Don't wake me up.

[hexyoutotuesday]

Who: kingofrooks and hexyoutotuesday
When: ON A HOLIDAY. AT SIX IN THE MORNING. Batman made Friday 13th suck.
Where: The slums.
Summary: Jinx and Batman have a deal. This deal involves him training her. Hilarity ensues.
Warnings: Language, bad humor, caffeine, Jinx, Batman...

Comments

[kingofrooks]

He really should sleep more. Or sleep at all, really.

But there wasn't much time for that, especially now that Bruce Wayne had started work. Then again, that was a good thing, because the startup funds he had gotten from the companies had ran out a long time ago, distributed to the people in the slums who needed the cash more than he did. He had jobs; he could always make more.

There was a reason why he asked Jinx to meet him here. Firstly, it was frankly the place that he frequented most, out of the entire island. It wasn't a nice place, with the Darkness-proofing often failing constantly and far too many murderers and rapists and drug addicts and drug pushers. But that was the kind of place that needed Batman.

The people here were starting to whisper. His costume and the Darkness had them saying that it was a monster, or the Darkness itself fighting back. Crime and the drug trade had slowed a little lately, but Bruce knew that eventually it would pick back up again. It was an endless cycle, and he could slow it, not stop it.

But he would do what he can anyway.

He wanted to see how she reacted to something like this. She had been here for some time, hadn't she? That, and that fact that this place, here in the slums, no one was going to notice them.

(That was not in the order of importance, and the train of thought derailed somewhere. He needed more sleep. Never mind-)

She was easy enough to spot from the distance, and Bruce shot a grapple to a roof nearby, flipping himself upwards, then somersaulting in the air before he landed in front of her. And he took a long moment to take in her body, easily spotting the wounds- the way she was holding herself gingerly, favouring her left side. The brace was easy enough to spot. Why on eartb-

"I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're injured."

[hexyoutotuesday]

Maybe this came from years of hard training, all that time fighting Robin and the Titans, or just from having a teleporting Trickster as a boyfriend, but she didn't even flinch when there was suddenly a man in full costume standing in front of her. Okay, so there were other factors contributing to her cool, careless stance. They involved grogginess and her obnoxious sixth sense. So she had expected something was coming at her, and if that jerk actually tried to attack her, he was getting a cup of hot coffee poured on his crotch.

Before she answered him, she took a long moment to look him over. In her opinion, they had become pretty casual talking to each other over the phone. That was an easy enough transition. But now that the Batman was standing in front of her in all his glory, she was momentarily stunned. The look was concealed under her overly large sunglasses. Unabashedly, she started from the top of his cowled head and looked him all the way down to his feet, then back up again. There was a part of her that missed masks. This almost made her homesick. Almost.

Her violet lips finally smirked and she shrugged. "I know you're not, B. You're going to go easy on me because I'm tired and agitated enough to make your appendix burst if you rub me the wrong way." She chuckled. "Then again, my definition of easy isn't the same as most girls."

Still leaning against the wall like a lazy cat, she lifted her arm holding the other cup and offered it to the large man. "Got you a present. If you taste almonds, there's a fourteen-year-old blond kid you can blame." Her clawed fingertips drummed on her own cup as she waited for him to take the coffee.

[kingofrooks]

B.

now that was a familiar nickname. Bruce ducked his head to hide the duelling emotions that threatened to break through his impassivity. There was a mixture of happiness and anger and relief and it was just a single letter, really. It's probably nothing that she would know about, alternate universes or otherwise. Just something she drew out of the top of her head.

But it just reminded him of home. A subject he didn't want to think about. It was the name Clark used for him, and it was- a sort of silent understanding between them. That when Clark used 'B', he wasn't talking to Batman or Brucie Wayne. He was just talking to Bruce, his friend- and he hadn't been 'just Bruce' for a long, long time. Between Hurt and Darkseid and everything else... He hadn't seen much of the Justice League either.

And now he wouldn't ever again. Even if he wasn't at the Port, he was dead. And- he needed to stop thinking about things he couldn't change. Concentrate.

He tipped his head back eventually and looked at her, taking the coffee and just wafting it under his nose a little, out of habit. It was good coffee- and he took a sip. Caffeine usually wasn't his drug of choice - it caused dependence, and he hated that - and he smirked a little.

"Roxas, right?" he lifted an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I won't break anything. Or cause anything to break again."

[hexyoutotuesday]

Compared to some people, Jinx wasn't all that perceptive. Then again, some people included an archangel with an eidetic memory. So maybe she couldn't remember exactly what the big bang smelled like, but she could definitely see that something she just said or did somehow affected the Batman. Carefully, she watched him, mentally reciting what she just said. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and she was sure he wasn't that attached to his appendix.

The nickname didn't even occur to her. Things like that just slipped out of her mouth. Trauma was called by the first letter of him name, Claudio by the last three, Gabriel got the first syllable chopped off his, and some people just got girl names. Awkwardly, she shifted on her heels. When he finally took the coffee from her, she flexed her hand and arm. There was something almost funny about watching him drink coffee. But there was something funny about hanging out with him in general. God, her life was surreal.

At the comment about her Roxy, she nodded. She was about to add something before he went off about breaking things. The girl groaned and rolled her head back against the wall. "Okay, for the record? This whole getting my butt kicked thing is totally new. A few guys with guns and me without my powers? See, I could handle that. Seven guys with guns and one crazy dickwad with a sword? The things I do for that man."

She pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and rubbed her temples. Six in the freaking morning was not a good time for a migraine. It was like having a hangover without all the fun the night before. When she opened her abnormally large eyes to look up at him, her slit pupils quickly contracted to the morning light. An eye roll overcame her before she swung back a good amount of her coffee. Nearly half her face was still painted with a fading bruise and there were bags under her eyes (maybe from sleep deprivation or from old eyeliner; probably both.)

"Now. Where, exactly, are we going to do our thing? I gave up street brawling about the same time I stopped wiping the floor with your spiky haired protege."

[kingofrooks]

He knew, of course, about Gabriel's capture and the break-in. It was just in little bits and pieces here and there, and only someone really dedicated to information gathering could gather all of them to fit them into a piece of a puzzle. The good thing was- Bruce had always been that kind of a person. "Knowledge is power", especially in an alien place, dealing with people he didn't know, and without the Oracle to do it for him.

Maybe six in the morning without sleep for a couple of days was a bad time. He kept reminiscing on things he couldn't change tonight; on people that he knew he would probably never see again. Of course, the Core could bring them, but Gotham and his world needed them far more than he did. He always did fine on his own; after all, he had done just that before he had met any of them.

Concentrate, Bruce.

"As I recall," he said, smirking at her over the coffee cup, "his team always managed to defeat you in the end. So I'm suspicious about your claims of 'wiping your floor' with Robin."

He stood up, draining the coffee. The caffeine was starting to kick in- but better yet, he actually stopped thinking about that and concentrating on this. She needed to stop Lucifer, right? Hand-to-hand combat experience was a must- but brawling with Satan just led to ruin. It didn't work; it would never work.

Which meant finding weapons that could actually defeat him, and keeping them always with her. Be prepared, right? He might call Clark a boy scout, but within the League, he was the one-

Stop that.

Nothing of what he was thinking showed on his face, but he was looking at her for a long moment. "You need weapons," he said, conveniently ignoring her question because here would do as well as any. "There's no way that you can win against his abilities with just pure martial skill alone. Not even I would be able to." A thin smile.

"How good is your throwing arm?"

[hexyoutotuesday]

"You weren't there. You don't know me."

Stupid Batman and his stupid knowing smirk. It was usually five against three, which wasn't fair at all. There was also this magical property in Jump city where the bad guys were never allowed to gain a victory. It was a big reason why she joined the winning team, among other things. Other things being the Justice League. If she was ever going to step up her game, she would have to catch their attention, and she really wasn't looking forward to a Kryptonian punch to the jaw. Starfire was bad enough.

None of that really mattered anymore, though. Not like she was ever going back home. Siren's Port was her home now, but there were times she enjoyed reliving the glory days. More like the glory days made her palms itch whenever she passed jewelry stores or banks. There was a big reason why she steered clear of the museums. Museums were always her favorite.

"Please. I don't need weapons. I need to brush up on my martial arts, get better at evasion, and you can't teach me the rest." She shrugged and pulled herself away from the wall. "As for my throwing arm, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting? Because red and green are so not my colors."

She couldn't make this easy, could she?

[kingofrooks]

Of course not. He finished the coffee and placed it at his feet, quiet and calm even as he crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall. Watching her.

He knew her abilities, of course - a few of it, what he'd remembered from back home (which was very little, because all he knew was a name and that she fought the Teen Titans, and she had elemental powers) and what he'd seen discussed on the network. On things he could hack. And he knew what she was capable of- and she was right. She needed practice at evasion and martial arts.

"Pink clashes with those," he said dryly.

"I asked because your dealings with him are at the greatest advantage at long distance. You need a good throwing up to throw holy water at him from a distance." That was a guess. It was difficult to find how to harm an angel, or a demon, on the network - though that was probably a good thing, given that Gabriel's safety depended on it. But at the same time, it made coming up with plans more difficult. He could always ask, of course - but what was the point to knowing something when someone knew that you knew?

The element of surprise was gone. And many a times it was exactly what he needed.

"You need to be able to run faster and, yes, to evade better. The martial arts are useless against him, but I'll teach you some to improve your reaction time."

He cocked his head to the side. "You'll also have to learn how to think and make up a good plan on the fly."

[hexyoutotuesday]

At least he knew fashion. She gave him a momentary smirk, but it soon faded. Really, she needed to be taking this more seriously, but she just didn't want to. Taking it seriously meant that it was actually happening. There was a pretty good chance Lucifer would just flick his wrist and she'd be a splatter on the wall. Then what? Jinx had little to no faith that she'd come back happy and healthy to the Port. Even if she managed to get resurrected, she'd come back to a warzone. She knew Gabriel, probably better than anyone, and she knew he'd do everything in his power to tear his brother apart. They would bring the apocalypse to the Port. She was Helen of Troy. The skinny gothic version.

As he spoke, she rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, nodding occasionally. There was a lot he was getting wrong. The more time she spent dealing with the Bat, the more she began to realize that he was just a guy in a mask. They all were, really. After Madame Rouge, she tried not to idol worship too much. Even the Joker disappointed her after he nearly got the theater shut down. Now this. Right. Worshiping false idols. She got it already, Dad-in-law. She was about to correct him gently before he emphasized the word good.

"Excuse me?" The girl whipped around, put a hand on her hip, and if she wasn't holding her coffee, he would have gotten z-snapped at. "My training is from the HIVE. I am a leader of the HIVE back home." Was. By default. "I am great at planning on the fly. Criminal mastermind. But one mistake. I made one because I'm not a fighter anymore, I'm a dancer." Oh, but she missed fighting. It was why she kept sneaking off to the fight club. "It won't happen again."

In a small fit of anger, she threw her coffee on the ground. There wasn't much left in it anyway. The paper cup just sort of hit the pavement and fell over pathetically, black liquid leaking out the mouth. Growling like an large cat, she kicked the cup. Seeing how it continued to be paper, it didn't go very far. So, finally, she just snapped the fingers on her good hand and the damn thing combusted. Issues? No, no. Jinx has subscriptions.

After a deep breath, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Anyway. Holy water isn't going to do crap to Lucifer. He's not your traditional embodiment of evil. The guy's got Grace. He's an archangel."

[kingofrooks]

He watched the display, definitely amused. It was like a child's tantrum, and for a moment he wondered if Damian- stop thinking about that. He kept thinking about things back home, and he wondered if it was because she was one of the closest thing he had to someone who looks like they are his universe who doesn't want to kill him. Raven wasn't- he knew that the moment she mentioned about Wilson. And there was Wilson and the Joker and Kirk Langstrom and Black Mask - all of whom wanted to kill him.

Shaking his head slightly, he focused more on what she was saying about the angels. And he hated that he really didn't know a lot about that world; hated the thought of actually needing to ask simply because he felt as if he wasn't doing his job well enough if he had to.

"You'll have to tell me what 'Grace' is in order for that to make any sense," that was entirely wry. "And you know what can take out archangels.

"Tell me. Or else I won't be able to think of the best way for you to go ahead him in particular."

[hexyoutotuesday]

Jinx would argue to her deathbed that it wasn't a temper tantrum, she was just putting the cup in its place. Otherwise, they might have a rebellion on their hands. It was simple logic. Children threw tantrums, and clearly she was an adult. Well, more like a kid with way too much responsibility on her plate, but there was no way she would admit that. Now was she going to tell the Batman what he wanted to know.

"No. Our deal was that you train me in hand-to-hand combat, not make up my battle plans for me. I don't need your help in that area, and I refuse to tell you how to kill my family. Subject closed." Obviously agitated, she examined her claws for a second or two. Little things that kept her from telling people like Batman to go jump off a cliff. It wasn't anything personal, she was just overprotective.

"Grace," she began without looking at him, "is pure creation. It's the power that God granted his children. It has the ability to turn these streets into gold or tear you apart molecule by molecule. Lucifer will be able to read my emotions, teleport, and rip my head off my neck like he's picking a dandelion. Gabriel's helping me with my magic and your job is to whip me back into shape."

[kingofrooks]

"Then I really don't know how useful that would be," Bruce's voice was flat, eyes narrowing behnd the white lenses. He meant those words - when fighting gods and beings far more powerful than you are, aimed at their weaknesses and their flaws, and take them down that way. Bruce defeated Darkseid twice simply through strategic maneuvring and stubbornness- in those moments, how well he could throw a punch had no consequences.

He knew enough. "I can train you. I can make sure that you can outrun any Olympics level athlete - but I cannot help you run away from Lucifer."

A breath, and he lidded his eyes slightly, crossing his arms. "For that, you need battle plans. I'm not wasting my time training you for skills that won't save you when you need to be saved."

[hexyoutotuesday]

He was seriously pissing her off. It had been a while since Jinx was in training, a long while, and once upon a time she was able to take orders without question. She used to be obedient. Sometimes she didn't know if she was just more patient back then or it was the brainwashing. But right now? She was about ready to hex the Batman in his cowled face and get on with her life without him.

There was a major flaw in that plan, though. Several. Hexing him in the face probably was the worst idea. Also, she'd be out of a trainer. In this city, there weren't a whole lot of people who could challenge a girl like her in hand-to-hand. Let alone teach her something new. The only people she could think of off the top of her head were company affiliated or Red X. Neither of those options were things she could stomach. And hey, she had asked for training from the Bat. Robin wasn't crazy disciplined naturally.

The small female stood there quietly for a moment, weighing out her options. She scuffed her foot against the ground and chewed at her bottom lip, eyes blank with thought. Finally, she made a decision. She came directly in front of the masked man and put her hands on her hips. Even in her tall shoes, she was still so small compared to him. Yet she looked up at him with so much determination that she might as well have been on his level.

"Gabriel means more to me than my own life. I don't give a rat's ass if you think that's pathetic, but if I ever lost him? I wouldn't stop until the blood of every guilty party painted my skin. I have no reason to trust you other than your reputation. So I want your word. If I tell you how to kill them, you will never repeat it. If you let a single syllable slip to anyone for any reason, your death will not be quick nor painless."

Every word was sharp, precise, and calm. Definitely bred a villain, this one. Codependent, too. Something was definitely cracked in her little head. She didn't have a single qualm about throwing away her life to avenge the guy she called an idiot. Neither would he. It gave her enough strength to threaten the Dark Knight.

"Have I made myself clear?"

[kingofrooks]

That outburst told him two things: firstly, the easiest way to get to Jinx was through Gabriel, and most likely vice verse. Second, that the bond between them was strong enough that taking the 'easiest' way was in fact unwise, because they fought much better together, and they feed each other's strengths. Their personalities and strengths acted as mirrors for each other - he didn't think that Jinx would have the courage or want to confront him like this unless Gabriel was involved.

It reminded him of a lot of things. Dick and Barbara, when they were still together. Barry and Iris, when the former still lived. Oliver and Dinah, when Queen wasn't being an idiot. And of course, Clark and Lois. In his own words: the world's finest team. Each of the couples fed off each other's strengths, and even though one was markedly more powerful than the other, or more skilled- their connection still held.

He ducked his head down a little, and hid a smile. Good. This way, there was more reason for both of them to stay safe. Even if it made them both more volatile, it increased their chances of living.

"Crystal," he smirked a little as he tipped his head up. Then, he very deliberately reached up, dug his thumb under the edge of his cowl and pulled it up and away from his face.

Blue eyes stared at Jinx, narrowed but not hostile, cold but there was the undercurrent of humour. Of humanity. He showed himself as Bruce, not just Batman when he said- "I give you my word."

[hexyoutotuesday]

Jinx's family was her Kryptonite. She would lie, cheat, throw herself into certain death, and even kill for them. Without Gabriel, she would have taken one look at Lucifer and avoided him like the plague. Sure, she flirted with danger all the time, usually literally, but Satan? He wasn't out of her league, they were playing two different sports. But Prince of Darkness or no, he was the one who put a sword through her boyfriend back home. Killed his own brother. Hurt what was hers. Now he was in the Port, talking big and trying to tell her she was meaningless. That the love between brothers was so strong that Jinx's entire relationship was meaningless.

There was no way she was going to take that. Not to mention, Jinx was fighting for the entire human race here. A race she didn't even feel like she belonged to. It was her job to show that Daddy's favorite creations weren't a useless pile of dying maggots. All on her shoulders. Great.

So it made threatening Batman much less intimidating. It made this training much more important, because she was not going to run into something blind again. When he unmasked himself, made eye contact, and sealed the deal with her, she had a good feeling that he wouldn't violate that trust. Also, this was probably one of the coolest moments of her life. If this wasn't such a serious matter - and if she didn't feel an overwhelming guilt churning her stomach for spilling this information when she told Gabriel she wouldn't - she probably would have jumped up and down gleefully. Talk about one in a billion chances.

But she managed to stay calm. Her arms dropped from her hips and she lowered her chin. After a deep breath, she quietly told him, "There are only two ways to kill an angel." She held up a finger. "One. Myrrh. Holy oil. If you manage to trap one in a burning ring, they can't cross it without dying. Two." A second finger went up and she bit her bottom lip. There was a pause before she continued. "Gabriel's sword. I plan on...appropriating it before I fight Lucifer." Uneasily, she shifted. This was so not okay to her. Two cups of coffee were now threatening to come back up.

[kingofrooks]

Holy oil and trapping one in a burning ring. Bruce needed more information than that to fully proceed, but he was already starting to have a few ideas. Of course, Gabriel's sword would be useful, but it seemed like she didn't want to do such a thing, and besides, it might worsen matters between Lucifer and Gabriel. So that had to be shoved to the backburner- concentrate on the myrrh. Holy oil. It couldn't be just the raw gum resin from the dhidin species of trees - there must be something special about it to be able to touch angels. For them to be blessed? By who? An angel? God Himself? A priest?

Ask Jinx later, if she knew. But if it was assumed that a steady stockpile of myrrh could be found... then there was definitely possibilities. They would need her to prepare beforehand, but he didn't think that she would object to that. Myrrh, myrrh- if it was oil, or some sort of gum resin, then it would burn, and it would not evaporate. Good.

Bruce pushed himself off the wall and started to pace. Back, forth, back forth. First things first-

"Don't bother with stealing the sword. It should only be your last resort," he lifted his eyes, smirked a little.

"I'm going to train you for two things: speed, and psychic shields." He paused. "Especially the shields, because if you're going to plan anything, you will have to make sure that he won't find out immediately." He paused again.

"You need a supply of holy oil for what I'm planning. Can you get that?"

[hexyoutotuesday]

Even after all that, after building trust, getting her to tell him about the holy oil and sword, he started making assumptions again. It was really beginning to get under her skin. Especially the part about psychic shields. The things he was getting wrong. She watched him pace and rolled her eyes.

"No," she finally said, her tone bordering condescending. Her mouth opened as though she was about to start in on him, but she closed it. Shaking her head, she exhaled. Her face went into her palm as she tried to think of a good way to tell him he needed to shut his damn cake hole and listen to her.

"All right. Listen up, B," she finally said. "It's not working. You are so at a disadvantage here. I get it. Batman's supposed to know everything, and you don't know jack. Especially about me. So you and me? We're gonna bond."

Jinx walked past him, turned around, then started walking slowly backward. "Let's go find a nice secluded rooftop. I'm not really in the mood for training right now, anyway. So we'll talk so you can stop sounding..." she grasped for the word "ignorant of my abilities. You're giving me a migraine otherwise."