A/n:
Pairings:
Avengers: FrosIron, HawkWidow
Batman: JayRich, DamiRich, BirdFlash, BatFlash, KonTim
Cross: Barry/Bruce/Natasha
Tony/Diana
Steve/Richard
Pairings get added in as we keep going.
On Broken Wings
10
Not Dead
We never said that we were normal, and waking up in another world just proves it. But how many times do all of us have to go through pain in order for something to actually go our way in the end? How many people will die...how many heroes will fall? What is the destiny of our two worlds?
When she arrived, she put down the plate, an looked over at Jason. Somehow, someway, Richard and Jason were both sleeping. Richard, despite older but smaller, was curled up into his brother's arch, snuggled into his chest. Bruce glanced up at her and smiled weakly.
"Don't even ask me how that happened. I left the room to give Tim his medication, came back, and they were like this...I'm not shocked though. Richard likes someone to be there for him, and not just knowing it. He's the one that needs to feel a person cares. It has something to do with his medical issues." He sighed. Richard was the touchy-feely one, he always needed a touch or something to keep him sane and not...well... Depressed. Words helped, for a second. That was how the boy worked.
"It's cute," Natasha said with a smile. "I brought some soup, want some?"
"Yes, it is." Bruce chuckled then nodded, before sighing as Richard almost rolled off the bed, but being who he was, caught himself and snuggled more into Jason. "Also, if you are wondering why he was acting like an 8 year old, he has...mind issues. Choosing 8 as the number goes back to when the most traumatic thing happened to him..."
"Oh," Natasha said. She wasn't sure what to say.
"Tati..." Richard rolled over again, sighing.
Bruce rubbed the back of his head then. "Please don't have nightmares." He said under his breath as the other seemed to relax. Seemed was what Bruce was thinking. To anyone else he was fine. To him, there was just a small difference.
"You okay?" Natasha asked. He seemed to be okay, but she knew better.
"Just worried. Nightmares happen a lot between the boys. No matter how old. I can tell too. I can tell when there is a nightmare. There are the slightest changes in their movements, breathing, whispers, anything. I've learned everything that singles one of them."
"That's impressive," she replied. "That is the father that you are."
"No. It's Batman. I've learned to see anything, everything, different. Take it in. Never let it go. They know it too. They know how to take in the smallest detail, and know..." He trailed off and frowned.
"Tati..." The voice was stronger, sadder.
Natasha didn't say anything. Bruce seemed busy comforting Richard, so she picked up a cup of soup and started sipping on it. She watched Bruce, the way he looked at his kids - there was nothing in the world that stopped her from loving him at that very moment.
Bruce moved to the boys, wrapping an arm around his eldest son. "Shh...Tati is right here..." He whispered and kissed his forehead. "Relax..."
The boy hugged him in his sleep, snuggling. But he seemed to relax, calm.
"If that isn't you being a father," Natasha whispered, "then I don't know what it."
Bruce motioned for silence as he murmured something in another language. The eldest brother was suddenly sleeping well, smiling. He looked at her then. "Sorry, just didn't want him to go right back into that Nightmare." He chuckled then. "That, defiantly is. Just helps to know Romany too."
Natasha smiled. "You gonna eat?" she questioned playfully.
"Hmn? Sometimes, I forget to eat, better remember that." Bruce chuckled and got up. "Or...Alfred would tell me I would have "hell life" if I didn't." He shuddered. "Never, ever, disobey Alfred...he will ruin your life..."
"You talk about this Alfred a lot," Natasha said, handing Bruce a cup of soup and a spoon. "Who is he?"
"Butler, Father, Grandfather...family." Bruce smiled then and took a sip. "Alfred has been there since my parents were killed, raised me. He raised the boys as well. But BOY, can he make life a living hell. That is why, when he makes a rule, EVERYONE even JASON follows it."
Natasha chuckled, and smiled lightly. "Sounds like a great guy, minus the "living hell". I would love to meet him someday."
"He is, and you probably will. Him being a Bat, well no costume, but part of our family, he'll probably end up here..."
"I hope so," Natasha said. "Then you'll have the whole family." She smiled at Bruce, just happy to be talking to him.
"...well...no. The girls aren't here. And yes, there are girls. Batgirl, Oracle, and Batwoman. Not "family family" but Batfamily. Oracle is more like a big sister to, and Batgirl well; she was Robin at one point. Katie though...well..Richard knows more of her than I do."
"ACH!"
Bruce chuckled as Richard landed off the bed in a handstand, somehow he managed to catch himself like that.
"Sometimes, you really are a full blood acrobat."
"Of course, it's my forte."
"And yet somehow you ended up as a police officer."
"..."
Natasha couldn't help but laugh at this. "You hungry, Acrobat?" she asked teasingly. "I got soup if you want to eat."
"Yes please!" Richard smiled and then flipped himself back over, flipping into the air twice before landing on his feet. He smiled. Yes, true-blooded acrobat.
"Take your pick - I've got tomato soup and chowder," Natasha said. "What do you prefer? Actually, grab it yourself. There's a spoon on the table." She pointed to a stand nearby.
Richard smiled and picked up one. "Thanks." He said to her and blinked then. "Hn...from the non-yelling I can assume that Clark has Damian and Tim away from one another."
"That or Barry is talking so much that they can't attack one another." Bruce sighed.
Natasha smiled. She wasn't sure to do, but she knew that she didn't want to leave. Bruce chuckled at Richard as he realized it was hot and started to fan his tongue. "It's hot," Natasha said, winking.
"I realize..." Richard rubbed his now burnt tongue and huffed.
Bruce smiled still. "You really are like a little child."
"Huh?"
Natasha laughed. She looked over at Bruce, who seemed to look happy.
Richard finished drinking the soup, having just given up on trying not to burn his mouth and tongue...and throat. That was when he was abruptly tackled to the ground by a red blur.
"Got ya!"
"!Wally!" He started to laugh then and turned around as the other tickled him. "W-wwalllllyyyyy...s-stop..." He chuckled.
Bruce rolled his eyes, blinking when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Didn't get stuck in a wall this time Barry?"
"...HEY!" Barry pouted before rolling his eyes. "That was a onetime thing. I didn't mean to get stuck in Diana's jet. Her fault for bringing the dang thing. I hate it. It's invisible..."
Natasha began to feel out of place. Bruce had his family, and he was watching his family. She felt like she should leave, leave him to be with his family. She gave one last look at Bruce before standing, and slowly heading towards the door.
"I am not an idiot!"
"Yes you are!"
The two older males were arguing. Wally and Richard blinked, stopping their "tickle-war" to watch. That was before Wally's stomach growled. Richard laughed at that and Wally pouted, tackling him again.
"Ach-! Walllyyyyyyyyy!"
Natasha shook her head, laughing. She then left, to go do something else. Maybe she should get some more food - she wasn't sure where she was going, but she just didn't feel right in the room. He had his family; she couldn't distract him from that could he? She began to wander the halls, hoping she would eventually have some idea on what she was doing.
Barry then became serious when she left. "We've found the gap." He whispered.
"I thought so. What's the bad news...?"
"It's spreading, that is what it's doing...I've tried to figure it out, but nothing seems to make sense."
"..." Bruce frowned. "What else Barry?"
"We have contact with Hal, but..."
"But...?"
"He can't help...and has little excuses to explain to...you know who..."
"Things are falling apart."
"Yes. A little more and these worlds will hit one another."
"We have to stop that."
"We can't."
"Only Warp can."
"Yeah."
"Then we have little options..." Bruce looked over at Barry who nodded. "And I'm assuming the speed-force is the last thing we want going through there."
"It could shatter time and space itself."
"...then we are in trouble."
"We are." Barry confirmed and sighed. He ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed. "We don't have many options..."
"Yes, I realize that..." Bruce looked at him. "We need to go look. Now."
Barry nodded. The two got up, pulling up the hoods. "Come on." Barry nodded, dashing out, grabbing Bruce's arm as he did so.
Richard and Wally looked at one another and nodded.
Natasha walked back to her room, ready to just plop down on her bed to think. She opened was about to open her door, but she heard Tony groaning in pain, Loki was probably on top of him, and she didn't dare open the door. She walked over to Clint's room - maybe he had gotten somewhere with the restaurant list. Maybe he had found more information than just the more popular food places. She walked in his room, the door was already open.
"Have you made any progress?" she asked.
"I have most of the restaurants in town written," he said. "But there were two more people who showed up looking for this other Bruce, so I think it might be a bit stupid that I even started, now. This is all so confusing. . ."
"I agree with you," was all she said. And then there was a silence between them.
Natasha jumped at the sound of another explosion. Clint sighed behind her, still annoyed at all the things that were going on. He gave her a sideways glance, and then the both of them ran. They had to find out was going on. Just today there had already been two explosions - how did they know that there wouldn't be more?
As Natasha ran, she listened. There was a crumbling sound from somewhere above them, and she knew that the explosion was somewhere up. She scanned as she moved, searching for a staircase. When she saw one, she leaped up the stairs, sometimes skipping three at a time. She heard Rogers close behind her, and Clint was readying an arrow, just in case. She just kept running. The world seemed to go in slow motion, and she just kept going. She needed to know what was going on.
Richard and Wally looked at one another. "Things are really going wrong here..." they whispered to one another before quickly taking off to where the sound came from.
Wally stopped instantly when he saw who it was. He took a step back. "...Richard...I thought...you said...Deathstroke...was dead..."
Richard could only drop to his knees as he watched the missionary raise his gun at them.
"I d...id..."