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The ride to the batcave didn't take long, although Dick had hoped they could postpone telling Batman about their guest.
Was it completely against protocol to bring an unknown creature, although humanoid, to the cave without consulting anyone first? Maybe a bit. Batman knew they had encountered the child, maybe the greatest detective could make some conclusions from there.
Usually with these kinds of decisions, Dick’s gut would feel heavy with a sense of foreboding and that had never stopped him either. This time, that kind of feeling was completely absent. It was almost like Dick felt relaxed while being around the child.
It was no surprise that as they entered the Batcave, Batman was already waiting for them. He stood with his arms crossed, mouth pulled into a frown under the cowl. To anyone outside of their family, Batman might have looked angry or intimidating. To Nightwing and any other Robin for that matter, the fact that Batman was just waiting was already telling enough, that the guy was just worried.
If Batman didn't want the child in his cave, they wouldn't have been able to enter through the tunnel. Robin, waiting behind Batman and copying him with a similar expression but without the nuances and micro expressions that would define Batman's mood, tried hiding his obvious curiosity.
Nightwing could see it, the way he was leaning forward, rolling his neck to act as if he was stretching and not just trying to get a glimpse of their passenger.
Red Hood was barely off his bike when the child ran up to Batman just as eagerly as it had run up to Nightwing, if not more. Robin leaned back, if only for a second, but Batman didn't flinch in the slightest.
The child honked just once or twice, lighting up the entire cave for a moment as it called out, before noticing how the sound bounced off the walls. The bats hidden in the cave flew off into the night at the disturbance. It didn't honk again, instead it started chirping in a much quieter manner but not any less enthusiastic.
“Oh, so it can make different sounds?” Red Hood said as he stepped closer.
Batman’s frown deepened, Damian beat him to speak up first.
“What's it doing here?” Robin asked, eyes narrowing, “This creature is an endangerment to us all and you had no right to bring it without consulting father first.“
Red Hood remained unimpressed, moving his hand to indicate rolling his eyes under the helmet. He reminded Dick of a Power Ranger like that. An angsty Power Ranger, more like it. “Can it, pipsqueak. If anyone would be an endangerment, it would be-”
“We needed the equipment, the cave offers exactly that” Nightwing interrupted Red Hood, before this would end up in a brawl again. Damian pouted, which he would never admit to and Red Hood remained quiet, no doubt huffing under his mask but without the voice modulator picking it up.
The child, unfazed by Nightwing's brothers bickering, stepped closer to Robin. He was still in his costume, Batman and him probably having arrived not long before Red Hood and Nightwing. Chances were high that they headed back right after Red Hood had called in backup, not only because those instances usually ended with some urgent injuries that needed attending.
Robin was leaning away from the child, visibly more and more uncomfortable the closer the child got. It had to look up, reaching barely up to his stomach and the child looked intrigued by the domino mask on Robin's face. It stared into the white lenses with its glowing holes for eyes, cocking their head from side to side. Their hand was just reaching out to touch the cape when alarm bells rang in Nightwing's head, seeing Robin tense in a way that would definitely end badly for both of them.
Before Nightwing could say anything, Batman intervened, kneeling down to be on eye level with the child.
“Can you understand what we're saying?” he asked, his voice gentle.
The child chirped once.
“Can you tell us where you're from?”
The child remained silent for a moment, before shrugging. A saxophone-like sound played as they moved. Dick hoped that was the child.
“Do you know where you are?”
Again, the child remained silent, this time for longer, before shrugging again.
Batman hummed, standing up again. Immediately, the soft expression on his face vanished as he looked at Red Hood and Nightwing, scowling and grunting, which approximately translated to ‘We’ll talk about this later’.
Nightwing had the decency to act as if he was flustered though he definitely wasn't, while Red Hood’s reaction was hidden by the helmet.
Nightwing noticed Robin moving away from the group. Dick knew Damian had no problem interacting with scared children while on the job but this was neither on the job, nor was this a scared child. Dick could understand - the batcave was not somewhere they would usually invite many people over, especially unknown creatures.
Batman nodded to the child again, “We'll have to do some tests” he informed the child while asking Jason and Dick to help him without actually asking by looking at them for a second. Batman immediately started making his way deeper into the cave, into the direction of the medbay while Dick hung back to talk to Damian for a second.
The kid chirped again, trailing behind Batman before turning around and offering its hand to Jason. Jason took the smaller hand in his and was immediately rewarded by being dragged towards the med bay.
It was a funny sight, a bright and small child dragging the fearsome Red Hood around like it was nothing, not even hesitating. Red Hood tried his best to keep up without stumbling, since his new friend had absolutely no intention of slowing down to accommodate a puzzled Jason. Oh well.
Dick walked up to Damian. The boy sat comfortably in front of the Batcomputer, seemingly busy typing up reports and switching tabs between different spreadsheets. Unfortunately for Damian, one of the tabs was about a case Dick knew they had finished a week ago, the other was about the rate of selling fruit wine in a farm game and another, Dick was pretty sure, was related to Damian's geography project.
Dick had just opened his mouth when Damian spoke, “Grayson, if you intend to talk about my feelings, I suggest you go elsewhere”
“Dami, if you're uncomfortable with someone being here, no one would blame you for it.”
Damian glared at him, his shoulders obviously tense. “Tt. Don’t be ridiculous” Damian huffed, “As if that would be a bother to me. I am merely concerned about the potential threat you and that zombie decided to bring here.”
Dick put a hand on Damian's shoulder, that gesture being as much comfort as Damian would allow.
“I'm not sure they are a threat actually,” Dick mused. “It felt different, not really like the people we usually interact with, you know?“
Damian sat back in the chair, crossing his arms. He looked slightly miffed, not agreeing to anything but not disagreeing either. As Damian opened his mouth to argue, a snort interrupted him.
Dick turned around to see Tim walking down the stairs. He was carrying a steaming mug of what smelled like chamomile tea in comfy clothes, a simple red hoodie and black sweatpants. He still wore his costume's domino mask but looked otherwise like a normal civilian.
With Nightwing, Red Hood, Batman and Robin on patrol, not to mention the other Gotham vigilantes that wouldn't regularly show up at the Batcave at the end of the night, Tim had stayed in for the night. He had continued working on some open cases and did some research, such work being just as vital as being out and about in the streets, and therefore had no need to be in uncomfortably tight suits.
“Don’t worry, Robin. Everyone here has their emotional support alien. This time, it was Jason's turn”, Tim said. Damian looked at him in confusion. Dick managed to hide his reaction behind his hand.
“What are you drivelling on about this time?“ Damian asked incredulously.
“You know. Batman got Superman, you got his kid, Nightwing got Kory, I got Superboy. Jason didn’t have a turn yet“. Tim leaned against the desk as he was explaining, putting his mug of tea right on Damian‘s notes for school.
Damian was about to argue when, again, Dick interrupted before either of them could explode.
“So you think it’s an alien?“, Dick asked, eyebrows raised.
“Sure, why not. You don‘t?“
“Hmm, my money is on spirit. Robin?“
“Tt. Both of you severely underestimate the extent of how metas can be affected in terms of appearances.“
“So it’s a bet then“, Tim said while grinning. He picked up his mug, a paper sticking to the rim. He removed it, putting it directly in Damian‘s hand and walked over to the medbay.
——
At the medbay, Jason was not exactly sure what to think.
Initially they wanted to do a general physical assessment. Their height was roughly 3‘6"ft, which wasn‘t of any concern. Their weight, however, was a lot lighter than their height and build would imply. Jason had already noticed their lightness on his bike but didn‘t think too much of it. He wasn‘t used to riding on his bike with preschoolers so there wasn‘t much of a reference point for him.
Looking into their eyes only ended up with Batman grunting and having to squint his eyes and blinking more for a few minutes. There was no blood pressure to test, not even a pulse to measure. Drawing blood was also a fruitless endeavour as the kid had no visible veins to attempt to stick a needle into.
There were thankfully no visible injuries or bruises either. No imperfection at all, actually.
Their entire body was smooth with a hard clay-like body, fortunately nothing like Clayface. They weren‘t even wearing shoes but had no toes either. Jason already noticed the lack of fingers except thumbs when holding their hand and at that point, it wasn‘t even much of a surprise. There was no way of telling if the kid even had a mouth or nose underneath the mask.
Bruce was busy setting up several scanners. Jason still sat right next to the kid, his big gloves engulfing the smooth clay mitten-like hand of the kid. The child was seemingly happy to stare ahead, their legs swinging as they hung off the cot.
Tim sauntered into the room, looking at the peeved Batman and plopping down on a nearby chair. Jason eyed him suspiciously.
“So, does it have a name?“ Tim asked, sipping on his tea.
“What?“ Jason sputtered, “Of course it has a name, it‘s-“ he stopped.
“Actually, what is your name?“, he asked, turning to the kid. The kid looked up at him, eyes bright and as big as saucers. It made no effort to respond to Jason, just staring at him. Jason wasn‘t sure if he thought of it as cute or uncomfortable.
“Well, good luck with that,“ Tim said as he walked over to a room off to the side that Batman had disappeared to.
„Do you have, like, a name name?“ Jason asked, cringing about the phrasing.
“Nevermind. My name is Jason. What can I call you?“
The kid continued looking at him, chirping expectantly but offering no further comment.
“Okay, how about I suggest some shi– stuff and see what sticks?“
The skykid nodded and saluted, their hand up against their forehead before flicking forward. Jason could swear he saw sparkles flying out of their hand, not even mentioning the drumroll sound that appeared out of nowhere.
“Luz?“
The kid crossed their arms, forming an X.
“How about Clay?“
That suggestion received a facepalm.
“Well, you‘re not giving me much to work with. I could call you Sparky?“
This time, the kid let go of his hand, stood up and fell to the ground as if fainting. Only to immediately jump back up and stomp its foot. Jason could only laugh.
“Message received, jeez. How about we stick with kiddo for now?“
Potentially Kiddo seemed to think about it for a moment. After considering it, Kiddo jumped up, sparks flying out of their hand after punching the air . Jason took that as a yes.
“Alright Kiddo. Let‘s see what the big scary guy with the pointy ears figured out about you. We can see where we go from there.“
Jason hopped off the cot, Kiddo sliding their hand into Jason‘s as they walked back to the main cave. He couldn‘t even say that he minded the hand holding. Even through the gloves, he could feel the warmth and it wasn‘t exactly like Jason was running hot after his resurrection. It calmed him down despite tonight having to deal with a lot more family members than anticipated.
Back at the cave, Dick and Damian were still in uniform, Dick leaning against the desk and Damian staring up at the monitor. Tim had claimed the main chair for himself with lab results projected onto the big screen. Batman stood off to the side, entire body hidden in his cape and expression tight.
“So, the good news are that neither of us are losing any money on what our dear guest is,“ Tim started, “the bad news, however, are that we have absolutely no idea what they are either.“
“Hn“ Batman added, oh so helpfully.
“No detectable traces of cosmic dust whatsoever, no readings about magic or anything that would point them towards any known supernatural being. No obvious symbols connected to any faith or myth. No bloodwork to determine meta genes and no DNA to analyse. It‘s made of earthenware clay and has traces of soot on its hands but that‘s about it. No organs, nothing“, Tim explained.
“That‘s… unusual,“ Dick said
“Unnerving is more like it," Damian remarked.
Jason looked at the kid holding his hand. Damian wasn‘t wrong. He should be unnerved. He should be cautious and apprehensive towards Kiddo. Every instinct and training should scream at him that this creature could be dangerous. He felt nothing of the sort. That should raise even more alarm bells. The fact that Batman seemed concerned but nothing more should have all of them lock Kiddo up until they find out more but Jason didn‘t have it in him.
Based on the lack of attacks or otherwise attempts of detaining the kid, Jason was not the only one with that sentiment. The problem was, what now? Jason asked as much aloud.
“We will prepare a holding cell. I will visit the Watchtower tomorrow to conduct further research“, Batman said. The dislike of that option was immediately obvious.
Jason let go of Kiddo‘s hand to get in Bruce‘s face, “You can‘t be serious, old man!“
Tim winced, “Are you sure this isn‘t a bit extreme, B? It‘s a child.“
Dick didn‘t wait either, “Seriously? Any child you pick up gets a speed run through the foster system and Jason‘s kid needs a cell?“
Surprisingly, even Damian seemed perturbed.
“Father, I think that would be a mistake.“
Bruce looked at his children, dumbstruck. Jason was surprised himself. Rarely had they all agreed so quickly.
“Well. I think that–“ Before Bruce could even finish his sentence, all of Jason's brothers verbally descended on Bruce. He didn‘t even have the opportunity to explain himself.
At first, Jason thought that the chirping he heard was Kiddo agreeing to the others, all until a loud squawk cut through the noise. Everyone fell silent, looking at the kid.
“Hey, buddy, what is it?“, Jason asked, kneeling down to be on eye level.
Kiddo raised their arm, waving it almost as if scolding them all. Then it put both hands to his face, bowing while shaking their hands clasped together in front of them. No one said a word. Was Kiddo… thanking them? For shutting up or something else, Jason didn‘t know.
Kiddo went up to each and every one of them, bowing and waving at them. It stood in front of Jason, blowing him a kiss and making a heart with its hands.
Jason was left stunned, not sure what to make of these gestures. Kiddo remained where it was, sitting down on the ground.
And nothing happened.
They stood up again, then kneeling on the floor again.
No one moved, they all just watched.
Something in the atmosphere changed.
After a second of kneeling, the kid started frantically going up and down, standing up and kneeling over and over again. They started calling out again, louder and quicker each time.
It stood up again, ran to a different spot behind the group and started again.
Jason could feel their fear. The increasing desperation in their voice tore at his heart. He had no idea what to do. For a second, the gestures before all the kneeling felt like goodbye but now, Jason wasn‘t sure.
Was it trying to tell them something? Was it in danger? All he knew was that Kiddo was in great distress and he couldn‘t bear looking at the situation in front of him. Batman was about to step forwards but Jason pushed him aside, stepping closer to the screaming child. It was now just sitting on the ground, calling out over and over again. All the warmth Jason felt was gone and replaced by the desire to give Kiddo the same comfort that holding their hand had provided.
Tentatively and slowly, Jason raised his arms. Making sure to telegraph his movements, he slowly wrapped his arms around the crying child. The kid threw itself in his arms, burrowing their masked face in his chest. Jason fully embraced the child, squeezing them to reassure them that Jason would remain here as long as they would need it.
Damian gave Jason a curt nod before heading to the showers. Next, Dick came up and ruffled Jason‘s hair, then followed Damian to the showers.
Tim just gave him a thumbs up, grabbed his mug and Jason heard him walking up the stairs.
Kiddo remained in his arms, quiet but obviously shaken. Jason continued holding it, adjusting his grip so the kid could comfortably sit on his lap.
Batman knelt down next to Jason, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
“I will prepare your usual room upstairs. Come up when you‘re ready“. He smiled at Jason, the glint of pride visible despite the white lenses of his cowl and fondness practically oozing off of him.
“I think we‘ll need two rooms, don‘t you think, old man?“
Bruce chuckled. “Believe me, one will be enough. The bed is big enough for both of you“. He then left.
Jason carefully lifted one of his arms, reaching behind his head to unlock the helmet. It hissed before Jason pulled it off completely and carefully setting it down next to him. He slowly peeled off the domino mask hidden underneath. The kid in his arm raised its mop of white hair, big eyes staring right at him. Jason had no more helmet to hide behind. He couldn‘t help but smile, ruffling the kids hair and pulling them close again. The kid relaxed in his grip, nestling in the crook Jason‘s neck.
Later, Jason found himself laying in bed in disbelief. A glowy, living clay doll was curled up next to him. No rise of their chest to indicate that they were even breathing but the warmth radiating off their body was enough to reassure Jason that the child in his arms was definitely alive and doing better again. It was still in the same clothes, which didn‘t bother Jason since they were still completely clean despite the grimy streets of Gotham, their motorcycle ride or the cold and wet cave. They were soft without a single speck of dirt. Not that Jason was particularly strict about those things in the first place.
The cold moonlight shining through the window illuminated the new room Jason had claimed for himself months ago when he started staying the night again. It didn‘t offer much comfort, not many personal belongings stored in any of the shelves, but for the first time back at the manor, Jason felt peaceful.
He felt the same affection he had felt all those years ago when his brightly decorated room had been down the hall not far from Bruce and when he knew Dick was visiting, staying right next to him.
For now though, Jason remained under his blankets, the small weight in his arms keeping him grounded.
Maybe this wasn‘t all that bad.