Archive of Our Own ^beta

Kara slept with noise-canceling headphones on; she always did. It's already been years since she came to earth, but some things just couldn’t be adjusted. Sometimes, there was music playing when she couldn’t take the silence; it was something soft and relaxing that could get her to lose consciousness faster. But nights when she couldn’t sleep due to the emptiness in her ears, which reminded her of being trapped in space, were uncommon. But she’d usually still have her phone connected to her wireless headphones, just in case her urge for music were to come suddenly.

Her apartment in Metropolis was just the right size for a college student with no roommates, and her room was decorated to the teeth, unlike her bed. While the bed with a single pillow was plain white, her room was adorned with posters, plushies, random trinkets, and even some fine art she got for cheap at auctions.

Being a college student studying investigative journalism whilst actively maintaining her identity as Supergirl was definitely the most ironic and best part, it also meant a very conflicting schedule. Fighting a kaiju in Alaska and then heading to class at the same hour wasn’t fun. But at least she had her own place now. Independence was cool. While the Kent farm and Smallville as a whole was peaceful, and she could certainly see its benefits, Kara was a city girl in her heart through and through, even when she was on Krypton.

So she slept peacefully and soundly, covered in her soft white sheets, lying on her right side, both hands under her soft pillow, her legs stacked on each other as her knees pulled up towards her body into the fetal position. 

At least until her phone rang, and the Pokemon Black and White N battle music blasted in her headphones, a great choice for her ringtone. 

Kara woke up instantly and groaned into her pillow before her arm extended to her nightstand, pressing the green button on her phone. 

“Kara, help! Gotham! Jason needs you!” The voice of Barbara’s frantic scream echoed. That was all she needed to hear. She tore off her headphones and let them fall onto the bed, not listening to anything else Barbara said

The Kryptonian shot out of her bed, levitating for just a second to process what was going on before flying out of her window, without her suit and in sleepwear. It didn’t matter anyway, people couldn’t recognize her even though she never had a mask or anything to cover her most identifiable features. 

She flew at subsonic levels before leaving the city area and breaking the sound barrier, leaving huge gusts of wind in her wake, much to the citizens' concern. Even though Metropolis and Gotham were close, literally right next to each other- Delaware and New Jersey- she wasn’t going to take any chances.

Her Jason being hurt. Into deep enough trouble for Oracle to have to call for help. That thought alone made her nauseous. Her stomach felt like it was going to flip upside down and then jump out of her.

Kara’s fist tightened as she flew. The sun wasn’t up right now, but she swore by Rao; she would fly through the yellow star for the extra juice needed to absolutely pulverize someone if Jason wasn’t at least in one piece.

It took her three minutes tops. She loomed above the dark-atmosphere city, hovering high as she closed her eyes and focused on all the sound she could pick up. At least 17 muggings, two robberies, and three ongoing GCPD pursuits. Not what she was looking for. And not the reason she was here.

She zeroed in on all Bat-related heartbeats, which she’d memorized from visiting Wayne Manor, mostly to hang out with Tim, Steph, and Cass. Sometimes, she’d sneak off to meet Jason while she was at it.

Barbara was working as Oracle from the clock tower.

Bruce, Damian, and Cassandra were chasing Crane, the Scarecrow, in Gotham’s sewers.

Alfred was baking apple pie at Wayne Manor.

Dick was beating the living snot out of some c-list villain in Bludhaven.

Stephanie, Tim, and Jason were in the same room. Some random building in Crime Alley. They were holding him down.

Jason’s heartbeat and breathing were out of control while Tim and Stephanie were injured. 

Finished with her scavenger hunt, Kara dove down towards Gotham’s Crime Alley and into the view of a rundown, old-looking building in the middle of a rather bad-looking neighborhood. And based on her little lessons with Jason, or detective 101 courses as he calls them, she knew it was a more than worthy hideout for criminals. Armed with this information, she entered from the third-story wall.

A very angry Kryptonian with glowing red eyes that were ready to laser anything, dressed in a crop top and shorts, smashed through the concrete wall. It startled the Bats to see a pissed off Kara hovering with radiant eyes and a scowl on her face. Oracle could also see through the Cameras built into their suits. 

Red Robin and Batgirl were frantically doing their best to hold Red Hood down while he bashed and thrashed in a frenzy around like an animal caught in a hunter’s trap, doing his best to resist. Kara saw a knife sticking out of Red Robin’s left thigh- Jason’s weirdly shaped knife, to be exact. Both Tim and Steph looked like they’d taken quite a beating. Looking at the predicament, the injuries were caused by Jason.

The entire place was old, rundown, unsafe, and frankly creepy. There was a table in the middle of the room with weird chemicals and barrels of god knows what stacked on top of each other in the corner. Jason’s guns and belt were on the other side of the room, tossed on the ground.

Her eyes stopped glowing, and she quickly scanned the three of them with her x-ray vision, checking for any serious injuries. 

None luckily. Besides the knife clinging onto Tim’s leg. But the sooner Jason was calmed down, the sooner Red Robin could receive medical attention. With that in mind, she charged at Jason, pinning him onto the wooden floor with Steph and Tim.

“Kara! Kara! Kara!” The distorted sound came out of Red Hood’s voice modulator. Despite the voice modulator, she could still hear the desperation in his voice, and it was full of pain.

“What happened!?” Kara asked whilst trying her best to take off Jason’s helmet, only for him to throw his head around as if he didn’t care if he split it open. That made it harder. He seemed to recognize her voice as she spoke, hearing his heart rate spiking.

“We found him like this!” Tim yelled as the struggle continued.

Seeing Jason like this broke Kara’s heart. Pressing her lips together, she couldn’t help but have a sad frown on her face as she held him down with her body, whilst Tim and Steph tried their best to restrain his limbs that were flailing everywhere. His muscles were tightened; he was using his full strength. Jason would have a hard time forgiving himself if he hurt Steph and Tim even more.

“Scarecrow happened!” Steph shouted another answer.

“He got hit by Scarecrow’s new gas that bypassed his mask’s filtration system!” Tim screamed, finishing what Steph thought about saying, slightly annoying her. She’d give him a piece of her mind if they weren’t busy holding Jason down right now.

“Isn’t there an antidote, or vaccine, or something!?” The Kryptonian’s mind raced as she debated choking him out and flying him back to her apartment, or his own because it was more familiar, or Wayne Manor so Alfred could help.

All she knew was she couldn’t lose him.

“We’re all vaccinated already!” Batgirl exclaimed, pinning Jason’s left arm onto the floor.

“B said to calm him down and try to wait it out! Barbara said she’s analysing the samples. But we have no idea how long any of those will take!” Red Robin explained, tacking Jason’s right arm, which caused his elbow to break the old wooden floor.

“Kara! Kara! Kara!” Jason’s struggle against the three continued, calling her name out in a primal madness.

“He does that every two minutes, which is why we asked Oracle to call!” 

“Dammit, why is this thing so hard to get off!?” Kara’s fingers continued to fiddle around the bottom of his helmet, trying to find the release buttons as Jason swung his head around.

She was finally able to hit both the release switches on opposite sides of the helmet, and a hissing sound released along with some gas. That was Kara’s sign she could safely yank it off of him, and so she did.

His face spoke he could gun down an entire drug cartel and more whilst choking the Joker with one hand, his sclera were bloodshot red, his hair was a mess, and he was gritting his teeth. She gazed into his eyes, the pupils dilated, and held both of his cheeks. Her grip was strong enough so he couldn’t turn away, but not enough to hurt him.

“Look at me, Jason! I don’t know what you’re seeing, but I’m right here. Just focus on my voice!” Kara cried.

His vision tunneled as he could only concentrate on Kara, and she waited in heavy anticipation, slightly squeezing his cheeks until they were puffed.

“K-Kara!?” He appeared to have come to his senses, even if it was just a little, blinking his eyes.

“Yes, it’s me, Jason.” She made a small grin. 

“There’s a hideout two avenues down, fake apartment complex. Enter from the roof, it’ll have three cactus plants by the door. And only the top floor’s first room to your right is real.” Tim said, bringing himself off the floor, and patted the dust off his suit.

She scooped him out, holding him like a bride, all 225 pounds, which felt like nothing to her. He looked barely responsive, but thankfully, he wasn’t putting up a fight anymore. That should be a sign the toxins were wearing off. Hopefully. No telling what side effects the new chemicals could cause.

“Watch him till the toxin wears off.” Steph stood up from the old decrepit wooden floor as well, copying Tim’s move and dusting herself off.

“I could fly you there, too.” Kara eyed the knife lodged in his leg. “You know, stab wound.”

Steph and Tim turned to each other at the same time, communicating with their eyes and raising eyebrows before turning back to face her. Kara knew what they were doing, and they knew what they were doing. It felt wrong, but she sort of appreciated it

“I’ll treat myself, we still have to catch Scarecrow.” Tim finally said, a sly smirk on his face.

“You sure?” An eyebrow raised.

She should at least make sure.

“Yeah, he’ll tough it out.” Steph gave Tim a playful punch.

“Stab wounds are pretty serious, they-”

“Tim’ll be fine, Kara; he’s a big kid now. Just take Jason and get outta her already!” Stephanie cut her off, lightly punching Tim’s shoulder again as if to prove it.

“If you say so…”

And so Kara flew off while carrying Jason, holding onto him tightly. An unwillingness to risk losing him filled her mind again. She looked at his face, still breathing heavily. His eyes were still bloodshot, but his pupils weren’t dilated anymore, and his muscles were loosened.

Now Red Robin, still bleeding, and Batgirl were alone.

“Alright, now let's link up with Cass and-“

“My leg.”

“Oh yeah.”

She landed on the rooftop, little people were out during this time of night; it was almost early morning, meaning she didn’t have to worry that much about prying eyes. Her bare feet touched the hard and cold concrete, walking up to the door with three fake plastic cactus plants that were extremely out of place. 

Still carrying Jason, Kara let go for a moment and leaned him against the wall, then gently turned the doorknob. Lock. 

‘Should’ve asked for a key…’ She thought in her sleepiness, fighting off the urge to yawn.

She really didn’t have time for this, thinking about it for a half second before deciding to simply rip the doorknob off and toss it behind her. The door opened, now missing a lock that somebody, hopefully not her, was going to pay for.

And down the stairs they went, feeling the carpeted floor; it felt fancy. Holding Jason like a bride, to her, he was as light as a sheet of paper. She exhaled as she had to break another doorknob to enter the room to her right. 

Inside was not exactly as she’d expected; it seemed more like a real apartment that someone could live in, not a mini batcave decorated with equipment and gadgets. She thought about it for a second and yanked open a nearby drawer, seeing multiple batarangs lined up and a grappling hook.

Kara wasn’t surprised. This was probably the same for every drawer, cabinet, and hiding spot.

She continued down the hall, past the general living area, and stepped into a bedroom. Once Kara entered, she immediately realized it was decorated by Stephanie. The immediate dead giveaway was the blanket with waffle printings; it looked like something ordered off Amazon. 

Jason was gently laid on the bed, his body loosened up, and his eyes were still bloodshot red. She was pretty sure he hadn't blinked since she'd scooped him up in her arms. Kara sat on a chair next to his bedside, leaning in.

“Jason… How are you feeling right now?” She asked as she caressed his hand, feeling its warmth. While she felt an urge to hug him, she also didn’t want to cause a bad reaction, deciding against it in the end.

His eyes were still focused on her, and he began to breathe more steadily. 

“Are you… Okay?” Jason mouthed, a sense of bewilderment in his voice. He still looked entirely out of it.

“I should be asking you that.” Kara softly muttered.

He stayed silent; something was stuck in his throat, and he didn’t know what to do about it. His mind might’ve been on Jupiter, but he could tell he was far from okay.

“Whatever you're seeing, I promise it isn’t real.”

“I see… I see a graveyard... Yours… And everybody’s…” He meant his family, friends, teammates, and maybe even his dentist.

She could see the overwhelming sadness in his eyes. And she wanted to free him from it. She wanted to so badly.

“The Joker… He did it. I saw two of them.” Jason continued, squeezing his right hand, which was free, into a fist.

Dedication told her the two he saw were most likely Steph and Tim from earlier.

“Please, I wouldn’t go that easily. The universe would have to end first.” Kara said in an ambushed manner.

“I hope that’s the case.” He smiled, chuckling a little bit.

She smiled too, resting her head down on the bed, her hand still on top of his hand. The mattress was a lot softer than the one she owned. Kara faced up towards his face, not that he reacted, and closed her eyes.

“Can you stay?” He asked meekly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay as long as you need me.” She answered happily. The way he asked made her want to squeeze him like a teddy bear.

Her tomorrow’s culinary class can be damned, she had no idea why earth’s schools were so bloated, let alone not free. Sure, useful life skill, but not something a journalist should be required to do. 

Her mind slowly drifted to dreamland, tumbling asleep for the first time on earth without active noise-cancelling headphones or music. Jason could feel her in and out breaths brush his body, reminding him she was still alive and not some corpse while he was still under the toxin’s effects. 

Jason doesn’t recall, but he eventually sank into the bed and fell asleep as well. Sometime when the illusions stopped, and he could see her face clearly. That was enough for him.

Omake: 

His eyes fluttered open, sunlight piercing into the room through the thin blinds. Everything was normal now. No tombstones. No graveyard. And certainly no Jokers. They wore off without a vaccine or antidote, just like Bruce had said, though his memory was foggy at best. His head hurt too, like he’d drank a dozen cans of beer and was feeling the effects of a hangover.

Jason pushed himself up, the thin blanket fell from his shoulders. 

“I need a smoke.” He said whilst clutching his forehead.

He dragged himself out of the bed, standing up. It felt weird, his legs were weak and numb yet had a burning sensation at the same time. He walked warily out of the room, into the hallway, and into the living room. Jason spotted a blonde with long and messy hair dressed in her sleepwear, eating breakfast: coffee and toast.

“I cooked you some,” Kara said, waving to a plate with two pieces of toast and a mug of coffee. She had been aware since the moment he was awake, noticing the change in his heartbeat. 

“Not really cooking when you only use a toaster and coffee machine,” Jason responded, heading towards the kitchen counter instead of the table. He dug around the cabinets and retrieved an apron happily decorated with the words ‘Kiss the chef.’

“Gotta start somewhere.” She replied cheerfully, taking a bite out of her slightly burned toast.

“And those culinary classes?”

“Eh,” 

The Kryptonian might’ve been either skipping or daydreaming half of the time.

“Why don’t we move Friday’s date up to today? Y’know, since we’re already together and all that.” Kara changed the subject, sipping her hot coffee.

“Great idea, Angel.”

A thought filled his head. 

Jason was going to lean in and kiss her after he made breakfast.