SHOCK

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The ringing of the cell phone made Drake open his eyes again - he had dozed off. Dick was calling him, probably to ask about the gremlin too... he preferred not to answer.

He lifted his head and looked at the computer, expected to see it working perfectly, but it was off. He stared at Damian, ready to demand explanations, but what he saw the brat doing was more than enough to make sure he was lying about everything:

The espresso machine, Tim's most loved item in that kitchen, was destroyed. Damian seemed to have thrown water and coffee powder over it several times, so much so that the poor machine already had smoke coming out of some points because of short circuits. The boy, who had not yet noticed that his brother woke up, continued to admire his mischief, slowly dropping a little more water over everything with the mug... he seemed to delight in that small amount of chaos.

— DEMON! — Timothy shouted, practically jumping from the chair — WHY DID YOU DO IT!? — he grabbed Damian by the pajamas — WHY!? — He shook him from side to side, only getting even more irritated when, instead of an answer, Damian just stared at nothing and finished dropping the water on the floor — Is that what you wanted!? Hell me and get away with it, like you do with everyone!? — Tim ground his teeth, wanted to choke his brother, but was content to throw him on the floor.

— T-Tim...? — the little one whispered, looking like he had finally woken up from that trance.

— Don't be crazy now! This time you can't pretend to be innocent! — was everything Drake said before leaving the kitchen.

With heavy steps like those of an elephant, he went to the corridor and removed a large frame from the wall that hid the circuit breaker board - he would hate for that bad joke to turn into something more serious. Since he couldn't quite remember which one belonged to the kitchen, he started testing one by one.

The crackles of the breakers practically echoed, since the mansion was in absolute silence. Timothy muttered under his breath at every wrong attempt - he could see the kitchen light on through the door. He continued, continued until he heard a loud curse coming from the second floor, practically an enraged howl... it was Jason.

Tim put down the circuit breakers and walked to the stairs, he was ready to finish the little discussion started over the phone, but he burst out laughing when he spotted the family rebel hurriedly descending, with foam running down his hair and wearing only a plush pink robe.

— THE FUCKING LIGHT IS OVER! — He stared at the youngest, he was angry.

— N-No...! — Tim tried to explain, but he was still laughing - if it weren't for the situation, he would have already run to the kitchen to get his cell phone and record that moment. The laughter grew even more with a few stumbles from the older man - he was slipping from the soap.

— WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!? — The eldest put his hands on his waist, he was already face to face with Timmy.

— I just... the breakers, I... Damn! — He tried to catch his breath, he even had tears from laughing so much — Damian did... then I... — Before he could proceed with the explanation - or the laughter -, a loud cracking noise came from the kitchen — Damian! — He called with an irritated tone, expected any kind of bad thing coming from the lying gremlin.

— Damian!? — Jason called for his brother, but unlike Tim, he was worried.

The two boys ran into the kitchen when they received no answer. Once there, there was even more chaos than before: Damian seemed to have resolved to make the condition of the espresso machine worse, which now hung over the sink only by the electricity wire - it rocked gently from side to side, ready to plummet on the floor with minimal movement -; the glass jar where the coffee was kept had been thrown on the floor without mercy and mercy - now the pieces and coffee powder were scattered.

Timothy was the first to come and go to his brother - he was not worried, he was behaving like a real animal:

— WHY DID IT!? — He demanded answers, explanations, anything that was — DON'T YOU HAVE DAMNED ENOUGH FOR TODAY!?

— I-I... — The little one could barely speak — I tried to unplug it, but I got a shock a-a... And... — The voice stopped coming out, but the tears continued.

— YOU WANTED TO ASSEMBLE A TRAP TO KILL ME ELECTROCUTED! — Tim accused, he was completely beside himself.

Jason watched it all from the door, trying to understand what had gone so wrong. If he knew, if he even suspected that it would happen, he would have stopped by the kitchen before taking a shower - which was not at all relaxing. He finally intervened when, moved by unreasonable anger and frustration, Timmy jumped on his younger brother in an attack.

It all happened quickly, but it seemed to flow in the young Timothy's perception of time:

He jumped on Damian to strangle him, but Jason took the little one out of his hands and held him up to keep away from Tim, who, motivated by an unfounded thirst for justice, did not think before kicking the older one in the hope that that was enough to have his prey, the Demon Wayne, once again within reach.

That unexpected kick in the ribs, along with the floor still wet and full of broken glass was the cause for Jason to fall, taking Damian with him, and hitting his back on the bench and - as proof that everything that is bad can still be left worse - also hit that damn short-circuit espresso machine that was hanging. He barely had time for a curse or anything like that: electricity started to run through his body, made his muscles compress and he lost control... a terrible hour to be covered with foam.

Seeing the catastrophic consequences of his actions, Timmy ran over to the breakers and turned them all off. While listening to the cracking of the circuit breakers, the boy also heard more noises coming from the kitchen: the coffee machine probably went down, as did Jason and Damian...

Then, when all that was left was to go back and take responsibility for what he had done, Tim walked as slowly as possible. He hadn't done it wrong, nor could he even understand how he lost control of himself that way. From the door, he could see the two brothers lying on the floor; he didn't want to go near them, so he just stood there, waiting for them to show any sign that they were okay - that they were still alive - anything other than Damian's systematic spasms.

After almost two minutes, which seemed like hours on end, Jason finally muttered something:

— ... Brat?

— I know what it looks like, but it only took an electric discharge. Soon he'll be back to normal, Jason — Tim tried to be rational, but he didn't dare approach them — I bet the gramlin did it on purpose, it was his plan all the time: do it all and leave me to blame!

— But... — Jason didn't even finish, it was enough to recover what had happened to be nervous again — Brat!? — He called for the little one, who was still squirming and shaking — No, no, no... Damn it, Dami... No...! — he murmured, settling next to his younger brother. As nervous as he was now - and in pain - he was trying to repeat Alfred's actions and support at least Damian's head — Go get help, Tim!

— ... Jason, the B must be busy yet and...

— HELP! — The older one despaired.

— Jason, Damian is only doing all this so he can be a victim again! — insisted, but had to pick up the phone on the table when it started to ring, it was Dick again — What do you want? ... It's okay, I must have triggered the security system by accident and...

— IT IS NOTHING OKAY! I NEED HELP, FUCKING HELP! — Jason shouted, not caring who was listening.

— It's just Damian... No, he just got a shock, it's normal! Dick, it is absolutely common and...! Kitchen, why? ... No, you don't have to! Dick, we don't need... — Timmy stopped talking, after all, Richard had ended the call — Great, one more to be nervous and act the way this gremlin wants!

— CALL THE FUCKING HELP, TIM! ALFRED, BRUCE, ANYONE! — The eldest screamed in a mixture of irritation and nervousness — If I could let go of the brat and come to you ... — he growled between his teeth.

— I'll call Alfred, you don't have to be so nervous! It's just a seizure!

— Just a seizure!? You have no idea what...! — Before Jason could continue with the explanatory speech about the situation they were in, desperate knocking on the door made him remain silent. The knocking was quick, then there were attempts to open the door and, finally, the person gave up the traditional entrance and went to the tipper above the sink — ... Who the fuck is that...?

— WHAT HAPPENED TO DAMI!? — Dick asked as soon as he had a chance, when Drake opened the tipper to see who it was — WHAT HAPPENED!?

— HE IS HAVING A CRISIS! — Jason replied.

— STOP SCREAMING! — Tim asked, sighing and trying to call the butler - the only sensible person in situations like that.

— I need someone to open the door! — the eldest asked — If I try to open it I will activate the alarm system...

— Alarm system? Did you activate the mansion's security mode!? ALFRED SAVE US FROM YOU, TIM! — Jason returned to despair. That defense mode closed the BatCaverna's entrances and, at the slightest sign of break-in, put the entire mansion on alert.

— Alfred locks the doors when he leaves... — was all that the grumpy nerd answered.

— At least open the window then!

— Ok, ok... — Tim murmured, trying once again to call the butler — You don't go through the kitchen window, Dick...

— OPEN THE FUCKING WINDOW, I NEED HELP HERE! — Jason let the nervousness take over again, he was already shaking almost as much as his younger brother — Call Alfred soon, I think Damian is choking!

— Choking!? — Dick also despaired.

— I'm trying to call, can you stay calm!? — Timothy insisted, finally opening one of the kitchen windows - much smaller than the large windows in the dining room.

As if a blow of common sense hit his eldest son, Dick did not go through the window as soon as it was opened, he preferred to take mitigating measures if little Damian woke up: he started to take off his uniform. The thin body-fitting clothing was practically destroyed by the boy who, due to nervousness, could not find the zipper. At the end of a real odyssey to remove his black and blue leotard - something he knew how to do so easily in his normal life - the boy finally went through the window...

— Fuck...! — he said almost without a voice, fidgeting as he could to try to have some kind of mobility, but not having his arms crossed first was a fatal mistake.

— ... I can't believe you're under arrest... — Jason sighed, looking at Dick and then at Damian — Is there anything more going wrong!? — he looked at Tim, who was at the kitchen door again — TELL ALFRED TO BRING HEAVY WEAPON! WE'LL NEED!

— Jason! — Dick scolded him.

— The way things are going, we're going to die today in a zombie apocalypse! No, better: I'm unlucky enough to be one of the few survivors and starve to death! Alone! — Todd was already on the verge of collapse — Die alone for the second time!

— I'm stuck in a window, without clothes, while Dami is having a crisis and you are like that!? — Richard was not that far from the limit either.

— I'm stuck with you and I'm perfectly fine... — Drake sat down at the table again — Of course, it would have been better if the gremlin hadn't ruined my day!

— It's your fault that he is like this! — Jason replied.

— It's his fault!

— You who attacked him!

— Did you attack Dami!? — Dick fidgeted at the window again, he was clearly disappointed in Tim.

— He who started it! — he defended himself.

— He's foaming! — Jason said in a choked voice.

Damian, who was the central reason for the whole situation, was still in a convulsive crisis. Although he was no longer squirming so much, it seemed worse: now, a kind of foam came out of his mouth... he looked suffocated.

— Alfred is already coming, but he doesn't have much to do about the gremlin... — Timothy murmured, resting his head on the table — Turn him on his side, maybe he'll get better...

— The way things are, they can only get better — Dick murmured, trying to detach himself from the window.

— I thought exactly the same thing when the light went out in the middle of my bath and now my life is this shit: the brat is going to die right now that we start to get along...! — The family rebel even had tears running down his face while he whined about life. Even so, beyond the limit of what he could bear, he did his best to turn his little brother on his side so he wouldn't choke.

— Jay... — Dick tried to give one of his optimistic smiles — Think about it: what could go wrong now besides all this?

It was the only thing Richard said before the shotgun blast echoed outside.

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NOTE

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First of all: if you notice something is short-circuited, stop using the equipment or turn off the power supply. If someone is attached to the equipment in a short time and it is not possible to cut off the electricity supply, use something wooden to keep the person away.

I don't know about you, but I always wondered where the zippers on the superhero uniforms are, or if at least they wear underwear when they dress up... In my head, it's impossible for Dick to wear anything under that tight outfit.

This is it.

I don't have much to say here, other than making it clear that I laughed A LOT while writing this chapter - I apologize to those involved. He wouldn't be like that, you know? It would be something much more serious and somewhat morbid, but I'll save that for later...

A special thanks to my friend and practically co-author of the fanfic: many of these "what could not get worse, stayed" was thanks to her. A little more and we can already write scripts for Indian action films, drama that will not be missing!

Note to note: In DCeased, Jason stays on Earth, struggling to survive among several zombies. It was the poor guy who buried Dick, Tim and Bruce in the Batcave... poor thing.