Prompt:

It’s not that Jason forgot, per se.

But between smuggling a toddler out of the League of Assassins, trekking halfway across the world, and finding a suitable hiding place that’s also child friendly… well, it kind of slipped his mind that he’s supposed to be… dead.

Something that comes back to bite him in the ass when he takes Dami out for some ice cream and just so happens to run into non other than Brucie-fucking-Wayne

How do you think TJD would react to the reader having night terrors? ( for their secret weapon)

bad dreams

a/n: not me mixing TJD fluff and angst 🫠 also added a new plot point...we'll be playing with that as time goes on LMAOOO

mentions: bad dreams, nightmares, night terrors, anxiety, crying, description of past trauma, slight appearance from the spooky scary fiend, overall SFW but be cautious of above themes

taglist: @babybatlover @ripleyswhore @auburnwrites @thesithdiaries

She was running, running, running...Y/N ran through the dark forest in hopes of getting as far away as she could. Every time she turned her head she could see him going after her. He was huge - almost animalistic. The animal head he wore only made him look that much more like a beast. Y/N had been running like her life depended on it but she had no clue where she even was. She could barely see anything in front of her but she knew she needed to keep going. As soon as she stopped, he was going to catch up to her. She couldn't let that happen.

Y/N finally saw it in front of her; a cabin, the porch light shining in the dark and illuminating the house. It was the only source of solitude around, and she knew she needed to go for it before he found her. She ran to the house and stepped foot onto the rickety wooden porch and opened the door before she could even think twice about it.

Her back hit the door as she caught her breath. Y/N stood there in pitch black once again, but she hoped she was safe at least for a little while. "I need to find them..." She whispered to herself; she'd lost her partners a long ways back after they ran in different directions and had no clue where anyone was. The last she saw of any of them, Dominik tripped and clearly hurt himself but he told her to keep going. Y/N needed to listen to him and just hope they'd fine another again.

Before Y/N could even make her next move, she heard soft humming in front of her. She couldn't tell what the tune was, but the deep voice sent shivers down her spine. She could hear something creeking, something moving...it made her blood run absolutely still in her body.

"Let me in."

Y/N's eyes widened in fear when she heard the voice. It sounded so familiar, yet she could barely pinpoint it. No words left her mouth to answer him, but she watched closely as he lit a lantern to shine on his face. He smiled at her, his wild hair and beard only making him that much more deranged. "We've been waiting for you, Sister Abigail." He said with a smile, slowly rocking in a rocking chair.

Her breathing only picked up as she panicked. Y/N shook her head, and when she turned around to the door to make a run for it she saw the same beat from earlier. She had nowhere to turn, nowhere to run...

"Let us in."

--- ---

Y/N practically shot up in bed with a gasp, clutching her chest as she tried to catch her breath. She didn't even notice the tears and sweat on her face, but she could feel just how claustrophobic she was in the bed.

Hearing their princess cry was like a siren for each member of The Judgement Day. They heard her wake up, and they each slowly followed suit and sprung into action when they noticed just how in distress she was. "Baby, hey..." Rhea was the first to say something, her hand reaching out to touch Y/N's arm.

She jumped when Rhea touched her, but as soon as she realized who it was the tears only rushed harder down her cheeks. "I-I...h-he...I couldn't s-see...!" Y/N panicked as the words tried to form and explain why she was so upset but it just wasn't working.

"Woah woah woah..." Rhea said, immediately pulling Y/N into a hug and letting her cry it out. Her brows were furrowed in confusion as she held their girl close to her chest and looked at each of her partners to see if they knew what to do. Damian rubbed his eyes before putting on his glasses to see what happened, Finn and Dominik looking just as confused and worried. "What happened, love? Huh?" Damian asked this time, his hand coming forward to rub Y/N's thigh.

What her partners didn't know, was that this nightmare was the result of Y/N's long and damaging history with The Fiend himself. One that started when she began her run in NXT, and ended not long before Brooks and Josh came into the picture.

Everyone knew that when Bray Wyatt wanted something, he was going to get it. It didn't matter how or what he needed to do - once he had a target, he was laser focused. And a naÏve, young Y/N easily became one of those targets when she first started training with the WWE.

She did her best to ignore his presence whenever him or a sign of him showed up. But Bray quickly caught on, and he never took well to the ways in which Y/N would just turn her back on him or throw away the things he'd leave behind. He would begin making his presence more obvious; showing episodes of Firefly Funhouse after her matches, sending Alexa to visit, anything he could to not only make it clear what he wanted but not let Y/N have the chance to ignore him.

Once Y/N met Brooks, Bray backed off. He'd been taking more time off and focused his energy elsewhere, but that didn't mean it lessened Y/N's fear of The Fiend. She'd been doing so well for so long, too; not thinking of him or even seeing him when she closed her eyes to sleep. But somehow he was working his way back into her world, and she needed it to stop.

Y/N’s body shook in Rhea’s hold, practically paralyzed in fear. “L-lights…turn t-the lights on! He’s g-gonna c-come back!” She panicked. Dominik hurried and started by turning on a set of string lights that illuminated the area around the bed. Once everyone could see, they got a better look at Y/N’s tear stained face with some sweat starting to form at her hairline.

“Who’s ‘he’, baby?” Rhea asked quietly, but Y/N only shook her head in response and continued to let her tears fall. It was clear they weren’t going to get any immediate answers from Y/N so Rhea sat patiently with her and let her cry.

Finn moved forward a little and moved the hairs from Y/N’s face. “You need to breathe, princess. Look at me…” he encouraged, smiling a little as her eyes met his. “There she is.” Finn took one of her hands and placed it over his chest as he started to take deep breaths. “Just follow my lead.”

As Y/N let Finn calm her down, Damian stayed next to Rhea and continued to rub Y/N’s thigh. Dominik had made his escape to grab some water, but once he came back he was right back in bed and rubbing Y/N’s lower back. Nothing was more comforting than the four sets of hands on her body, their sole purpose being to ground her and calm her down after being startled awake.

Y/N’s sobs turned into sniffles eventually turned into sniffles as she image of her running through the woods replayed in her mind. Even though the lights had been turned on and she saw her partners around her, the imminent fear remained in her kind of being alone. She continued to tremble in Rhea’s hold, and the stares of everyone around her didn’t go unnoticed.

“He was…he kept chasing me.” She whispered softly. One of Dominik’s hands reached forward and held her own, her finger lightly tracing the tattoos on his hand. “We all had to split up. He…it was so dark…” Y/N could barely get the words out to explain what she saw in her dreams and she just knew she was going to struggle even beginning to explain it.

Finn frowned and rubbed her back. “Who is he, my love?” He asked quietly.

Rhea could feel the shiver that went down Y/N’s spine at Finn’s question. It took a second, but eventuality answer answer left Y/N’s lips in a hushed whisper; she was scared that even trying to speak up would bring her nightmare into existence. “Bray.” Y/N finally said, looking at Finn with teary eyes over Rhea’s shoulder.

"I knew it." Dominik mumbled as he gently shook his head, his fingers drawing gentle patterns on Y/N's lower back as she continued t calm down.

Damian frowned; he hated that he couldn’t protect his partners from everything, especially the nightmares that would pop up in their sleep unannounced. He was someone who lived to protect all four of them, and not being able to do so made him feel an immense amount of rage. But he was determined to make it better even for the time being.

He reached out and gently rubbed Y/N’s thigh. “Nothing is going to happen to any of us, especially you.” Damian said quietly. “There’s nowhere safer than right here in our home.” Y/N’s bottom lip trembled again at his words, and while she was still too terrified to fully believe Damian she gave a small nod. She also moved out of Rhea’s hold to settle in Damian’s; his muscular arms wrapped tightly around her body to shield her from anything that she thought could potentially come for her. “You're okay." He whispered softly.

Y/N's fingers gently played with the loose strands of Damian's hair; anything to occupy her mind other than the dream she'd just woken up from was fine with her. The other three watched by with sad eyes, each of them exchanging looks with one another and Damian to come up with something that could make this all better for their girl...but they knew it wasn't going to be an easy fix.

Eventually once the sniffles stopped and Y/N had exhausted herself all over again, everyone was getting settled into bed with hopes of not being woken up again. Y/N had once more been transferred to a different partner, this time laying on Finn's chest with Dominik next to her. The younger man's arm was lazily draped around her waist while Finn's fingers twirled her hair, looking down at her every so often to see if she'd fall asleep.

"If you'd quit staring at me maybe I'll fall asleep." She teased him softly.

Finn chuckled at her and used his long fingers to gently scratch at her scalp. "I'm just checkin' on ya. Need to make sure you get at least some of your beauty sleep." He smiled and gently tilted her face up so she would look at him. "Go to sleep, my love. We've got you."

Nap Time

Hear me out.

When you work the graveyard shift busting baddies and crushing cases, you likely average about two, maybe three hours of sleep a night. At most. There’s only so much time in the day, right? And Timothy Jackson Drake is not the only member of his family who’s dangerously sleep-deprived. 

So, upon Alfred’s insistence (and many isolated incidents involving brick walls, hot coffee, shaving cream, and a lack of pants)--

A bargain was struck. Deals were made. Schedules were rearranged. Employers and Teachers were generously bribed. 

All for one minor, but critically crucial thing:

Family Nap Time

It was actually Duke who had the idea, to everyone’s surprise. He stepped into the manor one day and witnessed a state of chaos on a scale only achievable by a family of the World’s Greatest Detectives:

Dick had climbed on top of the fridge and curled into a fetal position, clutching a cup of coffee like his very life depended on it. 

His eyes were unfocused, staring into the eyes of demons nobody else could see.

Jason was screaming at the toaster in Portuguese and hitting it repeatedly with a whisk. Said toaster was on fire.

Steph was dutifully trying to put out the fire with the extinguisher Alfred always kept within reaching distance of the oven (for obvious reasons). 

The only problem? She was nowhere near the toaster.

Instead, she was spraying the potted Ficus on the opposite end of the kitchen, screaming ‘aaaaayyyyyyyyyy’ in complete monotone. 

Harper, who’d ‘spent the night’ to catch a quick hour and a half of sleep, was perched, bird-like, on the bar stool at the counter squeezing mustard into her Frosted Flakes. She stared, unblinking, at the bowl. 

Whether she thought it was milk, or whether she was perfectly aware of what was in her hand and just didn’t care what she was doing is unclear. 

Damian was hugging a struggling Alfred the cat like a teddy bear, and standing with his face in the corner of the room. Unmoving. Just...standing there. 

Tim was wearing swim trunks (they were actually Dick’s, and had little yellow rubber duckies on them) and sitting in the kitchen sink. Said sink was running. Tim’s head was tipped back. He stared at the ceiling while water continued to overflow onto the floor. 

Cass was nowhere to be seen. At least, at first. 

Bruce walked in, wearing nothing but a pair of his best underwear and Selina’s fluffiest bathrobe. He was holding a carton of orange juice. He nodded at Duke, and, as the most lucid of the bunch, said, 

“Morning, son. Breakfast?”

He stepped over to the fridge, and Cass was clinging koala-style to his back. 

Whether Bruce was aware of this fact was also unclear. 

Duke was fine. He operated during the daylight hours, and therefore had the best REM cycle in the family. But still...he had Concerns. 

So, collaborating with Alfred (a.k.a. the Only One Anyone Actually Listens To) they came up with Family Nap Time. 

The rules are simple:

At exactly 6am EST report to Wayne Manor

Family Nap Time shall take place at least three (3) times per week

Refer to the Family Group Messages for more info

Bring: 

Your fluffiest blanket

If you do not have a fluffiest blanket, one will be provided for you

One or more pillow(s)

Body Pillows are Highly Encouraged

(But if necessary, a younger sibling will serve the same purpose)

Fuzzy or Comfy Pajamas (and Socks)

Not required

(But you must be wearing CLOTHES, MASTER JASON)

A raffle shall be had each week to determine who gets to pick the white noise played in the background.

Those who would like to opt out of background noise will be supplied with foam earplugs. 

No, Master Timothy, the Bee Movie Script is not adequate white noise.

Master Jason, please take this seriously. Sirens, car horns, and explosions are not conducive to a positive sleep environment. I don’t care if that is what helps you sleep at night, why can’t you be more like Miss Cassandra and select wind chimes or ocean waves?

Everyone shall gather in the living room. 

You are free to sleep anywhere you would like

Couches, the rug, by the hearth, all are excellent choices. 

No, Master Timothy, you may not sleep in the chimney

Master Dick, the coffee table is an...interesting choice, but--

Miss Brown, please keep your hands to yourself

Especially within view of young Master Damian.

No cellular devices allowed

This means all of you

Yes, ALL of you

Even you Master Bruce, don’t give me that look

The Lights will be dimmed, and the curtains drawn.

This signals that it is time to Sleep

Glowsticks are banned, Miss Brown, I’m sorry. 

Everyone must sleep for at least 3 hours, but you are free to stay as long as you would like. 

Within reason

We made an exception one time, Master Timothy

But you cannot continue to spend the week on the sofa, no matter how little sleep you’ve gotten this past month.

There’s actual work that needs to be done

Failure to attend shall result in Mandatory Leave from all patrols and other related Vigilante Activity, to allow for the opportunity to sleep on your own time.

Either way, Sleep is a NECESSITY not a SUGGESTION

Needless to say, there’s some bumps in the road, and a few debates to be settled and rules to be tweaked. But all in all? Family Nap Time is a huge hit.

The rest of the heroes in the Super Community are well aware of this practice, as well. 

Tim was teased about it at a Titans’ briefing only once. (The other Titans are still attending group therapy.)

Roy negged Jason about it a few times, then stopped once he started to notice how the dark bags under his friend’s eyes started to slowly disappear. 

The Birds of Prey pick up the slack while Babs heads over to Wayne Manor to join the siesta festivities (Siestivities?) She always helps Alfred make chamomile tea for the others. 

And lastly, 

Barry Allen, the poor fool, burst into Wayne Manor one day and shouted something about an emergency in space that the League needed Bruce for, asap!

Twelve heads perked up out of a nest made of pillows, sheets and blankets set up in the living room, glaring daggers

It was at that moment, Barry knew

He. F****d. Up.

All he remembers is the unholy sound of shrieking, fingernails, fists, and being stuffed somewhere dark (the broom closet)

Anything past that? Gonzo.

Wally had to pick him up after Alfred gave the all-clear.

It’s become a sacred, but unspoken, rule for any hero outside of Gotham: 

Let the Bats Sleep...or else

Play me like a violin...

For the wonderful @marilynmonroefanfics​ 👄👄​

Hope you’ll like it!

TW: Smut in the area!

I wanna be loved by you, just you

And nobody else but you

I wanna be loved by you, alone! 

Boop-boop-a-doop!

I wanna be kissed by you, just you

And nobody else but you

I wanna be kissed by you, alone

Marylin Monroe - I Wanna Be Loved By You (1959)

Bruce can't believe it. Even if it was days ago, he still can't believe what happened to him: he married him. He married this wonderful and handsome angel named Peter. 

He feels like it was yesterday they start dating. He, Bruce Wayne, the renowned playboy of Gotham, finally settled with the young man he met during a gala two years ago.

He remembered well the night when he introduced his lover as his boyfriend to his family: they were astonished that someone managed to get his hands on Bruce Wayne. 

Alfred exclaimed: "Finally! He found someone!" while Stephanie, Cassandra, and Barbara cheered gleefully. As for the boys, Dick was amazed, whereas Jason was taken aback, yelled: "WHAT THE HELL?". 

Tim was happy for his mentor, and Damian stayed calm, as usual, but expressed his respects towards Peter.

Overall, he can say that the Bat-family accepted Peter as its new member.

He was glad to find him: his husband is loving, caring, understanding, patient, and funny. The embodiment of perfection, at least.

Speaking of the angel, Peter appears in the room, dressed casually and with a genuine smile on his face.

"Hello, beloved husband. What are you doing?"

And this voice, my God: it sounds like an angel.

The billionaire smiles:

"I just wondering how lucky I am..."

"Lucky?"

He holds the hand of Peter.

"I mean, I am grateful to have you with me!"

"Til death do us apart if I remember well..."

"Correct."

"It's been six days since we get married if you don't forget?"

"How could I even dare to forget the best day of my life?" chuckles Bruce as he gently kisses Peter's knuckles.

The young man beams at the lovely gesture. And to think that he was a bit worried when he caught the interest of Bruce Wayne...

He was so scared to be just a one-night stand of the notorious Gotham Don Giovanni that he rejected his advances first. Slowly, he discovered what hides behind the seductive façade.

He saw a tortured soul, wounded by personal tragedies, who tried to give meaning to his life as the Dark Knight of Gotham named Batman. 

He also noticed the other side of Bruce's personality: a caring and loving man who have compassion. How not fall in love with this man?

Peter leans his head on his husband's shoulder while enjoying the view in front of him. Currently, they fancy their honeymoon in California, where Bruce rents a mansion with a look of the sea.

"I'm happy that we manage to have a moment for the two of us... I know you have a turbulent life and that we won't have a lot of quality times. But at least, you try to give me the best of you!"

"Because you deserve the best, love!" answers Bruce as he looks at the ebony eyes of his beloved.

They are shining like two black pearls of innocence. Something that amazes Bruce... and also turns him on.

While smiling, the billionaire holds his young husband against him as he lets his hands linger over this body he worships every day.

Suddenly, his phone rings:

"Oh, what again?"

"Let's see... Ah, it's Alfred!" says Peter as he answers the phone.

"Hello, Peter Wayne's on the phone!"

"**Hello, Master Peter. I'm calling to check if everything is fine!**"

"Oh, Alfred, it's a living daydream! California is a lovely place, especially when I am with my dear husband!"

"**I'm glad to hear that. May I speak to Master Bruce?**"

"Sure! Wait a minute, I turn the speakers on!"

Once it's done, Bruce speaks:

"Hello, Alfred."

"**Hello, Master Bruce. According to Master Peter, you enjoy your vacation in California?**"

"Exactly. Everything went smooth."

"**I'm relieved to know that both of you are satisfied with your honeymoon.**"

"And you, Alfred, how are you?"

"**I'm fine, thank you. And your protégés are fine, too. They expect your return on Saturday with great impatience!**"

"They missed us that much?" smirks Bruce.

"**You had no idea, Master Bruce. But, as a picture is worth a thousand words, why don't you hear it by yourself?**"

Half a second later, the couple hears the voices of all the young members of the Batfamily saying hello.

"**Hello, Californian lovebirds. You're alright?**"

"Hello, Dick. Yes, everything is perfect!"

"**Aw, you are so lucky! Can't wait to hear your stories!**"

"Don't worry, Stephanie: I'll tell you the best when we will come back!"

"**Does Bruce treat you like a prince?**," asks Tim.

"Not like a prince, Timothy, but like a king!" states Bruce with a smile.

"**You better do: he marries you, so you have to respect and cherish him!**" reminds him Damian.

"Don't worry, Dami: he is the best husband ever!" says Peter as he glances tenderly towards Bruce.

"**We hope so. Well, as long as you say everything is cool, we are happy for you! Enjoy your honeymoon!**" kindly replies Barbara. 

"**Yeah, sure. Especially Bruce, who wants to satisfy his hunger for Mama Peter!**" snickers Jason.

Bruce facepalms while Peter brightly blushes.

"**Master Jason, are you sure it was necessary?**" sighs Alfred.

"**Todd, you pervert jerk!**" snarls Damian.

"**Boys, calm down! Anyway, we are delighted to hear from you. Especially with good news!**"

"So are we, Cass."

"**Well, we leave you alone. See you on Saturday, Masters Bruce and Peter!**"

"Goodbye, Alfred! Thank you for the call!"

After he hung up the phone, Bruce sighs:

"Those kids, I swear to God they are going to kill me!"

"But you love them!" Peter smiles.

His husband returns the smile and holds him again.

"Yes, but I love you more than anything in the world!"

"Oh, really?" innocently asks Peter.

"Of course... Let me prove it!"

And with a mischievous smile, Bruce kisses his partner with passion. The latter, amused, answered the kiss with the same intensity.

Without interrupting the kiss, Bruce slid his large callused hands under his husband's shirt, greedily stroking his soft skin.

This gesture surprised Peter, who asks:

"But what are you doing again?"

"I take care of my husband, this is what I do!"

"Don't be innocent, honey. You've got an idea in your head, and I'd like to know which one!"

"Very well, since you insist ..."

Bruce leaned over his lover's neck and kissed it several times.

"Since we are on our honeymoon, I said to myself that we could take the opportunity to consummate the marriage ..."

At these words, Peter began to blush. So far, they had never had sex and the thought of having his first time with his husband scared him: what if it turned into a fiasco?

"Are you all right, Peter?"

"Yeah, it's just that ..."

"What?"

The young man lowered his head, a little ashamed.

"It's just that I'm scared!"

"Afraid of what?"

"Let's say I'm apprehensive because it's my first time ..."

Bruce strokes his husband's cheek:

"You don't have to worry, Peter: I'll be careful! I'll make it unforgettable!"

"I don't doubt it, but ..."

"But what? What can you worry about so much?"

"The two of us! I mean, look at yourself: you look like a Greek God, while I look like a bun next to you!"

Bruce rolls his eyes, a slight smile on his lips, before stroking his husband's hips.

"You should stop putting yourself down, honey. Of course, we're different, so what? That's what I liked about you: your playfulness, your zest for life, your kindness ... You are the light that was missing in my life! "

He takes Peter by the waist before adding:

"As far as your body is concerned, know that I find it perfect. Besides, comparing it to a bun is not completely inappropriate ... since I find you delicious!"

And without warning, he lifts his husband off the ground and takes him to their room.

"Bruce, stop!" laughs Peter.

"Definitely not! I'm hanging on to you forever!" the latter jokes.

Once in their room, he gently set Peter down on the bed before closing the door behind him.

Then, he comes back and positions himself above his lover, who gives him an innocent smile.

"I guess it's time to get down to business!"

"Exactly, my little prince! Now let me do it and enjoy!"

With that, Bruce again captures Peter's lips in a passionate kiss.

The newlyweds hasten to get rid of their clothes, and they find themselves naked as on the first day.

Bruce is dumbfounded at his husband's naked body: for him, it is the most beautiful thing he had ever admired in his life.

As for Peter, he is amazed by the impressive musculature of his lover, but not only. It must be said that Bruce is well fitted, especially at the level of the private parts.

He swallows: he wonders how something so huge would be able to penetrate him? Nothing to think about it makes him uncomfortable ...

"If you don't want us to do this right now, I would understand. It might be going a little too fast for you ..."

Peter shakes his head:

"No, Bruce, it's going to be fine. I trust you."

Reassured, the latter kisses his husband again before letting his lips slide down Peter's neck and chest, making the young man moan with pleasure.

This reaction amuses the millionaire, who continues his little game, lingering on his husband's hips before descending to his penis.

"Bruce ..." Peter moans, bracing himself under his lover's expert licks.

His cries of pleasure grows louder when he feels Bruce's mouth tickle his cock. He thought his brain would not stand the shock of the sensations that seizes him.

"Oh my god, Bruce!"

"Good boy, so responsive!" his husband whispers as he continues to explore the young man's privacy with his tongue. While doing so, he lets his large hands caress and pinch his nipples.

Quickly, Peter becomes a moaning mess, clutching at the sheets as if his life depended on it.

He's used to Bruce's hugs, but this is different: it is addicting, and he always needs more.

"Tell me, Peter, do you want to go further?"

"Oh yes, Bruce."

"Tell me what you want, Peter."

Catching his breath, his husband answers:

"I want you to take me, Bruce. I want to offer you my innocence!"

A hungry smile appears on Bruce's face:

"It's a beautiful gift you are giving me, beautiful boy! And it deserves a reward!"

He lays down on top of Peter, tucking himself between his legs, and position himself close to his privacy. Before doing anything, he glances at Peter and asks:

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," the young man whispers.

Bruce kisses his lover before slowly penetrating him so that the latter gets used to his presence.

Peter gasps when he feels his husband's cock inside him. The pain is so unbearable that he sheds a tear that slid down his cheek.

Seeing this, Bruce feels guilty: he wanted this moment to be magical for them, not to make his husband suffer. Gently, he brushes the tear away from Peter's cheek.

"Excuse me if I was brutal."

"No, no. It's not your fault. It's just that I'm not used to ... It's my first time, after all!"

"Don't apologize; you'll be fine. Take your time, and when you're ready, we'll continue!"

"Okay!"

Peter took his time to calm down and get used to Bruce's presence.

He mentally told himself that he does not have to worry, that everything would be fine. Besides, Bruce is patient and understanding: with him, he is in good hands.

Gradually, he relaxes and let his husband understand that he was ready. The latter understands, and he begins his thrusts so as not to rush Peter.

Once he is more at ease, the young man lets himself go and quickly takes pleasure in feeling the kidney strokes of his husband as he moans louder.

As for Bruce, he gives a slow and sensual rhythm to this particular dance. With his old one-night stands, he was content to have a good shag and nothing more. But there, with Peter in his arms, he is taking his time and experiencing a pleasure he had never reached.

But above all, he loves Peter, and he wants to give him that pleasure he currently feels. And the latter's cries of desire confirm that he is doing it well ...

"B-Bruce ..."

"Yes, my angel?"

"G-Go faster!" Peter moans, wrapping his legs around Bruce's waist.

"Your wish is my command!"

And with that, the millionaire picks up the tempo, thrusting faster.

Overwhelmed with pleasure, Peter feels his sanity give up, and he latches onto Bruce's back, scratching him lightly at the shoulders.

This action excites his partner, who continues his thrusts between the hips of his lover rhythmed by their sighs and cries of pleasure.

"B-Bruce, I ... I'm going to cum!"

"Yeah, me too, babe! Just wait for me, darling!"

After several thrusts, the two newlyweds reached seventh heaven with a final moan of pleasure.

Then Bruce slowly withdraws from Peter's privacy before laying down next to his husband.

The latter is still under the effect of adrenaline and does not realize what had just happened. But for sure, the young man loved it!

"So, honey, this first time?" Bruce demands, slightly panting.

"It was perfect. Yes, really perfect!" Peter replies, settling in the strong arms of his husband.

"Good, that's what I wanted for you."

"And I thank you for that."

Chuckling, Bruce kisses his husband's forehead before hugging him and settling down to sleep.

"Come on, I think we have the right to a well-deserved rest!"

"Yes, my body is numb for now!"

"Tomorrow, you will probably be in pain."

"I will hold you personally responsible!" jokes the young man.

"What if I offer you a bath tomorrow to make amends?"

"There, I accept."

The two men laugh and take advantage of the calm, embraced. Then, won over by sleep, they let themselves go in the arms of Morpheus.

"I love you, Bruce Wayne."

"I love you, Peter Wayne."

And with these words of love, the two lovers fell asleep with serenity, far from the tumult of Gotham.

Must be love on the brain

That’s got me feeling this way

It beats me black and blue but it fucks me good

And I can’t get enough

Must be love on the brain yeah

Rihanna - Love on the Brain (2016)

Thanks for the reading!

Hope you enjoy the story!

See you later! 🥰😘😍

Making Do (With What Life Give Us): Part 4

So last part, don’t be afraid to talk to me, I love interacting with you all. I hope you enjoyed this short (15k word) fic. Without further ado, I give you Part 4.

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As her friendship with Adrien grew she realized that he and Chat Noir are the same person. They had kissed during Dark Cupid, turns out they both remember it and found it awkward and decided on being friends. They would have won the gaming competition if Marinette hadn't given her spot up to Max. She had won his father's hat competition without prior knowledge of their friendship, in fact, Gabriel had offered a scholarship which she would have taken if not had it been for her need to disappear to be Ladybug. But she did take commissions from her new uncle, Jagged Stone. Chloe and she had become co-class presidents together again and everyone was quite happy. She also joined them in battle as Queen Bee with the promise of secrecy. Adrien and Chloe had officially unofficially adopted the two blondes into their family. Her parents are super protective over them especially after hearing about their nightly escapades as heroes. As a group, they were close, with the help of her family, to figuring out who Hawkmoth is. 

After an awkward conversation that Marinette did not in fact like Nino more than a friend, he joined the friend group with the later addition of Alya, his new girlfriend. Throughout it all, Damian and her family had started to come to Paris more, thankfully no one from her friends besides Chloe and Adrien had met them. She didn't want to tell Nino and Alya because of the Ladyblog, Alya had a tendency to stretch the truth and to do practically anything to get a good story. She didn't fully trust them and with good reason and it all started at the beginning of her third year in Paris.

A new student joined the class, which would have been fine besides the lies she was constantly telling. "I'll meet you in the park in ten minutes," she had said to Adrien.

"You wouldn't believe what she just said," Adrien snickers to Marinette as she comes out of hiding.

"How'd you know I was there?" Marinette asks, sitting beside him.

"Chloe texted me saying you felt something suspicious about her," Adrien said.

"And with good intention, she's clearly lying," Marinette pouted.

"Obviously, she's best friends with Ladybug even though she just moved here? How does that even make sense?" Adrien asks. "So I'm not saying that you should, but I'm going to meet up with 'Ladybug's best friend' I feel like she would LOVE to catch up with her, don't you think?"

"I'll let you know what my dear friend says," Marinette smirks. Adrien and the rest of her brothers had started to rub off on her.

"I don't recommend it, I would wait to see what she says first," Tikki whispers from Mari's purse. "Or you could interrupt as you depending on what she says."

"We'll see," Marinette said, standing up. As she entered the park she heard the liar talking. 

She coos. "Ladybug isn't even the most powerful hero, it's Volpina, the holder of the fox miraculous." She pauses while she pulls out her necklace. "This is the fox miraculous, it used to be my grandmother's, but she passed it down to me. I let Ladybug have her time to make a name for herself because we're best friends."

"You've been here for like two days," Adrien started.

"And," Marinette says, walking up. "That was a necklace released in Gabriel's last line. Also why would you tell a total stranger about something, 'so important' something that is supposed to be a secret," Marinette said, sitting down beside Adrien.

"Sabine, Tom, and Chloe are waiting at home for lunch, want to come?" Marinette asks Adrien.

"I would love to!" the liar interrupted, standing up.

"And you are?" Marinette asks.

"Sorry Mari, my dad wants me to come home today," Adrien said, standing.

"It's fine, just remember mama and papa would be heartbroken if they don't see you soon," Marinette said walking towards the entrance.

"Hey I've been busy, could you imagine how much more busy I would be if we hadn't threatened to dye my hair?" Adrien laughs, remembering that wonderful weekend.

"What do you mean?" Lila asked, racing up behind them.

"A couple of weeks ago, Adrien wanted to have a sleepover with our friend group, but his dad was being himself and decided that he couldn't," Marinette started, prompting Adrien to finish. "They snuck in through the window with some semi-permanent dye and the dyed my hair lime green. I threatened to shave my head if he kept forcing me to stay in the house."

"You're a bad influence on him!" Lila shouts, grabbing her arm.

"All I'm showing him is that he doesn't have to live his life as a prisoner in his own house," Marinette responds, pulling her arm from Lila's clutch.

"And I couldn't be happier," Adrien says as his car pulls up. "Bye Mari, we still on for after school?"

"Yes, Mama said if you don't learn how to back soon she'll disown me," Marinette laughs, hugging him.

"She can't disown you and even if she did Bruce would be more than happy to take you back," Adrien snickers.

"So are we never going to talk about this again?" Lila asked, the two friends stopping in their tracks.

"As long as you don't lie, we could start a friendship," Marinette smiles. "See you in class, Lila. Welcome to our class." They wave and walk there separate ways.

Stuff started to go downhill from there, Alya and Nino believed Lila lies over Marinette and their friend group them. It was a dark time in Marinette's life, everyone besides Chloe and Adrien. The retaliation that the class set against them was beyond tolerable. Gabriel still made Adrien deal with Lila because apparently 'she is all the rage right now.' Marinette had been more unhappy than usual so Marinette's parents decided that she needed a break from the drama, but on her last day before her vacation when everything went to hell. 

"I can't believe she was even let into this school!" Alya loudly exclaimed during lunch. 

Lila's sniffled, she had been distressed because Marinette 'supposedly' made fun of her for her past, "What do you mean?"

"Well before she became a jealous wench we were best friends, I just so happen to know almost everything about her," Alya snickers.

"What do you mean? She has secrets?" Lila asks, rubbing her eyes to wipe her tears away.

"She used to live in America, where her dad left her before she was born. Her mother was a stripper and died because she couldn't pay for her drugs and was shot," Alya laughs. "She lived on the streets until Sabine and Tom adopted her. Then she became friends with Chloe and Adrien for their money and connection, obviously. She then manipulated Adrien, Lila's soulmate, to hate her."

"I recommend you silence yourself before I break your elbows and give them to Titus," A voice comes from the entry of the cafeteria. "You're saying only the bad, most of them exaggerated and false.

"And you are... someone she paid to pretend to like her?" Lila asked.

"No, she doesn't need to pay me, even if she could she wouldn't be able to. She is my best friend," he said.

"Ummmm... No! I'm her best friend and she's never spoken of you," Alya said, crossing her arms.

"A real friend would check her statements before announcing these lies. Speaking of the Angel, where is she?" he asked.

"You must not be talking about her because she's an actual demon," Lila sniffles. "Have you heard the things she's done to me?"

"And I don't believe you," He said.

"Thanks, Demon. I never needed any of them all I needed was my closest and most trustworthy friends," Marinette said after she had run and hugged him.

"Hey, Angel, it's good to see you again," he said into her hair.

"And who are you, 'Demon', you never answered," Alya asked, putting air quotes around 'Demon'.

"I'm Damian, Marinette's best friend," Damian said, an arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"That's debatable, we both know I'm her better friend," Adrien snickers.

"Nope. I was her first friend," Damian answers.

"But first is the worst, and as being her second friend, I'm the best," Chloe says, smiling.

"Come on guys, you get to spend all the time with me, let me spend some time with Damian. I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving," Marinette says, snuggling into his embrace.

"Good job making the conversation all about you," Lila remarks.

"Whatever... come on let's go to class, the sooner this ends, the sooner I can leave," Marinette says and they turn to walk to class. 

"Who the hell does she think she is?" Lila said, crossing her arms.

"A jealous, psychotic, gold-digging, wench," Alya answers.

"With good tastes though, did you see that hot piece of man that defended her," Lila said.

"Dark and brooding," Alya adds before they head to class. The lesson was normal, glares and disappointing glances sent her way, as she designed. With fifteen minutes before dismissal for the day, a knock came at the door. 

"I'm here for Marinette," Damian said, entering the room.

"Oh thank God, I don't know how much more of this crap I can take," She responds in English. "Bye Chloe, Adrien, love you both, see you next week." She hears her friends respond with a bye as the door closes.

The trip went well and the time was well spent. Marinette released her first line while in Gotham under, the alias she used to be known as, Sunshine. They had a party held in her honor where for the first time ever, she showed her face to the public and the Ice Prince and Princess Sunshine became an official couple. She melted his heart, as said by a majority of the news outlets. 

She had also made a speech at the closing of the ball. "So honestly, I just want to thank Bruce, who was kind enough to foster for me, Damian, who was a supportive food friend turned boyfriend, my brother, Jason, Tim and Drake, who taught me to live my life. Along with my two best friends, who I met in Paris, Chloe Bourgeois and Adrien Agreste. My adopted parents, Tom and Sabine, who only have my best interest at heart. Last but not least I would love to thank my antagonists all my classmates, who I'm too mature to call out by name, especially the liar, you know who you are."

The girls watch in disbelief. Lila was crying actual tears as she saw her lie-kingdom begin to fall. Alya cries as she sees her career end. 

When Marinette returned a couple of days later, Marinette walked into class early, smiling. Alya stood there, arms crossed and glared ready. "You are a petty waste of--"

"I could have been petty and released all your names," Marinette says, trying to walk past the red-head.

"No, that is just common courtesy, it was just petty to bring us up in your lies," Lila said.

"You want to see petty, fine," Marinette said, dropping her bag on Bustier's desk. She pulls out her notebook and rips it.

"So... why should we care," Lila asked.

"That. That right there ripped up and at the bottom of the waste bin is our end of the year trip," Marinette said, pointing to the waste bin.

"You! You petty bitch!" Lila screams.

"Yep, and proud of it," Marinette smiles and takes a seat, but not before placing a stack of papers on their desk.

"Also this is for you," Adrien says, walking into class. He places a stack of papers on Alya and Lila's desk.

"And what are those," Lila says, significantly paler than normal.

"Well from me, those are lawsuits from my parents, Jagged Stone, and the Waynes," Marinette said, smiling as she took a seat.

"Mine is a court-mandated cease and desist order for your Ladyblog, for spreading rumors about the Agreste Brand. For you, Lila, your papers are termination papers, for spreading false rumors," Adrien said.

"W... What, you can't do this the Ladyblog is my life work!" Alya screamed.

"Who cares about you!? My mum is going to send me back to military school if she finds out I got in trouble for lying, please don't do this," Lila exclaimed, falling on the ground.

"I gave you a way out last year, you didn't take it," Adrien said, sitting beside Chloe and Marinette.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't been such a bad influence on him I could have had it all," Lila screamed, attempting to jump at him.

"Nope! you couldn't have," Damian said entering the room.

"Lila Rossi, you're under arrest for working the terrorist, Hawkmoth and using celebrities' names to get free things," the officer said.

"Damian, what are you doing here?" Marinette asks, standing up to greet her boyfriend.

"Father and I are here on business," he responds hugging her,

"And does any of that business have to do with you helping me?" Marinette asks, smiling into his embrace.

"Some of it the other half was actual, WE work. I'm going to be working in this wing of WE when I graduate," Damian smiles.

"Sounds great, Demon," Marinette says, breaking the embrace to look him in the eyes.

"I can't wait to start this next chapter of my life with you by my side, Angel," Damian said, kissing the crown of her head.

Extra (how Damian realized Marinette was definitely not just a friend):

Marinette had come to the ball (not really party just really big party) wearing a light blue off the shoulder cocktail dress, looking as beautiful as normal. He had been enjoying himself until he saw it. Normally he’s not one to be jealous, but the way she was smiling at this guy was bothering him. Damian found Jason and told him. “I have a suspicious feeling about that guy.”

“Are you it’s not because how he’s making her smile?” Jason asks, nudging him with his elbow. 

“And why would that bother me!” Damian asks. 

“Well remember that time in the gym, right after Marinette became Ladybug and you found out she had a partner,” Jason asks, Damian gave a nod, yes. “Well today could be that day. The longer you wait the less chance you have with her.” He finishes before walking away. 

Extra (how they became a couple):

He was utterly and completely hecked --gotta keep it family friendly ( ; -- he was in love with his best friend and it looks like someone had already beaten him to it. At the thought he walked away to the balcony, failing to notice the bluenette, who had seen him sad and decided to check up on him.

When she found him he was leaning on the guardrail he was holding a glass of grape juice, not being the legal drinking his brothers found it funny to give him it. “What’s the matter Dami?” Marinette asks, putting a hold on his shoulder. 

“It nothing, I just realized that I’ve been missing who's been in front of me this whole time and now its too late,” he sighs, taking a swig from his glass.

“Missing who?” Marinette asks, placing her head on his shoulder.

“You, you’re the best thing that’s happened to me and it’s too late now,”  Damian explained.

“What do you mean it’s too late?” Marinette said, lifting her head. 

“Didn’t that guy ask you out?” Damian asks, standing up straighter. 

“What? No Dami. He’s a client,” Marinette explained, pulling him into a hug. 

“Wait seriously?” Damian says. “God, I’m so stupid.”

“Yes Damian, if you hadn’t noticed I’m head over hill for you,” Marinette says, kissing his cheek. 

“Seriously!?” Damian asks, picking her up in a spin. 

“If I didn’t know Adrien I would say you’re the most oblivious person I know,” Marinette giggles into his embrace.

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Tag list:

@northernbluetongue @chocolatecatstheron @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @gwennex @abrx2002 @sonif50 @silvergold-swirl @sturchling @rosep16 @toodaloo-kangaroo @captainmac6 @crazylittlemunchkin @tired-butterfly @emo-elaine13 @book-lover-2006 @weird-pale-blonde-person @rebecarojas07 @dahjokester @jessigurl-design @vixen-uchiha @daminett4life @cici-schnee @clumsy-owl-4178 @lavenderchaitea @grimmhallow31

Snow Day

A Reverse Batfamily Fic

Summary: Pretty much what the title says. The Batfamily have a fun day in the snow.

When Bruce had gone to bed on Friday night, he had expected to be able to sleep in a little, considering he wouldn’t have to go to work the next day. That plan went out the window when a ball of energy burst into his room and launched itself onto his stomach at approximately 7:30 in the morning.

“Bruce!” Said man blearily peeked his eyes open to see his youngest child beaming down at him. “Bruce! It’s snowing!”

Bruce sighed internally. There was no way he was going back to sleep—not with how excited Dick sounded—so he opened his eyes all the way and sat up, bringing a hand up to Dick’s back so the boy wouldn’t become unbalanced. He managed a smile and raised his eyebrows. “Is it? I didn’t notice.”

“That’s ‘cause you were sleeping.” Dick bounced with a pout. “But now you’re awake so get up so we can see the snow!”

Bruce let out an exaggerated groan and turned, swinging his feet over the side of his bed. He kept his grip on Dick, who wrapped his legs around Bruce’s torso and locked his arms around the man’s neck. Bruce put a hand under Dick’s bottom to support the boy as he left his room and made his way toward the dining room. Dick babbled the whole way, excitedly informing Bruce of every activity they were going to do in the snow today.

“That sounds like a fun day, chum, but we need to eat first.”

“But snow!”

“But breakfast.”

Dick sighed as if eating breakfast was a huge inconvenience. “Fine, I’ll eat first, but then we’re gonna play in the snow!”

Bruce was unsurprised to see Damian and Cassandra already in the dining room, the latter looking over Damian’s shoulder as he read the paper. At Dick’s and his entrance, the two looked up, Damian raising an eyebrow at Bruce’s state of undress while Cass hid her smile in her mug of coffee. Bruce glanced at Dick and back at Damian, who nodded once in understanding.

Bruce sat at the head of the table and gratefully took the mug of coffee Alfred handed him, the butler seemingly showing up out of nowhere. A few minutes later, Stephanie and Jason stumbled in just as Alfred was setting Bruce’s plate in front of him. The boy took one look at Bruce and snorted.

“If only the villains could see you.”

Bruce sent a glare Jason’s way, but his second youngest ignored him and sat next to Dick.

Breakfast went as usual with Dick chattering away about all the things they were going to do in the snow. As soon as he was done, he shot out of his chair. He had one foot out of the dining room when Alfred spoke from behind him. “I hope you are leaving to go get dressed, Master Dick.”

Dick stopped and turned a sheepish smile toward the butler. “Yes, Alfred.” He ran from the room, eager to get dressed so he could finally play in the snow. When he came down a few minutes later, he made a beeline for the front door, only to be stopped by Alfred once more.

“Please wait for the others to join you, Master Dick.”

Dick groaned. “But Alfred—!”

“No buts, Master Dick."

Dick whined but let go of the doorknob and marched back to the stairs. He plopped down and crossed his arms, a pout on his face. Tim, who had finished breakfast and was on his way upstairs to get a jacket and some gloves, stifled a smile as he passed the boy.

Dick continued to wait as Bruce and his siblings slowly trickled out of the dining room. He fought the urge to groan as they—to him, at least—took forever to get their winter gear and make their way back to the foyer.

Finally, everyone was gathered at the front door, so Dick jumped up and ran to Bruce, clutching at his leg as if his life depended on it.

“Can we go out now?”

Bruce chuckled and ruffled Dick’s hair. “We can go out now, chum.”

Bruce hadn’t even finished his sentence before Dick was out the door, sprinting into the yard and flopping face first into the snow. Jason wasn’t far behind him, though he chose to fall onto his back. Dick rolled over onto his back, face pink from the cold, and began to make a snow angel.

The rest of the group followed at a slower pace. Stephanie was the first to break off to join the boys, followed quickly by Cass. Tim was reluctantly pulled along while Bruce and Damian stood to the side. Damian was glaring at the falling snow, still not used to the cold even after all the years he’s spent in Gotham.

Damian felt more than saw the projectile heading towards the side of his face. He held his hand up to catch it but was surprised when it exploded in his hand. Cold snow splattered against his cheek and the side of his neck. He scowled and looked to the right, finding Stephanie standing a few feet away with a smirk on her face and the remnants of snow on her glove. Her smirk grew and he only had a moment to realize what she was going to do when she shouted, “Snowball fight!”

It only took seconds for the air to fill with flying snowballs. Damian immediately ducked and gathered snow into his hands. He would have liked to find cover, but, unfortunately, the lawn was clear of any trees, bushes, or any other places that could provide protection.

Dick had come to the same realization and made a beeline for Damian. “Dami, protect me!” He ran around and clutched at the man’s leg as Damian straightened back up. Damian let out a sigh but didn’t say anything. He let Richard stay behind them as they both threw snowballs at the others.

Bruce had tried to leave, but Dick had grabbed his pant leg with a death grip, so the man was stuck next to Damian while projectiles flew around them. Dick ran between the two for protection as he flung snowballs at his siblings.

Despite their limited movement, Bruce and Damian were able to dodge most of the snowballs, though by lunch everyone was pretty much soaked. After lunch, clothes were changed, and everyone was back outside again, this time building snowmen. Jason and Dick had been adamant about building one on their own, so Tim, Stephanie, and Cass paired up to make another one. Once again, Bruce and Damian stood to the side and watched the others.

Dick and Jason were apparently trying to build the largest snowman they could with their limited height. The base of their snowman was as tall as Dick, which became a problem when they tried to add their second layer. They spent a few minutes trying to lift it over their heads, but the second large snowball proved to be too heavy. They set it back on the ground before Dick dejectedly shuffled over to Bruce and Damian. He looked up at them, pouting.

“Can you help us pick it up?”

Bruce smiled down at Dick. “Of course.”

Jason huffed his annoyance but allowed Bruce to help. There was no way they were going to add the middle layer by themselves, but Jason swore they were going to put the head on by themselves, even if he had to get a ladder.

Bruce stepped back and watched Dick roll the head while Jason ran inside. He came back out a few minutes later with a step ladder and a bag. Bruce quirked an eyebrow at the latter but didn’t say anything as Jason put the bag down and set up the ladder next to the snowman. Together, Jason and Dick carefully lifted the snowman’s head and climbed up the ladder to place at the top of the snowman. Satisfied, Dick jumped off the ladder and ran off to gather sticks while Jason went to find stones.

The youngest came back a few minutes later with an armful of sticks, dropping them next to the bag. Curious, Dick peeked into the bag and, when he realized what was in it, turned to look at Jason excitedly. At Jason’s smirk and nod, Dick grinned and picked up the two largest sticks in the pile, adding them as arms to the snowman as Jason made his way over. Together, they pulled out something large and black from the mystery bag and settled it on top of the snowman.

It was then that Bruce and Damian realized it was the cape and cowl for Shadowbat’s suit.

“Oh my god!”

Stephanie’s shout had interrupted Damian before he could say anything about Dick and Jason’s snowman. When he and everyone else turned towards the second group to look at her, Damian felt his indignation grow.

Stephanie had the habit of frequently changing hobbies. Since moving into the manor, she had tried to learn how to play a variety of instruments, attempted to write short stories and poetry, and joined a different sports team each school year. Unfortunately, after a few months, she would grow bored with it and move onto something new. Stephanie’s current hobby was sculpting, a skill which she had apparently decided to use to make a less traditional-looking snowman.

It looked like Damian.

Had he been less angry, he would have appreciated the detail of its features. While not perfect, the likeness of the snowman to Damian really was well done. As it was, though, both groups of his siblings had decided to make a snowman of him (not to mention Jason stealing his cape and cowl from the Batcave), and this could only be a slight against him.

“Wow!” Dick ran over to get a closer look at their snowman (snow-Damian?). “This is really good!”

Stephanie laughed. “Thanks! I think this is my best work yet!”

“We made Dami too! I was gonna just put tiny sticks on his head to make hair, but Jason got his Shadowbat stuff, which is so much better!”

“I saw!” Stephanie replied jovially, “What are the odds that we both made a snow-Damian?”

Bruce kept one ear on the conversation but turned away to check on Jason. Looking back at Jason and Dick’s snowman, Bruce found that his second youngest had wrapped a spare utility belt around the snowman and was now adding a frown made from some of the rocks he had gathered. When the last stone was in place, Jason turned and smirked at Damian.

Bruce put a hand on Damian’s shoulder, stopping the other man from going after Jason. “Let them have their fun.”

Damian growled, “Father—”

“Think of it as a compliment. They put time and effort into making you.”

Damian narrowed his eyes but settled down, only to be riled up again when Jason stuck his tongue out at him. Bruce tightened his grip on Damian’s shoulder to keep him in place and sent an admonishing look towards Jason, who only grinned back.

“Dami, are you okay?”

Bruce and Damian looked down to find Dick standing next to them, frowning as he stared at Damian with worry. Bruce glanced at Damian, who was staring back at Dick. His gaze briefly moved over to Jason before moving back to Dick. Damian took a deep breath and relaxed his body.

“I am fine, Richard. Jason was merely attempting to get a reaction from me, but as you can see, he did not succeed.”

Dick blinked. “Kinda looked like he did to me.” He didn’t give Damian time to react as he turned around and smiled at the others. “Can we go sledding now?”

The others raced off to get their sleds, and Bruce followed, patting Damian on the shoulder as he passed. “Just let it go, Damian.”

Despite his outrage, Damian still acquiesced when Richard begged him to ride down the hill with the boy. Of course, that meant being heckled by Drake and Brown that he was “whipped,” but Damian didn’t care too much. They were just as weak against Richard’s baby blue eyes, if not weaker.

After a few hours of sledding, everyone headed back in for hot showers and dinner. For once, Dick actually started nodding off after dinner, worn out by the day’s events. Bruce carried the boy upstairs, changed him into his pajamas, and tucked him in. He was just leaning down to turn on Dick’s nightlight when his youngest spoke.

“Thanks, Tati.”

Bruce stood and made his way back over to the bed. Dick smiled dreamily up at him as Bruce ran a hand over his hair. “I’m glad you had a good day today, Dick.”

Dick’s eyes lit up even as he struggled to keep them open. “The best day.”

“You say that almost every day,” Bruce replied, chuckling.

Dick’s eyes closed, finally losing the fight to stay awake. Just as he was falling asleep, he murmured, “S’cause every day with y’guys ‘s the best.”

Bruce’s breath caught for a moment. He stared at Dick and ran his hand through his hair once more before leaving the room. He paused at the door and turned back to look at Dick one more time before turning the lights off. “Good night, Dick.”

“Nigh’...”

Bruce smiled and closed the door.

Love You Like Nothing I’ve Had Before || chapter 1

Hey yeah, here I am, unable to not write about soulmates because gdi soulmates are great ok. This is the prompt fill for day 9, soulmates AU. I hope you enjoy it! If you want to be tagged to my Daminette December prompt fills, just hit me up, and if you only want to be tagged to this once I get the next chapter done (the fic got a little out of hand and I decided to cut it for now), you better say you only want to be tagged to this. 

Ao3 || Chapter 2

This is Maribat fanfiction. Don’t like; don’t read.

________

There was a meter that told something about one's soulmate printed somewhere on everyone's body. Everyone had one, whether it be romantic or platonic, but just because everyone had a soulmate didn't mean that everyone had a happy ending. Life was cruel, and sometimes you lost all the colours in your vision before you saw them, sometimes your soulmate's name got smudged and their meter went to zero before their time. Sometimes people lost their soulmates much before they ever even had the chance to meet them. Even children knew this, but it was rare that parents told their children what the meter meant until they were older. There was a reason to it, and a good one at that.

That was also why a little girl with black hair tied into pigtails looked at her wrist with confusion and bewilderment before she walked to the kitchen where she knew her parents would be.

“Huh…? How is my meter so high… Maman, what does it mean when your meter is full?”

A simple, innocent question asked by a young child, likely no older than five years of age, who only knew the pattern on her arm was a meter that told something about her soulmate. She didn’t know what it was for, her parents had never told her.

There was also their first name under the meter, but Marinette couldn’t read it. Originally she thought it was because she just didn’t know how to read in general, but then she learnt the alphabet well and realised they weren’t even the same letters they used in France.

Her papa had told her that was because her soulmate’s native tongue wasn’t French or any other language she spoke. They had different letters in their language, he said.

“Are you sure it’s high, dear?”, her maman asked, never once stopping to look at her daughter. It was understandable, she was baking, but maybe, just maybe, little Marinette would have wished her maman would have paid more attention to her.

“Yes, maman. I drew a picture, too.”

That was right. Only she could see the meter or the name on her arm, that much she knew since she had tried to ask her parents about the name but they told her they couldn’t see it. You could only see your own and your soulmate’s one.

She also couldn’t see her parents that well.

Well, of course she could, but they looked so boring to her. They were colourless, just like everyone but herself. Herself she could see in colour, the bright blue eyes and the black hair. Only after meeting her soulmate would she see the world in colour, but even then other humans would remain monochrome, stay in the eye colour of her soulmate. She could only ever see herself and her soulmate in full colour, or so she was told.

And who was she to say her parents, her grandparents, teachers, everyone, was wrong? She was still a child, she didn’t know much, just like all of them always said.

“Let me se—” Her maman just stopped as Marinette handed her the drawing. She’d made everything as similar as she could, and finally, finally her maman looked at her.

Marinette did not like that horrified look in her eyes.

“So, I suppose it is time we explained what the meters mean, honey. It tells you how dangerous your soulmate is. Perhaps not to you, but in general. It can get lower and higher over time, depending on how dangerous your soulmate is at that moment. Usually the meter gets higher over long periods of time, and they only get to this level if the person does martial arts, but I have never heard of a meter this high on a child. That is a little... concerning. I wonder if your soulmate is alright.”

“What does dangerous mean?”

“If someone or something is dangerous, it means they can cause you harm and hurt you really bad. For example, touching a hot oven is dangerous if you don’t have oven mitts. Going with a stranger is also dangerous.”

“Oh okay. Can I have a cookie?”

“Sure, dear. You can have one.”

⬷۵⤐

The next time Marinette thought about her soulmate more was when she met a person who was writing something that looked a lot like the name written in shining blue ink on her wrist in the park. A nine-year-old Marinette was aware of the stranger danger, of course, but she thought it wasn’t too bad if she asked the person if they could help her find out what the name was. It was her approaching them, she was in a public place and she wasn’t going to go anywhere with them, it would be fine.

“Excuse me, monsieur, but could you maybe help me?”

The man in question looked at her before he smiled at her and put his notebook aside. “Of course. What do you need help with?”

Marinette sighed in relief and sat down on the bench next to him. “Well, I saw what you were writing and it looked a lot like the name on my wrist. If I tried to write it down for you, could you tell me what their name is? I cannot read it and I don’t even recognise the letters so I cannot look it up myself”, she explained with a smile, hoping the man would help her. She didn't know what else she could do to find out their name. The man handed her his notebook and pen and told her to write the name there. She did. It took her a few minutes, but she managed.

“I’m sorry it probably doesn’t look very good, it’s difficult for me to write”, she apologised as the man read the name.

“Don’t worry, mademoiselle, you wrote it just fine. Anyway, their name is Damian. I wish you the best of luck with finding them, child”, the man told her. He was kind, she decided, so she pulled out a box of macarons and offered them to the man.

“Here, you can have a few as thanks. They’re from the Dupain-Cheng patisserie, and it’s the best in Paris!”, she said happily and stood there, waiting for him to take up her offer.

He did, eventually, which made her happy. Especially the expression he made when he took a bite was great, he seemed to enjoy it a lot. Marinette was glad, she loved seeing people smile. If there was something she found worth living for, it was making people smile and helping them find joy in life.

She waved the man goodbye before she left. After all, she’d agreed to meet Nino soon, she didn’t want to be too late.

⬷۵⤐

Marinette woke up with a choked gasp and shot up in her bed. She was panting and had her pajama shirt in a tight grip. She felt like choking and could almost taste blood in her mouth. There was a piercing pain in her chest. It almost felt like someone had impaled her chest with a sword and tried to inflict as much pain on her as they could.

It took her quite the while to be able to focus her vision on anything. Everything was blurry and dark. But, when she was finally able to see something, the first thing that caught her eye was that her meter had gone down and the name under it was smudged. She had studied the Arabic alphabet, so she could now read it by herself, but there was no way she could understand the name anymore.

Then she realised she couldn’t see the colour of her shirt or hands anymore.

Marinette’s eyes widened and an ear-piercing scream escaped her lungs. Her parents rushed to her room and found their little girl in her bed, crying so much her tears ran freely down her face. She was hyperventilating and clutching her shirt in her hands, her tiny body outright trembling.

Her maman ran to her and lifted her chin up with her hand, horrified when she saw her eyes were glassy and unfocused. It was most definitely worse than a simple nightmare. There was something actually wrong with her.

“Qiānjīn, breathe. Talk to me, please, tell me what’s wrong”, her maman told her, pulling Marinette in her embrace and squeezing her tight against her chest. She kissed her forehead and wiped her tears away as her papa turned on the lights so they could see better.

“They— he— his name— I can’t read it! It’s smudged! And I can’t see colour… The meter went down— he’s… He’s... gone.”

She could barely get the words out of her mouth, but she somehow managed by summoning all her will power, her voice quieting down with each word. The last word Marinette could barely even breathe out. Once more she broke down sobbing and buried her face to her knees, curling up in a ball.

Her maman and papa didn’t know what to say to that — their little girl, merely ten years of age, had woken up only to find out her soulmate was dead.

There was truly nothing they could say to make it better, and so they just stayed there and let her sob her heart out.

⬷۵⤐

A numb emptiness had settled itself in Marinette’s chest after her soulmate died. She couldn’t dress in her favourite clothes because they were all bright colours and she couldn’t bear to dress in such things when she couldn’t even see them well. It hurt too much to remember that the one she was destined to be with was gone forever.

“What happened, ‘Nette? I can’t remember the last time I saw you wear anything but these dark colours — is it all black?”

That’s what her best friend asked her one day in class. Nino was worried about her well-being. She could barely get the words out to tell Nino that her soulmate was gone, that she would never meet them again (it felt too final to say it out loud), but when she finally managed to, Nino smiled at her sadly and hugged her tight, saying he was there for her. He was. He kept coming over to talk to her and do her favourite things with her. Even if it didn’t make her smile, she appreciated it.

A few weeks later, her teacher had one day pulled her aside and asked how she was doing, concerned about her as she’d noticed Marinette only ever dressed in black now and there was never a smile on her face anymore. She still never failed to be kind to others, but that kindness no longer included a smile to everyone. Chloé had toned it down as well for even she knew that losing one’s soulmate was a horrible ordeal, something no one should ever have to go through — and especially not at such a young age.

Marinette started wearing gloves at all times, scared that if she caught a glimpse of the smudged name on her wrist, she’d break down crying and that she’d no longer be able to stop. Sometimes it happened regardless, and during those times, it took Marinette her all to ignore the aching in her chest and the burning tears in her eyes. And each time, each time she tried not to choke on her sobs.

In bed, she often curled up in a ball and tried to cry, but she’d run out of tears a week after her soulmate’s death. She dragged her nails down her legs, hoping to distract herself from the burning in her throat, but it never helped.

She was hurting, and there was nothing that could help her feel better.

⬷۵⤐

It took a her a few months before she dared to look at her wrist again. She’d refused to do it under any circumstances, but after those months, she told herself she needed to bid her soulmate adieu.

And so, she took off her glove and pressed a light kiss on the meter. Marinette looked at it and forced a small smile on her face, hoping he wouldn’t be too mad at her for faking a smile. After all, she was doing it for him.

But, once she managed to bat the tears away from her eyes, she could clearly see the name on her wrist again. The meter’s levels were high again, which then prompted her to pay attention to the colours on her. At first she thought the universe had chosen her a new soulmate, but the name was exactly the same in the exact same handwriting, so no, her soulmate had simply come back to life. And…

She had a chance to see them again.

Either they’d only now come back or she’d been unable to notice them. It wouldn’t have been surprising, she had been trying to ignore the missing colours to the best of her abilities, after all.

Marinette rushed downstair to her maman and papa, smiling more brightly than she had in weeks, in over a month. They were surprised to see her be so happy but they were glad about it regardless.

“So, what made you so happy, honey?”, her papa asked her as she danced around the living room before stopping in front of her parents.

“He’s back! The meter shows high levels again, the name is back and I can see colours again!”, she laughed and threw herself at her papa, hugging him as tight as she could. Her maman came around and hugged them both, smiling into her hair.

“I’m happy for you, qiānjīn. Your soulmate better never do this again or I will have to find them and exchange a few words with him about making you sad”, her maman told her as her papa squeezed them both. Marinette laughed at her mother, imagining her short mother glare at her soulmate she suspected was taller than either of them as she scolded him for hurting her little girl.

Marinette knew she once again had a good chance at finding happiness, and so she smiled. A tear escaped her eye but, for the first time in a month, it wasn’t a tear of sadness, no. This time, it told the world of her happiness.

⬷۵⤐

Years later, when she was 16 years of age and suffered under Lila’s reign in the class, she ran into a young man while trying to find the Wayne Enterprises and fell down on the ground. Her class had left her behind, but that was fine.

Well, it wasn’t, but she got to see more of the city, and that was certainly nice.

Besides, better it was her who was left behind rather than anyone else, as she was the only one who could for sure defend herself if necessary. After all, she was Ladybug, she had been that for years already — she had enough training.

“Je suis vraiment désolé— I mean, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to run into—” And then she had to cut herself off because the world shouldn’t look like what it did.

There were colours.

There were actual colours all around her.

She could see the blue of the sky and the green of the trees. The cars that were of oh so many different, beautiful colours.

And, when Marinette looked up from where she was, she could see the young man towering over her and offering a hand to help her up had frozen in place, but what truly mattered was that she could see him in colours. His green eyes stared at her before they softened at the sight of her as he understood who this was, and Marinette could feel her cheeks hearing up.

“Does your— Does your name happen to be Damian?”

The man nodded before asking a question in return, “And can I suppose you are Marinette?”

Marinette smiled and gave him an enthusiastic “yes!”, grabbing Damian’s — her soulmate’s — hand and let him pull her up to her feet. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, soulmate.”

___

@ladysblackcat @daminett4life @tinyterror333 @annabellabrookes @theyellowfeverexperience @thethirdwheelfriend @daminette-december2019

Home is Where the Heart is

AO3

First Chapter Previous Chapter Next Chapter

-_-_-_-

When it became night and it was time to head back to the apartment, Marinette decided to stay out again. If she was being honest, she wanted to spend as little time there as possible.

It wasn't that it was necessarily bad, it wasn't like she was sleeping on the streets, but there was just something about it that felt wrong to her.

For all intents and purposes, it was just an abandoned apartment building that she had chosen to reside in, but the emptiness of it all, it made her uncomfortable. After being used to a normal home, where she had a room and a warm bed, with the knowledge that her parents were just downstairs, sleeping in an empty and cold apartment felt weird.

But maybe it was just the lack of a bed that was talking.

Still, that meant Marinette was hopping around from roof to roof again, running the risk of meeting some of the vigilantes once more. The thought of the apartment made her continue with jumping around the roofs anyways.

Marinette was careful. She pulled up her hood, covering her now very short hair, in hopes that maybe the vigilantes wouldn't notice if she did run into them, also putting on her surgical mask. She didn't stay at one building for too long, she kept her eyes and ears open, and she even tried to be quiet. (Or as quiet as she could be when free-running.) There was a certain freedom in it all. Now that she wasn't spending every night patrolling and fighting, it was nice to be able to do what she always did without too much thought or care. The vigilantes were a threat, sure, but it was easy to become distracted by the city lights.

Maybe it had been a mistake for Marinette to go out again after already having a run-in, or maybe it was fate, but whatever it was, Marinette was cursing it as she brought herself to an abrupt halt.

Being as quiet as she possibly could, Marinette walked backward, keeping her eyes on the two forms of Robin and Superboy. Faintly, she wondered what Superboy was doing patrolling in Gotham, as she was certain it was only the ones associated with Batman who did that.

When she reached the edge of the roof, a couple buildings away from where Superboy and Robin were, she threw her legs over the ledge and grabbed hold of a rusty latter, hoping to every kwami that it would hold, before slowly and carefully lowering herself.

When she knew she was no longer visible to the duo, she let out a sigh of relief, before looking for a way to leave quickly and not grab their attention.

Marinette found that with a fire-escape. The fire-escape platform was metal, and there was a two-meter long drop from the latter to it, but she would rather do that then try her luck with the vigilante and hero not noticing her when they finally left.

Marinette crawled down the fire-escape as quietly as she could, looking down at the platform and taking in a breath, before letting go.

She landed on her feet, crouching down to distribute the impact, the clang of her shoes hitting the metal making her wince and hurry.

She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that the two didn't seem to follow her.

-

Nightwing took the same route he had the night before, hoping to spot the girl that had run away from him.

The sound of running footsteps brought Nightwing back to the present, just in time to see the same girl from the night before, come to a screeching halt. For a second, they just looked at each other, and Dick thought that maybe she wouldn't run away this time.

It seemed he had come to that conclusion too soon.

Just as he had the thought, the girl took off again, but this time, he knew better.

"I've found the girl from yesterday, she's running in Red Hood's direction!" He yelled into his comm as he took off running, finding himself surprised by the fact that the girl seemed to be faster than he was.

"Do we even know why she keeps running from us?" Red Robin asked.

No. No, they did not, which was part of the reason why they even decided to keep an eye on her. The worry that she could be associated with the villains was real, and Dick hoped that they were wrong in thinking it.

"Does it matter?" Sounded it from Red Hood.

With an ease he didn't expect, she jumped down from the roof and onto a fire-escape several meters away, not slowing her pace. They kept it up like that for a good while, her jumping and diving, Dick just keeping up with her.

Then Red Hood joined the fray, standing ready at the next building. Dick had fully expected her to come to a stop after that, but she didn't. Rather she sped up, and when she reached the edge, she jumped, grabbed a pipe that was along the corner, and swung herself in a third direction, away from the two.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Red Hood yelled.

"She's getting away!" Dick replied in panic.

When the two finally caught up to her, Red Robin was there as well and they surrounded her, giving her no place to escape.

"Now listen here, Little Lady-" Red Hood discovered that was the wrong thing to say, as the girl grabbed Dick who had slowly been walking towards her, and threw him over her shoulder and directly into Red Hood. Red Robin jumped into action, taking a swing at her with his bo staff. She evaded with ease, until finally, she wasn't quick enough to dodge his strike. Instead, she brought up her arms in an 'X' and ended up being pushed back by the force. Before Red Robin got the chance to hit again, she swiftly kicked him in the chest, sending him flying into his two brothers that had just gotten back up.

Sending the trio one last glance, the girl took off, disappearing out of sight before Robin and Superboy could arrive at the scene.

-

Marinette clutched her backpack close to her chest as she sat on the cold floor of the apartment. Her heart was hammering, blood pounding in her ears as she tried to calm herself down. That had been far too close to comfort.

If there was anything she was certain about now, it was that she wouldn't go roof jumping any time soon again.

The fighting had been a kneejerk reaction to the nickname. She hadn't meant to hurt them but...

Images of Chat Noir and Hawkmoth filled her mind, and she swallowed the bile that rose up in her throat.

Maybe she should have stayed and talked with Nightwing the first time she ran into him, but too many things depended on her finding Alfred. She didn't have any record or papers, she had no idea what Nightwing would do with her. She didn't even have a proper place to stay!

Now she had just drawn more attention to herself.

Marinette let out an irritated sigh, rubbing her face with her hands in frustration.

She would have to find Alfred and quick, no more distractions, and then leave Gotham as soon as possible. Hopefully, the vigilantes would just forget about her after she'd been gone for a while.

"We have to be careful," Tikki said, once Mariette opened up for her backpack. "We can't risk running into them again."

Marinette just nodded numbly.

Chat Noir constantly being on her mind wasn't good. There was no point to it anyways. If someone else made the mistake of using one of her former nicknames, she couldn't just attack them. Marinette would have to get some self-control, more than she already possessed.

"It's not your fault Marinette," Tikki said, trying to console her chosen.

"I know," Marinette said with a sigh, though Tikki doubted she actually meant it.

There were few things Marinette would talk about since Paris, and one of the things was Chat Noir. It had been a sore spot for Marinette, something Tikki understood. Chat Noir had a happier life now, things just didn't turn out the same for Marinette. Marinette knew who Chat Noir had been too. It wasn't as big of a shock to see Adrien Agreste as her pun-loving partner as she thought it would be.

Of course, it soured his betrayal just a bit. By the final battle with Hawkmoth, Marinette had moved on, decided that romance could wait until Paris was safe. She had thought that maybe, after the fight, something would happen between her and Chat. Maybe. But that was all in the past now, and it did her no good to keep thinking about it.

"No more distractions Tikki, no more free days. We can't risk it," Marinette said sternly, her eyes showing that she meant it. Tikki sighed in defeat.

"I know..." Tikki flew into the backpack slowly, head held down. Tikki understood that Marinette was stressed, it was the very thing Tikki was trying to prevent, but with everything that had happened in the last two weeks, it was undoubtedly inevitable. That didn't make it any better though.

-

"And that's about it, I think," Dick said, having explained what had happened when they met with the mystery girl again.

"You got beat by a little girl?" Damian asked in disbelief. When he and Jon had arrived to help, the girl was already gone, and the trio was sulking.

"Yeah yeah, just bruise our egos more, will you?" Jason grumbled, rubbing his chest as he remembered how Dick had been thrown at him.

"Now we know that she's a threat," Bruce cut off, before an argument could begin.

It was silent in the Batcave, Jon looking worried between the Wayne brothers, none of them seeming very happened by how the short fight had turned out. At first, Damian had cackled in disbelief by what happened, but now he found it more annoying than anything else.

"Do you at least have any clue as to who she is?" Damian asked. "Do you think she might be from the League?" A tension filled the air, Damian's expression dark and unreadable.

After a moment, Tim spoke up.

"I don't... think so," Tim said hesitantly. "If she was, why didn't she just kill us when she had the chance?"

"Maybe she's doing recon and it would compromise her mission?" Jason guessed.

"Maybe, but that doesn't explain her crying when Dick found her the first time." Tim pointed out.

"She could be forced into doing-" Dick waved with his hands as he tried to look for a word- "whatever it is that she's been doing."

No one in the Batcave seemed happy about the lack of information, least of all Bruce and Damian.

Bruce's eyes were furrowed in thought as he contemplated their next course of action. They could just ignore the girl. She hadn't actually done anything to harm anyone, as far as he could tell, but it was worrying that she didn't trust the vigilantes. Her fighting experience also set off warning bells in his head, and that her immediate reaction to being surrounded was to attack.

He let out a tired sigh.

"Tim, see if you can find her on any cameras. The rest of you, keep your eyes open. If you see her, get her. We need to know who she is."

"She'll be a little hard to track," Tim said as he turned his attention to the computer.  "We couldn't see much of her face. She covers the bottom half with a mask, and she wore a hood tonight. We only really got a look at her eyes."

Bruce just sent Tim a look that said everything he didn't say out loud. He didn't care. He wanted results. Tim couldn't see the look that Bruce sent his way, but he knew it was there. It wouldn't be the first time Tim pointed out a possible flaw in Bruce's plans were Bruce didn't care about the details.

Sometimes, it was hard being the smartest Wayne in the household.

-_-_-_-

@constancetruggle @mojos-biggest-fan @lysslovesanime @heredemaquam @luciferge @scribblinggraveyard @thafandomsgirl @eliza-bich @ki77h3gr4g0n @crazylittlemunchkin @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @skyel0ve @serenacross200 @valeks-princess @thebananathatwrites @aurordraws @nothernbluetongue @bluerosette23 @xxmadamjinxx @graduatedmelon @tritaledkitsune @tinybrie

Cats Can’t Bruise You - Chapter 1

TW: Mentions of abuse

The first time Damian noticed something off with Janis... He remembered it was the day she came in, her body almost completely bruised and she winced every time she had to move. "You okay, Jan?" She had nodded, dismissing the entire situation. "Okay, but tell me if you ever need anything or if you need help." He said, even though he knew she wouldn't ever tell him unless she was desperate for help.

He started to get even more concerned when the light in her eyes began to dim. She was more lifeless and less vivacious than she used to be. Gone were the snippy remarks and the jokes and the funny faces. Now, she seemed to be on constant autopilot.

But Damian couldn't wait any longer to speak up when she showed up with a black eye, bruises, and cuts everywhere her skin was exposed . "Darling..."

"It was my cat. I promise I'm okay," She lied.

"Sweetheart, I know you're tiny, but cats can't bruise you." She glared at him and he would be scared, but she had been his best friend for most of their lives. That glare didn't worry him anymore. "It's not going to do you any good if you lie to me, hon."

She pouted. "I'll talk to you and Aaron tonight, mmkay? It's too risky to say it here." Damian nodded. "I'll be okay."

"Promise?" Janis nodded. "I trust you, Jan. Aaron's gonna flip out at lunch when he sees you." She sighed, knowing full well he would. "We both want you to be happy."

Janis sniffed, wincing as she nodded. "I want the same for you guys. Aaron's just a little more protective."

"Because you're small." Janis rolled her eyes, flashing him a half smile.

Damian was right. Aaron flipped out. He delicately held Janis's face in his hands. "Who did this to you?" He whispered, searching her face for anything he might've missed.

"Not now. Not here." He furrowed his eyebrows, running his thumbs over her cheeks. “I’m okay, Aaron. It doesn’t even hurt that bad.”

“Jan... I want you to be safe.” He let go of her face and pulled her to his chest.

“Jeez, not so rough, dude. My whole body’s bruised, not only my face.” Aaron and Damian shared a sigh. “Everything’s okay.”

”Everything’s not okay, love. Somebody hurt you and I don’t know what we can do about it and I’m scared. I never get scared.” Damian was trembling, shaking with anger for Janis.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll be okay.”

Aaron held her closer. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“I know you will. But I don’t need you to because everything’s gonna be fine.” She smiled, and even though it didn’t reach her eyes, it was nice to see her smiling again.

Everything was not fine. Aaron picked Janis up from her house to take her to Damian's house for movie night and she was sobbing. "Janis, what happened?"

"It hurts so bad," She cried, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I want it to stop."

He offered her his hand, which she took right away, clutching it like her life depended on it. "We'll get you some medicine once we're at Damian's. And we can hold you until you feel safe and happy again."

"That sounds nice." She admitted. "I need sleep though..." She trailed off.

"Okay. You can have the bed I usually sleep in. It's bigger." She shook her head as soon as he made the offer. "Jan, I want you to. Please?"

Janis made a noise of agreement. "Fine, I guess."

"Thank you." She looked out the window at the blur of colours before she gave into sleep. "Night, Jan."

Damian was extremely concerned when Aaron carried a limp Janis into his house and laid her down on the couch. "What happened to her?"

"She's just asleep." Aaron reassured. He visibly relaxed at that. "Poor thing. I think it's been a while since she actually got some sleep and I'm not gonna bother waking her up."

"God, she's bleeding a lot more than she was earlier..." Damian noticed. "Take her jacket off."

Aaron hesitated. "Are you sure? She doesn't ever want me to see her without her jacket." Damian nodded. After another moment of thought, Aaron took it off, revealing bruises and scars and cuts all over her skin. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and quickly widened as she felt the cold air on her arms. She reached for her jacket as soon as she noticed her arms were bare, but Damian yanked it away from her.

"Janis, darling." She sat up, shaking her head. "Who did all this?"

"Depends. Which part?" The boys looked back at her, confused. "It wasn't just one person."

"Who gave you all these bruises?"

"Shane Oman and the guys from the football team..." Aaron gritted his teeth and stood up. Janis grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "Don't hurt him. He'll kill me."

Now, they both knew that Janis was only exaggerating, but they didn't doubt that he could kill her if he really wanted to. "Okay. Only to keep you safe, though."

She hummed. "Can we watch a movie now?"

"No. You still have to tell us who cut you."

"Parents." She answered, simply. Damian and Aaron shared a look of horror.

Damian sat next to her and grabbed her hand. "Jan, we're telling my mom." She silently pleaded with him but he wouldn't give in. "You're not safe. You're hurting. I don't like to see that, love."

"There's nothing you can do about it. My parents will kill me before you can get me out of there." Aaron felt the gears in his brain turning.

"She's right. So we have to do it right now and hide her. It's a Band-Aid kind of situation." Damian processed this for a moment.

"Okay. But we'll have to bring her somewhere where her parents won't look for her. Because they're gonna look here and they'll go to your house, too."

A moment of silence hung in the air. "Bring me to Regina's. We may or may not have made up a while ago. Plus her mom loves me. They'd keep me safe."

"Alright. Mom!" Damian yelled. His mother walked in, holding her laptop. "Janis needs help. And we need to bring her to Regina's house. And call the cops on her parents."

It was a lot to explain and Janis was exhausted but she did it anyways because she knew she'd eventually get some sleep. Mrs. Hubbard hugged her immediately as she finished, but Janis whimpered in pain and she was let go. "Sorry, dear."

"It's fine, it just hurts a little bit." She picked her jacket from off the ground and wrapped it around herself. "Can we go now? I'm getting anxious."

"Yes, of course, sweetheart." Damian took her hand as they walked to the car. "It's all gonna be okay."

She hadn't even noticed, but tears started running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"No! Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault." Aaron was quick to comfort her. Over the short time they had been friends, she'd become like a sister to him and he'd do anything to keep her safe. He'd jump in front of a bus for her. And she felt the same about him, even though if she got hit by a bike she'd likely break something.

"I ruined movie night." She whined. "I'm so sorry."

Damian kissed her forehead. "Don't be. We love you and we're just glad you're safe."

"I love you guys."

----

Mrs. George welcomed her with open arms and even Regina gave her a hug after hearing the story. "Janis..." Regina whispered. "Oh, Jan, I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay. I'll be fine." Regina studied her for a moment before tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Why don't you come upstairs with me? You can sleep, wash up, watch TV, anything you'd like." Janis nodded, taking the stairs two at a time. Regina stayed behind to talk to Aaron and Damian. "Hey, I know we're not on great terms right now, but thank you for taking care of Janis. She's amazing and I just want her to be safe and happy."

"We both want the same." Damian said, in agreement. "So she's good to stay here for a while?" Regina nodded. "Okay. Thank you."  

Mrs. George and Mrs. Hubbard were chatting as they heard sirens in the distance. "I know they're probably not the same ones coming for Jan's parents. Still, I can't help but wonder." Mrs. George remarked.

"I hope it is. That poor girl."

Regina ran up the stairs to go to her room after saying goodbye to the Hubbards and Aaron.

"Hey, Jan?" Regina called, getting no response. She opened the door to her room, finding Janis fast asleep in a chair. "I can't let her sleep like this." Regina muttered, shocked at how incredibly light the girl was. She placed her on the bed carefully, cuddling up next to her like they used to when they were little. "You gotta be okay... peanut." She smiled at the nickname and swore she could see the corners of Janis's lips turn up. "I love you. You'll be safe soon. I promise."

Little Nightmares

Jason Todd x Reader

Damian Wayne x Reader (sister/brother like)

Synopsis: The young Damian Wayne was fearless, or so he made it seem. But you knew the truth about him. You knew the terrible nightmares he had. Jason adored you for taking care of the young boy. Comforting the child was one thing, but when Dami took up half the bed was when Jason had issues with not being able to hold you at night. But he was just a boy with little nightmares.

You cuddled in deeper to the silk sheets as the thunder roared outside. Another night where you were sleeping alone. Another horrible night. But without Jay beside you, sleeping was somewhat easier as you didn't have a giant furnace below you. Now all you felt was the coolness from the sheets. Heaven. The door creaked open slowly as another strike of lightning illuminated the room, allowing the young frightened boy to see where he was going. He saw your sleeping form and began to approach you cautiously. His mother never allowed him to come to her for comfort, so he was very unfamiliar with it. But when you showed him the comfort he needed that one time that he had a nightmare, it was game over. He was no longer the fearless Damian that his mother once trained him to be. Around you, he showed his weakness and therefore, you became like a mother to him. Protecting him against anything that would harm him. You cared for him and loved him like a mother, but never knew he loved you like a son loved their mom. His hands grabbed onto the silk sheets as he crawled onto the bed. The bed was fairly large and you were mainly in the middle, making him crawl closer to you. You heard your name being called out softly, and you cracked an eye open as another flash of lightning showed you the intruder. You were expecting Jason and having to deal with the many wounds he would bring home. But the sight before you was just as familiar as Jay's. Damian's scared little face made you worried as you sat up a little "what's the matter baby" you questioned out gruffly as you reached your hand out and smoothed his disheveled raven hair. Another flash and you saw his lips trembling causing you to coo out and bring him in for a hug. "Bad dreams can't harm you while I'm here Bubba" you cooed out softly as you held him close to your chest. He began to calm down in your embrace and you both were out like lights.

Jason didn't expect this. Damian was hanging onto you like his life depended on it, and you were clutching onto him like he was going to be taken away. Jason didn't acquire many wounds but all he wanted to do was cuddle into you and fall fast asleep. But one thing was in the way.

Damian.

"Always stealing my girl" Jason whispered as he tried to pry the younger boy from your tight grasp. Your eyes shot open in alert but you quickly calmed seeing Jason's tired face. "I'm just gonna put him back in his room baby" Jason reassured but you just shook your head and pulled the baby boy in closer. "You're gonna have to sleep around him" you whispered out tiredly as you began to fall back asleep. Jason sighed before climbing into bed so that he was face to face with you, while Damian was between you two. Jason's arm crossed across Damian and rested on your back as he cuddled in closer. One day he wanted this to be you and him with your own child.

One day.

Discord Fusion (Shockwave Fist Fusion)

A Fusion Procedure learned by Jun as reward for safely escorting Queen Whitney through the Milky Way Galaxy without a single scratch and his visible determination to become even tougher.

Unfortunately, Jun has never gotten the chance to use the technique himself in the Main Continuity (to create Xana), after failing to apply it while tagging with Suki, mostly due to how complicated resonating was at the time.

However, Suki did perform a clutch Discord Fusion with Damian in Oblivion to combat the Berserk Demon named Cinos to put a stop to his rampage.

When performed perfectly, the accessible potential power of both parties can skip 3 to 4 leagues over their combined strengths as baseline strength, at best.

It is conducted by singularly colliding fists of equal force. Then the force gauges the accessible potential power both parties have, and not a beat later, they must resonate their souls and establish a perfect link before the shockwave phases out.

If it fails, both participants take hefty recoil and undergo spiritual fatigue, making for a risky fusion but eased miscommunication between them and the enemy.

The personality & appearance is strictly based on the positives of both participants with a hair color focused on their least favorite color and a typically unfavorable fashion sense that suits the warrior produced opposed to the individuals within.

This is why Xana has green hair and a seemingly super random string of dialogue and a cyberpunk novelist look. It is also the reason why Discord Fusions have out of place techniques.

The time limit is three seconds per 1.8×10^30 Joules.

Celestial Fusion (Lip Contact Fusion)

A Fusion Procedure taught to Suki and co. by angels in the 1st Continuity, and to Suki and Damian by Fuu in the 2nd Continuity. One to combat the gods corrupted by Lucifer, and the other to advance the chi quality of prodigy warriors.

Although the 3rd Continuity simply has Fuu retrain the technique for Suki and Damian to learn, since it wasn't properly explained that time around. The 4th/Main Continuity falls under a similar boat, except the skill was archived by mortals prior to Suki learning about it from angels.

This technique was used by the 4th Continuity's Suki multiple times, creating the warriors known as Satomi (Suki & Mirai), Dai/Daiki (Suki & Damian), and Hitomi (Suki & Aile).

Each produced warrior has always yielded enough power to close the gap and get the job done (usually), but were normally reserved til the end either thanks to the enemy actively trying to prevent it, an educated guess on its effectiveness, and/or their own pride & views on Fusion as a whole. Henceforth why Suki and Courtney haven't merged for battle. It doesn't help every time it's used, the individuals involved feel a bit closer or obliged to interact.

Celestial Fusion is a very consent focused ability, which is very had to cheat akin to Discord Fusion. This Fusion is performed by locking lips and syncing breathing, movements, and energy signatures together, sometimes Soul Resonance.

Since its basis is breathing, which indirectly ties to spiritual application of energy manipulation, it implies the Fusion Trigger while complicating the Fusion Condition.

Celestial Fusion's power depends on the bond and dynamics between both fighters and their pinnacle power both bodies can withhold, harness and maintain at the moment and potential power second, leading to an average power jump of 2 to 4 even 5 tiers or leagues to their combined efforts.

The personality takes from the best and worst aspects of both individuals and cranks it up to 11, while the core appearance is a balanced blend between both participants, and new clothing acting as a representation of both styles, personalities or their pasts (deepest memories).

It's the key reason Satomi dawns a more regal yet loose attire while other Celestial Fusions a character like Suki is in are more dressed to travel.

The timer is dependant on the users, but is usually 5 minutes for beginners, and 2 minutes if fatigued or stressed.

Spirit Fusion (Self Sacrificial Fusion)

A Fusion Procedure similar to Celestial Fusion in terms of consent, except far more strict and way more powerful, with the added fact it's permanent.

See, Spirit Fusion takes the entire being of one individual and converts it into a spirit, then the vessel and spirit of the other. Since the spirit can be rejected, it's normally done as a final testament or act of love by a dying person, which eases few who find the rare offer to perform Spirit Fusion into going through with it for a major power-up. Even if both participants are dying the merger will heal all wounds once complete.

This Fusion is best done by taking the strongest body and weaker soul, then combining it with the stronger soul that just boosted more by being converted into a soul as the product warrior who may or may not go by a new name (with limit physical changes) has the absolute strength & sheer potential of one's body and another's soul multiplied by each other.

Users of this Fusion are Mana & Jun, Life & Dienna, and 5th Continuity Suki & Mirai.

Jun became more open-minded, gained slightly feminine features through Mana, and all the powers of an understudy reaper and indirect access to the Black Garden. Sometimes Jun goes by the name Juana.

Dienna gained the alchemic powers of Life, brighter hair, and became less nervous in the presence of her peers and a sharper mind. Dienna can oddly contact Life due to Life already being somewhat abstract.

Unlike Jun and Dienna, Sirai/Sumirai/Sukimi/Miruki (Suki & Mirai) takes on a more traditional name blend (instead of Satomi) and has the recommended roles reversed, which is why Sukimi; sometimes called Miki, takes after Mirai so much but "happier" and more energetic. The only physical difference is her dual colored eyes and gold glitters of magic.

Do note: Suki had the stronger body at the time of her Spirit Fusion with Mirai opposed to now.

P.S.: Other Fusion Procedures do exist but these are the main 3.

Territorial, chapter 16

Word Count: 2441 Rating: This chapter: PG-13. Overall story rating: explicit Warnings: Abduction Summary: After finally realizing their shared love for one another, all internetainers Rhett and Link had to do was live happily ever after. Unfortunately, as it turns out, that’s a lot harder to do in a world of werewolves. Notes: Takes place 1 year after Animalistic began. Still no wives; Rhett and Link are in an established relationship. This is a sequel to that fic. You don’t have to read that first, but it is highly recommended.

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The hour had been late when Rhett left for Theo’s bar and it was almost midnight before Link’s worry started to really get to him. He told himself he was probably fretting over nothing, but he soon couldn’t wait any longer. As the clock struck twelve he grabbed up his phone to call his boyfriend. His fear only grew worse when he got no answer. Texting didn’t work either.

Where are you? he demanded, after his fifth message. When he still didn’t hear back, he tried Theo’s phone. After a few tries, the bartender actually picked up, but the hope in Link’s heart was to be short lived.

“Fuck...” Theo mumbled, struggling to maintain consciousness. “Shit. Max…”

“Theo? Is Rhett there? He went to see you-” There was silence on the other end of the phone, then loud clattering of wood on wood. Link clutched the phone close, trying desperately to understand what was going on so far away. “Theo?”

“Max. Max!” Theo was shouting and from the sound of it he had set down the phone but left it on as he talked to his dear friend and employee. “Oh my god, Max…”

“Theo! Where’s Rhett?!”

“I don’t know!” Theo yelled back, not picking up the phone. “Seth was here. He fucking shot Max and knocked me out. Rhett’s not here. Seth must have taken him. He’s not here.” So much in so few words, Link couldn’t comprehend what Theo was trying to tell him and he stopped breathing for a few seconds while he tried to process. On the other end of the phone, he could hear soft noises, presumably Theo tending to Max.

“He… he took Rhett?” Link managed. It couldn’t be true. People don't just take someone. That just didn’t happen, not in real life. Theo had to be mistaken. “But why?” What possible reason could he have to do such a thing?

“Max’s been shot! I don’t know shit, Link! Get over here I need your help!” Moments later Link heard the sound of the line disconnecting, but he sat there, unmoving, while his mind caught up with reality.

‘Rhett…’ It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. ‘He took Rhett.’ Link clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. It was real, he had to face that, and then there was only one thing that mattered. He had to make sure Rhett was safe. Still in his wrinkled clothes from the day, he snatched up his car keys and headed out to the car. The last person who had seen his dearly beloved was Theo, so that were where his search would begin.

~ ~ ~

Rhett was in the dark trunk of Seth’s car. To make matters worse his hands were tied together in front of him. He was a prisoner, completely at Seth’s mercy, and all he could think about was Link. Rhett had been gone far too long; his boyfriend had to be getting worried by now. What would he do once he learned what had happened at the bar? What

could

he do? Neither of them had ever been kidnapped before and they were up against more than just some rogue thug with a knife. If the rest of the Lowell’s pack were in on this, it was a whole family versus Rhett, Link, Theo and Max… but Seth had shot Max.

The last time Rhett saw a man die, it had been by his own hands, but it was no less brutal seeing it done by someone else. Max always seemed like a total brute, but was actually one of the nicest people. He didn’t say much and rarely spoke ill of anyone. He didn’t deserve to be gunned down in cold blood and now there were even fewer people that Rhett could depend on in this world of monsters. At least Theo would be okay. At worse he’d have a concussion and a broken nose, but the fast healing of the werewolf would take care of both in no time. Then he could… what?

Would he go to the police? Rhett wasn’t sure. It made the most sense, especially if anyone had heard the gunshot. The crime rate in the area was a bit high; maybe the police wouldn’t show up. Maybe Theo would want to hide this from them, since it could lead to questions he couldn’t answer, like why did he have a room with a chain bolted to the wall at the back of his bar? He wouldn't want to risk anyone investigating his carefully guarded life.

Rhett had questions of his own. Why, after all this time, would Seth suddenly take action? Why was he so desperate to find the mutts that he would risk pulling a gun out in the city? Rhett wondered if and when he would learn the answers to these questions. Right now he could only wait to see where his captor was taking him.

Even in these late hours, the city of Los Angeles was awake and bustling. As Seth drove farther and farther along, Rhett could hear the noises grow dim, smell the city smog fade away; they were leaving Los Angeles completely, but he couldn't be sure which direction they were going. His head started to feel light, the air in the trunk growing thin, and he was sweating from the warmth of the enclosed space. It was extremely claustrophobic and the adrenaline in his veins was starting to wane, leaving him with exhaustion that threatened to make him pass out. Soon it was only his fear keeping him awake. Fear for his life and fear that Link might also be at risk.

Were Seth’s brothers out there as well? They could be heading for Link right now. This new thought sent a fresh bolt of terror through Rhett’s body, reawakening his hatred for Seth. If he got the chance, he promised himself he would break Seth’s nose all over again, as well as several of his bones. To pass the time, and keep the creeping fear at bay, Rhett held onto that anger, imagining all the ways he was going to hurt Seth. He knew he shouldn’t, that it was just feeding into his animal side, but he couldn't help it. It was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment and besides, the moon was nearly full. The wolf inside him was eager to hurt someone… and badly.

He couldn't decide if wanted to let it or not.

He didn’t know how long he was riding in the trunk of Seth’s car before he could feel them move onto a dirt road. The ride got rougher, the car moved slower, and the thick scent of pine trees and leaves met his keen nose. They were in the forest, maybe somewhere up North but honestly he couldn’t be sure. The idea of jumping whomever opened the trunk as soon as it opened passed through his mind, but he let it go quickly. He had no way of knowing if it was just Seth, or if he had company. Plus his whole left side was falling asleep from him lying on it uncomfortably for far too long. He was in no condition to attack anyone right now. Instead he tilted his head, listening closely as the car finally came to a stop.

A car door opened, presumably Seth’s, then it slammed shut. A few footsteps reached Rhett’s ears, long strides in loose gravel, getting closer as Seth walked around to the back of the vehicle. A pause. Subtle sounds from farther away… another door? More footfalls, a different stride… someone else, definitely. Rhett could smell them, familiar, someone he had met before, but who? Voices, whispering in frantic tones. Not fear, not exactly. More like surprise, not upset but slightly overwhelmed. Who ever it was had not been expecting this encounter either.

Eventually the two voices stopped and someone stepped closer to the truck. Rhett braced himself but in the end that only meant tensing up and clenching his teeth. When the trunk was flung open, Seth was there with Damian by his side. They both stared down at him like he was a box of sweaters and they were trying to decide whether to store him in the basement or the attic.

“Are you sure about this?” Damian asked, looking up at his brother. Seth met his gaze with a harsh stare and that was the only answer he offered. With a sigh, Damian reached into the trunk to pull out their captive, and Rhett immediately began to struggle. His body was tired, but he didn’t want to go down without a fight. His hands were almost useless, but he snapped a few times before Seth took out his gun again.

“Knock it off, Rhett,” he grumbled. “I’m not opposed to shooting you a few times in a non-vital area, but I’d really hate to waste the bullets. What say you cooperate a few minutes more, m’k?” Rhett hated his attitude, so blasé it was almost casual, but he had no choice but to comply. Still, he didn’t have to be helpful either. He let his body go limp, using his weight to make it harder for Damian to remove him from the trunk, but the man was stronger than he looked. Together he and Seth dragged him out and Rhett got his first look at his new prison.

It wasn’t the house by the lake, that he had seen those months ago. It was much smaller, but no less impressive, a mighty fortress of a building made from stone brick. A few lights were on inside, but for the most part it was dark; the only light outside was the moon above shining brightly. Tomorrow night it would be complete; Rhett wondered if he would be able to see it or if the Lowells weren’t planning on keeping him alive that long. He started to think about what they had planned, but immediately stopped. He didn’t want to know.

A few dozen yards in every direction the tree line surrounded the house. Thick pine trees blocking line of sight after only a few feet, they were a mighty barrier should anyone want to even hike without taking the main road. It was unlikely anyone would be able to hear very far either; this place would be extremely private for any of the residents living inside. Rhett had no confidence that screaming would do any good. The sound would just be eaten up by the forest.

“I’m sorry about this, Rhett,” Damian offered, as they made their way towards the giant oak front door. “I really wanted to do this peacefully, but-”

“Don’t talk to him,” Seth ordered. He unlocked the door, barely turning the knob before kicking it the rest of the way open with his foot. The inside was very dark, but that didn’t matter much to the three werewolves coming inside. Rhett could see a wide entryway and a massive staircase leading to the second level. To the left was a huge living room, complete with a fireplace and a giant stag head over the mantle. On the right of the front door was a hallway, and it was down there that he was half-led, half-dragged. He still wasn’t making it any easier for these kidnappers, but he was too tired and scared to do much else.

Another door, this one made of a much darker wood and locked with not one, but two bolts. It took Seth a bit longer to get this one open and when he did a cold draft of air greeted them all. The air was damp and stale, and it sent a fresh shiver down Rhett’s spine. A steep set of wooden stairs led down into the darkness and he knew that if he went in there, it wasn’t likely he’d ever see the sunshine again.

He made a snap decision, one last ditch effort to escape. Leaning as far as he could to one side, he lowered his hands and balled them into fists. Then, dropping his other knee to the ground, he lunged at Seth, letting his weight press into the punch. It wasn’t supposed to be painful, but offsetting. The change in leverage knocked Seth away and he let go of Rhett to keep himself from falling hard on his ass. Without his brother to help keep hold of their prey, Damian lost his grip and for a moment the three of them were flailing for solid ground. Rhett rolled to the side then jumped to his feet as quickly as he could, running towards were he knew there was at least one exit.

The front door wasn’t locked and he nimbly turned the knob with his hands still tied together. That was a problem for another time, right now he need to get out. Maybe he could make it to the woods and lose them in the trees. Getting to Seth’s car was too risky; there was no reason to believe the keys were still in it and even if they were it would take time to fumble with the ignition. Rhett’s only option was to run.

Swinging open the door, Rhett felt the fresh air of the outside world wrap around him and for a brief moment he felt relief. He was tired and terrified, but at least he was outside of that damned house. Damian and Seth were no doubt on their feet now and he had to act quickly to evade them, but at least there was hope.

But only for a moment.

As he began to move towards the treeline and his imagined freedom, he heard a new set of footsteps. They didn't come from the house, but somewhere else nearby. A glance to the side saw a dark shape approach from the driveway and Rhett didn’t wait to see who it was. Running as fast as his long legs could carry him, he dashed forward. Within seconds his lungs were heaving and his heart was pumping harder than it had in a very long time. He wasn’t used to running but his long strides made him a fairly fast runner. Unfortunately, someone else was faster.

The stranger tackled him to the ground and he let out a sharp cry as he crashed into the dirt. Whomever it was held him in place so hard he thought his bones would break. Then he felt strong arms turn him over and the stranger straddled his arms and chest, holding him in place.

“Where ya going, Rhett?” Caleb asked, smirking horribly. “The fun’s just getting started.”

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Older Damian x Reader: Come Back To Me

Warning: slight NSFW (blood, death)

Word Count: 1,307

Thank you my Aladdin @hellomgann1296 <3 

Surprisingly it doesn’t hurt anymore. You’re just…cold…lying there in the pool of your own blood. You can’t stop the next attack, sure to be the finishing blow. You watch your attacker stroll over to you, brandishing his weapon stained with your blood…He looks just like him, no, he is him…but it’s not…This is it, you’re about to be killed by the love of your life. He’s a replica, but it still hurts, seeing the face of your love stare down at you so coldly. His weapon glints menacingly above you. You close your eyes, ashamed at yourself for your weakness…the sight of those empty eyes on the face of your love, unbearable. A tear escapes your eye and rolls down the side of your face. Yet the blow never comes; you hear him crash in, shouting your name, and then the clash of weapons.

You open your eyes, vision blurry. You can only make out the shadows of the two figures, which are currently in a violent struggle. One figure is getting overpowered by the other, but then the head of one of the figures is lobbed off. The body crumples to the ground, the head landing with a splat and rolling off to the side. The victor drops his weapon, the clang sharply echoes in the room. He rushes over to you, dropping down to his knees. His hands trembling as they hover briefly over your wound; your eyes focus on him, finally seeing him.

Now this is your love, not his replica, it’s his eyes that distinguish him from that duplicate. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, it’s true. He’s always had trouble expressing emotions other than anger or irritation, but his eyes tend to betray him, his emotions clearly swirling within them. You’ve noticed they change color too, darkening or becoming lighter, depending on his mood. You love his eyes, the way they pierce through you, seeing all of you…so clear and full of love when they gaze into yours. But right now, the way they’re looking at you, so full of despair…it’s breaking your heart. Don’t look at me like that…please…don’t be scared…it’s okay…but the words don’t come out. You can’t speak, coughing up blood.

 He’s holding you; hands desperately trying to stop the bleeding…so much blood…his hands are soaked in crimson red. He’s calling out to you, trying to keep you awake but your eyes feel too heavy. Mustering up whatever energy you had left in you, you manage to raise your hand just slightly off the ground. Taking the hint, he clasps your hand with his tightly, holding onto it for dear life. Your haggard breathing is slowing, your hand going slack. His face contorts to pure anguish, crying your name, begging you to stay with him. Don’t cry…your eyes slowly close…It’s not your fault…with one last attempt you try to speak: “‘m sor…” but you don’t finish your sentence…your voice fades away, darkness overcoming you.

 Help finally arrives, the clock is ticking. There’s no time for lashing out, he has to get you back home, to the person that could save you. Your pulse is almost nonexistent, but he’s not giving up, he cannot give up…he needs you. He clutches you close to him as they cut through the air. The instant they arrive at the batcave he carries your near lifeless body over to the table.

Alfred is already there, attempting to save you while he stands there watching, unable to do anything…tearing apart inside. The butler is losing you, frantically trying to revive you but to no avail. He’s immediately at your side, crying out to you but your pulse is gone. Alfred stops his movements, defeated, “Y/n is gone…I’m so sorry…” He angrily grabs Alfred, “Y/n can’t be gone, just can’t!” Alfred’s face is pained, grief stricken, “I’m sorry.” His hold on him loosens, hands trembling. He’s angry at Pennyworth, at the world, but most of all, he’s angry at himself.

He looks down at you in disbelief; just yesterday you were smiling and laughing so warmly, but now… His trembling hand reaches hesitantly towards your lifeless body. He places his forehead on yours, tenderly caressing your face with his quivering hand and whispers to you pleadingly, “Don’t you dare give up y/n. I won’t forgive you if you leave me…Just…please beloved…come back to me.” Tears flow down his cheeks, droplets landing on your pale face. Alfred turns away from the scene, unable to bear it, a hand over his eyes as his tears fall…he failed the young master, he failed you…

 Suddenly there’s a faint pulse, your chest gradually moves up and down, slowly breathing. His head snaps up, eyes wide: “Pennyworth!” Immediately, Alfred returns his attention to you, stabilizing you. You’re alive, barely, but alive nonetheless.

 ~Fast Forward~

 You stir, finally conscious, bleary eyes slowly opening. Where am I? Your hand is warm…looking down you see him gripping your hand. His head is resting on top of his arm on your bed. He looks weary even as he sleeps, a frown etched on his handsome face. Tears well up in your eyes, you thought you would never see him again. You open your mouth to speak, to call his name, but your mouth and throat are dry. “Damian…” you manage to rasp out.

 He’s instantly awake, his green eyes glistening as they locked on yours. You tighten your hand that is still clasped within his. “Wa’er.” He helps you sit up and carefully places the straw on your lips; taking a couple gulps of water, you feel better. You softly place your hand on the side of his handsome face. He holds his hand over yours, pressing his face into your palm and closes his eyes, relishing the warmth of your hand. He turns his head slightly so he could kiss your palm. Clearing your throat a little, you try apologizing for your weakness. “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault, I should’ve—”

 “Don’t…” He moves your hand off his face, kissing your knuckles tenderly. He leans his forehead on your knuckle, covering his face, arms trembling. “It’s my fault, I should have been there. I almost lost you…” He looks up, his emerald eyes studying you, memorizing your features. His brows furrow, voice breaking, “I…I was…scared, so scared of truly losing you.” He looks down. “I don’t know what I would have done if I did…You have always been my better half, without you I-I…”

 “Damian.” You squeeze his hand, tears beginning to fall.

 Reaching out he gently takes your face into his hands, wiping the tears with his thumbs. Leaning in, he presses a warm kiss on your forehead before kissing you softly on your lips. “Y/n…” He kisses you again, more firmly and you reciprocate just as strongly. You embrace him, your lips meeting his again and again. He holds you, careful of your wounds. His lips kiss yours in a desperate fashion, as if he was afraid you would suddenly disappear, his tears running freely down his cheeks. You two break away for air. His head drops down to bury his face into the crook of your neck. You could feel his tears on your skin and you clutch onto him, fresh tears spilling from your eyes.

After some time, tears all dried out, you feel tired again. Damian notices your exhaustion. He joins you on the bed, encircling his strong arms around you protectively, holding you close to him. He gently presses your head onto his muscular chest and strokes your hair. “Get some rest.”

 You allow your drooping eyes to shut, the rhythmic beating of his heart lulling you to sleep. He presses his lips on the top of your head and whispers into your hair, “Thank you my beloved…for coming back to me.”

Alice in Gunpowder chapter 2

Fandom: Red Hood/Batman, DC comics Au: Alice in wonderland, dad!Jason Warnings: child PTSD, mental illness, violence, strong language Word count: 2459 Father Hood After two years Alice had gone into the witness protection program. Bruce helped put them on the list, but honestly, little girls with the attention of an entire Gotham gang? It took a day and a half to get the process finished. Jason's adoptive father was very helpful in making sure it was the best of the best care because gods help the man that let Bruce Wayne's first grandchild get hurt, adopted with hatred of him or not. Being someone's dad changed Jason so quick that Roy and Dick had started calling him Father Hood on patrol. Something that gave them black eyes but they seemed to think the pun was worth it. Alice depended on him, loved him, and respected and trusted him like no one else ever had. She fixed his relationship with Bruce because he didn't sleep for a week because holy shit how do you take care of a child with PTSD and homicidal tendencies? Well, that is Bruce Wayne's speciality. He gave him a stack of single father parenting books, children psychology books, and a bunch of books on how to deal with monster children that he must have gotten when Damian came to live with him. He laughed until he cried, Bruce trying to defend his son until he caved in and laughed too. Jason felt like he did when he first came to the manor and got his hands on the library. Bruce was surprised and pleased and them and Alfred would spend hours talking about Shakespeare. He felt like he had a dad again. Even if he hadn't avenged him, Dick and Alfred have said he came damn close to killing the joker. But that's just what the sick bastard wanted. So he locked him up to let the Joker's own mind torture him, and Jason came to understand that man seeks death. He seeks it every time he puts others in pain, to make them want to end his in return. Jason was happy the bastard was being torn apart by his own mind in Arkham, he would keep his sanity. Alice had started therapy once the protection system was secured. She had seen some really nasty shit no child should ever have to see. Jason had just been alone from day one, but like Bruce and Dick, Alice had seen her own family killed. That helped with her therapy, Dick quickly becoming her favorite uncle. He remembered his older brother becoming very quickly attached. "You know, the first brother should have kids first." Dick had said, as they watched Alice run around an aquarium. "What are you saying? You want her?" Jason said, surprised at the seriousness in Dick's tone. "She faced something much more violent when her parents died, but like me she saw her parents die. Maybe it'd be good for her." Dick said, sympathy in his voice. "She can't stay with Bruce, not with Damian there. He's too territorial." "And she hates them. Well, she's warming up to Bruce, but she still doesn't like Damian. Damian loves you though, wouldn't he feel betrayed?" Jason asked, Dick looking back to him. Jason looked at his brother, "Dick, thanks, but no thanks. Alice grew up in a violent environment and I can relate to that. Mob member's daughter is a far cry from street urchin but were still of the same kind." "Why don't we ask her?" Dick asked, his eyebrows knit in his anxiety. Jason nodded and his stomach knotted. He didn't want to lose the kid, but Dick would be the perfect Dad. Jason was just the one who found her. "Alice, sweetie, I wanna ask you something." Dick said once Alice had returned to tell them she had seen Nemo. "What is it?" She asked, Dick kneeling in front of her. "Do you want to come live with me?" He asked. She stared at him in shocked confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, her seriousness too strong for a nine-year old. "I mean you can move to my ho--" "No!" Alice cried, flinging herself into Jason's arms. "No!" She started sobbing, which was rare for Alice. It shocked Dick into rejected silence. Jason stroked her hair and hushed her, families giving them odd looks. He glared back at the judgmental mothers and spoke to Alice, "baby, I'm not trying to get rid of you. But you and uncle Dick went through similar experiences and his job is safer. We thought maybe you wanted to." Alice hugged him tight. "No. I don't care, I know what you do, daddy, I know what grandpa and uncle Dick do. I'm not stupid. I don't care, I'm proud of you. And you keep me safe and your fun and I love uncle Dick but I love you more." She whispered softly. Jason smiled and dug a tissue out of his jacket pocket. Another thing he started doing after Alice came along; tissues, wet cloths, hand sanitizer and band-aids in his jacket pockets. One time he put a band-aid on killer croc after a job out of habit. KC sent him a basket of muffins later, the poor guy had zero social experience and had no idea what to do. Roy and Dick found it hilarious. Jason was just kinda sad n they asked him if he was going to go all "father hood" on KC too. They still laughed with bruised jaws. He wiped Alice's nose and face and soothed her as they headed to the exit. Dick bought her a stuffed otter and kneeled again to apologize. She hugged him. "It's okay, uncle D, I still love you but you'd have to live with me and daddy because I'm not leaving. Also I don't wanna deal with Damian." She said. They laughed. "You're going to have to get used to him, sweetie." Dick chuckled. "Yeah, I'm used to him being a rude poopyhead." Alice said as they walked out the store, her new toy in her arms. Dick surrendered with a chuckle. Today is Alice's tenth birthday. They were at the manor, the little blonde girl trotting after Bruce who, after therapy, gifts, and rides in the batmobile, Alice thought was like a real life king. Bruce, still guilty over being connected to her parents death and completely in love with his first grandchild, didn't mind her company at all. Unfortunately, that lead to Damian becoming jealous of the girl stealing his father's attention, and the unfair treatment between them. After all, grandchildren get spoiled and the children don't. What made it unfair was Damian was her uncle but only two years older than her. But Bruce made him be mature anyways. Jason found a rare instinct to defend his little brother, Alice didn't need to be spoiled or training was going to be too hard for her. Alice, Damian and Bruce could be seen in the garden from the kitchen. Bruce and Alice were sitting with a picture book, trying to identify the flowers while Damian was playing with Titus and bat-cow. Alfred and Jason watched from inside as the man got the off chance to relax with everyone else outside. "Oh, it appears master Damian has made a singing flowers joke," Alfred said as Alice tossed her book and jumped over Bruce in a back handspring move, using her grandpa's shoulder to do it. They cracked the window. "Looks like her gymnastics lessons are paying off." Jason said. Alice landed on her feet and elbowed Damian in the neck, kicking his knees out. Bruce picked her up kicking and screaming as Damian smirked. "I'll shove you down a rabbit hole, jerkface! Make another wonderland joke!" She yelled at the twelve year old. "I would but you're so mad it wouldn't HATTER." He said. She broke out of Bruce's hold and punched Damian in the nose. He clutched his face and swore in Arabic. Bruce scolded them and and dragged them inside. "It's not correct to say but I'm impressed with Alice's spirit, master Jason." Alfred said, getting up to get the first aid kit. Jason chuckled, "Thanks, Al." Bruce and the kids made it to the kitchen, Alice silently crying and Damian wordlessly going to get his nose treated by Alfred. She hugged Jason and he gathered her onto his lap, checking her hand. "Does it hurt?" He asked, soothing her. She shook her head, "thumb was out, my knuckles are fine. if it hurt the jerk would have a broken nose." Jason hugged her and wiped her tears. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I hate him," she said, monotone. "Damian?" He asked. "No, the mad hatter." She whispered. Jason nodded. Alice wiped her face and hugged Jason again, "thank you for getting me away from him." "Of course, baby," he stroked her blonde fluffy curls. The Hatter was in a high security prison. He sent Alice letters and gifts that were Alice in wonderland related for weeks after Jason adopted her. They had him arrested within a month, but things related to the story still triggered violence in Alice. Damian walked in sulking with a tissue in his nose to stop the bleeding and a small bandaid covering a cut from the punch on the bridge of his nose. "I apologize for joking about something that reminds you of a difficult time." He said, stiffly. Alice burrowed her face into Jason's neck. "At least you're trying to joke like a human, Demon. It's okay, but don't think I won't punch you again if you talk about it." She said looking at Damian, her voice strong. Jason swelled with pride at his little badass girl. Damian nodded, "That's fair.. Alice." He locked eyes with Bruce. Damian rarely used people's last names. He picked on Alice. Which meant Damian has a crush on his adopted niece. Jason hoped Damian's puppy love wouldn't lead to anything awkward. He begrudgingly let Alice leave the room with him as Alfred announced he was ready to start setting up for her birthday party. Alice followed Damian out of the kitchen, Alfred the cat walking by her as he purred. She cooed at the cat as they headed to the entertainment room. They sat with Alfred the cat and Titus on the floor. She decided to put what Damian said behind her and hold him to his word to not joke about wonderland anymore. Alfred the cat curled up in her lap. She looked up at the portraits, Wayne men and women, recognizing her dad and uncles and aunts and grandpa and great-grandpa in the paintings and photos. She looked at a portrait with herself in it, as it was the biggest and centered portrait. Grandpapa Alfred was in the center, Alice and Damian on either side as Grandpa and Dad stood by him. Her dad was behind her, uncle Tim by him. Damian was in front of Grandpa Bruce and uncle Dick by him. Aunt Steph stood in front of Uncle Tim, Aunt Babs in front of uncle Dick and Aunt Cass in front of Alfred. Alice wore a pretty pink dress with black ankle boots. Her blonde hair was stark against the dark clothes of the people around her. "You stand out," Damian said, apparently looking at the picture too. "Do you think I'll ever fit in?" She asked. He laughed, "once you got on a bat symbol? Easily." Alice smiled at him wide, "Thanks, Dami," He flustered to her confusion and she shrugged and played with the cat on her lap. As people started to roll in, Alice left Damian's side on the floor. She sat with her aunt Steph and Cass and Uncle Tim. Damian sat with uncle Dick and Aunt babs on the other couch. She talked with Cass about how her Ballet lessons were going. "You're turning the big double digits, Ali, know what that means?" Uncle Tim said. "I start officially training!" Alice squealed. "You're probably working with Jason, I doubt he'd let you be a Robin. I wonder what you'll be, sweetie." Uncle Dick said. Alice shrugged. "Pink hood?" They laughed and migrated to the dining room for Alice's party. Everything was pink and yellow. Alice squealed, the table had bouquets of yellow and pink roses down a lace soft pink table cloth. Pastel yellow and pink balloons tied to the chair at the end. Alice ran and hugged her grandpapa Alfie, thanking him for everything. She hugged and thanked her Dad and grandpa Bruce too. She sat in the balloon decorated chair and smiled excitedly, kicking her feet in the air. They ate dinner and opened gifts. An outfit and book from Aunt and Uncle Steph and Tim, A teddy bear ballerina from Aunt Cass, a tool kit and iron knuckled fingerless gloves from Aunt and Uncle Babs and Dick, a golden locket from grandpa bruce that had her parents and Jason in it. She put it on right away, wiping away a tear and hugging her grandpa. "Thank you so much," she whispered. "Anything, honey," he whispered holding his grandchild tight. They heard a bark and turned to see Damian walking in with a large box. Jason came to them and smiled as Damian opened up the box. Alice gasped at the sight of an Australian Sheppard puppy sitting in the box with a pastel pink ribbon tied around her neck. She picked up the puppy and cuddled her. "Thank you!" She squealed. Damian kissed her cheek and stood away with his hands behind his back in a flustered manor. "No problem," he said his ears flushing. Alice smiled cluelessly. "What're you going to name her, baby?" Her dad asked. She hummed and looked at the multi-colored puppy. "Aurora," she smiled at Jason. He nodded. He picked Alice and Aurora up and sat down in her ballon decorated seat. Alfred lit the candles and Alice looked down at the cake. "Starling," she said. Her dad hugged her and put another box on the table. She opened it to see a black and dark blue suit, a bat in silver on a short sleeved shirt with black pants with a dark blue stripe on the sides. It was made of flexible fabric and a black leather jacket that matched the gloves uncle dick had given her. Black boots with silver stars and a simple domino mask. Two silver pistols laid in dark blue over the shoulders holsters. She put the suit down and hugged her dad. "Thank you, daddy!" She grinned. He gave a solemn look to the rest of the family who looked melancholy. But what choice did a daughter of an ex-mafia have? She already was killer with guns. "No problem, baby."

You Don't Give Me A Halo

Characters: Damian Wayne, Talia Al-Ghul, Ra’s Al-Ghul, Mara Al-Ghul, The Demon's Fist, Bruce Wayne

Word Count: 2,288

Trigger Warning: Violence, Description of Injuries, Slight Swearing

A/N: AU Parts– X, X Doing more of my college age Damian AU. This particular fic can really take place anywhere in it. Tbh this doesn’t need to specifically fit in this AU I just really wanted to write something with the three main Al-Ghuls. Slight Rebirth connection with Mara and The Demon's Fist here just because. I decided to use a real life city for the location for The League's headquarters because it makes sense to me that Ra's would control an entire real-life city. As usual translations are at the very bottom.

Summary: Damian receives a mysterious visit from his mother one night. After some questioning Talia reveals that Bruce has been abducted. It is obvious to the both of them that Ra’s Al-Ghul is behind the abduction. And so Damian must travel to the headquarters of The League of Assassins to save his father from the evil clutches of Ra’s.

It was the beginning of November and Yale University was currently holding Family Weekend. Most students looked forward to the event; wanting to show off to their parents and/or younger siblings. But no one was coming to visit him as everyone was far too busy with other things. Mostly it was the double-life that called them all away. Besides, he had grown accustomed to it so, it didn’t bother him much anymore when his father missed important events in his life.

Sometime in the night the window to his dorm creaks open and the sound wakes him. He quietly reaches behind the headboard and grabs his sword from its hiding spot. Grasping it tightly he removes the covers and steps out of bed. As he walks over to the door the intruder makes their way to his bed.

He flicks the light switch and is startled by the person he sees.

“آم؟”

Even though the intruder wears an all-black ninja outfit and hood over their head and stands with her back towards him Damian recognizes her right away. He would recognize her anywhere; even in a crowd of people. Turning around she removes her hood which causes her long brown hair to cascade down her shoulders; framing her face. Her skin is slightly darker than his but their eyes are the same jade-like green. Talia looks at her son and smiles.

“.داميان حبي”

He asks; “ما الذي تفعله هنا؟”

“لا تستطيع الأم فقط أن تري انبها؟”

Damian scoffs as he crosses over to her and grips his sword tighter as he swiftly moves into a fighting stance. Gritting his teeth in anger he says; “أنا أعلم أبك جيدا جدا ,الأم ,ويمكني أن أقول عندما كنت الحفاظ على أس دار من لي"

Talia sighs and says; “.معتاز”

“أحتاج مساعدتكم داميان” she says gravely.

She looks away; unable to say what needs to be said next. Damian gets angrier thinking that his mother is stalling but his anger melts when he sees the glint of a tear in her eye. The tear rolls down her cheek, as she turns back to him, she quickly wipes it away and says; “.أنت تبدو كثير” Just as he opens his mouth to ask her why she’s crying Talia reveals the real reason why she came to see her son.

“.تم اختطاف والدك”

Damian’s eyes widen, his hands drop to his sides; his sword falls to floor with a loud clash. In the same moment his mouth drops open in a small circle of shock and he whispers in disbelief; “لا يمكن ان يكون صحيحا …هذا ليس طحيحا”

“.آخسى ذ لك”

“.ولكن لا تقلق أعرف بالضبط من فما ذ لك”

Damian shoots her a confused look. But just as he’s about to ask her to whom she’s referring to he stops. There’s only one person his mother could be talking about after all.

He mutters “جد” just as she says “رآس”.

Damian paces the floor in anger as his mother sits on his bed and begins to explain what happened. And it all makes perfect sense. Bruce received a distress call from Commissioner Gordon; he and his family were under attack. He rushes over there to save the man but when he arrived everything seemed fine. Suspicious he decides to stay with them for the night but Gordon receives a call from Arkham. The inmates were rioting and they needed help. Batman goes in his stead; thinking someone might be gunning for the commissioner.

When he made it to Arkham almost every single inmate was out of their cells. All except The Joker who had initiated the riot via Joker toxin. Then he got a call that Killer Croc was terrorizing The Narrows. He rushes over there and quickly subdues Croc. A call comes in from the Botanical Gardens; Ivy was controlling the guards and “freeing” the plants. And then he got a call that an altercation broke out at the Iceberg Lounge.

All the rushing around the city was too much for Bruce and the night began to take its toll.

And that was when The League attacked. They ambushed Bruce when he was vulnerable and their sheer numbers overpowered him. Talia only knew because Ra’s had sent her taunting photos of the capture. But then again the way she explained it the whole thing makes too much sense. Something was wrong and he knew it. She had to be lying; trying to trick him for some reason. He shakes his head, shaking the doubtful thoughts out of his mind, and picks his sword up from the floor.

He tells her that he’ll do everything in his power to bring Bruce back; even if that means killing Ra’s. Talia nods, readjusts her hood, and leaves his dorm the same way she entered it.

XXXXX

The sun beats down hard and hot as Damian walks through the city of Al-Hareeq. He watches the people peacefully go about their daily lives. Children play and laugh, vendors sell their wares, couples walk together hand in hand. Everything seems perfectly normal as if the city isn’t home to the one of the greatest cult leaders in the world.

For all intents and purposes he’s dressed like any normal American tourist. He wears gray tennis shoes, khaki shorts, a black t-shirt and a green hoodie; with the hood up to mask his face. It’s all on the off chance any League members hide amongst the citizens. He cannot afford to be recognized by anyone; not yet. His look is completed with a camera around his neck and a large black duffle bag at his side.

But unbeknownst to anyone his Robin costume and weaponry hide inside the duffle.

Damian walks through the city in silence making his way to the League compound. The compound sits on the very outskirts of the city on top of a medium-sized and rather rocky mountain. The steps to the compound start at the very bottom of the north-west face and extend to the middle; where the compound sits inside the rock. Despite not having been back in years he stills has a very good memory of the layout of the place. And he knows the one place where his grandfather will most likely be inside.

After climbing the steps Damian enters the compound and slips into an unoccupied washroom. Once inside; he locks the door, opens his duffle bag and changes into his Robin costume. He slings his katana over his shoulder and looks at himself in the mirror and nods approvingly. Then he opens the door and sneaks his way to the basement.

Upon arriving in the basement he hides behind a pillar and watches as his grandfather exits the Lazarus Pit. Once Ra’s attendants leave Damian steps out from behind the pillar, removes his sword from its sheath, and makes his presence known.

“.جد”

Ra’s turns around at the sound of the boy’s voice. He smiles widely and says; “.داميان; حفيدي ,وريت ,دمي”

“.لقد عدت إلى مكانك الصحيح بجانبى”

“عبادتك الاستبدادية. .أنت مخطئ ,جد, أنا لم إلى أي شيء”

The young man’s reply is laced with ice cold threats. A good amount space stands between the two. With his sword at the ready Damian begins to close the gap. Staring his grandfather down, death lurking behind his green eyes, he says; “.لقد جئت لإنقاذ أبي”

But Ra’s ignores his grandson and tries to make small talk. He smiles proudly and says; “.لقد نمت منذ رأيت آخر لك”

“!كنت في الثانية عشرة من العمر آخر مرة شا هدنا فيها بمضنا البعض. وإذا كان يخدم الذاكرة كان ذلك نفسها لك”

Growing tired of the obvious stalling Damian attacks Ra’s. He rushes across the short remainder of the gap and jumps into the air before his grandfather can attack. He flips over the man and expertly lands on his feet. Landing directly behind Ra’s he grabs a hold of the man while he’s caught off guard. With the blade against his grandfather’s throat Damian threateningly whispers. “قل لي أين كنت عقد الأب او انا سوف يقتلك حيت تقف.”

Ra’s laughs.

“كنت تمتقد أنك يمكن آن هز يمة لي الطفل؟”

Ra’s pushes up against the middle of Damian’s sword with all his rejuvenated strength. The force is too much for Damian to handle and the sword flies from his grip.

“يمكن آن يحقق الكثير من المظلمة ,ولك كنت دائما السماح لك القلب الحصول على الطريق.”

“!وتبدو حيث رعاية حطلن لك”

“آه ,ولكن, آنت لا تملم أبدا هل؟”

Ra’s looks up at Damian with a mix of anger and disappointment; “.ليست الحياة حططت لك أن تقودها”

“.آنت تحصل على تقرير مصيري في الحياة”

Standing above Ra’s he swings his sword close enough to his grandfather’s neck to make a thin cut in the skin. “أين أني؟” he demands fiercely.

Ras laughs; ”.انه في حقول القتل"

“.ابن عمك مارا ولقضق شيطان يجب أن تجمل عمل سريع من المبا حث”

Damian leaves Ra’s and runs through the compound to get to Bruce before he’s executed. He had known for a long time that Ra’s planned on using his father’s body as a vessel if the need ever arose. His grandfather, and his mother, never kept their plans a secret from him when he was growing up under their wing. They kept many secrets but their overall plan for him wasn’t one of them. For the longest time Damian believed all the lies they fed him about his and his father’s destiny. And now he knew the truth he no longer believed.

But never once in his life had Damian ever thought that Ra’s would go to such lengths to ensure that he had The Bat’s body on hand.

When he reaches the Killing Field he sees his cousin Mara standing over a beaten and bloodied Batman. She raises her katana to inflict the fatal blow but Damian calls out, screaming, “!الأب” His cry startles the others; forcing them to turn around.

His father also looks but unlike the junior League members Bruce Wayne wears a stern smile on his face.

The four members of Demon’s Fist fight hard and fast; as if their lives depended on it. That’s thanks to all of the League training and whatever bullshit Ra’s fed them. Most likely something along the lines of “Silence is an assassin’s greatest asset.” Whatever he told them they took it to heart and not a single one of them even grunted in pain when they were hurt.

Soon three of the four are down and only Mara is left.

As he fights his cousin Damian remembers when his grandfather first told him about his plans to create the Demon’s Fist. He was only about seven years old but Ra’s told him it was his destiny to be the group’s leader. And that the group of young assassins would help Damian continue to hone the skills he had and would need to stand beside his grandfather.

The loud clash of metal against metal brings Damian’s focus back into the fight.

Pushing his sword against Mara’s identical League-issued katana Damian grits his teeth. While all her focus remains on the blades Damian notices that her stance is slightly off. He swipes at her left leg and knocks her to the ground. But she gets back up almost instantly and the fight begins again. He spins away from her strike just in time to only receive a slight graze. Quickly turning back around to face her he lunges the blade into her arm.

The pain of the wound makes her drop to her knees and she releases her sword.

He picks it up and stabs her in the leg; to ensure that she does not get up.

Once Damian defeats Mara he rushes to his father’s side. Bruce’s face is covered in bruises and cuts. Blood streams down his face from a gash in his forehead. His costume is in tatters and his cowl is nowhere to be seen. Kneeling down next to Bruce he clutches his father’s hand in worry as unwanted tears start to prick at his eyes.

“الأب هل أنت بخير؟”

Bruce ensures his youngest son that he’s fine. But he allows Damian to help him up because if truth be told Bruce was in a great deal of pain and he could not get up on his own. Damian tries to blink away his tears, even bites his lip to distract his emotions with physical pain, but they continue to fall as he whispers; ".كنت جدا نصل من الوقت المناسب"

“.لا باس ابن أنا بخير الآن”

To prove the point Bruce moves out from under Damian's arm. But he limps and winces with each step. The pained grimace on his face is obvious despite his efforts to hide it. Looking over with a worried face Damian asks; "هل أنت المنزل؟"

Bruce shoots Damian a look that tells him to drop it and so he does. They walk out of the Killing Field, and out of the League’s compound, in complete silence. Realizing how scary this must have been for his son Bruce eases up on the stern-dad moment. This wasn’t really the time or the place for him to act like that. And besides, Damian refused to speak a word of English since he rescued him. That alone was enough proof of how afraid and distraught he had been.

He moves closer to his youngest son and wraps his arm around the young man’s shoulders.

".لنذهب إلى المنزل"

~~~ Translations:

Mother.-- آم

Damian, my love.-- داميان حبي

What are you doing here?-- ما الذي تفعله هنا؟

Can’t a mother just want to see her son?-- لا تستطيع الأم فقط أن تري انبها؟

I know you very well, Mother, and I can tell when you are keeping secrets from me.-- أنا أعلم أبك جيدا جدا الأم ويمكني أن أقول عندما كنت الحفاظ على أس دار من لي

Very well.-- معتاز

I need your help, Damian.-- أحتاج مساعدتكم داميان

You look so much like him.-- أنت تبدو كثير

Your father has been abducted.-- تم اختطاف والدك

It’s not true… It can’t be true.-- لا يمكن ان يكون صحيحا …هذا ليس طحيحا

You’re lying!-- !انت تكذب

I’m afraid it is.-- آخسى ذ لك

But don’t worry; I know exactly who did it.-- ولكن لا تقلق أعرف بالضبط من فما ذ لك

Grandfather-- جد

Ra’s-- رآس

Damian; my grandson, my heir, my blood.-- .داميان; حفيدي ,وريت ,دمي

You have returned to your rightful place beside me.-- لقد عدت إلى مكانك الصحيح بجانبى

You are mistaken, Grandfather, I have not returned to anything. Especially your despotic cult.-- أنت مخطئ ,جد, أنا لم إلى أي شيء. خاصة عبادتك الاستبدادية

I have come to save my father.-- لقد جئت لإنقاذ أبي

You have grown since I last saw you.-- .لقد نمت منذ رأيت آخر لك

I was thirteen years old the last time we saw each other. And if memory serves it was because you ordered my own cousin to murder me to prove herself to you!-- !كنت في الثانية عشرة من العمر آخر مرة شا هدنا فيها بمضنا البمض. وإذا كان يخدم الذاكرة كان ذلك نفسها لك

Tell me where you’re holding Father or I will kill you where you stand.--قل لي أين كنت عقد الأب او انا سوف يقتلك حيت تقف

You think you can defeat me, child?-- كنت تمتقد أنك يمكن آن هز يمة لي الطفل؟

You could have achieved so much greatness Damian, but, you always let your heart get in the way. I always taught you that emotions are for the weak. And look where caring got you! Ah, but you never learn do you?--هل يمكن آن يحقق الكثير من المظلمة ,ولكن, كنت دائما السماح لك القلب الحصول على الطريق. وتبدو حيث رعاية حطلن لك! آه ,ولكن, آنت لا تملم أبدا هل؟

This is not the life I planned for you to lead.-- هذه ليست الحياة حططت لك أن تقودها.

You do not get to decide my fate in life.-- آنت تحصل على تقرير مصيري في الحياة

Where is my father?-- أين أني؟

In the Killing Field.-- .انه في حقول القتل

Your cousin Mara and The Demon’s Fist should make quick work of the detective.-- ابن عمك مارا ولقضق شيطان يجب أن تجمل عمل سريع من المبا حث

Father!-- !الأب

Father, are you alright?-- الأب هل أنت بخير؟

I was so afraid I wouldn't arrive in time.-- كنت جدا نصل من الوقت المناسب

It’s okay, son, I’m fine now.-- لا باس ابن أنا بخير الآن

Are you sure you're alright?-- هل أنت المنزل؟

Let's go home.-- لنذهب إلى المنزل

Chapter 34

Jump City. May 4th, 2018. 11:44 AM.

Damian scanned the shelves of books lining the wall of the little shop, overcome with embarrassment. He was always so good about keeping an eye on the gas in both his bikes, so having to pull over because his motorcycle literally wouldn’t go any farther was a total shock to him, and it was accompanied by many bewildered looks and annoying questions from bystanders outside the bookstore where he’d come to a stop, because “why is that kid riding a Yamaha, he can’t possibly be old enough to drive”. Wanting to avoid any more awkward questioning, Damian decided run into the bookstore, because somehow he forgot to charge his phone last night, and when he went to ping a Lyft, his phone was dead. Of course he had his charger on him (preparedness is a prerequisite for victory, after all… although he’d be better prepared if he’d just remembered to charge his phone), but it would still take a while for the cellular device to build up enough juice to get him home. So he went inside, asked if he could plug in, and the man behind the counter was nice enough to let him charge up, as well as use the store’s landline call for someone to bring him a gas can.

While he waited, Damian figured that the least he could do to repay the man for his service was take a look around the store, see if anything caught his eye, which it certainly did: Todd had been nagging at him to pick up a copy of Wuthering Heights for sometime (“It’s a classic! How have you not read it yet??” his brother carried on), and Raven mentioned that she had enjoyed it. Damian figured it couldn’t be any worse than the last book someone had recommended to him… Make no mistake, Machine Man was perfectly fine as a book. It just wasn’t as spectacular as Damian had been led to believe. It relied greatly on ironic turns and played heavily towards the action sci-fi crowd, which Damian found to be an odd mixture that could have worked out better than Drake had convinced him it would. Either way, Damian decided to pick up Wuthering Heights, as well as a new copy of Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales for Raven. (She had apparently loaned her copy to Tara, who then let Garfield take a look at it… Raven got it back yesterday in shreds. She was pretty upset about it.) By then, Damian’s phone had enough power for him to call Jon, who was there a few seconds later with a can of gas for the bike. Say what you will about ol’ Jonno, he was dependable. So once a Damian filled up on gas, he took off without another word to anyone on the street, determined to get home as soon as he could.

And why did Damian not pay attention to his fuel tank? Because he was distracted. Everything was practically upside-down in his life at the moment; despite his claims that he would publicly bring Damian to his knees, Riddler had yet to make any further appearances to anyone, and certainly wasn’t leaving any clues to his whereabouts. Damian didn’t know if he had been immensely over-prepared for his one-on-one with the green-suited puzzler, or if Riddler intended on dragging out this waiting game long enough to wear him thin, but he was upset about it either way. And somehow, Riddler was on the back-burner of Damian’s mind, as he was much more concerned about Raven… she was still shaken up over what he’d done. Damian kicked himself for being so inconsiderate of how she was feeling, because he hadn’t seen her so quiet since before Pier 64 two years ago. She refused to acknowledge it, insisted that everything was fine, but her sentences had become quick, one-word snippets of speech, and it seemed as though she held onto him tighter now than she’d ever done before, wouldn’t let go for much longer. Everywhere in the Tower he went, she would be close by, like she didn’t want to let him out of her sight for a second.

Damian would have loved this if not for the fact that it came as a result of her hurting… it had taken every bit of misdirection, distraction, and disappearance he could think of to keep her from following him right out into town. Why he insisted on going alone, he still didn’t know… but he had an inkling. It was that craving for intimacy that he’d been experiencing, the need to be more affectionate with one another. He and Raven had discussed it, sure, and they agreed they wanted to get closer. But something kept eating at him, gnawing at him from the pit of his stomach. He wanted more, and this time he didn’t like it. He was afraid to find out how much more would be enough. He was an addict, hooked on her like a drug he’d barely tasted. She was his heroin. He didn’t know what he could do, because for every thought he came up with for how to fight back against his body’s unruly impulses, ten more thoughts manifested that made him turn beet red, filled him with shame, and that he couldn’t for the life of him shake off. That look in her eyes that made him wonder if she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, that curve in her lips that made him want to drown himself in her kiss, the warmth of her silky-smooth skin that swallowed him up every time she drew near…

Damian found himself so consumed by his thoughts, he failed to notice the drunk man plowing through the red light to his left until his bike–and the world–had already disappeared from underneath him.

Titans Tower, Jump City. May 4th, 2018. 11:44 AM.

“He ran out of gas.”

Raven kept her eyes shut as she focused on Damian from the roof of the Tower. She could feel the breeze running through her long black hair, she could hear the sound of her breath as the air moved in and out of her lungs. She could even feel Jon’s eyes lock onto her, bewildered by her statement. But her attention stayed on her Damian.

“What? Who ran outta…” Superboy ask about to ask, but his voice trailed of as he realized what she was referring to. “… Raven, are you seriously watchin’ Damian right now?”

“You should go get a can ready for him, he’s gonna ask you to bring him enough to get him home.”

“Raven, look at me.” Jon’s brow furrowed as the pale girl turned her head slightly, half-opening one eye. “I get it, alright? What happened was scary, and Damian coulda got hurt real bad if we all hadn'ta been there. But that don’t mean ya gotta keep him under lock'n'key like this.–”

“No, Jon. You don’t get it.” Raven’s shadow began to waver as she opened both eyes to look back the boy. “You could have caught him yourself, no problem. You’re a Superman, nothing is too big or moves too fast for you to catch. But I couldn’t have saved him by myself. I put everything I had into grabbing him, and he still would have died. I understand you’re only trying to help… but he already died in my arms once. I’m not gonna lose him again.”

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Jon let out a sigh as he stood up to fly away. “… Y'know, I can hear your heartbeat from anywhere in the world. Once you found him, I could hear his again too… and I heard it stop.” His feet slowly drifted off the roof as he moved out into the open air. “… you weren’t the only one who lost him that day.”

Raven’s eyes were already closed again by the time Jon took off towards the nearest gas station.

She hadn’t thought about that, but it made sense… like she said, he was a Kryptonian. Of course he could hear their heartbeats. Of course he liked to check on them every so often… she did that all the time. So of course he was probably listening for her everyday when she left for Gotham, just to see if she’d found their friend yet. Damian wasn’t just her best friend… Damian was Jon’s friend too. They both loved him.

“Jon, I’m sorry…” she reached out to try to speak to Jon through their minds… she’d never done so before, but she figured it was worth a shot. “I just… he’s all I have. Everything in my heart, it’s for him…”

Silence.

Again, it was worth a shot.

She turned her mind back to Damian. Apparently he’d picked something out at the bookstore, but she couldn’t tell what. He had already put the purchase out of his mind and was just then texting Jon for gas. He walked out the door, and there was Jon, already waiting for him. Many things could be said about Jonathan Kent… but he was a good friend.

Damian seemed troubled, so Raven decided to peek into his mind as he filled the gas tank… she smiled as she saw herself looking back at him in his mind. She blushed as she realized why he seemed so at odds with himself: he wanted to be more. More intimate, more… physical. He was ashamed… no, not just ashamed, afraid. The thought of being so close, so interwoven into someone else… he was terrified. He’d never been in a relationship like that with someone before. Neither had she, now that her mind was on the subject… did she want the same thing? Well… yes. Yes she did. I mean, look at him now. The wind running through his hair, those pale blue eyes looking coldly down the road in front of him, the hands covered in callouses that still felt gentle and welcoming on her skin…

She almost didn’t notice the white station wagon racing towards him from his left. But she did. And she nearly shattered when it barreled into him, sending him spinning through the air, crashing into the back windshield of a blue van parked several feet away.

She let out a scream as she threw herself off the edge of the roof, flying towards the city as fast as Azar’s magic would carry her.

…

When “Rachel” finally reached the hospital, Jon was already there, hugging his knees anxiously in the corner of the waiting room. As she ran to him, he jumped up to do the same and the two latched onto one another, each one clutching at the other’s back for dear life.

“Oh my God… Jon, oh my God…” Raven could barely manage the words before she broke down, falling into the alien’s arms as he sobbed.

“I know Rachel, I know,” Jon fought as hard as he could to hold himself together. “The doctors are doing everything they can, I swear. It’ll be alright… it’ll…” he let out a cough, and sucked in a shaky breath as he struggled harder to keep the tears at bay. “Listen, he’s alive… he’s alive, okay? His heart is still going. He’s breathing, his blood is still pumping.”

“I saw it, Jon…” the witch’s words were broken, and she pulled Superboy in tighter. “I watched him get hit… I… Jon, it was so bad. It happened so fast. It was so fast.”

“Rachel, don’t talk like that. He’s gonna be okay,” Jon was insistent, pulling away and looking into Raven’s eyes. “I promise you, Damian is gonna be fine.”

“Rachel! Jonathan!” The Titans turned to see Bruce and Cassandra Wayne marching towards them.

“Daddy!!” Raven cried as she jumped into Bruce’s arms. “Oh God, I saw it happen! I saw him!!” Bruce wrapped his arm around the half-demon, the other arm bringing Cassie in and holding them both as tight as he could.

“It’s gonna be alright, sweetheart… listen to me, that’s our boy in there,” the Batman whispered into Raven’s ear comfortingly. “That’s our Damian. You know he’s a fighter, you know how strong he is. He’s gonna be fine.” As he held the two girls close to him, he realized what she’d just done: she didn’t cry out “Bruce” or “Mr. Wayne” or even “Batman” (thank God she didn’t say Batman). She called him Daddy. And as much as it warmed his heart to know she felt welcome in his family, he knew what that meant… they were in a public place, surrounded by slack-jawed ordinary people... and frankly, he was Bruce Wayne. Word was bound to get around. He could already picture the headlines… “Daddy’s Girl: Bruce Wayne’s Second Daughter?”

“Rachel…” Raven looked up over Bruce’s shoulder to see Talia al Ghul standing behind them. She rushed forward, cupping Raven’s face and looking right into her with her piercing jade eyes. “Rachel, I’m so sorry. We came as soon as we heard…”

As Raven reached up and put a pale hand over Talia’s dark fingers, a grey-haired doctor stepped out into the waiting room. “Excuse me, we’re looking for the family of Mr. Damian Wayne…?”

Bruce turned to look the man in the eye. “I’m Bruce Wayne. I’m Damian’s father… we’re his family.” The billionaire began gesturing to everyone in their group. “This is his mother, Talia Head, his sister Cassandra, and his fiancée, Rachel Roth. And over there is Jonathan White, Damian’s Best Man.”

Cassie stepped forward. “How is he?”

The doctor put a hand on Cass’ shoulder and smiled. “It’s a miracle, but he’s gonna be fine. We’d like to keep him here for a few days just to be on the safe side, but he’s sustained very little injury. We had to pull some glass out of his back, and he’ll have to come back in a few months for the stitches to come out, but he’s practically undamaged otherwise. No broken bones, no damage to any organs… all he has are some shallow glass wounds and a mild concussion.”

“Oh God!” Bruce fell to his knees, hugging Raven close to him as he began to tear up. “Thank God!! Oh God, my boy… our boy’s okay. He’s okay.” Talia threw her arms around both of them as Jon ran up and did the same, all of them crying and laughing at the good news.

“Can we see him?” Cass asked, her face expressing her relief.

“Of course. He’s just woken up, and asked for Ms. Roth by name.” The doctor beckoned them forward. “If you’ll all just come with me…”

The group rushed down the hall and into a small room at the end of the corridor. There lying in a bed by the window was Damian, all dressed down in a hospital down, his eyes half-open and glazed over, with a little smile on his face.

“Hey…” the Son of Batman said slowly, still clearly dazed from the sedatives. “Dad? Cassie…? Mama? What are you guys doin’ here?”

“Damian…!” Raven ran to the bedside and grabbed her Damian’s face, pressing their lips together as tears streamed down her face. Damian’s eyes drifted shut as he brought his hand to her face, one lighting on her cheek as the other ran through her hair. After a brief moment, Raven broke away to look into the boy’s tired eyes.

Damian licked his lips and grinned back at her. “Rae…” he mumbled, “… have I ever told you you smell like strawberries…?”

Raven bit her lip as she felt her laughter coming up, holding in her reaction as best she could… unlike Jonathan, who had to walk back out into the hallway because he was laughing so hard. “Baby, you were in an accident,” she said, fighting back her giggle. “Do you remember?”

“Yeah… yeah, I got hit by a car.” Damian scratched his head as he thought back. “Like… I got hit by a car… into another car, right?”

Raven grinned as she nodded. “That’s right, Damian,” she stuttered. “But the doctors say you’re okay. You’re gonna have to stay in bed for awhile, but you’re gonna be okay.”

“Oh, good!” Damian exclaimed, his face beaming. “That’s really good! Can I… can I come home?”

“Not yet, baby…” the mage-girl cooed as she stroked Damian’s hair. “We need to wait a few days, okay? But I’m gonna be right here. I’ll be right here until we get to bring you home.”

“M'kay…” Damian smiled back at the girl. “Raven, I’m so glad you’re here…”

“Me too, Dame… me too.” Raven touched her nose to his gently, prompting a tired giggle from the boy. She turned to walk off so someone else could see him, and…

“Ooh… still cute.”

Raven’s face turned completely red as she realized what the drug-addled Titan was referring to. Damian lazily snickered as the poor girl walked past Talia, whose jaw had long since dropped at her son’s practically non-existent inhibitions.

“Damian!!” Talia yelled, biting back a cackle. “That was incredibly inappropriate!”

“Hey, Mama!!” Damian shouted, arms outstretched. “I love you, Mama!” Talia just shook her head and wrapped her arms around her son.

“Damian, I think we ought to have Raven heal you now…” Bruce whispers from across the room. “I heard about Riddler being here in California, and it would be best for everyone if we got you back in the field soon.”

The half-conscious Damian shook his head. “We rely too heavily on Rae-Rae’s healie-doo…” (Raven visibly cringed at the mention of the nickname) “I think I should juss do thissun analog. Old-school healies, y'know.” At this point, even Bruce had to hold back a chuckle.

“Well, that still leaves the issue of Riddler to deal with. I have to get back to Gotham, but I think I know someone who can help…” the Batman smirked as he pulled out his phone, holding it up to his ear. “… Hey, it’s me. Your semester just let out, right? Because I’m calling in a solid you owe me.”