Chapter Text
Joy had a choice to make.
It was the day after Red Hood had called her to the Monarch Theater with a stab wound. She’d turned off her alarms and slept until hunger woke her, and now she was staring at her phone over a plate of eggs and potatoes.
How would she label Red’s contact info?
He’d called her, so his number was right there on screen. She didn’t know if it was a burner phone or used just when he was out as Red Hood or a personal cell; she was going to save the number regardless. But with what name?
Red Hood was right out. So was Red or Hood or anything similar. Couldn’t have anyone look over her shoulder and clock a vigilante in her contacts. Labeling him as Stab Victim would raise more questions than not.
There were a few names she instantly rejected the moment they popped into her head. If any of her friends at work saw Hottie McThighs listed they would never shut up. Besides that just being embarrassing and inappropriate.
Maybe if she used something they’d talked about? Like… Peter Pan?
Yeah, that could work.
She typed it into the name slot and hit done before tossing her phone on the table to finish eating.
Except.
“Oh shit!”
Her fork clattered on the plate as she scrambled to hit ‘End Call’ before it finished ringing - her finger must have slipped and tapped the call button by mistake - but she wasn’t fast enough.
“Hello? Nurse Joy?”
That wasn’t Red’s voice. It was too young. But they knew her name? She must have already been listed in his contacts. Which was a nice feeling amid the panic.
“Hello?” the voice repeated. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
“No! No I’m fine! I’m okay.” Her heart was thumping fast enough to feel, but she didn’t want to cause this kid any alarm. “Sorry, I called by accident.”
“That’s a relief,” the young voice said. “Glad you’re not in danger. I’d have to call in outside help right now and that would take time. In fact, try to be extra aware and careful for the next week or so.”
“Uh, yeah sure, um.” How was Joy supposed to respond to that? “Actually… who am I talking to? This isn’t the voice I thought would answer.”
The kid laughed.
“This is Robin.”
“Oh! You’re alive! I mean,” she quickly added, “I knew you were alive. Red told me you were healing well yesterday, but it’s nice to hear you speak.”
“Guess I wasn’t very verbose on the operating table, was I?”
That made her laugh in return, and her shoulders relaxed. She rested her elbows on the table as her heart calmed.
“Most people aren’t,” Joy responded. “But, uh, why do you have Red’s phone?”
“He’s grounded.” Robin sounded smug. “I took all his work phones. He gets to keep his personal cell for emergencies and games during recovery, but that idiot would 100% try to work while on bed rest.”
“You…” Joy was trying to mentally catch up. “You grounded your older brother?”
“Yup!” Robin popped the p.
“Robin,” Joy said in her most serious voice, “That is hilarious.”
“Thank you!!” His delighted giggle was infectious. “Oh I knew I’d like you. Ooh ooh!! I need to know. While I’ve got you here, what Pokémon are you?”
“Parasect.”
“Wait… really?”
“Don’t you disrespect.” Joy knew the kid couldn’t see her face, but she glared at her plate of now-cold breakfast.
“No no! No disrespect!” Robin rushed his words. “It’s just that was a really fast answer and I didn’t expect it. Like, I know Chansey or Blissey would be too obvious, but you are Nurse Joy, ya know?”
She shrugged and picked up her fork again to stab a chunk of potato. “I answer this question at least twice a week when kids come into the ER. They learn my name and it’s the first thing they ask. Talking about Pokémon is a good way to distract them, too. They’re always interested in hearing about how Parasect is used to make medicines.” She popped the food in her mouth and talked around it. “And I always thought of Chansey as more like the doctors. Every Nurse Joy runs around doing the actual work and Chansey just delivers the finished product.”
That made Robin snort. “Now who’s being disrespectful?”
“They can buy my respect with equal pay and more legwork.”
“Point made.”
“So what about you?”
“Me?” Robin sounded confused.
“Which Pokémon are you?”
“Oh. Uh… I’ve never really thought about it?”
“You don’t have a favorite Pokémon but you had a desperate need to know mine?” She took a bite of cold eggs.
“Okay, see, wait. Look at this from my perspective. Nightwing drags Red Hood through the door in the wee hours of the morning, blood-loss-loopy and obviously medicated, claiming that Nurse Joy healed him. Nightwing had to explain to me you were a real person and not just a hallucination, but not before I asked Hood what Pokémon he thought he was before passing out.”
Joy nearly choked on another bite of breakfast, and quickly chugged some water to keep from coughing.
“Now I’m talking to an actual real-life Nurse named Joy who Hood trusts enough to show his face, which is wild I’ll have you know, and the way Nightwing told it you’re a really cool person, so I just thought it would be fun if…” Robin’s voice faltered a bit, turned shy, “If you and Hood had complimentary types. It’d be cute, you know?”
Oh god what kind of life did I get myself into? Joy thought as she pushed her plate away and lay her forehead on the tabletop to cool the blush forming.
She was casually chatting with Robin the Child Vigilante about Pokémon and Red Hood the Drug Lord, who she was trying very hard not to have a crush on, and now she was being told the family thought she was not only cool and trustworthy, but Red’s little brother had implied they were gonna be a cute couple if a mythos of animated monsters aligned in their favor.
I’m so screwed.
Robin was saying something about how opposites work well together when a new voice spoke.
“Hey buddy, who’re you talking to?”
“NO ONE!!”
Joy held her breath as sounds of muffled fumbling could be heard. Then muffled talking and muffled laughter.
“Hello Nurse Joy,” Nightwing said clearly through the phone’s speaker. “It’s nice to know you got home safely.”
“Please don’t get Robin in trouble!” Joy blurted out. “I called by accident and then we just started talking and it’s not his fault!”
Nightwing just laughed again.
“He’s not in trouble. Don’t worry.”
“Oh. Good,” she sighed.
“But it is time for lunch and then his physical therapy, so I’m afraid we need to cut this conversation short.”
“Wait!” Robin shouted. They must have put her on speaker phone because both voices were clear now. “I was gonna tell her what Pokémon Hood is! Hey,” Robin seemed to interrupt himself, and asked, “What Pokémon are you?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Nightwing asked in return.
“Uh… Lucario?” Robin asked.
“What?! No! Why would you think that?”
“Cuz the colors match and you’re a fighting type.”
“No! Boo! I’m Talonflame. Definitely a flying type. Fletchling is the robin Pokémon but I’m not Robin anymore. I evolved.”
“That’s so basic.”
Nightwing gasped in mock shock, “How dare you! My own family calling me basic!”
Joy tried to hide her giggling behind her free hand.
“You drink iced coffee year-round and wear Uggs with leggings and hoodies,” Robin added, as if making his point.
“Look in the mirror lately? At least I have the excuse of being bisexual. What’s yours?”
“Holyshit,” Joy choked through her laughter. “You know I’m still here right?”
“Yeah,” Nightwing answered casually.
“I think Hood has evolved too,” Robin said in a thoughtful voice, as if he hadn’t just been bickering with his brother. “Cuz he said he was Charmander, right? And that origin story fits his early years really well, but since he got back to Gotham he’s more like when Charmeleon got all angry and disobedient, don’t you think?”
“Hm,” Nightwing sounded like he didn’t want to agree or disagree, and Joy suddenly felt like she was intruding. What she’d just learned was dangerously close to personal information, and Red had made it clear while she was stitching him up last night that he didn’t want her to know about his civilian life.
Nightwing was allowed to say anything he wanted about himself, but knowing he was bi wouldn’t clue her into his personal life. What Robin had just dropped was a lot of emotional baggage she wasn’t meant to hear.
“Hey, uh, guys?” she tried not to sound awkward and failed. “I’m gonna go and let you get to your lunch.”
“Oh!” Robin sounded disappointed. “Well okay then. It was really nice meeting you though!”
She smiled. He was such a sweet kid.
“It was nice to meet you as well, Robin. Good luck with your physio.”
“Thanks!”
“Have a good day,” Nightwing added. “And stay out of trouble.”
“I can’t, it’s Gotham. Bye!”
She hung up before they could answer, and then stared at her phone.
Peter Pan, it said on screen.
Peter Pan was the story of a boy who loved life; be it story-telling with Wendy, fighting with Pirates, or eating as much as his little body could handle before passing out to sleep deep in a pile of furs. That boy lived in a magical world, seeking out danger when he wanted it, playing games and ignoring negative emotions like the plague, refusing to grow up and accept the hardships of life.
But Charmander’s story was the opposite. He had been abandoned by a harsh and abusive Pokémon trainer, left in the rain to die alone. Loyal near to death. Ash had rescued him and helped him get strong, but that happened too fast - he evolved into Charmeleon before Ash had enough experience to handle the new power level, and they had some troubled times before learning to understand each other in this new stage of life.
All the little things she’d learned about Red last night were clicking together like the edges of a puzzle. Cornerstones meeting longer links. She didn’t have a full picture, but what she had already said a lot.
His childhood was a bad one. Then he was adopted by Batman and things got a lot better. A big change put distance between them that made communication difficult enough the whole family felt it. He had anger issues but fought them, laughed while in pain, and gave hugs that said he knew what it was like to be alone.
The part of her that fell hard and fast was already clinging to the new information, while the scared and jaded girl of her childhood folded her arms and turned up her nose, waiting for enough info to know if she should run or not.
Joy sighed.
What have I got myself into? she thought for the second time that afternoon.
Well, there was only one decision she wanted to make today.
She erased Peter Pan as the contact name.
And wrote Charizard instead, adding Work Phone underneath.
It was a name that hoped for a better future. One where Red would evolve into someone with better self control and emotional strength, find where his loyalties lay, and accept the people trying to help him with love and peace… while still retaining a level of sass and mischief.
And maybe she would get burned in the process, but hey, she was Nurse Joy for a reason.