#Alfred Pennyworth is the Best

[clovrtree]

Peter had never felt more angry at a wizard before in his life until this moment. Certainly a strange thing to think about as he walked tiredly through dark and dreary streets, but nonetheless, it was how he felt.

Doctor Strange- “Call me Stephen.”- had sent Peter Parker to an entirely new universe. At least, that’s what he believed had happened. There wasn’t necessarily an exact answer as to how he ended up here, only a who that was responsible for it. And right now Peter was very angry at that who.

Memories of Titan were shoved to the forefront of his mind, a planet scorched by the sun and catastrophically destroyed by war. It’s destruction was a product of the very war that Peter had been fighting before he-

His footsteps faltered as he remembered his death.

“Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good–” Peter said with a shake in his breath as a sudden fuzziness started crawling up his limbs. His spider-sense was going haywire, overwhelming his senses and leaving the boy a stuttering mess. “I-I don’t- I don’t know what’s happening–” he said frantically as he stumbled to his mentor.

Tony Stark swallowed hard. His face displayed anguish that Peter didn’t want to see. “...you’re alright.” He said all too steadily, like a father comforting a child. When Peter got close enough, he clung to the man, feeling his feet get swept from underneath him in the wind. Tears pricked at the teen’s eyes, grip tight on Tony’s jacket.

“I-I don’t wanna go-” he said through tears, nose becoming congested from the surge of raw fear running through him. His spine tingled, and over Tony’s shoulder, he caught a glimpse of his own fingers turning into ash. “I don’t wanna go-” he repeated in a plea. “Please, sir, I don’t wanna go-”

Tony kneeled down, setting Peter on the ground. His hands never left the teen, and the teen never let him go. Peter swallowed roughly, forcing tears back as he looked up at Titan’s yellow sky. It wasn’t the blue one that he so desperately needed to see, the familiar sky of Earth.

He was far from Earth now, and he would never be going back.

Peter turned his gaze back to Tony, looking the man in the eyes and forcing his mouth to work once more. He needed to say something to Tony, tell him anything- he couldn’t let himself die like this in Tony’s arms.

“I’m sorry.”

Not without an apology delivered on the brink of death.

Everything after that was white hot, and he couldn’t recall a single second of his time after turning into ash. All he knew was that he watched Tony become a blur, and then a second later, he was gasping for air and clawing his way onto a rocky New England shore.

The puddle below his heavy foot splashed and soaked the ends of the ratty jeans he had fished out of a dumpster upon arrival. They were far too big for him and sat loose on his hips, but he preferred them instead of walking around in his Iron Spider suit, which still clung to his damp skin underneath his makeshift clothes.

He felt miserable, and if he was soaking wet for much longer, then he would surely be sick. Of course that wouldn’t be a big deal, considering his healing factor. It was still uncomfortable as hell, and he especially didn’t want to be sick in a strange city like this one.

The Gotham Gazette drew his attention, the soaking wet newspaper discarded on the ground up ahead. He hesitantly reached down, picking it up and holding back a wince at the feeling of the damp paper.

Most of the smaller words in the articles were already soaked and smudged away in the rain, but the title and a few headings still boldly displayed themselves. Fourth Arkham Break-Out of the Year. Wayne Enterprises Donates 1.7 Billion to Homeless Shelters Benefiting Crime Alley. Red Hood Busts Human Trafficking Ring in the Harbor.

This city, supposedly called Gotham, sounded rough. The Asylum was experiencing break-outs like a prison, there were known human trafficking rings… at least Wayne Enterprises seemed to be doing something to help the homelessness rates of the city. That was something that Peter had noticed as soon as he made it to the main city from the harbor- the amount of homeless citizens was vastly concerning.

A bit more smudged reading told Peter that it was April third of 2016- a whole two years before Thanos. Before Peter would die. The mere thought of his death once more sent an uncomfortable shiver up his spine, and he was now hyper aware of how dreadful this situation was.

Even worse, he was in New Jersey. Peter had never heard of Gotham, New Jersey, which felt extremely odd. A city with this much crime would surely gather the attention of the Avengers, or some other hero who could help.

Maybe that’s who Red Hood is, Peter thought, dropping the newspaper into a nearby trashcan and continuing his aimless walk. Part of him hoped so, since the person seemed to be doing good work for the city.

The smell of cigarette smoke assaulted Peter’s nose as he passed an alleyway, and he scrunched his face in discomfort. A quick glance that direction showed a group of men wearing stained and torn clothing sitting around a dying out trash fire. His heart gave a pained beat in his chest. Even a second around that small fire would likely warm his senses enough to find a safe place to spend the rest of the night.

Unfortunately for Peter’s senses, his mind was much more rational. These men didn’t know him, and they were much older than him. They likely weren’t keen on sharing, and since they were smoking, Peter didn’t want to sit near that smell for so long.

So he continued.

The teen wasn’t sure exactly how long that he walked, but the moon had shifted quite a lot from its initial position earlier in the night. He caught a glimpse of it through the dreary clouds every so often, rain pelting his face.

“Karen, what kind of info can you pick up?” he mumbled under his breath, and in response, he felt nanobots brushing around his ear until they had made a small bud for him to listen to.

“Hi, Peter. Currently I’m unable to grab any information from the internet, as none of my sources seem to have updated to our current geological location.”

Peter frowned at her response, sticking his hands into the pockets of the stained gray zip-up hoodie he had grabbed when he got the jeans. “That doesn’t make any sense, what’s your database looking like?”

“Looks like it usually does, Peter. However, nothing from my internal storages is aligning with any metadata that I’m receiving from this environment.”

“So.. nothing on Gotham, New Jersey?”

“No, sorry, Peter.”

Peter huffed through his nose, hearing the A.I. go silent in his ear. To anyone who looked close enough, it just seemed like he had one generic-brand earbud. Upon closer inspection, though, anyone could see the small trail of metal going down into his hoodie.

“Run a diagnostic, see what all is online. I’ll try to find you something with internet to connect to.”

The lack of response told the teen that she had started on the diagnostics, so he grew quiet too. He would rather people not think he’s insane for mumbling to himself under his breath.

Eventually, Peter looked up from the sidewalk and paused, a wave of discomfort washing over him. To his right was Gotham Public Library. All of the lights were off inside, but the outdoor ones illuminated a large clock-face reading 3:47.

To his left, a cemetery with tall black metal fences was emitting an eerie fog across the entire half of the street. It went down for at least another block. Just looking at the place of rest made a tingle rush up his spine and to his neck, buzzing there.

Breaking and entering was definitely a crime. Always had been, always would be, even in this city that isn't supposed to exist. Still, Peter was cold and tired, and he just needed to close his eyes for a little bit. If he would be breaking into anywhere, it would be somewhere with the word “Public” plastered above the front door.

Like the Gotham Public Library, how perfect. He skipped up the steps two at a time, standing underneath the large stone awning for a second to enjoy the feeling of no rain! It was great, but now he needed a way inside.

On the front of the building, all of the doors and windows were locked tight, and Peter frowned. Of course a city with this much crime would be under lock and key. He would need a different entrance.

As quietly and inconspicuously as possible, Peter Parker rounded the building twice, looking at windows and potential entrances. Eventually, on his second lap, he spotted a slightly opened window through the heavy rain. Parker luck be damned, he was about to be somewhere warm.

Scaling the wall was effortless with his spider abilities, and fitting through the small window was easy as pie. The boots of his Iron Spider suit landed on a tiled floor of a women's restroom (he only knew that due to the lack of a urinal). A quick glance around the space told him that the lights were motion activated, so he bit the bullet and went to the door. The blinding overhead light activated and he winced, giving himself a small glance in the mirror as he passed.

He had to backtrack his steps, eyes widening when he really took stock of himself. His skin was sheened with sweat and rain, and little cuts and bruises littered his cheeks and forehead. Unzipping the gray hoodie showed the damaged Iron Spider suit, and he frowned at the large gash across his side. It had broken skin, but stopped bleeding a while ago. He hoped it wouldn’t get infected, because even with his healing factor, those were still uncomfortable.

The worst part of his appearance was his hair. The semi-curly brown locks seemed to have gotten.. Longer? Usually he kept his hair cut clean at his ears, but now strands were wisping along the back of his neck. Strangely enough, a large strand on his hairline, right by his temple, was a chalky white color. Reaching up and feeling it revealed nothing, because it felt fine.

This only opened even more questions for the teen, who sighed tiredly through his nose. He just wanted to lay down somewhere. He would assess his situation more in the morning, when the sun was up.

Right now, nothing would make sense due to his exhaustion and temperature. Any thoughts of Doctor Strange, Titan, or Thanos just made him uncomfortable and made no sense. So he dropped it- for now.

Exiting the bathroom quietly, he glanced around. Peter was on the second floor of three it seemed. Nearby, two elevator shafts stuck awkwardly out of the wall. Across the floor, a big staircase would take him either down or up. In the middle of the floor was a big hole that looked out into the bottom floor, and when Peter looked up, he was greeted by a large glass dome.

On a sunny day, this building would be beautiful. He could already imagine it bustling with life. Assuming there was a college nearby, he could see different students sitting at the various tables, couches, and beanbags doing work or reading books of all sorts. This building just felt good, and was such a stark contrast from both the cemetery across the street and the city itself.

A quick surveillance walk around the second floor revealed that there were cameras, but none were active. There were no more motion activated lights either, meaning that Peter was free to roam without drawing any attention from the outside.

“Alright, Karen, let’s hook you up to a computer.” Peter said softly, metal boots padding against the carpeted floor as he walked to a large set of computers across multiple desks. He slid into a chair and typed in the guest login information that was written on a sticky note attached to the monitor.

Using his right hand, he loaded up Google. With his left, he reached down to the actual computer itself, feeling around on the front of the box until he found a USB port. Seconds later, the nanobots on his hands shifted and changed until one finger of the suit was plugged into the computer.

“Diagnostics are complete, would you like to hear them?”

“Mhm.” Peter hummed, typing with one hand and searching up a few key words. Avengers, Tony Stark, Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man, and Wakanda all resulted in nothing useful. His brows pinched together in concern. None of this stuff seemed to even exist.

“Overall status is 42%. Your web shooters are at a combined capacity of 68%. Your suit sustained severe damage to the primary left side, but there is considerable damage located all over. The suggested course of action is to make repairs as soon as conveniently possible before joining another fight.”

“Thanks, Karen.” he sighed, not happy about the information. It wasn’t all bad, he had much more web fluid than he had originally anticipated. The damage wouldn’t be easy to fix without either a lab, or Tony. Both would be wonderful right about now. “You connected to the internet yet?”

“Yes, are you ready to hear my findings?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Peter Parker was in Gotham, New Jersey. It was the crime capital of the entire world. Despite its high crime rates, it was being watched over by a group of vigilantes, led by one called Batman. The others, with various bat and bird themed names, all worked as a single unit to keep this single city safe. They rarely ever branched out.

The Avengers did not exist. The closest thing was another group of heroes known as the Justice League, which was formed by Batman and two others: Wonder Woman and Superman. They were a heavy mix of people with powers, called Metas, and people without powers, like Batman.

Thanos did not exist. There was never an attack from him or his forces. Instead, there were other contacts with different races and species of aliens from all across the universe. Some of them were members of the Justice League now.

Spiderman did not exist. It didn’t take much to hack into public records, and there was never a Peter Benjamin Parker born in Queens. No one was ever bitten by a radioactive spider, and no one ever became Spiderman.

“Peter?”

He could hear her voice in his ear, but nothing was registering. The pure lack of anything familiar made a dreadful discomfort climb up his back, and his vision got a bit fuzzy.

“Peter, I’m picking up an increased heart rate as well as sporadic brain activity. Would you like for me to alert someone for medical aid?”

“No..” he mumbled. “....people here can’t.. They can’t know I’m not from….” he trailed off, leaning back in his chair and staring at the blurry white computer monitor.

“That you’re from a different universe?”

“..yeah, that.”

Peter’s stay in the library concluded with him taking a short nap in a soft green beanbag, and the lights flickering to life at seven a.m. He shot up from his light sleep, stumbling quickly to his feet. A worker was here, likely to get ready to open for the day. He needed to leave.

His dart across the second floor was silent thanks to his spider enhancements and the Iron Spider suit, and he climbed out the bathroom window without looking back. Maybe next time, he could sleep longer and do less research on his problems.

Looking around, things started to make more sense. This was a different universe. Sure it looked enough like his own, but there were small differences. Logos for big brands were slightly altered, celebrities looked different and some didn’t even exist. Catchy songs had different melodies, lyrics, artists, or even genres here. Why did Taylor Swift write “Bring Me to Life”? Evanescence had perfected that song!

Things slowly started to click into place as the sun rose over Gotham’s Atlantic horizon. He was in a different universe, and he needed a way to deal with all of this.

Peter had the itching feeling that going home was no longer an option. Even if it was, he wouldn’t know how, and there was no guarantee what would be waiting for him on the other side. The Guardians of the Galaxy all turned to ash seconds before Peter did- who's to say the same didn’t happen to his loved ones? To May? Ned? MJ?

The teen wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he directed his path towards the more.. Higher-class side of Gotham. He wanted to get out of the crime-ridden areas as soon as possible. The quicker he found somewhere to get help without exposing his cross dimensional identity the better.

After sneaking onto three public buses, jumping a subway gate, and offering his seat on the train to a pregnant woman, he stepped out into the lighter side of the city. Entering a place that he noted on a brochure map as Bristol, he looked around curiously at the cityscape before him.

Here the sidewalks were new, the traffic lights worked, and there was greenery lining every corner. Fancy and expensive cars that reminded Peter of The Great Gatsby carted up and down the roads. Teens in navy blue school uniforms walked in the same direction, likely towards a school.

Getting enrolled in a school sounded fantastic right about now, because it would mean easy access to both information and a chemistry lab. Unfortunately, it was hard to get enrolled anywhere when you had no documents like Peter.

Instead, he turned towards the neighborhoods. One of these rich families had to have something good in their garbage. Some thrown out devices, good clothes, maybe even food that the picky kids were too biased to eat.

Honestly, Peter would take anything at this point. He just needed resources, even if it came from a rich man’s dumpster. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and in this scenario, Peter was dumpster diving from modern Kings.

The first few houses that he passed had long winding driveways, and sleek, modern buildings. They were boxy and dark, with too many windows. He could have sworn that he saw a pool in more than a few backyards through the slatted gates. Only one place caught his eye.

A large brooding manor sat on top of a slight hill, with a driveway comparable to a hiking trail. Its gates, while well kept, were obviously old. Likely the first gates and fences to be put on the property. Thanks to Karen connecting to the internet last night, Peter could ask her a few questions now.

“Who lives here?” Peter asked, standing in front of the gate and mentally debating how much energy it would take to scale it without triggering the multiple sensors he had already spotted.

“You are looking at Wayne Manor, home of Bruce Wayne and some of his children.”

“Only some?” Peter asked casually, grabbing a hold of the bars and starting to climb upwards. Sure, he was in broad daylight, but all the teens were at school by now, and any adults were either at work or still in bed, truly living luxurious lives.

“Yes, currently his sons Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas-Wayne, and Timothy Drake-Wayne live here. His other children include Richard Grayson-Wayne, Jason Todd-Wayne, and his two daughters, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown.”

The amount of last names gave Peter a pretty clear image of what kind of guy Bruce Wayne was: and that was a playboy. He had lots of kids, only a few lived at home, and almost all of them had two last names. If the manor wasn’t so Victorian looking, Peter might have even dared to compare Bruce to Tony.

“Anything else I need to know about this place?”

“Bruce Wayne is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, having taken over the company after his parents both died when he was young. He seems to have a tendency to take in orphans, as well as making hefty donations to public works projects. As for the Wayne Property, both the house and the fence are original. I am however picking up some sort of underground space, but there appears to be something blocking my signal.”

Peter landed on the other side of the fence, flat-footed boots crunching on the gravel. “Something blocking your signal?” he asked, starting his trek up the driveway. Learning this history was cool and all, but he was more interested in both the trash and that underground room? Space? Either way, he wanted to know what it was.

“Yes, I can’t get a layout schematic of the room. However, I did get one of the rest of the house. The first-floor study has a secret staircase going down into the hidden room.”

“Cool, I’ll keep that in mind if they ever invite me in for tea.” The teen joked sarcastically, picking up a jog to reach the house.

He avoided the front door, porch, and steps with a ten-foot radius, instead going to either side to check for trash cans. Upon finding none, he frowned. They were likely kept in the back, so he continued his search. The cameras and sensors definitely went noticed, but he paid them no mind. The Waynes would just see a homeless man dumpster diving, no big deal. He was sure it happened all the time in Gotham.

Success shone on Peter in the form of two industrial-sized green dumpsters, one of which had the top open. Peter sighed quietly in relief, approaching them and first, checking for any internal sensors. Upon finding one, Peter climbed in as silently as possible.

This was not his first time going dumpster diving, and he was sure it wouldn’t be his last, either. After the Battle of New York, Peter, May, and Ben had been temporarily homeless. This meant lots of dumpsters, shelters, and stretched thin dollars.

This also meant that Peter knew what to look for while diving for trash. Most businesses tended to use a strategy called “souping” to prevent dumpster divers, which was the process of individually opening and/or destroying any products so that no one would deem them valuable. Most private homes however did not do this.

A throat being cleared pulled Peter from his search, and he yelped in surprise, quickly standing up straight and looking towards the house. His tingle should have alerted him if anyone was around! Why did it not go off??

The man looking at Peter was a well kept older gentleman wearing an ensemble expected of a butler. The black suit and slacks were pressed to perfection, and even his white cuffs and undershirt lacked any sort of stain or evidence of wear. His hair was thin, balding, and a sterling gray. It used to be black. His mustache was perfect.

“...oh my, I hadn’t realized that you were a child.” The man’s posture and expression softened the moment that he took full stock of Peter. The teen frowned- okay he was small but he wasn’t that small.

“I’m sixteen, sir.” he mumbled, and Karen sparked quietly to life in his ear.

“Alfred Pennyworth. Former soldier during World War Two, and current butler for the household.”

Peter really would have enjoyed knowing that this man existed about ten minutes ago, so that he could have avoided the one man who probably knew everything about the property. Glancing down to the butler’s hands, he realized that he was carrying trash bags. That’s why the dumpster had been empty.

“I-I’m also sorry- uh I didn’t- look I can go-” Peter stumbled over his words and his feet, climbing out of the dumpster. His ribs stung when he arched his side, and he winced in discomfort.

“My boy, you are quite alright.” Pennyworth said quickly and calmly, setting down the two white garbage bags. “Are you injured?”

“I-It’s not a big deal, It’ll heal. I’m sorry about your– Mr. Wayne’s– uh- dumpster.” Peter said, feeling like a kicked puppy.

Alfred Pennyworth frowned, taking a few small steps towards Peter. Was he afraid that he would bolt? He really wanted to run, but he also really wanted to explain his way out of the situation. Maybe the butler wouldn’t call the cops if Peter explained.

“I’m not worried about the dumpster, dear boy, I’m worried about you. You are caked with bruises and blood.” he opened his stance a little, a move that showed comfort. He was trying to make Peter more comfortable. “May I know your name?”

Peter swallowed, licking his dry lips. He really wanted to ask Karen what the best course of action was here, but if he spoke out loud, he would seem insane. So he stayed quiet, hands curling up in his jacket pockets.

“Alfred Pennyworth has a record of being both trustworthy and reliable.”

It was like she read his mind. Hesitantly, he opened his mouth and spoke. “...Peter.”

Alfred smiled gently, extending a white gloved hand to the boy. “Peter, my name is Alfred Pennyworth, but please, just call me Alfred.”

Peter reached out and took his hand in a timid shake, closing the distance between them. His hand was so dirty he almost felt bad about potentially soiling the glove, but then he realized that Alfred probably had a dozen more pairs somewhere in the Manor.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth.”

The butler chuckled, grip both firm and comforting. Karen was right, this man seemed very trustworthy. Something about Peter told him that Alfred was his best source of help at the moment. It was probably why his tingle didn’t activate when the man stepped outside.

“Peter, might I interest you in a glass of tea? It won’t take long, and I’d like to check on any injuries you may have.” he offered carefully, slowly releasing the teen’s hand.

Peter chewed the inside of his mouth, glancing to the side of Alfred where the path wrapped back around to the front of the Manor. He could still run if he really wanted to.

But he trusted Karen, and Karen seemed to trust Alfred. Her judgment had never been wrong before.

“...tea sounds nice.”

#batman #spiderman #dc multiverse #marvel multiverse #marvel x dc #peter parker is trying his best #alfred pennyworth is the best #they will be happy #and then sad and angry #and then happy once more

[batboysoneshots]

Ears

Saw this cute comic on Pinterest and just had to write a one shot for it.

Summary: Little Robin (Dick) wants ears like Batman so he asks Alfred if he could make them.

Dick is 9 he's been Robin for a year.

Third person pov...

Batman and Robin were on their way back to the cave, they had just finished their patrol of the city.

As the Batmoblie zoomed through the dark streets of Gotham little Dick Grayson sat curled up a frown upon his face, Batman's cape over his shoulders like a huge blanket, he had a problem.

He wanted ears. Not actually animal ears no, instead he wants ears for his Robin suit, like Bruce has ears for his Bat suit.

The little boy loved Batman's ears, he loved to play with then when the man put him on his shoulders, and he thought they looked cool.

Pouting in his seat the little boy had a plan, innocent blue eyes light up. 'I'll ask Alfie to make me some'

Eyes swimming with happiness the young boy could not help but grin, next to him Bruce was confused at what made his partner so happy.

As they arrived home Dick flipped out of the car once it stopped, he then ran upstairs forgetting to take off his suit.

he was too excited to tell Alfred about his idea. Bruce watched with a slight chuckle as his son bounded upstairs.

"he'll come back down when he remembers" he says before turning to the Bat computer, he had some files to write up.

Once he came through the secret entrance Dick ran off in search of the Butler.

"Alfie!"

"In here master Dick" 

Came Alfreds voice, Dick grins and runs into the lounge, the man was sat on one of the plush one seaters, a small glass filled with whiskey on the coffee table, gentle classical music playing from the record player in the corner of the room.

Dicks face lit up when he saw the man. "Hi Alfie!" Alfred smiles back at the energetic child. "Hello son, what's got you so exited then?" he asks the child, Dick got even more excited he stood next to Alfred bouncing on the feet.

"Alfie can you make me ears!" exclaims Dick, Alfred is confused as he looks at the child in front of him. "What do you mean ears?" he asks, Dick then makes Bat ear shapes on his head.

"Like Bruce has for Batman, could you make some for me please?" he asks the butler, the action causing a laugh to tumble out. Alfred pats the boys' head. "of course, Master Dick" he smiled.

Dick gasps and climbs over the arm of the seat, clambering onto the man's lap, he then wraps his arms around the man hugging him tightly. "Thank you thank you!" he speaks, Alfred hugs the boy back.

A few hours of designing and sewing later. "This is so cool!" exclaims the boy as his twirls around in his yellow cape, now equipped with a yellow hood but with ears. Alfred sits in his chair watching as the boy twirls.

"Thank you, Alfie," says Dick grinning widely at the man, he loved his new ears. Putting away the supplies Alfred answers. "of course, master dick, why don't you go show master Bruce" he tells the excited child.

Dick stops twirling before turning to the old grandfather clock. Eyes wide in remembrance. "Oh yeah I'll go show him!" giggling the 9 year old runs off to the cave to show his dad.

Bruce was drinking his now cold coffee taking a break from the big screen and the files he was almost finished with, suddenly he heard someone coming down the cave stairs. It was Dick.

"Bruce! Bruce looks what Alfred made for me!" he exclaims running towards his mentor, as he turned around Bruce almost spat his coffee out in surprise, his son so to say looked unbelievably adorable with his new appendages.

The white eyes of Bruces mask widened as he saw the ears on his sons' head, Dick twirled so the man could see.

"I look like you now" he said giggling, Bruce took out a small camera he keeps in his belt (he has so much in there) and snaps a picture of the boy.

He smiles. "You look great chum, Alfred did a great job" he praises, the bundle of energy smiles back.

When Alfred came to check on the two, he them sat on the at the Batcomputer, Bruce in his bat suit, typing away at the keyboard.

With his brightly colourful son sat curled up on his lap, part of the black cape tucked around his shoulders, with his ears still on.

The end!

Hope you liked this one shot, I certainly do! As usual sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Requests are open!

Word count: 816

#batboys #batman #bruce wayne #oneshot #batman fanfiction #dick grayson #family #fluff #father son #dick grayson is robin #dick grayson is a ray of sunshine #batman being a dad #alfred pennyworth #alfred pennyworth is the best

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Catch and Release

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: AU where Jason doesn’t die in the explosion and he and Tim end up attending the same high school months later.

Chapters: 16/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Sebastian Ives, Jack Drake, Janet Drake, Donna Troy

Relationships: TBA

Additional Tag: Jason Todd Lives, Jason Todd-centric, POV Jason Todd, POV First Person, Tim Drake Has Issues, Tim Drake Has Issues, Tim Drake is Not Robin, Jason Todd is Not Robin (Anymore), Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Alfred Pennyworth Knows, Stalker Tim Drake, Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain, Jason Todd Has PTSD, Angst with a Happy Ending, Unlikely Friends, Injury Recovery, Emotional Baggage, Rage, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating

Chapter Seventeen: The Campaign: Malatra Pt. 1

Tim slept in his bed one last time while I packed our things. My phone rang, and I answered to keep from waking Tim up. “Hello?” I whispered. 

“Jason, I heard about your friend’s mother—.”

“You don’t have to say anything… Um, Barbara, can I ask you for a favor?” I interrupted. 

“I don’t know. It depends… Is it illegal?” Barbara asked. 

“No. It’s—. I need you to help me get back in fighting shape. I know Bruce won’t change his mind because I can throw a couple of solid punches, but I’ve gotta do this for myself. I need to know I didn’t let the accident beat me,” I explained. I told her as much of the truth as I could. 

“Jason… Wednesday through Friday after school. No excuses,” Barbara replied. I grinned. 

“I’ll be there. I promise,” I whispered, “Thank you. Thank you, Barbara. You’re the best.” Barbara was a tough person to move. She wasn’t emotionally driven or faint of heart. Barbara was sharp and efficient. Practical and poised. She was everything I needed in a teacher. 

“ Yeah, yeah, yeah. See how you feel about me after our first training session. Bye, Jason… And good on you for getting back up. I thought about what I said to you the last time we talked. I was wrong to tell you that you were being childish. If taking this time away from home was good for your mental health, who am I to tell you—?”

“Barbara, I am a kid. I never said I wasn’t. I was pissed off and closed in, and I reacted. I was in a dark place, and I’d be lying if I said I wanted to go home now… I know it’s what I have to do. I’m gonna be mature about it, for Tim’s sake,” I replied, “I’ve gotta finish packing… But, um—. Thank you, Barbara.” 

“Don’t thank me yet, Boy Wonder. See you Wednesday,” Barbara teased. She hung up, and I shook Tim awake. 

He pushed my face away and laughed. “ Uggghhh. Jason, what are you doing?” Tim asked. 

“She’s gonna train me. Wednesday through Friday, so we’ll condition Saturday through Monday,” I replied. Tim grinned. 

“And on Tuesday ?” Tim half-joked. 

“Warlocks and Warriors,” I replied, “And—. Oh, Ives wants to come over tonight. I gave him Bruce’s address and said he could stay the night.” 

“Ives wanted to hang out? Does he—?” 

I nodded. “Ives knows, but I asked him not to mention it… Unless…” I trailed off. Tim shook his head. “Then, he won’t…” I tied labels to Tim’s chargers and tucked them into his suitcase. 

*

We went to the manor at sunset because I knew Bruce wouldn’t be there. Alfred seemed happy to see us again. Ives showed up an hour after we got there, and Alfred served dinner. “Hey, guys… Do you wanna do another campaign here this weekend?” I asked. 

Tim’s eyes widened. “You want to?” Tim questioned. I nodded. 

“That’d be sick,” Ives replied.  

“Cool. Tell the guys Tuesday we’ll hang out here,” I replied. Ives glanced at Tim and looked at his plate when he saw me looking. Tim was oblivious to everything going on in his life because of everything. 

“Jason should DM this one,” Tim suggested. I choked. “Come on. You can do it. I see how deep you get into character. And you’re the only person willing to indulge Hudson. Besides, I think the guys are still mad at me for what happened in Ravenloft.” 

“That was messed up. I can’t believe you killed Ives first and swapped him out with a Doppelganger. That was sick. And Ives… I’m shocked you let him go through with that,” I replied. 

Tim smiled. I reached for my bed to pull myself up, but I felt a shockwave shoot down my back into my legs, and I let go of the mattress. “Jason?” Tim asked. 

“I’m okay… But like—. Are you guys sure you want me to DM?” I questioned. 

“Yeah, definitely,” Ives replied, “You’ve gotta try it at least once. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it again, but you should give it a chance. You might be good.” 

*

"In the living forest lands of Malatra, all seems quiet. Suspiciously so. A warm breeze blows, rustling through the canopies overhead. Topiaries of smiling children surround a small fire. It is the only possible sign of life for several miles.  A song breaks through the near-silent forest. It starts low and guttural, like a collective groan, and then the ethereal choral collections of synchronized sobs. It is a song of mourning. A once-distant sound, now building as if it is approaching. The forest's dirt walkways slowly disappear under shrubs and bushes, and it seems like a trick to the eye at first, but no. You see it now. The bushes have feet where roots should be, and finally, a male voice breaks through the grieving chorus," I cleared my throat. "State your business," I bellowed. "He steps forward. A bamboo elf. His hair is a warm brown with the same red undertones of autumn leaves. He keeps his hair in wide and intricate waves and curls. His skin is an olivine green, and his eyes dark brown and ancient, study you. You all recognize this bamboo elf immediately, but before we get into that… you should introduce yourselves." A big, goofy grin spread across Tim's face. Silence fell over my room as I waited for someone to speak.

"You fucking killed it," Hudson mumbled in shock. I covered my smile. "Clay Everlake, earth genasi monk here. I'm stone grey, with bright green hair made of leaves, with the front pulled into a warrior's bun—."

"Man bun penalty!" everyone shouted.

"Is not! Anyway ... It's a warrior's bun, and the rest of my hair hangs leafy down my shoulders. I'm fairly young, rough and tumble, and trouble seems to follow me wherever I go," Hudson answered.

I gestured to Ives. "Eldrid Deepwood, here. I'm a firbolg druid... I uh—. I have bluish-green skin and dark eyes. My hair is whiteish-grey, luscious, and thick, almost mane-like. My ears are floppy... And uh—. And despite my advanced age, I'm a timid sort of fella," Ives stammered in an Irish accent.

I nodded and pointed to Hudman. "Fettar Keephorn. Dwarven rogue, dark beard, dark brown eyes.  My loyalties lie with Clay Everlake... Unfortunately," Hudman muttered in a dry voice. We all laughed. "I'm not much for words."

And Tim. I looked forward to Tim's character because we'd been pretty hush-hush about our plans all week, which meant we had nothing to discuss outside of training. "Posy Moonfall, gnome cleric here. I've got blond shoulder-length hair and grey eyes hidden behind foggy glasses. Well, they're usually quite—. I'm not used to being in the presence of a man of Mr. Deepwood's stature. I'm clumsy, but my intuitive nature makes up for my shortcomings... At least, I think—. Oh gosh. Am I rambling?" Tim replied in a woman's voice. He was surprisingly good at it. I almost forgot my place.

I cleared my throat before continuing. "Clay Everlake, your connection to this bamboo elf is deeply personal. Isn't it?" I asked, nodding at him. I liked Hudson. He always made me laugh and was my favorite of Tim's friends. He also tried to make me feel better about my scars by showing me the dent in his forehead. It wasn't the same, but he genuinely thought it was.

"He raised me. When my family was slaughtered on the outskirts of Malatra, he took me in and raised me. He's a father to me," Hudson answered. Hudson and I locked eyes, and I smiled down at my notes. "I didn't expect to see him under such grim circumstances."

"And Fettar?" I questioned.

"The elf and I… used to date,” Hudman replied. We all laughed.

“Fettar and Theren Everlake dated? You guys were—.” 

“A couple. Yep,” Hudman doubled down.

#fic #batfam #catch and release fic #Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne #Alfred Pennyworth #Tim Drake #Dick Grayson #Barbara Gordon #Sebastian Ives #Jack Drake #Janet Drake #Donna Troy #Jason Todd Lives #Jason Todd-centric #POV Jason Todd #POV First Person #Tim Drake Has Issues #Tim Drake is Not Robin #Jason Todd is Not Robin (Anymore) #Bruce Wayne Needs a Hug #Alfred Pennyworth is the Best #Alfred Pennyworth Knows #Stalker Tim Drake #Jason Todd Has Chronic Pain #Jason Todd Has PTSD #Angst with a Happy Ending #Unlikely Friends #Injury Recovery #Emotional Baggage

[morgansunflower]

Heal What Was Broken

Bruce Wayne X Wife! Reader

Warnings:suggestive content, explicit language and nudity.

Words:1437

She's the only one who can save him.

My knees desire to buckle to see him so.. Broken. He sat cross legged. Wearing sweats and a straight jacket. He was inside a large glass box. He was a danger to us, to himself and to his legacy. I had been on a league mission when my son called me. He was alive but his mind and his heart need to be heald. Jason places his open palm on my shoulder. I place my hand on his own. He's really alive.

"he needs you"

"I'll do everything I can.. It's probably best the room is cleared"

"ok" he answered.

As the room was empty I look into my husband's maddening eyes. He's still in there. He has to be. I say the spell to enter his mind. All I saw was darkness. I take steps as I hear a soft laughter. There was Bruce. He was wearing Batman uniform. He was innocently watching himself as he was younger with his parents. Though as his father said his last words the memory stopped and went back to him laughing.

"Bruce" I uttered softly.

He turns to face me looking at me like a stranger. My heart breaks. This is going to be a long process. He can't remember me. I have to be strong. I can't break down.

"who are you?... You seem very familiar.." he stared at me trying to figure out who i am.

"I am someone who loves you very much. I am here to help you remember who you are"

He looks at the memory. His voice begins to heavy and his body shakes. He tightly closes his eyes with his fist clench. My heart beating heavily for his disparity.

"No!! I can't.. I can't relive this! I WON'T!!" he refused.

"you are so strong Bruce" I touch the, Batman symbol on his uniform. My tears well up "you are more than this. You're a father, a husband and a son. You are a good man and a savior"

He looks at, me wiry his pleading blue eyes "could you?..." he stammered half-embarrassed and half-broken.

I wrap my arms around him. I didn't see with my own eyes. I hear the gunfire. He fully breaks in my arms. His knees bend from the force of his heart breaking. I held onto him for a moment.

"I know it is hard to believe, but this, will get better"

He held my hand as I guided him to his future. Alfred trying to be there for him through his pain. We went through our childhood memories. The day we met. The day he first kissed me. I began to heavily blush as he watched the first time we made beautiful and sweet love. Our break up that broke my heart. I tried so hard to keep myself together. As he saw me crying in the memory, he held my hand a little tighter. The day he came to me in near tears begging me to forgive him. The night Grayson lost his birth parents. The first time he said Dad to Bruce. The day Robin's fears came to surface from the fear toxins. Our beautiful wedding day.. Both Alfred and Clark nearly crying. The honeymoon that couldn't last long enough.

"I fell in love with you over and over again" he uttered my heart leaping.

Then he saw, his fight with Grayson. Our little bird left the nest that day. Bruce, looked down defeated as if he was ashamed. Like he failed his son. I kissed his shoulder. Then we came to the, memory of a, little boy stealing tires from the bat-mobile. Then we came to when Jason had the flu. It was the moment Jason knew we genuinely loved him as our own. The day Barbara was shot that changed her life forever. Then to the day I lost him... I utter the words to leave his mind. Bruce lays his face on my thigh. Ah thick hitch left his lips as he shakes. His breathing heavy. I use the spell to rid of the straight jacket. He quickly clung to my waist genuinely scared this moment wasn't real. I kiss his face rubbing his back. I nearly shake from the overwhelming emotions that hit me. I have him back.

"it's OK.. It's gonna be OK Bruce. I'm right here.. I'm here. You're safe now. I've got you" I assured him

My hands shaking while I rub his face. I cried and kneel down. I hold his tired face in my hands. His eyes were swelled and baggy from lack of sleep. I kiss him. He kisses me deeply wrapping his strong arm's around me. I began to heavily cry in his arms. He's back.

"I love you" he says shakily with so much rawness.

"I love you too. I was so scared Bruce" I shake, my head gently shaking him "don't you die on me again Bruce.. I can't.. Ever go through that again" I demanded squeezing him tightly.

"I won't.. You're my all" his eye's shake as his tears fall down his pale face "my beautiful wife" he kisses the palm of my hand "I am.. Thrilled.. to be back with you"

I take us to our room. I couldn't let go of Bruce. The family needed to see him but... We couldn't stop holding each other. We went into the bathroom. My husband was still quite weak. His shoulders remained slouched, his eyes were still swelled. He rest his head on my neck. I lean him against the sink. I rid him of his uniform. He moves sitting on the toilet seat. I start a warm bath for him. I gently hummed. I hear Bruce take a deep breath as he tries to stand.

"what are you thinking?" I asked softly approaching him "let me help you"

He put his arm over my shoulder as I guide him into the tub. He carefully clings to me. I lower him into the water. He rest his large arms on the rim of the tub.

"lean your head back so I can wash your hair"

He nodded taking another deep breath. He leans his head back. I take a small glass bowl and fill it with water. I then place my hand above his eyes and pour it onto his dark hair. He holds my arm I put the bowl on the floor. He began to shake as he kisses my hand. He looks at me with his heart crying out to me. He didn't have to say anything. I kiss his cheek and I raise to my feet. I began to rid of my clothes. I know how I must look much different to him, but he didn't say anything. He treated me like I'm beautiful to him. As I kiss him we, made up for lost time. Making the best love we had in such a long time. It was perfect. Moments later Bruce dressed in his sweatpants and his robe. I wore my sweatpants, t-shirt and my black robe. I held his face in my hands. He lays his forehead among my own.

"I need you to do something for me... You can't let you're pride out way how you feel. They need their father and poor Alfred hasn't been the same. They need a.. Hug Bruce"

He grunted in response kissing my hand. I knew deep down he agreed with me sometimes he just needed a little push. We depart to the family room. Alfred placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder with a tearfully and wide smile. He hugged his son. Bruce wrapped his arms around Alfred.

"you're thin. I aquire you to have a full night's rest and a early dinner.. I'll even allow some cookies"

The old man parted. Bruce had to keep from falling as Grayson nearly tackled him in a hug. Our oldest began to cry like a child, in Bruce's arms. Jason was trying so hard to keep from falling out of control of his emotions. He was so close to crying, to breaking. Bruce places his hand on Jason's shoulder. Jason shakes his head unable to withstand the emotions that were thrusting to his heart. Bruce gently pushes Jason to him. A, tear falls down Jason's face. He lays his head in Bruce's neck as if he was trying to hide. He broke in Bruce's arms. Bruce held both the boys tightly. I hear a soft cry from the nursery. Bruce's eyes went wide as he looks at me.

"that would be Damian. Must've heard his daddy and wants to meet him"

Requested taglist @too-strong-to-lose

#batman death in the family #bruce wayne x wife! reader #Magic! Reader #She's got cool powers #Telepathy #Kinda like M'gann and Zatanna #Bruce Wayne neeeds Y/N #For his sanity #Nudity #Bath #Whump! Bruce Wayne #Whump! Batman #Jason Todd loves his parents #Upest Batfamily #Crying Batfamily #Dick Grayson is a ball of emotion #Alfred Pennyworth is the best #Jason Todd gets a hug #Baby Damian Wayne

[violent138]

Time-warped or travel scenario where Bruce gets launched back into a younger version of himself with all the memories and the first thing he does is goes and gets Dick Grayson right after his parents' death, then pick up Jason, arrange about a million playmates to get Tim out of his house, and once he has those kids happy and taken care of, he goes off to find Cass, helps Steph with her dad, and leaves a very pointed voice-mail for Talia.

Alfred thinks he's more mentally ill than usual for knowing exactly which orphans and as he pointedly reminds Bruce, "children whose parents are still very much alive" he's trying to steal and adopt.

Bruce heatedly replies that they're his kids and that he's going to do everything right this time, rendering Alfred absolutely speechless until Bruce asks if Alfred would be able to make dinner for his new brood of kids.

"Try and remember who you're speaking to Master Bruce, I've thrown dinner parties with less notice"

"Great because I have a list of allergies and some notes on favourite foods."

#If this sounds insane it is #It is just exactly what I would do given this circumstance #Bruce Wayne #Batman #Batfamily #Dick Grayson #Jason todd #Cassandra Cain #Tim Drake #Stephanie brown #Dc comics #Alfred pennyworth #Best surprise grandfather ever

[deadsetobsessions]

DC X DP WRITING PROMPT:

Danny can hear the screams of the dead, the echoes of ghosts- shades of the dead- unpowered by ectoplasm. It’s his right as the High King of the Infinite Realms.

And during his weekly floats through his home planet to de-stress (no one ever attacks during these floats because a cranky and stressed Danny is a bad time for everyone involved), he comes across the Joker, torturing Tim Drake into becoming Joker Junior. More like he was lead there by the vortex of shades screaming at Joker to let the kid go and versions other threats or incoherent screams of pain and hatred.

He punts the clown into the sun (or in a ditch because Gotham is not known for her love of the thing called “sunlight”) and gathers up a sobbing Tim (JJ) who’s cackling through his tears like the laugh is being torn out of him, and flies away. Danny figures out his own personal ectoplasm shots help the insanity because Tim’s died before (and got brought back) via electro therapy shocks. Danny sees so much of himself in Tim and the potential for both immense good and immense evil and realizing they’re both choosing to seclude themselves to not harm others (Tim locks himself in his room to stop throwing things at Danny when he slips into insanity- which, it doesn’t actually affect Danny because he can turn intangible). Danny realizes that it’s not healthy and it doesn’t make anyone happy, so he works with himself and Tim to heal. Basically, Tim and Danny finds family in each other and heals while Batman, Nightwing, and Alfred loses their shit searching for Tim (“YOU LET JOKER KILL ANOTHER ONE OF MY BROTHERS, B!) (I WON’T LET YOU SHOULDER THE WEIGHT OF KILLING SOMEONE.) (I WOULD SHOULDER ANYTHING IF IT MEANT KEEPING TIM SAFE FROM THE JOKER!!!) (I can’t lose another son, Alfred) (I know, master Bruce. I know.)

Anyways, they find themselves back and Jason’s like hey I’m gonna kill the next Robin- oh wait Joker’s dead huh how’d that happen and then he’s like wtf do you mean “joker junior” wtf wtf wtf

Aunt Harley gets some of her own therapy and tracks Danny down to apologize to Tim, but stays away just in case she triggers an attack. She’s a villain, she’s done some horrible things and felt no guilt for it, but Tim was a line she thought she’d never cross and it kills her

#danny phantom #dc x dp #tim drake #dick grayson #bamf danny phantom #batman #bruce wayne #joker junior #dc x dp writing prompt #angst with a happy ending #red hood #jason todd #alfred pennyworth #Alfred is grieving too #Bruce thinks he lost two sons #dick thinks he lost two brothers #but Alfred lost two grandkids and his son (Bruce) to grief twice #Alfred is the best #dc joker #joker getting punted #I hate the joker #it’s on sight for that mf

[bruciemilf]

"Alfred is way too chill with what Bruce is doing" my good bitch it's probably because Thomas and Martha were 10x worse. Bruce is like a sundae ice cream compared to those two

#like im sorry imagine being bruce and thinking you're the Wednesday of your family but really you're Pubert #mr thomas ' im gonna operate on the biggest mob boss in town on my dining table and hope for the best' wayne looking at you #thomas in the most dissapointment voice possible. stroking Bruce's hair like an Egyptian cat: oh no. he lived #bruce wayne #thomas wayne #martha wayne #alfred pennyworth #dc comics #batman #text

[azmaarts]

The Bat-LANGUAGE (WARNING: SWEARING)

The process of making this comic can be simplified to that yes-no-orange-jacket-guy meme.

Me working on my pile of assignments, studying, and drafting college applications: (￢_￢;)

Me screeching at my first comic thingy and only discovering "gutters" after I spent a full day of break drafting, and about to boogie the living hell out of Koalemos himself: ( ⊙ꇴ⊙ )

This post was based off of @theaceofarrows's post! Check out their post through this link!

Since it's Epilepsy Awareness Month, I tried to finish this at least sometime in November... even if it meant starting on the 27th, finishing it on the 29th, and posting on the 30th.

If you (or anyone around you) want to get a basic understanding of epilepsy, try epilepsy.com. Even though Epilepsy Awareness Month is ending, it's not like epilepsy is gonna suddenly vanish. SO. Donate and/or spread the info. And as always, be wary of what you read/find on the internet.

P.S.

Gotta prepare my college applications Part II so I had to speedrun the rest of the coloring which has essentially become... blobs??? !(꒪A꒪|||)

Drafting and "line-art-ing" took two solid days. Bless Discord for granting me the strength to continue with supportive and uh... eccentric friends. XD

I've also been discovering a lot more Jason Todd fans IRL, so shout out to you wonderful people! It was so much fun screaming about Jason with you all! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

Edit: DAUM. Thank you all so much!! I'm glad that this made your week, @theaceofarrows! Thanks so much for creating the prompt. Apart from providing me the inspiration to draw, you also got me into better understanding epilepsy. So, thank you! <3

And thank you ALL! You have no idea how much I love reading through your tags. This is legit my new form of therapy. I’m glad that this was received well! You all are amazing. Seriously. Keep thriving, everyone! ( ˊᵕˋ )°♡

#jason todd #red hood #epilepsy awareness #fancomic #dick grayson #tim drake #tim drake's missing spleen #damian wayne #robins #bruce wayne #Batman? nay. batFAM #alfred pennyworth #alfred the cat #alfred's the best #batfam #batfamily #duke thomas #stephanie brown #if you squint #OK. NOW I CAN DO MY CRACK TAGS #Steph escaped by saluting Jason saying “f*ck Bruce” and tossing in another five bucks to the jar #Dick... #he'd UwU and Gen Z his way out of swearing #wait. #Dick's a millenial #bro. #Imagine little dick going “I'm studying but the stu is silent” #bro bro #Jason's a Gen Z #oh how the turn tables

[comics-centalx]

That's right, you tell em Alfred.

#gansta alfred #alfred pennyworth #alfred is the best bafam member #robin #dc comics #dc universe #batfamily #batfam #amazing artwork

[ijustthinkhesneat]

I’m an Alfred/Martha/Thomas truther. Like Alfred is a baddie in his 80s you all know he must have been a slice back in the day. And it is canon Martha and Thomas were smoke shows.

Like let hot people get it. Let hot men kiss while their wife turns mobsters kneecaps into flour with a baseball bat.

#I feel like with all those portraits in the manor teenage Bruce must have had that weird moment when he was like #‘why were my parents hotter than me at 16?’ #y’all know what I mean you find a photo of like your grandparents when they were young and you have to know why your so crusty #but like nope apparently grandpa was an absolute chad #Bruce Wayne #Martha Wayne #Thomas Wayne #alfred pennyworth #I bet Martha was dog walking those men #her British Twink and Italian Bodybuilder #batman #batfam #like and imagine the kids reaction #they find a candid shot of young Alfred making out with Grandpa Tom? #they can’t handle the idea of Alfred getting so much play #rip to Martha and Thomas they are eating ass and smoking grass with the angels now #it’s for the best #the Gotham rogues would be found scalped if they were still kicking #gotham #jason todd #dick grayson #damian wayne #tim drake #dc batman

[spoilers-ahead]

okay!! now that it’s not 2am for me, i’m going to post my selkie!jason todd hc’s straight up au apparently! 

(uh. this was supposed to just be a list of hc’s but i got slightly,,,, carried away)

his selkie skin looks like an oversized red hoodie in his human form, and is just warm enough to help him survive new england winters.

when the summer heat becomes unbearable, he slings the hoodie around his waist

alternatively, he just coasts it out underwater. perks of living in a coastal city!

willis todd was a selkie. he used to tell jason stories of what it was like to swim through the big, wide ocean. of how freeing it felt. how different it is, from the smoggy, heavy air of gotham --- different, but both theirs, in their own right.

but to be honest, jason doesn’t remember much about the stories he was told, or really, anything about willis --- he had been in and out of blackgate for most of jason’s life, working for two-face to try and make ends meet, before dying. 

what jason mostly remembers, are the warnings. don’t let anybody know you’re a selkie. don’t let anybody find your skin. they will find it, and they will use it to control you. even decades later, jason would still remember those warnings. 

catherine is the one who teaches him how to swim, who helps him trial-and-error his way into putting his skin on, and learn how to make the transition seamless. 

after she dies, jason spends three months as a seal, to just... exist. forget.   

although jason technically lives on the streets, whenever he can;t find food, whenever he can’t find somewhere warm to sleep, whenever just being human becomes too unbearable, he spends the night as a seal. he ends up spending more time in the ocean, than on land.

that’s not to say he’s very good at being a seal --- he barely knows how to swim, has to learn how to fish the hard way. 

when bruce finds jason stealing his car tires, he marvels over how nice jason’s hoodie is, soft and fluffy even after all of jason’s time on the streets, especially given the condition jason is in, ribs showing from malnutrition, and the worn and raggedy shape of the rest of his stuff.

jason is skittish when he goes to live in the manor, even after a few weeks. he always adopts an expression particularly similar to a cornered wild animal around alfred in particular, alfred, who keeps on trying to take his hoodie away, purportedly to wash it.

alfred eventually gives up on trying to force jason to wash it --- he figures that as jason becomes more comfortable living at the manor, he’ll wind up telling them why he’s so protective over that hoodie, and they can work something out then. 

whenever wayne manor overwhelms jason with how big and how decadently expensive all the decor is, jason runs away, run to the ocean. 

jason doesn’t actually end up telling alfred and bruce that he’s a selkie --- bruce just has a ridiculous amount of motion alarms, which are triggered every time jason ran off. he had followed jason the third night, and saw him transform. 

bruce doesn’t tell jason that he knows, assuming that jason kept this a secret because he didn’t fully trust either of them. he would later learn that he was right in this assumption (a rare win for bruce in terms of emotional awareness)

except jason doesn’t fully trust either of them, even after a few months. bruce impulsively decides to do a few things --- a) tell jason about batman and robin and his crime-fighting secret identity, and b) tell jason he already knows about him being a selkie. 

jason is absolutely bamboozled by the fact that bruce knows, and yet hasn’t tried to take his hoodie to control him, or to stop him from playing in the ocean for a few hours. 

in fact, (under alfred’s encouragement) bruce offers to take him to the ocean during the day, so he can get “a proper night’s rest that a growing young boy such as himself would need”

jason remembers what his father told him, to never trust anyone, never let his guard down. but bruce has known about jason being a selkie for so long, and he didn’t take his hoodie or try anything. of course he can trust bruce. 

and when he tries on the robin costume for the first time, it fits perfectly. just like his hoodie, his second skin. it fits just like magic. 

oh, it’s a little loose in some places, the legacy of dick fucking grayson a little heavy sometimes, but he’ll grow into it. he’ll make himself, if he has to. 

also, jason finds the fact that even though he’s a friggin’ selkie, his callsign is a bird (a robin, no less) incredibly ironic and funny 

being a selkie is actually so useful for vigilantehood. the amount of people who talk freely, openly, and loudly about their drug smuggling plans near the ports is quite frankly, ridiculous.

honestly, towards the end of his robin years, jason remains genuinely surprised nobody catches on to him or his tactics yet. bruce is very proud.  

even though jason is safe, has been safe for three years, and trusts bruce with his life, his skin, and everything, old habits are hard to break. so he has his hoodie on when he goes to find sheila. 

and anyways, he wants to see if sheila is a selkie too. he’s taking biology right now, and they’re learning about punnett squares. jason’s never met another selkie before, other than willis who he barely remembers. there’s a possibility that sheila knows something, anything, so he has to try. 

sheila gets a glint in her eyes when jason mentions that he’s a selkie, tells him that while she’s not one herself, she’s familiar with the myth. she has long suspected that willis was a selkie, she tells him, and she’s glad to have confirmation. 

jason positively vibrates with excitement, can’t wait to ask, to pester his mother (mother!) with questions upon questions until. 

until. 

sheila doesn’t do anything after she gives him to the joker. she just smokes and smokes. and she doesn’t tell the joker about his hoodie, despite how it would have been much easier for the joker to destroy him that way. much more painful too.  

small mercies, he supposes, in between hacking coughs that brings blood bubbling up his lips. 

after he dies, his hoodie is ripped and in tatters from the crowbar, with burns along the edges from the bomb. bruce has to carefully peel it off his body. 

when jason was alive, his magic kept the hoodie in perfect condition, always. even when the rest of him was covered head-to-toe in mud, or dripping sludge from the nasty gotham sewers. 

bruce stares at the same hoodie, blood-soaked and mangled, so incredibly dissonant from how he remembered it on jason, when he was bright, whole, and alive. 

he can’t stand it. the hoodie that was so precious to jason, that was jason, at the core of him, in this state. dirty and ripped and devoid of the magic jason had exuded. 

in a moment of desperation, late at night, bruce asks alfred to teach him how to sew. he doesn’t dare to practice on jason’s beloved hoodie --- instead, he starts with the suits in his closet, grabbing the first one he sees, regardless of price. rips a hole and sews it back together over and over until he perfects his technique. 

and then he washes the fabric gently, using baby fabric cleanser and scrubbing for hours upon hours until the last traces of the deep-set brown stain from jason’s blood washes down the drain.

he painstakingly sews the scraps of fabric back together with a red thread, carefully sourced to match the hoodie to try and make it flow seamlessly like it used to. 

it doesn’t work, not exactly. despite his best efforts, the creases bruce had carefully sewn together are prominent and thick like scars, littering the  soft fabric.

so he gives up. he hangs it over the grandfather clock entrance to the cave in his study. brings it with him every time he visits jason’s grave, because he doesn’t ever want to keep jason’s hoodie away from him, but he also can’t bear for it to get ruined. 

dick visits him. a rare occurrence, these days. 

dick yells at him, as he is wont to do. 

these days, it feels like they spend more time angry at each other than not. dick says that this isn’t right. isn’t fair to anybody, not to alfred, not to himself, definitely not to jason. he rants, jason deserves to be remembered as he was in life, not frozen in death. 

perhaps he is right. bruce is not unaware of the state of violent, cutting stasis he is in, this putrefaction of his life. and he is certainly not unaware of how it is affecting the people around him. dick. alfred. the neighbor’s kid, the one who wants to be robin.   

bruce tries. not for himself, but for tim. for alfred, for dick. even for stephanie brown, who sometimes, when she smirks just right, or says something with just the right twang, he swears he can see jason in her. 

he still can’t bear to put the hoodie away, because jason deserved better than to be forgotten, so he folds it gently and places it in his closet instead. 

he also can’t bear to look at it for very long, so he forces himself to every single day. 

it’s different from the glass case that houses robin’s tattered suit in the cave --- that, is a reminder of how he failed robin. this, this is salt in a constant, stabbing, festering would, reminding him of how he failed his son. 

it was stephanie, that eventually helped him figure out what to do with the hoodie. when she was young, young enough to cry at ripped pants and skinned knees, young enough that her mother hadn’t touched the drugs yet, her mother would dry up her tears, give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, before patching her pants up. 

what not many people know, is that before crystal brown set her mind on becoming a nurse, she wanted to be an artist, first. and so she grabs her old set of embroidery needles, and stitched little designs. dogs and cats. stars and planets. tools and gadgets. 

bruce doesn’t react, doesn’t even move, even as stephanie finishes her story. she hangs there awkwardly for a second, stares up at jason’s suit, waiting for him to respond, before shuffling towards the exit of the cave. 

thank you, spoiler, bruce manages to croak out. 

ah, yeah, she says, shrugging lightly while slouching in on herself, any time, boss. she walks out, and bruce watches her go from the reflection on the darkened computer. 

that night, he takes out jason’s hoodie, smooths it out, grabs his threads, and stitches. 

he stitches on constellations, argo navis, for jason’s namesake in the greek myths he had loved so much. a tiny seal, playing with beach balls. little books, with quotes on the sides. a robin, big and bold. 

he tries to make it as true to jason as possible, not just in death and in bruce’s memories, but as he was in life.

jason wakes up abruptly.  

he wakes up in a coffin, cold, alone, and with a gaping hole in his chest. getting dipped in the lazarus pit only made it worse, only made him all the more aware of what he was missing, all the more conscious of it. 

he doesn’t bother trying to learn how to swim with two arms and two legs, instead of two fins and a tail. it doesn’t feel the same. it only reminds him of what he’s lost. 

sometimes, on sleepless nights that happen more often than not, he wonders what would have happened if he still had a hoodie, still could swim. 

if he still was robin. 

and he doesn’t have access to the cave anymore, or to the titan’s tower, or the watchtower, and his memory of the past is still patchy and shitty in some places. 

so in a burst of impulsivity fueled by the person he no longer is, he prints out photos of robin’s costume from the internet and recreates it on his own. 

if his skin is gone, then fine. fine! he’s perfectly perfunctorily aware that nothing about this resurrection of his is natural. if he doesn’t think too much about it, he’ll be alright. his hoodie, his skin, that was something he was born with, a birthright that died with him. 

but robin, robin was something that he helped shape. robin was something that he worked for, changed himself for. 

and the makeshift robin suit --- it doesn’t fit him, not anymore. no, it feels wrong, like a child playing with their parent’s suit. or --- he realizes, perhaps more accurately, like an adult realizing they no longer fit in their favorite clothes. 

and --- and --- what was the point of it all? what was the point, of trying to make bruce proud of him, of getting dick’s approval, of trying to futilely save people over and over again from the same gallery of supervillains who keep on escaping from prison?!

and what was the point of carving out a space for himself if the joker was just going to beat him out of it, and if tim drake was going to insert himself in the hole he left behind?

and then the next thing he knows he’s in titan’s tower hitting tim drake over and over again because who let him? who let him take jason’s role as a son, as a brother, as a hero? how dare he?

but when he’s slit tim’s throat and torn the ‘R’ off his chest, jason doesn’t feel any better. the robin suit still doesn’t fit. his hoodie’s still gone. 

he’s starting to think it never will, not again. 

sometimes, when he gets tired enough to let his mind wander, he wonders what happened to his suit. 

he’s pretty sure he died with it, so either the hoodie is with the joker, batman, or... gone entirely. (it’s not like they found willis’ skin after he died. maybe selkie skins just disappear in a cloud of sea foam once they die, or some little mermaid shit like that)

it’s a cold comfort, that nobody can manipulate him now. nobody can control him --- not even batman. 

(bruce had thought about it. when he first had his suspicious regarding who the red hood was, before he knew there was any trace of the son he once had left. he thought about using the hoodie, using jason’s selkie skin to coerce him, at least to stop murdering people, to stop hurting their family.) 

(he would never go that far, in retrospect, or at least, he doesn’t think he could ever. to do that to jason, betray his trust so thoroughly and completely... but it would be a lie to say that he didn’t consider it.)

bruce reflects on this as jason reveals himself, the joker tied up at his feet with a gun pressed to his head, and venom spitting from his son’s mouth.  

but when he lifts the batarang to hit jason’s gun, or wrist, or anything that’ll force him to drop the gun, he realizes that his hands are shaking. 

and when he throws the batarang, he knows a millisecond after he’s let go, that he’s miscalculated the ricochet. 

so when jason escapes that night, bruce knows he’s fucked up. 

jason goes off the maps, completely. bruce doesn’t know where he is, if he’s safe, if he even made it out of the explosion that night. 

it takes weeks. weeks for bruce to track jason down, from meticulously documenting the dropped threads of where the red hood was pulling strings in the gotham underworld behind the scenes, to tracking security cameras with facial recognition. 

once bruce manages find where he’s staying, make sure he’s safe, he knows what he wants to do. and, he knows what he needs to do. 

jason gets a package in the mail, five weeks after his disasterous meeting with batman and the joker. unmarked, unsigned, no return address. 

when jason opens the box gingerly and carefully, he holds on to his skin for the first time in years. and then, and then, and then --- something right slots into place. his fingers brushed gently over the tiny spotted seal he knows he used to look like, the books he remembered ranting to bruce about for hours on end. 

the robin, on the top left, over his heart, big enough to have changed him, yet small enough to not define him. 

it’s not perfect. it doesn’t even fix anything, not entirely. he still fights with bruce most times he sees him, tries to punch dick in the face, steadfastly ignores tim and steph the entire time. 

but it’s something. it’s something, and the next time nightwing, batman, spoiler, and robin fight a gang on the docks, the red hood gives them a helping hand before jumping back into the ocean and swimming away.

fin!

wow this got long

#jason todd #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #batfam #selkie!jason #dick grayson #stephanie brown #tim drake #catherine todd #willis todd #that one selkie!jason au #i swear i will turn this into an actual fic one day #anyways about the using embroidery to fix ripped clothes thing all i can say is WATCH HI MOM #it's SUCH a good movie and i guarantee it will DEVASTATE you in ALL your little mommy issues glory #like you think the batfamily comics/fanfics have an amazing nuanced complicated take on the parent-child dynamic? #this movie will BLOW your fucking SOCKS off. and best part of all: you can watch it WITH said parent #and it won't be as horrible of an experience as showing them encanto/turning red/eeaao! #in fact your parent will probably like the movie too and be reminded of THEIR own mommy issues :D #admittedly it's slightly different from the examples i listed above bc it's more abt what it's like to never reach ur parent's expectation #rather than an exploration of complicated parenting but it's still very relatable and very very good #the best part is you can find it all for free on youtube. also note that i mean the recent chinese movie not the old 70s movie #asteria's fics #i'm never writing a fucking flash fic on TUMBLR of all text editors again #shouldve written this out on a google doc first but i genuinely did not think this would get so long T.T #you can probably tell from the first three (3) bullet points that this was supposed to be a hc list before... it stopped being a hc list #guys i started writing this at 12 PM #IT'S NOW 9 AWOGEJAWOIG #my writing

[ruvonix]

Favorite Robin:

Dick: Oh please, if anything I was the favorite robin-

Tim: No way! I was the favorite!

Damian: You both are fools, I’m the blood born, hence. I’m the favorite automatically.

Alfred: Master Damian, that’s not how it works..

*they all argue except Alfred*

Bruce: *Walks in* what is going on in here?

Damian: Father, we are all speculating who was your favorite robin.

Bruce: My favorite..? Oh!

*everyone listening quietly*

Bruce: It was Jason. *walks away with everyone in shock*

Alfred: Understandable.

#jason todd #red hood #batfam #dick grayson #nightwing #incorrect batfamily #tim drake #red robin #incorrect batfam #the batfamily #damian wayne #batfamily #robin #batman #batbros #bruce wayne #batdad #batbrothers #alfred pennyworth #alfred is the best

[if-i-hate-the-headline]

wayne family adventures moments i love dearly (pt. 2)

jason's such an icon for this

actually love this episode so so so much

damian is so cute bro. like he's worried about his family finding out he enjoys jane austen

I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP SO MUCH

bruce's eyes i'm crying

he is a bond villain fight me (the cat and everything)

"he's been an edgelord since day 1" i'm wheezing you don't understand

#jason todd #red hood #stop following me weirdo #damian wayne #dc robin #jane austen #damian wayne secretly loves jane austen and i love it #dirty little secret is one of the best episodes #stephanie brown #spoiler dc #cassandra cain #orphan #barbara gordon #oracle #bruce wayne #batman #batfam #alfred pennyworth #the butler #damian is a bond villain its canon now #jason todd as robin is hilarious #gcpd #wayne family adventures #dc comics #dc universe

[morgansunflower]

You Love Me?

Jason Todd X Reader

Warnings:suggestive content, explicit language and injury

Words:1493

Arthur's notes! Third P. O. V

Requested taglist @too-strong-to-lose

Jason has disappeared. Y/N and Bruce tirelessly search for him as Y/N thinks of how she really feels about her best friend

45 hours.. 45 painstaking hours Y/N's heart had been ripped and torn. 45 hours since Jason had disappeared. Each second broke her ability to keep from crying. She was genuinely terrified. She barely took care of herself as she spent every second trying to find Jason. She knew if she stopped she would only cry and cry. The entire night of investigation was unsuccessful as their was no trace of Jason. It was like he vanished. Bruce had to regroup with the new day coming to be. She walked to her duffle bag she brought to the Bat-cave. After Bruce told her that Jason had gone off the radar, she packed everything she needed. She wanted to come, to the Manor incase Bruce found something. She opened the bag to take her, laptop and checked the GPS signal on his phone again. She stood holding it trying to keep the dropping it from her fatigue. They were best friends with some heavy attraction rooted in deep love. He knew her deepest secrets but one and she knew, his deepest secrets but one. She agreed to let him have a GPS on her phone so long as she was allowed to do the same. She silently curses as nothing popped up.

She hits the stupid laptop hoping it somehow, would start behaving and show where he is "dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Where the fuck are you?" she said brokenly

While Bruce was tired, Y/N was completely exhausted. Bruce knew her limitations because he trained her. He walks to her. He remembered taking her in the week after Jason had died. She was Jason's best friend when they were on the streets. When Bruce adopted Jay.. Bruce was under the impression her foster family was kind and loving.. That was far from the truth. She couldn't take it anymore. Alfred had heard a knock on the Manor door. He let her in telling her that, Master Bruce was in his study. The two men knew something was very wrong when she was wearing sunglasses when it was pouring rain.

"Y/N" Bruce said

"did you find something?!" her voice so full of hope it hurt his heart.

He had to tell her that she had to do nothing in oder to keep herself from falling. He couldn't let her fall. He looked at her e/c misty-eyes from lack of sleep and fighting the urge to cry. Her shoulders were slouching from her exhaustion, her body weak and aching from hardly ever stopping.

"you have to rest. I promise if I find anything you will be the first person I tell"

Her hands began to shake he puts his hands under her own so her laptop wouldn't fall "I.. Can't.. I won't be able to sl-sleep"

"you must. You have to take care of yourself. Alfred will be up soon and he will take care of you. You have to rest Y/N. Know that I will do everything in my power to make sure he comes home" he takes her laptop gently closing it "I need you to rest Y/N. That's an oder"

Y/N walked into the kitchen to open the fridge. Some things had sticky notes with names. Such as Tim's coffee, Stephanie's cookie, Cassandra's noodles, Damian's rice and Duke's bag of chips? She found a plate from dinner covered in saran wrap and on top a sticky note that said

~for Mrs. Y/N~

She softly smiled taking the plate and shuts the door to the fridge. She thinks about Jason bringing her food when they were street kids. She remembered him making her laugh at her lowest times. Y/N sits on the barstool and takes the plastic off the plate. She made herself eat each bit. She wanted for so long to tell him how much she genuinely loved him. She began to cry feeling her heart heavy. What if they are too late? Grayson walked in hearing her crys. He understood completely. He was worried about Jay to. He was his little brother. He failed to be there for him many times now he just wanted him to be safe. He gently walked as he approached her.

"hey, I really am sorry sis. I'm worried about him too. I know he's your best friend I can't imagine--"

She strutted shaking her head "you don't get it Dick.. I.. Love him.. I'm in love with Jason"

"You.. You love Jason" Grayson was had a lost of words, which was kinda weird for him

"Yes!! OK I am in love with Jason and I have been in love with him for years" it felt so good to admit that she was in love but Jason still didn't know.

Then Grayson understood her in a entirely different way. When Barbara was in the hospital after Joker shot her. Grayson's heart broke knowing how helpless she must of felt, how heart broken. She dried her tears taking a shaky breath in and out. Alfred brought her a cup of tea.. When did he get here? He takes her empty plate to clean. Wait did he hear her?!Shit, she cursed.

"thank you Alfred" she mumbled

"I'm always here" he said with a kind smile.

She could barely sleep worrying about what they might be doing to him. Little Damian laid with her as he held her hand worried for his brother. He knew Jason loved her. He remembered when Jason was his Bodyguard. Jason was always talking about Y/N, though he couldn't even remember her name. Damian knew when he met her. Batman finally got a lead on a underground bunker Joker had been hiding in. Y/N and Bruce walked through the bunker. As Joker's men came, Bruce grabbed his batarangs and Y/N grabbed her weapons.

"I've got this go find Jason!"

She nodded. Y/N hears a pained grunt. She begin to run she sees Joker reach to swing with his crowbar. She ran yelling and hit Joker. He laughs swinging to her. She dodged each blow. She jumps flipping backwards as he threw his mini bombs. Jason began to shake as he felt helpless. He couldn't help her, he's going to kill her! Jason tried to stand but was too weak from the constant swinging to his body. He tried to keep his eyes open..

"Y-Y/N" he muttered

"little girl come to rescue her friend!" Joker laughed.

Batman came just in time grabbing Joker by his collar and throws him to the wall. Y/N rushes to Jason whilst he laid on the ground. He moved back terrified it was Joker coming back to finish the job. He could barely see due to his concussion and he had completely forgotten she was there.

"get away from me!!"

"Jason it's me" Y/N pleaded

She carefully takes his helmet off. He hugged her waist knowing finally, finally he was OK. She was here. She kneeled hugging him as she began to cry. Jason was beaten to his core. He felt truly like glass, so easy to break, to shatter. He stands in his old room, alone. He hears a knock on his door.

"come in"

Y/N opened the door to see him all bruised and sore, while a towel was wrapped around his waist. Steam came from the bathroom from his hot shower.

"are you ok?"

"I don't think I've ever been ok" his response broke her. He looks at her, feeling a desperate desire to be more "what the hell happened to us?" Jason asked bitter

"we never let it past that line..." she softly said with a sad smile.

"I pushed you away..." he fights every emotion down. They had grown distant but his heart could only fight so much. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to admit to everything. "I never felt like anyone cared"

"Jason I did and still do care about you" he lifts his head up to her, he couldn't believe that she... Y/N still CARED about him. He should have known and he did at one time. He just always tried to convince himself that it wasn't deeper than how he felt about her. He tried to forget how close they were. "you came back but you wouldn't let me in and that hurt me.. But I..I love you.. I'm in love with you Jason" her voice shaking with such raw emotion it warms his heavy heart

"Y-you do? You love me too?" he swallows his emotions down however it didn't work as a tear falls.

"I do" she crys

He reaches holding her face. Before he begins to cry, he kisses her. Damian had to see with his own eyes that Jason is OK. He gently opened the door seeing Y/N sleeping soundly with Jason protectively holding her. The blanket barely covered them. Damian scoffed and moved the blanket more properly on them.

"tt finally"

#Jason Todd X Reader #Whump #Whump! Jason Todd #Hurt #Crying #Worry #Batfamily #love confessions #Loving Batfamily #alfred pennyworth is the best #bruce wayne #dick grayson #damian wayne #fluff #Injured Jason Todd

[violent138]

A nefarious, as yet unknown Gotham villain sends a message to the Batcave that the annual Gotham Easter egg hunt contains eggs that are poisonous/explosive. Jason and Dick are annoyed that a city like Gotham even has an Easter Egg hunt, while Damian reports that all his classmates and definitely half the city's children will be scouring the streets for eggs.

"Idiots." He scoffed, shaking his head. "Egg hunting is a massive waste of time."

"Yes, thanks Damian, that's what we need to hear right now." Tim smiled flatly at him, predicting where this was going.

In order to avoid panic due to the unconfirmed possible bombs, the Batfamily splits into teams to go find eggs, check them and return them back to the hiding places if they aren't explosive. The news picks up on it, rather confused to see the Red Robin, Spoiler, Signal, Orphan and Robin at it, but whatever they're kids. And Orphan looks particularly delighted to find eggs before hiding them somewhere better and Signal lights up the eggs a little and charms the kids.

However, Red Hood and Nightwing look a little more ridiculous, especially since Batman decided to scour the city for the villain instead of the eggs.

"No because he'a a [Censored] coward." Red Hood grumbles to a reporter when asked if Batman will also be participating.

"Oh look I found another one." Nightwing reported excitedly in the same broadcast and Red Hood immediately goes over, both of them examining it.

The side effect of them being out is that more kids decide to look for eggs. There's a mild panic and Steph questions the logic of not telling people the eggs are maybe bombs.

The day comes to a nail-biting end with zero maiming and Alfred reveals it was him and that he threw a pretty extravagant dinner to reward them for their hunting.

Bruce snickers at the look on the kids' faces.

#This is so stupid. #However I had fun #Batfamily #Mini fic #Does this even count?? #Who knows #Batman #Bruce Wayne #Dc universe #Gotham #Only in Gotham #Dick Grayson #Dc Robin #Tim Drake #Stephanie brown #Damian Wayne #Cassandra Cain #Batkids #dc comics #Alfred pennyworth #Best grandfather #Jason Todd #Red Hood #Easter eggs

[lego-grayson]

one of my friends literally just said to me "theres more than one robin?" 😑

#procedes to mansplain the entire timeline of robin #and why jason todd is thr best and worst written character #and why dick is the best #batfamily #batman #dc #robin #dick grayson #jason todd #bruce wayne #red hood #alfred pennyworth #tim drake #nightwing #red robin #damian wayne