#and the way dick steps in and fills bruce’s role as soon as bruce is out of the picture

[sohotthateveryonedied]

feeling personally victimized by these parallels

#it’s the way dick and bruce have almost the same role in tim’s life but slightly to the left #and the way dick steps in and fills bruce’s role as soon as bruce is out of the picture #the same grief the same position the same tim #the only difference is dick instead of bruce and acceptance instead of shock #i just!! them!! THEM!! #tim drake #robin #red robin #batman #bruce wayne #batfamily #batfam #nightwing #dick grayson #dc comics #soho speaks #jack drake

[uncouth-the-fifth]

Prompt 138 and 189 for Dames pls🥺🥺

138. "Were you just masturbating?" and 189. "I don't know what to do." / "Then let me teach you," with Damian Wayne.

i claimed i was going to start writing shy readers, then i immediately wrote the boldest reader ever 🤰 that’s my legacy. set when Damian still lives at the manor at about 19 <3

The house was suspiciously quiet. You knew that Bruce and Alfred would be gone, but considering how your texts were left on delivered, Damian had probably forgotten you were coming over. Or, some grand adventure had carried him away for the night. You tried to brace yourself for disappointment as your footsteps padded through the echoing halls of the house. Worse case scenario, Damian had forgotten and you’d get to make dinner and spend time with Alfred, like last time.

Even after being Damian’s girlfriend for several months, the Manor still intimidated you. It’s structure was confusing and sound travelled oddly, like it was cushioned by the breath of the Wayne family ghosts. You weren’t freaked out, per se. But you did sneak a little quieter while looking for Damian.

When you couldn’t find him in the library or with his pets in the observatory, your last option was his room. Again, you were daunted with the task of remembering which door was Damian’s, since they all looked the same.

A muffled sound drew you to the middlemost door in the hall. Damian was the only one who lived at home anymore, so it had to be him.

Still spooked by the rest of the house, you took the handle and eased it open as quietly as you could. Damian could be napping. He could be painting, or sketching, and neither would make a good moment to disturb him. He could be—

Touching himself. Naked.

Damian had just gotten out of the shower. His bronze shoulders were dotted with water drops, and his short, tousled black hair was shiny and damp. There was a sexy, tired edge to his face that told you he’d had an awful day - then it broke into shy bliss when his thumb brushed his tip. One hand held him up, sitting at his bedside with his legs spread and a towel open under his thighs. He was stunningly hard. The long, girthy dick that you’d only glimpsed on accident before sat awkwardly in Damian’s hands, and it occurred to you that this was the first time he’d ever done this. He’d never pleasured himself before.

Not once. If you thought about it (and you did, often), Damian seemed too prude and impersonal to satisfy himself that way. It was more in character for him to beat on a punching bag for a couple hours instead of destressing... like this.

You locked your surprised gasp in your throat, arm jerking to slam the door. A thousand apologies came to mind. But you couldn’t lie to yourself.

It was hot, and you wanted to watch.

This, of course, was right when Damian noticed you. Before you could blink, he was across the room, the towel was around his waist again and he was snarling at you, face explosively red. Damian cursed in Arabic. He moved to slam the door in your face, spitting in shame, but you were in the way of the frame. It felt like your feet were glued to the floor.

Your boyfriend, with his moist muscles, his sexy scars, getting a hard on for you... Thinking about you a little too deeply in the shower, and emerging to resolve it himself... Damian had only gotten turned on with you once before - you’d been making out, hands in each other’s shirts and tongues in each other’s mouths, only for him to suddenly bolt up and disappear. You wondered what he’d been thinking about. Or even better, who.

Stupidly, you asked, “...Were you just masturbating?”

“No, I was battling Clayface,” Damian snapped. “What do you think I was doing, L/N?”

“Wait!” You yelped, but you couldn’t understand why he’d want to. “Was... Is this your first time doing that?”

Damian glared at you hard enough to steamroll you, shame leaking out of his pores. If you dared to look between you - and you did - he was still painfully hard, and so, so big. Drool pooled into your mouth without your permission, and you had to audibly swallow it to be able to speak again. When Damian realized where you’d peeked, he blanched. He was still soaking wet. (You probably were, too).

He shuffled in place, and did something that surprised you. Damian avoided your eyes. “Why should you care? And - and what are you even doing here?”

“You texted me that you missed me last weekend. You wanted to teach me chess, and I think you said that we could talk about the book we’re reading together,” you babbled. “We... we made plans for today? It’s okay if you don’t remember... um, it looks like you had a very hard day...”

To help your predicament, you added with a sigh, “...Very hard.”

Damian cleared his throat. He put a hand on the doorframe beside you, bicep raised by your face. “...I - I did. Miss you.”

Again, you gestured to his towel. “I can tell.”

He shot you a flat look that very clearly read, not funny. Damian forced himself to stand still, at a total loss for words beyond that point. To you, it looked like an opening.

“Maybe I could...” you hooked your finger into the waist of his towel, moving deeper into his space, “help you with that?”

Damian smelled like pure sex. Beneath that was his heady bodywash and shampoo, which floated off him like his humidity did, intoxicating and full of flavor. It was like stepping into the radius of a love spell. You already loved Damian, but the heat coming off of him made you want to show him how much.

His expression was demure. Damian lifted his chin to snatch up his remaining dignity, and you didn’t miss his sacrifice of vulnerability. “...Yes. I didn’t... I didn't know what to do.”

Damian’s answer winded you. Your sudden role-reversal was strange, but the newness was welcome. Usually, you were the embarrassed one that Damian was teaching, so an opportunity to teach him - especially about something like this - seemed irresistible. And Damian admitting that he wasn’t equipped for something? He might as well have dropped down on one knee and given you a ring.

“Then let me teach you.”

He allowed you to slide past him, and quietly, aware of his self-indulgence, shut the door with a click. Damian shuffled back to his bed and sat down, chewing his lip. As cute as he was when nervous, you wanted him to enjoy this, so you gifted him a warm, sweet kiss before you eased your hand around his thigh. Damian returned it with a muffled hum, warmed by the taste.

You both sighed. The stress seem to leave his frame like air out of a beaten balloon, relaxing his back. Still, his fingers twitched at his sides, and only more so when you chased your kiss to your knees and encouraged him to lay back. 

He had the courage to watch, so you found the charisma to ask him, “Comfortable?”

Damian nodded, shy.

“Can I touch you, beautiful?”

Again, Damian closed his eyes and shivered out a gruff yes.

Opening the towel was a gift within itself. Damian’s bulge practically opened it up on it’s own, popping free, unrestrained. If it seemed big before, it was huge in your palm. Just holding it made Damian hiss. His cock was proud and freshly cleaned, begging to be tasted. A string of drool slid off your tongue and pooled around his rosy tip, making Damian gasp and wince. You rolled the wetness down his veiny shaft, reveling in his little noises, the way his toes and fingers curled in delight. Not once did you forget that you were the first person to ever touch him like this - neither did Damian, who looked at you like he would do anything to be touched.

“Like this,” you whispered.

The shape of the tip was made for your mouth. Once he was nice and slick, that was the first place you took him, curling your tongue around his dripping, bulbous head. Damian melted, shoulders first. Taking even a little bit of him into your mouth required your lips to wrap around him, and you sucked until the fit was snug - an inch or two in. Otherwise he hung in your hand, desperate to be squeezed. You closed his shaft in your fist and twisted, hastened by pre-cum and spit, until Damian’s thighs tensed into rock.

Finally, you took his closest hand curled it around his cock. With his knuckles under your palm, you showed Damian how to guide himself into your mouth, and how to do it without you. His chest puttered up and down with every drag, his hand working at a dangerous pace. Soon, he was a pro with enthusiasm. Damian met your mouth with his hand every time.

With a shaken sputter of your name, Damian came. Like a dam, he flooded into your mouth, filling and filling until it felt like you’d drank an entire cup of his cum. It drizzled over your chin and down your neck, which fluttered with every breath and mouthful you gulped down.

“I-I think I understand, now,” Damian said, throat hoarse and breath spent, “but just in case... Would you mind showing me that again?”

#damian wayne smut #damian wayne x you #damian wayne x reader smut #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne #dc smut #dc comics smut #dc comics #dc

[bat-losers-inc]

Song of Cassandra: Chapter 1

Warnings: Family Drama, Family Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotional Baggage, and Child Neglect

Summary: What is Batman without a Robin? Everyone in the family makes jokes about the ‘dead robins club’, but Dick and Jason really do have measures set in place for the day Bruce loses sight of what’s really important. They won’t let Bruce sacrifice another Robin for the cause, even if that means separating Robin from Batman for good.

Pairings: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne, and Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

                              _____________________________________

“To select a victim, to adorn it, and to drive it towards the enemies to be killed by them in time of crisis - such is the ancient rite of substitution.” — The War That Killed Achilles by Caroline Alexander

The bone-saw pinwheeled through the air and smashed into the stone facade beside them. The event wouldn’t have been nearly so noteworthy if Dick hadn’t just yanked Damian out of its path only a second ago.

“Hey, Robin,” Jason called, “get your head in the game before you lose it completely!”

In front of them, Red Hood had swapped out his dual guns for a set of brass knuckles. All around him the Dollotrons and their improvised weapons fell to the ground.

Not helping, Jason.

Robin’s domino mask hid multitudes behind its whiteout lenses. Dick read what he could from the pinched lines of Damian’s mouth and the taut muscles in his neck which trembled through each unsteady swallow. He could feel the effort it was taking him to reign it in.

“Robin, you good?” He placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder and tried to draw his attention back from wherever his mind had just drifted off to. It wasn’t the first time that he’d asked that question tonight and he doubted that it would be the last.

“Fine,” Damian replied but jerked free of his grip with a suddenness that could only mean his pride had been bruised.

Damian snatched the fallen bone-saw up off the pavement and hurled it back into the mass of flailing limbs where it sliced deep into a Dollotron’s shoulder and sent the man staggering.

“Incapacitate only, Robin!” Batman’s voice boomed over the noise of the brawl unfolding before them.

The hope was that they could save at least a few of Professor Pyg’s failed creations if they got them prompt medical attention. Robin, however, had been one-step behind the entire evening—breaking with their predetermined strategies and acting on reflex more than anything. Dick could only chalk so much up to rustiness from being out of the field.

As Robin ducked back into the fray, he had no choice but to follow him in the hopes of preventing further bloodshed. It was going to be a long night.

Back in the cave, he watched Damian unbuckle the utility belt from his waist, his uniform glowing brightly in the cave’s dim interior. His movements were calm, but the distracted look in his eyes betrayed him outright. It was much too soon for him to be back in the field after his death at the hands of the Heretic and subsequent resurrection and it showed on patrol this evening.

Dare he say it, but tonight Robin was... sloppy. And didn’t that just make it worse, he thought to himself, remembering Jason’s muttered comment earlier that night, you can’t blame Damian, the last thing he wants to do is disappoint his father.

Well, what the hell was a kid supposed to do when Batman was your father?  

Dick’s gaze cut to Bruce at the Batcomputer, oblivious to everything except finishing up his report of the night’s mission. He wanted to chuck an escrima stick at his stupid pointy head. But no matter how satisfying that would feel in the moment, it wouldn’t be productive. So instead Dick did the adult thing and waited impatiently for Damian and Tim to change out of their gear and head to their respective beds to sleep away the rest of the dark hours.

When they were alone with nothing but the clicking of keyboard keys to fill the silence, Dick cast a final confirmative glance Jason’s way. Jason raised his arm and tapped at the imaginary watch on his wrist.  

It was now or never. “Bruce, can we talk for a sec?”

Bruce turned in his chair and faced him. “About what?”

He took a breath and forced the words out before his confidence failed him. “I don’t think Damian should be back in the field.”

Bruce held up his hands, his expression transforming from mild to exhausted in a fraction of a second.  “Dick, no. We’ve discussed this. I’m not having this conversation again.”

Again, he said, like he’d ever really taken the time to listen to him the first time around.

“You agreed to give him time! We only just got him back and already you’re putting him back in the line of fire?”

He’d thought that would have been the last thing that Bruce would have done. They’d all witnessed how Damian’s death had driven Bruce to the edge, Jason especially. It had taken hours of persistence to get Jason to even agree to come here, let alone stand with him on this, after the stunt Bruce had pulled in Ethiopia.

Bruce sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose tightly. “I’m not putting him anywhere. I put the decision up to Damian and he told me he felt ready to put the uniform back on.”

Those walls that Damian had started to lower during their time working together were back up now that his father was around, but not before the damage had already been done. Dick had glimpsed the vulnerable side of Damian that just wanted to prove his worth. He couldn’t stand by and watch the kid get hurt, even if he had to step on Bruce’s toes to do it.

Jason pushed off the clothing lockers that he’d been leaning against for the past ten minutes and walked up behind Dick’s shoulder. “You sure he really meant that? Or was he just saying what he thought you wanted to hear?”

Bruce’s face was quickly losing its composure. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, he was raised knowing he was the son of Talia al Ghul and Batman. Not Bruce Wayne— Batman. He might not think he has a choice in putting on the cape unless someone tells him otherwise.”

“And you think I didn’t?” snapped Bruce. As quick as that anger appeared, it was snuffed out just as fast and replaced with a measured response. “Robin is the one thing that gives Damian purpose. I won’t take that away from him.”

“Can you honestly say that his actions tonight didn’t worry you?” asked Jason. “He can take down Dollotrons with his eyes closed, but tonight he was distracted almost to the point of defenselessness. If we didn’t tag along and babysit him the entire patrol he might have ended up in the med bay or worse.”

“I think it’s understandable that he’s having some trouble adjusting.”

Adjusting, Dick wanted to scream. Did you see the look on your kid’s face out there? He’s not adjusting to anything.

Jason sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “C’mon, B. You know I don’t stick my nose in things unless they’re serious. This is serious. We’re worried about him.”

Bruce glanced between them, eyeing them both critically. “Think back to when you both were Robin. Would you have appreciated someone coming in and telling me to bench you because they thought you weren’t ready for the role? Without even taking into consideration how you might feel about the matter.”

“We aren’t saying that—” said Dick.

“Are you sure? Because it seems like you only just made this mistake with Tim.

The comment hit Dick like a slap to the face. “That was an entirely different situation—”

“You took Robin away from Tim when you thought he wasn’t in a position to handle the job anymore and gave it to Damian. Now you’re trying to take it away from Damian.”

“Robin was my mantle,” Dick said slowly, an anger months in the making rising in him. “I created it and I’m so sick of you telling me what bearing that name means or who that uniform gets passed down to like I don’t have any say in it! Especially with Damian. When you ‘died’ you left him with nothing. He was your blood son but you never bothered to give him a place in this family beyond that. So you want to talk about Damian’s place and his purpose ? Well, I gave those to him, not you.”

He thought you were going to be the one to take Robin away from him. He was so scared that his place in your legacy would be erased the moment you returned, despite all the work he had put in to change his nature.

Bruce was in his chair one second and standing over Dick in the next. “Despite what you might still believe, you’re no longer his guardian nor are you his mentor. You gave up the right to parent my child when I came back from the dead. I’m Batman and it’s time for you to go back to being Nightwing. Understood?”

Go back to not having a say, you mean, Dick thought to himself, remembering a time when all he wanted to do was go back to being Nightwing—to not have to make the hard choices. But not anymore. He’d been Batman and had a Robin of his own and those protective instincts don’t just magically turn off with a snap of the fingers.  

Sometimes I feel the need to protect him, even from you.

“I said is that clear?” Over four years since he’d worn the uniform and taken orders from Batman, but Dick’s body still jumped to attention like it did when he was Robin. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that even Jason wasn’t immune to that tone of voice.

He absolutely hated it.

“Crystal.”

Bruce’s cape whipped him in the legs on his way out.

“C’mon, get changed,” Jason placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded his head towards the exit, “I’ll buy you a drink.”

It would take more than a year for him to realize he should have tried harder.

                              _____________________________________

By the time Jason shoved into his apartment and kicked the door shut behind him, it was two hours short of daybreak. He jerked to a halt when he caught sight of him sitting in his living room, and clutched his apartment keys in one limp fist.

“Hey,” he said, voice a rough croak.

Dick stood up to greet him. “Sorry. I didn’t think to text you and I had a key—”

He paused when he caught sight of Jason’s face illuminated under the overhead lights. “What happened to you? I thought you went to talk to Steph.”

“I did,” Jason dropped his keys in the bowl by the front door. “Or at least I tried to. She was more interested in hitting something than having a heart to heart.”

It was too soon after Tim’s funeral for Stephanie to be back in the field. Even, Kate had suggested that Bruce intervene before someone got hurt on the job. Dick had wanted to laugh at her choice of phrase. Hurt? Didn’t she realize that the reason they were in this situation in the first place was because the stakes had risen way past that already?

Still, they all knew it was no good to try to force yourself back into the vigilante lifestyle before you were ready. Damian had proven that only a year or so ago and Gotham’s citizens had borne the brunt of his mistake. So Bruce had tried to step in, but it felt like all he’d really succeeded in doing was pouring salt into the gaping wound that Tim’s death had rent into their little family of heroes.

I’m so sick of you pretending like you care. Dick remembered the way Steph had flung those words at Bruce just hours ago. You only care when people can forgive you. Because all you really care about is continuing your stupid fucking mission!  

Dick could already make out the puffy bruised skin that circled his right eye and colored his cheekbone a dark purple. “Right, so the obvious conclusion was to offer up yourself as her human punching bag.”

“Better me than Bruce.”

Just the idea of it made him sad. Jason and his stupid martyr complex. The kicked-puppy of the family. “I disagree.”

There was an image that Dick couldn’t get out of his head. It lurked in the back of his mind, even now. Steph’s features pulled tight from anger and grief, her icy eyes staring holes into Bruce as she spat out, You keep pretending to care about me to what? Absolve you for what happened to Tim? Well, I don’t, Batman. I don’t absolve you!  

No, it should have been Bruce that bore the brunt of her violence. Bruce who sported a fractured cheekbone for the following week, a consistent reminder of his failings. Not his little brother who had warned them all time and time again about Bruce’s bad habits and all of the endless justifications he had to explain them away. Not Jason, who’d said Bruce shouldn’t be allowed to have sidekicks if he couldn’t keep them alive into adulthood—that if he wanted to fight crime so bad, let him, but keep the kids out of it.

Jason winced as he fingered the delicate skin around his eye. “We both know from past experience how unsatisfying it feels to go after him. It’s like punching a brick wall—he doesn’t give anything and it just ends up hurting you more in the long run.”

He knew Jason was right, but that still didn’t make it fair.  

Jason went to the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen green beans which he pressed to his face with a relieved sigh. “What are you doing here, Dick?”

Jason never was one for small talk.

Dick stared at the bookshelf in the corner of Jason’s living, the titles on the spines were illegible to him all of a sudden like he was viewing them from a great distance. “Tim’s dead.”

“Yeah, I know. Alfred called me after it happened, same as you.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it.” Dick shook his head. “He was supposed to hang up the cape and go to college with Steph. I thought he was going to make it, but instead, he sacrificed himself on that rooftop for Bruce’s endless goddamn crusade.”

“Careful, Golden Boy. You’re sounding a little blasphemous there.”

“Good,” snapped Dick. “because I’m fucking angry. Angry that Bruce seems content to maintain the status quo while my siblings get blown up and stabbed and tortured.”

“You’re also grieving,” said Jason. “Which might explain why you’re slumming it around my place instead of spending time with Babs. When you work your way up to the bargaining stage I suggest trying Damian because I’m not helping you find a lazarus pit.”

“Fuck you,” he replied, but he couldn’t force any heat into the words. Not when his chest constricted again with that tight pain that stabbed at his lungs. He couldn’t stop the tears that pooled at the corners of his eyes and spilled over.

When he glanced up at Jason, the other boy was nothing but a watery figure standing out against the dark room. “Those missiles incinerated Tim into a pile of ash. There’s no body left for us to try to bring back this time.”

Jason squeezed his eyes shut tight like something was paining him. He didn’t go to Tim’s funeral, Dick remembered and wondered which stage of the grieving process he was on: denial or acceptance. Either way, it was clear that even he was having trouble hiding it behind that cock-sure snarky mask of his.

Jason shook his head slightly. “I think you should leave.”

“What?” Dick wiped furiously at his eyes. “Why?”

“Because I can’t tell you what you came over here to hear.”

“And what’s that?”

“That everything’s gonna be alright. That Bruce is gonna change his ways.” Jason shrugged and tossed the bag of beans on the counter. “He might change a bit… adapt like he’s done in the past. But it won’t happen fast enough to stop another Robin from dying on the job.”

“You don’t know that.” Dick wanted to punch him for how cruelly and casually he said it.

“Don’t I?” Jason grabbed his Red Hood helmet up from where it rested on the kitchen counter and flung it at Dick’s chest like it was all the evidence he needed in the world. It was. “Just because you want someone to change, doesn’t mean they will.”

“Go to him with me. If we talk to him together we can make him listen—”

“The same way he listened to us before, with Damian? Like how he listened to Steph tonight? She yelled the harsh truth right in his face, even gave him an ultimatum. And she failed, just like you did, because the truth is that he doesn’t want to hear it.”

“We just have to try harder this time—”  

“Dick… please leave. I can’t do this with you right now and I won’t lie to you just to make you feel better.”

Dick threw Jason’s helmet onto the nearest piece of furniture. “You’re a piece of shit, you know that? I’m standing here trying to tell you that I need your help and you can’t even bring yourself to listen to me.”

“That’s because I’ve already learned this lesson. Just like Steph did tonight. And it’s a really simple one at that … if you love someone, you do what’s best for them even if it’s the hard choice. Damian, Cass, Steph, Duke… they won’t be ‘safe’ until they’re out of the lifestyle entirely. And it’s become increasingly clear that Bruce can’t, or won’t, give up being Batman so what makes you think he’s going to tell them to stop?”

Jason’s words were no different than the ones that occupied his thoughts of late. So why did it feel so much worse to hear them spoken out loud?

“I can’t lose another sibling, Jason. I won’t be able to take it. Please… there’s got to be something we can do.”

Jason hesitated, his eyes dropping to the kitchen counter. The sky was starting to lighten as dawn approached. In the ever-shifting dim of his apartment, it felt like ages before Jason finally spoke again. “I want to show you something. Maybe it will help.”

He walked past Dick to his bookcase and pulled a collection of books off the shelf, revealing a hole in the wall. “I started it about six months back for Steph. Her relationship with Bruce has always been rocky. I knew there might come a time when she went off to do the vigilante thing on her own.”

He reached in and pulled out a saran-wrapped package. “I want her to know that she had money waiting for her—to get a place of her own and new gear if she needs it.”

He tossed the package to Dick. It was a brick of cash, bundled into individual stacks with currency straps. Based on the various conditions of the bills it looks like Jason had swiped them during his many run-ins with Gotham’s criminal underbelly.

“You saved all this for her?” asked Dick.

Jason paused in placing the books back on the shelf and shrugged. “Well, yeah. We know how hard it is to go it alone—the way you have to swallow your pride and values at a certain point because you need Bruce’s help, or money, or his connections. Steph deserves better than that. If she made the decision to leave the fold, I want her to go and not look back.”

Jason leaned against the edge of the bookshelf. “It’s not much when you’re coming from Bruce Wayne’s trust fund, but maybe we could start doing the same for the others; Damian, Cass, Harper, Duke... What do you think?”

“There’s certainly enough dirty operations in Gotham to fund it, but we’d need a better place to store it than a hole in your wall.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Obviously.”

Dick’s mind was already racing with the possibilities. “And we don’t have to stop at cash. I’m sure we both have old safehouses that we don’t use and contacts with other superheroes and scientists that we can share—”

“Whoa, whoa! Dick…” Jason rubbed at his face. “What you’re talking about is building Batman’s resources from the ground up and not even that, doing it all in secret.”

“Are you saying we can’t do it?” asked Dick.

“Not necessarily—”

“Well if we have all the resources then why are we hesitating?” asked Dick.

He held out his hand. “So are we doing this?”

Jason took his hand. “I guess I officially have to stop calling you Golden Boy now.”

#song of cassandra #batman fanfiction #bruce wayne #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Stephanie Brown #Damian Wayne #Tim Drake #hurt comfort #bruce wayne a+ parenting #emotional abuse #emotional whump #nightwing #red hood #robin #spoiler #Red Robin #DC comics #batman #My writing #LittleDarlingXOX

[sunlightdances]

Public Relations (Bucky x Reader Oneshot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader Prompt: “I’m a woman with a brain and reasonable ability” Author’s Note: Written for @captain-kelli​’s 500 Fam Writing Challenge! Congrats, Kelli, and thank you for hosting! Takes place post-Endgame, but with some adjustments to canon (Tony and Nat are alive, Steve stayed). This has a lot more dialogue than I initially planned! Hope it’s not too choppy. My love of commas is also evident in this piece. *shrug emoji* Disclaimer: I don’t own Bucky, Marvel, or any other related characters or events. The other details of the plot are mine, including the characterization of the “reader”. Please don’t post my work on any other sites without my permission! If you liked what you read, please consider reblogging to help my work be seen. I would love you forever!

Let’s clear one thing up straight away: Bucky Barnes is not an asshole. He has a chip on his shoulder, sure, and it’s also true that he can be grumpy from time to time.

But can you blame him, really?

His life after age 26 has been one giant shit show that he’s just starting to get back on track, so he thinks the world at large could forgive him if he’s not super nice to the reporter hanging around outside the coffee shop or if his resting face sometimes looks like he wants to punch someone.

Still - he’s working on it. Trying to appear a little softer around the edges, trying to remember how to be the person he once was, not because he thinks it’s healthy to try to go back to that time, but because that’s the last time he actually remembers liking himself.

But, again, he’s not an asshole. Or, he tries really hard not to be. A fact he has to keep reminding his friends of (and he uses that word loosely, sometimes), especially when you’re around.

Everything just comes out of his mouth wrong when you’re there.

Probably because you’re around all the time, and you’re smart, and funny, and pretty, and-- nope. He’s not going there. Because reminding himself all the reasons why he likes you just makes him feel more guilty about the way he acts around you. He’s just too chickenshit to admit that he likes you, and ends up being a dick.

As soon as he walks into the Tower, you’re there.

After Thanos, the Avengers returned to New York City. There’s not much left of the Compound upstate to live in right now until the rebuild is done, and he’d been thinking about Brooklyn anyway. Manhattan is different, but he feels better in the city. He thinks the rest of the team likes it here too - it reminds them of the old days, or whatever.

“Sergeant Barnes,” you greet him coolly, matching his stride as he heads towards the elevator. “There’s a meeting in fifteen minutes in the main conference room.”

Bucky makes a noise of acknowledgement, stepping into the elevator and hitting the button for the tenth floor. “Do I have a choice to attend?”

“No you do not.”

“Great.”

He thinks you’re trying not to smile. He grinds his teeth.

“Good afternoon, Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY’s voice comes through the overhead speaker. “Captain Rogers requests that you, and I quote, don’t even think about it.”

You snort, and Bucky rolls his eyes. “Punk,” he whispers. “Thanks, FRIDAY. Tell Captain Rogers I said, and I quote, to shove it--”

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” you interrupt, “Thank you so much.”

The few remaining minutes in the elevator are in silence, and you push your way out of the elevator before he can even take a step when it stops. Bucky follows you reluctantly to the conference room where some of the rest of the team is waiting.

Nat looks barely awake (she has trouble sleeping after literally coming back from the dead when Steve returned the stones, what a shocker), Sam is spinning in his chair, and Steve is patiently listening to Peter prattle on about some project he’s working on for biology.

“We’re just waiting on Tony, Bruce, and Scott,” you say, heading towards the head of the table. “Wanda is on a mission with Clint, and Thor is off world. No word from Carol in a few days, either.”

Steve waves you off. “Don’t worry about it. We can fill them in later.”

Bucky’s brow furrows. “Wait, this is your meeting?” He asks you. “What was the point of the AI-assisted lecture from you--” he pointedly glares at Steve.

“Because I knew you’d try to get out of it, so I asked for some help.” You smile sweetly at him.

The rest of the team files in over the next few minutes, and Bucky watches as you shuffle through a few papers before turning on the overhead projector. He has to admit, while he absolutely despises public relations, he has a lot of respect for what you do.

He knows it’s not easy wrangling Tony’s ambitions plus whatever manic situations the team get themselves in on a daily basis. Trying to do press for the Avengers is probably akin to wrangling cats, he supposes.

“So,” you clap your hands together, “the event at Children’s Hospital is in two weeks. Can we please, please avoid any earth-threatening situations that might take precedence over this? We missed it the last few years, obviously, so we need to get out there and make some kids happy.”

A murmured agreement goes throughout the room, and Bucky tips back in his chair, counting down the minutes until he can go literally anywhere else. It’s not you, really. It’s the idea of public appearances. He hates them. People still think of him based on who he was, not who he is now. Despite the fact that Steve and the rest of the team have publicly vouched for him and are working on clearing his name, he sees how people look at him.

You’re tied to that feeling, even though he knows that isn’t fair. He has a hard time separating you from your job.

“The next thing -- and I don’t want to hear about it --” You look around, eyes landing on him meaningfully, “-- there’s a magazine feature for the anniversary of the Battle of New York.”

“Well, that’s me off the hook,” Bucky says flippantly, grinning smugly at Sam, who high fives him.

“No, it absolutely doesn’t,” you argue.

“I wasn’t there, in case you forgot.”

You glare. “Thank you for the reminder.”

“Guys--” Steve tries to interrupt.

“You have to participate, because this article is about the team and how it’s grown since the inception of the Avengers.” You say, almost sounding bored. Probably because you and Bucky have this argument at least once a week.

“Bucky, it’s an hour.” Steve says gently, trying to barter.

“Whatever.” Bucky grumbles, “You know what they’re going to ask,” he says, suddenly angry. “Where was the elusive Winter Soldier during the Battle of New York? Do I remember it happening, or was I in the middle of being frozen or wiped for the thousandth time?”

You shift your weight, looking down at the floor. He feels guilty for a half second. “I won’t let them ask.”

His heart thuds weirdly in his chest at how earnest you sound, but he just can’t help himself, apparently. “Because you’re so sure they’re going to listen to you.”

Hurt flashes across your face so quickly he thinks he’s imagined it, but he knows he hasn’t. Again - he’s not usually an asshole. He still hates himself for it, though.

“Alright, we’re done here.” You say quietly, gathering your paperwork. “I’ll email you all the details.”

Sam elbows him, and across the table, Steve is giving Bucky a look that he’s come to associate with a lecture.

He sighs and rolls his eyes before getting up and heading out of the room, his friends at his heels.

“Wow, a five minute meeting,” Sam is saying, sarcastically. “Gotta be a new record, don’t you think, Rogers?”

Bucky’s new plan is to ignore Sam at all costs. It’s not a plan he thinks is going to work out in his favor, but it’s what he’s sticking with.

“You can’t ignore me forever.”

“Are you a mind reader?” Bucky asks, hitting the button in the elevator for the residential floors.

“It’s two events, Buck.” Steve sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You can handle it.”

“Yeah? Why don’t I let you field the questions I normally get, and we’ll see how you like it.”

“I’m not doubting you. I just don’t understand why you always have to take it out on her.” Steve’s voice is so disappointed, Bucky almost wants to laugh. When his best friend turned into such a mother hen, he’ll never know.

“Don’t be late!” Sam calls as Bucky gets off on his floor, leaving the other men in the elevator.

Flipping him off over his shoulder, he hears Sam’s chuckle and Steve’s sigh before the doors close, and finally he’s alone with his thoughts.

.

.

.

Turns out the interview happens before the hospital visit.

Bucky is in an uncomfortable chair, a reporter across from him, and you behind the reporter, fidgeting slightly. He feels almost relieved that you seem to be as nervous as he is.

“Mr. Barnes,” the reporter begins, a smile Bucky already hates on his face.

“It’s Sergeant.” You say quietly from behind him, and Bucky meets your eyes briefly, seeing the resolve there.

“Of course.” The reporter says smoothly, offering another smile to Bucky. “Sergeant Barnes, you weren’t in New York for the Chitauri invasion, were you.”

“No.”

If the reporter thought he’d elaborate, he doesn’t let on. Bucky saw these questions coming a mile away, and isn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of saying something he’ll regret. Well, he won’t regret it. But it’ll be a pain in the ass for everyone if he can’t keep his cool.

“This was the first official Avengers event. Do you remember hearing about it?”

Bucky wants to laugh. “Do I remember-- no. I don’t think I was awake for much of 2012.” You fidget again, shifting your weight, and Bucky sighs, grinding his teeth. “I’ve been fully briefed on the invasion and know that what the Avengers did that day saved the world.”

The reporter looks at him for a long moment before shifting the papers on his lap around a bit. “The Avengers have changed a lot in all those years since that first mission. Can you tell me a bit more about your role with the team?”

Bucky relaxes a bit. This is the part he prepped for, the part he could recite in his sleep if he had to. Whatever instinct he had back in the day that allowed him to lead a unit and report to his CO is still there, especially for questions like this. “I work mainly with Captain Rogers and Sam Wilson to coordinate missions and do strategic planning. Recon and research are my main areas of focus, but I go on missions too if needed as backup, or if it’s an all hands on deck situation.”

“So you’re not handling any weapons?”

Bucky blinks. Over the reporter’s shoulder, you frown.

“All Avengers team members undergo weapons training.”

“During the War, you were a sniper with the 107th, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So you’d say that you’re pretty proficient with a gun?”

Your eyes are flashing now. “I’m sorry - none of this was on the list of pre-approved questions.” You interrupt, and the reporter holds up a hand to stop you, causing you to make an affronted face.

Bucky would laugh if he wasn’t feeling so sick at this turn of questioning. Every time. No matter who they vet, no matter how many times reporters insist they aren’t trying to catch him in a question he can’t or doesn’t want to answer… this is why he hates interviews.

“I’m just saying -- you’re one of the world’s most accomplished assassins. I guess I wanted to know why you’re doing research and recon when you could be on the front lines with the team? Are they worried you’ll have a setback?”

Bucky barks out a laugh.

You start, taking a few steps forward. “That’s enough. We’re done here.”

Bucky’s already standing, pulling out the chair from behind him as you come around to follow him out, until the reporter stops you, a hand firm on your elbow. You freeze, and Bucky’s eyes narrow on the point of contact, an unfamiliar feeling surging through him.

“Do you know who I work for?” The reporter hisses. “You told me I’d have a half hour.”

“That was before I knew you were going to ask questions that have nothing to do with your article.” You reply, face darkening when he still hasn’t let go.

Bucky waits, waits for one more sign that you’re uncomfortable before he steps in.

“If you ever want to get another high profile piece done on your team you’ll let me finish here.” He threatens, hand tightening.

You sigh, almost looking bored, and in one swift move, you’ve shifted enough of your weight to turn, pulled the elbow he was holding out of his grasp, and driven it into his ribs, simultaneously kneeing him in the groin.

Bucky’s eyebrows raise, and you look at him, rolling your eyes. “What?”

“Didn’t know you had it in you,” he says, letting a smile slip out so you know he’s kidding.

The reporter is doubled over, still making threats, but neither of you pay him much attention as you walk out the double doors of the conference room in the unfamiliar magazine office, heading towards the lobby.

In the car that’s waiting for you outside, Bucky watches you carefully as you roll your shoulders a bit, clearly smarting from the move you pulled back there.

“If I would have known you could do that, I would have been a little nicer,” he teases, but there’s an undercurrent of truth to his words. Not that he thought he’d ever piss you off enough for you to hurt him, but that he wishes he was nicer to you in general.

You glance at him, face neutral. “It wasn’t that hard. Everyone who works for the Avengers goes through basic self defense training, and I’m a woman with a brain and reasonable ability.”

Bucky nods. “Still. Thank you, by the way, for putting an end to that.”

You sigh, sitting back in your seat, all the fight leaving you. “It’s nothing.” You dig your phone out of your pocket and he watches as your thumbs fly across the screen before you hold it to your ear. “Hi, Steve.” A pause, “No, that’s cancelled. You’re not doing it. Tell Tony I’m cancelling the rest of the interviews. We’ll find some other place to get it published.”

He knows he’s staring and he knows he should stop before you notice, but he just… can’t take his eyes off you. The way you stood up for him, the way you promised him you would even when he was being a total asshole… he has no idea what he did to deserve it, but he’s damn grateful.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask, your tone softer than he’s ever heard it.”

He shakes his head, looking down at his feet. “No reason. Just-- sorry I’m such a dick sometimes.”

You laugh, and he immediately wants to hear it again.

“I mean it,” he continues, “I don’t mean to be. You don’t deserve it.”

“Bucky.” Your voice is even softer, quiet, and he struggles to think if you’ve ever called him by his name before. You wait until he meets your eyes. “It’s fine. We’re all-- just trying to get through this.” You shrug. “I know it’s not easy for you. Just… Trust me sometimes, will you?”

“I do trust you.” He replies immediately, absolutely sure of himself for once.

It’s your turn to be a little surprised.

He rubs his hands together, a nervous tick he’s never gotten rid of. “I’ve been trying to distance myself because I like you. And that honestly scares the shit out of me. I don’t know--” He stops, frustrated. “I don’t know how to do this anymore. And all I keep thinking about is what could go wrong.” He takes a chance and glances up at you, and the look in your eyes… it’s more than he expected. He feels his heart take off in his chest.

“We’re both so stupid, Bucky.” You tell him, but your words are light. “You should have said something.”

He rolls his eyes. “People always say that. But when has a conversation like this one ever been one that someone wants to have?”

“Maybe when the other person feels the same way?”

Bucky can’t breathe. He never even considered it. It was always a forgone conclusion in his mind. He thinks you’re beautiful, and you never think about him at all. That was always the truth that he thought he knew. “Go out with me.” He blurts, and then feels his face redden. “I mean-- let me-- will you let me take you to dinner?”

The car stops in front of the tower and you’re opening the door before you say anything, making him panic a little. A look over your shoulder, “I’ll see if I can pencil you in somewhere.” You say, and then with a wink, you’re gone, leaving him scrambling to get out of the car to catch up to you.

Before you can, Steve is there, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Not now--”

“Can’t help it. She called a meeting.”

Bucky stops in his tracks, and laughs. “Did she.”

“She must know how much you love them. Come on.”

Upstairs he finds his usual seat next to Sam and across from Steve, but when you gather your notes and meet his eyes, yours absolutely sparkling, he finds he’s not dreading this one at all. He still wants to take you to dinner though, so he might have to try to break his own record.

A 5 minute meeting so he can convince you to go on a date with him? He thinks he can swing it.

End

#captainkelli500fam #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader

[heyitsani]

You Can't Wake up, This Is Not a Dream

Batman Bingo 2020: "Why can’t you see that?”

Word Count: 3457

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: Jason swears and there’s mentions of past emotional trauma/abuse (depending on how you look at Bruce’s treatment of Dick when he fired him from Robin)

Pairing: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd

Summary: Damian decides it's time to move on from Robin, but he has a requirement that takes Dick and Bruce by surprise.

Notes: This is a big FU to DC for their treatment of Damian and Robin.  I also started writing this months ago.  It was my WIP from this past Wednesday that I finished two days ago but didn’t get the chance to post.  Up next is my Duke request that I am polishing up now.  I might post it today, but most likely tomorrow.

Updated card at the bottom of this post.

You can also read this on AO3 here

“No Father, I insist.” Dick watched Damian’s bright green eyes look from Bruce to Dick and then back.  And he could tell his brother meant what he was saying, but even Dick could see it was illogical.

Sighing, Dick leaned back against the table of the batcomputer and crossed his arms over his chest.  “Dames, Batman needs Robin.  We’ve all seen what happens when he doesn’t have one,” Dick tried to reason with his brother.  Sure, there had been a time when Dick would have expected Batman’s sidekick to bear a different name, but he had gotten over that (mostly) a long time ago.

“That is not true, Richard. He simply needs his partner.  I am sure that spot can easily be filled, but it should not be with another Robin.”

“And what would you have me do then, Damian?”  Bruce spoke up for the first time since agreeing that Damian should start moving away from his role as Robin.  At the age of 18, it was time he became his own hero.  The youngest had come to Bruce and Dick while they talked about some gear Dick had come to borrow and asked them what they had thought about him hanging up the mantle.  Dick had enthusiastically agreed and congratulated his brother.  Bruce had been much calmer and subdue but had also thought it a good idea.  But when Dick mentioned having to find a new Robin, Damian had outright said no.

Damian shrugged a shoulder. “Move on,” he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“Just like that?” Damian’s silence at Bruce’s question spoke volumes.  But none of this explained why Damian thought Robin needed to retire with him.  And Dick could tell he was holding something back, but whether it was because of Bruce’s presence or Dick’s, the older brother couldn’t quite tell.

And though Dick wanted answers, he heaved a sigh of relief when his phone rang and Jason’s name lit up his screen.  

“Jay.”

“I got the location for tonight’s drop.  You headed back yet?”

“Not yet, got a little sidetracked.  I have the gear and I’ll be heading out soon.”  He heard Jason mumble something and Dick had a feeling he didn’t want to know what the younger man had said.  “Yeah yeah, I’ll grab food on my way back.”

“You better.  Let me know when you leave.”

Dick gave an affirmative before ending the call.  “Look, Jay and I have an important op tonight that I need to get back to.  Call me tomorrow Dames.  We can talk some more.”  Damian nodded and Dick reached over to give his brother a hug before he clapped a hand to Bruce’s shoulder.  “Thanks for the gear, Old Man.  I’ll send the reports to you in a few days.”

“Be safe,” came the all too familiar grunt from Bruce as Dick walked away.  Turning to walk backwards toward his car, Dick smiled brightly and held his arms open.

“Aren’t I always?”

“No, you’re not, Grayson!” Damian’s face looked annoyed, but Dick just laughed before sliding into his car.

The drive back to Bludhaven was plagued with thoughts about what Damian had said.  And he still couldn’t figure out why his brother wanted Robin to be retired.  He just couldn’t find any reason.  When Dick had asked him to take up the cape, Damian had been thrilled.  A little overconfident and stubborn, but he had still been ready to fight.  They all had. So why wouldn’t Damian want someone else to have that same emotion?  It just didn’t make sense.

But he supposed he wouldn’t figure it out until Damian felt he should know.  So, he dropped the line of thought and focused on the tasks at hand. A brief stop at a local Thai place to get the order he told Jason to place distracted him enough that he stopped thinking about the situation long enough to get back to the apartment he and Jason shared.  

“Jay?”  He called out as he pushed open the door, dropping his keys in the bowl near the door and letting the duffle bag he had placed the gear he had borrowed from Bruce drop to the floor next to the small table.

“Finally, I’m fucking starving.”  Dick snorted and made his way into the kitchen where he found Jason grabbing plates and utensils.  “Where’s the stuff?”

Dick jerked his head toward the front door as he placed the two bags of food onto the counter and leaned over to press a kiss to the corner of Jason’s mouth.  It earned him a pleased rumble that brought a smile to Dick’s face.  “Over by the door.  Leave it there.  We can look it over later.”  Jason looked like he wanted to argue, but after a glance at Dick’s face he let it drop.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Dick told him, turning his focus on unbagging the food but Jason’s hand slipping around his waist and the resting his chin on Dick’s shoulder pulled his attention.

“What happened?”

Sighing, Dick stopped what he was doing and leaned back into Jason.  “Dames is going to step down from Robin, be his own hero.”  And though he couldn’t see his face, he knew that Jason would look confused.

“That’s a good thing. Kid is getting too old to be a sidekick. That can’t be what’s upsetting you.”

“I’m not upset,” Dick told him, feeling Jason tense to argue.  “I’m not.  I’m curious. He told B and me he doesn’t want anyone else to take up the Robin mantle after him.  He didn’t seem like he wanted to get into the reason why with both of us there.  But I don’t know if he didn’t want me to know or if it was Bruce he didn’t want to know.”

“Bruce.”

Turning to look at Jason, Dick raised a brow.  “That’s an awfully certain answer awfully quick.”

Jason pulled back and shrugged a shoulder.  “I might know why he feels that way.  He and I had a talk a few weeks ago and I think he took something I said to heart.” Dick’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent to see if Jason would say more.  “Whether or not you’re willing to admit it to anyone other than me or the brat, that kid thinks of you as his dad.  B might be ‘Father’ or whatever, but you are his Dad.”

Dick was aware of what everyone thought of his and Damian’s relationship.  Even if the pair had never discussed it.  “But that’s not what this is about.”

“No, it’s not.  But because of how he feels, he takes things involving you and your emotions seriously.”  And yeah, Dick knew that.  “I said a lot of the issues between you and B would never be resolved so long as someone else was running around wearing the colors of the Flying Grayson’s while responding to the name your mother used to call you…”

“Jay, you didn’t,” Dick sighed, closing his eyes.  

“Look, I know you told me that in the dark because you didn’t want to hurt me but my emotions involving those years as Robin are buried under so much shit, I hardly remember our issues from then.  But I know you well enough to know that so long as Robin flies, your wound will never heal.”

That hushed conversation in the darkness of their bedroom, his head resting on Jason’s chest so he could listen to the strong beat of his heart had been hard.  And Dick couldn’t even remember how it had come about, but he didn’t regret telling Jason exactly why he had been so angry when Bruce had given Jason the mantle without telling Dick first.  Bruce, who had known where the colors and the name had come from, hadn’t even hesitated.  And when Dick had told his guardian that, he had been brushed aside and told it was bigger than Dick.  

And that had hurt.

He was Robin, the others took on the persona but Dick.  Was. Robin.  

“I’m not going to apologize for telling him.”  And Dick would never have expected that anyway.  It wasn’t like he had told Jason it was a secret and to keep it that way. “And I won’t apologize for putting your emotional wellbeing before B’s crusade.  You will always win.”  Dick knew that.

“I wish you wouldn’t have put that on his shoulders.  Out of everyone, it shouldn’t have been his,” he says, sighing softly as he leans back against the counter.

“I know, Goldie, but I also had a feeling today’s chat would be coming soon.  And sue me for not wanting to see you deal with another person becoming Robin.”  Jason sounded defensive, but the look on his face was too apologetic for that.  

Rubbing at his forehead, Dick sighed again and shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter right now.  Let’s just eat and then get tonight figured out.  I told Damian to call me tomorrow, so I can talk to him about it then.”  He watched Jason watch him for a moment before nodding and they both turned back to dealing with the food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You got a visitor, Dickhead!”  Dick heard Jason call out.  He hadn’t bothered to get out of their bed yet after last night’s late and painful mission.  He was still feeling the pain meds he had caved and taken after the knife wound to his leg had been stitched up.  “Don’t you dare get out of that fucking bed,” Jason’s voice sounded, from the doorway this time.

“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to,” Dick admitted, voice rough from the sleep he had been pulled from.

Behind Jason’s imposing figure, Dick could make out the shape of his youngest brother.  “Grayson, Todd told me what happened last night. How are you feeling?”  Dick shrugged a shoulder and rubbed at his face before attempting to push himself up to sit against the headboard of the bed.

“Stop it, you idiot. You’ll tear your stitches,” Jason reprimanded him softly, rushing over to help Dick get in the position he wanted. Once there were no less than four pillows behind him and he swore he wasn’t in any significant amount of pain, Jason moved away and looked at Damian.  The younger hadn’t come more than a few steps into the room, watching his older brother.  “I’m going to get you some food so you can take some more pills, Boy Idiot.  Want some coffee or tea, Dames?”

“Tea would be acceptable,” Damian answered as he shifted further into the room and waited for Jason to leave.  Dick watched Damian take in the state of the room and Dick found himself eternally glad for Jason’s neat freak nature that had forced him into already cleaning up the bloody mess that had been his uniform and the stuff they had used to patch up his leg in the early hours of the morning.

“Take a seat, Dami,” Dick said gently, patting the spot next to him.  He chuckled when Damian eyed Jason’s spot distastefully before settling on the edge near Dick’s injured leg.  “I thought you were going to call?  Why did you drive all the way out here?”

“You’re injured, you fool.”

“And that means I can’t talk on the phone?”  Dick teased, watching Damian roll his eyes in annoyance.

“Of course not.  But I wanted to be sure Todd was taking adequate care of you.”  Dick ‘oh-ed’ and nodded his head.  “Things seem to be up to par,” he admitted, and Dick hummed.  ���Todd told me he told you what he and I spoke of.”

“He did.  And I’m sorry he put that on you, Dames.  I didn’t want any of you to know something that is beyond fixing.”  Dick watched Damian stare at his lap, hands folded properly in his lap as he sat there motionless.  “Talk to me kid.”

That caught Damian’s attention and the scoff at the nickname brought a warmth to Dick’s chest.

“I am not a child, Grayson.”

“No, but you’re still my baby brother and something is bugging you.”

Without looking at Dick, Damian shrugged his shoulders and Dick couldn’t help but marvel at how much the other man had changed in the eight years he had been in the family.  From petulant murder brat to a mature and emotional man.  It was more than his father could say.

“Dames?”  Dick prompted, trying to get the other man to tell him what he was thinking.

“You gave me Robin.” Damian finally looked over at Dick and the elder wasn’t sure what the look on his face meant so he remained silent and nodded.  “Of all your successors, I am the only one you chose.”

“You are my progeny, yes.”

“No, not like that,” Damian waved a hand in exasperation.  “Robin was stolen from you over and over.  Your own name, your own identity.  It was ripped from you and given to Todd, to Drake, to Brown without your consent.”  Again, Dick nodded, seeing where this was going.  “But you took it back from Drake and you gave it to me when you could have given me something else.  Why did you do that?”

And wow if that wasn’t a loaded question.  And one that Dick wasn’t sure he could answer.  It hadn’t even occurred to him to take Robin and retire it completely. He hadn’t ever considered that. To him, it was too late to right that particular wrong of his youth.

“It wouldn’t have healed that wound, Dames.  The damage was done and sometimes it’s just not worth it.”

But Damian was shaking his head.  “And me forcing Father to retire Robin won’t make a difference either?”

“Bruce and I will never bridge that particular gap.  If that is why you are doing this, don’t.  I forgave him a long time ago, but I’ll never be able to forget.  I am in love with one of the reasons I’ll never be able to forget,” Dick laughed, waving a hand in the general direction of the kitchen where he knew Jason was.

“Why must you do that?” Dick raised an eyebrow.  “Why do you have to be so flippant about your own emotions when you are anything but with everyone else’s?”

“It’s easier that way, Damian,” Dick admitted with a sigh.  It was easier to ignore the things he felt when it came to the past or the pain he had suffered over the years.  He knew if he spent too much time lingering on those thoughts and emotions, he would never dig himself back out of that hole.  He would be crushed under the weight of the things he had never bothered to deal with.  Mirage, Catalina, Blockbuster, his parents, and so many other things.  So much grief and loss, so much pain.  It would bury him, and he would never get up again.  “In order for me to survive, this is what I have to do.”

Damian watched him and Dick waited, hoping he wouldn’t do what Dick had done to him so many times in the past and force him to talk about it.  Instead, Dick found himself with his arms full of his baby brother for an extremely rare Damian-initiated hug.  Letting his eyes close for a moment, he let himself relax into the hug because it felt good.  He was always an affectionate person, but it was so rare people returned that affection. Often, he was basically forcing it on others.  The moments when people forced it on him?  He relished them.

Though he expected Damian to pull away after a minute, Dick found himself held longer than he would have ever thought.  “You’re emotions are valid.  Your pain is just as important as the rest of ours.  Why can’t you see that?”  The words were spoken into his shoulder, muffled by muscle and the material of Dick’s shirt.  “I stand by what I told Father,” Damian whispered into Dick’s shoulder and Dick hummed his question.  “Robin should retire.”  He pulled back and green eyes met sapphire, burning hot with determination.  “There are plenty of options for partners for Batman. And Father is not losing Robin the way he lost him with Todd.”

Dick considered his words, leaning further into the pile of pillows behind him as Damian resumed his previous position.  Jason chose that moment to come into the room with a plate of food and two mugs in hand. One look at his face told Dick he had heard the last bit of the conversation.

Smiling softly at Jason, Dick took the plate and the mug and watched Jason hand the other mug to Damian. He chuckled at the sight of the grilled cheese and the pain pills.  “Thanks, Jay,” he tilted his head, hinting for Jason to give him a kiss.  A request that was quickly fulfilled before the man leaned against the wall near the bed, facing the two brothers on the bed.  “Got something to say?”

“I might, but my opinion doesn’t really matter on this one.”

“Neither does mine,” Dick said, more to Damian than to Jason.  At Damian’s frown, Dick shrugged a shoulder.  “I’m not Robin anymore, Dames.  It’s is yours and no one else’s.  If you want it to retire, then retire it.  I appreciate the sentiment behind it, and I would be so incredibly proud to have the name retire under you, but it is your decision.”  Dick watched Damian look over to Jason and from the corner of his vision he could see Jason nod, confirming that what Dick was saying was true.

“Then I suppose all that’s left is to figure out who I am to be now.”

And Dick didn’t envy Damian on that front.  It had been difficult to come up with Nightwing.  And he had the help of Clark on that one.

“What do you want, Damian? Do you want to remain in Gotham, or do you want to find your own place?”  Dick took a bite of his sandwich to keep himself from questioning Jason, but it didn’t hide the frown and question in his eyes when he looked at his boyfriend. “We could always use help here in the ‘Haven.”

That seemed to have caught Damian’s attention and Dick continued to eat while the youngest of them worked things through in his mind.  Once he had consumed enough of the sandwich, Dick took the pills Jason had given him before setting the mug of tea down on the bedside table.

“You’re always welcome here, Dames.  And if that’s something you think you might be interested in, then perhaps you should make a visit to Clark’s and have him tell you the legend he told me when I was in your position.”  Though his own position had been forced upon him and not quite by choice the way it will be for Damian.

“The legend of Nightwing and Flamebird?  Yes, Jon told me that years ago,” Damian waved a hand in dismissal.  “He was so haughty about knowing how you came to be Nightwing because Clark is so proud of his influence on you.”

Jason snorted out a laugh and Dick simply raised an eyebrow at his youngest brother.

“I wouldn’t let your father know about that, if I were you,” Dick chuckled.  While Bruce had gotten much better in relation to Clark over the years, he still held an edge of mistrust with the Kryptonian.  It wasn’t personal, it was just Bruce being the paranoid bastard he always was.  Dick was convinced if he hadn’t raised all of his Robins, he never would have trusted them. Steph was proof of that.  They had been like oil and water.

“I think I shall meditate on the subject for a while and see what conclusion I come to.”  Dick leaned forward and placed a hand on his brother’s upper arm, squeezing lightly.

“We will help however we can, you know that.  But don’t keep Bruce in the dark if you do plan on leaving Gotham.  He doesn’t handle change well.  We all know that.”  Dick reminded Damian, who nodded with a deep frown.

Jason clapped his hands together before moving forward to ruffle Damian’s perfectly coifed hair.  “Congrats Demon Brat, you’re on your way to being a real man.”

“Fuck off, Todd,” Damian growled, swatting Jason’s hand away as Dick leaned back and laughed at the pair. Whatever his younger brother decided, Dick knew it would be the right decision for him.  And he couldn’t help but be proud of the man he had become in the years since he had joined the family as a petulant and snotty ten year old.

#Batmanbingo2020 #batman bingo 2020 #Damian Wayne #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne #Robin #Nightwing #Red Hood #Batman #batfam #anikah writes #fanfic #fan fiction #jaydick #dickjay

[itzagothamcitysiren]

Welcome to the Family

So I wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone whose supported this :) I really didn’t expect it, since I’ve been posting on other sites for a couple of years now with barely any response. So it’s very motivating and refreshing to see an active community! 

If anyone is interested I do have an account on fanfiction.net and AO3 but I haven’t been super active on there as of late. But if there are any Guardian of the Galaxy fans out there I do have two completed books posted and than a work in progress for that fandom :) Link to my fanfiction.net page and my AO3 page!

Also sorry for updating so late in the day. I’m still working during all the covid craziness and work was hella busy and stressful today. As soon as I got home I crashed for like four hours lol. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I won’t be so tired. 

Never Wanted to be Here Now pt. 3

           Clothes had never been that important in Halley’s life; or better yet she should say that fashion had never played an important role in the ex-assassin’s life. Her father was many things but he always made sure she had what she needed. Her clothes had never been worn out or old due to their career they could afford to look nice.  And because of that Halley never really cared about appearances since her lack of impute in the clothing her father picked out for her.

           Outside of work, Slade wanted them to look professional, classy, as he put it. Her closet mostly consisted of black shirts and cardigans with the occasional simple black dress. Her pants and shoes were always comfortable as they were always on the move. Never was something flashy or over the top, unless the job called for a little undercover work of course. But practicality was something her father drilled into her from a young age.

           It wasn’t until moving into the tower did she really start to see that clothing could be used as a way to express oneself. Kori was more than eager to brighten up the girl’s bleak wardrobe and instantly began filling the girl’s new closet with hand-me-downs that the Tamaranean Princess simply grew out of. It wasn’t particularly what Halley could now recognize as her own taste but at the time she was just appreciative of putting anything on that wasn’t just black.

           When Kori insisted on taking her shopping before she was set to move in with Dick’s father, Halley was so used to having just what she needed that she didn’t see the need. But now, she was grateful and somewhat annoyed that she couldn’t wear the clothes she had bought at this exact moment. During her time with the Titans she actually began to get a personality; she actually liked things and knew a decent amount about pop culture; like she actually understood what Star Wars about now.  

           Wally and Victor had a field day because it was like Starfire all over again. You think storm troopers are the good guys? She remembered Wally’s voice cracking as he could hide his horrified reaction to the revelation that she had never seen the series of films that nearly everyone in the modern world held close to their hearts. She couldn’t count the amount of movie nights they had with her, feeding it to her like it was imperative information that was at the upmost importance for her to learn.

           She let her eyes wander to her closet, thinking of the Star Wars t-shirt she picked out during her shopping trip. She remembered running up to the guys eager to show them what she had picked out. She sighed as she remembered the proud look they shot down at her. Her smile from the fond memory faded as she turned back to face the mirror in front of her. Her eyes looked at her appearance, her lips slanted in displeasure. Halley was never one for dramatics’ but maybe Dick was rubbing off on her after all?

           Pulling at the tight collar of the white dress shirt, she reached onto her dresser to grab the next item of clothing that would surely make her body itch. Slipping the vest over her head and shoulders, she smoothed the thick navy blue fabric out while looking at the crest of Gotham Academy that was place over her heart. She would rather wear the uniform her father made for her than this. Stop being overdramatic, she cursed herself.

           It wasn’t that bad she supposed as she titled her head as if that would change how she looked. It wasn’t that she looked bad, technically she looked fine. The vest surprisingly didn’t make her look frumpy and the plaid, pleated skirt wasn’t too short but also wasn’t awkwardly long, just resting a few inches above her knees. And at least her footwear was comfortable much to her original thoughts. Alfred had called them saddle shoes and the name itself had made her feet already hurt.

           Halley just figured that this was the confirmation that this was her life now. Dick had called her the night before, wishing her good luck on her first day of school. Even Kori and Wally cut in, wishing her the same. She could tell they were trying to ease her worries about them, refusing to give her a straight answer when she asked where they were and what they were doing. Frowning again, she let out a sigh, pushing her hair back and off her shoulders.

           Should she wear it down? Or up? Braids?

           Rolling her eyes, she reached down for her backpack, deciding that her hair looked fine as it was.  It was just school, she told herself. She’d never been to one before but she had some short of idea what it was like.  The guys showed her at least a dozen movies that took place in High Schools. Granted she knew that there’d be no singing, or magic, or burn books, she knew kids her age were mean and terrible. Just look at Jason for example, surely not all of them were that way? But she told herself she’d ignore it all.  She was just there to learn and make Dick happy and that was it.

           “You done checking yourself out yet because we’re going to be late for school.” Speaking of the devil, there he was. Halley really hated herself for letting him sneak up on her yet again. Narrowing her eyes at him, she moved away from her mirror and reached towards her backpack. “Oh right, I’m supposed to knock,” Jason pretended to recall, fully remembering the long and stern conversation Bruce gave him about boundaries. He knocked on the doorframe, with a roll of his own eyes.

           Halley huffed, slinging the backpack over her shoulders before moving past him, making sure she bumped shoulders with him as she did. Jason turned to follow about to call her out but stopped when he saw her backpack. Sniggering he followed, picking his own up from the floor and putting it on. “You aren’t seriously going to use that thing, are you?”

           “Why wouldn’t I?” She questioned, squinting up at him as he matched her pace. They walked side by side down the long hallway until they reached the grand stairway. “Dick gave it to me; it’s a perfectly fine backpack.”

           “You can’t wear that! In Gotham? Are you crazy?” Jason laughed again, poking his finger at it and then into her side. “People aren’t too big on Supes over here.”

           She jerked her body away from him, bounding down the stairs to get a few steps in front of him. “I’m not that big of a fan either but it’s all I have, so it’ll make due.”

           “Alright, you’re funeral.” Jason shrugged, raising his hands in mock surrender. Halley rolled her eyes at him. He was just trying to wind her up before her first day. No one in their right mind would stab someone over a backpack; no one was that stupid.

           The pair reached the kitchen, Alfred laying out scrambled eggs and bacon for them. He informed them to eat quickly, as he didn’t want Halley to be late on her first day. Being her first day, she had to get there a little bit earlier to meet her student counselor and receive her schedule, as well as meet the student she was supposed to shadow.

           Just as it did on her first morning her, breakfast ended all too quickly and she soon found herself in the back of the car, sitting to the right of Jason this time. Even the drive, which took about thirty minutes, since the Manor was on the outskirts of the city, felt as if it only took a handful of minutes. She was sat in the backseat as Alfred parked the car to let them out. Halley’s eyes widened at the large, imposing building with teenagers scattered about, chattering and laughing. It wasn’t the first time she saw the building, attending the rides with Alfred all of last week but saying that Halley was suddenly feeling dazed would be an understatement.

           She jumped as she heard a car door slam and then saw Jason walking around the car. He stopped a foot away from her door, looking impatiently. He was waiting for her. She quickly picked up her backpack, suddenly not wanting him to leave her if he got tired of waiting. He was better than nothing. As she shrugged her bag on, she opened the door but not before quickly thanking Alfred for the ride.

           “It was not a problem at all, Miss. Good luck on your first day.” He nodded to her as she closed the door.

           She watched as he began to drive away, before turning back to Jason. Her hands instantly pulled down her skirt as they began to walk. She suddenly felt exposed. Was her underwear showing? Why were people staring at her? It only took mere seconds for her to notice it, but the crowds of teens seemed to go silent as she walked back them with Jason. Were those whispered she was hearing. It was the backpack; Jason was right about the-,

           “Chill, damn girl, your face is so red right now.” Jason hissed out, tauntingly. He looked her up and down; this girl had issues. “It’s just cause you’re with me. People around here heard Bruce Wayne took in another kid.”

           “Oh, so it’s not the backpack?” she said quietly, pushing her hair behind her ears, trying to cool herself off.

           The chuckle Jason let out wasn’t like his usual. It seemed genuine and somewhat playful. She looked up at him confused. Jason looked back down, opening the door for them once they reached it. She looked somewhat adorable fretting over everything and shook his head, putting a hand on the said backpack. Gently, he pushed her through the doors.

           “I was just messing with you.” He grasped the bag for emphasis before letting it go. They began to walk at an even pace with each other again, Jason clearly leading the way with Halley following like a lost puppy. “I mean it’s a pretty lame backpack, and people are most likely going to call you a giant dork but you won’t get murdered over it.”

           Halley glared up at him, before realizing that she reached out and lightly slapped him upside the head. She didn’t know what came over her, it wasn’t like she did it maliciously. It wasn’t done out of rage like when she had slapped him her first day here. She felt this weird playful anger inside her and that’s how her consciousness expressed that sudden feeling. The pair stopped walking, earning looks of annoyance as the people walking behind them nearly walked into them.

           Jason’s hand rested on his head where she’d slapped him. Halley opened her mouth to apologize; she’d seen Dick and Kori do that to one another jokingly but that was different. They were a couple, they were close. She and Jason had barely spoke, let alone civilly with each other during her first week with them. But before she could apologize, he just laughed, using his hand that was holding his head to lightly push her shoulder.  “You really are a dork.”

           Halley’s face turned red, unsure of how she felt during this situation. Seeing this Jason just shrugged, putting his hands in his pant pockets. Nodded forward, he motioned her to get moving again. He began leading her to the guidance counselor like Bruce told him to make sure he did.  

           The rest of the walk was silent between them. The halls were loud enough as it were and Halley was just trying to take it all in. She thought since this was supposed to be filled with a bunch of rich kids it’d be a little tamer? She grimaced when she saw a couple practically sucking each other’s faces off against some lockers. Looking away quickly, to not wanting to get caught staring, she kept her eyes facing forward.

           Jason did his job and quickly left her, mumbling something about seeing her out front after school. Sighing but not surprised that Jason ditched her as soon as his obligation was up, Halley opened the oak door, entering the room. Looking around, she was greeted by a lady sitting at a desk and a couple of students looking less than thrilled sitting on seats up against a wall. Halley walked up to the desk, clearing her throat to get the lady to look up.

           “Hi, I was told to come here. It’s my first day.” She said awkwardly, fidgeting with her backpack strap.

           “Name?” the woman sighed, sounding how the kids looked.

           “Halley Wil- Wayne.” Halley cursed to herself, quickly correcting her mistake. Putting a smile on her face, which was of course fake, she repeated herself this time with some sort of confidence. “Halley Wayne.”

           The woman perked up at that, looking up from her desk and work; Bruce Wayne was a large donor to the school. “Oh yes! Welcome to Gotham Academy, Mrs. Patterson can see you right now, right through those doors.”

           Halley raised an eye at the woman’s sudden attitude change but nevertheless thanked her before turning to the doors she pointed too. Inside the woman, her counselor, Mrs. Patterson was just the same. It wasn’t until she spoke her new name did she start to treat her like a human being or well more than one actually. These people were so fake it made her want to escape back to her tower and be locked away from the world again. It didn’t get much better throughout the day and she was beginning to understand why Jason was always in such a bad mood on the car ride home.

           She’d been paired up with a tall, black haired girl who seemed nice at first glance but Halley quickly learned that like many of the people here, she was what Dick called a snoot. When the girl finally looked away from her phone, she introduced herself as Sam, but then went back to her phone. The two girl’s shared their homeroom together, Halley still unsure of the concept. They only set in the room for about fifteen minutes as the teacher checked them in and then they left for their first class with a ring of a bell. Did they not trust the students to show up?

           Sam showed her to her first class, which they shared together again. Halley half expected for the girl to sit with her but couldn’t say she was shocked to find herself sitting alone in the back of the room the entire class. She could barely follow what was happening; she was halfway through the term and never read the Iliad before, or anything like such before. She obviously she knew how too but she didn’t have much time for reading growing up and ancient Greek epics weren’t something Slade Wilson considered an important part of her education.

           As the bell rang, Sam waited impatiently for Halley too collect her things, shoving them into her backpack. When she caught up to her, Sam just looked at her bag and raised an eyebrow, “So you’re into superheroes?”

           Halley could sense the distaste laced in her tone and just shrugged, remembering Jason’s warning. “There, um, okay, I guess. I mean if it weren’t for them, who’d save us you know?” She laughed lamely, wanting to slap herself for sounding so, so civilian.

           “I guess,” Sam shrugged leading her to her next class.

           “It’s really my older brother’s backpack, he let me have it.” She added, abruptly, causing Sam to eye her strangely. Halley awkwardly smiled, turning her face quickly away from the taller girl. Calling Dick her older brother felt weird, never really having a title for him but to the world they were technically siblings and she didn’t know, was trying to sound cool? Gross.

           “Ohhhh,” Sam said, looking away from her phone. She suddenly had a look of sudden interest. “You mean Dick Grayson? He’s hot; my sister was in the same grade as him. He came over sometimes for parties and stuff. You’re so lucky you get to live with him, he has like the greatest ass-,”

           Halley grimaced as Sam spent the entirety of their walk gushing over her brother. She’d never saw Dick as the way Sam was describing him and it made her slightly uncomfortable. She was glad when Sam dropped her off in front of an open doorway. Sam didn’t share this next class with her, instead stating how she had a slip that allowed her to leave class early to meet her back here so she could show her to her next one.

           The rest of the day played out all the same. She’d sit through a tortuous forty-five minutes, learning things she either already knew, or things she knew were useless in the real world. Then in between each class she’d be pestered by Sam. The girl bombarded the new student with questions about Dick Grayson. Eventually, the girl moved on to other topics. Asking if Bruce Wayne really did bring different woman home every night and of course the big how much money does he actually have, question. Even during lunch Sam insisted she sit with her friends and Halley felt as if she stepped right that scene from the Mean Girl’s movie Wally showed her. She knew how this was going to go down and quickly excused herself to use the restroom and never went back, instead opting to ask some nice boy for directions to her next class.  She was restless and agitated.

           Her free period was when she found herself finally deciding this whole school thing wasn’t for her. At least in her classes, the time slightly went by quicker. She tried to start her homework, another concept she didn’t understand, but quickly gave up, slamming the textbooks closed.  She blushed when the surrounding students looked at her from the sound and started whispering. Frowning, she quickly picked up her books and left the library, wandering the halls for the rest of the thirty minutes, masterfully avoiding the teachers who she would surely get in trouble with for being in the halls during class; which was another stupid concept.

           But despite how her day really went, she still put on a good face when the day was over. She wouldn’t want to come off as ungrateful if she spoke truthfully. Her day was great, and she met a lot of nice people. She didn’t spend her lunch alone in a bathroom stall and she most definitely was looking forward to going back tomorrow.  

#jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd imagine #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x oc #red hood #red hood x oc #dick grayson #dick grayson x sister!reader #dick grayson x oc #nightwing #nightwing fanfic #batman fanfiction #batman #bruce wayne #dc comics fanfic

[thebluenebula]

First Xmas Gala

Ashleigh Wayne Au Fic Masterlist

The day of the Gala has come, and Ash couldn't be more nervous, but with her family by her side everything will be fine, right?

Preparing for the Gala

. . . . .

I didn't sleep that night. I got up at five, shower, shaved, and cleaned myself up. I tried to do something with my hair, but there wasn't much I could do, so I ended up leaving it as it was.

As I headed back to my room, I spotted the boys in Dick's room, getting ready. The five of them were wearing similar black suits, each had unique accessory matching the Wayne wearing it. Dick, Duke, and Damien all had ties, blue, yellow, and green respectively, Tim a red bowtie, and Jay a loose floor length skirt.

I stared in aww at my brothers. "You guys look stunning."

Dick looked up at me curiously. "Thank you. Are you wearing that?"

I was still in the clothes I'd worn the day before. "First off, I already look better then you."

Jay snickered. "That's not hard."

"Secondly, no. I'm going to get changed now."

Duke adjusted his tie. "Well hurry."

I headed to my room, stripped and looked into wardrobe. The suit, or the dress? The suit was nice, and I knew I'd be comfortable, I wouldn't stand out, but I had to wear the dress. I wanted to wear the dress.

I examined myself in the mirror. The blue dress hugged my body, not too tightly, but enough. The long skirt hid the sneakers, and tracksuit bottoms I was wearing underneath. I rubbed my bare arm. It felt right, but could I really wear it in front of all those people? In front of Cassie?

Someone knocked on the door. I recognised Harper's knock. "You decent, Ash?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Mind if we come in?"

I unlocked the door for them. Carrie, and Harper walked in. I looked at the girls. Harper was wearing a black suit, with a blue undershirt, while Carrie was wearing her green sun dress

"You look amazing." We all said in unison. It was followed by a burst of giggles.

Carrie leaned against my dresser. "So, are you ready for your first Gala?"

"I guess so."

"You look worried."

"All things considered, the Galas the least of my worries."

"Cassie?"

I turned back to the mirror. "Yes. Do you think she'll like this dress, or should I wear a suit?"

Harper came up behind me, and wrapped her arms around me. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. You like it, so nothing else matters, plus I know Cassie will love it. You want to know how I know?"

"How?"

"Cause you're in it."

I leaned my head back into her. "Thank you, Harper."

In the mirror, I watched as Carrie pick up my pair of fishnet gloves. "You've been taking fashion tips from Dinah I see."

I took them from her, and pulled them on. "Zee, actually. She's got great style. Would one of you mind taking a picture of me?"

Carrie grabbed my phone. "Not at all. Strike a pose."

I smiled as she took a step back to get a proper shot. As the camera flashed, I felt a sudden weight on my back.

I tried to steady myself as Harper clung to my back. "Photobomb!"

I giggled as we fell onto the bed, knocking her off of me. "Photohog more like it."

When we were done laughing, Carrie took a proper photo, then one of the three of us together. I sent them to Siobhan, then the three of us headed downstairs.

Everyone was gathered in the living room. Bruce was the first to spot us. "Ashleigh, you look stunning."

Kate appeared behind him. "Understatement of the century."

I could feel my face reddening. "Thank you."

The same could be said for them. Bruce was wearing a pitch black suit. In a dim light room, he'd be hard to spot. Maybe that was the point. Kate's outfit was at least bit more colorful. Her black dress had intricate red lines swirling through it.

Carrie coughed, drawing our attention to her, and Harper. "There are other children in the room looking for positive verbal reassurement."

Bruce russeled their hair. "You two are just as stunning as ever."

Carrie fixed her hair in one motion. "Good. Thank you."

Harper was not so lucky. She gave Bruce a sour look as she pushed the loose hair from her face. "Yeah, thanks."

I looked around the room, admiring everyones outfits. I'd seen Bab's dress the day she got it, but it looked even better on her. The green empire dress worked so well for her. As for Steph, and Cass they both wore matching sun dresses. The only difference being the colours, purple, and black respectively, both with splashes of yellow.

We took the obligitory family photos. First, all of us together. Then the adults. Then the kids. Then a couple more in our own little groups.

Steph had taken on the role of 'parent who wants way too many pictures'. She insisted on getting dozens of pictures of everyone. After what felt like a hundred pictures, Steph left me alone, and went to get pictures of Bruce.

Kate took my hand in hers. "You nervous?"

"More then I've ever been."

She gave it a gentle squeeze. "You'll be fine."

"What if I fuck it up?"

"You won't."

"I'm going to do something wrong or forget something- The flowers! What did I do with the flowers?"

"Calm down."

I thought for a minute as to where I left them. "They were in my room. I'll go get them."

I turned to go get them, but Kate grabbed my shoulder. "You stay here, I'll get them."

Kate left, and returned a few minutes later with my flowers. She set them down nearby, and we chatted as we waited.

Since the Supers and the Wonders were also going to the Gala, Bruce had suggested they all carpool with us. It wasn't long before the Supers arrived, much to Tim, and Damien's delight.

Clark wore a lovely tan suit, Lois a very professional looking black suit, she was still very much in reporter mode. Conner, and Jon wore near identical Superman-esc suits. They we're adorable, and clearly Tim agreed, considering how quickly he jumped into Conner's arms. Kara had a lovely yellow bouffant dress, and Karen a green sheath dress. It made her look like a news anchor. Of course a news anchor wouldn't wear a green dress.

Artemis arrived soon after to pick up Jay. She had a beautiful red dress on, that ended just past her knees. I was kind of expecting her show up with the other Wonders. She assured us that the others had just run into some delays and would be here soon.

As the two went to leave, Jay stopped, and turned to me. "Piece of advice, make sure to use pro- oww!"

Artemis smacked the back of his head. "Don't you dare finish that."

"I was joking."

For just a moment I was worried that if I messed this up Artemis would break my arm, then I realized how ridiculous that was. Cassie was more then capable of doing that herself.

The two left on Artemis's motorbike, because leaving in a car or limo would have been far too boring for them.

Bruce leaned into me, and whispered. "You did have 'the talk', right?"

"Yes! What do you people think is going to happen tonight?"

Kate flashed a cheeky smile. "All cards are on the table."

I was spared delving any further into that conversation by the doorbell. Alfred left the room to answer it. It had to be the Wonders. Too late for me to back out now.

Alfred with Diana, Donna, and Cassie. I felt my heart beat faster as I saw them. Diana was wearing a blue bodice gown, Donna a sleevless black sheath dress with stars down both sides, and Cassie was wearing a red spaghetti top, and a blue skirt with stars, it looked like the one from Wonders Woman's old costume.

"Sorry for the delay." Diana apologised. "Someone forgot to check the tank before we left."

Donna sighed. "I said I was sorry."

Cassie hit them. "You two, stop fighting."

Once Cassie managed to stop the two bickering, they split off to socialise. Diana went to Bruce, and Clark, Donna to Dick, and Babs, and Cassie found her way to me.

She had a beaming smile on her face. "You look amazing."

"Thank you. You look beautiful."

She gestured to my gloves. "Got them from Zee?"

"She recommended a store."

I gestured to her skirt. "Diana's?"

"Bingo."

The two of us began chatting. Tim, Cass, and Steph joined us. We giggled amongst ourselves until the time came for us to leave.

Alfred walked over to us. "Miss Ashleigh, Miss Sandsmark, I believe it is time we leave."

Alfred, and Cassie began walking off. I went to follow them, but Steph grabbed my arm, and gestured to the flowers. "Forgetting something."

"Oh yeah." I quickly grabbed them. "Thanks."

Cass kissed my cheek. "Head up, be proud." 

"Thanks."

I caught up with the two. Cassie looked at me. "What held you up?"

"I forgot something." I presented the flowers to her.

She examined them. "They're beautiful. What are they?"

"Flowers."

She punched my arm. "I know that. What kind?"

"Oh. The red ones are amaryllis, the yellow are orchids, and the blue ones are larkspur."

"I've never heard of that last one."

"Neither have I."

"Did you just choose these because of my costume?"

"For the most part."

"Dork. I love them."

We wandered out to the car that Alfred had for us. We sat into the back.

"Flowers, and our own car, not a bad start to a date."

"The seperate car was Dick's idea." I admitted.

"In that case I'm surprised it's not filled with rose petals and candles."

"Oh don't worry, he wanted to."

"He's like a cliche romance novel, in the best ways. What stopped him?"

"Babs had him a short leash. He wanted to arrange a romantic candle lit dinner in the fanciest restraunt in Gotham. I figured that might be too much."

"That's ridiculous but sweet. Someone going to be lucky to have him one day."

"Yeah, they are. Would you have liked that?"

"I'll love whatever we do, as long as we do it together."

"I'll remember that for next time."

She smiled "Already thinking about a next time?"

"No. I mean yeah, but- sorry."

"It's alright, Ash. You don't have to be nervous."

"Says you. I don't think I've ever seen you nervous."

"I'm nervous right now."

"About the date?"

"Yeah."

"You have nothing to worry about, this is going to be the best date I've ever been on."

"How are you so sure?"

"I've never been on a date before."

Cassie laughed. "Doesn't that mean it will also be the worst date you've ever been on?"

"Shush."

The rest of the ride was filled with our typical banter. It felt so natural that I forgot it was a date. I only remembered as we pulled up to the Gala. I stepped out of the car, turned, and offered Cassie a hand out. "M'lady."

She took my hand, and giggled. "You're such an idiot."

We headed into the building. As we walked in, hand in hand, I realized something. I was so worried about the date portion, I forgot to ask what you actually did at a Gala other then dance.

I guess I have to do as I usually do, figure it out along the way, and pretend I knew all along.

The first thing I spotted once we were inside was the huge Christmas tree. It was bigger then any I'd ever seen, and beautifully decorated.

I was quickly whisked away as Cassie pulled me along behind her. Hours passed as we chatted, and joked. It really didn't feel much different then when we normally hung out.

We talked to people, the Bats, the Wonders, others who I'd never met before. When it came to that, it was more Cassie talking, and me hiding behind her. I did notice that Artemis, and Jay were no where to be seen however.

Eventually, we spotted them standing by the food table. Cassie gently dragged me along behind her as we headed over to them.

Closer now I noticed that Artemis had her hand up Jay's skirt. The two were so busy with whatever they we're doing, they didn't hear us approach.

Cassie coughed. Artemis quickly straightened up, her hand accidently pulling Jay's skirt up. He quickly pushed it down. "Hey!"

"Don't blame me. You should have worn trousers under it."

"I like the breeze."

Cassie, and I giggled at the two. "Should we even ask?"

Jay reached into his skirt, and pulled out a resealable bag full of treats. "Stealing."

I looked at him curiously. "Where were you keeping that?"

"I have the inside lined with pockets."

Cassie shook her head while chuckling. "Why are you even stealing that food, it's free?"

Artemis shrugged. "It's more fun."

I nudged Jay. "You can't go one night without some kind of mischief can you?"

"God, no."

Artemis began whispering to Cassie. Jay, and I watched them curiously. The two girls looked to us. "One moment."

They walked away, still whispering. I turned to Jay. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea." He turned back to me. "Anyway, how's the date been?"

"Great."

"And the ride here?"

"It was good, yeah. We chatted."

Jay smirked. "Is that all you did?"

"I'm going to hit you, really fucking hard."

"So is that a yes?"

"This close, Jay."

"You wouldn't hit me."

"Keep pushing, and you'll find out."

Jay was about to respond when music suddenly came on. I watched as people gathered into the center of the room.

He nudged me. "You should go dance with her."

"I might mess up. The last thing I want is to fall over her, or the other way around."

"You've been practicing all week for this. You never once knocked Cass."

"That's Cass."

"Good point."

"If she doesn't bring it up, I think I'll just avoid it."

"Too bad." He grabbed the scruff of my dress, and dragged me towards Cassie.

I tried to pry his hands from my dress. "Jay, I swear to god."

"You are going to dance. Babs, and Cass spent all week teaching you."

"Fine."

We got to Cassie, and Artemis. They looked over at us. Jay kept a hold of the neck of my dress. "Ask."

I turned to Cassie. "Would you like to dance?"

Cassie smirked. "Depends, is Jay going to dance with us."

I elbowed his stomach. He recoiled, and let go of me. "No. He won't."

Artemis laughed as he grabbed her arm to stabilise himself. Cassie, and I headed out to the dance floor. She took my hand. "You know how to slow dance?"

I placed my free hand on her shoulder. "Yeah."

She placed her other hand on my side. "Guess I'm leading."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I can lead if you'd prefer."

"It's alright, Ash."

We moved around the ballroom elegantly to the song. Eventually Cassie closed the gap between us. "You know, Ash. For a someone who seemed like they really didn't want to dance, you're quite good at it."

"I've been practicing."

"With Dick?"

"No. He wanted to show me, but Babs wouldn't let him. She, and Cass showed me."

"That explains it."

The song stopped, and we stepped apart. "What now?"

"Wanna take a walk?"

"Sure."

We soon found ourselves out to the balcony. It was empty. The silence was nice, as was the cool winter breeze. "Tonights been nice, Cassie. Thank you."

She leaned her head onto my shoulder. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I'm sorry if it wasn't what you wanted."

"I wanted a date with you, Ash. The Gala was just a great excuse for it. Tonight's been everything I wanted."

"Tonight's been a night of firsts for me."

"Oh, yeah?"

"First Gala, first date, first slow dance, even my first time wearing a dress out. It's been an amazing night, Cassie, and I have you to thank for all of it."

"This nights not over yet, Ash."

"Something you had in mind?"

"I was thinking we spend more time out here."

"That'd be nice. Maybe we can do this again. The whole date thing."

"I'd love to. Any suggestions?"

"How about the restaurant Dick was on about?"

"Sounds like a nice place."

"It would be with you there."

Cassie looked at me. "Did you just attempt to flirt?"

"Depends, was it any good?"

She kissed my cheek. "Awful, but you tried."

I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. I stared out into the darkness. It got dark so quickly during the winter. The Bats, usually, would be out on patrol by now, and I would be home worried sick, but not tonight. Tonight, I knew they were inside, enjoying themselves, safe, and that made me happy. As did Cassie's hand in mine.

Today was a good day.

. . . . .

Writing this fic was so hard for so many reasons. The primary one was just to find the motivation to finish it. I set a deadline for myself of the 10th. It is not but the 10th but close enough. I think this turned out great, hope you enjoy. I also intend to post a Xmas fic soon aswell, so look out for that if you're interested. Though it might not be out by Xmas if I'm not feeling like it.

#oc #batfam #batfamily #fanfic #fanfiction #cassie sandsmark #wonder girl #carrie kelley #batgirl #harper row #bluebird #kate kane #batwoman #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #red hood #artemis of bana mighdall #artemis grace #cassandra cain #cain #orphan #stephanie brown #spoiler #duke thomas #signal #dick grayson #nightwing #wonder woman #diana prince

[absentlyabbie]

“Not the best with words, but I’m told I’m great with a hug.” - Family and (mis)fortune fic 😊 if that's okay, i love this au so so much haha

thanks for this prompt, anon! sorry it’s a month late in the filling, but i’ve been working at it the whole time, i promise. i hope this satisfies what you wanted, and thanks so much for loving this self-indulgent crack au with me <3

a family and (mis)fortune fic

on ao3

moments growing up in the life of tommy merlyn, part-time wayne foster child. (four)

—————

Bruce was at a loss.

For reasons beyond comprehension, it hadn’t been nearly this difficult to bring Dick into his home; maybe they had just grieved too much the same, raged too much the same. Bruce had understood Dick all too well. Not that that had made things easy at the very beginning, but it meant Bruce had something to start with.

Tommy was nothing like that.

He was certainly angry, and undoubtedly grieving. But everything he did was an attempt to hide or subvert those things. He was either bright and animated like a boy who didn’t know a fraction of his loss and hurt, or he was shut down and silent.

“He’ll open up,” Alfred had assured him after the boys had gone upstairs. “You were rather a closed fist yourself in his position.”

“That was different,” Bruce replied, lips pressed in thought. “And I was never in his position.”

“No?” Alfred questioned, that one challenging eyebrow arched. “Alone in all the world, too full of things too large for that age?”

Bruce shook his head, the tilt of his smile wry. “I wasn’t truly alone. I had you.”

Alfred only hummed at that. Nevertheless, his point was made.

Huffing a laugh, Bruce nodded. “Alright. Fine. I’m going.”

Up the stairs and down the hall, past Dick’s room, down two doors and across the hall. The door was open, the boys’ voices spilling into the hall all chatter and laughter. It made Bruce breathe a little sigh of relief; he hadn’t known for sure if they would get along. He had of course thought it likely, the factors enough in favor of that outcome it had helped make the decision for him. But they were five years apart in age, and Bruce knew so little about Tommy and how he was likely to react that he was pretty much a wildcard.

He paused just outside the door, eavesdropping shamelessly.

“Oh cool, I’ve seen this movie. How come this one’s in your suitcase and not with the rest of your stuff?” Dick was asking.

“It’s my favorite,” Tommy answered, more solemnly than the context seemed to justify.

Dick’s cheer took on a valiant, striving edge. “Yeah? I get that. Robin Williams is hilarious. And man, Rufio, so cool right?”

“Yeah, Rufio’s awesome.”

There was a pause, then Dick asked, carefully lightly. “I guess that’s not why it’s your favorite though?”

A rustle of cloth, maybe a shrug. “My Mom got it for me. It was the last thing she gave me, before she…”

“Oh. Yeah. Well, if you ever wanna watch it, I’m in. Or not, if that’s better?”

“No,” Tommy hurried to reply. “No, that’d be cool.”

“Cool,” Dick echoed. “Wait’ll you see the entertainment room, it’s almost like being at the theater. Bruce almost never uses it, but I guess he figured if you’ve got a bazillion dollars and you’re gonna take in feral acrobats as a new and eccentric hobby, you gotta trick out one room with stuff kids like.” He paused, his voice dropping to a teasing stage whisper that might as well have been an elbow in Bruce’s ribs; his presence had been noted. “Honestly, it was probably Alfred, I’d bet.”

“Yeah? I mean, home was…” Tommy’s pause was less a hesitation than a sinkhole in the middle of his sentence. “I mean, we’re rich. Were rich. But this place is bigger. We didn’t have like a movie theater in the house or anything. Dad would’ve—”

Bruce held his breath, but Dick didn’t break into the sudden anger of that bitten-off phrase.

Anger banked to bitter, and Tommy forged through the end of the sentence. “Dad would’ve said something like that was a waste for just me.”

There was another pause, but it seemed like Dick was just letting that moment breathe for a second, letting the hurt bleed a little, bleed off a little. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and so sincere Bruce was struck with gratitude that his protege was not merely clever and insightful, but so genuinely kind.

“Well, there’s two of us here. We’ll do movie nights, make sure we make good use of it.”

Tommy’s answer was quiet, shyly pleased. “Okay. That sounds good.”

Bruce figured he’d better make this his opportunity, otherwise the eavesdropping would stretch to a point that was just awkward. He stepped into the doorway, leaning against the jamb as he rapped his knuckles gently against the polished mahogany. “How’s it going in here?”

Dick turned to him with an amused raise of his brows, seated on Tommy’s bed with a plastic VHS case next to him. Tommy was standing next to him, his suitcase open on the foot of the bed, contents in the process of untidily transferring to the chest of drawers against the wall. It hit Bruce like a punch to the chest—and he’d know—the way Tommy visibly closed up at the sight of him.

He’d need to address that, and soon. At least try.

In fact…

Bruce cleared his throat and canted his head towards the hall. “Dick, can you give me a minute with Tommy? I’m sure Alfred could use some help with dinner.”

Dick launched gracefully to his feet with a melodramatic sigh and accompanying eyeroll. “Fine. I mean, it’s not like we can let you do it. I want dinner to be edible, and Alfred doesn’t deserve that kind of stress.”

Bruce just rolled his eyes towards the ceiling as if his patience were perhaps hidden in the attic. Dick snickered. He passed Bruce and out the door, squawking indignantly as Bruce took mild revenge by ruffling his hair. Dick bobbed away and stampeded down the hall.

Bruce smiled fondly after him a moment before turning to Tommy.

The younger boy wasn’t looking at him, head bent as he sloppily folded a pair of jeans that had been more neatly folded before he began. His movements were slow and clumsy, and Bruce knew he was paying less attention to his task than he was to appearing to not pay attention to Bruce.

Inhaling deeply, Bruce reached for somewhere to begin. “Mind if I come in?”

Tommy looked up at him, first with surprise, then muted skepticism. “It’s your house.”

“And your room,” Bruce pointed out mildly, inclining his head. Tommy blinked at him and he let his smile show just a little more. “Hopefully you’ll think of this as your house, too, someday.”

That statement struck.

Bruce’s chest clenched in surprise and a tinge of regret at the way Tommy’s face flickered—first with shock, then a longing so piercing it howled, then a cynical misery he wasn’t nearly old enough for—before blanking entirely.

Tommy’s only answer, in the end, was a shrug.

Wincing, Bruce scratched idly at the back of his neck. “You don’t have to, of course. I don’t want to pressure you, Tommy. I know this is all sudden, and very far from home, and you don’t know me well.”

Tommy stared at him, jeans forgotten in his hands and brows pulling together with each word in a dubious frown. “Well. Yeah.”

Bruce chuckled a little awkwardly, at himself. He wasn’t exactly sticking this landing. “I’m just trying to say that I hope you can feel comfortable here. I want you to feel like this is home. Like you have a place here.”

Tommy worried his upper lip with his teeth, brows still knotted over that steady gaze. For a moment, he looked like he might actually show Bruce how he was really feeling, like they might actually, really connect.

His thin chest expanded on a deep breath, and Bruce waited, hopeful.

But then Tommy’s face twisted in a duh expression Dick would have been proud to pull off. He smirked in that ridiculing way only children manage, but his tone wasn’t mean so much as teasing when he said, “That’s what you were trying to say?”

Bruce wished he could take back the laugh that startled out of him. He genuinely did. It only encouraged Tommy to push that fake humor further.

Tommy’s smirk bloomed into a grin that would have been brilliant if it hadn’t been paper thin. “You’re not very good with words, are you.”

Bruce arched his brows at the sling of that sass. God, if he and Dick ever ganged up on him, he was in deep shit.

Worse, he was about to have to squash it.

He couldn’t just let this go on. Let Tommy keep tumbling into whatever role he thought would play best to his new audience whenever he didn’t want to feel what he was feeling, or was afraid how it would be used against him.

(It made the fist in his pocket clench, to think of who must have taught him that survival mechanism. He was a little boy. No nine-year-old should be this attuned to the moods of the adults around them. Too many, too many of those adults had shaped Tommy this way when he was too young and too malleable, and if the first to do it weren’t already dead, Bruce would be hunting down Malcolm Merlyn under cape and cowl for a reckoning.)

“You don’t have to do that, Tommy.”

He said it softly, but Tommy still flinched. Barely visible, too consciously suppressed for Bruce’s comfort.

His chin briefly wobbling, Tommy widened his eyes and stiffened his upper lip, looking down at his half empty suitcase and deflecting, “It seems rude to make that Alfred guy do it. They’re my underwear.”

Bruce sighed. “You know I’m not talking about your clothes.” Finally, he moved into the room, stopping a couple feet on the opposite side of the bed, both hands in his pockets, shoulders in a posture intended not to intimidate. Tommy hunched anyways. “You don’t have to make me laugh to stay here. You don’t have to be anything to stay here. Just you. I know you’ve been shuffled around and left waiting to know where you were allowed to be. So I’ll just say it. You’re allowed to be here.”

Tommy’s head jerked up and he stared, eyes round and tense, that betraying wobble back in his chin. His breath hissed too rapidly from his nose, knuckles going white on the edge of his open suitcase. Quiet but heated, he whispered, “For now.”

Bruce felt his own face betray him, saw Tommy’s sharp eyes clock the devastated twitch of his brows, the parting of his lips.

Immediately, reflexively, Tommy’s mouth split in another grin bright and false as tinted foil. “I mean. You said I’m going back to Starling for school, right? So. For—for now. Then, I’m back at school. I’ve never been in the dorms. It’ll probably be… cool.”

Bruce firmed his jaw and tucked his chin, meeting Tommy’s fevered eyes seriously. He ignored the entire tumble of words, cutting through the panic, through the act. Direct, Bruce Wayne could do. “You belong here. Not just now. Yes, you’ll go back to school. And when school is out, you’ll be back. Because you’ll still belong here.”

Tommy’s defenses—too well built, too resilient—finally cracked. His grin faltered, slipped. And when it dropped entirely, tears spilled sudden as a faucet over Tommy’s cheeks. He jerked, wiped frantically at his face, and when the tears kept coming and his breath hitched in a sob, he turned sharply away, putting his back to Bruce.

“I-I’m fine,” he stammered damply. “I’m fine. Sorry. I’m fine.”

Bruce’s heart clenched so tightly he thought it might implode from the pain of seeing how disposable this child had been made to feel. “No. You’re not. And that’s okay. Even if you’re not fine, you still belong here.” He paused as Tommy glanced at him over his shoulder, face red, tears still coming, shoulders shaking. “I probably should have said that in the first place.”

Maybe it was time to stop waiting on Tommy. Maybe it was time to reach towards him first for once. Bruce moved around the foot of the bed, stopping and sitting gingerly beside the suitcase when Tommy whirled towards him, tripping back a step over his own feet.

Bruce tried a smile for him as Tommy just stared at him and cried. He still hadn’t responded to being told he belonged. Bruce suspected he was afraid to.

Sighing, he nodded, smile rueful. “You were right, I’m not very good with words.”

This surprised a wet laugh out of Tommy, a muffled giggle that made him sound more his actual age. “Told you.”

Bruce’s eyes crinkled back at Tommy, and Tommy tried to fist the wet tracks off his red cheeks.

Lifting his head higher, Bruce pushed the suitcase towards the pillows and patted the comforter beside him. “Well. I may not be the best with words, but I’m told I’m great with a hug.” He held an arm out to the side, an offer. “If that’s alright?”

Tommy hesitated, biting his lip so hard Bruce worried it would bleed. Finally, haltingly, Tommy closed the steps to the bed and sat next to Bruce. Meeting him halfway. Bruce’s heart soared in triumph and relief and he wrapped his arm around Tommy’s shoulders—too thin, small for his age—and squeezed him gently against his side.

Letting his head fall against his shoulder, Tommy tsked. “Great with a hug, huh?” Bruce looked down at him with a raised eyebrow and caught the edge of Tommy’s smirk, the boy’s head angled down. This smile, at least, looked real. “Somebody lied to you.”

Bruce didn’t try not to laugh this time, and Tommy’s joined his, filling the room.

He hoped it was a sound they’d all get used to.

—————

@memcjo @klaus-hargreeves-katz @its-a-pygmy-puffle @keabbs @princesssarcastia @obscure-sentimentalist @icannotbelieveiamhere @p0cketw0tch @andyouweremine @storiesofimagination @acheaptrickandacheesyoneline @cronusamporaofficial @batsonthebrain @adeusminhacolombina @relevanttosomeone

#tommy merlyn #bruce wayne #dick grayson #arrow #arrow fic #batfam #family and (mis)fortune au #fam au #bruce is just a tall child trying to pretend he has any business raising short children #but oh my god does he try #Anonymous #asked and answered

[birds-and-batkids]

So it'd aro-spec awareness week well the last day of it so here's a aro-spec Bruce fic!

The reliance on romance was always strange to Bruce. He was lonely, sometimes, in the big house with only Alfred for company and dreamed of a family, a large family that filled every bedroom and hall. 

He filled his time in the cave, trying to ignore the empty house overhead. He was the dark night, he had no need to interaction. He hated being Bruce, the lonely billionaire. He hated the girls swooning over him at parties and the rejecting them time and time again. He was too busy, it was too dangerous to let anyone in. 

He really hadn't meant to take in a kid. The boy was sitting at the table, playing with his food. Bruce saw too much of himself in him, the pain of losing a family, the quiet boy at the end of a long dinner table. Alfred's hot chocolate left almost untouched. 

He could tell from the pain in Alfred's eyes that he saw it too. 

The rumours came of course, followed by more calls for Bruce to settle down, find someone, start a 'real' family. It hurt more than Bruce thought it would. 

At least he had an excuse to turn people who wanted to date him away at Galas in the form of a boy in a suit who practically clung to his leg. 

Dick grew up, soon going off on his own. The Teen Titans was the first step, the freedom of being away from home. Eventually he left all together. 

Once more Bruce tried to ignore the emptiness of the house which was once filled with life. Later on, when everything had been fixed between them, Dick would fondly call it the empty nest syndrome, a fitting metaphor from his not-so-little bird. 

People talked of course, about it not lasting, about the boy running away. About how the limelight was too much or maybe it was something else. Maybe it would have been different if Bruce only settled down. He was getting after all. 

He's not sure what he saw in the second boy. Maybe what he could have been, maybe a way to help fix Gotham in a small way. Maybe it was just a lonely, scared little boy. He was more like Bruce than either of them cared to admit. 

Jason was different, more violent, less hopeful. He had seen the truth of Gotham and how harsh she could be. It made him determined though and kind, kind to the kids, especially those like him.

He was an even better distraction from potential dates than Dick for all the wrong reasons. Maybe were put off, insisting that it must have been a one night stand. He would take in a street rat. Jason didn't exactly fit in either, his manners were messy and his language and accent made him stick out. Bruce loved him all the same, he made sure to sneak out of Galas extra early when Jason was around. 

Then disaster struck and the best became empty once more. Eventually Dick came around, they grew closer, despite each having deep-rooted regrets. Batman came colder, darker, more feared. Gotham would not take another child under his watchful eye. 

The next boy was a light, a deep and hopeful light. He had intelligence to match batman and soon proved his worth. The best felt more full again, and yet the empty room on the second floor still hung over them. 

Jason returned, more angry and hurting than before. Gotham gained a new villain and Bruce lost his son once more. In time the two would be reunited on rough ground until the room no longer hung over them like a shadow but contained the grown boy from time to time. 

Then came a young girl with a passion for good despite her upbringing. His pride and joy. She danced and expressed herself in a way not many could understand but still found companionship in those around. She understood him more than most, understanding how the body spoke more than words. She helped the others understand his love. 

The next was his own son, this one a product of a short relationship, the kind Bruce didn't mind as much. He was young and yet so grown up, Bruce wasn't around to see him grow into a child. The youngest bird was brash and quick to anger but kind. He also had the adoption habits of his father and the house was soon filled with animals as well, cats and dogs filling the halls. Bruce regretted missing so much but saw the love for his older brother in the boys eyes. It always made him glad that Dick could be the older brother he always wanted to be. 

There were others along the way. Not all of them wanted a father, but he loved them as his own. A blonde girl who he regretted underestimating and wished he could show that. A blue-haired inventor with a passion for protection and her wonderful and kind little brother. A red haired girl who fought back from the bottom to become a centre of knowledge. So many others that came into his care and his children’s friends too. The house was barely ever empty, the way he liked it. Not that he could admit that. 

Then came the last boy. He was a true beacon, taking on a role no one else could manage. Not for lack of pain, but for staying bright throughout it. At first, he felt left out, too different to fit in, but over time he learned that he did. Bruce still smiled a little anytime he saw him and his siblings bonding, connecting. 

Everyone began to find themselves. Ace. Trans. Non-binary. Bi. Pan. Polyam. Gay. Lesbian. A sea of rainbows in his not so little family. All were accepted with open arms by all. Soon he to found his word, shown by the children he loved. Aromantic. 

People thought Aromantic meant destine to be alone, to be lost in a sea of romance, to never find anyone to stick around. Bruce knew this wasn't true. He knew it from the family dinners ending in fights, the collection of people finding comfort in his bed after a bad night, the movie nights. He found it most of all when he stood side by side with his family, facing the brightly lit Gotham’s streets with pride flags around their necks. When for a few hours everything bad with the world was forgotten, the camera’s on them lost in the crowds. The cheering and smiles filling the air.

He looked around at those he held most dear and released it was all he ever needed and that he was never, ever, alone. 

#bruce wayne #batfam #aromantic #asaw #duke thomas #cassandra cain #dick grayson #jadon todd #tim drake #damian wayne #a few other too! #this is my first batfam peice not in titans so yeah sorry if its bad

[thehelleniclunarwitch]

Oh To Be a Barton (Chapter Fourteen)

As a reminder I’m shit posting. This is an unfinished story and this is all she wrote. Please do not ask for me to update it. Thanks!

Tagged: @justgrits

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Four Years Later*

Slowly, the door creaked open. Clint and Natasha crept across the wooden floor and over to the large bed. Clint walked around to stand on the opposite side of the bed to look over at Natasha. He looked up at the woman he loved. Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness and her face was bright and had a large grin. Silently, Clint counted to three and then the pair jumped on top of the bed.

Emily groaned as she was hit with the full weight of her brother and his fiance. She struggled to get her arms free, but both of them kept her tucked under her covers. They planted wet, slobbery kisses all over her face before they moved to lay next to her. Emily let out a long sigh as the sandwiched her between them.

"Happy Birthday!" Natasha and Clint exclaimed together.

"It's too early," Emily complained.

Clint scoffed. "It's never too early to start celebrating a birthday."

"Especially since you're turning seventeen, Em," Natasha added.

"What's so great about seventeen?" Emily asked in reply.

"Oh no, young lady. You will not be a party pooper on your own birthday." Clint informed her.

"Then give me like two more hours," Emily whined snuggling into her covers.

"Can't sweetie," Natasha said, pulling back the covers.

"We have so much to do today," Clint said.

"Why must I be tortured on my birthday?" Emily asked no one particularly.

"Oh come on, you'll love it." Natasha grinned.

Emily eyed the couple. "What do you two have planned?"

Clint looked over at Natasha and she just smiled back.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Clint lied.

"Clinton Francis Barton, don't you lie to me." Emily scolded.

"Francis." Natasha snorted.

"I hate when you use my middle name," Clint whined. "And shut up, Natasha."

"I wouldn't have to use your forbidden middle name if you would just leave me alone." Emily pointed out.

"You're the reason why we can't have nice things." Clint pouted.

"So mature," Emily scoffed as she tried pulling the blankets up further over her head.

"Oh no, you don't!" Natasha exclaimed yanking the blankets off the bed.

Emily let out a frustrated scream.

"Get dressed and meet us downstairs in five minutes or it will be the big guy coming up here for you next." Clint threatened.

"First of all, the big guy doesn't scare me. Secondly, the Hulk loves and adores me. He'll listen to me and leave me alone." Emily reminded her brother.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about Bruce. I was threatening you with Fury." Clint smugly replied.

Emily tossed her pillow at her brother.

"You're so rude!" She growled.

Clint easily caught the pillow and flung it back at his sister. Before Emily could retaliate once again, Natasha and Clint quickly abandoned Emily's room leaving her to get around for the day. Knowing better than going back to bed, Emily pulled herself to the edge of the bed and then simply fell out of the bed onto the floor. She laid on the floor for a full minute before finally getting up and getting around for the day.

She didn't bother to brush her hair instead, he piled the long brown mess on top of her head and secured it with two of her hair ties. Emily dug around in her dresser for a pair of black leggings and then slipped them over her hips. She bit her lip as she mulled over what shirt she wanted to wear. Having no idea what the two of them were up to Emily went for comfort rather than dressy. Emily pulled on her favorite dark blue Star Labs sweater and then grabbed a pair of socks.

Once her socks and boots were on her feet, Emily quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She swiped on some deodorant and then splashed a little bit of perfume on before calling it good. Grabbing her trusty backpack, Emily whipped open her bedroom door and then jogged down the stairs.

"Alright, I'm ready for the day, you brats," Emily growled as she rounded the corner.

She froze in her spot as she took in the sight before her. The dining room and kitchen were decorated in purple and silver streamers and balloons. A huge 'Happy Birthday Emily!' banner hung over the table.  To her even greater surprise, the farmhouse was filled with her most favorite and cherished people.

"What in the world?" Emily asked in confusion.

"Happy Birthday!" The group rang out and Emily's mouth fell open.

"Look at that, the kid is speechless." Fury teased.

Emily narrowed her eyes at him and he just laughed before coming forward to hug her first. Everyone was there in her house to celebrate her seventeenth birthday. Piper and Peter stood with Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim. Wade was even there grinning like a fool in the corner. Maria Hill had come along with Fury. Her dad was there which surprised her that he was able to sneak away from Stark. Emily was excited to see everyone, but she was most excited to see Steve Rogers standing by the punch bowl with a dark skinned man standing next to him.

"I can't believe you all came." Emily gushed.

"I know your past birthdays haven't been so grand. I wanted to make this one extra special." Clint admitted as he kissed Emily on the forehead.

"He's been planning this for months," Natasha told her. "He worked so hard to make sure that everyone could make it all in one day."

"I don't know what to say, Clint. This is amazing." Emily said.

"Just enjoy your day with your family and friends," Clint replied.

"Thanks, Clint," Emily said.

Clint grinned. "You're welcome. Now go and enjoy your party."

Emily mingled her way through the party. She made sure she spent enough time with each and every one of her guests. At first, she wanted to go right to Steve and his friend, but Emily didn't want to be rude to her friends and family. Slowly, but surely, Emily made it around to the snack table. Steve and his friend met Emily with giant grins.

"Hi, Steve!" Emily greeted a little too enthusiastically.

"I was wondering when we'd get to talk to the birthday girl," Steve said.

"Here I am." Emily smiled. "I'm glad that you came."

"I wouldn't miss it," Steve said.

"Hi Emily, I'm Sam Wilson, a friend of Steve's. I hope you don't mind that I tagged along." Sam said.

"Oh no, more the merrier. It's nice to meet you." Emily said, shaking his hand.

"Steve told me a lot about you. You live quite the interesting life." Sam said.

Emily laughed. "Yeah, they keep me on my toes."

Emily lost herself in the conversation with Sam and Steve. Wade had hopped over into the conversation draping himself onto Emily. He leaned his head against her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist. Since the three of them had never been to the farmhouse before Emily decided to give them a tour.

Halfway through, Wade got distracted by an argument Peter and Dick were having and left Emily to defend his boyfriend. Sam and Steve, followed Emily upstairs.

"I'm slightly embarrassed to show you my room," Emily admitted.

"Why is that?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Well, because of this," Emily said pushing open her bedroom door.

Steve stepped in first. Sam let out a soft chuckle as he moved around the room looking at all of Emily's things. Steve glanced back at Emily who was standing there slightly brushing.

"It's not like I'm a stalker or anything, I promise." Emily began.

Steve smiled. "I remember Coulson telling me about how I was your role model."

"I'm coming off creepy, aren't I?" Emily asked.

Above Emily's bed hung an exact replica of Steve's shield. Her trading cards along with Coulson's were framed and were placed on her bookshelf between her collection of books. Some of his old posters from back in the day were framed and nicely hung on her walls along with collages that looked like she had made herself of her family and friends.

"It's not creepy at all. It's nice knowing that I was, still am, someone's role model." Steve told her.

"When you were found and they had, uh, defrosted you, Coulson had promised me that one day we would meet. I was so determined to make a great first impression so that maybe one day we could be friends." Emily admitted.

Steve surprised Emily by pulling her in for a hug. Emily wrapped her arms around his torso and gave him a slight squeeze.

"I don't have many friends nowadays," Steve said.

"But, after Coulson died I didn't really have an in with you so I kind of just dropped the possibility of being friends," Emily told him.

"Well, I think today is a great start to a friendship. What do you think?" Steve asked her.

Emily's face filled with a bright smile. "Really?"

Steve nodded. "I think-"

Steve was cut off when Fury shouted for Steve and Sam to come and join him. Emily followed behind them as they raced down the stairs. Natasha gave Emily a sad look and Clint was grabbing his arrows.

"Wait, what's going on?" Emily asked.

"Sorry, Emily, but we have to go." Clint apologized.

"Wait, why?" Emily asked in confusion.

"We don't have time to explain. Just stay here and don't leave the farmhouse." Clint said.

"You can't leave me on my birthday, Clint!" Emily exclaimed.

"There's something going on and we all hoped that we'd be able to go a day without a problem, but that's not going to happen," Clint explained.

"Can I help?" Emily asked.

"No, Em. Just stay here and enjoy the rest of your day. We'll be back as soon as we can." Natasha added.

Emily's face fell.

"Wilson, do you have everything you need?" Fury asked.

"How come Sam gets to be a part of this, but I can't?" Emily asked.

"Please, Emily, just stay here." Clint kissed her cheek and then the six of them rushed out of the house.

Emily stood on the front porch and watched as Maria climbed behind the wheel of the SUV. None of them looked back at Emily as they left. Emily leaned against the railing and watched them drive away. Emily heard a nervous breath catch behind her, Emily turned to see her dad standing there.

"Let me guess, you have to leave too?" Emily asked him.

"Someone has to distract Tony. Whatever Steve and the others are doing can't involve Tony." Bruce explained.

"It's fine. Go. Keep Tony away from the others," Emily said.

"You know if I had any other choice, I'd stay, Em," Bruce replied.

"I know that, dad. Just go," Emily said, turning away from him.

Bruce came up behind her and kissed the top of her head. He already had his bag and headed down to his car. Emily stood on the porch for a few more minutes before remembering that Bruce and her friends were still here. Emily went inside letting the screen door slam behind her.

"Cheer up, Em. We're still here and ready to party," Wade grinned.

"I appreciate it guys, but I'm not up for any more celebration," Emily told them.

"Emily, come on we'll keep you busy. This will be your best birthday yet." Peter said.

Emily shook her head. "Sorry guys, just leave the mess and go on home."

Her friends watched Emily walk up stairs. they waited until they heard her bedroom door slam shut before any of them let out their breaths that they were holding. Bruce looked over at his children. He could tell that they were all just as sad as Emily.

"The least we can do is clean up this mess before we go," Bruce said.

"Yeah, good idea, pops," Tim said, grabbing a pile of discarded plates.

Everyone began to chip in and pick up the mess from the party. With his dad and siblings distracted, Jason slipped up the stairs and down to Emily's bedroom. He pressed his ear against her door. When he heard the soft cries Jason suppressed his groan and then entered.

"Just go home," Emily said.

Jason ignored her wishes and crawled into the bed next to her. The pair lay silent on their backs. Both of them watched the ceiling fan whip around and around. Once in a while, Emily would wipe at the tears on her cheeks. Jason said nothing. He let his friend cry. He figured his presence there was good enough. Jason knew he wasn't good at the whole talking and sharing feelings thing, but he knew what it felt like to be disappointed by the ones you called your family.

"You don't have to babysit me. I'm not going to do anything dramatic," Emily told him.

Jason scoffed. "I know you, you'll do something stupid just for the attention,"

"I haven't done that since I was a kid," Emily pointed out.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Old habits die hard,"

"I'm so thankful that I have your sunshine personality to cheer me up," Emily complained.

"Oh please, if you didn't want me here you would have kicked me out already. You're thankful that it's not Wade or Peter in here trying to get you to talk about your feelings and all of that bullshit," Jason said.

Emily let out a small chuckle. "That's true,"

"Now shut up and enjoy the silence," Jason sighed.

Emily fell silent again. Her attention returned to the ceiling fan spinning above her. Emily could feel Jason's arm resting gently next to hers. Knowing that it would probably make him mad, Emily laced her hand with Jason's anyway. The boy tensed at the sudden contact, but he didn't tear his hand away in disgust. It wasn't as if Emily was wanting to hold his hand for anything romantic. She just desperately craved the support that she was lacking from her family.

To her surprise, Jason gave her hand a squeeze. A small smile teased her lips, but she kept her appreciation to herself. Emily didn't know how long the pair laid like that watching the ceiling fan spin around in the silence, but Emily ended up dozing off.

When she woke up from her nap, the house was dark and eerily quiet. Groaning, Emily rolled over onto her side to check her phone. She had several text messages from her friends to enjoy the rest of her birthday and they would check in with her tomorrow.

Slipping from her bed, Emily headed downstairs to get something to drink and tackle her birthday mess. She wasn't all that surprised to find the house squeaky cleaned. She sent out a silent thank you to her friends before tracking into the kitchen. She pulled out the tray of vegetables and the plate full of finger sandwiches. Emily piled a plate full of the sandwiches, veggies, and a stack of cookies.

"Homer, turn on the news," Emily muttered.

"Right away, Emily," Homer replied.

Emily picked at her food as she watched the news. Most of her food sat untouched as Emily was too engrossed with the news. There was a segment on a new project coming through Stark Industries. Emily rolled her eyes when she saw Tony Stark on the screen. When her phone began to ring, Emily was tempted not to answer it, but she didn't want anyone to think that something had happened to her.

"Hello," Emily answered.

"Emily! Are you okay?" Natasha asked.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," Emily answered.

"Are you alone?" Clint asked.

"Of course, I'm alone. I sent everyone home hours ago," Emily replied.

"Shit!" Clint swore.

"What's going on?" Emily asked.

"You need to get as far away from the farmhouse as possible," Natasha told her.

"Why? No one's here and I'm perfectly fine," Emily said in annoyance.

"Give me the phone," Steve growled.

"Steve, wait," Natasha hissed.

Emily could hear the fight for the phone. Natasha groaned and then Steve's voice was filling her ear.

"Emily, there's somebody coming to the house for you. To hurt me. To hurt us. You need to get out of there. Now!" Steve barked.

Emily gasped as the power cut out.

"Emily? What's wrong?" Steve asked.

"I think it's too late for me to escape," Emily whispered into the phone.

"Clint, drive faster!" Steve growled.

"We should have sent Sam ahead," Clint snarled.

"He was too hurt, Clint, " Natasha pointed out.

Emily ignored their arguing and slowly stood up from the table. She backed away from the table. The phone dangled in her hand as Emily rushed into the mudroom to pull out her emergency backpack.

"Emily!" Steve shouted her name.

"I don't think I'm alone," Emily whispered.

"Get out of the house, now," Clint hissed.

"Hang on," Emily said.

Emily slid her phone into her back pocket. She slid her backpack onto her shoulders. Tip toeing through the house, Emily slid out the back door. She jumped off the porch and then began running towards the barn. There was an ATV that Emily could drive through the woods and to the road on the other side of the wooded area.

Emily was halfway to the barn when something pinched her in the side of the neck. Emily groaned and fell to her knees. Emily scrambled to yank the dart from her neck. Emily swore and then stumbled to her feet. Thankfully, through all of her training, Emily had a high tolerance to a tranquilizer. Another pinching feeling came at the center of her back. Emily swore as she fell face first into the dirt. She could hear shoes crunching in the dirt. Emily tried looking up, but another dart landed in her arm. Emily reached forward to swipe at her attacker, but the darkness overtook her.

Her head hurt and her vision was fuzzy. Rolling around, Emily found herself in her bedroom. Sitting up, Emily's stomach rolled and she felt like she had to throw up. Emily took in a few deep breaths to keep herself from tossing her stomach. Emily rubbed her aching head. Memories came flooding back to her and Emily looked around her room, but it was empty.

Standing carefully, Emily crept across her room. She opened her door cautiously. The power had been restored as she could see the lights on from down below. She could hear soft voices coming from downstairs as well. Turning back, Emily quickly crossed her room over to the window. Slowly, she opened her window wide enough for her to slip through into the darkening sky.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," A cold voice said behind her.

Emily shook her head. "Why am I not surprised that you're a part of this?"

The man just laughed. Emily turned around and came face to face to Rumlow.

"I always knew you were a piece of scum," Emily hissed.

"It's good to see you too, princess," Rumlow grinned.

"Do I even want to know why you're here?" Emily asked him.

"Let's just say I found a better paying job," Rumlow told her.

Emily gave him a look of disgust.

"Now, if you were smart you'd follow me downstairs. There's somebody who would like to talk to you," Rumlow informed her.

"And if I don't come willingly?" Emily asked him.

"Just remember I love a good challenge," Rumlow grinned.

Emily scoffed. "You're disgusting,"

"You have no idea how disgusting I can be. Now, let's get downstairs, shall we?" Rumlow said.

Emily stormed across her bedroom, she hurried past Rumlow and kept herself out of his reach. Downstairs, there were a few more men dressed all in black. Emily eyed them carefully as she headed into the living room. Emily hesitated in the doorway when she saw the man waiting for her across the room. The metallic arm was all too familiar to her. Two years ago, she had finally been able to break through Shield's firewall and she was able to read the rest of Bucky Barnes' file. She knew who exactly was standing in front of her.

"Bucky?" Emily whispered.

The man stiffened at the name.

"You're the second person in a matter of days to call me that name," He said.

"You've seen Steve?" Emily asked him.

Rumlow thwacked her in the back of her head.

"He's the only one asking the questions here." Rumlow snarled.

Emily rubbed the back of  her head. "Watch it, Rumlow,"

"I'm the one doing the interrogation, Rumlow. If you can't keep your hands to yourself then you can stand outside," Winter Soldier snarled.

"Fine," Rumlow hissed.

The infamous Winter Soldier returned his gaze on Emily.

"Where are Steve Rogers and the others?" He asked her.

Emily shrugged. "I have no idea,"

"Tell the truth, brat," Rumlow growled.

"Do I need to remove your tongue to keep you quiet?" Winter Soldier demanded to know.

"No," Rumlow said between clenched teeth.

"Then shut up," Winter snarled.

"I don't understand how this happened to you, Bucky," Emily said in disbelief.

"You just don't know how to keep your mouth shut, do you?" Rumlow snarled before backhanding Emily.

Emily yelped as the force of the slap sent her crashing to the ground. Winter Soldier stormed across the living room and grabbed Rumlow by his neck. He held the man up above the floor and he glared at the agent.

"You just don't know how to obey orders, do you?" Winter Soldier snapped before throwing Rumlow out the front window.

Emily cringed as the glass shattered everywhere. Winter Soldier made the rest of the men wait outside as well. He didn't want anybody else interrupting him. Emily was surprised when he came over to her and held out his hand towards her. She looked at his hand cautiously before slipping her own hand into his. With one swift tug, Winter had her up on her own feet. He grabbed her face between his metallic hand and examined her face.

"I'm fine. I've been hit far worse than Rumlow," Emily told him, pulling back from his touch.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you keep avoiding my questions," He informed her.

"Listen, I know nothing. Honestly. My brother and the rest of his team keep me out of the loop. That's how they keep me protected. Yes, they were here early today celebrating my birthday, but they got some big important phone call and left. They called to check in on me, but then you showed up. They all probably think that I escaped like we had planned." Emily lied the last bit.

"Where would they go?" Winter Soldier asked.

"I don't know. There are a dozen different places they could go, but I'm sure you've already checked. You seem to have everything covered. You're so desperate that you've stooped so low to beat up a family member." Emily added.

Winter Soldier looked away from her.

"You remember him, don't you?" Emily asked suddenly.

Winter Soldier looked back at her with a glare.

"That's it, isn't it? You remembered, but he's your mission, right? So you're in a bind." Emily pointed out.

"Stop talking." Winter Soldier growled.

Emily shut her mouth.

"Call your precious Captain America and tell him that you're in danger," Winter said, holding out her phone.

Emily shook her head.

"Take the phone," Winter growled.

"I refuse to be a pawn in your stupid game," Emily informed him.

"Do you not grasp how serious this situation is?" Winter asked her.

"Oh, I understand how serious this is. That's why I'm not going to grovel for you to keep me alive. I'm definitely not going to bring my family here to die either." Emily said.

A low growl escaped from the soldier.

Winter's radio crackled before a voice came through.

"Get out of there. Reinforcements have arrived. We are outnumbered," A voice said.

"Times up," Emily said.

"We'll see about that," Winter muttered.

"What does that mean?" Emily asked in confusion.

"Let's go," Winter said, ignoring her question.

Emily let out a hiss as he grabbed her tightly by the arm. He led her through the house and then out the back door. A helicopter was waiting for them out by the barn. Rumlow and another agent were already inside waiting. Rumlow shook his head at the sight of Emily, but he said nothing. Emily fought against the soldier when he tried putting her into the chopper. Gunshots rang out and Emily began screaming for her brother to come and save her.

"Clint! Clint!" Emily screamed.

Winter picked her up and shoved her into the helicopter.

"Shut up." Rumlow snarled.

"Steve! Help me!" Emily shouted as she saw Steve burst from the house.

The helicopter lifted up into the air. Steve jumped off the tractor but missed the helicopter. Natasha began shooting at the helicopter, but it was too late. Emily leaned out of the opposite side still shouting for her brother, but the Winter Soldier pulled her back in and then slammed the doors shut. Breathing heavily, Emily looked around and that's when she realized how incredibly screwed she was. She actually believed that she wouldn't be making it out of this one alive.

"We weren't supposed to bring her back as a captive." The other agent snarled.

"I'll handle it." Winter Soldier said calmly.

"How are you going to handle her and finish your mission?" Rumlow asked.

"Are you doubting me?" Winter asked.

"No, I'm not," Rumlow said.

"Then don't worry about it. I have all of this figured out." Winter said coldly.

"Whatever, as long as I don't have to play babysitter," Rumlow complained.

"Afraid I'll slit your throat when you're not looking?" Emily asked him.

"I'd like to see you try," Rumlow laughed.

"Challenge accepted, asshole," Emily snapped.

"Shut up, both of you," Winter growled.

Emily sat back in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. she had no idea how she was going to get herself out of this one and that scared her. She was afraid that this Winter Soldier would get the drop on Steve and there would be no hope for Emily in the end. Emily knew that no matter what she had to do whatever possible to keep herself alive and get as far away from the Winter Soldier as she could or this whole situation would end up very deadly for herself and her family.

#Clint Barton #original character #Emily Barton #Bruce Banner #Nick Fury #natasha romanoff #Steve Rogers #Sam WIlson #Jason Todd #Peter Parker #Dick Grayson #Tim Drake #Bruce Wayne #Wade Wilson #Bucky Barnes #Brock Rumlow #MCU au #I bend things to my will because I can

[bigskydreaming]

I just really hate how much of Kyle’s story had to be erased or buried in order to make way for Hal’s return to the spotlight. Like the Hal being Kyle’s Space Dad thing is fun and all, sure, except for how its also this kinda obnoxious way of looping Hal into being part of Kyle’s successes and triumphs as a hero, like....after the fact though? Kyle’s entire thing is in a universe filled with legacies and mentors and sidekicks, he was the one guy who was just COMPLETELY unprepared for any of this, and just had the weight of an entire intergalactic peace-keeping corps’ tragic past and legacy just thrust on him with no warning, and the thing is....HE DIDN’T HAVE TO ACCEPT IT! Even once he understood what it was he was really inheriting, the sheer scope of it and what was expected of him now, to carry on the work that was intended to be shared by THOUSANDS, just...all by himself, with no one to teach him, guide him, share with him, understand what all this was like....

Kyle Rayner’s high concept is that in a franchise that revolves around the idea that “being a GL means you’re never truly alone, you’ll always have thousands of comrades in arms to learn from, lean on, etc”.....he was the one and only character who had to do all that ALONE. Even now, with the Corps restored and back to its full capacity, its obvious in pretty much every story that Kyle has never learned how to fit in with the rest of them, be ONE of them, like here’s this guy who busted his ass for years and years trying to make all of this possible, bring all of this back, make it so he isn’t the last one anymore, the only one....and then it HAPPENS, and he’s still kinda...lost. Because he doesn’t really fit. Because even among this chaotic community of varied experiences in the Corps, he is the ONE guy that NONE of them can ever truly relate to, not even John or Guy, because while they were still around, neither of them were expected to....BE the last Green Lantern, the way he was. Neither of them ever felt the same responsibility to fix what had been broken, that it was down to them, like Ganthet basically put on Kyle.

And like, the thing was....Hal wasn’t there for any of that really. And when he was, most of it was as the BAD GUY that Kyle was fighting, the one who had destroyed everything Kyle was stuck trying to fix. Yeah, ultimately the Parallax retcon made all of that not really his fault and so its not like Kyle blames him for any of that, or should, but its also like....what are you doing, acting like the guy who was literally the face of his enemy for years and years is like....this Space Dad who thank god he’s finally around to give Kyle the mentoring he desperately needed, when like....no dude, Kyle did everything he’s famous for and celebrated for in canon....on his own. Without you, or anyone else. He is who he is because he had one bad-ass mom, Maura Rayner, who raised him right and gave him the tools he needed to succeed...

ESPECIALLY the one that served him best....the ability to recognize when he didn’t have it handled, and ASK FOR HELP.

Which is not a skill Hal could ever teach anyone lol, sorry.

But like, that was one of the greatest things about Kyle at the start of his story....he was wearing one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, the last of its kind at the time, and there was no one who could teach him how to use it the way he was meant to be taught, none of the teachers he was SUPPOSED to have...but rather than just keep trying to bulldoze his way through things and stubbornly insist well he’d figure things out himself then....he was like, okay, I need all the help I can get...and he literally went on a tour around the country, stopping in every major hero’s city to ask them if they could help teach him stuff they felt he should know. Like that was the main reason that for a long time he was called the only Lantern Bruce had ever truly respected....because Kyle had the humility to recognize he was NOT qualified, and he needed to GET qualified, by any means necessary.

And that’s just...so....Kyle, and so fundamental to his character and what makes him so great, but all of that has kinda been handwaved away, not even like retconned in a lot of places because they couldn’t figure out a way to do that that actually made sense....but instead like this sleight of hand thing where they’re like if we dont mention it for long enough and just hype up the Hal as Kyle’s Space Dad mentor person stuff, it’ll eventually be as if Hal really was there guiding and shepherding Kyle all along, even though...lmao, no, that is quite literally incompatible with the majority of Kyle’s overall story and character arc....which is why for as much as the comics talk up Kyle’s role and specialness as the Torchbearer and White Lantern and other titles....they’re extremely vague about delving into details at this point about what any of that even means and what it refers to and he’s mostly shunted off stage so nobody asks too many questions like, hey if this guy is so important and honored by the Corps, why isn’t he involved more in their biggest storylines and like, front and center? 

Its the same problem I was talking about with DC not wanting Dick or the other Batkids to surpass Bruce. DC screwed up massively with their second generation of heroes....Dick and Kyle and Wally and more....because they DID advance the universe’s overall story and timeline, they DID allow the younger heroes to age, and then they DID kill off and do away with a number of the old guard which allowed the original legacies to step up and fill their shoes, AND DO A KICKASS JOB OF IT ACROSS THE BOARD.....

Until, fifteen, twenty years after they started doing that (with Wally), by which point DC’s writers were primarily fanboys who’d grown up idolizing the original heroes like Hal and Barry.....and so they rolled the clock back to allow for their preferred heroes to take center stage again....

Which leaves the younger generation stuck, and with no real place for themselves, which I think is also a big part of the reason their Titans’ reboots haven’t worked. Because they know that these younger heroes are TOO experienced, TOO good to just go back to being actual sidekicks, but they went to all this trouble to bring back all the originals and don’t intend to let them go again any time soon, and so they’re like...well, we can’t have this middle generation fucking things up and making the older heroes look bad, so they kinda just get shuffled around the DC universe and various titles in the hopes that they’ll find somewhere they click, but no idea what to even aim for. 

And so you’ve got Kory with Roy and Jason here and then now she’s in space with Vic and a handful of others that honestly feel like they just pulled names out of a hat, and meanwhile she’s got SOME kind of romantic history with Dick, but good luck trying to pin down where or when that even happened, because that would mean committing to them having been ages that just do not work with the ages they try and claim Dick is now and the amount of time the Titans were supposed to have been retroactively active and lol what even. 

And meanwhile, Titans and their age group remain the first to get picked off and killed in any major event, Titans keeps being the first book to be axed, they tried to speed through an original Titans’ lineup all the way to a team made up of Tim’s age group in a span of thirty issues, and on and on. And its just a mess, and it all traces back to the sheer wtf of DC having spent twenty years writing about their universe growing up and moving to the next stage of things....and then trying to take it back, and its like no, you cant stuff all that back in the bottle, it GREW. It doesn’t FIT in there anymore!

[wildmagicplant]

Oct. 13 (prompt from Oct. 11) - snow

took a few days off, but i’m back to my “inktober” writing! today is a jason-and-bruce-centric hockey au with exactly no hockey whatsoever. i was TRYING not to just write about jason all month so we’ll see if i fix this for the rest of the month lol

After the accident, it was years before Jason could look Bruce in the face without wanting to punch him. Jason knew how many concussions Bruce had had, so it wasn’t the idle threat it might have been from someone else. He knew exactly how much he could potentially ruin Bruce’s life with one hard hit, which was precisely what made it appealing.

Now, they had reached something of a truce. Now Jason only had the urge to punch Bruce in the stomach. Painful, but he would recover. Being on good terms with Bruce gave him access to all kinds of things Jason couldn’t get anywhere else, like near-unlimited access to a private rink where he didn’t have to worry about anyone recognizing him or gawking as he fell, so overall it was worth it.

Jason felt his shoulders relax as he settled into his stride, gliding around the rink. When he’d been a kid, he had never gone ice skating himself, but he’d spent hours hanging around the outdoor rink that popped up in Gotham’s downtown in the winter, just watching people skate around confidently. It had seemed so easy. When Bruce had taken him in, it had been a while before Jason was confident enough to ask for anything for himself, but skating lessons had been the first big thing. He’d never thought of trying to follow Bruce’s path into hockey. Jason had just wanted that feeling of weightless freedom he saw.

It had been everything he wanted and more.

“Can I join you?” Bruce had a way of speaking quietly but making his voice inescapable anyway. Jason was pleased that he didn’t even stutter in his strides.

“It’s your ice. I can’t stop you.” Jason called.

Bruce didn’t move. “Jason, this is your time. I won’t intrude if you don’t want me to.”

God. Why did he have to be so fucking considerate?

“Sure,” Jason said. It took a minute for Bruce to step out onto the ice, which Jason took to mean that Bruce hadn’t even put on his skates before asking.

It was quiet for a long time, the only sound the noise of their blades against the ice. Jason kept on skating in circles, widening and tightening, twisting back on his trail, trying to ignore the dark figure that was Bruce calmly and slowly skating wide laps around the outside of the rink. Finally, he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Jason skated over to Bruce and stopped up, spraying up snow onto Bruce’s legs. “What do you want?”

Bruce raised an eyebrow, which would have been more effective had Jason not known it was copied from Alfred. Bruce didn’t compare. “To skate.”

Snorting, Jason said, “Oh sure, you just happened to have the urge to skate while I was here, as if you don't have every other goddamn minute of the week free to skate if you want.”

“Sometimes Damian practices here,” Bruce said matter-of-factly.

“Fine, fuck it, I give up,” Jason snapped, starting to speed up. Bruce matched him.

“Jason, you haven’t exactly responded well when I’ve said I just wanted to spend time with my son, but that’s all it is. I know you don’t want to talk to me, so I’ll take what I can get.”

Jason laughed because he didn’t know what else to do. Yell? Cry? “So you were just going to lurk around for as long as I was here and not say anything?”

“Yes.”

“Anyone ever told you you’re creepy?”

Bruce just shrugged, not contesting the point.

What was he supposed to do with this? Jason thought, despairing.

“Do you remember when you first came here? I thought you would never settle in. Ask Alfred. I think I was so relieved when you asked for skating lessons that I didn’t think about where it could lead.” Jason wasn’t sure where Bruce was going with this. “I never thought you would want to play hockey, or I would have tried to talk you out of it. I know exactly how dangerous it can be, and after what happened to you… I was too distracted by how happy you were to think about it at the time, though.”

“I loved hockey,” Jason said quietly.

“And now?” Bruce asked. His face was dark, brow furrowed, clearly already expecting a negative.”

Jason shrugged. “I still love it. I’m not you, Bruce. I knew it was dangerous when I started, and I wanted to take that risk.”

Bruce had stopped and he was staring at Jason. “Then why did you leave?”

He had never understood. “Hockey was the thing that connected us. I didn’t have your childhood trauma or whatever that made you see yourself in Dick. It felt like—like if I lost hockey, I would lose you too, and I know you said it wasn’t like that, but I was sixteen and it felt like the end of my world.”

“Jason,” Bruce said. His voice was ragged like Jason had almost never heard it before. He didn’t say anything for a long moment, and then he laughed. It sounded painful. “It took me years to realize that. Of course you figured it out right away. Jason, you know I didn’t see it that way, don’t you? Whether you ever believed it or not, you’re my son and I would still care about you, no matter what happened.”

Jason didn’t want to look at him. He didn’t know what to do with any of this. “I—“ he started, and then the words dried up. Jason cleared his throat. “It would have helped to hear that. I believe you, but I didn’t then.”

Bruce laughed again, that same ragged sound. “Yes, I learned a lot from fucking up so completely with you. Also from everything that’s happened since then.”

“I— B, you know— I didn’t leave because of you,” Jason forced out.

“Didn’t you?” Bruce said. Jason could hear the bitterness in it, and it made him angry again.

“No, I fuckin’ didn’t. Part of it was you, but mostly I felt like my whole life was changed and it was hard to stay in the same place and feel so different. And maybe you should try listening to what I’m saying, since that has always been my issue with you, B. You love me, but you acted like that meant you got to make all my decisions for me, and it didn’t, even when I was a kid. If you’d told me why you didn’t want me to play, I would have argued but I would have listened. Instead, you just—“ Jason stopped again. He had gone over this a thousand times in his head while rehabbing his leg, while living an ocean away, during angry sleepless nights and quiet lonely mornings. It had all fled his head as soon as Bruce had said anything. “Do you know how expensive hockey equipment is? I never even dreamed about playing hockey before I met you, because it was so far away from anything I could do. You gave that to me, and then you took it away. Of course I didn't want to accept that. You wouldn’t have either.”

“I would never say I make a good role model,” Bruce murmured.

“Doesn’t mean you weren’t one anyway,” Jason shot back. “You get that, right? I felt like I had to do something with myself to make it worth you spending all that time and money and effort on me. I couldn’t just stop, and besides, I didn’t want to.”

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said. If anyone had told Jason that Bruce would apologize to him today, he would have laughed in their face. Instead, he was realizing that maybe everyone else had been right, and Bruce really had changed. He’d thought that was Dick’s shitty lie to reunite them, but maybe… Jason looked at Bruce and saw his grey hairs, the wrinkles around his eyes, and thought about how long it had been, how much he himself had changed in that time.

Jason sighed. “Thanks, Bruce.”

They started skating again, and the sound of their skates filled the space. The quiet went on, and on, and Jason felt like he should break it but he didn’t know how. Finally, Bruce spoke.

“I’ve been thinking about funding an inner-city youth hockey team. Would you be willing to help?”

Jason looked at him sidelong. “Just equipment?”

Bruce shook his head. “Equipment, ice time, coaches, travel if they wanted it and we could find other teams for them to compete against.”

“That…” Jason took a deep breath. “I thought you didn’t want kids playing hockey anymore.”

Snorting, Bruce said, “I’ve been emphatically reminded that it doesn’t stop anyone, and that only letting rich kids play doesn’t make it a better environment. Besides, I’ve already let Damian start. I’m not going to be a hypocrite about it.”

“You need to make sure kids can get to practice if their parents are working,” Jason said. 

For the first time that Jason had seen in person in five years, Bruce smiled.

#jason todd #bruce wayne #dcu #au #not inktober #my stuff #i have... a whole lot of other thoughts about this au to no one's surprise #shrug emoji

[theprocrastinatingalien]

Casting The Batman

Director Matt Reeves said in a Q&A that he expects THE BATMAN to start production at the end of this year.  Now that's still quite a way off, but for that to happen a few things need to happen... like casting.

It's be confirmed that Ben Affleck has stepped away from the Batcave, and we're now looking at a new actor putting on the cowl.

Firstly, we need to asses... is Reeves' Batflick part of the DCEU, or does it stand aside, like the upcoming JOKER movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, despite the fact Jared Leto is expected to carry on as the Clown Prince of Crime within the shared universe.

Why is this important?  Well, Whilst Affleck is going off, that doesn't mean the supporting characters have to change cast, especially if it's in the shared universe.   Particular roles are in place.  Jeremy Irons as played Alfred in two movies now, and JK Simmons popped up in the JUSTICE LEAGUE as Commissioner James Gordon.   Either of those actors could continue.  Even if this movie is in the past.  Sure a younger actor in either part may make sense, but CAPTAIN MARVEL just proved you can do a whole film with nifty de-aging effects (Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury).

Whilst I will, naturally, look towards who could be cast in supporting (and villainous) roles, right now we're going to focus on the big issue.  Who should play Batman?

Below are a list of different actors who I've seen suggested, or am suggesting myself, that could end up as the next Dark Knight. I've included a variety of ages too... just covering the bases.

KARL URBAN

This one was an obvious inclusion. Before Affleck was announced, Urban was my (and seemingly half the internet) top choice.  Probably best known currently as Dr McCoy in the new age STAR TREK movies, he also appeared as DREDD, and more recently played Skurge in THOR: RAGNAROK over in the MCU.  He's around the same age as Affleck (both born in 1972), so this would be more of a direct recast, but a popular one I believe.

ROBERT PATTINSON

Urg.  No.  This would annoy me... but a major rumour recently was that the TWILIGHT star was in talks for Bruce Wayne and his alter ego.  To be honest, it wouldn't be the WORST casting in the DCEU (Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, anyone?) and I would still give the guy a go.  It's just not a casting I'd be excited about. With Pattinson we'd have a Batman in his early 30s.

ARMIE HAMMER

The funny thing with this one... it was basically reported that Hammer had got the job.  The actor had to debunk the casting himself.  There's quite a fanbase for the actor to get this role, and to be fair, he had once been attached to a Batman role in the past, when he was cast as Bruce Wayne in a defunct JUSTICE LEAGUE movie.   Still, whilst the actor said nobody (in power) had talked to him, the media buzz may have brought him to the attention of Reeves... so I wouldn't rule out this casting entirely.   I'd certainly prefer it to Pattinson.  Both actors are the same actor as 32.

AIDAN TURNER

This Irish actor is very popular with the ladies (good for Bruce Wayne) and was a sheer highlight as vampire Mitchell in BEING HUMAN (the UK series)… He's currently the heartthrob lead in POLDARK, and was the heartthrob dwarf Kili in THE HOBBIT trilogy.   And whilst there probably has been a lot of onus on his looks, he just happens to be a really good actor, and in his mid 30s, I believe shouldn't be dismissed as a potential Batman (or Bond!).

TARON EGERTON

Now, this wouldn't be an ideal choice, but I'm throwing it in there.  Egerton's currently 29, so the youngest on my list at this point, and he's making quite a name for himself.  I think his best qualification for Batman is his role in the KINGSMAN franchise, but he also recently played ROBIN HOOD.  He's possibly a little on the short side for Batman, and whilst he has the physicality for the role, I don't think he's the best fit for Bruce Wayne.  However, I would definitely put him near the top of a NIGHTWING list.  As Dick Grayson does become Batman at some point, I thought it'd be fair to include him on here.

K J APA

Apa's the youngest person on this list at 21. If I'm honest, I'm not sure he quite has the charisma for Bruce Wayne, and he feels a little young for Bats, but that might be what Reeves is looking for.  Apa is Archie, the lead character in RIVERDALE, and he does get to play detective - which plays into comments Reeves has made.

KIT HARINGTON

Funnily enough, I was actually going to include Harington's onscreen brother Richard Madden, from GAME OF THRONES but I've switched it.  Harington certainly has the broody look down.  We all know how Batman likes to brood, and with GoT coming to an end, Kit's probably looking for a new high-profile acting gig.  THE BATMAN wouldn't be a bad way to go.  Not sure how people would take to this casting though, I'm not sure how the actor is perceived in the public eye. Agewise, he's inline with the likes of Pattinson and Hammer.

LIAM NEESON

I said, I'd be cover all the bases, and this one's going the other way, with an older actor. Liam Neeson is 66.   He's already been a part of the Batworld, featuring in THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy as villain R'as Al Ghul. But what if we turned that around and made him the big man himself.  Casting Zeus, Aslan and Qui-Gon Jinn as Batman works for me!

JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN

Okay, so this is not a clear-cut choice... but I'm throwing it out there anyway.  Morgan played Thomas Wayne in the opening scenes of BATMAN V SUPERMAN.   We know that there's an upcoming move (supposedly) based on FLASHPOINT, and in that, rather than Bruce becoming Batman, his father does instead.  What if the DCEU are clever and tie this alternative reality into the cast change... handing the cowl over to Morgan.  Personally I like it.  Recasting Batman without recasting Bruce Wayne.  Morgan is in his 50s, and currently plays the violent Negan in THE WALKING DEAD.

BRAD PITT

No, really.  Like Morgan, Pitt is in his 50's, but he's still got that good-looking, swagger (perfect for an aging Bruce), and he'd be a pretty commercial choice I think. Plus, Pitt is a pretty decent actor.  He'd be able to display a few different facets for the caped crusader, and might be able to channel that dark SEVEN vibe, tying in with Matt Reeves'  noir detective tale.

Now, I should probably start wrapping this list up.   I've already listed 10, but there's still two more I think deserve a mention.  One positive, one negative. 

JAKE GYLLENHAAL

Now, you're probably expecting Jake to be the positive, but no.  I do not like the idea of him playing Batman.  He's not right for the role.  So why am I including him now?   Gyllenhaal was a possible casting way back when Christian Bale was cast.  As were Joshua Jackson and Wes Bentley.   I'd actually rather Bentley get given the shot of any of them, but Jake gets the mention because apparently Matt Reeves may have his eye on him.   I'm not against JG as an actor, in fact I'm looking forward to his turn as Mysterio in SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME over at the MCU.  I just don't think he'd be *my* Batman if he were to be cast.

Which leaves us with...

OSCAR ISAAC

I saw Isaac's name pop up on another list, and you know what... I wouldn't mind it.  I wouldn't have thought of him myself,  He's half Guatemalan, half Cuban, which would add ethnicity to the character that had typically been played by straight up white American or Brits, with being as controversial as, say casting Idris Elba (who, incidentally has joined the DCEU as Deadshot, replacing Will Smith).  Isaac is suave enough to play Bruce, and intense enough to play Batman.  He's a good actor, and now has quite a following thanks to his part in the current STAR WARS trilogy.  Of the twelve candidates listed here, he's definitely up the top end for me.

It would have been quite easy to fall in with listing every dark-haired furrow-browed actor in Hollywood, but I tried to streamline the list a little.  Personally for me, my tick rests near Urban still, although I accept it's unlikely.   It's going to be interesting to see who they do go with in the end.  There was a lot of negativity against Affleck's casting, but I think most can agree he's been a highlight of the DCEU.

Whoever get's cast, will be filling the shoes of  Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Affleck.   Soon, I'll also be looking at the supporting cast - including an actor I almost included here as a potential Batman, but then realised I'd love to see him as a Riddler...

#batman #the batman #bruce wayne #Matt Reeves #the dark knight #dceu #karl urban #robert pattinson #armie hammer #aidan turner #taron egerton #kj apa #kit harington #Liam Neeson #Jeffrey Dean Morgan #brad pitt #jake gyllenhaal #Oscar Isaac #star wars #game of thrones #The Walking Dead #twilight #spider-man far from home #MCU #riverdale #Kingsman #robin hood #poldark #Being Human #the hobbit

[fyeahwonderbat]

In the Middle of a Broken Constellation - Pt. 15

Pairing: WonderBat (Wonder Woman x Batman) Rating: T / 14A Universe: N/A - Reader’s Choice Previous Chapter: <- Chapter 14 

Author’s Note: This chapter is a little late because I am trying to figure out what direction to take this all in. Originally, I planned for a serious thriller of a story, but it doesn’t seem like that appeals to many readers. I worry that if I don’t have obvious WonderBat moments in most chapters, most WonderBat fans aren’t interested in the build-up of this plot. If I could get some feedback on this chapter/story, that’d be great. If people don’t like it, I can just abandon it, but I want to know what the consensus is. Thanks!

There was an itch at the back of her neck that she couldn’t seem to scratch. Diana had simmered in her fury since the night before and it made her feel like as though a rash was running over her body. Her so-called allies had spent the morning arguing with her about what they were supposed to do with Arthur’s trident, and how they should go about solving the mystery of it appearing suddenly in the back of Falcone’s shipping truck. The team she had collected to help Bruce suddenly turned against her when she arose that morning, with Dick’s words still ringing in her ears. “You’re here because you’re worried about Bruce, right? Let us worry about Aquaman.”

Couldn’t she be worried about more than one of her friends at the same time!?

As devastating as the sludge monster infestation had been, the situation had simmered down considerably after Bruce stopped fulfilling his role as Batman. However, once she had decided to move into Gotham and participate in a solution, more and more concerns kept popping up every day. She had confessed to Jason how overwhelming everything had become, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be excluded from anything. Perhaps finding Arthur and Barry would lead to helping Bruce, which was definitely an area of interest for her.

“Ah, I was just about to go looking for you,” said none other than the billionaire she’d been thinking of, surprising her as he stood in the open doors of the elevator at Wayne Tower. Diana hadn’t realized that she’d been so deep in thought, she’d nearly missed her chance to exit the car. As startled as she was to see him, Bruce looked undeniably smug to catch her off guard for a moment. “I almost thought you’d called in sick or something.”

“No,” she promised a little too quickly. Diana fixed her rose-colored dress despite its loose fit while Bruce joined her in the elevator. He pressed the button marked forty-two and watched the doors shut at a rather sluggish pace. It was when she tried to peek over at him did she recall the pair of glasses she’d brought with her. Staring down at her clutch as she held it tightly under her arm, she knew she’d want to bring them out as soon as they sat down in his office.

“Did you manage to get any sleep last night?” Bruce inquired, breaking the silence.

Looking over at him with a pleasant smile, Diana answered him honestly. “Actually, I did. Only a few hours, though.”

He released a hefty breath, looking much more flummoxed than he had yesterday when she’d returned from the hospital. “That’s more than I expected. I can’t imagine what you went through in there.” Bruce admitted softly.

Despite his genuine attempt at empathy, his words actually struck her deeply. He did know what that kind of battle was like – the ones where you feel powerless in the face of an unknown enemy, where any slip up could be the end of you. The Bruce Wayne she knew had so much more experience with these types of matters than he ever gave himself credit for, however, he could probably imagine exactly what she’d been through with one of his many adversaries from his rogue gallery. Hearing him speak with such a lack of awareness of his own life experience left her speechless for the rest of their time in the elevator.

Luckily, the ride to the forty-second floor was rather swift.

They stepped out of the car in sync with one another, each with their right foot first. There was a large desk for a pool of secretarial staff divided by a hallway, leading to an impressive pair of black doors that was only a few feet beyond them. “Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne.” A chorus of voices greeted him, and a wall of sound collided with Diana as they passed the group.

“Afternoon.” He answered them emotionlessly. Instead of devoting a moment of his time to his staff, Bruce walked with a noticeable impatience down the length of the hall. When his hand reached the doors, he threw them open as if he was tapping into the strength of the Batman. Diana felt the rush to enter his office and heard the doors close behind her just as much as she felt them. “Someone’s eager to get started.” She was compelled to tease his sudden forcefulness.

Then, she looked around his office with wide eyes. The motif of the floor-to-ceiling windows was carried throughout the building it seemed, from the lobby to Lucius’ conference room to Bruce’s personal space. The walls were decorated with spliced shelves in the shapes of shadowboxes, some containing books while some held cultured accessories. His desk was the same wooden color, a deep brown shade contrasting the brightness brought in by the natural light of the sun. It was a modern room that was particular cold if she focused on it for a moment too long. But that was very Bruce-like, she acknowledged.

To appear distant while trying to be progressive.

Diana strolled over to her seat in front of his desk, loving the echo she heard from her steps. Bruce noticed right away, and even dared to make a joke. “Glad to know you had another pair of heels at home to wear, after losing your shoes yesterday.”

It made her feel much more comfortable to hear him say something so ridiculous. “My belongings haven’t arrived yet so I had to make sure I had at least one more pair of shoes on hand. Although, I was more concerned about one of the heels breaking, not losing them at a hospital.”

“Well, let’s get through this report quickly then, so we can go out and get you some more.” Bruce suggested while he clicked away on his computer, most likely searching for the forms they’d need to fill out.

“Mr. Wayne,” Diana stopped him right there with a sharp pronunciation of his name, “I really don’t need you to buy me anything.”

His fingers froze over his keyboard. Slowly, he turned to look at her and she immediately recognized the challenge in his eyes. It appeared as though defiance was a natural trait for Bruce Wayne, no matter what he could or could not remember. As he spun his body to face her in his seat, he brought his palms together and clasped them tightly, presenting himself as a firm, unmoving boss. “I thought we agreed yesterday that your belongings would be replaced by the Wayne Corporation, as an apology for the horrible incident you endured yesterday.”

“We did,” she agreed easily enough. Sitting up straight, however, allowed her to emit a strikingly powerful air as well. “But after careful deliberation, I realized that if I accepted your offer, it could look like favoritism for your new hire and could create animosity between me and my peers.”

“Why? I’m not going to tell them.” Was the reply of the CEO.

“That’s not the point.”

“Look, Diana, we replace many people’s belongings here all the time. From company pens to affordable housing, I’ve given out a lot of money. After what you went through yesterday, I doubt anyone would accuse you of taking advantage of the company if we offered you shoes in exchange for you not suing us over your first day on the job. Without any kind of insurance, there a lot of people who would do much worse than by taking our kindhearted gesture of a trip to a boutique--”

“But it’s not ‘we’.” Diana pointed out.

“What?” Unafraid to look unpolished, his expression of confusion shifted the entire look of his face.

Refusing to back down, she pressed on. “It’s not ‘we’, Mr. Wayne. It’s you. You’re offering me this kindhearted gesture verbally.”

Again, just as aloof as a CEO should not be, he answered, “So?”

It infuriated Diana to no end that he could be so full of himself whenever it best suited him. That itchy feeling crawled up her spines and rushed over her shoulders, forcing her to sit up straight to lessen the sensation. “There is most definitely a conflict of interests, then!”

There was an impenetrable pause after she shouted at him, so obvious that it made her bite back saying anything else. It was embarrassing that he managed to get a rise out of her over something she believed shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place. His ability to rile her up was yet another facet of his personality that was forever a part of him. What she wouldn’t give to spar with him in that moment!

As if he heard her internal wish, Bruce arose from his seat and walked around the length of his desk to meet her. He sat himself down in the seat next to her, silently observing her as he moved. It took him a moment too long to speak, in her opinion, when he finally responded to her claim. “I respect you, Diana.”

Unprepared for his sincerity, she didn’t have a response ready for him.

So, he continued. “I can appreciate how aware you are of your situation here, but you have to understand something: I’m not asking you for permission here.” “Mr. Wayne—!”

“Were you on company time when you lost your shoes? Were you doing something that pertained to your job here? Were you put in harm’s way while fulfilling your role as the Community Outreach Specialist for the Wayne Foundation? Yes? Then I have every right as both your boss’ boss and the man who funds that hospital more than anyone else in the world to do what I want. Now, you can either come with me and pick out a specific pair of shoes or trust my judgment, even though I do not claim to be a fashion expert. You don’t want me wasting hundreds of dollars on ugly heels, do you?”

For a few moments, she sat in awe of his argument. Then, she regained her consciousness and spat out, “You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever met.”

“Only when I need to be.” He smirked at her, proud of himself.

Eager to deflate him, she muttered, “I highly doubt that.”

Bruce hadn’t expected that response and nearly expressed his shock with a gaping mouth. Luckily for him, he caught himself before looking like a total fool, ready to blurt out the next obnoxious thing that came to mind. “If I wrote up a contract and we signed something physical, would that make you feel better?”

“It would make me feel ridiculous but much less ridiculous than if I simply agreed to your words.” She explained.

“Great,” Bruce sighed and immediately spun his computer screen around on his desk. Grabbing his wireless keyboard, he sat back in his seat, opened an empty document that was drawn up with a contract-like template, then began filling in the blanks with the terms they’d set. “I, Bruce Wayne, agree to replace the missing belongings of Diana Prince. Said belongings were damaged and have gone missing after an incident that occurred yesterday afternoon at Gotham General Hospital. The list of items to be replaced includes one pair of woman’s heels, one woman’s handbag, one cellphone…” “One set of car keys,” Diana added, trying her hardest not to laugh. She realized she had lied when she said it would feel less ridiculous to have a physical copy of their agreement. It felt like they were teenagers that need the law to act as their parents, ready to intervene if things became obscure.

With a brow arched, he turned to her and asked specifically, “How many keys need to be replaced?” Unable to hide her awkwardness, Diana accidentally chastised him personally. “Bruce!”

He didn’t appear disappointed by her usage of his name. Instead, he looked as though he was relieved to know she found the entire situation as hilarious as he did. “And one set of car keys. It is the responsibility of Mr. Wayne to provide transportation to and from any shops visited, as well as any meal that is consumed whilst shopping. When Miss Prince is satisfied with the purchases, Mr. Wayne is to escort her home.”

Diana leaned over the armrest of her chair. It was her turn to add her own legalities to the contract since her name would be on it too. Making sure she spoke with proper articulation, she stated, “Should Mr. Wayne fail to fulfill any of his obligations, he must provide Miss Prince with one week of paid vacation to any destination she chooses, all expenses paid.”

“What? What happened to being too virtuous to take any money from me?” Bruce complained immediately, indignation heard in his tone.

“A contract has clauses, you know. I’m merely protecting myself in our agreement.” She claimed, all while visibly fighting off the urge to smile. After the way he made her feel when he fought her polite refusal of his gift, it was nice to turn things around on him.

That would only last a moment or two, however. Typing furiously, Bruce read aloud what his clause would say in their contract. “Should Miss Prince refuse a replacement for all of her belongs, the transportation to and from any shops visited, the meal consumed whilst shopping and/or the escort to her home, Miss Prince will be required to…attend the 37th Martha Wayne Charity Auction.”

Instantly, Diana cocked her head to one side. “That doesn’t sound at all like a punishment.”

“Trust me,” Bruce scoffed as he typed away. “It is.”

“When is it?”

“Next weekend.”

“Alright, I don’t have any plans.” Diana accepted the terms, sliding back into a proper seat. Having attended many galas and high society parties in her day, she knew that some could be rather mundane, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t survive.

Whereas Bruce would most likely suffer internally for years if she bested him and managed to get a free vacation out of their inane contract.

“By signing below, both parties indicate that they have read, reviewed and agree to the terms of this contract.” Bruce declared. Once he was finished typing, he stood up, returned his keyboard to his desk, and signed his signature on the touch screen of his computer. Following his example, Diana arose from her chair and did the same. Since the computer was positioned off to the side, she was forced to lean forward and cross over his personal space in order to reach the screen. She scribbled her name as quick as can be before looking up at him, shooting him a confident grin of her own.

But when she met his gaze, she didn’t see the jovial man she had been teasing a moment ago. The confidence that radiated off of him was something she’d seen before, in meetings where he would get his way, in moments where he could put down even the strongest Metahumans in the Justice League. She moved carefully so as to preserve the image in her mind, as it encouraged her to see the version of Bruce Wayne she was trying to save. The Batman existed inside of him even if she couldn’t reach him directly.

But this version of him, the one she would be spending her day with, had the charms of Bruce that she wasn’t always privy to.

Face to face, she saw a glint in his eyes that was mischievous, no matter how fleeting it was. He cleared his throat and offered her his hand, but Diana didn’t take it right away. She couldn’t help but feel like she was searching more, like she was greedy for… something. Everything she was doing – everything she had done with her civilian life and all of her resources as Wonder Woman – was all geared towards this enigma of a man. Having him next to her, alone, where she could truly marvel at the person he was beneath the Kevlar and the trickery was worth more than any pair of shoes they’d find at the mall.

And it made her feel flush in a way she didn’t dare acknowledge while standing with him in his office.

Carefully, she shook his hand and offered a cordially smile. Then, she said. “Before we can move on to fulfilling the promises of the contract, we have a report to fill out first, right?”

Bruce withdrew his hand and stomped around his desk in the blink of an eye. The absence of his presence was felt right away, but it was the coldness of his answer that stood out to her. “Yes, of course.” He dropped into his seat, fixated himself with his computer and began setting up the report file. It didn’t shock her to see him retreat into himself, but Diana noticed right away that it wasn’t such a harsh separation as she was used to with him.

Maybe, once the old Bruce returned to her, some of these softer traits of his would remain.

Maybe.

#in the middle of a broken constellation #maiden writes #wonderbat #diana prince #bruce wayne

[ramblingshit]

Fright Night - 1985 - 3.5/5

Highly oversimplified fun ‘modern’ teen adventure book-style take on Dracula - i think?

i am having a fuckking awful night please let this be half okay at least funny like please. right we have some poor audio. tom holland is here? some chick is going on about how much she likes the dark - she’s mina? pale, red lips peeps are making out - it’s just someone squeaking their lips together and then letting go lmao wtf - it’s a tv show about vampires lol this acting is amazing i think its supposed to be he literally just went after her with the blunt end of the stake damn. some more squeaking kisses gross. kids making out, peter vincent is on TV or some shit. boyfriend has wandering hands and she’s told him twice to stop and now he’s bitching at her for not letting him feel her up and then she apologises? excuse me? and now he’s guilted her into doing it? oh damn that’s a nice chocolate coffin where’d he get those binoculars ahaha oh yikes that girl is not ready and now he’s ignoring her oh what is happening. mum’s getting involved. he wanted to fuck she didn’t then she wanted to fuck and he was distracted by some guys carrying a coffin into the basement of the house next door. he’s so distracted he’s completely ignoring his girlfriend.oh damn he pissed off his friend too this guy seems like a dumbass. ew gross oh my god she’s dressed like a prostitute what is that blue thing and the opaque beige hosiery is horrific. it’s funny at this point lots of these clothes are coming back into fashion. then there are those of course that must die and stay dead. damn a big ol scream from the house next door and a light went out. fuckin hell he wait she’s apologising for his  dumbass and said it’s her fault and he’s like yeah i suppose it was like what. i know this is supposed to be like this like he’s clearly supposed to be a terrible boyfriend but fuck he is barely pretending to care about her - he said ‘i love you’ and she’s gooing all over him. now he’s ignoring her again and here’s his weird looking friend who thinks its hilarious oh my god she slapped a hamburger cheese onion and tomato hamburger patty on his face disgusting but damn he deserves it. whoop a guy in the basement just saw this kid snooping - is he seriously just gonna open this guy’s basement doors unsurprisingly dude came and snapped at him like wtf you think you’re doing. he’s obsessed with this house all of the sudden? eating chips at his window with his binoculars. now asleep in that chair and hot damn there’s a couple about to fuck  and tittiiiiiieesssssss. oh damn mate is a vampire looking straight at the kid through the window. just staring. then closes the window with long ass fingers with long yellow nails. just woke his mum up like ma new guys a vampire and she’s like fuck off and he’s sneaking about outside what the hell is this kid on. oh they’re carrying out bodies in garbage bags and what i think they’re trying to show they’ve got sick powers or something there’s this synth beat in the background those are the largest collar flap things i’ve ever seen and that red scarf is sick a lot is happening bro red scarf dude just caught annoying kid charlie spying at them from the hedges. oh shit he’s screaming at his mother and his girlfriend what an ass - Amy is obsessed with their relationship, Mum thinks he’s having a nightmare. he’s the dumbass in the horror movie - running around screaming, telling everyone the guys a vampire killing people getting the police involved like dumbass what teh fuck this is gonna be embarrassing you think if they really are vampires they’re gonna be dumb enough to let themselves get caught. oh what he’s yelling again and interesting there’s a painting of a blonde version of Amy. is this dracula 1980s version. the house is all cobwebs and old timey shit. dumbass getting screamed at by the cop for screaming about his neighbour being a vampire he’s got no evidence but just keeps screaming. you deserve to die like 0% self-preservation skills m8. is he racing home no to his friend’s house his weird friend who’s somewhat more mental than this dumbass - give him eight bucks to tell him how to protect himself from a vampire attack he’s listing off stereotypical shit but i doubt any of this will be legit they all like dangling those and scoffing at them. he’s nailing his window shut but hey guess who mum’s invited innnnnnnnnn ahahahahahahah lol oh damn who sits in a chair like that well hello bruce banner hot edition. hm his fingers look normal now. aahahhaha oh fuck he out here telling charlie he wouldnt have come to visit unless he had been invited and now that he had been he would be over whenever he liked. charlie the dumbass is not trying to hide how terrified he is out here backing away, eyes wide, shaking, Jerry the vampire just staring at him. 'see ya! soon.’ scrambling up the stairs - like just mayyyyybe you shouldn’t have immediately done all you can to piss off the guy you think is a vampire. cause now he’s on your roof. i can’t believe his name is Jerry. this is so 80s. this music man. who chills in a button up shirt all tucked in . is that a mouse? or the trees scratching oh shit jerry’s after the mum. or not. oh fuck there’s no reflection in the mirror and he just broke her door? oooop he’s in dumbass’ roommmm or is he - yep he was hiding in the closet???? is this a metaphor??? howdily hoodily. oh damn yeeted him into his closet. they’re not giving bruce banner very good camera angles. we’re only 30 minutes in and he and the vampire are chilling out, being held up by his throat - ohh broody vampire time. bruce no don’t throw him out the window that’s so obviousoh but damn there’s he’s gonna stake him with a pencil ahaha what oh fuck nosferatu time damn all because of a pencil fuck that is not sexy. he looks like a lord of the rings troll. they both look hella nervous that mum’s knocking on the door. he threatened to kill him, offered him a choice for them to forget each other, he said nah, he tried to kill him, he stabbed him with a pencil, then he roared all scary and buggered off. odd. now he’s just sat down and watched some–dracula ahaha he’s watching dracula? now he’s calling him up ahaha staring at him through the window calling him up on the phone. 'you started this - im gonna finish it!’ like calm down vampire man the boy is a dumbass. this is cheesy but like okay. he legit seems like a proper dumbass teenager kid all overexcited and dramatic and learning all he knows from TV oh damn he’s like a school shooter, wife beater kinda kid though. ahah shitting on friday the 13th calm down that’s a good movie. does this peter vincent actually believe in vampires cause this kid is hoping he does - he’s got those brown elbowed jacket how old is this high school aged kid. ejesus what the fuck is that moped holy shit. white sneakers that blue knitwear holy shit what the fuck what the fuck charlie dead eyes, monotone sitting in his bedroom he’s filled with religious paraphernalia, dozens of candles and stacks of wood he’s carving into stakes - his GF and friend come in like yo wtf m8 what is all this - he just shrugs and tells em he’s gonna go next door and stab the neighbour. um what the fuck jesus hes crazy he’s weird friend who can’t act thinks so too and eyy the peter vincent late night show is called 'Fright Night’ and the weird kid just said their situation is just like 'Fright Night’ and guess what this movie is called – this is pretty intense like how am I supposed to be taking this is it funny, is it dramatic? this kid looks like he’s gonna pass out he’s having some sort of episode. 'hey amy, you don’t believe me do you.’ 'i love you charlie.’ hm vincent knows whats up amy and weird kid go to see him to help their crazy friend and he’s like oh yeah that insane kid he needs a psychiatrist yo ahaha gets fired gets an eviction notice refuses to help the kids cause he’s very busy about to get rich she’s like i’ll pay you - how much he asks immediately - she tells him—i’ll take it, no hesitation ahaha we’re not even half in? oh damn vincent is in love with his acting i think his shows used to be a lot more popular and now he’s sad and fading and ey its bruce banner all bedraggled they literally called him up to ask if they could go over with dumbass and prove to him brucey boy is not a vampire he thinks its hilarious like damn just calling up vampires and shit i love it so casual like he’s just a neighbour not all heavy handed but needs a little less cheese but eh who can find a golden middle did he just eat a banana. holy hot damn her outfit - he’s outfit, holy shit vincent is here all in his role dressed as the vampire killer, performing for dumbass - damn the house does look appropriately spooky tho god this kid doesn’t shut up they all just wandering into the vampire’s house - Charlie gets a special greeting and here is ol mate all dramatic in a fucking turtleneck please kill me. he’s eating food again? whoop amy and bruce banner just had a moment she’s so pretty but her hair is so fukn eighties and now he’s kissing her hand and she’s giggling and biting her lip 'oh god, he’s neat!’ he didn’t drink that he totally used a tricky magic trick dunno how but he didn’t drink that. Charlie isn’t wrong - pulled out a cross and Bruce Banner jumped back and his jim carrey lackey stepped forward and Banner is threatening his friends like fuck off - 'so you’re finally convinced im not a vampire?’ *completely insincerely, through his teeth* 'yes.’ oh damn all was well then vincent saw he had no reflection - let’s call the police! broody vampire time oh damn found some glass from the mirror. lol that’s the creepiest alley 'pencil dick’ 'chicken shit’ nice. ahaha weird kid giving him shit 'fruitcake’ i hope he leaves him alone like surely its in his best interest to leave the guys who are convinced he’s not a vampire to live? the way he’s dragging amy around is pretty messed. it doesn’t make sense for the weird kid to die. like he doesn’t believe mate is a vampire. but now he will so? that trenchcoat is horrific the shoulders are like double his width he’s just slow walking toward him while weird kid is scrambling about tripping over rubbish but now he’s trappeeddddd #leaveweirdkidalone  oh damn nvm he’s bruce banner’s redfield and he’s going under the trenchcoat, pressed to banner’s chest. we’re only halfway through where is this all going. oh ahaha they’re doing the lets run as fast as we can and ol mate keeps strolling out in front of us and now they’re in a bar oh god now he’s calling the police. whoop oh damn weird kid’s a vampire ahahahahahahaha oh shit leather jacket fucked up hair jerky movements - oh damn just took a cross to the face - can still cry human tears sweating like crazy, yellow eyes, crosses fuck em up and out the window he go ahaha lol he’s calling the cops a fucking gain god he’s so rough with her now bruce banner s in the club god he’s really not that attractive like at all - he’s got a good brow and hair but that’s it. he’s not intimidating, he doesn’t stand out holy fuck that lady in red - the platinum blonde. just strolling closer and closer, left to right right to left and dumbass is just on the phone and Amy is like hell yeah licking her lips his lower jaw is like broken the way it moves. He didn’t have to touch her for her to stop she’s in a daze under his spell and he knows she can’t escape it, rubbing her hand on his ass lol what the fuck putting his on her’s oh he pulled back her collar and went to bite and she jerked back but not in a scared more like a fuck off now what you thinkin boii challenge eyes uh oh both of their collarbones are exposed and my god she’s tiny and making out with his chest and what the fuck oh just on her knees thought she was going down on him in the middle of the club dumbass is all upset that the girl he’s been dragging around and leading on and treating badly is chilling in the arms of a vampire who, if nothing else, is indeed more handsome than dumbass but at the same time he’s a vampire and I think Amy is in highschool so that makes her what?? oh fuck bruce banner killed the two black bouncers in front of the whole club now there’s chaooooos people screaming  amy and charlie separated in the crowd, bruce banner scoops her up 'AAAAMYYYY’ stretches a hand out dramatically toward her damn weird kid got weirder ahaha what is happening this is actually really great. god he’s whiny. it’s so good. people are fucking calling the police left right and now dumbass has finally figured they won’t believe him or help him. oh lil mate peter vincent is like a proper good actor where did they get him amongst these screaming children. 'amy is gonna die, me too probably’ lol this writing oh damn she wakes on a fur blanket in front of a fire in a white dress that permed hair is so fucked there’s paintings of pretty ladies all around and one of them is blonde amy and there he is with his shirt unbuttoned pants buckled up to the navel like damn, dark hair all ruffled - hs head is too big for his shoulders ew what is this kiss she’s shaking with fear, he is like almost crying for some reason and now she’s okay and taking her titties out and coming after him  and here’s some weird slow kissing and damn he bit her damn wouldn’t you fuck first? fkn charlie in his professor jacket snooping about in the shadows with a big ugly gold cross on that house is perfectly spooky holy shit peter scared the fuck outta me damn he got a box of 'props’ which will actually work, got a gun to take care of billy or whatever, his human buddy they wanna sneak in but the front door opened for them oh damn don’t let anything happen to peter he’s precious. it’s like reading a teen adventure story - good simple but memorable characters, good story with lots going on, not deep or thought-inducing just a fun time  now here’s bruce 'welcome to Fright Night’ all chill just standing there in like a priest’s shirt? no bruce leave vincent alone. oh what the fuck making a weird moaning noise as he backs away from the cross - #leavevincentalone oh fuck weird kid is terrifying  wtf now he’s a wolf demon wolf ruff ruff puppyy oh shit he stabbed the puppy and it yeeted over the banister hit the chandelier and holy fuck that is the worst puppeteering attempt or whatever the fuck they’re going for ever - its a plush toy twitching out and now ewwwww what the fuck is that i thought vampires were vampires not like weird wolf gremlin things - its slowly dying with this stake in it, all thin fingers, whines, and cries holy shit this is taking a while. vincent is crying and holy shit its just weird kid crying with a big table leg in him and now he’s dead holy shit and the cross mark healed and he’s naked. bruce is oh fuck Amy is a vampire —“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ the drama. can you imagine walking into someone’s house and there’s a naked dead kid with a table-leg through his chest on the foyer floor. the house is pouring out dry ice and green lazer lights and vincent is back my brave boy, with a table-leg and a box all ready to fight. dumbass is struggling to cry over his girl. AMy is turning, I think bruce is making her a coffin. what here we go - everything is as it was in the movies like all the stereotypical shit so now they’re gotta kill Bruce before sunrise so she doesn’t fully turn. monotone - 'stop or i’ll shoot. don’t force me to shoot’ *shoots billy boy in the fkn head* orange eyes man whats with the weird groans and noises when flinching back from the crosses looks like billy boy aint dead after all holy shit blood everywhere yeah just keep shooting im sure that will help oh damn he the terminator - nope he a zombie fuck run don’t ust holy shit he staked him i thought vincent was gonna die he’s dripping green slime he’s got the ebola what the fuck ohmygod ohmygodholyfuckjesus christchrist fuck my god. well that was terrifying. move aside indiana jones . peter ahahah 'eeehhh’ of bruce chillin outside the window. he uses like fifty different voices and accents 'show me how much you love me amy, kill them both. rraaaargghhhh! *elbows a fkn wall* oh damn at least her gross perm is gone. rarrrrgh! *nervous cross and slow back out of the door* jesus what the fuck his bottom jaw is even worse now he just fkn crashed through the pretty round window.  that jacket damn i hate it so much. oh damn is that the sun? looks like the night is done dumbass and he believes he believes and damn that’s a lot of clocks chiming 6am i think it’s 6am. im sorry what the fuck was that did he just get sniped wat the fuck its a gremlin bat oh my god with fangs and shit its scratching him up oh no it bit dumbass what a shame and ohh he burning in green flame in the light of the sun but he fucked off to the basement where he gone vincent’s cut is gone and dumbass doesn’t seem too worried about his bitten arm. whoop it’s amy all wild hair and long white dress orange eyes, smoky lids, big ass fangs and red lips oh damn what the fucking shit 'it’s not my fault you promised you wouldnt let him get me you promised’ she cries then spins around and its actual fear in his eyes as he screams at the sight of her heavily fanged mouth that reaches from one side of her face to the other jesus cchrist that mouth is terrifying i really am not a fan damn yikes man run ew oh no everyone is in trouble, he is hammering that shit fuck everyone is all kinds of messed up these vampires would have them killed in a second this whole sunlight thing is bull - just cause his face is in the light doesn’t mean you can’t get their legs lol come on the disco-balls are shining and ol mate finally decides to try use his outfit - peter closed his coffin and now he’s trapped i kinda want one of them to die oh damn nvm green flame he went shooting and flying back with the force of that sunlight i think he’s dead 'reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’ damn what the hell is that skeleton 'AAAAAAMYYYYY’ he cried as he died like what some stories need more depth beyond hey i got a picture of someone who looks exactly like you, imma bite you cause now we’re in love, hey kill your ex to prove you love me, i love you and now im dead . oh god worst part is amy’s hair is back in that perm how the fuck. 'we’ve been going in a circle! we’re right back where we started from’ is the opening to the next scene which is dumbass and amy making out in his room - that’s fkn sick, again 'Fright Night’ is back on with ol mate peter vincent. oh no peter vincent on about aliens wait what was that red eyes in the window is ol mate still alive perhaps ew amy deserves better  but hey what the fuck weird kid survived?? oh he removed the stake damn ahaha. what a movie that was a pretty fun time = 3.5/5

#fright night #1985 #chris sarandon #william ragsdale #amanda bearse #roddy mcdowall #stephen geoffreys #horror #america #review #commentary #movies #rambling #shit #ramblingshit #reviews

[inanotherlifetimeiknowyou]

Turning Pages and Happy Endings at last

A/N: This is another present for @boosyboo9206! GIRL YOU SO DESERVED THAT PROMOTION AND I’M SO HAPPY YOU GOT IT LIKE AHHHHHHHHHHHHH I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU SIS!! 

Pairings: Fem!Reader x Jason Todd

Warnings: I made myself cry writing this but in a good way.

MUST LISTEN TO THIS SONG!!! PLEASE AND THANK YOU ^^

Enjoy!

Jason licked his lips, hands itching to do something as he ran one through his hair for, maybe, the fifth time already. He heard smothered laugher and shot a glare over at Dick, who stood right by his side with that bright grin of his.

“Calm down, Jay,” he whispered.

No response was offered as Jason tore his gaze off of his brother and looked out at the crowd.

He never thought he’d live long enough to fall in love; never thought he’d get the privilege to meet someone like you. Jason always picked the short straw when it came to life, but it looked like fate had decided to cut him some slack. Not only had he met you, but he’d fallen hopelessly in love with you. This conclusion was drawn after nights spent thinking about you; the way your eyes lit up when you spoke about something you love, the sound of your laughter, the way you smiled just to see him. Hell, he wouldn’t even stop talking about you. Roy often joked that Jason loved you with passion enough to conquer the world.

The thing is, Jason hadn’t been sure if it was a joke anymore.

Now he knew for sure that it wasn’t a joke.

Feeling like he should maybe consider trying to soothe his nerves, Jason took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. “I just can’t believe it,” he murmurs.

Dick snorted, that goofy grin ever-present. “Believe it, Little Wing. You’re getting your happy ending.”

Jason shook his head at the surrealism of it all, scrubbing a hand down his face.

He still couldn’t believe it.

He’s getting married.

The music changed and all eyes went to the spot Jason’s had been glued to ever since he’d stepped up here. Lian and Mar’i started skipping down the isle, giggling as they beautifully scattered the red, orange and white rose petals along the path.

Everything faded away as Jason watched your father walk out with you on his arm.

You took his breath away and he forgot how to function as a human being.

I’m getting married to her. That’s my bride. Tears began to well up in Jason’s eyes as he watched you walk down the isle, his thoughts revolving around the fact that he’d get to spend the rest of his life with you. The woman who he opened his heart to and who gracefully mended the broken within him.

The rest of my life.

He sniffed and wiped at his eyes unashamedly. He could never be embarrassed of the way you made him feel.

Dick smiled wider and placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder, giving a supporting squeeze.

When people ask him when the best day of his life was? Jason’s immediate answer would be this day.

His heart raced the closer you got to the altar where he stood with Dick, Roy, Tim, Damian, Alfred and Bruce.

The moment you and your father reached the altar, Jason’s heart skipped a beat as he took your hand and your dad passed you off to him. The significance of the gesture squeezed Jason’s heart and another tear slipped down his face as he rubbed your knuckles with a thumb. 

You smiled, tears shining in your own eyes, as you went to stand with Kori, Barbara, Stephanie, Cass, Harper, Mar’i, and Lian.

All that mattered in that moment was you. You had been the only thing that mattered ever since he met you. He was helplessly in love, and he found that he didn’t care. Jason’s heart was yours to do with as you pleased. It didn’t belong to him anymore and he trusted you until his dying breath.

Eventually, the time came for vows and Jason cleared his throat as he recited them by heart.

“You ask me how I feel about you and I can’t tell you the name of the emotion. I can tell you that your name makes my tongue tingle, and your eyes calm me down when your touch sets me alight. I can tell you the names of songs and books. I can give you quotes and write you poems. I can give you my heart on a platter. But I can’t tell you just how much I need you. I can’t tell you just how much I love you.” Jason paused, clearing his throat again and smiling at you as he grabbed your hands in his own before continuing. “You are the love of my life. You’re the half I was missing that makes me whole. I’m begging you to be my wife today, because I know for a fact there are guys out there that are so much better than I am, and I know for a fact that they would all fall as helplessly in love with you as I am. I promise our life together will be filled with laughter and love. I promise to be loyal to you. I promise that no matter how rough things get I’ll never stop loving you. I promise to protect you with every bone in my body. For you? I promise to be the best version of myself.”

You huffed out a laugh, tears spilling from your eyes. “I-I should have gone first,” you say, everyone chuckling. 

Jason didn’t need your vows to be extravagant. He didn’t need your vows to be special. They already were to him because they were being said by you, and that made them the most unique in the world.

When the pastor asked for the rings, Lian excitedly made her way over, giggling with Mar’i as they gave you a ring. Damian stepped forward to hand Jason the other ring, still surprised he’d been given such an important role in the wedding.

The girls immediately went back to where they’d been previously standing, watching on with eyes wide in anticipation as Damian also returned to his spot and paid attention to this part of the ceremony.

The pastor smiled. “Jason Peter Todd-Wayne. Do you take [F/n] [M/n] [L/n] to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, to cherish, and to hold until the day you die?”

Immediately after the pastor had finished the last syllable of the word ‘die’ Jason answered quickly. “Yes. Definitely.”

Chuckles were heard among the guests and Jason smiled, eyes still watering as they held your [e/c] gaze.

The pastor waited for the chuckles to die down before turning to you and asking, “[F/n] [M/n] [L/n]. Do you take Jason Peter Todd-Wayne to be your lawfully wedded husband to love, to cherish, and to hold until the day you die?”

There was no hesitation in the answer. “I most certainly do,” you responded breathlessly.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Before he could say “You may now kiss the bride,” Jason had his arms wrapped around you and his mouth on yours in a passionate kiss.

Mar’i giggled, Lian “Eww”ed, and Damian wrinkled his nose a bit as everyone else cheered and laughed.

Jason stood outside, hands in his pockets, as he gazed up at violet sky. He still couldn’t believe that he’d gotten his happy ending; that he’d gotten you.

He heard footsteps that he’d recognize anywhere and turned to see you walking over with your heels in-hand and bare feet walking across the lawn as you made your way over to him.

You smiled grandly at him and his heart skipped a beat again.

“Hey Doll,” he greeted, slipping an arm around your waist once you were close enough.

“Hood,” you replied before pressing your lips to his in a quick kiss.

The two of you then looked back out to the sky, you in Jason’s embrace as you did.

“Jay,” you whispered after a minute or so of silence.

He hummed.

You tried to find words for your request but gave up and right out asked, “Can you sing something for me?”

Surprised, he looked back to you. “What?”

You smiled, blushing slightly. “Sing for me? Please?”

Jason’s face melted into a small smile. “Okay.”

As he thought, you held his stunning green gaze and he held yours.

Soon, he’d decided on a song and licked his lips before starting in a soft, gentle voice.

“This is my love song to you

Let every woman know I’m yours

So you can fall asleep each night, babe.”

While Jason sang he held your gaze in his own, and you both cherished this moment you had, alone.

And you couldn’t help but think about the fact that, now?

Now you had the rest of your lives with each other ahead.

Have a lovely one guys!

#nxttime writes #fanfiction #my fanfiction #my work #my writing #Jason Todd #Red Hood #Reader-insert #Jason Todd x Reader #Reader x Jason Todd #Red Hood x Reader #Reader x Red Hood #wedding fic #fluff