Lie Awake
A TMNT 2012 Casey and Raph ficlet [AO3]
word count: 1,191
just a small drabble focusing on Casey and his view of their relationship. I didn't write this as a ship fic, but I do ship them so you can interpret it as platonic or romantic
Casey hates people seeing him as weak. He wears every cut, bruise and mark like a medal, a badge of honour for a hockey game well played or a fight well fought. He hates when neighbours or the school populace look at him with pity in their eyes and sympathy coating their words like sponge covering a toddlers playroom or bubble wrap suffocating a porcelain doll.
So what if he doesn't have a mom anymore? Who cares about his deadbeat dad? Casey is keeping his promise and at almost 17 is protecting and looking after his sister, the best player on a hockey team within the region and a vigilante the purple dragons will write legends about. He is strong and brave. He bounces back from anything with a witty comment and a toothy grin. Missing incisors be damned.
So why is this different? Strong, calloused, leathery hands gently graze over fragile skin. Instead of the usual burn of anger such caution would ignite, Casey Jones feels a sense of calm and his breath almost gets caught in his throat. Almost. Arms he has seen tear robots to shreds, dislocate joints from vigilantes, break monstrous jaws are now delicately tracing over his pale soft surface, well- it should be pale but the current complection is primarily a mixture of injuries, marks and dirt. Purple, blue, green, yellow, pinks, reds- any colour besides a natural skin tone coats his body like a vandalised back alley wall.
The hand stops moving and instead a comforting weight is placed across Casey's chest and torso. The weight he has seen choke and crush wrong-dooers, crack brick walls and dent spaceship walls now comfortably rests along his side like a weighted blanket, the arm across his middle.
Awareness of his current location comes back. Why's the ceiling looking blurry suddenly? Casey realises his eyes are starting to water. These can't be tears of frustration though? Maybe these are not new tears but the remnants of the storm that leaked from those eyes earlier this evening, in the privacy of these four walls as his own inner walls crumbled in Front of his current companion. No mask or face paint or armour, no facade of cokyness and happiness. His emotions are raw and his mind is still screaming at him, maybe that's why he hadn't noticed the burning eyes. These tears can't be new. Definitely not! He's happy and safe now, why would they be? He is brought from his thoughts as a hard smooth surface buts the bottom of his jaw, sending a short vibration of pain through his skull.
"'Ya sure this is alright?" A gruff voice nervously whispers.
"Yeah, 's fine" he mumbles back before finally looking down at the friend pressed against him. His own voice sounds raspy and sore. Perfect.
Raph has put his head back down on the pillow, his beak fitting like a jigsaw puzzle in the gap above Casey's shoulder. The bolt he'd felt had been from Ralph bucking his head to hit his jaw with the top curve of his beak. It hurt a little but he isn't fragile. Raph knows that. All he can feel now is that comforting weight on his side. He's focusing on it. Raph certainly wasn't scared to touch him. Why else would he hit him to gain his attention?
Soft cold breath gently brushes against Casey's neck in delicate puffs.
"I can sleep on the floor y'know?" tiredly drifts out of the terrapin creatures mouth "This bed ain't exactly made for two"
"Nah it's your room, I'm the intruder"
"Hmm" Raph lazily hums and slightly squeezes his ribs, getting comfortable in his squashed position on the edge of the bed "a warm one".
Casey sits there in silence for a bit, his friend drifting off to sleep. The overwhelming smell of sweat and blood and the sewers clogging his nose. Raphael is the only person Casey talks to about his home life, the only one he talks about his troubles too. He knows Raph instils that same comfort and confidence in him as he tells the lanky teen his own insecurities and secrets.
Tender moments like these however? They usually proceed fights. Fights they start coated in darkness or just heated spars between friends who are shouting and blowing off steam. They'd collapse with exhaustion on some random rooftop and through jagged breaths become vulnerable, no eye contact, maybe a squeeze of the hand or a punch in the side to let the other one know they're there. Kind, soft and comforting pain. Like the kind you get from laughing too hard or playing a game. It is strange to think they are now squashed and laid across each other, even if the reptile insists the body warmth was an exciting upgrade to his sleeping arrangement.
Casey was kicked out tonight after a particularly bad fight at home, he limped his way to his usual meeting spot and a few texts later Raph was on his way. He's going to be staying here with his friend, just tonight... he'll go home tomorrow. No one else in the sewer family needs to know why, Raph will come up with a lame excuse to torment him with. The thought makes him smile a little. Raph is the epitome of masculinity. Testosterone coats his existence like a second shell. He's violent and abrasive and yet here he is, not throwing punches, but still being gentle. His body weight is not entirely on top of the teen, but it is there along his right side nonetheless. He wasn't repulsed by Casey and he hadn't tried sugar coating anything all night. When he 'picked him up' he'd joked at Casey's expense and made the boy laugh. Casey wasn't too sure how Raph managed to create such a strong positive moment up on that rooftop in those circumstances. But none of the Hamato clan followed logic by nature so maybe that is not so surprising.
Casey isn't sure why this isn't affecting him the way it usually does. He feels calm and safe, even stripped down to his boxers and pressed into an old smelly matrice and cold metal wall.
Maybe it's because he keeps reminding himself that Raph doesn't see the squishy, thin human as delicate. He knows the turtle enough to know he considers Casey a great enough fighter to stand amongst his brothers, without any formal training or skill.
Maybe that's why this tender moment is nice? Raph isn't scared Casey will break, he wouldn't touch him if he thought he'd be hurt. Raph wouldn't joke with him and invite him here like this. The ninja had seen the boy break earlier, as he broke down and sobbed on the bed when they first arrived at the decorated subway car. The weight against him now is heavy, not crushing. It's grounding him.
Why is being treated tenderly so nice right now? Maybe that's the kind of privilege having a best friend creates? He doesn't remember his childhood friend creating such a welcoming environment before though.
Casey hates people seeing him as weak. Raph doesn't, even now.
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Loser!Ellie x Vampire!Reader
Authors note: hii guys, this is my first time posting on tumblr so please go easy on me lmaoo, also English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes, please don’t hesitate to call me out im always open to criticism!! (just don’t be mean about it lol)
>loser!Ellie who’s life is just so mundane and boring until she finds out the new girl in her class, who she has a little crush on , is a vampire but instead of being scared,she falls even more for the girl and offers to be her personal blood buffet.
>loser!Ellie that spends entire nights researching about vampires so she can know more about you but eventually develops into a hyperfixation .
>loser!Ellie that can’t help but whimper every time your fangs pierce her skin, it hurts but it feels so good at the same time (she can’t help but get a little turned on).
>loser! Ellie who would lay her head on your lap demanding that you play with her hair while she babbles about space and dinosaurs, stumbling on her words,all dizzy after you drank from her.
>loser!Ellie who would blush so hard when you tell her how delicious her blood is.
>loser!Ellie whose favorite book is now “Carmilla” (iykyk).
>loser!Ellie who gets addicted to your bites to the point she makes herself bleed around you in order to tempt you to bite her again.
>Loser!Ellie that could hear your stories of many year ago for hours. She’s so fascinated by all the lives you’ve lived (and she’s really grateful she can be part of one of your many stories).
>loser!Ellie who thinks you are the stylish person on earth.
>loser!Ellie who looks up at you with the prettiest green doe eyes you have ever seen after feeding on her.
>loser!Ellie who finally finds courage to kiss you, your mouth still stained with her blood, but she doesn’t care( she thinks it’s hot), a soft loving kiss that eventually gets more heated and aggressive, your fangs poking her lips,your blood red lipstick living kiss marks all over her face, Ellie is having the time of her life.
>loser!Ellie who’s addicted to your natural seductive vampire scent, always with her head somewhere on your neck, collarbone or chest.
>loser!Ellie that finds you the hottest when you just finished drinking from her, your mouth is covered in her blood, your chest rising from your heaving breathing, your eyes rolling back from how good she tastes…
>loser!Ellie that gets so shy and flustered because of the amount of expensive gifts you give her. She likes this new guitar? It’s hers. She needs more art supplies? You buy her the best ones. A telescope so she can see the stars and planets? Already in her room. When you have been alive for so long it’s not weird to have an insane amount of money to spend on your sweet girlfriend <3
>loser!Ellie who feels bad for not being able to buy you a bunch of stuff back,she wants to spoil you too :’)
>loser!Ellie who’s eyes water and is left speechless when you tell her that she is the greatest gift you could have.
>loser!Ellie that paints and draws you over and over again because you’re her muse. She also makes paintings to decorate your big mansion, every room has at least something made by her.
>loser!Ellie always losing card games against you, who after so many years became a master in them, but Ellie still has hope that she’ll win against you someday( when she does its because you let her win).
>loser!Ellie who’s had many sleepless nights thinking (and crying) about how she’s going to get old and die while you stay young forever :’(
>loser!Ellie that begs you to turn her because there’s nothing she wants more than to spend eternity with you.
Thinking of writing a full fic on this, i just need the time lmao
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Straight Venomous
Chap. 8
A/N: Okay here we go babes shout out to all you fine mfs reading this i see you also feedback is always appreciated and I hope you enjoy! 4,749 word count EDITED 1/11/2023
T/W: Yandere, cursing, mention of murder/eating people(its venom y'all), reader is afraid to eat at some point bec she thinks its poison(its not lmao)
It irked your very soul to admit it, but despite everything that lead you here, you couldn't be more comfortable.
The queen-sized bed seemed like it was made for you specifically, cradling against your body in a way that made it hard not to relax. Lavender and mint wafted subtly through the room so as to not overwhelm your senses, the floors could be heated/cooled depending on how you felt in the moment, and the stimuli weren't half bad either. Plenty of books, all scarily your favorites and or ones you'd been meaning to read, and the art supplies you'd forgotten during your escape from the old apartment had miraculously appeared in one of the drawers, a few succulents dangling from the ceiling gave the cozy space a breath of life.
Dreamy lighting from the bedside salt lamp paired with the cold breeze constantly pumping through the vents had time melding in this unrecognizable way. The only way you'd managed to tell time was even passing was Jason coming in with food.
You imagined your experience would be vastly different had you been truly connected with your extra-terrestrial friend- he was still somewhere in you there that much you could feel, only now it was like a wall was placed between you and Venom blocking all communication, it felt as if you'd been drugged or something, the haze in your head unnatural. You'd taken to eating the smallest amounts possible, figuring they were using the food to drug you.
Then there was that unending buzz thrumming throughout the air. You chalked it up to the air vent in the corner of the room constantly pumping out a cool breeze, It was mostly so annoying because of how feint it was. Just barely audible, only heard if you stopped breathing, the incessant noise made your head hurt if you focused on it too long.
It was the day after Jason's confession, you'd gotten shit sleep and woken up rightfully grumpy, all grogginess vanished from your body the moment you registered multiple humans staring at you from the opposite side of the glass.
You shot up with a start, backing against the corner of the bed, nearly scaling the wall with how harshly you pressed against it. "It's okay- I- we didn't mean to scare you, I knew we should have waited shit- it's okay sweetheart."
"These assholes just had to meet you." He offered a look of sympathy as You tried to process the three other men currently gawking. "Get any sleep at all last night?" Jason asked breaking the small tense silence that had fallen over your group, he set down a steaming mug in a small box, a door on either side of the glass.
Gathering yourself as best as You could, tentative steps were taken, and before he could close his side you were yanking on your handle.
"Nice try beastie." Robin said nearly pushing Jason aside as he waltzed over with that fucking grin, "Only one side opens at a time so you'll have to think of another way to be annoying." His hand gripped the handle with white knuckle force, his teeth bared in a mockery of a smile.
Your dreams of grabbing the closest one by their jacket and slamming them into the glass were quickly crushed by the taller male, you took the chance to truly observe him as the last time you met he hid his face. He stood tall, arms crossed in a permanent expression of annoyance, most frustrating thing had to be how pretty he was, copper skin and thick dark lashes were far too nice for such a douche, his tone just as bitter and angry as the last time you heard it.
You stuck your tongue out relishing in the little victory that was his scowl deepening. Jason nudged the smaller man aside to ask once more, "You didn't sleep at all did you?" He seemed to be waiting for something, his face twisted into the most aggravating expression of care, you sighed through your nose and opened the small door, instantly the scent of cinnamon and dulce wafted in the small space, you glared over the cup as you took a long, obnoxiously loud sip.
"Yeah well sorry if I found it sorta' hard to sleep in a fucking box. I'm not used to being a pet." Taking in all four of the men before you was jarring, to say the least.
There was Jason, whose stare made you feel a whole complex cocktail of emotions you weren't nearly equipped to deal with yet, then the man who introduced himself as Dick Grayson, the most visibly eager to be there and the last face you remember seeing at Arkham before everything went black and you woke up here.
He gave a happy little finger wave when your gaze met his.
Tim probably shocked you the most. A bewildered "Pretty boy?" escaped your lips without thought as he nearly buckled from the sound. His face flushed a deep cherry red, lips began to tremble and he had to pinch his thigh in order to force his brain to start working again.
"Hi stranger, long time no see huh?" He gave an expression far too sheepish and charming for his position and shyly looked away, deep brown eyes unable to stay off of you for longer than a few seconds.
Robin stood in his usual get up only this time sans mask. His glare was pointed. Emerald eyes blazing at you from across the glass in a way that had a smirk tugging at your lips. Clearly, someone was still a little tender about your last meeting.
"How's the back?" You tilted your head in mock sympathy earning another heated glare from the vigilante. Without skipping a beat he replied,
"How's the monster?" Instantly wiping any traces of amusement from your form. You met his glare with your own and huffed through your nose in an effort not to throw something.
It seemed like a new day, you'd awoken with a plan brewing in your noggin, since three out of the four were acting like lovestruck idiots you'd treat em' like one, the cage was so well designed the only way out was one of them.
Currently, you laid on your bed, head dangling off the edge in an attempt to get your brain juices flowing, you knew logically the only way out was if you played their game, sure with V temporarily out of commission you'd have to do this the long way, but freedom would be yours again, that you knew.
As of right now, Jason was your best bet for escaping, you knew how protective he was and if you played your cards right he'd probably walk you out the door.
First things first, you needed to figure out how exactly they were keeping your not-so-little friend at bay, you couldn't leave here without getting V back.
Robin, as he refused to tell you his name, was smug when he spoke of it before, as if he knew you couldn't reach out to Venom. He was the key to finding out the how, granted he'd be a hard egg to crack so instead you focused on the puppy dog trapped as a man that was known as Dick Grayson.
Dick was a very intense person who never lost the grin on his face, no matter what you did he was cheesing like you'd handed him the world on a platter. He spent most of his time with you talking about all the things you'd do together once you finally "acclimated". All the ways he'd make up for "it", whatever that meant.
The way he looked at you- stared you down with that predatory gleam in his baby blues, made you feel grateful for the walls keeping him out. What really got under your skin was the way he spoke to you. As if you'd known each other for years as if he was your closest friend and not a man who you met for the first time when he'd broken you out of Arkham.
He also had this bad habit of speaking in "We's", no matter the fact that you rarely responded, no matter how little interest you showed, he never wavered in his enthusiasm.
"We can get out of the house as soon as B clears this stuff up with Penguin." He said one afternoon grabbing your interest. "There's nothing to clear up." You responded staring a hole into the wall, propped up against the side of the bed, you finally looked to meet his excited, longing stare with a blank one. He visibly lit up at the attention, sitting against the wall to mirror you.
"We're just trying to keep the bad guys off your back." His tone was sincere. As if he truly believed in his actions. You had to fight the urge to laugh at the irony of the statement. "You being dead serious right now?" He sat up straighter at the question, dark brows furrowing in seriousness. "As a heart attack Honey."
Brows twitching at the pet name, you interlocked your fingers and sighed, trying to correct him was a losing battle so instead, you switched tactics, if he wanted to talk you'd get him talking about the right stuff.
You made a noise of confusion before cocking your head ever so slightly. "See Jason I understand- what's your excuse for putting me in this boujee hamster cage? This gets you off or somethin'?" He huffed a laugh through his nose, his smile feeling a lot less threatening now, he almost looked like a human when he wasn't burning holes into you.
"God no, nothing like that." He trailed off, eyes nervously shuffling between you and anything else.
"I'm not sure you know much about Bludhaven, but it's sort of my jurisdiction." He began to look away, and his hands began rubbing up and down his crossed arms, a strangely vulnerable position for a man not locked up right now nevertheless- he looked guilty which, given the circumstances made sense but this seemed different.
"I'm in charge of keeping the people there safe. And the night you got- that night at the lab, I was too late to save you." Your eyes widened, shoulders squaring as you registered his words. He knew?
"And I can't forgive myself- not when you're going through what you are because of me." He'd begun chewing the tip of his thumb as he spoke, an anxious tick no doubt.
"I'm the reason you're in here- I couldn't protect you then but I can now. I will keep you safe, even from yourself." He stood to his full height, pressing his forehead against the glass as if he could go through if he pressed hard enough.
"One day you'll understand, I'm a patient man Honey so take all the time you need to accept this." He'd say it with such certainty as if he already knew you'd come around to being abducted by vigilantes.
Tim Drake was an enigma. He freaked you out the most. Something in his eyes was so chilling. He was the dangerous kind of smart which made your escape plan all the more difficult.
What rubbed you the wrong way about Tim was his uncanny ability to tell what was on your mind like he could tell what you were thinking, read between your lines, almost as if he was reading from a script.
"Your turn to babysit I take it?" You asked one day barely looking up from your book. You always knew it was him by the way he hummed as he unlocked the door. Surprisingly quiet, it almost shocks you when he plops down just outside where you're sitting, arms full of your lunch and some kind of high-tech tablet.
"Don't think of it like that-were just hanging out." He'd say from his seat, you could hear the smile in his voice whenever he spoke to you as if he couldn't be happier just being near you. He always had something with him when he came, be it a laptop, phone, or tablet the man was constantly tinkering. "You hang out with a lot of illegally detained people?" You asked hoping to gauge his reaction.
He laughed not looking up from his screen, he'd been furiously typing since he came in, almost like he was excited about something.
"C'mon you don't really care about the law- and besides," he flipped the tablet around to show you what he was doing, his finger slid across it rapidly scrolling through a morbid collage of every single person you'd eaten. Every drop of blood on your hands was on the screen and suddenly his smile felt a lot less friendly.
"I'm the only person in this house who knows who you really are. Not even Jason knows about all the bodies under your belt."
He placed the tablet on the floor the screen side down and began to toy with the strings of his hoodie. "I know everything, all the ugly stuff." He placed his finger on the glass, tracing an invisible heart, staring at the thick plexiglass as if unhappy with its enforced borders,
"And I want you all the same." He tilted his head, refusing to break the smoldering stare down you'd begun. "Do you think they will?"
You opened your mouth to respond but no words dared to come out, the chilling threat was said with such a calm smile it unnerved you to your core. Naturally, you spent the rest of his visit staring at him in horrified silence.
Robin, as he demanded you call him, was probably your favorite babysitter by far, because despite treating you as if you were the bane of his existence, and his near-constant demanded attention, he actually provided some sense of entertainment.
Being kept from Venom was taking a toll on your mental state, after all, you went from a constant companion to total silence, plus he wasn't acting weird like the other three, he wasn't making grand declarations like Jason or speaking to you as if you were the weird one for not being cool with their actions, like Dick, he didn't have some sketchy ulterior motive like Tim, he seemed to genuinely dislike you being there as much as you did.
Damian spent all of his time in your space poking and prodding, desperate for you to show your teeth again. If his taunts didn't get a reaction he'd move to belittle, then mock, and back and forth until he got you to look at him, sneer, glare, anything he wanted you to bare down on him like the animal you were.
"Don't tell me that thing was everything special about you-how utterly disappointing."
"Your mama's disappointing."
"She's an exceptional woman you swine-" your smug laughter would kill his words on his tongue and light that fire in his belly again, the same one he'd felt the night you first crossed paths. He knew fury at your smart mouth yes. But he was more excited you still had that fight in you. He intended to pull it to the surface. Your time with Damian was probably your favorite time of day simply because it broke up the weird Twilight zone world the other three lived in. You're never telling him that though.
Jason was the hardest one to be around, maybe because you still cared for him, either way, it all came to a head one day.
He'd tried countless times to speak with you, ranting, saying everything on his mind as a way to fill the crushing silence. But you were still too sore about it all to respond, no matter how desperate you were for the comfort you knew he'd provide, the wound was still raw.
This time would be different you decided. This time you'd do the steering.
Like clockwork he appeared, only this time with a pep in his step- and instead of a silver tray topped with an obnoxiously healthy meal, was a greasy brown bag.
"Snuck you in some good stuff." His voice did little to stir you from your concentration, the relaxed position you'd found yourself in was the hardest to maintain in his presence. He always matched you whenever it was his turn to babysit you. If you were standing he stood, if you were pacing he'd keep up from his side of the glass.
"Bruce thinks you should only have home-cooked shit- something about how unclean the average restaurant in Gotham is, I know the old man can throw down but this always cheered you up." He shook the bag, his half-hearted smile not reaching his eyes. "Breaks my heart when you don't eat sweetheart."
"Give V back to me and I'll eat." The response was far from what he wanted to hear but he did nearly jump at the sound of your voice being directed at him. You'd taken it the hardest with him, feeling the most betrayed. It had been days since you last graced him with your voice, he was mostly just happy you were speaking to him.
"I'm sorry about that. They didn't listen to me when I said to just leave it alone." He'd placed a paper bag lined with grease in the box they used to deliver food, taking a seat against the thick plexiglass dividing you. He toyed with his portion dejected, visibly searching his mind for the right words to placate you. "B is still deciding whether or not to give him back-"
"God, do you hear yourself? He's not some fucking toy I just-" you took a moment to calm down before taking an aggressive bite from the messy burger he'd given you. "You gotta see how fucked up this is right Jay?" You pleaded setting the food down with a defeated sigh, appetite quickly vanishing.
"I know you hate this- I know you hate me. I get it really, but you gotta believe me," he set his own food down to press both hands against the glass, that stare he gave threatened to burn you where you stood.
"I need you to know I'd never let anything happen to you- as fucked as that sounds coming from this side of the door- you're everything to me." His breath began to break towards the end of his sentence, his thick black lashes beaded with un-shed tears.
"Oh, Jason." Your voice was thick with everything unsaid in your body. "I couldn't hate you."
The gasp he choked out made your throat swell. But you forced your voice to be steady and sighed. Playing this the right way was everything if you wanted your plan to work. "I'm not eating because I can't." Toying with the edges of the soft shirt you had on helped sell the idea. Granted it wasn't a complete lie, V being absent was having an effect on you, your working theory was Jason would worry you right out of the way of whatever the hell was happening.
"I don't feel right Jay- Somethin' about being away from him like this-." You punctuated your words with a delicately placed hand on the glass where he rested. His shiver not going unnoticed.
"Venom isn't just something that happened to me- he needs me and I need him, when human bonds with a symbiote there are certain..things you need to do to stay alive."
"Just tell me." He begged eyes wide with a frenzy that chilled you. "Anything- I'll do whatever you need just tell me."
"You gotta give him back to me- I won't run. Not from you." His chest heaved with anticipation, waiting on your words. "I could keep you safe." He said more to himself than you. "I know I've done bad but I wasn't trying to."
"I don't care- whatever you did, whatever you will do, none of that matters to me. I just wanna keep you safe and happy."
"Then give him back." He rested a fist against the spot where your hands rested, eyes darkening with the thought. "Whatever you need. I don't care what I have to do to who. Just give me time, I have no idea what B is using but I'll find out for you." He seemed so eager to please.
A part of you ached for using his devotion in such a way but also these mother fuckers stole you and took your best friend. You steeled yourself to give him a smile,
"Thank you, Jay. For saving me."
He stared you down with such raw devotion and absoluteness it sort of scared you. "Anytime baby."
And with that, he was practically stomping out of the room.
Jason found himself buzzing from the interaction. He'd been torturing himself with the thought of you hating him for days. Every time you refused to meet his eye or worse when you did and looked at him with that expression of betrayal broke him a little more. He had resigned himself to it, surrendered to the idea that the price of your safety was your hate, and that he deserved nothing more than to be despised by the woman he breathed for.
But now he knows the truth- you couldn't hate him, you said it yourself, he knew you were just scared of the others, terrified of what the big bad bat would do to someone who didn't play by his rules. Jason could protect you from them all, and if the way to secure that future where it was just the two of you, as it always should have been, was to give you back the murderous alien? He was gonna find a way.
Tim watched Jason storm through the house from his room, a handful of screens decorated his wall, everyone having an image of you, one was a live wallpaper of all his favorite pictures you'd taken of yourself, and the others had every possible angle of your room. Naturally, he listened to everything you talked about with Jason, the anger twitching in his veins wasn't triggered by your little plan so much as it was by Jason being the one you went to. He thought showing you he knew what you were was a perfect way to show you he could be trusted but you go and do this?
Don't get him wrong Tim knows Jason cares about you, but he also knows he's smarter than him and could easily press a button that would jam the frequency keeping your symbiote dormant. Bruce had figured the concept out by tracking down the data from the lab, the researchers used high-pitched sounds to keep the aggressive aliens in line. He modified their tones to something that wouldn't hurt you, but keep you from your little friend until he deemed you fit, if ever.
See Tim saw right through Bruce, the older man claimed he was doing this for the betterment of the world but he was just as infatuated by you as the rest of them, he liked having power, especially over someone as strong as you were, and he knew if you didn't pass his tests, Bruce would never give your abilities back. Tim pouted to himself for a few minutes before a lightbulb went off and he realized he could get brownie points with you and throw Bruce under the bus if he caught Jason before he got tired of searching and started shooting.
He bolted up out of his seat to cut Jason off before he confronted Bruce. Tim all but sailed down the stairs nearly knocking into Alfred. He sprinted until he caught sight of Jason in the elevator, hand on his pistol. Tim threw himself through the doors just before they closed and grabbed the hand holding the gun in an iron grip.
"If you go down there like this Bruce will win and you'll never see her again." Jason easily broke the hold and took to using the barrel to hold Tim against the wall by his throat. "You wanna' say that again Timbo?"
Tim licked his bottom lip and threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying- I know what you're trying to do and if you fail now, Bruce can take her somewhere none of us can get to." Jason's sneer fell a bit as he considered his words. He dropped him with a grunt and quickly holstered his weapon. "You got a better idea I take it?" Tim rolled his neck and thumbed at the red mark with a look of pure irritation. "Of course I do, I'm not you after all."
Bruce was semi-surprised to see the two of them enter the cave where he currently sat going over a case the commissioner had given him. "What's going on?" He asked looking over his glasses, his hands still working as he turned his attention to his two sons.
"Something gotta' be wrong to pay you a visit old man?"
Jason's foul mood was less volatile now, more like his usual brand of bitterness whenever he spoke to Bruce, so the older man didn't question the hostility.
While they did that awkward tango in the cave. Dick was in his room busying himself with learning more about you. Sure he had all the files and raw data, but he didn't know you, not in the way he wanted to. Yeah, he could wait for you to open up on your own time (which he knows is inevitable) but he's never been a patient man.
He bought a copy of every book you have, all the albums that you listened to most, and he even had one of your oversized hoodies on, he'd bought bottles of your perfume to spray around his room so it always felt as if you were just in there.
Dick lay on his bed surrounded by books with different tabs marked, he was taking notes of the things you might be interested in conversation-wise, his blissed-out expression was almost permanent when he thought of you, of all the things you'd get to do together once you came around. He knew it was a long shot but the idea of fighting with you side by side one day was way too appealing not to try and make reality- all in due time he thought to himself if he closed his eyes he could feel you laying beside him, reading something with his head in your lap.
Damian stood still as a statue outside your door. Glaring at the metal as if it had personally offended him, You didn't know it but he found himself there quite often. If anyone ever caught him he'd say something along the lines of making sure their prisoner had no chance of escaping but deep down, he just wanted to go in there. Whenever it was his time to "bond" with you as his father so eloquently put it, he spent the night before buzzing in his bed, the kind of excitement from being a kid the day before a field trip, where all you can think about is getting to be there.
Despite his sour face he genuinely enjoyed every second with you, sure you two did nothing but talk shit but it still gave him that electrifying fiery feeling he got the first time you two did this little dance.
Each man was eager to prove themselves to you in some way or another, and even though you were the one in a cage, you held the most power in the house, you just haven't realized it yet.
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