Chapter Text
Tuesday, 8:47 PM EST
Batcomputer Screen - Discord Voice Chat
"Bruce, I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to answer honestly."
"Dick, it's been two hours since—"
"No, no, this is important. Have you ever—" Dick paused dramatically. "—played Minecraft?"
Silence.
"Bruce?" Tim chimed in. "Did you hear him? Minecraft?"
"I know what Minecraft is, Tim."
"Okay, but have you played it?"
"...No."
"What."
"I've been—"
"Busy. Yes, we know. You're always busy." Dick's voice was the vocal equivalent of an eye roll. "But tonight? We're all here. The entire Justice League is having a 'team bonding night' which Superman insisted on, and—"
"I was not consulted."
"That's because you'd say no. Anyway, we're playing Minecraft. All of us. You, me, Jason, Tim, Damian, Barbara, Stephanie, Cass, Alfred—"
"Alfred?"
"He said he'd 'observe.' I think that means he'll be making tea while judging us."
Bruce sighed. It was a long-suffering sound. The kind of sound a man makes when he's realizing he's about to spend four hours doing something he'd rather not do, surrounded by people he loves but finds exhausting.
"I'm not—"
"Bruce." Dick's voice turned pleading. "Please. It's just a game. No criminals. No missions. No world-ending threats. Just... blocky cubes. I promise it'll be fun."
There was a pause.
Bruce's voice came through, flat and resigned: "I know that tone, Dick. That's the 'I will not be denied' tone."
"Because I won't be denied. Come on, it'll be great."
"He's right, Father," Damian interjected. "If you continue to isolate yourself, your emotional regulation will—"
"Damian."
"I'm merely stating facts, Father."
Bruce made a sound that might have been a sigh or might have been a prayer. "Fine. Set up the server."
"YES. Okay. Okay, I'll get everyone organized—"
"You have thirty seconds before I change my mind."
"YOU WON'T CHANGE YOUR MIND. YOU'RE COMMITTED NOW. I'M—" There was a crash in the background. "—SENDING THE INVITE. SEE YOU IN GAME."
The Discord channel exploded with voices:
RedHood: "FINALLY. I've been wanting to kill him in Minecraft for YEARS."
Oracle: "Jason, please be normal."
RedHood: "I'm always normal."
Oracle: "Jason."
RedHood: "FINE. I'll only kill him a little."
RedRobin: "This is going to be a disaster."
Nightwing: "A beautiful disaster. The best kind."
---
9:14 PM EST
The server loaded.
Dick had made it a creative world, because apparently "people need to learn before they can survive," and also because Tim had threatened to blow up the spawn point if there were creepers.
The Justice League members had scattered across the map, claiming territories and building things:
Clark was building a fortress in the mountains. It looked like a fortress made of hope and good intentions.
Diana was building an arena. Because of course she was.
Barry was running back and forth, building a track. He'd already completed three laps around the entire map and was starting a fourth.
Arthur was building a underwater base. Because of course he was.
Hal was building a spaceship. It was aggressively green.
Victor was building something that looked suspiciously like a boom tube.
Dinah was building a flower garden.
Oliver was building a shooting range.
GreenArrow: "I'm going to make this SO cool."
BlackCanary: "Ollie, you're supposed to be building. Not... whatever this is."
GreenArrow: "This IS building. It's ART."
BlackCanary: "It's a dirt tower."
GreenArrow: "A DIRT TOWER WITH A SHOOTING RANGE AT THE TOP."
BlackCanary: "..."
GreenArrow: "You'll SEE. You'll ALL see."
The Batfamily had also scattered, claiming their own corners:
Dick was building something in a flower forest. It looked like a circus tent. Because of course it did.
Jason was building in a cave. He'd already placed TNT everywhere and was debating if he should actually use it.
Tim was building a redstone contraption that no one understood. It involved pistons.
Damian was building a stable for "hypothetical horses" and a garden with "perfectly aligned flower beds, Drake, unlike whatever that is."
Stephanie was building a giant yellow flower.
Cass was building a simple house. It was perfectly symmetrical. No one was surprised.
Barbara was building a giant computer. Because of course she was.
Oracle: "I'll connect it to the Batcomputer."
RedRobin: "That's... that's not how Minecraft works."
Oracle: "I'll MAKE it work."
RedRobin: "I love you but I'm terrified of you."
Oracle: "As you should be."
And Bruce?
Bruce was building a house.
It was a small house. Simple. In a forest near a river.
It looked exactly like the house from his childhood.
The one in the Garden District.
Nightwing: "Bruce..."
Batman: "I'm just building."
Nightwing: "That's not 'just building.' That's—"
Batman: "It's a house, Dick. I'm building a house."
Nightwing: "...Okay. Okay, yeah, sure. That's—that's fine."
RedHood: "He's building the house. The one from the Wayne property."
RedRobin: "I thought that burned down?"
RedHood: "It did. He's making it again."
RedRobin: "...should we... say something?"
RedHood: "Absolutely not. You say something, he'll stop. And then he'll sulk for three weeks."
RedRobin: "You're projecting."
RedHood: "I'm SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE."
Bruce's house took shape: stone foundation, wooden walls, a second floor with a window that looked over the forest. He added a garden. He added a stable, though he didn't have any horses.
He didn't say anything.
But the others could see him working. Quietly. Methodically.
Building something that mattered.
---
10:32 PM EST
The game had been peaceful for over an hour.
And then, disaster.
GreenArrow: "So, this bow I made? It's WILD."
Flash: "What do you mean 'wild'?"
GreenArrow: "I mean it one-shots everything. Watch."
GreenArrow's character moved to the top of his dirt tower. He drew back the bow. Took aim.
At the forest.
At the house.
At the window.
At Bruce.
GreenArrow: "Hey Bruce, hold still—"
Batman: "Oliver, what are you—"
GreenArrow: "I'm just testing the bow, I'll shoot NEAR you—"
The arrow flew.
It was a beautiful shot. Curving through the air. Trailing particles.
Through the window.
Into Bruce's chest.
Batman was slain by GreenArrow
The chat froze.
The server froze.
Everything froze.
Oh shit.
---
Real Life - The Batcave
Bruce stared at the screen.
He'd been building. He'd been... building. Recreating something. Something important.
And Oliver Queen had shot him.
In Minecraft.
With a bow.
That he'd just finished building.
Bruce closed his eyes. He was going to be reasonable. He was going to be mature. He was going to say, "It's fine. It's just a game. I'll respawn."
"..." He made a sound.
It wasn't a word.
---
Real Life - The Batcave - 3 Feet to the Right
Jason was watching.
He saw Bruce's expression shift.
He saw Bruce's entire body language shift.
He saw Bruce's jaw tighten.
And then he saw Bruce take a very deep breath and say, in his calmest possible voice: "It's fine. It's a game. I'll—"
He paused.
"Spawn. I'll spawn."
"You know what, this is fine. I'm going to be fine—"
The batcomputer screen flickered.
From behind Bruce, a figure emerged. Not physically, in the game. A character. Black suit. Red trim. Mismatched eyes.
NightEnd joined the game.
Jason's stomach dropped.
Fuck.
---
Real Life - Osaka, Japan
Salix had been watching.
He was always watching, in his own way, not literally, not every moment, but close enough. His mark on Bruce was a constant thread in the back of his mind, a hum that told him Bruce was alive, Bruce was safe, Bruce was there.
When the thread flickered.
Just once. Barely a moment.
Bruce had died.
Salix was already at his computer, moving through the motions. Logging in. Teleporting to coordinates he knew by heart because Bruce always built the same house, always in the same forest, always by the same river.
"Hello, Oliver."
The message appeared in the chat.
And then Salix moved.
---
Real Life - Watchtower
Oliver Queen stared at his screen.
GreenArrow was dead.
He'd respawned, yes. But he was dead again. Salix had found him, and Salix had killed him, and Oliver still wasn't sure how it had happened because Salix hadn't been there a second ago and then he was and now GreenArrow's inventory was scattered across the dirt tower and Oliver was very, very confused.
"Salix, what the hell—"
Another message:
NightEnd: "You hurt him."
GreenArrow: "IT WAS A GAME—"
NightEnd: "I don't care."
GreenArrow respawned. He moved. He tried to run. Salix caught him. A flash of movement, an enchanted stick, a heel to the side of his head (thanks to a customized emote that Salix got in Minecraft), and then death.
NightEnd: "Every time you respawn. Every time you try to play. I'll be there."
GreenArrow: "IS THIS ABOUT BRUCE?? IT'S A GAME—"
NightEnd: "I said I don't care."
GreenArrow respawned.
GreenArrow died.
---
10:35 PM EST - Batcave
"Dick."
"Uh, yes, Bruce?"
"Why is Salix killing Oliver?"
"I don't know. I don't know, Bruce. I don't understand—"
"He's killed him three times."
"...Four times now."
"Dick."
"I'm not going to stop him, Bruce. YOU stop him."
Bruce looked at the screen. Salix had GreenArrow pinned again.
"Salix."
No response.
"Salix. It's a game."
Salix's character paused. Looked directly at the camera.
NightEnd: "I know."
"He'll respawn."
NightEnd: "I know."
"So why are you—"
NightEnd: "Because he hurt you."
"It was an accident."
NightEnd: "Doesn't matter."
Bruce stared at his best friend's character. At the pixelated representation of a man who'd crawled out of a universe not his own, who'd lost everything and rebuilt himself piece by piece, who'd marked Bruce as his and refused to let anything, not gods, not creatures, not armies, ever touch him.
Salix's character moved. Killed Oliver again.
NightEnd: "I'm not finished."
Bruce sighed. He was going to die of exhaustion long before anyone managed to kill him in a game.
---
Real Life - Same Room
Jason was watching.
He was watching Salix, who was in Japan, who was on the other side of the planet, who shouldn't have been able to react this fast, kill Oliver Queen like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Babe."
Salix didn't look up. (And yes, they are in a face call now).
"Babe, you know he's going to respawn."
"I know."
"That's the point?"
"That's the point."
Jason processed this. Then he sighed, leaned back in his chair, and made a mental note to never, ever, EVER kill Bruce in a game.
Or anywhere else.
For any reason.
He valued his life.
---
Real Life - Watchtower
"Ollie, what the hell is happening?"
"I don't KNOW, Dinah. Salix just—he just showed up and now he won't stop killing me—"
"Salix? Isn't that Bruce's friend from Japan?"
"Yes. Apparently. He's also INSANE."
"Ollie, you killed Bruce."
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT—"
"He doesn't seem to care."
"I NOTICED."
GreenArrow respawned. GreenArrow died.
"That's nine."
"DINAH, STOP COUNTING—"
---
10:38 PM EST
A new player joined the server.
AngelOfDecay joined the game.
"Ollie, darling, where ARE you?"
Oliver Queen's heart stopped.
It was a video game. He knew it was a video game. He was literally in a video game, at his desk, with his controller, and he knew that none of this was real.
But he'd seen Ryuusei angry before.
He'd seen Ryuusei playful angry.
He'd seen Ryuusei's "I am going to make your life a living hell but it's okay because I'll be theatrical about it" angry.
This was different.
This was quiet.
"Oh, there you are."
GreenArrow looked up.
Ryuusei's character was on top of the dirt tower.
"Hi, Ollie."
"Hi, Ryuusei."
"Did you kill Bruce?"
"...Yes?"
"Did you really?"
"...It was an accident?"
Ryuusei's character tilted its head. And then, unfathomably, laughed.
"Oh, darling. You made such a mistake."
GreenArrow tried to run.
He didn't make it.
---
Real Life - Wayne Manor
Ryuusei was in the Manor.
He'd arrived twenty minutes ago and no one had noticed because no one ever noticed until it was too late. He'd been in Bruce's study, examining his collection, and he'd felt the death through his wards.
So he'd found a computer. Logged into the server. And now he was watching Oliver Queen's character respawn, and he was going to do something about it.
"Ryuusei, no."
Bruce's voice was exhausted. He'd just respawned and was watching the chaos unfold.
"I'm not going to stop, Bruce."
"You killed him six times already."
"Seventeen. I want seventeen."
"...Why seventeen?"
"Aesthetic."
Bruce made a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob.
---
Real Life - Watchtower
Oliver Queen was crying.
Not actual tears, mind you. He was a grown man, he was a hero, he had standards.
But he was close. Very close.
"I'm going to have NIGHTMARES."
"Ollie, it's a game—"
"I know it's a game. I KNOW. But he's—he's not PLAYING. He's just—"
GreenArrow respawned. GreenArrow died.
"That's fourteen."
"DINAH—"
"I'm just saying. He said seventeen. That's the number you need."
"WHY SEVENTEEN—"
"He said 'aesthetic.'"
"THAT'S NOT EVEN—"
GreenArrow died again.
"Fifteen."
"I HATE THIS—"
---
10:42 PM EST
The Batfamily gathered in the Manor's main room. Everyone was on their laptops or tablets, watching the carnage unfold.
"So," Dick said carefully. "Salix and Ryuusei are... avenging Bruce."
"In Minecraft," Tim added.
"Seventeen times," Stephanie said.
"For aesthetic reasons," Cass added.
"This is the most unhinged thing I've ever seen," Barbara said. "And I've seen Jason's search history."
"Hey—" Jason started, then stopped. "Actually, fair. But I'm not the one killing a man seventeen times over a game."
"You would," Damian said flatly. "If it were Salix."
Jason opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"...I hate that you're right."
Damian looked smug.
"Father chose his protectors well."
"Damian, you can't seriously be—"
"They eliminated the threat. Seventeen times. That's thorough. Even by my standards."
"Damian, he's going to be okay. He's already respawned—"
"The principle, Grayson. The principle."
Dick watched Salix kill Oliver again.
"I'm honestly impressed."
"By what?" Tim asked.
"By how... coordinated they are. Salix is going for the stealth kills. Ryuusei is going for the traps. They're not talking, they're not coordinating, but they're in sync. It's like they're the same person."
"That's because they both understand one thing," Jason said quietly.
"Which is?"
"Bruce is theirs."
Everyone went quiet.
"Salix has marked Bruce in ways none of us fully understand," Jason continued. "And Ryuusei... Ryuusei died and came back for him. Across universes. They're not just protective. They're territorial. And Oliver touched what's theirs."
"In a game," Dick said weakly.
"Doesn't matter."
---
10:44 PM EST
"Okay, that's seventeen."
Ryuusei's character stopped moving.
"Perfect."
"That's... that's it?" Oliver asked, his voice shaky.
"Oh, no. That's just for now." Ryuusei's character tilted its head. "But if you ever—and I mean EVER—hurt Bruce again, even in a game, even in a dream, even in a hypothetical scenario..."
"...Yes?"
"I have this little thing called a 'shadow construct' that I can send through dimensional barriers. It can't hurt you, but it can make you feel like someone's watching you. Forever."
"..."
"Just a thought."
"..."
"Have a nice rest of your game, Oliver."
Ryuusei's character vanished.
Salix's character gave Oliver one last look, then vanished too.
---
10:45 PM EST
"Bruce."
"Yes, Dick?"
"You're... okay with this?"
"With what?"
"With Salix and Ryuusei killing Oliver seventeen times over a game?"
Bruce paused.
He thought about Salix, who'd been watching, always watching, who'd felt his death across the distance and responded in seconds. Who'd spent every moment since in pursuit.
He thought about Ryuusei, who'd appeared out of nowhere, who'd made Oliver's life hell, who'd said "seventeen" and meant it.
"They're not my friends."
"Bruce—"
"They're my protectors. There's a difference."
Dick stared at him.
"Salix and Ryuusei are... they're... they love you in a way that I don't think either of them fully understands. And they'll do anything to keep you safe."
"I know."
"Doesn't that scare you?"
"No."
"...Why not?"
Bruce smiled.
"Because I'm not afraid of being loved. Not anymore."
Dick didn't know what to say to that.