The Angel of Death

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

"Fuck off, Jason. I'm fine." I was trying to unwind the bandages around my shoulder, but it was harder than it looked. Jason was hovering, which was not something I ever pictured him doing. Our relationship had been rocky from the very beginning.

I guess there's some truth to what people say about trauma building relationships. Although it's not the first traumatic thing Jason's ever been through, and definitely not the first for me, either. Or the second. Or even the tenth. "Shut the fuck up and let me help you, you little goth piece of shit!" I sigh, surrendering the gauze to Jason.

When I somewhat broke down after the confession of my real heritage, he was...understanding. He didn't flinch at my tears or tell me things that weren't true. He just waited. And when I was done, he told me who he really was. Red Hood. I knew a little about the hero-and-villain network within Gotham, and when I asked if the rest of the family were also heroes, he didn't deny it.

The late-night disappearances suddenly make much more sense. When I finally put the pieces together and realised exactly who I was living with, I was reasonably exasperated. What part of discreteness do the Fates not understand? But objectively, maybe living in a house full of bat-themed heroes is exactly the place I belong. Bruce does seem to have an affinity for lonely, broken, black-haired kids in need of adoptive fathers.

Jason brushed his fingers softly over the faint scar now left on my shoulder from the knife blade, more brotherly than I've ever seen him, even to the other boys. "Are you sure we can't tell Bruce about this? He could help, you know. Diana's technically a goddess."

"Jason, I already told you. I'm pushing so much just by telling you, I can't imagine the gods will be happy if I let the whole Justice League in on their existence."

"Even if we don't say anything, he's going to wonder. How did we escape? Word will have gotten out about some dude flying around Gotham. Bruce won't stop until he gets a solid answer. You know that. What do you expect we tell him? Some mystery hero swooped in and saved us?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Not a bad idea."

"No." Jason says immediately. "No. Terrible idea. Absolutely not."

"Think about it, Jason! How many new, amateur heroes are constantly popping up in this city? You and the others of all people should know that. We could tell Bruce that it was exactly that- some new hero trying to make a big impression on the crime world by saving a couple of Wayne kids!"

"And what am I supposed to say when this 'new hero' just disappears?" Jason caught the meaning of the look I was giving him again. "No. No way. You are not seriously actually considering becoming a hero, are you?"

I shrug. "Seems like the perfect solution, doesn't it? I've been hiding the fact that I'm a demigod pretty well from you all, so I think I can handle this as well. It's an excuse for me to use my powers. Stretch my legs, you know?"

Jason groaned, running his hands over his face. "You seriously can't think I'd let you run around Gotham city looking for crime to fight, do you? You've barely been here for two weeks, and you've already been kidnapped!"

"Well, then tell everyone I'm your superhero apprentice or something. Bruce won't question it much, since I did technically save us. And then you wouldn't have to go out by yourself every night, either."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, unlike you! You're a child! If Bruce ever found out, he would have my head!"

I glared at him, using the same look my father uses on particularly tough spirits. And me. Jason glared right back. "Damian is younger than me. He still goes out."

"He does patrol. With Bruce. Because he's too young to do it on his own yet!" Jason turned away, muttering under his breath. Why couldn't see that this was the perfect solution to everything? I'd been dying of boredom being cooped up in that house all day, and this would give me the perfect opportunity to release some of my pent-up adrenaline. And it's not like I couldn't literally drink a healing potion whenever I got injured.

"Fine." Jason finally said, much to my surprise. I had expected a lot more arguing to happen. "Fine, I'll agree to this, but only under a few conditions." I nodded, rapt. "One, you don't ever, ever go out without me. Two, your identity, and all of ours, are to remain top-secret. You don't know who I am under the mask, and I don't know you. Three, if anything ever gets too dangerous, you back out. None of that self-sacrificing shit, got it?"

"Got it."

In the end, the story we came up with was a little less than foolproof, but somewhat believable. Jason and I had been kidnapped from the roof of Wayne manor by the Joker and held hostage. That much remained true, but to save questions about my inhumanly fast recovery, we deviated from the story there.

Before the Joker could beat the shit out of either of us, a mysterious, winged person dressed in black had burst through the window, carrying Jason and I to safety. He had been injured, and we had all been forced to take shelter in one of Jason's safe houses while the mystery hero recovered and the Joker searched for us. A deal had been struck between the hero and Jason, who, by default, had had to explain who he was, nudging me to put the pieces together.

The deal was that the winged hero would become Red Hood's apprentice in exchange for no longer recklessly running around the city making enemies of the top villains, and both would keep their civilian identities a secret. It seemed much too likely that the rest of the Waynes would eventually have to meet me in 'hero form', but we could at least delay that until Jason and I figured out a more solid plan.

We spent three days at the safe house, until I healed enough to be normal around the others, and then Jason called Bruce.

-

"Do you have any idea how worried we've been?!" Dick was pacing back and forth in front of Jason and I as we sat in the drawing room. Bruce was on his way home from work, and the other two boys were at school. As far as I knew, they hadn't been told yet, but Bruce was going to pick them up on his way here. Dick was currently giving Jason and I the 'older brother' speech.

"First, you disappear, no trace, nothing, we can't reach you by cell! Then the Joker of all people sends Bruce a voicemail that he has the two of you hostage! It's been almost five days! We've all been worried absolutely sick, and now you're telling me you've been in a stupid safehouse for three days?!"

Jason and I both refuse to make eye contact, and Dick huffs out a sound that's probably supposed to be angry but sounds half-way to a sob. "Why didn't you come home?" He asks, and I made the mistake of looking up. Dick looks like he's about to cry, and not for the first time I wonder how he ever survives this whole 'hero' thing. Has he ever seen anyone die?

The front door clatters open and Bruce runs in, looking dishevelled and followed by two of his equally frazzled-looking sons, although Damian is trying very hard to keep his icy facade in place. Bruce's entire being seems to relax when he sees Jason and I on the couch, unharmed except for the bruised cut on Jason's temple.

He surprises the both of us by dropping to his knees and encasing us in a hug, swiftly followed by Dick and Tim. Damian holds back but smiles at me when he catches my eye. 'Help,' I mouth at him and he laughs softly. Despite this, the group hug actually feels...nice. It makes me feel like I really am a part of this family. 

well gosh-diddely darn it, if that isnt the nicest family bonding youve ever witnessed, ill be a pickle's dick