Work Text:
Silence.
The apartment sits in an empty silence, night of Gotham echoing outside the window as you sit and write your commission, candle fluttering with the room, warmth in your chest. The light from your screen starts to strain your eyes, but you fight to finish it tonight, desperate to edit tomorrow and not do anything of the such. You've closed commissions for the time being, your finals just another pain in your ass.
You finish the last line, making sure it saves as you hear your window open and the sound of someone entering.
"First aid kit's on the left of your arm, Night." You continue watching the circle spin, the document trying to save.
"How'd you know it was me?" Dick blinks slowly, noticing your back is facing him.
"You always take the longest to actually enter the window and land on the ground. You also land quietly." You close your laptop when the document finishes saving. "Do you need my help?"
"Nothing big. I think I didn't eat enough for dinner. Got anything I can run on?"
"Tim and I ordered pizza for dinner." You point at the fridge, adjusting your seating. "Is he alright?"
"He's fine." He walks over, microwaving the slice, tapping on the counter. "What does Tim sound like?"
"Tim doesn't use any door or window." You shrug.
"Huh?"
"Trade secret." You yawn. "Pizza's ready."
Dick takes it out, chewing on it as he watches Tim step out of your bedroom, suit off, shirtless, and in his boxers.
"What are you doing here?" He raises a brow. "Is that the last slice?!"
"One more." You yawn. "Freezer, bottom drawer. Though, I'd recommend you to eat something light like the soup I made for dinner. You might wake up with a disgusting taste in your mouth."
"Soup it is." He sighs. "Anything else we got?"
"Frozen sticky rice dumplings." You mumble. "I think I have tteotboki in the pantry too. Don't have something spicy that causes acid reflux too."
"I'll be fine." He grumbles. "I'll just have the soup."
"Wait, Timmers." Dick pauses. "She cooks?"
"She cooks because she gets terribly homesick super often." Tim yawns. "Everything in the freezer is homemade."
"Can I bring some home?"
"There's a bag of dumplings with your name on them in the freezer." You sneeze, wrapping the blanket around you further. "Birdie, can you take me to bed?"
Tim puts the soup onto the kitchen island, walking over to wrap his arms around you, lifting you off the couch, blanket still on.
"Close the window before you leave, please." You point at Dick, eyes fluttering from exhaustion. Dick nods as you disappear from view.
Tim comes out a few minutes later, placing the bowl in the microwave as Dick finishes the last of his pizza.
"Do you know where the dumplings are?"
Tim pulls open the freezer, eyes running up and down the drawers before pulling one out, tossing a bag to Dick.
"Oh, she made a different filling for me?" Dick gasps. "My favorite!"
"She did?"
"It's labeled specifically."
"Are you returning to the manor?"
"No. I'm heading to my apartment here. Why?" Dick adjusts his mask.
"She has a bag for each person in the family, but she doesn't have time to send it to you guys this week." Tim clicks his tongue. "They're good for three months, but it's finals season, which means she's going to start stress cooking."
"I'll let Babs know to send someone to collect it."
"Mhm." Tim shuts the window as Dick jumps off, soaring into the darkness.
𓅫
You blink slowly at the TV, limbs stretched out, exhaustion everywhere in your body. You're supposed to be asleep by now. Tim would probably scold you when he comes back, but that's not the point. You're watching a new show. Your two blorbos are about to kiss. Everything is going so well. It's going great. As the two lean in for the kiss, the window to the living room slides open with a hard thud, and you ignore it. You figure you know who he is.
"Jason, if you leave mud tracks on my wood floor again I'm going to pull the gun on you next time."
"Well, damn." He rolls his eyes, pulling his helmet off, kicking off his boots.
"What are you here for?" You mumble, eyes still glued to the screen.
"One of the kids wanted the Yakult you always buy. Where is it?"
"My side of the fridge, drinks area, so on the door."
Jason walks over, grabbing a pack, fishing out a twenty from his pocket, ready to leave it on the counter.
"If I see a twenty on the counter I'm going to kick you in the face." You sigh, stretching your arms as the episode finally finishes. "If it's for the kids, I told you it's free."
"I still feel bad—"
"You can pay me back by taking the dumplings to the manor for me." You stand up, tossing the blanket to the side, pulling open the freezer, and throwing a bag of dumplings at him. Jason catches it, blinking at the different colored dumpling skins.
"What's the colors for?"
"Your kids like colorful ones." You sit on the ground, digging through the other bags. "They said they wanted to try rainbow dumplings next time. Also, take Damian and Duke's dumplings to the manor for me, will you?"
"What about Cass, Steph, and Babs?" He takes the two bags from you.
"I'm meeting up with them in a couple of days for coffee." You wave your hand at him, pushing the freezer closed. "Do you need a bag?"
"Would be nice."
You reach over to the cabinet, rummaging through the bags to pull out a plastic bag. "This good?"
"I can not understand how you know everything is, but thank you." Jason bags everything, holding a hand to help you get up. "You need me to help you back to bed?"
"It's fine." You wave your hand, yawning. "I can go myself."
Jason leaps from the window after putting everything back on, wind fluttering with his exit.
You shut the window, pulling yourself back to bed with the dragging of your legs.
𓅫
You sleep on the couch, curled into a ball, waiting for Tim to get back while the window slides open gently. Slow steps make their way over to you, looming over your sleeping figure, and you turn to face the back of the couch, grumbling. The figure continues staring,
"I require sustenance."
"Dig through the freezer yourself, Dami." You doze off again, leaving Damian to look through the fridge himself.
His dumplings had been finished way too fast. Maybe he should sit down and watch you make them next time so he could make them himself— though, it never tasted right when he tried making the dumplings. So, as he pulls open your drawer, the ice hitting him, he looks through all the plastic bags with labels. He can't have much of it, too much of it having meat. But, he pauses at the red bean sticky rice dumplings, pulling them out, asking Oracle how to cook them. He has no idea if you even have a steamer.
"You can just toss it into the microwave for a minute." She hums. "Can you bring me some?"
"Aren't these raw?"
"No??" Oracle sounds equally confused. "Robin, she cooks all of them before she tosses them into the freezer."
"But the dumplings are never cooked."
"Because they store better when uncooked."
Damian grumbles as he puts one inside the microwave, holding his breath as it spins slowly, pulling it out and unwrapping the lotus leaf, exhaling when it's cooked and tastes fine. He wonders if there's some sort of trick to heating rice, though. Maybe there was and he just didn't know. He didn't have enough rice in the manor to know. He misses the food he used to have. At least it seemed that you could quell your homesickness with your own cooking.
"Is it good?"
"I will bring you an uncooked one." Damian tucks one into his belt, and Oracle sighs.
"Close the window before you leave."
"I'm awa-"
Damian's neck snaps towards the noise in the hall, exhaling when it's only Tim.
"I'm sending the rest of the dumplings with you too." Tim grumbles, pulling the freezer open again, fishing out a plastic bag from under the sink, and shoving them all in. "Pretty bird figured you would drop by again tonight so she made you extras." Tim drops a new bag of dumplings for Damian first, followed by Oracle's batch. "Thank her next time you see her."
"Drake, if you do not marry her I will." Damian threatens, half seriously, half as a joke. He doubts his brother would let you get away.
"I'd kill you before you'd have that chance." Tim kicks the door closed, handing the bag to Damian as he ties it, mumbling.
"Oracle says she wants to come over for dinner."
"Have them figure that out." Tim sighs. "I need to get her into our bed, and you need to get out."
"Can I come over when she makes dumplings next time?"
"I'll let her know." Tim shoos Damian out the window, locking it as Damian disappears. He tends to you next, fingers wrapped around your skin, pressing your head to his chest as you shift slightly.
"Birdie?"
"Yeah," He whispers. "Go back to sleep. Damian left already."
You wrap your arms around his neck, whispering. "Did he take his new bag?"
"He did." Tim presses a kiss to your temple. "Sleep well."
"Night night." You whisper, eyes closing again.
𓅫
There's a crash outside the window that the vigilantes usually enter through, and your body freezes for a moment when you remember Tim isn't home.
You wonder if you need the gun.
"Sorry!"
Duke's voice rings out instead as he crawls through the window, his suit clanking as he steps on the mat, his helmet removed. "I think I broke something outside."
"Was it something blue?" You raise a brow, looking at your phone. Yeah, he texted.
"No. It was ceramic?" He winces.
"My neighbor's stuff. Just leave him an autograph or something. He's in love with Signal." You close your laptop, turning your attention to him, smiling. "Need something?"
"B said Tim has a file that he forgot here? I was sent because—"
"Because you're the only one who doesn't trash the place, I know." You get up and toss him the USB on your lap, taking him to the kitchen next. "Is it urgent? Did you get your dumplings?"
"Not quite, and thank you, a lot." He smiles. "It was really good."
"That's good to hear. Any requests?" You raise a brow at him, handing him a drink from the fridge.
"You know any... actually, nevermind."
You pause. "Homesick?"
"Miss them. A lot." he mumbles.
You hum. "I know that feeling. We should all cook in the manor sometime, but all of you are so busy."
"We could cook during Thanksgiving."
"I heard you're all banned from the kitchen." You pull a plate from the fridge, slipping it into the microwave, prying a piece of ice from the fridge to place on top of the rice.
"We are." Duke winces. "You could cook and we could watch?"
You laugh as you start the microwave. "Let me know when B starts rushing you. If he does, have Oracle send someone to come and get the drive. I need you to taste this."
"Did you cook it?"
"No, but I ordered takeout from it because one of my friends told me to get food there." You pull the plate out, tossing the ice cube into the sink. "Try it. I'm not sure how close it is to the food that you used to have at home, but she did say—"
Duke trusts you more than he should, taking the spoon from you as he takes a bite of the food, and it causes him to freeze.
"You're a witch."
"Honored." Your lips pull upward in amusement. "Is it good?"
"You didn't try it?"
"I had two bites of her dinner, but I wasn't that hungry."
"You need to eat, you know." Duke hums. "What's the place's name?"
You pull a notepad from a drawer, and Duke stares at you as if you're magical to some degree. You have everything everywhere. You have what you need always at a hand's length. It's so strange. It was almost as if you were capable of magic to some degree.
"This place." You scribble the name down and send him the address on your phone at the same time. "My order was custom, so I can write that down too?"
"Oh, yes." Duke is halfway done with the dish, stars in his eyes. "You're like, an angel. Has anyone told you that?"
"Damian says that a lot, actually." You purse your lips in amusement. "How's school?"
"I'm surprised they're letting me graduate with all my absences."
"Daddy's money talks." You shrug, clicking on your phone as you text Babs back. "Oracle's asking for you."
"Oh, tell her I'm sorry for taking my helmet off." He reaches for it, not before stealing a final bite of the food. "I'll be right back."
"You wanna finish the rest?" You look up from your phone. "Tim can fetch the flash drive, or you can bring it when you finish."
"Are they in a rush?"
"I can lie to Babs." You click to call her.
Duke reminds himself quietly to not get on your bad side. The way Babs didn't even question your lie was appalling. (Did you lie to Tim like this too?) Even when you send him off with a wave, a quieter part of him is a little scared.
𓅫
Cass comes and goes like a cryptid.
The window opens and closes swiftly, and a flash of black appears behind you, towering over your shoulder as you continue playing your game of Tetris.
"Snowflake crackers are in the same drawer." You hear another flash of fabric and the opening of your pantry door, the closing of it, and an extra cracker being placed next to you on the couch as she watches you play the game.
"Where's Tim?"
"Out cold." You pause the game, turning to look at her. "You want something else? Did you finish your dumplings?"
"Bruce ate some of mine." She mumbles. "I'm hungry."
"Want me to boil some for you?"
"Do you have soup?"
"I have egg drop soup?" You wince. "I made it this morning."
"Please." She mumbles. "I'm hungry."
You heat her a bowl and then one of your own, the two of you seated at the island, bliss on both of you's faces.
God, that's good soup.
Your door opens with the sound of keys, and neither of you move. You recognize the sound, so you don't bother to, and Cass knows the footsteps, so she doesn't either.
"Hi!" Steph grins. "I'm hungry— oh, hey Cass!"
"Hey hungry, I'm—"
"Don't finish that." She sticks her tongue out at you. "Got any food? I ran out of dumplings."
"Are you guys eating it like it's your last meal on earth or something?" You frown. "I have egg drop soup."
"That works." Steph gives you a thumbs up, taking your seat as you go to get her a bowl.
"So? Is being hungry the only reason you're here?" You raise a brow.
"No." She shrugs. "But I was hungry."
"Am I being told tea or something serious?" You raise a brow as you pop open the microwave. "Also, what's with all of you and crashing into my place? Aren't you guys on duty?"
"Gotham can live a couple minutes without their vigilantes." Cass points. "Thank you for the soup."
"Mhm." You start the microwave. "Steph?"
"Tea." She grins. "You know your friend? The one who got mad at the guy in your group for using her?"
"When she wasn't used? Yeah?" You raise a brow, leaning on the counter.
"Saw her making out with a guy twice her age on my way here."
"NO." You gasp.
"Yeah. I think it was the guy she hooked up with online."
"The software developer?!"
"Yeah."
You shudder. "I hope she finds peace soon."
"Honestly!" Steph whines. "What's with your poor taste in friends?!"
"I didn't meet her on my own." You take the soup out, placing a spoon in as you place it in front of Steph. "Friend's friend."
"Tsk." She pouts. "So? What about you, Cass?"
You tilt your head at her.
"I saw her arguing with your guy friend two nights ago at a club." She pauses. "Apparently he has a crush on someone and she called her terrible and they started arguing."
You place a hand over your mouth, gasping.
"OH, and—"
God, did you love having the girls over.
𓅫
Batman breaks into your apartment rarely.
So, the landing of different feet causes you to pause your show.
You pause at the sight of Batman himself.
"Am I... intruding?" You raise a brow.
"Flash drive." He blinks at you, and you pull it from your pocket, tossing it at him.
"Would you like something to eat?" You pause. Bruce looks a little more intimidating with his cowl and suit on, despite knowing that the same man would fight his kids tooth and nail for a bag of dumplings from you.
He shakes his head.
"Thank you."
and he's gone.
𓅫
"Your dad visited the other day." You push your glasses up as you stare at Tim.
"What?" He blinks at you, hand halfway shoved up his shirt. "Why?"
You shrug. "Asked me for the flash drive and I tossed it to him."
"You had two?"
"I gave Duke the wrong one." You pause. "The one with all of my Red Robin photos."
"You use a flash drive for my photos?!"
"Look, an SD card can only fit so many photos in it." You sigh. "They didn't get any of the photos, if you were asking. They tried hacking it but failed." You pause. "Maybe I should go into compsci—"
"You'd die."
"I would." You kick one leg over the other, stretching your arms as you lean back into the couch. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Alfred told us to go over for dinner."
"Can we grapple?" You blink at him, eyes wide.
"Yeah." Tim sighs. "Let me get my suit on." He pauses at the bag on the counter. "Speaking of which, how do you tell the difference between all my siblings?"
"Jason usually breaks something on accident, either that or one of his kids comes in with muddy shoes. Damian always announces his arrival with a knock first. Duke texts me before coming, and Steph uses the door. Cass comes and goes as she wills. Cryptid behavior." You pause. "And Dick takes the longest to land on the windowmat."
Tim shakes his head. "Alright. Come on."
"Do they want anything from our fridge?"
"Don't ask them that. They're going to—"
"I'll just bring sticky rice dumplings." You pause. "That's enough, right?"
"I'm not sitting through you making that another time!" He calls from the room.
"Too bad." You yell back. He'd do it anyway.