New York
August 27, 08:18 EDT
"We need to talk."
Hearing those words from Batman made Peter nervous, so he did the only thing he could think of doing.
"You're breaking up with me?" Peter deflected with a joke.
Batman's eyes narrowed by such a minuscule amount that Peter only noticed it because of his improved vision. "Follow me."
Peter looked over at Clayface, then back at Batman. "Okay, but I don't think we should be leaving the giant mud monster without any parental supervision."
Batman took out a small, round gadget from his utility belt and threw it at Clayface's puddle body. It shot out an electric pulse that made him even gloopier than before.
"It'll activate every time he tries to reform until we can move him." Batman took out his grappling hook and aimed it at a nearby rooftop.
Peter looked at Clayface again, then back at Batman. "That has to be breaking some sort of law against torture."
"You're a vigilante." Batman said, looking at Peter before ascending the rooftop with his grappling hook.
"Not exactly in the same vein, but touché."
Peter shot a web and made his way up the rooftop. As he landed, he noticed that though the rooftop may give them privacy for their conversation, it still had a view of Clayface and the surrounding streets. 'Well, he's not Batman for nothing.'
Looking at Batman, Peter had a pretty good idea what the conversation was to be about.
'Robin's smile when he found out I was a teenager means that Batman has had his eye on me for a while now and thought I was an adult. That means my guess about who had been watching me over the past year was right. It was Batman.'
Thanks to his spider-sense, Peter could sense when someone was watching him. Because of his constant use and refinement of his spider-sense, he was able to develop his ability to the point where he could discern whether the observer had observed him before or was entirely new.
That's how he knew that someone had been keeping tabs on him over the past year. At first, he thought it may have been photographers, but after developing his ability, he discovered it had been one person. Sometimes, once a month, and sometimes once a week, he would feel a familiar observer watching him.
Once he knew that it was one person, he tried to catch the person watching him on multiple occasions, but failed each time. Mostly, it was because the person would always watch him when he was doing something else, and he always deemed what he was doing more important than catching the person watching him. Still, he guessed that the mystery observer had to be someone skilled, which led him to believe it was Batman.
'Looks like he's been watching me all the way since I went to Nuovo Vesuvio. Makes sense; Batman is known to be careful/paranoid.' A memory resurfaced of his past life, where he watched a clip from an animated DC movie/show where Batman narrated a contingency file on Plastic Man. 'If this Batman is anything like that Batman, it's likely he keeps an eye on any new heroes/villains and makes contingency plans for them. Wonder if he has a file on me.'
Batman stood with his back to Peter, cape shifting slightly in the morning breeze as he looked out over Manhattan.
Peter took a breath and readied himself. 'Let's get this over with, I guess.'
"So ..." Peter began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm guessing this isn't a 'welcome to the hero club' kind of chat."
"It isn't." Batman replied immediately as he turned to look at Peter. "You've been operating in New York for over a year."
"Right so far."
Batman's white lenses narrowed ever so slightly. "You're powerful. Skilled. And until recently, I believed you to be an adult."
"Because of the name, right? Well, it's not like I could go around calling myself Spider-Boy. I mean, come on, what criminal would take me seriously?" Peter used the same response, looking for a better reaction than he got from the others.
But Batman didn't take the bait.
Peter shrugged, a little disappointed. "Sad to say I'm 0 for 2 on that one."
"How old are you?" Batman continued.
Hearing that question from him actually made Peter feel a little relieved. It meant that even Batman, the world's greatest detective, had not discovered his identity.
'Not yet anyway.' Peter thought. 'Now that he knows I'm a minor, he might make it a priority. And knowing what I know about Batman, he'll probably figure it out. I might be able to sense when I'm being watched, but I don't know how well my spider-sense will work against satellites.'
Before Peter could spiral into worry about his identity possibly being discovered in the near future, Batman spoke up.
"Answer the question." he said. "How old are you?"
Peter hesitated, unsure whether he should give Batman any information that would help narrow down his identity even further, but he reminded himself that the others already knew. "Sixteen."
His eyes narrowed even more, and his jaw tightened behind the cowl, tiny and imperceptible as it was. Still, it told Peter enough.
"If it helps any, I'm really more of an old soul." Peter added.
"It doesn't." Batman said, but his tone was harsher, like an adult disciplining a child. "You have no business doing what you're doing at your age."
Peter crossed his arms. "You say that like I haven't been doing this for over a year. Succesfully, might I add."
"But you won't be doing it for another."
Peter blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"
"You're done." Batman repeated, stepping closer. "As of tonight, you are to stop all vigilante activity."
Peter stared at him. "Are you serious?"
"Yes." One word said with a tone of finality, leaving no room for misinterpretation or debate.
But Peter wasn't one to give up without a fight.
"Look, I get that you're the big, scary Bat, the highest authority in all of Gotham and the Justice League, but you don't get to decide that."
"If it helps keep you alive, I do."
Peter scoffed.
"You're a minor." Batman continued. "You are untrained and reckless."
Peter's lenses narrowed. "That's just an excuse. You've been watching me for almost a year, which means you've seen me in action. If you really thought I was untrained and reckless, you would've come to me and told me to stop a long time ago."
Batman didn't flinch. "I didn't intervene because I believed you were an adult making your own choices. That changes now."
Peter stepped forward, refusing to fold under Batman's presence. "You don't get to just declare that. I've made a difference. I've saved people. I've stopped crimes. Besides, if your reasoning is my age, then you and the other members of the League need to take a good look in the mirror."
"That's different."
"You're right, it is different. It's worse because Robin's been with you for years, which means he started when he was way younger than me." Peter spread his hands. "So forgive me if the 'you're too young' speech doesn't really hit the way you think it does."
"Robin and the Team operate under supervision." Batman said. "With training. With rules."
"There it is again, training." Peter threw his hands up. "You think I've been running around like a chicken without its head for a whole year? You think I've just shown up, swinging a stick at the bad guys with my eyes closed, and hoped for the best? I would've ended up worse for wear a long time ago if I were that untrained."
"You've clearly had some training in martial arts, but that is not the same as training to be a hero." Batman countered. "Being a hero requires more than just an improvised plan. It requires preparation."
"You think I don't know that?" Peter shot back. "Trust me, I know. I had to learn. I did learn. And I'm still learning what it means to be a hero every day I go out there." He pointed to the city below. "I study my city every day. I know every alley, every shortcut, every patrol pattern. I track crime reports. I track what gangs control where and who's making moves. I don't just swing around waiting for trouble; I go looking for ways to stop it."
Peter's voice softened a little as he gazed out at the city. "It's hard. Sometimes it's really hard. But I'm still here, still standing, still making sure people don't get hurt. And whether you want me to or not, I'm still going to do it."
Batman was silent for a long moment, studying him, trying to see the person beneath the mask.
"Why?" he finally asked.
"Why what?" Peter asked, surprised since he had been expecting more arguing.
"Why do you put on the mask? Why do you risk yourself for people who don't know your name or have any impact on your life?"
Peter blinked. He had been expecting Batman to ask him that question sooner or later, but it still caught him somewhat off guard.
"Because I can." Peter simply said.
"That's not an answer."
"It is an answer, and it's my answer. I don't mean it in a frivolous 'oh, just because I can' kind of way. I mean, it's because I can." Peter explained. "By some happenstance, I was given these powers. I was given something most people could only ever dream of." Peter looked down at his fists and clenched them, feeling the power his body held. "I was taught from a young age that if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things."
He looked back up at Batman.
"It's not about choice, it's about responsibility."
Batman didn't move; he just stared at Peter.
"Responsibility." Batman repeated the word slowly.
Peter nodded. "Yeah. Responsibility."
For several more seconds, the rooftop was silent except for the sound of the city below. Life continued moving on as if the two masked figures didn't exist.
Finally, Batman spoke.
"This city is not your responsibility."
Peter scoffed in frustration. He thought they were making headway, but it seemed he was wrong. "But Gotham is yours?"
Batman's eyes narrowed at that.
"You choose to protect Gotham, I choose to protect New York. You would bleed for Gotham, I would bleed for New York." Peter said. "New York is my responsibility, just as Gotham is yours."
"Responsibility is important." Batman's voice had become quieter but no less intense. "But responsibility without structure becomes chaos. Without guidance, it becomes recklessness."
"Recklessness? I managed to take down Clayface in under a minute without anyone getting hurt or any serious property damage. Not to mention Killer Frost last year."
"I'm not talking about how you fight." Batman corrected. "You're reckless for believing you can do this all on your own."
That gave Peter pause.
Batman stepped closer, his cape brushing the rooftop gravel. "Strength isn't the problem. Skill isn't even the problem. You lack support. You lack a network. You lack people who can cover you when things go wrong."
Peter frowned. "Things haven't gone wrong."
"They will." Batman said with absolute certainty. "For everyone. No matter how talented. No matter how strong. No matter how prepared. Things will go wrong."
Peter couldn't argue with that. He knew that even with his meta-knowledge of Marvel and what little he knew of DC, he couldn't guarantee he would never make mistakes or be completely safe. He was only human, and the future was nothing if not unpredictable, especially in anything comic-related.
Batman continued. "You're a minor. You're operating alone. You're keeping secrets that affect your safety."
Peter stepped forward. "It's not like I can bring other people into this. If I do, I put them at risk. My family, my friends, everyone. I can't drag anyone else into this."
"You already have." Batman said.
Peter froze. "What?"
"You engage criminals. You intervene in gang conflicts. You stop robberies and assaults. Every time you act, you create ripples. Every time you leave a crime scene, or a defeated criminal, or a disrupted operation, someone responds." Batman's gaze narrowed. "People with resources. People who investigate. People who ask questions."
Peter swallowed.
Batman finished. "You're not as alone as you think."
Peter wanted to fight that. Wanted to argue. But he couldn't.
From the moment he realized what world he had reincarnated in, he had been planning to do what he was doing. Naturally, he had thought about the burden of living a secret life, but he felt that as long as it was kept a secret from those he loved, it would be fine. As long as they never found out, they would be safe from harm.
But Batman had woken him up to a reality he had forgotten. He reminded him that not everyone would take him as he comes. Eventually, someone would get tired of his meddling, would seek him out, and try to uncover his identity. All in the hopes of killing Spider-Man.
Peter's thoughts raced, but Batman wasn't finished.
"You believe secrecy protects them." Batman said. "But secrecy only protects you. It blinds the people who care about you to the dangers circling closer every time you put on that mask."
Peter clenched his fists. "I know, but I'm doing everything I can to keep them safe."
"But you're doing it alone." Batman countered. "Alone, you miss things. Alone, you take risks you shouldn't. Alone, you become predictable to your enemies."
"I'm not predictable."
"You are." Batman said. "Not because you're careless, but because you care. Criminals notice patterns. They watch for them. If someone wanted to find out where Spider-Man goes when he's done for the night, they'd only need to keep an eye on your routine long enough."
Peter didn't completely agree with that since, thanks to his spider-sense, he could tell if he was being followed or watched. Still, the greater point Batman was trying to make stuck with him.
He did have patterns. He stuck to familiar places when he was tired or hungry. He gravitated towards safe rooftops and routes. He'd know if he was being watched, but if an organization put in the work, they could gather enough information that might make attacking him easier.
Batman continued, voice low. "The more you do this, the more pressure builds around your identity. Sooner or later, someone will look too closely. Someone dangerous."
Peter hated the idea of that.
"I'm not trying to scare you." Batman said. "I'm telling you that keeping your family in the dark doesn't keep them safe. It keeps them unprepared."
Peter looked away. "If they know ... they'll worry. They'll freak out. And if anything happens to them because of me ..."
"Then they deserve the truth even more."
Peter turned back to Batman, and Batman met his gaze. "Your mistake is assuming that hiding the truth protects the people you love. It doesn't. What protects them is awareness. Preparation. Understanding the risks."
Peter didn't know what to say. He just stood there, breathing in the air to calm himself.
Batman took another step closer. "You have potential. Technique. Strategy. Instinct. And a sense of duty stronger than many adults I've worked with."
Peter blinked in surprise. Getting complimented by Batman was not something he had expected in the middle of what was supposed to be an argument.
"But potential that is not nurtured is useless." Batman continued. "Worse, it is a liability."
Peter rolled his eyes. "So we're back to you wanting me to quit again?"
"No." Batman said. "I want you to join the Team."
Peter froze.
"Uh ... sorry, can you repeat that?" Peter shook his head to snap out of it. "I'm not sure I heard you correctly."
"You heard me." Batman simply said.
Peter's brain stalled again before kicking back up. "You want me to join the team? And this 'team' you're talking about is the one comprised of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian? That team?"
"And Artemis. But yes."
"And Artemis, right." Peter nodded. "And who is that exactly?"
"Green Arrow's protege."
"I thought that was Speedy."
"Not anymore."
"Not anymore. Good to know." Peter rubbed his face. "Before this goes any further, what does this 'Team' do exactly?"
"They are assigned covert operations on behalf of the Justice League."
"Covert operations." Peter repeated slowly. "So espionage and the like?"
"Something like that." Batman nodded. "The Team is a place for them to learn and do good outside the public spotlight. If you join, you'll have training, structure, guidance, and support. All the things you don't have."
Peter's heart raced at that.
While the training and guidance that came with joining the Team were very tempting, what really got his heart racing was the team itself. Ever since the Fourth of July, watching the proteges hang out outside the Hall of Justice, he had been a little envious of their camaraderie.
He had no one. No one who knew. No one he could talk to about patrols, close calls, any of it.
If he joined the Team, he wouldn't just be getting more training. He'd be getting peers. People his age who lived the same life. People who understood.
Then Peter realized something.
'That's why I told the Team my age so easily when they asked. I could've lied or said I was using a voice modifier and they would've had no real way to know, but I didn't even hesitate.' he thought. 'I wanted them to know.'
He was a little lonely, and that realization hit him harder than he expected.
"If you join the Team, you'll have resources you've never had access to. But this can only happen under one condition." Batman continued.
Peter exhaled. "Okay, what kind of condition? Some kind of trial run or a fitness test?"
"You need your parents' permission."
"Oh." was all he said. No joke, no deflection.
If he had been told that was the condition at the beginning of their conversation, his reaction would have been a lot different. He would have outright denied it and maybe even gotten angry. But Batman's words had changed his perspective on the entire thing. Not to the point where he was going to rush home and tell his parents his secret, but enough.
"You're a minor." Batman continued. "If you join the Team, there will be missions. Dangers. Travel. You will be away overnight on occasion. Your parents need to know where you are and what you're doing. Every member has the informed consent of a guardian. I won't make an exception for you."
Peter closed his eyes. "So that's why you were telling me about all that stuff about how those I care about are already in danger."
"Yes."
Peter looked at Batman and swallowed. "And if I say I won't?"
"Then I will do everything in my power to stop you from continuing as a vigilante. Every patrol, every fight, every step you take, I will see it and intervene."
There was no malice in Batman's voice, just a statement of fact, a promise.
Peter sighed. "So those are my options? Tell my parents and join the Team, or you're grounding me?"
"Yes."
Peter closed his eyes, trying to calm the frustration that was setting in. He understood Batman's logic, but that didn't make the whole situation any less frustrating.
"You realize how insane this whole thing is for me? I mean, how does anyone tell their parents, 'Oh yeah, remember all those times I've been studying or with friends, yeah, I was actually swinging around the city in a red and blue costume while masked gunmen shot at me. By the way, what are we eating for dinner?'"
"It won't be easy."
"Understatement of the year." Peter sighed, rubbing his neck. "Okay, let's say I am going to tell my parents, and this is still a big if by the way, I still want to keep my identity a secret. Even from you."
Batman didn't say anything. He just stared at Peter. "You expect me to accept that."
"Yeah." Peter gestured at him. "Look, I get the whole trust and accountability thing, but my identity is non-negotiable. I'm not handing that over."
"You want access to a covert unit, a Justice League-sanctioned unit, while withholding critical information."
"Okay, relax, it's my name, not nuclear launch codes."
"It compromises mission security."
Peter shook his head. "My identity compromises my life and my family's. The moment my name is on some file, it's one hack or one leak away from becoming a death sentence."
Again, Batman didn't say anything; he just stared at Peter with his intense stare. But Peter didn't back down.
"Just me."
"What?"
"I'm the only one who will know your identity, no one else." Batman said. "No one on the Team or the Justice League will know unless you decide to tell them. If I am the only one who knows your identity, the risk is minimized. There is no file to hack. No record to steal. No digital trail. Just me."
" ... that's oddly comforting." mumbled Peter.
If even a fraction of what people in his past life memed Batman was capable of was true, then his identity would be in the best hands possible.
"I'm assuming for this all to work, you'd have to confirm with my parents about whether or not I told them, wouldn't you?"
"Yes."
"No chance you'd take my word for it?"
"No."
Peter sighed. "Thought so, but didn't hurt to try."
"You talked about responsibility. This is responsibility. Not the powers, not the suit. The choices you make and the consequences that follow." Batman said.
"I get that, I do, but you're asking me to pull the pin on a grenade and hope it doesn't blow up in my face." Peter said.
"I'm asking you to trust the people you claim you're doing all this for."
Peter swallowed. He didn't have a comeback.
"I need to think it over." Peter said.
Batman nodded. "Good."
Peter glanced out at the city. "Can I ask you something?"
Batman answered with silence.
"If I tell them, if I actually go through with this and they freak out… what if they say no? What if they forbid me from doing any of this?"
"Then you will have a different decision to make." Batman said. "But it will be an honest one."
Peter exhaled hard through his nose. "That's not comforting."
"It isn't meant to be."
Peter huffed out a small, tired laugh.
"How will I contact you?"
Batman took out a device from his utility belt and threw it at Peter. Catching it, Peter realized it was bat-shaped.
"Very on brand."
"Press it, and I'll come." Batman said. "Think about it carefully. All of it."
Peter nodded as he pocketed the device. "Trust me, I will."
"Good." Batman turned toward the ledge and looked down at Clayface. "Leave the clean up to me. You have other things to worry about."
"Thanks." Peter said. "I'll figure this out."
Peter fired a line of web and swung away, his mind full.
~~
AN
Hey, that hope of mine from the previous chapter turned out to be spot on. What a surprise.
Now, for those who have read the tie-in comics for Young Justice, when Artemis was approached by Batman and Green Arrow to join the Team, it was done without much fanfare. They just invited her pretty outright. Compared to Peter, who has Batman all up in him, it's pretty different. I decided to go this direction because it would be pretty lackluster if he just invited him without much ado.
I was debating making it a little more actiony and having Spider-Man do something like that one Flash panel where he tells Batman he only grabbed him because Flash let him, but I decided against it. I thought making it more grounded fit better.
I'm sure some people will be against him telling his parents, but I think it's better for them to know sooner rather than later. Besides, his mom already knows anyway, so there is that. Still, it won't be an easy decision for Peter, and he will mull it over on his way home before sitting down with his parents.
As for Batman's threat of stopping him, I'm sure some people might be thinking, what could he really do to Spider-Man anyway, but keep in mind, Batman has the whole League behind him. Superman and Flash wouldn't mind taking a few seconds out of their day to stop Spider-Man if Batman asked them to.