❞— with a shit sense of humor, he's a 10.❞

AFTER RE-READING her file enough times to commit it to memory, she remains seated at the high-tech table, feet thrown up and hands behind her head, providing little cushioning. Bruce and Oliver are having an emergency briefing with the League to inform them of the situation, Barry's probably jazzing out about the science of it all. 

Trailing her eyes over her new codename, Nightmare (she doesn't know why her codename's different in this universe, but fuck if she cares), she calls E.L.A.R.A, "Bring up the flagged files, please, Elara."

"Of course, Ms. Stark."

The files appear in front of her and she tilts her head, bringing her arms out from under her head and placing them under her chin. She chooses Bruce's with a simple flick of her gaze, and the information lines up before her. She knows his secret identity, and most documents in his file are about his multimillion-dollar deals and charity work; donations to orphanages around Gotham, youth scholarships, and a rehab center, fully funded and loaded in the middle of Crime Alley. 

And then, her eyes land on a very interesting document — Adoption Certificate.

"Alright, Bat-guy, let's see what skeletons you're hiding in your closet."

This certificate is to show that Richard Grayson is now under the care of Bruce Wayne, and all matters relating to the child will be handed by Mr. Wayne.

"Elara, does Richard Grayson have a separate file in the cave's database?"

"Yes, Ms. Stark, Mr. Grayson's name appears not only in his father's file but in his own, under his vigilante name, too."

"Pull it up, please." In a second, the file's before her and she has to sigh, loudly and deeply, "Who the fuck would want to actively be called Dick?"

"Perhaps, bad judgment, a bad sense of humor, or a sense of sentimentality, Ms. Stark. Older people normally shorten Richard to Dick." E.L.A.R.A. says.

Alex rubs her forehead, "God, I hope it's for sentimentality reasons, 'cause he's a solid 12, but with a shit sense of humor he's a 10."

"I fail to see the difference, Ms. Stark."

"Don't worry, I'll add it to your system update, Elara."

"Thank you, Ms. Stark."

Richard Grayson was John and Mary Grayson's son — then their orphan — before he became the first Robin, Batman's sidekick, dressed like a traffic cone. After 8 years of serving under that mantle, two years ago, he took off for 6 months, missed a whole lot of school, and spent some time in Europe, soaking up the culture (Europe meaning Bruce's safe house in Detroit, and soaking up the culture meaning beating up bad guys on his own).

When he came back, he was 5'11, lugging around a new skin-tight suit and name — Nightwing.

He's 18 now, and looking to graduate next year. 

Reaching the end of his file, she's about to return to Bruce's file when she sees another document attached.

Richard Grayson is the secondary legal guardian of Jason Peter Todd. All matters relating to his adoptive brother must be forwarded to Mr. Grayson if their adoptive father, Mr. Wayne, is out of reach.

"E.L.A.R.A —?" Jason Todd's file appears without further ado, and she huffs out a smile, "Thank you."

"Of course, Ms. Stark."

Jason Peter Todd was his drug-addict mother's second biggest mistake — though he had been a close second since her actual biggest mistake was the overdose that killed her. He lived on the streets for two years after her death, preferring Crime Alley to the orphanage the state assigned him to. And, after trying to steal the hubcaps off the Bat-mobile, instead of finding him on the wrong end of Batman's fury, itty-bitty Jason Todd found himself in Wayne Manor, a shiny adoption certificate taped to his forehead, and a Robin suit tailored to his body, at the low-low price of begging Alfred — "A butler with military experience? Holy shit!" — and Bruce for a year.

He's 17 now, a year younger than Dick. 

The father-son trio looks similar, even with no shared DNA —  the dark hair and similar shades of blue eyes really sell it.

Whoosh! The door opens and Alex startles, hastily tapping the side of her specs, clearing her view, and exiting the cave's system. Bruce appears with a blonde girl — Artemis, E.L.A.R.A's facial recognition software prompts — behind him. The doors close and he gestures to the girl, "Alex, this is —"

"I know." She tells him simply and at their questioning looks she gestures to her specs, "Dude, c'mon, I told you! AI specs!"

Bruce rolls his eyes while Artemis raises her eyebrows appreciatively.

"Artemis, as you already know," — She grins at his bitter tone — "Is part of the Young Justice team, which you'll be joining in a week, she's here to introduce herself and brief you on the team's latest mission — which, you won't be joining, just observing."

She throws her hands up in disappointment, "What the heck, Bat-guy?"

He scowls harder, "Man."

Alex makes a face, pointing at herself, "...Woman?"

He rubs his face in exasperation, "Oh for fuck — I'm Batman. Not Bat-guy."

"...Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

*

Wayne Manor is as big as it's quiet, wildly different from the penthouse atop Stark Towers, tailor-made for her father, Pepper, and herself. The Manor's bigger than necessary, especially seeing as only four people live here. Still, she keeps her comments to herself (for now), seeing as she's not supposed to know anything about Bruce apart from what he's already told her.

She lets out a low whistle, looking around the foyer, "I'm staying here?"

"You can. Other options include Oliver and Artemis, or Diana, or Barry."

"What's the deadline?"

"No deadline." He tells her, "You can stay with any of these options at any time. Other members of the Justice League can house you but their living quarters won't be well-suited to you, and leaving you at the Young Justice cave is also not a viable option."

"Right, right, still gotta prove my trustworthiness to you, huh?"

She inspects a vase nearby. Her eyes almost bug out of their sockets when she realizes it should belong in a museum, along with most of the stuff in the house — and Bruce, since he looks, speaks, and breathes like an ancient statue.

"No. It isn't about your trustworthiness, it's about your training," Clearing her throat, she turns to face Bruce who meets her gaze and begins leading her deeper into the Manor, toward the living room with a Monet painting on each wall, "The Young Justice cave goes through regular training drills, any time, anywhere. We can't throw you in and cross our fingers —"

" — And toes." She adds.

"And toes," He sighs, repeating, "And hope that you get used to it soon enough."

She nods, messing with the collar of Artemis' borrowed shirt, refusing to look at the paintings lest she start screaming, "So, where's everyone else?"

He narrows his eyes in suspicion, "Everyone else?"

"Your wards." He sighs, and she grins, "Ya know, Nightwing and Robin?"

"Yes, I'm aware." He shakes his head, "Didn't I tell you to not hack in again?"

"Technically, I didn't hack in again, I flagged all your identification files the first time around," She shrugs, placing her hands in her pockets, "I was doing some light reading before you came in with Arty."

"Arty?"

"Artemis."

"Naturally." He concedes. Narrowing his eyes, he asks, "Who's files have you read till now?"

"A few." His eye twitches and she snickers, opening her mouth to give him some more information before he has a stroke —

"Bruce have you seen — Oh." A new voice joins the conversation.

They turn to face who the voice belongs to, and Alex's eyes bug out of their sockets, because before her, stands the prettiest man she has ever seen in her life — Dick Grayson. 

"Ms. Stark, your heartbeat is reaching abnormal levels, are you alright?"

She dismisses the message with a flickering of her gaze, preferring to not have her view blocked by E.L.A.R.A. Richard Grayson is 5'11, with built shoulders, a tapered waist, and strong legs. His hair is dark and straight, falling onto his tanned face. His jaw is square, his eyes are baby-blue, his lips are thick (Alex is a little jealous) and, worst of all, he has dimples — dimples.

"Hi," He says to Alex, awkward and yet bright, before he turns to Bruce, "Who is this..?"

"Alex Stark," She waves before Bruce can say anything, "And you're the ex-boy wonder."

 Dick blinks, tilting his head at Alex, slack-jawed, before looking at Bruce, who despite being amused, keeps a straight face as he gestures to Alex, "So... she knows."

"Obviously she knows!" Dick explodes, rounding on Alex, "But how? Oh my god, don't tell me you're adopting another kid? Bruce! What the hell, you promised Alfred to stop doing shit like that!"

"Yeah, what the hell Bruce?" Alex exclaims, adding fuel to the fire and receiving a glare for her trouble.

Bruce begins explaining to Dick, "I haven't adopted her —"

" — Yet."

"You are not helping, Alex!"

She snorts, "I never wanted to."

"Hey, dickhead, have you seen my — " The most handsome boy Alex has ever seen walks in, wrapping his knuckles with boxing tape. Jason Peter Todd has a charm different from his adoptive brother, his hair is messier, his eyes are ocean-blue, and it's very easy to imagine a mischievous smirk lifting his lips. He freezes when he sees her, hiding his hands behind his back, "Oh, shit, who is this, Bru —"

"Your new sister! Yay!" Dick cuts him off with fake cheer, grumbling as he pushes a hand through his hair. 

"No, I'm not!"

"No, she's not!"

But, Jason doesn't hear them, "What the hell, Bruce! You promised Alfred —"

"Oh, for god's sake, I haven't adopted her, will you just listen to me for a second?"

"So that you can justify adopting another kid, Bruce? You can't just go around doing that!" Dick throws up his hands frustratedly.

Alex raises her hand, "Hey, excuse me, I have a Dad!"

There's a momentary silence that Bruce is about to take advantage of to explain, but Jason steals the opportunity, "What the actual fuck, Bruce? You adopted a girl who has a father? That's messed up, man!"

"Goddamnit, Alex!"

"HOW THE FUCK IS THIS MY FAULT?"

*

Closing the door behind her, she slumps against it. 

Once they got through the initial misunderstanding, Bruce's wards were accommodating and friendly; very friendly in Dick's case. They took her around the Manor, showed her the secret passage to the Batcave, and snuck her into the cave even after Bruce forbade them to since the old man wanted to show her around the cave tomorrow.

And, now, an hour and two of Alfred's infamous cookies later (speaking of whom, Alfred is just as cool as she thought he would be) she has been delivered to her room with offers for a tour of Gotham City (Dick) and a friendly spar, i.e, ass-kicking (Jason).

Her room is bare of anything personal but exquisitely decorated, with a chandelier looking down at the pillow-crowded four-poster bed, and a mahogany bookcase filled with leather-bound books and a matching desk by the window. The room is startlingly different from her room back at Stark Tower, where everything is sleek, gleaming, and made of glass and metal. 

Hell, the Manor is completely different from the tower. The Tower was monochromatic, automated, scientific, and modern, down to the art pieces displayed on the walls. The Manor is old money, with cream fabrics, and deep blues, filled with expensive old things (the owner included).

Her head lands on her knees, shoving her specs closer to her face. 

"Ms. Stark."

"... Yeah, E.L.A.R.A?"

"I'm detecting a fall in your endorphin production, do you require any assistance?"

"Dunno, do we have any way of harnessing the power of a star?"

"Not at present, Ms. Stark, but I'm sure you and your father will devise one soon enough." Despite herself, Alex smiles, "Meanwhile, if you'd like, I could flag some research papers on the topic, to get you started."

"There's no need for that, E.L.A.R.A. Thanks, though." She says to the empty room, picking her head off her knees and letting it rest against the door behind her. 

"Of course, Ms. Stark." She's surrounded by silence for a minute before E.L.A.R.A. speaks again, "Ms. Stark, you were feeling fine a few moments ago, while in the company of others, may I inquire why you feel sad now that you are alone?"

"Is this a ploy to get me to speak about my feelings or is this so you can learn more about humans?"

"... The latter, Ms. Stark."

She snorts derisively, "I don't remember coding you to be able to lie."

"A.I. don't lie, Ms. Stark."

"Whatever you say, E.L.A.R.A." Alex says, catching her lip between her teeth. She takes a deep breath, wondering if she should tell E.L.A.R.A, no matter how amazing her A.I. is, that's all E.L.A.R.A is, an A.I. with no physical way of helping Alex. In the end, though, Alex speaks, "I guess, when... when I was with others, I was distracted, you know? I wasn't occupied with this... ridiculous situation — I mean, an alternate universe! Can you imagine, E.L.A.R.A?"

"I'm not programmed to imagine, Ms. Stark, and I suppose there is no need to imagine anything either, you are in an alternate universe." She feels a flash of panic in her chest and E.L.A.R.A. notices, of course, she does, Alex shouldn't have added those extra sensors, "Your heartbeat just jumped to 100 bpm, Ms. Stark, are you feeling any strain? "

Alex chokes out a light-hearted laugh, but it sounds heavier than 100 tonnes of steel, "Apart from the mental strain of being stranded in an alternate universe with no friends or family around? None!"

"Is that what's bothering you, Ms. Stark? Being without your friends and family? "

"... Among other things." She admits, "... It's not that the people in this universe aren't trustworthy, I just haven't known them long enough to trust them."

"Such a feeling is commonly observed in unfamiliar situations, Ms. Stark."

"Yeah," She places her hands over her eyes, "But it isn't easy to deal with this."

"Ms. Stark, may I attempt to aid you? "

"Go ahead."

It's silent in the room and for a moment she wonders if E.L.A.R.A. is about to concede her loss when — "Hey, kiddo."

Her eyes snap open fast and she's met with the video her father recorded for her 16th birthday last year. She watches, transfixed, as her father grins at her through the HD view, his tinny voice filling her ears. 

"You're 16 years old now, and I'm happy to report that I still don't look a day over 30. Don't laugh, I have the portrait in the basement to prove it! Now... I know that a video's probably a shit gift to get, so don't worry, I bought you everything on your wishlist and more, because I love to spoil you, no matter what Pepper says."

"But, I'm getting side-tracked. I'm making this video on a whim, on a very loving whim, but a whim, nonetheless. 16 years and 9 months ago when Mary told me that she was pregnant, I could hardly believe it. I mean, sure, I knew I excelled in a lot of things, but wowza, getting a woman pregnant through a one-night stand — your granddaddy would've been proud! After the initial surprise, I was worried. I thought I'd screw up, make you into a less than acceptable human begin — honestly, I was scared you'd turn out like me, sweetheart."

"And for 9 months, I worried over this and your mother, because god that woman had no self-preservation skills. But, then, in the operating theater, when they handed you to me, every worry I had vanished. Because, you were already the most amazing person in the whole entire world, Alex. And, I almost threw a punch when the nurse took you from me, but don't worry, your mother managed to stop me."

"Your mother... she... she really loved you, kiddo. Don't ever doubt that. Her love for you is one of the reasons why she left... because... well, you know why. And if she were here today, she'd be sobbing, and all gooey, and if I dared point it out, she'd have killed me — Yes! On your birthday, that crazy woman! "

"But, anyway, I guess all I'm trying to say is, I love you, kiddo, and so does your mom. And we always love you, no matter where you are, no matter what you become, because you're my daughter, you're my whole world, Alex. Don't ever forget that. Happy birthday, kid. Don't grow up too fast."

A cool wet sensation travels down her cheeks and she blinks. Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she sniffs once, twice, before she says, "Thank you, E.L.A.R.A."

"Anytime, Ms. Stark."

Alex can almost hear a smile in the A.I.'s voice.

! she speaks !

no beta, we die like men.

its hilarious that i pounded out this chapter in less than an hour, but writing a chapter of my original book kills me the way nothing else can. wtf