#Jason: Huh I would have thought Bruce would be giving more trouble... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

robinofgothamcity · 3 years

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♡ prompt: "you accidentally get sent into the future and see how you both turn out.”

♡ pairing: dick grayson (anyverse / nightwing) x fem reader

♡ lyric inspiration: “I said that’s life and as funny as it may seem, some people get their kicks stomping on a dream but I don’t let it get me down cause this fine old world keeps spinning around.”

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / again like what I said with my Jason fic, you don’t necessarily use the TITANS universe to imagine this fic. i just used this version of dick for no reason.

“god, this is the last time I do any kind of work with ANY OF YOU!” you yelled at Dick as he bit on his inner cheek. all of you had been fighting off a bunch of crooks and at first, you thought it was okay.....that was until one of the crooks pulled out his hidden magical abilities, “at the very least, we could’ve called Klarion for help!”

Damian gave you a look as if what you were saying was stupid, “I’M JUST SAYING! WE’RE ALL FUCKING HUMAN AND ZATANNA ISN’T EVEN IN THE COUNTRY TO HELP!” you yelled back.

Dick was trying to remain calm as he hadn’t seen one of the criminals approaching him. he was too busy charging one that was heading towards you. you; however, had saw them out of the corner of you eye and practically sped to Dick which is what the criminal wanted.

he wanted you and Dick out of the way in order to get Damian trapped. as you and Dick had passed each other with the notion to save each other, the crook pulled out a gadget that opened up a portal.

“NIGHTWING!” “( YOUR HERO NAME )!”

the two of you went to grab each other but it was too late. you and Dick had gotten sucked into the portal as you let out a piercing yell. Dick tried grabbing you, hoping that wherever the two of you landed, he would get the hardest impact.

soon enough, both you and Nightwing collided with the ground. you instantly shot up, preparing to fight whoever was around. Dick had took in the surrounding and whispered that the two of you were safe.

“where the hell are we?” you asked, trying not to panic, “we need to find another portal back. Damian is on his own!” you fidgeted with your fingers as Dick waved you off.

“if anything, Damian might be more in his element,” he whispered, “you forget how Damian grew up. I think he’ll be fine. he probably already called Bruce or one of the boys.” you tried to figure out how the hell Dick was so calm about the situation.

Dick took off his mask as you followed along, “I think are biggest issue might be trying to figure out what year he took us too. I can’t imagine he took us in the past so we might just be in the future,” Dick explained.

both of you walked down the hill that you had landed on and saw you were in Bludhaven, “I think we’re in your home territory,” you murmured. Dick sighed in relief. he was more relieved that both of you landed in his hometown because had you landed in Gotham, he felt like that would’ve landed you in more trouble with the Bat, “I didn’t think Bludhaven was this ran down,” you told Dick.

“hey!” he exclaimed, “it isn’t as bad as it looks!” you giggled trying not to catch attention from anyone. the two of you made it down the hill when the realization hit you. Bludhaven had snow falling all over the town and you nor Dick were even mildly dressed in clothes to handle the cold.

“do you have clothes in your apartment? it’s freezing out here!” you exclaimed. Dick gave you the side eye, “I do but if we landed in the future, my future self might be there. we can run into a store and get clothes there.”

“and do you have cash? bc if you’re carrying a debit card, that would be really weird to see a transaction from the future,” you replied. Dick took out his wallet and pulled out a crisp 100, “I stand defeated,” you murmured. Dick rolled his eyes as the two of you saw a department store at the corner of the street.

before you could pull in, you heard someone scream you hero name, “hey! those are sick cosplays!” they said running up to you. you gave him a confused look before realizing, you had to pretend that you weren’t actually yourself, “thanks! it took a lot of work,” you tried to say.

“I bet. it looks super realistic too! ever since she stopped fighting, it’s been super weird not seeing ( your hero name ) around.” you stood confused, wondering what he meant by that, “oh! you’re supposed to be Nightwing! that’s awesome! do you think I can get a picture!” he asked.

you looked to Dick who just shrugged and agreed. the two of you smiled for the photo as he scanned it, “thanks! I swear, you look exactly like her too! but clearly that can’t be right since the actual ( your hero name ) is pregnant allegedly!” he said as he turned around to leave.

“pregnant?” you yelled, holding onto Dick who was laughing hysterically, “it’s not fucking funny! I’m pregnant in whatever year this is!” you yelled. Dick could see the panic in your eyes, “he never said it was actually true. he said it was alleged that you were,” Dick tried to emphasize.

you walked into the department store, which ended up being a Target, and ran to the women’s section, wanting to get out of your hero costume as soon as possible. once you and Dick grabbed the clothes, he quickly paid for it before the two of you darted to the bathrooms to get dressed.

you managed to come out faster than Dick as you held onto your costume by hand. with curiosity plaguing your mind, you saw a magazine and looked at the date.

December 22, 2024.

you sighed in relief. the two of you had only gone three years into the future which was a good thing....right?

“we’re three years into the future,” you told Dick. he nodded as you walked outside, “we can check if future you is actually home and if he’s not, you making some portal to get us back home!” you threatened.

“at this rate, I would’ve preferred if Damian would’ve been the one to come along,” Dick retorted. you pushed him to street, making him stumble over his feet, “say some snark shit again and see where that gets you,” you told him, “plus, you think I want to get stuck in the future with you? I would have preferred Jason if we’re going to be honest. at least he would’ve been more entertaining to be around.”

Dick remained quiet, not knowing how to respond.

the two of you had a weird relationship with each other. at times, the two of you got along, to the point where some thought the two of you were together while other times, you practically hated his guts. no one knew why the relationship was this way but his heart felt a pang as you confessed that you would have rather been here with Jason than him.

“way to kill a mood,” Dick said. you rolled your eyes, “you literally just said you’d rather be with Damian! don’t blame me for this shit. plus, if it wasn’t Damian, I’m sure you would wanted Starfire next,” you added on.

Dick looked at you stunned, “what makes you say that?” he asked. you rolled your eyes, “please, it’s not hard to tell that you and Star have a thing for each other,” you said, this time more quietly than before. Dick didn’t know how to respond but quickly for him, he didn’t have to. the two of you had arrived to where lived or at least hope he still lived there.

the house wasn’t big, not in the slightest; however, it was big enough for him on his own. the two of you looked inside of the window and saw that someone was facing their back towards it.

“whose that?” you asked Dick. he shrugged, half of him annoyed at you and the other half not knowing who it actually was. the two of you remained looking at the person, hoping they turned around so you could get a look, “it looks like you if I’m going to be honest,” Dick replied.

you sighed, “I don’t think it is but sure,” your statement was quickly taken back as the person finally turned around. it was in fact you...fully pregnant and opening up the window. you let out a piercing scream as Dick quickly covered your mouth, trying not to get caught.

“can you shut the hell up?” he whisper screamed, “you’re going to get us caught!” he continued. you took his hand off your mouth, “do that shit again and you’ll be dead before you can even see your future self,” you threatened, “plus! that’s me! pregnant as fuck!”

Dick tried not to laugh at your last statement but couldn’t, “if you’re pregnant, I wonder whose kid it is and why the hell you’re even at my place,” he wondered, “it’s probably yours,” you joked, making the both of you laugh quietly.

you remained looking through the window, watching as you stood up and got different things from a box. you were whispered things you couldn’t exactly heart but one thing you did notice was the huge ring on your left finger.

you whipped your head to look at Dick as his eyes widened. his future self had walked into the living room, giving you a peck on the cheek before bending down and kissing your stomach, “hey bubba! treating your creator well?” he asked.

both you and Dick looked at each other speechless as you put two and two together. you were pregnant....with Dick’s child, “you better because your mom might kill me if you’re giving her a hard time,” he joked before placing a kiss on your lips, “we should eat before John gets hungry and your dad thinks we ditched out on the plans,” you mentioned.

“John?” you whispered to yourself, wondering why the hell you named your future kid John, “John was my fathers name, you know, before he passed,” Dick confessed. your eyes widened, “oh, is it?” you murmured back, not knowing what to say.

the two of you walked closer the door as you noticed your belly again. it was bigger than you realized as Dick had to help you down the stairs. you watched yourself get into Dick’s are as you were struggling to put the belt around you. eventually, Dick drove away and left the two of you alone again.

the air was thick with silence as you had no idea what to say, “parents huh?” Dick asked with a chuckle of nervousness, “yup....and you’re the dad,” you added on. Dick nodded as you sat on the curb with your hands on your knees, “and you’re the mom,” he replied.

you let out a laugh of disbelief as you couldn’t make up anything to say, “crazy right? I think we’re married too,” you finally looked at Dick as he stared at you, almost lovingly, “is there an issue with that?” he asked as seriously as possible. you shook your head no, “nope. just weird that we were the ones that ended up married and having kids together,” you said.

Dick slowly grabbed your hand and held it softly.

“I mean it could be weirder...it could have been Jason or Tim,” he said out loud. you shrugged, “I mean, that would have weird too,” you played with Dick’s fingers and bit your lip, “I guess we should try and find our way back? we wouldn’t want to change the future,” you gave Dick a hopeful look.

he nodded as he helped you up but without hesitation, he pulled you in for a searing kiss, “I’ve been meaning to do that for a while now,” he whispered as he put his hand on your cheek and caressed it softly with his thumb.

a few seconds later, both of you saw a portal opening with Damian screeching from the other side of it, “COME ON YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTS!” he yelled dramatically. you laughed, looking to Dick, “you heard the boy, let’s get the future started,” Dick nodded grabbing your hand and stepping into the portal.

#DC imagines #DC comics #dc imagine #dc x reader #dc #dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson x you #dick grayson x y/n #nightwing #nightwing imagine #nightwing x reader #nightwing x you #comics

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stressedoutcanary · 3 years

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Hold On - Jason Todd x Batgirl!Reader [PART 2]

WORD COUNT :- 2.3k

Warnings ⚠️: I don't even know if there are any...Swearing maybe?, mentions of kidnappings, actual kidnapping oh and also violence and angst :)

A/N 😋: I got lost while writing this so judge accordingly people. Also forgive me for any mistakes. I TRIED.

Part 1 , Part 3

•°•°•°•°

“JASON STOP!!!!!”, your voice echoed in the silent warehouse.

Jason stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard your voice, his mind was brimming with thoughts, questions and worst of all, emotions.

“Well, well, well, look who crawled out of her little cave”, He said smugly as he finally turned around to face you. The voice was his, you’d recognize that voice anywhere but it felt cold, devoid of emotions, hearing him like that sent a shiver up your spine. You could feel your determination slipping.

Even though you had your cowl on, Jason could still see how much his rampage was hurting you but he couldn’t stop now, not when all he had left to do was to capture Joker, beat the living shit out of that asshole and show Bruce how much of a failure Batman’s moral compass really is.

“Well? Got nothing to say now?... Why am I not surprised?”, Jason scoffed.

You took a deep breath, you were breaking down inside but you sure as hell weren’t going to let that stop you. You spoke, voice barely above a whisper, “Jason...Jay...Stop all this...Please, come home, come back to the--”

“Manor? Home? Did you hit your head (Y/N)? Why in the hell would I ever go back to a place where NOBODY GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ME, WHERE HE REPLACED ME AS IF I MEANT NOTHING?!”, Jason didn’t want to lose control of himself, not in front of you. So with visible effort he calmed himself down, took a step forward and gave you a deadpan look.

“You all left me”

Your blood boiled at that statement.

“How dare you?! We lost you! We mourned for you! I mourned for you!”

Tears welled up in your eyes, listening to him you wondered whether he truly believed the words actually coming out of his own mouth.

“The Jason I knew was a roughed up street boy who still cared when many didn't, who called Bruce out every step of the way, who had this ridiculous favoritism for bread, who had the guts to take out a tire from the fricking Batmobile”, despite the dreadful situation you smiled remembering those sweet memories.

You looked him in the eye, pleading in a way, and you spoke softly, “The Jason I knew was The Robin to my Batgirl. This-this is just not who you are Jay, not really...So can you just stop?”

He looked unfazed by your words and cocked his head to the side.

“Princess, the only way you can stop me is if you fight me, knock me down real hard, make sure that I won't get back up again. Tell me Batgirl, can you do it? Do you actually have what it takes?”, he waited for an answer he knew wasn’t coming. As expected, all he was met with was silence.

Long, Painful Silence.

With that Jason knew what he had to do, he put on his red helmet and swung out of the nearest window, you couldn't stop him, for all your big talk, you just couldn't. He was right you failed him.

•°•°

You jumped awake with a start, bolting upright and immediately regretting your subconscious decision, the throbbing pain made you clutch the back of your head with your palm and you closed your eyes again to achieve some semblance of reality as a way of grounding yourself.

‘It was just a dream (Y/N)…just...a...dream’

You tried to lie to yourself knowing deep down that it was a memory, something you have already lived through, something you regret everyday. You swallowed the lump in your throat. It felt dry and your whole body was sore. You really should've called in early and then maybe Dick would've been the one stuck in this crapy situation and not you.

Pushing past your perplexed state you got up and took in your surroundings, there were vines hanging from the open roof, a LOT of flowers and some Venus flytraps by the corner. It wouldn’t even take being a detective to figure out where you were; The Botanical Gardens.

“How the hell did I end up here”, you muttered under your breath. This was getting out of hands.

“See Pammy I told ya Girl-Bat would rise and shine by now”

“I can see that Harls”

‘Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, just great, is nobody in Arkham these days’

The duo descended down from the open roof through one of the vines and stood in front of you. Harley looked as happy as a 10 year old about to get their favorite toy and Ivy seemed to be interested in anything and everything that did not concern you. Classic.

“Why the hell did you both kidnap me?”

You jumped forward and grabbed Harley by the collar of her dress, in retrospect it wasn't the best move but it's not like you were thinking straight at the time anyway.

A vine wrapped itself around your waist and you were tugged back by such force that you were sure there was gonna be a big bruise there tomorrow. You skidded across the floor and finally stopped when your back connected with a bench. You were just too drained to fight back so instead you just crawled up and sat on the bench with a grunt.

‘Not fighting my way out of this one so for once let’s try talking’

“Whoa, should ya really be this obnoxious when ya got a concussion?”, Harley burst your thought bubble as she looked you over.

“Wait, Did you just call me obnoxious?!”

“But don'tcha worry I am a doctor and I got a PhD”

“In psychology!”

“I will fix ya in no time”

“Are you even listening to me?”

Just like that you saw Harley leave the room to go get some medical supplies, or well at least you thought that that's what she was going to do, you turned your face towards Ivy hoping that she can fill in the blanks.

“So you both finally done babbling? And here I thought it was never going to end.”, She looked at you from where she was petting her plant, and made her way over to you, something about her seemed genuine. You got the feeling that whatever she had to say, it won't be a lie.

“Try and not mind what Harley does, she's just happy to make new friends for girls night.” She sighed before continuing, “As for your question, last night we were near the Gotham Central Park when we saw a masked man dragging your unconscious body out of a building and into a van parked in the alley, so we kil-- we took care of him and brought you here”, She shrugged as if that explains why the Poison Ivy just saved your life.

"Wait that means Red isn't here", you whispered more to yourself than to others.

“Pam is Red!”, Harley said cheerfully as she came back out nowhere with a bunch of boxes which would've made you very uneasy if your mind wasn't already preoccupied.

“What Harley means to say is that if you are trying to ask about that gun loving leather jacket vigilante who wears a red helmet, then no we don't know where he is”

Her words sunk in and yesterday's memories flashed in your mind, your eyes widened under your mask as the realization hit you like a bus.

The missing people, the creepy mannequins, the medical journals regarding surgeries, the weirdo in the white mask instead of a face, the poster of some Pretty Dolls parlor; Now it all makes sense!

“Pyg!”

"Huh?", the women in front of you almost jumped at your sudden revelation.

“Lazlo Valentin aka Professor Pyg that's the son of a bitch who is behind all this mess, he's the one who has got Red Hood And it's all my fault! Now, He might be dead already! I should've known, I-I should've figured it out quicker, I should've done something, DAMN IT!!”, you buried you face in your hands due to the building frustration within you.

“Don't be like that”, you heard Harley's voice as a hand was placed on your shoulder, she sat down on the bench next to you, you turned your head and eyed her warily, seeing nothing but concern.

“Don't give up. Clearly this Hoodie person means a lot to ya so you get off your ass and go get him, don't you Bat People always find a way”, you looked at her for a moment, then jumped up on your feet.

“Can't believe I am saying this but you are right Harley, I need go and I will find a way to save him, but before leaving I wanna know something”, you looked Ivy in the eyes as you worded your next sentence, “Why save me?”

“It was just my way of replaying you for saving Harls from that clown once”, instead of elaborating Ivy just crossed her hands over her chest waiting for you to leave. You gave her a warm smile, something they are not used to seeing, from a bat of all people.

“Thank you Pamela”

With that you were out of that detour and onto finding the path leading up to Jason.

��°•°

Somehow you reached the safe house without running into some kind of trouble, with how your day has been going, you were completely expecting something else to go wrong. Thankfully it didn't. You took out a spare comms unit, keys for your bike and some aspirin to dull the headache.

Soon you were whizzing past vehicles at full speed triying to contact anyone available at the moment.

“Come on pick up, pick up, pick up! What's the meaning of giving us an emergency button when no one picks the damn thing up”, you spoke into a dead line, wishing you could just bang your head against a wall, on second thought not a good idea.

Two minutes later the call was finally picked up and a screen appeared on the dash of your bike, it was from the batcave and you could see Dick, Damian and Bruce in sitting in front of the computer, Tim was connected from what you assumed to be the titans tower. However Dick was the first one to pop the question.

“(Y/N) what's the emergency? Are you okay? We haven't heard from you since last night”

“Look no time to explain. Jason's been taken by Pyg and I need you guys to give me a location. Now”, you said gritting your teeth as you narrowly missed a truck for the second time this evening.

“Todd's captured? *tt* his incompetence precedes that of Drake”, Damian's snarky remark made Tim snap his head up.

“Hey!”

“Boys”, Bruce's stern voice made them quiet enough for the time being, “Batgirl you are injured and your emotions can compromise the whole rescue, go back to the safe house and let us handle this”, Bruce ended the transmission and it made you angry.

'He said that they are going to handle it, that means they know where he is, so now all I have to do is to get Dick to spill it out'

You dialed Dick back, hoping he would understand what you are trying to do.

“I know why you specifically choose to call me back and No I am not letting you go head first into danger without any of us with you especially when you are compromised”, Dick's tone was stern but laced with concern.

“Dick the last time Bruce said he will handle it, Jason died, look I know what he is trying to say, I get him, I can't blame him for wanting to look after me but you have to understand I have to be the one to get him back”

“Why?!”

“Because I can't lose him again! The last thing that I said to him was that I might never forgive him! Never forgive him for something that's not even his fault! You are my only hope at getting him back, please don't take that away from me, please”, you pleaded with him as you slowed down the bike to a stop.

The line was silent for a while, the thought about saying more to him crossed your mind; what you are feeling about Jason, how much he matters to you, how you've failed him more than once, but ultimately decided against it and instead you just waited for his reply.

You deflated as soon as you realized that the line was cut but the ping of a notification caught your attention; The map to the possible location of Jason.

“Dick Grayson, you big softie”, you smirked, your bike roared as you made your way on to the free way heading fast towards the Gotham outskirts.

Meanwhile at Professor Pyg's 'supervillain headquarters' :

Jason slowly woke up, assessing the situation he quickly came to the conclusion that he messed up and now he is tied up to what seems like dentist's chair.

“Great, there has got to be a new record I've set in this family for messing up and getting kidnapped”, Jason muttered under his breath, he tried to tug at his restraints to get free but it turned out to be fruitless. A blinding light was switch on above him and he grunted due to the intensity.

“Man, what is up with you people and light?! Turn it off already!”, Jason said as he tried to adjust his eyes accordingly, when he came to, he was met with his captor himself.

Jason just stared at the man in front, moving towards him, wearing a pig mask and holding a butcher knife. He has seen enough crazy but this guy might just rival the Joker himself.

“Pyg know you broken. Pyg make you perfect”

“WHAT THE F--”

°•°•°•°•

(I like to think I am funny)

Cute little extra note: Yes it is the second time I'm leaving you guys hanging and NOPE I do not regret my decision.

Tagging: @ladyperceval

#jason todd reader insert #red hood reader insert #batgirl!reader imagine #jason todd x y/n #red hood x reader #jason todd x reader #red hood x y/n #red hood imagines #red hood imagine #jason todd imagines #jason todd imagine #jason todd x batgirl!reader #red hood x batgirl!reader #jason todd #red hood #batfamily

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cetaceans-pls · 2 years

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9-1-1, I’m The Emergency

Batfam | Dick, Jason, Alfred, Assorted Gothamites

A spell gone wrong leave Jason and Dick stranded and alone in the middle of the night down by the docks.

A daisy-chain of well-meaning Gothamites fumble and stumble their way into getting them home in one piece.

@sparkypantaloons I thought I was on time for your prompt of ‘ambulance’, and turns out I somehow blanked out the entirety of November 10th.... Nevertheless, please enjoy!

Dick comes to with a splitting headache, and that queasiness in the gut that usually implies that a migraine’s coming for you after a night of inebriation spent forgetting that you’re a fully adult male who’s cracked 30.

The thing is, Dick doesn’t remember drinking, not in a ‘went so hard it all blacked out’ kind of way, more in a ‘I was definitely in the middle of hot pursuit of a rogue magician across the wilds of Gotham’s rooftops and what the hell happened then’ kind of way. He keeps his eyes closed and his breathing even, trying to figure out where he is and if he’s in any danger.

There’s no sound of a fight, or any indication that he’s going to wake up to a tense, terrible situation. There’s that sharp Gotham breeze coming through, bringing with it too-early frost and the stained leather smell that pervades the docks regardless of the number of fancy microbreweries that have popped up. Dick cracks one eye open and quietly surveys his surroundings, and yeah, it’s just a small back alley. A quick glance around at storefronts and the colours of the brick lets him know that he’s behind the fancy butchery that sells ‘organic rabbit’ that they source by lowkey poaching in the woods behind the Manor. Damian’s been campaigning to have them shut down, and by this point every single one of them’s driven down to the area to let the little guy stomp up and down the boulevard handing out flyers about how terrible the butcher’s practices are.

Safe, ish. No villain worth their salt would attempt an assault in such an uncool location. Say what you will about the rogues here, and there’s a lot of truly unflattering things you could come up with, but there’s no doubt the whole damn lot of them are stuffed more full of flair than they are of sense.

Dick carefully sits up, hand going to his back to reach for his staff so he can get on with it and look for Jason who’d gone out with him that night, and instead finds himself looking at his hand.

It’s a dead giveaway that something’s incredibly wrong. There’s not a lot of hand for quite a lot of man. Come to think of it, the ground looks awful close for a man who’s almost 6 foot sitting up.

“Not again,” he groans, and his voice comes off high and uncommonly sweet.

How is time such an immoveable concept everywhere but here?! Bruce and Tim have been zapped into magic on previous occasions by Circe, who comes round maybe twice a decade to cause trouble and magic people, but the guy they were going after on behalf of Zatanna was just supposed to be some two-bit guy who was using magic to give him an edge at horse racing.

No one ever said he could turn back time, which seems like an enormous oversight.

A groan distracts him from his irritated thoughts, and a moment later young, young Jason, the youngest Dick’s ever seen him, pops out from behind a garbage can, absolutely swamped in his leather jacket.

Dick feels slightly hysterical laughter try to push its way up and out of his throat; something about seeing Jason this small, face round and hair jet-black, has Dick wanting to tuck him under his arm and growl at anybody who comes within a hundred yards of them.

Oh, shit, this must be the Bruce Instinct. See some grubby kid in some dark alley somewhere and you just go abso-fucking-lutely feral.

“You all right, Jaybird?”

Jason takes one look at him, and then rubs his face with a (chubby! little!) hand. “Guess it was only a matter of time before the rest of us got fucked like this, huh. Magic is just the fucking worst.”

Seeing a cherubic face, and cherubic really is the best way to describe how round and red-cheeked Jason is in this sharp autumn night, swearing like there’s no tomorrow is quite a treat. “The next time the magicians ask us for help, I swear I’m going to ask for a deposit-”

Dick doesn’t get to get into what it is he’s going to ask a deposit for, because the backdoor to the butcher’s opens up and a young man ambles out holding his breath and a bag of gently leaking trash. He doesn’t see them at first, because it’s a dark alley and they’re both really really good at going very, very still, but their faces are bare (thank fuck for helmets and masks that couldn’t keep up with their size change, oh my god) and it’s that Bruce Instinct that is maybe inherent in a lot of Gothamites;

See a small kid in an alley and just go a little bit feral. The man instantly drops the trash, rushing towards them all in a tizzy, hands up and swinging like he’s torn between pulling them to tuck under each arm and holding them up and away to show he’s no threat. “Hey, kids,” the guys says, and oh, man, he’s young. Younger than Tim, probably not old enough to drink yet, even. There’s the general scruffiness about the chin of a young man doing his best to grow a beard but his body plainly refusing to co-operate, and his thick, curly hair’s doing the greasy-lanky thing that happens at the intersection of hormonal imbalance and the youthful optimism of believing whole-heartedly that you’re going to look good while your hair grows out.

Jason and Dick just stare at him with twin unblinking stares, which has him looking even more uncomfortable. “Shit, uhm. Are you lost? Are you hurt? Where are your parents, uh, buddy?”

Jason and Dick turn to look at each other, because wow. It’s rarely been so clear that someone grew up without any siblings, adopted or elsewise.

Dick decides to take the lead on this one, because the poor kid’s probably not going to deal well with adult-Jasons stuffed into wee-Jason Jason. He turns back to the man, and lets his lower lip quiver violently. The body, luckily, remembers, and his eyes start filling up at an alarming rate. “W-w-w-where’s my daddyyyyy!” he wails, tears rolling down his cheeks, face held to the exact right angle so that the yellow street lamps highlight just how dramatically he’s weeping. “M-m-me and m-m-m-my brother c-can’t find him!”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he hears Jason muttering under his breath, but Dick’s dedicating himself to this role. It’s hard for them to have just run away, with their clothes twelve sizes too big and their kit far, far too heavy for them to pick up. All they have is this, but Dick’s pretty good at this.

“I just wanna go ho-o-o-o-o-me,” Dick cries loudly, and is a little worried he’s laying it on too thick. He hadn’t exactly had the most normal of upbringings, and in a travelling circus no one has time for tantrums so doesn’t have the most experience with all of this. Jason’s rough-living on the streets wouldn’t be helpful, either, when what they’re aiming to portray is ‘helpless’ and ‘incompetent’ with a side of ‘spoiled’.

The guy looks like he’s on the verge of tears too. “I’m the closing shift, Chrissie should’ve been here and she would know what to do, she has three sisters, but all you got is me, and-”

Oh, no, oh no, oh, Dick didn’t mean to drive the poor kid into a panic attack. He thinks about going cold turkey, pausing the tears on demand, but that might freak the boy out even more.

Luckily, Jason’s already determined that this is a situation that needs salvaging, and before Dick could think about his next steps Jason’s already at the guy’s elbow, tugging on his sleeve authoritatively.

“Hey, mister, it’s okay. My brother’s just kinda a crybaby. Can we borrow your phone to call our dad?”

“My phone!” the man says, face lighting up. “I have my phone!”

They’ll just call the specific number for when they need an Agent A pickup, pretend that their grandpa is the one coming to fetch, and this’ll be a very minor blight on a life full of big ones. Dick winks at Jason from behind the hands rubbing his face, and Jason just rolls his eyes at him.

Everything could’ve gone so well, could’ve gone down so easy, if Not-Beard hadn’t pulled out his phone like he’s pulling out a miracle, and immediately dialed 9-1-1.

The call operator was almost as startled as they were, really. It had started out so regular.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello, hey, hi. Uh, first time calling this number, so, uhm, what should I do?”

Chartreuse very professionally doesn’t sigh. “Your name, your location, and your emergency sir.”

“Hi! I’m Miguel, I’m at Iberico Butchers’ at, uhm, 12th and Merryweather. The place that that Wayne kid handcuffed himself to last week in protest of, uhm, bunnies. I was closing down for the night, and I found two kids, and they’re crying, and I don’t know what to do. Please help?”

Well. An interesting case where no one is currently getting hurt. It’s about as good as good gets for Char. “Stay calm, sir,” she says, and it’s a warmer, calmer tone. “Are the children all right? Are they hurt?”

“One of them keeps crying, and I, I think he has a lisp? If that’s a concern? The other one’s fine, I think. Should I get them indoors, or something? I can grab them some jerky.”

“Not unless a hurricane’s coming that I don’t know of, sir.” Char looks around, and the other night staff aren’t handling calls either. It’s a slow night, and she can spend a little more time on this than is reasonable. “Could you put me on speaker, so that I can get some information from them, sir?”

“Oh, just Miguel is fine, ma’am, thanks for helping out. Give me a sec-”

There’s a click, and she assumes she’s been put through. “Hey, sweetheart,” she says the way she says it when little Ruby’s sick with whatever the hell it is is going through daycare this week. “Me and Miguel are here to help you. Can I get your name?”

There’s a scuffle and people-moving-around noises, before a polite little voice pipes up. “Hi! I’m Richard, and I’m,” a pause, “8 years old?”

“Hi Richard,” she says, struggling to not be charmed by an 8-year-old apparently struggling to count to 8. It’s a testament to the failure of the education system, please focus. “How about you give me a number to contact your parents, yeah? Then I can send a police officer to come pick you up, and we’ll get you home, how about that?”

“All cops are p-” goes another young voice before it gets abruptly cut off, and then Richard’s back on again sounding breathless.

“Sorry!” he says cheerfully, “I fell on my brother. Also, my dad says I should never get into a car with a policeman. Can I just hang up and call my daddy, please?”

Chartreuse can hardly blame the kid for the good amount of caution he’s taking vs. GCPD, and frankly she’d rather call for an Uber than risk this, but the call’s being recorded and she’s not being paid just a little above minimum wage to go her own way. “No can do, kiddo, you’re my responsibility now.” She checks the roster for the night shift, and spots a familiar name. “Hey, Richard, how about this. How about, I call my friend Glenn, and he’ll go over for a wellness check. If you’re doing okay, he’ll give you a ride home with his ambulance. If you’re really good, he’ll even let you blast the siren.”

There’s a whispered conversation, quiet and furtive except for Miguel’s voice in the background going “I don’t know, this Glenn guy sounds pretty nice, I can’t take you both home on my bicycle.”

They spend a few moments more arguing, until the other kid comes through. “I’m Jay,” this one says. “Glenn’s an actual nice guy? He’s not going to be an as-, a butthole to me and Richie and Miguel?”

“Cross my heart, Jay,” she says. “You’ll love him, he’s six foot six and gives hugs like you’d imagine a bear gives hugs. And if he’s mean to you, I’ll beat him up myself. He’s married to my sister, so if he’s naughty she’ll really let him have it. Sound good to you, little guy?”

This time, there’s no heated discussion. “Yes please, miss. Thank you.”

Chartreuse breaks into laughter, and waves off Sam sending her a funny look from the other cubicle. “Tell him Char says hi, okay Jay?”

“I’ll remember, miss, promise.”

Glenn’s been a paramedic for a good long while, and has seen all sorts of injuries and characters.

Somehow, pulling up in a back alley to a strange threesome of two tiny big-eyed boys and one nervous looking teen with spots on his chin warring with where a not-beard is coming in ranks near the top of the weirdness.

There’s something deeply unnerving about thow steady the stares are from the two kids, thinks Glenn. It’s definitely like something from one of those movies, the ones where a family adopts a kid with dark hair and big eyes and then she kills them in the night because she’s secretly 42, or something.

“Hey, guys,” he says, sticking his head out the window. “I’m Glenn. Someone in need of a wellness check?”

The kids both give him really cute salutes, and okay, this is how all those families got suckered into picking the demon kids. Sorry, Ruby, daddy might not make it tonight.

(It’s like some sort of weird instinct, that if you see a kid lost and scared in an alley in Gotham, this spectacular shithole, you have to protect them, tug them behind your back and keep ‘em safe, you just gotta.

Wonder if other cities have the gut feeling too, huh.)

He bangs the outside of his door. “All in then, kids. Which one’s Richard and which one’s Jay?

“I’m Jay and I call shotgun,” the shorter boy calls out, already running for the passenger’s side door.

“I’m Richard, and I’m his brother,” the taller one says, trotting along after his brother.

“I’m Miguel,” the remaining boy says, looking as different to the other two as night and day, but equally as sweet. “Uhm. I don’t have any brothers.”

(Wow, you become a dad one time, and suddenly anyone under the age of 21 is fair game, holy crap-)

Glenn looks at his watch. “Awful late at night to be cycling home, Miguel.”

The boy goes a little red. “The closing shift pays extra,” he says extra quiet, shuffling his feet.

“Kid, don’t I know it.” After all, there’s a reason why Glenn’s out here driving this thing at half past midnight when there’s a sleep-deprived missus and a baby out there. “C’mon, I’ll lay some paper down and you can ride in the back with your bike. I’ll drive you home, okay?”

Miguel looks a little unsure, but then Jay and Richard stick their head out the window, smooshing Glenn to the side. “C’mon, Miguel, c’mon, c’mon, let’s go!”

That’s convincing enough to have Miguel to laugh and agree, and after Glenn helps him set up in the back and they all squish together four in a row in the front, they agree:

Get the (little) kids sent home first, then Miguel.

It’s a great plan, but it’s a surprise to half the ambulance, yeah, when ‘home’ for the boys turns out to be-

Alfred opens the door, and is faced with too-young Master Richard holding the hand of of a boy who is quite literally shaking in his boots. Too-young Master Jason, meanwhile, is having a great time sitting on the shoulder of a giant of a man, legs kicking out against the paramedic uniform.

“Hi grandpa!” they both chirp, and it’s about all the context Alfred needs to just go a little crazy.

“Boys!” he says, admonishing and every inch the concerned grandparent. “Oh, we’ve been so worried. Your poor dad is combing the streets looking for you.” He opens his arms, and both boys barrel into him, pressed up close enough for a 10-word mission brief and a quick check that outside of this surprise de-aging, they’re all right, they’re fine.

Alfred holds both boys close to his body, instinct wormed in right into the bone after decades of dealing with Master Bruce. He looks at their hapless rescuers gravely. “I cannot thank you both enough, misters-?”

The big paramedic laughs. “I’m Glenn, and I’m just doing my job, man.”

The young man’s voice cracks a little but everyone’s too polite to say anything. “I’m Miguel, and I’m sorry I couldn’t drive them back, I don’t even have a car.”

“You were nice!” Jason pipes up from Alfred’s side. “Didn’t even complain when Richie was all gross and crying and snot-nosed!”

The boy gives them a tremulous smile. “He wasn’t that gross,” Miguel says weakly.

“He was very gross,” Jason says gravely, and oh, Jason always was such a loving handful of a child. Alfred tuts, and gently baps the back of his head.

“Nevertheless, thank you to you both. I will call my nephew to tell him his children have been found. Serves him right for planning an impromptu trick-or-treat in the middle of November. Could I tempt you with a quick meal? A snack perhaps?”

Glenn shakes his head, looking spectacularly cheerful for the hour of the night. “I gotta get Miguel here home, and then head back to the hospital. They’re gonna have my head if I don’t get back to the hospital soon, I’m pushing my luck as is.”

“Oh, sir, I don’t think you need to worry about that,” Alfred says with absolute, unshakeable confidence.

“If you say so,” Glenn says, grinning. He drops to a crouch, almost level with Jason and Dick. “You two don’t go running off on your dad again, okay? Don’t be stressing your grandpa out like that.” He holds his hands up, and gets a Hi-5 from each of them. “Good boys.”

“Your grandkids are really cute,” Miguel says to Alfred, and he’s awkward but he’s smiling like he can’t help it, and Alfred almost wants to have him take a seat and make him some waffles with a mug of tea done right for him.

“They are a handful, but they are wonderful. Thank you both again for all your help tonight. Please, if you ever need help with anything, Wayne Manor will always be here to assist you.”

Miguel and Glenn look at each other, bonded over the course of this weird, weird night, and they both just smile back at Alfred. “Don’t worry ‘bout it man, we’re just glad to help. Have a good night now, okay?” Glenn says, making his way down the front steps. Miguel nods next to him, and shyly waves at the boys as he follows after.

They both stick their heads out the ambulance to wave their goodbyes, and then ambulance slips off, into the quiet dark.

Alfred, Jason, and Dick remain unmoving on the doorstep.

“Busy night, sirs?”

“Pretty busy,” Dick says, half laughing where he’s slumped into Alfred’s side. “Given that we woke up after getting knocked out by magic in an alley, though, it turned into a pretty decent night.”

Jason thunks his forehead against Alfred’s other side. “Being a kid sucks. I’m so sleepy.” The thunk has turned into a nuzzle. “The guys were nice, though. And some lady called Char, from when Miguel called 911.”

“I’m eager to hear more about what happened, sirs,” Alfred says quietly, brushing through their hair. “But I think I must insist on bedtime, and we’ll figure out all the rest of it in the morning.

And if for the next few years things just persistently go calmly, gently well for Glenn and Char and Miguel and even wee baby Ruby, well.

The most powerful magic in the world might damn well be Alfred, when he finds himself indebted for services rendered to his charges (full-sized or not).

a/n: sparky i only just realised that you request your au for remembrance day, but i whole ass forgot that today was the 11th, so please bear with me. a massive deadline got shifted on me and i’m in shambles, so the stories are gonna be even more chaotic than usual, somehow :’)

#batfam #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Alfred Pennyworth #nanowhalemore #whale writing #idk why this is what came to mind when i was thinking about what to do re: ambulances #and if i was less tired i would be really into expanding on the new lads #but i am indeed tired and behind on work #nov21 shaping up to be a mess what else is new lads

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hood-ex · 3 years

Note

For a batfam prompt: Dick as Nightwing, fear toxin, and Bruce?

Dick was in the middle of trying to stanch the bleeding from his nose when his comm started beeping in his ear. He sighed at the terrible timing and quickly wrangled off one of his blood coated gloves to receive the call.

“Talk to me,” he said, voice sounding high and distorted as a result of pinching his nostrils closed.

“Whoa,” Babs said. “What the hell is wrong with your voice?”

“Got a bloody nose,” Dick explained quickly. It was really uncomfortable trying to breathe and talk only through his mouth. He was definitely going to need a huge glass of water after this. “What’s up?”

“The Owls are what’s up. I need you to get your tush to the cave ASAP.”

Ah, fuck.

“What kind of trouble are our freaky electrum filled friends getting up to?” he asked, already tugging his glove back on and booking it back to where he’d left his bike half a block away. He knew he looked fucking ridiculous running while holding his nose, but it seemed pretty insignificant compared to the idea of Talons running loose and slaughtering people.

“Just one friend, actually,” Babs said. The lack of urgency in her voice made some of the anxiety in Dick’s chest dissipate. It also made him realize that they were talking about a member of the Court and not the Talons.

“Oh yeah?”

“She was schmoozing it up at the Aparo Auction House with Brucie Wayne and a hundred other rich people.”

A feeling of disgust settled in his gut, his mind replaying the time he infiltrated one of the Court’s underground auctions. The same auction that had tried to sell off the crowbar Joker had beaten Jason with.

A shiver traveled all the way down to his toes as he leapt over a puddle that was in the middle of the sidewalk. His bike was now in his sight. He could tell it was his because of the way its blue accents gleamed in the moonlight.

“Looks like Scarecrow and the Court have been doing business with each other,” Babs said in that slightly distracted way of hers that Dick was used to hearing when she was trying to talk while rubbing at her eyes. It was something she did a lot since her eyes were always strained from looking at computer screens for hours on end. “Fear toxin was released through the vents at the auction. It caused an absolute shitstorm of chaos, as you can imagine.”

“Damn,” Dick said, straddling his bike. He was secretly glad he was wearing his thermal suit so he wouldn’t have to ride to Gotham on a cold seat. The only thing he was annoyed about was that he was getting blood all over his handle bars and helmet. “Is B okay?”

“Yeah... about that...”

The anxiety in Dick’s chest cranked back up tenfold. Irrational images of Bruce lying dead in a red-stained tuxedo flashed through his mind. He shook his head, mentally yelling at himself to cool it. If something like that had happened, Bab’s wouldn’t sound as casual as she did now.

“He keeps thinking you’re dead,” she said, and for a second, Dick thought he misheard her over the sound of his tires peeling off down the street. “Red Robin says he keeps switching between rationalizing that you’re alive and thinking you bit it.”

“Huh,” Dick said, not really sure what to make of that. It wasn’t the first time Bruce had delusions of him or someone else dying while on fear toxin. Dick was just slightly surprised because it had been years since he was the sole subject of Bruce’s fear. He wondered if it was tied to Bruce knowing that a woman from the Court was at the auction. Bruce might have associated her with Dick in his mind since the Court had been after Dick for the last few years.

“All I’m saying is that you might want to hurry home quick, Hunk Wonder. Robin and Red Robin are out distributing an updated antidote to the people who got dosed at the auction. B’s antidote won’t really kick in for another thirty minutes.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“It should take you longer than that,” Babs said suspiciously.

Dick grinned under his helmet. “It would if I wasn’t making my way there like Sonic the Hedgehog on a caffeine high.”

“D-Nightwing!”

“Gotta go, O! I’ll catch you at Cass’s birthday party next weekend!”

Dick disconnected the call, knowing full well that Bab’s hated when he did that and was sure to give him an earful the next time they talked. But that was a problem for future Dick to deal with.

The ride to the batcave was filled with a lot of weaving and a few angry honks directed his way. Dick was pretty sure he might have even shaved off his expected arrival time by two minutes. He was very decidedly not going to share that with anyone else except for Roy. Roy was the only one who would appreciate it without giving Dick the third degree about safety precautions.

The cave was about as lit up as it could get when Dick’s bike came to a screeching halt next to one of the batmobiles. Alfred had probably turned on all the lights since they’d learned over the years that shadows and fear toxin really didn’t mix that well.

Dick left his helmet on his bike and hurried over to the cot Alfred always had them lie on when they were sick or injured. Sure enough, that was where Bruce was currently sitting, his feet bouncing in agitation against the floor. He was already out of his batsuit and was dressed in a soft looking blue shirt and gray sweatpants.

Bruce’s eyes were squeezed shut and his arms were wrapped tightly around himself, his knuckles white. Dick wasn’t really sure what the correct way was to approach him, but he figured letting Bruce know he was there was probably a good first step.

“Hey, B, I’m here,” Dick said, walking slowly up to his dad to try and give him enough time to work out what was real and what wasn’t.

Bruce’s head jerked at the sound of his voice, his bloodshot looking eyes immediately seeking out Dick’s own. He looked... well, not okay but not terrible either. Mostly just pale and a little shaky.

It was the way Bruce was staring at him that made Dick feel nervous all over. His eyes were wide and haunted looking as they soaked Dick up like a sponge. It was the kind of raw look Dick had only ever seen on parent’s faces when they realized their baby wasn’t coming home.

It was Bruce after Jason’s death. It was Bruce after Damian’s death. It was Bruce after T—

“You want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?” Dick asked quietly, becoming more alarmed as he noticed Bruce was breathing so quickly that his chest was practically heaving.

Bruce’s voice cracked as he murmured, “Dick?”

Bruce’s increasing panic didn’t make sense until Dick reached out his hand to comfort him and saw all the blood coated over his glove.

Oh wow. He was a fucking asshole, wasn’t he?

He jerked his arm back to his side and whirled around so that Bruce couldn’t see all the dried blood on his face.

“I’m okay, Bruce. I’m okay. I got a bloody nose from patrol and... just wait, okay? Let me clean this off.”

You’re such an idiot, Dick thought as he jogged towards the shower area, ripping off his gloves as he went. Once he was hidden from Bruce’s sight, he quickly peeled off his suit because, yeah, he found that blood had dripped on it as well. No wonder he was staring at you like you’d actually... like you were really...

He grabbed a clean towel from the pile they kept on a rack, and then he wet it and went about scrubbing all the blood off his skin until his face looked raw and the towel looked rusted. He was shivering by the time he was done. The cave was always cold and the water definitely wasn’t helping with that.

Dick looked in the mirror and made sure there was no more blood on him before he went to their extra clothes supply rack. Weirdly, the shirts and hoodies from his own pile were missing. He barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes, knowing Tim and Damian had probably been taking his stuff again. Tim always forgot to replace the clothes he borrowed after washing them, and Damian usually hoarded the clothes in his bedroom.

Bruce and Jason’s stacks were still pretty well stocked. Dick made a considering sound in the back of his throat as he looked between them. Jason would definitely blow a gasket if he realized someone had taken his clothes, and contrary to popular belief, Dick really didn’t like fighting with Jason. On the other hand, wearing Bruce’s clothes was kind of weird.

Says the guy who wore his batsuit, his traitorous brain reminded him.

Shrugging, Dick grabbed some red gym shorts from his own pile and a black t-shirt and hoodie from Bruce’s pile. He did end up taking Tim’s Nike slides because his own slip on shoes had been stolen by two kleptomaniacs.

By the time he’d gotten himself dressed, he saw that Alfred had returned from upstairs and was coaxing Bruce into eating an artfully prepared sandwich. Dick wouldn’t mind eating one as long as there was no sign of cucumbers in it.

“Ah, Master Dick,” Alfred smiled, looking both happy to see him and also relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with Bruce by himself. Bruce whipped around to where Dick was, and their eyes locked briefly before Bruce dropped his gaze like he was embarrassed about needing to reassure himself that Dick was actually there.

“Hey, Alfie,” Dick said with a small smile of his own. He plopped himself on the cot next to Bruce, and before Bruce could protest, he grabbed Bruce’s fingers and forcefully pressed them against his wrist where his pulse was beating steadily. Bruce’s fingers trembled against his skin from the effects of the toxin, but he didn’t try to move them away. Instead, his shoulders relaxed into a more comfortable position, and he ended up leaning some of his weight against Dick’s shoulder.

“You gonna eat that sandwich?” Dick asked Bruce who had closed his eyes and seemed to be silently counting the beats of Dick’s pulse.

Alfred would normally intervene at a time like this and insist that he could go get Dick his own sandwich, but this time, Alfred stayed silent and watched them both with a knowing look.

“No,” Bruce shook his head lightly. “You go ahead and eat it.”

“Are you super-duper sure? Or just super sure? Or just duper sure? What level of sure are you?”

Bruce finally cracked the tiniest of grins at the game Dick used to play with him back when their worlds were a little smaller. Back when Casa de Wayne only had a population of three.

Score, Dick thought with a smile of his own, feeling proud of himself.

“I’m super-duper sure you can eat the sandwich,” Bruce said.

That was essentially code for: I’ll throw up all over the floor if I have to eat even a bite of that sandwich. Dick took it as a sign to back off.

“Well, as long as you’re super-duper sure,” Dick said, making grabby hands at Alfred for the sandwich in question. Alfred only looked mildly exasperated as he handed it over.

Bruce’s fingers tightened around Dick’s wrist. “Trust me, I’m good.”

When Dick looked over at Bruce, he realized that Bruce’s eyes were open, and this time, they looked much clearer. The antidote seemed to have finally made its way through his system.

“Good,” Dick said, playfully jostling Bruce’s shoulder.

There was no stopping his surprised laugh when Bruce jostled him back.

#Dick Grayson #Bruce Wayne #Barbara Gordon #Alfred Pennyworth #IT'S FINALLY DONE MUAHAHAHA #my fic #chestnutcats

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ragingbookdragon · 3 years

Text

History In the Making PT. 2

Jason Todd x M!Reader

Word Count: 1.6K Warnings: None

Author's Note: It's about the set-up! Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

Jason leaned up against the brick wall of the bar, half nervous and ready to bolt, the other half bored. What a unique combination of feelings. He thought to himself, wondering how he let the man from last night talk him into a date the night after. Roy certainly hadn’t been a ‘good ole country boy’, but Jason knew from some stupid songs that country split across the U.S.

What bothered him even more was that for some reason, the man’s demeanor and dress didn’t bother him. Which was odd because if Jason had saw anyone else in faded denim jeans, a button-down work shirt, and a pair of steel toed work boots, he’d have laughed hysterically.

Low and behold though, he was enamored by (Y/N) the second he stepped between Jason at the bar, even more so when he’d gently, but firmly pushed him back down into his seat and asked Jason to let him handle the disturbance. Not many people would’ve done that. Most in fact, would have turned the other cheek and let it happen, but not him.

“Jason.”

He looked up from his phone and smiled at (Y/N) coming towards him. “Hey (Y/N). For a moment, I was worried you weren’t gonna show.”

(Y/N) shook his head. “Sorry, my schedule this mornin’ got messed up and I’ve been runnin’ a little late.” He offered Jason an apologetic look. “I hope my tardiness hasn’t put you off.”

Jason chuckled. “Man, you’ve gotta give the gentle-manliness a rest sometime.”

“So, givin’ this to you isn’t wanted right now?” he questioned, holding up a single red rose and Jason’s eyes widened. “Too early for romantic gestures?”

He took the flower and smelled it, feeling a flush creep up his cheeks. “No, it’s…I forgot that guys are typically the ones who give flowers.” He couldn’t help but smile. “It’s different to be on the receiving end.” The second the words left his mouth, (Y/N) cocked a brow and he spluttered, “T-that’s not what I meant! I just meant that I’ve never been given flowers before and—I’m going to stop digging myself in deeper.” he muttered and (Y/N) chuckled lowly.

“No, please keep diggin’. It’s amusing.”

Jason glared at him though it wasn’t as fierce as it could’ve been. “Jerk.”

(Y/N) winked and shoved his hands in the pockets of his corduroy jacket. “Wanna get going? Isaia closes the store around nine-thirty.”

“Yeah, lead the way.” Jason replied, keeping in step with him as they turned the corner of the end of the street.

“Now, I do have to warn you that this place looks like a hole in the wall, but it’s the greatest pizza you’ll ever eat in your life.”

“Is it made by an authentic Italian man whose grandfather came to the Americas in the twenties and has been running this shop since then?”

“Well aren’t you right on the money,” he teased and nodded. “Tony’s family came to New Jersey in nineteen-twenty-one and opened the shop a few years later. They make pizza, pasta, anything and everything Italian cuisine.” He groaned. “It’s the greatest food you’ll ever eat if you’re never able to get to Italy.”

(Y/N) made a turn down a particularly dark alley and Jason couldn’t help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he followed, watching as he stopped at a door on the side of the building and pulled it open.

Immediately, he was hit by the mouthwatering scent of fresh garlic and bread and his stomach rumbled as he inhaled deeply. “Holy crap.” He breathed and (Y/N)’s face broke in a smile.

“Told you.” He gestured to the building. “After you.”

Jason stepped through the doors and was met by an older woman who looked him up and down with a curious expression until he felt (Y/N) behind him peering over his shoulder, and then she smiled. “Mio caro!” she greeted, pulling him into a hug, and Jason almost laughed at how (Y/N) practically towered over her. “It’s so good to see you!”

He laughed. “It’s good to see you as well, Signora Matteo. How’ve you been?”

Pulling away, she waved. “Isaia has driving me up the wall!”

“So, no different than normal?” he teased, shying away when she whacked his stomach.

“Asino,” she hissed, then glanced at Jason. “Who is this (Y/N)? Is he your amore?”

(Y/N) sighed. “You gonna ask that for every guy I bring here?”

She scowled. “You never bring anyone here! How am I supposed to know!” whacking him, she said, “Go! Siediti al tuo tavolo!”

He obeyed, though he was still chuckling when he sat down, Jason taking the seat across from him. “You seem to get along with them well,” he remarked and (Y/N) nodded.

“When I first got up here in Gotham, I didn’t really know anybody. Isaia and Gabriella were kind enough to let me hang around and fix up any problems they had with machines here.”

“You’re a mechanic?” Jason asked.

“Handyman is probably the better term,” he replied. “I went to an applied technology school right outta high school and learned mechanical maintenance electrical and instrumentation.” (Y/N) cleared his throat. “My papa used to run a garage when I was a kid too, so I helped out ‘round there.”

Jason hummed. “So, you’re just an all-round knower of machines, huh?”

He smiled. “I try to pick up skills where I can. Helps with the resume.” Nodding at him, he inquired, “What do you do for a living?”

“I travel a lot. Freelancing work.”

(Y/N) could understand that Jason was being cagey with his answer, but he let it go, not wanting to dig where he wouldn’t get. “Do you work for a secular company or multiple?”

He nodded. “Both. Though I work for Wayne Enterprises a lot.”

“No kidding!” he exclaimed. “I ran into Mister Wayne this morning!”

Jason blinked. He hadn’t been expecting his father to run into (Y/N) anytime soon. Not in this big city. “Really now? What happened?”

“Oh, he had some car trouble. A bad spark plug and a ruined belt.” He handed Jason the menu. “Gave him an address for an older man I worked for a year or so ago that’ll fix him up in no time.” He smiled. “Mister Wayne was a wonderful man to meet. He was absolutely polite the entire time and even tipped me for taking time to look at his car.”

“How much?” Jason knew Bruce probably gave him at least two hundred.

“Two hundred dollars.” He shook his head. “I tried to give him the money back, but he just wouldn’t hear it and insisted I keep it. Even asked me for one of my business cards.”

“You’ve got business cards?”

(Y/N) shot him a look. “You don’t?”

“Touché,” Jason retorted with a grin and Gabriella came back over with two wine glasses and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

She poured the glasses half full and said, “I put in your order already. It’ll be ready soon.” And she was off again, leaving (Y/N) amused and Jason rather confused.

“Does she do that often?”

“What? Bring your wine and tell you she ordered for you?” (Y/N) smirked. “Only for the customers she likes.” He grabbed the wine stem and raised it to his nose, inhaling deeply. “If I had to take a guess, she probably put in an order for margherita pizza. Pinot Grigio pairs well with that pizza.”

“You know wine?” Jason raised the wine glass to his nose and smelled before tasting it. “It’s dry. But good.”

“It’s surprising that a southern man knows wine, but how do you know wine, Jason?”

He chuckled setting the glass down. “My dad is…influential with big cities. I grew up attending galas.”

“Are you and him close?”

“Not…as much as we probably could be.”

(Y/N) nodded with a knowing look in his eyes. “I know what you mean.”

“Telling me the fruity southern man has daddy issues?” Jason quipped.

He barked a laugh. “Oh, the biggest.” He shot Jason a glance. “Something tells me you got ‘em too.”

“Ah, we all wish our relationships with our fathers could be perfect, huh?”

“Cheers,” (Y/N) agreed, raising his wine glass to clink it with Jason’s.

***

“And I told Tucker that he could either get out and push or we’d be stuck in the mud until his daddy came with a chain and his truck.” Jason buried his face in his hands and laughed, bending over the railing and (Y/N) watched him with a grin of his own on his lips. “Ah, you should’ve seen the two of us when we got back to his mama’s house. Covered head to toe in mud and chiggers.” He shook his head. “I took three showers that night.”

Jason turned his head and looked at him, tears in his eyes. “How many ticks did you get?”

(Y/N) groaned, pressing his forehead into Jason’s shoulder. “So many in so many unsavory places.” The two of them fell back into laughter, practically falling into each other as they did.

A few moments later, they were staring out at the water, the moon high in the sky. “I had fun tonight, Jason.” He said quietly. “A lot of fun.” Taking a leap of faith, he reached over and took Jason’s hand. “I’d like to do it again…if you wanna.”

Jason gazed at their hands, silent for some time, then he nodded. “…Yeah…I’d like to do this again too.” He glanced at (Y/N). “Say…next Friday morning? Brunch?”

(Y/N) smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”

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warlockfemale · 3 years

Text

Happy Birthday @jovialjuggernaut-draws I am so sorry that this is so late!

Bruce’s colors have always been muted.

He knows because he was told by a doctor after one of many tests. His parents had both smiled widely and told him just what an exciting thing it was. How he had a soulmate out there someplace and waxed poetry about just the sort of things Bruce would notice once he’d found them. He is one of the 30% of the world with someone made just for him that would be found out once his skin touched theirs.

What they hadn’t told him was how only 6% of the world consisted of people with soulmates that had one one another. What would have devastated Bruce once became a relief because he wasn’t destroying another’s life by making them step into the darkness with him. He was happy to date around and allow whoever had been burdened with him to go on with their own life.

And now he was staring in shock into eyes greener than anything Bruce had ever seen before in his life.

“Shit.”

“Shit!” Edward Nygma agreed. He stepped back, cleared his throat, and swiveled around. “Girls! I’ve changed my mind!” Bruce’s mind had frozen into a blue screen so all he could do was stare at the green clad (god is this how so many people usually saw the world?) trio stride out. As if Edward had an important dinner date he was almost late to while Bruce’s entire worldview was trying to stop tilting. He was sure the entire gala was staring at him or Edward at that point, wondering just what Gotham’s most popular billionaire had done to put the robbery to an end so fast.

“Bruce? You doing ok?” Hands started patting him all over. “Bruce? You’re looking really pale here.”

Shit.

* * * *

Bruce wasn’t brooding. He was analyzing the situation from all angles after debriefing it in the batcave to all persons that might get affected. Dick still refused to answer his phone so Bruce asked Wally to tell his son to check the text. Jason apparently thought there was nothing to worry about (and started laughing) and Alfred seemed less concerned about Bruce’s soulmate being a criminal and more worried about how Bruce was reacting.

Bruce wasn’t brooding and to prove it he went to answer the door soon as the bell rang.

“Delivery for a Mr. Wayne!” Nina Damfino grunted as she shoved a heavy green wrapped box into Bruce’s arms. Unlikely to be an explosive since she’d delivered it and Bruce doubted he could get away with chucking the thing away onto the lawn. So he regrettably started unwrapping the thing; hoping that Edward was watching and wincing at the unnecessary mess made of the custom paper. Taking a deep breath (and hoping that Riddler hadn’t somehow bribed Ivy into giving up some pollen) Bruce opened the box.

What. The. Fuck.

Those were Bruce’s statues. The ones depleting Zal and Rudabeh, stolen from the museum they had been on loan to years ago.

Bruce slammed the door shut in Nina’s face.

* * * *

Of course someone had noticed what was going on. Bruce hadn’t been able to stop himself from gawking at just how many different colors the world had now. Or maybe Riddler had bragged to the entire city about it. Either way Bruce was suddenly bombarded with reporters from the society page. One of them had the gall to ask when the wedding was.

“I have a preteen son,” had been Bruce’s statement hoping that could clear things up. “He is my first priority.”

In hindsight that might have been the wrong thing to say.

* * * *

“So I’ve changed the rules a little. My riddles will lead you to criminals and this time they won’t be me!” Jason was practically vibrating in place from mirth as Bruce stared fixedly at the letter laying on the table. Gordon was giving Bruce A Look.

“Word on the street is something happened at the Wayne gala.”

“Hrrn.”

“Riddler donated back some of the art he stole. Wrapped with a bow.” And with a two sheeted riddle that pretty much translated into one giant insult that the museum’s director was still trying to puzzle out. Jason had thought the entire thing was great after the director’s snub at the “newest Wayne charity case”.

“I heard.” The wall really needed to be repainted.

“Batman I need to know if this is going to explode into something I’ll need to worry about.” That had been Dick’s exact words when he’d come into the cave last night.

“I’m looking into it.” Alfred had already started to make pointed remarks about manners and facing life’s problems. “Now ‘You don’t have to look for a night on the lawn’-”

* * * *

“You know Riddler tried to bribe me into sharing information about you today at the library.” Jason tilted his chair back onto the back legs as if he had not just nearly given Bruce a heart attack with his words. “Don’t worry, I held out for a triple scoop sundae before letting him know your favorite color.”

“Jason, he's a dangerous criminal!”

“Eh I grew up with worse.” Bruce breathed in deep trying not to let Jason see just how troubled that fact always made him. Jason usually said things like that off hand, just another fact about the world. The sky was blue, Selina liked to steal things, and Jason’s childhood until now had consisted of trying to survive. “His eyes aren’t mean. And you’re soulmates.”

“I cannot tell you how little that reassures me,” Jason grinned and tipped his chair back into place the little brat. Bruce ruffled the boy’s hair as punishment earning a fake glare and slap at his hands. “But really Jason, you need to stay safe.”

“Uh huh. Think I could take on the Riddler.” Not reassuring. “I also made sure to be in sight of Barbie at all times.” Much more reassuring since Bruce had personally seen Barbra flip two grown men over her head at once. Another grin, bigger this time. More of a smirk that had Bruce raising an eyebrow. “I also told him that you liked flowers.”

“Jay lad please tell me-”

“Sir there seems to have been a delivery for you.” Alfred’s face was carefully blank, a sure sign of just what Bruce was going to find at the door. “If you do not mind.”

“Don’t worry!” Jason called out happily as Bruce stared in disbelief at the sudden garden now growing on his steps. “I made sure Ivy wouldn’t be out for blood!”

* * * *

“Ah detective!” Edward’s green suit might as well been the only spark of color in the diner as Bruce entered it. As pressed and clean as always while the man himself gave a small toast with his coffee cup. “Glad you could make it! And you solved my riddle! Very good!”

“Riddler.” Bruce sat down at the diner bar taking in Edward’s appearance. “What is it now?”

“Is that any way to talk to your new partner?”

“If you think this game-”

“Oh please,” Edward waved his hand like a magician retrieving their rabbit. “You might think Bruce’s secret is safe but I am a genius. He’s helped fund the Justice League.” Edward leaned in, eyes darting around the near empty diner as his voice lowered. “He’s funding you. I have to play on the side of angels for the only one in the universe that can understand me?” He stood up, throwing cash upon the bar and a grim smile on his face. “Now let’s get to chasing down those criminals. Quick crime question. Who was the biggest thief in history?”

Bruce stared at him, then the newspaper resting under Edward’s coffee cup. “Atlas News? Where is this going?” Edward’s face lit up, eyes gleaming as he didn’t even bother trying to hide his utter delight.

“The game, my dear Watson, is afoot!”

“Awwww.” Nightwing cooed into the communicator from his perch as Edward stumbled out the door. It was not adorable, Bruce reminded himself sternly, for a grown man to go scampering out the way that Edward did with such a look of utter pride on his face for having “bested” Batman. They both had a job to do and he was yet convinced that Edward wasn’t just trying to play another game. “Just for the record. Batgirl says you’re an emotionally repressed coward.”

Batman never sighed. In public.

* * * *

“Why hello there Mr. Wayne. Fancy seeing you um… here. At home. Working in your study.” Sometimes it was easy to forget that Riddler’s over extravagant self praise and mocking towards others covered up a socially awkward man. Alfred’s rather pointed eyebrow raise before the butler closed the door let Bruce know just how little the household held his own social skills. Perfect match Jason had cackled madly last night. One never shuts up and the other just grunts.

“I have a secret.” Bruce managed to grind out as he stared at the area above Edward’s ear. He could do this, he’d managed to disarm a bomb with Firefly setting things on fire last month. He has given this speech several times into the mirror and once to Alfred. “It is a rather large one and will affect any… relationship that I may have.” Bruce chanced a look at Edward’s face and was slightly alarmed to see the man’s lip’s twitching. “You deserve to know and if this makes you decide that a-”

“Unless your secret is that you’re Batman I don’t expect-” Edward trailed off as he stared at Bruce’s face. The green clad man’s face went blank as Bruce went through all the contingency plans for when this went bad. “You’re Batman?” Edward burst out laughing, hands flying to the desk to keep himself upright as his body shook hard. Bruce’s hand flew up to sturdy the man just to be swatted away. “I knew it!”

“You couldn’t have known I was-”

“No, no. Not that. Well, somewhat.” Edward’s eyes really were a bright green, brighter than any other color as he bent forward to give a quick peck to Bruce’s lips, one thumb rising up to trace the small scar on the corner. “I always knew you were the only one who got me.”

#riddlebat #riddler #batman #bruce wayne #edward nygma #batman fanfiction

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redrobinfection · 3 years

Text

Alfred’s Favorite Barbara

Babs & Alfred || Read on Ao3 || Happy Birthday, Barbara Gordon! ❤

<< A sequel to last year’s “Batgirls’ Favorite Mentor”

~*~

Barbara leaned forward and spit out the toothpaste Cass had let her use, on one of the many spare toothbrushes Alfred kept in the guest toiletries stockpile, then leaned back in her chair with a sigh and considered her mostly-put-together-again reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Wow, that had certainly been a party of a night, she mused, ruefully lifting a strand of her sleep-mussed auburn locks before deciding that pulling it back in a bun was really the only dignified solution.

Steph and Cass had kept her up all night--not like that was all that much different from her usual schedule, but mani, pedi, facials, horrible (great) superhero movies, and gossip until dawn had worn her out more than she would have expected. Although, the wine that had snuck into the mix right when the mani-pedis were left to dry and the third movie went in might have had something to do with it, she conceded with a smirk at herself in the mirror. It wasn't a bad sort of tired, she admitted as she tucked few stray hairs into her messy bun, but she was more than ready for a day to rest, recover and recharge.

Just after dawn, Alfred had invaded the sanctum of their home theater encampment to invite them up to the kitchen for a hearty breakfast. There he had laid out toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, juices, teas, coffee, pancakes and even some of the real cake from the night before--a rare breach of protocol from the prim and proper butler that Barbara took as a one-time gesture of affectionate indulgence of their whims--which eventually drew out the other occupants of the house, turning breakfast the morning after into as much of a party as dinner the night before had been.

After that, Alfred had shooed Steph and Cass off to bed and shown Barbara up to her regular guest room where the bed had already been turned down, the pillows fluffed and the blackest of blackout curtains tightly drawn, bless that man. After a few hours of much needed sleep, it was now just past noon, most of the manor's occupants were either still sleeping or out living their daylight personas, and Alfred had offered to drive her back to the Clocktower after she had "freshened up a bit".

Satisfied that she had done as much as she could to make herself decent for the drive of shame, Barbara gathered her things and made her way down the hall to the elevator. Alfred was waiting for her when the doors opened on the civilian garage.

"Ah, Miss Barbara, I take it you're ready to depart?"

"Yes. Thank you for driving me back, Alfred."

"Of course, it's my pleasure."

He led the way toward their several limousines, opened the door to one very special vehicle and began extending and lowering a long ramp. Barbara pressed her lips together to hide a smile as Alfred stepped to one side and let her wheel herself up the shallow incline. He retracted the ramp, closed the door and slid into the driver's seat while she positioned herself in the sleek interior and locked the wheels of her chair.

"Thanks again, Alfred. For everything," Barbara added as they pulled out of the garage. "Last night, this morning...it was all amazing and it must have been so much work--extra work--for you. I really appreciate it."

She saw his eyebrows rise in the rear-view mirror as he replied, "Of course. It was no trouble; I would hardly label hosting a small dinner in honor of and giving accommodations to one of my favorite persons "work". It was a pleasure, Miss Barbara."

She raised an eyebrow in turn. "Oh really? A fairly large dinner, putting up with the mess we all made in the theater afterwards, and putting together a big breakfast in the morning--and driving me back after letting me stay over, even when I'm sure you've got plenty of cleaning up to do? 'Favorite person' huh? If I didn't know better I'd think you were buttering me up for something, Alfred Pennyworth," she teased, sharing a knowing look with him in the mirror.

He didn't laugh out loud, but his eyes twinkled in that way Barbara knew meant he was amused rather than offended. "My word! Is it so hard to believe that an old man would take pleasure in doing what little he could to celebrate the birthday of his favorite Barbara."

Barbara did laugh out loud. "Your favorite...huh! First Jason calls me his favorite, then Tim and Dick, then Steph and Cass... and now you? All of you in less than twenty-four hours? Did you all have a meeting to discuss the topic or am I about to go home to one of the hardest cases of all time and you're all buttering me up to it?"

"I believe the subject had come up recently," Alfred replied evenly. "You do so much for this family and receive so little appreciation..."

"That's my line," Barbara muttered incredulously with a minute shake of her head.

"...and I'll have you know that of all the Barbaras I've had the pleasure of knowing, you most certainly rank supreme."

Barbara huffed a laugh through her nose. "And how many Barbaras is that exactly?"

Alfred met her eyes in the mirror and fixed her with an impressive look. "When you've lived as long as I have, served as long as I have, you come to know a great many people. Among all of those... you are rare soul indeed, Barbara. Surely one to celebrate and to venerate."

That gave her pause. What are you supposed to say to something like that? She didn't know, so she let the silence stretch and turned her gaze to the traffic speeding past her window while her true focus turned to beating down the bloom of color that had flooded her cheeks at Alfred's unexpected pronouncement.

They rode in silence--not an uncomfortable silence, but Barbara still felt the weight of those words still hanging heavy between them--for the rest of the drive. They'd caught the lull between the lunch-hour jam and afternoon rush-hour traffic--likely a strategic choice on Alfred's part--so it only took about twenty minutes to make the trip into the city.

Alfred graciously helped her disembark, escorted her to the ground level door to the tower, and--to her surprise--asked to walk her in, pulling a cooler bag from somewhere with leftovers from the revelries. Barbara invited him in, sending him ahead of her with repeated thanks, but the words of appreciation died in her throat as she rolled over the threshold and took in the interior of her homebase.

She wasn't a slob, per se, but Barbara knew she didn't tidy up around the Tower quite as often as she should, and she cleaned the place even less frequently. It was a lot of real estate for one person--a person with certain mobility issues, at that--and a small army of specially programmed Roombas and some casual dusting here and there could only do so much.

But today, her foyer was spotless. All the coats, umbrellas and other detritus were neatly hung or stacked in their places. The tile was a shade lighter than she remembered and the grout was actually white--she'd actually thought it was tan up until now.

Moving into her apartment showed the same story. Shelves of books and knick-knacks were freshly dusted, the rugs had been deeply vaccuumed, and personal items had been put away or neatly arranged. Every surface gleamed.

She turned to Alfred with an accusing look. "Alfred... did you...?" One look at his quietly pleased expression was answer enough. "When did you even find the time to come over here and do this? Did you clean the whole Tower?" She wouldn't doubt it. She didn't bother to ask him how he got into her super-secure, high-tech lair--this is the ex-MI6 agent who raised Bruce, after all--but given the timeline of events, it shouldn't have been possible for him to clean all this by himself and do everything he did for them while she was at the manor.

"We did, in fact, clean the entire tower--and we took great care not to disturb any of your things in the command center, mind you--but it hardly took any time at all with Masters Damian and Timothy along to help. In fact, we were in and out well before you rose from your nap this morning."

Barbara's eyebrow rose into her hair. Alfred had wrangled Tim and Damian--in the morning, of all times--into cleaning? Together? Without killing each other?

"Wow, Alfred, you got Tim and Damian to work together to do all of this...? At eight in the morning? You're a miracle worker, for sure. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.

"Really, Alfred...this--" she gestured to rooms around them "--the party, the sleepover, and then breakfast... you've done so much. Thank you. It means a lot to me, but, really, you didn't need to do all this. It's... it’s too much..."

Alfred looked away for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically sheepish. "Ah, well. Yes. I admit, I may have gone a bit overboard..."

They entered the kitchen and Barbara came to a complete stop. The appliances shone, the stove was spotless, and, for once, the sink was completely free of dishes. But that wasn't what stopped her dead in her tracks.

On the polished kitchen table, laid out elegantly on a freshly washed and pressed table cloth that Barbara had forgotten she even owned, was a handsome tea set in lustrous lavender and gold--one pot, saucers, cups, sugar cellar and creamer. To one side sat a few varieties of Alfred's favorite teas, and on the other a plate piled high with Alfred’s signature tea cakes, one of her favorite things about visiting the manor for pre-patrol briefings or post-patrol debriefings, back in the day. A recipe card stuck out under the plate.

Barbara turned to Alfred, her vision going misty. "Alfred..."

Alfred graced her with a rare smile, beaming down at her, his expression fond, but his voice was quiet, "For when you need a break from Master Tim's gift of espresso or a moment of peace after along night."

Barbara broke out into a teary smile of her own and raised her arms, reaching out for a hug before she thought it through. Alfred surprised her yet again, leaning down to accept her embrace.

"Really, thank you, Alfred. For everything," Barbara murmured into his shoulder before he could pull away again.

He didn't. Instead, he replied, so quietly Barbara almost missed it,

"Anything for one of my favorite granddaughters."

#my writing #mine #christmasriverswrites #barbara gordon #happy birthday babs #babs and alfred #real life might have killed the rest of my writing ambitions and all of my time to participate in fandom but this series lives on!#this is the sloppiest thing I've ever posted. editing? what's that?

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olivia-anderson-fanfic · 4 years

Text

Satisfied, Part 39

First

~~~

Listen, Marinette knew just about nothing when it comes to Thanksgiving. France doesn’t have the holiday, and she barely even knew what it was beyond the little bit of research she’d done.

But, even with her limited knowledge about the holiday, she was pretty sure they were doing something wrong.

Still…

She grinned to herself as everyone cursed each other out, hands waving wildly as they argued over each other. She melted into the background as she watched the bat family argue, drink in hand.

But how did they get to that point, you ask?

She arrived on Sunday, because Tim had told her that Thanksgiving was a week-long event in the Wayne Household.

She’d thought she’d met everyone because there were already four kids, Bruce would have been insane to get more in such a short period of time. But, apparently the man really was a serial adopter.

How’d she find this out? She walked inside and, as she raised a hand to wave at Dick, something tapped her on the shoulder. She whipped around, stunned someone had managed to sneak up on her, then blinked at the unfamiliar face.

“Hi,” she squeaked.

The girl in front of her smiled widely, her head tipping to the side. “Are you a vigilante?”

Marinette went pale. What the hell? Her eyes flicked to Dick, who looked like Christmas had come early.

Thankfully, Jason came to her rescue… even if that was by tackling Marinette in a hug. She groaned as they stumbled back a few steps.

“Nice to see you, too, Jay,” she strained. “Now get off.”

He huffed and pulled away.

“Cass thinks that Mari could be a vigilante,” said Dick with a cheeky look on his face.

Jason and Marinette tensed slightly and looked at each other.

Then, Cass gave a short laugh. “No, wait, I was wrong. Don’t worry about it, Dick.”

The oldest’s smile dropped instantly and he groaned. “Dang…”

Jason was looking at Cass curiously, but then he pulled a grin to his face. “Right, Mari, this is Cass. Cass, this is Mari.”

The two girls scrutinized each other for a few seconds before Marinette started beaming. “Oh, cool, I’m glad I wasn’t just the diversity adoptee, then,” she joked quietly.

“Nope!” Came a new voice and she looked up to see a guy leaning over a railing. “Or, I guess all three of us would have to be diversity adoptees,” he added.

She blinked and looked up at him, then waved. “How many of you guys are there? And why am I just learning about you now?”

She had sent the last part of the question to Jason and Dick, who both looked sheepish.

“A lot. There’s some missing, actually. And as for why you didn’t know us…” Duke began, hopping down to them and holding a hand out to shake. “We’re the smart ones. We got an apartment downtown so we don’t have to be around them all the time.”

Marinette gasped. “That’s allowed?” She shook his hand eagerly. “I’m moving in next week.”

Cass nodded grimly. “It’s a plan.”

The three ignored Jason and Dick’s complaints following them down the hall as they went off to definitely not talk about how stupid the (official) Wayne boys can be.

But this wasn’t the problem. The problem came the next day, when Tim suddenly collapsed at the breakfast table, his head hitting the wood hard enough to rattle their plates.

Marinette blinked and reached out to shake him awake, a frown on her face, only to realize that she, too, was far more tired than she should be. She narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion, eyeing the coffee mug beside her.

Then she rested a hand over her heart.

It was beating normally…

No. Way.

She pushed herself to her feet despite her exhaustion.

“ALRIGHT WHICH ONE OF YOU DECAFFED THE COFFEE?!”

The hall went silent. Except for Tim, who had managed to wake himself up. “Hm?” He murmured, sitting up and rubbing his forehead where he’d hit it on the table.

“Our coffee is decaf.”

That got him awake. He did the same quick check of his heart rate and then got to his feet as well. “WHO DID THIS?!”

“I KNOW RIGHT?!” Marinette took a deep breath to steel herself and then turned her gaze on everyone’s faces. No one was giving anything away. “Right. Whoever it was, fess up now and I promise we won’t do anything.”

“You promise you won’t do anything,” Tim muttered.

She stepped on his foot. He was not going to ruin this for them.

There was a silence as the family eyed each other suspiciously.

After a bit, Duke raised his hand. “I did. Thought it would be good for you two.”

Marinette glanced at Tim to see if this was something he would do, because she had, ultimately, had only one conversation with him.

Tim sighed. “Cute, but no you didn’t. You’re not stupid enough to.”

Duke rolled his eyes and sunk back in his chair.

The hall was silent and the addicts gave each other a small nod.

Marinette spun on her heel and grabbed Tim by the arm.

“Where are you going?” Yelled Dick after them.

“You’ll see!”

They realized what she’d meant when Jason screamed.

Every single one of the vigilantes ran to his room to make sure he was alive, only to find it looking like a hurricane had hit. Jason stood at a chest at the foot of his bed, and as they watched he threw an old hubcap over his shoulder.

“WHERE THE HELL ARE MY GUNS?”

Marinette and Tim tried their hardest not to smile.

“MARI. TIM. TELL ME OR I SWEAR ILL --.”

“There’s some guns over there,” Marinette said sweetly, pointing to the top shelf of Jason’s closet.

He sent her a glare as he went over. “At least you fessed up…” He muttered, pulling down a cute box with the words ‘Definitely not Jason’s guns :D’ scrawled across the front. He opened it with a relieved look on his face, only for that expression to drop instantly.

He pulled out a set of water guns.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” He yelled, his eyes shooting back to the group at the door...

Only to find Tim and Marinette had disappeared.

Marinette scoffed. “This isn’t going to work,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Trust me,” Tim said, smiling.

“Hard to trust the guy holding a giant balloon to his lips.”

Tim rolled his eyes and walked to the door of Dick’s room and inhaled the air in the balloon.

“Dick?” He called through the door, his voice a perfect imitation of Bruce’s.

Ah, the wonders of sulfur hexafluoride.

“Yes, dad?” Yelled Dick.

Marinette and Tim grinned at each other. Then, he schooled his face into a calm expression and inhaled again.

“Don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”

There was a short silence. And then…

“Maybe? What did I forget?”

They didn’t answer.

“Dad? What did I forget?” He asked, sounding more panicked.

They remained silent, quickly ducking into the room across the hall before Dick threw the door open.

“DAD?”

Damian burst into the room.

Marinette looked up from where she was cooking with Tim (... in the same vicinity, she would never let him near food again). “Hey, Dami, what’s up?”

“Have you two seen Jerry?”

The two looked at each other and then at the oven.

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck. “Jerry? The turkey?”

“Yes. Have you seen him?” Said Damian, who was getting more and more impatient.

Tim coughed awkwardly. “Uhhhh…”

“Wait, what’re you cooking?”

The two looked at each other. “UHHHHH…”

Damian’s eyes widened and he ran out the door, yelling one name over and over again: “RICHARD!”

When he’d managed to drag Dick into the kitchen, they found Jerry the turkey safe and sound on the counter.

On top of the stove they saw instructions for when to get the turkey in the oven out for it to be good.

But what they couldn’t seem to catch sight of were Tim and Marinette.

Retaliation was inevitable.

Didn’t mean they didn’t hate it.

Marinette ran into the living room where everyone was and glared them all down. They all gave her innocent looks.

She wasn’t buying it.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Jason, smiling as he looked up from his book.

Tim burst into the room, a crazed look in his eyes. “WHERE IS MY LAPTOP?!”

“AND WHILE YOURE AT IT TELL ME WHERE MY FABRICS AND SKETCHBOOK ARE!”

Dick smiled placatingly. “Now, guys, Thanksgiving is supposed to be about family --.”

“CAN IT SANTAYANA! WHERE IS MY WORK?!”

All anyone could do was shrug.

The family sent each other glares. It was clear by now: this was war.

The next day, Marinette found her hand literally glued to the coffee pot. She attempted to pry it off, only to realize that maybe this was a good thing.

She smiled at the excuse to take her drink around with her…

Right up until she realized Tim was now practically hanging off of her in order to get his fix.

The two were near murdering each other by the end of the day, their alliance on a string. The only thing holding it together was how it was five on two.

Bruce walked into breakfast, his clothes an atrocious shade of pink.

All of the kids looked at each other like they were trying to confirm that, yes, this was happening and they weren’t in fact losing their minds.

“Who. Did. This?” Asked Bruce, his eyes flickering over all their faces.

Every finger pointed at Marinette, who cursed mentally. Sure, they were all fighting. And sure, she was probably the only one who knew how to do it. And sure, he was one of her targets...

What was her point again?

Oh, right: traitors!

She smiled nonetheless. What was he going to do? Ground her? She could just leave, really. He couldn’t retaliate in any meaningful way.

Bruce strode over and… rested a hand on her shoulder, sending his kids a glare. “Honestly, though, who did it?”

Huh?

“Did you really think I’d believe it was her? Come on, kids, she’s an angel.”

Marinette realized what was going on and a laugh slipped from her lips, and she quickly covered it with a cough.

“But, dad, she really did --!” Tried Jason.

“Stop trying to blame your sister! She’s too nice to do this!”

He’d better stop! She was going to break a rib.

The boys seemed to realize that one of them was getting in trouble. Jason and Damian pointed at Tim. Tim pointed at Damian. Dick pointed at himself.

With a majority vote, Tim was dragged out by his father, but not before he caught her eyes and mouthed the words ‘I’m getting you back for this.’

She smiled and blew him a kiss, waving him off.

After a few minutes, when she was sure Bruce was out of earshot, she finally burst into laughter. “What… what just happened?” She choked out.

Duke clapped her on the back. “Welcome to the ‘can get away with anything’ club. It’s great.”

Cass nodded and flashed a thumbs up.

It was officially a free-for-all.

She walked out in Cass’s clothes and glared at Tim. Sure, it wasn’t nearly as rude as any of the stuff they’d done to mess with his family, but it was the principle of the thing.

Cass walked out in Marinette’s clothes.

They locked eyes and seemed to come to an agreement.

She walked out into the foyer to find Tim hanging upside down from the ceiling by one ankle.

“Bean?”

She looked up and smiled. “Yes, sweetie?”

His face reddened slightly. Or, maybe, the blood was rushing to his head. Who knows.

“Help?”

She grinned as she watched him struggle to keep his shirt from falling, leaning against the railing. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. “Nice one, Cass,” she called, then ducked out the door.

His curses followed her as she sprinted to the other side of the house.

By Thanksgiving day, pranks had from a few times a day to once an hour.

Dick was still dripping paint from the one time he’d walked into his room and gotten nailed by a paint bucket.

Damian and Tim were attempting to break the handcuffs binding them together with everything from katanas to guns.

Marinette’s skin was still tinged red in places from when the cranberry sauce had exploded on her.

Jason was tearing at his straitjacket with his teeth.

Bruce was wearing a Superman onesie because everything else in his size was missing.

Cass was attempting to untie the Gordian knot that was her shoelaces.

And Duke was completely fine, watching the chaos from above. After all, as Tim had said, he was far too smart to get involved in their shenanigans.

But, finally, Thanksgiving dinner was over.

Marinette smiled as she finally set down her fork.

Duke rested his head on his hand. “Hey, Mari, who’s your favorite bat?”

She blinked once and felt everyone’s eyes turn on her. Despite how everyone was very much annoyed with her, they seemed very interested in her answer.

Still, she couldn’t very much avoid answering unless she wanted to make it obvious she knew who they all were. So, she rested her head in her hand.

She glanced around at everyone’s expectant faces.

Well, she was leaving soon anyways.

She schooled her face into a mask of boredom. “If I had to choose, I guess Robin.”

She suppressed a snicker at the instant uproar that this caused. Even though Damian and Tim knew she knew their identities and therefore could probably guess that she was only messing with them, this didn’t keep Damian from puffing his chest a little or Tim from deflating. Jason, as her mentor, looked outright offended.

Dick held up a hand. “Wait, obviously you mean the original Robin, right?”

“Nah, he was a showoff. Current Robin all the way.”

Now Dick looked offended, too.

She grinned to herself as everyone argued over each other, attempting to convince her that they were in fact the best bat. Marinette sunk into the shadows.

She smiled as Cass joined her in the corner, watching the chaos unfold.

Cass grinned. “You could have just been honest and said Tim, you know.”

Marinette blinked once. She looked the girl next to her up and down and then decided she trusted her. It wasn’t like not trusting her was going to somehow fix the fact that she’d somehow figured out everything about her in seconds.

“Yeah, but that would be less fun.”

She snickered and nodded. “You should probably run.”

Marinette was about to ask why when a plate of mashed potatoes crashed into the wall between them. She broke into a wide grin.

“No, I think I’ll stay.”

~~~

Aka Duke creates chaos without consequences for 2.5k words because everyone agrees “he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that”

Taglist

@comet-kun @thatonecroc @trippingovermyfeet @swiftie-miraculer13 @nickristus-dreamer @moongoddesskiana @i-am-ironic @indecisive-mess-named-me @thebooki3h @insane-fangirl-of-everything @deepestobservationwombat @theymakeupfairies @fatimaabbasrizvi @clumsy-owl-4178 @fanofalittletoomuch @iamablinkmarvelarmy @nathleigh @lilkymilky @silvergold-swirl @dino-lovingreen-angel @thestressmademedoit @kissa-chan @ladybug-182 @alysrose-starchild @t1dwarrior-of-earth @spyofthenightcourt @rowanrouge @nik-nak-3 @momothefemur @aestheticnpoetic @labschaos @our-preciousss @mochinek0 @eliza-bich @mythogaychic @severelyenchantedwonderland @sashakoi @smolplantmum @bluesimani @tropestropestropes @kitsunebell @keepingupwiththemalfoys @sassakitty @2confused-2doanything @too0bsessedformyowngood @all-mights-asscheeks @demonicbusiness @meg-an-ace @fantasiame @qualitypeacepainter @multplelifes @kokotaru

#maribat #satisfied #tim drake #red robin #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #timinette #timari

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moongoddesskiana · 3 years

Text

I'm just thinking about AU where you keep elements from different canons for maximum angst as well as maximum 'you done fucked up my fave' because the writers really don't understand my fave's origin story

So Jason recently left the Titans (have I ever watched more than the first 3 eps no but I've seen enough clips and fanvids) and is back to working with Bruce. They are working on a case where the criminal has diplomatic immunity, Jason goes to confront the dude who proceeds to fall off the balcony (also for kicks the dude said that no one was going to believe that Jason had nothing to do with it when Jason tried to save him and he shoved Jason off) and dies.

After this Jason is forced to go to therapy where Leslie (whom he already knows and trusts) helps him a bit though he is still very much struggling. Jason then over hears Bruce say that Jason is being too rough and is going to be taken off active duty, Jason then runs out of the manor and into Crime Alley. Bruce tracks him down and they have a conversation like the one in Titans and Jason asks Bruce not to give up on him and that he had nothing to do with the dude's death.

Not sure if I'm gonna have Bruce believe him or not, but Bruce thinks this is for the best and doesn't realize how much this fucks up Jason and worsens his feelings of being rejected. As Jason leaves the alley but is still in the neighborhood an old neighbor flags him down saying they have some of his family's old things. Jason sneaks back into his room and goes over everything in the box hoping to find some of his mom's old things, what Jason actually finds is his birth certificate. The mother's name starting with an S but otherwise unreadable. Jason doesn't feel like he has anyone to go to and tries to track down his bio mom.

Cross referencing Willis addressbook he finds 3 possibilities, I'm gonna be lazy and say that Sheila was in town for like enough time for Jason to find her in Gotham. Meanwhile Joker broke out of Arkham and Batman's on the case and thinks that Sheila's job's local warehouse known to not usually be in use is Joker's next move. Sheila tells Jason she has to go to a meeting but to meet up later when Bruce runs into Jason.

Bruce asks Jason where he's been and what is he doing on a Joker case (it's been like a week since Jason left the manor only leaving a note saying that basically reads I know when I'm not wanted don't do a obligatory search.). Jason for a second thought Bruce had been looking for him and that he actually cared until he asked what Jason was doing on a case, Jason's sense of rejection escalates.

Bruce says that Sheila workplace might be in trouble but that he was also checking out another lead. Jason tracks down Sheila to warn her that the Joker might be up to something using her work's warehouse, she's like sure kid uh huh until he shows he the Robin suit. Then Sheila says to help her search the warehouse before her meeting which was to happen at the warehouse so that they would know if anything bad was inside.

Jason says that he should call in Batman just in case when they round a corner in the warehouse and the Joker is there. Jason (in Robin suit) turns to Shelia to yell at her to run when she pulls out a gun and points it at Jason telling him "sorry kid looks like you trusted the wrong person this time."

Jason is then tied up and beaten with a crowbar, whilst Sheila sits back and smokes on a nearby crate. Jason goes unconscious and Sheila is tied to the warehouse while the Joker says there can be no witnesses. Jason tries to get them both out of there while he struggles to move, they make it to the door when he hears a timer seconds away from zero while Sheila tries to open the door. Jason covers her body with his own while resigning himself to death. The warehouse explodes.

First responders are already on the scene when Bruce gets there. Sheila is alive long enough to tell Batman that Jason was a good kid, a better kid than one she thought she would make. The first responders found Jason before Bruce did, Robin was pronounced dead on arrival.

Everything is happening in between season 2 and 3 btw, well at least until Red Hood arrives.

Dick hears about the explosion over the news and rushes to Gotham, team in hand. They miss the funeral. Dick finds out that Jason had been missing for a week before that and is pissed Bruce didn't tell him. A month later Tim forces his way into Robin and gets assistance from the Titans who welcome him with open arms.

3 months after his death Jason crawls out of his grave, Scarecrow and the League of Assassins are working together (don't ask why idk either) and Jason stumbles across a meeting. Someone notices Jason isn't responding properly and they began experimenting on him eventually realizing that one of Scarecrow's toxins makes him less fearful and respond to orders more. Talia grows to give a shit and puts him in a Lazarus Pit before she is sent away but still partly in charge. Ra's says to drug him before he wakes up and to make Jason reliant on the drugs and on the League of Assassins.

Jason is trained up for a year before they put him on the scene as a figurehead but not really in charge of anything Red Hood. Jason tries to keep civilian casualties as low as he can, tries to keep things centered on ending Gotham's crime and criminals. He makes his number one rule no drugs to kids, no harm to children, no exceptions.

Two lackeys who drugged Robin were made as examples. Jason himself was still force fed Scarecrow's toxin every day.

The code name Red Hood was one of the few things that he had been given control over a nice little Fuck you to the Joker (still alive and kicking) which he had a do not engage order for so he couldn't kill the guy himself (not that he thought he would be able to even with the toxin). Jason tries to use it as a force of change, a force of good for Gotham. Sometimes when the drugs were wearing off he wondered how much harm he was doing compared to good, and how easily he killed criminals.

The league of assassin's pulls out of Gotham for reasons Jason doesn't know about, Jason tries to get clean while an imposter with meta abilities impersonated Red Hood in order to get to Hank and does Gotham harm. The titans have been in town for most of the time btw. The meta, a telepathic shapeshifter, bumped into Jason read his mind and figured Jason Todd would be a good cover for them while they did this and they could implant memories into Jason later and no evidence would lead back to them especially because of Jason laying low and trying to detox alone.

So yeah Jason still murders people but the stuff in the show making someone snap their neck, civilian casualties that shouldn't have happened and killing Hank, that was a meta in this because I can't see even a very fucked up Jason doing those things.

Everyday the meta tracks Jason down reads his mind and implants new memories. Jason tries to get help but that keeps getting stopped or people refuse to help him for the things they think he did.

The meta is taken into custody when someone realizes that that isn't Jason because either he called one of them or one of them saw him one the street collapsing. This leads to so much confusion epically since Jason has two sets of memories the stuff he did do (duffle bag of heads) and things he didn't do (kill Hank). In the process of sorting his memories the Titans realize how much they fucked up with Jason especially when they hear him say 'Arkham is to good for me, I need to be put down, I'm poison.' After hearing him whimper in his sleep begging Bruce not to put him in Arkham, to not leave him with the Joker.

Jason and Tim mostly get along and become siblings, but Gar is the only Titan who didn't really hurt my fave from what I know. The rest didn't really treat Jason as one of them and didn't try to understand him or empathize. I heard that Kori was also okay with him but then I saw a clip from 3x08 and I was like :/

Don't have anything else currently for this idea

#batman #robin #jason todd #red hood #bruce wayne #dick grayson #nightwing #dc titans #titans live action #l rambles #l rants #l ramble #l rant

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artxyra · 4 years

Text

Healing Gotham | Part 1

Prologue

Tim was having an off day. At first he had thought it was due to him surviving off of weeks’ worth of caffeine, but that was not it—not it at all. When Tim had first arrived at Wayne Enterprise, all of its employees were having a rush. Paperwork was thrown around, gather, shredded within seconds of each other. The young co-CEO couldn’t find it in him to care enough until it was lunchtime. An older employee was going around collecting NDA’s from all the new employees—like that wasn’t an everyday experience. Tim had half the brain capacity to contact Bruce for information, and yet he doesn’t do it.

Then Tim returns to the manor, cars from his extended siblings, and family members parked within the gates. Once again, this was not an unusual sight for the coffee addict. Well, it wasn’t an unusual sight until he stepped into the manor.

On one of the couches sat Steph, Cass, and Damian all looking to the people on the other side of the room. Kate stands leaning against the window waiting for the shoe to drop. Tim didn’t know where to sit. He only had two options: sit beside the mess of his older brothers or sit where there was the least amount of space next to his other siblings.

Finally taking in his environment, he notices something scary. Jason and Dick weren’t in their usual moods aka brooding and dramatic but on the verge of a massive mental breakdown. Jason was clutching his hair staring down at his lap repeating the words, “She’s going to kill me” as if it was the end of the world. Dick was mimicking the words with “Not if she kills me first, I’m too young to die”. This was such a shock, that Tim had to take a long sip of coffee to make sure it was true, and even then he had to pinch himself as a reminder that he was awake.

“Master Tim, the amount of caffeine you are consuming is terrible. Perhaps taking a rest would help.” Alfred offers with little room to negotiate, but Tim swears he is fine to which the family butler did not believe. “Uh-huh…” Taking the thermos out of Tim’s hand, the young co-CEO is left with nothing.

“You’re seeing this too, right? Tim asks his siblings that weren’t in the Wayne family as long as the older two. Steph is simply recording the nature of their situation—probably blackmail material for her and Barbara. Cass simply examines her older siblings wondering what has gotten into their heads. She was sure that Bruce was internally panicking based on his fingers tapping against his suit jacket and constant inching to the couch. Looking beside her, it was obvious that Damian hates being out of the loop and was moments away from exploding. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to sit beside Damian for this family meeting.

“What has gotten you three so worked up?” Kate asks from the safety of her position. Watching the three break down may be fun and all, but she had a life to live also outside of her cousin’s BS.

“Master Bruce now would be the best time to explain our situation,” Alfred suggests coming back into the room with a tray of teacups and a pot of tea. The butler knows the family is going to need it after dropping a bomb like this to the newest Waynes.

As much as Alfred was right, Bruce knew he couldn’t keep this hidden. He can already tell that Damian was seconds away from stabbing Dick or Jason for being in such an off-putting mood. Tim would be forever confused until he gets a good rest, Cass may like having someone other then him to talk to, and Steph—well Steph will just be Steph.

Bruce was so deep in thought that he didn’t acknowledge the peak of Jason’s and Dick’s mental break down.

“She’s going to kill me…I would rather face the Joker than be on the receiving end of her anger.” Jason finally speaks something than the mantra he has been chanting for the past hour.

“Here’s how she’ll do it, kill Bruce, then me, and then you. Alfred’s safe because it’s Alfred.” Dick adds pointing to each person he has mentioned, furthering the family’s confusion. Kate, on the other hand, received the message loud and clear and end up bursting into laughter.

“Good to know you find humor in our incoming deaths, Katie,” Dick says pouting with arms crossed against his chest.

“What is Kane laughing about, Father?” Damian asks with a dangerous intent beneath his words.

“In just a couple of days, the Manor Wayne is welcoming an old visitor…my sister… your aunt.” Bruce finally speaks with a heavy sigh. It was if he was preparing for the mental battle this family is about to go through.

“Sister?” “Aunt?” “What?” Various amounts of reactions echo across the room. Every one of his children that had no clue about the oldest Wayne’s sister was just given a wake-up call.

“Yes, I have a sister. She’s my younger sister, and she’ll be staying at the Manor until she finds herself her own place, and this is if she decides to move to Gotham permanently.” Bruce then adds.

“You mean she’s staying here?” Damian cries out, he already hates the fact that most his siblings typically stay in and out of the manor, but to have a new resident just screams trouble.

“Yes, which also means we all need to keep our nightly activities on the down-low. Marin Etta has no idea that I am Batman or that Dick and Jason were Robin, and I like to keep it that way. This means Jason, no bringing anything related to the Gotham Underground, Dick you do what you’ve always done. The rest you better be on your best behavior.”

“Well this is the best news; I haven’t seen Mars since the wedding and that was five years ago.” Kate pushes herself off the wall and goes to hug Bruce. “Call me when she arrives, it will be nice to have a girls’ trip or something.”

“Katie…” Bruce sighs but the look on his cousin’s face says otherwise and it was best to leave this alone. “I will.”

Once Kate was out of the room, Damian loudly growls. “I don’t like this.”

“For once I agree with the Demon Spawn,” Tim says, though in Tim’s mind he wasn’t sure what was happening. His brain acknowledges Kate leaving but the moments before seem like a dazed.

“Tim, you okay?” Steph asks as the person in question sway. “Better yet when was the last time you slept?” She receives no answer from the in and out of the conscious male.

“Why are we just now hearing about this so-called sister.” Damian questions as if he was the only person sane in the household—which he’s not. It’s not like he’s trying to gain as much information about this aunt of his so that he could look her up and do a background check. That is totally what he will be doing.

Bruce, seeming to ignore Damian’s underlying intent, sighs and reply with, “She and I had a fall out when Jason died, and we barely speak. This is the first time in a while that she’ll be back.”

“Sounds like a you problem.” Cass murmurs under her breath evading all the glances her way. It’ll be nice to have seen someone other than her adopted family, but at the same time just how will this new person fit into their family.

“Better yet why do Grayson and Todd know about her while the rest of us don’t?” Damian asks gesturing to his other siblings. “You have no photos of the woman, so why must I believe that you have a sister.” From this Bruce could feel a migraine coming in the longer this goes on.

“Look, Little D, Mari is like a sister or a mother figure to Jason and I. There are reasons outside of this room as to why she is so well hidden. You know that room that Bruce forbids anyone from going into?” Dick replies instead of Bruce. Both he and Jason need to wrap up this conversation to prep for their incoming deaths by Mari. He was definitely sure that Bruce was about to do the same and Mari-proof the manor’s access to the Batcave.

“Na’am,” Damian says begrudgingly.

“That’s Mari’s room and will forever be her wing until she no longer needs it.” Dick finishes off his statement, which clearly did not do anything for the youngest Wayne. He then turns to Jason who was in less of a panic but in more of a defensive planning stage. “C’mon Jaybird, we have lots of pre-death planning before Sunshine returns to the Gotham.”

“Once again, I rather die by the Joker than by her, B-man you owe us so much for this,” Jason states before walking out the living room with Dick following behind.

Bruce sighs heavily and returns to his remaining children, well those that are still awake. Tim had passed out and will most likely be for the time being.

“Father…”

“Not now Damian. I will answer the rest of your questions later. I have a sister-proofing mission to handle.” With that Bruce takes his leave.

“This family can never be normal could it?” Steph wonders as she picks up Tim and places him over her shoulder.

“I agree with you on that. Need a hand?” Cass responds looking at the failing form of Steph’s body as she lugs Tim over to the entranceway.

“Nope, I’m fine,” Steph replies before she and Tim disappear into the shadows of the manor.

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Damian states crossing his arms and taking his leave also.

Cass stares at the leaving figure of her younger brother and shakes her head. She knows that Damian would not leave this alone until he hits rock bottom. Let that be her mysterious aunt herself or Bruce making his word-final.

A couple days later at the Gotham City Airport, a woman with a concave bob hairstyle stands outside the pickup area with her three suitcases next to her. Bing. She looks down to see the name Alfred popping up against the screen.

“Yes Alfred, I’m here… I’m still at the airport. No, you don’t need to give me a—” She pauses allowing the Wayne family butler to reply. “Alright, I’ll see you in a few.” With that, she ends the conversation and places the phone in her back pocket.

This person is nonother than Marin Etta Martha Wayne or as the people in Paris, France calls her Marinette Martha Dupain-Cheng Couffaine.

Part 2 >>

Tag List: *View my Tagging System guidelines for how to to be properly tagged or removed.

Specific Tag List: @nach0ava | @moonlightstar64 | @pirats-pizzacanninibles | @elmokingkong |

#maribat #ml x dc #sibling brucinette #mlb x dc #ml crossover #dc crossover #fic: Healing Gotham

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anjuschiffer · 4 years

Text

Amira Wayne - Chapter 13

I’m alive! Here’s day 14 of @biodad-bruce-month event (even tho it ended already)!

Chapter 13: Dating/Love

P.Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo @elijahcrevan

Tag: @vixen-uchiha @we-want-mini-mini @ramos123 @bluesimani @redscarlet95 @greatcatblaze @promiswords @fantasiame @corabeth11 @anonymously-odd @alexandriamw @officiallydarkgeek @galla02006 @maleive07

MASTERLIST | FIRST | PREV | AO3

“Wait, I could just do that?” Chat exclaimed, looking at the akuma that crumbled under his hand.

It was another day without Ladybird, but Chat and Bee were able to handle the past two akumas with ease and with little damage.

The first time around, the duo met with Ladybird’s kwami Tikki to help purify the akuma. But after witnessing Tikki eat the akuma before spitting it right out purified...let’s just say the duo were left a bit traumatized.

Not wanting to see that again, Chat and Bee decided to look for alternate ways to purify an akuma. Or at least get rid of them before causing more trouble.

“Wait, how did you not know?” Bee asked.

“Never tried.” Chat said with a slight shrug. “Which reminds me, I have to tell LB something after this.”

Queen Bee noticed how Chat frowned, his eyes becoming dull.

“You too?” Bee asked, watching as Chat’s ring was down to its last pad.

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘you too’?”

“I have to leave for the States in a few weeks. Something about having to keep appearances and the sorts.” Bee huffed, watching the Parisian sky starting to darken.

“What are the odds? I also have business in the States, although it’s more about business than appearances in my case.”

“Seeing as the two of us have to tell LB, how about we tell her the news together?” Bee suggested.

“Sounds like a plan. Although it has to wait for some other day. Right now, I have a meeting to attend, so later!”

Queen Bee watched as Chat Noir left the training grounds in a hurry, noticing the fake smile plastered on his face.

“You’re being dragged into it too, aren’t you?”

“Morning.” Marinette told Adrien and Chloé, much to the surprise of everyone else in the class.

How did the trio become friends overnight? And wasn’t Marinette best friends with Alya?

“Marinette. The sun is out, I’m having a great hair day and all you can say is morning?” Chloé huffed. “Good morning to you too.”

“Hello Marinette! Feeling any better?” Adrien decided to ignore Chloe, Marinette nodding.

“To be honest, a bit. Still got to take my medication and rest, but staying in bed won’t do me any good.”

Amira recalled the text message she received this morning, her father asking her how she was.

Selina had filled him in when he called back, telling him about the situation. Amira also learned of his visit through the baker’s surveillance cameras.

While she had told him that she didn’t care what he did, it hurt to see that he came to visit her.

Then again...what right did she have to feel sad that he didn’t try to talk to her when she’s already pushed him?

“-to Marinette. You see Adrikins? I’m telling you, she needs to stay-“

“He could’ve at least let me have known he came over.” Chloé and Adrien found Marinette mumbling, a frown on her face.

“He? Did someone-“ Adrien started only for Miss Bustier to walk into the class and start the class.

Chloe watched as Marinette zoned out during their first class, watching as Alya didn’t bother to check in with her supposed ‘best’ friend.

Marinette continued to zone out throughout the entire morning and then acting if nothing was wrong once lunch came around.

It bothered Chloe so much and she didn’t know. Why did it bother her to see Marinette act as if she wasn’t in pain when it was clear as day?

“Ladybird!” Chat called out, snapping Bee from her thoughts. It’s been three days since she last saw Ladybird, watching as their leader greeted them with a slight smile on her face. “Feeling better?”

Deja vu much?

“Chat. Bee. I’ve been doing well. Master Fu gave me the okay to return back to patrolling despite not wanting me being here.”

“How come?” Bee asked, looking out to the Parisian skyline. Tonight, it seemed foreign.

“One word: Hawkmoth.” Ladybird stated, watching as her partners looked at her with narrowed eyes. “If I stay for too long out of commission, not only will we be giving him more answers about the miraculous, but he’ll know our weakness.”

“But-”

“He’s probably caught up with the most recent information regarding the damage left behind from Dark Owl. Can’t exactly hide the evidence left behind at the stadium and his office.”

Ladybird watched as Bee and Chat nervously laughed at that, remembering the large pile of rust left at the stadium and the amount of tech to clean out of Principal Damocles’ office.

“Do you think he knows about you and-” Bee started, only to stop when LB nodded.

“He might know I’m not suited for the Ladybug, but there are also other possibilities.”

“Which are?”

“I’m like him.” Ladybird bluntly stated, getting titled heads for a reaction. “I have another life outside the mask that makes me mia.”

“Wouldn’t that apply to all of-”

“Not exactly. The two of you are mostly active, always at the scene as soon as possible. As for me, I don’t usually appear until minutes later or until halfway. That can mean many things. One, I’m a sickly person outside the mask, therefore I take longer to arrive. Or similarly, I live a little bit outside of Paris, thus making me tardy. Third-”

“You might be an adult,” Bee stated, watching Chat look at LB with large eyes. What did he figure out?

“Or you might be someone of a high standing who can’t afford to leave their place in society to fight him, a man who has all the time to be ready to akumatize someone at a moment’s notice.”

Guess LB wasn’t expecting that answer, judging from her taken back expression.

“Right on. To think you got it on your first try.”

“Wait, you’re rich?” Bee screeched out, looking at Chat for back up. “I mean, that would explain the burner phones, the equipment at the- you have the money to buy out an entire floor!”

“Yes Bee. I’m rich, although it’s my father who’s rich and was stupid enough to forget to take away my black card.”

“You have a black card?” LB and Chat watched as Bee continued to freak out.

“What’s a black card?” Chat decided to ask, earning concerned faces from the girls. “What?”

“How do you not know what a black card is, Chat! It’s literally the symbol of being filthy rich! Not even Daddy has one!” Bee exclaimed, promptly shutting her mouth.

“You’re rich too, Bee? Wow. To think we all come from a-”

“You’re rich too?” The girls exclaimed, the trio bursting into laughter.

The three chatted for hours, learning more about themselves. Time went on, the three kids laughing and holding their stomachs as they told tales of their past and of the present. However, Bee picked up on the way Ladybird avoided talking about her father and urged the other two to talk.

What was she hiding?

“Does that make us the rich kid club?” Chat asked, earning a stifled laugh from LB and a ‘seriously?’ look from Bee. “What? It seems fitting!”

“As much as I’d like to continue to stay and talk, I think we should be heading home. It’s one in the morning and I have class tomorrow.” Bee and Chat nodded in agreement, the three bidding each other farewell.

“So two days, huh.” Amira hummed, watching as Selina packed her bag. While it was two in the morning, Amira thought it would be best to drop by and visit Selina. The talk with her team left her in a giddy state, Amira wondering why she even came here.

“Actually, I might be leaving tomorrow evening.”

“Why?” While Amira still wasn’t particularly fond of the woman, she felt a part of her wanted Selina to stay. Perhaps it was the fact that Selina had been by her side these past few days.

Or the denial that continued to linger in Amira. That she enjoyed Selina’s concern over her.

While Selina was by her side, Amira didn’t have restless nights where she would wake up from dreams she couldn’t remember. But from what Sabine had told her, Amira used to have nights where she would be waking up screaming and calling out Jason’s name like a madwoman.

But ever since Selina came over, they stopped happening. “What made you-”

“The gala was pushed forward towards this month. Towards Thanksgiving.”

“Why would-”

“Dick had made the decision to push it forward after getting a phone call in regards to the main event of this year’s gala.”

“Main event?” Amira asked, now wondering what type of event caused Dick to push up the date of the gala. What event caused her father to accept the change of date from it’s usually wintery day?

“This year, Bruce was eagerly planning the main event with such pride, making sure everything was perfect to announce the main event. But then, Jason’s...Jason’s death happened and-

“The Catherine Todd Foundation.” Amira whispered, feeling her heart stop.

That’s right. How did she forget? How dare she forget? How dare she forget her brother’s dream?

“That’s right.” Selina closed her suitcase shut. “Bruce was planning to reveal the latest Wayne foundation-Jason’s foundation- that he had planned for months.”

“That was planned...for this year’s gala?” Amira asked, feeling her mouth dry.

Her father didn’t utter a word about it. Nor did Dick. Did...did they not-

“Amira. Amira, look at me.” Selina coaxed, cupping Amira’s face into her hands. “Dick just found out about it when he got a call about one of the sponsors. The sponsor wanted to change the date to make sure-”

“Why didn’t he tell me about it?” Amira whispered, feeling something roll down her face, salt meeting her lips. “Why did no one-”

“Amira, kitten. Dick hasn’t called you in a while, right?” A slow nod. “He’s been busy setting up the gala in your father’s steed. Bruce...your father holed himself again in his study when he found out the sponsor had called in. He...he had forgotten about it. It slipped his mind after-”

“He could’ve called me so I could’ve helped him rework the-”

“Amira.”

“I could've helped!”

“Amira, Dick couldn’t-“

“You wouldn’t understand Selina! You don’t know-“

“I do.” Selina said softly, holding Amira’s trembling hands. “Just like you, I loved the brat to pieces.”

“You’ve...you loved Jason?”

“Sure, we didn’t get on the right foot, but I did go to love the boy. Little brat loved to play dirty. Remember he endangered his life once just so I would catch him and make me drop my guard.”

“Sounds just about him.” Amira softly said, Selina picking up on her relaxation. “Jason liked playing dirty, no matter who he was up against. Once he popped his arm off its socket during one of our sparring lessons, which caused me to stop fighting. When I went to check on him, he popped it back in and won the match.

Even though I knew he was alright, I started bawling and hugged him. Father and Alfred came running to see what had happened and when Jason told him what he had done, Father scolded him. ‘Sometimes, you have to play dirty. A fight in Gotham will never be fair and square, old man. You, better than anyone else, should know that.’” Amira said with a smile. “He’d always use that against Father and would win his case. Or perhaps Father let him, knowing that using those tricks would help in a fight one day.”

“And it did, although it mostly grossed out Riddler when he saw Jason do that. Should’ve seen the look at his face.” Selina said with a chuckled, reminiscing that day.

“I would rather have Jason back than wishing to have seen that.” Amira admitted, looking at Selina with unshed tears. “Jason… Jason was the glue that held us together. He was the one who brought us together, so when...when he died...we...we-” a shuddering breath escaped Amira. “We fell apart...

Dad became so broken that he began to isolate himself from us. He would shut himself in his study for hours and from what Dick told me - days! When I was still in the manor, we wouldn’t see him at dinner nor would we hear from him unless he came back home frustrated from a work meeting.

He no longer made time for us. For Dick...nor me. He allowed himself to drown in his work, both as CEO of WE and Batman”

“Amira.” Selina softly said, wiping away the tears that had been running down Amira’s face.

“When I finally got to talk to him again...it was to tell me I was being sent to Paris.

He didn’t even let me say goodbye to anyone, not even Jason...

He was at it again. He was isolating me again, but this time to a place where I couldn’t do anything no matter what I tried. I would have no friends to help me, nor connections to help me break out of my father’s control. The only option I was left with was to obey.”

“But Amira, you have friends now. You have people you can lean on. So why? Why can’t you-”

“It was all Jason.” Amira said. “Jason managed to convince Father to let me explore the outside, not me.

Jason was the one who made Dad understand that I shouldn't be kept inside like a trophy bird. That I should be allowed to spread my wings, to grow. How did he do it? I would never know, but I wish he had shown me how.

I only knew how to yell and scream to get what I wanted. I wasn’t like Jason who proved he was right, who fought for what he deemed just.”

“Amira, you don’t have to keep-”

“I do, Selina! I do!” Amira cried, digging her hands into her hair. “My father won’t see nor talk to me otherwise if I don’t! Father never understood the damage he’s done to me unless I show it to him. He’s...he’s!”

Selina pulled Amira into a hug, feeling the girl stiffen in her hold. Selina held the girl tight against her, letting tears run down her face that she didn’t know she was holding back.

To hear the amount of pain she was holding in, the amount of troubles she had to deal with...and to think Bruce was the cause of the majority of it.

“Your feelings are valid Amira, your frustrations are as well. But trust me when I say, things will get better and you’re already doing a wonderful job of moving forward.” Selina began to stroke Amira’s hair when she felt Amira tremble. “It may seem as if the situation isn’t getting any better, but it is due to your efforts of wanting to change it.

So give yourself a break and just let it all out. I’ll make sure to protect while you do.”

That was all Amira needed to let herself cry out her heart, hugging Selina back as she wailed her soul out.

Selina drew circles on her back as she sat there, making sure to not let Amira go.

How did Bruce let it get this bad?

“You’re going to the States?” Marinette asked, looking up from her calendar in her planner.

It’s been two days since Amira last saw Selina, already missing her. It took everything in her to not beg her to stay. To not leave her...but she knew better than that. She had to leave and Amira had to respect that.

So here she was, letting her mind try to forget Selina’s warm hug and the calmness she felt when Selina hugged her.

“Yup!” Adrien said with a smile that Marinette could look through from a mile away.

“Adrien and I were both invited to some event that our parents want us to attend, something about having to keep images and whatnot.” Chloe elaborated, noticing the last Thursday in the month circled in red. What a coincidence. “As happy as I am that my mother called me, I didn’t want it to be this way.”

“At least she gave you the choice. My father is threatening me with going or not being able to leave the house again.” Adrien bluntly stated, flinching when Marinette narrowed her eyes. “Baguette, what’s-“

“He threatened you? Your father threatened you?” Chloé and Adrien could feel the murderous intent seeping from the girl. “Let me talk with-“

“Baguette! It’s alright! I told him I’ll do it on a few conditions!” Adrien practically scrambled the details out. He watched as Marinette softened a bit.

“Conditions?”

“For starters, he’ll let me go with Chloé. No Nathalie nor Gorilla. Second, he will not be allowed to contact me nor Chloé. If I need his help or if I want to go back, I have to be the one to call him back. Third and final one, if I manage to settle a meeting between him and one of the people he told me to make contact with, he has to agree to let me do whatever I want for the rest of the year.”

“Wow Adrikins. Since when did you start stepping up towards your dad?”

“Since I realized that my so-called freedom is still being controlled. If I fully want to be free, I have to start by loosening my father’s control over me. So far, I’ve been seeing results from my efforts. I don’t plan on backing down until I fully achieve my goal.”

Marinette watched as Adrien smiles proudly, not being able to hold back her own smile.

“Hope you reach it Adrien. I know it’ll be worth it. So then, when’s the event?”

“It’s in three weeks, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Adrien and I will be attending Wayne Gala.”

Ladybird looked at Bee and Chat with the same look she had given Adrien and Chloé.

“The both of you? The two of you are going to be mia in three weeks?” Ladybird asked in disbelief, watching as the two of them rubbed the back of their heads. First Chole and Adrien and now these two? “Do you realize-“

“It’s why we’re telling you now and not later this week or next. We know-“

“Do you really?” Ladybird growled, huffing as she turned around, the Parisian night staring right back at her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have-“

“No, you’re right.” Chat said, Ladybird picking up on his sorrow. “It is stupid of us to leave you-“

“Master Fu.” Ladybird casually said, looking at Bee and Chat. “I can ask Master Fu to see what I can do.”

“Master Fu?” Bee asked, looking at Chat for clarification.

“Oh right, you’ve never heard about him. He’s the one who chooses the wielders for the miraculouses. He’s the one who chose Ladybird and me. As for you, you were recommended to be a wielder as I vouched for Rena Rouge to be a temporary holder.”

“Wait. I was recommended to-“

“I recommended Master Fu to give you a miraculous. However, that doesn’t mean I fully know your identity. I did recommend two people to become Pollen’s holder after all.” Ladybird looked at Bee who was on the verge of tears. “Guess Master Fu chose the better of the two and I’m glad he did. You’re a great partner.”

Bee ran and threw herself at Ladybird, the two girls tumbling to the floor as Chat just stood there smiling.

“I promise to make up for the time we miss!”

“Don’t worry about it Bee. The two of you shouldn’t worry about a thing. Everything will turn out alright. You’ll see.”

No. Everything didn’t turn out alright.

The day came where Chat and Bee bid LB a temporary goodbye and Adrien and Chloe boarded a plane towards Gotham. The minute they said goodbye, Amira grew restless, uneasy.

It didn’t help that this uneasiness traversed towards her civilian life as well.

As she walked into the school, it felt like if everyone was watching her every move, judging her.

It was Gotham Academy all over again...

Wally had assured it that it was going to be fine, that she was worrying over nothing.

But Amira knew better than to ignore the emptiness she felt in her chest.

Sure, Alya talked her ears off, but Marinette didn’t like the feeling of emptiness around her despite Alya’s clear company.

Without Chloé and Adrien, everything just seemed...off.

She didn’t realize their importance until chemistry class.

She watched people get into pairs as Miss Mendeleiev finished telling her instructions for today’s lab. With the clap of her hands, everyone started to pair up...except her.

“Miss Mendeleiev. I don’t seem to have a partner. If it’s alright, can I-“

“No partner?” Miss Mendeleiev asked, realizing only then that three of her students were out. “I can’t just let you do the lab by yourself Marinette. It’s unsafe.”

“Miss Mendeleiev, I am fine being on my-“

“Now, now. You know that in my lab, no one is allowed to touch the chemicals without a partner.” Miss Mendeleiev clapped her hands to get the class’ attention. “While it seems like everyone has a partner, Marinette doesn’t. Now, who would love to have her in their group or volunteers to be Marinette’s partner?”

Marinette’s didn’t need to turn around to know no one raised their hand.

After all, she was always doing labs with Sabrina or Alya, although this time around, Alya had promised Alix to be her lab partner. That left Marinette to be partnerless this time around.

“So no one is going to volunteer? That’s alright. Nino, please help Marinette with this lab. Kim, join Ivan and Mylène.”

Marinette heard as Nino approached her, turning slowly to avoid seeing everyone else pity him.

“Look forward to working with you.” Marinette said with a slight bow, only to receive nothing in return.

Seems like this would be a long lab.

Or not.

Marinette somehow ended up talking up a storm with Nino.

“You do parkour?” Nino asked, looking as if Marinette grew a second head. “No offense, you don’t even look like the type-“

“Parkour, gymnastics and martial arts. Of course, I haven’t touched gymnastics in a while since my mentor has been busy. Doesn’t help that he’s on the other side of the world.” Marinette said, pouring the hydrogen peroxide into the water and then into the catalase test tube. She watched as the latter created bubbles.

“Dudette, that’s amazing!” Nino exclaimed, opening up his notebook to the back of his page.

“Dudette?” Marinette looked at the page he opened, noticing some notes about a personal project. How did she come to that conclusion? Simple. It said ‘Directed by Nino Lahiffe.’

“Ah, I should’ve asked if-“

“It’s fine. Just taken aback by the name since it’s my first time hearing it.”

“Really? What do your friends call you then?”

“My brother calls Mimi and my friend calls me Bugette.”

“Alya calls you Bugette?” Nino asked, writing down his observations of the catalase in boiling water.

“As much as Alya thinks she’s my friend, she isn’t quite there. And it’s Wally who calls me Bugette. He’s a friend of mine before I transferred here.” Marinette elaborated, sliding her notebook towards him. “Haven’t spoken to him in a few days though.”

“Alright class!” Miss Mendeleiev said with a clap of her hands. “At this time, start wrapping up your workstation! Make sure to properly rinse out the tubes and place them into their appropriate-“

“Marinette. Is it alright to call you dudette? Of course, if you don’t-“

“I’m fine with it.” Marinette told him with a smile. “I don’t mind being called dudette, Nino.”

“-only known her for 30 minutes. How can you say that she wasn’t doing all the work so that-” Marinette heard as she approached the windows that belonged to her classroom. She stopped before they could see her through the glass.

If her ears didn’t betray her, the one speaking right now was-

“Alix, she wasn’t doing all the work. We both did the lab toget-”

“She’s friends with Chloe.” Ivan added.

“How do you expect us-”

“You didn’t try to even get to know her. Yes, I also didn’t want to interact with her before being paired up with her, but now I wish I did. I wish I had talked to her earlier on in the school year and you guys should too! She’s-”

“You shouldn’t pressure others to try and talk to me Nino.” Marinette said, strolling into the classroom. “Let them take their time to try and approach me.” Marinette handed Nino a piece of paper. “I also looked into a few things you mentioned earlier and thought I should give you this. They’re always giving out free courses and workshops, so I thought I should let you know.”

Nino looked at the paper Marinette gave him and was surprised to see a list of different companies and dates in which they held workshops for upstarting directors.

Just as he was about to ask where she had gotten the information from, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the next class.

Amira wishes she was able to escape Anansi’s punches just as quickly as she was able to bolt out the classroom earlier that day.

Amira had been trying to call Wally, trying to get any info on her two friends who should’ve have arrived at Gotham when her phone began to yell ‘AKUMA ALERT.’

So having to leave her worries behind, Amira yelled ‘SPOTS ON’ as she headed towards Hawkmoth’s latest Victim.

Rolling away from Anansi’ punches and parrying them took a toll on Ladybird, feeling the air leave her body as she was slammed onto the ferris wheel structure.

Managing to find a safe space within an alleyway, Ladybird reached for her burner phone when she was reminded of her dilemma.

Her two partners were away...she told them not to worry…

“Here you are!” Anansi roared, striking the alleyway where Ladybird was hiding, causing the vigilante to become airborne. As Ladybird crashed onto the pavement, the transformation was called off, Tikki opening her mouth to scold Amira for dropping her transformation when she promptly closed her mouth.

Calling her transformation off, when she crashed onto the pavement and scrambled her way towards another alley.

“Tikki, go to Master Fu.”

“But-” Amira looked at Tikki with stern eyes.

“Tikki, go and don’t worry about me. I don’t have super strength but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan.”

“Amira.” Tikki whimpered.

“You now what we have to do. Now go!” Taking one last look at Amira, Tikki flew off.

“Please be safe Amira. Please, don’t do anything reckless.”

“Come on Little Bug! Is that all you got?” Anansi smugly said, cracking her knuckles as she watched Ladybird wipe off the blood that seeped from her mouth.

Spitting out a bit of blood, Amira grinned. Beads of sweat rolled down her face, something Amira didn’t know she missed dearly.

“Did you really think that was my best? Come on Anansi, I thought it was pretty obvious what was going on here.”

“What are you talking about?” Anansi growled, noticing someone land behind Ladybird. Anansi watched as Ladybird glew red and healed her wounds. “You!”

“That’s right Anansi.” Ladybird grinned. “My backup is here. Carapace!”

“On it!” Carapace yelled, throwing his shield towards Anansi.

With a simple step to the side, Anansi was able to dodge it, only to get her foot wrapped by Ladybird, slipping backward as her back connected with the ground.

Carapace tried to land a hit, but missed when Anansi rolled to the side, but was then dragged towards Ladybird.

Swinging her foot to the side, Anansi shook Ladybird off when she noticed the makeshift ring around her.

How did they set that up? Who set it up when she was bust fending of both Ladybird and Carapace.

“Up for a round Anansi? Or are you afraid of losing against someone half your size and weight?” Ladybird challenged, the smug on her face fanning the annoyance within Anansi.

“You’re on Bug. Can’t wait to beat you and show you that a bug should never mess with a spider!”

“Come on Anansi! I thought you said this match will be over in one punch! Oh wait a minute! You can’t even land one!” Ladybird said in a haughty tone, causing Anansi to lunge at her, sending one final punch onto the Arc de Triomphe.

Anansi felt as the ground began to shake, only then realizing the trap Ladybird set down for her.

Grabbing something from the ground, Ladybird grabbed hold of Carapace and brought them to where Alya was being held hostage.

“Carapace, now!”

“Shellter!” Carapace yelled, shielding them as the Arc de Triomphe crumpled to the ground, trapping Anansi underneath.

Once the debris settled and the dust settled, Anansi’s headgear appeared by Ladybird’s feet, causing Ladybird to smile. Gleefully, Ladybird slammed her yo-yo against the thing and cracked it, the akuma emerging from it.

Capturing the akuma and purifying it, Ladybird yelled her words. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Carapace watched with wonder as all the damage Anansi caused was repaired, the Arc de Triomphe restored before his eyes. “Meet me at the Eiffel Tower,” he heard Ladybird say before she swung away.

Ladybird stood at the Eiffel Tower, looking at the setting sun in the distance. She had yet to receive a call from-

“Ladybird! So, what do you think about-”

“Hold on Carapace.” Ladybird cut off, Carapace now wondering what was going on. “Not all of us are here.”

“All of us? But I thought-”

“Sorry for coming late!” A voice said, causing Carapace to jump.

Soon, something on the ground began to grow, the pink glow becoming bigger by the second. Emerging from the glow was a girl that seemed to resemble a mouse themed hero.

“Carapace, I’d like you to meet the other vigilante who helped us today.” Carapace remained silent as the mouse themed vigilante shyly waved at them, tucking a loose orange auburn hair strand behind her ear.

“Hi, my name is Gris. It was a great honor to work with you, Carapace. Ladybird.”

Pulling their luggage behind them, Adrien and Chloé scanned the welcoming area. Their flight lasted longer than what they thought it would be and they were ecstatic when they landed a few hours ago.

Their eyes landed on a gentleman with a poster board with their names on it.

When they approached the older man, they couldn’t help but notice the faintest smile on him.

“I presume you’re Mr.Pennyworth?” Adrien spoke up, Alfred nodding in response.

“I am Master Adrien. It's also a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Chloé. Welcome to Gotham.”

#maribat #amira wayne #bio!dadbrucewaynemonth2020 #bio!dad bruce wayne month 2020 #b!dbwm2020

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highonchocolate · 3 years

Text

Take Two: The Guardian in Gotham Chapter 6

First Previous Next Ao3

Notes:

Trigger warning: self hatred, and demeaning thoughts towards oneself. Skip the bold text if that’s a trigger. Also blood and descriptions of fighting. Skip the first paragraph if that’s a trigger. When the speech is in italics, that means they are speaking in another language. I will say which one it is, so you can know because there are two other languages.

---

The room was shrouded in an ethereal darkness. Marinette looked around and screamed at the ghostly form of Chat Blanc lurking in the flickering shadows of the balcony. His bloodstained white hands reached for her as ice blue eyes gleamed with dark energy. She raised her arm to block the blow before shoving him away and running for the door. Her hands grasped desperately for the handle as a large hand grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the side. She stumbled back into the dresser, and with a snarl he lunged. A flash of light on gleaming claws, and then there was nothing but blood and hurt and the rasping sounds of her shallow, fading, breaths. She heard the ‘whoosh’ of a boot slicing through air, and felt a crack as it connected with her ribs. Knife sharp pain lanced through her chest, and she choked on her blood as he smirked down at her. He tuned and brought one red stained finger to his mouth before smiling at the taste and disappearing from the room. Too late. She thought as he vanished in the warm light of the sunrise. Too late. Then her vision went dark and she knew no more.

---

Marinette woke up screaming. Looking at the dark room around her she nearly fell out of bed in her haste to turn on the table lamp. As the dim light flooded the room, she sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, eyes flickering to corners in a search for shadows that weren’t there. She stayed like that, trembling and shaking with muffled sobs as the Kwami tried to comfort her, for almost an hour before she felt confident enough to move.

Even then, when she eased into her wheelchair, she stayed away from the balcony, and kept her eyes firmly on her sewing. The repetitive motions soothed her as she worked, and calmed her rattled mind. When her alarm for 6:30 began blaring, she stopped working and got ready for school.

Looking in the mirror, she made eye contact with herself and winced at her appearance. Deep bags were under her eyes, and her gaze was shadowed with the memories of her nightmare. She grabbed her concealer and got to work. She moved to let her hair down, and then flinched as the memories of Chat Blanc assaulted her mind.* She knew Adrien would never hurt her, but sometimes she would look at him, and all she could see was a world that had drowned and a shattered moon hanging in the sky.

Shuddering, she hugged herself around the waist before tying her hair into her signature pigtails.

The familiar actions calmed her down enough that she could manage to make her way downstairs. Her body felt heavy, and she was both exhausted and wide awake. She wheeled into the room, and was immediately met with several pairs of blue eyes looking her way. Blue eyes….

Tikki nudged her softly through her pocket. At the gesture, she steeled herself and pushed past the memories to make eye contact with everyone and smile. Then she sat down, and the flood of horrors suffocated her again. Moving on autopilot, she mechanically ate her breakfast before wheeling to the car, not noticing the concerned glances of the family.

---

Damian was not worried.

He simply noticed that when Dupain-Cheng had walked into the room, she had flinched slightly upon making eye contact with everyone in the family. Everyone in the family but him and Alfred. She had forced a smile onto her face a second later, and as she ate, she seemed to not notice the rest of her surroundings. Father had called her name three times, and she had not responded even once. Then she had taken her plate to the sink, and wheeled to the car without even looking at any of them.

So no, he was not worried, just curious.

---

As the car pulled up to Gotham Academy, Marinette felt her fear rise. Would this school be just like her old one? Spoiled bullies and liars getting her into trouble? What if her classmates hated her? What if they called her a charity case? ‘It would be true, though.’ She laughed bitterly to herself. ‘Poor Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Can’t even deal with a single bully, so she has to escape to a county all the way across the ocean.’ She clawed her way out of the self loathing enough to open the door and climb out of the car. As she made her way into the school behind Damian, heard the whispers and glances of the students she passed in the hallways. Saw how their eyes lingered on the bruises that were still too painful to cover with makeup, how they focused on her stitches and glanced at her leg. She felt their pitying stares on her back as she wheeled into the office.

The secretary, a young woman with long brunette hair, didn’t even look up as she entered the room. “How can I help you?” She snapped, all business as her fingers clacked at the keyboard. “My name is Marinette, um, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m a transfer student, and I need my schedule.” She muttered, feeling insecure at the poorly-disguised hostility rolling off the woman in waves. “Right, here you go. Make sure you’re not late, your first class starts in five minutes.” She snapped as she reached out with one hand to give her the schedule. “Thank you.” She mumbled before turning to leave. She didn’t even look away from the screen, only giving her an absentminded “Uh-huh, no problem.” Getting the message, Marinette turned and wheeled out the door.

As she made her way to her first class (Damian having left her at the office with barely a backward glance), Marinette thanked her Ladybug luck for giving her classes on the first floor. She stopped in front of her first class (Physics with Mr. Henway, how wonderful) and knocked twice before rolling in at the muffled “Yes, come in.” she heard.

Opening the door, she surveyed the classroom and noticed nobody was looking at her-a stark contrast to the hallways where she had felt like an exhibit on display. She turned to the teacher, an older man with a stern grandfatherly air about him. “Hello sir, where should I sit?” She asked quietly.

He looked up when she spoke, and immediately let out a loud gasp that garnered most of the room’s attention. “Good golly child, what happened to you?! You look like you just went three rounds with one of Scarecrow's goons!” Feeling the incredulous stares of the people in the class, she shifted awkwardly in her seat and repeated her earlier question.

Realizing she wasn’t going to answer, he sighed and motioned to a spot in the front row.

She took her place and tried to ignore her rising blush, and the rest of her classmate’s glances as he began teaching.

The rest of her classes passed in a similar manner: shocked teacher, repeated glances, quiet muttering she tried to ignore. She met a group of four other kids that were quick to latch on and include her in their conversations. She learned their names were Claude, Allegra, Bridgette, and Felix, and she hoped they would become friends. She ignored the voices hissing in her ear: ‘They’re going to abandon you. Nobody loves you. Everyone around you hates you. They all want you to go away. They’re just being polite to the new kid because they pity you.’ as she accepted their invitation to eat lunch with them. Even with her newfound friends, lunch was the worst, as the whole room kept looking at her. Felix and Allegra glared threateningly over her head as Bridgette and Claude tried to draw her into conversation. Feeling anxious, she ducked her head down, and ate quickly, trying to ignore everything.

By the time school was over, she was drowning in a sea of insecurity and anxiety, and she barely heard Alfred call her name over the ringing in her ears. Latching on to his voice like a lifeline, she hurried into the car, and slumped against the seat with a shaky sigh.

“What's wrong, Miss Marinette?” Alfred asked as they drove to the Manor. She heard Damian tut behind her and mutter “Can’t even get through one day at school.” Blushing with embarrassment, she quickly answered “It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Seeing his unconvinced stare, she hurried to add to her excuse. “There were just so many people, and it was kind of overwhelming. But I’m okay.” She saw him nod in acceptance, and let loose a relieved exhale as she leaned back in her seat and watched the buildings go by.

---

She wheeled into the Manor, feeling relieved to get away from all the crowding and stares at school. Making her way through the house, she gave Bruce a small wave as she passed him in the hallway. This day was totally awful. Nothing can make it any worse than it already is.’ She thought to herself as she entered the living room. Noticing Jason, Dick, and Tim watching a show, she lifted her hand to wave, but then brought it to her bag as her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she smiled to see Chloé’s name flash across the screen. She nodded in greeting instead, and answered the call.

“Hey Chloé, what’s up?” she spoke as she sat down on the couch next to Jason. “Maribug! Fu’s completely lost it!” She shrieked over the phone. The sound was so loud, Marinette had to pull the phone away from her ear with a wince. “Tone it down a bit, Chlo. What do you mean?” She asked, trying to speak calmly. “He won’t stop mumbling to himself, and at random times he’ll just stare at the wall blankly!” The girl answered, though at a much quieter volume. Marinette frowned and switched to French, hoping the others weren’t fluent. “Well, I think that behavior should be normal for a man that just had memories from over 150 years of his life erased.” Someone choked on air behind her. ‘So much for them not knowing French.’ She thought. She was totally screwed. Her thoughts were interrupted by Chloé speaking again. “No he says the Demon is coming!” Marinette paused. “Chloé,” she spoke carefully, “you need to tell me his exact words. Now.” Her voice hardened at the end; it was not a request. Sensing the importance, Chloé immediately became serious. “It was mostly mumbling, and I couldn’t make out most of what he said, but I heard something about Al Guhl, and eternal life.” Forget what she had thought earlier. Apparently there was something that could make this day worse. For being a Holder of Luck, she sure was unlucky. She tried to calm her breathing, and tried to keep the panic out of her voice. “You’re absolutely sure he said that? You weren’t just hearing things?” “Yeah, that's exactly what he said. Is something wrong?” Chloé responded, sounding worried. She let out a laugh, but it sounded strained. “Yes. If I’m hearing you correctly, Master Fu was talking about League of Assassins.” She spoke in the language of the Guardians to make sure the rest of the room didn’t understand her words. Chloé sucked in a breath before cursing loudly. “Yeah, we’re totally fucked.” Marinette muttered an agreement before ending the call. She dropped her head into her hands and groaned loudly at the thought of dealing with assassins on top of everything else. “Mari? Are you okay? That conversation was kind of concerning.” Dick questioned gently, looking supremely worried. Marinette smiled up at him. “No, everything’s good. I got it handled. Just some issues with...a mentor of mine. Nothing big.” She lied, before making up an excuse. “I have a lot of homework to do, so I’m going to go work on it.” She shot the three of them another fake grin, before wheeling out of the room without waiting for their response.

---

Taglist: @laurcad123 (let me know if you want to be tagged)

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More Notes: *In the episode Chat Blanc, Marinette wore her hair down after the identity reveal, so I’m making that a trigger because she associates that with Adrien’s eventual akumatization. This is not an Adrien salt fic!! It’s just her own trauma making her fear him sometimes. Also, I know her wrist brace came off, but it’s still sore which is why she’s using the wheelchair instead of crutches. And in school we weren’t allowed to carry book bags (students might be hiding guns or weapons) so you had to carry your things around. In Gotham that would also be logical, so with that in mind it would be hard for Mari to get around with crutches and carry her things simultaneously.

#maribat #marinette dupain cheng #damian wayne #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #luka couffaine #kagami tsurugi #alfred pennyworth #bruce wayne #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #lila rossi #alya cesaire #lila salt #class salt

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mattzerella-sticks · 3 years

Text

⭐2020 Fics in Review ⭐

Happy New Year’s Eve! 💫💫💫 2020 sure was a year... between everything that was happening on the macro (the pandemic, elections, etc.) and on the micro-level (shows delayed, some ending - disastrously, so much drama, etc.), the past 12 months felt like a blur. Especially since we’ve been inside and realized time is an illusion!

But, there were moments where I was able to ground myself in the present and not be swept away by the tide. Most of them were because of fanfiction. Whether writing or reading, fanworks became a soothing balm. And I’d be remiss (and breaking tradition) if I didn’t reflect on my past works of 2020!

I’ve written 43 fics across a wide array of fandoms - the most being Supernatural, with 9-1-1, DC Comics, Marvel, Boku No Hero Academia, Stargirl, Star Wars, Hollywood, and RWBY sprinkled in. I really branched out this year, and am looking forward to what I will write in 2021. Maybe new fandoms? Maybe an original work? Who’s to say!

Thank you to all those who’ve read my works, and am grateful for both your support and continued engagement - can’t wait to see you in 2021 with me 😁

Here are my works!

9-1-1 (TV Show)

Caught (Evan ‘Buck’ Buckely/Eddie Diaz, side Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, side Maddie Buckley/Howie ‘Chimney’ Han)

Photobooths are prime for catching special moments and making them last forever, even if they are less both and more open spaces with a backdrop. When Athena, Bobby, and Michael stumble upon one such moment between Buck and Eddie, what will they do?

And how will it affect Maddie and Chimney?

Lumped Together (Evan ‘Buck’ Buckely/Eddie Diaz, side Henrietta ‘Hen’ Wilson/Karen Wilson, side Maddie Buckley/Howie ‘Chimney’ Han)

As an apology for keeping her thoughts about medical school secret from her wife and partner, Hen takes them (and Maddie) out for lunch. With the promise that it would only be them. And for the most part it was. Until Buck and Eddie strode in with every intention of eating Takoyaki.

Just not with them.

Armed with new information, what's a girl to do? Hen spends the next day fighting back the natural instinct to tease her friends about the wonderful step they've taken together in their relationship. Can she make it home without saying anything? Or will she give in?

DCU

Lonely Together (Barry Allen/Bruce Wayne, past Barry Allen/Iris West, past Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle)

Barry needs others, yet whether by his enemies or his own actions, he ends up alone. After Iris leaves him, Barry feels as if he drifts through life. Like lightning humming in the air without a rod to ground him.

Until he struck another lonely soul and entered a relationship he never thought possible. Now, months since he and Bruce began sleeping with each other, Barry feels settles. At peace in a way he hasn't felt in a long while. Since he and Iris started petering out.

But it's not love... is it?

Come Home (Jason Todd/Kyle Rayner)

Jason Todd gets a message from Bruce. He's surprised to see it. Then, he's surprised by the message itself. Hearing Bruce's final message stirs something inside of him, urging him towards a place he's avoided ever since his and Bruce's falling out. So he gathers his things, and then... waits.

He can't leave yet. Jason doesn't know why. Bruce gave him a mission, just like old times. Except it's not, because he... Jason can't move. Can't even stand.

That's how Kyle finds him.

Restless (Barry Allen/Bruce Wayne)

Returning home from a mission in outer space, the team picks up a distress signal off-course. They rush off to help, landing on a strange alient planet teeming with life. Especially within the plant kingdom.

While guarding the Javelin, Bruce and Barry encounter one such member while engaging in some familiar fight-flirting. Will its effects spell trouble for the League, or help these two relax their guards long enough to explore new possibilities?

(Hint: It's a little bit of both)

Marvel

Hot Seat (Peter Parker/Johnny Storm)

Spiderman likes Johnny. Like likes him. And he thought Johnny felt the same. He wasn't wrong, but Johnny like liked someone else, too. Someone he actually wanted to pursue, over Spiderman.

Unfortunately that someone is Peter Parker.

However, after a terrible misunderstanding, Johny isn't too keen on seeing either Peter or Spiderman; the longer this confusion left unresolved, the more Johnny's hurt would fester. Can Peter find a way to make Johnny listen?

Hollywood

Merrily We Roll Along (Archie Coleman/Rock Hudson)

With their careers still on the rise and no peak in sight, sometimes Archie's and Roy's lives get a little too busy. Understandably so. Archie's in the midst of writing his next screenplay while the latest opens across America. Roy spend more time on set than at home working on his latest project. When their schedules allow it, all they want is to be together.

Can they enjoy a simple morning together, or will the clouds of Hollywood cast a heavy shadow over their sunny day?

RWBY

Lucky You, Huh? (Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi)

After all that happened, it's time for the dust to settle. Choices were made. Now, the consequences for certain actions need to be carried out.

Even though he fought alongside her to save Mantle, Robyn Hill couldn't help save Clover from the whims of the Council. Without a job or home, Clover needs to find a way to carry on.

If anyone understands what that feels like, it's Qrow. Never being one who can communicate his feelings well, would he be the best to comfort the other man. When he's the only one who can, what does that mean for Clover?

Star Wars

Fourth (Poe Dameron/Finn)

What's a man and his co-general to do when they're on a mission together on a planet known for frequent sandstorms?

Flirt? That is a possibility. And definitely the one they take.

Stargirl

I’m Here (Courtney Whitmore/Yolanda Montez, past Yolanda Montez/Henry King, Jr.)

Coda to 1x10 "Brainwave Jr."

Losing Henry was sad, but it's not the first person Courtney knew whose future was snatched by the Injustice Society of America. That doesn't make his death any less tragic. It does remind Courtney how screwed up and dangerous her life was. At least she was able to wake up the next day and keep moving. And so was Beth, and Rick. But Yolanda...

Where was Yolanda? Courtney needs to know.

Crusher (Lawrence Crock/Paula Crock, Pat Dugan/Barbara Whitmore, Lawrence Crock/Pat Dugan)

When Lawrence met Pat, he saw another body that could benefit from some exercise at his gym. The more they interacted, became friends, he saw that body doing other things in other places. And his wife is totally supportive of this. While in the midst of an afterhours training session, Lawrence drags his feet on telling his friend a few important things. Egged on by Paula, will he say what's on his mind? How will Pat react?

And does Pat have a secret or two of his own?

Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Little Secrets Everywhere (Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijiro)

Mina thought letting Bakugo read whatever was in her folder wouldn't be too bad. Maybe he would snipe at her for her less than perfect English translation and sentence structure, slap her on the head with the balled up assignment. What she wasn't expecting was for him to charge with hellish fury towards her in the common room with all their friends to see.

One careless mistake leads to many things coming to light. Everyone walking away with something new to think about.

Boku No Fundanshi (Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijiro)

Bakugo Katsuki is a top student at the premier hero academy in the world. Bakugo Katsuki is a boy with the ability to use his sweat as a weapon, each droplet containing enough nitroglycerin to obliterate a phone book. Bakugo Katsuki enjoys reading manga where boys fall in love with one another. Two out of the three are commonly accepted facts. The final one is a heavily guarded secret that Bakugo protects with his life. At least until his vigilance lapses, and he loses a doujinshi.

Will he be able to recover what he lost before anyone realizes it's his? Or, by the end of this, will he have found something he didn't know he was missing?

Portmanteau (Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijiro)

Portmanteau (port·man·teau) n. a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others

Like Bakugo's chosen hero name. But was that his first choice? Kirishima doesn't think so, after finding a damning piece of evidence hidden within his notes. Except it's not what he thinks, at all...

Supernatural

Real (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

Coda to 15x09 "The Trap"

Morning after, and Sam spies a little something blossoming in the kitchen. Something that stokes the fires of his curiosity. When the scene ends, he walks in with an intent to investigate. Learn about the strange magic that happened before his eyes. How quickly Dean and Cas's relationship repaired. And what brilliant new shape it took on after Purgatory.

Will Sam be satisfied with the answer?

Half-Priced Chocolates (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

The day after Valentine's Day is great for many things. Basking in the glow of a night well spent, sharing the joy of love with your family, and eating chocolate priced considerably lower than it was the day before.

Except Sam can't enjoy any of that, because Dean won't let him. Because Dean woke up in a sour mood and has picked up the banners of war against romantic love.

Albeit, the three aforementioned things might make his conflict the shortest in history.

Spill (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Dean always thought it would take more to force him into retirement. Yet here he is, locked in the Bunker until the world figures out a cure for a deadly virus. It could be worse - at least they have a home. He cannot imagine how worse it would be if this happened years earlier, where he and Sam were trapped in a tiny motel room together. Here they have options, and miles of outdoor space they can stroll through if their options become stale.

And they were beginning to. Dean could only do so much indoors. Dean knew he needed to shake things up, but couldn't begin thinking how. Luckily Castiel has an idea, and gives him a new way of looking at their kitchen.

Supernatural Crack🩹tober

Following the Supernatural Cracktober prompt list, one day at a time.

Prompts will be listed in the notes and the chapter title.

Enjoy!

Bullets Over the Bayou (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Everyone wants Castiel Novak to quit the force, including Castiel. But he stays on despite the toxic work environment he’s surrounded by. Still believing he can do some good despite the many lines of red tape impeding him. Luckily, a pair of scissors by the name of Dean Winchester drops into his hands, and he finally feels like he can do some good.

Dean Winchester thought he would be in New Orleans for a day or two. Identify the body of his deadbeat father and then move on. No one knows he’s here. His mother and brother are blissfully unaware of the danger his father roped him into. With a parting gift of a journal, delivered to him the same day he received word about his father, Dean has become the target of a group of people who want him dead. The same people who killed his father.

Racing against the clock, can Dean and Castiel figure out what is so important about John Winchester’s journal that someone would kill for it?

Kick Ball Change (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

Coda to 15x10 "The Heroes' Journey"

Dean has the Bunker to himself at a time after he and Sam regain their supernatural abilities. With nothing needing his attention, he decides taking time for himself wouldn't hurt. But the usual fare leaves him bored and tired.

So he tries something new. Something he wanted to try, but wasn't sure he would be good at. Dean starts off strong, but doing it on your own can only be so fun. Get you so far. Luckily a partner happens by and truly allows Dean to enjoy a part of himself he knew was there, but didn't want to share.

Tempered Desires (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Charlie Bradbury/OC, background Sam Winchester/Jessica Moore, background Sam Winchester/Ruby, background Sam Winchester/Mick Davies, past Dean Winchester/Arthur Ketch)

Dating, sex, and finding love were the farthest things on the minds of both Dean and Castiel. There were more important things to worry about - namely the pandemic that swept across the globe and changed everything. Navigating this new environment was hard enough without adding romance.

But fate never intervenes when you expect. From first meetings to first dates, we'll see how Dean and Castiel's relationship blossoms despite the circumstances.

Sunrise (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

Dean and Sam were free. Finally, unequivocally, free.

But this wasn't the happy ending Dean had expected. Maybe in the past, having Sam in the passenger seat tearing across an open stretch of highway as the sunsets, it'd be what he wanted. But that was years ago. He's not that man anymore. Dean's tired of sunsets, of saying goodbye. He yearns for a different ending. One that's less of an ending, and more of a beginning. A sunrise instead of a sunset.

Sam has his. Dean lost his. Despite this setback, he won't stop. He'll live in memory of his sunrise.

Except, what can he do when he feels those rays on his face again?

Coda to 15x19

Fixing It (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

Dean Winchester walked a long & difficult road. House burning down when he was 4, constantly being on the move until his father lost a fight with demons at the age of 25. Reunited with his mother only to lose her again. Have a son only to lose him, too. Of all the shadows that have crossed his path, he thought one of the main sources of light was his husband Castiel.

But he had to ruin that, too.

Can he ever have that shine again? Or are there things that are too good for him to hold? Will they mend what was broken?

Heart in My Hand (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

He was right there.

Cas was telling Dean everything he ever wanted to hear since meeting the angel of the Lord... only each and every word of his confession stabbed at Dean's heart. Because once he finished, there's no more time for them. For him. For any chance of happiness - all that taken away by the Empty. And now he has to carry on.

He tries. Stands, gets in his car and drives where Sam tells him. When he meets with the others, though...

Coda to 15x18 "Despair"

A Dumb Idea (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

They celebrated Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, birthdays, even the Fourth of July. What about the other holidays? What about Valentine's Day?

Mrs. Butters actually had a plan for that, but she left before it could come to fruition. Sam, however, stumbles on Dean and a leftover piece from said plan. Something Dean would rather Sam not see. When he does get a peek as to what it is, well... Dean and Sam have a lot to talk about.

Coda to 15x14 "The Last Holiday"

What the Water Gave Him (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

It was over. Chuck lost, Sam and Dean can live their lives how they want them. But their victory wasn't without losses. The biggest upset nearly taking Dean out of the game, happening so close to the final battle. Now he's on the other side, alive against all odds, but Sam knows he isn't happy. Not truly happy since the Empty stole his best friend.

But there's a chance they can save him. A slim chance. A risk that Dean's willing to take despite every logical nerve in Sam's body screaming at him to look for better options. That threading a needle this small is too dangerous. That they don't have to take on another big bad, not anymore. That they don't have to risk their lives anymore. Dean is far past the point of listening. Dead set on this mission, Sam can only watch.

And pray his brother proves him wrong.

(Now with art from gabester-sketch)

Acutely (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Jack said he's sorry, after getting his soul back.

Jack said he's sorry, and he's looking at Dean. They're all looking at Dean.

Jack said he's sorry, and Dean can't take it. It's too much. Like a frog thrown into a boiling pot he hops out, jumping out from the room towards safety. Doing his best not to succumb to the pain.

He can't hide forever, let the wounds fester. It's too much to deal with on his own, though. Can someone help him through it?

Leeches (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Sharing a Netflix makes sense, in hindsight. Dean gets it. But that doesn't mean he appreciates seeing a bunch of profiles after his that weren't there last he checked.

He's gonna get to the bottom of this - of when this happened, why, and how they were able to guess his password.

Revival (Dean Winchester/Castiel, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

Sam and Dean stand there on the bridge, the camera panning out on them as they are finally reunited in Heaven.

But then Sam wakes up.

(Coda/Fix-It Fic to 15x20 "Carry On")

Memento (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Why did Castiel have a photo of himself in a cowboy hat? Where did he get it? Who took it, and more importantly who gave it to him?

Coda to 15x15 "Gimme Shelter"

The End (We Deserve) (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Dean Winchester dies in Sam's arms.

And then he doesn't.

(How that scene originally looked...)

Constants

Meeting with alternate versions of themselves makes Sam and Dean think about what the landscape of the former multiverse might have looked like - or, really, "If there can be multiple Deans and multiple Sams, can there be other versions of things they know. Like... Baby?"

Dean says no. There's only one Baby. She's got four wheels, black paint, and has been his from the beginning. Sam thinks otherwise.

Let's explore what the possibilities of Deans, Sams, and Babys in different universes might look like.

Enjoy the Present (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Sam had a birthday, Jack had a birthday...

It would only be fitting for Dean to have one, too. It's expected, really. Yet the one Sam and Jack throw him still catches him by surprise. Maybe because he actually agreed with Butters, about having outgrowned birthdays. Or because his thoughts were pulled elsewhere because of some disappointing news.

If it's the latter, than a birthday will definitely take his mind off of that. Especially when it comes time for his present.

Coda to 15x14 'The Last Holiday'

Swallow It Whole (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

"The older you get... the less lies make everything better"

But when you've told as many lies as Dean has, it's hard to tell what's true and what's not. How can he remove all the rotten parts of himself without bringing everything down? Which lies have ingrained themselves so firmly, that removing them would change everything about who he was?

And, scariest of them all, who would he be without those lies?

Coda to 15x16 "Drag Me (Away From You)"

Desperation, Baby! (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Death took her sweet time parsing through Chuck's book, meaning Lucifer spent longer than he'd like surrounded by his former vessel, his brother, his son, and a man whose obvious longing made him want to vomit. Instead of returning with his prize, Chuck welcoming him back, he must waste his valuable time playing 'nice; with those he can't stand.

Not that it matters. They don't trust him, each member of this ragtag group of survivors watching Lucifer in shifts. Never leaving him alone.

It's Dean's turn now, and he's driving Lucifer up a wall by doing nothing at all save for broadcasting a never-ending supply of feeling. Can he cut the signal without showing his hand, or put Dean's heart to good use?

Coda to 15x19 "Inherit the Earth"

A Healing Touch/New Experiences (Dean Winchester/Castiel, Adam/Serafina)

Maybe if Cas hadn't abandoned him, he wouldn't have agreed to Adam's offer. But with free will finally theirs, Cas made his choice, and Dean his. Now he has to live with the consequences - even if they are awkward. He won't die from it, certainly.

It's only a massage.

But what Dean doesn't know, is that it's more than a massage. It's healing.

It Feels Real Good (Claire Novak/Kaia Nieves, background Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Jody sent her to Yosemite, and she brings her back. For what reason, Claire doesn't know. But it had better be important, otherwise Claire gave the Dark Figure that stole her happiness another chance at escape. Will Jody's house hold a reason important enough for Claire to let go of the heavy burdens she's been carrying since hopping through a rift into another universe?

Coda to 15x12 "Galaxy Brain"

Through the Door (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Cas tells Sam that Chuck and Amara are here. But how does he know? Sure, he could've felt them land through his grace. But all that time Sam was gone? There was enough there that he could've investigated. They'd need to know where they were anyway, when the time came.

But Cas should've known better. Now wasn't the best moment for a little family reunion, especially when there's so much bad blood it can drown them all. Yet he came, and finally got the audience he always seeked with his father.

Coda to 15x17 "Unity"

Four of Swords (Dean Winchester/Castiel, background Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

The Four of Swords, in the present position, means you don't want to interact with the rest of the world. Because of stress, you need to spend some time with yourself - unhealthy always being 'on'. That the healthiest thing to do is to escape.

Dean might crave escape, but it's not something he thinks he can have. Something he deserves, even. After his and Sam's most recent hunt, this cancerous feeling has grown heavy and weighs him down. He cannot escape on his own, as best he tries.

Luckily a guardian 'former angel' angel swoops in at his lowest. Helps pick up the pieces as best he can and lovingly put them back together. But he can only do so much. The rest is up to Dean.

Can Dean take those final steps, say those final words, and finally free himself?

i’d like to teach the world to sing (Dean Winchester/Castiel, Castiel/Others, WIP, 10 out of 15 chapters posted so far)

Mar del Vista, California - 1972

The groovy counterculture that dominated conversation in the past few years still clings to the landscape, floating around like smoke off a burning joint. Changed by the fires of war, Manson, and life into something new. Less trusting, optimistic, and innocent.

Cas is just one of many disillusioned hippies, saddled with a general distrust even before the movement self-imploded. Wary of about everything. Perfect for his line of work, where what's on the surface might not match the truth underneath. It's not an easy life, but he's comfortable with how it goes. Coasting until he hears a case he has no business accepting. For one, it's about a missing teen. And another, it's personal.

Except Jack's disappearance, like every other case he's worked, isn't so cut and dry. Like a rock skipping across a then-placid lake, the ripples stretch far and wide. Those waves slamming at Cas; of cops, federal agents, hippie cultists, and a certain green-eyed detective who's a little too interested in Cas's investigation.

Will Cas find Jack? Or will he drown in the tides.

Checkmate (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Billie saves Jack from suffering a fatal end from her plan, and knowing Jack was safe gave Cas space to focus on his own troubles. Nearly losing his son again... revelations from Chuck... choices Dean made, were set on, until Sam broke through at the last minute - too close - they all were...

It was too much. Cas needed to digest these roiling experiences away from faces it hurt to look at. Except he stumbles exactly where Chuck wants him. After countless times praying for guidance, Chuck finally decides now is perfect for a long-awaited heart-to-heart.

Coda to 15x17 "Unity"

Slide (Dean Winchester/Castiel, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester)

This isn't his day. It's Sam's and Eileen's. But while out on the dance floor, Dean realizes something that forces him to act. Act boldly.

It's not his day, but he cannot push back what's been there all along, dam bursting with no hope or need of rebuilding itself. He has to say something to Cas.

Why? Because it's Electric... boogie woogie woogie

(Inspired by the Suptober Day 9 prompt - Electric)

Unwrap Me (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Dean never thought he would make it this far. Nor would he have as many wonderful things that he has now. A home, friends, family, and most importantly love. With a former angel.

Given how normal his life is now, Dean decides he wants to go all out celebrating Christmas. Parties, feasts, and the perfect presents. He wants to get Cas something that will translate everything that resides in his heart. Dean believes he has the right gift, but decides against leading with it. Instead surprising Cas with it after showing him his Christmas best.

Although, during his entire time planning Cas's present, he never wondered what Cas got him...

Disappointment is temporary, but creativity is eternal 🥂 to more fanworks in 2021!!!

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riseofnightwing · 4 years

Text

Slow Dancing in a Burning Room l Ch2 -Unexpected Help

summary:

The night ended up in a way you’d never expect.

Receiving help from a stranger was good? You were going to find out that destiny introduced you to the best kind of people you could ever know. But pending questions from your past you'd be knocking on your door sooner than you thought.

Was life giving you a new chance? Should you take his hand? Should you accept his help? Pending questions flooded your mind while Dick was looking at you.

“I’m here to help”

“I’m Dick Grayson”

His words made you instantly trust him, but why? You had never heard his name, but the second it was out of his mouth, you knew you should give him a chance.

He didn’t appear in front of you, minutes before you passed out in the cold street, for mere coincidence.

And little did you know you will listen to his name a lot.

Your body hurt too much and you were too weak to get up on your own,but you tried anyway. Frustration ran through your body when you couldn’t stand up.Dick was quick to steady yourself and held you closer to his body.

“Let me help you, being stubborn won’t be any good to you now.” He said firmly, showing he really wanted to help.

“Why should I trust you?” you asked.

“Because I’m your only choice.” he said and you didn’t answer anything.

The boy picked you up, carrying you all the way to what you'd assumed it was his house.

“Please, keep your eyes open. We’re close.” he said looking at your beaten up face.

----

You woke up in a fright. Your eyes wide open, you looked around and spot someone slumped in a chair near the bed you were in.it was still night when you looked outside the window. Where were you?

“Hey, you’re up.” You heard the same voice from the alley, and now that your eyes hurt a little less, you could see his face clearly.

“Where am I?” you asked “You just brought me here unconscious?”

“Well i just figured it would be better than leaving you to die on the street.” he said, this man always seemed to have an answer for everything.

You put your head down. He was right.

“You’re right. Thank you.”

You said, noticing how your suit was placed at the foot of the bed. your bruises seemed all cleaned up and stitched, you wore a big blue shirt that looked like a dress on you.

The man in front of you had seen you naked, you got shy immediately, looking down, unable to look at him in the eyes.

"Did you do all of this? I mean, the stitches and this shirt...", you asked.

"You were bad, trust me. I took you here to my room because unfortunately the bedrooms were all occupied with the rest of us and they were all asleep already. I cleaned your wounds and put a clean shirt on you. I'm sorry for taking your clothes off but I swear I didn't have any kind of bad intention." He explained pretty calmly.

"I...I think we jumped a lot of steps then." You mocked, smiling at him and the man returned it "My name is Y/N" you introduced yourself, "and i'm sorry for taking your room"

"It's good to know your name. I actually thought I'd always have to call you the alley girl" you both laughed at that.

"Who are you, Dick Grayson? I mean, what did you do in there? Why were you my savior?”

"I also have a lot of questions, for example: Why did you have a vigilante suit? Why did you try to stop the robbers by yourself?” Dick was trying to understand your point.

"Well, I guess we're going to be here all night." You said and he got up, walking closer to you and sitting at the end of the bed while you were resting your back on the headboard, covered with his blanket.

“We have all night” you muffled a smile at his sentence “So, are you some kind of adrenaline junkie?” he mocked you and you gave him a half smile before answering.

“I wish It was that simple, but it's not. You wouldn’t understand” it was still hard for you to talk about anything related to why you were out looking for criminals.

“Try me, I saw more things in this life that you could imagine, it’s not easy to scare me.” he looked at you firmly, with his elbows resting on his thighs.

“My grandmother, who raised me throughout my entire life was killed by a burglar and something told me it wasn’t for a coincidence.” You breathed deep, massaging your eyelids to keep talking, Dick didn’t take his eyes from you even for a second

“So I trained, I searched for him, and I found him. it took me to where I was today. I needed to take revenge, you know? She died alone, she was murdered.” A tear fell and you quickly cleaned it. Dick looked down, he understood. “the police said it was only a robbery but the way the man talked about her tonight...”

“It was something more. So, it’s my time to introduce myself, isn’t it?”

You looked at him. Something in you captivated him, he wanted to show himself, having you close brought Dick a feeling he missed: trust.

“Yes. Please” you half smiled.

“I was adopted. My parents were murdered and I was alone and then my mentor came and I had someone. He raised me and I became who I am today.”

“And who are you?” Mystery. Even though he tried to show his best to you, you could still feel the mystery around his story. “You didn’t judge me, I won’t judge you okay?” you said and he laughed. He had a beautiful smile although he didn’t seem to be the kind of person who does that very often.

“That’s enough for today, right? You need to sleep, your wounds are still pretty bad and you need to rest.” he got up.

“Oh, c’mon, I tell you the story of my life and you leave me here with a mystery to solve? unbelievable, Dick Grayson.” You told him trying to contain a smile.

“Stay tomorrow and I’ll tell you the rest of it.” he told you firmly, making his way to the door of his room.

“Dick?” you called him before getting into the warm sheets and he turned back to look at you. “Did you call me a vigilante?”

“You walked through the night trying to contain evil, didn’t you?” he said and left you a smile before closing the door.

Whoever this man was, you owned your life to him.

It was morning, the sunlight woke you up and you moved in the bed, through the same comfortable sheets from last night, feeling a great smell of masculine scent penetrating your nostrils that probably came from Dick’s pillows.

You needed to leave, you couldn’t stay and cause Dick trouble, or risk putting his life in danger, he was a good man and didn’t deserve it, so you made up the bed, taking off his blue shirt and folding it, placing it on the chair. You wash your face in Dick’s bathroom feeling totally like an intruder for using his things.

You put your suit on, and got ready to sneak out without being seen. You left his bedroom, lost because you didn’t know where to go, so you followed a corridor in hopes that it would lead you to the door.

“Going somewhere?” you heard a voice behind you. It was a black haired guy, he had green eyes and was not as tall as Dick, he seemed to be younger. “I’m Jason Todd”

“Hey. I’m Y/n Y/L/N” you smile at him and he reciprocated it.

“I know, the alley girl” he said and you laughed, no way you’d be known as this.

“Do you happen to know where Dick is? I’m just leaving and I wanted to say goodbye”

“yeah, follow me.” He said and took you to the training room where Dick was behind a punching bag, he noticed your presence and stopped immediately.

“Hey, thought you wouldn’t be up so early.” he said, shooting you a warm smile. Why did everything about him seem so dangerously hot?

“Yes, actually, Dick...I came to thank you, I was just about to leave, and..” you told him with your head down and he made a sign to Jason asking for privacy with you.

“They’re still out there. Don’t leave.”

“Dick, If I found them, they can find me, and you guys? you’ll be in danger, I don’t have good people in my life, I don’t wanna be the reason you’ll get hurt”

“You don’t need to worry about us. We know how to take care of ourselves”

“And who you all are? What’s this place?”

“We’re people like you. This is a place where people like you and us can learn how to be a better version of ourselves.” He came closer to you, trying to make you understand.

“And you can do it without being afraid for your life.” he was facing you now

“I’m Nightwing. Jason is Robin and I need to introduce you to everyone else. We were sidekicks once, we fought side by side with the ones who sought justice and we became it. A group of man and woman trying to do their best to stop the bad guys.It doesn’t matter what you were before, but who you are now. “ He breathed deep and kept saying what he had to say

“We’re training for whatever’s next. There’s never a shortage of people out there who wanna screw things up for the rest of us”

“So you are all vigilantes?”

“We’re Titans.”

When you first started this, you never thought there would be people out there doing the exact same thing Like Dick, for the exact same reason you did.

“Wow. Too much for a morning, huh?” You told him

“ I know who you are, you were like me when I lost my parents and if it wasn’t for my mentor, I’d have become the worst version of me. You can improve everything you learned here. Stay for a day and see it.”

“Dick...I can’t just leave my grandmother’s house like this, it was the last thing she left me.”

“You can keep it. Just be a part of us.”

Dick’s point of view

I may never be able to explain what about this girl caught my attention. I just felt like she needed to stay. I’d pray to be right about it.

I keep thinking what would have happened to me if Bruce had never adopted me and saved me in the first place. I can train her, I can make her fight better.

“I’ll stay for a day but could I ask you something more? Could you take me to her house so I can pick up some fresh clothes?” she asked me slightly ashamed.

“Damn, you were hard, though you’d say no.” I said and she smiled at me. “Let’s go, that’s not a problem.”

I picked up my jacket and we followed to the tower’s garage where my car was parked.

End of Dick’s point of view

You guided Dick to your grandmother’s house and once you got there, all the memories hit you. The training days to catch the bastard, the days without her, the day she died, your happiest moments were in this place, but also your saddest ones.

Your were lost in your thoughts and Dick seemed to notice.

“Do you want me to go in there with you?”

“Sure. Let’s go”

You guys left the car and walked to the door in silence, when you felt a thigh grip on your arm.

“Where the fuck were you? I called you, I came here, nothing. And now you're here with a man? Who the fuck is it?” he spat in your face.

“Hey, man, calm the fuck down, let her go” Dick pushed the strange man by the chest “Talk to me if you wanna know who I am. And who the hell are you?”

“Her Boyfriend”

#dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x y/n #dick grayson imagines #titans #nightwing #dc nightwing #brenton thwaites #titans imagines #dc imagines #hero imagines #titans one shots

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and-the-world-is-quiet-here · 3 years

Text

Of stormy nights and sorrows

The night was dark and stormy. Of course all nights in Gotham were dark and stormy, but this one seemed to be particularly vengeful, pummeling the ground with strong whips of water, and throwing saplings like ragdolls. Causing chaos in homeless shelters as vagabonds scrambled for a place with walls and windows. The rain was so great that it had caused all the usual suspects to run for shelter, emptying the streets faster than black bats glare ever could - Cass was just a little jealous. But no crime meant no vigilantes, and dad would never put his kids out in a hurricane just to save some cats in trees.

“But father, you can’t be serious! Rain should be no match for a warrior of my caliber!” Cass didn’t understand the words but she could feel the insult behind them.

Jason started in too, desperate to get out of the manor “Yeah b we’ll be fine! You can’t keep us here anyway! I am a grown ass adult”

Dad grunted, his standard response for any kind of disobedience.

Turning his back to the 11 owlish eyes boring holes into his head, he went back to sorting the batarangs tutting as he did.

Then there was silence, it was long and she didn’t like it. Too long, too quiet for too long, something bad was going to happen, she could tell. She shifted uneasily on her perch, preparing to move at the first sign of trouble. She did want another argument there had been to many already.

It was oppressive.

Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. And oh! Steph finally broke, she had been expecting it (steph may as well have been screaming her intention) but the loud noise still startled her

“Oh my god Bruce! Will you speak in sentences for once in your goddamn life!”

Bruce-dad tensed unnoticeably and she watched him with a closer eye from her nest on the banister. He prepared himself as if to give a speech, but only managed to spit out “Its cold, and nobodys out there anyway. The last thing we need is one of you getting sick.”

Silence, silence that stretched out miserably and then…. “I’m gonna go play among us, anyone want to join?”

“Oh my god Duke read the room”

“Oh shut up duke some of us are actually are actually used to not spending the night scaring the crap out of our neighbors and work 9-5 like a normal person”

Huh she thought neighbor…neghibor…“Ne-i-gh-b-or” she mouthed the word, (And what a word), neighbor she concluded must mean criminal.

In her distraction her siblings had disappeared and she shifted uneasily. She had let her walls down too far, and lost track of her family. That would need to be amended.

Now, the two loneliest residents were left to brood in silence--plus one of course, when those two were alone it was always with a hidden plus one.

Dad still leaned over the table, gripping it with both hands like his life depended on it.

He was worried, that much was obvious to anyone, It was all over his face.

But Cass knew better than to take it at face value, she examined other parts too. Everyone relied on faces too much she thought, when they really didn’t tell you that much. It was better to look at muscle; muscle, skin, and bone, they tell you the whole story.

He was worried, but it was more than that. He was….scared, his whole body screamed “PROTECT!” as if he had tooo…he had tooo… oh what was it he had to .. yes! He had to shield them! He had to shield them, his body yelled “PROTECT!” He stood like he was the last person between evil and family.

What a silly thought! He didn’t need to worry, she would always stand between evil and family.

“tt”

Dad sighed, “Father while I understand your decision to preserve the health of your soldiers, it should go without being said that I will be joining you tonight”

Dad’s nostrils flared, his arms tensed, and his feet shifted into a wider stance - a fighting stance.

Oh no, bad, bad, bad, bad. Dad…no…Batman slammed the batarang on the table, and turned to Damian,

“And why? Why is that Damian? Why do you constantly have to put yourself into danger just to prove your worth? You are not a soldier! You have never been a soldier! Your siblings are not soldiers!" Batman took a step forward pointing his finger towards Damian.

“YOU are an angry CHILD and if I was anyone else, you would be in bed by now. But I don’t make you. I LET you be robin, because I thought it would be good for you, But maybe I shouldn’t have”

Dad sighed and turned back to the table. The tension left his shoulders, and he slumped. He was more “SAD!” then angry, he was hurt and the “PROTECT!” crumbled into "Regret!", Cass looked the other way.

Dad was calming down but Damian was just getting started, he let out an angry shriek.

Flashes of a memory danced across his face, dimming his eyes,, setting his mouth, and furrowing his brow until he was a mirror of Dad,but one filled by “SAD!“ not “PROTECT!” “You underestimate me father, I am the heir to the dragon. I have already received more training then Brown ever will! I wield a sword better than Thomas can! Yet you insist on keeping these deadweights around despite their worthlessness!”

She inched closer, bad, this was bad, it was bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, ba-“SLAM!”

Dad dropped the Batarang and whirled around, murder in his eyes.

“No, no, you don’t get to speak about your siblings that way! You are not better than them! NO ONE is better than them! Stephanie could lift you over her head like you were nothing! Duke saves dozens of people everyday, no, you don’t get to speak about them that way. They earned their place here!”

Damian was scared now. He curled in on himself, radiating sadness.

“Get out!” Dad grit out in the silence

“GET OUT NOW!”

then the sound of fleeting footstep and a depressed sigh.

She came out of the shadows, she had hid long enough. She let her feet touch the ground just long enough to let it be known that she was there and left, leaving a whisper of a touch on the shoulders of her father, and a simple string of signs pressed into her fathers back

“Not mad at little brother, mad at the people who made him that way.” A sorrow comfort but a comfort nonetheless.

She bade her time and lied in wait, it would be no use to comfort him now when he was still upset. So instead she made use of her freedom, wandering the halls in search of her siblings, changing day clothes into pajamas, tinkering and going through her positions.

When at last she deemed it time, she made her way over to the vent. It lifted easily off the wall, the screws that held it there having long since been removed. Even easier though, was climbing into it, the vents were from the original part of the manor-meaning they were huge and someone as small as Cass had no trouble fitting in them. What was a struggle though, was stealth, she found after many tries that walking on the palms of her hands worked best. So that was how Cass moved, arriving steadily in a vertical shaft that required only 2 quick bounds to clear.

She landed elegantly as all ways, and nearly looked to Cain for approval before she remembered that she was not there, that she was safe. Well, as safe as you can be perched precariously on a loose rafter in a 300 year old attic.

Quietly, she padded along and picked up the sniveling mess that was Damian and made her way back to sanctuary. He would sleep through it, she had made sure of it, a journey through the vents would be bumpy and she was sure he would not want to be seen in the hallway like this.

Cass dumped him in the middle of her rug and returned back to her tinkering waiting for him to awaken.

It took twenty minutes for him to stir, and in the meantime she was treated to the sounds of war and horror sprouting from the mouth of a child.

When he finally did wake up, he was angry. “Where the hell am I Cain?”

He looked around bewilderedly before considering her; she knew he was afraid of her. She was the only fighter he had ever been taught to respect “the one who was all” A myth, a monster, a begrudged ally, but not a sister, never a sister. This was yet another thing she had to fix.<br />

She becond him forward with her hand, keeping her eyes carefully on her working hands. He approached cautiously and sat

“Cain”

“little brother”

“I am not your brother"

“and I am not a Cain” it was a stalemate neither would relent so she switched topics

“Come help”

“And why would I? I owe you nothing.” she paused

“Because you are tired, but you will fight sleep. Come little brother, help”

“tt fine”

He scooted closer, sitting barley a foot away from her now. For the first time, he looked at the diorama, and she, him. The display was sprawling, an exact replica of Wayne manor and its grounds, scaled down to size. It was placed on a low custom fit dining table, one barley the height of a Japanese tea table (similar to one Cass could remember from her childhood). The house wasn’t finished of course, that would be no fun if it was finished; and while some would say it was “good enough” (like Babs when she wanted Cass to spend her time reading or writing) she would not compromise, it had to be perfect.

“What would you like to build little brother” Damian paused and she saw fear flash across his face. Ahh so decisions scared him, she could work with that

“How about we do the menagerie”

“why?”

“Its not done and you know it best” Damian scrunched his brown frustrated at not being understood

“No why come and get me? Why build this? And if you care for it so much why let me help you?”

She turned to him, in her stupor she had neglected to look at him and she cursed herself for it. She stumbled, she had to do something, but she was lost at what to do, he needed words, she had none of those. He needed signs, she had many but it felt like not enough. So instead she settled for a hug and found she herself satisfied with it

“I love my little brother even if he does not love me, I am hurt and he is hurting so we will hurt together.” She paused and took a steadying silent breath, closing her eyes, and retreating back into herself.

“I came here, and the world was big and loud. Too much too quickly. I was expected to talk to understand the way they communicate. Their language. But no one tried to understand mine. I know bodies not words. You came here and you knew words, but you did not know bodies. No one acknowledged that. You struggle, you have no Babs, so I will be your Babs.”

They were crying now. His body was racked with sobs, and he was taking deep shuddering breaths, giving in he fell into another hug, crying loudly into her shoulder.

He cried for his mother, he cried for the sister and cousin he lost, he cried for the pain he caused his new family, the hatred they felt towards him, and the pain he felt, most of all he cried for the world he had lost and his place in it.

When he finally stopped, he was empty, a husk of the great Al Ghul heir remained, sniveling in the arms of a bastard child. He had been fractured, chipped away at every day, until even the pieces he held most dear fell away leaving a sad small child.

Finally she broke the silence holding his face in between his hands “When my world was too big, I made it small, and that way my monsters seemed smaller. They all have ways of dealing with their monsters, they lock them in caves and they lock them in their hearts. It doesn’t work. Don’t do it. Little brother, we must instead find a way to make your world small”

#cass cain #damian wayne #bruce wayne #cass-centric #cass cain-centric #fanfic #damian has a heart #cass uses asl #asl #this is the hill im dying on #making her fluent in spoken language by the second comic is dumb and undermines her disabilities and character growth #and when given the choice in the comics cass chose to undo the mind vodo and go back to her native language #dc your abelism is showing #also bruce isnt a bad dad he just feels overly protective of the family #and he is bad at emotions TM #bat fam #batdad

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