𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐒
(TW! Mentions of suicide, overdose.)
STANDING AROUND IN THE BASEMENT of Bruce Wayne's safe house is something Phoebe wouldn't have thought she would be doing a week before. The past few days hadn't been kind to her, but she was happy to at least have Dick on her side.
Trying to log into Bruce's computer, Dick sighed at the fact he forgot the password. Jason smirked as Dick turned his head, pursing his lips. "You mind?"
"Sure thing," Jason replied, pushing past Phoebe to get to the computer. Dick leaned back in the office chair and Jason leaned over the desk, typing in Bruce's password. Dick quickly exchanged looks with Phoebe, raising an eyebrow. Phoebe just simply shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms. "Boom," Jason emphasized, as the computer unlocked.
Phoebe leaned over the computer on the other side of Dick, wanting to see what he was doing. Quickly, Dick typed into the search input Atlas the Strongman. Pressing enter, pictures of a very tall man who seemed to be in the circus with Dick popped up on screen. Many of them were goofy pictures of him flexing, causing Dick to let out a small giggle.
Phoebe smiled at the fact that Dick was laughing. He had a lot of stress on his mind, and seeing him happy made Phoebe happy. Documents and pictures continued to show up as Dick observed them. "Phone bill paid last month, utilities on, looks like he's still alive."
Phoebe pointed to the number on the screen. "There's his phone number."
Dick nodded, quickly pulling out his phone from his pocket before dialing the number. Holding the phone up to his ear, Dick sighed as the phone went to voicemail. Dick hung up before he could leave a voicemail. Turning to Phoebe, Dick continued to speak. "Milwaukee's only an hour and a half from here." Dick pointed to the address on the screen, standing up. "I gotta go make sure he's safe."
Jason's face lit up in excitement. "We're going on a road trip. Excellent."
Phoebe stood up straight, crossing her arms. "Sorry kid, just me and Pheebs." Phoebe could see the disappointment in Jason's face as Dick said that. "Look, I appreciate you bringing this to me. I really do. But, there's no reason for you to come. This is personal. Phoebe understands my past and is good backup. You're Bruce's Robin, not mine."
"No," Jason cut Dick off, his face as hard as stone. "I'm my Robin."
"We don't need your help."
"You did back in that apartment."
"Could you guys just-" Phoebe tried to speak up, but was cut off by the computer starting to beep. Looking at the screen, a system alert was going off.
"Hmm." Jason cockily laughed, pressing the space bar to see what was going on. The security camera footage from outside popped up, showing Kory, Rachel and Gar all on screen. Gar had a smile from ear to ear on his face as he waved into the camera. Jason looked at Phoebe and Dick as he saw the three on screen, crossing his arms.
Phoebe put on an awkward smile, not knowing what to do in the moment. "Surprise."
☺︎︎ ☺︎︎ ☺︎︎
Phoebe and Jason waited in awkward silence as they waited for Dick to bring Kory, Rachel and Gar up to the apartment. Both sat next to each other on the couch, Jason in the middle of drinking a beer.
Phoebe raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Aren't you nineteen?"
Putting the beer down, Jason shrugged his shoulders. "So? Bruce lets me drink whenever I want."
Snatching the beer away from Jason, Phoebe took a sip. "I'm fine with you drinking, I'm just pissed off you didn't offer me any."
Jason cheekily smiled as he took the beer back from Phoebe. The elevator door dinged, motioning that everyone was finally here. Phoebe and Jason stood up as Dick walked into the room with Kory, Rachel and Gar.
"Who are your friends?" Jason asked, taking another sip of his beer.
"Not important," Dick simply answered, as Kory stepped closer to Dick.
Pointing to Jason, Kory tilted her head. "Who's he?"
"Not important."
Holding up his beer, Jason put a small smile on his face. "Anyone want a brew?"
"I do!" Gar quickly answered, his face lighting up.
"No," Dick turned his head to glare at Gar. "He doesn't. No one wants a brew."
"Actually, I'm in the mood for one," Phoebe nonchalantly slid into the conversation.
"That can't be Adamson," Kory observed Jason, looking him up and down. She almost looked disgusted at the fact that their was another child. "He's practically nine."
"First of all, I'm nineteen-"
"He's not Adamson, Adamson's in the bathroom." Dick cut off Jason before anything else could come out of his mouth.
Gar walked off to give himself a tiny tour as Rachel stepped up to Jason, holding out her hand. "Hi, I'm Rachel."
Quickly, Jason shook Rachel's hand. "Jason."
Dick rolled his eyes and continued to speak, getting everyone's attention. "Okay, who we all are doesn't matter right now. Can we just chill out, relax, sit on the couch and watch TV or something?"
"Yo, when did you get another one?" Gar walked back into the room, pointing to the two briefcases on the table.
"The one on the right is mine," Jason stated, crossing his arms.
"Yours?" Gar's eyes lit up in confusion. "Wait, you're Robin too?"
"Yeah, I thought you were Robin?" Rachel asked Dick, adding into Gar's statement.
"He was."
Gar chuckled, confused. "Okay, how many Robins are there? Are there a lot? 'Cause I would love to-"
"Okay, quiet!" Phoebe groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I'm starting to get a headache with all of the questions."
Dick led Kory to the bathroom where Adamson was, leaving Phoebe, Jason, Rachel and Gar. Walking closer to Rachel and Gar with the briefcases, Phoebe snatched the beer out of Jason's hand again. Taking a sip, she sighed as the liquid hit her tongue.
"Can I be Robin?" Gar whispered for them to hear, not wanting Dick to hear him from the other room.
"Oh, my god." Rachel shook her head at Gar's awful question.
"Let's go Gar," Phoebe sighed, handing Jason back his drink and motioning for Gar to follow her. "I'll show you where the liquor cabinet is."
Gar's face lit up in excitement, immediately standing up. "I literally love you." The two walked down the hallway, heading down a flight of stairs to actually get to the room. No one was in sight. "You know," Gar spoke up a little softer than he usually speaks. "Jason is kind of cute."
☺︎︎ ☺︎︎ ☺︎︎
Getting out of the passenger side in Dick's car, Phoebe closed her door along with Dick and Jason. Dick had ended up allowing Jason to come after all of his complaining and whining. He had gotten the location to some sketchy club, making Phoebe shiver by the look of the town. It was not some place she would like to be. It was supposed to be where his old friend Clay worked.
"This place is called Corvo. It's some kind of speakeasy," Dick explained to Phoebe and Jason and they walked down the sidewalk. "Landlord says he bounces the late shift."
"That's too bad," Jason kicked the pebbles at his feet, hands stuffed into his pockets. "Bouncers are assholes."
"Clay's not." Dick immediately snapped, sticking up for his old friend.
"Jason, how would you know anyway? You're like five." Phoebe pointed out, backing up Dick's statement.
"My Uncle Ray would take me to bars with him all the time when I was little. Everyone thought it was cute, till it wasn't." Jason explained, running his fingers through his hair before continuing. "He was a fun drunk. Then, he'd get stupid and start throwing punches. Then the bouncers would kick our asses out."
"Where were your folks?" Dick questioned, eyeing between Phoebe and Jason.
Jason let out a small sigh. "Mom was upstate. Dad was downstate. Uncle Ray was the man until he overdosed when I was thirteen."
"Where'd you go?"
"Wherever." Jason pursed his lips together. Phoebe felt bad. She had started to realize that Jason reminded her of herself. His cocky personality, his horrible home life. If Phoebe had never met Dick and Wally on that one chilly day, she would probably be in prison at this point. "I was in foster care, in and out of the system. The streets mostly after that." Dick raised an eyebrow, causing Jason to chuckle. "It's not all bad."
Speaking up, Phoebe stayed content. "My parents were horrible people. I spent most of my childhood either hiding in the back of my closet or running away. If Dick hadn't found me, who knows what I would be doing right now."
Something didn't seem right to Jason. "You were never in the system?"
Phoebe shook her head no. "I had two parents living in the same house and I never thought to call the police, so everything seemed normal to the outside world."
"At least now we're living the dream," Jason smiled, as the three turned the corner onto another street. Both Dick or Phoebe didn't answer.
Approaching a small door with a sliding window on it, Phoebe could hear the club music playing inside. Dick knocked on the door, the small window immediately being opened by the man. Dick pulled out his Badge and ID, the man nodding okay to put the ID down.
"Is Clay Williams working tonight?" Dick asked, trying to be as nice as possible.
"VIP lounge." The man swung the door open, stepping to the side to let the three in. Dick was allowed in first, when Phoebe groaned, realizing she didn't have her ID on her.
"My ID isn't on me but I can assure you that my full name is Phoebe Grace Decker and my birthday is August fifteenth, nineteen ninety-two."
The man rolled his eyes and shrugged Phoebe out of the way. "Step aside, lady."
Phoebe scoffed and walked out of the door frame, standing next to Jason. Jason handed the man his fake ID, confused when he didn't get it back right away. "Is there a problem?"
"Robert Plissken? Nice try." The man laughed under his breath, handing Jason back the fake ID.
"Come on, man. Be cool." Jason groaned, as he wasn't allowed in. Dick laughed at the fact that the two weren't allowed in. "I'm nineteen!"
"Alright, just stay here. I'll be right back." Dick assured the two, still laughing at the fact Phoebe and Jason weren't allowed in. Dick walked away, allowing the man to close the door. he shook his head, annoyed at Phoebe and Jason's dumb excuses.
Jason groaned, walking away from the door. He leaned against the club's brick wall, crossing his arms. Phoebe shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing what to say. "First time trying to sneak into a club?"
"Yep."
Phoebe chuckled at Jason's answer. "It gets easier the more you do it." Looking down at the streets, an idea struck Phoebe. "I may have an idea."
The last thing Phoebe would thought she would be doing was sneaking into a club with a nineteen year old boy. Phoebe had taken Jason to the back of the club where the garbage was being taken out. On their toes leaning against the wall, Phoebe and Jason waited for the moment for the doors to open.
Finally after about five minutes, a man walked out with a load of garbage, leaving the door open behind him. Quickly, Phoebe motioned for Jason to follow her, trying to be as quiet as possible and they walked into the club.
"And we're in," Phoebe smiled, as her and Jason walked up the stairs that were right near the entrance. "See how amazing I am?"
"I would've thought of it," Jason rolled his eyes, reaching the top stairs.
Phoebe raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Mhm."
Looking down at her clothes, Phoebe was still wearing a washed out white tank top with sweatpants. God, she felt disgusting. She had been wearing the same clothes for over twenty-four hours.
Walking into the room, Jason looked like he was having the time of his life. A group of girls were standing around right where they had entered, their eyes all on Phoebe and Jason. Jason smiled and tried to flirt, walking around to the girls, trying to make small talk.
A girl who looked around Phoebe's age put a hand on Jason's chest. "Is this your girlfriend?" Her eyes flickered between Jason and Phoebe.
Feeling uncomfortable, Phoebe made up a lie. "Yeah, I am." Grabbing Jason's hand, Phoebe pulled Jason away from the girl. "Let's go, Jay."
Walking away, Jason grumbled words under his breath. "What was that for?" He asked, letting go of Phoebe's hand as they walked to the bar.
"Those girls were all over you and we have a mission." Phoebe shrugged. "They looked about my age. You're still a child."
"I'm not a child," Jason pouted, crossing his arms.
Phoebe widened her eyes at the way Jason was acting. "Really? 'Cause you seem like one to me."
The bar tender approached the two, causing Phoebe to turn around. Phoebe gave the bar tender a fake smile. "Hi, I'll have a Cosmopolitan and get a Margarita for my friend." Phoebe nudged over to Jason, who waved at the bar tender. "Make it on the rocks."
The bar tender nodded, walking away to prepare the drinks. "You're welcome. You know I could get in a lot of trouble for buying alcohol for a kid under twenty-one."
"I think I'm fucking familiar," Jason murmured under his breath. Noticing a very pretty girl next to him, Jason picked up the girls drink and took a sip.
The woman turned around as Jason put the drink back down. Phoebe scoffed. She knew that he was just trying to get the girls number. "Hey!" The woman explained, causing Jason to shrug his shoulders. She had bleach blonde hair and very vibrant lipstick on.
"My bad, thought it was mine." Jason tried to play along, turning his back away from Phoebe and to the other girl. The bar tender came with Phoebe and Jason's drinks, Phoebe slipping the man twenty before he walked away. "Let me buy you another one."
A man, who Phoebe supposed to be even older than her stood up and inched closer to Jason. "What the fuck are you doing?"
Standing up straight, Phoebe rolled his eyes and took a sip of her drink, knowing what was about to go down. "And here we go."
"I'm sorry, Mumford." Jason eyed the man up and down. He was much taller than Jason and had some weird beard going on. "Did you say something?"
"Do you want me to kick your ass?"
Jason smirked, Phoebe noticing that Jason was starting to crack his knuckles. "I want you to try."
"Jason don't-" Phoebe tried to warn the boy, but was cut off by Jason pushing the man back. The crowd gasped, all eyes on them. Watching the fight break out, the man pushed Jason pack. In the corner of her eye, Phoebe watched as Dick walked over to the fight.
Jason twisted the mans arm to which he couldn't move, a psychotic smile on his face. "Let's do this."
Stepping in between the two, Dick pushed Jason away from the man. "Let's not."
"Back the fuck off. I got this."
Phoebe scoffed and glared the boy down. "No you don't-"
Everything was cut off by an explosion, causing all of the windows to shatter. Ducking down, Phoebe's first instinct was to push Jason out of reach from doing anything reckless. Dick then turned to his friend Clay who had been right behind him quickly.
"Clay, call nine one one." The alarm started to blare over all of the shouting, making the situation worse.
Standing up, Phoebe helped the woman that Jason had tried to hit on get up. "Are you okay, ma'am?" The woman shook her head yes, when Phoebe noticed the shard of glass in the woman's leg. Phoebe helped the woman up, swinging her arm around her shoulder for support. "We're going to get you outside."
As everyone headed for the door, Phoebe trudged the woman along with Dick and Jason out the door. Reaching the outside, Phoebe let the woman down on the sidewalk as that's where she had told Phoebe to put her.
A car had exploded from outside the club, causing Phoebe to sigh. Turning to Dick, she shrugged her shoulders. "A distraction?"
Not answering, Dick's phone started to ring from who he assumed to be Clay. Putting it on speaker, Dick held it up for the three to hear. "Clay you okay?"
Phoebe's eyes widened when she didn't hear Clay's voice over the phone. "No, he isn't. It's good to finally talk to you, Dick Grayson. You arrived right on schedule."
Phoebe and Jason exchanged looks, having no idea who was on the phone. "Who are you?" Dick questioned, fear in his voice as he spoke.
"You know."
Dick's eyes widened at the realization of who it was. "That's not possible."
"Why not?"
Dick pursed his lips before answering. "Because you're dead."
"You must be thinking of my father."
"Where's Clay?" Dick was cut off by the phone being cut off, angering Dick.
"Who the hell was that?" Jason asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Phoebe nodded along with Jason, absolutely clueless.
Dick started to walk down the street, causing Phoebe and Jason to follow him. "I killed his father."
"The guy who murdered your parents?" Jason questioned, as the two caught up to Dick. "That's a win either way you look at it. One less scumbag on the face of the planet. Man, that must've felt awesome."
Pursing his lips, Dick looked at the concrete below him. "Yeah, that's the problem."
Furrowing an eyebrow, Phoebe was confused. "Wait I don't ever remember this. When did this happen?"
"Around the time you left," Dick replied, the answer feeling like a dagger going through Phoebe's heart. When she was in fucking Wally's world. Turning around, Dick started to snap at Jason, causing the three to stop. "You want my advice? Don't be Robin. All those years Bruce was helping me? He was turning me into a weapon, his weapon. And he may have you convinced that you can get everything you ever wanted, but you can't unlearn what he teaches you and you can't control it. Believe me, the price is too high."
Phoebe could see the hurt in Jason's eyes from Dick's words. As what she had figured out, Jason saw Dick as somebody to look up to. Hearing that from his idol was not something he wanted to hear. Dick's phone chimed, informing that he had gotten a text message. Opening the message, it was from an unknown number. The picture showed Clay, knocked out in the backseat of a truck.
'Want to save him?' A message popped up from the number.
Dick sighed as he began to type back. 'Where and when?'
'One hour. I'll be in touch.'
Turning to Phoebe and Jason, Dick grabbed onto Phoebe's arm, pulling the girl to his side. "We gotta go."
"We?" Phoebe asked, Dick shrugging off the comment as he let go of her arm.
"Where?" Jason stepped forward as Phoebe and Dick had started to walk away.
"I gotta take care of this by myself. Phoebe's just there in case something goes wrong."
Dick started to walk away, causing Phoebe to look between Jason and Dick. Looking back at Jason, Phoebe let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Jason." Turning away, Phoebe caught up to Dick.
"Let's blow this Popsicle stand," Phoebe muttered as both her and Dick approached their outdated car.
unedited
sorry i haven't updated in over a week-