#as dick and jason walk into BPD | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

why-this-kolaveri-machi · 3 years

Text

just because you’re afraid it doesn’t mean you’re broken.

Titans 3.05

once more into the cold dark void of the internet with my stream-of-consciousness take on a superhero tv show...

spoilers ahead.

1. i cannot believe that among the first things i get to hear in this episode with my own two ears is the line 'eluded our overdudes'. why must you give me such pain along with so much joy, show?

1.5. scarecrow stringing jason along on this path to red-hood-dom is not something i would’ve ever expected, but does kind of make sense.

1.55. i don’t know all the details of the original resurrection arc in the comics but i like that jason, weirdly, has a greater role to play in his own demise and rebirth? i think it makes it easier to draw a line between his past trauma, the demonstrably shitty and terrifying responsibility of being robin, the ways bruce and the titans wronged him, his responses to that, the reasons he turns to scarecrow, and his final evolution to red hood. it makes for a smoother character arc rather than a one that was interrupted for two decades before somebody went oh hey let’s resurrect that kid that the audience once voted to kill and make him an anti-hero!

1.75. what’s crane giving him? anti fear toxin? anyway, crane is a fucking creep and i’m not sure i want to see a whole lot of him on my screen.

2. oh, um, heads up: there’s a long sequence of unsteady cam + flickering lights right after the title card upto the 3:16 mark. it’s a bit headache-inducing so if you want to skip, you can go ahead and do that.

2.45. that’s... weird... why would he dream about... donna...

ok, who am i kidding. i’m going to jump right into my theory about Why Titans Makes Sense Actually because the show itself is apparently not interested in explaining itself:

a) it makes no sense for jason to be conjuring up donna--who famously did not care much for him!--in his dreams. (he wasn’t even there when she died.) or for her to be telling him don’t go or there’s still time.

b) this leads me to think that that’s actually donna, in some sort of limbo between life and death, the kind of place where jericho used to be

c) rachel has demonstrated that she has the power to link the minds of the titans across great distances--she called jason and hank/dawn for help in 2.01, she linked up everybody later in the season, projected dick’s hallucination of his father into their brains without even realising she was doing it, and in the finale, she managed to get dick into conner’s brain. she’s in themyscira now. is this how she gets donna back to life? but reaching out to her in that non-space between life and death?

d) the next obvious question is: why isn’t donna appearing in the dreams of the other titans? she probably is, but they have better reason to be dreaming about her since they were actually close to her, unlike jason.

e) but why would she warn jason in particular? does she foresee jason entering the afterlife--however briefly? does she have an idea of what jason plans to do and what he will become?

f) anyway, more trippy mindscapes and weird psychic powers, yay!

2.5. my heart clenched when bruce comforted jason post-nightmare: clearly i’ve been reading way too much batfam fic. this is a side of bruce we haven’t really been told to expect by all the characters on the show calling him a ‘psychopath’ (*cough*unreliablenarrators*cough*) and him getting jason to speak to a professional speaks volumes about the kind of self-reflection he’s done post dick’s departure, and maybe some of the regrets he has with regards to how he dealt with dick’s traumas.

i mean, just look at him when jason dismisses his concerns! BRUCE IS TRYING JASON

anyway, i have a whole lot more i want to say about this, but i’ll save it for later.

also: LESLIE THOMPKINS!!!!

3. i really like molly--and i love that she’s a friend from before jason got taken in by bruce, the implication that they meet up regularly and that she’s a grounding influence on him (tho clearly not grounding enough to not go along with his dumbass idea about confronting a child trafficker alone).

3.5. aw, jason. robin was his armour against everything in the world that would throw him down and chew him to bits, but san francisco proved that even robin wasn’t enough to protect him. it’s really interesting how ‘disillusionment with the idea of robin’ is so integral to the traumas of both dick and jason but in such different ways.

4. LESLIE!!!!!!! i even forgive her office being so goddamn blue because leslie!

4.5. it makes so much sense for titans!verse leslie to be a therapist, because this show is so inward looking anyway, and therapist sessions are a useful tool to showcase this character work in a story. besides, at least in fanfic, leslie often seems to double up as a counsellor anyway.

4.6. oh man. i’m not terribly convinced by walters’ red hood (tho i think that may be the point--argh. i’ll come back to this thought later. have to stop getting distracted!) but he plays the asshole kid that’s trying not to let any real emotion seep through really well.

“you’d like me to punch you, wouldn’t you”

5. not sure what to think of batman’s little trophy case other than the show winking unsubtly at us and going look look - catwoman! the riddler! two face! you excited yet?! it’s like the scene from the end of amazing spiderman 2 when they were trying to drum up excitement for a sinister six spinoff by having harry osborne walk by a bunch of display cases with stuff from iconic villains in them.

... but then again, bruce does like to display a lot of shit in his batcave, including his dead robin’s bloodstained costume, so.

5.5. bruce is so soft with jason it’s killing me. beyond just trying to learn from his mistakes with dick, it speaks to his own genuine desire to balance his dedication to gotham with doing the best by his sons, although he’s often not successful with that.

i love that titans is really playing the long game with bruce wayne, with each season and character-perspective sliding in fresh pieces of a bigger puzzle. titans’ bruce has always been a phantom of other peoples’ making, but now we’re getting the idea that he’s a whole lot more complicated than other people make it seem.

5.75. it really recontextualises some of his actions from previous seasons: the fact that he locked dick out of his security systems in 1.06 is likely his way of respecting dick’s independence and his desire not to be associated with batman/gotham anymore. jason knowing about bruce’s tracker while dick doesn’t is probably bruce trying to be more honest and upfront with his charges. bruce sending jason packing off to sanfran to spend time with the titans is probably not him passing on a big responsibility to dick (as i first uncharitably thought) but him trying to get jason out of the toxic influence of gotham for a while and a sign of his trust in dick as a leader and a mentor,

5.8. i mean, bruce is a prick, but he’s also human.

6. i think leslie is doing some good work with jason here, though she may have overstepped the line with her line about robin as a construct being projected by a man with BPD. her speculations about bruce’s diagnosis have no place in her session with jason, and if bruce confides in her, an egregious violation of patient-therapist confidentiality.

(about the diagnosis itself... i don’t know. i can’t really confirm or refute this without a whole lot more information, and i’m not sure if the writer of this episode means BPD in the same way an actual professional might.)

6.5. i think a huge thing that gets missed out in a lot of recent comics as well as movies/shows is that bruce didn’t create the robin persona out of whole cloth. dick did. he’s the starting point of that legacy and to call it entirely bruce’s creation is blatant erasure of that. in fact, i’m surprised that dick doesn’t feature more in the conversations they’re having about the pressures of being robin. after all, the guy had been robin--bruce’s partner--for such a long time before jason.

6.8. (and here’s the primal part of me that resonates the deepest with dick grayson--the Eldest Daughter part--that’s sort of resentful: that jason gets the therapy and softness and the learning from mistakes when it took years and years for bruce to reach out in any meaningful way to dick.)

7. oooh that was a great scene!

it’s fun to do these stream-of-consciousness live reactions, because the moment you step down from your soapbox, the episode goes right into tackling what you were just complaining about. bruce means well, he’s learning, but he goes about exactly the wrong way to help jason: taking away robin now can’t be read by jason as anything but a devastating judgment call from bruce. and iain glen really sells the moment that bruce realises this--too late--and his helplessness in trying to get jason to see that it isn’t jason’s fault that he’s trying to do this. he loves jason enough that jason is enough.

7.5. aaaah so jason brings up the elephant in the room at last. dick got everything makes sense from his perspective, where getting to put on a costume and fight crime means approval, means being something stronger and better than you are. dick got to be robin, then nightwing, and a leader of a whole team of other costume-clad heroes.

8. ... how did jason just walk into arkham????? this is ridiculous.

8.3. i mean, clearly jason’s not thinking straight, but betraying batman like this puts his possibilities of being robin again even further away.

8.5. watching that chemistry experiment montage was strangely funny. this guy is looking for an antidote to fear? well, constantly mixing up and inhaling gases concocted by a mad-scientist supervillain is something only the very fearless--reckless to the point of foolishness!--would do. what’s to say crane’s not given you a formula for a drug that will keep you tethered to his every will and whim? hmmmm?

8.7. so he sought out the joker to... test the formula???

9. wow the “loud and clear... boss” hits different after a whole episode of them referring to each other as father and son.

9.3. waitwaitwait HOLD UP. wait a DANG MINUTE. you’re telling me that scarecrow had enough resources that he could not only have folks on the outside steal jason away and dunk him in a lazarus pit (i TOLD you that this show would bring up and dismiss ra’s al ghul in a ten second aside! I TOLD YOU) but also have his own little chemistry lab in the basement, AND have enough resources for jason to build his red hood persona???????? all of this in barely twenty four hours?

well there goes my ‘jason orchestrated his death’ theory. it was nice while it lasted. *cups hands to the sky* fly away, my baby.

9.6. a part of me is gleeful at the rushed nature of such an iconic transformation though, especially when compared to all the character work that went before it. we’re so used to getting the opposite that it’s fucking delightful to have a show that’s more interested in exploring its characters’ minds rather than battle scenes or recreating transformations from the comics. that’s taken such bold and exciting steps to fully convey all the nuances of its most recognisable character, bruce wayne, from casting an older actor to play him to unflinchingly showing just how damaging the vigilante lifestyle has been to him and the people he loves. BRILLIANT

*sporfle*

10. again, heads up: a whole lot of flashing lights between 40:28 and 42:00.

10.3. i guess it’s the super-compressed timeline that’s really throwing me off. where did he have the time to get/develop the mind control thing from? or is it something that he got from the cabal of villains that he intimidated at the beginning of 3.02? very messy.

10.5. i love molly, i hope she shows up again this season.

11. aaaand that’s it! that was a solid episode as flashback episodes go, but now i can’t wait to return to the present.

#titans #titans spoilers #meta #jason todd #bruce wayne #leslie thompkins #a tragic jalebi #robin #red hood

40 notes · View notes

hella-cious · 4 years

Text

This is straight up written vines from a Wayne family account don’t @me

*in the foyer of the manor, the camera zooms in on the chandelier to reveal grown ass Dick Grayson standing on it*

Tim, from behind the camera: Do a flip!

*dick does a flip*

Tim: Yooooooooooooo

———

*The camera approaches Bruce, who is sitting in a chair reading an honest to god newspaper*

Steph, from behind the camera: Who's your favorite kid?”

*off camera distant screaming in rage*

Bruce, without looking up: Not that one.

———

*Dick is sprawled across an armchair, still wearing his BPD uniform*

Damian walks up and glares at the camera before saying: “Fuck the police”

Dick falls off the couch and Damian turns back to camera and shouts “now unhand my cat, Todd!”

———

Bruce is again sitting and reading a paper. He looks up and sees the camera and sighs.

“Hey, Bruce,” Jason says from behind the camera. “Guess how much a gallon of milk costs.”

Bruce: “.....ten dollars?”

“Bitch!”

———

Tim, in an old timey voice: “Put up your Dukes”

Jason: *picks up Duke*

Duke: “Jason!”

———

A longer one, using the longer video format

Tim: “Okay guys, this is Billy.”

Billy Batson waves at the camera.

Tim: “We’re going to see if we can trick Bruce into thinking he adopted him.”

They point the camera at Cass and ask “Do you think it will work?”

Cass nods.

“So Billy is in Damian’s clothes to help sell it. Let’s try it.”

Billy walks into the living room where Bruce is reading a paper. The man gets no peace. He goes to Bruce and hands him a paper. “I need you to sign my permission slip for school.”

Bruce, distractedly, “Sure.” And signs it.

Billy runs back to the camera and it’s instant barbarians.

———

This one is titled cHiLd SmOtHeRs InNoCeNt CaT (with love) and it’s literally a spy shot of Damian holding Alfred the cat’s face between his hands and baby talking him.

Damian looks up and sees the camera and shouts “Delete that footage Todd!”

———

This is another spy shot at a family dinner. Bruce and Jason are both standing while someone films from just over the table top.

“No weapons at the table.”

Jason starts taking comical amounts of weaponry out of his pockets. Many guns, knives, even some pepper spray and escrima sticks.

“All of them.”

Jason takes one more small knife from his shoe.

———

Bruce in his spot.

“Hey who’s your favorite kid”

“Cassandra”

———

“Hey Bruce without counting how many kids do you have?”

Bruce: *opens his mouth but doesn’t speak*

———

Jason is following Bruce with the camera as they walk to Tim’s room.

“Why are following me?”

“No reason.”

Bruce opens the door, freezes, then shouts, “Kent! Put your shirt on this instant!”

Jason pokes the camera into the room to see Tim and Kon both shirtless as Kon climbs out the window.

#batfam #batman #tim drake #jason todd #bruce wayne

3K notes · View notes

redrobinfection · 4 years

Text

Batgirls’ Favorite Mentor

Babs & Batfam || Babs & Cass || Babs & Steph || implied DickBabs || Implied JayTim || Read on Ao3 || Happy Birthday, Barbara Gordon! ❤

<< A sequel to last year’s “Dick’s Favorite Person”

~*~

After Barbara's birthday dinner, Tim, Cass and Steph dragged everyone down to the Wayne Manor home theater to watch movies-- 'everyone' including Bruce, Damian, and her father, all three of whom seemed uncomfortable at the prospect of spending the evening participating in normal family bonding activities rather than heading back out into the night to fight crime, even if they couldn't acknowledge that they all three shared that discomfort.

(She was pretty sure her father knew everything--that she had been Batgirl, that Bruce was Batman, and about all the Robins and succeeding Batgirls--or at least suspected most of it, and had for a long time now, but he would never admit as much in order to maintain his plausible deniability).

Barbara struggled to contain her amusement every time she glanced over at them sitting side-by-side, stiff and awkward, on the couch. Oh, the rich irony.

While Steph, Tim and Cass convinced her to pick out a few movies for the family to watch, Dick and Jason helped Alfred clean up from dinner and make some popcorn, and then they escorted the grandfatherly man down to join the little party as well. Barbara picked the Ghostbusters series--including the new reboot film--for their watch party, feeling a little pre-halloween excitement for the first time in a long time, thanks to her good mood.

Her father stayed through the first film--it was something special having her father on one side of her on the big sectional couch, Dick on her other side, and the rest of her chosen family around her, laughing and making witty remarks about the movie--and then he excused himself.

Bruce, Damian, and Alfred persevered through the second, after which Bruce excused himself to "check on an ongoing case"--Barbara knew there was no ongoing case, but she was sure Bruce would also mind his manners around the Birds of Prey, seeing as he had promised her he was fine with them taking over for the night, so she let it slide--and Damian followed, muttering excuses of helping his father.

Alfred sighed and apologized to her, saying he should probably go down and ensure they didn't get up to too much mischief. His tone and the way he phrased it made Barbara giggle and she kissed him on the cheek with a quiet thank you for the dinner and everything else before letting him leave.

That left Barbara, Steph, Cass, Tim, Jason and Dick to watch the reboot film together, and Barbara had to say she enjoyed the extra quality time with her Robins and Batgirls. After that Tim, Jason and Dick also took their leave.

From the sounds of it Jason planned to drag Tim back to their apartment where he had apparently made and hidden extra portions of the mocha frosting used on the cake he gave her earlier and had some creative ideas about where to apply it only to lick it off again--Jason kept his tone low, but Barbara, being Barbara, overheard anyway. She smirked, but also blushed, making a note to avoid watching the surveillance video records for their apartment during these next couple of hours unless it became absolutely necessary.

Dick, blissfully oblivious of Tim and Jason’s plans, wandered off after them, probably headed up to bed or down to the cave to train for a bit before turning in.

After the boys left, Steph and Cass got even more excited and energetic, pulling out nail polish, face masks, and makeup. Barbara chortled at the idea of them doing makeovers and manicures like teenaged girls at a sleepover, but she went along with it with grace. Despite being Batgirls, the three of them weren't overly feminine, but every now and then it was fun to do some normal girl stuff and laugh together at how silly some of it felt.

They put the ridiculous Halle Berry Catwoman movie on in the background--Selina hadn't been overly impressed with that cinematic take on her persona, but Steph vehemently claimed that Halle Berry, acting in that role, had been a crucial part of her gay awakening--and then they did facials and manicures while they talked about boys--not boys in general, and definitely not daydreaming over dating them, but specifically the batboys, commiserating long and loudly over how ridiculous they could be, particularly Bruce.

At a certain point, Steph began not so subtly steering the conversation toward something that was not yet apparent, but Barbara was the one who had taught Steph the finer points of redirection, so she would know, even if she hadn't spotted the end goal as of yet.

"Y'know," Stephanie said, "it's nice when the Birds of Prey come and help out around Gotham. They always do a good job and work well enough with the boys, too." She glanced over as Cass and gave her a pointed look. Cass grinned back at her and began nodding along to the words very deliberately.

"Yeah, that's true…" Barbara allowed cautiously, suppressing the urge to shake her head at their painfully-obvious non-verbal signaling. Their poor attempts to manipulate the conversation notwithstanding, she was curious to see where this was headed, at the very least.

"I mean you should totally ask them to come take over for a couple of days, sometime," Steph went on in a carefully casual tone as she finished the second coat of polish on the fingernails of Barbara's left hand. "Y'know? Maybe take a vacation? Get out of Gotham for a while?"

Barbara sighed and began waving the hand, encouraging the wet polish to dry. "I appreciate what you guys are trying to do," she replied, looking them each in the eye in turn, "but I just don't have the time, what with Halloween and then the holidays. This is such a busy time of year for the crazies--and even for the not-so-crazies--and Bruce will never-"

To her surprise, Cass crouched down right in front of her and cut her off, both with her patented Cassandra Cain stare and with the words, "Yes. But listen."

Barbara blinked, then nodded. Cass smiled slightly then looked up to Steph and nodded for her to continue.

Steph nodded back and dropped the faux-casual tone, saying, "It's already done, Babs. We asked every single Bird on the roster to come by during the second week of November, right after the Halloween crazy-fest and just before the holiday madness.

"Kara, Donna and Koriand'r agreed to rotate out to keep an eye on things from above, Cass convinced Bruce to let them all to bunk here at the manor-" Barbara's eyes boggled while Cass nodded smugly "-and all the boys are on board with the plan and ready to play nice. Cass and I will be here too, just to make sure everyone gets along." Cass cracked the knuckles of one hand and grinned, nodding ominously.

"So, you see, it's all settled," Stephanie finished, looking smug. "You just have to say yes."

Barbara blinked rapidly, struggling to process all the surprises that had just been dumped on her. "Wait… so…I get a choice? To say yes or not?"

Steph laughed. "Yes, Babs, of course; this our gift to you, not a mandated vacation! So what do you say?"

Barbara shook her head, not sure how to respond. "Look, even if I had the time, I haven't exactly saved up to, you know, do anything special or go anywhere...I wouldn't even know where to go..."

"Well, Dick said he would go with you, if you wanted some company," Stephanie said, "Or he would stay here to help hold down the fort if you prefer but, as for paying for the trip…"

Cass walked up to the double doors to the den, pushed them open a crack and stuck her head out into the hall. "Hey, Dick, get your dick in here."

Steph choked on air and then burst out laughing. Barbara couldn't help but grin, especially when Cass backed up far enough to allow an upset and confused Dick Grayson entry into their den of Batgirls.

"Cass, that uhhh…isn't how that saying goes…" he began slowly, looking at Steph and Barbara in alarm.

"She knows that," Steph replied with a smug smile. She shot Cass an appreciative look that Cass returned with a grin and a wink.

Dick simply shook his head and let it go. "So we're doing the gift now?" he asked, glancing at Barbara, but directing his words to Stephanie.

"Yes," Barbara replied, barely concealing her amusement at their 'sneaky' tactics--What had Dick done for an hour in the hall while waiting to be called back in again? Since when did Dick Grayson have the patience for subterfuge anyway?--"Steph and Cass just explained to me that I'm being sent on vacation-"

"If you want!" Steph blurted.

Barbara laughed out loud. "If I want, apparently, and that you've also volunteered to go with me." She raised an eyebrow and adopted a mischievous tone. "Is the part where you offer to be my personal cabana boy? Or to bring your police uniform and strip for me every night?"

Dick grinned. "No, but those aren't bad ideas." He sobered and went on, saying, "No, this is the part where I offer to fly you anywhere in the world--out of my own BPD savings--and give you the choice to go and explore on your own, or to take me along for the ride if you want someone to keep you company and have your back while you're on the road."

Barbara stared, feeling her eyes go misty. "Dick, I...wow. That's…Yeah, I'd really like that."

Dick's grin brightened into a genuine smile, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Stephanie fist pump and then fist bump Cassandra. Barbara thought about it for a few seconds and then said,

"The Italian Lakes."

Dick tilted his head questioningly. "In the Italian Alps?"

Barbara nodded decisively. "I know it will be chilly in November, but I want to go there. I've always wanted to see them and stay in one of the villas."

Dick laughed and nodded. "Like that one they used for the Naboo lake country in Star Wars Episode II?"

Barbara rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yes, you closeted-nerd, exactly like that."

"Consider it done," Dick replied without hesitation.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely, turning her gaze onto all three of them. "You all had to have talked about this extensively, probably weeks in advance, and done so much leg work to get everyone on the same page…" she narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious, "and you still managed to hide it from me of all people?!"

"Yes, from the all seeing Oracle," Steph laughed, grinning infuriatingly.

How even, Barbara mouthed, shaking her head incredulously.

"By only speaking in-person in electronics-free areas," Steph replied, smiling conspiratorially. "By passing each other coded notes and-"

"Smoke signals," Cass added, nodding sagely.

"And messenger pigeons, too, of course," Dick finished, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

Barbara shook her head at the three of them then shook a finger at one in particular. "Dick, you son of a bat, you lied to me," she accused, smiling broadly. "You totally had a gift all along and you led me on all evening!"

"Yeah," Dick admitted with a sigh, running a hand through his hair, "I didn't want to spoil the surprise, but it was sooooooo hard, I really wanted to give you something--anything--so much earlier..."

"I'm glad you didn't," Barbara cut in. "The surprises--both of them--were wonderful. Thank You." She looked Stephanie, then Cassandra in the eyes. "All of you. Really. This means a lot."

Steph swooped down to give her a hug. As soon as she straightened, Cass leaned down gracefully to give one of her own. Barbara squeezed each of them tightly in turn, trying desperately to relay the gratitude beyond words that she felt for their thoughtfulness as well as she could through the contact. The knowing smile Cass gave her as they separated told Barbara her unspoken message was received and understood.

"Only the best for the best mentor," Cass replied quietly.

Stephanie nodded. "We wouldn't be the Batgirls we were-" she glanced at Cass "-and are today if it weren't for you. You're the MVB forever."

Barbara frowned for a moment, then smiled. "Most Valuable Batgirl?"

Cass and Steph nodded and Dick nodded too, in the background.

"Forever," Cass repeated.

"Awwww, Batgirls…" Barbara cooed, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She motioned them back in and drew them into a tight group hug, all three of them slinging their arms around each other, laughing when their heads eventually clonked together. After a moment Barbara noticed Dick smiling fondly at the three of them from a discrete distance.

She raised her head and cleared her throat. "Okay, all non-Batgirls, please vacate the room. The official Batgirl spa night continues now."

Steph and Cass giggled but stepped away and busied themselves with rewinding the movie, giving Dick an opening to approach Babs before leaving once again. He stopped beside her chair, leaned down, and kissed her gently on the forehead, murmuring, "Happy Birthday, Babs."

She caught him by the chin and drew him down into a quick kiss, murmuring her thanks against his lips. He smiled, stood, then left quietly through the double doors.

To one side, Steph and Cass scrutinized bottles of nail polish with undeserved concentration, clearly trying to give Barbara and Dick some privacy. Barbara smiled.

"Okay, so, back to business. We’ve finished facials and fingernails, so...how about pedicures now?"

Steph and Cass blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?" Steph asked. She and Cass never made a big deal out of Barbara's paraplegia--often openly discussing it with Barbara as the situation required--but they'd also tried to avoid activities that would highlight her differences, such as pedicures.

"Yeah, I know, I wouldn't be able to feel it, but, you know, it's been such long time since my feet have had a chance to get fancy. It's my birthday, so…why not?" Barbara replied lightly, smiling slyly at them.

Slowly their faces brightened until Steph was beaming and Cass' eyes were reduced to delighted slivers.

"Absolutely!" "Of course!"

~*~

Alfred’s Favorite Barbara >>

#my writing #mine #christmasriverswrites #barbara gordon #happy birthday babs #babs and steph #babs and cass #babs and dick #dickbabs #implied jaytim #i'm not overly pleased with this installment--particularly the sloppy editing--but here it is #long text post

22 notes · View notes

soepicsokim · 6 years

Text

Chapter 30

I stand there in the kitchen looking at the pancakes as they burn. Dick has his face buried into the crook of my neck. I slowly bring my left hand up and place it in his black hair, “I’m not going anywhere.” My voice is a whisper.

Dick’s arms tighten around my waist, “I don’t know how to handle this. I want to turn back time and take these scars and memories away. I would easily go and find the people who hurt you and hurt them just as bad or worse.” He’s crying now, I feel his tears hit my neck.

My hand in his hair gently tightens, “I love you.” I take a deep breath and turn around in his arms as he holds me tight against him. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, “The scars don’t matter. Besides, each one has made me the person I am now. I wouldn’t trade them in or remove them because without them, I wouldn’t have you.” I lean back and look up at Dick.

He sighs and kisses my forehead, “Let’s go out and eat. I’ll clean the burned pancake mess once we come back home.”

I smile, “Brenda’s?”

Dick rolls his eyes and kisses my forehead again, “Go get dressed princess.”

I giggle and fly to the bed room. I grab one of Dick’s blue t shirts and a pair of black leggings. I quickly put them on and walk to the bathroom to fix my mess of hair. I grab my brush and start brushing my hair, when I get to a knot in my hair I stick my tongue out a little as I focus on getting the knot out.

“You’re adorable.”

I jump at the sound of Dick’s voice as I quickly whip my head to the side to see him leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed watching me. I look him over and smile. He’s wearing a black fitted t shirt with tight blue jeans. “You look nice.”

Dick smiles, “As do you.” He tilts his head to the side, “Is that my shirt?”

I smirk, “Maybe.”

He chuckles as he walks up to me and gently takes my hair into his hand and the hairbrush into the other. “Here, let me help.” He starts brushing my hair and gently gets all the knots out. “Hmmm, I think a side braid would be nice.” He starts braiding my hair off to the left side of my head.

I smile and watch him, “Thank you.”

That night

I’m sitting on the roof of the apartment building watching the lights of the city. It’s peaceful tonight. I can only hope it stays that way while Dick is on patrol. He needs a night to just relax and enjoy running around the city.

“Duchess?”

“Yes Death?” I look over at Jason with a raised eyebrow.

“Where’s Dick?” Jason sits down beside me and looks out over Bludhaven.

I sigh and look around the city until my eyes land on Dick perched on top of The BPD building. “At work. Why are you here Zombie?”

“I’ve been worried about you. That was a massive panic attack and Two Face had a gun against your head.” He looks at me from the side of his eyes and sighs.

I sigh but never take my eyes off Dick. “It was like I couldn’t function. I was flying over the city and next thing I knew i was on the ground and I couldn’t make my body work.” I turn to face Jason, “I was thinking about when stewart took me and how I killed all those people. Jason,” I sigh and look back at the city, “I’m a monster. Those people didn’t deserve to die that way. Burned by a supernova. I don’t kill. I try not to kill. I’m not the experiment Lex and Ra’s created.”

Jason sighs, “You were taken, you were scared, and you probably thought those people were going to hand you back over to Lex or Ra’s.” Jason gently rubs a tear off of my cheek, “Just because Lex and Ra’s altered your genes, that does not mean you are a monster. Do you understand me? If you were a monster, Dick would not love you. Damian would not protect you. Bruce and your dad would have locked you up. To top it all off no one would have looked for you once you went missing.”

I turn away as I cry more and look out at the city, “Jason, I can’t. We, we can’t.” I fall shortly off the roof then fly back up and I look at Jason. “I feel your emotions. I don’t love you like I love Dick. I can’t love you like I love him. He’s here.” I point to my heart then wipe my tears from my face. “And Jason, when you hear his thoughts all the time. I know him. I love him.” I wipe my tears again then look up at Jason and see Dick back off in the background. I shake my head and hold up my hand, “Stay. I need a moment.”

Jason quickly stands up and tries to reach for me before I fly away. Our fingertips barely brush before he watches me fly off towards Metropolis. “DANG IT!!!!!” He throws his helmet and lets out a pained scream.

Dick walks up and places his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Jay! Jason! Let her go! Let! Her! Go!” Dick’s voice is full of anger and determination. He pulls off his domino mask with great force, “I just got her back after a massive panic attack and from being taken from someone who I thought was my best friend. And I find you here, with MY GIRLFRIEND. I SWEAR TO GOD JAY, YOU MAKE HER LEAVE I’LL BREAK YOU WORSE THAN JOKER DID!”

Jason clenches his jaw and his fists at the same time. In one swift move he turns around and punches Dick in the nose breaking it. “You don’t get to talk to me about Lydia.” Jason huffs and looks at Dick holding his nose, “YOU MAY BE HER SOULMATE! YOU MAY BE THE ONE SHE CHOSE! BUT! SHE AND I ARE CONNECTED ALSO! UNTIL YOU MARRY HER SHE IS FREE REIGN TO BOTH OF US! I WILL DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING I HAVE TO TO KEEP HER SAFE! IF THAT MEANS MAKING HER LEAVE YOU THEN I’LL DO IT!”

Dick stands up straight and looks Jason in the eyes, “You heard her, she loves me. Let her go Jason! Be her friend, be her future brother in law. I forgive you for breaking my nose, but I don’t want to see you again.” He walks off towards the fire escape to the apartment. As he gets to the edge he looks over his shoulder at Jason, “Oh, Jason, get out of my town.” He climbs down the firescape and into the apartment.

Dick climbs into the apartment through the window right as his cell phone buzzes. He pulls out his phone to see a message from Clark.

Clark: What did you do to my daughter?

Dick sighs as he grabs the first aid kit and walks to the bathroom. He grabs his phone and responds.

Dick: It was Jason, not me. I’ll be there after I fix my broken nose.

Dick sets down his phone then looks in the mirror. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes before he sets his nose and bandages it. He lets out a grunt as he pulls off his Nightwing outfit and pulls on a black shirt and dark jeans. He quickly grabs his phone and keys and races out of the apartment and down the stairs. He jumps onto his motorcycle and takes off through town heading towards Clarks place in metropolis.

I sit on my dad’s couch holding one of the decorative pillows that Diana has placed around the place. “I can leave if you want. I shouldn’t have come.” I look at the floor and hold the pillow closer to me.

Clark sits next to me and gently lays a hand on my shoulder, “You are my daughter. I will never want you to leave.” He gently rubs his hand on my back in a comforting motion, “Lydia, talk to me. I’m your father, let me help.”

I sigh and look at him from the side of my eye, “You look like the man that was my father. But my father died when my mother died.” I stand up and hand him the pillow I was holding. “I’ll leave. I should probably get back to-” A frantic knock on the door cut me off. I look to Clark and he just motions me to open the door. I nod and walk towards the door as another frantic knock sounds through the place.

Slowly placing my hand on the door knob, I take a breath and put on a straight face and try to stop my tears. I turn the knob and open the door, “Can I help….you?” I see Dick standing in the hallway breathing hard. His chest is rising and falling and the bandage on his nose is full of blood.

Dick holds up a hand as he puts his hands on his knees and takes deep breaths. “I…..need…..to….ask…. You….. something.” He almost hyperventilates between each word.

I look at him with worry, “Oh God. Dick, your nose. CLARK! ICE. He needs ice.” I gently grab onto his arm and try to pull him into Clarks apartment but he wouldn’t move. He just stands up and shakes his head. “No. are you seriously telling me no? You’re hurt and you can’t breath and you won’t let me help yo-”

Dick places a hand on my mouth, “Shut. Up.” He clears his throat and sticks his hand in his pocket, “Lydia Amy Lee Kent, I meant what I said two night ago. I meant what I said this morning.” He looks behind me and sees my dad then looks back at me, “I have loved you my entire life. This isn’t how I wanted to ask you and this isn’t how it was planned. But-”

I eye him wearily as he takes my left hand and gets down on one knee. I turn and look at my dad, “Daddy? What-”

Clark cuts me off, “Let the man speak.”

I look back at Dick, He is now on one knee with a ring in his hand. A small thin rose gold band with a rose on top. The entire ring looked metal with one diamond in the center of the rose. I slowly put my right hand over my mouth, “Marshmallow?”

Dick smiles up at me and takes a breath, “I love you. I always have. Even when you went missing. I never gave up hope. I never wanted to believe you were truly gone.” He takes another breath, “I heard your voice in my head so much. I knew your thoughts, your wants. I just never knew where you were until you came back into my life.” A tear slides down his cheek, “I promise to love you more, to keep you safe, to tell you stories when you get stress out. I promise to be by your side forever.”

Dick clears his throat again and looks deep into my eyes. Mentally and verbally he asks, “Lydia Amy Lee Kent, will you marry me?”

A/N: OMG!!! FINALLY??!! What will Lydia's answer be? Is Clark and Lydia finally being family? Will Jason ruin the relationship? STAY TUNED!

Tags: @ellana-ravenwood @starrynight-sky @audreythetealovingcat @nerd-dgirl @theycallmeamillennial @redhoodshood

#Chapter 30 #Lydia Kent #Dick Grayson #Clark Kent #jason todd #main story

28 notes · View notes

xaphrin · 7 years

Text

Raven knew he knew who she was.

It was obvious, the way his stare would linger on the back of her head as she walked by him in the halls. The way his sentences would simply cut off the moment she stepped into view, and he would let his words hang in silence until she walked away.

[more under the cut]

At first she thought it was just that he found her attractive. After all, it had been nearly ten years since they last saw each other. Raven had grown out of her petite teenage body, and she had developed ‘feminine wiles’ as Zachary had called it. She didn’t feel all that different, perhaps a bit taller, but she had always chalked that up to the fact that now she was more apt to wear heels (it was easier to look imposing if she sported stiletto-sharp shoes). However, Dick never made any crude comments to her, asked her out for coffee, or even glanced anywhere south of her shoulders. After a few months, Raven had no choice but to admit that he knew.

And now they were in her cramped office together, with no windows and no escape.

“I need the reports on the autopsy from last week.” His hands slipped into his pockets and he stood there looking like the epitome of everything she shouldn’t want. She had not forgotten the last thing he had said to her before they parted ways – In another life, maybe things would have been different. It was meant to remind her that things couldn’t always end in the way they wanted them to, and Raven knew that.

Except now, they were living another life, both of them, and it felt weird to dwell so hard on those thoughts. It was another life… wasn’t it? A normal one?

“Which report?” Raven plucked the glasses from her nose and pursed her lips, trying to throw up that careful barrier she needed to protect her emotions. “I performed five autopsies last week, and if I remember correctly, you are not on any of those cases, Detective Grayson.”

He pressed his lips together and leaned back against the door of her office, his lips twitching as it clicked into place. Her toes curled into her shoes and she set her pen down next to her glasses. Raven refused to say it first. If he wanted to open that line of communication, then he would have to make the first move.

“Raven.”

Impressive. He certainly had matured at least enough to start talking without being prompted.

“It’s Doctor Roth now, you know.” She pointed to the stitching on the breast of her jacket. “Official and everything.”

He sighed and sagged against the door, his expression priceless. He looked tired and exhausted, but also just a bit amused. It seemed as if it were easier to talk to her now that there wasn’t an entire precinct of officers and detectives and bosses staring at them like they were in a fish bowl. Slowly, he made his way to the only other chair in the room and sat down.

“You look good.”

Raven lifted an eyebrow and glanced over at him. “Is that so?”

He snorted. “Come on, you had to have noticed. Especially after Zachary showered all that attention on you.” There was a note of jealousy in his voice, but Raven decided not to chase it. She knew better than to head down the rabbit hole. Dick nodded to the ring on her left hand. “So… still… engaged?”

“No. We never were.” She turned back to her computer, not liking the sour feeling in her stomach. It was one thing to talk about his past lovers, it was another thing to talk about her own. She didn’t want to, not when the one person she had ever truly wanted was sitting in front of her, looking practically dashing in navy blue. “It was a bit of a media stunt for a while, but we never had any intention of getting married.”

“But you wear the ring?”

“It’s magicked. Zachary made it for me to keep my powers a little better controlled.” There was a long pause as she responded to an email, and it was so quiet that Raven thought for a moment that he had left. It wasn’t until he spoke again that she realized he was waiting for her to explain.

“And you wear it on that hand?”

“It fits on this hand. It seems rather silly to wear it anywhere else.” Raven sent her email and turned back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. She could feel it fluttering against her ribs, as if she was a teenager in love for the first time and it felt strange. Her entire life revolved around keeping herself guarded and away from emotions that caused turmoil, and yet here she was – in a too-small office with him. Licking her lips, Raven met his stare with one of her own. “Dick, what is this about?”

“Just catching up.”

“No. No, you are not. You are asking about Zachary, and bringing up my fake engagement.” Her nostrils flared just a little and she pitched forward, trying to read him the best she could. He was being ridiculous, and they both knew it. “You are trying to see how my love life has been doing. I don’t see why, you already told me you didn’t love me.”

“I… that’s not what I meant.” His voice skipped and he looked away, crossing his arms over his chest.

Raven sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. He was going to give her a damned headache if he kept this up. It was like he was purposefully trying to antagonize her at this point. Did he love her or didn’t he? Because he had made it perfectly clear that the only way he could ever love her was if it was a different life. She rested her hands in her lap and lifted an eyebrow. “So, what did you mean?”

“I… I don’t know, Raven. I was a kid at the time, I didn’t know what I wanted and I thought… I just…” His sentence trailed off and there was a grunt that gurgled up from the space underneath his chest. “I thought love would be easy.”

Raven snorted. “You’re right, you were a kid. Love is not easy.”

“No… it’s a lot of work.”

She waited a moment, turning back to her desk and sorting through her reports. “Is that why Star left?”

“No. That’s… complicated. And a story for another time, really.” He ran a hand over his face and looked up at the ceiling, another sigh escaping. “I hear her and Jason are having fun though.”

“So I am told. I try not to listen to too much gossip-“

He snorted. “But you’ll listen to gossip about me?”

Her lips tugged at the edge and she glanced back at him. “I would think that would be obvious.”

“Because you like to hear about me failing?”

“Because I like to hear about you.” Raven placed her hands flat on her desk, what little smile she had falling. “Because in spite of what you think, I still care very deeply for you, Dick.” Pause. “I still love you… which I suppose is a reason that Zachary and I could never make it work. Although we certainly tried.”

He looked shocked, and Raven wondered if something had short-circuited in his brain. Dick sat there, his hands in his lap, fingers twitching, and he stuttered over so many words that nothing seemed to come out in a coherent sound. Raven’s heart turned over in her chest and she sighed, hating the fact that after all this time, he could still make her feel so… foolish. She stood up and took a few short steps to him, running her fingers through his hair as he looked up at her.

“You still…”

“It’s stupid. You would think I’d have gotten over you…” Raven’s fingers brushed against one of the brass BPD pins on his lapel, and he just stared up into her face. “I wish I would have told you so much sooner than now. It would have made thing infinitely easier for me.”

“Me too.”

His hands reached out and wrapped around her fingers, and Raven had forgotten how warm his touch could be. She had forgotten the scars on his fingers, the little tattoo on his wrist, and the way his pulse beat under her own touch. She had forgotten so much about him, but it was all coming rushing back to her in a flood of colors and emotions. How had she managed to walk out of their life so easily? They had been friends, but she forgot all of that when there was so much physical space between them.

She didn’t know how starved for touch she was until he was here in front of her, reminding her of all the things she wanted. “I’m sorry.”

Dick pulled on her hands and she toppled forward, landing in his lap. Her lab coat tangled in between his thighs, pinning her to his chest. Without her few inches of height, she felt small again, like someone that needed to be taken care of. Raven’s hands curled against his chest, and she could smell the familiar scent of his cologne. He still wore the same scent, even after all these years. Her eyes closed and she rested her forehead against his own, just listening to his breath in the stillness of the room.

“Don’t apologize.” His hands rested on her curve of her hips, hot even through the cotton. “I… I was young and dumb and naïve, and I… I didn’t deserve you.”

Raven smiled. “You’re still dumb.”

He chuckled and tipped his head up just enough that his nose brushed against hers. “I’m learning to get smarter… starting with asking you out on a date.”

“I’ll have to think about it.” Raven opened her eyes and looked into his impossibly blue stare. Her heart turned over again, and it felt as though they were the only people on the face of the planet.

“Think about it?”

“You made me wait so long for that question, Dick.” Raven untangled her lab coat and stepped back. It felt strange to have this kind of back-and-forth again, as if those ten years hadn’t passed between them. Everything felt new and fresh and exciting, and Raven loved it. She smiled. “I think you can wait a day or two while I mull it over properly.”

He pouted.

#robrae #dickrae #future fic #I don't know what I am doing #police/coroner AU

319 notes · View notes

dccomicsbookshelf · 7 years

Text

Dead Hearts: Kids That I Once Knew

Alfred watches.

***

“Thanks Alfie!” The young lady waved as she left, both hands full of cookies.

Young Miss Stephanie had picked up on Master Dick’s affectionate name for him very quickly. She was in and out quite often these days, despite Master Bruce’s distaste, either visiting with Master Timothy or Mistress Cassandra, a welcome (in Alfred’s humble opinion) spot of light.

He cleans and bandages the cut on her side. Long but not deep, not dangerous. This time.

She pulls her shirt down, hiding the bandage and scars and stretch marks on her abdomen.

“Thanks Alfie.”

***

Alfred was amazed at young Timothy’s resilience, pushing his way gently into their lives, filling some of the void left behind at Master Jason’s death. Master Richard was often home then, teaching the child tricks and many times dragging him off for extra-curricular activities that did not result in violence but rather laughter. He was a quiet young man, but with a light in his eyes and an eagerness in his movement that spoke of his happiness at becoming part of their family.

He truly was a miracle worker.

Alfred sighs as he picks his way through the cluttered apartment. Master Tim is seated in front of his computer, eyes focused on the screen as his hand gropes for his coffee cup, only to replace it in disgust when he finds it to be empty. There are dark rings beneath his frantic eyes and he has lost weight where there was none to lose in the first place. Alfred places a bowl of soup beside him and does his best to ignore the boy’s mutters.

“He can’t be dead. He can’t be. Not him too.”

***

Young Master Jason was wary, but in the moments when he forgot to be afraid there was a very real joy and wonder in his eyes. Alfred regretted being so distant with Master Richard. Perhaps if he had been more open to the youngster’s overtures of affection things would have turned out different. He made a point to be available this time.

Master Jason was not as physically open as Master Richard had been, but the smile on his face when Alfred set a plate of bread slices and butter on the counter in front of him lit up the whole kitchen.

They straggle in tonight, exhausted and wounded. The Red Hood blew up two warehouses and had at least a brief encounter with each of them, evidenced in the cuts and bruises decorating Master Dick’s face and Master Timothy’s torso. The way Mistress Cassandra treads carefully around the outside of the group, hovering and unsure. Master Damian’s grumbles and the blank and dead look in Master Bruce’s eyes.

***

Alfred smiled to himself watching Miss Barbara and Master Richard, their heads bent over their homework. She was such a wonderful young lady, Miss Gordon. With a delightful sense of humor and a no-nonsense approach that did wonders for Master Bruce and Master Richard.

Master Richard was certainly fond of her.

He hid his smile as he stepped into the room with the tray of cookies and hot chocolate, but allowed his mild amusement at the way Master Richard blushed when he was caught staring at Miss Barbara's hair.

"Thank you Alfred." The young lady beamed up at him, her long red ringlets glistening in the drawing room firelight. "These are delicious."

"Oracle to Batcave."

He reaches over to the main computer.

"Batcave, Agent A speaking."

"Could you let B know that there are rumors of the Joker getting ready to make a move. I'm sending the information now."

The computer beeps, message received.

"Indeed. And when might you be joining us for dinner Miss Oracle?"

There is silence. There has been a lot of silence since she gave Master Dick back his ring.

"Maybe sometime. Probably not soon. Oracle out."

***

“And then, we swooped in and POW!” Master Richard did a flip off of the banister onto the floor, peering up at Alfred with wide, shining eyes. “We saved them Alfie. We saved them.”

Alfred gave a small quirk of his lips in reply. “Indeed Master Richard.”

The boy grinned and dropped so that he was walking on his hands, still fast enough that he remained in front of Alfred as they made their way through the hall. “It was awesome.”

Master Dick is slumped in front of the Bat-Computer, picking at Batman’s utility belt spread out in front of him. “What am I doing, Alfred?” he says quietly as Alfred busies himself gathering up the remaining evidence of the night’s patrol. “I’m screwing everything up. Tim left, Jason’s lost it, we haven’t heard from Cass in weeks, and Damian hates me.” He drops his face into his hands, his shoulders tense beneath his BPD sweatshirt. “I can’t hold this family together. I’m just lying to myself.”

***

This was not the plan. Alfred caught himself thinking as he nervously glanced back at Mistress Wayne, who was perched on the side of the bed, strands of her hair plastered to her cheek, breathing heavily through her nose as the February storm raged outside.

In the event of being unable to safely transport her to the hospital for the birth, Master Wayne should have been there at least. He was a doctor after all.

His father hobbled into the room, far too old to be up and about like that. “You are doing well Mistress Martha.” He coaxed as he gently assisted the young woman into a more comfortable position and beckoned Alfred closer. “You’ll have to catch lad, I don’t want to trust my old arms with something so important."

An hour later, Alfred stared down at the small, squirming bundle in his arms, a child he had just delivered and cleaned. As he passed the boy into his mother’s hands he realized that, even after his own father passed away, he would not be leaving the Wayne Family. He was here to stay after all, confound the old man! He had to have planned it that way.

Master Bruce is alive, yes, but his parents are not and Alfred is a former soldier and actor. He does not know what to do with a child, let alone one who wanders the halls of the manor with a pinched, white face and eyes that burn with a hooded anger and furious grief. He hears the young master wake at night from the dreams and aches to rush to his side but restrains himself. It is not his place.

***

Alfred watches, and mourns the loss.

75 notes · View notes

ragingbookdragon · 4 years

Text

I’ve Finally Found Something For My Shelf

Batmom Story!

A/N: This was the first Batmom story I ever wrote. It’s actually one of the best pieces that I’ve written before I got better at writing. Enjoy! -Thorne <3

Everyone had a shelf in the Batcave; it was kind of a given. They were placed side by side starting with Alfred, then Bruce, and then (Y/N). When Dick came along and joined the family, they built his shelf after (Y/N)’s. Each time someone new joined the family, they put up a new shelf. The shelf itself was more symbolic than anything; mostly saying that they had a spot in the family, but over the years, items found their way on their shelves.

Alfred’s shelf was simple: a photo of him and the Wayne’s, a photo of him with the entire Batfamily, and a rare china set that Bruce and (Y/N) spent years tracking down in order to give it to him for Father’s Day.

Bruce’s shelf contained exactly four items: the first was the last photo he and his parents ever took, the second was his and (Y/N)’s wedding photo, the third was a picture of him and Alfred on Father’s Day, and the fourth was a picture of him and all the boys sandwiched together, out cold on the couch after movie night.

Dick’s shelf contained various items: his BPD badge, a picture of him and his birth parents, his mother’s bracelet, a picture of him and Bruce and (Y/N) at his high school graduation, a photo of him and all his friends, and a photo of him and his brothers.

For a long time, Jason’s shelf lie covered in dust. But when he came back, his most prized possessions made their way up: a photo of him and (Y/N)-with ice-cream all over their faces-smiling, his favorite book, and the first Red Hood he had (before he replaced it, of course).

Tim had his items: a bag of his favorite coffee beans, a picture of him and Conner and Bart, the booklet of newspaper clippings on Batman and Robin he collected when he was a kid, and a photo of him with Bruce and (Y/N) on either side smiling after he gave his first speech at W.E.

Damian, much like his father, only had three items: a picture of him snuggled between a sleeping Bruce and (Y/N), and the two hilts of his grandfather’s swords.

But (Y/N)’s shelf was always empty. Many times her boys asked her why her shelf never had anything of memory or value. She always responded with, “I haven’t found anything to put up there just yet; but don’t worry, I will one day.” She always said it, but never did; until one night.

It was mid-July and everyone was happy patrol was over; no one likes sweating and smelling in skin tight suits. When they got back to the cave, it was a race to see who could shuck their suit off and hit the shower first. First place meant the fastest relief to all the sweat and grime. Somehow, Bruce always won, despite him wearing the most and the heaviest suit. But once they were all showered and satisfied, they all returned to the cave and went about the night how they usually did. Bruce sat at the Batcomputer listening to a caffeinated Tim explain the newest updates he’d installed, Dick and Damian talked about anything and everything as the lightly sparred, and Alfred and Jason sat at the table with books between them as they drank tea. All that was missing was the matriarch who’d left to go upstairs saying, “I’ll be right back, I forgot to grab something.” They eventually heard her coming down the steps humming, and carrying a large tote. Mindful of the song she was humming; Jason looked at Alfred and murmured, “Well, she’s humming Satisfied from Hamilton, so she must be in a good mood.” Alfred smiled and responded.

“Indeed she must be.” They all watched her walk a few steps before setting down the tote and rearranging the things inside. Bruce swiveled around in his chair and spoke.

“Love, do you need any help?” (Y/N) paused and smiled at him, making his heart flip.

“No thank you dear, I can handle it.” She picked up the tote again and continued on her way. By now, everyone was watching, wondering what she was carrying; Dick propped his chin atop Damian’s head asking,

“Mom, what do you have in there?” She glanced at him and grinned.

“Nothing you need to worry about Dickie. I got it.” He snorted and shrugged his shoulders, but kept watching.

Their eyes followed their matriarch as she walked over to her shelf and put the tote down in front of it. She bent over and picked up a can of pledge and a rag and sprayed it. (Y/N) ran the rag over the shelf cleaning away the dust that had sat there for years, until it was gone. Then, she set the rag down and bent over again, reaching into the tote. The boys watched curiously as she pulled out a picture and set it right next to the beginning of the shelf. They looked at it and saw that is was her and Alfred, sitting on the patio outside, books in their laps, tea in their hands, their faces joyful. She moved over, dragging the tote with her and bent over again, this time pulling out and placing a picture of her and Bruce. Bruce was in his Bat-suit smiling faintly, holding an over-the-moon (Y/N), who had one leg hanging down his arm, the other in the air like a Rockette; she had one arm around his neck, the other struck out like a magician saying ‘Ta-Da!’ (Y/N) paused for a moment and a fond look came over her face before she moved and placed another photo up. This time, it was her and a costumed Dick pulling the same poses her and Bruce had, except Dick was the Rockette this time. His head was tipped back and he looked like he was laughing as (Y/N) smiled, despite struggling to hold him up. She laughed at the photo and moved again, and put up a photo of her and Jason. They both sat on either ends of the couch in the study, slouching, with their elbows on the arm rests-but sitting properly enough to look bad-ass- and each held a glass full of amber liquid. Jason had his hood on and (Y/N)’s face was raised slightly, a haughty look on her face. Jason liked to call it ‘Red Hood and his Bad-Ass Ma’ photo. (She could never get him to pose all nicely for the camera because, ‘I’m not letting someone use a ‘cute’ photo against me and ruin my bad-boy image’.) (Y/N) grinned at the photo, pulling out the next and placing it up. She and a suited Tim stood side by, Bo staffs resting along the back of their shoulders, grinning like maniacs. The next photo she put up was of her and Damian. She had put on the OG Batgirl suit and stood behind Robin, hands on his shoulders as he had his arms crossed, arrogance strung on his face; a prideful smirk playing her lips. She moved one last time and pulled out one more photo, and her heart swelled at it. She lay next to Bruce on their bed, the boys laying anywhere and everywhere there was room. She had her back snuggled up to Bruce’s chest, who had an arm wrapped around her middle, the other wrapped around Dick, who lay on his other side. Damian was curled up on her chest, arms wrapped around her, and Tim lay between her and Bruce, under her arm and head on her shoulder. Jason lay on the other side of her, facing away from everybody, but her arm wrapped under his head and her hand laid flat against his chest where his heart was. It was one of the most treasured memories she ever had, all her boys with her, and for once not fighting.

She hadn’t remembered exactly how they all wound up in there, but she still welcomed her babies. But of course, a hand in someone’s face, followed by a foot in someone’s side ruined the moment when they woke up. (Y/N) looked at the photo and laughed at the memory of after they woke up. Damian's hand in Tim’s face who shoved him away, resulting in him knocking Jason, who in turned shoved back, and like a Newton’s cradle, knocked Tim into Dick, who ended up shoving back at Jason. Thus, resulting in an even bigger fight as the two oldest began horsing around, only to be dragged into the two young one’s fight. Eventually it became a free-for-all and arms and legs were flying around until Bruce shoved all four of them off the bed with his foot. They hit the floor and stared at him in shock as he glared at them, then wrapped his arms around a giggling (Y/N), and buried his face in her neck. Damian looked at Tim, who looked at Jason, who looked at Dick. Dick’s face set into a pout and Jason piped up, “Hey Golden-boy, is that old man feeling on our mom?” Dick’s pout turned into an evil grin.

“You know what Jaybird, I think he is.” Jason looked at Tim and Damian and tipped his head to the still giggling (Y/N).

“What do you guys say we save our mom and teach the old man a lesson?” Bruce popped his head up, glaring at them as he stressed,

“Don’t. You. Dare.” He watched their faces set in wicked grins and they all pounced on him. (Y/N) rolled away just in time to avoid being squished when arms wrapped around her and hauled her over their shoulder. Jason ran to the door.

“I got Ma! Let’s get outta here!” The boys all jumped up and ran after a fleeing Jason, followed by an irked Bruce.

“Get back here with my wife! You’ve had her all week! It’s my turn to spend time with her!” Dick turned around and stuck out his tongue as he slid down the banister, catching Tim and Damian who flung themselves down too. Damian turned to Bruce, who stood at the top of the stairs.

“Catch us if you can, Father!” The giggling quartet of boys ran off into the Batcave with an equally giggly mother in tow. Bruce smiled at the top of the stairs before remembering why he was annoyed and hauled butt after them.

“Hey! I’m still serious about it being my turn!”

(Y/N) giggled a little and wiped her eyes as she remembered the memory and a set of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder and saw Bruce, who kissed her cheek before nuzzling into her neck. “You finally found something for your shelf.” She shook her head excitedly.

“Oh I’m not finished yet!” He pulled away, an amused look on his face.

“Oh?” She grinned and picked up the tote, walking back to her and Bruce’s picture. (Y/N) reached in the bag and pulled out an action figure, setting it up in front of it. Then, she moved to each of the boy’s pictures and placed one in front of it. The boys had all gathered around to look at her shelf and they burst into laughter, which resulted in (Y/N) beginning to pout.

“Stop laughing at me. It’s not funny!” This only made the boys laugh harder. Bruce wrapped his arms around her again.

“Is this why you kept going to Bat-Burger every other weekend?” (Y/N) felt heat rise to her cheeks and she cleared her throat.

“…Maybe…” He kissed her cheek again. Finally the boy’s stopped laughing and looked at the actions figures. Tim spoke first, voice laced with humor.

“How many Red Hood action figures did you get?” Everyone began laughing at that and when they calmed down, she spoke.

“Enough that I don’t need any more Red Hood action figures.” They started laughing again, and when they stopped, they all hugged their mom. She placed kisses where she could: the top of Damian’s, Tim’s cheek, Jason and Dick’s shoulders (the two boys towered over her, c’mon). (Y/N) squeezed them all tight and spoke.

“Hey boys, I’ve finally found something to put on my shelf.”

2K notes · View notes