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Dear Robin,
Hi! My name is Kid Devil. Well, that’s not really my name, but you probably guessed that. I’d tell you my real name, but Blue Devil says I should have a secret identity, even if he doesn’t. He said my aunt would kill him if bad guys found out where we lived. Not that you’re a bad guy, but you know what I mean.
I guess I should explain why I’m writing to you. See, I only just started being Kid Devil, and my aunt isn’t real happy about it. She thought if I talked to other kid superheroes, maybe they’d say it’s not so fun and I’d want to quit. But I’m pretty sure you and me are the only kid superheroes right now, since the first Robin and all of those guys got old. (Do you know the first Robin? Is he cool?)
Anyway, Blue Devil knows Superman, and Superman said he knows you and you’re my age. (Wow! What was it like meeting Superman?!) So Blue Devil asked Superman if he could introduce us, and Superman said no because Batman wouldn’t like it, but I could write you a letter, and if you wanted to and Batman said it was okay, you could write back! Superman said we could send them through the Justice League satellite so we wouldn’t even have to know each other’s address. It would be top secret. Like secret agents!
What do you think? I hope you say yes. But don’t bother telling me being a superhero isn’t fun like my aunt wants, because I’m never gonna quit!
Please write back.
Your friend,
Ed Kid Devil
*
Dear Kid Devil,
Thank you for writing to me! I think being pen pals is a swell idea. Batman didn’t like the idea very much at first, but I talked him into it. I’m pretty good at that.
To answer your questions, I do know the first Robin. I don’t think he likes He’s cool, I guess. And meeting Superman was awesome! I asked for his autograph, and he signed it on a piece of tin with his fingernail!
Now I have some questions for you. I looked up Blue Devil and I found out he lives in Hollywood and works in the movies. Do you live in Hollywood, too? Do you know any movie stars? (Besides Blue Devil, I mean.) I’ve lived in Gotham City my whole life. California must be amazing!
And don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to quit being a superhero, because I’m never going to quit, either. Maybe someday we could even team up!
Write back soon!
Sincerely,
Robin
P.S. I can’t wait until the Blue Devil movie comes out! I asked Alfr our butler my grandfather to take me when it comes out in theaters and he said he would. Did they let you see it early because you know Blue Devil? Is it awesome?
*
Dear Robin,
Guess what? I have my very own case! I heard about a jewel thief who had been hitting the posh Rodeo Drive shops like clockwork, one every Saturday. So when I learned Miggles’ was displaying the Star of Pakistan, it was an easy guess where he’d show up next. Blue Devil was busy, so it was all up to me!
Sure enough, when I got to Miggles’, there was the thief! He was huge, with a red eye on his shirt and a big mustache, and he spoke with a Scottish accent, which was kind of funny to hear in LA. I tried to be intimidating, like Blue Devil, but it didn’t really work, because the thief just hit me on the head with a bag of diamonds—and boy, did it hurt! Then he said something about a big silver bird carrying him away and made a break for it. I ran after him, but he spilled pearls all over the floor and I tripped. By the time I got up, he was gone. I guess maybe I’m not ready to fight crime on my own yet. But I’m not going to stop trying!
Anyway, that’s the story, pen pal. I guess Red-Eye will try to fence the Star now. Any advice?
Your friend,
Kid Devil
*
Dear Kid Devil,
I couldn’t believe it when I got your letter, because I have my own case right now, too! Batman was out of town when I got a tip about a big-time jewelry fencing operation. So last Sunday morning, I went down to the luncheonette where my stool pigeon said the fences were meeting a thief. Just me, no backup.
Batman likes to scare criminals by just walking right in, so that’s what I did. There were two local Gotham fences and a masked man I’d never seen before, with a mustache and a red eye on his shirt. And he was holding the biggest diamond I’d ever seen!
The fences tried to jump me, but I fought them off easy. But while I was distracted, the bandit hit me over the head with a can of beans and got away with the diamond.
Now that I think of it, he had a Scottish accent, too. And there can’t be that many jewel thieves with red eyes on their shirts and big mustaches. Do you think my Red-Eye and your Red-Eye are the same guy?
Sincerely,
Robin
*
Dear Robin,
It was great teaming up with you to catch Red-Eye! We make a great duo. Like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! Except we don’t die at the end, of course, because superheroes always make it out alive.
I wish you could’ve stayed for longer. We could have come up with a team name and everything. I know the first Robin has the Teen Titans, but we could think of a way better name, I bet. Something tough!
Do you think Batman would let you come visit even if it wasn’t to catch a jewel thief? I could show you all the Hollywood sights, like the Walk of Fame even though it’s kind of cheesy. And we could go to Disneyland! Blue Devil is great, but he’s really busy all the time, and there aren’t any other kids on the set. I don’t really have a lot of friends my age. Just you.
If you’re too busy in Gotham to come visit, that’s okay. I know it’s a really long flight. My parents only visited once, and they said that was plenty! At least I think they were talking about the flight.
Either way, please write back soon.
Your friend,
Kid Devil
P.S. My real name’s Eddie. Don’t tell my aunt I told you.
*
Dear Eddie,
I can’t tell you who I really am. I’m really sorry. I want to, but it’s the number one rule. Batman would never, ever let me break it.
If you don’t want to be pen pals anymore, I understand.
Sincerely,
Robin
*
Dear Robin,
Don’t be stupid. I know who you really are.
You’re my friend.
Eddie
*
Dear Eddie,
I don’t know what to do. I probably shouldn’t even be writing to you about this, but I don’t have anyone else to talk to. Al Di Everyone here would just take Batman’s side, probably.
My dad wasn’t a good guy. I guess I always knew that. He was always meeting up with really nasty types, and he never had any money, except when he suddenly had a lot and Mom and I weren’t allowed to ask any questions about it. He was in and out of jail all the time when I was little, and except for the times he had money, I liked it better when he was in.
I’ve never told anyone that before.
I figured he was in jail when my mom got sick, especially because he didn’t come home when she died. I know he wasn’t a good guy, but he would have come if he could’ve. If he’d known. He would’ve.
And then I met Batman and he wanted me to be Robin and I thought everything was going to be okay. But I guess that was stupid.
Last night Two-Face held up a casino, and Batman and I saved the cash, but he got away. But afterwards, I got to thinking…Batman told me all about every other big-time criminal here in Gotham, but not Two-Face. So I looked him up on the Batcomputer, because it knows everything.
And the Batcomputer said that Two-Face killed my dad.
I guess I’m not surprised that my dad was working for Two-Face. I’m not even surprised he’s dead, not really. And he wasn’t a good dad or anything. But he was still my dad, and now he’s gone.
And Batman didn’t tell me. How am I supposed to be his Robin when he didn’t tell me? How am I supposed to trust him ever again? He’s Batman. He’s supposed to do the right thing. But this wasn’t right at all.
Robin
P.S. Burn this letter, please.
*
Dear Eddie,
It’s okay. I mean, it’s not really okay, because my dad’s still dead, and I don’t know how I feel about that. But Batman and I are okay. I think.
Sincerely,
Robin
*
Dear Robin,
Do you remember how I told you I was supposed to go back to Syracuse after staying in Hollywood with Aunt Marla for a year? Well, guess what? Aunt Marla asked my parents if I could stay here for good, and they said yes!
Of course I miss them a lot, but they never really had a lot of time for me. Aunt Marla’s different. She’s really busy because her job is so important, but she always makes sure we spend lots of time together. And I love working in the movies.
The only bad thing is that it means I’m still really far away from you. But maybe I’ll visit my parents for Rosh Hashanah or something and then maybe we could see each other. I looked it up and Gotham is only a four hour drive from Syracuse! That’s practically next door!
Your friend,
Eddie
*
Dear Eddie,
I had another fight with Batman today. He came down on me for being too rough with a pimp who was beating up one of his girls, if you can believe it. Since when do we worry about criminals and not the people they hurt?
I feel like Batman’s always on my case lately. It’s like I can’t do anything right in his eyes. I bet he never treated the first Robin like this.
But Batman’s way isn’t the only way, you know? No one put him in charge of what’s right and wrong. And it’s not like Gotham’s getting any better. Maybe we should try something different.
Robin
No, this is stupid. We’ve been writing to each other for two years now. I trust you, and I don’t care what Batman thinks.
My name’s Jason.
*
Dear Jason,
Wow, it feels weird to write that! Good weird, though. I wouldn’t have guessed Jason. I was thinking something more like Melvin or Alfonso. Maybe Kermit.
Seriously, though, your secret is safe with me. I’ll take it to the grave. I promise.
I know I said maybe I’d be on the East Coast for Passover, since I missed Rosh Hashanah, but I talked to my parents and they said it wasn’t a good time. Which I get. It’s not like they get the days off of work so I would just be in the way. I told them I could take the bus to Gotham to see you, but they said that was crazy. So it probably isn’t going to work.
Can I tell you something stupid? Sometimes it feels like they don’t ever want me to come home. Like it wasn’t Aunt Marla’s idea for me to stay here in Hollywood, but theirs.
Like I said, it’s stupid.
Anyway, sorry I’m whining so much about my parents. Did you make up with Batman? I know he’s been really tough with you lately. I guess Blue Devil and I never fought the kind of crime you and Batman do, back when he was still around. But I know you. You wouldn’t do anything bad. Batman should know that, too.
Your friend,
Eddie
*
Dear Eddie,
Something bad happened.
I was on patrol when I heard a scream. I followed the sound and broke into the apartment. There were two men there, this scumbag named Garzonas and his bodyguard. The bodyguard got the drop on me, but Batman showed up just in time.
There was also a girl. In the bedroom. Her name is Gloria. They grabbed her off the street and
I don’t want to write about this.
The problem is, Garzonas’s dad is an ambassador, so he has diplomatic immunity. Even for this. But Batman noticed Garzonas is a drug addict, so if we can get him on possession, he’ll be kicked out of the States. It sucks that that’s all we can do. He should be rotting in jail, or worse. But at least Gloria will be safe.
So we’ve been staking Garzonas out for a while, but nothing yet. It’s making me crazy. But he’s gotta slip up sometime, right?
Honestly, it’s kind of a good thing it’s taking so long. Batman thinks I need time to calm down, and maybe I do. Because if I had Garzonas in front of me right now, I don’t know what I’d do.
Jason
*
Dear Eddie,
You’ll never guess where I am right now. Lebanon! I hope this letter gets to you. I looked up the JLA drop-off points on the Batcomputer, but I don’t know if this one is still in service.
I can practically hear you saying “Who cares about the Batcomputer, Jason? Why are you in Lebanon?!” It’s funny how well I can picture how you’d react to stuff even though we only got to team up once.
Anway, long story short, I had another fight with Batman (I know, I know), and he benched me. So I went back to my old neighborhood, just to think, and one of the ladies I used to know from there told me she found some stuff that belonged to my folks. I didn’t think there was anything left of them.
In the box was my birth certificate, and it turns out, my mom wasn’t my real mom! The name was mostly blotted out, but whoever my biological mom is, her name starts with S, not C. But I’ve got my dad’s address book, and I looked some stuff up on, you guessed it, the Batcomputer, and I narrowed it down to three women. Who could maybe be my mom.
I’m going to find her, Eddie. I don’t care what it takes. I’m going to find my mom. And then…well, we’ll see about Batman. This comes first.
Sorry if you’ve written to me since I left and I didn’t answer. I’ll read any letters you sent when I get home. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this!
Jason
*
Dear Jason,
Sorry I haven’t written! We’re wrapping up a shoot here and it’s super busy. Did you catch that Garzonas guy? I hope so. I wish you could send him to jail. Poor Gloria.
Eddie
*
Dear Jason,
That last letter was crazy! Are you home yet? Did you find your mom? Did you get me a souvenir?
Eddie
*
Dear Jason,
I don’t know why I’m writing to you. I know you aren’t going to read it. That nice Mr. Pennyworth called me and told me what the Joker did to you. That you’re dead gone.
You know what’s so stupid? I crossed out “dead” because I thought it might hurt your feelings.
Anyway, like I was saying, Mr. Pennyworth told me what happened. I think he was crying. He didn’t exactly explain who he was, but you talked about living with your grandpa sometimes, so I’m going to believe that’s who you meant. He sounded nice. I hope you lived with someone nice.
When he told me, my ears started ringing, and it was like words didn’t make sense anymore. It still doesn’t make sense. How can you be dead? You were only fifteen, like me. You were a superhero. You were going to find your mom.
That was a few days ago. I still feel weird. Aunt Marla let me skip a couple days of school, and I barely even got out of bed. Any other time that would be awesome, but this sucks.
I don’t even have anyone to talk to. Aunt Marla’s been cool about letting me stay home, like I said, but I don’t think she really gets it. She didn’t know how much we wrote to each other. And I can’t tell the kids at school. They don’t know I’m Kid Devil. How could I tell them my best friend was Robin and he died?
Did you know you were my best friend?
The truth is that I want to talk to you. Even just writing this is making me feel a little bit better, which is so stupid when I know you won’t read it. I guess maybe you could read it in Heaven or whatever, but I don’t really believe in that stuff. Sorry if you’re there now and I sound super dumb.
I’m going to send this, because it feels weird not to. I guess it’ll just sit on the JLA satellite, since there’s no one to send it on to. But at least I’ll still feel like I’m writing to you. I wish I’d written to you more.
I miss you.
Your friend,
Eddie
*
Dear Jason,
Aunt Marla’s dead.
There was a helicopter crash. They flew into power lines. They should have had warning lights on them, but they didn’t. I don’t know why.
I don’t know what I’m going to do. Everyone asked me at the funeral, but I don’t know. I don’t know.
*
Dear Jason,
I hope Heaven’s real. I’ve been to Hell now, and if Hell’s real, Heaven’s gotta be, right? You can’t just have one. So I hope it’s real, and I hope you’re looking down at me, because I can just imagine the look on your face.
I did it. After all that time trying to be a superhero, I finally found a way. And all I had to do was make this little tiny deal.
See, this creepy guy gave me a candle. Well, it looked like a candle, but my friend Zachary Zatara told me it was actually a demon stick. (I wish you could meet Zat. You guys would hate each other. It would be so funny.) He said if I lit it, it would take us to whoever made it.
So I lit it. And it took us to Hell.
It turns out the demon stick was made by this weird dude called Neron. He’s a devil, or maybe the devil. No, just a devil, I think. Anyway, he said he could give me powers, and I said yes, and they’re so cool! I’m so strong now, and I can breathe fire, and I have wings! Sort of. I can’t really fly but maybe I’ll figure it out. The point is I look totally badass.
And I can do it now! I can be a superhero! I’m gonna try to join the Teen Titans. I still have the letters you wrote me about your missions with them. I mean, I still have all your letters, but you know what I mean.
So it was totally a good decision, no matter what Zat says. I mean, yeah, Neron did say that if I ever that there were conditions, but it’s never gonna come up, so guess who got himself so free, totally sweet superpowers? Your boy Eddie Bloomberg!
Next time I write to you I’ll be a Teen Titan. You’ll see!
Miss you,
Eddie
*
Dear Jason,
I told you I was going to be a Teen Titan, and I was right! Totally made the team. Actually I was a little worried they wouldn’t take me, but they did in the end, and that’s what matters, right?
It’s not exactly like I expected. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the Tower is mega-cool. Everything is super high tech, I have my own room, and the kitchen is always fully stocked. There’s a gameroom with all the latest systems, and a pool, and we even get an allowance.
Also, did you know they have a statue of you? There’s a room that’s dedicated to all the Titans who died. It’s sad, but also kind of nice, you know?
Anyway, the bad part is the rest of the team. No, that’s not fair. They’re not bad. It’s just, there’s a lot of fighting, and everyone is always upset about things that happened a long time ago before I joined the team, and it makes things really tense most of the time.
Like Robin—the new one, I mean, the one who came after you. He’s really smart and really good in a fight, even if he’s not as fun as you were. But most of the time I get the feeling he doesn’t even want to be here. And there’s something super messy going on between him and Wonder Girl. I try to stay out of it, but I hear her crying a lot when she’s in her room, and it makes me feel bad. I don’t think Robin’s making her cry, I think it’s because she was dating Superboy when he died, but now maybe she and Robin are dating or something? See? Messy!
But there’s also this girl. Her name is Rose and Jason, she is so cool. She knows like every martial art and she has swords. She’s really fast and strong and she can even see the future a little. None of the other Titans trust her because her dad is a supervillain and he made her attack them like forever ago, but she doesn’t care what anyone thinks. She’s so badass.
And because I know you want to know: yes. She’s pretty. She’s so, so pretty.
The thing is, I can’t tell if she likes me. Like that, or even just as a friend. Sometimes it seems like she does, and sometimes she’s kind of mean. Or really mean.
But I think maybe that’s just because other people have been mean to her so much, she forgets how to be any other way. I think if I’m nice to her, maybe she’ll see that it’s safe to be nice to me, too. Don’t get me wrong, it would be amazing if she liked me if I like her. But even just being her friend would be cool. I think she needs a friend.
Don’t worry, though. You’re still my best friend.
Miss you,
Eddie
*
Jason, I fucked up. I fucked up so bad.
*
Dear Jason,
I don’t know why I ever think something is going to work out for me. Every time I try, it goes wrong. I got kicked off of every movie set I ever worked on after Aunt Marla died. I didn’t get picked for Young Justice or Luthor’s Everyman program. I tried to be Blue Devil’s sidekick, and he didn’t want me. Even my own parents don’t
I told you I made a deal with Neron, but I didn’t tell you what it was. He asked me who I trusted the most in the world, and I told him Blue Devil. It would have been Aunt Marla or you, but…you know.
Neron said if I ever lost that trust in Blue Devil, my soul would belong to him, starting on my 20th birthday. I said okay, because even if Blue Devil didn’t want me to be his sidekick, even if he forgot about me when the Justice League came calling, I still trusted him. I didn’t really like him anymore, but I trusted him.
So Neron gave me my powers. And then he told me Blue Devil got Aunt Marla killed.
I didn’t believe him, because Neron’s a devil, and devils always lie, right? But I wanted to make sure. You would have made sure. You were good at that detective stuff.
It was hard to track Blue Devil down. He spends all his time with serious magic types these days, and they don’t hang out in normal places. Even what superheroes consider normal places. But finally I found him, and I asked him.
Jason, he did it. He destroyed the power station that caused the warning lights to go out. He did it because he made a deal with Neron, in exchange for Neron making him famous. At least when I made my deal, it was so that I could help people.
At least, I think it was. Maybe I just wanted to feel special. I don’t know anymore.
It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I don’t trust Blue Devil anymore, and that means that in less than three years, my soul is gonna belong to Neron. I don’t know if he’s going to torture me, or make me torture other people, or what, but I’m damned. Forever.
You know what the worst part is? I finally find out Heaven and Hell are real, and I don’t even get to see you and Aunt Marla again. Because I’m going to Hell, and you won’t be there. Because you were good.
I’m not going to tell anyone. I mean, Zatara knows because he was there with me when we met Neron, but I’m not going to tell the team. They’d just tell me how stupid I was, and feel bad for me, and I don’t want either of those things. I’m gonna keep being annoying Eddie with his dumb jokes, because I’d rather have them think I’m annoying than pity me.
But I can tell you, because I always tell you the truth. I’m pissed at myself. I’m even more pissed at Blue Devil. And I’m really, really scared.
Miss you,
Eddie
*
Dear Eddie
*
Dear Eddie,
You probably heard that I’m back. I assume everyone’s heard by now.
The League forwarded all of your letters. I guess once the system was set up to send your letters to Wa where I used to live, no one ever thought to turn it off. Alfred—that’s the guy who called you to tell you I was dead—saved all of them. He’s sentimental like that. He didn’t read them, so don’t worry. But he saved them.
I read them, though. I think I’ve read them all about ten times by now.
If you’ve heard that I’m back, you’ve probably heard other things about me. They’re probably true. You never lied to me, and I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve killed a lot of people. I’ve hurt even more. I don’t regret it. I never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.
I get it if you’re not cool with that. You never wanted to hurt a fly. I can respect that. If you want this to be our last letter, I understand.
But if you ever wanted to talk to someone besides a piece of paper…201-555-1983.
Either way, thank you for writing to me. Even if you didn’t think I would ever read it. I never No one Thank you.
Your friend,
Jason