dc universe characters but your their ex, and they want you back
could be hurt/comfort, maybe fluff. angst? idk, unsure about how to label this one chief
if you want to see any other characters in here, lmk via comment or send me an ask! [they are always open for requests n stuff, so feel free to send them] and i'll make sure to get them in here!
Also, big thanks to my beta readers: Lilac, Void, My bestie, and bat brat apollo! they helped make sure these didn't fall too out of character.
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ㅤㅤBruce...
...at first, didn't realize just how miserable he'd feel after you guys broke up. Well, after he broke up with you.
He thought that you being possibly tied in to his life as Batman would make things oh so dangerous, and that maybe you'd be better off without him. And that just maybe he'd be better off without you.
But boy was he wrong.
After day one, he missed your presence.
After day three, he started missing your touch. Hugs, kisses, cuddles, the works.
After one week he missed seeing you whenever he came back to Wayne manor after patrol or whenever he'd had a long day being out and about Gotham, whether as just his regular self or patrolling the streets, fighting crime as Batman.
By week two, not even focusing on patrolling could keep you off his thoughts. It didn't exactly help that he knew your schedule. Actually, not even just knew. He had it memorized.
So he'd find himself particularly drawn to patrolling the area around where you lived more often, sometimes even doubling back to the area. Sometimes even three times.
Of course, it took a full month [and seeing you going on your first date since the break-up] for him to take action. He'd started sending gifts at first. Small things that you liked, whether it be books or lots and lots of flowers.
Then the gifts just got more and more expensive, more grandeur. After all, he is a billionaire, so it wouldn't hurt his bank account. Plus, it was a gift for you. So why wouldn't he?
If you still didn't take him back then, he starts sending you texts. Just cute little things such as "i miss you" and whatnot.
And then the in-person confessions, gift giving, and what-not started after. He'd drop by [after making sure no one was around to see at least three times] your apartment while he was in his full Batman getup, bringing you some smaller, easier to hide away things like bracelets and necklaces.
And during the day, he'd be where ever he'd knew you'd be. Whether it was your apartment, your job, anywhere, he'd personally come deliver you yet another gift.
Takeout from your favorite place? He's brought it to you for lunch.
He saw you post about something [whether it be a stuffed animal, jewelry, etc] on social media because it's cool or cute? It's been hand delivered to you by him.
"I saw you talking about how much you wanted these, so I got them for you. Why..? Because I miss you."
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ㅤㅤTim...
...was devastated when you broke up with him. He didn't realize that all this work being a vigilante that made him miss out on oh so many dates had taken as big of a toll on your relationship as it did.
And by the time he'd realized, the cracks had already formed, and you'd broken up with him. You wanted a partner who could meet you half-way, even if he was a little busy at times.
But that didn't stop him from immediately trying to win you back. Gifts? You've got it. Whether they were bought or handmade, it didn't really matter. He'd get you something.
Not to mention the texts, phone calls, voicemails, everything. He's going the full nine yards to show you just how sorry he is, and just how badly he wants you back.
"I know I've said I was sorry so many times, but I really am! I promise I'll do everything in my power to be there for our date nights, so please take me back.."
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ㅤㅤDick...
...definitely wasn't expecting for you to break up with him. Sure, he's been in plenty of relationships before, but he'd never expected you to get the courage to tell him you wanted to break up.
He didn't even realize he missed you as much as he did until one night while patrolling, a month or two after your break-up, he saw you walking along the streets of Gotham.
And damn were you still as pretty as the first time he saw you. In fact, scratch that, as pretty as the last time he saw you. Which was when you broke up with him.
So from then on, when Gotham is just a little less quiet and he can afford to do a little slacking off, he walks with you. You had this weird routine of walking for an hour at night, anyway.
At first he made small-talk. Asked you how your day was, why you were taking a walk [he already knew why. he just wanted to hear that pretty voice of yours more!], how you'd been since the break-up, if you were seeing anyone [this was extremely important and he'd express why after a bit of prompting], as one does.
Then it ramps up to him telling you how much he missed you, how pretty and attractive you were still, the works. He then ramps up to just blatant flirting, maybe even making sure he was touching you in some way, like an arm around your shoulder. Or maybe even subtly holding your hand under the premise of him wanting to show you something that you didn't know the way to.
And after that, if you still didn't miss him enough to take him back? He's just obvious. Asking you on dates, showing up to your home with gifts, everything. He'll go the whole nine yards for you, just so you'll take him back.
"Aww, c'mon! Just one date, sweetheart. Please? I promise that if you don't want me back after just one date I won't bother you again."
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ㅤㅤJason...
...definitely didn't want to admit he wanted you back until it's been nearly six months since you broke up, and words going around that your starting to date again.
This pisses him off, for reasons he wasn't sure about.
So before you know it, he's popping up just about everywhere. Getting him to admit he missed you and regretted the breakup is no easy feat, and you'll likely not ever get him to admit it out loud.
I can't really see Jason making any grand or large gestures, just small little ones that maybe have some sort of sentimental value.
He'd probably drop by your home every now and then. If he's hurt in some way, you bet your ass he's right there on your fire escape, knocking on your window to let him in.
Even if it's just something so incredibly minor he could take care of himself, he's using it as an excuse to see you again.
While he's not totally experienced with being overly romantic, he's got his moments of being just a little bit sappy.
"Why go through the hard work and trouble of finding someone else if I'm right here?"
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ㅤㅤBabs...
...wasn't expecting to miss you after you two broke things off. She figured she'd be fine on her own, but she was quickly proven wrong.
I can see her giving gifts, but she'd be more-so trying to spend as much time as she could with you. Texts, both early morning and late night phone calls, voicemails about how much she regrets breaking up, and probably more.
Lot's of "I miss you" and "I still like/love you" texts, maybe some "Can we please get back together?" texts mixed as well.
She'll make how much she misses you known.
"Please come back, I miss our little movie date nights."
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ㅤㅤStephanie...
...is just like Jason in a way, when it comes to realizing she misses having you around.
But she does come to terms with the fact that she misses you. She'll be a little hesitant to admit it in words, but she'll make it known in small gestures.
The breakup was definitely amicable, so you two are kind of just awkwardly still friends. But any time you two hangout, it borderlines being a date.
Movies? Only if it's something that will remind you of stuff you two liked to watch together when you were dating.
Going for a walk? She'll make sure you two just so happen to pass by a spot you guys went to for your first date.
She'll even still pretend to "accidentally" call you by the nicknames she had for you whilst you were dating.
But if even that doesn't work, she'll just start making you two "hangout" at places you've gone to for dates before.
"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit since the last time we were here, huh? Brings back memories."
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ㅤㅤCassandra...
...of course, isn't really sure what to do when she notices she's missing you. You were probably one of her first relationships, which just only adds onto her confusion of what to do.
She'd probably go seek Babs and Stephanie out for advice, asking them what they think she should do. Just what she should do.
After getting advice from the two, she thinks it over for a little bit before she starts anything. She probably also tries to feel you out to check if you feel the same way she does.
And if you do, or if she finds out your unsure, she starts giving you small gifts. And I mean small. Just mostly little trinkets and knickknacks that she finds while out and about.
Buttons? Pins? Small figurines, no bigger than the palm of your hand? She's getting them for you.
Of course, this is to help her just get a little confidence before she drops the question about getting back together.
And when she does drop the question, she tries to make it sound like she's being genuine. She probably brought another small little gift, maybe one of your favorite snacks.
"I know you said you liked these when we were together, right? I know you may think I wasn't really.. paying attention, but most of the time, but I promise I was. And I'm sorry I didn't do that great of a job of showing you that I cared about you. Please take me back?"
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ㅤㅤKate Kane..
...is both similar to Stephanie and Jason. While she'll think she's better off without you, there's almost a constant reminder of you somewhere in her world.
And it just draws her back to you.
It's very much a push and pull sort of thing with her, as some days she's fully willing to admit just how much she misses you and wants you back, while others she'd never admit to even a word of it.
She'll also bring you sentimental gifts sometimes. Mostly just leaves them somewhere she knows only you will find them with a little note attached.
Though the contents of the little notes will greatly vary from "I miss you", "I know you like these so I got them for you", to just her name sometimes.
Saw these and thought of you. -K
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ㅤㅤDinah Lance...
...is most definitely bold and maybe even a little bit flirty. When she realized that she definitely wasn't ready to move on from you quite yet, she put all her effort into wooing you back.
She'd probably try to play off the fact you two are suddenly running into each other at things you like, it's really just so she can see you again. Making you unintentionally [but kind of purposefully] think of her again whenever you thought about the things you like.
After a bit of this, though, she just downright starts asking you out to dates. If she knows certain places hold sentimental value because they were your favorite date spots with her, she'll ask you on a date to there again.
"Oh? Didn't know you were coming here today. Maybe it's a sign you should just let me take you on a date today."
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ㅤㅤHelena Bertinelli...
...wasn't usually the type to dwell on her exes. But you? You were all that was on her mind after the breakup.
While she spends many a night deleting text after text, trying to come up with the right set of sentences to tell you just how much she misses you and wants you back, she does eventually send something.
And from there she just gets a little bolder.
Lingering touches, like her hand grazing against yours if you are handing her something. Staring at you for just a few seconds longer than needed, all that stuff.
It does take her a bit of time to get the confidence to just straight up asking you out on another date, though when she does, she's already got it all planned out.
"Do you still like that one restaurant we went to for our anniversary? .... Why? Oh, well, I wanted to make sure I didn't need to cancel the reservation I made."
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ㅤㅤDiana
...didn't have thoughts of missing you. At first.
She did start thinking of you again when you two were assigned on a mission together. And all it did was really get you stuck in her head.
The way you looked, whether it was the way you fight or just generally how you look in your vigilante costume? It just kept replaying in her head over and over again.
So now anytime your out and about doing your own thing, under your vigilante guise? She's found an excuse to be joining you.
Whether that excuse is "you looked like you needed help", or "my patrols been pretty quiet, so I thought I'd join you", she's always got some excuse you can't argue back about.
Eventually she starts dropping hints about wanting to get back together with you. But whether she's good at dropping these hints or not is entirely up to how oblivious you could be.
Eventually she just tires out of dropping hints and just makes you look at her when she just drops the question. Think of the classic "grabbing your chin and turning your head to look at them" kind of deal.
"How about we go out this Sunday, hmm? ... Yes, on a date. What, did you think I was going to ask you to patrol with me or something?"
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ㅤㅤDamian...
...most definitely is stubborn when it comes to your break-up. He doesn't even want to entertain the thought that the reason he might be so grouchy whenever he sees you talking to someone else, or hears about how you may be crushing on someone else, is because he misses you. And is jealous, of course.
Even the sheer mention of your name around him, whether it be from his older brothers [mainly Dick because he is most certainly the teasing older brother type], he get's all grouchy and almost pouty.
He does try to help you out around school, though. He may act all mean and cold towards you, he'll act like he's "reluctantly" helping you out.
"you can't be trusted to carry this stuff," he'll try and say as he takes that stack of chairs, books, whatever it is in your hands away to do it himself. His hidden little agenda is that he's hoping you'll miss him because of him helping you out.
His "compliments" aren't always easily understood as such, though. "You didn't do terrible, for once" he might say as he hands you your graded test.
In order for him to get the courage to ask you out again, though, will definitely take some coaxing. [And maybe some teasing from Dick, too]
But when he does, it's a 50/50 chance of him saying it in a sweet way, or in his usual cold and almost brat-like demeanor.
"If I take you out on a date, will that get you to shut up for at least five minutes?"
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f!reader x helena bertinelli where the reader is someone the birds are trying to catch and they get close to catching her but can't because she has her own little group of people who want revenge on the people who hurt them so the readers group kidnaps the birds and explains they are only hurting people who hurt them and like let them go then the reader and helena get together after they have a heated fuck maybe. i'm sorry that was a complete mess but i think you could write this beautifully
Helena Bertinelli x Batfam! Reader
✭so so SO sorry for making you wait so long for this request! I took my time to make it perfect and I really like the concept. It would make a good series!!! I made a couple of tiny changes and I hope that's okay
✭masterlist | requests are closed | allusions to smut but nothing graphic | fem reader
Harleen Quinzel stared at the invitation printed on thick tuxedo paper, the bold, white print declaring solemnly the date and place of Joker’s funeral.
All of her friends, Renée, Cassie, Dinah, and Helena, we’re gathered around the sofa, where Harley sat engulfed in a feathered frenzy of pink boas.
“You…okay?” Cass asked slowly, pulling her tootsie pop out of her mouth. Her chapped lips were blue and she was tearing the skin off nervously as she waited for Harley’s reaction.
It was a surprise for everyone when Harley sighed and tore the invitation in half. She tossed it on the floor and threw her head back. “I need a jolly rancher margarita,” she groaned as she rubbed her eyes.
The other women flooded around her, ready to support her in her hour of need.
“It’ll be okay,” Helena said awkwardly, patting Harley’s shoulder in an attempt to be comforting.
“No, it won’t be,” Harley said in a squeaky voice. “He’s dead and I…I never…”
“Told him you loved him?” Dinah said solemnly, laying a hand over Harley's voice as she dabbed the corners of her star blue eyes with her feathery scarf.
Harley cringed away and scoffed. "I wanted to be the one to kill him!" Harley cried out as she wept drunken tears. This was in part due to that it was Cass's twenty first birthday. Although, there wasn't much of a reason to get drinks when it came to Harley.
"He was a right old bastard and I'd be a liar if I said I was sad to see him gone," Harley cried, her accent growing thicker as she spoke so sadly. She shuddered and shook, sobbing intensely. The other ladies glanced to each other, everyone just as uncertain as the other.
Helena wondered, Is she really upset because that?
To be honest, Helena secretly felt that Harley had never fallen out of love with the elusive Joker. He was always the guy Helena would have been happy to kill but just never did and part of that was because she worried what it would do to the friendship she had with Harley.
"What a shock," Cass gleamed as she fished the invitation from Harley's pale fingers. "Bruce won't be happy."
"Bruce is never happy," Renée voiced as she slinked across the sofa, using her toes to slip her boots off. She laid on her stomach, stretching out like a cat.
"Bruce says killing is wrong," Cass said again.
"Bruce, Bruce, Bruce," Harley suddenly snapped. "That's all you ever talk about these days."
Cass, despite herself, was rather elated to be under Bruce Wayne’s trade. He needed a new bird to train and Cass met the qualifications. Her connection with the elusive Birds of Prey made crime fighting in Gotham rather easy. But despite that, Harley was sick of hearing the rich man’s name. She has had a grudge against Batman ever since he knicked her precious car, a vintage Oldsmobile Starfire painted pastel pink and remodeled to have a functional air conditioning unit and large cup holders.
It was Harley’s baby. It was just as important as Helena’s motorcycle.
Cass recoiled and held up her hands defensively. “Sor-REE!” She exclaimed as she threw herself away from Harley.
Harley wiped her eyes. “It’s just so heartbreaking to know he didn’t suffer the way I wanted him to,” she wept. “I wanted to do everything in the book. I had a speech.”
Dinah took the invitation from Cassie’s hand. She flipped it around to inspect either side. “It’s probably best not to go,” she said with a shrug. She squinted to find any fine print on the thick card, but found none.
Harley’s small face scrunched angrily. “Oh, I’m going,” Harley bellowed as she sat straight. “‘M gonna destroy that mother fucker’s last party. His resting place will be a wreck by the time I’m done with it.”
Helena quietly thought to her self that Harley Quinn would be likely to get herself into tons of trouble if it weren’t for her friends. She sighed and raised a hand to speak. When it was her turn, she spoke. “Think about it,” Helena said smoothly. “Why would you be invited! Everyone knows that you hated him before his death. They’re looking for the murderer. You’ve got to be careful. This is a trap.”
Dinah nodded in agreement. Her hair was in a natural cloud of gorgeous curls. She pulled on one of this springs as she thought. “The funeral is more of a test. If you go you’ll be bombarded. They’ll probably think you did it.”
Harley scoffed. She put a hand on her chest. “Why would they think something like that?” She demanded, looking genuinely concerned for her reputation.
“You just said that you wanted to be the one to kill him,” Helena pointed out.
Renée snored from her spot on the sofa.
Everyone glanced at her before resuming the conversation.
Harley flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I would personally like to meet the famed killer,” she said flatly. “Maybe sort out some serious shit.” She cracked her knuckles and to Helena’s disbelief, it was intimidating.
Cass was monumentally good at ignoring her godmother’s rage. She stretched her arms and legs out, resembling some fort of prowling feline who was perching up in a tree, waiting for prey to pounce on. “Wellll, we’re probably going to have to go anyways.”
“What makes you say that?” Dinah asked.
Cass held up one finger, wagging it back and forth. “Batman’s been keeping tabs on Joker for a long time. He was really weird about keeping everyone alive. He’ll want to know who killed Joker, and why.”
“‘And why’?” Helena echoed. “He was a horrible person. That’s ‘why.’”
Cass shrugged. “He don’t care!” She exclaimed in a hilariously bad southern American accent. “I bet it was Jason.”
“Who is Jason?” Dinah asked as she started rubbing her temples.
“Oh, he’s so hot, oh, my god,” Cass moaned. She sighed with content before moving on, waving a hand for continuity. “Anyway, he used to be a Robin but then Joker killed him.”
The silence in the room was deafening, even Renée’s head picked up and she stared at Cass with bloodshot eyes.
“Well, don’t worry, he’s alive now!” Cass said as if it would change anything.
Dinah shook her head. “The funeral’s off the table,” she said decidedly.
Cass snatched the invitation back. “Why’s that?”
“Yeah, why’s that!” Harley echoed, crossing her arms and pouting dramatically. Dinah looked much like a mother as she explained that it could be dangerous.
“What if we all went?” Helena suggested.
It must have been a bad idea because Dinah glared at her usually silent friend.
“Yeah, everyone’s afraid of her!” Harley said happily as she pointed to her tall, Italian friend.
Helena shrugged. “Not everyone,” she mumbled, but no one heard it.
“When we go, and we get ambushed, you can all say that I was right,” Dinah said as she smacked her thighs. She used her toes to grab a soft blanket before she curled up on the recliner, covering herself in the soft fleece.
Helena shook her head as she watched the rest of her friends settle in for the night. Harley used her feather scarves as a pillow. Cass settled her head on Harley’s butt, sleeping as soundly as she always did when she was with her guardian. Helena watched this fondly. In many ways, Harley was everything to Cass: mother, guardian, sister, friend, mentor. It looked nice to have someone so willing to trust you. Helena said her good nights.
And she went to bed, alone.
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Dinah Lance slammed into the door of Harley’s bullet ridden car.
Harley followed soon after, fingers scrambling and aching as she struggled to reload her P30. “Okay,” she said, her voice remarkably calm. “So you were right,” she said, even laughing a little bit.
Dinah was shocked that Harley could just laugh at such a time as this.
"You think?" Helena snapped as she pulled back a bow. The release was dainty compared to the release on a gun. It was easier for Helena to use her crossbow, allowing her to move thrice as fast as someone like Harley.
Although, Harley was above average when it came to ricocheting bullets like candy on Halloween night.
"I just wanna know who the FUCK killed Joker!" Harley screamed, right on cue. She stood and quickly aimed over the roof of her now bullet ridden Baby (Which Helena is going to get repaired with her own money, she already knows) and sent a shower of sparkling bullets across the way.
"HE WAS MINE!" Harley screamed again.
"Didn't he break up with you?" a man's voice called out after a moment of peace.
"HE WAS MINE TO KILL," Harley screamed for clarification.
"Ohhh."
Harley shot the man on sight. "He was askin' for it," she sniped when Helena gave her a dirty look. Helena forfeit.
"They're not going to let us out of here alive," Dinah called out from her stance. "I hate to sound cynical, but we're out numbered."
"Hold on," Cassie exclaimed over the gunfire as she crawled into the back of Harley's car, making her guardian cry out in anger. "Get outta there before you get killed!" Harley shrieked as she took Cass by the ankles and tugged her out.
Cass had taken hold of her red and black Jansport backpack. She threw it on the ground and started to dig through it, breathing hard. "Bruce gave me just one, he said it was for emergencies only. This feels like an emergency, right?"
The women all looked at each other for confirmation. "Yeah, alright," Dinah shrugged. "Emergency sounds fine, I guess."
"Not really the most urgent emergency," Helena admitted. "But by all means, use it!"
Cassie revealed a hand grenade, making Helena bite her knuckles to keep calm.
"Aw, fuck. Tell me you know how to use that," Renee swore from her position wrapped around a rifle that was jammed. She tried her best to fix it but eventually tossed it to the side, making it misfire and shoot a hole in the tire of Baby. The tire deflated and Harley wept obnoxiously loud as the car started to lose height.
"Why does God hate me?" Harley shouted to the sky.
Cass gestured for everyone to get down.
The Birds of Prey huddled together near the trunk of Baby, Dinah comforting Harley as Cass pulled the pin and tossed the grenade. Helena was shocked at Cassie's throw. She couldn't have done it better.
The ladies pulled Cassie into the huddle and tended as they waited for the explosion.
Helena even flinched as the blast sent rubble flying and pinging against the car.
There was silence following the incident, leaving the Birds to glance cautiously at each other before scrambling for a weapon and standing up. The group fell into the site of the mini war zone, looking around for any survivors that posed a threat. Most were unconscious, maybe even dead. Harley stomped over the wreckage, her Chanel boots crunching on the rubble as she stormed towards a man moving sluggishly. She pulled him up, her biceps bulging beneath her sleeves. "Who killed Joker, eh?" She demanded, her accent thicker with rage. "He was mine to kill."
"It was a whole group of them," the man gasped, trying to pry Harley's hands off him.
Helena watched cautiously, aware of the fact that Harley was truly angry and truly had a hard hatred against Joker and anyone that worked for him.
"This is the part where you elaborate," Dinah said in a grim voice. The man looked particularly frightened at the sight of armed women towering over him, especially while in the unyielding hold of Harley Quinn.
"There were other ladies, like you," he said, visibly sweating as he tried to wiggle away. "One had, like, this really bright hot pink hair. The other kept her face hidden. But there were more. There was a whole group of them, like you guys. That's all I know."
"Why'd they kill him?" Harley demanded, shaking him violently. Her blue eyes were filled with rage, and Helena knelt down to touch her friend's shoulder, a silent reminder that she was okay and she should take it easy.
"They said it was gift for a friend," the man stuttered. "Some guy who had beef with the Joker. These girls were getting revenge for a friend, that's all I know."
"How'd they do it?" Harley asked.
"M-Magic," he swore. Harley growled and the man started to tear up. "I swear! The girl with the pink hair had magic, and the girl with the mask just was...she was unstoppable. She was agile and strong and she had all sorts of tricks of her sleeves. She was like Batman."
Cass gasped, covering her mouth with her palm. "Holy cow," she said. "I know who killed him."
"Who?" her friends demanded.
Harley dropped the man and kicked him gently in the ribs, telling him to run away like the 'little piggy he was'. Boy, Helena had never seen anyone take off so quickly before.
Little patches of flames were still rippling across the site of the battle as Harley walked towards Baby. She leaned dramatically over the hood, hugging her car and whispering her goodbyes.
"So, who killed him?" Helena asked Cass again.
Cass was digging through her backpack, trying to find her cellphone. "I have to call her."
"Call who?!"
Cass took a deep breath. "Okay. It was way before my time with Bruce, but he had four apprentices at once. Dick Grayson,"
"Nightwing," Helena knew.
"Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, and Y/n L/n."
"Jason Todd," Dinah repeated. "You said Joker killed him."
"He did. Jason and Y/n were best friends. Joined to the hip. When Jason became Robin, Barbara Gordon got...well, she got fucked up. Guess who was responsible. Joker found her apartment and shot her in the back. Paralyzed her."
Everyone looked at Harley, whose face was pale with horror. Helena could recognize the guilt on Harley's face. I could have done something, Harley's features cried.
"After that, Joker killed Jason. And the whole group fell apart. They were like a family. But Y/n was mad. She thought it was inexcusable of Batman to let Joker live after everything he had done. It caused a massive fight, and eventually Y/n left. Y/n wasn't even a Robin. She was a Batgirl, like Barbara was, and like I am. Barbara says she was lethal and always pulled her punches for Bruce's sake...
"It broke Bruce's heart, I think. He would never say it but...there are still framed pictures of Y/n around the house. She's like a ghost. But no matter how much Bruce loves her, he won't compromise his morals and beliefs. He wouldn't do that for anyone."
Helena was dumbfounded. A man would do that? Would let such a criminal live after hurting his apprentices, who he supposedly considers to be his own children?
No wonder this Y/n person left. Helena would have done the same. Y/n took the matter into her own hands, doing for her best friend what a father should have done for his son.
Harley was fuming. "I want to find this chick and I want to-"
"Harley, no!" Cass cried.
"You don't even know what I was gonna say," Harley snapped. "I want to thank her, and I want to hear every detail about that douche's death. And I also...I wanna apologize. To her, to that Jason fella, and to Betsy."
"Barbara," Helena corrected.
"Fine yes, 'Barbara'," Harley said. She dug around for her phone. "It's a good thing I got Triple A," she muttered as she scrolled through the cracked Samsung. She dialed the number. "Yeah, sure, I'll hold," she said to the operator. "I'm on hold," she alerted her friends.
"I'm not sure if taking Harley to see these girls is a good idea," Dinah admitted. Reneé leaned against Baby, whose tire was now completely empty and resembled a puddle. "Harley doesn't seem very stable right now," she added. Her voice was low so that Harley didn't hear, not as she was giving the Triple A hotline her information.
"I think Harley just wants closure," Helena admitted. "Whether or not that relates to her stability? I cannot say. But everyone deserves closure. I got mine, with Viktor. She should get hers."
The women glanced at each other, hesitant, before Dinah nodded to Cass. "Make the call."
Cass licked her chapped lips and flashed a thumbs up. "I'm on it."
With two of the Birds making important calls, Helena Bertinelli sat down in the bullet ridden back seat of Baby.
"Babs, hey. It's CC. You Gucci to talk?"
Helena wondered what that meant.
"Don't tell Bruce, like, at all, but I think I figured out who killed Joker. It was--oh. Uh huh. Uh huh. Interesting. Well, okay. Harley sort of wants to meet her, and the magic lady, too. Could that he arranged orrr...uh huh. Yeah. Gotcha. Totally. Yeah raspberries are fine. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thanks!"
Cass ended the call and tucked her phone into her pocket. "We'll Barbara already guessed it was Y/n. She already got in touch. Y/n and her pink, magic friend are going to meet up at a secure location in Bludhaven. It's about fourty five minutes away, but if Harley really wants her closure, then that's where we gotta go."
Dinah made a face. "Yuck. Bludhaven? There's not another place, like Jump or something?"
"Sorry, but secure location beggars can't be choosers," Cass informed. She dug around her bag for a tootsie pop. She threw the wrapper in the car and shrugged. "It's demolished, now, anyways," she said before sticking the candy in her mouth.
Harley Quinn fluttered back over, seeking impossibly calm. "They got a guy comin out. It'll be 30 minutes at most."
"Harley...we found Y/n."
Harley's blue eyes widened with glee. "That's great. Can I meet her?"
"Yeah, we're going to meet up in Bludhaven. There's a secure location there."
"Define secure location," Helena finally said. "Because you keep saying it over and over."
Cass sighed. Her candy rattled against her tongue as she spoke. "It's Nightwing's girlfriend's apartment," she finally admitted. "Hey, Kori is being a real friend for letting us borrow her place," Cass added when the Birds hesitated to agree with the location.
Harley was tearing off her cuticles with impossible focus. She stared at her thumb as she tore away the skin, humming softly. "I just want this over with," she said. Her voice was strained. Helena realized, with shock, that Harley was crying.
Dinah, Reneé, Cass, and Helena gathered close. Harley rested her forehead on Reneé's shoulder. She finally allowed herself to cry.
"He was a horrible man," she bemoaned. "And maybe I was a horrible lady. I let him do it. I didn't do nothin to stop it."
"Don't blame yourself," Reneé said firmly. "He woulda found a way to do it all, anyways. Besides, it's all in the past. The bastard's dead. You gotta move on with your life. Don't let old guilt weigh you down."
Harley sniffled but nodded. "You're right."
She wiped her eyes, smearing sparkling green eyeshadow around. "It'll be alright," she said decidedly. "I guess now all we gotta do is see this Y/n chick. I want to hear every detail of Joker's suffering," she muttered to herself, cracking the knuckles of both pinkies.
Helena couldn't fathom how Harley was feeling.
Over the days that the Birds spent waiting for their meet up, Helena Bertinelli spent her time recalling all of her past. She laid in her bed one night, fiddling with her baby brother's toy car. If they had survived--if any of them--what would life be like now?
She wouldn't have any of her friends. She would probably be in an arranged marriage with a man, because the familial elders would have expected Helena to procreate and carry on the Bertinelli line.
And as bad as that particular thought seemed, Helena wondered how bad it actually could have been; because she'd still have her family.
She would have her baby brother. Her mama's shoulder to cry on. Her father's warm hands to wipe away her anxious tears. Her cousins and aunts and uncles, even the ones she never really knew. She'd at least have them.
Harley Quinn was similar to Helena Bertinelli in the sense that they both had no one. No one, real, anyway. Dinah had family, Reneé had family. Cass was content with living with Harley and training with Bruce Wayne; she had her friends and her life. Harley seemed to have no one, like Helena.
There was a knock at the door the following morning. "Up and ad'um," Harley announced.
Helena groaned.
Being friends with Harley was hard especially during times like this, when she was surprisingly motherly and made everyone wake up early. Although what Helena considered early was considered by the rest of society to be the normal time to wake up.
Indeed, Helena's cracked iPhone screen read 9:07 in the morning. Most establishments were open. Establishments like coffee houses, which Helena was in desperate need to visit. Cassie made coffee every morning, and every morning Helena commented it tasted like jailhouse coffee made in a toilet.
Helena tugged on a pair of black, high waisted pants and a navy blue sweater.
She kicked her door open and shuffled down the hallway, ignoring Harley's house pets, Bruce and Wayne, the two hyenas, as they followed her around and jumped on her legs, asking for attention.
Helena sat on the couch and allowed the animals to settle in her lap. She bet Wayne behind the ears as Bruce curled up on her lap, sniffing the blue sweater.
"Drink coffee here because we're not stopping," Harley said as she crossed the living room, clearly in the middle of getting dressed.
"Who made the coffee?" Helena asked.
"Cassie."
"I'll pass."
"Fuck you, you spaghetti noodle," Cassandra swore from her position in the kitchen. She was busy piling her mug of coffee with cream and sugar.
"Spaghetti noodle?" Helena asked. "You could do better."
"Okay, then teach me something in Italian. How do you call someone a balding cock sucker in Italian?"
Helena couldn't help but laugh. "Start a little easier, like with puttana."
"Whas that mean?" Cass asked. She slurped her coffee loudly.
"Bitch."
Harley walked in, finally ready to leave. She bore a sparkling blue pair of knee high boots, a black mini skirt, and her favorite leather jacket.
"Hey, Harley. Puttana!"
Harley gasped. "Fottiti! Eh?! Coglione," Harley yelled right back. "I'm wearing shorts under the skirt," she added, pulling up the flap of her mini skirt and revealing athletic shorts and a gun. "Maybe you're the puttana."
Cass paled. "Have you been teaching her Italian, too?" She demanded Helena.
"She doesn't have ta!" Harley snickered. "Maybe I just already know it."
"Your Italian has the Bertinelli seal of approval," Helena said with a smile. "As does your temper."
Cass was shaken up by her encounter with her guardian and she simply skipped away to the arm chair. She whistled and Bruce went skipping over, too, eager to sit beside her.
"We're meeting these other chicks at Cassie's friend's girlfriend's apartment. So Helena, I'm telling you right now to be nice." Harley sounded stern and completely serious. Helena took it a bit too personally.
"What, am I mean or something?" She asked. "I can be nice."
"Meh," Cass said. Bruce laughed wickedly as if to agree.
Helena gave Bruce a dirt look. "Bacha ma culo," she muttered to the animal.
Because Harley's car was unsalvagable, the ladies had to wait for Dinah to pick them up with Reneé. Hopefully they'd bring breakfast. Knowing Reneé she was already smoking her third cigarette and eating directly out of a Dunkin Donuts box.
When Dinah did arrive, the three ladies kissed Bruce and Wayne goodbye and left. Helena, Cass, and Harley all carried some form of weapon, three or more at least.
Harley whimpered when she saw Dinah's car out front. Like Harley's had been, Dinah's was vintage, but a different make and model. Helena figured any good looking car reminded Harley of what she had lost.
The girls piled into the car, and Reneé passed Helena a warm coffee and a Dunkin Donuts box. Helena greedily took a bite from a Boston Creme, making Harley cackle. "Helena, you look like you just ate pussy," she cackled again, much like a fourteen year old boy.
"Yeah, sure," Cass said as she reached for an apple fritter. "Helena doesn't get chicks."
Helena paused. "I could get chicks," she argued after debating for a moment too long.
"Yeah, but you don't. You don't even go out," Cassie added before taking a large bite out of her fritter.
"Where's all the sugar raised?" Harley asked as she grabbed the box. She ate a single sprinkle.
"Dinah had both of them," Reneé said as she lit a cigarette.
Harley made a sound like a feral cat as Dinah hit the gas.
The car eventually floated onto the interstate, taking the first exit on the left towards Bludhaven.
Helena was still thinking about what Cass said. She could get chicks. She could if she tried. And really, what was Helena doing if not trying? Not having "a chick" didn't mean she could get one. It more meant that she was choosing not to have one.
Helena groaned at her own logic.
Dinah pulled into the lot of the apartment complex By now the sun was shining overhead, though not quite at its peak in the sky.
Cass immediately knew where to go, leading her friends up the stairs to the apartment where the infamous Y/n and Jinx were waiting.
An extremely tall woman answered the door. Her eyes were vivid green and she had hair like fire. Helena felt dizzy looking at her, for her beauty was so striking and unearthly.
The woman smiled at Cass. "Come in," she said softly. She had a strange way of speaking, Helena noticed.
"Is she an alien?" Harley asked Helena, in a whisper that wasn't exactly quiet. Helena rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"
"Yes," the woman answered with an airy chuckle. "I am, actually, what you would refer to as an alien. Though from where I am, it seems you are all the aliens."
Harley started to profusely apologize.
The woman looked frantic, and started to apologize for upsetting Harley.
Helena couldn't believe what she was watching.
"Kori? It's been two minutes and you made the guests cry," a man said as he rounded the corner. He was also tall with dark hair, and he neared his girlfriend. He must be Nightwing, who Helena had worked with before but never seen his bare face.
"Huntress!" Nightwing quickly recognized. Helana felt pretty good at the recognition, especially when he extended a fist for a fist bump. Helena gladly accepted.
"It's nice to meet you again. Or see you. You know what I mean," Helena muttered.
Kori was about a head taller than her lover, but it didn't seem to bother Nightwing.
Cass made herself at home quickly, kicking off her shoes and curling on the couch with what looked like a giant larva. Helena stared at the strange looking creature. It did move and it did seem to enjoy Cassie's petting. Kori rushed over and scooped the creature up like it was a little puppy.
"This is Silky!" She said happily, showing off her pet. Helena and Dinah seemed to be the only ones that realized it was a weird, almost slimy looking creature that was very clearly not from earth.
Reneé was shockingly okay with petting Silky on the head. Harley cooed at the creature and pet it beneath its chin. "I've never seen such a large silk worm," she said with awe.
Helena was shocked.
"What? I took a couple biology classes during under grad. I wanted to be a marine biologist at first."
That's fair, Helena supposed. Harley was a thousand times smarter than anyone gave her credit for.
Harley seemed to realize that all of her attention was on Silky. She pulled back and looked around. "Where's Y/n?" She asked.
The room fell completely silent. Kori smiled endearingly at Nightwing before heading off to the kitchen, mentioning something about a mincemeat pie. Helena cringed. Mincemeat pie? Definitely an alien.
"Dick?" Cass asked as Kori placed Silky back in her lap. Nightwing responded to the term and Helena infered that Dick must be his actual name.
"Is Bruce angry?"
Dick's face softened at Cassie's concern. "He'll get over it," he reassured her, taking a seat beside her. "Jason and Y/n will be here soon."
"Wait, they're not bringing Jinx?"
"They're not bringing anyone," Dick sighed. "Y/n has a whole group of friends, Jinx included. But she figured this was going to be better handled alone. After all, she and Jason premeditated that attack on their own."
"On their own?" Dinah repeated. "The guy we interrogated said Joker was killed with magic. We assumed it was a group effort."
Dick smiled sheepishly. "Jason and Y/n ordered the attack. They were prepared to carry it out all on their own, but Jinx and the others offered to help. They all seemed to have a grudge against Joker as well. But Y/n is pretty dead set on taking all the blame. She's scared Bruce will come after her friends."
"Do you think he would do that?" Cassie asked in a low voice.
Dick hesitated. "I couldn't say for certain."
The grievous silence that settled over everyone was interrupted when Reneé asked permission to smoke in the apartment porch. Dick nodded and smiled. "By all means," he allowed, gesturing to the sliding glass door.
Helena took a cautionary seat beside Harley, who looked slightly nauseated.
"What's wrong?" Dinah asked her friend.
Harley looked a little bit green in the face. "I'm just scared," she admitted. "Scared to meet Jason. And Y/n."
"Don't be," Dick reassured Harley. "They're nice, for the most part."
"That's not it," Harley said bitterly. "If I were Jason? I would want to kill me. I let Joker do all of that. He paralyzed your friend, right? He killed Jason, too, right?"
Dick looked uncomfortable at the mention of such events. "I didn't realize we were making family affairs public," he muttered to Cass. Cass shrugged. "You make it sound like we're the Royal family. "It'll be fine," she added when Dick continued to look uncomfortable.
The knock on the door startled Helena. Three stern raps on the door, just like when Helena was 13.
Helena stared at the door with momentary fear coasting through her blood.
"It's just them," Dick said. He must have noticed the tension on Helena's face, but he didn't realize just how terrified those three raps on the door actually made her.
Dick strode to the door and opened it, greeting his good friends with a hushed voice.
"Hey, Jay. Y/n."
Helena could hear them hugging and touching, greeting the way close family would during a holiday visit.
Helena stood and watched from the corner.
Jason Todd was and Y/n L/n were strikingly gorgeous.
Jason wasn't as tall as Dick, but he was broad and muscular, with hair black like charcoal and streaked with white, like wisps of winter.
Y/n wasn't quite as intimidating. Not at first. But the more Helena looked at her, the more she could see the hidden dangers that Y/n posed to anyone that might oppose her. Chunky platform boots that were too thick to be stylish, likely housing some sort of last resort weapon in the leather pockets. A leather jacket, raspberry colored, outlined with discreet handguns.
Jason was more outright, with his weapons strapped to his tactical belt, but Y/n? She was definitely the lion in sheep's clothing.
Her hair had streaks of hot pink going through its natural h/c, the tones of h/c like natural highlights. Y/n hugged Dick like a brother, her arms wrapping around him tightly.
The three once-apprentices of Batman huddled in the foyer. They were discussing something very quietly, and Helena caught Y/n's e/c eyes flickering over the figures that lingered in Dick and Kori's apartment. She assessed Harley, Dinah, and Helena most of all, likely seeing the same thing Helena saw when she looked at Y/n; hidden danger. Helena had her weapons packed the same way Y/n did.
Jason muttered something: whisper whisper whisper, Harley Queen, whisper whisper.
Y/n muttered something back. whisper whisper 'Quinn' whisper whisper Arkham Psych Ward.
Helena then heard a very distinct, "Be Nice" from Dick. "Kori will be very upset if you trash the place. She just redecorated."
Dick gestured for his friends to come forward, into the living room area, where Renee had decided to rejoin the group.
Kori hovered by the kitchen entry, clutching a steaming pot of mincemeat with her bare hands. Must be an alien thing.
"Jason and Y/n are here! I made the mincemeat pie," Kori said proudly.
"Looks great, Star," Y/n said. "Unfortunately I already ate-"
"I also have a frozen pizza in the oven," Kori snickered.
"I could probably eat again soon, however," Y/n corrected herself.
Kori set the pie down on the coffee table and looked around, eager to be a hostess.
Y/n and Jason took their seats, looking around at the new guests before them. "So you must be Harley Quinn," Jason said, folding his arms over his chest. He was abnormally attractive, Helena realized, much like Y/n was. It was likely they were dating, she then realized, and she felt an immediate sense of disappointment for no reason.
"That's me," Harley said carefully, not looking like her usual self at all.
"You wanted us to come. Why? Revenge or something?" Jason snarked.
Y/n didn't do anything to calm Jason. She rather sat there, tapping her boot patiently against the floor.
"I wanted to meet whoever killed Joker," Harley said. "And I wanted to, uhm, apologize?"
"You sure?" Y/n pressed, honing in on the first weakness Harley displayed. Harley grew frustrated. Helena could see that Harley wanted to lash out and stay something snarky or sarcastic; but her guilt was overruling her mind.
"Joker was a horrible person," she said. "He didn't love me. He used me. He hurt me...ignored me when he was tired of me. He'd leave for weeks on end without saying goodbye, then reappear like nothin happened. And I was too scared and alone to stand up to him."
Jason didn't seem convinced, but Y/n definitely had a visible change of heart. "I heard what you did for Cass," Y/n said. "That you adopted her. Why let her train with Bruce?"
Harley ground her teeth. "I don't really like Bats, but it's a good opportunity for her. Better than what I can offer her."
You have a side glance to Jason who just sighed heavily. "You have nothing to apologize for," he gave in. "My one concern, though? Rethink the whole Cass-Robin situation." Jason used a scarred hand to gesture a mess.
"I'm not a Robin," Cass interjected.
"Not yet?" Y/n asked.
"Not ever. I'm going to be the new Batgirl."
Y/n shot up to your feet and glowered at Dick. "Interesting how you left that part out," she said loudly. "You're going to let him get another kid killed? Or worse?"
"Calm down, friend," Kori said in a soothing voice. "I'm involved, now. Dick learned his lesson. We all did, and Bruce did, too. Nothing is going to happen to her."
"Well that's great. One more kid to keep an eye on, huh? What about Timmy? Or Carrie? Or what about poor Stephanie's mother? I'm not trying to go to another bat-kid's funeral," Y/n shouted.
Helena stared in awe. "Who's Stephanie?" She asked at the same time Cass did.
"Oh, you don't know?" Jason laughed. "Just a Robin that also died. Not by Joker's hand," he said when Harley looked like she would puke. "Not that it matters. The people that cross our paths aren't taken care of. Not by Bruce. Cassandra, Cass, whatever your name is. Don't expect anything from Bruce. He'll give you a place to crash and fun toys to play with, but he won't ever have your back."
Cass remained silent as Dick tried to calm Jason down. "I'm always with her," Dick said, being obviously careful as he chose his tone of voice.
Helena looked intensely towards Y/n, whose face was stoic. "It's Miss Cane's choice," Y/n said very softly. For the first time, Y/n looked at Helena, their eyes meeting. Lighting zipped down Helena's spine.
"I ultimately have nothing to do with whatever he does anymore," she added. "Only advice I have to give is to learn what you can, then leave. It's not that he doesn't care about you, or the others he takes on. He does. But nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever make him change his ways."
Cass nodded, looking like a wounded dog, nodded quietly. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered, her voice hoarse. Harley rubbed Cassie's back, looking like a mother. Helena was always stunned by Harley's capacity to be whatever Cass needed; younger, as a thirteen year old, Harley was a lot like a fun older sister. Now that Cass is grown, Harley's started acting like a mother, teaching Cass how to manage finances and other such things.
"How did you kill him?" Harley asked, changing the subject.
Y/n looked puzzle. "Joker?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, my friend subdued him and I...well I beat the shit out of him. He kept laughing, and it made me so angry. So I snapped and killed him. My friend helped with her magic, but ultimately, it was me."
Harley nodded, her shoulders relieving themselves of the tension they've held all morning.
"I guess I was expecting something bigger."
"Bigger then that?" Jason laughed.
"Well, we heard that Joker died from magic," Renee said from her spot on the couch. "That sounded way cooler then what Batserella did."
Y/n glared.
"Magic was sort of involved," she said through gritted teeth. "I couldn't have done it without her. Joker's will power was unique. He was a lot stronger then I realized."
"Ooh, let's meet the magic friend," Dinah said.
"No," Y/n said flatly. "She's staying in hiding. I don't need Jinx getting tracked down for what I did. I solicited the attack, she just wanted to help. She had her fair share of revenge."
Harley shook her head as she looked into absolutely nothing. "I should have killed him way earlier," she muttered.
"Yeah," Jason said. "Probably. No point in worrying about it anymore. We just gotta keep the body hidden."
Helena stared. "Why?" she asked.
"Lazarus pit," Y/n answered for her friend. "The key to immortality, some would say. It brings people from the dead. From the brink of death, grants powers, and all that. We don't need a Joker resurrection."
Jason took to his feet. Jason took to his feet, brushing off whatever dander he saw on his pants. "Star, you mind if I use your bathroom?"
"Not at all," Kori said kindly. Jason must have been over many times because he knew the way there.
"I live here, too," Dick sighed, making Kori laugh.
"I'll go check on that pizza," Kori said before fluttering back to the kitchen, her fiery hair swaying just below her thighs. Helena touched her own, short black hair and grimaced.
"Why do you call her 'Star'?'" Harley asked. "And why isn't she using oven mitts?"
The pot of mincemeat pie was still very warm to the touch.
"She's not from earth," Y/n responded as she stretches her legs out. "She's from a planet called Tamaran. She naturally has this ability to..." Y/n scratched her chin as she struggled to word it properly. "I guess she can just naturally produce weird, radioactive energy. Like, the fumes and matter found in stars. Extreme heat just doesn't seem to really bother her. I've seen her go into burning buildings to save people, something a regular person, like you or me, couldn't do. So sometimes we call her Starfire."
Harley's eyes watered as she thought of her own Starfire.
"So, she's like Superman?" Dinah asked. Dinah didn't seem to care as much for Harley's old car as Harley clearly did, because she was cursing God again.
"Uh, no. As far as I'm concerned, Cl-Superman thrives off of the energy of the sun. Kori can just withstand it. Big difference. Ask Kori, she'd love to talk about it."
Kori came back in with a steaming pan of cheesy pizza, and a side dish of what appeared to be yellow mustard.
"Thanks a million," Y/n said happily as her friend took a seat beside her. Kori cut herself a slice. She dipped her food into the dish of yellow mustard, taking a large bite.
Weird, Helena thought. It was almost insulting to the nature of food.
Y/n, Dick, and Jason all seemed used to Kori's mannerisms. No one minded her strange tastes in food or the weird lilt in her voice.
"So that's it?" Harley asked when Jason entered the room again and snagged a slice of pizza. "No one's mad at me?!"
Y/n paused mid chew. "Of course not."
Jason shrugged. "I don't give a fuck."
"Like, I came here expecting to be pummeled bu you folks, but you're so fricking nice. You've got an alien pet and Digornio pizzas. And no one cares about me at all!"
Y/n looked confused at Harley's outburst. Kori was quick to be at Harley's side. "We care about you!" Kori said soothingly. "Dick spoke very highly of you. He helped you and Helena Bertinelli just a couple weeks ago, and said that you were very considerate and kind to the mafia you caught laundering drugs into Gotham elementary schools.
Harley smiled sadly at Kori. "You just sayin' that to make me feel better or did ya boyfriend really tell you that?"
The redhead nodded happily. "He told me!" She assured. "Your friends even came with you to help confront Y/n and Jason," Kori added. "On my planet, we would conclude this hangout session with a shared reading of the Friendship and Graditude Verses."
Harley's eyes glistened with joyous tears.
"The who-there-and-a-what-now?" Reneé said as she dug through her pocket for another cigarette.
"Oh!" Kori said happily, clasping her hands at her breast. "It's a beautiful poem. Just around six thousand verses."
Dinah choked but covered it up with a cough.
Kori laughed sheepishly. "Not many people enjoy to hear it. But that's alright."The group very quietly began to disintegrate, people heading off to do their own thing.
Helena didn't like watching everyone interact with each other; she felt like an outsider looking in on an intimate moment between family. The bond these four people had; Kori, Dick, Jason, and Y/n, it reminded her too strongly of family. A family she didn't really have.
The Birds weren't real. They had their own lives. They were just fine with letting Helena be apart of the group, but she wasn't really close with any of them. Dinah and Harley were pretty close, always going to the cinema with each other. And of course Harley was like Cassie's mother-sister-guardian. And Reneé? Reneé was, admittedly, not super active with them all, but she cares. It was proven by the fact Reneé remembers everyone's birthdayc and always gets the perfect gift.
But Helena doesn't exactly contribute to the family. The group.
Helena stepped outside to the porch where Reneé had been smoking earlier. She looked down at the ground below, littered with dead leaves and pine needles.
The door slid open behind her and she saw that Y/n had followed her out.
"Hey," she said coolly, leaning against the banister beside Helena. "You're the Crossbow Killer, aren't you?"
Helena frowned. She typically would have yelled but she couldn't seem to muster the courage to yell at you. "I actually prefer Huntress," Helena said bitterly.
"Hey, my bad," you said, holding up your arms in a yielding stance. "Everyone called me Batgirl before. I tried to relabel myself as Batwoman, but being that I was fourteen years old and a B cup, no one took that seriously."
Helena actually laughed, despite the current flow of social anxiety.
"I heard how you helped take out Roman Sionis," Y/n added. "He really had his claws in Jinx for a while. I bet she would have wanted to meet you, had she known you'd even be here."
"So magic is real?" Helena asked.
Y/n smiled. "Yep. Sorry, I thought you knew. It must be shocking."
"How much more shocking can it get when aliens have been proved to exist?" Helena asked with a long sigh.
"You sound so sad over it," Y/n poked. Helena wasn't sure why Y/n even cared. She also wasn't sure why she was bothering to answe Y/n's questions.
"I don't know..." Helena mumbled.
Y/n looked at Helena thoughtfully. "You should come train with me and Jay some time."
"Jay?"
"Jason," Y/n clarified.
"Oh, your boyfriend."
Y/n's face contorted. "Hell no," she guffawed. "Jason and I? Good lord. No. Even if I was straight, Jason and I wouldn't work. He's my best friend."
"Oh..."
"I can set you two up, if that's what you're thinking," Y/n suggested. "But I gotta say, he's sort of a downer."
Helena shook her head. "No, not at all. You and I are in the same boat. I'm not-I mean like-"
"Hey."
"Yeah?" Helena gasped.
"Chill." Y/n laughed as she brushed some hair from Helena's face. Helena was stunned by the forward course of flirtation.
The moment of course ended before Helena could properly appreciate it.
Jason pulled the glass door open and looked at Y/n. "We gotta go if we want to make it to Karen's potluck," Jason informed.
Y/n huffed. "Tell Bumblebitch to quit inviting us to parties at the last minute." She looked sheepishly at Helena. "Sorry. Karen's a friend. I kind of have to leave. Jason and I should probably pick up a cookie cake of some sort to bring."
Helena nodded. "Have fun. I guess."
Y/n winked. "I'll see you around, Huntress. Perhaps I'll check in on Cass sometime soon."
Goodbyes were bid. Harley latched onto Jason, giving him a tight hug and weeping, apologizing, and overall swearing her fealty.
Jason, uncomfortable, pat Harley's head. "Please let me go," Jason said quietly.
"You smell like jasmine," Harley wept.
Jason pushed Harley off. "You're crazy. I'm not mad at you."
"Are you sure?" Harley pressed.
"Yes!" Jason exclaimed. "I'm absolutely sure! Stop fucking crying."
Harley wiped her eyes with the inside of her wrist before nodding. "Okay, okay. Will you text me?"
Jason dragged Y/n to the foyer. "Bye," Y/n managed to say before Jason tugged her over the threshold.
"He'll text me," Harley assured herself after the door shut.
Dinah pat Harley on the shoulder. "He most definitely won't."
Dick shrugged. "Don't take it personally."
Harley sighed. "It doesn't feel like I've accomplished anything," she admitted. Helena was sad to see her friend so forlorn. Harley always felt that she needed to accomplish things. Helena realized this when she found Harley's to do list taped to the refrigerator door. It changed everyday, always earning new tasks.
"Guilt is an ongoing feeling," Kori said softly. "It fluctuates, it comes and goes. But one day you will realize that you are able to bear it, or even look past it. Besides, making amends is the first step in bettering yourself."
Dick kissed Kori on the cheek. "So wise," he praises.
"You can all stay for lunch, if you want," Kori said gleefully. "After all, no one touched the pie."
One by one, eyes flickered to the untouched mincemeat pie on the coffee table. And just like that, the Birds all found a reason to leave.
"We should see them more often," Cass said with a pleasant smile on her face.
Helena thought of Y/n.
"Yeah," she said. "We should."
The Birds collectively looked at Helena, shocked. "Is Helena Bertinelli consenting to social interaction?" Dinah snorted.
"It's cos she wants to see that chick again," Reneé snickered.
Cass jumped over the car door, and landed clumsily in the back seat of Dinah's car.
"Y/n and Helena would be so cute together!" She cried as she dug around her pocket for a blue tootsy pop.
Helena grimaced as she entered the vehicle. "Let's just go home."
Harley made kissing noises in Helena's ear.
Helena hardly cared. She just wanted to go home.
If Y/n and Jason, Dick and Kori could make a family, then Helena could make a family too.
Maybe she already had one.
"Hey, guys?" Helena spoke up.
The ladies grunted and 'hmm'd in response.
"I, uh. I love you. All."
"We love you too, Hel," Dinah said from the front seat.
It was so casual. Dinah had just tossed the words out like they meant nothing. But to Helena, they were as precious as gold.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
That evening, Cass burst into the bathroom. Helena shouted profanities as she covered herself with a towel. "Y/n just texted me asking for your number," Cass said as another tootsy pop rattled against her teeth.
"Okay, and?!" Helena shouted.
"Well, can I give it to her?" Cass asked, somewhat obnoxiously.
"Yes, you can, now get the fuck out of here."
Cass have Helena a dirty look. "Hurry and rub clits with Y/n," she advised. "Maybe then you'll be in a better mood."
Cassandra screamed when Helena raised a fist, preparing to strike her. Cass sprinted out, and Helena shut the door after her.
Helena reflected on her mood. She had to admit, a decent sex life would probably keep her profanity and rage well maintained.
Perhaps Y/n violently killing Joker was the best thing to happen. For several people. For Harley, for Jason, and for Helena. Clit included.
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