#SO... BABS DECIDED TO GO FULL JASON TODD IN THIS MOMENT

[toriafiction]

Another WIP (I have too many 😭)

After a universe is obliterated, collapsing in on itself like when a star devolves into a black hole, the two neighboring universes shift and collide. However, instead of completely destroying one or both of them, the two are merging. This means that instead of having two Batmen in this newly developing universe, the two men merge. This new Batman now has new memories for his entire life that is a nice seamless balance of the two different men he used to be, and he is none the wiser that this even happened.

This is how it is for everyone.

That's not great, but it doesn't sound too bad, right?

Except anyone who doesn't have a double is just disappearing altogether. People like Stephanie, who in the other universe died in her first couple of days as Spoiler before she ever even met the Bats. Or Dick, who died that awful night with his parents in Haly's circus.

Dick and Steph blink out of existence, and nobody knows because their new memories smooth it out like they never existed beyond the point of their deaths.

For everyone except Jason. Why does Jason remember when nobody else does? Unbeknownst to them, it's because of how he came back to life.

When Superboy-Prime alters reality from the paradise dimension in which he is trapped—his punches against the barrier keeping him from the rest of the universe causes temporal ripples that create an overlap of parallel timelines (Hypertime). This is what brings Jason back to life (as in the paradise dimension, he survives the Joker's assault).

Jason is already overlapped by another universe, and as such, when these two try to merge it affects him differently.

He wakes up in the parsonage of a church he is now apparently the priest of with two complete and separate sets of memories. In one set, he is simply Father Todd. In the other set, he remembers everything.

He remembers the moment the two universes started to merge. He and Dick had just been going to bed after a light and playful night of patrol. The downright joyful mood had easily flowed into the bedroom as they settled in. It had been a warm and loving moment full of adoration.

Then, everything changed in a fraction of a second. Dick had seized up, his eyes going wide and alarmed. He desperately clutched at Jason, gasping his name. Then, he just seemed to fade away slowly. Jason tried to hold on to him, but his body had lost all corporeality. It was like Dick had become a ghost right before his eyes, and Jason had never felt so helpless.

Jason tries going to Batman and the rest of the family, but everything is all wrong, and they don't know him. Batman is Batman, but Tim is going by a name he never has before. Damian is nowhere to be seen at first, but a little research shows that he spent a couple of months with Bruce before returning to his mother. Babs is Oracle and has turned Batgirl over to Cas.

Jason has no idea what the hell has happened or how to fix this when no one will give him the time of day. None of his contacts know who he is, so they won't deal with him.

Jason decides to play it the only way he really knows how. Brutally hard. If they don't want to listen, he will make them.

Jason breaks into the cave and fills an inflatable bag with gear, including an unadorned base layer of armor for Batman. He and Bruce are close enough in size he can make it work. He throws the bag into the cave's waterway. Jason knows where it will come out, and he will get it later. Still, this is too important to fuck up, so he slipped a tracker in the bag as well.

Then, he stays to confront Bruce again. He had played it safe the first time. Jason had met Batman on neutral ground on a Gotham rooftop and hadn't mentioned knowing who they were. This time, he isn't holding back.

It's ugly. It almost immediately turns into a fight. Jason does try to get through to Bruce. He tries so fucking hard! He needs Bruce on his side, but Bruce isn't listening.

Why won't Bruce ever just listen to him?!

He doesn't pull any punches, and as things continue to devolve, he strikes hurt.

"It wasn't your fault when you lost your family the first time. You were a helpless child then. This time, it will be. Fucking fight for your kids, Bruce!"

Bruce is freaked out that anyone managed to not only figure out their identities but also to break into his most fortified sanctuary. There will be time for questions and answers as soon as he has the threat secured in a cell and some form of control again.

Jason is more than holding his own against Bruce until both Tim and Cas enter the fight.

Jason doesn't know why he does it. Nothing he has said has triggered anything with any of them so far. But when Tim darts forward, going low while Bruce goes high (he has no idea where Cas is, and that's terrifying), he just shouts it out.

"Robin!"

But it's not Tim who jerks and freezes in place. Jason knows that Tim had built a considerable part of his life on and around Robin. Tim has integrated Robin into the foundation of himself on many different levels.

Hell, how could Robin mean more to anyone other than the boys who had made and worn, fought and bled, and, in Jason's case, even died in those colors?

But Bruce slams into a complete standstill, and his expression is so tortured as if that single word has entirely shattered him.

Who cares about Robin more than the boys themselves?

Bruce's episode is enough of a distraction for Jason to make his getaway, and it confirms that somewhere buried incredibly deep, the memories still exist.

They all love Dick, but the truth is he's been more crucial in some of their lives than he has been in others.

Could Jason get to Damian? Would having Damian on his side actually be any help? Would it be more productive to stay in Gotham and keep pushing at Bruce now that he has gotten a reaction from the man, or would it be better to give him some time and space and let him come to terms with whatever he has just experienced?

There is no logical reason for it, but Jason feels a near-desperate sense of urgency. It's like there is a lurid red timer ticking down until his world explodes again. Some part of him wants to freeze under the pressure, indecision weighing down on him, but that has never been Jason's style.

It's knowing what Dick would want that actually makes up his mind. Jason has been doing mental gymnastics to avoid thinking about it, but what if this can't be fixed? Damian is with the League of Assassins, being hurt, used, and brainwashed. Dick would never forgive him if he didn't save their youngest bird. Jason would never forgive himself.

He fishes his gear out of the river it has floated its way into. He pulls the tracker, not trusting that he is the only one who can trace it. He picks up a discarded plastic soda bottle, seals the tracker inside, and flings it back into the river. Hopefully, that will tie up at least one Bat for a little while.

Next, he procures himself an old cheap laptop from a second-hand electronics store. He uses it to book himself a flight. With no resources and nobody willing to talk to him he'll have to fly commercial. It'll be much slower, make him easy to track, and just a pain in the ass in general. The only luck he's had so far is that his first flight will leave early in the morning.

While he waits he spends a few hours setting the laptop up to send each Bat a message every day for the next month. He does his best to make them both personal and meaningful. He doesn't want to lose any ground he's gained with Bruce, and he also wants the others to remember.

They were all trained in detective skills, and part of that is remembering important information such as dates. And if there is one thing a Bat can't ignore, it's a mystery or a puzzle. If he gives them something to solve, then they will be thinking about it, and if they are actively thinking about it, then hopefully they'll remember something. So, quite a few of the messages contain dates with tiny hints as to what makes them special, but Jason is careful to keep a mixture of pointed questions, statements, and memorable quotes or nicknames in there as well.

A lot of the messages end up being the same for everyone. He sends them all birthday dates and the designs of the many different Robin suits, as well as the Nightwing, Spoiler, and Steph's Batgirl suits. He also sends them all the date for the night the first Robin flew by Batman's side for the first time. He did the same for Steph's first night as Robin and Batgirl.

He addresses most of Bruce's messages to Batdad even though here he hasn't adopted anyone and is only fostering Cas. Tim still lives alone in Drake Manor. It really pisses Jason off, but he is already doing the best thing he can by trying to fix this broken world.

Some of the messages that Jason sends solely to Bruce include the date for when he first brought Dick home. The date for when he (finally) officially adopted Dick, and the dates for Steph's first night as Robin as well as her last. Some of the questions he sends Bruce run along the lines of, "Have you ever held a tiny bird close to your side tucked beneath a bat's wing?"

"Who's going to swing from your chandeliers now?"

"Does the manor feel dark and empty with only Cas and Alfie? Do you expect more people when you round a corner or enter a room? Do the halls ring silent, devoid of their bright laughter and the pounding of running feet?"

"Have you ever paused in front of a door in the family wing because you know somebody should be in there?"

He addresses some of Tim's messages to baby bird. He sends him the date that he filed on the batcomputer as the one he figured out that Robin was Dick Grayson and from there who all the Bats were. The date of his first night as Robin and the date that Steph "died" followed immediately by the question, "Has love ever hit you like a brick to the face?"

Some of the others just for him are, "Who taught you how to fly, baby bird?"

"Have you ever surfed on a train?"

"There is a special kind of weight to being the middle child."

"Rooftop tag, you're it."

"Get in the car loser, we're going shopping" would be her soul words."

"Do you want a hug? Doesn't matter, octopus hold engaged."

"Glitter bombs."

He asks Babs who the "Boy Blunder" is. If she was ever lonely when working with B during her Batgirl days. Who she spent her movie nights with. He sent her two shades of purple and asked which one was right. He sent her a lot of really bad but highly memorable puns and quippy one-liners.

He does this for each of them, including Alfred.

It never once occurs to him to send them anything about himself.

This is the majority of what I have for this one. I have a couple more vague ideas for it, but nothing as put together or comprehensive. Which is why I haven't actually written it yet. 😆

Once I have the full picture, I'll go at it in earnest.

#dick grayson #jason todd #jaydick #dickjay #nightwing #red hood #batman #batfamily #batboys #damian wayne #bruce wayne #tim drake #stephenie brown #ao3 writer #ao3 author #wip

[out-of-context-batfam]

Batgirl: Girlfrenzy (1998)

#WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL DANNY TREJO BABS?!! #SO... BABS DECIDED TO GO FULL JASON TODD IN THIS MOMENT #SHE FINALLY SNAPPED AND ALL OF GOTHAM SHOULD BE SCARED #BABS... ARE YOU OKAY SWEETIE?!! #dc comics #batfam #batfamily #out of context #batgirl #Barbara Gordon #hackerbat #funny #dammit babs #snapped #she is pissed #talk about a plot twist!

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

Graveyard Siblings (5)

[Masterlink] (PART 1) (PART 4)

-----

Mari and Cass sometimes switch their suits as they have the same body type. Cass would sometimes go out in full Hellbat gear and give the appearance that Hellbat is out more often than she actually is.

So Orphan/Black Bat also sometimes uses guns.

This also helps with concealing secret identities. Maria was rescued by Hellbat from Joker’s Henchmen. (Vicki Vale was getting sus of the new Wayne and Hellbat.)

Unfortunately since Hellbat rarely comes out and she had already made all of her appearance for the month and it wasn’t a busy weekend, the public had come to the conclusion that Hellbat has a crush on the newest Wayne.

Basically everyone thought that Mari has a crush on herself. Which led to some teasing and escalated to Mari announcing that Jason had a crush on Red Hood on live TV.

It didn’t help that a video of Red Hood and Jason re-enacting Romeo and Juliet with Jason on his apartment balcony and Red Hood on the roof was posted on the internet a few days later. (Thank you, Trixx and Tim’s awesome video editing skills)

Sadly, it was taken down 24 hours later. (Tim and the others have multiple copies of it, on the cloud or hardware, hidden around in the manor and their respective safehouses in the US.)

Some people kidnapped Jason to hopefully gain leverage over the Red Hood and to their dismay and nightmares for years to come, Hellbat came instead.

One lucky and incredibly brave reporter asked why she was there instead of her brother.

Mari being a little shit, “Red Hood may be a tough and scary guy but when it comes to his feelings, my brother is a chicken.”

Pictures of Jason tackling Hellbat somehow never made it into any papers.

The criminal underworld hasn’t taken a hint and Jason has been kidnapped a few more times.

Other times Jason was kidnapped:

Robin: Red Hood made a fool of himself in front of Todd recently and he doesn’t dare to show his face.

Spoiler: He was taking too damn long checking his hair even though I told him that no one was going to see it under his helmet and he was so offended that he is currently sulking in the bathroom.

Red Robin: Red Hood can’t think straight when he is around Jason. I mean have you seen the dude.

Arsenal*during a rare visit to Gotham*: Red Hood owes me one now.

Dick finally ends it by going out as Red Hood and rescuing Jason. Gotham is happy that Redson (Red Hood x Jason) ship has finally sailed.

-------

Kate, Babs, Cass, Steph and Mari were out on Mari’s first girls’ night since her move to the manor.

This is set a little after she came back from Paris with Jason.

They watched rom-com movies, did hair and nails, gossip about the superhero community and bitch and vent to each other.

Marinette off-handedly mentioned the crazy shits she had done during her stint as Ladybug. It started with asking about the T-rex in the Batcave and she mentions jumping into the mouth of a live one before.

Everyone in the room was shocked and after a few more questions, it was obvious that she was very reckless and self-sacrificing. Yep, she was going to fit into this crazy family just fine.

And Holy Shit. There is so much trauma packed into this kid. She needs lots of therapy.

Babs finally decided that they all needed to get out and have some fun. All in their respective suits and they went out.

Joined by Harley, Ivy and Selina.

Plagg came along because I want Plagg to meet Selina.

It was a chaotic night and it was a miracle that Bruce didn’t find out about what the girls did.

-------

Batman and Red Hood were on patrol together when Selina jumped in front of them.

“Hello, Boys”

“What do you want, Catwoman?”

“I want to meet my new prodigy, Kitty Noire.”

Cue Marinette jumping down from her hiding spot, transformed with the Black Cat Miraculous. “Hiya.”

Red Hood carries her like a potato sack and points his gun at the other two.

“Nope, she’s my sister and I called dibs. I adopted her. She’s off limits.”

“Legally, she’s mine.” Batman coughed out.

“I did it first. Emotionally. She’s my emotional support sister. You have plenty kids already, B and Selina, get your own.”

“Hey, I am still here and can hear you.”- Maria

-------

Alya was worried for Lila. She had been acting weirdly for the past month.

She looked very out of sorts. Her clothes weren’t in order and her hair was in disarray. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes looked wild. Lila didn’t look like herself at all.

She jumped at any sound and flinched at really sudden movements.

Alya tried to find out what was wrong with Lila and received vague answers.

One time Lila said that Marinette is to blame.

Alya reaches the somewhat right conclusion that Marinette was haunting Lila and hurting her because Lila used to come to school with bruises and claims that Marinette did it.

Alya goes to Marinette’s grave to desecrate it. (Yeah, go anger the ghost that is haunting someone.)

Unfortunately, the moment she tries to do something, the sky turns dark, clouds appear and the wind begins whipping. A Lightning strike near her and there was a cloaked figure beside her with a scythe.

All Alya saw from the figure was the blood-red lips in a very sharp grin and glowing blue eyes, raising the scythe high before she ran away. The scythe swiped the air where her head once was.

Alya didn’t get far before she tripped and blacked out.

When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital with no idea how she got there.

She was told that somebody found her with a concussion in the park and took her to the hospital.

------

The next one on Mari’s hit list was Natalie.

She wasn’t as involved in the whole thing like Lila, Adrien or Gabriel but she still did it anyways.

Her punishment is a little mild compared to the others and was more of a warning to Gabriel.

Natalie woke up in the middle of the night to see a not-so-dead Ladybug sitting on her vanity chair with the moonlight from the windows illuminating her body and her neck. Her suit was torn exactly like the day of that battle with blood dripping down her arms and from her open wounds. The shadows kept her face hidden but glowing blue eyes stared at her.

Natalie was scared at first. But she regained her normal cool composure.

“I assume you are here to extract your revenge for aiding in your unfortunate demise. But before you kill me, I regret my part in my entire thing and I apologize for everything I have done against you even though I knew it was wrong.”

“At least you show remorse over what you have done. Visiting my grave when even my parents didn’t and leaving flowers. I love those purple hyacinths by the way. Did you know that they mean sorry in the language of the flowers?”

“Why are you stalling my death? Just kill me already.”

“Madam Sancouer. You just played a minor role in my downfall compared to what Adrien and Lila Rossi did to me. And you showed more guilt over your actions than they ever did and Adrien claimed to have loved me. And like I have told the Bats, Death is too swift of a punishment.”

“Who are the bats?”

“None of your concern. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Lila sees the ghosts of her past and they haunt her. Adrien is in a living nightmare and has no control over his actions and is despised by everyone. What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, since you show some guilt over your actions, let me tell you a little secret. I am not dead. Not really. I mean I did die. But there was a spell in the grimoire that revived me. It took a few days to work.”

Marinette changed to her normal form. It was a little jarring to see an older Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on her vanity chair like it was a throne. The Ladybug suit and the wounds were gone. She looked a little familiar.

“Why are you telling me this? What was the point?” Natalie faltered as she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Marinette moved closer and her face was fully illuminated by the moonlight.

“I intend to take everything by which I mean everything from Gabriel Agreste for what he did.”

“M. Agreste just wanted his wife back. You just gave him your Miraculous, you would still have everything.”

“What difference would it make? Sure I had friends and family before but they turned out to be disappointing. I might have become a famous designer like I dreamed of and can't achieve because I died. Besides, he never said about wanting his wife to come back in his tedious monologues. For all we knew back then, he wanted them for world domination. He showed that he would end the world for them. For kwamis’ sake, he nearly started World War III, just for a pair of earring and a ring. He was willing to kill me to have her back. No wait, he did that too. If he actually read the translated grimoire or asked the Guardian or at least someone with magic for help instead or maybe used his head and made some who can heal as his champion using the Butterfly, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. Face it, Mme Sancour, your boss is a power-hungry and very controlling maniac who is also thankfully an idiot.”

“But- he- he just-. You are just a child, what do you know? M. Agreste knew what he was doing.”

“A child who had a normal life up until he tried to ruin it with his idiotic schemes and hiring Lila to do it. A child who had to fight a war on her own.”

“I am sorry you had to go through that but I doubt you and your little revenge rampage is going to solve anything.”

Ghostly Chains wrapped around Natalie’s body, squeezing tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

“I was all for sparing you, you know. If you had actually listened to my side of the story, you would have spared from my ‘little revenge rampage’. This is going to be a little painful. Sorry about that.” In a tone that was definitely not sorry.

Pain coursed through Natalie’s body. Her skin crawled and itched as pitch back feathers grew out of it. Her bones turned to dust and reformed.

Where Natalie Sancour once was, there was a raven.

An omen of death and destruction for one Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette leaned down towards the raven. Natalie tried to peck her eye out but Marinette held the beak in a firm grip.

“Ah. ah ah. Luckily for you this is temporary. Mostly. Every night, you will assume this shape and each night the longer you will stay in this form. Slowly counting down the days until Gabriel’s downfall. Since you love helping him so much, you are going to help him know how long he has to live. The night you are a raven from sunset to sunrise, that sunrise starts the day Gabriel Agreste will be utterly destroyed.”

She released the beak and headed towards the window.

"Send him my regards."

With that, she was gone.

(Part 6)

#platonic jasonette #graveyard siblings #maribat #ml x dc #marinette meets the sirens

[themaribatpit]

Hanging by a Thread: Chapter 3

Rated M: DC canon-typical violence, suggestive threats

Author’s Note: Neither of us are actually American, and DC Fanboy has some gripes with certain American habits.  Please feel free to tell us how uncultured we are in the comments, and try and explain yourselves to non-Americans.

Ships: Jason Todd/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon (side ship).

Taglist:

@aespades​, @neakco, @ladybug-182, @seraphichana, @zalladane, @luminous-carrot, @jayjayspixiepop, @cap-noodles, @livelifeauthorstyle, @thepaceperson, @moongoddesskiana, @vroomtaka, @laurcad123,  @prettylittlebutterflie

Chapter 2 - Chapter 4​

Chapter 3

Dick slumped down on a chair when they returned to the Belfry.  He ripped off his domino mask and let out a sigh. “Damn he’s good, then again he was taught by the best.” 

“Dick!” Barbara gave him a dirty look. They both looked towards their French guest to see her still lost in thought. 

Ladybug transformed back to Marinette, and then slowly walked over to get herself another cup of hot chocolate to cheer herself up. As she operated the multi hot drinks machine in the Belfry, she thought about how incredibly convenient the device was. Barbara and Dick mentioned that unless it was winter, no one else used it for hot chocolate. 

Hot chocolate dispensed from the machine, and as she picked up the paper cup, a shadow loomed over her. She was able to make out the silhouette of an imposing figure with demonic pointed ears. She squealed in shock, spilling her hot chocolate on the figure. 

Dick rolled off the chair laughing, “Oh, better fly away home Ladybug.” “How long have you been waiting to use that joke?” Barbara said without looking away from the screen.

“Since the moment I met her, Babs,” Dick retorted.

After the initial shock, Marinette was able to see the figure clearly and realised she just spilled hot chocolate on Batman. The Batman. Marinette paled at what she had done, she fumbled around looking for tissues. All the while apologising profusely as she tried to find anything to wipe the Caped Crusader clean from this chocolatey mess. Her mind ran at a mile a minute, thinking of what Batman would do to her for spilling hot chocolate on him. She thought of how Batman would squish her like a bug, or perhaps he would break all of her limbs, and send her on the first flight back to Paris while tied to the cargo hold. Her mind was catastrophizing and going into a full panic as she stumbled around the kitchenette. 

Marinette found a damp cloth and began wiping Batman vigorously from head to toe and hoping it would somehow lessen her punishment. She looked up to see that Batman continued to stare at her with his infamous glare. Seeing that her attempts to clean up her mess had no effect, she ran back towards the main room and grabbed Dick, holding him in front of her as a shield. 

Batman slowly followed, without saying a word he stomped into the main room and came to a halt right in front of Dick. “Uh, hi.” Dick awkwardly greeted Batman. Marinette shakingly peeked her head out from behind. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, also known as Ladybug.” Batman’s low voice boomed with authority. “What are you doing here in Gotham?” 

Marinette yelped and went back to hiding behind Dick. Barbara interjected, “She’s here to investigate a recent use of the Lazarus Pit, mainly the Red Hood. From what we gather the creatures that give her power were also the ones who created the pits.” She explained on Marinette’s behalf. 

An uncomfortable silence hung in the room as Batman contemplated her answer. “Fine,” he relented. He turned and walked away. 

Marinette released a sigh of relief as she saw Batman leave. Dick took out his phone and began tapping on it, he just had to notify the rest of the Bat Family of what had just transpired. After a few moments he put his phone back in his pocket and walked away, “I’ll get a mop” he yelled back at Marinette and Barbara. 

Marinette then slumped on the dining table, hands in her head. Completely embarrassed at how she made a fool of herself in front of one of the world’s greatest heroes. Barbara calmly patted her back in consolation. After she calmed down and got herself another cup of hot chocolate, Marinette decided to head home.

On the way back to the apartment she shared with Zoe, she checked the messages that Zoe sent her during the past couple of days.  “Hey, are you okay?” The first one read.  “I haven’t seen you in the apartment for a while now,” she said, followed by a message that said “Please don’t be dead, I can’t afford rent by myself.” Marinette sent a quick reply saying, “I’m okay, I’ve just been busy taking care of some things.  See you tonight.” she said. When Marinette got home, she logged onto her computer to see a few messages from Alya, asking her of how she found Gotham City. Expressing worry for her friend, especially with the notoriety of Gotham's crime rate.

Marinette typed up "Hi Alya! Gotham is all right, I can take care of myself, you know that."

Alya decided to video call Marinette and her face appeared on screen. "Hey!" Alya waved her hand to her friend.

"Hi" Marinette gave a tired wave back.

"Everything okay?" Asked Alya.

"Fine, just tired from moving into the new place." She explained.

"By the way, could you open up a portal with Kaalki to my room?" asked Alya.

Marinette complied with her friend, as she put on the horse Miraculous and opened a portal. Soon a paper bag dropped from the ceiling and landed on the floor. "I had a feeling you might want something to cheer you up, I went to your parents' patisserie earlier."

Marinette opened up the bag to see several treats from the bakery.  She thanked her best friend profusely, and began eating them “How are things back in Paris?” Marinette asked, taking a macaron out of one of the boxes, she smiled as she took a bite out of it.  It was almost like she was 13 again, and her dad had given her a box of macarons for the first day of school.  

“Nothing we can’t handle,” Alya said, winking at her. “So, have you met any of Gotham’s vigilantes yet?” Marinette rubbed the back of her neck.  “Well, yeah,” she might as well tell her some of the things that happened.  “I accidentally spilled hot chocolate on Batman’s cape,” she confessed. “And you’re still alive?” Alya’s mouth hung open in shock. “Well, he does have a pretty strict ‘no killing’ policy,” Marinette told her. “Okay fair enough, how are you still in one piece?” Alya asked, still somewhat shocked.

“He just kinda glared at me, and I hid behind one of his sidekicks.” Marinette told her, “So, that’s how.” “Ah so you’ve met the sidekicks then,”  Alya gave her another knowing smile. “Some of them, Nightwing being one of them.” Marinette told her. “Did you get a good look at his assets?”  Alya gave her a wink, and Marinette rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure his assets were spoken for,” Marinette said, and before Alya could say anything more she quickly added “and no, I am not telling you who the lucky person is.” “You’re no fun.” Alya pouted mockingly, but she couldn’t stay angry at her friend.  Alya noticed the faraway look in Marinette’s eyes at that moment, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Marinette wondered how best to phrase it, “do you know anything about the Red Hood?” she asked.

Alya’s eyes widened in shock, “You’ve met him? Are you and Zoe living in his territory?”

“No, at least not that I know of, I just…” Marinette assured her, “Do you know anything about him?” “Give me a moment,” Alya said, quickly turning away to search for something on her laptop screen, “must have heard something about the guy…” she muttered.  Marinette never really told Alya about her soulmate bond, and she wasn’t about to start now.  “Says here he’s a crime lord that operates in Gotham City, that he took over Black Mask’s crime syndicate not too long ago…” Alya told her, “Pretty brutal to those who cross him, by the sound of things.” “Good to know,” Marinette muttered. “Marinette, are you sure you and Zoe are okay?” Alya asked. “We’re fine, just that Ladybug ran into him while working with Batman’s sidekicks.” Marinette told her. “I should have been there, it would have been a fun interview for Ladyblog.” Alya chuckled, and Marinette raised an eyebrow.  “I mean, after the fight of course, or maybe I should just stop talking.” “Try pitching the idea to Vicki Vale or Lois Lane, I’m sure they would jump at the chance.” Marinette joked.

"Just you wait until I get my Journalism degree, I'll bother you everyday for a scoop." Alya retorted. The two of them continued to laugh and joke with one another before Marinette went to bed.

The next morning, Marinette was woken by someone gently nudging her awake.  “Get dressed dummy, we’re going out.” she heard a voice say. Marinette looked up and blinked a few times before Zoe’s face came into view.  “What time is it?” Marinette groaned. “9am,” Zoe told her, “we are going to go out and get some breakfast together.” Marinette groaned in response, but slowly got out of bed.  Zoe leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms and smiling.  She chuckled slightly at the sight of Marinette’s tousled hair, Marinette smiled slightly in response.  “All right, all right, give me some time to get dressed.” she said and Zoe left, closing the door behind her. 

The two friends sat down to eat breakfast at a nearby diner, and Zoe began telling Marinette all the ways in which America was very different from France.  “First of all, they call the 24 hour clock ‘military time’, I never understood that.” she explained before taking a bite of her pancakes.  Americans made pancakes a lot thicker and fluffier compared to crepes, was another thing Marinette noticed.  “Oh, no more 2 hour lunch breaks, and as a French person, you will get made fun of for having more time off work than the Americans.” she said.  

As the two finished breakfast, Zoe paid the bill and left a tip. Marinette raised an eyebrow at Zoe for paying what was higher than the bill. “Marinette, remember, always tip whenever you go eat at a restaurant or a diner.” She explained. 

“Why? Isn’t there a service charge added? Don’t the servers get paid?” Marinette asked.

“Not at all.” Zoe deadpanned. 

“What?” Marinette exclaimed in shock, she quickly covered her mouth as eyes turned to face her for her outburst. 

 Zoe beckoned Marinette to follow her, “Come on, I’ll show you all the hotspots in Gotham City.”

 The two walked out onto the street and across several blocks.  Zoe stopped as the two reached their destination. She then pointed to an old gothic tower, “That there is the old Wayne Tower, creepy isn’t it? Built in 1888 by Cyrus Pinkey for the Waynes right at the heart of Gotham City. It’s been closed for a few years now, since Wayne Enterprise moved to the New Wayne Tower in the financial district.”

 Marinette’s eyes widened in recognition, it was where the Belfry was located. She remembered the gothic tower, but she had no idea it was the old Wayne Tower. She decided it would be best to keep quiet about this revelation. 

 The two continued sightseeing as they ventured into Robinson Park. “This park is amazing, the biggest park in the heart of Gotham. Also it's very close to Gotham U, I’d love to come here everyday after class to unwind.” Zoe explained. The two calmly walked across the park, enjoying the scenery and stopping by to feed some ducks.

 “Anyway I need to get some things on the way back,” the two then walked to a nearby grocery store and bought groceries. Being on a budget, Marinette eyed the price tags frugally, calculating how much it would cost her. Zoe smirked at Marinette, knowing what would come next when the two went to the cash register. Marinette was thrown into a loop as the total amount did not match the price tags. Marinette tried to ask for an explanation from the cashier, but they were not helpful. The cashier only said that it was tax, “Why isn’t tax included in the price tags?” she pleaded to the cashier.

The cashier gave Marinette a light shrug. “That's just the way things are.” 

Marinette pulled her pigtails in frustration as to why the final price doesn’t match the price tag. “Ok fine, what's the tax in America?”

Zoe took the chance to intervene and explain it to her friend. “It depends, it varies between states, counties and even cities.” 

Marinette banged her head against the counter in frustration. “Why? Why is it so crazy here?” 

Zoe and the cashier laughed at Marinette's antics. The cashier asked “You new here?” 

Marinette did not lift her head up, “How could you tell?” 

The two made their purchase and walked home, Marinette had to do a double take on the loaf of bread she bought. She stopped Zoem and said that they needed to go back to the grocery store for another loaf of bread, because this one had expired. Zoe snatched the loaf from Marinette’s hands and took another look. “Nope it's fine, remember America uses Month/Day/Year here.” Zoe explained. Marinette’s eye twitched as the two walked back to their apartment. 

The semester began the following Monday at Gotham University. As a Fashion & Design student, Marinette had long studio classes which usually kept her busy during the day.  She would have to spend even longer hours in the studio if she had a project due.  When Zoe wasn’t attending lectures, she had a part-time job that kept her busy as well.  So Marinette didn’t see much of her by the time she managed to return to their apartment.

Over the course of the next few days, she would go to her classes by day and go out every night to search for her soulmate. However, the Red Hood had proved to be elusive, always alert to the movement of the red thread that tied them together.  Marinette found that the thread changed wildly.  Some nights she stopped by the Belfry, exhausted and dejected. Barbara had noticed this and decided that she had to know about Jason, it might change her mind or it might not. She deserved to know if she was going to go looking for him every night.

One night when she entered the Belfry, Barbara gestured to Marinette, “Come over and pull up a chair.” Marinette followed and brought a chair to the computer. The two sat side by side, “Mari, you deserve to know more about Jason...the Red Hood.”

Marinette’s eyes widened at the mention of her soulmate, “Please tell me more about him.” she begged.

“Marinette, I’m sorry, we knew more about him but we didn’t tell you.” Barbara apologised.

Marinette was hurt at how they were withholding information about her soulmate from her. “Why?” was all that she was able to say.

Barbara took a deep breath, “Because Jason was the second Robin.” 

Marinette’s jaw dropped at this bombshell, her soulmate used to be Robin. It would explain the skills he displayed out in their last encounter. Marinette wondered how tough his life was, how he suffered at the hands of the criminals of Gotham at such a young age. Some of the things he said back at the dockyards were now sounding like they came from experience.  “What was he like?” she asked, wanting to know what her soulmate was like before his death. 

“Angry, rebellious, Jason always felt like it was him against the world. He was caught trying to steal the wheels off the Batmobile, that's how Batman found him and brought him in.” Barbara explained. 

“How did he die?” Marinette asked.

Barbara grew silent at the mention of Jason’s death. “He tried to pursue the Joker, but it was a trap. The Joker caught him, tortured him for god knows how long. I saw his bruises, it-it was as if he was beaten over and over again with a crowbar.” Marinette covered her mouth and her eyes welled with tears as she heard the gruesome details of her soulmate's unfortunate end. 

“To make matters worse, he locked Jason in the room with a bomb.” “What about the Red Hood?” she asked. “We...we buried a mannequin in a wig,” Barbara explained, “the real body was taken by the League of Assassins, trying to make up for what happened.”

Marinette stood up and rushed to the guest room, she had heard enough.  She could not imagine the pain and suffering her soulmate had been through his entire life.

Jason had been constantly on the move, knowing that his soulmate was out looking for him.  He tried to shut off the part of him that wanted to get close.  He was honestly surprised the Bat clan hadn't told her every horrific story they had about him.  Either they didn't know they were soulmates or she was knowingly walking head first into the lion's mouth.  If she didn't find him, then she might stumble upon a group of his men at work, and they might be a lot less forgiving.   If he was constantly checking over his shoulder, making sure the girl wasn't close by, things were bound to start slipping through the cracks.  

He himself had various safehouses scattered around the city, but he couldn't keep running forever.   It was getting ridiculous, he had faced crime lords, assassins and even gone toe-to-toe with Batman multiple times.  Yet here he was, running and hiding from a girl who was about a foot shorter than he was.  He knew why, of course, he wasn't afraid of her but she should be very afraid of him.  He had hoped that she would give up the search, as she drew closer and closer to finding out the truth about what happened to him.  But life had never been that easy for Jason, and sooner or later she was going to get too close to the untamed monster beneath.  If she got hurt because of him, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.  Not even his old self could forgive that.  He would have no trouble protecting her from other criminals, not that she really needed it.  However, whatever came crawling out of the pits was something else.

After putting a swift end to some people who were causing trouble in his territory,  his mind wandered back to Ladybug.  Specifically, the sad look in her eyes when he explained how brutal and unforgiving Gotham could be.  He tried not to think about it, because that look made him want to hold her close, and reassure her that everything would be okay.  Thoughts of how the idea of her gave him hope all those years ago would come bubbling to the surface.  It made him want to protect her, to ensure that this world wouldn’t hurt her the way it hurt him.  When she looked at him with those eyes, it made him want to believe that she trusted him to do just that.  He shook his head, and told himself that what he was also the very thing she needed protecting from.  

Most nights Jason had nightmares about failing to save her.  There were even nightmares where she died by his hands.  Her blue eyes would become lifeless and vacant, her skin would feel ice cold, and he would end up cradling her limp form in his arms.  Batman would just love it if those nightmares came true.  It would only prove to him that Jason was nothing more than an unhinged monster he couldn’t cage.  It wasn’t as though the Bat had much luck caging the real monsters in Gotham anyhow.  Most days, Jason’s skin crawled as he remembered the feeling of the Lazarus pit’s waters.  The creatures she was palling around with were the ones who made it. They probably didn’t give a damn about the evil they had inflicted on the world because of it.   For all he knew, being around her little fairy friends would make the effects much worse.  Still, when he snapped back to reality, he would see the string glowing red, just as it had always done.  Occasionally moving and twitching as his soulmate searched high and low for him. Maybe the time had come to have a little talk, soulmate to soulmate...

#maribat #jasonette #ml x dc

[squiddybeifong]

Can I ask for the batsiblings reaction to Damian pacing so much he wore a hole in the floor? Doesn't have to be a fics, maybe headcanons?

Sorry for the rather long wait. Kinda wanted to make this a fic

Here's the floor pacing fic

On Ao3 here

--

Alfred hadn’t outwardly reacted to Damian’s obvious lie as to why he had paced the floorboards uneven, but the butler absolutely took action for amending the tripping hazard in the boy’s room. With the floor repairman on the line and a measuring tape in hand nothing was amiss, of course.

Dick had already kept him up-to-date with the gossip about the two Titan birds, so Alfred hadn’t been surprised whatsoever. His position in the family meant that he’d watched the awkward budding romances of most everyone who’d called the Manor home. Damian being frustrated at his feelings for a teammate was nothing compared to a (very grown) Bruce being moody after Selina rebuffed his kiss while ‘on the clock’ or Dick’s increasingly creative attempts at sneaking around with Kori before the ‘no dating metahumans or aliens’ rule had been lifted. Honestly, watching the pun-laden flirting that Steph ladled out to both Tim and Cass on a near daily basis was more awkward than his youngest ward taking his repressed emotions out on the floors.

Unfortunately for Damian, the butler arranged for the floor repairman to show up during the day. Most notably, the repairman arrived at exactly the specified 1:35 p.m., not wanting to be late when called upon to fix anything belonging to Bruce Wayne.

Why Robin had believed that (like everyone else in Gotham) this worker would be fashionably late, he didn’t know. What Damian did know was that he hadn’t heard Grayson open the door. Nor had he heard his brother head up with Alfred and the repairman into his room. And he especially didn’t hear as Alfred slyly mentioned that he believed Dick’s gossip was coming to a head, if the worn path in the floor meant anything.

No, Damian heard none of it. Not when he was busy brushing BatCow and making sure that every square inch of the barn was properly ventilated so she couldn’t possibly overheat in the approaching summer weather. So when the youngest Bat stalked into the Manor, he’d been all but ambushed.

It didn’t take a detective to realize why he’d been pacing so much. Even without Alfred’s confirmation, it was unlike Damian to avoid going back to the Titans early if he could help it. Batman hadn’t looked up when Robin had elected to stay another week when they were in the BatCave, but his siblings sure had. And while Bruce didn’t outwardly ponder about how intense things had to be for Damian to go out of his way to avoid a certain someone, this new information had Dick positively enchanted at the prospect of his baby brother being in love.

“I’m not in love with Raven,” Damian hissed out.

Jason snickered as he reclined in his seat, his face full of mirth at the flustered crack in Damian’s voice. Cass was sitting upside down with her legs resting on the couch’s back, her smile wide as she took in her youngest brother’s irritated, embarrassed body language (nevermind the barest hint of an actual blush on his face when vehemently denying any feelings he had towards his fellow Titan).

Babs’ smile was wide and cheerful as she pointed out, “Who said anything about Raven?” Duke perked up from his spot next to Cass, immediately adding on, “Yeah, Dami. We thought you were just falling for her?”

Steph snorted, “Falling over those footprints in the floor, more like it.”

Tim laughed behind his gulp of his coffee, sleepily (and loudly) drawling out to the blonde, “A Robin and his Raven. Guess you can say they’re a real pair of lovebirds, huh?”

Damian glared at them all, fighting the urge to pinch between his eyes. Why were all the Bats at the Manor? Shouldn’t they be on patrol instead of bothering him?

Jason clicked his tongue and rested his arms on the table. He met Dick’s gaze, saw the way his older brother’s eyes brightened up with mischief and scratched at the streak of white in his hair. Deciding that messing with Damian was by far the most fun he’d have in the Manor that morning, Jason asked, “So, Lil’ D… What’re you gonna get your girlfriend? Can’t come back empty handed.”

“She’s not my--”

Babs interrupted him, nudging Tim with her elbow, “Do not tell me he wasn’t planning on getting her anything.”

Steph lazily rested on the chair���s edge. The blonde leaned over to rest against Jason’s shoulder, her fist pressed to her face. She gnawed on the inside of her cheek; it wasn’t likely she’d be much use for knowing how Raven would want to be wooed. She had heard of her but she had yet to actually meet Damian’s mystery crush, after all. She let out a hum, “What does Raven like? It’s gotta be something personal!”

Damian clicked his tongue as his siblings were suddenly oh so chatty at Spoiler’s suggestion, their unwanted ideas filling the room.

“What if he paints her something?”

“Doesn’t she like old books? Maybe one of those first editions that Alfred was thinking about donating last year?”

“Wait a sec-- Dick, isn’t she goth? B did get that set of obsidian jewelry at the last gala.”

“Hell, if we’re going that route I’m sure Selina has some nice rings somewhere--”

“Maybe something that isn’t stolen, Tim.”

“Just be honest with her.”

The room went quiet at Cass’ simple instruction. Still in her Orphan suit from her early morning patrols and reclining in her inverted spot on the couch, the brunette somehow kept a serious face as she stared at Damian upside down.

Seeing that no one was going to add-on to her suggestion, Cass blew some of her bangs out of her face and shrugged, “You like her for a reason.”

Brown eyes slyly glanced around the room, gratefully falling on Babs as she piped up, “Cass is right. I really don’t think Damian of all people would fall for someone who’s all about dating mind-games.”

Ignoring Damian’s exasperated lie of “I haven’t fallen for her!” in the background, Steph slumped down on the couch next to Duke. Her face was contemplative, “Then maybe we should invite her here?”

Dick let out an excited laugh the same time Tim clapped his hands and grinned at their resident computer whiz, “Babs could absolutely get her up to speed on patrolling Gotham for a bit, right?”

The redhead looked excited at the idea. Pushing her glasses further up her nose before they fell, Babs teasingly asked, “What is it about Gotham and bird-based superheroes?”

Duke shrugged, a hand cradling his chin in thought. “Not sure, but Dami obviously won’t confess if we’re not around to kick him into doing it.”

Jason clicked his tongue at the possibility of the youngest Bat listening to them and raised a brow Dick’s way, “Any chance at all that she’ll make the first move?”

Irritated at the topic, Damian turned on his heel and retreated to the kitchen. Ignoring the chorus of “C’mon, Dami” behind him (and planning on fighting Todd later for the childish boos that the antihero was aiming at his back), Robin set about grabbing some snacks for his pets when he heard two sets of footsteps approach.

He bit back a groan as Dick practically skipped into the room, Cass on his heels. “What now?”

Nightwing let out a laugh at his brother’s sneer, “You do know that we’re only trying to help, right?” He took a few pears from the fridge and handed them to Damian, knowing that they were BatCow’s favorite. Hearing as Cass opened the cabinet doors to find where the rawhide bones and cat treats were stored, Dick pressed on, “I know she already knows me but it might be easier introducing everyone as a segue into talking to her about other things…”

Cass let out a quiet snort at his suggestion. She shook her head and offered a better idea, “Alfred first.”

Dick tilted his head, nodding in agreement a moment later. He ignored the violent way Damian was cutting up the pears and said, “That’ll probably be for the best. Living with the Titans is one thing; we gotta ease her into our particular brand of madness.”

Tossing aside the stems and peeled off stickers, Damian sulked, “None of this is necessary.”

Cass hid her smile with her hand. Dick hummed out, “You don’t want your girlfriend to meet your family?”

“She won’t be my--” Damian couldn’t say the potential title just yet. He clicked his tongue, “Just because you all think I have feelings for her doesn’t mean she’ll reciprocate.”

The older two visibly paused at his words.

Her head tilting in concern, brown eyes studied Robin for a moment. Damian glared at Cass but she ignored him. Dick leaned against the wall, the worried furrow in his brow betraying his nonchalant stance. He spoke out the obvious, “Do you really think she’s not interested?”

“She thinks I’ve been avoiding her--”

Cass shrugged, “You have.”

Damian continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “--so I doubt any feelings she may have towards me are positive right now.”

Dick let out a hum, “You didn’t answer the question.”

Ophan’s suit somehow didn’t shine in the kitchen’s fluorescent light as she crossed her arms, “Yes or no?”

Damian bit the inside of his cheek. It was quiet in the kitchen for a moment as he thought over all the moments he and Raven had shared, the comfortable quiet pauses between crimefighting, training, and avoiding their teammates’ noise. She never seemed to dislike his company, but she was stoic enough that he could never tell if her heart leaped into her throat whenever she noticed that they were alone.

He suppressed a jump as Cass entered his personal space.

Olive eyes were reluctant as she poked his cheek. “You’re not stupid,” She figured it was progress when he didn’t try to swat her hand away, but she couldn’t keep the beam off her face at the boy’s blush. A hint of smugness crept into her voice, “So she is?”

“I don’t know.”

Cass looked to the Manor’s main entrance, knowing that in half a week’s time the entire structure would be full of lights, flowers and who knew what else B’s planners would bring. A spring gala with flowers and enough hidden corners for a pair to get lost in the crowd.

In other terms: the perfect setting for a first date.

She met Dick’s gaze and grinned at the knowing look on his face. His hair nearly fell out of its bun as he let out a whoop, wrapping an arm around Damian. Thoughts of finding Raven a gala-ready dress (and maybe a matching suit) in mind, Dick couldn’t keep the excitement out of his movements.

Ignoring the aggravated yet cautiously hopeful way Damian shrugged off his brother’s arm, Cass clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Only one way to find out.”

#damirae #damian wayne #dick grayson #cassandra cain #batfam #my writing #asked and answered #mistkissedmoon #g o d it's been a While hasn't it? but I really hope u like it!!! #but yeah. batfam is gonna batfam if dami's got a crush. a whole lotta teasing at his expense *but* they are gonna try to help #but its bc they loooooooooooove him. he's the baby bat ofc they gotta get cheesy with it #I was thinking of headcanons but this gives me an excuse to write a first date/gala shenanigans so #I figured why not? I've been slacking in producing ridiculous damirae fluff

[youwerenevermeanttofeelalone]

can you write christmas headcanons with the batboys, the batgirls, and bruce? like setting up the apartment/house and baking blablabla

✦ a/n — I’m writing this with the holiday celebrations as a secular thing in mind.

Bruce Wayne

Bruce honestly doesn’t have enough time to set up the manor, but he makes it up to you by actually helping you choose the decorations.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s enthusiastic about it, he’s just busy. And he makes as much time as possible for you and the family.

Bruce enjoys baking for the holidays. I’m sure that’s one of the few activities he enjoyed as a kid when Alfred tried to keep his mind off how sad the holidays would be without his parents.

December is like Gala Time™︎ so the season is hectic for everybody at the manor. Never a dull moment is spent at that house.

And he likes it that way. I think Bruce prefers the erratic nature of having the entire batfamily around him throughout the festivities, it’s a reminder that he isn’t alone even though he feels like it sometimes.

He goes out of his way to get everybody a special gift. Alfred helps, of course, but Bruce takes his time to give his input and think about them.

Dick Grayson

You find out he’s a good singer while decorating the apartment. He starts by whistling and then he’s full-on belting while singing different Christmas songs.

He claims he isn’t a “Christmas guy” but he enjoys the cheer the season brings. He finds it contagious. (He sooooo is a Christmas guy, but don’t tell him I told you.)

Dick’s less impulsive throughout the holidays because he doesn’t want to miss any party or event.

Really indecisive as to what to get his family for Christmas. He low key panics when it’s time to choose Damian’s present.

You will never get Dick Grayson to bake. I’m sorry, but he’s a menace in the kitchen. He also hates measuring ingredients.

Buuuuut, he’ll happily watch you and keep you company. He might take place in decorating cookies. They don’t turn out that pretty, but it’s a blast.

Jason Todd

Setting up the apartment with Jason is really fun. And he can reach anywhere so he does all the hard work.

However, when you get to the Christmas tree it isn’t as fun anymore.

You see, Jason is very protective of the people he loves. He loves you very much. And Christmas trees are a fire hazard.

He’s almost ready to throw out the tree but he can never say no to your puppy eyes. So he agrees. And he turns into a clean freak because “artificial trees collect dust and that makes them a fire hazard.”

I have this headcanon that Jason is a great cook and I also think he’s a great baker. The apartment usually smells amazing, and it smells even better throughout winter.

Don’t tell Alfred, but Jason’s cookies are the best in the world.

Tim Drake

I see him as somebody who’s really into the festive season.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” he says, unironically and with a sweet smile on his face.

Colors everywhere, stockings, mistletoe, ornaments... decorating the apartment takes you a few days because neither of you can decide how much is too much.

Not much of a baker, but he’ll give it a try just to have some festive fun.

He’s an expert at wrapping gifts. Seriously, he does it quickly and without a struggle.

I think everybody from the batfamily enjoys doing charity work around the holidays, but especially Tim.

Damian Wayne

I’m certain Damian didn’t grow up celebrating the holidays to the same level westerners did, and he probably started tolerating them in his late teens.

That being said, he prefers simple decorations. Too much color is headache-inducing and he thinks it doesn’t look good when a pallet isn’t being followed.

Tease him about how colorful Robin’s suit is and he’ll send you the deathliest glare you had ever seen.

Damian takes decorating cookies very seriously. And he’s a really good artist, so as expected, his cookies are gorgeous.

Never take him Christmas shopping, please, the world isn’t ready for that catastrophe. He does all his shopping online and he always knows what to buy for everybody.

Expect a gift that could only be considered as a lot. Damian doesn’t know what a small present is — or if he does, he chooses to ignore the concept.

Duke Thomas

The two of you slow dance surrounded by the Christmas lights when you’re done decorating the apartment.

Movie marathons are a usual thing for you, and they only get more frequent as the holidays approach because there are a lot of holiday movies and he loves most of them.

The entire month, he tries to take a peek into what you buy in case his gift is there. Sweet Duke doesn’t know you bought his gift earlier because of that specific reason.

He tries to get you to spill what you bought for him. Mostly with spontaneous kisses. He makes it reaaaaally hard to keep the secret, but you manage.

He’s a decent cook, but he cannot bake to save his life. He can bake pre-made stuff and even that turns out burnt sometimes.

Look, he’s busy rather often and he can’t remember everything he has to do — that includes that there’s good in the oven. BUT IT’S OKAY, HE’S CUTE, NOBODY’S PERFECT.

Barbara Gordon

Babs gets you matching Christmas sweaters for every occasion. You don’t know where she finds the ugly kind but she manages to get her hands on some atrocious stuff (in a fun way.)

The two of you most likely spend Christmas Eve at her family’s. She’ll be okay with visiting your family too, and will probably try to bring something special to charm your parents.

She’s already charming as she is, but festive!Babs is 100x more charming.

You have a tradition of giving each other awful gifts on Christmas Eve and good gifts on Christmas Day. She switches it one year and it’s chaos.

So. Many. Cute. Photos. Together. Dressed as elves, as Santa, as reindeer; with your Christmas sweaters; on your pajamas; dolled up for a party... you could fill an album with photos exclusively taken on the holiday season.

Christmas Day is for cuddling and eating candy you found on sale.

Stephanie Brown

Picture her in one of your sweaters, stretching her arm to teach the top of the tree so she can do the finishing touches. She’ll refuse your help, but will kiss you as soon as she’s done as a thank you for being helpful.

The two of you host a small holiday party at your apartment and the preparations are the most fun you’ve ever had.

Like finding Christmas markets in Gotham is hard and the city is awful sometimes, but the process is fun and Stephanie’s excitement makes it even better.

And the party is a success. Your friends are there, and your girlfriend is so happy because the apartment feels so much like home that you can be comfortable with hosting parties.

Instead of baking cookies and being a cute couple by smearing royal glass over each other’s faces only to clean each other, you have a gingerbread house competition.

It gets messy, and Steph laughs throughout the whole thing. Nobody wins, but it’s fun, and it isn’t particularly cute, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cassandra Cain

Like Damian, she didn’t grow up celebrating the holidays as westerners do.

Cass isn’t the most open person in the world. She tries, but it’s hard for her sometimes. She makes more efforts around the holiday season. As cliche as it sounds.

If she’s spending the holidays with the batfam, she partakes in the family traditions Bruce has set up for everybody.

If she’s on her own with her S/O, I see her doing chill stuff. The two of you cook your favorite food and watch movies the entire day, perhaps indulge in a bottle of mauled wine or something of sorts.

She’d be okay with going to your family’s Christmas celebration as long as you also get time for yourselves later.

Cass will give you hands down the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received. She’s observant so it’s hard to hide things from her and that means she knows exactly what you want or need.

#bruce wayne x reader #dick grayson x reader #jason todd x reader #tim drake x reader #damian wayne x reader #duke thomas x reader #barbara gordon x reader #stephanie brown x reader #cassandra cain x reader

[whumpbby]

The recent post about Duke joining the Batfam out of his own free will made me think of a scenario where he does join them - but the Batfam is the Batfam, tight-lipped, most of the time full of conflict and disagreement and, having experienced a normal loving family situation, Duke is in constant state of astonishment and dismay. How are they even working? Damian at least once a week tries to kill Tim, who treats the kid with cold disdain, Bruce habitually holds back necessary information from everyone until the last moment, Cass is creepy with how she uses her innate understanding of others as a legit replacement for actual conversation, Babs seems like a normal person until you realise the duplicity she doesn’t seem to see in herself, even Steph is disturbingly eager to fan the flames of any conflict and Dick bursts out in these angry clouds every once in a while.... and they are good people, really, but they are not cohesive and uninterested in understanding their own shortcomings... The only person he doesn’t have contact with is Jason. 

Ah yes, the dreaded Red Hood - he doesn’t meet him for the longest time and information he has is all second-hand. He knows how the family sees him - he knows how the media does, how the villains do. He only ever sees the effects of Hood’s work and, well, it’s not pretty. He can’t decide if he feels pity or sadness towards the lost Robin, or horror at the thought of the good kid falling so far...

Until one night where everything goes to shit, the family is spread too thin and Duke gets lost, hurt and knocked out in quick succession. He comes to on a strange couch in a strange room with a strange man telling him to stay the hell down - and he knows that accent. It’s entirely downtown and no one in the family has it, and Duke is not stupid, there is only one hunk in the Batfam who speaks like crawled out of the sewer in the Narrows. And it’s high time Duke saw the guy without the mask and made acquaintance - even if he’s a bit scared, because what he knows of Jason Todd is not hopeful. 

But they are stuck in Jason’s safehouse while things go to shit in the city above - Duke got concussion and his arm is sprained and Hood was shot in the leg - both of them are out of commission and have to sit out until the reinforcements arrive. Which means that they will have to spend a couple hours together in a tiny studio-flat and... and somewhere during the fifth round of Uno meant to keep them from climbing walls, Duke realises that Jason Todd is nothing like he thought. Nothing like he was expecting. 

He’s actually - funny. He’s abrasive, yeah, but no more than the guys Duke grew up around, but he has a good sense of humour and is quite caring about Duke and his poor head, and makes a really mean grilled cheese sandwich. And cheers the same baseball team Duke’s dad did. And when they watch the new Star Trek movies he has OPINIONS and, wow, the guys is pretty cool. He’s not pitiful, not sad, not angry and aggressive, not dark and mysterious. He’s just a dude. And he’s kinda cool.      

#headcanon #duke&jay

[writingblock101]

Old Memories (Jason Todd x Reader)

Request for anonymous: “I didn’t want you to see me like this.” and “You’re proud of me?” 

I hit 700 followers? Holy shit? Thank you! Enjoy!

Word Count: 3,000 words

Warnings: Gore, violence 

Tags: @idkmanicantenglish, @mayahoelland2013

Red Hood grimaces under his helmet at the sound of the familiar, maniacal laughter. His hands tighten into fists as his skin burns with the heat of a bomb and stings from the blows of a crowbar. Keep breathing. You’re not in Ethiopia. His fingers ghost over the word “HA!” carved repeatedly into skin that isn’t his. The memory makes Red Hood’s stomach boil with rage. 

His hands brush over one of his guns strapped to his thighs. The heavy metal brings him comfort, knowing he’s not a scared kid, beaten and chained to the ground in an abandoned warehouse. He’s highly trained and heavily armed with a chip in his shoulder. While Red Hood may have agreed to not kill in Gotham, he’s certainly going to deliver some pain to the Joker. 

“Help patrol Gotham, they said,” Red Hood mutters to himself. “B would appreciate it so much, they said.” 

“You good, Wing?” Nightwing asks over the comms. 

“Peachy,” Red Hood growls, his teeth grinding at the sound of the laughter again. “Where the fuck is this crazy son of a bitch?” 

“Dunno. The upstairs classrooms are clear.” 

Red Hood grumbles under his breath as he checks an empty kindergarten classroom. While he’s happy Joker decided to hole up in a school at night when there weren’t any kids present, there are about twenty million different ways he’d rather be spending his evening than hunting for the Joker with Nightwing and all of them include you. 

You and Dick, of course, were the ones who talked him into helping patrol Gotham. With Batman and Robin on bed rest after getting caught in an explosion and Red Robin abroad, that left Nightwing and Red Hood to make sure Gotham didn’t go to hell. And of course, just with Red Hood’s luck, Joker decided tonight was a beautiful night to break out of Arkham. 

“I hate this fucking city,” Red Hood grumbles. 

“Clearly not that much ‘cause you never left,” Nightwing quips back. 

“Yeah, well, sorry for not fucking off to a completely different city because B pissed me off,” Red Hood snaps. 

“We’re not all dramatic enough to die instead.” 

Red Hood grins under his helmet, glad that his siblings are finally catching on to how much fun it is to make death jokes. 

The intercom crackles to life, Red Hood’s grin melting off his face. 

“Looks like old Batsy seems to think he’s too good for my games,” The Joker sighs. “Instead, he sent me Old Boy Wonder and the Defective,” He laughs loudly. “I’m sure we’ll still have some fun!” 

Red Hood grinds his teeth, but finishes checking the last classroom. 

“Downstairs is clear, anything upstairs?” 

“All clear,” Nightwing confirms. “That just leaves the gym.” 

“Great,” Red Hood sighs. “Meet in the west stairwell.” 

Nightwing swings around the railing, dropping onto the floor next to Red Hood. Show off. 

“Shall we?” He asks. 

Red Hood grumbles but follows Nightwing out the stairwell and toward the large gym. Red Hood shoves open the door to be immediately met by gunfire near his head. He curses, ducking left while Nightwing sprints right. 

“Hiya, boys!” Joker exclaims, firing another round of bullets into the wall above the bleaches Red Hood is hiding under. “I thought you two would never find me!” 

“I’d rather find you in a cell in Arkham!” Nightwing yells from opposite bleachers. 

“Arkham?!” Joker sounds deeply offended. “Boy Wonder, when did you turn into such a party pooper?” 

“You want an alphabetized list?” Nightwing growls then his escrima sticks crackle to life with electricity and he leaps out of his hiding place, hitting a nearby goon in the face. 

Red Hood takes that as his cue and comes out shooting. They make quick work of the goons, sending the Joker sprinting toward the back of the gym. 

“This party isn’t over yet!” He exclaims, pulling out a different, strange-looking gun. 

“What the…” Red Hood frowns at the toy looking weapon then Joker points it at him and fires. “Shit!” Red Hood exclaims, rolling out of the way from a dart that’s sticking into the floor. 

Joker fires again, this time hitting Red Hood in the shoulder. He curses, yanking the dart out, but feels strange. Joker laughs again. 

“I hope you like my new concoction!” He exclaims. 

Jason feels the room spin around him for a moment, a floating feeling rushing throughout his body. A giggle builds in his stomach then comes tumbling out of his lips. Another follows, spilling like bubbles out of Jason’s mouth. Bubbles, that’s funny. He laughs more, the idea of bubbles coming out of his mouth seeming hilarious. 

He looks down at his chest, expecting to see bubbles. Huh. He’s on the ground now. Isn’t that funny? Jason thinks so. 

He looks down at his chest, wanting to find the bubbles. Maybe they’re a pretty color! Wouldn’t that be funny? Bright green and purple bubbles spilling out of Jason’s mouth. That would be hilarious! 

Jason laughs more, tilting his head to see the bubbles, but he doesn’t see bubbles. Dark red blood gurgles down his chest, oozing from his split open stomach. Those aren’t green and purple bubbles. More blood gushes out of his stomach as Jason laughs harder. Blood? He’s bleeding? When did he start bleeding? He needs to stop the bleeding, but he keeps laughing. What is so funny? Jason isn’t sure, but he keeps laughing. 

Deep cuts on his arms begin dripping with blood. HA! HA! HA! HA! carves itself into his skin. Jason laughs harder, feeling tears rush down his face. He hears the smack of a crowbar against skin, the ticking of a clock, the smell of gunpowder. He feels the burn of an explosion, a sheen of sickly green covers his eyes. It bubbles around him, forcing his skin back together. 

“Jason?” You stand in front of him, blood spurting from your slit throat. “Why did you do this to me?” 

It’s not funny, but Jason can’t stop laughing. 

“Why did you do this to me?” You hiss, more blood spurting from your throat. 

As blood dribbles from your throat, it catches the scars on your arms. HA! HA! HA! 

“You did this!” You scream. “Jason! You did this! Jason! Jason! JASON!” 

“Jason!” Nightwing exclaims. 

Jason jerks awake with a gasp. He shoves Nightwing away from him and rips his helmet off, breathing heavily. His hand flies to his chest to find it perfectly dry. He isn’t bleeding, you’re not here. He’s on the ground in the gym. The Joker is tied up and unconscious. Isn’t that funny? 

A familiar, maniacal laugh escapes Jason’s lips. His eyes widen at the realization. 

“Hey,” Nightwing puts a grounding hand on Jason’s shoulder. “It’s okay, breathe through it. We have the antidote, let’s just go to the Cave--” 

“No,” Jason cuts him off. “I’m not going to the Cave,” He giggles at the thought of bats, his anger quickly flushing away. 

Nightwing sighs, probably not surprised by Jason’s resistance. 

“Okay, fine. I can go to the Cave. Do you want me to take you back to your apartment?” 

“No!” Jason laughs again, his chest tightening at the familiar laughter. He feels a crowbar smack his skin. His hands go to his hair, tugging. There’s no crowbar. Another laugh spills past his lips. “I can’t,” Jason manages as another laugh forces its way out. He tugs harder on his hair. “I can’t do that to Y/N… Not when I’m like this.” He laughs again. 

Dick frowns, squeezing Jason’s shoulder. 

“Okay, Jase, just breathe. You’re okay.” 

Jason nods shakily, his heart rate speeding up with each laugh. 

“My apartment is too far…” Nightwing frowns. 

“I have a spare key to Tim’s apartment,” Jason giggles, his fingers tightening in his hair at the sound. 

Nightwing narrows his eyes. 

“Does Tim know this?” 

Jason rolls his eyes. 

“He’s the one that gave it to me, birdbrain,” The usual bite is wrecked by another maniacal laugh. 

“Okay,” Nightwing helps Jason to his feet. “Let’s get you out of here.” 

. . . 

It’s not just Joker Venom. Dick curses under his breath. It never is easy with Joker, is it? He looks over at his brother on the couch. The crazed grin has forced its way onto Jason’s face as more and more maniacal laughter forces its way out. 

With each giggle, Jason’s nails dig into his hair. Luckily, Dick was able to get Jason out of his gear, but the sight on Tim’s couch was truly heartbreaking. 

Jason is hunched over, curled in a protective position Dick guesses Jason used a lot before meeting Bruce. His hands are knotted into his hair, tightening with each giggle. His eyes are squeezed shut, tears streaming down his face through the laughter. 

“No, stop!” He begs. He murmurs something low and panicked that Dick doesn’t catch. “Stop! Leave Y/N alone!” 

Dick clenches his fist, his chest tightening at hearing Jason say your name again. If he had to guess, Joker laced his Venom with Fear Toxin. Because Joker Venom wasn’t already hellish enough. 

Jason whimpers again, curling tighter on himself. Dick needs the antidote. This isn’t the first time Joker has combined his Venom with Fear Toxin so making the antidote won’t take long, but Dick can’t bear to leave Jason alone. 

Kori is off-world, Roy is on the other side of the country, Bruce and Damian are the absolute last people Jason wants to see… Kyle is off-world, as is Donna, Tim is in Europe, Cass is in Hong Kong with Steph, Babs is helping the Birds of Prey with a mission, and Dick doesn’t have a single clue about how to get in touch with Jason’s friend, Artemis. While Dick understands why Jason doesn’t want you anywhere near him, Dick doesn’t want Jason left alone for any period of time… Which leaves you as his only option. 

Dick sighs and fishes out his phone. 

. . . 

You stand outside Tim’s apartment, staring at the door. Dick gave you the full rundown. Jason has been hit with a mixture of Fear Toxin and Joker Venom, giving him terrifying hallucinations while laughing like the man who murdered him. 

The sound of maniacal laughter, muffled by the door, sends chills down your spine. Your arms burn where the words HA! HA! HA! HA! are carved. The sound of screams echo distantly in your ears. 

Although it has been years since you were trapped in that 3rd-grade classroom with that deranged clown while watching him carve into your classmates’ bodies, the memories still haunt you constantly. Some kids got Glasgow smiles carved onto their faces. Others got the Joker’s name carved across their chest. You got his laughter carved down your arms. Years of therapy is the only reason you can stand in front of this door without running. 

Another laugh fills your ears. You squeeze your eyes shut, feeling the sting of the cuts running down your arm, but you pause, taking a deep breath. Although the laugh sounds dangerously close to the Joker’s, underneath the high pitch noise you can hear Jason’s low timbre. He is in there, forced to be producing the last sounds he heard as a scared, beaten sixteen-year-old, and you’re not going to let him suffer alone. 

You knock on the door. 

Dick opens the door, looking a bit disheveled. He’s still in his Nightwing costume, mask and all, but judging by his messy hair, he’s been tugging on it and running his fingers through it, a nervous habit you’ve noticed most of the family doing. 

“Hey,” He pulls you inside quickly. “I’m sorry to drag you into this--” 

“I’m glad you called me,” You cut him off. A familiar laugh interrupts you, causing you to tense. 

Dick frowns, reaching out to squeeze your shoulder. 

“Hey, just breathe. You’re not there. You’re in Tim’s apartment.” 

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, nodding along with Dick. 

“I’m okay,” You promise. 

“Y/N?” Jason says quietly. 

You break away from Dick and slowly approach Jason on the couch. He looks exhausted and terrified, dried tear tracks on his face along with the frozen, crazed smile. 

“Hey, Jaybird,” You begin quietly. “You okay?” 

“You’re...You’re not real…” Jason slowly backs away from you, curling against the couch’s opposite arm with a giggle.

“No, Jay, I’m here. I’m real,” You reach out to run your fingers through his hair. 

He sighs, melting into the touch for a moment, then a deranged giggle forces its way out of Jason’s mouth. Your hand tenses slightly in his hair. It’s not Joker. This is Jason. Joker isn’t here. It’s just Jason. He would never hurt you. 

Jason notices your sudden stiffness and slips away from your touch. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” Anger tries to overtake his features, but the fixed smile makes Jason look even more demented. He glares at Dick. “I told you not to call! What the hell?!” He laughs loudly, his hands closing into tight fists.

“I didn’t want to leave you here alone and Y/N was the closest person,” Dick explains calmly. 

“I would be fine!” Jason protests, another laugh forcing its way out. 

“No, you wouldn’t be,” Dick responds tightly. “I have been watching you lose your shit on the couch for the past twenty minutes! I need to go make you the antidote.” 

“I’ve survived worse!” Jason protests with a loud, maniacal laugh. “I’m already living through hell, I didn’t want someone else to be dragged in!” 

Your face softens. 

“Jay,” You reach out to touch his arm, but he jerks away from you. 

“No!” He protests loudly with another laugh. “I didn’t want you to see me like this,” Tears form in his eyes. “I don’t want to… to turn into him.” 

“Jase,” Dick frowns. “You’re nothing like the Joker. You’ll never be the Joker.” 

“You… You don’t get it!” Jason yells with a laugh.

Dick opens his mouth to say something else, but you interrupt before he can. 

“Dick. Go to the Manor, I’ll stay here,” You order. 

Dick shoots a worried glance at Jason but nods and walks out of the room. You turn your attention back to Jason. 

“Jay,” You cradle his face, wiping your thumbs under his eyes. “You’re not the Joker. You never will be.” 

“I know, but I didn’t… I didn’t want you to see me when I sounded like this,” Jason giggles again, your shoulders tensing for a moment. “See! I know you’re scared of me! I never want you to feel like that around me!” 

“I’m not scared of you,” You tell him sharply. “I know you would never do anything to hurt me. Yes, the laugh brings back some bad memories, but you don’t bring back those bad memories. You help me replace them with something better.” 

Jason’s eyes squeeze shut for a moment, his hands coming up to hold your wrists. 

“I saw myself standing over you so many times. You were bleeding and I was holding the knife,” He pauses, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I saw myself hurting you,” He giggles, his hands momentarily tightening on your wrists at the sound. 

“Jay, have you ever had any desire to ever hurt me?” You ask. 

Jason’s eyes fly open. 

“No!” He quickly says. 

“Then what makes you think you’re suddenly going to start now?” 

Jason says nothing, looking down at the floor. You move a hand to his chin, forcing him to look at you. 

“I’m proud of you,” You tell him. 

His eyebrows furrow with a crazed laugh. Both of you tense for a moment. 

“You’re proud of me?” He asks hesitantly. 

“Every day,” You tell him. “You never cease to amaze me. You’ve experienced the worst of the world, but still put yourself in danger to help others. You have so many reasons to be angry, but you still find some way to love everyone around you. Tonight, you faced off against a man who has hurt you and so many people that you love. He tried to break you, turn you into what you hate, but you are still standing here strong. I am proud of you.” 

Tears freely flow down Jason’s face then he pulls you into a tight hug, holding you close to his chest. 

“I’ll never hurt you,” He promises into your hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

“I know,” You whisper back, despite the giggle that escapes him. 

. . . 

By the time Dick makes it back to the apartment, you had coaxed Jason on the couch where he was fast asleep against your chest. You idly run your fingers through his hair, whispering words of reassurance to him when his body goes tense from nightmares. 

Dick holds up a syringe. 

“How is he?” Dick asks. 

You shrug, glancing down at Jason fondly. 

“About as good as he can be, given the circumstances,” You look at the syringe. “Antidote?” You ask. 

“Yep,” Dick nods. “Let’s wake him up.” 

“Jay,” You whisper to him, running your fingers down his back. “I need you to wake up.” 

Jason jerks awake, looking frantically around the room for a moment, but your hand in his hair directs his attention to you. 

“Hey, you okay?” You ask quietly. “We’re in Tim’s apartment.” 

Jason nods with a giggle. 

“Dick got the antidote.” 

“Thank God,” Jason groans, rolling his sleeve up. 

Once Dick injects Jason with the antidote, you two move to Tim’s bedroom for the night. The smile is finally starting to fade from Jason’s face. 

He collapses onto the bed and pulls down you with him, wrapping his arms around you tightly. 

“Thank you,” He murmurs into your hair. “I love you.” 

You tilt your head up and give him a sweet kiss. 

“I love you too,” You whisper back, making Jason hold you tighter. 

Everything is okay. 

Thank you guys so much for being patient! My parents are currently moving, I am transferring colleges, starting my summer job and trying to sort out summer classes. Those other request are coming up! I’m really excited to write the next one! 

#jason todd #red hood #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #dick grayson #nightwing #joker #panic attacks? #gore #tw: gore #violence #tw: violence #dc #batman #dc fanfiction #reader insert #request #dc request

[bigskydreaming]

Making this its own post because replying to the ask got so weirdly formatted I can’t even. Oh tumblr. You work so well.

@themessofthecentury  asked:

jsksjf my tumblr notifs are bugging and i didnt see your post but!!! The patron Saint of Robins?? I am much intrigue!!

(This is from this ask game, just....gotten to late, lololol. And I still have more I’m getting to, no worries. Just had a rough couple days is all, laid me up a bit.)

Okay, so The Patron Saint of Robins is kinda like the situation at the end of Grayson, except also not at all. And actually this is one of my older WIPs, and according to Scrivener I started it in 2015 afhislfhalhfalf, so it really has nothing to do with that. Also, its Young Justice-verse, but for two specific reasons:

1) YJ-verse is my go-to for Good Dad Bruce Wayne, when I don’t want to actually tackle the issues I have with his and his kids’ dynamic in comic book canon. I don’t carry over things like the adoption issue or the Robin succession into YJ fics, as I don’t think there’s anything that suggests they’re ever a specific issue in YJ and I don’t feel a need to make them one. So pretty much anything and everything I write in YJ goes with the backstory that Dick’s already adopted by Season One, and he’s the one to grant each later Robin permission to use the mantle, with no conflict over that, and more of a pre-Crisis transition to Nightwing than the post-Crisis firing from Robin. And this fic inherently needs Good Dad Bruce Wayne to work, lol.

2) I needed Klarion the Witch-Boy. Who of course exists in comic book canon, but is muuuuuch different there, and I just needed him to be a little demonic evil shithead, who sets everything in motion to get payback on the heroes for thwarting the Light in Season One, and he targets Robin due to being the oft-cited ‘first of the baby brat heroes’ and the ‘heart of the cape community.’

You don’t really need to be familiar with YJ canon at all for this one, as it goes sharply AU from after Season One, and only faintly and vaguely references specific events from that season. And I use my own YJ-ized version of the Titans as much as the actual YJ Team.

So basically, the plot of this one is to take revenge on the heroes for spoiling his game in Season One, Klarion plays a new game, by putting a chaos curse on Robin. It essentially erases him from peoples’ memories, though he’s perfectly able to make new ones. If he re-introduces himself to someone ask Dick Grayson, for instance, they don’t suddenly remember who Dick Grayson is or was, but they don’t forget about him again from that point onward, its like they meet him for the first time as a stranger.

But the curse part of things is only Batman can break it and restore everyone’s memories of Dick and his actual history, and only by identifying him for who he really is. And Dick can’t be part of breaking his own curse or else it seals it and makes it permanent and unbreakable forever.

Which of course leaves Dick completely miserable at first, understandably, and Bruce (and everyone else Dick knows, to varying different degrees) feeling some kind of loss but with no idea what it is they think or feel that they’re missing. Dick makes some half-hearted attempts at starting a new life for himself in Gotham, and in the process befriends a street kid named Jason Todd, though Dick introduces himself to Jason with just the name Robin.

The way the curse operates is it restitches together peoples’ memories to cover up the gaps where memories of him would go. So for instance, even though Jason never knew Dick before the curse, he was familiar with Batman and Robin just as much as any Gothammite was.....but due to the curse, the name Robin, upon meeting Dick, had no special meaning to him or anyone else. As far as he knew, Batman had always operated on his own in Gotham, the first teen superhero was that Speedy kid in Star City, etc. So when Jason first meets Dick, he just thinks he’s some dude whose name happens to be Robin.

Eventually, because Dick’s been kinda torturing himself by spying on Bruce just to ‘keep an eye on him’ and still watch his back, and he’s recognized by now that Bruce is mourning his loss without even knowing that he’s missing something....so Dick, who has also kinda come to see Jason as a little brother figure due to watching out for him as well....decides to kill two birds with one stone, unfortunate pun not intended. (Jason doesn’t die in this one, lol). Basically, Dick puts in motion the chain of events that lead Jason to stealing Batman’s tires, because he doesn’t know EXACTLY what Bruce will do but he knows it’ll get his attention in a big way and Bruce will take it from there.

One thing leads to another, Jason ends up living with Bruce and when eventually he wants to be trained by Bruce so he can do what he does and protect kids like he used to be.....when asked to pick a name....Jason names himself after the guy who always looked out for him, and who led to him being found by Bruce in the first place. He doesn’t know that his friend ‘Robin’ steered him towards those tires deliberately, just to bring him and Bruce into contact, but he does credit him with making the suggestion that ‘inadvertently’ (as far as he knows) enabled his and Bruce’s introduction, and so he names himself in honor of the boy who helped him and who he tried to track down again to similarly help, after Bruce adopted him, but was never able to find again.

Over the years, Dick also ends up steering Tim, Cass, Duke and Damian to Bruce in different ways than comic book canon (Steph and Babs’ debuts remain their own, as family adjacent but not family specifically) and thus is integral to the forming of the Batfam and has a connection with them even before the curse ultimately ends up broken and he’s able to reclaim his full identity. And each of them end up Robin at least briefly, like Steph is never Robin in this AU, and sticks with Spoiler, whereas Cass IS briefly Robin before becoming Batgirl after Babs. I did this for a few different reasons...

One, I really like that Cass is never Robin in main continuity as it creates a different dynamic between her and Dick than most of their siblings have, BUT I’ve always been curious to play around what Cass-as-Robin might even be like, just for an AU. Two, part of the Black Bat and Batgirl but never Robin sequence of mantles for Cass in the comic book continuity is like.....although it doesn’t get explored nearly enough, Babs was as much a kind of mother figure for Cass as Bruce was a father figure, despite Babs’ young age. So it makes more sense for Cass to stick more to just Bat-mantles than to ever be a Robin in the comic books. But in YJ, Babs is even younger, and just way too young to have the specific kind of dynamic that leads to that in the comic books, so its not as unreasonable IMO for her to have a different dynamic in her early days in the family here, before becoming closer with Babs and taking up the Batgirl mantle after she moves on to become Oracle.

And then also, and this is also the primary reason for making Duke a Robin briefly, before Damian is old enough....I got hung up on the title and it just didn’t work as well if it was Robins + Cass and Duke, lololol. See, in addition to helping steer the family into the points of introduction that make them a family, over the years he also acts as like, a guardian angel figure to the various family members, looking out for them and interceding in times of extreme danger, like when Jason is almost killed by the Joker. He’s always in disguise, but the kids eventually compare notes and realize there’s a singular figure behind each of their introductions to Bruce and the guy swooping out of nowhere to save their behinds whenever they’re most in danger, and Jason eventually connects this back to the guy who apparently NOT so coincidentally suggested he go after the Batmobile’s tires that fateful night, and the kids end up jokingly/not-so-jokingly referring to this figure as the Patron Saint of Robins. (Shout-out to the occasional mentions/allusions of Jason’s Catholicism).

They never tell Bruce about this figure (at least before Bruce starts to put together clues on his own), because they all figured out that for whatever reason, this person despite wanting them all to meet Bruce seems to want to avoid Bruce himself, and they kinda want to respect that as a kind of payback for his help, and also like....Bruce, even a kinder, gentler Bruce, is still Bruce. And when Bruce is gonna Bruce, that means Batparanoia. And all of them for various reasons DO trust that this guy has nothing but good intentions towards them, and so they don’t want to like....ruin or tarnish the positivity they associate with his intercession in their lives with paranoia or treating him like a bad guy. Which ultimately is really just smoke and mirrors for saying that he’s kinda a ‘just for them’ secret. Its a Robin thing.

(Until its not).

Because meanwhile, Dick, in between meeting the various Batfam members and pulling strings and looking out for them from the shadows, at first travels the world looking for ways to break his curse. But when ultimately its clear that the only way to break it is the loophole built into it already, Bruce identifying him for who he really is, but without Dick doing anything to steer him towards the answer, Dick settles into a new hero identity as Nightwing, and forms the Teen Titans, a public group of young superheroes (minus Roy and Wally, unfortunately, but still with Donna, Garth, Raven, Kory, ignoring season 3 Vic and also Terra because AU redemption arc what what, etc). And the Teen Titans avoid both the Young Justice Team and the Justlce League with EXTREME measures, much to the other heroes’ confusion and aggravation, because in the early days of the Titans, in a moment of what he’d term weakness, on one of his ‘bad days,’ Dick tells them enough of his story that they’re able to put together a good sense of what happened and who he really is by reading between the lines and what he leaves unsaid....

BUT as a result, all end up extremely committed to not mixing and mingling casually with the rest of the cape community because they don’t want to risk dropping any hints about the guy under Nightwing’s mask, in case that might count as steering Batman towards clues and seal the curse for good. So I have a lot of fun with having the Titans just nope out of the scene the second the bad guys are defeated even when they have to team up with other heroes, leaving the other heroes confused as hell and trying not to be all ‘WHY DON’T YOU LIKE US??”

Anyway, so yeah, that’s the gist of this one, lol. With it of course following the eventual plot that like...the Batfam starts to Detect and put things together.

ANYWHO!

Snippet

Damian versus Klarion: Round One

“Aww, its adorable that you think you’re in my league,” the Witch-Boy cooed in an absolute mockery of sympathy. Damian bristled, but before he could do anything more than that, he was faced with a much more pressing matter as reality completely lost its mind.

The walls of the cavern fell away in an instant, only to be replaced with a whirling dervish of winds all around them, as if they now stood in the center of a cyclone that bled red and silver and black. It shrieked and wailed in a chorus of voices just on the other side of being comprehensible, a symphony of the damned that set every nerve in Damian’s body aflame with a primal instinct to get out, to find silence, to be anywhere but here.

He’d barely staggered a step backwards when the ground erupted beneath him, splitting apart into jagged obsidian shards that bobbed precariously in the sea of magma barely glimpsed through cracks now spiderwebbing their way across the floor. Spears of lightning burst upwards through them, stabbing impossibly at the heavens rather than raining down from them. They hissed and crackled as they flickered like forked serpent tongues of electric violet and black. The forks becoming branches, the pillars of sky-shattering light transforming into the trunks of great trees that grew upwards and outward, weaving a canopy overhead. One that wept violently red leaves that fell gently to the ground, only to hiss and bubble like acid once they did.

“See, normally this is when I’d hit someone with a little razzle-dazzle like this,” Klarion called out over the song of madness he’d created, as it crooned and careened wildly all around them. He snapped his fingers, and in the span of a second it all ceased. Reality reaffirmed itself, and all was right with the world once more…except now the two of them stood at the end of a hallway in Wayne Manor.

Damian stumbled, the sudden reappearance of firm ground paradoxically being the thing to challenge his balance. The demon boy standing beside him crooked his thumb and forefinger in the semblance of a gun, the smile pasted across his face one of wickedly gleeful malice.

“But you, kiddo, you’re special. Cuz there’s nothing I could do to you now that could top what I’ve already done, so why try when I can just savor the moment instead?”

“What are you babbling about?” Damian demanded roughly. In the wake of what the Witch-Boy had just conjured up with nothing more than a gesture, he was keenly aware of how flimsy a shield his bravado made. He just had absolutely no idea what else to fall back on.

Klarion only threw back his head and laughed though, skipping merrily down the hall as he did.

“I know something you don’t know,” he sing-songed and Damian lost what little grasp of his patience he’d managed to hang onto.

“You overestimate my need for an answer. Attempt to intimidate me all you wish, but I have no desire to indulge your little game any further.”

Klarion jerked to a stop and spun around, his face screwed into a childish pout. He stomped his foot, petulance personified. “I’m not intimidating you anymore, I’m gloating! Ugh, you’re so stupid! They’re completely different, how can you not tell?”

Every light in the hallway flickered and fizzed abruptly. The walls wavered, bubbled, momentarily molten as if made of wax.

Again Damian was reminded just how mercurial this being he was faced with was, and how dangerous. Perhaps, as Father would say, this was not the time to indulge his own instinctive inclinations. Or as Todd would put it, just because you’re already fucked, that’s no reason to fuck yourself over more than you have to.

Crude as his older brother was, there was occasional merit to his…pithiness. Not that he would be admitting that any time soon, of course.

“Fine. What is it you wish to gloat about then?” Damian grated out. The appeasement, such as it was, tried its best to stick in his throat before finally clawing its way free. But at least it proved worth the effort when the godling’s mood reverted back to impishness as readily as with the flip of a switch.

“Well. Its like this, you see.” Klarion said. He dragged it out as he folded both legs underneath him to sit cross-legged in the air, plopping his head into his hands. “I did a baaaaaaaaaaaaad, bad thing to your family, a loooooong time ago. And none of you have done anything about it, because you don’t even know! Isn’t that funny? Doesn’t matter how big a hero Daddy Bats is if he doesn’t even know what needs saving huh? Little Catch-22 there, you might say.”

“Yes. Quite hysterical,” Damian said dryly. “So what is it you claim to have done then?”

The Witch-Boy just sat there, regarding him with amusement, and the seconds marched on into minutes. Damian’s skin crawled. Prickling with impatience and possibly something…more. He wasn’t quite ready to name it anxiety or something as melodramatic as all that yet. In fact, he’d rather not put a name to it at all, but today did not appear to be a day for configuring things to his liking.  

Klarion’s wicked grin grew as if sensing his thoughts, though to the best of his knowledge (and Damian did quickly ransack the library of his memory just to be sure) there was no indication telepathy was included among the Chaos Lord’s many, many powers. And still that detestable smile stretched slowly wider all the same, in perfect synchronization with the rising tide of Damian’s unease. Perhaps the Witch-Boy’s file was in need of annotation.

“How many doors would you say are in this hallway?”

“What? Seven.” Damian snapped out his answer, annoyed by the non sequitur. Not to mention baffled. Was it too much to expect even a semblance of linear thought from the Chaos brat?

“Are you suuuuuuure?” The Witch-Boy stretched his query out obnoxiously. “Maybe you should count again. Just for kicks and giggles.”

Damian throttled back each and every retort attempting to spring to his lips, stuffing them back down and cramming a lid on everything he most dearly wished to say to this most vexing of…shitheads. Once again, it appeared as though nothing less than Todd’s preferred form of nomenclature would suffice. Wonderful. On top of everything else Damian had to deal with today, he seemed to be finding common ground with the man all over the place. Was there no end to the indignities he must suffer?

But marshaling his own formidable willpower, Damian took a deep breath and indulged the Chaos Lord, glancing his eyes down the length of the hallway and counting out each doorway one by one. There was his own room of course, with Cassandra’s to the right of his, and the room Brown used when staying over to the right of hers. That was three. Then there was Thomas directly across from his own room, with Drake to his right and Todd just beyond that, with Father’s room at the very end of the hall, his master suite staggered and with no direct opposite like the others. Seven.

Except all of a sudden there was a door directly opposite his father’s. For a total of eight.

Damian’s brow furrowed in consternation. The faint whispers of uncertainty already seeded throughout him bore fruit, ripening into poisonous stabbings of doubt.

“That’s not real,” he stated with as much conviction as he could muster.

The Witch-Boy’s smile only grew wider still. “Isn’t it, though?”

“There’s never been a door there before,” Damian persisted, striding confidently down the hall towards it. The Chaos Lord flitted ahead of him, inverting til he was upside down and skipping merrily once more, though this time from the ceiling.

“Or has it been there all along?” He sing-songed some more.

“I would think we might have noticed if it had been,” Damian growled.

“Yes, you’d think, wouldn’t you? You are all supposed to be a family of detectives, I thought. Makes you wonder…if you could miss this, what else might you have failed to notice?”

Damian snarled to himself and did his best to shut out the demon boy’s prattling. He quickened his strides, eating up the length of the hallway in his haste to reach its end. He wasn’t sure what opening the door would prove, let alone what bewilderment the godling had conjured on its other side, but it appeared the only end to this game of his was through it, so let there be an end to it already.

And yet, for all his certainty - or best facsimile of it - he couldn’t help but pause once he reached the door in question. His hand hovered within reach of its brass knob, but some instinct, some…caution, held him at bay. As much as he wanted to dismiss all this as just one more of the Chaos Lord’s inane charades, there was a tension in the air that felt too weighty to be the product of just magical conjuring. Something more was in play here. Real forces were at work. His father might disdain magic, but Damian had been around enough of it himself to know when true power had been raised. And the span of empty space between his hand and this hither-to-unseen doorknob held more of it than Damian had felt throughout all the mad warpings Klarion had made of reality thus far.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Klarion asked from somewhere overhead. His voice, usually pitched to carry, was so soft for a moment Damian mistook it for his own inner doubts. “Some doors are easier to open than to close again, you know.”

Even knowing the goading for what it was couldn’t stop Damian then, and with a simple breath to fortify himself, he reached for the knob, spun it once, and shoved the door open all in a single sharp movement.

The Witch-Boy giggled up above.

The door swung wide, a forceful arc that should have revealed anything and everything within it all at once; the better to react quickly to whatever that might be. Fine in principle, perfect in execution, but thwarted by one small detail:

There was nothing on the other side.

And not in the sense of it being just an empty room, but true nothingness. A pitch-black abyss darker than the deepest night, yawning forth from the doorway in a vast, impenetrable shroud. Nor was anything hidden in the darkness, Damian knew, even if just intuitively. He could feel it, that he stood on the edge of an impossible cliff, that there was nothing beyond this threshold but an aching chasm of emptiness and loss. The surety of it hung in the air, thick and heavy, a miasma that seeped through to his side of the doorway and clung to him like the moisture of a fog beads upon the skin.

Klarion’s head suddenly popped up alongside him, hovering just over his shoulder.

Albeit still upside down.

“Well that doesn’t seem right,” he mused, tapping at his lips with a forefinger. “What do you suppose is meant to be in there?”

The last of Damian’s brittle patience shattered.

“Enough! What is the meaning of all this, demon? Speak plainly, for once in your miserable existence!”

His self-preservation instincts and the reminder of just who it was he was shouting at kicked in too little too late, but he wouldn’t take his exasperated fury back even if he could. He was who he was after all. But fortunately, that described the Witch-Boy just as accurately, and rather take offense or perceive any actual threat from Damian’s rage, the Chaos Lord just shrieked with laughter and sprung backwards. He flipped right side up, still hovering in mid-air, and clapped his hands with glee.

“Oh, I should have done this ages ago,” Klarion sang out. “Why, you’re almost as fun as he used to be. Back before he got all droll and serious, that is. He’s no fun at all anymore, nothing like this. Never wants to play, always just running back to his tower with that little bitch of a demoness.”

His face soured like he’d just sucked on a lemon. But rather than stop there, his countenance kept morphing into an increasingly savage scowl, the longer he ranted. The hallway was suddenly sweltering, baking with unseen heat that twisted the air into shimmering ribbons. The small horns sprouting from his forehead burst into scimitars of flame that cut through those ribbons and set them similarly ablaze.

“Always putting on airs like she’s some kind of royalty, just because her Daddy Dearest put the fear into a few peasants back in the day,” the Witch-Boy snarled viciously. “As if that’s enough to put her on par with the likes of me. No one is the likes of me. NO ONE!”

Reality itself quaked with the force of his shout. White-blue flames spat forth and crescendoed down the length of the corridor, splashing against its walls and searing them to a crisp. Damian braced himself for all the good it would do, keenly aware of the void still gaping hungrily behind his back, but before the fire could become an actual danger to him as well, all was quiet once more.

Silence hung in the air much like the demon boy, poised yet motionless. Suspended. Waiting.

And then Klarion simply inhaled and brushed his hands down the front of his garments, smoothing out the wrinkles as he reclaimed his calm. The corridor restored itself to its former self, curtains of vintage reality unrolling from the ceiling to the floor as though papering over the damage. Damian felt rather than saw when the portal behind him swung shut and was replaced with the expanse of ivory paint and ornate sconces he was used to seeing in its place.

“I am one of a kind, after all,” Klarion finally remarked. It was a casual drawl offered forth almost off-handedly, as if more a reminder to himself than uttered for anyone else’s sake. He used one hand to spell out letters in the air. They appeared and vanished again in bursts of fireworks and fluorescent flame. “U-N-I-Q-U-E.”

“As I, apparently, am not,” Damian said, seizing upon the Chaos Lord’s restored calm and good cheer. “Who is this ‘he’ you mentioned? If I’m to be pitted against him as entertainment in your eyes, might I at least know his name?”

“Nuh-uh-uh,” the Witch-Boy scolded. He wagged his finger at Damian. “No spoilers. That’s not how the game is played.”

Keenly aware of the boy’s power once more, Damian gritted his teeth and pressed on. “Well, if there are to be rules, shouldn’t I at least know what those are?”

Klarion sucked in a deep breath, drawing himself up along with his inhalation as though preparing for some great speech…and instead just toppling backward, flopping onto an extravagant fainting couch that suddenly appeared beneath him, though similarly floating in the air.

“I can’t recall at the moment.” His now-faint voice drifted up from where he lay buried amid a mountain of pillows. “I’ve had a terribly exhausting day. But you’re supposed to be a detective, remember? Go…I don’t know. Detect things.”

He flapped an arm at Damian dismissively, and then crooked a finger into a twirling motion that set his divan to spinning in lazy circles.

“Isn’t life grand?” Klarion sighed fondly. “With all its twists and turns, its eddies and swirls. I mean, take the two of us. Scant hours ago, we were mortal enemies, and just look at us now.”

The Witch-Boy lazily rolled his head to the side as the couch drifted to bring him face-to-face with Damian. His lips spread wide in that malevolent, wicked grin of his once again, but somehow it managed to be even wider than any he’d shown off before. His eyes blazed with a hellish inner light, and his voice, when next he spoke, dropped deep into a demonic register. A bass that boomed forth and set Damian’s very bones to rattling.

“Ain’t we got fun?”

[imaginedcreaderinsert]

Instead — Jason Todd x Reader (x Ex!Dick)

  SUMMARY: She talks about Dick Grayson like he is the sun, and she is the moon, starred-crossed lovers; her eyes light up whenever he is brought in a conversation, and she talks fondly of him (“Why? He broke your heart, dumbass” he asks one night, a little bit drunk on his couch. She is dancing all on her own, gorgeous like never before bathed by the moon. “Because I treasure him”, you answer, simplistic and yet raw, full of feeling). And if someone dares bad mouth him? She is the first one to stand up for him, say he is not like that, not like everyone thinks he is; she knows him better than anyone, and that no one can fight her about. They have history, and someone should make a study on them, because there’s chemistry whenever they go.     

   WORD COUNT: 3661.

  TW: Angsty with smut. I’m sorry ¿?¿?

  A/N: I tried writing something else, but this week has been particularly hard due to personal circumstances and this is all that came out. It started out as angst, and I was planning to take it to someplace even darker, but then the smut came along and-I’m a sucker for coming to love baby Jason. I don’t know if it should have a second part or not (maybe angst bc she goes back to dick or a fluffy and smutty one where they spend christmas together, idk). ENJOY!

 “You can come still.” Dick timidly almost adds, amidst the reigning silence of the living room.

           Everything has stopped moving. Jason was playfully sparring with Damian, Tim and you trying to help separate them in the chaos that was now the sofa. It was normal, familiar, a habit. But the moment the Thanksgiving lunch was mentioned, everyone stopped moving since it is the first year Dick and you are not together for the festivity. Everyone lowkey knew about it, but they tried to avoid it as much as possible. Specially the little birds, who you knew were fonder of you than they would ever admit. Not long before Dick and you had started going out, Jason and you became close (you were the two cynics, dark-humored and quick on the feet), so it was given that you were friends. The problem was now how to deal with your second favorite holiday of the year with the Wayne’s. The first always being Christmas, of course.

           “Oh, are you-are you sure?”. You are very confident, but this is something that you are very unsure about. Your voice trembles a bit at its end, but you cough like it’s because of the weather. It had always been special, since your family lived far from Gotham; you weren’t planning on visiting them, since they live across the ocean and the holiday wasn’t as popular in Europe.

           “You are part of this family, (Y/N); of course you can come.”

           “Good, because otherwise we were planning on moving lunch to hers.”  Jason interrupts, smirking almost, making Damian scoff, almost.

           “But she’s a mess in the kitchen!”

           “Well that’s what the catering service is for, you big-!“

           Everything goes back to how it was before, like nothing has happened; except that it totally doesn’t. Dick smiles, like everything is fine and that hurts you more than ever, because you know why he is okay with it, maybe as much as Jason. You getting back in the Manor had been a complicated task, but neither Jason nor Damian had given up, with simple excuses, white lies and “mandatory Netflix and chill sessions” (Jason, Tim and you had been laughing all evening when Damian had proposed so without actually knowing the meaning behind of it. He was so adorable with little things like that).  It’s not like you were still hurt because of the breakup, after all, it was quite mutual (even when it had terribly hurt once more, you were kind of hoping it anyways. This was the fourth time, after all). The thing was that there were one too many memories in the walls of Manor, as well as its rooms and dark corners. Sometimes, when you went alone to the guest bathroom, you could still feel his sneaky and cold hands in your waist, making you shriek – and his quick hand to your mouth, to shut you up, closing the door of the place as he trapped you against it.

           But what were you expecting really? This was the fourth time you had broken up. You had been at it since he confessed his real identity (the cause of your first breakup when he had not confided in you. With time, understanding came, and you tried again), and at this point, Jason, Tim and Damian just hoped it wouldn’t bring more “awkward” scenes like those whenever you saw each other at the Manor after the breakup. Dick tended to take refuge in Blüdhaven the first week, but then he always came back.

           And that always bothered Jason. It was like he wanted to see her, he needed to encounter her and still talk to her, as awkward as it could be. There was always probably there will always be, some kind of love in their eyes whenever they talked. And that he envied. (Y/N) had never looked at him like that, except with lust and with too many shots on.

           But this time it seemed different. (Y/N) seemed too uncomfortable and she could never quite look at him, which Jason didn’t understand. She had been so bold, so daring with him always; it as like he transformed into an entirely new person when he was with him. He hated it. Except this time, as well, he quickly understood why she was so sheepish: Barbara had entered the frame. He discovered it almost by accident, when you both were going for some drinks: you liked getting wasted in a famous bar in Gotham, maybe being hit up by different men, just as he was by different women. People used to think they were together until one of them started giving back attention to said person. Those were nights of whoring out, unless previously accorded that no one would leave the bar with someone else. Sometimes they liked having small chats in less frequented bars (Jason definitively did) and-and you had left the phone unlocked, staggering almost to the toilet. When he saw Dick’s last text, two weeks after you had broken up, he couldn’t resist: and yes, they had keep in contact, with shorter texts… Of course, to the exception of one. One fucking long one from Golden Boy himself explaining to her that he and Babs had given each other a go after some time… Followed by a sweet “I’m just giving her a chance. I still think of you at nights. Wanna call like yesterday?”.

           So of course, she feared the day, because that meant he was bringing Babs on. Between you and her honestly, he’d rather have you a thousand time more than her. She followed the rules too much and had little to no confidence in her own missions and action plans. She was too much of a follower and Jason resented her because of it: it was something personal, seeing as Timbers seemed to like her a bit more, given her ability to execute whatever actions were needed. But it wasn’t after all something he could decide on his own, and thus they were now both stuck with that knowledge.

           Dick had some girl problems of his own, but he had managed to keep them down for long enough. It was the first time, actually (that he knew of) that these both were going to encounter each other. And it was something Jason, personally, wasn’t looking forward to. He treasured his only ally in the house; since Roy and him had parted ways, (Y/N) had been the only one for him. And he had been trying really hard, seeing as he thought feelings would get in the way: but he has kind of come to accept that it’s never going to be that way with him.

           She talks about Dick Grayson like he is the sun, and she is the moon, starred-crossed lovers; her lights light up whenever he is brought in a conversation, and she talks fondly of him (“Why? He broke your heart, dumbass” he asks one night, a little bit drunk in his couch. She is dancing all on her own, gorgeous like never before bathed by the moon. “Because I treasure him”, you answer, simplistic and yet raw, full of feeling). And if someone dares bad mouth him? She is the first one to stand up for him, say he is not like that, not like everyone thinks he is; she knows him better than anyone, and that no one can fight her about. They have history, and someone should make a study on them, because there’s chemistry whenever they go. Everyone always thinks they are flirting, and they are just as surprised to find out that they are no longer together (Such a pity! They look so good, Jason once heard Kane murmur under her breath).

           But this time is different, she is left behind.

***

           “I mean, the worst is over.”

           “I know, just take me far, Jay. I want to go.” And nothing else needs to be said once lunch is done and everyone is settling down on the sofa. They are not staying, and they made so apparent by taking a red helmet; not for him, of course.

           Dick presses his lips into a fine line.

***

           “No, what I’m saying is…! What-What if I never find anyone like him, Jay? What if he IS the One?”

           “You know the concept of “The one” is just made up so that girls-“

           “Yes, Jason Peter Todd, I know very well the patriarchal concept of it, it’s just-! They look so good together. And Dick was so calm, they were so chill. They were not bothered, like it had been happening so long… I know Dick would never cheat, but we’ve never had that.”

           “Babs has always been really close to the family. Their breakup was horrible, that’s why you two never cross paths but before she used to spend Thanksgiving with us as well. Then she met someone else and-you know” He makes a simple motion with his hands, like all is said and done, but it’s not enough for her it seems. “I’m just saying that she was a wreck as well her first year, but we are family. Vigilante stuff and everything.”

           Yeah, the one thing she has always been kind of resentful about. Not because she wanted to be one, but because she never belonged to that interior and private group. Even Jason, as close as they were, kept her at an arms distance from details. He was not fully incorporated into the troupe, but he had been patrolling on their side for some time now. It made her really happy.

           “Yeah, yeah. It’s just that, and I know that you don’t believe in it, but what if Dick is the one for me but I’m not the one for him? You’ve seen me, I was… Wrecked the first time we broke up. And the second and third, hell. This last one I… I knew it was going to happen, eventually. I just didn’t know it would still hurt as much.” She clicks her tongue, both hands up quite quickly, like in a peace sign. “Okay, yeah, maybe not as much, but it definitively stung. And I know he hasn’t been with Barbara since before me but…”

           “Well-“

           There’s a silence, a beat. Jason’s heart drops. What is he doing? It’s like a babble, and he feels mean. He wants to hurt, he wants her to know. What good will it do now? Still, the words come out before she can mutter a thing, too in shock or maybe waiting for him to talk.

           “I mean, there was just THIS ONE time where I saw her early at dawn. I think it was your second time, I-“

           “Oh, fuck, I KNEW IT!”.

***

           “I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.” She mutters, drunk, maybe too drunk. Who gets drunk on Thanksgiving? They are both splayed on the floor of his apartment, instead of the carpet, mere inches from their bodies. But moving takes too much movement, and they are not going to do that. “I’m always talking about him, I must sound like a broken record, it’s just that it helps.”

           “What helps?”. He asks, sluggish.

           “You. You always help.”

           She turns around, lazy and with difficulty like a seal, until her cheeks are against the coldness of the apartment. He imitates her, looking at her closely, both faces separated just by centimeters.

           “You help me without hesitation. I know you, I see you, Jason Todd.” She confidently says, even when he can swear some of her words are gibberish after that. He thinks she might be listing the times he has helped. “… And most importantly, I love you. I love you a lot.”

        ��  There’s silence in the apartment. They are not particularly fond of hugs or cute things; (Y/N) has had a childhood where she was not given much affection, and Jason as much as he loved her mother, can understand that. They are not used to caring, sweet or strong words like that. But he surprises himself as he says it back like it’s natural, and he repeats it. Again and again, like it’s a prayer, something that must be said. And she corresponds.

           They lock lips and he knows it’s over.

           Whatever thing they might have it’s over, because the only way this is ending is with a broken heart. He is not the one with good things, beautiful things that stay; he is not the golden boy or the understanding one (like Dick, with whom (Y/N) had a dream a couple of days ago. They were still together, happy). He is not the calm and logical, collected (like Tim, who he came to slowly understand, admire, as much resent as he had once for him. (Y/N) always goes for him for “practical” solutions). He is not like Damian in the least, particular and much more mature than he was at his age. So why would she choose him, if not by pity, being the closest one?

           Jason is twenty, and she is twenty-two. It is thrilling in a way, while he takes off her clothes with a regained force, almost desperation in her movements (what if she is sober again and stops moaning like that, offering him her neck like a female to mate?). He loves to unravel her, discover the timid place in her thighs which he almost has to open by force; he never quite imagined her shy, not in his wildest fantasies, but red is an adorable shade in her cheeks, and he only gets turned on by the slight resistance of her thighs, the way she is on her back, legs opened and trying to cover herself, her core. Her fingers are small, like everything else in her body, but they manage to hide his precious Eden from him, which he doesn’t appreciate.

           If it’s going to be a night followed by an awkward distancing, he is going to fucking get it.

           Pushing her legs back to her chest almost, slightly, trying to see resistance, her core gets discovered by the surprise, and he launches onto it like a hungry man: he laps, tongues it inside and discovering it. It is tight, drenched and slightly salty: he discovers to his own surprise that the more he seems to eat, the wetter it gets, until it’s absurd almost. She is covered in her own lubricant, and he is amazed by the taste, the wiggling, the moans and the pulsing of his own cock, strained in his pants.

           She is completely naked, and almost mewls for him to do the same, to which he teasingly obeys. He makes a slow striptease, and her hands are all over him, clearly making him know that he wants it as badly – he could cum alone from the sound she makes as his fingers open her, on fours on the floor with her legs as far as they can go so he has space to discover, touch.

           “Jay, Jason!”. She pants, almost too gone from that alone, his fingers rediscovering places he thinks she might not have reached before. Or even Dick. He is quite proud of that, seeing her state against the floor, moving her hips towards him and struggling almost to breathe. “Jason please! I’m so horny, I want you so bad!”

           Her forehead sticks to the ground, moaning against the floor: he thinks his neighbors will forgive him in due time. It’s been long since he brought someone else home, and thus, he can’t be as dedicated as he would like to. More so when her own lubricant is dripping from her thighs and her back arches perfectly against him. They fit, like a perfect puzzle, as he on his knees grabs her by the hips and presses his own hardness to her wet entrance. It almost slips inside at times, almost making her completely bent over. She needs something to grip onto, and after a couple of times giving up on the air and floor, Jason takes her by the neck, not leaving an inch between their bodies as he slides inside. And then she feels it and her arms, like flowers to the sun, wrap themselves around his neck.

           They kiss like they have been doing it for ten years, but they fuck with the desperation of a one-night stand, swearing and sweating together, body against body, and moaning each other names from time to time. Profanities, skin slapping sounds, wet drips – all that’s heard until one of them comes. They change positions and again they go, until one of them crumbles to the floor just so that they don’t have to force their own knees as much. She gets dragged onto his mattress, and they keep at it until they can’t anymore. There’s a blue glow in the city outside, and they are both panting, still slowly rutting against each other: he is inside her, too sensitive to move, almost keeping it warm. His hand slowly grabs her thigh, the fat on it, caressing it like it’s art. She kisses him slowly, tensing up as he gets out and lets it all spill onto the bed. They fall asleep like that, looking at each other’s eyes, like they are in love. But the night is done, and the first warm ray enters the room. It’s time to wake up.

***

           It doesn’t stop there. There are no rules, no limits. They are having breakfast and she is taken again against the cold marble counter, nipples hard and leaving her own underwear wet, uncomfortable. He fingers her until they can’t anymore, and they forget to eat, too much of a secondary task. She takes him in the shower, entering and against the wall, water covering both of them (It gets risky, but they are both very much into it, gasping and clenching on each other like they are the last people on Earth, they will vanish. She thinks she might as she cums with him inside, relentless and making her squirt. He has never been more turned on.)

           They say goodbye with a sweet kiss, like they are finishing it – but three days later, at the Manor, they silently fuck in the sofa, which is in direct view with the entrance if one is to open the door. They don’t close it at all and she cums three times (once laid on the floor as he drinks her, and another on top of him, completely nude and bracing him, looking the door directly, too nervous and too excited at the same time. The third is brutal, and is when they think they hear keys, too involved in their pleasure, too far gone from rationality. Like they want to be caught.) They promise each other that is it in public spaces, but then they fall right into it as they are having an improv dinner on the roof one of Gotham’s highest buildings. It’s exhilarating, and it’s been a guilty habit of hers since she discovered their identities. She loved tall buildings, looking down and feeling the adrenaline in the tips of her toes as she leans over the border (Jason has always been the one to let her go as far as she pleased. Dick always grabbed her by the waist). They fuck against one of the corners, lights underneath them alive, bright, just as his eyes as he looks at her. She feels safe in his arms. Nothing will happen.

           Until they do get caught by none other than Tim Drake himself.

           It really isn’t something big or scandalous, as naked as they feel they are (her in a satin pajama, him in some grey cotton sweatpants); they are just making out in another sofa, almost near the entrance, too lazy to go up the stairs; the angle is different, and instead of the entrance, it goes directly to the kitchen. The only thing on is the fire, and it’s almost romantic if not because of his hard-on and your obscene moans – that is until two blue eyes catch her. She has to cover her own mouth to stop herself from screaming.

           “F-!”. It’s the only thing that leaves her, his body instantly acting as a blanket from the world, pinning her against the sofa. If they were naked, that would have do it. “Fuck, fuck fuck!”. She repeats herself over and over in a low voice, as Jason looks over the sofa and locks eyes. You will never know what look Jason gives Drake, but it seems to scare him off.

           “I’m not going to say anything to anyone!”. She is too embarrassed to look over the sofa, but the way his voice trembles doesn’t escape her. “But fuck, you should tell Grayson. He’s not-oh, fuck, he’s not going to be happy. And please, please tell me you haven’t-haven’t-you know, the sofa-“

           “Just go, voyeur!”

           ***

           You should, you know you should but not talking about it with Jason and just murmuring into each other lips “I love you” works; it makes you happy, less anxious and relaxed like never before. You fuck, you have small dates and everything is simple with him. You laugh into his neck, and his big arms make you feel protected at night when he stays (he isn’t going on patrol as much, and that makes you incredibly happy). He is sweet and caring; you spent nights with your legs intertwined under the duvet reading different books, but reading out loud your favorite quotes, or something you find funny. You are drugged on the feeling of happiness he gives you, but are you really giving it back to him? Do you love him like he does? Because you know he does, when he looks at you with his gorgeous eyes, when he grows anxious in big crowds and immediately grips your hand like it’s home.

           You turn around in bed.

           “Hey Jaybird?”

           “Hm, what?”

           “I have to tell you something.”

#jason todd #jason todd x reader #reader insert #dcu #dcu x reader #dc universe #red hood x reader #red hood #dick grayson #barbara gordon

[scandalsavagefanfic]

DC Kink Meme Prompts List

Since the kink meme is getting a lot of attention and growing daily, I thought I’d post a convenient place where I can keep track of the prompts that I’d like to see filled again. I figure you’re all here because we share similar interests and this way, if you’re a writer with looking for a prompt, you don’t have to scroll through the almost 400 prompts that are currently posted. 

So here we go. Beware, this is a kink meme. These are nsfw and some may be triggering. 

JayDick Watersports -  Filled HERE

sub!Jason & Dom!Dick are in a consensual D/s relationship that has a heavy Master/slave dynamic (whether 24/7 or primarily during sex is up to you!). They're on a stakeout one night, and it's really cold, and, aw, fuck, Dick needs to piss, but he doesn't want his dick to freeze. Good thing he's got his bitch there with him, right? Dick pissing in Jay's ass preferred just to show the level of not caring about Jay's comfort [it's still cold!], but totally not gonna complain about piss drinking, either, if Dick's feeling a little more charitable. Is Jay surprised because it's the first time Dick has done this? Is this a normal, expected duty that he performs regularly? That's up to you!

Tim/Jason A/B/O - Filled

In an A/B/O world where omegas are in charge and alphas are treated like animals, or kept as pets, CEO Tim decides to treat himself to a new toy and buys Jason. Feel free to go as wild as you like with the kinks, I'm pretty unsquickable

Tim/Jason Stalker!Tim - Filled on the Meme by anon and HERE (by me)

Older Tim, younger Jason, where Tim's stalking gets a little obsessive once Jason takes over as Robin, and he starts stalking Jason out of costume as well as at night. A little judicious hacking later and he's able to keep an eye on Jason's internet activity too. Once he finds Jason looking at gay porn he knows he's got an in. And he starts blackmailing Jason, online at first, but escalating every time he gets Jason to go a little further, until he gets him to submit in person.

Slade/Dick/Jason - Filled amazingly HERE

Dick's been with Slade for a while, and now that he's stopped fighting and given into his training, Slade thinks he deserves a reward. Every good boy deserves a puppy, and Batman's new Robin looks like he could fit the role perfectly.

Jason Todd - Object Insertion - Filled on the meme (art)

Honestly, that's all I've got for you. I just want someone making Jason take things up his ass that have no business being there. Consensual or not are both fine! Any ship, though definitely a strong preference for Roy, Slade, Tim, Kyle, Dick, Roman or Ra's. Preferably not underage, but I'm not entirely opposed.

Ra's/Jason - Filled HERE

Ra's test drives an undunked Jason. The boy must be useful for something, after all, and he looks so pretty in chains. ABO welcome. 

Prompt- Pegging (Jason) - Filled HERE

Jason gets pegged by one (or more ;)) of the lovely ladies of the DC universe. And enjoys it thoroughly Pairing is dealer's choice. <3

Bruce/Jason 

Bruce takes in Jason off the streets, but more for use as a personal whore than to be Robin. Bonuses for Bruce still adopting Jason and getting off on fucking his son. EXTRA bonus points for Alfred's unfazed acceptance/support of it and perhaps even his participation.

Jason Todd Intercrural Sex - Filled on meme

This man deserves more thigh fucking and so do we! All ships welcome!

No Title - Bruce/Jason, Dick finds out Bruce has been sexually abusing Jason

One of the other prompts made me realize that while there are a lot of fics where Jason discovers Bruce has been abusing Dick, there are none the other way around and suddenly I have a craving. So I would like for Dick to find out (maybe right after Jason returns, Dick catches them and overhears Bruce say something to indicate it used to happen regularly) that Bruce had been sexually abusing Jason since the moment he found him and try to save him. And like, because of his background as a child prostitute, Jason kind of thinks it's normal or that it's the only way he could earn love? Maybe Bruce implies that Jason is useless otherwise and he'd end up back on the streets if he's not useful. Maybe Bruce is even happy to point out that the reason he never even considered touching the others is because they were too good for it, pure and wholesome, while Jason was ruined goods.

Dick/Jason fuck-or-die bottom!Jay 

I would absolutely kill to see a fic where Dick is forced to fuck Jason (for whatever reason but preferably not due to sex pollen/aphrodisiacs/drugs - I would prefer if they were both in their right minds please) Preferably they wouldn't be in a relationship or have secret feelings for each other and this would be mutual noncon/rape with a focus on how horrified they are that they're having to do this to each other. I would really, really like if it was bottom!Jason for this, but that there is acknowledgement that Dick is being raped here too!

Skeezy Ric Grayson

One specific fic I read has completely coloured my perception of Ric, and now I'm just desperate to see him being a total creep. Perving on his siblings and former friends. Would love to see him not take no for an answer, especially with someone who doesn't want to fight back because "it's still Dick in there somewhere, I can't hurt him" or something like that. Preference for Wally (HiC who?) or Jason, but Tim, Roy, Babs or Donna would be okay, too! A/B/O with Alpha!Ric would be a bonus but isn't necessary.

Cassie/Rose bondage spanking and D/s, semi-dubious consent

Cassie has had enough of Rose mouthing off and causing trouble, so she ties her up with her lasso and lectures her. Rose mockingly asks her if she’s going to spank her for being a bad girl, and much to her surprise, Cassie does. They both enjoy it much more than expected

Nyssa/Talia

Nyssa/Talia, set post-Death and the Maidens, Talia restrained while Nyssa gets her off, begging to be allowed to reciprocate. Bonus points for twisty fucked up Nyssa POV with all kinds of big global megalomaniacal justifications for what she's doing and how important it is to the greater good. (Reposted from old DC kinkmeme)

Jason Todd/Dick Grayson/Roy Harper/Koriand’r

Kori loves watching her subs play with each other and rewards them well for good behavior

JayTim hatesex

Jason and Tim having incestuous-sibling-rivalry-hate-sex against the memorial

Any Bats/???, Alfred has to clean up

Poor Alfred often gets stuck cleaning up the mess when any of the family bring partners over. The crackier the circumstances the better!

Slade/Jason identity porn

Slade and Jason fuck while in costume as and pretending to be Batman and Nightwing respectively

Kyle Rayner/any

Kyle winds up working as a stripper somehow. Some other heroes find out and pay him a visit

Batfam/Jason; non con or resigned-to-his-fate cumdumpster!Jason

Could also be Earth-3 Owlfam/Jason. A/B/O welcome but it doesn't have to be. Would appreciate any one or combination of the following: dehumanization/objectification, humiliation, public sex, breeding kink, restraints, fucking machines, cum enemas, lots of cum in general, size kink... I just want something unapologetically filthy. I'm pretty much good with everything but scat.

Dick/Tim non/dub-con, universe hopping

Dark Dick from a dark universe ends up in the main universe, where he is delighted to find a brand new Timmy to play with, who unconditionally trusts his brother and doesn't know he's been replaced. Cue Dick slowly luring him in so he can have his fun. Tim doesn't realize until it's too late, or doesn't realize at all and has no idea how his beloved older brother could do this to him. Main universe has fully platonic, familial relationships within in the batfam. Feel free to imply/state anything you like about the dark universe. Grooming/slowly warming Tim up to more and more touches, crying, overstimulation, bondage, or any combination thereof are all bonuses

Young Justice S3 Dick/Jason omegaverse

Alpha!Dick Grayson is stuck on a mission and somehow has to help the mysterious Red-Hooded omega through his heat. But they have to stay quiet in order to not wake the pup Damian sleeping right next to them. Preferably there's an identity reveal in there where Dick finds out the omega is Jason Todd under the mask.

Addict!Roy Harper Noncon

Noncon (or possibly dubcon, if the manipulation is clear enough to readers) with Snowbirds Don't Fly era!Roy Harper as the victim. Could be an OC, another Titan, a Leaguer, a canon villain... Dealer's choice! Looking for something that really focuses on how he's being taken advantage of, rather than just "can't technically consent because he's high, but is totally into it."

Woder Woman/Batman, Rough Sex

Bruce loves it when Diana is rough with him

Bane/Bruce, violent noncon

Something set during Knightfall, where Bane decides to take “breaking the Bat” even further by raping Bruce and possibly also his precious little Robin

Jay/Tim bdsm AU, sub Jay

What it says on the tin. Was thinking maybe also an arranged marriage of sub Jason to dom Tim Drake, to cement a business union but also because subs aren’t full citizens.

Robin!Jason/Bruce Somnophilia

Bruce drugs his new little Robin and slips into his room. He takes his time with him, enjoying Jason before carefully opening and fucking him. Would be great if Jason wakes up towards the end but can't do anything but take it- maybe because of the drugs, maybe because of the way Bruce is holding him down, or even because he likes it.

Sidekicks/Villains noncon glory wall

Any sidekicks you want—Speedy, the Robins and Batgirls, Kid Flash and Impulse, the Wonder girls, etc.—being displayed in a glory wall, leaving their holes open for fucking. Interested villains can pay to fuck any hole they desire, and they enjoy wrecking the sidekicks and filling them with come

Robin!Jason/Villains & Henchmen?

Robin Jason gets captured and tied up by the villain of the week, who decides to take advantage of the situation. Robin is blindfolded and groped/fucked by the villain and maybe some henchmen while waiting for Batman to rescue him. Batman finding a bound and blind Jay too tempting to resist is a bonus.

Dickjay daddy kink

Older! Dick and bottom! Jason. Jason came back years later and Dick is around 40.

OmegaJason/Batfam first heat, lactation

It's Jason's first heat and the alphas of the pack know that his milk is on its way soon. All it needs is a little encouragement. A few knots and some nipple play should do it. His milk tastes perfect as it starts to flow.

Jason/Dick, Jason/RomanSionis, Hooker!Jason & Officer Grayson

So this is based off a discussion from AGES ago in the jayroman discord server that I still think about to this day XD A no capes au in which Jason never gets picked up by Bruce and ends up a crime alley prostitute who somehow along the way caught the eye of Black Mask and winds up working for him. And Black Mask has basically the whole city in his pocket, including the police force, which is why it’s so annoying when this little upstart, Officer Dick Grayson, starts to try to challenge his hold on the city, the little goody two-shoes denying any and all bribes and refusing to back down in the face of threats. And it should be easy to squash one annoying little bug, but somehow all attempts have failed and he can’t openly go after him without risking his reputation as a clean, law-abiding businessman, a reputation that’s slowly starting to unravel thanks to the dogged efforts of Officer Grayson, because the little shit is annoyingly not as stupid as his attempts to go after Roman would make him seem and despite all of Roman’s power and having basically the entire police force and the various other government officials Roman has in his pocket against him, he has made far too much headway in his endeavors So Roman gives Jason the job of seducing Dick, because if bribery and threats don’t work, video evidence of an officer fucking an underage hooker makes excellent blackmail material, and should be enough to take him down for good if he ever steps a toe out of line again Except no matter how Jason tries to seduce him, Dick is just too decent a guy to take advantage (Ex: Jason: *shows up wearing even more revealing clothes than the night before.* Dick: “You must be cold, here, take my jacket.” etc.) And before he knows it, Jason finds himself growing weirdly fond of the infuriating idiot with his stupid puns and painful sincerity

Roman Sionis/Jason Todd, AOB noncon impregnation gang rape

Intersex AOB verse. Roman wants to punish and claim the upstart omega, so he plugs Jason’s cunt and lets his men anally rape Jason until the omega begs Roman to breed his pussy

TimKon, a/b/o, alpha!Tim, bottom Conner

Humans have a/b/o. Kryptonians do not. Alpha!Tim thinks that he shouldn't bother Kon about Tim's rut. Kon thinks otherwise. Whether Kon can keep up with Tim (superpowers got to be good for something, right?) or is overwhelmed is up to anon :) I am absolutely unsquickable so whatever extra kinks are fine with me. Just please top!Tim only. Please, my crops are dying.

past romanjay now mobJay, gangbang

After getting tired with his new toy, Roman decided to just give his subordinates a chance to have fun with it. But mostly he just want to see the red hood to get more humiliated after destroying his empire.

Damian Wayne/Jason Todd, bestiality

It's time for Damian to introduce his new acquired pet to the pack, Titus and Ace.

Tim gags and spanks Damian

Red Robin has to take Robin out on patrol because Batman is away, Damian is reckless and keeps disobeying orders so Tim punishes him while having him gagged for being mouthy. can progress to something more sexual but doesn't have to be. Damian secretly enjoying it is a bonus.

Deathstroke/All the Robins

Slade really has a thing for fighting and chasing after Batbrats…

Rose/Jason mommy kink edging and pegging

Jason wants to be a good boy for mommy, Rose rewards his good behavior

Jason Todd/Kyle Rayner hatesex - Filled

I’d love some rough, angry, violent hatesex between these two. Bonus points for snarky asshole bottom!jason and kyle using his ring to make restraints/other kinky constructs ;)

Flashpoint!Father Todd/Incubus!Dick

Incubus!Dick seduces Father Todd. Jason holds out longer than most but Dick prides himself on being irresistible. He’s never failed before and he doesn’t plan to start now. But maybe, instead of his usual dine-and-ditch MO, Dick think’s he might like to savor this meal for long. Jason falls so beautifully. (bottom Jason please) Catholic aesthetics, blasphemy as kink, church sex (altar, confessional, pews, etc)

Flashpoint Thomas Wayne/Father Todd

Thomas Wayne as Batman bends Father Todd over the altar. In uniform. (At least for Thomas. It would be super hot if he strips Father Todd out of his robes first. Maybe everything except his rosary?)

Jason/Tim rape

Tim ties down Jason and rides(rapes) him. Pls let Tim use Jason as nothing but a mere meat dildo.

Titans/Dick, Titans/Jason, Titans/Tim consensual gangbang - Filled

The not-so-secret tradition of team bonding by fucking the current Bat on the Teen Titans is well-adhered to, especially given the enthusiastic consent of all participants Feel free to include any or all: garden sex, pool sex, power use, DP, riding, pegging, toy use, CBT, nipple play, cockwarming, CFNM/CMNM, and consensual somno All other kinks welcome excluding scat, watersports, emeto, ageplay, vore, and anything else bloody

Thomas Elliot/Bruce Wayne (Rape/Non-con)

Bruce doesn't realise how obsessed Thomas really is with him. Leads to Hush raping Bruce. Can be when Bruce knows who Hush is or when he still doesn't know.

Evil!Dick and Jason, noncon or dubcon

Jason comes back to his safehouse and is surprised to find Dick already there. After the initial surprise, Jason is quick to find out that there's something... off, about this Dick. He's not acting like his usual self. It turns out this isn't the usual Dick that Jason is familiar with, instead, he is a darker version of him (drugged? Talon from Earth-3 that somehow ends up in the main universe? other possibilities? all welcome options!), and this Dark!Dick is obsessed with Jason and wants to fuck him... and he doesn't take no for an answer. So there's a setup for a non-con or dub-con(in case Jason also has a crush on main Dick) for you. Restraints (gags, ropes, tapes etc.) are also welcome but doesn't have to be present.

Kon-El/Lex Luthor Daddy Kink DubCon

Lex genetically programmed Kon to need his daddy to fill him up when he created him. Lex made Kon to check all his boxes (ie Superman, something he made, a gifted teenager). Kon can’t actually consent because of programming, and he doesn’t want it until he’s getting it. Can be simple daddy kink or full of abdl. Bonus points for trans!Kon

Guy Gardner/Bunch of Aliens possible Dubcon/Noncon

Macho, hotheaded, shit-talking Guy is the embodiment of hyper-masculinity, and that arrogance of his gets him into a lot more than just a bar fight. All of Guy's enemies seem to be of the huge, muscular variety, so let's see the most stocky lantern get put in his place. Does he secretly love it? Does he outright hate it? Maybe all that shit-talking was just a ploy to finally get someone to "punish" him right. The choice is up to you. Maybe it's a bunch of random aliens Guy's ticked off in a bar. Maybe all that showboating's pissed off Kilowog or Arkillo. Maybe Lobo's still put out after being tricked one too many times by Guy. Perhaps, Atrocitus's still kinda harboring a grudge for Guy kicking him out of the Red Lanterns. Then there's always the way too touchy Dementor with his Vuldarian kin. I'm all for any other kinks or situations, I just would prefer no bathroom stuff. Go absolutely wild.

Black Mask/anyone, bathroom control, omorashi - Filled on meme

I'm a simple person with simple needs: Roman controlling whether or not someone's allowed to piss. can be consensual or noncon torture, the victim can end up pissing themselves or make it to the bathroom safely. just as long as Roman's in total control of the situation, and smug about it. bonus points: tears, begging, banter, degradation, embarrassment, additional torture, anything else along those lines. watersports only, please, no scat!

Roy Clones/Dick gangbang omegaverse

YJ season 3 episode 4 has excellent gangbang material just so you know Add omegaverse to it and its perfect Noncon/dubcon is accepted also

Titans/Jason Gangbang

Prefer comics based more than the show but either is fine. Dick and his friends welcome the new Robin the Titans way, by breaking in that hole. New kid is always the team toy, and it's even more fun now that it's Nightwing's bratty kid brother. Consensual or non con, dealer's choice. Double (or triple) penetration, dirty talk, and powers used for sex are favorite kinks but I'm good with pretty much anything.

Willis Todd/Jason Todd, Mob/Jason; Incest and forced underage prostitution

Willis pimps out his kid for cash and drugs. Catherine either pretends she doesn't know or knows and helps/doesn't care. And like any good salesman, he makes sure to test out his product to make sure it's up to snuff. 

Make it cruel and awful and hopeless. Dehumanizing and degrading. Jason is just a hole to sell and use. belting in sensitive areas, beatings, violent sex, cum play, blood play... I just want something dark and nasty. 

____________________________________________________

Woo! Ok. I’ll try to keep this up the best I can. I’ll link/mark when prompts are filled so that you guys can check it out if you want (all filled prompts can be reached by the link in the title, but some have ao3 links that I put on the “Filled” note). 

I’ll also reblog this with any new prompts that come up or if I find I’ve forgotten one. 

#DC Kink Meme #long post #too many things to tag #content and trigger warnings apply to some of the prompts #enter at your own risk #mostly Jason Todd centric #but others that I liked too

[peppersonironi]

Batfam Whumptober Day Three

{Read on Ao3}

No.3: Manhandled | Forced to their Knees | Held at Gunpoint

Summary: Ra’s’ is in town and Bruce Babs Damian from going out on patrol with him. So of course Damian goes out with Duke instead. But when he gives his brother the slip, Damian finds himself in the deadly hands of his Grandfather. It takes Duke to save him.

A/N: I love Duke, okay? And I love Duke and Damian’s relationship! I want to dive into it more, as I’m not 100% happy with this, but I think it works for now. But not am I writing soft whump! Is this whump? Who knows.

Tw: brief mention of blood, attempted murder (very light)

“I demand to be allowed out.” Damian announced, staring at Duke with the full force of his Baby Bat Glare™ (Jason’s words).

Duke frowned down at him. “Um, sure? But why?”

Damian sniffed. “As if I would tell you.” A moment later, he changed his mind. “But I suppose you are the most tolerable besides Grayson. Very well. My grandfather is in Gotham and Father refuses to allow me to patrol at night. I refuse to allow petty family squabbles get in the way of my Robin duties. He said nothing about the day.”

Duke blinked, looking down at the tiny assassin. “Doesn’t he mean patrol in general? Isn’t going out at all unsafe?”

Damian continued his glaring. “That is besides the point.”

Duke gave Damian a long look. “Why are you asking me? What makes you think I’ll go against Bruce. I’m the ‘good kid’ , remember?”

Damian snorted. “We both know that is not factual, Thomas. You enjoy going behind Father’s back just as much as the rest of us.”

Duke frowned. “Just … don’t get hurt, okay? We’ll go out for a few hours; nothing major. And you Stick. With. Me.”

Damian smirked. “Very well. When do we leave?”

*****

Oh, Damian had been so stupid. All he’d wanted was to prove to Father that he was still capable. That he wasn’t afraid of his Grandfather anymore. It didn’t matter that he was, and any bravado was faked. But he was proud. He thought his fears weren’t constituted.

He’d been wrong.

His first mistake was separating from Signal. Damian had given him the slip around the ninety minute mark (it was altogether too easy. He’d have to work with his brother on those skills. If he lived long enough, that is.) and continued on his regular patrol route.

It was then that the ninjas attacked him.

It was an ambush, he was in an alley taking care of an attempted robbery when the sky was blocked out by the dozens of black clothed figures descending from above. He’d managed to fend off a good third of them when he was overpowered and dragged to his grandfather. He’d managed to escape once, but had gotten a broken leg in reward.

So when he was shoved before his grandfather, bruised and bloody, Damian was scared. Grayson had promised he’d never be sent back to the league, and his mother wouldn’t take him back, so what did Ra’s want?

“Hello, grandson.” Ra’s said, looking at Damian like he was an animal in a zoo. “It’s been too long.”

Damian glared and spit at his once-family. He was dismayed to find his spittle bloody. Maybe he was hurt worse than he thought?

Ra’s sighed, “I’m disappointed? Is that all you have?”

Damian narrowed his eyes to slits. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Really? Not even after you and the young detective broke into and destroyed a prominent League Base?” Ra’s demanded, snapping forward with his words.

Damian winced inwardly. He and Tim had gotten embrowled in a League plot a month back, which ended in explosions. It had actually been a good time, and Damian had enjoyed spending it with his brother. Now, however, he was regretting it.

Ra’s looked towards an assassin, and Damian was suddenly and harshly forced to his knees. He resisted the intense urge to scream out in pain - his left leg was broken after all - but held his tongue. Barely.

“I have allowed you to live even after you scorned the Al Ghul name, and left behind your legacy. You were nothing more than a minor pest in the corner of my vision. Now, however,” Ra’s paused, and drew a long ornate Katanna. He brought it down to Damian’s neck, one flick, and Robin died once again. “I will enjoy killing you.”

Damian blinked. No, no this couldn’t happen. He couldn’t die again. He couldn’t do that to his family. It had broken them. And Damian didn’t want to leave them. Grayson was a given, Damian had to admit he was the brother he was closest to. But also father. They had mended their relationship - with much cajoling from Pennyworth and Grayson. Damian had grown to appreciate Todd, who was wild and made Damian middleastern treats when he was homesick. Cain, who knew what he had gone through more than anyone, and offered quiet companionship unlike the others. Drake, who despite Damian’s initial hatred, he had grown to adore. Perhaps more than Grayson. Brown, who had made it her mission to give Damian a childhood, one ice cream parlor or arcade at a time. Then Thomas, who was new, but had grown on Damian rather quickly. Who genuinely enjoyed spending time with him, and invited Robin on daytime patrols a few times a month.

Like this time.  

Oh, what would Father say to Thomas? Damian hoped he wouldn’t be blamed for the death of yet another Robin. It was Damian’s own fault this had happened.

“No last words, grandson?” Ra’s asked, looking down at Damian a sneer on his face.

Damian closed his eyes.

Ra’s sighed. “I expected more. A gloating response, perhaps some begging. Why no moans for your family. Surely since they’ve abandoned you, that would garner some response?”

“How’s this?”

Suddenly, the glass of the sky-light shattered, and in dropped The Signal. Duke Thomas stood quickly from his kneeling positions, and brought out his escrima sticks.

“Hey, kid,” Duke said, “Need some help?”

Domain let out a choked laugh and nodded, falling back to avoid his grandfather’s blade.

Ra’s growled in outrage, as the assassins he sent forward were taken down by Duke. He dodged attacks before they came, let out his own on unsuspecting league members.

Damian shuffled backwards, trying to wiggle out of his restraints, watching as Ra’s himself came forward to attack. Damian grimaced at how quickly the tides turned. Only Duke’s meta ability kept him alive; he was barely able to dodge the attacks.

“Blind him!” Damian called out, realising another upper hand that Duke might possess.

His brother grimaced before calling the shadows forth and setting them on Ra’s Al Ghul. The Demon’s Head had trained for blind fighting, but the sudden loss of light shocked him enough for Duke to sweep his legs and shove the old man out of the room and onto the balcony of the expensive penthouse the league owned. Ra’s tumbled a little farther than anticipated, rolling over and off the balcony, his fall stopped only by a skilled hand grabbing the ledge.

Duke ignored Ra’s’ possible doom, and raced for Damian. “Let’s go, Robin,” he said, extending a hand.

Damian took it gratefully. “Thank you Signal, though I may have trouble walking.”

Duke scanned him for injuries. “Broken leg?” Damian nodded, and Duke sighed. “Well, let’s get you back to the cave.” They made their way quickly across the room, and onto another balcony. “Hold on,” Duke said, shooting his grappling gun, and jumping off.

*****

They had gotten the Signal-cycle (Damian detested the name, but didn’t have room to complain, at the moment) and made their way back to the cave, Duke insisting on ending patrol early. Bruce had been waiting for them, his arms crossed.

“Damian,” he said with a frown, “I thought I told you no patrol.”

Duke got off, and grabbed Damian, supporting his weight and bringing him to the cave.

Bruce’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Ra’s.” Duke supplied, and Bruce followed the pair to the med bay.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked, taking Damian from Duke and putting him down on the med bay’s bed.

Damian scowled. “It was Grandfather. Nothing special.”

Duke snorted. “He was going to kill you, Damian. I’m pretty sure that counts as ‘special’ ”

Bruce narrowed his eyes briefly before sighing. “I’ll go get Alfred,” he said, “but Damian?” Damian looked over at his father. “Try not to get yourself killed while I’m gone?”

He left quickly, and Duke turned back to Damian. “He’s going to bench you.”

“I know.”

“That was a pretty reckless move.”

“I know.”

“I told you not to leave.”

“I know.”

Duke sighed. “When you’re all checked out, let’s go watch a movie. And go to bed early. Care to try out a regular sleeping schedule?”

Damian frowned. “What kind of movie?”

Duke smiled. “Finding Nemo?”

Damian considered. “That is acceptable.” Duke grinned at him, and Damian lay down. He considered speaking for a moment, finally deciding it would be cowardly not to. “Thank … Duke. For saving me.”

Duke smiled at the sound of his first name, and Damian had to admit that felt good. “Sure, Dami. Anytime.”

Tagging: @starrystories2

#whumptober2020 #no.3 #manhandling #forced to their knees #batfam #dc #Blood tw #attempted murder tw #hurt/comfort #damian wayne #duke thomas #ra's al ghul #bruce wayne #protective siblings #Kidnapping

[sweet-sammy-kisses]

Cream Puffs and Puppies Chapter 2

For TimKon week Prompt: Matchmaker. I went in a different direction with the prompt. I hope you enjoy.  Pairings: Kon/Tim, Jason/Roy/Kory, Cass/Cassie, Dick/Wally, Diana/Bruce, and Jon/Damian You can also read it on AO3

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Jason Todd growled as he glared at his two lovers and then his little sister.

"Come on Jason, you have to admit that it is clear that Bruce, Dick, and even the little demon miss Tim, and Tim misses them greatly." Roy reminded the growling man.

"I know that! I just don't get why we have to do this at a stupid con or why we have to dress up!" Jason hissed back as he tugged at his costume, at least it wasn't something ridiculous. "And why the hell can't I wear a shirt?"

"Because Dante doesn't wear a shirt." Kory happily informed Jason stealing a quick kiss. "How do I look?" She asked twirling around in her cosplay outfit.

"You look amazing." Roy came to stand beside Kory they both ended up going as Neo Queen Serenity and Neo King Endymion both looked amazing as their characters.

Cass had decided to go as Sailor Mars and Jason had a feeling a big part of her choice had to do with the fact that Cassie was going as Sailor Venus.

"Just so you know the only reason I am doing this is because I want to see what Blondie and Babs picked for Bruce, Dickie, and the demon spawn," Jason informed them as he crossed his arms over his chest.

A wide grin appeared on Roy's face as he clapped Jason on the back, "Sure Jay whatever you say."

Jason glared at Roy then turned his attention to Elizabeth, who he ended up adopting after his fifth visit when Tim rolled his eyes and shoved the adoption papers in his hands and told him to just fill them out already, gave him a doggy grin full of love. "Fine, let's get this over with."

+*****+

"You look amazing my space husband." Tim beamed at Conner who had finished putting the final touches on his costume. In Tim's opinion, he made a very handsome Shiro.

Tim had decided to go as Keith Kogane when Conner surprised him with tickets to a comic con and every Keith needed his own Shiro.

Conner could only smile as he pressed his lips against Tim's he knew his lover was obsessed with Voltron and what he called the epic love story of Keith and Shiro, he refused to accept the ending that neither Keith and Shiro or Lance and Allura ended up together.

"How dare they deny them their happy ending." Tim hissed as he watched the final seasons.

Conner had kept a close on Tim after that, the last thing he wanted was for him to do something drastic like buy the studio and redo the entire last season himself.

"The last time I went..." Tim trailed off the last time he went Dick had been there, they even managed to get Bruce to come along with them.

"Come on we better get going to meet the others." Conner stole a kiss from Tim, he hated the pain in Tim's eyes, he knew that he still missed his family. 'Please let this plan work.'

+******+

Barbara Gordon wasn't someone you messed around with, she rolled into the Batcave with Alfred and Stephanie both behind her.

"If you want to win back Tim this is your chance," Barbra informed them as she passed them their outfits. "You have half an hour to get ready before I call in reinforcements in the form of Wally, Jon, and Diana." Grinning as her threat had the effect she wanted she rolled herself out of the Batcave, she had her costume to pack.

With Bruce having his own plane it was easy to get them to San Francisco in time. Of course, Barbra had left out the little fact that Wally, Jon, and Diana would still be joining them. She rather enjoyed watching Jon appear in front of Damian and hug him.

Barbra made sure to get photos she had no clue how Diana convinced Bruce that yes he had to dress up as Wesley from the Princess Bride to her Buttercup but she had managed to do so. She had a feeling the black outfit helped.

Jon had picked Sasuke for Damian and Naruto for himself. Damian's scowl matched Sasuke's perfectly while Jon was just as happy as his character was.

Wally and Dick, well Babs was impressed at how much Dick managed to look like Tony Stark while Wally looked like a stupidly in love Steve Rogers as he gazed at Dick. 'Perfect for them.'

Barbra had chosen to go as Captain Marvel (Carol) and she rather pleased with how her costume had turned out.

Stephanie looked amazing as Spider Gwen, she looked unrecognizable.

"Now remember that our goal is to talk to Tim and prove to him how much we miss him." Dick reminded them. Guilt had eaten at him when Jason returned Red Robin's suit and everything to them. He had failed his little brother.

"Indeed." Damian, after Jon, pointed out how he talked and treated Tim had been wrong, had come to realize that both he and Tim were loved and wanted. He needed to make amends for his past treatment of Tim.

+*****+

"Wow, you guys look amazing." Tim praised as he caught sight of everyone's costumes. Raven looked amazing as Gamora and Gar looked like he was having a blast as Star-Lord. Bart was hopping around as Spiderman and Cassie looked amazing as Sailor Venus.

"Let's go," Jason growled as he stalked towards the entrance.

Linking hands with Conner Tim pulled him to follow after his older brother.

+****+

They had been there for about an hour when Conner got the text he was waiting for.

We are here.

Giving the signal to the others they followed Cass who would easily find her family.

"Look," Tim whispered to Conner as he walked behind his sister and friend.

Conner grinned as he spotted the link hands between Cass and Cassie and the faint blush on both of their cheeks.

"Hey Spiderman, looking good." Spider Gwen appeared out of nowhere, nudging Bart in the side.

Tim blinked he would know that voice anywhere. "Steph?" He had been so focused on being happy for Cass and Cassie that he hadn't been paying attention to the fact that he had been lead into a room.

Tugging off her hood Stephanie grinned at Tim, "Hey, ex-boyfriend long time no see."

It took Tim one glance around the room to see who else was there and his chest clenched. "What are you all doing here?"

Dick took a step towards Tim, "We are here for you Tim. To ask for a second chance to make things right with you. To prove that we love you, that you are part of our family. I know I haven't been the best brother to you and I want to fix that."

Bruce followed Dick and came to stand next to his oldest, "You are my son and I am sorry that I should have never made sure you knew that."

Jon nudged Damian who rolled his eyes as he followed his family, "I owe you an apology, Drake... Timothy. I was wrong in how I treated you and I wish to get to know you as my brother."

Dick gave Tim a a pleading look, "I love you, Tim, we all do will you give us a second chance?"

Tim had missed them all so much, yes they had hurt him deeply but he couldn't deny them that he missed them and wanted them back in his life. "Okay, I missed you all and I want my family back."

Dick moved and engulfed Tim in a tight hug. "I have missed you, little brother. And I'm not going to lose you again."

Tim clung to Dick, he had missed his hugs, "I missed you too big brother."

Jason rolled his eyes as he spotted Bruce's hands twitching, "Oh hug him already." Jason wasn't in the mood to watch him brood.

Tim and Dick were engulfed in Bruce's warmth as he hugged them to his chest.

Jon looked at Damian, "I am not hugging them." Damian informed his boyfriend.

A sweet smile appeared on Jon's face, "You're here that is a good start."

Once the hug broke Tim turned to face Conner, "Was this your idea?" He asked.

Conner grinned sheepishly, "It was a joint effort. We could see how much you missed them. You weren't whole without them and from what Stephanie and Barbra said they were even more miserable than you. Besides, I figured you would want your father to walk you down the aisle."

The room went silent as everyone stared at Conner.

Tim's eyes were wide, "Are you asking me to marry you?"

Conner fell down to one knee and pulled out the ring box he had been carrying around with him for a month, "Timothy Drake-Wayne since the moment I met you my life was changed for the better. I couldn't imagine my life without you. The day I met you was the day I met my soulmate and I want to spend the rest of our lives together and be able to call you my husband. So will you marry me?"

Tim lunged at Conner, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.

"I think that is a yes," Bart commented.

Bruce let out a distress noise that had Diana linking their hands together, "I think this is wonderful a union blessed by the Gods. Their souls have always been meant to be one." She whispered to Bruce who could only grunt.

Wally shook his head as Dick looked torn between happy that Tim was getting married or upset that his baby brother was getting married. "Conner is good for him and he will treat Tim the way he deserves to be treated." Wally did his best to comfort Dick.

"Don't worry I already gave Conner a long and very detailed list of what will happen to him should he hurt baby bird." Jason drawled out.

"What! You knew?" Dick whirled around and glared at his brother who just let out a crackle than a curse as Dick tackled him.

While chaos broke out behind them Tim broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Conner's, "The answer, by the way, is yes. Thank you for bringing my family back to me."

"Anything for you my space husband."

#timkon week #timkon #kon x tim #birdflash #wonderbat #jason x roy x kory #sherri writes #my ficlets

[elareine]

clock ticking (sudden silence)

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Angst with a Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Temporary Character Death, Loss, Grief/Mourning, Age Difference, Identity Reveal Summary: For twenty years, Dick Grayson has waited for his timer to begin ticking. When it finally does, there are only two issues: Jason is thirteen. And the timer only reads eighteen months.

Read here on ao3

The thing about the timer was: It didn’t tell you anything about your soulmate, only how long you would have together.

Dick had heard people talking about how they ‘sensed’ who it was before they ever met the person, how they just knew their soulmate(s) would be sweet and gentle and fiery and perfect. Some even said it came to them in dreams, the vague shape of a face they loved more than anyone else.

Privately, Dick thought that was bullshit. It was a timer, nothing more. They all had the same lettering, the same number system, everything. There was no way of knowing what the other person would be like.

When he had been a child, he’d thought he would meet his soulmate in the circus for sure. He couldn’t imagine anything different. Perhaps it would be an audience member, coming up to meet him after the performance. Maybe one of the countless children that tried to sneak in to watch, one of the ones that looked so poor, the circus owners decided to turn a blind eye and allow them some joy, therefore helping Dick meet the love of his life.

But deep down, he’d always thought it would be another acrobat. Someone joining the circus. Someone who knew the sheer joy of flying, the thrill of danger and an audience. Someone to become part of his family.

That dream crashed spectacularly, of course. Try as he might, Dick never found quite another dream to replace that one. Would they be handsome or beautiful? If they were his soulmate, he would think so for sure, and that was all that mattered. Would they be kind? Supportive? A rock to lean on?

He’d told himself that it wouldn’t matter until his timer started, and maybe not even then.

Bruce’s timer, for example, was ticking. Dick had spotted it for the first time months into their partnership. He’d been confused, had asked if he had met Bruce’s soulmate—where were they?

In those days, Bruce had still been willing to answer Dick’s questions. He said: Sometimes, even soulmate relationships didn’t work out. It was a chance, a hint, nothing more. With him being a vigilante, the choice to be together wasn’t as easy as kids’ movies made it out to be.

(He had never actually mentioned the name of his soulmate. Back then, Dick had thought he knew anyway. Now, he wasn’t so sure.)

(He also thought Bruce had been full of shit that day.)

His teenage years were pretty good, romantically speaking. Sexually, too. Some lovely puppy love, a bit of experimentation, the conclusion that yep, he was going to continue using the gender-neutral ‘they’ for his future soulmate, but probably not in the plural sense.

Still, he kept waiting for his timer to start ticking.

He heard about the new kid before he ever met him. He and Batman weren’t exactly on speaking terms at the time, but. Rumors spread, and soon, so did videos of the kid in the Robin mantle. Seeing how Dick was now twenty and very much not built like that anymore, the conclusion that he had been replaced was pretty much inevitable.

It would be accurate to say Dick didn’t react well to the news. Bruce had every right to take in another child, but how dare he call him Robin? Nevermind that Dick himself had moved on from that title. It wasn’t Bruce’s to give.

So his first time meeting the kid was already tense as hell. The fact that his timer started ticking the exact moment he laid eyes on Jason didn’t help.

Dick was panicking.

Jason was thirteen.

He was tiny.

Okay, he wasn’t, he was pretty average for his age, he went up to Dick’s chest, even, but the keywords here were ‘for his age’ because Jason was thirteen.

Dick wasn’t a pervert, okay. There was nothing sexy about a teenager that had just hit puberty to him. His replacement, nonetheless. His brother.

But maybe all of that would’ve been fine. They could’ve become friends or made sure to meet up later in life when the age difference wouldn’t seem so monumental. Seven years wasn’t so much once both of you were out of puberty. Dick could’ve morphed from a big brother figure to something closer over time. He’d have enjoyed that, probably.

But none of that would happen because the timer only had 18 months left from the day it began.

Dick didn’t say anything to Jason. When the younger sought him out, he kept their interactions short. His ongoing problems with Bruce were a good enough reason to stay away from the manor, from Gotham, and to never talk about this. Either he would die far away from the kid, never to be mourned, or Jason himself would die, having lived unencumbered by soulmate that was way too old for him. It was better that way.

His friends found out in one of the worst ways possible: by accident, two days before the timer was due to stop.

Jason had disappeared over a week ago. Dick had tried to warn Bruce, had fully intended to at least be in Gotham and try to stop it from happening because although these things were rarely wrong, he knew he wouldn’t ever forgive himself for not trying—but Jason had disappeared so much earlier than he’d thought.

In a way, that made it worse. If Jason had indeed been kidnapped (and according to Bruce, signs were that he’d left on his own, but you never knew what the incentive for that might’ve been), then Dick didn’t want to imagine the torture Jason would have to suffer in the week before he died.

He still did, of course. That was why Kori and Wally had caught him staring at the ticking time bomb on his wrist.

There was no need to explain, no way to hide what was happening. Kori sighed, “Oh, Dick,” and Wally was wrapped around him in a hug faster than Dick could tell that he was fine.

“Is there anything we can do?”

Dick looked into Kori’s beautiful green eyes and seriously considered the question. A speedster, an alien, a man trained by the world’s greatest detective. Together, they had saved the city—heck, the world—from certain disaster more than once.

But they couldn’t fight against fate. Dick shook his head.

Eventually, they made to leave, and truthfully, Dick was glad. He didn’t know how to talk about this. How to tell them that no, he had no idea where his soulmate was because he had rejected him, hadn’t even kept a close watch.

But Kori turned around.

“Just,” she closed her eyes, “is it one of us?”

Understanding her fear all too well, he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “No.”

At least there was that. No one here would miss Jason.

Bruce didn’t tell him when he found a lead, he just went. Dick wasn’t even mad about that. He hadn’t been entirely honest with Bruce, either.

Besides, when he got the alert that the Batplane had taken off and saw his timer tick down its last hours, he already knew that Bruce would be too late.

00:02.

Dick watched the last hours tick down on his timer. Now that it was happening, he would give anything to be in Ethiopia. He barely knew the boy—nothing beyond his history and that he was Dick’s soulmate; that he was Robin—but he knew that Jason didn’t deserve to die alone.

Bruce hadn’t reached out to him at all. Neither had Alfred.

00:01.

It was agonizing.

00:00.

Jason’s last hour had begun. Dick set the stopwatch on his phone for sixty minutes. The timer didn’t go into so many details. He’d tried to find out just how accurate it was; the results had been dispiriting. Jason could, as of now, be dead. Or he could live and breathe and hope for another 59 minutes.

The whole time, he prayed for his display to change. That Bruce would do the impossible once more, defeat fate, and buy Jason more time. Buy themmore time, now that Dick suddenly and painfully realized that he wanted there to be a them so badly, in any way he could get.

His stopwatch beeped. It was over. Dick hadn’t felt a thing, couldn’t have told you when his soulmate died, but it was over.

When he heard about what actually happened, it was worse.

Here’s a secret Dick never told anyone: He still wished Bruce had not even tried to revive the Joker. The old bastard had died that day like he deserved—unmourned.

Once Dick went through Jason’s things.

Bruce wasn’t home—gone on one of these trips he took these days, the ones filled with revenge and darkness in a way they hadn’t been before. If Alfred knew what Dick was doing, he didn’t comment. And after all, Dick thought mutinously, why shouldn’t he be here? This had been his room, once upon a time. He had a right to see what happened to it.

There were books there now. So many books. Jason hadn’t been choosy; classic French literature was crammed in next to space operas and cowboy romance. When Dick idly pulled one out, he could see scrawled comments in the margins. Apparently, Jason had considered “The Great Gatsby” to ‘suck ass.’

The room itself was much more orderly than when Dick had been responsible for tidying it. No way to tell if that was because Jason was a neat-freak or because Alfred had cleaned it out since his death, though.

It took Dick a second to realize what was missing. There was only one photograph, Batman and Robin heading into the night. Where were the family pictures? Dick remembered his own collection: his parents, the circus folk, his friends, Bruce and Alfred and Babs and Clark…

Maybe Jason had taken them with him when he left.

Still Dick’s eyes searched the room, hungry for something more personal than books and tidy clothes on a hanger. Finally, he saw it: a simple brown teddy bear, almost hidden by the curtains.

“Hey, little buddy,” he murmured, crouching down. “What’re you doing in the corner like that?”

In his mind’s eye, Dick could see Jason arguing with Bruce—or maybe just quietly seething in anger—, finally throwing the bear into the corner, his decision made.

Dick hesitated, but—he couldn’t leave the bear. It shouldn’t lie here, abandoned in a mausoleum. It went home with him that night, and to every home since.

It was such a fucking cliché, but after that, life went on.

Dick could see the empty space Jason left behind in Bruce’s life, in Alfred’s, hell, even in Tim’s, in Gotham itself—but the only thing for him that had changed was the nature of his guilt.

Eventually, he started dating again, unwilling to be chained to the ghost of a what-if. It was okay. People had relationships after their soulmates died. Sure, there were forums full of people complaining that nothing compared to dating The One. Wasn’t like Dick had anything to compare it to, though, so he was in the clear.

He and Babs really gave it a try. There was no universe in which Dick wasn’t glad that they did. She would always be one of the most important people in his life.

After they split up, the responsibilities keep piling onto him. Being a full-time vigilante with duties to more than city, to more than one team, heck, even to an international spy agency—it kept him busy. Distracted. Until fate found him again.

Dick’s timer was ticking again, only this time, he genuinely had no idea who had set it off. Maybe he’d been too busy, too numb to notice during patrol. It wasn’t unheard, people gaining a second chance at a soulmate. Dick just hadn’t exactly considered the possibility for himself, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it.

It read two years.

Dick wanted to throw something against the wall. Why? Why would he only be granted so little time? How much of it had he already wasted because he hadn’t noticed when it started ticking?

How many chances would he be granted, just for his love to leave him? Was this to be his doom?

You sound like Batman.

Dick stopped and pulled himself up. The last time this had happened, he’d been twenty, unsure of his place in the family and the world, ill-equipped to handle an already devastating situation.

That wasn’t him anymore.

This time, he would take whatever time they had. And when it ended, he’d be grateful for it, and keep living his life.

He just had to find them first.

There was a new vigilante in town. For months, he was but a rumor of a red helmet and dead bodies left in his wake—until he made his big move.

The takeover of the Penguin lounge had been well-planned and viciously executed, and there wasn’t a damn thing any of them could do about it, not when all the Red Hood’s minions were loyal to him and his precautions excellent. He stayed far away from Batman and Robin; he seemed to have an understanding with Catwoman; his policy seemed to be to protect the street workers.

Somehow, he’d moved himself to the bottom of Batman’s list. Still, Dick knew he made Bruce uneasy. All their attempts to find out more about the man failed. Even when Tim managed to listen in on the club’s communications for almost a whole day, all they got was a name: Red Hood.

He was a rumor, until the day he sought out Dick on the rooftops.

“Red Hood.”

“Nightwing.” The other man’s voice was metallic, a voice modulator giving nothing away about its original timbre. “What brings you to Gotham?”

“Helping out on a case.” Nightwing’s connection to Batman wasn’t a secret. Dick would be astonished if there was still a citizen left that didn’t know Nightwing and Robin I were the same person. “What brings you to this roof?”

“You’re going after Sionis.”

“Yes.” Or at least, he was now.

“He hurt one of my own. He’s mine now. Stay away.”

Dick did his best not to snort. That was bullshit. His own interest in the Sionis case had been cursory at best. If Red Hood had just waited three days to eliminate him, Dick never would’ve noticed.

“What about him is so interesting that it warrants you coming out of hiding?”

The helmet tilted to the side. Dick would be damned if he could tell you why he found the movement so provoking, but he did. “Who says it’s Sionis I’m interested in?”

“Uh.” Dick was sure his eyes were wide behind the domino. Was Red Hood… hitting on him?

“Tell Batman to stay out of my business.”

With that, the other man shot a grapple and vanished. Dick made no move to follow him.

Dick expected that to be it. He returned to Blüdhaven, leaving Gotham and its secrets for Bruce to deal with. Except that particular secret seemed to have singled him out.

The first time he saw Red Hood in a fight in his city, he did nothing, merely observing the other’s fighting skills critically. Not bad. He had clearly been trained in a variety of fighting styles and was quicker than you’d expect for a man of his size. His left hook was good enough to rival Bruce’s.

Dick was still pretty sure he could take him in a fight.

“Are you just going to watch?” Red Hood called out, gripping one of his attackers by the throat and dangling him into the air.

“I dunno, you seem to have it pretty well in hand,” Dick sniggered.

“Never mind.” Red Hood dropped the now-unconscious man, turning to disable the next one with a well-placed nerve strike. Dick noted that unlike some of the scenes he’d seen in Gotham, Red Hood seemed to have no interest in killing these men. That implied he had some sort of value system. Interesting. “Please leave. That was terrible.”

Dick eyes the entrance of the alley. A group of armed thugs was gathering, clearly ready to strike. Decision made, he jumped from the roof, landing right beside Red Hood. “Sorry, but I can’t let you have all the fun.”

“Spoilsport.”

“You come into my city and then complain when I help you?”

“Oh, is that what you call this? ‘Cause all I can see is you standing around and jibbering.”

Dick thought the criminals he was currently sending a few thousand volts through might beg to differ. Between the two of them, they had the entire gang out in less than ten minutes.

It was, Dick reluctantly conceded, fun.

It became something of a regular occurrence after that. Nightwing would drop by Red Hood’s territory whenever he was in Gotham, and Red Hood would return the favor with regular visits to Blüdhaven. They’d banter, punch out some criminals, collect whatever they had come for, and go their separate ways. Not exactly a friendship, but something easy. Comfortable.

Until the night they busted a heroin ring in an abandoned warehouse and found some kids hiding three rooms down.

Dick saw the boy first. He couldn’t be more than twelve. His body was skinny, and not in the way teens sometimes got after a growth spurt.

Not knowing what else to do, Dick gave a wave. “Hi. I’m Nightwing. What’s your name?”

“I don’t want to tell you.” As soon as he uttered the words, the boy tensed, visibly expecting punishment.

Dick smiled. “That’s okay. I’ll tell you a secret—Nightwing’s not my real name, either.”

“Well, duh.” The teen scowled, but he did look less afraid. Then he looked over Dick’s shoulder and asked: “Who is that with my sister?”

Dick turned around to see Red Hood kneeling and… wearing a blonde wig? He blinked.

The little girl in front of him hiccuped, still crying but visible distracted by the big shiny helmet. Wearing a wig. Where had Hood even found that?

“That’s Red Hood,” Dick told him, trying to sound as if all of this was perfectly normal. God, he hoped the kids hadn’t heard the fighting. What a terrible time to pick this warehouse.

“What’re vigilantes doing here? Is something happening? Were there guns?”

“Sort of. I’m afraid this place isn’t safe, but we can bring you somewhere else for the night,” Dick said.

Red Hood looked up and suggested: “The sisters on St John Street. They’re good people.”

“No one will separate you,” Dick added. “Just help. Get you some food, somewhere to sleep safely.”

The boy looked at them. “We’re not going back to—to—”

“You won’t have to,” Red Hood promised, and Dick nodded. Not if he had anything to say about it—and once he would investigate whoever it was that they were running from, he would have.

“How about we accompany you?” Dick suggested.

The boy looked hesitant, but the girl suddenly gave a giggle. “You can’t walk like that,” she told Red Hood.

“Why not?”

“You look silly, dummy!”

“Well, that’s very rude of you to say.” And just like that, the wig still perched on the helmet, Red Hood stepped out onto the street. He was walking rather uncannily like a model, Dick noted with some amusement.

The girl followed him, still laughing and pulling her brother along. “No! Take it off!”

“But I feel so pretty!”

The distraction worked, and the walk to the center for vulnerable children passed quickly. Only there did Red Hood take off the wig, making a big show of stuffing into his belt to hide his ‘shame.’ “Your wish is my command,

The girl’s priorities seemed to have changed, though. “C’mon,” told her brother, “they said there’s food in there.”

But the teenager hesitated, looking at Dick. “Are you sure they’re okay?”

Dick was about to reassure them again, heartbroken by the hesitant hope in their eyes, when Red Hood said: “Yeah. I stayed with them a few times when I was your age. They get it.”

He didn’t mean the boy’s age, Dick realized. Jesus.

“Okay.”

Dick let them head in alone. They needed to see that they would welcome on their own, vigilante accompanying them or not. He would talk to the workers in a minute or two.

Red Hood’s metallic voice broke the silence. “So, I’m assuming you’re going to look into whoever did this to them.”

“You bet. Aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes. You better be quick.”

Dick had already planned on that, but: “Why?”

“I do not like child abusers, and I clean up after myself.” With that statement, Red Hood gave a little wave. The casual movement was belied by the suppressed rage that suddenly seemed to pour out of his every pore. “See you.”

Dick stared after him, undecided.

He had allowed himself to be judge, jury, and executioner once, and never regretted it. Not once had he since felt the desire or need to be in that position again.

Didn’t mean he didn’t get it.

In the end, he decided to head inside. The kids needed him, and they were what was important here.

Still. Life had just become a lot more complicated.

“We should eat.”

“Sure. Let’s have a picnic. Just you, me, the stars, and the person we’re staking out. How romantic.”

“Shut up.” Red Hood casually dropped a lunchbox next to where Dick was sitting. “You haven’t eaten in all day.”

“I’m not in danger of fainting, you know.” Still, Dick couldn’t help but open the box. “Pasta salad?”

Red Hood shrugged. “Carbs.”

It honestly smelled terrific. Red Hood had even brought a fork. Dick was ready to dig in when he realized something.

Red Hood was still wearing his helmet.

“So… you’re just going to sit there and watch me eat?”

Red Hood crossed his arms. “Well, if you say it like that, it just sounds creepy.”

“Yeah, exactly. You don’t want any food?”

“I’ll eat later.”

Dick considered him. “I bet you I could get that off you in less than two minutes.”

“Believe me, you don’t want to.”

For the first time, the other vigilante turned his back to Dick. There was what Dick recognized to be a trigger device at the back of his helmet. Dick shuddered. Red Hood would rather have his head explode than someone see his face without his consent.

“Okay, don’t take it off then. That looks like it would spoil the meal.”

“My point exactly. Do you always talk so much when there’s food on the table?”

Dick grumbled, but he did start eating after that. Damn. That pasta was goood.

Three days later, Red Hood shot a man that was about to decapitate Dick with an ax. He even left the criminal alive. Dick tried not to be charmed.

“Well, fuck.” Red Hood stared at the little dot on Dick’s display in dismay. “Guess it’s back to Blüdhaven for us.”

“Looks like it.” Dick sighed. Just what he’d needed. His ride was back in Blüdhaven since he’d taken a detour through space on his way here. Looked like he’d need to borrow one from Bruce. It was that or public transport.

As if he’d read his thoughts, Red Hood asked: “Want a ride?”

“You got a car?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, but no.” Hood fiddled with something on his belt. For a minute, nothing happened. Then Dick heard the noise of a smooth motor approaching. Red Hood made a ‘ta-da’ motion with his hand as a red and silver machine turned the corner. “I got a bike.”

Dick whistled. “Wow, my little brother would love that.”

“He got one of his own?”

“Nah, he’s thirteen, just a kid.” That may be slightly too much information to give out, but Dick had honestly stopped caring at some point. “It’s all about skateboards for now.”

“Is he turning his sick tricks in the local park or on the rooftops?”

“You could always just meet him.”

Red Hood snorted. “I have no desire to meet any more bats or birds.”

“And yet you keep hanging out with me.”

“Yeah.” A sigh. “Dunno why I keep doing this to myself.”

Suddenly feeling defensive, Dick crossed his arms. “Hey, we’re not that bad.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“You haven’t even met them.” Or Bruce wouldn’t be trying to milk Dick for information about their meetings.

“Oh yes I have.”

Red Hood froze. Dick pounced. “When?”

But it was no use. “Look. I’ll make you a deal. We don’t talk about Batman anymore tonight, and you get to drive.”

Dick considered that. “If I say no, are you just going to leave?”

“Yupp.”

“Fine.”

Ten minutes later, with Red Hood’s arms wound tightly around his middle, the bike humming between his legs, Dick couldn’t even be mad.

Sometimes, Dick worried. Red Hood was too casual about his own life. Even as he made friends—not just Dick, but Roy and Kori and Artemis and, somehow, a Superman clone—he threw himself into the kind of situations that made even Dick take a step back and evaluate.

He was too reckless. It was as if his life didn’t matter. If Hood went on like this, he’d be dead within a year or two—Dick froze.

Could… could Red Hood be his soulmate?

His timer had begun ticking again before he met the other vigilante on that rooftop. That didn’t mean he couldn’t have passed him on the street one day before that, though. Or rather, one night: It must’ve been in his Nightwing garb. If Red Hood knew, or suspected, that would explain why he sought Nightwing out.

Granted, the odds were slim. But it was possible.

Funnily enough, Dick never once asked himself whether he wanted Hood to be his soulmates. Why wouldn’t he? Underneath that anger, he suspected Red Hood to be one of the kindest men he’d ever met, and he’d been nothing but supportive to Dick.

Still. He had to treat this with caution.

Look. Dick knew he should be with his friends and/or family, celebrating his birthday, not out here, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in Blüdhaven. It just felt… right, this year. Days like these, Dick couldn’t bear looking at what was left of his friends. All he would do was count the empty spaces. Patrol was safer, somehow.

Of course, the one time he was looking for a distraction on his birthday, he didn’t find any. Blüdhaven was weirdly quiet. It took Dick two hours to figure out why.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked, bemused.

Red Hood, visibly startled, turned around—then swore when the two-bit criminal he’d been cornering took the chance to sprint off into the sunset. “Dammit, was that necessary?”

“Eh, you’ll catch him. So?”

“I was in the area, and I didn’t expect you to—never mind. What are you working on?”

Dick shrugged as casually as possible. “Nothing in particular. Just patrol, business as usual, you know. How about you?”

“I was following a lead, but it just fled for the hills.” Red Hood sighed, always a funny sound through the helmet.

“Ooops,” Dick said, not apologetic at all. “How about that. Whatever are you going to do with your evening.”

He’d meant it as a joke—there was always more crime to hunt down—but the other man paused. “Actually. There’s something I wanted to show you.”

‘Something’ turned out to be yet another rooftop perch, this time in one of the poorer districts. Dick didn’t get what was so special about this until the first family left their house. Another followed, and another, until there were about thirty people gathered, nearly half of them children.

“Watch,” Red Hood murmured.

One man put down a large bag and took out an object. For one terrible second, Dick thought it was a missile—but no. A rocket, but one of the harmless variety.

The kids cheered as several of the adults prepared the fireworks. The first rocket went up, bathing the street in the light of its beautiful golden rain. It was quickly followed by a serious of smaller, purple blasts, underlined by a wheel of blue lights.

“They do this once a month,” Red Hood told him. “To bring some light to the city.”

Dick pressed his shoulder companionably into the other man’s. “This is neat. Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?” Ah, there was the embarrassed grumbling again. Dick had learned to tell. “Shut up already and watch, you’re louder than the fireworks.”

He didn’t move away, though. Dick counted it as a win.

“It was supposed to be me,” the woman whispered, over and over again.

Dick kept his grip on her shoulder tight to keep her from running to into the fire and to her soulmate. He’d seen the body. There was nothing they could do. “I’m sorry, but—”

“You don’t understand!” she yelled, suddenly furious. “That’s my wife! My soulmate!”

He wanted to tell her: “I do understand.” However, did he really? Jason had been more of a concept than a real person.

(Red Hood, however little information Dick had about him, was very, definitely real. Dick tried not to imagine the kind of hole someone like that would leave in his life.)

Instead, he said: “She wouldn’t want you to follow her.”

With one last anguished cry, the woman collapsed against his chest.

As he watched the police car drive off, Dick considered going home. As far as he was concerned, this night could go fuck itself. But… he didn’t want to be alone.

“Can’t be easy, something like that.”

Relief flooded Dick at the metallic voice even before he turned around to greet the other vigilante. With Red Hood, he wouldn’t have to be alone. He knew that deep in his bones.

“No,” he replied belatedly. “No, it can’t be. Isn’t.”

“Are you alright?”

Dick frowned. “Yes? This hasn’t been a great night so far, but patrol is nearly over, so—”

“You’re bloody.”

“Oh.” Dick lifted his hands and studied the scratches that now marked him. “It’s fine.”

Red Hood, though, took one of Dick’s hands in his and studied it as if to inspect the wounds. “Those are gouges.”

“She was desperate.”

“Understandable.” Red Hood dropped Dick’s hand. It felt cold. “I think if I lost my soulmate, I would go searching for them in any way I could. Try to save them, somehow.”

There was something pointed about these words. Dick couldn’t quite grasp it. “Destiny doesn’t negotiate.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Brought me here, didn’t it?”

And that was—

Dick closed his eyes, just to think for a moment. The way the other man was behaving, there was good reason to think he might suspect himself to be Dick’s soulmate. All Dick would have to do was ask, and maybe, just maybe, something he’d wanted for a very long time would be within his grasp.

But Jason’s shadow still loomed over him. He couldn’t forget that boy. He mustn’t. It was the least of what he owed him.

“I had a soulmate before,” Dick told him.

Red Hood cocked his head to the side. “Had?”

Somehow, his tone was more surprised than emphatic. That didn’t exactly fill Dick with confidence, but he continued: “He died. My timer was set for only eighteen months. He was—he was just a boy, really.”

Suddenly he realized he was crying. It was the first time he’d let his guard down, really down, about this, and something about Red Hood made it impossible for him to pull it back up.

Embarrassed, he covered his face with his hands. “I’m sorry.”

Gloved hands settled on his shoulders. “Hey, no, it’s okay, you don’t have to—“

“I fucked it up, Hood. Left him alone. It was selfish and stupid and I—I can’t—” Dick stopped talking. It wouldn’t come out without sobs, anyway.

Red Hood’s hands stayed on him during the minutes he cried silently, pressing down hard enough to hurt Dick, to anchor him; but he didn’t say anything. He just waited, and when Dick was coherent again, he asked: “What happened?”

“He died,” Dick said simply. “I murdered his killer, but that does not bring him back.”

There was a long silence. It should’ve been tense, nervous, now that even the last of Dick’s secrets had been exposed. Instead Dick felt resigned. Either this would be too much, even for the Red Hood, or not.

This was who he was. There was no changing that, no matter how hard he’d tried.

“Well, fuck, now I’m not even slightly angry with you anymore, what the fuck.”

Dick frowned. That… wasn’t what he’d expected. “What do you mean?”

“You know I fully intended on some kind of revenge plot here? I thought maybe a dramatic reveal in front of all of the bats, you know, or at least something accompanied by a lot of yelling and triumph, not to mention bloodshed,” the Red Hood told him almost conversationally as he stood back and began fiddling with the mechanism at the back of his helmet. “But no, you have to go and be a much better man than I thought, Dickie. Of fucking course.”

All the alarm bells began to ring in Dick’s head. “What did you just call me?”

The helmet came off.

“…Jason?”

They were so different. Hood was taller than Jason; a man instead of a boy. His hair was dark, yes, but there was white streak running through it. His jaw had filled out, his bearing straightened, his eyes turned slightly greener.

And yet.

Dick knew.

“Yeah. Uh. Surprise. Guess you didn’t know? I wasn’t completely sure before today.”

Dick filed the notion that Jason thought him (or the rest of the family, for that matter) capable of just quietly ignoring his resurrection away for some other day. Right now, he was too busy trying to breathe.

“Dick?” There was concern in that voice now. “Are you okay?”

“Am I—” Breathing. “How?”

“Maybe you should sit down?” Jason looked like he expected Dick to faint any minute now. Dick admitted that might not be too far from the truth ‘cause what the fuck, but it didn’t matter right now, because: “You died.”

“Yes.” Jason ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “Don’t ask me how or I got out of that grave, I don’t either.”

Dick didn’t know what to say to that.

“Talia al Ghul rescued me,” Jason continued, talking more quickly as if wanting to get it over with. “I wasn’t whole, so… Lazarus Pit. And then she trained me and told me a whole bunch of stuff, some of which turned out to be true, some of which didn’t. And now I’m here.”

“But—” he whispered. This was dialogue straight out of a terrible Hallmark movie, but he needed to know. “My timer—”

“Dick,” Jason looked at him with a steady gaze, “my timer has read the same time ever since I met you.” He lifted his wrist and pulled off the leather glove.

46:04.

Dick stared at it helplessly. That was the kind of number he’d only ever dreamed of. And it was supposed to be his and Jason’s?

His and Jason’s. Because Jason was his soulmate, returned to him from the dead without Dick’s knowledge or help. That, finally, what was got through the shock, rattling Dick back into reality.

Dick looked him into the eyes—and God, those eyes; if there hadn’t been that helmet, that modulator, Jason would’ve had no way of hiding himself—and said something he’d wanted to say for seven years: “I’m sorry.”

“I told you I’m not angry anymore.”

“I should’ve been there for you,” Dick insisted.

For the first time, Jason looked away. “In a way, you were.”

“I was what?”

“There with me. I can’t speak for what was happening when I was dead—don’t remember, mostly glad about that—but when I clawed my way out of that grave, I had no idea who you were. I had no idea who I was, really. But I saw that timer and knew that someone, somewhere, was waiting for me.”

Dick couldn’t help himself, reaching out with trembling hands to finally, finally pull Jason close. Burying his head in the other man’s shoulder, he whispered tremulously: “I was, Jason. I didn’t even know it, but I was.”

Strong arms wrap around him to hold on just as tightly. For the first time in years, Dick felt his head quieten.

Still he had to ask: “How can you forgive me?”

“Okay, one? As an adult myself now, I completely understand why you freaked out. Teenagers are babies. A+ not taking advantage of me.”

Dick chuckled wetly.

“Two… I’ve seen you open your heart again. Tim, he’s actually your brother. Your friends.” Jason was talking into his hair ear now. Maybe it was easier that way. “You keep doing that, Dick, just opening up and taking people in and being vulnerable, and I don’t know how you do that, really, it’s kinda worrying, but—I cannot blame you for being tired just one time of losing people.”

“You should,” Dick told him, “I do.”

“Yeah, well, no-one said you were smart.”

That got a laugh out of Dick. He let it shake through him, then asked: “Why did you hide when you came back?”

“I didn’t want to see Bruce. Still don’t.” Jason’s voice was matter of fact.

Dick knew they would have to talk about that. Not now. “Why come back at all, then?”

“It’s my home. Also, I didn’t want to just give up on you, you know?”

The side of Jason’s neck was naked and vulnerable without the helmet. Dick pressed a kiss there in gratitude.

“When I didn’t know if you figured out my identity or not, I wanted to see what happened,” Jason continued. “I figured, this situation is fucked up and all, but it’s also a chance.”

“A chance?”

“My last turn as a vigilante in Gotham was kinda a shitshow. So I thought I’d just prove that—that I could be what you want. That I could do better. I don’t know if I can ever be good, not the way you and Batman want me to be—”

“Jason,” Dick interrupted him, pulling back to look at Jason; his voice fierce with the obviousness of what he had to say, “you are exactly what I want. If I had ever taken any time to know you before, I’d have known that, and I wanted you since I got to know you as the Red Hood. If you think there is any way I am letting you go again—“

Now they were talking in circles. Jason seemed to notice that, too, for he cupped Dick’s jaw mid-sentence and kissed him.

It was a hesitant kiss, slightly at odds with the confident way Jason acted otherwise; Dick realized with a pang that, of course, his teenage years hadn’t lent themselves to the same experimentation that Dick’s had. Still, he was so gentle, not letting go of Dick even as his hand trembled on his face, and the soft sigh he let out when Dick cupped his nape was nothing short of sweet.

There was a softness in this that warmed Dick from the inside out.

When they pulled apart, Dick had to giggle. This night had been an emotional rollercoaster; he felt air-headed and silly with it. “We probably shouldn’t do this here.”

“Not good for the reputation,” Jason agreed, his voice low. Dick liked it.

“Come home with me?”

“Sure.”

When Dick looked surprised at Jason’s easy acceptance, Jason shrugged. “I’ve been dying to take that mask off of you. Knowing you, it’s glued on with a special mixture only you got the remover for, though.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. “Oh,” Dick said, remembering something. “Actually, I got someone at home who would love to see you.”

“Don’t tell me you got a kid that I somehow missed.”

“Nah. Better.” Dick smiled. “A bear.”

The next morning, after he woke up in Jason’s arms; after they showered separately and ate breakfast together and just tried to parse out what this meant for the rest of their lives—that morning, Dick looked at his timer and saw that it now read 07:22.

Jason seemed fascinated by the change. “I think I read a study about mismatched timers before. There’s a theory that they reflect our choices really more than our fate, and are meant to influence our actions—maybe I should look it up…”

“I think,” Dick said firmly, “that we should cover the damn things up and never look at them again.”

Jason considered that. “Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan.”

#jaydick #elareine writes #well that only took a year or so

[silver-snow-writes]

The thing with Jaytim and a lot of cats

This is a not! fic campfire I did on a discord server that I’m porting over here, I hope y’all enjoy the fluff. @inkyubus and @salazarastark helped a bit towards the end

———————————————————————

Okay. Tim is canonically a cat person and it has annoyed the hell out of me that Tim never got pets but Damian gets a menagerie, so I always give him a cat when given the opportunity by plot

Tim finds a pregnant kitty on his fire escape, and takes her in. He’s calling on Selina and googling everything he can after processing that oh right this is going to be a big change, and goes out to the pet store incognito to grab supplies

But he’s at the Crime Alley theater house apartment so Jason is out doing an early evening patrol, spots him, and gets curious. What’s he doing around here in civvies?

Jason tails him to the nearest pet shop, and back to his house, where he spots him playing with soon-to-be mama cat. He wants to be mad that Tim’s in *his* territory, clearly living here, but it’s hard to get too pissed when he’s giving a happy kitty belly rubs and smiling like that.

Jason’s seen him do confident Robin grin, dangerous “I’m gonna fuck you up” battle smirk, calming civilians smile, even polite Wayne heir curve of the lips. But smiling joyfully like this, eyes uncovered, clearly laughing a little as the cat demands treats? Something goes warm in his chest

Meanwhile Tim is feeling tired and stressed bc his life is a busy exhausting and traumatizing mess lately but it’s hard to think about the bad stuff when he has mama cat and her litter to think about. She’s clearly been a pet before and is so friendly and cuddly that it breaks his heart to think someone abandoned her. He gets her to the vet to check for a chip and get her looked over, and when there’s no chip that cements his decision that fuck it, he’s keeping her

He totally names her Arwen bc there is no way in hell a kid that was a DM for DC’s D&D equivalent isn’t a fan of LoTR. Arwen has to get mites and fleas removed but once she’s flea free she’s sharing his bed

Jason. Is still keeping an eye on him, subtly. Staying out of range of Tim’s security systems and Babs’s cameras and telling himself it’s all because he can’t just let the Pretender go unsupervised in his turf. And sure that’s part of it. But Tim’s actually pretty good about sticking to patrolling his own territory and that helps somewhat

And well. Jason regrets what went down during that mess after Bruce died. Was kinda shitty of him to repay Tim letting him out of jail by stabbing him in the chest and all. He’s a big awkward goober dealing with some guilt now that he’s more settled, so he has trouble figuring out how he should approach Tim and let him know that Jason is aware that he’s holing up in Crime Alley

He’s gotta do something eventually, right? Ah well. Can’t hurt to just. Watch him, every now and then. See him through the windows being a goofy new cat dad and a disaster of a teenage vigilante

(Jason, honey, things really have come full circle)

Eventually things get set in motion. LoS assassins attack Tim’s apartment, Arwen runs away bc scared kitty, Jason jumps in to help fight the assassins and then they go track down the poor baby. And some bonding and pining bc Jason is developing such a crush and also hot damn Tim fighting and winning is a sight to see

Tim is understandably wary about Jason but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when he’s being helpful and even offering to assist him in finding Arwen. She’s due to give birth soon!

(It’s been about a month now and she was already about midway through when Tim first found her. Domestic cats are pregnant around 57-65 days, so around two months)

They end up running around asking the ladies of the night and various others if they’ve seen a pregnant long-haired tabby cat. Eventually they go back to Tim’s apartment as dawn is breaking, only to find Arwen is on his fire escape again and in labor

They get her inside, clean up, and Tim sets her down in his bathtub, petting her soothingly and fussing over her. Jason is still helping out and he just goes with it, gratefully accepting a can of Zesti and medical supplies

I foster cats irl so I know how this tends to go pretty well. Within an hour of labor starting Arwen will finish pushing out kitten #1 and each of the rest will come around 15-20 minutes apart. She’ll clean them up and eat the placentas, which is gross but perfectly healthy, and soon enough they’ll be nursing from her while she purrs and rests

Tim looked into it and well. He’s been around human deliveries before and this was honestly so much quicker that it was a relief

(He was there when Steph gave birth and has likely helped deliver babies as Robin bc pregnant women can and will go into labor when shocked, like being held hostage or getting hurt in an accident)

He sits back with a sigh and pays his full attention to Jason now. He hasn’t been fully ignoring him persay, still keeping an eye and an ear on him just in case, but he’s been. Surprisingly nice and nothing but helpful, Tim isn’t sure what to think of it. Jason’s staring at the kittens but turns to look at Tim when he notices that the younger vigilante is assessing him

There’s a long moment of increasingly awkward silence as they stare at each other while the newborn kittens are mewling and Arwen’s drifting off to sleep. Jason is the one that finally breaks the tension, rubbing the back of his neck and looking back at the kitties.

“So. Pretty cute cats you got here”

Jay immediately cringes inside because yeah, it’s true that the cats are cute as heck, but c’mon Todd address the scenario

Here’s inky’s contributions:

"yeah real cute when they're covered in blood and placenta" tim retorts and then wants to smack himself.

"it's ok. they're still adorable through the bodily fluids," jason's smile is so fond when he looks down at the kittens tucked tight into the curve of arwen's body that tim thinks he must be dreaming

he's never seen jason with an expression even close to fond or happy since he came back. jason is stroking arwen's tail with just the tip of a finger, smoothing down the crooked fur.

(Back to me again)

He hasn’t seen him look so happy since he was. Since he was Robin, and Tim was just a fanboy with a camera

(Inky)

"you like cats?" the question breaks jason out of his reverie.

"they were just always around. alley cats are cranky fucks, but city strays are never that afraid of humans. they'd come around and beg for scraps until someone chased them off."

tim hummed, scritching arwen between the ears. "you were pretty good with her just now."

there was a tiny flush on jason's cheeks. "might have invited one in for a few days when no one was home. chased her off before she could get too attached."

(Me)

“I always wanted a cat, but my parents hated them and Alfred said no. I found Arwen on my fire escape hiding from a stray dog and I just had to take her inside”

Eventually Tim offers Jason a cup of tea and Jason asks about the cats more. Arwen’s name comes up and leads into a talk about Lord of the Rings, bc they both read the series and loved it. And a debate comes up over something they saw differently but it’s still friendly

Maybe Tim liked the movies’ take better than Jason did and they argue the merits vs flaws of the adaption. But they both agree that the Hobbit movies are way less faithful to the book

By the time they’re done with the tea and their conversation the sun is up and Jason ducks out to go home, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the memory of Tim smiling and laughing at him. Tim is reminded why he used to have a crush, but still very watchful bc he thought things were getting better before BftC happened

He goes to sleep and wakes up to Arwen balefully glaring at him bc her breakfast is late

Tim got injured during the LoS fight and aggravated it while looking for his poor kitty, so in the end he’s not really up for patrol that night. He stays in his apartment and alternates between looking over case files on his laptop and checking on Arwen and her babies. He lets Oracle know he’s off rotation for the night and to let Cass patrol his territory bc she’s visiting, and settles in to do some hacking to find out why Ra’s sent the assassins last night and talking with Lonnie about Unternet developments

He’s in the middle of hacking a phone’s datastream to find footage taken by a teenager that noticed skulking shadows outside the windows when there’s a knock on his window, and he checks his security system expecting one of the Bats to have gotten past his sensors. It’s Jason out on the fire escape with a couple of bags in hand. Tim is confused, but decides to roll with it again. He’s just hoping that the duffle isn’t full of heads

Turns out Jason went looking and found the League’s newest base in Gotham, liberating some paper files, a couple choice weapons, several USB drives, and a laptop that had belonged to the squad leader. He offers to let Tim work with him on this because he wants “those sycophantic assassins out of my territory dammit” and obviously Tim’s involved anyway

They both check on the kittens every now and then. They’re still too little to be doing much but nursing, sleeping, and crying, but god are they precious. And Arwen is a tired but proud mama cat

Now let’s see...Arwen’s a long-haired brown tabby with green eyes (not at all based on my baby Zelda, of course *shhh*). The kittens will be named after the Hobbits—Frodo the black kitten with big blue eyes, Sam the ginger tabby, Merry is white with golden patches, and Pippin is the tiny little tabby runt that mewls loudest

At one point Jason picks them all up and makes a joke while carrying the four of them that they're taking the hobbits to Isengard. It makes Tim snort and then wince bc the injury that kept him in was to his ribs

Tim gets sick. Not like immediately but a couple days to a week or two in, and Jason ends up playing rough but sweet nurse while Tim tries to hide that he’s ill from the Bats. Maybe the ribs issue leads to him getting a cold that nearly turns nasty bc no spleen plus two incidents of death plague and numerous other things mean his immune system’s wonky

Tim’s a stubborn little shit who won’t stay in bed unless Jason picks up Arwen and the babies to put them on the bed with him. He’s not cruel enough to move the babies when they’re sleeping on him, is he? But he can still glare at Jason

Jason might sneak a few pictures. For blackmail, he tells himself. Sure Jason, we believe you. It’s certainly not because it’s adorable and makes you get the warm fuzzies

It feels significantly less adorable when Tim pukes in the trash can and drips snot everywhere but the bedhead and flushed face and some semi-coherent feverish babbling about Star Trek and ornithology helps

Jason remembers Alfred’s cooking lessons and puts them to use, Tim lets out an obscene moan when he starts eating the soup that makes Jason choke on his own spit like a dork

“Did you get this from Alfred? It tastes just like his!”

“Yeah, he taught me how to cook, before...y’know.” Jason is very proud of himself for remembering it correctly, if a bit sad that he hasn’t spoken to Alfred since before he died

“Oh.” Tim blinks owlishly at him, unsure how to respond. “Well. You did a way better job than I would have.”

Arwen chooses that moment to demand attention, meowing stridently and rubbing her face against his hand until he goes along with it and scratches lightly under her chin

———

And that’s all, folks. Will eventually turn this into a proper fic and give it an ending, but I hope y’all enjoy it as is for the moment

#Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Red Robin #Red Hood #Jaytim #slowburn #catfic #fluff #cats #DC comics #Batfamily #my writing #not!fic #fanfiction

[the-sweetest-dragon]

Buttercups and a Deal

Pairing: Jason Todd x Barbara Gordon

Word Count: 2027

Summary: Barbara knows Jason isn’t ready for a relationship, but it can’t hurt to give in for once.

Warnings: Mentions of death and being shot.  

AN: I hope this is good, because I really love this idea.  This is Jason and Babs first and only date and I think it went relatively well.  A huge thank you to @incorrectbatfamiliaquotes for the idea, and to @audder17 for proofreading it for me!

Tags: @incorrectbatfamiliaquotes

_________________________________________________

  Barbara wasn’t sure how she managed to get herself into this situation.  Sure, her life had always been somewhat crazy and it was certainly complicated.  Being Batgirl and then everything that had come after that decision… things weren’t easy.  Nearly dying changed a lot about a person, and no one knew that better than her.  

Soft music played in the background of the small cafe, something Babs didn’t recognize.  The cafe sat in the better part of Gotham, a place where many college kids came to sit and study during the school year.  Babs herself used to sit here with her college friends but now… things were definitely different.  Barbara pushed her glasses back up her nose and sipped her tea, glancing at the menu sat before her on the table.  She had specifically asked for a table, and the waitstaff had barely bat an eye at her in her wheelchair.  They made the necessary adjustments to one of their tables and she allowed them to help her roll up close to it.  

Now, you may be asking yourself, why was Babs there?  Jason had called her yesterday, and had blurted out the one thing she had never thought she’d hear come out of his mouth.

“Wanna go on a date with me?”

To say that she was shocked was an understatement.  Jason had been slowly getting better these past few months, and Babs knew that she had helped him a lot, but him liking her in a romantic way had been a bit crazy to think about.  In a daze, she had agreed to one (1) date, and now that she was here, Babs wasn’t sure how to feel about it.  She had been excited that morning; Babs hadn’t dated anyone in a very long time.  It was hard to find someone that didn’t care about the wheelchair or how she got put into it.  The more Babs thought about it, the more she warmed up to the idea.  

Babs took another sip of her tea, and sat up a little straighter when she spotted Jason walking through the front door.  He was carrying a small bouquet of flowers and Barbara couldn’t help but smile.  Jason caught her eye, smiled, and walked towards her.  He placed the flowers down on the table and Babs finally took note of how good looking Jason really was.  Jason was very striking, what with his piercing green eyes and jet black hair.  He’d filled out these last few years, and he towered over Barbara in a way that felt protective rather than menacing.  

Jason finally sat down and smiled confidently at Babs.  He had dreamed of this moment for a few months now and finally built up the courage to ask her out yesterday.  It had been a long time coming; he had spent a long time convincing himself that it wasn’t wrong to find Babs attractive.  And she really was very attractive, and strong, and caring, and… Jason snapped himself out of whatever thought process he was slipping into when he’s around her. 

“Hey, Barbie.  How long have you been sitting here?”  Her answering smile would have knocked him off his feet if he’d been standing.  His heart fluttered in his chest and Jason could feel his face heating up.  He’d been feeling like this for a few weeks now, and finally he was here.  

“Not long, a few minutes maybe.  What took you so long, Jay?”  Her eyes crinkled with mischief and Jason allowed himself to admire her for a few moments.  Babs raised an eyebrow, catching him staring.  His cheeks heated up slightly and he cleared his throat.

“Joan refused to let me leave.  I finally had to ask Kor’i to take her on a walk so I could escape.”  Babs laughed; Joan was a very needy puppy but Jason was doing wonderfully with her.  His whole team had taken a shining to the small pitt as well, it seemed.  Jason had sent her a picture of tiny Lian Harper curled up next to the pup, fast asleep, and Babs heart had ached from the cuteness. 

Barbara eyed the flowers sitting on the table, unsure as to what kind they were.  Babs was incredibly intelligent, but flower names had never been her forte.  Jason caught her looking at them and shot her an awkward smile, something she hadn’t ever seen before.  Jason was rarely awkward; on the contrary, he typically exuded confidence in every part of his life.  

“They’re Ranunculus’, or specifically, buttercups,”  Babs tilted her head in confusion and Jason continued,  “In the Victorian era, receiving one meant the giver thought the lady charming and attractive.  I read it in a book I found…”  Barbara bit back a smile; this confirmed the thoughts she had been having these last few weeks.  She noted the slight redness on his neck, knowing that he must be flustered.

Jason thought she was attractive.  It took her a few minutes to wrap her head around the idea, but Babs found that she enjoyed him thinking so.  Barbara hadn’t felt attractive since… well, since Joker had shot her.  The wheelchair didn’t help matters.  Men seemed to want to baby her more now than they ever had before, and Babs hated it.  She hated being coddled.  Suddenly, the thought of dating Jason was really tempting.  Jason wouldn’t coddle her or try to make her feel bad; in fact, she felt more confident with him than she ever had with anyone else.  He’d never told her that she couldn’t do something just because she was in a wheelchair.  In fact, he encouraged her to do things when no one else thought she could.  His confidence in her made her feel good again, like she wasn’t broken or missing a piece of herself.  

Babs reached across the table and grasped one of Jason’s huge hands in her significantly smaller one.  Jason felt his heart beat faster from the contact.  He smiled, nervous for once in his life.  Barbara hadn’t always had this effect on him, but in recent weeks he’d started seeing her in a different light.  He wasn’t sure when things had started to shift but Jason knew that his feelings felt different now.  Jason had felt this way before, several times, but he still wanted to try with Babs.  

“Hiya folks!  What can I get ya to eat?”  Jason looked up at the perky waitress, noting the bags under her eyes and the droop of her smile.  The poor thing was exhausted and Jason felt for her.  He handed her a twenty and watched her face become confused.

“I’d like a black coffee, and get one for yourself, too.  You look like you need it.”  The waitress tried to hand him back the twenty, but Jason refused.  Eventually, and with a small smile, the waitress went back to the counter to pour coffee into two mugs.  She came back a few minutes later with Jason’s coffee.  “Thank you…” he eyed her name tag for a moment.  “Kay.”  He smiled at her, making the waitress blush and walk away quickly.

Barbara shook her head and took another drink of her tea.  Jason had always been a generous person, always willing to share himself with people.  For a long time, that Jason seemed far away, but he was slowly returning to the one everyone loved and remembered (?).  His spot in the family had been cemented in place; no one was ever going to replace him again.  Barbara was ecstatic to have him back and acting like his old self again, but she knew it wasn’t always easy for him to be around certain people.  Tim and Stephanie kept to themselves, which was made easier by the arrival of little Silas.  Barbara knew Jason found it hard to be around them, but she also knew it would be easier for him to fully recover once he came to terms with how he felt about the couple.  

Jason turned his full attention back to Barbara.  He noticed the slight amount of makeup on her face and smiled to himself.  Babs never wore makeup.  Maybe she was just as into him, as he was into her.  The thought made him incredibly happy; while new, his feelings for her felt serious and good.  It had been a long time since Jason had felt good.  Babs just felt… right, for whatever reason.  They had a scary amount of things in common, and talking with her had probably saved his life.   

“So, what made you decide to ask me out, Jaybird?”  Jason took a deep breath, wondering how much he should tell her.  He didn’t want to scare her away, but he also didn’t want to ruin their friendship either.  

“I realized a few weeks ago that my feelings had changed and I thought, why not try my luck.”  Jason smiled and Babs felt her face heat up a bit.  She hadn’t felt like this in a while, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever feel this way again.  “I find you really attractive, and intelligent, and kind, and I really just wanted to explore these feelings before I swept them under a rug.  You deserve someone a lot better than-” 

Barbara cut him off with a stern look and Jason immediately shut up.  She squeezed his hand, her nails digging into the flesh of his palm.  He calmed slightly at the reassuring gesture, something they had been doing for months now.  She had gotten into the habit of squeezing his hand right before he fell off the deep end and into a place he couldn’t get back from.  It was one of the many reasons Jason had started having feelings for her.

“Don’t say that, Jaybird.  We both know you’re an absolute catch.”  Jason chuckled, making Babs join in.  Jason’s laughter was infectious and always made the people around him happy.  He always managed to make any room that much brighter by just being in it.  

Babs came to the conclusion she had feelings towards him, but also knew that now wasn’t the best time for him to be in a relationship.  Jason was still recovering from being dead and coming back; Barbara didn’t want to rush this just to have it end in tears.  It wasn’t fair to him if she pushed him into a relationship that only she was ready for.  So, she decided to make a deal with him.  It was something that she wouldn’t normally say, or even think about, but something about Jason set her soul on fire.  She wanted to pursue this, but he wasn’t ready, even if he said he was.

“I’ll make you a deal okay?”  Jason nodded, waiting for her to speak again.  Almost like an eager puppy, waiting for a treat.  Babs laughed quietly at the thought.  “If we’re both single by the time you reach 38, we’ll try this again.”  Jason opened his mouth to protest but Babs just squeezed his hand again before continuing.  “You’re still recovering, and I’m not going anywhere.  Trust me when I say your recovery needs to be the most important thing to you right now.  Not starting a new relationship.”  Babs rubbed her thumb over the scars on his hand, feeling proud when he didn’t flinch at the touch.  

“I just really like you, Barbie,” he whispered.  Jason watched Babs bite her lower lip and look away.  Jason was overcome with the urge to kiss her but held himself back.  Now wasn’t the time for romantic gestures.  Jason sighed and ran his free hand through his hair before smiling at her.  “I’ll take you up on that deal.”

Jason watched as Barbara’s entire demeanor changed; sunshine poured out of her face and Jason couldn’t help but admire the woman she’d become.  Before he died, she was in her mid twenties.  Now, she was in her mid thirties and looked amazing.  The only signs of her age were the beginnings of smile lines around her mouth, something that made Jason happy.  She’d been through a lot during her life and those smile lines proved how strong she really was.  

“I like you too Jason.”

#jason todd #barbara gordon #red hood #oracle #batgirl #batfam #jaybabs #jason todd x barbara gordon #kinda short #not sure i like the ending #but #it is what it is