It's been a couple days since the visit from the duo Batgirls. Well from Batgirl and Black Bat. I'm going to be totally honest here. They probably helped me recover faster than I would have managed on my own. Don't get me wrong, Hood might've figured something out, but while I trusted the guy, he probably would have only come by the next day or something like that. And at first, while I was honestly a bit wary of the others coming by, cause let's be honest who wouldn't be concerned when two more people who could rearrange your spleen like a jigsaw puzzle know where you live, they were honestly nice enough.
I had to brush up on my sign language with Black Bat, but that was good to warm up and she, while very quiet, was a treat to have as a guest. Polite, well mannered. Knocked on the window instead of barging in. Even brought me some more soup. Batgirl on the other hand was chaotic. More so than Red Hood, but in an odd… and endearing way. She won a specially made batch of cookies after gifting me a few batarangs (still can't believe they're called that) and 'wing dings' (that's even worse) that she took from Nightwing. Hey, what can I say? Gifts means gifts. She had a habit of breaking in more often than the others did, but she was nice enough to be chilling out in the open instead of just popping out of the shadows. Then things got back to normal, relatively speaking.
Michael woke up, on time mind you, feeling a hell of a lot better than he had before. The constant actual good food and medicine helped, as well as provided an important lesson. As much as he hated to admit it, it was time for him to start taking care of himself. That meant less takeout, and more fresh and good food to eat. With that in mind however, he was going to make himself some waffles, because if he was gonna be eating healthy, he'd at least have breakfast to fall back on. Pancakes were never Michael's style, they were more something his dad would have liked. In any case, he had found some more of his mom's recipes, so that left him with a simple task: making a large stack of waffles for himself. Of course, Michael had to have some entertainment going. So while he was cooking, he set up something on his phone.
"With the lights out, it's less dangerous! Here we are now, entertain us. I feel stupid and contagious, Here we are now, entertain us~" Michael sang along to the Nirvana song (badly and probably offkey but that thoughts at least counted) as he began to mix the specially prepared batter. Something that he always appreciated about his mom's recipes was how precise she was with them. Being a lover of books meant she had a lot of time on her hands when not reading, which led to her experimenting to find the perfect dosages of things. She just had to write down each recipe that worked, and Michael was happy enough to find the book, with all the pages inside. Right now he was making homemade waffles, healthy but at the same time very tasty, with some bacon cooking on the side, with some eggs to top it all off. He had time to make it all and he was feeling a bit happier today. So he kept singing, mixing, and eventually putting the waffle iron that he had just recently bought into good use. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, the only indication that it had was the slowly increasing stack of waffles, bacon and eggs. Once the batter was finished, Michael blinked upon realizing he had made too much for himself. He was about to think about where to put the rest when a voice rang out.
"Huh. And here I thought my morning was gonna be boring." A familiar, if somewhat missed (not that Michael was ever going to admit he missed hearing that tone) bored tone said. Michael was not ashamed to say that he jumped, or that he yelped. Or that he ended up throwing the now empty bowl at the voice in question, belonging to a man who was (probably) around his age, or in that range. He wore a familiar red jacket, just a bit less armored. The rest of the attire stayed the same, the only thing that stood out was the black domino mask, which Michael noted, seeing as how he had thrown something at Red Hood. He didn't miss how easily Red Hood was able to catch the bowl, and noticed the chuckle coming from him.
"Hood. Wow. Uh, good to see you again? Little bit of a warning next time would ya? You're kinda hard to hear over any noise. And… you're not wearing a mask. Should I be concerned oooooor?" Michael couldn't help but trail off, using the distraction given to him to start stacking up an appropriate amount of waffles for himself, preparing a second plate just in case. Michael heard another chuckle as he moved around.
"What, I can't visit a friend? Heard you were sick, but I wanted to give you a few days to get yourself sorted. I didn't wanna get any of it on my jacket, and the girls mentioned they had your back. Which means that, besides having to make up for the fact I didn't notice you were sick, I owe them. Figured I could pay em back by seeing what else you can cook up. Those waffles you have there? Haven't had any freshly made in a while." Red Hood said, once more moving around the apartment, looking around. Michael sighed, knowing where this was going to lead. He started stacking up a few for Red Hood, internally thankful that he had shown up. Michael couldn't just leave this food to waste,
"Yeah I got better. I'm fine, don't worry. So you hungry? Cause I made too much here. You want some orange juice? Apple juice? Coffee? I got all three here, and you're gonna wanna sit down for breakfast. Sorry for throwing the bowl at you by the way. Force of habit." Michael said, getting a second plate and preparing it with similar portions. Suddenly it was a good thing he had a fully stocked fridge courtesy of Batgirl.
"Orange juice please! Coffee's not my style, and I prefer orange juice in general." Red Hood called out, and Michael could hear him taking a seat at the table. At least this time it would be a proper meal and not just the two talking while Michael stuffed his face full of dinner. "So what's this? You're cooking? That's a first. You normally just have takeout when I usually see you. What changed?" Hood continued, and Michael shrugged. Walking over, he put down a plate in front of Red Hood, along with a fork.
"Hope you don't mind scrambled eggs. It's the best I can do with you dropping in." Michael said, putting a plate down for himself. Taking a moment to bring over a glass of orange juice, along with some apple juice for himself, Michael was finally happy with how things were going. Everything was set and he could finally dig in. But he had a question to answer first. "I used to cook a lot with my mom. Found some of her old recipes in a book she kept, and I had some extra money from you to spend. So I figured I'd try it out. Please, dig in. I kept everything fresh, and the orange juice is organic. No additions, so you'll probably like the taste." Michael added, applying a generous amount of syrup to his waffles before passing it over to Red Hood. He didn't hesitate to take a bite out of his own food while Red Hood was doing his own thing, the first bite bringing back memories. Just like Michael's mother had done it. Looks like he still had the touch after all.
"Oh you said the magic words Michael. Fresh orange juice is my kryptonite. Well not like that, ya know, but you get the idea. I'll never pass on the chance to get some of it.." Red Hood said, grinning as he moved around for a moment, before taking a bite out of his own food. "...Holy shit you're a really good cook. I mean I know someone who's better, but this? Top five, at least." Red Hood muttered, letting out a chuckle as he continued to munch on his breakfast. "I mean you're probably second place, cause the guy I know sucks at making waffles. So you automatically win there." Hood continued, pausing only to take a sip of his orange juice, letting out a pleased sigh at the taste.
"Wait, they don't know how to cook waffles? Well that's a first. Normally if I asked someone they'd say waffles are easy to make. Granted, I've been using frozen stuff for the longest time… that is until I ended up throwing my toaster out my window. Man that thing sucked." Micheal said, glancing out of the now open window. He winced as the small rays of sunlight hit, but instead went back to his own food, enjoying the waffles and nibbling on the bacon.
"Hah, trust me the guy knows just about every other recipe under the sun so he's allowed to have one he's not good at. I'll bring his cooking by next time I can, you'll like it. Though it's gonna be tough, I know people who might get a bit salty at me hogging the leftovers." Red Hood said, smirking at Michael for a moment. "Speaking of salt, you mind passing it along? These eggs ain't bad, but could use a little extra." He continued, and Michael could only roll his eyes as he passed the salt shaker over.
"Funny word play there. But yeah. Glad to be of service for breakfast at least. Happy to help. And…" Michael paused for a moment, putting his fork down. Thank yous. He still sucked at giving them, and honestly it had been forever since he could be genuinely nice to someone. Most of the guys he worked with were twice his age and didn't need politeness, while most other people just gave him a stink eye whenever he walked by. Red Hood was staring at him now, and even with the mask on, Michael could still practically feel the eyes narrowing. "Thank you. For stopping by to check up on me. I appreciate it." Michael finally said, the words surprisingly easy for him to spit out. Red Hood went back to smirking, brushing off the thanks.
"Anything for the guy who gives me cookies. Really, it ain't that much of a problem." He said, and Michael couldn't help but laugh. It was nice, he figured, to have someone over for breakfast. It wasn't something he had done in a long time, but the interaction, even if it was a tad odd, was still a thing that Michael hadn't realized he missed. Maybe he could get used to this sort of thing.
The day was honestly normal for Michael once breakfast was over. Red Hood leapt out of the window (without breaking it thankfully) and things had calmed down. He had little interactions here and there, but today wasn't a work day. At least not for him. Today was a day for relaxation. And there was only one place he could really relax. Michael stared up at the entrance of the Gotham Public Library, not wearing his usual messy shirt and jeans. This time, he was wearing a nicer pair of pants to start off, and a simple black button up shirt. That and he shaved, if only because his face was starting to look shaggy.
"Well Michael, been a while since you've been here. Might as well get in and have fun." He told himself, instinctively patting his wallet to make sure his library card was still there. He honestly wasn't sure why he had put it off for so long. It had been… by Michael's count a few months since he had actually stepped foot inside. Granted he usually went to the library to get away from the world, but it kept on dragging him back out and gradually, he couldn't find the time. Not with his bills, or even with his horrible schedule. Taking a sip of the nice cafe coffee he had gotten a hold of, Michael quickly made his way into the library, taking in the familiar sights. It was a trip to see it after so long. Even with all the time he hadn't been there, it looked the same, so that was good at least. Nodding to the receptionist, Michael made his way deeper into the building, idly walking a path that was so ingrained into his mind, it was like his feet moved on their own. His hand brushed across the various books that were there, his mind wandering to places it hadn't been at in a long time. Finally, he found a book to read. One that his mother had loved, and one that she had convinced him to read. Taking it in hand, Michael walked forward, once more following a path, until he found himself at a familiar chair, and a familiar table. Setting his coffee down, Michael slowly sat down in the very comfortable chair, opened up the book and read the first line of the page before him.
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." He quietly muttered, a small, rueful grin on Michael's face as he slowly began his journey into 'The Gunslinger', forgetting about the world around him for a bit. It was almost instinctual, and Michael couldn't be happier. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, the only indication of it being that he was a quarter of a way through the book, when he heard a quiet cough coming from in front of him. It got Michael out of his focus, and he looked up, only to grin at the sight before him.
"Well I'll be. Michael Kessler, is that you? We haven't seen you around here in a long time." A woman said, grinning as she moved over to him. Red hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, dressed in attire similar to Michael's, the main thing that stood out was the wheelchair that she was in. That didn't mean that this woman was a pushover, Michael had learned that the first time he had seen her around.
"Miss Gordon. I gotta say, it's great to see you again. Yeah sorry, things were getting a bit rough at work so I didn't have a chance to stop by. But I'm here now, enjoying a book. How about you? How's life been treating you so far?" Michael asked, offering Barbara Gordan a smile as he reached over to get a sip from his coffee. It wasn't piping hot, only warm, but it still tasted good to him. Barbara gave a small huff, but grinned back at Michael.
"I told you Michael, it's Barbara. Miss Gordon makes me feel old." She said, waving him off with a chuckle. "Sorry to hear about work, but at least you're here now. It got a bit dull without conversations with you around here. I'm doing fine, just dealing with a bit of work on my own. Had to do a bit of research on something that proved to be a good challenge, so that's fun at least." She said, grinning as if she had just mentioned a joke that Michael didn't get. It was fine though, he was used to it. Barbara was smarter than Michael by miles, and if she knew something that he didn't, that was common. "But enough about me. What about you? Going through Stephen King again are we?" She continued, gesturing to the book in Michael's hand.
"What can I say? The Dark Tower is just a series I like to get back to every now and then. Say what you will about King, the series has some good high points throughout it all." Michael shot back, holding up the book in question. "Plus I haven't read this in forever, so I figured I'd reread it now to see if anything feels different." He continued, giving a shrug as he glanced back down at his reading.
"Hey, could you humor me? I got something I wanted to ask you." Barbara said, causing Michael to look up from his book, eyebrow raised as he kept looking. "You never check out books you know? All the times I've seen you in here, you just read a book you like, but never actually use your card. Why is that?" She asked him. Michael thought it over, before shrugging.
"Cause I know how my schedule is. I can't be trusted to return something if I don't know how my day's gonna turn out. So I don't wanna just have it stuck with late fees. And…" Michael let out a sheepish cough as he put his book down, rubbing his face. This next part was a bit embarrassing for him, but Barbara Gordan didn't seem to look like the kind of person to judge a person by their circumstances. "I don't exactly live in the nicest part of town. I'd rather not risk it getting stolen if I'm being honest. I don't even have a bookshelf so I'd rather just read books here where I can't miss them." He finally admitted, not looking her in the eyes for a moment. Once he did however, while he saw what he was dreading, which was pity (he never liked pity for the sole reason that it never amounted to anything), but there was also something else he couldn't identify. Whatever it was, Michael could see Barbara's eyes softening a bit, before they lit up with an idea.
"Ya know… I do have a lot of books that I can part with. If you want, I can stop by at some point and you can have a pick at them. My days are pretty open, and I can afford to drop them off whenever. Really, it wouldn't be a problem." She said, and Michael was not ashamed to admit that his eyes widened a bit. That was not what he was expecting, at all. He shook his head, thankful he wasn't taking a drink when she suggested it.
"Miss Gor- Uh I mean, Barbara. Look, that's really nice of you, I mean it. But I can't just ask you to stop by. I think I can manage. Really, it's okay." Michael said, waving off the offer. He wanted to say yes. He honestly did. But it felt like… Michael couldn't come up with the words. It just felt too good to be true.
"Hey, I'm serious. You know how many books I have at my place? Really, it's not the first time I've given a friend a gift. It's fine, I mean it." Barbara said, shaking her head. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a pen and piece of paper, scribbling down something. "I actually gotta get going right now, sorry. I only came in because I had some time to spare. But here. If you change your mind, call me! Name a genre and I'll see what I can come up with. Gotta go, take care Michael!" Barbara said, handing Michael a slip of paper, giving him a smile, and taking her leave.
"Uh… bye Barbara. Thanks for the talk." Michael said, blinking as he gave her a short wave. He couldn't help but look down at the slip of paper in his hands, her words still ringing in his head. She thought of him as a friend? Sure they had talked a lot in all the time they had spent here, but Michael was surprised to find out that she had thought of him as a friend. That honestly threw him off far more than Red Hood showing up for breakfast, or Batgirl getting him fresh soup to fight off a cold. He stared at the number in his hands before realizing that, maybe, just maybe, it'd be a good idea to put this in a safe place. Not taking a chance, he folded up the paper, putting it safely in his wallet. Maybe it was time for him to take a break from reading. Besides, he was getting hungry.
The rest of the day was a bit of a blur for Michael, but a blur in a good way. Lunch was a nice sandwich that filled him up more than he would care to admit, and after that he just spent the day roaming the city. It was nice, Michael could admit, to see Gotham in the daytime. However, he soon found himself heading back home, just as the sun was setting. All in all, today was a good day for Michael, exactly what he needed after being cooped up for so long. It was dark by the time he had gotten home, and Michael opened up the door to his apartment, pleasantly surprised to see that no one was waiting for him, either at the table, or that one odd time that Batgirl was sitting on his couch watching TV. It was odd, but he thought better than to question it. Michael was opening the door to his fridge, contemplating on what to make for dinner when a knock at the window caught his attention.
Black Bat stood there, giving Michael the smallest of waves as she waited outside his window. He grinned, the good mood that had been with him for the day still going on as he walked over, opening up the window to let the vigilante in, and closing it just as quickly. She gave him another wave, before signing off a word of warning. Michael blinked, chuckling as she signed on.
"So...Batgirl's gonna stop by later cause she heard that I can cook waffles? She really wants to try them?" Michael asked, surprise clear on his face. Black Bat gave him a small nod and hum, gesturing towards the couch nearby.
"You wanna sit down? Oh where are my manners, please you can. So how's it going so far?" Michael asked, pouring himself a small glass of water. Looking over, he could see Black Bat shrugging, before continuing on with her signing after taking a seat. It took a moment for him to catch up to it all, but he grinned. "Well, I'm glad that you're my first visit for the night. Always have been polite enough. Say, you wanna try waffles as well? I don't mind cooking you up some, I'm gonna be making a few for Batgirl when she swings on by anyway." Michael said, looking over at Black Bat. It was clear that she was thinking it over for a moment, before finally nodding.
"Please." It was a single word, but almost threw Michael for a loop as he heard it spoken. If he wasn't paying attention to her in the first place, he might have missed it, seeing as how softly she had spoken. He had never, (in the few days that she had stopped by at last) heard Black Bat speak, so to hear it now was something else. He could tell that she had a bit of an issue speaking, but he wasn't about to ask because one, it wasn't his business, and two, he was raised better.
"Alrighty! Fresh waffles coming up. You want one, or two? Chocolate chip, or just regular? Finally, milk or juice?" Michael asked quickly, looking over at Black Bat as she signed off what she would prefer to have. It was simple enough really, she wanted one regular waffle and a glass of apple juice, something that would be easy to make. Michael could appreciate simplicity at least. As he got to work, he was not ashamed to admit that he glanced over at Black Bat, curious as to what she was doing while waiting for food.
She didn't do much, if he was going to be totally honest. She glanced at him on occasion, giving the smallest hint of a smile, but the most she did was just kick her feet off ever so slightly, tilting her head back and forth in a rhythm. Michael finally realized she was probably thinking of a song. Which was something he didn't expect from her, but if that was how she killed time then that was neat. He quickly moved back over to not burn anything, and thankfully Michael hadn't been too distracted. Setting up the waffle, syrup and the glass of juice, Michael turned over to Black Bat.
"Alright, your order's up! Come on over… wow I sound like I'm running a diner now aren't I?" Michael couldn't help but ask, He chuckled a bit once Black Bat practically hopped out of her seat, turned around and nodded to Michael, walking over and taking a seat at his table. She gave him another nod before reaching down, grabbing a fork and taking a bite out of the treat before her. Taking a moment, Black Bat turned over to Michael, hummed and gave him a thumbs up. Michael let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding, grinning widely. "Thank god. I just thought that Red Hood was just hungry, so I was hoping they turned out okay. So, when is Batgirl supposed to-" Michael paused, having turned around and noticing that his window was open. He had closed it, for sure. Then a pair of hands went to his shoulders and he nearly dropped then and there. Instead he just hopped away from the hands on his shoulders, turning around to see Batgirl smiling broadly at him, standing on her tiptoes to reach him.
"Hello tall, brooding bakery friend! I couldn't help but overhear that you found a new recipe. So uh…" She paused, holding up one hand, the other reaching into the various pockets and pouches she had on her person. "As payment for this new treat, I'm willing to pay. I've gooot…two bucks, a stick of gum, a few band aids, and picture of Red Robin being dumb. What'll you have?" She asked, looking back up at Michael and flashing him another grin. All the while Black Bat was just enjoying her waffle, watching the two interact.
"Well I was already making you a batch cause Black Bat over here gave me a heads up." Michael admitted, gesturing towards Black Bat who waved at the very shocked and disappointed Batgirl. He turned around to ensure the batter was ready, which it was, and ignored the banter that was going on behind him as he began to prepare some more waffles.
"Traitor! I was gonna sneak up on him and try and bargain my way to this! You had to come in and ruin the surprise, didn't you?" Batgirl asked, and while Michael didn't see what was said, he could hear the response. "Oh you didn't come to give his heart a break, you just came to get your hands on the waffles first didn't you?" At that, Michael let out a sigh, turning around to face the two, doing his best to school his features upon the sight of Batgirl about to reach for the half finished waffle on Black Bat's plate, and Black Bat holding up a fork in defense. Michael blinked once. Then twice. Letting out a short sigh, he snapped his fingers.
"Hey, no fighting in my apartment please? I was gonna make the waffles, but now? Lemme see that picture of Red Robin. Might as well get some enjoyment out of this little surprise visit. Not that I don't enjoy you two here it's just that…'' Michael paused, realizing that he wasn't stressed out. Just a tad concerned for his table. His still new table, and new chairs. "Batgirl, just gimme the photo." He continued, holding out his hand. The Bat in question nodded, dramatically (and boy was it dramatic) moving away from the table and reaching into a pouch, digging into it a bit before putting a single photograph in Michael's hand. He glanced down at it, and couldn't help but snort.
Apparently Catwoman was actually on good terms with some of the Bats, if the picture in hand was any indication. Red Robin was running, actually scrambling would be more appropriate, as he held onto what seemed to be Catwoman's whip. Chasing him was a soaking wet Red Hood, and Batgirl was seen off to the side, hunched over, laughing and pointing at the duo. Michael couldn't help but look back up at Black Bat and Batgirl.
"So, who was the one taking the picture here?" Michael asked, and Black Bat raised her hand, taking a small sip of her juice. Shaking his head, Michael quickly pocketed the picture, patting it carefully. "Well that works better than I expected. You got any more of these or is this the only one? And how the hell has Red Hood not killed this guy yet?" He couldn't help but ask, causing Batgirl to snicker.
"Oh my height graced and lanky chef, he's got far too much patience. That and he usually blows off steam knocking a few people's teeth out. It's really cathartic if you know what you're doing. And trust me, there's more where that came from, but you gotta keep the goods going." She continued, and Michael couldn't help it. He laughed, making his way back over to his stove. He had chuckled, snorted, and snickered on occasion. But that got the first honest laugh out of Michael in a long time, and while it was short lived, it was something at the very least. Though Michael quickly recovered, and went back to preparing waffles.
He really shouldn't be this comfortable with vigilantes. Sure they were nice people, and sure they clearly weren't out to get him. He wasn't a criminal, so logically he shouldn't be scared of them. At the same time, while they were nice people, they were total strangers. He had never seen them without their masks, or heard anything but codenames. Some part of him was actually happy that he had people to talk to, but the larger part was just concerned that this was all an act. No one should reasonably be this concerned about a random kid. Cooking at least got his mind off of those somewhat traitorous thoughts, even if they lingered in the back of his mind still. That and keeping an eye on his guests helped out.
"Hey Batgirl, whadda want with these? Also, you want me to add chocolate chips to these?" He asked, glancing back to see Batgirl and Black Bat having a silent conversation. There was far too much signing for him to keep track of, and they went 'quiet' as soon as Michael turned around.
"Water please! I'm parched, and I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat these without anything quick and easy to drink. And duh, I'll take some with chocolate chips! Save me like one or two that are regular so I can compare them." Batgirl called out, giving Michael a thumbs up. He nodded, quickly moving back to the cooking. It was giving him focus, something good. And that was what mattered at the end. This was good, both for him and the Bats, even if Michael was still wary of them. They hadn't broken any kind of trust that was slowly, somehow, building up between them all. Michael had been short on people he could trust, but hopefully he could up that number.
AN: Soooo hello! Man it's been a while. I apologize for that, I know that I promised to keep up a regular update schedule, but college finals came out of nowhere with a steel chair and hurt me. But I'm here now and I'm back for more with this fic!
So, first things first, I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to read and review this story. I appreciate that! Secondly, to answer the idea of just where this is set in the infinite multiverse of DC, considering I haven't read up on comics in a hot second, I figured the best course of action would be to have this world based on the Wayne Family Adventures webtoon. Best thing I can figure out for the time being. In any case, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say. Take care!