Gotham Nighttime
The night air is cold and sharp against Spider-Man's suit as he sits on the edge of a rooftop, legs dangling over the street far below.
Gotham stretches out beneath him, restless and loud even at this hour. Sirens in the distance. Neon flickering. A city that never really sleeps.
Alex stares at his hands as last night replays in his head whether he wants it to or not.
The bank.
The shockwaves.
The moment he hit the floor and couldn't get back up fast enough.
And her.
Black suit. Silent movements. Saving him without a word.
He exhales slowly.
"Yeah," he mutters to himself. "Real impressive, Spidey. Gotham's newest hero gets rescued by Batman's scariest ninja."
His fingers curl into fists.
"I should've handled it."
The city offers no sympathy but his spider-sense screams.
Alex jerks sideways just as something sharp whistles through the air and clangs against the rooftop where his head was a split second ago.
A metal star embeds itself in concrete.
Alex spins, already crouched. "Okay, rude. No hello? No business card?"
A figure steps out of the shadows like he was always there.
Red helmet.
Brown jacket.
Guns holstered but very much present.
Red Hood.
Alex freezes for half a heartbeat. "…Oh. You."
Red Hood doesn't answer he just moves.
The distance between them vanishes in an instant.
Alex barely gets his arms up before a boot slams into his chest, sending him skidding backward across gravel. He rolls, pops up, and a punch whistles past his face close enough to feel the air shift.
"Wow," Alex says, hopping back. "You guys really don't do warm-ups, huh?"
Red Hood throws another strike but they are faster this time. Alex blocks, redirects, retreats. He's not trying to counter. He's not trying to hurt him.
He's buying space.
"Just so we're clear," Spider-Man says, ducking a hook and flipping over Red Hood's shoulder, "I'm usually more of a 'talk it out' guy. Maybe grab coffee? Compare tragic backstories?"
Red Hood spins and fires.
Alex's spider-sense flares again. He twists midair, bullets tearing past where his head was. He lands hard, rolling behind a ventilation unit.
"Okay!" Alex calls. "Guns. That's a strong choice."
Red Hood vaults the unit and crashes down on him, elbow-first.
The impact rattles Alex's bones. He grunts, barely managing to web Red Hood's wrist and yank him off-balance.
Red Hood tears free instantly, ripping through the webbing like it's tissue paper.
That… is new.
Alex blinks. "Oh. You've done this before."
Red Hood answers with a knee to the ribs and Alex gasps, skidding back, pain flaring white-hot along his side.
Still, he doesn't throw a real punch.
He flips, dodges, redirects but still not trying to hurt him.
"Hey, helmet guy," Alex pants, hopping onto a ledge. "Just checking are we doing a test? Because I didn't study." Red Hood growls and pulls a blade.
The tone of the fight changes instantly because Red Hood stops pressing but does start hunting and Alex feels that this isn't anger anymore. This is precision. Ruthless efficiency.
"Ohhh," Alex says nervously, backing up. "Okay, so I hit a nerve."
Red Hood feints left, then throws a flashbang at Alex's feet. Light detonates across Alex's senses. His spider-sense shrieks but it's drowned out by noise and disorientation.
He stumbles, vision swimming and Red Hood is there.
A punch slams into Alex's jaw. Another into his stomach. A kick sweeps his legs out from under him and he hits the rooftop hard.
Alex tries to roll but Red Hood plants a boot on his chest and drives him into the concrete.
Alex wheezes. "Ow… okay… see… now this feels personal…"
Red Hood finally speaks, voice low and rough through the helmet.
"You pull your punches."
Alex blinks up at him. "…Yeah?"
Another punch. Harder.
"That gets people killed."
Alex coughs, trying to push up but Red Hood grabs him, slams him headfirst into a wall.
Stars explode across Alex's vision.
He barely registers the baton coming down before it connects with the side of his head.
Once.
Twice.
The world tilts and Alex tries to web and his hand twitches but doesn't fire.
Red Hood catches him as he slumps, holding him upright just long enough to make sure he's really out.
Spider-Man goes limp and silence settles over the rooftop.
Red Hood straightens, breathing steady. He looks down at the unconscious kid in red and blue.
"…Tough," he mutters. "Stupid. Too soft."
He taps the comm at his ear.
"Bruce," he says. "I've got him."
A pause and then: "Yeah. He fought back. No he could fight back. He just didn't."
Another pause.
Red Hood looks at Alex again, expression unreadable beneath the helmet.
"…I'm bringing the kid in."
He holsters his weapon, grabs Spider-Man over his shoulder like he weighs nothing, and steps into the shadows.
Batcave
The Batcave is quiet in that tense, humming way it gets after something big has happened.
The elevator platform lowers with a mechanical whine, and Jason steps off first.
His helmet is tucked under one arm.
Spider-Man is slung over his shoulder like a sack of laundry.
Jason doesn't look winded. If anything, he looks mildly annoyed.
"Brought the kid," Jason says casually. "He hits hard. Talks more."
Before Bruce can respond…..
"Jason."
Cass is there in a blur.
She moves so fast Jason barely has time to turn before she grabs Alex, one arm under his shoulders, the other under his knees, yanking him off Jason like she's reclaiming stolen property.
"Hey!" Jason protests. "Careful! I didn't break him…..,"
Cass shoots him a glare that could shatter steel.
Jason immediately shuts up.
She cradles Alex against her chest without hesitation, his head lolling slightly against her shoulder. He's unconscious, bruised, mask still on, breathing steady but shallow.
Cass adjusts her grip automatically, making sure his neck is supported.
Jason blinks. "…Wow. Okay. So we're doing this."
Cass doesn't dignify that with a response.
She walks straight past them, boots quiet on stone, and lays Alex gently onto one of the med bay beds. She removes his mask with careful hands, folding it and setting it aside like it's fragile.
Then she turns and storms back.
Her hands move fast and sharp, signing with barely contained fury.
Bruce watches her for half a second, then sighs and translates.
"She says," Bruce begins calmly, "that you are reckless, excessive, and deliberately cruel."
Jason folds his arms. "Hey..."
"She says," Bruce continues, not stopping, "that you know the difference between testing someone and punishing them. And you chose the second."
Jason's jaw tightens.
Cass signs again, angrier now, movements sharper.
"She says if you ever hurt Alex like that again," Bruce says evenly, "she will break your arm. Then your leg. Then make you watch."
There's a beat of silence as Jason stares at Cass.
"…Wow," he says finally. "You usually wait at least a week before threatening me."
Cass glares harder.
Jason lifts his hands. "Relax. He's fine. I knocked him out, not killed him."
Cass signs again, slower but somehow more intense.
Bruce exhales. "She says you didn't need to go that far."
Jason scoffs. "Yeah, I did. Kid's pulling punches in Gotham. That gets you dead."
Cass's hands stutter for just a second.
Bruce glances at her. "She understands that," he says quietly. "She just doesn't like how you did it."
Jason opens his mouth then smirks.
"…Wow," he says, looking Cass up and down. "You know, for someone who 'definitely doesn't have a crush,' you're acting real… protective."
Cass freezes.
Completely.
Her hands stop mid-sign and color creeps up her ears.
Bruce looks away. Alfred suddenly finds the Batmobile very interesting.
"…I do not," Cass signs stiffly, slower now.
Jason grins. "Uh-huh. Sure. You carried him like a bridal scene, Cain."
Cass turns sharply and signs. "I was being efficient."
Jason laughs. "You were being gentle."
Cass's hands drop to her sides.
"….Shut up."
Jason beams. "Oh my god. You like him."
Cass looks like she might actually follow through on her threat.
Before she can...
"Nggh…"
Everyone freezes.
Alex shifts on the narrow med-bed, brow furrowing as pain pulses dully through his ribs. He lets out a small groan, eyes fluttering beneath heavy lids before finally opening.
He turns his head and Cass is sitting beside the bed.
Relief flashes across his face then confusion.
"Cass…?" His voice is rough. "Why am I…"
His eyes flick past her.
Jason is leaning against a console a few feet away, arms crossed, helmet tucked under one arm, looking entirely too relaxed.
Alex's body reacts before his brain catches up.
He rolls off the bed in one sharp motion, ignoring the protest from his bruises, landing in a low fighting stance with his hands up.
"Okay," he says quickly, breath shallow. "Okay nope this is not happening."
Jason raises an eyebrow. "Wow. Knocked him out once and he wakes up feral."
Cass is already moving, hands lifting instinctively.
Alex glances at her. "Cass, get back….."
A calm, deep voice cuts through the tension.
"Alex."
He freezes and Alex slowly looks up.
Batman stands in the shadows near the Batcomputer.
For a split second, Alex just stares.
Then Batman reaches up and removes his cowl and the mask comes away.
Bruce Wayne looks back at him and Alex's brain short-circuits.
"…Oh," he says faintly.
Jason grins. "Yep. That face never gets old."
Cass watches Alex closely, ready to move if he bolts but Alex doesn't.
He straightens a little, hands lowering, adrenaline draining out of him in a rush.
"You're…." He swallows. "You're Batman."
Bruce nods once. "Yes."
Alex lets out a shaky laugh. "Wow. Okay. I'm… I'm really underdressed for this conversation."
Bruce steps closer, stopping a respectful distance away.
"I want to understand you," Bruce says. "Not the mask. Not the headlines. You."
Alex hesitates.
Cass meets his eyes and gives a small nod.
Bruce continues, voice steady. "Why did you become Spider-Man?"
The question hits harder than any punch Jason threw.
Alex exhales slowly and sinks back onto the edge of the bed, shoulders slumping.
"…My dad was a cop," he says quietly.
The cave goes still.
"John Ross," Bruce says. "GCPD."
Alex nods. "Yeah. He…he saved Commissioner Gordon."
Jason's expression shifts, humor fading. Cass's hands curl slightly in her lap.
"He died doing it," Alex continues. "Stepped in front of a bullet. Didn't hesitate."
His voice tightens, but he pushes through it.
"After… after that, everything was just noise. Anger. Guilt. I couldn't stop thinking about the guy who pulled the trigger."
He looks down at his hands.
"A few weeks later, my school went on a tour of LexCorp. Some lab. Some stupid PR thing." He lets out a breathless laugh. "I wasn't even supposed to be there. And then this spider gets loose.
Cass's eyes sharpen.
"It bit me," Alex says. "And everything changed. Strength. Speed. Reflexes. I thought I was losing my mind."
Bruce watches him closely. "And your first instinct was revenge."
Alex nods. "Yeah. I tracked him down. The guy who killed my dad."
His jaw tightens.
"I found him alone. Cornered. He was scared." Alex's voice cracks slightly. "And I could've killed him. It would've been easy."
Cass leans forward without realizing it.
"But I didn't," Alex says. "Because all I could hear was my dad."
He swallows hard.
"When I was little, I asked him why he became a cop. Why he kept putting himself in danger."
Alex looks up, eyes glassy but steady.
"He said, 'I have the talent to help people. So I have a responsibility to do that.'"
The words hang in the cave like something sacred.
Alex breathes in.
"So with great power," he finishes quietly, "comes great responsibility."
Silence follows.
Bruce closes his eyes for a brief moment.
Jason looks away.
Cass's hands tremble slightly before she stills them.
Bruce opens his eyes again, gaze locking onto Alex with something deeper than judgment.
"Then you didn't choose this out of anger," Bruce says. "You chose it out of restraint."
Alex shrugs weakly. "Some days I'm better at that than others."
Bruce's mouth tightens but not with disapproval but respect.
"You remind me," Bruce says, "of why symbols matter."
Alex blinks. "Uh… thank you?"
Jason scoffs softly. "Great. He's got Dad's approval speech already."
Cass signs gently, eyes never leaving Alex.
You honored him.
Alex's throat tightens.
"…I hope so," he whispers.
Bruce straightens.
"You have power," he says. "And you've proven you won't abuse it. But Gotham will test you. Harder than you're ready for."
Alex nods slowly. "Yeah. I figured."
Bruce meets his eyes.
"That's why you won't face it alone anymore."
Alex's heart stutters.
"…Wait. What?"
Jason grins. "Welcome to the weirdest after-school program ever."
Cass smiles.
Jason's grin lingers for a second longer, then he claps his hands together. "Alright. Touching origin stories aside, I'm gonna give B some space before he turns this into a seminar."
Bruce gives Jason a look that promises consequences later, then turns and walks deeper into the cave, his footsteps fading into the hum of machines.
Jason points two fingers at Alex. "Don't bleed on anything important." Then he's gone too.
The cave feels quieter without them.
Alex exhales slowly, still sitting on the edge of the bed, head spinning from everything that's just been said.
Cass is still there.
She shifts closer, sitting beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touch. Almost.
For a moment, neither of them speaks.
Then Cass reaches up and taps her chest lightly with two fingers.
"Me," she says softly.
Alex turns to her. "You?"
She nods, then signs slowly, carefully like she wants him to understand every word. Her voice follows the movements, gentle and deliberate.
"I was the one who pulled you out of the bank," she says. "The woman in black."
Alex's eyes widen. "That was you?"
Cass gives a small smile. "Yes."
He lets out a breathy laugh. "Wow. Okay. That… that explains a lot."
Her smile fades, replaced by something more serious. She looks down at her hands.
"I should tell you," she says quietly. "Who I am. Why."
Alex straightens instinctively. "Hey. You don't have to if you don't….."
"I want to," Cass says.
She takes a breath.
"I was born to be a weapon," she begins.
Alex's heart sinks.
"My father is David Cain. My mother is Lady Shiva. The best fighters in the world." Her voice doesn't carry pride only fact. "They raised me alone. No toys. No friends. No books. Only training."
She lifts her eyes to his.
"They didn't teach me words. They didn't let me hear language." She taps her temple. "So my brain would learn movement instead. Body language became… speech."
Alex swallows.
"That's why you move like you do," he murmurs.
Cass nods. "I can read intent. Muscle tension. Breath. Before someone even knows they will strike."
Her fingers curl slightly in her lap.
"When I was eight… my father made me kill someone. So I would understand what I was created for."
Alex's breath catches.
"I felt everything," Cass says, voice barely above a whisper. "Every fear. Every regret. Every moment of their life ending."
Her hands tremble.
"I ran," she says. "I couldn't stay. I didn't know where to go. I only knew I didn't want to hurt anyone again."
Alex's chest aches.
"I ended up in Gotham," Cass continues. "Lost. Silent. Broken." A faint smile touches her lips. "Barbara Gordon found me. Oracle. She taught me words. Batman gave me purpose."
She looks at Alex now and really looks at him.
"I became Batgirl. Then Black Bat. Then Orphan." A small, self-aware huff of breath. "Different names. Same promise. I would never be that child again."
The silence that follows is heavy, but not empty. Alex's eyes sting.
"That's… that's horrible," he says softly. "Cass, I'm so sorry."
She shrugs, but it's fragile. "It is my past. It does not own me."
Alex doesn't think.
He just moves.
He wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a hug.
Cass freezes for half a second.
Alex immediately pulls back, panic flooding his face. "Oh God I'm sorry I should've asked I didn't mean to…."
Cass's hands grab his suit and she pulls him back in and this time, she hugs him back tightly.
Alex's breath shudders as he rests his forehead lightly against her shoulder.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," he whispers. "You didn't deserve any of it."
Cass closes her eyes and for a moment, she's eight again and then she's here safe.
When Alex shifts, starting to pull away again, Cass doesn't let go. She slides one hand down and laces her fingers with his.
He looks at her, startled and she smiles at him and it was warm and a little shy.
"You are kind," she says. "Even when you are afraid."
Alex laughs quietly, eyes damp. "Yeah, well. I talk when I'm scared. It's a whole thing."
She squeezes his hand.
"I know," she says. "I like it."
His ears turn red instantly.
"Oh. Cool. Great. Awesome. I'm very normal about that."
Cass's smile widens, just a little.
She leans her head gently against his shoulder.
The weight is light, almost hesitant, like she's giving him time to pull away if he wants to.
Alex doesn't.
He freezes for half a second, then relaxes, careful not to move too much. His heart is pounding so loud he's convinced the Batcave can hear it.
"That was…" he swallows, voice soft, "that was the most I've ever heard you speak."
Cass hums quietly, eyes half-lidded. "Yes."
She shifts just enough to get comfortable, her temple resting against him.
"I'm not comfortable speaking yet," she says, choosing each word with care. "But I'm getting there."
Alex nods, staring straight ahead like the world might end if he looks at her.
Then she adds, barely above a whisper, "Being around you makes me comfortable enough to speak."
His brain short-circuits and heat floods his face all at once.
Alex's ears burn, his cheeks turning a deep, unmistakable red. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again.
"That's uh wow," he manages. "I mean. That's really… wow."
Cass doesn't see it. Her eyes are closed now, expression peaceful, like she's simply stating a fact and trusting him with it.
Alex lets out a quiet, shaky laugh.
"I'm really glad," he says softly. "I mean about you feeling comfortable. Not that you have to talk or anything. I actually think the whole mysterious silence thing is very cool and intimidating and okay, I'm rambling."
A corner of Cass's mouth lifts.
She tilts her head slightly, just enough to glance up at him.
"I like when you ramble," she says.
Alex's blush deepens, spreading all the way down his neck. He stares very intently at the opposite wall, convinced that if he moves, his heart might leap straight out of his chest.
"Noted," he squeaks.
Cass lets out a soft, breathy laugh. She squeezes his hand once, grounding, warm.
For a long moment, they sit there like that witg no rush and no danger and no masks.
Just two people leaning on each other, finding comfort in the quiet between words.
Author Note: The first arc for this story is almost over and I want to start another story so vote which one you want to see.
1.) The Green Arrow (DC)
What if Oliver Queen had a younger brother and they both landed on the island but Oliver got sick and died and his younger brother became the Green Arrow and his name is Bryan Queen.
2.) The Red Ranger (Marvel)
A huge Power Rangers Samurai fan wakes up in marvel and after living there for 2 months he finds the red ranger mopher and he uses it anf he becomes the red ranger.
3.) The New Green Lantern (DC)
What if Hal Jordan was not the first earth green lantern but it was another? But he younger and way less confident?
4.) Radient Black (Marvel)
Basically Radiant Black as a mutant.