#tim shows up being all I REMEMBER and what he remembers is exactly what dick was demanding bruce remember in b416

[silverwhittlingknife]

I noticed something in a lot of your Dick and Tim fics. It's probably so obvious, but you always write that Tim is watching Dick. In your newest one, Tim's watching Dick, in The Return Tim's watching Dick, and you even write that Tim is always watching him. Is Tim trying to read Dick? Trying to understand? Or does he understand him by watching? What is he trying to figure out by watching Dick? What does that say about Tim? I really hope this is intentional lmao because I would be embarrassed. Maybe this is just something so obvious that I'm just getting now.

YES IT’S ON PURPOSE <333 Anon. Anon. I'm so sorry this answer took forever, but listen, this was a really delightful ask <333 I think about this a lot.  I really love origin stories—I like stories that resonate through a character’s history. 

And for me, a whole lot of what interests me about Dick and Tim is that theme of watching and being watched. Seeing and being seen.

"Watch me on the trapeze, Tim. I'm going to do my act...'specially for you." | "Timmy, don't look." | "I turned away... I couldn't watch. Then I heard you crying and I turned back... I'm sorry, Dick. I didn't want to hurt you by telling you all this." Dick's watching me. Gauging my reactions. (Tim watching Dick watching Tim!) | "I'm taking off the blindfold." "No!" | "I can't see him. You can't see him. But I know Robin. And Robin's always there when you need him." | I love that kid. Too much to let him see me like this. (But Tim spots him anyway.)

Spotlights and lighthouses and cameras and photographs. Blindness and vision and masks and detective work and trust.

I'm going to try to be coherent about this but it's gonna be incoherent sdfsf BUT I'M GOING TO TRY so. Below the cut, a really long grab-bag of my rambling on vision and watchers and watching.

Tim + watching / Dick + being watched / different dynamics

Tim's origin story

Being watched goes with vulnerability/exposure

Incomplete list of moments with Dick and Tim and vision

Tim + watching

The first time we see Tim's face in LPoD: a close-up on his eyes looking for Dick, a close-up on his eyes at the moment that he sees Dick, a pullback to his face at the moment of recognition, a pullback to his face + his camera (you could maybe even argue that Tim comes into existence at the moment that he sees Dick, like, conceptually. the act of seeing is his defining characteristic. it is the thing that makes his character happen. he is the kid who's watching.)

Tim's a very vision-centric character: he's first introduced as a camera, then as a pair of binoculars, then as a pair of eyes. His whole backstory is about watching: watching Dick's parents die, watching Dick on TV, watching Batman and Robin. I've grabbed a few panels above with Tim watching Dick but there are so many more. His major deductions are all vision-based: he sees Dick-the-acrobat and later recognizes Dick-as-Robin; he sees Bruce-in-the-past and recognizes him as Bruce-of-our-time; the climactic moment in Red Robin is about going into a dark cave with a torch so he can see what's there.

And he's a detective. He pries into secrets. He analyzes people. He's a worrywart and a fusser who always wants to understand what's going on with other people. In a lot of those panels where Tim's watching Dick, his inner monologue is busy deducing Dick's emotions and trying to psychoanalyze him. Tim's caring and watchful and intuitive... but all those qualities also make him very very intrusive.

Dick + being watched

Dick performing acrobatics for Bruce, Donna, and Tim in Detective Comics 38 (his first appearance), New Teen Titans 16, Batman 441, and Nightwing 88 (where he reflects he's glad to be back in the hot glare of the spotlight)

Dick's a detective too, of course - Tim deliberately mirrors Dick, both in-universe and out-of-universe. But also Dick's a performer who loves being watched and also wants to control how he's seen. He gets a kick out of showing off, making puns, kicking ass, taking names, and he gets a kick out of having an appreciative audience. And he's got a kind of yearning for recognition - it hurts, when Bruce won't look at him, and in fights with Bruce, Babs, Roy, he'll often bring up the past, trying to get them to acknowledge a shared history.

At the same time, he's a very private person who withdraws and hides and pushes people away when he's upset. Right before Tim shows up, Dick's just ghosted the Titans because he's having emotional turmoil and doesn't want to have it in front of them, and they're trying to respect his wishes... but that solitude doesn't last long, because then Tim tracks him down. Tim will do this again when Dick's having an emotional crisis and trying to avoid everybody in Nightwing 110.

Possible dynamics

Tim watches Dick in Robin 11, while silently analyzing Dick's anxieties about Two-Face

"The watcher and the person being watched" is a dynamic that really interests me, partly because it can be so complicated?

You can see in Dick and Tim their very first roles: enthusiastic performer and the enthusiastic audience member. Dick likes to perform and show off and entertain; Tim likes to watch; those are roles they both easily slide into and they have a lot of fun together! But also you can look at the harsher side: the crime victim and the voyeur, the amateur photographer and the guy who hates being photographed. Dick's intensely private about his vulnerabilities; Tim's intrusive and watchful and constantly trying to figure out how other people tick. Sometimes Tim's the caring friend who watches Dick closely, reads him well, understands him; sometimes he's the nosy mini-detective who pries into Dick's secrets. And that's just two different ways of describing the same thing!

One of the things that kinda fascinates me about Dick and Tim's relationship is that in a lot of ways it's built on a bunch of low-key boundary violations. A lot of their early relationship is driven by Tim's desire to know more about Dick vs. Dick's reluctance to get close to anyone from Gotham; Tim's often out-of-line, but without his pushiness, it's hard to see how they would've developed a relationship at all. Later on, their friendlier relationship is marked by Dick teasing and low-key bullying Tim; it's pretty obvious that Tim isn't actually bothered by this, but it does involve Dick ignoring whatever Tim's claiming he doesn't like ("Quit it!" "Shh").

And one of the aspects of those boundary-violations is that Tim has a habit of witnessing things that Dick would prefer that nobody see. Tim's a witness to Dick's first and most miserable tragedy; he sees the aftermath of some of Dick's fights with Bruce; he's there when Donna dies. And he's sharp and observant and analytical, and I like to imagine this as being something Dick's not entirely comfortable with.

When Dick first meets Tim, it's before he's learned to wear a mask. And Tim spends a lot of time trying to see through Dick's masks, and he's pretty good at it, and a lot of that prying comes from love and care, because one of the ways that Tim shows love and respect and admiration is by trying to absorb absolutely everything about you, like a little sponge. But there's also something unsparing and even threatening about the search for the truth of someone else. It can be comforting or threatening, to know someone's watching you.

And I love how all that complexity is wrapped up in Tim's origin story? Both the giddy childish "Watch me on the trapeze" and then the awful grim reality of what Tim actually sees as a result and then the difficult connection when Dick and Alfred finally get Tim to explain how he knows their secret identities.

Tim's origin story

Tim (recounting his origin story in LPoD): My parents held me back as the thing moved to you. I cried out to warn you. (Two panels where we see just Tim's eyes, as he watches a crying Dick. He sees Batman approach and start trying to comfort Dick.)

I think fiction sometimes presents "being understood / seen / known" as an uncomplicatedly good thing, and there's nothing wrong with that! But I like complications, and I like the way Tim's origin story frames that moment of witnessing as difficult and fraught. Tim doesn't want to tell Dick how he knows their secret identities because he thinks it'll hurt Dick to know it: I don't want to hurt you, Dick, and I'm really afraid I might. And he's not wrong. It is painful; it does hurt; it's not something Dick's happy to know.

Dick's a very private person, and there's a painful intimacy to Tim's origin story - it's not Tim's fault he was there, but at the same time, it's not like Dick chose to have the most traumatic moment of his life on stage in front of an audience of strangers, you know? It's kind of a violation. In NTT/NT/Nightwing, Dick's pretty violently hostile to photographers, and he's intensely private about trauma in general, and I like to imagine this as partly a reaction to that foundational trauma of losing the most important people in his life and also doing it publicly.

And Tim's part of that audience. And he sees the worst part, the part that Dick can't talk about. He sees the bodies and the blood. He has nightmares about it for years. He hears Dick crying and sees him holding onto his parents' bodies. Not at all the kind of first impression Dick would want to make. Not at all the kind of person he wants to be seen as. And that understanding can be painful, because it's so close to the bone, and when Tim's just a stranger, it's upsetting, because Tim knows things that Dick would never have chosen for him to know. Their few conversations about it are awkward partly because Tim's thirteen and awkward... but at the same time, it's not Tim's fault so much as the situation! There's no way for Tim to talk about what he saw that wouldn't be uncomfortable for Dick.

... And yet, and yet. Tim's also one of the last people to see the Graysons alive. He sees Dick and his parents together; he even takes a picture with them. He remembers the whole thing so vividly he'll recognize Dick's somersault years later. He sees the grief. And so I think of that connection as kind of a metaphor for witnessing. Tim sees these things and they become real; Dick can't hide from them; in the act of being seen he's caught, he's in a spotlight, all the grief made real. You can't hide, that way. And Tim's got this unforgiving memory; he won't ever forget; he won't ever stop knowing.

But then, too: Dick's seen, he's known. Even at the very beginning, when Tim doesn't know enough to understand what he knows, he knows the important things.

So that shared memory is a barrier and a bond between them. It can be a source of discomfort or a source of comfort. And that's how I think about Tim watching Dick in general - it's complicated, and sometimes Dick's glad of it, and sometimes he resents it, and also it just is, it's a fact of Tim, that Tim watches. It's notable when he's not watching, when he's turned away.

Being watched goes with vulnerability/exposure

So I'm going to talk about the fraught feeling of being watched more in a little bit, but first: I think it's fascinating that Dick likes screwing around with games where Tim can't see!

Here's Nightwing 25 - Dick's come up with the idea of trainsurfing while blindfolded:

Tim: Are you sure this is such a good idea? Dick: Shh! Listen. Tune into the changing sounds and - Tim: I'm not so - Dick: JUMP!

Here's Robin 49 - clambering through a tunnel into No Man's Land:

Dick: Hard not to think about the river. All the water above us. And bugs. This tunnels' probably full of 'em. And rats. Big ones. Big blind rats with teeth as long as -

Here's Gotham Knights 9 - ambushing Tim in a sorta game of hide-and-seek:

Dick: Gotcha! Tim: Augh!

I feel like mmm I don't want to emphasize power dynamics too much because it's easy to overplay it BUT when I think about headcanons it's interesting to me to think about how maybe when Tim can't see, Dick's more in charge / in control, and so he feels more comfortable and less vulnerable, and that's often when he's most relaxed and playing around the most?

Whereas the moments when Tim's looking at him are often a bit more fraught, as here in Lonely Place of Dying:

Tim: I'm sorry, Dick. I really am. I didn't want to hurt you by telling you all this. Dick... Dick: It's all right, Tim. No matter how old you are, there are some things you never forget. Or get over. (Silent panel: Tim's watching Dick as Dick turns away and stares into the window.)

Or here in Nightwing 6, when Tim wakes him up from a nightmare:

Dick (internally, imagining a kid falling): He shouts to me. He always shouts to me. I never hear what he says. Tim: Nightwing! Wake up!

Or here in Gotham Knights 26, when Bruce is accused of murder:

(Silent panel where Tim's watching Dick.) Tim: I'm sorry. This must be hard for you. Dick: Me? Why? Tim: Well, I mean, it'd be one thing if we really knew he was innocent, but as it is - Dick: Wait, what? Stop right there. What are you saying, Tim?

Here's Tim spotting him before he can get away in Nightwing 110:

Dick (watching Tim from a distance, internally): Still, Timmy played it through nice and clean. Disarmed the perps, protected and avoided the cops. Kept any civilians from getting shot. God, I love that kid. Too much to let him see me like this. Tim: Hey! (appearing on the roof above him, fake-cheerful) You weren't gonna leave without saying hi, were you? Dick (looking away, very quietly): Hey, Timmy. Tim: Look at you, man! Back on both feet! Think you're done stopping bullets with your body for a while? Dick: Hope springs eternal. (Silent panel with Tim watching Dick, who's turned away.) Tim: You okay, Dick? Dick: I'm fine. Tim: Well, where're you staying these days? Dick: With some people.

Of course, sometimes Tim's watchfulness is frustrating but also a comfort, as in Detective Comics 874:

Tim (watching Dick, who's looking away): Are you listening to me, Batman? I'm saying the gas the Dealer used on you was powerful stuff. Dick: I'm fine, Red Robin. Besides...you're here now. Tim: You're not fine. And with or without me, you shouldn't be out on patrol ye - Dick: Sshhh. Here they come.

(Later in the comic, Dick mentally concedes that Tim's right that he hasn't really recovered from the gas, and Tim saves him from drowning when he's hallucinating. So Dick feels kind of exposed by the scrutiny, but also... he invited Tim along, so there's trust there, too - Tim's perceptiveness can be a good thing, too, when things are serious.)

Incomplete summary of moments with Dick and Tim and vision

I think I already mentioned a lot of these but here is my LIST

almost the first thing that Dick says to Tim is "watch me on the trapeze, Tim" and then Tim does and he basically never stops watching;

Tim watches Dick's parents die and watches Dick sobbing on-stage and watches him on TV and recognizes him by seeing a particular trick because he's dreamed about Dick doing the trick in his recurring nightmares about that night;

in New Titans 65 which is their very first team-up comic after Tim's origin, Dick's training pre-Robin Tim and gives him a test about watching for details and later Tim's takeaway is "I saw how [the Titans] listened to you";

there's a moment in Showcase '93 12 which is just Tim watching Dick and analyzing what's going on with him and there's another moment in Prodigal which is the same thing;

in Nightwing 6 Tim sneaks into Dick's apartment and hides in the dark and Dick spots him and tackles him; one of their most important bonding comics is Nightwing 25, where Dick insists on blindfolding him to get him to rely less on vision; when they sneak into No Man's Land they're in the dark and Tim can't see again and Dick's teasing him;

there are multiple moments when Tim can't see Dick for a bit and panics about his safety, in Nightwing 25, in No Man's Land, in Transference, in Bruce Wayne: Murderer;

Tim's there watching when Dick's wedding to Kory falls apart and he's there watching when Bruce and Dick fight and he's there watching when Donna dies and he's watching when Dick and Bruce swing together on the night before Infinite Crisis, and when Dick goes down and almost dies in Infinite Crisis we cut to Tim watching and seeing it happen and screaming;

there are multiple moments which are just silent panels of them staring at each other trying to figure out what's going on with each other or having a stand-off - in Bruce Wayne: Murderer, in Resurrection, in Red Robin;

in the aftermath of Donna's death there's a panel where Dick's watching Tim from a distance and not approaching;

in the aftermath of Blockbuster Dick spends half the comic just staring at Tim from a distance and hiding himself because "I love that kid - too much to let him see me like this," but Tim sees him anyway and chases him down and then they lie to each other and *ranting* LISTEN TO ME the whole comic is about Dick trying to AVOID being SEEN both literally but also METAPHORICALLY AND --!!!

(the only thing i'm even as halfway obsessive about for them is the heights thing because also there are a bunch of moments involving falling or Tim being anxious about heights and worried that he'll fall or Dick will fall)

In conclusion

Consider the progression in all these moments where Tim's watching an upset Dick and worrying about him!! From reaching out instinctively-but-pointlessly when he's too far away in the LPoD flashback, to almost reaching out in LPoD but hesitating, to putting a hand on Dick's back to walk him back to the Cave in Gotham Knights 10, to physically dragging him clear of the water in Batman: Black Mirror!

In conclusion I don't have a conclusion but basically YES, "watching Dick" is a core Tim characteristic as far as I'm concerned, and Tim watches Dick a lot and that can mean all kinds of things from admiration to nosy intrusiveness to worry to care to gratitude to trying-to-figure-out-what's-going-on-with-him, and sometimes Dick's resentful and sometimes he's relieved and sometimes he's playful and sometimes it's a mix of all those feelings.

And at first it's always Tim watching Dick, but later you've got Dick watching Tim too, and there's that moment where Dick's secretly watching him fight but Tim spots him in Nightwing 110 and there's a silent panel where Dick's watching him in Resurrection and at the very end of Robin there's a scene where Dick's secretly watching him fight but Tim spots him and in the very last issue of Red Robin Dick's watching the end of the confrontation with Boomerang and in Prodigal Dick's the one who notices his face is bruised and aaaaaaah

Anyway I think they're neat <3

#ask tag #hi anon this is SO old i'm so sorry sdfsfs #if you're still here hi!! <333 #this was such a validating ask to get because as you can probably tell i think about the vision thing constantly #also this is SO long oh man. sorry i just started typing and it went on and on sdfdsf #dick grayson #tim drake #dick & tim #it's like. it's just endlessly fascinating to me because the paparazzi/photography stuff is one of dick's biggest triggers #and tim's introduced as a surreptitious amateur photographer #so there's no WAY they will ever get along #but then there's the Meaningful Photo from before the show #that low-key shows that tim's freaky obsessiveness comes from a place of genuine caring & this moment of real connection #so you have early days!dick kinda vibrating back and forth between 'I DON'T WANT HIM MAKE HIM GO AWAY' #vs. those moments when he IS getting attached to tim kinda against his will sdfsdf #and just. the dichotomy between paying attention as a form of love vs. being watched as a kind of violation and exposure #and that both are kinda the same thing?? and dick deeply craves the first and deeply hates the second #tim shows up being all I REMEMBER and what he remembers is exactly what dick was demanding bruce remember in b416 #but /also/ he remembers /everything/ 'i remember it all' he remembers the graysons dying in incredibly painful detail #and like. kid!tim is very tactless & has only two switches of 'TELL HIM NOTHING' and 'if forced to speak then overshare' #but the tactlessness is a fixable problem and the remembering is /not/ #it's not like it's any better for tim to keep his mouth shut & dick to just be painfully /aware/ that he's thinking abt the graysons dying #bc ofc /tim/ remembering forces /dick/ to remember #but!! but also. you know. maybe that remembering /isn't/ entirely a bad thing #and dick's feelings about it can change over time #anyway tim's not the only person that dick has this kind of conflict with - wally & roy sometimes chase him down when he's withdrawing too #and he often doesn't really appreciate it from them either #and dick's not the only person who gets subjected to tim's particular brand of intrusive caring #conner's not thrilled about the dna thing & ives would be within his rights to resent the stalking even though he doesn't #but i am obviously personally most fond of the ways this plays out with dick & tim

[thisiswhereikeepdcthings]

My take on stalker!Tim:

Robin!Jason gets distracted during a patrol and doesn’t meet up with Batman, who panics is mildly concerned. Jason doesn’t want to reveal the real reason he got distracted (could be something he was working on for Bruce or just him being a cute baby nerd) so he makes something up the spot. A kid! He saw a kid. It was definitely child shaped. And. Uh. Photography! That’s right, he saw a kid taking photos and made sure he got home safe.

Batman: Photography?

Robin!Jason: Yeah, uh, nighttime photography.

Batman: At midnight?

Robin: I mean, it’s not a school night.

Batman: What were they taking pictures of?

Robin, panicking and going to the first thing he can think of ch just so happens to be last Sunday when Dick called Bruce an emotionally repressed furry: Uh, wildlife?

Bruce is skeptical but honestly he’s seen weirder things even tonight so as long as the kid got home safe…

Jason proceeds to use this same excuse a few more times.

Batman: Don’t tell me, it was the kid again.

Robin!Jason: You just missed him.

Batman, who isn’t feeling strong parental feelings at all: Hrn.

Okay so then fast forward a few years. Jason is on his little murder training gap year and Tim has shown up to the manor trying to fix the disaster that is currently Bruce Batman Wayne. Dick, trying to bond with the kid now that it’s apparent he’s not going anywhere, asks what Tim’s interests are.

Tim: Well, I like photography, and…

Dick, putting two and two together and getting forty-seven: Ohmygosh you’re the kid.

Tim: The what now?

Dick: The kid with the wildlife photography.

Tim, thinking about that one competition he entered a year ago: Uh, I guess?

Dick thinks that’s how Tim figured out all their identities. He thinks he has it all figured out. He does not. Bruce now thinks he has it figured out too. He does not. Tim is unaware there was something to be figured out. Jason is off learning the finer points of poisoning or something idk.

So skip forward some more and Jason is back, minus some murder attempts or whatever because this is crack, and Dick is now trying to get his two brothers comfortable with each other. It is not working. Finally, Dick remembers they’ve definitely met before.

Dick: So, do you remember meeting Tim before?

Jason, whose memory resembles Swiss cheese but is fairly certain he never met Tim before now: Uh…

Dick: He’s the kid! The one with the wildlife photography!

Jason, suddenly remembering the excuse he used several times as Robin: The what now?

Tim, knowing full well that Jason was very dead at the time he submitted anything in a wildlife category: The what now?

Jason pulls Tim into a hall closet to interrogate him about this.

Tim: There’s like five rooms right here that no one has stepped in in a month. Why are we in a closet?

Jason: What, exactly, did Dick mean by you were the one with the wildlife photography, because I’m pretty sure that was just an excuse I made up but now I don’t know.

They figure it out. They also agree to just let that belief be. Jason doesn’t want to admit he made that all up. Tim doesn’t want to admit he thought Dick had gone to his art competition thing before they even officially met. Tim also doesn’t want to explain how he actually figured out their identities because this sounds way cooler. So they decide to just roll with it.

Damian shows up and tries to hunt down Tim’s early photos of Batman. Tim and Jason get really into making it look like he just keeps missing it. Barbara knew about all of this the entire time but no one asked her so she didn’t bother to fill them in.

Everyone else that joins the family after that point and hears the story of Jason and Tim supposedly meeting while Jason was Robin has the exact same response: “Oh, ‘cause Batman’s a furry. Right.”

#and that’s how jason and tim bonded through misunderstandings and calling batman a furry #something dick unknowingly started #bruce is so done #jason todd #bruce wayne #tim drake #dick grayson #batman #batfam #batkids #what do you mean dc doesn’t stand for disregard canon

[igotanidea]

Ranking: Jason Todd x fem!reader

graphic by @huedmmi (amazing job with that, thank you!!)

Summary: heroes couples ranking? Might seem like a good idea, but not every pair can make the top......

This is placed in the Ego!verse, cause been a while since I wrote for that. You can find other stories of this verse in my masterlist.

***

„What are you doing?”

„Reading.”

“What are you reading?”

“NOTHING!”

Jason sneaked behind her back, trying to sneak a peek of the article on the Internet Y/N was reading. However, all the time she spend being in the relationship with him and her vigilante instincts combined made her act quick enough to shut the laptop before he could see as much as one letter.

Jason smirked

“Oh, you’re hiding something.”

“What?” she scoffed “I’m not hiding anything.”

“You can’t lie to me, you know it.” He teased leaning forward, their faces inches away from one another

“Are you trying to intimidate me?” she moved even closer “Sorry not sorry, but it’s not working.”

“Well then maybe I just have to keep convincing you…..?”

“I’m the one playing with minds, not you, remember?”

“Come on princess….. just tell me what you’re hiding…..”

“Nope.”

“Y/N.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t be a tease.”

“Have you met me?” she smirked “Tease is practically my middle name.”

“Please?”

“No.” she cut him off “now stop whining, get up and let’s go.”

“Where exactly?”

“Batcave, duh! Did you think I was asking you for a date, or something?” she raised an eyebrow, looking at him teasingly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it……”

He didn’t like the idea of going to the manor for the debriefing, but….. there might be someone who could help him digging some information out.

***

“Drake. I need to talk to you.”

“Mhm….” Tim muttered not really paying attention, his head elsewhere “How about we reschedule that for next month? I’m busy…..” he tried to take a sip of coffee, but before the god’s drink found a way to his mouth, Jason snatched it out of his hands.

“Drake!”

“Give me back my coffee, Todd……”

“Not before you help me.”

“And why should I do that?”

Jason sighed in frustration. On one hand he could just tell Tim was this was about. On the other that would mean showing his vulnerable side and that was a no go. So he just settled on standing in Tim’s room, holding his mug of out his reach, considering pros and cons of each option.

“It’s about Y/N.” Jason finally said, relenting “I’m worried about her.”

“About Y/N? Why? She’s a tough one. I mean, she;s in a relationship with you, I don’t think much can break her.”

“I’m serious, Tim. You may not notice this, but lately she’s been acting… closed off. She’s…. sad.”

“Sad? Cracking jokes left and right? Two days ago she almost made Dick fall off the rooftop telling one of her funny stories.”

“Please tell me it was not a story about me…..?”

“Nope. Those are not funny anymore and she found a lot funnier subjects. Nevermind… Tim shook his head. The point is, she’s acting normal. Why would you be concerned? Wait. Why would you be concerned?

“Cause she’s my girlfriend!”

“Oh…. You do care….” Tim smiles

“Shut up!”

“You want my help or not?”

“If you helping me require me admitting I care about her…….” Jason sighed “Fine, I do. I do care about her. Please, help me?”

“Of course, I’ll help you Jason.” Tim grinned knowing well enough he just got Jason right where he wanted him “and just so you know, it’s not a secret you love her.”

“Shut up…..”

“Fine! Fine!” Tim laughed at Jason’s flustered face “What’s the deal?”

“Y/N…..” Jason said her name with the mix of affection and worry “she’s been spending a lot of time in front of her computer, lately. She claims she’s reading. And I believe her. But whatever article it is, she’s been spending her time on, makes her distracted. It’s almost like she’s been avoiding me for some reason I cannot fucking understand. She’s lost in her head!”

“The girl is a mind reader, Jason. She can hear people’s thoughts. Is this really so surprising that she’s had enough?”

“Yeah, she had those…. Phases. But it’s not like that. She;s only like that because of what she found on the net.”

“Ok… Let’s assume I believe you. But what do I have to do with it?”

Jason muttered something incoherently.

“Sorry, what was that?” Tim chuckled

“I want you to break into her computer……”

“You what now?!”

“I need you to…..”

“Oh no, I heard you. You want me to hack your girlfriend’s computer. It’s just I can’t comprehend what got into your head.”

“I’m kind of desperate…..And you’re the expert on tech…..”

“I’m not buying into this…….” Tim laughs

“Come on, Drake!”

“Not a chance, Jason. Again. Y/N is a mind reader. She’ll find out what we did in a heartbeat. And I don’t want to have my brain grilled. I saw her in action, I know what it means to make her angry. “

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of Y/N…..” Jason mocks

“You are terrified of making her angry yourself…..”

“Ok, fine! She can be scary…… Fuck! You’re no use, Drake!” Jason jumped to his feet, rushing out of Tim’s room, fists clenched, muttering something under his nose.

“It was nice to see you too, Todd!” Tim laughed. He always found it funny how Jason acted under the influence of emotions.

***

“Grayson!”

“Jaybird!” Dick grinned at Jason, the second the latter came through the door to the kitchen “came for some brothers’ bonding?”

“more like binding” Jason rolled his eyes “unless you’ll help me.”

“You must be truly desperate to come to me for help…..”

“Oh, God… have you been watching Thor again?”

“I had a whole marathon. But sure, I’ll give you a hand with whatever you need. What is this about?”

“Y/N.”

“Y/N? What about her?”

“Oh, fuck, not you too. Am I really the only person who noticed she’s been acting off lately? Are you fucking serious?!”

“Um…..relax Jace?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to relax seeing my girlfriend hurting?!”

“And it’s my fault?!” Dick exclaimed with shock in his voice.

“NO! Yes! Wait, is it?” Jason took a step towards Dick “what did you do to her Dickhead!?”

“Nothing! I swear!”

“You’re lying!”

“I’m not lying!”

“Then why won’t she talk to me?!”

“I don’t know! Come on Jace! Don’t get crazy again.”

“Talk to her.” Jason said, calming down. As much as it hurt him to admit it, he was acting erratic and he didn’t want to be aggressive. Not again. Those days were behind him. “Please, just talk to her.”

“Why me?”

“Cause you’re the only person I can trust to do this without making her suspicious. And because she won’t talk to me.”

“Jason…. She’s a mind reader….”

“You’re not the first person to tell me that today. Thank you.” Jason mocks “I kind of remember!”

“Wait…..” dick eyes grow wide…. “I might……”

“You might what, Grayson?!”

“I might know what this is about…..” Dick muttered slowly, but seeing Jason furious expression, with his eyes burning he picked up the talking pace at once “ok, so there’s this little site with superheroes couples ranking…..”

“WHAT!?”

“I mean, not that I read it…..”

“Sure you’re not Dickhead…..”

“But Barbara…. She’s actually a fan. And so it Lois …..”

“Lois? As in Lois Lane?”

“Yeah….. it’s actually pretty popular amongst the girls… I mean, it’s not any ambitious writing on anything like that but when you need something to relax and unwind after a hard day…..Steph and Cass read it too and we spend last evening going thought it and gossiping and……” Dick started rambling “sorry. Not the point.”

“Make the point then….” Jason had to fight the urge to punch his adoptive brother in the face.

“Um…. Me and Babs….. I mean, Nightwing and Batgirl  might have scored first last week……  And I might have slipped a word about it to Y/N…..”

“You scored first?”

“Yeah…..” Dick smiled wildly “I mean we are a really, really good couple but I never thought we could beat Clark and Lois to the first position. Sure, I also might have did some things to catch press attention, but still I ……”

“Grayson, I am warning you…..”Jason hissed

“Sorry. Long story short…. The news got to Y/N. and you know her. She’s the investigator. She started digging and found the site and now she’s been kind of addicted to it, checking it out every week hoping Red Hood and Ego will make it to the list, but…..”

“But what?” Jason asked but he already sensed the answer.

“You did not…..”

“So what you are telling me, is that you scored first, and I didn’t even make the first …. Ten?”

“Fifty……”

“I didn’t make the top 50?!!”

“I’m not the one making those rankings! Stop yelling at me!”

“That’s why she’s been so sad? Was she disappointed? let down?” Jason asked. What he did not form out loud was the question whether she felt unloved? Because of some crazy internet ranking. “I gotta go talk to her…..”

“Yeah…. You should….That might clear the air. You know, honesty is really important. And honest is, I scored FIRST!”

“We’ll talk about that later, Dickhead. I got more important things to do now.”

***

“Y/N.”

“Oh, hey, Jace. What’s up?”

“I know what you’ve been reading.”

“You know what?”

“Stop it”

“Ok, fine.” She sighed “I’m going to kill Grayson for spilling the bean. “

“Sorry princess, but he’s mine. But now… about this … stupid ranking thing… is that really making you this sad? Are you…. Unsatisfied with our relationship?” he asked, all his insecurity and vulnerability coming out in waves. He doubted him his entire life. He always thought that Y/N was too good for him and one day she would just …. leave. And now, it was practically coming true……”

“what?” judging by the tone she became terrified of what he was asking her. “Jace….baby….” she dived into his arms, hugging him tight. What got into your stupid pretty head, you dummy? I love you… I love being with you. If I got discouraged by something someone writes on the Internet that would be …. Childish… immature… stupid.”

“But…..”

“No buts, Jace…..” she pulled back, grabbing his face with both her hands, looking deep into her eyes “I love you, you idiot.”

“I love you too, sweetpea…..”

“Now that is a new nickname……”

“Do you like it?” he smirks “tell me what does it do to you.”

“You’ll have to call me that a few more times just so I can figure out exactly what it does to me.” She smiles pulling him down to kiss.

***

“JASON!!”  

Next morning Y/N standardly checked out the weekly ranking. Just for fun… After that little making up and clearing the air she had with Jason all night, she couldn’t care less about what vigilante couples made the top 10 and who did not. She was happy with her boyfriend. And that was what counted.

But.

There was something so surprising that he just screamed Jason’s name the moment she opened the page.

“Y/N!!??” Jason rushed into her room, shirtless, his face confused. “Are you in danger?! What happened?!”

“THANK YOU!!” she yelled again jumping into his arms. Obviously he immediately pulled her into his chest, enjoying her warmth and hugs and kissed she started planting all over his face , but was still unsure of what was happening.

“Y/N? Not that I’m complaining, but what is this about?”

“We made the first place!! I mean, Ego and Red Hood did! Look, look….” She grabs his hand and lead him to the computer, pointing at the page, almost jumping in excitement. “do you see that?!”

“Yeah, princess I see it….” he smiles, full of smugness.

“Thank you!”

“I didn’t do a single thing…..”

“So, Red hood spotted making some sort of floral carpet for Ego was purely accidental?” she smirked, but her eyes were glistening with pure love and admiration. “You didn’t have to, you know?” she stood up, locking arms on his neck, his founding a way to her waist and pulling her close. “I told you I didn’t give a damn about those rankings and you must have been working at it for hours….”

“It was worth it, baby. Seeing that smile and those pretty eyes shining….. And maybe I deserved a little kiss?”

“Oh, you deserved so…. much…. more….” She brushed her lips over his, making that little kiss a promise of something more to come. “And…” Y/N pulled back “as a bonus, you probably pissed off Dick.”

“Oh, yeah… That was definitely my biggest motivation….” His grip on her waist tightened suggestively.

“Really?” she mutters leaning forward “maybe I can convince you otherwise? Show you what should have been your biggest motivation from the beginning?”

“You know I can’t say no to you, baby……”

#jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd fic #jason todd fluff #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x oc #jason todd x fem!reader #red hood x you #red hood x oc #red hood x y/n #red hood fic #red hood fanfiction #red hood fluff #red hood x fem!reader

[confused-wanderer]

Fanfic writers, please show Jason and Dick’s turmoil towards Bruce. It doesn’t matter if the writings fluff or angst, I just want to see realistic repercussions of their time with Bruce.

Obviously, he was not the best father by a long shot. Hell, he never even knew how to parent, teach or take care of children, he just wanted to help. But the road to hell is usually paved by good intentions.

Bruce would’ve fucked up a LOT with Dick, never knowing when to be cautious or straightforward, kind or angry, especially to someone who’s suffered almost exactly like he had. Someone who’s seen his parents die, his world shatter and now is filled with vengeance and trauma. Someone who needs his attention, even on stupid matters while he’s going through his own battles of staring out as batman.

With Jason, he must’ve had a whole NEW problem. Jason’s experience on the streets, his niche triggers and responses to some mundane activities or phrases, Dick’s hatred towards him and Jason while also trying to make sure this one doesn’t get himself killed. With fear and frustration comes anger, and cold logic so I’m pretty sure there must’ve been a few instances to say the least where Bruce retorts with something out of anger or trying to get Jason to realise just how serious things are, only realising too late how much it affected him.

I want their hesitation and fear portrayed. How Dick hesitates to tell Bruce something about a topic that was sensitive when he was younger. The way he holds his breath, waiting for the onslaught of lectures and scoldings, or how he laments on something like “God I’m so careless how could I have missed that?” Which would have previously been met with “You are no detective, you need to do better, this could cost you your life.” But instead hears “it’s okay, we all make mistakes. You’ll get it next time, maybe a few practice rounds would help.”

How Jason gives up hopes of communicating with Bruce at all after the arguments they’d had in his childhood over everything and nothing. How nowadays he doesn’t speak much at all, and always answers in curt sentences, thinking Bruce would not have the time, care about unimportant details or not approve of activities. It’s why he hesitates on the edge of a panic attack or needs help to call Bruce, always keeping it as the last resort. But instead of hearing “I always told you to be careful” or “You could’ve avoided this..” he hears “How does it feel chum? I know it hurts, but how can I help?”

Because when Tim came, let’s be honest he saw Robin as a job. He didn’t give a flying fuck and thus remained relatively unaffected by Bruce. Not to mention with two robins, and Tim being Tim, Bruce could never really pick on things to actually hurt him. In time, sure he gradually saw Bruce as a father figure and they got closer, he still has a lesser fear and knowledge of Bruce’s behaviour.

Just a fic which shows Bruce trying, changing and not realising just how some things he did or said fucked up his children. How he tries to understand why, for the life of him, Dick never really talks about what’s really bothering him, or how he can help, or really anything about his life that he genuinely enjoys. Bruce lives for conversations with Jason, and keeps trying to remain upbeat and patient while he prompts conversations every time because he doesn’t understand why Jason has become just as quiet, if not more than how talkative and expressive he was as Robin.

Shit happened, and there’s nothing he can do to fix that, he knows that. But he doesn’t know what actions or words of his are actually ingrained in their minds. He doesn’t remember the emotional extent of how bad some things seemed. He might remember being strict with Dick, but he doesn’t remember how he had once told Dick that he would never feel the happiness like he did with his parents before when the kid had come crying to him on the anniversary of his parents shooting saying how much it hurts. He recalls being harsh with Jason when he had done incredibly reckless things trying to find his biological mother. He doesn’t remember telling Jason that maybe it’s a good thing that his mother doesn’t want to see him.

All I’m saying- Give me a fic in which through something, supervillain, mental breakdown - something that makes Bruce have that moment of realisation of how, no matter his intentions, feelings or context, he’s responsible for their fear of him. I want to see how he reacts to this revelation, his moments of panic, guilt and horror when he realises just how badly he fucked up. How he desperate starts trying to change himself, how he slowly tries to start building relations and starts being more patient, caring and considerate..because he truly loves his children, and he misses them.

#Bruce Wayne #batman #batfam #batbrothers #batbros #Tim drake #red robin #Tim drake robin #dick grayson robin #dick grayson police officer #nightwing #Jason todd red hood #red hood #Jason todd robin #batman and robin #batfam fluff #batfam angst

[lazycats-stuff]

Batfamily x male!reader

So, I got a ask from Anon to write a part 2 of werewolf brother and since the ending can be left to imagination why not. PART 1 is here.

Also soft gif for this. This is short, but it's full of fluff. Also @littlefeather345, here is a tag on the second part

Summary: (Y/N) and the fam try to understand what happened to them

Warnings: Fluff, everyone worrying, (Y/N) being worried, a cuddle pile

(Y/N) woke up, still in his wolf room. He looked down, eyes widening when he saw paws. That wasn't a dream. This was real. (Y/N) whined, getting afraid once more. He was afraid of staying like this. He can't stay like this. His ears twitched and he turned his head to see Bruce.

His dad was smiling at him. Despite being in a cell, he felt calm. He tried to relax, but an unknown body and unknown instincts were making it difficult. (Y/N) also saw Zatanna and Doctor Fate. Were they here to help him?

Bruce turned to them, listening to the words of the the magical duo. (Y/N) couldn't make much out of it. Bruce punched the code in, the door opening in the process. He knelt down, showing (Y/N) that he had nothing to fear of.

Zatanna and Doctor Fate gave him the advice to be gentle with his son. His son was now at a very fragile part of the turning. It was the fear of what was happening to his body and mind.

" Hey bud, come on. You have nothing to be afraid off. " Bruce encouraged. Now they had to bring back the human (Y/N) and not the wolf form.

(Y/N) moved slightly from the floor, slowly. He was still getting used to this. Bruce had opened his arms, smiling at (Y/N).

" Good job, just a little bit more. "

(Y/N) tried and he fell into Bruce's arms. He nuzzled his head into Bruce's chest.

" Good job. " Bruce praised, petting (Y/N)'s head.

(Y/N) huffed and kept on nuzzling.

" He will transform on his own in a day or so. If he doesn't, call us. He is adorable as a wolf. " Zatanna said, looking at the wolf.

" Thank you. "

" And also, we know a werewolves who could help him out. You know, with the transformations and such. I will leave you his contact info if you want. "

Bruce nodded, giving (Y/N)'s wolf head a kiss. Zatanna and Doctor Fate left the cave and the rest of the boys came in. They were instructed to be gentle and calm. No sudden movements. (Y/N) needs a calm environment.

Damian was the first one to approach the pair. He knelt down, allowing (Y/N) to sniff his hand. He was still apprehensive, but licked Damian's palm.

Damian smiled, ruffling (Y/N)'s head. (Y/N) rumbled and nuzzled into Damian's hand. Tim, Jason and Dick came closer too, petting (Y/N). (Y/N)'s tail was wagging wildly against the floor. Bruce gave (Y/N)'s head a kiss before standing up.

" Come on, lets go upstairs everyone. We can take a night off of patrol. I can call Superman. "

" Does he know about this? " Damian asked.

" He is aware of the fact that something has happened to (Y/N), but not exactly what. "

Bruce turned his head to look at the the others, laughing as they petted (Y/N)'s head.

" Come on you four, we will be more comfortable upstairs. "

Everyone left the cave, (Y/N) leading the way, happily wagging his tail. Bruce couldn't stop smiling. It seemed that (Y/N) wasn't afraid anymore. He will be back in his human form in no time. (Y/N) was quick to lay down on the couch, taking over the entire couch.

" Hey, leave some space for us. " Tim said, laughing the howl he got in return. The response was very clear.

All of them laid down on the couch and after some maneuvering, they all managed to fit. (Y/N)'s head was laying on Jason's lap. (Y/N) was a bit apprehensive, remembering what he did to Jason.

Jason had none of that and petted (Y/N)'s head.

" You don't have to bother with that. It wasn't your fault. " Jason said, petting (Y/N)'s head once more.

(Y/N) whined softly, nuzzling the hand that was petting him at the moment. Jason could swear that he heard I know, but still. He swore he heard it. Bruce also heard it and he smiled.

Bruce made sure to snuggle into the wolf, the fur was warm and extremely soft for some reason.

" What are we watching? " Bruce asked nobody in particular.

(Y/N) whined, sure that he said his favorite movie.

" Okay, (Y/N)'s favorite it is. "

The boys protested, but there was no anger in their voice. Bruce made himself comfortable before calling Alfred over. They were going to spend one evening as a normal family.

#batkids #batfamily #batman dc #dc comics #dc x male reader #bruce wayne x male reader

[rubydubydoo122]

Jason gets de-aged because I've seen fics of Tim or Dick being de-aged, and Bruce losing his memory, but no one has realized the potential for angst if you de-age Jason.

Something was different about Gotham. Sure the streets were relatively the same, but the buildings seemed different. Less run down. Newer. 

They passed a fire station that had an electrical board that showed any events, the weather, the time and… the date?

“Holy crow? It’s 2023? Does that mean I– does that mean I time traveled?” That would make him 21– nope, 20 because it was April. His birthday wasn’t for another 4 months. “This is so cool. Can I meet me?” Was he in college? Of course he was, there’s no way he would throw all that away. Did he get another growth spurt? He was probably cool. 

“I’m pretty sure you got de-aged, since you’re still wearing your suit. I think if it was time travel you would’ve showed up in your…” Stephanie glanced back at him like she had just realized something, but immediately shot her eyes back on the road “Robin costume.”

Wait. He wasn’t still Robin? A grown adult being Robin did seem kind of silly though. Dick had become Nightwing when he was 18. They kept calling Jason “Red Hood” . Was that what he called himself now? How in the world did he convince Bruce to let him use guns? Why did he use guns?

Steph lifted a finger to her com, “Um..quick question, who’s in the cave right now?” 

The question didn’t echo in Jason’s ear so he assumed that maybe she’d switched to a different frequency. Which was kinda rude, but also maybe polite because the reverberation is kinda annoying.

“Ok good, Oracle already filled you in. We’re coming up on the cave, Agent A, maybe you should put a sheet or something over the case.” a pause, “How am I supposed to know? I didn't know you people then.” she looked at Jason again, “He still has the white streak in his hair. If that helps?”

“I dyed… my hair?” He tried to get a glance of himself in the side mirrors and sure enough he had a streak of white near his forehead, “ Cool .”

They got to the cave, which had a lot more bat-themed vehicles than Jason remembered. No duh, it’s been like five years. 

They got out of the bike and walked further into the cave. Well, Stephanie walked, Jason waddled because his pants and boots were way too big. She turned around with her phone and took a picture with a shit eating grin. 

“What- hey! Delete that!” He reached to grab the phone but she moved it just out of reach. Screw her and her tallness.

“No can do, bitty bird. It’s not often I can get blackmail on the Big Bad Red Hood.”

She was basically a stranger and now she has a picture of him. Sure she was let into the batcave, and Bruce probably trusted her, but that doesn’t mean he was comfortable with her taking pictures of him. Jason’s eyes felt like they were burning in shame.

“Miss. Stephanie, don’t tease Master–” Alfred was cut off by a hug, 

“Alfie!” Jason couldn’t see Alfred pale in his arms. Because other than the white streak running through his hair, Jason looked almost exactly how he did before he… left. For Ethiopia. 

Alfred wrapped his arms tightly around him. Afraid that if he let go, Jason would run away and he would lose him for a second time. “...Jason.” 

Jason shifted in his arms, because hugs with Alfred were never this long, even when he was hugging Dick. Did Jason not see Alfred anymore? Nah, that could never happen. Even if Jason was angry at Bruce (which he couldn’t be for that long) he would still try to see Alfred at least once a week. But the hug felt good.

Alfred cleared his throat before letting go, “Dear god, you are practically swimming in those clothes. I’ll see if I can find something that might fit, Master Jason.”

And before Jason could thank him, Alfred was gone. 

He started walking deeper into the cave because if it really was 2023, there’d better be much cooler technology and if there wasn’t, Jason was gonna be really disappointed. 

But of course, since Jason was wearing clothes that were meant for someone who was Bruce’s size, he stepped on the leg of his pants and tripped on his boots while trying to catch himself.

“These boots are ten sizes too big.” Jason totally wasn’t whining as he kicked them off and started aggressively rolling up his pant legs, “You could probably put these pants on a giant and they’d still be a nuisance to keep up.”

There was a huff of a laugh that did not sound like Stephanie’s. “Well, you are usually kind of a giant, Jason. You probably scare more badguys than Batman.” There was a teen in pajamas offering a hand out to him, “I’m Duke.”

Jason accepted the hand, “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you, but I don’t think it’s possible to be scarier than Batman.” Who was this kid? He seemed about Jason’s age. Did he know Bruce was Batman? Was he the new Robin? 

Duke shifted from side to side, “Yeah, you’re right, I was just trying to start up a conversation.”

Alfred came back into the cave with a pile of clothes in his hands. “After you change, Master Jason, meet me in the medbay. I’m sure Master Bruce will want to run some tests.”

That meant he was about to be poked and prodded. And ever since Jason’s mom died–

No… It can’t end like this… Gotta get you out of here….I’ll save you mom…It’s locked! 

“Master Jason?” Alfred had placed a hand on Jason’s arm. 

“Thanks Alfred.” Jason took the clothes with shaky hands. That flash of– maybe a nightmare, left him feeling clammy. He could see Stephanie walking over to them and Duke was looking at him with a slight frown. They couldn’t see Jason like this, scared of what his own brain conjured up for no apparent reason. So he quickly headed towards the bathroom to take a shower, to wash away the sweat. Not the fear. 

He had… a lot of scars. Scars that he didn’t remember getting. The two most concerning being the one on his throat, and the Y shaped scar running down his torso. If Jason didn’t know any better, he would think it was a scar from an autopsy. But he was very much alive. 

Jason peeled his eyes away from the mirror and hopped into the shower. He felt like somehow, he was intruding his own privacy. And he was grateful for the turtleneck that was slightly too big because he wasn’t sure if the scars were something he wanted everyone seeing. Because the clothes he was wearing before seemed to cover them up.

Jason could hear the roar of the batmobile. Bruce . Yeah, maybe things have been kinda rough between the both of them recently, but Jason was confused, and scared, and all he wanted was his dad. 

Except by the time Jason had reached the Batmobile, it wasn’t Batman coming out of the driver's seat, it was–

“Dick?” Jason had to do a double take. His costume was a lot more muted. Less blue and more black. Also, since when did Bruce let Dick drive the batmobile? 

Two other people were coming out of the batmobile too, but before he could get a good look at them, he was engulfed in a hug. Which was weird. Really weird. Because Dick rarely hugged him. 

Dick pulled away, “I forgot how small you used to be.”

“I wasn’t going to point out how old you look, because I’m a nice person, but you look old. ” Even with the mask on, Jason could tell. Well, it was less physical, and more of a vibe. There was a different aura of maturity surrounding his older brother. He seemed to be less of a ball of rage and more… Well, calm. 

There was a mumble that came from near the batmobile.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

The kid, who was maybe the same age as Jason. He held himself in a way that screamed, I’m better than you . And he had the Robin ‘R’ on his chest. But the costume held little resemblance to the normal Robin suit. Almost all the colors and light had been stripped from the costume. It fit the vibe of Gotham, but it couldn’t be Robin. He also got a sword. A sword. “Are those my clothes?”

“I dunno. Alfred gave them to me.” Jason pulled the sleeves over his hands and crossed his arms. 

Emo Robin was looking at him funny. Jason could see the puzzle pieces clicking into place. Before the look was covered by a look of arrogance, “Tt” and he stalked off. 

Dick watched as Emo Robin went to the cave's bathroom, and then looked back to the third person. The girl who had come out of the passenger seat of the Batmobile. 

“Remembers. Recognizes.” She shrugged and locked eyes with Jason. 

She had a mask in her hands, and was wearing all black with the signature yellow bat. The way she was looking at Jason made him feel like she knew everything about him, but it didn’t feel wrong. If anything, it was kind of comforting. He offered her a little smile. 

“I am Cass. Your big sister.”

Jason felt his smile widen even more, “I’ve always wanted a sister.” 

She just ruffled his hair in response. 

Jason looked back to Dick, “um… where’s Bruce?” Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to ask the dude who was almost constantly getting into screaming matches with Bruce where he was, but Dick was driving the Batmobile, which meant they have to have made up in the past 7 years. 

“He’s just tying things up with Commissioner Gordon. So he sent us ahead.” Dick gaze was searching his face. “Do you want me to ask him to wrap up sooner?”

As tempting as that was, Jason shook his head, “Nah, he’ll come home eventually.” 

Dick opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then shut it, “I’m gonna go change. I’ll be back.” 

That… was probably the most awkward conversation he’s had with Dick. And that was saying something, because that conversation before Dick officially passed the mantle of Robin to Jason had been pretty tense. This was tense in a different way. 

“Master Jason?”

“Oh! Right! Sorry Alfie. I’m coming.”

#jason todd #batman #batfam #dc comics #robin jason todd #stephanie brown #duke thomas #dick grayson #damian wayne #de-aged fics #cassandra cain #alfred pennyworth #bruce wayne

[ambeauty]

Dick & Kory’s Love Languages

So I did a little mini meta on Twitter about what I think Dick and Kory’s love languages are so why not share it with my folks!

Kory is emotionally intelligent and she can really hit all five languages depending on who she is with but her personal languages are physical touch and acts of service.

In s1 Kory immediately goes into protector mode when she rescues Rachel. She not only uses physical touch to show affection but also her physical power. The duality of her physical whether to heal or to harm is displayed throughout the season.

Although it wasn’t her intention to sleep with Dick that night, he used physical touch as avoidance while she used it in hopes that it would open him up emotionally.

After the physical trauma of being experimented on in the asylum, she turns to the physical touch of someone she trusts to combat the feelings of being violated.

In s2 she used her physical powers to heal Conner and her AOS Language came fully into play when she left her own problems behind to help the titans and Dick.

In s3 She’s now fully comfortable with her new family and uses touch a lot to comfort Gar. She hugs Hank immediately when she sees him. She also uses her physicality to show Conner her frustration. She also heals Dick by stitching up his wounds. (This was the only time they interacted physically 🙃) And steps in front of him to protect him from Gar’s anger.

In s4 her tendency for physical touch is highly utilized. Now she’s completely cemented her position as co-head of the family. She’s comfortable. She’s touching Dick whenever she can. To flirt, to calm him down, to stabilize herself. She’s hugging everyone all the time.

Whereas Dick’s love language is firmly placed in acts of service. It took until s4 for him to even be emotionally available enough to delve into the other placements but that’s fine because one thing you can count on is Dick showing up for you to give or get you what you need.

In s1 he drops everything to protect and help Rachel once she re-enters his life. He tries to find better help for her than him but realizes it’s ultimately best for him and Kory to do it. He uses all of his abilities and connections to do this.

This continues in s2 when he feels like he can’t protect his friends any longer he makes the decision to go to jail. He is the person they need protection from, therefore he will remove himself from the situation no matter how bad it hurts him.

In s3 he tries to do everything in his power, including to continue to sacrifice himself to save Jason, protect his family, and Gotham. Kory and Gar remind him that sacrificing hisself is not the way to go about it and it takes him dying for that to really sink in because he’s crazy. But yes.

In s4 he does everything he can and uses ALL of his resources to help everyone to fight this prophecy and their destiny. His efforts are a bit futile because his lesson was to learn to trust. Trust that Kory knows how to defeat this evil, that Rachel can control her darkness, that Gar has control over his abilities, that Conner will ultimately do good, that Tim can stand on his own. By providing them the tools he was able to help and not just be the tool. He also explored quality time with the road-trip plan in general which is Gar’s love language.

The thing to remember about love languages is to love the other person in theirs and not yours. Dick and Kory learned this overtime together. Kory gives the ultimate act of service in sacrificing her life for Dick everyone. Which is a language he can completely understand.

Dick shows up physically for Kory everywhere. Being her literally shoulder to lean on when she’s feeling weak. Now he could’ve done a bit more with this emotionally but well let him cook for now. And finally once he realizes what he could’ve lost shows her exactly how he feels in that final kiss. He’s no longer using affection to deflect or escape but to express.

So what do we think their languages are? Feel free to add on. I’m going to add the other team members as well!

#dickkory #love languages #dc titans #Kory Anders #Dick Grayson #love language analysis #titans meta

[meara-eldestofthemall]

Hello again bat-gran 👋

I appreciated your answer on the Robins situation, it intrigued me.

How would you have written Damian/where would you like his writing to go?

Poor Damian is simultaneously the Batfamily character with the most potential and the worst possible character development. If you go all the way back to his introduction it was fairly clear that readers were supposed to loathe him. He was an arrogant and rude little princeling with a chip on his shoulder the size of Cleveland.

Damian was such a brat that he even managed to exhaust Alfred's patience, which is a real feat considering the man raised Bruce.

Everyone knows that in his later interaction with Tim in this issue (Batman #657) Damian proves what a superior person he is by killing the first criminal he came across. He then tossed the decapitated head, (with a grenade in it's mouth) at Tim to make a point.

The most important thing to take away from this is that Damian has been raised in a cult that operates on the same upward mobility scheme as the Klingon Empire. In order to get ahead, you kill the person in your way. That' s exactly what Damian tried to do.

Damian was originally conceived as an anti-hero at least and a full blown villain at worst. He was supposed to be a great source of angst for Batman to darkly brood over for years. The only problem was that about half of the fandom loved hyper-violent, rude and nasty Damian. DC now had to figure out how to redeem him enough to work with Batman.

They actually did come up with a method that worked. During Battle For The Cowl Damian saved Tim's life in a very Damian way.

This was the moment that could have changed everything. This is where I would have had Damian reluctantly (very reluctantly) allow the idea that maybe his father's way of doing things had a tiny bit of merit after all. To be honest, I wouldn't have changed much of the Dick Grayson Batman and Damian Wayne Robin arc. You had a much sunnier Batman with Robin as the grim dark little gremlin a lot of people loved. Damian actually showed some positive character development without losing the edge that made him popular.

What would I have changed? This...

All the progress Damian made was unceremoniously tossed onto the garbage heap. The moment the kid got angry with Tim he went right into assassin mode and tried to kill him - again. Worst of all, there were no real consequences for his actions. Instead we're supposed to sympathize with the fact that Damian's feelings were hurt.

The impression left with the reader is that Damian maybe got a stern to talking to from Dick but that was about it. It does not help the conversation above seems to lay the blame on Tim for not having a stronger password.

This is the crux of the problem that followed Damian for years. DC seemed to actively undo any positive character development to keep him static. Damian was not allowed to be anything other than rude, arrogant and hyper-violent. He worked abysmally with Bruce's Batman, so much so that it set in stone the idea that Bruce was incapable of being a good Dad to Damian. Damian's character waffled between hero, anti-hero and kind-of-sort-of villain repeatedly. Not too long ago they were setting him up to be a bad guy yet again. Remember when Damian had his own private prison and then resigned from being Robin?

Why would DC continually do that to a character with so much potential?

What I would do with Damian is what we're now seeing. He went off and had his obligatory Robin-right-of-passage adventure on a mysterious island. Damian came back a better character. His relationship with Tim is improved enough that they still bicker dreadfully but are actually more like brothers.

I really like what I'm seeing in Batman and Robin. This is how Damian should be written. He's still got his edge and doesn't suffer fools well but he's working towards a positive future.

So, if you'll forgive this pedantic old Bat-Gran, my point is that what I want to see, what I as a writer would do, is keep him more on the path of the current Batman and Robin series and less of what we see in the current Batman series.

Most of all I would write Damian consistently, not vary the basics of his personality from book to book. That is the cardinal flaw that has always plagued DC.

Who I want Damian to be is a young man who is just beginning to discover that he can choose his own future. My version of Damian can honor his heritage but still move forward into the best version of himself. He can be someone who, perhaps like many teens, has no idea what he'll be in ten years but does know that it's a path he chooses for himself, not one forced on him by either the Waynes or the Al Ghuls.

I just hope I live long enough to see that. I'm already 67 so I hope DC stops messing around gets to it, please.

So, are you sorry you asked?

#damian wayne #robin #damian deserves better #Bat-Gran rants

[yeetus-feetus]

my cousin came home with a henna tattoo today and it just gave me this really cute idea.

Imagine if Dick learned how to do henna from his mum, and as a way of connecting with both her and his younger siblings, he likes to practice doing henna on them. Or like doing henna on them for special occasions and stuff. I just think it would be really cute, for him to share something from his childhood, something really meaningful to him, with his siblings.

I'm imagining Jason reading one of his favourite books out loud, maybe something he used to read before Bruce adopted him, while Dick is practicing a new henna design on him that he saw and wanted to try. And they're both sharing something close to their hearts, something hold close from their early childhoods. It's a rare occasion, most times they're fighting or trying to kill each other, but it's moments like these that remind them they're brothers.

Tim has a date planned and he's really excited, and he's telling Dick all about this boy and everything he likes about him and how nervous he is about screwing things up. And Dick may be giving him some questionable advice, knowing him, but he's creating intricate designs over Tim's palms almost in the same way a person might get henna done for their wedding because he wants Tim to be happy, and this boy makes his little brother so so happy that he can't help but hope they end up married one day. Tim doesn't know a thing about henna, so he probably doesn't understand the gesture, but that doesn't matter to Dick. Both boys are just happy to be spending time together.

Stephanie loves being Dick's practice doll. She thinks it's so pretty and she likes showing it off to everyone. Sure she's not exactly Dick's sibling, but she hangs around enough to be basically family. The two of them definitely gossip a lot while he's practicing. Henna aren't the only things that are shared when they're spending time together. They also share beauty tips and hair care routines, they do each other's nails and have spa days with face masks and stuff. Sometimes Cass and Babs join them too.

Dick has done henna for Barbara too, mostly when they were together. But sometimes he'll do small little designs on her too.

He's currently teaching Cassandra how to do henna. It's a perfect way for them to bond, it's helped her come more out of her shell and she really trusts Dick. She practices henna on Dick whenever they get the chance and of course she's getting really good at it. She feels more connected to the family in sharing something like this. She's even started practicing on Steph sometimes too. In turn she teachers Dick ballet and her favourite fighting skills, and how she encouperates her dancing with her fighting.

I think about how Kori would teach Dick all about her culture on Tamaran, share language and all sorts of things, and Dick would ask questions wanting to learn more. In turn he would teach her his language and what he can remember of his parents culture, and of course that includes his mother's henna tattoos.

He'd do henna for the kids too if they ever asked. It'd just be a fun little thing, Dick is always happy to share. It helps him feel close to his mother even though it's getting harder and harder to remember her face, and everytime he uses henna it makes him feel closer to her, helps him connect with what he used to have. He's so happy to share, and to learn.

#Now I'm wondering if henna tattoos would work on Kryptonians #Ooh what if Dick teaches Damian henna stuff and Damian practices henna on Jon #That'd be so cute if he did #batfam #batsiblings #headcanon #This feels very WFA core #dick grayson

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Hair Trigger

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Superfam, YJ98

Summary: A junior at Gotham University, Jason finds it difficult to conceal his worsening mental health from his family and his friend, Jon Lane Kent. Family secrets are revealed and boundaries are pushed as Jason and Laney struggle to navigate through school, their romantic feelings, and their trauma. Could the reintroduction of Laney Kent be more trouble than it's worth, or is it just what Jason needed to confront the demons of his past?

I will also do trigger warnings for chapters and if there is smut I have the chapter(s) tagged so you don't have to worry about nsfw in the fic if you're just here for the story itself.

Chapters: 2/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Jonathan Lane Kent, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake, Conner Kent, Natalia Knight, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Chris Kent, Bart Allen, Original Character(s)

Relationships: JayLaney, Clois, TimKon

Additional Tags: University AU, No Powers AU, Sharing A Bed, Romance, Angst

Chapter Two: Recap

Jason lay in bed until the late afternoon. He worried about how Bruce would react to the end of their conversation. He tidied up his apartment and allowed his phone to ring in the background until he could no longer tolerate the noise. "What?" Jason snapped as he answered his phone.

"Jason, you have no idea how worried everyone's been!" Dick yelled at him.

"How is it that I have to answer every single time one of you calls? I just want some time to myself—."

"Then say that, Jason! Jesus Christ! None of us know where you live, where you work, nothing! So, of course, we're all gonna panic when you hang up like that!" Dick chastised him.

"I get that, I do, but has it occurred to any of you that calling me four times a day every day to make sure I'm alive isn't helping me at all?" Jason asked. He heard Dick sigh on the other line.

"Why can't you just tell him this yourself? Why's it so hard for you to talk to him?" Dick asked.

"Because it's not his fault. It's nobody's fault but mine," Jason replied, "I just need a break. I'm tired."

"What are you tired of?" Dick asked the emotion rose in his voice.

Jason sat back on his bed and took a deep breath.

"I just want everyone to take a break from worrying about me all the time. I need a break from it... Aren't you tired, Dick?" Jason asked.

"Of course, I'm not. That's what families do. We worry about each other, which is the only way we can show that we love each other in this family," Dick whispered, "But if you need some time to breathe, I'll tell him that. We can give you that." Jason relaxed, and his shoulders dropped.

"Thanks," Jason whispered.

"But tell me one thing before I hang up... How was it hanging out with Laney after all these years?" Dick asked.

"It was fun... Like nothing changed," Jason replied. He caught himself smiling.

"Nothing?" Dick asked. Jason furrowed his brows.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Nevermind," Dick replied before hanging up. Jason went about the rest of his day, cleaning up and getting ready to go to the laundry room. Still, he wondered about all the cryptic messages Dick and Laney conveyed to him.

Jason decided to call Laney back on his way down to the laundry room, but he didn't exactly know what to say to him. "Ooh, he misses me," Laney teased.

"What did you mean last night?" Jason asked.

"I don't remember anything about last night," Laney answered without hesitation.

"Liar," Jason replied as he loaded the washing machine and put his quarters in. "Laney, when we were kids and got in trouble for sneaking into that movie, our dads told us we couldn't hang out anymore."

"It doesn't matter why anymore, Jason. We can hang out now," Laney answered sweetly, "That's all that matters, isn't it?"

"I'm starting to think that our parents told us two very different stories... Laney, please," Jason pleaded.

"I didn't know what I was talking about last night. I was just being my usual troublemaking self... I wasn't gonna tell you this, but I only got drunk because I didn't know what to say to you," Laney confessed, "I wasn't even sure if you would be anything like what I remember."

"Was I?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I forgot how fun it was pissing you off. Except you're taller than me now, so instead of crying about it, you could just knock my head off," Laney laughed. Jason snickered.

Jason sat down on a bench while his clothes were in the wash. "Still an asshole," Jason laughed.

"Remember the day we met, and I made you cry?" Laney laughed.

"Yeah, you told me that veal was human meat," Jason replied. Laney hollered on the other line, still laughing at Jason. "I vividly remember throwing up immediately after you told me that."

"I'm sorry. That was terrible, but why did you believe me? Why would a restaurant serve human meat?" Laney took a deep breath.

Jason chuckled. "Okay, you have a point. Remember when I invited you to stay the night after that just so I could give you a wet willy while you were sleeping?" Jason laughed. "Isn't that how we ended up being friends?" Laney asked.

"No, we became friends after Christmas when—. No, it was New Year's," Jason messed with his hair.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Christmas because you asked me why I was so mean to you all the time," Laney's voice softened, "You remember, don't you?" Jason didn't answer. Laney laughed uncomfortably. "I think your dad thought we were gonna end up killing each other before we made it to high school."

"I used to think about it before we were friends," Jason replied.

"Think about what?" Laney asked.

"Killing you," Jason answered casually. He got up and checked on his clothes during the awkward silence. Jason broke the silence with a laugh. "Lane?" Jason asked seriously.

"What?" Laney asked.

Jason kicked at nothing. "I haven't had fun in a really long time, but I had a lot of fun last night. Thanks for that," Jason mumbled, "And sorry for kicking you out earlier. It wasn't you—."

"Don't finish that sentence. Otherwise, I'm gonna think you're breaking up with me," Laney joked. He paused before changing his tone, "I know you, Jay. I knew you weren't okay when my dad gave me your number. I know you probably don't want me to come back today, but whenever you need somebody to just listen, I'm here."

Jason allowed the silence to flood in for a little while, and he found himself thinking about Laney's full weight on him as they held each other on the dancefloor that night. "Still there?" Laney asked.

"Mhm... Laney, you should come back later on today," Jason whispered. Laney made an affirmative noise.

"Ooh, should I wear my negligee this time?" Laney teased.

"Fuck off," Jason laughed, "What if I had terrible news?"

"Well, I bet you feel less terrible now. Do you think your dad will let us stay up past nine this time?"

"Bye, Lane," Jason rolled his eyes.

"Bye, Jay," Laney replied and hung up. Jason moved his laundry from the washer to a dryer, and he sat back down on the bench. A woman that lived on his floor came in and put her clothes in the washer.

"Having a yucky day again, sweetie?" she asked. Jason shook his head.

"I was, but I think I'll be okay now," Jason smiled.

The woman smiled and pulled two magazines out of her bag and handed one of them to Jason. She opened her magazine and held it up by Jason's face. "Have you ever thought about adding olive green to your wardrobe?" she asked. Jason chuckled.

"Are you telling me that I'm an autumn?" Jason asked. She nodded and looked back at the color scheme.

"I don't know about this orange on you, though... Or yellow..." She looked back and forth at him and the magazine.

"I hate to be weird, but how do you open up to an old friend when you haven't seen them for a long time?" Jason asked.

"That's a silly question. I have a better question for you. What is the risk of opening up to your friend?" she asked.

"I just don't want him to worry about me. I don't wanna feel weird about talking to him..." Jason trailed off.

"I think things might already be weird between the both of you. You seem like you're out of sorts today. I think if this person is really your friend, things won't be weird at all," she replied, "Do you still journal as we talked about?"

"I try to, but writing it down freaks me out. I just feel like I'm saying something dumb," Jason replied. They talked for a while until Jason's clothes finished drying, and he stayed to fold. After he finished folding, he said his goodbyes and made his way back to his apartment to make himself something to eat.

He felt a little sick to his stomach, being that he hadn't eaten all day. He made himself a sandwich and a cup of tea. He turned the tv on and allowed his mind to drift back to the day Jason and Laney got in trouble. He could only remember sneaking into the movie theater. Jason couldn't remember how they got caught or anything else from that day. That day seemed so important to him, and yet, he couldn't remember anything about it.

Jason got up, made himself some dinner, and soaked in the bath for a while. He closed his eyes and sank under the water, holding his breath and counting backward from one-hundred. By the time Jason got to zero, his head was clear. He pulled the plug and stood up slowly, grabbing his towel and drying his face.

Laney knocked on his door, and he wrapped the towel around his waist before going to answer. "You're early," Jason stated as he opened the door. Lane cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"What will the neighbors think?" Laney joked as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. Jason made his way back to his room to get dressed. "You went from being like four-foot-six to like six-foot-four. You gotta let me in on how you did that," Laney noted.

"Laboratory explosion!" Jason answered sarcastically from the other room. Laney put his bag on the floor and got comfortable on the couch.

"Some guys just have all the luck," Laney joked, "Listen, Jay... I'm gonna be straight with you. You know how our little brothers are friends?"

"Yeah..." Jason came out of his room in his pajamas and a t-shirt.

"The clumsy one... Uh, Tim, he told Conner that you haven't been home in months. He didn't say why, but he did say that everyone misses you," Laney admitted.

"Oh, well... I'm gonna tell you about that," Jason mumbled as he went straight to the kitchen. Laney kicked his shoes off and lay on the couch.

"If it makes it less awkward, I can tell you about something that I did that made my parents freak out," Laney replied.

"What did you do?" Jason asked. He smiled and turned around to look at Laney.

"That's just what my mom said," Laney laughed, "I got a tattoo. It says 'mom' in a heart on my back."

"No, you don't," Jason laughed.

"You're right, I got a belly button piercing as a gag," Laney replied.

"Got any other lies?" Jason asked.

"Ooh, one more... I didn't run away and try to go to your house after our parents said we couldn't hang out anymore," Laney replied. Jason's smile faded, and he turned back around to the fridge. "So, do you wanna tell me why you won't go home?"

"What?" Jason asked.

"Our brothers are friends. They talk," Laney replied. Jason shrugged.

"I had a rough time with a class last semester... It brought up a lot of bad memories, memories of things I thought I buried. Instead of telling Bruce that I was struggling, I kept it to myself," Jason mumbled. Laney leaned forward and made a noise to indicate that he was listening. "I figured once the semester was over, I'd be fine... But it was worse. We were gonna go on a summer trip, and I just wanted to stay home and be by myself... Get some sleep."

"What happened, Jason?" Laney asked. His voice was nearly unrecognizable to Jason.

Jason swallowed hard. "I couldn't sleep the whole time they were gone, and everyone came home early, asking how I was and what I was planning to do during the summer... And I snapped. I don't remember what happened in between, but I know that Bruce and I got into this huge fight. I don't remember what I said or what I did, but he checked me into the hospital. The day I was discharged was the last time we saw each other in person," Jason's voice broke, and he held his breath.

"Jason... Is that why you don't wanna go home?" Laney asked.

"I want to go home," Jason whimpered as tears streamed down his cheeks, "I just feel like I'm gonna implode every time I talk to him. I don't know why..." Jason couldn't talk through his tears anymore, and he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"It doesn't sound like anyone is holding that against you, buddy," Laney whispered. Jason turned around and held onto Laney.

"I can't go home," Jason wept. Laney let go and backed away.

"I used to think you were just messing with me, but you really don't remember a lot of things... Do you?" Laney asked. Jason wiped his face.

"What?" Jason asked. "What does that have to do with—?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I was just thinking out loud," Laney replied, "Besides, from what my brothers say, it sounds like your family misses you."

"It doesn't change what I did... Don't you ever wish you could go back in time and stop yourself before you do something stupid?" Jason asked.

"All the fucking time... But the thing is, we can't. Jason, he's your dad. I really don't think he cares about what you did or why you did it. I think he just wants you to come home," Laney suggested. Jason shook his head.

"It's not that easy. Every day, Lane... Bruce calls me every single day, two times a day in the least. Ever since I left home, I feel like there's so much pressure to go back and pretend that things are normal—."

"Jason, of course, you can't pretend things are normal. No one is asking you to pretend things are okay. Maybe they want to work on things with you," Laney replied, "And I get how you're feeling. I really do. I had a hard time telling my parents about my feelings... But once I did, we really got closer, and it was worth it." Jason sat on the couch and hugged his knees. Laney sat next to him on the sofa and turned the tv on.

Laney's phone rang, and he looked at Jason. "Mind if I get this?" Laney asked. Jason shook his head. "Hey," Laney answered, "Oh no, I'm not home right now... I will when I get home... Uh-huh... I said I wouldn't, Mom... I love you too, bye." Laney hung up.

Jason opened his mouth to speak, and Laney turned to look at him. "Lane... How come nothing's changed?"

"What do you mean?" Laney asked as he changed the channel.

"How is it still easy to talk to you?" Jason asked as he let go of his knees and planted his feet on the floor.

"It's because I get you," Laney replied calmly. He stretched out on the couch, throwing his legs over Jason's lap. "Also, you're not that different from how I remember you." Jason pushed Laney's legs off his lap and went straight to the kitchen.

"I can order some pizza," Jason offered.

"I already did, right before I left. It should be here any minute now," Laney replied.

As soon as the pizza deliverywoman came, Jason paid her and sat on the couch. "What have you been up to, Lane?" Jason asked.

"In the past eight years or—."

"Yeah, sure, Laney," Jason interrupted. Laney took a bite of pizza.

"Well, as you know, I was already on pretty thin ice with my parents when we were fourteen... So, they sent me away to go to school because they thought it'd keep me out of trouble. Fast forward like two years, they let me go back to regular school, and I'm pretty sure I went to my prom at some point... Oh, and I dated a friend of the family, which was kind of nice for a while," Laney replied.

"Oh? For how long?" Jason asked.

"Three years. We broke up two and a half years ago," Laney answered, "And what have you been up to? I know it hasn't been all bad."

"It wasn't. I was in a few plays in high school. I start working on campus pretty soon, and last year I got a xylophone... I don't remember why—."

"Do you still have it?" Laney asked. Jason nodded, and Laney gestured for Jason to go get it. Jason finished his slice of pizza and went to wash his hands. He went to his room and came out with a dark wooden xylophone.

"You can have it if you want—."

"No fucking way. Hold on," Laney replied, wiping his hands on a napkin and grabbed the mallets. "I had this roommate a few years ago that got a xylophone as a present from his parents because he said he was bored, and he was gonna throw it out, and well..." Laney played a tune on the xylophone.

"You play the xylophone?" Jason asked as he went back to eating. Laney nodded, smiling a devilish half-smile. For a while, Jason almost forgot they'd ever been apart.

As the night went on, Jason and Laney talked to each other about just about everything. Around midnight, Jason got up to turn the lights down, stopping as soon as he heard Laney mumble something. "Say what, Lane?" Jason asked.

"I didn't have any real friends until I met you. I mean, I've got some really great friends now, but you and me, we were partners in crime," Laney whispered. Jason smiled and nodded. "Did you really used to think about killing me?" Laney asked.

Jason grabbed some blankets from his closet and gave them to Laney. "Oh yeah," Jason laughed, "Remember when you put that rubber spider in my bed? I thought about smothering you with a pillow, but I wasn't sure I'd get away with it. Why? You never thought about it?"

"I never really got mad at you... Except for when you gave me a wet willy, that was disgusting, and you didn't have to spit on me after," Laney laughed, "I've never seen anyone that angry in my whole life."

"Oh, Lane, the couch is a pullout," Jason pointed out. Laney got up and looked at the couch.

"Oh, it is," Laney replied as he moved Jason's coffee table and pulled the couch bed out. "Turning in?"

Jason nodded. "Goodnight, Laney."

"Night," Laney replied.

Laney lay awake for a little while after Jason went to bed before sending a text to someone. By the time Jason woke up, Laney was gone.

#fic #batfam #superfam #yj98 #young just us #hair trigger fic #Jason Todd #Jonathan Lane Kent #Bruce Wayne #Clark Kent #Lois Lane #Cassandra Cain #Tim Drake #Conner Kent #Natalia Knight #Jonathan Samuel Kent #Cassie Sandsmark #Chris Kent #Bart Allen #Original Character(s) #JayLaney #Clois #TimKon #University AU #No Powers AU #Sharing A Bed #Romance #Angst

[redjaybathood]

I'm sorry, I am still in the bomb shelter so I need to take my mind off the things like sounds of explosions and how my stomach is hurting right now from stress+constant coffee bc I've been pulling doubles and weekends on 3 hours of sleep basically the whole week+I literally have no food money left so I'm eating like, once a day and it's the cheapest crop there is. So yeah, my stomach is fucked up again.

Anyhow! Need to take my mind off things, and been browsing Tumblr insomuch as weak connection allows me. So happened upon a post that was about fixing Jason in comics. And the thing is, it's not about this particular post, I've seen a lot of them. By fixing things, people propose different things. Leave Gotham, have some of his own friends so not to steal from Dick of Tim, being community minded, etc etc. And most of the things listed are already in the canon.

Jason got his own friends back in 2016 with Artemis and Biz. Of course, Wonderfam/Artemis fans weren't happy about it either. And nobody would. You can literally not allow any established hero or villain or any character at all, to become Jason's friend, because it's stealing. You just need an OC. But fandom doesn't like OC that much either, seeing how when he got some more friends in 2020ish with Dana Harlowe (with a few unfortunate mentions in between, like Max Dawkins, fridged, and Numbers, rewamping Jason's story in Ma Gunn's school, never to be seen again), people were harping that it's rewriting Jason's history again, because he didn't have any childhood friends, otherwise he wouldn't be so alone and died. Now some people say that Martinborough doesn't respect Jason as a character and makes his OC the star of the show. So this doesn't work either.

Leave Gotham. He left Gotham plenty in 2016 run, and I'm not scandalsavage to be up to date on sales figures so I don't know how it did, financially speaking. İ would bet not that good tho. İ didn't enjoy the Year of the Villain event and Jason's group of kids/teen villains, and I don't see anyone enjoying them or even bringing them up in meta or hc or fic much. Yeah, I would bet it didn't do all that good. So. They probably wouldn't do that anymore.

And there's people who, the opposite. They want Jason back to street level, as if he ever was. Okay, so Red Hood: The Hill.

And there's people who say, Jason should help community in other, cool, hip, anarchist ways of growing community gardens or whatever. Do charity like multi gazillioner Bruce Wayne does. And wadda you know, Jason also did charity in canon! Again, Rebirth. İceberg Lounge arc.

The problem is consistency. The problem is making it matter for more than the issue it appears in.

İm sincerely holding up hopes for Martinborough's run. İt's a mini series, as far as I remember, and they're supposed to be easier in that - if you don't count, like, Rosenberg's Man Who Stopped Laughing being fucked by Zdarsky's Gotham War (fucking distasteful ; could have come up with a better name: Lover's Spat; or, Consequences of Not Getting Enough Sleep. Which honestly, I can relate, Bruce. Can relate.)

But from what I ve seen from the first issue, it's not exactly... There's too much going on and I don't know where he's going with it tbh.

#jason todd #fandom discourse

[lazaruspiss]

So, I'm writing a long fanfic based around the characterizations of the various Bats in the 80s-00s time frame, and Nightwing is gonna be important but I don't have a good grasp of his personality yet. I'm currently reading through The Resurrection of Ras Al Ghul, but that and a few of the 2016 issues are all I've got to go off of right now.

Do you have any comics you'd recommend for getting a good grasp of his personality and general vibes?

I'd also be happy to read any kind of ramble about his personality/appeal you feel like writing. Having read your fanfiction I feel like (sincere compliment:) you are the exact kind of unhinged I want to get character opinions from.

(Also you mentioned Dick being in the mob which sounds Very Fun and I wanna know what titles so I can read that)

-redhoodinternaldialectical on anon cause sideblog

ok first of all. im flattered. i feel so powerful rn.

and second of all... my 'to read' list is embarrassingly long, and dick's been around and in a lot of comics so i have a lot of trouble keeping up ;-; but i will try my best!!

The New Teen Titans gets recommended a lot as a starting point for Dick as Nightwing, and while i havent read much of it, the stuff i have read has been pretty solid and i get why its so popular.

Nightwing 1996 is my personal go to comic for Dick, mainly bc it was his first real solo run. (it's often listed as "volume 2" of nightwing, but volume 1 aka Nightwing 1995 was really more of a test drive just to see if they should make a Nightwing solo series) It's also where Dick joins the mob! although that came off the tail end of a lot of different plot points.

(This is a bit unrelated, but in general I think knowing a bit of irl context to certain comic events is important. Like, at one point Bludhaven is nuked off the map. It doesn't make sense, and it was most likely due to some higher up DC nonsense. And Nightwing 1996's second annual is written by a man. etc etc.)

... I actually have a guide I've been working on, main reasons being quick reference for what happens where, and that writing these things down helps me remember them better

as you can probably tell, I still have a ways to go. looking at this now i'm starting to realize that i am really down bad for him lol

Mobbed Up (where Dick gets adopted by a random mob boss who took one look at his depressed mug as he was getting fired from the police force and said "new son?") is issues #107-111

I feel like I should get back to character thoughts.

Dick on his own is deeply serious, he has a job to do and it's incredibly important that he does it right. In the beginning this serves as an invaluable asset, but as he loses more people it starts to turn into more destructive. A trait that is morphed by his traumas into obsessiveness.

Dick when Tim comes to visit (or just when he's around people he cares about) is a bit softer, it's subtle, but it shows that he's aware of/cares for the people around him.

Dick with Bruce around seems to worry so much about proving himself, about being seen as a respectable peer, that it backfires into making him come off more insecure and as a bit of a "rebellious teen". (which is exactly what he's trying to avoid when he strikes out on his own) I've read various arcs and issues but I haven't actually read any focused on Dick and Bruce aside from the ones towards the beginning, so I'm sure their relationship must change, but this is how they were when Dick had first moved to Blud.

I feel like Bludhaven is also important to talk about. It's very much meant to be "Gotham, but worse". It's a place that even Batman wouldn't bother with, a place beyond saving. I'm... kind of breaking my own heart, thinking about how much Dick put into this city, only to. To fail? In a sense? A hero's home city isn't usually obliterated like that. The only other example that comes to mind is Hal Jordan's, and Hal literally went insane and became a space terrorist to bring it back. Dick is just... forced to move on.

And Dick goes back to NYC. Nightwing patrolling Gotham with any regularity feels very modern. He shows up when there's a major event and DC wants to capitalize on having a bunch of names in the same series, and he shows up when something drastic changes (like a new robin, or a death). Dick has however spent a lot of time in NYC, either because of the Titans or because. yknow. home go boom.

Anyways. Arc recs. Unironically I need you to read Brothers in Blood. Get past the initial gross out factor of Tentatodd and it's a great look at Jason and Dick's relationship. This is #118-122 and right after Bludhaven gets nuked. Dick has just experienced the lowest lows that one could low. Jason seems to know all about it, and tries to help in the worst way possible. Jason is right and blunt and convoluted and so so insecure about where he stands with Dick. Dick doesn't know where he stands with Jason either, on account of all the murder, and his tactless approach to trying to confront Dick on the copious amounts of trauma that Dick is dealing with. BiB is my Jaydick bible.

I'd also say to just give the first few arcs a shot. Beginnings are meant for introductions! It gives a good sense of who Dick is, why he's here, and what his goals are. Exposition baby! And I'm once again thinking about how ultimately Dick kind of fails said goals. I love him but he makes me so emo. Blockbuster has also been his main villain since the beginning, up until. Yknow. He became deader than his namesake. There's also a few fear toxin based issues that are good for. well. understanding what his fears are. There's also a fear toxin scene in Batman: Orphans, but i'll just reblog the post i made of it so u don't have to read that one. The art is fun, the story is weird and just kinda. meh.

#60 is when Dick joins the force. The beginning of the end, so to speak, but we don't meet Catalina until #71.

#93 is That Issue. The infamous rape scene. The thing about his time with Catalina is that it was almost definitely meant to be explored for what it was- an abusive relationship. But DC wanted Nightwing in an event. It doesn't have any satisfactory end, Bruce (DC) calls Dick to fight in Gotham. He does. His story falls to the wayside for the bigger title. The worst thing that can happen to a DC character IMO is getting a Batman crossover. There was supposed to be an entire arc dedicated to what would happen to Dick in this abusive relationship. But we got 2 issues. And War Games. It pisses me off to absolutely no end. DC needed more mouths to kiss the ground that Batman walks on. They don't give a damn about the stories that exist outside their cash cow.

After all that, eventually Dick is back to his utterly depressing life. He joins the mob, finds a family, bad things happen to said family. (Mobbed Up, #107-111) He wants to protect the daughter, Sophia Tevis, and then Slade holds Sophia hostage to get Dick to teach his daughter Rose how to fight. He does, but he also teaches Rose how to question authority (aka her dad). Slade is not happy about that, and nukes Bludhaven. (Renegade, #112-117) See my earlier note about IRL reasons for dumbass plot points.

Nightwing 1996 has 2 annual issues (despite running for much longer than 2 years). The first annual is a fun murder mystery and i think a good look into how Dick handles relationships. He also reads as very aromantic/demiromantic who doesn't know it yet, but maybe that's just me, lol. the second annual is dog shit. Mark Andreyko can get bent, it sucked total ass and isn't worth reading.

#asks #redhoodinternaldialectical #this isnt the /most/ well organized but i hope it was at least a little helpful #now to go find the batman orphans post i mentioned

[obsidianstrawberrymilk]

AU where Bruce isn’t a billionaire but just you’re regular everyday history teacher. He still has all his martial arts training and stuff because he meets Selina and Talia in college and is like ‘hot women... must be able to keep up with her in a fight...’ and no parents (well Alfred exists but yk), but is otherwise normal. No Batman.

Then he meets small Dick Grayson, recently orphaned in a whole new country, and his adoption senses are like ‘hnggg’.

And small Jason Todd before his mom dies and he winds up on the streets so when Jason goes missing from class he gets worried and finds him and is like ‘hey Dick do you want a new brother’.

Given Tim went to boarding schools I can’t see him meeting him first, so maybe he meets Steph first?? And he notices how no one seems to care where she is etc and is like ‘can I adopt you??’

And THEN Tim’s parents die ig and then Steph’s like ‘yo can you adopt by bestie’.

And then he meets Cass I guess?? Not as a teacher. Maybe she saves him from being mugged or something and his child sense immediately tingles and he’s like ‘child?? With?? No home?? Would you like me to-’

Reiterating he’s a history teacher, so he probably has like a three bedroom apartment and already has five kids.

Then Talia is like ‘hehe soo remember when I said I miscarried well ACTUALLY-’ and Bruce is like ‘wtf this is a. child. Why does child have. Sword.’ And Talia’s like ‘oh I thought you’d use all your martial arts training to go out dressed up as a Bat and beat up bad guys so I could use the terrifying image you cast as a way to train our son more.’ And Bruce like ‘wtf no I have better coping mechanisms than that’ ‘oh - wait why are there so many rats here?’ ‘THOSE ARE MY CHILDREN TALIA-’

Dick still hates Talia because I find that hilarious. Damian is like five, already carting around a sword, and Bruce DOES NOT have exactly one (1) coping mechanism of cage fights in a fursuit so he’s like ‘Okay. Let’s try to work out your aggression is a less violent way’ ‘FATHER I WILL BE YOUR ONE TRUE HEIR’ ‘To what? My teaching job? Okay.’

Then Duke’s parents are Jokerized (bc the Rogues still exist) and he stops showing up to class and Bruce gets worried again and finds this child trying to take on the Joker by himself and is like ‘okay yeah no’.

And then one day he gets Cullen Row in class, and he’s a sweet kid, kind of jumpy, but then he sees some assholes picking on him for being gay and goes all teacher mode and is like ‘do you want me to talk to your parents??’ and Cullen’s like ‘lol my dad would probably give them a medal’ ‘Hmmm okay so can I adopt-’ Naturally Harper is a package deal.

Basically Bruce adopts all his kids but IS NOT a violent furry so he’s a good dad and doesn’t enlist them into his weird ass ‘war on crime’ or whatever he calls it.

Also the kids get to share rooms now and fight over bathrooms-

#batfamily #batfam #batkids #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #stephanie brown #tim drake #cassandra cain #damian wayne #duke thomas #harper row #cullen row #talia al ghul #alternate universe #bruce being a history teacher is honestly my favorite thing #he gets to be the person he wished he had #an emotional support and kind hand #while also being nonviolent #hes not a violent person #in his best depictions he only uses as much violence as is absolutely necessary and still really dislikes it #but still #im guessing gotham rent is low than your average big city bc rogues #nontheless the batkids fighting over bathrooms in the morning is hilarious to me #also i just learned more about harper and cullen and am now in love #yesss #give me the gays #all the gays #no capes au

[dramatic-squirrel]

Daminette December Day 7- Red

@maribat-calendar-events

“Why the hell is there blood on the floor Alfred?” Bruce was too tired for whatever it was his kids were doing. After staying late at work to deal with an emergency crisis with an international division, he then had to stop Kite Man on his way home. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, and a pool of blood in the manor didn’t exactly help him relax.

“I beg your pardon, Master Bruce, but that is not blood.” Alfred corrected him, and that’s when Bruce realized that it didn’t smell like blood, it smelled like… “paint was spilled on the floor earlier.” 

Alfred didn’t bother explaining until Bruce asked, “And why did my kids spill paint all over the floor?”

“Well, I believe it was an accident. I assume you were aware that Master Damian wanted to change the décor of his room.”

“I think I remember something about that. Marinette mentioned that his room was really gloomy and he got insecure about the whole matter.”

“Yes, well, the story begins there about 5 hours ago…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I refuse to paint my room yellow, Grayson.”

Dick pouted at how stubborn Damian was being. “You said you wanted to make your room feel brighter. Yellow’s the brightest color you can go with, it’s the color of the sun!” Damian didn’t comment on that, just sneered at the suggestion. “Ok, what’s your plan?”

Damian thought for a moment before answering, “Red.” The answer shocked everyone. Tim stopped typing away at his computer, Cass stared at him in shock and far away somewhere else in Gotham, Jason felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Red? You would choose the same color as Jason. Tell me it isn’t so, baby bird.” Dick acted like he was just stabbed with a sword.

“We are not letting you paint your room the color of blood and rage,” Tim spoke up from his corner of the parlor. “You're already filled with enough anger to give a bull a run for its money.”

Damian glared at his least favorite sibling, “Very funny, you moron. I’m not an animal that will be incited by the color red. And I assumed you were smart enough to know that bulls are color blind.” Tim rolled his eyes at that, as if he didn’t know that. 

“Ok, no yellow, but how about you consider blue. Blue would be a great color to paint your room.” Dick was desperate at this point. Anything but red because Tim was right, as vigilante’s the color red would only remind them of blood. And Damian needed less reminders of that in his life, not more.

“No. Unfortunately you’re too late, I already had Alfred deliver it to my room.”

“He can’t even by his own paint, Cass” Cass looked back at Tim, saying the same thing but without words.

“I refuse to let this happen Damian. This is not the answer.” And without looking back Dick raced out of the room. Quickly realizing what was happening Damian raced after him while Tim and Cass went back to what they were doing. A few moments later the bell rang and Alfred opened it to greet their guest.

“Welcome, Miss Dupain-Cheng”

“Bonjour, Alfred. I wanted to stop by and share some croissants I made. Are any of the batboys home?” She anxiously looked over his shoulder.

Alfred caught on to what she was asking. “Master Damian is in his room at the moment. If you would like, I’ll show you to the parlor and inform him of your arrival.”

Marinette sent him a smile so bright, it could rival a floodlight. “Merci, Alfred.” They were making their way across the foyer, when something bright red splashed right next to them. Luckily, they were just far enough away to avoid getting hit by any stray drops.

Looking up to see where the red substance had come from, Marinette saw Dick, desperately trying to keep Damian from reaching a now empty paint can.

“Master Dick, Master Damian,” the two froze. “I expect the two of you to clean this mess up once our guest leaves.”  They looked over at Marinette

  “Hi guys.” she gave a little wave of her hand. “Um… croissant?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“And why is the paint still on the floor Alfred?” He understood the how of the situation, just not why his foyer continued to look like a crime scene.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng agreed to stay for dinner at the insistence of everyone else. They are enjoying their meal in the dining hall at the moment. Would you care to join them sir?”

Bruce prepared himself for a headache. “Sure Alfred, lead the way.”

#daminette december #daminette December 2022 #daminette #maribat #maribat event #I had color theory on the mind so this was all I could think of right now

[actuallyastingray]

Time Travel Batman Part 1

Follow up to my “what if” prompt about Batman traveling back to his early vigilante years. Link to the original post Here. Gonna split this one into a few parts for sanity’s sake

So let’s say Bruce ends up in his early years as Batman, probably only a few weeks into this whole vigilante biz. What happens?

Well for starters, you gotta consider that Batman is the most paranoid person in the DC universe. He’s gonna automatically assume that Spellbinder or Ra’s al ’Ghul got the drop on him and he’s reliving some twisted memory

That said, the longer this whole “act” goes on, the more his rational side; the side that’s had to deal with magic, alternate realities, and yes, time travel, starts to tell him this isn’t a trick.

Basically he just starts out jumping at shadows/Alfred, pretending he’s not crazy 

The stress of reliving the past starts to get to him in a lot of ways

Alfred, obviously, who isn’t dead anymore

Waking up to a hot meal instead of having to microwave everything/wait for Terry to show up and help

Not being 90 years old and dealing with arthritis and failing organs has to merit for somethings, like being able to walk up and down stairs without assistance

Brooding in front of the Batcomputer and trying to reread old files only to realize said files don't exist yet

Grabbing a toolbox and going to tune up the Batmobile or the Batwing, except “surprise” he hasn't built those yet.

Can’t brood in front of the suit display case either cause, what do you know, don’t have any sidekicks yet either

Speaking of whom, he gets little moments where he really, REALLY misses his kids

Reading in the library and unconsciously picks up an author Jason used to swear by

Walking the hedge gardens which are miraculously clean and intact without Damian using them for sword practice

He just stops and stares at the foyer chandelier and wondering how exactly they got it to look good as new after Dick broke it, only to realize it hasn’t been broken yet

Staying up till 3:00am just brooding (cause he doesn’t have too many cases yet) until Alfred convinces him to go to bed. Bruce catches himself telling Tim to go to bed too.

Stays up all night just wishing someone would come speeding into the cave on a motorbike or on the Batwing just to make things “normal”

The tipping point is honestly Ace/Titus (take your pick which one). Bruce comes home after just walking the streets all day and remembering how bad Gotham used to be before Batman. He’s not in a good place when he gets back so when he walks in the door and whistles for his dog, no one comes. Yeah, Bruce Wayne has a breakdown over wanting his dog back.

I guess it’s worth mentioning at this point that Alfred, being the only person who can keep Batman alive in between cases, knows stuff is not right with Bruce, but seeing as his charge has gone jumpy, paranoid, distant, and on a hunger strike, he hasn’t been able to get a word in edgewise

That said, when Bruce wakes back up, he gets the telling off of his life, the kind that only a concerned Dadler would be able to do. Seeing as an angry Alfred is the one of the only things able to put fear into Bruce, he sobers up to reality really fast

I’ll leave this as the tipping point for Bruce realizing he’s got a second chance to undo all the mistakes of his previous life. Not just with his kids, but seeing as he knows how everything is gonna go down, he’s going to aim high and succeed. And if you don’t think he won’t; he’s the freaking Batman, AKA the guy with enough plot armor to let him fight Superman one on one. 

Okay so maybe things will go differently. Next up, the Rogues Gallery and how Bats handles them this time around.

#batman #time travel fix it #story prompt #fanfic prompt #batfam #alfred pennyworth

[trust-and-jump]

Reverse Robins AU and problems with Tim and Shrike!Damian

Bad English and no structure or good order, sorry! (BAT English :))))) and typos.

So my Reverse Robins AU has six parts. But I'm worried about Tim's part (named Lessons in Humility, by the way, LOL). Because he didn't see Graysons' deaths as a child he's, ah, different. And he wasn't as obsessed with Batman and 'Robin' thing as he was in canon. And it was kinda hard not to imagine him as some cold evil Owl.

I'm not one of those people who think that Jason was doomed from the beginning (it's one one the reasons why i decided to write the AU), angry and murdering. And i don't think he was a bad Robin, either, because Batman himself when discussing Jason with Alfred, said that he's very good and soon might not actually need Batman. (it was in Batman vol 1, 1940, i don't remember where but i do remember that it was after Jason found and put Scarecrow down all by himself)

But!

I actually enjoyed writing the idea of TIMMY being doomed to be a villain. Like. Graysons didn't die back then. And no reasons for Batman showing up, too. Maybe Tim wasn't even in circus with his parents!.. (sorry, i can't do this, he WAS in circus with his parents, but no murder and Dick was not even born yet)

So! First: how Tim sees all of this! by 'this' I mean this (not the reblog itself but the post about Damian leaving Gotham for Blüdhaven):

Tim doesn't get this focus and he doesn't get those nightmares. He's just growing up as his super-clever self. Also doesn't form his moral the way he did in canon. He's, like. Gray. Just a kid. Just Timmy. Scary clever kinda lonely always waiting for parents to come home from their trip Timmy. Maybe thinking about some shadow operation with money, who knows.

But Batman and Shrike still get his attention, once he hears about them in Gotham (WELL, HE FIRST HEARS JUST ABOUT BATMAN AND SEARCHES EVERYTHING HE CAN). I must say, Shrike is not a symbol for hope and he's DEFINITELY not the Light for Batman's darkness. If anything, the city sometimes fears Shrike more than it fears Batman. Shrike never speaks, he's silent and deadly and he's small and people are sometimes missing after encounter with him. Well, with It, not him. Because people have no idea what he or she is. Because people after all those years of thinking that Batman is just a legend started to think that Batman is metahuman or humanoid alien. But Shrike? Complete mystery. And a terrifying one. Is it even human? Is it some vengeful spirit? Is it an alien? Is some golem? WHAT THE HELL IS IT

At first Tim is just curious, but, since Timmy doesn't have any solid hobby and parents supervision, soon it becomes his new fixation, his obsession. He finds out that they are actually helping city AND how GCPD works with them without getting in trouble (for those of you who don't know, search about Batsignal in wiki, who exactly turns it on in times of need). But there are only few bad quality photos and almost no video! It's not enough for him. He saw Batman few times with his own eyes, but no material evidence.

So our friendly stalker goes for it! Yay, photos. Timmy discovers different Gotham, he sees people in need, he sees the gentle, protective side of Batman. And, once, he is actually saved by Shrike. Well, from a distance, with a well-placed batarang (at least it was what the street kids called them; I HAVE A STORY HOW BATARANGS BECAME BATARANGS it's funny and cute, maybe I'll post something about it). But Tim knew it was him.

A few weeks later, he is taking some pictures of random people on the streets (without their permission or knowledge, obviously) late evening and gets caught in 4K by the Shrike. Very angry and very silent Shrike.

Damian points at his camera, demanding to show him what he's doing. Timmy, scared and star-eyed at the same time, shows him only the recent ones (fairly convinced that he might lose his camera if the Shrike finds out that some kid is taking pictures of him and Batman). Luckily, Dami loses his interest and, with a wordless warning, leaves. Timmy is shaken, relieved, slightly nauseous and absolutely excited because he's never seen one of Gotham's Shadow SO CLOSE before (and his sleep-deprived brain even considered becoming a criminal just to meet them, once). AND HE MANAGED TO GET A PHOTO WHEN SHRIKE WAS PREPAIRING TO JUMP OFF THE ROOF— It was the best night in his life.

So. When Shrike dissapears from the streets, no one notices at first. Because Shrike is even more ghost-like than the big guy. What they DO notice is that Batman makes much more appearances than before. It's disturbing for everyone, at the beginning, and anyone who had no good intentions tries to be quiet.

But soon crime levels start to grow because poor time management skills of Batman. (no, 100000 other reasons, he's just stubborn and Damian left him alone in the battlefield Gotham is) Timmy notices and tries to find out where did Shrike go. The thought of Shrike dying doesn't come to his mind even once. He's not even sure that Shrike CAN die, but even if he can his death would be loud and bloody and murder-y, Tim just knows it (also Batman would lose his mind; it is proven that he's much more violent whenever Shrike's not with him). He could be injured, though, even if most gothamites don't think Shrike's corporeal.

But it won't hurt to try and search for some mentions of the gray stabby shadow who terrifies people on the streets and doesn't speak?

Right?

You know how you Google something innocent and after few hours end up reading, for example, Old Believers' self-immolation rituals page on Wikipedia? Well, Timmy's special and after his innocent project he with dawning horror finds out it's possible that his neighbour Bruce Wayne is freaking BATMAN. And Shrike is human (probably, if not some shape-shifting alien or weird magician) - Damian Wayne-human. Only a possibility, but Tim feels that he's gonna lose his mind if he doesn't check properly.

———

...He knows he's smart, but he feels so stupid. It should have been obvious.

———

-----okay, it's not a part of the fic, it's just me describing it in English briefly. I'll write the next post about how Tim did in his 'Red Hood arc' without being Red hood or killing the Joker and how Jason suffered from Tim's finally present Lazarus Pit Madness

#reverse robins #reverse roles #reverse robins au #tim drake #red robin #damian wayne #batfam #batfamily #batman #bruce wayne #batman au #batman fanfiction #fic writing #bad english #BAT English #robin dc #shrike #stalker tim drake #damian al ghul