#Bruce Wayne murderer is as good so far as you all said it was

[starrycomics]

Nightwing (1996) #65

Dick’s allowed to let a bit of unhinged rage come to the surface in a self-destructive show of violence every now and then, as a treat

#nightwing #dick grayson #Batman #Bruce Wayne murderer is as good so far as you all said it was #greg rucka

[gffa]

Okay, so it was a month since my last BATFAMILY fic recs set, but in my defense a) huge life changes and b) I did a quick count up of how many recs I had built up and it was literally well over a million words. A million words! In one recs set! And this is like the seventh one of these that I've done! And I still have at least a thousand fics on my reader that I haven't started! Because this fandom has seriously not just consumed my brain, but given me absolutely amazing stuff to read that scratches all the itches I desperately have--well, okay, scratches the itch I have for my Dick Grayson Problem, but same thing.

I've really needed some escapism lately and being able to laugh or cry or just sink into a nice, long novella or even novel-length fic has really been a godsend has done a lot to soothe me and help me process feelings that sometimes otherwise can feel too overwhelming to deal with. All while also giving me the exploration of issues or decompression time with the characters' issues that the canon itself doesn't have the space for. So, I hope this list can give others something to read in the way it has given me so much that I've loved and brought me joy or emotional catharsis, because fandom has been really incredible about Bringing The Good Stuff and I want to repay the favor!

BATFAM FIC RECS - BABY DICK IS THE CUTEST FERAL ROBIN I'M NOT HEARING ANY ARGUMENTS: ✦ The Halfway Point by Sugarcookie222, dick & bruce & alfred & clark, 5k     After a miscommunication with Bruce, a 13-year-old Dick runs away. He makes it as far as a diner in a nearby state. Bruce had left to finalize the adoption papers but clearly needs to work on his communication skills. He calls Superman in a panic to help him find Dick.

✦ be safe, they said (be good) by deargalileo, bruce & dick & alfred, 4k     there's a tree in the wayne's backyard. a very specific tree, one that seems to attract daring children like bees to honey. unfortunately for the children, it is not a tree that is suited for climbing. fortunately for the children, they have fathers who are there to stitch them up.

✦ a haunted ballroom by lothIoriens, bruce & dick & alfred, 11.9k wip     When Dick stumbles across the ghosts of Wayne Manor dancing the night away in an abandoned wing of the house, he thinks that, finally, something might be normal again. But the ghosts are nervous, and he doesn't know why. Something is brewing underneath the surface of Wayne Manor, and it's up to Dick to find out what it is—and it's up to Bruce to make sure nothing happens to his charge in the meantime.

✦ Straight On Til Morning by audreycritter, bruce & dick, 1.2k     Bruce wakes Dick up on a school night to show him the sky. It dredges up memories for Dick, and it would be a disaster, except it’s Bruce. And Bruce understands.

✦ (More) Pressing Matters by Syl, bruce & dick, 39.2k     Dick Grayson arrives at Wayne Manor, a cold empty place, shortly after his parents' murder: A re-telling of the Boy Wonder's well-known origin story.

✦ First Action Hero by Goldmonger, bruce & dick & clark & cast, 3.5k     “Jerkwads,” Dick said darkly, taking Clark’s hand. He looked up at him then, dressed smartly in a black suit and tie, and wearing converses with Sonic the Hedgehog on them. “You okay, Uncle Clark?”

✦ Lil Birdy Wants to Fly by lil_taair, bruce & dick, 3.8k     Bruce would have usually appreciated the cheeky smile that was directed at him if his son wasn’t 25 fucking feet off the ground

✦ World's Finest: Fortress of Friendship by WingFeathers, bruce & dick & clark & diana, 6.9k     Finally, Dick talks Bruce into letting him see the Fortress of Solitude – provided that Dick stay safe and out of the way while the Trinity discusses some Secret Important Business about a certain young Amazon. Clark promises that the Fortress will be safe, but is that a promise he can make?

✦ Stolen Son by springfox (dallystrings), bruce & dick & jim, 8.6k     Dick is excited to visit an American mall for the first time, and Bruce struggles to understand the difference between 'guardian' and 'dad'.

✦ Comfort Food by motleyfam, bruce & dick, ~1k     Dick struggles to find his appetite in the aftermath of his parents’ deaths.

✦ The meaning of justice by Fleur_de_Violette, bruce & dick & babs & cast, 4.6k     As Bruce drives toward Gotham Academy, he tries to imagine all the possible reasons for the principal to call him. He has a lot of imagination. Especially when it comes to bad things happening to Dick. Still, his ward being a suspect for attempted murder hadn’t been on his list.

✦ The Question Game by Santana2, dick & bruce, 1.3k     Basketball can be a very enlightening game if you play it right. Little expansion on Robin's part in Downtime

✦ Cat's Eat Birds by Nightwing_DC_2112, dick & bruce & selina & cast, 12k     After a run in with the Scarecrow Robin is separated from Batman fighting off the effects of Crane's Fear Toxin when an unlikely ally steps in to prevent him getting into further trouble.

✦ World's Finest Mini Issue: Happy Birthday by WingFeathers, bruce & dick (& minor clark/bruce & alfred), 1.8k     Bruce hoped for an emergency to get him out of his birthday party. He just didn’t want Dick to be the one in need of help. BATFAM FIC RECS - ADULT BATSON AND BATDAD ARE MY KRYPTONITE, I FOLD LIKE WET CARDBOARD FOR THEM: ✦ Truth Serum is the Worst by JackHawksmoor, dick & bruce, 3.1k     Batman gets dosed with a truth serum and unexpectedly spends most of the time talking about how desperately he loves his children, how awesome they are, and how he wishes he was better at being a father.

✦ Holy Time Travel Fuckery, Batmen by That_One_Curly_Haired_Fangirl, dick & bruce, 4.4k     Batman is dead, and Dick has reluctantly taken up the mantle. So then why are there four Batmen, all clearly Bruce, standing in front of him on this rooftop?

✦ The Waking World by Fairy527, dick & bruce, 2.2k     This isn’t the first time Dick has gone to Bruce after a nightmare. However, this is the first time his nightmare has involved Bruce's murder at his own hands, and it doesn't settle well.

✦ More Alike Than You'll Ever Admit coffeeandchocolate, dick & bruce, 1.2k     Dick Grayson has always been there alongside Batman. So if no one else is going to acknowledge that his first year wearing the cowl was harder, well, he's just going to have to do it himself. After Bruce returns from being lost in time, he and his eldest argue.

✦ Almost, Nearly by CKBookish, dick & bruce & jason & cast, 8.1k     Dick was just supposed to go with him to lunch. He wasn't supposed to get shot. He wasn't supposed to be bleeding out in the pouring rain on the steps of Wayne Enterprises. But then Bruce hadn't expected that sniper and he had seen it far to late. BATFAM FIC RECS - EVERYBODY LOVES DICK: ✦ Behind Granite and Lime by JeanjacketCarf, dick & bruce & jason & tim & barbara & cass, 14.5k wip     Cassandra had noticed. Of course, she noticed. That was the problem, she couldn’t turn it off. She always had to see, always had to know. So she knew when Dick came back from his mission that something was wrong. Or something is off with Dick. Hopefully, it doesn't have anything to do with those murders.

✦ Soup's On by HoodEx, dick & donna, 2k     Taking care of Dick never feels like a burden, it feels like an instinct. And Donna's really good at following her instincts.

✦ to dream away a sleepless night by waffle-wonder (cosmic_croissant), dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & cass & stephanie & duke, 2.7k     Dick was fine. He was fine. Sure, he was having a little trouble focusing on unlocking his apartment door, but that didn’t mean anything. Or- Dick is exhausted. His family catches him when he falls.

✦ Temporary by daringyounggrayson, bruce & dick & alfred & cast, 14.8k     The double homicide at Haly’s Circus is not Bruce’s first case involving a child, and while there's no overt indication that Bruce should react differently to this case, he supposes that his previous cases did not involve the witness known as Dick Grayson. On the surface, the Grayson case seems like any other gang case, but the more time Bruce spends with the boy, the more he begins to doubt his own instincts.

✦ To the Moving and the Strange by SilverSkiesAtMidnight, dick & bruce & alfred & tim & cast, 6k     Thankfully, Alfred tips his head in acknowledgement. “I do,” he agrees. “I remember a great many things. But I have forgotten things too, and I expect as time goes on, more of them will slip away from me, and it’s entirely possible that I won’t even notice they’re gone. My memories of them will simply be… less.” Dick looks at him, studying the lines of his weathered face. “Does that ever make you feel like... like if you loved them more, you’d remember them?”

✦ better luck nest time by ScarlettSwordMoon, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & cass & steph & duke & cast, 47k wip     Feeling as if Dick’s family does not appreciate him enough, an alternate Earth version of Babs turns Dick into a bird. Now each member of the Batfamily must confess something to him if they ever want to see Dick as a human again. AKA The tale of a family and their birb.

✦ deep roots (are not reached by the frost) by fanfictiongreenirises, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & cass & cast, de-aged!dick, 85.2k wip     Dick gets reverted to a younger self after being kidnapped on during a case. But this is far from a routine de-aging.

✦ Bludhaven Police Department by Lady_of_Lorule, bruce & dick & jason & tim & barbara & amy & donna & wally & cast, 31.1k     Sgt. Amy Rohrbach learns that her partner, rookie cop Dick Grayson, is not what he seems. Or how Amy finds out that Dick Grayson is the heir to the entire Wayne fortune, the vigilante Nightwing, the leader of the Titans, and meets some of the Batfam and the Titans along the way. BATFAM FIC RECS - DICK AND DAMIAN WERE THE BEST BATMAN & ROBIN, I'M NOT HEARING ARGUMENTS ABOUT THAT EITHER: ✦ Too Many Walls and Not Enough Bridges by CamsthiSky, dick & damian, 3.7k     There's something bothering Damian. Dick's determined to help Damian feel comfortable enough to share it.

✦ All The Small Things by Geeves, dick & damian & bruce & cast, 20.1k     After Bruce's return to the Bat, Dick and Damian have to deal with just being brothers, but things are just a bit too messy to be that easy BATFAM FIC RECS - BATKIDS ALL HAVE MANY SIBLINGS AND THEY'RE ALL PETTY ASSHOLES AND/OR WONDERFUL BABIES AND I LOVE THEM WITH MY WHOLE BEING: ✦ Do-over by mx_chrx99, dick & jason & todd & damian & steph, 6.2k     Jason never really got to do the "family vacation" thing. Neither did Tim, Steph, or Damian. Dick did, but that was ages ago. Now's their chance to make up for lost time.

✦ pick up off the floor by deargalileo, dick & jason & bruce, 3k     there was a lump on Bruce's office floor. a Dickwing shaped lump.

✦ the trials and tribulations of fatherhood by InkpotSprite, bruce & dick & jason & tim, 2k     Dick, Jason and Tim compete to see who was the worst child. The answer surprises them all. On an unrelated note, Bruce is wondering if adoptions are a lifetime deal, or if they can be undone.

✦ A Time To Reflect by Experimental_Muse, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & cass & duke & alfred, time travel, 14.5k     Bruce finds himself stuck in the past, and while waiting for the league to pick him up, struggles to get along with his past self. Plus being in a practically empty manor is a bigger adjustment than he'd like to admit. BATFAM FIC RECS - SOMETIMES YOU JUST THINK BRUCE AND DIANA SHOULD KISS IT OUT: ✦ One equal temper of heroic hearts by victoria_p (musesfool), bruce/diana, nsfw, 1.5k     Bruce and Diana reconcile at Nanda Parbat.

✦ Thanksgiving at the Kents by starknjarvis, bruce/diana & cast, 8.9k     Clark convinces Diana to come to the farm for Thanksgiving, and Diana finally gets the chance to meet Bruce's kids. There are far more of them than she had expected.

✦ Escape Artistry by David Hines (hradzka), bruce/diana & cast, 24.2k     Wonder Woman is eager to learn new things. Batman, less so. Primarily JL animated continuity; some comic elements from as far back as the Golden Age. Complete. BATFAM FIC RECS - I WILL DIE ON THE HILL THAT TIM DRAKE'S TRUE LOVE INTEREST IS CONNER KENT AND NOBODY CAN STOP ME, NOT EVEN GOD: ✦ Will you die for (marry) me? by Ididloveyou_once, tim/kon & cassie & bart & cast, 7.8k     Tim sacrifices himself on a mission and lives. Conner hates that. They struggle through the aftermath.

✦ A Saturday Evening by malcyon, tim/kon & clark/lois & jonathan kent/martha kent & kara, 13.8k     Kon invites Tim over for dinner. Tim's not sure if he should have accepted that invitation.

✦ Sending all my love to you by Paintedqueen, tim/kon, 10.9k wip     Conner and Tim get blasted into New Earth where they meet an old friend.

✦ Composed of Us by starlikeknight, tim/kon & bruce & dick & cast, 37.1k wip     Or, a spiralling Tim clones a baby without thinking about the consequences. And there are many, many consequences. BATFAM FIC RECS - I SAY THIS IS A BATFAM REC LIST BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOTTA SHOVE THOSE ASSHOLES OUT OF THE WAY AND READ SOME SUPERFIC: ✦ All these things (that I'll never know) by Paintedqueen, conner & clark & kara & jonathan & implied tim/kon & cast, 12.7k     Kon-El's journey on what it means to be Kryptonian.

✦ birthday bash by yeeyee123, conner & clark & jon & tim/kon, 11.8k     Kon’s pumped that Clark has brought him in to help put together Jon’s 8th birthday party. No really, he is! Just don’t ask him directly about it, or he may need to go leave the room and take a breather. Inhaling helium gas from all those balloons isn’t good for you, you know?

✦ Catching Icarus by Fantasyfire, conner & clark & justice league, 24.8k wip     A bad encounter with magic banishes Superboy into another world. Stranded, the Kryptonian clone must deal with a whole new league and a much different Superman.

✦ Nobody's Child by Kizmet, clark & conner & lois & ma kent & pa kent & cast, 18k     Superboy is deaged. While Young Justice looks for a cure Batman sticks Clark Kent with babysitting duties. BATFAM FIC RECS - TAKE THE ANGST DIAL, TURN IT UP TO ELEVEN, AND BREAK THE KNOB OFF, THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR: ✦ Adeamus by miss_aphelion, bruce & dick & stephanie & damian & jason & tim & clark & cast, 32k     I'll always be there to catch you, Bruce had promised him once. Dick would like to believe it hadn’t been meant as a threat at the time. (or; Bruce takes over Gotham to keep his sons safe, but he’s already trained Dick too well to always protect others first)

✦ Gorgon’s eyes by Fleur_de_Violette, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & barbara & cast, 9k     Dick will give time to his family. He’s just came back as Nightwing after being undercover in Spyral; he understands that they won’t forgive him immediately. Except, when an encounter with neurotoxin leaves him completely paralyzed, he has no choice but to rely on them.

✦ bad signal by prismatical, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & cass & cast, 38.4k     The rescue mission went well. Nightwing is safe. Everything should be alright. Right?

✦ And The Crown Will Sing by ScarlettSwordMoon, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & barbara & cast, read the tags, 84.7k wip     After an encounter with alien technology, Bruce re-evaluates some previously held ideals. Gotham doesn’t need a Knight, she needs a King. Bruce will do whatever it takes to secure his rightful place as ruler of Gotham. He will do whatever it takes to keep his sons by his side. Even if it means breaking them in first. [Dark Bruce Wayne, eventual Dark Batfam]

✦ borderline by TheResurrectionist, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & cass & steph, 22.7k wip     A mysterious force connects the Batfamily's minds together.

✦ Parting is all we Know of Heaven by Sword_Kallya, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & amy, suicidal ideation, 11.9k     Three months after Batman returns from the timestream, Dick Grayson has disappeared.

✦ Behind Granite and Lime by JeanjacketCarf, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & barbara & cass & cast, read the tags, 18k wip     Cassandra had noticed. Of course, she noticed. That was the problem, she couldn’t turn it off. She always had to see, always had to know. So she knew when Dick came back from his mission that something was wrong. Or something is off with Dick. Hopefully, it doesn't have anything to do with those murders.

✦ A Little Out of the Ordinary by dizarys, tim & dick & conner & slade & cast, 1.5k     A boot scraped against stone at the same time pain seared through Tim’s chest, radiating from one sharp, jabbing point. With a gasping wheeze, he tried to grab at it. But his arms refused to move.

✦ Override Two: Family Protocol by zombiesbecrazy, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & barbara & cass & cast, talon!dick, 78.3k     When faced with an impossible and inescapable situation, Dick does the only thing left that he can do to save his family. Surrender himself to the Court of Owls to become their Talon in exchange for their lives.

✦ Weekend Commute by CKBookish, bruce & dick & jason & tim & donna & wally & cast, 7.4k     Dick Grayson makes his way home during the first snow fall of the year, when he finds himself confused and cold, miles from home.

✦ What These Hands Have Done by WinterSky101, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & cass & steph & alfred & cast, 14k     Dick is mind controlled into attacking his family. Unsurprisingly, he takes the whole thing very badly.

✦ birdsong by ScarlettSwordMoon, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & steph & cast, 22.7k     After getting a face full of Scarecrow’s newest toxin, Dick isn’t haunted by his typical nightmares. No. This one has little green pixie boots. AKA Batman: Ego but make it Robin.

✦ New Krypton by Hawkstout, dick & clark & bruce & cast, read the tags, 15.9k wip     Robin is captured by the Kryptonians and put under the care of Kal-El, the man he has known as Superman. Kal-El wants to do his best for Robin and keep the boy safe and healthy. He's fond of him. They were friends once. He hopes that once Robin understands the invasion of his home is for the best that he will grow to see him as a guardian, maybe even as a father. But Robin doesn't need another father. He needs a way to escape.

✦ i was not born to drown by daringyounggrayson, bruce & dick & tim & damian & donna & wally & roy & cast, 25.2k     Or: After getting shot by Doctor Hurt, Dick develops chronic migraines.

✦ Running Headlong into My Arms by gleesquid, bruce/selina & dick & jason & tim & damian & barbara & cass & steph & alfred & cast (& some minor pairings), 54.2k     Bruce doesn’t like to credit one thing for saving his life, but if he did, it would be Haly’s Circus that Friday night in September, just as summer was beginning to die. (He'll always be a sucker for kids with sad eyes, no parents, and more fight than the world knows what to do with.) Or: in a universe where superheroes don't exist, Bruce Wayne finds his family.

✦ Waking In The Night Light by I_Have_To_Get_Off_This_Planet, bruce & dick & jason & tim & cass, 7.1k     Aside from the soft pitter-pattering of rain against the window, it’s quiet in the room. Tranquil, Bruce thinks. Or at least, as tranquil as a hospital room can get. BATFAM FIC RECS - THROW BABY DICK AT BATTISON, C'MON DO IT, IT'LL BE HILARIOUS: ✦ take these broken wings and learn to fly by fishingclocks, dick & bruce & alfred, 49.2k wip     or, How Dick Grayson Burrowed His Way Inextricably into the Heart of Bruce Wayne

✦ A Bat and his Birds by SalParadiseLost, bruce & dick & jason & tim, 3.1k     Bruce Wayne adopts a child on impulse... and then another... and then another. He doesn't know what he's doing, but somehow it doesn't end up too bad except for the fact that his kids think he's a vampire.

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #barbara gordon #cassandra cain #conner kent #clark kent #timkon #wonderbat #fic recs #batman fic recs #long post

[trincketbox]

Jason Todd as a Trans (ftm) allegory

Written by me, a trans man

[this edit was made by me, original picture it's Dan Mora's sketch]

TW gender disphoria, (implied) transphobia.

Im not saying his story was written with this perspective in mind, Im saying *death of the author (*the reinterpretation of artistic creations by the public both as a community and aa individuals, and how this goes far beyond the creator's original message on mind) is a very real thing.

This narrative resonated with me, a trans man, and my experience as such. Maybe out there is another transmasc person who caught themselves invested in this character the same way as I, and maybe they'll read this post and be happy to found out they're not alone on these feelings.

Without further addue, let's begin.

The second Robin, and the feeling of not fitting

Every trans person first memory of perceiving oneself as somehow different (and how) it's particular to each.

Some realize pretty young, some older. Some always have this lingering feeling of not belonging but become conscious of it later in life.

This feeling its present trough all of Jason's life. First, when he first arrives at the Manor. Later, when he starts operating as Robin. Then when Tim "replaces him", and so on.

Usually labelled as the black lamb of the family.

Tragedy is always, first, born off love

Jason's death and resurrection is written as a tragedy (no shit, Sherlock). But there, to be a tragedy, there has to be hope first. There has to be love.

Now, this varies from version to version, but a general consence is that Jason Todd was loved by Bruce Wayne, regardless of how much their relationship might change and twist on the future; Jason Todd was a good kid, regardless of how he might be portrayed as recless. He was a traumatized, angry kid who wanted to make things better. Who wished for bad guys to not hurt people anymore. Who wished to change the system for better, and took the matter on his own hands both as a child and as a young adult.

This

This right here

Was a loved, brave, bold, sensitive, mischievous, smart child who would latter come back like this:

Demanding justice, demanding damnation for al the pain he went through, demanding retaliation to the monster that set him off this world.

And all these requests fell to the ears of Bruce Wayne, Batman. The man who took him in as a scared, bold litte child that beated him in the cold of the night in the alley where his parents died. He stole his car tires, he's a child and he stole his car tires and he made Batman laugh.

That Perception doesn't change with his rise from the dead.

What changes is Bruce's view of him now.

Now, this depends on the writer, but on the start of Jason's "coming back to Gotham to fight Bruce" arc, there is the accusation of him coming back wrong.

Of him being better before

Of something being wrong with him since the start.

The implications of his physical change as wrong in comparation to his younger self.

I find Jason's body dismorphia due to The Lazarus Pit™ very interesting,but in this case Im not referring to it as a comparation with body disphoria (even through, he does get the feeling of your body changing in ways out of your control and the trauma that surrounds it).

Im talking about Bruce's view on all of this.

Luckily, if you're trans and had supportive parents, you won't know these things by first hand experience, but many, many people do.

And Jason gets it.

Jason Todd its womanhood™ coded

This is, partially, one of th main reasons why his fanbase consists on a large part of fangirls.

Repressed rage upon the injustices you go through all your life, and once the last drop falls, said rage is weaponized. Seen as dirty, as over the top, as dangerous.

Your older self being compared to your younger self, being asked (directly or indirectly) where that sweet child™ went.

Being striped away from your body autonomy (murder, torture, resurrection against his will, whatever is going on in Batman Gotham War).

Being labeled as the most sensitive. Sometimes in a good light, sometimes not.

The burning weight of still loving parental figures that hurted you.

Topping it all, it's implied through many instances he's a feminist (yes, Im aware this is also heavily influenced by fanon interpretations of the character, but you can't deny it's still heavily implied).

All of these issues almost universal (however not exclusive) to AFAB people life experience.

There is this recognition in these wounds. "He gets it", you feel, he gets it.

He gets it in a similar way transmasc individual have an undeniable insight of these issues. He gets it in a way that feels genuine, familiar, personal.

Lastly but nor least important,

He gives me gender™ vibes. That's it, that's the argument

Over all, Jason Todd its a multifaceted, complex character. He's morally grey, his temperament ranging and mutating with each reinterpretation. Some core issues stick, others don't.

I do not hold the one and only right interpretation of this character.

We can al agree, nevertheless, that even through he's not canonically trans,

Jason todd would be a great trans ally, fighting by our side, in name of our rights, our pain but also our pride.

For that's what heroes do.

#dc comics #trincketbox #Jason todd #Jason todd trans #Jason todd ftm #Dc trans #Dc ftm #Dc headcanons #Batfamily #Batbros #Batkids #Robin #robin jason todd #Batfam #wayne family adventures #Batman #Jason Todd headcanons #trans headcanon #Ftm character #Gotham war #WHY IS THE QUALITY OF THE FIRST PICTURE SO LOW #English isn't my first language #This was written at 2am #With no traductor to check up words #And completely self indulgent

[hollandorks]

haven

battinson! bruce wayne x f! reader

chapter twelve

Summary: After the sudden deaths of your mother and grandmother, you’re forced to return home to Gotham…and to the man who broke your heart three years ago. Back in Bruce Wayne’s inescapable orbit, you vow to get to the bottom of your former best friend’s new cold personality. But Bruce’s secrets aren’t what you’re expecting. a

a/n: I enjoy this chapter so much, that is all. I also enjoy the chapter I just wrote but you don't get that yet (hehe). This chapter is a little on the shorter side but that's because the next bit is a Bruce POV interlude! Thanks as usual for the comments etc, I love feedback and I love making y'all lose your minds with cliffhangers!

Series Masterlist

word count: 2k

She screamed as hands grabbed her and yanked her off of the motorcycle. 

A primal need to survive rose within y/n as hands dragged her into the smoke. She thrashed wildly, twisting every which way to try and escape the iron grip that held her. Her hands turned into claws and she swiped at whatever she could find. Her nails met flesh and she abruptly hit the asphalt as a man yelled. 

Go, go, go, she shouted to herself, her breath coming in panicked pants. “Help!” she called, but she didn’t have enough air to shout. She was almost to the motorcycle, hands reaching for the key to turn it, when she was grabbed again. 

“Bitch,” the man she had seen earlier snarled into her ear. The fourth murder suspect. Hell, he wasn’t even a suspect. She knew he had killed those two people. She had seen it. 

Pain exploded across her face as his fist connected. 

This time she did scream. 

He laughed. “All this time searching, and you’re right here on our doorstep.” 

She took a swipe at him with her nails again. He moved easily out of the way. She tried to run again but he simply caught her like a cat toying with its prey before killing it. 

Because he was going to kill her. And he was going to do it before Batman or Gordon or anyone else could save her. 

Behind her was the man who’d grabbed her, both of his hands bleeding where she had scratched him. She was between the two men, the motorcycle too far, Batman nowhere to be seen. 

She went still. She looked around wildly for an escape, any escape, but saw none. There was still gunfire from the front of the pub. She could hear sirens now, but they were too distant. They would be too late. 

She closed her eyes. 

“There’s a good girl,” her murderer said. She shivered and almost gagged at the words. “No use fighting it. You saw something you weren’t supposed to, and it’s my job to take care of it, you see. You can’t hide forever, even with your little vigilante friend.” He snorted. “Some good he did you.” 

When her eyes opened, they landed on the gun at his waist. 

She had never shot a gun before, but if she could grab it…

She turned in a slow circle, a trapped animal, wild with panic, searching for a way out under a false calm. 

When she again faced her killer, there was a soft sound behind her. He frowned. 

The smoke was clearing now. 

With another sudden gust of wind, it cleared enough for her to see the man she’d scratched , now unconscious on the ground. 

She ran towards him and the shadow that stood over him. 

The other man grabbed for her but she managed to shrug out of her jacket and get away. 

She was almost to her savior when the shot rang out. 

She gasped and stumbled to a halt. She waited for the pain, the agony, the sudden onslaught of darkness bringing her death. 

When she opened her eyes, the Batman was in front of her. 

The shot had hit him the chest. She could see the mark from it, the bullet perfectly pressed into the armor right over his heart. 

The man pointing the gun stared at them with wide eyes. 

Then he cursed and ran. 

Batman stepped after him, but more shots rang out. He shoved her against the wall and covered her with his body as he took one, two, three more bullets to the chest like it was nothing. He growled and knocked the shooter unconscious as soon as the gun clicked, empty. 

The alley lit up in red and blue as the shooter hit the ground with a thud. 

“I’ve got you,” Batman said, his voice almost hoarse. He turned and caged her in with his arms, her own personal bulletproof shield. She stared up at him, still sucking in panicked breaths. Her face was wet with tears, her vision blurry with them.

“You–” she said but it came out a sob. “They shot you. Oh my god.” Her hands fumbled over his chest in a search for blood. No way he had taken four shots and come away completely unscathed. 

“Are you hurt?” he asked. There was something dangerous in his voice. 

“Are you hurt?” she asked then hiccuped on another sob. 

He ripped off a glove and cupped her face with his bare hand.

Her entire body melted into the touch. She whimpered softly and closed her eyes. “I’m okay,” she said, because she was now. His skin was hot, almost burning where he caressed her cheek. He slipped the hand down her neck and angled her head towards the light. 

“You’re bleeding,” he said. 

“I’m okay,” she repeated. He let out a long breath. “He got away,” she said, because that seemed important. 

“But you’re alive,” Batman said. 

“Hey!” Gordon’s familiar voice shouted. 

“I have his picture,” she said. She didn’t want Batman to stop touching her face. The touch was a comfort, an anchor, a safe haven in a storm. His hands were callused but gentle. “A clear picture.” 

Batman let her go. His absence was an immediate ache in her chest. 

“What the hell happened?” Gordon demanded in an almost-shout as police swarmed the alley. “You were supposed to take her to the store or something, not to a gunfight!” 

She realized that Batman had stepped in front of her again. As if Gordon was going to shoot at her and he was ready to take the bullet. She leaned around him. The presence of Gordon calmed her further. For the moment, she was safe, and Batman was safe, and that was all that mattered. Everything else was a problem for later that she shoved into a locked box in her mind. 

As Batman explained what happened to Gordon, y/n clung to his cape like a kid with a security blanket. She wanted his hand on her skin again, wanted the anchor of his touch, but he had already put his glove back on. 

With a jolt, she quickly pulled up her recent pictures with her free hand. 

“Here,” she said, holding it out between the two men, interrupting whatever argument they were having. “I got a picture of him. It’s him. I know it’s him. He admitted it to me and everything.” 

Gordon took the camera. “I need to–” 

“Keep it, yeah, I know. Just don’t delete anything.” She waved a hand and almost tipped over. Now that the adrenaline was fading, she thought she might pass out. 

Gordon cursed and paced in a small circle. When he paused, he crossed his arms, then used one hand to point at her. “I’m putting a police detail on your house. And I’m taking you home and speaking with Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth both.”

She nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. Batman was watching her, a hand on her elbow, steadying her, his mouth turned down with concern. 

She met his eyes. 

He looked away, as usual. 

“Stay right here,” Gordon said. “I’ll send someone over to get a statement, then I’m taking you straight home.” 

“But won’t they know who I am as soon as they see the police there every day?” she asked. Her brain was finally starting to catch up with things. 

“It’s only a matter of time before they figure it out,” Gordon said, his voice gentling. “I’d rather err on the side of caution. Now stay put, both of you.” 

Gordon strode away, taking command of the scene, having her camera bagged as evidence as he went. 

She didn’t move from Batman’s side. She didn’t want to. Men were being led away in cuffs or on stretchers and she let the movements hold her gaze until she landed on a familiar officer. 

Martinez saw her at the same time and jogged over. “Hey, you okay?” he said, not even bothering to acknowledge the hulking figure that had once again moved to block her view. She thumped a fist into Batman’s armored back to try to get him to move. What, did he think Martinez was a threat? 

“Fit as a fiddle,” she said. She moved to the side so she could see Martinez. “Except for whatever adrenaline and fear do to your brain.” She went to brush hair out of her face and touched the spot where the man had hit her. She winced. “Okay, and the tiny bump on the head.”  

“God, what happened? I heard Gordon’s call come over and we got like, a million calls reporting gunshots and–” He reached out a hand, probably to make sure y/n really was okay, only to be blocked again by Batman. He looked up at him. “Good thing you were here, man.” 

“Good thing,” Batman said in his low growl. She heard the threat in it even if Martinez didn’t. Her brows drew together. Martinez was about as menacing as a puppy. 

“I gotta go,” Martinez said as someone called his name. “Text me later!” 

He jogged away. 

“Friend of yours?” Batman asked wryly. He glanced down at her and away. 

“You always look away from me,” she said instead of answering the question. “It’s like you’re scared to look at me or something. Am I that hideous?” She meant it as a joke but it came out weird, strangled. 

She saw him swallow even as he still refused to look at her. “Because I’m scared to get too close.” His voice was a low rasp. There it was again–that hint of familiarity, like a dream fading upon waking.

“Why?” 

“Because you–terrify me.” 

The words sent a crackle of electricity through her. She opened her mouth to ask why again, but Gordon was back. 

“Let’s go, kid.” He grabbed her by the elbow but she dug in her heels. 

“Wait,” she said, but she didn’t know what for. She pulled her arm away. She went to turn back to Batman, to make him answer her questions, to get him to say why she terrified him. 

But he was gone. 

–

Wayne Tower’s lobby was ablaze with light. The whole security team was there, in a standoff with several GCPD officers. Gordon spoke briefly with Blake and a uniformed officer before escorting her upstairs with Martinez. 

She couldn’t stop thinking of Batman’s words. Because you terrify me. Her? Terrify him? But why? How? She remembered the warmth of his hand on her face, so gentle despite the violence he had just displayed towards their attackers. 

She wondered, albeit briefly, if her mind was focusing on that instead of what had happened to her, like some form of shock. 

As the elevator opened, all thoughts of Batman fled. 

Because standing there, looking rumpled like he’d rolled out of bed, was Bruce Wayne. 

He was lurking behind Alfred, eyes half closed in the bright foyer lights, his clothes baggy and ratty like he was homeless rather than a billionaire. 

He had never looked better, or more far away. 

Seeing him there–even knowing that it was Gordon that had requested he be there and not a concern for her safety–loosened something within her. 

Alfred rushed towards her and gathered her in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re alright, dear girl,” he said into her hair. “Gordon called and explained.” Her eyes met Bruce’s over Alfred’s shoulder. She expected him to walk away like he so often did whenever they were in the same room lately. 

Instead, he held her gaze steadily. She felt like he was trying to tell her something, but she didn’t know what. 

The thought brought tears to her eyes as the night’s events caught up with her. Bruce was so far away from her and the distance had never been more apparent. She used to be able to read him with a single glance and vice versa. Now his gaze was a wall of blue ice, as distant from her as the Antarctic. 

“I’m okay,” she said, but she wasn’t sure she was.

Next Chapter

taglist:

@ktficworld @grunge-n-roses5 @anon-cat-posts @projectdreamwalker @warsaur @lachillona02 @crazyunsexycool @doetic @alexiris @that-girl-named-alex @harry-bowie-mercury @vaniasagitaa @widows-writings @missing-loki @exactlyelegantwizard @miriamnox @mavenmoon @eclipsedplanet

#bruce wayne x reader #battinson x reader #the batman x reader #batman x reader #the batman 2022 #battinson #bruce wayne #the batman #robert pattinson #haven #haven fic #hollandorks

[golden-buddle]

Hey mutual, figure the third Omegaverse thing was startin to get long again lol. So I thought I'd respond here instead >:3 (Also have links to the previous ones for easy access lmao) 1_ 2_ 3_

You know what would be kind of adorable? If it was Tim who got all angry at the gossip magazines. Everyone else is used to it and finds it kind of funny after all, since as you said, people outside of Gotham don't know the nuances of Gothamite body language. But Tim has been slowly coaxed into acting like a pup, been reassured that him acting like that is okay and is perfectly natural. So seeing people trying to claim Bruce isn't a good caretaker in a way that straight up targets that behavior? Oh baby boi is going to throw a fit.

Also love the idea of even other Gothamites going, yeah, the bats are more than a little feral, even for us lol. They've seen it all from the gleeful murder-baby first Robin to the trying-to-bite-your-ears-off second Robin to gonna-jump-off-this-bridge-and-take-you-with-me Batgirl. To the big bat himself who will see what could account as a straight up mob worth of people and go yeah I can fight that, and actually does, and wins.

Like that's just utterly hilarious to me lol.

Actually, before I forget, I feel like Damian's and Tim's relationship would be better in this. Seeing as Damian is younger and both Tim and Dick are very familiar with being unfamiliar with pup behavior or being forced to try and stop doing it. Which thankfully it wasn't to the extent of Tim, but still. He's the itty bitty baby of the pack who doesn't want to let anyone go the moment he realizes they won't betray him. Similar to how Tim is once he finally realizes the Waynes won't leave him and actually want him to stay.

Also remind me to sketch out the different fangs when my hands aren't shaking lol

Oh Tim DEFINITELY rips into the gossip mags.

He may be a lil pup and semi-recently got placed with the Wayne Pack, but by GOD is he going to send some angry emails.

Honestly I can see him reaching out to the daily planet as ‘Bruce’ and setting up an interview to clear it all up.

But until that happens, Tim gets scruffed and brought into the nest SO often to calm him down.

Like. Calm down pup! You are TOO angy!

Speaking of Tim and Damian’s relationship- they have the best relationship by far in the Pack. Tim can and will throw down for his new little brother. And the brotherly instincts he never had before (and thusly never had to stifle before) doesn’t help either.

Dami is more or less constantly following either his Mum, Jason, or Tim.

If he has to, he’ll tag along with Dick and Alfred, but in order of his favorite pack members Tim is definitely up there with Jason and Bruce.

He can and will use the fact that he’s just an itty bitty pup and whine and whine to get carried around. He may be an independent pup, and he DOES like to wander around on his own, but he absolutely loves being engulfed by his packmate’s scents.

It’s so very different to when he first left the cloning pod and all he could smell was blood and sterile alcohols.

And finally for how Gotham views the Feral Bats??

It’s DEFINITELY like that. Gotham is in awe over their guardians (and I can’t help but see them putting the Batfamily up as embodiments of the city, Gothamites definitely definitely made shrines for the Batfamily that dot about the city)

The Agent, the one who walked the streets long before the Bat flew for the first time, who holds ears in the highest of places and knows far too much that he rarely shares with others. The one who was only connected to the bats far, far down the line.

The Motherly-Protective Bat who has claws like in the old days, who bares his fangs and rips into flesh with no hesitation to protect his city-pups and actual pups. Who dragged the first of the costumed rogues back to Arkham by sheer force and detective skills.

The First Robin who was gleefully blood thirsty, somehow the most animalistic of the pack as he chirped and trilled and danced in the air. Flying like his namesake as he bares his puppy fangs in a barely constrained aggressive smirk.

The Batgirl (Cuckoo) who nearly flew as well as the First Robin, the one who chirped and warbled and forced herself into the Bat’s nest and first showed the City what happened to those who hurts those the Bat holds dear and who showed what happened to who the Bat deems as unwelcome to his territory.

The Nightingale, the first of the robins to grow up, the one with fangs he never hid and a voice as sweet as his feathers. The one who talks as much as he growls, the one who shreds his enemies with enough cheer and electricity to drown a clown.

The Second Robin, (Cardinal, clad in blood reds and spiked feathers, somehow still in the familiar designs of the First Robin) the one taken far too soon who didn’t quite fly as he did glide. The one who hid in his mother’s cape, only leaving to fight and protect-protect-protect just like his mother. The one who showed what happened to those who ignore that they were chased out of the Bat’s territory.

The Third Robin (Crow, Clad in blacks and shiny feathers but still the familiar Robin design) The one who is too smart for his own good- the one who ended the grip that the Bat’s bloodstained claws held on the city. He clings to his mother, only leaving to find more of his pack.

The Forth Robin, (Starling, purples and blacks and shimmering feathers that seem to mirror your face back at you) The blending of Batgirl and Robin, the one who was dragged into the Bat Pack when Crow wandered too far from his mother and needed her help finding his way back to the nest. All the gracefulness of the Bats and the Aggressiveness of the Robins twirled into one sparkling purple attack.

The Cardinal, the second of the robins to grow up, the one who took the name that was whispered in the alleys as his own. Who came into the scene with a splash of blood as bright and soaking as his initial departure. Who’s eyes glow with Unseen bloodlust and protection that followed his mother’s steps.

#Omegaverse #alpha beta omega #A/B/O #i want you to know seeing you in my ask box instead of the other way around is hilarious #it’s like I walked into my kitchen and you’re there just making a smoothie #and when I ask what are you doing here #you just lift up the blender like #“’making a smoothie.’” #hilarious lmao #Post Writing Edit: I uh. #i got carried away into writing lmao #may not be an actual fic or ficlet but still-

[kittymaine]

Emergency

Summary: Clark rushes to the hospital after receiving news that Bruce Wayne had been involved in a bombing.

Whumptober day eight fill. Prompt: overcrowded ER.

Clark had a Google alert set up for Bruce Wayne, something that probably only Bruce himself knew about.

"That has to drive you crazy," Bruce had said once when catching Clark checking his phone, only to see an alert about a new tabloid article theorizing that Bruce had gotten three different supermodels pregnant at the same time.

"Nah, I have a lot of alerts set up, but yours are usually the most entertaining," Clark had joked and been gratified to see Bruce's eyes crinkle up just a little bit in reply. That was more than worth all the alerts that only led to cheap clickbait articles or worthless speculation pieces.

The alerts really didn't bother Clark, and he really did have about a hundred alerts set up depending on what he was researching at the moment. He had alerts for most of the Justice League anyway, both their superhero alias’ and their civilian names. But, he never expected the Bruce Wayne alert to turn up actual news most of the time.

So he was more than a little shocked when on a sunny Tuesday afternoon he received multiple alerts for new results for Bruce Wayne, and they turned out to be real news. Terrible, awful, distressing news.

Clark scrolled through the articles and tweets as quickly as his phone would allow. Most news outlets were reporting the same thing. There had been an explosion at Wayne Enterprises during a company presentation by Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. There were conflicting reports, but it seemed that it was a homemade bomb hidden somewhere around the stage that went off while Bruce was in the middle of a speech. Police already had a suspect in custody.

Clark used his super speed without changing into his suit, something he knew Bruce would have murdered him over. Considering the circumstances, he couldn't bring himself to care in the slightest. The Gotham Gazette had tweeted that Bruce Wayne had been admitted to Gotham General and Clark's hearing confirmed that was where Bruce's heart was beating, though his normally strong and steady heartbeat sounded thin and weak. Clark felt fear seed itself in his chest at that sound and knew it would be a long time before it left.

He started speeding toward Gotham, already obsessively checking for the heartbeats he had memorized. Ma was okay, she sounded good, and her heartbeat was at the farm where it should have been. Diana was okay and was in some kind of important board meeting, so far as he could tell. He reached into his memory for Alfred's heartbeat, not one he often checked, but one he heard often enough. He wasn't as sure, but it sounded like his heartbeat was already at Gotham General. Then, he listened for Dick.

He was sitting in his beat up sedan on the highway leading into Gotham, stuck in traffic and breathing hard around a chest full of sobs.

Clark made a detour, plucking Dick's car out of traffic and putting it down carefully in a nearby parking lot before taking Dick out of the car and with him to Gotham General. Dick wouldn't have felt any of the movement, Clark was moving so fast.

The next thing Dick knew, he and Clark were in a small broom closet in a Gotham General hallway on the first floor.

Dick startled hard and threw a wild punch at Clark. Clark caught his fist gently before he could break his hand on his jaw.

"Uncle Clark?" Dick asked, making a strangled sound as he took in his surroundings. Dick hadn't called him Uncle Clark since he was a teenager. Clark tucked that fact away as a clue about Dick’s current mental state.

"Dick, are you okay?" Clark asked, leaning in carefully. He guessed what Dick needed, but didn't want to crowd him if he didn't want to be touched.

But, he had guessed right. Dick's expression briefly crumpled into tears before he threw himself at Clark, his arms tight around his shoulders and tears soaking into his button up. Clark carefully folded Dick into his arms.

"Uncle Clark, have you seen him? Is he-?" Dick choked on whatever he was about to say around a sob.

"I haven't. I saw the news on my phone and was rushing to Gotham when I saw you stuck in traffic," Clark explained.

Dick clutched him even tighter, and Clark rubbed at his shoulders. Dick was all corded muscle and ridges of bone beneath his beaten up leather jacket, the tension in his body only making him feel more rigid. He was holding him tight enough to leave bruises on a normal person, but Clark wasn’t a normal person and was glad to let Dick be as rough with him as he wanted. It had delighted him as a boy, and it warmed something in Clark that Dick still remembered Clark’s permission to squeeze and hit and jump as hard as he wanted.

"I think Alfred is in the ER. We should go check in with him," Clark suggested after giving Dick a few minutes to express himself all over Clark's shirt.

Dick nodded glumly, but only stepped away after another minute or so.

“How did this happen?” Dick croaked as they walked down long, wide hallways, dodging around people in scrubs walking fast and people in civilian clothes walking much slower.

“I don’t know,” Clark said, looking down at the scuffed toes of his loafers. They squeaked a little on the polished tile floor. “CNN reported that the police already have a suspect in custody.”

Dick grunted. “I guess the others will make sure it’s the right person.”

“I think you’re right,” Clark replied. “Let them handle it for now,” he said gently, and put his arm around Dick’s shoulders. Dick leaned his weight into Clark’s side in response.

The Gotham General emergency room was absolutely packed with people. It was clear that most of the people sitting in uncomfortable plastic chairs were caught in the same explosion that had injured Bruce so badly. They were almost all dressed in business formal clothing: pressed slacks, button down shirts, high heels and knit ties. They were also all covered in pale gray dust and dotted with blood and scrapes, many of them holding ice packs or bandages that looked like they had been hastily applied by either EMTs or the nurses tensely bustling between the aisles of chairs, taking heart rates and checking temperatures.

"Master Richard," a tense British voice said from the wall near the entryway.

"Alfred," Dick rasped and stumbled the few steps into the elder man's arms.

Alfred always looked effortlessly polished to Clark, but he had seen him ruffled a few times before. This was one of those times. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was just a little out of place, and his face was stiff and hard. His hardened, uncompromising expression easily communicated his past in the military.

"How is he?" Clark asked quietly, trying not to draw the attention of all the injured and emotional people packed into the room with them.

"I haven't heard much, unfortunately," Alfred replied, regarding Clark through weary blue eyes over the top of Dick's head. "In fact, if you could check on him, I would very much appreciate it."

"Oh! Of course," Clark was pleasantly surprised that he could be of use. He had refrained from looking at Bruce directly, mostly to spare himself the memory of what he looked like on the operating table. But if it was to provide more information to the family, it was more than worth it.

He leaned against the wall beside Alfred as casually as he could and let his eyes unfocus as he gazed through walls and curtains and people in the direction of Bruce's still unsteadily beating heart.

Bruce was lying on his side on a metal table, two surgeons bent over his torso as they carefully used small cameras on long adjustable poles to look around the inside of his abdomen. It looked like Bruce's side was peppered all over with shrapnel entry points and there was a small metal dish at the elbow of each surgeon, both filled with pieces of glass and small bent nails.

Clark had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment after looking. Yep, he could feel that image burning its way into his memory. It would be hard to look at Bruce, harder to look at his side, without seeing two people poking around his insides like a game of operation looking for sharp foreign objects snugged up to Bruce's delicate and vulnerable internal organs.

"Master Clark," Alfred said, his voice soft but his tone very tight.

Clark snapped his eyes open and looked at the older man. He had the sudden realization that his crunched up expression was probably sending the wrong message. "Sorry! Just not a pleasant sight to look at," he explained sheepishly. Alfred relaxed slightly and patted Dick on the shoulder. "It looks like they're just finishing up now. I only saw one more piece of shrapnel, and it looks like they almost had it."

It was Alfred's turn to close his eyes, though his expression was one of intense relief. "Thank you, Master Clark. That news is very welcome."

"He's going to be okay?" Dick croaked, pulling out of Alfred's arms to turn red rimmed eyes on Clark.

"Yes, I think so," Clark said.

"Oh, thank Christ. Fuck," Dick groaned before sliding down the wall to the floor. "I think if he had died in a fucking business meeting of all things, I would have killed him," Dick joked weakly.

"I'm sure he's just as frustrated with himself," Clark agreed wryly.

In fact, he was sure that Bruce was going to be almost insufferable about security once he was awake and conscious. But, Clark couldn't bring himself to dread it much.

He was just so incredibly happy that Bruce was alive and would recover, and he wouldn't have to bury his best friend.

#whumptober2023 #no.8 #overcrowded er #dcu comics #fanfiction #superman #clark kent #batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #nightwing #alfred pennyworth #medical procedures #hospitals #bombing #surgery #kittywrites

[laufire]

Since this seems to be a trend, I have to ask: top 5 pieces of media you'd rec me? I am really curious since I think I've already tried pretty much everything you loved 😅

sorry for the delay, but I was right in the middle of one of the things I thought I miiight recommend you, so I waited until I finished in case it ended up poorly lmao.

Said thing is Zatanna & the Ripper, an already completed webtoon available online for free (don't let the fact that it's 51 issues long deter you, a webtoon episode takes less than five minutes to read lol). I was already reading a couple other DC webtoons, with mixed feelings ("Wayne Family Adventures" is often too fandom-y for my blood but it's given me a few ideas, and "Red Hood: Outlaws" was... neither a bad as its worst moments, nor did it manage to live to the sky high expectations of its very best), and I was already on my Zatanna feels thanks to Young Justice so... I picked this one up.

I'm guessing you know this but Zatanna's comics version differs quite a bit from YJ's; she's from Bruce's generation, for one (he has a cute cameo here with the two of them playing as children lol), her usual love interest is John Constantine (who plays that part here), etc. This isn't quiiiite like the comics version (or what little I've seen of her), she's a bit younger and greener, with a "finding yourself/having faith in your own power" arc.

The premise is that Zatanna, on her 21st birthday, gets transported to London in Victorian times, right around the time Jack the Ripper was killing (I'm pleased to say the run managed to side-step the issues I tend to have with historical fiction that tries to play around with this concept, tbh). She's stuck there, with malfunctioned powers, becomes friends with one of the working girls, starts trying to solve the case etc. etc. It was a fun read, all around.

Hmm... I'm trying to think of favourite stuff of mine that I don't think you've tried... shows-wise, I think that'd be Desperate Wives? Not saying it didn't infuriate the hell out of me at times lol, and I'm not sure how you'll feel about it, since it's also not-my-usual-type... but when it's good, it's GREAT and really damn enjoyable lol. I became hooked really early on so I'd say to give the pilot a try and see if it awakens any interest, if you haven't watched it?

For films... you might've watched some of these, but some of my favourites that you might want to give a try to would be "The Mask of Zorro" (revenge! romance! sword fights as both revenge and romance tools!), "The Handmaiden" (historical lesbian romance with really engaging twists), or 2010's "True Grit" (a western, which isn't usually my thing, about a young girl seeking revenge for her father's murder).

I'll also list some of my favourite classic books that you might or might not have read, Because: "Carmilla", "Dangerous Liaisons", "Frankenstein", "Pygmalion"

I don't know how plausible it'd be to find this available outside of Spain, but I'm recommending "La Promesa", a Spanish telenovela I've gotten into (I'm not really watching it properly because I'm waaaaaaaay behind lol. it's long as fuck, currently in its 150+ episode; I watch the current ones when my mother has it on tv lol, and sometimes some of the old ones). It's sloooooow, which can be frustrating, and LOOOOONG, as I said, but it does some really great things character-wise. I've called it the Spanish Downton Abbey lol, but with faaaar more attention given to the working-class characters (the heroine herself being a maid).

This goes beyond five, but since I'm not sure if you've watched/read some of these, and you probably won't be able to watch the last one ^^U: SEVERANCE!!! Again, I just want people to watch both this AND Dollhouse so we can delve deep into them xDD. Just one short season so far, with a second one coming on 2024. It's about a group of workers who've gone through a surgical procedure that separates their memories from work and those from their life outside, effectively creating different people, and the sketchy corporation they work with. And Dichen Lachman is in it too :D (her part is the only one I actively compared with Dollhouse while I was watching it lol. So far Dollhouse wins but... Priya's story is hard to top).

Another bonus, Because: I recommended the Kemi Ashing-Giwa's short stories stored in Tor to another mutual, so this time I'll give focus to another one: "The Puppermaster", about a banished warrior, her sketchy usurper uncle, and monsters.

#talking to the void #replies #artemis tag #^-^ #top 5s #recs #my thoughts

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Red And Black - Pattinson Bruce Wayne X Female Reader

Title: Red And Black

Pattinson Bruce Wayne X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Alfred, Falcone (Mentioned) Burglar, Martha (Mentioned), Thomas (Mentioned), and Joe Chill (Mentioned)

WC: 2,210

Warnings: Blood, Reader's apartment getting burglarized, fighting, mention of broken bones, sadness, crying, sad Bruce, soft Bruce, angry Bruce, fighting, mention of death, mention of murder, mention of Bruce's parents, fluff, etc

It was a quiet night. Despite the sounds of the city three stories below your apartment. It was peaceful almost, you could say. You were lying in bed, reading while listening to music, which was what a typical weekend night looked like for you. It had been a long week. You worked as a journalist, working to find information on corrupt officials and bring them to justice. It was a hard and stressful job, but it made good money that brought food to the table.

It wasn't even like you needed the money to begin with. You were best friends with the Bruce Wayne. You had known him since you were children, and funnily enough, you had a massive crush on the man. But, it seemed he didn't feel the same. Well, you didn't for sure know that to be a fact. But, for the past few months, Bruce had been very distant.

In the beginning, he asked you to move into the manor with him actually. But, you politely declined. You wanted your own place where you had your own space. The manor, you thought, had too much space. It was slightly overwhelming at times when you visited. You easily get lost. The vast hallways, the dark rooms that hardly saw light, and the high ceilings and massive paintings. Lavish. Dark and lavish. Fit for any billionaire or millionaire. Especially for a man like Bruce Wayne.

After that conversation, you thought Bruce would forget about it and move on, but when you came to visit only days after finding your own place, he called you, you were indeed surprised. Bruce insisted on paying for your new place. All of it, for a good couple of years in advance too. You tried to decline, but he wouldn't hear it. He said it was his way of thanking you for all your help over the years. And then he paid for your furniture too.

"Think of it as a thank you," He told you. "You know... For being my friend."

You hesitantly agreed, telling Bruce how you owed him one. To which, the man said that you owed him nothing. You wouldn't listen. You were stubborn at heart. You owed him, and that was that. Snuggling deeper into the soft mattress, the silk sheets caressing your bare legs, you sighed. You were about to call it a night until you heard your front door loudly slamming open. Freezing, you slowly sat your book down, grabbed your phone and ran to your closet, and slowly shut the door as quietly as you could.

Shaking, you quickly went to your contacts and dialed Bruce's number, hoping he'd answer. You were lucky, he picked up on the first ring. He used to always do that.

"Hello?" You whispered, looking around.

Bruce chuckled lightly, his voice sounding so far away. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Someone broke into my apartment."

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked, his voice going from light to serious.

"I'm fine. I'm hiding in the closet..." You let out a shaky breath, "I don't know what to do..."

You could hear the person ransacking your living room and kitchen, and you were worried they would come to the bedroom next.

"Don't move. I'll be right there. You'll be fine, darling."

You nodded your head, but you couldn't help but worry.

You heard footsteps in the hallway, and you quickly pulled yourself together. You hung up on Bruce, not hearing him on the other line anymore, and listened as the person slowly opened your bedroom door. You held your breath as you closed your mouth, trying to make sure no noise escaped. Then, you noticed the lights click off.

Your heart began to race. You felt like you were caught in a bad horror movie. Shutting your eyes tight, you let out a silent breath, before opening them. You were angry. This person, whoever they were, broke into your home and was wrecking your home. They were probably stealing things too! Seeing red, you didn't stop yourself from slamming the closet door open and tackling the person in the room.

A small struggle started, but you were quick and swift, landing punch after punch to the man you didn't know, head covered in a black beanie mask, and wearing black gloves. You managed to get the man down onto the ground, pinning their arms, and punching their face again and again. You pounded his face until you heard a loud crack, and the man let out a loud scream. His nose was definitely broken.

You kept hitting the man over and over, tears streaming down your face before two strong arms wrapped around your waist pulling you off the now unconscious man. Trying to get out of their hold, you heard Bruce's voice.

"Hey, shh, shh, it's okay. You can stop now."

Feeling the fear inside you disappear, you fall to the floor, gasping for air. The man was still unconscious and bleeding. Bruce kneeled down, rubbing his hands on your shoulders before pulling you up and into his arms. Wrapping his arms around your waist, he held you close to his chest as you sobbed, clutching the lapels of his jacket.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" You cried, shaking. "He broke in, I didn't know what else to do!"

Bruce stroked your hair tenderly, soothing you as you continued to cry. "Let me take you to the manor. I'll take care of this."

You sniffled, nodding your head against his shoulder.

Bruce held your hand as he led you out of your apartment, and down the stairs. Once outside, he opened the passenger side door for you before driving to the manor. You were silent in the car, staring out the window as the rain trickled down the glass. Tears still fell down your cheeks, but you did nothing about them. Bruce glanced towards you, worried.

Once at the manor, Bruce helped you out of the car, Alfred meeting you at the door.

"Can you take care of her, Alfred?" Bruce asked softly and the older man nodded, gently taking you by the other hand and leading you away. Bruce watched you for a moment before quickly going to the cave.

~~~

At your apartment, Bruce walked in, his cape swaying with each step. Looking around, all your things had been thrown around, picture frames tossed and the glass smashed. Papers were thrown all about the room, and your laptop was cracked. He noticed that someone had also gone through your fridge, grabbing whatever they could find. Bruce was furious.

Storming into your room, Bruce saw the culprit, bending down, Bruce grabbed the man by the collar. The man groaned in pain, slowly opening his eyes.

"Who sent you!?"

The man struggled, but Bruce was stronger. He slammed the man on the ground, before pulling him back up again.

"Don't hurt me," The man pleaded, wincing in pain. "I don't know... Who sent me..." He spoke, but Bruce growled.

"Why are you here?" Bruce demanded, his voice stern.

"What do you mean?"

"What were you looking for?" He clenched his fists tighter around the man's hoodie.

The man let out a shaky breath, "Some work on Falcone. Something he didn't want out to the public. Please... That's all I know..." The man lost consciousness again.

Bruce growled again, letting go of the man's hoodie.

After dropping the man off with Gordan, Bruce made his way back to the cave before he got dressed in his shirt and sweatpants. He met Alfred on his way through the manor, who stopped him.

"She is in the guest room beside yours..." He spoke and Bruce thanked the butler before rushing off to the guest bedroom.

There, you sat on the huge king-sized bed, staring at your hands, void of emotions. You were just so tired. So very tired. You just wanted to sleep, but all you could see when you closed your eyes was the man's bloodied face. You were crying again.

Bruce was sitting beside the bed, a glass of water in his hands before he handed it to you. You didn't take it, so Bruce sat it on the bedside table, before noticing your red and cracked knuckles.

"You're hurt," Bruce spoke softly, not wanting to spook you. "Did Alfred clean them?" He asked, and you nodded.

"He couldn't find any bandages." You muttered your first words to him since he got back.

Bruce nodded, before offering his hand to you, "Let's go to my room, I have some there."

You took his hand, and Bruce held it in his gently as he led you out of the bedroom and into his. You immediately sat down on the bed as Bruce went to his bathroom and grabbed the gause. Kneeling down before you, Bruce gently took your hand, your hands so small in his.

"I'm so sorry." Bruce spoke, his voice soft.

You shook your head, "It's not your fault... He broke in..." You whimpered, your voice catching in your throat. "It's his fault..."

Bruce began to gently wrap the bandage around your knuckles, "He was going after something you had on Falcone."

"Falcone" You looked at the ceiling, tears falling down your cheeks once more. "That jerk." You chuckled sadly, before looking down at Bruce.

"What was he looking for?" Bruce asked, but you sighed.

Reaching out, you brushed his hair away from his face, noticing the smudges and residue of black around Bruce's eyes. You smiled a bit. You had a feeling on why Bruce had been distant lately.

"Does the Bruce Wayne get into fights a lot?" You asked softly, but Bruce grabbed your hand from his head and began wrapping it.

"You're avoiding the question."

You smiled lightly, "You are too."

Bruce ignored you and continued to finish wrapping your hands, "What was he looking for?" Bruce repeated and you looked off, staring at the wall.

"I found out about this guy... His name is Joe Chill. And... I believe he... He killed your parents." You spoke softly, a tear falling down your cheek.

Bruce froze, unmoving. His eyes filled with his own tears, before you reached out and took Bruce's face in both hands, kissing his forehead. "I should have told you sooner..." You whispered. "I'm so sorry. I just wanted to make sure he was the one."

A small sob escaped his lips, and you fell to your knees, holding him close, feeling his tears sink into your sweater. Bruce held onto you with a tight grip, his knuckles turning white around your sweater-covered waist.

"I'm sorry, Bruce." You whispered, before Bruce slowly let go of you. "I shouldn't have kept it from you." You sighed, tears still falling from your eyes, but you wiped them away.

"No... I understand." He spoke, as you whipped his tears away. "You have to stay here for a while."

You thought for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I think that is best. I don't want to go back home." You placed your wrapped hand on Bruce's cheek, caressing it softly with your thumb.

"Besides, you need me. As I need you." You said, smiling softly to him.

"We have each other." He mumbled, looking at you with his deep blue eyes."

You hummed, "And Alfred."

Bruce stared at you for a long moment before he leaned in, kissing you deeply. Your fingers threaded into his hair, holding him close to you as you both kissed. He pulled away, running his fingers through your hair. He brought his hand to your cheek, wiping away your stray tears.

"Stay here tonight," He spoke, voice low and husky. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I believe you."

Bruce smiled softly, kissing your forehead before getting off the floor, and helping you up. Walking to his closet, he threw open the doors, he pulled out a spare change in clothes for you to change into, a plain shirt and sweatpants. Bruce handed you the clothing and you kissed his cheek in thanks before heading to the bathroom to change.

Bruce let out a sigh, feeling his lips with the tips of his fingers, feeling the ghost of you there. His face reddened before he got into the bed. You soon opened the bathroom door dressed in his shirt and pants. Bruce couldn't help but think how cute you looked in his clothes, your face flushed, as you walked over, plopping onto the bed next to him.

"I need to tell you something." Bruce spoke, almost afraid to say it.

But he knew you needed to know everything, even if it hurt you.

"Yeah?" You asked, laying down beside him, feeling the soft silk sheets fall softly upon you.

"I'm the Batman." Bruce confessed softly. "I tried to keep it a secret, but... I needed to tell you."

You smirked lightly, "I figured." You laughed as you felt his hand touch your arm, slowly pulling you closer. "I had a feeling that was why you had been so distant."

"I'm sorry about that" Bruce whispered, running his fingers through your hair.

"Don't be sorry, I have you now." You squeezed his hand.

Bruce smiled slightly, leaning in close, pressing his lips against yours once more.

#bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x you #bruce wayne x y/n #bruce wayne x female reader #fluff #cute #slight angst #bruce wayne #batman #pattinson!batman #pattinson!bruce wayne #robert pattinson #gotham #dc #dc comics #battinson #the batman 2022 #the batman #batman 2022

[butwhyduh]

A Growing Flock of Robins

Reverse Robin Tim Drake first AU

Warning: major character death (canon)

Summary: The bat family grows. Damian brings home a dog and Bruce brings home a kid. Another tragedy ensues.

An alternate universe where Tim is the first child Bruce Wayne takes in. The ages are all different.

Bruce Wayne-35

Tim Drake-16

Jason Todd-12

Dick Grayson-8

Damian Wayne-8 (slightly younger)

Dick hates Talia. He just can’t remember why.

He was sitting at the kitchen table as Alfred cooked stew. The fragrance of onion and beef filled the air. Classical music played softly in the background. Alfred only listened to other music when Bruce wasn’t around but even then it was mainly swing. Ace laid on the rug next to Dick.

Damian and Bruce had gone out together to look for a dog. A dog that was only Damian’s. He had been insanely jealous that Dick had been there when Bruce brought Ace home and insisted on having his own dog. Bruce had offered for both boys to get another dog and Dick had declined the offer to hang out with the butler instead.

“Young Master Richard, I need to head down to the cellar. It will be a few minutes. Will you be alright alone?” Alfred asked. Dick hasn’t been in the manor long.

“I’ll be fine,” he replied. Dick was a sweet boy but there was just a sadness and anger that Alfred didn’t like. Though it was probably natural after one's parents are murdered in front of them. Alfred went down to the cellar.

The side door to the kitchen opened and Dick assumed it was Bruce and Damian but when no one started talking, he turned to look. A woman stood in the kitchen. She stared at him openly. She was very beautiful but there was something deeply unsettling about her that had Dick looking around the kitchen for something to protect himself with.

“No need for that,” she waved him off. “I’m simply here to drop this off,” she said, sitting a folder on the counter.

“What is it?”

“Something that Bruce needs. That Damian needs,” she said and Dick’s small hand deftly grabbed the file and looked inside it.

“It’s all of Damian’s papers. His Uh- transport papers?” Duck said with his brow furrowed with confusion.

“Transfer of custody. He’ll be living with his father,” she said.

“So you won’t see your son?”

“Oh, I suppose not. I’m simply giving him the best opportunity,” she shrugged. Dick certainly didn’t like that. He didn’t understand. His parents were excellent and wanted to spend as much time as they could with their child.

“By not seeing his mom?” Dick pried despite himself. He was starting to understand Damian’s attitude that sometimes came out.

“It’s for the best. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Why not?”

“You’re just a child. I don’t need to explain-“

“Damian will be mad. And sad. His mom left him and won’t come back,” Dick said angrily. The 8 year old was growing madder by the minute.

“Master Richard who are you- oh, I see,” Alfred said as he came back into the room with cooking supplies. His lips were a straight line and Alfred looked angry. “You are not welcome here without Master Bruce’s invitation.”

“I’ll be going,” she said.

“She’s abandoning Damian,” Dick said angrily.

“You’re far too young to understand but this is the safest choice for him,” Talia said softly before leaving. If Dick would have looked, he would have noticed the sadness in her. Alfred watched her leave and then locked the door. He wasn’t taking any chances. “Not a word to Damian.”

Half an hour later, Bruce and Damian showed up. There was an adorable giant puppy in Damian’s arms. He immediately had to show it off to Dick.

“His name is Titus. He will be huge so that he can keep up with Ace. And protect the house,” Damian said proudly. Dick couldn’t help but give the dog a good scratch behind the ear despite his irritation at Damian. The puppy was cute.

Bruce’s phone rang and he answered as Dick and Damian carefully introduced Titus to Ace. He left the room.

Bruce came back a few minutes later with a look of worry on his face. “Alfred, a word,” he said and both adults left the room as the boys looked on confused. It was approximately ten seconds before Damian and Dick decided to eavesdrop. They carefully and silently climbed the staircase above where Bruce and Alfred were talking.

“I think it best that you visit the hospital first,” Alfred said. “The case can wait a few minutes. Master Timothy cannot.”

“I- I should go to the scene,” Bruce insisted. Damian and Dick were sitting so close to listen to the pair that Damian didn’t shove Dick’s hand from his shoulder.

“Think of the boy. He needs you. Both of his parents are dead? He needs someone there and I don’t know a man better fit for the job. Orphan at 17? Good lord. Poor boy. I’ll watch the boys here. Go to Tim,” Alfred insisted. Damian and Dick barely pulled back out of view as Bruce hurried down the hall.

Damian looked at Dick who looked back at him with wide scared eyes. Did they just learn that Tim’s parents were killed? Dick’s breath sped up and his eyes started to water. Damian didn’t know what to do. In all his training, consoling an orphan wasn’t part of it. Dick was starting to become inconsolable.

“You’re okay. Stop. Stop crying. You’re okay,” Damian tried to say calmly. Dick cried even louder. Damian had heard him a few times at night but Bruce swept in to care for him before Damian ever considered acting.

Alfred heard the tears and moved upstairs. “Oh dear,” he simply said before pulling Dick into a hug. “What happened?”

“We- we heard,” Dick started but he couldn’t stop crying enough to answer. It was hard for the boy who only lost his parents 8 months before.

“Oh you heard. I’m so sorry. Both of you?” Alfred asked Damian who nodded. He sighed. “Let’s get up to your room.”

Damian followed them awkwardly. As if summoned, Ace bounded in the room before gently squirming into Dick’s arm. He offered a watery smile to the dog. Damian was shooed from the room shortly and he helped Alfred make Dick a cup of tea. But by the time they returned to the room, Dick had fallen asleep curled around the dog.

——————————-

Bruce stood outside the door to the hospital room that Tim currently sat in. He had cut his hand open on glass and needed stitches. The glass that was beside his parents’ bodies. Bruce felt nauseous. Was he there to save orphans or was he cursing children to lose their parents?

He knocked on the door and was summoned inside. Tim sat on the bed. His eyes were red rimmed and so was his nose. His hand was wrapped in gauze. He looked up at Bruce with pitiful vulnerability.

“Tim,” Bruce said as he crossed the room. What did he want when his parents died? What would Tim want? What could he even do? He hugged the boy.

Tim let out a wet sob and clung to Bruce.

“I’m so sorry. I’m here,” Bruce said, rubbing his back but this seemed to make Tim cry more. Bruce didn’t have anything else to say.

“There was so much blood,” Tim whispered. “They were- it was… it was so violent. Who would slit my par-parents’ throats?”

“I’m going to find out. I’ll find them. And bring them Justice,” Bruce promised.

“I’ll find them,” Tim said darkly. Dick already wanted to kill his parents’ killer. Did Tim too? Bruce would deal with it later.

A few hours later Bruce was granted temporary guardianship over Tim and brought him to the manor. Dick and Damian were waiting. Dick was surprisingly somber and pulled Tim into a hug.

“Whatever you need,” he said and Tim tried to blink away tears.

———————————

“Mr Wayne, this is a delicate situation. Tim put you as his next of kin but you are not actually related to him. His parents didn’t have a formal will stating guardianship. Tim is also 4 months away from turning 18,” a lawyer said a few days later.

“I will pay for any fees or legal requirements. I want to adopt him,” Bruce said. There wasn’t a ton of planning for Bruce but Tim spoke to him in an unnaturally calm manner. He had told him it was the best plan if Bruce would have him.

It was borderline scandalous that Tim drake was adopted only 2 weeks after his parents were murdered. But the press ate up the story of tragic orphan Tim Drake being adopted by Gotham’s son who was orphaned violently as a child.

Now Bruce’s house felt far more full. A butler, 2 dogs, 2 orphaned children, and his own biological son who had been abandoned by his mother. It was difficult and Bruce felt overwhelmed but he wouldn’t change anything.

#dc fanfic #Tim drake #Damian Wayne #dick Grayson #Bruce Wayne #orphan Tim drake #orphan dick Grayson #orphan Bruce Wayne #reverse robin #reverse robin tim first au #reverse robin au

[lynxbatics]

I may... have gone insane and started writing a fanfic with Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent at the aftermath of the Wayne family murders. (We need more Bruce and Harvey being best friends content)

Like all comic book writers, I kinda messed with the timeline a bit and made it so that Harvey knew Bruce before his parent's deaths. Bruce and Harvey are supposed to be around eleven years old here.

Anyways here's what I've written so far!!

Alfred could not imagine a more horrible thing.

The Waynes... Martha and Thomas, whom he loved so dearly - gone. He could hardly bear to think of the two of them gunned down in an alleyway, with Bruce unable to do anything to stop it. An awful death for the two people that least deserved it.

The police had arrived much too late, finding Bruce huddled on the ground of the alley, tears streaming down his face and hands gripping his mother's clothes, unable to let go.

They had told Alfred that Bruce was unable to say anything about what had transpired. He hadn't said a word since they had found him.

But Alfred had heard his sobbing at night and that was all he needed to hear.

Rain soaked streets.

The exiting of a theater.

Blood and pearls scattered in the night.

Carried by the rain into the sewers of Gotham.

Gone, just like Bruce's mother and father were.

Alfred shook his head, hoping to clear away the images his brain conjured up at the thought. He did not want to dwell on what Thomas and Martha might have looked in their final moments.

But the Wayne family murders seemed to be the only thing anyone else wanted to talk about. The paparazzi outside of Wayne Manor was proof of that. Dozens of people making camp outside of their home, hoping to get the first look at little Bruce after the tragedy.

It was awful.

It seemed like, to the paparazzi, Bruce Wayne was no more than a character from a film. One who you could watch from a distance. Separate from reality.

Heaven forbid that he was an actual person with feelings, who would be affected by a dozen strangers camping out on his front lawn, asking how he felt about his mother and father having had their brains blown out.

It had gotten so bad that in between the phone calls offering their condolences there were some from reporters hoping to talk to the last remaining Wayne.

Alfred could not fathom how some people thought calling for that was a god idea. The nerve.

He had already disconnect most of the phones. One was left connected, in case of emergencies, but everything else remained unplugged.

It so happened that said phone kept ringing. It angered Alfred greatly. He had already hung up without bothering to check who it was around five times already.

The phone rang again.

Alfred stared at it for a moment, realizing that it would be better to get the phone call over with. He picked it up, trying not to let his irritation show.

"Oh good!" The voice was distorted but relieved, happy to finally have someone pick up the phone. "I've called like a million times already! You kept hanging up!"

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Alfred replied, as dry as possible. His finger hovered over the phone's hook switch.

"Alfred? It's Harvey!" the voice said, disbelieving.

Embarrassment crept into Alfred's cheeks. How had he not recognized Harvey's loud and bombastic tone? He cleared his throat, "Ah, yes, I'm sorry Harvey. What can I do for you?"

"It's alright," Harvey mumbled, "I was calling to ask... well, about Bruce."

He paused, as he prepared to make his next question.

"Is... is he alright?" he asked, voice softer. The question was absurd. Of course Bruce was not doing well. But Alfred realized that Harvey was genuinely worried, but didn't know what to say.

"I... I heard the news. On the bus." Poor boy, Alfred thought, what was a best friend to do in a situation like this?

"Do you think I could talk to him?" Harvey asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't think that would be a good idea. He's not in the mood to talk to anyone."

"Maybe I could come over?" Harvey prompted, "I could just... be there. He wouldn't need to talk."

Alfred glanced at the hallway, which led to Bruce's room. He wondered wether he would appreciate Harvey coming. He had not been very responsive to Alfred's attempts to coax him out.

"I'm afraid that would be wrong. Bruce's upset and grieving."

"Please. I need to see him." Harvey's tone grew desperate. "I want to be there."

Guilt clawed its way up Alfred's throat.

"Alright."

He heard a rush of air breathed into the phone's receiver. "Thank you Alfred!" He heard muffled talking as Harvey held the phone up to his chest to silence a conversation he was having with someone. After a moment, he spoke, voice clear again, "I can be there in a couple of minutes."

"I'll be on the lookout," Alfred replied, "Careful with the reporters."

He moved the phone away from his ear.

"Reporters?" He heard Harvey's voice rise as he hung up.

Alfred wondered wether he had made the right decision. He knew that Harvey always managed to get Bruce's spirits up, and if there was someone who could get him to talk it was him. Still, he worried that he wouldn't be able to handle it. The Waynes had been like a second family to Harvey. Their death had surely affected him.

He looked at the phone for a moment, wondering if Harvey would actually show up. He figured that he had to be at school, given the hour. Perhaps he had been talking to the principal, asking for permission to cut class.

Alfred shrugged, he had to give him credit for his persistence.

#fanfiction #harvey dent #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #batman #two face #(well not yet) #batman fanfiction #fic #wip #thomas wayne #martha wayne #bruce and harvey #lynxbatics writes

[rat-cigars]

Damn Bitch You live like this?

(a/n: 18+ today i'm gonna try to continue setting up for the mc and i hope you enjoy this mostly Ed Chapter. Jk i know yall hoes love him <3. Pls be mindful of your triggers and always check content warnings, lmk if i've missed any! ) 

*= Edward POV)

**= Reader POV)

(TW: stalking, blood, mentions of murder, yelling?, breaking and entering apt. )

Possible Spoilers in this chapter 

WC: 1272

Chapter 7: A walk to (not) remember

**You must've been too loud though as Bruce had set his other hand gently over your mouth for a moment. He looked a little panicked, probably hiding out from the other patrons who had chosen to stop by. You went into a soft laugh after he released your face gently, just as fast as he had put his hand up to your lips. 

You stumbled back and Bruce's other hand came out from behind his thigh, trying to hide the smoke from your prying eyes. 

“I can't believe I just caught THE golden boy of the city, smoking?” you teased. You were definitely gonna be sore in the morning, struggling to stay in place as Bruce replied.

 “I cant believe youre still here, bothering me.” He grumbled, but there was a playfulness in his tone at the end. Stepping a little closer to lean on the wall while you talked, you looked up to him beside you. The streetlight illuminated your cheeks showing how pink they were from the open bar. “I'm gonna be bothering you a lot more now that you're gonna be renting out our space.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes and after taking a few more hits he leaned down and pushed the lit end into the ground, stomping for good measure. “God you really are drunk..” he said softly, seeing you sway as you stepped. 

Your back leaving the wall last. Still your arm was extended out, holding the wall. As if responding to the snide comment, you hunched over, not having the same luxury of a trash can. 

Bruce immediately cringed at the sounds. 

“Oh Fuck.. uh..” you had managed to mutter and slurred out. “I'll catch you later.” you laughed nervously. 

“I don't think that's a good idea.” He said bringing your leave to a halt. “What? You're not my dad.” you teased him. He sighed and lifted his arm to show how you had been standing so steadily, you were holding onto him for balance.

“Shit..” you muttered. This was lining up to be the best worst night of your life. 

How many other women got the chance to hold Bruce Waynes arm, oh yeah, his arm. You thought and released it, but your stumble had Bruce placing his arm around you to support you. His hold was firm but gentle, supporting you without hurting you.

 “Th-Thanks.” you smiled at him and that's when he opened his mouth to speak again, his icy blue eyes staring into yours. Intense and yet devoid of emotion all at the same time. “Let me walk you home?” He still asked, even after he'd already made up his mind. You couldn't help but blush an even deeper pink and nod, looking away. He nodded and you two began the long walk to your apartment. You felt as if you were being watched but you had lulled the thought out of our head. Obviously anyone who recognized the man beside you, would stare. 

As you approached the door to your shabby apartment, he let you lean on the wall and helped you inside.

“Thanks, Wanye.” you groaned, flopping on your couch, deciding this was your bed for the night. “Anytime, I just like to make sure my employees are safe.” He nodded, the edge to his voice was far gone and he seemed almost relaxed.  “Goodnight.” was muttered from his lips, as your body relaxed into the couch, slipping into your dreams. He left and shut the door tight, heading back to his manor probably.

That night you had another dream of the silhouetted man holding his arms out in front of him. Like a priest he opened his arms to you, and you alone. The feeling made you shiver, your eyes glazed over.

He called for you, the voice distorted, filled your ears. He had shut his mouth, watching your reactions to his calls of affection. 

The man's voice almost sounded familiar but you were struggling to figure who it belonged to. The man then spoke, but it sounded..like a bell? He suddenly loomed over you as you had shifted your gaze away, deep in thought. His mouth opened and a loud ring caused you to jolt awake in bed. 

Well, the couch, but it was the same thing. 

The coat you'd worn had been laid over the chair beside the door, and a familiar pain throbbed inside your head.

 “What the fuck..” you groaned feeling your temples. Sitting upright you slowly began to trek towards the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. 

Reaching for the bottle you raised a brow, it had been moved from the bottom shelf where you had placed it last. 

‘Maybe Bruce had taken some?’ Shrugging off the thought almost instantly as the pain throbbed again and you grabbed a few pills out to start your day. You checked your phone seeing 2 new numbers had texted you the night before. 

*Writing about you didn't seem to help Eds growing frustration, nor did the scrap booking of several pictures. Edward tried to clear the memory of watching you walk with Bruce, but his mind was relentless.

Flashes of your arms around his, your laugh for him, it was enough to make the grown man cry. But not in sadness, in fact Edward wasn't even sure how he felt at that moment. Anger, jealousy, and deep insecurity had halted his work.

 His pen had stopped grating into the lined paper and he sat there pondering his next move. A chuckle escaped his lips, and this small act had led to Edward full blown cackling. Alone in his room he looked truly unstable at that moment.

He suddenly closed his mouth and then got up from the desk, grabbing his oversize gray jacket and exiting the hotel room. Of course he was going to check in. To make sure you had not been corrupted by ‘the rich boy’ and stolen away from edward.

 He felt a twinge of worry creep into the back of his mind as he walked down the street. He hoped to God you hadn't ruined yourself for him. After all he had been there first, Edward had been the one to take an interest first. You were his, already taken before Bruce had ever had a chance with your beautiful soul. 

Ten minutes later with his heart beating so hard it threatened to jump out, entering the main doors of the building. He walked up to the elevator, the creaky sound caused him unease. 

Edward had done this before though and trusted the small space enough to continue his journey to your place. The past few weeks he had only visited every other Saturday, making sure you were busy or out with friends so he could snoop. It wasn't much experience but the few times had allowed him to realize you rarely even locked your door.

Silly girl, did you not notice the filthy men who dared to creep in there. You were lucky he kept checking in and would lock it for you sometimes, preventing any others from reenacting his own behavior. 

Now he stood right before the door and pressed his ear to the door, hearing you snore. He smiled and unlocked the door, wandering into your living room, Edward watched you sleep comfortably on the small brown couch.

#dbyllt #riddler 2022 #the riddler x reader #paul dano riddler #rat rites #paul dano #riddler x you #the riddler x y/n #batman 2022 #dano!riddler #riddler x reader

[chronicbatfictioner]

Exchanges and Compromises - Chapter 21

Chapter 22

"Huh, and the Birds said I'm their resident conspiracy theorist." Tim remarked as he check-mated Dick's chess piece. Dick groaned in dismay, but didn't fuss. He has to admit that, not only Tim was a much better strategist, his own mind was not fully in the game, either. The game was literally only an excuse for the three of them to go over to the Drake House.

Damian sighed in frustration. "Grayson, really, if you wish to use this game as a decoy, we might as well have Drake and I do a game..."

"That'll keep us here all day, and you're a sore loser." Tim scowled at him. Thus far, out of the dozen of game the two have played, Tim had managed to defeat Damian 4 times to one. Damian was not pleased at each loss and would throw a tantrum, i.e., he would flip the table. Fortunately, each loss happened at the Manor and Alfred was always present to pick up the scattered pieces. "Besides, I don't want to have to crawl under the furniture to retrieve my pieces." Tim added.

"Have you located the Waynes, yet?" Jason asked, clearly changing the subject. After a few weeks of knowing him, Dick has come to the conclusion that one of the reasons Damian's mother had chosen Jason to guide and/or guard her son was because Jason was the type of person who would face problems head on; but not seek it.

"Dr and Missus, yes. They're in Switzerland in a medical conference. Dr Wayne is speaking. We also have an agent in attendance who could tell if Dr Wayne or Mrs Martha are... their original selves or not." Tim winced. "Euh... that sounded wrong on so many levels..."

"Someone is likely impersonating Bruce, and has likely used surgical means to alter his appearance to mimic Bruce. Stands to reason we suspect his parents either being in the know, or have been... 'modified', as well." Barbara commented through Tim's laptop. "So... where is the real Bruce?"

"Won't his parents know?" Dick wondered. "I mean, my parents would have lost a gasket if I went missing for an hour, let alone... how long has it been? Nearly four months?"

Everyone was silent for a good few seconds before Dick realized the insinuation and implications of his words. If their 'conspiracy theory' happened to be true, the real Bruce Wayne has been missing for four months and no one was aware of it. The real Bruce Wayne might have been killed and none was the wiser.

"I'm more concerned that this guy has made an association between Tim and the Birds..." Barbara remarked.

"No, I didn't give anything away." Tim clarified. "As far as he could tell, it had been me who gave the evidence of Bane's murders to the cops. I never mentioned any names, and I made sure to track each and every queries made on me, online or offline." Because Tim would. Next to Barbara, Tim probably has the highest level of paranoia within the gang. Dick sometimes wondered if their respective smartness have something to do with said paranoia.

"Yeah, I trust you won't give away anything. But he's made presumptions. It still scared me a bit." Barbara said.

"I'm personally more concerned as to where my father is. There are a plethora of complications if this man continue to present himself as father, both with the Wayne Enterprises and the Al Ghul side of the business." Damian intoned.

"At least one of us is focused..." Tim muttered under his breath, before looking at Barbara and said, "you remember the lip reading thingy?"

"I remember, Tim. And luckily, I've gotten Cassandra to transcribe it. It..."

"Cassandra who?" Jason suddenly interrupted her.

"She's an associate of mine. She's not deaf, but has a problem with words. She is, though, able to lip-read--" Barbara started, but Jason cut her off again.

"Yeah, but what's her last name? Does she have one?"

Barbara glared at him quizzically. "Cain... I don't think..." she replied, and Jason groaned out loud. "What??"

"She's Lady Shiva's daughter..." Jason replied, and something cold ran down Dick's spine. The Birds of Prey might have prevented Lady Shiva and her men from assassinating Damian, by way of open battles between the ninjas and the Birds - plus the Green Arrow and his partners; and sending a lot of the Shadows' higher ranking men scattered, be it in prison, hospital, or simply left town.

But now, they might have unwittingly placed Damian yet again in Shiva's radar.

"How much do you trust this Cassandra person, Babs?" Tim questioned, a little quietly.

Barbara was quiet for a long time, before answering. "I think it's time you boys meet her. I personally would trust her with my life. I never knew she is Shiva's daughter, but if you see her, you'll understand why I trust her."

Dick watched the exchange passively, wondering if the usually infallible Barbara Gordon has finally made a faulty decision.

And boy was Dick glad that Barbara was not wrong. At least he thought so. No-- he assessed so.

Cassandra Cain was not anything like Dick pictured she would be. Lady Shiva, the leader of the League of Shadows that had murdered the Al Ghuls, were the epitome of a warrior: armor wearing with a plethora of adornments that Dick knew could be weaponized - much like Jason's armor, or Dick's own original Talon armor; head held up high, constantly challenging all and every living being before her, nary a hair dared to escape the tight bun she wore it on; lean but powerful musculature; and tall.

Cassandra was the near 180 of Lady Shiva. Especially now that she was wearing a massive hoodie with 'Gotham-U' emblazoned on its front, sweatpants, and slightly disheveled bob-cut hair with layers that softened her heart-shaped face even more. She has the same Asian features as Lady Shiva, but her eyes lacked the challenging condescension that was prevalent in Shiva, even through mere photographs or video footages of her. Also she has a cute little dimple that Shiva did not have.

Jason, however, did not share Dick's sentiments.

"Cain," he growled. She smiled at him.

"She's not gonna fight you," Dick told him. Her posture clearly did not show offense, or intentions thereof.

"I'm not risking it," Jason scowled.

"Risking what?" A blonde girl in her late teens walked out of the kitchen area. Barbara had decided that they - Damian, Jason, and Dick - ought to go and meet Cassandra on their own, without Barbara as referee. Tim came along, if to keep Damian company while Dick and Jason assessed the situation, in spite of his protest of 'I can guard myself, Grayson!' - to which Tim had replied exasperatedly, 'yeah, but having these two arrested because some good citizen thought they were abandoning a minor in a running car is not conducive to our plans of staying out of sight!'

Logic, the only way Damian would operate, apparently.

"Who are you?" Dick asked. Barbara didn't mention there would be another person there.

"I'm Steph, Cass' roomie. They friend of yours?" she asked Cassandra.

"Friend... no--" Cassandra replied in a halting tone. "Red Ghost," she pointed to Jason. "Not enemy."

'Steph' blinked. "Oookay, you have something to do with Oracle's riddle, I think." she remarked.

"Yes and no," Dick replied, but Jason cut him off.

"Me, I'm just here to see if she would finish her mother's work." Jason drawled.

"Oh? I thought you didn't have a mother?" Steph wondered toward Cass, as the latter shrugged slowly to answer. "What. Wait up. Cass was raised by her dad, who's MIA-- or is it KIA? Anyway! What mother?"

Jason looked confused for a few seconds, and then he stepped closer to Cassandra. Now Dick could see that Cassandra was uncomfortable, and might end up punching Jason. "You don't know your mother, but you know me." Jason stated.

"Yes," Cassandra replied uneasily. But it was Steph who reacted physically first. She put up a hand against Jason's chest.

"Whoa, wait up, buddy. You're not allowed in, yet!" she snarled. Jason was actually a few steps past the doorway, but he stepped back.

"Apologies, I don't intend to be threatening. But you," he looked back to Cassandra. "Did you know who your mother is?"

Cassandra shrugged slowly again. "I know," she said. "Never see her."

"Did you know what she did? To the League?"

Cassandra's eyes were full of questions - and from what Barbara said about lacking linguistic abilities, Dick guessed that she wanted to ask so many questions about his mother to Jason, but didn't know how or what words to use. She confirmed Dick's suspicion when she turned her head to look at Steph with pleading eyes. "Help," she said.

"Look, buddy, Red Ghost, or whatever your name is; Cass has been living with me in the past two years. Before that, she was living on the streets for a year after she ran away from her dad. She's never met her mom." Steph explained, stepping between Jason and Cassandra. "Whatever you think she did..."

Jason shook his head, interrupting her. "Lemme repeat myself, I have no intention to threaten her. But I need to assess whether or not she is safe for me and my charge."

Steph did not seem convinced, she glared at Dick, instead. "And you? You here to gang up on us or something?"

Dick held both his palms up and outward, "hey, I'm actually here to bail him out if he got outmanned." he grinned disarmingly. "Anyway, I'm right, aren't I? Or, rather, O was right, wasn't she? She's harmless."

Jason was still having some sort of soundless, eye-to-eye discussion with Cassandra. Either that, or a game of ninja-chicken.

Both Dick and Steph nearly shrieked in horror when Cassandra leaped onward and-- hugged Jason.

"Uh..." Steph muttered. "We missing something here, aren't we?"

"Uhm... I think so." Dick agreed. And then shrugged at Stephanie's glare. "Don't look at me, I ain't the ninja 'round here." he drawled.

"I ain't, either, but I'm less freaked out now 'cause I know my resident ninja is... kinda hugging your friend. Or is this some method of ninja-disarming thing I don't know of?" she replied.

Cassandra sniffled out loud, and Jason finally looked up and at Dick. "We... have an agreement." he croaked, sounding as if he'd been the one who was crying. "I don't hurt her, she won't hurt me. So..." he gave them a slight shrug.

"Telepathy," Steph nodded, assuring herself. Dick wasn't so sure if he could argue her out of her conviction, or if she would understand the body languages Jason and Cassandra were displaying to each other. "So... you still haven't told me what you're here for?"

"Yeah, I'll... I think I'll kinda wait for his decision for a bit. And tell O that they're not trying to kill each other or something. I think." Dick checked a little over Jason's shoulder. Cassandra was still sniffling a little, and Jason's arms around her looked more protective than stifling. Dick tapped his commlink that would connect him to both Oracle and Tim, "I think we're good here, O." he reported.

"I know," Barbara sniffled, too. "That was... thank you, Jason. Tim, you can bring Damian up now."

Damian's presence in the apartment was... rather anticlimactic, if not downright comical. For starter, there were no quiet, and the bickering between Damian and Tim of 'I can get myself up there, Drake!' and Tim's 'I'm not planning to hold your hand when we cross the street, either, but I'm not looking to get arrested, either, Damian!' were preceding their arrival. Cassandra had looked at Dick quizzically at the noise, and Steph had groaned something along the line of 'I don't get paid enough for this...'

Jason looked unfazed, until Damian burst in through the door after being shoved by Tim. Then Jason closed the door and told Cassandra, "Shiva killed Damian's mother and grandfather."

Cassandra sniffled again, and knelt in front of Damian.

"What?" Damian asked, confused. "While I'm not one against accolades... but what is this, Todd?"

"This is Cassandra. She's apologizing. She has never met her own mother, but has heard of her... reputation." Jason explained. "She felt like she has blood in her hands, too."

Damian hesitated for a mere few seconds, and Dick wondered how is it that someone like Talia Al Ghul, believed to be a cold-hearted killer just like Lady Shiva, could raise someone like Damian. "We do not believe that the child shall carry the sins of the father, do we?" Damian replied. "Or in this case, the sins of the mother."

"No we don't," Jason agreed.

"Then rise, Cassandra, for you are yet to sin against me." Damian said regally. Behind him, Tim rose both of his eyebrows and mouthed 'wow' toward Dick. Dick nodded in agreement. For all of his haughtiness and arrogance, Damian was more pragmatic than pedantic.

Jason's slight smirk suddenly reminded Dick that it was not just Talia who had raised and guided Damian. There was also Jason Todd, the most pragmatic person Dick has ever seen. Probably second only to Tim, third to Barbara. Jason was not raised initially as a member of the League of Assassins. He had grown up on the streets of Gotham. It stood to reason that he would reason his way out of anything, including Damian's mentality.

"Okay, do we continue this crying fest or-- Hi, I'm Stephanie Brown," Steph interjected, introducing herself to Tim.

"Tim Drake, nice to meet you." Tim accepted her extended hand gingerly. Dick would swear he could see the flicker of interest in her eyes promptly fade as she followed Tim's gaze toward Jason.

Dick sighed. "Hey, O, you have the footage ready for me to show Ms Cain here?" he asked idly, just to change the subject and cut through the sudden concentration of teenage hormones.

"Tim does," Barbara replied. "You kids good there? I need to divert my attention a bit." she added.

"Yeah, there's me for adult supervision, anyway." Dick quipped and switched off the commlinks before Barbara could protest. "Okay, folks, let's get back to business here."

#Batless!au #jaytim #jason todd #tim drake #dick grayson #batfam

[argothiathedreamer]

Batman Mythos, because I really liked that bit from the one line tag

Oh HELL YES! I could talk about Mythos all day, honestly. It's a retelling and reworking of the entire history of Batman and his family. I'm kinda treating it as if it were a TV series, where it's split up into 9 works on AO3 that I'm calling 'seasons' each with like 12 to 14 Chapters (my sibling talked me down from 20 lol) each chapter being an 'episode' and each season having 1 to 2 running storylines throughout, I've been really REALLY into working on it lately and I'm getting close to finishing the first episode.

It's the biggest project I've ever even considered undertaking, but it's something I'm super excited to try, there's so many stories and characters I've wanted to try writing! That line from the One Line tag game is from Episode 1 Myth of the Bat Part 1! Vicki was complaining about the editor-in-chief of the news company she works for because he rejected her story exposing the corruption of a local politician and forced her to take a story on Gotham's latest urban legend instead.

“Are you seriously giving me busywork right now? I’m the best reporter you have!” Vicki protests.

“I’m not denying that.” Roger responds nonchalantly. “But you obviously aren’t interested in the story about the new DA--”

Harvey Dent, will likely be dead in six months or less like all the other ones. There’s a reason Gotham keeps setting the record for shortest District Attorney career in history every year or so. People who go for the job are either naive or desperate. Neither saves them when one of the local mafias gets it in their head that the DA’s working against them.

“--Or the one about the science conference that everyone’s so crazy about--”

Very big, but very boring. Everything that can be said about it already has been said about it on the pamphlet stuck in a pocket somewhere in Vicki's work bag.

“--So either you write an article on this 'Batman' thing or I put you on the gossip column and you get to talk about the latest of Bruce Wayne’s wacky hi-jinks.” Roger finishes, glaring at her over his reading glasses.

Ignoring Louie’s sympathetic look, Vicki nods. “Fine. I’ll get started right away.”

“Good…” Roger leans back in his chair waving a hand to dismiss them both. Then as Vicki opens the door to leave, “And Vicki… I plan on living to retire from this job at age sixty, maybe move to a little condo down in the tropics far, far away from Gotham with my wife, watch my grandkids grow up, you know, the works. What doesn’t factor into that plan is dying under mysterious circumstances at age forty-six. So don’t go poking your nose around where it don’t belong. Are we clear?”

Vicki grits her teeth. “Crystal.”

The rest of the episode is Vicki getting involved in a murder mystery while trying to prove whether or not there really is a 'Batman'.

I have discovered that Vicki is a delight to write and I'm having a blast writing this whole story.

Thank you so much for the ask! ❤❤❤

#ask the dreamer #argothia's writing #bakageta

[ficsforyou]

Saturdays

Read part 2 here: Sundays

Dano!riddler x fem!reader (kinda a bit of Bruce Wayne x reader as well)

Word count: 2,6k

Summary: He sees her, someone rich, someone famous, someone who eventually will be his.

Warnings: 18+, stalking, obsessive thoughts, sexual thoughts, mention of female masturbation, smoking, language, alcohol, hinting at murder

“Hi, I’m sorry but can I sit here?”

She asked and pointed to the only seemingly open spot in the tube, that he foolishly had put his backpack on. He looked up at her. She. She was asking to sit next to him? He quickly removed his backpack and nodded. At that point he didn’t know how to speak. He knew she was beautiful, he had seen her on all the gossip magazines around town, googled her, watched her from a distance. But he didn’t know she was that beautiful up close. She sat down beside him and crossed her legs. Where was she going? It was late. Dangerous for a girl like her.

“Do you know when the next train to midtown arrives?”

So that was where she was going. Probably to Wayne tower. He hated the idea of her going to that place. Spending time with him. Regardless, he looked down at his watch.

“Uhh, in about 15 minutes.”

He said with a nervous voice crack. How stupid. How fucking stupid he was. She probably thinks he’s an idiot. What grown man has voice cracks? She sighed and nodded, grabbing her phone. She put the phone up to her ear. Two rings, and a dark voice answered on the other side. He couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

“Bruce, where are you at the moment?”

Bruce Wayne, his suspicions were real. They newly got engaged. But he could hear in her voice that she didn’t like him. They didn’t live together, they never were pictured together, and when they were they were far from affectionate with each other. It had to be arranged. He was sure of it.

“Can you come get me?”

After he answered she hung up angrily. Her leg started shaking. Why was she so nervous?

“Trouble in paradise?”

He asked, with no idea where the sudden confidence came from. She looked at him and smiled. A fake smile. But a smile nonetheless.

She took a cigarette pack out of her pocket.

“Do you mind?”

She asked as she took out a lighter as well. He shook his head. She took a piece of chewing gum out and popped it in her mouth. The smell of spare mint filled the air around them.

“Don’t tell my father.”

She said and laughed as she breathed in the smoke. He gave her a polite laugh back. Glancing at the smoke as she exhaled with her gorgeous lips. How could she be so comfortable with a complete stranger? It fascinated him.

“Trouble in paradise is an overstatement, by the way. My life is no paradise.”

He looked over at her. She looked sad. How he wished he could just hug her. Kiss her. Taste the nicotine on her lips.

“I understand, can’t be as easy as the magazines make it look.”

She smiled at him again. This time he was sure it was genuine. It was a sad smile though.

“No, it’s not.”

She nodded, her eyes watery. God, she was killing him. How could she be so beautiful, even when she was upset. She got up from the seat and threw the cigarette on the ground.

“Thank you- for just listening to me.”

She said sweetly. He smiled up at her, giving her a short nod.

“Have a good night.”

She said before disappearing into the crowd. He looked down at the cigarette. He wasn’t usually a smoker, but in that moment he felt like an addict. He grabbed it off the ground quickly and brought it to his lips. Feeling the stickiness of her lipgloss on his lips. He started coughing. Instantly ashamed of his actions, as the smoke reached his lungs. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure before, but now he was. She was the one for him. She was his. And he would do anything to have her.

A few weeks later he found himself walking behind her. She had just come from her fathers mansion of a house, with tears spilling down her cheeks. He felt the rage inside him as he thought about how her father was so ungrateful of her. Her father, the overly friendly business man, that made you almost forget how much power and money he had. That rich corrupt bastard would meet his end surely. He noticed that he had been too engulfed in his thoughts to even think about where he was going. She had led him to the tube station in Midtown. Where was she? He pretended to wait for a train and looked around the platforms subtly. He found her. Sitting on a bench, typing something on her phone. This was like their first encounter all over again. He contemplated walking over to her. Would it be obvious that he was following her? No, he would make something up. He needed to speak to her.

“Is this seat taken?”

He asked once he was close enough to her. She looked up from her phone and smiled once she saw it was him.

“It’s you.”

Her phone now in her lap as she put her entire focus on him.

“What a coincidence.”

He nodded, all of a sudden a bit shy.

“It’s nice seeing you again, y/n.”

He decided to say, as he sat down. He immediately regretted saying her name at the end. She hadn’t told him, and if it was just anyone on the streets they would’ve been freaked out. But she wasn’t just anyone, she was her. Rich and famous.

“You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

She said, but it sounded more like a question.

“It’s Edward.”

He blushed the slightest and hoped she wouldn’t see.

“Nice to meet you, Edward.”

His name fell off her mouth so beautifully. He swore he could’ve married her right then and there. Y/n Nashton. How pretty her name would be.

“What are you doing here?”

She then asked, ripping him away from his day dreams. He panicked for a second. He obviously had to lie, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to confess his love right then and there.

“Ehh, I was just looking for a.. eh, gift.”

He didn’t dare meet her eyes, he hated lying to her. Even if it was for the best.

“Yeah, a gift. My coworkers birthday is coming up.”

He finally looked at her. He wasn’t sure if she believed his lie or not. She nodded slightly.

“How considerate of you.”

He couldn’t help but smile. A train arrived.

“Oh, here’s mine. I hope we’ll meet again, Edward.”

She said as she got up in a hurry, running towards the open doors before they closed. He looked over at where she had been seated seconds ago. A half eaten pack of gum and a key chain was left alone. He quickly grabbed them.

“Hey, you lost-“

The doors had already closed and she was no where to be seen. He inspected the two objects. Maybe they weren’t hers. The gum was spare mint flavoured. He remembered it from their first meeting. It had to be hers. The key chain had two keys, and a black sleek handle. He inspected the handle. Faux leather, with her initials engraved. Fuck. These were hers. His mind turned to the darker side of him as he started thinking, he could use this to his advantage.

The next day he stopped by the locksmith and made a copy of the two keys. He smiled to himself as he left the building, and reconnected the original keys back on the handle. All he had to do was run into her again, obviously well planned on his side. To give her belongings back to her. And then, he could be free to roam her flat, without her even knowing. He thanked God in that moment, even though he wasn’t religious. That Saturday he was outside her flat. Hood over his head, as he waited for her to leave. She always went out on Saturdays, he had picked up on her schedule almost embarrassingly quickly. On Saturdays she would spend the entire day getting ready to go out. Usually to the iceberg lounge, which made him sick to his stomach. All those pigs being around her. Lusting after her. But he couldn’t change her, at least not yet. She left the comfort of her own home at around 8 pm. And she was out all night, arriving around 2 am, drunk and alone. Something that gave him more than enough time to do what he had to do. He watched as she left her flat. Phone in hand, almost violently texting someone. He waited for a few minutes before casually walking up to the door. Hood over his head, just in case there were cameras. He tried one of the keys. Trying his best to twist the lock around. It didn’t fit. He let out a sigh as he grabbed the other key. Hoping that these were the actual keys to her flat. He pushed it in, and was rewarded with a satisfying click and a wide open door. He stepped over the threshold. Now physically inside her home. He closed the door behind him and took off his shoes, not wanting to leave footprints on the fine marble floor. The flat smelled like her. He inhaled the scent, as he stepped further into the hallway. Now reaching the living room. It was nicely decorated, very modern, but with a retro and funky twist. It resembled her a lot, he thought with a smile on his face. It wasn’t tidy, but he didn’t mind. She was all over the place, it was only normal. Plus she wasn’t exactly expecting him. He couldn’t help himself as he walked over to the bathroom. Looking through her drawers, and her dirty laundry. Fishing up a pair of used panties. It was a red lace thong. He brought it to his face, sniffing it. God, he was going feral at the scent of her perfect pussy. He couldn’t wait to be face to face with it. He put the thong in his deep pockets as he continued to sneak around the flat. Now searching for the bedroom. Once he found it and opened the door he stood completely still. He had frozen in his tracks, as he saw the little pink toy that laid on her bed. Millions of scenarios of her using it came into his mind. He had to approach it. Touch it. And so he did. It was a little hot pink vibrator. He turned it on, noticing the different settings on it. He wanted to see her use it. See her as she came on it, waves of pleasure coursing through her body. He placed it back down on the bed. He laid down beside it. Laying in her bed. Where she was sleeping every night. He smelled the pillowcases. A soft scent of her shampoo. His trousers were starting to feel uncomfortably tight.

She was at the iceberg lounge. Like most Saturdays really. Her dress was short and tight. Something she knew her father or fiancé didn’t approve. But there were a lot of things they didn’t approve. Like her not wanting to marry. Of course her father would choose Bruce Wayne. He had always adored the Wayne’s. It was a ticking bomb that now had exploded. She hated acting like everything was perfect. Like she was deeply in love with him. But she wasn’t, she had known him since they both were children. He was a few years older than her, but they went along alright. It wasn’t until what happened to his parents that he got different. Closed off from the rest of the world. That was why they didn’t get along anymore. She was too social and he was socially awkward.

“Girl, you better drink your drink before I do.”

Her friend said, interrupting her train of thought.

“I will, the night it still young.”

The two of them laughed. A lot was going on in her life, but she was always looking forward to Saturdays with her friends. And then he walked in. Bruce. What was he doing here? This was the one place she was able to be alone. Away from her father, and away from him. He immediately saw her and made his way over to her. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and down her drink.

“Here he comes.”

Her friend said as she put the glass back on the table.

“Can I talk to you in private?”

He asked, hands firmly placed deep in his pockets. She looked over at her friend and sighed.

“I can leave-“

“No, I’ll take her out back. Don’t worry it won’t be long.”

He interrupted her friend.

“Fine.”

She said and got up from her place. Walking behind him all the way to the exit in the back. Two men were standing there, smoking. Bruce gave them a small nod, and the two of them quickly walked back into the building.

“What?”

She asked, just wanting to get it over with so she could go back.

“What are you doing?”

He asked distressed. Her eyebrows crossed.

“What do you mean?”

“Y/n, I’m not fucking around here. You can’t go out every weekend ignoring me.”

She gave him an absurd look.

“I’m not ignoring you I’m having fun.”

He scoffed looking her up and down.

“Clearly.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

She raised her voice, this was very quickly turning into an argument.

“You can’t be going out in dresses like these anymore. We’re engaged, do you understand how bad it’ll look in the media?”

She shook his head.

“You shouldn’t care what the media thinks. Yes, I’m your fiancé, but it won’t stop me from wearing whatever I want.”

He sighed, and grabbed her hands.

“I’m taking you home right now, and we’ll forget about this.”

She pulled her hands out of his grip.

“No, Bruce I’m staying.”

“Please just listen to me.”

“No, please just listen to me, do you understand how selfish you sound right now?”

“Oh, so I’m the selfish one? You’re the one making it seem that I’m dating a whore!”

She went silent at his words. She could instantly see the regret in his eyes.

“Fuck you.”

She said and walked past him, bumping her shoulder into his. He walked after her.

“Y/n, wait! I’m sorry alright.”

He managed to grab her arm and pulled her into his embrace. Strong arms around her back and waist. Keeping her close to him. She was about to start protesting, but his lips quickly connected with hers. She pressed her hands against his chest and shied away from him. She could tell he got upset, as his arms instantly loosened up.

“I’m sorry, Bruce. I- .”

He let go of her completely.

“You need to start accepting me, y/n. It’s the only way to make this marriage work.”

She kissed his cheek quickly.

“You have to give me time. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

He nodded. She gave him a last look before starting to walk further down the street.

“Go home, Bruce. I’ll do so as well. And stop worrying so much, it doesn’t suit you.”

She left him there, behind the lounge. She started walking home. Her heels digging into her feet. This night was purely awful. Nothing could make this night worse, absolutely nothing. Her thoughts flooded her mind, and before she knew it she was outside her door. She thought it was odd that the bedroom light was on, she was sure she had turned it off before leaving. She looked down at the clock. She had only been away for two hours, maybe a night off the alcohol would do her good. She grabbed the spare key she had to use, since she had lost her other set of keys somewhere. She yawned as she stepped into the flat. She suddenly almost slipped as she stepped on something on the doormat. She looked down and her face instantly fell in pure horror. A pair of mens shoes were standing there, a pair of shoes that wasn’t there earlier. There was definitely one thing that would make her night worse. And she had just stepped into it.

#paul dano #paul dano x reader #paul dano x you #dano!riddler #the riddler #riddler #the batman 2022 #the riddler x reader #the riddler x you #dano!riddler x reader #riddler x reader #riddler x you #dano!riddler x you #edward nashton #edward nashton x reader #edward nashton x you #fanfiction #bruce wayne #bruce wayne x you #bruce wayne x reader

[forestlingincorporated]

I wanna talk about Janet Drake

I’m not against exaggeratedly evil versions of Tim’s parents, tbh. It’s fanfiction, if we can depict an Exaggeratedly Good version of Bruce (which we can, and I do, and I love) then we can depict the Drakes as Exaggeratedly Bad. As someone who personally identifies with Tim, and his brand of complicated parental abuse in particular, I find it cathartic to uncomplicate that abuse and rescue him from the Obviously Evil Bad People. 

That said, since much of comics lore is passed down word of mouth, the oral tradition surrounding Tim has developed this idea of Janet as The Worse Parent between her and Jack that was never really present in the comics. We see much LESS of Janet, and we have 20 years worth of comics depicting Jack as a neglectful hotheaded idiot who ultimate does love his son. More importantly, Jack isn’t very much LIKE Tim, so there is a habit to attribute Tim’s traits to his mother... and, as someone who really really identifies with Tim, Tim has... some negative traits. Tim can be a bitch sometimes. He’s fiercely intelligent and sweet and kind, with a strong sense of justice, but he can be cold and judgmental and unthinking - he fights those traits, but he does have them. 

And it is perfectly fine to depict Janet that way. I’ve enjoyed depictions of Cold Calculating Janet Drake, but it’s not the ONLY option, and I want to challenge fans to consider different avenues. Tim could pick up these traits from anywhere: a nanny, Mrs. Mc Ilvaine (”Mrs. Mac”), a teacher, tv, Sherlock Holmes novels, Bruce Wayne himself. Tim is capable of not being like EITHER parent. 

So, what do we KNOW about Janet? (I’ll also touch on Jack, but only in scenes he appears with Janet.) 

When Janet was first introduced she was depicted as a gentle but “modern” woman. This was written in 1989, told by a 13 year old Tim, so this theoretically was meant to take place in 1979. I’m not here to give a lecture on the history of sex discrimination in the united states, but much of the legislation protecting women in the workforce or surrounding women’s bodily autonomy would have been very very new in this initial depiction. 

Here, Janet is shown to be encouraging, emotional, maternal, and projects her own feelings onto Tim. Jack is shown to be slightly sexist, possibly discouraging, but not overbearing. And the artist is shown not to know how to draw children. 

To insert some speculation, I think it’s important to note all the Drakes witnessed a terrible murder/accident that day. I point this out, because this is the last time Jack and Janet are depicted this way. It’s possible they changed as a result of this event specifically. 

However, this is also a story being told by Tim. It’s also possible these events aren’t really “real” at all, and Tim is misremembering what his parents were like as a three-year-old, possibly projecting a more palatable version of his parents into the narrative. This is entirely up to personal interpretation. 

In fact, the Drakes are shown in Legend of the Dark Knight attending Haly’s Circus, and the artist knows what a toddler looks like and they’re depicted as already having a slightly strained relationship. Jack is clearly on the defensive, and Janet seems to be passive-aggressive, though she could just be attempting to explain the situation to her toddler honestly. The intended tone isn’t especially clear. 

I do want to point out, in this depiction, Tim isn’t being carried like he was in the previous one. He’s walking ahead of his parents, which isn’t a terrible horrible crime, but could be dangerous in a crowded place like the circus. Might be a subtle hint to his parents overall neglect. 

Back to A Lonely Place of Dying, in Tim’s memories of the night he discovered Robin and Dick Grayson were the same person at nine-years-old, his parents are home, and watching TV together while Tim played... trucks, idk, in the living room with them. (This is semi-interesting, because you could say “oh, Tim liked vehicle toys as a kid” or you could extrapolate that this is another subtle indication of Jack’s sexism, providing Tim with appropriately “boy toys.” Either interpretation is valid. If Tim was assigned female at birth, would they have been given “girl toys,” or allowed to play with whatever they wanted?) 

This is, to my knowledge, the only panel of the Drakes when Tim is between ages 3 and 13. They’re all together, which might indicate that the Drakes were home more often when Tim was 9, only later going on business trips when Tim was “old enough” but... 

This is Tim’s boarding school when he’s 13. While most boarding schools in the US are for grades 9-12, Tim is clearly not a freshman at age 13; look how much younger the other kids in this panel are. In the US, the youngest you can attend most boarding schools is 7. 

That means Tim could have begun going to boarding school anytime between 7 and 13. He most likely spent all of middle school in boarding school, at least. There are an almost infinite number of possible ways the Drakes handled having a business that required lots of international travel, an archeology hobby, AND a very young child. Janet staying home until Tim was 7, 11, 13, is equally possible as the Drakes having a nanny until 7, 11, 13. Tim just doesn’t talk about that period of his life very much.

(”What about Mrs. Mac?” - it is unclear when Mrs. Mac begins working for the Drakes. We only see her when Jack comes out of his coma. She could either be a long standing staff member, or a recent hire.) 

Note: I’ve seen it said that it’s canon that “According to Tim, when his parents were home, they made a point to try and include him in their activities, bringing him along to events that were normally adults only.” I have never seen this panel, or I don’t remember it, so I cannot confirm, but I also cannot debunk this because... comics. 

By the time Tim is 13, Jack and Janet are away on business trips a lot, with limited communication, and no firm return date. If I’m feeling generous, I’d say it was harder to communicate internationally in 1990 than it is today. If I’m not feeling generous, I’d say the Drakes are extremely wealthy, and international communication was easier than ever before in the 80s and 90s. They’re not even going home to see Tim in a week or two, they’re going home and calling Tim at boarding school in a week or two. 

Even Bruce thinks its weird, though he doesn’t say so to Tim’s face. It’s written almost as if Tim’s parents’ neglect was meant to be a plot point that just got forgotten about. 

Tim’s parents are fighting at this point (their poor assistant), but Janet still goes with Jack on these business trips. And she’s clearly involved in the business, somehow, but the comics never SAY what Janet’s JOB is. We’re told Jack is the exec, but Janet is ONLY ever referred to as Jack’s wife, though they’re later described as the “heads” of the company, plural. 

Just to be clear, this is Jack’s business. There’s a perception that Jack is a bad business man because he and Janet fight over company decisions, and Jack looses the business after Janet dies, but Jack looses the company YEARS after Janet dies, and maintains it for about a year after No Man’s Land at that. We’re not told how Jack looses the business, but he’s got to be doing something right. Janet isn’t necessarily the “real brains” of Drake Industries. 

And I’m not... gonna... touch the... exploitation and racism because... I’m not qualified to do that. But, here’s the panel. The Drakes sure seem exploitative and racist in their business decisions. Someone else can... analyze that with more nuance. 

Regardless how how long they’ve been fighting, when their lives are in danger, the Drakes fall back into a loving husband and wife. Their marriage may be falling apart, but they do care about each other. 

I want to show these panels because it shows that Tim and Jack do have things in common. They’re both level headed in a crisis and can be somewhat cold in their practicality. Janet meanwhile and silent. Jack is later willing rant and rave at their captors, but Janet remains silent. 

That is, until they’re alone, and she finally lets herself fall apart. 

God, Jack can be obnoxious. Janet just looks miserable and resigned. I actually think Tim takes after his parents in this respect in equal measure. Tim can have a temper, but he can also be fairly melancholy and defeatist. 

Jack keeps reminding Janet to be strong and in control, which could be period typical sexism? But Jack seems so practiced and ready with the words of encouragement, and with Tim’s history with depression, I wonder if Janet has an inclination towards it as well. 

As the end approaches, when Jack brings up Tim, Janet seems to have a lot of regret. She talks about “wasting” the good things, and I don’t think it’s too big of a stretch to assume she’s talking about time spent with her only child. 

From this point on, Janet is at times spoken of, but not seen. Like here, when Jack says Janet wouldn’t approve of him and Tim being so “far apart.” He says this after he tells him he takes back his threat to send him back to boarding school, which might imply Janet was against the idea of boarding school? Though she obviously lost that argument when she was alive. 

Jack will of course renege on this later, but that’s Jack Drake for you. 

Or here in Tim’s illness induced dream, where he gets everything he wants. Though, since this is a fantasy of Tim’s, where his father and girlfriend are both more accepting and understanding than they are in real life, I would take this depiction of Janet with a grain of salt. 

After loosing Drake Industries, Jack thinks about Janet (though, they call her Catherine/Cathy for some fucking reason) during his depressive episode. And... uh... 

Hallucinates a Valkyrie???? Is this symbolic of suicidal thoughts, or is she... real? Or is he seriously hallucinating? 

Anyway, we’re not here to discuss Jack’s mental state, the fact that he forgot Tim’s birthday, or that concerning “I was going to knock some sense into you but you’re still bigger than me” statement from Tim, we’re here to talk about Janet. And even though this entire arc is about Jack mourning his first wife, they don’t SAY anything about Janet herself at all. I mean, they don’t even get her name right, so I guess what was I expecting. 

Then there’s Origins and Omens, which also doesn’t say anything about Janet, except that Tim’s memory of her is faulty - Janet was poisoned, her assistant Jeremy’s throat was slit on television, but Tim seems to have conflated the death he did see with the death he didn’t. 

The only piece of canon to suggest that Janet might be cold, is Tim compares her to Thalia. And even then, he’s really just saying Janet was protective of him. It’s kind of a scary look to make at your kid, but Bruce does the same thing, so. 

I do want to say... it’s not 100% clear if Tim is even talking about Janet. He could be talking about Dana. Dana was observably protective of Tim, though I don’t think he’s ever called her mom. He PROBABLY means Janet. 

And finally we have Tim visiting his mother’s grave (in a duel Christian/Jewish cemetery, make of that what you will), where Tim says she was “a little religious.”

And that’s it! That is all we know about Janet Drake in New Earth. Hardly the Mom From Hell, but she isn’t perfect. I’d be interested in seeing some alternate depictions of her within the fandom. 

I’m still gonna eat up Terrible Parents From Hell like a starving puppy dog, though. Just some food for creative thought. 

#Tim Drake #janet drake #jack drake #robin #Red Robin #character analysis

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

Graveyard Siblings (3)

Some for revenge and some sibling bonding.

[Masterlist]

(Part 1)(Part 2)

-------

Adrien was next to be visited. Plagg woke him up from his sleep.

-------

“Kit, wake up. I want camembert.”

“Plagg, silence. You are not getting any cheese if you do that.”

“Sorry, Adrien but you are not my ‘master’ anymore.”

“Plagg? Why are you here? Where’s the ring?”

“The ring is as far away as possible and kept safely away. I am here because someone wants to talk to you.”

“Who?”

A cloaked, hooded figure stepped out of the shadows to his room.

“Kitty. My Chaton. Did you miss me?” A sweet, familiar but yet so terrifying voice came from the figure.

She pulled down the hood to reveal Ladybug with a wicked-looking black mask with white lenses.

“What am I talking about? You do miss me. Your Bugaboo. Too bad I don’t feel the same, Adrien.”

Lightning flashed and it started to rain. The mask was gone, revealing his dead classmate, Marinette with chilling red eyes. The pigtails grew longer and curved upwards, giving the illusion of her having horns. Twin blades flashed and she leaped towards him. (Damian gave them to her with some lessons in exchange for spending time with, babysitting, the kwamis.)

Adrien scrambled away from the bed in the nick of time. A sword impaling the spot where he just was.

“Plagg, help. Where is the ring? I need to transform.”

“Sorry, kitten. I am not telling you. Even if you did have the ring, it’s not going to be much help.”

“Kitty, stay still. Then, we can be together. Just like you wanted.”

Adrien continued to dodge.

“What do you mean?” He all but screamed at Plagg.

“Pigtails, here, is a vengeful spirit. She’s not going to stop until she is satisfied. How about asking her what she wants?”

“Ladybug, what do you want?”

“What I wanted was a partner I could rely on, someone I can trust with my life, someone who wouldn’t stab me in the back for his own selfish gain. I wanted a friend who would have my back and not tell me to keep quiet at the price of my mental health and my relationships with people I care about. WAS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!”

She managed to get a cut on his left cheek.

Soon, he was on the ground, bleeding out on the round.

“Tell Hawkmoth that he better watch out. Because-” lightning struck and Plagg and Ladybug had disappeared, “his downfall is coming.” Her voice echoed through his room.

Adrien laid bleeding until Natalie opened the door after hearing a crash from the room and came to check on him. As she called an ambulance for Adrien, she wondered if it wasn’t too late to ask for redemption and be spared from Ladybug’s wrath for her part in her murder.

Adrien had the word ‘TRAITOR’ carved into his back. Forever reminding him of his crimes.

--------

He wasn’t in school for a week after the incident. They all were told that Adrien had an accident while fencing.

Gabriel was a little panicking now.

He hired an exorcist, (John Constantine got a hefty amount and did a few flashy magic tricks to appease Gabriel but he didn’t lift the curse Maria put on the place. She is not someone to be on the bad side of and he thinks that he can’t lift it even if he wanted to.)

Emilie gets a little sus at Gabriel when he brought this strange man with a British accent into their home after their son got attacked in his own room with security tighter than Fort Knox.

She doesn’t buy that ‘accident’ bullshit that her husband, son and even Natalie tries to sell her. She thinks it is connected to what happened while she was in a coma.

-----

Adrien has a curse too.

(Credit to @raeuberprinzessin for giving me an idea)

He couldn’t act like the ‘Perfect Adrien’ in public anymore. Acting more like Chat Noir at first then, later a spoiled brat. His friends thought that he was finally rebelling against his father and encouraged it a lot.

Adrien started criticizing other people, strangers at first then to the people working on the photoshoots to his fans to his other school mates, people in his class and his friends. (The curse planted ideas into his head about what he should say and he said them all without thinking about the effect it has on other people)

People started avoiding him not liking his attitude and his comments about how they should behave and change something about them because he doesn’t like it that way and guilt-tripping them when he doesn’t get his way. Even Nino started to distance himself after he saw how Adrien talked to a fan.

The public thought it was a phase but as he got progressively worse, people started despising him. Adrien doesn’t realize this of course so far, happy that his father let him get away with ‘ruining the Agreste image.’ (Gabriel was worried about a potential vengeful ghost and making sure his wife didn't know about his stint as a supervillain. There was also the fact that the Afterlife made more sales than him again and managed to get on the cover of Vogue when he should have, dammit.) He was finally able to say what he wanted to without repercussions. Until he realized when Nino and everyone else cancelled for a hangout for the third time that week that he was slowly losing his friends.

He panics and tries to fix the situation. He didn’t want to be alone again.

He talks to Nino about it and to his horror, he couldn’t stop himself from saying many things that were a little hurtful. (Second part. The moment he realizes he is going to be alone. He is going to find out that yes, lies can hurt people. He is going to see it happen firsthand.)

Nino moved seats and told Adrien that their friendship was on hold until he apologized.

Soon, nearly every time his mouth opened, lies and insults about his friends or their embarrassing secrets came spilling out. Everyone hated him now and Mme. Bustier tried to give him a reprimand about his behaviour, which when he tried to defend himself, he found himself unable to speak.

He managed to explain to his father what caused his unpopularity by writing what happened to him. Unfortunately due to his poor behaviour before the second part of the curse was activated, his fan base was dwindling and people didn’t like him anymore so there was a hit on the Gabriel brand.

He no longer has to do modeling, clearing his schedule. But no one would spend time with him.

The best solution he could do with his predicament was to keep quiet and endure the loneliness and the glares of his classmates at school. Adrien was relegated to the back and nearly everyone avoided him. He was now a social pariah.

Even Lila avoided him because of her own curse which made Adrien turn into one of her previous victims. (She also didn’t ponder why Marinette rarely appears compared to the others.)

If Adrien felt a tiny bit remorseful or guilty for making Marinette keep quiet or betraying Ladybug, he can gain a little control over what he says.

The curse can be broken if he apologizes to Maria herself or to her grave.

------

The first few months, while Marinette adapted to living with the Waynes, Jason stayed over at Wayne Manor because having Maria living with him at his apartment wasn’t a good idea and he had no clue how to take care of a teenage girl.

On paper she is adopted by Bruce because Jason can’t. (Some CPS reasons.)

Making Jason a little more salty towards Bruce. “I found her first. I called dibs.”

Brought Maria to meet the other Outlaws and they adopted her too. “Hey, guys. She’s my sister first.”

Jason was the one to teach her how to shoot a gun because he was ‘the most capable’ of teaching her.

The first few months were a little tense with Marinette not fully trusting them and the same with the rest of the Batfam.

Jason warmed her up a bit to him by telling a little of why he took her here.

He was also the one to book them flight to Paris with Bruce’s credit card so she can tell her friends that she wasn’t dead in person.

They bonded more after stopping some nefarious plot in Paris while they were there. Let’s say Gentleman Ghost and something involving the catacombs in Paris. (I watched some Batman: Brave and the Bold for childhood nostalgia.)

Kwamis were animal-shaped and they were interesting creatures to be around. And very very curious.

There was a stressful day for Maria when all the Kwamis decided to play hide and seek. Damian somehow got roped into helping her as the only available person in the Manor and he will deny that he enjoyed it.

Damian is the little brother she always wanted and she is more tolerable compared to his brothers. There is also the fact that she trusts him with the kwamis and deep down, he feels super-honoured. (I just love older sister!Mari)

Tim and her being insomniac/coffee buddies. There has been many many interventions to stop this.

I get that Marinette is this selfless person and loves making people happy but she has siblings now and them eating the stuff she made for herself to enjoy, should get on her nerves after a while.

She makes a box with booby-traps in which she puts in her cookies and food.

There are many different layers of traps because this is the Batfam and each of them is non-lethal and more ridiculous.

Okay, I once read a fic about Marinette making a bear-trap style box to hide the Miracle Box so this box is also like that but kept for food. (Traps and Sneaks by quicksilversquared)

Someone (I vote a hungry Dick or Jason, maybe a suspicious Bruce) made a mistake of putting their hand into the box and the first trap activated.

Screams filled the house.

Everyone came down including Marinette.

Bruce asked, “Who did this?”

“It was me.”

“Why?”

“They kept eating the cookies.”

“There are other ways to stop them from doing that you know like a ‘Do Not Touch’ sign not a death trap box.”

“They are non-lethal.”

Bruce locked it away but Tim later stole it to tweak it and store his coffee. ------ (Part 4)

#graveyard siblings #maribat #ml x dc #mlb x dc #adrien salt #adrien bashing #platonic jasonette #platonic daminette