Chapter Text
Ally didn't really care that the bats were mad at her, not like it's a new thing anyway. She didn't know what they were mad about today and she can't be bothered to try and learn. And she refuses to apologise to them anymore.
Her wings were resting on her back as her tail moved lazily on the rooftop she was sat on, her long grey tipped ears twitched as the sounds of the night kept her occupied, her clawed hand held a cigarette to her mouth as she took a long puff before blowing and seeing the smoke dissipate.
Her ears twitched as multiple sounds of footsteps landed on the roof. She looked solemnly down at her cigarette before throwing it off the edge and standing up while turning.
The whole bat pack from hell was her, she crossed her arms and tilted her head as her wings slowly unfurled and her tail started moving faster in irritation, her lips were pulled into a frown as she assessed each one of them carefully. “What, finally here to apologise? If so, no thanks.”
Her eyes were narrowed as Batman stepped closer, still standing a distance away, his mouth was in his characteristic scowl as his hands were balled into fists, “Phoenix,” he said curtly, looking seconds away from exploding, she smirked slightly at that, showing off sharp fangs. “We heard about the ‘Courtney Bayer’ incident.”
Her smirk fell as she realised why they were so mad at her for so long, her arms fell to her side as she started gesticulating while making her point. “Seriously!? That was like… forever ago! Are you seriously tellin’ me you only recently found out ‘bout it?” her confusion and growing frustration were both palpable as she tried to stop herself from remembering finding the young girl lying on the floor, unconscious, with slits in her wrists and vomit clogging her airways as bottles and pills lay across the floor with a note for her laying on her bed, she was too late to save her.
Batman practically growls at her less than enthused attitude about the incident, “you murdered one of Gotham's officials.”
Her mouth turns to a sneer, showing off sharp fangs and teeth, reminding them not to try anything stupid, as her wings spread out and her tail lashes against her thigh, her knuckles turning white with how hard she's balling them up, “who gives a fuck! That bastard deserves to be dead anyway!”.
The bats grow quiet by her blatant refusal to care about a rapist’s life.
Batman looks seconds away from starting a fight he knows he can't win, before Nightwing steps in to try and mediate the already overwhelming tension, putting himself as a barrier between the two. “Okay, how about we all calm down an-”
“Calm down!” He's cut off by a loud shout from the furious Gargoyle. “You assholes are the ones that came into my territory and started bitchin’ ‘bout somethin’ only you fuckers care ‘bout.”
She stormed towards them as they reflexively took a step back from an angry hybrid, she stopped before them, closer but only touching distance for Nightwing, she pointed her claw tipped finger right at Nightwing's chest, where his heart used to beat before he was turned. “Dontcha dare tell me to calm down, when you come here carin’ more ‘bout a rapist's life then your own family's!”
Nightwing put both of his hands up as he took a couple steps back while smiling nervously, “look, no one's saying that they care about him, it's just… murder is murder, y'know."
Her eyes flashed as golden as the lazarus pool as her wings fanned out, and her heart hurt. “No! I don't fuckin’ know, dipshit. Keep tellin’ me ‘bout how much more you care ‘bout his life than your own family's will ya? I'm sure that'll make me feel so much better."
Spoiler stepped in so the Vampire couldn't fuck things up more. “I mean… I agree with her if I'm bein’ totally honest.”
Everyone turned to look at her with varying emotions, from relief to anger. “Look, we can't keep puttin’ all our resources into lookin’ for people that kill rapists. Especially since almost anyone would kill to defend themselves against a threat.”
Stephanie wouldn't lie and say she's never almost killed a rapist, that'd just be a plain lie. And she's honestly glad that someone has the nerve to challenge Batman's way of things.
“Spoiler, stand down.”
She faltered slightly at the growl she got from Batman.
Phoenix looked back to Batman with an obvious dislike. “Get the fuck. Out. Of. My. Territory if ya just gonna be an ass with no care for nobody else.”
She stormed off to the edge of the rooftop, turning to them one last time to show them her middle fingers, while her wings spread to prepare herself. “I better not fuckin’ hear ‘bout this shit again. Or I refuse to cooperate ‘till some big shit happens. Got it.”
She walked off the roof before she could hear their responses, only the flapping of her wings and the cold whipping air to see her break down.
She arrived at her most used safe house, disabling and then re-enabling the security system before tears started to make themselves known, and before she could do anything to stop them, it was like a dam had broken.
She collapsed on the floor as hiccups and sobs started to fill the room, her legs were shaking so badly that she didn't trust herself to be able to stand and instead curled up on the floor, knees to her chest and one hand wiping her tears aggressively while the other was buried in her hair and tugging it harshly.
She didn't know why she was taking this so hard, it was obvious they didn't really care about her anymore. She choked on her next sob and started coughing painfully before she could breathe slightly better while still hiccuping.
Her heart ached as she remembered not one of them denied caring more about a rapist’s life than her own. And she tried to remember why she was still here if no one cared, why was she given a second chance when others with family that actually care about them are still six feet under? Why did she have to keep suffering when she could finally find peace with just one bullet? She told herself it was for Crime Alley, but… maybe… she just wanted someone to care before she left again.