Chapter Text
They say every rose has its thorns, but some are sharper than others. In your family, you were definitely the rose in the garden. While many roses bloom brightly, others are tangled, sharp, and unable to be plucked. You were of the thornier variety.
Everyone knew you had one of the biggest hearts of anyone, even rivaling your older brother
Dick's reputation, but that heart was buried beneath many layers of attitude, stubbornness, and a sharp tongue. Even if you didn't have as much training as the others, you were the dread of every criminal in Gotham. Essentially, nobody wanted to cross Sparrow in a dark alley at night. Even so, a rose is a rose, and your family loved you, thorns and all, even when those thorns pushed them away.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
“You know, I had some math homework due tonight,” you grumbled to your older brother, Dick, as you walked down the dark halls of the abandoned factory. Tonight, Poison Ivy kidnapped the CEO of a large tech startup to stop his plans to build a data center on a field with an endangered species of flowers, threatening to kill him if he didn’t cancel the plans by midnight. The captive was hidden somewhere in an old building in Gotham, as far as Oracle could tell from the ransom footage, but the exact one hadn’t been pinpointed yet, which meant all of you had to head out in teams to find him. Bruce was meeting with Ivy at a rendezvous point to negotiate.
Why did rogues always pick when you were practically drawing in assignments? Honestly, you couldn’t exactly blame Ivy for what she was doing. Not completely, at least, even if you disagreed with the whole threatening part. The problem with Ivy was that she always had a point. After all, the elite’s control grew more and more each day, their greed rooted in everything until it ruined others' lives. Despite the fact that the CEO’s project would force people who lived near the fields to move, nobody would care because he was well-loved and respected among the rich. Usually, the worst people are. People like him were weeds needing to be plucked. While this may seem hypocritical of you to think as the daughter of a billionaire, who else would know how corrupt they were?
Dick shrugged, his voice breaking you from your thoughts. “Come on, stop trying to be so perfect all the time. Don’t you already make straight As? That’s better than I did in college.”
“Maybe, but my professors are not exactly huge fans of me,” you went on. “Especially since I’ve already missed twelve classes this semester because I was up all night saving the city. Don’t even get me started on this one. I disagreed with him on one thing, and now he’s got it out for me-”
“Professors can be know-it-alls,” he said. “But I be-leaf in you.”
“Seriously? I don’t have time for your plant puns right now!” you sighed, nudging him in his side. “Could you lock in?”
Dick held out an arm, shushing you, “Wait, I think I heard something.” Quickly, you grabbed the batarang at your side, glancing around the room for anything.
“I think I hear a perfectionist who needs a serious visit from Mr. Freeze,” he teased, but there was a hint of frustration in his tone. “Because you need to learn to chill.”
Rolling your eyes, you scoffed, “Sorry for caring about my future! At least I’m a self-aware perfectionist.”
Dick stopped in his tracks, turning to face you with a mix of scolding and concern. “You put all of yourself into everything you do, okay? Patrol. Charity work. Grades. Nobody’s putting that sort of pressure on you. At this rate, you’re going to get burned out quickly. Stubbornness will only take you so far.”
Pressure? Irritation rose up in you at the very notion. Of course, you were pressured! Batman was your father! Despite how little you cared for following his orders during patrols, every correction, piece of feedback, and harsh word was carved into your memory, even when he took them back. Words could be forgiven, but never forgotten.
Okay, okay…so logically, you knew Dick had a point. Bruce told you to keep good grades, not perfect ones. After you started attending Gotham University, he assured you that you could take time off from vigilante work unless there was a major emergency. Even offered to hire someone to handle the details of the charity foundation you created until you graduated to make things easier. Yet you insisted on keeping things as they were, maybe to avoid focusing too long on memories you’d rather forget.
“Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself,” he added. Stupid older sibling powers! They always had a way of noticing how you were feeling, no matter how much you tried to hide it. “I know my limits,” you insisted.
With a long sigh, he quietly went to check a few more parts of the factory for the hostage. There was no use in arguing. After all, you were the most stubborn of Waynes.
Footsteps echoed off the walls as you made your way to the other side of the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. There was something eerie about this place. In the back of your mind, there was a nagging feeling of wrongness. Probably the sleep deprivation. Although why would Ivy pick here? Usually, she would choose a greenhouse or the botanical gardens, so she would have plenty of access to plants if needed to defend herself.
Oracle’s voice came over the comms, “Nightwing and Sparrow, I’ve managed to track the CEO's phone, and he should be at your location. As far as I can tell, he should be somewhere on the second floor.
“Got it,” you nodded. “Anything else?”
“Be careful. This is almost too easy for Ivy,” she warned. “Keep a sharp eye.”
“I’ve already considered that, but we brought our rebreathers if she has any pollen traps set,” you assured. “We’ll be in and out quick.”
Turning your line off, you signaled for Dick to follow you up the stairs. The two of you made your way towards the second floor, going carefully. Each step felt heavier than the last, a sense of dread in the air you couldn’t quite place.
“Are you sure we can’t just overlook this one?” you asked as you made your way up. “It’s not like the world needs ANOTHER data center! Nobody is going to miss that guy.”
“I don’t blame you, but remember it’s our job to protect everyone in this city, even the jerks,” he reminded, although a bit reluctantly.
“Can we at least let Ivy scare him a bit?” you suggested, with a hint of eagerness. “At least until he changes his mind.”
Internally, Dick groaned. Not because of the idea, but because it felt like he was dealing with Jason all over again.
“As much as I would enjoy that, we need to stop Ivy as soon as possible. Heard she’s formulated a strand of a stronger pollen,” Dick warned. “I’m guessing it’s cuddle pollen.”
“Wait,” you stopped in your tracks, staring at him as if he were insane. “Cuddle Pollen isn’t a joke? I thought you guys made that up to mess with me.”
“No, it’s real,” he said in a tone serious enough that he wasn’t lying. “Trust me, it’s not as cute as it sounds. Without physical human contact, it can be really painful. The first time I was exposed was as Robin, and B could barely drive back to the manor without me clinging to his arm.”
“Is that really any different than how you usually are, Golden Boy?” you teased. Despite Bruce not picking favorites, the nickname stuck.
“Shut up.”
“If I had known I had to save some rich guy building a data center, I wouldn’t have come,” you complained under your breath.
On the last flight, something caught your eye. An old ad on the wall for rose perfume.
“Nighwing, what sort of factory did this used to be?” you asked.
“I don’t know. I think it was makeup, or perfume, or something,” he shrugged. “Why?”
Perfume. If they formulated the products here, then that meant actual flower petals would have been used to make the scent. Even if the plants here were long dead, even a dried leaf was enough for Ivy’s abilities to work.
Worry crept into his tone, “I know that look. What are you thinking?”
Before you could answer, Bruce’s voice came over the comm line: “Ivy never showed up for our meeting, but the hostage is here.”
“It’s a trap!” you whisper-yelled, glancing around. Ivy must have left the phone here, knowing Oracle would track it to this location. “We have to leave!”
“Get out of there now,” Bruce ordered. “Oracle, notify the others to leave and meet with me.”
Too late. There was a small tug at your ankle, tightening a bit. A vine had wrapped around it, snaking its way up your leg.
Panic spiked in you, the pit in your gut forming a thorny knot. Quickly, you grabbed a knife from your belt and sliced through the root. The scent of flowers hit your nose before you heard her.
“That’s not very nice,” a voice scolded, echoing off the walls.
More vines slithered across the floor from the shadows and climbed up the walls. From the shadows emerged Poison Ivy, red lips upturned in a smirk. Vines curled around her, lined with pink buds full of whatever pollen, no doubt. The thought sent a shiver down your spine. One thing you hated the most was feeling out of control, and her pheromones could make people do all sorts of things. Looks like you were going to have to wing it for now until you could get out. Hopefully, talking would work this time. Ivy tended to be one of the more reasonable of Gotham’s rogues you’d encountered.
The stairs were blocked by her vines, and you were both too far up to jump without breaking anything. Dick seemed to notice as well, tensing for a fight.
“I’m surprised the two of you really thought it was this easy,” she taunted. “The Bat must be getting soft with age, thinking I’d negotiate so easily. Thought you were more clever than that.” For the last words, her eyes were on you. A vine shot out towards you, touching your hair almost teasingly before retreating back.
Another vine shot towards Dick, aiming for his arm. In a blur of metal, you threw a batarang at it, pinning it to the wall before it withered.
“Careful,” she taunted. “Wouldn’t want to see anyone getting hurt, now would we?”
“I don’t miss,” you answered bluntly. The words seemed to tick her off more. If you couldn’t risk a right, then at least you could piss her off with your words. Your words tended to have that effect.
“Can we just talk this out? I don’t understand! You’ve been out of Arkham for over a year now! Things were going well!”
“Understand? I think it’s perfectly easy to understand,” she said in a harsh tone. The vines waved angrily. “The company was going to build an AI data center over an endangered plant! What else could I do?”
“There’s a life at stake here!” Dick pleaded. “We’ve been at this since I was Robin. Can we let this go?”
“Let it go?” she seethed. “It was them or the environment!”
“Seriously? It’s an AI data center?” you asked. “That’s even worse! Honestly, I say screw AI.”
“Don’t tell me you’re taking her side here!” Dick exclaimed, giving you an exasperated stare.
“I mean, it is AI we’re talking about,” you shot back.
Dick sighed, “Look, I get it, but we can’t ignore the hostages!”
“I knew there was a reason you were my favorite of Bat’s birds,” she said, smirking as she leaned on a vine, nodding towards you.
Turning back to face her, you went on, “I’ll speak with my father about this and see if Wayne Enterprises can stop him, or outbuy the project! I swear!
“Do you really think it’s that easy?” she scoffed. “They’ll only build it somewhere else. Money is all they listen to.”
“There has to be a law, or something,” you tried, realizing how pointless it was. In the end, she was unfortunately right. Things could change if enough people worked together, but the companies would still do damage.
“Let me just speak with Wayne Enterprises. They’ll see the wrong in all this and stop the plans. Ivy, all of this is wrong, and I want to end this as much as you do. We could work together to fix it in some way that keeps you out of Arkham!”
She paused a moment, as if considering it before the familiar anger returned to her eyes.
“Sorry, but I can’t take that risk,” she answered in a low tone, with a hint of sympathy, as if she truly appreciated the offer. Then her smile turned more mischievous. Flowers began blooming. Oh no, you know that look.
“Watch out!” Dick warned, but everything happened too fast. Before you both could put your rebreathers on, clouds of yellow pollen filled the air. Dick tried to block you, but was caught by a vine. Immediately, you held out a palm, but only a few sparks flickered at your fingertips.
Shoot! Your powers must be too weak right now, after all the lack of sleep. Guess you were gonna have to do it the old-fashioned way. To your right, Dick was struggling against the vine's grip, and Ivy only smiled as if it were nothing but entertaining. A shiver seemed to go through him before he went rigid and sank into the vine’s hold.
“Hey!” you shouted, aiming a batarang at her. “Let go or else.” Ivy’s eyes snapped to you as a vine shot towards you. Dodging, you slid beneath its reach before driving the blade through it. Although she acted unfazed. Another followed, and you deflected, using your hand to shift its weight away like an incoming fist, landing in a crouch. More followed, as unrelenting as the next, yet you refused to stop even as an ache began to bloom in your chest. Ivy watched from the sidelines, still more playful than anything as she had no real intention of harming you. If was as if she were buying time, waiting for a reaction.
When you stood up, you found yourself face to face with her. Without hesitation, you threw a punch towards her face as a vine caught your wrist midair.
“I told you, let him go or else,” you threatened. Soreness spread down your arm as the plant curled more tightly around your wrist, pulling it further away.
“Else what?” she mocked. “You’ll call the Bat?”
“Or else this,” you kicked out, hooking your leg into her own, throwing her off balance onto her back. She practically snarled, jumping back to her feet.
Flowers began sprouting around you, petals waiting to open at her command. Suddenly, you felt very trapped, like a bird with its wing tangled in a briar flapping relentlessly.
“I thought we were on the same side here?” Ivy questioned, tone almost disappointed.
“I am! Do whatever you want with the CEO; I couldn't care less about him,” you said, pulling against the tight hold. “Things changed when you mess with my family! What did you give him?”
“Oh, he’ll be fine. The pollen can’t do any real damage,” she explained. “As annoying as Batman and his little brats can be, I’ve known most of you since you were kids. You’ve grown on me enough that I can’t bring myself to seriously harm you.”
With a wave of her hand, she unraveled the vine, gently setting him on the floor. For a moment, you thought things could be talked out until a loud siren rang outside. Blue and red lights washed over the factory as someone shouted from below, “This is the Gotham City Police! Come down with your hands up!”
Great timing, Gordon!
Ivy sighed, “Sorry, but you know what I have to do.”
“Tell Harley I said hi,” you said, slumping your shoulders. The flowers burst, sending the room into a fog of gold. Sputtering, you blinked but couldn’t see a thing.
Everything else happened in a blur.
The glint of a batarang. A shout. Way too many vines.
Pain filled your side before you realized you had been flung to the floor. A million thoughts filled your head as you tried to focus, adrenaline rushing through you.
Factory. Exits blocked. Too many vines. Get out. Get everyone out safely. Get out.
In the golden, pollen-filled fog, you saw a shadow of a figure on the ground. Great! You had to get to him. Stabbing pain filled your side, but you forced yourself to get up and keep pushing. If your family needed help, you could ignore it for now.
A deep cold settled over you, digging into your bones. It nearly knocked you off your feet, making you stop in your tracks. Everything was cold. The entire world seemed cold, making existence feel like ice, followed by a deep ache in your core. A hollowness that made you want to reach out for warmth.
Wow, Dick had been gone in Bludhaven for a while now, hadn’t he? Maybe you missed him more than you thought. Stephanie gave some of the best hugs. Actually, you hadn’t hugged your little brother Damian in a while. Did Cass need you right now? Bruce’s arms around you. No, your father’s arms around you. The idea felt so, so warm. Warmth, you needed warmth.
Shoot! This was cuddle pollen, wasn’t it? Easily, you brushed the feeling off, letting it slide away as if nothing had happened. No different than usual. Time to focus.
“Nightwing! You alright?” you shouted, rushing over to check for any injuries. None, but his pupils were blown wide. Tears had filled his eyes as he stared up at you, sobbing. “I’m sorry, I should’ve been there for you earlier, saved you from everything. I should have saved my little brother! I should have-”
The words made your stomach twist more. Looks like there was an emotional component as well. Things only kept getting worse, didn’t they?
“Hey, it’s okay,” you said in a softer tone, unsure what to do. “None of that’s your fault.”
Comforting people wasn’t your strong suit at times, since you never knew what to say, but seeing your brother like this was too heartbreaking. How long had he been carrying this around? You had to do something. Awkwardly, you took his hand, giving a small squeeze. “We really need to go.”
Taking your hand, he got to his feet, then immediately latched with a hug. You were NOT a hugger.
“Dick, come on!” you complained as he threw dead weight on you, feeling like a sack of flour. “Ease up a bit, you weigh over 200 pounds!”
“Fine,” he mumbled, adjusting a bit to stand on his own and loosening his tight grip. Getting down the stairs with a clingy Nightwing was not easy; you had to practically drag him. Somehow, you made it, finding Bruce and Tim waiting with worried expressions.
“Cuddle Pollen. Poison Ivy got away. No injuries,” you huffed, trying to catch your breath. “Now could someone please take him!”
Dick glanced up and immediately ran into Bruce’s arms, giving a sigh of relief as he hugged him. Bruce returned the gesture, with a rare hint of softness said, “You’ll be fine, chum. We’ll be home soon.”
He glanced up at you, tone returning to its usual sternness, “Poison Ivy set traps at the other locations. The hostage is secure right now with the GCPD, but everyone except Red Robin and me here has been exposed. They’re waiting in the Batmobile.”
“Robin is not happy about it,” Tim noted. “Always gets grumpy about cuddle pollen, but he’s with Signal right now trying to wear off the effects.”
“The stuff’s a lot worse than I thought,” you agreed.
Tim stared at you curiously for a moment. “Wait, are you not exposed?”
“No, I’m covered in the stuff,” you said, tugging at the fabric of your suit, which was covered in yellow dust. Alfred would have to show you how to wash it out.
“And you’re not feeling anything at all?” Bruce questioned.
“No, I don’t feel any different than normal,” you answered honestly. “My metahuman abilities must make me immune.”
Tim seemed doubtful. “Immunity isn’t impossible, I suppose. Duke reacts to it, and so does Clark, so alien DNA doesn’t make a difference either. Maybe the alterations the lab made caused some sort of accidental immunity.”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Bruce decided, leading Dick in the direction of the car. “For now, we need to get everyone back and strategize about how to deal with Ivy.”
On the way back, Tim still felt that something was wrong, even though you were acting like your normal self. Especially when you flipped off the CEO, who was curled up under a blanket and clearly faking shock. Yeah, that was definitely all you.
“Teach your Robin some respect,” the man shouted at Bruce, who pretended to look in the other direction.
“I didn’t see a thing.” he shrugged, feigning innocence. “And her name is Sparrow. Get it right before you accuse her of anything.” The man began complaining to Gordon about teenage vigilantes, who simply walked off.
“Are you sure you’re fine?” Tim asked, still unconvinced, pausing a moment to put a hand on your shoulder, concern etched into his features.
The touch burned through the fabric for a split second. Odd.
Forcing a smile, you said, “I’m okay. Don’t worry. Washing all this pollen out of my hair is gonna suck.”
Later….
The cave was rarely ever quiet, despite being a cave. No, it was usually full of noises of laughter or your siblings arguing. Tonight, however, everyone was either asleep, taking a shower, or sticking close until the pollen’s effects wore off.
Damian and Dick were still huddled in the corner, your little brother asleep in his arms. Stephanie had practically glued herself to Cassandra, and Duke had crashed in a pile of blankets.
Since the others were recovering, you were sitting at the Batcomputer, filling out reports and sorting tonight's blood tests, trying to keep a straight face. So far, nobody had noticed anything out of the ordinary, even if it felt like your blood had turned to ice. Over the years, you had come to master the ‘I feel fine even if I’m dying on the inside’ look when you were hiding being sick or in pain. Pushing yourself was practically second nature.
Those years at the lab had taught you how to shove down any unnecessary feelings. To push things aside or deal with the consequences. Anything besides compliance ended in punishment. There, they had tested your metahuman abilities to their limits, forging you into a weapon until Bruce showed up one night and took you away. It had been nearly five years since you first met your family, yet it still felt like yesterday, so real you could still feel the agony of the experiments. Other times, it felt like an eternity had passed since then, as if it had only been a nightmare. At least it had made you stronger, giving you an unshakable spirit.
Worrying the rest of your family with your small problems wasn’t worth it when they already had so much weight resting on their shoulders.
A shadow caught in the corner of your eye. “We need to discuss what happened tonight,” Bruce said in that tone that meant some sort of lecture was coming. Had he noticed you were faking? Talking about how you felt was the last thing on your mind, especially with Bruce. Expressing emotions was famously his weakness.
“How did this even happen? Why didn’t you have your rebreathers?”
Oh, good, he just wanted to do one of his usual after-patrol reports.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe wearing the rebreathers wouldn’t give an ‘we trust you not to pollen us’ vibe while I was negotiating,” you said sarcastically, not sparing a glance.
“It was reckless,” he insisted. “You’re reckless. How many times do I have to have this conversation with you?” And Dick thought you were the grumpy one tonight?
“Well, you’re the one who is always telling us anyone can change,” you retorted, turning to face him. “Talking it out was the best way to avoid anyone getting hurt.”
“Some still got hurt, and Poison Ivy is still out there,” he stated, crossing his arms.
“I’m well aware,” you answered bluntly, giving him one of your usual stares. The look on his face showed he clearly wasn’t happy about your tone, but he said nothing. Instead, he tried to take a deep breath. Everyone was tired, including him, and lashing out wouldn’t help any.
“Is this what Alfred had to put up with me every day?” he thought to himself. “Now I’m starting to understand why everyone says there’s a family resemblance.”
“I had Barbara check into Ivy’s records. Turns out she hasn’t been going to any of her court-ordered therapy sessions,” he explained, changing the subject instead. Right now, he couldn’t face this conversation. “Bribed her therapist not to say anything.”
She hadn’t? So that explained why you thought the entire stunt tonight was off. Ivy had been doing better, a lot better, and the whole thing honestly worried you about her. Harley and Ivy had run into you on one or more occasions during patrol, even helping you out of a few sticky situations. A few times, Harley had even let you open up about your feelings, making you feel seen for the first time in a while.
“Speaking of which,” you began, turning to face him. “Do you think you could speak with the tech department of Wayne Enterprises this week? I may or may not have agreed to have the company find a way to stop the data center.”
With a long sigh, he promised, “I’ll see what I can do. Now get some sleep. We’ve all had a long night.”
“I still need to finish the reports,” you argued, trying to keep a straight face. Just a few more minutes wouldn’t be too bad. “Sleep can wait. I’ve gone to classes on only three hours of it before.”
Oh no, this was what Alfred dealt with every day! Mentally, he noted to give him a raise on his next paycheck.
“Let me handle it. You already covered everyone else’s,” he said.
He hesitated, reaching out a hand before pulling it back. Cuddle pollen’s effects were strong, so it wasn’t as if anyone could simply ignore them, meaning immunity was likely. If you needed help, he would know.
Not to mention you weren’t one for outward shows of affection. Ever since he’d met you, you seemed to avoid it at all costs, so he’d respect it even if he was worried.
“Are you okay?” he asked. The question almost surprised you.
“I already told you, I’m fine,” you lied through your teeth. Obviously, feeling like you were freezing wasn’t fine. Despite the pain, the idea of touch was somehow worse. During your time in the lab, you had been touched all the time, hands poking and prodding- it only brought pain. “I feel normal.”
“Then, go get some rest. Today was a long day.”
Carefully, you got up, ignoring the urge to shiver as you left the cave. It was like holding all these broken parts together, strung together by sheer stubbornness. Each step felt like walking through mud, taking all your strength to get up the grand staircase. With each, the pain dug further, growing more intense by the second, along with the hollow feeling inside. By far, cuddle pollen had to be the cruelest of Ivy’s ideas.
Keep it together. Just a few more steps, and you’ll be in your room.
When the door shut behind you, everything came crashing down. Practically collapsing into bed, you dug around until you found the heating pad you used during periods. All you wanted was to grab as many blankets and heating packs as possible, but you settled for one. Too many would cause heat exhaustion. The shivering wouldn’t stop.
You grabbed a pillow, hugging it close with a sigh of relief, pretending it was a person instead. Darkness drenched the bedroom, and not even the distant lights of Gotham reached the window. No point in crying when the quiet was the only one there to respond. Things had been the same way in the lab. Tears never fixed anything anyway, right?
Burying your face in the softness, you let the comforting weight settle over you until you finally drifted off.
Yeah, no different than any other night.
Somewhere between midnight and afternoon, the sound of knocking woke you in a haze. Sunlight poured in from the window, spreading out over the large bed. Light stung your eyes as you blinked, the memories from the night before rushing back.
“Miss? Are you alright in there? You skipped breakfast this morning,” Alfred called out.
“I’m okay,” you mumbled against the pillow. “Just leave it there.”
“It’s past lunchtime,” he said dryly. Glancing up, you looked at the clock. Shoot! Was it already 3 in the afternoon? You’d missed two lectures already! Now you’d have to email again with some excuse about being sick or your dog having to go to the vet. With a pained groan, you flopped face-first into the pillow.
“If you don’t open that door in a few minutes, I’m coming in,” the butler threatened. “Did you even wash your suit last night?
“I’m fine,” you insisted. “Tired is all.” Tired was putting it mildly. If you were honest with yourself, it felt as if you were wilting and had been for a while, petals slowly falling one by one.
Softly, the door opened, and Alfred stepped inside. “I can tell when someone is lying, you know. I’ve raised too many not to tell by now.” His eyes landed on the heating pad and the yellow dust on the bed, quickly putting together a picture of what had happened. Exposed to Ivy’s cuddle pollen and had to manage the pain alone.
“Cuddle pollen?” he inquired, saying it as if it were as dull a topic as paint drying. The butler had that gift, no matter how absurd life got around here at the manor.
“Don’t tell anyone,” you asked. “I handled it on my own.”
Alfred tugged at a glove, adjusting it. “I don’t make any promises, but for now I can ignore the topic unless Master Wayne directly addresses me about it. Although, may I inquire why you decided it was a good idea to take care of this yourself?”
“Everyone else was already tired, so I didn’t want to bother anyone with my problems.”
The butler scoffed, “You’re insulting my intelligence. While you may be selfless, I can tell there’s more to it, so go on and tell me.” Leave it up to Alfred to notice you when nobody else did. You rolled over, observing the hint of softness behind the stoic demeanor. Often, you found it easier to open up to him.
“When I was in the lab, the scientists were cruel,” you admitted. “They would leave me alone in a cell for days. It would go on and on, and…when I saw someone again, it meant more tests. Stupid tests. I guess now when I think of touch, my brain goes back there, and I expect pain.”
The confession even caught you off guard, surprised at how truthful the words were. Words that had been stuck on your tongue for years, never quite able to say them out loud because maybe you didn’t want to hear them. Pretending things were normal was easier than facing the fact that you had survived horrors nobody should.
“Probably a stupid reason,” you forced a laugh.
“Oh, Miss,” Alfred whispered, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. The feeling was a relief after the lonely night. “I assure you it’s not a foolish reason at all.”
“Do you ever think I’ll be normal again?” you asked tentatively.
Alfred laughed a bit. “Normal? At my age, I’ve learned there is no such thing as normal. Life is a very strange thing, and there’s no one version of normal, especially in this family. One of your brothers is undead, another can turn invisible, and Master Bruce dresses as a Bat in his spare time.”
Okay, so he did have a point.
“I wish I could forget,” you said in a frustrated tone.
“Unfortunately, you’ll always carry this around with you, but with time the burdens get lighter,” he said quietly. “I’ve seen many people carry heavy burdens in this family, and I can honestly say you are by far the strongest person I have ever met.” Alfred squeezed your shoulder lightly, then got up, gathered the tray of food, and returned to routine as normal, then froze at the feeling of arms tightly holding his form. Usually, you were the most stubborn of all the children he had helped raise, refusing to let anyone near. While it was unexpected, it warmed his heart a bit to know you trusted him so well.
“Can you stay? Until I go back to sleep?” you asked quietly, hugging him more. “If you’re not too busy.”
“You know I always stay ahead of schedule,” he replied, turning to return the hug, not daring to move until your hold began to loosen.
“You’re the goat, Alfred,” you muttered, rolling over and already going back to sleep.
“How absurd,” he scolded, a smile nearly forming on his lips as he placed a blanket over your freezing form. “I’m not a goat, Miss.”
Sleepiness begins to take over again as your eyes flutter closed, and you sink into the plush sheets. Alfred carefully laid a blanket over you, noting how peaceful you looked. Typically, he’d fuss over sleeping in so much, as he had often with your brothers, except he couldn’t bring himself to wake you. Sleeping was the only time he saw you at peace, as if it were the only time you didn’t look as if you were carrying a weight on your shoulders. When the moment presented itself, he was going to have a very stern talk with Bruce.
Roses may wilt in the snow, but they bloom again each spring. While it may have felt like you were wilting, you would blossom again. Unfortunately for Gotham, you could never be held down for long.
You woke to someone tapping you on your shoulder. “W-what time is it?” you yawned.
“Time for your next class,” the professor scolded, glaring down from behind his glasses, arms folded against his chest. “Although, why don’t you enlighten us on today’s topic. Can you tell me the difference between a chloroplast and a leucoplast?”
Great! Just what you needed! Of all the classes to fall asleep in, it had to be the one where the professor already seemed to have it out for you. Poison Ivy had released her pollen at least half a dozen times over the past month, and still was evading the police. Each time, you kept up your act of immunity until you could crash in your room.
“A chloroplast is an organelle found within the plant cell that contains chlorophyll to be used later during photosynthesis. It absorbs the light energy and turns it into carbon dioxide. Leucoplasts are not non-photosynthetic and store important nutrients instead,” you answered without missing a beat. The man’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting that answer and unsure what to say. Proving people wrong never got old. After all, you were used to being underestimated. Big mistake.
A grin spread across your face as you told him, “I read ahead.” Everyone began filing out now that the period was over, pushing to get to the door. You stayed behind, hoping to avoid any hallway talk. Right now, you couldn’t afford distractions, so friends were out of the question. Anyone you found even considered for a moment may be attractive was definitely off the board. Romance was the same - nothing more than an obstacle in the way of your goals. A thorn in your side.
If you were ever going to make a name for yourself as a vigilante, as well as create one outside of the Wayne shadow, it would take putting every bit of yourself into creating a future. You never planned to stay just Sparrow, no more than any other Robin in the eyes of the city, nor did you want to continue being the least favorite Wayne to the press.
Not to mention you were still working on the details of shutting down the data center. Over the past week, you had dug up a lot of information on the CEO. Turns out, the field wasn’t the only thing at stake. Several communities nearby would be forced to move, just as others had when the company bought them out for projects.
Just when you thought people couldn’t disappoint you more, they never failed to surprise you.
As you packed up your notes, your phone rang.
The screen read: Dad 🦇
Why would he be calling now? All you needed was the news that there had been a mass Arkham outbreak right about now!
“Hey, what’s up?” you asked.
Bruce’s voice was a bit grim. “I’m so sorry.”
You froze. If he was apologizing, it couldn’t be good.
“B, what’s going on?” you asked in a more urgent tone.
“The executives spoke with the company about the data center. We offered everything we could, but every major tech company in the world is in support of this. It’s even got LuthorCorp as an investor now,” he explained. “Wayne Enterprises is powerful, but they wouldn’t listen. They’ll break ground on the build site before we can shut down the operations.”
“What?! No!” you croaked out. “How is this possible?! Why are they doing this? I don’t understand. Can’t those idiots see the harm this will cause?”
“Trust me, I called them the same thing and a few other words,” he gritted his teeth. “I promise, we’ll fix this. It’s just going to take more time than we thought.”
“I know you tried,” you replied, hiding the shake in your voice. Anger with a hint of hurt, not understanding the injustice of it all. “Thanks.” You hung up.
Poison Ivy did have a point. If the companies didn’t do anything about it, then someone else had to.
Time to take things into your own hands.