Chapter 35
Sometimes being the only daytime vigilante in a family of night owls makes one feel lonely. Duke had moved from being an only child to living in a mansion with nearly a dozen members, majority of them being his siblings.
He had a lot of family now. Everywhere he went inside the manor usually led to running into at least one person. It took some adjusting but Duke was nothing if not adaptable.
Duke trained with Steph and Tim, being the closest in age made them closer than the others. Dick was an older brother and he took on the mother henning like it was a coat of honor. Cass was quiet but Duke appreciated their time together too. Reading in the library or just sitting in the kitchen in silence was a great break from the generally hectic household. Even Peter was fun despite how young he was. Peter and Damian together though, was more enjoyable than Damian alone. Damian seemed to flip anytime Peter was there. Like a switch reminding him that he was the older brother.
It was sweet seeing the usually cold and distant Robin show real concern and worry over Peter. No matter how subtle.
Still, the family were vigilantes. Night time vigilantes. Duke went to sleep as they dressed up. He came home before they all left. He wanted to work in the daylight but sometimes it left Duke feeling the silence. Oracle was in his ear for patrol but he didn’t get the banter and fun of a crowd of his siblings flying by his side. Someone had to watch the city during the day and Duke loved being the one to do so. But working during the day meant he didn’t hear about the nightly events till late.
In other words, he was usually the last to hear about big news. It means that Bruce didn’t wake him up when they left to follow Peter into the woods.
It meant Duke woke up after a full night's rest while his family trudged into the dining room for breakfast.
Bruce and Selena sat down like marionettes, dragged by muscle memory to their seats with heavy bags under their eyes. Dick leaned against Tim who slept on the table, a knocked over mug of coffee soaking his sleeves. Jason’s half closed eyes glared at the oatmeal in front of him, left hand fisted tightly to gain some control over his rage. Duke could see the sickly green coalescing around him. Murky and torrent. Even Steph and Cass leaned against each other, both sluggishly signing some plan that Duke barely followed.
Damian was the only one who seemed normal, which was concerning in its own right. Damian looked just like the first time Duke's met him. Serious and angry.
“What happened?” Duke glanced at the family, wary of the news he missed out on.
“It was Talia.” Jason spat out.
No one else spoke but Duke got the gist of it. He didn’t know who Talia was beyond the reports Batman had him familiarize himself with when he first joined the Bats. She was capital D dangerous and Damian’s mom.
Duke winced at what Damian might be thinking. He never liked sharing anything unless it was with Peter. This was definitely not something Damian would want to share with his little brother.
“Is he awake yet?” Looking over everyone present, Duke figured the answer was just as unclear despite their insight from the previous night. No one checked on him. “Did any of you at least look in on him?”
“He was in bed when I passed by.” Bruce sighed, sad blue eyes facing his plate.
Somehow Duke was the most emotionally intelligent one of this family and frankly, that was a blessing at this point. Or a curse, maybe, the jury was out until he spoke to Peter. “I’ll go talk to him.”
He left before anyone could try and convince him otherwise. His mom was a social worker, one of the most compassionate in her field. In Gotham, that made her a diamond in a cluster of stones. She cared and shared her beliefs with Duke plenty of times. He understood how hard things can be, especially when a child has faced enough traumatic experiences in their short years.
Peter might not have the same fears that they have weighing him down but he has seen enough of it. He’s attended enough funerals. Duke could barely say that he’s over the accident with his parents and he has the outlet of vigilantism.
What does Peter have?
Alfred stood by the stairs, a tray of fruits and croissants resting on one hand. “For you and Master Peter.”
“Thanks Alfred.” Duke smiled, taking the tray carefully. He might be trained by the Bat but no one could compare to Alfred’s balancing acts. He didn’t want to risk dropping a grape when Peter might want it.
Peter’s room was close to Bruce’s. His door was to the left side of the hallway, just across Damian’s and a door past Dick’s. He passed the pictures on the wall, each frame proudly holding a moment in time where everyone was smiling.
Duke stopped to stare at one that regularly caught his eye. Peter as a baby, no more than a year old at most, sat on a pre-teen Jason’s lap. Peter was dressed in a sailor suit, his face scrunched up in displeasure while chewing on the little blue bow tie. Jason’s bright blue eyes were focused on Peter, a smile so bright and sweet as he laughed at Peter.
He’s never seen Jason smile like that these days.
Finally reaching Peter’s door, Duke knocked quietly. Peter’s hearing would pick it up if he was awake and hopefully wouldn’t startle him too much if he wasn’t. He waited but when no answer came, Duke risked it and turned the doorknob.
Peter’s habit of running off was dangerous. As proved by his nightly rendezvous with Talia. Duke really didn’t want to tell everyone that Peter ran out.
“Peter?” Duke glanced around the room when the bed was empty. Blankets left ruffled and pushed around, Peter hadn’t bothered to even try and make it like he usually would. His phone was still on the nightstand but that didn’t really help much when Peter would leave it behind anyway. “You here, bud?”
Duke walked further into the room, eyeing the clothes he must have worn last night crumbled by the laundry hamper. Peter had great aim so that was most likely him being petty over Bruce’s interruption. A small cluster of pins were left untouched on his desk, a small leather jacket hung across the back of the chair near it.
The bathroom door was left open and empty and his windows were closed.
Okay, Duke. You didn’t lose Peter. Maybe he went to the dining room? And Duke just happened to have been engrossed over the pictures. He wouldn’t run again, right?
Bruce might just be sleep deprived enough to kill him. First he will send Duke out with the others to find Peter and then he’ll kill him for losing their brother.
Well, he lived longer than half of this family. He can finally punch the vigilante bingo card for dying. If he was lucky, he’d come back to life too.
“Does it have chocolate?” A small voice asked from above. Duke jumped, head snapping back painfully quick to catch Peter’s eyes staring down at him.
Peter sat in his superman pajamas, cross legged on the ceiling. Mr. Kent had gotten them for Peter’s eighth birthday, Bruce hadn’t been too happy to see the blue and red pajama set. Peter was delighted. Currently, the pajamas were rumpled as if he had just woken up. His messy hair hung around his ears as he rubbed an eye with his fist.
“Um.. maybe? Alfred didn’t say.” Duke chuckled, sitting on the bed now that Bruce won’t murder him.
Duke had always felt nervous around Peter. It wasn’t anything to do with Peter himself, though when a little kid asks if you’re going to die during breakfast, it does leave an impression. Still, Peter wasn’t a creepy kid. He was just… a lot.
His personality was the exact opposite of Bruce’s. Yet the two were so alike it was jarring.
Peter’s aura was strange, too. While he was boisterous and happy, jumping from person to person and rambling nonstop if left uninterrupted, he was also dark. His aura hung heavily around him like Jason’s. It was a haunting swirl of colors; orange blazed around Peter’s chest, hovering close to his skin, yellow bled into the orange, diving in and out like a solar storm, indigo and pink swirled like stars around his head as black hung heavily like a coat over his shoulders.
The colors were always exuberant and loud, calling for Duke’s attention. He’s grown accustomed to seeing the bright lights around Peter but it was still a shock each time. People normally had one or even two colors that lit their souls. Peter had the most colors than Duke’s ever seen.
The imbalance of it was strange but Duke assumed it had to be from being raised here. The numerous people and experiences within the manor impacting Peter that led to the aura. Duke hoped it was just because Peter was young, even though most kids generally had one color to them.
“Can I have one?” Peter crawled along the ceiling before dropping onto the bed beside him. Duke wordlessly handed the tray over, helping Peter to balance it on the bed.
He watched as Peter sniffed at one croissant before dropping it in favor of another one. They looked the same but after Peter bit it, Duke could see the chocolate inside.
“How’re you doing, Peter?” Duke kept his voice soft as he spoke, not pushing for information or expecting an answer. Peter would be faced with Bruce’s interrogation soon enough if Selena or Duke couldn’t curb it.
“Dad’s mad at me.” Peter shrugged, taking another bite of the croissant.
Duke was pretty sure Bruce wasn’t mad at Peter. Batman has a tendency to hate himself rather than others and he definitely could never be mad at anyone else too. “Why do you think that?”
“He doesn’t want me training and I don’t think he likes Talia.” Peter chewed on his nail, tucking his knee to his chest. “He doesn’t want me to save them.”
“Save who?” Duke frowned, turning to sit more on the bed and to face Peter fully. Was someone in danger? Has Peter stumbled into some plan and now thinks he has to step up and save them?
Peter stared at his lap for a moment. The black coat grew heavier as the other colors around him dimmed. “You. Everyone.”
“Peter…” Duke inwardly groaned. Of course Bruce would make the perfect mini me of himself. The whole ‘I have to be the one to save everyone’ personality included. “That isn’t on you. We all have to protect each other, no? That’s what family does.”
“But… but I’m cursed, Duke! Everyone always dies. I have to protect them. I need to be out there.” Peter’s voice quietened to a whisper near the end. His fingers clutching tightly to the hem of his pants. “I have to.”
Duke was reminded of the Robins he ran with once. When Batman had been missing and Duke couldn’t sit by as crime skyrocketed in the already crime ridden city. Kids from all over Gotham worked together to fight off the gangs and criminals that rose from the ground. They fought and trained together, an army of birds avenging the death of the beloved Bat.
He remembered a saying they took on as a motto. Duke thought it was cheesy but it was also so fitting at the time.
“We’re not sidekicks. We’re an army.”
Maybe that wasn’t fitting here but…
“Why do you think Bruce is trying to hold you back?” When all he got was a shrug, Duke sighed, pulling Peter closer to him. “Did I ever tell you about the Robin army? When Batman disappeared, Gotham went dark. I don’t know how much you saw from here but crime got a lot worse. There were a lot of kids who decided that they could step up. That Batman wasn’t there but Robin never gave up. Robin was always Hope for the city. A kid like us who saved people every night. Someone who had homework and school went out to save some other kid’s mom or dad. We made our own costumes and went out at night. A lot of them died, too. We weren’t trained like the real Robin but we figured it out.”
Duke handed the plate of croissants to Peter, resting an arm around him as he thought back on those days.
“We tried really hard to protect Gotham while Batman was gone. None of us had to do it but we wanted to. We wanted to keep this city standing. I get why you want to go out, Peter. I… I saw a lot of Robins fall during that time. A lot of kids who only wanted to save someone. You’re powerful, you can do it. But you’re also eight. Peter, you’re smart. Use that. Helping doesn’t have to be in the field. Helping is just you being here when we get back, it’s you being alive and safe. You’re the reason everyone is so excited to come back after a bad patrol.”
He wiped the tears falling from Peter’s cheeks, holding him closer as the forgotten plate dropped to the bed.
“We can’t see you get hurt. I know you want to help protect us, but you can do that. From here. Oracle does a lot from the Clocktower. You can do so much from home, too.”
He hoped Peter would understand.
Peter getting hurt would be bad. Peter dying would be the final straw that breaks Batman.
They needed him safe here and if no one could properly explain it then Duke would have to hammer it home with everyone.
–
The dining room was silent once Duke left to find Peter. Everyone tried to pull themselves together but the night hung heavily over them.
Peter has been meeting Talia for weeks. For weeks and no one noticed.
A house full of the best detectives in the world and no one even picked up on Peter acting off. He also… hadn’t. Peter was still Peter for the most part. Was there a clue somewhere they missed? A shift in Peter’s norm that no one questioned? Had any of them even looked close enough?
Tim groaned, pulling his head back as the smell of caffeine burned his nose. His sleeves felt wet and stuck to his arms. The gray sleeves were darker than they were when he changed that morning. His coffee cup rested sideways, only a drop left inside.
He mourned his coffee. Poor beans. He didn’t even get to taste them yet.
“Coffee?” Tim sort of wished he was a meta just so his cup could be refilled by now. An arm came into view, taking his last drop, his paradise lost, before placing an oasis in its spot. A fresh cup with steaming coffee stood in place of the lost beans.
“Coffee!” Tim took it, greedily sipping on the burning drink.
What had he been thinking about?
Oh, right. Peter and Talia. Bruce was convinced Talia has some master plan that included Peter. Tim was inclined to agree with him. The LOA wouldn’t waste time training someone who wouldn’t even work for them. What benefit would they get out of it? If Talia was taking time out of her day to meet with Peter, train him, manipulate or brainwash him and who knows what else, there has to be something else in there.
Maybe they were trying to make Peter the new Damian? A new heir for Ra’s?
They couldn’t have Peter but there had to be something that made them so certain that they would. Batman’s camera from that night hadn’t painted the best picture either.
It was scary how serious Peter was. There were no jokes like when he was learning to hack with Tim or when Dick taught him gymnastics and flips. Peter was always chatting, he had a smile for everyone except in front of Talia. It was like that wasn’t even Peter.
“Your choice.” Talia had been so confident. She didn’t even seem shocked when Peter eventually went to Jason.
Maybe she hid her tells but Peter had been close enough for her to hold him back. She let Peter go.
Was she so confident that Peter would go to her?
What did that say about them?
“Okay, we need to talk.” Duke stalked into the room, an empty tray in hand. Everyone sat straighter at his tone. Even Bruce’s head shot up.
“What about?” Steph frowned, resting her head on her fist. Cass blinked awake from her shoulder, eyes zeroing in on Duke.
“Peter. What else?” Duke moved to the end of the table, palms resting on either side of him as he leaned forward. “He’s agreed to stop trying to go out at night but he’s allowed in the cave. When you all go on patrol, you let him in on the comms if he asks. You let him help from inside the cave.”
Bruce frowned, shifting forward to speak before Selena cut him off. “You made a deal with him?”
“Sort of. Look, Peter’s scared. He thinks he’ll lose us every time we go out on patrol. Let him help from here and he won’t feel the need to be out there.” Duke sighed.
Tim eyed his coffee. Duke made sense, Peter did seem to only want to help them. He just went about it in the worst way possible. If they let him feel like he was helping from the batcave, then at least they would know he was somewhere safe. At least he won’t have to go to Talia.
“He shouldn’t hear about our patrols.” Bruce scowled.
Jason’s eyes flashed green, only Dick’s hand holding him in place as everyone turned to face the Bat.
“Peter doesn’t need to help.”
“You’re an idiot if you think you can stop him. Look at where he’s gone already! Because of you.” Jason spat, pushing Dick’s arm away. “He ran. Remember when I did that? Ya want Peter to face off with the Joker like I did? Do ya think he’d survive just cuz he’s got super healing?”
Tim frowned as Bruce shrunk. His shoulders hunched in on himself, head lowering as Jason went on. Hitting right where it hurts Bruce the most.
Batman had been broken when the second Robin died. He hung on by a single thread each night. Tim had bulldozed his way into Batman’s life to stop him from doing something as stupid as killing himself via patrol. He stepped in to keep the man’s head above water while fending off the guppy that was Peter.
Bruce would never come back if Peter died.
“Shut up, Jason.” Tim stood, hoping the others would excuse his shaking hands as too much coffee. “Yelling isn’t gonna fix things.”
Jason’s green eyes rested on Tim. Burning pools of hatred and rage. Tim forced himself to stand still. He won’t run away, not in this.
“Jason, sit down.” Dick tried, speaking softly as if Jason would turn to bite him next. “Duke’s got a point. Everyone agrees, even if Bruce doesn’t want to accept it.”
Tim watched warily as Jason turned his acid green eyes on Dick. Everyone held their breath as the brothers stared each other down. Finally, slowly, Jason sat down. “Fine.” Glowing green eyes narrowed at them all before he focused back on Duke.
“Uhm. Right.” Duke cleared his throat. “Keeping Peter out of this is only gonna chase him back to Talia.” Here, Duke met Bruce’s eye. “We don’t want that, right? He’s a kid and he feels left out. Peter will do what he wants if no one gives a little. He isn’t a soldier. He doesn’t just follow orders. Let him help from a safe place and he’ll be happy.”
“I think that’s a great idea, Duke.” Selena smiled tiredly, a hand resting on Bruce’s arm. “He can help Babs or tinker in the lab.”
Duke nodded, flushing at the praise. “Right. Yeah.. uhm… that’s all.”
Tim grinned from behind his coffee as Duke awkwardly tried to leave, nearly bumping into Alfred before slipping past the doors.
–
“You okay there, Einstein?” Skip leaned against the fence in Gwen’s backyard. The lopsided smirk teasing as he asked.
Peter glanced up, leaving the grass alone with the new distraction. His mom had taken him to see Gwen after lunch, claiming he needed a break from dad’s pouting. He didn’t complain about it either. Gwen helped him forget about… everything.
“I’m fine.” Peter pulled at a strand of grass again. Gwen ran back inside to bring them some lemonade so Peter waited by the old oak tree.
“You don’t look it. What’s wrong?” Skip jumped the fence, his feet landing heavily on the grass. Peter watched him walk close, his senses picked up. Lowly buzzing for a danger that Peter couldn’t see.
Skip joined him on the grass, shoulder to shoulder as he took Peter’s hand from the grass. Peter stared at their hands. “I don’t know… my dad… he’s not happy with me but he’s not mad either. I thought he’d be mad.”
He thought his dad would ground him again. Maybe he realized that being grounded did nothing to deter Peter. Maybe Duke was right and things would be better now.
“Sounds heavy.” Skip leaned into him, humming thoughtfully. “Wanna tell me about it? Can’t say I’m as smart as you but I might be able to help. What are friends for, after all.”
Peter smiled a little at his words. He couldn’t tell Skip everything but it could help. He wasn’t involved with everything like his entire family. “He doesn’t want me helping at work… dad says I’m too little.”
Duke said he could help. Jason promised to listen. Peter could help them all, even if it was from the batcave. He could… he could be their guy in the chair! Well, not completely. Babs was the guy in the chair for them but Peter could help too! He could make things. Maybe finally figure out how to attach Stark to their comms.
New masks with a HUD and visual mappings. He could get Tim to help with programming it.
“Doesn’t sound like he knows how smart you are.” Skip chuckled, his hand ruffling Peter’s hair. Peter grinned up at him, glad that Skip understood even without knowing the full story. “He’s missing out if he thinks you can’t help.”
“Yeah! He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Peter nodded.
He can help. His dad just doesn’t see it. Talia said that they didn’t see his potential but maybe it was just his dad who couldn’t.
Peter can keep them safe but they have to let him. He doesn’t want to lose them again. He couldn’t handle that.
Not again.
“Thanks, Skip.”
“Anytime, Einstein. My door is always open, ya know.” Skip smiled at Peter. He ignored his spidey senses, there wasn’t anything wrong here.