Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Robin growls in annoyance as Joker cackles madly, diving around the corner to avoid yet another birdarang.

"Everything alright there, Robin?" Batman asks over the comm link.

"Joker is headed in your direction." Robin snaps, tensing when he hears pistols being cocked behind him. His eyes narrow as he turns to face the thugs, whipping out his birdarangs. "Don't let him get away."

"Don't stress out too much, Robin. You're going to give yourself an aneurism. You're far too young for that." The bird scoffs at the comment from his partner as he ducks out of the way of the bullets. He then jumps into the air, tossing the birdarangs at the thugs, disarming them. Robin grins darkly at the goon's shocked looks. In a matter of seconds, takes the thugs down, knocking them out easily.

Batman spots the Joker, and tries to cut him off, but his eyes widen when he sees a bright light flash in front of the Clown Prince.

"Well, it's been fun, Batsy, but it looks like my ride is here!" Joker cackles before stepping through the portal. Batman curses, trying to chase after him, but the portal was already starting to close. Thinking quickly, he throws a tracker through just before it vanishes completely. Robin drops down next to him, glaring up at his mentor.

"Useless! I told you not to let him get away!" Batman sighs heavily, pulling out his locating device.

"Will you relax? What I'm more concerned about is the fact that Joker just went through a mysterious portal. We need to find out where he went."

"If you would have been faster, we wouldn't have to worry about finding him." Batman's eye twitches with irritation before he glances down at his device. A wicked grin spreads across his face as Robin's face falls, knowing nothing good came from that look.

"Looks like we get to go on a field trip. Come on. Let's get back to the cave." Robin follows after Batman uncertainly, not liking the fact that he wasn't sharing just where they would be taking this 'field trip' to.

Batman starts typing on the Batcomputer quickly, beaming happily when another, rather broody Bat, appears on the screen. The other Bat raises an eyebrow curiously, obviously surprised by the current Bat's actions.

"Long time, no see!"

"Yes, it has been. I believe it has now been a year since you arrived in our universe rather unexpectedly." The other Bat replies. "I take it that you're not contacting me on a social call."

"Unfortunately not. We have a bit of a problem. Somehow, our Joker managed to find a portal to your universe." Dick starts typing on the computer again. "I put a tracking device on him. Knowing him though, he'll find it soon enough. I'm sending you the coordinates now. What bothers me is who he was talking to in order to get a ride to where you are. Let alone why."

"That does pose a bit of a problem."

"We both know that one Joker is enough for Gotham. Two is going to be a nightmare. We just need to swing by and bring him back."

"The Team has been getting restless as well. I'll send them to assist you." Dick beams as Damian visibly tenses in the background.

"No! We can handle this by ourselves!"

"We appreciate the help~!" Dick chimes before ending the transmission. He spins slowly in the chair to face a rather ruffled looking bird. "They were really nice. Not to mention the fact that they helped us out a lot the last time we were there." Damian huffs, looking away defiantly. "Unless you've forgotten the fact that they put a roof over your head and fed you?"

"I thought that we were done with them."

"Here's a good life lesson for you, Dami. Never burn bridges." Dick states seriously before hopping out of his chair. "Now, pack up. We leave in ten." Damian heads off to pack obediently; the angry scowl never leaving his face.

Batman stands in front of the Young Justice team, with his arms crossed. The teens look to Robin for answers, but he shrugs. He was just as confused as they were. The only thing Bats told him was that the team had a mission. The whole way to the cave, Bruce would not explain just what the mission entailed. He only said that it required the entire team's presence.

"Please tell me this mission evolves a beach." Kid Flash mutters, trying to ease the tension. Batman's eyes narrow dangerously, causing the speedster to shrink back slightly.

"This mission is of the utmost importance. You will be representing the heroes of this universe." A map appears on the screen behind the Bat with a red blinking dot in the heart of Gotham City. "A breech has taken place. A criminal from another universe has slipped into our dimension. This is his last known location. You all know him as, The Joker." Joker's profile pops up next to the map as the teen's eyes widen in shock. "We do not know his intentions or how he got the means to travel here. Batman and Robin are on their way here to track him down and bring him back. You will be assisting them."

"Wait…shouldn't you and Robin be handling this one?" Kid Flash interrupts again, earning an elbow from Artemis. Batman's eyes narrow again as the profiles of the two heroes from the alternate universe pop up.

"You have already worked with them. They were only here one year ago." The team's eyes widen once again.

"No way! We have to deal with that brat Damian again?" Artemis grumbles, crossing her arms.

"He will be on his best behavior, according to Batman." Robin snorts at his mentor's words.

"He was probably just saying that so that we will work with them. Damian doesn't know the meaning of 'good' behavior." The Zeta Beam transporter suddenly starts to light up, catching the heroes' attention. The alternate Bat and bird step through, each carrying a duffle bag of supplies.

"Looks like we're just in time." Dick states happily, making his way over to Bruce. He sets his bag down as Damian follows suit, never straying too far from his mentor's side. Dick flips his cowl down easily, causing the teens in the room to gasp. Artemis, Megan, and Wally flush lightly, having never seen the elder Dick's face before. He glances over at them and shrugs, running a hand through his shoulder length hair. "What? You all know who we are, so there's no sense in formalities." Damian crosses his arms, glaring up at the Bat.

"You shouldn't be so casual with them."

"Why? We don't know how long this is going to take. There's no way I'm going to be in costume the whole time. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on staying in spandex all day." Dick spins around, looking up at the screen. Damian glances over at the team, his eyes narrowing when he sees Artemis and Wally staring at his mentor's bottom. He steps behind Dick, blocking their view. The archer and speedster's eyes instantly dart up to Damian, who shoots them a warning look, causing them to look away quickly. Robin shifts uncomfortably, hearing his teammate's secret conversation.

Did you SEE the color of his eyes! And that chiseled jaw! Artemis nearly shouts to the others in the mindlink.

Dude. I'm RIGHT HERE! Robin mutters, not particularly wanting to be a part of their conversation.

He's so comfortable around us though! You still haven't seen what you look like without your sunglasses. I only know because I've seen you in school. But even then, you avoid me. The archer states, raising an eyebrow at him. The bird sighs heavily.

I'm just not used to this kind of thing…I know you guys know my secret identity, but it's still uncomfortable.

It's been a year.

And I haven't told anyone in four. It's just something I need to get used to.

Give him a break. He's not like this other Richard. Superboy defends, glaring over at the archer.

Alright. Let's stop focusing on the older Dick and focus on how the hell we're going to deal with Damian. Kid Flash adds, shooting a glare at the alternate bird. Damian catches the look, and flips him off. Dick pauses his conversation with Bruce glances over at the teens, who suddenly looked anywhere but him. He cocks his head to the side curiously.

"What's with them?"

"They're teenagers." Damian grumbles. Dick raises an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"So are you."

"Don't compare me to those imbeciles." The older acrobat rolls his eyes before ruffling Damian's hair, causing the bird to swat his hand away. If Damian could get along with them for almost a week once before, he could do it again.

Chapter Text

After finishing his debrief with Batman, Dick turns around and raises an eyebrow at the teens. They appeared to be having a private, mental conversation. Robin looked rather uncomfortable, so they were likely talking about him. Not to mention the fact that Damian was giving them a death glare. Dick shrugs, turning around to face them fully, and drapes an arm around Damian's shoulder lazily. The ex-assassin frowns, brushing his arm off.

"Must you always be so affectionate, Grayson?" Dick shrugs casually.

"It's in my nature. Oh. And we're staying here, by the way." Damian tries to interrupt in protest, but Dick holds a hand up to cut him off. "It's not up for discussion, Dami. We're working with them to track down our Joker. It doesn't make sense for us to be all the way in Gotham while they're here. Plus, they have more than enough room for us, as I'm sure you're already aware."

"We don't need these insolent teenagers. Why do you insist on us working together? They'll only slow us down!"

"Because they know this universe better than we do. We're guests here, Little D. Start acting like it." With that, Dick turns his attention to the still distracted Young Justice team. "So…I hear you guys have a beach?" He smirks when the teens jump from the interruption, turning to face him.

"You bet we do! Why don't I show you to your rooms?" Artemis announces, her face slightly flushed as Dick beams.

"Thank you! That would be great!" She leads him off as he chats happily. Damian groans in irritation as Robin walks up to him tentatively.

"Am I- I mean…Is he always like that?"

"You have no idea." Damian grumbles as he follows after his mentor. Bruce clears his throat, gaining the attention of the teens once again.

"I expect you to be gracious hosts. Don't forget that this is ultimately a mission." Batman then stalks out of the room as the teens huddle up.

"Is this some kind of test? Maybe he's seeing how much patience we have with Damian…" Kid Flash muses as Robin strolls back over to them.

"He's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say! He actually listens to you!"

"Well, his mentor is here now…so he should be on his best behavior…"

"I don't think he understands the concept of manners…" Conner grumbles under his breath as Wally snickers in agreement.

"Alright! Let's go to the beach! It's been so long since I've had a vacation!" Dick calls out happily as he rushes back into the room now in black and blue checked swim trunks that fit him perfectly. The light blue complemented his sunkissed skin perfectly. Artemis, who was following behind gawks as Megan joins in more discreetly. Damian stalks in behind his mentor, dressed in black swim trunks with red stripes down the side and a white tank top. He crosses his arms, frowning.

"This isn't a vacation, Grayson. We are here on business."

"Lighten up, Little D. Let's go to the beach for a bit, and then it's back to business!" Damian starts to protest again, but Dick starts running towards the exit to the beach. "Last one there has to clean the Batmobile for a month~!" Damian instantly stiffens as Dick disappears around the corner, laughing cheerfully. The ex-assassin's eyes spark in competition before he takes off after his mentor.

"Holy crap…maybe he won't be so bad after all with Older Dick here afterall…" Wally muses, watching them.

"I suppose he was dreadful before since his mentor was in peril…any of us probably would have done much of the same if someone tried to stop us from saving our own mentors." Aqualad states before smirking. "We would be awful hosts if we just abandoned our guests." Robin and Wally beam in excitement.

"BEACH TIME!" Wally cheers, disappearing down the hall to their living quarters. The other members of the team roll their eyes, following after him to get changed as well.

"You're it!" Dick cheers, shoving Damian's shoulder lightly. The bird raises an eyebrow confused by his older brother's actions.

"What is 'it'?"

"Let's call this a training exercise. Catch me if you can~!" Dick flips away from Damian, chuckling. Damian smirks, taking off after him. The team's eyes widen, having never seen ex-assassin in such a good mood.

"Dude…I think hell just froze over." Wally mutters to his best friend. Robin nods slowly.

"No kidding…he actually smiled."

"It was more of a smirk." Megan adds, watching the two run and flip around the beach.

"That's still more than all the scowls we got from him last time." Conner adds as well, watching them curiously. "Is that really training?"

"They're playing tag." Robin explains as a grin slowly makes its way onto his face. "Why don't we teach Conner how to play?" He grins mischievously before playfully smacking the clone's shoulder. "You're it!" Robin cackles before taking off down the beach. Conner blinks, staring after the bird in confusion. The other members of the team grin, scattering away from him. "The object of the game is to catch one of us, and then we're 'it'." Robin explains. Conner nods slowly before chasing after them.

After a long day at the beach, complete with bonfire at the end, the team makes their way back to the cave while munching on their freshly made s'mores. Dick's phone goes off, and he frowns around his s'more, pulling it out of his pocket. He sighs, looking at the caller ID before walking off as he puts the phone up to his ear.

"So…you've been in a good mood all day." Wally jeers, crossing his arms. Damian's eyes narrow as he finishes eating his s'more.

"I hardly know what you mean."

"It's strange that you really don't know how much control he has over you…he just snaps his fingers and you do what he says…just like a good little soldier."

"I do nothing of the sort! He is my leader, and I always make sure his judgment is sound before I follow his direction. That's more than what I can say for your worthless group. You are all just a bunch of insolent teenagers trying to impress the Justice League. Compared to what they deal with on a daily basis; your team is nothing more than a glorified fan club."

"Take that back! We've done a lot of work for the League! They trust us!" Conner growls, coming to stand next to Wally as the two glare down at the young teen. Damian snickers darkly before raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? And how is your relationship with Superman going? Tell me; is he still ignoring your pitiful existence?" The clone roars with rage, lunging at the young bird. Damian easily flips out of the way, rolling his eyes.

"Stop it!" Robin tries, but the two continue fighting.

"Is that really the best you can do? I could easily defeat this entire sad excuse for a team with my eyes closed!" Damian sneers, dodging another one of the clone's blows.

"That's it! The twerp is going down!" Wally shouts, jumping into the fight.

"Why can't you just swallow your pride and admit that you care for Dick?" Artemis growls exasperatedly.

"Because I don't! Why would I ever care about Bruce's charity case?"

"Enough!" The deep voice cuts through the arguing, causing everyone to instantly freeze. Dick was standing in the corner of the room, a cold expression on his face. Robin looks away from Damian, frowning, unable to hide his hurt as the others stare at the adult in horror. "Suit up. We have a lead on Harley. We leave in five minutes." With that, Dick disappears into the darkness. The remaining heroes let out a sigh of relief. There was no doubt that Dick was trained by the Bat. Wally glances over to where his best friend was mere seconds ago, only to find him gone. He frowns before heading towards his room to get changed.

"Way to go." Artemis grumbles to Damian before heading off herself. Now the mood was successfully ruined and her hottie was pissed. This mission was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

Everyone sat in the Bioship in an awkward silence. The only sound was that of Dick typing on the console to load the coordinates.

Dude…he's pissed… Wally mutters through the mindlink.

No, ya think Baywatch? Artemis sneers, leaning back in her chair. He has the whole 'Bat Vibe' going on now…and he was so much fun!

Well it's all the twerp's fault!

No. It was you who provoked him in the first place, Kid Flash. Aqualad reasons, frowning.

He was the one who pissed him off. Conner grumbles.

We've upset our Robin as well…I asked him to join our conversation, but he declined. Megan laments, casting a gaze at their brooding bird. Do you think Damian will apologize?

Psh! Hell no. He's an ungrateful little brat! Wally nearly shouts, causing them all to wince.

We should focus on the mission now. We will have time to discuss this later. Aqualad states just as Dick starts pulling up a map of Gotham.

"Bruce informed me that he just located Harley Quinn here." A red dot starts to blink on the map in the center of Crime Alley. "She is our best lead on Joker. The objective is to close off her exits, and interrogate her. We cannot detain her, since there is no sign that she is up to any criminal activity. She was recently released from Arkham for good behavior."

"She's a known criminal and they let her just walk out?" Kid Flash shouts, appalled by the idea. Dick's eyes narrow from the interruption, causing the speedster to shrink back slightly in his seat. He seemed so much like their Bat when he was in the cowl.

"Yes, unfortunately. Damian will drive her into an alley that the rest of you will already have sealed off. Once she is in position, Superboy will block the way she came. I will interrogate her. Keep in contact through the comm links. No one's getting into my head tonight." With that, the screen goes black and the team nods at the plan, not wanting to anger the Bat further. He gets up from his seat, starting to head for the middle of the ship. "Miss Martian; open the door."

"W-What? But we're so high up!"

"Let me worry about that. The coordinates for where you are to land the ship is already programmed in. Be in your positions by 2300 hours." Wally's eyes widen.

"That gives us ten minutes!"

"Then move your ass. Damian. Let's go." Damian nods, rising from his seat and stands next to his mentor. Megan opens the door, looking over at the pair worriedly.

"Be careful!" Dick smirks, nodding.

"Aren't I always?" Was all he said before jumping out of the Bipship. Damian rolls his eyes as Dick cheers with joy during the freefall and jumps out after him. The two freefall for sever seconds before pulling their capes taught. The fabric catches in the wind, and forms into makeshift wings. The pair glide down and angle themselves so that they were headed in the correct direction.

"Ok. That was totally awesome! Why don't we all have something like that?" Wally calls out, staring after them.

"Because it's expensive and you wouldn't know how to use it properly." Robin grumbles, starting to type on his hologlove. "By the looks of it, the alley is going to be locked down tight. We just have to move fast."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Wally smirks.

"Remember to stick to the plan. We do not want to anger Batman further." Aqualad states to the speedster, who sighs heavily, nodding.

"I know…the last thing we need is two grumpy Bats."

Harley beams happily walking her pet hyenas, Bud and Lou, as she hums to herself. She sees a shadow move from the corner of her eye, and the villainess spins around, ready for a fight. Harley frowns when she sees that nothing was there. Bud and Lou growl, sensing a presence. She looks around to see what was causing their distress, only to shriek when a birdarang comes flying out of the darkness, aiming directly for her head. Harley jumps out of the way, dragging her hyenas with her.

"Hey! What's the big idea, Bird Brain? My babies and I haven't done anything!" Damian emerges from the shadows with his hood raised. Harley frowns, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. "Did ya get a new look, Boy Blunder?"

"No." Damian grumbles, throwing another birdarang at her. Harley flips out of the way, letting go of Bud and Lou's leashes. The hyena's instantly charge at the bird, growling viciously.

"Get 'em. Babies!" Harley cheers before taking off down the alley. Damian curses under his breath as Bud lunges for him. He holds his arm up to try to block the hyena, but Bud chomps down on the offered limp. The ex-assassin winces in pain as he pries the hyena's jaw off and kicks it away just as Lou charges him. Damian rolls out of the way and quickly pulls out his taser. Bud gets back up and teams up with Lou and the two lunge in unison. The bird shoots them with the taser just before they reach him. They yelp in pain before falling limply to the ground. He sighs, glancing down at his bleeding arm. At least Harley took off in the right direction.

Harley pants as she quickly turns the corner in the maze of alley, trying to escape the bird. She looks behind her and sighs with relief when she sees that no one was following her. Just as she was about to walk off again, Batman steps out of the shadows, his eyes narrowed dangerously. She squeaks, backing up against the wall.

"I didn't do anything B-Man! I swear!"

"I know. Joker's another story." Dick growls, taking another step towards her.

"I don't know where he is!"

"You always know where he is." She looks away defiantly, pouting.

"He didn't tell me anything this time. I don't know where Mista J is." Dick smirks, towering over her.

"It's funny how you actually think he cares about you…" Her eyes widen.

"He does! He always breaks me outta the slammer!"

"Only when he needs something from you…you're just a pawn to him, Harleen…he's been playing you since the moment he met you." Her eyes water as she glares up at the Bat.

"You're lying! My Puddin' loves me!"

"Oh really? When has he ever done anything nice for you? Ever shown you that he truly appreciated your presence?" The villainess's mouth opens, about to protest, but she shuts it shortly after. Her eyebrows knit as she stares at the ground. Just then, Damian emerges from the shadows as well, walking up beside the Bat. Dick glances back at his partner, and his eyes narrow at the blood that was slowly dripping down the bird's arm. He quickly grabs Harley's arm, and twists it back, spinning her around, and slams her face against the brick building harshly. She cries out in a mixture of pain and shock. "I'm running out of patience. Where is Joker? I won't ask again nicely."

"A-Alright! Last I heard from him, he was meeting someone at Gotham Harbor! Pier 25!" She sobs, trembling in fear.

"Keep your mongrels in check." Dick hisses before disappearing back into the shadows along with Damian.

"Holy crap! I've never seen the Bat actually interrogating someone before! I thought she was going to wet herself!" Wally roars with laughter as they all meet back up on the Bioship. Dick drags a protesting Damian back to the medical bay, as the others watch curiously. "Say, Beautiful…do you have cameras back there?" The martian glances over at him curiously and nods slowly.

"Yes…why?"

"Tap into the feed."

"That's spying!"

"They're on our ship. Plus, we have to make sure they mend things, right?"

"Just do it, Megan so he'll shut up." Artemis grumbles, shooting the speedster a glare. Megan sighs heavily, and pulls of the feed.

Damian frowns as Dick searches through the cabinets silently for supplies.

"I'm fine, Grayson." Dick ignores him, continuing to sift through the drawers. Damian 's gaze drifts to the ground as he shifts uncomfortably from the other's silence. "You're upset…"

"No shit, Dami. I should have known that those damn hyenas were with her."

"I wasn't talking about that. This is just a flesh wound. I can stitch it myself." Dick turns back to face him, holding bandages, hydrogen peroxide, and a suture kit. He approaches the gurney that he forced Damian to sit down on and sets the supplies next to the teen. Dick then starts sorting through them as if he hadn't heard the last statement.

"Bruce would have known and had been able to warn you…or at least sent you with one of the others for backup."

"You are not Father." Dick's shoulders slump in defeat. "Let me finish, idiot." The acrobat looks up at him curiously. "You actually trust me. Father would have sent me with someone to make sure that I didn't kill anyone. You have faith that I will do the job I am assigned correctly and efficiently." Dick smiles warmly, ruffling Damian's hair affectionately before starting to treat the bird's wound.

"Thanks, Dami…and to answer your question earlier…no, I'm not upset. I know you didn't mean it. You only said that because they cornered you." Damian's eyes widen slightly as he stares at his older brother in shock.

"How are you so certain?"

"Because, despite what you may think of me; I know you. I actually pay attention." The ex-assassin's cheeks flush lightly and he looks away.

"Idiot." He mumbles, trying to hide his embarrassment. Dick merely chuckles lightly, starting to stitch up the wound.

"Maybe I should get a shock collar for you for when you mouth off to people…" He muses, earning a glare from the bird.

"That is not amusing, Grayson!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Little D. I'm hilarious." Dick smirks playfully as Damian growls irritatedly.

Megan looks away from the screen, blushing as the others stare at it in shock.

"We shouldn't be watching this…I feel like we're intruding…"

"What are you talking about? It's just getting good!" Artemis grins, sitting on the edge of her seat. "Does he getany more perfect?"

"Again…sitting right here." Robin grumbles, looking away. "They're going to be pissed when they find out we've seen this."

"How are you so sure that he's going to find out?" Conner asks, glancing over at their bird. Robin smirks, rolling his eyes.

"He's an older version of me. We know everything. It's a Bat thing."

"Eh, he'll get over it. He seems pretty easy going." Wally shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "We can always have you give him puppy eyes or something if he gets mad." Robin scoffs, crossing his arms.

"That's so not going to work, Dude."

"What's the status on the docks?" Dick asks, suddenly behind them. The teens jump, aside from Robin, and slowly look back at him in horror. He cocks his head to the side in confusion. "What? Is something on my suit?" Dick looks himself over curiously, trying to find what they were all staring at.

"They're up to something." Damian hisses from beside his mentor. He crosses his arms, glaring at the teens, who suddenly start trying to look busy. Dick snickers.

"Don't be so serious guys. Yes, this is an important mission, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun!"

"It's just strange hearing that from someone in a Bat costume." Conner states, glancing back at the Bat again.

"Eh, true. Bruce was always intimidating." Dick looks up at the screen curiously. "Can you pull up a map of Gotham?" Megan nods, doing what was requested. "Alright. Now, it's time for everyone to get some action." Dick grins, looking at all of the teens. "Let's see what you can do."