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c0wb0yenthusiast · 2 months

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Country Boy - Part II

Phillip Graves/Fem!reader

Summary : There’s a little tension between you and Phillip, but surely you can avoid it? Not when you get tipsy at your welcome party and share a rather intimate moment, revealing some feelings in question to each other.

Word count : 3.4k

A/N : was about to post this earlier then realised a funny glitch had happened and the whole beginning had been deleted…. So I had to redo it and I PRAY it’s not choppy or anything!! Anyways thank you to everybody who read part 1, I appreciate all of your support and hope this part lives up to your expectations! :))

All morning, your mind seemed to be preoccupied.

You prepare your tea in utter silence, finding peace in the soft clank of utensils on plates while your parents eat at the table. Your shoulders are hunched and your back is to them, which allows a little more privacy to let the events of earlier sink in.

Phillip Graves.

Phillip Graves was on your porch. He teased you.

And you let him.

You’re busy pouring hot water into your mug, now attempting to recover everything about that meeting that your mind allowed you to.

It was almost horrible how good he looked, prompting you to keep your head low as you approach the table with your mug cupped in your hands.

He was so tall, so broad and so much more handsome. However, now he brandished a scar sliced deeply into his cheekbone from what you saw. It contrasted his tanned skin and stood out among the small nips and marks he’d collected on his skin since seemingly forever.

His hair fit perfectly under his hat, small dirty blond strands peeking from underneath. You felt as if he was teasing you. Look at me now, look at what you missed out on.

You blow on your tea quietly, hiding the fact it’s actually a deep exhale to comprehend the sight you saw this morning.

Leaning against the arch of your porch, he was wearing a red flannel which managed to hug him in all the right places. His broad shoulders were now defined and so were his arms. The plaid flannel pulled up to reveal his strong, muscled forearms wasn’t warding you off at all.

It’s embarrassing that you remember these features from such a short meeting, causing you to raise your mug to your mouth slowly in an attempt to cover the sheepish smile appearing at the memory of how he used to hold you back then. The way his warm hands cupped your face perfectly, as if they were two pieces connecting in a jigsaw puzzle. You now wished you could’ve gotten a better glimpse at them this morning.

“Is something wrong, dear?” Your mother takes notice of your silent routine, which makes you eye her nervously.

“Nothing. Just.. Phillip-“

“What does that boy want?” Your father interrupts, facing you with an accusatory glare.

“He said your fencing had arrived, wanted you to pick it up.” You mumble awkwardly, wishing you could sink into your mug of coffee and never return. It’s barely been a day and the city seems to be calling your name already with open arms.

You would’ve happily embraced it again, but now you’re here. No regrets, right?

“Oh. Alright.” He shrugs, stretching and getting out of his chair.

Alright?

What is going on?

Ten years ago, your father and Phillip’s rivalry seemed to be unmatched. It pretty much was the talk of the town - the love-struck teen and the unmoved father.

You don’t respond, draining your mug and sitting there stock still. There’s a lot to process this morning.

Like the way Phillip barely looked at you. His eyes only grazing over your face for a split second before directing his attention to his truck or the front door. It’s a little obvious if you say so.

But you can’t help but mourn over the way his gaze would tenderly trace over your figure, how he took his time to memorise any scar or beauty mark somewhere across your body. He’d always run his thumb over his gently at first, but as the two of you got more comfortable in the relationship he learned how much you loved it when he kissed any of your birthmarks.

You stop yourself; you have a husband, you can’t be thinking like this. You’ve moved on.

And clearly Phillip has moved on too. Probably for the better, you reassure yourself. It’s been 10 years, everyone seemed to have given up on chances of you returning.

You’re rinsing your cup in the sink when your internal argument seems to be intercepted by your father.

“I’m heading into town to pick up some equipment, would you like to come, dear?” As he finishes his sentence, his warm hand pats your shoulder gently.

You try not to give off any startled reaction to this sudden touch, you don’t want your family catching onto your mental battles with the memories flooding back so quickly and harshly into your mind once more.

You watch him for a second, he’s pulling a very hopeful yet playful smile, raising his eyebrows in invitation.

“Sure, Pa. I’ll come along.”

He cracks a grin, clapping your shoulder happily before turning away.

“Be dressed by 10!”

You’re overthinking this.

They’re just clothes, you reassure yourself but can’t help shrinking from the intimidating way the assorted pieces of garments glare at you from their position on the bed.

It never used to be this difficult, or at least you don’t remember it like this. Maybe it was because you were a teenage girl and wore all the cute little dresses and cropped items you could get your hands on. You never used to worry like this.

Probably because of Phillip.

You tense a little at the thought of him again. Yet you do remember how he’d savour every outfit you wore, even if you’d worn it before.

“You look great, honey.” He’d whisper to you at some point in the day, his hands comfortably stroking your waist as his eyes would examine every inch of you.

You caught yourself smiling fondly at the memory, but it’s countered by the sudden remembrance of his coldness this morning.

You don’t waste any more time, grabbing whatever catches your eye to throw together an ensemble. It’s not like anyone will care.

The town is sure lively. You’re trying not to act surprised at the influx of new faces meshed with old ones and little children running around, sharing old traits from former classmates.

Just a reminder of how far you’ve seen to have gotten in your marriage with Louis. The only success being his job - you’re just working in his office so he can keep a very inattentive eye on you. You groan and lean back into your seat, trying to shield yourself away from prying eyes that throw cursory glances at your father’s large, quite obtrusive car.

Thinking about Louis and the city was enough to completely lower your mood, including the past memories and flickers of Deja vu when one of your senses encounters something vaguely familiar. It’s like a magic spell of some sort, fleshing out your life 10 years ago and how it may have affected you if you’d stayed.

The car reverses into a parking spot and you hear the thud of the drivers door slamming shut.

“Sweetie, hop out. I’m sure uncle Jimmy will be shocked to see you.” He adds, grinning and patting the car firmly. It seems playful but in reality it’s a bit of a threat.

You slip out hesitantly, allowing the beams of the full sun to encase your body with warmth as well as the now very noticeable sounds and voices flowing around you.

It’s so much quieter than the city yet very distinct, while on your painfully slow journey to the entrance of the shop you overhear someone reciting their shopping list, gossip between two old ladies and complaints about the weather.

This all leaves your mind the minute the shop bell rings as you push open the door.

“Finally, what took you so long?” It’s a rhetorical question. Your father stands by the counter expectantly, looking eagerly to you then to Jimmy at the counter.

He’s not really your uncle, just a saying.

Just a neighbour who used to bring his daughter around, then stopped frequenting after an ‘incident’ broke out at your school and realised it would be a hazard to bring the bratty 13-year-old over again.

He’s not a bad guy, you reassure yourself. Sauntering up to the counter with a smile across your face, he returns it and chuckles at the sight of you.

“You’re all grown up now! I remember when you were just a small thing, hon.” He gestures with his hand, amusement clearly visible on his face at this ‘rare sighting’ of the girl who finally came back.

The city mouse becoming the country mouse she used to be.

“Just what I said! She’s all big and successful in the city, you see, Jim? Even married too!” He exclaims.

Your dad has a habit of doing this, which you’ve grown used to - showing off in front of any other middle aged man. Maybe they’re competition? Who knows.

You’re smiling very calmly, nodding and chuckling lightly just to ease the time and escape from this conversation. The words only begin to sink in once you hear a very specific sentence. More like a word.

A name.

“Yeah, how’s your nephew Phil doing? He an errand boy now? Came round this morning to tell me about those fences.”

“Oh yeah, he’s doing just fine. Pretty damn skilled too, if you need some help with those fences I’ll send him over later.”

You almost freeze.

You can’t interact with him more than once today. You need a break from his painfully pretty face, silky smooth voice, breathtaking blue eyes-

“No need for a later, Jim, I’m right here.”

It’s coming from behind you.

No time to shrink or hide, but that would be futile anyways. It’s almost silly how worked up you’re getting.

“Speak of the devil, Phillip. Sorry I missed you this morning.” Your dad turns and greets him happily, you can hear the clap as their hands collide into a hearty handshake.

You also turn to face him, forcing a smile as his gaze lingered on you.

“Nice to see you back in town, Y/N.” He comments, his hands drifting to hold onto his belt rather than shaking your hand. Or touching you at all.

You think it’s because of the tension, the unresolved problems left behind 10 years ago that are apparently prevalent now still as you can’t seem to look at him for too long.

From the way his hand tightens around his belt loop, he’s feeling similar to you.

“Phillip? You mind coming round sometime to help an old man out?” Your dad interrupts this strangely intense moment, as Philip’s face seems to ease to his usual soft smile and attentive manner.

“Sure can do. But I don’t want to interrupt that party you’re having later with the neighbourhood.” He adds, probably an attempt to weasel out of seeing you again today.

“Nonsense! You’re practically family so don’t give me any excuses, just get your ass over there.”

And with that, your father lets out a hearty laugh and claps a hand on your shoulder. You try not to look as winded as you are from the utter force he exudes.

“I’ll see you soon then. Tom. Y/N.” He addresses the two of you with a fairly civil tone, but it’s hardened at the edges.

He walks out and you desperately drag your wandering eyes away from his form fitting flannel and jeans.

The party is civil.

That’s all you can say about it, because there’s not much else to really pay attention to other than the small, seemingly riveting conversations everybody seems to be having apart from you.

Obviously people come and ask how you’re doing and what your current life goals are, but you just throw out a few repeated phrases you’ve found reassures them the best from the masses of people who flocked to you when walking around town earlier with your father.

It’s not exhausting, but more nerve-wracking. Not everyone wants to see anybody apart from their own family achieving something more in their lives. At least, that’s what you look like to them.

You’re just tired.

So, so tired.

You’re observing the overall party from a swing in the backyard. Your dress delicately spread across the seat and hanging off of the seat a little. It’s a bright pink, which your mother insisted didn’t ‘wash you out’ whatsoever and was the perfect choice for a party.

That is if you’re attending a five year old’s tea party. Which you would rather.

Kids don’t tut at you when you explain your job to them, neither do they spout vaguely critical comments when they believe you aren’t listening.

“It’s nice to see her back after so long, don’t you think?”

“Oh yes, she’s definitely… blossomed… into that beauty of hers.”

“Exactly!”

You can only sit and watch, unbothered at this rate. You’re married and have your life together; people just want to pick at anything they can.

Everything seems to change when the familiar honk of a horn rings from the front of the house. You’re practically leaning out of your chair completely to catch a quick glimpse.

However, you instantly relax once more as your father comes into the backyard accompanied by Philip Graves.

White button up, soft blue blazer thrown on lazily and jeans. You don’t want to linger on him, it’s not right. It’s not fair.

So you get up and do something about it.

You stumble out of your chair, walking down to where everybody seemed to be congregating and looked around for the bowl of your mother’s special punch.

Maybe if you drowned yourself in punch it would avoid having to look at his pretty face. His infuriatingly beautiful face.

Your movements begin as careful, long pours of punch with the ladle into your glass as you throw around polite smiles and chatter. As you refill your glass more and more, the familiar sound of punch swishing in the cup begins to ring in your head. And so do the conversations around you.

You don’t know how long you’ve been idly sipping punch for, but it’s enough time to let the effects of the rather strong beverages -mixed in by your mother- take effect.

You forget that you’re a grown adult now who probably shouldn’t be drinking like a party girl on a weekend. But that thought slips out of your head too quickly to develop into rational feelings, so you just laugh it off and sloppily place the glass on whatever stable surface is the nearest to you.

Wandering through the groups of people, sometimes barging past and almost tripping headfirst into the grass or just walking right in the middle of a conversation just for the convenience of it.

At this rate it’s only to justify why your head feels like it’s melting. God, what was in that punch? It’s not like you’re the biggest lightweight on Earth, but it’s been awhile since you’ve drank that hard in such a short period of time.

At least, that’s what you realise looking back on the situation.

Right now you’re just trying to get back to your seat. Solace away from all the faces you keep bumping into. Somewhere that isn’t spinning, and spinning and spinning.

And spinning.

You slump back into your chair, utterly drained from the strenuous journey of climbing three steps while drunk. It’s such a huge achievement that you smile to yourself, satisfied with your efforts.

You’re busy taking a moment for this newfound quiet to settle into your raving brain when a blur of blue and brown seems to appear in the corner of your eye.

“Here’s the girl of the hour.” He’s suddenly next to you, leaning against the wall of the house with his arms crossed over his chest.

Now that he’s here, you’ve been dying to get a better glimpse at his muscles than this morning.

You only smile passively at him, letting the words flow into one ear and out of the other as your eyes are now fixated on his strong arms.

Phillip isn’t offended by your lack of response, more so concerned at the blankness in your expression.

“Sugar? You alright there…?” He questions, a little amused at your wide eyed, careful examination of his muscles.

Without thinking - which you seem a little bad at doing right now - your hand reaches out and your fingertips glide over his bicep. It’s solid, sturdy and hugs against his blazer in a flattering way.

Now you’re smiling even harder, fondly remembering how he’d carry you home when you were too tired to walk after a date. Or his joy when you’d run to him and he’d instantly wrap his arms around you and spin, your dress would almost float.

You don’t know why these memories seem to flood back at this very moment, but it furthers this euphoric state that you’re slowly slipping into.

“Remember when you used to hold me like a princess?” You murmur, looking up at him with a tenderness evident in your gaze.

He attempts to hide the way his eyes widened at your question, or how he’s beginning to falter or look away. You’re not very aware of it in that moment - but it haunts you afterwards.

“I do. Because you were. Are.” He adds, almost firmly as his hand moves to yours and his fingers brush against your knuckles. It’s funny how he seems to instinctively slow his movements purposefully just so he’s gentle with you, as if you were a doll.

“I’m not.. I’m not a little girl anymore..” you sigh, accepting his fingers intertwining with yours now. His rough, calloused fingers that always seemed to soften in your grasp. The hands that always seemed tense or even clenched in fists most of the time, but were always laid out for you to touch to your liking as your relationship progressed.

He doesn’t initially notice something nudging on his fingers, but glances down at your hands out of curiosity.

There’s two rings on your hand. One on your ring finger and another on your middle; it’s easy to tell which one was made by a lovestruck boy professing his dedication to a high-school sweetheart, whereas the other is flashy, decorative and unthought of. It didn’t strike him as something you used to wear, especially when it clashed with the other ring. His ring.

The ring he saved up for and pleaded for ever so desperately as he handed over his wages to his uncle, asking him for advice on what to make for his girlfriend at the time.

But that didn’t seem to matter anymore. Not when this ring was clearly an engagement ring.

I was planning to come here when I got married, the statement rings in his mind.

“I know. You’re a big girl now, hm?” He chuckles dryly, using humour to cope with the fact you’re touching him. Even after your tense conversation this morning; the conversation that mostly consisted of him speaking and you watching, mouth agape as if you’d just seen a ghost.

He thought he’d been dead to you anyways, especially with your sudden disappearance and lack of communication. Was he that insignificant?

Clearly not, he interrupts his doubts. Clearly not when you’re touching him the exact same way you did like 10 years haven’t passed and you weren’t already taken by some lucky bastard. Engaged. Basically married at this rate if he’s lucky.

His hand slips out of your grasp seamlessly. Deep down he’s berating himself, practically begging himself to hug you, hold you, kiss you so hard his lips bruise and he cannot possibly breathe anymore.

But he doesn’t do any of these things.

You’re looking up at him plainly, waiting for his next move. There’s no animosity or embarrassment clouding your face like the way it was in his uncle’s shop or your front porch.

It’s just you.

The dreamy, doll-like girl he’d happily mapped out his future with while she listened attentively, chirping in her thoughts about what she wanted to do in the future alongside him.

“Sorry, sugar. I’ve got to go to work now.” He whispers, turning away and walking off again. Walking away from the one thing he craves. He’d lost his chance, so what was the point?

He may as well just watch you succeed from afar, living a life that doesn’t involve a country bumpkin from her past ruining her plans.

His footsteps become a little forceful, digging into the dirt and kicking any little stones out of his way.

God, he probably looked so stupid.

He drives off without another word, leaving you a little dazed as you lay back into your chair. You don’t want to even try to think about what just happened, so you just sit there for what feels like forever until people begin to disperse.

Slowly but surely, the crowd grows smaller and smaller and the minute everybody is gone, you run up to your room.

You run as quickly as you can, not waiting to hear your parents’ questions or concerns. This was all a mistake.

A really confusing mistake.

#phillip graves #cod mw2 #fanfiction #cod mwii #phillip graves x reader #cod mw2 fanfic #call of duty #warren kole #call of duty fanfic

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hellcat8908 · 4 months

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Happy Birthday Cassian x Female Reader (Rewritten)

Warnings: MDNI, Smut, Language

You were in the kitchen helping Feyre put the finishing touches on the cake. You spent most of the afternoon baking the decadent chocolate cake with red frosting. Azriel and Rhys had been keeping Cassian busy while you, Feyre and Mor got everything ready. You finished placing the candles on the cake as you heard the front door open. Azriel and Rhys walked in followed by Cassian. You quickly lit the candles before everyone gathered in the kitchen.

As soon as Cassian walked in everyone started singing happy birthday to him as he stood there grinning at you. Once the song ended you told him to make a wish and blow out the candles. Azriel had bought joke candles that were almost impossible to blow out. “It’s not really your birthday if there aren’t some shenanigans.” Azriel says, Cassian gives him a playful shove. You and Feyre set about dishing up the cake and ice cream. Cassian comes over and grabs a plate before scooping some frosting from the edge and trying to smudge it on your face. Your reflexes are quick enough to grab his hand to stop him, but he doesn’t give up without a fight.

Feyre threatens the two of you that if you stain her kitchen with the frosting, you’re going to regret it. “Can’t you behave for 5 minutes?” You ask Cass as he keeps trying to smear the frosting on you. “Not at all.” He teases. “Hey, asshole, you heard my wife. Knock it off.” Rhys says from the other side of Feyre, giving you the distraction, you need. You grab Cassian’s hand and bring his fingers to your lips, licking the frosting from his fingertips. You let out a teasing moan, “delicious.” You see the heat pooling in his eyes as he watches you. He gives you a devilish smile before leaning in and running his tongue along your lip, getting the frosting you missed. “Very.” He says teasingly. You hear his brothers making gagging noises and flip them off just making them laugh. You lean in close to Cassian, “To be continued.” You tease before stepping away.

You all end up around the table eating dessert and laughing as they recount all the trouble they got into over the years. Cassian denying the more embarrassing parts, but you know him well enough to know they’re true. “Remember you two have birthdays coming up and I have a very good memory.” He teasingly threatens. “Obviously not if you’re denying what we both remember.” Azriel retorts. You squeeze Cassian’s arm, “It’s okay babe, I know you’re a perfect angel.” You say. “How could you keep a straight face when you said that?” Rhys asks as he laughs. Cassian just pulls you close and flips Rhys off. “Keep it up and you’ll find yourself leaving early.” Rhys teases. “But I haven’t opened presents.” Cassian says. “Guess we better hurry up and do that before you get us tossed out.” You tell him. Suddenly there are presents in the center of the table and Cassian excitedly starts unwrapping them.

He gets a sweater from Mor that he’ll never wear, a new blade from Azriel and some books from Rhys. “Where’s your gift?” Feyre asks when she notices he didn’t open one from you. “If he unwraps his gift here, you’ll definitely kick us out.” You answer giving Cass a teasing smile. In an instant you’re over his shoulder and headed out the door. Laughing as you say bye to your friends. Within minutes you’re home and Cassian is carrying you into the bedroom. “Can’t wait to unwrap my present.” He says sitting you on the bed before lifting your legs to take your heels off. He trails kisses along your legs as he lifts your dress up slowly revealing you to him. You stand to help him pull it off. His eyes flare with desire as he takes you in.

You knew the second you saw the red matching lingerie set with black trim he would love it. You slowly turn so he can see the barely there back of it. You can feel his breath hitch as you turn back around and pull him in for a kiss with his belt. With that simple move his control snaps and he deepens the kiss like he needs to claim you. Your fingers try to unbutton his shirt, but you decide to rip it instead, sending the buttons across the floor. A growl escapes his lips as he rips the straps of your lingerie pulling it down, exposing your breasts. His hands squeeze them as he trails kisses along your neck. You can’t help but moan under his touch. He tears the rest of the lingerie off you as you fumble with his belt before undoing his pants.

He pushes you to your knees in front of him, “take my cock out and show me how badly you need it.” You do as your told, pulling his cock out and teasing it a bit with your tongue before wrapping your lips around it. His fingers tangle in your hair as he takes control. You brace yourself against his thighs as he pushes deeper in your mouth, hitting the back of your throat. He lets out a guttural moan as he tells you how good it feels. He starts thrusting in your mouth using you for his pleasure as you take him deeper with each thrust. “Such a good girl, sucking my cock.” He praises you before pulling you up and bending you over the bed.

His fingers wrap in your hair as he pulls your head back gently nipping the back of your neck. You feel his hard cock brush along your dripping pussy, making you grind against him in need. “so impatient.” He says before spanking your ass. He grips his cock and teases you, “Is this what you need, baby? Need my hard cock deep in your little pussy?” he says while continuing to tease you. “Yes, please Cass.” You moan as his grip on your hair tightens pulling your head back further. “Beg me for it.” He whispers in your ear, his breath hot against your skin. “Please, Cass, please. I need you so badly. Please can I have your cock.” You beg before feeling him thrust deep inside you. The last of your pleas turn into a loud moan as you take ever inch of his cock.”

His hips driving his cock inside you at a brutal pace. “Gods, Cass. Yes.” You moan as he takes you with reckless abandoned. “That’s it, babe. You’re so hot when you’re needy.” He groans. He releases the grip on your hair as he pushes your shoulders down into the mattress. “Gods, you take my cock so good. I can never get enough of you.” He practically growls as you lose yourself in pleasure. “Oh Gods, I’m gonna cum. Cass, please. I’m close.” He reaches between your thighs, “Cum with me, babe.” He demands as his fingers find your clit and send you crashing over the edge as you feel his release inside of you.

He collapses across your back as he catches his breath. After a few moments his weight leaves your back as you hear him go into the bathroom. You take the moment to get more comfortable in bed. He comes back with a warm cloth and gently cleans you up before disposing of it in the hamper. He climbs in bed and pulls you on top of him, wrapping you in his warmth. “You okay, babe? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asks concerned. “That was amazing.” You assure him that you’re alright. “Best birthday present ever.” He says with a grin before kissing you. “Happy birthday, love.” You tell him as you snuggle into him. “Thanks, babe. Get some rest.” He says as he turns off the light.

#acotar #batboys #sarah j maas #cassian x reader #cassian acotar #cassian #acotar fanfic #Cassian Smut

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haveihitanerve · 2 months

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You Can Cry If You Want To-

Bruce Wayne was just on his way to bed when he paused in the hallway. He hadn't checked on anyones bedroom since steph and tim had moved out, and damian didn't seem the type to sleep heavy and feel secure if his father poked his head in the door at midnight. But Bruce missed watching his children sleep, missed watching as their chest rose and fell, missed seeing all the tension leave their bodies as they relaxed. Got to be children. Young. For the night. So quietly, in a way only a man trained by ninjas in the himalayans can move, bruce snuck over to his youngest sons bedroom, and gently pushed open the door. He frowned when the light fell onto an empty bed, his heart starting to race. He had checked all the cameras, he had raised dick grayson and jason todd, there was no way to escape the Manor without Bruce knowing and letting it happen. And no one could come in either. Cautiously, he stepped a bit further in, looking around. Maybe for signs of a struggle, or a packed bag or anything. But he found nothing. Bruces frown deepened and he walked in further, scanning. That was when he heard the sniffling. Bruce tensed, but realized it was… the sound of crying? He turned slowly, and spotted the closet door cracked open slightly, a small light, probably from a flashlight, shining through the slats in the door. So bruce crouched down and crept forward slowly, opening the door further. “Damian?” he whispered. The crying cut off. “F-father?” Damian's shaky voice floated out to him from behind a few racks of clothes and he let out a sigh of relief. “Hey dami. You alright Prince?” Bruce pushed aside the hangers and peered down at his youngest, huddled in the corner, alfred the cat curled up next to him, his knees up to his chest and tears streaked across his cheeks. “Oh baby.” Bruce reached out a hand, slowly, so that damian wouldn't tense, and gently wiped his tears away. “Whats wrong?” he asked. Damian blinked, and the confusion at the kindness, the simple act of fatherly behavior, made bruce want to snap Talia Al Ghul's neck. But he kept the anger off his face, instead crawling deeper into the clothes and pulling damian onto his lap. He carded his fingers through the soft brown curls and damian cuddled closer, digging his hands into bruces chest. “What happened?” Bruce asked softly, reaching out a hand to rub alfreds chin when the cat let out a put out meow. “I-I had a bad dream.” Damian answered quietly and the doubt and fear in his voice made bruce see red. But he pushed it away, focusing instead on the small, scared little boy in his arms. His heart squeezed. How many times had he been in this position before? How many times had he held dick, held jason, tim, cass, steph, and even babs when the things they had seen had been too much or memories of their past flooded their senses. And in that moment Bruce hated his sons mother. Hated the League of Assassins. He had kept damian’s conceiving quiet, not revealing anything to alfred as to how the child had actually come to be, for he knew that if the butler got even a whiff of it, or the exact details of what life had been like for damian there, he would tear the place apart to get to those who had hurt him. But in that moment, as he held his son who had been kept from him for so many years, had been hurt and trained to be a weapon, had been beaten for showing emotions so much so to the point where showing any here, in a place he was safe, when he had a nightmare and wanted comfort(if the vice grip he had on bruce was any indication) had scarred him so severely, bruce didn't know if he wanted to keep the secret any longer. Or hold alfred back when he did.

But Bruce shoved all his emotions, his feelings of rage aside, in favor of calming the little boy in his arms. “Thats okay baby. Sometimes i have nightmares too.” He kissed damian’s head. “You wanna talk about it?” Damian shook his head, but he cuddled closer. “Alright.” Bruce said softly, wrapping his arms tighter around the boy. “Grandfather said we’re not to cry.” Damian whispered pitifully. Bruce felt a growl build up in his throat, but he swallowed it down, rubbing damian’s back soothingly. “That is because Ras Al Ghul is incapable of human emotion.” he kissed damian’s head. “You are ten. You can cry if you want to.” Damian didn't answer, but bruce felt his shirt grow wet. He didn't move, just held the boy closer. “You wanna sleep with me tonight?” He asked quietly. Damian hiccuped, nodding. “Y-yes. Yes please.” “okay.” Bruce stood and damian moved to get back on the ground, but bruce just held him, cradling him as he walked to his own room, alfred the cat trailing behind him. Damian sniffed, wiping his nose as bruce pushed open the door to his bedroom and walked to the bed. “Wait here okay? Ill be right back.” he promised. Damian nodded, hugging alfred close to his chest when the cat leapt onto the bed. Bruce hurried to get changed, slipping into his bed clothes before half running back out. Damian was seated in the same spot as before, alfred in his lap. Bruce smiled softly, coming over and slipping under the covers. “Come here.” he bade his son softly. Damian crawled over to him, snuggling underneath his arm. Bruce kissed his head and wrapped the blanket around them, pulling alfred in as well for damian to cuddle. Damian's eyes drooped and bruce smiled, opening his mouth to sing. He had used to sing goodnight lullabies all the time when dick and jason had been younger, but had stopped after a while. Damian let out a yawn, and his eyes slid shut. Bruce smiled, finishing the song and switched off the light. Damian rolled in his arms, snuggling closer. “I love you baba.” he murmured, drowsily, before wrapping his arms around alfred and passing out. Bruce wiped at his eyes and kissed his sons head again. “I love you too Princeling.” He whispered. Neither noticed the flash of the camera, or the butler, watching from the hall with a smile.

based on this little short but changed slightly because, come on, gotta give bruce some good dad points. he would so stand by his kids if they cried. he might not understand the emotion because hes been through too much, but he would let them cry

#batdad #bruce wayne #let bruce be a good dad damn it #good dad bruce wayne #damian wayne

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dailycass-cain · 6 months

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Spirit World #6 concluded the series this past week. Did it end on a high note? How was Cass within it? Well, all answers will be found here...

I love that this series fills the final gaps of questions I have for certain characters in the series. Namely, Wan Yujing's motivations, WHY the Jade Court are so meh due to Po Po's warnings back in #4. and how this ALL ties into the origins of Xanthe Zhou.

But like poetry, it also ties into Cass as into what she was going through in #1. Said issue, Cass was lost, but also feeling awful in helping slay a creature (even dark) and it took a slight toll on her.

Here in #6, it all circles back.

Seeing why Wan's desperation. Seeing the souls she's trapped. Seeing the Jade Court's inability to "want" to save the situation. All it ties into this isn't a simple solution of just slaying the demon.

But this doesn't just tie into Cass, but also the series' central character Xanthe. We get their full origin here. The mystery all pulled back and the scope of their powers revealed.

Writer Alyssa Wong sprinkled teases of Xanthe's origins throughout, and here they are on full display. You can also see why they keep company with John Constantine but also now open themselves to Cassandra Cain.

Why these characters just gell so nicely to each other complimenting it all. With how Xanthe finds the way to end this all.

For now at least.

The ramifications of this issue interestingly bring up new ideas for the DCU at large. Both in the mystical portion and well in Cass (more on that soon).

I find the whole mystical area of DC fascinating because they aren't just bound to one corner. Each magical user always brings something new to the table. Xanthe Zhou is just another character that I hope more tales are showcased with the character going forward.

The fact that well, not everything is tied up at the end leaves me to think that Wong has still so many more stories to tell of Xanthe and Spirit World itself. We've only touched the first layer of that.

To that, I hope allows the creative team to return and tell more tales.

The artist for the series, Haining has been exceptional with the various designs and actions throughout. Like I'm still in awe of the designs used or even how horrific Wan's demonic can be but Haining brings a level of cracks of her humanity through the body horror drawn.

That's not even bringing up the fluidity to the action we've seen throughout the series.

Every bit of the creative team brought their A-game to the table in telling something truly unique. Like I really want more.

And you get that there MIGHT be more.

Clearly, Wong lays seeds at the end of the Verdant Sorcess not at all pleased with the new status quo of Spirit World going forward.

I'm REALLY curious about their origins now with the reveal of the prior ones.

Not only that but in the case of Cass, only one of her subplots is resolved in the series. I mean yeah it's the big one: she gets to go back home.

But the "missing" time of her being in Spirit World (due to Batgirl Vol. 1 #72)? Why incident is all screwed (Shiva never killed Cass in that particular issue)? What new memories Cass lost in #3? Was Shen posing as Steph?

It feels like Wan found her, that while she was absorbing Cass, THAT's when Shiva brought her back. But it still doesn't answer fully what occurred with Cass during that lost time?

These are riddles still left unanswered, and it can't be coincidental given what next year being. So hopefully maybe THEN they are.

Please let Alyssa Wong cook DC!

Wong truly has an amazing grasp on the character and is the first to really bridge the lingering cracks Batgirl Vol. 1 left and bring it into this modern era.

Regardless, Spirit World was an exceptional series. It was something I truly needed to wash the sadness of Batgirls ending and another event douring the characterization of Cass.

I really hope DC goes all out in collecting this series. Show us all the Haining concept art.

Give me some words by Wong on how this series came to be. How they developed Xanthe Zhou. Give me it all!

.....

I've become Shen. My greed knows no bounds. 😅

Anyway, to those who haven't read this series. You now have the full excuse to read it all in one sitting. It's even BETTER when you do that actually. To those who read it like me keep hyping this and the other new minis DC created this year.

We need more of this!

#cassandra cain #dc comics #my thoughts

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felixora · 10 months

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Some thoughts on my Sandman x Batfam collab/crossover (I have no idea what would be the appropriate name for this, coz they are part of tge same DC universe but uhhhh it's not like they interacted in the Prime universe... It's complicated, ok)

As I've mentioned before, all of Batfam members have met Death in her physical form (be it because of their own death or someone dear to them). That being said, not all of them know that this is, well, the Death. I imagine that Bruce knows for sure what sort of entity he met; Jason and Damian most likely are familiar with her as well and would recognise her on spot.

Perhaps Jason engages Death in small conversations about absolutely random stuff from his life, whenever they meet - Death would indulge him, because she would be curious about how the boy uses this 2nd chance to live a life. Damian for sure would have drawn her some pieces of art and left it on his desk, just to find later the art missing - Death would cherish this gift and hold it safely among other few gifts she received throughout time.

Now Tim. Tim is a menace, when it comes to Endless. And it all has to do, that he simply doesn't wish any part of his life to be determined by some immortal entity or part of their influence. Dream trying to entice Tim to finally get some sleep after 3 straight sleepless days of working on a case? "Fuck you, Morpheus, I'll just buy more Extra+++ energy drinks". Desire revealing all of Tim's hidden wishes and granting him an easy way of achieving them? "Fuck you too, I'll go the hard way instead, probably commit some war crimes and then lock myself away in a cave, to reconsider all of my life choices, which will eventually end up it ignoring my personal needs for X amount of time, till next crisis".

Richard is well-known and respected by the Endless, though he is absolutely clueless to this. Like. Zero awareness. (Also, after Alfred's death and Dick opening a memorial and foundation in his honour, I imagine Death would have stopped by, just to say "he is proud of you and wants you to know you did great")

Cass kinda reminds Death and Morpheus of Delirium? Just sometimes. Which potentially could end up in situations, when some of the Endless would adress her as Delirium, like a part of habit (they know for sure she's not some sort of mortal manifestation of Delirium, with their Omnipresence, but sometimes she would remind them of their sister a bit to much)

#the sandman #batfamily #batfam #the endless

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ghostpebble · 1 month

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OK IM SOBBING OVER THIS ONE GUYS

youtube

IF YOUVE EVER HEARD THIS SONG THEN IM NOT SURE IF I NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS FITS HIRO AND BH6 IN GENERAL SO MUCH BUT HERE'S JUST A FEW BULLET POINTS:

- "SHADOWS SETTLE ON THE PLACE THAT YOU LEFT" HIRO TALKING ABOUT TADASHI

- "ONE DAY WE'LL REVEAL THE TRUTH THAT ONE WILL DIE BEFORE HE GETS THERE" HIRO. TALKING. ABOUT. TADASHI.

- "COLLECTING PICTURES FROM A FLOOD THAT WRECKED OUR HOME; IT WAS A FLOOD THAT WRECKED THIS HOME" HIRO, CASS, AND THE CREW HOLDING ONTO MEMORIES OF TADASHI AFTER HIS DEATH

- "AND YOU CAUSED IT. AND YOU CAUSED IT." THIS IS HIRO TALKING ABOUT CALLAGHAN. CALLAGHAN DID IT.

- "MY EYES ARE DAMP FROM THE WORDS YOU LEFT RINGING IN MY HEAD, WHEN YOU BROKE MY CHEST." HIRO REMEMBERING OVER AND OVER TADASHI SAYING 'SOMEONE HAS TO HELP' AND CONTINUING TO SAY THAT

- "AND IF YOU'RE IN LOVE, THEN YOU ARE THE LUCKY ONE. CAUSE MOST OF US ARE BITTER OVER SOMEONE." NOT ONLY IS THIS HIRO AND TADASHI, BUT THIS IS ALSO CALLAGHAN AND ABIGAIL/KREI, OBAKE AND HIS PAST SELF/GRANVILLE, AND DIANE AMARA AND LIV AMARA.

- "SETTING FIRE TO OUR INSIDES FOR FUN TO DISTRACT OUR HEARTS FROM EVER MISSING THEM, BUT I'M FOREVER MISSING HIM." DO I NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS ONE?? DO I???

- "AND YOU CAUSED IT."

GOD THIS SONG IS SO GOOD FOR BIG HERO 6 WHY IS THIS NOT OUR FANDOM SONG BESIDES IMMORTALS

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theredheaded-stuff · 2 years

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Batfam on a mission and being attacked by LOA assassins and them taking them all out except they notice Dami not trying to take out his opponent but merely playing with them (not toying with but actually having fun sparring sort of fun). The Batfam intervene and Damian quickly defends them before revealing their identity as his twin sister, Athanasia. Damian manages to convince Athanasia to come back to the cave with them, on the ride back although they are sitting quietly the Batfam can easily tell the twin are, as they assume, communicating through twin telepathy.

How does the Batfam react to Damian revealing he has a twin sister born of both Bruce and Talia?

How does the Batfam react to Damian and Athanasia’s twin telepathy?

Damian was having fun "fighting" Athanasia, like they used to do when they were kids, Batfamily is very confused.

Jason didn't seem surprised, after all he's lived with both of them since they were babies (at least before coming to Gotham) he has fond memories of telling the story to the twins and they both talk about the story with each other.

Bruce looked at Damian in a questioning way, no one can say what feelings he was feeling at that moment, Athanasia decided to take a step forward and make it clear that she didn't go before because she didn't want/ was having some trouble since she feel a little guilty with let Mara "alone"

Dick smiled at both twins, it was easy to see the way they protected each other and would do anything for the other's well being, he was proud that Damian and Athanasia have another youngest in the family doesn't sound so bad

Barbara as soon as Athanasia got more comfortable started braiding the girl's hair, that was fun for both of them, Barbara used to play with Cass' hair so the feeling was good, While Athanasia remembered when Damian made a point of learning to braid hair simply to "make her hair beautiful".

Stephanie and Athanasia? Bond through Athanasia talking about funny or embarrassing happenings from Damian and her childhood, Damian face is red? Yes but is happy with the situation.

Duke and Alfred are preparing some extra food while asking if Athanasia has any restrictions or favorite foods, it turns out that Athanasia has some very different tastes than Damian.

While Damian doesn't like sweets that much and prefers to eat them with cinnamon if he does, Athanasia loves sweets and would totally eat any sweet with strawberry syrup.

Tim and Athanasia prove to be both coffee lovers, Tim is happy that someone "is like him" Bruce is worried about someone else getting addicted to coffee in the house, Damian prefers tea.

Cass and Athanasia started practicing dance moves together, apparently both are unbeatable with classical ballet! Barbara's eyes are shining with pride, Barbara helped make the bun in both hair.

Both Twins Love Alfred's Cookies

Athanasia reminds Bruce a lot of Talia, but he's born with his eye color, he's amazed, but sometimes it does Bruce miss Talia a lot.

( I answered the first ask about how to handle the powers in the last post)

Thanks for the ask darling

#damian wayne #batfamily #batkids #damian al ghul #talia al ghul #athanasia al ghul #athanasia wayne #athanasia al ghul and damian al ghul #tim drake #dick grayson #dc #jason todd #cass cain #stephenie brown #barbara gordon #bruce wayne #duke thomas #batman #alfred pennyworth

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shadowqueen402 · 1 year

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Amaunts Fatale: Part 11

Balan hummed in deep thought at Aria's suggestion. He was also keeping in mind of what Iben had explained to him earlier. "Odds are, Lance must have a recipe for this drink," Balan theorized. "He must be using an ingredient that causing others to no longer properly think."

"That explains why the others that are back at Lance's hideout refuse to leave," Yuri said.

"You think this ingredient is also the reason why Wizeman was here earlier?" Leo asked. "Because he assumed that we have it?"

"Most likely not," NiGHTS said. "Wizeman was well aware of Balan's and Lance's existence. So odds are, he must know something about Lance that we don't."

"C-Can I phone my friends?" Emma asked Balan. "I-I want to let them know that I'm okay."

"I suppose that it won't hurt," Aria said. "But after that, you have to turn off your phone. Lance is capable of tracing your calls."

Emma nodded and took out her cellphone. Then, she dialed up Kaylo. Soon, a frantic Kaylo was heard on the other end of the line. "Emma!? Are you okay!?"

"I am, now," Emma said. "I escaped with the help of three friends; Iben, Yuri, and Cass. I found Leo, he's okay. I'm currently staying with Balan until it's safe for me to come home. But I just want to call to let you and the others know that I'm okay."

Kaylo breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great to hear," She said. "And it's nice that you found three of the people that went missing."

"Yeah, Iben revealed some information," Emma said. "Lance was luring the missing people to his hideout. He would even use a drink to wipe their memories."

"A drink?" Kaylo asked. "Thanks for the heads up, Emma. Can you tell Balan that me and the others wish to help?"

"Okay," Emma said. "But after I end the call, I have to turn off my phone. Lance can trace my calls."

"Got it." Kaylo and Emma hung up. Then, Emma turned off her phone.

"That was my friend, Kaylo," Emma said. "She wants to know if she and the others can help us."

"I would let them help," Yuri said. "They may know something as well. Plus, you can explain about Wizeman."

"Sounds good to me," NiGHTS said.

Kaylo belongs to @kayssweetdreams

Aria belongs to me.

#balan wonderworld #fanfic #balan #lance #leo craig #emma cole #iben bia #yuri brand #cass milligan #ocs #nights into dreams #nights #wizeman #alternate universe #crossover

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not-quite-girl-nor-quite-boy · 1 year

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"castiel Novak. Someone wants to talk to you." A voice said from behind him suddenly there was a sweet smell tantalising his nostrils and mouth before it all went black.

his eyes slowly opened his head buzzing and eyelashes fluttering open and adjusting to the light in the room.

"what do you want dean?" Cass mumbled.

"you." He stated simply.

"come on, I broke up with you. I'm not yours to have."

"I know you still love me Cass. Just as I love you." Dean said.

" Fine." Cass said.

"so why not be with me?" Dean asked crouching in front of the chair Cass was sitting in.

"I cant, you're a mob boss dean I can't be with you. As much as I want to." Cass mumbled. Dean sighed slowly.

"and I cant make you." Dean smiled sadly.

"what?" Cass asked confusedly.

"hey, you clearly aren't paying attention here. I love you. I'm not gonna make you do anything you don't want to. You can go when you want, you aren't tied up or anything. I just want you to be happy. So go." Dean leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before walking away. Cass soon got up after he regained his composure. And walked out of the building only to feel a sharp pinch in his neck before passing out again.

Castiel's eyes opened blurrily darkness fading from the edges of his vision.

"Mr. Novak. Someone seems to care about you after all."

"ughhhh how is this not the first time you are kidnapping me Alistair. Hell, id say you care about me at this point." Castiel joked earning him a punch to the gut.

"and you were too smug everytime." He replied. "but perhaps not this time." He said. He hit Cass accross the face and then he felt a sharp pinch in his kneck, he moved his head back to look at Alistair shocked before it all seemed so fickle. The world felt so warm and blurry.

alistair laughed evilly at his fluttering eyelashes and his now unlevel breathing, his glassy eyes covering his blown pupils.

"there you go, just enough to keep you docile." He said tauntingly patting the side of his face like he was a child. Cass hardly reacted, barely lucid he didn't actually know what was going on.

"ah ha ha, perfect." Alistair mocked. He hit him a few more times to get the look he was going for for the video.

"Dean." Sam said walking into the room dean had been moping/drinking in for the last day.

"what is it Sammy. I'm not in the mood... just leave me al-" dean started.

"he took Cass." Sam cut him off. Dean immediately snapped into alert and protective. "he sent a video"

"show me." Dean said bluntly.

"you don't wanna see it." Sam promised.

"show Me."

"fine." Sam played the video on the tablet in his hand.

video~~

"hello there dean. I've missed our fun time together." Dean shivered at the memories of that hell he went through, and what they put others through. "but I'm not so bored without you now. Because now... I have him." He stepped aside revealing a bloodied and dazed Castiel. Dean visibly paled at the sight of him he took into account his glassy eyes and blown pupils.

"he's been drugged." Dean mumbled.

"now he's plenty fun but ultimately not what I want." He said turning around and hitting Cass once more. He looked to feel the sting but still dazed and unclear as to what caused it and seemingly didn't care.

"Cass." Dean whispered.

"now," Alistair continued. "we're keeping our friend here nice and docile so he's a nice captive," he said injecting Cass with a syringe full of a clear-ish liquid. "but my patience will run out. So here's what I want. Drop out of the game. Quit. Oh and dean? You know what I'm capable of and you know I don't bluff so believe me when I tell you that if you don't do this I will send him back to you in pieces. And I know you care about him so make the announcement and meet me on the old ally on 5th avenue by midnight Or don't. And I'll just carry on." He turned around picking up a knife and slashing it accross his arm, leg, chest, shoulder.

"turn it off." Dean spat. Sam did, angrily and disgusted.

"are you gonna do it?" Sam asked.

"of course I am. I was going to anyway. I love Cass and if he cant be with me because of all this," he gestured around. "then I have to stop this. I was going to anyway. And besides I never liked this anyway, it was the family business its just what I'm good at." Dean shrugged.

"ok. Well you're my brother so I just want you to be happy and I've always loved Cass for you." Sam smiled.

"well... I believe I have an announcement to make." Dean smiled.

~~time skip~~

"it's done." Dean said to Alistair who was standing in the alley.

"oh?" He inquired.

"yep. Of course, it doesn't matter compared to this." Dean said. "so where's Cass?"

"ill get him." Alistair said tauntingly. He walked away slowly to the back of the vehicle. It was a run down van with no plates and a rickety paint that was peeling off. Dean was incredibly nervous, he knew that now Alistair had no reason to keep Cass, he had complied with his demands, he had dropped out of the game. And yet there was still this niggling feeling at the pit of his stomach. Alistair returned dragging a bloodied and unconscious castiel by the leg. He dropped his foot letting it hit the floor with a thud. Dean darted over to him.

"Cass!" Dean shouted darting to his side. "what did you do to him?" Dean spat.

"wow, you really care about this one huh? I, uh... Accidentally, gave him a double dose." Dean patted his face gently to no avail, he lifted his eyelids revealing his pupils blown to saucers and rolled up to the top of his eyes.

"Cass? Cassy. C'mon Cass please." Dean whispered. Alistair walked away flauntingly fulfilled with what he had wanted. Dean decided he was not going to just win, he would get what he wanted, fine, but dean gets his own victory too, and besides, he hurt Cass. Dean raised his arms gun kn hand and pulled the trigger three times. Once in the head, once between his shoulders and once through his spine. He breathed heavily comforted in the fact that Cass' and his own was the only breathing he heard. He put the gun back in his belt and wrapped his arms around Cass, only then did he take note of blood all but drenching his clothes. 'the video' he thought, Alistair had cut him. He picked castiel up gently lowering him into his car and laying his head on his lap.

"its ok Cass, you're gonna be ok." He whispered to his unconscious passenger. When dean got to his house he essentially tore off Castiel's clothes revealing the wounds littering his skin. He pulled out his needle and began stitching the wounds shut, some still actively bleeding, others more sluggish in their pace of blood loss and some sealed almost entirely. Dean sanitised the wounds as he went unhappy with how unaffected Cass was from the pain dean had known first hand to at least make someone wince. After the stitches were complete he wiped the blood off castiel with a warm, wet towel he ensured to soft so as to not further agitate his wounds. When all was complete he changed Cass into some of his pajamas knowing them to be far too big for Cass but also knowing that wad the comfort he would be looking for after being constrained so long. After hours of watching over Cass dean reluctantly fell asleep, arms wrapped around him protectively.

the next morning Cass awoke sluggishly. His eyes opened slowly and he adjusted to the light after a great deal of coazing. Je felt arms wrapped around himself and looked up to the face of their owner. Dean. He smiled reflexively at the sight of the man. He moved to snuggle into him but was taken aback by the shocking pain all over his skin and in his head. At some point he must have yelped or cried out in pain as suddenly dean was awake also and asking him if he was ok. Cass looked at him and nodded gently.

"what- what happened?" He stuttered.

"Alistair. He took you again. I- I'm so sorry Cass. I'm sorry this is all my fault. He hurt you, and he drugged you and I'm so sorry." Dean cried quietly.

Cass put hands on either side of his face wiping his tears away with his thumbs ignoring the pain it caused the gash in his forearm. "hey, its not your fault. That man is a psychopath sadist. I'm here, I'm ok. Sore in places and really confused but I'm fine."

"he's a dead psychopath. I made sure of that." Dean said.

"so again, what happened? From the beginning." Cass specified.

"you remember when we spoke?" Cass nodded. "well Alistair took you after then and he kept you drugged, said he wanted you docile." Cass shuddered at the thought of that man anywhere near him. Let alone when he couldn't fight back, dean seemed to notice and took one of his hands in his own. "he sent me a randsome video of himself torchiring you and said I had to quit and id get you back, or not and he'd... Kill you."

"and... Well, what did you do?" Cass asked.

"are you kidding me Cass? I quit! I was going to anyway, the second you said you couldn't be with me because of my job. I quit the earliest second I could to get you back." Dean rambled.

"I love you." Cass cut him off. "so much, I love you." He repeated. Dean pushed his lips against Castiel's.

"I love you too. With everything I have." He held Cass tight his arms surrounding him tightly. He realised eventually that Cass was asleep in his arms, his fave leaning of deans shoulder.

"its ok Cass, you've been through alot, I've got you." Dean whispered. "rest." He smiled. And he knew then that they would be ok. Come hell or high water, they would be ok.

A/N. So… I honestly have no words.

I have no idea what provoked this idea in me but hey, here we are. So I hope you had fun<3

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shebully · 2 months

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Batgirl #22 !!!!

YAASS MORE DAVID CAIN IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!🗣️ and cass looks soo cute in her little ponytail

aww, Cass feeling responsible and him being so possessive/protective of her and not even wanting her to have to deal with seeing Cain again</3

ok I'll admit I'm kinda confused rn, he shot her?? and she somehow didn't notice him/chase after him? but those red tinted childhood memories always get me

"unless you're a big fan of his singing voice"

"never heard it"

OMGGG😭😭😭😫💔💔 CASSS...

AHH the way Barbara looks at her after she looks visibly relieved that Cain is fine😭 ugh I love her complicated feelings towards him and how she still can't help but have residual love for him

STOPP he misses her soo much😭😭

omg the way she immediately ran away after the feed cut off and I thought she was gonna go straight to the scene to check on Cain but she just solemnly looked out into the night and reminisced... and this memory killed me SO CUTE STOPPP he was such a girldad😭😭 he really did love her and tried to give her a good life despite everything

YASSSSS for the extremely obvious reveal but I'm so hyped it finally got confirmed. I need more David Cain and Cass rn they really tug at my heartstrings</3

#🥥#GOOD BATGIRL MORNING I LOVED THIS ISSUE #batgirl

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nukaberries · 2 years

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Hello! Could you do reactions of Arcade, Veronica, Benny and Mr. House to the courier being relatively new to Vegas and came all the way from the Midwest (like Indiana or Ohio or the farm land states) maybe they did it for a fresh start or just to get out of the cold. Up to you. Thank! Have a good day

Hi hi!! <33 This is the first New Vegas ask I'm writing and I'm super excited already!! On that note though, please bare with me if I write anyone a little out of character (Mr House especially, I always end up murdering him during my playthroughs of NV lmao) I'm also from the UK, so if I get any locations wrong I'M SO SORRY I'M CLUELESS JSDJSJ

New Vegas Characters React to the Courier Being New to the Mojave

Arcade Gannon

At first, Arcade can't really understand why someone would want to come to Vegas, considering everything that was currently taking place with the NCR and the Legion. It's something he'll question you on at first, but he supposes there's some wisdom in turning over a new leaf and having a fresh start somewhere where nobody knows who you are.

As insane as he thinks you are for coming to the Mojave with no idea what to expect, he also feels like he has to keep an eye out for you - even when he isn't accompanying you on your travels - just to make sure you stay out of trouble or that one of those thugs in Freeside doesn't get the jump on you.

When the two of you are travelling together though, he's sure to point out different places to you if he thinks they could help you out. Whether that be doctor's clinics, relatively welcoming settlements or safehouses that the Followers have set up, he wants you to know places you can go to if you need help.

Once the two of you become closer, Arcade will often suggest you both returning to your home - unless you had a specific reason for leaving and then he won't push any further. It could be nice to get away from New Vegas for a little while and he'd like to see the place you grew up in.

Veronica Santangelo

Not being from the Mojave herself and having an insatiable thirst to explore the wasteland and all it has to offer, Veronica immediately jumps at the chance to join you in your travels - once she makes sure you won't be any kind of threat to the Brotherhood of Steel, that is.

Exploring alone is interesting as it is, but having a partner by her side is something Veronica finds to be even better. Not only do her own eyes light up when she first sees the Strip and all its bustling casinos, but she notices how yours do too. It's nice to share those memories with someone.

But Veronica can't always be by your side, sometimes you want to take Boone to go fight the Legion, or you want to deal with Crimson Caravans and the Van Graffs with Cass. Veronica doesn't mind, really, but she worries about what she might miss when she's not by your side. You might come back raving about finally clearing out Quarry Junction all by yourself and she'll start to feel like while you're finally fitting in with the Mojave, she's still stuck on the outside alone.

She'll try to voice these concerns to you, trying her best not to come off as jealous or selfish. She loves seeing you grow and adjust to your new life, but it's hard to not feel left behind. But you showing her your Pip-Boy, with specific places marked with a V for Veronica next to them as places you can go explore together, makes her worries practically non-existent.

Benny Gecko

Truthfully, Benny actually feels a little guilty when you reveal to him just how new you are to the Mojave. You'd barely had time to do all the stupid tourist shit before he decided to bury you in a shallow grave.

On the bright side though, he ran one of the biggest casinos in Vegas. You need a tour guide? He's your man. Not only does it clear his conscience, which isn't something you'd assume Benny Gecko would want, but you're not complaining at the offer for help around the Strip.

Plus, he gives you all the gossip he has on the other factions in the area - which is a lot, if you were wondering. You actually find out about the White Gloves being cannibals thanks to Benny letting you know, although you had your suspicions there was something off about them based on appearance alone.

You may be waiting for Benny to finally turn on you, but having him in your corner - even if temporarily - turns out to be a pretty good thing. He's a good source of information and he actually seems apologetic about the whole Platinum Chip run in with the Great Khans, no matter how much he tries to steer your conversations away from the subject.

Robert House

For a man that's been rotting away in the Lucky 38 for the past 200 years, Mr House is extremely clued up on the ins and outs of New Vegas, although you could've guessed that pretty easily, he does run the place.

At first, your lack of knowledge of the area is a problem for him, one he makes clear from the moment you meet. How is he supposed to recruit you and have you help him if you don't even know how to get from Goodsprings to Primm without checking your Pip-Boy every two seconds?

While he can't show you the ropes in person, he does make the effort to have the Securitrons keep an eye on you, offering to give you directions if you seem like your lost. If you thought Victor followed you around enough on your way to New Vegas, you're not prepared for what's to come.

Deep down, and while he won't admit it, House does have good intentions. He'd even go as far as to say he's relieved when you make it back to the Lucky 38 safe. But that's just because he needs you to help him deal with the other factions, not because he actually cares about what happens to you, right?

#i love that we've all accepted benny's last name is gecko #nobody can convince me otherwise at this point #pls feel free to request me more new vegas stuff #it remains my favourite game of all time #fallout #fallout new vegas #veronica santangelo #arcade gannon #benny gecko #robert house #fallout headcanons #fallout companions #fallout imagines #fallout reactions

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our-happygirl500-fan · 3 years

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You know the whole Baterang to the throat thing that causes a lot of discussion in the fandom? I think Bruce might not have been aiming for the throat

It ricochets

This point in comics Bruce has been through a ringer Steph's died, Barbara and Jim have left, Leslie betrayed him and he's had to send Cass and Tim away and now Jason is back but for revenge so Bruce isn’t at his best and I think Bruce threw the Baterang in a moment of panic and either over or undershot which ended up with well that.

This moment causes a lot of debate but I don't see it as “Bruce harming Jason to save the joker” the way a lot of fics paint it I see it more as he'd been aiming for Jason's arm or something to disarm him but overshot and it’s kind of like a symbolism of their relationship.

Which is basically Bruce takes an action to stop Jason from going down a path that he thinks will end up hurting Jason, but ends up hurting Jason in the long-run.

Like when he discussed taking away robin from Jason (because he thought Jason needed time to deal with issues that were becoming more prevalent) which only ended up making Jason feel insecure about his position in the Wayne household, contributing to why he so desperately pursued a stable parental relationship in his biological mother.

Bruce knows that if he gives in and kills the Joker he'll never stop killing we've seen timelines that prove that and I think Bruce also thinks the same of Jason that if Jason kills the Joker he won't stop at all so it’s not that he’s saving the Joker but that he’s trying to save Jason but Bruce ultimately misunderstands Jason’s needs and winds up hurting him.

Bruce is trying to save Jason from what he sees as a downwards spiral, but he ends up hurting him not just emotionally, but physically, and in the most extreme way possible. It's like an even darker echo of how trying to bench him as Robin led to his death.

Bruce has spent YEARS haunted by the memory of Jason’s death his death fundamentally changed Bruce's entire character Alfred said that Jason's death affected Bruce more than his own parents death.

In Underworld Unleashed it's revealed that his greatest desire is to have Jason back, in Hush he talks about how he wanted to put Jason in the Lazarus Pit and how he believes Jason knew he always loved him, and in As The Crow Flies we learn that his greatest fear is Jason coming back as an enemy and then in Under the Red Hood he gets Jason back (his greatest desire) but as an antagonist (his greatest fear) and moreover his belief that Jason 'knew' he loved him is WRONG.

Jason's insecurities from before his death combined with the perceived betrayal of Bruce not avenging him have led Jason to the point where he genuinely believes Bruce doesn't care, and in Jason's eyes, killing the joker is the only way Bruce can prove that he does but instead, in that moment, Bruce's attempt to diffuse the situation backfires.

Bruce misunderstands what Jason needs in that moment like he misunderstood what Jason needed at the start of Death in the Family it's just the ultimate representation of their constant emotional feedback loop. They trap themselves in a cycle of fighting because Jason can't read how Bruce really feels and Bruce can't read what Jason really needs and in that moment both those things are true, with Jason not seeing that Bruce truly cares anymore, and Bruce not knowing how to properly deescalate the situation and show Jason that he still cares.

It's extremely easy to read the batatrang throw as purposeful even though I wholly believe it was accidental but if that moment was explored more, I'm positive that Jason would believe it wasn't an accident, and would view it as proof of his already held view that Bruce doesn't love him anymore after all, that could have killed him, symbolically disowning him in the most extreme way possible.

Heck in Jason's appearance in Green Arrow (2001) Bruce had thought Jason might have died again! Before Jason turned up to mess with Mia.

The thing that's tragic about Jason that actually leads to a lot of his own suffering is that Jason doesn't really know what a healthy relationship looks like so I'm not sure when his actual 'last straw' would be.

Jason is the kind of person who sees love and acceptance as entirely circumstantial. He believes he must /earn/ love and acceptance, i.e. by being Robin, rather than it being inherently given.

A huge piece of understanding Robin Jason is understanding how much he lacked proper support systems back then. School was his only connection to his kids his age, and he didn't benefit much from that connection, his life was essentially: manor, school, Robin, repeat.

Jason loved school, but his school life was also pretty depressing. Jason kept to himself, he didn't have the time to participate in extracurriculars even when he wanted to and his peers didn't view him very positively. Jason was also really isolated from the rest of the hero community, there was his stint with the Titans, but it was pretty brief. He was also penpals with Kid Devil, but for the most part, he just had Batman.

The lack of support is actually one of the reasons I give for Jason and Steph dying in universe since they were the two Robins without support systems outside of Gotham. When Bruce was a jerk Dick and Tim could be like 'fine I'm going to go hang out with the Teen Titans or Young Justice' but Jason and Steph could only be like 'oh no' plus Bruce would deliberately try to take away Steph's support systems that she did have multiple times like when he ordered Cass to stop training with Steph.

But that's besides the point, I wouldn't be surprised if Jason confused being Robin with being accepted in the manor so when Bruce threatened to take away Robin from him, he might've seen it as his only proper support system being taken away from him, his world felt rocked back into instability once again.

When you look at it like that, it's very easy to understand why Jason sought out his biological mother. He had a hope that Sheila would offer him that stability once more, and that he'd get support and trust and unconditional love.

And that’s what make it all the more heartbreaking to me he came to this woman seeking love and gave her his greatest secret and she repaid him with a horrific death. Jason’s death is one of the saddest to me because there’s no high stakes 'he died saving the world stuff' he’s just a kid who wanted a mom and got killed for it.

DC’s habit of taking away who he was is so detrimental to his backstory as the Red Hood because the transformation from someone who tried being kind and who did give it their all being killed for it and coming back like ‘no more’ is so much more interesting than ‘we always knew this would happen’.

Robin disobeying orders is nothing new. If that was the core of why Jason died, then any Robin disobeying orders should never be put in a positive light, but often it is. Jason (and Steph) were just the ones unlucky enough to emerge dead and judged for it instead of alive and praised for it.

Jason died because he was a child who just wanted to be safe and loved.

So many times Robin disobeying orders saved lives it’s nothing new and Jason had a pretty solid reason, the story of Jason Todd should be portrayed as the tragedy not make him some warning sign.

This is why I always hated the victim blaming after Jason & Steph's deaths because they died doing what if it had been Tim or Dick a Robin would be praised for, like take Steph for example we've seen constant stories of Bruce firing Robin, them going off on their own & Bruce realising he's wrong & taking them back but when Steph goes off on her own she dies the only reason Jason & Steph died is that the writers forced them to fail where they would have allowed the others to succeed.

But anyway back to my point the thing about Jason feeling like he had to earn love is why he was initially so hung up on the idea of Bruce 'replacing' him when he came back to life, he viewed Tim being robin as Bruce /transferring/ his love for Jason to another person, rather than seeing that Bruce could love Tim while still loving and missing him.

The reason Jason sought out his mother after Bruce benched him as Robin was that he viewed Bruce benching him as Bruce rejecting him and latched onto the idea of finding someone, i.e. a birth mother, who is supposed to give /unconditional love/.

The fact that his birth mother REJECTED HIM and then played a hand in his murder undoubtedly affected his attitude when he came back, if even his mother didn't want him, and then Bruce let the joker live and replaced him, then, in Jason's eyes, OF COURSE Bruce doesn't care and as mentioned previously Jason didn't really have any friends in school or the hero community, believing that the only real close personal connection in your live, someone you spent all your time with, had forgotten about you and rejected you is bound to mess a person up.

#DC comics #jason todd #bruce wayne #stephanie brown #dc

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soulmate-game · 3 years

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Maribat March 2021 @maribatmarch-2k21

Day 1: Found Family

“Ah! Bonjour!” A cheery voice called, as a short Eurasian girl bound over to the unfairly intimidating mob of tall people with sharp eyes. Chloe had called in a favor. “My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Chloe told me that your tour guide cancelled at the last minute, so she blackmail—sorry, begged me to fill in for them. You are the Wayne’s, non?”

The one at the front of the group, clearly Bruce Wayne since Marinette didn’t live under a rock and had seen the man on several American news broadcasts before, nodded and cleared his throat. Man, was he intimidating. Even when he shot her a dazzling smile that was sure to blind Paparazzi with fake cheer. It was a nice smile, Marinette wasn’t about to deny. But it was empty. Distant. And Marinette wasn’t going to buy it for a second.

“Yes, that’s us. Mademoiselle Bourgeois mentioned she had asked a close friend of hers to take care of our tour.”

Marinette nodded again, clasping her hands behind her back. “I guarantee, you won’t miss anything the tour guide would have shown you. In fact, Chloe mentioned that you all were very curious about the now retired Parisian heroes, right? My former best friend ran the Ladyblog back when they were active. I am more than confident that I can answer any questions you have while we go through the city.”

A boy with a white streak in his hair rose his hand, as if he was in a class and needed to wait to be called on. Which, considering the sheer size of their family, Marinette was actually grateful for. But damn, this was another imposing figure. Slightly taller than even the six-foot-three-inches that Bruce Wayne owned, he was solidly built and rocked a brown leather jacket and ripped black jeans. Marinette smiled and nodded for him to speak.

“How old are you? Because I don’t know if twelve year olds are allowed to do guided tours,” there was an obvious tease in his voice, but there was also legitimate concern in his blue-green eyes. Marinette almost missed that concern amid her quickly building annoyance. She even felt her eyes twitch.

“I’m turning eighteen in a few months if you need to know, Monsieur,” she evened out the bite in her voice with an overly sweet smile. “And if you want to get lost and possibly pickpocketed in the busy streets of Paris, then please continue to make comments on my height. If not, we can begin our tour and you might even enjoy it.”

Several Wayne’s snickered at her comeback, one man in particular elbowing the white haired gentleman with a little too much glee. Even the stoic Bruce laughed softly, and a boy with enough bags under his eyes to make the airport jealous nearly fell over himself with his suppressed laughter.

The man himself just snorted, sending her a lopsided smirk that oddly radiated approval. It was almost as if she had passed some sort of test.

“My name’s Jason, Pixie. You already know B. The guy trying to break my ribs,” he pointedly shoved off the one who had elbowed him, “is Dick. He’s Bruce’s first adoptive casualty. The one that looks like a zombie is Tim, we might need to take a break to get him more coffee before he passes out halfway through. The one who hasn’t stopped glaring at you is Damian, the badass redhead is Barbara but we all call her Babs. The annoying blonde is Stephany, the other cool badass over there is Cass. She doesn’t talk much. And the one trying to pretend he doesn’t know us is Duke.”

Each member he introduced gave her a little wave or nod. Even Damian managed a short nod of acknowledgement before resuming his glare. He looked to be a couple years younger than her, so she just brushed it off as teenage drama.

“Alright then! It is very nice to meet you all. Now, Chloe did inform me that you guys are very multilingual, which is another reason she asked me instead of one of our other friends. If you ever need it, I obviously am fluent in both French and English. But added to that, I am fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, and I know basic survival Japanese. I also know French Sign Language, though I’m not sure if that’s very useful for you unfortunately. If you ever need to communicate non-verbally, I will do my best to accommodate that. Now, I believe you guys were scheduled to start the tour with a visit to the Louvre, non? Right this way.”

As Marinette led the large group out of the Grand Paris, they didn’t bother taking time to admire the sights before asking questions.

“Have you ever met one of the heroes?” Dick, who might have been shorter than Jason and Bruce but was muscular enough to still inspire caution (and admiration), asked. His blue eyes seemingly stared right through Marinette as he continued; “If you’re almost eighteen, then they must have been active through a lot of your school career.”

Marinette smiled. “They did only retire last year,” she agreed with a nod. “Yes, I have met all of the Parisian heroes at least once,” she snorted at a stray thought. “In fact, I met Chat Noir quite a lot. You see, my old College was basically ground zero for a lot of akuma attacks. And by a lot, I mean a majority of them,” she shook her head before pausing to get everyone to cross a street. “After a while, Chat Noir started calling me ‘princess’ to make fun of how often he had to save me. He’s an annoying ass.”

Despite her words, everyone behind her could easily hear the fondness there. They all traded glances. What if this was a Lois and SuperMan situation? Regardless, they all had a suspicion that Marinette knew more about the heroes than she let on. Or, at least more about Chat Noir.

“When you say that your school was a hotspot for Akuma attacks,” Bruce spoke up cautiously, his Dad Senses going haywire. He didn’t like how nonchalantly she had said it— she was far too casual. Sure enough, he watched as the muscles between her shoulders stiffened slightly at the conversation change. “What do you mean? Surely it couldn’t have been that bad if the school is still around.”

Marinette sucked her teeth, grimacing. “The school is still there, yeah, but only because of Ladybug’s ability. You’ve heard about the Cure, right?” It was Tim who answered her;

“Yeah. It fixed the damage done during a fight, right?” He asked, tilting his head a little. Marinette ignored her brief thought that the gesture made him look like a curious puppy. She sighed.

“Yeah. But when they say damage, they mean everything. Injuries, collateral. Death,” she said the last example darkly, far too much weight behind the word for it to be meaningless. She heard Jason hiss in sympathy. “But there are good things. The Cure also erased anyone’s memories of dying besides the vague knowledge that it did happen, so there isn’t much trauma there to unpack. Not as much as there could have been anyway,” she assured them. “And I’m one of the lucky ones. I never died, and I was never Akumatized.”

“Hmph,” Damian’s voice cut through the brief silence that followed her admission. She looked back at him to see his sharp green eyes staring right into her. “You don’t honestly believe that’s lucky.” It wasn’t a question. Marinette clenched her jaw, turning around and ignoring him.

Because, no. It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t lucky that she was the only one that remembered everything— all of the deaths, all of the Akumatizations, everything that others mercifully forgot. Since she lived through all of it, she remembered all of it. And survivor’s guilt is nothing to scoff at.

But she wasn’t about to reveal her trauma, or at the very least the full scope of it, to people she had just met and was leading on a tour.

“If you look to the left, you’ll see a statue that was made depicting Ladybug and Chat Noir back during the first years of their activity,” she suddenly told them, gesturing to the still-standing statue. Nobody missed the obvious topic change, but nobody commented on it either. Turns out the statue was something they had been looking forward to seeing in person, Tim even went up to take a few photos with his camera. Barbara took a few circles around the statue, easily pivoting her wheelchair around it as if she was trying to see every angle and imperfection possible. Marinette couldn’t help but chuckle fondly at the sight.

“Your family are pretty big fans, huh?” She asked Cass and Duke, the only ones that had stayed back with her. Duke snorted, and Cass gave her a small grin.

“They like to keep up to date with all the heroes,” Duke answered with a shrug. “Since we’re so high profile, it isn’t weird for us to be saved by one here or there even when we’re away from Gotham.”

Marinette just gave him an odd look, furrowing her brows. “But the Miraculous team has been disbanded since HawkMoth was defeated,” she reminded them. “There’s no need for them to save anybody anymore.”

“Old habits,” Cass spoke up softly, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes locked with Marinette’s. “Not easy to break.”

The smaller woman had a feeling that Cass wasn’t talking about her family’s habit of keeping up to date on heroes.

“Alright! We need to head to the next stop or we might not have time to see everything!”

The tour went pretty similarly. The walks between stops were pleasant, and filled with questions about the period of time where HawkMoth was active. Marinette wasn’t even the least bit surprised nor put off; everyone was curious about those years now that the tourism restriction was lifted and people could ask freely about it. Besides the many questions about the Heroes, Marinette found the group to be very pleasant company. They were polite, but also rowdy in a very endearing way. She caught a lot of inside jokes they had with each other, and a lot of good natured teasing and fighting. They even managed to rope her into it somehow, and she found herself snidely teasing Damian or casually threatening Tim with not allowing them a coffee break. She even got to ride on Jason’s shoulders for a bit after he made another comment on her height that she Did Not Appreciate. But the ride she got made it worth it.

But soon the sun was high in the sky, and it was about time for them to take a lunch break. They had all been walking for hours with only a few chances to rest, and honestly Marinette was impressed that none of them seemed too tired out by it.

“Alright,” she put her hands on her hips proudly. “Since some of you won’t stop whining about needing coffee or being hungry— Dick, don’t you dare buy anything from that vendor! I’m gonna lead you all to my parent’s bakery so we can have lunch and caffeinate all of you. And conveniently enough,” she smiled widely. “The bakery is right across the street from my old College! So you’ll be able to get a look at where the majority of Akuma attacks happened, and maybe I can tell you a few specific stories if you want,” she offered. There were a couple cheers (Tim and Dick) from the crowd and everyone seemed pretty pleased with the next step in their tour. Smiling, Marinette turned and began to lead them in the direction of her home.

Sirens blared, a fire truck zooming down the street next to them.

Headed in the same direction.

Marinette frowned, watching it go. “That’s weird. I hope everyone’s okay, whatever happened,” she mused idly. But as they kept going forward, the sirens didn’t get any softer. If anything, they started getting louder again after a while. Marinette was visibly concerned by then, her pace picking up. “This is my neighborhood,” she told the solemn group behind her. “I know everyone on this street—“ they rounded the corner, and Marinette stopped in her tracks. Her world ground to a halt.

There was the fire truck, stopped right in front of her bakery.

Which was completely ablaze.

A string of curses flew out of her mouth, the little Eurasian wasting no more time before sprinting towards the building. She could hear people yelling at her to wait, slow down, stop! But she ignored them. The only thing on her mind was that her home was on fire.

“Marinette! Wait!” Dick reached out to grab her arm, but like a snake Marinette easily slipped out of his grip and continued forward. Steph was next, deciding to just tackle Marinette— to no avail. The Parisian just shouldered the bigger woman off of her with pure adrenaline fueling her muscles, and everyone else knew by then that they could not stop her. The Wayne’s decided all they could do was jog behind Marinette, keeping her in sight as they tried to gauge the damage.

“The top floors don’t look like they have even been touched by the fire yet,” Tim whispered, though his eyes flew between the building and their tour guide. Marinette was speaking rapidly with a firefighter that wasn’t immediately busy, trying to get information. But before anyone could decipher what was said, Marinette tore a large strip off the bottom of her shirt and tied it in a hasty mask around her mouth.

“Wait!” Bruce was the first to realize what was happening, with his years of experience with self sacrificing children and their stupid stunts. But Marinette managed to kick him away before he could grab her, dashing into the inferno without paying any heed to the many protests that followed her.

The group of Gothamites could do nothing but watch the flaming building, then. If they went inside, it would only overcrowd a hazardous area. Minutes passed, and there was movement in the fire. Out of the doorway came Marinette and a firefighter, both having to work together to carry the body of a large man outside. The sight of the man made the Gotham family blink— he was as big as Bane! And that was nothing to scoff at. But despite his unusual size and muscle mass, the man had all the signs of being a normal civilian.

Marinette didn’t stop there. She ran back in. Coming out a lot more quickly this time with a barely conscious Asian woman— everyone saw the resemblance between her and this new woman immediately.

It had to be her mother.

“Shit,” Duke hissed. Nobody else could say a word. It wasn’t looking good, and this wasn’t a situation where random vigilantes showing up out of nowhere could actually help. Not this late into the fire. Bruce’s hands curled into fists.

The woman that everyone guessed was Marinette’s mother was suddenly struck by lucidity; she gasped and grabbed at Marinette’s hand without seeming to see who she was even talking to. A single word that none of the Waynes could hear left her throat, and judging by Marinette’s returning panic it hadn’t been good.

She rushed right back into the building, and came back out with the last firefighter who had been searching inside.

Marinette carried a child. She screamed out in panicked French;

“She’s not breathing! I need first aid now!”

That was their cue. The firefighters started their hoses, focusing on getting rid of the flames now that nobody was left inside the building. Bruce and Damian got to Marinette first, and this time she listened as they instructed her to set the child down. Damian, being smaller and having more hands-on medical knowledge, took charge of the resuscitation. Marinette sat there silently, eyes riveted to the small child— a girl.

But Marinette wasn’t reacting like a normal civilian to tragedy. She was eerily calm, eyes focused and barely concealing a terrible rage. She took over chest compressions when Damian started to lose momentum, not giving up.

But then the EMTs arrived, and it was only five minutes with the child hooked onto oxygen that the news arrived—

Marinette heard the monitors on the ambulance flatline before she even registered what people were trying to tell her. Manon. Manon was—

Marinette didn’t register Nadya Chammack at first. She was just another body in the quickly growing sea of them. That is, until she heard Nadya’s pained shriek. A mother who had just lost her baby girl.

“Perhaps we should head back,” Bruce offered softly, giving Marinette space but keeping a keen eye on her. He saw her begin to tremble, then shake. He was pretty sure he could hear the grinding of her teeth for a second before she went still. Just… all movement stopped, the tears that had been building just falling silently for a second before they ended.

And he recognized that carefully practiced emptiness in her bluebell eyes. The same emptiness he had seen in Damian’s eyes when he had first arrived at the Manor. The same emptiness he saw in Dick’s eyes in the days following his parent’s deaths.

The same emptiness he saw in the mirror, every time he had another nightmare about the day Jason had been taken from him, years ago.

Suddenly he could imagine all too well exactly what kind of strength she had to have, to avoid her negative emotions ever being used against her during Hawkmoth’s reign. Especially if she had constantly been dealing with her friends and family being Akumatized and/or dying on multiple occasions.

She didn’t even seem to have heard him. Bruce sighed.

“I called Chloe,” Barbara informed everyone solemnly, holding up her phone for emphasis. “She’ll be here in five.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Chloe hadn’t come alone. With her had been Adrien Agreste, former model when his father hadn’t been… well, in prison. Nowadays he was just a normal student who occasionally gave lectures on neglect and child abuse, and how to help children in those situations.

And, apparently, he was also Marinette’s closest friend. Even more so than Chloe. As soon as they arrived back at the Grand Paris, Chloe herded everyone up into her suite and she and Adrien surrounded Marinette with pillows and blankets. Adrien curled around Marinette like an affectionate cat, and Damien even swore he heard the guy purr at some point

“We should probably leave,” Bruce whispered to their hostess, who looked inbetween him and her friends for a moment before jerking her head towards the door.

“I wanna talk to you first,” Chloe whispered back. Once they all filed out into the hallway and the door was safely closed, Chloe took a breath. “First, I want to tell you that I got a call from the hospital. Marinette’s father is stable, but in a coma right now.”

“Is that the man who looked like he could bench press a car for fun?” Dick asked, earning a weak grin from the Bourgeois heiress.

“Yeah, that’s him. But…” Chloe’s face fell, and she looked around as if to double check nobody was eavesdropping. She still lowered her voice anyway. “Her mother, Sabine. She…” Chloe swallowed a lump in her throat, images of the extremely kind Chinese woman flashing through her mind without permission. “She didn’t make it.”

Several people took a sharp breath, acknowledging everything that had gone so wrong for Marinette on a day that had started so perfectly.

“The smoke?” Cass asked gently, but Chloe winced and shifted on her feet.

“No. They… there were rope marks on Sabine’s neck,” Chloe clenched her eyes shut at the admission. “Marinette’s dad might be big, but he’s not a fighter. Sabine, though… Sabine was. She was raised in a martial arts family back in China. I’ve seen Sabine take down five men at once, all twice her size,” Chloe kicked her lips, shaking her head in disbelief. “Somebody knew… somebody knew that the little Chinese woman was a threat but the big baker with tons of muscle was harmless.”

Nobody took that well. Not only had Marinette just lost her home and half of her family, but her father was in a coma and it had all been foul play.

“Okay,” Bruce nodded once the news had time to sink in. They could help with this; this was their specialty. They might have only known Marinette for six hours, but she had made a big impression. It wasn’t just anybody that could mesh with his family so seamlessly in that short span of time. “Is there anything else?”

“I want you to get temporary custody of her,” Chloe said it the way only Chloe Bourgeois could. With her back straight, chin high, and the tone of a woman who expected to be listened to or else she’d make life Hell for the person that didn’t take her seriously. Bruce could only blink.

“Can I ask for your reasoning?”

“Marinette has been closing herself off more and more over the years,” Chloe admitted. “Hawkmoth’s reign was hard on her. Only Adrien really knows everything she went through during those years. But even after the disbanding of the team, she hasn’t… she hasn’t allowed herself to get close to anybody new. That’s why I tricked her into doing your tour. She needed to socialize with new people, and if she wouldn’t do it herself then I had to pull some strings.”

A few eyebrows raised at the admission that Chloe had fully planned for Marinette to be their tour guide the whole time. It honestly seemed like the kind of well meaning manipulation that one of them would try to pull off.

“She likes you,” Chloe’s voice went soft again, showing how uncharacteristically serious she was about that fact. “She was comfortable enough to let you guys carry her back here. To let you try to help Manon. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but it says a lot to me and Adrien. And… getting her away from Paris for a while is probably a good idea. She was planning to go to Gotham for university anyway.”

The Waynes traded glances before Bruce crosses his arms and asked some more questions first. Doesn’t Marinette have other family? Answer; only her grandmother, who travels all the time and nobody ever knows where she is until she shows up. Bruce agreed that Gina Dupain didn’t exactly seem like a good candidate for Marinette’s new guardian with that description. But finally, to none of his children's surprise, he did end up agreeing.

“But,” he held up a single finger. “We’ll Wait here in Paris for a week, so that she can try to salvage everything she can from her house and so we can get an idea on how her father is doing. There’s still a chance he’ll come out of his coma fairly quickly. And of course, we will only go through with this if Marinette agrees when we ask her tomorrow.”

Chloe agreed to those terms, looking like a weight had been lifted off of her.

Chloe never cut corners when taking care of her hive. And if that meant making sure that her brave soldier bee could move on to start a new hive, one that was better equipped to take care of her, then Chloe would do everything she could to help that move. And really; Chloe was far more resourceful and observant than people gave her credit for. The butts definitely matched, and Bruce Wayne was her last hope to get Marinette the support she needed. Outside of Adrien, anyway.

Chloe took a breath, watching the Waynes trickle off into their own rooms. Marinette was like the little sister she never wanted, but grew to love more than anything. Though, Chloe knew she really chose Marinette as her sister the same way they both chose Adrien as their brother. She just didn’t want to admit she was sentimental like that. But Chloe knew that someone like Marinette needed a bigger family. More support.

She could only hope that Marinette and the Waynes grew to become family for her like she and Adrien had. Kwami knew that Marinette needed all the help she could get for the foreseeable future.

“You did good, my Queen.”

“I know, Pollen. Now we just have to find out who dared hurt my hive.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Dude this took so long to write, but I’m actually really proud of it. Probably gonna take this Maribat March a little differently than last year, and make a few longer stories by connecting some of the prompts together. Maybe each week will be a full story? Idk I’ll figure it out. I know I’m behind but I’m working on it.

I tried to keep the angst out, but it found it’s way in here anyway. Oh well!

#mlb x dc #ml x dc #maribat #maribat march 2021 #Maribat March 2k21 #platonic brucinette #found family #day 1 #Maribat March #day 1 found family #I was a little late but oh well

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broodybatboy · 2 years

Text

the capacity of friendship

"And so I thank fate for giving me your friendship."

Read on AO3

Summary: It's move-in day. The residents of the House of Wind are determined to give their new roommate a grand welcome. Nesta and Azriel team up along with the helping hand of Cassian. Lots of lovely friendship dynamics! 😊

About the series: a collection of moments, teasing, and tender nights that Azriel let Gwyn enter his heart. Read here or on Ao3

Azriel sat perched on an armchair in the large sitting room of the House of Wind. He was a few chapters away from finishing the book. One month since Gwyn had loaned him the book. One month since she left to join Emerie to train the new recruits of the Illyrian legion of Valkyries.

He was totally engrossed. The novel was a mystery centered on the death of a powerful lord. As the story unfolded, each member of the family is revealed to have a hidden secret. It was full of political conspiracy, betrayal, and even a love affair. Azriel, the skilled Spymaster, regarded his deduction skills highly. Yet, this killer's identity was still a mystery to him. His enjoyment of the story only increased when a turn of the page revealed a little note in Gwyn's neat handwriting. It was like finding pieces of her mind for him to collect.

He was bewildered by the effect of her absence. Even his shadows seemed to notice. At times, they were as restless as him. He felt a gaping hole like a cratered rock reverberating through his routine. An inescapable fog clouded his mood. Quite simply, he missed her.

She’d become a fixture of his days. They trained almost nightly and spent time afterward to talk and tease. They shared coffee and meals. They'd even gone for walks in Velaris. Across a room, they drifted towards each other as waves ebbed towards the shore. Gwyn's friendship felt like the first rays of the morning sun, bursting over the horizon at full brightness. He couldn't get enough of her light. The thought of seeing her when she returned put a smile on his face. Soon, she’d be was moving out of the priestess dorms and be down the hall.

His shadows warned him of Nesta approaching. She walked into the sitting room, imparted a greeting, and settled herself on the sofa. They did this often. They read together or worked on their respective task. Nesta was good company when alone. She was quiet and straightforward. Conversation came naturally or not at all. Jokes were almost always at the expense of Cassian or Rhys. They shared an affinity for sweets, and if the House was feeling generous they’d share chocolates.

He greeted her and gazed at the book in her hands. “How much do you have left?” Azriel asked setting his novel down.

“I’m three chapters away from finishing. I need to know how it ends,” she replied.

“Can you believe Lyonna almost ended up with Sandor? The things they did in chapter 55 were so scandalous. Imagine cleaning up that mess,” he said.

Nesta's jaw dropped. She gaped at him. "Azriel, you've read this?" She looked like a fish. "You read smutty books?"

He couldn’t keep up the act and smirked. “I prefer mysteries.” He lifted up his book and chuckled. “Gwyn read your book and couldn't put it down. She filled me in on the exciting bits."

Nesta smiled at that. “It’s really good.”

“I may have read a select chapter or two,” he confessed.

One of Nesta’s eyebrows shot up high. “I bet you could give Cass some ideas.”

“So I can find you two performing a chapter 55 in the kitchen?”

She laughed at that. “We’ve been on our best behavior.”

“You better be. Our dear Gwyneth is moving in. We don’t want her regretting it.”

“Oh, she’s walked in on us in compromising positions." She chuckled at the memory. "Gwyn's stronger and smarter than all of us. She’ll be fine.” Nesta returned to her book. After a few moments, she let out a small sigh. “I miss her.”

He did too. A month was far too long.

Heavy footsteps and huffs sounded through the House. He didn't even need his shadows to tell him who it was.

“Did someone say they missed me?” Cassian said as he leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed Nesta's head.

“Nope,” Nesta said without looking up from her book. Cassian sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her. Nesta relented and nuzzled herself closer.

“Don’t forget, tomorrow we’re going over to the River House for dinner,” remarked Cassian.

“Cassian, you said you were going to the River House. I can’t go."

“Fine, it’ll just be you and me, Az,” Cassian pouted at Nesta and pointed a finger towards him.

“Actua—“ Azriel sarted.

“Azriel won’t be there either. We’re going shopping and setting up Gwyn’s room to welcome her to the house. It's our little surprise for her," Nesta finished.

Cassian stared at them in shock. “And why wasn’t I informed of this? Seriously, you guys are just going to leave me alone with Rhys and Feyre? They've been so crabby and exhausted. It’s worse now with Nyx attacking everyone.”

It was true. Nyx's powers had become erratic. The boy had begun to winnow short distances, much to the horror of his parents. They barely slept. His tantrums were even worse. The little boy had resorted to biting when angry and uncle Cassian's big muscles were his favorite target.

"Cassian, you're welcome to join us. I'm sure Gwyn would appreciate it," Azriel said cooly.

This made Cassian happy. "It's going to be so nice to have an ally in the House. Ya know, Gwyn made me a friendship bracelet?" He leaned back, pleased. "Plus, she has both of you wrapped around her finger. Imagine the things we can accomplish against you two," he said smugly.

Nesta glared at him.

"Cassian, don't corrupt her," Azriel warned.

"Too late," Cassian said with a mischievous snicker.

Shopping with Nesta had been a success. They had a natural balance. Nesta opted for indulgences and objects to decorate: candles, books, even a little statue shaped like a pegasus. Azriel took charge of the practical items: plush towels, a soft rug, stationery supplies. Finding items for Gwyn came easily. He envisioned her lacing up a particular pair of boots or curling up in a blue blanket rather than a pink one. While Nesta was off purchasing a hairbrush, he came across silk ribbons neatly packed in a wooden box. Without hesitation, he purchased the entire set. The corners of his lips tugged up at the thought of her wrapping them around her wrist and in her hair. Her hair intoxicated him, the strands were honey and cinnamon and orange all at once. In the moonlight, it was molten copper. In the sun, it gleamed like amber and rubies.

They made their way back to the room that would become Gwyn's. It was large and had massive windows. With so many years in the library, he knew how fond she was of being close to the skies. In the center, a bed big enough to fit an Illyrian. Tall bookshelves and a lounge chair sat in a corner. He envisioned it as her reading nook. On the opposite side sat a large worktable, perfect for her crafts and writing. Nesta filled the wardrobe with fabrics and silhouettes of every kind. The greens and blues, in particular, would look lovely on her. He couldn’t help the images of her that raced through his head.

Nesta and Azriel tidied up the space. They shuffled furniture around, organized, and carefully placed their goods. Nesta retrieved the rest of Gwyn's items from the dorms. Azriel set about to make the bed. He appreciated Nesta for this was a mutual effort and they worked well together. They both had an instinctual protectiveness towards Gwyn. This was a big step for her. Her comfort and happiness was their utmost priority.

Cassian opted to skip the River House dinner and had the brilliant idea to fly Gwyn back a night early. Azriel would have to thank Cassian for this at some point. Cassian was incredibly thoughtful and perceptive of the effect of Gwyn’s absence. He adored Gwyn, too. Nobody was immune to Gwyn's radiance. Azriel knew Cass regarded her like a little sister.

Cassian's loud voice echoed throughout the House. They had arrived.

"Should we hide or yell surprise?" Nesta said and looked at Azriel. He shook his head. He had a better idea. He whispered to his shadows. They thickened and pulsed around him, eager at the sound of their master's plan.

Gwyn and Cassian entered. At his command, the shadows raced towards Gwyn and cycloned from her toes to her head. They darted towards the middle of the room twisting and twirling in an elegant dance of smoke. Then, they formed shapes and figures like animated inkblots: a shooting star, a racing horse, a butterfly. Cassian made a noise and even Nesta was in awe. Azriel only had eyes for Gwyn. Her teal eyes were wide, her smile even bigger, and totally transfixed by his shadow puppet show. Once they treated back to him, Gwyn clapped in delight with Cassian and Nesta joining her.

"And what is the meaning of all this!" Gwyn was incredulous as she looked around the room, taking it all in. It was all for her. Azriel's eyes fixated on her fingers as they explored. They stroked down the spines of books on the shelf, caressed the plush blankets, and rubbed the wooden top of the ribbon box. Her expression grew soft and tender. Nesta explained. They wanted her to be comfortable. They did this for her. No one deserved it more.

Cassian left and returned with a bottle and glasses. It was a gift from Emerie: Gwyn's favorite wine. Cassian, with his proud general's voice, toasted to the redhead, "Thank the Mother for you Gwyn. Since the moment I started training you, you have blown me away with your hard work, determination, and kindness. You are truly the best of us. Welcome to the House."

Azriel wished he could be as eloquent as Cassian. He was a man of few words. He hoped his action were enough to showcase his care. Everything Cassian said was true. She was the best of them. Even more so, she brought out their best selves

Gwyn looked like she was going to cry. Cassian turned to her and wrapped her up in a hug lifting her off the ground. Azriel wasn’t famous for his embraces. He felt something of envy towards Cassian, the big bear. Should he hug Gwyn, as well? It would be totally acceptable. Should he place his hands around her waist or over her shoulders? Perhaps, he should wait until she moved to hug him. Why did he feel nervous about a hug? His internal turmoil was futile. Once Cassian put her down, Nesta placed a peck on Gwyn's cheek and moved her to sit down.

Gwyn, bashful and grateful, sipped on her wine with blushing cheeks. She looked adorable.

Gwyn said thank you about a thousand times over the course of the night. She shared her tales of the month in Illyria. They had a rocky start but the girls were strong and fierce. She was proud of what her and Emerie accomplished. As a group, they discussed upcoming missions, the news around Velaris and drama across the Courts. Cassian showed Gwyn a bite mark, courtesy of Nyx. The two plotted a game night. They raised their fist and bumped them together, vowing to crush the competition. Nesta and Gwyn chatted about a girl's night with Emerie. Cassian, loud and full of wine, wrapped a blanket around himself and demanded one in red. Azriel leaned back in his seat and smiled. He could get used to night's like this.

Soon, Cassian was lulled by the wine and Nesta announced it was time for bed. The two retreated to their chambers. Azriel lingered, desperate for a moment with Gwyn. He had one more surprise in store for her. They were alone and she was beaming. Her teal eyes sparkled and her movements had become more excited with wine.

"Az, seriously, thank you for all this,” she said for the thousand and one time. She gestured dramatically around her. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Gwyn, it was our pleasure. I'm glad you liked it all.”

"Liked? I love everything! I mean, have you felt this blanket? It's literally so soft."

"Gwyn, there's one more surprise. Check under your pillow." He couldn't stop the edges of his lips tugging upwards and the eagerness building up in his chest.

"There's more?" Her eyes became huge and her brows shot up high. "Under my pillow?" she asked as she moved to stand beside the bed. "Shadowsinger, it can't be..."

It was.

Gwyn's melodic laugh filled the room. It was music to his ears. Her head fell back and her hair rippled through the air. Even his shadows pulsed at the sound. He grinned from ear-to-ear.

Gwyn dangled the dagger from her fingers, totally amused. The blade was from his own collection. The handle was black with intricate swirls and markings, beautifully crafted. The blade was gleaming silver. It would have been one of his favorites, had it been larger. In his hands, the dagger felt small. He knew in Gwyn's it would be perfectly lethal.

"I love it," she said before settling it back carefully in it's place.

She gazed up at him, bright teal eyes pinned him in place. The only sound between them was their breathes. Her expression changed to something he couldn't quite name. Suddenly, Gwyn moved with rapid speed and wrapped her arms around his neck. The side of her head pressed into the crook of his neck. The alcohol had given him courage he didn’t have before. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his head against her. She was soft and still smelled like pine and the night sky. A warmth radiated inside him. Perhaps, he had too much wine. He let out a breathe he didn't know he was holding in.

"Thank you, Shadowsinger," Gwyn whispered as she gave him a squeeze. A thousand and two. He didn’t want her let go but she detached herself. She kept her grateful gaze.

"Gwyn, I'm just down the hall. Please, if you ever need anything or you can't sleep...just call for me or come to my room." Relief washed over him. His room was closer to the stairs. If any dangers came lurking he'd hear them first. He hoped nothing should ever happen to make her feel unsafe. "You don't even have to knock," he said almost impulsively.

If no urgent matter arose, he hoped she'd feel comfortable enough to visit his room. He could picture it, Gwyn's head peaking in through the door to say hello or cross-legged on his bed listening to him rant about the mystery novel. It felt strange. He'd never so openly invited someone into his space. Cassian would barge in on occasion. But Cassian was not Gwyn.

"I may knock. Just to be safe." She threw him a smirk. "Thank you, Az. For everything." A thousand and three.

The warmth from her hug and the wine stayed with him as he walked back to his room and settled for bed. He felt lighter and brighter than he'd been all month. His best friend was back and now, lived just down the hall.

tagged! @gwynrielsupremacy | @onemorenightdreamer | @imwritingthesewords

[if you want to be added to my tags just lemme know]

#the nesta/azriel brotp is POWERFUL #the presidents of the Gwyn protection squad #gwyn is too precious and we all must protect her #gwynriel #azriel #gwyneth berdara #shadowsinger #nesta archeron #cassian #nessian #acosf #gwynriel ff #gwynriel fic #gwynriel fanfiction #gwynriel headcanon #azriel fanfic #azriel fanfiction #nesta brotp

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awhitehead17 · 3 years

Text

Batfam Alphabet: K - Kryptonian’s

Summary: After noticing how everyone is busy meeting up with someone who is either a Kryptonian or even a Kent that day, Dick notices how he’s the only one in the family that doesn’t have a Kryptonian partner.

Enjoy! :D

“C’mon Damian, let’s go! We’re going to be late!”

Dick pauses from where he’s walking through the foyer and looks up to find Tim shouting for their younger brother as he hurries down the stairs. When he reaches the bottom the teenager rushes to the door and throws it open and impatiently waits in the doorway as he checks his watch every few seconds.

Raising an eyebrow, Dick glances at the top of the stairs but doesn’t find any sign of Damian. He turns back to Tim. “What’s the rush?”

Tim blinks and stares at him for a moment like he’s just noticing Dick’s presence for the first time. With his eyes flicking to and fro Tim huffs in annoyance and taps his foot restlessly. “We’re meeting Conner and Jon at Amusement Mile but we’re running late because a certain someone can’t apparently keep track of the time!”

Dick frowns, suddenly feeling concerned for his brothers’ safety. “Is going there a wise idea?”

With a wave of his hand Tim dismisses his concern. “It’ll be fine. At the end of the day we’re all trained and it’s only a phone call away if anything does happen. Kon and Jon are there so if we do need an emergency evac we can get out of there quickly.”

Before Dick could respond a new voice joins the conversation.

“We have plenty of time Drake, don’t be so impatient.”

Both Dick and Tim look up to find Damian now descending down the stairs at a leisurely pace, obviously not in such a hurry as Tim is. Dick wonders if Damian is doing it purposely to annoy Tim or because they do have a lot of time to spare and Tim is just being overly-cautious.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little early or even on time brat.” Tim snaps at him, glaring as Damian reaches the bottom of the staircase. “Now come on, we’re wasting time.”

Without even so much a goodbye Tim spins around and hurries out the door once Damian approaches. Damian tuts but follows behind Tim saying “Bye Grayson” as he passes Dick on the way out of the door.

It takes Dick a moment to react, his mind catching up with the fact that Damian and Tim are hanging out together, seemingly willingly with one other. He blinks and shouts after them, “don’t kill one another! Stay safe and remember to call if anything happens!”

Neither brother responds to him but Dick rationalises he’s done what he could, if something happens between them he is not to blame. Maybe he should message Conner to ask him to check in and to make sure they behave. The Kryptonian brothers get along unlike Tim and Damian so his caution is reasonable as them two together is certainly a questionable matter. In the end he decides against it, instead choosing to wait and see what the end result of the day looks like.

Eventually he shuts the front door and continues on his way with what he had been doing before the sudden distraction.

------

Dick’s route through the foyer is interrupted again not even an hour later, only this time because of the group of girls gathered there. Dick stops and stares at the scene unsure on how to proceed, should he make his way through them or go around them?

Steph, Cass, Barbara and even Kara are grouped together giggling about something. Seeing three of them together is rather normal but he is surprised to see Kara around.

Before Dick could decide on what action to take he’s spotted by Steph. The blonde waves enthusiastically at him. “Hey Dick! How are things? Don’t mind us we’re moving to the media room now.”

The other girls turn and face him. Cass and Kara give him a smile and a small wave in greeting while Barbara shoots him a bland look. He wouldn’t expect anything else from her.

As Dick is about to move he’s stopped short by Kara addressing him. She points up to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “Dick, is it true that you used to often climb up there and hang from it?”

Dick glances up and his mind is suddenly ambushed with fond memories of when he was a kid and used to do acrobatics from said chandelier. Alfred used to give him hell for it, particularly after he accidently broke one when he got a bit too bold trying a new move.

He smiles and looks back at Kara nodding. “Yeah, that’s true. More often than you would think believe it or not. I did it less frequently as I got older though.”

Kara snorts with amusement. “I can totally see Jon doing something like that, rao, even Conner would try something like that.”

“Considering who they’re friends with, that doesn’t surprise me.” Steph comments laughing. “Well lets get to it! See you later Dick!”

Steph takes off down the corridor towards the media room with a bounce in her step. Kara sends him one more smile and follows her, Cass comes up to him and stands on her tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek before following them and finally Barbara sends him a wistful smile before trailing behind the girls, clearly also remembering what he used to be like back then.

Once they disappear from view it takes Dick a moment to move, his mind thinking about what just happened. He didn’t even realise they were friends with Kara. He doesn’t even know how they know each other, then again he doesn’t follow every move the girls make, they’ve probably had cases that have crossed over a time or two. Shaking his head he lets it go and continues on with his day.

----

When Dick bumps into Bruce in the kitchen later on that day he feels like there’s a pattern forming.

He’s sat at the kitchen island minding his own business as he eats his lunch and mindlessly going through Facebook, Alfred is pottering about also minding his own business, when Bruce rushes in looking a little frazzled.

Dick watches mollified as Bruce darts about the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards left right and centre clearly looking for something which he doesn’t find straight away. As soon as he came in, Alfred simply stood to the side and allowed Bruce to freely search the place patiently waiting for the inevitable to happen.

After searching every cupboard and draw available Bruce turns to Alfred and before the man could say anything Alfred simply holds out his hand revealing a travel mug. Bruce suddenly looks so relieved and gratefully takes the mug out of the butler’s hand with a breathless “thank you”.

“You are a saint Alfred, there’s no way I’m going to be able to cope today without this.” Bruce determines already taking a sip of the mug’s contents.

Dick blinks, completely lost to what’s happening, especially when all Alfred does is nod as he had been expecting that reaction the entire time.

“What is going on?” He blurts out without meaning too. The two men turn and face him, Alfred looking passive and Bruce looking surprised at his presence. Has Dick become invisible or something? That’s the same reaction Tim had that morning in the foyer.

“Oh, afternoon Dick, I completely missed you sat there.” Bruce says looking a little sheepish, a look that isn’t common on the man though Dick’s seen it more than enough times at this point in his life. “I have a meeting with Clark and the rest of the League members. I’m running a bit behind schedule but not enough to not grab my coffee before heading off. I won’t be back until late, don’t wait for me before going out tonight.”

With that statement Bruce leaves the kitchen with the travel mug clutched tightly in his hands. Dick shoots Alfred a surprised look but the elderly man has already turned around and continued with his task.

Sighing Dick turns his attention back on his half eaten lunch and goes back to scrolling through his Facebook newsfeed. Quickly getting bored of it, he places his phone down and strikes up a conversation with Alfred, the man appears more than happy to converse with him as he works.

After a while Alfred breaks their conversation, sending Dick an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Master Dick but I’m going to have to excuse myself. I have a scheduled phone call to make in a few moments.”

Dick stares, caught off guard by the reason. “What? Who with?” After he says it he realises how bad and how patronizing it sounds. He immediately winces and apologises.

Alfred merely looks amused at his behaviour, thankfully not taking any offense to it. “If you have to know Master Dick, I have a call with Mrs Martha Kent. We’re going to be comparing recipes and giving some recommendations.”

“Okay…”

Alfred leaves the kitchen then, leaving Dick all by himself in the room as his mind reels back over the last hour or so to what’s happened. Is everyone busy today or something?

Finally finishing his lunch, Dick clears his mess up and wanders out of the kitchen trying to decide what to do for the rest of the day.

-----

The next thing to happen which adds to the odd feeling he’s been having throughout the day is when he bumps into Selina in the corridor of the bedrooms wing. He’s heading towards his own room when he notices Selina strutting her way towards him.

His eyes widen as he takes in her outfit. She’s wearing a low cut black blouse paired off with tight leather pants and high heels. She’s wearing a golden necklace with matching bracelets on her wrists and her face done up with perfect looking make-up. The shadowing around her eyes make them stand out along with the boldness of her lipstick which helps define her facial features.

Dick stops in his tracks and watches as she approaches. When she’s close enough she stops and sends him a smile.

“Hot date?” Dick asks with a grin. He can’t help but be curious on why she’s dressed up like that. Bruce isn’t around and there’s no party that he’s aware of happening. Unless she plans on crashing the meeting Bruce happens to be in, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened…

Her smiles turns more devious, “Not quite birdie,” she drawls out. She places her hands on her hips and cocks them to one side. “I’m meeting with Lois Lane. There’s a certain… get together we’re attending and I tend to make a statement.”

Dick’s eyes widen in surprise, he hadn’t been expecting that. He knows that Selina and Lois know one another, he’s seen them interact with each other enough times at gala’s both Bruce and Clark have attended too but he didn’t know they were that close.

After a couple beats he sends her an easy smile. “Well, I’m certain you’re going to make a statement alright.”

“Thank you kitten,” she replies patting his cheek softly, “now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get going.” She saunters past him, continuing down the hallway clearly ready to kick some ass. Selina is the personification of the saying ‘looks can be deceiving’.

“Have fun!” Dick calls out to her retreating form.

As he enters his room Dick is struck by a thought that even Selina is busy that day. It’s really starting to appear that he's the only one without any plans or even someone to meet up with. It suddenly makes him feel lonely, it’s an irrational feeling but he couldn’t help feel it temporarily, maybe it’s jealously of his family all currently hanging out with someone or each other. It’ll soon pass when everyone is back home and skulking around looking for stuff to do out of boredom.

----

Half an hour later and Dick knows he's had enough. It seems like the last straw has been drawn and how the universe has decided to rub salt into the wound.

Dick’s not even out of his bedroom doorway before he’s stopping short at the sight of two beings walking past him. He blinks and looks down the hallway with furrowed eyebrows and seconds later it registers who he’s seeing.

“Jason?”

His brother stops in the middle of the hallway and turns around to face him. He looks surprised for a moment before his expression goes back to neutral. “Oh, hey Dick.”

“What are you doing?” He questions his brother, his gaze slipping to Jason’s companion. Bizarro stands next to Jason, his eyes drifting between the two of them as he watches them interact with a frown.

Jason jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “We’re heading out now as we’re about to meet Artemis.”

Dick runs a hand over his face taking in the new information. “How long has Bizarro been here?”

His brother sends him perplexed look. “Uh, like all day? Did you not know that?”

“No. No I didn’t.”

“Oh,” Jason shrugs, not bothered by his answer, “well whatever. As I said we’re heading out now, so see ya! Say bye bye, Bizarro.”

“Bye bye.” Bizarro calls out to him with a wave of his hand.

Dick half heartedly waves back as he watches them disappear down the hallway. Once they were gone Dick slips back into his room and shuts the door behind him, completely forgetting the original reason why he had been leaving in the first place.

He goes over to his bed and flops down on it with a heavy sigh. Jason, even Jason, is busy and has company. How is it only him who isn’t doing anything? Usually it’s the other way around, where he’s always trying to find time in his schedule to meet up with his friends, family or to have some time for himself.

Burying his face into his pillow he sighs dejectedly, feeling sorry for himself. Dick frowns, maybe that’s not the right term, would jealously be more accurate or maybe loneliness is better suited. Whatever the word is for what he’s feeling, he knows it’s pretty much unwarranted. He should be happy that all of his siblings and extended family are out being sociable, they all have hectic and unpredictable lives, taking any free time a person has to spend it with those they care about is worth it.

Dick shouldn’t be annoyed with his family because he’s the one currently holed up in his bedroom sulking because he doesn’t have anyone to be with. It’s not their fault.

Something else he notices is how everyone seems to have their own Kryptonian, or by extension a Kent.

There's Bruce and Clark, though Bruce will deny their friendship at every opportunity. Tim and Conner, who are best friends (maybe more, Dick’s not quite sure). Damian and Jon, as much as the former is reluctant to admit how much he cares for the younger. Steph, Cass, Barbara and Kara who are all apparently friends. Selina and Lois. Alfred and Mrs Kent. Jason and Bizarro.

He’s the only one without a Kryptonian partner. While he’s worked with Clark a few times and has connected with him, after all Clark’s the one who inspired him to become Nightwing, it’s not the same thing.

After spewing in his thoughts for a while, Dick comes to a conclusion that sleep sounds like the best option right now. If he sleeps then he’s not thinking, and as a bonus at the same time his body is resting and extra rest never hurts anyone.

He shifts on his mattress, getting into a more comfortable position to sleep in, and buries his head further into his pillow. Closing his eyes he tries to force his body into unconsciousness. His eyes snap open only seconds later when his phone pings from it’s place on his bedside table.

Stuck between being excited for a message and dreading it, Dick reaches out and grabs the device. Rolling over onto his back he lifts his phone up in front of his face and reads the notification. Seeing who the message is from, a wide grin stretches across Dick’s face and any dread he had been feeling instantly disappears. It seems like the universe has finally decided to side with him (or that it’s had enough of him moping) because it’s a message from his long time old friend Wally West.

‘Hey man it’s been waaaayyyyyy too long. Are you free to hang out any time soon – we need to catch up bro.’

Dick agrees with the message, it has been too long since they last saw one another. From what Dick heard last is how Wally’s been busy helping out in Central City, his relationship with Linda is progressing smoothly, he’s been helping to train his cousin and how he’s been away on a mission with Jay. Dick had thought Wally was still away, hence why he hadn’t contacted him but obviously he’s wrong about that.

Dick types out a reply to his friend, feeling eager and excited to meet up. ‘I’m free right now if you are. C’mon over to the Manor when you can?’

It takes a few moments for Wally to respond. ‘Absolutely. Though will Bats have my ass if I just show up?’

Dick snorts, of all the things to be concerned about… ‘No. You’re fine. B’s in a meeting.’

‘Okay! I’ll be there in a flash ;D’

It’s stupid but Dick couldn’t help chuckle at the poor joke. No doubts on how Wally’s picked up that behaviour from Barry.

Feeling jittery, Dick rolls off his bed and begins making his way downstairs so he could greet Wally by the door. He doesn’t know what they’ll do other than talk to catch up and possibly raid the kitchen at the same time. Dick doesn’t mind what they do, at least he finally has someone to hang out with!

Just as Dick reaches the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, the doorbell rings alerting him of Wally’s arrival. Dick grins as he approaches the door and it only gets wider when he opens it to reveal his best friend standing there on the front porch.

“Wal-man! How’s it going dude!” He exclaims stepping towards the speedster.

Wally’s gaze snaps to him and an identical grin appears on his face. “Dick, it’s so good to see you man!”

They come together and embrace tightly with a few firm pats on the back. They part after a few beats and then take a moment to observe one another. Dick is pleased to find Wally appearing the same as he did when he last saw him, looking happy and healthy.

“So…” Wally trails off when the silence gets drawn out for too long.

“So.” Dick repeats promptly. Getting himself together, he continues to grin and throws an arm around his friend’s shoulders, using that leverage he guides Wally into the house. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

Wally’s own arm wraps around Dick’s back as they pass through the foyer. “That we do. I can’t even remember when the last time I saw you was.”

With his free hand Dick waves the comment away. “Doesn’t matter, we’re here now. Shall we grab some food and go to my room? I would suggest the media room but the girls are currently inhabiting it, have been all day, alternatively we could go to the conservatory or even outside since it’s dry and warm.”

Wally hums for a moment before answering. “Food is a definite must, you know me – hey has Alfred cooked recently, any chance we could steal some leftovers? And your room sounds fine, at least there’ll be less chance of us being disturbed by one of your millions of siblings.”

Dick rolls his eyes at the comment though he carries on smiling, some days it really does feel like he has a million. Will Bruce ever learn the meaning of ‘no more’?

“I have no idea what Alfred has in the kitchen so we shall see when we get there.” Dick says smiling.

The two of them fall into an easy stream of chatter as they begin catching up with what’s going on in their lives.

As they chat Dick thinks to himself, why was he so bothered that his family members all have their own Kryptonian when he has his own speedster? A couple of them also have a speedster but not everyone so Dick can hold onto this, at least that’s what he’s rationalising to himself. Thinking back on it, Dick realises that it’s stupid, why should he be concerned about it at all? He's now with his best friend, that’s what matters and that’s exactly what he's going to focus on.

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