Chapter Text
Blood dripped onto the snow, coloring the cold white ground crimson red. Jason Todd slowly made his way through the backstreets of crime alley. Apparently some thugs had nothing better to do than to beat up a homeless kid. He was eleven for fucks sake! His mother just died last week and his father was rotting in prison...
As he stumbled through the thick snow and the cold wind crashed into him, he realized that he started to shiver uncontrollably. "Fuck.... its too cold..." he mumbled to himself, looking around for a way to get some warmth. His eyes landed on a car in the corner of the alley. A yellow beetle. The tires were broken and it looked run down, so it probably didn't belong to anyone. Jason walked over and pulled at the handle of the door, but nothing happened and Jason feared that his hands were too cold and shaking to pick the lock.
But then he heard a click and the door suddenly sprang open. Jason jumped in surprise and looked around, but there was no one nearby. He looked into the car and sighed. 'Please dont be a haunted ghost car' he thought to himself and then climbed into the back seat, laying down and curling up into a tight ball, happy that the cold wind couldn't reach him now. And before he realized it, he was asleep.
--
When Jason woke up, he felt warm. He blinked awake and saw snow falling down. So where was he if he was warm and dry? He sat up instantly and remembered the car, realizing that he was still in it. But for some reason, the heat was on in the car. Jason took a closer look, but no, the motor wast running. How was the heat working when there wasn't even a key? Who turned up the heat? And why? Was it really a ghost car?! Jason leaned forward and tapped against the steering wheel, but nothing happened. He saw a symbol in the middle that looked like a retro robot head, nothing he ever saw before. "You must be a really old car, huh..." he mumbled more to himself, before his stomach growled and he sighed. "Well, a guy has got to eat." He opened the door and stepped out into the snow, looking for some food to get. He took one last glance at the beetle and silently hoped that he could sleep the next night there as well.
--
"Just leave me alone!" Jason yelled.
"Come on kid. We just want to have some fun."
"Fuck you!"
"You stole from us!"
"You didn't pay for that food either. Stealing from a thief is not as bad as stealing from the rich." Jason grinned, but fear began to set inside of him. Fucking Gotham and the stupid people that live in it.
"Listen kid," one guy said and grabbed him by his collar ad Jason was dragged into the alley, "we dont mind sharing with you, if you are willing to pay." The man grinned at Jason, who looked around, but there was no one who could or would help him.
'Damn it! I almost made it without getting caught.' Jason thought as he saw the yellow beetle further back in the alley. He was pushed against the brick wall, one guy pinned him down, while the other held a tire iron in his hand.
"Let me go you assholes!" Jason yelled, but there were three guys and they were much older than Jason.
"Shut up, brat."
"No! You fucking-" Jason's eyes widened, but this time not because of the men. No, he saw the yellow car moving... not simply forward or backwards, but it... changed. Into a giant robot.
The men who held down Jason looked up in horror and gaped at the monster in front of them. The robot had a human-like form, but much taller, with all the parts of the car visible. Red eyes looked down at the men with and as the robot took a step forward, the thugs ran away as quick as possible, dropping their weapons and screaming in fear.
"The fuck is that?!"
"Just run!"
That left Jason alone against the brick wall, staring up at the big yellow robot. It was twice the size of a human and it's red eyes stared down at Jason, who quickly picked up the tire iron that one of the guys had dropped. The robot flinched back and held one of it's giant robot hands against his own neck, shielding it from Jason's hand.
"No no no, it's-..." Jason quickly let go of the tire iron and held out his bare hands to show that he is not looking for a fight. "I won't hurt you. I promise." He said and the robot's eyes became a soft blue. He let go of his neck and crouched down again, until Jason's hands were almost touching his metal head.
"Uhm... thanks..." Jason breathed out. "For saving me... again." He said and hesitated, but the robot stayed still and then Jason carefully touched the cold metal of the robots face and let out a small laugh. "I'm Jason." He said and tapped against his own chest. "Jason."
The robot made a small buzzing sound, but nothing more came out. It looked sad and tried to make more noise, but again only a low buzz was heard.
"Can't talk, huh? Well, you look and sound like a bee... a bumblebee. " Jason offered and the Robot- Bumblebee looked happier. "Thank you, Bumblebee. " Jason grinned and Bumblebee looked excited.
--
"These are my tires." The dark voice of the Batman grumbled.
"Oh come on! You can simply buy or build new ones, can't you?!" Jason knew it was bad to make the fucking Batman your enemy, but he wanted to help Bee.
"They are still mine." Batman said and sounded more tired than angry. But Jason still kept his guard up.
"But I need them!"
"What does a kid want with tires?"
"Well... they are for my friend..." Which wasn't a lie. Good job, Jason, because lying to the Batman would be bad.
The man looked at Jason with a calm face. "Can he not buy new ones?" He asked surprisingly calm.
"No."
"What if I give you the money-"
"No." Jason said and that made the Batman blink at him in surprise. "Even if I could buy them, how would I get them to my friend?"
"So your friend is close by?" Batman asked and looked from his bat-mobile further into the alley that led into nothing but the homes of rats.
"Yeah, and?" Jason snapped. "Not all of us can afford a mansion like Bruce Wayne or the Cobblepots."
"What is your name?"
"Huh?"
"Your name."
"Uh... Jason. Why? Want to call child service or the police?"
"No."
"No?"
"Look, Jason." Batman crouched down and looked into Jason's confused eyes and so the dark knight spoke in a much softer voice. "I want to help you and your friend. I know the Batman is associated with something dangerous and violent, especially in these parts of Gotham. But I truly want to help you. So if your friend is not a bad guy, then the three of us can all talk this through and I promise to help as best as I can. Alright?"
Jason looked down at his feet. "... he can't talk." Jason said in a quiet voice and Batman frowned.
"I'm sorry. But I'm sure we can-"
"He can't talk because he is not human." Jason interrupted him, still looking down, not wanting to look at the Batman, even though most of his face was covered anyway. But the silence was too long and Jason eventually looked up, only to see the man frowning at him with... worry.
"Can you bring me to your friend?"
Jason hesitated, but then he gave a small nod and walked further into the alley, followed by a huge dark shadow.
--
"Bee?" Jason said and looked at the yellow beetle in the corner. The Batman waited for someone to come out of the car that looked pretty run down. There were scratches and pumps on it and the tires were clearly broken, explaining why Jason wanted the bat-mobiles tired in the first place. "I- I brought a friend. He... he said he can help us." Jason said and gently touched the hood of the car. There was no reaction and everything was quiet around them. "It's fine. I promise. He won't hurt you. He is the Batman. I told you about him, remember?"
There was a low buzz coming from the car and Batman prepared for many things to happen, but not for the parts of the yellow beetle to suddenly move and transform into a robot.
The Dark Knight looked up at the robot in shock. He prepared to fight, thinking it was a trap, but the beetle simply crouched down and hid behind Jason, making himself as small as possible. Jason stood protectively in front of the robot, glaring at Batman.
"If you dare to hurt him, then I will fight you." He growled and raised the tire iron. The Batman simply blinked at the sight in front of him.
"Is it-"
"He." Jason interrupted. "His name is Bumblebee. He saved my life and-... he needs my help." Jason turned slightly towards his friend that looked at him with wide blue eyes. "His tires are busted, so he can't drive out of this alley, but he also can't just walk out. So..."
"So you stole tires from the nearest car, that you could easily get here." Batman finished and Jason grinned.
"Your fault for parking in a dark alley in the worst area in Gotham."
Then the Batman actually let out a chuckle. At first Jason thought he made a mistake and shouldn't have led the Batman to Bumblebee, but then the man held out his hand and Jason blinked at him confused.
"I know more about changing tires." He said and gestured at the tire iron in Jason's hand. "Get your friend to turn back into a car and he will have the best tires in all of Gotham."
"You are... helping us?" Jason asked.
Batman nodded. "Bumblebee shouldn't be cramped up in this alley. And you both look like you can use a good meal... or uhm...oil?" Batman said and tilted his head at Bumblebee, who looked between Jason and the man.
"You are offering to give us food?" Jason asked.
"I am offering you a home. Not an orphanage, don't worry. I know they are not all... not all of them are good... yet. And I guess you don't want to be separated form your friend. But I know someone who can take you in and won't say a word about Bumblebee. He can help you."
Jason thought for a moment and looked at Bee, who looked confused and unsure. "Promise no one will hurt him?"
Batman nodded. "I promise. You two will have a home."