Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was silent. For once in her life, Jinx was at peace. 

Ignoring the situation, the wind felt nice. She could imagine herself and Isha, getting up to their usual antics and shenanigans. Running through the streets of Zaun. Spray painting every wall they ran past. It was a nice memory. Too bad she couldn’t be here right now. Or ever.

Falling through the air, Jinx’s mind drifted back to her current situation. She cradled the face of the creature that was once her father in her hands. He bared his teeth at her, but there was a pain in his eyes that she was certain she wasn’t imagining. 

Deep in thought, several questions raced through her mind all at once.

‘Is this how Silco felt? In his last moments?’

‘Is Vi okay? Did she get out of there?’

‘Will I finally be able to see Isha again? Silco? Claggor? Milo? Vander?

...Mom and Dad?’

Memories of an old life sifted through her head gradually. A life where her family would wash away her worries with their mere presence. Imagining those memories, nostalgia flowed in her mind like a calming presence. This feeling was always nice. Especially in these final moments.

Jinx pulled the pin on the grenade. Brilliant blue flashed before her.

Her final thought came. ‘It's so quiet. This is a nice change. I could get used to this…

Maybe, just maybe… I can finally walk away.’

She closed her eyes for the last time.

Jinx died with a smile on her face.

xxXxx

When Jinx awoke, the first thing she saw was green, flooding her vision. After that passed, the second thing she noticed was the smell of lingering rain, faint smoke, and thick, humid air.

If she didn't remember just dying, she would've thought she was back in Zaun. The environment felt all too familiar, yet not at the same time.

Finally sitting up, Jinx rubbed her eyes, trying to figure out what was happening and where she was.  Taking a look around, Jinx saw a sight of a menacing city. Throughout the horizon, there were buildings, short and tall, designed in gothic architecture. The sky looked dark and cloudy, as if it was on the edge of raining.

After taking in her surroundings, Jinx simply sat on the roof she had awoken on. She felt the cold concrete on her hands, the night breeze blowing softly against her skin, the slight gaps in the clouds shining moonlight upon her pale complexion. She wiggled her fingers, her toes.

Jinx moved to sit on the edge of the building, taking a moment to gather herself. Sitting there, she felt numb. She tried to summon up the energy to feel something– anything. Yet somehow, at the same time, she could feel everything. She felt so many things, feelings— all at once.

She was alive. ‘Am I, though? Couldn't this all just be a dream?’ Jinx then went to pinch her hand, testing the reality of this situation.

..Pain. She felt pain. Pain is something you feel when you're alive. 

‘I’m alive..? Huh. Not a dream then.’

“Well then… This is just great. How am I.. here.? Where even is here anyway..?”

After a bit of thinking, Jinx decided not to ponder on it for too long.

“...I'll figure that out later. Damn it… I guess this is my eternal punishment. Bit of a strange choice for a punishment, I might say. But this is what I get, I guess. For just… everything I've done. I get to keep living. Meanwhile almost everyone I love is dead or gone. Whoop-de-doo…” Jinx muttered sourly, not to anyone in particular.

Mournfully, Jinx sighed, her chest letting out everything she'd been holding in till then.

Jinx then let herself truly think about her.. predicament. To put it lightly 

‘God… I'm alive… What the hell? Man, the universe sure is out to get me… Seriously though, of all people, why am I the one that gets to live, after everything? I never wanted this. Why do I get a second chance? After all I've done?’

Jinx’s thoughts continued to spiral, tuning out the sounds of the city.

xxXxx

It was a quiet night on patrol. Dick enjoyed these types of nights. The gloomy look Gotham always carried was oddly soothing. 

Dick came to Gotham for the weekend, just for a visit. 

Now, Dick loved Gotham, don't get him wrong! It was his home! Though, he’d forgotten how busy the patrols were here compared to Bludhaven. Gotham City was constantly moving, stopping for no one. Though really, no matter where he went, he always had to stay on his toes.

Despite this fact, Dick was happy to be back home and back to his old routine. And especially happy to help patrol. He’d almost forgotten how much action he’d get during the night. 

Anyway, Bruce had asked him to help out, since there's been more activity going on recently. He knew he was gonna help out either way. And hey, he was definitely happy to see his family again too! Although Jason was currently avoiding everyone, as per usual. Probably with the Outlaws..? Who even knew, no one could keep track of that kid.

Snapping him out of his thoughts, Oracle’s voice erupted from the speaker in his comms.

“Nightwing, there's a potential dispute on Shackleton Street, could you head over there? You're the closest and best suited for these types of situations.”

“You got it O, I'm heading that way right now.”

xxXxx

“Well, wasn't that fun?” Nightwing hissed sarcastically to himself. “Jeez, not only did that guy try to punch me, but he nearly vomited on me too! Ugh, I can't wait to get out of this suit.. ”

As Nightwing complained to himself, he grappled onto a nearby roof, hoping to have a moment of peace after that interaction.

“Hup! There we go… ah crap, is that vomit there?—”

Nightwing froze when he spotted a civilian on the other side of it. He abruptly stopped his complaining and focused on being silent, analyzing the person ahead of him before making any moves.

The girl before him had long blue braids, a crop top, purplish striped pants, and blue cloud tattoos all down the left side of her body. Dick had a feeling this girl wasn't from around here. Though if she was, maybe she's from Crime Alley? He couldn't imagine a girl looking like her being from any other part of Gotham..

He studied her, realizing she could be a jumper. Dick’s training kicked in; he slipped into a gentle voice, crouching low to make himself smaller and less threatening before approaching.

“Hey there, miss. I'm Nightwing. What're you doing up here?”

The girl didn’t respond. Nightwing decided to keep it simple.

“Okay, no response, that's fine…I'm going to come closer, is that alright?”

After a moment of hesitation from the girl, he heard a small “Sure.”

With that small confirmation, Dick set his sight on her. With his footsteps now more audible, he crept towards her like he’d done so with many victims he’d come across. The moonlight shone brighter as he got closer. Now that he got a better look at the kid, she seemed young. Maybe seventeen, eighteen? She looked rough too, the poor thing. Like she’d been through hell and back. What happened to her?

He couldn't exactly see all of her face, but he noticed something that caught his attention. A stark white streak in her otherwise blue hair… Just like Jason.

He’ll definitely have to look into this girl. Who was she?

“So, can I ask what you're doing up here?” Nightwing said, trying to not scare her.

“...I'm not gonna jump, if that's what yer worried about,” the small voice piped up. She pulled her legs up against her, her curled up form making her seem smaller than she already was.

Nightwing’s heart broke a little at the sight. He kept talking with her, trying to keep her engaged in the conversation.

“Okay, that's good then. Would you mind telling me your name?” 

After some silence, the girl replied, “...Jinx.”

Nightwing stared at her. That had to be a fake name.

“Really? Jinx?” He teased. “No way. C’mon kid, is that really your name?”

In hindsight, maybe she wasn’t in the mood for jokes. She immediately snapped her head up to death glare at him, causing him to startle. Not just because of her scary look, but because her eyes were glowing bright, Lazarus green.

Nightwing scrambled to fix his screwup. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Uh, Jinx, that's a cool name you got there. Now Jinx, can you tell me what you're doing up here?”

Jinx kept her replies short, having already deduced she wasn't in Zaun or Piltover. She didn't know where she was— but it wasn't home. She had to be careful here. She already had some stranger in a skin tight costume with a mask on approach her, how could it get any weirder? Although, maybe this guy wasn't out to get her… yet. He hasn't tried to hurt her so far, but that could change at the drop of a hat. Still though, she kept her poker face on and played along.

“Just wanted some fresh air. Couldn't sleep.” Jinx replied from the comfort of her crossed arms on top of her knees.

“I get it. I have trouble sleeping too sometimes.” The man waited for a reply, but when he didn’t get one, he continued. “Hey listen, you should head back home kid. How about I–”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a voice in his comm interrupted him.

“Nightwing, come in, there's a robbery on 29th street that's escalating fast. ETA is ten minutes from your location, so you gotta move fast.” 

‘Goddammit. Now?’ Nightwing sighed and turned away from Jinx to reply quietly.

“O, I'm kinda in the middle of something here, can't anyone else get that?”

“No. Everyone else is in the middle of something or too far away. You're the best option here.”

With hesitance, Dick unwillingly says his goodbyes to the girl next to him.

“Hey kid, I'm sorry but–”

Not letting the man finish his sentence, Jinx interrupted him. “Nah, it's alright. Go ahead, you got somewhere to be right? Go be a big fat hero or whatever.” Jinx muttered in a small voice, failing to project her voice any higher. She’d be damned if she had a breakdown in front of this rando.

“Look, I'm sorry kid. I'll check on you again, okay? You should head back home. Be safe, alright Jinx?” The man says hesitantly, already filled with guilt.

After those final words, the man leaves off to somewhere else. Leaving Jinx by herself on the roof.

xxXxx

After that interaction, Jinx felt even more exhausted than she already was, which she didn't even know was possible. With the conversation out of the way, Jinx decided to do something else with herself and to quit moping.

Wiping the tears that had unknowingly fallen, Jinx stood up and set off on finding a place to sleep.

“Well then, let's find some place more comfortable than that roof. I’m sure there's somewhere nearby where I can stay.”

After fifteen or so minutes, Jinx finally stumbles upon an abandoned apartment. Well, more accurately, she scaled the nearest building and peered through the windows until she found an empty room. As she hopped inside through the window, she looked around and scanned the place for any sign of life. After concluding there wasn't anyone else there, Jinx decided she would stay here for the night.

The place wasn't in the best of conditions, if she was being honest. It only had one room, an old worn down couch, a small bathroom in a corner of the place, and a small kitchen. Eh, she's slept in worse places. It would have to do. 

With a deep sigh, Jinx finally flopped down on the couch. A bit lumpy she might say, but it would do the job. This was definitely comfier than that roof she woke up on.

Slowly drifting into unconsciousness, Jinx thought back upon everything that had happened to her within only a span of a few hours. She died, came back to life in a new city where everything was unfamiliar, and was accosted by a suspicious man in a bodysuit.

She was beyond exhausted, physically and mentally. She needed to unwind, and forget about everything for a while.

‘Man, what a drag of a day… Y’know what, I think I'll have some fun tomorrow.’

Chapter Text

Jason was definitely not expecting this, when he got back to Gotham.

Jason sighed. He was gone for a week, and now there's some kid crashing in one of his safe houses? Looking closer, the girl seemed young, clearly a teen. She had a questionable outfit on too. Long blue braids, a crop top, and weird purple striped pants and boots. Though, most importantly, she sported a white streak in her hair. Jason’s stomach turned uncomfortably at the sight. He knew what it meant, but he really hoped he was wrong.

Standing by the entrance of the apartment, Jason debated what to do.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do now?’

Finally coming to a decision, Jason slowly crept toward the kid, being cautious as to not scare her, and shook her awake.

“Hey, kid. Wake up.”

.

.

.

Hearing a voice, Jinx stirs from her sleep. The first thing she sees is a man in a red helmet, brown jacket, a red bat logo on his black shirt with black pants and combat boots standing above her. Focusing on the guy, he looks pretty big…

‘Note to self, don’t make this guy angry.’

“–Kid, do you hear me? What're ya doing here?” Now with the kid awake, his suspicions are unfortunately confirmed. He noticed her obvious bright green eyes. Specifically, the same Lazarus green shade his eyes are. They bore an uncanny resemblance to the eyes he saw in his mirror every night. He’s not sure what else he expected from another Lazarus victim.

Not to mention, she had this look in her eyes. A haunted look, one of pure exhaustion. Like she’d endured something incomprehensible.

Not fully awake, Jinx rubbed her eyes and yawned, then replied to the best of her ability. That is, with her usual attitude, of course. Just because she just died and came back to life (she presumes) doesn't mean she couldn’t joke around like always.

“Dude, why'd you wake me up? I was just having the best sleep of my life.”

“What? Nevermind, just answer me. What're ya doin in my safe house?”

Sitting up from her spot on the couch, Jinx replied, more awake. “Huh, so this is your safe house? What're ya, a chem baron or somethin? What’d ya need a safe house for?”

Jason was already frustrated. “Kid, do you seriously not know who you're talkin’ to?” The girl looked at him with a confused look.”The Red Hood?? I'm a literal crime lord— hey wait, answer my question first brat! You're tryna distract me!”

Jinx smirked, placing a hand over her mouth whilst holding back laughter.

“You get distracted pretty easily, big guy. Not my fault. Anywayyy, I'm usin’ this place as a shelter now. I'm kinda homeless, sorry, is that not allowed in this economy now?” 

“Kid, I woulda kicked you out five minutes ago if not for you being homeless and a child. You're really pushing it here. You're lucky I go easy on kids.” Jason says with a huff.

“Hey, I ain’t no kid!” Jinx declares, crossing her arms while sitting up and puffing her cheeks.

With a sigh, Jason begins again, setting his sight on the kid with crossed legs below him on his couch.

“Yeah alright kid, whatever you say… Geez, do you really have nowhere else to go?” 

“Nope! I've already decided to make this my home. Sorry buddy, this place is taken now. Ooo hey, what do ya think about putting some posters up?”

“Wh- okay, hold on kid. First of all, I'm only letting you stay here because you're homeless, and once again, a literal child. Second of all, I'm not leaving you here entirely unattended. I'm gonna be checking on you periodically. This is still my safe house.”

“First off, I'm not a kid. Second of all, thanks big guy! Yer the best!”

“Yeah yeah, no problem kid. Hold on, what's your name? I can keep calling you kid, though a name would be preferable.”

As soon as Jason asked the question, the kid hesitated a second, like she was thinking hard. But almost immediately she bounced back into her usual attitude. That small bit of hesitation caught his attention.

“The name’s Jinx, if you must know.”

‘That has to be a fake name, but I'm not gonna push it.’

“Jinx? Alright then, where did ya come from? Cuz I sure ain't seen you in Crime Alley before.”

“Crime Alley? What kind of name is that?”

“Beats me. Now answer the question.”

Jinx decided to have a little fun at his expense. Half because she was bored, and half because she herself didn't know. Little did she know, she wouldn't be too far off the mark.

“Alright alright, fine. Well… I'm from another universe!” 

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose the best he could with the mask on.

“Very funny kid. Now really, answer the question. Where are ya from and how'd ya get here?”

“Geez, party pooper. Fine, I'm from Zaun. How I got here, no clue.”

“Where the hell is Zaun? Second of all, how the hell do you not know how you got here?”

“To answer both of those questions: I dunno!” Jinx smiled playfully.

Jason sighed for what felt like the fifth time in a minute already. “You're really clueless, aren't ya kid?”

“Guess so!” Jinx chirped with a shit eating grin.

“You're gonna give me gray hairs.”

Jinx just grins with her full teeth. “Oh, I can already tell we're gonna have lots of fun, big guy. You're stuck with me now!”

‘Christ… how did I get myself into this mess. Is this how the old man felt when the replacement became Robin? Eugh, wait no— I'm not turning into Bruce.’

Jason was already regretting his decision of not kicking this girl out.

xxXxx

Three hours later, Jason went out for groceries.

He would have put it off until morning, but he was just concerned for Jinx’s health– she did look unhealthily thin. In retrospect, leaving this mystery girl alone in his apartment was a spectacularly bad idea, though not quite for the reasons one would expect.

He carried the bags of food inside, calling out to Jinx and letting her know he came home, only to check the couch and realize that the girl was already long gone.

Not even a few hours and he already manages to lose the kid. Is it too much to hope she’s just in the bathroom?

His first instinct was to check every spot to make sure his valuables were still where he hid them. He quickly scoured the apartment, but it didn’t look like anything was out of place. What kind of homeless teen delinquent skips town without stealing anything?

That’s when he spotted the note on the edge of the couch, scribbled out in bright blue crayon. Where did this girl find crayons from anyway?

GONE EXPLORING, BE BACK SOON (I WAS BORED, SORRY) –JINX <3

Exploring? What’s this brat thinking? Nobody explores Gotham and comes out unscathed–

BOOM!

As if right on cue, a sudden explosion from the streets below rocked the whole building.

‘Dear God. What have I gotten myself into?’

Groaning in frustration, Jason grabbed his helmet and headed out.

Chapter Text

“Didja know it’s surprisingly easy to jury rig a pipe bomb?”

3…

“Huh? What's that brat talking about–”

2..

“See you guys in hell! Bye bye now!”

1!

“WHAT-”

BOOM!

xxXxx

Dick had just gotten back from patrol, about to finish his report, when a sudden piece of information popped up in the front of his mind. 

Right. How could he forget? That girl, Jinx. 

He definitely needed to tell Bruce about this.

—-----

“Someone other than Jason that’s been in the pit?” 

‘That has been revived?’ Went unsaid.

Bruce Wayne has seen a hell of a lot of things as Batman– gods, demons, aliens, evil clowns– but throughout all of his years of being a vigilante, he has never seen anyone else besides Jason have Lazarus features. They weren’t even sure why Jason had them, since he seemed to be the only one to come out of the pit with a white streak and vibrant green eyes.

“Are you sure, Dick? Any chance you saw wrong?”

Dick sighed, frustration and worry laced in it.

“Yeah, pretty sure. I thought I could've been wrong at first, but then the kid turned to glare at me, and… well, there was no doubt.”

“...What do we do, Bruce? There's a kid out there, freshly revived and from the look of it, probably all alone. I know that look Bruce, that look in her eyes? It's something that shouldn't be there, not for someone her age.”

It was Bruce’s turn to sigh now. This sigh, though, was  instead filled with worry.

“..I don't know, Dick. The best we can do right now is keep an eye out for her and hope she’s willing to accept help. I’ll have Babs look through some old records and see if any teens matching her description have passed or went missing recently. Though, I doubt we’ll find anything.”

Dick nods solemnly. “I think we should tell the others. Jason especially.”

Bruce shook his head. “No. We don't know what he’ll do if he learns about this. The only thing for certain is that it won't be a positive reaction.”

This caused Dick to give him a look, already knowing what he was implying they do— or rather, what they shouldn't do. “I don’t care. I'm not keeping this a secret from him, Bruce. He has a right to know. If you don’t tell him, I will.” Dick stated firmly.

Bruce only sighed deeper. Jason wasn’t known for being calm and reasonable, especially when it came to a subject as touchy as this but then again, who would be? Besides, if he manages to find out anyway before they have a chance to tell him, the fallout will only be worse.

“I’ll call the others,” Dick informed him. “I hope Jinx is doing okay.”

xxXxx

“SHE’S GOT A FUCKING BOMB!!!”

“Oh come on you big baby, it's just a bomb. Never seen one before? Ya live in Gotham, why’re you so scared?”

So.

In Jinx’s defense, she honestly wasn't looking for trouble. All she wanted was to gather her bearings in this gloomy new city, and to make peace with the unfamiliar place she’s now meant to call home. She learned that the place she was staying in was called Park Row, better known as Crime Alley. Maybe a little too on the nose there. They could also get better at the naming, but whatever. 

She met some nice new people, including a pair of working girls who assumed her to be a turf rival– she chose not to take that as an insult– and a drug dealer-looking fellow who offered her something called heroin. She assumed it was something like those drugs Silco used to have his goons sell. She respectfully declined by smashing his kneecaps with a nearby lead pipe.

After that delightful encounter, Jinx went digging around in some dumpsters for things she could possibly make weapons out of. Without her lethal instruments, she felt naked. And not in a fun way.

Fortunately, people in this city tend to throw away the strangest items. Some objects she had no idea how to use or what they were made for, like the strange, booklet-shaped metal thing that reminded her of a typewriter. Other things, such as bottles of poison smelling liquids and various other items that appeared to be evidence someone tried to get rid of, were a lot more useful.

She soon got tired of exploring after a few hours and decided to head back. A pro that came with growing up in Zaun is that she is fairly adept in navigating in the dark. Now, all she has to do is retrace her steps. So far, everything is going well.

But of course, the universe decides that this is unacceptable.

Just as she started nearing the apartment, a group of men seemed to materialize out of nowhere. A gang wearing gaudy white masks with bright red rictus grins, red circles for cheeks, and curly green tufts off hair.

Jinx isn’t familiar with the imagery, but in the back of her mind, she recalls a past memory of Vi telling her stories of traveling troupes that would perform incredible feats for an adoring audience, including these people called “clowns” that existed to make people laugh.

She decidedly wasn’t laughing now. 

Five goons, one of them showing off his ugly face, the others’ completely obscured by their masks. They all held some kind of long, blunt object as a weapon– the supposed leader guy wielded a baseball bat.

Lead Goon leered at her. “Hey there, dollface. What’s a sexy thing like you doing out so late?”

Ugh. She did not miss this. It wasn’t wholly unusual for this sort of thing to happen to her back in Zaun, especially as she got older, but most men knew to steer clear of her, being Silco’s ward and everything. The fact that she tended to put a bullet through their skulls certainly contributed too.

Nonetheless, she held her ground. “Trolling for limp-dicked assholes like you, couldn’t you tell?”

“Oh, she’s funny!” One of the goons that was armed with a crowbar sneered under his mask. “You know something, girl? We like funny. And so does our boss.”

“That’s right.” Leader Guy said. “Clowns like us? We appreciate a good laugh. The Joker’s gonna love you, funny girl.”

Jinx rolled her eyes. Whoever their boss was probably wasn’t nearly as scary as Silco. “I don’t know who this Joker guy is, but if he thinks his pathetic little posse can intimidate me, I’ve got some bad news for him.”

And with that, the party began. Jinx extended her leg and kicked the guy in a place the sun don’t shine.

Naturally, he doubled over in pain. Thinking fast, she quickly raised her other leg to knee him in the nose. A loud ‘CRUNCH!’ echoed throughout the alleyway. 

After that, all hell broke loose. Most of the other guys were too shocked to react, but the one with the leadpipe (Jinx was fairly certain it was the one she already used) immediately rushed forward and swung at her. She dodged easily, sweeping his legs out from under him.

The one with the crowbar yelled an angry “GET HER!”, but Jinx darted around him and gave him her fiercest roundhouse. He then folded like a shitty poker player.

Unfortunately, this gave her just enough time to get clobbered in the back by a guy with a sledgehammer. The pain immediately shot through her, her head pounding. Jinx barely managed to dodge his second swing to her head. 

Some other goon grabbed her from behind and forced her into a headlock. Jinx struggled and thrashed against their hold, and with all her strength, kicked one of the guys when he tried to advance on her. Finally, Jinx was able to break free, gasping and coughing. 

It was so much harder fighting without her guns, or the copious amounts of Shimmer pumping through her veins. Much as she always hated Singed, she had to admit, whatever he did to her body made her feel faster than lightning. She could move like the wind, take hard hits with no trouble, dodge attacks before even realizing she was being attacked…

But without the Shimmer, her reaction time felt pathetically slow, and every hit she took only slowed her further. She didn’t even have her trusty Zapper at her hip, or her beloved Pow-Pow to fill these jerks with holes. First chance she got, she was totally rebuilding her babies.

After a while though, Jinx started getting used to bare fist-fighting. Advice Vi had once shared with her crept into her mind. Jinx repositioned herself after gaining her breath quickly, and despite the pain and heaviness in her bones, adrenaline kept her moving. Soon enough, Jinx was weaving and evading their attacks, slowly luring them all into position. 

Finally, she’d managed to corral them into an alleyway, pretending to let them corner her.

“Nowhere to run now, little girl. Any last words?”

Jinx smirked.

“Didja know it’s surprisingly easy to jury rig a pipe bomb?”

3…

“Huh? What's that brat talking about–”

2..

“See you guys in hell! Bye bye now!”

1!

“WHAT-”

BOOM!

And oh, did she relish in their expressions of pant-shitting terror when she pulled that baby out.

The adrenaline of the situation soon wore off, and slowly but surely, the pain came back to bite her in the ass.

Not being able to think straight, Jinx went wandering off into another alley. 

After reaching her (thankfully short) destination, Jinx leaned against the cold alleyway wall as she slowly slid to sit herself down. She clutched her stomach with her arm, the pain coursing through her body.

‘Shit.. this probably isn't good.’ Jinx thought, leaning her head back against the stone concrete wall with a reluctant sign of exhaustion. 

‘Oh shoot, big guy.. totally forgot about him. What was his name again..? ..Red Helmet? No.. I think it was something like.. uhhh.. Oh! Right! Hood! Eh, he’ll be fine.. probably... Ah shit. He’s totally gonna kick me out, isn't he..?’

The exhaustion soon caught up to her. Keeping her eyes open was becoming difficult, her eyelids slowly closing at the thought.

‘I'm kinda tired.. I think I'll take a little nap.’

xxXxx

Harley Quinn was looking for trouble. 

Look, she was bored, okay! Sue her!

Things haven't been very interesting for Harley. In a hot minute, she might add! Usually Ivy was up to some mad ecoscience thinga-majig that made things interesting, but at the moment, her beloved girlfriend was working on some sort of National Park revitalization project up in Canada, so that left Harley to terrorize watch over Gotham.

So here she was, walking down a certain alley looking for people to, well how should she put it.. have a chat with. Yeah, let's go with that.. totally not suspicious at all!

…Okay fine, she heard that some of Mister J’s old goons were hanging around the area causing trouble. Even though she swore off that rat bastard clown for the rest of her days, she couldn’t very well let him, or anyone adjacent to him, walk away without some comeuppance. 

Although, she's gotta say, this isn't exactly the type of trouble she was looking for… but hey, it’s still trouble! Plus, it’d probably be best to not leave this kid here.. she doesn't wanna get on the Bat’s bad side. (She’s kinda already on his bad list- but hold on, that don't matter right now! Focus, Harley! Help the kid!)

“Hey, uh, you alright there kid?” Harley asked gently. Well- as gently as she could. Harley Quinn ain't quite known for helping people out..

The girl in front of her had long blue braids. Before she could finish scanning the girl, she noticed a familiar white streak of hair. Huh.. Nah, y’know what? She’s not about to mess with this stuff. Things tend to get weird when the pit’s involved. 

Moving to analyze the girl again, she noticed she had cloud tattoos trailing down her thin body.  And I mean thin. The girl looked like a strong wind could knock her down! Though, she could see a faint outline of abs on her stomach. So, a fighter then? The girl slumped against the wall, knees hugged to her chest. She moaned something like “five more minutes” before rubbing her eyes and blinking up at Harley.

Harley could only stare for a minute. She looked young– still in her teens, most likely– but what caught her attention was the strange, glowing green eyes, and the white streak running through her hair. It was distracting, to say the least.

Still, the kid looked exhausted and hurt, and Harley didn’t earn her psychiatry degree for nothing.

“Heya, kiddo!” Harley said in her cheeriest voice. “How’d ya end up like this? Who do I need to hunt down and have a ‘chat’ with?”

The girl smirked and rolled her eyes. The pain from the fight still lingering, however. “Ngh… don’t worry bout it. Took care of it.”

‘Oh? So I was right! This girl’s a fighter! I love those!’  “Didja now?” Harley said, the grin on her face becoming more apparent.

The girl responded with a smirk and a quick “Yep. Blew ‘em all up to kingdom come.”

Harley was beaming. ‘Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting! Guess I really did find some trouble!’

“Now that sounds like a fun time! Where’d ya get a bomb from?”

Jinx, now more awake and in tune with the conversation, grins wider with pride as she responds. “I made it.”

“Woah, for realsies, kid?! That's so cool!” Harley doesn’t meet a lot of bombmakers, which is honestly surprising for someone in her line of work. “Oh, you gotta teach me how to make one of those kid!”

Jinx’s grin grew wide and manic on her face. Before she got to tell her about how she'd love to, however, she was interrupted by a very familiar, irritated voice.

“Do not teach her that. Last thing I need around here is you two causing mayhem together.”

Jinx and Harley both turn their heads to see Red Hood standing in front of his motorcycle. Even beneath the helmet, they could both tell he was wearing an unhappy scowl. Buzzkill much, Jason?

“Awh, come on Hood! The kid was just about to get to the good part!” Harley replied, pouting with a tone of disappointment.

“Big guy! Good to see ya!” Jinx said from her position on the floor, now slowly moving to stand up.

Jason sighs, “I'm gone for a few hours and you go and meet the one person I didn't want you to meet. No offence Harley, it's just that you guys could be… how should I put it… a public safety hazard, if you hang out together any longer.” They're too damn alike, is what he'd like to say.

“None taken puddin, and don't worry, Hood. I can already sense that we're gonna get along real well.” Harley says with a big grin.

With a tired look on his face (not that they’d see), Jason pondered and regretted his decisions leading up to now. “That is not what I asked for.” ‘Well, I’ve done everything I can. I'm letting this be Gotham’s problem. God help us all. ’

“So, your name's Harley?” Jinx asks, standing with her arms crossed and an amused expression.

“Yup! Harley Quinn, at your service! What's yer name kid?”

Harley extends her own hand to shake Jinx’s hand. Jinx grasps Harley’s hand with a firm grip. Their eyes meet along the way, and they both have the same look.

“I’m Jinx. Pleasure to meet ya, Harley. I also have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine.”

Jinx now has a wide grin on her face as well. ‘Oh, I can already tell we're gonna have lots of fun together, Harley Quinn! I can't wait to teach someone else how to build a bomb!’

Jason was still standing to the side of them, now crossing his arms and sighing. “Jinx, I already know what you're thinking. You are not teaching Harley to build a bomb.”

“Oh, come on Hood! You need to loosen up a bit every once in a while!”

“Yeahhh, no. Not gonna happen, kid. Alright, enough chit chat. Come on kid, we gotta head back now. Can't have you getting into any more trouble, not on my watch. You’ve had enough to last you a month already.”

“Fine, fine. Well then, guess I'll be seeing you around?”

“Oh, you betcha, kid! See ya guys later!” Harley waves bye as she walks the opposite way, going who knows where.

“Well, that was fun!” Jinx said, now beaming.

“Yeah kid, sure.. let's get back now.” Jason said with a sigh. He's been sighing a lot more lately. God, he feels like the old man.

Though, the kid’s right about one thing for sure. They're definitely gonna get along well.

Like a damn house fire.

xxXxx

When they got back, Jason sent Jinx straight to bed. She stuck her tongue out at him, but complied nonetheless. Jason suspected she wouldn’t be nearly as obedient if she wasn’t bruised and exhausted. He’ll have to look over her injuries when she gets up.

Jeez.. it’s already half past three in the morning. He was so burnt out after everything, but if he was being honest with himself? He was afraid to take his eyes off Jinx, having learned the hard way that she will wreak havoc on her surroundings the second she’s left alone.

A buzz from his phone interrupted his train of thought.

The Batchat

Bat dad: Family meeting at three o’clock in the afternoon, sharp. Everyone, meet in the cave.

human glow stick: guys

human glow stick: it’s four in the morning

human glow stick: i was asleep

human glow stick: i don’t know if you’ve noticed but some of us operate during the day and have to sleep at night

human glow stick: like regular human beings

Bat dad: My apologies Duke, but this is important.

Boy wonder: is this about what I think it’s about?

Bat dad: Yes.

steph the goat: hold on what do you mean by that(๑•̌.•̑๑)ˀ̣ˀ̣

computer boy: yeah, what’s so important that you can’t tell us over text?

human glow stick: is the joker out of jail again?

dead man walking: If he is, his ass is grass.

Boy wonder: relax guys, it’s nothing life threatening, but it’s pretty important

Boy wonder: Jason you especially might wanna show up

Boy wonder: also can someone plz change his name

demon brat: I agree. Who the hell is picking our names?

I see everything: No clue :3

dead man walking: Nah, I’m keeping my name. I love it.

steph the goat: same babs ur the goat for this ⁽⁽٩(๑˃̶͈̀ ᗨ ˂̶͈́)۶⁾⁾

computer boy: should Harper come? or is this just a family thing?

Boy wonder: i would argue that Harper counts as extended family

I see everything: I don’t think it matters, she texted me earlier saying she’d be out of town.

I see everything: Besides, I think I know what this is about. I’ll fill Harper in once the meeting is over.

Bat dad: Why is everyone except Duke awake at this hour? You should all be asleep.

Silence of the lambs: You are awake too

Bat dad has gone offline

Jason felt a sinking feeling growing in his gut. He glanced over at the teen girl sprawled out on his bed, snoring like a jet engine. Did she have something to do with this? Nevermind, dumb question. He was dead sure she had something to do with it. After all, wherever Jinx went, trouble always seemed to follow.

Regardless, he’s exhausted. He couldn’t watch over her all night. He’d have to take his chances and sleep for a little while. Maybe he could ask Roy or someone else to watch her while he’s at the meeting. Besides, what could possibly happen during the night?