I KNOW I know, I keep writing Batsis. It's just so fun!
—
"Dick, how are you so good at everything and absolute shit at this?"
"I'm not used to keeping my hands still!"
"Stop being an imbecile and just aim straight at the target, Grayson!"
"It's literally so easy!"
The buzzer went off, and (Y/N) threw her fists into the air.
"Woo-hoo! I win again!" she pointed at him, "In your face, Golden Child!"
He looked at the game in front of them; it was a sort of carnival-esque—despite being in an arcade—game that consisted of shooting water into a target to win. It seemed easy enough, but apparently, even mid twenty-year-olds struggled with it sometimes.
"Alright, I want a rematch."
They all groaned, even (Y/N).
"Dick, we've done this a million times. Can't we just agree that I'm better and move on?"
"It's not about that!" he blushed, "It's about, uh, practicing. I'm just practicing so I can get better."
Tim interjected, leaning on (Y/N)'s shoulders, "You're practicing so you can be the best instead. C'mon, let's go to that gun shooting game Jay and I wanted to play."
"Oh, hell yeah!" Jason cheered, leading the way by a long shot. (Y/N) laughed as he ran off, then grabbed her purse and followed her brothers. As she began walking, though, she felt a sharp pain in her forehead. She fell to a one legged kneel, her other leg planted in front of her.
It's getting worse, she thought as she hissed in pain, holding her head in her hands.
We had an agreement. Don't you forget, another voice said.
I know. But please, just let me have this—let me have tonight. I'll do whatever you want after.
"(L/N)?" Damian glanced backwards, noticing her on the floor.
Fine. Don't let me down.
The voice stopped talking, and she felt an immediate wave of relief wash over her, save for most of the pain that was still there. She held tightly to the ledge of the game they were playing beforehand and shakily pulled herself up.
"What happened? Did someone hurt you?" Damian asked, helping her up.
"N-no, no, I'm fine," she rubbed her temple, "Agh..."
"We can go home if you need to," Dick gazed with worry.
"No, really, I'm fine. I just need a few minutes. That game you guys wanted to play is a four person shooter anyways, I'll just sit this one out."
"This some sort of ploy to get out of playing?" Jason wrapped an arm around her, "Scared you're gonna lose?"
She heaved an exhausted huff, leaning into his grasp, "In your dreams."
The man carried most of her weight until they made it to the game, in which he let her go after making sure she could hold herself up. Tim continued to ask if she needed to leave, but she brushed him off, telling them to play the game. Her excuse was that it was a 'womanly thing' which made them immediately turn around and focus on the screen in front of them.
Boys... she rolled her eyes, still rubbing her headache away. It would subside in a few minutes or so, of that she was sure. After all, it'd happened many times.
She inwardly sighed, How'd I get myself into this mess?
"(Y/N), look! We actually did it! And it gave us a shit ton of tickets!" Jason cheered, pulling her away from her thoughts. Had she really been thinking for that long?
"Yes!" Dick pumped his fist, "Is it appropriate to say this is the greatest accomplishment of my life?"
Damian smirked and picked up the bundle of tickets forming on the floor, "You're pathetic if it is. Move, I'm taking these and buying the most expensive item they have."
"(Y/N), you wanna get the matching bracelets with me? I know you love that stuff," Tim put a hand on her shoulder.
She smiled, Right. That's how.
"Hah, dork," (Y/N) pushed him playfully, "But, um, heck yeah! Come on, let's go!"
The girl grabbed his hand and sprinted to the counter, stealing the tickets from Damian in the process.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Jason grinned, chasing after them. Meanwhile, the offense was evident in Damian's face as he looked down at his empty hands; his eldest brother cringed, knowing what was to follow.
"Oh, god."
"My prize! Bring those tickets back now, Drake, before I annihilate you!"
"I wasn't even the one who took them!"
"Catch us if you can, tiny!"
"Argh, you're not taller than me anymore, (L/N)! Stop following false pretenses!"
(Y/N) laughed heartily, even so far as forgetting the pain in her skull was ever there.
At least, that was for the time being.
***
The kids sat in a circle around the table, staring blankly at the lava lamp in front of them.
"Can't believe we could only buy this," Tim muttered, resting his head in his hand.
"We could've bought more if (L/N) didn't insist on getting the bracelets," Damian glared across the table, "But, it's...adequate. And it's mine, so no one touch it."
Jason raised an eyebrow, "Stop lyin' to yourself. This sucks."
"C'mon, guys, we're already late for patrol," Dick said as he passed through the kitchen, "Stop pouting and get ready. We can go back another day."
Uh-huh... (Y/N) thought sadly.
"Shooting people does make me feel better," the second eldest teased his older brother.
He sighed and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "Get up, Jay. I'll let you use real bullets in your guns if you do, just don't tell B."
"Okay, liar. Besides, who says I wasn't before?" he smirked, heading for the cave.
"Jason!"
The rest of the boys followed, and (Y/N) almost got up, but felt a surge of electricity shock her brain once again. She fell back into her chair and rubbed her forehead. The seat made a loud 'thump' noise, making Tim turn back around, "(Y/N)? Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah—agh. Guys, really, it's okay. This has happened, like, a hundred times," she looked down, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up to find Dick crouched down beside the chair, "Hey, (Y/N). You're not a burden, okay? One of us can stay home with you tonight, it's fine."
"It's okay, please don't," her voice cracked, "I'm fine! I'll deal! Just go, Gotham needs you."
"And we need you. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
"I'm sure," she nodded before giving him a quick hug so as not to worry him, "Now goodbye."
He kissed her forehead, "I'll be home around 2:30 to check on you. Don't try to argue with me, you'll lose. Now goodbye to you, too."
"If you need Advil, it's in the cabinet!" Tim called from afar.
"Thanks, guys," she spoke softly, then yelled, "Bye! I love you!"
All of them called their goodbyes back, and (Y/N) smiled until they were finally out the door. Once they were gone, she let her head fall.
Are you ready to go, darling?
Her eyes filled with tears again; the brothers thought it was from pain the first time, but really, it was because she knew she'd never see her boys again.
Despite shaking her head, she whispered, "Yes."
"Good," a figure behind her gripped her arm tightly, "Now, come with me."
***
Gotham was a terrible city, and everyone knew it. However, at night, when the streetlights illuminated the darkness and the vigilantes jumped from rooftop to rooftop, it didn't seem so scary. The people knew they had someone looking out for them, and the vigilantes could escape the responsibilities of everyday life. Some nights, crime was on a high. But it was nights like these that made it worth it; the ones where they could sit on the edge of the roof and relax.
"It's kinda quiet now without (Y/N)," Tim said, his legs dangling off the ledge.
"Yeah. Didn't realize how much trouble the kid causes for us," Jason replied without a second thought, inspecting his helmet, "She's still got that happy-go-luckiness we all lost 'cause of various douchebags."
Dick tapped his chin, "She works so hard. Maybe we should do something nice for her, especially since she seems so out of it lately."
"What do you propose?" Damian watched the road below them.
"Well, I was thinking—ow! Ah, are you guys hearing that?"
They all gave him a confused glance before the communicators in their ears began ringing and they grimaced. Tim opened the communication system's settings from the screen in his suit's arm.
"Someone's trying to transmit a message!" he yelled over the noise, "I'll try to make it clearer!"
"Can you go any faster!?" Jason yelled in response.
Pausing, he made a poker face, "Why don't you keep rushing me, see where it gets you! Wait—hold on, hold on...there! Got it."
"Hello, boys," they immediately heard a sly voice through the communicator.
Dick's eyes widened, "Slade?"
"That's Deathstroke to you, son. Or Wilson if you're really feeling confident," he chuckled.
Jason crossed his arms, "Alright, we don't have time for this. Cut to the chase, Stroke."
"Don't worry. It's simple, really. I have your precious sister. And if you ever want to see her again, you'll come with me."
'What?' Tim mouthed to his siblings, 'She was just at home.'
Shaking his head, Jason shrugged.
"I know what you're thinking," the assassin interrupted, "You're thinking 'oh, how can this be? Was she not just at home when we left?' Well, she was. But I was, too. I can track her every move. And I know who you are: Damian, Jason, Tim, Dick—an unfortunate name, might I add. If you don't believe me, I can prove she's here, too...go on, talk, darling. Talk!"
"Ah! Ugh, um, hey guys," they heard her voice.
"(Y—I mean, Cotinga, are you okay?" Dick asked.
"I'm fine, please, don't worry about me! It's all a trap, I—ah!"
"That's enough out of you," Slade took his communicator back, "Come down, boys. You'll find me in the basement under the abandoned orphanage. Don't be late."
The signal went out, and Dick cursed.
"Okay, so maybe our 'something nice for her' can be saving her. Come on!"
He tried to grapple away, but his teen brother pulled his arm back.
"Wait! You heard her, it's a trap. We can't just rush in there, we need a plan."
He thought for a moment, "You all have weapons, right?"
Damian unsheathed his katana while Jason twisted two guns in his fingers and Tim extended his staff.
"Sweet. Alright, so here's what we'll do..."
***
"That won't work."
Frozen in shock, the boys ceased their sneaking around the corner. They'd gotten into the orphanage, but somehow, their enemy was aware of their presence. Dick put his hand out and walked down the steps first.
Slade glanced at him, "And the others?"
He ignored the man, "Cotinga—!"
Running towards her, he almost grabbed the girl before Slade pushed him back with an electric shock. He flipped over himself and landed to the floor, putting his hand out to catch himself. Only (Y/N) saw the practically microscopic explosive he was holding.
"Nightwing, please, you need to leave!" she pleaded.
"I'm not leaving without y—" he paused as he took in the sight in front of him. (Y/N) was standing before a bright blue laser, but other than that, she was fine. It didn't look like she tried to put up a fight at all; she wasn't even wearing her suit.
"What's going on?" his voice took on a worried tone.
(Y/N) furrowed her brows to the floor, then turned to the villain, "You promised you wouldn't hurt them."
"Don't be a fool, darling. Why would I trap you other than for the sole purpose of dragging these boys in? You aren't as much of an asset as you think you are."
The rest of the brothers ran in, Jason pulling Dick off the floor as Damian spat, "Shut up, scumbag."
"You lied to me!" (Y/N) screamed, her eyes filling with angry tears. She felt a shock in her forehead and scrunched her nose.
I didn't. But I need answers from these boys. If you do this, it'll show them that I'm not playing games like the other criminals are, and they'll be more likely to answer me. Moreover, though, I won't hurt them if you adhere to our agreement. I'll let them go once I'm done with them. That is my promise to you.
I don't trust you, she glared, But I'm also not going to take the chance.
Good girl.
"What do you want with her? And how can we get her back?" Tim unknowingly interrupted them.
He laughed, "Poor child. You can't. But, you'll share these final moments with her. Isn't that generous enough?"
Dick growled, "I'll kill you!"
Suddenly, Deathstroke flew forward and grabbed the man by the neck, smirking beneath his mask. Thrashing and struggling, Dick tried to break free, but couldn't with the shock factor.
"No, you won't. You will watch your sister die, and then you will answer me. Else, you all die. Starting with the little one."
Her eyes widening, (Y/N) felt her heart beat grow faster. In her panic, she yelled, "Guys! It's okay. I have a plan."
Do you now? she watched his pupils shrink through his mask as he stared at her with crazed eyes.
Of course not, but they're not going to stop until they believe I'll be okay. Besides, you're in my head, you would know.
Slade paused, searching for any sign of betrayal in her brain. When they was no sign of anything, he nodded.
Continue.
Damian stared at her until she locked eyes with him, his head tilted. In the time that he'd known (Y/N), he grew to observe her mannerisms, just in case one day he needed to use them against her. However, against his own better judgement, he was using them for her. He couldn't exactly tell that she was lying, but he could see the regret and apology in her eyes.
"(L/N). She's lying—she has to be," he whipped around, "Nightwing!"
With the command, his brother sprung into action. He swung his feet into the air and kicked Deathstroke in the face, propelling off his body to a back flip. After he landed, he grabbed the stunned man and threw him behind him, stomping on the explosive on the floor. He ran back as it blew up, but the aftershock sent him flying backwards into Slade. It was far enough from (Y/N) so she wasn't affected, but when she pulled her forearms up to shield her face she found the edge of her shirt got caught in the laser beam. It disintegrated before her, and she gulped.
Meanwhile, Tim noticed the pipes around them catching on fire. As the ceiling began to crumble, he instinctively pulled Damian close to him.
"This whole place is gonna blow!" he yelled over the ruckus, "We have to get out of here!"
Jason gave his brother a worried glance, then turned to his sister, "(Y/N), grab my hand!"
The floor had been split in half, (Y/N) on one side and everyone else on the other. While Dick struggled with Slade on the floor, Jason tried to save their sister. She almost reached out, but hesitated and shook her head profusely.
"N-no, I can't!" she called to him, "I have to do this!"
"Kid, what the hell are you talking about? You don't have to do anything!"
Biting her lip, (Y/N) tried to stop the tears from rushing down her face, "You'd understand if you knew!"
"(Y/N), you can have an existential crisis later—please, just come with me!" Jason begged, finally understanding what (Y/N) was going to do.
"I'm sorry," she sat on the floor to meet his level as he kneeled with his hand out.
"(Y/N), please, don't. I'm literally begging you," he whispered, his eyes red as they began to water.
"I have to, Jay. Just understand, I'm doing this for you," she turned to Tim, "I'm doing this for all of you," then to Damian, "Everything I ever did was to protect you."
Wiping her face, she stood strongly before the laser and the loud booming, "Guys, I have to go! And I'm not gonna be able to bounce back like Jason and Damian did! For me, this is the end—but you have to know that I love you! And that it's okay—"
With an abrupt pause, Dick loosened his grip on the man and stared regretfully at his sister.
"(Y/N)..."
She grinned, tears nonetheless streaming down, "—because I got to meet you! I have everything I ever wanted! And, I'm gonna go say hi to my dad now! So, don't be upset, 'cause I'm okay! I love you all more than anything in the world! I'm happy the last thing I'll do, I'm doing for you."
(Y/N) turned her back to them and inhaled slowly.
"(Y/N)—no, no, (Y/N)!" Tim shouted as he reached forward.
She knew they were running out of time. With an exhale, she stepped into the light; the last thing she heard was Dick yelling '(Y/N)!'
All the boys stopped. Hell, even the world stopped. She was really gone.
"(Y/N)..." the eldest whispered, then growled as he turned back to the man, "You killed my sister. You killed my sister! You hurt me, and now you killed my sister. I'm going to fucking murder you! You fucking asshole!"
Choking the man out, Dick grimaced. His teeth clenched tighter than ever before, and his nails dug into the man's skin hard enough to draw blood, but at the last second he was pulled away.
"Grayson! We have to go!" Damian shouted, pointing at the pipe that was near explosion. Dick's face hardened and he nodded, grabbing his brother's arm as he pulled them both away, Jason pulling Tim.
"Wait!" the teen yelled, trying to reach out for the empty hole where his sister once was, "What if she's still there, what if she—"
"She's not, Tim! She's gone! Now shut up, I'm trying to save your life."
They made it outside the building just in time, and as the smoke cleared, they found Dick shielding them from any debris. When the noise subsided, he finally turned around to find the entire establishment collapsed, a million tiny rocks to show where it once was. Dick turned away from his siblings and stood.
He laughed bitterly, staring at the rubble, "Somehow, I still think she'll come back. I know she won't. But wouldn't it be cool if she just popped up right now?"
No one answered, all of them too shocked to formulate a response. Tim was trying so hard to suppress his sobs that he couldn't even speak if he wanted to.
Dick's eyes went dark, "Where's Slade?"
"There," Damian pointed; they saw his head sticking out of the ruins, his mask off to revel his bleeding head. The boy whipped out a shuriken and threw it so that it plunged into his head.
"Pretty sure he's already dead, for the record," he muttered.
"Give me one," Dick commanded, his hand out. Damian quickly placed one into his outreached palm, afraid of what his brother might do if he didn't. This was a side of Dick he'd never seen before, no one had.
Shuriken in hand, he walked over to the man and shoved it deep into his skull, then pulled it out and did it once more. Blood was splattering onto his face, but he couldn't care less, He continued the repeated motion for a whole minute until Jason pulled him off.
"Hey, Dickhead! Did you not hear me? I said that's enough," he pulled Dick up by his arm as he threw his helmet to the side.
"Shit," he stared at the blood, "Sorry, I dunno what came over me, I just—"
Jason pulled his brother in tightly, "Would you shut up? I was there. I know what he did to you, I was still alive for it. And now (Y/N). I would've done the same, but since you're gone, I gotta be the stable sibling."
"I promised myself I wouldn't let this happen again," his voice shook, "I wasn't going to let any of my siblings die ever again."
"Listen, Dick, you did everything you could. (Y/N) made her choice. Even I tried to get her back, but she was insistent," he smiled, "As always."
At that point, Dick couldn't respond anymore. He took refuge in his younger brother's arms, sobbing for his late sister. He'd never see her stubborn smirk again. How could he live with that? Jason simply gripped him tighter, trying to hide the fact that he was now crying himself, but his shaking chest said it all.
"Not that I'd ever tell her, but God, that kid was everything to me. Is this how you felt when I died?" he tearily joked.
"You just love to bring that up, huh?" Dick smirked and sniffled, "But, yeah. Pretty much. I'm sorry."
"I know. Quit blaming yourself, you didn't do it," Jason slapped his back and let him go, "C'mon, let's go home."
The two walked over to their younger siblings, one with his head offset from the other as they chatted quietly about their sister. Damian wiped his face when he saw them coming.
Before they could ask him anything, he deflected, "What'll we tell father?"
Tim huffed a bitter laugh, "Not a clue. Hey, Bruce, you know how you took a vacation for once in your life? We got your daughter killed while you were away. Fuck!"
He hit his forehead as Dick grabbed his hand and held his wrists.
"Hey," he said.
"I miss my sister," Tim whispered.
The man pulled him to his chest, "I know, Timbo, trust me. I know."
While the two talked, Jason cautiously wrapped an arm around Damian and rubbed his shoulder. The boy lifted a hand to cover his face, embarrassed that even a few tears were let out.
"We'll figure out what to tell B later. And when we do, we'll do it together," he rested his head on Tim's, "We need to go home now."
And go home they did. They ended up telling Bruce that night, feeling like he deserved to know. Although it was four in the morning, he picked up nonetheless. He was on business trip with Alfred, so he could've used the sleep, but that kind of stuff didn't matter when it came to his kids. Besides, his sleeping schedule was messed up anyway.
When they initially told him, he was shocked. He didn't believe them and thought Jason was pulling a sick prank. He wasn't.
Bruce returned home two days later at eight o'clock at night. All the boys were there, but the house was still unusually silent. He pulled the first kid he saw into his arms, which happened to be Damian. His bleak, green eyes warmed up for a second at the touch, then he held back just as tight and finally, for once since the incident, sobbed.
Later that night, Jason told Bruce what happened. He sat on a barstool drinking a cup of coffee
from the pot Bruce decided to make. His son mentioned Deathstroke, and steam seemed to pour from the man's ears before he said he died in the explosion. He also went on to mention that Tim hadn't left the cave since. There wasn't anything he could do for (Y/N), and he knew it, but still, he took his refuge in the blue light of the computers. Sometimes, he wouldn't even do anything. He'd just stare blankly at the screens.
Dick became angrier in his struggle. He was usually in the training room now, always punching the same old punching bag. Jason said he tried to walk in once, but ended up with a mouthful of fist in his face. Bruce made sure to find the two once Jason was done talking, comfort them as best he could, then send them off to their rooms.
The girls stopped by very often after the incident, and they were the ones to clean out (Y/N)'s room and all her stuff. The house would surely be less bright without her, that was for certain. So many times did other friends come over, but they were usually sent away. They never blamed the boys, though; they would've done the same.
As the years went on, it got easier to cope with (Y/N)'s death, but they never forgot her. Every time they passed her room, they'd somehow acknowledge it, even if it was a small nod or a simple stare. They also made sure to visit her suit as often as they could, since they felt uncomfortable visiting her grave. They would tell her all kinds of stories, and they knew she was laughing with them wherever she was.
It wasn't always happy though. Once, Dick walked into the Batcave, seeing Jason talking to (Y/N) for the first time. He kicked the floor as he said, "...you know I'm not one for all the mushy stuff, but I do miss you, (N/N). You were the best kid I ever knew. Even if you were annoying as shit sometimes, haha. But you had a good heart.
He wiped his cheek, "Sorry I didn't come more often. I think I just wanted to forget. But enough about me—I hope you're happy where you are, sis. I love you. Sorry I didn't say it enough when you were around."
Covering his eyes with his sleeve, he pulled his arm down to see Dick staring at him in surprise.
"Ah! Dick, what the fuck?" he jumped, his hand on his heart. His brother was silent, simply walking up next to him and staring at (Y/N)'s suit before wrapping his arms around Jason.
"This is stupid," he deflected.
Dick ignored him, "I miss her, too."
He froze, then sighed and wrapped his arms back around his brother. Tears fell down his face, but for once, he let them.
"C'mon, let's go back upstairs before Damian kills us. He's already annoyed that he had to wait so long," Dick wrapped and arm around his shoulder.
"Can't the kid watch it without us? It's just a dumb movie anyway."
"It's our dumb movie. Don't you wanna laugh at the terrible inaccuracies that the film industry projects onto our lives as vigilantes?"
"Hm. That does sound kinda fun."
They laughed as they walked back to the manor, leaving the suit behind them. And although they couldn't see it, (Y/N) sat on top of the capsule, her eyes glistening.
Her father put a hand on her shoulder, "Ay, mija. These are your brothers you always talk about?"
"Sí, papá," she grinned, "They're the best. They really are."