Raising Robins: Both New and Old

[Robin Hunter]

Jason couldn't hold back a slight snicker at the tacked on officially. It was so weird they had to use hero names even though all the Titans knew Dick's identity and by extension his own, hell Roy and Wally had been been to there home, but Bruce always insisted on it for safety reasons. At the mention of Bruce Jason simply gave his attempt a half-hearted shrug as he placed his hands on his hips. "He's not that bad, you can't really be intimated by someone you've seen with bedhead. He's kinda...strict, I guess. Nothing I can't handle though, I saw worse way before I was Robin." Jason boasted with puff of his chest as if to show the Robin symbol. Though he make an effort to keep pulling his cape down on instinct at the memory of last night. Maybe he had deserved it on some level, but that didn't exactly make the 'battle scars' easy to handle. He really hoped he seemed cool to all of them, especially to Roy and Donna.

Jason returned the wave to Wally. Bruce had told him that The Flash had been the first to know his civilian identity besides Superman and Wonder Woman, meaning Dick and Wally had known each other for years! Longer than he'd even known his adopted brother for sure, something that could really be said for most. Turning to Aqualad he watched the older boy rub one hand over the other before he looked at him with purple eyes before he finally spoke in a voice that was weirdly weak for someone who in the Titans. "I-it's nice to meet you u-um..other Robin. I'm Aqualad, b-but I guess you knew that." Jason was quiet for moment, not exactly appreciating the other remark, but considering this guy could barely look him in the damn eye he knew probably wasn't trying to start shit.

Jason wondered briefly what was Aqualad's 'deal'. Aquaman seemed so confident and cool, not to mention he looked human and less like zombie! When he was to face with the guy he couldn't help give him the once over, wondering briefly he could take him. He'd done the same thing when he met Roy and Wally. It was just a habit he picked up from Crime Alley, a way of staying on his guard that had helped him patrol once or twice. He would have done the same to Donna, but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop looking! Dick crossed the room without a word to wear a smile pile of belongings sat and produced a water bottle with a strange green tint that he promptly forced into Aqualad's arms. He watched in shock as the guy began dumping half the water on his face. He could smell right away it was saltwater.

"Have you guys been teasing him again?" Dick asked with more exasperation than anger as turned to Roy and Wally. "It's not going to look good if one of our teammates ends up passing out, again." Dick listened as Garth panted with relief. The reprimand may have been unnecessary since sometime Garth wouldn't drink out of fear of being teased. Even though Garth could pass quite sometime on land without water he clearly became more weak and uncomfortable as time went on. As Wally's line of question Dick rolled his eye behind his mask, "Who knows, Batman stopped tell me what the League did when he realized I told you guys about what he said." Dick said with clearly disdain, shooting a glare at Bruce from across the room. Silently hoping he could felt it.

Jason perked up at his name, but fell slightly at the nature of Wally's question. He really didn't want to tell Wally the truth. Sure he'd kicked some ass here and there, but really compared to some of the wacky shit the Titans had done and especially some of the adventures he'd taken Dick on when he first became Robin, he hadn't done shit! Bruce still wouldn't him hand any explosives yet! "Um he's still kinda training ya know ? I need get to see the Scarecrow once, his costume is even dumber in person . We also ran into Killer Moth another time. I guess that isn't too bad right? " Jason said, trying to sound more proud of the encounters than either deserved. Bruce hadn't known Scarecrow would there and he'd growled at him to find the Batmoblie and wait. The fight with Moth had been a coincidence and even though he'd held is own great, one cut to his leg lead both Bruce and Alfred losing their shit worrying.

Dick met Roy's expression and set his jaw firmly. Anyone who the red archer long enough could tell that expression never meant anything could, but the fact he hadn't been the one to summon his team here, but Bruce had behind his back again. Now all of them were just shoved into the corner like a bunch of kids waiting for the grown-ups to finish talking. It was this infuriating thought process that caused the former Robin to not dismiss his far more rebellious friend's plan based on expression alone. He noted the Donna, Garth, and the most strange of all Jason had all turned to him as if asking him if listening further was even an option. Dick lead them in taking a step forward to actually listen to Roy's idea, with the exception of Wally. Dick winced the last time each of the had been punished."You reminding us doesn't help, Kid." Dick said, more embarrassed that Jason was right there to hear such a thing.

Donna scoffed at Wally's remark while Garth bowed his head bashfully."It's not that I'm any sort of saint Kid Flash, it's just on Themyscira we understand the concept of discipline and learn how to conduct oneself." Donna said with poise. She couldn't understand why boys were so immature. Dick was about the only one who carried himself with anything close to dignity she fought sometimes. At least Garth didn't make a show of himself consistently. "My sister made it clear that poor behavior on my part would make us reflect poorly on our entire island." Beside, though really behind her, was Garth was silent as he always was in these sorts of matters. Eyes averted from all of his friends and seeking to occupy any empty space that could be found.

With the exception of Donna, Garth seen all of his teammates and friends groan or complain about the topic of being spanked at one point or another. Whenever the topic would come up he'd often find one reason or another to leave or pretend to lost himself in his thoughts, but the the reality of the situation was far more embarrassing. He'd never actually been spanked before! Unlike all of his friends who had been taken in when they were far younger, he'd been with Aquaman a comparatively shorter time. No past to speak of, alone in the depths before King Orion. He'd been scolded for sure and even snuck in the corner before, but the only time Aquaman had given him a swat after he'd accidentally swam off he'd been scared out of his wits that Aquman hadn't done it since, didn't mean still wasn't on edge.

When Wally mentioned Roy's drinking the reactions of the his teammates were vastly different, Donna stiffed a slight a laugh at the mental image her mine conjured of Roy getting punished in such a childish way, Garth sheepishly turning to look toward the Justice League meeting going on, but it was Dick who spoke up. "Really Speedy ?" Dick said rubbed his temple. "Drinking? Haven't busted up kids older than us drinking dozens of times before? Having to haul their drunk butts to safety from stupid stunts? Honestly I hope Green Arrow wore you out for that, it's that kind of stuff that makes our entire team-" Dick gestured to three other heroes and than himself. "-look incompetent! What's next heroin?" the team leader snapped. Jason was visibly was taken aback by how much Dick sound like Bruce! That didn't stop his next comment however.

"Wish I could still drink." Jason said with at pout. "I had to get clean." He added with a slight shrug, hoping maybe Roy would think he was cool for having drank at all since according to Bruce and Alfred it was pretty weird, among other things, for kids his age. It hadn't been as hard to give up as the smoking did since he smoked more than he ever did drink, drinking fucked with your head after all, but he still missed how was the best way to cool down. "One time some guys and I scored some tequila an-" before he could continued Nightwing cut him off. "Robin, you're not helping!" Any other time Jason would have ripped Dick a new one, but what he was soon finding out to be Dick's 'leader voice' stopped him just as well.

When Roy's grin fell on him Dick felt his skin crawl and sucked in a little breath at Roy's jab. That was so unfair! Sure it had been more lately but he didn't need Roy's dang commentary about it! "Ha Ha, at least I actually learn from it! How times have as Green Arrow tanned your hide for running your mouth faster than Kid Flash, once week or is every other day now ?" Dick returned and shoved Jason who wasn't attempting his tittering at Roy's remarks. When he could tell Roy was dropping his various trips over Bruce's knee, he reeled himself back. He took Roy's strange question with the same stride. "Yeah, I sometimes even get to see Batman adding to missions to the list." Dick said in a level tone, he was raised by the world's greatest detective and he could see where this was going.

"Honestly do you boys do nothing but goof off when I'm away." Donna admonished at Wally's comment. "I'm starting to think all human men simply can't resist trouble! Why else would Garth not end up like the rest of you!" The young amazon groaned as Garth gave a yip and Nightwing cleared his throat to draw the attention back to Roy. The girl's confidence however did falter at the sidekicks comment, she wanted to deny it, but as of late the matter on her mind. "My sister says I"m still training." She said rubbing her elbow with a distinct lack of the same fiery attribute from before.

Jason's attention was briefly caught when Roy turned him, but the grin fell as hear what the archer actually had to say. "Is that true, that B-Batman's going to say that ? He wouldn't really right ?" The voice was a stark contrast from the one that had been boasting drinking abilities, fear at the edges. He turned to briefly look up at his brother as if he was hoping to the find the answer, but the fact Nightwing was as still as statue gave him one. It just was one he'd been hoping wasn't it. Holding both his elbows the often proud little hero lowered his head to listen to the oldest one present.

The first word's back to Wally were hushed and cold."No they wouldn't, we always wonder HQ during long meetings. We could be gone for hours and as long as he we were back before the end no one would the wiser. Even if they took a break this place is big enough it wouldn't seem as if were gone." Dick was still facing Roy. Though his exterior was icy he could feel anger welling up in him, the reminder of last night when Bruce brushed aside his desire to have his team stand on their own and not be at his beck and call. Behind the dark mask his eyes darted around him to each of his friends and fellow Titans, each one talented in vastly different ways. Treated like sidekicks of all things. Wonder Girl could life a truck over her head, Kid Flash could cut off crooks before they even turned, Speedy could hit any target, and Aqualad despite his shakiness had survived more than any of them before he could even talk. He looked down to his kid brother and remembered the first time Bruce had made him feel less than. He'd been nine and it was after a mission against Poison Ivy, he'd made a mistake and long story short Ivy's base had gone up in flames. He could understand his father and mentor being angry, but what he'd ended up saying was simply 'I'm not suprised'. It had hurt more than spanking he'd gotten and all through the cuddles afterward he couldn't stop crying even when the pain waned. He still cried about that night. Without a word Dick began moving from the main conference hall, not even throwing a look over his shoulder at the massive table were the world's most famous heroes sat.

Once they were close enough to the computer room Nightwing spoke up to Speedy. "Most level fives are off-world or out of the country so we have to make sure we pick something that will give us enough time to get back. It'll also have to be something we know we can handle, some of the cases have been collecting dust since not even the League knows what to do." Punching in a code to open the massive door the Titans leader walked to the computer. It's screen towered and for the first time Dick heisted, knowing that even looking through these cases was enough to lose him any hope of sitting properly or patrolling for a long stretch. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jason hanging on his every movement quietly huddling to Wally's side probably without thinking. He wanted to tell his brother to scram, but at the same time he didn't want Jason to feel the same way he did. For Bruce to expect so little. So he punched in the code and before the group of teen spilled a list of missions none even heroes decades older would dare to touch. The entire group was cloaked in the faint blue light of the screen in silence for a moment.

"Gotham!" Jason yipped without thinking and pointed a green glove to the third case from the top. He hadn't meant to but he felt like he was going to explode and hatred feeling so scared. The mission was Case 5-3, subject Killer Croc. Jason swallowed and had the passing thought of running to Bruce before remembering Roy's words. "L-let's do that one! It's close by a-and Nightwing and me know our way around." Jason fought back to the redness running down his thighs from last night's punishment in the study, if this made it wear that never happened again he would take on five Crocs.

"It's underground, that would also make wear we wouldn't be seen by anyone while worked." Donna added, for the first time seeing the brightly colored boy next to as something more than an adorable tag-along. When she first met Dick she had almost fought the same thing, if only for a moment. "Maybe Speedy's right, what better way is there to prove your strength than by conquering a threat no one else dares to." Donna said. Though it had only been growing up on the island and she made a point to never come to meetings when the results were clear, her sister had taken her over he knee before. It made her feel weak despite what Diana said and weakness to an Amazon was one of the worst feelings.

"It's in the sewers t-to." Aqualad added."T-that means I won't n-need my seawater since tunnels converge with the ocean." He was so scared he had snaked an arm around Roy's as he looked up at the screen. He remember Aquaman swatting his bottom the day at the docks and how scary that had been, he trusted his King with his very life and to have him get that made made him shake even now. Though a small part of him was jealous. He didn't know what his King saw him as and he spent many nights wondering if one day he wouldn't return to take him to face the threat of the deep. He didn't want the pain or even Kink Orion's ire, just some attention really. Maybe this would be it....

Dick turned to Roy, his heart was racing. Despite the fact Roy was noticeably taller, he felt stories high at the moment with an adrenaline high. "I think Robin's onto something. So what do you say Speedy ? Taking down Killer Croc in the pitch black sewers, think you can handle that ?"

[LadyLoki]

“I still don’t think this is a good idea.” Wally muttered, but his concern seemed like it was being overwritten by his teammates’ desire to prove themselves to their mentors. He couldn’t deny that a part of him desperately wanted to be acknowledged for the work they did on a daily basis. They all seemed to hear the same thing. “You’re not ready yet” was something Wally was getting tired of, and the more he thought about it, the more on board he was with the idea of proving themselves. Besides, even Donna was willing to go along with it this time. “What’s the worst that could happen, right? We’ve taken down people tougher than an overgrown snakeskin belt.” The speed demon said, the speed of his words picking up as his excitement grew. “If we use the launch pad to downtown Gotham, it shouldn’t take us too long to find our way down there since you two know the way.” Wally added, before smiling broadly. The adrenaline was almost infectious.

Roy glanced down to Garth when the Atlantean wrapped an arm around his own, and he tried to give the shorter male a reassuring grin. As much as he teased the pale-skinned youth, Roy didn’t want his friend to be genuinely frightened. “It’s going to be fine Garth. You can swim faster than anything. Plus, this way you can prove to Aquaman you can take on a lot more than he’s been letting you.” The tall archer said, giving Garth’s arm a squeeze to try and bolster his confidence. “You deserve that, don’t you? We all do.” Roy declared confidently, before looking to Dick with a grin on his face. “You know I am. Let’s get moving. I don’t want our little party to be crashed before it even gets started.” He stated, heading straight for the launch pad with Garth in tow before the pale kid could change his mind.

“Let’s get moving. Hey, Kid.” Roy glanced over to Jason, nodding his head toward Dick. “Stay close, alright? I’d rather not get my throat slit with a batarang ‘cause we lost you in the sewers.” The redhead said, even though he trusted Dick to be able to keep an eye on his younger sibling. As little as he was, Jason was more one of them than one of the Justice League. Roy could understand wanting to prove yourself, better than most. Still, might as well use a little bit of caution. He could not wait to see Green Arrow’s face when they came back with the story of having taken down Killer Croc. Roy stopped in front of the launch pad, before punching in the code for Gotham City, Downtown District. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and after a moment’s hesitation Roy stepped into the beam of light with poor Garth still being tugged along behind him.

In a few short seconds, the Titans and Jason were standing in a dark alley. It smelled like cigarette smoke and booze. Roy’s nose wrinkled at the smell, before glancing around to get his bearings. “Well, you guys know the city. Lead the way. We need to find an access point to the sewers.” He said, motioning for Nightwing to take the lead. Wally was shifting uneasily, clearly eager to get moving and stop standing around. They were in a shady part of Gotham. Crime Alley didn’t get its name for no reason. If any of the adults knew they were here…Wally was pretty sure they would all never be allowed to see the light of day again. Needles and empty bottles littered the streets, and Wally gingerly stepped around them as they made their way further into Gotham City.

“Must be weird to be back here, huh? I bet Batman hasn’t let you come back since he brought you under his wing.” Wally commented to Jason, glancing around. Most of the people in the area gave them a wide berth. Young as they seemed, everyone was aware to avoid the Titans if at all possible. If anything, it served to raise Wally’s assurance that they were going to be all right. He’d heard about Jason’s origins from Dick, even if the older boy hadn’t been pleased with his little brother’s sudden arrival. Wally had liked Jason regardless. The little boy could take a joke, and roll with the punches. Besides, Batman needed to lighten up a little bit. The redhead glanced to the side, glaring as a few men in the streets clearly leered at Donna from their spots on the sidewalk. “I’d say we should teach them a lesson, but we have bigger fish to fry. No offense, Garth.” Wally added hastily, as Roy snorted at the ill-timed pun.

The archer paused, before pointing to a series of grates lining one of the far walls of the city. “There. That’ll be the best access point.” Roy said, stepping over and examining the grates. “Easy.” He grinned, before taking a few steps backward and firing an explosive arrow into the flimsy metal bars. They exploded into tiny bits of shrapnel, and Roy turned back to his team with a smirk. As he turned back to look into the darkness of the sewers, even Speedy felt a little bit of hesitation. It was one thing to fight a criminal like Killer Croc in the open, but there in the sewers, they would be on his turf. They couldn’t afford to back out now though, and Roy took a slow breath before turning back to his fellow teammates. “W-We should stick together. I have a lighter…maybe we can make a few torches before we go inside. No sense in us going in completely blind, right?” He said, doing his best to hide the shakiness that seemed to have come over his voice.

It took a moment, but they turned up several dry pieces of wood that Roy managed to light. His grip on the makeshift torch tightened, and the young redhead pressed into the damp sewer tunnels. It was eerily quiet. There wasn’t any sound other than running water, and the occasional rush of the waves from the ocean. The mission summary had noted that Killer Croc had been simultaneously hunting in Crime Alley, as well as running his own gang in the area. The thought of the giant reptile biting into his flesh made Roy want to throw up, but he couldn’t make them turn back after his earlier bravado. Wally was pressed up against Donna’s shoulders, ensuring that Jason was kept right between him and Dick. Soon, they came to a split in the tunnels. “Which way are we supposed to go?” Wally whispered, shifting in place.


Back at the League Headquarters, the meeting was finishing up miraculously early. Bruce was ready to head home, but when he stepped out of the glorified conference room, the entirety of the Titans and Jason seemed to have disappeared. It wasn’t unusual. Sometimes the young teens got bored, and set off to wander the halls in search of some form of entertainment. Despite this knowledge, Bruce felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right. He could feel it. Even though neither Jason nor Dick were his sons by blood, Bruce thought he had a strange sort of sixth sense when it came to the two boys. He could always tell when something bad was going to happen, or when they were in danger. “Computer, locate Nightwing.” Bruce said aloud, and after a moment of silence, the computerized voice replied ‘Nightwing is no longer on the base” and Batman’s blood ran cold.

“Computer, locate Robin.” He ordered, and after another second, the voice replied ‘Robin is no longer on the base’. Superman was walking up and had opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce held up a hand. “Computer, locate Kid Flash.” Bruce said, only to be met with the same response. He listed every single name of the Titans, and none of them were here. “The Titans and Robin are gone.” Bruce said, forcing himself to keep his calm. “I don’t know where they went, but they are no longer here. Get the others. We need to find out where they went.” He ordered, and Clark immediately turned around to hurry back to the conference room. “Computer, has anyone logged into the League files?” Bruce asked, and the computer took a moment to scan, before an affirmative ding sounded. ‘Batman accessed the mission roster at 14:17’ was the response, and Bruce’s eyes narrowed behind his mask.

There’s no way they would have. They couldn’t possibly be that stupid. Without a word, Bruce practically sprinted to the nearest control panel to see what was the last thing he had apparently accessed. The Level Five Roster appeared on screen, and Bruce felt his legs go weak for several long seconds. They had pulled up Mission 5-3, an extremely dangerous mission that even Bruce wasn’t crazy enough to try himself. Killer Croc normally wasn’t a problem by himself, Bruce had dealt with him before. The reptile had gotten his hands on some of Bane’s Venom formula, and the resulting effect had been a monster than not even Batman could contain without serious help. He hadn’t mentioned it to Dick or Jason because neither of them ever dealt with Killer Croc without him.

Bruce cursed just as Clark rounded the corner with Aquaman, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman. It was a rare breach of composure for him, which was a clear indication of just how worried he was. “We need to get to Gotham. Now.” He ordered, ignoring the confusion in his team’s faces. “I don’t have time to explain. The Titans and Robin are in danger.” Bruce said urgently, before turning around and practically bolting for the launch pad. Clark’s mouth dropped open in shock, but he fell into step behind Bruce without questioning the man for the moment. Aquaman’s face creased in concern, and Wonder Woman was quick to follow. It wasn’t often Batman was in such a state, and it meant something was very wrong. After several long seconds, a good portion of the Justice League was standing in Crime Alley, looking around.

“Batman, what the hell is going on?” Superman asked, as the Dark Knight immediately started sprinting towards the outskirts of the worst part of the city. It was afternoon now, and people were gasping as they saw Gotham’s protector without the usual cover of nighttime. “What do you mean they’re in trouble?” He demanded, even as he flew alongside his longtime friend. The rest of the League was keeping up beside them, desperately trying to catch some of Batman’s explanation. It took a lot to shake The Batman, but this time even with the cowl in the way, Clark could see that Bruce was frightened.

“They went after Croc.” Bruce replied, his pace not slowing down in the slightest. “They went on Mission 5-3. Croc got his hands on some of Bane’s venom. It’s why I hadn’t dealt with the problem…he’s been laying low, and I was waiting until I had backup from at least several of you.” He explained, and the resulting silence confirmed that the others were feeling the same level of panic he was currently experiencing. “If we don’t get there in time…” Bruce’s voice trailed off, but he didn’t need to say anything else. If they didn’t get there in time, every single one of those kids was dead.

“We will get there in time.” Aquaman said quietly, even as their footsteps hit the ground harder with their increase in speed. “We have to get there in time.” He added, voice getting even softer. He couldn’t lose Garth, not to a monster like Killer Croc. What had possessed the boy to run off like this!? Garth was a cautious soul, and practically afraid of his own shadow. Aquaman had been proud to see his confidence building during Garth’s time with the Titans. It didn’t explain this sudden departure from sanity! He just prayed to the gods that his young charge was alright, and not torn to pieces by Killer Croc. Just the very thought made his blood turn to ice, and the frantic air around the team just seemed to be fueled. Every single one of them was picturing the young heroes, bloodied and broken by the monster they were hunting in the sewers. Diana was silent. Her eyes were trained straight ahead, forcing her body faster and faster.


The sewers were silent. Roy was starting to feel uneasy. It was too quiet. He was starting to imagine seeing things down here, and if there was one thing he trusted, it was his eyes. Speedy couldn’t afford for his gaze to be playing tricks on him, especially not in the dull light of the torches. “I don’t hear anything…Garth, can you sense anyone moving through the water?” Roy asked quietly, gripping the torch tightly as he stared into the darkness of the tunnels. Suddenly, his head whipped around when the redhead thought he detected a noise. “What was that?” Roy asked quietly, before a snarl broke through the silence that had previously dominated the sewer tunnels. There was heavy breathing coming closer and closer, and the tall teenager stumbled a few steps backward in spite of himself.

A dark laugh then echoed through the hollow walls, before a giant hand lunged toward the group of teenagers and Killer Croc finally entered the small window of light they had. Wally looked up in horror at the hulking form of the reptile they had come here to hunt. Killer Croc was hunched over, too big to stand upright in the sewers. His muscles rippled under his scales, and his teeth were gnashing together. Wally could hear him inhaling, taking in their various scents. They wouldn’t be able to run away now, no matter where they went in the tunnels. “Fresh meat! Delivered right to my doorstep!” Croc snarled out, scraping his long talons against the walls of the sewer. “Come a long way from home, haven’t you?” He growled, as his gaze landed on Jason. The reptile paused for a moment, before his eyes narrowed. “I know you…you belong to the Bat, don’t you?” Killer Croc exclaimed, before he broke out into a vicious grin. “I’ll look forward to throwing your disembodied head at his feet! But don’t worry, I’ll make sure to eat the rest of you!” With a cruel laugh, the criminal lunged forward with his yellow eyes focused on Jason. Wally instantly grabbed the smaller boy’s hand, hauling him backwards just out of arm’s reach.

Killer Croc had taken them by surprise. Roy hadn’t even grabbed his bow because the sight of the creature right in front of his face had been so petrifying, he hadn’t been thinking. “RUN!” Roy shouted, shoving Garth forward as best he could to get his friend moving. They couldn’t fight here in the darkness. None of them could see, while Croc could smell. They were outmatched, and there was nothing they could do about it. Roy heard a splash of water behind him, and he realized that Croc was following them in the water of the sewer tunnels. How was he moving so fast?! Roy’s heart was pounding, and he realized they might not ever make it out of the tunnels again.

Wally could have been gone in seconds, but the redhead refused to abandon his friends. If they were going to die, then they were going to die together. “Keep moving! I’ll hold him off!” The speed demon ordered, skidding to a stop. “He won’t be able to catch me! GO!” Wally snarled, motioning desperately with his hands for his friends to keep going forward. Normally Dick gave the orders, but right now, every single one of them was out of their depth. He’d noticed it earlier. Killer Croc had been bigger than Wally remembered, and his teeth were larger, and his muscles seemed almost too big even for the monster’s massive frame. There had been a reason this mission had been marked level five, and they had ignored it.

“Wally, NO!” Roy shouted out, stopping to grab his friend’s arm and drag the smaller teenager forward. “He’s going to kill you!” The archer insisted, as the splashing sound got louder. “Come on, we need to hurry before-” Roy was cut off as the two of them were knocked off their feet by the force of Croc leaping out of the water onto the walkways that lined the tunnels. The redheads hit the walls, stumbling to their feet as Croc’s massive hands shot forward to grab ahold of Jason’s little wrist as well as Garth’s upper arm. “NO!” Roy snarled, raising his bow and beginning to fire arrow after arrow as best he could with the limited visibility. Wally was out of it, leaning against the wall with unfocused eyes. It wasn’t working! Croc was laughing, holding up his two catches in front of his yellow eyes.

“Look at what I got here…a little fish snack and Batman’s own little bird.” He snarled, licking his lips deliberately as he stared at the pair. “I’m going to use your forearms as toothpicks…but don’t worry. I’ll send what’s left back.” Killer Croc laughed, the gravelly sound vibrating off the walls as Roy desperately tried to land a hit. “Don’t bother. Venom formula makes my skin harder than steel.” He snapped, batting away an explosive arrow like a toy. Croc looked to Nightwing and grinned. “I hope you like watching me eat your friends…I plan on enjoying it.” He chuckled, giving Garth and Jason a vigorous shake.

[Robin Hunter]

"Yeah, I guess it feels pretty weird after all this time. It's been more than awhile. " Jason said almost robotically. For all the time Crime Alley was on his mind and how hardened he thought he was, he couldn't he help regard the place that had been his home for eight years of life with no familiarity. Compared to the world of decadence and excess he now called home this was terrible. The buildings he once regarded as the best ones in the neighborhood now were just...garbage. He wasn't dumb, he knew Bruce made it point to leave him out of any case that involved Crime Alley. He wasn't sure if it was to avoiding it because he didn't him to feel homesick or maybe Bruce thought he was stupid enough want to wander off. Probably the second choice considering what Roy said earlier. "Let's hurry up and get in the damn sewer already, this place stinks." Jason groaned as he leaned against a wall adorned with torn poster and decades worth of gang graffiti. As he watched them light and break the wood for light he rejected the offer, pulling out a thin yet extremely powerful flashlight out of his utility belt.

Nightwing also made a point to reject the method of illumination. "My mask has night-vision." He said typing the method of hiding his civilian identity. After each one of is teammates had a form of light he spoke up once more. "Speedy and Kid Flash I want one of you in the front and the other lighting our back, Wonder Girl I want you to fly up and keep near the ceiling, and Garth you're going going to keep low. I don't want an inch of our field out of sight. Robin, you're staying in the center with me." Dick could Jason moving to argue, but cut off the protest. "Do not argue with me, this mission is dangerous and I'm not taking unnecessary risks." Dick scolded to his younger brother. Approaching the manhole he looked down and couldn't help slightly miss the times when he'd been Robin himself, fighting alongside Batman. However, he wasn't the same chirruping little tag along anymore. He was Nightwing. With that he jumped downward int he sewers with a splash when his boots hit the water.

Jason could feel the eyes of the other Titans fall on him the moment Dick entered the sewer. The awkwardness that had plagued him the moment he'd lingered on the outskirt of the Titan's conversation earlier, but he became somehow even more pronounced as felt the weight of Dick's bravery to plunge into the dark depths below now falling onto him. Flicking on the light he jumped down right to feel the sludge, but instead was caught in Nightwing's arms. If that wasn't shock enough it wasn't until all of the Titans had taken foot in the sewers below did he even put him down. A hang lingered on his shoulder as the cave lit up enough to the see the decay across the walls and the grime crusted over. "He must be one ugly jerk to want to hide out down here of all places." Jason muttered as used to his flashlight to give the place the once over. He watched as each member take their positions.

"There's nothing in the that d-direction, it hits a dead end." Garth said mildly as he did his best to focus on the flow of the water. "If we keep going North we w-won't hit a break in the tunnel for a long while. " The Atlantean explained as he did his best to seem useful. Sometimes he felt like he was simply tacked on despite the fact he'd been apart of the team before even Roy or Donna. At least here he was closer to the environment he'd always known. Looking back he could tell even behind the faces that had masks that he was going to take the first steps, something that had often alluded the aquatic hero. Still the thought of having Aquaman, the only family outside of the Titans he'd ever known being proud of him and getting to be the center of the ocean King's attention over the rest of the dangers and wonders the sea had to offer was something he couldn't exactly pass up.

Donna on the other hand couldn't help find the environment she'd just be thrust into was more imposing than she'd given much thought. She couldn't help falter somewhat in fight in ways that elicited uncharacteristic curses from the Amazon girl. She tried to remember the training she'd been given in unfamiliar environments and even more so how her composure was needed now more than ever. "T-the file said he had not been spotted above the surface since he told the Venom, meaning he likely won't be in the form most know him as?" She said in voice that tried to seem calm, but sounded more hard and detached. "Am I correct in that assumption Nightwing, Bane is native to your territory of battle after all." Donna asked, eyes ever cautious at the sign of encroaching enemies.

"Yeah, the venom pretty much makes the consumer's body massive. Bane himself seems to have gotten more used to, but from what we've observed first time users often don't respond very competitive to say the least. Best we can really hope for is that the effects have been too much for the big guy to handle and we just book him." Nightwing said, eyes not breaking from the darkness in front of him. This wasn't the first time he'd been down in the sewers, but no matter how fun some cases were he couldn't remember one ever coming out having to go this depth for anything. Though he had slowly moved his hand from Jason's shoulder he couldn't help feeling his new found desire to protect his adopted sibling clashing with the situation he was letting him enter. He wanted to almost return Jason to the surface, but he knew that would just lead to the hell storm that the current Robin tended to produce when angry.

Though he was glad Dick was coddling him like Bruce did on when they were out in the field, Jason couldn't bring himself to feel comfortable with wandering to far from his older sibling's side. He was used the street levels, being able to pull what he could from his environments to fight back, but down here the as nothing. Even the all their lights seemed to coverage to on their surrounding it was barren. Even the mucky water below seemed oddly devoid of any sort of life to speak of. It reminded him of the pit near the edge of the Batcave. Unlike the Batcave however it wasn't safe, somewhere ahead of them a hulked out Killer Croc was out there and they were marching right toward him. Looking for a fight. He had never had a fight as Robin without Batman by his side and even though he instead had far more, nothing could match the sense of security that fighting alongside Bruce offered. Like a looming shadow that protected him every step of the way, now he was among the real thing.


Barry was having a hard time not racing forward ahead of the rest of League despite the obvious fact that only Bruce knew where their kids were at. He could feel his entire body vibrating madly he kept pace with his teammates. He couldn't help felt guilty, a feeling Wally often gave him when something even remotely bad happened to his little speedster. No, nothing bad had happened. Sure they had a head start, but they would find them soon enough. Before Croc did. He tried to think what would have happened to trigger Wally into thinking this could ever be okay. He couldn't help be coddle his little nephew in ever regard, holding back from more hero work than his side probably would have liked, but from the way Wally grew up the thought of putting him through anymore suffering was just something he couldn't stomach.

Damn it! How could he had though this was a good idea! He'd been acting out lately, at home, on patrol, you name it Roy just kept defying him. He found the kid drinking of all things! Ollie was coming to his wits end and despite the fact he was sure his little heathen brought the worse aspects of the other Titans he knew Dick was just about the only who could rein Roy in. He love the kid, from the moment he found the little scamp he couldn't understand how someone wouldn't love the kid! Though for how adorable and funny his fellow archer was, their was always a dark undercurrent of rebellion he wasn't always sure that he knew how to handle. He wasn't a hardass like Bruce was or as doting as Barry was, maybe he was kind of a shitty parent, but damn it if he didn't need his little Speedy!

Soon enough the sewer entrance was found and Ollie couldn't believe this was still Gotham. Sure he'd gone to some shady parts of the damn world, but the contrast between how differently the people lived in this city disgusted him! As if they wealthy didn't have some money to throw the direction of Crime Alley! Okay no he had focus. It would have looked damn bizarre to the Justice's League's inner circle stand, or in Clark's case floating, in alley way over manhole, but after taking in the situation and seeing no other possible routes they knew they would have to plunge in after them. He wasn't sure if he was going to hug Roy like crazy who ground the even further into the the sewers after wearing his ass out, but either he was about let some damn monster even harm a single fucking air on Roy's head.

"We can't be too far behind them since they only left a little while before they meeting got out." Barry said, trying more to comfort himself than anything else as he watched his teammates filtering below. He knew not one of them wanted to find something awful had happened to their individual companions. In his mind's eye he couldn't help, but picture Wally's sweet freckled face this morning before they'd left. His mind drifted downward into the darkness of the sewer, it was than he could no longer contain himself and the moment Bruce made it clear what direction was need his speed began to pick up until his fellow League members where only barely in sight, but the splashing signaled there were indeed behind him.


The moments the lights were off it became a true nightmare. Bodies fell over each other and the word splashed about. Jason had felt the monsters villain bearing down on him before he was hoisted up off the ground. He could feel Killer Croc's breath on him and the horrible smell he could only believe now the was the venom coursing through the enhanced villain. Wiggling bad about and trying to kicked he couldn't help trying to scan the darkness for his brother. "Nightwing! Nightwing!"Jason shouted wildly until he saw his brother floating in the muck of the water. It felt as if he froze for a moment, just the image almost distracted from the pain in his hands the horror that was breathing heavily right beside him. It was when he first tried to pull his arm did he wail in pain at the position he was in. He tried to reached for something his quality belt with the was he was being shaken he couldn't not get a handle on any gadget. Though it couldn't been he could feel tears of both pain and fear.

Beside Jason in direct opposition Garth struggled fiercely to little avail, pouting his free fist against the thick scales in attempt to free himself. While the more timid and water basted hero was often not the most brutal of fighter, but in the darkness of the sewers it echoed to fiercely of his past. The loneliness of the ocean depths combined with dangerous sea life, he had barely survived back then. This incident triggered the same thrashing and unabashed struggled in the aquatic youth and despite almost now progress being visible on the Gotham Rogue it didn't' seem to matter to Garth who's bright purple eyes were intense in the darkness, the will to survive now being the only motivation for every he dulled out. The crushing fear he still felt was below the surface of course, but old habits were still etched in his mind and in this case it matter not as tried in vain to pull at his captured limb.

Nightwing blinked but wasn't sure he could seen as he rose at the sound of Robin's cry. He'd been knocked down into the water it was glitching his mask and thus blurring his night vision. He knew that if he focused he would able to find Killer Croc, but what could he even do!? Killer Croc was already naturally strong and the venom only made expanded that beyond belief! He was reaching for his escrima sticks when he a human hand grabbed his wrists in the dark. "Nightwing! Nightwing, it's Wonder Girl!" The heroine shouted among the ruckus. He could see her through his left eye fortunately enough, but the distress on her face made it clear there not better of for ware at the moment. His mind traveled over the resources they had at their use. He wasn't sure any weapon could work...or at least any weapon based on technology and magic. "Wonder Girl, I have plan." Nightwing said under his breath, desperate to free Robin and Aqualad in the hopes they could make an escape. The thought of defeating Killer Croc like this was nothing more than foolish dream now it seemed.

Donna had been smashed upward and slide off to the sidelines when Killer Croc made an appearance, but thankfully unlike all of her teammates she was amazon. Her powers granted her flight, but a more durable body as well. Of course against he own people or beasts of legend she could be hurt, but in the world of man she stood far stronger and her strength was rooted in the powers of Greek Myth. When she found Nightwing in the dark she listen carefully as he explained his plan and she couldn't help but seize up in horror at the proposed prospect. "My mask is going to down, but if you can get on good hit on him just enough to throw him off we can get out of here. Your powers are rooted in....other forces, you're the only chance we've got." Dick said quickly to her. She knew he was right and she brought a hand to squeeze his shoulder to let him know to continue.

Soon enough Dick had leaned down and for the first time he was on the other side of the acrobatic act. Donna stepped and soon enough was the soaring through the darkness with her bracelets covered her head she she smashed directly into Killer's Croc's teeth. There was distinct sound of something shattering as Wonder Girl's body wracked with pain, but as the last of her strength to push herself off to the side with Wally and Roy she could see that Garth and Jason had been freed, Though as she felt herself slipping consciousness she wasn't sure how they could move through the sewers like this.

Jason and Garth both landed in the sewage, Jason letting out a cry out of pain as the ground braced with his for injured wrist . Garth beside him was shaking madly and trying to to back through the shallow with fear still present all over his face. His own arm felt sore as if had moving nonstop for days and moving now felt even more like an impossible chore. Nightwing racing off while Killer Croc seemed distracted for the moment, but by the time he was between Garth and Jason it was clear how little power was left between the three of them. Two injured, three down for the count, and Dick's mask chose than to completely cut out. Living him, like his friends, in the dark. Dick's mind was racing but soon enough a red blur pulled the three of them out of the water and despite protests made them get close against the wall. Dick looked up and almost couldn't believe it was the Flash.

It was only a moment later the water of the cave crackled loudly and lit up with electricity, powerful bright blue bolts that burned so hot some of the water was quickly becoming steam. On either side of the tunnels was little step to dryness that Barry had pushed them to prevent them being shocked it seemed. The smell of something burning filled the tunnel and Dick was sure he heard voices, but it was only when he turned to see the inactive and crispy Killer Croc did he sink to the ground and let out a shuddering sob. Barry gave each of the boys the once over before he sped over to pile of discarded heroes barely a few feet away. In the pile he saw Kid Flash and before he knew what was doing he pulled his nephew and sidekick into a hug.

"Oh my God..you're safe, you're safe." Barry said clutching the teen hero into his shoulder and holding the back of while the other was firmly on the small of his back. He squeezed tightly without thinking, but eased back a moment later in light of the fight his nephew had likely just incurred. "You can't keep doing this to me. I'm not sure I can handle it, Kid." Barry said with a very bitter chuckled as pulled back to look into the boy's green eyes and run a red-gloved and over the masked face. It was moments like this he never wanted Wally to ode anything but live a normal childhood even though he knew the speedster who was his pride and joy would never allow such a thing. His face fell from one of relief as he set his jaw somewhat. "What made you think this was okay? I taught you way better than that, please tell me why I just had to save your from t-that." Barry asked more desperate for some answer that would fix this rather angry with Wally.

"Speedy!" The second hero on the scene was Green Arrow who quickly spotted his own little redhead and picked up, scanning for any spots of injury. He grasped the kid by the shoulder and simply stared at him for a moment as if it had been a long stretch of time since they had seen each other and not a few hours ago. His arms shook for a moment before he pulled his kid into a tight bear hug, his own form shaking as the simple fact he was able to hold Roy in his arms felt like the most rare of privileges. Though it was only a second later he pulled back, but kept his hand on each of his shoulders. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, BOY!?" Ollie's face echoed harshly in the cave. He didn't mean to sound so harsh, but still he could feel anger welling up in him. "Drinking and cursing, but this! This is a new level of shit, Roy! You could have died! You could have all died!"

Aqualad slowly moved to check Wonder Girl who was slowly coming to. She rested herself against the wall, drained more than anything. It was only after he looked around to see all of his friends were safe did the first sniffle come out. Aqualad quickly tried to cover his mouth to try and stifle the cries that were bubbling over quickly, but soon tears ran down his pale cheeks and he was crying in earnest. Echos magnifying every pained whimper and sob. He felt so scared and alone in this moment that he began curling into a little ball beside Wonder Girl, who for the most part silently crying and turned away. She felt so drained after he quick but trying alteraction with Killer Croc, but still he form shook with little cries. Both simply wanted the only family they in the worlds that were not their own more than anything else at the moment.

Robin had barely registered they were safe when he was pulled into a hug by Nightwing, he tried to fully return it but found that he could only muster a single arm. Nightwing sat on his knees, but had drawn him upward in the tight embrace. He thought he would cry but the moment his body sagged with exhaustion against Dick's that had begun to shake with cries as he felt the kevlar arms tighten around him. "I-I'm so sorry, God I'm s-sorry." were the only words he could understand. He could feel his own shaking as the cold hit him and he realized how messed up they must all look. Each soaking and uniforms torn in places. Jason rested his face against Dick's shoulder as he listened to his brother's cries, not sure what to say. He just kept one arm his neck and realized he didn't really want to prove himself anymore.

[LadyLoki]

What was likely over in seconds felt like an eternity to the League members waiting outside while Barry rushed in ahead. Bruce’s entire body was tense, and he was staring at the entrance to the sewers with a desperation he had never known. He couldn’t lose the boys. Without them, he had nothing left. The moment Flash emerged with the groups of children who looked pretty banged up as it was, Bruce could have cried then and there. Dick and Jason were hugging one another, sobbing. He couldn’t make out what was being said, but that was the least of his concerns right now. Bruce surged forward and pulled the two against his chest tightly, assuring himself that they were still alive. Their hearts were beating so fast, he could only imagine how close to death they had been. If Barry had been moments later, he could have lost his sons to a monster like Killer Croc. “You’re safe. You’re okay.” Bruce said quietly, smoothing a hand over each head of dark hair and pulling back to look at his sons with an almost incredulous expression. “What in the hell were you two doing here?” He asked, voice so calm it was even worse than anger.

“Do you understand how close you just came to dying?” Bruce demanded, looking from one to the other. “If our meeting had been any longer, you would be dead! All of you! Not a single one of the Titans or Robin would be alive. Did you even consider that?” He asked, taking a slow breath and pulling both his sons back against him. “Did you consider how terrifying it was for all of us to run towards you, not knowing if we were ever going to see any of you again?” The thought made Bruce’s entire body feel like ice. Losing Dick and Jason would have been the end of Bruce Wayne. It would have been the end of Batman. No amount of justice or revenge could ever make up for losing his sons. He’d drink himself to death, imagining how he’d have saved them if he’d just been a little faster. “Are you hurt?” Bruce asked, looking over each little form as Clark took a few steps forward to rest a hand carefully on Dick’s shoulder and one on Jason’s head. He might not have had a sidekick, but it didn’t mean that just the thought of one of the kids dying wasn’t enough to bring Superman to his knees.

Wally was gasping for air the moment they got out of the sewers. He was slightly out of it after the knock to his head, but the moment he processed his uncle’s arms around him, Wally’s entire body sagged with utter relief. They were safe. They were alive. His green eyes shifted upwards to meet his uncle’s and for a moment, Wally didn’t know what to say. His eyes welled up with tears, and he collapsed against Barry’s chest before beginning to sob. During the course of his time as Kid Flash, Wally had seen some awful things. He’d seen his friends get hurt, and people get hurt. Some had even died. But by far, the worst thing had been being unable to help his friends get away from certain death. “I-We…W-We d-didn’t think…” Wally gasped out, trying to stop his crying enough to actually speak. Why had they listened to Roy’s stupid idea? Why had Dick gone along with this? Why had any of them gone along with this?!

“We just wanted to help, Uncle Barry I swear!” Wally eventually got out, his exhausted face settling against his uncle’s broad chest. Maybe Batman wouldn’t have approved of him going by a first name basis right now, but Wally was too frightened to give a damn. “W-We thought we could help b-by taking care of a Level Five mission…w-we’ve dealt with some hard stuff before so we thought…” Wally trailed off towards the end, unable to finish his sentence. God, how could they have been so stupid? There was a reason the League had been waiting to handle this mission, and they had completely ignored the reasoning. They had had to be saved by their mentors yet again, and if anything, it made them look even more like disobedient sidekicks than they had in the first place. “W-We thought that if we took down C-Croc…you wouldn’t treat us like sidekicks anymore.” Wally admitted quietly, rubbing off some tears on his torn uniform. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact after that.

Roy, not that he would admit it, was almost shell-shocked. One moment he had been screaming for Killer Croc to let go of Jason and Garth, and the next he was pressed against Ollie’s chest. The redhead was at a loss for words for a moment, which in itself was an incredibly rare occurrence. He could hear his teammates crying, and he could hear every single mentor surging forward to ensure that none of them had been seriously hurt. This had been his idea, hadn’t it? He’d almost killed the people he cared about most in the world, just to prove a point to his guardian. As soon as Ollie shouted at him, Roy’s eyes filled with tears and he threw himself against Green Arrow’s chest. He couldn’t do anything except sob out apologies into the man’s uniform. Words were trying to come out, but Roy couldn’t make them.

He didn’t have an answer as to why he’d been so horrible lately. Sure, he was usually a pain in the ass, but Roy knew he’d been taking it to whole new levels recently. The redhead had always been mouthy. Batman absolutely hated it, and Roy was pretty sure that if The Dark Knight had his way, he’d be stuck with a bar of soap in his mouth for the rest of his life. Ollie though liked his sense of humor and wit, even if he pushed the line sometimes. He’d always had a sarcastic remark of his own to throw back, or a smirk, or some king of acknowledgement. That’s what made it even more painful when his mentor decided to remind him that he wasn’t good enough yet. Roy lived to make Ollie proud, no matter what. But the older he got, the less that seemed to be happening. More often, they were arguing with each other. Roy would act out just to prove something to either Ollie of himself, he’d get his ass tanned, they’d hug, and for a few days Roy would be happy. And then the cycle would repeat itself.

Once his tears actually began to dry out, Roy could actually catch his breath to form actual words. He was probably just out of water. His chest still shuddered and hitched with quiet sobs. The redheaded teen slowly managed to make eye contact with Ollie, before biting his lower lip. “I-It was m-my idea.” Roy admitted quietly, as his gaze quickly shifted down again. “T-The others d-didn’t even want to go!” His voice was gaining in volume and desperation at the same time. “I-It was my fault! All my fault! I a-almost g-got them…” Roy couldn’t finish that sentence, and he hid his face in his hands. “I-I just…we wanted to show you t-that we could handle ourselves! T-That we weren’t children anymore! W-We w-work hard too, and you treat us like we can’t do anything!” He said, as tears began welling up in his eyes all over again. “Am I really so bad at this that you don’t have faith in me anymore?” Speedy asked quietly, his hand drifting to one of the many small cuts that littered his body after being thrown into the walls of the sewers. God, his whole body hurt.

Wonder Woman had bolted for her sister the moment the younger Amazon had pressed herself against the wall, carefully pulling the girl up and against her chest. “By the gods…Wonder Girl, what were you thinking?” Diana demanded, repeating the same line of questioning pretty much every single member of the League had begun. “I could have lost you to that monster.” She said quietly, a hand coming to rest on Donna’s hair protectively. “What possessed you to venture into those sewers? You are aware you have no clearance to access these levels of missions!” Diana said, placing a hand on her sister’s cheek and assessing her for any serious wounds. “You are a capable warrior Little Sister, one of the best I have ever seen, but you must know your limits.” The elder of the pair said gently, before pulling Donna back against her with an almost desperate tightness.

There had to be a reason! Her little sister was smart. She was a gifted warrior and a brilliant tactician. There is no way Donna would have gone along with this for no reason. At least, Diana certainly hoped not. The Amazon could sympathize, even if she didn’t want to. She’d been in Donna’s place once upon a time. It was hard to be a great warrior, but still remain impulsive and young. There had been times where Diana had put herself in danger for the sake of proving her strength, but she had merely been bringing unnecessary harm to herself and to her sisters. Her mother had reacted accordingly, and over time Diana had learned it was not risk that proved strength. “I am so glad you are alright Donna. I do not know what I would do if I had lost you.” Diana said quietly, pushing her little sister’s hair back as gently as she could.

Aquaman wasn’t as used to this as his friends and colleagues were. Garth never acted out or put himself in harms way. The boy rarely ever spoke up as it was. Arthur had been trying to work on that, and he thought they had been making some progress. Still, he definitely hadn’t thought that encouraging the boy to express himself would lead to Garth willingly going along on a suicide mission. Arthur’s young charge had managed to curl his thin body into a ball, and the blonde was immediately pulling Garth into a tight hug. “It’s alright. Everything is all right. I’m here now. Nothing is going to happen to you, you’re safe.” He soothed softly, carefully scooping Garth up into his arms. Perhaps the boy was a little old for this sort of treatment, but right now, Aquaman couldn’t care less. Garth needed the comfort, and Arthur did too.

Had he been remiss in letting Garth off the hook so many times? Not that the Atlantean teen actually did anything disobedient usually. He’d only had to swat Garth once, when the boy had wandered off. That had seemed to shake the boy so much, and Arthur hoped he wouldn’t have to do it again. Alas, that hope seemed to have gone straight out the window. “Why did you go down to these sewers?” Arthur asked quietly, adjusting his hold on the slender teen so Garth’s head was resting on his shoulders. Seeing tears in those bright purple eyes was almost unbearable. “I could have lost you, Aqualad. I could have been too late…you nearly died, and I may never have known how or why.” He said, pulling back to look at his young charge.

“I want to know what made you decide to venture here with your friends. I do not care whose idea it was. I want to know why my charge…why the person who I care for most in the world, nearly died today.” Arthur asked gently, his large hand moving to run through Garth’s dark hair. Many people thought the young boy looked strange, and stayed away. Garth had been alone so long…Arthur hated to think of the many years the young teen had been forced to fend for himself. “I am not going anywhere. You are not alone anymore. I will always be there to save you Garth, I promise.” Aquaman said, his tone soft and gentle. The blonde was the type of person who always had a smile on his face. It was the complete opposite of Garth, but the youth didn’t seem to care. A glance down alerted him to the bruise on Garth’s wrist, and Arthur paused to look at it closer. Had Croc actually grabbed onto his precious charge? How close had the monster actually gotten to killing Garth? “What happened to your wrist? Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

Bruce eventually recovered his senses, glancing around at the exposed area they were in. He needed to get the boys home, where he could see to their injuries and actually speak about what the hell had transpired here. He didn’t bother with any protesting from either of the boys. Bruce knelt slightly, and hauled both Jason and Dick into his arms. Neither boy seemed like they were in any state to be walking around, especially all the way back to the launch pads. He was definitely going to be having words with both of his sons, but right now he needed to make sure they were okay. He cleared his throat pointedly, to that the other League members turned to look at him. Bruce took in their scared faces and sighed softly, before speaking up. “I notified the Gotham City SWAT teams. They will be here shortly to pick up Killer Croc and deliver him to Arkham Asylum.”

He paused, glancing down to his sons who were pressed tightly against his chest. “The most important thing to do is to get your charges home, and see to any injuries.” Bruce said firmly. “More needs to be said about what transpired here today, but the first priority is making sure that everyone is safe. There is another warp pad close to here that should take all of you to your respective homes. I do not want this to happen again. None of us do.” Was his final comment on the matter, before Bruce began heading straight for the launch pad. If anything, his words were a reminder that there had to be consequences for what had happened. Bruce was no stranger to making sure that his boys didn’t stray too far from the beaten path, but for Aquaman and to some extent Wonder Woman, it wasn’t something that they usually did. The blonde Atlantean nodded firmly, meeting Bruce’s gaze steadily. He’d never really spanked Garth before, although he was aware that that was the method many of the others League members employed. Garth was just such an obedient boy Arthur had never had reason to punish him severely.

“I’ll come back with you.” Clark said quietly to Bruce, simply because he thought the man could use the extra support, even if Bruce would never admit to something like that. His friend had never had to cope with coming close to losing both his sons at the same time. Batman may not show any outward emotion, but Clark had known the brooding hero for many years now. Bruce had been jarred by what had happened today, and so had the boys. The extra presence would probably do them some good. Superman might not have been the boys’ father, but he had known Dick ever since the boy had first come to live with Bruce. To have something happen to his surrogate nephew, nephews now, would have broken Clark’s heart. He could hear sirens in the background. Sure to follow were reporters, and the last thing any of them wanted was for their kids to be broadcast on the evening news.

“We should get going.” Diana said firmly, before mirroring Aquaman and Batman’s actions and hauling Donna up into her arms. It was not usually an Amazon thing to do, but Diana wasn’t sure her little sister was in any shape to make the trip to the launch pad. They needed to go home, to Themyscira. Diana had her own apartment tucked away on Earth for emergencies that required her to stay for long periods of time, but home was calling to her now. “Hold on tight.” She instructed Donna, before pushing off into the air. Flight was faster, and even though she hated to admit it, her legs were still shaking from the thought of what could have happened to her little sister. With a nod to the others, Diana began heading towards the launch pad Batman had tucked away. “Truly, Little Sister, you care going to be the death of me one day.”

Aquaman followed suit, not bothering to put Garth down. His charge seemed so upset that the attempt to make the young teen walk would probably make things worse. “We should head home.” The blonde said quietly to the pale youth settled against his chest. “We will speak more there.” The promise was slightly ominous for how emotion the reunion between the two had been. The pair would normally just swim home through the open waters of the Gotham Bay, but Arthur figured it might be easier simply to take the launch pad. He’d laughed at the offers to use the launch pads before when there was an ocean nearby, but Arthur didn’t think Garth could make the trip. Clean ocean water might help the boy feel better once they were home, but the swim would be a long one. “Hang on to me. I can support your weight until we return to Atlantis.”

He might not be able to fly, but Arthur’s steps were steady as he followed Diana out of the tunnels and toward the location of the warp that Batman had hidden away in some alley. As they moved together, the blonde glanced down at his companion and spoke up again. Now that they had a bit more privacy than with the rest of the Justice League hovering around, the King of the Sea wanted more answers as to what exactly had possessed Garth to even think that this would be a good idea. Arthur privately thought, at least for Garth, that this misadventure had been about attention. It was hard for the boy, especially when the majority of his friends and teammates had known their mentors and guardians for much longer. Arthur felt guilty, that perhaps Garth had been neglected the last few weeks. Problems had kept cropping up, and he’d had to deal with them. “Why did you go, Garth? You had to know it was a foolish endeavor!”

Seeing his teammates filter out one by one, Wally glanced towards the exit before looking back to his uncle. One of the biggest things the young redhead prided himself on not being a child. He was a hero, someone who saved people every single day. Right now though, he felt like a frightened child who needed to be protected from the world. What was he even going to say to his aunt? Iris was going to be furious when she found out what he and his friends had done. Listening to her lecture was almost as bad as getting his rear spanked by his uncle. At least that was over and done with once he was crying his eyes out. Wally didn’t normally use the warp pads unless they were leaving the country or leaving the earth entirely. Running on the continental United States was so freeing, especially through the wilderness. Right now though, his normally irrepressible legs felt like lead. “Uncle Barry…I-I can’t run.” Wally admitted in a hushed voice. “I can’t move my legs.”

It was weird watching his teammates be carried away, but honestly Roy couldn’t fault them for it. The contrast between the strong individuals who had left the base about an hour ago and the ones who were being carried home was incredibly hard to grasp. They were talented, capable individuals, certainly…but the years of experience simply weren’t there. Some of them had been living and breathing this sort of life for several years, like Dick and Roy himself. They had all been trained to fight, in some way or another. But it didn’t compare to the decades that the League had dedicated to ensuring the safety of the universe in its entirety. Those experiences were gained through years of hardship and struggle. It was a hard pill to swallow, even now. They were still inexperienced, even after all this. “We have to walk to the launch pad…don’t we?” Roy asked quietly, not able to meet Ollie’s surely furious gaze.


Bruce was supporting both Dick and Jason in his arms, and once he was sure he wasn’t accidentally going to drop one of them, the Dark Knight began moving towards the exit to the tunnels. “Let’s go home.” He said softly, before beginning the trek back to the entrance. Clark followed behind him, concern creasing those bright blue eyes. “We’re going to talk more when we get there, and you two need to get cleaned up.” Bruce also needed to make sure Croc hadn’t damaged any bones in Jason’s wrist. He’d seen the bruising, just like the one on Garth’s wrist. Croc had grabbed his Robin, his little son. God, just how close had they cut it? The trip was shorter than Bruce expected it to be. Maybe it was because of how fast he was walking. Running with both boys would have been incredibly awkward, and Bruce didn’t want to jar any potential injuries he hadn’t seen.

His eldest had definitely gone along with this stupid plan. Bruce had given Dick access to the mission roster so the Titans could work on the lower tier missions so the League could focus on extremely dangerous ones. He’d never imagined that Dick would do something so careless as to take on a Level Five mission, with Jason in tow no less. Bruce watched both Diana and Arthur step in with their protégés tightly held against their chests, and he did the same once he typed in the code for the pad in his manor. Clark knew it, so Bruce wasn’t worried about the alien following after. In a flash, they were standing inside the Cave. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief to be home, before striding over to the Medical Bay and settling the boys carefully on the exam table.

“Uniforms off. I need to make sure you don’t have any serious injuries.” Bruce ordered firmly, but he pulled both his sons into a tight hug. It was probably crushing them a bit, once he pulled back he looked from Dick to Jason with a stern expression. “Why were you down in those sewers?” Bruce asked quietly, his brow arched dangerously. “Why in god’s name would you even think to attack a Venom-enhanced Killer Croc?!”

[Robin Hunter]

Seeing tears from the most precious green eyes and hearing the heartbreaking cries from his nephew made Barry want to forgo anything but doing his best to make the sobbing speedster in front of him feel loved and safe once more, but he knew that would only lead to something like this happening again. He was fast, but that didn't mean he could be everywhere at once. He'd failed to save people before and he would do anything to make sure Wally wasn't one of them. He wrapped his arms around the trembling little body. "Shh Shh, calm down." Barry said, finding it hard to keep his voice stern or even steady at seeing Wally so torn up. "We'll deal with it, little guy." he said gently moving on hand to run through the red locks of hair. He

"I know you did, Wally. No one here is saying otherwise." Barry whispered, knowing the he should still be using code names. At Wally's cried explanation of why the kids did what they did, Barry found his heart aching even more. It wasn't the first time he'd heard the concern of being treated like just a sidekick, something that he could admit possibly carried a slight grain of salt only in the way he was protective. He couldn't help it sometimes, the home life Wally had come from was just something he saw in every bruise Kid Flash got during patrol or Titans work. "There's a reason we don't let you go on those missions, there is is a reason even we haven't completed those missions yet. They're dangerous and more over complicated. We don't things like that to be mean." Barry tried to explain as gentle as possible, not wanting to make him feel somehow worse for what had transpired in these sewers.

Hearing Wally so those words, his little sidekick who jumped at the chance to run pretty much anywhere, made Barry's chest seize up painfully. He moved the boy slowly from his chest and ran a finger under his eyes to wipe away stray tears. He had been holding off taking the details of Wally's pitiful state, but seeing the bruised skin through torn pieces of his uniform along with the smudges all over from the best tossed into the dirty walls of the sewer. "You'll be okay, come here." Barry whispered back, rubbing his thumb over the concealed freckled cheek. With practiced ease he lifted the youngest speedster into his arms, holding him as he close as he could. "We're going home, and we'll sort this out. I'm not letting you out of my sight for awhile kiddo. You're just be lucky your Aunt is working late, they will delay the earful we'll probably both be getting." Barry said as he made his way out into the tunnel to be greeted with the afternoon sun. "I'm not going to be as fast as normal, but still try and hold on." He knew he was speaking the same instructions he always gave when he had to speed when Wally was out of sorts, but it still bore repeating.

Giving a look to his teammates to make sure each was moving smoothly he was off, doing everything in his power not to jostle Wally as much as possible. He was running at a decent speed for him, but he worried that with Wally in such a state going even close to full would somehow make him feel worst. Soon enough however they were in front of the Allen-West home. Once inside Barry sat himself onto the couch with Wally in his lap. He pulled his cowl before the same to his nephew's mask. "Wally, I need you to tell me if you're seriously hurt anywhere. You said you couldn't move your legs, is that because they're sore or because they've lost all feeling? " Barry asked in a steady tone, moving to run a glove hand through Wally's hair. After being down in the sewers he'd need to give him a bath tonight.


Oh God he was crying. He hated seeing Speedy cry. The kid was far tougher than he had been at the age and aside from the increasingly frequent trips over his knee the red archer tended to be less of emotional hassle than probably the rest of the Titans. "Roy.." Ollie said in a exasperated tone when his son revealed this whole thing had been his idea. He couldn't say that suprised him. Along with Wally, Roy was the Titan to get in the most trouble and the loved to pull Dick in on everything. Diana's sister seemed mature enough to know when the boys would only get in trouble and Arthur's kid probably had to stay close to water or something that made it hard for him to get in trouble. When Roy tried to make martyr of himself, Ollie shook his head."They have free wills of their own, you didn't force them to come here, Speedy." Ollie said firmly. Roy was in deep trouble, but he wasn't about to let his already worked up son try and bring himself down even more in a fit. As he watched Roy's hands disappear into his shredded gloves he couldn't stop from moving to begin bringing his sidekick closer to him. "Hey! That's not true, Speedy. I would never lose my faith in you. You're my partner and I trust you before anything else." Ollie said in a low voice.

"You're not walking anywhere, kid." Ollie said, gracelessly picking up the shorter archer. Roy may be the tallest of the Titans but he wasn't big enough to where he couldn't scoop the kid up if need some comfort or he had to haul him out of somewhere quick. Normally the second one was true considering his little troublemaker. "Son, I'm nowhere pleased with you how you acted today. This is from a topic I'm anywhere close to droppin', but I do not hate you. This may be more serious and it damn well will warrant a more serious discussion, but just like anything else you've decided to pull lately it could never make me hate you." Ollie as he carried the teen toward the warp pad. Just because Roy was going through some phase, or hell even it wasn't a phase, he wasn't about to stop loving his boy. They needed each other. Sometimes after a long night of patrol it felt like they were all each other had and Ollie couldn't ever bring himself to think that was a bad thing.

Entering the proper code for the warp pad, Ollie looked at Roy and realized that tonight probably wasn't going to be one where the two of them hang around and watched TV. Maybe it would give them the chance to sort through this mess Roy seemed to be spiraling into with the constant rebellion. Shit maybe it was just his fault, he drank and had a cigar every now and again. As long as it was awful or around someone to prickly to understand he was a huge stickler for swearing. God, he was a shit father. As the warp pad's light danced around them soon enough they were in the 'Arrow Cave'. Walking across the room he entered the changing area with Roy still in tow. Sitting him down he reached for the med kit. "You were down in that damn sewer which means there is a pretty good chance those cuts aren't clean. You can shower after I disinfect those cuts. Are you hurting anywhere major? " Ollie made no fanfare out of pulling of the top of Roy's uniform and his gloves.

"I don't know you feel like you've got something prove, Roy." Ollie said pulling away his mask with a sigh. "I might not...I know I'm not always the most doting guy in the world, but I know I tell you good job after our missions." Ollie said looking up at Roy with a tired gaze, but before moving to clean a cut on his shoulder. "The drinking, the cussing, and the mouthing off are things I understand. I don't like em', but I'm not shocked you're doing them. This, you're better than this Roy. I trained you better, I'm pretty sure you were better than this when I adopted you." Ollie said shaking his head. He wasn't sure were he thought things would go after he adopted the wide-eyed little carrot top off the reservation. He'd been younger back then, didn't think things through with his personal life or hero work. Roy was one choice he'd never regret, the kid probably helped him in more ways he could never hope to return.


Donna could still feel her head spinning and it was only until did she hear the familiar voice of her sister did she use all of her might to focus, eliciting a groan as he she did so. She moved close to her sister's chest and felt significantly safer. Her sister was the strongest and most capable warrior on their island, being her presence assured her of more than just safety. "T-they needed me." Donna muttered slowly, though voice now lacking the same composure she felt was needed to be the voice of reason among her rowdy male teammates. "I-I want to prove myself-" Donna gazed up and despite her best efforts could feel her eyes getting watery. "t-to represent Themyscira in m-man's world." The bold statement was harshly undercurrent by the obviously quivering tone the girl spoke in. Donna did feel some warmness of her sister's praise, but couldn't help give a shaky breath a being reminded of the limits she indeed had. "I thought I could handle it." The younger amazon said bracing herself against the older.

Donna couldn't help flinch at that, something had only caused her to released a harsh hiss of breath since her into form seem to ache since her attack on Killer Croc. She didn't regret the plan Dick had formed under such quick circumstances, but the aftermath was still more than little trying. She sometimes has a problem of trying to mimic her sister's level of strength despite the significant different in skill. Like the rest of the Titans she often have reservations about clinging to her mentor in such a childish manner, but feel her sister's gentle hand going through her hair she leaned back into the touch.

Donna's mild state of calm was broken when she lifted up in a undignified manner by her sister."Sister!" Donna yelped, but did little to move away from the contact. Even though all of her friends were scattered in states of misery she couldn't help bow at tad bashfully as her sister made her way to the warp pad. Donna gave rueful smile at Diana's comment. "I believe we both know that it would take far more than someone like me to even come close to besting you." The younger sister said in low tone." Diana is her idol in almost every way. She finds more glee in impressing her sister, the Amazon who stood untainted in her journey to assist man's world, than even her mother as of late. It's one of the reasons she ventured from the Themyscira in the first place aside from her desire to fight alongside the Titans

As Diana approached the launch pad and she caught a look at the distress eventide on all of friend's faces she couldn't help feel guilty. She shouldn't have let her emotionality take over her sense of reasoning. Perhaps it was Dick, the often rational leader, being swayed or even just the idea her sister saw her as unequal as her teammates claimed that caused he blunder. Once the two of them were alone she shifted a bit in her sister's arms and looked up. "Do you think my teammates will be alright? I mean they don't possess my durability." She asked fretfully. With her fellow Amazon she knew how trained and strong there were and while she didn't doubt her friend's abilities the thought of one being seriously hurt scared her to pieces.


Garth yelped loud enough to cause an echo the tunnels and almost threw himself toward the wall before realized...it was Aquaman! While the whimpers and hiccups did not stop, Garth was wide-eyed with shock as he was lifted up into the undersea hero's arms. For moment he couldn't help himself and rested his face against Aquman's chest. He felt a warmness and a safety that almost caused his tears to increase since the feeling was all too new to the younger Atlantean. There was passing moment here and there, but really the first time he'd felt it was when Aquaman had found him trying to get away from the sea creatures he'd feared most of his life. The fact he'd hadn't been looked at with scorn or treated with mockery was really his first ever feeling of hope the day to.

At the question his behavior the already pale boy somehow found a way to blanche even more. He couldn't simply say it was because...because he wanted Aquman's attention. He'd think he was stupid and needy and the worst sidekick. Garth tried to rub the wetness from a purple eye before he spoke in dry tone. "I-I um-I, w-we-" Garth stuttered as he almost began rubbing one of his eyes raw. It was only he heard his king called him the most important person to him did he freeze for a second, his mouth falling open a little in pure shock. T-that didn't make any sense. "W-what do you mean ?" Garth asked in disbelief at having such a huge title on him. He wasn't even the best Aqualad out there probably!

He closed his eyes as now only shuddering breaths escaped when he felt Aquaman's hands go through his hair. The circumstances almost faded into the back of his mind for a moment he was so..so happy. His teary eyes cracked open and he couldn't help whimpering once more as he choked out. "N-need you." despite the fact he knew how useless he was without others, but he almost wanted to say it everyday. He wanted people around him, being so alone in he depth made him appreciate every bit of affection he received, especially from Arthur. At the mention of his wrist he remember his worst injury from today's failure of a mission. "I-I got c-caught, it's not that bad really." Aqualad said despite the fact every time the limb moved he flinched in pain.

Aqualad gave a sigh of relief, he missed the ocean. He loved spending time with his friends, but being away for too long made him anxious since he could only last so long without water. He hated that about himself, it was embarrassing and even though they were only joking, it made him upset when Roy and Wally joked about it. They always said he had to 'wet himself' and would burst out laughing. Though from his king's tone he wasn't sure he wanted to talk anymore about this. He'd screwed up and even though there had been enough water he was still just not good enough. Even for a sidekick he was just a joke. Sniffling he did as he was told and wrapped his slightly less sore arm around Aquaman's neck, releasing a sigh of rested his head on the older hero's shoulder. He was sore and he could barely moved the arm Killer Croc had hurt, but this was in some ways the most comfortable he'd been. Aquaman had held him before but not like this. This was the first time he felt this safe.

Sadly the question returned with such harsh vigor Garth jumped harshly at Arthur's tone, causing the pale little hero whimpered as he clung a little tighter to his guardian. "W-was being stupid, I-I'm sorry m-my k-king."Garth said before beginning to gently cry again."I was b-being s-selfish!" He had been, he didn't deserve Aquaman's attention when he couldn't even stay on surface without water, when he couldn't he even be a good sidekick most of the time. Constantly jumping at sea life or having to ask questions since he'd had not grown up in any form of society. Garth's grip began to loosen as he tried, and mostly failed, to contain his cries. "C-couldn't even help! H-he s-said he was g-going eat me, i-it's just like the s-sea life! I'm s-still u-useless!" The little hero cried before uttering another whimpered apology, this was cut off my a coughing fit as he was nearing the time when he needed water again or he would start getting sick.


Only Jason seemed willing to register their uniformed father's sudden appearance and uncharacteristic desire to show desire while wearing the cowl. A release of breath came when he and his brother were pulled into the embrace, but he couldn't help noticed faintly that Dick made no verbal response and felt his brother's grasp still holding a hand clutched on the chest fabric of uniform. A gesture he wasn't quite sure how to exactly to interpret. Aside from the easy to account for coldness that made him feel like he'd just been tossed through a the nastiest rainstorm. Normally he would have sooner thrown and tantrum rather going home to get out of uniform and end hero work of the day, but right now that was really the only thought to float the forefront of his mind. Both however did flinch at Bruce's question, Jason swallowed and couldn't help simply look up at Bruce as if he had the answer. Dick reminded quiet still, body almost limp. It was such a whiplash from the crushing hug and loud cries he'd heard moments ago. How the hell did he knew what to say ?

Jason continued to recoil at Bruce's tone, leaning back slightly at the all too obvious fury of his father's words. Though from the shuddering ache his body made when he started pulling too far he gave a little whine. Both boys jumped at Clark's sudden contact, but once it was clear it was non-threatening Jason simply eased back, but Dick leaned to rest his over the large palm for the moment, for the first time showing the slightest bit of affection that he more often not seemed to seek whenever he could, something that at least seemed to crack the unnerving facade that Jason had not ever seen from his brother before. Just as Jason had felt security with Bruce present, he did note that after everything that happened this evening having Clark around was something he more than appreciated. Jason wasn't sure what exactly made him bother since Bruce had probably already made up his mind about the matter, but he did give a curt a nod. His wrist felt...really bad. It was his first injury from patrol and he couldn't bring himself to wear it as a badge of honor like he thought he would. He hadn't gained it by kicking ass, he'd been overtaken. His size and lack of training turned on him in such a way that made a shudder run through him.

Dick made no noise as he was lifted up in front of his friends as he would have not even a few hours ago. When the Titans had first formed Bruce had a habit of treating him like he would when they were alone at home. Picking him up and settling him onto his hip, turning him about to check for injuries or uniform damage, and just the unrestrained authority that undermined his leadership in ever facet. Though compared to crying faces of friends he at least could remain calm on the outside even though his insides were felt like they were being pulled apart. He felt sick in every conceivable way, he felt angry and sadness all at once. He wanted to push himself away from Bruce while still clinging to him all the same, throw himself on the ground and scream his head off like he hadn't in years. He turned to look at the crispy body of Killer Croc. He'd fought Croc for year, but whatever that was twitching the floor was something else. At Bruce's further bossing of his team and the League the first words came from Dick's mouth. "What's there to talk about. You've come to a conclusion already." The teen said in a frail, but cold voice under his breath.

Jason's mouth fell open and he looked at Clark to Bruce than to Dick, hoping to find what just happened explained. How the hell could he be acting like this!? They'd just all almost died, how could he so defiant. He was also for standing up for yourself, he'd slammed a tire iron into Bruce when they first met after all, but half of them could barely walk and were lucky to be alive. Jason couldn't help feel almost scared of Dick like this, it was creepy. He rested his head on Bruce's shoulder at the mention of going home. He has home. Right now that thought just as much as the presence of the world's strongest heroes being concerned with him. "A-AH!" The Robin suddenly yelped, Jason's good hand shooting out to grab Bruce at the warp pad's use, he wasn't sure he was going to use to all this!

After Bruce's warm hug was broke and once his feet were back on the ground Jason had to brace himself against Bruce for a moment. He looked over at Clark and decided to abandon what little dignity he had left and began pulling off his uniform, working his way down from his mask. He needed to take a shower or a bath or just wipe himself with a towel, he felt so gross after being down there. Soon enough he was standing in just his underwear and he turned to Dick who had the same. He could feel himself becoming flush as looked at Clark, he not longer had his cape to pull down to the redness on his thighs. Of course the Robin uniform made impossible to wear anything but briefs under it. It was so fucking cold down here too, he hoped Bruce gave them the okay to get cleaned up soon.

When Dick didn't speak up Jason forced himself to."I-I mean we t-thought that i-if we could ya know do that level f-five mission you would have more spect' for us. Roy said you would you know start thinking that-that I-um-" Jason turned to Dick for help but found his brother to be starting off in no particular direction, expression unreadable as if his mask hadn't been removed at all. Jason felt hurt by Dick's complete silence and felt tears beginning to prickle the corner of his eyes. Looking down at the wrist and noted the purple hue that rounded the expanse of the little limb. Before he could even realize it little whimpers were escaping the current Robin's mouth and for the first time since Killer Croc went down Jason began to sob.

Unlike the previous time the current Robin had let his emotions get the best of him, that being after punishment, this time it was the events that has transpired catching up with him. The pulsing ache in his wrist seemed to trigger the emotional outburst. Jason lifted the limp and sore limb up for Bruce as if it had not been seen and raised his other arm up, shuddering cries continuing as the delayed reaction continued. Inside Jason chided himself for being such a dumb baby, but right now the desire for Bruce's closeness outweighed that. "D-daddy h-hurts..." Was all the youngest son of the manor could get out as he reached upward, acting his age more than had in much of his life.

Dick wasn't as embarrassed as Jason seemed to about getting checked for injuries, he'd know Clark since he was seven and even though he'd rather no bring it up anytime soon Clark had seen him get punished and even punished a few times before. Though his bashfulness now can from just how thoroughly red his rear end still was. It would let his uncle know right away all of misbehavior right away and the way it darted down his legs made very too difficult to fully conceal. Like Jason his bat-patterned briefs made the task even more cumbersome. He knew Bruce was going to be mad at him for the obvious silent treatment and Clark would probably be appalled, but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction having him respond to being scolded like some kind of sidekick. It hurt him to not chime in, but maybe Bruce would just comfort Jason and not make him feel lesser than because of this. Despite his attempts at composure Dick couldn't help shiver from the cold and from simply having a hurricane of thoughts in his mind. He'd just wanted Bruce to be proud, that's all he'd ever wanted.

[LadyLoki]

His uncle’s calming tone was doing more for Wally’s shot nerves than the boy realized, and the frightened tremble was slowly beginning to calm down. Why had he ever listened to Roy and Dick? He’d known that their plan wasn’t going to end well. Wally settled as close against his uncle’s chest as he possibly could, resting his ear against Barry’s broad chest. His uncle might not have anywhere near as big as Superman or Batman, but he was definitely big enough to tote Wally around like a child. “I won’t let go.” Wally promised quietly, tightening his grip on Barry’s costume and bracing himself for the velocity the man was about to reach. It wasn’t as fast as it normally was, but Wally was having a hard enough time holding on as it was. Being carried was very different from running that was for sure.

“N-No I’m not h-hurt…well, my head hurts a l-little bit.” Wally admitted after a moment, his hand moving back to carefully feel over his scalp. Underneath his mop of red hair, he could feel the bump from where he’d hit the tunnel walls. “When Croc leapt out of the water, he knocked R-Roy and me backwards. I hit the wall…I don’t know if Roy did or not. D-Don’t think I have a concussion though.” He added, doing his best to cover the normal bases that were asked if someone sustained an injury on a mission. “I can feel my legs…’s just like they weren’t working.” Wally said quietly, thinking back to the paralyzing fear he’d had to confront less than an hour ago for his friends and for himself. “I knew it was a bad idea, Uncle Barry I swear! I told them not to go…over ‘n over I said that they shouldn’t go. They didn’t listen to me!” His voice was picking up speed, as it always did when Wally was nervous or frightened about something.

The redhead was vibrating slightly, not wanting to get up from his uncle’s protective hold. Wally felt wet and cold after having been down in those damp tunnels, but the offer of comfort was not something he wanted to lose just yet. “I could’ve gotten out Uncle Barry, but I couldn’t leave ‘em there.” Wally said, looking down at his hands. “I told them to run…I told them I could hold Croc off long enough for them to run. I could’ve made it out of there…but they didn’t listen again.” He shook his head, unable to stop talking. “Roy wouldn’t stop pulling on me, telling me that I had to run too…and then h-he grabbed Garth and Jason.” Wally’s voice trailed off at the memory. It had been so dark in there, once their makeshift lights had gone out. But Wally could remember the yelling and screaming. Even with the blow to his head, he could hear his friends calling for help. “H-He was going to eat them…and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even get up.” Wally’s eyes welled up with tears again. “That piece of garbage was going to eat my friends and I couldn’t even help them. What kind of hero can’t even help his own friends?” He asked, unable to meet his uncle’s gaze.

The whole point of their taking on this mission was to try and prove that they weren’t children anymore. That they were more than the sidekicks their parents and mentors made them out to be. They had failed miserably. “I feel gross.” Wally whined after a moment, shifting at the feeling of the wet fabric clinging to his skin. “Can I shower? And then can we eat something?” He asked, voice almost shy. He was starting to feel sluggish, and that usually meant his metabolism was starting to get to be too much. It had been a while since he’d eaten something. Wally knew there was no way in hell he was getting out of being spanked this time. Decisions that nearly resulted in death definitely ranked high on his uncle’s ‘do not do’ list. “A-Are you going to spank me now or later?” Wally asked, shifting nervously.


It was a little weird being carried again. Roy was the tallest member of the Titans, and he took great pleasure in lording that fact over Dick who was likely one of the shortest members. Still, in this moment, he felt incredibly small. His father hadn’t picked him up like this in a long time it seemed. He hadn’t almost died in a while either, so that was probably why. At the mention of a serious discussion, Roy just let out a little whine. He’d expected that. Ollie took his near death experiences very seriously, even when Roy was just trying to have a little bit of fun. This excursion took the cake though. It was nice to hear his parent reassure him of his worth as a partner, but Roy couldn’t really bring himself to look the blond archer in the eye. Ollie had been really patient with him recently, especially considering the drinking. Roy knew he was underage, but there was just something about acting older and having these choices that was appealing. Being spanked for it like a naughty little kid wasn’t fun, but it made sure that his father noticed him. His eyes closed as the warp pad lit up around them, and they remained closed until Roy felt the cool air of their own cave rush over his cheeks. Ollie still hadn’t put him down, and his cheeks flushed slightly red at being placed in their changing section.

“I’m not a child. I can handle myself.” Roy muttered out, running a hand through his messy red hair and trying to wriggle away from his father’s hands. He repressed a hiss at the sting of the alcohol cleaning off the cuts covering his upper torso, before stiffening slightly at the lecture. Now that he and his friends were out of danger for the most part, Roy’s sulkiness was coming back to the forefront. To be honest, he didn’t know why he was so snippy with Ollie. Maybe it was just because he wanted the man’s attention, and acting out was really the only way to get it. Roy made fun of Wally and Dick all the time, because both Barry and Bruce were incredibly attentive parents. Maybe in slightly different ways, considering how strict Bruce tended to be with his little birds. He’d tease them about having to run home to ‘daddy’, and then purposefully flaunt rebellion in front of their faces. “Kinda sucks that you think that me being with you made me worse off then, huh?” Roy said, hurriedly moving to wipe any residual tears away from his sulky young face.

The tall youth shrugged off his costume, before reaching for the tank top and loose shorts he normally kept down here for training purposes. “I know we fucked up, but it’s not that big of a deal. None of us died.” Roy said, doing his best to pretend like he hadn’t been crying his eyes out fifteen minutes prior. Ollie was going to tan his ass for this, definitely, but then things would be right back to normal. His father would be too busy running around with everything else to ensure his adopted child wasn’t off screwing around until it turned into something major. “I’m sorry I bothered you with my stupidity.” Roy added with a self-deprecating smirk. His mouth was a self-defense mechanism more than anything. Put the redhead in a situation he didn’t like and couldn’t escape from, and Roy would be talking a mile a minute to try and make the other person leave him the hell alone. “Every single one of us has something to prove, and you know it!”

Roy was pacing now, the nervous energy from seeing his friends almost meet a brutal end was coming to the front of his mind. The memory of seeing Garth’s struggling form and hearing Jason call for his older brother was burning in the redhead’s conscious, and Roy came to an abrupt stop while facing away from his parent. “I thought we could handle it. We had handled worse before. We had a plan, we had everything under control.” Until they hadn’t had everything under control, and that was a painful thing to admit. “Even after everything we’ve done for the world, we still get ordered around like we’re the same stupid little kids that all of you League members took in because you pitied us!” Roy snapped, his hands clenching into fists as he basically ranted at his father. Dick shut himself off when he was extremely upset. Roy was the complete opposite. He exploded. The redhead would yell until he ran out of steam, and recently, Roy would go searching for something to dull the emotional mess than came along with growing up.


Diana pointedly ignored the yelp from her younger sister as they moved towards the warp pad. “Do not speak of yourself in such a manner. There will come a day where you will most certainly be my equal, if not best me all together.” She said with a small smile. “Perhaps it will not happen tomorrow, but I assure you that it will happen. Throwing yourself into these dangerous situations with your teammates will not hasten it, Donna. If anything, it will take away that chance from you.” The older warrior scolded, as she stepped onto the warp pad. The light surrounded the pair, and in a flash, they were home. Diana breathed in the familiar air and let it settle her for a moment. “Your friends will be fine. I have every faith that their guardians will see to their wellbeing, as I shall see to yours.” The princess continued forward, heading for her own home here on their beloved island. The palace was normally where Diana stayed, but she wanted to see to her sister without the prying eyes of the palace attendants and the gossip from Donna’s fellow warrior trainees.

“Are you hurt anywhere? More than the cuts…your eyes seem dazed.” Diana questioned, her tread determined. It was late afternoon; few Amazons would be out in the streets. Many would be sparring, or otherwise attending to various errands. It didn’t take long for Diana to step into her home, glancing around. It had been some time since her last venture home. Donna lived primarily at the Titan Base, and neither of them had had time to go back to Themyscira in many weeks. Diana set her little sister down carefully on one of the couches, before hurrying to fetch her own first aid kit, as they were called on Earth. Personally, she thought her version was a little more effective.

Donna’s wounds needed to be tended to, and then once the young warrior had cleaned herself off, Diana would see they had words about what had happened. “What in Artemis’ name possessed you to think that going on such a dangerous mission was a good idea? Surely it was more than wanting to prove yourself, Donna.” The older Amazon chided as she pressed cloth doused in a special healing solution to Donna’s cuts and bruises. “There is proving your strength, and there is embarking on a suicide mission! Sometime I question if being around those boys is good for you, if it results in situations like these.” It wasn’t often that Diana raised her voice, but right now she planned on making sure than her little sister understood just how foolish her team’s decision had been. From what she had seen, Dick was normally a very rational and calm leader. The little one took after Bruce in that sense.

“You are all lucky you did not perish down in those sewers. Had the meeting not ended early, I would be bringing your body back so we could light your funeral pyre!” Diana said sharply, working her way down Donna’s arms and ensuring that every little cut was cleaned. Having an infection set in was not an option. “What was said that convinced you that running down to Gotham’s sewers was a good idea?” The older warrior asked, tilting Donna’s chin upward so that they were making eye contact. “I know they are your friends, but the moment you had any reservations about this, you should have come and found me. You are a strong warrior, one of the best I have seen. You know you are capable. So why do you feel the need to prove yourself in such a manner?”


Arthur was beginning to think that he might not have been the most attentive guardian, if Garth’s reaction to just being held was anything to go by. “I’m here, everything is going to be all right.” The blonde promised softly, before taking a closer look at the bruise on Garth’s skinny wrist. “You can barely move your arm.” Arthur said, raising a brow. “Do not hide any injuries from me Garth, I need to ensure that everything is properly seen to, no matter how insignificant it seems.” He added firmly, as they got closer to the warp pad. Arthur’s eyes creased in concern when Garth began to cry again, and he tightened his hold on the smaller Atlantean. “You are never stupid, Garth. And you certainly weren’t selfish…” The blonde hushed softly, shaking his head. Arthur was beginning to realize what the problem was, and he was mentally kicking himself for not realizing it sooner.

The coughing took priority for a moment, and Aquaman quickly punched in the code that would take then to Atlantis. He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them Arthur could the coolness of the ocean surrounding him. He didn’t need the water to survive like Garth did, but he felt so much better in his natural home. “Garth, look at me.” Arthur said firmly, tilting the boy’s face upward so they were making eye contact. “You’re not useless, you’ve never been useless.” He assured, smoothing a hand over his charge’s dark hair. The poor boy must have been so frightened, and Arthur hugged Garth just a little bit closer against his broad chest. “You have survived so much, and you’re so young. Nothing about that screams useless to me.”

Getting home was the main priority right now. Garth needed to be looked over, and then Arthur decided that he needed to speak with the boy properly. He had his suspicions of what had convinced Garth to go along with his friends, but he wanted to hear what the teenager had to say about his participation. “Hold on to me. Your limbs might be too tired to swim.” Arthur instructed, adjusting his grip on the skinny form before swimming forward. Atlantis was visible in the distance, sprawling outward. He could hear the bustling activity even from here. It was always nice to come home, although in part Arthur was not looking forward to what he was going to have to do once he got home. Garth never gave Arthur much reason to punish him, until now.

It didn’t take long to get into the city itself. Atlanteans were selling their wares and chatting with friends in the streets, many smiling at the sight of their king returning home. Arthur returned their smiles and waves with a nod, subconsciously hugging Garth closer against his chest. He knew the boy hated being the center of attention, especially like this, so Arthur was going his best to try and shield as much of his young charge as possible. The palace that he called home stood at the very center of the city, and Arthur almost sighed in relief when he entered. Nothing ever changed. It was nice. “Come, we shall head to my chambers so I can see to your injuries.” Arthur said firmly, not giving the boy the chance to argue or try to wriggle away. It would be interesting to see how Garth reacted to actually being in trouble. The blonde knew the boy had heard plenty from his teammates, Roy and Wally in particular. Arthur settled Garth on his bed, sending one of the attendants to fetch some supplies as he began tugging Garth free of his ripped clothing.

When the attendant returned, Arthur took the medicine and bandages before shutting the door firmly. “This will sting.” He warned sympathetically, pressing some of the healing cream to Garth’s cuts. Arthur was methodical as he worked, making sure to cover every cut he could find on the boy’s skinny frame. “I think I know why you went along with your friends on that foolish endeavor.” The blonde said gently, settling on the bed beside his pale little charge. “You wanted me to notice you, to prove to you that I cared to pay attention to you.” Arthur said gently, wrapping a broad arm around Garth’s skinny shoulders. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t just say something to me, Garth. I could have lost you today, had the meeting not ended when it did. You also need to give yourself a little more credit. You have been keeping pace with your teammates admirably, especially considering you are not as familiar with land-based combat.” Arthur said with a small, proud smile on his face. “Regardless, it does not excuse nearly getting yourself killed. I do not want to lose another person that I love dearly, do you understand?”


Bruce ignored Dick’s icy attitude toward him, more focused on ensuring that the boys weren’t seriously injured than dealing with that just yet. When his oldest was in serious trouble that went beyond the usual naughtiness, Bruce had noticed that Dick tended to shut down in an effort to ignore the feelings building up. His brow did shoot up when Jason managed to tell him why they had gone on the off limits mission, but his gaze softened almost immediately when Jason began to sob again. “I know Jason.” Bruce soothed, smoothing a hand over Jason’s messy curls and snuggling his youngest close for a moment. Even settled on the medical table, neither child made it past Bruce’s upper chest. Croc was larger than Bruce normally, and the thought of his children having to face off against a Killer Croc drugged on Venom was horrifying. With one arm wrapped around Jason, Bruce glanced over to Dick with a gentle expression. Yelling at the teenager wasn’t going to make the situation any better. Bruce leaned over and pulled Dick into the hug all the same, because the man could not imagine losing Dick, especially like that.

“What gave you the idea that I didn’t respect you?” The Dark Knight asked as he pulled back again, focused more on Dick than on Jason at the moment. One of his hands was resting on Jason’s head, running through the curls to try and comfort the boy as best he could. “Dick…” Bruce sighed softly, shaking his head. Clark was silent, but he did move to stand behind the boys and begin cleaning off Jason’s wounds. The poor little boy was probably exhausted and terrified, and Clark had done this before. “I don’t know why you would automatically assume that I don’t respect you or the Titans. Your team works harder than many of the League members, and you defend the people of this world admirably. I am incredibly proud of what you have accomplished, and nothing makes me happier than watching you and your team succeed.” Bruce said, tilting Dick’s head upward to that they were making eye contact. “You and your team are the future of the Justice League. The day will come where the mantle of Batman and everything that it stands for will be passed on to you, and to Jason. Do you think I would entrust you with something like that if I thought of you two are some stupid little sidekicks for me to tote around?”

Bruce had a suspicion that this debacle had been instigated by a certain redheaded archer, and part of him wanted to speak to Ollie about it. He and the blonde had a slightly tumultuous friendship, and Bruce knew the man didn’t like being criticized, especially concerning his parenting skills. No one was a perfect parent. Not even Bruce thought he was a perfect parent. He made mistakes, and there was a huge learning curve to looking after children who needed love and guidance. The doubts that persisted in all of the Titans were present in Dick, and probably amplified because his young son was the leader. “I know you, Son.” Bruce said quietly, his anger having burned out for the most part and leaving worry in its place. “I know you aren’t the type of person to rush into a mission that you weren’t prepared for. You plan everything out, even when you were little you would make sure that you knew the plan by heart.” The father was silent for a moment, before taking an anti-bacterial pad and beginning to clean off Dick’s cuts as Clark saw to Jason. As much as might complain about Clark’s presence, Bruce was thankful for the other man’s being there to see to Jason for the moment.

“That’s why it worries me so much when you throw yourself into something that you know isn’t possible. I’m not saying you’re weak or inexperienced, Dick. Mission 5-3 isn’t something that even I would have attempted alone, or even with just five members of the League. We’re lucky Barry’s electric shock was enough to down Croc until the SWAT teams could handle it. Preventing you from going on missions like that isn’t because I want to make you feel inferior. It’s because I want to keep you and your team safe. I’m more careful on missions because I don’t want to leave you and Jason without a father. It is equally important that you remember that I couldn’t live without you and your brother, Dick.” Bruce said quietly, glancing over to Jason and letting his gaze move down to the bruised little wrist.

The Dark Knight leaned over and gently nudged Jason over so the two boys were sitting side by side again, before looking from one to the other. Clark had his arms crossed over his broad chest, and there was a stern expression instead of the normally cheerful one the alien normally wore. Before Bruce could even speak up again, it seemed like Clark had gotten tired of holding his silence for the time being. “You knew that there was a reason the League hadn’t attempted the mission yet, Dick. Even with members like your father, myself, Green Arrow, Aquaman…it never occurred to you that we might not be undertaking this mission for a reason?” Clark asked, not unkindly. He’d known Dick since the teenager had been seven years old, and this was so out of character.

“We didn’t go on this mission because the Venom Croc had been using wasn’t the same formula Bane uses. A sample that we got showed that this compound was considerably less stable, and thus the effects weren’t something we could chance.” Superman continued, before sighing softly. “Do you think that we truly view as our silly little sidekicks who we bring out for photo opportunities? Do you think that’s what I think of you? What your father thinks of you? I would think you knew us better than that.” Clark prodded, gaze settled on Dick as Bruce moved to pick Jason up and settle the little boy on his hip. The two needed a shower and something to eat. After that, Bruce was going to ensure that both his little sons remembered not to put themselves in harm’s way needlessly.

Bruce looked down at Jason, before tilting his son’s head upward. “Jase…you know you shouldn’t have gone with them.” He scolded softly, not being nearly as stern as he normally was. Jason had gone through something traumatic, and the boy looked miserable. “Why didn’t you come get me? And don’t even say something about ‘snitching’ on your older brother. Dick should never have allowed you to go along, but you should have known better. You’re just starting out, Jason. These things happen with time. You could have died today.” Bruce said, and even his normally steady tone wavered slightly in spite of himself. He snuggled Jason just a little closer, assuring himself that his youngest was still very much alive.

The man paused, before scooping Dick back up onto his hips alongside his younger sibling. “Clark, would you mind asking Alfred to make something for the boys to eat?” Bruce asked, and the other hero paused before nodding. He knew where to go, and Clark really didn’t want to hear the little ones get spanked. Of course he had seen it happen, and he’d even spanked Dick a few times himself, but it didn’t make it any easier to listen to. Bruce headed up towards the master bedroom. The shower there was larger than the ones even in the Cave, and bigger than the ones in the boys’ room. He would have let them go off on their own, but Bruce did not want either of his sons out of his line of sight for a long time. Bruce settled Dick and Jason down on the bathroom floor, before turning on the shower and letting the water warm up. It was also to catalogue any injuries he might have missed, regardless of whether the two found it embarrassing. Bruce kept a hand around both skinny forms, absently running his hands through each head of dark hair. “You two know how much I love you, don’t you?” He asked quietly, breaking his silence.

[Robin Hunter]

Barry cupped either side of Wally's face, partially two calm down the boy's quickening pace of speaking, knowing full well that if Wally caught to a certain point it would beyond comprehension, and partially to look for any damage on the little speedster's cranium. He rubbed on the precious boy's brow. "I'm glad you did try to talk your friend's out of it and I believe that maybe you were swept up into things, but at the same time you still could have come and got me or anyone else. It may have been hard for your friends to hear in the moment, but they would have forgiven you. You all have been through enough togther that this would have a tiny hiccup." Barry soothed, trying his best not to make the boy feel worse. It never got easier for him to even slightly scolded his nephew. He couldn't help feel fret when he saw Wally speeding over to his friends over situations just like this, but deep down he knew he could never take Wally off the team.

"Wally, shh calm down, you're going to end up working yourself up into a fit." Barry said tightening his grip on the redheaded youth in order to keep him from possibly toppling over. "I..I understand why you didn't run away, Wally. I can't tell you I would ever approve of you doing the same thing again, but I'm not going to tell you're wrong for trying to save your friends." Barry's voice was hard as he tried to toe around this difficult issue. He didn't want to have this kind of conversation with Wally, he wanted to see his nephew playing video games happily not have to debate battlefield survival ethics. "This is why you shouldn't go on these missions. You have enough trouble dealing your own foes, these cases....they forces decisions you and your friends just aren't ready to make quite yet. Decisions even the League struggles to make. You not being able to help says nothing about you. All of the other Titans were struggling and it was really a gamble that the shock did the trick in the first place. Don't be so hard on yourself." Barry said rubbing Wally's back with hand and bringing the other to wipe the wetness from his little hero's eyes

"Well I can imagine you're not going to feel clean considering were you just came from." Barry said with a sigh. He was of course planning on making sure Wally took a shower right away to prevent any cuts from getting infected and he was also going to need food himself after that much energy earlier. "Don't worry, I'm sure your aunt left something for the both of us to heat up in the fridge. I'll get it ready while you clean up." Wally's last question however brought drew the older speedster's mouth into a thin line."Wally...you make it sound like I'm eager to punish you. I don't wanna have to spank you at all, kiddo, but you pulling students like this puts me in position were I have to." Barry firmly, but somberly explained."You're not getting punished like this though, you're going to get cleaned up and than we'll get something your tummy." Barry said hoping his lighter tone would make Wally feel a bit better for the moment.

Hoisting himself and Wally upward he walked over to the nearest washroom and sat his nephew on the counter out of a habit. "Are...are you going to be okay keeping steady? I could run you a bath if you want?" Barry asked slowly, hoping to not trigger Wally's need to act grownup that reared it's head so often as of late. Today's sneaking out mission being one of the more extreme example he'd ever seen from his nephew or really the Titans as a whole. "Think it over, I'm coming to get you some pajamas." Barry said speeding up stairs to retrieve a bright, silk yellow pair of pajamas. "If you can't stand up with wobbling, I really don't feel safe letting you take a shower." Barry said, putting a hand on Wally's shoulder and feeling more protective that usual after today's events.


"Yeah, you really proved you're not a child. That's the takeaway here." Ollie said as he finished cleaning the various cuts on the teen's body. "I don't think whisking yourself and a group of teen heroes, one of which couldn't be more than nine, into the sewers is handling yourself rather well do you." Ollie said raising his eyebrows. He began throwing the wipes away but he knew this was from over. Roy wasn't ever the best as hiding when he was upset at home, on patrol he would at least throw some snark, but when there was not as much of image to keep up the boy tended to get mouthy really quickly. However Roy stood up and swatted his behind once firmly at the remark. "Roy Harper-Queen!" Ollie shouted loud enough to echo."It damn well is a big deal! If weren't a big deal I wouldn't to turn you over my knee for the second time in two days!" Ollie said feeling his temper raising.

Ollie felt himself flinch at Roy calling himself stupid. He could take hearing himself be badmouthed , but hearing his Speedy getting the same made his blood boil. This created a predicament when Speedy decided to wallow in self-hate. "Roy you know that's the issue you, I-I do best to make time." Okay maybe that was a half-truth, sometimes he did try and give Roy space since lately he wasn't how to handle the kid. Sure he was the same lovable scamp, but he was also so mouthy in the way that wasn't him. "All your proved today is the fact we should have made each of you sit beside us or in our damn laps during the meeting since we can't trust you not to hack League files and run off to go almost get yourselves killed." Damn Dick was...was something else.

"You aren't Clark, Roy. You aren't even Donna. You're a human like me and you can't throw yourself around like you're invincible." Ollie said rubbing his forehead as he began to shrug of his own uniform. This was the problem with kid heroes. They were too damn smart and skilled that you can't tell them no, but they are still just kids who are going to screw up sometimes! As he pulled on his white undershirt and jeans he sighed and walked over to stand in the distressed redheads path. He couldn't help but simply look at him for moment. There would never not see the boy he met on the reservation years ago. No matter how much Roy tried it was all her could ever see. Reaching out he took Roy's chin in hand and gripped his shoulder." You listen to me, I did not take you in out of pity. None of you kids were. I would do it all over again, good parts and bad.

"Roy's what the matter?" Ollie asked moving the hand from his shoulder to bring Roy's tightly clenched fist up, he began trying to work the digits open to grip the hand."This isn't just about today, you've been acting like this for...for awhile now. You gotta help me here, I-I know I should just know this kind of stuff on my own, but I need you tell what the problem here is." Ollie said, a bit desperate now."You keep looking and looking for things to fight me on and today you and pull this! How do you want me to react here, kid. Just pat you on the head and say could job you just through yourself into harm's way like that? A-am I doing something to cause this to you? Are you mad at me for something?" Ollie was rambling now he knew but he it was hitting him even harder now that Roy could have died. He reached and brought the boy close to his chest once more, feeling almost as lost the archer in his arms seemed to be.


Donna was thankful when she smell the unpolluted air of Themyscira, though a swell of nervousness did come as well when she realized this was the first time she had been home in quite sometime. She hoped to return back with the same strength and wisdom Diana had, but here her she was having to be carried around like she was feeble. Thankfully Diana could at least since that she didn't want all the island's eyes on the queen's daughter and made her way to her private quarters. She sighed with relief as she felt a surface under her for rest. "I...I feel sore all over and rather dazed. Most of my injuries are minor, but colliding with Killer Croc like that maybe have been more than I-I could handle. I feel like I've been at battle for days." Donna sighed with a slight hiss as she rubbed her arm. She had certainly been through worse pain, but this type was certainly not what she was used to.

Donna kept her eyes on the ceiling above, worried she that if she looked to the disappointment her sister's she wouldn't be able to hold back tears. "I-I knew that perhaps it wasn't the best course of action, but..but sometimes I can't help believe Roy has some points about the way we're treated. We have so little room to grow sometimes it feels." Donna said as if the words were acid on her tongue. Donna felt a bitterness rising in her. "As if mother didn't have the same thoughts about you and your group of male mortals when you first ventured from home. You only fault me because I'm young, sister!" Donna snapped before lulling back in a huff. "I can make my own decisions sister. My teammates have nothing to with that, I'm not so weak as you think me to be that I will simply cave at any man's word." Donna said reaching to rump her forehead and focus on the soothing of the wounds she had been to hazy to notice.

Donna closed her eyes for a moment at the scolding. Diana's words were like blacksmith's hammer in her brain with their intensity. Her sister's anger was a complete whiplash to the gentle hands tended to her wounds with such care. "It was simply the fact all of us with the exception of Kid Flash seemed to find reason enough to go, at the time we thought we could handle it. After facing far more dangerous adversaries we thought Killer Coc w-wouldn't be t-that." Donna said a tad quicker than she really meant to, a desire for the subject to drop overpowering reason. At her sister's pushing Donna could resolve shaking furiously. She brought s shaking hand to rub her as tingling feeling warned the amazon of tears. "You don't know how hard it is to live in your shadow, sister." Donna muttered under her breath. She couldn't help feeling as her insecurities were in many ways laid bare. She was curled up struggling to even move without her entire form aching like a newborn.

"When you treat me...like a child it makes me feel weak." Donna's lip trembled and she pulled her face from Diana'a palm. "I can take the most damage of my entire team since all of them are mortal, but still it doesn't compare to where you stand with the Justice League." Donna's voice was beginning to crack and quiver. "You of all people should know the exceptions people have put you can be taxing, especially as a girl hero. I...I tired of being treated like a child, it's like being told I'm not good enough all the time and I already hear that enough in the way everyone expects me to stand equal to you!" Donna hated how hysterical and shrill she sounded and knew that if this had been anyone else she would have exercised far more restraint her emotions, but like all of the teammates the perceived eternal placement as a sidekick. "I'm sure you plan now to hoist
me off on mother ?" Donna said, voice more question than bitter. Not helping the tears trailing down her cheeks she found difficult to catch.


Garth cries were briefly extinguished by the water flooding over him, for a moment he simply lulled back onto his King's shoulder. It was only when he was returned to the water did he remembered nothing could possibly compare. It was like hours of sleep had just washed over in one instant, the only thing only this particular venture was the aches and soreness of the rest of his form. The aquatic sidekick listen to Aquman's words and a little part of wanted to snap at how wrong he was about him, but the boy's ingrained timid nature prevented this. "If say so, my king." he whispered as he did as he was told and wrapped his arms around the ruler of the ocean, silently enjoying the closeness he knew he didn't deserve. He would have retreat behind blind obedience. Why would he have any room to disobey the man who saved him, who took him even though the best he could do was take up space outside of missions. As he could see Atlantis drawing closer the sidekick began curling his entire body around his guardian and mentor, making a point to try and make himself scarce.

Unlike the shining beacon that was Aquaman, Garth felt like a shadow that trialed behind his mentor. While most of his subjects regarded him with curious stares or respect simply by proxy of being technically in the royal court, but there times, moments when was alone with Aquaman, that he noted people looking at him scorn. Pointing at his eyes and mumbling something before swimming away with scorn. He would have though his complication or rail think frame would stick out far more, but why it alluded him. He'd taken to simply averting his gaze or hiding behind his mentor all togther. So as the passed through the streets Garth became rigid and almost froze, pretending as his king's people were the same aquatic fauna that had threatened all the years prior to his becoming Aqualad. With them there had been only two modes, becoming completely to still to the point where he appeared dead or fighting back with what little strength could muster. It was only when he caught the a glimpse of the some familiar architecture did he began to look up without fear. No more than usual anyway.

"Y-you're chambers!?" Garth squeaked, body shuddering in shock. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when they returned home but that certifiably wasn't that. Garth squirmed about, but of course he realized within moments not only was he being disrespectful, but he couldn't wiggle out of his king's even if he really wanted to. He'd only been to Aquaman's room a few times, never fully going inside out of sheer nervousness. When he seemed the attendant he half-expected to be handed off, but he instead he remind in his king's arms. "Y-you do-don't have to this. I-I don't want to be a-anymore of a b-b-bother." Garth said the top of his uniform was pulled away, leaving him only in briefs, gloves, and boots. Despite the pain it brought he forced his arms over his chest bashfully and brought his legs closer with timidness. He didn't have anywhere the same about of confidence his friends had. All of them seemed so at ease with themselves, but for him his body felt as if was holding back the little ambition he had. The purple eyes darted around the massive quarters with curiosity, as looked down at the plush bed the couldn't help feel impossibly small on the massive surface.

"T-that's fine, I'll stay still." Garth looked at the healing agent, but didn't do much shifting about under the sting. He'd known far worse before he'd even learned how to talk. The difficult part came as he tried to not lean into every caress Arthur made in effort to sate his wounds. He was so tired that being on the cushy surface it almost hard to stay up, it was only when his king sat down beside him. Garth's eyes widened at his word's and couldn't help want to swim in fear. How could he know, he'd never said anything. He'd been careful not to be too clingy! Had he been too clingy? "N-nooo." Garth whined pitifully at Aquaman's accurate guess at his reasoning. It was only when the same protective arms came around him did he lean closer. The praise being heaped on him made his chest feeling all fluttery and warm. Being told he was loved again made him feel like he was going to pass out from shock. That was the second time today he'd told something like that by his king ! Reaching his up he placed it Aquaman's arm as if asking for support.

"Y-you have the e-entire ocean that needs you m-more than m-me. I-I shouldn't t-test you. It was s-selfish and wr-wrong of me to take you away f-from that." Garth said, voice teetering at becoming cries again. "W-why do you keep saying I'm i-important and that you love m-me? I don't understand why you fe-feel that, I'm s-sorry." Garth said, little body shuddering huddled closer. He knew he loved his king. It had been gradual, but the distance that existed between was painful since he wanted Aquman's attention more often than not. He wanted a family like the rest of his friends. Aquman's finally words rung in his head and he remember hearing them muttered after some incidents with the Titans before to Roy and sometimes Wally. A faint blush was almost glowing against the pale skin at the thought. "A-are you going to p-punish me?" Garth asked with fear and turning to look up with dark rimmed and wide eyes. "I-I u-uh p-please..." Garth felt like he was malfunctioning, he'd seen everyone, with the exception of Donna, shifting uncomfortable about with sore bottoms. He'd caught glimpse in the changing room as well and looked really bad! When Dick had still been Robin he'd once has bright pink thighs and he'd been so confused that Donna to explain it to him. Garth's mind went a bit blank as his lip quiver and a few tears slipping out, "I'm sorry." he said he huddled into Aquman's chest quickly as if he was plunging into the water after being out for days.


Dick shifted on the cold surface of the examination table, trying to keep from looking anywhere in particular. He let Bruce treats his wounds in silence, not flinching a bit as the cuts stung with disinfected. "It wasn't automatic or anything..."Dick mumbled. He swallowed harshly at Bruce said something like about the Titans. Despite about how much he planned for the future, the fate of his Titans was something that either eluded him. With how often Roy and Wally got them all chewed out, he sometimes worried Bruce would slam the book on the whole thing sooner or later. He would fight like hell to prevent that, but he knew deep down if Bruce truly wanted to pull him away from his team he'd could stop him. As he searched icy color of Bruce's eyes he did muster a shake of the head.

Jason sniffled and wiped an eye he felt stupid the moment he jumped at the dampness of the cold cloth. He looked up at Clark and for the first the gaze was devoid of the same awe. He felt embarrassed at how jittery he was and the fact that his first time meeting the damn man of steel was colored by the fact he'd gotten himself in trouble. He hung his head stiffly for a moment as he felt the much taller man behind him. He eventually began looking over his shoulder every few seconds, as if silently apologizing over and over. He thought back to his conversation with Bruce during his first spanking and he'd told it way okay to cry. Something he felt like doing right now honestly. Instead the current Robin settled for scooting closer to Clark and leaning against the much, much larger man for support. Normally he wouldn't have dared let someone that close, it taken months for him to even let his family do so, but right now he couldn't help bend his own rules just a bit.

"I did think we could handle it. We have three metas and Donna and Garth's powers don't even come from science. I...I just didn't think about the effects the venom would end up having Croc." Dick said in a detached monotone. "We hadn't fought Croc before, but we gone up against enemies that were somewhat...bigger in size."Dick could feel himself becoming desperate as he was trying to remain composed. He could hear Jason sniffling and he found the task to look at either of the older heroes present. Reaching up he pushed his hair back, but jerking as he was moved to sit closer to his brother. He could feel his eyes beginning to tingle with the sensation that preceded tears at Clark's words."It sometimes feels like we can't do anything, I guess this time we thought was like some times in the past...we're we didn't really see your reasoning." Dick want to scream. Normally the times he'd get to spend with father and uncle at the same time were some of the best, but right now it only highlighted how terrible the situation seemed for him and Jason. Dick brought his gaze up to look from his father to uncle before shaking his head."N-no, not really." Dick thought back the photo they'd taken when he'd first become Robin, sitting on both Batman's and Superman's shoulders. He felt his chest pinching up.

Jason gave whimpered before finally speaking. "I-It was what Roy said! H-he said it would make you not think about me as sidekick and not lost faith in me!" Jason shouted, not with anger but more as if voice had to power it's way through the threat of tears. He brought his not bruised hand to clutch Bruce's uniform. "I thought that it wouldn't be like that." Jason whispered into Bruce's neck. It had been the most intense experience he'd seen in the field so far and frankly even he could tell maybe he'd skipped a few milestones that would have made the transition from A to C more seamless. "Wanted to try going on something bigger, you n-never let me go on many really missions. You make me stay and train all night. You didn't make Dick to that as much." The little bird tried to justify himself but the tired and shaky tone undercut the his own words. He blinked away a few tears as he laid almost limp in his father's arms.

Dick didn't protest as he was placed on his father's other hip, he may have not completely let himself go yet, but he didn't have the energy to fight left. He wanted to apologize to...everyone for what had happened, but words failed him. He wasn't sure what weight they would even carry right now. He shot Clark a piteous look as he watched his uncle walked away and turned to nuzzle face into the crook of Bruce's neck as his father climbed the stairs. Soon enough he was sitting beside his brother, who's own teary eyes made him almost burst out crying right than, as steam slowly began filling the bathroom. He let Bruce scan him for injuries for what was likely the tenth time since they'd returned up as he sat with knees propped up and hands onto of them. "I love you too, Daddy." Jason was the first to respond between little hiccuped sobs it was than Dick shook his back and forth. "I'm so sorry, Dad. I-I love you." Dick said holding the back of his palm over his eyes as he felt tears finally spilling out. Dick got to his kneels and threw himself against Bruce's chest and let out a sob. His friends almost died, his brother almost died, and he'd almost died today.

Jason stood up and clutched Bruce around the neck for a moment. He wanted to be mad at Dick, and maybe he would be when wasn't dead on his damn feet, but right now he just wanted to the grime of himself. Simply muttering "I'm cold" before pulling away his remaining article of clothing before stepping into the shower. He was caught between wanting to bask in the comforting, cleaning heat and rushing back into Bruce's arms. A washing all the remains of the sewer Jason sighed, his thoughts a little more clear. He wonder if Bruce was going to spank them. He would assume so, but after the other night he wasn't sure he could handle anymore. He knew for a fact certainly couldn't since ass was still red! With a sigh he couldn't bring himself to really get worked at the moment, letting the water continue Jason stepped out and found one of the massive towels, Bruce-sized, that was nearly the size of a beach towel on wider. He bundled himself up in the source of warm before sitting on the rug next and resting his head on his father's side. Dick hadn't moved inch and if weren't the hiccups and whimpers he could have been sleeping.

Slowly Dick rose made his way over to the shower, wiping his eyes. Lingering a moment before completely parting from Bruce He could barely keep himself up right at the moment so he wasn't going to take as much time as he wanted. He ran hands through hairs and realized it was getting far longer than ever had been. He'd missed his last haircut because of Titans stuff. Dick winced and reached behind him to rub his rear, there was still an awful pinching pain that was leftover the previous times he'd been punished. God for once Roy had been right, he seemed to been on a roll when it came to punishments. His mind drifted to each of his friends. He knew Wally would be find with his uncle and Donna was rarely shaken, but when it came to Roy and Garth he wasn't sure. He would try and make contact the next chance he got. Sighing Dick repeated the same process Jason did except instead he tied on towel around his waist and draped the over himself for warmth. Meeting Jason's eyes he saw down beside his brother, a bit suprised when he felt the best of wet curls lay on his shoulder. He couldn't even see Jason's through the locks.

Both however turn to Bruce, while newly clean each still had signs of distress. Jason's obvious uncharacteristic quiet and Dick's far off looks that seemed lost rather than introspective. Jason groaned as his stomached growled and he finally broke the silence. "Daddy, w-....what's going to happen ?" the young one asked in a tired little voice. Dick chimed in a few seconds later."I-I'm really tired." It wasn't a lie even if the reason for wanting to part was simply the fact he didn't want to continue discussing this. Dick hoped that tomorrow he would be able to wake up and none of this would have happened. Dick scooted over and nestled himself on Bruce once more, breathes shallow. "Can I still see Uncle Clark?" Dick asked finally turning his eyes up to stare at his father. He wanted nothing more than to just quietly rest between two of the people he trust most on the couch and sleep with east, but considering Bruce's earlier prying and Jason's stomach, and really his as well, they wouldn't be happening soon.

[LadyLoki]

Wally’s eyes creased slightly, and he shook his head. “I know you don’t like punishing me Uncle Barry.” He said softly, since there really was no way he could accuse his beloved uncle of something like that. Every since Wally had been a little boy, Barry had had a harm time dishing out discipline, even when it was definitely owed. Not that it had ever really stopped his guardian when it came to something really serious, but Wally took a great deal of comfort from knowing that his uncle wouldn’t punish him for no apparent reason. The same could not be said of the redhead’s own biological father, which made Barry’s attitude toward punishment all the more important. “Thanks for waiting…I really do feel disgusting.” Wally said, winching slightly at the feel of the damp material clinging to his pale skin. It was a little embarrassing being propped up on the counter like this, but honestly Wally was so shaken up that the familiarity was more than welcome.

Being home had brought some steadiness back to his legs, and Wally took a deep breath before edging himself off the countertop. It was still sinking in, how close his entire team and Jason had come to dying. “I…I can stand. D-Don’t worry about me Uncle Barry. I’m fine.” He promised with a small, slightly watery smile. The hand on his shoulder was nice, and Wally wasted no time in shrugging off his costume. The fabric was torn in several places, and stained with blood from the small cuts decorating the skinny frame. Wally wasn’t really bothered with his uncle standing by, considering he’d known the man for more years than he could remember. Plus the call of the warm water was far more important than any lingering embarrassment. The redhead stepped into the spray and heaved a soft sigh of relief. The warmth was doing a great job in easing away the other aches and pains that came along with being thrown into a sewer tunnel. It stung a bit on the fresh wounds, but Wally let out a shuddery breath before beginning to slowly scrub himself clean. His hands were tense, and his mind was replaying the scene that had taken place hours ago.

How was he going to explain this, to his uncle and inevitably to his aunt once she came home and realized how banged up her nephew was. Normally, Wally took care of boring tasks as fast as possible. Today though, his movements were slow and almost hesitant. Eventually, Wally shut the water off and snagged a towel from the rack beside the shower. He dried his messy red hair off, before wrapping it around his waist. The soft pajamas looked more inviting than ever, and Wally reached out a hand to take them. It only took a moment to get dressed, and soon enough he was standing in front of Barry with downcast eyes. “Do…Do you think the others are going to be okay?” He asked quietly. “Jason…he’s so little…he shouldn’t have been anywhere near those stupid sewers.” Of course, none of them really should have, but Jason especially. Stupid Roy, and his stupid inability to keep his damn mouth shut. As much as he loved his best friend, Roy had an incredible ability to pull them into trouble.

“I saw the bruises on Jason’s wrist…and on Garth’s. What if they’re seriously injured?” Wally asked quietly, his body practically vibrating from worry. “I…We just wanted to be taken seriously Uncle Barry, none of this was ever supposed to happen!” The redhead said, running a hand through his hair as he spoke. “Everyone always makes it seem like we’re incompetent…like we don’t do anything noteworthy. But we do! And no matter how good we are, the League still treats us like kids! Bruce still orders Dick and us around like we belong to you guys!” Of course, Bruce gave them the necessary financial support to even have a team HQ and everything. Hell, the man could probably shut the whole operation down if he wanted to. Wally was pretty sure he was considering it after the debacle that earlier today had been.


It stung, being reminded that he wasn’t as impervious to damage as some members on his team. Hell, even Garth could be trusted not to drown. It was more than Roy could say about his special powers. The redhead’s eyes softened slightly when his father took a firm hold on his chin, before Roy quickly worked to bring back around his hardened exterior. Call it channeling his inner Batman or something, because Bruce’s expression never seemed to change regardless of what emotion he was feeling at the time. It was getting harder and harder to do so, because hearing his father ask him what was wrong so openly was not an easy thing to deal with. Ollie wasn’t the most openly emotional person, and it was evident he was pushing his dad to the brink of trying to figure out what had possessed his teenager son. Truth be told, Roy didn’t really know what was wrong with him.

That was part of the problem. He didn’t know why he was so angry all the time, or why every little thing seemed to set him off. Some sort of defiant disorder is what the counselors at school had been quick to say. Roy had promptly told them to fuck off, which his father had not been happy about. The redheaded teenager glanced down, tears welling up once again when his father pulled him close. Roy’s head sank down onto Ollie’s broad chest, and he was trying to hide his tears from the older archer as best he could. Roy hated crying. Crying meant weakness, and Roy wasn’t weak. You didn’t have to be some sort of superhuman to be strong, not like that. “I don’t know.” Roy said quietly, rubbing his face hurriedly to try and erase the evidence of the outpouring of emotion.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” He continued almost immediately, his mouth moving almost independently of his brain, which was telling him to shut the hell up. “I just…everything is so…so hard Dad.” Roy said, one hand coming up to run through his hair shakily. “The Titans, school…everything is all at once and I don’t know how to deal with it and I get upset that I can’t handle it. I’m not good enough to handle it. Wally and Dick make it look so easy, just kinda moving through things without having to stop and second guess themselves.” Maybe he was rambling now too, but at least his dad was the type of person to listen when it was important. “And then when I make a mistake or do something stupid, it’s like everyone jumps down my throat and I just…I can’t deal with it, so I snap.” He finished, his entire body deflating slightly at the culmination of his explanation.

“I try so hard to be a good hero, one of the best. But it’s like none of that matters to you, or to the League. No matter what I do, I’m still the stupid little shit that can’t learn how to handle it when things get overwhelming. I just wanted to show you that I could do something right Dad, and even then I fucked it up! And just as a bonus, I almost got my entire team killed and Jason too, just for the cherry at the top.” Roy’s voice was growing in volume, as it always did when he was upset. It wasn’t an angry tone, though it was more frustrated and defeated than angry. He was supposed to be the oldest. The one who was calm, cool, and collected, no matter what the situation was. Roy sniffed once, as though it would automatically draw back in the tears that were currently spilling down his cheeks. “I’m still a failure, huh Dad? Shouldn’t have expected anything different.” He asked quietly, a little laugh interrupting the quiet, repressed little sniffles.


The outpouring of emotion actually took Diana by surprise, and the older Amazon actually had to take a moment before she answered. “First off, I never once said that you were so weak-willed that you would cave to anyone’s word.” Diana said firmly, but her tone softened in spite of the seriousness of her words. “I have never wanted and still do not want you to live in my shadow, Donna. It may be hard to believe, but what I want most is for you to forge your own path in the world of Man. I may be more protective of you than you like, but it is not because I want you to feel weak. I want to protect you because I love you. It is hard, adjusting to a world that is not like our own. I can understand how you feel, to live in someone’s shadow. When I first joined this League, I felt as though I lived in many shadows. All of whom belonged to men who seemed more experienced, stronger than me, even.” Diana said quietly, moving to gently thumb away the tears trailing down her younger sister’s face.

“But you have it even harder, I think. You have someone already like you, standing in front of you. But Donna, I promise that people see you. I see you. Not as an accompaniment, but as an individual. A strong individual who can hold her own against the toughest of foes. You saved your friends today. You bought yourselves time, and you did so because you are both brave and strong in your own right.” Diana said with a small smile. “I do not condone what your team did, but I am proud of you for fighting to defend your friends.” The older warrior was silent for another moment, before Diana shook her head firmly. “I will not be ‘hoisting’ you off on Mother, no.” Diana answered, tone even. “You made a mistake. You will make more mistakes over the course of your life Donna, and you will not learn from them if I banish you back home every time you make a poor decision. I have made many of my own errors, but I used them to learn. That is what is the most important.”

Donna always stood so strong and proud, Diana had forgotten how young her sister actually was. Perhaps she had been remiss in ensuring Donna realized how much Diana admired her work with the Titans. To be so young and have accomplished so much was something to be immensely proud of. “I know you do not like to hear it, Sister, but you are young yet.” Diana said softly, smoothing a hand over Donna’s hair as she spoke to her upset little sibling. “I have had years of experience working with the League, with my team. You have plenty of time to grow, Donna. I have no doubt that in time, you shall surpass anything I ever accomplished on the battle field. I never want to make you feel like you are not good enough, or that you are lacking. I want you to remember your limits, as we all must do.” She added wisely, working to soothe her sister’s emotions as best she could. “There are things you can do, that your teammates cannot. And there are things they can do that you cannot. Regardless, you must know your limits Donna. Otherwise, you could end up dead.”

Diana pulled back slightly, gazing into Donna’s eyes with a calm expression. “And that is why I am not going to send you back home. You have done good work. I do not want to hinder you learning from your friends, and teaching them in return. However, there will be punishment for what happened earlier. You know better, regardless of what your friends might have said to you. I almost lost my little sister today, simply because you decided that you could not talk to me about these feelings that you were having.” The older Amazon said sternly, raising a brow. “I will not allow you to risk your life in so careless a fashion. There is always risk when it comes to fighting for justice, but taking on unnecessary danger is foolish.” Diana finished, before sighing softly and looking back to Donna. “Why did you not come speak to me, Sister? If you were feeling so upset, do you think I would have turned you away for having emotions?” She asked, eyes creasing in concern. “That is not what I want you to think of me, Donna. I love you, I would never turn you away.”


Arthur was getting more and more concerned by Garth’s attitude concerning the boy’s own importance. Had he truly been this oblivious to how much the boy needed his attention? In all honestly, Arthur supposed that he could have been. It was no excuse, but running Atlantis presented a myriad of problems that just added to what the League had to deal with. “I do not understand why you keep setting yourself away from everyone else that supposedly needs me.” He said gently, snuggling the small frame closer against his broad chest. “It is neither selfish nor wrong to try and seek attention from me, Garth…perhaps the manner in which you did so was less than perfect, but your desire was not bad.” Arthur explained gently, running his hands through Garth’s dark hair. He sighed softly, before glancing down at the pale teenager settled against him. “I believe I owe you an apology, Garth.” The blonde added quietly, hushing any protest from his charge. “You may think otherwise, but I think that I have been a less than ideal guardian to you.” Arthur began, keeping his tone as even as he could. Garth was rather easily spooked.

“I…I am not used to being a father, or even a guardian at all.” He added, with a sad smile. “I truly don’t know where to begin, or even what I’m supposed to do most of the time. But, I should never have let my own hesitation in my skills dampen the parent I’m supposed to be for you.” Arthur said, tone softening a little bit. “It must have been hard, watching your teammates be so assured in the love and attention from their guardians and not being sure of whether you could receive the same in return.” The sad words were accompanied by a tighter hug. He might not have been an attentive parent before, but Arthur planned on making up for it now. Garth might have already grown up some before Aquaman had found him, but the teenager was still a child. Arthur just had to make up for lost time, even the time he may have accidentally wasted himself. “I keep saying you are important because you are. And I keep saying that I love you because I do. And to answer your earlier question, yes, I am going to punish you. I plan on rectifying my method of parenting. Normally you never do anything that even merits me scolding you, Little One. Truly, you decided to go for broke.” Arthur said, a small smile on his lips.

Not that what they were talking about was amusing, but Arthur couldn’t help himself. The few times Garth had pushed back the tiniest amount against some of his rules, Arthur just had to shoot the boy a look and that was the end of it. He’d only ever swatted Garth once, for bolting away from him without warning. “You don’t have to apologize for me caring about you Garth, it isn’t a curse that I’m saddled with.” Arthur sighed softly, before glancing down at the frightened little youth settled against him. They hadn’t ever had a conversation like this before. Garth would never approach Aquaman of his own volition, and Arthur hadn’t realized that the conversation needed to be had. “I love you because you have a good heart, and you would do anything to help your friends and the people that you protect. You are intelligent and you are a gifted fighter, regardless of what you might think of yourself. You managed to survive all those years by yourself, and that is something that very few people would have the strength to do.” Arthur smiled slightly, running a fond hand through Garth’s hair. Maybe it was a bit much for the kid to process all at once, but Arthur figured it would be best to put all cards on the table.

“You don’t have to keep addressing me so formally, you know.” He added quietly, since that was something else he had meant to tell the boy. “I might be the king of Atlantis, but I would like to think that you are far more to me than a simple sidekick. You can just call me Arthur, all right?” Arthur prodded slightly, since he did want to hear an assent from the boy before he continued. He’d probably have to keep reminding his nervous little charge, but even using his first name felt like it brought up a distance between the two of them. Over the time they had spent together, Arthur had grown to love the young teenager he’d taken under his wing. It felt like ions ago, even if it had been a comparatively shorter amount of time than Garth’s friends had spent with their guardians. Only Jason had spent less time with his father, but the boy was still young. By the time he reached Garth’s age, it would have been several years with Bruce hovering over the little bird’s shoulder. “I…I am not good at these kinds of things Garth, I hope you can forgive me for that.”

A sheepish smile crossed Arthur’s face, and he shook his head. “I do not have the experience that many of my fellow League members have with parenting…but nearly losing you today…I fear I have let this conversation go unsaid for far too long. Had you died earlier today, I would never have told you how much I love you. You are my son, Garth and I am so sorry I had not made you realize it before today.” He said, tilting the pale little face upward so they were making eye contact. Arthur did want a family. It had been getting harder and harder to see just how open the others were with their affection when they thought their colleagues weren’t watching. Even Bruce, for all his strictness about professionalism, he would rest his hand on Dick’s shoulders or offer the smallest nod of approval when no one else would detect it. Arthur’s gaze shifted to something sterner now, as they had essentially come full circle to his little charge nearly dying today in an attempt to prove himself.

“I don’t know how much your teammates have shared with you about how they are punished, but I am sure one of them has explained to you how their disobedience is dealt with.” The blonde said calmly. “I know you are sorry, but it does not erase what happened Garth. You could have died, all of you could have died. I do not want something like this to ever happen again. Come, we will get this over with and then you can eat and rest.” Arthur decreed, but he did tighten his hold on Garth just a little bit. The boy had a tendency to flee, and he’d escaped dangers much stronger than Arthur was.


It didn’t much longer for his oldest son’s cold outer demeanor to break, and Bruce snuggled the boys closer before letting them wash off the grime from their jaunt into the sewers. Once Jason had settled himself on the bathroom rug, Bruce rested a hand in the damp little curls as they waited for Dick to finish taking a shower. He was thinking over what to do next himself. His sons were tired and hungry, so that would have to be taken care of first. Then there came the issue of punishing them for breaking into League files and stealing away on a suicide mission. Still, from what Bruce could clearly see, the boys were still feeling the effects of their previous mishaps. It had not been a good few days. Bruce wasn’t going to leave bruises on his sons, but neither could he let this go unanswered until their little rears weren’t quite so red.

Bruce sighed softly at Jason’s question, before realizing his sons shouldn’t be on the bathroom floor. He’d gotten lost in his own thoughts for a moment. “We’ll talk in a moment. You two need to get dressed. It’s getting too chilly for you to be sitting here without pajamas on.” The man said, before easily hauling both boys back up into his arms. His hastily donned shirt was getting wet, but Bruce didn’t mind. “You can both still see Clark, I think he’s going to hang around for a little while.” It wasn’t all that late in the evening, but Bruce knew the boys were probably exhausted. The physical and mental toll of their fight earlier had been immense, and they needed to rest. Bruce padded out of his own bathroom and down the hall towards the boys’ rooms. He stopped to grab pajamas first from Jason’s room and then from Dick’s. Bruce put the boys down and settled onto his oldest son’s bed, before handing his children their respective clothing items. “Get dressed. You two are going to get something to eat, and then we’re going to deal with your punishments.”

Once the two had wriggled themselves into the fresh clothes, Bruce gently tugged Jason and Dick to stand in front of him. “I know neither of you can take a spanking, considering how sore you probably still are. But, I don’t want you to go to bed having to anticipate being spanked either.” He said, resting one hand on each skinny shoulder. “So, I have a solution. We’re going to go downstairs and have dinner, and them I’m going to apply some nano-cream. It should heal whatever soreness is still there, and I will make sure that neither of you ever even think of doing something so dangerous again.” Bruce decreed, looking from one little face to the other. “Everything will be forgiven, and we will move forward. As for grounding, I haven’t decided if I’m going to bench you two yet. I will let you know when I’ve reached a decision.”

He didn’t actually know what he wanted to do just yet. Maybe he should bench both of the boys for two weeks, and have them train at home to ensure they stayed in good form. This had been a pretty bad error in judgment. Arguing, Bruce could handle. Fighting with other kids, sure. Near death experiences always made him rethink the entirety of how he was raising the boys. Maybe they shouldn’t be heroes in the first place, because every time Bruce allowed them to go patrolling, they were risking their lives. The Dark Knight forced himself to calm down, before pulling his sons in for a tight hug. They were both so small compared to Bruce’s imposing bulk, and he hugged them even closer for several moments before pulling back.

“Let’s head downstairs. Alfred’s probably waiting to make sure you both are still in one piece.” Bruce said with a small smile, before hefting his sons right back up into his arms. They could walk definitely, but Bruce wasn’t in the mood to let his little birds out his sight for the time being. The smell of food being prepared was coming up from the kitchens, as well as low voices. Clark had probably already explained what had happened to Alfred when he came upstairs. At least he would have made sure that the old butler knew that the boys were safe. Bruce stepped into the dining room, which was empty. Alfred and Clark were probably in the kitchen then, but the voices stopped once Bruce entered the dining area. He set Jason and Dick down on the floor, and almost instantly Alfred materialized in the doorway. The older man didn’t say anything, but he hurried forward to pull Jason and Dick into a hug. It was more of an assurance that both the boys were still alive.

“What on earth were you thinking, rushing off to do something like that?” Alfred asked as he pulled back, looking from one little face to the other. “I cannot believe you two would endanger yourselves, and with Killer Croc of all people.” He scolded, but his tone was more relieved than upset. “You’re not hurt, are you? No bones broken?” The butler questioned, glancing up to Bruce who shook his head. “You are so very lucky that you got out of there with a few cuts and bruises…to think of what could have happened…” Alfred shook his head, before pulling the pair back into another hug. “Don’t ever scare us like that again, do you understand?” He asked, before straightening up slowly. Alfred composed himself, before looking to Bruce. “Dinner is nearly ready Master Bruce, it should not be more than ten more minutes. I shall bring out some snacks for the boys to eat in the meantime.” Alfred then nudged first Jason and then Dick towards their chairs. “Go on and sit down…you must be exhausted.” He encouraged, before vanishing back into the kitchen to retrieve something for the Wayne children to nibble on while dinner finished.

Clark settled down into his own chair, on the other side of Dick’s. He’d always sat there, from the very first time Bruce had invited him over for dinner. Dick had been so shy and reserved, so Clark had sat beside him to try and make friends with the little boy. And through the course of many years, his seating place had just never changed. Clark placed a hand on Dick’s hair once the older teenager sat down, offering the older boy a sad smile. “Your hair is getting long, huh Kiddo? You’re starting to look like how your dad did eleven or so years ago.” He commented softly, since there really wasn’t much point in continually going over what had happened earlier. Bruce would deal with it. Right now, Jason and Dick just needed to eat something and spend a little time with people that loved them. Speaking of the latter, Clark was almost taken aback by how fast Dick was growing up. The teenager was still a bit short compared to his father, but Dick definitely wasn’t the shy little thing who hid in Bruce’s shadow whenever he was nervous. This last incident aside, Clark had been impressed with how skilled Dick was at handling his team. Definitely took after his father, that one.

Bruce smiled slightly, in spite of the seriousness that seemed to weave itself around all of them. He appreciated Clark trying to return some sense of normalcy to dinner. It might help Jason and Dick settle a bit more, at least until Bruce had a chance to talk through what had happened properly. Clark’s gaze then turned to Jason, and he smiled slightly at the little boy. “And you and I haven’t had the change to properly chat, have we?” He asked, as Alfred bustled out with a cheese plate to hold them over. “Bruce has told me quite a bit about you. I am sorry I didn’t get to meet you sooner. Lots of little incidents in Metropolis kept me incredibly busy.” Clark said with a sigh, rolling his eyes at the past grievances. “It’s really impressive I haven’t been fired from my job yet, considering how often I have to bail to stop someone from burning down city hall.” He added, much to Bruce’s amusement. Clark would make a good dad, if he ever found the occasion to be one. He was definitely better with kids than Bruce was. The Dark Knight was serious person, while Clark was more than happy to sit and joke around with kids for hours.

Alfred brought out dinner, serving Jason and Dick first. It was a break from propriety, since normally guests were served first, but the boys looked like they needed something in them. He’d kept it simple, with salmon. Lots of protein, plus it tasted good. Thankfully, none of the people sitting at the table were very picky. Bruce hadn’t realized how hungry he was himself. Stress tended to do that. It didn’t take very long for dinner to be finished off, and the man was soon settling back in his chair and waiting for his sons to finish. Bruce had used nano-cream on Dick only twice in the teenager’s entire life, both times because Dick had managed to do something so dangerous he’d earned himself bedtime spankings for several nights afterward. Bruce didn’t think he needed to go that far this time, ironically because the near death experience was in itself an excellent reminder. He was going to have to spank Dick with the belt for this one, especially considering his oldest had been the one to hack into the files. Jason…he’d use the brush, and maybe three swats with the belt to make an impression. Bruce finally stood, nodding to his sons. “Come on Boys, we need to talk.”

[Robin Hunter]

Barry left the room while Wally showered and hopefully made note to clean his injuries of any the awful things one could likely get the sewer. He'd give him some antibiotics to be safe. Would that be enough though? No he needed to remain calm, if both of them were nervous than he wold just make his little speedster more upset and that was the absolute last thing he wanted. Moving upstairs he changed quickly before moving down into the kitchen, opening the fridge he discovered to large, covered plates left by Iris of spaghetti. She defiantly knew how to feed a couple of speedsters! He hoped maybe a full stomach would help Wally feel a little bit better. He wished they could for forget this entire thing and just hold his little nephew close as long as possible, but he knew he couldn't just let this go. After he finished preparing their food he made his way to back to the bathroom after hearing the sound of the water shutting off.

He placed a hand on Wally's shoulder. "I'm sure all of your friends are going to be just fine. I got a look before we left and aside from a smattering of bruises and cuts, they were just a bit shaken." Barry explained calmly. Shaken was a bit of understatement, but he wasn't about to add to Wally's worry. "None of you kids should have been down in that sewer." Barry corrected bit more firm this time. "All of you should have stayed put like you were told." Safe and sound with the Justice League nearby. The Titans got themselves into trouble when they were right there to everyone in the same room sometimes so he for his own sanity Barry sometimes chose not to focus on his nephew's and his friend's other exploits. When and Wally were on patrol togther he was right there in case something happened. He could tell that Wally was obviously torn up over this, he almost wanted to ask how bad things had gotten, but he'd seen enough when found Kid Flash in a pile with Speedy against the wall.

"Wally, both are being taken care of. Bruce and Arthur know what to do." Barry tried to assure the fretting redhead before despite the fact Wally was obviously working himself up. Barry's expression fell, he always did his best to praise Wally when he did well and he'd been told by Wally he'd been embarrassing before since he was so doting. "We do take you guys seriously, if we didn't do you really think we would have let any of you be heroes in the first place ?" Barry sighed before kneeling down to look up at Wally. He placed a hand on the freckled cheek to draw his gaze forward. "I have never once thought you were incompetent, Wally. I'd would wager not one of us thinks that that way about you kids, but you have to see things from our point of view. Even when you are your own heroes and we know you can handle something, we''ll still be worried. Not because we don't trust your abilities, but because we know exactly what kind of danger you're all going to face. As for Bruce...he's just a bit more strict than you're used to seeing. You think he doesn't order use around the same way sometimes? " Barry said with light chuckle.

Barry couldn't help himself. Reaching around he hoisted Wally up into his arms and silently held him close for a moment. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he could almost imagine this was one of the nights when Wally was far younger, when Iris would bring him over without warning. Ever before hearing about all the problems his wife's side of the family had he'd grown attached, and having Wally be his partner as the Flash had only made them closer. "It might not seem like it sometimes, but all of respect you kids so much, but that doesn't mean you're ready to face some things. Especially not something we don't think we could handle. You can't do anything about it now except learn from it." He whispered gently as he moved to lay Wally's head against his shoulder. Moving into the kitchen he wasn't eager to part, but he gave Wally one more tight squeeze before setting him in front of a full plate."Eat up, I know after today you're probably running on zero at this point, kiddo." Barry said as he took a seat across from the boy.


Ollie's chest was tight as he listened to Roy. Was he really doubting himself this much? He kept his hand at the small of Roy's back, not particularity fond of letting the boy go at the moment. He hated the fact he hadn't noticed the root of Roy's stress. He thought the kid had a good handle on things and those rebellious fits were just that, fits! "I-I see. I understand what you're saying, but Roy, you can't go comparing yourself to other people like that. I'm sure Dick and Wally aren't perfect, that's just what you see sometimes. Hell, they're in the same boat as you today and we've had to wear all three of you kids out togther a number of times. You're way to hard on yourself kid!" Ollie tried to reason, he didn't jump down Roy's throat did he? It wasn't like he could let his kid just do whatever, whenever he wanted! He hated having to scold Roy, mostly because sometimes he felt like such a screw up himself. He couldn't let that get in the way of him helping his son though.

He couldn't believe what the hell was hearing. "Roy, Roy calm down!" Ollie shouted desperately. He took a deep breathe before speaking again." You are a good hero, Roy. To me you are one of the best, I wouldn't trust you to watch my back during patrols if I thought you couldn't hold more than just your own. What happened today was a slip, but it....it doesn't define you Roy. I couldn't have taken on that massive fucker either! Barry used some speed force lightening thing to take him down!" Ollie continued. "Nobody thinks you're a little shit, Roy. Nobody that has a damn ounce of taste." Normally something like Roy's laughter would have been a bright chime in his world, but hearing him laugh at himself like that made him want to shake some damn sense into him right than and there. "You are not a failure!" Ollie came close to roaring as he moved Roy back enough to hold the teary face in his hands."You make me proud everyday kid by being better than I was at your age."

When he'd first taken Roy in he hadn't realized what it took to raise a child. Sure after becoming Green Arrow he'd taken a better lease on life, a purpose, but that didn't mean he was ready to raise a freaking kid! Roy probably deserved far better than he could ever offer him, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try his damnedest to make sure that his own damn hang ups didn't bleed over onto Roy. Bring his hands down to grip Roy's shoulders he pulled his little archer close to him once more. "Roy, you're just stressed more than anything and frankly I can't blame you for that. There's a ton on you for someone your age, anyone really! Most people...most people aren't built for this! I'm sorry t-that I didn't see where all of this was coming from." he said bringing a hand to the back of Roy's head. "I have should have known, you're not like most boys your age. You wouldn't just snap for any dumb reason. I know I haven't ever been the most attentive....,but next time you start feeling like this you need to come to me and I'm sure we can work something out."

"Come one, kiddo. There's no reason for us to stay down here like this." Ollie said, forcing some life back into his voice. Without a word of warning hefted his son backup into his arms. There were some times he wondered if maybe Roy had a point about the way the League treated the Titans, but looking at Roy like this really put in prescriptive that while his son may have shot up taller than most of his friends, spent most of his time posturing like he was far older, and tried everything he thought was stereotypically 'grown up' like drink or swear, but he was still just a kid in too many ways to count. Moving to the stairs back up their shared up he looked around. His eyes drifted over the now locked up cabinet of liquor and breathed a sigh of longing. He wished he and Roy could fall asleep on the couch like normal. Instead he sat down on the plush sofa with Roy in his lap. "Kiddo, is there anything else you want to tell me before we have to deal with what happened today ?"


Normally Donna would take the praise given to her by others in a confident stride that would benefit an Amazon, but at the moment she felt the hardened part her unable to stay on the surface. She mustered a fragile little smile for a moment, face heating up a little at hearing such things laid out so plainly. She felt internally relived that she wouldn't be returning to their shared home, an affirmation Donna nodded at as if to impress how much something like that would hurt her. "Thank you, sister. Even though it's not much compared to Themyscira I feel like I've found something close a home among the Titans." Donna muttered. "Plus being in Man's world means...mean's I'm still close to you." Donna timidly said. Even though it was far more childish than she wanted to admit, Donna longed to still stay by her sister's side. While home was fine for training and the untainted land of the Amazons would always have it's appeal, it got lonely being on of the younger members of her people. With Diana however there was a closer bond that made things easier. Plus among the Titans she felt she had more equals.

Donna's red rimmed eyes did narrow a touch a Diana's reminder. "You're correct, I do not enjoy hearing such things." She muttered a tad haughty since her age had been used dismissively in the past. Her sister's hand passing over however made it impossible for Donna to truly muster any actual ire, not to mention she wasn't about to push her luck by snipping at her sister. "A part of me knew this from the start I suppose. I could never repeat this but I was shaking a bit as we hacked the computer. It's only in times like this I envy Speedy's foolhardiness, it must be far easier for him to handle such matters." Donna said with rueful envy. "It's difficult considering my limits are so different from my friends, it's what saved Robin and Aqualad if only for a moment. Part of my reasoning was that unlike most of the boys I was fighting outside of their realm of possibility Every time I see the new horrors man can bring it makes me wonder if someday I won't be enough, it none of us will." Donna said with visible shiver. She pushed herself just the same as her sister, but while Diana's goals were broad, Donna's own was right beside her.

Donna's head bowed a bit at the idea of punishment, the reminder she would be allowed to stay with friends offering on consolation in the long run and not in the here and now. "Thank you understanding, Sister, b-but must we go through this whole ordeal ? It does nothing but upset the both of us ?" Donna began pleading, the level betraying the obvious begging the girl was doing. "I thought it was necessary, at the time. We all did on some level." Donna muttered more to herself than Diana. She thought all the effort would have gained her something close to admiration along with her teammates, that would be their step out of their mentor's shadows. "I..I have a few times, but I still wanted to prove myself. Every time you reminded me that I was young, or we as a group were, it just felt like some kind of silent challenge. If I could go this...this enormous quest and defeat a monster not even you all dared to face it would prove something." Donna flinched a bit. "I only think the world of you sister and you love more than anyone, it's just..." Donna trailed off.

Donna huffed. "What good comes from being treated like a child ? The League regulates everything we do, so I must have my actions dictated my mortal man who masquerades as a bat to hide his identity!" Donna fumed. "Now I doubt any of you will offer us any chance to test our skills, you might, but it wouldn't be the same without my teammates sister! It's like looming threat over all our heads that our group may be disbanded, you of all people should know the bonds you form with those who you fight alongside are not something to be played with." Donna didn't have much in man's world outside of her room at their base and the friendships she'd formed. She could live without the first one, but the other was something she would literally fighter for. Bracing herself a bit she tried to force herself up to stand up for emphasis, but her body lurched painfully, sending her backwards. "Gahhh! Cruse that bastard reptile!" Donna swore, her voice having lost all sense of steadiness as he she clutched both her arms over her chest. She hated feeling this feeble, in front of her sister no less after having made such as case against such things.


Garth unconsciously shifted and pulled about on long since learned instinct at Aquman's playfully scolding of sorts. He was the most jittery out of his entire group of friends, sometimes in a fight that paid off. Than again most of their fights weren't underwater.Through his time living with the king of the ocean he'd never faced more than time-out so the the idea of getting punished by his mentor made him more than a little scared.He never wanted to cause trouble! His teammates on some occasion seemed dead set on doing just that, especially Roy lately it seemed. It could probably count the number of times he'd bee scolded, since he hated it so, and of course the memory of the one swat he received sometimes made him flinch when he thought he was going to be in trouble with his mentor. "I-I did feel like that though, just a burden holding you back all the time with my n-nonsense." The skittish teen remarked slowly. Garth soon felt his mentor's hands going through his hair and leaned into the contact. This paired with the kind words from Aquaman was so comfortable he almost wanted to fall asleep right there.

Garth felt as if had suddenly short-circuited mentally. He thought himself so lowly of himself compared to Aquaman, and pretty much everyone, that he would never thought hear any of this would come from his mentor. He'd longed for acknowledgment at this level so long that it became more and more fantastical but even his daydreams never reached the point were Aquaman would actual be his father. Though really even as the network of people grew, the Justice League and the Titans, he never stopped feeling the same way about the man who had found him and actually given him a life outside of simply surviving. He was his family, and actually hearing it was so shocking he simply stared with wide eyes he lulled into the king of Atlantis. He could feel emotion welling up in his chest. "I-I f-forgive y-you." Was the only thing he was able to utter despite he was sure....Arthur should be cross with him instead of the other way around.

Garth blinked and scrunched his eyes closed in an attempt to halt any tears until he felt the hand on his cheek. Looking up into his K-Arthur's eyes he couldn't help let a few little tears slid down. "D-does this mean y-you're going to be m-my-" Garth's chest heaved a little bit as he was getting got on his words."m-my daddy ?" Garth said in a fragile whisper. The first time he'd actually heard that term was once again before Dick had become Nightwing. It had been a long mission and most them tired from the fight. He was lingering about when he'd saw their fearless leader wander into Batman's arms and mumble that term of endearment in a way he envied from that moment forward. "I-I l-love you to." Garth said softly, removing his sore hand from his chest and brought the shaking limb to touch the older Atlantean's arm as if to bring himself more stability. There was confusion flowing through Garth, but at the same time a sense of contradictory ease and safety. For the first time he truly felt he had a title outside of Aqualad to be proud of. Arthur's son.

"I-I had to have Donna u-um explain i-it to me, s-s-so I understand m-mostly." Garth stuttered ."And sometimes I've heard them mention in passing when they are teasing each other." The pale skin of Garth's face was heating and pinking, he felt a bit like he was being put on the spot and while he adored having so much of Arthur's attention, more than he ever could have hoped, having all of this particular focus just made him want to hide in and undersea cave until for some reason the entire matter was suddenly forgotten. Garth's lip jutted out and he could feel himself beginning to shake as purple eyes looked up intently at his....his father. "I-It's g-gonna hurt...." Garth whimpered solemnly. Garth sniffled and began to tug around a bit, a conflict arising internally. He wanted to pull and swim away like he'd often do whenever he felt scared, but at the same time he couldn't imagine being anywhere except with Arthur that could ever make him feel more safe. He could flail about, but he never wanted to ever make...his daddy think like he felt that way about him. Especially after everything he'd just told him!

A few times Garth opened his mouth as beginning to speak, before closing as afraid he was going to upset the man in front of him. He didn't want to be punished even though he knew that was exactly what he deserved for going in the those stupid sewers and being such a huge bother. The fact Arthur had seemed worried about him made him feel simultaneously elated and somehow even worse about himself."I-I k-k-know I messed up, b-but I-I'm r-really scared!" Garth shouted finally with a gasp as if the words had been a grueling experience to simply utter them before curling in on himself like a hermit crab into it's shell. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry my king." Garth came close to sobbing out, even reverting back to the former title he'd discarded in favor of a more personable one. He was scared. Not of Arthur, not really, he didn't want to have someone he cared about more than anything have to punish him! "p-please don-d-....." Garth attempted to finish the though but tears welled up in the purple eyes and all that could be heard were little whimpers.


Dick and Jason both pulled their pajamas on, each little hero looking equally worn down. Dick having lost all of his leader bravado in the face of Bruce's patience while Jason was bashfully rubbing his wrist. Eventually he tried to focus on the softness of pajamas, he rubbed a sleeve onto his face and inhaled the fabric softener scent that was still so foreign to him. He liked having clean clothes. At the mention of the punishment Jason uttered a whimper while Dick reached behind him to rub a hand over his rear, he was nearing his limited. Bruce had given him such harsh punishments before but if he got spanked on top of this he wasn't sure he would be able to do anything for awhile. At the mention of nano-cream however Dick gave a groan and almost stomped his foot petulantly, Jason however looked a bit confused at what exactly nano-cream was ? He assumed it would helped with all the leftover soreness, but he was still kind of nervous at the strange prospect. Neither brother protested as he was picked up once more, Jason laid his face on Bruce's shoulder while Dick made an effort to bury his face. Feeling bashful at having to see Alfie and Clark after everything had happneed.

He really couldn't stand how badly he'd screwed up today. Not only had he done something dangerous, that included his team and Jason, but he had also hacked the system for the Justice League cases. He felt like he was going to be sick at the thought of losing even an ounce of Bruce's trust, he'd spent eight years gaining every little bit and now he worried he just fallen league backwards. There was also the fact he couldn't stand to look at Jason without remebering he may have just stattled his own little brother with a moutain of trauma. Sure he'd seen some terrible things as Robin when you see your birth parents fall to their death not much can really push beyond. The only thing that ever really came close was when he'd come close to losing Bruce or Barbara, each time he would feel himself dragged to same moment under the trapeeze. Watching his most imprortant people falling away from here forever. Speaking of important people Dick suddenly felt himself locked in the tight embrace of his second gurardian.

"Hey Alfie." Jason muttered weakly and nuzzled his face into the older man's shoulder. Normally Jason would have scoffed at the once over his was being given, normally he would tell Alfred he could take care of himself, but considering this was the first time he gone on something super serious. Dick gave a slight nod and Jason noted that the older hero was blushing."My wrist is kinda sore, I guess." Jason mutted arouned the second hug. It wasn't like he hadn't been through worse growing up before. Back than there wasn't even anybody to give a shit really. Dick spoke along with and choursed a "Yes, Alfie" as they often did in order to give their second guardian a moment of ease. Jason realized he was actually enjoying the doting far more than usual. It made him feel far better about the events that had lead him into the embrace he was currently enjoying. He made a note to return the hug a bit tighter before they finally parted. It was only than he noted that Clark was standing there. He felt himself about to cower before he stood firm and met the....m-meta human's eyes.

Dick followed Jason to the table, of course taking his seat between the one taken by Bruce and Clark. He was torn at the moment about Clark's presence. Of course he was comfort by his favorite uncle being there, but he also was never a fan of Clark seeing him in trouble. Sure Clark had punished him before, but still lately occasionans with the guardian of Metropolis in attendance were the most common things as of late.Dick turned to look up when he felt the familar palm on his head. "Yeah I know. I..I guess I was trying to put more distance between how Nightwing and Robin looked. Alfie rolls his eyes every time I tell him I don't wanna get it cut. I'm not sure how long I'm going to let it grow actually. " Dick said giving a light smile at his uncle. He wasn't about to keep being dower, at least for the moment. Reaching over he gladly took a piece of cheese, stress had over come any inklings of his hunger unitl now when was within in acutal eating distance.

Jason had been so honded in on the food that been put before him and eating half of it within in seconds that he jumped slightly when he realized Clark had spoken. Staring with cautious curiosity he shook his head in agreement to Clark's first question. He really didn't know the man behind the magazine, Dick, Alfie, and Bruce seemed to like him. He gave slight chuckle at Clark's reasoning for their late meeting. "I understand. Being a jouranlist must be kinda fun though. I've read some of your articles and actually used for a reference in school." Jason said a bit timid. "Dad and Alfie tend to leave your stuff lying around all over." Jason said mildly, sometimes he would pick up the paper after Bruce was done and read something of Clark's. Really it was his only frame of reference outside of hearsay from everyone else in the house. From what he read Clark seemed to be pretty good! "I uh did pretty well on that assignment so I guess I gotta thank you for that." Jason mumbled a bit awkward.

Both boys greedily dug into their dinner, Dick swallowing and offering a "Thank You" to Aflred while Jason did the same through a mouth full of food., Out of the corner of his eye Dick could spot whenever Bruce finished and hated to admit that wasn't exactly rushing, thoufgh he couldn't real pace himself that much with how hungry he was. Alfie's food was always comfort no matter how much he may have tried to deny it to himself. It gave him a bit of his enegry back after being tossed like a ragdoll in the sewer. However soon enough he could no longer pick at crumps and heard Bruce's desire to 'talk' to them. Standing up he slowly he made his way over to Clark and through his arms around the much larger man., squeezing tighly with his renewed bit of strength. "Please wait up." Dick mumbled under his breath as he hung onto the man of steel, he never wanted Clark to leave and even though he thought he'd outgrown the bit of begging that usually came at the end of his uncle's visits, he hoped now more than ever it would work again. He didn't know when he see Clark again and Jason had barely gotten to him in the slightest since they'd been.....busy trying to pick up pieces of this afternoon. Releasing Clark, Dick kept his head bowed as he made his way out of the dining room in Bruce's shadow. He hated the nano-cream. Sure the stuff felt really nice, but now it only reminded him of his bedtime spankings were he'd go to sleep on a sore bottom almost every night after royally messing up while on patrol. He hoped Bruce didn't have any plans to that again!

Jason huddled close to Bruce despite the fact this was the same man who was leading him to his punishment for the evening. He wasn't sure what was about to come out of this, he didn't what exactly this nano-cream did aside from maybe make his ass feel better after his pervious spankings ? He had never screwed this bad and was frankly worried about what would come. He'd already felt how bad the ruler, the hairbrush, and Bruce's just plain hand were. He wasn't sure if Bruce would up the punishment somehow or what, but he couldn't help cast a few glances over his shoulder at Dick who seemed more dower than he'd been in the damn sewer if that was even possible! He didn't want to deal with this, hadn't almost getting his hand crushed to bits and almost eaten by some freak of nature make up for just going along with Titans. Next time he saw those....those JERKS he was going to slug one of them. Someone had to deal with this! It was probably going to be Wally, he could heal fast!

Eventually both boys followed Bruce not to the study, but to his own room. Both shifted awkwardly and with obivous tenseness after they entered until Dick finally spoke up. "Dad please let Jason off the hook this time." The older brother said, more forceful in tone than he'd been all evening. "He was just following along and you could...could even say he didn't know any better." Jason was shocked by the sudden outburst and looked up at Dick and than to Bruce before back to his brother. Dick had been mostly ignoring him since they got home or treating him coldly so he wasn't sure where this was coming from. "A-also don't think tihs is t-too harsh for him?" Dick pleaded. Jason sucked in a large breath before walking over and embracing his brother tightly. Dick retunred the gesture slowly before looking at the floor. It was Jason who spoke up after wiping something from his eyes. "A-are you going to take us of patrol or bench us or something?" Jason asked blunty, though tone shaky. This statement caused Dick to make a sharp intake of breath. The thought of getting taken of patrol at the moment was not something he wanted. He wanted to be able to spread his wings and he was sure Jason wanted the same.

[LadyLoki]

Wally nodded jerkily at his uncle’s explanation, since there really wasn’t anything else that he could do at this point. Showering had helped relax some of the tension in his muscles, but there a somber note to the evening that even the cheerful redhead couldn’t shake. A small smile quirked up the tips of his mouth at the mention of how strict Batman could be. In truth, Wally didn’t know how Dick put up with it sometimes. So many orders and rules. It’d drive a normal man made. “We still get treated like we don’t know what we’re doing.” Wally said quietly, snuggling into his uncle for a moment and letting the older hero absorb some of the exhaustion coming off the lanky frame. “How are we supposed to know when we’re ready?” He asked after a moment, settling into his own chair and picking up his fork. His stomach was aching at the lack of food, and his metabolism was getting ready to crash. Wally could always tell when it was going to. His head got fuzzy, and then passing out happened shortly after.

He took a bite of food, savoring the taste of his aunt’s cooking. Wally couldn’t really remember the moment he’d started living at his aunt and uncle’s house full time. It had just sort of happened one day. His mom had called Aunt Iris, begging her to come pick him up, and from then on he just never really left. Wally would go check on his mother from time to time while his father was off at work, but she would always shoo him off before the man could get back home. It didn’t take long for Wally to polish off an entire plate and dig into a second one, making up for the lack of food that he’d eaten over the course of the day. “I didn’t realize how quickly a mission could go south.” He commented quietly, running a hand through his red hair with a soft sigh. Wally wasn’t sure where the words were coming from, but at this point, only his uncle would be able to understand. These were things all of the League members had to learn. That nothing was ever easy, and the tide of battle could change in an instant.

“One moment we were raring to go, and the next…” The next moment he was yelling for his friends to run, and then he’d hit the wall and collapsed onto Roy in a heap. “I don’t know why we thought we could handle it…I mean, there was probably a reason the League hadn’t taken care of it yet…why Batman hadn’t taken care of it yet.” Wally said quietly. Honestly the latter should have been the biggest warning flag of all. Bruce never let things like this go on in Gotham for long unless he had a really good reason. Wally would have chalked it up to laziness, but the Batman was the complete opposite of lazy. “I was going to tell you Uncle Barry…but I didn’t…I didn’t want the other to think I was weak…or that I thought they were weak. Because they’re not, Uncle Barry! All of them are so strong, and everyone makes us seem like we’re playing at being real heroes. I know we’re taken seriously as sidekicks, but no one sees us as real heroes. We’re just the Justice League, but the light version. The ones you call when it isn’t a real problem.” Wally added, taking a sip of water and slumping back into the kitchen chair with a sigh.

It wasn’t just their imagination either. Wally saw how some of the other League members looked at them when they arrived on the main base. Rolling their eyes, making snide remarks under their breath. “You don’t see how some of them look at us Uncle Barry. They make it seem like the only reason we’re allowed to play at being heroes is because Bruce gave Dick a team…sidekicks who are stepping out of line, that’s what we are to everyone who isn’t an actual parent.” Wally muttered, annoyance and frustration leaking into his tone as he spoke to his uncle. “They just make sure to do it where none of you will hear…but it wears us down. Roy’s been stressed about stuff in general, but hearing that makes it worse. I know Dick pretends not to hear it because he knows it’s not true. Batman gave him the Titans because he knew he could handle it…but…” Wally trailed off, and the meaning was clear. If you hear something enough, you’ll start to believe it. It had worn the team down to the point they had decided to do something stupid…and almost gotten all of them killed.


It wasn’t like him to get so emotionally worked up, Roy knew that. He prided himself on being the most emotionally stable, the most adult one out of the entire group. The one who wore his rebellion like a badge of honor that no one else had. Garth was too frightened of his own shadow to rebel, Dick and Donna were too disciplined, and Wally was too kindhearted to put his uncle through that. Roy was the epitome of the bad boy, the one who wasn’t afraid of anything. But right now, he was shaking like a leaf and struggling to hold in his cries so he didn’t seem like quite so much of a baby. Ollie’s words meant a lot, and the teenager’s eyes widened slightly at his father’s comforting words. Roy had always felt like he had a lot to live up to with Green Arrow as his father. His father might have been snarky and less uptight than some of the other heroes, but the blonde was extremely gifted at what he did. Ollie fought like hell for what he believed in, and Roy admired his father all the more for it.

He rested limply against Oliver’s broad chest, sniffling a little bit as they began the journey back upstairs into their home. Roy was mostly silent, his exhaustion apparent. He had already said more than he had meant to, and he felt like a child for having broken down like he had. Ollie never cried, or at least not that Roy could ever remembered. When his father was upset about something, it was normally translated into anger and that fueled his crime fighting. Maybe it wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, but it made his dad a very effective hero. Roy wanted to be the same way. Fear shouldn’t get in the way of being a good hero, and today the redhead had let fear dominate his mindset the moment Croc exploded out of the water from below. He was slightly surprised when his father sat down with him on his lap, the right way up for the moment. Their record as of late had been Ollie hauling him over his knee without asking for an explanation for Roy’s latest decision to do something dangerous.

Roy didn’t say anything for a moment, simply sniffling and rubbing his eyes frantically to try and erase the evidence that he’d been crying. “I don’t want to deal with what happened today.” He said quietly. The words may have sounded slightly petulant, but Roy was being honest. He wanted nothing more than to forget what had happened today. How his team, his best friends, had almost died because of something he had suggested. “C-Can’t we just p-pretend nothing happened? W-We won’t do anything like that again, I swear.” Roy said quickly, his tone becoming almost desperate. “I…I’m sorry.” His voice trailed off, becoming quiet again. He was being ridiculous again. He should be able to at least take his punishment like a man, instead of the whimpering little bitch he seemed to have become over the last several hours. Tears welled up again, and Roy let out a frustrated cry before trying to wipe them away again. “I’m sorry Dad, I-I’m not trying to c-cry, I promise. I’m trying to stop, but it’s not working!” He said quickly, to try and do a little bit of damage control. After his failure today, his dad could not know how close to a break down he was.

Roy cleared his throat hurriedly, trying to make his voice sound a little more even than it was. Not that it worked much. Even he could hear the tremor still very much present in his voice. “I’m sorry…I-I-We can start now…I won’t keep crying Dad.” He said quietly. Ollie was a good dad, no matter what anyone else might say. As much trouble as he gave the man, Roy loved his father more than anyone else in the whole world. “’m trying to make you proud ‘n I’m still not doing it right…” He finished, hanging his head in defeat. It felt like he was being lead to the gallows for than anything. Roy had been spanked before, many times, but it was rare that he fucked up this badly. He could already tell this was going to be one of the worse ones. Getting himself killed ranked pretty high on the ‘do not do’ scale. “…Are you mad at me?” Roy asked after a moment, eyes shifted downward so he didn’t have to meet his father’s gaze. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to hear the answer at this point. Without his dad, he had no one except his friends, and they had their own problems to deal with right now.


“Whether it upsets both of us or not, it will come to pass. I will not have my little sister repeating something like this ever again.” Diana said firmly, voice booking no argument. Her eyes creased slightly, nodding. “I am sure there will come a day where there is an evil that none of us will be able to fight. At that time, a new era of heroes will rise from the ashes of what we leave behind. Of that, I am sure.” The Amazon princess said quietly, brushing her dark hair away from her face. It had been hard for her to adjust to the evil that mankind was able to do to one another, especially coming from the purity that was their homeland. “You are lucky that you are an Amazon, and not a mortal. Had you not been, we would not be able to have this conversation.” Diana said quietly, before raising a brow. “You may have thought it was necessary, but your upset clouded your judgment, Little Sister. Your desire to prove yourself is going to end up cutting your life short. We are strong, but we are not invulnerable.” She added firmly, studying Donna with a calm and collected sense that came from years of practiced discipline.

Diana was silent for a moment, thinking of how best to phrase her words. “You are a child.” She said, her tone softening just a bit. “Here in this world there is exists a chain of command that must be followed, just as there is here, at home. You take orders from a mortal man because he is your commanding officer. The fact he is a mortal does not change the fact that he made your presence and my own possible, for long periods of time. He hides his identity to protect himself and the people he cares for. We do not have such worries because we do not come from this world. You forget that not everyone has the same problems that you do. Things that you struggle with, he may not. Things he struggles with, you may not. That is how the world is.” Diana said sagely. “You have not faced many of the horrors that the world of man has to offer, because in truth, I do not think you are ready to handle them. I am not ready to handle them. Neither of our teams can handle some of what lurks below the surface. I treat you as I do because I do not want to lose you Donna, not because I take pleasure in making you feel weak.”

When Donna surged upward, Diana was quick to pull her sister back down against her and hold the smaller form steady. “Easy…” She said softly, smoothing a hand over her little sister’s hair to try and help calm Donna down before she aggravated any of her injuries. “I am not going to stop you from taking missions and fighting to make the world a better place. As much as you may not believe me, I do not think that your team will be disbanded.” Diana said after a moment, a small smile on her face despite the severity of the situation. “You do excellent work, and you handle yourselves admirably. You are not merely an offshoot of the Justice League…you serve your own communities and fight your own fights. You are an asset to this world. Batman knows and understands this more than you realize. It is a hard fact to come to terms with, I understand. It is not easy to have your future hang in the balance based on someone else’s decision…but I have known Batman for many years.” She smoothed down Donna’s hair carefully. “I do not think he would take your friends away from you. The bonds you have made with one another run deep.”

The Amazon princess smiled slightly again. “I would also hazard the assumption that you and your friends would undoubtedly find a way to continue doing exactly what you do now…with or without the League’s approval.” Diana said, chuckling in spite of herself. “It is what I would have done. You take after me more than I realize sometimes…Mother must be out of her mind.” She added, rubbing a hand over Donna’s back gently. “Wanting to prove yourself can never be more important than realizing that there are dangers in this world Donna. There are things that I cannot face alone, and coming to terms with that is not easy.” Diana explained, before placing a hand on Donna’s shoulder. “But we must remember that we are still vulnerable. You could have died, and I will not let this happen again. Come, let us get this over with. Once this is over, I will consider the matter closed and we can move forward. You made a mistake, but that is all. I do not think any less of you, and I am not going to banish you to spend the rest of your youth at home.” She said finally, nodding towards her younger sister with a finality that said her mind had been made up. “Can you stand, or do you need help Little Sister?”


"I'm going to be your dad, yes." Arthur answered with a fond smile. It was almost heartbreaking to hear how fragile Garth sounded, even asking something so simple as to whether or not Arthur was going to be his father. The blonde snuggled the boy closer, needing a moment to let the heartache fade for a moment. How did the others do this? Garth looked so frightened and vulnerable, Arthur felt like he needed to be protecting the teenager from himself more than anything. “It is going to hurt.” He agreed after a moment, not wanting to scare the boy, but there was no sense in being dishonest as to whether or not it would sting. “But the pain will be temporary. You will be perfectly fine before you know it, Little One.” Arthur promised softly, smoothing a hand over Garth’s hair to try and help the boy calm down a little bit. “I know you are sorry, and I have already forgiven you. I am not angry with you Garth, but I cannot let this go unpunished.” He said gently, tilting his son’s head upward and thumbing away the tears that were on the pale teenager’s face. Arthur knew his son must be frightened. This wasn’t something Garth had ever had to face before, and if there was one thing Garth hated, it was the unknown.

“It is something very scary.” He agreed quietly, settling the skinny form back against his broad chest. “It is something you’ve never had to face before, but your friends have all been through it, and they have all survived.” Arthur said with a small smile, doing his best to reassure Garth’s frazzled nerves. “I would never do anything to hurt you, nothing more than a sore little backside. Even that will be gone in a few days.” He could feel the boy actually trembling from fear, and Arthur wanted to make sure that the boy understood that this wasn’t something he was doing out of anger. In all honestly, Arthur didn’t want to do this at all. Causing Garth pain was almost unimaginable. But, it would be even worse to let his child off the hook and have something worse happen the next time Garth and his friends decided to wander off on another suicide mission. It was that thought that was more horrifying than causing Garth to cry, and it filled Arthur with resolution.

“This was going to happen eventually.” He added with another small smile, pressing a kiss to the top of Garth’s dark hair. “You’re a good kid, but even you make mistakes on occasion. I love you too much to let this go. You’re my son, and it is my job to correct you when you make a mistake.” Arthur’s voice was kind, but it was firm. His mind had been made up, and almost nothing in the world ever managed to change Arthur’s mind once he had decided upon something. His advisors usually despaired of this fact, but right now, it was coming in handy. Without his stubbornness, there was no way Arthur would have been able to go through with punishing his son. He tilted Garth’s head upward once again, so that his son’s purple eyes could meet his own blue ones. He had never been big on the warnings people claimed when he’d first brought Garth back with him. The lore always said to be wary of those with violet irises, but Arthur didn’t understand why. If anything, Garth’s eyes were so open and honest, Arthur didn’t think the boy could lie if he wanted to.

“Come on, let’s get this over with.” Arthur said gently, taking ahold of Garth’s slender wrist and gently nudging his son upward to a standing position. He did make sure to keep a tight enough hold that the skinny teen couldn’t wriggle away. As much as Garth tried to obey him, Arthur was pretty sure the boy’s sense of self-preservation outweighed his desire to obey his father. The lanky teenager was only clad in his briefs, and those offered almost no protection as it was. Even though he had never done this before, Arthur was sure he could handle it. He’d heard the other parents talk about it on more than one occasion, lamenting about having to punish their kids. He had never really been able to understand it before…but now he could sympathize with the pain of having to punish your child. Arthur moved forward on the bed, so that his knees were essentially off the bed. He tugged Garth toward him, draping the skinny form over his thighs so that his son was settled on the bed. It also ensured the boy’s bottom was in the perfect position, not that Garth appreciated that fact. Arthur paused, placing a palm on Garth’s torso and pulling the boy against him.

He took a deep breath, more for himself than anything, and hooked a finger in the white briefs that were Garth’s only sense of protection. Arthur tugged them down to the teenager’s knees, ignoring any protests and tightening his hold again so Garth couldn’t squirm away. “You know better than to do something so dangerous, Garth. I know you thought you were doing something helpful, trying to take on a mission like that, but there is a reason it was marked level five.” He lectured, bringing his palm down several times on the pale little rear. It was louder than Arthur realized it would be. The sound of the impact seemed to reverberate through his chambers, and Arthur idly wondered if the attendants who usually hovered around would hear. They wouldn’t interfere, since this wasn’t their place. Arthur saw to Garth’s wellbeing, and they would defer to him. His handprint flushed up on the boy’s flesh, turning the poor bottom a light pink. “I don’t want you to even think about pulling a stunt like that again, Garth. I almost lost my son today, and if I have to spank you every night for a week to stop that from happening, I most certainly will.” He threatened, his rough palm coming down on his son’s rear every few seconds.


Bruce’s brow rose when Dick began pleading for his brother’s case, although he couldn’t say he was all that surprised. His oldest son was nothing if not honorable, and getting Jason into this mess had to sting something fierce. “I could.” He said after a moment, looking from one child to the next. “But I’m not going to. Jason is capable of making his own decisions. And he made the decision to follow you and your team down into those sewers.” Bruce said gently, but his voice was firm. “I’m not going to beat him, Dick. You both are going to survive this, and learn from it. I don’t impose limits on you two because I want you constantly live out your lives in my shadow. I do it to keep you safe.” He said, before falling silent again to consider Jason’s question. In truth, Bruce didn’t know what he was going to do just yet. After the debacle earlier, with Dick hacking into the League database for the file and Roy encouraging his team into a suicide mission, Bruce would be well within his rights to stop League support for the Titans. Of course the stubborn little brats would try and continue functioning, but there was only so long a team could function without support. Not to mention, they’d have to sneak out to meet, and that presented other problems.

Taking the boys off patrol would only confirm that Bruce saw them as sidekicks, too weak to handle themselves in the field without him breathing down their necks. That wasn’t what he wanted for either of them. He wanted both Dick and Jason to learn to trust themselves, but also trust that he was going to be there to step in on the rare occasions they needed him to. Bruce sighed softly, before shaking his head. “I ought to ban the both of you from patrolling for a month.” He said sternly, fixing them both with a sharp look. “But I’m not going to. What happened today was a mistake. An egregious mistake that should never have happened, but I won’t bench you for it. I will keep you both off patrol until your injuries are healed, especially your wrist, Jason. But after that, patrol and Titan activity will resume as usual.” Bruce said evenly. “I expect you can relay the message to your team once we’re done here.” He would normally have informed the League members to tell their respective kids, but this was Bruce’s way of offering Dick back some control of his team.

Moving on from that, Bruce stood up and headed to one of his many cupboards. He pulled out a small, unassuming, white tube before settling back on the bed. Might as well get this over with so the boys could rest and so they could put this mess behind them. The Dark Knight uncapped the tube, before looking to Jason. The little boy had never dealt with this before, so Bruce figured he ought to explain. “This is called nano-cream. It’s an invention from the Wayne Labs. There are small nanobots inside the actual lotion, and they accelerate the healing process tenfold. This is only one version, and this particular one works to heal sore and bruised flesh. It works in seconds. I’m guessing you know where this is going.” Bruce said, putting the tube down beside him. It would make it so that both his sons were able to take the punishment for the sewer incident, while preventing them from getting bruises. Bruce decided he would handle Jason first, because for all intents and purposes, Jason had been less at fault than his older brother was. Dick had more experience, and the teenager should have known to at least leave Jason behind.

Bruce nudged Dick towards the corner of his bedroom with a firm swat to the boy’s bottom. He kept it relatively light, since he knew Dick was sore enough that even a light swat wouldn’t feel great. The man then returned his gaze to Jason, and he gently took ahold of his youngest son’s good wrist before pulling the little boy closer. “Unfortunately, the cream doesn’t work on sprained muscles…your wrist is going to have to heal the old fashioned way.” Bruce said, smoothing a hand over Jason’s hair and studying the younger of his two sons for a moment. “You went along with your brother because you thought I was going to inform you sometime down the line that you weren’t good enough. Or because I didn’t think you were good enough now.” He stated, since he figured that’s what Roy’s reasoning had been. Bruce had heard the same accusatory words from Dick before, and the teenager had learned them from Oliver’s unruly child. How the blonde put up with Speedy, Bruce didn’t know.

“If you were worried I wasn’t pleased with your progress why didn’t you just come talk to me? I swear, you two have such a penchant for keeping things bottled up until they explode and we end up having to talk like this.” Bruce said, gently picking Jason up and settling his youngest carefully over his lap. He didn’t want to make Jason have to catch himself on his bad wrist, so the Dark Knight was doing his best to be careful with maneuvering Jason. Not to mention all the bruises covering the boys’ bodies, Bruce didn’t want to exacerbate the injuries. He gently tugged down Jason’s pajama bottoms, and briefs exposing the underside of the still red flesh. Bruce rested a hand on Jason’s back, before squeezing out a little bit of the cream. It didn’t take a lot to heal the skin, especially when it was a small area. Bruce was gentle, smoothing the lotion over Jason’s bottom and watching as the skin slowly faded back to its normal white tone. Not that it would last long, considering Bruce planned on turning it back to the same shade of red it had been.

Dick hated this, because it meant his father could extend punishment sessions. Jason hadn’t experienced that yet, and hopefully the little boy wouldn’t do anything to provoke his father into having to do that. Bruce carefully tugged Jason’s briefs back up to begin. “You should never have been anywhere near that sewer Jason. I know I have taught you better than that. Always scope out a mission and do not act until you have a solid plan in place.” Bruce lectured sternly, landing the first swat to his son’s bottom. “And you broke every rule I have ever given you, to prove something to me. And I suspect to try and impress the Titans.” He added, since he figured that was a part of why Jason had been so easily convinced to bring along. As much of a hot head as his younger son could be, Jason had an excellent sense of self-preservation. It was a necessity, growing up in crime alley.

This entire debacle had probably registered as pretty high on Jason’s ‘avoid’ list, and Bruce was sure Jason had wanted to impress his big brother’s friends. “You could have died Jason, all because you wanted to try and prove a point to me. If I thought you weren’t capable, I wouldn’t even let you out on patrol.” Bruce said calmly, his large palm landing a swat every few words of his lecture. As always, Bruce spanked in a very specific pattern. “If I can’t trust you to follow orders and use your common sense, then we need to have an even more serious discussion about you being Robin.” He added, landing two harder spanks right in the center of Jason’s bottom as a poignant reminder for why that was not something Jason would ever want. “I was being serious about what I said earlier, regarding benching you and your brother.”

“If I didn’t have faith that this was a one off incident, I wouldn’t let you on patrol until you had regained my trust. But, I believe that you truly just made a mistake.” Bruce’s stern tone softened slightly. Jason was still young, and Bruce didn’t want to crush the little boy’s confidence. He was silent for a couple moments, focusing on landing sharp spanks to every inch of exposed flesh. Jason was probably cursing the invention of the nano-cream, same as his older brother. Bruce wasn’t swatting all that hard, because he needed the end of the spanking to make more of an impression. He did tug down the little briefs again, landing the first swat to bare flesh. The sound was always louder, making it sound much worse than it actually was. Bruce doubted the thin fabric offered much protection anyway, regardless of what the boys might claim. A bright pink handprint stood out against the lighter pink of the surrounding flesh, an omen of what was to come.

His knee rose, exposing the tender areas Jason was going to have to sit on for the next couple of days. Bruce brought his hand down sharply, ensuring the new spots were the same bright pink as the rest of Jason’s bottom. “If you even think about doing something like this again Jason Todd-Wayne, I will bench you indefinitely. Do I make myself clear?” Bruce asked sharply. He hated having to be so strict with Jason when the boy was clearly shaken by what had happened, but Bruce needed Jason to understand that this was serious. And as Batman, one of the most serious things Bruce could do was bench one of the boys. Dick had tried breaking that once, and it had resulted in Bruce turning Dick over his knee on a rooftop the moment he had gotten his hands on his missing son. “You and Dick mean everything to me, and I will do whatever is in my power to keep you safe, even from yourselves.” He said firmly, landing two hard spanks to each of Jason’s thighs. Poor Clark…the alien could definitely hear this clear as day most likely. He had always hated hearing Dick be punished, and Bruce knew this would extend to Jason. Bruce would extend the offer to let Clark stay in one of the guest rooms…it’d help reassure Dick at least and let Jason get to know Clark better.