Hihi can I request a Barbatos and MC with severe depression? Like they have a hard time getting out of bed, showing, and Barbatos helps them if that's okay? Also please take care of yourself! I'm proud of you for taking a break!
Hi, anon! It's definitely okay! I did say in my writing update post that I'm accepting small drabble requests! And thank you, I'm definitely doing much better now! 💕
I used a lot of personal experience for this one, but I've been there and it's hard not to use those feelings when I write. Anyway, I hope it turned out okay!
Barbatos sees the mound of blanket slowly moving up and down with your breathing. It's a relief to see that minuscule movement - an indication that you're still holding on. He sits down on the edge of the bed, knowing that his weight moving the mattress will alert you to his presence. Even so, you don't stir.
He can't see you. The blankets cover most of you. The only thing visible is the top of your head, your hair greasy and in disarray. He knows you haven't showered in days. He knows you haven't left your bed in days except to go to the bathroom. You'll sneak into the kitchen in the night to eat. Sometimes you're awake and scrolling mindlessly through your D.D.D. But mostly you simply sleep. A space of oblivion where you don't have to feel anything when you're feeling everything far too much.
Barbatos reaches out a hand toward you. He hesitates. He knows you're aware of him, that you're awake in that moment, though keeping your eyes closed. He knows you don't want him to see you. He knows that it hurts you to see him. He knows that you don't want to look at him and see pity.
But Barbatos is a master at portraying no emotion aside from the one he very deliberately means to show. All you will see when you look at him is love. Because he will allow nothing else.
Barbatos settles his gloved hand on your back.
He waits.
Eventually you squirm beneath his touch, a subtle indication that you don't want him to be here.
"I will not leave until you speak to me," Barbatos says. He keeps his voice soft, but with a firmness that he hopes will impart to you how serious he is.
You mumble an incomprehensible acquiescence and he takes it.
"Tell me what you need," he says, keeping his tone even and neutral.
There is a long silence.
And then you sit up and look at him. The blanket falls from your shoulders. You have dark circles beneath your eyes and your stare is hollow, but for a tiny spark of surprise.
"You're not going to scold me?" you ask. Your voice is so ragged it nearly breaks his heart.
He reaches out to brush his fingers across your cheek, wishing for the first time that he wasn't wearing his gloves so he could feel you. "You have done nothing wrong, my love."
You bite your lip, hard. He wants to reach out, to pull you to him, to kiss you, to make you stop before you break the skin. But the tears that have formed in your eyes stop him. He's too cautious, still uncertain about what you need in this moment.
He learns his worries are unfounded the moment you collapse into his arms.
Barbatos holds you, rubbing gentle circles on your back as you pretend you aren't crying as hard as you are. You cling to him and the heaviness of your grip feels like solidity to him. Like you aren't slipping away, like you're still his, like maybe he can simply be whatever you need after all. It's all he wants.
So when you've cried yourself out, he asks you again. He asks you to tell him what you need. And you do. And he gives you whatever it is you ask for. It takes some time for you to find your way out of the labyrinth of sadness again. But Barbatos is there to guide you through every turn.
masterlist | Thank you for reading!
124 notes
·
View notes
question- do you mind doing fic recs? And if so, do you have any good fics centered around Dick and Damian's relationship? In particular anything that plays with their whole "I'm your brother but also your father/son but not but yes" thing they've got going on? If you see this thank you, you're doing the lord's work <3
anon if you’re still out there, thank you for your patience and hope you enjoy these! there’s MANY Dick&Damian fics i love so i tried to limit it to the “im your brother AND kinda your dad but not really” dynamic!!
3:16 by partingxshot
The knife pushes thin along Dick’s carotid artery, cupping the indent between neck and jawline—forcing him to angle his chin. The metal is warm, pulled with execution speed from under Damian’s pillow.
“Okay,” Dick says quietly, tracking the intricacies of his own heartbeat—counting the space between breaths. “Guess I did need a shave.”
(With faltering steps, Dick and Damian become Batman and Robin.)
i think every Dick & Damian enthusiast has read this lol it may be ongoing but its latest chapter is left on a very satisfying end for an arc!!
an endless road to rediscover by littlearrows
In the months before Mar'i is born, Dick and Damian take a cross-country road trip together.
if you enjoyed the Dick and Damian tension from Nightwing (2016) #16-20 you might like this! :’) encouraging everyone to read those issues tbh
to be human by newsical
None of his Gotham acquaintances look upon his old life favorably — this, Damian knows. Was his life not noble before? Damian feels like a waterboarded gnat, swirling towards a drain.
Gently, as though he has not ripped out Damian’s stomach with his teeth, Alfred says, “Attempting to take his father’s place won’t work, Master Richard…”
Their voices peter out, and the last thing Damian can hear is Richard huff and say something that sounds like, “No shit,” and he is alone.
Somewhere, a clock ticks. Damian pictures it melting.
(Dick and Damian over the years.)
lovely dive into Damian’s personal growth and his relationship with Dick!! reading the poem that inspired the fic, especially again after finishing the fic is a nice touch!
Do You Feel the Way My Past Aches? by fishfingersandjellybabies
Bruce finds a wayward Damian asleep on his couch. Dick then find them both. An unexpected conversation ensues.
a tender Bruce perspective on the dynamic! “Bruce thought back to watching them work, Dick the master of the spotlight and Damian his perfect shadow.” THEM
When You're The One Who's Loved by fishfingersandjellybabies
Damian doesn’t understand why Dick is so upset. Tim does, though.
SO SOFTT ykw just go thru all of this writer's Dick & Damian fics they just exude love and warmth!!
Tea for Two by StormLeviosa
Their apartment is full of smiles now. It is because of Pennyworth, he is sure.
Damian did not realise how much he'd missed Pennyworth until he came back. He slotted into their little family like the puzzle piece you do not know is missing. It was pleasant, having a grandfather he did not need to fear, and Pennyworth was all that and more.
part of a series, but easily read as a standalone. they’ve given up the vigilante life and DOMESTIC DICK & DAMIAN + ALFRED!! WHOLESOME!! i also enjoy the other Damian installments of the series, fun explorations of his interests/skills like violin!! and animals (going to vet school!!)
Pop-tarts and orange juice by Ididloveyou_once
‘Do you ever wish that Father had actually died?’
‘Never.’
And despite the vehemence with which Richard says the word, Damian thinks that he might be lying. But only because he hates himself for the truth.
Or: Bruce has been back from the dead for three months. Damian doesn’t know how to feel. He does know that he misses his da- Richard. They talk about it… Sort of.
"He wants to tell him that nothing compares to being Robin at his side. To being Damian at his side." WAILING
The Weight of Legacy by DawnsEternalLight
Damian didn’t think. He didn’t have to, protecting Richard was instinct by now. Darting forward right into the arc of Crane’s scythe as it aimed for his partner’s neck was as familiar to him as breathing, etched into his DNA. For if he lost Richard again, how could he continue to exist?
The man was not only his firmest tie to Batman’s mantle, now that Father was home and clashing with Damian, but at some point during their partnership he had inexorably woven himself into Damian’s very being. Through training, and lessons, and quiet nights filled with ice cream. Patience and love–a thing Damian had not hoped to find here when he’d first set foot on American soil.
To lose Richard would be akin to losing a limb. And so Damian acted as if that were true. He wove protection of his mentor, Batman, sibling, into every action he took and refused to accept failure as an option.
"We Both Know You're The Last of the Graysons" as a fic prompt is wild...that panel never fails to make me cry... also, another writer with an abundance of fantastic Dick & Damian fics!!
Emergency Contact by DawnsEternalLight
Damian: Apologies for the intrusion into your day, Richard. I need you to pick me up
from the gallery trip early, it seems I have been stabbed.
Dick blinked down at the message then read it again. And again. His brain not quite processing the words staring up at him, backlit by the phone.
this ventures bit more into parent Dick Grayson, as in Damian explicitly calling Dick his dad at the end but it's a fun fic!! that preview always cracks me up LOL
The Stowaway by LittleLadybugs
There's a cat in the penthouse.
Fortunately, Alfred has yet to find out.
Now to keep it that way.
OR
Dick tries his best to parent Damian. Damian tries his best, period. They’re both a bit clumsy, but they’ve got the spirit.
There might be a cat
Meow ᓚᘏᗢ 💙💚
smiling and laughing through this whole fic THEY ARE SO SILLY I LOVE THEM
as love carries its strength, but not its labels by AlterHarpia
Bruce is on a trip beyond Earth’s Solar System for longer than he intended, making Dick and Damian fall into an old pattern.
“I'm not Batman.” A mere reminder, perhaps, but when said to Damian it always sounds like an apology.
basically them putting into words their own funky lil dynamic!!
Let The Right One In by whaleofatime
Hot on the trail of Deadshot threatening mayhem in Japan, Dick and Damian find themselves going undercover as a father-son duo on House Hunters International.
Deadshot won't be the only source of chaos in Tokyo this summer, and Dick's only a little apologetic.
okok kinda cheating here since they’re just undercover as dad and son lol BUT it’s such a fun read of the duo on a Japan trip (mission)!
the primacy of personal conscience by birdsofthesoul
"WHAT MAKES IAGO EVIL? some people ask. I never ask."
— Joan Didion, Play It as It Lays
Or: Dick, his family, and the moral morass of a wishing well.
cheating again bc plot not focused on Dick and Damian’s relationship, but it’s there! really enjoyed the characterizations and dynamics here!!
soft clocks by dustorange
Side effects of being revived by Lex Luthor may include amnesia, going undercover into a high-level espionage agency, not recognizing your family, fighting your family, and dealing with the emotional weight and guilt associated with encountering said family.
Ask your doctor if being revived by Lex Luthor is right for you.
(a.k.a. Dick has amnesia during his time at Spyral. The family grapples with finding out he's alive. Dick grapples with finding out he has a family. Inspired by this post by bigskydreaming.)
lol sorry another not focused on their relationship but!! came and stayed for the plot, then the Dick & Damian moments KNOCKED ME OUTT!!
66 notes
·
View notes