New Human

Aaron stood outside the entrance of Gotham Elementary School, his hand tightly holding his daughter Chloe's small hand. It was her first day, and he wanted to make sure she felt comfortable. As they entered the school foyer, a familiar face greeted—a brown-skinned beauty colloquially known as Helena Bertinelli. But to him, she was also the Huntress, the enigmatic member of the Birds of Prey, and the woman he slept with last Saturday.

After two weeks of cooking at the Wayne Manor, he had managed to get a sense of the many Gotham heroes. However, sometimes, their civilian lives would also intersect. Helena, for example, had managed to convince Aaron to enroll Chloe in this public school rather than the private tutoring he pretended to give her.

Chloe was bouncing on her feet. She had always wanted to go to school.

"Good morning, Mr. Reigner," Helena greeted him with a warm smile. He was thrown by her unexpected façade of professionalism. "Ready to explore the school?"

Aaron returned the smile. "Good morning, Ms. Bertinelli. Yes, we're excited to see what this school has to offer."

"Very excited!" Chloe added, giggling.

Helena led Aaron and Chloe through the hallways, pointing out various classrooms along the way. They passed a brightly decorated classroom where young children were engaged in creative activities. The walls were adorned with colourful artwork, and the students seemed eager and enthusiastic. A pang of nostalgia hit Aaron. So many years had passed, so much time and innocence lost…

"This is Mrs. Johnson's class," Helena explained. "She's amazing with the feisty ones, always finding new ways to make use of their tempers. Honestly, I wish I could be as adaptable as her."

Aaron nodded appreciatively, glancing at Chloe, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity. "I don't think Chloe is a troublemaker but she is definitely unique."

"Hey, wait, I heard that!" Chloe said, putting her hands on her hips. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're a smart little girl," Helena interjected, tapping her on the forehead. "Now come on, let's keep going."

As they continued their tour, they entered another classroom filled with older students engrossed in a science experiment. The room was well-equipped with lab stations, microscopes, and an array of scientific tools.

"And this is Mr. Thompson's class," Helena said. "He teaches the fifth graders. He actually has a PhD in thermonuclear astrophysics."

"Impressive," Aaron said.

"Yep," Helena popped. "Unfortunately, the job market for nuclear physics isn't lucrative in Gotham and so he's stuck with teaching elementary grade science class. He thinks of some really intriguing experiments though."

Aaron chuckled, his eyes lingering on Helena's face for a moment before redirecting his attention to the classroom. "Well, maybe I'll enroll myself in his class. I could use a refresher on nuclear physics."

Helena's laughter echoed through the hallway. "I'm sure he'd be delighted to have you, Mr. Reigner. But for now, let's focus on Chloe's education, shall we?"

As they completed their tour, Aaron couldn't help but notice the distance between him and Helena. She sometimes came close. Too close. Her shoulders would brush against his and her eyes would linger on him for a little too long. Aaron wouldn't have minded it if not for Chloe's presence. Flirting in front of children was weird, in his opinion.

"So." Helena clapped her hands together. "First period is about to start in fifteen minutes. You are going to leave Chloe here, right?"

"I enrolled here so I obviously have to," Aaron replied. There was a tug of war in his heart though. Schools weren't completely safe. Gotham City had the second highest school shooting rates in the world. He would be lying if he said that number didn't concern him.

As a man living by himself, it didn't matter, but with Chloe…he understood why the gun debate was so fierce. If something happened to her, if someone blasted her with a LexCorp branded gun, he wouldn't rest until the weapon responsible was eviscerated from the country. Then again, America sucked and the police oftentimes used misaligned **** to end protests and oppress minorities, whether they were metahumans, aliens, or simply humans.

'Huh.' Aaron blinked. 'So that's why Batman has a no-gun rule. I get it now. It's a personal choice. He knows he's strong and he wants to rise above the easy way.'

Not everyone was Batman though. People needed to defend themselves from supervillain attacks somehow. Aaron would have to really consider the gun laws he would enact. He wanted them off the streets and away from the hands of children, that was for sure. Definitely no guns for those with mental illnesses or prior criminal records either.

'I'll think about it later,' Aaron thought to himself. He was supposed to be dropping off Chloe.

Him and Chloe shared a warm hug. "Carrie is going to pick you up after school," Aaron said. "Is that okay with you?

"Cassandra and Stephanie visit all the time so yeah! It's okay! Plus, I know you're busy!" Chloe pulled him into another embrace. The toothy grin on her face brought his heart peace. "I have so many mommies now, it's so awesome!"

"Right. Mommies." Aaron chuckled. "Then I'll catch you later?"

Chloe finger-gunned him. "Catch you later!"

He laughed and sent Helena a smile and a small, "Thank you."

She understood and gave a little wave. Aaron called up a taxi and headed to the Clock Tower. Barbara Gordon had texted him yesterday. Apparently, she needed him for a mission and wondered if he could come. Aaron had no reason to deny her request. His part-time obligations at Wayne Tech were on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Today was Monday.

His chef duties were easy and already finished. Again, the Robins and Batman only required one massive meal a day. They could feed themselves for the rest of the day with military food, snacks, and water.

Barbara mentioned Cassandra would also participate in the mission. Aaron couldn't wait.