Who: Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson (feat Jim Gordon and the Joker) What: They wake up to ghosts. Fun When: Oct 29 Where: Barbara’s Apartment Rating: low Status: Completed Gdoc
Dick had to admit that he enjoyed the nights one of them stayed over at the others. It wasn’t on the nightly, but it was much more frequent than it had ever been and Dick realized he was happy about it. Despite his usual outward appearance, he was happy and he definitely let his guard down around Barbara. Maybe that was why the Dome decided to punish him.
He had already been in the pre-awake stage, lazily hanging out in the half-asleep state while reveling in the warmth of Barbara’s body. Suddenly, however, he heard a familiar, twisted laugh that had his eyes opening, his body sitting up straight, and his arm throwing one of the Nightwing ‘ninja stars’ he kept under the pillow of ‘his side’ just in case. The metal flew through the air and wedged itself into the wall.
He’d been so sure Joker had been in the room….
–
Barbara wasn’t exactly big on guys staying the night back in Gotham. Then again the same could be said around here if she had hooked up with anyone. Dick was always a different story considering how long she knew him. There was no part of her that feared or worried about him ever. Anger? Oh yes, she felt that towards him plenty of times. But never once did she fear him or worried that he would hurt her. It was why she never had a problem with him spending the night or curling up against the warmth of his body. This morning was no different or at least it started off that way; however, that quickly changed.
A groan in annoyance left her when she felt him shot up, losing the upper half of his body that she had been right up against. It was much too early to be dealing with whatever had Dick’s attention. No, she wanted ten more minutes. Moving away from where she had been and more onto her side so she could get those few minutes. “Really, Barbara?” The voice was one she hadn’t heard in a long time and never thought she’d hear again. Sitting up and pulling the covers around her upper half since she wasn’t exactly dressed. Her eyes glancing around as if she was going to see her father, but that wasn’t possible. Eyes landing on his weapon that was in the wall.
“Do I even want to ask?” She asked, nodding to that, trying to push what she just heard out of her head but still keeping the covers tight around her.
—
He wasn’t even sure how to answer that question. Dick was no stranger to nightmares, but this hadn’t felt like that. This had felt much more real. It could have been fear gas, but Dick had experienced that a few times and it didn’t feel like that either.
“I don’t know.” Dick eyed the weapon, then rubbed his face. “I’ll fix that.” He meant the hole he just made in her wall. He had lots of experience fixing those types of holes in walls.
Suddenly the Joker stepped through the closet and into the room giggling. “Isn’t this just the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?”
Despite not having any clothes on, Dick was out of bed quickly and making a swing at the Joker. Of course, his foot went right through the clown and it only served to make the Joker start laughing much more maniacally.
–
Barbara felt like she should maybe ask him to expand on that not knowing part, feeling there was something more, but she felt it was too early to get into any of that. Maybe after a little bit more and a much more fun way of waking up. Ignoring that moment where she swore she heard her father’s voice. Instead focusing on what she did know for sure and that was Dick causing a hole in her wall. “It’s fine, you can fix it later. How about we go to sleep for a bit longer?” She encouraged, leaning over to kiss him but before she could kiss him, Dick was moving off the bed.
Did she do something? Barbara couldn’t help the question popping up until she saw him taking a swing at air? A worried and concerned look showed up on her face. If someone was invisible then Dick wouldn’t be able to see them unless they spoke but so wouldn’t she hear them? Opening her mouth, she started to move over to his side until a voice caused her to shift gears.
“Barbara Gordon, the Grayson boy? Tell him to put pants on,” Jim said, shaking his head and turning away as if he walked in on something he shouldn’t and was giving them the chance to compose themselves. Her eyes landing on the man caused her to pull all the covers up around her even though she was already covered and Dick was the exposed one. “Dad!” Her voice was higher than she had hoped as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t and her cheeks a shade of red from embarrassment at what her father was seeing.
“Dick!” Her tone was still up high and when she realized it, she coughed before trying again at a more normal tone. “Dick!” Trying to bring his attention away from whatever and for him to maybe cover himself since she pretty much had all the covers now.
—
Dad?
Dick’s attention was half on Barbara now and half on The Joker who was clearly standing there thinking this was entirely funny. His fist had passed right through him though and so Dick was trying to make sense of it. He knew from Barbara that Bruce kills Joker. Did that mean that this was a ghost?
Slowly he turned his head to look at Barbara who was now covering up like a stranger had barged into the room. He gave her a confused expression, “Barbara?”
–
Barbara really wished she could die right at this moment. Something had Dick’s attention and from his reaction, she probably didn’t want to know. Though she knew she’d need to know at some point who he was seeing earned that reaction, knowing they probably deserved it. Her attention was on her father standing there and really not at a time where she needed him. Dick still very much exposed even if her father seemed to be looking down rather than at them. Barbara was pretty sure her father never wanted to see as much of Dick as he was seeing at the moment both when he was alive and even now as whatever he was.
“Uhh yeah,” she looked over to see he still was very much exposed. Barbara grabbed a pillow, turning red, which had her feeling like a teenager as she held out the pillow to cover as much as she could, hoping he would catch on. “So I can check off father catching me in bed with someone off my list of things I never ever wanted to have happen,” she told him, running her fingers through her hair before looking at the floor in hopes some of her clothes were nearby. At least a shirt, which one was and went under the covers to pull it on.
—
Dick glanced back and finally registered what Barbara was doing. Alongside her comment, the realization set in and suddenly Dick was all manner of embarrassed. He took the pillow from Barbara and held it over himself. It didn’t help that the Joker was laughing so hard now, doubled over.
Great.
His face a little red, he stammered out a - “Mr. Gordon…” He couldn’t see the man, but at least he could greet him. That was polite, right? Dick looked around and found his pants, slipping them on and forgoing underwear at this very moment.
Dick opened his mouth, then paused. Should he even tell Barbara about the Joker? Did she need that in her life? He hesitated.
–
Any other time, Barbara would’ve been laughing at the sight of Dick turning a shade of red, but this time was not a laughing matter. Also, there was the fact that she was probably just as red, if not redder than him on what her father was seeing. Part of her wanted the ground to open up and eat her, then again in this place it could happen, and she did not need that. This was bad! Even when she knew she couldn’t be blamed since she was an adult and it wasn’t like she snuck Dick in here while her dad was sleeping down the hall. Did any of that make her feel better? Nope, she was still feeling like some teenager who broke some rules by having a boy in her room even when she was well out of that age range or having rules like that.
“Tell him I said Hello, Mr. Grayson. And that as nice as it’s to see him, I’d rather have not seen all of him,” Barbara shook her head. “He said hello,” and she was not about to make this even more awkward than it already was. Fixing the shirt, she let the covers down some since her upper half was all covered. Though now that she was feeling less exposed a confused expression showed up, looking over at Dick. “If you couldn’t see my dad, and I know you’re sure as hell didn’t try to hurt my father with your moves. Who are you seeing?” Barbara could think of many people who might cause that reaction from Dick, making it close to impossible for her to even pick one person to guess.
—
It was definitely a blessing to not be able to see James Gordon. He’d end up feeling a lot like Barbara and Dick wasn’t a fan of his teenage years. Part of him wanted to ask if Mr. Gordon ever figured out he was Robin, but he had no idea if that would put a more positive or more negative spin on the whole ‘sleeping with your daughter’ thing. Or maybe it wouldn’t matter at all. But Barbara’s question about who he saw changed his line of thought.
He paused, his fingers clenching into balls briefly. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision, but he instinctively looked over to where Barbara had said her dad was as if he was asking permission from an unseeable ghost. Did he want to lie? Yes. And probably the thought flashed through his eyes which would have been subtle to someone who didn’t know him, but to Barbara would be obvious.
“Yes, yes! Go on. Tell her Dicky boy. Tell her how I’m here once again. I do like what she’s done with this apartment. So much better than the last time I burst in.”
His jaw clenched. He really wished he could punch a ghost right now.
“... The Joker.” His voice was a bit lower as he admitted it, though tense with a hint of apology to Barbara despite none of it being Dick’s fault.
–
Barbara wished she could hug her dad….or at least hug him once she actually had pants on. Those were out of her reach and she could’ve asked Dick, but yeah, with her dad right here, it felt too awkward to even ask for them to be tossed her way. But she had missed her father, and the wound felt like it was being torn back open. The anger and sadness at everyone who had been involved in his death bubbling to the surface. Thankfully, she had the more pressing matter on whoever this mystery guest was to take her mind off her dad.
Her eyes were on Dick, and knowing him as long and as well as she did, she had seen the thought. They were in a good place when it came to their relationship, but Barbara knew something was going on. If he lied to her, she had no problem at all calling him out and maybe even kicking him out. Dick knew she was never one for standing by if he lied to her, and this would be no different. Even more so when whoever it was had him on edge enough to throw a weapon and try to attack them.
Wishing she could say she heard wrong or that she misheard the name, Barbara knew that wasn’t the case. Her body tensed right up as her eyes shifted in the direction of the one person who had managed to give her nightmares for many nights after the incident that changed her life. The only two people who probably could see the reaction from her was Dick and her father, both knowing her. Her hands clenching the covers to try and not show anything that allowed the Joker to get sick pleasure over this. Trying to focus her feelings on anything other than the Joker, she saw her father’s look of anger. “Dad, please.” Turning her attention on Dick, knowing it couldn’t be easy to hear that psycho in his ear. “What can I do? I’m here,” she wanted to ask how he was, but Barbara knew that was a stupid question. No one could be okay with the Joker there to taunt and cause problems.
—
This was definitely not an ideal situation. Dick was more worried about Barbara than himself though.
He looked over to Barbara, his jaw clenching subtly as The Joker said something else. Then he exhaled and shook his head slightly. “I should go.” He didn’t mean to push her away even if it might be happening. He had a different reason in mind. “If I can’t see your dad, it probably means they're attached to us. If I stay in an empty room, it’ll give nothing for ‘him’ to comment on.” If he could bother The Joker in this way, he wouldn’t hate it. While he might not admit it, torturing Joker a little would make him a little happy…. Even if that probably meant he was being a little darker than usual.
–
Barbara felt violated and like she wanted to be sick. The idea of The Joker not only in her place but in her bedroom had her feeling like she needed a shower. All she could hear in her head was that laugh of his, the same laugh that she heard when he had shot her and left her for dead. Her eyes weren’t even on Dick, looking in the direction of where Dick had thrown the weapon, watching as if she was going to see The Joker. It wasn’t until his comment on the empty room that brought her back. “No,” she said firmly.
She knew Dick and knew this would give him an excuse to distance himself. As much as she hated the idea of The Joker anywhere near her or the people she cared about, she was definitely not about to leave Dick with him. Holding out her hand because there was no way she was moving when she wasn’t completely dressed, “I’m not leaving you alone with him. I can’t make him stop whatever he’s saying, but I can be right next to you to remind you he isn’t real,” and she would because she knew what The Joker was like. There was no way in hell she was allowing him to screw with Dick. “But you should go for a bit. Maybe go grab breakfast or something. I want to shower, change, and I don’t feel comfortable at all with that thing,” she refused to use his name, nodding in the direction she hoped was where The Joker was, “in my room.” At least, her dad seemed to turn away so as awkward as that was, Barbara could handle her dad.
—
His instincts told him to argue with Barbara. He could handle The Joker, or that was his opinion anyway. However looking at Barbara told Dick that it would not be a battle he won or if he did, there’d be ‘casualties’. Fine, but he wasn’t going to give Joker the satisfaction of acknowledging him.
Dick nodded. “Okay. I can do that.” He’d give her some time alone and then come back even if he didn’t want to subject Barbara to more of his ghost. The only positive was that she couldn’t see The Joker. Small victories.
“Give me five minutes.” He meant before she started to get up and all that - he wanted to make sure that he could pull The Joker away like he thought he could.