Brothers To The Bitter End

30

So there the Batboys were, dangling over a vat of boiling chicken fat.

"How do we even get in these situations?" Tim asked, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

"What I want to know," Jason muttered, "is why chicken fat? Why not beef fat or turkey fat? Why chicken? And why do we know that it's chicken?"

Damian rolled his eyes. "Because they," he motioned with his head at the Titans, "told us while you were out cold."

Jason frowned. "This is a little over the top even for Bats."

Dick sighed. "Grab the chain and don't let go." The Batboys didn't hesitate to grab the chain as Dick finished picking the lock, and the chain dropped from around them. The brothers swung and landed outside the vat. "And that is why we should never, ever go to a bar for any reason." Dick muttered, brushing himself off.

"Admittedly, the summons to go there was extremely suspicious." Tim brushed off his clothes and picked himself up from the floor. "I mean, come on, did we really think Alfred was going to summon two underage kids to a bar?"

Jason chuckled as he looked at the disgusted looks on the Titans faces. "Is that the best you've got?"

Starfire shrugged. "Nope. We've got more up our sleeves than you think." Out of the shadows stepped a tall man in a dark suit with a cowl that covered the top half of his face.

"Hello, boys," Batman said menacingly. He cracked his knuckles, and his lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line.

Jason and Dick burst out laughing. Tim looked annoyed, and rightly so. Damian just looked disgusted.

"Was that supposed to intimidate us?" Damian asked.

"Uh, yeah," Gar piped up. "I mean, it intimidates the rest of us." The sound of Dick and Jason collapsing to the floor in laughter didn't seem to sway Gar's terror at all.

Damian remained unimpressed. "Wimps. He's extremely ordinary underneath that mask. In fact, he's rather unremarkable period."

"Dude, you're talking about THE Batman!" Jamie looked terrified. "Show some respect!"

"Oh, and there are so many other Batmans floating around this universe that you feel the need to call him 'THE Batman'?" Tim rolled his eyes. "Get a grip."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Tim. "You used to be one of us. Why are you siding with them?"

Damian raised an eyebrow. "You worked with these uncivilized idiots?"

"Briefly," Tim's eyes never left the Titans, "but I realized that they weren't what I was looking for."

"Which was?" Kory asked curiously.

"A family."

Damian looked startled. "When did you quit working with them?"

"Right after I found out Jason and Dick and you were alive." Tim glanced at Damian and shrugged. "And whether we get along all the time or not, Demon, we're family. And families stick together."

"And Alfred cooks better than they do, I assume?"

Tim shuddered. "You have no idea how horrible it is to hang out at a place where the people's idea of food is spray cheese."

"Barbarians," Damian agreed.

"If we're done with this whole heart to heart thing," Batman interrupted, growing uncomfortable, "then I believe Da . . . the boy and I have a few matters to discuss."

Now it was Tim's turn to be disgusted. "You can't even say his name? You really are cold, B. Come on, Demon, let's go."

Jason and Dick were finally able to get to their feet (though still giggling a little), and the four boys took a defiant stance.