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bored-platypus · 4 days

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as fire loves innocence (rr! sniper tim)

inspired by @yjcorefourenjoyer's sniper! tim idea, who graciously let me run around in their sandbox. :D

beta'd by @pinkcowzz :)

first sniper tim idea here! (not reverse robins tho)

Some extra content cause I wanted to! The Reverse Robins idea ABSOLUTELY got to me...

It grates on Tim. The way Damian looks at him, like he's a piece of gum, stuck to his shoe. Or maybe it just hurts, because Tim is Screech and Damian is supposed to be his older brother or at least something akin to such and Tim has always looked up to the Screech title. He passive-aggressively snipes back and forth with Damian about the problem with his gun for days.

A weak, cowardly weapon.

A deadly force of destruction.

It was laughable, how much Tim is affected by it. He can tell that Damian is trying to keep civil with him, but can't quite distance himself from his strained relationship with Bruce (and by extension, Tim himself) and Damian's disdain for guns. And Tim understands, which might be the worst part. Damian was, from what he can collect from data, trained from birth. An assassin, groomed to the highest order.

In comparison, Tim is just Tim. Sometimes Alvin Draper, now occasionally Screech. Or well, honorary Screech or whatever Bruce deems him, because Tim has yet to earn the title. But it's fine, because Tim earns what he works for, always claws his way out of agony and frustration because it's just what he does. It doesn't matter that his father is in a coma now that his mother is all but confined to a wheelchair, being taken care of in a facility far from Gotham. Tim has to be strong. Be patient.

Do heroes cry, he asks.

There is no response.

Except there is.

Tim wakes the morning after his parent's deaths and silently screams, sobs into his hands. It wakes up Bruce, because of course it does. Bruce cradles him in his arms but it doesn't help, doesn't stop the rise of self-loathing and hatred and Tim just wants to snap and break apart. He is not strong or patient. All he feels is shattered. His father's gun didn't save his mom and Tim didn't save them either.

His parents are dead, killed by Captain Boomerang. He was too slow and not good enough. It's funny, it's hilarious. Damian has been telling him that the whole time, but Tim's just too stupid, isn't he?

So what was the point?

What was the point of putting away a gun when all he wants to do is take his father's pistol and shoot a clip into Captain Boomerang's chest or maybe his head until he's dead and gone.

Bruce is going to take Screech away from him. It's an oddly loud thought, floating with the others.

Tim has nothing to do. He's not even fully-fledged as Screech. Just some kid who managed to get lucky and force his way into becoming a ward of Bruce because he deduced Screech's identity. (It was the way Damian's hand always twitched to his side, reaching for a weapon. Tim does that sometimes, when he's scared and all he can feel is the weight of his father's hand on his shoulder and a gun at his hip.)

Just some kid who couldn't even prevent his parents from being killed because he was too busy gallivanting off in the distance, never taking training that seriously.

He was so close to saving them.

It's not your fault, Tim, they murmur.

But nobody's blaming Bruce for taking away your guns when you needed them, are they?

And Tim simply can't. It's too much, the guilt and frustration crawling through his throat, scorching its way through his mouth. Damian's slightly guilty shuffle (which is loud on purpose, because Damian never makes a sound unless it's deliberate) sets him off. Tim is burning and lashing out and everything is spiraling out of control.

He doesn't feel safe, not with Alfred, not with Bruce, not with Damian. He just wants to feel safe and competent and good enough again.

The whispers follow him. Poor orphaned Timothy Drake. It was so nice of Bruce Wayne to take him in.

Tim wants to strangle them.

Tim waits until Duke is out of town. Damian, in space. Bruce, engrossed in a case. It's almost terrifyingly easy to slip from Timothy Drake's life into Alvin Draper's. It's far too easy for him to simply disappear.

Timothy Drake lies at the bottom of Gotham harbor, oh-so-unfortunately unrecognizable beyond a few items on his person. Drowned to death after losing unconsciousness and falling into the harbor. Two bullets through his lungs— caught off guard as a civilian.

(Just another drowned, forgotten civvie.)

Meanwhile, Alvin Draper rises from the ashes, burns the last remnants of Timothy Drake from existence.

Paris, he thinks, is a good way to start his career.

Far enough so that the last vestiges of Timothy Drake are scattered in the winds, smoldering cinders blown out. Far enough so that Alvin can forget the blood on his hands.

You have potential, Lady Shiva says.

I wish I had more, he does not say. Instead, he drags his fingers across her collection, looks at the flintlock hanging innocently in the middle. He grabs the bō staff instead.

She looks at him, eyebrows raised.

We will be facing the most dangerous criminals in Asia, she reprimands. Choose again.

He pockets the flintlock, secure against his waist, but holds tightly to the bō staff.

Alvin smirks a little.

"Hope you don't mind using a favor or two on me," he murmurs.

"My friends are generous," she concedes, a dangerous glint in her eye that says watch yourself.

a/n:

so. had some thoughts about this one. the timeline is definitely really messy haha but the main plot is: tim stalks batman, gets caught by damian -> obeah man incident (mom in wheelchair, dad in coma) -> tim becomes screech (robin but damian's vigilante title) and bruce's ward -> captain boomerang incident -> tim fakes his death

tim, i think in this au, struggles way more with feeling unsafe and incompetent. in this au, his predecessor came, already trained and bruce not needing an emotional crutch. AND tim's parents/ much of his connections to them (aka his father's approval and gun lessons) have been taken from him AND he doesn't really have this mindset where he tries to push back everything so he won't be seen as the angry/ emotional one (aka there's no jason-precautionary-tale hanging behind him)

tim chose the bō staff cause bladed weapons remind him too much of damian, but he'll put some at the end of his staff + start using guns eventually :)

also wanted to ease him into using more lethal weapons cause he's still teetering on the edge. it's a long long fall from here.

#tw gun #tw death #tw sui ideation #tim drake #sniper! tim drake #reverse robins #unreliable narrator #red robin #damian wayne #damian al ghul #this one is a bit rough #this is NOT damian slander btw #it's just that everyone is going thro it in this verse #metaphors for burning #this time around!#something something dialogue reversal :)

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celaenaeiln · 6 months

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Thanks for answering my questions previously!! I saw that you're not a big fan of fanon batfam and I've been wondering if you consider the batfamily: wayne adventures webtoon canon or fanon?

Someone told me that batman fans aren't happy about the WFA, but have recently accepted it over the Gotham War. Also I feel like WFA is one of the main causes of an influx of fanon fans(? If that makes sense)

WFA is fanon. It was meant to be a fun past time that DC decided to purchase under their name because it has characters they created which means they have copyright claims to it. Also webtoons in general are all fan-made so it's not something that should be taken seriously in the first place.

However here's where it gets confusing. WFA is fanon, but the characterization of the characters is not too far off. Like yes, all of them are way too happy to be truthful to the comics but also it's written that way on purpose because thats the intent.

Another anon asked me about this a long time ago but I've been holding off on it because I don't even know my own feelings about it! I've been religiously avoiding reading it because it mixes canon characterization and fanon in such a perfect way that it's hard to decipher what's true and what's not.

But because it's not canon, I can't use it to back up an argument or explain something because technically it's just digital fanfic that was acquired by DC due to copywriting and business profits.

About influx of fans from WFA - mixed feelings on that as well. You can't really help how you enter a fandom, it's just different and unqiue and it depends on what was going on at the time you entered the fandom. But also when you enter the fandom, you have certain expectations of characters because of what you saw of them them before you entered.

And that's...complicated. I guess I feel like it shouldn't be a problem if people understand that things in canon are different and shouldn't be fought against because it's not like how it's portrayed in fanon or WFA. And I think most people do get that but there's also some people who made some comments about how the Gotham War was terrible writing because the batfamily was fighting and that's not right. A comic shouldn't be judged on how many good feelings it provokes, it should be judged on character portrayal, plot events, character interaction, and excitement. And what Bruce is doing sucks but it makes sense because he's in the middle of a downward spiral. His struggle is way out of control and that's the whole point of the Gotham War. It's well-written for all the above mentioned things even if it isn't the happiest of storylines. But at the same time, I struggle to remember any batman arc that's happy. Hasn't been that way for decades unfortunately.

I'm really confused over WFA so I haven't said anything about it so far because I can't write about something I don't know. I refuse to read it because I just spent years decoding my brain from fanon nonsense and WFA mixes fanon and canon characterization in a way that regresses that effort. So the best I can say for people who enjoy WFA or are coming in through it is, enjoy the webtoon but also have fun exploring the canon comics. They're really great :)

#wayne family adventures #wfa #fanon vs canon #cl pookiebeary asks #thanks for the ask!#you always ask such good questions. i literally have to ponder so much #I'm really sorry if my answer's unsatisfactory :'

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whalehouse1 · 2 years

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letting drug dealers live to support himself when he is smart enough to know how many other Gloria’s that would create- can you explain this line because I don't understand your meaning. Gloria suffered abuse and died as the result of diplomatic immunity being misused to protect a powerful man. He was a drug dealer but he could have easily been a company man or just a rich kids son. The drugs were actually only really used to play into "evil latine drug kingpin" tropes for the character.

So just a preface for context, I’m a blunt talking person without meaning for things to sound mean, so if anything comes across as rude or ill-intended, it is not meant to. Normally I wouldn’t say this but given the subject matter in play I just want that in the forefront just in case.

I am not an avid comic book reader and get a decent amount of my information second hand and only started reading comics very recently and have maybe read a total of 20 of them. I did this mainly because I grew up watching and loving the animated Batman series, he was my favorite superhero as a kid and as I got older I kept hearing how Batman/Bruce Wayne was terrible so I recently rewatched the first season of the animated series and started reading comics to see if that was really the case. Again just some background info so if I’m missing anything of importance it is solely due to ignorance and not me avoiding something on purpose (that’s me with Dick more than anyone).

So when I say the Gloria’s, I’m talking more victims overall and not her type of victim specifically. Like you said the drugs were there to be a “latino drug lord trope” which growing up where and when I did, I should have realized it was to be more racist than I did when I read it. But, in comic world (or the small bits I’ve gathered from the few I read plus the super hero shows I watched as a kid), drugs are usually attributed to villainy and very rarely do “good” people use them. So with Jason allowing the drug lords to keep up their business, he is actively allowing them pretty much free reign to do as they please and from the few stories I’ve read with the drug lords and their lackeys, they all carry an “assaulty” vibe to the stories when I read them. Add to it, he should by all rights know Stephanie whose mother is a drug addict and while I can’t vouche for authenticity, I remember reading his own mother was a drug addict as well. I have not read The Killing Joke because honestly the premise disgusts me and the animate version of Death in the Family was too unpleasant for me to watch the crowbar scene, so not sure if that part is true or not. So Jason has seen people have their lives upended and harmed due to drugs and when you’re 12-16 (I cannot tell ages in comics at all) and you see a woman in that state it’s going to scar you. So Jason knows that even if the drugs didn’t cause the crime, it potentially escalated the violence of it. This also plays into the fact I see Jason more of a protector than the other Robins were/are. And it’s much harder to defend those who can’t defend themselves when you’re helping drug lords stay safe in a world where they cause most of their problems. Now I’m not saying he needed to go legit or anything like that (I would love for him to get there, like Bruce couldn’t have it proven he was falsely identified and sold off to s trafficker, it’s DC and Gotham, they’ve seen it all. Now do you know what I think would have been a better job for him? A pimp. He could keep the drug lord connection bracket since as I said they’re all written to be scum balls who would utilize sex workers. He’d have an easier time keeping his employees clean which would hopefully help them stay safer than being under the influence while with a client and he’d be able to protect the disenfranchised better because he’d be at a more surface level. Also despite this ask/answer potentially getting away from me (if it did I apologize just ask me to clear icy what you need clarified and I’ll do my best), you can draw Jason in a pimp hat. He would be like Butters from South Park only aware of what he’s doing. Still not on the up and up because the US is horrendously sexphobic, but he’d be able to be what he always was, a defender for those who can’t defend themselves.

#Jason Todd #red hood #sorry I try to be concise and I’m just too prone to tangents #again if you have any questions I don’t mind answering them #as long as you’re not being rude #so basically Gloria isn’t just that specific example to me but all those touched by criminals #and the CCA wants you to know drug dealers in comics are villains #this is 100% not 1:1 irl #so don’t think this reflects my actual opinions on drug addicts and suicidal ppl in reality #tw: drugs #tw: rape #tw: prostitution #sorry I usually don’t need to tag triggers #just let me know if I missed one that’s needed

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chezzywezzy · 2 years

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Yandere Riddler (2/7)

Word count ; 4.1k

I made eye contact with myself in the mirror. My fingers ghosted over the remnants of the duct tape. My skin still burned slightly from the harsh material. I had returned half an hour ago, but Alfred insisted on looking me over. Only now was I able to sneak away and look myself over. I looked like a wreck.

I changed into my pajamas and washed my face. I knew Bruce’s schedule. He didn’t remain at the crime scene for long. He saw what he needed and then he came back to review the footage.

I was nervous. Would I get berated? Would he be tired? Would he… care? I knew that tonight’s events probably caused everything to unravel. He probably learned of my part time job and my night activities. I hoped he didn’t think I was being unfaithful, because that’s the last thing I would do.

I entered the basement. It was dimly lit as per usual. My heart stopped as I saw Bruce’s body hunched over the computer. Alfred just walked off with some papers, so it was the perfect time to approach him. He seemed to sense my presence. He peered over his shoulder.

And then he turned his attention back to the screen.

My heart sank. I wanted to disappear right then and there.

But, I stepped closer. I ket going until I was right behind him. Shakily, I wrapped my arms around his torso. I felt him tense under my touch. My own husband, shying away from me. I thought I was used to it, but it hurt.

“You don’t even care,” I whispered.

“You made the decision to leave the house. Alfred told me you got a job and that you frequent the Iceberg Lounge,” he replied coldly. “And you didn’t even tell me.”

I began to tremble. “Because you never talk to me. What else am I supposed to do? You’re never home. When you’re home, you don’t talk to me. You don’t touch me.”

“I’m busy. Gotham has higher crime rates than ever before.”

I finally detached from him. He turned to me. His eyes were as dull as usual. I used to love his serene and emo attitude, but now it turned me off more than ever. I cast my gaze to the floor and wrapped myself in a hug. “You could at least spare a minute in the morning to kiss my forehead. To tell me good morning and that you love me. You don’t even try.”

“Maybe I would if you didn’t leave under my nose all the time. When did you start deciding to be so stupid?”

“When did you decide to stop loving me?”

He was clearly taken aback. But I was more so. I’d never spoken my thoughts out loud. I knew he didn’t, but it was a whole other feeling saying out loud. It hurt. I put so much effort into loving him and got nothing in return.

His silence spoke volumes.

I couldn’t take it anymore. The tears started flowing. I brought my hands up to my face to hide myself. The sobs echoed in the room.

“I’ve p - put u with it for so long. I’ve waited for you to figure out your problems. I’ve been here fo - for you. And yet, tonight my life was in danger. I could’ve died! I could’ve been raped! And yet that’s my fault. The asshole that tried to kidnap me has touched me more in ten minutes than you haven a year! How do you think that makes me feel?”

Bruce frowned. He didn’t move an inch. He just stared at me.

I finally composed myself. I stared at the expensive wedding ring on my finger. It burned my flesh as though I were allergic to it. Like butter, I slid it off my fingers. It dangled in my hand.

“Your silence speaks volumes. You’ve given me your answer. I’m getting a divorce,” I stated shakily.

“Y/n, you can’t be serious. You have to be kept safe. You’re playing a key part in the mayor’s murder —“

“You insult me,” I sneered. “I told you I want a divorce and all you care about is using me now that I have a purpose for you. Being a wife was never enough for you. Loving you was never enough. I give up, Bruce. I can’t take it any longer.”

Bruce went quiet. His expression didn’t change. He didn’t care.

I turned around, too heartbroken to look at him any longer. “I’m asking my bags and leaving. Don’t call me.”

I walked back up the stairs. Tears clouded my vision.

Seven years of friendship. Five years of serious dating. Two years of marriage. Gone down the drain, just like that. I was walking away from the person who I knew best. I knew the most intimate details, from which shampoo bands he used to his allergy of pineapple. I loved Bruce. But it was too much.

I met with Alfred in the hallway. He sensed something was wrong.

“Y/n, did something happen?”

I steeled myself. “You won’t really be seeing me around much, Alfred. Can you draw up the divorce papers?”

Alfred paused. “…I see. He’s not in his right mind, I’m sure he didn’t mean it —“

“I’m requesting this. Please, Alfred. I can’t take this anymore.”

“I understand, but it’s unsafe with your current predicament. A dangerous man is after you.”

“So wouldn’t it be safer to hide away in a new apartment? Everyone knows I live here. It would much safer for me to move out beneath the public’s eye,” I argued.

Alfred nodded reluctantly. “…I suppose so. Well, allow me to register you in a hotel for a few days while you get settled, please. I would hate for you to live uncomfortably.”

I smiled slightly. “Thank you, Alfred. I’ll be in touch regardless,” I reassured.

He nodded. “Yes… I’ll see you off. I’ll tell you when your ride has arrived.” He stepped around me and rushed down the hallway. I watched as he left.

I entered my room. It was once shared by Bruce, but he hadn’t stepped foot in it for months. I suspected he used the guest bedrooms.

I went through my stuff. I had two suitcases and a duffle bag that held my savings. I’d been working for a few months and hadn’t spent a cent, so I had several thousand dollars. That was more than enough to rent out an apartment. I pulled out my clothes, toiletries, and beloved merchandise. I did so with a heavy heart. Even though Bruce had been absent, Alfred and the mansion was not.

Standing out by the curb with two suitcases was mind-numbing. As I piled my things into the trunk of the taxi, I took one last glance at the Wayne mansion, silently saying good-bye.

~~~

“Hey, I’m on break. Can you take over out front?” my coworker called, already having taken out her cigarettes.

I wiped off the kitchen counter and mounted food on the tray. I was sweating slightly since the diner didn’t pay for air conditioning in the kitchen. I propped the tray on one hand. “Yeah, I got it,” I replied.

I walked to the side door and stepped into the diner. A new customer had just entered and sat down at the bar. He looked eerily familiar. I weaved around the eighties-style tables and went to a booth.

“Double-deluxe fries and veggie burger,” I announced, setting the tray on the table. “Enjoy your meal, sir!” I didn’t spare the customer a glance.

The diner was severely understaffed, so I never had much free time. There were only four of us on duty right now, and now one of my coworkers decided it would be a great idea to go on break during the lunch rush. I stood behind the bar and pulled out my notepad. I went over to the new customer, who was playing with the buttons on his cufflinks.

His green eyes visibly brightened as I stopped in front of him. His blonde hair was unkept and he had a mousy appearance. “Hello, sir. What would you like today?” I slid a menu down the counter for him.

He took the menu. His eyes scanned over it. “My usual. The meatloaf and chocolate smoothie… You know, I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

I strained a smile as I scribbled down his order. “If you come here regularly, then I’m sure you have.”

“No. I mean… I think I’ve seen you on the news - Oh! You’re that woman I met at the Iceberg Lounge.”

I stared at him bewildered. My memory from that night was completely muffled. But I supposed he was correct; his blonde hair and timid appearance was familiar. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, in all honesty. The last few days, people have been recognizing me more. Not just as Bruce Wayne’s wife, but as a victim.

It was starting to get on my nerves.

“That’s right, now that I think about it. I’ll start on your order —“

He reached and grabbed my arm. His touch was electric and sent my mind in a flurry of panic. However, his eyes held no hostility. “I, uh, I hope you’re doing okay. What that floozy mayor of ours did was appalling.”

I pursed my lips. That was… kind of him to say. I cast my gaze away. “Thanks. I appreciate it, although that’s not the most traumatizing thing that happened… Uh, anyways, a meatloaf and smoothie coming right up!”

I pulled out of his grasp and went into the kitchen. My coworker was back from break. I alerted the chef of the new order. The process repeated. I served some food, took an order, served some food, took an order. I couldn’t help but be curious about the customer from earlier, though.

So, when his meatloaf and chocolate smoothie was finished, I loaded it up on the tray and went to the bar. The man’s eyes were glued to my approaching figure the whole time. I felt rather selfconscious. Did I have something on my face? Was I limping?

I set the food down in front of him. “Here’s your food, sir, meatloaf and a chocolate smoothie. Will that be it this afternoon?”

He sent me a coy smile. “Yes, thank you, Y/n. I’m Edward Nashton, by the way.”

I tensed up immediately.

He waved his arm around defensively. “You have - your shirt - you have a name tag!”

I stared down. Oh, right, I was a waitress. That meant I had a name tag. I was being way too paranoid. “Oh. Sorry about that. I’ve just been on edge lately. Enjoy your meal, sir —“

“Edward.”

“Enjoy your meal, Edward. I’ll drop by with the check in a bit.” I sent him a smile before disappearing in the back.

As kind as the customer had been, my gut was still screaming at me. There was just something off about him. I felt guilty for being paranoid about a kind stranger. It had to be his connection to that damned night.

My skin crawled just thinking back to it.

~~~

The stress rolled off my back as I strolled into the club. Even though I was a soon-to-be single woman, I adorned jean shorts, a tee-shirt, and a white faux fur coat. I didn’t feel like standing out too much, especially after all the attention I received from the press. Alfred had set up several interviews with the press. Of course, Bruce was never there. He hadn’t called, texted, or made an appearance since I declared the divorce. But on a positive note, I had received lots of support online. Even the Mitchells had scheduled a lunch with me so that we could console one another.

I’m just glad I wasn’t being turned into the bad guy when I was the victim.

I shook myself out of my thoughts. I situated myself at a booth and table. I was by my lonesome. I declined the waitress when she offered a drink.

Although I was here out of habit and to let off some steam, I was too paranoid to accept any alcohol like last time. For all I knew, the intruder could be here, watching and waiting.

“Mrs. Wayne. I didn’t think I’d find you here. Great minds think alike.”

I turned and recognized Gil Colson immediately. Another woman was linked to his arm. She was wearing very revealing clothes, so I had an inkling that she wasn’t his wife. At least if his attention was on another woman, there couldn’t be a repeat of last time.

“Hello, Mr. Colson. You’re welcome to join me, if you like,” I greeted politely.

He sent me a Cheshire grin and slid into the booth. The woman slid in afterwards, nodding my way seductively. I strained a smile. He called over the waitress and ordered.

“Want anything, Mrs. Wayne? Something to calm your nerves?” he offered.

“No, thank you. I’m only here to pass the time,” I answered smoothly. “Feel free to let loose, though.”

He waved the waitress off. I suspected that he came to the club already faded. His eyes constantly glazed across the room, violating random party-goers with his stare. The woman leaned against him and he wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The woman whispered sweet nothings as the strobe lights cascaded our vision of the club.

The waitress returned with a bottle of bourbon and three glasses. However, he didn’t make a move to give me a glass. He poured two, one for himself and the other for his companion. From his pocket, he pulled a plastic bag of white powder.

He used the saucer and dumped the contents on it. The woman giggled lightheartedly and immediately went in for a sniff. Gil was quick to follow. He let out a satisfied sigh as he sunk into the seat.

“So, Mrs. Wayne, how’s the husband? I don’t suppose he’s very happy with the attack. I’m surprised you’re even let out of the house,” he hummed.

I fiddled with the rim of my shorts. “Oh, he’s not too concerned. We’re actually getting a divorce. I hope you won’t gossip, though. We both want to keep it under wraps.”

His interest was peaked. I felt him eyeing me up and down. “…Is that so? That’s certainly poor timing. Were you actually bed-mates with the mayor?”

I scowled. “Hell no. I would never. He drugged me, asshole —“

He raised his hands defensively. “Woah, woah, I was just joking, Y/n. I meant nothing by it.”

“It’s still Mrs. Wayne to you. My last name has not changed.”

He sneered slightly, but his attention flitted to the dance floor. I followed his trained gaze. A woman with bright pink hair was staring his way. She held herself confidently. Gil matched the sexual tension. He pushed past his woman and rose to his feet. He left the booth and went the woman’s way.

The prostitute and I were left to ourselves. She hid it well, but she was clearly tired. I suspected just as much. I knew I struck CEO gold. Bruce may have been inattentive and cold, but at least I knew he wasn’t a cheater.

Gil returned with his arm snaked around the woman’s waist. However, she separated and slid next to me. Gil had a sleepy grin strapped to his face as he leaned across the table, holding his hand out.

“Care for a drink, darling?”

The woman smiled coyly and shook her head, leaning toward him as well. “I’m sober. What brings you here?”

The prostitute wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Gil chuckled dryly. “This Riddler going around is going to ruin me with all his snooping. I might as well let loose.”

The woman feigned sympathy. “That sounds terrible. Do go on.”

Gil shrugged. “Not much to talk about. I hope this Riddler focuses on the rat instead. Then again, this little lady seems to have caught his attention.” He did another line of cocaine.

I frowned. The woman glanced at me. I was surprised with how… glossy her eyes were. Was she wearing contacts?

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she turned back to Gil. “Who’s the rat?”

Gil burst into laughter. “Aren’t you a curious thing,” he slurred. “I could tell you that, but then he’d have to kill you and me!”

She really was a ‘curious thing.’ She shot back desperately,” I can keep a secret.”

Gil’s hand slid under the table. I could see him pawing at her thigh. The woman visibly tensed. I was getting uncomfortable, too. I snatched my coat from beside me and stood abruptly.

“I hate to cut this reunion short, but I need to use the bathroom,” I announced nervously. “Excuse me. I’ll see you at the funeral, Mr. Colson.”

Gil waved me off. He seemed displeased. Even though I wasn’t the one being violated, it sure felt like it. It was never a joyous occasion when running into politicians. I’ve learned that first-hand.

I stormed off, wrapping my jacket around me for warmth. I brushed shoulder with strangers as I forced my way through the crowd. The lights grew dimmer as I disappeared in the back. The women’s bathroom door was a shining beacon of hope. I slammed the door behind me.

I didn’t realize how panicked I’d grown from that simple interaction. I dug my hands into the marble counter, starting the sink. I let it run, not even washing my hands. I breathed. In and out. In and out. In and out. A few tears dropped into the sink.

I wiped my eyes, meeting myself in the mirror.

I let out a screech of surprise and turned, pressing my body against the sink.

The woman with the wig from earlier stood behind me, concern flashing in her eyes. However, she steeled herself and held her hand out to shake.

I was confused, but shook her hand anyways. “Who are you? Are you working for him?” I inquired.

“Who I am isn’t important,” she answered. “Are you alright?”

I quirked a brow, tensing up. “You aren’t answering either of my questions. My wellbeing doesn’t concern you.”

“He says it’s unsafe for you to be here.”

“So you do work for him.” I took a step forward, finally making eye contact. “Don’t pretend to care now. It’s too late for that shit. I’m my own woman. I can do what I want.”

She paused for a moment. “It’s Batman. I’m not sure if you’re mistaking me for someone else, but —“

“I know it’s Batman. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m scheduled for the evening. I’m getting drunk as hell and you aren’t doing anything to stop me.”

“Wait, Mrs. Wayne,” the woman spoke,” I really think that’s a bad idea. At least let me stay with you.” I stepped around her and headed toward the bathroom exit. She grabbed my arm and my whole body went rigid. “One on one.”

I considered it. I wasn’t stupid… It would be nice to have a body guard, even if it was just Bruce hearing from it. It almost flattered me that Bruce was caring now.

I guess I could use an acquaintance or friend. If Bruce was working with her, she had to be strong and intelligent.

“Sure. Just take out the contacts,” I conceded.

She nodded. “Thank you. I’m Selina, by the way.” She approached the mirror. She struggled a bit, but managed to take out the contacts. She pulled out of her purse a contact carrier. She also pulled out an earbud and a small microphone. Just as I suspected.

Afterwards, we headed toward the bar. Selina was nicer than I thought she would be. Funny, too. I lost track of time. We even exchanged numbers and did several series of shots. By the time the walls were wobbling, Selina checked her phone.

“Hey, it’s late. We should get going,” she slurred. “I just called a taxi.”

“Aw-w-w, but girl, we’ve been having so much fun!” I whined, draping my arms around her. I pressed an affectionate kiss to her nose before losing my shit and toppling over in laughter.

She was tipsy, but not nearly as drunk as me. She laughed too, punching my shoulder. “Nah-h-h, seriously, your ride’s here. Let’s… let’s get out of here.”

“Our ride. Girl, I got to make sure you - “ I hiccuped. - “you get home sa-a-afely,” I pouted.

I stumbled off of the barstool. Selina was there to grab my waist and pull me back. I slung my arm around her shoulders. She hugged me to her as we made our way out of the club. We brushed shoulders with strangers, but eventually, we made it out to the curb.

Two cars had pulled up. One was a sleek… familiar… Ferrari. The other was a normal Subaru. I tried to separate and scamper toward the taxi, but Selina pulled me back.

“This… this is yours,” she mumbled, loosely motioning to the Ferrari.

“Girl-l-l, are you a VIP member of Uber?” I gasped, running over to the car. I collided with it awkwardly, letting out an ‘oof.’ I laid my weight against the car, staring at Selina from over my shoulder. She hadn’t approached it.

I noticed Gil Colson coming out from the club. He was hardly holding himself up on his feet. Selina skittered over to me and opened the back seat.

“Oh, Y/n and mystery woman… Need a ride?” He broke out into a series of chortles.

“No, we’re good,” she stated, suddenly completely sober and serious.

“Oh-ho-ho, well that’s fine. I’ll see you ladies around, huh?”

He weaved to the front seat and dipped inside. I was vaguely worried about him participating in drunk driving, but my mind was too fuzzy. Selina pressed her hand against the small of my back and opened the car door. She ushered me in, to which I obliged, a giggling mess the whole time.

Selina shut the door behind me. I fiddled with the seatbelt. A strong arm reached over and helped me in. I clapped and giggled more. I was overcome with a bought of drowsiness and grabbed the stranger’s arm again.

I pulled it over and used his broad shoulder as a pillow. I trusted Selina, so whoever the stranger was was trustworthy. I felt him tense, but he didn’t argue. My eyes fluttered, wanting nothing more than to shut, but I took a glance up at the handsome stranger’s face.

I was dazzled. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and reminded me of Bruce. He was fit, too. The shadows accentuated his jaw and neckline. He was wearing a sweater and jeans. He was comfortable.

“You remind… remind me of my hu-band. My hu-band’s so-o-o handsome,” I drooled. “He just don’ lo’ me anymore. D’ ya love me, handso-o-ome stranger?”

I heard him sigh quietly. He patted my head. That was all I needed, as I passed out on the man’s shoulder.

#yandere #x reader #x y/n #self insert #batman #robert pattinson #robert patterson #yandere batman #the riddler #riddler #edward nashton #yandere riddler #riddler x reader #batman x reader #bruce wayne #batman 2022 #paul dano

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fridayfirefly · 3 years

Text

All For The Investigation

Read All For The Investigation on AO3

Masterlist

By Tim’s calculations, there was an 87% certain that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the Parisian former hero Ladybug. However, 87% was not 100%, so Bruce required further investigation. Damian was stuck with the job.

Except, Damian knew that stuck wasn't exactly the right word. Stuck implied that he was displeased with the situation. Damian wasn't displeased. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the most pleasant person in all of Gotham Academy. If Damian had to choose anyone to be forced to spend time with, he would choose Marinette. Though he grumbled about being forced to spend time with plebeians (for the benefit of his brothers, who would mercilessly tease Damian if they even suspected that he had a crush), Damian was quite pleased by the assignment.

Given that Marinette was in his history class, it was quite easy to arrange a situation in which they were forced to be in each others' proximities. When their teacher announced that there would be an upcoming group project with randomly assigned partnerships, it was simple for Damian to break into her office and switch around some of the names. When the partnerships were announced and Marinette and Damian were paired together, Damian made his move.

"Dupain-Cheng, if you would like to work on the project over the weekend, we can do so at my house."

"Sounds good, Wayne, but you know, you can just call me Marinette," said Marinette with a smile.

Damian felt flustered, which was a very bad sign. He never felt anything less than perfectly composed. "Then you may call me Damian."

Marinette's smile got even bigger. There was a feeling in his chest that, had it been caused by anyone else, Damian would have suspected it to be a complication of the broken ribs from Joker's last attack. "Let me give you my number, and we can plan a meeting this weekend. Would Saturday work for you?"

Damian nodded as he handed Marinette his phone. "My schedule is free on Saturday."

"Great!" chirped Marinette. She plugged in her number, then posed for a picture, explaining that it was, "For the contact photo."

And if in the privacy of his bedroom, Damian stared at that contact photo for twenty-minutes straight, it was just for research purposes. Just to compare Marinette's facial structure to that of Ladybug. Completely normal investigative business.

The next morning, Damian found his way to the bedroom of his most tolerable brother. "Grayson. Can I confide in you without any of the information getting to anyone else?"

Richard glanced up from his laptop. "Sure thing, Baby Bird." He patted a spot on the bed next to him,

"Don't call me that. I despise nicknames," grumbled Damian. He took a seat, staring at the wall in front of him, still weighing the risk versus reward of talking to Richard. If his brother had some technique for extinguishing romantic interest it would solve Damian's problem. However, if either Drake or Todd got word of Damian's crush there was no doubt in Damian's mind that they would never let him hear the end of it.

"So what's on your mind?"

"It pertains to the girl in my who Drake suspects to be Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She has become difficult to investigate. I have found myself unable to observe her objectively."

Richard frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you mean. Is it something that she did that's bothering you?"

Damian searched for the right words to explain the situation. He was not usually so tongue-tied, but the proper words seemed to escape him at every turn. "Dupain-Cheng is not what I expected. I assumed that it would be a simple task, to observe her and determine whether she has any connection to the Parisian superhero. However, I have found it difficult to concentrate on my mission when I am around her."

"You find it difficult to concentrate when you're around her. How so?"

Damian gritted his teeth. He didn't want to spell out his crush so obviously, but Richard seemed incapable of looking between the lines. "I have found myself preoccupied with trivial things like getting to know her personality, rather than investigating her background. She makes me feel... flustered."

Damian could see the moment that Richard made the connection. His brother's face lit up as he exclaimed, "You have a crush on her?!"

"Quiet!" snapped Damian. "This does not leave this room. I need to learn how to get rid of it, so I can get back to completing the mission."

Richard was grinning ear to ear. "That's not how crushes work. You can't just snap your fingers and have them disappear. The only thing that can get rid of a crush is time. Or sometimes if they get a haircut that kills the feeling. But mostly it just takes time."

"I cannot afford to wait for these feelings to fade. I'll look into scheduling her a haircut." Damian stood up, resolved to get rid of his crush before Marinette came over later that day to work on their project.

"No wait," Richard grabbed Damian's arm. "I doubt that your attraction to her is so shallow that a haircut would destroy the feelings you have for her. This is something that you'll have to talk to her about."

Damian frowned. "Perhaps I should give the mission to someone else. Jon could transfer to Gotham Academy for the semester. His detective skills are lacking but his judgment would be less clouded than mine. If I ignore her for long enough I'm sure that I can evade talking about my feelings."

"Why don't you just ignore the mission for a few weeks while you get to know her."

Damian fixed Richard with a death glare. "I cannot ignore this mission. Father gave it to me personally."

"How about twenty-four hours? You spend the next twenty-four hours in getting-to-know-her mode rather than background-check mode and at the end of it, we can regroup and decide what to do next. If you actually get to know her, you'll better understand the depths of your feelings. Once you have that understanding, you'll be able to see if waiting out your crush is a viable option or if you need to pass on the responsibilities to someone else."

It wasn't the perfect solution, but it was better than anything Damian had come up with. Anything that could potentially alleviate Damian's inability to focus on the investigation was worth trying. "Fine," Damian replied curtly. "Thank you for your assistance."

"No problem," said Richard. "You know, I would love to get to meet Marinette sometime."

"Don't push your luck," grumbled Damian, ignoring Richard's laughter as he stood up and left the room. There would be no way to hide the fact that Marinette was coming over to the Manor from his family. There was also no way that his family wouldn't intrude upon Damian and Marinette as they worked. However, if he explained everything beforehand and phrased everything in precisely the right way, he might be able to pass off his odd behavior towards Marinette as a part of his investigation. Damian pulled out his phone and composed a text to send to the family groupchat.

Damian: Dupain-Cheng is coming to the Manor at approximately 22:00 to work on a history project. I will be covertly conducting my investigation. From what I have gathered, she would respond better to subtle questioning, rather than a straightforward interrogation.

Tim: wait does subtle interrogation mean that you'll be flirting with her???

Jason: I need to see this

Steph: I'm willing to bet money that his flirting offends Marinette so much she storms out of the Manor before Damian can finish the mission

Dick: No way. I'll bet 20 dollars that his flirting works too well

Steph: done

Damian huffed, half tempted to call off his meeting with Marinette. His siblings were insufferable.

Damian: Please refrain from intervening. Confirming that Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug is a vital first step in determining whether the Justice League needs to interfere in the affairs of the Order of the Miraculous.

Bruce: Damian is correct. No one will bother him while he is working with Marinette.

Damian smirked as he turned his phone off. His plan wasn't foolproof, of course, but a direct order from Bruce to not interfere would force his siblings to be more subtle about spying on him and Marinette. The chance of him being interrupted was significantly decreased.

Damian got everything set up in the den, which was only ever used on family movie night. It was perfectly situated for the task at hand - a room small enough to be classed as cozy but big enough to not feel cramped. It was out of the way, surrounded by other equally unused rooms, so his siblings would have no excuse for lurking in the hallway outside. Damian brought in snacks, chargers, and a few books from the Wayne Manor library on Renaissance Art, the topic of their project.

Marinette arrived promptly at 2 in the afternoon, holding a Tupperware container full of gingerbread cookies, with a smile on her face. "Hi, Damian. I brought cookies."

None of his planning accounted for this moment, for first laying eyes on Marinette. Damian froze up, desperate to put the right words in the right order. "Welcome to Wayne Manor, Marinette. I have everything set up in the den if you'll just follow me."

"Sure." Marinette toed off her black boots and arranged them on the shoe tray next to the door. She was left in sage green cat-print socks that matched the rest of her outfit, a pine green sweater and black jeans. Damian couldn't help but wonder if she knit the sweater herself - Marinette's talent for designing was well-known throughout Gotham Academy, as it was what got her accepted into the prestigious high school in the first place.

Marinette followed Damian through the Manor, complimenting little details that Damian had never noticed before - the pattern of the curtains, the bay window in a sitting room that Damian had never bothered to enter, the family pictures that lined the wall in the hallway. Marinette made it seem so obvious to pay attention to those little details. Damian wished that he could see the Manor for the first time through her eyes and feel the same amazement that she felt as she oohed and awed over the decadence that Damian had considered banal.

Damian was so captivated by Marinette that he almost missed the fact that Drake and Brown were lurking in the study across the hall from the den. A text to his father about the gravity of his mission would be enough to get them sent away on some inconsequential but time-consuming task. Damian would have to find an inconspicuous time to pull out his phone during their work on the project to let his father know about their intrusion.

"Now I know why you call it Wayne Manor. This place is huge." Marinette shrugged off her backpack and set it down on the coffee table next to her container of cookies.

"Its size is entirely unnecessary for ordinary life," agreed Damian. "However, it makes for very challenging games of hide-and-seek."

Marinette giggled. "That sounds like fun. You'll have to invite me next time you play."

"I'll make sure of it." Damian smiled, surprised to find that his happiness wasn't forced. He rarely engaged in childish behavior, and even more rarely did he find any enjoyment in it. Yet the mental image of playing a child's game with Marinette was pleasant to him. The feelings he had for her were deeper than Damian anticipated.

The pair got to work on their project. Damian sent out the text to his father as soon as he opened his laptop, leaving Marinette under the impression that he was researching sources. A series of irritable texts in the family groupchat confirmed the fact that Drake and Brown had been removed from their hiding spot.

"Do you want to try a cookie?" asked Marinette, pushing the Tupperware towards Damian.

"Thank you." Damian took one, just to be polite. Growing up in the League of Assassins, he never really had a taste for sweets. Alfred's baking was the extent of what he would tolerate. He took a bite - small, to back up his claim that he already ate if it turned out to be inedible. Surprisingly, it was nearly as good as Alfred's gingerbread cookies, and those were tailer made to Damian's taste. The cookies were heavy on the ginger and cloves, just as Damian liked. "These are delicious," Damian professed.

Marinette blushed. "Thanks. I know they taste a little different than store-bought gingerbread. My parents make them with a lot of ginger."

"These are much superior to store-bought cookies."

"Thanks. You know, you're a lot nicer outside of school. You always seemed kind of grumpy in class."

"I'm not a fan of the state-mandated curriculum."

Marinette nodded. "I get what you mean. I barely have any room in my schedule for my design classes, with all the mandatory classes that Gotham Academy makes us take. I'm lucky that I have my internship, otherwise, I think I would go crazy, taking so many classes that I don't care about."

"Your internship is with Audrey Bourgeoise, isn't it?"

Marinette nodded. "I was friends with her daughter, back in Paris. Originally it was going to be a four-year internship in New York City, but I renegotiated some of the terms so that I could do the first two years in Paris, then the last two in Gotham, while she established the new branch of her company."

"You renegotiated the terms of a prestigious internship at the age of fourteen? Weren't you afraid of losing it if you pushed too hard?"

Marinette shrugged, nonchalant as if it were normal for an intern to make such a bold move. "I didn't want to leave Paris. My whole life was there. I wasn't ready to just pick up and move to a new country."

"What changed that you were able to come to Gotham?"

"There were a lot of reasons. Hawkmoth was the biggest one. I felt nervous about leaving my family and friends behind when he was terrorizing the city. After he was defeated I felt a lot more comfortable leaving."

That aligned with the theory that Marinette was Ladybug. "What were the other reasons?"

"My age was one. I didn't feel ready to leave home at fourteen and my parents didn't like the idea of me leaving home that young either. Another big one was the fact that I didn't have a good handle on my personal style. I was worried that designing full-time in Audrey Bourgeoise's office would cause me to lose my originality. The worst thing I could imagine was watering down my designs to appeal to the rest of the fashion industry."

"Your conviction is impressive. Most in your position would not worry about selling out to obtain such a highly coveted position."

"Audrey said the same thing, though when she said it, she spoke it with annoyance, not admiration. I've never been highly motivated by wide-spread success. I don't need to be a household name to feel content with life. I just want to design clothes that I'm proud of."

The fluttering feeling in Damian's chest returned with full force, alongside a tendril of anger at the unfairness of the situation. Here was the most perfect person Damian had ever laid his eyes on, and he was forced to pick her apart piece by piece to figure out her deepest darkest secrets. Damian didn't know much about relationships, but this didn't seem like the way they were supposed to go.

"You look upset," Marinette's observation was tinged by the worry in her voice.

"I'm not upset," he assured her. "I was just wondering how I never noticed how interesting you are."

Marinette flushed, her cheeks turning pink. "What does that mean?"

Damian shrugged. While his nonchalant attitude was all a bluff, his admiration of her accomplishments was all real. "Most of our classmates feel accomplished with the most conventional of achievements. Yet you secured an internship at the side of one of the most renowned fashion critics in the world and you still stay humble about it. You weren't blind-sighted by the incredible opportunity. You fought to maintain your values, no matter if it meant losing something priceless."

Marinette's blush deepened. "That's just who I am. It's not special, it's me."

"It is you," agreed Damian. "And it is special."

Marinette gave him a wide-eyed look, shocked by the emotion in his words. "We should get back to work," she said, self-consciously rubbing one cheek with the sleeve of her green wool sweater.

"Of course," Damian amicably agreed. He had pushed far enough for intel and had managed to get to know her a little better in the process. His flirting wasn't as blatant as it could have been, but it got the job done. Richard had said that once he knew the depths of his feelings he would know what to do. Richard was right. Damian's feelings were seemingly endless, a maze of all the things he liked about Marinette, in which every corner he turned was a new quirk that he couldn't un-notice. Yet Damian didn't want to pass on the responsibility of investigating Marinette to anyone else. He wanted a reason to spend time with her.

It wasn't the best situation. Damian wished that he could get to know her organically. However, Damian wasn't the type to dwell on the could-have-been. He had an opportunity to get to know Marinette right in front of him and he wasn't going to let it go.

Hours later, after Marinette went home, Richard stopped him in the hallway. "So what did you learn?"

"My investigation has proven inconclusive. I need to further get to know Marinette Dupain-Cheng if I want to uncover her identity. For research purposes, of course."

Richard laughed. "Of course."

#maribat #daminette #marinette x damian #maridami #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Damian Wayne #miraculous ladybug fic

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thebookwormfairy · 4 years

Text

Kelpto!Marinette Au: Ft. Captain the Retired Police Dog

(Daminette)

In this au Hawkmoth isn't active (yet) so Marinette doesn't have her miraculous (yet)

Daminette Masterlist

First things first, Captain loves his girl

Even if she had sticky fingers

He knows she's never stolen anything from stores but she does "borrow" stuff from her friends

He first noticed it when her friend Luka came over

She kept taking his guitar picks and giving them back

At one point she took it out of his hand as he was playing

Luka didn't seem mad about her taking them in fact he seemed amused if not a little fascinated by her ability to do so

The there was the time she was with her other friend Kagami

She took her fencing foil right out of her hand

Captain expect the usually cold girl to get angry at Marinette so he jumped up from his place on the side lines to protect his girl

But as he made it to his girl's side Kagami started to laugh

Kagami: I should really stop being surprised by you Marinette

Captain was surprised by the girl's reaction but was happy that she wasn't mad at the girl

Captain started to notice that his girl's friends took Marinette skills as a challenge

They would set up mini heist for Marinette to do

They always have different objectives

One of them was to steal a ring off Luka's mom's hand without her noticing

Which of course Marinette succeeded

Anarka was very impressed by this

The loud music man, Jagged Stone, and his mate, Penny Rolling, also seemed to join in on the fun

One time the objective was to steal Fang

Marinette got it done in 30 minutes and just had Fang hang out with her and Captain

The crocodile was in Marinette's room for half a day before Jagged realized that Marinette had already got him

Captain notice that these heist would usually happen whenever Marinette was stress, like when she had a lot of commissions or it was exam time at her shool

It seemed that Marinette had her sticky fingers under control until they went to Gotham

Captain could tell that Marinette was excited to go to another country

But he could also tell that she was nervous to be without her family and close friends

She wasn't on bad terms with most of the class but she wasn't exactly on good terms either

It was almost like a stalemate in a war

A war between Marinette and Lila

They were civil was the best way to describe it

But that didn't mean that Lila wasn't looking for every opportunity to to push the stalemate to her favor

For that reason Captian snucked onto the plane so that his girl would have somebody with her

Of course Lila tried to make it out like Marinette did it on purpose

But luckily Marinette was quickly able to prove that she had nothing to do with it

Marinette: I have absolutely no supplies with me to take care of Captain! What kind of irresponsible dog owner would sneak a dog into another country without making sure they had to proper shots, food, and supplies?!?!

The class had to admit if there was one thing Marinette would never do it would be putting Captain in a situation that would put him in danger

So Marinette got Captain everything he needed while the class was out shopping

Though Marinette was thrilled to have Captain with her she was stressed that Lila was going to do something to the good boy

Marinette knew Gotham was a dangerous city and she wouldn't put it past Lila to cause some sort of "accident" to either her or Captain

So with her stress level up Marinette felt her fingers begin to itch

Usually she would turn to Luka and Kagami for times like this but they were on the other side of the planet

She could feel her fingers start to twitch as she walked around the block that her class was exploring

She always been good at controlling her kelpto tendencies but her nerves were really making them act up

She started to fidget with the stuff in her pocket when she heard shouting

Marinette looked up and saw a man running from a woman

Woman: Stop that man! He took my purse!

Marinette angled her body so that she would be in the man's path

The man not paying attention to the girl now in his path ran into Marinette

He was in such a hurry he didn't realize that Marinette had switch the woman's purse for a used poop bag when he ran into her

The man continued running not realizing the switch as Marinette walked over to the woman

Marinette handing the woman her purse: Here you go

Woman: Thank you so much

Marinette: No problem

Jason in the roof across the street: Guys you would not believe what I just saw

Tim over com: let me guess you are once again for going work to do patrol during the day

Jason: Yes but you got to hear what I just saw

Dick over com: What Jason?

Jason: I was watching over the shopping district and some guy snatch this woman's purse. I was about to jump in, when he bumped into this girl with a dog who switched the woman's purse with a use pop bag! The guy still hasn't realized the switch I can see him two streets over still running!

Dick: What?!

Tim: Really?! How did she manage that?

Jason: I don't know! She got some quick fingers on her! But we can't tell Bruce. She's right in his MO for adoption

Tim: Black hair blue eyes?

Jason: Exactly!

Damian over com: Will you three idiots quiet down! Unlike you three I still have school work to do, and it's hard to do that with you three chattering in my ear. Coms are only suppose to be used for emergencies during the day!

Jason: Oh calm down Demon Spawn. I just couldn't wait to tell y'all about this girl.

Damian annoyed: Well why don't you just ask her out then?

Jason: Nah not really my type, also she's a but too young for me, she looks around your age Demon Spawn

Dick: Ohhh, maybe we should set them up together

Tim: With such quick hands she would be a great addition to our team

Jason: And she has a German sheperd with her

Dick: She sounds great! Right Little Bird?

Damian: I've have enough of this, Damian out.

Damian turned off his com cutting off his brothers' laughter

The last thing Damian needed right now was his brothers trying to set him up with some random girl who was able to trick some low level criminal

The incident with the purse snatcher relieved a bit of Marinette's stress but she could still feel her fingers twitching as she ran them through Captain's fur

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen soon

She had the okay for Captain to come with her on all her schools outings

But that didn't mean that something wasn't going to happen

She just didn't know what

The next day when Marinette was walking Captain in the park when sheet a nice (and cute) boy named Damian and they hit it off

He was such a sweet boy with his own dogs

The two just seemed to click

All Marinette's free roam time was spent with Damian, Titus, and sometimes Ace

Captain got along great with Titus and he seem to have the same instant connection to Ace

The two were often seen cuddling when Damian brought her along

Captain was a little sketch out about this new boy

He couldn't get rid of this feeling that Damian was hiding something from his girl

He tries to ask Ace and Titus about it but the two just brushed him off

Though Captain did notice as the two got closer his girl's twitchy fingers calmed down and she didn't reach to sneakily borrow something from the people around her

So he begrudgingly accept this strange boy

Marinette had to say the best part about the whole Gotham trip was meeting Damian

The two were just friends but Marinette couldn't denied the spark she felt

There might have been a bit of flirting between the two but Marinette was hesitant to form a deeper relationship with Damian because she knew how hard long distance relationships were

On her final day in Gotham Marinette and Captain went with the class to get a tour at Wayne Enterprise

It was the finally stop before they were to return home

As Marinette entered Wayne Enterprise she was surprised to find Damian their waiting for them with an older man who had black hair and blue eyes

Marinette broke away from her class who were too busy talking among themselves to notice

Marinette: Hey Damian! What are you doing here?

Damian: Hey Angel, Captian-

Dick: Wait you didn't tell her Baby Bird?

Damian blushed at the use of his nickname in front of the girl he admittedly had a crush on

He had done his best to keep her away from his family and had succeeded

The only one he really talk to about Marinette was Dick who promised to keep Marinette between the two of them

But when Damian found out that Marinette and her class were going to be touring Wayne Enterprise on their final day in Gotham

Damian tried to tell Marinette before the day arrived but whenever he was ready to tell her, he would get lost in her big blue eyes or Captain would interrupt them

So as he stood in front of the girl who has wrapped himself around her finger in such a short time he was once again at a lost for words

Marinette wrapping her hand around Damian's and giving it a squeeze: Damian are you okay?

As Marinette pulled away she realized to her horror that she accidentally stole his watch

Damian and Dick stood wide eyed as Marinette held out Damian's watch

They didn't even notice her taking it off him

Marinette: I'm soooo sorry! I really didn't mean to take this! I'm so so so sorry!

Captain moved so that he stood between Marinette's legs ready to protect her if either of the two males in front of him tried to do anything to his girl

As Marinette freaked out a little bit Dick couldn't help but laugh as this young girl was able to pull off that trick without him or Damian noticing

Damian snapping out of his shock: It's okay Marinette, that's actually a really great trick. Not many people can sneak one by me

Marinette blushing: Thanks Damian, but you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?

Damian scratching the back of his head: Well you see Angel I'm here to help my brother give your class a tour of Wayne Enterprise

Marinette: So your Damian Wayne?

Damian: Yes, I hope that doesn't change anything between us

Marinette smiling: No, it definitely doesn't

Marinette and Captain walked back over to the class

As Damian watched Marinette walk away he went to put his watch back on only to see that it's gone from his hands

He hears a small wuff as he looks up he sees Captain sitting in front of him holding his watch

Dick: That some girl you got there Damian

Damian sighing: Yeah she is

Bonus

Jason seeing a picture of Marinette and Damian together: THAT'S THE GIRL I SAW!!

#maribat #captain the retired police dog #pet headcanon #damian x marinette #marinette x damian

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claryxjackson · 2 years

Note

your turn 👀 atticus wayne info dump please, my beloved!

ah Atticus Wayne.

is a mess.

So i'm gonna mostly focus on The Batman!Atticus cause it's been a hot minute since I've seen Gotham and TDK trilogy so the details there are very vague.

Atticus is Bruce's younger brother, and as much as he hates it, it's written all over him. His life has been people can't get ahold of Bruce Wayne so they go to him instead. From the moment he turned 18 he was the middle man between Wayne Enterprises and their investors, even though for all intents and purposes, it should be Bruce.

Atticus Wayne turns 20 and finally finds a way to slip through the cracks. He never much cared for the limelight anyway, and why not make it Bruce's problem while he can?

hop skip and jump forward a couple years. Atticus and Bruce don't talk. They barely did before, and they don't even notice now. Alfred talks for them. He deserves to be paid more just for putting up with this tbh.

Bruce became Batman, Atticus got thrown into Blackgate Penitentiary for two years. He got released a handful of months before the events of The Batman, and he gets tangled up in the drops business, but more specifically, the Iceburg Lounge, or even more specifically, 44 Below. Which is where he meets Vivian Lochlann.

Viv has been working for Oswald for about a year now, she's observant, and calm, and doesn't look at Atticus like she wants anything from him, and he's in love with her by the end of his first month working for Oswald

Viv is my beloved <3 my baby <3 and her and Atticus actually end up like, living with Selina and Annika.

Viv is actually the one exception to the Atticus Wayne and Nora Northall pattern I have going throughout the other iterations of Batman

anyway. he's not aware that Bruce is Batman, at least on a conscious level, on a subconscious level he sees Batman and immediately goes "yes. fight." because we're all about that weird sibling urge to just fucking attack your sibling for no rhyme or reason

anyway. he does not care for Batman, but he puts up with him because Annika is his friend and he wants to help Selina find her

he also has a very cynical approach to Gotham as a city, which anyone would have after seeing the inside of Blackgate

and as for the Riddler, well, if you can't get to Bruce Wayne, his younger brother is a fine backup

and as for Gotham

He's been retconned as Bruce's uncle and Thomas' brother cause I want to have homicide detective duo, Atticus Wayne and Nora Northall

aka just an excuse for me to be able to use Hugh Dancy and Caroline Dhavernas as fcs

anyway. here's his pinterest board and spotify playlist

#this is all over the place i am so sorry #ask: atticus #there's also a whole thing about the lyrics of the man who sold the world #but this got kinda long so imma cut myself off #atticus wayne #fic: the man who sold the world #atticus x viv #atticus x nora #answer #decennia #thank you so so much for asking

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pl-panda · 3 years

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To Marry a Vigialnte: Part 16

MASTERLIST || First || Previous || Next

To Marry a Vigilante: Part 16

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Chloé couldn’t believe it! They forced her to stay in Gotham Academy’s girls’ dorms. That witch Lila managed to talk Madame Bustier into stopping her from leaving. Marinette had her mother’s permission to stay elsewhere, but apparently, the change in accommodation plans invalidated Chloé’s father’s permission. She would resolve it with a single phone call if someone didn’t steal her phone . She of course tried to report it to Madame Bustier, but her teacher declared that she must’ve lost it somewhere and she shouldn’t be shifting the blame on others.

That woman’s picture should be in every dictionary, right next to the definition of a hypocrite.

She turned the corridor. She could sleep one evening there and tomorrow Marinette would let her borrow the phone. She could try with one of the girls, but it’s not like she remembered every phone number in existence! She regretted that the akuma attack ruined their plans for the afternoon, but Damian had sword-fighting practice tomorrow and she would have her friend all to herself.

“You’re Chloé, right?” A blonde cheerleader asked. The Parisian immediately recognized her as Erica and narrowed her eyes. There were five of them and one of her.

“And you’re the Queen B. of this school. For now .”

The Gothamite princess had the guts to actually laugh. “You can’t even touch me. You’re just some foreign student that came here on a whim of the Ice Prince.”

“Oh, right. You’re the golden princess of this school.” Chloé mocked her. “Lemme tell you something, Erica. I’ll offer you an escape deal. You leave Damienette alone and you can keep your position on top.”

“Yeah. Like you could be a threat.” A new voice joined. From behind the cheerleaders, a new girl walked. Lila now wore the cheerleader uniform too. “You’re just a walking akuma factory. It’s really no wonder that people avoid you. You caused more possessions in Paris than everyone else combined.”

“And you hold the record for times being akumatized.” The Parisian blonde retorted. “Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! You think you can take the Chloé Bourgeois?”

“Oh! We don’t think…” Erica started.

“We know.” Lila finished.

“The deal is simple. You will stop your friendship with Maribrat and we will let you keep some dignity.”

“Or we will make you a social outcast. Not only at school, but in the whole of Gotham.”

Inside, Chloé was raging. She wished she could show them what Cass taught her, but she quelled the idea quickly. I definitely spend too much time with Sabine and the Waynes… She thought to herself. Instead, she grinned. “You know the difference between a threat and a warning?”

“What are you babbling about?” One of the cheerleaders snorted.

“A warning is a threat that will actually come to pass. And I warn you. You’re messing with fire here. Damian was raised very old-fashioned. He will draw blood to defend the honor of his angel.” She decided that they could receive a warning. It’s not like they would listen. “And Marinette’s aunt is very well connected.” Then, she decided to drive the nail deeper. “Plus, MDC’s client list is quite long and none would appreciate that you try to bully their favorite designer.”

“Like that doormat…” Lila started, but Chloé tested the glare Cass taught her. It worked well enough.

“You’re not dealing with Maribear. You’re dealing with me. And I’m not going to lose.”

“What’s going on here?” Allegra walked toward them and stood next to Chloé.

“Scatter.” Lila snapped at her.

“Funny. I was about to say the same thing,” she retorted. Now she stood side by side with Chloé and both stared at them. Allegra had an aura of confidence around her.

“Be careful who you stick with, Kane. You’ll do well not to antagonize me.”

“Just because your mother married a famous baseball player doesn’t make me respect you more, Boyle.”

“It’s Layton ,”The angry cheerleader corrected.

“Right. I must’ve forgotten. She does change her last name a lot…” Allegra smiled.

“You’re in over your head, Kane. You’ll do better to stay with your little outcast club.”

“Nah. I’m good. Also, don’t you have practice in five minutes? I heard the coach is in a mood today.” The mayor’s daughter smirked. “It would be a shame if he made you run around with the players.”

This made all the girls quickly scatter to get to the practice, leaving Lila and Erica alone. “You’ve just made an enemy, Kane.”

“You’re an inconvenience at best…” She dismissed the threat. Lila decided to cut their losses and dragged the fuming Erica away, sending the two blondes a murderous glare.

“Thanks for the backup,” Chloé started. “Of course I didn’t need any, but still.”

“No problem. I always hated that self-appointed princess.”

“And have you seen her hair?” The Parisian huffed. “Utterly Ridiculous!”

“And I’m pretty sure her dress is too short by the school standards.”

Chloé smirked. “I think we’ll get along just fine.”

-----------

After Bruce returned, they tried to figure out what was taken from the inside of the vault. Out of various precious weapons, documents, several property deeds, the only thing that was missing turned out to be the content of the wall safe.

During the night patrol, Marinette and Damian scoured the city for potential akumas. While he dealt with criminals, she often stopped by the victims to calm them and gave some support. After serious butt-kicking for the criminals. It just wouldn’t do for Damian to get all the fun. The superhero/vigilante duo (nobody was sure which one, not even them) made a positive first impression on the city. Citizens seemed to like them, both for their efficiency and how they always stopped to talk.

After, Marinette noted that their transformations could hold for much longer now since they were together in this. When asked, Tikki explained that now that she had Chat Noir that was mature and they were technically both adults as far as magic was concerned, she could start developing her full potential.

After the short report to Alfred, the teens left the Batcave to change into pajamas. Marinette fell asleep almost immediately, but Damian stayed awake for a bit. He swore he would protect his Habibti. No matter how far he would have to go.

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Marinette and Damian had roughly half of their classes together. Sadly, she didn’t share too much with her best friend, since Chloé was more into business management than arts and fashion. It was mostly the problem of the level. Classes that Marinette had at beginner, the Parisian blonde had at a higher level and vice-versa.

When she arrived at her class, Claude and Jon were saving her a place between them, which would help to protect her from the classmates that ended in the same group. There were also several GA students that she would rather not sit close to (Erica’s bunch). Generally speaking, the first part of her day went well.

The same couldn’t have been said about Damian. He, Chloé, and Allegra were saddled with the class. And to his utter dread, there were no free places next to each other. They tried to ask some students to move. Well, Damian tried to threaten them, which worked, but too late. The teacher entered and decided to put Damian between Alya and Lila. It was as if the universe was punishing him for something. He suspected that Mister Scarlet did that on purpose to egg him. With this one, he had no idea what he did to make him dislike the Wayne heir. But the way he acted toward him made it clear that he took pleasure in the situation Damian was put in: Between Alya’s nagging to leave Marinette and ‘return’ to Lila, and the Liar who kept whispering stories about their common past.

Finally, after they got to go for lunch, Damian stormed out of the class. Everyone in the corridor made way for him. His scowl was enough to deter anyone from trying to approach him. Well, anyone but Maps.

“Damian! You’re back!” She leaped at him and it took all of his willpower not to draw a sword.

“Tt. Mizoguchi. It’s not the best moment.” He growled.

“But you’re back! Did the headmaster cancel your expulsion!?”

“No. He just forgot to file the expulsion files within the week of the offense. Ergo, I was never expelled. I just joined the exchange program.” He explained.

Her eyes practically shined. “Coooool.”

“Tt. Can you let go of my arm?” He was really hoping it would work.

“Nope. I just met you again. We’re glued.”

“Sup Dames?” Claude chose that moment to appear.

“Tt. I’ve got a parasite.”

“That I can see!” The other boy laughed. Most people were still steering clear from Wayne and whoever was with him. They valued their health for the most part.

“I’m not a parasite. I’m Maps!” The girl greeted Claude, who in turn made an exaggerated bow.

“And I’m Claudius Chase. But please call me Claude.” He made a mock fighting stance. “Like Jean-Claude Van Damme.”

“More like Jack Clown van Lame,” Damian muttered. “Your stance is all wrong. I could take you out in seconds.”

“Of course you could. You’re b…” The Wayne heir covered her mouth with his hand.

“Tt. Not here. Now if you would let go of my hand, you parasite, I’m sure Habibti is waiting for me.”

“Habibti?” She asked after letting go.

“His girlfriend.”

You could actually see Maps’ eyes form into twin stars. “Can I meet her? Can I meet her?”

“Since when are you into fashion?”

“Huh? Who said anything about fashion. She’s your girlfriend though, which means she must be sooo cooool!” Maps was practically vibrating.

“Hero worship much?” Claude joked.

“Tt. Fine. Let’s go.”

The three arrived at the Cafeteria, where Allegra, Chloé, Jon, and Felix were already eating. They had lasagna that day. Quite a lot of people were whispering when Damian appeared, more so than usual, but nobody dared to look at him. When he sat at the table next to Marinette, they did their best not to stare.

“Grumpy Cat?” She asked, a bit worried. “You’re… tense.”

“Tt. Because of that socially-inept, talentless, petty bookworm,” he seethed, “I had to sit between Rossi and Cesaire.”

Immediately, Marinette pulled him into a tight hug. “Oh, my poor Kitty.”

This caused some of the gathered, who knew Damian from the previous year, to immediately tense. Some of the students sitting nearby (mostly females) even grinned, thinking that here died the relationship. There was no way that Ice Prince would allow anyone to refer to him as Kitty. Getting him on the first-name basis was considered a privilege allowed only to the family (and strangely Claude).

To their immeasurable surprise, Damian didn’t explode. Instead, he melted slightly into the hug and some of the anger left him. It wasn’t a long hug, but after it, he was now acting less like a walking grenade looking for its pin. At least three people awwed at them. It was just too pure.

“Whoah!” And then there was Maps, who had the subtlety of a steam-train speeding through the Wild West. “You’re so cute together!” She zoomed next to Marinette to get a better look.

“And you’re…” Marinette eyed the overly energetic girl. She was short, with hair that reached barely below her ears.

“Mia Mizoguchi. But you can call me Maps. I’m Damian’s friend.”

“Tt. More like a stray.”

“Damian! Don’t be a Grumpy Cat.”

“Besides, isn’t collecting strays kinda a Wayne Tradition at this point.” Felix deadpanned. Everyone started laughing. Damian gave a dignified smirk. The blond proved to be able to match him in intellectual discussion, which gave some basis for mutual respect between them.

The group talked a bit more about their classes. Marinette and Chloé compared every detail of their experience in the States with what it was like back in Paris. Maps was a fountain of questions, even if some of them were a bit… strange. But Marinette still felt she would like the little girl. That she was in the same class as her surprised her.

After lunch came time for more classes. When they finished, Damian was supposed to stay for training while Marinette and Chloé would go shopping. They were already outside the gates when three rather packed teens from the year ahead stepped in their way.

“You think you can steal Erica’s man and then threaten her?” The one in the middle asked. It was clear he was angry and not exactly thinking clearly. “Gotham Academy Grackles stay together. If you think you can just prance here and take over, you have another thing coming.”

“Um… Sure.” Mari just nodded. “Now excuse me while I go away.” She tried to move past them, but one decided to make a fatal mistake of trying to grab the front of her shirt. She raised her left arm under the grip, lifting his hand slightly. It exposed his stomach for the moment, which she took full advantage of and delivered a knee-kick to his liver. When he folded in half from the pain, as much as he could with her still supporting his hand, she then used her right arm to deliver a cutter toward the back of his head.

The boy was out cold in less than five seconds.

Seeing their friend attacked, the other two charged at her. Marinette ducked under the punch from the first one and headbutted him in the stomach. She then wrapped her arms around his left legs and lifted him up. He fell on the ground and tripped the slower one. When they both were down, Marinette stomped on the hand of the one on top. There was an audible crack that signaled she managed to damage the bones. He would not be fighting. The one under tossed his pained friend away and jumped on his feet. He managed to get Marinette in a chokehold, but she pushed her arms between his extended arms and spread them apart. When he was exposed, she jumped up and kicked him with both legs. While she landed without any injury, the bigger player crashed into his two friends.

“The police are on their way,” Chloé informed, putting away the phone that mysteriously found itself in her possession earlier that morning, giving more credence to the theory that she simply misplaced it.

“What’s going on here!” A harsh voice boomed behind them. Hammerhead was standing there in all his glory. “To my office. All five.”

“Maman’s going to be here in just five minutes,” Mari informed him. She was still full of adrenaline.

“I don’t care.” He seethed in response.

The only conscious boy helped his friends stand up. First the one with a broken hand, then they lifted the unconscious one together. They limped through the campus toward where the office was located. Behind them, Marinette and Chloé walked with heads held high. Tomorrow, the school would be full of gossip, but the bluenette was all too used to it by now and the blonde would run her PR magic to change it into something positive. Chloé loved playing the crowd.

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“I’m here.” Sabine practically stormed inside the office. “Now could you explain, sir, what is it about?”

“Your daughter got into an… altercation with older students today. Right in front of the school.” Headmaster Hammer started.

“Ah. And you’re curious if we’ll be pressing charges?” The woman asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Charges?” She managed to baffle the man.

“Attempted assault?”

“Madame. You misunderstood me. Your daughter…”

“Defended herself. Yes.” Sabine cut in, her eyes filled with cold fury. “Unless I’m mistaken, Self-defence is not a crime.”

“You can’t call self-defense stomping on…”

“To prevent further fighting? Debatable. She is smaller, physically weaker, and was outnumbered. A good lawyer would argue that it was necessary for her to act that way for her safety and to avoid further fighting.” She stared down at the headmaster. “As for the charges…”

At that, two officers walked in. Hammer recognized the first one as Renee Montoya. The other was a blonde officer wearing a tactical vest.

“Sorry, it took so long. We’ve been a little short-staffed since the mess with akumas started.”

“Don’t worry. Luckily, my daughter managed to defend herself. Now, officer, what must we do if we wish to press charges?” Sabine asked with a cold voice, never breaking eye-contact with the headmaster.

“That…”

“I’ll explain everything while officer Sawyer takes the attackers into custody.”

“Thank you so much.” The older woman finally broke the eye-contact and turned toward Montoya. She smiled with her usual peaceful smile, but the fire was still in her eyes. “My daughter is part of the exchange program while I’m visiting my niece.”

Marinette was stunned by how well her mother could take control of the situation. She wasn’t sure what precisely she was doing, but it was definitely effective.

“Foreigners?” The officer asked, surprised. “I could hardly hear the accent. France?”

“Yes. Paris.” Sabine smiled. “Neither I nor any of my charges are really familiar with the procedures here.”

“I will walk you through it. Headmaster?” The policewoman finally acknowledged the elderly man in the room. “Were the parents of the culprits notified yet?”

“Not. Yet.” He muttered through clenched teeth.

“We will take it from here.” She smirked at the headmaster. “You will be notified if any further input is needed, sir.” She started to walk away and motioned for the three women to follow her.

Outside, Damian was waiting with a sword. Luckily, there was no blood on it. Yet .

“Hello, Kitty. Don’t worry. I’ve managed it.”

“Tt. I’ll still challenge them to an honor duel.” He scoffed.

“You will probably have to wait a bit. I don’t think…” The officer took a glance at Sabine, who even with her smile looked like she was ready to fight God on equal footing. “They probably won’t be coming back to school this year.”

“They won’t.” Chloé, Sabine, and Damian said at the same time. But they probably had different things in mind. Or maybe just Chloé…

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Masterlist // Next

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous lb #Assassin!Sabine #Miraculous!Sabine #sabine cheng #BAMF Marinette #BAMF Sabine #batman #BatFam #Damian Wayne #Damian al Ghul #damienette #maridami #maribat #maribat au #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #arranged marriage AU

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plasticnightmaredoll · 3 years

Text

(art commission by the lovely and talented @curious-menace)

It is a time where I would like to see what my followers think about various concepts I have in mind pertaining to alternate versions of one my fics. It may take some time to write out any alternate versions since I've been busy and stressed out so much lately, but I am very curious as to what others would find intriguing to read.

But first, some backstory so be patient. We'll get to the voting at the end of this post.

I've been having a lot of bad days lately, and my mood has plummeted to a major low. This includes my self-esteem, which has always been in the dumps but is now basically a dumpster fire.

However, I don't want to be entirely cruel to myself. I deserve some sort of happiness, some sort of reprieve, and writing can be a good coping mechanism. I put a lot of my own thoughts, emotions, struggles, opinions, etc. into my works, as they serve as a way for me to get things off my chest. Sometimes, it's just cute and funny stuff, other times angsty but eventually fluffy stuff, and other times it's quite depressing and dark.

One fic, in particular, stands out, and that is the Mortal Kombat/Batman Arkhamverse crossover, "Volunteer," (trigger warnings: mentions psychological torture and suicide...more about this fic in a bit for those who would rather not read it because of those triggers) which features Arkham Knight Edward Nigma and Jonathan Crane, as well as a lady friend for Edward named Sara. It also features Erron Black and Cassie Cage from Mortal Kombat (Cassie is only mentioned in the story a few times).

If you read the blog intro/self-introduction post pinned at the top of my Tumblr, you know very well how I feel about Cassie Cage (particularly in MK11) and the Erron Black x Cassie Cage (BlackCage) pairing. Those negative feelings are mostly due to a very bad experience with a pushy BlackCage fan who just wouldn't relent one bit on their stance and it was emotionally and mentally draining to try and talk to them, including providing counter-arguments.

I've come up with alternate versions for "Volunteer" recently due to the spike in stress, depression, anxiety, and insecurities I've been dealing with as of late. This is where my followers come in!

I would like people to vote on which alternate take on "Volunteer" they would be interested in reading. Now, I can't guarantee when I'd get to it because, as I mentioned already, I've got a lot going on. However, I really want to try and write at least one alternate version of that fic, just to get some insecurities and negative thoughts off my chest.

Now, for those who are wary of reading "Volunteer" because of the trigger warnings, here's my advice: Just read the first chapter, if you want to. Chapter 2 deals directly with the sensitive subject matter, although, you can probably guess what happens anyway just by reading Chapter 1 and if you know anything about Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow...well, he likes to mess with people...mentally. To put it very mildly.

Now it's time for the voting. I have three different scenarios I've come up with that are variations/alternate versions of the current "Volunteer" fic's concept/storyline. I'd like followers to select 1 (one) alternate telling of the fic. I will open anonymous asks again, so if you are shy or just want your vote to remain a secret for some other reason, then that's fine by me. Otherwise, you can reply to this post with your choice.

Edit: if you are turned off by the idea of a Mortal Kombat/Batman Arkhamverse crossover, I get it. I don't read crossover fics myself, and that's usually because the crossovers either make no sense or do make sense but the ideas are poorly executed.

This crossover I'm talking about, though, isn't a full-on crossover of MK and Batman. There's no world-building, no larger plot, and no other characters in MK even appear or are mentioned except Erron Black and Cassie Cage.

If anything, it's more of a Batman Arkhamverse standard AU with Riddler and a female oc, and Erron and Cassie are the only concrete elements of MK brought in. I mean, yes, the other MK characters exist, I guess, but they have no purpose in this crossover I've written, and won't make any appearances.

So, if you had any concerns about the crossover aspect, I hope this clears things up

Choices below the cut!

A) "Don't You Wish"

This version is inspired by a song from Pink, called, "There You Go." In this alternate telling, Erron manages to survive Scarecrow's fear toxin, and escape (most likely because Erron is out of his mind and panicking, thus not a threat, and he has no one to help him, so Scarecrow doesn't give a damn what happens to the dude). The first thing Erron does is go to Sara's place, having already broken up with Cassie after realizing dating her was a mistake, and Sara means more to him than he thought.

Well, it's been several months since Sara basically pushed Erron out of her life for his poor choice in women, and (Arkham Knight) Edward Nigma has proven to be a much better (and, wiser and more sensible -- yes, I know, but he's not a skirt chaser, Guys) friend to Sara. While Erron ran off with a blonde selfie princess, Edward offered genuine comfort and companionship, and now Sara has been in the process of moving on from Erron even further.

Sara humors Erron and lets him tell her -- while sounding terrified, confused, and conflicted beyond belief thanks to the fear toxin -- what happened to him. Now, Sara doesn't know Edward asked Scarecrow to take care of Erron as a means of getting revenge for her. Doesn't matter anyway. She's unsympathetic towards Erron's plight, feeling as if he didn't even give her a chance to confess her feelings towards him, nor did he even seem to notice how she felt; it was like he was too busy with thinking with his privates to realize he had someone in front of him who would have treated him better.

Sara tells Erron -- in a flat, disinterested tone -- that his situation is tragic and all but wtf is she supposed to do? Why not go to his dumb blonde gf? Oh, they broke up? Well, how predictable. And Crane is also a (sort of) friend to Sara, which shocks Erron and leaves him feeling worse than before.

Sara sends Erron on his way, and he wanders off in a daze, unsure of what to do with his life now.

Sara and Edward meet the next day, and they have a pleasant time, obviously moving towards becoming a couple. She chooses not to mention Erron as she is completely severing the cowboy from her life.

B) "I Don't Even Miss You"

This alternate telling is similar to the previous one, but this time it's inspired by a Miley Cyrus song, "WTF Do I Know" (Hey, her Plastic Hearts album is actually fantastic!), and Edward is with Sara when Erron arrives at her place in a distressed state. At first, Sara deals with Erron in the hall of her apartment building, unsympathetic to his plight and basically telling him, "I told you so," and "too bad." Erron is getting more and more upset, even angry at Sara's callous tone, and starts to raise his voice, demanding to know why she is being so cold at a time like this?

Edward overhears Erron raising his voice to Sara, giving her a difficult time, and he gets pissed. Edward steps out into the hall and not only mocks Erron in various ways, but demands that he leave immediately, or what Scarecrow did will seem like a trip to Disney Land. Erron has caused Sara -- who is currently moving on and growing closer to Edward -- enough problems and heartache.

Edward reveals he set up Erron, and while Sara is stunned to find this out, she handles it better than expected. Edward said it was his way of getting revenge for her, and he'd do it again if need be. Erron is sent away feeling so much worse, feeling lost, hopeless, and betrayed.

Sara and Edward talk and she admits she's upset that he did something like this without speaking about it to her first. However, he explains that he genuinely did it for her and he doesn't want her to feel pain at the hands of some "idiotic cowman," who doesn't consider the feelings of others and who behaves like a greedy, violent Neanderthal. (And yes, Edward does care for Sara, and he didn't send Scarecrow after Erron out of jealousy -- maybe a little jealousy but it was mostly rage over Erron causing Sara so much emotional pain)

Sara means more to Edward than he can express, and he may not be the best when it comes to emotions, but he does care about her and wants her to be safe.

Sara forgives Edward, understanding that, through his heartfelt but very nervous and shy confession that he is sincere about his feelings for her, and they make amends. She of course tells him to never do something so extreme without consulting her first, though, because what happened to Erron -- while she doesn't care what happens to him in the slightest -- was a bit too much.

C) "Listen When the Devil's Calling"

Another title inspired by a Miley Cyrus song, "Night Crawling," and this alternate telling involves Telltale Riddler and no Scarecrow. Almost a year has passed since Erron went with Cassie and Sara, out of bitterness and heartache, refused to speak or see him. This didn't sit well with him as she was his only friend, and his relationship with Cassie dies within a few months.

He goes looking for Sara, realizing she has moved out of her apartment. It doesn't take him long to find out where she is, and she's with The Riddler, a notorious criminal genius and one of Gotham's elite villains. Erron is worried for Sara and seeks her out.

Turns out, Sara's just fine. This isn't one of those scenarios where the girl is with a guy who just using her and taking advantage of her vulnerability. No, Edward does actually love her and takes good care of her. He finds people like reckless, selfish, and ignorant people like Erron to be a disgrace but also amusing because of how pathetically primitive they are.

Edward also doesn't appreciate how Erron pushed aside a good thing in Sara to pursue a girl who is a social media brat and has more selfies on her phone than brain cells in her, well, brain. It defies all logic to Edward, but he's also not surprised because of how much of a disappointment Erron is as a human being (hey, this is Riddler we're talking about, and he's not one to be sweet and gentle to those he can't stand). Edward doesn't say these things out loud, though, as it's a bit too vulnerable and personal for him to do such a thing with someone he doesn't know or trust.

Sara is upset that Erron has resurfaced and she remembers how heartbroken she was when he went after Cassie Cage. She wants Erron to leave her alone like she asked, so she can move on. She can't trust him anymore, because he's just a skirt chaser in her eyes.

Erron tries to plead his case, tries to apologize to Sara, and expresses how he really feels, but this just distresses her further. Edward steps in and tells Erron he's done enough to Sara, she clearly doesn't want to see him, and he needs to take his leave.

This isn't a request.

Edward pulls Erron aside, telling the cowboy that the only reason he's going to walk away from this alive is that Sara hasn't asked for him to be killed. Should she tell Edward to take care of Erron, well, you all know what Telltale Riddler is like.

And those are the three variations on "Volunteer."

If you could be so kind as to:

leave a comment with your choice or

send an ask (even an anon ask) with your choice or

suggest your take on this story.

I'd appreciate it immensely!

Thank you all so much for supporting me and my writing and being patient with my sluggish publishing schedule!

#edward nigma #riddler #arkham knight riddler #edward nigma x oc #riddler x oc #edward nygma #edward nygma x oc #crossover fic #arkhamverse #arkham riddler #telltale riddler

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peppersonironi · 4 years

Text

Batfam Whumptober Day One

{Read on Ao3}

No. 1: Waking Up Restrained | Shackled | Hanging

Summary: Jason wakes up restrained in the med bay of the bat cave after a major pit-rampage. He panics and it takes Bruce rushing in to calm him down.

A/N: This is kinda soft? I just couldn't NOT put comfort at the end. It's really my first time writing anything whumpy/angsty, so bear with me. Unedited; we die like Robins.

TW: Panic attacks, referenced self harm

Jason tensed as he gained consciousness. He hadn’t remembered falling asleep, and in his business, that was bad news.

Jason sucked in a breath as he tried to raise a hand to his face. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was tied down to a medical bed in the cave’s med bay. They had used the heavy-duty restraints, the ones that were only pulled out there was a serious safety risk.

Jason’s mouth went dry as he imagined the implications. He was a security risk, so much so that no one was in the room. Not Alfred, not Dick, not Bruce, no one. Whatever happened had been serious.

Jason blinked several times and his breathing grew erratic. Why had they tied him up? Bruce promised he wouldn’t lock his son away again - PROMISED. Had Jason gone too far? Who had he hurt? Not Tim again, they were fine now. No one else had ever actually bothered him that mu - oh no.

Jason’s began to sweat, his chest clenching as he stopped straining to remember what had happened. Jason let out a choked sob as the images flashed before him.

*****

The League had come to Gotham, Ra’s leading it with Talia at his side. So of course everyone was called in.

They had taken down the agents preparing for whatever the f*** the old guy had planned, and were in the middle of a confrontation.

*****

Jason tried to calm his breathing, only to grow with panic. No, no, no, no.

*****

Ra’s had sent Talia in first, along with several of his assassins. Everyone got their turn to take down a league member, and it was going well. Then Jason had decided he wanted to take down the woman that had both saved, and ruined his life.

He ignored Bruce’s command to let him take care of Talia and attacked. They quickly disarmed each other and moved on to hand-to-hand combat. The demon’s daughter tried once or twice to pull a knife move on him, but Jasonw as lucky enough to have heard Duke’s sudden warnings.

Eventually, he pinned her to the top of the roof. Most of the fighting had stopped, and everyone was helping each other take care of the ninjas, except Bruce.

“How does it feel to lose yet again, Talia?” Jason had asked.

“Red Hood,” Bruce said as he approached the pair, “that’s enough.”

Talia smirked. “Why don’t I tell you how it feels?”

“Jason,” Bruce said in warning, “let her go.”

Jason ignored him, which turned out to be a horrific mistake. When Talia leaned up and whispered in his ear, Jason’s eyes widened beneath his helmet. He fell backwards, scooching away from the woman.

“Little Wing?”

Jason wrapped his arms around his helmet at the sound of his older brother. He shook his head, trying to shake off the emotions stabbing at his control.

No, he thought, I can’t let Talia win.

Jason couldn’t breath, and began to scratch at his helmet, clumsy fingers struggling to rip it off. But when he did, he flung it across the roof.

“Jason?” Bruce asked, ignoring the retreating Al Ghuls.

“Enjoy your fun, Beloved.” Talia called from the helicopter she had just boarded. “He’s going to tear you apart.”

“No,” Jason muttered, tearing at his hair and face. His mask came off a moment later, and his scalp screamed at him, but he couldn’t care less. He somehow found himself on his knees, and looked up to find everyone staring at him.

The crowd was too much. The noises of the city were too much. The rage was too much.

“NO!” Jason yelled, his breathing becoming ragged. He lifted his head up to look at his family, eyes wide. For a moment, he couldn’t see anything beyond sickly green. “Stay back!” But he knew it was too late.

He stood up, stumbling backwards. He couldn’t hear anything anymore, beyond the great rushing of the pit. The roar filled his ears as he tried to look away from the other bats.

He tried, oh boy did he try. But it wasn’t enough. The moment someone came into his vision, he lashed out. There were sudden yells as Jason blindly struck the person before him. The person was small, so he where he would otherwise have struck the gut, he hit the shoulder instead. Only one person was that small: Damian.

Jason could only watch in horror as his little brother spun and landed against the roof. Hard. He wanted to cry at the pool of blood forming beside the now prone body, but the pit would n’t let him. The red fuelled his rampage, causing him to lash out at the next nearest person: Bruce.

Once upon a time Jason wouldn’t have bothered to restrain himself, would've been elated at the development of events. But this time he couldn’t. This time all that filled the sliver of sanity left in Jason Todd was a cold twisting in his gut.

No, he thought pathetically as arms grabbed him, as broken fragments of conversation - it’s the pit! Hold him down! Talia! Triggered! Rage! Hold on!

No…

*****

Jason gasped and yanked on the restraints, trying to forget how everyone had crowded on him. Except for Damian. How someone had managed to tranq him.

He’d lashed out at his family.

He’d let the pit take over.

He’d let Talia get to him.

He’d killed his brother.

Jason whimpered and sunk down onto the bed, suddenly nauseous. He’d … he’d really done it. This was it. No way Bruce could ever forgive him after this. They’d already lost Damian once, and this time Jason was responsible?

“Damian,” Jason whispered softly, in between ragged breaths. He tried to swallow, but shouldn’t. It was too dry.

Jason shook, the room seeming to close in on him. He pulled on the restraints, suddenly aware of how tight they were. Almost as bad as in Arkham.

Oh no.

Arkham.

Jason blinked, trying to calm the rising panic. Bruce … Bruce had promised not to send him back. But, after he killed Damian? Proved that he has always been unstable? It was now a distinct possibility.

“No,” he muttered, “Please no. I can’t go back. Don’t send me back.” His vision blurred, and the silence of the room became stifling. “I’m sorry,” he cried, like it would do any good, “I’m so sorry. Sorry. Sorry …”

Jason shook his head and blinked away tears as he continued to mutter. He couldn’t think straight. Every spot of logical reasoning had left him. Some part of him knew this. Not that it mattered.

“Chum?”

Jason looked over his shoulder to find Bruce standing in the entrance. He wore civilian clothes - sweatpants and a t-shirt - and looked insanely tired.

“I’m sorry!” Jason began his chant again, the sight of his father renewing panic in him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m -”

“Hey, It’s alright,” Bruce cut in, rushing forward to sit on the chair beside Jason’s bed.

Jason shook his head, unbelieving. “No, no I’m sorry!” He hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself smaller. It was what he had done when he was small, and first came to the manor. He hadn’t felt this vulnerable in years.

Bruce seemed to get this. “Jay, it’s alright. You’re safe.”

Jason shook his head vigorously. “No, you’re not. I can’t - You shouldn’t - I’ll just -” Jason let out a dry heave of a sob and squeezed his eyes shut. His hands shook in the restraints, irritating the already growing bruises. Suddenly, there was a hand in his own.

“Jason, look at me,” Bruce said calmly, patiently. Jason took a shaking breath before slowly turning to look at his father. “Hey, chum, it’s alright. No one blames you. Talia - whatever Talia said was purposeful, there to hurt you. You had no control over it.”

“But I could’ve stopped the pit, I let it get to me.” Why didn’t he get it? Jason was the problem here. He was the one who’d make the … mistake.

Bruce frowned, his eyes soft. A small part of Jason was surprised - he hadn’t seen Bruce look at him like that for a very long time. It was calming, he had to admit. “You held it off for as long as you could,” Bruce said calmly, “Besides, you did warn us. We just didn’t listen.”

Suddenly, the slowly calming emotions flared back up again. “Damian.” Jason out, eyes wide. “Oh no. no, no, no.”

“Jason,” Bruce said, grabbing his face, “breath. Damian’s alright.”

Jason blinked. “What? No, I saw -”

“He’s fine, just upstairs resting.” Bruce interjected promptly. “He was trying to draw your attention away, said that's what happened whenever his mom flared up. Just underestimated your strength.”

Jason frowned. “But I saw him-” Jason hiccuped.

Bruce smiled softly. “He just reopened some stitches on his soldier. A minor concussion from the fall, but Alfred says he’ll be alright with some bed rest.”

“He’s alright?” Jason asked, still shaking and not quite believing Bruce’s words.

“He’s alright.” Bruce confirmed.

Jason collapsed back onto the bed, the twisting in his restraints slowing down. He closed his eyes and breathed.

“The kid’s okay,” Jason whispered to himself.

A few moments later, Bruce spoke again. “Think I can take these off now?”

Jason opened his eyes and looked over to where Bruce was gesturing to the restraints. He tensed, staring up at Bruce. “I thought they were for you?” He asked, more than stated.

Bruce frowned. “No, no of course not. When we brought you in, you had started to wake up again. ‘Kept scratching yourself, and pulling out your hair.” Bruce paused to make sure Jason was looking him in the eye. “These were to protect you from yourself.”

Jason took a few moments to breathe. “Okay,” He said at last, “You can take them off.”

Bruce promptly reached forward and undid the restraints on both his wrists and ankles. He took a moment to gently rub the abused skin of his wrists before setting them down.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked, moving back to his chair.

Jason paused to consider. “Ish?”

Bruce chuckled - honest to gosh chuckled! “I’ll take that, he said, leaning forward to press a kiss to Jason’s forehead.

Maybe it was tiredness. Maybe it had to do with released inhibitions from the pit. Maybe general emotional instability. Or maybe he just darn wanted to. Whatever the reason, Jason reached his arms up and wrapped them around Bruce. The man quickly reciprocated, keeping his son securely in the hug.

“Thanks, dad.” Jason said, and smiled.

They remained there for a while, neither really speaking. Slowly, Jason closed his eyes once more. This time, it wasn’t out of panic, or fear. He was just tired, and honestly, Bruce was a great hugger when he wanted to be.

Later, he’ll check on Damian (bring the kid Cheese Vikings or something. Maybe a new cat?), and both thank and berate him for his actions. He’ll go to Kate and Selina, Dick, Tim, and Steph, Duke and Cass, and Harper. Check on them, and apologize.

But for now?

Now, Jason thinks he’ll sleep.

Tagging: @starrystories2

#whumptober2020 #no.1 #Waking Up Restrained #shackled #batfam #dc #fic #panic attacks tw #referenced self harm tw #hurt/comfort #jason todd #batfamily members #bruce wayne #angst #batfam angst #jason whump #pit rage #lazarus pit rage

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a-simple-imagine · 4 years

Text

What if we kissed in the Museum Basement?

Synopsis: Y/N and Helena go on a date to the museum but it’s all feeling a little... awkward.

Pairing: Helena Bertinelli x reader

Words: 2k

Helena Bertinelli wasn't someone you expected to share a first date with. You definitely thought she was out of your league. Not to mention that she presented herself in such a way that left you feeling a little insecure. It was through no fault of her own simply a side effect of her being a badass. You lived in different worlds but you'd be lying if you said you weren't infatuated from the moment you saw her. It had taken every ounce of confidence you possessed to ask her out and after a little hesitation, she agreed. Hours were spent planning today; you were just too nervous not to. It wasn't like you planned every detail simply that you had thought about where to go and what to wear. When the day finally came you changed outfits like five times before finally settling on one. Even as you left through the door, you were unsure. Your entire body felt like the havoc of a beehive. Your body filled to the brim with the buzzing off nervous bees. She was already waiting for you when you arrived and when she saw you coming her lips curled into the softest of smiles. You exchange pleasantries before leading the way down the bustling street of Gotham City. Now you were walking a few steps ahead of her; you couldn't figure out if you were purposely walking too fast or she was just walking too slowly. The distance wasn't major; you just weren't side by side.

"Are you okay?" You wonder, glancing in her direction. Helena on a normal day was very different to how she was acting today. She was being painfully quiet and you were beginning to feel a little awkward about it. You had been leading the conversation but it didn't matter what you said, she mostly just smiled and nodded. Occasionally she would breathe out a laugh but that was about as much as you were getting.

"Yeah just a little nervous," Helena admits, she drops her eyes off you. Keeping her head down. "I've never really done anything like this before."

Her voice is so quiet you just about catch what she's saying among the noise around you. You took her nerves as a compliment, it was sweet that someone so confident was so nervous about being out with you. "It's okay to be nervous,"

You reach out slowly to take her hand in yours. You were helping it would help her relax but it was more for you. Her hand felt cold locked with yours. "Is this okay?"

Her eyes fall to your hands before she nods just a little. The corner of your lips fly up into a bright grin as you continue to walk down the street. "If it makes you feel any better, this is the first time in a long time I've been on a date. I feel like I'm gonna throw up but in like, a good way."

"You want to throw up... in a good way?"

You chuckle a little at the confusion in her voice. "I just mean I have like butterflies."

"So we're twelve-year-old girls now," she hummed softly. "Where are we going?"

You ignore the comment because you did, in fact, feel like a giddy twelve-year-old. "Assuming it's okay with you I was thinking we could check out the natural history museum?"

"Oh,"

"We don't have to," you shrug, now doubting all your choices. "we could just go see a movie or something?"

Her head shook as she squeezed your hand a little. "I've never been to the natural history museum,"

"What? Not even as a kid?" You don't mean to sound so surprised, you just assumed that everyone had been. It was a free day out.

"Not really,"

"I've been a few times but I always enjoy it," You express; thinking fondly of your past visits. It was your favourite place to go as a kid. "It's very popular with criminals so let's hope nobody is after any ancient relics today."

You were joking but she seemed to tense at your words. Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned criminals but in all fairness, you weren't wrong. Gotham city was practically known for its high crime rate and the museum was a treasure trove.

The museum was grand in size and located in the lower east side of Gotham. They have all kinds of exhibits from a Hall of Exotic Birds to a botanical garden; there's something here for everyone. You make your way around the museum and Helena hardly says a word to you. Getting anything out of her was like pulling teeth and it was beginning to grow a little tiresome. As you head downstairs into the basement you're transported into a world below the water. While small in size, you always loved this aquarium. Under the calming blue of the aquarium tanks, you stand beside Helena watching the fish swim past so carefree. It was never busy down here but today it was a ghost town. Just you two and the fish. As you spot the small shark swim past your lips curl into a small smile. "I've always liked sharks," Your voice seems extra loud in the silence. "They have a bad rep but were a bigger threat to them than they are us. Shark attacks are rare."

You glance in her direction but Helena doesn't reply causing your smiles to falter. It felt like she was uncomfortable with you; simply waiting for the entire date to be over. Maybe you were talking too much? Had you done something wrong maybe? Leaving her side, you take up a seat on the viewing bench. Helena watched you go, turning sharply when you catch her staring. A heavy sigh leaves your lips. This definitely wasn't how you imagined this date to go; you at least expected more of a conversation. "When I was a kid, whenever I got really upset I would beg my parents to take me here."

Helena joins you on the bench after a moment. You hear her take a deep breath before beginning to speak. "So... did you come here a lot? As a kid?"

"I guess." You shrug a little. "I would spend hours just sitting here watching the fish, I'd even come alone if I had to. It was like my happy place."

"I..." Helena trailed off and when you look to her she's staring at the big tank before the both of you. You always found the sight peaceful. "I- I'm sorry."

"What for?" You ask softly.

"I just I... I don't know how to act around you. This is all so new to me."

"You don't have to apologise for that," Helena always held herself with amazing confidence so it was sort of strange to have her apologies for not knowing how to act. It was also kinda adorable that she found herself so vulnerable and shy when it came to dating. You could relate in a sense. Dating was always rather awkward for you but this time around you had really been trying to make this as enjoyable as possible. "If I'm making you uncomfortable or you want to leave Helena, we can go? I don't want this to feel like too much for you,"

"I like being here with you," Helena finally meets your gaze but she can't hold the contact long. "I just don't know what to say. Every time I think about saying something it seems silly so I don't bother."

"At this point, I would just like to hear you say anything," you tease, hoping it comes across well as you nudge her slightly with your shoulder. "I feel like I've been talking to myself this whole time."

"I'm sorry," Helena wore a soft expression, one that made your heart melt in response; it was such a stark contrast.

"It's okay," You offer up a warm smile, "I just want you to be you. I want you to be comfortable with me and we can go at whatever pace you like,"

"I appreciate that," you watch her hesitantly reach for your hand so you take the lead and grab hers. "I want you to be comfortable with me, too."

"You know how I said I used to come here a lot?" Helena nods. "Well, let's just say that when they finally added that shark there I got to name it."

"What's its name?"

"Sammy,"

"Really? That was the best you could come up with?" She chuckles to herself and it brings a smile to your lips. It seemed like she needed to express her struggle to feel a little more relaxed.

"I was a kid, okay," You protest playfully. "At least I gave it a normal name or it could be swimming around being called sparkles or some shit.

Helena seemed a lot calmer now as you sat there together, her hand still in yours. It was nice to hear her talk about herself and her life. It certainly felt like she wanted to be here. The problem now was how far do you take it? One minute she oozed confidence the next you felt like she didn't want to be with you. An hour or so passes and you're still sat together talking. The odd visitor would join you to look at all the fish but left shortly after.

"Thank you for today, I'm honoured you brought me somewhere so meaningful to you." Helena expresses warmly.

"You're welcome," you give her a smile. "I thought it'd be a nice spot to just talk. Most of my dates are not this chill,"

"Sorry."

"No no, it's a good thing," you assure her quickly. "There's always so much pressure around dates but sometimes all you need is a place you love and some good company. Don't get me wrong I enjoy a dinner date but this was more fun for me- this was more personal."

"I've never dated anyone so I don't really have that experience," she explains. You expect her to continue talking but she doesn't.

"I really like you Helena," you admit, standing up you hold out your hand. "It's no fancy restaurant but if you wanted to grab some food with me this place does have a nice little cafe?"

Hand in yours, you pull her upwards. The girl stumbles into you and a shade of pink floods her cheeks. It's hard to make out in the dim light but you could tell. You meet her curious and innocent eyes and all you want to do is lean in but you don't. You don't want to do something that will make her uncomfortable. You hate that you can't completely sweep her off her feet with a spontaneous kiss but consent was important. "Can I kiss you?" You ask quietly, keeping your eyes on hers. You're a little surprised when she nods. You place a hand delicately against Helena's jaw, thumb dancing softly over her cheek. The other hand rests against her arm, urging her a little closer. "Just follow my lead, okay?"

Your lips meet in the slowest of embraces. You had given her every opportunity to back out before it happened. Helena's lips felt warm and soft. You're a little sad when you pull away. Taking a deep breath before your lips curl into a smile. That small kiss felt like something out of this world but a hint of doubt creeps in when Helena doesn't seem to react. You can't read her expression at all. Maybe you were a bad kisser? Maybe she didn't feel the same way it made you feel? A wave of relief washes over you when the softest of smiles graces her lips and this time it's Helena who leans in first.

#Helena Bertinelli #helena bertinelli x reader #Birds of prey #mary elizabeth winstead #huntress x reader

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winterwolf0916 · 4 years

Text

(ღ˘⌣˘ღ)Cuddle(ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Tim Drake x Reader

Requested by @cityofdespair9 : From the writing prompt, #21 and #46 with Tim Drake please?

46. “I’m in love…shit” 21. “You knocked on my door at 1 in the morning, to cuddle?”

Warning: Fluff!

A/n: Hello my loves, I know it has been forever since I last posted. It is because school has been weighing me down. But since I’m on break I’ll do my best to post as many requests as I can. And If I don’t please excuse my tired and lazy ass. Anywho Hope you like this post my loves.

Word count: 1094

Timothy Jackson Drake

Out of the entire universe.

Your heart set upon this coffee bean.

How?

Funny story...it started with a party. On your first year at Gotham University.

Four words.

7. Minutes. In. Heaven.

Your friends dragged you and Tim into the game. And guess who you were set up with.

You only knew he was the adoptive son of Bruce Wayne and he only knew you as the smart one in class.

And yet here you are. Your friends shoving you into a closet with a guy you barely knew.

Both acting awkwardly in a closed space and forced to make out. But you two didn’t. Instead you both helped each other.

You and Tim were certain that your friends would add 7 extra minutes if you both don’t get it on.

“Is this good enough?” He asked pointing at his hair. You nodded.

Tim messed his hair up purposely. You did the same. Slapped your cheeks to create redness, pinch our lips to make it look bruised, adjusted your clothing, and just sat there for six minutes.

You were the first to strike up a conversation. Easing the awkwardness. Turns out you both had a couple of things in common.

“So what kind of creamer you put in your coffee?”

“I rarely put any. But if I do, then it’s hazelnut.”

“Really? Me too!”

Time’s Up!

Your friends were shocked at the sight of you.

"We’ll be heading out to get busy.” You lied. Leaving your companions with dropped jaws and smug looks.

But in reality, it was just to escape the party and head home.

And Tim walked you home.

Again, there was a lot of things in common between you both.

The next day in school, you just notice he’s in three of your classes.

And that's not the best of it.

You both keep to bumping into each other in certain places

Bookstore, coffee shops, the library.

At first you both were quite shy to say something or make a move, but Tim gather all his courage and sat next to you to say hi.

This has been going on for a while. Seeing each other or meeting up in your favorite places.

You both became best friends.

That is until someone asked if you both are dating.

You never thought of yourself and Tim as a couple until you started to notice the little things about him.

His cute dimples when he smiles, the way his hair blows in the wind showing his face, his gorgeous blue irises glowing in the sun, him wearing short sleeve shirts that shows his muscles.

You flustered the entire day while glancing at his arms

Him caring for you.

“Did you eat?” “What time do you want me to pick you up?” “Want some coffee? It’s on me.” “Are you alright?”

Oh no...

What’s happening?

Are you developing a crush?

On your best friend?!

You denied it at first to yourself until-

You lost your balance with your skates on the ice rink and you were going to land on your ass, receiving full pain in your behind for the rest of the day.

But Timber’s reflexes were too fast.

He caught you on time.

Cue the both of you being a flustered mess.

You stuttering that you were ok.

Him pulling you up and feeling his hot breath on your face.

As he excused himself to get food for you and your friend group... You finally realized...your feeling towards him.

“I’m in love....shit.” You cursed under your breath.

Oh it gets better as you met his family in the manor.

hehe

Dick trying to be cupid.

“Oh no this couch is full. Go sit over there with Timmy.”

“Gosh Darn! we’ve ran out of ice cream. Tim, share yours with our guest.”

Whenever you both are alone, Dick just plays Marvin Gaye ‘Lets get it on’ in the background!

“DICK!”

“Whooops! I accidently turned this on.”

Jason giving the loudest side marks.

“Damn, Timbers! I’m starting to see why you like-” Tim covers Jason’s mouth and turns to you with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry about him. He’s really reckless with the alcohol.”

Damian being very straightforward.

“Not bad Drake. Also hint of advice, if you both are going to his room please use-”

“DAMIAN.”

Cass has no problem with you.

In fact whenever you enter a room she just smiles and glances at Tim.

Meeting Bruce was a scary part for Tim.

His shoe tapping on the floor hoping this will be quick.

“Tim. Relax.” You placed a hand on his shoulder giving a small squeeze, causing his foot to stop in place.

Bruce glancing at the two of you infront of him and giving a small smirk to Tim.

As soon as you leave the cave, his family teasing him.

Skip two months of crush tension.

Finally one of you confessed. And that one was you. Tim has never been so shocked in his life.

You liking him back?! No way he though it was another dream. But you pinched him and he asked you out.

Skip again to three months of lovely dating.

You couldn't sleep.

You were too afraid.

Afraid of Tim never coming back from his mission.

And you wanted him to know something. Something important.

You knew tonight he would be back but you called him so many times and he didn’t pick up.

So you had enough.

Enough time of waiting in your bed.

Knock Knock

Nothing. And fear was eating you alive.

Tim can’t be gone. No, maybe he’s at the manor, or maybe you’re too early.

Knock Knock Knock Knock!

And the door opened to a tired Tim.

“Y/n?-” He was nearly tackled to the floor by you but he regained his balance and stroked your hair.

You missed him. For a week he’s been gone. And now he’s back and in your arms. You mumbled your reason of why you’re here at his door. And Tim pulled back in confusion.

“You knocked on my door at 1 in the morning, to cuddle?” You nodded and he smiled.

And that’s how you both are in bed. Legs tangled, arms around one another,and taking in each other’s scents.

You stared at his sweater and listened to the rain pouring outside. It was peaceful. And he is safe.

“Hey Tim.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” There was a moment of silence.

Then shuffling broke. His grip around you tightened and he gave a saft kiss on your forehead.

“I love you too.”

#tim drake x reader #Tim Drake x Y/n #tim drake x you #red robin x reader #red robin x y/n #red robin x you #dc x reader #dc x y/n #dc x you #batfamily x you

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queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm · 4 years

Text

Daminette December Day 3: Decorating

—————————————————————————-

Ah, holiday season. A time for family and cheer, with sleigh bells ringing, snow falling, hot chocolate by the fire place, Christmas movies on the tv, and Marinette’s favorite: decorations. The colorful lights that hung from every store, coffee shop, and restaurant.

Gotham City, New York. Had been home to Marinette since she graduated Lyceè and was proud to say that she loved it. She had a loving boyfriend, a successful career as a designer for her Fashion house “Miss Fortune,” friends that she adores, and family that came with. Yes, Gotham was good to her. And when Christmas rolled around Marinette made sure she was good to Goatham.

The city suffered year round, but even the Joker knew that Christmas was a time that crime would stop. Marinette helped decorate the Wayne manor, GCPD, and city hall. The sunshine of Gotham had caused crime rates to plummet during the holidays. She was an angel, but Kwami-forbid you piss her off. Like an avenging angel, Marinette would hunt you down and raise hell for her favorite holiday (dispite her problem with Santa).

There she was, in the Wayne manor, decorating the Christmas tree with red and gold ornaments. It was covered in translucent gold ribbons, glass hearts, candy canes, and snowflakes. A large star topped the tree and looked elegant. The batboys helped occasionally, but had to sit out when Jason and Damian started to argue about who was going to help Marinette reach the higher points of the tree.

(A/N: this is what my tree looks like, it was the inspiration for the Wayne tree:)

The groundsmen working dilengently to decorate the exterior of the manor. The theme for this year was wintery enchanted forest. Bruce never really cared much for the huss and fuss that came with decorating for the holidays. That all changed when Marinette came in guns-blazing demanding that the dreary manor have a make over for the jovial time of year, “Where’s all the decorations?”

“We don’t really do that here,” Dick replied monotonically.

“What do you mean you don’t do that here?”

“Bruce doesn’t like to waste time by doing the whole ribbons, icicles, and bells thing. You only have it up for like half a month,” Tim said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah,” Marinette began, “that’s changing right now.”

“Angel, all of us are busy. We can’t take time out to do all of this,” Damian replied.

It was no use though, once Marinette had her mind set on something there was no stopping her. She began small. Her and Alfred just placing some garland around the fireplaces. That gradually added a small personal Christmas tree in the kitchen. Within the same week the whole entrance had become Santa’s workshop. Bruce tried oh so hard to stop her, but even the Bat knew that when you’re up against Lady Luck, herself, that’s a war not even he could win.

After the struggle against her war path failing, it played out with Marinette’s victory. The dark manor had become a mirthful castle throughout the month of December. Alfred was reminded of the times when Martha Wayne had decked their halls with holly and ferns. When Thomas used to watch his wife sing carols around the house as she worked to make the Wayne household the envy of Gotham.

After their deaths, a light that once shone bright was dimmed sevearly. It broke Gotham’s heart. However, when Marinette Dupain-Cheng (soon to add Wayne) came to spruce up the manor, that light returned with new found purpose. Alfred was reminded of Martha whenever Marinette demanded the change in aesthetic for the season of giving.

And Marinette gave a lot, almost too much. She gave them love, security, presents, and a new meaning of the word home. The French-Asian woman made sure that no one in the Wayne house would feel alone, and suddenly the manor didn’t seem so cold during Gotham’s below freezing temperatures.

As Marinette placed the last decoration in the entrance of the house, the mistletoe, Damian game from behind to give her his whole heart again. They felt complacent in their domestic actions and could not wait to begin decorating the Christmas cookies that came with the hot chocolate.

Yes, the manor was dark and lonely. But when Marinette put her mind to it, everything seemed more like a home rather than a house. Her warmth melted Damian’s “Ice prince” shell, renewed Jason’s faith in his family, gave Dick the Christmas he always wanted, allowed for Tim’s world to slow down, restored Bruce’s love for the holidays, and reminded Alfred of his happiest days working for the Wayne’s. The Christmases that came and passed with Marinette were some of the batfamily’s favorite.

——————————————————————————

A/N: That’s day three down! Woooo I’m on a roll! That being said this ones a little shorter because I wasn’t having the best day. However, would that stop me from at the very least trying? Never!!! I hope you guys liked it!!!

@daminette-december2019 @persephonebutkore

#daminette december #damientte #damian wayne #damimari #marinette dupain cheng #jason todd #tim drake #dick grayson #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #decorating #damian x marinette #christmas

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unavenged-robin · 4 years

Text

Leaping and hopping on a moonshadow

or, the one where after a long, long time the Batman and The Red Hood meet on a rooftop.

(Also on AO3 bc this stuff is long)

He had known from the very start of this particular mission that there would be very little need of secrecy involved, but the years of training under Batman and the League had shaped the way his body moved in such a deep manner that it was just too unnatural not to try to blend in with the shadows around him. Instead than controlling that impulse, it would be easier to go in the opposite way and make himself known; he could do it too: after all the Red Hood has not a common sight in Blüdhaven for some years now, but he isn’t a secret either and criminals usually have a long memory.

He still finds himself hesitating. And it’s not because of the Batmobile approaching on the street just across from the building he’s currently on top, no. Batman knows he’s here, it’s a legitimate assumption that he’s always aware of the Red Hood’s movements. He finds that he doesn’t mind it that much. Before, when he was still a kid, that constant surveillance had bothered him like nothing else had, but in time he’d got used to it. Now their paths had been severed for too long for it to be a problem or even a nuisance anymore. It’s just a reminiscence of that what was once done out of love and is now done out of suspect, fear, maybe anger. He, himself, had stopped caring a long time ago, he just finds it sad that the old man could not let it go.

Several floors beneath him, in the yard outside the antique shop he's keeping his eye on, three masked men start moving the crates from the storehouse into the back of a black van. The man he's here for tonight hasn't shown up yet, but he isn’t surprised about that, Owain Dorsey had a reputation for being a hard one to locate, and as much as it pains him to admit it, hearing about this operation was more of a stroke of luck than the result of months of hard research. Luck was also a debatable term in this case, since he would have very gladly avoided coming back on the continent, let alone on this very city. Sure, Gotham would’ve been worse, but given the circumstances, not even that much so.

He picks up the binoculars from the floor and scans the west side once more. Batman would come in from the north, unless he decides to go around the store, in which case he would have to find a way to distract him long enough to make sure he wouldn't go after Dorsey before him. He has no reason to believe Batman knows anything about his operation, but better be careful anyway: he knows there are other eyes around, and he knows they are no longer on his side (if they ever were, that’s it).

He checks the gun strapped to his left leg, making sure that the holster is unfastened, then he runs his gloved fingers along the edge of the katana at his other side. He’s not nervous about having to use either of them, but he’s not looking forward the discussion he’s going to have with Talia if any of this goes wrong. Not to mention the one he’s going to have with the asshole that is the new Demon’s Head, who’s never agreed with this plan to start with.

He sucks in a sharp breath, closes his eyes for the split of a moment and, finally, he jumps.

Batman gets there before him, which was somehow expected because if there’s a talent he can recognize to the man, it’s his timing: never there when you most need him, always in your way at the least opportune moment. He’s not too worried, though. Tonight should not be hard, there will be no killing involved and no moral conflict about what needs to be done. What he needs is one single information, and a bit of violence was never frowned upon too much, not even when he was a kid and the adults around him were so, so busy settling an example for him.

The back of the van spews out three more masked goons the exact moment Batman lands in the middle of the yard, and he smiles behind his helmet, looking at their guns. One of them is holding a gold plated Desert Eagle, and that’s what he was looking for: the stupid and very distinctive little quirk that had made Dorsey instantly identifiable, linking him to a series of robberies targeting antique shops and jewellery stores.

Batman doesn’t even look at him as they fight back to back against the small group of thieves. He tries to hold back enough not to cause serious damage, but all in all he doesn’t worry too much about the punches he’s landing: as long as the gun stays where it is, Batman shouldn't have anything to complain about. He keeps an eye on Dorsey, but doesn’t show too much interest in him either, merely knocking him back a few times.

“On your left”, Batman growls, and he ducks immediately, his body so trained he doesn’t even give himself the time to discuss the order. It upsets him a little that the instinct to obey that voice is still so strong in him, like it hadn't been years since he'd worn the Robin's costume, like all the blood and betrayal that has happened between then and now means nothing just because they’re together again. And he hates that a part of him really believes that, he hates that this feels so familiar it makes his heart hurt, he hates finding out that he had missed this.

“Think about yourself”, he growls back, and he takes advantage of the clumsy attack of one of his opponents to grab the man by the arm, twirl around on his feet, and throw him against Batman's back. Low blow, he knows, but if the old man hadn't seen it coming, it's not his fault.

Batman goes down on one knee for just one moment, and that’s all he needs. He grabs Dorsey by the collar of his jacket, pulls out his grappling hook and shoots it above their heads. They’re both gone in a matter of seconds, and Batman shouting behind him only adds some sweetness to his victory. He won’t be able to follow them right away, not with five other men trying to keep him on the ground.

He lands on the roof of the building that had served him as a point of observation all night long. The bag he had purposely left open is still there, sporting a few tools that would come quite handy in the unlikely event this discussion should not go down the way he wants it to. He makes sure Dorsey understands this by throwing him down on the concrete just next to the bag, his nose almost touching one of the sharp tips poking out of it.

“Where is it?”, he asks, the helmet warping his voice into a metallic rasp.

The mask on Dorsey’s face is long gone: small eyes stuck into a lump of fat vaguely shaped like a human face look up at him, bloodshot and scared.

“I don’t know what-”

He doesn’t give him the time to finish and pushes his right foot right into the man’s trachea long enough for the man's lips to take on a vague bluish tinge, as Dorsey wriggles underneath him and tries, without success, to get rid of the combat boot that is crushing him.

“The book”, he repeats in the same even, scary voice. “Tell me where it is, if you want to be still able to talk about anything ever again.”

He removes his foot, allowing the man to take in two quick breaths, and then, before Dorsey even tries to answer him, he thrusts the tip of his boot under the man’s chin, as a warning.

“If your next word is not the one I want to hear, I'll make you swallow your teeth”, he informs him. One thing he doesn’t dislike about his costume is the look on his opponents’ faces when they look at him and see nothing but their own reflections. He doesn’t need this kind of tricks to make sure they believe him when he threatens them, but surely it doesn't hurt.

Dorsey licks his lips, then swallows down, evaluating the chances that the Red Hood could maybe be bluffing. He’s not. They all should know that by now.

“Dishna”, he whispers.

“Egypt, then”, the Red Hood says. It makes sense. They already have a small contingent of people looking for the asset there. Talia will be happy to know she was right: cowards and traitors, when they don't know where to go, they always go back home.

The rustle behind him warns him of what’s about to happen. He’s quicker than the old man this time, and he gets to knock Dorsey unconscious with a well placed kick before the batarang flies so close to his face it actually make a small cut into his neck.

He rolls on his feet and takes himself to the other side of the roof before standing up to face his old mentor.

“Good evening”, he salutes him, making sure to sound as sarcastic as possible. “There are nicer way to say ‘welcome home’, you know.”

He brings a hand to his neck and withdraws it covered in blood. Not much, but still enough to annoy him. He had pointed out the flaw of an uncovered neck under a full-face helmet several times: that strip of naked skin is practically an invitation to be beheaded, but his predecessor had retorted that no one else was ever supposed to wear that costume apart from him - he least of all. Stupid Todd.

“Did you kill him?”, Batman asks.

“Unless you’ve gone blind in your old age, I’m pretty sure you can see he’s still breathing”, he answers coolly. “And you can take him and tie him up with the others, if you want, I have no use for him anymore.”

Clearly distrustful of that immediate hand-over, Batman takes a step closer to him.

“Then why did you take him?”

“That’s none of your business, I’m afraid. He’s alive and I’m not going to fight you for him, it should be enough for you to be happy”, he retorts. “It's definitely an improvement compared to the last time we saw each other, Grayson.”

That makes Dick stop, physically and mentally: he can see it. It’s been years, yes, but they can still read each other so well, it’s frankly unnerving.

“Take off that helmet”, Batman says. “Please, Damian.“

Damian pretends that the please is what persuades him to comply. The truth is that he’s never liked the constriction of that stupid thing all over his face, dulling his senses and forcing him to rely only on its technology - and as advanced as the League had made it, he still doesn’t entirely trust anything outside himself. The truth may also be that, after all these years, he wants to look at Grayson with his own eyes, and maybe, at the same time, he wants Grayson to look at his real face.

“Take off that cowl”, he still demands in return.

Grayson hesitates, but only for a moment. He pushes the Batman’s mask back with a sigh almost as satisfied as Damian’s. Before this moment he had never considered the fact that now both of them are wearing a costumes they never wanted in the first place. The irony of a vigilantes life, Damian supposes.

There are grey strands in Grayson’s hair now, and wrinkles around his eyes. Damian’s surprised to see him so old, to find out that time has left such an evident mark on him. Not that he expected to find him identical to how he remembered him but… almost, maybe. Not so similar to Father, that’s for sure.

“You look just like Bruce”, Grayson says softly, mirroring his thoughts. “I mean, you look more like him than before. It’s scary.”

Jason and his mother use the word unsettling instead of scary, but they say it in the exact same way as Grayson.

“It's not a pride of mine”, Damian answers sharply. “And I'm sure the feeling is reciprocated.”

Dick shakes his head.

“He misses you”, he answers, almost smiling, and he uses that gentle voice that Damian knows so well. “And so do I.”

“The feeling is not reciprocated.”

Dick takes another step towards him.

“Don’t”, Damian warns him, and his brother stops again.

So many times Damian had wished for this moment, and so many times he had imagined a reconciliation that he was not possible, but, more than that, so many times he had feared that Grayson would never even try to make it happen. Knowing that he was wrong is a small victory he doesn’t intend to share, not even with Grayson himself.

“How’s Jason?”, Dick offers after a moment of quiet.

Damian shrugs, feigning indifference. He could lie, or say anything else, but he doesn’t see the reason to do hide something that’s not going to be a secret for more than a few days.

“Sitting on Grandfather’s throne, last time I checked.”

It's a pretty hard blow to take, but Damian has to admit that Grayson cashes it with a certain grace.

“Is it true, then?”, Dick only asks. “Is he the new Demon’s Head now?”

“That’s what my mother has decided.”

And what a conversation that had been. Damian had never seen Jason so angry or Talia more unyielding. A clash of titans indeed.

Richard looks at him like he wants to say something but can’t bring himself to do so. Maybe because he doesn’t want to hurt him, maybe because he knows it’s not his place anymore.

“Are you okay with it?”

“He’s the one who killed Grandfather”, Damian answers. “And I owe him enough not to kill him right away to take what's mine, at least.”

In truth he hasn't wanted his grandfather's throne since he was eight years old, but neither Grayson nor Todd need to know that, even if they had probably known even before Damian himself had realized it. He’d still like to keep both of them on their toes, if he can, and Talia would never forgive him for that unnecessary admission of abdication anyway.

Grayson doesn’t answer him right away, instead he kneels down next to Dorsey’s inert form and ties the man’s hands behind his back. He does it slowly, as if it were a difficult task that required a lot of his attention.

“Is it what you think?”, he asks eventually, when the last knots is tied, in a calm and almost curious tone. “That you owe Jason for what he did?”

Damian stiffens, immediately aware of the turn the conversation is going to take. This is what he had always wanted to avoid.

“He saved my life.”

“I know”, Dick answers.

“He saved my life when you and my father refused to.”

It hurts him to say it out loud. He hopes it hurts just the same for Richard to hear it.

Still on his knees, Dick looks up at him with a plea in his eyes.

“Don’t say it. We tried, kiddo. You ought to know that.”

Damian shakes his head, feels the sting of the cut on his neck and the deeper ache down in the pit of his stomach, that quiet rage that still tightens his throat like a knot on fire.

“You were never going to kill Ra’s”, he argues. “Neither one of you has ever even considered the idea.”

“That’s what you think.”

“That’s what I know”, Damian almost yell.

Grayson sits back on his heels, a position of surrender Damian doesn’t really want to see him in right now.

“Todd did what neither of you could”, he continues, cruel and honest. “And I owe him my life for it.”

Dick’s mouth twitches in a grimace that Damian is not able to identify. Could be guilt, could be anger, could be something else entirely.

“Is that what he told you?”, Dick asks.

Damian doesn’t like that implication at all.

“No. He never told me anything about it.”

It’s not completely true. It’s, in fact, a blatant lie. Jason had only spoken about it once, and Damian still remembers what he’d told him. It was his life or yours. It wasn’t a hard choice. And the simplicity of those words was the thing that had hurt him the most, at the time. Because he had known, right here and right there, that it was the same thing he would have done, and just as easily as Jason had done it, if it had been his choice, if it had been Richard’s, or Father’s, or even Todd’s or Drake’s life on the line. He would’ve killed for all of them, but only Jason would - and did - kill for him too.

And even at seventeen Damian had known that that limitations wasn't a proof that they didn't love him enough. They just loved him differently. But that only meant that the problem was not them but him, Damian, and how better solve it than by not leaving? Stay in the court where his Grandfather had dragged him, away from the family that had not come after him, claim the altar where his body had almost been sacrificed to the Demon’s Head glory as his own new throne. Back then it had made more sense to him than the idea to go back, like Jason had wanted him to.

So he’d stayed, and Jason had stayed with him, and Talia had made it work. And it had broke his heart to leave one family for the other, but he’d already learned oh so long ago that he could survive that particular pain, after all. And Talia was not Bruce, and Jason was not Richard, and Alfred was long gone by then, but Cassandra shows up at the new League’s quarters sometimes, and Drake and Brown still call him every now and then, and always, always, on his birthdays.

With Father and Richard there had been no other option but to cut ties, because anything else would’ve just hurt a lot more. And he had known from the very first time he had stolen Jason’s old Red Hood costume, that going around into the world with that helmet on his head was going to keep them away. He had wanted it. And that, he regrets sometimes. All these years gone by in silence, with this affection that still burns his anger to ashes. And all it took was seeing Batman once, for Damian to want to run into Dick’s arms just like he used to do as a kid, to want to see Bruce too, and to feel the warm weight of his father’s hand on his shoulder just one more time.

But a wish is only that, a whim of the imagination, and reality is quite a different thing.

Richard stands up and the Batman’s cape behind him twirls into the wind. Instinctively, Damian takes a step back.

“Stay”, Dick says, and it’s so out of the blue Damian almost believes he’s misheard.

“What?”

“For the night”, Dick adds. “Let’s go home, Bruce will be so happy to-”

“I’m here on a mission”, Damian interrupts him. “And Gotham is not my home anymore.”

When Dick moves again Damian senses immediately what's about to happen. So he raises his hand to ask for one more moment of truce.

“If you try to stop me, we’ll have to fight”, he starts. “And whatever way it ends, I can promise it won't end the way you want it to.”

He can see the struggle behind Richard’s eyes, he can actually feel it like it were his own, and in some ways it is. Damian’s always had very few certainties in life, but Grayson’s love had always been one of those. He knows exactly how much his brother’s hurting right now, he knows what his instincts are yelling, what he wants to do, the things he wants to say. Because this fracture between them is not beyond repair, and they both know it. But what would a fight and then forgiveness bring at this point? Nothing but more pain.

And Dick knows this too, and that’s why he pulls the cowl back over his eyes.

“Say hello to Jason for me”, he says, as he lifts up the unconscious man over his shoulder.

“Will do”, Damian agrees.

He watches him jump then, and follows him with his eyes for a minute or two. It doesn't escape his attention that Batman doesn't tie up Dorsey with the other men - left in plain sight near their missed heist for the police to find - but that he pushes him inside of the Batmobile instead. Damian knows Grayson’s going to interrogate him, and he knows Dorsey will talk. It doesn’t matter. There’s no way they can stop them now, and ultimately, there’s no reason either for them to meddle with League’s business anymore.

He picks up the red helmet and pulls it over his head, hiding his face again.

It’s time to go back home.

#damian wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #bruce wayne #I know people are gonna yell at me for this one #but YOLO #future au #shari writes

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currentfandomkick · 4 years

Text

Bio! Dad strange AU continued

Marinette grew up between Gotham and Paris—strange gets her every summer.

Zsasz has taken on babysitting duty with a strange glee that causes everyone to give him a few feet. Why?

Becuase a murder-happy mercenary is cooing over a tiny girl who’s response to ‘how ahould i take them out’ during a consultation was to tilt her head and say “why do that when you can make them your puppet? Find what they want, tease them with it and make it just yours to share if you want. If that doesnt work, break in and have poeple sleeping on the floor. No murder and new minion are much better, right uncle vic?”

Her other favorite babysitter is Jerome, aka the Joker, aka someone who should not be around tiny children unsupervised ever. Why? This conversation.

“Do you know how i got these?”

Tiny marinette squints, gasps, then says “you beat Koh the face stealer! How!”

Instead of correcting her, Jerome decided to tell her this. “I woke up, hunted him down and killed him for stealing my face.”

“Oh! Is that why he is t stealing faces anymore?”

Jerome rolls with it. “Yep.”

Marinette just smiles and asks about how to foght bad people since ‘maman says i need to be prepared. But she doesnt have time to teach me since she store’s busy.’

This lead to tiny little Marinette getting lessons from the goddamn joker and victor zsasz teaching her villany 101 disguised as needed Gothamite skills. Zsasz gets how to dislocate joints, hit properly, and how to break into anything with various odd ends, and how to ‘properly intimidate and threaten enemies without killing them’. Joker gets sneaking around, throwing knives, helps with her acrobatic instruction (she likes the flying bits, ok?), how to ‘inspire minions’ (she thinks he means start political movements) and how to know when the rules are not important anymore— “if they hurt you, hurt them back. They wont learn otherwise, took me forever to get that one right.” And “remember kiddo, its all about how you present yourself. Be what they cant stand when you cant stand them.” And “someone made those rules up. They could be made for very dumb reasons, like the no meta ones. Make those rules wish they were never born.”

Her favorite person is harley quinn. She wear her hair pig tails, can go on and on about her psychology research and work, thinks its fabulous. She’s part of the new Sirens dedicated to protecting victims of abuse, oh, and is a survivor of abuse from jerimah (yes, from gotham. Yes, he is Mr. J but everyone thinks he’s the joker and it pisses him off and he took it out on Harley when he was alive... he dies and revives a lot here.)

Poison Ivy’s cadmus clone, Rose, adopts Marinette. Rose loks about 10 when she meets toddler Marientte. Rose is only a few weeks old at the time, and was the practice for Superboy’s eventual cloning. She escaped by accident, ran into batman of all people, and was dumped onto a very cofused poison ivy in her green house. Little Marinette followed Rose around, gigled when the plants tossed her around and ended up with a cool plant mark that only appears in UV lighting. Rose is DoneTM woth the Justice League and Batman, often complaining to Marinette about things she notices—like her being given to a known criminal, confined to a greenhouse filled with deadly plants and unable to go to school due to the plants revolting if she tries to leave with Ivy.

Poison Ivy accepts that she is now a mother (has no idea how that happened. But then again, she did skip puberty so...) and takes having Marinette hang out as a little kid as another part of being a Mom.

Riddler and Ed Nygma are two separate personalities sharinga body. riddler is pacified from ciolence if Marinette or his son, code name Puzzler, can out riddle or maze or puzzle him. He is happy to teach them both about florensics, biology, engineering and how to make mazes and traps. He is the weird but fun uncle, who has the most effective grounding strategy—put you in a puzzle maze building. Ed is the parental one, who listens to their problems and suggests talking it out and not hitting the other person or manipulating them into revenge oswald. Ed takes the time to let the kids be kids and offers positive feedback, especially on their interests and both of their babble fits as ‘its good to see the real you without those silly little walls people keep insisting on’

Uncle penguin is a joke to little marinette. Who she keeps having to sneak out of arkham. Why? ‘Uncle penguin, you make bulls in china shops look like shadow assassins.’ She helps him becuase ‘he’s obviously dating uncle riddler, duh’ and uncle riddler and uncle ed are very nice to her and encourage her curiosity.

She hates Jerimah. Who hates her for liking Jerome.

She is terrifed of Tetch/Mad Hatter. She cant find words for it other than he feels wrong. Jerome has been quantined for beating the shit out of Tetch for getting to close to a leery Marinette and saying “she’d make a wonderful alice.”

Professor Strange is a good dad here, albeit a semi-villianous one. Mostly de-villianed. Mostly. He lets Marinette be her affectionate self, encourages her interests in everything and her love of just learning things, supplies her with her sticker treatment, and does his best to follow her love languages—touch and gift giving. He is the reason she so many things for fashion, he supplies the money for it (much to sabine’s shock the first time) and also choses to help fund and mentor the science-centered members of the RKC or Rouge Kids Club who do actively undermine the Rogues for big things like murder, joker gas, fear toxin, and have attacked medical conpanies for making bad products. He just, sometimes, sicks a Rogue on someone that tries to get his daughter’s identity. Ok?

Also for purposes of witness protection, Marinette is called “Jill” or “Jillian Smith” in Gotham.

The rogues kids or RKC call her safety net or nets. More on that later.

#maribat au #marinette strange dupain cheng #marinette strange dupain cheng part 2 #ml au #bio!dad strange #my au #my idea #my head canon

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