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#jason and damian are cranky
bwabbitv3s · 10 months
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John is never in his office in the watchtower as he always ends up found and forced to deal with things when he is there. Today is no different only it is Batman that shows up at his door. He is sorely tempted to hide under his desk and pretend to not have seen Batman at the door. Only Spooky probably knows he is there and will just track him down. A deep sigh and regret about not being allowed to smoke in the watchtower he gets up and unlocks the door.
That, he was not expecting that. Batman standing in the doorway to his office with an armful of cats. Two adults, one young cat just out of kittenhood, and a little kitten. The largest cat, ginger tom with a torn up ear and white blaze, glares and growls at him. The other placid adult cat, looks like a one of those fancy gray leopard spotted ones, just bats at the first and chirps happily. The younger black cat dangles from Batman's arms and gives John that judging look only cats can pull off. The kitten is a tiny cinnamon coloured thing puffed up in adorable fury with seething green eyes.
"Fix them." Batman say.
John has the dawning horror that he begins to recognizes the cats the longer he looks at them.
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slytherin-ghost · 1 year
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{Where's The Baby?}
Bat family x child! reader, Reader is about 3 years old
Summary: The boys take their little sibling y/n to Wayne Enterprises and they end up losing them. Causing everyone to go into panic mode
(I know the GIF isn't batfamily but I thought it would be funny)
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Bruce had left this morning before his youngest y/n had a chance to spend time with their father, leaving the child upset once they woke up.
"Y/N, eat your food" Dick said, y/n pouted and mumbled something. "What's their problem?" Tim said walking in and sitting at the table. Dick sighed "They didn't see Father this morning before he left so now their cranky." Damian informed. "I believe a visit to Master Bruce's office will help their mood." Alfred suggested.
Less than 5 minutes later, the boys and y/n walked into the lobby of Wayne Enterprises. The boys discussed where they think Bruce would be. "Is he in a meeting?" Jason asked "We don't know." Dick respond. While this was happening no one noticed Y/n walking into an elevator.
"Okay c'mon Y/N." Tim said "Guys we lost Y/N?!" Tim announced "What?!" Jason yelled. "Okay, We'll look around, they couldn't have gone far." Dick said. The group started searching. Tim with Damian went to the second floor. Dick going to the fifth. While Jason went to the 7th.
Meanwhile Y/N started to get out of the elevator at the same time Bruce was about to get in. "Daddy!" Y/n squealed excitedly "Y/N?!" Bruce picked up his child. Bruce sighed "They lost you again, didn't they?" He said walking back to his office with the child.
The boys nervously walked to Bruce's office, knowing he would kill them once he found out. "I think Todd should go in first." Damian said smirking "No! Dick you go in!" Jason replied "Why do I have too?!" Dick whispered- shouted "Your the oldest!" Tim responded.
Dick sighed and opened the office door. "Hey Bruce we-"
"I already know." Bruce cut Dick off. A little squeal that came from the toddler, confirmed that Y/N was with Bruce. "Thank fucking god! We can go home now!" Jason sighed.
Everyone sighed at Jason's actions.
Once home, that's when the boys got their baby-sitting privileges taken away which were handed over to Alfred. Who was more than happy to spend all day with the child.
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Please give me credit if you reblog my work
I don't post to a03 or any other site if you see my work there please message me
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msfantasy-comics · 4 months
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The Wayne Welcoming
Damian Wayne x Reader
Summary: A short story sequel to The Family Meet and Greet, where Y/n meets members of the Wayne Family one by one.
A/n: honestly… I don’t like what I wrote…. But it took me a whole month to write it - so I’m just going to publish it.
Masterlist - Tip Jar
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Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown
Steph keeps following Damian because she really wants to meet Y/n, Tim is following Steph to ensure her enthusiasm isn’t over exerted, as if it wasn’t already.
“Go away!” Damian shouts at the two who’s standing by the light post. Stephanie wearing her incognito hat and glasses. Whilst Tim just stands there out in the open with his hands in his pockets, not even attempting to hide himself unlike Steph, whose standing behind the thin pole as if it was a genuine hiding spot. Steph looks over her shoulder to see what Damian was talking about. As if her disguise wasn’t absolutely transparent. “Stop following me.”
Steph releases a small whine. “Aw but you two have been dating for like ever… I just want to meet her.”
“I don’t care, you weirdos will scare her off. I’ll never introduce her so long as I live.” Steph begins to swoon.
“Aw that’s so cute Dames, you’re such a protective boyfriend… too bad she’s here anyway.” Reaching her hand over Damian, Steph joyfully grabs your hand and begins to shake your hand with an unmatched enthusiasm. “Hi my name is Steph, and this is Tim! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Damian is sooo secretive! I tried to meet you like a million times but Damian always ruined our plans!” You begin to giggle, caught off guard for the unfiltered joy running off of Steph. Her over excited hand shake continues to the point of shaking your entire arm. Damian grits his teeth, ripping Stephs grasp from your own.
“Go. Away.” He says, eyes bearing into Stephanie’s soul, an earnest threat swimming in Damian’s ominous gaze. Steph winces at the sincere danger floating in the air.
“Alrighty, so what are we doing today?” Tim asks, immune from Damian’s demands.
“No. No. No. Go home. Right. Now. Or else I’ll call Conor to come get you.” The two besties look at each-other silently before laughing.
“… you know Conor would just join, he’s dying to meet Jon’s new friend.” Damian goes red in the face. You slug your arm around Damian’s shoulders in a friendly embrace.
“Come on, let’s seize this impromptu meeting! It could be fun!”
Jason Todd
You stood alone at the end of the red carpet, the cameras were flashing as arriving couples walk the velvet floor to have their photos taken before entering the Wayne’s Gala.
You looked around nervously, looking for Damian, waiting to walk the carpet with him. Instead, the ushers were rushing you to begin your walk alone.
Your requests to wait for your partner falling on deaf ears as they attempt to force you to walk the carpet by yourself. Panic filling you as the ushers continue to shout and push you towards to start of the velvet walk. You felt incredibly anxious to step out in front of the cameras, the attention was overwhelming.
Jason sucks his teeth, irritated that the ushers were putting unnecessary pressure and seemingly, ruining your night.
“The brat needs to pay better attention.” Jason mutters to himself, abandoning Roy with an eager gold-digger who is clearly not catching onto Roy’s disinterest. Walking up behind the beautiful girl. He loops his arm around your form, resting his hand on the small of your back.
“I’ve got things from here.” He guides you towards the velvet carpet and begins to stride slowly as the cacophony of shouts and flashing lights assault your senses. Jason digs his fingers into your side, grabbing your attention.
“Don’t pull faces, the press will run it for months.” He reminds you, pulling out his sparkling toothy smile.
You both walk the carpet together, before shortly reaching the entrance to the Gala.
“See first timer. It’s not so bad.” He says with his award-winning smile. His attention turns to a cranky Damian and Roy.
“I can’t believe you just ditched me like that.” Roy utters in betrayal as Jason shrugs unapologetically.
Dick Grayson
A drawn out yawn escapes Damian as he slowly stumbles into the sun room, ready to start the day with Alfred’s world famous onsen eggs.
But instead Damian is greeted by the most peculiar sight.
Shoulders touching, Damian sees his beloved girlfriend oddly cosy with his older brother Dick. More specifically, why the fuck is Dick slinging his arm around his girlfriends back, his chin resting on her shoulder as he looks down at the phone held in her hand. Giggles escaping the odd duo as they continue to watch whatever is on your screen.
Jealousy bubbles under Damian’s skin watching his brother touch his girlfriend in and oddly familiar way. This level of physical touch took Damian months to build up to, only for Dick to do it seemingly over night.
“Morning!” Dick beems seemingly, unbothered by the evasion of his girlfriends personal space.
“Morning Grayson. If you touch Y/n so familiarly again, I’ll break your fingers.” He threatens without so much as a blink.
The two sit, staring, only to break out in fits of laughter.
“Aw Dames! You’re such a protective boyfriend!” Dick cooes pulling Damian into a embrace, the scowl on his face looking dangerously similar to that of a cornered dog.
“Hehe, so protective.” Y/n also cooes, sandwiching Damian from the other side with a playful peck on his cheek.
“Oh god, now there’s two of you.” He mutters limply between his overly affectionate brother and partner.
Duke Thomas
The incessant buzzing amongst the couch cushions is ruining the heart-wrenching scene playing out on the TV screen.
On one hand, Duke is keen to remove the irritation immediately as to not further ruin his viewing experience.
On the other hand, Duke is not keen to relive the experience of finding Damian’s phone only to see a private message not meant for him.
However, the continuous vibrations running through the couch is grating on Dukes nerves. He cannot hold back any further. Stripping the cushions which were once perfectly place, moulding around his form, now strewn amongst the floor until Duke is able to find the black phone laying innocently under the seat covers.
Turning the screen he sees dozens of missed calls from Y/n.
Immediately, Dukes stomach drops to the floor as he quickly realises that Y/n may needed urgent help and instead of answering the phone like a normal person, Duke just tried to phase out the noise until it went away, all because of his favourite show.
Fumbling the phone, Duke quickly returns the call immediately, praying to any god that Y/n was okay and not dead just because he wanted to finish the last 7 minutes of the episode. God that would suck.
“Hello?” Y/n answers, her voice is shaky, as if confused.
“Erm-Y/n? It’s Duke, I found Damian’s phone and I saw your missed calls - AreYouOkay?” Duke blurts quickly. The line is silent for an uncomfortable amount of time because a snorting laughter blasts through the phone.
“Oh my god! Yes I’m okay! I was just calling Damian’s phone because he can’t find it! I promise I’m okay!” Giggles follow, which leaves Duke stunned.
“Why don’t you guys just use phone location services?” The line falls dead silent before another snorting laughter burst through the phone.
“Honestly I completely forgot that was even a thing! Hey do me a favour? Don’t tell Damian, I want to see how long it takes him to figure it out.” Oh Duke likes you. Damian’s loving girlfriend now pulling a harmless prank of the Wayne’s resident bad boy.
“Okay. $20 he finds the phone through some form of tech tracker.”
“$20 that he’ll use Goliath to try and locate his phone.” Oddly specific, but Duke is game.
Bruce Wayne
Damian would never willingly come to any Gala. Not without trickery, bribery, or blackmail encouragement.
But right now, Bruce stands in astonishment as Damian grills the poor event planner for not arranging for Y/n’s place at the VIP table.
“Everything has to be perfect. Please reset the table immediately.” Damian orders with crossed arms. Now examining the staff scrambling to reset the VIP table to ensure you had a place to dine next to him.
Shock was one synonym for what Bruce was feeling. He was sure Damian, would never set foot in the ball room, so long as he lived.
Yet to Bruce’s utter surprise, Damian pitched the gala event, hired the planners and set out the invitations.
Damian wasn’t just attending the gala… he was hosting the gala.
“I’m late for my red carpet walk with Y/n. Hurry up and finish.” Damian snaps, taking quick strides towards the exit.
Why was his dear son hosting a gathering he loathes attending? Why, it’s because Damian’s beloved girlfriend expressed her desire to one day attend such an event. She was in aw of the glitz and the glamour and wanted to try it at least once.
Instead of just taking his beloved partner to the next event. Damian insisted that if she was to attend, it will be the best gala she would ever attend.
So now, Bruce watches in delight as his children, who also never willingly attend a gala, along with Y/n boisterously bound around the hall, engaging with other guests, eating the hors d’oeuvres, clapping along to the entertainers and finally eating the delicious four courses whilst the MC engages the crowds interest, greasing the wallets of the wealthy for funding of social causes.
Damian’s eyes looking at his partner in adoration, gaging her delight at his hard work.
Y/n abandons her seat during the speeches to sit next to Bruce.
“Hi Mr. Wayne, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. My name is Y/n, it’s a pleasure to finally meet Damian’s father.” You smile shyly, sticking out your hand.
Your face is set with confidence, but your slightly shaky hand suggests your nerves are firing away with nervousness.
Smiling he takes his future daughter-in-laws hand and gives it a sturdy shake.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too Y/n. Please, call me Bruce.”
Talia al Ghul
“So you’re the girl whose stolen my sons heart.” Your neck just about breaks, your startled heart thumping at the sudden presence. Your demeanour is reminiscent of a frighten bunny.
A scowl presses along her face in irritation and dissatisfaction. “You’re who Damian picked to partner with?” Her mocking tone dripping with venom.
“Uh… yes?” Y/n utters awkwardly, not quite sure what to say in the presence of Damian’s supposed mother.
She hums unamused. “This is going to be interesting.”
And just like that, she was gone.
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the-swift-tricker · 1 year
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breaking down the members of the batfam:
bruce wayne (emotionally repressed autistic dad/tired but loving/"i'd die for you. ask me to die for you.")
alfred pennyworth (beloved grandfather and backbone of the house/"cool you were in the circus too alfie?" "a different type of circus master richard"/the most flexible on the whole no killing rule thing)
dick grayson (embarrassing "stay silly" older brother/eldest child/self-titled "bruce's little angel")
barbara gordon (adopted bruce more than he adopted her/this family would not survive without her it support/only one who knows how to work the router)
jason todd (the try hard wanna be cool accidentally cool but not in the way he meant brother)
tim drake (gifted child syndrome overachiever middle-child-and-mentally-ill-about-it bisexual nerd)
damian wayne (asshole baby man with a heart of absolute gold and a closet full of swords/tiny and feral/why does he have so many swords??)
stephanie brown (the goldilocks of the family/showed up one day and refused to leave/heartbreaker/know-nothing know-it-all, "get your feet of the furniture, stephanie")
cassandra cain (the darling daughter/autistic queen/"cuddled nicely" and "bit my ass" rolled into one/don't look directly at her too long or you'll fall in love)
duke thomas ("finally someone normal around here"/"oh no he's just as bad"/the day shift/probably does way too many light related puns)
selina kyle ("hot milfs in your area"/bruce's lover on the down low that literally everyone knows about/enamored by his autistic swagger/not married to bruce but would take the kids in the event of divorce)
kate kane (fucking rad lesbian wine aunt/kicker of ass, spoiler of nephews and nieces)
harper row ("alfred where did this punk child come from?"/"SHE'S GOTTA GUN"/best music taste out of any of them/once turned a lawn mower into a drag car/it was awesome)
lucius fox (other grandpa/ twead wearing dad/"bruce you need to pay your taxes"/"bruce getting shot point blank in the back is not advisable"/"bruce the hague tends to frown on child soldiers")
lucas fox (conceivably he should be smarter than getting mixed up in all this/still got mixed up in all this/"don't you think batwings a little too...on the nose?" "says the guy that calls himself batman")
helena bertinelli (cranky cousin that is beloved by a few and feared by all/"why doesn't her boyfriend have a face?"/"SHE'S GOTTA CROSSBOW!")
harley quinn (bisexual vodka aunt that's really just bruce's friend from college/has invited herself over for every hanukkah ever since finding out bruce is jewish too)
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thesuperiorrobin · 11 months
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You never called and it’s been two days.
Probably the longest you two have never been this quiet with each other. But you don’t feel the need to call or text—because you think that he should be the one to come to you first.
You’re stubborn.
Quietness feels your room and it feels wrong—it’s never been this quiet. It’s never not quiet and the only thing you could hear is nonexistent static noise as you try to sleep—counting sheep in your head. A few minutes go by and a soft tap on your window. Jumping yourself awake you groan.
It’s Damian.
That’s what you’re telling yourself as you jump out of bed making your way to your curtain covered window. With a soft smile pairing your lips you move them—the smile now gone and replaced with a frown. It was Jason and Tim. You open the window and let them in. Jason noticed your unenthusiastic behavior and the first to open his mouth
“It’s so good to see you too, it feels like it’s been years” you roll your eyes
“it’s been two days”
“Two days in hell for us. Damian won’t stop being cranky. Yknow how many dummies we had to go through because of him?” Tim sighs and hands you a brown bag.
You take it confused, eyeing it “what’s this?”
“Your little demon spawn—“
“hey”
“sorry—You’re little pookie bear 3000 '' Jason mocks “gave us money to buy your food and give it to you. That’s why we’re here.”
“Also we want you two to make up” Time smiles done to you with his hands on his hips.
“I’ve already forgiven him”
“Then why is he acting like a total Bi-“
“because I haven’t told him in person yet Jay” you sign out, placing the brown bag of food on your bed.
“I’m not going to text or call him, I want him to come to me. He said those things, and I want him to come to me. On his knees and beg for forgiveness” you huff out. Jason lets out a laugh. Time shakes his head with a smile.
“Only you could get him to do it.”
“That’s why I said it '' you laugh “pass the message to him will you. But don’t mention that I want him on his knees begging for forgiveness. Just tell him I want to talk to him or something” they nod—understanding. They walk to your window—one by one they exit. Your goodbyes were quick as they swung away.
`They are so lucky my window faces away from the city” you mumbles, taking a seat on the end of your mattress and grabbing hold of the brown bag, placing it on your lap as you open it. The smell of your favorite food hits you hard and your mouth waters. You shake your head
“you are so lucky I love you to much Damian Wayne”
Pt1,
Pt2.,
Pt3
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cokezuko · 1 year
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Duke is little baby man’s favorite.
Sure Damian gives him the best toys, dick the best snacks, and Jason is awesome to play with. But duke is so CUDDLY! He seriously will wait all day for duke to sit down so Danny can get all the warm sunshine Meta snuggles! It gets to the point where duke goes out of town for a few days on a mission and little baby man has to stay awake the entire time to wait for his buddy!
Obviously a tired and cranky baby man is…interesting
He’s already disregulatdd from his napping buddy being gone, but the lack of sleep makes him a wonderful little disaster
Like, you know sick kid privlages? You can’t get in trouble cause your sick. That’s what Danny’s got.
Alfred making a pot of soup: now just a dash of cumin. *turns around*
Danny:now in the soup, floating on a potato slice and slurping it all up.
Alfred:…I’ll make a new batch then…
Bruce:who clawed up my desk?
Little baby man:curled up in Bruce’s chair shivering with guilt like how chihuahuas do*
Bruce:good design choice! What a little artist!
Dick:baby man. Where did my costume go?
Danny: *hiding it so dick also can’t leave*
It’s only solved once duke comes back again. Danny sees him, makes a big show of being mad at duke for an hour, long enough for him to hide the signal costume before curling up with his favorite pillow and refusing to ever leave dukes side ever again.
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britcision · 5 months
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So I made it 4 years without being struck down by AO3 Author Curse! But here we are. I’ll spare y’all the details but let’s just say “fuck this year” and leave it there. We’ve had the requisite Third Bad Thing and I will burn the universe down if it goes for a fourth
What this means for y’all, of course, is that there’s been a long ass break between last chapter and this one! Aaaaand this one is being broken in half because it is Longer Than Tumblr Allows
(And they’ve lessened how many paragraph breaks you get cuz this one is only about 9.5k and it made me add it in thirds, woe is me)
So, as usual, links to the first chapter, last chapter, and the link to the AO3 version is I think in BOTH, so if you can’t find it from there I can’t help you 😁
First Chapter:
Last Chapter:
And just a little recap where last we left off:
Bruce has gone to the Watchtower to debrief the Justice League about Amity Park and the Anti Ecto Acts, and been told that Jason has left the land of the living! But like, on purpose
Jason and Danny have gone to visit Frostbite and learned that they are ghost-bonded, which you should take seriously like being ghost-married, and that Jason is gonna pop out Pitty in a couple more days/weeks and have to emotionally raise a ghost-baby
Tucker, Tim, and Conner are all playing video games and hiding out from the Amity Parker/Bat Chat for Tim and Tucker’s mutual stalking ways, which Sam blew wide open by sharing Timblr, as punishment for Tucker not telling her they were all alive
(Danny’s off the hook cuz Tucker was haunting his phone with soundtracks for half the day)
And Damian’s off being Sketchy And Mysterious
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Well You Did Get Down On One Knee (part 1)
The evening was beginning to draw in, the sun getting low over Gotham city. Between her patrol the night before, helping Signal out with a case, and then that brief group heart attack about Jason, it had already been a really long day.
Spoiler cracked her neck a couple times and sighed, then sunk into the shadow behind a gargoyle.
It was smaller than usual… and occupied. Robin glowered up at her, leaping up to sit on the gargoyle’s head instead. He looked for all the world like he wanted to hiss at her like a cranky cat, which diffused all of Spoiler’s tension (but would only make his worse if she mentioned it. Maybe tomorrow).
Sighing philosophically she settled back against the base of the gargoyle, tipping her head back to see him.
“Hey… what are you doing out so early? Usually you lot wait until sundown to swing from the shadows,” she pointed out (rather fairly, she thought). Totally ignoring that she was 1000% usually one of “you lot”.
Robin just scowled disdainfully down at her, then twisted his head away to glare at the city instead.
“As if I needed any more reason to be out than you do,” he sniffed archly.
Spoiler grinned, puffing herself up. She did have an answer for this one, and, being generous or not, winding Robin up was always a treat.
“Hey, I was actually requested today. Signal needed a second pair of eyes on the back door of a bust. Didn’t see you there,” she added innocently, a brow rising.
It was technically possible that Robin could have suited up and left the manor in between Bruce’s message and Tim’s response. Spoiler wouldn’t put money on it though.
He’d have had to be on his way down already, and while they could all change quickly, there were no rushed or sloppy patches to her experienced eye.
His hair was even neatly slicked back into the traditional Robin spikes, one every Robin but her and Duke had used during their time as the baby bird.
Nah, he’d not rushed out in a panic, even if he was still more tense than he should have been. Every line of the kid was tight with… Spoiler cocked her head thoughtfully.
Frustration?
Definitely not unusual, Damian didn’t have Dick’s temper but he’d spent pretty much all of his first few years in Gotham unbearably frustrated with them all. It had just been a while since she’d seen it so… visibly.
And for all Steph was a gleeful little shit and loved poking at trouble, she wasn’t cruel. There was no point in pushing Robin if he was already on edge.
So she shrugged nonchalantly and looked forward instead, reaching back over her head to pat him gently on the foot. He didn’t dodge, which only cemented her decision.
“‘Course, no rule against taking a daylight run if you’re in the mood. See anything interesting?” She asked innocently.
Kid wouldn’t admit it if he had been worrying.
Silence reigned for another long moment, and then Robin huffed and dropped down to the rooftop beside her, folding himself back into the sharper shadow the waning daylight provided.
“No.” Short and sweet, unlike the kid himself.
But he also hadn’t left, and Spoiler was gonna call that a win.
“Will you be out tonight too?” She asked instead of pushing, reminding herself yet again; he’d open up in his own time.
Hypothetically.
Robin made a soft, disgusted noise, glowering at the smog filled sky. Probably even in the right direction for the Watchtower.
“I intend to be. Someone must keep an eye on things,” he grumbled, and Spoiler made an effort not to take it personally.
B had been majorly distracted with all this Amity Park business, not even breathing down their necks about the usual nightly reports. The rogues hadn’t exactly noticed yet, but the goons had.
The big Bat himself not making an appearance for a couple of nights usually attracted some comment, and an up-til-now entirely Bat-free new year?
The guys she’d helped Signal grab today had been muttering about it right until they ran into her arms. Fists.
They’d mentioned not seeing Stabby Robin either though.
Which she might as well also mention.
“Weren’t you out last night too? I saw your gear missing when I dropped by at the end of the night,” she added when he tensed again, hands wedged in her utility belt. “Didn’t hear you on comms though.”
And that was more than just rude; it was bad protocol, and Robin, for all his other faults, respected the strictness of protocol. Not being chatty was one thing, but if you were out on the town you had to call in.
He stayed silent, not looking at her. Spoiler decided he could use just a little nudge. Totally not because she was getting impatient. And nosy.
“Y’know unless you went out tech free I can just ask Oracle,” she pointed out gently, giving his shoulder a gentle bump.
It got him to glower up at her anyway.
“I was not on patrol,” he grumbled, whites of his mask narrowed before returning his glare to the city at large, “like I am not today.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Spoiler flipped a mental coin. Figured why not; they were already doing well.
Kid must be on the verge of having to, dread the thought, ask for help.
“And what would you be doing out and about if not patrolling…” she began, then stopped when a piece clicked suddenly into place.
Robin, Damian, was about as social as a feral cat. And about as friendly with anyone who got close to those he considered his.
Right now, Danny Fenton and his friends had more than half the family utterly wound up. All except Bruce in a good way, Spoiler was the first to admit, but Robin wouldn’t see it like that.
The only trick was, how to word the question.
Spoiler liked blunt. It made her stand out from the bats, who all played way too much mental and emotional chicken to be healthy. She’d always been more of a bird that way.
“Wouldn’t have anything to do with Hood’s little disappearance today, would it?” She asked instead, grinning broadly when Robin twitched.
Hit the nail on the head.
From the scowl he shot her he knew it too, and looked away quickly enough that he knew there was no taking it back. He folded his arms across his chest and sulked and fuck he was just adorable.
She’d bet anything Dick used to pout exactly like that.
Still, she tempered the grin down to a slight smile. Dropped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently and letting go when he pulled away.
“Worried me too. Were you close enough to see anything?” Because yeah, if Robin was already at least on his way into uniform before the message arrived?
Spoiler would put easy, easy money on him having been already tailing Jason and Danny around. Last night too, probably. She and Cass had left early to take the night shift, leaving Tim and Damian with the Amity Parkers.
Damian had one hell of a dose of his father’s paranoia, and Steph considered it a solemn duty to teach him about personal boundaries to keep him from turning out just like the old bat.
Just a little friendly stalking from the rooftops didn’t really count though. Not between family.
Robin had tensed right up again too, but when she didn’t push the contact or needle at him he slowly relaxed back down. Scowled at her feet instead of his own.
“No,” he admitted bitterly, both at definitely having been busted and probably at having nothing to report, “Todd… Hood spoke to the magician. They argued, he went back inside Freeze’s place and did not reappear when his tracker went through the roof and into the sky.”
Spoiler blinked, mildly surprised.
“Hood was wearing a tracker? Didn’t think he was in the mood.”
“He wasn’t,” Robin corrected with a derisive sniff.
And… yeah, they were gonna have to do a little more work on that whole “boundaries” thing. Although the odds of Hood not noticing that he’d been tagged were lower than Robin probably thought. Keeping a tag on him that he didn’t want there?
Nah. She may not exactly trust Jason, but that was how she knew how good he was at finding and disabling rogue trackers. And sure, Damian was better than her at some things, but if Cass couldn’t sneak a tracker onto Red Hood no one could.
Kinda cute that Jason let the little guy think he’d successfully bugged him.
At least the constant mild stalking was just standard for the family.
Shaking her head, she gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.
“That’s rough. Flying’s cheating,” she commiserated with a sly look to the sky.
She’d heard a super cross Oracle’s radar. Conner, almost certainly if Robin was still out alone.
Too bad he’d not thought to call his own Superboy, though taking flight himself wouldn’t have helped if dimensional travel followed.
Robin made another disgusted little tut, then pushed off the gargoyle and stormed away. Spoiler watched him go for a moment, then shrugged.
“Hey, go get some sleep if you’re coming back out tonight,” she called after him. Grinned when he flipped her off without turning.
If he’d been off stalking Jason and Danny two days in a row, he’d need some rest.
“And don’t forget your report,” she teased and actually laughed when he raised his other hand to flip her off with both before leaping off the edge of the roof, swinging back towards the bat cave.
Stephanie Brown had never been prouder in her life than the first day Damian had said “fuck” in front of his dad. Far be it from her to demand anyone transform into a social butterfly, but she personally was pretty damn sure that nothing was gonna help Damian out of his “raised by assassins” shell than learning some good old fashioned swearwords.
And a little teenaged rebellion. The proudest day was totally gonna be when he finally told his grandfather to fuck off (or any suitable equivalent; Steph wasn’t choosy).
Leaning back into the gargoyle’s shadow, Spoiler surveyed the city below. Technically, she’d been out as long as Damian had; if she wanted to be out tonight she’d need a quick nap too.
Or, more fun, she could nip back to the manor, kidnap Cass, and they could find and bully Tim and Tucker in person. Yeah, that was gonna be it.
**
Jason was feeling good, really. Actually a little surprised at how good, considering.
That crunchy little ecto-ice chip had been better than a gallon of coffee, filling him with energy like he’d actually gotten a full night’s sleep. (Not that he knew much about how that actually felt, at least not when not recovering from serious injury.)
He hadn’t actually felt this good since the night Danny slept over, which had been the night before last. Didn’t sound all that impressive, except that it had been the best he’d felt in half a decade.
Maybe the full decade. For all Robin made him magic, skipping sleep to fight crime had done a number on him in his teens. If he’d been as willing as Dickie and Tim to slack on his schoolwork, maybe…
Yeah, no, Tim was the poster child for Do Not Emulate This Sleep Schedule.
What mattered was that even after running the docks down with Black Bat for more than half the night and then getting up to get Danny, Jason felt fucking great.
Even after three separate courses of Bruce’s bullshit, both directly and through the medium of John fucking Constantine. Not so long ago, Bruce would never even dare call him, much less try and set up a bat cave ambush. That… was probably technically a good sign?
Didn’t feel like one at the moment, but Jason actually felt almost good enough to be charitable with the old bat. A little emotionally wrung out, sure, but he felt lighter for… having whatever that had been. Like the stress that had been compacting his chest had finally eased.
Jason was self aware enough to admit he’d probably had more than one breakdown owed to him. Maybe not a “take to the bed”, “trip to the sea” full Victorian lady meltdown, but he’d had a whole baby dropped on him. Except somehow worse.
He damn well deserved that freak out, and now that it was over and he’d been given what kinda felt like the ghost equivalent of speed… He felt like his brain was finally working again.
Which… meant he was fully processing that his fucking soul was vibrating in time with Danny’s. And every other ghost could just. Tell.
That was gonna make fight club… actually, Jason had no idea what the fuck it was gonna make fight club. By all accounts Danny being the Ghost King hadn’t made any of them less likely to throw down with him.
If anything, Danny had warned Jason that him being a “young” ghost would make the others more eager to fight. It was a kind of play, bonding and teaching the new baby their powers.
Sounded fucking terrifying by all accounts and Jason was just glad he had Danny to explain it to him, since apparently full ghosts just… knew it wasn’t serious. Even baby ghosts came into existence recognising the game.
Halfas didn’t.
Whiiiich meant that all the “playful” threats of dismemberment had sounded pretty fucking real to Danny, back when he’d been a baby ghost and had half the Zone flocking to “play” with him.
Pitty let out a rumbly little growl, like a sulking dog and Jason hid a snicker. Yeah, he’d also be kicking their asses that little bit harder for that given half a chance.
Actually, if they kept holding fight club, Pitty could take a chunk out of them itself.
That thought got him a contented little purr, which was weird enough that Jason was going to focus back in on Frostbite’s broader explanation. Which… he should have been doing anyway. At least this part wasn’t solely for his benefit though.
“In the sense that you have tied yourselves together, it may be somewhat like a marriage… however, it is a very different relationship. In a true love-union, your signatures would beat in time,” the yeti explained, gesturing once more to the screen.
Jason’s blob continued to pulse and blur a fraction of a beat behind Danny’s. Definitely not quite in time.
This was a relief. Yup. And Jason’s cheeks definitely weren’t any warmer than they’d been a minute ago, before he knew that, again, his fucking soul was echoing Danny’s.
Frostbite gave his tablet a couple more taps, and a pulsing blue line linked the images on the screen.
“In your case, young knight, your allegiance is marked in both your resonance and in your aura, which now carries a link to your King. In this way, even if the Great One is not beside you, all ghosts will know that you are the chosen protector of their King. His status is what defines your role as a knight, instead of a more casual bond.”
“No one’s king yet,” Danny protested, folding his arms and leaning into Jason’s side. Letting a little more of his weight rest on him.
Jason leaned in too, frowning from the screen to Frostbite.
“And all the other ghosts can just… see this?” He asked, not really sure what he was hoping to be told.
Frostbite switched from giving Danny a fond smile back to Jason, nodding brightly.
“Oh yes. Ectoplasm is very easily influenced by emotion, and bonds can form quite quickly. I presume you took an oath?” He asked, eyes sparkling in a way that made Jason pretty damn sure he’d met Clockwork.
Which, now that he thought about it…
Jason huffed out another deep breath, running a hand through his hair. As much as John Fucking Constantine specifically could ride a cactus straight to Hell… the guy mighta had the faintest inkling of a point about one thing.
“Yeah… about that.” He pulled a face, gaze tracking away from the others and down to the floor.
Would they think he was a dumbass too? Danny had been there when Clockwork made the offer and he’d been pretty against it, but Jason had thought he understood why.
It hadn’t sounded anything like Constantine’s claims of what he’d signed up for.
In the end, it was easier to address the question to Frostbite’s large hairy toes.
“I, uh… I made an oath to Clockwork, but do I have… a contract or something? The asshole magician I mentioned earlier was going on and on about eternal fucking servitude bullshit but it’d be nice to have something to shove in his face,” he added quickly, arm slipping back and almost around Danny (but with his hand still firmly on the table).
He didn’t need to wait to feel the guilt in Danny’s aura to head it off.
Jason wasn’t having second thoughts. He wasn’t sorry for what he’d signed up for, and when it came right down to it…
He didn’t think people could lie through their auras. Even when he was trying to project something like “I’m fine” and he wasn’t, he was pretty sure Danny could tell.
He could sure as hell tell when Danny was bluffing through his, which had happened maybe once total.
He trusted Danny. He trusted Frostbite. He even mostly trusted Clockwork, because for all the guy had been a little sketchy, Jason had felt his sincerity. How deeply he cared for Danny.
Keeping Danny safe forever didn’t sound like eternal servitude. Eternal babysitting, maybe, if Danny was being a pain in the ass, but he’d never top Damian at his most bratty.
Jason woulda been trying to protect Danny anyway. As far as he knew, knighthood just made that easier.
Which was another reason he’d like a look at his contract. You didn’t make it onto the streets as Robin without learning to read for loopholes, hidden clauses, and fine print. He may have already signed on the dotted line, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find some wiggle room.
Danny, about to say something either apologetic or self deprecating, huffed out a breath as Jason’s arm slipped around him. Winded up giving him a half smile instead.
“Yeah… that’s a good point. I still need to find out if I can fire your ass.”
“Still didn’t hire me,” Jason pointed out archly, bumping his arm to knock Danny forwards a little.
The other halfa huffed a laugh this time and bumped him back.
“Yeah, and I gotta work out how to hire you so I can then immediately fire you,” he shot back.
Frostbite cut them both off with a raised hand, though he still looked fondly amused. Like they were cute little kids or something stupid.
“You will have to discuss this with Clockwork directly, young knight, but I do not believe a knighthood typically comes with a contract. It is a duty one is granted, and one that may be rescinded if you fail, but it is not a deal,” he explained patiently.
Jason’s brows furrowed a little, but at least he could feel Danny’s confusion-puzzled-not sure beside him too. He wasn’t the only one who wasn’t quite sure what that meant.
Maybe he shoulda looked a little more into magic shit while he was with the League of Assassins. That would have been the time, especially if the Lazarus Pits were the just grunged ectoplasm.
“It kinda sounded like a deal when he offered it,” he said almost as a question, glancing back at Danny for confirmation.
Danny nodded. So it wasn’t just Jason.
“He gave me a cool magic gun in exchange for keeping Danny hale and hearty. Protecting him in the living and Infinite realms,” Jason added in case the wording counted, more sure as he remembered some of the reasons.
Fuck, had that only been a week ago? It felt like it’d been a whole year.
Frostbite gave them a neutral shrug, inclining his head.
“As I said, you will need to ask Clockwork directly. All I can tell you is that it is not innate to the position; a knighthood is not usually something bought and sold,” he explained patiently.
Danny hummed an agreement, cheek resting on Jason’s shoulder again.
“It’s normally all ghost-to-ghost too, so is there a way we can check if the halfa thing has changed it?” He asked Frostbite, leaning against the table too and totally not actually putting his arm around Jason back.
Jason felt a little more tension leech back out of him. Which raised another good point, actually.
“And not related or anything, but if you gave me a buncha those ice crystals could I just chew them to get the ecto for…” he hesitated, waving his free hand at his general chest area again.
Honestly, given half a chance he’d love to get a bowl full and try and pop the pit out in one go… it’d probably be easier to train from outside his body where it wouldn’t immediately know he was so full of shit… his own aura notwithstanding.
Yeah, he was still a little worried about being anyone’s emotional guide, but if he could just get the damn thing out in the world… maybe it could have other guides too.
“To answer the simpler question first, young knight, unfortunately the energized ectoplasm is only a short term boost and will not affect either of your cores. I will provide you with a small supply to assist your emotional control whilst you stabilize, if you wish?” Frostbite offered gently, a slight smile on his face.
Jason hesitated, considering things for a moment, then nodded. Sure, it wasn’t a solid “yes here is the answer to all your problems Jason just smack it in”, but it was a concrete solution to what had actually been worrying him.
Having another one of those weird “episodes”. He’d still be waiting to get Pitty all the way out, but at least he had a backup plan until then. He could pop an ecto-crystal each morning, get some energy, and worry less about night patrols.
Shit, he’d have more energy than he’d had since he died. The others were gonna be jealous as hell, but it wasn’t like they could steal and take his ghost meds. Probably.
Jason… wasn’t quite ready to think about the panic attack itself. He felt fine now, way better, and it wasn’t like it was the first he’d had.
Just…
Just the first that he remembered. That his heart started racing, his head rushing, ears filled with rushing static and the world hadn’t just melted into a green haze of blood and violence.
His early training with the League of Assassins had involved a lot of losing himself to the Pit. He’d wake up days later, body aching with exertions he couldn’t remember, and be told how many he’d killed.
Good news: no fear of that either, apparently. Pitty wasn’t pulling for control anymore, so the green haze was all Jason’s own.
Joy.
He had a nasty feeling that Danny would notice him spiralling from anywhere in Gotham. And probably ditch class to come check on him.
Like Hell. Jason’d fucking call Harley first, put himself through some breathing exercises or whatever, he did not need an emotional support Ghost King.
He gave Frostbite a quick nod, a small smile forming almost without thinking about it. The yeti was just… so caring and helpful. Not exactly something Jason had a wealth of experience with. He’d probably be a great example for Pitty.
Frostbite returned the smile, making a quick note on his tablet.
“And of course, your ghostly parent or a mentor should also be able to assist you. Spending time with those who are important to you, especially a comforting figure will help both your control and your core formation,” the yeti added in a slightly pointed way, like he’d read Jason’s mind, and Jason had to stifle a laugh.
Frostbite might be an eight foot tall hairy yeti, but he’d get along with Alfred like a house on fire… he was even as stubborn about not using their names as Alfred was about nicknames.
And when Jason thought about someone comforting, the beacon of emotional maturity and constraint… it could only be Alfred. He was more grandparent than parent, but certainly the only mentor Jason still looked up to. And a paragon of control besides.
Alfred could help him with Pitty. Model a little actual emotional restraint and control for the both of them. The only question was if Jason could just be up front and ask him, possibly revealing the secret early, or if he’d have to come up with an excuse for them to hang out.
Stupid thought. Jason knew damn well he could just walk into the kitchen and Alfred would be more than happy to spend time together. He wouldn’t need a ruse; he wouldn’t even need an excuse.
The knowledge settled warm and soft and happy inside him, until his brain caught up with his ears and stopped him short.
Wait.
“Ghost parent?” He asked cautiously, looking from Frostbite to Danny again. Danny pulled a face but Frostbite beat him to the punch.
“Ah, yes. We did not discuss that last time either. Your ghost parent, young knight, is the second strongest bond a young ghost can have. They are the ghost who welcomes you into the Infinite Realms, who will guide your steps and protect you until your own haunt has formed.”
Brows furrowing, Jason twisted to frown more directly at Danny, not quite sure if he was looking for confirmation or asking a question of his own.
Cuz, y’know, other than the whole “protecting until his haunt formed” (and Jason certainly didn’t need protecting), that sounded a lot like what Danny had been doing. Which would totally make it weird if Jason was a knight to his own ghost-dad.
Clearly following the same lines, Danny raised both hands and shook his head, almost but not quite stepping out of reach.
“Oh no, it’s not me. You’ve had a ghost parent long before I came along,” he said emphatically, the sudden panic on his face making Jason feel better about his own response to surprise parenthood.
He magnanimously decided not to tease Danny about it, turning instead to give Frostbite a questioning look.
“Should I know who my ghost parent is? Who gets to decide?” He asked cautiously. He’d never met another ghost before Danny, but he had this awful sinking feeling that Ra’s al Ghul might have more to do with the realms than just the pits, and he was the closest proxy. Even Tallia would be better. Maybe even Bruce.
Reading his tension, Frostbite clapped a massive furry hand on Jason’s shoulder, smile and aura both full of comfort-reassurance-calm.
“Normally yes young knight, though yours is a special case. Usually when a young ghost first finds its way to the realms, one of the first ghosts they encounter will take them under their wing. It is an honour to care for a young ghost, and a halfa even more so,” he explained gently.
Beside Jason, Danny snorted loudly.
“Oh, yeah, they totally come running to play happy families. Super wholesome,” he grumbled, arms folded as he leaned back into Jason’s weight.
Honestly, Jason could kinda spot common threads between what Frostbite just said and what Danny had told him about Fight Club; the play fighting was supposed to be about sharing powers, right? Just, y’know, between people with shit verbal communication to actually check in that everyone was on the same page.
The yeti sighed fondly, his hand moving from Jason’s shoulder to rest proudly on Danny’s. Given the width of Danny’s shoulders respective to the hand, the last two fingers were back on Jason’s other shoulder.
“Again, Great One, your circumstances were also exceptional. You did not explore the Ghost Zone until after you had established yourself to many as a competent fighter and protector of your haunt, which along with certain… adventures led most to believe you were far older than you are,” Frostbite explained patiently, with just the faintest hint that they’d been through this before.
Danny rolled his eyes and shot Jason double finger guns.
“Yyyyup, which is why I don’t have to deal with any of this “ghost parent” business,” he agreed brightly, tipping Jason a smirk, “get good.”
Jason flipped him off, but there was something… not in his aura, Frostbite’s was still very carefully toned back all calm medical professional, but in the creasing of the yeti’s eyes. Now, ghost yetis were definitely a new species and Batman drilled them all on the dangers of extrapolating body language on new species, but Jason had done his time on alien planets.
Something in the change, something in the shift, a little quirk of the brow Jason had noted when the yeti was amused. There was something funny here, and it wasn’t Danny’s quip.
Putting his suspicions aside for now, Jason settled on the more pressing matter.
“So who is my ghost parent? When do I get to meet them?” He asked cautiously, still not entirely convinced he hadn’t accidentally imprinted on Ra’s or Tallia. Cuz he hadn’t been in the Zone before Danny either.
Danny himself, much less concerned, waved a hand vaguely.
“Oh, we’ll deal with that on the way home. Go do a proper meet and greet, that sort of thing,” he said nonchalantly, and Jason’s shoulders settled a little.
“They’re in the Zone then?” He prodded a little further, not fully willing to let the matter just drop. If he had to ghost-emancipate himself, he’d rather be ready sooner than later.
Danny grinned toothily at him.
“Usually. We’ll see if she’s around, but it might have to be another day. Gotta deal with our other list first, like if our whole halfa deal is gonna do anything to the knight thing, or your core coming in,” he added, looking expectantly at Frostbite.
Jason almost missed what he said next as his heart skipped a beat, a possibility he’d never even considered slamming home.
She.
Someone dead, if they were in the Ghost Zone.
Someone who’d claimed him as her son long ago, guided him as best she could. Someone he’d never expected to see again, not even having died and returned to life himself.
No chance, he told himself quickly, hurriedly refocusing on the conversation at hand. About his bond with Danny, about their shared fucked biology, about his whole undead future.
There was no point dredging up the past until he actually knew.
Frostbite was back in his familiar role of teacher, that same proud/warm/fond smile crinkling the corners of his eyes as he looked at Danny.
“For your bond, Great One, I am not sure what I would even test for. The young knight presently has no ghost form, yet the bond is present exactly as if he had. I am afraid we have no records of former halfas, so any problems which occurred before are long lost.”
The yeti gave the tablet another few careful claw strokes, pulling up lines and lines of scrolling numbers and data beside each of their silhouettes on the wall screen. Forcing himself to the present, Jason scanned them quickly.
Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t actually make heads or tails of it; ghost vitals couldn’t really include things like heartbeat, blood oxygenation, or anything they’d test for in the med bay.
Not until Bruce found out about all this crap anyway - Jason wouldn’t put it past him to try and buy out everything the Far Frozen had in his latest snit of paranoia. The second he got over his “oh no Jason is going somewhere I can’t supervise him”, obviously.
Frostbite clearly knew what it all meant though, highlighting a couple of different areas where Danny’s numbers were very different from Jason’s and giving him that reassuring smile.
“After your first transformation I would expect some of these to change, and it is likely that any differences in your particular bond would show then as well. Your ghost form will of course be entirely ectoplasmic, so the bond will be more present than it is even now.”
That snapped Jason from his internal flailing, and he grimaced at the reminder.
Because… yeah. They’d talked a lot about his first transformation, he and Danny. But the only thing Danny hadn’t really known was when to expect it.
“Yeah… about that. I know the basics, inversion of my moment of death crap, I’ll be able to change it eventually, yadda yadda,” and that was its own sword of Damacles hanging with the mistletoe, “but… when will it happen? Like, will it just… happen? Or will I… yeah.”
Even wording the question made him feel like the whole thing was just too complicated. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to ask; what to look for? Would there be symptoms? Would he just un-die again in the street?
Luckily Frostbite seemed much more comfortable, hitting a few buttons on his tablet. Jason’s scan took over the full screen once more, zoomed in on the two orbs in his chest.
They were pulsing too, growing brighter and dimmer along with the more defined throb of the ectoplasm. Which was actually when he noticed that both cores were throbbing, so… was Pitty also a knight?
That was going on the list of questions for Clockwork like, yesterday. If he could get it its own little fear gun…
“As you can see, your core is still fuzzy around the edges and incompletely formed; once these edges have smoothed out, you will hypothetically be able to transform at any time,” Frostbite explained, blissfully aware of Jason’s new train of thought.
Probably for the best. Jason reluctantly refocused on the screen, tabling the idea of Sir Pitty for now. Nice to have something actually positive to look forward to.
He didn’t really remember seeing much of the screen during his last appointment, but he had seen the perfect sphere of Danny’s core, and his looked… well, like Frostbite said, smaller and kinda fuzzy. Like a ball of dough after it started sticking to your hands and losing its shape.
He frowned and nodded, looking back to Frostbite and then glancing around at Danny.
“So not until the next appointment, probably? Will it just… happen out of nowhere? Or will I need to trigger it?” It kinda helped, narrowing the scope. Dealing with it one step at a time.
Danny gave a helpless shrug.
“My powers started activating randomly, but I didn’t actually transform until I was in danger. Not like, life threatening danger,” he added with a roll of his eyes, like he’d heard Pitty’s growl… or maybe Jason had echoed it. “It was just Lunch Lady, she was never gonna really hurt us. She just made a mess and tried to feed everyone meat.”
Jason privately added Lunch Lady to his “asses to kick” list. On principle.
Frostbite gave a thoughtful nod, a large hand clapping down on Jason’s shoulder a lot harder than he’d probably intended. He didn’t flinch, but before his pit-growth-spurt it might have knocked him over.
“We can experiment more once your core is complete here in the Zone, and I would recommend waiting until Pitty has been expelled, if possible. Of course, any other changes in your knighthood bond will likely make themselves known with your first change as well,” the yeti mused, quite pleased with the idea.
Jason hesitated before agreeing, worry twisting through him again before he tamped it back down.
He wasn’t that scared little boy anymore; not inside. Besides, the bond was already firmly in place.
His soul was resonating a pace behind Danny’s.
It wasn’t like that little trip back to the moment of his death was gonna make Danny suddenly reject him.
The poor guy was probably stuck with Jason for life anyway at this point, which for a pair of halfas meant pretty much forever.
**
There was not a single thing on Earth or the Watchtower that he wanted less than to stop and talk to John Fucking Constantine and Diana after the meeting.
To be completely fair, Constantine clearly didn’t want to have that conversation any more either; Bruce had not been wrong about how well the magician would take the news that the United States had declared war on an entire dimension.
He was visibly green, had actually ground an unlit cigarette into a grainy mess against the table in lieu of lighting up, and looked about ready to lick up the tobacco.
Diana did not look happy either, but she never had. Her face was as stony and grave as Bruce had ever seen it, concern writ large even as she caught his eye.
The sure knowledge that her lasso would follow if he tried to leave was the only thing that kept him from ignoring her.
But since the only thing he wanted in the world at this moment was to have his son in his arms, and there was no chance of that happening until they were in the same dimension once more…
Bruce shot a quick, questioning look at Clark as the traitor made his way to the exit along with the rest of the Justice League. The Kryptonian at least had the grace to look a little guilty as he shook his head, stepping quickly out the door.
Wonder Woman hadn’t specifically told everyone else to get the fuck out. She had simply molded herself into an immovable force, concluded the meeting, and instructed Bruce alone to remain and discuss these… complications.
Bruce considered making an argument for Superman’s inclusion. They were the original three, and they’d probably need at least his and Aquaman’s help to handle the diplomatic situation.
Possibly the Oa, and Bruce was quite sure Green Lantern wasn’t looking forward to that possibility any more than he was. Hal Jordan talked a good game, always far too flippant, but he’d been pale enough by the end of the lecture that his suit made him look frankly unwell.
Unpleasant times would be in all of their futures it seemed. It was no real comfort as he slipped into a seat across from Wonder Woman and the slumped form of John Constantine.
The magician didn’t even look up, but clearly noticed.
“Didn’t fuckin’ think anyone’d fuck this up worse’n you, Bats,” he groaned, face still pressed into the table.
Bruce grunted, uninterested in his judgement.
“There are new complications we should focus on.” A vain hope, and one Diana instantly crushed.
“One that makes the contents of our discussion all the more vital,” she corrected sharply, piercing blue eyes narrowed as she watched his face. “It seems we have already caused unintentional offence.”
Which was an extremely light way to phrase the declared genocide, but Bruce didn’t bother arguing that position. Not when Constantine would do it for him.
But the mage just let out a long, hearty groan.
“Offence. Yeah. Maybe if we saw off the United States and toss it through a portal the rest of us will be fine,” he snarked, raising his head just enough to bang it off the table. Repeatedly.
By the third bang Diana gripped the back of his head, holding him in place against the table.
“Whatever the situation,” she growled, her tone daring either of them to comment, “we must deal with it as it is. You believe we would have noticed any countermeasures from the former Ghost King?”
She released her grip a moment later, and Constantine rolled his head just enough to glare at her through one eye.
“Pariah Dark? Sister, it wouldn’ta been a single town bein’ pulled off the map. We’d have lost the continent, and probably the world. You wouldn’t miss it,” he added with a bitter laugh, clearly considering banging his head off the table again.
Diana placed a hand on the table. Constantine set his head back down gently.
“And the new king?” She prodded, all icy control.
Bruce had to admit, even he felt calmer watching her.
He knew all the follies and foibles of gods, had no delusions about the limits of her power. He also knew her strengths. Her wisdom. Her ability to cut through complex issues with sword or words.
Whatever he missed, she was removed enough from this mess to catch.
Constantine shrugged, still not rising.
“No fuckin’ clue. All I know is they’re better’n Pariah, which is the lowest damn bar I ever saw. They call them Balance, and we’re not gonna fuckin’ like when the scales come due.”
Bruce’s brows furrowed. What could be a sufficient counterweight for demanding a whole people be hunted and experimented on until extinction?
The dead always vastly outnumbered the living.
Diana cut across his thoughts, her tone as sharp as her blade.
“So you believe we’d notice.”
Constantine sighed heavily and flopped back in his seat hard enough that he nearly toppled over. Diana steadied the chair with one hand, eyebrow rising archly.
Constantine stopped flailing, went to fold his arms, and instead stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Probably’d be pretty hard to miss too,” he agreed gruffly. Diana nodded, having received the answer she wanted, and interlaced her fingers.
“Then we have time to rectify matters before word reaches his ears.” She paused, brow furrowing as she recounted John’s words. “Do we not know if the King is a man?”
Constantine shrugged again, pulling something unidentifiable from his pocket before hastily shoving it back in, coming out again with a lighter. He spun it between his fingers, eyes fixed on the metal lid.
“Nah. “King” is just a loose translation to living tongues, for what yer used to. Easier to say than “Supreme High Ruler, Core of the Realms”. Not even likely that they were ever human; not even the Ancients could take Pariah solo to take the crown, so a human ghost wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Huffing out a mighty breath, Constantine looked from the lighter to Bruce, his gaze somehow immeasurably more tired. Bruce had imagined that talking about Amity Park made the man look ancient.
He looked haggard enough to be an ancient ghost himself now.
Raising his other hand, he began counting off points on his fingers.
“We know they’re young. Everything agrees on that. Could be any time in the past few centuries, but it’s still a timeline. We know they’re tougher’n Hell and all its demons put together, cuz they put Pariah down single handed. Had to to get the throne. Might not have Ended him, the Casket of Eternal Slumber’s not turned up looking for a new occupant.”
The magician stared at his two fingers for a moment, then sighed and raised a third.
“And we know ghosts like them. They’re less scared, though most of ‘em never knew shit about Pariah. Didn’t even react to him waking, which had to happen for the change in power. That or it all went down too fast for the shockwaves to reach us here; not bloody likely. Wouldn’t take more than a day, and ghosts fight for decades on a whim.”
He hesitated for a moment, considering that last finger. Finally he sighed and shook his head.
“Can’t rule it out though. Pariah waking up’d be as much an emergency for them as it’d be for us, putting his ass back down is an all hands on deck situation on either side of the veil. If this new king is Balance, Pariah’d be their opposite,” he finished gruffly, glaring at all three digits before stuffing both hands into his pockets.
Bruce nodded, drawing a deep, calming breath in through his nose and then out through his mouth. Even this much discussion had something itching in the back of his mind, a building tension that he had to Get Away.
He was in control of it though. Could tell the difference between his own unease and the burning ember of the oath.
Turn and run right away his ass. Magic could never hold out against cool, calm logic.
“And this new king, Balance, has stamped a damn mark on Jason.”
And his breath hitched.
Sharp, white hot panic flared behind his eyes, every muscle clenching with the effort of not leaping straight from the table. The only reason he didn’t was because he had no idea where to go.
What would he even do? Run to Jason’s side? The boy was in another dimension, far beyond Bruce’s reach.
Again.
He was losing Jason again. Losing him to this Ghost King, this Balance, this-
Diana’s hand clamped firmly over his, the amazon’s grip immovable steel. Bruce felt his bones grinding together before he even noticed he’d stopped breathing, before he managed to look up enough to meet her eyes.
Stern, determined, brilliant blue locked with his. Her grip tightened a little further, the ribbing on his gloves creaking with the pressure.
She wouldn’t break them… probably. They were designed to hold up against any of the supers the League dealt with. Prolonged contact was another thing entirely though.
His attention now locked on her face, Bruce managed a deep breath in along with her. Held it when she did. Let it out.
She didn’t release him for another few repetitions, until he was breathing mostly on his own again. Then she returned her attention to Constantine.
“What.” It wasn’t aggressive. Just a completely flat, completely toneless statement.
Constantine gave her an entirely hopeless smile, pulling his hands from his pockets to give her jazz hands.
“And that’s what he’s not ready to hear yet. Your boy, Jason, Red Hood, has gotten himself personally warded by the Ghost King. He’s the next thing to invulnerable right now,” he added bitterly, as if that made any of it better.
An icy hand clenched in Bruce’s chest again, but he forced himself to still. To breathe through it. To not turn and run, run until he found his child and tore him away from whatever influence had him.
The Ghost King had a hold of Jason. Jason who’d all but ordered Bruce to let him go.
“And Jason must have been in direct contact with the King to receive these wards?” Diana asked sharply, and Bruce’s head snapped back to her.
It was a good question. Important, obvious, there was a connection there that he should be making, but he couldn’t think. His head was spinning, heart pounding, and every shadow seemed black as pitch.
Constantine grunted an agreement, shooting Bruce an almost sympathetic look.
Could. Could this be the oath? Not his own instinctive, natural panic?
Bruce couldn’t tell, he’d been so afraid for so long, ever since he held Jason’s broken body in his arms. Ever since he buried his son.
It felt the same. But he had mastered that fear long ago, so this would not control him now. He had to be better.
Frowning at Diana, he leaned forward.
“Explain.” She’d probably assumed that he’d made the same connection. He probably should have.
There was just a brief flash of surprise on her face before her expression softened, her hand gentling over his.
“Jason was the one who told you of these Anti Ecto Acts, was he not?” She asked pointedly, a dark brow arching delicately.
Bruce about managed a grunt of agreement, his jaw clenched too tightly to speak. She waited a moment longer, watching his face, and then sighed.
“Then is it not likely that either he has told Balance of these Acts, or that Balance was the one that told him?”
Constantine jerked and got halfway through a bellowed curse before she cut him off with a glare. Her tone brooked no argument as she continued with a firm, frosted patience.
“Jason is a principled young man, even if not of the exact principles you prefer. Either he has warned you because he believes we have time to fix this, or because the King would prefer we handle it,” she said bluntly.
It sounded so simple, put like that. Far too simple. Bruce shook his head, leaning in.
“We can’t know for sure-”
“Batman.” There was nothing harsh in her tone. Nothing so overtly aggressive as the glare she kept giving Constantine. Just a calm, cool statement that sucked the air from his lungs.
The weight of her own mantle, the Amazon princess who would one day be Queen. Not his friend Diana; Wonder Woman.
Once she was sure he wouldn’t continue, she fixed him with a sapphire stare.
“Do you believe Jason Todd would condone the end of the world?” She asked simply, and that at least was that plain.
“No.” It didn’t even require thought; whatever he feared ever since his son took his first life, Bruce knew that.
Jason was fundamentally a good boy. So kind, so giving, ironically he had been the most well adjusted boy Bruce had ever given the mantle to.
Which was what made what he’d become so painful. It was everything he never should have been.
Wonder Woman nodded as if that solved all the rest.
“And yet you called the meeting, not him. He has known for several days already and did nothing to alert any of us. Therefore, he does not believe this is an urgent threat.”
It sounded good, and Bruce almost believed it before Constantine snorted.
“Yeah, great, except the kid has no fuckin’ clue what he’s dealing with. Didn’t even know he’d been fuckin’ marked or that sellin’ his fuckin’ service was the dumbest fuckin’ thing he coulda done,” he grumbled and Bruce’s heart fell.
Wonder Woman was not so easily swayed. She raised an eyebrow slowly at the magician.
“And could those protective marks have been placed on Jason against his will?” She asked pointedly, like she knew the first thing about magic.
Constantine hesitated. Frowned a little, thinking hard. Finally he threw both hands in the air and leaned back in his chair, scrubbing them down his face.
“Technically, yes, alright? But I can’t think of a damn reason why they’d bother. Like I told the old Bat, it’s technically a good thing; I couldn’t even get a basic diagnostic spell off, he’s completely fuckin’ magic proof an’ anythin’ that can read that ward will run like fuck.”
Something in Bruce’s chest flickered hopefully. Wonder Woman nodded firmly, then redirected her stare to him.
“Then until we have reason not to, we assume that Jason Todd has control of this situation. He has assigned us to deal with these Acts, either before his king discovers them or on their behalf. You, Batman, will defer to his experience along with that of our experts,” she declared with all the ringing command she was capable of.
It chafed. And yet… he could hear the echo of Harley’s words in her voice.
What if Jason was wrong? It was the kind of thing he always thought about, the kind of thing he couldn’t stop thinking about. The kind of thing that had the Batman able to stand and go toe to toe with gods.
But what if Jason was right? What if Harley, Diana, Constantine were right, and his usual measures would spell disaster?
He had a dozen contingency plans that any member of the League could use to take him down. He was painfully aware that the first one, the one he’d already shown to Superman and Wonder Woman, only had two words in it.
Diana’s Judgement.
She hadn’t technically invoked it yet. Had never bothered asking exactly what he meant by it; she wasn’t one to back down from hard subjects, which meant she’d also never bothered hiding how little she thought of his contingency plans.
His League-specific ones, anyway. She liked the ones he had for the rogues and various end of the world crises.
It meant moments like this, where she would give him her honest, simple judgement and reign him in.
(Technically it also meant that he trusted her to decide when she needed to snap his neck, but Martian Manhunter always looked at him with disappointment when he thought about that side too much.)
Looking back to her face, he managed to meet her eyes and nod once. It went against every instinct he had, every year of experience and loss, but…
If he couldn’t do things he didn’t like, he’d never have become Batman.
**
Head spinning with a plethora of new information, bag of ecto candies in hand, Jason deliberately slowed down to let Danny precede him out of Frostbite’s office.
That little suspicion had been growing, kindling the more they discussed halfa anatomy and bonds, and honestly? Yes, he had been using it as an excuse to think about something other than his own problems.
Danny seemed not to notice, disappearing past the doorway as Jason looked up at Frostbite. Figured fuck it; he didn’t know how much time he had. Best be blunt.
“You’re Danny’s ghost parent, aren’t you?” He asked, knowing from the yeti’s face as he did that he was right.
The way it froze for just a moment, eyes flicking to the door Danny had just left through. Then the smile that spread, knowing and secretive as he bent down for the first time to put his face on Jason’s level.
“He takes such pleasure in believing he does not have one; the Great One values his independence highly, and his history with parental figures is… complex. It can be our secret, yes?” The yeti winked.
Jason hesitated for a moment, thinking back to all he knew about Danny’s home life. It wasn’t actually all that much; Danny probably actually knew more about Jason’s, after the last week.
That wasn’t just a rarity, it was practically unheard of for any of the former Robins, and Jason knew exactly how Dick and Harley would react to that information.
They’d accuse him of growth. Gross. They couldn’t be told.
And yeah, maybe Jason had a bit of a personal understanding of why Danny wouldn’t want an overabundance of parental figures around. Their situations weren’t exactly the same, not really, but Jason knew enough verses of the song.
All teen heroes tended to have certain things in common, the biggest of which was whatever parental figure they had failing to protect them. Failing to keep them from the darkness, forcing a kid to take on a mantle and burdens that they never should have.
He’d wanted to pound Bruce’s bones to pulp for putting another kid in his cape. Wound up nearly pounding Tim’s instead, however the pit and Tallia had twisted things to make that seem like the same thing.
And Danny hadn’t just picked up the mantle of Teen Hero. He’d picked up a crown, a whole realm of responsibilities and rulership over the dead.
Personally, Jason thought Danny was missing out on an easy dodge of king duties by not finding his ghost parent; Clockwork was his regent but still apparently bothered him for work.
A parent ruling until the child was of age was behind most of the most brutal regicides in any monarchic system; the dead had to know about it.
But that’d mean Clockwork bothering Frostbite at all hours, possibly. Or Clockwork finding new excuses to keep checking on a crown prince Jason had already seen was a handful.
Yeah, he could see why no one really challenged Danny’s assertion that he didn’t have a ghost parent.
Jason spared a moment wondering about his own again.
He knew better than to hope, he really did. Catherine Todd deserved much better than an afterlife of watching over his many mistakes. If there was any justice to death, she’d moved straight past the realms and into the most perfect of paradises.
He liked to think she’d be proud of him. Of the work he’d done, the good he’d spread through the Alley even if it was on the end of a gun.
So long as it wasn’t any form of al Ghul whatsoever, Jason was pretty sure he could handle any other ghost parent the multiverse could throw at him.
Danny’s head poked back around the corner, grinning in a very worried way between the two of them.
“Everything okay back here?” He asked with some of the worst overhyped cheer Jason had ever heard.
Alright, maybe Danny would actually also have been a problem for ghost parent. Because Jason thought he was hot. Because he was an awful mother hen even as a friend.
Jason raised his bag of ecto candies.
“Just checking how many of these I can safely have in a day,” he said innocently, and kinda hoped Danny didn’t actually feel the wash of Frostbite’s approval as the yeti straightened.
That would give the game away.
“They are not a substitute for sleep or nutrition for your human form,” Frostbite told him, as if that was what they’d been talking about.
Jason sighed heavily, doing his best impression of Tim being handed decaf.
“Listen, a guy can hope?”
“Oh you’re not gonna win that one,” Danny snickered, brightening with the distraction and all but skipping in to take Jason’s arm, “let’s scram before he gets the powerpoints.”
Frostbite gave them a cheerful wave on the way out the door, and Jason managed a mostly sincere smile as Danny began regaling him on some of his teenaged attempts to persuade Frostbite to let him give up sleep for finals week.
Yeah, he might add the Fenton parents to the butt-kicking list. Below the ghosts, obviously, for whom butt-kicking was a social courtesy.
But, y’know. If he ever got the chance to have a quiet word about taking care of your damn kids.
———————
And here we have Part 1! Imma just yeet it up so you can all get started while I edit Part 2, because again, this is a Girthy One without an easier breakpoint 👀
I’ll still try and get Part 2 done tonight, but I’ve kept y’all waiting long enough
Tag List: @welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof f @perfectwastelandcreation @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @idfk-man10 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 @cankoking @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 8 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai i @greenpyrowolf @frivolous-pastel @honeysuckletook @adorkable1291
Part Two:
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fcthots · 7 months
Note
Saw you were sick, make you think of this: Jason 'steals' recipes from Alfred to make food to make you feel better.
-(person who asked about snowflake or galaxy emoji, on computer so emojis hard lol)
I'm actually picky as FUCK so I had to sit here and think of foods I eat (we're workin with the autism this morning, sensory issues got worse when I tried to ignore it)
Your day had started off fine, normal... if going to the bat cave to pick up cat treats could be considered normal... but Gus was out and crying and the sound was killing you, so you just decided to go borrow some of Damian's (after he approved of course). You had walked in, grabbed the cat treats of Damian, realized Damian was sniffling, thought it could be that bad, and brought the cat treats back home.
Only, 4 hours later, Jason calls, and you're coughing up a storm. Another 2 hours later, he calls again and you can barely talk because your throat and head hurt. 4 more hours later and you're laying in bed, pissed off at the world, cold, and cranky.
Until the beloved love of your life walks in with groceries. You recognize those ingredients.
"You're making Alfred's baked Mac n cheese???" Your voice comes out cracked.
"What the fuck? I haven't even taken the ingredients out the bag yet? How? You know what, I actually don’t want to know."
"I love you so much." Your voice was really sounding pitiful.
"I know, darlin. I know."
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002yb · 7 months
Note
My heart???? I pove the amnesiac Jason being in love AGAIN with Dick. Please give us all your thoughts and Bruce and Tim and Damian and Alfred aaaaa
The trope of Jason having an undying crush on Dick Grayson is one that I'll shoehorn into every bit of anything I ever write, hahaha. I love it so much; it's so sweet. Thank you for following along with the secretary AU though. //u/// Here's some general thoughts for them:
Bruce
There are times Bruce has to do his job. Unfortunately, part of that job includes playing nice with his employees. A lot of people want to get in good with the CEO so that they'll be better favored for promotions. Rubbing elbows is part of corporate culture.
Only Jason doesn't give a fuck. Do you have an appointment? Of course they don't; Jason sure as hell didn't make one for them. Get outta here.
Just Jason being the most ornery secretary/assistant, an actual guard dog outside of Bruce's office.
Meanwhile Bruce just looking on from the glass panes separating them and being so smitten because look at his boy - small as he ever was and just as fierce as before. Viciousness being innately Jason and Bruce appreciating it in a way he hadn't before.
And when Jason finally shoos whatever bootlicker comes along, he sits back in his chair with a huff, before glancing at Bruce and smiling that ornery little smirk and Bruce loves him so damn much.
Unrelated: when Bruce can't stay on task, Jason moves himself to temporarily sit in Bruce's office with him. Just sitting across from Bruce at his desk and supervising because they've got deadlines, boss.
The above is a strategy Bruce employs to get Jason closer to him. It works up until Jason realizes what Bruce is doing, after which Jason withholds himself until Bruce does his job and Bruce is despondent over it, of course, but also a little humored and fond and affectionate because that's his boy.
Alfred
The way this man fishes for information on his grandbaby (Damian) being so next level. He laments to Jason about how he always wanted grandchildren, but... *sidelong glance to Bruce who straightens up in his office*
The joke being that Damian is actually Bruce's kid, only Jason still hasn't brought Damian around so they can't confirm anything.
Anyway, Jason shares pictures and Alfred adores them. Especially the ones that have both Jason and Damian in them.
And Alfred is a gentleman, a professional. He doesn't get cranky, only he does hahaha. Because he wants Jason home and he wants to meet his (great) grandbaby, Master Bruce. l<
Until they can sort that though, Alfred is very doting to Jason and Damian. He can't overstep, but when opportunity presents itself, Alfred offers up recipes that he knows Jason will like and that would be appropriate for a fussy child. He offers up little caretaking tips and tricks and bites back chortles when Jason jokes about trying them on Bruce.
Alfred startling when he gets a text from Jason one day asking for help with a sick child
And Alfred is halfway to the garage before he realizes how inappropriate that would be so he parks himself right beside the door just in case Jason requests him
Which he doesn't, which breaks Alfred's heart. But Jason does call and Alfred is able to talk Jason down and help him through whatever crisis Damian has brought on.
And later, Jason passing along a thank you card that Damian also contributed some baby scribbles to. Along with a little gift, a tea cup, that Damian helped pick out. Because they're really grateful and Alfred is composed about it until he gets back to the car and then he just holds this sweet note and gift and mourns how he wants his family back ahhhhhhhhhh
But Alfred is a strong person and bears the strain of it all and carries on.
It's his new favorite cup though ;U;
Dick
Dick uses the excuse of meeting Bruce and Tim for lunch all of once before he boldly asks Jason out
Bruce's jaw drops so fast. He's damn near tripping over every bit of furniture in his office and his own two feet, scrambling to the door where he falls dramatically against the frame with a lie that he needs Jason to fetch xyz thing from xyz area of WE
Once Jason is out of earshot, Bruce glowering so hard at Dick because don't lead their boy on; get those foul thoughts out of his head
And Dick just here without one impure thought in his head (yet) and being very l: because really, Bruce? Dick would never (only he will).
Anyway, Bruce cockblocking even the most innocent of interactions and Jason being a bit ._. about it because he's never so busy as when Dick turns up to say hi.
Just Dick surprising Jason at the office with drinks and food, little pick-me-ups. And here's the thing - Dick doesn't know Jason like Alfred does. He doesn't know Jason's favorites or things he doesn't. He's figuring it all out in the moment and he keeps making efforts and there's a level of guilt there for not doing this before, sure, but there's also enjoyment because it's Jason and ahhhhhh
When Dick brings by the pick-me-ups and leans against Jason's desk or pulls up a chair to sit across from him and loaf around for a few minutes, Bruce and Tim are just l: because really? Nothing for them?
And Dick laughs because, 'no, Jason's special.'
Which just slays Jason where he stands as he misinterprets Dick's (current) interests and intentions
Something something Dick picking Jason up after work on his bike. And both Bruce and Alfred send death glares Dick's way, but Dick just smiles that cheeky Robin smile at them before helping Jason up behind him and telling him to hold tight
Alfred relents with his petulance immediately if only because his boys look so happy; this is how it should have always been
Bruce, on the other hand, is getting into the car and telling Alfred to follow them immediately, don't lose sight of them! D<
Tim
Copy room meet-cute scenario. Where Tim is about to commit property damage because all the copiers keep jamming on him and he doesn't have the fucking time; he's got a meeting in x number of hours and he needs to prep all the materials and the interns aren't there to help because Tim didn't finish the reports until x o'clock and he's stressed and just got off of patrol he doesn't have time to fight and be bested by a fucking copier and-- 'here, let me help.'
It's Robin. Jason. It's Jason. And Tim feels Jason looks as heroic as he ever did back when the mantle was his to wear.
Jason doing the copying for Tim and brushing off the gratitude. 'I'd rather not explain to the boss that all our copiers were thrashed in the midst of someone's corporate rage ¬‿¬' before it settles on a shrugged, self-aware, 'you take over a lot of boss's work, so it makes sense that I help you, no?'
The stress leaving Tim slowly but surely as Jason and he work side by side to put together Tim's meeting presentation materials for all of the board members/xxxxxx department heads/etc.
Not much chatter, but at the end after Bruce turns up and causes a scene (because Jason is missing from his desk and 'where is he!?') Jason turns to Tim with a crooked smile and insists that if Tim needs help with anything, Jason's there.
And Tim is left there being all awestruck and a little flushed
Plenty of casual interactions after that. Just casual greetings in the morning. Teasing from Jason that disguises blatant check-ins to make sure Tim is good. Which he is. Tim's embarrassed about it, but he notices Bruce taking back some of the work he pushed off onto Tim and...it's better.
So much banter though as they get comfortable. And Tim still sees Robin, but he starts to see Jason more and he likes him a lot.
Tim going to see Bruce and Jason knowing Tim is cool, but tormenting him anyway with the whole 'you got an appt, sir?' shtick
Jason sneakily switching out coffee with water and snickering when he catches Tim grimacing, head snapping to look Jason's direction while Jason gives a cheeky wave
Tim being teased as the next Brucie because of the supposed 'flirtiness' of their interactions; it's a scandal waiting to happen, he's following in Bruce's footsteps, etc. etc.
Tim is embarrassed about the rumors that start to circulate. He doesn't even flinch when Bruce looms over him with a rough demand of, 'what are your intentions with Jason?' like Tim is doing anything uncouth, come on man
Whether because Tim is genuinely interested or he wants to mess with Bruce (in retaliation for the copious amount of work Bruce has passed on to him), Tim pointedly asking Jason out. Right outside of Bruce's office.
Damian
Weeks later, Bruce still creeps outside of Jason's apartment. He hates the neighborhood. Crime rates are too high and the apartment isn't up to code, but he hasn't figured how to tell Jason to move yet. Telling his boy to come home would be inappropriate, as would buying the property beside the manor for Jason to have. He'll figure something out, but before that--
A flutter of sheer curtains and movement in Jason's apartment.
Bruce being persistently curious about the child, Damian, but not having much information outside of passing commentary from Jason (but mostly shared stories from Alfred).
The child is always well-guarded. Regardless of how Tim has tried to get close, the tutors that are with Damian are always very alert. Which is...good. But not conducive to the answers Bruce wants.
Anyway, Bruce being a creep outside of Jason's apartment. Listening in on recently placed bugs and startling because Damian talks.
Apparently Damian has aspirations to be Batman. And Jason humors him even as he laughs under his breath because why.
And to sucker-punch Bruce in the throat, Damian makes a proclamation that wounds Bruce deeply: 'To protect you.'
Jason being all endeared and sweeping Damian up off the ground to hold on his hip and smacking his head with a kiss
'Why not Robin?'
There's a pause, but Damian is quick even at such a young age and proclaims, 'Because you will be my Robin.'
And Bruce just cries on the inside a bit because ouch.
What started as a Damian section became a Dickjay with a Damian cameo section. Truth be told, idk how hold Damian should be.
Where the first member of the batfam Damian meets is actually Dick
Jason invites Dick up after Dick brings him home one evening
And Dick is so happy to be welcomed into this private part of Jason's life - smug because Dick is the first of them to be welcomed and this is an enormous step up from always being the last to know anything
Jason switching off with the tutor (LoA assassin lol) and the assassin and Dick eyeing each other up as they pass one another by because they both sense something's off about one another, just not what
Anyway, Jason locks up (extensive; perfect for the neighborhood, but also hopeful of all that Robin training having lingered in the back of Jason's head) then excuses himself to check that Damian was put to bed properly
Dick taking the opportunity to look around and being so enamored with every detail. There aren't many personal belongings, but there's enough. Used books and well-loved art supplies; second-hand furniture and a half-knitted blanket. There are drawings posted up on the fridge that Dick looks over fondly: depictions of Damian and Jason and few others that make up his family (which spoilers is gonna include Dick once Damian and Dick come to an understanding about Jason)
Anyway, Jason is so proud of Damian's artistic endeavors - a new hobby that Jason encouraged because Damian is otherwise so serious and morose for such a little guy. And Jason's smile when he talks about it, fuck. It's devastating. Dick could listen to Jason talk about this forever - he would love that.
Instead they talk about other things while they have a nightcap. They keep their voices low. Hushed so they don't disturb Damian in the next room.
By this point Dick would be well aware that Jason is still a sassy, ornery little menace firecracker, but it's still a joy to experience it. To trade quips, to banter. Keeping up with Jason's wit and playing a playful game of who has the sharper tongue.
It's them curled on either end of a stubby, narrow couch. Where Jason reaches out his sock-clad foot to shove at Dick's leg and Dick catches him and squeezes and holds on, a mindfully mindless point of contact - tentatively intimate.
And Dick isn't aware of how intimate the moment is - how captivated he is by Jason until suddenly a kid comes between them, face pinched as they click their tongue (and oh, that's a habit of Jason's, isn't it? Cute), taking Dick's hand in the tiniest of grips and forcibly removing Dick from Jason
Then Damian buries himself in Jason's chest before peeking back to glare at Dick. The declaration is clear as anything: he's mine
Jason introduces him, but Damian having none of it because Jason's attention being on another man? In their home? Unforgivable.
Jason being flummoxed because what? He's allowed to have friends, Damian.
No.
Dick smiles at that. He might understand that desire to be possessive.
Introductions made, but Damian being very grumpy
Child rearing difficulties for Jason with setting boundaries and getting Damian to bed because he wants to spend time with Dick, but Damian doesn't want to share
And Dick wants more of Jason. Of course he does, but he's not going to put Jason in a position to pick. Never. So he calls it a night so that Jason can take care of Damian. That besides, it's late. They should both turn in.
Jason grumbling and being a little petulant about it as he sees Dick out at the door, Damian nestled in his arms and resting on his hip, arms wrapped tight around Jason's neck. But really? He'd stay up all night. It's been nice.
Their parting being all sorts of electric although there's nothing more than lingering gazes and slow pull aways and second looks over shoulders only to catch one another still there and sheepish, giddy titters ahhhhhh
Jason resting his back against the closed door while Dick sort of bounces down the hall, invigorated and happy and excited for next time
Next time being: just an hour later when Jason texts to see if Dick made it home safely
They proceed to text through the night and come the following day when Jason looks exhausted? Bruce is concerned. When Dick comes in later with Jason's choice caffeine, looking just as tired? Bruce quickly switches to paranoid because what's happening and why and how does he stop it? l:
Still waffling with how Damian should be, hence his section being a little scarce/vague. It'll get there!
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samgirl98 · 1 year
Text
Mending a Family 7/?
Prev | Next
Sorry for such a long with for a short chapter. I was hired for a new job and have been doing stuff for the hiring process that is time-consuming. Enjoy
Bruce
“I’m sorry, Bruce, I don’t hear Jason’s heartbeat.”
Bruce stared at his cup of coffee. He had told Clark everything that had happened with Jason and had hoped his friend would be able to find Jason’s heartbeat. He hadn’t.
“It doesn’t mean that he’s dead—”
“He’s not. Jason’s a fighter.”
“—it means that when he came back, his heartbeat changed. It’s why I didn’t notice he had returned from the dead.”
“Can you say that louder? I’m not sure everyone heard you.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for him, Bruce. I promise.”
“Thank you, Clark.”
Bruce took a sip of his coffee. He didn’t know what had happened to his son, but he would find out.
Dick
“Roy, please, help me find him.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to be found,” Roy spat back. Dick had no idea what had gotten into Roy and Raven, but neither had agreed to help Dick look for Jason. The rest of his team had volunteered right away, promising they would keep an eye out for his younger brother and let Dick know if Jason was seen.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Roy,” Dick said.
“Really? You kept his resurrection a secret from everyone, including his friends. Of course, the kid is gonna get sick of it eventually and leave your asses behind.”
“Maybe this is what Jason wants, Dick,” Raven chimed in.
“How do you know? Do you feel his emotions somehow? Do you know where he’s at,” he asked desperately. Dick was seeing in real time how Jason’s disappearance was affecting Bruce. The man was more violent with criminals, broodier and talked even less unless it was about a case.
Tim had gotten quiet and stayed away from the family for the most part unless it was during patrol, and Damian had become cranky. Dick needed to find Jason and bring him home; they needed to fix what was broken.
“I don’t know his feelings, but I can guess. From what you’ve told us, you left him alone and without his family as support. Maybe he was tired of being in the same city as the people ignoring him and wanted a fresh start. I refuse to be the one to cross someone’s unspoken boundaries if they have made their feelings clear.”
“Guys, Jason needs to come home. He’s not well.”
“All I’m hearing is what you think Jason needs; no wonder he left,” Roy said, angry. “I hope you and Batman never find him. You don’t deserve him. You guys abandoned him; you left him with no family, and since you didn’t tell anyone he had returned, you left him with no friends.”
Roy walked away from Dick.
Dick looked at Raven imploringly, “I’m sorry, Dick, I can’t. He’s made his choice; maybe he’ll come to you guys in the future.”
And Dick was left alone.
Tim
Tim followed the anomaly. It started when Jason was last seen and lasted for three weeks. There had been cold fronts, and the readings had stayed steady. Then they disappeared.
Tim and Barbara had decided to keep these things to themselves as they were unsure it had anything to do with Jason.
(Tim’s guts said yes, it did.)
They had decided to build a program that would trace the same anomaly throughout the United States. If they found nothing there, then they would expand their search. Tim also had a background program running for sudden and unexpected cold fronts.
He would find Jason; his family depended on it.
Damian
His mother had agreed to help him.
She hadn’t asked for anything in return. Damian suspected it wasn’t out of the goodness of her heart but because she didn’t like not being in control. She didn’t know where Jason was; whether she would admit it or not, she considered Jason hers.
(Damian didn’t know if Talia considered Jason her son or tool, maybe both, but she wouldn’t let him out of her grasp.)
Damian hoped he had done the right thing.
Alfred
Alfred looked through the mail and stopped at a white envelope addressed to him. There was no return address.
Alfred opened the letter with shaking fingers.
(He knew that handwriting. It’s been years, but he knew it was Jason’s.)
There were two sentences.
I am alive and well. Don’t look for me; you won’t find me.
Who do you think will find Jason first lol
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Text
"Brotherly Love" announcement.
~☆~
Hi, I'm here to talk about my short series, Brotherly Love. As we know, it has been finished, but I am going to write short stories about reader, following the events of the last chapter. So please take your liking of a prompt and who you want in the story, and I will try my best to write it. You can choose more than one prompt, and I would like it if you sent a request rather than a comment if you do decide to participate.
Main-characters: Y/N(obviously), Jason Todd, Damian Al-Ghul/Wayne.
Side/minor-charecters: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Kon Kent, Jon Kent, Talia Al-Ghul, Roy Harper, Clark Kent, Alfred Pennyworth.
Minor OC characters: Reign, Penelope, Haven, Arkin.
Series Masterlist
If a prompt is crossed out, it has already been used.
~☆~
1. "You interrupt my reading once more, and this book will become a lethal weapon."
2. "We have a problem." "And it's another Tuesday, what's your point?"
3. "There's will always be a home for you here."
4. "Oh, I'm sorry is the sound of me winning too loud for you?"
5. "It's nothing, just a scratch."
6. "I'm a monster." "No, you're not."
7. "I'm listening to you, I'm just not paying attention."
8. "Insanity runs in my family, it practically gallops."
9. "Somebody's cranky." "Somebody needs to shut up."
10. "Hey, I just wanted to check if your okay, you've been listening to SexyBack on repeat for an hour."
11. "Sleep at my place tonight."
12. "One more chapter."
13. "Can you pass me the s-" "No." "...At what point do you become mature?"
14. "Do I look good?" "No." "Very funny."
~☆~
None of these prompts are mine. If you know the original creators of some of them, please mention them in the comments.
Taglist: @sanjanapm
@unofficial-jaytodd-wife
@texaschainslvt
@godknows-shetried
@wendds
@celestair
@lorosette
@knoxx-seresinbradshaw
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@simligul
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@myxticmoon
@xxgrimripp3rxx
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@fruittiest-of-loops
@classymusicgalaxy
@randomlyappearingartist
@bluejay390
@venomsvl
@marvelworldlover
@ceshacat
@killercranberries
@hypnobanditprofessorhorse-blog
@greenkiki
@herascave
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@b-barnes04
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@persephil
@ya-mya-22u
@lilylovelyxo
@soupasses
@dnarez
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@dangerous-girls-world
@darkfaethedestroyer
@violet2507
@urminebutidontwantyou
@d3m0nch1ld
@mxtokko
@thereeallink
@venezsuwayla
@im-in-too-much-fandom-help
@cherry-peach-flavored
@kerosene-demon
@serendippindots
@bluerasberryfairyland
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rainybyday · 2 years
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Jason is a cranky Liminal because he doesn’t have ectoplasm to feed on, both figuratively and literally
and that is why Damian is his favorite
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gulnarsultan · 1 year
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I meant after a mission that Jason Todd is turned into a baby, he only calms down when he is breastfed by the sister reader and after he is back to normal he asks permission to breastfeed again (no obscenities, just cuteness )
I understand now. Thanks for writing again. I hope you will like it.
The transformation of Jason into a baby on duty was unexpected for everyone. However, nothing could stop you from taking him in your arms and looking after him as if he were your own baby. The other Batboys are trying to make fun of him. Damian is angry and very jealous of Jason for getting all the attention and love on him. When Jason gets cranky, you pick him up and shake him. However, when she doesn't shut up, you let her suck your breasts. With a breast in his mouth, Jason is always a calm baby. Honestly, when you look at him like this, you smile.
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batmanshole · 4 months
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batfam and the batcoworkers as animal crossing villagers?
OKOK SORRY THIS IS LATE @frutista
ok SO im gonna list species + personality type :-)
BRUCE: okay so there's technically already a cranky villager named bruce. but hear me out! he'd be a cranky wolf. obviously. (cause theres no bats) ALSO i think the wolf ears look like the ears on his cowl
BARBARA: i wanna say she'd be a normal cat, deer, or sheep!! she's super cute and i think it just fits her :-) i think sheep fits her the most but theres. already a sheep named baabara UM. ignore that!!!!
DICK: this one was tougher!! but i think he'd be a deer? or a bunny. OMG WAIT NO A DOG. and i think he'd be. well i don't know. not cranky for sure but there's aspects of smug, lazy and jock that i think fit him?? HALP!! how it feels to boil down a complex character who's been around for like 80 years to a simple video game desc. uhhh smug. just cause idk what else to put SORRY!!!
JASON: well i think he'd be a wolf!!!! and i'm leaning towards jock for personality :-) i'd put cranky but well. cranky villagers are implied to be Old. and bruce is already a cranky wolf. could maybe see him as an octopus though because his helmet is very Round. but i don't think that's as good as wolf
CASS: cat. to me. and she'd be big sister / uchi i think??? idont knwo. but she's 100% a cat. a black cat, like kiki but scarier.
TIM: he's lazy for sure. lazy villager. i think he'd be a bird. cause he won't fucking let go of robin. i'd make his colours based on the red robin costume tho.
STEPH: PEPPY FOR SURRREE!!! i could see her as a bunny or an octopus. she might also make a good wolf. but it'd be fun to see her as an octopus i think.
DUKE: squirrel vibes. idk why!! squirrel, cat or dog. and he'd be uhh oh god. either lazy or jock i have no idea. but cranky and smug don't rlly fit him? the male personality types are hard to assign.
DAMIAN: HES FROG!!!!!! his ass is a fucking FROG! and i think he'd be uhh. smug? idk the other things don't really fit him.
ALFRED: this one is tough but i'd go with cranky cause they're implied to be old. he'd be an ostrich or a goat or something.
KATE: either big sister or snooty. probably big sister. she's a wolf like bruce cause theyre cousins !!
BETTE: peppy, 100%. she'd make a good cow or duck!! maybe maybe a bird.
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ao3feed-brucewayne · 19 days
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Double Lives
by ggomoz (ggomo_springtime) Damian was certain his wife was keeping a secret from him. She was coming home late at night, hiding text messages from him, and skipping on work without telling him the reason. Of course, he didn't want to assume the worst. He trusted her with his life and loved her with his whole heart! Little did he know that he'd find out the truth from a stressed and cranky colleague. Words: 2937, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Damian Wayne, Superboy (DCU), Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne Additional Tags: Idiots in Love, Fluff and Humor, Misunderstandings, Identity Reveal, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Married Couple, One Shot, Guardian of the Miraculous Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Damian Wayne-centric, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Is a Little Shit, Not Beta Read via https://ift.tt/Tgf0jIN
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raphael-angele · 2 years
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Damijon headcanons but they’re aged up, married, have a son and it’s omegaverse
Damian was really upset when he came out as an omega since both his parents are alphas. When this happened, he got a bit distant from Dick since he was an alpha and a bit closer to Tim and Jason since they were also omegas. Bruce was very comforting and supportive. None of them told Talia yet but they think she already knows.
Jon presented as an alpha early on. He was around 14 when he found out, as to when Damian was 15 when he found out he was an omega. Even before that though, Damian could already tell Jon was an alpha. 
Damian’s scent is Pine and Sandalwood
Jon’s scent is Cactus Flower and Jade
They mated/bonded when Jon was 17 and Damian was 19. And it just so happened that it was on Damian’s birthday.
They got married when Jon turned 21 and Damian was 23. Jon was the one who proposed. And you cannot tell me he wouldn’t have had done the Spy x Family proposal with the grenade and everything. He did get him an actual ring for the ceremony though. (Bruce gave it to them).
Damian was the one who planned the wedding. He was very picky and cranky about it, too. He gives you two options for something but gives arguments that neither are suitable. (Kudos to this fic right here). He managed to finish it all within three weeks.
A few months after they got married, Damian decided to give up Robin. He passed it down to Dick’s son, Jake. Bruce was supportive of and respected his decision. Jon felt like it was his fault that he did this but Damian reassured him that this was all his doing and he’d been wanting to do it since Jon proposed.
They are now living on a farm in Kansas, near Jon’s grandparents’. They are living peacefully, with Jon only being gone from time to time with his job in Daily Planet and his other job *wink wink*. Damian works as a vet and is currently taking criminal psychology.
They had their son two years later. They named him Thomas Joseph, after the middle names of Bruce and Clark. Since Damian decided on a hyphenated name for him, they had a small argument whether it was Wayne-Kent or Kent-Wayne.
Thomas has blue green eyes, dark brown hair (almost black), lightly tanned skin and his hair is also lightly curled.
When the families met their baby, they were more than ecstatic. Damian thought it would be best if Jon’s family met them first. Thomas likes Lois and Kon but he isn’t so fond of Clark. He doesn’t cry when he sees him, he just turns away from him and ignores him.
When the batfamily met him, it was chaotic. They fought over who gets to hold him first. Thomas likes Tim and Stephanie most, which confused the lot of them. The family brushed it off, thinking he must have Jon’s outgoing and happy-go-lucky trait. He treats Dick the same as Clark which hurts him more than anything. He cries when he sees Bruce. He doesn’t particularly hate Jason and Cass but he’s willing to be held by them. Duke is his second favorite (third if you include Alfred).
They once lost him when they visited the manor. Thomas was already crawling at the time and he crawled out of his playpen when they weren’t looking. They found him playing with Damian’s old Robin uniform, bundled up in his cape and everything.
Thomas is grows up fast and is also a fast learner. He learned how to walk when he was 8 months old and started talking at 9.
His first word was Baba when he was with Damian. Damian almost cried at the time. When he told Jon and tried getting Thomas to repeat it, he then said Papa. Damian could tell the difference. From then on, to avoid confusion, Damian was Baba and Jon was Papa.
The first Kryptonian superpower he got was flight which made Jon grumpy since it was one of the last things he learned to do. Thomas was 3 1/2 years old and Damian found him on a tree, trying to help a cat down.
With Damian as one of his parents, it’s only natural that Thomas is a genius. And with Jon’s genes, he’s also very athletic. He excels at Math and Science and can fluently speak two other languages besides English. His favorite sport is soccer and baseball.
His favorite Titan is Beast Boy and Raven. He likes Beast Boy cuz, duh, animals, his dad is Damian. One time during Halloween, they visited Jump City to spend some time with the Titans. Thomas was around 5 or 6, and was hesitant about going trick or treating. But eventually changed his mind. Damian explained to them that Thomas wanted to dress up as his favorite Titan and he came into the room, dressed as Raven, with Jon.
BBRae BONUS: Thomas is friends with their kid, Angel. Angel has very dark purple hair with green highlights (Like Mal’s hair from descendants). He can turn into animals, and cast spells but his use of magic is still limited.
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