Busted!
Kaden spent the next few weeks carefully observing his parents' routine; the best way for him to be a vigilante, was if they didn't know. And the best way to do that was to make sure he knew the schedule, so he could minimize the chance of being caught.
Tonight was his night, with both his parents preparing to go out on patrol, he assumed he'd be at home finishing his homework. Little did they know, he'd already done it, and was now just waiting for the perfect opportunity.
"Alright, we'll see you soon baby bird," Jason said smoothly, kissing the top of his son's head before pulling on his mask. Kaden snorted and playfully shoved his father away.
"Ugh, dad, I'm 16! Ew!" He joked, and Dick laughed, pressing his mask onto his face.
"Yeah, but you're still our kid. No matter how old you get," he replied. Kaden rolled his eyes, even as his papa pulled him in for a hug. If he were honest, Kaden still found it a bit weird to see his parents now openly prepare for a patrol. It seemed odd, but then he remembered how awesome it as that his parents were heroes!
"Yeah, yeah. You two should get going, or the criminals might get tired of waiting and go home," Kaden joked, earning a laugh from his father. Jason stood in front of the window sill and looked back.
"Yeah, if only it were so easy. G'night Kade. Love you," Jason called back. Kaden gave a wave as he pulled his 'homework' out from his bag and sat at the kitchen table.
"Love you too dad," Kaden called back as the man disappeared into the night with his papa behind him. Kaden looked over his shoulder once they were both gone, already feeling impatient. He needed to wait at least ten minutes, to make sure they were far enough away to not see him when he left.
Finally, when the ten minute mark hit, Kaden made for his bedroom and began gathering up his gear; simple things his parents would never recognize and which could easily be utilized for what he had in mind. He grabbed the blue Oni mask off his wall and pulled on a black hoodie, then on the opposite wall, he grabbed the red and gold bo staff his Uncle Tim had brought home for him from a trip to China a few years ago.
Just for the hell of it, his uncle had taught him the basics of Bo Staff combat. At the time, it seemed odd that his uncle knew how to use a Bo staff, but now that he knew that everyone in his family was a vigilante, it made perfect sense.
The Bo staff seemed like the best way to go, since he didn't really have any other weapons. Or at least, none he had training with, like a pair of escrima sticks his papa had given to him one year. Kaden turned on the spot, pulling the hood of his black hoodie up and putting on the blue oni mask, bo staff in hand. He moved toward his dresser and pulled out a stun gun, something his father had given him for protection, and then deemed himself ready. The only thing left to do was to stuff his blanket with pillows in case his parents got home before he did, and once that was done, he left out his window.
The night seemed to be silent as Kaden prowled the streets of Gotham, looking for any hint of trouble. He stuck to the shadows mostly, and decided on a few things to pull his new identity (which he honestly didn't even have a name for yet) together. Firstly, he wasn't going to speak, at all, which would be a sort of psychological thing to anyone he came across. The whole silent treatment would really fuck people up. And frankly, it'd probably be more amusing than taunting and name calling. And second-
Kaden didn't have a chance to finish that thought when he heard a scream. His head snapped in the direction from which it came and he raced off after the sound. When he arrived on the scene, a woman was being dragged into an alleyway by three men in dark clothing with lustful looks on their faces; he knew what they were thinking. But how to get their attention if he couldn't talk? His entrance had to be dramatic, and-another scream tore through the air-okay, fuck it. He'd just kick their asses.
Kaden ran after the men and whipped his Bo staff at one of their heads, sending him toppling forward onto the ground. Their attention was now on him and he stared at them, slamming the end of the staff on the ground firmly, adopting a proud, but aggressive stance.
The men stared at each other and then began to laugh as the third got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head and scowling angrily.
"What the fuck is this shit? Halloween come early?" one of the men taunted with another laugh, tightening his grip on the woman. She continued to scream and punch the man, but he turned and backhanded her. Kaden's anger grew when he saw that, but he had to stay silent.
"And who the fuck are you supposed to be, huh? Grouchy Smurf?" Another of the men called, earning more laughs.
"Who the fuck cares, let's just gut this little punk and be done with it," the man who Kaden had struck ground out. Kaden merely held out his hand and gestured for them to come at him; that struck a nerve. The first man pulled out a knife and lunged in at him. Kaden lent to the side to avoid a jab, then brought his bo staff up and around, striking the man in the back of the head, sending him crashing into some trash cans. The other two traded looks before shoving the woman aside and joining their friend in combat.
Kaden backed a bit as they approached, watching and waiting patiently, just like Damien, his dad and his papa had taught him to do. Then one of them attacked and he ducked a punch, jabbing the guy in the stomach with the bo staff. The second attempted to stab him, but, putting his acrobatic skill to work, he flipped backwards to avoid the strike. The third man came at him, fists flying, landing a hit to his shoulder. He cursed himself mentally for not paying closer attention and then retaliated by slamming him in the head with the staff, knocking him out cold.
"I'm gonna kill you, you Halloween freak!" one of the men growled, pulling out a gun. Kaden didn't need more than a mere thought before he whipped out his stun gun and shot first, dropping the man to the ground, gun clattering to the ground. The third man rushed for it, but Kaden knocked it away with his bo staff and followed up with an upward strike to the man's jaw, knocking him over backwards.
Kaden rounded each of the men, making sure they were knocked out, then he looked toward the alley where the woman was coming to. This, he decided, was the perfect time to make his exit. He turned to leave when he heard the woman behind him.
"Thank you! Thank you!" she called in a choked sob before running off. Kaden smiled to himself, feeling good about helping someone. Suddenly, his desire for a dramatic entrance, the flashy costume he longed for, none of it seemed as important anymore.
"Shouldn't you be at home?" came a voice from behind him. Kaden froze instantly, recognizing that voice and the whoosh of a cape. Or rather a trench coat. Damian's bat suit was a little darker than grandpa's, with a dark gray trench coat and the usual black bat symbol on the front.
Kaden chose not to answer, tried to play it off as the mysterious vigilante, but Damn - Batman - saw right through him. The older man placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around, then leaned in really close.
"I know it's you, Kaden," the man said flatly, before dragging him into the alley. Kaden huffed in annoyance and pulled his mask off.
"So what if it is? You gonna rat on me?" Kaden snapped. Damian snorted in reply.
"I should. Dick and Jason didn't want you out on patrol in the first place. And what's with the ridiculous mask and bo staff?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. Kaden huffed in annoyance and replaced the mask, attempting to push past his half-brother, but Damian grabbed him by the back of his hoodie and grappled up to a roof above, hauling Kaden with him. Kaden yelped in surprise as he was yanked into the air.
When they landed, Kaden more or less fell back onto the ground and gasped for breath. After a few short moments of trying to catch his breath, he spoke.
"Ow! A little warning first you asshole!" Damian snorted again and hauled his younger brother up to his feet. He glanced over to his right and spotted the Red Hood approaching. He pressed a finger to his lips to silence Kaden, subtly gesturing toward the approaching Red Hood. Kaden's face froze in horror, but he was thankful his mask was on.
"Shut up, don't speak, and let me handle this," Damien whispered. Kaden gave a little nod and the two of them turned to face each other, as if they were about to fight.
"Well, well, well, what have we here," came the Red Hood's voice from the adjacent building, arms crossed over his chest. He looked first at Batman, then at the kid in front of him. An amateur, dressed in civilian clothes and a decorative mask. Hood would have laughed if the kid were any older.
"Piss off Hood, I'm handling this one," Batman snapped. Hood snorted and waved his hand dismissively.
"I've seen the way you handle things. I'm not about to let you beat the poor kid senseless," Hood replied. Batman glanced over at him and laughed.
"Since when does the Red Hood care about anyone but himself?"
"Fuck off, Bats. I do more to protect Gotham on a daily basis than you do in a lifetime." Kaden immediately realized what was going on; they were putting on an act in front of him, the strange new vigilante. Kaden would have laughed at the irony, if he wasn't at the very brink of being found out by his father and on his very first night even!
"I'm just talking to the kid, now get the hell out of my face you glorified drug peddler," Batman growled. Red Hood laughed in amusement and turned to leave. He paused, then glanced over his shoulder at the kid.
"I'd get out of the vigilante life now kid. Batman's kind of an asshole," Hood called back as Batman threw a batarang at him. He ducked it and leaped off into the night. Kaden breathed a sigh of relief once his father disappeared and then his brother shoved him.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood. You owe me for covering for your ass," Damian snapped. If Jason found out, he would surely never hear the end of it. Kaden raised his hands defensively, bo staff in one hand as he pointed it off in the direction his father disappeared in.
"It's all good, he's gone now! and yes, yes, I owe you! Big time! Name it, anything!" Kaden replied. He cursed mentally when he realized what he'd said; anything. He was so screwed. Damian was silent for a few moments before he reached up and pulled off Kaden's mask, ignoring the teen's annoyed protests.
"If you're going to keep up this vigilante act, you're going to need training. The manor, after school, every day. Saturdays-"
"Sundays," Kaden interrupted, excitement bubbling up inside him. Damon rolled his eyes.
"Fine, Sundays too. I can think of a few excuses that'll keep suspicion off of us. I can't believe I'm even agreeing to this," Damian growled lowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. A shit eating grin spread across Kaden's face as he patted his older brother's shoulder.
"Don't worry Dames, you won't regret this, I promise!" Kaden said cheerily. Damian looked up and shot him a glare.
"First of all, you lose the earrings when you go out, got it? No identifying marks, that's vigilantism 101."
"Got it," Kaden replied, popping off his earrings and putting them in his pocket.
"Now go home before Dick and Jason get back. You start tomorrow. Don't be late," Damian snapped. Kaden laughed and then raced off to the edge of the building, flipping down onto the fire escape and landing on the ground below. He replaced his mask, for caution's sake, and returned from the apartment. At long last, his dream of being a vigilant was finally coming true!