**

It was a quiet Tuesday night in your shared apartment. Patrol had started an hour ago for the Gotham crew, which meant the family group chat was about to become its own kind of active warzone. You were curled on the couch, a book in your lap, your phone face-down on the cushion beside you.

**

**

The screen lit up with a soft buzz. A notification banner slid into view.

**

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, the messages began to roll in.

**

The chat went utterly, profoundly silent for a full ten seconds. You could almost feel the collective digital stare through the screen.

**

The dam broke.

**

Your phone now sits in your hand, the chat exploding with a rapid-fire cascade of shocked texts, demands for details, and Jason’s increasingly creative profanity. Dick’s last message hangs there, a blatant, nervous invitation.

**

**

The cursor blinks in the text box. The entire, chaotic, famously dramatic Batfamily is waiting.