Once Batman has revealed his identity to the JL, after some strong encouragement from Superman and Wonder Woman, Bruce decides to try to start being a bit more "personable" with the rest of league. They've been colleagues for a decade and he trusts them all, and according to Clark and Diana this means there's no need for his whole mysterious "shadow of the night" bit, so he invites the league to dinner at the manor.
It is raining heavily, and even though it's not that late, it's nearly pitch dark but for the frequent lightning strikes. The league arrives together at Wayne Manor and the wrought iron gates stretch upward before them, ending in spikes at the top with ivy overgrown across them. They stand there, uncomfortable, wet, a bit weirded out, wondering how they're supposed to get passed the gates.
"This is creepy, right?" Hal says. "It's not just me?"
A voice. "Hello." As the league turns to the sound, thunder claps loud enough to startle everyone as lightning strikes, illuminating a small child standing on the other side of the gates that was definitely not there a second ago. He stands motionless under an umbrella, seemingly unbothered by the rain, expression vaguely irritated, and his eyes seem to flash green in the light. "I have been instructed to escort you inside."
The child doesn't move in any way but the gates slowly swing open, the creaking sounds sound straight out of a horror movie. Once they are fully opened, the boy turns and starts walking down the path without a word.
The league, some members quite freaked out at this point, follow him after exchanging some looks. They round a bend in the path and the manor comes into view. It is a massive dark structure, rising from the ground. Another lightning strike illuminates pointed spires, jagged edges, and it's gloomy, gothic nature. The sound of bats shrieking can be heard in the distance over the rain.
The league finally arrives at the front door, cold, wet, and thoroughly discomfited. An old man, a butler, looking out of time, opens the door, the child disappears inside. The butler welcomes everyone inside graciously but with a distant politeness. Despite the appearance of the exterior, the inside is well lit with warm light and seems inviting, though ostentatious. The league is relieved.
Until another massive lightning strike and thunder clap cuts the power off and the room is pitch black.
"Oh, you're here," a deep voice says from somewhere up above. No sooner are the words out than another lightning strike illuminates a dark, hulking figure on the staircase that was also definitely not there a second ago. At least two people scream.
Bruce is wildly confused as to why his guests are screaming, he didn't think any of them were afraid of the dark? The back up generator kicks on and the lights come back on and everybody seems to calm down. The rest of the dinner seems to go well (as well as a dinner can with the justice league and all of Bruce's kids) but strangely, to Bruce's confusion, it somehow only made his "spooky" reputation worse. He's not really sure why the whole league seems to think he lives in a haunted house.
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Jason Todd is never not injured. If it’s not a bullet wound or stab, it’s little scrapes from road rash, split knuckles, scratches from flying debris. You can’t stop him from going out as the Red Hood, but you can be there to patch him up.
He tries so hard to play down the severity of his hurts, to get you to smile even when he’s grimacing as you change the wrapping on a cut. You try to do the same for him. You start buying bandaids with cartoon characters and fun colours on them in bulk. Wrap his knuckles in Hello Kitty and Kuromi. Batman bandaids for the cut on his cheekbone. Yellow smiley faces for the scrape on his knee. Each one gets a featherlight kiss as you place the bandaid.
Jason’s a good sport about it, takes your nursing with good grace. He rolls his eyes when Dick bursts out laughing the first time he sees Jason with his cutesy bandaids. Starts carrying some with him to give out to injured children he runs into on patrol. He takes a twisted sense of pleasure that for some thugs, the smiling face of Hello Kitty is going to be the last thing they see before their lights go out.
Jason likes to catch the colourful bandaids out of the corner of his eye, in mirrors and on his hands. Puts a little flame in his chest at the evidence of your care and love for him. That no matter how he falls to pieces, you’ll be there to help put him back together.
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