Chapter Text
A deal was struck, an alliance made. Years of secret meetings and working in code and waiting in Arkham paid off; the plan was executed perfectly with Batman none the wiser. And now, Gotham burned.
Things were getting bad. People were dead, civilians captured. Villains ran amok on the streets. Even Batman couldn't stop them. He would try, though. But first, there was one thing he knew he could do. He could keep the kids safe. Not all of them, mind, but the youngest Batkids would be alive and well. And Bruce thought he could die happy--if he died, if the Joker’s insistence that he be kept alive were to diminish--if he knew he had saved two people.
-----
Stephanie Brown woke up. She sat up quickly and gasped in clean, cool air. She looked around to see Damian Wayne on the ground next to her, asleep, and Selina Kyle crouched down over her. She could see the hazy lines of Gotham a little ways down the road--for some reason, the smoke and smog hanging over her city seemed to stop just by the boundaries, as if there was an invisible bubble keeping it in. Steph strained her brain, trying to remember how she had gotten there.
“Where are we? How did I get here?” She demanded after a minute. Selina smiled softly and a little sadly.
“Bats kicked us out,” she said. “Well, he sent you kittens away, with me for supervision, but you and Robin here put up a fight. The kittens have claws, it seems. Anyway, that was when Daddy Bat introduced you to Bat Gas and sent you here.”
“Why would he make us leave?” Steph asked.
“Because he thought you were too young to see some of the stuff in Gotham right now. Besides, now that your mother’s…” Steph frowned and Selina coughed uncomfortably. “Bruce is responsible for you now. He didn’t want your death on his hands.”
“But--”
“I know, Kitten, don’t ask me to explain Batman to you.” Selina stood up, stretching like a cat as she did. Steph looked over at Damian, who was stirring. Almost immediately after regaining consciousness he sprung up and reached for swords that weren’t there.
“What’s going on?” He demanded.
“Chill out, Dami,” Steph said, holding up her hands. He looked at her, then Selina, then Gotham, then he relaxed. Slightly.
“Why are we here?”
“Bruce kicked us out,” Steph said.
“What? Why would he kick out his heir?”
“Because you’re too young to see the horrors that Gotham is going through,” Selina responded.
“I was trained by the League! I’ve killed people! Surely Gotham can’t be worse,” Damian sputtered. Selina shrugged.
“He has his reasons.”
“What's that?” Steph inturrupted, pointing at Gotham. There was some sort of metal...something flying over Gotham. There was an explosion and a scream, mixed with the distinct sound of the Joker’s laughter. Selina cursed and got up.
“Stay right here,” she said and then she tore toward the city. Steph looked at Damian.
“I don't know about you, Fatgirl, but I am not letting a burglar tell me what to do,” Damian said. He started to run, but he was still woozy from the gas, so he tripped and fell. He got up and glared at Steph.
“Not one word.”
“Wasn't planning on it,” she said, stifling her laughter. A loud grinding noise filled the air and the children looked over at their city. Bronze walls were coming down from above the city while green plants reached up from the ground to meet the walls.
“What the heck?” Steph asked.
“No time!” Damian said with something like desperation in his voice and the pair rushed toward the city. They were almost there when the walls hit the ground with a thud and the plants started climbing up the sides.
“No no no!” Steph yelled. She and Damian halted right outside the wall. The plants were covered with thorns. Steph put her hand on the metal of the wall.
“We are stuck out here,” Damian said. “We will never be able to help Father now.”
“Maybe not,” Steph said. “There could be an entrance somewhere on the other side.”
“You want to walk all around Gotham?” Damian sneered.
“Nothing says that the wall goes all around Gotham,” Steph reasoned. “But yes, I was going to suggest that. If you don't like it, you can stay here and make a sword out of these thorns or something. Not everyone has the skill to walk all the way around the city.”
“I have trained to withstand any condition,” Damian said snippily. “I will be coming with you.”
“If you insist,” Steph said, smiling.
-------
A few days later this proved to be a bad idea. They had no food or water, and although Damian could “withstand all conditions”, Steph could not.
“We have to stop,” she panted. “We need food.”
“You do not need more food, Fatgirl,” Damian sneered. “But we can stop if you insist.” Steph decided that he had been wanting to stop too.
“We can't keep going around the wall,” she said. “We need someone who could do it quickly.”
“Okay, let me just call up the Flash on my phone,” Damian said, rolling his eyes. ”Oh wait, we were sent out here without any supplies.”
“Do you have the Flash’s phone number?” Steph asked. Damian didn't answer. “Well, if calling anyone is out, what do we do?” Damian shrugged. Steph though for a second, then had an epiphany so great she had to stand up.
“Superman!” She declared.
“What?”
“Superman! He has super hearing and super speed! We can just call for him!”
“That's absurd. He wouldn't be listening over here.”
“Yeah he will! Gotham’s been walled for like three days, right? So he’ll be keeping an eye out to see if anyone escapes or needs his help!”
“Maybe…”
“No, it's a good idea!”
“Have you ever had a good idea in your life, Brown?”
“Haha,” Steph said sarcastically. “And yes. I'm calling Superman.”
“If he's listening he's probably already coming,” Damian muttered. Steph ignored him.
“Superman!” she yelled. “Superman! We need help!”
“This is stupid,” Damian muttered. Steph glared at him. Then there was a whooshing and the Man of Steel himself was hovering over them. Steph stared. She had never actually seen him before.
“Are you kids from Gotham?” Superman asked.
“We aren't children--” Damian started but Steph clapped a hand over his mouth.
“Yes,” she said. “I'm Steph and this is my friend Damian.” Damian’s mouth moved under Steph’s hand, possibly informing her that they were not friends.
“How did you two escape?” Superman asked.
“His dad knew it was dangerous, so he sent us away,” she answered truthfully.
“What about your parents?” Superman asked. Steph was quiet.
“My mom...there were villains running around, and….” Steph couldn't finish her sentence. Superman’s eyes went soft with sympathy.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “What about your dad?”
“Let's not talk about him,” Steph said. She lowered her hand from Damian’s mouth.
“Father said that we should leave, so he sent a chaperone with us,” Damian said. “Kyle left us and the wall went down, so we were walking around the city when we realized we had no food.”
“That's when you called me,” Superman realized. “So what do you want me to do?”
“See if there are any entrances to Gotham,” Damian commanded.
“I've already checked multiple times,” Superman said. “And the wall is laced with Kryptonite. I can't get in.” Damian and Steph exchanged a look. What would they do?
“Even if there was an entrance, I don't think it's a good idea to go in. There are so many villains running amok in there.”
“I guess,” Steph said.
“We have to get in!” Damian hissed. “My father needs my help!”
“He sent you away,” Steph reminded.
“In a fit of delusions!”
“Do you want me to check on your dad? I can still see inside,” Superman offered. “Who is he?”
“Who cares about Damian’s dad?” Steph asked. “How's Batman?” Superman smiled at them slightly, like he had expected them to ask, so he turned to face the wall. While he wasn’t facing them, Steph flashed a thumbs up at Damian for her cleverness at preserving their identities. He sneered at her. After a minute, Superman turned back to face them.
“Batman is fine,” he reported. “He’s fighting right now. All three of them,” he added under his breath. Steph heard anyway. “Red Hood and Catwomen are there too.” Steph and Damian exchanged a look.
“I'm sure if Batman is fine then my father is fine,” Damian said after a minute.
“Most likely,” Steph agreed. She wondered how Tim’s Batman voice was.
“Now what?” Superman asked.
“What do you mean?” Damian asked.
“I can't let you keep wandering around out here. It's dangerous.”
“What would you have us do?” Damian demanded. Superman looked thoughtful.
“Maybe...you two can stay with a friend of mine.”
“In Metropolis?” Steph asked.
“Yes,” Superman said.
“We don't need your charity,” Damian sneered.
“You can't stay out here,” Superman pointed out. “And the Gotham situation will be sorted soon, I'm sure.”
“I think we should go,” Steph said. Damian looked betrayed.
“Brown, we can handle ourselves—”
“I'm not saying we can't!” Steph said. “But we need help! We can come back to Gotham later.” Superman fidgeted uncomfortably and Steph supposed he was trying to restrain from telling them that they would probably never return to Gotham while it was walled. She ignored this.
“Think of it as a tactical retreat,” Steph said.
“Fine,” Damian allowed. Steph wondered what Superman thought of them, two kids under thirteen talking about tactical retreats.
“Okay then. I'm going to pick you two up now,” Superman said. He scooped them into his arms and Damian made of squeak of protest before they were flying away. Steph let out a whoop; this was amazing, this was better than grappling between buildings; they were flying. Damian seemed to feel the same way—he whooped as well. Superman chuckled. All too soon, they landed on the roof of an apartment building. Steph had to blink in the brightness of Metropolis; she had been in Gotham too long.
“I'll be right back,” Superman promised before he was gone in a streak of blue and red.
“Oh my goodness that was amazing we just flew that was better than a plate of warm waffles—no wait, it wasn't that good, but it was really spectacular!” Steph babbled. Damian rolled his eyes but he was smiling. Superman came back with a pizza and he offered it to them.
“Eat and I’ll go get my friend,” he instructed then he flew away.
“Food,” Steph said, reaching for the pizza.
“He’s too nice,” Damian muttered. “He can't be that nice.”
“Yes he can, he's Superman.” Damian rolled his eyes. A few minutes later Superman reappeared with a woman in his arms. He set her down.
“There they are. Lois, please?” He gave her some puppy dog eyes.
“Kal, you know I have like no space,” the woman who was named Lois said.
“I don't mind the floor or the couch,” Steph said.
“As long as my sleeping arrangements are better than Brown’s, I'm content.” Steph punched his arm. Lois pinched the bridge of her nose.
“How long will this be?”
“A week. If it's longer, ask someone else.”
“Like who? Clark?” She paused. “No wait, that's a good idea. He’s nice enough to do it. In fact, he should do it to start.”
“No I want you to start,” Superman said hurriedly.
“Fine,” Lois sighed.
“Thank you!” Superman said. “I'll come check up on you guys!” He flew away and Lois turned to face her new charges.
“I'm Lois Lane. I work for the Daily Planet.”
“I'm Stephanie. Call me Steph.”
“Damian.”
“Kal said you guys are from Gotham?” Steph nodded and Lois walked to the entrance to the building. She opened the door and let them into the stairwell, then she took the lead again.
“I lived in Gotham my whole life. Damian moved there recently. He used to live with his...mom…” Steph turned to face Damian, her eyes wide. “Oh no your mom.” His eyes widened as well.
“She won't come here,” he said after a second. “She won't know about Gotham.”
“Doesn't she know everything?”
“Well she'll think I'm with Father, then.”
“Should I be bringing you to your mom?” Lois asked uncomfortably. She led them down a hall.
“No,” Damian said. “It's fine.” Lois looked uncomfortable but she opened an apartment door and showed them inside. It was small but nice.
“I have a guest bed and a couch,” she said. “Sorry I don't have more.”
“It's fine,” Steph assured her as Damian claimed the guest bed. Steph squinted at him and Lois turned on Disney Channel before pulling out her phone and calling someone. She left the room and Steph and Damian stood there awkwardly. Well, Steph did, Damian kicked off his shoes and flopped on the couch.
“Bring me some water, Brown,” he said.
“Excuse you, I am not a servant,” Steph snapped. She sat down on the floor and said, “Besides, I'm sitting now. Can't get you anything.”
“Honestly,” Damian sighed. Steph stuck her tongue out at him. Lois came back into the room.
“So…” She started. “Did you guys meet at school?” Damian and Steph snorted in sync.
“Not a chance,” Steph said. “He goes to rich people school. I go to public school. We met because his older brother used to babysit me.”
“It's a miracle you're still alive, with Drake in charge of you,” Damian muttered. Steph rolled her eyes at him.
-----
The next few hours were awkward. Lois called into work, and started working from her laptop, while Damian and Steph tried to watch TV. Well, Steph did, Damian liked to complain about how the characters were overdramatized and idiots and why would anyone like this, while Steph hushed him and told him he was being stupid, and he should just watch the darn TV and at least pretend it was engaging. At around four, someone knocked on the door and Lois let in a man she introduced as Clark Kent. He looked oddly familiar.
Clark Kent was nice, if not a little bumbling, and he was patient with Damian. He stayed for most of the night, even helping cooking dinner. After he left, Lois pulled out some blankets for the couch and set it up. She awkwardly asked if they wanted to play a board game. She didn’t have many options, and Damian dismissed most of them as ridiculous. They settled on Clue and Steph won a couple times, which made her gloat and Damian mutter, “I knew the answer, I was letting you win,” which Steph highly doubted. When the clock struck ten, Lois told to get some sleep and she retreated to her room. Damian and Steph sat on the floor of the family room.
“She doesn’t really know much about kids, does she?” Steph asked.
“We are not children,” Damian sniffed. “She can leave us alone and we’ll function fine. Well, I will. You, on the other hand, need constant supervision.”
“Damian, I’m older than you,” she frowned. Then a thought struck her. “Oh no, tomorrow’s a Saturday.”
“So?”
“So we’ll have to spend the whole day with Lois and it’ll be really awkward. I mean, she’s nice and all, but she really has no idea what to do with us.”
“Maybe she’ll leave us alone,” Damian offered hopefully. “Then we can get back to Gotham.”
“I doubt she’ll leave us alone for that long. We’ll have to wait until Monday.” Damian scowled. “Maybe we can tell Superman who we are, and he’ll let us look for a way in?”
“No,” Damian declared. “If my father doesn’t trust him with that information, then I won’t either.” Steph rolled her eyes.
“If you insist.” She got up and onto the couch, pulling a blanket around her. “Now I’m going to sleep. You can too, and be grateful we have beds, or you can cry about not being out in the cold of the area outside Gotham. Your choice.” He lifted his middle finger at her--”You’re ten, don’t do that”--and then got up and went to the guest bedroom.
----
The next day Lois took them shopping with Clark Kent. Apparently Clark and Superman were close, so Superman had given him money to pay for their clothes. They each bought two pants and two shirts. Steph got a Metropolis hoodie and Damian got a hoodie with a dog on it. They also got a set of pajamas. After they finished shopping and lunch, they went over to Clark’s apartment. It was smaller than Lois’s, but it was nice. Lois left for a dinner date and Clark took them to the movies. Every time Damian grumbled about something, Steph squeezed his arm before he got two words in. Eventually, he stopped speaking. Clark dropped them off at Lois’s and started to make them some macaroni and cheese, then left. Steph and Damian ate in relative silence, and then Lois came back. She had some scoop, so she started typing and didn’t even look up when Superman came to check on them.
After Superman left, Steph turned to Damian.
“How much you wanna bet that Clark Kent is Superman?”
“Nothing, because it’s so obvious,” he responded. “How do people not notice?”
“I think it’s because there’s something on the glasses.”
“A perception filter,” Damian nodded.
“We only noticed because his glasses fell off. But he also acts so different, it’s hard to see them being the same. Unlike Robin and a certain son of Bruce Wayne I know.”
“Like you were any better, Girl Blunder,” Damian sneered.
“Hey, I’m not Robin anymore. You can’t call me that.”
“Fatgirl,” he said instead.
“Little demon,” she said.
“I’m as tall as you!”
“Yes, but I’m older.”
“Well, I’m more skilled.”
“I’ve been doing the vigilante thing longer than you.”
“But I’ve been trained from birth. And I’ve never been fired as a crime fighter.”
“Ouch. Harsh. That almost hurt my feelings.”
“Truly?” He asked. She shrugged. “Well, you should develop a thicker skin.” He got up and went to his room.
“Goodnight, Damian,” she called.
“Goodnight, Brown,” he said back before closing the door.
----
On Monday, Damian and Steph waved Lois off to work, after she made them promise not to break anything, and told them there was leftovers to heat up for lunch. She seemed relieved to go.
As soon as she was gone, Steph and Damian packed up their new clothes and the leftovers and left the apartment. They had to walk to be casual, so they didn’t make the best time. They only walked until about ten before there was a streak of blue and red and Superman was in front of them, frowning disapprovingly.
“Are you headed back to Gotham?” He asked.
“Yes, so if you’ll excuse us,” Steph said. She pushed past him. He sped in front of her.
“You can’t go back to Gotham.”
“Why not?” Damian asked.
“You two are just little kids,” Superman--Clark--said. Their voices were the same. How did this disguise work for people like Lois Lane?
“I am not a child!” Damian said. “I have had it like pretending that I am!”
“Ohh, you’re gonna get it now, Superman,” Steph said. Superman looked confused. Damian opened his mouth and Steph was struck with the sudden fear that he’d yell their secret identities for the whole world to hear.
“Do not dare to assume that I am a little kid! I am Damian al Ghul, heir to the League of Assassins! I am the son of Batman! And you are just a reporter from Kansas, so do not DARE to take that condescending tone with me--”
“Damian,” Steph interrupted, putting her hand on his arm. She was grateful he hadn’t spilled Bruce’s identity to Superman. She doubted Bruce’d ever forgive them if that happened. “Don’t threaten Superman.”
“How...what….I mean…” Superman stammered. He paused and took a deep breath. “Robin?”
“Yes,” Damian growled.
“Batman sent Robin away?” Superman said.
“Yeah, I know, by all accounts it doesn’t make sense,” Steph said. Superman frowned, apparently over his shock.
“No, no, I mean, he fired a Robin once, didn’t he? So it’s not really that weird to send Robin away.” Steph groaned.
“Please don’t bring up the firing,” Steph said. “It’s very hurtful.”
“Wait, you were Robin?”
“And Spoiler, and currently Batgirl,” Steph said. “How did you think I met this loser?”
“I am not a loser,” Damian growled. Superman looked thoughtful.
“So that’s why you want to get back so badly. You feel like you’re neglecting your city.” Damian and Steph nodded. “Well, there’s no way to get back in, so you’ll have to stay here until the JL figures out a way in.”
“Bats will slaughter you if you help them,” Steph said mildly.
“Well, we have to help,” Superman said. He sounded like he was about to give a rousing speech about peace and getting along.
“So anyway,” Steph said before it would get that far. “Maybe we could fight crime here?” Damian looked scandalized.
“What? Betray Gotham?”
“This would not be a betrayal,” Steph explained. “It would be a diversion while we wait for Batman.” Superman frowned.
“I’m not going to let two kids fight crime.” Both Damian and Steph opened their mouths to protest, but Superman cut them off. “I don’t care if Batman does it, I just wouldn’t feel right about letting you two do it. How old are you? Ten? Eleven?”
“Twelve, thank you,” Steph said. Damian gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Either way, I can’t let you get in any dangerous situations.” He stressed the word “any”. Then he paused. “Wait, you figured out who I am?”
--------
Somehow Steph and Damian convinced Clark to take them to the Fortress of Solitude. It was really cool, and not just in the literal sense. Superman left them there while he went to go tell Lois that Clark would be taking the kids for the rest of the week. Apparently he didn’t trust them not to run off.
As soon as he was gone, Steph started to explore. She heard Damian meeting Krypto behind her. Steph wandered up to a computer. She looked up at it. It looked mostly computery, and only slightly alien. She stared at the computer before a light emmited from it and scanned her.
“Woah!” she yelped.
“Brown: Stephanie,” the computer said. “Age: twelve. Species: human. Sex: female. Computing.”
“What did you do, Brown?” Damian asked, appearing at her elbow.
“I don’t know!” she said. “I was just standing here!”
“Wayne: Damian,” the computer informed them. “Age: ten. Species: human. Sex: male. Past use of Lazarus Pit. Computing.”
“What?” Steph asked the computer. “What are you computing?” It didn’t respond. “What’s it doing?”
“Some alien scan,” Damian said, rolling his eyes. “It’s probably insignificant. If Kent thought the computer was harmful, he would have turned it off.”
“I guess…” Steph said uncertainly.
“Complete,” the computer said, then the screen light up and Steph stared at the image that came up.
“Are those...for us?” she asked.
“It would appear so, Brown,” Damian said. “They’re in our sizes and they came up after the computer scanned us.”
“So computers just make costumes for anyone who just comes in here?” Steph asked. “What if it was, like, a villain or something? Would General Zod come in here for a new suit?”
“Irrelevant, Brown. How do we get these costumes?”
“What do you mean?” He rolled his eyes.
“We can take these costumes, and put them in our bags, and fight crime,” Damian said slowly, as if he was talking to a child.
“I thought you didn’t want to fight crime in Metropolis?”
“I do not,” Damian said. “But it would be an advantage to have a layout of the land nearest to Gotham. And we can earn Superman’s trust.”
“What would you want with Superman’s trust?” Steph asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“He’s an all-powerful alien who could crush me by blinking,” Damian said. “I may be stubborn, but I know who to have on our side.”
“I actually think that we’d earn his trust best by doing what he says,” Steph pointed out. “And c’mon, just admit it, you want to do the hero thing because you want to wear the Superman shield on your suit.”
“I do not,” Damian said. “I have already expressed my intentions.” Steph smiled.
“Really? Because I think--”
“Nobody cares what you think--”
“That when presented with an opportunity to be--”
“The only opportunity here is to potentially get Superman’s weaknesses--”
“You’re just as much of a Superman fanboy as Dick.”
“I am not,” Damian almost growled.
“I think you areee!” Steph singsonged. Damian made a move as if he was barely restraining himself from strangling her. Steph turned on her heel and faced the computer. “So how do you think we go about 3D printing these costumes out?” Damian pushed her aside.
“I will do it, with my superior intellect and knowledge of most languages.” He looked down at the keyboard, which wasn’t really a keyboard, and there were symbols in Kryptonian. Damian stared at it, and Steph came up behind his ear.
“Do you even speak Kryptonian?” she whispered. He turned to glare at her.
“I will figure it out,” he snapped. His hands hovered over the keyboard uncertainly. Steph looked up at the computer, then at Damian, then at the screen again. She cleared her throat. Damian didn’t react.
“Computer, um, generate costumes,” she commanded.
“Generating costumes,” the computer repeated. There was a low humming and Steph smirked at Damian, who’s glare intensified.
----
By the time Superman returned for them, the costumes had been “printed” out and put in their backpacks. Steph and Damian had decided that Superman would not unnessarily x-ray their bags. Superman did not, and he flew them back to his apartment. The apartment was about the same size as Lois’s, except he had an air mattress set up on the floor of his guest bedroom. Clark went into his room and changed, then they all sat in the family room and tried to think of stuff to say.
“So, Batman’s your dad, huh?” Clark said after a long silence.
“Yes,” Damian answered shortly.
“Does he use the Bat Glare™ outside of his suit?”
“Yes,” Steph said. “I’ve been on the receiving end of it many times.”
“As have I,” Damian admitted.
“I think all of us have, except for maybe Nightwing,” Steph said.
“He must have, because he can mimic it almost perfectly,” Damian said.
“Speaking of the Bat Glare™, why are there three Batmen in Gotham right now?” Clark asked curiously. “Have there always been three Batmen?”
“Normally there’s just one, with another in case of emergency,” Steph explained. “But I guess the emergency was so bad that they needed two.”
“Red Robin does not deserve to be Batman,” Damian snorted.
“The Batman you’d know from the JL is Damian’s father and the original Batman,” Steph explained. Clark nodded.
“So Nightwing is the other Batman?” The kids nodded. “And Nightwing was the first Robin?”
“And Red Hood was the second,” Steph said. “And Red Robin was the third. I was the fourth, and Damian’s the fifth.”
“That’s….quite a few Robins,” Clark said. “Does Nightwing ever get jealous that his role was taken on by so many others?” Steph and Damian exchanged a look.
“He does not seem the jealous type, but he may have been when Red Hood first became Robin. I do not know. He seems used to it now, though, and incessantly attempts to be my ‘friend’,” Damian said, making a disgusted face.
“But there’s always a little bit of jealousy from the previous Robin,” Steph said. “Red Robin was really upset because he used to like, babysit me, and he wasn’t allowed to be Robin anymore ‘cause his dad grounded him.”
“He was incorrigible when I became Robin, as well,” Damian said. Clark was silent, then he smiled.
“So do you guys want to get some lunch, or has being a Batkid pounded the need to eat out of you?”
“Haha,” Damian deadpanned.
------
That night, Clark left them to go to the Watchtower. Steph and Damian tried to convince him to bring them as well (“I will be Batman one day, I deserve to be let in there” and “We won’t do anything! We’ll sit in a corner and watch. I’ll just ask for autographs from Wonder Woman and Flash, I promise.”), but he had said that they should get some sleep and he left. Once he was gone, Steph got up and put on the costume she had gotten from the Fortress. She found a full length mirror and admired the costume. It was blue, like Superman’s, with a red cape and a blue skirt. Her boots and gloves were red, too. There was the Superman “S” printed on the front of the cape, and a red headband and a dark blue domino mask had been provided as well. She had a yellow utility belt. The whole outfit reminded Steph of her Robin outfit. She ran out into the front room.
“I am Supergirl!” she said, putting her hands on her hips in her most heroic pose. Damian raised an eyebrow.
“Supergirl? Really?” he said. “You look pathetic.” Steph crossed her arms.
“Well, you put yours on, then, and see how it’s better.”
“I will,” Damian huffed, getting up and taking his bag into Clark’s room. He came back a few minutes later wearing his costume. It was a blue and red version of his Robin costume, except the “R” was replaced with an “S”.
“Your outfit and mine are like boy and girl versions of the same thing,” Steph said.
“They are not,” Damian sniffed.
“Whatever,” Steph said. “Should we patrol?”
“While Superman’s in space and can’t stop us? That’s almost a good idea, Brown.” Steph smiled.
“Good ideas happen occasionally.”
-----
The Fortress had conveniently provided Steph and Damian with grappling hooks, so they went out onto Clark’s fire escape and grappled onto the nearest roof.
“Now what?” Steph said as they surveyed Metropolis.
“Now I take point,” Damian said, grappling to the next building.
“Like HECK you do,” Steph yelled, grappling after him. Damian stopped two roofs later. Steph landed next to him. “Why’d you stop?” she asked.
“Look,” he said. He pointed down at a mugging.
“Here goes,” Steph said. She and Damian jumped down and landed on the mugger’s face. After the mugger was down, the man they’d saved looked at them, confused.
“Super...girl? Suberboy?” he asked.
“Actually it’s Superrobin,” Steph informed him.
“What?” the guy asked blankly.
“Never mind,” Steph said.
“We should go,” Damian said. They readied their grappling hooks and started away.
“You’re welcome!” Steph called down to the victim. He waved awkwardly at them.
----
In all, they stopped six muggings and an attempted theft before they returned to Clark’s. Damian wanted to go out longer, but Steph pointed out that they should get back before Clark did. When they got back, they hid their suits and put on pajamas, then laid in bed, as it was well over midnight. Steph stared up at the ceiling of their darkened room.
“That was a nice change of pace,” Steph said thoughtfully.
“I think it was odd,” Damian said. “There was far too little crime.”
“We don’t know the places that crime happens,” Steph said. “And Gotham is the crime capital. Of course there won’t be as much bad guys here than in Gotham.”
“I still think it was odd,” Damian sniffed. Steph rolled over.
“Keep thinking that then, Superrobin.”
“Are we both Superrobin? Because that seems ill-advised.”
“I’ll be Superbatgirl, then,” Steph said.
“That’s a horrendous name.”
“Then we both be Superrobin, Damian, it’s not that hard.”
“It might be,” Damian grumbled before Steph said, “Now, goodnight, Damian.”
“Night, Brown,” Damian grunted. Not five minutes later, Clark came back. He came in their room. Steph closed her eyes and evened her breathing as best she could. She supposed her heartbeat must’ve been steady, for he just sighed and left the room.
---------
The next few weeks, they fell into a routine. Clark would take them to the Fortress, or leave them alone in his house, and he’d come check on them during lunch. Then he’d get them back, and do nothing really important for the rest of the evening. Then if Clark had to go to the Watchtower, Steph and Damian would go out on patrol. If he didn’t, they’d stay in to avoid suspicion. Damian always complained about the irregular schedule when he and Steph were alone, but Steph suspected he wasn’t as upset about all the down time as he pretended to be, and besides, Steph and Damian would pretty much train all day when they went to the Fortress, so it wasn’t like they were doing nothing at all.
Although no newspapers mentioned their alter egos, there were rumors flying around. The rumors said that they were a new Supergirl and Superboy, even though Steph insisted they were a pair of Superrobins. Damian didn’t really seem to care what they were called.
Steph and Damian made the mistake of saving Lois Lane when she was attacked on her way home from work, because she got in a blurry picture and they made the paper a few days later. Clark didn’t ask them about it, although he brought the newspaper home and showed them. Steph’s heart probably gave them away with how nervous she was, but Clark still didn’t say anything. When Clark left the next day, Steph had to check if their costumes were still there, but they weren’t missing.
“The alien must be even dumber than he looks,” Damian crowed.
“Or maybe he’s giving us permission to keep doing this,” Steph said, frowning at her costume carefully folded at the bottom of her backpack.
----
The next time Steph and Damian went out as Supergirl and Superboy, Superman approached them. They had finished thwarting a rape, and Steph was doing a victory dance on the rooftops while Damian frowned at her. Then Superman descended from the heavens. Steph froze mid dance. Most people would be relieved, or feel blessed, to see the Man of Steel floating down to them like an angel, but right then Steph wanted nothing more than for him to go away.
“Um,” she said eloquently.
“Superman,” Damian said, managing to sound only slightly scathing.
“Supergirl,” Superman said, nodding to her. “Superboy.”
“That’s us!” Steph said, too afraid to correct him.
“Any trouble tonight?” Superman asked them mildly.
“N-no more than usual,” Steph said. She hadn’t felt like this since Batman fired her.
“That’s good,” Superman said. There was a period of awkward silence.
“Just get on with it already!” Damian yelled after a minute.
“Get on with what?” Clark asked, his eyebrow raised.
“Aren’t you going to punish us?” Damian asked. Clark sighed. He looked like the bumbling reporter more than the Man of Steel, at that point.
“I don’t see why I should,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “You guys are just...doing what you know.” He looked up at them. “Don’t get into too much trouble, okay?” Damian and Steph exchanged a look.
“Okay,” they said in unision. Superman gave them a small smile.
“Whatever curfew Batman has….uphold it,” he said and then he flew away. Steph stared after him.
“Well that was awkward,” she said.
------
Steph woke up in the middle of the night, sweating. She shook in her bed, trying to quench the horrors she dreamed of. Her breathing was out of her control, and she tried to smooth it, but she failed and she was almost hyperventilating. She choked out a sob and realized she was crying.
“Brown?” Damian asked. Steph shook her head, trying to formulate a response. “Are you dying?” Steph didn’t respond. “Is it nightmares?” Steph rolled over to face his bed. His eyes glinted in the darkness like a cats. She nodded weakly. He looked thoughtful. “I don’t get nightmares,” he said. “Does talking make them go away?” Normally when she got nightmares, she went to her mother’s room and slept with her. After her mother died, she went to Cass’s room, and one time she went to Dick’s. Her mother and Cass just hugged her, her mother because she couldn’t relate and Cass because she wasn’t good with words. Dick had told her jokes and made her laugh. Then he’d talked about the “good old days” when he was Robin and Babs was Batgirl.
“Sometimes,” she managed to whisper. Damian looked thoughtful.
“How much do you know about cats?” he asked her.
“Not much,” she said faintly. She struggled to regain her breathing.
“Did you know that cats can unsheathe or sheathe their claws whenever they want? And that cats meow to communicate with humans, not other cats? Cats also have two sets of vocal cords, one for meowing and one for purring. Calico cats are nearly always female. Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees. Domestic cats spend about 70% of the day sleeping. A group of cats is called a clowder. Cats are typically lactose intolerant.” Steph’s breathing finally got under control.
“You know a lot about cats,” she said when she could talk freely again. Her voice was too thick, but she seemed okay. Except for the shaking.
“Well, when one has as vast a superior intellect as I, it is important to know all about what interests you. There is also not much to do at the manor during the day.”
“You could help Alfred,” Steph suggested.
“Tt. As if I would ever stoop to such low--”
“It would build your skill set, wouldn’t it? Don’t you want to be good at everything?” Damian was silent, probably trying to process his blown mind. Steph smiled into her pillow. The tears were slowing.
“I am already good at a number of things, Brown,” Damian said.
“Like pretending you don’t care about people?” Damian was silent. Steph took that as a cue to plow on. “Like you just helped me, when you easily could’ve gotten Clark, but you stayed to help me instead. And I can tell you care about Dick, and Bruce, and Talia.”
“I do not,” Damian sniffed. “Insufferable leech.”
“You’re an insufferable leech,” Steph shot back. “But you can be sweet, sometimes.”
“I am not sweet,” Damian said. “Perish all ideas of this motion at once.”
“I will not,” Steph said. She realized she wasn’t shaking or crying anymore. “And thank you for helping me.”
“Don’t expect me to do it again,” Damian said. Steph didn’t answer, she just curled up tighter under her blankets. She heard Damian’s breathing even out, then she was lost to dreams of sweeter things.
In Clark’s bedroom, the reporter lay awake. He sighed and rolled over, wondering why these kids were so young and involved in so much. He fell asleep wondering who Alfred, Bruce, Dick, and Talia were.