Requested by: Maxlifeisgood
Prompt: You are Damian's beloved twin sister with a soul-crushing secret. Just when you feel you have lost yourself, someone discovers you...
WARNING: DESCRIPTIONS OF SELF-HARM
You sit in your father's high-backed armchair in the Batcave with your knees tucked to your chest. You bury your dainty nose deep into the fabric of your black leggings and sigh. Deep within the pit of your stomach, you feel a weight sinking down like a ship in the ocean. This depressing weight feels like a curse upon you. You've been feeling so distant for the past several months that it's as if you've disappeared into another world. And it's all because of her...
Suddenly, through the corner of your eye, you see a small shadow drifting slowly towards you. From the darkness, a boy in a canary yellow cape and green mask approaches.
"Father and I are leaving. The clown has just broken out of prison..."
You tilt your headly slightly to meet the forest green eyes of your twin, your equal; Damian.
"I know...," you breathe. "Are all of you going?"
"Yes. Grayson is meeting us there. Drake and Todd will follow."
You nod and smile weakly. "Every moment wasted is another life lost. Go..."
Damian begins to turn away but rotates his head just enough for you to hear his voice.
"Any word from mother?"
You wince like you've been hit with a whip. He just had to ask...
"No..." you lie. "Nothing."
Damian sighs and kisses your head protectively. "She will return," he says almost as if he's trying to convince himself.
You rise from your seat and give your brother a loving hug before he departs to the Batmobile. Once it speeds off and into the night, you peer over at the limestone-carved computer desk. Resting on top is a folded piece of parchment paper. You grasp it in the tips of your fingers and blink a tear away as you once again read the brief message;
My Daughter,
I received your letter, and must inform you our time together is no more. Your father and I have an agreement. He replaces me as your guardian and the League of Assassins must depart Gotham permanently. You might have been a decent warrior had you stayed in my care, however, Bruce said he would look after you both. Tell your brother to continue to train as he has thus far, and to prove that he is worthy of the Al Ghul name. As for you, try not to disgrace it.
-Talia
You crunch the paper into a ball and hurl it off the cliff into the water below. You scream out all your suppressed anger and sorrow before falling to your knees.
"You promised you would return!!" you say to no one but yourself. "You promised..."
You sniffle as her last words to you taint your memory...
"As for you, try not to disgrace it."
"Is that all I am to you...mother?" you ask aloud. "A disgrace...a disappointment? Why must it always be him, my brother, before me? Have I not proven myself to you?!"
All you hear are the screeches of the bats circling above. You always knew that Talia loved your brother more. After all, only a male heir could rule the League of Assassins.
Suddenly, the horrid truth hits like a bullet. All you have ever been to her is another trainee. Someone to place into the ranks of thousands of other League women. You'd spend the rest of your days hiding behind a cloth mask, nothing more than a face among the crowd.
Overcome by a powerful wave of crushing disappointment and self-loathing, you rise and slowly wander to the equipment wall, where your gold sword gleams in the dim moonlight. Pulling it off the wall, you hold it shakily in your hand.
"I was never meant to be anything...was I...mother?"
...
Jason stomps through the halls of the manor at a rapid pace. His eyes search the crevices of every shelf. When he exits the hall into the main foyer, he lets out a growl of frustration while throwing his hands in the air.
"Where the f**k is my helmet?!"
"On the floor of your bedroom, Master Todd," Alfred says while dusting a suit of armor from across the room. Jason rolls his eyes and goes to grab his helmet, which is exactly where the faithful butler says. After Jason barrels down the stairs, he opens the hidden entrance to the cave and goes cautiously down the stone staircase.
...
"I was never meant to be anything...was I...mother?"
Just as you're about to plunge the blade into your skin, you hear a deep and startled voice from behind you.
"(Y/N), WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
You whip around and see your brother Jason jump down the last few steps and race towards you. You sniffle and let the blade slip from your hand. Tears flood from your cheeks as you realize what you were about to do...what you would've done had no one noticed. Your shaky knees threaten to give out, but Jason catches you in his arms before you hit the ground.
"She hates me!" you sob into the sleeve of Jason's jacket. "She never loved me like him!"
Jason sighs as he realizes what you mean. He strokes your back reassuringly.
"You never needed her, (Y/N)..."
"I...was never...good enough...for her," you choke, clinging helplessly to your older brother.
"Wrong. She was never good enough for you..."
He pushes you away gently to look you in the eyes. "Believe me (Y/N), you're the only person who holds this family together sometimes. I swear if you weren't here Damian would kill Tim, I'd kill Damian and Dick, Bruce would be an emotional brooding mess more than he is now, and no one would bribe Alfred to make cookies every night."
You laugh through your tears and smile.
"Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong!" Jason says with a devilish smile.
"I suppose not," you say wiping your tears away.
Jason looks from the computer screen lit up with Joker's picture, to his bike, then back to you.
"You know, Bruce and the rest of those muppets can handle themselves for one night. Want me to stay behind?"
You look up into his sincere blue eyes and nod. "Please..."
Jason takes off his jacket, wraps it around your shoulders, and walks you slowly into the manor.
YOU ARE READING
The Great Big Book of Bat Family One-Shots (Written by Requests)
FanfictionA collection of short stories and imagines featuring the Bat Family, as well as the Outlaws, Justice League, and DC Villains. (Closed for requests)
