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#by the time tim is fully robin and hanging with dick
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I hc Damian sees dick as more of a father then Bruce, my reasoning is that when Bruce was dead, dick was there for him and Damian already mourned that father and accepted dick as his dad.
and since in my brain Bruce causes most of the issues between the brothers, in a au where Bruce wasn’t rescued all the bats are happy and friendly to each other, dick is the older brother who’s basically their dad, Jason who’s very caring yet also insists he’s not (he has anger issues as well), Tim who can’t seem to fully grasp how much everyone cares for him but it’s getting better, and Damian who actually acts his age and not like a 20 year old man with murder problems (he still has murder issues but dicks made him realize that’s wrong)
There was probably quite a bit of an adjustment period in the beginning. When siblings are faced with a change in dynamics so that they need to rely upon each other instead of being pitted against one another, there tend to be big blowups and fights until they get the hang of things.
In this AU, it would be a bit hard to wrangle all the batkids into getting along. Does Tim never find that portrait that starts his search? Did Bruce actually die? Does Alfred find the portrait first and burn it so his family can finally be free (very ooc, but a cool concept)?
Tim finding out Bruce is alive is like a match near gasoline for him. He destroys all of his current relationships (justified or not) to save his dad.
There's also the grief aspect. The Battle of the Cowl could be seen as just the kids trying to find footing with the changes and the grief of loosing their dad.
It doesn't matter how much of a bastard Bruce is in this AU, the kids will still grieve his loss. If he was just unredeemable, they wouldn't have hung on so much. It doesn't matter how much Bruce hits them, verbally abuses them, manipulates, or abandons them when he turns around and acts like a good dad. He has good moments. That's the confusing and complicated aspect of it.
Bruce is the type of man to remember a fact his kids mentioned once off-handedly and distracted. He'd remember when they mentioned a childhood toy they loved but could never find again. He would spend months tracking down that company and hiring them to make they toy again if they didn't have any on hand. There's so much time, effort, and money he would put into such a notion, and he wouldn't make a big deal about it. The kid would probably just find it in their room one day and know it was Bruce.
Then he would turn around and try to convince the kid that all of their friends are out to get them and they can't trust anyone.
This AU would be hard to manage because only Dick is at the stage where he would be willing to give up on his dad. With the fallout of Robin, Dick moved on from unconditional love and belief in Bruce. He went to anger and hurt. He slowly healed those pains, but they were changed. Dick couldn't go back to how they were, but ultimately still loved his dad. Jason's death shattered their relationship. Even after Tim interfered, Dick would never be able to forgive Bruce for that. In the comics, he confronted Bruce about not being told about Jason's death. Bruce's response? He screamed at Dick, hit him, told him he shoulf have never had a partner, told Dick that he would've fired Jason in a few years like he did Dick, and then told Dick to hand his keys to the Manor to Alfred on his way out.
Bruce and Dick can go to therapy for years to work on their relationship, but Dick will never trust Bruce with his siblings again. He can trust the man on a battlefield, but he can't trust him at home.
Dick's love to Bruce, I hc, would turn to apathy, longing, and bitterness intermingled with spurts of reluctant fondness.
Jason, on the other hand, is pissed at Bruce, but he has too much passion to just let him go. It's a transition stage from love to anger to indifference. Through his reactions and actions during the Battle of the Cowl, it's obvious he still cares about Bruce somewhat. The opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference. If he didn't somewhat care about Bruce, his death wouldn't impact him so much. I personally feel that the incident with Penguin and Gotham Wars is where Jason starts to become indifferent instead. To hate Bruce is to want to change him. It's to want him to be better because you know he can be. To be indifferent to him (outside of horrible actions the man commits) is to know he won't change. It's to give up on him.
Jason still remembers getting ice cream on patrol, sharing popcorn on the couch, reassuring promises of protection, and the laughter he could startle out of his dad. His anger and aggression against Bruce is because he believes that his dad could kill the Joker. He had believed that Bruce would have. Regardless on whether it was the right thing to do or whether a younger version would have wanted that, Jason had faith in Bruce. He ultimately considers his father to be a good guy. Perhaps someone that hurts Jason, but still a good guy.
Dick doesn't regard his father as such. He knows better.
The other kids are still at the love stage, where they rely on Batman and Bruce to be decent and a hero.
Tim may have complicated feelings about Bruce being his dad (how credible that is especially given their history), but he trusts Bruce to make the right decisions. That gospel has been shaken a few times, but it still holds.
Damian is still a child. Capable, kind, fierce, and strong, but still a child.
Cass was given the mission of the Bat by Bruce. He has shown her love and kindness others have not. She can see what he feels and intends to do even as he hurts others. He does not kill.
Barbara has Dick's back before she has Bruce's. Barbara is independent. She does not have the confidence in Bruce that the others do.
I hope Duke is enjoying his time with his parents free from bat drama.
Anyways, I do think the Bats would be better off if Tim hadn't found proof of Bruce's continued existence (it is not his fault that Bruce returned to do horrible shit. He is not to blame). Without it, there might not have been as big of a fallout between Tim and everyone else. There would have been lots of drama and fights between the remaining Bats, but they would eventually settle into a healthier unit.
If anyone wants more about any of this, feel free to send me another ask with what parts you'd like elaborated.
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pokeberry5 · 7 months
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inspired by those textposts about dick rocking up to the rest of titans with tim for the first time and kori et al. being like: is that the stalker kid???
bonus:
warm ups:
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gay-dorito-dust · 27 days
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Reader being Jason or Dick's girlfriend, who doesn't know about their double life, casually blurting out that she was never a fan of Batman and Robin or that she prefers Superman and the whole family is offended. 😭
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I was tired and failed to realises that this came out a bit like a crack fic in the end but I’m sure you won’t mind…hopefully.
Jason: honestly has too much fun shit talking Bruce to you, especially when you didn’t know the man that you were shit talking as well as he did.
He just found it funny hearing you say with your full chest in front of his family that you prefer the Man of Steel over the Dark Knight.
It sends his entire family in disarray and chaos and Jason was thriving off of it immensely. He does not help the situation at all and would wholeheartedly make things worse for the sake of having something to talk about later.
Dick was borderline catatonic as Duke and Steph were trying to bring him back to reality.
Alfred excused himself from the room.
Damian was sharpening his dinner knife. Menacingly.
Meanwhile Tim was pulling up a long winded power point presentation about how statistically Batman was better than Superman. (In every possibly way, you’re just hating.)
That’s literally the title of his presentation.
‘Did he have this prepared in his free time or?’ You’d ask Jason who shrugs.
‘Let the boy have hobbies peanut, it’s not like he’s got anything better going for him right now.’ He replies, thinking that he should start coming to family dinners more if this was the end result.
Bruce might’ve looked the calmest out of everyone but internally he was cursing out Clark for stealing his future in law. He knew preferences exists and didn’t hold it against you, but currently he was in a disagreement with Clark over a recent mission and it had become a thing where the entire family didn’t dare speak or utter Clark/Superman’s name during this sensitive period.
Once Dick comes back to the land of the living, he’s practically hanging off of you screaming, ‘WHY?!’
Jason has to get involved and remove his brother off of you before he potentially scared you away from future family dinners, even though he himself barely attends any, but the moment you entered his life he wanted you to be more involved with the people in his life that cares about; whether he’d like to admit it or not.
‘They don’t hate me do they?’ You asked Jason by the end of the night, genuinely worried that his family might not like you after tonight.
Jason, noticing this, grabs your hands and grips them tightly in his and gives you a reassuring smile. ‘Babe I’m sure as shit they like you, I mean I’ve never seen them react like that before and if they didn’t like you, they would let you know immediately.’ He tells you, pressing a kiss to your forehead. ‘Besides, weren’t not a vocal bunch when it comes to our emotions. So seeing them get all up in arms over you preferring Superman and trying to persuade you into thinking otherwise was a highlight for me.’
‘Really you think so?’ You leant into him, still not fully convinced and needing his comfort more than anything.
‘Oh yeah. I’m for certain chipmunk. I think I even heard Bruce curse Clark under his breath once or twice.’ He tells you, pressing a kiss to your head as he holds you close.
‘But why? It’s not like they work with Batman, right?’ Your curious words caused Jason to stiffen and his breath to hitch as he tried to find the words before blurting out the first thing that came to his head. ‘No, they’re just…really devoted fans of Batman and Robin. So you could say that preferring Superman over them is a personal insult to them.’ He said, hoping you’d buy the lie, he genuinely didn’t want to subject you to the whole vigilantism so early on in your relationship.
Thankfully you did take the bait as you muttered into his shoulder, ‘okay, I hope they know I meant no offence but it.’ Jason let’s our a laugh, holding you closer to him as he closes his eyes to savour your bodily warmth against him. ‘I’m sure they do sweetheart, they’re the smartest people I know and they wouldn’t let something silly this affect our relationship.’ He said softly. ‘Now let’s go home and cuddle up in bed together yeah?’
‘That sounds like a great idea.’ You replied.
Dick: pouty baby.
What do you mean you don’t like Batman and Robin?! What did Superman have that he didn’t?!
For as far as Dick was concerned he has the fatter ass between him and Clark. He’s done the research.
He’s leaning all of his weight into you and says under his breath. ‘Why does my love betray me so.’ Meanwhile you’re looking at his confused as to why he’s acting as if you’ve just destroyed his lively hood with a single sentence.
Duke and Steph were patting Dick on the shoulder, sharing their sympathies with the revelation made at the dinner table.
Alfred left the room…again. First Jason’s partner, now Dick’s? What a coincidence.
Jason immeditly calls you his favourite and talks about how you and his partner -who also prefers Superman- would get along great while shit talks Batman simultaneously, almost as though he has a personal gripe with him or something.
Damian is sharpening his dinner knife…again but even more menacingly.
And Tim was back on the PowerPoint presentation where he goes into excruciating depths as to why Batman was statistically better the Superman.
The family is once again dissolved into chaos and Bruce was sat at the head of the table, calm, cool and collected but internally cursing Clark out once again for stealing another potential future in law.
(Clark has sneezed approximately twice at this rate and was taking every test to make sure he wasn’t coming down with anything serious)
After all was said and done and you were getting ready for bed, you asked the question that had been on your mind the entire night; ‘Your family doesn’t hate me, do they?’
Dick chuckled as he held you against his chest. ‘No, they love you enough to almost start a war over the fact that you like Superman over Batman and they’re not exactly the most in tune with their emotions. So seeing them react the way that they did? Only proves that they do like you cutie.’ He says as he gives you a peck on the lips.
You pouted. ‘But why does it feel like I just attached their lively hoods? It’s not like they know Batman or Robin personally or work with them in any capacity.’
Dick froze, he -much like Jason- didn’t want to subject you with the whole vigilante thing just yet, he didn’t want to scare you off so soon into the relationship in fear of scaring you away forever. ‘Devoted fans act like that whenever you tell them that you don’t like the same person as them.’ Dick replied, rubbing his hand up and down your back. ‘It’s an issue that should be regulated and or addressed at least.’
You hummed in agreement. ‘Well besides that, I like yours family, they all look like great people to know that have your back when you’re in a tough situation.’ You say as you kissed the side of his neck, nuzzling your face into his shoulder, feeling sleepy.
‘They really are.’ Dick replied softly. ‘They really are.’
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klemen-tine · 1 month
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Glass Bones and Paper Skin Part 3
Platonic! Bruce x Model! GN! Reader
Trigger Warnings: Hint at suicide, Body Issues, Eating problems (not a disorder), Child Neglect, stalking, Partner Abuse
Part 1
Part 2
@problematicreblogger and @wpdarlingpan Since you guys wanted to be tagged lol
+++++++++++++
Y/N sat in the bathtub in the guest room. It’s been three days since they arrived, saw the photos, and the creepy trophy room. Three days since their conversation with Dick, finding out that they had all been on their terrace and taking photos of them. Stalking them. 
They wrapped their arms tighter around their legs, resting their chin on sharp knees and staring at the porcelain tiles and gold facet. Three days of walking on egg shells, somehow managing to evade most attempts in hanging out with the siblings and Bruce, and only really seeing them at meals. Y/N hasn’t built up the nerve to ask about the trophy room, but Y/N knows that everyone in the house knows that Y/N knows of the two rooms. They know of the photos, the ones taken without their permission or knowledge, and the clothes that have redefined their modeling career. 
Sighing, Y/N stared at their pruning hands and the now cool water. The bubbles dissolved a long time ago and the essential oils had become diluted enough that the scents no longer permeated the air. 
Finally dressed in a robe, lotion and oil on their skin and face and teeth washed, Y/N exited the bathroom and screamed at the sight of Jason on their bed. In the midst of their panic they threw the brush at the larger man, who caught it skillfully. 
“Wha-what is wrong with you? No-wait, why are you in my room?” Y/N walked around the large bed to where all their clothes are kept. Their eyes not leaving Jason’s imposing figure that was currently resting on their bed. 
“I knocked.” Y/N rolled their eyes, “I didn’t ask if you knocked, why are you in my room?” Jason shrugged, “Just felt like I haven’t talked to you in a bit.” Jason and Y/N’s relationship was like that of dragons in the old ages. Full of history and non-existent. 
Jason was already dead by the time Y/N had entered the Manor. A small body buried in the Wayne gravesite. In hindsight, Y/N’s timing had been awful. Moving in when Tim basically forced Batman to take him in as a Robin, Dick’s and Bruce’s relationship had worsened, Jason was dead for about a year, and Alfred had still been grieving. Truly a terrible time to join a family. Y/N could taste the tension when they had first moved in, and they understood immediately that they were just another unneeded burden. 
A 13-year-old Y/N cried in their bathroom, mourning their mother who had loved the fame more than them, the friends that loved Y/N for Y/N, and the life on the West Coast that they were now expected to continue on the East Coast. 
The unfairness of it all. 
“What do you want to talk about?” Y/N asked, rummaging through the drawers and finding a nice shirt and some nice jeans. 
“Hmm, oh you know, the casual how are you doing? How’s the model-life? Any fun stories you have? What have you been doing lately?” Y/N started changing in the bathroom, keeping the door cracked so they could hear the questions. 
When Y/N reemerged, now fully dressed and the robe hanging on the back of the door, they smiled at Jason, “I’m doing good, kind of tired but that's to be expected because of the ‘model-life.’ The fun stories I have are more of traveling around the world and seeing different cultures and eating good food. 
“As of late, I’ve been thinking about getting a cat.” Jason’s brow raised, “You travel though.” Y/N nodded, “Yeah, some models travel with their pets and I think that's what I plan to do. They’re easier to travel with than a dog, and I don’t think a dog would like my condo.” Jason nodded, “You could always leave it here. The little spawn would take care of it.” 
“I can’t do that to the family. It’s my pet and should be my responsibility.” Jason hummed, “Is it because you don’t want to visit?” The air stilled and blue eyes met E/C. Jason didn’t look bothered, if anything he seemed relaxed about the whole thing, “It’s fine if that's the reason. I hate being here too.” 
Jason came back as a dead person Y/N knew not to talk about. From the stairways, they would watch Jason storm out after a bad argument with Bruce. Unable to completely understand what exactly was going on, but from the hushed conversations they knew it was something they didn’t want to know about. 
“I don’t hate being here, I just don’t have reason to visit other than Alfred.” Jason continued to stare at them, “Not even for ‘family.’” 
“Jason, when have you ever looked at me and saw a sibling?” Jason didn’t banter with Y/N, never showed interest or any inclination that Y/N even existed. Y/N is pretty sure that to Jason, Y/N is just a stranger living in the manor. 
Y/N wonders if they will see Jason’s temper. Will it appear like the monster hidden in the closet, waiting for the right time to lash out at anything? Y/N has heard the screaming matches, the threats, the holes in the walls from Jason. For someone who has killed people, Y/N wonders if they should really be mucking around with Jason. 
When Y/N looks at Jason, they see the middle child of a family that had other priorities. Once upon a time, Jason was the youngest and loved by Bruce, but then younger Robins came. Jason died, and while never replaced, Robin was. 
When Y/N looks at Jason, they see the middle child of a family that Y/N is not a part of. 
They are not siblings. Not cousins, relatives, they are not even friends. Barely acquaintances if Y/N is honest. Which is fine. Y/N has gotten over the hurt and feelings of loneliness. 
It is just Y/N against the world, with Alfred partially in their corner. Not fully. Never fully because Alfred will always be in the Wayne family’s corner, and Y/N is not a Wayne. 
Jason sighed, “Mmm, I guess that night when you took a beating from that one dude for not getting in the car.” Y/N paused in brushing their hair, mind reeling and slowly turning their head to look at Jason who was instead picking at his nails. Y/N opened their mouth, but Jason beat them to it, “You went out partying, like almost every high schooler does, and your boyfriend was drunk.” 
“Just get in the car, Y/N!” 
“No! You’re drunk and you said you’d stay sober!” 
“I am sober, now get in the fucking car!” 
“Fuck off!” A 15-year-old Y/N stormed off, turning their back to Marcus Dueller, the then jock of the school. A rough hand grabbed their shoulder and a fist met their face, “You don’t talk to me like that.” 
“...Marcus wasn’t my boyfriend.” Jason didn’t show any signs of hearing Y/N, “You took a pretty bad beating, I’ll admit it. I was going to step in once he started choking you, but you took that brick to his head pretty hard.” 
Blood splattered across Y/N’s face as Marcus collapsed. The hands around their neck loosening and Y/N took deeply needed gasps of air. Their throat aching and lungs burning as they rolled over onto their hands and knees. Tears pricked their eyes as the pain and realization settled in. 
“I called his friends. He was fine, just a concussion.” Marcus and Y/N never talked again, and Marcus’s friends took one look at the bruises on Y/N’s face and neck to understand what had happened. 
They all stayed Marcus’s friends, because unlike Y/N, Marcus was loved by his family. 
“Then, you walked your beaten ass towards the liquor store.” 
“Oh my God! Y/N!” Stacey cried out in shock, and she gently cupped bruised cheeks and watched split lips grow into a smile. 
“Can I have that bottom shelf vodka please?” 
“Bitch, you need a second shelf from the bottom vodka.” They sat outside of the store, Stacey’s partner taking over the counter as she watched Y/N take swig after swig from the bottle. Her concerned eyes tracing over each and every bruise and cut, down to the clothes they were wearing and scrapes in their knees and hands. 
“How many does this make?” 
“Seven. Whoever said seven was a lucky number is a liar.” 
“Oh Y/N, why do you keep doing this?” Y/N gave Stacey the most beautiful they could muster. Not minding the ache in their cheeks or the burning of alcohol on split lips. 
Looking back at it, perhaps Y/N was on a downward spiral. Trying to find love in other people that weren’t the people at home. From ages 13 to 15, Y/N had dated over 9 people. Not one of them made it past two months, and none of them were healthy. 
Once Y/N got into modeling, all their attention went into it. Dating and friends were on a standstill as their career and education became a priority. Maybe that was another thing Y/N inherited from Bruce, a known serial dater. Although, Y/N knows for sure that their taste in partners was definitely inherited from their mother. 
Some of Y/N’s earliest memories are of M/N getting berated and smacked around by men bigger than her. When they would leave, Y/N would emerge with bandaids and tears on their face. M/N would smile at them, blood from her nose painting her lips red and she would cup soft cheeks and whisper in their ears- 
“Diamonds have never been made with gentle hands.” Y/N glared at Jason, who was meeting that glare head on. Now that they are older, Y/N has learned to hate that phrase. They have watched numerous models be in kind and gentle hands and still be beautiful. Still have a loving and healthy relationship with themselves and the other. 
Now that they are older, Y/N knows how untrue those words are. Yet, who said those words had to only be applied to romantic partners? 
“Now here you are, in your glass castle imitating diamonds.” Y/N’s nose scrunched, “Always the poet, reading the classics.” Jason shrugged, "Someone has to be literate in this messed up family. Sure as hell ain’t Bruce.” Y/N rolled their eyes, “So what? That still does not explain anything. More importantly, why now then?” Why was it now that they decided to make a move if they had supposedly been caring for a while now. 
Jason smirked, "Because finally, Bruce sees it too.” Y/N narrowed their eyes and watched with pursed lips as the bigger and stronger man got up from the bed, and walked over to them, “I’d wear comfortable shoes, Y/N. You’re going out with Bruce and the little spawn today.” 
“Wait, what do you mean Bruce finally sees it too? What is there to see?” Jason smiled at him, and it looked more of a monster preening at it’s prey. Callused hands reached up and traced the small, almost invisible scar on Y/N’s upper lip. 
“Make sure you smile, the vultures will be there too.” 
++++
“I do think green will look best on you.” Y/N smiled at Damian, “Green looks good everybody, Damian. You just need the right shade.” Between them was an emerald green silk shirt, the price displayed like a bounty and Y/N wanted to walk out of the store once they saw it. Yes, they made a lot of money, but Y/N also knows what it means to be frugal. 
Damian raised an eyebrow and continued to judge the piece as if it had insulted the family. Y/N set the shirt down and continued to peruse the aisles. Their eyes looking at all the clothing and trying to predict what will be in style. What could they use to match or create their own trend? It is still winter, meaning layers will still be necessary but how to make a stylish outfit when there needs to be layers. 
“Do you see anything you want, Y/N?” They jumped a bit, and whirled around to see Bruce smiling at them. Those blue eyes, intense like winter rivers, roamed over what Y/N was looking at and he raised a well groomed eyebrow, “Do you want that one?” 
“N-no, no thank you. I’m just looking.” Bruce hummed, and wrapped a large arm around Y/N’s bony shoulders and brought them close. He pressed his lips against his temple, an unusual act of affection towards his kids but everyone will chalk it up to Y/N being a model and still young. Bruce whispered against Y/N’s skin, “Just let me know what you want, and I will get it for you.” 
‘If I want to be left alone?’ Y/N didn’t voice it, but they didn’t have too. Bruce’s grin was sharp, “Within reason, Y/N.” A chill ran down Y/N’s spine and they swallowed down the bile threatening to come up. 
“I have money, Bruce. I can buy my own stuff.” Bruce picked up a shirt, “Let me spoil you. It is what parents do.” 
“You already paid off my condo, that is good enough.” Bruce continued to smile, “That was for the birthdays and holidays I missed while you were with us. I still have to make up for the time when you were with your mother.”  Y/N wanted to scream, “How about you donate that then?” 
Bruce smiled, “I already do. Let me spoil you.” He kissed Y/N’s temple once more before walking away, eyeing everything the way designers did when critiquing their pieces. Y/N had a feeling that if they didn’t get something from here, the store would be paying the price. Grabbing a sheer halter top and pair of black high waisted pants, Y/N let Damian throw the green top on the small pile and made their way to the check out. The cashier smiled nervously as the Wayne family stood in front of her. 
True to Bruce’s promise, he paid for the three articles of clothes, the pair of shoes, the jewelry, the accessories, the–
“I think that is enough.There are a lot of bags, and while I appreciate it, I really don’t need anymore stuff.” Y/N placated Bruce and Damian, already picturing the amount of trips it will be to take everything back home. The man seemed satisfied though, smiling and shrugging his shoulders, “If you insist. How about some lunch now?” 
Y/N wanted to decline. They wanted to go back to the manor and get away from everybody. The feeling of walking on eggshells and constantly being watched had their skin crawling and the need to take another bath. Bruce wrapped an arm around Y/N’s shoulder and brought them close, and Damian took up their other side. 
“You’re acting more as a bodyguard than a father it seems.” Bruce smiled, “We’re having a nice family outing. I’d hate it if one of your ‘followers’ interrupted." Y/N furrowed their brow, but they could not stop their body from tensing, “Someone is following us?” 
“Unfortunately.” The photos they saw in their old room re-emerged and a feeling of dread seized their muscles, making them lean further into Bruce. Yes, they were once all Robins, but not once in those photos taken from their terrace was there ever a reflection of the Bat. 
“It’s okay Y/N, I’ll make sure they won’t take any of you.” 
“How… how do you know its not you they want a photo of?” Bruce smiled, guiding them into a fancy restaurant, Damian requesting a table away from the windows, "Because they all know not to follow me.” There was something akin to a warning in Bruce’s voice that had Y/N biting their lips and following the wait staff quietly. 
Y/N watched as Damian and Bruce conversed casually, well, as casually as Damian can be. The topics went from school, a family named the Kents, and future prospects. Damian was still unsure about what exactly it is he wanted to do, and it most likely didn’t help that Tim was the one who was going to take over Wayne Enterprises. 
Y/N continued to eat and sip their tea, not wanting to add to anything as their mind wandered. After talking to Jason, it proved to Y/N that they were somewhat always being watched. Jason bringing up that one specific memory may have made Y/N’s heart rate spike, but it did prove that Jason was there. The photos, all of them that were taken without Y/N’s consent, show that everyone had at some point gained interest. 
However, why did they never act on it? Why wait until now to do something? 
‘Bruce finally sees it too.’ Y/N’s jaw clenched, what does Bruce have to do with any of this? Could they not interact without Bruce’s permission? Alfred would never allow that. 
Would he? 
“What do you think, Y/N?” The question jolted Y/N out of their thoughts and back into reality. Looking around the table to two expectant gazes, they gave an apologetic smile, “Sorry. I was thinking about something, what was the question?” 
Damian scrunched his nose, “What is there to think about when you have blood-related family members in front of you?” Y/N blinked in shock, and then remembered how much blood meant to Damian. They shrugged, “I have a busy schedule coming up.” 
Bruce stabbed the piece of steak with the silver fork, “You do, don’t you.” He stared at his child, one who he has left to their own devices and now is estranged from the family. Always keeping them at arms length, and never looking back to see if they are behind them. Not because Y/N trusts them to be, but because Y/N was used to them not being there. 
Y/N, for how proud Bruce is of them for standing on their own, is still naive. Still innocent. They didn’t notice the paparazzi lurking around, or maybe they got so used to them they learned to block them out. None of it sat right with Bruce. Those should have been things he taught Y/N. Things to prepare Y/N for a world that was bathed in camera flashes and gossip. How to look out for themselves. How to defend themselves, and what to do in case there is a stalker. Those should have been at least a fraction of what Bruce taught them. 
Yet, he never did any of that. Looking at Y/N sitting across from him, sitting tall and with a closed-off expression, had Bruce frowning. Y/N was still polite, smiled when they needed to and engaged in conversation, but there was still a wall between them. Almost like glass. Bruce is able to see everything and hear almost everything, but his ability to interact with his child is limited. All interactions stopped by the wall of glass put up by Y/N themselves. 
It's a good thing that Batman breaks glass windows on a daily basis. 
“You have some shoots in New York, will you be visiting afterwards?” Bruce watched Y/N’s eyes widen and lips pursed. He could see the breaking point, cracks spreading throughout the glass as Y/N’s mind tried to wrap around the question. 
“How–” 
“Is it odd for a parent to know their child’s schedule?” Y/N blinked, and processed the information. A tight smile formed on their lips, “How long have you known my schedule?” Bruce took a bite of the steak and Damian continued to eat his plate of some fancy pasta.
“Now Y/N-” 
“How long have you known my schedule?” Damian glanced up, irritated at their father being cut off, but the look on Bruce’s face had him settling down. The man was smiling, non-threateningly but all Y/N could see was the Bruce that had stood before them in the changing room after Gabanna’s runway show. The same eyes, full of intentions that had Y/N shivering and the money, power, and background to act on those intentions. 
“Like I have said, Y/N. I am making up for the lost time and neglect you have faced within our home.” 
“And I have said, Bruce, there is nothing to make up. That still does not answer my question about you knowing my schedule.” The cracks were spreading, chipping away and becoming weaker. 
“What parent doesn’t know-” 
“Don’t repeat that sentence. Bruce, you know what I am asking and you keep avoiding it. Who told you my schedule?” An emotion other than faux politeness finally filtered into Y/N’s voice, making the question sound firm and unlikely to bend or be swept away with Bruce’s elusivity. He smiled, “Oh Y/N, did Maya not tell you? GLM Agency has been under new agency since last year. Wayne Industries is now the parent of GLM Agency.” 
Y/N stared at Bruce in confusion, their pretty face twisting as the words registered with them. Everything crashed on Y/N, like glass shattering and bathing them in their shards. The guest room that is identical to their bedroom at home, the clothes that are from their closet, the two rooms full of their photos and mannequins wearing their iconic looks, that fucking Batman-inspired piece of clothing. 
“Y/N.” They’re walking away from the table, head lost in thought and body moving on autopilot. The need to get away from everyone was overpowering the logical part of their mind, and Y/N is walking towards the front door of the restaurant. Pushing the glass doors open, and being bombarded by flashes from cameras. 
“Y/N, what do you have to say about your mother?” A 13-year-old Y/N was guided out of the condo by police officers. Eyes rimmed red from crying and their only source of comfort was the blanket they managed to snag before being escorted out. 
“Were you aware of your mother’s drug-use?” 
“Are you on drugs?” A 17-year-old Y/N walked past the paparazzi, keeping their eyes forward even though they wanted to snarl at that person. 
“Y/N! Look over here!” 
“Look!”
“Over here!”  
A large hand gripped their arm guided Y/N through the crowd and towards the parking lot where the car was. The large body blocking the photos and shielding them from the flashing of cameras that had thrown Y/N back in time. Once inside the safety of the metal box on wheels, Y/N became aware of their rapid breathing and the feeling of their heart pounding. Irregular beats and sweat began to form on their skin as they struggled to take a breath. Just one breath.
The hand that had guided them to the car grabbed their wrist and placed it on a large and firm chest, emphasizing the deep breaths that Y/N needed and wanted to take. Rough fingers gently traced their cheek, up to their ear, and then to their hair. Gently bringing Y/N back to the present. 
“Shh shh, it’s okay Y/N. It’s okay. You’re safe.” E/C eyes drifted around the car, and closed once they saw the person’s reflection. 
“Father, those vermin have been cleared. All of them will be getting in trouble.” 
“Thank you, Damian.” Y/N rested their head against the glass and fought down the need to jump out of the car. Bruce eyed Y/N, and what made it worse was there was an apologetic look on his face. 
“Y/N, I… I am sorry. I thought Maya had told you.” 
“Seems like your manager isn’t doing their job if you didn’t know. You should get a new one.” 
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Y/N mumbled, feeling a headache forming and they wanted nothing more than to curl under the covers and die. They could feel Damian’s pointed look through the seat, “Maya is a great manager. She will not be replaced.” Damian sneered, “She didn’t even inform you of the change in ownership.” 
“Because it does not concern me. As long as I am able to get booked and get to my destinations, it does not matter who is in charge.” Y/N paused, “Although, now it looks like nepotism.” 
Bruce huffed at his child’s overdramaticness, "It's not nepotism. I had no say in what shows you did or who booked them.” 
“But you had a say in what clothes I wore.” Ice filled the car and Bruce gave Y/N a long look. 
“Just that one piece, and I asked her to do it. She didn’t have to do it.” Y/N laughed, long and hollow as they turned their head to Bruce, “Of course she had to do it. Bruce Wayne is asking for a commission piece, who would turn it down without risking their reputation?” The man sighed, “Y/N, I submitted a commission piece. That is the only thing I had a hand in throughout your modeling career.” 
“Others won’t believe that.” 
“Who cares what others think.” Y/N whipped their head around to Damian, “I do. I do a lot actually. I care a lot about what my fellow models say and think about me.” The boy rolled his eyes, “Why? Their opinions don’t matter.” 
“And your’s do?” 
“We are family!” 
“By blood, yeah! That’s as far as it goes.” Damian looked ready to snarl out more remarks, but the abrupt parking of the car had both of them pausing. They were already at the manor, and Y/N wondered just how fast was Bruce driving to get them here so quickly. 
Y/N was quick to jump out of the car, “I will grab those bags later. Please don’t make Alfred take them.” Bruce followed, “Y/N.” 
“No! No, ‘Y/N’ or anything. I want to be left alone.” Y/N pushed open the manor’s front door, and they wonder how many times they have snuck in and out of these doors before. Was it really even sneaking out if someone knew? 
“Y/N, we need to talk about this.” There was something in Bruce’s voice that stoked the right ember within Y/N’s chest. Whipping around, they glared at the two Waynes, “For fuck’s sake, I just want to be left alone! I was fine with how things were. None of this-this- whatever the hell this is! 
I was fine on my own. I was fine without you guys. I would have been fine if you stayed away!” Bruce didn’t even look bothered that Y/N was yelling, in fact the asshole looked relieved. He gave a patient smile with fake concern in those blue eyes, “The thing is though Y/N, you never should have done it on your own.” 
Y/N rolled their eyes, “Where the hell did all of this even come from?! This… this sudden need to be part of my life? You’re not even being subtle about it!” They were drawing a crowd, but Y/N couldn’t even bring themselves to care. 
“I keep telling you, it does. Not. Bother. Me that you all were inattentive. It doesn’t make me mad, it doesn’t make me upset, it doesn’t stir anything within me knowing you were not there. Yet here you are trying to make it up and all that nonsense, but when I tell you that it's fine you don’t listen!
“It genuinely seems that you are not doing this for me, but to ease your guilt.” Bruce met Y/N’s gaze, and it appeared they were in their own little showdown. Bruce’s gaze, not showing a hint of anger or irritation at his child while Y/N seethed. For once, Y/N looked liked the wild one in the family. Their teeth bared and eyes full of unadulterated rage, they glared at Bruce with the face of a raging angel. 
They hated how Bruce’s lips pulled into a smile, and the feeling of gloating eyes falling on their body from all their siblings. Like they all knew something Y/N didn’t. 
“Bruce finally sees it too.” 
Y/N pocketed that thought, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. Nothing intelligent was ever said when angry– 
“So tell your big brother Y/N, how do you expect us to trust you on your own when you can’t even notice someone on your terrace?” 
– Fuck it. Intense E/C eyes landed back on Bruce, “If you bought GLM Agency a year ago, why now?” Bruce continued to stare into Y/N’s eyes, “Because it seemed like you needed a break from Gotham. So, I figured a year away would be good.” 
Y/N narrowed their gaze, “Then why didn’t you call?” 
“Because it looked like you needed a break.” Y/N chuckled, “I needed a break, or you needed time to get those rooms set up?” Bruce raised a brow, but Y/N continued on, “It's one thing to have photos from some photoshoots but not photos taken without my consent. Or the clothes I’ve worn on mannequins with almost the exact same physique as me.” 
“They are exact.” Y/N tore their gaze away from Bruce to stare at Tim, the thin and exhausted looking teen standing above them on the stairway. Chapped lips opened, “We used the measurements within the modeling database and created mannequins that have your exact measurements.” 
Y/N gaped at him for a quick second before rolling their eyes, “Wow. That’s not helping your guys’ case at all.” Dick approached them, going for a placating gesture and an easy smile, “Now Y/N, I think you might be overreacting–” 
“I think I am underreacting to all of this. I find out that you all have been taking secret photos of me, which someone them are from my ‘stalker’ and I don’t really believe that but whatever, you have access to my bank account, you bought the modeling agency I work for, commissioned a Batman-inspired piece, and that you have been keeping some of runway pieces on models that are exactly my measurements!
How else am I supposed to be reacting?! And I still don’t have my phone back!” Y/N snapped at Dick, and then began to rub their temples when the headache got worse. An Aspirin, they need an Aspirin. Now, preferably but Y/N has the strangest sense that even if they did take it, the headache would not go away. 
“Whatever, just… I’m going home tomorrow and whatever was bought today just… just ship it. Since you know my address and all that apparently.” Y/N began walking up the stairs, ignoring the panicked looks some of their ‘siblings’ were giving them and the dark look on Bruce’s face. 
Dick, ever the peacemaker, reached out, “Wait, you can’t go back yet! You still have a few more weeks before your next shoot. Just stay for a few more days.” 
“Add kidnapping and being held against my will to that list too.” Y/N continued walking, feeling exhausted and wanting to sleep. They missed the nod Bruce gave Tim and Damian, and they missed the dark and knowing looks on Jason’s and Dick’s face. The walk back to the room was long, and more exhausting than usual. The events of today caught up to them and Y/N wanted nothing more than to cry, scream, and then go to sleep. 
Because why not. 
“Y/N, you are making a mistake.” Dick followed after their younger sibling, who only sped up to get away from them. The man grabbed Y/N’s forearm, “Y/N, listen! You don’t want to do this.” 
“What is ‘this’ you are talking about Dick? I am literally just going home. It is not a big deal.” Y/N tried to pull their arm away from Dick, but to no avail. 
“It's how you are doing it Y/N. All we want is to spend time with you and make up for the lost time!” Y/N wanted to scream at Dick, but held it in and instead gritted out, “Why didn’t you do it normally then? Like… texting or calling.” Dick pouted, those blue eyes looking sad and his lower lip jutting out like a toddler, “We missed you, and we just wanted to see you.” 
Y/N’s face was scrunched, their mouth open in disgust, “How can you say that with that look on your face as if you all weren’t the ones who ignored me?” Dick looked heartbroken and some part of Y/N felt bad about that. They remembered the room with the photos and the other side of Dick that they saw only a few days ago. Their body seized in terror, but Y/N tried to keep their expression neutral. 
“Look, Dick, once again I am not mad about how my time here was spent. I’m genuinely not. But you guys keep throwing it back in my face and saying such contradicting things, of course I’m going to get upset about it.” They are trying to be civil. Trying so desperately to be civil and it feels like it is not working. Old wounds and painful memories continued to be dragged out of the crevices of their minds like it was some type of zoo attraction. 
A 16-year-old Y/N stared at the shattered mirror, tears racing down their face as they stared at their broken reflection. All they could see were the imperfections everyone continued to call out. Comparing them to their mother, to other models, to society’s twisted views of beauty that Y/N is trying to be. 
If their mother was alive, would she know what to say? Would she gaze at them with those soft eyes and long lashes, smiling beautifully and whispering, “Diamonds have never been made with gentle hands.” Continuing to remind Y/N that modeling was not a gentle job. It wasn’t a job for those with paper skin or glass bones. Those easily hurt by the meanest of comments, nastiest looks, and the horrendous words never made it in this industry.
Would this have been easier if they had the support of Bruce and his kids? 
Labored breaths and broken sobs filled room-turned-practice room as the mirrors caught the sight of a teenager breaking down. Crumbling and shattering under the pressure, pricking their fingers as they cleaned up the broken mirror and picking up their shattered image. 
It will be those same mirrors that watched those broken shards form their glass castle, posing as diamonds to deter others from trying to break in. 
Y/N continued to walk down the long hallway, ignoring Dick’s calls and locking the door behind them. It was only 2pm, and Y/N had plans to sleep the rest of the day. They had no bags to pack, and nothing here they felt like taking. All they needed to do is sleep the day away, which will be easy, wake up tomorrow, call a cab and skedaddle out of here. 
“Thats all we have to do, Y/N.” They closed their eyes for what only felt like a few minutes, until jostling and whispers of their name had them groggily opening their eyes. A yawn escaping them and their eyes struggled to open. 
“Why are you in my room?” Tim gave a small huff, “Its dinner time.” Y/N buried their face in their pillow, groaning out a ‘not hungry.’ The young man hummed, “I think you should come down for this one, Y/N. You might get the answers you want.” 
“Not interested.” Tim leaned down, his breath tickling Y/N’s ear, “You’re glass castle is shattering, Y/N. Don’t you want help fixing it?” Y/N wanted to swing. They wanted to do something to get their point across that they wanted almost nothing to do with this crazy family anymore. 
They opted to glare, and Tim gave a soft smile, “C’mon, lets go eat. Besides, Alfred said that the cab won’t be coming for you if you don’t eat dinner.” 
“Alfie!” Y/N groaned into the pillow, and they had stopo themselves from throwing up their arms and legs in a fit. Leave it to Alfred to do something so diabolical. Groaning one more time, Y/N sat up and mentally braced themselves for this shitshow of a dinner. 
E/C eyes looked at the door they know they locked, and chose that whatever little bickerment that will start was not worth it at this point in time. Throwing their legs over the bed, they followed Tim out of the room and towards the dining room. 
Everyone was there, and waiting for Y/N to appear. Once again, they were made to sit between Bruce and Damian, which they did so with little complaint. 
“Now, Y/N, it looks like everyone has some explaining to do.” Y/N gave Bruce the driest most unimpressed face they could muster, to which the man took with a smile, “So, what questions do you want answered?” 
‘They’re really doing this.’ Y/N could feel another headache forming, but decided to take the brightly colored bait. Looking at Jason, who was meeting their gaze with his green eyes waiting for this question, Y/N asked, “What did you mean when you said ‘Bruce sees it too.’” The man smirked, meeting Bruce’s eyes and back to Y/N, “Exactly that. The old man finally sees what you are to this messed up family.” 
Y/N narrowed their gaze, taking a bite of the pasta, and chewing slowly. Dick decided to chime in, “Y/N, you have been loved by us for a while. Something you probably pieced together, but Bruce took a while to see it because… well because you’re not us.” 
“Not like, you’re not Robin, but more like you’re not…” 
“You’re fragile.” Everyone’s head turned to Damian, and Y/N had half the idea to be upset about that. They raised an eyebrow, but before they could say anything Damian continued, “You are not meant for this life we lead. Vigilantism never suited you, and that is something I picked up on when I first came here.” 
When Damian had first met Y/N, it was like seeing a rare flower that had to be protected at all costs. Y/N was something that at the slightest gesture, could be hurt. When people come across something ethereal like that, the need to protect it can be divided into two different directions. 
Hovering or distancing. 
Bruce chose to distance himself, whether he knew it or not, and Damian had followed suit. He watched as his older sibling hovered from a distance, watching the rare flower bloom before it was finally the right time to engage with it. 
“Y/N, it isn’t so much that I didn’t want to interact with you, it is that I didn’t know how.” Bruce looked into his child’s eyes, “How could I interact with someone who needed gentle hands, when there is not a gentle bone in my body.” Bruce’s hands have broken more bones than the human body has. He has scars on his skin and calluses on the palm of his hands. 
“It took me a while to figure out why, but once I did, your absence became suffocating.” Everyone had been gasping for air, doing everything in their power for the slightest piece of oxygen. It was the fear of Y/N being harmed that kept them collared and chained to the photos, every interview, every runway show. 
However, Bruce knows that every now and then, children should be able to spread their wings and fall. Y/N ended up flying, soaring above them and never looking back down. Bruce, and the family, decided to give Y/N a year. Just one on their own. This gave them all plenty of time to improve the glass terrarium that they wanted Y/N to be placed back in. This time they will be protected and paid attention too. 
“When everyone stated that I can finally see the impact you have on this family, it means I have to come to terms with the fact that I no longer want to be hands off with your life and career.” Y/N’s brow furrowed, not liking the term ‘hands off.’ 
“You have done great on your own. A fabulous job. Clawing your way up and making a name for yourself, I am so proud of you. Everyone is extremely proud of you. 
However, there is no need for you to struggle anymore. You’ve proven yourself, now let us take care of the rest.” Y/N felt shivers go down their spine as they stared at their family in fear. They took in each expression, and when they made eye contact with Jason, the other had a daring look in his eyes. Begging for Y/N to do something, similar to how predators hope for their prey to fight back to make the kill all the more interesting. 
“But… But I don’t need your help, Bruce. I can do this on my own.” Bruce’s smile was that of honey, luring in unsuspecting insects and trapping them in its viscous fluid. If Y/N were younger, they may have fallen for it. They may have allowed themselves to coat their fingers in sugary words and sweet gestures, just so they could feel the love from a father. 
“I know. We know, but you don’t need to anymore.” 
“Now wait a minute-no. No no no no. You can’t just do that, explain yourself, and expect me to just roll with it.” Y/N set their napkin down, and tried to stand from the table, “I don’t need your help, although thank you for wanting to I guess. I am fine with it just being me and Maya.” 
“About that…” Dick grimaced, handing Y/N his phone and pulled up was an article. 
Y/N’s eyes widened and the world around them went cold. THey looked back up, “You’re lying.” Dick shook his head, fake empathy across his face as Y/N continued to read the article.
“No. NO this is a joke and a terrible one. Maya would never–” 
“They were found in her apartment, Y/N.” The headlines, eerily similar to ones from five year ago, flashed across the small phone screen. 
Manager of Model Y/N L/N Suspected of Drug Usage
Y/N wanted to cry. Horrible flashbacks resurfacing and tears pricking their eyes. They turned to Bruce who was still sitting and eating his pasta.
“Bruce, please. I know Maya, she would never do this.” The man said nothing. Y/N bit their lip, “Bruce… Bruce please. If its because of what I said then take that out on me. Please leave Maya out of it.
“Please Bruce! I know Maya. She’d never do that, and–and Bruce please.” Y/N was whimpering now, tears streaming down their face as the thought of losing their manager, the last person they had, nearly had them collapsing to their knees. 
“Lets make a deal, Y/N.” Bruce wiped the corner of his lips, and grabbed Y/N’s thin wrist. 
“You come home more often, during breaks and whatnot. I won’t have a lot of control over your modeling schedule, but make sure you include time each week for family. The only exception is when you are out of the country.” Y/N stared at Bruce in confusion, but nodded along. 
“In return, Maya gets out of trouble. Nothing will change other than the weekly meeting with family.”  Y/N can’t breathe. They cannot breathe and there were eyes all on them. Gulping down on whatever air they can get a hold of, Y/N sobbed out, “Why are you going to such lengths?” 
Bruce stood, and even though Y/N is tall, no one compares to Bruce’s towering figure. He smiled down at the model, and cupped a wet cheek with a calloused hand. Ice blue eyes stared into watery E/C eyes, and that smile turned too sharp to not be hidden blade, “I told you. It is too make up for lost time. Plus, as those photos suggest, you need protection. What better protection could you have that is not only part of the family, but also vigilantes?
“While it is true that diamonds are never made without pressure, diamond-encrusted jewlery require gentle hands and patience.” Bruce kissed Y/N’s temple, and the model flinched away. Ice blue met their eyes once more, “Now pick, Y/N. Either way, you will still be meeting us once a week, but you can have someone you know at your side or someone under my command.” 
+++++
“And cut! Good job everyone!” The flashes from the camera stopped and the stage lighting turned off, no longer blinding everyone within the room. Y/N stood up from the red couch, a smile still on their lips as they thanked the photographers. 
“Y/N, as always, perfect shots!” 
“Good job Y/N!” 
“Thank you for doing this, Y/N!” They continued to smile and acknowledge everyone that passed by, Maya right behind as they walked back to the changing room. Sitting on the couch was Jason’s large form and Tim’s lithe one. Both of them looking up as Y/N entered, ignoring Maya’s flinch. 
“You have a birthday gala you need to catch. Come on, change out of that and lets go.” Leave it to Jason to get the message across. Y/N nodded, taking to the changing room where they know their clothes are already waiting for them. They could hear Tim interrogating Maya in the politist way. Clipped words and empty praises. 
“Y/N they came out of nowhere! They stormed in and went straight to a vent where these-these drugs were! I’ve never even seen those there before! Let alone know that there was a vent!” Maya cried into Y/N’s shoulder as Dick and Damian watched on. 
Emerging from the changing room in jeans and a crew neck, Y/N sighed, “Alright, shall we get going?” Jason stood up and Tim shook Maya’s sweaty hand. Y/N gave his manager a nod, signalling for her to take the rest of the day off. Jason’s large hand rested on the small of Y/N’s back, and Tim led the way to the new car that Bruce bought. 
The ride was only two hours, filled with light conversation and catching up. Once at the mansion, Y/N greeted Alfred with a hug. Not as tight as they normally are, but it felt wrong entering the mansion without hugging Alfred. Bruce entered the foyer and grinned, hugging Y/N and kissing their temple. 
“Your clothes are in your room, and there is another present on behalf of Damian and Jason.” Y/N nodded, “Thanks, Bruce.” The man smiled, “Come and eat dinner when you are done. We’ll have enough time before the Gala to at least eat something.” Y/N began walking away, each step up the stairs feeling like there was lead on their feet stopping them from going any further. 
Once in the room, the locked the door and on the bed was a box and black and gold clothing. The black looking like it was made out of silk, and the gold was sequin. Y/N carefully walked towards the box, and when they lifted the lid, a white kitten mewed at them. Their fur still looking young and their eyes bluer than Bruce’s. They mewed and mewed, and Y/N could feel tears streaming down their face. 
In neat cursive and tied around the bow of the box, was a small note, ‘We’ll watch her when you decide to leave the country.’ 
Y/N bit their lip, and felt as if their world was falling a part once more. Broken glass surrounding them and no matter where they stepped, their feet will end up bleeding. Now forced to rely on their family to carry them out of the mess they made, and now… now there was a lifeform that this family can and most likely will use against them.  
Thin fingers gently picked up the cat and gave it a wobbly smile, as she mewed at Y/N. A red collar already around her neck, tied in a perfect bow. 
“Y/N, the makeup artists are here. Are you ready?” Wiping their tears, Y/N set the kitten down and took in the black and gold piece once more. 
“Not yet, but they can come in. I’ll get dressed afterwards.” 
“Alright.” The door opened, despite Y/N locking it, and it was Dick smiling as he let in the two artists who were now scrambling to get set up. Blue eyes traveled from the cat, to the clothes, and back to Y/N. He grinned and stalked closer to his younger sibling that was now being corralled into sitting in front of the makeup artist. 
He picked up the kitten and passed her for Y/N to hold, whispering in their ears, “Happy Birthday, Y/N.” 
______________________________________________________________
Honestly... I really like this series. I think I'm going to do other stories but in the other characters POV now.
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mamawasatesttube · 4 months
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ok i put a longer post abt tim's Emotional State in drafts for when my brain is less melted but re: tim and going to college im just gonna get a lil silly with it. hear me out.
i have this whole vague story in my mind for tim's college days moonlighting as red robin as he tries and figures out what he wants out of life. (it's a while after rr leaves off and all because he's like. Super Depressed for a hot minute and then has to drag himself through actually bothering to get his GED and applying to college, etc., but eventually lucius is like hey. you're great with gadgets, and you clearly love tinkering. i'd hire you for r&d in a heartbeat but you need at the least a bachelor's of engineering. i know you have a lot of the technical skills, but you need a degree. so tim goes ugh fine i'll get a goddamn engineering degree how hard can it possibly be.)
anyways. i think it's a universal experience that if you go to college and you hang with the STEM crowd, you will unfortunately get to know at least one Fucking Guy. it's like brentwood arc; tim does make friends, but there is just this One Fucking Guy he cannot stand and will never stand. this Fucking Guy is in the common room playing his guitar at midnight. he's drunk and yelling and laughing really loud when people have exams coming up. he's convinced everyone adores him. there's also a detective/supernatural plot going on. the subplot is just that tim hates This Fucking Guy.
at some point, there's a story beat where he as red robin has to rescue That Fucking Guy from a real dicey situation, and That Fucking Guy is really shaken and grateful to him, and he's like okay. maybe. maybe we are making progress. but then the next time he encounters This Fucking Guy as tim drake, the guy is just like. "ohhhh hey drake you missed it last night, it was AWESOME!!! i had to save red robin from a KILLER ROBOT. he's pretty cool though i guess. i bet you wish you could be more like him huh??" and tim is just. I Will Not Grind My Teeth About This. I Will Not. his life is a fucking joke. he dismantles the toaster oven in the common room kitchen to cope. it's definitely to cope and not just so that That Fucking Guy won't be able to heat up his pop tarts in the morning.
at another point, This Fucking Guy looks at street mode, lowkey, unremarkable Normal Car-looking redbird and goes, aw, dude, i thought your dad is loaded?? he only got you a generic-ass sedan?? that sucks lol, if you want we can take my car down to the game instead. and tim is just Say One More Fucking Word About My Baby I Dare You I Fucking Dare You One More Fucking Word.
(also i like to toy with the idea of this being a university in metropolis - he's out of gotham, but not too far. keeps him from getting antsy about what if he's needed because he can get right back over there. and in the meantime, he can hang out with kon and kara a lot, and occasionally enable and be enabled by lois lane and her snooping habits. there's another subplot in which tim and lois get up to shenanigans. at least once.)
it's sort of an introspective thing of him trying to come to terms with the way he no longer wants a fully normal life the way he always used to assume he would - he has the option to walk away from the cape now, like he always thought he would one day, but he just can't give it up anymore. he's fallen into the same black hole he watched dick and bruce dive headlong into. it's also about him finding joy in tinkering and working with his hands and getting to spend more time as tim drake first and foremost. and it's about him venting to kon about That Fucking Guy while they have a lil picnic on the green while kon loses his absolute shit laughing. all against the backdrop of a little mystery or something. <3
OH and also, most importantly. zoanne wilkins is there and laughing at him for assuming college would be easy. and kon gets her into wendy the werewolf stalker. My City Now.
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stealingyourbones · 1 year
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Tim Drake and Jason Todd are both halfas. They just don't know it for a while.
HI BONES I JUST WOKE UP FROM THIS DREAM AND HAD TO SHARE.
There's something recogonized between them, when Robin meets Red Hood in Titan's Tower. But it's a mystery to both of them what - especially Jason. There's no reason for the new Robin to reek of the Dead - not like him. 
The truth comes out a few years later, in hushed whispers of a desperate Tim Drake - something is happening that reminds him of something terrible: after the first week of truly being in the Robin suit, he has a gap in his memory of weeks. Okay a couple months, accurately.
He's hidden this well - the gap is after he'd taken a fairly serious injury, something that nevertheless had a relatively low recovery time. So Batman and Nightwing never noticed that it caused him to, technically, die. And like hell Tim would tell them that, especially then.
The thing is that few missing months.
Tim has put together what happened in those months; he'd always kept copious notes for himself. And Bruce and Dick shouldn't be bothered if he has a bit of amnesia.
After he "died" he was Robin - notes on his computer tell him what he did, notes in the Batcomputer fill him in on the cases. But the notes never refer to himself as Tim. And the tone and methods for what he did - well, they're like Tim's. Tim can follow all the logic in them. They just seem... off somehow. 
But there's no memory left to him, between that moment when his heart stopped in the Robin suit to a moment, months later, of waking up in the Medbay after Dick rescued him from the Drake household - targeted by a magic user with questionable morals who claims he was dead and wrong. 
So he was checked out by Constantine or Zatanna or someone and they confirmed that no, that's not the case and that's definitely Tim in the body.
Once they get there.
The thing is, the more Tim looked into it, the less he thinks that rogue magician was actually mistaken. He's a little faster now, a little stronger. Sometimes it's like he's invisible, or hanging just a little too long in the air on the grapple - but in the next moment, that's gone, and he's just Tim again. Human Tim.
So a couple years later when Jason shows up, and there's that Recognition - Dead to Dead - that he gets from no one else... the memories start filtering in. Now Tim has the memories of being - well - a ghost, in the Ghost Zone, desperately searching for a way back, a way home, filtering in.
Now for a couple years after that beatdown in Titan's Tower - a beatdown that should have left him truly dead, or healing for months longer - but his recovery time has always been faster since those missing months, especially in the minutes and hours right after the injuries, where they're easier to hide a bit. Now there's a threat to all the ghosts in Gotham, and Jason and Tim wind up in deep.
Hunted by the Guys in White.
And Jason is angry because maybe he's a weird undead reanimation of a corpse, but Tim sure isn't and these bastards aren't touching his little brother. And Tim is all like "So there's this thing that happened." and he's (falsely) convinced that if Jason just left him Jason would be okay and the GIW would stop hunting them.
And Jason is gobsmacked - and smacked with memories. Memories he didn't... really have before, not through the Lazarus haze. Not really. Memories of being Tim.
And then the Dates slot together in his head and oh shit oh shit oh shit.
The day Tim died and something possessed him? Was the day Jason crawled out of his grave and was found, catatonic, on the streets.
And the day Tim regained control of his body.
Was the day Jason was shoved into the Lazarus Pit.
Fuck. He hurt his baby brother more than he ever realized. Fuck.
(They eventually figure out, maybe with a bit of help after they rescue some more experienced ghosts from the assholes in white, that Tim... really would have died fully that day, had Jason's ghost not possessed his body, bringing it back to life, heart beating and lungs breathing. And he kept it breathing until Tim was called back to it. And the effort Jason put into that - breathing and beating and keeping that living spark alive - was the jump Jason's own body needed to truly wake up from his grave.)
Yeah so anyway they both say to the GIW: no you don't not MY fucking BROTHER you don't. And so do all the other Bats. 
And the GIW is fucked.
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tourettesdog · 1 year
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DPxDC Prompt where when Jason is resurrected, he does not become fully conscious. He lays in his coffin, at rest while his body slowly absorbs the ambient ectoplasm of Gotham and tries to fix the improper formation of his core.
The rest is not altogether peaceful. He often has nightmares, and has no way of escaping them. The ambient ectoplasm in Gotham is sustaining Jason, but what repairs the ectoplasm is managing are agonizingly slow.
-
Danny has been living in Gotham for awhile, having moved there with Jazz as soon as she turned 18. Gotham has its own host of ghosts, but Danny feels at ease without the constant strain of ghost fights.
That is, until he feels something amiss in the Gotham cemetery.
The cemetery feels wrong, in a way Danny can't place. It reminds him of Amity, how restless it is-- only different. Wrong. He keeps visiting the cemetery, trying to find the source of that feeling. The entire graveyard is saturated with it, and all Danny can do is sit in the graveyard and talk into the quiet. He lets emotions flood from his core, trying to exude an air of calm that might settle whatever restless spirit haunts the grounds.
It works, at least. The sense of restless agitation eases when Danny flares his core, settling into a quiet comfort.
It becomes stronger, too. Danny can feel it coming from a newer section of the graveyard, and he curiously wonders why he's drawn more and more to a single line of headstones.
Wonders why the one on the end seems to stand out, the name Jason Peter Todd burning itself into his dreams.
Wonders why he feels a kinship with this boy's grave, when he can't even see a ghost attached to it or feel any resonance of a core. Nothing stronger than the blob ghosts that haunt the grounds, at least.
Only ever those strange emotions and that restless energy that quiets with the sooth of his own core.
Yet one day when Danny visits the graveyard and flares his core, he's startled when another one answers his.
-
[I originally posted this prompt in the Batpham server and it ended here, but several of us expanded on it and what I’m posting after this are the additions I added in that discussion, some of it edited.] Jason never actually digs out of his grave. When he finally awakens and tries to dig at the coffin he actually slips through it into the soil above. A hand thrusts its way through the soil and pulls him the rest of the way up
Danny is the only one present when Jason comes out of his grave-- when he pulls him free, a ghostly inversion of Robin who he knows to be a halfa. In his confused state, however, Jason does not linger in the cemetery. He runs off, and even though Danny's half ghost and can get around fast, Jason is now too and knows the city well enough that he manages to slip away. He's terrified, confused beyond reason, and hiding.
Jason hangs about the city, and at times he goes up on his favorite gargoyle to think-- and that's the first time Babs sees him. She thinks it's just a mistake-- her own imagination-- because as soon as she looks again, he's gone.
But it keeps happening. Dick swears he sees Jason near the manor grounds when he goes to visit. Alfred swears he sees him in the rear view mirror of the car one day. Tim swears he sees him while heading home one night. Bruce sees him on patrol, long enough for the two to lock eyes, but before Bruce can even open his mouth he's gone. And Danny isn't helping, because he's Looking for Jason still, trying to help, and this suspicious kid keeps turning up in the weirdest places and at a glance he looks like Jason too.
And it fucks with Bruce's head so badly. He can't say anything about it for days, and when he shakily admits it to Alfred the butler tells him he saw the same thing-- and when the others also share this, all of it lining up too perfectly, that's when Bruce approaches the grave and finds it empty.
During this, Jason naturally grows more bold after his initial shock and confusion dies down. He's a bold and smart kid, even if he's confused and afraid. He's just trying to investigate and see how Gotham (and his family) are doing and figure out how he can approach Bruce. He sees Tim and can’t help but feel forgotten and replaced, but without the rage from the pit he's trying to be a bit more level-headed and think things through.
Jason is also learning more about his new physiology, which keeps him distracted and his mind busy. Trying to figure out himself as much as those around him. But some things still haunt him and cannot be so easily ignored.
An encounter with the Joker sets Jason off.
Jason sees the Joker and that rage and hurt builds inside of him and he manages something similar to a wail. It's the most broken sound Danny's ever heard. It's nothing like his wail, it's more like choking and static and more a feeling in the chest than a sound. Jason died from inhaling smoke and didn't have any dying screams. It’s a shattered, raw wall of reverberating emotion that has no justice.
And Danny goes to it-- stumbling, because it's raw enough to punch at his core-- and he just finds the kid he's been looking for knelt on the ground, keening and sobbing his heart out. Danny goes to comfort him, tentatively wrapping an arm around him while they're surrounded by Wreckage (and a clown-shaped dead body).
And when the bats get there they finally get a good look at the specter they've been seeing all around Gotham, and it's absolutely Jason-- with another boy beside him... And the Joker's body, twisted and bloody. But when Bruce gets close, Jason startles, visibly terrified and hurt, and Danny hides them both from view and whisks Jason away to hide him.
Bruce let the Joker live-- and now Jason has killed the man and that horrified expression he caught on Bruce's face won't leave his head. He feels like a monster, destroyed with grief and hurt, and doesn't know what to do.
Danny takes Jason home, and he’s just a fucking Mess. When they get to the apartment Jazz is just about to leave. She was sleeping but the reverberating “wail” woke her and she’s been in a mad dash to grab all of their weapons to storm out and see what the hell has happened.
But right before she can leave, Danny appears with Jason in tow and all of Jazz's questions die on her tongue when she catches sight of the kid. Danny's told her a lot about Jason since he first met him-- and about the cemetery even before then-- and she's been trying to give advice and help out in whatever was she can from a distance. And now, seeing this kid actually here and just the sheer wreck that he is, she can't help but feel fiercely protective of him. She doesn't even know what happened down in the streets, just that Jason's in distress and needs help.
No questions asked, she helps Danny sit him down on the couch, wrap a blanket around him, and make some hot chocolate to try and get him to relax. She certainly has plenty of questions she Wants to ask, but that's not what's important right now. Right now she just has two severely shaken boys that need a safe place and time to calm down.
And even once she knows what happened, Jazz is nothing but supportive. Hell, she's happy to see the Joker is gone, but she doesn't focus on that because it's also not what's important. Instead she just does what she can to make a comfortable space and lets Jason know she's there to listen if he needs to talk.
And at first Jason is hesitant around Jazz-- and alarmed at first that Danny brought him to someone he doesn't know-- but Jazz is so patient and understanding. Jason can't help but relax around her. In a way it hurts, because it reminds him of his own family, but he'd rather have this than nothing, not knowing what reception he'd get back at the manor.
Danny's terrified Batman will want to hunt them both down. He knows this kid used to be Robin, but Jason's own reactions to Batman aren't making Danny feel more secure. If anything, he has a bone to pick with Batman himself now.
And Bruce is just left to reflect on what's happened, knowing that something of his son is still lingering. And he can't stop thinking of that Feeling the wail Jason made left in his chest. He keeps going back to his empty grave, hoping he might find him there. Hoping he might get to apologize to more than just the flowers.
Danny finds Bruce at the grave-- as Bruce, not Batman-- and he puts it together. He thinks he already knew it too, since while he refused to look up Jason Todd's name, it's Too Familiar.
Danny confronting Bruce angrily, expecting the man to rise to his challenge, but all he's met with is just a grieving father who desperately wants to see his son again.
And Bruce recognizes this kid and knows Danny knows where Jason is, but instead of demanding to know where he is he just asks if his son is okay. Because after feeling that wail and seeing what he saw that day, Bruce knows Jason must resent him. He doesn't even know what Jason is anymore, but he knows he's still the kid he loved and he's hurt and Bruce doesn't think he can fix that. He just wants to know if he's okay, and for Danny to tell him that he's sorry. That if Jason ever want to come home, the door will always be open.
Jason is terrified too cause he truly wanted to kill the Joker, but he didn't expect to If he was going to kill him, it would be in a way he could feel with his hands. But the way he did it was in an uncontrollable show of power that he's not sure he could have stopped.
And Danny keeps trying to reassure him that he not only will get a better hold on his powers, but that he's not a monster. That what happened wouldn't repeat itself because the only reason it happened in the first place was because that was the man who Killed Jason and ghosts are emotional beings. It’s still a struggle.
Unfortunately, the Fentons make their way to Gotham. News of what is clearly a ghost killing a person-- villain or not-- is big enough to reach them in Amity. Jazz and Danny were only in Gotham because the parents couldn’t stomach their son being Phantom-- assumed Phantom was overshadowing Danny and turned a moment of trust into one of betrayal. The siblings were trying to lay low, but... well it was Phantom that was seen with the other ghost.
The Fenton parents come to the town with an entire Arsenal and approach the Batman, going on and on about ghosts, how dangerous they are, and in particular how dangerous These ghosts are. They lament about the Death of their own son, and the entire time Bruce is just-- shocked. He wasn't even sure what Jason was, and while the word ghost does seem to fit it still feels like his heart breaking all over again.
And he can't forget how broken Jason seemed, and how protective this Phantom was of his son. He doesn't believe the Fentons, but he does Fear them. He fears what they might do, and that's when he learns about the GIW and that these people are acting Lawfully in telling him, to his face, that they want to hunt down his son.
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dairy-farmer · 15 days
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Saw some NICE Reverse Robins Art? And just? Eldest Blood Son Damian Wayne? All the gorgeous of BOTH his parents? A man who never felt his position threatened by these younger children? But still had that oldest sibling "they're talking my Father's love and attention AWAY from me" drama? Grew up. Lost his Tim.
Was BETRAYED by his maternal family, when they brought Tim BACK, mad from the pits, and never told him. The whole alt-timeline. Edgy Red Hood Tim. Red Bird Jason. Robin Dick.
But!
Multiverse shenanigans? Who is THIS?! It's a Cannon-adjacent Tim! He's HEROICALLY sacrificed himself by tackling the megalomaniac of the decade, into the Multiverse Destroying Portal BEFORE it could fully charge! While he, said maniac, held the control panel. Thereby shutting it down.
There had been no other way.
He had expected to be ripped to molecules.
But here he is, on the sort of Shitty Roofing that can only be Gotham infrastructure. So? No time to tremble in the face of near oblivion. Gotta beat this fuckers ass so hard his ANCESTORS rethink their life choices. Tim drags himself up. And makes Gotham proud.
Which is how Darkwing (Damian's edgy self chosen name he's now stuck with until his Father retires.) Finds him. Half dead and beating up a clear Supervillian, wearing Bat gear. Good enough for Damian. He'll get answers AFTER the scoundrel in imprisoned.
Only Tim passes the fuck out.
Wakes up, in the cave, to his own? But slightly different? Face. Two things jump out. One, that God awful skunk strip Jason was permanently stuck with after the pits (that he refuses to admit, is kinda sexy). And Two, either this Tim started Testosterone WAY earlier, somehow managed to keep to all his scheduled shots dispite Superhero Craziness, OR... this lucky bastard is Cis Gendered.
Unless maybe not?
Hey, Me, pronouns. (He/Him.) Nevermind! Bastard it is! Fuck you! Why do YOU get all the luck? I have to take shots! (I DIED.) OH, boo hoo, WE'VE ALL DIED! Ya'aint special! *Tim on Tim verbal violence intensifies*
No one can tell if... they are? Bonding? Or hate each other. Someone should stop them. Unfortunately, it has to be Bruce. Which is how they learn: No, actually, he DOESN'T know what universe he's from. It's never come up before and they don't have the technology. He expected to die.
It was a one way trip.
Now they have a New/Extra Tim. There are Tim Twins. One is An Angry Bad Boy. And the other? Strangely sexy. The competence kinks are developing by the minute.
Worse, for Damian? This Tim seems... almost? Baffled? By his politeness? Seems to expect violence and aggression? And become utterly FACINATED by him, once he realizes its not coming. Damian has never been the center of someone's attention like this. Had someone hang off his every word like this. It's breeding... Thoughts he shouldn't be having.
And RR!Tim is getting jealous. That's HIM. He should be interested in HIM. THEIR shared lives. Not Mr "ooooh look at meee, the Perfect Soooon". Other Tim should be... be like his TWIN. His BROTHER. HIS other half. His!
Bruce? Hates that he sees what could have been, in this Tim. Calm and collected. Not raging and destructive. A good Detective. A perfect Robin. Dedicated to The Mission. Not the unhealing, raging, wounded animal his son has become. He wants to protect this Tim. Hold him close. Cherish him. But he also loves HIS Tim. He feels so greedy.
And Jason? It's like the Red Bird he looked up to is BACK. Not the raging monster that swings between hating him and ignoring him. Even better! This Tim looks at HIM like he's some sort of miracle! So he plays up the spunky, the cute. Crawls into his lap and chats. Gets to hang out. Be the center of his world. He... he's in LOVE. Already formulating a long term plan. Gonna marry this Tim and have a house and kids and a dog! It'll be perfect.
Baby Dick? Robin? Was EXHAUSTED trying to hold everything together. Trying to pretend he didn't notice the tensions. Play the performance of "cute baby brother" to distract and defuse. Then this Timmy came! And FIXED everything. Took Dicks job like he'd been doing it for YEARS. Smiled so pretty and perfect. Told him he didn't have to pretend.
Like he KNEW Dick. Better then anyone else.
So maybe Dick goes... a little crazy. Follows him. Smells his stuff. Wants to crawl into his bed and DO things. But! He's not the only one! Everyone is going crazy! Timmy does that to people, he's decided. But it's okay. They're TIM'S people. So it's okay if they go crazy for him.
And really? It's just a matter of who's control breaks first. Because Tim adores them but doesn't think they'd be interested. Tim is situationally dense as bricks. They love him anyway.
-🐼🐼🐼
all of them intent on this tim not realizing the tim of their universe will never let them get dibs 😩
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captainkirkk · 10 months
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✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩
All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.
DC
Persistence Is A Sin by PlotlessWanderer
Part 1 of Persistence Verse
He stared Bruce Wayne in his dead blank eyes with the full force of his conditional training behind him and told Batman exactly what he was doing wrong. Clenching shaking hands, praying he wouldn't vomit, Tim faced the demon his hero had become and refused to be moved.
Persistence won out over apathy in the end. Tim wore Batman down through sheer stubbornness and blunt honesty. He wasn't looking to replace what Bruce had lost, wasn't trying to be the stand in for a dead boy. Sometimes he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, exactly, but he always knew that whatever it was, it was necessary.
(Tim won't let his heroes fade away without a fight. Even if he has to bring it right to their doorstep and insist they fight too)
Slipping by incogneat_oh
'There is a small plaster on his arm where Bruce had taken a blood sample. It itches. And the computer runs tests.
They don’t believe him when he says he’s fine.
“It was Ivy,” Dick says, tossing Tim a ball.
Tim just shrugs, says, “I feel fine.” '
(Tim is not fine.)
Catch and Release by snackbaskets
There's a tradition among the family: when in danger, you grab the smallest Robin and hang on tight. But like all traditions, this one had to start somewhere, right?
Alternately: three times Dick bodily attacks his father (with love)
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
Local Gods by EsteriaSilversmith
Saiki may have been able to keep anyone from finding out about his psychic abilities, but enough wierd things have happened around PK Academy that the students had to come up with /some/ kind of explanation.
(Aka Saiki's love of sweets comes back to haunt him in the strangest of ways)
Shades of abnormality by TimesBeingWhatTheyAre
Some days Saiki didn’t feel comfortable in his skin.
Canon-compliant AU in which Saiki is genderfluid
The Sandman
The Cat of the Endless by Salmaka
Hob sighs, content to see the cat there and closes his eyes, ready to fall asleep again. He is not quite willing to wake up fully just yet.
But then it hits him.
He doesn’t have a cat.
Clone Wars
The Trouble with Tookas by thosenearandfarwars
Never trust somebody a tooka dislikes.
despite all (despite everything) by never_going_home
Cody is a mess. Obi-Wan is also a mess. They should probably kiss about it at some point.
Featuring: awful horrible terrible siblings, multiple people being So Fucking Done with codywan's pining, an all-inclusive couples' resort, and shenanigans to the extreme.
//
Sometimes, Cody lies awake in the ship’s night-cycle and thinks about the holo Waxer had found in some forgotten article in the depths of a ‘net archive. It had been grainy and out of focus and half-corrupted, but still clearly the general, comforting some wounded child, twenty years younger, hair long and matted, chin bare of beard, cheeks hollow with hunger and grief. His eyes, though, haunted and full of flinty resolve—his eyes had been the same, the only recognisable part of that child-stranger’s face.
(Nobody could fault Obi-Wan Kenobi for his leadership. The problem, then, lies with Cody.)
hear the silence in your head by firelord_zutara
Despite how wrong wrong wrong his Commander feels in the Force, it’s still a relief when Obi-Wan rounds the corner and sees Cody running towards him, there and whole and alive. That is, until Obi-Wan’s entire universe crumbles in an instant when Cody starts shooting at him.
Or: Instead of Tup being the one with the malfunctioning inhibitor chip, it's Cody.
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galkyrie · 2 years
Text
Inspired by this post and its notes (and by that I mean it refused to leave me alone until I wrote these scenes)
Jason tried not to make going to the ‘Cave a habit. No, he much preferred to conduct any Bat-related business in as close to neutral turf as possible, but- 
Tim. Tim was in the ‘Cave, had been manning the comms for the group all night as he nursed a couple bruised ribs. Oracle was away on Birds’ business, so the responsibility of playing coordinator had fallen onto his lap while he recovered. 
It made him easy to find, luckily. Jason wanted to have a chat with the little bird.
“Hey Babybird,” he tried to keep the thrilled, self-satisfied smugness out of his tone as he climbed off his bike and tugged off his helmet, but- 
This was just too good.
The numbers- courtesy of the magic user and dimension-jumper they’d had to coordinate taking down last week- had appeared just as they’d managed to shove him back into the universe he’d come from. A parting gift in the form of a spell. 
May you all see what you truly are. 
It’d been ominous, but anytime a magic used opened their mouths was a pretty ominous fuckin’ moment in his book. And nothing had come of it, not really. Just these- numbers, hanging over their heads silently. Only seen by one another, and seemingly nonsensical. 
Until tonight. 
“Jason, what are you-” Tim turned in the leather computer chair in front of the set of monitors, mug of coffee in hand as he moved to greet him. He stopped, looked above his head with a furrowed brow. “Your number went up.” Jason couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face as he ambled over to the platform, neither pausing nor bothering to give Timmy his space as he responded. 
“Yeah, funny thing. I ran into someone I’ve been lookin’ for while goin’ about my business tonight- real scum of the earth type, yeah? He’d just gotten off on another rape charge on a technicality- it went about as well as you can guess.” He spun the helmet in his hands lazily before setting it to his side, leaning against the desk and grinning down at a stone-faced Red Robin. “Imagine my surprise when I got back from that little meetin’ to find my number’d gone up.” 
If the cause was surprising news, Tim didn’t let on. “I see.” His tone is level, even. It meant nothing- gave nothing away, about how Drake was feeling. 
“And it got me wonderin’, Prettybird,” Jason added, lips twitching in amusement as the nickname did not draw out the usual faint scowl on Tim’s lips. It was as good a tell as any that the neutrality in his features was an act. “Why your number is hovering around triple what I’ve got hanging over my head.” 
He leaned over, taking full advantage of their comparative sizes and Tim’s seated position to loom, a taunting grin spread across his lips. “How’d’ya think Daddy Bats is gonna take to his perfect little soldier bein’ no better than his biggest failure?” He reached down, taking an errant lock of hair between his gloved fingers before adding, “bein’ three times worse?” 
Tim looked up at him, glacial blue eyes taking in the triumphant grin on his face and finally emoted. 
He laughed.
“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we Jay?” He took the moment of surprise- fully fuckin’ earned, because the little shit just laughed at him holding destroying his life over his head- to push back in the seat, rolling away enough to get standing. “When you tell him, that is. I’m assuming you are going to tell him, yes? That’s why you’re dangling this in my face first?” 
Tim looked his way, head tilted in that studying-a-bug way of his that always made him feel both small and about to be skewered. Jason blinked his way, sure he was broadcasting just how off-kilter he currently was-
“I thought one of you would figure it out eventually, but- honestly my money was on Dick before you.” Tim gave him a grin, small and conspiratorial, seeming utterly amused by the truth coming out. 
Jason was at a fuckin’ loss. “What’d you do, to get that number?” 
“Oh no, that’s not how this is going to go.” Tim laughed again, shaking his head. “We’re not going to share stories, Jay. You didn’t come here to do that. And it wasn’t to warn me, tell me you were so sorry but you had no choice but to tell the others. You’re gloating. You came here,” and Tim stepped closer, that grin and gaze sharpening enough to cut, “to make me squirm.” 
Tim stopped in front of him, just barely within reach as he regarded him. He wasn’t in the Red Robin uniform- opting instead for a loose hoodie hanging over the sleek black athletic wear used by most of them when running training exercises. He looked underprepared to fight him and unconcerned by the prospect, the combination of which managed to turn his looming back around on him. 
“I’m afraid this isn’t going to get me there, Jason.” The cool condescension in his tone killed any quip he might’ve come up with for the innuendo in their tracks, making him sneer. “But go ahead,” Tim waved his hand, turning to gesture towards his helmet, “I’m sure everyone would love to hear it.” 
“You’re bluffing.” He didn’t even sound positive to his own ears. He’d- this was not what he’d been expecting. He’d been thinking he might get denial, a fight, maybe. Not cold, calculated acceptance of the revelation and this...heel-turn. 
Tim huffed another laugh, meeting his eyes again. “Feel free to call it, then. Do you think Bruce will even remember my number when he finds out what the one hanging over him means?” 
“Do you really think he’ll believe you, when his whole idea of himself is at stake?” Fuck, Tim was right and that grin on his face did little to hide that he knew it. “Your word’s worth more than it used to be, Jay- but nobody’s is worth that much.” 
Fuck. He’d have to prove it. “This isn’t over.” He promised, narrowing his eyes at the little bird. 
“I wouldn’t dare assume otherwise.” Tim eyed him coolly, watching as he straightened and yanked his helmet off the desk. 
“You know- I might be a fuckin’ asshole, Tim. But you’re ice cold.” And his judgement was probably less than meaningless to the man, considering he’d come here fully expecting to rub this in his face, but-
“So I’ve been told.” Tim shot back, sounding bored, “now do you mind plotting elsewhere? Some people didn’t abandon their patrols to play mind games and I have a job to get back to.” He gestured back to the computer, easing into the chair and returning to the monitors. 
Jason stormed out, trying not to let the curveball that was this entire interaction get to him. Tim- seemingly adept at finding new ways to be infuriating when given any opportunity- was right about one thing. Bruce wasn’t going to believe him if he just told him. 
He’d have to show him.
...
Tim made it until the roaring of Jason’s bike faded into the distance before his head was between his knees, forcing himself out of the instinctual hyperventilation he’d been trying to avoid since the moment Jason had told him why his number had gone up. 
So- it was over. Tim’d killed people- a lot of people. He hadn’t- god he hoped his bluff had bought him some time, that he hadn’t just goaded Jason into finding Bruce in person and telling him. 
Hope wasn’t enough and he didn’t have time to lose it now. He stood- probably too fast, since he was lurching to the side of the platform just to empty the contents of his stomach over the side. God, he’d- he’d killed people. 
He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, grimaced at the acid clinging to his tongue before forcing himself to get it together. 
The first thing he did was get onto the ‘Cave recording and delete any record of his conversation with Jay- the Hood’s would be a problem, probably having picked up the entirety of his act from its spot on the desk. 
Jason could just go show that to Bruce. That brought down his possible time-table considerably.
Tim moved quickly after that, grabbing every bit of gear he thought he’d need to get out of Gotham and quickly divesting his motorcycle of every piece of tech that could be tracked. 
It came out easily, considering he’d designed it with something like this in mind, someday. 
And- sure, his idea hadn’t exactly been ‘turns out you’ve murdered a few hundred people’ that would be the final nail in the coffin, but- 
Bruce had been vocally disappointed at him considering where to draw his own line with Boomerang, no killing required. Enough so that he’d planned a few exits, should the need arise. 
Yeah, seemed like the need was there. He had to go, like, yesterday. 
He kept his own readout tracking the rest of the Bats’ movements- Jason was sure to act if his control of the comms seemed amiss. Luckily he tended to keep things quiet on the group comm anyways, unless something big was going down. 
Thank god it was a slow night. Outside of Jason, apparently, committing a murder. 
Not that he could judge. 
He got to one of his safehouses tucked away from anybody’s current route, logging into the Nest’s system from the pared down system inside. He set a countdown and activated subroutines that would be necessary for the rest of them to go on without him- and not find him, hopefully. 
After that he bought bus, plane, and train tickets in every direction under every alias he could afford to burn. 
He used none of them, abandoned his bike at the border of Chinatown and backtracked to execute the rest of his plan. He didn’t break down, not when he successfully crept through the marina to the small, solar-powered yacht he’d carefully kept off the books and got aboard. He didn’t fall apart, when he’d carefully slipped below deck and into the dimly lit space that was to serve as his home until he’d managed to put as much distance between himself and Gotham- and seven or eight of its residents in particular- as possible. 
A buzzy, distant kind of calm washed over him as he carefully, purposefully changed once more into clothes more suited for sailing, and tested just how silent the electric motor was as he undocked and left Gotham’s tainted waters in the rearview. 
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bitimdrake · 2 years
Text
people have talked at length about the Dick/Tim/Damian Robin debacle and I do not currently have the mental space to wade fully into it (except to say that demonizing any of them is dumb). But I do want to say:
One of the most incorrect fan claims is this idea that Dick was playing favorites when he picked Damian over Tim because you guys. you guys.
At the time Damian became Robin, Tim was Dick's beloved little brother who he'd adored and fought beside for years, who he'd entrust his life to without hesitation, who he affectionately proclaimed to be even better than him as Robin, who he genuinely enjoyed hanging out with
and meanwhile
Dick couldn't fucking stand Damian
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soleminisanction · 3 months
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I’ve been thinking about Steph and cass lately, especially with my recent re-read of Batgirl 2009. You’re totally right in that Steph does not even once spare Cass a single thought or even speak about her at all in the entire run. But it also got me thinking, didn’t this exact scenario already play out except with Tim? I’ll admit it’s been awhile since I’ve read her run as Robin, but I feel like once she got the mantle of Robin (again, taken from someone else- this time Tim) she never really spared him a second thought either. And then when she gets the Batgirl mantle from Cass, she never spared her a second thought. I know that the writers probably did not intend for this sort of characteristic to shine through, but it’s interesting nonetheless that this has happened twice. Does Steph just view people as disposable? Or as extensions of herself? And that’s why the second she gets what she wants from them or can’t get anything more from them, they drop in importance in her eyes and she doesn’t spare them a second thought? What are you views on it? (Also supergirl showing up in the middle was so damn random lmfao, did they have any previous links before that issue? Or even after that issue? I feel a bit bad for Kara that she constantly has to be besties with whoever the newest batgirl is T-T)
That is how I tend to view her, when I'm not taking steps to deliberately soften her character (like with Batgirl, Repentant). She does think about Tim a few times while she's Robin, but it's mostly in passing -- first explaining to Cass why she's in the Robin suit in Batgirl; then because he got a hold of her over the phone, briefly; and then because her last case involved an assassin, Scarab, who was hired to kill people who looked like him. Once that's established, he's out of her thoughts.
After that she thinks of him again in the lead-up to War Games, namely in the "Prelude," from Batman 12-Cent Adventure #1, which is partially an excuse to do set-up/recap flashbacks for anybody tuning into the event who hasn't been reading Batman regularly, but is also when we actually get to see the Incident that kicks off the gang war -- and it's told from Steph's perspective.
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And a little later on when she hears his school got shot up, she's devastated, fully bursts into tears and is terrified that she might've gotten him killed.
That said, her writing in War Games is largely an outlier -- for all the problems with that story (and there are so many problems, don't get me wrong), it legitimately has some of the best, most selfless and heroic characterization Steph has ever been given. It's tragic heroism, but it's still genuine heroism all the same.
The rest of the time... Yeah, she just doesn't really seem to make many connections or think much about other people when they're not directly involved in getting her what she wants. That's the vibe I get, too.
As for Supergirl: they did actually establish that. There was a 4-isuue World's Finest miniseries in 2009 that told one semi-ongoing story but also used each individual issue to team up a member of the new "Batman Reborn" Batfamily up with one of the similarly-revamped "New Krypton"-era Superfam.
Issue #1 was where Tim (as Red Robin) was reintroduced to the 15-year-old Chris Kent Nightwing (and Thara Ak-Var Flamebird). Issue #2 was Damian and the Guardian. Issue #3 had Babs call in Kara to rescue Steph from a death trap and then they teamed up. and Issue #4 had Dick-Bats and Clark come in to bring most of the threads together for a big finale.
The mini overall is... okay, though there's some characterization I'm not fond of, and something about the art style just. Really empathizes how much I fucking hate Steph's ugly Batgirl costume.
(Why. Does she wear her fucking belt so loose. They do it so it'll hang akimbo on her hips but it's made of huge weighted pouches, it'd spin around her waist when she tried to grapple like a goddamn hula hoop!!)
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the-alice-of-hearts · 10 months
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DickTim Week Day 1 Soulmates
Told myself weeks ago that I was only gonna write for day 6... I lied! Here is my entry for day one posted on time for @dicktimweek
Rated T, 1329 words, no archive warnings would apply, it's more of an outline than a fully fleshed-out fic though. Hope y'all like it!
There was a time when soulmates were rare when people might never meet their other half. Then the internet came around, and finding the person in the world who wore the same mark as you was much easier. 
Dick grew up knowing that his chances of finding his soulmate were above average since he was a performer, but still, it wasn’t like he needed his soulmate. He had loving parents and they weren’t soulmates, they were just in love. Then fate played her nasty little trick on him and he wound up flying through the air in a completely different fashion. 
Dick knew that there was a slim chance that his soulmate was within the hero community, and he couldn’t afford to bring someone into the life just because fate decreed them tied to his unlucky self. So Dick made a decision sitting on the top of Titans Tower three days after Jason’s funeral, whoever his soulmate was, he wouldn’t seek them out, he’d hide his mark, and no matter if he ever found them, he’d keep silent and let them live out their life safely. 
---
Tim was lucky, one of the luckiest kids in the entire freaking world. He knew who his soulmate was since he was six years old. He sat on the knee of ten-year-old Dick Grayson of the Flying Graysons and saw the little bird on his inner elbow. Tim stared at the little matching bird on his shoulder again and gave a soft smile. His soulmate was gonna need a friend, and maybe, just maybe, if Tim went to school then he would get to see that nice boy who had the perfect smile and was so very nice. So he had to keep being good, and he had to keep learning and getting better at school so he could be a big kid. 
Then he found out the best secret. The wonderful amazing secret of Robin! His Robin, his soulmate. So Tim watched and waited and kept an eye on Robin, and by extension Batman. Once he knew though he realized there was one flaw to his plan. It wouldn’t matter how good at school he was, and it wouldn’t matter how much he worked on getting better if he couldn’t keep up with Dick. So he enrolled himself in gymnastics and martial arts classes, learned more languages, and tried his hardest to be worthy of Dick Grayson. 
Then Dick left. And Tim was heartbroken. He just got the hang of actual parkour, and Dick just left and another kid showed up in Bruce’s life and then he was Robin! As though he had a claim on the name, as though he had any right to wear the yellow cape! 
Tim waited and he watched, the way he always did. And then Jason died, and Bruce went off the rails, and Tim assigned himself as a grown-ass man’s emotional support fifteen-year-old… This at least had the benefit of getting to see his soulmate, yay! Unfortunately, this also meant he was subject to a very drunk Dick explaining how he hoped that his soulmate never joined the life because fate owed him that at least… 
Tim cried himself to sleep that night. He had been trying each time Dick visited to find a natural way to broach the subject of their matching soulmarks, but after that night Tim vowed to keep his mark hidden. Dick would be forbidden. 
Tim watches as Dick keeps himself sober because he needs to be a “Good Big Brother™” and god doesn’t that hurt even more. 
---
Dick started to hate himself, he was a goddamn nineteen-year-old and he was crushing on the fifteen-year-old who for some god known reason came into their lives and was gluing the family back together. So he threw himself into alcohol first, if he could blame the feelings on being drunk then he wasn’t really hurting anyone. But after a night where he almost confessed his feelings and instead went on his rant about soulmates, he realized that wasn’t working. So he stayed sober, and he went all in on being Tim’s brother. If he just kept saying it it would eventually be true. Who cares that Tim has living parents, and that he wasn’t getting adopted by Bruce? Who cares that Dick only wants to press his lips against his skin and see him blush. Fuck all of that, he can be responsible, and he can be good, and he can stop himself from being an idiot. 
Then Jason comes back, and Tim almost bleeds out in the Tower, a sacred place, a place that Dick should have been in to protect him. Tim is bleeding and Dick is carrying him to the med bay and he presses a kiss to the sixteen-year-old's temple and promises himself, if Tim lives then he’ll tell him his feelings. 
---
Tim wakes up from blood loss in the Cave and realizes two things right away. One, Dick isn’t there, two, he’s not wearing a shirt… He knows that it was Dick’s voice he heard when they transported him from the Tower to the Cave and all he can think is how mad is Dick… 
He waits three days before Alfred and Bruce will let him move upstairs, another two before he braves looking at his phone. It’s two weeks later before he hears from Dick. Hope you feel better soon. A five word text that feels so impersonal compared to their earlier texts. Five words to confirm for Tim that Dick has seen his soulmark, and to know what it means. 
Tim heals, and he gets back out there, but Nightwing doesn’t call him to have Robin join him on patrol. Dick doesn’t send him the memes that he sees and thinks of Tim. There are no brotherly messages about needing more sleep or if he wants to grab ice cream after patrol because Dick happens to be in town. He isn’t even invited to the Tower until a month and a half after the attack, and that’s by Raven and Kon. Tim knows that Dick is icing him out, but he doesn’t know how to fix this one. He should have told Dick years ago, but he just wanted to fix the family. 
His parents die, Jason is rehabilitated, for the most part, Damian shows up and Dick still isn’t close to Tim anymore. Then Bruce disappears. Tim is seventeen and he’s lost everyone, and then his soulmate tells him he can’t wear the Robin colors anymore. He sets out on Brucequest. 
---
Dick fucked up! He iced Tim out after seeing the little bird on his shoulder. He took so long to come to terms with the fact that the universe took his soulmate and turned him into a weapon then broke him. Jason came back and went insane, and Dick did his fucking best okay! It’s not easy okay! He pushed his fucking soulmate away for so long and he was in his grasp finally and he pushed him away again!
Tim disappeared and Dick was blaming himself. He kept his ear out for any news and had people keeping watch. Every night he would trace the little bird on his inner elbow and make deals with the universe. Bring him back and I’ll never let him forget how much he means to me.
Tim comes back and literally falls into Dick’s arms after being kicked out of a window. 
Dick: How did you know I’d be there to save you? Tim: You’re my soulmate, Dick. You’ll always be there for me.
Dick doesn’t even care that he’s lying. He pulls Tim into a searing kiss. Needing to finally feel his lips against Tim’s and know that he’s alive and okay. They’ll have a proper conversation later, for now though? Dick is holding his soulmate and he couldn’t be more content.
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bi-bats · 8 months
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20 & 21 for your ask game :)
Hello hello!!! Thanks for the ask bestie 💚
20. What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?
honestly, probably Dick in I Know What My Brother Is 😂 I know y'all haven't seen him yet because I'm literally in the middle of the chapter with him now, but writing Dick as a twelve year old is incredibly fun, especially because I get to give him and Jason a super soft, sweet relationship.
here's a snippet that I literally wrote like between yesterday and today:
“Oh, right!” Dick says, disentangling himself from Damian and running over to Jason.  He watches Dick launch himself at Jason, watches Jason catch him around the middle, rub his knuckles in Dick's hair even as he squirms out of the hold. He throws his weight around, trying to escape, until he manages to clamber up to sit on Jason’s shoulders, his foot digging into Jason's hip and dragging a pained wheeze out of him. A slightly malicious grin curls on his lips once he's on Jason's shoulders, and he leans down to wrap his arms around Jason’s face in something approximating a hug.  Jason snorts and tries to bat his hands away halfheartedly.  “Congrats on coming out, Jason!”  “Thanks, Dickiebird,” Jason sighs, muffled through the forearm covering half of his mouth as his hands fall to Dick’s ankles. “I mean, I already knew, so of course I still love you and everything, and—Oh, we should make a cake! A coming out cake for both of you!”  “Oh, yeah?” Jason asks, laughing as he pries Dick’s arms off his face, letting him stay on his shoulders. “And I’m sure this has nothing to do with the math test you don’t want to study for?”  “What are you talking about? I already studied for it!” Dick whines, his tone a touch to innocent to be believable. “Right, sure you did.” Jason makes a grab for the back of Dick’s shirt, attempting to pry him off, and Dick jerks his torso to the side before laying all the way back, hanging upside down off Jason’s shoulders by his legs.  "Fine, maybe I could study a little more. Damian, want to help me?" Dick asks, and Damian hears the hint of hope in his voice. He really has not been spending enough time with him, as of late.
21. What is the one fic that got away?
Probably my paranormal Tim AU. At this point, I have so many ideas to write that I'm like, pretty sure I'm never going to get to this one, but it's so fun.
Basically, Tim and Jason are childhood friends and Tim looks up to Robin Jason (and is a little in love with him of course), finds out he's Robin, and then he dies. Tim has ghost/necromancy powers, and he starts seeing Jason's ghost (who talks him out of reviving him), until it disappears one day, so he goes to Jason's grave to revive him because he can't lose him, even if it means disrespecting his request, and he finds that Jason's grave is empty. Bruce finds him, Tim tells him that he knows and decides that it'll be easier to find out what happened to Jason with Bruce's resources, so he talks him into becoming Robin (while hiding his powers). It would also feature Jason with memory loss, because I need him not to remember Tim during Titan's Tower, but during the attack, Tim's powers make him realize that the Red Hood is Jason, but his soul is torn (thus him not remembering Tim fully). something something Tim fixes it and restores his memories and then Jason is full of regret from attacking Tim but Tim doesn't give up on him and they're already in love so they get their shit together.
It's basically fully plotted as you can tell, but I just have so many ideas that feel so much more full to me, so I'm probably not going to write it 😂
Thanks for the ask bestie!!!! 💖💖💖💖💖
Send me an ask with a number from this list!
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batstorm93672 · 2 years
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He was stabbed by a knife, that's the first thing Damian realized when he came to. As to where he is... it's dark and reeks of dirt.
Where the fuck is he? And what went wrong...
Feeling around he was in an enclosed space, inside something trapped.
Okay okay, think just think!
Batman is off planet with the League, it's Nightwing keeping a watch on Gotham alongside Red Robin, Red Hood and Orphan.
Damian shuffled around his pockets, he had his phone and squinted against the bright light, clicking onto his contacts on Grayson.
Damian! Are you okay? Have they hurt you?
"Grayson... what are you talking about?"
Crap did they drug you? Alright we got a call for a ransom, they're using you to get money
"No... I'm not above"
...what do you mean
"I'm somewhere closed... can't get out, dark and dirt... I believe"
No. No. Okay okay, I got it. They were going to get the money, promise a place for pickup, but... shit shit okay no problem! Tim and I a-are getting your location now
"Grayson. Tell me what's going on, I can't see anything else and I'm bleeding"
I... I think their trying to bury you alive so by the time the money is transferred y-you would already be gone...
Damian stopped, the wounds feeling even more worse "Oh..." Damian tensed up, he was already below and no one was putting dirt in which meant he was fully below with no way of knowing where he may be.
Damian talk to me, don't fall asleep
"I- No no no"
It's getting hot, he was dragged down by the feet and the flames grew worse.
"No no no no no no no no no no no no! G-Grayson please no I don't want to go back down there"
Damian relax you're not going anywhere Red Hood and Orphan are on their way for you
Damian curled in on himself "I'm going to die... I'm going to burn in Hell, I'm not ready to go back I-I don't want to go back! Grayson I don't want to..."
You won't we won't let you die Damian we promise
Damian threw up, in the far corner from everything around him, crawling as he went back close to his phone. Sobbing at the bile that left a disgusting lingering aftertaste.
--listen to me buddy
"O-Okay"
You are okay, I know it's bad right now. But you'll be okay, Jason and Cass are going to save you and you'll be back home before you know it. So stay calm, save your oxygen okay?
"G-Got it. Please don't hang up"
I wouldn't ever do that, I'm here okay? Is there anything you want to hear
"Anything is fine, I promise I'll listen I'm a good listener nowadays"
Heh yeah you are getting better, okay how about a story of my days as Robin, I did a really cool stunt that Bruce had scolded me for, but it was totally worth it
Damian kept an ear out through most of it, as the stories kept going so did his conscious. Slowly slipping in and out, getting harder to breath.
The sound of digging didn't register to him and the voice of Dick saying that he's okay, or the fact that the man was almost in tears, didn't reach him. Looking up wearily at the light cascading in, he saw two figures before him. One moment he was against the hard wood, the next he was in someone's arms.
Someone gently ran their hand in circles on his back and it crashed down on Damian.
He was alive
Someone found him
He won't die
He recognized his sister's soft voice coaxing him "Let it out. It's okay" Damian then realized that he was sobbing like a child against Cassandra's uniform, screaming and crying in relief and anguish.
Red Hood had taken off his helmet and was on the verge of tears as he spoke, whatever it was Damian couldn't hear it well. Damian kept sobbing and wrapped his arms around Cassandra as he blubbered on and on random things.
.
Damian woke up crying, he couldn't get himself to stop. Automatically four people were around him and comforting him as much as they could.
"I-I'm alive... I'm alive, a-alive" Damian felt around his body and his breathing was shaky with tears rolling down his face "So scared... scared was gonna go back under didn't wanna go back! Scared, terrified! Don't wanna go back not again... not again..."
"Sshhh it's okay now, we're here for you" That was Dick's voice, it felt nice to hear it so close
"Please stay... don't go, don't leave me alone again I don't want to go back down there..."
"You won't go back"
"Okay..." Damian's voice was barely a whisper and full of sorrow. Everyone joined in a hug and Damian preferred it over the emptiness of that casket.
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scorpionyx9621 · 2 years
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Idk seems like a shallow take with lots of provable arguments against it. For example, beyond who they kill and why Joker has years of canon domestic abuse, and multiple instances of sexual assault. Their relationships and histories are completely different. You could also make the joke that only one of them actually killed a Robin. They just aren't the same, at least no more than Midnighter and Joker are the same.
So I don't know if you're being full-on serious with this or just trying to start an argument. I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and try to explain my side.
I'm fully aware that Jason and Joker have a lot of differences. Yet at the same time they have a lot of similarities as well. There's a reason why Judd Winnick emphasized their similarities in Under the Hood by giving Jason Joker's old villain identity before he became Joker. It wasn't just to get Joker's attention as Jason said, but also to show that Jason was stooping down to the Joker's level.
Is Jason a rapist? No, he kills rapists. But I'm going to say that again. Jason kills rapists. This being a Batman comic and Jason Todd and Joker being Batman characters they are lumped together in Bruce's eyes because of his idiotic Kantian philosophy of never kill no matter what. Batman is that black and white. I can go on all day about the differences between apples and oranges, you can call Jason an apple and Joker an orange, yes they are two completely different flavor profiles and colors and textures, but under the philosophy that Batman uses, they're both still fruit.
You realize how stupid that sounds right? Any sane, logical person would have killed the Joker decades ago, but because there's to be no killing under Batman's watch ever, that's not going to happen. Bruce would bring the Joker back to life just the same way that he would for Jason. Is it fair? Absolutely not, Jason has saved people's lives for Pete's sake. The Joker just sows chaos and brings misery wherever he goes. Yet at the end of the day both Joker and Jason have crossed the red line multiple times and with 0 regret. And to Batman, whom is the central figure of these comics, that is his dividing line you shall not cross.
Jason Todd is no Joker by most means, but when you think about all the shit Jason has done over the years, including the stuff that has been ret-conned, I'd argue Jason has more in common with Joker than he does with Bruce at this point. Including but not limited to.
1. Poisoned 80 prisoners to death during Dick's run as Batman.
2. Blew up a school with people inside it when Speedy wouldn't join him in his crimes in Seeing Red. It isn't explicitly said who was or wasn't inside the building but if Jason blew up a school, he's okay with killing children.
3. Has tried to kill Tim, Dick and Damian on multiple occasions (and has failed, not for a lack of him trying)
4. Goes on a mass killing spree while dressed as Batman, not caring who he kills in Battle for the Cowl (oh, this one was written by everyone's beloved Judd Winnick too btw)
5. Goes on a mass killing spree while dressed as Nightwing, not caring who he kills (this is from the same Nightwing run we get TentaTodd by the way.)
6. In an act of blind rage he kills the father of a child he just met not an hour before in Urban Legends all because low and behold, Jason has his own philosophical bullshit he follows where if you give drugs to kids bam you're dead. (I don't have the energy to argue the morals and ethics of giving your own child illegal substances on this post it's already running way too long)
7. In Final Crusade Jason actively revels in inflicting pain and suffering on villains. He kills a man by crushing his head on a car hood and hangs a person. Oh and he does all of this as Robin.
Debating the ethics and morals of Batman on Tumblr is frustrating at best and makes me want to ram my head into a brick wall at worst. I meant that post mostly as a cheap joke and a cheap meme to get cheap likes on this cheap website. I put maybe 20 minutes of effort into that meme and while I see what you're trying to prove, I'm but a silly little fool clown who says shit on a website that cost Verizon a billion dollars. I'm not going to lose sleep over constructive criticism of a character so consistently inconsistent you'll have people throwing full-blown temper tantrums anytime they depict Jason Todd any way that they don't like. I'm as shallow as a wading pool, but at the end of the day we're the ones here wearing the clown makeup arguing in our clown cars over whether apples and oranges are the more heinous comic book villains.
At the end of the day the very nature of Jason's ethics and philosophy is that some crimes are so heinous they shouldn't be forgiven. Which is objectively correct. There's no debating that. Yet because we're stuck under this Batman umbrella as because DC Comics can't decide whether they want Jason Todd to be a hero or a villain or not, we're stuck with an anti-hero with contradictory philosophies to his mentor trying to be a good guy when 80% or people who have a strong opinion about Red Hood demanding that DC comics be burned at the stake for getting his character wrong. With a sizable amount of them on their hands and knees begging for Jason to be an absolutely feral villain again who is "strong, smart, deadly, capable, fearsome." When in reality you can get all of these traits and no daddy issues right there in The Joker. If I wanted a villain who is capable and fearsome killer who strikes fear into the heart of Gotham i'd just be a Joker kinnie. Why should I even bother with Jason? Yet this is what a very vocal majority of the fandom clamors for every time we get a new Jason comic.
Again, I know you weren't trying to get a rant or a tangent and were just trying to prove a point. I have no clue who you are and I'm sorry if any of this came across as offensive. But I'm not here to try to make a bad thing worse. I made a cheap meme for cheap likes, please try not to think too hard about it. It's more fun that way.
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