Work Text:
It was 2:34 when Steph pulled into the Batcave. She pushed herself off her purple bike and pulled down her hood with a relieved smile as she looked around. Six months of flying around with Cass and the Birds of Prey, and she was finally back at the nest-er…cave. Only Duke was down there, computer out, probably using the cave wifi - which was much better than the manor’s. He gave Steph a small smile and a wave when he saw her.
Steph sat down on the chair by the Batcomputer and spun around a few times, idly picking at the fibers of the seat; there were a couple jagged stitches from when Tim-the officially named hogger of the Batcomputer- used the chair as protection from Damian’s knives, and on one occasion one of Jason's actually-lethal bullets. How the thing was still alive, no one knew, but it was still there, and still riddled with little divots for Steph to dig her fingers in as she proceeded to further ruin it, which was much more fun than waiting around doing nothing until Batman and Robin got back from patrol.
Steph didn’t want to go into the manor tonight if she could, she knew that if she did the nostalgia or whatever would get to her-that and Alfred’s cooking- and somehow she’d wake up in the morning in her manor-bedroom wearing silk-pajamas or something fancy like that, Ace curled up at her side. That wouldn’t do at all, Steph wasn’t planning on staying long, she needed to meet back up with Cass in a couple hours, and the only reason she’d stopped by the cave at all instead of dropping by on B’s patrol to say hi was because she broke her phone and her car and needed Bruce Wayne’s credit card, a conversation that would go much better with the cowl off.
Well, and that she hadn’t seen the other Bats, mask or no mask, in half a year. Dick and Alfred would call occasionally, but the others were lost causes. Even Tim couldn’t bother to chat for a few minutes…not that Steph was much better, but the point is that as much as she claims not to want to be part of the family, she still cares about the Bats, and she did miss them. Dick would drive down from the Blud later in the week, Tim was finishing off his mission and would be back in two hours, Steph would say hi to Alfred tomorrow, and to Jason whenever he came around again, but she could still see Damian (oh, and Bruce too). Sure, she and the current Robin didn’t talk much anymore, but she still remembers when he was a stabby little ball of anger that she and Dick struggled to raise together, and that fondness doesn’t just disappear.
Speak of the Devil (though Demon would be more fitting), the Batmobile pulled into the cave and Batman and Robin stepped out. He tried to hide it, but when Damian saw Steph slouched by the Batcomputer, his lips ticked up for half a second before settling into neutral. That second was more than enough of an invitation for Steph, who ran right past Bruce and hugged him, and it was a testament to how much he must have missed her too, because Damian allowed it, chin resting on her head and-
Something was off. Steph detangled herself from Damian and took a step back, looking up at him. Wait, up? She did a double take, looking down and then tilting her head backwards, and there was his mask-and the rest of his face, above her. She couldn’t stop herself, she gaped.
Damian must have realized the same thing right after Steph, because the slight confused furrow in his brow smoothed out and his face split into a wicked grin as he leaned down so that they were face to face.
“Is it just me or have you gotten smaller since I’ve last seen you, Brown?” he sneered. Behind her, Steph could hear B’s long-suffering sigh.
“Actually, Robin, I think it’s you who’s grown. Last time I saw you you were here” she hovered her hand next to her knee, indicating his “height”. Damian scowled.
“It seems like you’ve not gained any intelligence, either, in the past few months. Or at least a not better memory” He drew himself up to his full height as he taunted her, taking a step backwards and nearly tripping over Tim’s car, which somehow, despite them being hyper-vigilante, neither Steph nor Damian had noticed- although, Tim’s crazy advanced engine silencer might have something to do with that too.
Tim got out of the driver’s side, eyes shining with borderline-malicious amusement at Damian’s near-fall. The current Robin, despite having matured a lot since he first joined the family, managed to hold on to some of his childhood superiority complex, so it was always funny to watch him embarrass himself. His reaction was the best part: like right now, as Damian scowled hard at Tim to mask his mortification, despite it doing nothing to cover his red cheeks.
“What did I miss,” Tim asked, slamming the car door shut and smiling haughtily at Damian’s embarrassment. God, those two could be so similar sometimes: no wonder they got on each other’s nerves.
Damian didn’t answer Tim’s question. He sneered at the older boy as Steph pulled Tim into a hug. “I apologize Timothy; I didn’t see your car-”
“Wow, the Demon-Brat’s actually apologiz-”
“It’s almost as small as you.”
Steph snorted before she could stop herself; Damian’s expression was smug; Tim looked confused for a moment before, just like Steph, Damian’s newfound height dawned on him, and the confusion was replaced with a growing horror.
“Holy growth spurts, Batman; The Demon’s tall!” Duke chuckled from his corner, and Bruce sighed yet again, having come out of the shower rooms to catch the tail end of the sentence.
Speaking of Bruce and sentences; Steph really needed to talk to him about her phone and car. Obviously he’ll say yes, but she might still get lectured. Fun. She leaves Damian and Tim to their ribbing and calls after Bruce.
“Hey B! Can you buy me a new phone and car. Mine might have-sort of…broke”
Bruce groaned and buried his face in his hands. Steph could practically feel the lecture coming on. “How did you break it this time?”
Steph grinned nervously, praying to Gotham’s evil spirits that Damian and Tim’s argument would break out into a fight and distract B. Or maybe Hood or Wing could cause a distraction. Crashing a vehicle into the cave wouldn’t be bad.