Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Come on паук, again.”

“You can do better than that, again.”

“Again”

“Run, you have ten minutes to hide”

“Keep running”

“When I say shoot, you shoot, hear me boy?”

“Shoot him”

“Shoot”

BAM

Chapter Text

BAM

BAM

BAM

“Very good, паук. You hit all the targets. Keep this up and we may just have your graduation sooner than expected. We’ll continue the rest of the evaluation after your meal.”

“Thank you sir.” 

“Dismissed.”

The sixteen year old walked out of the training area, ignoring the pool of red the targets were leaving behind. They are still alive. He can tell by the groans and whimpers they’re making. He wanted it to be a quick death, headshots, but he was told to let them bleed out. They’re traitors. He hears their pleas for forgiveness and freedom. Promises to do better, be better. He hears them being dragged across the stone ground, unable to turn around and look, he keeps marching forward. There was nothing he could do anyways, not unless he wanted to become a target himself. Soon, he enters the white, empty, hallways that he has seen since he was a baby. But the familiarity doesn’t allow him to relax. He can never relax. Not while he’s still in the compound, under surveillance of the guards. Guards that would die if it meant keeping him there. Anger and nervousness swept through him, he pressed them down. Now was not the time to lose control. Not tonight. There was too much at stake here. 

The walk to the cafeteria was long. It always was. The hallways had many twists and turns to confuse intruders, or so they say. It’s really to keep them in. It worked for awhile, but after you follow the same path since before you can walk, you tend to notice the patterns. 

The cafeteria, similarly to the halls, is mainly white with some light blue mixed in. It’s a big room that used to be filled with no less than a hundred kids. Now, it’s only occupied by twenty teens, with him being the eldest. It was haunting. To see so many benches empty. The teens left multiple tables between each other, knowing that getting close to someone would only lead to heartbreak and betrayal. A necessary isolation, to keep everyone safe. Sometimes he would catch them looking at each other from the corner of their eyes. The human need to have companionship battling with the rationality that one of them would not make it past the next examination. That’s how it goes in the compound. 

“Caring for someone is a weakness. You must focus solely on you. Paying attention to someone else will get you nowhere but six feet under ground.”

That’s what they said when training first started. No one listened. Why would they? They were only four. It was in their nature to connect with others and explore. That simple act of ‘rebellion’ had consequences. Everyone who made a friend was forced to choose which one would move on with training. The other got shot. Simple. They learned quickly after that. Sometimes, though, it couldn’t be helped. It was only human nature. 

“Move,” his handler said.

He quickly snapped back into reality, not noticing that he had stopped in the entrance to the cafeteria. He mentally scolded himself, not being aware is something that gets you killed. Quickly scanning the room he noticed the others already sat down with their meals. They were looking him up and down, looking for any weaknesses that can exploit–he couldn’t blame them, he was doing the same thing. He saw why he stopped. There were no longer nineteen other teens sitting down. There were only four other teens. He shoved the urge to ask about them deep down. 

Caring for someone is a weakness.

Instead, he picked up his feet and started to march further into the cafeteria. He grabbed his meal and went to sit down before stopping. He felt his handler shove nudge him, urging him to sit down and eat before his next test. With no reason, no logical reason, he changed course. Instead of sitting in his corner, which let him see the entire room, he went a few tables over and sat down. Looking up, he saw the eyes of another teen staring back at him. Instead of the indifference he was preparing himself for, he saw awe and exhaustion. The disbelief that someone would break such a fundamental rule so close to graduation. So close to freedom. The freedom that everyone knew was fake. All that will happen after graduation is more monitoring, more tracking, more killing . The freedom they offer is nothing more than an illusion they created to control their subjects. However, they couldn’t let go of the hope that they would one day be out. Out of the compound and out of this life they never got a choice in. Him and the teen did nothing but look at each other. They didn’t have to. They’ve already come to a mutual understanding the moment he sat down. No matter what happens, this will be their last act of defiance. Their last chance to reach out to another human being. 

“Well, isn’t this exciting?” A female voice invaded their mental conversation.

They looked over and saw the Overseer of the program. Madam Delaney. Cruel, Perfectionist, and the devil in disguise. That’s how everyone used to describe her. She rarely comes to the compound but it is examination day after all. 

“I wanted to come and congratulate you personally,” Madam Delaney started, “The Red Room-Hydra program can be very hard to complete, but your determination, skill, and intelligence has allowed you to progress into great soldiers that will help shape the country into what the world needs. I am very proud of all of you.” 

She looked over the remaining teens, with a calculating gleam in her eyes, before stopping on us. There was a flash of surprise, anger, and disbelief in her eyes. This brought up a sense of satisfaction in him. To have the Overseer, of everyone, caught off guard brought him a feeling of power he’s never felt before. 

“Now, time for your final examination,” she paused for a moment, doing a final glance across the last five of us, “don’t fail.” 

As the click of her heels faded into the background, the cafeteria went back to silence. No one went to finish their food. There was a moment of silence, for those who didn’t make it this far. Whether they died years ago or just days before. Their final chance to say goodbye as a group–and a silent prayer that they don’t join them just yet. The handlers seemingly move at once. Ushering us out of our seats. 

“Elias. I’ve always wanted to be an Elias.” The boy whispered. 

They were nudged away from each other before he could respond. Going through different entry ways and back into the empty hallways. The way to the final examination room was shorter than the trip to the cafeteria. Instead of stone floors and bright lighting they had in the shooting room, this room had dim lighting and was set up to look like a living room. The last examination was a stealth test. 

“There are going to be two people sitting on the couch,” one of the examiners started, “Your goal is to pass them and retrieve the file that’s in his bag, that’s hanging on the closet door. Understood?” 

“Yes sir.”

“We’ll start in five minutes.”

He took a moment to look around. There was a small, green couch, in the middle of the room, and the TV–big and blocky–right across from it. The floors were wooden, red oak. The room was a neat mess, piles of magazines and blankets scattered around without taking away the cleanliness of the place. There was a table behind the couch, full of random trinkets and a bowl of mints. The walls had wallpaper with bold colors and patterns with paintings of flowers hanging on the walls. It was vastly different from the compound. It almost looked normal–but everything was placed a little too perfectly, it looked too lived in. The doors opened and he saw them ushering two people in, a man and woman. They’re married. He can tell from the wedding rings and the way the woman holds onto the man like he can protect her. There was make-up rolling down her face, making obvious tear tracks. The man looked scared, yet he still had his chest puffed out and muscles tense, ready to move. They had sat the couple down on the couch. The woman moved closer to the man, almost sitting in his lap. The man looked around the room, taking note of everything. Eye’s falling on him. The fear in his eyes turned into surprise, then concern. To them, he is just a kid. Another victim, like them. 

“Hey kid,” the man said, the woman looked up and froze, “are you okay? They didn’t hurt you did they?”

Silence.

“It’s okay kid. We’re not like them,” the woman spoke up, “my name is Mary, this is Richard. Do you have a name?”

Silence.

“Listen, it’ll be okay. We’ll find a way to get out.”

The couple continued to stare at him, he resisted the urge to look back. 

“Паук, it is time to start.” One of the teachers stated.

He moved into position. 

“Listen you two, the lights will be off, the TV will be on, and you two will watch the TV together like the sickening couple you are. Паук will  be sneaking around. Your task is to try and find him. If you correctly identify where he is, you’ll be set free. If you fail, you will be executed on site. Begin.” 

As the teacher said, the lights started to dim and the TV turned on. It was playing a black and white film. The volume was playing at a normal volume, but to him, it made his skull vibrate. He wanted it to turn off, to smash the TV and leave with the couple, but he had a mission to complete. Survive.

He started moving. His steps were silence, breaths short and non-audible. Just like they taught him. He was now on the ceiling in a corner. He watched the two look around, trying to find him. They wouldn’t, they couldn’t. He was too close to the end. Sticking to the shadows, he moved quickly and efficiently, never making a sound he didn’t want them to hear. While they were looking away, he lowered himself enough to reach the bag. He grabbed the file, marked by a red tag, out and quickly went back to the roof, making his way to his starting position. Just as he touched the ground the lights turned back to full brightness. He had to stop himself from flinching away, the light swallowing his eyesight whole before slowly fading away. 

“Good job паук. You were quick and efficient. Mary, Richard, you were not,” the teacher waved their hand and the guard moved forward, reaching out to Mary. Before he could, Richard lunged at him. Tackling the guard, Mary tried pushing herself further back into the couch. He had to stop himself from moving to comfort her, like she tried to do for him. A second guard came in and immediately shot Richard in the head, blood spraying onto Mary. His body limp as the guard underneath him got up and straightened himself out. Before Mary had a chance to react, the guard shot her in the head too. Her head lolled back and faced him. Her eyes, that were filled with compassion, now empty of emotion. 

Unfair, a voice in the back of his mind screamed out. He ignored it. At least it was an instant death. 

“Now, all of your examinations have been completed, you can go back to your room. Tomorrow we will discuss your graduation. But according to what I’ve heard, you’re the best student we’ve had in all our years. Congratulations.”

You’re the best student we’ve had in all our years. The saying echoes through his head.

The teacher waves their hand again and the guards start to flank him. With a slight nudge, he starts towards his room, his cell. He lets himself space out. Putting one foot in front of the other until he reached the familiar four walls that made up his room. Sitting on the cot that’s pushed up against the wall. The door closes with a click and he is left alone. He lets himself take a deep breath in. After a few minutes of breathing, he looks around. This cell room brought nothing but pain. 

The days he sat in the corner with blood dripping down his back. He didn’t do well enough in training. The light being slightly too bright, the breathing of the guards being a little too loud, causing him to lose focus. He had just gotten his powers and everything was overwhelming him. When he was handcuffed to the bed for weeks. His previous escape plans had failed. He just wanted to see the stars again. Missions were far in between and he hadn’t been out of the compound in months by that point. Missions, while they always left their mark in his mind, were a terrible freedom. People died by his hands, but for a night, he felt free. He knew there were guards watching. The tracker in his skin itching. But he was free. The silence stretched for hours, then:

Beep

Beep

Beep

Red lights flooded the room, accompanied by a loud alarm. This time, he let himself flinch back. Taking one last deep breath he went to stand by the door. Less than a second later the door opened to reveal a guard ready to retrieve him. The guard was barely able to say a word out before he pulled back his arm and hit the guard straight in the nose. Taking advantage of the surprise attack, he grabbed the gun and shot the guard in the head. Turning left out of the cell, he started to run. He couldn’t let anyone stop him now. He ran down the halls, sticking to the shadows as he attacked the guards that tried coming at him. Eventually he made it to his destination. A big metal door with a keypad on the side. The door itself was intimidating. It towered over his head and stretched to at least three feet wide. Bracing himself, he typed in the code, that only so many people had access to, and walked in, gun raised. His target looked right at him. 

“Паук, you silly boy,” Madam Delaney scolded, “put that gun down this instant and go look for intruders.”

He didn’t move. Rather he readjusted his grip on the gun. The metal felt cool against his skin. He managed to hide the shake of his hands, but the nervousness threatened to escape him. To keep himself calm he scanned the rest of the room. It was hard to make anything out with the still flashing lights and loud noise blocking his hearing. But he was trained. He was able to make out the silhouettes of two of the other teens in the room. His hearing picked up a third one behind him. Closing him in.

“What are you doing?” She demanded. Her voice wavered as she spoke. It seems she already knew what he was doing.

“You took everything from me. From us.” He finally spoke. His voice raspy from the lack of use. “I am not your lap dog. I am not your soldier. I am a human. You have no right to treat me as anything less.”

“You fool. We gave you everything. We fed you, clothed you. We kept you alive, even when your own mother didn’t want you.” She screamed, waving her hand.

At the motion, two of the teens, one from behind and one from the front, lunged at him. He was quick to move out the way, dodging their kicks and hits. Not wanting to hurt them, he tucks the gun away and continues to deflect their attacks. One of them, a girl that once shared bread with him, pulled a knife out of her hidden sleeve and cut him on his collarbone. The other one, that he doesn’t recognize, kicked him in the gut. Knocking him over.

“You can’t win Паук. While you are one of the best students we have raised, it’s still three against one. Plus, even after all these years, you still have one fatal flaw: you care too much.” 

Caring for someone else is a weakness. 

He swept the feet of the boy out from under him and kicked him in the head as he went down. As he fell, the boy knocked into the girl, putting her off balance. Using this, he quickly got to his feet and slammed the girl onto the ground, holding back as much strength as he could. Out of reflex, he pointed the gun at her and aimed it at her head. Looking at her, he saw her silent plea. Pull the trigger, she begged with her eyes . I can’t do it anymore. 

I’m sorry, he said back, shooting her. Looking up, he realized that within the five minute fight, the alarm finally stopped shrilling, and the lights stopped flashing, staying on a red light that left the building dimmed. He could hear the rest of the guards coming, only a few more minutes left. He turned his focus back on the Madam and the last teen. It was another boy he remembers from before. He used to be the most sociable kid. The first one to make a friend. The first one to have his friend killed. They locked eyes and a silent conversation crossed between them. 

I can’t let you do it, the teen said.

I know, he said back.

This is all I know

I understand

After a pregnant pause, the teen lept at him. At the same time he raised the gun and shot. He slammed into the ground, a headshot. One more person target. Hearing the shuffling of feet, he shot in the general direction. Hearing a quiet gasp he turned his head to see he shot slightly to the right of Madam’s head. She tried to stand tall, to stay dignified, but she knew what was coming. Despite spending years dedicated to curating their lesson on how to be the best in any and all aspects in the art of assassination, she never learned the skills herself.

“I can tell you where to find your parents. If you keep me alive, I can reconnect them with you.” She declared, as a last ditch effort to try and survive.

Silence.

“Come on, speak. Don’t you want to know the ones that brought you into the world?”

Silence.

“You bumbling idiot! Speak! Speak Паук!”

BAM

Her body slowly slid down the wall into the floor, leaving behind a trail of blood behind. Looking into her eyes, he saw the same nothingness that was in the girl's eye. In death, everyone is equal. 

Footsteps brought him back into reality. The guards were close. Taking a moment he checked his gun, only one bullet left. He grabbed the knife the girl had sliced him with and ran to the Madam’s desk that was tucked into the corner. He opened up the computer left on her desk and, no password. Opening up a program that was labeled ‘In case of rebellion.’

Fitting

He put in the password, ‘проект RH’ Denied. He tried again. Denied. Swallowing down his panic, he tried to think. He started looking through the file on the computer and drawers at the desk. Nothing. Footsteps of the guards were nearly there. Thinking real hard, he thought back to everything he knew. What do they want most? What do they care about most? What is their biggest pride?

‘According to what I’ve heard, you’re the best student we’ve had in all our years.’

Паук. He typed. Access Granted. Looking through the software he found the button he was looking for. He clicked start. 

Self-Destructing Based in T-Minus: 5:00

                                                       4:59

                                                       4:58

                                                       4:57

With the countdown started, he quickly runs up the wall to the vent. Opening it up he starts crawling. He was almost all the way into the vents when gunshots rang behind him. One of the bullets hit him in the leg. Not letting it stop him, he kept pushing forward. He crawled for what felt like hours before he was above an empty hallway. Opening the vent, he lowered himself down. Listening for footsteps, and only finding faint ones, he runs down the path he mentally marked. Turn after turn, he ran as quickly and quietly as he could. Anxiety and hope rushing through him, adrenalin keeping him on his feet. He turned the last corner and tripped. He looked at the floor. The last teen that was missing from Madam’s office. Shot in the chest, but still breathing. Slowly, still listening for the guards, he approached the dying teen. Eyes flicked to him, mouth moving like he wanted to speak but blood quickly filled it.

“Don’t speak,” he shushed, “it’s okay. It’ll be okay, Elias.”

Elias’ eyes glimmered with gratefulness and a plea. The same plea of the girl he left in the office. Raising his gun, with one bullet left in the chamber, he pulled the trigger. A headshot. Elias’ eyes remained open. Empty. After taking a few seconds of silence, he ran. The door was now right in front of him. He reached the door, putting in the same code that was used for the office. It opened. 

White. It was all so white. Stepping forward, his foot sunk into the snow. Not wanting to be caught. He ran again. He could never stop running. Not now, not even when he heard the explosion of the compound behind him. He ran for what felt like forever. Into a forest full of bear trees. He stopped running, and started walking, the bullet wound asked him to stop. To rest, but he couldn't. All he could see was white, and all he heard was his heart beating in his own chest. Maybe that’s why the only warning he had was the itch on the back of his neck telling him to duck, when a bullet went right over his head and embedded itself into the tree a few feet ahead of him. Allowing for a quick glance back, he saw guards catching up to him. He runs again. He pushes himself past his limits.

Cuff

Cuff

Choo Choo

There. His escape. Dodging one last tree and another rush of bullets he leaves the forest, heading towards the train. A bullet hits him in the arm, another in his side. Finally gaining on the train, he jumps and enters one of the cars. Having no energy left, he slumps down on one of the many boxes and listens as the sounds of bullets get farther and farther away. After a while of sitting there, letting himself feel all the aches and pains. He notices the sun about to set. It’s a pretty sunset. One of the prettiest he’s ever seen. Feeling his eyes close against his will, he finally lets himself sleep and dreams about nothing.

Chapter Text

He woke up with a start. It was still dark out, the only light entering coming from the moon and stars. He hears people talking, and murmuring. He listened to them as they said they’re going to check the cars. Using the lack of light as a shield, he climbed up to the ceiling of the car, blending into the shadows.  After a few minutes, he sees men in uniform approach the car he’s in. They are nothing crazy. Just a few regular men doing their job. However, he starts getting that itch at the back of his neck when looking at the man in front. This isn’t the first time that happens, his senses picking up potential danger that close by. Yet, the man couldn’t be any more dangerous to him, a trained assassin, than a hamster. They do a quick check of the boxes and leave, he stays up there just in case. Not hearing anything, He starts to slowly make his way down and crouches behind a couple of boxes, keeping himself out of sight. After a few more minutes, he starts hearing voices again.

“Come on baby girl, I can show you such a great time. What do you say?” A deep voice cut through the air. Despite it’s attempt of sounding laid back, there was a warning hidden in his tone.

“As I said, no. I have a boyfriend waiting for me at home and I am not interested.” A soft voice piped up. She was young, which is the first thing he noticed. Perhaps in her early twenties. Maybe even still in her teen years. 

“He doesn’t need to know darling, I won’t tell.” There was the sound of snow getting crushed. He was walking closer. 

“Please, I said no.” The woman begged, her breathing getting shallower, panicking. 

At the sound of a belt unbuckling, he moved. Assessing the situation, the two were still outside the car, the man having the women pressed against the outside wall. The man was the officer from earlier. There was a sick look on his face, like he just won the lottery and he was about to claim his prize. Quickly, he grab the knife he kept in his pocket and adjusted his grip. The man noticed him, but before he could shout, he lunged. With the knife in hand, he was able to get a few good cuts on him, before knocking him out completely. It was a quick takedown, the man truly not having any experience fighting. Turning back, he saw that the women stayed. She was injury free, though her hands were still shaking, looking at him in awe and fear. He was able to get a better look at her now. She was younger than he originally thought closer to eighteen than twenty. Her cheeks were turning a rosey red in the cold and she started to sway on her feet, out of nerves more than anything.

“Are-are you okay?” He asked, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible, sliding the knife back in his pocket. 

“Ye..Yes, I’m okay. Thank you. How can I prepay you?” She seemed hesitant to ask. That was fair. Sometimes monsters can get replaced by bigger monsters. Would she consider him a monster if she knew?

“Don’t tell anyone that I’m here. Can you do that?” He asked, tilting his head to the right. He was paying attention for signs of lying, but found none as she told him yes. “Great. Now go back before someone comes looking for you.”

She was quick to scurry away. Looking down, he sees why. He was still in the uniform from the compound. He wore a black, long sleeve shirt with tactical pants and combat boots. The only thing missing was his mission shirt that was hopefully burnt in the explosion. It was nothing special, just a black vest with some padding he didn’t need. Despite the dark clothing and dim lighting, You could still see the blood dried on his face and hands, making him look slightly more psychopathic. Not to mention, the bullet wounds caused him to stand weird, more animal-like. Like a feral dog ready to pounce on everyone he sees.

He heard the crunching of snow at the same time the train started to move again. Quickly, he hopped back into his car and hid on the side of the door so no one would see him. The sounds of concerned shouting and panicking faded and he crossed the border from Canada to the USA. After a few more hours, the train finally came to a stop at New York. Stepping off the train, he was quick to move as far away as he could, in hopes of not getting caught. 

Walking through the city, he was immediately overwhelmed. There was an ambush of cars honking, people laughing or yelling, the smell of hot dog vendors on the corner of intersections and the terrible sewage system. It was a lot. He almost wished for the quietness of the compound again. No. He can’t go back there. There’s nothing to go back to. Taking a deep breath he ventured farther into New York. He’s been out of the compound before, but they usually gave him special earbuds and glasses to help him control his senses, especially after they realized it was causing his performance to go down. So being in a huge city with no protection was a lot more than he anticipated.

It was early morning, people were starting to wake up and get ready for the day. That meant he had to hide. He walked a few more streets down and ducked into an alley way that didn’t set his danger sense of. Going to the back of the ally way, he slowly slid down against the wall. Now that the adrenalin was wearing off, he started to feel the bullet wounds. Especially the one on his side. It was a miracle he hasn’t bled out by now actually. He needs supplies. And shelter. And food. And–okay he needs a lot of stuff. Closing his eyes he recalled all the survival lessons they learned at the compound. 

3 Minutes without Air

3 Hour without Shelter (In extreme conditions)

3 Days without Water

3 Weeks without Food (A little over a week for him due to his metabolism)

Great. Now the problem is how to get those things. He has no birth certificate, no ID, no paper trail. The more he thinks about it, the more hopeless it seems. He can’t give up, not now. He is was the best soldier in проект RH. He knows how to hack, hunt, and survive. He can do it. He’s seen the world's worst monster in real life, a city isn’t going to scare him. He can do it.

Crash

Looking over, he sees a cat. It had jumped off the fire escape onto the garbage bin and sat there. Looking at him. Apparently it found nothing bad and started to walk towards him. It was a black cat with bright green eyes. It walked with a sense of elegance. Like it had the upper ground at all times, despite being a cat. It started to rub its body against his leg. Almost like it’s trying to comfort him. Lifting his hand up, he slowly started to pet the cat. It was peaceful, which is why he wasn’t alarmed when the energy started to leave his body. He was just tired. So tired.

“ASHER! Pst pst pst. Here boy!” At the shouting, he flinched back and tried to sit up straight, but his body wasn’t listening to him. The cat, Asher apparently, just sat on his lap, waiting. “Asher, I got the good stuff today! Tuna, your favorite.”

The voice was female. It was so upbeat and chipper. It made him wonder how someone could be so happy. Along with the voice, footsteps that started step closer. He wanted to move but his danger sense still wasn’t going off and he was still so tired. He started getting light headed, his vision going in and out, he closed his eyes.

“Ashe–OH MY GOD” The voice shrill. “Hey kid, hey, stay up for me okay?” Opening his eyes, he saw a woman with brown hair. She was in what seemed to be a nurse's outfit.  Beside them was a plastic bag, which probably held the tuna for Asher. “Look at those beautiful eyes. Listen, my name is May Parker. What’s your name?”

He stared at her for a second, the name Паук on his lips but he swallowed it down. “Peter,” he said instead. Voice so light that he wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t heard it.

“Peter is a great name. I’m working at the hospital right around the corner okay? I’m going to get you the help–”

“No, no, no,” he started squirming away. “ No hospital, no” 

“Okay, okay, Peter, I need you to stay calm. Peter!” 

His vision started going black, he couldn’t hold on anymore. He closed his eyes.

“Peter!”

Chapter Text

“Peter!”

“Coming! I’m almost ready,” Peter shouted back. Putting on his jeans and plain black shirt. Before he can leave he hears a stretching on his window. It was a certain black cat. He opened the window to let in Asher. Since the apartment doesn’t allow pets, they just let Asher in whenever he comes by. He typically comes and goes as he pleases. After being let in, Asher immediately starts rubbing on Parker before running out into the living area. Peter follows, leaving his room and following the smell of burnt eggs and bacon. He starts to chuckle as he sees Aunt May dump a plate of blackened bacon in the trash. She looks up and tries to smile, it looks more like a grimace. 

“There are waffles in the freezer, I’ll put them in the toaster.” She said, making her way to the fridge. 

“And I’ll make the eggs this time.” Peter snorted, taking the eggs from her and grabbing the bowl and whisk she used before. 

He hopped up to sit on the counter and started to crack the eggs while whistling. May looked over and gave a soft smile. It took a while for Peter to become so comfortable with her. She brought him back straight from the alleyway, ignoring the urge to take him to a hospital, and treated him here. It’s been just them ever since. At first, Peter remained quiet. Only speaking when spoken too. He never touched the gifts she would give him unless they had a specific use, like clothes. There were times where he would just stare into the wall and wait for her to lose her patience. She never did. 

They really made progress when she got a call from the school one day. A bully called Flash had been bullying a kid named Ned. Peter saw this and took matters into his own hands. He walked up as Flash and his crew were making fun of Ned and punched him in the face. With crimson running down his face, the bully ran for the nurses office. A teacher had seen and brought Peter to the principal directly. 

“Listen, I know Peter has had a tough past, but that is no reason to punch a fellow classmate,” Principal Morita exclaims, referring to his, very well, forged documents Peter managed to make one day when May took him to the library. Of course, May doesn’t know this.

“I agree, this maniac could’ve really hurt my poor boy!” Flash’s mom cried out. A little dramatic if you ask Peter. 

“First of all,” May started, with fury in her voice, “Never call my nephew a maniac ever again. Are we really not going to acknowledge why Peter attacked in the first place? Your son was bullying another student. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this school has zero tolerance for bullying?”

“Well yes, but there are steps Peter could've taken before escalating to violence. Like telling a teacher.” The principal counters, though Peter notices his fidgeting.

“Ned did tell the teachers. Multiple times.” Peter spoke up. 

“Here’s what I see is happening. You are targeting Peter because he is here on scholarship. You are defending this Flash kid because his parents pay for your Christmas bonus,” May counters, folding her hands in her lap, sitting up straight. She looked powerful. “Here’s what we are going to do. You can suspend Peter for the rest of the week and Flash gets expelled, or I’ll take this to the news. Your choice.”

“Let’s not do anything rash here Ms. Parker. How about this? Peter is suspended for the rest of the week and has no record of it. Eugene will be suspended for two weeks and has a permanent record. Is that okay with you?”

May and Peter give each other glances. Flash’s, no, Eugene’s mom shrieking in the background, trying to get her son off the hook. With a small smirk, only noticed by Peter’s trained eye, she replies, “Good enough.” Shaking the principal's hand, they head for May’s car. They sit there in silence for a few seconds when May starts bursting out in laughs. Peter, shocked by this, just stared at her until she was able to calm herself down.

“That was amazing! You should’ve seen that witch’s face when she found out her son would still be suspended. That was great!”

“You’re not mad?” Peter asked hesitantly. May, the angel that she is, simply shook her head, moving her brown hair aside.

“While violence shouldn’t be the go to with most conflicts, you had already said that Ned had informed the people that needed to be informed. From my perspective, you were protecting an innocent boy who was the victim of a spoiled brat. You, Peter, are a hero in your own right.” Peter could do nothing but stare at her and try to hold back the tears. He turned his head to look out the window as May started the car and drove back to their apartment. For some reason, he had paid extra attention to how bright colors outside seemed to be, noting how the sun shone a little brighter after that.

From then on, everything has been smooth sailing. Peter started to open up more, asking for more help. He got really into Star Wars and Legos. After finding out, May tried to buy him the whole Lego store, plus a bunch of merch. Peter had to shut that down so they could afford rent and groceries. They started learning how to cook together, Peter naturally excelling at the skill while May nearly burnt the water. All in all, life was good.

Hoping down from the counter, he goes to grab a pan. He has school in an hour and he promised to meet Ned before classes started. He turns around to ask where the oil spray is before stopping. He sees Aunt May by the toaster on her phone, her eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at the hospital?” 

“No, turn on the news, it’s everywhere. Apparently, the Avengers found an abandoned building in Canada. They’re saying it was a part of an assassin operation thingy.” Aunt May explained, looking at Peter with hesitation. “They’re saying it was destroyed around two years ago.”

Two years ago. When he was first found by Aunt May in the alleyway. Covered in blood and wearing clothes that aren’t typical of homeless teens. He never uttered a word of his past to Aunt May. She never asked, assuming it was too traumatizing for him to talk about. She wasn’t wrong. He went to the cluttered living room and turned on the TV. 

Breaking News: Old Assassin Training Faculty Found

There is footage, from a helicopter, circling a burnt building. You can see through the top of it. Burnt walls, fallen support beams that now show vines starting to cover them. When zooming in, you can see the rooms individually. The cafeteria, the halls. You even see the office. The reporters were describing the scene, as if the video wasn’t enough, while Peter’s breath caught in his throat. Memories of the place flashed through his mind. The struggles that came with training, the punishments of a failed mission, the rewards of a successful mission. It felt like too much. He spent so much time trying to repress those memories, but now he is forced to confront them. He barely registered a hand touching his face. Startled, he grabbed the hand and focused back. It was just Aunt May. May has a concerned look on her face. It was wrong. She should be scared, terrified. He was a killer, a monster. The blood of dozens stained his hands. Screams of his victims echoed in his ears. Her lips started to move.

“Peter, look at me, follow my breathing” He did what he was told, like a good little soldier. With each breath he managed to calm down. “I’m here for you.” Before he could respond, the TV caught his attention once more.

“There was a video leaked onto the internet this morning along with several documents, before the reveal. The Avengers have put out a word confirmation that the video and the leaked documents are all authenticated and real. The subject in the video is dangerous. No one should approach them, instead call authorities immediately. Again, the subject is considered dang–”

The voice of the reporter started to fade into the distance as Peter focused on the video that was showing up on the right side. It’s a black and white video of him shooting Madam and running up the vents. The camera switches to when he was coming out and landing before taking off down the hall. It kept hitting different angles as he flew down the halls. It stopped as he turned the coroner. The final angle caught him as he kneeled over the dying figure laying on the floor. There was no audio, but he knows the conversation, or lack thereof, that happened that night. He remembers his face. Elias. He saw himself lift up the gun and shoot. The video paused as he turned around. It was his face, clear as day. Only, it was covered in more blood, and his cheeks were slightly sunken. 

“You have to go.”

At a speed that should’ve broken his back, he turned around and looked at May. She had a look of determination. 

“But May, I promise I didn’t want to. I just….I just wanted out.” Peter whimpered, not wanting to lose the one person who treated him like a real human being. That seemed to snap her back into reality.

“Oh, Peter, I didn’t mean it like that.” May walked around the couch and gave Peter a hug. It lasted longer than normal. Peter took a moment to close his eyes and dedicate it to memory. The scent of her perfume, the way her hair scratches his neck. Way too soon, she pulls away. “They have your face out there. People from the school could, no, will recognize it, and not to mention what the Avenger would manage to dig up. It’s not safe for you here. I can’t…I can’t protect you.”

“You’re not scared? Or mad? I’ve kept so much from you. Like, I’m not all the way human. I’ve killed people” Peter said gesturing to the TV.

“I was never scared of you Peter. And I knew. I knew when your bullet wounds healed a little too fast. I knew when I had to buy enough groceries to feed four people. There’s only two of us in this house, and I promise I’m only eating for one.” May threw up her hands before running them through her hair. “I didn’t know about the whole assassination gig, but I watched you as you saw the video. I know you were just trying your best to leave. You were trapped in a shitty situation and escaped the only way you knew how.”

Peter ran and hugged her again. His shoulders completely relaxed as he leaned most of his weight into her. He never felt so seen before. Sure, he suspected that she bought excess groceries, or that she would be bound to notice his spider-like quirks quickly, but the confirmation hit harder than he expected.

“Now,” May started again, “let’s get you packed. I’m sure they'll figure out where you live pretty soon.”

May ushered him into his room while grabbing her gym bag from behind the couch. It was a black duffle bag that would allow him to carry enough resources for long enough. Emptying out her gym supplies, she orders him to fill it up with clothes while she grabs snacks and bottles of water, including a reusable one. He does as he’s told. Taking the necessities only. Jacket, pants, shirts, underwear, and more. He dug into his closet and paused before pulling out an outfit.

May walked back in and paused. Peter stood in the middle of the room. He had on his long sleeve black shirt, tactical pants, and combat boots. She had a moment of deja vu from when he first stood in his room. Though, she had already fixed the bullet holes in the outfit. The spots are noticeable when looking at the whole outfit, but it gets the job done. She goes over to the duffle bag and stuffs the supplies in there, including some medicine, even if she knows he doesn’t need it. It’s for her peace of mind. Then she walks over to Peter.

“I can’t believe I have to let you go like this. I’m sorry I can’t protect you.” Her voice was beginning to crack. Tears slowly started down her face.

“It’s not your fault Aunt May. Thank you. Thank you for not giving up on me.” He responded, trying his best to stay strong for her. She looked into his eyes.

“I don’t think I ever told this. But you remind me of Ben.” She said softly.

Ben. Her husband died in a shootout between the cops and a gang. He was out trying to grab some last minute ingredients for dinner. He was nothing but an innocent bystander, wrong place, wrong time. He passed only six months before Peter came along. In those six months, May only had Asher. Going to and from work while feeding Asher while she can. It was a terrible life. Then Peter came along and she had to focus on him rather than her grief. Slowly, she got better. 

“You have his eyes. His laugh. You also tilt your head whenever you are trying to figure something out, just like he did.” She laughs while holding his face forcing his head to tilt. “You even have his kindness. He was the softest man you would ever meet and Peter, I don’t know what you've been through but I know it was rough and soul crushing. Yet, here you are. Such a kind and gentle soul on the inside. You have an ability to inspire others. Your past does not define you, your powers do not define you.”

They sit there in silence for a few moments, trying to relish in their last moments together. The peace ended quickly as the front door busted open. May pushed the duffle bag into Peter’s chest and guided him to the window. 

“Remember Peter, with great power comes great responsibility.”

He started to climb the side of the building as she closed the window. He can already hear her Italian screaming as she went to see who busted down the door. He got to the roof and stood there for a moment. 

Meow

Looking down, he saw something trying to get out of the duffle bag. Unzipping the bag, and dark figure jumped out. Asher.

“Bud, you can’t come with me.” The cat stared at him. “I mean it.” There were no thoughts behind his eyes. “You have to be here for May. I don’t want her to be alone.” At that the cat started to move to rub against him. “I’m going to miss you too, but think about all the tuna Aunt May is going to give you now.” Asher stopped to look at him once more. 

He licked Peter’s face before walking back to the side of the building. Peter would be concerned if they haven’t been up here before. Asher then jumped down, to the fire escape, and kept walking down. Peter didn’t get a chance to relax before his neck started to itch. Dodge, his instinct said, so he did. He moved to the side where he saw a knife embed itself to the ground where he was just standing. Quickly moving to the side, he saw her, the Black Widow. 

“Good reflexes kid, but I need you to come with us. We have some questions for you.” She stated, body language looking relaxed, but Peter could tell but the way her fingers flexed she was ready for a fight.

“By questions, I’m sure you mean you're going to interrogate me and throw me into a cell? Didn’t you already do that to half your team?” Peter snarked back, his neck still itching. That seemed to catch her off guard.

“That’s all behind us маленький паук.” She responded hesitantly. 

“не называй меня так.” His accent was still there, practically ingrained in his head. 

“Pourquoi pas?” She switched to French. 

“Porque é passado.” He started in Portuguese. “Who leaked the files?” He asked.

“We don’t know yet.”

“What are you guys planning on doing to me?”

Silence 

“You want to put me in a cell, huh?”

Silence

“I was in a cell for the first sixteen years of my life. I refuse to go back to that.”

They sat in silence, looking at each other. One child assassin to another. 

“Was it really a Red Room operation?” She broke the silence.

“Yea, they paired up with Hydra.”

Silence again.

“Run.” she said.

Peter tilted his head to the side, confused.

“It was because someone took a chance on me that I was able to change. Now, I’m taking a chance on you. Go.”

Without further prompting, Peter ran.

Chapter Text

Breath in. Step Step . Breath out. Step Step . 

Peter doesn’t know how long he has been running for. It could’ve been hours. He just kept breathing and running across the rooftops. Though he was officially out of the program, he still kept up a routine of upkeeping most of his training, just in case. He’s glad he did. He didn’t stop running until the sound of car horns faded into the background. He hid behind a generator and caught his breath. Looking at the sun, he’s been running for a few hours. He’s not sure how long they’ve been chasing him for. Maybe they gave up and went back to their skyscraper. Or maybe they are still trailing him. 

He found the fire escape and followed it all the way down, he won’t use his more obvious powers unless he needs to. Keeping an ear out for danger, he starts walking and making a game plan. He can't go back to May’s, it’s too dangerous for both him and her. He hopes she’s okay. He knows she’s strong, but she cares about him. And now he’s gone, it’s bound to hurt her. Just how it hurts him to not know what she’s going through. 

Caring for someone else is a weakness

Shaking his head, he focuses back on the situation at hand. The Avengers want to interrogate him and put him in a cell. He can’t go with them under any circumstances. Ned and the school as a whole isn’t safe. They didn’t ask to be put into this mess. He knows Eugene’s mom is having a field day with this coming to light, never having liked him since he punched her precious baby.. He could move again, maybe to another country? No. Border patrol will be at an all time high and his face will be plastered everywhere. He needs to stay low in town. If he could find an abandoned building, maybe he could fix it up. After getting out of the compound, he found a love for the sciences. He learned the basics at the compound, but was never allowed to explore more on his own. He leans more toward biochemistry and physics, though he’s not too bad at engineering. He got most of his coding skills from the compound for infiltration missions. He would be able to fix a building enough to survive. 

Peter stepped into a tree’s shadow and kneeled while looking through his duffle bag. He already knew the clothes he packed, so he checked that off the list. He then checked how much food and water May packed him. It was enough to last a couple of days, probably two weeks if he stretched it. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to survive on minimal calories. He almost stopped when his hand brushed something that felt like paper. Moving some clothes around, he found an envelope labeled ‘Emergency Fund”. Opening it up, he found cash, at least two grand and a note. It said there was a flash drive in one of the pockets inside. It was filled with pictures of May, Peter, and Ned. He took a moment to thank her. He wouldn’t be sure what to do if he lost them forever. This way he can keep a piece of them forever. Taking out a granola bar and zipping up the bag. He stood up, feeling more confident about surviving. He survived worse. It was time to find a building to lay low in. Though, first, he needs to find out what files are online. 

He walked for a little bit before coming to a small public library. He would need to sneak in. Going through the front wouldn’t be very smart, especially not if the librarian watched the news this morning. Circling the building, he found an open window on the second, top most, floor. Looking around the area, he started climbing the wall and peaked in. There wasn’t anyone inside, but there were a few computers tucked against the wall. He climbed in the building and landed silently. Rushing over to the computers, still careful to not make a sound, he used the guest login and checked online. He found that there were already dozens of articles about the compound and him . He scrolled through a few headlines until he stopped on one. 

Canadian Girl Saved By Child Assassin 

He clicked and a picture popped up of the girl he saved and who he guesses is her boyfriend. When asked about the incident, she said that she was both grateful and terrified. That Peter had saved her life while covered in blood and looking like he hasn’t had a good meal in awhile. She tells people to remember that Peter was raised as an assassin, that doesn’t mean he wants to be one. He was her hero. Scrolling more, another title caught his eye.

Filipino-American Teen Claims To Be An Assassins Best Friend

This time, it's a video. The video is of Ned, with his backpack, being asked what Peter was like. Ned’s response? Amazing. Peter was the one that helped him when he was bullied. Peter was the one who showed up to his events, along with Lola. Peter was the time who helped him with school assignments. Sure, he could be quiet and was behind on most pop references, but Peter was a real friend, an inspiration. Peter felt strings tug on his heart. Those strings pulled his heart down at the next title he saw. 

Peter Parker: Project паук

He clicked. What popped almost made him throw up. Files upon files. It was about his time in the compound. From the moment of his birth to the time he escaped. It had every mission he has ever done. Every person he has killed. The punishments he received. Everything. There were medical recordings. Even one about his ‘surgery.’ Before he could think, he found the flashdrive in one of the pockets and downloaded everything. It took what felt like hours, it was only fifteen minutes, but everything was downloaded. He grabbed his bag, logged out of everything and left the way he came in. Once on the ground he started walking in a random direction. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about how crazy today turned out. For two years, he was able to live peacefully, becoming a now kid. Hell, he was even going to graduate in a few months. He had celebrated his eighteenth birthday just a few weeks early–not knowing when his birthday was, just knowing it was early August, they celebrated the second Tuesday every year. Now? The Avengers are after him, the world knows him as the child assassin, and he has nowhere to go. What a great day.

His thoughts are interrupted when his neck starts itching. Thinking it was Earth’s mightiest heroes, he ducks into the nearest alleyway. He soon finds out his scenes weren’t warning him about the Avengers. In the alley, there were six men dressed in dark colors. There were a couple of duffle bags close to the wall and a bulky metal weapon in one of the men’s hands.  A weapons deal . The weapon had a purple glowing stone in the middle of it. A Chitauri weapons deal.

The Chitauri invasion caused a ruckus in the compound among the leaders. It put the trainees on the edge too. It was times like this that the teachers started to give harder punishments and stricter instructions. Everyone had to be ready for anything. Now, here are six dumbasses trading the technology like Pokémon cards–he got that reference from Ned. Unfortunately, him ducking into the alley got their attention. They all turned to look at him, eyes widening in recognition. 

“Hey! You’re that spider assassin right? Were you sent here to kill us?” One of them asked wide eyed. 

“Sorry, no, I’m out of the business. I’m just passing through.” Peter responded, already tired of this conversation. 

“Hey, Jones, you said you don’t know what it does right? Wanna find out?” The one holding the gun said. The man across from him started to smile. Uh Oh.

“Why not? Not like we can let him go anyways. Plus, we'll be doing the world a favor.” 

His senses fired before he could even move. Sadly, the man was a little too trigger happy and fired before Jones even finished his sentence. Next thing he knows, Peter is feeling the worst pain he has ever imagined. He could feel himself tearing apart, while his healing factor tried putting himself back together. His eyes being last to go, the finally thing he sees are the six men looking at him in terror.

I’m sorry Aunt May. I’m sorry Ned.

The blackness only lasted for so long before a flash of white entered his vision. Closing his eyes he breathed in to smell smoke. He felt his senses get overwhelmed by all the different smells, the noises of shouting and laughing. His neck itches really bad. Opening his eyes, he saw it was night time. Assuming he was just out for a few hours, he forced himself upright and looked around. He was in an alleyway, but a different one then he was in before. He checked, his bag was still with him. Leaving it in the alley, he followed the opening onto the street where people were running into or around him. Someone almost knocked themselves and Peter over when he caught them. It was an older lady, probably sixty or so. 

“What’s going on?” Peter asked. The lady looked at him, not with the fear he expected, but shock.

“You must not be from around here. The Joker is attacking again. He escaped Arkham and is trying to get the Bat’s attention again. I suggested you run before you get hit with his laughing gas. I heard it’s a lot stronger this time around.”

“Is he here?”

“Right up the street with his goons,” she answered suspiciously, “listen here boy, you don’t know what’s going on so don’t go around playing hero. Lord knows we have enough of those around.”

“Yes ma’am I understand.” She looked him up and down before continuing to run down the street with the rest of the citizens. Peter being Peter, ran towards the danger. 

He noticed people looking at him weird, the itch on his neck started to get worse, but he kept pushing through. In the middle of the street, he saw a middle aged man with clown makeup on, surrounded by guys, most likely his goons, who wore clown masks. The man noticed Peter coming in and ordered his men aside as he walked up. 

“Well well, looks like we have a brave soul tonight. Lucky me! I needed something to lure in the Bat. Maybe he’ll come for a naive teen.” The man laughed, a little too hard.

“Pity, I thought I would be getting a front row seat to the circus. I’m assuming you’re behind all of this?” Peter remarked, fist clenching.

“Oh, you got jokes huh? You really don’t know who I am?” The man, Joker, asked.

“Bozo?” 

“NO! You idiot, I’m the Joker! Batman’s worst enemy? And of course I’m behind this! Who else but the man in a suit and make-up?” Joker screamed, spitting everywhere. Gross. Peter noticed how quick to anger he was.

“Just wanted to make sure.” Peter then slammed his fist into his face, hearing a satisfying crunch. The Joker was on the ground knocked out. 

The street went silent. Then everything happened at once. Peter started to fight off goon after goon. People jumped down from the rooftops, helping Peter. Thank god. He could win by himself, but not without a few bruises. Working with the strangers, the fight lasted for not too much longer. It helped that none of the goons seemed to have any real experience fighting. Just when he was fighting the last goon, the goon pulled a fake flower and puffed it in Peter’s face. In retaliation, Peter put his fist in his face, knocking him out cold.

“Are you an imbecile!” He heard a young voice yell. Turning around, he saw a boy, around five feet tall. He was dressed in a red, yellow, and green outfit. There was some black here and there. He also wore a black cloak with a hood, an yellow R symbol on his chest.

“Me? Aren’t you like ten?” Peter asked, flabbergasted.

“Ts. I have the appropriate skill level to handle such a situation. My age does not factor into this.” The boy stated, crossing his arms at Peter’s raised eyebrow.

“Okay, let’s calm down everyone.” A man in a black suit walked up. There was a blue bird on his suit. He, at least, sounded like an adult. “First things first, you were just hit with laughing gas. How are you feeling?”

“Fine? Was it supposed to do something?” Peter tilted his head, looking at the man. 

“Laugh, you dimwit.” The boy piped up.

“Robin!” The man said, the boy stood down–he turned his head brooded. “Laughing gas is supposed to make you laugh uncontrollably until you pass out. You’re not feeling like giggling or something?”

“No, I feel pretty straight faced. Who are you anyways?”

“Really? No idea?” The boy–Robin–asked, “You really have only a singular brain cell, huh?”

“Robin! I’m sorry about him. He is, obviously, Robin. I’m Nightwing. We are two of the vigilantes that run these rooftops.”

“Great, great. Well, I’m Peter. Now, where am I?” The question made the two vigilantes look at each other, confused.

“Nice to meet you Peter. And welcome to Gotham.”

Chapter Text

“Gotham?” Peter repeated. He tried to think about all the states and their major cities he had memorized. Gotham did not come to mind. It could’ve been a small city, but with people like Joker running around, it would’ve made major news. “Where exactly is Gotham?” 

Nightwing hesitated before answering, taking a quick second to look at Robin–who now looked at Peter like he was a puzzle to figure out. “Gotham is in New Jersey. Pretty well known for the high crime rates.” He paused, “could you do me a favor and tell me what year it is?”

“Uh, 2024?” Peter assumed, however he apparently got it wrong by the way Robin rolled his eyes. 

“Sorry kid, it’s 2019. Can you tell me how you got here?” Nightwing talked slowly, like he was talking to a victim. Technically he was, but Peter would never admit that

“I got shot during a Chitauri weapons deal, which I was not a part of, promise. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Peter explained, shrugging. He really did not know where this conversation was heading.

“What the fuck is a Chitauri?” A third voice chimed in, this time female. Turning around, he saw a third vigilante, or so he guessed by the way Robin and Nightwing stayed relaxed. This one was dressed in a purple and black costume with a purple bat on her chest. Instead of having a domino mask one, like the two males, she had a mask that covered the bottom of her face, leaving her eyes showing. She had a hood on, though her blonde hair still peeked through. 

“The alien race that invaded New York…it brought the Avengers together…ringing a bell?” Peter sassed, tired of explaining himself. He just wants to eat and nap.

“Okay back up a little. Who are the Avengers? And who invaded New York? Last we checked that there were no new invasions.” Dick seemed confused, Peter was too. Opening his mouth, Peter was cut off by a beeping in all the vigilantes' ears. A Com. Another female voice came through.

“Hate to break up the party but the police are less than five minutes away and I highly doubt the big bad bat would be happy with this conversation being in the open. I’m calling for the Batmobile, it should be down the road soon.” 

“I have some stuff in the alley down the street. Could I get that before we head somewhere else? I can just meet you on one of the roofs after.” Peter interrupted before Dick could talk. Was he exposing the fact that he has super hearing? Yes. Did Peter care? Not really. All he had to eat all day was a granola bar and he’s been running for hours. Plus, he feels like they would’ve figured it out sooner or later. Might as well cut the middle man.

Nightwing and the purple girl seemed cut off guard, while Robin simply squinted his eyes just enough that even Peter barely noticed it, the eye mask squinting with him. It was a moment before Nightwing shook his head and nodded, telling him to meet on the roof tops.

Peter started to jog down the street and think about the whole interaction and what he knew. It is 2019, he is in Gotham city. ‘Gotham’ is apparently well known for its high crime rates, therefore having a surplus of vigilantes. From the com and female voice, it’s safe to say they have some type of network. She also mentioned the ‘big bat,’ so they have a leader. From what the older lady said when he first arrived, the Joker has been terrorizing the city and keeps escaping. Do they just not update their prison system? Anyways, Robin is obviously a child, though very well trained. Should he be worried about another organization trying to train children? He’ll keep any eye out for that. Oh, they also know he’s enhanced, though not by how much.

Now it’s time to consider the big questions:  What the fuck did he get himself into and how much is he going to tell them? His tragic backstory is obviously off the table, but what else? They know his name, and potentially that he is from New York. He could play it off as memory loss. Though, that wouldn’t explain the alien invasion. I guess it just depends on how well the rooftop meeting goes. Or maybe he can just run for it? He seems to be pretty good at that.

He grabbed the duffle bag from where he left it. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to leave it here but at least it’s still there. He listened to the city around him. The police were gathering the goons left on the street and the Joker. He heard people in houses, either trying to comfort each other or crying because their family member is now in the hospital. He could’ve extended his hearing farther, but didn’t see the need. The vigilantes were on the roof, two buildings down. He hears them talking about what could’ve happened to him. The current theory is a meta trafficking ring. Though the girl did mention brainwashing. Robin also proposed that he was a spy trying to get on their good side to steal all their information from the Batcave. Interesting. He could just leave. Walk out of the alley and run. They don’t know who he is. He’s trained at blending in. No one would find him unless he wants them too.

 He started to walk away, determined to stay out of the vigilantes’ radars. If the crime rates are high then it would be pretty easy to get a job that pays him below the table. Maybe he could get an apartment that takes cash payments. Push comes to shove he can just make a new identity. Just like he did in New York. New York. Maybe he could go back–no it would be too dangerous. It’s good that he got here before the news had spread. Still, it’s weird that no one recognized him. He swore that the story was all over news channels. New Jersey isn’t that far from New York. They also didn’t know about New York’s past invasion. Or the Avengers. Peter has a feeling something isn’t right. If he could find a library, then maybe he could figure it out. Or he could talk to the vigilantes. 

He stopped walking. He was tired of running. He was tired of hiding. These people seemed like they wanted to help. He doesn’t have to tell them everything. A little fibbing never hurt no one. Push comes to shove, if it all turns to shit, he can run away later. Plus, he would have a better idea of their abilities and just how many of them there are and how they work. With his mind made up, he turned around, heading back into the alley and started to climb the wall to the roof. He took a few breaths before walking their way.

The purple girl was the first one to see him coming, waving her hand frantically, her eyes seemed happy and amused. “Nice of you to join us! I was starting to think the laughing gas finally got to you.” 

“Nice to be here. Also, I don’t think I ever got your name.” And he was tired of calling her purple girl in his head. 

“Ah, sorry about that. It’s not every day you hear that someone just walked up and decked the Joker. I got a little excited. I go by Spoiler. The best hero here.” Her tone was bright but body language screamed confusion. Peter guessed they were pretty popular then. 

“Peter! You have everything?” Dicked asked, at Peter’s nod he continued, “awesome, are you good with hopping roofs? If so then we can head a few blocks down and get in the car. If not, then we can wait here for the police to leave, then call the car down.”

“I’m good with going now.”

“Perfect. Robin, let’s go. Spoiler, enjoy the rest of your patrol.”

Spoiler waved at them as they started walking away. Robin started leading him as they jumped the gaps in the roofs. Nightwing was behind him, in case he tried to run away, he guesses. They only had to run for a little before getting off the rooftops. There was a shining black car waiting for them. Peter immediately noticed that it was custom built and was made for pursuits. Though, the vehicle was also pretty well armored. It seems like they leave nothing to chance. Dick got in the front seat and Robin got in the passenger seat. Leaving Peter to sit in the back. The inside showed how high tech it was. There were many buttons up front and way too many buttons. He couldn’t even be able to list that many possibilities for what the buttons did. Maybe it was for the best that he was in the back, the urge to push a button was very strong. Dick started the car and started to drive. 

Peter simply looked out the window, paying attention to all the twists and turns, as well as what the city looked like. He knew it was night time, but the air still felt heavier than any city he’s ever been in. Looking up, there was not a star to be seen–whether that was because of light pollution or all the smoke in the air is up to debate. Probably because of both. He guessed that they didn’t have any of the clean energy Stark made. He was guessing a lot lately, he can’t wait to actually know something. 

“This is the Narrows. One of the poor parts of the city. Many newly escaped villains try to attack the lower income places, thinking no one will come and stop them. Though, we always do” Wait, villains, as in multiple. 

“Are escaping super villains the normal here? Why haven’t they increased the security in those places?” Peter asked, confused, if the government can make a jail in the ocean and throw heroes in there, they should be able to do it to villains too. Or is that something else they don’t know about. 

“The guards are pretty easy to bribe, that is if they don’t give into fear first. We have some people like Bruce Wayne, a billionaire who is constantly donating to the city, trying to get new plans through to get better holding facilities and better, non-bribable guards. The city doesn’t see the point though, keep saying they’ll escape again.”

“Huh.” That gave Peter a lot to think about. The government officials are probably bribed too. Huh, corruption in the government, such a shocker. Note the sarcasm. That also means the city, in a twisted way, is used to the villains and hopefully has plans to keep others safe. 

“How old are you?” Robin broke his unspoken veil of silence. 

“That’s on a need to know basis. Right now, you don’t need to know.” Peter locked eyes with the small boy. Robin huffed and turned away. The rest of the drive was silent There were times their coms went off, but Peter tried his best to ignore it. Thankfully they didn’t use real names. Oh Peter, what have you gotten yourself into.

Chapter Text

Jason was having a great day, an amazing day. He made himself an omelet and hash browns, played some music, and sipped his imported jasmine tea. He already had a few books out to choose from–this is his day off and he’ll be damned if he didn’t take advantage of it. As he said, everything was great. Then he got a call from Babs. Joker broke out of Arkham, again. He rushed out of his apartment, leaving his breakfast behind. Pushing his motorcycle as far as it would go, he cut corners and broke speeding laws that probably don’t even exist, yet. Now, instead of being in one of his safe houses and reading his Jane Austen books, he’s here in the Batcave, talking to the stupid ‘bat family’ as Steph called it. 

Now, don’t get him wrong, he loves them. Yes, they have had troubles in the past. Mainly Jason turning into Red Hood and becoming a crime lord. And yes, he tried to kill Tim–which he is still trying to make up for, even if the little brat said he forgives him–but the past is the past. They are all moving forward as a family. They have family dinner at least twice a week, and Dick constantly plans outings for the siblings to bond. Whether that’s an escape room, the zoo, or laser tag. Sometimes Bruce and even Alfred would join. Jason let himself enjoy it all. He felt right again. With that said, they are all still annoying as fuck and he would rather be at home texting Roy.

Back to the matter at hand. Joker. The piece of shit clown that’s been terrorizing Gotham for who knows how long. When the news was out that Joker was back on the streets, for the hundredth time, B had asked–ordered–Jason to stay at the cave while everyone else went out. Which, fair. While he has gotten better at calming the pit rage around the family and his organization–yes organization, if they can form a union, then he can call them an organization– he knew that if he saw the clown in person, he wouldn’t think twice before shooting. He was pretty sure no one would really try to stop him anyways. They were all tired of the clown’s crap. 

They spent all day trying to find his location. The Joker, despite the chaos that replaces his soul, is smart. He immediately started to lay low, ordering his goons to do the same thing. This is their routine. The Joker escapes, they track him down, a fierce battle ensues, and in the end, he's back in a prison that government officials refuse to improve. Because most of them are fucking benefiting form the crime. Then the cycle starts again. It always starts again. 

By the time they got a notification from the Narrows saying that the sociopath has his goons gassing up the place, everyone was ready. They also get a notification saying that a man found a bomb in a hotel across town. So naturally, they split up. Dick and Damian went to scope out the Joker situation–but were not to engage until backup arrives. They simply had to help guide the crowd to a safer place. Timmy and Steph are to go to the bomb location and disable it while looking out for more goons. Then would join Dick and the demon child.

Cass was out of the country for a mission and Bruce was in a meeting for WE. Duke wanted to go but was benched by Alfred because of a fight he got injured in a couple of days ago. Being benched by Bruce is one thing, they usually just sneak out. But being bench by Alfred? You won't be leaving anytime soon. He was currently upstairs in bed rest. 

So far, so good. Dick and Damian were leading civilians aways. Tim and Steph were done with the bomb and were on their way to help the other two and Batman was in the cave with him getting suited up. Ready for another battle. And since today is so full of surprises, Babs yelled over the coms saying a civilian is walking up to the Joker. Obviously he is not a native and stupid because one does not simply walk up to the Joker of all people. He didn’t focus on that part for too long.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE PUNCHED THE JOKER?!” Jason exclaimed, confused out of his goddamn mind. Who just punches the Joker?

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN’?!? HE WALKED UP AND PUNCHED THE JOKER. He’s out cold.” Babs responded, sounding a little impressed at the end. 

“OKAY, no yelling on coms you two.” Bruce chimed in. 

“Thank you, my headache was already getting worse before you guys,” Tim spoke up. If you listen closely, you could hear the wind rushing through, making it pretty obvious that he was flying through the city on his grapple. Since the Joker was out cold and Dick and Damian, plus the stranger, are taking out the rest of the goons, Steph and Tim are splitting up. Steph is going to help the others with the goons and Tim is coming back to base to work on his open cases.

“Red Robin, you are immediately assigned to bed rest when you get back.” Nevermind.

“What? Bats, seriously? What about the stranger?” Tim groaned, he never liked not knowing things–just like Bruce. Before anything else was said, Babs chimed in.

“Maybe next time don’t pull three all nighters in a row? At least space them out.” Bruce sighed a bone tiring sigh. “The others are bringing him back. Spoiler opted to stay out to patrol a little longer to make sure the area is secure and the civilians are safe. They are 10 minutes away.”

“What happened?” Jason looked at his dad confused. Nothing happened? Or so he thought before Babs sighed–why is everyone sighing? 

“The stranger was able to KO the Joker in one hit and hear me when I was talking to the others on their coms.” 

“Meta?”

“Most likey. I ran his face through face recognition softwares, nothing.”

“Maybe he was a part of meta trafficking? There have been more popping up.” 

Tim, always trying to talk about his newest case, was unfortunately right. As of six months ago, the amount of meta trafficking rings skyrocketed. They’ve all been scrambling around trying to get it back down. Jason’s territory, the tragic beauty that is Crime Alley, is the only one that hasn’t been targeted. Good. He has spent so much time and energy trying to get the crime rate down and making the section a safe haven for kids, metas, and basically everyone who isn’t an asshole. Despite Crime Alley being safe, there seems to be a new location every week, and tens of people missing everyday in the rest of Gotham. 

“That option is on the table, but a few things don’t match. He looked well fed, and lean. Not typical of the other victims. He also mentioned a few concerning things. He didn’t know the year, where Gotham is, the vigilantes, and he mentioned an alien invasion in New York from an alien race called the Chitauri. There is no record of an invasion, and especially not from that race, if it exists.”

“Anything else you’ve noticed about him?” 

“His name is Peter. He seems a little too relaxed after the fight, like he’s done this before. Probably trained. He also ready to run at the moment's notice.”

“Okay, I’ll review the footage from their body cams later tonight. Keep checking in on the situation with Nightwing and Robin.”

“Copy that” With that, Babs signed off. It was quiet for a little while. 

“What are we going to do when they get here?” Jason asked, facing his dad, who still had his helmet off.

“We’ll see if this new guy is friendly or not. It’s possible that he could be a part of the upper levels in the traffic rings. Ratting others out in order to be treated better.” 

“Can we blame him for that though? We see how they treat people in the rings. It’s terrible”

“Depends. Babs said he seemed pretty relaxed, which could be a sign of apathy of his actions. However he is coming willing with Dick and Damian, so maybe he wants help. It’ll depend on how this conversation goes.”

“Hey guys” They turn to see Tim enter the Cave. “Babs said they’ll be here soon.” He looked at B. “Can I pretty please stay down here? I promise to go to sleep as soon as we are done.” Come on, stay strong Bruce, don’t give in. Tim turned his sights on Jason, “If you help me, I’ll write your reports for a week.” Fuck.

“Come on B, let the kid stay up. It’s Friday. Not like he has school in the morning.” Jason joined in the convincing. Hearing B’s sigh, it worked. 

Tim and Jason just finished high fiving when sounds engines started echoing. Bruce was quick to put on his helmet and Tim stood at ready. Jason slid up the mask that covered the bottom half of his face. He was wearing his usual Outlaw uniform. They could hear the Batmoblie come to a stop. After a few moments, Robin, Nightwing, and a blind folded stranger, Peter, walked toward them.

“Okay, I get the whole secrecy thing. But there could’ve been a better way to keep me in the dark.” The stranger spoke up. His voice was warm and slightly raspy. He had a general american accent with a slightly northern ting. 

“We don’t have a lot of strangers coming to the Cave, there has never been a need to hide it.” Dick tried to explain, grimacing. 

“Unless you would’ve preferred to be knocked out?” Damian suggested. 

“Good luck with that,” Peter snorted. That got Damian to bristle. At least he has confidence. 

Dick took off his blind fold and he blinked for a few seconds. He was still squinting when he stopped. Interesting. They could see the guy scan everybody and the Cave. Assessing weakness, strengths, and probably escape routes. Babs was right, he was trained. But by who?

Peter stopped on him, just for a second longer than the rest. He wouldn’t have noticed if he was trained by Bruce and the league. 

Peter himself was actually pretty cute, not that he would admit that to anyone. His brown hair was slightly curly and poofy. He was lean and his arms were defined. Not like the powerhouses that the Bats are, but he could still pack a punch. He did pack a punch, it knocked the Joker out. He looked to be half a foot shorter than Jason, who stood at six feet tall. He evened out his weight, not favoring one foot or the other. Another sign that he’s trained. Jason’s gaze met Dick’s wiggling eyebrows. Fuck, he was checking him out. He looked away. Though it felt like minutes, it was no more than three seconds real time. Bruce finally stepped forward.

“Nice to meet you Peter. I’ve been informed that you don’t know the local vigilantes. I am known as Batman,” Peter raised an eyebrow, “You met, Spoiler, Robin, and Nightwing. This is more of my team, Red Hood and Red Robin. Signal is not here due to an injury, and Orphan is out on a mission right now. I hope the ride here was well.” That was probably the most words he’s spoken as Batman in a while.

“Nice to meet you,” Peter started slowly. “I hate to be rude, but though I don’t know much about being a vigilante, I’m pretty sure taking a random civilian isn’t part of the usual procedure. Why am I here?”

“You said some pretty concerning things that we have no record of. Specifically an invasion of New York?”

“The Chitauri invasion.” Peter slightly tilted his head to the side. 

“We have no record of it. No news station, article, or social media post covers it. Where did you hear this information?” 

Peter stood there, silent.

Chapter Text

After driving for a few minutes, he sees Robin pull something from the glove department. Looking closer, he sees it’s a blindfold..what the fuck?

“Here, put this on. Where we are going is secret and we can’t afford to allow you to know the destination.”

“Uhhh, I get secrecy but is this necessary?” Peter liked to have all of his senses at the ready. That and wearing the blindfold that was conveniently in the glove department is kinda weird.

“Sadly yeah,” Dick responded instead. “Batman, the ‘leader,’ is big on secrecy and stuff. We should be there pretty soon though, fifteen, maybe ten minutes if I don’t see any cops around.”

“Isn’t your very existence as a vigilante illegal? Why are you worried about cops?”

“So many questions. We exist to help civilians and take out the people who wish to harm them. The police leave us alone as long as we stick to those guidelines. No need to provoke another enemy.” Robin stated. Guess he’s pretty well educated for a kid.

“That makes sense.” Robin looked kind of shocked that Peter accepted his response. He could see Nightwing smile at him in the rearview mirror. Weirdos. Robin extended the blind to him once more. He didn’t want to take it, but he did say that he was going to reach out, for once. “Fine. Give it.”

Peter took the mask and tied it around his face. All he saw was darkness. His other senses were enhanced. He could smell and hear more. He tried to ignore how the seats felt under his fingers and the taste of his venomous saliva. His senses seemed to be a tad more stronger here than they were back at home. He wonders what more the Chitauri weapon did to him. 

After tenish minutes, he felt the atmosphere change. The air became heavier. He could hear bats echoing around him. He figured they were in the Cave. as they called it. However he didn’t expect an actual cave system. The door on his left opened and he felt one of the vigilantes gently guide him out of the car–it was probably Nightwing, Robin would just yank him out. A hand rested on his middle back as they walked the caves. His danger sense going off here and there. 

“Okay, I get the whole secrecy thing. But there could’ve been a better way to keep me in the dark.” He asked. He was tired of the bat noises echoing and vibrating his skull. It was really giving him a headache.. 

“We don’t have a lot of strangers coming to the Cave, there has never been a need to hide it.” He heard Nightwing speak up. Then why have a blindfold in the batmobile?

“Unless you would’ve preferred to be knocked out?” Robin suggested. 

“Good luck with that,” Peter snorted. He heard Robin huff. 

They eventually stopped and the blindfold he was wearing was taken off. He spent a few moments blinking away the light. 

Since he is trained, and trained well, he immediately starts looking around. There were three men(?) in front of him. One of them had on a red and black costume. It had black pants with red knee pads and a red top with black straps meeting in the middle of his chest. In the intersection, there was a symbol of a bird. He wore a black cape and a mask similar to Robin. He was also leaner than the other two, probably using more smarts than muscle, though he still shouldn’t be underestimated. His weight was even but he still favored his right side more. 

The one in the middle wore all black, maybe some dark, dark gray if you look close enough. Even the bat logo on his chest was a darker shade of gray. His helmet had pointed ears and covered everything but his mouth. He too wore a cape. Interesting. His weight was even, he probably had the most experience out of all of them, probably more than Peter too. A no nonsense attitude basically screamed from his stance. There was another person down here, one that caused his danger sense to go off, but he ignored it.

The last one was almost as tall as Mr. Grumpy. He had on black tactical pants and short sleeve shirt with a red bat on it, a red sleeve jacket with a hood, and red gloves. His mask covered the lower half of his face and wore red lenses with black surrounding them. The shirt and jacket showed off his muscles, which Peter can appreciate. He looked Peter up and down before his gaze moved to Nightwing thin away. Hmmm.

The guy in the middle walked up. “Nice to meet you Peter. I’ve been informed that you don’t know the local vigilantes. I am known as Batman,” Peter raised an eyebrow, he was actually more polite than he thought he was gonna be. “You met, Spoiler, Robin, and Nightwing. This is more of my team, Red Hood and Red Robin. Signal is not here due to an injury, and Orphan is out on a mission right now. I hope the ride here was well.”

Great. There were more of them. How many vigilantes does one city need? Sure the joker seems pretty persistent, but Peter got him down pretty easily. And do the police not do shit around here? What kind of city is this? The housing situation better be cheap around here. Speaking of housing–even though the topics don’t line up at all–what is he doing here again?

“Nice to meet you,” Peter started slowly. “I hate to be rude, but though I don’t know much about being a vigilante, I’m pretty sure taking a random civilian isn’t part of the usual procedure. Why am I here?”

“You said some pretty concerning things that we have no record of. Specifically an invasion of New York?”

“The Chitauri invasion.” Peter slightly tilted his head to the side, something’s not adding up here…wait a goddamn moment!

“We have no record of it. No news station, article, or social media post covers it. Where did you hear this information?”

What. The. Actual. Fuck. 

Different years, different heroes, no trace of an invasion that freaked out the whole world. He couldn’t be in a different universe could he? But, there was no other explanation. If he was teleported, then they still would’ve known about the invasion. If he time traveled and it was actually 2019, then he would’ve known about them somehow. If not them, then he definitely would’ve heard about the Joker or other villains. He may no longer be an assassin, but he still kept up with the more dangerous villains and the heroes that take them down. It’s not impossible. There was that Mysterio guy that tried to use projections as monsters. The avengers confirmed he was from another dimension. That and other events show that the multiverse is real. But, do they know?

He knew they were waiting for his response, but he was trying to wrap his own head around it. He is in another universe . He wants to find a way to get back to May and Ned. But, he can’t. He can’t go back to them. Not for a while at least. The world is probably looking non-stop for him. Would it be better if he stayed here? No one chasing him means no reason to run. He finally saw Nightwing in front of him asking if he was okay. 

“Sorry, I had to think for a little...what do you guys know about the multiverse theory?” They all started to look at each other, managing to keep their faces neutral. 

“We know some stuff…why?” Okay, he can work with that.

“I think I might be from a different universe.” Peter said before he could stop himself. He’s trying to reach out.  Though, it doesn’t hurt to see how far up the ceiling in case he needs to run distance himself. 

“Why?” Batman said gruffly, see, there’s the grump he was waiting for. Peter explained his reasoning, leaving out the fake hero and on the run parts of the story. “Okay, it makes sense, but it makes this a little more complicated. Agent A?” 

An older gentleman walked out of the shadows, the one activating his danger sense. He stood with good posture, wearing an outfit that looked more like a dress suit. He probably stays at base. Maybe he’s retired? The man gestured to Peter to follow. With one last look at the vigilantes, he went. 

“Not a word,” he heard an unfamiliar voice, probably Red Hood by process of elimination. 

He followed Agent A to a room towards the back of the cave. It looked to be a medical room of some kind. It had a couple of hospital beds pushed toward the back and medicine cabinets along the walls. There were more things you would typically find in a hospital room. Agent A led him to one of the beds and told him to sit.

“Hope you don’t mind. It's a procedure to have people tested after coming in contact with laughing gas, or any of the gallery’s poisons really. Especially if they appear to be asymptomatic. Who knows how they upgraded their foul substances.”

“Uh, sure. What do I have to do?” 

“A simple blood test would do.” Agent A said as he grabbed a needle, preparing everything needed for a blood draw.

“No.” That made him pause.

“Sorry sir, but it is required. If you are infected, we would need to get you treated immediately.”

“No. I don’t want anyone to have my blood.”

“I must insist-”

“I am immune to dozens of toxins and highly resistant to even more. I highly doubt that this clown's gas did anything to me.” There was silence. The only noises were the bats on the ceilings and the rest of vigilantes talking. He wonders if they know he can hear them?

“I understand your hesitation. However, this is the procedure. You may be immune, but if there is a possibility that they changed the formula to be more transmittable, then you could put the others in danger. Now, I will not be doing anything against your wishes, but I highly insist you get tested.”

Peter paused for a moment, considering his words.

“Will you get rid of it after the test? No saving it in the system. No testing for anything else?”

“As you wish.”

“Fine, but be careful…it’s radioactive.”

Agent A started to draw Peter’s blood as his heart rate started going up. He never, never, let anyone take his blood. Too many possibilities. Experimenting on others based on his DNA, cloning, being studied–again–Peter didn’t like it. But, he wants to let them in, so he has to trust them. Plus, Agent A said they’d get rid of it after the test. Everything should be fine. The older man started to leave the room, maybe there was another room to test it? That would make sense. You don’t want toxins in the same place injured people lay. 

“Oh, could you tell the others that I can hear them? I’m trying to block them out, but there’s only so much I can do.”

With a raise of his eyebrows, he responded, “certainly sir. I’ll let them know immediately.”

Chapter Text

“Okay great, we have someone who claims he is from an alternate universe. Not the first time we dealt with this. ” Nightwing said hopefully, but Jason knew it was never that simple when Batman is involved. No matter the situation, they always had to consider an alternative. It’s ingrained in us from training and experience. There will almost always be an immediate feeling of distrust, unless they were able to have full control of a situation.

“Keyword is claimed .” See. “We have no clue if he is telling the truth.”

“Sure, but his body language screamed honesty. He was just as confused as all of us were, are .” 

“No, his body language was guarded, he’s hiding something.”

“Is he hiding something? Yes, but he’s not lying . I know you trained me B, but I tend to be more emotionally aware than you.” Yeah, that’s fair. Nightwing was the most willing to trust someone, even if it’s just a little bit. That’s one of the reasons he’s one of the favorite vigilantes around.

“Nightwi-”

“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty. Now let’s calm down.” Jason diffused the situation, while the family loved each other, they were all stubborn–these two more than most–and wouldn’t leave it alone until one of them won. “Before we get into whether he’s lying or not, I say we treat him as a friendly. The most urgent thing we do is figure out what to do with him in the meantime.”

“You just say that because you’re in lo–” Tim started, his eyes were covered, but if they weren’t he’d probably be winking. 

“Shut it you–” 

“I say we trust him.” Damian cut in. Everyone paused, confused. Damian has always been the first one to distrust others, no matter what. It’s basically in his DNA, with being the son of Batman and an assassin. He also wanted anyone who was not in the family as far away as possible. This is new. They all looked at Bruce.

“Da-Robin, why do you say that?” They all looked back at Damian, he looked a bit uncomfortable with the attention on him, also weird. Damian loved being the center of attention. He says it makes him feel more superior, but Jason thinks there is more to it than that.

“There’s something about him that’s..familiar. I don’t know how to describe it. I…I think Nightwing is right about him.” Come on B, he’s showing positive emotions right now, don’t fuck it up. 

“Ok,” Bruce said after a deep breath. “I trust your opinion” Damian started to relax at that. Having Bruce’s trust was something they all tried to get. It was something treasured.As the conversation started to wrap up, Alfred started walking toward them. 

“Hello sirs, I have the young man’s blood ready for testing.” He said.

“Great, Red Robin go ahead and–”

“Actually sir, I feel like this is something you should handle. He mentioned that it’s radioactive. He wants it disposed of after testing for laughing gas. No storage, no extra test. He also mentioned that he could still hear you all. He’s doing his best not to eavesdrop, but there’s ‘only so much’ he can do.” Listening from Medbay? They specifically sound proofed it for reasons like this. It’s even muffled to the Supers, matter of fact, it’s made to block out the Supers specifically. Hearing while in there is near impossible. The sons looked at each other. 

Bruce looked Alfred in the eye for a moment before grabbing the vital with the blood. “I understand, I’ll take care of it.” With that, B walks further into the cave, leaving the rest of them behind in silence.

“Twenty bucks says he’s gonna call Superman and Wonder Woman.” Dick spoke up after a few moments. Leave it to Big Bird to ruin perfectly good peace and quiet.

“I’m not going to bet against something I know is going to happen. No matter what he says, they are definitely besties.” Tim added. He has a point. Though B might deny being friends with Supes and Wonder Woman, he tends to talk to them more than the others. Plus, they seem more comfortable with him than the other too.

“They are good for him. They tend to help him get out of his shell.” Alfred pipped. “I need to get started on breakfast, I trust that I can leave one person in the cave with four vigilantes?”

“Of course A! We got this, we were trained by the Bat himself.”

“That’s what I’m worried about, Master Dick.” He walked back up to the mansion, leaving four out of five–eight in we’re counting Steph, Duke, and Babs–siblings in the cave with a stranger. A stranger who is a skilled fighter and little to unknown powers. At least he’s cute.

As soon as they heard the entrance close, they all raced to Medbay, even Damian, though he tried to act more ‘distinguished’ than the rest of them. They stopped just outside of the door and gestured for each other to go in first, Dick being the popular choice. He was better at comforting others and explaining things to others. Apparently they took too long because Damian rolled his eyes before entering and freezing. 

“Well, he’s gone.”

“WHAT!?” The rest of them screamed. 

“Gone, poof, vanished? Any of these work for your tiny brains?”

“Not the time!” Nightwing entered the room, followed by Tim and Jason. They looked around the entire room before doing a collective sigh. “Seriously, how the hell did he get past four trained vigilantes? This is why A did trust us. Oh my god, B is going to kill us.”

“At least we know I can come back,” Jason quipped.

“I fear we need an adult.” Tim said.

“Me and Big D are adults.” Dick cringed from the nickname.

“I mean, adultier adults. Like A, or even B”

Damian started to sigh, but was interrupted before he could actually speak.

“Do you guys just call each other by a letter from the alphabet?” All the boys jumped before looking around. All they saw were shadows and empty spaces. There was nowhere for anyone to hide. They heard a sigh, “look up.”

Looking up they saw the guy–Peter– upside down, in the corner, on the ceiling. Attached to seemingly nothing. Jason guessed they found a new power to add to the list. Looking closer, he could vaguely see that the man was slightly flinching when the sons screamed and jumped a little bit too loud. They knew he had enhanced hearing, so it wasn’t too surprising. Jason’s senses were enhanced slightly after being dipped in the pit, but it wasn’t to the point where he got overstimulated often, thank god. The others seemed to notice him flinching and calmed down quickly. 

“Hey Peter, what are ya doing on the ceiling bud?” Dick spoke up cautiously. It isn’t everyday you see someone upside down on the roof. Then again, Dick has hung from some pretty well places himself, and that’s without powers.

“Comfy,” he shrugged, “ got bored and figured I’ll chill until someone came back.”

“Okay, well, hi.” Jason snorted. Good start Tim. “Glad you made yourself comfortable. Wanna come down so we can get to know you better?” Peter blinked.

“You do know I’m not a child right?”

“Come on man, throw us a bone?” Tim whined, and boy, Jason is never going to let it down. MAybe he should go get some sleep?

Snorting, Peter responds, “Sure man.” Peter just fell. That’s all, he fell, did a small flip, and landed on his feet. FROM A CEILING THAT’S FIFTY FEET IN THE AIR. 

“Kid, you’re gonna give me a heart attack.” That only made Peter smirk slightly. 

“Soo, your name is Peter. How old are you?” Jason asked, for the good of all of them. They did have to start somewhere after all.

“Eightteen.” He said shortly, obviously not wanting to get interrogated. 

“Sweet, sweet…sweet.” Only a year younger than Jason. Damien rolled his eyes before speaking up.

“We have decided to take you at your word. You are from another universe. Now the question is if there is a way to get you back to your universe. We could contact JL Dark and arrange a meeting, but that would be up to Batman.” Peter tilted his head slightly, it made Damian get more defensive. Is Jason the only one noticing Damian acting weird?

“Sounds good to me I guess. What about until then? I don’t have a job, identity, or anything. I could make so fake documents, but I doubt a group of crime fighters would be very happy about that”

“Trust us,” Dick started, “we have done a little worse than forge a few documents. That, however, is up to the big man. We just wanted to get to know you a little more. Anything could help us get you back to where you are from, you probably have someone at home, worried about you.” Peter’s eyes seemed a little more guarded at that statement.

“So, is Batman like your boss or something? What he says goes?”

“Hey now, he might be theirs, but he definitely isn’t mine” Jason exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. Everyone, excluding Peter, rolled their eyes at him–rude.

“I wouldn’t say he’s our boss. But he did bring us all together and train all of us. So, we tend to look at him for guidance. Well, except for Robin. He is Robin’s boss.”

“Excuse me Nightwing, but I wouldn’t call him my boss” Damian sneered.

“Well then, what do you call him?”

“Well…that's irrelevant.” Damian deflected and turned back to Peter. “Who trained you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Who trained you? Your skills out there weren’t of a naive tourist playing hero. Your moves were calculated, precise. Someone trained you, and trained you well. Who was it?”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m going to tell you.” Peter said slowly, like he was trying to figure a few things out.

“And why not? You’re not even from this universe, what good would it do us?”

“If the info isn’t any good, then why do you wanna know?”

“The sake of curiosity, of course.” Peter just looked at him and took a moment before speaking again.

“Do you always talk this properly?” Well, that’s not what they expected.

“Excuse me?”

“Your dialect isn’t typical of a young boy. Not a hint of slang, unlike Red Robin, who is obviously older than you. I was wondering if it’s a part of your vigilante persona, or if you always talk that properly.”

“And why would you want to know that?” Damian demanded.

“The sake of curiosity, of course.” And they go on like that for a little while.

Damn. Jason’s neck hurt from looking back and forth at the two. The way they talked–argued?–was something to witness. Damian, having always been a smart mouth, was asking questions and deflecting ones that Peter asked of him with ease. Peter was the same way. They were both quick with their words and rebuttals. Damian almost seemed to be having fun. Tim, Dick, and Jason, just glanced at each other before B came out from the shadows and cleared his throat. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” no he wasn’t, “but Peter, your results came back negative. You have no laughing gas in your system.” Advance metabolism then. “Now, we have to figure out where you are going to stay and how to get you back. I’m going to set up a meeting with the JL Dark. Until then we’re going to have to house you somewhere. Hood, would you be willing to spare one of your safe houses?”

Fuck, why him? His safe houses are where he goes when he wants to relax, away from his crazy family. There were locations that no one knew, except for Tim, the bugger made it a mission to find all his safe houses. But, it wouldn’t be permanent. Plus, where else would he go. Bruce wouldn’t let him in the Cave alone without supervision and they all have lives to get too. He couldn’t stay in the manor, that would be a breach of their identities. That and Alfred said that they can’t bring work home with them. He looked at Peter before looking back at B, sighing, “Sure B, I have one close by he can hang at. It should have food and everything he needs.”

“Great. Peter, you can head out with Red Hood, the rest of us have reports to finish.” Everyone except Peter and Jason left, complaining about it being too late and how they can do it in the morning. Jason looked at Peter and gestured to him to follow, which he did. They passed the still pleading vigilantes and went to his bike.

“So, have you rode a motorcycle before? Specifically behind a driver.”

“I’ve driven one but not on the back, no.”

“Uh, okay. So you probably have the etiquette down. All you really need to know is to just hold on to me in the mid section. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Got it.” We got on the bike, Peter getting on after Jason, and he started the engine. Before Jason took off, he felt Peter's hands go around his waist. Fuck. How was he supposed to concentrate? “Are you okay? Am I squeezing too hard?”

“No! Nope, just wanted to make sure you got comfortable before we drove off.”

“Oh, yea, I’m fine.”

“Great, let’s go.” Jason took a deep breathe, then drove out the Cave.

Chapter Text

It took almost twenty minutes for the two to reach Gotham City from the Cave, then an extra ten to get to the safe house. Once again, Peter was blindfolded for the time being. He took the time to ‘extend’ his other senses–he spent a lot of energy blocking most sounds and smells, so moments where he could let go were a rarity. As he listened, he heard screams, curses, and gunshots. He wasn’t too surprised if the supposed crime rates were true. But, he also heard people yelling at Red Hood.

“Hey Red!”

“Hi, Mr. Hood”

“I got a B on the test, Red!”

It’s actually pretty sweet, Peter thought, as Red Hood either waved or gave some gesture in return. It’s nice for the people to have someone–or someone–to look up to. Back home, the Avengers would only show up for the big villains. Peter thought it was unfair of them to ignore the little guys. While everyone appreciates what they’ve done and will continue to do, they didn’t really make an impact on everyday life. People would still get murdered, robbed, and assaulted. Kids would be kidnapped, the enhanced get trafficked. Yes, the city lives another day, but the city is no better off. Stark is the only real one to make a change, with his technology and research advancements, plus his green energy initiative. 

Peter thought about helping before. Donning a mask and patrolling the city. But he was scared. Scared of what would happen to May if he got hurt, scared of villains going after May and Ned, scared of them finding him. There were too many risks, and he didn’t make it this far by taking unnecessary risks. It went against his training, and while the program was definitely villain-core–if only Ned was here to tell him if he was using that right–the skills they learned are what’s keeping him alive. 

Tuning back into the moment, Peter let himself explore the city through his senses. The scientist made his senses stronger than what was originally planned. It was a part of the reason he got so overwhelmed before. However, Peter never let them know how strong he was. He would lie on his performance test, and then they would underestimate him. That way the chains were just loose enough for him to escape. He let himself relax at the sound of kids laughing, despite it being dark, and the cheerfulness of the couple a few miles away who are expecting a baby.

Peter was in his own little world, trusting that his danger sense would alert him if anything happens, when they parked in a little garage behind an apartment building. He was still blindfolded, so he let Hood lead him inside and into an elevator. It was pretty silent, most of the noise coming from the elevator speakers, so corny music. He had to reel his senses back in, that way the sound of wires and gears wouldn’t make his skull rattle. It didn’t take long for them to stop. He felt Hood nudge him forward and unlock a door. He pulled Peter in and locked the door. Three-no four locks. Damn, he must be paranoid. 

Hood finally took off his blindfold. After blinking, to get adjusted to the sudden light, he took note of the reinforced windows, the cameras in each corner, not leaving a blind spot. He also saw the abundance of books that covered the room. There were two bookshelves pushed together to make a bigger one, and a few books stacked on the table. The floors were wooden, either hickory or walnut–Peter didn’t use his free time to memorize different floorings. The living consisted of a leather couch, with a TV across from it, and a coffee table. There was a lamp over on the corner, ready to be turned on. The dining room and kitchen were connected. The dining room simply has a dark table with six seats. The kitchen was typical apartment sized, with a hole in the wall facing the kitchen. There was a ledge that fit three more high seats. There was enough space for a few people to live, or hide, comfortably. 

“Welcome to my humble abode, or one of them at least.” Hood spoke, taking a few steps back from Peter and crossing his arms.

“Thanks, I guess. Out of curiosity, why am I here instead of the ‘Cave’?” Peter walked forward a little, observing the room. His shoulder felt a little light. Fuck . 

“Ah, well, we have lives and wouldn’t be able to stay with you, and B wouldn’t let a stranger in the Batcave alone. Plus, my safe houses are pretty secure. There are cameras, which I’m sure you saw, and all entrances, including the windows, are reinforced.”

“So, I’m just supposed to stay here for who knows how long? Am I being held captive in an apartment?” It’s really no use, Peter can always just escape like did last time. “Also, I left my bag in the cave, I kind of need it.”

“Uh, technically no, you can leave, but B will definitely track you down. And may I say, he, and the others, are persistent.” Well, Peter is too. “And, I’ll let them know about your bag and do a hand off at another spot, ain't no way in hell I’m letting them come here.” That made Peter pause.

“So, no one but you knows where I am?” Peter moved to the kitchen and looked around. There were five knives in the knife holder, all of them were the smaller ones.

“Only me, Robin, and Red Robin. Me and Robin go way back, and he likes the quiet this place brings him. Red has a stalking thing going on, and found most of my hideouts.” Hood stayed on the opposite side of the kitchen ledge. 

“Why not take me to one of the hide outs that they don’t know about? With me here, there’s not a guarantee that they’ll stay away, or not tell the other bats.”

“Because I see the way you’re eyeing those knives. I feel better not being the only one knowing where this place is.”

Peter snapped his face towards Red Hood, swallowing down his surprise. He honestly didn’t even notice himself staring at them, it was just a–

“Force of habit?” Hood asked. How in the world? Nonetheless, Peter nodded.

“Yea, a force of habit.” There was a beat of silence.

“I’m going to get you a spare set of clothes and PJs until we get your stuff tomorrow. B will probably want us back at the Cave tomorrow night,” He didn’t seem too happy about that. “To figure some logistics out.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Great, let me show you your room, then I'll grab those clothes.”

Peter followed the man into the room across from the bathroom–he knew because the door was left wide open…are there cameras in the bathroom? Couldn’t be…right? They entered the room, opting to keep the lights off because of Peter’s sight. The room itself was full of dark neutral colors. There was a full size bed in the middle, pressed up against a wall, with a bedside table on the left. There was a closet with glass sliding doors on the side opposite of the door. There wasn’t a TV in there, probably because there was one in the living room, but there was a desk. It was clear of most things, but there were two pencil holders. One had the normal black and blue pens and pencils, mostly mechanical. The other one was full of colored pencils. They looked to be well used and dull. There were a few posters of The Clash and Oasis. It looked well lived in. 

“Here you go, spare clothes and PJs. These should be a good fit.” Red Hood pulled out some clothes from the closet.”

“Are you sure I’m not intruding? This room seems pretty used.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, you’re fine. It’s no one’s official home, so it’s not like you’re kicking anyone out.”

“If you say so.” Peter grabbed the clothes from the man and stared into his lens. He tried to ignore the way his muscles looked in the moonlight coming from the window. What was happening to him? “Thank you, seriously. Thank you.”

“No problem, Peter,” Hood responded before leaving the room. Before he closed the door, he turned back, “I know B can be extra and distrusting, but he’s just trying to keep everyone safe. Don’t take any offense.” At Peter’s nod, he finally left, leaving Peter to his thoughts.

Peter quickly changed into his PJs and flopped on the bed. Now that he was looking up. He noticed stars on the ceiling. Interesting. Peter closed his eyes and let himself process. He was exposed to New York as a child assassin, the Avengers chased him down, and he was shot by an alien gun by people that didn’t know what it did. Great. He was then teleported–is that the right word?–into a different universe. Since he’s been here, he punched a very unfunny clown, been whisked around blinded by a bunch of vigilantes, and is now in the safe houses of one of those said vigilantes, and is now lying on a bed, looking at fake stars, and thinking about how hot Red Hood was. What? He may be an assassin, but he’s still human. 

Hot men aside, Peter needs to consider what he wants. What he wants is to go home, have dinner with Aunt May, and watch Star Wars with Ned. But, even if he goes back to his universe, there is no guarantee about getting all of that. The Avengers are probably still looking for him, ready to throw him into a cell on the ocean. People would probably be scared of him. Plus, the chances of going to college and getting a job are now very low. People barely hire past felons, let alone past assassins. 

Peter sighed and turned over. His stomach was aching, not having eaten in a while. But he was used to it. Hood has probably taken off his uniform and doesn’t want to be seen. Peter would just wait until tomorrow. With one last sigh, Peter closed his eyes and went to sleep. He dreamed of waking up to Ned on his bunk bed with May screaming at them that breakfast was ready.

Chapter Text

Peter woke up to knocking on the front door. He heard footsteps, which he assumed were Red Hood’s, and then there was talking. It sounded like Robin. He got out of bed, readying to head into the living room then stopped. He wasn’t sure if th ey were in costume or not, and he didn’t want to walk in and see their identities. It’s not fun to be exposed against your will, Peter would know. Instead, Peter took note of the smell of eggs, sausage, and oatmeal. There was also some type of bread, croissants? Maybe biscuits? A knock at the door startled Peter. He took a moment before opening it, to see Robin standing in front of him, with his bag.

“Hi munchkin, guess there is no school today?” Robin reached out to hand him his bag and scuffed before replying.

“Not that it concerns you, but no. Today happens to be a Saturday. I have come to return your bag. Also, Batman said to get ready, we are going back to the Cave after breakfast.”

“Still way too formal, but we’ll work on it. Thanks, man.” Peter took the bag from him and turned around to put it on the bed. He kept an ear out as he went through the contents, silently celebrating when he felt the USB drive still in its pocket. 

“There is nothing that I wish to learn from you. Plus, there is nothing wrong with the way I talk. If anything, I should teach you had to speak properly. Now, hurry. The sooner we get done, the sooner we can go back to the cave and have you sent back to wherever you came from.” There was heat underneath his words that made Peter pause, but Robin had left before he could comment. That was weird…did Peter take his joke too far? Though he was trained to read people, he still had trouble knowing where the line was drawn when it came to jokes. That’s what Ned was helping him with. Maybe he should apologize? Later.

Peter went through his clothes before pulling out a long-sleeved shirt and sweats. He went to the bathroom across from him and took a shower, using the rag he found in one of the cabinets, and soap that was in the bathroom. It didn’t take long for him to get dressed and to go to the kitchen, where he saw Robin and Hood eating. They were both in full costume, though Hood kept his mask down–with his lens’ still on. They both noticed him at the same time, but Hood spoke first. 

“Hey, Peter. I’m sure Robin gave you the rundown of what's going to happen, Go ahead and eat, I figure you had a fast metabolism so I made extra.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks.” Peter sat down and filled his plate. He was starving, his stomach was eating itself. The comment about his fast metabolism was playing in the back of his head. He knew they had to be smart to be vigilantes, but he underestimated how observant they were. He would have to be careful about what he said. “Was Batman able to reach the JL Dark? Also, what’s the JL Dark?”

Surprisingly, it was Robin who answered. “The JL stands for the Justice League. It’s a group of heroes who have joined together to protect the inhabitants of Earth, though some heroes often protect other parts of space as well. The JL Dark is a subsection of the JL that handles the supernatural and mystical issues that the original Justice League didn’t have the resources to handle.”

“Huh, sounds like this universe’s version of the Avengers. It’s also a group of enhanced individuals, a God, and humans that protect Earth. They don’t have a magical subsection, but magic does exist. There’s a magician named Dr. Strange. Pretty sure he handles that side of things.” 

“Huh, it’d pretty interesting how things are so similar, yet so different across universes,” Jason spoke, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. “Do you think we have individual counterparts?” That made Peter think for a second before shrugging. 

“I guess we could, but there are billions of people on Earth, it would take a while to match everyone up.” That made Jason nod and continue to eat his food.

They ate in silence as they finished their food. Robin didn’t eat much, Peter assumed he ate before coming over. A glance at the clock on the stove told him that it was 12:17, so it was possible. Peter, on the other hand, was on his third plate. He has gotten so used to having food around constantly that his body is no longer used to not eating regularly. Now, he is making up for the calories he missed yesterday, and ensuring that he has enough to run on for the next few hours. Only fifteen minutes had passed before Robin demanded that they leave now, so they wouldn’t keep the others waiting. As Hood let out an over-the-top sigh, Peter excused himself to grab a few granola bars out of his bag–and to double-check that the USB was still there– and the three of them left the apartment. Robin started making his way to the roof, which wasn’t hard considering the roof access is on their floor–meaning they’re on the highest floor.

Hood led Peter to the elevator and pressed the first floor while Peter took note that there are eight stories in the building. The elevator starts to play its corny music as they descend. Hood reached for one of his pockets and pulled out another blindfold.

“Seriously?” Peter asked, exasperatedly. He was getting tired of getting blindfolded. At this point just blind him…not really though. He likes seeing.

“Sorry, but secrets are secrets. If you get B to trust you, he might not make you wear one anymore.”

“You said it yourself, the man is distrustful. How do I, an unknown with a roster of unknown powers, supposed to get the man to trust him?” 

“I’m not sure. He’s best friends with Superman, yet he still carries around kryptonite.” Peter has so many questions, but those would have to wait.

“How’d you get him to trust you?”

“I don’t know really. He saw a poor boy stealing the wheels of the Batmobile and the rest was history.” There was more to the story that Jason wasn’t telling him. But now he knows that Batman is just recruiting kids off the street. 

“Wait, you tried to steal the wheels of the car of a vigilante?” 

“Almost got away with it too. We made it a game really, I tried to steal them when I thought he wasn’t looking. I never won though.” Was the game a form of training? It made sense. 

“Huh, cool.” 

They were quiet for the rest of the ride, Peter had put on the blindfold when they reached the second floor, and he let Hood guide him to his motorcycle. The ride was pretty much the same, just with more people around saying ‘hi’ to Hood. Peter let himself relax for the ride, trusting his senses to protect him. He could tell they were getting farther away from the main city because the noise started to sound far away, and the smell of water was more prominent. Hood stopped for a second then continued forward. If the noises of bats and the earthy smell were any indication, they were at the Cave. Peter waited for a second after the bike stopped, letting Jason take off the mask just in case. 

His eyes adjusted quickly this time, mostly because they parked in a dimmer spot, and he could hear five other heartbeats nearby and another one above them. He thought about who was most likely here: Hood, who was right next to him, Nightwing, Batman, Robin probably made it back before them since he didn’t have to follow the rules of the road, Red Robin, and maybe Agent A? Though it could also be Signal, who wasn’t there to meet Peter yesterday. 

Jason and Peter walked forward to the main area with the big computer–which, if they were following the same name patterns, would be called the Batcomputer. As they approached they saw four familiar faces and one non-familiar. The new person was a blonde where a white button-up with a red tie and black pants. He held a cigarette between his fingers. He looked to be older than the Nightwing and seemed way too informal to be trained by the Bat himself. 

“I’m assuming you’re not Signal,” Peter said as they continued to trek forward, stopping a few feet away from the group. Hood walked to stand closer to Nightwing. 

“Oh god no, could you imagine working for big, dark, and gloomy over here? I’m okay with just being on speed dial.” He had a British accent, north or maybe even northwest England. 

“Then you’re a part of the JL Dark?” 

“Got it in two.” the man said before Batman started talking. 

“This is Constantine. He is going to help figure out a way to get you home.” 

“If there is a way home,” Constantine interrupted. “The multiverse is a delicate balance, and messing with it can have consequences. Not to mention, it’s infinite. Being able to locate your exact universe is going to be nearly impossible.” Nightwing cleared his throat at that. “What? I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but these are the facts. I will see what I can do, and make sure that his coming here isn’t going to destroy the world, but I can’t make any promises.”

Peter knew this was a possibility. Hell, he even considered that staying here would be better. No more running from the compound, no more running from the Avengers, and no hurting May or Ned. But hearing from someone who knows magic that there is no guaranteed way to get home? That hurts. It took him a moment, but he noticed the looks he was getting from the room. Luckily, his face remained neutral, he didn’t want them to be able to read him. What could he say without exposing too much? 

“I’m fine. I figured it would be difficult to find a way back. Plus, I don’t have anyone waiting for me back there…” 

“Well then, I’ll put that on the back burner for now and focus on the effects of you coming here. I’ll see you later Bats. Try not to need me.” Constantine walked away from the group to a place deeper in the caves. There was a flash of light and one less heartbeat in the cave.

“Huh, that was quick, though he was here for an hour before you guys arrived” Red Robin chimed in. There was a slight pause before Robin started talking.

“So you were a runaway?” Peter tilted his head to the side. Robin looked at him before hesitantly continuing, “You arrived here with a bag of belongings, and you just said you had no one waiting for you. The only two conclusions are that you are a runaway.”

Damn, the kid catches things quickly. Would he be considered a runaway? Sure he was running away, but that’s because he was being chased. He didn’t want to leave. Plus, Aunt May helped him pack. Most adults don’t help their charges run. 

“Not really, more like I was being chased away.” Did that give away too much? Probably. Fuck it, he was trying to get the group to trust him. He can let a little information slip. 

“Chased by who?” Batman demanded. Now that would be giving too much way. Especially when he told Robin and Hood that the Avengers were heroes in his world.

“Rather not say. Plus, it’s not like they can reach me here. I highly doubt they know I left the universe as a whole.” His neck started to itch as he spoke. Guess that wasn’t the right thing to say to a bunch if vigilantes who already blindfolded him even ten seconds. “Okay listen. My past is just that…the past. I don’t make it a habit to dig the past up. All you need to know is that it wasn’t the greatest start for me.” Peter looked Batman right in the eyes–lens? “I’m going to be here for a while, if not forever. I want to start over. I want to be better…will you let me prove that to you?” Batman was quiet for a moment, looking over him, trying to find any tell that he could.

“Trust is earned,” Peter nodded. “You will continue to stay with Hood in his safe house, and come here every day for testing,” Peter flinched slightly at the wording but quickly covered it up. “I need a list of your powers, we will be testing your limits. After that, we’ll play it by ear.” Great, another testing facility. 

“Will I at least be allowed outside?” Peter asked in a leveled tone, though his heart rate sped up. Batman paused.

“Of course,” he almost sounded horrified. “You were never a prisoner. If you ask any of the others, I’m sure they would love to take you around the city.” 

“Would it be a good idea to have a bunch of heroes showing me the city? It seems like it would bring a lot of attention.”

“Maybe we should, you know,” Nightwing nudged Batman, giving him a look. Batman just grunted in return. “Oh come on B, he wants to prove that we can trust him. We should show trust in return.” Nightwing seemed to be the negotiator when it came to Batman. After a long moment, Batman sighed.

“Okay.” Everyone else seemed to freeze.

“Wait really?” Batman turned to leave before Red Robin dragged him back. “Nope! You agreed we’re doing this.” Peter heard Red Robin mutter to Nightwing, “Good thing we got Agent A to side with us, huh?” Nightwing nodded at that. 

“Peter. What we are about to say and do can not leave this cave, understand?” At Peter’s nod–he’s been nodding a lot today–he reached for his helmet. He took it off, with the others–minus Robin–following his lead. “My name is Bruce Wayne. There others are Richard, or Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. The one you heard on the comms is Barbara. I will have the others introduce themselves whenever they see you.” Everyone either waved or nodded as their names were said. Robin–Damian– was nudged by Tim and he reluctantly took off his mask before crossing his arms. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you all again, I’m Peter.”

Tim laughed before grabbing Peter and dragging him to the computer. “Come on, we have a secret identity to make.”

Peter let himself be dragged as Tim talked about what they would need to make, what schools he ‘went to’, and more. Looks like his new start is forming nicely. He already has a few allies this time.

Chapter Text

It took a couple of hours but Peter was officially Peter Benjamin Parker. Not too much of a change from his old universe. He wanted to keep May’s last name and honor her husband by taking his first name. They looked it up in the system, there were no other Peter Parkers. Maybe fate does exist. 

His backstory is that he grew up in the New York foster system, his parents died in a car crash, before aging out. He dropped out of high school moved to Gotham, and now lives in Crime Alley. He works for Wayne Industries, where Lucious Fox took notice of him and took him as a personal assistant. That’s where he met Tim and became close to the Wayne family. Because the Wayne family is rich and famous, so they need an explanation of how a random kid from New York is going sightseeing with them. After having the outline of his backstory, Tim created all the documents and paper trials he needed for Peter and his ‘parents’, Richard and Mary. Even doesn’t know why he felt inclined to put them in such a role, but it felt right.

“Annnnnd, done! You are officially the one and only Peter Benjamin Parker of this universe. All way need to do is wait for your birth certificate, social security, and ID in the mail. How does it feel?”

“It feels weird.” Peter looked at the screen that showed his new identity, it wasn’t too far off from his other identity, that way he would remember it better.

“A good weird?” Peter looked down at Tim. He was still dressed up in his Red Robin uniform, looking up at him with a small smile. Peter couldn’t help smiling back. 

“Yeah, a good weird.” Peter’s neck started to itch, but not in a way that screamed danger. It gave off a feeling of confusion. That doesn’t seem right, Peter didn’t know that could happen. Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Peter turned back to see Agent A, this time without the mask. 

“Hello, Mister Parker. I am Alfred Pennyworth, the family butler,” Tim mumbled something about him being more like a grandfather.

“Hello, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“Please call me Alfred. Now, if you and Master Tim could come up for dinner, that would be much appreciated.” Alfred turned and walked back up the stairs as Peter turned to Tim.

“What’s upstairs?” Tim blinked at him before chuckling.

“I forgot we didn’t tell you, the cave is located under Wayne Manor.”

“So that’s why you guys were so secretive on the location? Because you live on top of your hideout?”

“Yeah. Now come on, I’m starving” Tim started to drag Peter upstairs as Peter kept thinking about how weird vigilantes were.

They finally got to the dining room, after going through a grandfather clock and a maze of hallways. There were a total of six people already sitting down. He recognized Dick, Jason, Damian, and Bruce. But there was a blond girl who seemed to be jumping in her seat and a brown-skinned teen who looked at Peter with an excited smile. As they went further into the room, the blonde girl hopped out of her seat and sat him down in the chair next to hers and across from Dick’s. Tim sat next to him and across from Damian. The blond sat across from the unknown boy and Bruce sat at the head of the table. 

“Hey! I’m Stephanie, Steph for short. But you probably know me as Spoiler.” She said excitedly. “I’m so happy Bruce decided to let you up. Nothing new has been happening lately and I was getting bored of seeing the same faces every day.” Dick gasped and said something about her being rude.

“Don’t hog the new guy all to yourself. Sup, I’m Duke. I’m the newest, and saneist, addition to the family.”

“Hey, I’m Peter. I’m the newest addition to the universe.” That made Jason groan.

“Please stop, the last thing we need is another person saying bad jokes.”

“I wonder who the other person is,” Dick thought out loud. He paused when he noticed all the deadpan stares he was getting from the others. “What?”

Bruce shook his head, with the hint of a smile on his face. “Enough boys, and you too Steph. Don’t go scaring the boy off.”

“Fiiine,” Tim sighed before looking at Peter, “looks like you’re stuck with us.”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” he chuckled.

Dinner went smoothly after that. There were mini, playful, arguments here and there that were shut down by Bruce or Alfred. They all made sure Peter ate his fill of dinner. Apparently, They all came to the conclusion that he has a fast metabolism, which he does, but still. Alfred made sure that he had plenty of protein so he would feel fuller for longer. All in all, it was nice. He felt at home. And honestly, he had a hard time imagining that Bruce recruited all these kids to help him fight. He does need to get some more information before concluding, but Bruce just acts like such a dad, that Peter can’t image him just letting his kids fight crimes in the dead of night.

Dinner came and went, and Steph and Tim convinced everyone to watch a movie before patrol. They led Peter to their movie room because they just had one of those. They said he could choose the movie since he is new. But Peter didn’t know if movies were the same across the multiverse. He didn’t want to bring up Star Wars because that was his and Ned’s thing. Peter stopped and let the others go in front of them as he turned to Damian, who was the last one to enter the movie room.

“What do you think we should watch?”

“Why are you asking me? It’s your choice.” He asked confused, and slightly untrustingly. 

“I don’t know if the movies are the same here. Plus, think of it as me saying sorry.”

That caught Damian off guard. “Sorry? For what?”

“My joke about how you talk so properly. I didn’t mean to make fun of how you talk, that was pretty shi–awful of me. This whole joke thing is still kind of new to me and I took it too far. Sorry.” 

“Oh…” Damian seemed thoughtful for a moment, Peter gets the feeling that not many people apologized to him. “Well, I accept your apology. As for the movie, an animal documentary would be appreciated.”

“Great, let’s head in then.” Peter started to move but stopped when something grabbed his shirt, turning around, it was Damian. 

“Don’t feel too bad. I…I’m new to this ‘joke’ thing too.” Damian looked up at him, and Peter’s heart melted a little bit. “Also, you can say shit. No one cares, but Alfred.” 

With that, Damian went inside and demanded for Tim to hand over the popcorn. Peter shook his head and asked Alfred to put on a documentary about foxes and let Steph drag him to sit by her, Tim, and Duke. He let himself sit back and be surrounded by the laughs of others and Damian pipping in with additional facts about foxes. 

The documentary was a short one and was followed up by a comedy movie that Duke chose. When that movie ended, everyone started to disperse to get ready for patrol–except for Tim who was still in his uniform, he didn’t have time to change. Jason turned to Peter–he couldn’t help but notice how good he looked without the mask–and asked him if he was staying at the manor or if he wanted to be dropped off at the safe house. Before he could answer Alfred insisted that he stayed the night. That way he could make sure Peter was well fed and and ready for ‘Master Bruce’s’ test tomorrow. Peter thought it made sense and agreed. With that, the others left, saved for Duke because even though he was healed, he was a daytime hero.

Alfred showed Peter his room. It was at least twice the size of the room in Jason’s safe house and probably three times the size of his room in Aunt May’s apartment. There was a bathroom attached and a large wardrobe against the wall. Alfred disappeared for a moment before coming back with clothes. They were Dick’s old ones, but he couldn’t fit them anymore. Taking the clothes, Peter was going to change and head to bed before Alfred stopped him. Alfred entered the room and closed the door behind him. Peter’s heart started to race and his neck started to itch, but again, it was more confused than anything. 

“Apologies Mister Parker. I didn’t wish to startle you, there is just something I wish to talk about.” Peter nodded, a signal for him to continue, which he did. “Mister Parker, I am getting old. While yes, I am pretty active and healthy for someone my age, most people can’t fight against time,” Most people? “You must also know that I am simply human. And humans, at their very core, are selfish people.” 

“What are you talking about?” Peter was confused about where this conversation was heading, and why his danger sense seemed broken around this man. 

“The masters of this house have been running on the roofs of Gotham for years, starting in their preteen to teenage years. Every night they go out and all I can do is hope they come back in one piece, or that, at the very least, I am able to sew them back together if they happen to fall apart. However, I won’t be able to do this forever. That’s why I am coming to you. I need help, Mister Parker. I need to know that while they are out saving the world, someone is willing to save them . So, what do you say? Will you help me protect the heroes of the world?”

Peter took a moment to think. He spent his childhood, training, killing, and following the orders of others. Did he want to fall back into that pattern? But it wouldn’t be the same, would it? They actually care about each other, if tonight was any indication. They, hopefully, wouldn’t expect him to die in place of them. Here, he wouldn’t just be a soldier. He remembered how Damian looked after he apologized, and how excited Steph and Duke were to see him. Lastly, he remembered Aunt May. 

“ Remember Peter, with great power comes great responsibility”

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Great, I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Alfred looked at Peter with a fondness that only May had ever shown him. “Thank you, Mister Parker.”

Alfred left, leaving Peter in the middle of the room. Okay, Peter, time to brush up on some old skills.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Peter found himself in the kitchen, helping Alfred make breakfast. It took him a while to find it, but he followed the butler’s heartbeat–yes, he memorized his heartbeat. After finding Alfred, he was asked about his experience with cooking. Alfred seemed pleased after finding out Peter had been taking lessons and quickly recruited him to help.

Many of the bats aren’t allowed in the kitchen for reasons that range from burning water to pranks that involve glitter. It was calming. A little too calming. The domestic scene puts Peter on edge. The man had just asked him to act as protector to the family, but now they’re in the kitchen cooking together? It resembles his time with May a little too much. Though, Alfred is a much better cook, sorry May. 

Nonetheless, he found himself whisking a bowl full of eggs. They needed a lot in order to feed a family full of crime fighters, now they are adding a ‘metahuman’ in the mix, or another one–apparently Duke is a meta. According to Alfred, they were making an assortment of breakfast sandwiches. Peter was especially excited about the croissant breakfast sandwiches, those are his favorite type. They were also going to have some sausage and fruit on the side. Alfred put aside some plant-based sausage for Damian, who is vegan. He’s learning a lot about the group already, though, information gathering is his specialty. That and Alfred seems to enjoy talking about his charges. 

They were silent for most of the preparations, other than the commands Alfred gave. However, Alfred was ecstatic to learn that Peter knew a lot about the proper table setup. Peter figured Alfred was learning a lot about Peter too. The calming morning could only last for so long as the other residents started to walk in. Peter figured it would be a good time to gather more information about the heroes he was protecting.

Duke was the first one up, he seemed to be pretty energized. He sat at the island in the middle of the Kitchen. Out of meeting everyone yesterday, Duke seemed the most open, other than Spoiler. But that doesn’t mean he’s just got to spill. Peter needs to be careful. He started small. Tim, Steph, and himself are attending Gotham Prep. That’s the ‘rich people school’ as Duke put it. Tim had the option of graduating early, but Bruce and Alfred wanted him to enjoy school and make connections with his peers–much to his dismay. Tim and Steph are seniors and Duke is a sophomore, though the school year is ending in a few months as it’s February. Damian is in Gotham Prep Elementary, a very creative name. It’s not far from the high school or middle school, so it’s convenient for drop off and pick up. Damian doesn’t like school and wishes he could learn from home, but just like with Tim, the adults want Damian to learn how to socialize.

In the middle of Peter’s interrogation conversation, Tim and Steph walked in. More like Steph walked in dragging a tired Tim, even if she didn’t look awake herself. Duke got up and followed them into the dining room that was a room over. Alfred gave Peter a nod in their direction, telling him to follow. And like a good soldier, he did.

“Hey, good patrol last night?” Peter asked, Time, who was previously stopped from getting coffee by Alfred, slumped in his seat and put his head on the table. 

“Yeah, just a bunch of petty crime. You know, burglary and that type of stuff.” Steph answered as she tapped her chin and looked upwards.

“Ok, I’m glad you guys aren’t injured.” Peter took a glance at Tim who was knocking his head on the table. “Is he always like this?”

“Dramatic? Yes.” Steph sighed while Duke snickered.

“Trust me, you haven’t seen the worst of it.”

“Noted.” At that, Bruce, Dick, and Damian walked into the room, looking perfectly fine. 

“Morning Masters, will Master Jason be joining us for breakfast today?” Alfred asked as he walked in with a tray of sandwiches, which Peter took from him and put on the table–if there is one thing May taught him, it was manners. 

“He left, he wanted to check on his ‘territory’ as he calls it,” Dick said as he plopped down in his seat. “He should be back in enough time to see Peter’s test.” Dick looked at Peter and winked, “he wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

Peter simply raised an eyebrow as Alfred began to talk again, “Prefect. Master Dick, please text your brother to bring Peter’s bag back to the manor. He is to be a permanent resident.” That made Peter switch his gaze from Duke drawing on Tim’s face to Alfred. What?

“Oh,” Bruce said, “When was this decided?” Peter wanted to ask the same thing but kept his mouth shut.

“Peter and I were talking this morning, when I suggested that he could stay here and help. I am getting old Master Bruce, some help around the manor would be appreciated.”

“Well, if Peter is okay with it, I see no issue, it’s not like we’re running out of space.” Bruce and his children all looked towards Peter, oh look, Tim is up now.

“If you don’t mind housing me, I wouldn’t mind helping Mr. Pennyworth.”

“I guess that is settled then. Welcome to the manor.” The kids cheered at that, while Damian scoffed. 

“Another one father? We must talk about your adoption addiction.” 

“Aww, Baby Bat!” Dick exclaimed, putting his phone away. Peter assumes he was texting Jason. “You made a joke!”

“It’s not a joke Richard, it’s a genuine concern.” That made Peter laugh.

“If it makes you feel better, think of it like Mr. Pennyworth adopting me.” Damian tilted his head to the side, not unlike Peter does. Peter noted that. 

“I guess that makes sense.” Peter grinned at Damian, he liked this kid. He felt familiar.

When Alfred brought out the rest of the food and drink, Peter sat down in the same seat he did yesterday and they all dug in. Peter looked around until he locked eyes with Alfred and gestured to the food, silently asking if Alfred wanted any. The butler simply gave him a small grin and shook his head lightly. Peter looked at him a little longer before he turned back to the group. It would be hard to get information with the Bruce and Dick here. But, that didn’t stop him. Instead, he focused on them. He read between the lines and picked at every interaction. He looked at their body language. The way their hands twitched at every noise the manor made. The way their eyes would roam the room, looking in the shadows, ready for something to pounce. That was enough for Peter.

Bruce was self-explanatory. Though the man was compassionate, it was hidden behind walls of stone. He was untrusting from the moment they first met. Yes, he is being civil now, but trust doesn’t build overnight. Peter does not doubt that Bruce will continue to watch him and make sure he doesn’t try to hurt his family. Not that he would, even if he didn’t make that deal with Alfred. Does Bruce know about that? Probably not.

Dick is different. He complimented Bruce in a way that no one else could. What Bruce lacked emotionally, Dick picked up flawlessly. When Bruce spoke in grunts, Dick translated that into words. When Bruce was tunnel-minded, Dick saw the bigger picture. That meant Peter had to watch out for him. Not because his dangerous, though he is definitely one of the most dangerous people at the table, but because he will run himself dry. Peter saw it in his eyes. He was so stuck in this role, that he couldn’t express his negative emotions without it feeling wrong. That was dangerous, especially for a vigilante who saw the darkest parts of humanity on the regular.

“So, Peter,” Peter turned from his conversation with Tim to Bruce. They were talking about how to reverse engineer poisons, which is a normal topic for them to talk about, if no one batting an eye is an indication. Peter also figured this was Tim’s way of trying to figure out Peter’s intelligence level. Whether it’s for Bruce or his own personal curiosity is up for debate. “Damian told me he explained the Justice League to you. I was thinking, we would hold the test at the JL Headquarters, it’s called the Watchtower. We have more equipment there that will allow us to get a better sense of your limits.” 

“That sounds good to be, when do we leave?” 

“Will leave in an hour. This should allow everyone time to get ready. We’ll also be doing some training while up there.”

“Sweet! I can show Peter my need bow staff tricks.” Peter grinned at Tim.

“Can’t wait to see it. Maybe you can teach it to me?” Tim nodded, a lot more awake than he was when he first walked in. That was probably because Alfred finally brought Tim coffee. Everyone got up and went to their rooms to get ready. Alfred also sent Peter away, saying he could clean up himself. So, Peter went to his new room and got ready.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Peter took all of twenty minutes to get ready. Not his fastest time, but he didn’t want to go into the test smelling bad, and then sweat and stink even more. Living with May gave him standards.

 Jason was already in the living room, in his gear, though his mask was off. Alfred brought up his duffle bag when he was in the shower, so he figured Jason was already at the Manor. 

“Hey Pete, I hope breakfast wasn’t too draining,” Jason asked with a smirk. Peter had to stop himself from laughing.

“Nothing I can’t handle. Thanks for my bag.” Jason got up and stretched before walking away and gesturing for him to follow.

“It was no problem. I feel bad for the bag though, it keeps going back and forth like it’s in a custody agreement.” That did make Peter laugh, which, in turn, made Jason smile. “I was surprised that you were staying though. I know you and Tim spent hours on your identity yesterday.”

“Yeah, but Alfred figured it would be best, so who am I to argue? It’s obvious that he’s in charge.” Jason nodded to that as he turned the corner. “Plus, I feel like Bruce feels better since he’ll be able to keep a closer eye on me.”

“Yeah, the old man is like that.” Jason finally walked into an office, probably Bruce’s.

He led Peter to the grandfather clock that he and Tim emerged from yesterday. Jason tried to block Peter’s view when messing with the hands, but Peter used the reflection of the mirror on the wall next to them. The way the mirror was angled made it difficult, but Peter saw him adjust the clock hand to say 10:48 The clock opened. 

Peter followed Jason down the stairs. There, he saw the rest of the Bat Crew , minus Duke, suited up. Jason said that Bruce doesn’t like to leave Gotham undefended, plus Signal is a daytime hero, people would notice that he’s gone. Looking around the room, Damian was by himself in a corner stretching, while Tim and Bruce were looking at a small window on the Bat Computer. The window was blocked by Bruce and Tim standing side by side, so he couldn’t see what they were looking at. The rest of them were stretching as a group, not too far away from the stairs. Peter looked back to Damian, who was sneaking glances at the group. Noted.

“Okay, everyone! Are we gonna go or not?” Jason shouted, in a playful not playful way. 

“Hey Little Wing, what’s the rush?” Dick said getting up and skipping, yes skipping, toward them. 

“I don’t feel good leaving Crime Alley alone for too long.” Dick started to look concerned.

“Did anything happen?” Bruce asked, walking up to the trio.

“Nothing like that, but something is going to happen soon. I can feel it.” Jason sighed, and on his mask. “Roy came by, so he’s keeping an eye on things until I get back.” Bruce huffed at that. “Oh come on, you know you feel better now that Duke has some backup, especially since we’re going off-planet.”

Wait, what?

“Wait, what?” Peter looked back and forth, between Jason and Bruce. “What do you mean off-planet?” 

“Did you guys not tell him?” Dick looked a little ashamed, while everyone else just shrugged. Jason turned to him. “The Watchtower is in space.”

“Huh, I can’t decide if I should be excited or not.”

“Why would you be scared to go into space?” Damian asked, rolling his eyes.

“Well first, I never said I was scared. But, how are we going to get there? Second, too many things can go wrong. Something could pierce the Watchtower and then we are sucked into space. Our way back could break and we’ll be stranded up there. And so much more.” 

“Breathe Peter, you’re almost as bad as B,” Tim walked up. “Trust me, I get it. But I promise we’ll be okay. I swear it’s worth it.”

Peter looked at Bruce, who nods at him. “Fine.” 

As soon as he said that, Steph grabbed his arm and started dragging him toward a wide cylinder. Peter’s heart started to race as everyone gathered around him. His danger sense wasn’t going off, so that was a good sign. 

Jason leaned down and whispered, “I would close your eyes, it’ll help with the nausea.”

And that did not make Peter feel better. Yet, he did what he was told and closed his eyes. A bright light lit up his eyelids and he was ambushed with nausea. He waited for the light to stop before opening his eyes, immediately looking Tim in the eye and blinking. The boy was silently laughing, and though Peter couldn’t see it, he knew his eyes shined with amusement. Bitch . Peter rolled his eyes and looked around, immediately noticing the two beings that stood in front of them.

The one on the left was a muscular man. He had black hair, and blue eyes, like most of the bats did. His suit was mostly blue with some red and yellow here and there. On his chest, stood an ‘S’ symbol. He looked friendly enough, but the way he held himself was familiar. It was the same way Peter held himself when he lost control of his strength. Everything around him was fragile. Every noise was too loud. A meta, perhaps?

On the left was a woman whose stance was relaxed, but she was ready for a fight if needed. Though, not in an aggressive way. Peter could tell it was her default stance, one gained through many fights and lots of training. Similar to the man next to her, she looked friendly. She was a warrior, but Peter couldn’t tell from where. She had a golden rope on his hip, a lasso maybe? Peter noted that she also has black hair and blue eyes…there’s a pattern going on here.

Before Peter could look around the room more, the women spoke.

“Peter?” She continued when he nodded, “Welcome to the Watchtower. I’m Wonder Woman and this is Superman. We are here to help with the test.” Bruce walked up and nodded at them before turning back to his brood of kids, plus Peter. 

“Today was scheduled as a team training day, so there are some other teammates here. But we pushed training to later in the day so we could take the test early. There won’t be many. Will do the basics. Strength, speed, and intelligence. Then we’ll focus on more individual tests depending on your other abilities.” Bruce stopped and looked Peter in the eyes. Peter saw his body language change slightly, so slightly he almost missed it. It softened, almost seeming fond. “Peter, these tests are to help us gain a better understanding of your limits. That way we can help you. Superman and plenty of others went through the same test. That is how we knew what accommodations they needed. In both their hero and civilian life, okay?”

Peter stared at him a little longer, trying to read him. When he saw no tells he nodded, “Okay. Let’s do the test.”

Chapter Text

The heroes led Peter to a large room. It was two floors, with the second floor being a platform with rails to look down on the indoor track that was located on the first floor. The track circled a mat, probably ten by ten meters. Peter assumed the mats were for sparring. Jason explained that the top floor had punching bags, treadmills, and other training equipment. It looked like a standard training and exercise room, though on the more pricy side. Superman mentioned that a hero named Flash wanted to be here, but an emergency came up and needed him. So, while waiting for him, Bruce took time to question Peter.

“Okay, let’s get a rundown on your powers so we know what we’re testing. Though, chances are that we won’t test all of your abilities.” Bruce took a small notebook out of one of his many pockets that were on his belt, along with a pen. He then looked at Peter expectantly. When he noticed Peter looking around at the others he spoke again. “I promise, none of us will use this against you.”

“It’s not that.” Peter told him, “Not many people knew about my abilities, those who did, found them…creepy…” True, but it’s not the real reason. 

He could handle them thinking he’s creepy, it would probably work in his favor if things went downhill. The issue is that he’s not used to telling people his powers. Growing up, they knew most of his powers. They’re the ones who gave them to him. He didn’t want to tell May or Ned, wanting to put his past behind him. He doesn’t want to tell the Bats either. 

“Peter,” Dick walked up and gave him a side hug, “we won’t judge, right guys?” The Bat Crew nodded, even Damian. “I bet we’ve seen some weirder stuff. We fight a man who uses condiments to terrorize Gotham.” Peter did a small laugh. 

“Fine, but you guys can’t judge, okay?” When he saw everyone nod, including Superman and Wonder Woman, he continued. “The ‘basic’ ones are enhanced physical abilities, mainly strength, speed, hearing, reflexes, agility, and flexibility. I also have a fast healing factor.” Peter paused to let him write that down. Dick seemed to light up when he listed flexibility. 

Bruce nodded at him to continue. “I am also a lot more durable than the average human and can stick to most surfaces.” Bruce looked up briefly and hummed at that. God, Peter hopes that they won’t test out his durability, that was never a fun test in the compound. None of the tests were fun. “Now, we’re getting into more creepy territory now.” 

“Sticking to walls isn’t creepy?” Damian asked, remembering when they found him on the Medbay ceiling. Tim and Steph elbowed him at the same time, making him whack them both.

“That’s enough. Peter continue please.” Wonder Woman cut in.

“I had organic webs that shoot out my wrist.” That seemed to make the room pause. Tim, the oh so curiosity boy, had to open his mouth and ask–

“Like a spider?” Peter had to suppress the flinch at the name. Instead, he simply nodded and moved on. 

“I can also see better than most in the dark. Not by a lot, but it’s useful when trying to get to the washroom in the middle of the night.” Peter can see Steph mouthing the word ‘washroom’ to Tim but ignores it.

“A very impressive list,” Superman said as he looked over Bruce’s shoulder at his list. “Is there anything else?” Peter hesitated, pretending like he was thinking. He didn’t want to give up his last two, so he simply shook his head.

“Nope, that’s it.” 

Bruce nodded and closed his book. “Great. Like I said earlier, we won’t test all of those. Just strength, speed, and hearing. Then we’ll see where your fighting level is at. You don’t have to wear a mask if you don’t want to, but knowing how to fight is important. Not only are you now living in Gotham, you will be targetted for affiliating with the Waynes.” Peter quickly looked at Superman and Wonder Woman before looking back. “They already know our identities. All the founders do. Supes said it’s supposed to be a sign of trust” 

Peter tilted his head a blinked at Bruce, who didn’t seem to know what to say back. Instead, Damian steps up and turns to Peter. 

“There are seven founders: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, and Green Lantern.” He waited for Peter to nod before dragging Jason to the mat in the center, mumbling something about training. Jason let himself be dragged away.

After they walked away, Tim directed him to the start line of the indoor track and walked further down the path. The track was simple–a red, rubber path with white lines to indicate lanes and starting positions. Thankfully, Tim gave him spare tennis shoes to work out in. As Tim got to his side, he saw him grab a stopwatch out of his pocket. Wonder Woman stepped up.

“Okay, Peter. We are going to do two different running tests. First, it’s a one-hundred-meter dash. You’ll be going in a full-out sprint. Next, we’ll do–” An orange flash of lightning ran into the room, cutting her off.

“Aww, you guys were going to start the speed test without the speedster?” The man, Flash his mind supplied, stopped and leaned on Superman, who looked amused.

“Was that supposed to be a joke? It wasn’t funny.” Peter laughed at that, which Damian seemed pleased at. He knew he liked the kid for a reason. Flash just stuck his tongue out at Robin, who rolled his eyes. 

“As I was saying,” Wonder Woman continued, “Next, you’ll run around until you can’t run anymore. That one is more about endurance, so pace yourself. Okay?” When Peter nodded, she looked at Tim.

“Okay, I’m going to count you down from three, then run towards me as fast as possible.” If they kept repeating the instructions, Peter was going to scream. As Peter got into his starting position, the countdown started. “3…2…1…GO!”

Peter shot off his back foot and ran. He hasn’t run full speed in a while, not since he first got his powers. His abilities seemed to grow with him because he was a lot faster than before. He must say, he prefers getting tested this way. In the program, the testers would put wire on him as he ran on a treadmill as fast as he could. It made him feel like nothing more than a test subject. Which to them, he was. When in the program, he never showed his real speed, usually staying in the 100-150 mph range. He honestly felt better, using his full potential. It was kind of freeing. 

“That was amazing!” Steph said from the sidelines. “I knew you had to be fast, but damn.”

“One and a half seconds,” Tim announced, and Steph and Dick clapped. “That’s around 200 mph.”

“Impressive,” Jason stated before going back to practice hand-to-hand with the kid. Peter flushed. He wasn’t used to getting praise for his abilities, he was expected to be good. This was a nice change of pace. 

“Good job Peter,” Bruce walked forward and watched as he caught his breath. “Are you ready for the endurance test?” 

Peter simply nodded and walked back to the start line. He caught the water bottle that Dick threw to him–bless that man–and took a sip before throwing it back. He saw Tim hand Flash the watch and walk to the others. Bruce explained that the endurance test tended to last long, so he was going to have the others start training. After Bruce left, Flash came up to him excitedly.

“That was amazing, kid. Maybe I could steal ya from the Bat and make you a speedster,” The man winked as he said it, and Peter chuckled. “Now, the endurance test. I’m sure you can figure other the instructions from the name alone, so I won’t do that whole spiel,” thank god, “BUT, I’ll tell you to pace yourself. Don’t go full speed right off the bat. We also stop the time after a certain point, so you won’t be running for days on end…can you run for days on end?” 

“If I need to.”

“Huh, mysterious. Well, that’s all I have to say,  good luck bud!” Peter watched as he went to Superman and whispered something at him. Ah, he wasn’t here when Peter said he had enhanced hearing. “The kid said he can run for days if needed. I’m worried about how he knows that.” Snitch. Superman gave a subtle nod and a tight smile to acknowledge him. 

“Okay Peter, we will start the test. Just go whenever.” Wonder Woman caught his attention again. She held up the stopwatch and looked as Peter got ready. After taking a small breath, he started to run. He heard the watch start. 

At first, he was bored. There’s not much he can do as he just goes around in circles. Bruce and the three other Justice League were in a corner, talking. He could listen in, but he settles for watching the others train. First, he noticed Dick. The man seems to be more flexible than the rest and uses that to his advantage. His fighting style has a mixture of flips, high kicks, and jump spins. He also sees some capoeira moves, which makes sense. There are also plenty of striking moves. Dick is sparring with Tim. Steph is on the side, switching off with the loser. 

Tim has a more reserved fighting style. He focuses on defense, using his opponent's moves against him, then waiting for the right opportunity to strike and take them down. He’s not a heavy hitter, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to fight. His moves are calculated, and he gets his opponents in a position that allows him to get the upper hand. 

Steph’s fighting style is more of a mix of the two. She seems to take on the defensive as well, though strikes more offensively than Tim does. She’s probably going on the defense since Dick is on offense more often than not. She’s not as flexible as Dick but does a few high kicks and flips of her own. They all seem to have the basics of the same training but personalized their style over time. 

Peter moved his attention to Jason and Damian. They use some of the basics as the others, but they both seem to be more offensive, only doing defense when needed. Damian was faster than Jason, probably because of his size, but Jason hit harder and was sturdier, so it almost evened out. There are a few moves that the others don’t use. From an outsider's perspective, you could say they seem too aggressive, almost out of control. But with one look in their eyes, Peter can tell they are anything but. Their moves, while powerful and aggressive, are calculated. They don’t land lucky hits, they wait for an opening to strike. 

Me and Robin go way back

There’s a story there. Peter wants to know what it is.

“AND TIME!” Peter was brought back to the present by Flash’s voice. “Awesome, you just ran four hours, nonstop! You ran pretty fast too. Take a break and get some water.” Looking around, everyone finished sparing and was taking a break too. Some heroes came and went as Peter ran, but his dangerous sense didn’t go off so he ignored them. Only one hero stayed. He was in a green and black suit. On his chest was a logo that Peter didn't recognize, for obvious reasons. The logo was a circle with straight lines on the top and bottom.

Peter nodded at Flash and walked away. He’s run for longer than that before, had to. It wasn’t anything special, but as he walked towards the group of teens, and Damian, we couldn’t help but smile at the awe in their eyes. 

“The was great! You didn’t slow down or anything. You probably could’ve gone for a lot longer.” Tim said, handing him the water bottle Dick threw at him earlier. 

“It’s not that great. You guys have a guy who produces lightning when he runs. I can’t do that.” Peter argues.

“Just because someone else can do it, doesn’t mean it’s not impressive,” Dick told him, flinging an arm around his shoulder. Damian nodded in agreement. 

“Thanks guys.” Peter’s heart felt light at the praise. He could get used to this. 

“No problem Pete,” Steph winked playfully, before taking a sip from his water bottle and putting it on the ground. “Are you ready for the strength test?”

“I guess…I never really knew my limit for strength. It’ll be interesting to see my scores.” He saw Tim think of a question before it even left his mouth.

“What’s the heaviest thing you lifted?” Great, how to say it in a non-discriminatory way.

“It’s not the heaviest, but I once lifted a car that was speeding towards me.” Everyone blinked at him. “What?” 

“I’m gonna need more than that,” Tim said. Peter looked him in the eyes and smirked.

“No.” 

“God damn it Peter, you can’t leave me on a cliffhanger!”

“Watch me.” Peter threw his wattle bottle in Dick’s direction–by the lack of noise, Peter knows he caught it–and walked towards the group of adults.  “Are we ready for the strength test?” 

He saw the man in green look at him and smirk. “Adopting another one B?” The man came over and poked him in the cheek. Peter already didn’t like the man. “This one doesn’t fit the theme.”

“I will bite your finger off.”

“Never mind, he fits right in. A gremlin, just like the rest of them.” The man took his finger away and walked back from him. Good.

“Peter, this is Green Lantern, he popped in for a case and wanted to see the rest of your testing,” Bruce explained. “If you’re ready, we can head to the next level and start.”

Peter nodded and Bruce led the way. Everyone else, including the kids, followed. Looking around, this level looked more like a gym. There was a section with dumbbells and benches. They also had yoga mats pressed to the side. The rest was made up of machines. As they walked past a few, he saw that some machines had to weight than the others. Probably for the enhanced heroes. Peter and the adults stopped at a rack that was set up for bench press. The kids dispersed and started messing with the other equipment. Not working out, actually messing with the machines. Some of them started to climb the machines and sit on them, others put it at the lowest weight and just messed around. Damian seemed to look around before walking next to Batman and staying there. 

“Okay,” Superman moved towards the weights then looked back at Peter, “Do you have an idea of where your limit is?”

“Not really. I know I can lift I couple of tons.” Superman starts grabbing plates and putting them on the bar. 

“Excuse me…what?” Green Lantern blinked at Peter before looking at Bruce. “Where the hell did you find this kid?” He pouted when Bruce didn’t answer.

“Is it really that surprising? You guys probably seen others who are a lot stronger and faster.” Peter asked genuinely. Even Dick said they’ve seen some weirder stuff.

“While that is true,” Wonder Woman put a hand on his shoulder, “it’s still a great feat to have your abilities. Plus, it’s not often someone is a combination of these abilities.” Peter eyed her and Superman. He doubts that but doesn’t argue. 

“Okay,” he turns to Superman, “I put a couple thousand off for a warm-up. After this, we’ll slowly increase weight, doing one rep, until you reach your max. Then we’ll do squats. After that, we’ll do a hearing test, and you’ll be done for today. Bats said he’ll doing sparing in that little cave of his. 

“Gotcha.”

It about half an hour for Peter to reach his limit. It was seven tons and even Damian looked impressed. During that time, Tim came up to Bruce and mentioned something about a lead on a case, but didn’t give much detail, probably because Peter–and he suspects Superman–has super hearing. Bruce nods at him and everyone runs off, leaving Peter with the adults. Rude. It didn’t take much longer to find the of his squats, eight tons. 

After the strength test, they asked how far Peter could hear. When he told them he could hear at least a couple of miles out, they decided to forgo the hearing test, saying that that was all they needed to know. Confused but thankful, Peter let it go. He was ready to go back to the manor and take a shower. So, when Bruce signaled him to follow him, he did without question.

The walk to the zeta-tube was quiet. Bruce wasn’t much of a talker, and Peter didn’t have much to say, so it was perfect. It was surprisingly peaceful. The tests weren’t too bad either. Fewer wires and a lot more encouragement than in the compound. He had some questions about Superman and Wonder Woman, but he figured he could ask the others tomorrow. It wasn’t too much longer before they reached the zeta-tubes and Bruce zapped them back to the cave. While it was better than the first time, it still gave him a headache and he had to take a few moments to gather himself. Blinking, we saw the group looking at the bat computer. Before he could step closer, he saw Alfred walk towards them.

“Welcome back Master Bruce, Mister Peter. You are just on time,” He slightly raised his voice so the rest of the people in the cave could hear him, “Dinner is about to be served.”

That caused a chain reaction. Dick grabbed Jason and started towards the cave. At the same time, Steph and Tim hooked around Damian's arms lifted him, and ran past Dick and Jason screaming that they were being slow. That made Dick pull Jason harder to catch up with them. All the while Damian was screaming at them to let go and that he’d release spiders in their room. 

Bruce chuckled and looked at Peter out of the corner of his eyes. “It’s Sunday dinner, and Alfred always makes his cookies on Sunday.” Then he walked away, leaving Alfred and Peter standing there. 

“I hope the group wasn’t too much during the test. They are an eager bunch.” Alfred started the conversation as they walked to the stairs. 

“They were real eager to give out praise. But it was nice.”

“Ah, yes. They are like that. Also was eager to support each other.” Alfred raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m sure you know they consider you a Bat already.”

“I figure,” Peter sighed, “I don’t get why though.”

“I understand your confusion. They were brought up to be wary of everyone. However, anyone who punches the Joker, whether they know it or not, is always welcomed into the family. We’ll figure out everything else later.”

“Is that why you recruited me? Because I punched the Joker?” 

Alfred was silent for a while, then he paused and looked Peter in the eye. “Mister Peter, I am an old man. I have seen many things in my life. I have served as a field medic. I was a part of the British Air Service, along with the Secret Service. I was a secret agent for the British Intelligence. I know what it’s like to be a soldier. And I know you do too.” He paused and smiled at Peter. “I don’t want you to feel like this is an obligation. If you want to back out, I will not stop you. However, I will be vulnerable for a moment. I am scared. When Master Bruce first started, it was just petty crime. A few burglars here and there. A murder or two. But it grew to be much more. Aliens started coming to Earth, magic started to become involved and in all the chaos, he started to grow this family. A family that is very dear to me. I will not be around forever to keep them safe, but I hope I can leave them in good hands. I’m not asking you to get your hands dirty. I’m asking you to keep an eye out.”

Peter took a deep breath. He felt…better. He didn’t owe them anything. They helped him because it’s what they promised to do as heroes. No one, not even Alfred, is asking for him to start killing again. There aren’t going to be punishments for failing. 

He hears them laughing in the dining room. Steph was poking fun at Robin because she rearranged her silverware and he was offended by it. ‘It’s not proper Brown!’

“Master Peter,” He looked up at Alfred, “Even if you say no, you will always have a spot here at the manor.”

“Okay…I’ll continue to help.”

“Thank you.” Alfred’s relief was visible, a hard contrast to his usual manner. “Now, let’s go before the others decide to come looking for us.”

Peter followed the Butler feeling lighter than before. And when they walked into the dining room to see Steph hiding behind Jason as Tim held onto Damian, Peter knew he made the right choice.

Chapter Text

The morning was peaceful, for the most part. Duke and Steph don’t live at the manor, Steph lives with her mom and Duke with his uncle, so they both left after dinner last night. Jason also left after dinner to check up on Crime Alley and check up on the Alley kids. Peter was pleased to know that someone was looking out for the kids. 

Peter had been in the kitchen helping Alfred once more when Tim walked in and sat at the island. He was dressed in black slacks and a black blazer with a school crest on the left side. He had a red tie and a white button-up. Damian walks in behind him, wearing something similar. Instead of a blazer, he’s wearing a sweater vest and no tie. His pants only go to his knees and he’s wearing calf socks. They both had dark-colored backpacks, Tim’s being red and Damian’s being green.

“Well, don’t you guys look nice? And your matching.” Peter grinned at them.

“Don’t compare me to this imbecile,” Damian said rolling his eyes and sitting at the island.

“Aww, you don’t want to match with your favorite brother? I’m hurt.” Tim faked pouted and looked at Peter. “Don’t mind him, he’s grumpy in the mornings.”

“I am not.” Damian glared at him. 

“Are too.”

“Am not–”

“I believe that is enough, you two. We are about to leave soon and I believe you both get ‘grumpy’ if you don’t have breakfast.” Alfred cut in and placed parfaits in front of them. 

Peter snickered and finished helping Alfred put together the parfaits for Dick and Bruce. Alfred also told Peter to make a few for himself. When he asked if Alfred wanted one, he declined, saying he eats at a different time. Peter simply nodded and made some for himself as Damian and Tim bickered in the background. Alfred left the room, leaving him with the two brothers. Peter finally sat down to eat and asked Tim about what classes he was taking. Tim’s schedule is full of math and science classes. Which makes sense for the boy. When asked what he wanted to do after school, he shrugged. 

“Probably take a gap year before going to college and then taking over Drake Industries.”

“Not Wayne Enterprises?” Peter raised an eyebrow.

“Nah, that’s there for the brat when he gets older.” Damian’s ‘hey’ was ignored. “My parents left their company for me for when I get a four-year degree. Right now it’s run by a trusted family friend until I take over.”

“Huh, sweet.” Tim nodded while finishing his parfait. He put his dishes in the sink and grabbed his backpack.

“We better not leave Alfred waiting, come on Dami.”

“What did I say about using that nickname Drake?” Nonetheless, Damian followed Tim’s lead and they left the kitchen, leaving Peter alone. Peter looked at the clock, 8:00 AM.

Peter listened for heartbeats, two were underground, so Dick and Bruce were in the cave. They said Dick was in Gotham for a case. Though he was curious, Peter didn’t want them to know that he saw where to put the clock hands, so he would leave them alone. It was weird, in the past couple of days, he hadn’t been left alone. He was either with Alfred or the other kids. Never by himself. Alfred also didn’t leave him any instructions on what to do. So, Peter washed the dishes that were in the sink and walked to the garden that Steph had shown him yesterday before she left. The group realized they never gave Peter a proper tour, so after dinner–and cookies–they dragged Peter and showed his some of the manor’s hot spots. The library, garden, and pool just to name a few. 

Following his mental map to the garden, he simply walked around. It’s been a while since he was surrounded by so many plants. The compound had been secluded, so when they were let out or did training outside, they were able to enjoy the surrounding flora and fauna. But, New York was mostly concrete. He and May also lived in an apartment complex, so they didn’t have a backyard to grow anything. Not much nature to take in, and despite Ned’s best efforts, they didn’t get to go to the park. Peter was too wary to be in the open for too long, so they would hang out at Peter’s or Ned’s place.

 It was nice, walking around the garden, looking at the flowers and plants that were well taken care of. It gave him a chance to breathe. The past couple of days had been a lot. Meeting different people, testing his limits, which was actually pretty nice, and being dragged around a lot. In New York, he only had Ned and May–and Asher. To go from two to at least ten people who maybe care for him? It was a lot. Plus, these are trained individuals, so he has to be careful of what he says and does, which is also quite tiring. 

Peter had been walking the grounds for a little when he heard a moo. Moving towards the sound, Peter saw a barn. He walked in and saw a cat. It was a pretty cute cow too. It was brown and white, probably a Jersey cow–Peter made it a point to learn about animals after getting out the compound, why? Spite. They never let them choose what they learned, just shoved a bunch of information at them. Learning something of his own free will is another ‘fuck you’ too them. There was a brown marking on the cow's face, it looked like a mask. The more he stared, the more the mask looked like the bat symbol. How fitting. 

Slowly, Peter started to pet the cow, who leaned further into his hand. He grabbed a few straws of hay and fed the masked cow with a smile, it was nice. He spent the next half an hour talking and petting the cow. Figuring it was time to return, Peter left the cow behind and returned to the manor. He made it about halfway when he heard a heartbeat near him. Not far after, his neck started to itch. It was different, similar to Alfred's. It was telling Peter that they wouldn’t hurt him, but they were dangerous. So much for a relaxing day.

“You can come out.” Peter turned around when he heard footsteps behind him.

A woman in jeans and a blue shirt came out from behind a tall plant. She was Asian, probably East Asian, and had chin-length black hair. There was a look of curiosity in her eyes. For a moment they just looked at each other, scanning each other. 

Her stance was relaxed, but her weight was even. Another trained fighter. She looked open, inviting even. Like she wanted to talk to him. Her hands lacked any of the twitching that he saw with Bruce and Dick, but he saw the tension in her hands like she was making herself relaxed. His neck still itched, she was still dangerous. He noticed her looking over him too. He stood still, wondering what she was looking for. What flaws would she see? After a moment, they locked eyes. Pain, wariness, hope. It felt so familiar. It reminded him of the other kids in the compound when they were younger. The training started to get worse. More of them were getting killed. It went from a couple hundred to a couple dozen by the time they were in their pre-teen years. It reminded him of himself when he got out. The wariness of waking up in May’s apartment, but the hope of starting something new.

“Cass?” The woman nodded, seemingly pleased. She lifted her hands and started to sign. 

P-E-T-E-R? Peter nods at that. That’s all it takes for the girl to come up to him and grab his arm, leading him to the manor. He was out for longer than he thought, the boys were already back from school, Cass told him. They walked in silence. But for them, it was enough. They spoke with body language, rather than words. The slight facial movements and head tilts were enough to tell a story. And while Peter may not know her history, he can tell who she is now. She was gentle but firm in the way she held his arm, dragging him towards the manor. She looked around the gardens with a look of joy and contentment. Like a soldier who was able to get off the battlefield. She was like him. And she could see that too. His neck screamed that she was dangerous, screamed at him to be cautious. For the first time, he ignored it, because after all, he was dangerous too.

Chapter Text

When they got closer to the manor, Peter saw Tim and Steph waiting for them. Tim was leaning on the door frame as Steph moved her hands excitedly as if she were telling a dramatic story. Tim laughed and looked amused the entire time. Tim was out of his school uniform and changed into more comfortable clothing, so Peter knew he’d been out for a while. 

Cass waved her free hand in the air to get to their attention, it worked because Tim looked over and waved back. Steph turned around and saw them too, she jogged over and hugged Peter’s other arm. 

“Hey there stranger! Ready for some sparring?” 

“Are you doing that now?” Peter asked, raising an eyebrow. Tim held the door open as they walked through.

“We will before patrol, right now, Alfred wants to make sure you’re fed,” Tim explained, leading them into the kitchen. They sat down at the island and chatted as Alfred walked up.

“Master Peter, I was worried when you didn’t arrive for lunch. I’m sure you’re starved.” Alfred placed down a plate with three sandwiches and chips, and a bowl of fruit to the side. 

“Thanks, Mr. Pennyworth.”

“What did I say about that, call me Alfred.” Peter rolled his eyes when the man turned around.

“You got it, Mr. Alfred.” Alfred shook his head lightly at that, but Peter could feel the amusement coming from the older gentleman. 

“Oh Peter,” Tim grabbed his attention. “We figured you’d be pretty bored with nothing to do, so we got you this.” Tim held out a phone. The phone was red with a clear case. It looked brand new. Peter blinked a few times before grabbing it from him. “It already has all of our numbers. And we put you in the group chat with the rest of the Bat Kids.”

“Wow, thank you…” He honestly forgot he didn’t have one with him. May let him use one of her old phones, that way Peter could let her know if he was going out. But he didn’t use it often. It was mostly used to text Ned and look up facts he wanted to know. 

“It’s no problem, we didn’t want you to be bored while by yourself.”

Peter put the phone on the counter and dug into the plate of sandwiches. The others talked, or signed, around him. He spoke up here and there but kept quiet most of the time. Tim and Steph made some references that Peter didn’t get, which led them to make a list of movies and shows Peter needed to watch. Cass seemed perfectly content to let the other two talk, picking some fruit out of the bowl Alfred gave him. Peter just let her, knowing that if push came to shove, Alfred would probably give him more. He finished eating but stayed at the island. Tim turned to him and started asking about his universe. Mostly sciencey stuff. Are the physics the same? Yes. How many elements are on the periodic table? 118, but they are trying to add more. He soon started to get into a more Peter-specific category. Where did you live? An apartment. Where did you go to school? A nerd school. Tim snorted at the one. 

“Were you born with your abilities?” Tim asked, after thinking about it for a moment. Peter went quiet.

“No.” That surprised them. 

“Where did they come from?” Steph asked, eyes wide in curiosity.

“Rather not say.”

“Oh come on Pe-” Cass clapped her hands and looked at Steph before smiling softly at Peter. There was a slight silence when Dick came in.

“Hey kiddos, Peter, Cass.” Dick walked past but stopped mid-step and turned. His eyes were wide. “Cass! We thought you’d be gone for another week!” He lunged and hugged her. Her eyes were bright as she held up her hands.

Got done early. Wanted to surprise you all.

“It’s a wonderful surprise.” Dick grinned looking at everyone in the room. His grin faltered slightly when he looked at Peter, before pushing his joy at full volume. “Hey Pete, ready to do some sparring? B wants to do it now if you have time.”

“I have nothing else to do.” Peter shrugged, trying not to think of why Dick seemed off. Instead, he focused on Cass clapping before walking ahead to the cave. 

Peter followed everyone, noticing how Dick kept looking back at Peter when he thought the boy was looking away. From what he could tell, it wasn’t a look of hatred or even fear. It was almost like sadness. Dick was sad for him? Why? All he did today was walk around the grounds, meet Cass and have lunch. What was there to be sad about? 

It didn’t take them long to find themselves in the cave. Bruce was on the Batcomputer, but he quickly clicked off the tabs when he heard them coming. Damian was also down there, but he was in a section of the cave that had mats laid down. He was doing some stretching, before looking up at the group and walking up to Peter.

“Spar with me.” He demanded. Peter smiled at the kid, but before he could answer, Bruce looked over his shoulder.

“He’s going to spar with me today.” Dick paused but recovered quickly. 

“Are you sure, B? I could do it, or Tim.” Dick said with his eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s okay, I can do it.” Something made his neck start to itch. He wasn’t in danger per se, but it wanted him to be cautious. Dick didn’t speak up this time.

“Okay, let me stretch?”

Bruce looked back to the computer and pulled up cameras, probably related to the case Dick was in town for. Damian tapped Peter and motioned him to follow, so he did. Together, they walked to the matted area. Damian insisted on showing Peter the correct way to stretch and walked him through the different steps. Amused, Peter followed along. He took joy in the way Damian was shocked at his flexibility.

“Do you not have bones?”

“Yesn’t”

“That’s not a word.”

“According to Ned, it is.”

“Who?”

“He’s my–”

“Asked?” That shocked Peter, before he let out a full laugh. Damian had a hidden smile on his face for the rest of the stretch routine. The rest of the group joined them, stretching the ‘incorrect way’ as Damian said. 

“What has you laughing like that?” Tim smiled as he sat near Peter.

“Damian said a funny joke.” Dick cooed at the boy, who gave him a deadpan stare. Steph followed Dick’s lead after seeing how irritated the boy got.

“Damian? Joke? Now that’s funny.” Tim chuckled, and Damian simply rolled his eyes. It looked like he wanted to say something back, but Bruce walked over before he could speak. 

“Are you ready Peter?” Peter nodded at him while standing up. The others moved out of the way. Dick walked up to Bruce and whispered something in his ear.

“Remember what we talked about.” Huh? Bruce only nodded, which made Dick sigh.

“Okay, clean fight you two. This is to simply gauge Peter’s current skill level, we stop when someone is down, pinned, or taps out. No weapons either. Ready?” They both nodded. “Fight.” 

They just looked at each other for a moment. The first time they met, Dick mentioned that Bruce had trained them. That meant the basics of their fighting styles came from the man. That means Peter had to look out for his weak spots and be careful when Bruce goes on the offense. Bruce was muscle, like Jason. He would be a hard hitter, less flexible than Dick–most people are–so that meant Peter didn’t have to worry about flips. Peter, from size alone, would be faster than Bruce. He was also stronger than the man, but he would have to hold back. Like Dick said, this was simply a way to gauge his fighting skills. 

Bruce must’ve gotten tired of waiting for Peter because he lounged towards him. He was faster than Peter thought he would be, probably because of experience, but not fast enough. Peter was able to dodge the cross that was thrown at him and grab the man’s arm. He pulled Bruce down and went to knee his stomach when Bruce squatted and tried to swipe his legs from under him. Peter dodged by pushing into an aerial cartwheel. He landed in a crouch, with one foot extended. Bruce quickly got up and went into a fighting stance. Peter, keeping an eye on Bruce slowly stood. Again, Bruce attacked. This time, Peter pivoted to the right and pushed backward. Once he got back into a steady base, he went for a knee strike, but Bruce blocked him. 

The fight continued like this. They traded blows back and forth while blocking when appropriate. Peter could fight harder. He could use the more brutal moves that the compound taught him, but it’s not that type of spar. This is not life or death. This was them seeing if he could keep up. They had been at it for probably ten minutes. Maybe more. It was tiring, especially because Peter hadn’t done this for a while, but it was fun. Peter never thought fighting would be fun. After a while, Bruce started punching harder, getting more intense. The fight started to lose whatever lightheartedness it started with.

DOWN

Peter crouched down on instinct. There were very few times his danger sense took full control of his movements. It only did during life-or-death situations–when he had to move. At first, Peter was confused, not knowing what triggered his danger sense. That was until he felt a quick breeze fly over his head. The cling of metal hitting the stone floor echoed a couple of meters away. 

“What the hell?!” Steph shouted, looking shocked at the man. Bruce paid no attention, looking only at Peter.

“You have a ‘sixth sense.’ It’s precognitive in nature, correct?”

“Bruce, no.” Dick stepped up. “No weapons. It was in the rules.”

“Was I correct Peter?” 

“Br–”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Dick tried to lecture the man again but was cut off.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Why did you lie?”

“We’ve known each other for all of three days. Even if we knew each other longer, I’m entitled to my secrets.”

“You shouldn’t lie to people who are trying to help you.”

“You shouldn’t be throwing weapons during a spar. Plus, no one is going to get hurt.”

“If you are lying about this, how can we trust you in the future?”

“OKAY!” Dick shouted. Peter looked around and noticed Tim and Steph were angry, Damian was confused, and Dick was furious. Cass was more disappointed than anything. Bruce and Peter had also gotten closer to each other and were only a foot away from one another.

 “Can you guys take Peter upstairs, please? I need to talk with Bruce.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Tim and Steph started walking walking away. Peter was still looking at Bruce, so Cass came over and gently tugged at his arm. He walked away with her and Damian followed. As they walked away, Peter heard Dick furiously whisper to Bruce.

“Bruce, what the hell? We said we had to address this carefully.” 

“He was lying to us.”

“Bruce, if he hadn’t ducked down, that would’ve killed him.”

That would’ve killed him

Bruce was aiming for a headshot. Why? Because he didn’t tell him about one of his abilities? What if his senses were weaker and he didn’t have time to duck? Peter thought he was safe here. 

“You okay Peter?” Peter looked up at Tim. He had a concerned look on his face. He went to say but closed his mouth.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Peter responded. And he was good. It wasn’t the first time he was almost killed and probably not the last. It just…surprised him. “I think I’m going to head to my room. I need to shower and probably take a nap. It’s been a long day.” Cass squeezed his arm and let go. 

“Okay man, we’ll get you for dinner,” Tim said and watched Peter walk up the stairs. As Peter walked away he mumbled. “B, what the hell were you thinking?”

Peter went into his room and stood in the middle for a second. It was almost like a switch flipped and he was on autopilot. He was scared to move. Like something was going to jump at him and berate him for moving out of turn. Closing his eyes he took a breath.

“Come on паук, again.” 

Seven-year-old Peter had his hands clenched at his sides. He used the roughness of the wooden wall behind him to ground himself. It was just another day of conditioning. The compound wanted to suppress all involuntary actions. This included flinching. According to them, they wouldn’t be as intimidating if they flinched when fighting. They had to appear flawless, inhuman. So they did everything from loud sounds to bright lights to make them flinch. Today was knives. 

They had to stay still as the other kids threw knives at them. Usually, they would try to throw away from the target as much as possible without the teacher noticing. But if he did notice, he would throw a knife. He didn’t miss either. 

“Паук, unclench those hands, now.” Peter did what he said and relaxed his arms. “Good.” Peter thought he would’ve left it at that. He hoped he would be done. 

Then the teacher took the knife out of the kid’s hand and got into position. Peter was forced to look as the knife left the man’s hand. Closing his eyes would count as flinching and he would be punished. He watched the knife get closer to him, straight for his head. Last second, the knife flew above his line of vision and embedded itself in the wood behind him. The teacher only smiled.

“Good job Паук.” Luckily for Peter, he didn’t know that Peter hadn’t moved because he was frozen in fear.

Knock Knock Knock. What was that?

Knock Knock Knock.

Peter opened his eyes and he was back in his room in the manor. The knocking continued until he turned and went to open his door. Opening it, he saw Damian standing there, holding a plate of spaghetti and garlic bread. Damian was shifting his weight back and forth slightly. When the kid looked up, his eyebrows furrowed.

“You missed dinner…have you not taken a shower yet?”

“Oh, no not yet. I got lost in thought.” Peter explained, leaning on the door. He must’ve been standing there for an hour or two. Damian just hummed and went past Peter into his room. Peter, confused, just closed the door. Damian stood in the middle, just where Peter stood, and looked around. 

“What do you do in here? It’s bland.” Peter chuckled and sat on his bed.

“Usually I’m with Alfred or you guys.” The kid hummed and put the spaghetti on his nightstand before facing Peter. 

“Why was everyone upset earlier?” That made Peter think. Because honestly? He doesn’t know. He knows that Bruce shouldn’t have thrown the weapon and that he had a right to be upset. But why were the others upset at the man? 

“Because of trust,” Peter responded after a moment. Damian tilted his head and all Peter could think about was the ten-year-old being in the compound. “We went into a fight with clear rules, expectations, and goals. He disregarded those and threw the weapon, knowing that I wouldn’t have been expecting it. It was dangerous, someone could’ve been hurt.” 

“But in a real right, there wouldn’t have been any rules.”

“It wasn’t supposed to simulate a real fight.” That made Damian pause.

“Oh.”

Peter lightly patted the area on the bed beside him. Damian looked at the spot before getting on. He sat with good posture and his head high. It reminded Peter of himself when he first got out of the compound. Grinning, Peter flopped backward and let out a loud sigh. That startled Damian, though he tried to hide it. The kid caught on and lay back gently. They both stared up at the ceiling. 

“Why are we looking at a blank ceiling…this is stupid,” Damian said, still looking straight up.

“Then why are you doing it?” He stayed silent.

“Who’s Ned?” Peter hummed, questioningly. “Earlier, you said that Ned told you ‘Yesn’t’ was a word. Who’s this imbecile?” Peter laughed softly.

“My best friend.” Damian turned his head to look at Peter, but the man kept his gaze up. “Well, technically he was my only friend, but he was still the best. I…I didn’t have a normal childhood. I didn’t know how to socialize and I was behind on all of the latest references. But he saw past that. He taught me what I didn’t know. I’m still learning.” Damian was quiet again. This time for longer.

“I didn’t have a normal childhood either.” He started, looking back to the ceiling. “I lived with my mother before I came to live with Father. I was taught that you had to be strong and fearless. You had to prove yourself if you wanted attention. No mercy. Then I moved here, and everything is different. Richard says that I don’t need to prove anything to be loved. But it’s weird. Father has four other children. How can I do nothing to be loved and compete with them to prove that I’m better.”

“Then don’t compete with them.” Damian scrunched his face up. Peter laughed at that. “I’m not saying that you can’t banter or have some healthy competition, but they aren’t your enemy. They aren’t trying to take anything away from you. I think it’s the opposite. I think they want to give you that attention and love too”

“That’s weird.” Peter laughed again.

“It’ll take a while to get used to. But we’ll learn together.” They both turned to look at each other. Damian was hesitant, but determined. 

“Okay. We’ll learn together.”

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“Whose cow is in the barn outside?”

“Mine, his name is Batcow.”

“Of course it is.”

“HEY! Batcow is a perfectly respectable name.”

“Never said it wasn’t”

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"I'm allergic to garlic by the way."

"Hmm, I'll make sure to tell Alfred."

Chapter Text

Peter spent the rest of the week avoiding Bruce. Was it immature? Probably. Did he care? No. The man knew where to find him when he wanted to apologize and talk about it. As an ex-assassin with trust issues, Peter could understand where he was coming from. But pulling a stunt like that without knowing the limits of his abilities was dangerous. He ignored the fact that Bruce knew to look for an ability. Dick tried apologizing for Bruce a few times, but Peter explained that Bruce is an adult who could apologize for himself. Dick stopped apologizing after that.

Even though Peter avoided Bruce, he still hung around Tim in the cave and Duke and Steph as they came and went. They were trying to end his reign as the Mario Kart King . It wasn’t working. He and Dick often had flip competitions when he hasn’t busy working, and Cass was the judge. Cass also taught Peter some ballet moves. He was actually having fun. 

He got up early in the morning and either helped Alfred in the kitchen or cleaned hard-to-reach stops, like getting the dust off the chandelier. The butler/pseudo-grandfather also liked to gossip. Peter knew from past missions that butlers and maids had their little network, that’s where he would get most of his information at times. According to Alfred, Mrs. Greenburg found out her husband was having an affair and is getting half of his assets in the divorce. The affair partner was the husband’s cousin. The man chuckled when Peter turned to look at him with his jaw dropped. Rich people are crazy, Peter decided. 

It finally reached Saturday. The kids were out of school and were doing their own thing. Tim was with Bruce and Dick, working on a case in the cave. Cass had ballet practice and Jason was off doing who knows what. According to Tim, Duke was patrolling and Steph was spending time with her mom. That left Peter and Damian. Damian was teaching Peter the correct ways to care for the cow while also talking to Peter about Titus, his dog, and Alfred the Cat. Peter was actually learning a lot and Damian seemed happy to have someone give him their full attention. They spent most of their day there, only leaving to walk through the gardens or eat lunch. They were going over how to properly trim Batcows hooves when someone knocked on the barn doors. Damian and Peter turned and saw Jason peak through before opening the door all the way. 

“Hey Peter, brat. Alfred is about to plate sinner, he sent me to get you guys.” Damian huffed but left them behind with Batcow. Jason looked at Peter. “I heard about what B did. You okay? It was pretty shitty.”

“Yeah,” Peter turned back to Batcow and started to pet him. “I get why he did it. But it’s the principle of it.” Jason just nodded.

“Bruce can be a little…aggressive if he fears the family is in danger. But it’s not an excuse.” Jason walked closer and leaned on Batcow’s fence, his shoulders brushing against Peter’s. “I’m sorry about him.”

“Like I told Dick, Bruce is an adult and can apologize for himself.”

“Heh, yeah Dickie told me about that. But still, sorry.” Peter looked him in the eyes. 

“Apology accepted.” Jason grinned. He started fidgeting with his hands a little as he started to talk again.

“When was the last time you left the manor?” 

“When we went to your safe house.”

“Would you like to go out tomorrow?” Peter thought for a moment. He never liked being out in public. Always too scared that they would find him and drag him back. At best they would kill him, at worst, he would be a soldier again. But they weren’t here. 

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“There’s a cafe not too far from here if you wanna go?” Peter nodded his head. “Perfect, me and you can go there for lunch tomorrow.” 

“I’ll make sure to let Damian know. He wanted me to listen to his ‘How to Take Care of Titus’ guide before patrol. He’d probably get upset if I don’t let him know I’m leaving for lunch.”

“True, and the kid gets stabby when upset.” Peter chuckled. Jason smiled at him. “Let’s go before they send a search party.”

Jason and Peter made their way to the manor and into the dining room where they sat down. In front of them was lasagna and bread, some had garlic and some did not. There was also a salad bowl placed on the end of the table. The others, minus Bruce, had already started to dig in when Jason and Peter arrived. Sitting down, Peter started making his plate. 

After a few moments, Peter heard two heartbeats getting closer. Peter looked up and made note of those who were in the room. Tim, Dick, Cass, Damian, and Jason? Check. Alfred? In the kitchen, check. Bruce isn’t here so that must be one of the heartbeats. Peter also clocked different security systems on his first couple of days at the manor, so if it was an intruder they would’ve known. 

Peter didn’t have to think for long because Bruce just entered the room. A smaller figure followed him in, though she was still taller than the average woman. She had short black hair, shorter than Cass’. Her eyes were green and screamed mischief. Her footsteps are quieter than Bruce's, even if the man is a vigilante. Peter gets a feeling she is very sneaky.

“Peter! It’s nice to finally meet you. I hear a lot about you.” She exclaims, smiling. Her smile was real, but there was a calculating look behind her eyes. Peter wouldn’t be surprised if she knew, if not partaking in, their nightly escapades.

“Nice to meet you, too ma’am. I can’t say I’ve heard much about you.” That made the woman’s smile turn into a small smirk. She quickly glanced at Bruce before fake pouting.

“Aww, Brucie, you didn’t tell your new kitten about me? I’m hurt.” She walked to an empty seat and sat down. “I’m Selina Kyle, Bruce’s girlfriend. I hope the bats and birds are treating you okay?”

“They’re great hosts. Little hiccups,” everyone eyed Bruce, “but beating them in Mario Kart is always a pleasure.” Peter told her. He was currently distracted by Bruce having a girlfriend. How did that happen?

“That’s good to hear.” She made her plate and sat back, she raised an eyebrow at Bruce who just sat down. “I actually heard of one of those hiccups. I’m pretty sure Bruce has something to say.” Bruce cleared his throat and turned to Peter. Jason and Dick tensed a little while Tim look curious. Damian and Cass simply ate while looking back and forth. 

“Peter,” he began. “I’m sorry.” Dick and Jason glanced at each other before relaxing. Tim and Cass looked amused, the boy knew something the other’s didn’t. “What I did was dangerous and uncalled for. Instead of looking at it from your perspective and talking to you about it, I put your life at risk. I know I lost some of your trust, but I would like to do what I can to get it back.” 

Peter looked the man up and down. He could tell he wasn’t lying. Peter figured from the looks he gave Selina that the woman helped craft the apology, or made him apologize. The woman in question smiled at Bruce and started to eat her food. 

“You threw a Batarang straight for my head. If I didn’t duck, it would’ve killed me.” The man flinched and nodded mournfully before tensing at Peter’s next words. “You also knew to look for it. How?” Silence. 

“There were signs. At times, you would look to an empty corner before anything showed up. Or you’d look around with suspicion.”

That would’ve convinced Peter if there was any validity there. They’re a group of vigilantes, everyone looks around with suspicion, even in their own home. They also know Peter has enhanced hearing and could’ve chalked it up to that. There was something else that the man wasn’t telling Peter. Peter never showed any signs when danger sense was activated, and there were no outward tells that it was on. Bruce couldn’t have known unless Peter told him. Peter was going to bring this up when he looked at the hope on Dick’s face. The man has been trying hard to get the two of them to make up and who knows how long to get Bruce to even admit he did something wrong. Peter sighed.

“I accept your apology.” The man was relieved. His whole body relaxed.

“Thank y–”

“But I don’t forgive you.” Bruce and Dick both looked surprised at that. “I accept your apology, but you have to build back the trust. It’s going to take a while.”

“Okay. I can do that.” 

“Good.” Peter smiled and took another bite of the lasagna. After a few minutes and banter, Tim’s phone went off. He looked at the notification, eyes wide.

“We have a lead.” In a fury, everyone except Peter and Selina rushed out of their seats and raced to the cave. Alfred walked up to them.

“Master Peter, Miss Selina. Follow me, please.”

 The two looked at each other and shrugged before getting up to follow the butler. He led them to the cave and the three of them stood there and waited for the group of vigilantes to get changed. Bruce was the first one out, followed by Dick, Cass, Damian, Jason, and Tim. On the bat computer was a map of Gotham. There was a pin on a crossroad located deeper into the city. It was interesting to see how quickly they were about to put their equipment on.

After they were ready, Bruce split them into teams. Bruce and Damian, Dick and Tim, Cass and Jason. They were given an area to scope out and were to report back on comms where Oracle was. Someone who Peter has yet to meet, though Alfred said she would be coming over for family dinner tomorrow. Great, more people for Peter to meet. Note the sarcasm.

The bats finally left when Alfred walked to a back section of the cave. Peter went to follow but was stopped by Selina. She put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head when he looked at her. There was a smile on her face, that combined with the fact that danger sense had not gone off, he relaxed slightly. It didn’t take long for the older man to reappear, holding something that looked like folded clothing. 

“Master Peter, I would like you to know that Miss Selina is in on our operation to keep the bats safe. You will be assisting her in this endeavor.”

“Yep! It’s a pretty chill job. The bats can handle a lot of stuff.”

“Agreed, it just makes me feel better that someone is looking out for them.” Selina

softened her face.

“We know Alfred, it’s okay.” Alfred nodded once at her and looked at Peter.

“It would be irresponsible of me to ask you to do this and not provide you with the proper

Protection.” The man unfolded his uniform and presented it to him. “If you wish to change anything, just let me know. But I figured this would be a great starting point for your uniform.”

Peter took a moment to look it over. It was a tight, full-body tactical suit, though there was a hood instead of a full-face mask. The suit was black with a dark red spider emblem on the chest. The ends of the spider’s legs are connected to make the Bat logo. 

“You will also be provided holsters and sheaths for your chosen weapons and a domino mask to wear. If there is anything else, please let me know.”

“It looks…amazing. Thank you, Alfred.” The butler smiled.

“It’s no problem, Master Peter. Now I must ask, what do you wish to be called?” There was a moment of silence when Peter finally responded.

“Arachnid. Call me Arachnid.”

Chapter Text

The night went by smoothly. Selina had to leave early, saying she had work to do. She winked when Peter asked what she did. The group had an easy night, only having to deal with a few robberies and goons. It also made everyone on edge and made them feel like something big was going to happen, but it never did. At some point during the night, they all met up and grabbed food from somewhere called Batburger. It was pretty funny to hear Dick complain about no one getting the Nightwing Nachos.

Peter also got to talk with Babs or Oracle. She was pretty nice and funny. Peter had fun banter with her and the others as they patrolled. Bruce was pretty silent throughout the night, but he could tell the man was more amused and happy than anything. It was probably nice for the man to be out with his kids, not worrying about them being in too much danger. At the end of the night, they were able to end on a high note. Everyone was in the Batcave, ready to go home when Jasan walked out of the locker room and walked up to Peter.

“Hey,” Jason said softly, almost like a whisper.

“Hey.”

“I hope we’re still good for tomorrow for lunch?”

“It sounds like a plan.” Jason smiled at him and opened his mouth to say something else, but Damian interrupted them. 

“Where are you going? I thought I was going to teach you about how to properly care for Titus?” Peter turned around to see Damian with a scrunched face. 

“I was thinking we could do that later when I get back. I haven’t been out of the manor in a while, I’m going crazy.”

“But with him of all people?”

“Yes Damian, with him of all people.”

“Hey!” Jason exclaimed, “I’m right here you know.” Peter gave him a slight smile while Dick threw his arm over Jason’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay, Little Wing. I’m sure Pete will enjoy your date tomorrow.” Jason simply put his hand on Dick’s face and pushed him off. Peter noted that he didn’t deny it was a date. He didn’t know how he felt about that.  Instead of acknowledging them, Peter kneeled to be the same height as Damian.

“We’re just going to go to a cafe for lunch and then we’ll be right back.” Damian looked him in the eye sternly.

“Promise?”

“I pinky promise that you’ll be able to teach me about how to care for Titus properly after me and Jason go to the cafe.” Peter put up his right pinky and waited for Damian to do the same, Damian only huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Pinky promises are for kids.” You are one, Peter thought but didn’t voice.

“Are you sure? Because I was taught that pinky promises were sacred and that they should never be broken.” Damian looked Peter up and down. He wasn’t lying. May and Ned both taught him that so he would trust them. Well, until Peter learned that was a lie, but Damian didn’t need to know that. 

“I suppose a pinky promise works.” Peter could feel the other’s shocked faces as Damian hooked his pinky with Peter’s but ignored them. 

The group all ended up saying good night and crashing out in their rooms, even Jason stayed the night. Peter was in his room, getting ready when a knock echoed through his room. He finished putting his shirt on and walked to the door. Opening it revealed a stress out, Dick. He was shifting from side to side and looked around like he wasn’t allowed to be seen with Peter alone.

“Hey Pete, have a second?” Without letting him answer, Dick pushed past Peter and looked around. 

“Sure, come on in,” Peter said sarcastically. Dick at least looked ashamed.

“Sorry, I just…I just wanted to know how you bonded with Damian…” Well, Peter wasn’t expecting that.

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, you two have been hanging out a lot since you’ve been here. Talking about animals and whatnot. Then today, you got Damian to make a pinky promise of all things.” Dick took a deep breath. “He’s been with us for months now, but no one has been able to make the progress you have. How? How did you get through to him?”

Peter took a second to think about his response. It was obvious Dick has been trying to bond with the youngest for a while. The question is how.

“What have you been doing?”

“I’ve done everything I could think of. Take him to the bookstore, the park, and sightseeing. You know, the stuff kids love to do…and I know he’s not a normal kid, but I thought it would be good for him to be in public and get used to it too.”

It was obvious that this was stressing him out. The man had sat on Peter’s bed and rubbed his hands against his face before grabbing his hair. As the oldest and the emotional support of the family, Dick had put it on himself to help Damian get adjusted and feel a part of the family. Peter didn’t know about Damian’s childhood, but from what the boy told him, his mother had been neglectful emotionally. The kid had to prove himself and every activity needed a reason–pleasure and relaxation didn’t count.

“I think you overwhelmed him.”

“What?” Dick looked up at Peter confused.

“From what I know, which isn’t a lot, Damian didn’t get to socialize with the general public a lot and didn’t grow up with the notion that you could do things because it was fun. There had to be a practicality to it.” 

He knows because he was the same way. When first living with May, Peter was confused as to why watching TV was fun, or the point of coloring. He could relax when he was dead, that’s what the compound taught him. But then he spent more time watching movies and building Legos. He found it fun. 

“There’s also the fact that some kids just aren’t social. Damian seems like the type to want peace and quiet.” Dick still looked confused, Peter sighed. “Okay, let’s look at it this way. You planned all your outings for him, correct?” Dick nodded. “Maybe let him choose something he would like to enjoy.” Dick blinked at that, his mouth opening in a ‘O’ shape.

“Ooooh” Peter nodded at him. 

“You’re forcing him to try all these new things that, to him, have no meaning behind it. Give him a few options and let him pick. If he has fun doing it, he may be open to trying more things. He grew up fast, but he’s still a kid. He’s still learning about life and himself. Let him explore, and hope he lets you along for the ride..”

“Okay, got it. Thanks, Peter,” Dick smiled. 

“No problem. And don’t cut yourself short. Damian always goes on and on about how ‘Dick said this’ and ‘Dick said it’s done like that.’” The man laughed and looked hopeful. 

“Thank you, seriously, you’re a great guy Peter.” Dick’s eyes turned mischievous. “Now, let’s discuss this date you have with my brother.” Peter rolled his eyes. “No seriously, I know Jason is excited. How do you feel?” Peter hesitated, still conflicted. 

“Did he say it was a date?” Dick smirked.

“He didn’t say it explicitly, but I know that’s what he wants it to be. He wants to get to know you more. Your turn!”

“I…I haven’t dated before or had romantic feelings for anyone. I’m not sure how I feel or what to do if it was a date.” Dick softened a little.

“That’s okay Peter, you’ve been a lot in the past for days, I’m sure Jason would understand if you weren’t ready to date yet. But, if it makes you feel better, I know Jason hasn’t been on a date before.” 

“Really?” Peter tilted his head. He wasn’t blind, Jason was good-looking. He hasn’t had any partners before? The question made Dick deflate a little. 

“Yeah, he didn’t really get to experience his wild teenage years.” Dick stopped there, it made Peter curious, but they would tell him if they wanted to, plus Peter couldn’t judge.

“Yeah, me neither.” Dick stared at him for that comment, smiling softy. 

“A match made in heaven if you ask me,” The man winked before getting up and opening the door to leave. “Again, thank you. And good luck on your date!” The man left and closed the door behind him.

Peter huffed, amused, and finished getting ready for bed. He has a ‘date’ tomorrow after all.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning was similar to the rest. Peter had woken up early and helped with breakfast. The man was showing Peter different cooking techniques, the ones May would be jealous of. They also gossiped some more, but this time about the Waynes, and Wayne-adjacent people. Duke, the sane one? Not sane at all. One day on patrol, Duke saw a group of Joker’s goons trying to rob a bank and said ‘It’s on sight,’ before jumping down to beat them up. Oracle had given the bats his location, but by the time they got there, he had all five goons tied up to a pole outside. He was on the phone with Gordon, the commissioner, telling him where to pick them up.

Peter was still amused when breakfast had ended. After everyone finished, Cass pulled him upstairs to his room and sat him down on the bed. Not even a second later, Steph had opened the door before coming in and slamming it shut. She was carrying a couple of bags and placed them on the ground. Looking at Peter, she straightened up and put her hands on her hips. 

“Heeey Peter, I hear we have a date to get ready for?” Cass clapped her hands and nodded. 

“It’s not a date–”

“But you want it to be a date.” Steph raised her eyebrows, eyes sparkling. 

“I want to get out of the manor, whatever happens after that, happens.” Peter shrugged and quickly covered his ears when she started squealing. Even Cass winced at the volume. 

“Sorry, sorry, but that’s not a no to the date thing. So I brought some outfits for you to try.” Cass moved to stand next to the blonde and did jazz hands. Upon seeing the excitement on the two girls' faces, Peter had no choice but to comply.

“Fine, have at it.” They both started jumping up and down before getting to work. 

Cass started going through the bags Steph had laid down, while the energetic golden retriever grabbed Peter’s face and mumbled about what makeup to use. Peter had to stop himself from snatching his face away or flipping the girl at the sudden contact. Oblivious to Peter’s inner turmoil, the girl continued to mutter. Cass had picked out the first outfit and tapped Steph to let her know. 

In total, Peter had tried on five different outfits before the girls settled on one. The outfit consisted of ripped black jean shorts and a black crop top. Cass only giggled and signed H-O-T when Peter gave her the stink eye. The crop top showed off his lean figure, showing more than what Peter was usually used to. Steph added a light wash jean jacket to the mix and clapped her hands. Peter got the feeling they just wanted to dress him up versus actually wanting to help him get dressed. 

Finally, Steph took it upon herself to put some eyeliner and earrings on him. She questioned if Peter had worn jewelry before, seeing as he had already pierced ears. He simply shrugged and they left it at that. When they saw his entire look they both squealed and demanded to take photos. It was during their photoshoot that there was a knock on the door. Steph went to open it as Cass kept taking pictures. Next thing he knows, Jason is being pulled in by Steph. He paused when he saw Peter. 

“Hey…you look great.” The man whispered, but Peter heard it.

“Thanks, you look nice too.” And he did. The man was wearing jeans and a white button-down. There was a jacket over the shirt and he was wearing chains around his neck. Jason blushed at him while smiling. 

“Ready to go?” Peter nodded and Cass finally lowered the phone to wave them off. 

Jason led him to the garage where his motorcycle was parked. On the way there, he tells Peter more about the cafe. It’s a neutral zone, so all citizens, gang members, goons, and heroes can relax there without worrying about a fight breaking out or the police being called. The only expectations are people like the Joker, Riddler, or any other of the big guys. The owner of said cafe has a cat and brings them to work a couple of days a week for college students to destress, the other customers benefit by proxy. So far, it sounded nice. 

The ride there was silent, but it was a comfortable silence. Peter even leaned his head of Jason’s should–and immediately heard his heart rate pick up. A good ten minutes later, they finally reached the cafe and got off the motorcycle. 

Walking into the cafe, Peter relaxed immediately. The place itself was a good size, and there was dim, warm lighting surrounding the place. The windows were slightly tinted to keep out some of the sunlight, adding to the warm atmosphere. Plants and vines were hanging from the ceiling. Peter was already enjoying himself. He saw Jason out of the corner of his eyes, relaxing while looking at him. 

Peter had Jason order for both of them since it was Peter’s first time there. Jason got a BLT toasted and cold brew, while he ordered Peter a ham and Swiss melt with hot chocolate. They both got a side of fries and sat down. It was quiet in the cafe. By the lack of meowing, Peter could tell that the owner didn’t bring their cat, which was a bummer. 

Peter has yet to see Alfred the Cat and has been missing Asher a lot more lately. He wonders how the cat is doing. He was on the street a lot when Peter lived with May but knew their apartment was a safe space, so the cat ended up with them most of the winter or during really bad summers and storms. Hopeful Asher is helping May process her loss.

“What has the gears in your head turning?” Jason’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

“I was thinking about a cat I know, well knew.” Peter took a slip of hot chocolate, and he melted instantly. Jason smirked when he saw it.

“You used to own a cat?”

“Own is a strong word. He was an alley cat, through and through. But he came over a lot to hide from bad weather or get extra food.” Jason chuckled.

“I’m pretty sure that’s how we got Alfred the Cat. Damian started feeding the cat when he was raiding our trash, the rest was history.” 

“That sounds like Damian. How about you, do you like animals.”

“I like animals more than humans most days.” Fair. “But I prefer a good book more than anything.”

“Oh really? What’s your favorite author?” Jason’s eyes lit up like he was a kid in a candy store.

“I like the classics, Jane Austen, Dickens. Shakespeare is another good one.” Peter enjoyed listening to the man ramble about books, his favorite right now being ‘The Art of War,’ but ‘Pride and Prejudice’ will be his favorite of all time. He enjoyed the emotion authors were able to pull and manipulate by word alone. He gushed over how books pull you into their world and wouldn’t let go until you finished the story. Jason really liked books.

When asked what he liked, Peter was able to gush about sci-fi and the sciences. He mentioned enjoying chemistry and biology in school but being good at engineering too. Peter mentioned liking how the was almost always a definitive answer to a question, and that you would get the same answer every time. Jason had looked just as excited to listen to Peter's rant. The conversation got more general after that, talking about favorite foods or colors. What’s your favorite movie? Star Wars. Favorite topic? Science, duh. 

Overall, Peter was enjoying himself. He still wasn’t sure if he would classify this as a date, but he had fun getting to know the Jason that lies under the red hood. He was a fun relaxing guy. The food arrived sometime between their rants and was also a delicious bonus to the evening. Peter thought about recommending this place for Dick to take Damian out to, seeing as it had vegetarian options. 

Unfortunately, the lunch not-date was cut short by a notification on Jason’s phone. However, Peter became concerned by the panicked look on Jason’s face. The man stood up quickly and rushed to his motorcycle, Peter followed his lead, hoping on the back as Jason put on his helmet. 

“What happened? Why are we rushing?” Peter asked, hoping to get an answer before they took off.

“Signal was kidnapped.”

Chapter Text

Signal was kidnapped.

Signal was kidnapped.

Signal.

Signal.

Signal not Duke.

Peter couldn’t stop thinking as they drove back to the manor. Someone went out and looked for Signal specifically to kidnap. Why? Who? Peter hated not knowing the ins and outs of this universe. He didn’t know the motivations of the villains or who the new criminals were. He didn’t have connections or favors lined up to find who took Duke and to where. Peter was useless in this situation until he learned more. 

Jason must’ve broken many traffic laws because they got back to the mansion in less than five minutes. Instead of heading to the regular garage, Jason opted to straight to the cave, either not knowing or caring that he was showing Peter another way into the cave. He skidded to a stop and both hopped up the bike. Rushing to where the bat computer was, Peter saw that everyone was there, dressed and ready to go.

“What happened?” Jason demanded with his fist clenched. Peter swore his eyes were glowing green for a split second. “Where is Duke?”

“Breath Jay, he’ll be okay. We were waiting for you to check the footage.” Steph came over a put a hand on his arm, she then gently tugged him to where the Batcomputer was. Bruce at Peter and grunted. Rolling his eyes, Peter responded.

“I haven’t lived here long enough to understand caveman yet, but if you want me to leave, it’s not happening. I already know your guys’ secret, and I care about Duke too. If you want me out of this cave, you’ll have to drag my dead body away.” Bruce and Peter locked eyes and stared at each other. Neither was willing to give up. Bruce didn’t trust Peter enough but didn’t care about that. He cared about the family too much. Plus, he promised Alfred he would protect them.

“Father, let him stay. We are running low on time. Who knows what they have planned for him.” Even Damian was worried, it must be serious.

“What we are about to discuss if classified. He does not have clearance.”

“Then give me clearance. Bruce, I get that you don’t want a stranger in your files, but honestly? I don’t give a fuck. You have two options. One, you tell me what is happening and tell me where I can help most, or two, I sneak into the files when everyone is gone, and figure it out for myself.” Peter stepped closer to the bat.

“Breaking into the cave and onto the Batcompuer is nearly impossible.”

“Keyword: nearly. I have been trained for years in stealth, hacking, and information gathering. When I want something, I get it. Your move, Batman.” After staring for a little longer, Bruce turned and walked towards the computer. He pulled up what Peter assumed was Duke’s bodycam footage. On the screen 

“For the past six or so months, there have been reportings of metas getting kidnapped. We have also busted at least five meta-trafficking rings.” Now they were getting somewhere. “Most of our rouges don’t aim to kidnap us directly and the ones that do usually contact us by now to taunt us. Plus, Duke being a daylight hero typically makes him less of a target since most of the rouge move at night. So, I think he was kidnapped by one of the rings.” Dick hummed at that and nodded along. 

“That makes sense. Since Signal is a known meta, he would be a target and the timing does line up.” Jason picked up where he stopped.

“Since he patrols alone, then whoever went after him wouldn’t have to worry about other heroes being nearby.”

“But wait,” Steph started, looking confused. “Only three guys were attacking him. He has taken on more than double that amount, not to mention that even if he’s alone he can manipulate light to the point where he can predict future movements,” Well Peter didn’t know about that. “How did they get the jump on him?” That made everyone think. 

Six months isn’t a lot of time for big organizations to get organized like this. There had to be planning for a lot longer. But even so, how did three men take down Signal alone? Peter watched the video that was looping on the Batcomputer. He started to dread the answer.

“Because they are meta too.” The bats all looked at Peter like he was crazy, or like he kicked their brand new puppy. 

“What?” Dick asked,  “Why would metas turn on other metas? The meta-community has been strong, even if Bruce mentioned an unofficially ‘no metas’ rule as Batman. Everyone knew it was to keep outsiders from knowing that there were metas in Gotham.”

“Dick is right. There is no way metas would willingly turn on others like that.” Batman said in a tone that said end of the discussion, but Peter wasn’t having it.

“I never said it would be willingly. You have to consider the possibility that they might not be just trafficking them. They could be using the more conditioned ones to take down more powerful metas.” Bruce turned around and narrowed his eyes at Peter. His neck itched slightly.

“Most people would rather die than be tricked into hurting others.” Ouch. He saw Cass and Damian slightly wince as well.

“Most people never had to face that reality. Most people like to say that but have no idea what they would do in a situation like that. Not everyone has the training you do, Bruce. Not everyone can take a beating, or have their butler clean their wounds. People can only starve for so long before they would do anything for food. Humanity’s number one goal is to survive, by any means necessary.” Bruce huffed.

“Words Bruce.” Dick and Jason raised an eyebrow at him. Steph looked at him like he was crazy. Damian and Cass slightly leaned closer to Peter. Bruce noticed that too and seemed to deflate.

“You’re right. Cass, Damian, I’m sorry. I’m just stressed about Duke. I know you guys couldn’t help it.” That statement made Peter curious, but before he could speak, he was cut off by a cough. Turning slightly, they saw Alfred approach them.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I informed the schools that the Waynes were taking a sudden vacation and to mark them absent for the rest of the week.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce told his father-figure. One less thing to worry about.

“It’s no issue, Master Bruce, but I must ask that you put more effort into finding Master Duke rather than arguing.” Bruce managed to look scolded at that and nodded his head. Taking a deep breath.

“Right.” Bruce took a deep breath to calm himself. “Spoiler, would you be okay with taking Signals route during the day? The rest of us will cover your territory for you.” She nodded and he continued. “Tim, me and you will look into the victims, and see if there are any similarities and connections between them. There has to be a way they are finding metas and being able to grab so many of them. Jason, see if any of your men heard anything about metas trafficking recently. Dick, Cass, and Damian continue working with the GPD to see if any old cases connect. They must’ve been at this for more than six months.” 

Peter looked around to see everyone wearing a game face, ready to jump into action. Spoiler left to continue Signal’s patrol route. Jason went into the locker rock, most likely to change into his Red Hood gear. Cass, Damian, and Dick left to go talk to the GPD, while Tim and Bruce turned to the Batcomputer and started looking through files and footage. Peter was left standing there, feeling useless. Alfred came up and tapped him on the shoulder, the man made a gesture for Peter to follow, and he did.

“Usually, in times of distress, I like to bake. It provides a calming environment.” He spoke in his calming British accent, but Peter could hear the waiver when he spoke.

“Is there anything you need me to do to help?” Peter asked, confused. 

“Well, getting the ingredients for cookies would be greatly appreciated.” 

“But, it’s this the type of situation you need help for? When the bats get in trouble?” Peter asked, though he still grabbed the flour and sugar before moving to get the butter out. 

“The bats getting kidnapped isn’t known. The new challenger is what’s throwing them off. The bats and rouges have been going back a forth for years. They knew each other’s mannerisms, motivations, and limits. This is a new group, and we have no idea how far they will go. However, Master Bruce and Master Tim aren’t called the greatest detectives for no reason. Should they need help, I’ll be sure to let you know. But for now, all we can do is help them keep a clear mind.” 

It took Peter a minute to make sense of what the butler said. But it didn’t help Peter feel calm at all. Over the week, Peter had gotten close to the bats. He didn’t want to see them hurt or stressed like this. His whole body wanted to go and look for Duke himself. But the bats had a system, he couldn’t risk messing it up. Not yet at least.  

He and Alfred ended up baking for a few hours. They had made three different types of cookies, two different cakes, and vegan pudding. Once the time hit four o’clock, they switched to cooking dinner. They made baked chicken with mashed potatoes and greens. For Damian, they cooked some vegetarian chicken strips instead. It was about six when they finished and Alfred had left to call the others for dinner. He was also going to tell them that they had to stay at the manor after patrol. Duke’s disappearance freaked him out too. 

Peter was left with setting the table. He was also most finished when Tim came in. The boy nodded at him before sitting down. He was fidgeting with his fingers and stared at the phone he placed on the table.

Peter didn’t get to say anything before the others started to trickle in. The mood was gloomy, for obvious reasons, as the family sat down. It wasn’t until the flow of people stop did Peter realize that Dick, Cass, and Damian were still gone. When he asked, Bruce said they just got off the line with Dick. They were still looking through a few cases that looked promising. Peter still didn’t feel good but let it go and made his plate. Everyone ate in silence. Only talking when they need others to pass them something. They were all feeling the effects of Duke being gone. Steph tried to lighten the mood, joking about how she at least got to sleep all night. Other than a small smile from Tim, no one reacted.  

Peter was observing everyone else. Tim kept checking looking at the time on his phone, probably waiting for a notification or a sign. Bruce was barely eating, he seemed to be stuck in his head, trying to piece a puzzle together. Jason looked like he was trying to control his breathing, his eyes flashing green every once in a while. His grip on his fork was bending the metal slightly. Steph kept trying to make a joke here and there, probably trying to make up for Dick’s absence, but all her jokes feel flat. 

It was only a half hour later when Tim’s phone pinged. He just grabbed it, looking hopeful, but his face fell into despair and confusion.

“What is it?” Bruce demanded as he stood up. Tim was taking deep breaths before speaking.

“Damian pressed his emergency button.” That got the bats moving again. Luckily, they were still in costume so they were about to leave immediately. Peter and Alfred swiftly made their way to the cave. Oracle was about to pull up their bodycam footage and comms so they could see and hear too. Peter watched as they swung through the city to Damian’s location. A part of him wished he could’ve gone with him. Feeling a weight on his shoulder he looked to Alfred who shook his head. Not yet, his eyes screamed. Every piece of him begged to go, but he stayed and watched the bodycams.

 It didn’t take long for them to reach Damian. He was in the back of an alley covered in blood that was hopefully not his own. The boy was tucked away behind a garbage bin, trying to catch his breath. From the angles on the cameras, Jason and Tim were on the rooftops, playing lookout, as Steph and Bruce were by Damian, trying to comfort the boy.”

“D–Robin! Are you okay?” The hero dressed in purple asked. The boy gave a shaky nod. It was weird seeing the usual demanding, stern child so vulnerable. 

“Robin report,” Bruce said gently, also feeling as off-put as Peter.

“It…it was seven men this time. They came out of nowhere, and not even Orphan wasn’t even able to notice them in time. They had basic footwork and combat knowledge like they were just learning how to fight. Even though they weren’t good fighters, they had powers–definitely meta. They also sprayed us with something to make us slow down. It made me sluggish and my eyesight blurry. Eventually, they knocked us out.”

“You’re doing good. Where is Orphan and Nightwing?” Damian was silent for a moment.

“They took them. I wasn’t strong enough, and took them.”

“Hey, don’t think like that,” Tim landed beside the trio and squatted to look Damian in the eyes. “It wasn’t your fault.” When Damian didn’t respond, Bruce spoke up.

“Do you know why they left you behind?”

“They tried to take me,” Damian started, his hands twitching. “But I kept fighting, even when I couldn’t see. They said something about me being ‘too hard to train’ and took Nightwing and Orphan once they passed out.”

“Okay, once last question then we’ll leave,” Bruce said, slowly helping Damian up.

“You don’t need to treat me like a victim.” Damian snarked at the man but accepted his help anyway. Once standing, Steph stood by the boy and steadied him.

“I’m not. Sorry if you feel that way. Did you get a list of their powers?”

“Not clearly, you’ll most likely have to review my bodycam footage. However, I’m sure density control, weak telekinesis, and memory manipulation are among them.” Bruce nodded at him, mentally taking note. 

“Okay, chum, you did well. Let’s get you home.” Bruce had Tim and Steph drive Damian back in the batmobile before going back to patrol. 

He let them know to stay in a pair to not notify someone when making any high-risk decisions, and to push their emergency buttons if even the wind felt off. They left, following his orders and driving back to the cave. Alfred walked in the direction of Medbay, getting it set up for Damian. Peter only took a seat in the bat’s chair and watched the bodycams. He only left to check on Damian before coming back to the cams. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

Three days. It’s been three days since Duke, Cass, and Dick have been gone. Not only that, Joke broke out of Arkham and is on the run. So, now their attention is divided between finding the Joker and the missing bats. 

Tim has been drinking more coffee, trying to stay awake, while patrolling, trying to see what the Joker could be planning based on what the word on the street says. Jason wanted to be out there, but a look from Bruce shut him up. So he’s been with Bruce, only coming up from food. Bruce refuses to leave the cave.

 Luckily, Alfred called Steph’s mom and Duke’s uncle about her going on a ‘trip with the Waynes’ and both agreed. That means no one will file a missing persons report for the two. Steph has been helping both Tim and Bruce with the case and helping Alfred and Peter make sure they get food. Alfred has benched Damian since the night Dick and Cass took. To their worry, the boy accepted it. He was spending extra time either in the barn or in his room. That leads Peter to where he is now, in front of Damian’s door, holding a veggie plate. 

He knocked once, the breathing he heard earlier ceased, but the heartbeat sped up. He knocked again. Nothing. He went to knock again by the door opened, revealing Damian. He was dressed in PJs, which was unusual for the boy, seeing as it was almost two in the afternoon. The boy looked at the plate he was holding, then up to Peter. 

After a moment, he walked away, with the door open. Peter took this as an invitation and walked in, closing the door behind him and setting the plate down on the desk across the room. He took a moment to look around. There were a lot of art supplies on the desk and scattered neatly around the room. Either placed in containers or placed on shelves. There was an easel in one of the corners and a big canvas on it. The painting was of a mountain with what looked like a temple built into its side. 

“That used to be my home,” Damian spoke, breaking the silence. Peter looked at the boy and tilted his head. “As I told you before, I lived with my mother before being brought to live with my father. We lived on Nanda Parbat, a mountain in Pakistan.”

“It looks beautiful.” Damian nodded once before moving to the painting, picking up his brush and adding some details. 

It was silent once more. Peter looked around the room some more. There were pictures of the family on the walls. Tim was in the least amount, but Tim once told him of his photography hobby and so he probably took most of these photos. There were painted portraits of Batcow and a Great Dane, probably Titus, and a cat, Alfred the Cat. Looks like the kid was more sentimental than he likes to show people.

“How are you holding up? I know the situation has everyone shaken.” Peter tried. He was hoping to get an idea of where his head was at. 

“Like I told father, don’t treat me like a victim.” Damian scoffed.

“I’m not. I’m treating you like someone I care about. Because I care about you.” Damian stopped his painting, the brush frozen in the aim before he put it down gently, turning towards Peter.

“Well, you shouldn’t…I failed.” Peter's eyebrows furrowed. 

“What do you mean failed? Damian you didn’t fail at anything” 

“YES, I DID!” Domain seemed shocked at his outburst, but Peter wasn’t. The kid was only ten and was holding this back for days. It was bound to happen sooner or later. “I wasn’t strong enough to help Richard and Cassandra. I failed them.”

“Did they ask you to protect them?” Damian lifted his head and shook it back and forth. “I don’t see how you failed at a mission you were never given.” 

“But…but I was trained for this. I was trained to be the best. To defeat anyone who challenged me. Instead, they were able to throw me to the side like I was a sack of flour.” Damian spoke, his slight accent getting thicker with each word being spoken. Peter’s concern was also growing.

“What do you mean trained?” Damian stilled, and his heartbeat, once again, sped up. 

“Before father…I lived with my mother. She was the daughter of Ra's al Ghul. He is the leader of the League of Assassins. I, being the only grandson, was training to take my grandfather's spot. That was until my mother brought me to Gotham.”

“League of Assassins? Huh, that explains a lot.” Damian looked confused and offended.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing bad, just explains the fighting skills and your too-observant behavior. You’re also unnaturally sneaky.”

“I am not too observant.” 

“You called out Tim’s secret boyfriend last week based on the fact that he was looking at his phone more than normal. Pretty sure you said, ‘Well, Drake, you are looking at your phone an average of twenty times a minute, instead of your usual ten times per minute. So, either you are expecting big news or have a lover. And I highly doubt that you would be about to hide any big news from us.’” 

“Not my fault Drake was being so obvious.” Damian pouted. Yes pouted–Peter wish the others were here to see it. 

“Why do you call Tim, Drake? You call the others by their first name unless they’re being annoying.” Damian went silent, guilt flashing in his eyes.

“When mother first told me about going with father, she said I had to prove myself to be the better sibling, so I could take my rightful place as Batman’s son. In the league, we kill to gain someone's position, and with Drake being Robin at the time…I tried to kill him…on multiple occasions.” 

“Well…damn.”

“I highly doubt Drake wants anything to do with me, so I am keeping the distance between us.” Peter hmmed.

“I see the reasoning, but I think you misunderstand.” Damian looked confused so he continued. “They know how you grew up, so though it wasn’t right, they probably understand that you were only doing what you taught. Plus, I’ve seen how Tim acts around you. If he was scared for his life, then you won’t be around you.” 

“I suppose so. I haven’t tried to kill him since the first week I’ve been here.”

“See, little steps.” Peter walked closer to Damian and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. “If you ask for my opinion, I’m sure Tim wants to be your brother.”

“But why?”

“Because you are a pretty cool kid.”

Damian looked up and stared into his eyes. The kid then hugged Peter, it surprised him, but he was quick to hug back. They held on for a few seconds before letting go. Damian immediately tried to straighten out his PJs before groaning, realizing that he should change. Ruffling his hair, Peter left, saying he would be in the kitchen with Alfred. He was almost halfway there before he heard crying coming from below. It wasn’t loud, but Peter heard it and rushed to the office. Put the hands at 10:48, Peter ran down the stairs, the cries getting louder. What he saw made his blood go cold. Jason was walking back and forth and Bruce held a crying Stephanie. She was covered in blood. They weren’t rushing her to Medbay, so it probably looked worse than it was. 

“What happened?” Peter asked, which only made her cry louder. Jason stopped his pacing and looked at him. His eyes were a steady green and his body screamed anger and restlessness.

“They have Tim.” Peter almost froze before forcing himself to move forward.

“How?” He demanded. That’s when Steph tried to talk.

“They…they ambushed us. There were three of them. One had pyrokinesis, another had aerokinesis, and the last one could make force fields.” No, longer crying, she stopped to take a breath. “They kept pushing the fire in my direction to separate us. They trapped Tim in a force field with smoke until he passed out and took him.”

“Fuck,” Jason screamed, “FUCK.” He punched a metal wall and put a dent into it. “So we are down four men, they are doing lord knows what with them, Damian was benched by Alfred, and the Joker is on the loose. Could this get any worse?” At that moment, the Batcomputer lit up with an alert. Oracle popped up.

“You just had to say something huh? Joke is attacking upper Gotham, but has bombs placed in lower Gotham.” They all paused. From the stories Peter was told, it was not a good idea to fight the Joker while short-staffed, but what choice did they have. Bruce seemed to have the same idea.

“Red Hood,” He barked, “Go with Spoiler to disable the bombs. I’ll take the Joker.”

“No way, old man. You told us to never fight him alone.” 

“What choice do we have?”

“Let me help.” Damian's voice spoke from behind Peter. 

“No, you’re benched, remember?” Bruce said already walking to the Batmobile.

“I feel better now! I can help.”

“You can help by manning the Batcomputer.”

“That’s Oracle’s job!” Before he could finish rebutting, Bruce had driven out of the cave. 

“Damn it, let’s go Spoiler. The bombs aren’t going to disarm themselves.” The two raced off, leaving Damian and Peter in the cave. Damian’s fists were closed, and his face showed a mix of worry and anger. Peter only put a hand on his upper back and led him to the chair in front of the Batcomputer.

“Okay, Oracle, what’s happening?” Peter asked, watching as bodycam footage showed up on the screens.

The two watched as Babs directed Jason and Steph to the bombs. It was going to take longer then expected because they were still expected to stay in a pair, just in case. There were apparently three bombs spread out in the city. They decided to work their way from the bomb furthest to closest to Bruce, not wanting to be too far away when the man started to get tired. According to Babs, the Joker had set the bombs to an hour each, meaning that they didn’t have much time.

Looking at Bruce’s camera they could see that he was grappling from roof to roof when he landed on top of a four-story building. On the street, there was a group of at least fifty citizens surrounded by Joker’s goons. The man himself was in the middle of the street with his arms stretched out to make a T-pose. He was spinning in a circle, laughing like a maniac. He suddenly stopped and looked directly at Bruce on the rooftop and smiled creepily.

“Aw, nice of you to join us, Batsy. I was getting pretty bored.”

“What do you want?” Bruce responded in his ‘Batman Voice.’ He wasn’t in the mood for games. 

“Now, now. Seeing as you have been a little short-staffed as of late, I would drop the attitude. Well, unless you want the poor, poor citizens to get hurt.” The Joker started to laugh again. 

“Leave them out of it.” Bruce said shortly.

“Well then, I suggest you hand over that meta of yours. The one who got lucky last time?” Lucky ? “Hand him over, and I’ll let the people go.”

“I don’t trade lives.”

“Oh, but I do. He has twenty minutes to get here. After that, I started shooting one person every five minutes. Tick Tock, Batsy.”

Peter’s eye flicked over to Jason and Steph’s bodycams. They were still on the second bomb and had a little more than thirty minutes left. At the rate they were going, they wouldn’t get to the Joker in time to stop the first shooting. 

“I’m going.” 

“What? No! You can’t jump into a fight like that! Plus, you don’t have a costume or any weapons.” Alfred came out of nowhere and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

“I say we trust Master Peter.” Alfred nodded at him. Fucking finally. 

Peter rushed to the locker rooms. A case was already sitting on one of the benches, ready for him. He put the suit on as he sent Alfred a silent ‘thank you.’ He has put on the costume and noticed an increase in armor, thankfully not enough to stop his movements. When he finished putting on the outfit, he noticed a belt in the case, it was next to a thigh sheath with enough space to fit three knives. 

The belt had many pockets and a holster, that already had a gun in it. There was also a sheath that he could put on his back, with a baton provided. God, he loves Alfred.   He put it on and went to leave the room but stopped when he passed a mirror. He looked so similar, yet so different to the kid assassin he used to be. He shook his head and left. He has a mission. He left the locker room and passed Alfred and Damian, only stopping when hearing Damian’s voice. 

“Where did you get a suit from?” He looked between Peter and Alfred, who only lifted an eyebrow at the ten-year-old. “Did you ever plan to tell father about this?”

“Master Peter agreed to step in if absolutely necessary. Now seems like a perfect time. I saw no reason to tell your father.” Damian looked to Peter, before grabbing something out of his pocket.

“I took the spare key for Drake’s bike. I was going to sneak out, but you can use it…I suppose.” With a small thank you, Peter took the keys. 

He started to walk to where the bikes are, and got on Tim's. He turned the key and looked at Alfred and Damian, as they both nodded, Peter raced out of the cave.

Chapter Text

Left, Right, Straight, Right, Left

Babs spoke in his ear, giving him directions to Bruce. It took a minute to convince her to help, but a few words from Alfred got her to cave. Now, she was guiding him through different shortcuts and alleyways of Gotham.

He kept an ear out for the Joker and his goons, his hearing being useful in situations like these. He could hear the crying from the kids and angry, but fearful, shouts from the men. The women were either quiet or trying to calm the kids down. He took count of the heartbeats. Ninety-two. Subtract fifty to count for the hostages and one for Bruce, which leaves forty-one people. Forty goons and one Joker. Doable.

About a mile out he packed deep in an alleyway, not wanting to warn them of his presence. He started to climb up the side of the buildings. And was running across them, Babs was still telling him where to go. 

“We have about three minutes before he starts firing, so you have to hurry. When you get there, make sure to–Shit.” Peter paused, putting a hand to his earpiece. 

“What happened?” 

“There was a fourth bomb at the last location. It went off as they finished disarming it, Hood and Spoiler are down for the count. I have to send Robin and hope Alfred lets him go.”

“He doesn’t have a choice,” Peter started, running again, he was worried about Jason and Steph, but he had fifty hostages and a bat to worry about. Alfred would see reason and let Damian go. “Oracle, focus on them, I have the situation from here.” 

“Are you sure? There’s only three minutes, and you still don’t know where–” Peter interrupted her. He stood on the edge of the roof, he could hear the Joker laughing. 

“No time, I’m close enough to use my hearing as a guide, go help the others,” Peter looked around, he was on the roof of a ten-story office building. He focused on his hearing and took note of where to go.

“Fine, but I’m keeping your video pulled. Now hurry, two minutes.” She clicked off.

Peter didn’t hesitate, he pushed off the building and aimed his wrist. Immediately, thin, white, lines shot out and hit a building across the street. He let himself swing down, then up, and repeated his actions. It had been a while since he used his webs, so it was no surprise that his wrists were irritated. He had no reason to use them for a while, and with them being one of the more obvious of his abilities, he had to hide it. Yet, if the situation wasn’t so dire, he would say he was enjoying the feeling of wind in his face as he got into a rhythm of falling and webbing. It made him feel more alive.

He was getting closer to the attack, he could hear the laughs and screams get louder. He could also hear Bruce trying to negotiate with the clown, trying to get him to release the hostages. Joker was refusing, telling the bat that they were running out of time, less than a minute. He heard grunting and a struggle from Bruce, he was pinned, trapped, or injured. Joker started a monologue, talking about how he wasn’t stupid and how the rando–Peter–made a fool out of him and ruined his reputation. 

Even then, Peter’s focus was on the hostages. By the screaming and crying, he could tell that there were twelve kids, twenty women, and eighteen men. They were huddled together, making this easier. According to what Oracle told him when he first left the cave, they were on a street, and next to them was a two-way alley, if he was able to let them through the alley, and then block it off, then they could run. He was Joker’s focus, so there wouldn’t be any goons sent after them. The question is how he would get them away from the goons. He didn’t have a lot of time to think as the Joker started to count down.

10

He was close, he could see the hostages on the street. They weren’t too far from the alley.

9

There were twenty goons around them, all of them holding guns. They were pretending to lunge at the kids, who were being held by the adults, making them scream louder.

8

He was less than a hundred feet away. He aimed his free wrist.

7

When some of the goon’s figures overlapped, he shot. Ten goons were stuck to the street, under his webbing. The countdown didn’t falter, the Joker didn’t notice.

6

The goons started looking around, and so did some of the hostages. They didn’t see him, they wouldn’t. Not when he didn’t want to be found.

5

One of the goons aimed his gun at a kid. She was no older than eight years old. He shot another web, and the goon and gun fell to the ground. They were stuck. Nine left.

4

Luckily for Peter, the rest of the goons started to group up. They were shaking, good. He aimed again and shot. If Jason and Steph weren’t taken out by a surprised bomb, he would’ve laughed at the rookie mistake of getting cowards for goons. Or maybe the man didn’t care. He was insane after all.

3

The rest of the goons were down, some were struggling and some tried to yell, but most were webbed in the mouth or too scared to scream. Peter landed in front of the hostages. The crying and screaming had mostly stopped, other than the younger kids. There was even an infant in one of the woman’s arms. He pointed in the direction of the alley. Some of the men ran, and some of them stayed back and helped grab the kids. Everyone was running by the time he reached the next number.

2

Looking around, Peter could see that the Joker wasn’t looking in their direction, not even his goons were looking at him. They were too focused on the bat that was tied up, hanging from the buildings. The man could get out if he wanted to but was trying to distract the villain from the hostages. It worked. 

1

He stopped counting, there was no gunshot. As he turned around, Peter shot a web at a nearby building and pulled himself out of his line of sight. Keeping the element of surprise.

“What?! How did…when…UGH!” The Joker yelled, no longer laughing. With the absence of hostages, Bruce broke out of his binds and rushed for the Joker. 

A couple of goons jumped at him, readying to fight. Unfortunately for them, Peter jumped out of the shadows and kicked the goon in the front, tripping the goons that were following. Peter landed and nodded at Bruce. The man quickly nodded back and ran forward again. Peter took on the job of stopping the goons from getting Bruce, going from left to right, hitting and kicking.

It was easy fighting with Bruce. Especially since he sparred with him, even if it ended in disaster. They moved seamlessly like they’ve been fighting together for years. Peter read his body language, knowing what he was going to do before he did it. Goons kept coming, Peter stopping as many as he could, and Bruce stopping to take on the rest. The Joker, and a few selected goons, started to run away. Bruce threw a batarang which flew in front of the group, startling them to a stop. Peter followed it up with a web, making them fall and stick to the street. The Joker was able to dodge a kept running. Peter after him as a few goons ganged up on Bruce. 

He caught up quickly and went to web him when the man turned around and pointed a gun at his head, his danger sense blaring. He ducked and tackled the man in his midsection instead. They rolled and the Joker was on top of him. He pulled back to punch Peter, he got a few hits in, but he mostly hit concrete as Peter moved his head side to side. Having enough, Peter moved and got on top of the Joker, giving him one punch and webbing him. 

Bruce stood next to him, the goons and Joker either webbed up or knocked out. The cloud man himself was laughing, in a sad and desperate kind of way. Peter almost felt bad for him. Almost.

“You! You’re the asshole that punched me right? Don’t think you won just yet, I’m not stopping until I kill you.”

“Blah blah, nothing I haven’t heard before. Now shush, we’re waiting for the police.”

“How dare you–.” Peter kicked him in the head, not enough to do damage, just enough to knock him out. He felt Bruce’s disappointing stare.

“What? He was annoying.” Peter said, making Bruce sigh.

“Let’s go, the police are on their way. What do they do about your webs?” Peter followed the man as he grappled to one of the nearby roofs.

“They’ll disintegrate in an hour or two, but they’re safe to touch.” Bruce nodded, putting a hand to his ear.

“Oracle, patch…” Bruce looked at him.

“Arachnid.”

“Patch Arachnid into our line and give us an update.”

“The police are a few minutes away and have been updated on the web. Robin is dressed and out, but bad news…”

“What happened?” Anyone else would’ve thought he was being snippy, but Peter could tell he was worried about his kids.

“Someone took Jason.”

“What?” Both Bruce and Peter asked and the same time. 

“Someone, who we are guessing is a part of the meta trafficking case, took Jason, but left Steph alone.”

“When?” Peter asked, maybe they could catch up. 

“Not long after I silenced your line. I noticed movement on his cam and saw that someone was moving him. I tried to follow through the street cameras, but then they went to the sewers and I lost them.” Her voice was tight and robotic, trying to keep emotions from ruling her.

“We’ll talk more when we get back to the cave. For now, make sure Robin gets to Spoiler and back safely,”

“Copy that, also, I–” She was cut off by the breaking of glass. It was a window, if the sound of wind was anything to go by. 

“Oracle? Oracle, report!” Bruce demanded, his breaths getting faster.

“What the–hey!” The were sounds of screaming and struggle.

Bruce shot off, Peter was quick to follow. He wanted to pull ahead but didn’t know where they were going. So, he followed Bruce while listening to Babs screaming profanities at the intruders. Things were breaking and people were falling. Then it went silent. 

“Oracle?” Peter wasked while swinging. “Are you there?” 

No response. 

Peter noticed that they were heading towards a clock tower. Looking closely, one of the clock faces was broken. They moved through the air, aiming up, and entered through the window. Inside, there was a couch with a coffee table. There was also a desk with multiple screens, though some of them were broken. Everything in the tower looked broken. There were scratch marks on the couch, the table had a broken leg. Papers were thrown around. One big mess and no Oracle, no Babs.

“Batman? Arachnid? Can you hear me?” It took a minute for Bruce to respond.

“I’m here, Agent A.” 

“I was trying to reach Oracle to let her know Robin has successfully retrieved Spoiler and got back safely.”

“She’s gone…they took her,” Bruce said, Alfred drew in a deep breath. And Peter felt useless.

“Come back, it’s time to make a plan to get them back,” Alfred demanded. And they did.

Chapter Text

The ride back was quiet, the air was tense. Bruce gripped the wheel hard enough for Peter to hear the leather twist whenever he turned. He could tell that Bruce was mad and disappointed, mostly at himself. The man who is famous for defeating men like the Joker, wasn’t there to protect his kids. Not to mention the lack to leads for whose running the underground, so they couldn’t just go and save them. That will take time, time that they might not have. Peter didn’t try to talk to him, moving through his own thoughts and emotions. 

He had only known these people for a week and yet he could feel his stomach drop whenever he thought about what the others could be going through. They were an odd group. Sometimes, they could be a little too much. But they would good and they cared. They cared about the city and each other . They risk their lives every night to make sure that the people of Gotham can rest peacefully at night, knowing they have protectors watching over them. All the people who had shifts late at night felt better knowing that Robin was only a shout away.

Peter knew his feelings were deeper than that. He knew he was missing his conversations with Duke, banter with Dick, and his hangouts with Cass. Peter missed the quick looks that Jason would give him whenever they were in the same room and the bonding sessions he and Tim would have in the cave. All he could think about was his time in the compound, but instead of kids he trained long aside, he saw them. The punishments they would go through, the test, everything.

Even in such a short amount of time, he knew he would do anything for them. 

The sound of bats brought him out of his thoughts. He watched as the cave opened and they drove through and jerked to a stop. Both he and Bruce quickly got out of the car and basically ran to where Damian stood, waiting for them.

“Robin, report.” Bruce managed to push out. 

“I went out shortly after the fourth bomb went off. I arrived, to find Spoiler there alone. Oracle informed me and Agent A that someone took Red Hood as he was unconscious. Due to their similar uniforms, we believe they are from the meta trafficking case. I brought Spoiler back here and she is currently being treated by Agent A. The com lines went down after I got back.”

Bruce was silent for a moment, taking everything in. He walked up and put a hand on Damian’s shoulder and brought him into a hug. Damien was surprised but didn’t show it. Instead, he looked at Peter, who nodded. Slowly, Damian wrapped his arms around the man, well as much as he could.

“Good job, Damian.” The kid backed up and nodded once. Footsteps were heard getting closer, the trio looked to see Alfred walking towards them.

“Batman, Arachnid. I’m glad you both were able to get back with no issues. Spoiler is still out, however, she should be waking up within the next day. Any injuries to report?” They both shook their heads and the man nodded at them. “Very well then, onto more pressing matters. What is the plan to get the rest of the team back?” Batman was silent for a moment. 

“I will continue to review what he has on file and follow any leads.”

“I believe you mean ‘we’ father,” Damian asked, Peter could tell his eyes were narrowed, even if they were underneath his mask. 

“No. They already took six of my children away from me. I will not allow them to take the last two.” His tone was final. He wouldn’t let Damian or Steph continue to look for the others. “That includes patrol. You and Spoiler are benched until further notice.”

“But father–”

“No.”

“You can’t do this alone.”

“I did before. And if it means you will be safe, I will do it again.”

“But–”

“Let me help.” They both turned to look at him, almost like they forgot he was standing there. He didn’t blame them. This was the most emotion seen in Bruce since he’s been there. “Look, I sat back and let you do things your way. But now, you are down six people and refuse to let the last two help. You are only one man and can’t be everywhere at once. Let me help.”

Bruce turned to Alfred instead of responding. “You gave him a suit.”

The butler raised one of his eyebrows in a challenging manner. “How observant of you, sir.”

“Why?”

“Because of times like this. When things get tough or you need extra backup. I figure he would be a good candidate.” Bruce turned back to Peter and looked at him, really looked at him. Peter wanted to know what he saw. 

“What’s your plan?” 

Peter smirked at him. He ignored the way Damien and Bruce shivered slightly.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Peter moved through the streets of Crime Alley with ease, using his danger sense to stay away from sketchy alleys and keeping his ears out for anything that might help. Part one of his plan is to take to the streets of the city and gather information. He’s been to the narrows, the Financial District, and everywhere in between. He found out a few things by listening and asking questions. First, the traffickers don’t send out groups to take metas. Most of the metas taken are usually kidnapped by third parties and then sold to the group. The number of metas taken is also higher than they expected. People were scared of making reports for fear of retaliation. Closer to one hundred metas have been taken, and that didn’t make Bruce feel any better. 

Now, he was hitting Crime Alley and it was five in the afternoon. He was trying to get all the information he can before the group is alerted that someone was poking around their ‘business.’ The last thing they need is the group covering their tracks. Walking down the street he kept on ear out for anything that could be considered suspicious. There were sounds of yelling and crying from somewhere nearby. His hands itched to help to investigate, but he knew better. It would draw attention and blow his cover. Instead, he kept walking. He looked around. Jason has been taken less than a day ago and there are already mentions of Red Hood not showing up to certain families for checkups or not watching the alleys close to the neighborhood schools. No criminals have been acting out, in case he appears at any moment, but there is tension in the air. Peter hopes they can figure it out where everyone is before the tension breaks. 

He walked a little further down the street before stopping at the mouth of an alley. Looking around, he saw nothing but an empty street, good, fewer people to bother him. He turned back into the conversation that 

“Yeah, you should’ve seen it. A backpack with cash. But it was all colorful and shit.” The voice was deep and rough. He was most likely a smoker if the stutter in his voice said anything.
“Really? Do you think it was fake?” This voice was slightly younger, but also a heavy smoker. His voice wavered, sounding almost scared.

“Not sure. They said it was real and was $10,000. But the guys are still new and I have to see if it’s the real deal. If not, I can go to Hood and tell him about their operation.”

“What?! Wouldn’t he be mad that you, I don’t know, SOLD SOMEONE?” 

“Eh. He makes deals with people who turn in information. I tell him, he’ll let me go, and then I just lay low for a few weeks. Then the cycle starts all over again.”

“You are crazy man. Say, what colors is the cash anyways?”

“Mostly yellow-orangeish and red. There is a little green here and there, but not our green. If that makes sense.” Peter stilled. He knew those colors. Looking around, the street was still empty, he took a deep breath and stepped into the alley. 

“Sounds like it’s Canadian currency.”

The two men flinched and looked towards him. The taller one, around 5’10”, looked to be in his forties, maybe late thirties. He wore baggy cargo pants with a black hood. He also had a beenie that said ‘get fucked’ on it. His eyes narrowed at him, he looked ready to attack at any moment. The shorter guy, 5’ 8” probably, looked like he was in his late twenties. He wore an all-black tracksuit and a blank blue hat. He looked like he wanted to flee at the most convenient time, but the glances at the older man showed that was ready to fight for him. How sweet.

“Who the fuck are you?” The older guy screamed, his fist balled up. Peter put his arms in the air, trying to calm them down. It worked slightly.

“No need to be aggressive. I was curious about this group that has been going around, trying to see how legit it is. I have a few people I want off the street. Sounds like they are scamming people.” He hated talking about selling people. It was inhumane and disgusting, but sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to. 

“You saying they scammed me?” The man yelled. The man makes Peter’s ears hurt, but he doesn’t flinch. 

“Pretty much. It’s Canadian cash and while you can turn their money into U.S. dollars, it’ll only be around $7,000.”

“So they shorted me three grand? I knew they were bullshitting me. All over some stupid metas.” The guy was now pissed, this was good. A glance at his friend showed that the guy froze up.

“Basically yea. How did you find them anyway?” Peter focused back on the topic. 

“The losers spread the by word of mouth. They don’t wanna risk being on the bats’ bad side.” So much for that. “They usually wait in parts of the sewers that aren’t used anymore, to see if anyone shows up, but change location every other week.”

“When and where’s the next meeting?”

“Why? You a cop or something?” Now he was using his head. 

“Nah. Like I said, I have a few people I want off the streets and a few grand is better than nothing. So?” The guy looked him up and down so a second. 

“It’s tomorrow night, somewhere in the Theatre District. By the way? We never had this conversation.” The guy left the alley, Peter made sure to pay extra attention when he passed by, leaving his friend behind. The guy saw this and went to leave, but Peter grabbed his arm. In his fear, he grabbed Peter’s arm and his nails dug in.

“I’m assuming he doesn’t know. I would get better company.” His eyes widened and backed away. He went to leave, but not before looking at Peter and giving a hesitant nod. 

As he left, Peter looked down at where the man held his arm and saw claw marks. He hoped that the man would take his advice and leave. Putting a hand to his ear, he pressed down. 

“You got all of that?”

“Yes.” Damian’s voice came through. Bruce didn’t want him out but allowed him to be on comms from the safety of the cave. Bruce had to do paperwork and take a few phone calls for the company. “I believe we have enough to make a plan. Good job Arachnid.”

“Thanks, kid. I’m on my way back.”

He ignored Damian’s ‘not a kid’ speech and walked down about a mile and retrieved Tim’s motorcycle from a secluded alleyway. He’s been using the bike to get around faster, he doubts the guy would care. He started towards the manor. Since he was using Red Robin’s bike in broad daylight, he needed to use the super secret entrance Bruce went through that night. The ride was uninteresting. Gun shot here and there, some yelling, nothing unusual for Gotham. 

He pulled up and saw Damian dressed in his Robin uniform. Bruce wanted to tell him no, that there was no reason. But Damian wanted it on just in case. It made him feel better knowing that he would be able to properly defend himself without compromising his civilian identity. Bruce couldn’t say no after that. 

“Good, you’re back. Steph woke up a couple of hours ago and is upstairs with Alfred. Father is still on call with Fox and Alfred said to tell you that dinner is ready.” Peter walked past him and ruffled his hair, leaving Damian to fix it with a frown on his face. 

“Thanks, let me update the files and I’ll head up.” Instead of taking the dismissal, Damian followed him to the computer.

“Why not let father update them after you give him your report.” Peter’s face quickly scrunched up at the word ‘report’ before relaxing again. That was one of the things Bruce demanded that Peter do if he wanted to help them with cases. He would have to write and file reports. 

“I’ll still give him a report later, but he’s busy and it would be best to put in the information while it’s still fresh.” Damian nodded and watched as Peter got into the computer. During their planning talk last night, Alfred told them that he made Peter a login into the computer. Bruce wasn’t too happy, but let it go. It was Alfred after all.

Peter signed into the computer and located a file named: MT_1. According to Damian, for cases that they collaborate on, they name it the decided abbreviation and the number on the priority list. In this case, it was Meta Traffic and number one on the priority list. Apparently they have different labeling systems for personal cases, but for collabs, they keep it simple. 

He opened the file and updated it using all the information he gathered throughout the day. He also noted certain people who either took part in the operation or knew of it and didn’t report it. He also got some information from metas who were hiding from the operation. Since they have until tomorrow night for the next meeting, he will tell Bruce everything he found out today, then they can spend tomorrow planning. He exited the files and went to shut down the computer when a folder caught his eye. His breath caught in his throat and he ignored Damian’s questions of if he was okay. He just stared at it with mixed emotions.

Project Паук

He opened it up and was face to face with a picture of him. It was a younger version of him, taken not too long before he escaped. His hair was messy, his eyes empty. He scrolled down and saw that all of his medical files and mission records had been downloaded down—everything from his flash drive, minus the pictures that May gave him. 

“You’re like me.” Peter turned around and saw Damian stare at the screen with awe. 

“Kind of.” He responded. 

“What do you mean kind of? You are an assassin too.”

“Was. I was an assassin. We were assassins. Not anymore.” His voice was tight, and Damian noticed this. He looked at the screens and looked guilty this time. “What did you do?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Peter looked at the way Damian shifted his weight between his feet. 

“The first night you were here and left your bag, I went through it. I found your USB and gave it to father. He never told us what was on it. The next day, he gave it back before I was on my way to the safehouse.” 

Peter took a deep breath. His privacy was invaded and all of his personal information was on a computer that multiple people had access to without his knowledge. Anyone from the family could’ve opened his file and seen all the people that he killed. All the experiments were done on him.

“I’m sorry.” Damian repeats, looking at the ground this time.

“It’s not okay.” The kid flinches, his fist tightening into a ball. “But I get it.” His head snapped up and he looked towards Peter, eyes wide. “I was a stranger who claimed to be from another universe. You had a right to be suspicious. Plus, I think we are past that. I trust that you wouldn’t sneak through my stuff now.” Damian just nodded. “Great. Let’s go eat dinner now, I want to check on Steph and I don’t want to keep Alfred waiting.” Damian turned around and went for the stairs with Peter following.

He has a couple of words for Bruce.

Chapter Text

Dinner went as well as it could’ve went. Peter was able to see Steph and make sure she was okay–both physically and mentally. Despite her reassurances that she was fine, they could tell she was shaken up and felt guilty for ‘letting’ Jason get taken, not to mention the guilt she still felt for not saving Tim. Everyone tried to assure her that it wasn’t her fault, they didn’t know that the bomb was there. She didn’t look convinced but let it go when Alfred started to serve everyone. 

Alfred had made more than enough food for everyone. Matter a fact, he made enough food for those who were at the table, and who were not. Peter needed to make sure to check on the butler. He had seen them grow from kids and teens to adults. Most of them are still teens. The whole situation was probably hitting him harder than anyone thought. He was definitely dotting on Damian, and now Steph, more often. 

Steph was silent throughout the meal and with no one to banter with, Damian too was silent. Bruce was in his own world, probably one where he figured out where the rest of the family was. Hopefully after their talk, some progress would be made. 

With everyone eating quickly and silently, they were done with dinner quickly. According to Alfred’s frown, it wasn’t a good thing. Steph, who was put on bed rest by Alfred, waved good night to everyone and went upstairs to her room. The week off from school is almost over and the Waynes were probably expected to make a public appearance and photo releases from their vacation. Their time is running out.

Damian went to follow Bruce and Peter to the cave, but Alfred promptly stopped him, telling him that it was time for rest. He looked like he wanted to say something but a glance at Peter shaking his head kept him from arguing. Peter saw Bruce frown out the corner of his eye but ignored it, the man was one thin ice already. 

With Alfred taking Damian to bed, Bruce and Peter made their way done. Peter tried to take deep breaths to center himself. It wouldn’t be good for the mission if tensions got high, especially since they were the only ones who know what’s happening. After turning the hands on the grandfather clock and reaching the cave, Peter listened to the Manor. Steph was awake but in her room and Alfred was still helping Damian get to bed. With everyone accounted for, he spoke up.

“You know.” Bruce paused halfway to the batcomputer, turning to look at Peter.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I saw the file, Bruce. Lying is only going to piss me off more.”

Silence.

“That’s how you knew that I had a sixth sense, right? Why not ask me, rather than try to kill me?” Peter stepped forward and Bruce’s hands twitched, making Peter scoff.
“I knew you would dodge.” 

“Then what was the point of throwing it?” By this point, Peter started to raise his voice. 

“Just to be sure.” 

“So, you knew I would dodge because it says so on my file, but you wanted to be sure. So you threw a batarang at me, when you weren’t sure that I would dodge, even if it said it on my file. Do you know how fucking confusing that is.”

“It seemed reasonable to me.” Bruce walked the rest of the way to the computer and pulled up the file Peter updated earlier. “Canadian currency? Interesting.”

“Bruce, no.” He paused at Peter’s stern tone. “I’m tired of your bullshit. You know what your problem is? You have this inability to trust anyone, but expect everyone to trust you with their lives. Someone could buy you a coffee out of the kindness of their heart and you would throw it away, thinking you were poisoned. You are so emotionally constipated that you rely on Dick to make sure everyone else doesn't break down, but guess who is there for him. No one. Guess who is supposed to. You. You have responsibilities as a leader, as a father, that you have been neglecting. You are one of the most closed off, narrow minded people I have ever met.”

Bruce didn’t turn around, didn’t respond. He just stared blankly at the computer. No doubt reading and rereading the information in the file. Peter knows he hit a nerve but it needed to be said. If Bruce didn’t acknowledge the damage he was doing, he would change.

“It is such a shame because you have such a big heart. I see the way you look at Damian when he acts his age. I see how you smile when Jason is around, the way that you try to connect with the others. Bruce you're not a bad person, but you have made some bad choices. If you keep shutting people out and always prioritizing Batman, you are going to grow up a very sad, lonely old man. You need to show your family the same care you show your rouges…without all the breaking bones and imprisonment. Fix it.”

“How?” It came out quiet. If Peter didn’t have enhanced hearing, he wouldn’t have known he said anything. Bruce was still facing the computer, but Peter had no doubt he felt Peter’s pleased stare. 

“We’ll talk more about it later, but wanting to change is a good first step. For now, let’s focus on getting the others back before Damian decides to go rogue and get them himself.”

“Right” Bruce turned around and faced him. “And Peter? I’m sorry.”

“Like I told Damian, it’s not okay. But we can get past it. As long as you don’t throw any more sharp objects at me.” Bruce nodded once. One thing at a time. “Great.”

“Now, Arachnid report.” Peter scoffed and rolled his eyes, but started talking anyways. 

“The group we are more organized than originally thought. They had been paying whoever brings them anyone who is meta, basically having others do the dirt work for them. They have also been working out of the sewers, which is why we can’t find any activity on the cameras. I asked Oracle to check, there are some older, abandoned parts of Gotham that aren’t covered by cameras that have a way into unused sewer systems.”

“The currency?”

“It’s Canadian.”

“How can you be sure? He only said colorful. Lots of currency is colorful.” 

“Canada makes the most sense.” Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“Elaborate”

“It’s the closest to us and they wouldn’t want to risk transporting anywhere else, yet.”

“Yet?” 

“That’s how these organizations work. They start in one place, then as they get more confident, they expand the area they work in. They most likely started in Canada or somewhere close, then started to bleed into the US once they started to feel comfortable. That’s why we could find a base in Gotham or any of the surrounding areas.” Bruce was mentally noting it, Peter could tell, but he wasn’t fully convinced.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s just a theory.” Bruce looked unimpressed.

“Fine. Look, our universes aren’t parallel. We don’t have Superman or Batman. But I think we have similar concepts.”
“Concepts?”

“Yeah. We don't have Batman and Joker, but we have heroes and villains. While we don’t JL Dark, we have magic users, etcetera, etcetera. Since we had a secret organization that took people for training that was based in Canada, I think this universe is about to go through the same thing.” But not if Peter could help it. 

“How can you be sure that it's in the same location?”

“Because I’m going to follow them.” “No, that’s too dangerous. You could get hurt.” “I’m touched, but it’s the only choice we have. They are supposed to be hanging out in the sewers tomorrow night, just in case someone is turning in a meta. I can follow them from there and find their base.”

“You didn’t put that in the file.”

“You’re deflecting.”

“I’m not gonna let you go alone. Plus, how would you even follow them?”

“Don’t you know? I’m an assassin, trained in infiltration, torture, and badassness.”

Bruce sighed while Peter laughed.

Chapter Text

“This is stupid. Probably the stupidest idea I have ever heard.”

“Damian, I already promised that I would be careful,” Peter responded, hidden in one of the abandoned buildings, less than a mile away. 

“It’s still stupid.”

“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty.” Steph chimed in. 

Once Steph and Damian heard that Peter and Bruce had a plan to get the rest back, they wouldn’t rest until they were allowed to join. They even threatened to put their suits on and follow them. Bruce wanted to say no and leave them in the cave, but Peter convinced him to let them come. At least that way, they would know where the two are and what they are doing. This was too important to leave anything to chance.

“Arachnid report.” Bruce’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“That is not going to become a regular thing.” Steph snorted at that. “There are five people, three men and two women. Someone is also scrapping a knife against the wall, so there are blades involved. I smell gunpowder, so be careful of guns. I also smell chloroform so watch for that.”

“Noted.” 

Peter looked out a window and up to the sky. It was past midnight, closer to two or three. Bruce wanted to wait to see if anyone would end up being kidnapped, just in case they needed to be saved. Spoiler was watching Gotham, to her dismay, so the city wouldn’t be left unprotected for the night. The last thing they needed was for any of the bigger players to know that the Bats were too occupied to deal with them. Thankfully the Joker is back in Arkham.

“Batman,” Peter started, walked out of the building and onto the roof, “They are talking about leaving, we need to move now or never.” The line was silent for a moment.

“Copy, me and Robin are going in.” The ‘I trust you’ went unsaid.

The line was quiet but Peter could still hear everything. Batman and Robin ran into the sewers, confronting the five people. There was cursing and fighting. Knives hit what Peter assumed was Damian’s katana. There were sounds of water and screams. Water powers, noted. Damian yelled something about a force field, so Peter noted that he was a part of the group that took Tim. There was a crackle of fire. Looks like the force field guy and fire guy are placed together a lot. Peter made sure to keep an eye out for a change of wind. Then Peter heard it.

“Retreat!” 

Then he was off. Jumping from roof to roof. The wind was blowing in his face but it barely bothered him. He kept pushing forward. He tuned out Steph asking if everyone was still okay. He ignored Bruce’s check-in. Instead, he listened to their breaths, their heartbeats, everything. He committed them to memory. Peter refused to lose them. Not when they were so close to getting the others back. The farther they went, the more Peter slowly bridged the gap between them until he was less than a football field away. He used the shadows to cover him, syncing his footsteps to theirs. He slowed his breath and stayed quiet the entire time. They started to walk, looking around. They wouldn’t find him unless he wanted them to. They had been walking for almost five hours, heading north. Eventually, they approached the train tracks. 

It was in an isolated area with trees on either side of the rails. Peter was hidden in the tree lines. Watching, waiting, like a predator ready to pounce. It took almost another hour, but a train finally came. They threw their bags–Presumably full of money, chloroform, and weapons–and jumped on after them.  He waited a few seconds before running to the train and climbing on top, only a few cars back from them. He listened to their conversations. They talked about what they ate last night, about the weather and long walks. They laughed about a show that was on last night. They acted like normal people who got up in the morning, worked a nine to five, and went home to binge-watch cartoons. It pissed Peter off.

He sat on the top of the train as the sun started to come up. It was beautiful. Colors started to bleed into the sky, lighting up the land around them. Peter saw squirrels in the trees come out, the birds started to sing and in the distance, Peter could see a deer, staring at him. It was peaceful. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The scents of the flowers nearby calmed him down. 

If he wanted to do this then he needed to use all the skills he learned in the compound. He needs to be silent and deceitful. He needs to be ten steps ahead of everyone. He could take any chance. Peter reached up to his com, not pressing it, just reminding himself that he wasn’t alone. He had people to rely on, people who could pull him back from the dark place he was about to go to. 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Eight hours and a border check later, which Peter had to hide for, they crossed over into Canada.

 Peter loved it when he was right. 

From there on, he continued to track them. Started moving towards a city. Peter took a moment to get on top of the roof. He kept an eye on them as they moved through the crowd. They used some of the money in their bags to purchase food and drinks at a local coffee shop before moving through the city again. Peter hated their laughing, smiling, faces. Out moving freely, while tens, maybe dozens on metas were kidnapped from their homes. 

Finally, the group looked around and nodded at each other before taking a bus towards the east side of the city. He kept up with the bus while keeping out of view of the civilians. The last thing he needed was a spectator telling the police that someone was out jumping from building to building. 

After a couple of stops, the group left the bus and entered what looked like an abandoned part of the town. Some buildings had plants growing on them, while others had broken windows covered with wood. There were also some houses that were occupied with kids playing soccer, running up and down the street as the group and Peter walked down and took a couple of turns. There were cars parked at some of the houses, mostly older, run-down cars. 

It didn’t take long for them to enter a large warehouse. The open was a mix of different colored metals. There was dirt and rust, but it fit perfectly into the neighborhood's aesthetic. Looking through the windows, Peter saw nothing but old cars and toolboxes scattered around. There was a layer of dust on everything. There was graffiti on some of the walls, but other than that, it looked as if no one had been there for years. However, as the group stopped in a seemingly random corner, one of the group members waved her hand, and an elevator appeared. 

Putting in a code, 1525, they enter the elevator. Peter listened as it went down until it was far underneath the ground–forty to fifty feet if Peter had to guess. After a few moments, the elevator disappeared again. Okay, a super secret underground base, great. Looking around for cameras, Peter entered the warehouse and stood in the corner where the elevator was. All that stood there now was a piece of wood, slanted against the wall. He reached out and his hand hit metal. In what appeared to be a ripple effect, the elevator was revealed. He stood and listened to what was happening underground. It was muffled, but no alarms were going off. Peter quickly put a hand to his com.

“Arachnid to base.”

“Arachnid!” Steph was the one to answer the call. He could hear her call the others to the cave. “You went silent on us and we started getting worried, don’t do that again. Your tracker says you’re in Ontario. Are you okay?”

“Arachnid?” Damian’s voice came through. 

“Hey bud, see, I’m still okay.”

“The mission isn’t over yet.”

“Arachnid report.” Bruce came in. Peter still isn’t happy about the demand, but he’s come to the conclusion that it’s Bruce’s way of asking if he was okay. Verbalization of feelings is another thing they need to work on.
“I’m fine, I found the entrance to the base. It’s underground and accessible via an elevator.” The elevator hasn’t disappeared yet, whoever hides it most likely needs to actively put up the illustration, but they don’t know when someone messes with an illusion, interesting. “Listen, I’m going in, but the signal will be blocked and I won’t be able to talk. I’m leaving my tracker in the warehouse for you guys to track.”

“Are you sure you can do this?” Peter was glad that they couldn’t see him rolling his eyes.
“As long as you complete your part, everything will be fine.”

“Will you be fine?” Damian asked. Peter could basically see him narrow his eyes as he questioned him.

“Yes.” Maybe.

“We got you,” Steph said. 

“See y’all on the flip side.” Peter took off his tracker and placed it under one of the run-down cars and headed for the elevator again. He put in the code, took a deep breath, and entered. 

The doors closed in front of him as he turned around to face the doors. He knew from the other group that the descent would take a minute or two, so he was forced to listen to the cliche elevator music on the way down. The deeper he went, the more he could hear and smell. There was talk of surgeries, training regimes, and food schedules. Little mutters of punishment here and there. What haunted him the most, was the sounds of crying. There were people of all genders and ages trapped here. Lots of kids were crying for their parents, while–what sounded like teens–tried to comfort them. It reminds him of the compound. There were even adults cursing out the guards and trainers. 

The elevator finally stopped. It took a second to open, but when it did, it showed two guards on either side. They were facing away, but the sound of the elevator opening caused them to turn around and spot him. They reached for their guns but before they could do anything, Peter grabbed their arms and dragged them both into the elevator, and using a little bit of super strength, he slammed their heads together, knocking them out. He pressed the up button and left as the elevator closed back up and took the guard to the top floor. The hallway extended towards the right and left. Listening to the sounds of crying, he went the opposite direction. Anything important would be kept away from the prisoners, especially since they got some of the bats. Peter doesn’t doubt they’ve tried to fight and escape before.

The hallways seemed to stretch on, shining a bright light that reminded him of hospitals. He kept walking, trying to listen for and avoid guards. He needed to go unnoticed for now. He was going down a hallway, following the sound of whirring and beeping. As he was about to turn a corner, he heard footsteps change direction, heading his way. He turned to go back the way he came, but he heard a guard coming from that way too. They knew he was there. 

Peter looked around, trying to think of a way to escape before a small red light caught his attention. It was a small hidden camera, placed where the wall meets the ceiling. He quickly shot a web at it and looked around some more. Looking up, he saw a vent. He was bigger than sixteen years old him–being fed well really helped him gain muscle, but he should still be able to fit. The footsteps got closer, the air was tense when he started to scale and climb the wall. It wasn’t tall, maybe nine feet at most, and he was able to get to the vent quickly. Since they knew he was there, Peter figured he should forgo stealth and ripped the vent cover off, and quickly got in. He was only a few feet away when bullets started hitting the vent. 

Peter army crawled through the vents, taking a couple of turns, before stopping over a different cover. This one allowed him to see into what looked like a medical room. There were two doctors looking over notes. Their heads blocked most of the pages, but Peter was able to catch some of the words. White Blood Count: Normal. O 2 Levels: Slightly Low. Name: Lindsay Howard. Age: 6

Lindays Howard, Age 6

It made Peter want to scream and cry at the same time. Moving his gaze across the room, took in the different beds and equipment, before stopping at a hospital bed that was placed against the wall. Tim. He looked pale and sweaty. His breaths were laboured but the doctors didn’t seem to worry about it. Peter wanted to enter the room and demand that they get him something for his breathing, to help him, but he couldn’t risk it. The best chance Tim has is Peter completing the mission as planned.

So, he kept pushing forward. Peter could tell when they turned the AC on, probably trying to flush him out, because it gradually got colder and colder. If it wasn’t for his training, he most likely would’ve started hibernating by now.

A few more turns and he was finally over what looked like a file room and more importantly, there was a computer against the wall. He closed his eyes and focused. There were two heartbeats in the room but no smell of gunpowder, so not guards. He could take them out but he would have to be careful, there could be guards outside of the door. Peter placed one hand on the vent cover and placed the other on the side where the rest of the vent meets the cover. Pressing down, he fell with the cover, catching himself with the other hand. He shot a web at the first person he saw. 

His danger sense went off, so he immediately dropped and rolled. A crash came from where he was just hanging. Looking, he saw a shattered mug. His neck started to itch again, he lifted his wrist and shot a web at the last person. Moving to the computer, he made sure to web the door close as well. Just as the webs covered the door, he heard the knob turn and banging on the door. There were shouts to let them in. He ignored them. He walked up to the desk that held the computer. There were files and pens all over the desk. Some of the papers had black-blocking parts of sentences. Others had parts in different languages, Peter could read all of them. 

Looking at the computer, he saw a piece of tape placed on the edge of the screen. It read, PASSWORD: W3W1N. Peter figured they were really dumb or really cocky. Probably both. He turned on the computer, the user was already there, all he did was enter the password and he was in. The first thing he did was put in the code Bruce made him memorize. It would allow them to connect from the cave. They would have access to any and all files, emails, and more. 

After giving them access he jumps back up to the vent and starts to crawl again. He kept an ear out and kept pushing through the cold. There was dust and webs here and there. He had to suppress his sneezes as he moved silently. It took him longer to get where he wanted because he had to stop when he heard guards too close to the vent shaft he was going down, but he eventually got where he wanted. 

From his angle, he could see Cass and Duke in a cell, slightly bigger than a prison cell but not by much. They were huddled together on a cot, Cass leaning on Duke. He saw bandages on her arms. Looking closer at Duke, he saw a few scratches on his face, they looked like they were just starting to heal. Peter didn’t doubt that there were more injuries. He could hear Jason and Dick talking but from different places. Sounds like they were across from each other. They were discussing Tim. Apparently Tim was without a spleen and hasn’t been given antibiotics since he was taken. During ‘sparring’ he got a scratch and it got infected. He was taken only a few hours ago, so they have time. The cell had metal bars and a metal lock on them, though they seemed reinforced with another type of metal as well.

Peter focused on the other prisoners too. There were at least fifty, more than they thought. Most of them weren’t hurt to the point that they needed it medically, but by the sound of most stomachs, they needed a good meal. There were a few heartbeats that sounded off, but nothing too bad. It seemed like the organization wanted to keep everyone somewhat healthy, for not at least. Peter knows from experience that the larger they are here, the harsher the punishments will be.

Before Peter could get any more information, an alarm sound went off. The lights dimmed and turned red. Cass and Duke quickly rose from their place on the cot and approached the bars, trying to see what was happening. Not waiting another moment, Peter pushed the vent cover down and landed on the ground in a squat. Standing up, he faced Cass and Duke but saw Jason and Dick looking through their bars too. There was an older gentleman in Dick’s cell, Tim was probably supposed to be in Jason’s. 

“Hey everyone, ready to get out of here?”

Chapter Text

“Peter?”

“How’d you get here?”

“Were you why the guards left?”

Their voices were overlapping each other, combined with the whispers and yells of the other prisoners, Peter was already getting a headache. He would worry about that later though, right now, the prisoners take priority.

“Surprise.” Was Peter’s only response. Not wasting any time, Peter rushed to the front of Cass and Duke’s cell, inspecting the lock.

“We’ve tried everything we can think of,” Duke told him, rambling as Peter flipped the lock back and forth. “None of the lockpicking techniques worked. I’m not sure how you will-” Before Duke could finish Peter had yanked on the lock and it broke.

“Sometimes, brute force works best.” At that statement, Peter heard footsteps from down the hall. Without a word he threw the lock at the pack of guards that turned the corner, hitting one in the head, knocking him out. The rest of the guards paused and stared in shock. “Like that. Is anyone in fighting condition?” 

“No. Everyone is either starved, injured, or both.” Dick answered this time, Peter noticed his arm shaking as he gripped on the bars and that Duke was about to fall over as he led Cass out of the cell.. He looked to Jason, the most recent prisoner. He didn’t show any signs of being starved, but he was bruised and obviously tired. They wasted no time pushing him into training. “Their methods were a lot more brutal than B’s.” The others agreed with him.

“Noted. I’m going to get a few keys from the guards, you guys go around and unlock the rest of the cells. While I’m holding the guards back, head other way and press this when it’s safe.” Peter hands Cass a small piece of metal with a button. “When you press it, it will send a signal to B and the others to start their part of the plan.”

“Wait! Tim is–” 

“In Medbay, I saw.” Peter was already walking towards the guards, who were recovering from the shock and readying their guns. “You guys go, I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

“But–” 

“Dick,” Peter paused and looked over his shoulder. “I know.” The man looked at him confused. “I know ” The man’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth, ready to talk, maybe defend himself, Peter doesn’t know. Whatever he was going to say, Peter cut him off, they don’t have time for a heart to heart. “You know what I can do, let me do it.” The man hesitantly nodded at that. The rest of the bats looked between them, eyes furrowed, but Peter sprinted down the hall as his neck started to itch.

Charging to the guards, he grabbed a gun and pointed it down as the man pulled the trigger and it shot. The close-range shot had caused the man to recoil back, giving Peter a chance to hit his throat and smash his head into the wall. He yanked a key off the man and slid it down the hall for Duke to pick up. He vaguely heard the sounds of a lock opening as another man ran towards Peter. Peter went low and swiped him off his feet, kicking his head on the way down. Two men, on either side of Peter, ran at him. He jumped and rolled over the man he just knocked down. Grabbing the key, he chucked it down the hall. At the same time, the two guards ran into each other, knocking themselves off balance.

Idiots.  

A man ran past Peter towards the cells, he didn’t get far before Peter grabbed his gear and pulled him back. He had kicked the man in the spine, no doubt breaking it. The crack echoed down the hall. He could feel the looks coming from the bats, but in the moment he couldn’t care less. Someone grabbed him from the back, trying to choke him. Peter squeezed his wrist, causing another crack to echo. Sounds of whimpers came from the prisoner, he couldn’t care less. 

The two men who ran at him before got up, one of them pointing a gun at him. The man not holding a gun approached him with a punch. Peter grabbed his arm when his neck itched. He pulled the man toward him, his head at the same level as Peter’s chest, when the shot went off. The bullets hit the man in the head, Peter stepped to the side as the bullet exited him. Without pausing, he tackled the gunman and one punch knocked him out. 

Looking around, there were no more guards. Just bodies of disgusting men who wore a uniform. Peter looked at the man that was shot, and his stomach dropped. After escaping the compound, he swore that he would never kill again. But he didn’t even think before putting the man's head in the bullet's path. There were so many ways he would have dodged and kept the man alive. He could’ve done better. 

“You can do better than that, again.”

Peter looked to his left. One of his many teachers stood there. Her face was cold, void of any emotion. She wore a black blazer over a blue button up shirt and a black pencil skirt. Instead of the heels she usually wore, she had on black flats. The teachers were probably having a meeting later today, most likely discussing their next training exercises. Peter must’ve been staring for too long because she raised an eyebrow at him. He simply lowered his head and went to retrieve the six knives out of the target. All but one hit fatal spots.

Peter felt his twelve year old legs shake as he got back into place. He lifted up the first knife and let it fly. As the knife left his hand, the target shifted from a piece of paper to a man with a bag over his head. The knife hit his right shoulder. 

“Again”

Peter quickly threw another one, this time it hit his head. Peter watched as the bag got soaked with blood. A drop of blood escaped the bag and went down his neck as the man stopped moving.

“Very good. Bring in the next traitor.” 

AHH!

Peter flinched back.

“What is the matter? A little blood is too much for you?”

HELP!

“No sir, I… I–”

PETER!! Who is Peter?

“I..I,” The teacher said mockingly. Wasn’t there a different teacher a second ago? “Get your words out.”

PETER! PLEASE!

Suddenly, Peter was surrounded by the bodies of guards. He shook his head for a moment, gathering himself when a scream came from where the prisoners ran off too. He quickly ran toward the direction of screams. There were cries of younger kids and angry yells of adults. Peter turned the corner to see a guard pushing Dick into the wall with his hands behind his back and two more trying to hold back an angry Jason, whose eyes were green. There were three more guards, blocking the hall. Duke and Cass were in front of the crowd, they looked ready to fight. 

“Move!” Peter yelled, getting their attention. The crowd split into two, allowing Peter a clear path. He walked towards the front until he was next to Duke.

“Stop! You are trespassing and–” The man didn’t get to finish as Peter pulled a gun out of his holster and shot him in the head. He proceeded to the other two and the men that were holding back Jason and Dick. 

“Let’s go.” Peter said, stepping over their bodies and walking down the path. The others followed, slowly at first, then they picked up some speed. They walked down a little more before arriving at an intersection. There was a path heading right and left.

“How…why…what–” Peter interrupted Duke.

“Did you press the button yet?” Cass nodded at him. “Good. Take two lefts then a right, you should be at the elevator. B will most likely be waiting for you. There are no more guards so you all should be fine, but there might be trainers and others.” They simply stared at him. There was a bit of fear in their eyes and Peter doesn’t blame them. 

“Uh, yeah.” Dick was the first to speak. 

“Here,” Peter handed Jason his gun, knowing that he used them the most as Red Hood and wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Him and Cass were also the only ones not looking at him like he was about to stab them. “They're rubber bullets, if it helps.” By their looks, it didn’t. Peter turned right and started down the hall. 

“Where are you going?” Duke asked, voice slightly shaking. 

“Getting Tim, make sure to tell B he has an infection. Now hurry.”

That got them moving. They went left as Peter turned back around, heading for Tim. It was now quiet. There were no longer sounds of crying, only footsteps as the prisoners left, and Tim’s heartbeat. It worried him. If he had known Tim had lost a spleen, he probably would’ve went for the boy first. Instead, he let the beating of his heart guide him as he moved through the halls. It didn’t take long before he was in front of the Medbay door. There were three heartbeats–excluding Tim’s. A guard must be protecting them. Without hesitation, Peter kicked down the door and threw a knife at the guard's arm, causing him to drop his gun. He then quickly webbed the three people up. The doctors didn’t even have a chance to scream as he webbed their mouths, leaving their noses free. With them taken care of, he rushed to Tim.

“Hey bud, it’s me. Are you alright?” Peter asked gently, shaking Tim into the land of consciousness.

“P…Peter?” His voice sounded muffled, eyes clouded, but he was alive and that’s all Peter asks for.

“It’s me, let’s go, we need to get out of here before–”

“Before what?” A female voice cut in. Peter turned around to see the five meta’s he was following before. He was wondering where they to went to. They were also able to go undetected by this hearing. “Ahh, cat’s got your tongue.”

“Why?” Peter ask. He was almost done with the mission. He just needed to wait a little while longer. “Why hurt meta’s when you are one yourself?”

“Because we’re different than other metas. We’re better.” One the guys answered. They were standing in a semicircle, facing him. “You seem to be pretty good too. You can join us.”

“P…Pet…no…” They ignored Tim’s mumbling. Peter felt bad, he knew that Tim hated it when he was ignored, but Peter needed their focus on him and only him.

“How do you know that we’re beter.” They started to smirk when he said ‘we.’ They thought they were winning him over. Good.

“Beacuse we just are. We are stronger, smarter, faster. Just how they made us.” It clicked. 

“They had you all since you were kids.” 

“Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner! They saved us and others as kids, away from our terrible parents, and brought us up as the best. Now, we are helping others realize their potential.”  The second girl–girl b–answered, a proud smile on her face.

“By paying people to kidnap them off the street and then imprisoning them? You took away their free will and punish them when they defy you, what kind of bullshit is that?”

“Please, like you know anything.”

“I know more than you think.” One of the men’s eyes, boy A, widened in realization. “I wouldn’t ever think of putting someone through this.”

“Well, it’s not up to you.” The first girl–girl a– said, creating a water ball in her hands, “Now choose. Join us or die.” Peter smiled as he heard footsteps come from the hall, the others didn’t seem to notice.

“How about neither?” At that moment, Bruce rushed into the room and knocked two guys to the ground. The wall to their right blow up, revealing Superman and Wonder Woman. It knocked Peter to the ground.

Girl B saw this and rushed towards Tim, a hand stretched out. Peter moved before he could think of his next step. All he could think of was helping Tim. He intercepted her and her hand landed on his arm. He was shocked as memories flashed in his mind. He saw his time in the compound, the first meeting with May and Asher, and his first Christmas with her. He saw Jason laughing in the cafe and Damian painting his childhood home. He saw him and the Waynes laughing during dinner, as Steph and Jason started a food fight. Him and Alfred spent hours cleaning up. In another flash, it was all gone and boy A was holding his arm. 

“What was that?” Peter asked stiffly, putting a hand on the man’s wrist.

“Memory Manipulation. She wanted to overwhelm the boy with his memories and send him into shock, but you got in the way.”

“How are you…”

“We’re twins, we have the same power. It’s rare but happens. I was able to stop the memories.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“...because, I want to believe that there’s more to life than this.” Peter looked at him. He was telling the truth. There was no deceit. Just a man who was raised to be a certain way, unsure if there was anything else for him.

“There is, I promise.” The man nodded at him, “What’s your name?”

“Elias.” 

“Elias. I’ve always wanted to be an Elias.” 

“Don’t speak,” he shushed, “it’s okay. It’ll be okay, Elias.”

“Nice to meet you Elias.” Maybe he could save this one.

Peter looked around. The rest of the group was taken out, Bruce stood by Tim, looking over him, and Superman and Wonder Woman were looking at Elias with distrust. Peter stood up slowly, bringing Elias with him. He slung an arm over the arm, a silent order to help him. While he technically didn’t need it, Peter was out of breath from the memories flashes and this way, the other would leave Elias alone, for now. 

“He needs medical asap. We should leave now.” Bruce looked between Peter and Elais before nodding. He picked up Tim gently and left. He must really be working on his trust. 

“Are you sure you trust him?” Wonder Women asked

“Enough not to kill me in front of two heroes. Now can we leave…please? This place does not bring back good memories.” The two heroes nodded and Superman took the front while Wonder Woman took the rear. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Peter was sitting on a side near the warehouse. The league managed to get a few doctors down to set up a medical to treat any serve wounds. There weren’t many, Peter himself had a quick checkup before the doctors moved on, but there were a few that made him glad they taught this far ahead. 

Peter had also managed to explain to Bruce to situation with Elias and the others. They’re going to see if they would agree to a reforming program. Since Peter was able to live a somewhat peaceful life after leaving the compound, he wants the others to have a chance too. This time, they wouldn’t be hiding from the government like he was. 

They also discussed what to do with someone of the metas. Most of them, especially the children, would go back to their families, with checkups with therapist, supplied by the league, to make sure they are doing okay. However, some of them might end up in witness protection, since a lot of them were sold because they saw a crime or knew too much. 

Peter was thinking, staring down at the street when a pair of sneakers stopped in his view. Looking up, he saw Jason. The man looked a little nervous but overall friendly. Peter quickly cocked his head to the side, telling the man to sit, which he did immediately. 

“Hey, Bruce was smothering us and I wanted to escape.” Peter didn’t answer, just looked into the man's eyes. He stared back. “I also wanted to make sure you were okay. You saved our asses, but we haven’t gotten the change to say thanks. So, thank you.” 

“...because, I want to believe that there’s more to life than this.”

“There is, I promise.”

“Are you okay? It’s okay if you aren’t, I know that it was probably nerve-wreaking. I mean, don’t get me wrong. You did amazing, really, and I’m sorry if the jerks seemed scared of you. They’re not. They just wasn’t expecting it from you. You know? I’m sure you know, you’re smart like that. And I’m rambling aren’t I? I should go–”

“Let’s go on a date.”

“...Huh?” Jason stared at him in shock, his cheeks turning red. 

“Me, you, and a date. An actual date. Unless you don’t want to?” Peter smiled softly at him.

“No! I mean yes! Yes, we should go on a date.” Peter smile widened.

“Great.”

He was right, there was definitely more to life than killing and lies.

Chapter Text

It has been a week since the ‘raid’ as they had been calling it. The ex-prisoners were monitored for a few days, being fed light meals, soup, and plenty of fluids. They also had to get their wounds checked in order to make sure their injuries would heal properly without infection. Luckily, it seemed like the organization had qualified doctors to help them. Some of the doctors were apparently metas and had healing powers–after questioning, they found out the doctors were more people they had raised as kids.

After a while, most of the families have been reunited or people made accommodations to leave the city, with the help of the JL. The more seriously injured ex-prisoners are still being monitored, mostly the teens and young adults who tried to protect the kids and older people from guards and trainers. Looks like kindness is still a thing.

After most of the prisoners had been settled, they went over plans for the rehabilitation program. Of course, they wouldn’t make it mandatory, but whoever didn’t join would end up in a specialized prison. Personally, Peter would take rehabilitation over imprisonment. In total, there had been twenty-two trained meta soldiers, and only three wanted to join. The rest had pledged allegiance to their cause. Peter secretly sighed with relief when he saw Elias was a part of the three.

There was meeting after meeting on how they would be monitored, what exercise they would go through, and more. There was arguing about who would watch them, where they would stay, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes, Peter wanted to give up and just go back to the manor. He almost screamed at Green Lantern because the man questioned if they were even worth creating a rehabilitation program for. It was only when Superman mentioned that the program could be used for other villains or trouble metas as well, did he shut up. Just in time too because Peter was ready to jump over the table and punch him. According to the looks he was given, everyone was waiting for him to do it. A withering look from Bruce got them back on topic.

The bats who were kidnapped got transported to the JL headquarters to be monitored for the week, with restricted access to their rooms so their identities would be hidden. Due to their night escapades, the training part wasn’t too difficult for them, though the different types of metas gave them a run for their money–luckily, they had plenty of that. It was mostly the punishments they received for being ‘disobedient’ that roughed them up. Because of course they wouldn’t just sit still, they had to take matters into their own hands–they are as bad as their dad, no matter what they say. 

It was now time for the bats to come over and everyone was getting ready for their arrival, Alfred was already knee-deep in the dough he was making for pizza. Peter, Damian, and Steph had all brainstormed how they should celebrate. After Steph started suggesting the craziest ideas and Damian started shutting them all down–in his defense, Peter didn’t think that group should do a water balloon fight in the dark either–Peter suggested that Alfred made food and they all had a game night and then watch a few movies before bed. It was basic, but it was calming, fun, and it kept everyone in Peters sight. He didn’t say the last part out loud though. 

After figuring out what they would do, Peter had Damian pick the games and Steph was in charge of the movies. Peter found it adorable at how determined Damian looked as he went through the games, determined to find the ‘perfect’ ones to play. Peter did have to discourage video games though, the group always got aggressive and they didn’t want to risk opening any injuries. Peter went to the kitchen to help Alfred with the food. The two of them spent the next few hours making pizzas, cakes, pudding, and of course, Alfred’s famous cookies. They decided to have two sausage and pepperoni pizzas, two pepperoni, three cheese, and two vegan. Though Damian was the only one who was vegetarian, the others liked to try vegan foods at times. Alfred told him that it was to get closer to Damian. After cooking, they took the food to the family room and set everything up. Damian practically lit up at the vegetarian chocolate cake.

After hours of baking, setting up, and Damian arguing with Steph about the appropriate movies to watch, Bruce finally walked in with the rest of the bats trailing behind him. There was a split second where they looked at the games set up and food placed on tables on the side of the room. They looked like it was Christmas, Peter felt like he could breathe better at that. 

“If it took us getting kidnapped by an unknown to get a feast like this, I would’ve done it a lot sooner,” Dick announced, smiling at the group. Cass stood next to him, clapping and nodding.

“Speak for yourself, I am never going back there.” Jason scoffed playfully at his older brother. However, everyone could tell that Jason was pleased with the food.

“Please, you were there for a night, try lasting more than three days.” Duke piped up. He tilted his head and smirked. 

“Fine, fine, I relent. I guess we can let you have the first slice of pizza since you were taken first.” Jason rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face. Duke excitedly threw a fist in the air. 

Steph was no longer able to hold herself back and ran at them, grabbing the first two she could, which happened to be Tim and Jason. She talked about how happy she was that they were okay and how she would train extra hard to protect them more in the future. Ignoring the second half, Peter could tell that the two men were close to getting their ribs cracked by the blonde but didn’t want to say anything. He was about to help when Cass threw herself at the trio and hugged them all as best as she could. One by one, the rest of them gathered for a group hug. Even Alfred and Bruce were in there. 

Looking to his right, he noticed Damian was still beside him, looking at the group with hesitance. Without thinking, he pulled the boy to the rest of the family and led him to hug the rest of them. No longer waiting, Damian hugged the group, who had parted a little, and let the boy sink in further. Bruce was on the outside of the group and pulled Peter in to hug them as well. Peter let him. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Jason started to squirm, trying to escape.

“Okay, okay, we all love each other. Now let go, I want pizza.” Everyone laughed as he dragged Duke to the pizza and shoved a slice of cheese in his face. He waited for Duke to take a bite before getting a slice of sausage and pepperoni, moaning as he took a bite himself. “All they gave us was bland porridge and the medbay food isn’t much better.” Duke nodded as he took another bite.

“It was disgusting. I’ve never realized how much we were spoiled by Alfred before.” 

“Well,” Alfred sighed, “it seems that’s one way to get appreciated.”

“Ew, stop talking with your mouth full,” Steph started as she walked to grab herself a slice, everyone else followed, “It’s gross.” 

That prompted Duke to start chewing loudly with his mouth opening wide with each bite. The noise bothered Peter but he wasn’t going to ruin their fun. He shook his head and started towards the food as well when he noticed Damian holding Tim back from the others. Peter still went for the pizza but listened to Damian and Tim. He’s a bit nosey, sue him.

“–rything okay bud?” Tim asked, his tone was relaxed, trusting.

“Yes…I just…” Damian paused, drawing in a slight breath, “I just wanted to say that…I am happy that you are doing well…Tim.” 

Peter smiled as Tim sucked in a surprised breath, though he was quick to respond, probably afraid that any silence would give the boy the wrong idea.

“Oh, ye…yea, I’m well. I hope we didn’t worry too much…Dami.”

“Of course not. I was confident in Peter’s and our father’s abilities to get you all home.” Peter could feel Tim melt when Damian said ‘Our father.’

“Of course. Come on shortstack, I wanna try this vegan pizza. I haven’t had Alfred’s yet.”

Damian started arguing that he was only short because he hadn’t had a growth spurt yet and that he would end up taller than everyone. Tim laughed at that and continued to tease him about his height, with Steph and Duke joining in when they got close enough. 

“What are you all smiley about?” Turning to his side, he saw Jason walking up. Peter chuckled at the man’s plate stacked up with pizza. “Hey, don’t laugh. I’m a growing boy, okay? Now answer the question.”

“Nosey,” Peter rolled his eyes and grabbed one of Jason’s slices, it was pepperoni, sweet. “I was just thinking about how cute Damian can be.” Jason’s nose scrunched up at that. 

“The demon child? Are we talking about the same Damian?”

“Yes, we are talking about the same Damian. Now, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to say hi,” Peter raised an eyebrow. “Really! It’s just that, the last time we saw each other we had agreed on a date. I guess I wanted to make sure that it’s still happening.” Peter softened at that, putting a hand on Jason’s arm. The man’s face turned pinkish and Peter was starting to realize how easily flustered the man was. 

“Of course, the date is still on. But we should wait for you to heal first, we still have to plan it.” Jason smiles a little.

“I have it planned. All you need to do is show up.” Peter was surprised at that, with everything going on the past week Peter barely had a chance to breathe.

“Really. You have it all planned out already?” 

“I had to spend a week in medbay with nothing but annoying siblings to entertain me. There wasn’t a lot to do, so I figured I’d use the time to check off something on my priority list.”

“Yes, because planning a date with me is of the highest priorities.”

“It is to me.” Jason looked into Peter’s eyes, his face was soft but his eyes were serious. Peter felt his cheeks heating up and realized how easy he was to fluster as well. Before Peter could respond, Dick shouted from a few feet away. 

“You used to be an assassin?!” Peter turned around to the others, shock on his face. Damian looked around in embarrassment and shame. The rest looked shocked, Cass was the only one who looked neutral. Peter was thrown back to the looks he had gotten in the bunker, how they all looked at him in fear. But now, they only looked shocked, if now a little excited. Slowly he nodded.

They just weren’t expecting it from you.

“That’s explains so much. The fighting, the smarts, reflexes…” Time kept mumbling as everyone tuned him out. 

“Ahhh! Storytime!” Steph dragged him to one of the couches as the others gathered around. Alfred and Bruce were a few feet away, giving the kids some ‘space,’ but they couldn’t deny their curiosity.

“Alright, alright, well…”

Peter the next while explaining his past and answering questions. Damian seems intrigued the entire time. Honestly, he wouldn’t put it past the boy to have spilled the secret on purpose for the others to grill him, but that’s neither here nor there. After a few pauses to give everyone a few chances to gather themselves, Peter declared storytime over and game night to start. They spent the rest of the night playing various card games as well as a few board games. They had to stop because Tim was scamming people in Monopoly. They moved to the move room, Alfred staying back to clean up. Steph picked a few comedies to watch and everyone was in high spirits. Slowly, Peter’s eyes started to drop and he felt a blanket being placed on him. He planted his head on Jason’s shoulder and let the darkness consume him, knowing that he was safe.

For once, Peter was glad he didn’t run.