Being Robin Gives Me Magic

It meant a lot, honestly.

“Get a sample for us to take back to the Batcave. Then destroy the rest. The PD has a lot of guys on payrolls. And the last few times we turned drugs over to them, Black Mask’s men had them circulating within days.” Jason recalled.

He finished sabotaging the guns, and found the shipment manifest, grabbing that as additional evidence.

“Right. You’ve dragged us halfway across the world for a chat, so what do you lot actually want? You don’t normally ring people up for tea and a gossip about your nan, so summat’s up, and whatever it is, you need me for it.”

He flicked at the lighter, swore when it wouldn’t catch, then got a spark at last and took a drag.

“So what’s that bad you’ve had to drag me over from Cottonopolis for it, then? What can’t you lot sort yourselves?”

He checked his phone again. Still nothing from Tim, which was odd. They weren’t joined at the hip over messages, but Tim usually got back to him. Saburo set the phone down and gave the lot of them another look.

Young Justice.

Because giving teenagers superhero responsibilities was obviously a cracking idea, thought up by the same spandex-wearing pricks who made the first lot. They’d built themselves a little club for their kids, their sidekicks, and whoever else kept hanging round the edges.

Jason slowly followed the others in. Cassie, Connor, Bart, Greta, Cissi, and Slobo. He looked up quietly as the others all stood around, giving him the cold shoulder. The redhead hung his head as he knew this was just going to be another time he was expected to stay quiet and just let the older heroes talk.

Cassie spoke first, a sad smile at Saburo. “Hey Saburo. Sorry it’s been so long, the team has kind of been in turmoil in recent months. A lot has happened with us. As I am sure it has with you.” She began.

Connor adjusted his sun glasses. “She means we got the short end of the stick. Tim bit the dust and now we are baby sitters to this brat wonder when Batman has had enough of dealing with his incompetence.”

“Yeah. He is so slow at learning this detective thing. And Bruce barely waited before giving some new kid Tim’s role.” Bart hissed.

Slobo just nodded, his head in agreement. Still not really having much to say about this. Just knowing his friends didn’t like this kid was enough for him.

“We want you to try and bring Tim back from the dead.” Greta spoke. Her eyes not on Jason who still remained silent the entire time. “He is Robin, not this imposter. He is our friend, not this invader. He is our fearless leader, this is some kid playing dress up.”

“You wanted a contest? All you had to do was ask magic man.” Jason teased as he did some measure ups. Instead of throwing it with anger, he did a quick wind up skip and watched how the rock bounced. “You’re movie magic man.”

He did digest what Saburo meant. “So cults have a long history of you fighting them. I think that makes it better honestly, you are such a good friend to have when it gets scary from what Damian said.”

“Right. Bruce says to be careful with giving trust out. He gets so paranoid about things. But then again, after what happened to Tim I guess he has every right to be.” He sighed. “So I do need to be more careful.”

His face grimed as Saburo mentioned that. “You are right. Maybe I should find other young heroes and form my own thing. Far away from Tim’s Young Justice League and no not reforming Damian’s Black Ops as they called themselves. You seemed to be adjacent to them and Young Justice League.” Jason sighed then.

“Bruce is one to talk. How often is he arguing with the rest of the league?” Jason asked bitterly as he skipped another stone, using a slightly different technique.

“But you are right. Bruce does like things in neat boxes. Sometimes I wish his personal box was bigger.” Jason sighed and shook his head as their conversation continued.

“And yeah. They can’t move past Tim. Always comparing me to him, always wanting to wake up from a nightmare. But that isn’t how life works.”

He clenched his hand around his mom’s cross. “Because I know better than anyone that someone lost won’t come back. And maybe that is for the best.” He missed his mom, and would move to see her again. Just to tell her that he was doing okay. But that wouldn’t happen.

“I guess you miss your parents too, so you know all to well. In ways many of them were not ready for.” He sighed as he skipped another stone.

I lean back from my laptop with a quiet sigh, eyes still lingering on the surveillance footage paused on the screen before I push myself up and head into the kitchen. The apartment is dim except for the glow from my desk lamp and the city lights bleeding through the rain-streaked windows of my Gotham Heights place.

“I’m telling you, the timing’s too clean.”

I say, opening the fridge while Jason keeps questioning the case from somewhere behind me.

“Three break-ins in one week, all near the same underground access routes? That’s coordinated.”

I grab a container of mixed greens and set it on the counter.

“And Condiment King doesn’t suddenly become a criminal mastermind overnight.”

I’m wearing black joggers and a worn gray tank top with an oversized flannel hanging open over it, my glasses perched low on my nose while my hair’s twisted into a messy knot that’s barely holding together anymore.

I start pulling ingredients from the fridge one by one: crisp romaine, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, avocado, grilled chicken, feta cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette I made yesterday. Fresh. Actual food. The kind that doesn’t come wrapped in greasy paper or require a tetanus shot afterward.

I glance back toward Jason with a small smirk.

“I’m making salad, which I know violates at least six of your personal beliefs.”

I grab a cutting board and shake my head.

“In all seriousness you should let me cook something next time. Alfred taught me so much.” He had ideas, and he was sure that Barbra would love some of them. Especially the sautéed vegetables that Alfredo worked so hard to teach Jason to make.

“I like non-life span shortening food too. I just prefer to have food with taste. It’s why I really like curry.” He told her.

The rain, still nistolgia inducing. The boy’s mind kept wandering back to nights with his parents finally not arguing for once, the vague shape of Sparky, the warmth of a blanket and the rare treat of hot coco and marshmallows.

Oh well, no room for that sentimentality right now.

They had to get to the bottom of these robberies. That was for sure. They were a massive threat to Gotham that were slipping through the cracks while Bruce obsessed over Joker and whatever threat the League had detected that had him away from Gotham for the night.

R’as and Deathstroke were the best leads they had. Unfortunately, that meant some big danger to both of them. The League of Assassins always added an unexpected element, and Deathstroke’s obsession with finally killing a superhero was sort of scary.

But R’as was most likely, especially with what was going on that he and Bruce had originally broken up.

“I stopped questioning our lives maybe two weeks in. If it isn’t him it’s some dude made of clay, a sociopath that larps as a clown, some guy in a ridiculous costume that likes riddles too much, a guy who is in a Freeze suit, a guy who dresses as a Scare Crow that made a fear toxin, even occasionally an undead zombie.” Jason shrugged. “But yeah, R’as puts all of them but Joker to shame.”

Jason could not blame Barbra for being tired.

“And he is always trying to set some scheme up in the background that he knows Bruce won’t approve of and will try to stop.” Jason shuttered some. These plans usually made some horrific explosions.

And yeah, it was definitely the over dramatic games the demon’s head as he called himself liked to play.

“It is. And whatever he is setting up, he is being careful. No evidence of planting bombs. So it involves what Bruce and I put in the evidence lock up.” Jason deduced.

“I’m getting better at this detective thing.” Jason beamed for a few moments in pride before getting serious again.

The lighting has Jason tense up. His eyes closed to try and remind himself that the storm outside was picking up. Yeah, he suddenly was not so disappointed about no patrol.

“Whatever the plan is, it terrifies the hell out of me. The fact they are so good at covering their steps.” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Oh dear.

“Yeah, find if out there.” He sighed and shook his head. “And that means some form of finding a way to investigate these sights. We could hit the streets. We just need to get the right things in our suits to make sure we don’t get so badly soaked we get sick.”

He stretched some.

“Well, you look like Dick, but given you are on top of the fridge, Ace is barking his head off at you, and you seem shocked to see a Cane Corso, you definitely aren’t the Dick Grayson I know.” The boy walked over and got a firm grip on Ace’s collar.

“Sit.” He commanded the dog before he made it sit down and he looked back up at the man.

“Now come on down here. We can figure out just what is going on. And if you try anything, I let go of Ace here’s harness.” (From @jaybinlad in his Young Justice verse).

"Well, either I'm from another universe, or last night was wilder than I thought." Dick stayed on top of the fridge, watching Ace and Jason like a hawk.

“That, and Dick won’t part with his duvet. At all.” He still had a firm grip on Ace’s collar as the dog emitted quiet growls.

commission for @femme-morte!

He decided to test his senses, tapping the steel beam he was on before grappling away. (For MAWS Superman from @jaybinlad )

"I could've swore I seen a stray cat here." Superman mutters to himself as he looks around, scratching his head with one finger.

He decided to test his senses, tapping the steel beam he was on before grappling away. (For MAWS Superman from @jaybinlad )

"I could've swore I seen a stray cat here." Superman mutters to himself as he looks around, scratching his head with one finger.

Robins are much more similar to each other than they seem

I lean back from my laptop with a quiet sigh, eyes still lingering on the surveillance footage paused on the screen before I push myself up and head into the kitchen. The apartment is dim except for the glow from my desk lamp and the city lights bleeding through the rain-streaked windows of my Gotham Heights place.

“I’m telling you, the timing’s too clean.”

I say, opening the fridge while Jason keeps questioning the case from somewhere behind me.

“Three break-ins in one week, all near the same underground access routes? That’s coordinated.”

I grab a container of mixed greens and set it on the counter.

“And Condiment King doesn’t suddenly become a criminal mastermind overnight.”

I’m wearing black joggers and a worn gray tank top with an oversized flannel hanging open over it, my glasses perched low on my nose while my hair’s twisted into a messy knot that’s barely holding together anymore.

I start pulling ingredients from the fridge one by one: crisp romaine, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, avocado, grilled chicken, feta cheese, and a lemon vinaigrette I made yesterday. Fresh. Actual food. The kind that doesn’t come wrapped in greasy paper or require a tetanus shot afterward.

I glance back toward Jason with a small smirk.

“I’m making salad, which I know violates at least six of your personal beliefs.”

I grab a cutting board and shake my head.

The rain gently hitting the apartment window. It took Jason places. He remembered the rare quiet nights at home, curled up on the couch with one of his early chapter books. Admittedly these memories were hazy, as he was still young enough to have had Sparky before the dog “mysteriously” vanished. He had a few theories.

Yeah, it was a bit too clean for Penguin. That made him even more nervous in all honesty. Someone this disciplined, that didn’t leave a lot of different options. And none were pleasant.

“You are right, it is really clean for Penguin. There are two more options I can think of. Both of which I would rather not face without Bruce being here.” He admitted as he stroked his chin in a way not to dissimilar from the way Bruce would.

“One possibility is Deathstroke. The big problem with the Deathstroke theory is that last anyone heard Dick and the Titans were dealing with him.” He sighed.

“The other is arguably worse. R’as could be trying another of his schemes to destroy Gotham. Because somehow that will convince Bruce to take over the league from him I guess? At least that is what he seems to think.” Jason sighed.

“No matter what it is a good thing you kept an eye on this. B has been stressing over Joker. He’s been active a lot lately. Maybe he’s in on whatever this is. Whoever it is, even if it isn’t anyone we know, likely knows Bruce will prioritize whatever the biggest threat is.” In most cases, that was indeed the clown prince of crime.

“Hopefully we can figure it out and have it dealt with before B is back. If there is one thing that I have learned, it’s that he’ll beat himself up if whatever this is was done under his nose.”