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#Jason: wait does this mean I still have my all-blades
puppetmaster13u · 27 days
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Prompt in Memes 6
Let's make it some in-world memes this time :)
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graysonswonder · 7 months
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Say My Name
pairing: dick grayson x fem!reader
word count: 1,417
warnings: slight angst if you squint? mentions of sex
summary: where dick is the reader’s ex and they went on a date with Jason that ended rather awkwardly…
minors dni !!
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“Go away, Dick!”
Her demand is followed by the harsh slam of her bedroom door, which stops the young man in his tracks. Dick lets out an exasperated sigh before resting his head against the door and giving it three light knocks.
“Y/n—”
He’s cut off by a soft thud from what he can only assume is a pillow that she has thrown at the door. Dick rolls his eyes.
“I said go away. I don’t want to talk about it,” she yells from where she lays in her bed, hoping for it to swallow her whole.
“Y/n, we’re friends. You can talk to me about this.”
But that’s the very thing. She can’t talk to him about this. Or rather she won’t. Having a discussion with her ex boyfriend about her failed date with his brother certainly was not on her bingo card for this year. She’s not at all surprised that he wants to know the details. For her to explain what went wrong. She can practically hear the smug look on his face as he pleas for her to open the door.
She wants to vomit.
“I’m not telling you how my date with Jason went.”
“It’s obvious that you’re upset. If you just—”
Y/n groans loudly over the rest of his words. She’s in no mood to hear them, nor does she want to pretend to be. “Yes, I’m upset. Which is why I’d like for you to drop it, and please leave.”
She doesn’t enjoy being so short with him. He’s right. They are friends. Best friends even. At least they were before they became a couple, and to this day she still feels like Dick’s the only person in the world who truly understands her. Who truly sees her. Faults and all.
It was actually her idea to stay friends after things ended, and even though Dick agreed, she could tell he was still torn up over everything. The split was relatively mutual but completely amicable. There weren’t really any hard feelings. They both had a lot on their plate that seemed to be getting in the way of the two of them moving their relationship forward. Dick had started a new Titans team on top of still being the one trying to hold his family together, and Y/n was starting her doctorate program.
The timing just wasn’t right. And why she decided to go on a date with Jason? She has no idea. Maybe it was a lame attempt at trying to move on and get out there and see other people. Granted, other people probably shouldn’t have been Dick’s brother. Or maybe she was trying to mask residual feelings that she still has.
Either way, it didn’t go well for her.
“I’m fine, Dick. You don’t have to worry about me,” she says after she can still hear him breathing on the other side of her door.
She stares up at her ceiling. She watches as the blades of her ceiling fan spin around and around, and she counts the seconds it takes until Dick says something again.
“Y/n?”
It’s twenty.
“Dick,” she sighs.
“Baby, I—” he begins, but immediately stops as he catches himself calling her the pet name he’d use whenever he was being gentle with her. It still slips out so easily. “Listen, I’m not trying to pry. It’s just…this could be my fault, and I want to explain and apologize.”
Her door suddenly flies open, and she stands right in front of him frowning. “What do you mean this is your fault?”
She studies him for a second, waiting to hear his response. What happened with Jason wasn’t his fault. Not technically anyway, but Dick still doesn’t have any of the blame to shoulder. Still, she’s curious as to what he has to say.
“Well…um…you see…the thing is…”
Oh my god, Richard. Please just spit it out, she thinks.
“I might have intentionally given Jason bad advice to ruin your date.”
Y/n quirks a brow. “Like what?”
Dick’s eyes shift around. “Um, like telling him not to take you anywhere nice because you don’t like fancy places. And I told him to be mean because that turns you on,” he confesses, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. He can barely look at her.
Y/n starts to grin, then she’s tilting her head back and full on laughing. Loudly. Uncontrollably. She’s clutching her stomach while Dick is looking at her like she’s crazy.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh,” she says between hiccups of laughter. “I really don’t. That’s just the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Dick smirks a little too, but conceals his laughter. He shoves his hands in his pockets and waits for her to collect herself. Y/n can tell he’s been beating himself up over that. She doesn’t mean to laugh so crudely in his face, but she does find it cute that he was jealous.
“Dick, Jason took me to that little French restaurant downtown,” she tells him once she catches a breath.
“He did?”
She nods. “Yeah, he did. He wore a suit and everything. He wasn’t mean to me at all either, so it’s safe to say he didn’t take your advice.”
Dick’s brows knit together, and Y/n can see the gears beginning to grind in his head. “So you two had a good time then?” He asks, but Y/n knows that isn’t what he really wants an answer about.
“It went alright until…”
“Until?” Dick coaxes.
Y/n shrugs, leaning her weight against the doorframe. “Until things moved to the bedroom.”
There’s a pinched expression on Dick’s face. It’s clear he wants to ask but also isn’t sure he actually wants to know.
“So—”
“We didn’t have sex,” she quickly tells him, and she visibly sees him relax a little. “We were going to. We probably would have if we hadn’t been making out and he said “Mmm, Y/n” and I said “Mmm, Dick” when I was supposed to say his name.”
Dick’s pupils become the size of the moon. “Wait you what?”
“You heard me.”
Dick starts to smirk, and a part of Y/n wants to slam the door in his face again. “Stop it,” she says.
“Stop what?” He feigns innocence.
“It’s not what you think.”
Actually, it’s probably exactly what he thinks. But she isn’t going to so easily admit that.
“Oh, so what am I supposed to think then? That you obviously aren’t still in love with me?”
She folds her arms across her chest, rolling her eyes at him in the process. “Get out of my apartment, Richard.”
“No, no, no. I’m not leaving until you admit that you’re still in love with me,” he says, mirroring the way she’s standing.
She looks at him. Really looks at him. Allows herself a moment to drink all of him in. There’s something swimming in those gorgeous blue eyes of his as he’s looking right back at her, and she recognizes that it’s hope. He’s hoping that she’ll tell him how she truly feels because maybe then he can finally be happy like he was.
She takes a deep breath. “Isn’t it obvious? In the heat of the moment, I said your name.”
“Uh-uh,” Dick tuts. “I wanna hear you say it.”
She desperately wants to slap that smirk off his face. “Fine,” she huffs, “Dick Grayson, after all these miserable months apart, I am still in love with you.”
“Thank you. That’s all I needed to hear,” he says, before he suddenly walks right past her. He grabs hold of her wrist and leads her back into her bedroom.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
Dick guides the two of them over to her bed where he takes a seat and pulls her onto his lap. She straddles him and wraps her arms around his neck while his hands rest on her waist, giving both sides a subtle squeeze.
He can feel wisps of her breath across his cheeks as he says, “I’m still in love with you too.”
“Okay,” she says, nudging his nose with her own, “but what are you doing?”
Dick then flips the two of them over, catching her by surprise as he leans down to leave a trail of kisses up the side of her neck and jaw. A small moan betrays her mouth, and it’s music to Dick’s ears as he slips a hand under her shirt, his fingers dancing lightly over her soft skin.
God he’s missed her.
“We are getting back together,” he tells her, then leans in close to her ear, “and I am going to make you say my name again.”
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dxckgrxsonx · 1 year
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sorry i’m on a roll tonight but everyone always talks abt jason’s scars but like. everyone in the batfam must have them, i mean they fight criminals who have knives and guns and brass knuckles there’s no way they’ve never gotten hit,,, so being dick’s lover and him being used to being sultry and stuff but one day when he comes out of the shower you pull him to the bed and he’s like “eheh you couldn’t wait to have me?” but his words die in his throat when you gently lay him down and start kissing every little scar on his body, and he gets really whiny and surprisingly subby when you start kissing an old stab wound on his inner thigh *insert elmo fire gif here*
oh oh i’m soft. i’m crying just a little. my baby boy 🥺🥺
**
You still manage to surprise him.
He thinks it should be statistically impossible, thinks that you shouldn’t be able to sneak up on him the way that you do. The quiet, emotional way you do when you see something that makes your heart ache just a little.
He’s trained since he was a child to prevent things like this, he knows body language, he knows speech patterns, he knows how to disarm someone in three seconds flat.
He knows you.
He also knows what it’s like to be wounded. To be bleeding out and hurting and utterly alone. He’s painfully aware that a serrated blade will tear and shred his skin and leave a horrible, jagged scar. He knows exit wounds are messier than entry wounds and that being shot burns. He knows that his body is a patchwork quilt of freshly healed skin and old, aching wounds.
He knows that you love him.
But of all the things he knows, all the things he expects. He not once considers the possibility of an ambush. Especially from you.
**
“Cmere.” You beckon when he comes out of the bathroom, towel wrapped low on his hips. His first thought is lustful, scandalous. You want him. You always want him. He’s more than happy to indulge you. But the set of your mouth is off, you’re looking at him like you see him. All of him. “Dick, c’mere. Let me love on you.”
He trips forwards, just slightly touching up against uncoordinated. The smile on your face is soft, patient, wonderful. He feels his heart stutter for just a moment, a brief skip. On patrol the skip of his heart usually means ‘oh shit i’m about to die’. But with you it’s different, with you it’s ‘you make me clumsy, you make me vulnerable’.
You guide him backwards, push him down onto the bed. There’s a thousand different thoughts tangled in a knot and he’s half stuck between excitement and apprehension. You’ve shoved him onto the bed before, usually before you sink your soft, wet cunt around his cock. But you don’t have that look on your face this time.
So the apprehension sweeps in.
His brain does it on autopilot–comes up with contingencies. He’s got every single weakness of yours catalogued. He knows exactly where to put pressure to get you to give. He knows that your left arm is weaker than your right. He knows he could open his mouth right now and say something that would have you in tears.
Part of him hates himself for it.
But it’s kept him alive.
Your mouth presses against his shoulder, just below his collarbone. There’s a mess of scar tissue under your lips. It’s a messy circle. A gunshot wound. 9mm. There’s no exit wound and he remembers digging into the open wound looking for the bullet. He remembers the blinding pain and laughing hysterically at the fact he could hardly hold the tweezers with the amount of blood coating his hand. But you lick over the sensitive skin and Dick shudders, the memory fracturing apart.
“What are you doing?” He finally asks, voice thicker than he wants it to be.
Your attention flickers to him for just a moment, “My pretty boy. Jus’ want to show you how much I love you. How much I love all of you.”
There’s a lump in his throat and he can’t swallow it back.
You shuffle down his body. Lick over the long, thin line of scar tissue over his ribs. Pocket knife. He was still Robin when he got that one. He recalls the flash of pain as it sliced him open. The adrenaline hid it well amongst the fight but when it was over it stung, nerves flaring awake. Seven stitches in total. A neat little row.
Nimble fingers tug at the towel around his waist and Dick feels his breath hitch. You pull it open and suck a mark into his hip. The dark blemish settles besides a smattering of bruises from his most recent patrol and he doesn’t expect to feel overwhelming relief at the feel of your mouth on his skin.
But he does.
You tap at his thigh, gesture for him to settle back and hook it open so you can kiss at the thick, jagged scar running across his inner thigh. The skin is raised and pink. Still new. Still healing. The edges are surrounded by tiny needle marks. Stitches.
His entire body flinches and he finds himself almost trying to run from the feel of your lips on that horribly sensitive patch of skin. Serrated blade. Agonising pain. He remembers the rip and pull of his flesh as the knife went in. Remembers almost screaming from the pain of it.
Your hot, wet tongue drags along the length of the scar and Dick feels tears prick at the corners of his eyes.
“Are you okay, baby?” You ask between gentle kisses, lavishing affection on something that was once so painful. It still hurts sometimes. Especially on cold nights. Even more when he does certain manoeuvres in training, in combat. “Tell me to stop and I will.”
Your thumb smooths along the scar and then your mouth chases it.   
“Don’t stop.” He gasps. “Please don’t stop.”
He feels you kiss the inside of his thigh so softly, so gently and he’s knocked completely off kilter by how much he likes having you dote on him the way you are. You kiss his damaged skin like you’re trying to remove the pain and Dick wants to cry, wants to hide himself inside you because if anyone in this world would keep him safe, he'd trust it to be you.
“You’re so beautiful.” You whisper, and glance up to catch his watery gaze. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. My brave boy.”
**
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slashersmuts · 1 year
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Silent love
By Slashers Smuts
Summary:
In the eyes of others, my heart's love was a monster. Some call him the evil body, but he shows me love.
Warning Fluff and Smut,
Characters: Jason Voorhees, Reader
I just wanted to write some Jason x reader lemon because I don't think there are enough of them out there.
First person from my OC.
Work Text:
I loved this place for reasons that others would never understand. The lake was always crystal clear, and the forests were always deserted due to the fear of being killed. But I have a secret; what if I told you that I never have to worry about my safety here? I find comfort in the same force that others fear.
Jason is the man I draw comfort from, the man I love the man I see every so often.
Many had fallen to the hands of this man my heart had done the same. He must feel the same as me or he would not have cleaned his cabin, stole clothes, let me hug him, took off his mask once and let me kiss him, and even showed me his mother.
My elbow fling up to catch myself on the cheap fabric of the seat in front of me. Hollowing my chest, causing me to have to take a deep breath of thirty people’s morning breath. God I hate taking the metal death trap, but it is the only way to get to him.
Space became less available as my stop came closer and closer.
Transportation does not run through camp Crystal Lake nor does it even come close to the entrance. Just out of sheer fear of Jason. So walking was my only option, the last time I drove he shot an arrow into the window. Narrowly missing me, after that he just avoided me as he was a bull and I was glass.
The bus slowed once more this time it was my turn to leave. I did all too gingerly, my lips curled into a smile my feet moving with my heart. Spontaneously.
I could not wait to see my Jason.
Out of memory I navigate the forest. A bent tree means a right, a dying bush means your close. A trail of blood means a certain person was hear not too long ago
Following the crimson streaks leads me to his cabin yes, but otherwise he would not be near where the trails stops. He doesn’t like to approach his mother bloody.
He goes down to his bunker most of the time, resets his traps and sharpens his blade. No one else know that there is a secret door leading underground. He is most likely going to be there. But I don’t get to be there for very often. It’s like a man in his work station.
Though like I said he did clean his cabin for me to stay in. He is probably not expecting me. I usually come in the spring and fall. But winter was going to be lonely, I had refused one to many men for Jason and my family was fed up. Apparently my mom and dad are too sick to visit or have visitors. But Aunt Carmen said the rest of the family is going.
Fine I don’t need them, I will just cook for Jason then… Does he even eat?
The back-pack on my back felt heavier as my conscious is now scratching at me, it would be rude to eat in front of him. I hope he doesn’t mind.
I stopped at the cabin, his cabin. I was now almost a full joy, even though the wind started to pick up I still felt warm. Perhaps snow would start to fall, I never been in a snowy forest before. I wonder if Janson likes the snow, then again he does not like water.
The door creaks open, I wonder inside stumbling to Jason’s room. The bed was blanket was slight pushed aside, he was just here.
The same creak of the door opened, the front door. Lead seemed to cover my feet, I wasn’t Jason who opened the door. He does it quietly. But someone else did.
“Hey girl, what are you doing here. Do you know the freak lives here.“ The bloodied man shrieked.
I whipped around to run away from the man. I run five steps before hearing a gurgling behind me.
I turn around to see the man’s throat slit and flooded with blood.
The silent man standing next to him. His chest rising and falling with quite strength.
“Hi Jason. Didn’t expect me?” I squeak, still fazed from his very resent kill.
He walked slowly towards me, his breathing getting heavier.
My body got lifted of the ground, over Jason’s shoulder.
He put me back down in is bunkers bed. It seemed as if he didn’t know what else to do. He just stared at me, like he wanted to say something.
“I have food to cook, do you want some. I also came here because I missed you and was alone for the holidays."I explained.
He tilted his head. Reminding me of the gift in my bag. I shrug the bag of my shoulders, retrieving the gift.
Handing him a package rapped in a dull wrapping paper not to discourage him from opening it.
Still when he got it he just examined it heavily.
I took the package back and peeled the paper back just a little. Handing back to him.
He seemed to get it this time, he started to carefully peel the paper off the gift. Revealing wool fabric, hand - made gloves.
The gloves now snugging his hands tightly. He flexed his hands testing out the fingerless gloves.
"Do you like them?” I question.
He stares at me, I could feel that was his yes.
“ I am going start cooking now.” I try to move.“ I say. I roll off to the side, trying to move past him. His arms catch me, pulling me back to where I started.
"Yes, Jason?” I whisper his name. He always jumps at his name. But this time he jumped towards me.
His fingers found my sleeves, tugging at them. He wanted me to go with him,his way of asking.
“Yes Jason” I say.“What ever it is I trust you.”
He lugs me over his shoulder once more taking me though unfamiliar territory.
Stopping in front of a crude looking cabin. As I step inside I notice very small details.
The place was furnished, probably stolen from somewhere. It was also rather large.
He cupped my waist, lowering me to the ground. Doing something he has never done before,he held my hand.
Slightly tugging it, he wants me to follow him. He ducked in a room.
Tears of joy filled my eyes,a cradle was pushed into the corner.
He then lowered himself onto his knees, pressing my hand to his mask. And his mask into my belly.
“Do you want a child?” I asked him.
He responded by grabbing my inner thighs lifting me up.
My weight getting carried from the room to the room next over.
Dropping me onto the fairly sized bed. Lifting up my shirt slightly, asking for my permission. I nod at him.
My long-sleeves and pants got ripped off in his wake of his hunger.
My body now exposed to the cold raised.
His body pressed against mine. Hips pressed against mine,as well as his clothed erection against my bare bottom.
I lift my hips rubbing his pants of to his knees. Also seeing that he wears no underwear.
My wetness waiting to be entered, he push into me as soft as he could. Pulling me into his death grip. His hips slapping against mine.
He pushing hit my buddle of nerves almost each time. By pure accident probably yes but regardless he was.
For a probably virgin he had lasted at least three hours. He seemed resistance to pleasure. Him being dead silent compared to me. With my moaning, whining, and whimpering.
Each time my back arched in climax, he pulled out from me giving me time to recover.
When I pulled his hips towards mine he pushes back into me.
The only noise he makes is when he finished inside me. His seed spilling into.
He rolls on to the side next to me. Staring into my eyes,I stare into the holes of his mask.
I run my hands over his masks, pulling on it. He didn’t move back from my touch so I pushed his mask up.
Seeing his face made my heart melt, a little grin tugged a my lips. I wasn’t because the way he looks. Because he trusts me to see his face.
I place a kiss on his lips.
“I love you Jason.”
My belly was full and my body was engulfed in his arms, so my dream had to be shared with him.
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littleredwing89 · 3 years
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AGENT OF CHAOS - PART THREE
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AGENT OF CHAOS - PART THREE
Jason Todd x Reader
Summary: Everything flew by him in a blur as he sped through the streets of Gotham. His foot slammed down harder on the accelerator desperate to get there faster. Every second counted. He knew all too well what The Joker was like. The way his face slipped as you defied him, terrified Jason. He’d seen that look right before receiving a crowbar to the face.
Warnings – Language. Kidnapping. Stalking. Mild Violence. Angst. Hurt.
Word Count: 4,870
A/N: This is the final chapter everyone, sorry for the little delay, I was working on a few of the actions scenes to ensure they were good. I really hope you all like this xoxo
~~~
It had been almost a month. Every lead turned into a dead end. Nothing. Much like the Joker himself, no one knew a thing. The whole thing was tearing Jason apart. He’d barely slept. He’d maybe had 3 hours per night. If that, and he was convinced the only reason he got sleep was because Bruce had slipped him something in his coffee.
The fourth cassette tape came with a dead yellow rose and a rotten apple. He pushed play on the recorder and swallowed thickly as the grainy camera zoomed in on your face. You looked pale. Your cheeks looked hollow and your once colourful eyes looked gaunt. Haunted.
“Well Jason, I’m a man of my word...I’ve been looking after her so good”, Joker laughed hysterically and smoothed his hand down your cheek, smacking it lightly. The slap caused you to jolt in the chair. A sharp gasp flew out of your chapped lips.
Jason felt Bruce’s hand squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. The notion sent a brief wave of calm through Jason. Maybe this was how Bruce felt all those years ago...when he received similar tape of ..of himself. Jason turned back to the screen and focused his eyes. Searching for a clue. Anything. Something to bring you back to him.
“She’s been such a good little princess bird boy...she’s done everything I asked...and more”, Joker whistled happily as he tapped your nose with a wicked smile. Jason felt his heart stop and looked directly into your eyes through the screen. Good he wanted to hold you in his arms and never let you go. 
The tape skipped and replayed the same thing back, “...and more”. It skipped again, “...and more”. Jason growled and the tape paused before going completely black.
His fist smashed into the computer keyboard, pieces of black plastic scattering across the desk. Jason released a loud sobbing noise and sank to the cold stone floor of the bat cave. His eyes scrunched shut tightly, imagining you were in front of him. Giving him that silly smile you always did when you first woke up. It was one of his favourite smiles. You had hundreds of different types of smiles. The one you gave him when he hugged you randomly. The one you’d give him when he told you a stupid joke. The one you’d show him when you were both standing down one of the grocery aisles for no reason at all.
“Jason...son - we will find her - I promise you”, Bruce’s deep voice shattered Jason’s illusion of you in his mind.
“It’s been so long...what if-”, Jason ran a hand over his face. The stubble was longer, causing him to itch.
“Don’t”, Bruce warned, “don’t think like that. We will find her”.
~~~
The last cassette tape Jason received was covered in a dark, red sticky substance. Jason knew what it was but he didn’t know if it was yours. Before Jason could even think about playing it, Bruce had prized it from his fingers.
“Jason we need to analyse the blood, it might give us a clue”, his voice was stable and deep. He attempted to reassure Jason with a firm grip to the shoulder but it did nothing. Jason felt empty without you.
“We need to watch-”, Jason started but was interrupted by Bruce.
“No, I’ll watch it. You need to get some sleep, let me do this Jason. Please”, Bruce pleaded desperately, “You haven’t slept in over 48 hours”.
Jason laughed but it was hollow and sharp, “You really think I can sleep knowing she’s stuck with that fucking psycho?!”.
Bruce sighed and ran a hand over his face, “Jason I know you want to get Y/N back”, he placed the cassette onto a high tech scanning machine, it bleeped repeatedly as it scanned over the material, “But we all need to be working together and that means recharging our batteries”.
Jason scoffed and pushed past Bruce looking over the computer scanner typing something into the system, “So you’re telling me you went and had an eight hour sleep when Joker caught me?”.
Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, “Jason”.
“JUST STOP!!”, Jason's voice cracked as he shouted and for a moment, he sounded like the broken man in the abandoned shopping mall that long Halloween night many years ago.
“I-I need to do this Bruce. I-I have to, for Y/N”, his voice was scratchy and raw. 
Bruce simply nodded and turned around. He extracted the cassette from the blood stained cloth and pushed it into the player to the right. Bruce took a secondary glance to Jason, giving him one last option but Jason just stared at the screen, waiting to see what the tape would show.
The second the tape played, the batcave was filled with your screams. They sounded broken and dry. Jason’s heart shattered. The shards stabbing him painfully. As you came into view on the camera, your long h/c hair was matted and stuck to your face. Blood staining it a deep red.
The Joker came into the view of the camera and smiled wide, his teeth showing.
“Jason, I see why you’re so attached to this woman, she’s very fiery...her spirit is impenetrable”.
A flicker of evil flew through his eyes at that word and a sick smile slid onto his lips, “but that’s fine. I’m sure I can find more penetrable spots”.
You tug harshly at your binds as he turned and came closer to you, a small blade held in his gloves hand.
“Hold still princess or I might accidentally cut an important part of you...or slit something”.
The blade cut the straps of your top, and the material fluttered down uselessly to the floor, exposing your padded black bra. The Joker whistled appreciatively and winked back at the camera.
“I say Jason...maybe I’m missing out not having a significant other...especially when they’re as beautiful as this”.
Jason had edged so close to the screen Bruce had to pull him back. Tears were running hotly down his cheeks and he swore he tasted blood from biting down on his bottom lip.
Your voice echoed through the empty warehouse room and through the camera speakers, “GO FUCK YOURSELF”.
The Joker smirked down at you and the blade was pressed against the skin of your neck.
“You should watch your manners, princesses don’t speak like that”.
You gulped and looked into his soulless eyes and laughed. It almost sounded as maniacal as his.
“I’m not your fucking princess”.
You spat at his face. Your spit mingled with blood from the earlier smack around the face.
“He’ll come for me...I know he will. And when he does, it’ll be all over for you”.
Something snapped and you saw his eyes darken. His face twisted and the scowl was demonic.
“You filthy fucking bitch!”, he roared and dropped the knife to wipe his face.
Joker turned to the camera and glowered, “I hope you’re watching Jason whilst I teach this rotten little whore some manners!”.
The first blow caused you to cry out in agony. It was harsh and fast. The sound to Jason was ear splitting. The second hit was drawn out and heavy. Designed to bruise. The third was sharp and felt like hundreds of tiny needles piercing your skin. The Joker was laughing wildly all the way through it. Never ceasing his treatment. As he swung his arm back for the fourth hit, the camera jarred and caught a window. Streams of light shone through. Jason could just about make out a sign. It was blurry.
“REWIND AND PAUSE IT BRUCE! There!!!”, he called and waited for Bruce to zoom in.
“Can you clear up that image...that looks like a road sign...”.
Bruce skipped the tape back several seconds, muting the sounds on the screen. The sounds of you getting smacked in the face shaking him to his core. 
“THERE!!! LOOK!! Can you see?!”, Jason pressed his face as close as possible to the screen as Bruce paused it, the image flickered but the road sign was obvious. 
ACE CHEMICALS.
Before Bruce could even react, Jason had launched himself across the cave, guns strapped to his thighs.
“Jason!”.
Jason ignored Bruce and grabbed his helmet, securing it into place whilst dropping extra magazine clips into his inner jacket pockets.
“Jason, we can’t just go in there all guns blazing. That’s what he’ll want! We have to think about this”, Bruce reasoned and moved into his path.
Huffing in annoyance, Jason’s modulator covered it easily, “I’m going to get her whether you come with me or not”.
Bruce looked stunned for a split second before softening his voice, “You’re letting your emotions get the better of you - they’re clouding your judgment Jason”.
He knew he was right, deep down. But the pressure. The torture you must have endured. Everything. It weighed down on Jason and began to suffocate him slowly. The more time he wasted, the worse it was going to be. He couldn’t do it.
“Let me get into my suit and we’ll tackle this together”.
Nodding briefly, Jason watched Bruce make his way across to the darkened corner of the cave where his suit was behind a glass panel. As Bruce pressed his palm into the wall, the biometric scanner bleeped. The case slid open slowly and Bruce began to take out the suit piece by piece. The batarangs refracted the light they caught from the computer screens.
Fuck. It was taking too long, these precious seconds. He could be half way there by now. His bike was too far away, in the garage at the front of the manor. He side eyed the batmobile and swallowed thickly.
“Fuck it”.
Taking the keys from the secret sliding panel on the desk, Jason leapt into the batmobile before starting the engine and speeding out of the cave. He swore he heard Bruce shouting, he was certain he heard several curse words too. Unlike Bruce. But it was taking too long. He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t leave you. You needed him. You couldn’t wait any longer.
~~~
Everything flew by him in a blur as he sped through the streets of Gotham. His foot slammed down harder on the accelerator desperate to get there faster. Every second counted. He knew all too well what The Joker was like. The way his face slipped as you defied him, terrified Jason. He’d seen that look right before receiving a crowbar to the face.
“Come on...come on!!”, Jason cursed to himself, hitting the steering wheel in fury. All the money Bruce had and it wouldn’t go any faster? He took a sharp turn heading towards the abandoned warehouse behind ACE Chemicals. He was so close. So much closer to reaching you. He’d deal with Bruce later. He couldn’t have waited any longer. Bruce would just have to get over him ‘borrowing’ the batmobile.
Swerving another corner and narrowly dodging the underpass columns, he pulled up in front of the derelict building. Almost all of the windows were smashed and hued green with mould. Maybe some of the toxins spewed from the factory had helped taint the glass further.
Grabbing both of his pistols, Jason left the car and headed towards the building fire escape. He could hear voices chattering.
“Joker said to keep an eye out for Batman”.
A goon; Jason noted peering around the brick wall spotting two of them. He noticed the metal railings above them creaking slightly in the strong winds.
“It’s been over a month now and there’s been no sign of any of the Bat freaks, it’s fine, let’s go grab a beer. He won’t even notice”, a second one encouraged the other smirking.
“You really want to cross him? He’s fucking nuts. I’m surprised the girl has even lasted this long with him, you know what he’s like”.
Jason’s fist tightened around one of his guns at the mention of you. It had to be you. Silently firing his grapple gun, he flew up the side of the building and made his way towards the goons.
“Trust me”, the first one spoke again, “He won’t even realise we’re gone, plus we might find some chicks to-”.
Perching on the railings above them, Jason leapt down cracking the base of his pistols onto one of their heads.
“Pleasure to meet you both”, Jason kicked out at the second goon hearing the sick crack of his ankle snapping.
Spinning on his heel, Jason grabbed the other goon and threw him face first into the brick wall knocking him unconscious immediately before turning back to the other man on the floor whimpering in pain.
“Where is she?”, Jason’s voice was strained even with the modulator protecting him.
The man refused to answer, dragging himself away from Jason with his hands, mud covering his palms.
Taking a large step, Jason reached the man on the floor and purposely stood onto his swollen ankle before aiming the cocked pistol towards his skull.
“I won’t ask again, where is she?”.
The screech from the man was deafening as Jason applied a hefty amount of pressure to his fractured bone.
“Basement!! She’s in the basement!! Please!!”, he begged as his eyes flickered nervously to the gun.
Jason rolled his shoulders before smashing the hilt of his pistol into his skull knocking him out cold. He turned back towards the fire escape and grappled back up to the roof. He’d have to make his way through the building to get to the basement. To you. And if he knew Joker, he wouldn’t have made it that easy. The two idiots on the front door were a sick joke. Tormenting Jason. Getting you back wouldn’t be an easy task.
~~~
Silently dropping through the window on top of the building, Jason landed onto one of the rusty steel girders. It was dark but his helmet adjusted the night vision so he could see clearly. Several goons patrolling an old foreman’s office in the centre. You had to be in there. He needed to take these idiots out quietly before getting to you.
Swinging across to the next rafter, Jason looked down at the first unsuspecting moron. With the stealth of a panther, he landed silently behind the goon before wrapping his arm around his meaty neck. He struggled against the iron grip of Jason’s forearm but the pressure only intensified the more he thrashed. Eventually the squirming stopped and the goon fell limp in his arms. Jason dragged him across to a darkened corner and dumped him behind some barrels.
As he grappled back up to roof beams, he looked down across at the two henchmen digging out a packet of cigarettes. The idiots had left their guns resting against the far wall. Jason had to chuckle to himself, Joker really was hiring morons. Weren’t these guys supposed to be protection? 
Jason creeped across the rafters towards the two men and grabbed both of his pistols. He had to be silent. He couldn’t alert Joker to his presence.
“This is my last smoke”, one complained bitterly as the cigarette perched between his thin lips.
“I’ll get the next packet, quit your whining”, the second growled and patted his jacket for a lighter, “Fuck, where did I put my lighter?”.
“You’re a fucking moron. You asked to come for a smoke and you don’t even have a light!!”.
Now was his chance. Jason landed between them both, his boots thudding as he hit the concrete floor, “You know, smoking is bad for your health”. Before either of the goons could react, Jason lifted his elbow into the larger man's throat before smashing his pistol into the other man's temple, causing him to drop onto his knees. He slipped his guns back into his holsters quickly before turning to the other goon. He dodged the larger man’s grapple before twisting with ease and kicking out his kneecap. The man gasped but the elbow to his throat had killed off his voice.
Jason threw a heavy right hook into the larger man's nose and watched the blood trickle down his face. This seemed to only infuriate him more and he launched himself towards Jason viciously. Gripping both of his arms, Jason flipped the man over his body and slammed him into the floor hard before hammering punch after punch to his face, knocking him unconscious.
He turned quickly to the other man who was scrambling on his knees for the gun resting against the far wall.
“Sorry bud, but that can’t happen”, Jason grunted and landed a heavy kick to the goons stomach. The man yelped but it was quickly cut off by Jason as he slammed his boot into his face. He dropped onto the floor instantly.
Jason panted heavily and looked around the room, his helmet advising him of one more goon loitering around the door of the office. Looking down at the floor he noticed the floor grates wrapped around the room and more importantly under the henchmen’s feet. Perfect.
He lifted one of the grate coverings quietly and slipped under the flooring. He crouched down and edged around the room. The last goon was much larger and bulkier, with a machine gun strapped around his wide chest.
This goon seemed smarter than the others. Looking around and even checking up in the rafters. He grunted and pressed a button on his jacket, “No boss, still no sign of them...nothing Sir”.
The voice that patched through sent a chill down Jason’s spine. It was a tone that would be forever cemented in his mind, a reminder of his own torment.
“If you get ANY inclination the bat or any of his costumed freaks are in the building, you tell me immediately”.
“Yes boss”.
The static of the radio crackled before cutting off completely. Jason cursed mentally. This had to be precise. Perfection. He had to disable the henchman’s radio unit. Padding over his jacket he searched for the disrupter shooter he had. It wasn’t there. Fuck. He’d fucked up in his rush and left it behind. Fuck. Bruce was right. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Then he heard it. A soft ping from above him. He knew that sound. Jason looked up from the grate and spotted Nightwing hidden in the shadows with his own disrupter. Pointed directly at the goon’s radio system.
“Thought you might need a hand”, Dick patched into Jason’s com line.
Jason growled under his breath, “Thanks”.
“Shall we take this moron out together?”.
“Yes”, Jason muttered before switching his com off and inched closer to the goon.
The second Nightwing flew down from the roof beams, Jason jumped out of the floor grate and kicked out the back of the goons knees. He cursed loudly before Nightwing’s foot landed in his face.
Jason swore he saw a tooth fly out of his mouth along with a glob of blood. He aimed several hard punches to the side of the henchman’s head whilst Nightwing disabled his gun and radio with a graceful poise.
“All this for the girl? She’s nothing but a shell”, the goon smirked across at Jason before choking at the next punch.
“Joker’s hollowed her out...she’s nothing”, he spat out.
His temper flared and his hand subconsciously reached for his pistol. Dick realised and before anything could happen, he landed an electrical ecrisma blow to the goons head, knocking him out cold. His body crashed onto the floor with a loud thump.
“Jason-”.
“Don’t”, Jason cut him off, “I’m fine”.
He took several steps towards the office door and swallowed thickly. You. You’d be in there. You’d told Joker with the last ounce of confidence left that he’d come for you. He’d never leave you. You were right. Jason would never have stopped looking. Ever.
His hand rested on the door handle, trembling only slightly. What if he was too late. What if this was just another trick?
Drawing his hand back almost as though the door had burnt him. He frowned. He couldn’t think like this. No. He had to be strong. Just like you had been in all those videos. You’d been fierce. Your spirit still pouring through to him.
Jason glared angrily at the door and took a step back before kicking it open furiously with his combat boot. The door flew open wildly and as the dust settled. He saw Joker stood in the middle of the room, a sick, satisfied smirk sat proudly on his demented face.
~~~
“Jason my boy! It’s a pleasure to see you again”, his chuckle was deep and sinister, “I see you're still hiding your face though...is that because of what I did?”. The Joker’s eyes danced with delirious joy at the memories.
“I’d have thought you’d have embraced all your scars by now Jason...”, The Joker edged forward leaving you tied up behind him.
Jason rounded The Joker, clicking a button to the side of his mask, revealing his face, his eyes hidden with the domino mask, “I’ve got nothing to hide from you, clown”.
Jason let his eyes run over you for a second. You were bruised and bloodied. Clothes torn and tattered from mistreatment. Your eyes. God. Your beautiful E/C eyes. Red raw from countless tears. Somehow you still managed to give him a smile from behind The Joker. His heart fluttered. God he’d missed your smile.
Tearing his eyes from you he looked back towards The Joker and held his pistols out at him, finger hovering over the trigger. Jason felt the burn mark on his cheek stinging all over again. Pain ever present.
“You don’t have the guts”, The Joker laughed again and walked forward pressing his forehead into the barrel of the gun.
“You wouldn’t dare pull that trigger. I’m your Ace card Jason. You can’t kill me. You want to but you can’t...something will always stop you”.
Jason felt his hand shaking slightly. Everything was throbbing in his mind.
“Even after everything I’ve done to your girl, you still can’t pull that trigger”, The Joker taunted further and grinned sadistically.
“If only you knew where I’d touched...what I’ve done...”, he pushed further into the cold metal of the gun and winked at Jason, “Go on, do it, I dare you...if you don’t- I’m just going to keep coming back and who knows what I’ll do to our little princess next-”.
BANG.
A gun shot blasted through the air. Smoke drifted slowly from the barrel, dancing into the darkness around them.
“JASON!”.
Nightwing had thrown one of his ecrisma sticks to Jason’s gun, knocking it off target. The bullet shattered the brickwork behind them, dust erupting.
Crashing down through one of the broken windows on top of the office roof, Nightwing flew towards The Joker tackling him down onto the damp, concrete floor before he could launch himself at Jason.
Still startled, Jason watched Dick wrestling with The Joker on the floor, punches flying back and forth.
Dick turned to Jason, “Y/N-Jason!! Go get Y/N!! I’ll handle this!”.
The Joker was shrieking with laughter underneath Dick, blood pouring down his lip and from his nose.
“Ahhhh another boy blunder!! I must be lucky!! Two for the price of one!”.
Dick threw another punch and reached for the second ecrisma stick on his back, “I can’t wait to cart you back to the Asylum. I hope you’re looking forward to your 5 star stay in a windowless cesspit!”.
Jason could hear Joker continually laughing at Dick, until the sharp sound of electrical buzzing cut him off with a loud scream.
He almost fell over his own feet as he raced towards you. Jason quickly untied your hands and the second they were free you flung them around his neck, sobbing into his neck. Your tears dropping onto his brown leather jacket.
“Oh baby”, Jason stroked your hair and held you tightly to him. He was worried he was crushing you but you seemed to be squeezing him back just as hard.
You didn’t stop sobbing. The overwhelming emotion of being wrapped in his safe, strong arms make your knees buckle. Jason caught you with ease and lifted you up, “It’s ok baby, I’ve got you. I’ve always got you”.
Jason was one step away from breaking down himself but he needed to be strong for you right now.
You pressed your skin against his, the scratch of his stubble a welcome sting against your cheek. His scent overwhelmed you. Leather. Gunpowder. Smoke. And something distinct you’d never been able to place.
“Jason”.
“Shhh, it’s ok - nothing is going to hurt you, I’m here now - I’m a bit late but I’m here”.
~~~
It had been one week since you’d been back home. Two weeks if you counted the first week you and Jason spent holed up in the manor. Bruce had insisted. You sat in the bathtub, knees pressed up against your bare chest. Silence. All you could hear was the faint crackle of the bubbles every now and again. The clinical white tiles of the bathroom made you feel a little cleaner.
However,  no matter how many baths you took, showers you stood in, you still couldn’t wipe the feel of the slick purple gloves off your skin. Your skin. Skin that was now marred with yellowish bruising. Almost faded physically but not mentally. Looking over the marks you felt yourself transported back into the desolate warehouse. The dank smell of stagnant water filling your nostrils. You choked and coughed loudly, suddenly feeling the oxygen clam up your throat. Drowning in the memories.
“Y/N??”.
Within a mere second Jason had flung open the bathroom door, red tinting his cheek and a little sweat on his forehead, “Sweetheart are you ok?”.
You noted how he chose to call you sweetheart now and not his usual princess. A stark reminder that this whole ordeal had affected him too, more than he’d admitted. You felt the guilt eat away at you. Shame burning at your feet.
“Y-yeah, I’m ok”, you mumbled quietly and swirled some of the water and bubbles around you, “I just accidentally swallowed some of the bath water, I’m sorry”.
Jason nodded although not quite believing you. He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the tub taking a deep breath, “It’s ok to not be ok sweetheart...I know it can be difficult to admit that...I know that more than most”, he wiped a stray bubble from the rim of the tub. He looked at you deeply before continuing, “I’ll be here for you...whenever and whatever you need”.
You sat silently in the water and he moved to get up. Maybe he thought it was best to leave you alone, let you uncover your own emotions. Process what had happened. You gripped his wrist and looked up into the crystal blue of his eyes, “Jason”.
“Yeah babe?”, he turned his wrist in your hand and linked his fingers with yours.
“I love you”.
He smiled and squeezed your hand before whispering back, “I love you too, more than you know”.
He looked over you and moved to sit back on the edge of the bath. His spare hand reached out and cupped your chin lovingly, stroking over your skin.
“We’ll work through this together Y/N, I promise”, Jason murmured and leaned forward kissing your forehead lightly, “I’ll do whatever you need me to do...anything at all”.
The words, the touches, the kiss. It made your heart flutter and you fell even more in love with him. Jason made the impossible possible and you had no idea how he managed it every day. You felt so lucky.
“I - I struggle some d-days”, you admitted and with those words you felt a little lighter, “sometimes all I want is for you to hold me and not let me go...Sometimes I-I f-feel like that for hours...”.
“Well then I’ll hold you for hours”, he said simply.
You scoffed lightly but before you could protest or think of arguing back he was stepping into the bath water fully clothed.
“Jay!! You’re going to flood the bathroom”, you gasped loudly, watching the water splash over the sides like dramatic tidal waves. Water dispersed all over the bathroom floor to make way for his broad frame, “What are you doing?!”.
Jason sunk down into the water behind you and wrapped his arms either side, pulling you back into his clothed chest. He rested his head on your shoulder, pressing a chaste kiss there, “Holding you for as long as you need me to”.
You felt yourself melt into his warm embrace. Tears made their way down your cheeks at his endearing show of love, “Jason”.
“Shhh, just let me hold you baby”, he cuddled you tighter into him, his fingers stroking your hips under the water, brushing away the bruises. Marking you with his own special touch.
Relaxing under his soft caresses, you hummed lightly and closed your eyes resting your head back against him. He smelt like leather and spice. You felt at home. He was home.
“Jay”.
“Mmm?”.
“Please call me princess”, you whispered quietly into the air, your eyes still closed.
“Whatever you want...princess”.
~~~
Special Thanks: @offendedfishnoises​​ @internalsealpanic​​ @batarella​​ - thank you both for proof reading this and all the help you have given me - mwah mwah. xoxo
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~~~
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Master List 
“DEAREST BIG BROTHER! I’M HOME!” A female shout came from the foyer of the manor. 
Dick, Jason, Tim, Babs, Steph, and Cass were hanging out in one of the many rooms the manor held. Alfred had just walked in with a tray of drinks but froze at the sound of the voice.
“THE HECK!” Was shouted by the same voice followed by Damian’s voice shouting, 
“WHO ARE YOU!?!?! HOW DID YOU GET IN!?!?!” 
Alfred was out of the room in an instant. He was not sprinting but he might as well be with how fast he was walking. The batkids immediately followed after him. 
They walked in on a sight none of them will ever forget. Literally, Jason had taken a picture. A strange woman who looked like a female, miniature version of Bruce had Damian’s precious katana and seemed to be taunting him with it. 
“Miss Marinette!” Alfred called and got both the woman’s and Damian’s attention. 
“Alfred!” The woman replied, running over and giving him a hug, katana still in her hand. 
“Wait, Aunt Nettie?” Dick spoke up, walking over to the pair. 
“Little Wing! Wow, you got so much bigger since the last time I saw you.” She responded, giving him a hug. 
“Wait, wait, your Aunt Nettie?” Jason asked, crossing his arms. 
“Aww, Little Blue Jay, you don’t remember me?” She shot back, crossing her arms as well. 
“Blue Jay, why is that familiar?” Jason muttered to himself, not quietly enough since everyone heard him. 
“Aunt Nettie, you only visited once when he was here.” Dick reminded her. 
“Oh, well that will explain that. Also how many more kids did Bruce adopt? I thought it was only the 2 of you, the Drake kid, and his bio kid.” She questioned, motioning to each child she remembered. 
“The only other kid he adopted is Cass, Steph and Babs are family friends.” Dick clarified. 
“Babs, the first Batgirl correct?” She asked, turning to the girl in question. Everyone froze at that, this girl who was apparently Bruce’s sister knew who they were.
“It’s fine guys, she’s known since the beginning of his time as Batman.” Dick assured. 
“Yep, speaking of my big brother, where is he?” 
“Master Bruce is currently at a WE meeting, but he will be back in time for dinner.” Alfred answered for her. 
“How come father never told us about you?” Damian voiced, glaring at her and looking like he wanted to attack her again. Probably because she still had his katana. 
“I rarely visit nowadays and he’s probably still upset after last time.” Marinette smirked, like she had won some sort of battle. Noticing she still had his katana, she handed the blade back to Damian. 
“Last time?” Tim hesitantly echoed. 
“How about Miss Marinette shares the story in the living room? I can bring snacks.” Alfred offered, Marinette looked like she was about to say something but Alfred beat her to it, “You bond with your nieces and nephews, I will be fine.” 
“Come on Marinette! You can tell them about how you helped train Bruce! Oh did you bring any kwamis with you?” Dick rambled, pulling Marinette with him into the room they were hanging out in before her appearance. 
Once they were all seated Tim started the conversation, “So I’m not hallucinating, you are actually Bruce’s sister.” 
“Yes, Bruce is 3 years older than me. I know that he is Batman and you guys are the bats and the birds.” She calmly responded. 
“What did Dick mean by you helped train Bruce? And what is a Kwami?” Babs continued. 
“Kwami are basically magical beings, kinda like gods, that are bound to jewels called miraculous. Since I’m the guardian I protect these jewels. I trained Bruce by helping my old mentor from Tibet train him.” Marinette explained. 
“What happened last time? And why don’t you visit often?” Damian asked, carefully hidden curiosity in his eyes. 
“Back in my first year of highschool, Bruce was very protective of me. Like very protective. No boy he didn’t approve of, which meant I could never talk to a single boy, could get within 10 feet of me without him present. Asking me out, out of the question. Pretty sure this one guy, Adam, wanted to ask me out but Bruce interrupted before he could. I never talked to him again after that. I got pretty tired of it so I signed up for the foreign exchange program and went to school in Paris.” 
“Wait,” Steph interrupted, “Bruce was an overprotective brother?” 
“One of the worst kinds. I’m sure if our parents were still alive he might’ve been worse than my dad.”
“What importance does this have to the questions?” Damian sneered, annoyed that he wasn’t getting any answers. 
“Hold on I’m getting there. So anyways it was in my sophomore year of highschool at Paris that a supervillain attacked. He called himself Hawkmoth, he used the butterfly miraculous to transform people into his puppets by using their emotions against them. I didn’t think much of it since it didn’t concern me, my host family agreed thinking it wouldn’t last long. But when I got to my room there was a little box sitting on my desk and that’s where I found the ladybug miraculous. The most powerful miraculous besides the cat miraculous. I told Bruce, he wasn’t too happy about it, but there wasn’t much he could do. So much happened in that amount of time that I don’t think I could summarize it all before Bruce gets back but just know that in that span of time I met the current guardian. Hawkmoth gained an ally who used the peacock miraculous, Mayura. Also a miraculous that could manipulate emotions. 
After I and my partner had defeated Hawkmoth and Mayura, sometime during my senior year, we revealed our identities, dated for a few months before I ended things. Then I went back home and Bruce was getting ready to go on his soul-searching journey to be trained by masters or whatever and I suggested he be trained by my mentor who was in Tibet. I went with him, we trained for a couple of months before he left. I decided to stay in Tibet to train to become the next guardian. Eventually my mentor died and gave me guardianship. 
Then I returned to Gotham and Bruce had adopted Little Wing over there. So I stayed here for a while before I decided to go around the world doing guardian things. Bruce didn’t like the idea but there wasn’t much he could do. I ended up catching up with an old friend of mine on one of my travels and we started dating before I came back here. That’s when I met Little Blue Jay for the first and last time.
Before you guys had gone on patrol I tried to ask Bruce to give my boyfriend a chance but he didn’t agree. I’ve always been his little sister in his eyes, I think he couldn’t handle the fact I had grown up. Nasty words were exchanged between us and I haven’t returned since. In the end me and him didn’t work out but I couldn’t bring myself to return, until now at least.” 
“Why now?” Damian immediately pressed once she finished her explanation. 
“Dusuu was missing Alfred. It has been like a decade or something.” She remarked, pulling out a peacock shaped brooch. 
“Didn’t you say that the peacock miraculous was evil?” Cass signed, raising an eyebrow at the brooch. 
“No, I said it was used for evil. The miraculous are technically neutral, can be used for good or evil. Depends on who is wielding them.” Marinette bit back, as a flash of light emitted from the brooch. Suddenly a small floating peacock creature stood in front of Marinette. 
“Is that a kwami?” Steph asked. 
“Yes, this is Dusuu, the peacock kwami of emotions.”
“Hello! It’s so nice to meet you!” Dusuu chirped, “Where’s Alfred?” 
“I am right here Dusuu. It is lovely to see you again.” Alfred spoke from the doorway, holding a tray of snacks and drinks. 
“Alfred!” Dusuu cheered before flying over and hugging the older man. 
“In all honesty Bruce doesn’t sound like the best brother.” Jason pointed out. 
“I know it may seem like he’s a shitty brother, and at the time I totally thought he was and still is, but I know where he’s coming from. Bruce was always the more reserved and protective out of the 2 of us even before what happened to our parents. I think our parents' death solidified his need to protect me from anything and anyone. And we all know how horrible Bruce is at showing his emotions so I know his heart was in the right place. Plus, we’ve had years to cool off, I’m sure we can have a mature conversation now.” Marinette explained, a fond smile gracing her lips. 
Faintly in the distance they heard Alfred say, “Welcome home, Master Bruce.” 
“That’s my cue!” Marinette said before bolting off in the direction of the foyer. 
“Alfred something’s off, what are you not telling me?” The second those words left his mouth a weight connected with his back, arms wrapped around his neck and a familiar, 
“HEY BIG BRO!” Was registered by his ears. 
The weight slipped off his back and as he turned around he was met with the familiar sight of his little sister. “Marinette.” 
“Bruce.”
“You’re here.” 
“I am.” 
“I thought-”
“That I was mad at you.”
“You didn’t visit for 10 years.” 
“Life got busy.” 
They stood in silence for a minute. 
“I missed you.” Marinette whispered, so much different from the girl that was telling them a brief summary of her life. She seemed so much more vulnerable uttering those words than when she had revealed why she hadn’t come back in the first place. 
Turns out that was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Bruce wrapped Marinette in a hug as tears slipped from his eyes. They could hear him whispering over and over again, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I did all those years ago.” 
It was weird for them all to see, including Dick who knew how much Marinette meant to Bruce. Bruce kept his emotions so closed up, master of the stoic face, but here he was breaking down in front of the all. Here he was crying and apologizing. 
“I believe we should leave them alone for now.” Alfred spoke up heading for the dining room. They followed. Later Bruce and Marinette would join them, a little red-eyed with their cheeks tear-stained, but small smiles on their faces. 
It was then that all the batkids knew that they would be seeing this ‘Aunt Nettie’ much more often. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Look at that, I’m super late again! Nothing new, I think day 14 was a one time thing unfortunately. 
I’ve seen a ton of fics where Marinette was Bruce’s older sister but what about where she’s his younger sister? Bruce would so be an overprotective older brother. 
I hoped you enjoyed this! I’m planning on making a part 2 of this for ‘contest’. So stay tuned!
@maribatmarch-2k21 
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iloveitwhen · 3 years
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jasonette but like siblings but like angst- like that whole trope where they are blood related and got separated, or they didnt get separated idk thats cool too i just want some sibling jasonette😅
Wow. ok. uhmmmm. this is a lot i think?? I got a little jk a lot carried away and this past week was super busy so i’ll finish the second part later??
Again... a lot...
Jason is walking home after another night at the bar when he sees a small woman, teenager? Slip into a dark alleyway and two men follow in after her a few moments later. 
Jason curses and bolts across the street, what was this girl thinking? How stupid do you have to be to go into a dark alley where no one will hear you or care to help?
He jumps into the alley to find one man already slumped on himself on the floor and the other getting kicked in the teeth by army boots then falling limply. 
Jason curses again, impressed this time. He scans over the men noting that they probably had pretty good concussions judging from the dent in the garbage can the first man was laying next to and the way the second guy’s head smacked onto the concrete when he fell. He lands his eyes back on the woman, no, definitely a teenager, with a smile on his face that instantly falters. The girl is in a fighting stance and waiting for him to attack so he quickly raises his hands to placate her.
“I’m not here to fight you, I saw you get followed and I was coming to help.” 
“Nobody helps in Gotham,” she states, a dangerous edge to her voice that held a carefully hidden accent. 
“Not from around here, are you?” 
The girl narrows her eyes, “I was born and raised here, take a step further and you won’t be waking up tomorrow.” 
Jason pockets his hands and smirks. He likes her, she’s a fighter, she reminds him of himself when he was younger. 
“Ok. Just make sure you make it home safe. A girl’s going to get some unwanted attention at a time and place like this.” He turns around and crosses the street but as soon as he’s out of her sight he turns back and hides in the shadows to track her and make sure no one else tries to catch her alone. Just because she could handle herself the first time doesn’t mean she’s necessarily safe from the next attempt. 
The girl exits the alley and starts toward the direction of Jason’s apartment calmly as if she didn’t just get attacked. At least that means less walking for him. After a few minutes she slips into another dark alley, of course she does, and Jason crosses the street again going into his own empty alley before pulling his helmet on and scaling the building. As he peers over the side of the building his helmet scans the area giving him feedback he would normally miss due to the horrible lighting and telling him that the alley was empty. He figured she had somehow gotten into one of the buildings and decided to go home by rooftops since he was already up there. 
However, as he landed on the opposite rooftop his feet slipped from underneath him. Jason managed to roll out of it but before he could get his footing his hip was kicked into and he stumbled, tripped over a seemingly perfectly placed rock and smashed his head on the side of the stair house. Then, just as quickly as this all transpired, there was a body behind him, they hooked their fingers under his helmet and lifted it to expose his neck and press a knife with jagged points onto his neck. How did he know the knife had jagged points? Good question, it was, as previously mentioned, against his neck and piercing into his skin, drawing blood. 
“Why are you following me?” a girl’s voice filters through his mask and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His mask let him know through the constant visuals that the voice belonged to a female in their late teens, not that he didn’t already know that. 
“Making sure you got home safe,” he says carefully, weighing his options and trying to decide if he should let her feel like she got him or escape with a slight nick on his neck. 
Eh. Jason preferred to not have a bleeding neck no matter how small the cut. 
“Lies,” she hisses, digging the knife a bit deeper as a warning, maybe getting out sooner was a better idea. “What do you want?” 
“Knife off my throat first,” he manages without pushing his neck further onto the blade. 
A second later the girl releases him and jumps back with enough space between them to react if he ended up deciding to attack her. 
Jason gives her a quick glance as he stands up, a hand to his throat to check for blood. 
“I wasn’t lying-”
“You’re not fooling anyone you Red Hood wannabe,” she snaps. Jason just laughs in surprise, no one has ever accused him of being a Red Hood wannabe. He's the one who made the mantle into something to respect, something to fear. He stops laughing and levels a glare at the girl, his helmet telling him unhelpfully there was no match of facial recognition in any database. 
“I am Red Hood-” he started to growl out but she cut him off again. The audacity. 
“Red Hood wouldn’t have been caught by the person he was trailing, Red Hood wouldn’t have been caught off guard, Red Hood doesn’t have a stupid streak of white hair on his head. He may have been a theatre nerd but he wouldn’t do that.” 
Wait what. 
“What are you talking about?” But it was more of a demand than a question. 
“You’re not…” she trailed off waving her hand in the air trying to find a word, “slick. Same jacket, same shoes, same build, yeah. You’re not fooling anyone.” 
“Ok. Whatever, I’m going home.” He turns and starts jogging across the rooftop towards home. So much for helping out. 
“Where is he?” she calls out after him.
“Right here, princess,” he spat before jumping to the other rooftop. 
But as soon as his feet leave the building a big dark blue warbly hole appears and swallows him before he can react. Unfortunately for him the other side of that weird black hole was a face full of concrete. 
“Prove you’re him.” 
Oh this girl was something else. Jason shakes his disorientation away, he didn’t know how she did that, nor did he care but he was pissed. He swings his foot around and connects with her ankle, she falls as expected but easily bounces right back up and hops out of his range. 
“Do that again and I’ll have to break my no killing kids rule,” he growls out, staring her down for a moment. Her face was finally lit by the dim yellow street lamps and he could see the entirety of her face and all the raw emotions she was trying to hide. For a split second familiarity passed through him, like when you see someone at the library then at the store a few weeks later or you see an old school friend ten years later and can’t quite place them. Jason dismisses the feeling and turns to go. 
“Wait.” She says it so vulnerably that Jason gives her a chance, when he turns she pulls up her sleeve and shows off her forearm. 
In the center of her arm is a faded black tattoo that was a writing symbol, but because of its name and one of its uses it was used to brand child soldiers in Gotham from a particular gang that Red Hood obliterated as soon as his first order of business in Gotham. 
It was the double dagger, or better known in Gotham as the death dagger. The children were expendable although highly trained and dangerous, they could give Damian a run for his money in the child assassin department. The tattoo was a reminder to the children and to the people they came across that they were soulless, emotionless, their lives and actions were not their own and they would give their lives willingly for the mission
Meaning who they were before was dead. No family, no connections, no one would notice if they went missing and no one would be able to identify their bodies if and when the time came. Sometimes poor families would sell one of their children and promise to forget them and to never contact them. 
Jason was led to assume that this was another child soldier looking to thank him, or kill him. It was 50/50 these days, some of those kids just never recovered. 
“So what is it that you want? You want my autograph across your head?” Jason asks dryly. 
The girl just huffs and pulls her sleeve back down. 
“I want to know if my brother is underneath that mask.”
I want to know if my brother is underneath that mask.
The words struck Jason deep in his chest but it only fueled his anger. He didn’t know why that hit so deep but he was not in the mood for this nor would he be at any time. 
“Just because I ended that gang doesn’t mean we’re family. Go find your other assassin siblings to play house with.” 
“Annette,” she calls after as he turns his back again. A strike of familiarity pulses through him and when he hesitates she continues, “that was my name before I was initiated. I was one of the first. Daddy’s little girl,” she was still talking louder than necessary since he hadn’t turned back around. “I’m the only one left from The 13.” 
Right. The 13. That’s what everyone called the first batch even as they were killed off, they were the most ruthless being the oldest and were also the most aggressive in proving their worth. It was common to find a number from 1-13 placed strategically behind at the crime scene, whoever had the most successful missions would be highly rewarded, or so he was told. 
“Do you remember?” 
“I remember destroying that gang and their stupid leader and having to kill some of your little friends and I also remember The 13 died within the first year and a half and were easily replaced by their younger friends.” 
“Do you remember me?”
“Look, kid,” he finally turns to look at her, “I don’t care, ok? Yay whoopdeedoo I saved you, get in line. It’s what I do, kill bad people and let the rest walk away. You’re not special.” 
“Annette Marie Todd,” she says hurriedly, like it’s a last resort. “Jason Peter Todd,” she continues, “just you. Me. And a blitzed out Mom.” 
Jason did not like this, he knew the Dagger Children were ruthless and expert manipulators but this was pushing it. He spun around to face her, ripping off his helmet, she already knew what he looked like and it was in the way of his death glare. 
“You don’t know who you are messing with. If you really were a Dagger you’d know that I am not one to be fucked with.” He slides his helmet back on and without a backward glance he runs off to the next roof and continues home. Thankfully not another portal thing opens up in front of him. 
———————————
Jason didn’t have a sister. He did not have a sister. He would remember having a sister. He would remember having a Dagger for a sister. But Annette was such a familiar name. And she had said her name was Annette Marie Todd. Todd. 
No that’s stupid. Impossible. She was just messing with him, for all he knew she could have been subtly showing her face in random places for him to react to the familiarity of her face and she could have said the name sometime in the last few months for him to vaguely recognize the sound of her name but not place it. 
But the Lazarus pit did alter his memories from childhood, it was like looking through a fog of red anger, or maybe it was always like that even before the pit, and it also completely wiped out other parts of his memory. But a sister? No. No way. 
Hours of this, circling around the possibilities and shifting around on his bed trying to get comfortable until he finally drifted off in a very restless sleep. 
Jason found himself in a familiar apartment, the one he lived in before his “mother” died. He looked around and it was more of the feeling of familiarity that convinced him where he was than anything else. He steps aside for a younger version of himself to run by him and turns to the window that led out to the fire escape and watches him climb out of it and close the window. Jason turns back around to see what Young Jason was hiding from. A man hands a thick envelope to his mother, Catherine Todd who had wrapped herself in a thin silk robe, her bony frame visible as well as her happy focus on the money inside that envelope. Jason couldn’t make out the man’s face but he turned around and grabbed the small hand of a little girl in pigtails. She turned her head and faced the window sending a smile but he couldn’t quite make out her face so he instead turned to himself sitting outside.
As he turned his surroundings changed but in his dreamstate he paid no mind to it. This time he was standing in an aisle of a store as a child. He looked around and found his mother dressed embarrassingly in a thin tank top and ragged jeans and flip flops. He feels a squeeze of his hand and looks down, his little sister is looking up at him and pointing to a rack of stuffed animals of Clifford the Big Red Dog that were suddenly there. He sends her a smile and looks up, intent on catching up with his mother and asking her to buy one but as he chases her his intent slips from his mind and instead he wants to taste the cupcakes he just saw. He opens a case and takes a bite but yelling makes him turn around and there is Batman towering over him. Instead of a tasty cupcake he is holding something thick and metal, a crowbar. He throws it at the man and turns to run away and jumps out of the parking garage and jumps into the air flying up. But he’s too slow, he tries kicking and swimming in the air to propel himself further away from Batman but a hand wraps around his foot. 
Jason jerks awake, breathing heavy and feeling uncomfortably hot. This was much more mild than his usual nightmares, if it could even be called a nightmare, but it was bad in a different way. It wasn’t unusual for Jason to be getting chased in his dreams by one thing or another and it always ended before whatever or whoever was chasing him got him but it was getting a little old honestly. 
His head was pounding so he slipped out of bed and poured himself a glass of water from the kitchen. As he takes a sip he recalls his dream and how he had looked down at his sister. But that couldn’t be right. 
A searing pain in his head forces him to tighten his grip on his cup before it goes away again. Stupid head. Stupid dream. Stupid girl trying to get in his head. 
As he lays back down a memory of clear grey eyes flashes across his mind’s eye. 
---
Throughout the next few days Jason tries to ignore the headaches and his dreams of the young black haired girl with grey eyes and of getting chased which was more frequent and more urgent than he remembered them being. It was just all a big waste of time. At least the Dagger girl wasn’t trying to find him anymore, he didn’t know how he would react if she showed up again. 
After another dream of getting chased, this time he was just so tired of it he got a few good punches in on the Bane/Joker demon that was chasing him when his phone buzzes, startling him awake. He ignores it in favor of a cup of coffee and checks the time on the oven that he never uses, it’s almost two o’clock. 
His phone buzzes again several more times in quick succession. He finally heads over and clicks his phone on to see five messages from Stephanie. 
Replacement’s replacement🤰
so u have a little sister and u never told me???
anyways shes at the big house and getting interrogated by bruce and i think hes ready to adopt her
hello
so rude
i mean it looks to me shes tellin the truth but like seems sus for obvious reasons and ur the only one that'll actually know so… hurry up??
Jason curses and rushes to grab his things before running outside and zooming to the Wayne Manor on his motorcycle. 
welp i’ll add with another part soon that i havent finished yet but anywho let me know if jason is too ooc or something😁😁
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ragingbookdragon · 3 years
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Black Jeans & Daphne Blue Still Make Me Think Of You
Jason Todd x M!Reader One-Shot
Word Count: 2.4K Warnings: Mentions of Torture and Death, Explicit Language
Author's Note: Daphne Blue by The Band CAMINO has been my new favorite song. Enjoy! -Thorne
He knelt in front of the guy he had tied to the chair. Poor bastard. He thought. Always gotta make things so difficult. Reaching up, he slapped him across the face a couple times.
“Oi, wakey, wakey.” The guy startled awake, immediately whimpering behind the gag. “Oh, good morning sleeping beauty. Have a nice nap?” The guy groaned and he chuckled, yanking down the strip of fabric. “Sorry, what was that?”
“I don’t know anything, Sentinel, I swear to God.”
Sentinel eyed him behind the mask. “You really wanna do this whole dance all over again?” he poked at one of the guy’s broken fingers. “You don’t have any more fingers to break. The next option is your toes.” He started to pull of the guy’s shoes.
“Wait! Wait!” he cried, trying to yank away. “Please don’t!”
“Tell me what I wanna know and your piggies can still go to the market,” he lazily retorted, letting go of his foot.
“But he’ll kill me!” he cried.
Sentinel stared at him. “I’m still wondering what makes you think I’m not gonna kill you too.” he deadpanned, pulling out a silver dagger.
The blade itself was fairly simply, not engraved or marked with extensive decorations of gold or ivory. No, frivolous things such as that were only meant for special and expensive weapons. This dagger had been created by someone with a decent amount of money. Meant to withstand against weathering and usage—it merely served a purpose.
“Look, I’ll make you a deal. You tell me where I can find Two-Face and I’ll kill you quickly. That’ll certainly save you a lot of pain and fear from having your boss dump you in a pool of acid,” he reasoned.
The thug choked on a sob and let his head loll back. “Alright! I’ll talk!”
“Wonderful,” Sentinel smiled. “Where’s Two-Face hiding out.”
“The old courthouse in Arkham City. It’s in the center of the city, you can’t miss it.”
“How many thugs does he have with him at all times?”
The guy’s face pinched. “I don’t know, he’s got a personal guard and the normal group too.”
“No shit,” Sentinel griped. “Numbers, jackass.”
“No more than ten for his personal, but he’s got about thirty normal.”
“Weapons?”
“Anything you can think of,” the thug answered. “Guns, knives, lead pipes, everything.”
Sentinel leaned back on his haunches, thinking for a moment. “Who’s Two-Face allied with at the moment?”
“I—” The guy’s mouth opened, then he snapped it shut.
“Oh, come on, do you need me to cut off a finger?”
“No, it’s—it’s just…”
“Just what?” Sentinel demanded.
“There was supposed to be a meeting tonight about discussing new gang territories,” the thug answered.
He paused and glared at him. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”
“You wanted to know about Two-Face only?”
“Where’s the meeting?”
“Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge.”
“Thanks.” Sentinel quipped and thrust the knife into the thug’s throat. His gasp turned into a gurgle as crimson poured down his neck and into his shirt before he ultimately slumped forward. He yanked the dagger out and wiped it on the guy’s pants before sheathing it and standing.
“Lovely,” he grunted. “Now I have to change plans.”
“You know,” someone said from above him. “Batman’s not going to be very happy about you coming into town and killing his punching bags.”
Sentinel whirled around and looked up, catching sight of a familiar Red Hood sitting rather comfortably on a metal beam, his head tipped in a cocky fashion.
He pressed a hand to his chest and dramatized, “Oh no, it’s the Red Hood!” He shut his eyes and groaned, “I admit it, I killed him. And I’ll consent to a full body search at your perusal, Red Hood.” When he didn’t hear a reply, he cracked an eye open and huffed, “You’re no fun, Nightwing usually plays along.”
Red Hood shifted and dropped to the ground, landing with a heavy thud. “What are you doing back in Gotham, Sentinel?”
“Are you asking me because you’re curious or because Batman told you?”
“I’m doing my job.”
“So, it’s because Batman told you.” he chuckled. “Since when did you become Batman’s errand boy? I thought you didn’t like him.”
“Just answer the question,” Red Hood sighed.
“Fine, fine,” Sentinel relented as he waved a hand. “Two-Face and I had a deal and he backed out of it, so now I’m trying to find him.”
The vigilante crossed his arms over his chest. “What was the deal?”
“Oh, you know, tamper with a few legal proceedings. The usual.”
“And what were you supposed to get in return?”
Sentinel scowled. “An obscene amount of money that he failed to deliver.” He started off towards the doors. “And I plan on getting what I’m owed.”
He could hear Red Hood following him. “Where are you going?”
“Our dearly deceased friend said Two-Face was attending a meeting at the Iceberg Lounge.” He cast a glance over his shoulder. “If they’re discussing territory, I need to do reconnaissance in order to learn where Two-Face is gonna set back up.”
“Want some help?” Sentinel paused and turned back around, practically coming chest to chest with the much taller vigilante.
“What kind of help?” he questioned, testing the waters by toying with the zipper on Red Hood’s jacket. When the vigilante didn’t move, he tugged a little. “Your skill? Or another kindof help?”
“I’m willing to part with both,” Red Hood murmured, reaching up to hold Sentinel’s wrist. “So long as you promise not to kill Two-Face.”
He chuckled and pulled his arm away, turning to leave. “And on that note, I’ll do this on my own.”
“You’re gonna show up to the Iceberg Lounge like that?”
Sentinel turned around as he opened the door. “Of course not.” He winked. “I’m gonna go undercover.” And he was gone.
***
He smoothed the front of his black leather jacket and blue shirt as he stepped into the chilly nightclub; he was glad he actually decided to go with something warm. Lazily scanning the room, he caught sight of the full tables as well as the upper level where people were sitting and smoking expensive cigars. One particular set of doors caught his eye and upon closer inspection, he saw two armed guards standing outside, one wearing Penguin’s gang colors, the other wearing Two-Face’s.
Bingo. He thought and in order to not raise suspicion, he made his way around one of the pillars that gave him the ability to hide, but also to see the double doors as well. One of the thugs had a walkie-talkie on him and he hummed, pulling out a small device from his pocket. He played with it for a moment and when the static cleared, he grinned and raised it to his mouth.
“Aye, you still outside the office?” he asked, watching as Two-Face’s thug grabbed the radio on his thigh.
“Yeah, boss is still in there with Penguin.” He glanced at the other gang member. “Why?”
“Somebody said they saw Batman poking around the area. Go check it out.”
“But we got orders to stay put.”
He frowned. “Orders ain’t gonna mean shit if Batman gets in there and throws the boss back in GCPD, shithead. Get crackin’.”
The two thugs looked at one another then to the door before shrugging and splitting up and leaving the doors wide open. He turned his back and waited for the guard to pass him before he slipped back and walked up to the doors. Quickly, he pressed his ear to it and listened, hearing someone that sounded like Penguin talking on the inside. He smiled and slipped a small device, no bigger than a thumbtack inside the keyhole, pressing it as he pulled his hand away.
“Hey!” someone shouted behind him. He spun and was met with the two thugs, both with angry and suspicious looks on their faces. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled. “I was looking for the restroom.”
“That ain’t it pal,” Penguin’s thug said.
“Right, sorry,” he excused, feigning an apologetic tone. “If you can point me in the direction, I’ll be out of your hair, promise.”
Two-Face’s thug tipped his head to the opposite side of the room. “Back that way.” He took a step forward and thrust the rifle into his face. “Don’t come back around here.”
He nodded resolutely. “You got it, sir.” He quickly fled before they changed their minds and disappeared into the crowd. When he was sure they no longer had eyes on him, he took a seat at the bar and pulled out an earpiece, discreetly slipping it in; he clicked the button on the outside of the piece and the conversation from inside the door flooded his ear.
“Word is that Sentinel is in town, Two-Face. You wouldn’t have anything to do with that now, would you?”
“What? Afraid that he’ll visit you?”
“Hardly. But the rumor mill says that he’s looking for you. Don’t tell me you pulled out on a deal?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t do—
“Is this seat taken?”
The low drawl made him jump slightly and he looked to the side, seeing a man smirking down at him. His eyes momentarily darted to the door before going back to the man’s face.
“Uh, no,” he replied. “It’s open.”
He hummed and sat down. “Thanks. Can I get you a drink?”
He inconspicuously slipped the earpiece from his ear and dropped it into his pocket. “I don’t know. What’s going to impress you? Something fruity? Or something…hard?” he flirted, propping his chin on his palm.
The stranger chuckled. “How about both?”
Grinning, he looked at the bartender. “Sex In The Driveway, please. For both of us.” The server turned and started making their drinks, and he shifted his attention back to the man beside him. “Got a name, handsome?”
“Jason. What’s yours?”
“(Y/N),” he replied, taking a moment to ogle the man. And boy was he pretty. Sharp jawline, killer set of teal eyes, midnight black hair, and oddly enough, a white streak. He had to be ripped under that red shirt and leather jacket he wore, and (Y/N) really wanted to find out. Their drinks were set in front of them, and he reached over, taking a sip of his.
“What brings you to this dingy nightclub? Don’t tell me it’s the scenery.”
Jason grinned. “I don’t know, the scenery right now is pretty nice.” He took the straw into his mouth and sipped, then set the drink down. “Wanted to see if there was anyone I could take home for the night.”
(Y/N) huffed a laugh. “Well, aren’t you just upfront about what you want.” He winked. “I like that in a man.” Twirling the straw with his finger, he asked, “You work in Gotham?”
He shrugged. “Mostly, but my job takes me where the money is.” Jason looked at him. “I bet you know what that’s like.”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I’m originally from Central City.”
“What’s someone from a safe place like Central doing here in Gotham?”
He hummed and turned in his seat so that he was facing Jason. “Just visiting a friend.”
“A boyfriend?” Jason wondered and (Y/N) snorted.
“Nope. No boyfriend for me.” He eyed him. “Yet…what about you? Have anybody waiting at home?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be here.”
“You’re loyal? Isn’t that a charming quality.”
“What can I say? I’m a charming guy to be around.”
(Y/N) drug his foot up the side of Jason’s calf. “Charming indeed.”
Jason’s mouth opened, but (Y/N)’s attention was drawn away by the doors in the back opening, and Two-Face stepping out, followed by Penguin. His mood soured and evidently it showed on his face because he heard,
“Are you okay?” He directed his attention back to Jason who was looking at him with a cocked brow.
“Yeah,” he answered, then pulled his foot away and stood up. “But it’s getting late, and I have to get going.”
“Going back to see your friend?”
(Y/N) laughed. “Something like that.” He paused and gazed at Jason, then asked, “Gotta pen?”
He dug around in his pocket then pulled out a black sharpie and handed it over. “Here.” (Y/N) took Jason’s hand in his own and quickly wrote a set of numbers on the back.
Jason looked at it. “This your cell?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, it’s the number to my favorite Chinese joint down the street.” Grinning, he leaned over and planted a kiss on Jason’s cheek, murmuring, “I’ll be in town another couple days. Gimme a call sometime if you’d like to hangout.”
As he pulled away, he caught those teal eyes narrowed in amusement. “I definitely will, (Y/N).”
When he stepped through the exit, he sighed, knowing that he was going to have to spend hours going over the conversation in order to get a plan figured out. But hey, at least I scored a date. He thought with a grin.
***
“Have fun in lockup, Dent!” He called from the ledge as he watched the gang leader get loaded into the squad car. As they drove off, he checked his phone and smiled as the transactions followed through.
“Another night, another million,” he quipped and just as he was putting his phone away, it pinged. He looked back at it, eyes widening as he read,
So that’s what Sentinel looks like out of uniform? Black jeans and Daphne Blue? I hope you know I’m never not going to think of you when I see that combo now 😊.
(Y/N) froze and stared at his screen, millions of thoughts scrambling around his mind until he settled on, Who is this?
The little birdy you met in the lounge the other night.
He blinked and typed, Jason?
That’d be the little birdy.
How do you know who I am?
On your left, Sentinel.
He immediately looked up and his jaw went slack at the sight of Red Hood standing there, phone in his hand.
“You’re shitting me,” (Y/N) blurted out. His phone pinged.
Told you I was gonna call you.
Red Hood—Jason stowed his phone and walked up to him. “Wanna go get that Chinese you mentioned?”
(Y/N) gaped at him, then he let out a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, why not? I could eat.”
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The Crown Found in Rose Thorns (Part 2) - fic
Characters: Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Timothy Drake, bits of Steph, Jason and Dick Summary: Jonathan and Damian go on their first date. A/N: I just think about royal princes jon and damian a lot, mmkay. also, those flowers don’t ever wilt, Damian will find out. maybe it’ll be important later, if I remember that detail.
Ao3
~~
There was a giddy energy around the castle this morning. He felt it as he walked through the halls. The servants were all chattering amongst themselves, smiling in his direction whenever he passed by.
The prince has a date! They were all saying. The prince has chosen a suitor!
Damian could only roll his eyes. Hardly.
He found his hand had drifted to the hilt of the sword on his hip as he entered the courtyard. Perhaps he could challenge that infuriating Jonathan to a duel? It was only appropriate – he tried to mock Damian in front of his court.
But he ended up shaking his head. Knowing what little he did of this prince of Krypton, the simpleton might enjoy that.
As he neared the gates, he felt himself give an involuntary sigh. It must have been loud, as the one waiting there turned and grinned.
Almost as annoying as Jonathan of Krypton – his brother, Timothy.
“Don’t tell me you’re my chaperone for this…event.” Damian called.
Timothy kept his smirk. “Well, since you sound so enthused by the prospect, I can ask to be.”
“Don’t.” Damian scolded as he reached him. “I don’t need protection. Especially against the knight.”
“While I don’t doubt your skills, we don’t know that.” Timothy reminded. “He could be working for Ra’s.”
“He claimed to be the child of Father’s ally. Or did Richard not tell you that?” Damian hummed, staring out into the bustling streets. A small child waved towards them. He smiled and waved back. “Or do you just not believe him?”
“You do?” Timothy raised an eyebrow. “Prince Damian of Gotham, believing people at their word? Surely Father has taught you better than that.”
Damian felt heat in his face. “Of course I don’t. But I also know he doesn’t fit Grandfather’s brand of agent. He’d use someone we wouldn’t expect. A fortune teller or shop keep. An old cook or cleaning woman. A young, strong-looking knight who draws so much attention? Seems…implausible.”
“Strong-looking, hm? And here, Richard told me you only agreed to meet with him today as a barbaric game.” Timothy questioned mischievously. Damian pursed his lips and punched Timothy’s arm. “Ow! Hey!”
“Frankly I trust Sir Jonathan to not be an agent more than I trust the likes of…of Cassandra’s suitor.” Damian mumbled. “Why don’t you spend more time investigating that bard woman? How can you be so sure she’s not an agent? That’s exactly the type of person Grandfather would use. No direct ties to me, and could harm someone else in our family in the process. Exactly what Ra’s al Ghul would want.”
“Stephanie has been vetted. She was vetted long before she and Cassandra were romantically involved.” Timothy explained. He laughed then. “Speaking of her – back to your original question. No, I am not your chaperone today. I’m here waiting for Stephanie.”
“Why?” Damian demanded. “Does Cassandra know?”
“Yes, she does. She’ll be joining us.” Timothy nodded. “Stephanie is a bard, like you said. So she hears the stories. She knows things.” He looked towards Damian. “We’re hoping she knows things about the Kingdom of Krypton and a certain prince.”
Damian crossed his arms. “So…who is my chaperone, then? Surely there is one.”
“Not directly. You and Jonathan will still be alone in general. He’ll just follow in the distance.” Timothy shrugged. “And it’s Jason, I believe.”
Jason, the raunchy brother. He had almost as little manners as Jonathan himself. Always yelling and cussing. No filter, no politeness. A rough man who drank too much.
He’d almost prefer Timothy.
“And I believe Richard will be joining him later in the day, or switching. But I cannot remember.” Timothy suddenly stepped forward. Damian looked into the crowd and saw a blonde woman in a purple travelling cloak gliding towards them. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
The woman came forward, and bowed when she was close enough. Damian gave her a head nod in return as Timothy turned to guide her into the courtyard. They were halfway to the castle when Timothy turned back.
“And Damian, don’t forget!” He called. “If Sir Jonathan does anything untoward,” He pulled his own blade out of its sheath halfway. “You stab to kill.”
Stephanie laughed. Damian grinned in response, and turned towards the town, making his way towards the forest.
~~
He caught sight of Jason a few times on his walk. Riding his gray horse lazily fifty or so yards away. The one time, Jason saw him watching, and gave him a cheeky wink.
Damian had scowled and tried to walk faster, almost hoping to get lost in the crowd. Just because he had to have a chaperone, didn’t mean he couldn’t make the job worth their while.
As he entered the clearing on the edge of the forest – the agreed meeting place – he slowed. Jonathan was already there.
He wasn’t in his armor today, but rather a simple tunic and pants, similar to Damian’s own outfit, just minus the tied vest. He was sitting on a fallen log, fiddling with the flowers popping up around his boots.
Damian did not see a weapon on him.
Along with the change of outfit, his demeanor seemed different from the day before as well. His face was no longer sharp confidence and sunny mischievousness. Now, his eyes were half-lidded as he relaxed, face thoughtful as his head tilted and he examined the flowers.
Damian ignored the sudden feeling in his chest. Because it wasn’t annoyance or haughtiness or even suspiciousness like he expected.
Without warning, a bird swooped down from overhead, cawing as it brushed along Damian’s hair. The noise made Jonathan look up, and once he recognized Damian, he smiled.
“…She sure seems to like you.” Jonathan laughed as he stood. “Hello, Your Highness.”
“Hello.” Damian mumbled, holding his arm out. The bird fluttered down to land on his elbow. “Waiting long?”
“No, not long.” Jonathan scratched awkwardly at his hair. “…I tend to arrive places early when I’m nervous.”
Damian snorted. “You? Nervous? Your showing yesterday implied you didn’t know the meaning of the word.”
Jonathan let out a gentle laugh. “Well…I had to get your attention somehow.” When Damian glanced up at him, he found himself unable to hold the gaze, so looked to the bird. “Is she yours?”
“No, she’s wild.” Damian assured, even as he pet gently at the bird’s head. “I…spend a lot of time out here. Feed them on occasion.” He looked towards the bird and smiled. “She must remember me.”
“Well, you are hard to forget.” Jonathan mumbled. Damian had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to hear it, so didn’t push the issue…yet. Instead, he let Jonathan admire the bird for a moment, then shook his elbow and pushed the bird back into the sky. She flew off with another caw. “…Lead the way?”
Damian nodded and moved down the path. Jonathan stayed behind him for a few moments, before jogging to catch up.
“I…um.” He let out a small cough. “I don’t mean to alarm you.”
Damian glanced at him.
“There’s a man on a horse following us.” Jonathan whispered. “…Would you like me to deal with him?”
Damian stopped walking and turned. In the expanse of trees, he could see the shadow of Jason, chaperoning as promised.
Damian smirked.
“I should.” He called loudly. “I should absolutely let you dispatch of our stalker.” He heard Jason’s horse snort as Jason turned her away.
Jonathan glanced between him and the trees. “I…think I am missing something.”
Damian laughed. “My family is overprotective.” He explained. “With this…situation with my grandfather, they are chaperoning my every movement, including with potential suitors. That’s merely my brother, Jason.”
Jonathan hummed. “I’d heard about that.” He sighed. “I’m…sorry.”
Damian shrugged. “My grandfather has always been ruthless. Apparently tried to kill my father when he and mother agreed to marry. Why anyone is surprised he’s come after me is beyond me.”
Jonathan didn’t respond. They walked in silence for a few moments. Damian’s bird friend let out another cry as she flew above them once more.
“That was why you came, though, isn’t it? For all that glory?” Damian asked. “You know, to be the one to succeed in protecting the youngest prince of Gotham?”
“No.” Jonathan said simply. “I came for you.” When Damian looked at him, he was uncupping his hands, revealing a small flower. He twisted the stem into his fingers and held it out. “Just for you.”
Damian stared between the flower and Jon’s face, then back again.
“…You weren’t holding that before.” Damian whispered. He looked up again. “I know you weren’t.”
“No, I wasn’t.” Jonathan smiled and held the flower out. Damian took it without thinking, cataloguing that the mischievousness was back in Jonathan’s brilliant purple eyes.
Curious.
“I will admit, though, that hearing about your mother’s call for a suitor did spur my action.” Jonathan admitted wistfully. “Gave me a reason to return to Gotham and try my luck.”
“You’ve been here before?”
“Many times. My family travelled often when I was younger. We were in and out of kingdoms all the time.” Jonathan chuckled. “How my father met and befriended your father, I still don’t know. It’s a story he won’t tell.”
“Old men love their secrets.” Damian agreed. He stared down at the flower as they walked, stroked at its pink petals.
Those feelings Damian expected, the pride and suspicion, they weren’t manifesting. In fact, he was finding that it was…surprisingly nice, walking with Sir Jonathan. It didn’t feel awkward or forced. Their conversation was flowing naturally. There was no hint of the bordering animosity from yesterday, or the challenge. And, loathe as he was to admit it, even just to himself, he was easy on the eyes.
He still couldn’t trust him, though. Couldn’t stop assuming there was going to be another shoe to drop. A catch to this seemingly simple situation.
“So…” Damian sighed after a few minutes of silence. “I am to believe you are sincere, then?”
“Hm?”
“You aren’t here for the glory of protecting the prince?” Damian repeated, putting the flower behind his ear so he could clasp his hands behind his back. Jonathan shook his head. “Or for the riches that come with joining a highly respected royal family?” Jonathan smirked and shook his head. “You are here for love and all it entails, truly?”
“Yes.” Jonathan said easily. “At least I hope so.” He looked up into the sky, watching the clouds between the reaching tree branches. “I believe love could happen, but I also know that’s no guarantee. I mean,” Another laugh, this one nervous. “I know you’re not happy with me so far, but I will admit I am fond of you already. But I know that could change.”
He gave out a dreamy sigh.
“I could end up hating you.” He mumbled. “Or I could end up so deeply in love with you I don’t know what I’d do.”
Damian stared at him, specifically at his sparkling purple eyes. “…The former is more likely.”
Jonathan blinked and the sparkle disappeared from his eye as he looked back at Damian. He gave another smile, but it was sadder. “Surely you think better of yourself than that, Your Highness.”
Damian shrugged. “It…has happened before. An occurrence I’m used to. Friends, family…look at my grandfather, after all. Why do you think my mother feels the need to beg for someone to love me?”
“Well then, I will just have to hope to fall even deeper in love with you myself, then. Show them all what they are missing.” Jonathan decided.
But the answer made Damian stop. Jonathan took a few steps further before stopping and turning back himself. Damian watched as he glanced over Damian’s shoulder, no doubt at Jason’s lurking form. “Why?”
Jonathan looked back. “Why what?”
“Why are you so keen?” Damian demanded. “You know nothing about me.”
Jonathan blinked, and that shine in his eye was back. “Of course I do.” Jonathan said simply. “I know a lot about you.”
“How?” Damian asked. “Your father?”
“No. By our own interactions.” Jonathan shook his head. “You don’t remember, and that’s fine. It’s not important, really. Maybe one day you will.”
“When did we interact?” Damian snapped. “When did we meet?”
“As children.” Now Jonathan frowned, glanced at the ground. “But if you don’t mind, I don’t wish to talk about that now. That’s not what today is about.”
Damian crossed his arms. “What is today about then, if not to get to know each other?”
“Get to know each other, yes!” Jonathan agreed. “But as we are now, not as we were.” He took a step towards Damian. “Maybe another day, when you trust me more?”
He almost sounded like he was pleading, and Damian couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. “Who says I ever will?”
Jonathan laughed again, bowing his head in admittance.
“Like I said, who knows how this will turn out. I’m hopeful, but have been wrong before.” He smiled. “But that is neither here nor there, and I won’t bring it up again. The future doesn’t matter, only today does. So let’s get back to it, shall we?”
Damian pursed his lips in thought, vaguely sensed the flower tucked behind his ear.
“Fine. Let’s.” Damian nodded, stepping off. Jonathan’s face lit up as Damian returned to his side and they continued their quiet stroll through the woods.
Jonathan kept his promise, he kept his romantics to himself the rest of the day. Instead, they talked about typical things. Not love and coups and kingdoms, but food, books, battles. Jonathan, it turned out, enjoyed cooking. He spent much of his time in Krypton attempting to recreate the recipes he was taught when they travelled to share with his court. He also loved competing, and learning a skill when it bested him.
Damian asked about the bloody armor he had from the day before. Jonathan admitted is was from an attack on Krypton right after his father had retaken the throne. He didn’t like war, or the constant fighting around the lands, but recognized the need to take part when he had to, especially when it came to protecting the innocent.
Jonathan asked about his own skills, especially by being the son of the notorious Talia al Ghul. Damian explained that was what was so silly about this suitor business – he could protect himself. Always has been able to. Just like his siblings.
He then talked about his family. How his siblings were all adopted, but it’s not like you could tell, since they all looked so alike anyway. Richard was adopted by his father, Jason by his mother, and Timothy and Cassandra after the two were married. Damian had been an accident.
Their rendezvous was supposed to finish by midday, but they were so distracted by their winding conversation that they did another two laps around the forest path, before making their way back into town in the late afternoon. Absently, Damian noticed when Richard joined Jason, but otherwise continued to ignore them.
He could also see the townsfolk all whispering already. Gleefully talking about how handsome Jonathan was, how close the two were walking. He even heard a few talk about how warm his own smile was, and how relaxed he looked.
He ignored them too.
As the sun went down over the hills in the west, he found them nearing one of the castle’s gates and decided to end their meet for the day.
“Shall we see each other again?” Jonathan asked after Damian said so. “Have I proven myself to be worth even a second of your time?”
Damian let himself have a small smile as he crossed the gate threshold and turned back. “I suppose we can. How long are you staying in town?”
Jonathan shrugged. “As long as I need. Unless I get a letter from Krypton or something, I have nothing urgent to return to presently.”
“Alright. Where are you staying, then?”
“The tavern a few streets away.”
“Okay.” Damian smirked. While the day had been pleasant, and Jonathan an interesting companion, that didn’t mean he wasn’t still going to have his fun. “I’ll come find you when I wish to see you again.”
Jonathan gaped for a moment. “And when might that be?!”
Damian just kept his grin. “Whenever I feel like it. So, if you’re actually serious about this. I suppose…well, don’t leave town.”
Jonathan stared for a moment more, then let out a bark of a laugh. “You’re cruel, Your Highness.”
“So I’ve been told.” Damian agreed cheekily. He turned to walk away, but:
“Damian.”
He hesitated and glanced over his shoulder. Jonathan was still there, looking down at his hands as he clasped them together.
“I…would like to apologize, for yesterday.” Jonathan muttered. “I didn’t mean to potentially embarrass you in front of your court. I only wanted to get your attention, by any means necessary, which was selfish of me.” He bowed his head. “That…is not me. Not really. Today, though, that was me. I promise.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Damian countered. Jonathan looked up, confused. “You never explained how you made the flower, how you know me, or why your eyes sparkle – and yes, I noticed that. You’re still hiding something of yourself.”
Jonathan lowered his head once more.
“But we all have secrets, I suppose. Masks we wear on occasion.” Damian relaxed his shoulders, and touched at the flower still behind his ear, still as fresh as the moment Jonathan gave it to him that morning. “So…all is forgiven, Sir Jonathan.”
Jonathan perked at his words. After a moment of silence, he stepped forward again.
“Damian?” He asked softly. Damian hummed in response. Without warning, Jonathan took hold of Damian’s hand and leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. He lingered there for a moment, breath brushing Damian’s skin as he whispered, “Thank you for a lovely day.”
As quickly as he approached, he retreated, backing up until he was almost in the street.
“Until next time, Your Highness!” He called as he raised his hand. And in a flash, he was instantly lost to the evening crowd.
Damian was left blinking owlishly at the gate threshold. As he heard Richard and Jason approach on their horses behind him, obviously coming into the courtyard from another entrance, he looked down at his hand, the one Jonathan had held.
A purple rose sat against his fingers.
He looked back into the crowd, looking for even a glimpse of that black hair and violet eyes. There was nothing.
He swallowed thickly. This was supposed to be a game. Damian wanted it to be a game. He wanted to break Jonathan down and send him back to Krypton weeping.
He’d wanted that.
Now…so quickly…he wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t so sure what he wanted. Wasn’t so sure if it was a game. And if it still was, who was winning.
“…Until next time.”
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misfits-den · 2 years
Text
I need a Batman x Inuyasha crossover.
Where during his stint in timestream, Batman lands in front of little, freshly orphaned Inuyasha still finding his own feet living on his own, and ends up teaching him basic survival stuff. But when he warns Inuyasha that he’s “cursed” and will disappear in near future, they realize that Inuyasha might live long enough to pass message to Bruce’s kids.
And he does.
And then we have scenes like:
-----
"Well, your tricks have ended up being useful a few time, and I did promise. But," Inuyasha took a step closer toward Bruce, "you know? I really would have appreciated it," another step, "if you have told me that it's going to take-" he grabbed Bruce collar, and pulled his down, face absolutely furious"-six fucking centuries."
-----
Damian: My grandfather spoke of you I believe. He mentioned that you're a capable warrior. Even if you cowardly ran away from the duel. Inuyasha: And that's supposed to mean anything to me? Damian: *slightly ticked* My grandfather is Ra's al Ghul, the Demon Head and leader of the League of Shadows. Inuyasha: *slurping his tea* Nah, doesn't ring a bell. Tim: *shows him a photo* Inuyasha: Ah, that dramatic bitch. Heavens he was annoying. *slurps again* Started monologuing right of the bat, but I ran out of patience for his type like back in the fifteen hundreds, so after five minutes I just moved on with my life.
-----
Steph: Wait. Bruce taught you stuff. Inuyasha: Yeah. Steph: Because your mom just died and you were alone. Inuyasha: Yeah? Steph: And he gave you a Batman Hug TM? Inuyasha: Ye-es? Steph: *gasp* do you know what that means? Inuyasha: ... No? Steph: That historically Dick is neither the first nor the oldest! Dick: What?! No!
*cue argument about adoption order if time travel is involved, with Inuyasha having no idea he was adopted. Also he’s to old to be adopted. ALSO also older than his supposedly adopter, so no he wasn’t adopted!*
“I didn’t adopt hi-” “The only reason you haven’t filled the paperwork is because there was no paperwork to fill back then.”
-----
Damian: *attacks Inuyasha with a sword* Inuyasha: *grabs the blade with two fingers and keeps it in place without looking* Damian: *unable to move the sword at all* Everyone: *takes turn trying and failing to move the sword*
-----
Bruce ruffling Inuyasha’s hair once he’s back, because he did that on their last day together, and Inuyasha mentioning that he was the only one to ever do that.
-----
Inuyasha needing to remind himself that he “will not punt a five year old into the sun” after 10min with Damian. He swears this is exactly how Sesshomaru must have acted as a brat.
He would also have very little patience for the “blood son thus superior” bs
Damian: I am Damian al Ghul, the blood son of Batman- Inuyasha: And I am Inuyasha of the Tiangou Clan, son of Toga the Dog General, ruler of the Western Lands, and one of the strongest Daiyokai in the history; didn't stop anyone from treating me lower than dirt on their shoes. You want respect? Earn it with your actions, not the happenstance of your birth.
------
Inuyasha, Jason and Steph bonding over calling Bruce old geezer, because Inuyasha’s only memories of him was calling him an old geezer as a very guarded child who suddenly was faced with a stranger who was being nice to him?
-----
Bruce: Don't treat it as a payment. I believe in my children finding the clues, this will only spare them thinking I'm dead. Little Inuyasha: Like hell I'm going to owe you! Bruce: Then in exchange promise me this - you have a good heart, don't let anyone take that away from you.
-----
Just, Inuyasha finding the willpower to make it through all those years before meeting Kikyo, because he promised this weird guy he will pass a message to his kids (and maybe wanting to meet that weird guy again)
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pl-panda · 4 years
Text
The vines that bind us - Chapter 6
Chapter 1 || Previous || NEXT
Elevator took her all the way to the highest floor. When she exited, the floor was back to perfect condition and several more plants were awaiting her. She promised them silently to check on them soon and went to the main office. She knocked several times on the doors, but nobody answered. Hesitantly, she pushed the doors open, but no one was in the office. After double-checking with security, it turned out that Tim Drake did not show to work. She sighed. Looks like more work for her… Just like Nathalie said.
“Didn’t you cause enough drama…” Lila never got a chance to end that sentence, because Mari delivered a straight one strong enough to send her flying several feet back before she came crashing down. Blood pouring from her nose.
The girl was about to launch herself at the liar and pound her into the ground when two strong arms grabbed her. She noticed the characteristic spikes on the sides of black gloves and stated to trash around. “Let me go you overgrown furry!” She screamed. “I will mix her face with the concrete until it’s nice and even!”
She tried to wiggle herself out of his grip. Most of the class surrounded Lila and were trying to help her. It only served to irate Mari more. She kicked her leg back, hitting Batman’s shin. It was finally enough to let her go. The girl fell down... right into the embrace of Chloe and Adrien who managed to get to her on time. The two blondes hugged her tightly. 
“There. It’s alright Goldie. You got her good. Rest.” The girl cooed and pressed her best friend to her chest, muffling the sobbing. Adrien was just silently there and hugged them both. When Batman tried to approach again, the boy sent him an angry glare. The warning was clear and the vigilante didn’t really need anything from the girl right now. 
After a bit, Mari fell asleep in their embrace. The stress finally caught up to her and she couldn’t hold exhaustion at bay any longer. Chloe easily picked her up and started to walk toward a taxi that was conveniently parked nearby, waiting for them. 
“What!?” Angry Alya looked from Lila who was now being cared for by a pair of paramedics. She turned to Commissioner Gordon who was discussing something with Batman. “You!” 
The policeman looked at her curiously. Alya continued her shouting. “You’re letting her go just like that? She just assaulted Lila! She might’ve ruined her modeling career! Arrest her!”
“Miss.” Gordon shook his head. “These are some of the braves men and women in Gotham, but I doubt any of them would dare to try and arrest her right now. They don’t get paid enough.”
“What?!” Several kids started to protest, but Gordon just ignored them and directed Harvey to start taking statements. He wasn’t paid enough to deal with these brats. 
--------
Bruce sighed as he exited the Batmobile. Almost immediately, he was swarmed by the rest of his family. Jason and Dick practically carried him, still in the suit, to the movie room. 
“Now, Ladies and Gents, we have some of the greatest shows for you. We call it… The Demon Trashing!”
What followed was a clip taken from monitoring in the anteroom of the CEO office in Wayne Tower. He watched as Damian, dressed in civilian clothing, and carrying a simple ninjato on his back entered the room. He walked around for a moment before knocking on the main office doors, but whatever answer he got seemed to have irritated him given the scowl that formed on his face. He walked over to the PA’s desk that stood there, but no one was here. After a short moment, one could see the elevator doors open again and a small girl in a smart outfit walked in. Damian dashed to the shadows before she had a chance to notice him. 
Bruce resisted the urge to facepalm. He could already see where this was going. 
When the girl started to walk to the desk, his son suddenly reappeared with the sword drawn. He pressed the blade to her neck. From the angle, it was impossible to see either of them expressions. The man did not expect his son to kill a civilian for trespassing, but the amount of glee on Jason’s and Dick’s faces was suggesting that his headache hadn’t really started.
The girl suddenly grabbed the blade and pushed it away. Damian, probably acting on instinct, tried to cut her, but she just walked out of the way and disarmed his son before knocking him out. There was a short skip to when Jason and Dick entered the room. The small girl was clearly very much irritated with them from the start and when she reached her limits, she used a pencil as a projectile to open the elevator doors. 
A small smirk made its way to Bruce’s face when he saw her storm past his three sons, carrying the ninjato through a tissue. The video ended with Damian waking up.
“And that’s how Drake’s new PA trashed a certain Demon Spawn. I swear, she could probably give Luthor’s bodyguard a run for her money when it comes to being a badass” Jason commented on the silent video in his typical fashion. 
“Tt. She stole my sword.” Damian huffed.
“You mean the sword she later used to stab Riddler’s man before disarming him?”
“I still consider the best part of today when she called B. an overgrown furry,” Dick said trying to hold back on laugher.
“Wait. I have a new personal assistant?” Tim asked half-awake. 
“Yeah. She was supposed to be an intern, but apparently, Sarah hired her on the spot and quit.”
“Oh… Cool.” Tim said and took a swing from his gargantuan cup. 
“Did you manage to pull the video of her taking down Riddler?” Bruce asked.
“The cameras malfunctioned before she even entered.”
“It was me,” Tim confessed. “I was still in my office when the alarm sounded. I keep a separate copy of my suit in a hidden compartment. To save time I dressed there, but I had to disable the CCTV…”
“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” Jason shut him up. “I also got the part when Damian’s eyes roll back as my new screensaver.”
“Tt. You’re lucky I don’t have my sword.”
“Don’t think you’re getting it back any time soon,” Bruce said in a stern tone and sighed. “What exactly do we know about her?”
“She is from Gotham, but she lives in Paris for some years. She said she was practicing martial arts since she was five.” Dick started
“She is also one bada…”
Jason was interrupted by Alfred, who entered the room with a plate full of cookies and tea. “A young woman just called. She asked me to forward a message to young master Damian.”
“Tt. What is it?”
“I quote. ‘Good luck getting your sword back now. Police took it as evidence. Suck it, Wayne.’ I believe the woman was young miss Chloe Bourgeoise.”
Dick, Jason, and Tim were literally rolling on the floor laughing. Bruce just facepalmed.
“No, you can’t break into the evidence room. You might jeopardize the whole investigation if you taint the evidence.” Bruce said in an exasperated tone. 
----------
It was late after midnight (or even early morning, depends on your definition) when the vigilantes returned from the patrol, only to meet Tim and Barbara working on something on Batcomputer in tandem. Whatever it was, they were completely devoted to it since neither realized they had company until Bruce made a coughing sound.
“Not now.” 
“What exactly are you doing?” The father inside Bruce resisted the urge to force-feed Tim some sleeping meds. 
“We’re doing the background check,” Barbara said while typing frantically.
“On my new personal assistant.” The boy supplied.
“oh?” Bruce raised an eyebrow.
“Like… from what we found she is either the worst bitch on the block or strongest badass around.”
“Langauge master Tim.” Alfred scolded him. 
“Sorry. But like seriously! There are so many contradictions.”
“Check this out.” She pulled out a scan of a letter. It was largely creased, but still perfectly readable. “Her adopted parents one day disappeared, leaving her everything they owed sans some of their clothes. It was like they packed and left.”
“You suspect a foul play?”
“I’m not sure. The investigation was a joke and so was the follow-up proceeding. The interesting part is the custody battle that followed.” 
“Jagged freaking Stone and Parisian Mayor.” Tim interrupted Babs. “It ended with a compromise that Jagged was lawfully named her uncle and Mayor became her guardian. She was the one who suggested it.”
“How can one be lawfully named someone’s uncle?”
“Apparently one can in France. Or they just made some concessions to a celebrity. Seen weirder things.” He shrugged. “She was also his designer for years now. You remember that mysterious MDC?”
“The one you used to fawn over?” Bruce asked.
“She is brilliant so sue me.” The boy huffed. “Also, it stands for Marigold Désign et Création. She runs an internet boutique where she takes commissions from both commoners and celebrities.”
“What does it have to do with anything?” 
“I’m getting to that. Gee.” 
“Maybe I will get there?” Babs tried to take over. “She’s been working part-time as a babysitter to get funds to buy materials for new clothes and received nothing but praise. She also became a class representative. A successful one at that. She also holds the national championship in U-17 Mechastrike.”
“How is that important exactly?” 
“You wanted to know everything about her B., so we are giving you everything.” Tim sassed
“Just… get to the important parts.” He shook his head. What did he do to deserve this?
“Fine. Her school records are a mess. Skipping that they wouldn’t hold to any official inspection, they straight-up contradict each other.” Tim waved his hand in some undefined gesture. “On one hand, she receives nothing but praise from the teachers, but at the same time, there are multiple bullying reports and even several assaults in here. Most of them were met with harsh punishments.” Tim opened a separate file. “Too harsh according to the school charter.”
“It didn’t help that the letter from her parents also mentioned these kinds of things.” Babs chimed in, trying to regain control of the tale. Bruce just gave an exasperated sigh. He just gave up and allowed them to solve it, mentally already cataloging the information. 
“Except! There were statements from several people that contradicted this. Especially Chloe Bourgeois. She said, ‘Puh-lease! Mari is the kindest doormat in the world. I was mean to her for years and she still welcomed me back with open arms.’ Given her track record, I’m inclined to believe it.” 
“There was also this Drama, capital ‘D’, with MDC stealing designs. Several tabloids caught the wind of it and it even led to the police investigation. Only after Jagged Stone intervened, the thing quickly shut up.”
“Now onto the juicy parts!” Babs smiled. 
“And that was what? An introduction?”
“Yup. She has a certified black belt in two different martial arts, is a master gymnast, has an IQ of over 130 and owns two separate businesses in Paris.” She quickly read. “As we mentioned, she is the honorary lawful niece of Jagged Stone, but also designed for Clara Nightingale, Nadia Chamack, worked with Gabriel Agreste, was offered an internship from Audrey Bourgeois before she became her ward. She was seen hanging out with Kagami Tsurugi, world-renowned fencer, and Luka Couffaine, the rising star under Jagged Stone’s tutelage.”
“That was fast.” Tim summarised. 
“Yeah. Also, she was adopted some nine years ago. She originally comes from Gotham.”
“Do we know her biological parents?” Bruce asked, getting serious.
“That’s where it gets juicy. When I tried to pull out her adoption files, the computer shut down to avoid detection. There is some serious encryption on it. Probably due to who her father is. We got some of it. She described her mother as ‘wearing an outfit that showed more skin than her beachwear’, so we suspect she was a prostitute.”
“Hm… It’s not unheard of. You say she was with her mother until she was eight?”
“Between seven and nine the file said.”
“Hm… Do you think she is a threat?”
“No. But I have a different question. Why didn’t the league investigate Paris’ supervillain?”
“We were made aware of him only recently, after what our satellites mistook for Poison Ivy attack,” Batman said in an irritated tone. The fact that there was a supervillain running around for close to four years completely undetected grated on his nerves. “Diana Prince has been investigating for some time now. She has it under control.”
“The only problem I see is that she is only sixteen,” Barbara pointed.
“I mean I’m barely seventeen and I ran this company for two years now. And don’t act high and mighty. You started playing Batgirl at fifteen.”
“Played?!” She screamed. 
“You wore a hoodie and carnival mask at first.”
This quickly developed into an insults contest until Bruce finally had enough. He just shook his head and left. Alfred silently followed him, carrying a plate of sandwiches. 
-----
The next morning, Mari woke up in her bed, with Chloe and her curled together in a mess of limbs and clothes. Of course, she panicked and jumped up, waking the blonde.
“Honestly, Goldie, five more minutes. I need my beauty sleep!” She murmured.
“Um… Why are we in one bed?”
“Because you fell asleep hugging me yesterday and refused to let go at any point. I swear I wanted to get a crowbar. Ridiculous!”
“Sorry…” Mari gave her a sheepish smile.
“None of that! You ruined Lila’s face in one punch. Adrien texted me that in the end she lost seven teeth and will require plastic surgery for her nose not to look like a mashed potato.”
“No…!” Her eyes widened. 
“Yup.” Chloe grinned, popping the ‘p’. 
“That’s awful! I can already imagine how much the class will hate me now! And the employees that saw this! There were cameras there!”
“Some people actually applauded you. It could be also because you called Batman an overgrown Furry though…” Chloe’s voice wandered off. Mari collapsed onto the bed, head buried in the pillows.
“Kill me…”
“Can I kill you with hugs?”
“Fine…”
When the panicking bluenette finally calmed down, Chloe got her to sit down and showed her the headlines.
Brave WE employee saves dozens of lives!
A hero without a suit!
Civilian stopped Riddler!
Personal Assistant takes down a dangerous criminal!
They were all overly positive and showed much support. Only one tried to vilify her based on Lila’s comment and her being punched, but it quoted Ladyblog as a reliable source, so it was dismissed. The majority of the comments were also positive. The ‘overgrown Furry’ was already trending too. 
Only one of the articles contained the list of names of people killed in the attack.
Ted Black - a security guard, put himself between the bullet and another employee Sigfried Osborne - a security guard, died when he tried to stop them from entering Molly Bishop - a PR specialist, called the police when she thought the guards were busy Heidi Dickson - a security guard, killed in crossfire Craig Lloyd - an HR employee, wrestled the gun from one of the henchmen before he was shot in the back. Ethel Arson - A lawyer, killed in crossfire Christian Thorn - a security guard, shot two of the riddler’s henchmen in defense of a group of hostages.
Their room had several live plants on the rail. Mari walked to them and allowed her powers to flow. Slowly, the flowers bloomed. She picked seven beautiful flowers and put them on the table.
“Mari… I’m sure they will understand if you don’t come to work today…” Chloe placed a hand on her best friend’s shoulder.
“No… No. I won’t be scared into hiding by Riddler of all people.” She said with determination and some coldness in her voice. She stood up and walked to her suitcase. From there, she gathered a different outfit. Now she would wear a red shirt, a black blazer with the Ladybug logo on her right breast, a black pencil skirt, and black leather ballet shoes (she still hated heels). But the greatest change was her hair and eyes. She let go of her twin pigtails and allowed her wavy hair to run free. It was no longer black, instead turning dark blue with purple highlights. Her eyes also changed. Her bluebell eyes also changed. The iridescent green she used to suppress was now mixed with the normal eye color, giving an entrancing effect that was hard to stop looking at.
“It’s time to rock this place.” She smiled at her best friend.
------- (Play ‘Confident’ by Demi Lovato) --------
Marigold and Chloe entered the Wayne Enterprises in full stride. Flashing her pass, she got them through control without the queue or checking, much to the shock of the class (who still had no idea Mari was now technically their boss). Adrien showed the girls thumbs up. Lila was seething, but neither Chloe nor Marigold paid her any mind and guards didn’t let her follow them and straight-up kicked her to the back of the queue. 
Mari gave a nod to the receptionist, but they didn’t slow down. Elevator was about to close, but one of the employees held it for her. Once they entered, she quickly checked her tablet and the to-do list she had for that day. First stop: PR. Chloe was going to HR to receive a new mentor after… the previous day.
When she entered the Public Relations department, Mari didn’t stop to chat with the employee that looked at her in awe. Her goal was the department’s head office and that’s where she would go. Gently knocking on the doors before entering, she pushed the doors. While she was smiling kindly, her whole posture screamed professional. 
“Hello. Mr. Drake will need the Friday press conference plan adjusted in response to what happened yesterday. There needs to be a mention of the event, as we won’t want to sound too detached. The press would tear us apart. Some gesture to show the public that we care…”
“Maybe a memory board in the lobby? And perhaps schedule Mr. Drake to visit each of the families somewhere next week?”
“I think it will be okay…” For a short moment, Mari allowed her confidence to drop, but she quickly gathered herself and made a note in her calendar. 
“If that’s all…”
“I will also need a press statement no later than by lunch.” She said quickly. “Make it a priority and forward it to me to read before you post it.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” The man smiled. Mari was about to leave when he spoke again. “And thank you for yesterday. Many people owe you their lives.”
She stopped in her tracks, unable to say a word. Finally, she regained her composure. “Thank you. I… I’m coping.” 
As she left the office toward the elevator, Lila and Alya, who were interning in that department, tried to speak with her, but she didn’t even spare them a glance. Alya tried to grab her, but she was stopped by one of the older employees. As the elevator doors closed, Mari could see the girls receive a serious scolding. A grin made its way onto her face. Lila and Alya would have a really hard life for the next two months. Especially if she had anything to say about it. 
Her next stop was the security office. She entered it with a neutral expression, but it lasted only maybe five steps from the elevator. She didn’t tear up. She was a Gothamite inside. Right as one walked out of the elevator, there was a small bar, behind which a board was filled with pictures. Some looked really old, black and white or even sepia, while some others were high-quality and new. Roughly half of them were the clean pictures one would attach to a resume. The other half were profile pictures from social media. Or a photo that was taken in the forest. One was even a detailed drawing of a person. There were maybe fifty of them in total.
“It’s a reminder. Guards who lost their lives since the founding of WE” An older man said. “Silas Wayne started the tradition after he served in the Great War. You’re here for something miss?”
“Oh… Yes. The security on Friday press conference. We must increase it by about fifty percent. And make sure that only those with invites can enter.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her.
“Um…” Mari suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. 
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault.” He said in a comforting voice.
“Thank you, sir.” She allowed a weak smile to enter her face before she left. Only two more stops. 
The elevator next took her to the Legal Department. She had many things that needed to be done here. Chloe met her as soon as she exited the elevator. Mari managed to regain her professional posture and once more emanated the aura of confidence. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up, but she was determined to show that she was okay. 
“I already forwarded your requests. At first, Madame McKinsley was reluctant, but apparently, our entrance is already the top corporate gossip. Good job Mari-bear.”
“Good. Thanks, Chlo. Now get back to work before someone sees me get friendly with an intern. I have a plan.” Before they separated, Marigold let a smile ghost her face. “One more thing. You’re free to unleash the foxes of war.”
Chloe lit up at that. Her whole demeanor changed to almost beaming light. She immediately started planning. Mari left her to the devious scheming and instead went to McKinsley office. The head of the Legal Department was a middle-aged woman with short, slightly graying brown hair and no-nonsense composure.
“Miss Bourgeoise informed me of your visit. I already had several documents prepared, but I will need clarification on several things.” She offered the young PA a chair, but Mari refused with a shake of her head. She opened her tablet and started to go through the list.
“First of all, the video that caused the attack was leaked by an intern. What actions exactly can be undertaken in response?”
“There are several options. We could terminate their contract entirely, but as it’s their first offense, it could’ve been seen as too harsh. It would also require to terminate all internships.” The woman was clearly unamused by the situation. Mari just raised her eyebrow and gave her a quizzing look.
“I’m not sure who in their right mind wrote their contracts, but when I track them down they are gonna get their ass demoted to toilet cleaner. It’s one big mess.”
“Don’t I know it…” Mari deadpanned. “So, other options?”
“We can move them between departments, so having them demoted to Toilet cleaners could also work, but it’s not exactly a legal punishment. The fact that it was Riddler really threw a wrench in any legal proceeding as he is clinically insane and the video was not directly calling him out and only speaking about him. I could give you the legal mumbo-jumbo, but the gist is that they are somewhat protected.”
“What about revoking their privileges?”
“Take that to HR.” 
“Will do. Now, about the next matter.”
“It was much easier. She can’t do anything to you, not even forward the bill. You were in shock and there are several recordings showing her taunting you. If she pushes it, she will lose. You’re a public hero right now. Good job by the way.”
“I was only doing what had to be done.” Mari brushed it, doing her best to keep a professional face. 
“Sure…” It was clear that McKinsley did not believe her.
“Now about the last thing?”
“Ah. The slander. I already directed it to our French and Italian departments, but it’s slow-going. That witch made it an international case. It will definitely bite her, but we have to be patient.”
“Brilliant. Thank you for your time.” Mari left the room with a grin on her face. Now onto the HR.
As she strode through the floor, people turned their heads to look at her. In the killing outfit, she looked older than she was and the aura of confidence and professionalism made her seem like a powerful woman. They had no idea just how powerful she was, but the way she carried herself was enough to make them shake in their shoes. 
----
When the doors of the elevator opened, Juleka and Rose were waiting for her. Both looked furious. Before either got a chance to say anything though, Marigold silenced them with a murderous glare that took away their voice. She strode past them looking fabulous. Any other employee removed themselves from her path to avoid her ire. The rumors were already circulating and the fact that she took down Riddler before Batman even arrived did wonder to her image. 
“Hello. I had an appointment.” She said when she entered the head of the department office. 
“Yes. Miss Dupain-Cheng. I was told you forwarded a list of topics, but an intern lost it.”
“Was this intern from my class?” She asked in a cold voice.
“Um… Yes actually.” The woman said after checking a small post-it.
“Then it was probably sabotage.” Mari spat the words. “I asked to have a list of possible punishments in regards to the newest intern group prepared. Two of them were responsible for the leak. Sadly, as one of them is the class representative, she is quite popular.”
“Ah. Well…”
“First of all, both Alya Cesaire and Lila Rossi are to have all possible privileges revoked for breaking the rules. They leaked or were involved in the leak of video. Neither of them is to be handed anything more important than refilling a stapler or bringing someone coffee, to ensure they are no further threat to this company. They will also receive an official warning and an entry to their acts. They are also restricted to the lower floors. If possible, I want their access to electronic devices restricted. Maybe assign them a pager each so it doesn’t negatively impact their work.”
“Hm… I will see what can be done, Ma’am.” The woman replied, already going through her notes.
“Good. Onto the next business, while it pains me to do it so fast, we need to hire more security as soon as possible. But make sure to triple check their backgrounds.” 
“Understandable.” 
“And the last thing. Why was Damian Wayne allowed to bring a ninjato into the building?”
“There is actually no restriction on bringing swords ma’am. We’re trying to fix it, but we’ve been blocked at every turn even when Mr. Wayne was the CEO.”
“And whose permission is needed?” Mari allowed a small grin.
“Yours would do. Sarah was always too stuck up to even leave her desk unless forced so she didn’t care that much.”
“Consider my permission granted. Forward the paperwork to me.”
“And if Mr. Drake disagrees?”
“He can try.” She said coldly, remembering how close she came to being cut in half.
“Oh…”
“Last thing. When is the top floor scheduled for repairs?”
“It should be done already. It was made to withstand an assault from a much larger force, so we only had to replace the furniture. Following the instructions that were left, we repotted the plants into bigger and more decorative pots. As per your request, we added some more plants.”
“Thank you. Plants always calm me down.”
“I prefer cat pictures.” She pointed at the wall where a cheesy calendar with a cat giving her thumbs-up was hanged. It took all of Marigold’s willpower not to burst into laugher at the image of Chat Noir posing for such a calendar.
“Good. Thank you.” With that, she left. This time, Rose and Juleka did not try anything. They were too terrified of her. 
Elevator took her all the way to the highest floor. When she exited, the floor was back to perfect condition and several more plants were awaiting her. She promised them silently to check on them soon and went to the main office. She knocked several times on the doors, but nobody answered. Hesitantly, she pushed the doors open, but no one was in the office. After double-checking with security, it turned out that Tim Drake did not show to work. She sighed. Looks like more work for her… Just like Nathalie said.
----
NEXT
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Text
Don’t Call Me That Pt. 3
Word count: 15k+ LMAOOOO
TW: Sex, ptsd, abandonment
A/N: I KNOW I DELAYED MY PUBLICATION!! So i’m very thankful for all your support and patience!!! I will be posting outfit pics after this, heheh. You guys are honestly the best. I love your enthusiasm. Keep it coming!! 
Masterlist
Ao3
The deep heat that penetrated your skin and into your muscles was a relief as you rubbed Tiger Balm onto your shoulders and the back of your stiff neck. The mentol of the ointment smelled strong, yet it made you feel relaxed.
Your muscles were feeling tense for a while, largely contributed to the fact that you patrol much more often now that you were done with highschool and was waiting for when University lectures started. Perhaps you could go for a spa or massage. Bruce would definitely pay for your indulgence.
Even though it had been over a year, you were still the relatively new Robin. Such a drastic change in lifestyle wasn’t easy to get used to. The training, the patrols, the constant vigilance, constant analysis. You still felt like it was your first week.
Standing in front of your window, you tried to look for the full moon. But the night was too cloudy, and you sensed a storm was coming soon based on the way the trees outside swayed brutally in the wind. It was three in the morning, and you had returned from patrol.
Jason waited for you like usual outside his room in the Cave, but this time, he didn’t follow you up to your room. It must have been a rough day for him. Dick had told you that Jason went a little bit too hard at the Cave gym that evening, almost injuring himself if Dick hadn’t stepped in to help.
So there you were left alone with your own thoughts that night. You were so used to having Jason in the room with you, that now you felt a bit lonely without him.
You frowned. You thought you had heard footsteps in the distance, but now they were gone. Shrugging to yourself, you concluded that must have been Dick returning to his room for the night.
The door slammed open and you jumped in surprise.
But before you could turn around in response, you felt a pair of arms around your waist, pulling you close to a hard, warm body.
Jason sobbed silently into your back, his forehead resting on your right shoulder. You didn’t ask him why, you didn’t say any words of comfort. Instead, you put your hands over his and squeezed tightly, as tight as how your chest felt.
After fifteen minutes, he finally spoke up.
“I’m sorry,” he choked, “It’s just- it’s been haunting me more these past few days.”
“What has?”
“The nightmares,” he gave a watery reply, “Or- I just can’t stop thinking about it. Even during the day.”
You pursed your lip. “Is it the same one?”
“It always is,” he whispered solemnly, “All the time.”
***
Again, your hair was soaking.
During any other nights of stakeouts in the pouring Gotham rain, you would have complained or wished you brought a shower cap with you. But that night, you were silent.
On the rooftop of a warehouse in the loading bay of Dixon Docks, you and Batman were crouching low near the edges of the roof, using the cement wall that rose to your hips when you were standing as a shield from the two other armed guards on the roof of the building across from yours.
The informant had told Batman that a load of weapons were coming in that night, but he didn’t know what time. So there you were, waiting in the cold wet weather, slowly going into your second hour already.
Anxious and bored, you clipped open your cape and dropped it to the ground for you to sit on. It was drenched and that made it even heavier than it already was.
“Bruce,” you spoke up.
“Batman when we’re in uniform,” he corrected you.
“Right,” you said, “Can I ask you something?”
He nodded, water droplets running down from the sharp tip of his cowled nose.
“Have you ever thought of- of killing Joker?”
The sound of water against concrete provided much cover for your voice, and you weren’t sure if Bruce had answered or not.
“All the time,” he finally did.
“But…?” you prompted.
“But that would be the start of something much worse,” he said solemnly, gazing in the distance.
You waited for him to explain, but he never did.
“What does that mean?” you probed, “I’m not saying all of them, Bruce. Just him.”
“Batman.”
“What?”
“It’s Batman when we’re out.”
You let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay. Batman. Just Joker. Just for what he did. All the things he did.”
He answered you with silence.
“Look, I know your rationale, and I understand it, I really do. A lot of these people, they didn’t ask for this. They didn’t ask to be desperate enough to have to choose to be a criminal. Hell, even Pyg can’t help it. He’s got.. Schizophrenia or something, right? But Joker… He’s got no excuse. The man is plain evil. And he’s better off dead.”
“We don’t know enough about Joker to rule it out as plain evil,” Batman tried to rationalize with you, “And we don’t get to choose who lives and who dies. That’s not our job. That’s not anyone’s job.”
The rain came down hard, and it sounded like white noise as you registered what Batman told you. He was still defending Joker.
“What if I told you I wanted to kill him?” you whispered, so low that if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t be able to catch your words.
“Then I’ll stop you.”
“No,” you tried to keep your voice from breaking, “You wouldn’t. Not if- not if you knew. Not if you truly knew what he did to Jason.”
You saw him clench his jaw, but he left you with no reply.
“I want him dead, Bruce,” you grit, “I want to rip him apart and scrape every single cell in his body against every surface of this planet, Bruce. I want him to feel everything that he did.”
“Robin, for the last time-”
Oh, no. Don’t you dare.
“When we’re on patrol, it’s Bat-”
“I don’t give a fuck!” you yelled, standing up on your feet in anger, forgetting where you were at that moment.
“Robin, down!”
You felt it first before you heard it.
A sharp pain that vibrated through your bones. You felt the pain power through you from your back, just a few inches below your shoulder, and then you fell forward. You tried to break the fall with both your arms, but your right arm couldn’t move, so you fell almost flat on your face into the ground.
And then you heard it, the loud BANG of a gun, Batman yelling something in the distance and then disappearing, more gun shots, and then footsteps rushing towards you.
“Robin,” he said with urgency in his voice, “Are you okay?”
“Can’t- breathe- pain- ow-” you gasped, trying hard to manage with shallow breaths, because every time you inhaled, the pain became more intense.
“We need to get you back. Can you move?”
“I- I think so-” you tried to move your legs, wincing when you moved your upper body. Batman lifted you up by gripping onto your left arm, pulling you to your feet.
“I’ll carry you to the Batmobile,” he stated, “You can’t grapple like this.”
You nodded, shame and guilt burning into you as he lifted you up in a fireman’s carry.
***
“Alfred!” Bruce’s voice boomed loudly in your ear as he carried you out the vehicle, echoing back at you in the Cave.
He rushed you to one side of the cave, where there always was a bed and a very complete first aid kit- that shouldn’t even be called first aid anymore. It was where Alfred would perform emergency medical interventions straight after patrol, and then only after that, the said patient would be moved to the infirmary upstairs in the manor for recuperation.
You were hanging upside down over Bruce’s shoulder, ass jutting out in the air. Honestly, the embarrassment would have been the most painful thing about the whole ordeal if you were used to getting shot like Dick or Bruce was.
From the countless times you saw them injured, you always thought getting shot was no big deal. They handled it well, and then even a week later, they would be back in uniform.
That was miscalculation on your side. It wasn’t that it didn’t hurt, they just got used to the pain.
Because the bullet shoved into your shoulder blade right now hurt like a mother fucker. You knew it didn’t even hit your lung, but you couldn’t breathe because of the pain. You felt lightheaded, and your current position was not helping.
Out of the corner of your eye, though, you saw Jason stand up from his box, rushing to you.
“What the fuck happened?” he demanded.
Bruce put you down gently on the bed, the change in position making you cry out and groan as you sat upright.
“What the hell happened, Bruce?!” Jason yelled.
For the first time ever since getting to know Bruce Wayne, you saw him stunned as he looked at Jason.
“Well?!” he pushed.
Bruce took off his cowl, and set it aside. “She got shot.”
“How?” Jason hissed, “Where?”
“Shoulder blade- I don’t think it’s fatal. You can calm down.”
“Calm- calm down?” Jason’s nose flared in anger. “This happened on your watch, Bruce! Need I remind you what happened the last time something went wrong with a Robin on your watch?!”
Bruce didn’t say anything to that. Instead, he clenched his jaw tight, eyes looking down.
“It- it was my fault,” you panted, “I took off my cape. I practically asked them to shoot at me. Was being stupid.”
“What’s the cape got to do with anything?”
“It- yours- yours wasn’t bulletproof?” you asked out of curiosity. Anything to distract you from the pain.
“No,” Jason grit.
“Oh my- what happened?” Alfred finally arrived, immediately opening the first aid kit that was the size of a goddamn cabin suitcase.
“BW to right scapula,” Bruce turned from Jason to assist Alfred, “.22 calibre.”
Alfred sighed in relief. “Very well. We are well stocked on Lidocaine, so this won’t hurt.”
“Okay,” you squeaked
Using a special pair of scissors, Alfred cut through the back of your uniform to expose the injured area.
“Why were you being stupid?” Jason walked over to stand in front of you.
“I just- we- we got into an argument,” you avoided eye contact and played with your thumbs.
“What about?”
“No- argh!” you felt a burn in your back. “A little warning next time, Alfred. It’s my first bullet wound, you know.”
“My apologies, Miss.”
Jason raised his eyebrows at you, waiting for an answer.
You locked eyes with Bruce for a moment, who was hovering behind Jason.
“Nothing. It was stupid. Something about my cape and how it was too cold,” you lied.
Jason stared deep into your eyes intensely.
He definitely was not convinced.
“I will be injecting the anesthesia now. It will hurt for a moment or so.”
“Okay, Alfred.”
“Take deep breath… Hold.”
“Hnng,” you whimpered as you felt another sharp pain.
Jason let out a heavy breath, and muttered, “Jesus.”
“We shall wait for a few minutes for the anesthesia to start its effects before I attempt to extract the bullet.”
“Sit next to me, Jay,” you smiled, patting the space next to you.
“I’m fine where I am,” he huffed, crossing his arms. Then, his eyes softened, “If it makes you feel better, I’ve survived worse. You’ll… Get through this.”
“Is that an attempt to comfort me?” you laughed.
“Maybe,” he frowned.
“Well, I’m all good. Anesthesia is kicking in. I don’t feel it much anymore,” you told him.
“Good,” he gave you a stiff nod, “You shouldn’t have to feel any sort of pain. No one should.”
His eyes fluttered away from yours as your heart sank.
Bruce pursed his lips in hesitation before he attempted to say anything. “Jason…”
“Only she gets to call me that,” his snapped at Bruce.
You felt a little bad, but at the same time you couldn’t help but a feel a little happy the way you were the special one.
“Okay, son. I’m sorry,” Bruce said softly, “For… For everything.”
“I don’t care about that anymore,” Jason choked.
“I should have been better,” Bruce continued, “God, I should have done more.”
“I said I don’t care anymore,” Jason grit, “But I swear, Bruce, I will murder you if you let another one of us slip through your fingers again.”
“I assure you, you wouldn’t have to. I would… myself...” Bruce sighed, “But duly noted. I’m sorry.”
This time, the apology was directed to you.
“No,” you shook your head, “It was my fault. I kept… I kept accidentally saying your name, and I was emotional… I’m just a newbie, Bruce. It’s not your fault. I acted rashly.”
“You did,” Bruce agreed, “Which is why I’m taking away your patrol privileges. Only twice a week now until I think you’re ready again for more responsibility.”
“Twice a week?” you groaned, “I mean I understand, but even when I was starting out it was three times!”
“Yes, you have been demoted,” Bruce smirked. He fucking smirked, “For calling me by name in the field three times, and sabotaging a mission. Now there are dozens of illegal and untraceable weapons in Gotham’s black market. Or do you not think this is an adequate disciplinary action?”
“It’s adequate,” you grumbled.
“No more taking off capes during patrol,” he added, “Even during storms.”
“Well, maybe you could make it lighter or waterproof then,” you retorted.
“I will see to it,” he nodded, “That is all. Let me know the damage, Alfred.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I used to get way worse,” Jason muttered when Bruce walked away.
“Ah, yes,” Alfred chimed in, getting started on extracting the bullet lodged in your back. “I remember many arguments. And broken china.”
“You broke things?” you chuckled at Jason.
“Yeah,” the corner of his lips twitched upwards, though it was tough to tell whether he was actually smiling, or it was because of the scar that twisted his lips upwards.
“Actually,” Alfred interrupted, “Master Bruce would also break things. When you’re gone, that is.”
“Did he?” Jason blinked in surprise.
“Oh, yes,” Alfred hummed, “You created much ruckus in the household, Master.”
You didn’t miss how Alfred too avoided his name.
“Bruce has always been nice to me,” you defended.
“Maybe because you never caused trouble,” Jason said, “Not the way I did.”
You now felt Alfred digging into your back. It was an odd sensation, but at least you didn’t feel pain.
“He still very much loves you despite it all,” Alfred said quietly.
Jason didn’t reply to that, and now an uncomfortable silence hung over the three of you.
“Hey, at least now we all got matching scars, huh?” you grinned, trying to break the tension. “I’m pretty sure each and every one of us has a gunshot wound. Or two. Or three. Or-”
“I have more than just gunshot wounds,” Jason stated.
“Yes, yes, torture and all that,” you waved your hand in dismissal, earning a small chuckle from Jason. “But really, though. It’s like a right of passage for us vigilantes, huh? It’s like I’m finally official now. Do you have one, Alfred?”
“More than one,” he informed you.
“Wokay, buddy, it’s not a competition,” you rolled your eyes, “Talk about a cut throat.”
“You’re really irritating,” Jason commented.
“But you love me anyway,” you grinned. “Do you love me, Alfred?”
“I suppose I have no choice but to say yes, Miss,” Alfred retorted.
“Aww, don’t be like that.”
“It’s finished,” Alfred announced. “Bullet has been extracted, and your wound sutured.”
“That was fast.”
“The bullet is in one piece,” he said, “Would you like me to make a necklace from it? That’s what Master Dick did with his first.”
“Hell yeah!” you looked at Jason, “What did you do with yours?”
“I dug it out and threw it back at my dad,” he monotoned.
“Wait… what?” your smile fell. You knew his dad was a criminal who went to prison, but you didn’t know anything about their relationship.
A rustle of plastic. Alfred kept himself busy.
“Just get some rest,” Jason sighed. He reached out to tuck your hair behind your ear. “Don’t strain yourself.”
His hand lingered there on your cheek, going downwards to tilt your head up, forcing you to meet his eyes.
“I don’t like the idea of you getting shot at,” he whispered.
“You and I both,” you snickered.
“I’m serious,” he frowned, “Be more careful. You’re too much of an idiot.”
“Okay, I will,” you smiled. It was nice to see that he cared. That he showed he cared.
“You get the bed all to yourself tonight. You’ll want the space,” he informed you, dropping his hand.
“I don’t mind if you-”
“Sleep facing down, keep a glass of water close,” he interrupted, walking away to his cube. “Goodnight.”
He closed his door.
You waited for a second, thinking of what Jason had said earlier.
“I take it his relationship with his dad was not good?” you asked Alfred.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Jesus,” you let out a breath, “He’s been through so much, hasn’t he? Guy can’t catch a break.”
“Indeed,” Alfred agreed. “It would be nice for him to be at peace. Perhaps, for once in his life.”
***
“There’s a stack of pancakes, amazingly greasy bacon, berries, cream, butter, maple syrup, waffles- and you’re eating cereal?” you judged.
“Why, my naive sister, don’t you know?” Dick replied, “I need to stick with my reputation, for I am the known cereal killer.”
“That joke has lost its charm after the first thousand times it’s been said, tweeted, and shared online,” you brandished your fork at him.
Dick was over at the manor that Saturday morning, two days after your injury. He had arrived the night before to visit and congratulate you on your first gunshot wound. As expected, he had tried to hug you. But Jason was there, and when Dick rushed towards you, he had stuck out his leg and tripped him over.
“She’s still in pain, you idiot,” Jason had snorted before descending back downstairs to hide away in his box.
Dick on the other hand, had looked up at you from the floor- despite how he obviously should have dodged or maneuvered- with tears in his eyes. “That was the longest thing he had ever said to me.”
Rolling your eyes, you had helped Dick back up.
“I started it!” Dick shouted at you, “No one believes me! I updated my facebook status all those years ago, some reporter reported it, and then suddenly everyone was tweeting it as if they made it up themselves.”
“I’m sorry, Dick, but that’s just not true,” you shook your head. Dick had been trying to convince you he was the trend setter for a lot of things in the past.
“I’m so disappointed in your lack of faith in me. I swear, man, I-”
Dick broke off and looked behind you.
Turning around, you saw Jason standing there with a hand in his hair. “Room for one more?”
“Of course,” Bruce said first, “I’ll have Alfred get you-”
“No, I’m on it,” Dick scrambled to his feet and dashed to the kitchen.
Jason pulled up a chair next to you. His movements were stiff. He was obviously nervous to be joining everyone for breakfast.
“Here,” Dick passed a plate and utensils to him.
“Thanks,” Jason muttered.
“No problem,” he grinned wide, like a kid getting his head pat after winning a trophy.
Jason stacked pancakes and bacon and everything else on his plate.
“What?” he grunted at you.
“Yo- you- you planning to finish all that?” you gaped.
“This?” he looked at his plate, “Yes. And then I’m gonna go for seconds.”
“Okay,” you laughed disbelievingly.
You, Dick, and Bruce made very brief eye contact with each other, and then smiled into your respective plates and continued to eat.
“Uh, Bruce?” Jason spoke up.
“Yes?”
“Can I… Can I move back into my old room?” he asked.
Bruce blinked once. “Yes. Of course. When would you like to move in?”
“As soon as we finish here, I can get my stuff from downstairs,” he informed Bruce.
“The room hasn’t been… cleaned,” Bruce said, “I can ask Alfred to prepare it for you. I left it… the way you left it.”
You only went into Jason’s old room once, out of curiosity. It was the first month you were there. After Alfred found out, he had strongly advised you to keep out because Bruce wanted to preserve it the way Jason had left it, all those years ago.
Out of respect, you stayed out of Jason’s old room and never went back in again after that.
“Then it’s fine,” Jason insisted, “I’ll change the sheets myself.”
“It’s probably dusty,” Bruce pointed out.
“I’ve had worse,” Jason shrugged.
“Indeed,” the older man nodded, “Alright. Let me know if you need anything.”
Silence again. But after ten minutes, Bruce asked, “Does this mean you will be sleeping in your own room instead of…”
Bruce glanced at you.
That was surprising, coming from Bruce. He usually would never ask about things that weren't his business. The fact that he did must have meant that he was either really curious, or he strongly opposed it.
“Bruce,” you hushed.
“Why?” Jason smirked now, though there was no humor in his eyes, his mouth twisting upwards into a distorted smile. “You worried about your little princess sleeping with the mentally fucked up son?”
“No,” Bruce stated, “I just realised that I never got around to having the talk with either of you. I was wondering if I should.”
“Bruce!” you gasped, cheeks heating up. “Come on!”
“You don’t have to worry about anything,” Jason grit, stabbing his pancake with his fork almost too violently, “Joker fucked me up in more ways than one.”
Silence. Longer than it should have been.
“What do you mean by that?”
Dick was the one to break it, his soft warm voice attempting to coax and comfort.
You glanced at Bruce. On the surface, it seemed that he was showing no reaction, but you saw the way he gripped his knife, his knuckles white.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jason scowled.
Bruce rose from his chair, more robotic than usual. “Just… tell me if you need anything. I’ll be at the computers.”
He left with an odd expression on his face.
***
“Tired of walking up the stairs to come see me?” you teased, leaning against the door to Jason’s room.
He was wiping his bedside table with a piece of wet cloth when he glared at you.
“I came in here once,” you told him, looking at the books aligned neatly on the shelves, the photos he had arranged on his desk. His laptop opened but not switched on, with a stack of papers next to it weighed down by Bruce’s fountain pen he probably stole. “Then never again when I found out that Bruce was kind of anal about people coming in here.”
You remembered that the bed was made, and that the sheets were blue. Now they were maroon.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? Oh, forgive Bruce. He was suffering the whole time, too,” he mocked.
“Dickhead,” you retorted, “No. I just noticed that you must have had your laptop on the last time I was in here. I was wondering what you were doing when Alfred came in and told me to get out.”
“Hmm,” he frowned, looking towards his desk, “I don’t remember what I was doing on it. Maybe my essay?”
A smile crept on your lips. You walked over to the desk. “Switch it on,” you grinned.
He narrowed his eyes and came over. It took a minute for the laptop to show the homescreen. The icon was a picture of him from when you assumed to be two years ago , with Dick next to him. Both grinning at the camera.
His smile was different back then. So were his eyes.
“Huh,” you observed, “It was on sleep this whole time? Charging? The battery’s gotta be destroyed by now.”
Jason quickly typed in his password, and then logged in.
The screen showed exactly what Jason had been up to on his laptop two years ago. He slammed it shut, but not before you got a glimpse of the screen.
Porn. Jason was watching porn.
A kinky video too, now that you were thinking about it.
You laughed out loud. His eyes were wide in horror, and- holy shit. He was blushing! His ears went red, and a tint of pink appeared on his cheeks.
“Shut up,” he scowled, looking away embarrassed.
That made you double up and laugh even louder.
“I was sixteen, come on,” he groaned, “Every sixteen year old was horny.”
“No- it’s - it’s not that,” you gasped for air, tears in your eyes, “All this while- all this while, I’ve been so fucking curious. And now I know- it was- it was on PornHub. Jason! Your laptop was on PornHub for two whole years!”
You continued your fit of giggles, before- “Ah! Ow, ow,” you suddenly winced. The injury on your back was pulsating pain while you laughed hard.
“Are you okay?” Jason rushed to your side, panic in his eyes. “What’s wrong? Tell me!”
“I’m fine, Jesus, calm down,” you straightened up and took deep breaths, “It hurt when I laughed, that’s all.”
“You shouldn’t strain yourself,” he worried.
“I’m okay, Jason,” you rolled your eyes, “It’s no big deal.”
His eyes searched your face for any hints of pain, and then he sighed. “I… Came back up here so I can be closer to you… Just- just in case.”
“Just in case of what?” you frowned.
“If anything happened to you,” he muttered, looking away again.
“What’s going to happen to me up here?” you asked, “It’s perfectly safe.”
“I don’t know… What if you.. Fal in the shower or something,” he huffed, crossing his arms.
“Fall in the- Jason, I’m not a grandma!” you chuckled, “I’m Robin. Trained vigilante. I can handle myself in my own home.”
“I was a trained vigilante too, and look where that got me,” he grit.
You didn’t know how to answer that.
“Look,” he sighed, “I just. You got shot. If you had moved a couple of inches to the right, the bullet would have hit your spine. I kept on thinking about that, that’s all.”
“I get it,” you nodded. He was thinking about you dying.
You couldn’t blame him. Death and pain seemed to follow him everywhere. It was probably the only thing on his mind.
“But you don’t have to worry, okay?” you added, “I’ll be careful. Promise. Plus, now that Bruce is limiting my patrols, I get to spend more time with you at night! And I won’t be so tired in the morning. What do you say, you wanna go out later? Maybe somewhere aside from the park?”
“I, uh, I’m actually following Alfred to the grocery store later,” he said, “He says I should pick out ingredients since I eat the most in the house. It’d be easier for him to plan my meals if I were there for him to ask as well.”
“Oh!” your eyes widen in surprise. “That’s great, then.”
You grinned widely. Now that he’s going out with Alfred, it was also one step closer to him going out alone.
“Yeah,I guess,” he shrugged, “I’m just gonna clear out a few more shit from here.”
“You mean delete your browsing history?” you teased.
“What for?” he snickered, “Not like you’re coming anywhere close to my computer.”
“And even if I did, I wouldn’t judge. Much,” you winked. “I need to change my bandages. See ya.”
You found yourself worrying less and less about Jason lately, and he found himself worrying about you more and more.
Despite being more independent now, he had started to get clingy.
At first, you would have thought that Jason Todd and ‘clingy’ were two things that would never coexist together. On the contrary, ever since your injury, he wouldn’t leave your side unless it was to go out with Alfred.
You stayed home for the next two weeks for recuperation, and it was basically two weeks of Jason. You woke up, he was there next to you. You ate, he was there finishing your food. You watched TV, he was there fighting for the remote control.
But when you finally did heal and got to go out for patrol- that was the worst.
“He has been anxious the whole night,” Alfred had whispered to you once you came back. Jason had approached you with a serious look on his face, examined you up and down, nodded, and then went back upstairs.
“Hurry up, I’m sleepy,” he had grumbled, leaving you in shock.
You would have been annoyed if it wasn’t for the fact that it was Jason and he showed that he cared enough about you to be worried. So you were actually quite pleased.
So with all the clinginess and worries and occasional outings with either you or Alfred, you weren’t ready for when he suddenly disappeared while you were sending out some emails to the Gotham University staff.
“Uh, have you seen Jason?” you walked up to Bruce who was down at the Cave computers.
“No,” he frowned, “He doesn’t come down here much after he moved upstairs unless he’s waiting for you. Has Alfred not seen him?”
“I haven’t asked, but he wasn’t in his room, or mine, or the gym, or the kitchen either,” you bit your lip anxiously, “I texted him but he hasn’t replied. I’ll go find Alfred and ask.”
“Let me know.”
You found Alfred in the study, taking and dusting books to give to Jason.
“I’m afraid not, my dear,” he answered your question, “The last time I saw him was during breakfast. I have been up here since.”
“Shit, I can’t find him,” you started to panic.
“I’m sure he is fine,” Alfred tried to reassure you, “He’s been much better lately. He knows how to take care of himself.”
“I’ll call him or something,” you worried, going down to wait in the living room.
He never picked up, so you waited there anxiously for the next two hours, barely paying attention to whatever documentary that was playing.
Then at around five, he came waltzing in from the front door, fucking whistling a low tune.
“Jason!” you stood up.
“Hey,” he greeted you casually. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s- what’s wrong?” you repeated, “You just disappeared. For hours. You didn’t answer my texts or calls. Where were you?”
“Out,” he told you.
“O-out?” you asked, “Like, alone?”
“Yeah?” he frowned, “What’s the big deal?”
“Nothing, I just- I was just wondering where you were,” you breathed and sat back down, “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere interesting,” he shrugged, taking a seat next to you on the sofa, “The park at first. Then the grocery store. Then I parked somewhere and walked around Central Gotham.”
“You drove?” your eyes widen.
“Yeah, your car,” he grinned, “Didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I don’t,” you smiled, “How was it? Your day out?”
“Fine,” he simply said, “No big deal.”
He said that and tried to look modest, but you could see from his expression that he was pretty proud of himself. You had learned how to read his emotions better, and that was definitely a genuine, non-sarcastic, non-mocking smile he had on.
“No big deal, huh?” you chuckled.
“Yeah,” he smirked at you. “Why? Were you worried?”
“No way,” you rolled your eyes, “Why would I be?”
He narrowed his eyes and took out his phone. “Nineteen missed calls. Six text messages. ‘Jason, where are you?’ ‘Jason, I’m serious.’ ‘Why aren’t you picking up your phone? Are you in trouble?’ ‘Please call me back, I’m worried.’ ‘Don’t be an asshole and pick up you massive prick.’ And last but not least- I think this one is the best, by the way. Just ‘Dickhead.’”
“Well, why didn’t you pick up? Or text me back?” you demanded.
“Had it on silent. Didn’t want any distractions,” he pocketed his phone, “Wasn’t worried, huh?”
“Shut up,” you huffed, “I thought you… Left or something.”
“Left?” he frowned.
“Yeah, I thought you packed your bags and left us,” you looked away.
“Why would I do that?” he asked.
You simply shrugged.
“I’m not going to leave you,” you heard him softly say, “Not anytime soon, anyway.”
“Good,” you huffed, “Because I’d be super pissed off.”
“And I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side, huh?” he nudged you lightly, “Or I’d lose sponge bath privileges.”
“God, that was one time, and it was because you stank!” you groaned, “Never again.”
“Never?”
“Ever.”
You looked into his eyes then, twinkling playfully at you.
“What if I got sick?” he smirked, “Or shot? And I couldn’t get to the shower? And I started to stink so bad you wouldn’t want to stay next to me?”
“Then Alfred can give you your sponge bath,” you rolled your eyes.
“But what if I want it to be you?” he breathed, his voice a mere whisper.
“Then,” you leaned in closer, “I’d make you beg for it.”
He chuckled and left it at that.
***
The soft sheets wrapped around your almost bare legs, gently caressing your smooth skin. Your eyes had adjusted to the darkness already, since you’ve been laying in bed for about half an hour, staring at the ceiling.
“Has Gotham always been so bright?” Jason grumbled from next to you.
“What do you mean?”
“The city. It was so bright,” he complained.
“No, Gotham is gloomy, Jason. It’s a whole Gotham thing. Gloomy, rainy, cloudy, shithole,” you went on, “Streets are sticky for some reason. And then there’s always that weird smell going on. You ever notice that smell?”
“Seemed bright to me,” he ignored your question.
“That’s,” you turned on your side to face him. You could see the silhouette of his side profile looking upwards. The bump at his crooked nose bridge, the dip of his deep set eyes, even the length of his thick eyelashes. “Because you have been cooped up in the house for too long.”
“I’ve been out with you,” he mumbled, turning to face you as well. “To the park. The grocery store. It’s just the city. Seemed brighter.”
“Maybe because you’re looking at it from a new point of view?” you guessed, “Changed person and all, yada yada.”
“Maybe,” he snorted, “Doubt it. But whatever. It’s not important.”
From the new position, you were now closer to him. You could feel the slight brushes of his skin against yours whenever he took a breath.
“You don’t always have to dismiss something,” you told him softly, “Just because you can’t find the answer, doesn’t mean it’s not important.”
“Who the hell cares if Gotham is brighter or not?” he argued, “It doesn’t affect anyone. Not even me.”
“The questions you ask say a lot about the type of person you are,” you reasoned.
“And?” he breathed, “What type of person am I?”
You bit your lip when you saw his eyes flutter to your lips for just a second. “Perceptive. Introspective. Kind of an asshole, but that’s okay.”
He let out a breathy laugh that fanned warm breath across your face. Taking a deep breath, you sighed as you looked back at him, for no reason at all. You looked down at his lips for just a second and noticed it was ever so slightly parted. Relaxed.
“If you kiss me, I’ll bite your tongue off,” he stated.
You blinked. And then burst into a fit of giggles. “What makes you think I was going to kiss you?”
“You had that look in your eye,” he smirked, “The one that says that you wanted to kiss me. Don’t. I’m not joking. I’ll bite your tongue off.”
“You’re such a scary man, Jason,” you smiled at him endearingly.
“Really? I thought I had charm.”
“Charming people don’t say that they’re going to bite someone’s tongue off,” you laughed, “Dick would never do that.”
“Dick,” he snorted, “What does he know?”
“He knows not to say something like that to someone,” you grinned.
“But you kind of like it when I threaten you,” he pointed out.
“What? Since when?”
“Sweetheart, I technically choked you,” he reminded you, “I keep on saying that I’ll kill you over the smallest things. It’s either you’re dumb or kinky. I think I know which you’d rather be.”
“I’m not dumb, but the kinky one here is definitely you,” you insisted, “I saw the title of that video, Jason. Girl gets-”
“Stop,” he interjected you, “Don’t even. Ever.”
“My point exactly,” you grinned proudly at your win. “You’re the one with the kinky porn videos. You’re the one with the boner almost every night.”
“Can you blame me,” he groaned, “I’m a sexually frustrated eighteen year old who can’t bring himself to come. Give me a break.”
“You’re dragging me down with you,” you whined, “You think I’m not hormonal, too? I’m at the peak of my hormonal mess and my monthly cycles don’t help either.”
He let out a long sigh. “You can kick me out any time you want, you know. I won’t threaten you. Much.”
“I don’t mind you sleeping here,” you told him honestly, “I mean, it’s got its pros and cons. Cons like getting me all hot and bothered is the same category as you taking up all the space and stealing the covers.”
“And the pros?”
“You get to sleep peacefully,” you shrugged.
“But there’s nothing in it for you.”
I get to sleep next to you. I get to feel your arms around me.
You didn’t say that out loud. You were open with him, but not that open.
Instead, you turned around to face your back towards him. “I like cuddles. I used to cuddle with Dick when I was the one who had nightmares. So just shut up and cuddle me.”
The bed shifted, and you heard rustling, then Jason’s arm snaked around your waist and pulled you closer, flushed against his front.
“Jesus- Jason!” you whined.
“I told you, I can’t help it!” he defended himself.
You squirmed against him, unintentionally grinding your ass against his crotch, boner poking directly into your flesh.
“Hnng. Fuck. Stop moving so much, you’re making it worse.”
The sound he made and the ‘fuck’ he dropped sent shooting heat directly to your core.
Fucking hormones.
“You fucking stop sounding like that,” you shot back at him.
“What? Sounding like what?”
“All moany and breathy and- and swearing and shit.”
“What? Breathy?” he breathed.
“Yes, like you ran a fucking mile,” you said. “You’re panting like crazy, Jason.”
“So are you.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am- fuck you,” you groaned, pushing back against him in reflex.
His grip on your waist tightened, but he chuckled. “If only.”
“Shut up,” you panted. “Ugh. This is literally peak horny teen phase.”
“Dry humping? Definitely. Just- just stop for a sec, Jesus.”
Your heavy breaths filled the dark and silent room. But only for a few seconds.
“Okay- I’m sorry- I can’t,” you sat up.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom to… Relieve myself,” you winced at how bad that sounded.
“Like, to pee? Or..?”
“To fucking come, Jesus Christ,” you pressed the top of your nose bridge. “You may be able to hold it in, but I can’t.”
“Stay,” he instructed, catching your wrist.
“I said I can’t hold it in, you piece o-”
“Then don’t. Make yourself come. But do it here.”
You opened your mouth to argue, then closed it back, looking at him perplexed. “Like… The other day?”
He considered it for a second. “No. Not like the other day.”
“Then what?”
Propping himself up on his elbows, he gave you a mischievous grin. “I’ll drag the chair to face the bed and watch you.”
You immediately felt yourself blush, though the heat also went to your belly. “W-what? No way. That’s too embarrassing.”
“Nothing I haven’t seen,” he shrugged.
“You haven’t seen my… That,” you winced.
“That?” he smirked.
“Yes, that,” you repeated, “You haven’t seen it, and it’s embarrassing if you watched.”
“Sure, I haven’t seen yours,” he went on, “But a pussy is still a pussy, sweetheart. Not that I wouldn’t think yours is special- I’m sure it is.”
You pursed your lips, thoughts running quickly through your mind. On one hand, it was the first time you would bare yourself to someone else and you were nervous and shy about it. On the other hand, the thought of Jason watching you get yourself off was hot as fuck.
“Fine,” you conceded, horniness taking over your shyness, “But on one condition.”
“And what’s that?” he whispered, sitting up and leaning in closer to you.
“You gotta take out your dick and show it to me too,” you grinned.
“That,” he got off the bed and walked across the room to pull a chair from your desk, “I can do.”
He switched on the lamp on your desk, illuminating the room dimly with warm light and positioned the chair to face the foot of your bed and sat down, grinning so unbelievably wide for his standards that you were sure his cheeks would start to hurt soon.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled down his sweatpants to his knees, revealing his cock with a small slap on his pubic bone- erect, thick, long, hard, and judging from the way the light from the little light of the desk lamp reflected on it, wet at the tip with precum.
Your jaw dropped at the sight of him smirking away, leaning comfortably back into your chair, legs now slightly parted. Shirtless Jason was something you had trouble getting used to, your imagination running wild whenever you saw him in that state.
But your view of him right now? You made sure to burn it into your mind because that would be your permanent spank bank material.
How you wished you could ask if you could take a picture.
“I know I’m a sight, sweetheart,” he chuckled, “But you’re the one who said that you couldn’t hold it in anymore.”
He was right. Since Jason took off his pants, you were already dizzy with heat that spread from your core.
“Jesus, Jason,” you breathed, hand cupping your own cunt and grinding it to relieve some pressure. “You’re insanely- just- Jesus.
He smiled at you softly, his hands both on each respective arm rest, not touching himself at all. “You don’t have to take off anything if you don’t want to. You can just do it under the sheets if you want.”
“Hell no, you changed my mind,” you shook your head, proceeding to take off your sleeping shorts, “Now I’m just horny as fuck, I don’t care anymore.”
You threw your shorts to the floor and leaned back onto some propped pillows. Spreading your legs slowly, you welcomed the cold air that brushed softly against your folds.
“Holy shit,” you heard him gasp.
And then out of nowhere, you started to get nervous again. Your hands went between your legs and hid your pussy from his view.
Jason must have noticed your change in body language, because he sat up straight and tried to reassure you again. “I know it’s your first time showing yourself to someone- hell, it’s mine too. But you don’t have to worry. You’ve already seen me at my worst. I have way more reason to be embarrassed than you do. And right now you’re showing your best to me. You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Your heart fluttered at his words, and what do you know? You felt yourself easing back into the mood again.
“O-okay,” you nodded, and then slowly spread your legs wider, removing your hands from obstructing his view.
You noticed him lean forward, his heavy breaths audible to you in the silence of the room. With much more confidence than before, you started to slowly circle your clit, breathing out a small moan.
“Fuck,” you heard him breathe.
You were wet, wetter than you thought you would be, and Jason cursing while watching you touch yourself did wonders to your body.
Increasing the pace to one you were most used to, you let out another moan, louder than before.
“Shit, sweetheart,” he gasped, “I can see how wet you are from here.”
“It’s your fault,” you whined, “You made me like this.”
“Well, you made me like this,” he groaned, gesturing to his raging erection. It was twitching against his lower stomach, leaving a trail of wetness on his skin as it oozed precum.
“Jason,” you purred, slipping a finger inside of you while you rubbed on your clit.
“Fucking- hnng-”
Glancing back at him, you saw the way he gripped the arm rest, knuckles white, muscles taut. He looked like he was being tortured.
You let out a laugh.
“What?” he angrily bit at you.
“You look like you’re in pain,” you giggled, fingers still working at your cunt.
“I am,” he grit, “My cock wants to be touched so bad, it hurts. You make my cock hurt, sweetheart.”
“Oh,” your eyes fluttered close at the sudden spark. You really did like it when he talked dirty to you.
“I swear I’ve never been so hard in my life,” he groaned, “You make me so hard, baby.”
Baby.
He had never called you that before, but you didn’t want it to be the first and last time.
It wasn’t like his ‘sweetheart’, where he would call you that even in front of Alfred or Dick or Bruce. It wasn’t an innocent nickname or term of endearment that he threw around just for the sake of it.
It was the way it just naturally came to him as the word rolled off his tongue, the way his voice husky and laced with lust made it sound dirty, a secret that just both of you shared.
It was the way he breathed it out, the way he almost stuttered when he pronounced the consonants, the way it was a mix of a small whine and a groan.
It was enough to drive you to the edge of your climax.
“Jason,” you let out a breathy whisper so soft you didn’t know if he heard it.
“You want to come don’t you, baby?” he coaxed you, “I’m not going to come, so you better come for me in my place, sweetheart.”
“Jason.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Come for me hard. Come on, baby. Come for me.”
The finger that you had fucking your own cunt was dripping wet as you fucked yourself harder, as you rubbed yourself faster, as you watched the way Jason bit his lip hard enough to draw blood while he watched you with hooded eyes, cock twitching and begging for attention that he wouldn’t give.
His eyes locked with your own.
“Come for me, baby.”
And you did. Your breaths stuttering, your mouth opened in a silent scream, your toes curling at the white hot sensations that spread from them to the rest of your body as your pussy clenched and fluttered over your single finger.
“Holy fuck-”
“Fuck,” you panted, a wave of fatigue crashed over you as you came down from your high.
You looked over at Jason, and to your surprise, he had his head in his hands, his elbows on his knee. Silent, but obviously filled with tension.
“Jason, are you okay?” you voiced your concern.
“Yeah- just- give me a minute,” he answered with a strained voice.
Watching Jason with worry, you saw the way his hands were also fisting and tugging slightly at his hair.
“Jason-”
He got up and pulled up his pants, and then walked to the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To get a glass of ice cold water to stick my dick in,” he snapped, “Fucking hell, sweetheart. You’re going to fucking kill me.”
***
There were a number of scenarios that you felt were so ridiculous, you didn't think it would actually happen in real life- until it did.
One of them was the fact that you got adopted by billionaire Bruce Wayne, whom you later found out was the Batman himself- accurately confirming the online conspiracy theories you had laughed at on Reddit at four in the morning- and then you becoming Robin. It was so utterly ridiculous, that even then you were questioning whether or not it was all a dream and you were going to wake up in your bed that had springs poking into your back and sheets that were definitely infested with dust mites.
Another scenario was the current president becoming president in the first place- which was a shock to everyone else as much as it was to you at the time.
Which brought you to the current scenario you never thought would happen. In fact, it was so random that the thought itself never even crossed your mind.
Jason Todd sitting across the dining table from you with a murderous glare in his eyes, holding a plate of red velvet cake, wearing a bright pink glittery party hat that only slightly ruffled his gelled hair, a sequined pink tank top that oddly suited his physique and bright pink eyeshadow that brought out the blue in his eyes. His stare was directed to both you, and Alex who was sitting next to you.
How did you get there?
It wasn’t a party party, but more like you inviting your three friends over to the Manor in celebration of your birthday. Natalie had chosen a theme which she demanded everyone follow.
You were just finished setting the table with Dick when you heard a voice from behind you.
“Am I invited?”
Turning around, you saw Jason with his arms crossed and an eyebrow cocked up.
“Well, yes,” you blinked, “Of course. I just didn’t think you’d want to be downstairs with strangers around. I’m sorry, I should have asked anyway. I didn’t want to put you on the spot.”
“It’s fine,” he rolled his eyes, “How many people are coming anyway?”
“Just my three friends.”
“I can handle three people.”
“But can you handle pink?” Dick interrupted, grinning mischievously.
“What?”
“We have a theme, Jason,” you laughed, “You have to wear pink.”
Dick himself was sporting a tight baby pink t-shirt that had the words MY ASS IS TIGHTER THAN THIS SHIRT in black, bold, capital letters. He paired it with fuschia pink shorts that did in fact make his ass look tighter than the t-shirt.
“I don’t have anything pink,” he frowned.
You looked at Dick just as Dick looked at you.
“Fuck, I know that look,” Jason started to shake his his head, “No. No way.”
“I was in between outfits, so I brought them both,” Dick started to chat excitedly, “Let me go and grab it.”
“I don’t want to wear anything you think is nice, Grayson!” Jason yelled at him when he rushed to his room.
“Oh, his style isn’t that bad,” you defended Dick.
“Sweetheart, you weren’t around to see that God awful Nightwing suit with the frills,” Jason shot back at you.
“Hey, I was just discovering myself then,” Dick came back, “Here.”
He threw something at Jason.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No way in hell.”
“Jason, you have to!” you whined and pouted at him, “Please? It’s my birthday.”
“Fucking- fine!”
And that was how you convinced Jason to put on Dick’s pink sequined tank top. The party hat and eyeshadow came next. You learned something pivotal that night.
Jason couldn’t resist it when you pouted and batted your eyelashes at him.
The doorbell rang, saving you from the argument Dick and Jason were having.
“I think the pink eyeshadow brings out the blue in your eyes-”
“Your eyes are blue, too, dumbfuck!” Jason was yelling, “Why aren’t you wearing any?”
“I’m already too pink! You’re wearing black pants- you can handle a little more.”
“I swear to God, I’m gonna-”
“We need to take a picture-”
“I will fucking murder-”
“Hey guys!” you opened the door to reveal your three pink and sparkly friends.
“Babe, you look so amazing!” Natalie squealed, “See, I knew pink was your color!”
“Pink is everyone’s color, Nat,” Sarah interjected, “But I agree, you do look good in that.”
“You guys didn’t compliment me that much when you saw me,” Alex grumbled, nudging you aside to enter without waiting for an invitation.
“Because she slays, and you don’t, Alex!” Natalie followed suit.
“I worked hard on this outfit!” Alex argued back.
You closed the door behind Sarah as your friends made their way into your home towards the living room. They have been there countless times, already familiar with your family.
“Hello there, Dick,” you heard Natalie purr.
Sarah, Alex and you rolled your eyes.
“Nice to see you again, kid,” Dick chuckled.
“Oh come on, Dick!” Natalie whined, “Stop calling me that. I’m not a-”
“Good evening Mr. Wayne,” Alex cleared his throat at Bruce’s arrival, going in for a handshake.
“It’s Bruce, lad,” Bruce smiled warmly.
You didn’t have any inappropriate thoughts for your adoptive father, but he looked good in pink.
“Thanks for having us, Bruce,” Sarah shook his hand as well.
“Yes, Bruce, thank you for- oh, hello there.”
Jason had just walked in from the kitchen, pouting and blushing over how he looked, but was caught unaware at Natalie’s greeting.
“And who are you?” she grinned, throwing a knowing look at you.
“Ah, this is my cousin’s son,” Bruce said, “He’s been staying with us for a while.”
“Jason,” Jason fucking smiled charmingly at Natalie.
Expecting the worst, you were impressed by how relaxed and at ease he looked. Shaking your head to yourself, you thought about how truly skilled and trained Jason was to be able to blend in when he tried.
“Oh,” Alex gave a sound of recognition, “So you’re Jason.”
You were also expecting Jason to throw punches the moment his name left Alex’s lips, but he only narrowed his eyes at Alex. “You.”
“Am I missing something?” Sarah asked.
Alex was grinning, and you recognized that grin. It was the grin he made whenever he was up to no good.
Oh, god.
And surely enough, he threw his arms around your shoulders and brought you closer to his side.
“You’re the one I sent that selfie to,” Alex chuckled, “You should thank me. She would never have sent you a picture of herself half naked otherwise.”
“I don’t need a picture of her half naked when I’ve seen everything in real life.”
In the distance, you heard Dick spat out a drink you didn’t realise he had.
“Okay, I think dinner is ready,” you quickly interjected, prying yourself from Alex’s grip, paying close attention to the way Jason clenched his jaw.
You settled to sit down at the dining table, Sarah taking a seat next to you, Natalie taking a seat next to Dick. The other seat beside you was empty- until Alex rushed to sit down, beating Jason by a beat, who ended up sitting across from you in between Natalie and Bruce.
“What are you doing?” you hissed at Alex.
“You’ll thank me later,” he whispered back with a wink, leaning in a little closer than he usually did.
Sarah had gotten into a conversation with Bruce regarding New York, Natalie was flirting with Dick who seemed to enjoy the attention, which left you, Jason and Alex.
“So, Jason,” Alex spoke up.
Again, you winced internally when he said Jason’s name, but Jason merely looked up from his food and raised an eyebrow. Was this it? Did he not care for it anymore?
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“Oh,” Alex blinked, “I thought you were older.”
“The scars make me look older,” Jason’s mouth twisted into a grin, “Want to know how I got ‘em?”
“Jason,” you warned.
“I don’t want to pry,” Alex said.
“I was in a gang,” Jason smirked, “I got caught by a rival gang one time, and they shoved a knife in my mouth. That’s how I got this one.”
He pointed to the scar on his lips that twisted his smirk upwards even more. You frowned to yourself, asking the silent question. Was that what Joker did to him?
“How about the one on your nose?” Alex asked excitedly.
“Alex!” you smacked his arm.
“It’s fine,” Jason shrugged, “Someone hit me with a crowbar, broke my nose too.”
“The one near your eye?”
“Slammed my face against a wall.”
“Stop it,” you whispered.
“Cheek?”
“Huh, I don’t remember. I have so many. I think it was-”
“Stop it,” you said louder, glaring at Jason.
You didn’t want to hear how he got his injuries, you didn’t like the way he took it so easy.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Jason’s eyes turned soft, “Didn’t mean to upset you.”
You felt Alex’s stare on you, probably trying to read your emotions. He was always good at that.
“Anyway,” Alex changed the subject, “You got a girlfriend?”
You groaned internally. You didn’t know why Alex thought you would thank him later.
“No.”
“Badass guy like you, I’m sure you have a few lining up,” he coaxed.
“Hmm. Maybe just the one,” Jason smirked, looking at you.
“Oh, God,” you groaned out loud this time, feeling your ears burn with embarrassment.
“What, her?” Alex scoffed, “Nah. She doesn’t usually go for guys like you.”
“Shut the fuck up, Alex.”
“Then what kind of guy does she usually go for?” Jason grit, clenching his fists around his knife a little bit too tight.
Alex snaked his arm around your waist and looked at Jason straight in the eyes before answering, “Guys like me. We used to date.”
You were going to fucking murder your best friend- if Jason didn’t murder him first.
Ever since finding Jason in that cell, you had seen many sides to him. The white hot rage that borderline insanity in his eyes for the first few weeks, the empty glassy look he had whenever he stared into space, the panic when you brought him out the first time, the lust he showed only a few nights ago, the laugh and comfort and ease that was slowly brought out which he showed not only with you anymore, but with Alfred and Dick too.
So this was the first time you got to see another expression on him.
Calm, cold and focused anger. A look that sent shivers down your spine, much scarier than when he lashed out at you and choked you a year ago when he was still unstable.
Shit.
You looked over at Alex, thinking that he would start cowering as well and finally put an end to whatever he was planning.
But Alex, the stupid dumbfuck, was still smirking at Jason with a challenging look on his face.
You were going to say something to correct him, but Alfred brought out the cake.
And that’s how you found yourself in that unbelievably dumb scenario.
The rest of the night, Jason was relatively quiet, only answering questions coming from anyone except Alex. Not like Alex was trying to talk to Jason anymore. No, he opted for a more physical approach that even raised eyebrows from Sarah and Natalie.
He started touching you, squeezing next to you on the sofa, leaning in closely to your ear to whisper unintelligible words.
And whenever you pushed him away and tried to scold him, he simply answered with a “You’ll thank me later.” or “Trust me.”
Finally the night came to an end, and with lots of tears from you, Sarah and Natalie- as it was going to be the last time you saw each other for a while. It wasn’t really a separation issue, it was just symbolic.
The four of you had been friends since elementary, and now you were finally going your own way.
You felt Jason and Dick watch your teary goodbyes from afar.
It was Alex’s turn to say his goodbye, but instead of opening his mouth, he just went in for a bone crushing hug. The two of you stayed that way for a minute, and then Alex released you.
“You’ll thank me later,” he said again, and then leaned in unexpectedly to give you a light kiss right at the corner of your mouth.
In the background, you heard Dick chuckle.
You felt yourself flush. He stepped back, winked at you, and then left.
***
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” you smiled at your reflection while combing your hair at the dresser. Jason was sitting on your bed behind you- cleaned and changed. “I’m going to miss them a lot.”
“Yeah.”
You frowned. Jason had been grouchy all night.
At first you thought it was the choice of outfit for him, but he seemed to not mind it in the end. And then you reckoned it was the fact that he had to be around strangers the whole night, but even now he was sour with just the both of you in your room.
Alex must have gotten to him real bad. You were definitely going to give him a piece of your mind later.
You set down your comb and walked to stand in front of him. “You okay there, buddy?”
His frown was deep when he looked up at you, and his lips were in a pout. “No.”
“What’s wrong?” you coaxed.
Suddenly, he stood up, towering above you. “You told me that there was nothing going on between you and Alex.”
“There isn’t,” you reassured, “He was just messing with you. He likes to do that when... “
“When?”
“When he thinks I like someone,” you carefully said, “He tries to make them jealous. It’s not the first time he’s done this.”
“The two of you used to go out?”
“In middle school, Jason!” you sighed exasperatedly, “For like two months before we realised we were better off as friends. He still brings it up to mess with people.”
He narrowed his eyes at you. “I’m still frustrated.”
“Why?”
“Because it worked,” he stated. “Because I get jealous whenever he touched you. Because I wanted to murder him when he kissed you.”
“It wasn’t even on the mouth,” you rolled your eyes, “It was just for show.”
“Well, it fucking worked, didn’t it,” he growled, his hands flying to your hips. “That smug little bastard. Am I really not the type of guy you’d go for?”
“I haven’t met anyone like you, Jason,” you smiled, resting your hands on his chest.
His eyes softened, and he leaned in closer to you, a breath away from touching his lips to yours. “Are you going to bite my tongue off if I kiss you?”
“I’m not a fucking savage like-”
And then he did it, finally, after months of sexual tension, he finally kissed you. Soft and gentle at first as if testing the waters. And then as both of you got the hang of it, his kiss turned into one that was heavy and hard and desperate, as though you were going to run away from him if he didn’t make you stay with his mouth.
He pushed you against the wall, his hands roaming all over you, gripping and squeezing and massaging, while he forced his tongue inside your mouth to explore.
“I want you,” he gasped, going down to your neck to leave love bites, “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
You wanted him too, more than just his body, more than what you had, but you stopped yourself. Because you weren’t supposed to.
“Jason,” you panted, “St-stop.”
And just like that, he did. He wrenched his hands away from you as if he was shocked by electricity and looked down at you with worry in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“You don’t… You don’t want me,” you said solemnly, “Not in the way I want you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just… I’m just the first person you opened yourself up to after a traumatizing event,” you explained, “It’s natural for you to develop a dependency, and I don’t blame you for it, but-”
“You think that’s what this is?” he hissed, “Dependency?”
“It’s like when a patient falls in love with their therapist. It happens and it’s normal and-”
“Fuck you,” he seethed. “You think I can’t tell the difference between wanting you and- and needing you?”
You pursed your lips and simply looked at him, unsure of what to say.
“I don’t fucking need you,” he sneered, “And I’ll fucking prove it.”
In a blink, he left the room.
“What? Wait- Jason!” you followed after him.
He was in his room, throwing his things into a duffel bag.
Your heart sank at the realisation.
“What are you doing?” you whispered.
“I’m leaving,” he said.
“Why?”
“You think I’m so fucking helpless?” he aggressively shoved his clothes into the bag, “You think that I can’t fucking be like a normal person? Well, I’ll just show you how fucking independent I can be.”
“You don’t have to do this, Jason,” you tried, “It’s not about trying to prove your point! This is about your mental health and wellbeing and-”
“STOP FUCKING DOING THAT!” he yelled, causing you to jump. “Stop fucking babying me. I’m not a patient and you’re definitely not my therapist. You’re just a stupid girl who thinks she knows me better than I know myself!”
“Jason, I-”
“How can I be normal again when you’re scared of being normal with me!” he continued, “You didn’t even tell me that you had people coming over to celebrate your birthday because you were worried that I couldn’t handle it! Did you think I was going to strangle anyone who said my name tonight? Did you think I was going to suddenly flip a switch and break down because they were strangers?”
“That’s because I actually care for-”
“I know!” he shouted, before taking a deep breath. “I know you do. And I know you mean well. But this was bound to happen sooner or later. I need to get back on my own fucking feet without you offering your fucking hand whenever I fall down.”
“But, you’re not-”
A warm but firm hand on your shoulder stopped you in your tracks. You turned to see Bruce looking at Jason with his eyebrows knitted together, his lips downturned- he was the Bruce underneath the mask.
Jason stood up straight and looked at him in defiance.
A moment’s silence. And then-
“Do what you need to do. But don’t forget that you are always welcomed here. Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything.”
You gaped silently at Bruce.
Jason nodded at him, giving a small smile.
“Bruce, you can’t just let him leave! This is irrational, and spontaneous, and uncalculated-”
“He’s his own man,” Bruce stated, “He knows what he needs. And I trust him enough to know he will be okay. You should too.”
And with that, Bruce left.
You couldn’t do anything but silently watch Jason resume his packing, and when he was done, you watched him carry his bag to the Manor door.
“I’ll see you again. Whenever.”
And you were left there alone, on the night you turned eighteen, heartbroken over a man who deserved more than what the world gave him.
***
“He hasn’t slept for more than four hours ever since… Ever since he escaped,” you told Dick who had just arrived.
It had been two months after Jason left. He never contacted you once, and if he did contact Bruce, you wouldn’t have known about it.
“And you? How are you doing?” Dick sat down on the sofa next to you.
“The usual,” you shrugged, “Tired. I’d worry more about Bruce.”
“It’s not like it’s the first time Joker’s escaped from Arkham,” Dick stated, “Bruce knows what he needs to do.”
“But it’s the first time he’s escaped with zero evidence,” you explained, “No evidence, no witnesses, nothing. Even Harley doesn’t know what happened. And we have no idea where he is now. I think that’s what’s bothering Bruce the most.”
“Well, it’s only been two weeks since the escape,” Dick sighed, “He’s bound to appear sooner or later.”
“Isn’t that why you’re here? To help?”
“Yeah,” he hummed, “Hey, have you seen the news lately? About that guy who’s running around beating up criminals?”
“The vigilante wannabe?” you snorted, “Sure. He’s a joke. Zero class whatsoever.”
“Do you think it could be..?”
“No,” you shook your head, “I’ve thought about it, but no. He’s just another thug.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Jason wouldn’t rub me off the wrong way like this Red Hood does,” you crinkled your nose, “There’s just something I don’t like about this guy. I think it’s the way he thinks he’s so good. Challenging us like that.”
“Challenging us?”
“Dick, he’s got a blood red bat-symbol on his chest!” you threw your arms up, “It’s insulting- and obviously a mockery.”
“He’s clearing the streets though,” Dick gave you an amused expression, “He’s doing good.”
“He’s an asshole who uses guns to threaten people.”
“He hasn’t actually killed anyone.”
“Yet,” you grumbled, “When you’re that armed, you probably mean business. People are afraid of him. They don’t respect him. Not the way Batman earned his respect.”
“What does Bruce think of him?”
“Nothing. I’m telling you, Dick, he’s just another thug. Besides, Bruce has bigger problems to worry about. Like a lunatic clown that kidnapped his son and tortured him for years being on the loose.”
***
Another two months passed since Joker broke out of Arkham, and Bruce was still obsessing over him.
You couldn’t blame Bruce, obviously. The way he spoke about Joker had never been the same ever since Jason came back. You suspected that he pieced together what that sick bastard had done to Jason, not that Bruce ever said anything about it.
The last time it had rained that heavily while you were on patrol, you had gotten shot. Since then, the bullet wound scar on your back tingled slightly every time you were out in the rain. You knew it was all in your head.
Separated from Batman, you were patrolling downtown, looking down at the alleyways from the rooftops of run down shopping lots. Bruce had made your cape lighter and waterproof after your accident and complaints, so at least you weren’t completely drenched.
But it was still cold.
It was a slow night- as slow as any rainy night would be. A shiver ran down your spine violently. Anyone who was out that night were either crazy, or desperate. The wind was howling, the rain left thunderous pelts as it hit the ground.
And then you heard it, a loud BANG of a gun being fired.
Your head snapped to the direction of the sound, and you grappled- only a few blocks over before you saw the source.
It was the man they called Red Hood, big and bulky, wearing all black except for a leather vest that had a red hood attached to it, pulled up. The red bat symbol on his chest looked as if it was glowing angrily at the whimpering man on the floor.
“Get out of here before I shoot your other knee, you fucking sick pervert,” you heard him growl.
The man scrambled up and limped away.
You saw it as an opportunity to finally confront the asshole, so you dropped down to the alley, right behind him.
That close, you could see how big he was. Broad shoulders, massive biceps, tight fucking ass-
“And who gave you permission to wear that symbol on your chest?” you sneered.
You had expected him to jump in surprise at your voice, but he didn’t. He just stayed there, his back towards you, his smoking gun in his right hand.
You frowned angrily. You made sure to be quiet, and with the rain, it was almost impossible for a stupid thug like him to hear you.
“I’m talking to you, asshole!” you yelled heatedly. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
He slowly turned to face you, revealing an odd red metal mask that covered his whole face except his forehead.
“They call me Red Hood,” he answered, voice muffled. “Haven’t you been reading the news?”
You clenched your jaw at his teasing, arrogant tone.
“That symbol is reserved only for people who deserve it,” you scowled.
“Is that why you don’t wear the symbol, then?”
“I- you-” you gaped furiously, “I’ll fucking rip it off you.”
He chuckled. “If you wanted me to see me shirtless, you could have just asked, sweetheart.”
You were going to throw another round of insults at him, until you recognized his words.
No. No fucking way.
Dick was right?!
“Jason?” you whispered.
He pulled down his hood, and took off his mask to reveal a grinning Jason. “Miss me?”
“But- you- no- but-” you stuttered, “You’re huge! What the fuck?”
“Let’s get out of the rain, and I can show you how huge I really am,” he winked at you.
You felt your face burn despite the cold. So he was extra flirtatious now, too?
“Where?” you asked.
“My safe house.”
“I need to tell Batman.”
“So tell him.”
You pressed onto the gadget in your ear. “Batman. I found Red Hood. He’s… Him. I’m going with him. Is that okay?”
“Affirmative. I’ll see you back at the Cave.”
You looked at Jason. “Lead the way.”
***
“This isn’t your safehouse, this is Batman’s!” you gasped when you walked down the small staircase that led you underground.
“Yep,” Jason replied, taking off his glove to key in a passcode and scan his thumbprint. “I found out he added my print to all his safehouses in Gotham.”
“So he knew where you were the whole time?”
“Yeah. He didn’t tell you?”
“No,” you grumbled, walking into the familiar looking space.
All of Bruce’s safehouses looked the same. The small emergency ones, at least. It was a small room with nothing but a bed, a first aid station, a toilet with a shower, and a small armoury. He had bigger ones for bigger emergencies, but this was more like a safe stop for when he needed to quickly recover.
“This was the only favor I accepted from him,” he suddenly said defensively, “I’ve been getting by without his help for everything else. Even my weapons are my own.”
“That’s good,” you smiled, “I’m glad you’re doing okay.”
You took off your mask and clipped off your cape, but your vision was suddenly gone. Jason had threw a towel on top of your head.
“Dry yourself off, you’ll get everything wet,” he grunted.
You scruffled your wet hair with the towel and then proceeded to take off your boots and gloves.
“So when were you planning on coming back?” you sat on his bed and watched him take off his weapons and the vest.
“I don’t know,” he simply shrugged.
“So you just didn’t really have a plan?”
“I did. And I went through with it. Now I’m not sure.”
“Not sure about- Jesus, do you really have to do that here?” you asked.
Jason was peeling off his skin tight black undershirt. “My safehouse, my rules.”
“But you have a bathroom, don’t you?” you desperately asked. He was unbuckling his belt, and you forced yourself to look away.
“Yeah.”
“So go change there. I’ll wait here.”
“Are you blushing?”
“No, just go!”
“Look at me.”
“No.”
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him moving closer to you to stand right in front of you. You felt his grip on your chin, forcing you to turn your head up towards him. There, you met his eyes, intense and bright- brighter than they were before.
“Is it distracting for you?” he smirked, “I worked hard, you know.”
You gulped at the sudden closeness. It had been months since you last spoke to him, and the unexpectedly close contact didn’t help with your nervousness.
He bent down and took your hand in his free one, bringing it up to place it flat against his bare chest, his hot skin burning into yours.
“Can’t you feel the difference?” he muttered, bringing your hand down his chest to his stomach, now sporting a fucking defined eight pack. You refused to look anywhere else but his eyes. “No? Well, how about here, then.”
He pushed your hand down to his crotch, and you definitely could feel how hard he was already.
“Jason!” you gasped, widening your eyes.
He let out a chuckle before crashing his lips against yours, his weight causing you to fall backwards onto the bed. Climbing over you, he started licking at your lips, gently prodding his tongue into your mouth. All the while, your hand didn’t leave his crotch, even though he had released you from his grip.
And you felt him get harder and larger by the second.
“Jason,” you moaned, heat tingling at your core.
You had missed him. Missed his laughs, his glares and insults, his arms around you at night, even his boner poking you annoyingly in the ass.
“Baby.”
And there it was, his baby.
You started to palm his length through his pants, earning a gasp from him that you swallowed.
“Have I proven myself to you?” he panted, going to nibble your earlobe. “I don’t need you. I want you. Fuck, I want you so bad.”
“Okay, holy shit, fine!” you conceded, your hands travelling up his body to caress him, to feel him. “I… I want you to. I’ve wanted you for so long, but…”
“But you didn’t want to take advantage of my emotional instability,” he scoffed. “I know. And I appreciate it. But how about right now?”
“Right now I just really want you to fuck me,” you breathed.
“Fucking hell,” he chuckled, “Okay, sweetheart.”
He started kissing you again, nipping at your lips while he tried to take off your uniform- but failed.
“Why the fuck is this more complicated than mine was?” he complained.
“Because I’m the new and improved Robin,” you winked at him, helping him find all the hidden zips and clasps and buttons. Soon enough, you were in your underwear.
“Fuck, you look better without some fucking guy’s arm around you,” he started kissing your chest, squeezing your breasts through your bra.
“Are you still not over that?” you laughed.
“I get pissed every time I think of it,” he grumbled. His hands went to your back and unhooked your bra, which he pulled away. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
And then he attacked your nipples. Biting and sucking on one side with his mouth, and squeezing and twisting and tugging the other with his fingers.
“Jason, please,” you whined, raising your hips to meet his for any kind of friction. You could feel his heavy length on your inner thigh.
“So impatient,” he chuckled, a hand snaking down your body and underneath the band of your underwear. “It took me so long before I could even come, baby. Remember?”
“Hnngh,” you groaned when he started to run his finger up and down your wet folds, “And you still haven’t?”
He paused and looked at you with a grin.
“Oh my god, you have?” you exclaimed.
“Yeah,” he smiled, giving you another peck on the lips. “It was about a month ago. Slow night. Excess energy. I was lying in bed.”
He slid off your panties with little trouble, and now you were completely exposed to him. You thought you would have gotten shy at one point, but you were so excited to have him there, to have him do things to you, that you didn’t care.
“And I was thinking of you,” he whispered in your ear, his warm breath tickling, “I was thinking about what you were up to. Whether you went out for patrol, because it was raining that night.”
He started circling on your clit slowly with a consistent pressure, causing you to squirm in his arms.
“And I never told you this, but one of the reasons why I waited for you to come back after patrol is because I fucking love seeing you in your uniform,” he continued, “Sweaty, disheveled, flushed with adrenaline, blood pumping. And wet when it rains.”
He stopped working on your clit, but then gently inserted a finger into your hole, making you groan as he went in knuckle deep and then started to slide it out and in and out and in.
“And I just imagined you in your room taking off your uniform. Piece by fucking piece, I could see it in my head, you sighing and frowning because you’re so tired, and just want to shower. And then my cock started to get hard, because I’m thinking of you naked with water running down your skin.”
He curled his finger upwards, pressing against that spot inside you that made you breathless.
“And before I know it, my pants are off and I’m fisting my cock,” he went on, his voice husky, “For the first time, I was actually touching myself and I wanted to come. And all I could think about was you, baby. I thought about how you looked like when you presented your pussy to me that night. I thought about how wet you would be if you were touching yourself at the same time I was.”
With his thumb, he circled on your clit while he fucked your pussy with his finger. It was a little uncoordinated, but it felt amazing all the same.
“And that just opened a lot of doors for me,” he chuckled, “Not that I never thought about it before then, but I was really focused on how you would look like underneath me while I fucked you. I thought about how you would look like with your lips around my cock. I thought about how you would taste.”
He increased his pace, and your eyes were closed then, rolling to the back of your head.
“And then I just knew it, baby. I had to come. Then and there. So I did.”
Fuck, you were on the edge already.
“I fucking came all over myself, moaning your name.”
“Jason.”
“That’s it, sweetheart. Come.”
And you did. You felt your pussy clench around his fingers, your breath stuttering as he made you come.
“Holy shit,” you laughed, “Where the fuck did you learn how to do that?”
“Let’s just hope I’m as good at fucking as I am at fingering you,” he grinned, taking off his pants finally to reveal his hard and leaking cock.
“Fuck, Jason, I want you inside me. Right fucking now,” you whined, spreading your legs for him.
“Patience, sweetheart,” he tapped your clit with his dick, “We gotta take it slow. It’s- it’s my first time too so I’m not sure- I just- fuck, just let me know if it hurts, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay, I’m gonna-”
“Ow!”
“What’s wrong?” he panicked, “I haven’t even put it in yet!”
“Yeah, I know, I was just joking,” you giggled.
“Sunnova- fuck you,” he growled, “It’s not funny. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry, Jason,” you reassured, “Just take it slow. I’ll let you know if it hurts.”
He nodded, and fuck, you could see him gulp in nervousness. It was fucking adorable.
“I’m going to put it in now.”
You nodded, bracing yourself.
Feeling the tip of his dick press into your entrance, you moaned in pleasure at the slight stretch. It felt rubbery, and you didn’t even notice when he put the condom on.
He pushed in slowly, checking to see if he was hurting you.
“Ah!” you gasped out loud, “Wait, just stay there for a bit.”
“Shit, okay, I’m sorry,” he replied.
“It’s fine, it just stings a bit,” you breathed in deeply. “Need to get used to it. Your cock is huge.”
“And your pussy is tight,” he groaned, “Fuck, I could just come right now.”
You waited for a few more seconds, and then nodded at him. He pushed in a bit again, and you could see how hard he was holding back.
“Pause, pause,” you gasped, “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he leaned forward, burying his face in your neck, “You feel so good. So fucking good.”
“And your cock is massive, Jason, Jesus,” you laughed, “Okay, you can put the rest in now.”
And finally, Jason bottomed out, leaving you feeling full and stretched, and fuck. It still hurt a bit, but for some reason, it wasn’t enough. You wanted more. You wanted him to move.
“You can move now, but slowly please,” you requested.
You felt him nod against your neck, and then he started moving his hips extremely slow, sliding his cock almost all the way out until just the tip, and then pushing it back in.
Jason’s cock filled you up in a way that your walls were already clenching around him. He was already hitting every fucking spot inside of you, which was what made it feel so good in the first place despite the stretch.
“Baby,” he choked. You never heard him like that before. He almost sounded like he was in pain.
“You can go a little faster now, Jay,” you told him.
“I- I can’t,” he said.
“Why not?” you breathed.
“Shut up,” he groaned, continuing the slow and steady pace that already had you nearly spilling over again.
“Jason, fuck,” you moaned. “Please. Faster.”
“No.”
“Jason,” you almost sobbed, “Please.”
“If I go any faster, I’m gonna come,” he growled in your ear.
“Then come, Jason, please,” you cried, “Please fuck me faster and come with me, please.”
“Fucking- fine!” he gave up, and then increased his pace, knocking the breath out of you.
You didn’t feel it approaching like all your previous orgasms. There wasn’t a build of heat that shot sparks to your toes.
No. It came in suddenly, like an attack of sensations that made you writhe and scream while being fucked steadily for the first time by Jason Todd.
“Fuck, baby,” Jason groaned into your neck, burying his face in your skin while he moved his hips, “Fuck. Fuck. Baby.”
And with a long moan of your name, you felt his dick twitch inside of you, his breath stuttering, a hand that was supporting his weight went to grip your hips tightly.
“Fuck,” he sighed, and he collapsed on top of you, cock still inside.
“Jason, you’re heavy,” you giggled, trying to push him off.
“Lemme get myself outta you.”
“Ah!” you moaned when he slid himself out slowly, still sensitive.
“Fuck, sweetheart, don’t go making those sounds or you’re gonna get me hard again.”
“I can’t help it,” you sighed, watching him tie the condom and tossing it. “Your cock feels good.”
“Don’t,” he groaned, landing on the bed next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist, his face close to yours. “Don’t say anything dirty.”
“Okay,” you giggled, snuggling in close to him. “Jason?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you come back now? Please?”
He hesitated before he answered. “I don’t know if Bruce would take me back.”
“What do you mean?” you frowned.
“You guys never found Joker, did you?”
You stiffened. “What did you do?” you whispered.
“I gave him what he deserved,” Jason answered, “And more.”
You stared at him in shock. “You broke him out of Arkham. That’s why there was zero evidence.”
“Yeah,” he sighed, “It wasn’t easy, but I did. And I made him pay for everything.”
You reached out your hand to caress his cheek. “Are you okay?”
“I am,” he smiled at you, “They all say that revenge wouldn’t make you feel better. That you’d still feel empty inside. But not for me. It- it gave me closure. It healed me because… Because I know that he can’t get his hands on you and do to you what he did to me.”
After you got over the shock, you genuinely felt happy for him. You would have killed the fucker yourself eventually, but Jason deserved to do it. He deserved to end the life of the person who made his a living hell.
“Bruce doesn’t have to know,” you said quietly.
“He will eventually,” Jason sighed. “It’s Bruce. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t figured it out already.”
“He wouldn’t blame you, Jason,” you told him, “Not- not if he knew. Not if he knew what Joker did to you.”
“He would throw me out,” Jason denied.
“He loves you,” you said, “He loves you, and he will forgive you. Maybe he’d get angry at first, and even then I think he’d be directing his anger towards himself rather than you. He’s changed, Jay. More than you know.”
Jason frowned, mulling over your words. “Fine. I’ll give it a try. But if he kicks me out, I get to say I told you so.”
“He won’t,” you smiled, “I won’t let him. If he does, I’ll go with you.”
Jason blinked at you, surprise etched on his face. “You would do that?”
“Of course. How could I not? I don’t know how obvious it is, but I kinda like you.”
He laughed out loud, “I like you, too.”
“So come back, okay?”
“Fine,” he rolled his eyes, “Besides, now that I’m functioning sexually, it’d be pretty hard to stay away from you.”
“I knew you were a perv,” you laughed, “You have to show me that video. Girl gets-”
“Don’t even. Ever.”
“Jason Kinky Todd has a nice ring to it.”
“Don’t fucking call me that.”
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thewidowsghost · 3 years
Text
The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 9
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(Y/n)'s POV
It doesn't take me long to pack. I decide to leave the Minotaur horn in the cabin, which leaves me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me.
The camp store loans me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The coins are as big as Girl Scout cookies and have images of various Greek Gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron had told us, but Olympins never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in for non-mortal transactions - whatever that might mean. He gives Annabeth, Percy, and me canteens of nectar and Ziploc bags full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It is god food, Chiron reminds us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it is lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally, Fun.
Annabeth is bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she tells me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She is also bringing a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she gets bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I'm sure the knife is going to get us busted the first time we go through a metal detector.
Grover is wearing his fake feet and his pants to pass as a human. He wears a green rasta-style cap, because when it rains his curly hair flattened and you can just see the tips of his horns. Grover's bright orange backpack is full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket is a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knows two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto Number 12 and Hilary Duff's 'So Yesterday,' both of which sound pretty bad on reed pipes.
We wave good-bye to the other campers, take one last look at eh strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hike up the Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, the Daughter of Zeus.
Chiron is waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stands the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy is the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he's wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I can only see the extra eyes on his hands, face, and neck.
"This is Argus," Chiron tells me. "He'll drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
I hear footsteps behind us.
Luke comes running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Hey!" he pants. "Glad I caught you."
Annabeth blushes, the way she always does when Luke is around.
"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke tells us. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these."
He hands Percy a pair of sneakers, which look pretty normal.
Then, Luke says, "Maia!"
White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels. The shoes flap around on the ground until the wings fold up and disappear.
"Awesome!" Grover exclaims.
Luke smiles. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." His expression turns sad.
Annabeth stomps down the other side of the hill, after arguing with Percy, where a white SUV waits on the shoulder of the road. Argus follows, jingling his car kees.
Percy picks up the flying shoes and then looks up at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"
Chiron shakes his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."
I nod, getting an idea, "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"
His eyes light up. "Me?"
Pretty soon, we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy is ready for launch.
"Maia!" Grover shouts. He gets off the ground, okay, but then falls over sideways so his backpack drags through the grass. The winged shoes keep bucking up and down like tiny broncos.
"Practice," Chiron calls after him. "You just need practice."
"Aaaaa!" Grover goes flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawnmower, heading towards the can.
But before I can follow, Chiron catches my arm. "I should have trained you two better, Percy, (Y/n)," he says. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason - they all got more training."
"That's okay. I just -" I stop myself.
"What am I thinking?" Chiron cries. "I can't let the two of you get away without these." He pulls two pens out of his coat pocket and hands one to me and one to Percy.
Looking down at it, I see a teal-colored gel pen. Maybe cost thirty cents.
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"Gee," Percy says. "Thanks."
"Percy, those are gifts from your father. I've been keeping them for years, not knowing you two were the ones I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You two are the ones."
Instinctively I take off the cap, and the pen grows longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I am holding a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a teal and silver leather-wrapped grip. This is the first weapon that feels balanced in my hand.
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"That sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron tells Percy. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
"Riptide," Percy translates.
"I have never seen anyone use that sword that I'm aware of," Chiron says, turning to me. "Yours is named Τυφώνας."
"Hurricane," I translate, surprised that the Ancient Greek came so easily to me.
"Use them only for emergencies," Chiron says, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but neither sword would hurt them in any case."
I look down at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"
"Those swords are celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blades will pass through morals like an illusion. They simply are not important for the blade to kill. And I should warn you two: as demigods, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."
"Good to know," Percy says.
"Now recap the pens," Chiron says.
Percy and I touch the pen cap to the sword tips and instantly Riptide and Hurricane shrink to ballpoint pens again. I tuck it in my pocket, a little nervous because it's pretty easy to lose a pen.
"You can't," Chiron says.
"Can't what?" I ask, slightly confused.
"Lose the pens," he says. "They're enchanted. They'll always reappear in your pockets. Try it."
Warily, I throw the pen as far as I can down the hill and watch it disappear in the grass.
"It may take a few moments," Chiron tells us. "Now check your pocket."
Sure enough, the pen is there.
"Okay, that is extremely cool," I admit.
"But what if a mortal sees one of us pulling out a sword?" Percy asks.
Chiron smiles. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."
"Mist?" I ask.
"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whatever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go fit things into their version of reality.
I put Hurricane back into my pocket.
For the first time, the quest feels real. I'm leaving Half-Blood Hill. I'm heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone - Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be no worse than sending up a flare. I have no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.
"Chiron . . ." Percy says. "When you say the gods are immortal . . . I mean, there was a time before them, right?"
"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."
"So what was it like...before the gods?"
Chiron purses his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually, the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."
"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So...even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" I ask, feeling rather uncertain.
Chiron gives me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, (Y/n). The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."
"Our destiny...assuming we know what that is," I say grimly.
"Relax," Chiron tells me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, the two of you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."
"Relax," I say. "I'm very relaxed."
When Percy and I get to the bottom of the hill, I look back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron is now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur."
Argus drives us out of the countryside and into western Long Island, It feels weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me, Percy on the other side of Grover, as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seems like a fantasy. I find myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parent's car, every billboard and shopping mall.
"So far so good," Percy tells Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
She gives Percy an irritated loo. "It's bad luck to talk that way."
"Remind me again - why do you hate us so much?" Percy asks.
"I don't hate you two."
"Could've fooled me."
Annabeth folds her cap of invisibility. "Look...we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."
"Why?" Percy asks.
Annabeth sighs. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."
"They must really like olives," Percy comments, and I stifle a snort of laughter.
"Oh, forget it," Annabeth grumbles.
"Now, if she invented pizza - that I could understand," I add, in a slightly teasing tone.
"I said, forget it!" Annabeth says, hitting me lightly on the arm.
In the front seat, Argus smiles. He doesn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winks at me.
Traffic slows down in Queens. By the time we get into Manhattan, it is sunset and starting to rain.
Argus drops us at the greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox is a soggy flyer with mine and Percy's picture on it: Have you seen these children?
Percy rips it down before Annabeth and Grover can notice.
Argus unloads our bags, makes sure we get our bus tickets, then drives away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulls out of the parking lot.
I think about how close I am to the apartment. On a normal day, Mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe is probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.
Grover shoulders his backpack. He gazes down the street in the direction I am looking. "You want to know why she married him, (Y/n)?"
I stare at him. "Were you reading my mind?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Just your emotions," Grover shrugs. "You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"
I nod.
"Your mom married Gabe for you and Percy," Grover tells me. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. This guy has this aura . . . Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him o you, and you haven't been near him in a week."
"Thanks," Percy grimaces from Grover's other side. "Where's the nearest shower?"
"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better."
I soften, looking down a the ground. I'll see her again, I think. She isn't gone.
You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispers in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.
The rain keeps coming down.
We get restless waiting for the bus and decide to play some Hacky Sack with one of Groer's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable at it. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad either, but I found that I wasn't that great at it.
The game ends when I toss the apple towards Grover and it gets too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappears - core, stem, and all.
Grover blushes. He tries to apologize, but Annabeth, Percy, and I are too busy cracking up.
Finally, the bus comes.
I am relieved when we finally get on board and find seats together in the back of the bus, Me and Annabeth in one row, and Percy and Grover across from us. The four of us stow our backpacks.
I glance over at Annabeth beside me, who keeps slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.
As the last passengers get on, Annabeth claps her hand onto my knee. "Look!"
An old lady had just boarded the bus. She is wearing a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadows her face and she is carrying a big paisley purse. When she tilts her head up, her black eyes glitter.
I see Percy slump down in his seat.
Behind her comes two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise, they look exactly like Mrs. Dodds - same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dress. Triple demon grandmothers.
They sit in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle cross their legs over the walkway, making an X. It is casual enough, but it sends a clear message: Nobody leaves.
The bus pulls out of the station, and we head through the slick streets of Manhattan.
"She didn't stay dead long," Percy says, his voice quavering a little. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."
"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth murmurs. "You're obviously not."
"All three of them," Grover whimpers. "Di immortales!"
"It's okay," Annabeth says, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."
"They don't open," Grover moans.
"A back exit?" she suggests.
There isn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we are on Ninth Avenue heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.
"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I say. "Will they?"
"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminds me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy asks.
She thinks about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof . . . ?"
We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus goes dark except for the running lights down teh aisle. It is eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.
"I need to use the rest-room."
"So do I."
"So do I."
All three demons start coming down the aisle.
"I've got it," Annabeth says. "Percy, take my hat."
"What?" he says with disbelief.
"You're the one they want. You killed one of them. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."
"But you guys -"
"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth says as she glances over at me. "You're a son of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."
"I can't just leave you," Percy says, looking desperately at me.
"Go," I say, frowning and Annabeth hands him the cap.
The old ladies are not old ladies anymore. Their faces are still the same - I guessed they couldn't get any uglier - but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws; their handbags had turned into fiery whips.
The Furies surround me, Grover, and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"
The other people on the bus are screaming, cowering in their seats. They see something, all right.
"He's not here!" Annabeth yells. "He's gone!"
The Furies raise their whips.
Annabeth draws her bronze knife. Grover grabs a tin can from his snack bag and prepares to throw it.
Word Count: 3222 words
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Text
Kingdom Collisions XVII
masterlist; my links
CW: blood, death
Phew, when i first started this fic (way back when in august last year, i think) i didn’t expect it to become a multi-chapter nor did i expect it to go in literally any of the directions it went in. with each new chapter the boys cooked up something different and apparently more and more dark. nonetheless this has been one of the most absolute fun, exciting, and rewarding fics i’ve ever put out there because 1. i just kind of did whatever i liked with it (plot holes be damned) and 2. because the interaction i got from this fic was mind-boggling. Every plot twist brought a gasp, an angst gremlin, and a sweet supporter to my doorstep (i cant name anyone because you all swopped roles continuously). 
when i started writing this chapter tbh i was dreading it because how on earth do i get myself out of the sheer monstrosity that i dug myself into in the last one? but i wrote some words and even though they were all wrong and it was only seven hundred of them at least i had written something you know? but then i was at the beach and the ocean water was shoving itself into my lungs and the salt was stinging my eyes and i literally couldn’t have been happier if i tried and suddenly i just kind of knew what i wanted to write... or rather i knew i wanted to write and these troublesome princes knew how they wanted their story to close. yes, indeed, close. somehow, without me realising it, we kind of got to the last chapter. i truly didn’t think this would be it but with each word i put down it just kept drawing closer and closer to a close. and i can’t force this fic to be anything but what it is. So, my dear ones, this is the last chapter of Kingdom Collisions. thank you for coming along, i hope with all my heart you enjoyed it even a fraction as much as i did. I love these Princes so hard and Nish, Gretch, and A can tell you how sad i was to see them end. Nonetheless, please enjoy!
Since it’s been a hot minute since the previous chapter, here’s a recap:
Prince Jason Grace stumbles from the mouth of the arena and falls to his knees in front of the platform.
“Kill him Perseus.” A voice glimmers around him, leaking in through the ringing in his ears.
“Come home Prince,” That voice lilts, “Do not die so far from the sea.”
Jason looks up at him, blue eyes hazy, a dagger loose in his clasp. “Hello Prince.”
Percy steps down from the platform, and takes the dagger from his husband’s hands. It is almost sickening how easily he gives it over.
The crowd stomps its feet: they are ready for blood; they are ready for slaughter.
He holds the dagger up, making sure it glints in the sun. And then he draws his husband close until there is nothing between their bodies, not space, not even air.
“Let’s go home my love.” He whispers. “We will not die so far from the sea.”
Prince Perseus Jackson brings the blade down.
[image has alt text]
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We’ll never get free// lamb to the slaughter// what you gon’ do when there’s blood in the water
Prince Perseus Jackson knows he’s going to die today. It is not a feeling, or a morbid premonition. It is the cold, hard truth. If he does not the world will continue to suffer for it. And what kind of prince would he be if he allowed his people to suffer? His father would say he’d be a coward. His father did not know the meaning of the word until he screamed as a blade sunk into his chest. Percy wonders how a man made from the Rivers themselves, can die by knife. He supposes when you spend long enough pretending to be human, you die like one too.
All the same Percy must take his last breath today, before the setting sun has managed to hide for the night. Before the darkness can wrap around his bones like cigarette smoke, and keep him trapped once more. 
But first, Percy must kill his husband. 
The crowd is violent; their need for bloodshed a hyena’s cackle in his head. He cannot keep them out. He cannot keep them at bay. It drives into his blood, makes every dangerous drop slosh through him, as wild as the rivers of his father. As wild as the blue eyes staring him down.
Perseus Jackson looks at his husband, barely an inch apart, so close it seems no room is left for air. He can’t breathe, so it must have been pushed away, pushed out. Those blue eyes, as striking as the brilliant sky above them, are looking at him with so much… sorrow, love, joy, rage? He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know and it terrifies him. He knows and that scares him more. Prince Jason Grace is looking at him with delight and it makes him want to sin.
“I will find you again, my love.” His lips brush the sensitive skin of his ear. He feels that beautiful body shudder underneath him.
The musician’s box echoes with the notes of the wind, a melody that rackets around in his head, bouncing off the walls of his memories. He has died to this tune many times. Died as a king, and a peasant, and a squallor, and a whore, and every form of human scum and royalty alike. They all bleed the same in the end. All die with regrets on their tongue, and the unconquering falsehood of love in their hearts, as if that alone is enough to save them. He has never been safe from death. But love saves him all the same. He wonders if he will die again.
“I will not be lost.” Jason whispers back, so quiet, so full of sweet darkness.
Percy slams the blade into his Jason’s heart and watches as the light from beckoning eyes morphs into a smile that surrenders the world. He doesn’t acknowledge the warmth at his side. There is only his Prince, his husband, his other half, his, his, his. 
“I will be waiting.” Jason Grace grins. Jason Grace dies.
Already he can feel the absence of his other. It is not a dull ache, nor a sharp one. It is not really an ache at all. Rather as if a veil has been placed over him, leeching the world of colour and light. Leeching him of any goodness. What is a destroyer, without his healer?
The Prince of Mare pulls the knife out of his husband’s chest and holds it up to the crowd. His smile dances, violence coating the angles of his face like a liquid mask. The colosseum responds in vigour, chanting his name, chanting the name of Princess Piper Mclean, chanting victory as if they’ve won. Dust begins to settle at his feet, settle then jump as they jump, then settle once more. And endless dance. He knows the score by heart. 
“What you have witnessed today my good people,” The woman in power stands in her box, surveying the scene before her with triumph in her brown, glinting eyes. “Is the beginning of forever, again.”
The people cheer, clap, stomp their feet, make the stone underneath them quiver.
A drop of blood falls to the floor.
“We have completed what our ancestors could not. We have made sure that the threat— ” She sneers at them; at him in his bloodied rags, and the husband still in his arms, limp and fast growing cold. “The threat of Our Downfall may never rise from the ashes.”
The deafening sound of celebration is a vice around his throat. He wants to rip the air from their lungs, make their joy a noose around their necks. They celebrate the loss of a life as if it were the birth of a thousand more; they celebrate the death of his husband as if they had won the war. But they have never seen war. And his past selves, rushing up to him in these moments, like reeling pictures, smile at the prospect. They seem to gather in his mind, grinning with endless terror and say, so very softly, “You think this is war? We’ve only just begun.”
We’ll never get free// lamb to the slaughter// what you gon’ do when there’s blood in the water
“My people,” Piper’s voice is a lull in the tides, a blind comfort to distract from the storm ahead. “We have severed the wings of a phoenix so it may never rise again.”
The crowd stomps, he stomps with them. A fissure runs under his feet, small, unnoticeable. Blood drips down, down, down, into the cracks. There is nothing left for him here. He smiles, soft and small. It is a smile only he knows exists.
With a gentleness he does not possess for anyone else but the man before him he lays his husband down, wincing as the dusty platform touches that beautiful golden skin. But he does not have time to make it clean. To give him a worthy place to rest. He only has right now. Eternity is a second in itself.
And when Prince Perseus stands, straight and unburdened. He reveals the last piece in a twisted puzzle. For sticking out of his own side— the side his prince was pressed against— is a dagger of his own. One that is killing him slowly.
The people are still cheering, Princess Piper is still revelling in her glory. She looks ethereal up on her dais, every bit the goddess she craves to be. Her brown skin shines in the brightening sun, her black hair flowing down, down, down past her hips, swishing at her thighs. And the crown that sits on her head, perched there as if it was too scared to be trapped to such power, glints almost menacingly, jewels reflecting onto the people closest to her. To the woman at her side. Annabeth, sister to Jason, lover to Piper, and honorary daughter of Hekima, sees him. Sees all of him and goes as pale as the moon. She grabs her lover’s arm, points a shaky finger in their direction, at the blade in his side.
The look of horror on their faces is almost enough to make him laugh; it’s certainly enough to make him smile. He watches on as their plans unravel, remembering the deadly words Piper had said to him all those days ago. “Instead we will kill one of you and keep the other continually alive.” But what good would that do, if he had killed them both, if he made sure his blood was smeared across his husband’s wound; if he made sure his husband’s blood could not be used to heal them. He has become the destroyer they so badly wanted. 
Prince Perseus Jackson falls to his knees, at the symphony of a princess’s screech. And as he looks to his side, his fingers find the cool hand of Jason Grace. The sky is a lover’s blue. He closes his eyes. He finds his husband amongst the dead. And ever so slowly, the colosseum starts to crumble. For the blood from his wound seeps into the cracks running rivers of their own, and eats at the stone that holds the people, the power, the world. He has become his father. His mind is fill of his own stories, just like his mother. He feels the cold band on his husband’s finger. He becomes life.
We’ll never get free// lamb to the slaughter// what you gon’ do when there’s blood in the water
The walls behind her turn to dust in slow motion. She sees particles fall, land at her feet in never-ending waterfalls. Her gaze tilts to the sky where she half expects to find it raining blue, as if the whole world would collapse on top of them. She can hear the screaming, she doesn’t known if it’s joy or fear. Sh doesn’t know if anyone has realised what’s just happened, if they know the true extent of her failure. 
“PIPER!” That voice is so far away, but it is one she recognizes. One she has loved since she was left on a lover’s bench ten years prior. “We have to go, we have to stop it from reaching the water.”
A pale hand gestures in front of her, to the crimson rivers speeding across the ground. They are the prettiest canals she’s ever seen. She wants to— 
“PIPER,” The time for shock has gone, and in it’s place is a violent need to save herself, to be saved. “We have to get out of here, this whole place is going to come down.”
When she looks to Annabeth, grey eyes bright with fear, she is struck with feeling so deep she fears she may drown. It wouldn't’ matter; she’ll be dead before she gets to submerge.
“My people,” Her voice is loud, blessedly steady, as she surveys the uneasy crowd who are only now noticing the red brooks bubbling up to meet them. “We must leave here at once. The colosseum is no longer safe. I urge you to go home to your famililes, to pack important things and make your way as far from the oceans and rivers as possible. Danger is here, and it is not a force we can fight.”
A thousand eyes look at her, emotions blatant on their faces ranging from denial, to anger, to fear, to the worst of them all, resignation. Those are the ones, she knows, who have lived through this before, in some way or the other. Whether in a past life, or the echo of their current one through stories carried down.
The ground underneath them shakes, making their feet stumble, their legs quiver. It is laughing at them, at the idea that they can escape this destruction. It has done this a thousand times before, it will do it a thousand more. The end has never been about them. They cannot escape it, no matter where they run, how hard they pray. And people are. Praying. They don’t know it is their gods who order this. Their gods who have no care for the lives of them when they can create a million more. In the end they are pawns to an endless game of chess. The first to be discarded, despite how hard they fight to prove useful. And Jason, her lover’s brother, and Perseus, her own ex lover, are soldiers sent to do their duty. Pawns themselves, maybe knights. But gods they have never been, and gods they will never become.
Annabeth’s hand is warm in hers as they race to their death. Her blonde curls fly behind her and Piper thinks it’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. And then the princess looks to her and she changes her mind. With each glance, each step, each squeeze of their skin, she changes and changes and changes. Until the beauty cannot be pinned to a single thing, until it is a tapestry continuously incomplete, of all the features that make up her love. If she— when, when she dies she will do it with this image in her mind.
And then they’re at the river, the one that feeds her kingdom, the one that runs into to the forest and branches to the five other kingdoms, before feeding into Perseus’s own and out to the ocean. There is no red tainting it’s glistening blue. They have time, maybe, just maybe they have time to save the only home they have ever known, the only one they ever will. 
We’ll never get free// lamb to the slaughter// what you gon’ do when there’s blood in the water
Quickly, with a haste she has never seen, Annabeth pulls a single match from her pocket.
“Will you grant me permission, my love?” Her princess nods to the little stick.
There is only one way to stop a stream from turning towards a river. She nods. “For the kingdoms.”
“For the kingdoms.” The blonde echoes. She strikes the match.
Sunshine yellow flame bursts from the small head, and as it settles it turns orange, blue, goes back to yellow. Annabeth lets it fall to the floor.
And they both watch, flames dancing in their eyes, as the little match catches a dry leaf, which catches dry wood, which catches, and catches, and catches.
They clasp hands, look at each other. Piper runs a finger down a freckled cheek, skin already so warm from the blaze before them.
“Let us live.” Her princess whispers.
They jump into the river. The forest burns to an inferno behind them.
But there, trickling slowly, as if it has all the time in the world, is a single stream of blood. It creeps through the forest, turning already charring soil to nothing. The fire jumps over it, around it, beyond it. The fire does not stop it. 
A single drop of blood catches on a shard of blackened stick, once a match, and as the wind blows it carries the wood over over over. It lands in the river. The stick floats away. The blood spreads wide.
And two princesses, still hand in hand, frantically swimming for their life, start to crumble to ash, like the forest they had left to burn.
We’ll never get free// lamb to the slaughter// what you gon’ do when there’s blood in the water
Perseus Jackson opens his eyes to sky blue, ice blue, saviour blue. And he cannot help but smile.
“Where have you been, my love?”
“Just had to take care of some things before i could join you.” He reaches up a hand to caress a golden cheek, warm and reddening under his touch.
“Are we finally free?” That voice is so soft, full of angled hope.
“Till the next time.” He sees that hope startle and shape before him, as if it can bend to fit around steeled will.
“What shall we do while we wait?”
“As long as we are together,” He brushes back a lock of gold. “It does not matter to me.”
“Might i suggest, staying here for the next decade at the very least?” A laughing reply, one that heats him to his bones.
“Your wish,” His green eyes sparkle dangerously, deliciously, “Is my salvation.”
“Wicked, wicked being.” Lips find his, press to him. It is so familiar, and somehow new all at once. As if the shadows they are made from need to get used to the light within them once more. As if they have not done this for a millennia, longer. 
“I cannot help it when i’m with you.”
“And you are always with me,” Those blue eyes set him on fire.
“Yes,” He says simply. He touches the golden chest, the heart within. His heart.
“What shall we be in the next life?” The question is soft against his skin, raising bumps across his arms.
“I think i shall be a painter,” He muses, lips falling to a shoulder. They trace their way up, catching on collarbones and the crook of a neck, and the dimple behind an ear. “And you, my sweet? How do you intend for us to meet?”
“I think i shall like to be your nude model.” That grin is enough to cause a flush through his form.
“And who will be our heroes?”
“The queen of course.” The blonde’s voice gets conspiratorially low, “I’m her favourite servant you see, and she cannot bear the idea of anyone else seeing me naked.”
He cannot hold in his laughter, the mind of his other half an endless stream of amusement. “And how do we intend to end it this time?”
“That’s up to you dear one.” The being curled into him smiles, “I can only heal, and you know i will only heal you.”
“You make me such a villian.” His expression is violent, and beautiful, so so beautiful.
“We have never been anything else.” 
He stares into the face of eternal love and is struck by the thought that it is all for him, that it has only ever been for him. He cradles a golden face in his hand, and with a deep unhurried breath, kisses Jason.
For the infinite time in his endless life, Perseus tastes fire.
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Tags (if you want to be added to/ taken off the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open):
@nishlicious-01 : to Nish for loving this fic harder than anyone, and for loving me harder still.
@queen-of-demons-and-hell : to Gretch for always being there even though were many countries, and many timezones apart
@leyontheway : to Ley for the endless and unwavering support and for making me smile no matter what
@sparkythunderstorm : to Lily for the continuous love and the wonderful comments
@comradefurudate : to avatar for the hilarious interactions and for loving this the way you did. Your comments made my day.
@aalikun : to ali for the theories and the comments that made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt
to A : you don’t have a tumblr account but you asked if you could read one of my fanfics and i sent you this one and you sent me back a 3 minute long voice note telling me every reason you loved it and i cannot begin to explain to you how much it means to me. i listen to the vn all the time. i love you.
and to every single one of you who liked, and/or commented on this fic: you are special to me in every way that matters and i think about you all the time.
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nextwarden · 3 years
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Webtoons are good for the soul [Long post] [but worth it] [hopefully]
Bit of a long one (for a change...), sorry.
I haven’t read that many that’s a lie but here are my favs!
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Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe [ongoing - every Sunday]
or when Hades met Persephone. It’s a love story, fluffy yet deep and sad at times. Very well told and with incredible art (as you can see from the cover ci-dessus), in a pastel/watercolour fluid style, as is the storytelling. It has compelling characters, character growth, love, funny moments, and basically the best you could ask from a romantic story. And it had enough material to get you through good number of hours of reading before you have to break down every sunday in wait of the following week like the rest of us.
mah-hart-mah-sole/10
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Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell by unfins [ongoing - every Friday]
Paul is in love with a cute girl who works in a café nearby. But Paul is shy and can’t work out how to go ask her out. So Paul does what anyone would do and summons one of the Great Dukes of Hell in order to get better at fumbling his sentences and blushing at beautiful maidens. It’s about discovery of one’s true self and how getting deep into shenanigans will lead you to find so much more. Also, sister. (You’ll understand when you get there.)
It’s funny but also compelling and serious but still incredibly funny. I don’t think I’ve laughed as much reading any other webtoon and yet the story is also really cool. It strikes a perfect balance, or near perfect. The expressions and the action scenes are just incredible too.
chenandeler bong/10
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Suitor Armor by Purpah [ongoing - every Friday]
In a land with magic and war between humans and fairies, Lucia is the princess’s lady in waiting and her only goal in life at the moment is to get her Lady to have the wedding she wishes for and deserves. But then she gets a flower from a magic armor and everything changes. Also, she’s a fairy.
It’s well drawn, characters all seem unique, varied and personnality-driven. The art style is beautiful. It’s also deeper than what I expected, with inklings of different types and levels of drama.
Alright, I’ll say it, it feels like a ‘promising new Lore Olympus’. By which I mean not to compare but simply to say I felt as taken by the story as I did with L.O.
Modeus/10
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Facing the Sun by ArtbyTesslyn [ongoing]
Aarya reaserches the intricacies of dobotics and artificial intelligence with her companion robot Liza who's expiration is long everdue. Things change with a hardware update. One can’t live without the other, and neither can the other.
It’s dark but beautiful, both in the art and in the story. The sci-fi elements aren’t overwhelming and pieces of lore bring begin to pain a picture over time. It’s a slow burn but oh lord! if it isn’t going to be blazing hot...
I Robot/10
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Spellbound by Ronce [ongoing]
Eglantine joins a new highschool midyear and finds herself paired with a refractarian roommate. She does her best to fit in to her new school despite not conforming to all the expectations that others might have of her. Or of her strange but likeable roommate.
It’s a cute and queer little romance, very underrated in my opinion. The art is wonderful, it’s black and white in the beginning and starts having touches of colour here and there before going full blown coloured, and I didn’t even realize it had until many chapters into it... The characters all all diverse and interesting. Also did I forget to say it’s set in France and it’s a wizarding school? Because it is!
conseiller principal d’éducation/10
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180 Angel by King Katbird [ongoing]
Chloe is an angel, she lives in Heaven and goes to school in the hopes of becoming a delivery angel one day! However her plan are compromised by her inability to do anything well except halo manipulation. Even flying is not easy for her. But a fateful meeting with a reaper sends her on a trip to Hell and back which changes her. Or is it that she had always been different?
It may not seem much from the banner but I tried it and I got hooke. The art is great and still improves over time, the plot takes a bit of time to set in - I’m still not sure it’s fully set in yet - but it’s worth it, and the characters are visually deep. It sometimes jumps weirdly between scenes or sequences but not so much it completely loses you.
LAMP/10
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Letters on the Wall by JaelynGs [ongoing]
Tara comes back fom spain after a five years abroad to find things have changed and others haven’t, to her equal pleasure and dismay. This is how she and her friends deal with these old relatioships that they are now reviving.
Everything doesn’t go smoothly despite each and every character deserving them to. The art is good to begin with and manages to improve over time, as well as the storytelling. Where it might have been a bit hectic before, it smoothes over time. It was for the longest time the only reason I would stalk Webtoons everyday to see if there was any updates. Also each chapter has a colour in the name and that’s just cool!
If Da Yomanville Gang [see below] got me to come to Webtoons, this sealed the deal for me to stay. [And then there was Lore Olympus.]/10
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Not So Shoujo Love Story by Curryuku [ongoing - every Tuesday]
Rei Chan-chan loves Hansum, the chin chin chinny goodest looking student, more than she loves her shoujo manga. But gorgeous Hannah is in her way and won’t seem to let her get her way with him. Why is that? Well, gaybe there’s a secret hidden behind her motives? Read it to find out...
It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s so, so stupid. I love them all. It’s dumb but so much fun to read. There aren’t that many chapters yet but enough to get into it. Also, sisters. (You’ll understand when you get there. Bis) So this is what the spring of youth feels like, huh...
chips/10
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Always Human by walkingnorth [completed]
Sunati, a young engineer in training, fan of all those mods you can add to change your appearance, meets Austen, a beautiful yet modless girl who she’s been admiring from afar for a while now. She thinks the girl’s beautiful, but sdly she’s refused when she asks her out on a date, and for rather good reasons.
Now watch as they gravitate around each other and how it influences them both.
It’s a slow-burn quite realistic lesbian sci-fi story about finding love and accepting oneself and others in the midst of life and all it brings upon us. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, and it’s heartwarming despite broaching serious subjects - in a good way -, and it’s finished so you can read the whole thing! (It has enough chapters to give you a few hours of reading)
hay fever sucks/10
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Da Yomanville Gang by Jason King [ongoing - every Tuesday]
Layla moved recently, to get away from a dose of angst she didn’t want to have to deal with. She meets new people, fun and friendly people, but it seems the angst can’t quite seem to leave her alone. Alone is what she’s not to deal with it anymore, however.
This is the one, long before Lore Olympus, which brought bme over to Webtoons. It’s not the best drawn, not the most compelling, but the strong point and what made me love it - beyond Layla’s chara design - is the depth of most of the characters, how not all good is good and all bad is bad, and reality often lies in the middle - and how they evolve over the course of the story. Definitely worth a read.
wheelbarrow/10
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Love Bot by Chase Keels and Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Sunday]
In the near future - the year is (Blade Runner) 2049 - technology has advanced enough to creat pseudo-artificial intelligence and thus lovebots. Xada mods and repairs those emotionnaly intelligent robots for a living. What brings this story about is him toying with a less-than-friendly client’s bot so much so that he finds himself in quite a pickle when the bot ‘wakes up’.
It seems to be BL. Let it be BL, please! The art is very nice, the story feels dark but the pitch give way to many interesting possibilities, and, well, the characters are quite nice to look at, I’ll admit... Also, angst. I don’t always enjoy it but when I do, I do.
Not many chapters but it’s getting there.
i’ll let you bot my love/10
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Mage & Demon Queen by Color_LES [ongoing - every Thusday]
Malori is the best and the most promising mage student at her school. Aided by Cerik, her best friend and swordsman party member, she attempts to conquer the last floor of the demon tower, reigned over by the ferocious Velverosa, the demon queen, whose defeat will bring glory and richess to those who defeat her. But all is not quite as it seems and, what is that, might it be a crush I see over there? Oh, wait, no, that’s just our protagonist getting squished by the weight of her love...
Once again, it’s fun and stupid (a pattern? noooo) but it’s worth a read.
LES/10
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Down to Earth by Pookie Senpai [ongoing - every Tuesday]
Kade live alone and depressed in spite of fleeting relatioships since his big breakup, content with simply going by life while he works in retail. One day, an alien crashes into his backyard. Zaida’s an alien but she’s cute, seems innocent, is unfamiliar with everything, so he agrees to help. Thus begins a slice of life story of them roommating in his appartment until, maybe, one of them crashes into the other’s heart?
It’s cute, heartwarming, and I sort f relate with the main character. Although I don’t know if’d prefer a cute alien, a dragon or a stalking neighbour... [that’s an inside joke, I’ll explain if I ever make a list of the good yamete onii-chan! I’ve been reading] It’s a slow burn with enough depth to hook you up. Some characters are still uncertain in my eyes but that makes me curious.
loner/10
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The Remarried Empress by Alphatart / Sumpul [ongoing - every Wednesday and Sunday]
Navier Ellie Trovi is an empress. Perfect and perfectly content in every way with her life until the day a mistress enters her husband’s life. Things sort of go downhill from there. Or do they? For she also learns about herself and what she might actually want out of life to be happy. Breaking the status quo might be the way.
It feels like one of those poor quality isekai comics or manga in which the MC is brought back to a time where she has the power to change her life and decides for emancipation and revenge, but it’s not. It’s more ‘yolo’ and had interesting characters, especially the MC - no pushover - and a slow-burn plot. Don’t expect to see the flash-forward in the first chapter quite yet, but come to experience the whole affaire in detail and in the most satisfying of ways! Also the art is cool!
divorce/10
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Muted by Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Friday]
On her 21st birthday, Camille fails the ritual to become a full-fledged witch and is isolated from what remains of her old and successful family. This leads to her discovering truths about herself and her powers that will change her and those around her.
By the same author as Love Bot. I haven’t read the whole thing yet but the designs are good, the plot is interesting, the characters have depth and personnality, it has witches, magic, romance [I guess, still unsure of the details though], a bit of angst, and it’s set in Louisianna. All good points.
plant magic/10
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Cursed Princess Club by LambCat [ongoing - every Monday]
Gwendolyn and her sisters, each a princess in their own right, are set to be betrothed to three princes of a neighbouring country after living all their lives happy and sheltered with their father and brother. Unfortunately, Gwendolyn is not like her sisters - and brother, for that matter - in that her beauty is... less than conventionnal. Devastated by what outsiders think of her she escapes into the forest and meets kindred spirits in the form of the Cursed Princess Club - non-gendered, they also have that one prince there! - and it might just help her grow into the confident woman she is destined to become.
I clicked for the funny hahas ‘because she’s ugly’ and cursed princess trope, I stayed for the genuine laughs and smiles and the heartwarming good nature of most of te characters. Also, haha, funny characters are funny. So, yeah, I started this with a bias - still haven’t caught up yet - and have been seduced by this lesser known webtoon. Don’t let the visuals fool you, it’s really good!
respect wahmen/10
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Andy Bass by KenneDuck / Gia [ongoing - every Friday]
Andy Bass is our average highschool girl. Litterally. She’s half human, half fish, a real mermaid but vertically. That leads to less-than-friendly looks and reactions from others. However, the arrival of a new, and frankly very cute, transfer student might change all that.
Haven’t read it all yet, not that there are many chapters out, but it feel fun and promising. Also, physically imperfect characters are best characters. Down with the reign of beauty and up with 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪!
Chin Hansum 2.0/10
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For the Sake of Sita by Haga [completed]
A medical student passionately falls in love with a fallen goddess during his volunteer abroad in Nepal, and he desperately tries to fight off destiny to save his love. [the actual summary]
Okay, I’ll be honest: I haven’t quite read that one yet. I’m guilty of only having looked at the beginning and the end to see if it seemed worth it and, oh my gorsh! it does. The art is beautiful, the story seems sad yet beautiful too (I had tears reading the last chapters without knowing much of the rest) and it’s short, so jump on it!
[I’ll probably come back to that later when I’ve actually read it completely]/10
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Us Right Now by yurineseventeen [ongoing]
Rina's long-term girlfriend, Noa, decides to run away from home. Rina has limited time to find her.
Not much more to say other than it’s sweet and it feels real. I like the beginning, haven’t read the rest yet, but will definitely soon.
keep going/10
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New Normal: Class 8 by Youngpaka [ongoing - every Sunday]
Dongwoon has a big head. It does not make life easy. But what if he wasn’t alone being so... different? He discovers it is the case when he joins his new school a special class full of people who are different. Things get weird fast but also better and fun.
I haven’t read this in a long time, it’s on my list though. But until the moment I stopped at least, it was fun, funny, and interesting. It’s slice-of-life comedy, often ligthearted and stupid, sometimes more serious, but globally a pleasure to read.
sensei/10
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The Witch and The Bull by Moonsia [ongoing - every Thursday]
Tan's job as the King's royal advisor has nothing to do with his hatred for witches, but it does make him a prime target for a curse that turns him into a BULL! The only way to undo this hex is to rely on the beautiful witch, Aro. Can her kindness turn his feelings around, and break this spell? [the actual summary]
There are two bulls and they have to ask it questions to know which is the real bull? I dunno, I haven’t read this one... But it’s been recommnded by @berigolote​ so it’s worth a try I guess? She did recommend Lore Olympus to me, so it’s on my list anyway.
to try/10
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The Right Knight and Our Days in Lumain by buttersphere [completed & ongoing]
A fun short comic about a play on the ‘knight comes to fight dragon to save princess in her tower’ trope and it’s sequel. The sequel is not finished yet (seems on hiatus) but they are worth the read for cute, funny, fluffy knight and dragon/witch romance and grumpy princesses.
need more/10
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NetOL by Forever9Nine [completed]
A slice of life comic about a veeery shy cat-girl (not literally) falling in love with a warm-tempered bookshop employee ( and NOT her colleague), and all the shenanigans that ensue. It’s short, it’s fun, and it’s cute. What more to ask?
oh wow sports/10
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Susuhara is a Demon by Soya S. Holm [ongoing]
The usual romance storyof perfectly perfect girl meets absolutely bazongers delinquent and reluctantly carries her unconscious ass to her appartment to help her after witnessing a gang fight between multiple idiots and her (future) idiot and saving her from a knife attack by bashing the last standing dude with a wooden shop sign. Legend says there’s a demon in K-city, I still am unsure of whom it might be.
fun/10
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It Stems From Love by Soya S. Holm [competed]
A short story about a girl who loves flowers and finds herself unexpectedly coughing them up dramatically whenever she’s jealous of those around her crush. It’s short, it’s cute, a bit dark at times, but definitely worth a read!
bouquet final/10
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Lesbiampires by fabarts [ongoing]
So, yeah, lesbian vampires. Nuffin’ ta add.
Well, anyway, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s serious too, it makes me root for antihero type characters who actually murder people for fun (but in a fun and respectful way, I swear!) because, well, love./10
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Perfect Harmony by bluebloodtanuki [ongoing]
An Overwatch fan-comic about Symmetra and her disaster roommates.
I don’t play Overatch but I like the lore and got dragged into fanfiction and shipping (by myself, mind you), so a fan-comic about similar dynamics AND it’s funny? Gimme.
Roadhog & Junkrat best duo/10
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Love Doesn’t Talk by Ann [completed?]
A misunderstanding is fine. Two? Hmmm. Three? Surely that’s fate, no?
A cute love story unfolding before your eyes with no dialogue, only pretty pictures. I’m not actually sure it’s completed but even if it isn’t, the ending doesn’t feel disappointing in the least.
no words/10
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AntiSTALKER by VOKIVORMOK [ongoing - every Thursday]
Humans, vampires and werewolves all cohabitate in this freaky highschool, despite tensions between the three races. A bittersweet yet fun love story between a fake stalker and his amnesiac prey...
Eugene wants Kira’s heart, she wants his head.
who?/10
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Kiss It Goodbye by Ticcytx [ongoing]
Two lesbians in love recount to their drunk friends the story of how they met. It’s fun and cute, both in story and in art.
delinquent x prim&proper/10
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Avril and the Divine Being by Charlie Genmor [ongoing]
Avril is a waitress, Cat is a reccuring client. Feeling blossom before they even exchange words and when they finally do, embarassment ensues.
I got hooked by the art style for this one and I have yet to be disappointed. Not many chapters but keep it close.
sunny/10
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Sunflower by EtoileKonijn [ongoing]
Wednesday, an art student, meets Sophie, a friend of a friend. Feelings ensue. It’s beginning to have a good number of chapters (even if they are short) and it feels like it’s actually the slowest burn of them all. Very much worth a read though, for the art style especially.
cute/10
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It Takes Two by love_of_pi [ongoing]
Common art style: imperfect but improving. Classic story: normal girl meets famous girl by accident and leave a great first impression. Shenanigans and romance ensue. However the tints of drama, the fun interaction between characters, and the smooth plot make it worth it.
Honolulu latte/10
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A Mild Flavor by Ru-rin [ongoing]
A slice of life of different couples. One with a compromised relationship and bittersweet reflections of the past, and the other which is hidden from plain sight, at different times if life. It is not perfect but it managed to worm its way into my heart nonetheless.
tasty/10
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The Greenhouse by Viesallon [ongoing]
Another one I haven’t read, but from the extracts I’ve seen the art is compelling, the story seems worth it - definitely deserves the drama tag it seems - and I keep it on my shortlist until I have time to read it.
supernatural/10
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My Masochistic Boss by Arisas_Art [ongoing]
Debuting goth writer meets hellish boss of editing company about her new book. Disagreement and tensions ensue. It starts with a slap and might very well end in bed, stay tuned!
This one rebooted recently and the art is soooo beautiful, moreso than before is I may say.
sexy/10
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Still Alive by Comic Kat19 [ongoing]
Half-zombie girl meets emo boy, baby ensues.
After the zombie apocalypse, they have to survive, and despite their differences, maybe together is better?
This I classify in the ‘Yuuutsu-kun to Succubus-san‘ category: a somewhat rough art style that I have come to love and enjoy greatly. Also the story is fun.
cat creature/10
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The Biggest of Treasures by Aixn [ongoing]
That smile, that damn smile. It’s what got me to try and it got me to stay. The art style is beautiful and the chara designs is too. The plot? Not much to say yet, but cuteness is enough.
bright/10
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And there you go for now. These are my picks. I haven’t read everything on Webtoon, I haven’t even read everything I’ve subscribed to, but if I had to recommend anything I have tasted, here it is.
Sorry if I missed any you deem worthy; feel free to harass me and mock my lack of culture by flaunting your own.
Maybe more later, in the mean time: keep scrolling, scrub!
PART II
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Text
My (incomplete) Notes on The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson, at 12 years old, is miserable
Percy is trying very hard to be good
Percy reacts violently when his friends are threatened
“I’m going to kill her” 
I wish I’d decked her right there
Percy turns red when he gets called on 
Percy knows a lot about both Greek and Roman gods
Percy has an “I’ll-kill-you-later” stare
Percy gives “safe” answers to authority figures
Percy sells an illegal candy stash out of his dorm room
Percy knows about shrooms and thinks that he was drugged on the field trip
Percy has nightmares about the teacher (Kindly One) that he killed
Percy has to get summer jobs
Grover is a very bad liar
Percy almost cries in class when his favorite teacher tells him that he’s different
Percy gets into fights to protect Grover from bullies
Percy sees the Fates snipping the thread and knows he’s going to die
Grover mentions that it’s always 6th graders who are killed
Percy ditches Grover at the bus stop
Grover’s bladder acts up when he gets nervous
Sally Jackson took night classes to get her GED
She wanted to be a novelist
Gabe Ugliano is Percy’s stepdad
His cigars make Percy nauseous 
He drinks beer and leaves a mess everywhere
He takes money from Percy and uses it to fund his gambling and calls it their “guy secret.”
If Percy tells Sally, he’ll “punch Percy’s lights out”
Gabe takes over Percy’s room while Percy is at school
Gabe makes fun of Percy’s grades
Sally works at a candy shop and brings Percy blue candy
She runs her hands through his hair and asks him how he’s doing
She never raises her voice or says anything unkind to anyone
Percy wants to punch Gabe
Percy wants to kick Gabe in the balls and “make him sing soprano for week” 
Gabe blamed Percy for things that aren’t his fault
Percy makes a hand gesture that Grover did, but at Gabe, and the screen door slammed shut 
They have a rental cabin on the beach that is “half hidden in the dunes, full of sand and spiders”
Percy and his mom eat blue foods because Gabe said there’s no such thing as blue food. It’s an act of rebellion. 
Percy thinks that his mom doesn’t want him around
Percy is mad at Poseidon for leaving him and his mom
In preschool, Percy is put to sleep in a crib at school. The crib had a snake in it and Percy strangled the snake to death. 
Percy has a dream that a horse (Poseidon) and an eagle (Zeus) are fighting to the death
“O Zeu kai alloi theoi” means “Oh Zeus and other gods!” 
Percy experiences panic when he realizes that his teacher was a monster trying to kill him
Lightning hits the camaro and blasts off the roof
Percy’s got good instincts; the hair frequently raises on the back of his neck when he’s in danger
Sally gets killed by the minotaur 
She’s actually stolen by Hades
Percy rips off the minotaur’s horn and impales it into his side
Percy is crying, weak, trembling with grief and he literally carries Grover and drops onto a porch
Annabeth tries to get Percy to talk while she’s spoon-feeding Percy ambrosia 
Percy has been unconscious for two days after his fight with the minotaur
Percy would rather live on the streets than live with Gabe
He considers lying about his age and joining the army
Percy is very good at telling when adults have been drinking
Grover is nervous about Mr. D
But he still manages to ask for the diet coke can to eat
  The farm house is four stories tall, sky blue and white trim
The camp grows strawberries and the campers pick them
Grover is 28 years old but satyrs mature at half the rate that humans do
The Poseidon cabin walls glow like abalone. There are six empty beds with silk sheets. It smells salty. 
Chiron gets horribly depressed about training heroes
Luke is very handsome except for a thick white scar that runs from his right eye to his jaw.
He’s the son of Hermes and the counselor 
Luke is 19
He’s in cabin 11
Monsters will always reform because they don’t have souls
The bathrooms are cinder block buildings with a line of toilets and a line of showers; there’s a girls and a boys
Percy feels a tug in the pit of his stomach when he uses his powers
Annabeth just watched Clarisse drag Percy into the bathroom to give him a swirly 
Luke steals Percy some toiletries from the camp store. 
Percy is not good at archery, foot racing, or wrestling
The only thing that Percy is good at is canoeing 
Percy can’t find a blade that fits right in his hand. 
Luke has been the best swordsman in 300 years
Percy bests him after pouring ice water on his head (son of Poseidon) 
Hades doesn’t have a cabin at Camp Half-Blood or a throne on Olympus. They say that it would be bad if there was a cabin for Hades. 
Sixty years ago, after World War 2, the big three gods made an oath not to have more kids.
Two of them broke it; Zeus with Jason and Thalia, Poseidon with Percy.
When Hades found out, he let out all three Kindly Ones and a pack of Hellhounds
Thalia wound up becoming a tree. 
Grover was the satyr assigned to bring only Thalia in. Thalia had befriended Annabeth and Luke, and she wouldn’t leave them behind. 
Percy thinks that Luke’s scar makes him look almost evil
Clarisse has an electric spear
It makes Percy go numb wherever she touches him with it
One of the boys in Cabin 5 (Ares) cuts Percy across the arm
Once Percy gets into the water, he’s very good at fighting
Luke wins capture the flag
Annabeth has a Yankee's cap that makes her invisible. It was a gift from her mother. 
Annabeth is the first person to figure out that Poseidon is Percy’s father.
No wait, Grover was first and then Chiron. Well, they knew he was one of the Big Three’s son.
As soon as Percy steps out of the water, he is exhausted and in pain.
When Hellhounds die, they melt into shadow and soak into the ground.
Hellhounds are from the fields of punishment.
When Poseidon claims Percy, everyone kneels.
“Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.”
Percy is miserable being alone in Cabin Three and being so isolated. He would rather get into fights every day than be ignored. People are steering clear of Percy. 
Except for Luke, who gives Percy one-on-one sword training. 
Annabeth teaches Percy Greek but she’s distracted.
Gabe tells the press that Percy is violent and a troubled kid. The newspapers say that Percy may be involved in his mother’s disappearance. 
Gabe also tells the press that Percy has expressed violent tendencies in the past.
Percy has more dreams of Zeus and Poseidon fighting. He hears Kronos’ voice calling to him. 
It doesn’t rain in Camp Half-Blood (or even get overcast) unless they want it to. 
Dionysus wants to kill Percy. 
Percy gets embarrassed when he knows something someone doesn’t want or expect him to. 
Percy has a nervous laugh. 
Illegal copies can be made of the Gods Symbols of Power.
Percy has tried to steal pizza from Gabe’s poker parties and got busted for it.
Percy is furious that the camp is being punished for his existence. He thinks he’s responsible for the gods' fight. 
The Big House attic is four flights up. It’s full of mementos from old demigod fights. 
Percy is scared of the oracle. 
Percy’s fists clench at the very sight of Gabe. 
Percy doesn’t have many friends. 
Percy isn’t afraid of Hades; he wants to get revenge and take Hades on. 
Gods can’t encroach on each other’s territories but demigods can. Gods can’t be held responsible for heroes actions. 
Percy describes his emotions as rolling glass in a kaleidoscope. 
Percy is so relieved that Grover is coming with him that he wants to cry. 
Annabeth volunteered to go on the Quest. Percy is not surprised. 
Previously, Luke told Percy that Annabeth has been harassing Chiron for a prophecy and that she’s been hanging onto all of the new campers until she’s sure they aren’t the chosen one. 
Annabeth says that Percy will mess up this quest without her even though he’s been more than adequate at handling everything that’s been thrown his way. 
The camp store loans Percy $100.00 and 20 golden drachmas. 
He’s also given a canteen of nectar and a ziplock bag full of ambrosia squares.
The ambrosia and nectar is only to be used in emergencies; it will kill a mortal and demigods will literally burn up if they overdose. 
Annabeth’s cap was given to her on her twelfth birthday by her mom, Athena. 
Luke actually runs up the hill to give them the basketball shoes. They’re the flying shoes he got from his dad for his quest when he was seventeen. 
Luke gives the shoes directly to Percy. 
Percy is worried that Luke would have been jealous of the attention he’s been getting.
Percy blushes because Luke gave him the magic gift. 
Luke seems uncomfortable talking to Percy. He trails off three times and uses “um.” And then there’s an [awkward] handshake. 
Luke pats Grover between the horns and gives Annabeth a hug.
Annabeth’s crush on Luke has been brought up three times so far. 
Percy figures out by this one interaction that Annabeth let Luke capture the flag instead of her. 
Percy thinks that he’s a brat for wanting a magical gift from his father. 
Riptide (Anaklusmos) is a gift from Poseidon that Chiron has been holding onto for the next child of Poseidon. 
Riptide is forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, and cooled in the River Lethe. 
Mortals aren’t important enough for the blade to kill but it will kill demigods and anything from the Underworld. 
Percy thinks that the real world feels like a fantasy after spending two weeks at Half-Blood Hill. 
Percy thinks that Annabeth hates him. 
Annabeth thinks they have to be rivals because their parents are. 
Annabeth was also mean to him before she knew who his dad was.
Even after two weeks away from Gabe, Grover can still smell him on Percy.
This makes Percy immediately want a shower.
Grover says that Percy should be thankful Sally was with someone who smelled so repulsively human because it kept the monsters away and that Sally must have loved Percy a lot to put up with that guy.
This does not make Percy feel better but he hides his feelings; or hopes he does since satyrs can sense emotions with or without an empathy link. 
Percy is on the quest because he wants to save his mom.
He is not on the quest to retrieve Zeus’s lightning bolt
Or to save the world 
Or to help his dad out of trouble. Percy is actually really, really angry with Poseidon for never visiting or helping Sally. 
Annabeth and Percy are good at playing hacky sack. 
The three Furies are considered the worst monsters in the Underworld. 
Percy had a chance to escape on the bus and didn’t take it. 
Alecto threatens to kill Percy (again)
Percy can speak Latin
Percy knows that the Greek Gods (Zeus and Hades in particular) are being assholes to him. 
The food at Camp Half-Blood is grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. 
“Your head is full of kelp.”
In Aunty Em’s emporium, Percy says that the smell of her cooking makes everything else go away, however he still has the sense of mind to notice Grover whimpering, the statues’ eyes following them, and Auntie Em locking the door. 
Percy’s neck tingles when he’s in danger. 
Percy is annoyed that Annabeth is being rude to a woman who just fed them for free. 
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