#the best part of the batman beyond suit: the HEELS

[kodyisover]

Terry’s shoes are one with his pants

They sure are! He’s got his jacket on over his Batman suit for no other reason than I wanted to paint both his suit feets and windbreaker folds.

#the best part of the batman beyond suit: the HEELS #and the arm blades but we're ignoring those because Jacket #kody answers asks

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

I Wonder What It’s Like (2/3) - fic

Characters: Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Kathy Brandon Pairing: jondami Summary: Damian is a mess. A big, sappy, romantic mess. A/N: This hot *~garbage~*. Sorry.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

~~

He was just walking down the hallway in their team’s shared apartment. A loft that overlooked the city of Chicago, the ridiculous rent paid for by his father, no questions asked.

The little kitten he’d found on patrol the night before was pattering excitedly after him as he walked, Titus protectively on the little thing’s tail while she meowed loudly. Damian was laughing as he walked, and had just felt her jump at his ankle and stumble, so turned to make sure she was righting herself.

But then he froze.

In his attempt to glance down at the kitten, his gaze caught movement nearby, in the bedroom he was passing.

Jon’s bedroom.

The door was open and Jon stood there in front of a mirror, fiddling with the collar of a white dress shirt he was already practically busting out of. Not that Damian noticed the shirt too much. No, he was too busy staring at the perfectly form-fitting black slacks that hugged Jon’s ass and thighs – and that in the mirror he could clearly see they were not buttoned yet.

“Jon…”

He felt the name come out of his mouth without consent, and instantly snapped his lips closed, practically sucked them between his teeth.

Kept staring, though.

Refocused back on the shirt, on the sliver of chest he could still see, and the muscles rippling as Jon shifted. Stared at those long fingers fumbling against each other. Felt his breath catch in his throat, as Jon slowly glanced over his shoulder at him.

Jon blinked and his face brightened, and Damian – motherfucking Damian goddamn Wayne – felt his knees go weak as Jon smiled at him. As his violet eyes shone, and absolute joy radiated from his being.

“Hey, D.” He said. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I…” Damian cleared his throat, thanking his lucky stars. Jon had heard him, but he hadn’t heard his…tone. Good, that was good. As he exhaled his relief, he glanced down and saw the kitten, Titus still tight on her heels, stomping forward into Jon’s room. “Theadora!”

The kitten mewed grumpily as Damian stepped into the room and swooped her up into his hands. She wiggled even as he held her to his chest, and tried to bite at his fingers.

“We do not enter rooms uninvited.” He scolded, touching his finger to her nose. He looked back up at Jon. “My apologies.”

Jon snorted. “You know you and your animals are welcome any time. I don’t mind.” He turned back to the mirror. “In fact, I enjoy it. Always a nice break.”

Damian hummed, biting the words on his tongue. A nice break from what, doing nothing? No, that would be rude. He was working on not being rude, on saving the sarcasm for when it was warranted, not every word out of his mouth. He was better than that. He should be better than that.

(Especially to Jon.)

“…What’s the occasion?” Damian nodded towards him. “I don’t recall you being much into suits.”

“I’m not. It’s some shindig at the Planet. Mom’s getting an award. Again.” Jon chuckled as he rolled his eyes. “She said since I’m barely home any more the least I could do is come tonight.”

Damian couldn’t stop his eyes from darting downwards again. “I doubt it’s an…ahem…open-trouser affair…”

Internally, Damian winced at himself. It wasn’t sarcasm, but it was still rude. Jon wasn’t an idiot. Obviously he wasn’t done getting dressed. There was no need to tease. There was no need to open his stupid mouth.

But Jon laughed anyway. “I’m getting there, I’m getting there.” He stuck his tongue out thoughtfully, returning to his task at his collar. “I’m going to tuck my shirt in, but I can’t get these stupid buttons up top, here.” He tried for another second, then spun back to Damian. “A little help?”

Damian felt himself smiling, almost instinctively stepping forward. “Sure.”

Jon cooed as he grabbed Theadora from Damian’s hands, petting her as Damian took over button duty, gently folding the little round plastic through the fabric of the shirt. He ignored how close he was to Jon’s skin, how easily it would be to reach out and just touch him.

(Just caress his jaw, just lean forward and kiss him, just–)

The buttons were finished, and he quickly stepped back. Jon twisted his torso back towards the mirror. “Perfect.”

But then he turned back to Damian with a sheepish grin. “Help with one more thing?”

Damian shrugged.

And he watched, almost bewildered, as Jon didn’t give his kitten back (much to Titus’s disappointment in the doorway) but instead placed her on top of his head, right in the center of his nest of curls. Then he turned towards his bed, hastily shoving the shirt tails into those unbuttoned pants before grabbing a red ribbon that was lying across his comforter.

“I know you’re going to think it’s cheesy, but it’s kind of an inside thing between me and my dad.” He spun around, balancing Theadora perfectly, and held the ribbon out. “But I never learned how to properly tie one.”

Damian glanced between Jon’s kitten crown, and the ribbon in his hand. “A…bowtie?”

“It’s a thing, I promise. Inside joke.” He walked closer. “Please?”

Damian sighed, annoyed that his default exhale made him sound put off, when in reality, he really wasn’t. Not at all. He was happy to help.

He was always happy to help Jon.

But he took the ribbon and looped it carefully around Jon’s neck. Ignored the urge to pull the other forward with it, ignored those thoughts already popping back into his brain, and began to knot it.

“…I’m really only going to make my mom happy.” Jon let out his own sigh as he finally buttoned the stupid pants. Damian was happy to have a task, anything to stop him from looking down again. “These things are so boring.”

Damian snorted. “Welcome to my life.”

“Hey, I bet your dad will be there. And Diana. Apparently this is like. A huge award. Wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce Wayne showed up for some reason. You know, beyond my dad inviting him and Diana as a friends or something.”

“Unfortunately I do not know my father’s schedule.” Damian hummed. “I can call and ask if he or any of the family are going. While my siblings are complete Neanderthals, they might ease some of your boredom.”

“Or better yet…” Jon grinned. “Why don’t you just come with me? I’m sure no one will mind if I bring a plus-one. Besides, it’s been a while since you’ve been home too, right? Might be nice to see your dad.”

Damian laughed before he thought about it. “Absolutely not.”

And he wanted to absolutely stab himself, immediately, at the disappointment that flashed through Jon’s eyes, the way his smile faltered just a little. All because Damian laughed.

At him. In his face.

God, he was the worst.

“I mean,” Damian coughed. He slowly pulled Jon’s bowtie through its last loop, and then carefully tugged Theadora from Jon’s hair. “I’m on monitor duty tonight. And the girls are already out for their own night off.”

Jon’s grin, though it never disappeared, softened now. “D, when was the last time you took a night off?” Damian opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out because he didn’t have one. “The world would survive if all four of us were out acting like normal people for one night.”

“That’s how all apocalypse stories start, isn’t it?” Damian mumbled, keeping his gaze lowered. “Besides, if it’s like you said, half of the Justice League will be at this event. Someone needs to be out there watching.”

“No one said it had to be you.”

Damian glanced up, felt his cheeks warm as he realized Jon had stepped closer. Was staring gently down at him, that simple smile still on his face.

But Damian was a coward.

Emotions were a weakness. Wanting was selfish, and selfishness was unbecoming. Rejection was a useless pain and so easily avoidable.

He would not mess this up. He would not mess up one of the only friendships he had. He would not mess up Jon.

So he stepped back, an apologetic smile on his face. “Enjoy your party, Jonathan.”

He scurried from the room with his pets before he could see Jon frown.

~~

“Damian?!” Jon practically screamed, even over Maya’s attempts at soothing him. He smacked his hand against the door again. “D, please, just open the door!”

Damian, instead, turned away from it, rubbing his fist angrily against the tears pouring from his eyes.

“He just wants to help.” Kathy whispered from the desk. “You know him.”

“And he knows me.” Damian spat. “He knows better than to do this.”

“You just heard your mother might be dead, what else did you think he was going to do? Shrug it off and go play video games?” Kathy snapped back. “You’re his best friend, of course he’s going to want to comfort you. Take care of you.”

“I don’t need it. I don’t need comforted. I don’t need…” His face twisted in disgust. “Taken care of.” He shook his head. “I don’t even need you here.”

“Well, sucks I was there when Batman called and can move faster than you, huh?” Kathy smirked. “Jon may respect your boundaries, but that doesn’t mean I have to.” She let her smile drop. “Besides, I know what it’s like. Losing…questionable family. Not knowing how to feel about it. I…I get it.”

“…I know.” Damian sighed. Sniffed and ran his hand across his nose. “I know you do, Kathy. And I…despite everything, I do appreciate it.”

“Damian, please!” Jon whined.

“I can’t.” Damian whispered, twisting purposefully away from the door. “I…I can’t look at him right now.”

“Why, because he’s trying too hard? Or because he wouldn’t get it?”

“Both, maybe.” Damian shrugged, reaching for the tissue box on his nightstand. “And because…it’s embarrassing.”

“What is?”

“I’m mourning the not-yet-confirmed-death of a mass murderer, and here the son of fucking Superman wants to make sure I’m okay.” He shook his head. “This is not worth his time. I’m not worth his time. When’s he going to see that? Why does he think I am?”

“He’s your…best friend.” Kathy reiterated, but she seemed to struggle with the words. Like best friend wasn’t supposed to mean that. “He just wants to make sure you’re okay.”

“I am okay. I’m always okay.” He dabbed the tissue at his eyes. “I have to always be okay.”

“Why, because you’re the son of Batman and anything less than okay is a weakness?” Kathy mocked. “I thought you were over that line of thinking. Years ago.”

“It’s…I am, it’s not just that, it’s…” Damian sighed, dropped to sit on the edge of his bed. He pulled the photo of him and his mother back into his hands, the one he’d had in his desk drawer up until his father had called. “If I’m okay, people think I’m good. That I’m a good person.” He gently touched Talia’s face. The smile was warm in this photo. It wasn’t always. “If I’m not okay. I’ll…then I’ll go back to being bad. I’ll lose control. I’ll…be that monster again. The one I used to be.”

Kathy blinked. “And?”

Damian waited a beat. Listened as Jon continued to bang on the door, desperately call his name.

“Jon deserves better than a monster as a best friend.” Damian whispered.

“Wha…that’s it? You have to be okay for his benefit?” Kathy drawled. “That is the most convoluted bullshit I’ve ever heard. Especially because Jon loves you no matter how messed up you are. Jon loves all of us, no matter how messed up we all are.”

Damian remained silent. Listened as Jon pleaded with him still to open the door.

“Meanwhile he’s crumbling at the mere idea that something’s wrong with you and he can’t personally fix it.” Kathy grumbled, standing from the chair. She paused there, for a moment, looking between Damian and the door. “…You know?”

Damian glanced up at her.

“If you asked me, it almost sounds like you’re more upset about upsetting Jon than your mother potentially being dead.”

Damian didn’t answer the accusation, just shrunk deeper into himself, into his own brain. Let guilt swirl in his gut, both for Jon and Talia.

He closed his eyes. He truly was a monster, wasn’t he? In more ways than one.

After another second, Kathy sighed, and Damian opened his eyes to see her moving. “…You two, I swear.”

Damian watched as she walked over to the door, throwing it open.

“Jon!” She yelled. Jon jerked back at her tone. “Give it a rest, okay?!” Gentler, as he lowered his hand. “He’s fine. He just needs a little time to himself.”

Jon, the epitome of a kicked puppy, glanced over Kathy’s shoulder. “D?”

Damian sniffed, wiped at his eye. “It’s fine, Jon. I’ll…be out later.”

“You shouldn’t be alone right now, D.” Jon rattled off immediately. “I can-”

“You can leave him alone.” Maya cut off, pulling Jon back. “Now you saw him, okay? With your own eyes. He is alive and he’s in his room.”

“Damian…”

“Don’t worry on my account, Jon. Please.” Damian tried, offering a weak smile. It just made Jon frown deeper. “I’m fine. In fact, feel free to take Kathy with you.” Kathy glanced back at him. “I give you full permission to give him all the details of my father’s phone call, and everything we’ve talked about, if you believe it will help.”

Kathy looked at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes.

“You need therapy.” She sighed. Then she turned to Jon. “Both of you.”

Jon blinked dumbly as she took his other arm and began to pull him down the hall. Maya leaned into the room to grab his doorknob and gave him a wink.

“Preferably some couples therapy.” She hummed. “And, like, soon. Or Kathy and I are gonna lose our minds.”

She pulled the door shut. Damian just sighed, rubbed at his tears, and stared at the picture of his maybe-dead mother.

~~

Damian Wayne didn’t dream.

He had nightmares. He had flashbacks, absolutely. He woke up in cold sweats, screaming, crying, whatever. You name it.

But he didn’t dream. He had nightmares, or nothing at all.

So…this didn’t make sense. This didn’t make any sense. He was lucid, he knew this wasn’t real. He recognized it as a dream.

Because he didn’t own an antique shop.

But here he was, behind the counter of one, refurbishing an old cabinet, carefully painting along its edges, listening contently as a pair of customers were rung up.

By…by Jon.

“Thanks for stopping by K.W. and Sons. Have a great day!” He called as the old couple waved and walked out the front door, bell above the door chiming. As soon as the door slammed shut, Jon gave a happy sigh. Damian, still facing the cabinet, sensed more than heard Jon turn around. “…I still can’t believe you did it.”

“Hm?” Was all the response Damian had.

“I cannot believe you found the book Mr. Hamada used to propose to his wife.” Suddenly there was a weight on Damian’s back, arms wrapping around his waist. “Like…how do you find that? How do you even know where to start looking? They didn’t even realize they’d accidentally given it away until three years after the fact!”

“Well, for starters,” Damian laughed as Jon kissed his cheek. “It’s nice to know a private detective or two. Then it’s just a simple retracing of steps.” Damian placed his paintbrush along the edge of his paint tray. “Also – the internet is a great tool. There’s only so many books with the phrase ‘will you marry me?’ written in English and Japanese in the front cover. That kind of thing goes viral all the time.”

Jon hummed, leaning his chin into Damian’s shoulder. “Mrs. Hamada cried when I brought it out. It was sweet.”

“Such a shame I missed it.” Damian drawled cheekily. Jon squeezed his sides.

“Don’t be rude.”

Damian turned his head, keeping his smirk. “You love it when I’m rude.”

Jon hummed again, glancing downwards. Damian was so distracted by the lashes splaying across his rosy cheeks that he didn’t notice Jon dipping his finger into the pastel teal paint until he was dabbing it against his nose.

“I don’t know if I said love.”

“I don’t know.” Damian said thoughtfully, leaning over until his nose brushed Jon’s, smearing the paint against his skin as well. “I think you did.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yeah-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yeah-huh.”

“Nuh-uh, times a thousand.” Jon countered, dragging his nose along Damian’s jaw to make a bigger mess. At the same time, he squeezed Damian’s torso again in an attempted tickle. “No take-backsies.”

And despite the childishness, Damian laughed, leaned into Jon’s embrace. Accepted paint-filled butterfly kisses and real ones too. Gently twisted in Jon’s arms to face him completely, and take a tender hold of Jon’s face.

He had a beard here. A small one. And it was graying. How old were they? Do you age in dreams? Damian found himself not caring.

He let his laugh drop into a sigh, stroking a thumb across Jon’s face as he stared into his eyes. After a moment, he smiled. “I love you.”

Jon beamed. Like it was the first time he’d ever heard it. Like it was the only thing he ever wanted to hear in his whole life. He pressed his forehead to Damian’s and closed his eyes. “I-”

“I love you too.”

Damian jerked, his head shooting up.

Wha…what?

He blinked rapidly, wiping at his lip instinctively. There was drool there. Since when did he drool while he slept?

Since when was he sleeping?

He blinked a few more times, the room becoming clearer. It was still a dark space, but he recognized it. Their apartment living room. The girls were in the loveseat nearby, also asleep. There was light coming from the TV across the room.

Oh yeah. It was their monthly team movie night.

“You okay?” Came a whisper to his right. He flinched again, spinning around to see Jon staring down at him with an amused look. Damian let his eyes dart around, and the situation became clear.

He’d fallen asleep during the movie. On Jon’s shoulder.

And dear god, he was drooling.

“Uh…y-yeah.” Damian stuttered, throat dry. “Is the movie over?”

“Just about. Guess I’m the only one who made it.” Jon laughed softly. “I don’t blame you though. It’s pretty boring.”

Damian nodded silently, trying to look at anything but Jon. Glanced over to their teammates. No modesty there, Maya had Kathy’s head pressed to her breasts, her own legs contorted around Kathy’s waist. He frowned – there was no way that was comfortable for either of them. Freaks.

“You can…uh…go back to sleep, if you want.” Jon murmured. Damian turned back to him as he yawned. “I was about to fall asleep myself, actually. And…honestly, I don’t feel like getting up to go back to my own bed.” Even in the dark, Damian noticed Jon’s cheeks brighten. “And, uh…you’re warm.”

Damian smirked. “That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Jon snorted, fiddling with a nearby blanket, and throwing it over the both of them as Damian resituated himself closer. Without a word, Jon slouched, throwing his arm across the back of the sofa, forcing Damian closer into his side.

“Team slumber party.” Jon said absently. “Been a while since the four of us did one of these.”

“Indeed.” Damian breathed. His heart was pounding as dared to lay his head back on Jon’s shoulder. Waited for the other shoe to drop, waited for Jon to say something. To tell him off.

Instead, Jon just…leaned his head against Damian’s in return. Whispered: “Goodnight, Damian.”

Damian – giddy, frozen, and oh-so pleased – just closed his eyes once more.

“…Goodnight, Jon.”

#jondami #jon kent #Damian Wayne #kathy branden

[davidmann95]

So RWBY/Justice League is apparently a crossover that's actually going to happen. Of the little we know right now, how do you think that's going to pan out?

Anonymous said: Those questions about Superman and Batman in RWBY seem prescient, because I'm hearing that an official crossover is in the works

Anonymous said: Um, so there's a legit Justice League/RWBY crossover coming

Anonymous said: So, that official DC/RWBY crossover, huh?

Anonymous said: So, how about that DC/RWBY cross, eh?

Anonymous said: No more speculating how Superman would fit into RWBY when DC themselves are providing their own answer XD

The immediate thing that leaps out beyond the Kingdom Hearts* level of utterly out of nowhere berserk this premise is: while the RWBY comic had a couple minor sequel hooks, and I don’t know how it did in its original digital chapters or in trade, as a monthly periodical it was selling poorly enough that DC didn’t bother to print its last physical issue after the return from the Coronavirus shutdown, and while I thought it was great a lot of fans complained about its art and characterization throughout. I hoped for that sequel, sure, but I wasn’t expecting the book to be regarded internally as anything but a sales failure, nevermind not only continuing it but tripling down in the most extreme and bizarrely specific way possible that’s neither intuitive (unless you have special interests like me) nor surface-level ridiculous enough like Batman/Elmer Fudd that people will buy it just to see how it works. I don’t understand why this comic is happening when no one but me wanted this.

(* The Kingdom Hearts comparison is apt because they were similarly close to the top of things I’d love to see cross over with the DCU that would obviously never, ever happen because that’s too precise and random a combination of my interests. Even if this is legally possible where that isn’t, that would still be conceptually simpler.)

I was asked a couple times in the past about how Superman or Batman could make sense in RWBY’s setting, and it turns out I was closer with the latter than the former - that rather than a dimension-hopping traditional crossover, this is reverse-engineering what the assorted members of the League would look like if they had always been part of Remnant ala JLA/Planetary, some of the old DC/Marvel crossovers, or the more recent Batman/The Shadow. Which actually fits really well with the series regularly evoking assorted fairy tales and mythologies with their characters; this bunch is just one more set to be added. Though that raises several more thoughts and questions:

* The solicit refers to them as Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Diana Prince, but will they actually be referred to as such in the story, and will people comment on them not fitting with the color-based naming conventions of that world? Or will they be renamed and evoke their sources purely through iconography, ala Ruby not literally being Little Red Riding Hood?

* How much will the origins of the assorted characters be changed? Batman, Cyborg, and Aquaman would all make perfect sense within the ‘rules’ of the setting with few major alterations, but will Superman still be from Krypton and Green Lantern a space ranger, or will they simply be ordinary humans with thematically reminiscent backstories and Semblances/weapons that evoke the classic powers? I think the latter could work, but I imagine the former is more likely (even if Bennett might keep it vague on some of the details to preserve the aura of mystique and avoid changing the shape of the world too radically) simply because everyone’s surely aware that fans would complain about being ‘ripped off’ for getting the characters ‘in name only’ otherwise.

* Speaking of changes to fit the setting, between being a Faunus and the apparent low-tech traditional armor look of his suit, is Bruce Wayne in here not operating from a position of wealth? You’d just think as a given the Wayne family would be easily plopped in as business rivals to the Schnees and Alfred would be on a first name basis with Klein, but it seems Bennett might have something very different in mind. Also, little disappointing he simply has a katana rather than those collapsible batarangs that turn into swords that Ellis always gave him which would fit perfectly here. And, as so many have already asked: how miserable is he every second of every day in a world where everything is also a gun. At least this isn’t a universe where anyone’s gonna think he’s irresponsible for training teenage sidekicks.

* And if we’re going into individual characters: RWBY Barry Allen is adorable, what the hell. He just looks so dopey and hapless, I sure hope he doesn’t ever have to die to stop the Anti-Monitor. We’re definitely getting a meeting with Harriet that retcons in that he’s the other person with a speed Semblance she mentioned running into, and if he’s tapping into the Speed Force then the jokes that that’s what Harriet does are probably gonna become at least a little bit canon.

* Are the Themyscirans magic, given all magic has a very important common root in this world?

* I don’t think there’s a dud redesign in the bunch? These are all really inspired in their own ways, which is good because unlikely as it seems this is I believe the first time we’ve really gotten any sort of official interpretation of “here’s what the DCU would look like as a Shonen”. Go ahead and say the hell with it and make it Earth 28, I’ve thought before making that an anime Earth would fit with the map.

(By Ag_Nonsuch)

* Bunch of obvious ways these characters can play off of each other: Ruby is paralleled with Wonder Woman on the cover, and I’m curious how Bennett will play that, but she makes most sense next to Flash, a super-fast fan made good, or Superman, a character she so deeply if unintentionally evokes on so many levels I felt I had to make clear when describing her that I didn’t solely appreciate her as a psuedo-Superman analogue. Weiss makes sense up against Batman either as a wealthy heir or a Faunus who’s likely faced his share of pain from the Schees who either way are cold perfectionists defined by inner pain stemming from their families, or Wonder Woman/Aquaman as fellow ‘royalty’. Yang is paralleled with Superman on the cover and that makes sense with the two country bruisers with issues regarding their lost parents, though she’d also make sense with Aquaman as the ‘temperamental’ members a lot of the time of their respective teams, or Cyborg as they both deal with their relationships with their bodies after requiring prosthesis. And Blake pretty much has her pick: like Superman she uses an article of clothing to ‘pass’ and shares the commitment to justice, she and Batman are dark children of privilege (or not in this case, though in this world they’re both Faunus), she and Wonder Woman both left the island homes where their people were safe to try and make the rest of the world better, she and Aquaman are both Faunus royalty, and Green Lantern is about overcoming great fear and in Jessica Cruz’s case specifically about the guilt of running away.

* Will this be entirely flashbacks to the pre-series/Beacon years, or will those be flashbacks set from a ‘present’, and if so when? What happened between the siege of Haven and the train setting off for Argus is the most loosely-defined period in the story and is right on the heels of the end of the original RWBY mini, so I’d imagine it fitting here. And given they apparently join together “to take on a force unlike anything they've seen before” rather than purely the character work of that previous book, what might that be?

* Hey, superhero comics/superpowers as an idea already exist in this universe, will that come up?

* If we can get one single scene in this and it’s going with a “yes they’re still aliens and magic and whatnot” premise I want Clark, who hasn’t thought of being Superman yet and therefore is still at least somewhat hiding his powers, being wracked with guilt over not pursuing becoming a Huntsman and therefore not being there at the Fall of Beacon. Which is a ridiculous thing to take the blame for, but of course he would, he’s Clark, culminating in trying to apologize to JNR for Pyrrha dying he feels in part because he was a coward (when they don’t even have the faintest concept for why he would think he should have been there or could have done anything).

* Once all’s said and done, how is their presence in the world justified as not being a factor in the series proper? It’s simple if they’re ‘ordinary’ analogues who can go off to quietly have adventures elsewhere, but if not then some of them either have to be shuffled off stage or presumably left with their stories incomplete, with a little afterward of “and they went on to be the greatest heroes of all...later, after the scope of team RWBY’s main adventures so that we never have to directly address them again” to avoid them becoming unavoidable major factors in the war against Salem.

In the end, will it be DC’s best comic? No, though I imagine one of their better ones this year. Will it be among the ones I look forward to most each month? Right up there with Yang and Reis’s Batman/Superman baby, this is a miracle freak of fate and I’m gonna appreciate the universe bending over backwards to make entertainment for me and me alone while it lasts. Given I finally checked out RWBY in the first place because I was curious about Bennett’s original comic, this is a heck of a full-circle moment.

#RWBY #Justice League #Batman #Flash #Wonder Woman #Superman #Green Lantern #Aquaman #Cyborg #Barry Allen #Jessica Cruz #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Blake Belladonna #Yang Xiao Long #JNPR #Marguerite Bennett #Aneke #Stephanie Pepper #Emanuela Lupacchino #Opinion

[sweet-sammy-kisses]

You’re the Only Sweet I Want

Written for day 1 of JayTim week. Prompt: Chef/Bakery Summary: It has been five years since Jason Todd has laid eyes on Tim Drake since he walked away from the Bat-family and left Gotham behind. So imagine his surprise when he is talked into visiting a bakery by Lian.

Tim Drake put his life as Red Robin behind him. He moved on beyond his heartbreak of losing his family and found a new one, or that is what he tells himself. When Jason Todd comes back into his life everything comes rushing back including his feelings for Jason.

Now that Jason has finally found Tim he doesn't plan on letting him slip through his fingers again and he is finally going to get a taste of what he has been dreaming of. Notes: This is a chapter story it will be four chapters using the first four days prompts for the JayTim week. This is also my first time writing JayTim.  Rating: it will be Mature It is also on AO3

"Hey, boss man we have another order for your mocha coffee cakes!" Owens announced as he entered the kitchen of the small bakery.

Tim Drake blinked at his friend and co-worker. "We have already sold out the ones I made this morning?" Tim knew that it was a hot seller but he didn't think they would sell out this early.

Owens grinned at Tim, taking delight in the flour that dusted his cheeks. "Yep," he made sure to pop the p in the way that he annoyed the other baker.

Pru glared at Owens, she knew he did that just because it made her eye twitch which it did. "If you bothered looking I just finished up another batch." She growled out.

Not at all effected by Pru's glare, Owens grinned at her, "Thanks, love." Picking up the new batch that had been off to the side cooling he exited through the swinging door and back out into the main part of the bakery.

Tim Drake shook his head if anyone told him five years ago that after saving Bruce from being lost in the timeline he had hung up his cape, left Gotham in the dust, and started over in San Francisco with his friends. It was completely Conner's fault that he opened up a bakery with three former assassins.

After saving Bruce Tim had found himself adrift from the those he once called family, his relationship with Dick had been torn to shreds by the actions before he left, Dick taking Robin from him, thinking he was crazy, suggesting that he go to Arkham and leading to his creditability being destroyed in the hero community. The only ones who believed him and stood by him where Conner, Bart, Cass, and Cassie after Conner talked to her.

Tim loved his brother, he truly did. Dick had been the first person to hug him and show him any kind of love to have it ripped away from him had left deep scars that still haven't healed. He thought Dick had truly thought of him as a brother but the moment Damian arrived it seemed that Dick had slowly begun replacing Tim with Damian. The fact that Dick never spoke up when Damian verbally and emotionally abused him, told him he wasn't wanted or part of the family and the fact that he stayed silent when Damian tried to kill him showed Tim how much he meant to Dick.

It hurt.

Tim had nothing left in Gotham and he had found a new family in Pru, Z, Owens and he had Conner, Cass, Cassie, Bart, Gar, and Raven. Tim might have lost the Bat-family but he had created a new family from those who cared for him, he was happy.

+*****+

Jason Todd grumbled under his breath, he couldn't believe that Kory had talked him into this. "It was a dirty trick using Lian like that." The famous and feared Red Hood brought down by a pair of doe-eyes and a sweet "Please Uncle Jay?"

Kory smiled sweetly as she turned her head to look at Jason from where she was walking ahead with Lian holding her hand and skipping along beside her. "You know I play to win, Jason."

Roy, Jason traitor of a best friend, just grinned as he flung his arm around Jason's shoulders. "Cheer up Jaybird. I heard this place is the bomb. It is like eating ambrosia itself."

Jason, who had learned to cook at the hands of Alfred Pennyworth very much doubted that. "I guess we'll see when we get there."

Roy could only shake his head, "Don't be such a food snob. Not everyone can compete with the great Alfred."

Jason had to admit that Roy had a point, "Fine I'll give this place a shot."

"I knew you would see it our way. If you didn't Lian was prepared to unleash her puppy eyes." Roy happily informed Jason who snarled at his friend smile.

So wrapped up no one noticed two sets of eyes watching them and widening when they realized where they were heading.

+*****+

Tim had just finished up his raspberry and chocolate scones that were sitting beside his chocolate-dipped strawberries ready to be taken out when a breeze blew his hair to one side. Tim let out a deep breath, he was used to Bart and Conner using their super speed to arrive at his shop. "Your stuff is its usual place."

"RedHoodStarfireRoyandLianareontheirwayhere," Bart informed Tim as he vibed in and out of his spot.

It took a second for Tim to understand Bart's words and when he did he turned a worrying shade of white.

It had been five years since he left and not one of the Bat-family but Cass had looked for him or reached out to him and now Jason Todd, Tim's Robin, his first crush was on his way here. "There has to be a mistake."

Conner, well aware of Tim's feelings for Jason shook his head. "Sorry man but we saw them with our own eyes. You don't have to see them just let Owens or Z deal with them."

Tim knew that his friends would do it without question but no he didn't want that. "No. This is my place and I am tired of hiding from them. It has been five years and while I doubt that Jason has come here actually looking for me, I want him and the others to know that I have moved on from them and they no longer have any power over me."

Conner couldn't help but grin, this was the Tim he remembers, his best friend who wouldn't let anyone walk over him. "You go! We have got your back!" Conner reassured him.

Bart nodded, "I mean I doubt we can take Red Hood but we will try." He promised.

Tim felt a smile appear on his face, he loves his friends, his family.

+*****+

"Robin's Sweets? Really?" Jason rolled his eyes, he did find it odd that the store colors were more in replacement's colors when he changed his suit to reflect on when he lost Conner.

Jason shoved the feeling of longing deep down, it had been five years since Tim disappeared from the family and Gotham after he saved Bruce. It took six months before anyone did anything. Dick had reached out to Gar and Raven of the Titans if they had seen Tim only for them to tell him that while they had Tim wanted nothing to do with them. Jason couldn't blame Tim, not after the way they treated him. Now that he was free of the pit madness he wanted nothing more to make amends with Tim. Only he couldn't find him. The only one in the family who had any clue as to where Tim was is Cass and she wasn't talking, everyone knew that Tim was her favorite.

"Brother hurt. Reach out when he wants to. Not push him."

Cass's words haunted Jason as he knew they did Dick and Bruce, he wasn't sure about Damian but the demon spawn had mellowed somewhat under Dick's teachings and he seemed to understand how he treated Tim was wrong.

All of them realized how they treated Tim was wrong. Dick carried a lot of guilt about what had happened when Bruce had been lost in the time stream. For the first year, Dick had swung from rage at himself to weepy over the fact that he lost Tim. He had gotten better but Jason knew that he still blamed himself for how he treated Tim.

Bruce, well he had shut down. Jason hadn't understood it until Alfred explained it to him.

"Master Tim was a light when Master Bruce needed it the most. Losing you sent him into a dark place and it was only Master Tim's arrival that pulled him out of it. Master Tim has done so much for this family and when he needed us the most we let him down. I let him down. I should have talked to Master Dick more when took Robin from him. I should have made sure he knew that he had my support."

Jason had never seen Alfred look so broken. It wasn't just Bruce who had lost his light so had Alfred, "Don't worry we will find baby bird and let him know how much we care about him."

Jason was pulled out of his thoughts when he was pulled into the bakery by Roy and he came to a complete stop.

The last thing Jason expected to see was three of Ra's elite assassins working the fucking counter. "What the hell are you three doing here?" Jason hissed, wishing that he had his guns and grateful that no one else was currently in the shop, he didn't want anyone to get hurt.

Kory recognizing Jason's tone gently pushed Lian behind her, ready to get her to safety if the need calls for it.

"What are you doing here Todd?" Z asked with a raised eyebrow.

"None of your freaking business." Jason made it his goal not to swear when Lian was around him.

Tensions began to rise but before anyone could do anything the long lost bird, the young man who haunted his dreams exited the kitchen with his two best friends behind him.

"Hold it! There will be no fighting in my shop!" Tim Drake growled out in his best Batman voice, one that demanded you listen to him and obey or he will kick your ass.

"Tim." Jason couldn't believe it after five long years Timothy Drake-Wayne was standing before him. Jason didn't care if Tim had dropped the Wayne from his last name he was still a Wayne and a part of the family.

"Hello, Jason." Tim could feel his heart pounding at the sight of his first love standing before him, the man he had never been able not to stop loving. "Z, you are in charge make sure that there is no fighting. Bart, get Lian the coloring books and crayons. Jason, you come with me." Tim turned on his heel and headed back into the kitchen.

Before Jason could move to follow him Conner appeared in front of him. "Hurt Tim and I will end you," Conner growled out.

Jason would admit, not out loud of course, that he was pretty impressed with Conner's guts. "I won't." He would do his best not to hurt Tim, not again.

Conner studied Jason for a few more seconds before he nodded and let Jason pass him.

Tim had his arms crossed his chest as Jason entered the kitchen. "So when can I expect the rest of the Bats to arrive?" Tim demanded to know, he wasn't sure if he was ready to see them again.

Despite the brave act he put on Jason could see a hint of fear in Tim's eyes. "They don't know you're here. Lian heard about this place and she used her doe-eyes to convince us to come here. I won't tell them you are here baby bird, that isn't my place." Jason promised and he felt his eyebrow raise when he saw a faint blush appear on Tim's face at the nickname. 'Interesting.' Jason would file that way for future use.

Letting out a sigh Tim ran his fingers through his hair, Jason never thought that he would be jealous of fingers. "I don't know why but I believe you. Come on let's join them before Lian has my employees wrapped around her little finger."

Jason let Tim go first and he found his eyes drawn to a certain part of Tim's body, he felt his mouth go dry at the way those tight jeans clung to Tim's body and highlight his ass, leaving little to the imagination and Jason had a very good imagination.

Exiting the kitchen Tim and Jason both smiled at the sight of Lian having taken command had everyone sitting around the table coloring.

Lian's face lit up at the sight of them, "Uncle Jason! Uncle Tim! Come join us!"

"You don't want to disappoint her, no do you baby bird?" Jason purred in Tim's ear as he passed him.

Tim hadn't even noticed when Jason had gotten that close to him and shivered as Jason's body brushed against his. Tim found his eyes drawn to Jason's thighs and licked his suddenly dry lips as he recalled his fantasies of riding those strong things. 'Nope now is not the time.' Tim firmly told himself as he moved to join them.

+*****+

Jason had to admit that Tim certainly knew what he was doing, "Alfred would be proud." He told Tim as he finished off the last of the caramel nut muffin he had ordered.

"Thank you." That was high praise to Tim.

"It was so good Uncle Tim," Lian added from where she was finishing up her warm brownie with ice cream, smears on chocolate on her face.

"Thank you, Lian." Tim could see why Lian had everyone wrapped around her little finger, she was adorable.

"Dude so good," Roy added as he finished off his blueberry scone.

Kory let out a moan of bliss as she finished off the last of her chocolate cheesecake, a sound that had almost everyone feeling envious of that cake.

"Yeah baby bird, we will be stopping by quite a bit while we are in the city," Jason vowed.

Tim could only stare at him, "You're staying for a while?"

Jason grin was pure sin as he leaned in closing the distance between them, "Oh yeah, there is something special I want to try but I plan on working my way up to it." Jason purred out.

Tim didn't know what to say as he watched Jason and his friends pay and then leave, he could feel the worried eyes of his friends on him. "I'm sure Jason didn't mean it. I bet they will be gone tomorrow." Tim ignored the pang in his heart at the thought of not seeing Jason again. 'No, it is for the best. Jason is part of my past that I have moved on from. It would be better if he left.'

+******+

Tim knew he was in trouble when he arrived at his bakery first thing in the morning to find Jason leaning against the wall, two cups of coffee in his hands, and a smirk on his handsome face.

"Hey baby bird, I told you I would be back." Jason wasn't leaving until he made amends with Tim and maybe got a taste of what he had been longing for.

#jaytimweek #jaytimweek2020 #jaytim #otp: be my robin #sherri writes #my ficlets

[fyeahwonderbat]

In the Middle of a Broken Constellation - Pt. 15

Pairing: WonderBat (Wonder Woman x Batman) Rating: T / 14A Universe: N/A - Reader’s Choice Previous Chapter: <- Chapter 14 

Author’s Note: This chapter is a little late because I am trying to figure out what direction to take this all in. Originally, I planned for a serious thriller of a story, but it doesn’t seem like that appeals to many readers. I worry that if I don’t have obvious WonderBat moments in most chapters, most WonderBat fans aren’t interested in the build-up of this plot. If I could get some feedback on this chapter/story, that’d be great. If people don’t like it, I can just abandon it, but I want to know what the consensus is. Thanks!

There was an itch at the back of her neck that she couldn’t seem to scratch. Diana had simmered in her fury since the night before and it made her feel like as though a rash was running over her body. Her so-called allies had spent the morning arguing with her about what they were supposed to do with Arthur’s trident, and how they should go about solving the mystery of it appearing suddenly in the back of Falcone’s shipping truck. The team she had collected to help Bruce suddenly turned against her when she arose that morning, with Dick’s words still ringing in her ears. “You’re here because you’re worried about Bruce, right? Let us worry about Aquaman.”

Couldn’t she be worried about more than one of her friends at the same time!?

As devastating as the sludge monster infestation had been, the situation had simmered down considerably after Bruce stopped fulfilling his role as Batman. However, once she had decided to move into Gotham and participate in a solution, more and more concerns kept popping up every day. She had confessed to Jason how overwhelming everything had become, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be excluded from anything. Perhaps finding Arthur and Barry would lead to helping Bruce, which was definitely an area of interest for her.

“Ah, I was just about to go looking for you,” said none other than the billionaire she’d been thinking of, surprising her as he stood in the open doors of the elevator at Wayne Tower. Diana hadn’t realized that she’d been so deep in thought, she’d nearly missed her chance to exit the car. As startled as she was to see him, Bruce looked undeniably smug to catch her off guard for a moment. “I almost thought you’d called in sick or something.”

“No,” she promised a little too quickly. Diana fixed her rose-colored dress despite its loose fit while Bruce joined her in the elevator. He pressed the button marked forty-two and watched the doors shut at a rather sluggish pace. It was when she tried to peek over at him did she recall the pair of glasses she’d brought with her. Staring down at her clutch as she held it tightly under her arm, she knew she’d want to bring them out as soon as they sat down in his office.

“Did you manage to get any sleep last night?” Bruce inquired, breaking the silence.

Looking over at him with a pleasant smile, Diana answered him honestly. “Actually, I did. Only a few hours, though.”

He released a hefty breath, looking much more flummoxed than he had yesterday when she’d returned from the hospital. “That’s more than I expected. I can’t imagine what you went through in there.” Bruce admitted softly.

Despite his genuine attempt at empathy, his words actually struck her deeply. He did know what that kind of battle was like – the ones where you feel powerless in the face of an unknown enemy, where any slip up could be the end of you. The Bruce Wayne she knew had so much more experience with these types of matters than he ever gave himself credit for, however, he could probably imagine exactly what she’d been through with one of his many adversaries from his rogue gallery. Hearing him speak with such a lack of awareness of his own life experience left her speechless for the rest of their time in the elevator.

Luckily, the ride to the forty-second floor was rather swift.

They stepped out of the car in sync with one another, each with their right foot first. There was a large desk for a pool of secretarial staff divided by a hallway, leading to an impressive pair of black doors that was only a few feet beyond them. “Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne.” A chorus of voices greeted him, and a wall of sound collided with Diana as they passed the group.

“Afternoon.” He answered them emotionlessly. Instead of devoting a moment of his time to his staff, Bruce walked with a noticeable impatience down the length of the hall. When his hand reached the doors, he threw them open as if he was tapping into the strength of the Batman. Diana felt the rush to enter his office and heard the doors close behind her just as much as she felt them. “Someone’s eager to get started.” She was compelled to tease his sudden forcefulness.

Then, she looked around his office with wide eyes. The motif of the floor-to-ceiling windows was carried throughout the building it seemed, from the lobby to Lucius’ conference room to Bruce’s personal space. The walls were decorated with spliced shelves in the shapes of shadowboxes, some containing books while some held cultured accessories. His desk was the same wooden color, a deep brown shade contrasting the brightness brought in by the natural light of the sun. It was a modern room that was particular cold if she focused on it for a moment too long. But that was very Bruce-like, she acknowledged.

To appear distant while trying to be progressive.

Diana strolled over to her seat in front of his desk, loving the echo she heard from her steps. Bruce noticed right away, and even dared to make a joke. “Glad to know you had another pair of heels at home to wear, after losing your shoes yesterday.”

It made her feel much more comfortable to hear him say something so ridiculous. “My belongings haven’t arrived yet so I had to make sure I had at least one more pair of shoes on hand. Although, I was more concerned about one of the heels breaking, not losing them at a hospital.”

“Well, let’s get through this report quickly then, so we can go out and get you some more.” Bruce suggested while he clicked away on his computer, most likely searching for the forms they’d need to fill out.

“Mr. Wayne,” Diana stopped him right there with a sharp pronunciation of his name, “I really don’t need you to buy me anything.”

His fingers froze over his keyboard. Slowly, he turned to look at her and she immediately recognized the challenge in his eyes. It appeared as though defiance was a natural trait for Bruce Wayne, no matter what he could or could not remember. As he spun his body to face her in his seat, he brought his palms together and clasped them tightly, presenting himself as a firm, unmoving boss. “I thought we agreed yesterday that your belongings would be replaced by the Wayne Corporation, as an apology for the horrible incident you endured yesterday.”

“We did,” she agreed easily enough. Sitting up straight, however, allowed her to emit a strikingly powerful air as well. “But after careful deliberation, I realized that if I accepted your offer, it could look like favoritism for your new hire and could create animosity between me and my peers.”

“Why? I’m not going to tell them.” Was the reply of the CEO.

“That’s not the point.”

“Look, Diana, we replace many people’s belongings here all the time. From company pens to affordable housing, I’ve given out a lot of money. After what you went through yesterday, I doubt anyone would accuse you of taking advantage of the company if we offered you shoes in exchange for you not suing us over your first day on the job. Without any kind of insurance, there a lot of people who would do much worse than by taking our kindhearted gesture of a trip to a boutique--”

“But it’s not ‘we’.” Diana pointed out.

“What?” Unafraid to look unpolished, his expression of confusion shifted the entire look of his face.

Refusing to back down, she pressed on. “It’s not ‘we’, Mr. Wayne. It’s you. You’re offering me this kindhearted gesture verbally.”

Again, just as aloof as a CEO should not be, he answered, “So?”

It infuriated Diana to no end that he could be so full of himself whenever it best suited him. That itchy feeling crawled up her spines and rushed over her shoulders, forcing her to sit up straight to lessen the sensation. “There is most definitely a conflict of interests, then!”

There was an impenetrable pause after she shouted at him, so obvious that it made her bite back saying anything else. It was embarrassing that he managed to get a rise out of her over something she believed shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place. His ability to rile her up was yet another facet of his personality that was forever a part of him. What she wouldn’t give to spar with him in that moment!

As if he heard her internal wish, Bruce arose from his seat and walked around the length of his desk to meet her. He sat himself down in the seat next to her, silently observing her as he moved. It took him a moment too long to speak, in her opinion, when he finally responded to her claim. “I respect you, Diana.”

Unprepared for his sincerity, she didn’t have a response ready for him.

So, he continued. “I can appreciate how aware you are of your situation here, but you have to understand something: I’m not asking you for permission here.” “Mr. Wayne—!”

“Were you on company time when you lost your shoes? Were you doing something that pertained to your job here? Were you put in harm’s way while fulfilling your role as the Community Outreach Specialist for the Wayne Foundation? Yes? Then I have every right as both your boss’ boss and the man who funds that hospital more than anyone else in the world to do what I want. Now, you can either come with me and pick out a specific pair of shoes or trust my judgment, even though I do not claim to be a fashion expert. You don’t want me wasting hundreds of dollars on ugly heels, do you?”

For a few moments, she sat in awe of his argument. Then, she regained her consciousness and spat out, “You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever met.”

“Only when I need to be.” He smirked at her, proud of himself.

Eager to deflate him, she muttered, “I highly doubt that.”

Bruce hadn’t expected that response and nearly expressed his shock with a gaping mouth. Luckily for him, he caught himself before looking like a total fool, ready to blurt out the next obnoxious thing that came to mind. “If I wrote up a contract and we signed something physical, would that make you feel better?”

“It would make me feel ridiculous but much less ridiculous than if I simply agreed to your words.” She explained.

“Great,” Bruce sighed and immediately spun his computer screen around on his desk. Grabbing his wireless keyboard, he sat back in his seat, opened an empty document that was drawn up with a contract-like template, then began filling in the blanks with the terms they’d set. “I, Bruce Wayne, agree to replace the missing belongings of Diana Prince. Said belongings were damaged and have gone missing after an incident that occurred yesterday afternoon at Gotham General Hospital. The list of items to be replaced includes one pair of woman’s heels, one woman’s handbag, one cellphone…” “One set of car keys,” Diana added, trying her hardest not to laugh. She realized she had lied when she said it would feel less ridiculous to have a physical copy of their agreement. It felt like they were teenagers that need the law to act as their parents, ready to intervene if things became obscure.

With a brow arched, he turned to her and asked specifically, “How many keys need to be replaced?” Unable to hide her awkwardness, Diana accidentally chastised him personally. “Bruce!”

He didn’t appear disappointed by her usage of his name. Instead, he looked as though he was relieved to know she found the entire situation as hilarious as he did. “And one set of car keys. It is the responsibility of Mr. Wayne to provide transportation to and from any shops visited, as well as any meal that is consumed whilst shopping. When Miss Prince is satisfied with the purchases, Mr. Wayne is to escort her home.”

Diana leaned over the armrest of her chair. It was her turn to add her own legalities to the contract since her name would be on it too. Making sure she spoke with proper articulation, she stated, “Should Mr. Wayne fail to fulfill any of his obligations, he must provide Miss Prince with one week of paid vacation to any destination she chooses, all expenses paid.”

“What? What happened to being too virtuous to take any money from me?” Bruce complained immediately, indignation heard in his tone.

“A contract has clauses, you know. I’m merely protecting myself in our agreement.” She claimed, all while visibly fighting off the urge to smile. After the way he made her feel when he fought her polite refusal of his gift, it was nice to turn things around on him.

That would only last a moment or two, however. Typing furiously, Bruce read aloud what his clause would say in their contract. “Should Miss Prince refuse a replacement for all of her belongs, the transportation to and from any shops visited, the meal consumed whilst shopping and/or the escort to her home, Miss Prince will be required to…attend the 37th Martha Wayne Charity Auction.”

Instantly, Diana cocked her head to one side. “That doesn’t sound at all like a punishment.”

“Trust me,” Bruce scoffed as he typed away. “It is.”

“When is it?”

“Next weekend.”

“Alright, I don’t have any plans.” Diana accepted the terms, sliding back into a proper seat. Having attended many galas and high society parties in her day, she knew that some could be rather mundane, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t survive.

Whereas Bruce would most likely suffer internally for years if she bested him and managed to get a free vacation out of their inane contract.

“By signing below, both parties indicate that they have read, reviewed and agree to the terms of this contract.” Bruce declared. Once he was finished typing, he stood up, returned his keyboard to his desk, and signed his signature on the touch screen of his computer. Following his example, Diana arose from her chair and did the same. Since the computer was positioned off to the side, she was forced to lean forward and cross over his personal space in order to reach the screen. She scribbled her name as quick as can be before looking up at him, shooting him a confident grin of her own.

But when she met his gaze, she didn’t see the jovial man she had been teasing a moment ago. The confidence that radiated off of him was something she’d seen before, in meetings where he would get his way, in moments where he could put down even the strongest Metahumans in the Justice League. She moved carefully so as to preserve the image in her mind, as it encouraged her to see the version of Bruce Wayne she was trying to save. The Batman existed inside of him even if she couldn’t reach him directly.

But this version of him, the one she would be spending her day with, had the charms of Bruce that she wasn’t always privy to.

Face to face, she saw a glint in his eyes that was mischievous, no matter how fleeting it was. He cleared his throat and offered her his hand, but Diana didn’t take it right away. She couldn’t help but feel like she was searching more, like she was greedy for… something. Everything she was doing – everything she had done with her civilian life and all of her resources as Wonder Woman – was all geared towards this enigma of a man. Having him next to her, alone, where she could truly marvel at the person he was beneath the Kevlar and the trickery was worth more than any pair of shoes they’d find at the mall.

And it made her feel flush in a way she didn’t dare acknowledge while standing with him in his office.

Carefully, she shook his hand and offered a cordially smile. Then, she said. “Before we can move on to fulfilling the promises of the contract, we have a report to fill out first, right?”

Bruce withdrew his hand and stomped around his desk in the blink of an eye. The absence of his presence was felt right away, but it was the coldness of his answer that stood out to her. “Yes, of course.” He dropped into his seat, fixated himself with his computer and began setting up the report file. It didn’t shock her to see him retreat into himself, but Diana noticed right away that it wasn’t such a harsh separation as she was used to with him.

Maybe, once the old Bruce returned to her, some of these softer traits of his would remain.

Maybe.

#in the middle of a broken constellation #maiden writes #wonderbat #diana prince #bruce wayne

[thereluctantinquisitor]

“You–uh–spooked…my heart.” for Dorlen because honestly I can actually SEE Varlen saying that line xD

Pfff this is PERFECT VARLEN DIALOGUE indeed! Many thanks, friend!

Pavellan. Dorian Pavus x Varlen Lavellan (approx 1500 words)

“Come on, Varlen –dance, yeah? Get out there! Shake your butt or something!”

The sound Varlen madein response to Sera’s urging was akin to a wounded animal begging for the sweetrelease of death. He shook his head, a tall drink of something in one hand, the other fighting for freedom as Seratugged it insistently towards the dance floor. “I don’t want to,” hecomplained, attempting the subtle art of wriggling free without spilling hisdrink. “I just want to drink and go home, Sera. You’re the one who wanted toparty.”

Fixing him with a flatgaze, Sera heaved a sigh and released him dramatically, the way one drops asoggy sock. “What, so you got all dressed up and stuff just to decorate thewall?” She gestured to Varlen’s costume, one brow arched so high it nearlyvanished beneath her fringe. “Can’t have been easy wriggling your way into that.”

In a sense, she wasn’twrong, but it really hadn’t been Varlen’s fault. At the last minute, he hadordered a batman suit online, but when it finally arrived… well…

Let’s just say he hada whole new appreciation for catwoman.

“I can’t dance in this,” he protested, gesturing at theoutfit. “I can barely breathe in this!” He groped around behind him, then brandisheda long, thin strip of black fabric. “I have a tail.”

“Pshh.” Sera justrolled her eyes. “Be grateful you’re not in heels or nothing! Now go on. Tenminutes.” She nudged him in the ribs playfully, swapping to a sing-song voice.“Dance for just ten minutes and I’llstop bugging you…”

Some battles were notdesigned to be won. Varlen let out a tight breath – mostly courtesy of the suit– and took a long, deep, steadying drink. “Fine,” he gasped once he had drainedalmost half the glass, swiping his mouth with the back of his hand and slappingit down on a nearby table. “Ten minutes. Then I’m going home and peeling myselflike a banana.”

Sera snorted at that,giving him a push in the direction of the dancefloor with the heel of her palm.“Go get ‘em, tiger.”

“No stripes. Not funny.”

“Sourpuss.”

The dancefloor was asmuch of a nightmare as Varlen had anticipated. He winced, music throbbing loudas a heartbeat on a silent night, and he swore his own was breaking its properrhythm to match that of the bass. It was always an uncomfortable sensation, particularlythe more he thought about it, but he reasoned he only had to put up with it forten minutes.

What could possiblyhappen in ten minutes?

He started to move;small, awkward steps at first, not entirely sure how to dance to thatparticular style of music. It was so fast that he doubted it had been designedfor human beings. But he gave it his best, certain that Sera was lurkingsomewhere just outside the dancefloor, watching, making sure he upheld his endof the bargain. More people joined in the fray, and soon there were bodiespressed tight against Varlen, blocking his view of pretty much everything butsweaty skin and the alarming amount of fake blood. Always with the fake blood. Monsters and ghouls and sexypretty-much-everything jumped, bounced, raised their arms and shook their hair aroundhim. Varlen tried to share their enthusiasm – to lose himself in the cacophonyof noise and sweat - but fell so far short of the mark that he wasn’t even sureit existed.

It was all too much.The heat, the bodies, the loud, thumping, angry music. The catsuit. Varlen was pretty sure he might sweat himself into a stateof dehydration if he didn’t extract himself from the makeshift mosh-pit soon,so he started wriggling, trying to push his way through an imaginary gap. Hewasn’t short by any means, but the press was a difficult thing to fight. Justas he was considering dropping to the ground and waiting for some burly mandressed as the Hulk to notice and carry him to safety, someone grabbed him bythe shoulder and pulled sharply backwards.

Yelping, Varlentipped, throwing his arms out but meeting little more than the forearms andwaists of the other dancers. Just as he began picturing his fate, trampled to deathby Sexy Spongebob, he was caught beneath the arms and extracted from the thronglike a child from a pool, and probably twice as soaked. Gasping, Varlen pulledout of the person’s grasp and whirled, ready to give whoever had manhandled hima piece of his mind. But the angry tirade lived a short and futile life at theback of his throat, dying before it even reached his lips.

Standing before him,tall and dark and dazzling, was the most beautiful Grim Reaper Varlen had everseen.

Death – because Varlendid not know his name – flashed him a smile, raising his hands in a placatinggesture. “Apologies. You seemed a mite distressed. I thought I might lend ahand.” To emphasise the point, he turned one gloved hand, revealing theembellishment that gave it the appearance of something skeletal. Varlen wasstill reeling from the shock of being faced with quite possibly the mosthandsome man in existence, but Death clearly took his silence as a bad sign.“I… hope I did not frighten you, snatching you like that. Small window ofopportunity, you see. It was then or never, lest you succumb to the undulatingmasses.”

Blinking, Varlenregained a modicum of composure and shook his head, a blush crawling up hisneck. Or perhaps it was heat stroke. Hard to tell in a catsuit. “N-No! No,that’s not… I wasn’t—”

Say something charming, the voice in Varlen’s head screamed as hestammered through the sentence. Look himin those gorgeous grey eyes and be witty you lycra-swathed muppet!

“— You–uh–spooked…myheart.”

Sometimes, Varlentruly wondered why he ever left the house. The blush that had been lingering onhis neck boiled up to the tip of his ears and Varlen winced, reaching to hidehis face in his hands. Oh god. What wasthat? Spooked my heart?!?

Then… laughter. Lowand amused and almost… fond. In sheerdisbelief, Varlen lowered his hands and fixed Death with a hesitant look, apart of him certain the man was about to mock him and stride away. It would bewell-deserved, all things considered, so he braced himself for it.

But instead,quartz-grey eyes caught Varlen’s, and a smile spread across that handsome face.“Well… that is undeniably a new one,I will give you that,” he said, echoes of laughter chasing the words from hislips. “I have always found myself rather drawn to originality.” His gazeflicked down, a brow rising in what was either approval or horror. Or both. “My.That is an… interesting choice incostume. Bold, if I do say so myself.”

Varlen felt the urgeto wrap himself in a towel or something. At that point, being naked wouldprobably be preferably – at least he wouldn’t be so damn hot. But considering he did not have a towel or enough time to freehimself from his lycra prison, he did the next best thing.

He planted his handson his hips, struck a pose, and owned it.

“You like it, huh?” heasked, the redness of his face doing its best to betray his attempt at bravado.“Figured I’d try something a little different, y’know? Shake it up a bit. Rockthe catsuit.”

Death arched his brow,but the smile never left his face, even as his gaze drifted back up from itsappreciative lingering to rest on Varlen’s face. “Oh, I do,” he replied simply, in a voice smooth as velvet. “I imaginethat was quite the task to slip into. And out of.” He blinked, as thoughremembering himself, and held out one skeletal hand. “Where are my manners; DorianPavus.” He smirked. “I would have you know the name of your mysterious rescuer.After all, I intend to take full, unashamed credit.”

Varlen grinned, takinghis hand. “Not so mysterious, now that I know who you are,” he remarkedplayfully. “I’m Varlen. Thanks for the save back there. It was getting a littleclose for comfort.”

They smiled at eachother. Shook. Stopped shaking. But for whatever reason, neither man let go. Amoment passed, then two, the pair of them just standing there, staring at theirclasped hands, the music thumping, the dancers cheering and jumping andspinning, the lights blazing past to the rhythm of the DJs booth. Yet, even asthe ‘shake’ stretched well beyond the point of traditional comfort, neitherseemed even slightly willing to break contact.

“Do—” Dorian began.

“— you want to get outof here?” Varlen finished hurriedly. Both men broke into matching chuckles, andDorian nodded, a glittering sharpness to his gaze that made Varlen’s knees goweak.

“Excellent.” Heturned, throwing back his cloak, gesturing gracefully towards the door with thehand not currently holding Varlen’s. “Now… care for a date with Death?”

Varlen’s grin justgrew wider. “Hell yes.”

#dragon age fanfiction #pavellan #dorian pavus #varlen lavellan #dorian x lavellan #dorlen #sera #modern au #halloween prompts #it has been a while since I wrote about these two #it seems in any universe they are destined to meet #even with Varlen's unfortunate costume mix-up #;D #<3 #thank you for the prompt! #reluctant replies #reluctant writes #kurosmind

[masteroftherebels]

Taken by Storm

I was experiencing some pretty intense (for me) anxiety today about tornadoes and @drabblemeister​ ( ilu to pieces ;_; ) encouraged me to write about it through a character.  I picked Steph and this is the result.  

Summary: Steph experiences some frustrating anxiety.  Jason is kind of rude, but still helpful. Rating: T Word Count: 1.7k Characters: Stephanie Brown and Jason Todd Pairing: None (or if JasonSteph is a thing you like, feel free to interpret it as such)

Fic on AO3

~~~

The chills spread out from her spine, tingling spindles grazing across the fine hairs to pull them on end, tripping over her ribs and rolling in a wave up over her shoulders, then down through her thighs. Pale, off-color light squeezing through the window slats glows across Steph’s ratty sleep shirt, highlighting the shallow rise and fall of her chest.  The window panes rattle angrily from a thunderous crash outside, and when the rain suddenly rushes violently at the glass, she forcibly stops her hands from curling into fists, thumbs rubbing anxiously against forefingers the only thing betraying her tense reaction.

Noticing the tell, Steph grimaces and rolls to her side on the bed, fixing silvery-blue eyes on the nasty weather outside.  Two fingers fall in a soft press to the inside of her wrist, the motion almost unconscious, and the frustration suffuses her entire mind at the quick bump tha-bump of her anxious heartbeat.  Another bone-trembling rumble of thunder shakes the apartment building to the very foundations, and she grits her teeth tightly enough to hurt.

  “You are a freaking adult, Steph.  Get a handle,” she mutters out.  She’ll never not be irritated by how stressed severe weather makes her, considering there is literally no basis for her anxiety.  It’s not like she ever had a traumatic experience as a child.  But her imagination was certainly getting more vivid with age, pulling into crystal clarity visions of crumbling buildings and flash floods sweeping people helplessly along; she had made a fine art of psyching herself out to the point of sickness.

  She isn’t even going to begin to wonder at what Batman, or god forbid Robin , would have to say about her childish reaction to a storm .  It’s bad enough that she’s mad with herself, she doesn’t need to be hearing that whiny little brat snarking at her.   Pathetic, Brown.  A little heavy rain and you’re completely useless.

  Her upper lip curl of disdain is tainted slightly with a grudging fondness for her youngest teammate, and the thought of Damian briefly settles the high-chested breathlessness that had been threatening to overtake her for the last few minutes.  She bites her tongue the next moment, jolting at another mountainous cacophony of thunder, followed by a sharp slash of lightning that disperses a startling brightness into every corner of her room for a split second.

  “Ugh, enough!” She swings to her feet, flipping the covers tangled about her calves away with a fierce snap.  Her bare heels strike the ground with purpose as she strides across the few feet to the windows, twisting her fingers around the pullstring and yanking the cheap plastic blinds up in a clattering rush.  Steph grips the narrow window ledge and stares through the drop-strewn glass at nothing in particular.

  The next pound of thunder feels like it’s unhinging the building itself, and she stubbornly accepts the vibrations shaking up through her arms, breathing in deeply as the sensation resonates all the way into her chest.  Her eyelids flutter slightly, letting herself drift on the feelings.   I have this , she recites to herself.   Rain is just rain.  I am stronger than some flipping wa- “Holy-!”

  The knock on her window, right in front of her face, nearly launches her out of her own skin, and she stumbles back, eyes wild, heart racing, as the imposingly large and hulking body of Red Hood crouches on her fire escape, red mask staring in at her.  “You asshole!” The expletive is greeted with the most smugly mocking head tilt Steph’s ever witnessed, and when she moves forward to drag the window up jerkily in its track, she barely restrains the temptation to shove him backwards.  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Getting drenched, is what.” Jason gestures over her shoulder.  “Let me in, doll face, before I’m forced to drag you out here with me.” When Steph doesn’t move but for a narrowing of her eyes, he starts reaching out.  “Suit yourself.  I’m sure the neighbors will appreciate a little bit of Funshine Bear on this oh-so-dreary day.”

  At the words, Steph inhales sharply and spins away from the window, flattening herself to the wall in a panic.  How she’s completely forgotten that she’s only wearing an old Gotham Uni shirt and underwear covered in sparkling Care Bear print is beyond her, but she drops to the ground and gropes for just about anything to wear in her dirty laundry pile as Jason climbs in with a delighted laugh, shutting out the rain and weather with a soft snick of the window latch.

  “God, you’re the worst,” Steph gripes, hopping slightly to yank a pair of violet shorts over her hips, glaring at the home invader as he starts pressing a sequence of releases on his helmet.  “It’s like you actively try to piss off everyone around you.”

  “Just another one of the many fabulous services I provide to unwilling customers.” Jason grins at her, propping his helmet between a sharp hip and elbow, rubbing his free hand roughly through his hair to loosen up the flatness from having it trapped against his head.

  Refusing to cross her arms and look defensive, Steph arches an eyebrow at him.  “So?”

  Jason’s lips twitch at the impatient prompt, and gazes back at her.  “So...Care Bears, huh?”

  “You!” Steph snatches the nearest semi-soft object (a tofu-shaped plushie Cass had gifted her from her most recent trip to China) and chucks it with perfect aim at his face.  It wasn’t nearly satisfying enough, as he smacked it away with a careless hand and smirk before it could connect.  “Don’t think you have the high road here.  I’ve seen those Wonder Woman boxers you think no one knows about.”

  Jason balks slightly, before recovering with a sniff.  “I like strong women, so sue me.” But Steph knows she’s applied the perfect leverage, because he rolls his eyes and stumps over to her desk chair, rolling it out and slumping down.

  Eyeing him uncertainly for a moment - Steph likes Jason well enough, but he’s sometimes a bit hard to decipher - she opens her mouth to ask again why he’s chosen today when a stark reminder of her earlier apprehension clatters through the room with a staccato roar.  Her entire body stiffens, eyes flicking to the windows as she re-registers the storm pouring down onto the streets below.

  She turns back in time to catch Jason watching her thoughtfully, and immediately feels caught in the act despite having done nothing wrong.  “What?” The word is thrown out with a heated edge of indignation that is more revealing of her unease than she’d like.

  Jason looks at her for a moment longer, before shrugging and leaning his head back and forth on his neck to crack it a couple times.  “Nothing.  Just thought you might like some company today.”

  Rather than accept the oddly generous statement, Steph’s already strained nerves snag on a single word.  “What’s so special about today?”

  Jason rocks a bit in the chair before toeing it into a gentle spin.  Nodding to the window, he says, “You know.  The weather.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her words are stilted at best, and she’s already annoyed with herself for being so guarded.  Realistically, she doesn’t mind the company, and she’s not necessarily upset with the idea that Jason knows about her currently mess of feelings; it would appear she’s been around far too many repressed Bats lately though, and the defiant denial in the face of freely given assistance seems to be catching.

  Jason sees the resistance, that much is obvious, but in a moment of inverse character that momentarily surprises Steph, chooses not to comment on it.  Instead, he explains, “I heard you mention to Tim that you don’t like storms.”

  This pulls Steph up short.

  Brows drawing together, her lips pull down as she tries to recall when she’d said anything of the sort.  Her mind calls up a memory from a few months prior, when Red Robin had noticed her tension during a particularly nasty storm that the three of them had all been taking temporary shelter from on patrol.  She’d laughed it off as both Reds watched her, waving away their interest with a flippant, “Ah, it’s nothing.  Vivid imagination about storms, is all.”

  Steph stares at the vigilante twirling in circles on her chair, wondering what universe warp hole she’s fallen into that Jason “Emotionally Repressed” Todd has picked up on the fact that crazy weather freaks her out from such a small statement.

  “How did you-” she bites the question off.  Correcting herself, she grumbles at him, “Why do you care?  It’s not like you’re here to commiserate.” The jerk isn’t afraid of storms, and she’ll be damned if she’s going to give him any fodder for blackmail later on.

  Jason’s lips part, hesitating a moment before he offers grimly, “I have a bit of experience with disliking loud, explosive noises.”

  Steph frowns in confusion, about to question him, but then it hits her.   The warehouse .  Steph grimaces, and all at once feels like an ass.  Her face droops sadly at the reminder, and when she starts to apologize, Jason scowls at her.

  “ Anyway ,” he interrupts, rolling his eyes at her puppy dog expression.  “I’m here to hang for a bit.  So get your little Funshine butt moving and pick a movie.” Jason throws his thumb over a shoulder at her pile of DVDs stacked precariously beside her beloved PlayStation 2.

  Giving him a dirty look for the underwear reference, Steph only hesitates a second before padding over to her movie selection and running a finger over the titles.  Pausing, she glances at Jason.  “Princess Bride?”

  Jason snorts and then waves a hand in vague acceptance.  “Classic.  Let’s do this.”

  With a grin, Steph whips it out from near the bottom of the stack and boots everything up.  Snatching her pillows and a blanket from the bed, she settles comfortably on the carpeted floor near Jason’s chair.  

  As the movie rolls and Steph starts to buckle over from laughing at Jason’s ongoing litany of perfectly timed quotes and horrifically bad impressions of the actors accompanying the images on screen, she barely pays any more notice to the raging storm outside.

#Stephanie Brown #Jason Todd #anxiety #batfamily

[itsjaybullme]

21 Actors John Wick Should Fight in ‘John Wick 3'

1 of 15

Peter/Barcroft Images/Barcroft Media, Mike Pont/FilmMagic, VCG/VCG

Keanu Reeves is gearing up to start production on John Wick: Chapter 3, which will be released in 2019. That's right: John Wick is officially back for a third go-around.

But after battling against actors like Adrianne Palicki, Alfie Allen, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, and countless unnamed bad guys in the first two films, Reeves needs some new blood (literally) for the cast of the sequel.

So: Who will he fight this time?

Reeves does most of his own stunts, dating back to his days on The Matrix, and the John Wick series is no different.

“There’s an incredible stuntman who doubles John Wick,” Reeves told Men's Fitness in March. “They hit him with a car. He’s standing there, and they hit him—that’s a stunt. Me? I’ll shoot some guns, flip some people—and that’s action. So, yeah, I do as much action as I possibly can, because I love it—and I love the opportunity to bring the audience along. I want to be able to do everything. Since The Matrix, I’ve used this term, ‘superperfect.’ As in, ‘Can we get it superperfect?’ That’s part of what makes [a great action film] a pressure cooker. It’s the intensity of just trying to do the best you can in the circumstances that you have.”

Here’s a look at who you think John Wick should battle against in Chapter 3, ranked according to their action-movie experience, skill at portraying villains, and cinematic track record.

2 of 15

Tom Hardy

TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images

After transforming his body for films like The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior, Venom, and Mad Max: Fury Road, Hardy could easily get the look of an uber-assassin taking on John Wick. Between playing a villain in Bane and doing some intense MMA and kickboxing training for Venom, the British badass already has a head start on the “gun-fu” moves of John Wick. Plus, we already know he loves dogs. He’d fit right in.

3 of 15

Jason Statham

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

The Fate of the Furious and Expendables star would have no trouble sliding into the world of John Wick. Statham has played badass villains in the past, fought against stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and he has the action movie fight skills to go with it. Adding his mix of roguish British charm to the franchise would make for pure entertainment. Need proof? Here’s Statham's most shredded Instagram posts.

4 of 15

Dave Bautista

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

Letting the former WWE superstar and current Guardians of the Galaxy actor let loose in the world of John Wick could make for one of the most entertaining fight scenes in Hollywood history. Dave Bautista would be a challenging physical presence for John Wick, considering how massively jacked he is, and his comedic timing could make him just the right kind of over-the-top-villain for Chapter 3. Bautista has experience playing the bad guy, having starred as the James Bond villain Mr. Hinx in Spectre, as well as in The Man with the Iron Fists and the Kickboxer reboot.

5 of 15

Idris Elba

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

Between kickboxing in real life and taking down Norse gods in the Thor series (and likely the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War), Idris Elba would have no problem handling himself against John Wick. For as many good guys he’s played over the years, Elba has played some fantastic villains during his career, including Stringer Bell on The Wire, Tango in American Gangster, and Krall in Star Trek Beyond, so being a bad guy would come naturally for this potential future James Bond.

6 of 15

Liam Neeson

Mike Pont/FilmMagic

With his late-career turn into a badass action star, Liam Neeson could bring some major gravitas to the John Wick series, thanks to a “particular set of skills” he picked up from the Taken franchise. Neeson has kicked ass in movies like The Grey, Run All Night, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Non-Stop, The A-Team, and in the upcoming 2018 film The Commuter. He has some experience being a villain, including his iconic turn as Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins.

7 of 15

Scott Adkins

VCG/VCG via Getty Images

The martial arts expert would be perfect for John Wick: Chapter 3. The British-born actor has multiple black belts in various disciplines, is as shredded as anyone in Hollywood, and he has experience playing a villain, starring as Jean-Claude Van Damme’s sidekick in The Expendables 2. Adkins has made his career starring in B-type action movies like Accident Man, Hard Target 2, Triple Threat, and Boyka: Undisputed, and that’s kind of the genre/DNA that runs through the John Wick movies.

We know Adkins would have no trouble training for the role, based on these 17 Instagram moments.

8 of 15

Jon Bernthal

ason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Playing The Punisher wouldn’t be the worst way to prepare to enter the John Wick universe. Between the action and the gunplay, Jon Bernthal would feel right at home after working as Frank Castle for the Marvel series on Netflix. Bernthal has the experience (and jawline) to play a villain, too: The actor has played a bad guy in projects like Shot Caller, The Walking Dead, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

9 of 15

Denzel Washington

Susana Gonzalez/Getty Images

Okay, fine: Though the Academy Award winner might not be the first name that crops up when it comes to “action movie villains,” Denzel Washington actually would fit in pretty well. He won an Oscar as the heavy in Training Day, and over the years he’s starred in his fair share of morally cloudy movies, including Man on Fire, The Equalizer, The Taking of Pelham 123, 2 Guns, The Magnificent Seven, and Safe House. Bringing Washington’s gravitas to the John Wick series would make for a fun hero-villain dynamic. (Look, you guys suggested his name. We're just taking the idea seriously.)

10 of 15

Jet Li

CG/VCG via Getty Images

Adding a martial arts legend to the world of John Wick would likely make Keanu Reeves very happy. Reeves is a self-professed martial arts nerd, he could have a fight for the ages against someone like Li. While Li doesn’t do much acting in the U.S. anymore, he starred in all three Expendables films. He's also made a few heel turns of his own, portraying ass-kicking villains in Lethal Weapon 4 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

11 of 15

Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving

Ronald Siemoneit/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images, Warner Brothers/Get

We'll say it: We love this idea. Reeves already reunited with Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne in John Wick: Chapter 2—so why not go all-in and make Chapter 3 another Matrix reunion? Both Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss have Matrix fight training under their belts. Weaving has played plenty of stony villains besides Agent Smith— remember Red Skull in the first Captain America movie? Moss is no slouch herself, and these days you can see her on the Netflix/Marvel series The Defenders as high-powered attorney Jeri Hogarth. This tag team could give Reeves the challenge he needs to take John Wick: Chapter 3 to the next level.

12 of 15

Tom Cruise

Pierre Suu/GC Images

The superstar actor has as much action experience under his belt as anyone in Hollywood, and joining John Wick would give Tom Cruise a chance to go against type by playing a bad guy. On top of that, Cruise would absolutely be game for fight scenes—he’s proven with the Mission: Impossible series that he has no problem doing his own stunts. (Cruise climbed one of the biggest buildings in the world and was strapped to the outside of a plane while it was taking off while filming the Impossible series.) Yes: Some badass fight scenes with Keanu Reeves would probably be a joy for Cruise.

13 of 15

Joe Manganiello

Doug Inglish

He’s got the size and he’s got the look: Joe Manganiello knows how to wear a suit, and with muscles like he has, Keanu Reeves would have his hands full with a Manganiello villain. The former Men’s Fitness cover star just took the mantle of one of the most badass villains in comic book history after appearing as Deathstroke in Justice League, and he has action film experience after appearing in movies like Sabotage and the upcoming Rampage, alongside superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

14 of 15

Michael Jai White

Noel Daganta

The John Wick producers could save a bunch of money if they brought in Michael Jai White as one of the villains. The Spawn and Dark Knight actor has been training in martial arts since he was a teen, and he has no fewer than eight—count ‘em, eight!— black belts in a range of disciplines, including Taekwondo, Kobudo, and Goju Ryu. Jai White is buddies with Scott Adkins, having co-starred with the actor in Accident Man and Triple Threat, so he could try and bring over his friend for a villainous duo to go up against John Wick.

  15 of 15

The Best of the Rest

John Parra/WireImage, Isa Foltin/Getty Images for Sony Pictures, Gisela Schober/Getty Images

Here’s a look at the rest of the suggestions:

Jack Gleeson - Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen a.k.a. Theon Greyjoy already starred in the first John Wick, so why not bring in another GoT star—this time, the actor who plays King Joffrey. Still salty about the whole Ned Stark thing? We see where you're going with this, guys.

The Expendables crew - Jason Statham could join Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and company as opponents of John Wick. That might be too much action even for this movie.

Iko Uwais - The martial arts star would be quite the opponent for John Wick.

Tilda Swinton - Keanu Reeves already mentioned Swinton as a potential option for the John Wick universe, saying he’d love to reunite with his former Constantine co-star. “You know, I had the chance to work with her – I was in two films with her [Constantine and Thumbsucker, both released in 2005] but had the chance to work with her once — I’m onboard with that,” Reeves said to People. “We run into each other once in awhile socially out there in the world. She’s a remarkable person and actress, so I’m all aboard with that!” Plus, she nailed the part of a martial arts master in Doctor Strange—why not do it again?

Floyd Mayweather - Maybe this should be his next fight after Conor McGregor.

Vin Diesel - Between his Furious work and time doing the voice of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, Diesel could try and squeeze in one more franchise under his belt. His heel turn in the latest Fast & Furious flick was entertaining, if not entirely convincing, so

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - Speaking of actors with lots of franchises under his belt, “The Rock” is always a welcome addition to an action movie. While Johnson likely has no time at all to make an appearance in John Wick, we heard this suggestion a lot.

Danny Trejo - Between his roles in Con Air, Machete, Grindhouse, From Dusk till Dawn, and The Replacement Killers, Trejo knows his way around an action scene. A battle against John Wick would be extreme and fun. Extremely fun, basically.

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