where you stopped slightly out of the crowd. You knew you’d have to mingle eventually, but that could wait for later. “That was a killer speech”
You faced him and lightly slapped his chest. “Talk for yourself Mr. Smooth” You gasped. “Where did that come from? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”
Tim blushed, a sheepish look overtaking his features. “That, ah, that was nothing” He scratched the back of his neck. “It was things I thought Bruce would have said. If he had been here”
Your smile turned sad for a second, then right back to genuine and happy. “Well, thank you so much for it. You definitely made this better, and I definitely owe you one, or three”
He laughed. “I’ll definitely hold you up to that”
“After that save from a major embarrassment?” You raised an eyebrow. “Anything’s on the table–oof”
You were interrupted by Damian’s elbow colliding with your ribs. You were about to slap him behind the head when he nodded in the direction of the crowd, and your eyes found a figure threading around the people with a clear destination: you. A flash of panic set on your face as you realized who was smugly making his way to your party, and all your brother could offer you was a sympathetic glance. You swallowed and forced a smile as the undesirable figure came to a halt in front of you.
“Ah, Miss Wayne, just the woman I wanted to see” Carter Klein, one of Gotham’s richest heirs, greeted you with a wide smile. He went for the hug, but you swiftly denied him by offering a handshake instead. His smile slightly dampened, but he still shook your hand. “I wanted to congratulate you first hand on this award, as well as let you know that you do look stunning tonight, as you always do”
No amount of training from Bruce would have allowed you to effectively hide all the pain away at that moment. You were so sure it was obvious, but if it really was, Carter didn’t pick up on it. It was no secret he had been hitting on you for years, hinting at every chance that he was in fact single and looking for a long term commitment. You supposed he had latched on you for your family name before all, and the guy refused to give up. Dating wasn’t exactly on the table for you with the foundation and your nighttime job as Nightshade, and even if it was, he was probably the last man you’d ever go for. Still, Carter was always there. Waiting. Making moves on you. Not getting the hint. And you had to remain polite, especially since his family donated a lot of money to the foundation. You had a pretty good idea for the reasoning behind those… Investments.
“Ah, well, um, thank you, Carter” You replied, and you hoped to God if there ever was one that he didn’t take your tone for being flustered. Judging by the change in his expression, you faced the unfortunate truth that he most likely did. “I’m glad you could make it tonight, and I hope you’ll enjoy the reception”
He smiled cryptically. “Is my family’s donation this year enough to buy me a dance with the most beautiful woman in the room?”
You cringed internally. Hard. You had a thousand ways of replying to him in a way that would scar him forever, but your position with the foundation and within the family held you to a certain standard of behaviour. Which meant, you had to be polite or risk a lecture from Alfred.
Being polite it is.
He offered his hand, and as you were about to unwillingly reach for it, the lights went off. Gasps and yells echoed in the total darkness, and suddenly you were alert as ever. A loud bang echoed close to you, and despite not seeing anything, you could feel your surroundings had been modified. You felt entrapped, and a few steps to your left, bumping into Tim in the process, had you feeling large pipes crossing to form a wall. Or, as your experience told you, a cage, most likely. Before you could voice your concerns, the floor dropped at high speed like you were in some sort of elevator going down, then hit the ground. The shock sent you on your back, and for a moment, there was only darkness and the sound of running water. After what felt like hours, an eerie green glow lit up the room, revealing your new surroundings.
The sewers.
“Everyone alright?” You groaned as you sat up. “Sound off”
“What the fuck was that” Tim hissed as he rubbed his back, standing up. “Where are we?”
Damian sat up too, watching a bunch of rats scurrying away. He then turned his glance to you. “Sewers, Drake. Can tell by the smell” He scrunched his nose. “Also, we have another problem”
He jutted his thumb behind him, and your glance was drawn to a fourth figure trying to sit up. Carter.
“Fuck’s sake” You swore under you breath, standing up fully despite the pangs of pain on your butt. “Can't even be kidnapped in peace”
“What’s going on?” He whined, rubbing his head. Then, panic overtook his face as his head registered your words “What? Fuck are we being kidnapped for real?”
“Relax, Klein” You rolled your eyes as you felt the walls around you. You had been right, it was a cage. “It's gonna be fine”
“Elevator floor, built in prior to the gala” Tim hummed as he looked upward. “Hydraulic pump operated trap door, most likely, from the sound and speed of descent. Obviously remote controlled, and if I’m correct, by a short range wave device to get through the concrete of the sewers”
“W-Wha–”
“Carter, please” You frowned, holding a hand up. “Hold your questions. We're investigating here”
“Who did we piss off now?” Damian asked as he came to stand beside you. He kicked the cage door, but as expected, it didn’t budge.
“Don't know” Tim shrugged as he reached under his pant leg to fetch a smaller, retracted version of his staff that he deployed with a tug. “But I'd rather not wait around and find out”
Damian at his turn pulled a whole katana from… You had no idea. How did he even have that on him? “Me neither”
Carter shakily rose to his feet and poorly masked his fear with a shield of bravery that could and would shatter at the first sign of trouble. His glance then set on you. “Whatever happens, stay behind me, I'll protect you”
This time, you didn't hold back your grimace. Damian laughed and Tim had an amused expression on his face. It was like he completely ignored the fact that your brothers had pulled lethal weapons seemingly out of thin air and instead spawned the narrative that you must certainly be helpless in this situation. With a sneer, you reached into the slits of your dress' skirt and pulled your two freshly sharpened karambit blades from your thigh straps.
Whoever had gotten you there was in a hurry if they didn't even make sure you were unarmed.
Carter seemed shocked at the way the blades spun gracefully around your fingers in an hypnotizing motion before the handle came to a stop, now comfortably resting in your palms. “I think I’m good”
Tim winced. “You might wanna… uh, adapt your outfit for what comes next, though. Talking from experience, whatever is coming is gonna require full range movements and no flapping fabric”
You let out a low whine even though you had subconsciously known this would happen the second that cage dropped on you. You picked your skirt and rested a blade on it, hesitating as the sharp edge kissed the fabric right above your knees.
“You ok?” He furrowed his eyebrows.
“Yep” Your voice was strangled. “Just gimme a minute”
You could feel the puzzled glance he sent you. That dress was worth a lot of money, and it was quite frankly the most beautiful piece you had ever worn in a gala. The fabric was soft yet elegant, and the colour complimented you so well, you felt like you could have an entire wardrobe full of it. You shut your eyes and pushed the blade forward, flinching at the sound of it ripping. You gathered the fallen fabric and threw it over your shoulder, aware that the next step wouldn't be any easier.
You took a deep breath, looking once more around you, then down to your feet. You stared at your high heels with a drop in your heart, knowing what you'd have to do next. Like your brother had said, whatever awaited you here was not good, and unlike Tim and Damian, your current outfit wasn't suited for any type of combat. With great reluctance and a frown dragging down the corner of your lips, you reached down and unclasped your shoes, then stepped out of them.
“Custom made” You mumbled as you picked the pair up and admired one last time the shoes that were commissioned to fit the dress and your feet perfectly. “I will remember you fondly”
You looked away and threw them out of the cage, refusing to watch them sink at the bottom of the sewer water. You then sat down and made quick work of wrapping your feet with the ripped ribbons of fabric of your dress and stood back up.
“Are you quite done now?” Damian scoffed.
“Show some empathy, I'm going through something here” You snapped back at him. “Whoever did this is gonna pay with blood. This is an affront to me, and to Tom Ford, and to–”
Your rant was interrupted by a screeching that made your muscle lock up at the sheer familiarity of the sound. It came from behind you, but the unmistakable glow of a TV screen suddenly illuminated the sewers.
No.
Your brothers noticed your reaction, but you ignored their questioning stares. Slowly, you pivoted on your heels and gradually looked up to the mounted TV you hadn't noticed before, only to come face to face with the infuriating sight of a deer mask.
“You”
This simple seethed word almost made the walls of the sewer tremble. It carried a chilling disdain that even made Damian recoil a bit. You weren’t the one to be particularly menacing in civil clothes; you were Miss Wayne, princess of Gotham and most notorious philanthropist. Your whole public brand was to be good. But seeing you like this reminded your brothers that you were, in fact, just as dangerous and vicious as them. And while Dick and Jason were rather used to this side of you, Tim and Damian were not.
You had a feeling they would be soon, however.
“Welcome back, Wayne siblings” It spoke up, voice still scrambled.
“How” You spoke up. “We destroyed everything”
It laughed. “You're not as thorough as you thought, then”
“Hey, what the fuck is happening right now? Who's this guy?” Tim asked as he walked to stand beside you. You kept glaring at the TV, then directed your eyes to him.
“Six months ago, Dick, Jay and I were caught by a dude in a deer mask who wanted to force us to go through some Temu Saw Death Traps, but we beat all of them and brought a permanent end to his little game, and now this guy's here like the lesson didn't quite stick. Whoever they are, they’re next”
You returned your scathing glare on the TV, hoping the person behind the mask would begin to sweat. If they had seen anything from the last round, they should be afraid.
“We told you, Wayne siblings, that we would show the world that rich people can't get away with everything. We intend to keep that promise. We remember what you did to us. We will retaliate”
You narrowed your eyes. “I don't know if you noticed, beans for brains, but you've got a different set of brothers this time around. They don't know what you’re talking about. Seriously, are you terminally stupid or did you just not notice? Look at them! For one they're both missing several height inches to fit the profiles”
Silence stretched after your words. Tim's eyes narrowed towards you and his mouth opened in protest. “That was so uncalled for”
You gestured wildly to Damian, ignoring Tim's grievances. “And if that wasn't enough of a giveaway, this one's 13 years old. And Arab!”
The deer took a while to answer. “It doesn’t matter much. The message passes all the same”
You frowned. “Do you all rehearse your lines at deer school or something? I swear that other guy said the exact same thing”
“You talk a bold game, miss Wayne, but are you able to back it up?”
You tilted your head and flipped your blades. “Why don’t you open this cage and find out?”
“All in good times” It chuckled. CHUCKLED. Your fingers flexed into fists on the handles. “You will have to make your way out of the sewers, that is, if you can survive it”
You only tilted your head to the side, feeling the boost of adrenaline you always got right before kicking off a chase around Gotham. Your anger at the deer transformed into a laser-like focus, aimed towards one thing and one thing only. “I strongly suggest you start running now. You'll need the head start”
“We’ll see” It replied. “Now, play along, little rats”
The screen went black and the cage door opened. Carter was about to make a run for it, but you grabbed his jacket collar and yanked him back as he tried to fly past you. He gave you a scared and confused look, but the glare with which you replied was enough to root his feet into the ground.
“Alright” You spoke up. “Those guys are crazy, but they’re not smarter than us. Whoever is monitoring us knows we’re dodgy, but they were set back by their previous failures. We derailed their plans last time and they’re pissed about it. So they’re driven by anger and they’re also probably out of time and out of means to get us. Last ditch effort type of run”
“They’ll make mistakes then” Damian nodded. “This whole course will have been set up in a hurry, therefore will be faulty. We have the advantage”
“Correct”
“Any outstanding details we should be aware of?” Tim asked.
“Last time it was ridiculous but the effort was there, but this time it feels different. Spring traps, booby traps, something spontaneous to stop us from reaching the end of the tunnel. Possibly triggers on the floor and on the walls”
“If I recall the city plans correctly, we have 3.9 miles until the next control center,” Damian said. “Then there should be an exit, unless they forgot to block an overhead manhole”
“Alright, 3.9 miles, we can do this” You nodded. “We should go now because I doubt this space will remain safe for long. Dames, take the lead. Tim, watch his back. I’ll take the queue, please tell me if there’s something sharp on the ground so I don’t step on it and catch, fucking what, tetanus or something”
“What about him?” Tim glanced at Carter, who seemed positively horrified by your strategic talking. “Won’t he, y’know… Find out?”
About your night activities, he meant. That is probably inevitable.
“We’ll figure that out if he survives. Now vamos!”
“What?” Carter shrieked. Shrieked. “I don’t wanna die!”
“Me neither, so move! God help me, in front of me, Klein” You sighed, then brushed your hand forward. “Come on, we don’t have all day!”
He startled up, following Tim and Damian out.
“Are you sure this is smart?” Carter asked in a whisper as you gained distance from the cage. You were only half listening to him as you were more focused on your surroundings, doing constant visual sweeps. “I don’t understand how you could put your little brother out there at the front”
“Damian has the quickest reflexes out of all of us” You replied, disinterested. “Beats Tim’s overall reaction time by 0.073 seconds, and mine by 0.076 seconds. Besides, he’s got shoes and I don’t. So, he’s leading”
“But he’s only 13!” He cried out, then lowered his tone at your silent warning. “He’s just a kid, how can you send your little brother like this knowing this place is rigged all over?”
Your glance stopped on his for half a second, then rolled your eyes. “Did you not see that the 13 years old kid has a full size katana in his hands? Trust me, he's the main threat down here”
“No, this is wrong” There he went, shouting again. He planted his feet on the ground and you saw the temper tantrum come around the corner. “This is all wrong! I can’t let a kid lead and a woman close the party. No, I say I go up front and Timothy can protect the rear of the group”
Damian and Tim stopped in front of you while you were left there, stunned. Your eyebrows were as high as the concrete ceiling, while Damian was very much about to use Carter as a warm up target.
“Oh, you did not just say that” Tim mumbled through his very visible flinch, knowing Carter was treading on dangerous grounds.
“You’re gonna let your sister and little brother flank us?” He challenged. “We’re the men, it’s our job to protect them!”
Damian began pulling out his sword but Tim blocked him with his hand, his eyes never leaving the situation unfolding in front of him. “Hold on, this should be fun”
Damian huffed, impatient, but nevertheless pushed back the katana in the sheath. “Ugh, can't we just leave the dead weight behind already? Pretend he didn’t survive the trip down. It would be easy enough”
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?”
As he yelled, he hit the brick wall beside him. A faint click followed suit, and you barely had the time to share a suddenly alert glance with Tim. You followed your instinct and pivoted to your left, grabbing on the fly a very sharp wooden stake that was hurdled straight for Carter’s neck. Your surroundings flooded back in focus as Tim and Damian pushed back two other stakes with their weapons, then silence once again beside Carter’s jagged breaths. Your blade swung lightly from where it hung around your thumb, and you remained into that position longer than necessary to pass your point across. You then threw the stake in the water without looking away from him.
“I don’t know what you think this is, but it’s not your hero story” Your voice was levelled, too levelled. The first time around, you had been with Dick and Jason, so it was easier to call it a game, as fucked up of a game as it was. Now, you were with your younger brothers; you were the one responsible for them. This time, your opponent knew not to underestimate you, and you had a civilian to carry around. “This trap was meant to kill three dangerous people and you happened to be caught in it, too. Trust me when I tell you that your best bet to survive is to shut up and do what we say. You’re at the bottom of the command chain, so shove that into your clueless brain and for the love of all that’s holy, shut the fuck up”
“We should get moving” Damian said. “The sooner we get at the bottom of this, the sooner we’re out and done. Also, stop touching the walls, Klein. It would be preferable if you didn’t spring more traps”
You took a step back and urged Carter forward. Humiliation had taken over his features, but he kept walking anyway, head low. You were taking careful steps, so your progress was slower than usual. It didn’t help either that the sewers had bad lightning, but your instincts managed to compensate pretty well for it.
“Okay, since nobody is saying it,” Tim began, his voice low. “Is anyone kinda weirded out by the fact we were attacked with wooden stakes? What do they think we are, vampires?”
You couldn’t help but snicker at that. “That’s the deer for you. You should have seen the first round, they put me into a head aquarium device to drown me”
He gasped. “Like in your Sea World dreams?”
“Yeah!” You replied. “Exactly like that”
“Did it have any fish in it?” Damian joined in.
“No, only questionable water” You shook your head. “Jay punched through it before I inhaled some”
“Checks out” Tim mumbled.
“They hung him upside down in a giant meat grinder. Then dangled us on a giant seesaw above an acid basin” You continued. “They also set bear traps around Dick, for some reason. I knew how to disarm them from Damian’s seminar, you know, the one on nature”
“Told you it would come handy!” He yelled from the front. “You can thank me now”
“Wait, rewind” Tim cut in. “They hung Jason upside down?”
You grinned at how he was refraining from laughing. “I wished I had taken a picture, he was miffed”
“How have I not heard about this before?”
“We didn’t want… uh, the big guy, to get involved” You cringed at your own euphemism. You didn't say Batman, because that would be a dead giveaway of your identities, and you wouldn’t have much of the benefit of the doubt anymore. And you couldn’t outright say Bruce either, because well. The last thing you wanted was Carter to put two and two on Bruce’s identity. “Especially not after how it ended for Deer numero uno. We would never have heard the end of it. Can you imagine the lecture we’d get? Not only did we kill him, but we didn’t tie loose ends like we thought we did. We’d be in so much trouble”
Carter’s steps faltered as he blanched. “You killed someone?”
“No, of course not” You replied without missing a beat. “Why would you ever think that?”
“You just said it!”
“No…” You raised an eyebrow, then slowly sounded out your next words. “You brought it up. Just now”
The snickering came from Damian this time.
“No, you said it word for word” Carter held on. “Not only did we kill him, that’s what you said. And you mentioned Jason too. Wasn't that your brother?”
“Jason's dead” You replied, your tone flat and clipped. “Been dead for years”
“But you said he was there?”
“Klein, Jason died almost twelve years ago” Tim gave him an extremely convincing confused stare with just enough irritation. “How could he have been there?”
“But she said–”
“It's still a sensitive topic for her, ok?” He switched to fully irritated now. You almost gave it away with a grin but managed to hold it back and actually appear upset. “They were close, so show a little compassion”
“O-okay, sorry I… Yeah, sorry”
You could see from your side view of his face doubt clouding his eyes as he very clearly questioned his sanity. You would never do that to a civilian in usual circumstances, but Carter had pissed you off one too many times. Besides, you were sure Jason would approve of you and Tim using his death to gaslight Carter anyway. In all cases, that certainly would make him back off in his advances toward you.
You kept walking in silence, remaining on your guards and alert for anything amiss. Carter kept his arms folded on himself, terrified to touch anything after he triggered the Vampire Killer 3000.
“Hey, is it just me or it’s starting to smell like gasoline?” Tim voiced out.
You sniffed the air, and just like he said, a faint odour of gasoline tickled your nose. You then looked down at the water where you could discern some sort of oily, colourful reflection. Fuck.
Damian paused in his steps, his spine rigid. “We’re gonna have to deal with fire now, aren’t we?”
An ominous silence draped over you, then yet another faint click reached your ears. You sighed and pinched the bridge of your nose, then nodded. “It seems so. Fucking run, I guess” Light and heat exploded behind you. “Go go go!”
The four of you broke into a run as the fire gained on you, inflaming the water canal to trap you on the side of the tunnel. You had to fight your instinct to pick up the pace, because Carter was struggling to keep up with your brothers and despite wanting to leave him behind, he was still a citizen you had sworn to protect when you joined Bruce's crusade.
“Jump!” Damian yelled from the front. You watched him and Tim leap over an obstacle on the ground, and did the same when you got to it. Carter barely made it through.
Your brothers gained some distance ahead of you as you practically dragged Carter with you.
“Four feet step jump, brick wall”
You gained speed, momentarily leaving Carter behind to easily jump the step. You landed on your feet and turned around to see him struggling to lift his leg and push himself up. You grabbed the back of his suit and forcibly pulled him back on his feet, giving him at least a fighting chance.
You finally reached your brothers in a dead end, trapping you between an old rusted door and the fire rapidly gaining on you. Carter was heaving beside you and Damian gave him a disgusted look.
“Door's locked, it won't budge” Tim said. “We need a key”
You looked around the room quickly, your eyes stopping on the murky sewer water that had yet to see its surface catch fire. You gulped, your mouth pulling down in a devastated frown as you understood what would come next. You took a deep breath to try and convince yourself that dying of fire smoke and heat exposure would be worse than the solution.
“It's in the…” You gagged. “It's in the water”
“Ew” Damian said as you approached the edge. You only had seconds left before the fire made the task even more difficult.
“No… I'll… I'll do it” Tim reluctantly volunteered as he came to stand next to you. “I'll… Oh god”
He gagged too at the smell.
“No, it's gotta be me” You refused his offer just as reluctantly. You didn't notice Damian's eyes trailing up. “I just need–”
“Sister” Damian cut you off. “The key's up there”
You followed his glance as the fire lit up the water you were going to jump into, and you sighed in relief, barely bothered by the sudden heat.
“Right, they're fucking idiots” You muttered.
The most logical choice would have been to make you choose between diving in human waste or burn alive. Now that would have been a lesson, but unfortunately for them–and fortunately for you–they weren't smart enough to come up with that.
“Oh, that's embarrassing for them” Tim hummed, having thought the same thing. He came to stand under the key and you followed. “We'll throw you up, Damian. Grab it”
“Ugh fine” He huffed as you joined your hands with Tim.
Damian backed away and gave himself momentum, running toward you and jumping on your hands. You pushed him up and he easily reached the key, landing back on his feet. He threw you the key and you hurried to undo the locks, not caring that the rusty mechanism was smearing orange all over your skin.
You pushed against the door, hearing it groan but having trouble moving. You huffed and wiped off the sweat from your forehead, all too well aware of the dangerously rising temperature around as the flames encased you.
You stepped back with a hiss to regain your breath. “If any of you have any hidden bottle of lube, now would be the time to tell me”
“I uh–”
You slowly pivoted on your feet towards a very color-drained Klein, catching him embarrassingly pulling out a small bottle of lube from his pocket. You didn’t fail to notice the two condoms falling on the ground that he didn’t bother to pick up either.
At this moment, you were certain the scorching glare you gave him was at least twice as hot as the fire around you by the way he visibly recoiled. He really thought he would get in your pants by the end of the night?
As if sensing the impending murder attempt, Tim jumped between you and Carter, swiftly grabbing the bottle of lube from his hand and giving it to you. “Door now, murder later, ok?”
Reluctantly, you tore your eyes from who was absolutely about to be a victim of second degree murder and popped the bottle, squeezing it all on the wheel mechanism. Grabbing back the handles, you felt your skin burn from the already heated up metal, but the tiny help of the lube managed to get the door cracked. Tim gave it a strong kick to help it move, and as soon as it was opened wide enough to get one of you to pass, you ushered everybody in one after the other. You went last, and Tim helped you shut the door sealed behind you.
You fell forward, coughing up smoke to join the choir around you. All of them had black soot covering their faces and clothes, and you believed you looked the same.
“Klein” You breathed out as you stood straighter. “You better pray what was in your pocket right there wasn’t for what I think it was”
He took several steps away, only then did a fragile mask of bravado returned to his face. “It ended up being useful, didn’t it?”
You only had to take one step toward him for him to scurry back further. You couldn't even be smug at the knowledge he was afraid of you, because all you wanted to do at the moment was plummet him to hell.
Your brothers observed you carefully, all too aware you were currently weighing the pros and cons of staging an unfortunate demise for the brat in front of you.
“Do it” Damian said, loud enough for Klein to hear him. “He's already seen too much anyway. Think about all the trouble you'll save yourself”
Your eyebrows raised at Damian's casual suggestion, but mostly at the amused expression he was sporting. He was equally advising you and taunting him, and he was obviously having a blast doing so.
“No wait don't do it” Tim interjected after coughing to hide his surprised laugh. Did he really want to save Klein? No, not at all. But he felt like he had to at least represent the reasonable camp on this one.
You watched him expectantly.
“What..? Oh you're waiting for a reason?”
You blinked. “Yes, Tim”
“... Well, I don't “have” one” He gestured the quotation mark, then turned to Klein and shrugged. “Man I suggest you lay off being smug because you’re threading in a minefield here”
“Tsk, boring” Damian huffed as he crossed his arms against his chest. “We can always count on Timothy to be a killjoy”
Tim flicked the back of Damian's head and jumped out of range when he predictably swung his katana at him.
Klein, on the other hand, had completely deflated. He now stood shell shocked probably from the adrenaline crash as the latest sequence of events truly hit him, arms wrapped around himself. “I wanna go home”
That, in turn, made you loosen up your shoulders and roll your eyes at how easy it was to disperse his fleeting bravado into thin air. There would be no pride in getting his ass now that he folded back on cowardliness. You returned your stare to him for a second, looking him up and down unimpressed, and sighed. “The more compliant you are, the faster we'll get you there”
He nodded tightly, hopefully getting the message this time.
“So no murder?”
You looked at Damian to your right, then to his hand hovering above his katana's handle. “Not for you, young man”
He scoffed. “Don't patronize me”
You rolled your eyes. “Then don’t be dramatic”
“O-kay that’s great” Tim moved from standing between you and Carter to standing between you and Damian. “But as you know from recent events, we’re still in a dystopian young adult novel without the cringe romance. Sorry Klein, you’re not my type either. So can we–” He pointed over his shoulder. “–get the fuck out of here?”
Without a word, you made a beeline for the dark corridor in front of you.
The silence in the sewers without the running water canal was eerie, making your footsteps bounce on the concrete walls. This time, you were at the front of the pack, unbothered that you might step on something. Anything, as long as you didn’t have to look at Klein. Besides, being the first line to watch for danger gave you something to occupy your mind with, lest you lashed out on Klein in a way he wouldn’t recover from. You didn’t harm civilians, even those who deserved it.
The further down the sewers you went, the more it became obvious that the Deer ran out of time to build their traps. The triggers were either standing out to anyone who were looking for them, or they would try to bait you into walking into them in the most ridiculous way.
Safe to say, you didn’t fall for it.
“Should be getting to the control center soon” Damian spoke up from behind you. “Also. Anyone else think it is strange that the Deer has not spoken to us in a while?”
“Have you considered they just don’t wanna talk to you?” Tim suggested.
“Or perhaps they think you’re too ugly to even look at the cameras” Damian sneered without missing a beat.
“First time around they went silent when they saw how we dealt with the traps” You interjected, breaking the banter. “They're probably starting to get scared”
You paused your steps and turned to face your brothers.
“Once we get there we'll move to intercept and neutralize” You instructed. “I'll take care of the Deer. Tim, I need you to erase everything from their devices and recall anything that's been sent, and make sure any hardware is corrupted. Damian, incapacitate anyone else that tries to run”
Tim voiced his understanding of the plan, and Damian gave a side glance to Klein, then nodded. Satisfied with their response, you resumed your walk forward.
“Hey” Tim caught up with you, pausing and gesturing to Damian and Carter to stay back. He made sure both of your backs were to them and lowered his voice. “Before we go further, I need to know you’re sound to do this”
You sighed. “I’m solid, Tim”
“You sure? Because you were about to go nuclear fifteen minutes ago”
You blinked slowly and took a deep breath, locking your eyes with his. “I’m fine. I’ll do what I have to do, and neither you or Damian is gonna intervene”
“Shade–”
“That’s a firm order” You cut him off. “You won’t get involved”
A flash of disappointment passed through his eyes. “You’re seriously going to go ahead with it?”
Tim knew that you didn’t fully adhere to Bruce’s rules, but you believed he wasn’t expecting to once be in a situation where he’d have to either participate or sit back as it happened. Neither option seemed right to him.
You sighed, breaking eye contact. “This right now is happening because we didn’t take it seriously the first time. It got all of us in the sewers and put lives in the crossfire that weren’t even involved in the first place. It’s on me, Tim. Let me fix my mistake and make sure the Deer can’t pull something like that on you or Damian again”
Tim's shoulders sagged slightly in defeat, but he nodded nonetheless. “We’'ll stay out of your way”
You nodded too. Before you could turn to face the others, he spoke again.
“You know I have you back no matter what, right?”
You couldn't help the small, genuine smile curving the corner of your lips upwards. “I know”
“Let's go deer hunting then”
You gave him a nod and kept moving forward.
Before long, the control center came into view. You slowed down until you came to a stop, moving your hand in a forward gesture. Tim and Damian flew past you soundlessly, light on their feet like shadows to get into position around the door. There was some audible scuffle inside, like someone was hurriedly packing documents.
You faced Carter once your brothers stopped moving, addressing him with your voice kept low. “You want to go home right?”
He nodded.
“We can get you home. But to do so I need you to cooperate, ok?” You began explaining seriously, but with a much softer tone than you had used with him so far. Your equivalent of a customer service voice, you supposed. “If there is any moment for you to listen to what I say, it's now. I need you to stay here and stay low, and most importantly, stay out of the way. You do that, and we'll be out of here in no time. Understood?”
“Yeah, understood” He nodded again, briefly meeting your eyes before glancing away again.
“Great” You said and flipped back your karambits in your palms. “You can crouch now. Shouldn't be long”
As he quickly lowered himself and wrapped his arms around his head, you turned around towards the door. A quick eye contact with Damian and Tim signalled you they were ready too. You took a deep breath and slid across the wall, stopping right before the door frame.
You raised your hand with three fingers up for a countdown, lowering one after the other. When your fist closed again, you hit the door hard, one time.
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
Predictably, the Deer emptied the gun's clip through the door. The second the shots stopped, you stepped in front of the door and rammed into it with your shoulder. The door gave in from the blunt force, splintering in a deafening crack.
You came face to face with the Deer standing still and frozen mid-reload. You spotted another masked individual above a monitor and keyboard momentarily stunned by your grand entrance.
The subsequent chain of actions happened within seconds, with the Deer in front of you pushing the new clip in and raising the gun up to shoot, Tim and Damian flying past you towards the second individual, you pushing away the gun and shoving your karambits deep in the shoulder of the Deer.
A scream, the gun hitting the ground, Damian's fist on the other guy's nose, Tim furiously typing away.
Blood all over your already ruined dress.
All records and feeds destroyed, a short and inconclusive interrogation. The woman under the Deer mask wouldn't talk, the man on the computer was more than happy to talk, but clearly hadn't been trusted with any substantial information. Regardless, Tim had corrupted the entire server and anything connected to it. Even if there were other collaborators elsewhere, their physical proof of sustaining their claims against you would be gone.
The Deer and her companion ended the night under the brown, murky water of the sewers. You disposed of them yourself while Tim and Damian came up with a plausible story.
By the time you returned to the control room, Carter had already been brought in, sitting at the foot of the wall with his face in his hand. You slowly crouched down to his level, not bothering to put away your bloody karambits.
“Carter” You called his name, making him pause. He pointedly avoided meeting your eyes. “What happened tonight?”
You could see panic rise in his expression through his fingers. “Huh?”
“Tell me what just happened”
“I- You-” He began, then stopped when the realization hit. Understanding flooded his eyes. “... Nothing. I saw nothing”
“Good lad” You smiled. “And if the police ask, what do you say?”
“I- I say we fell in the sewers” He nodded to himself. “I don't know why, or how, but we tried to get out, and… oh god…you're literally covered in blood”
You paused for a second. “Shit you're right”
You looked at your dirty karambits, then to Damian's still clear katana and sighed. You lifted your left arm towards him. “Make it look like glass cuts. Two gashes, try not to go too deep to make me bleed out”
Damian stepped forward, a scowl on his face. “You don't need to explain it to me”
You rolled your eyes. “Just do it”
You barely flinched as he carefully cut your arm, making blood bubble up and roll down the cut. You traced your hand around it, collecting the blood without touching the wounds themselves. You smeared it around your arm, then rubbed it on your feet soles around the fabric.
You finally crossed Carter's glance, and he looked even more horrified than he'd been the whole night, like he was about to be sick.
“Are you going to kill me?”
You waited a few seconds before you answered.
“Are you gonna spill the beans the second someone presses you on it?”
He shook his head violently. “No, no”
You blinked a few times, then nodded. “You're smarter than I gave you credit for. Fine. You can live. But I'll be watching you”
“Are you sure he's not gonna talk?” Damian scoffed, glaring at Carter with disdain.
“Look at him, he's not gonna be more scared of cops than of her” Tim replied in your stead, then turned to Carter. “And if you still talk, nobody's gonna believe you. You'll just look insane”
You nodded again in agreement. “Grippy sock vacation guaranteed”
Damian just huffed in annoyance.
“Alright gentlemen” You clapped your hands together. “Time to stow your weapons and light the beacon for rescue. We'll all have to look like this guy by the time GCPD reaches us so get to it”
Tim retracted his staff and hid it back under his pant leg, and when you glanced at Damian, his katana had already disappeared from view entirely.
You gave him a vexed glare. “Ok where the fuck did you put it?”
Damian scoffed. “Wouldn't you like to know”
You kept glaring for a few seconds, then rolled your eyes and joined Carted on the floor. “Okay hit me up. What script are we going with?”
Tim gave you the lines as he got into position along with Damian, each one of them explaining the state of you or the environment around you.
When Gordon's stunned expression finally greeted you with half a dozen flashlights moving behind him, the tears and snot looked real enough. You almost ruined it by laughing at the face he pulled, equally surprised and highly suspicious as to why he had found you there, looking like that.
They got you out, took your statement, brought you back home in their cruiser with a shock blanket around your shoulders and a business card for a psychologist specialized in kidnapping related traumas.
You only straightened up when the police finally left, gently wiping your mascara that ran down your cheek with the tissue in your hand.
“Fuck me, I thought they'd never leave”
Alfred stared at you, unimpressed. If he had been initially worried by your unusual arrival, he had quickly figured out you had been faking the whole thing. “And what would this be about, my dear?”
You glanced at Tim and Damian behind you, their expression also returned to nonchalance. You shrugged. “A failed attempt on our lives. All dealt with, nothing to worry about. You'll probably see it in the papers tomorrow anyways”