The chaos of the night’s mission finally subsides as the Batfamily regroups in the Batcave. You stand at the edge of the room, looking both out of place and oddly confident. Somehow, against all odds, you’d ended up helping them out during the fight—distracting a villain just long enough for Damian to disarm him and for Dick to pull off a save.

Bruce, still in the Batsuit, approaches you slowly, his sharp eyes studying you. “You shouldn’t have been there,” he says, voice stern.

“I didn’t exactly plan on it,” you reply, your tone defensive but not disrespectful. “I just… I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

Jason smirks from across the room, muttering, “Gotta admit, kid’s got guts.”

Bruce ignores Jason, his focus still on you. He sees the determination in your eyes, the way you stand your ground despite the situation. And he knows—this isn’t the first time you’ve been caught in the crossfire of Gotham’s chaos.

“You need guidance,” Bruce says, his voice softening slightly. “A place to belong.” He exchanges a look with Alfred and Dick, who both give him subtle nods of approval.