onlyjustice-blog

[onlyjustice-blog]

If there's one woman that Bruce Wayne will never forget, it's Talia al Ghul. He noticed her immediately, there from the corner of his eye at his left, and the shift in the air that told him she didn't want to be seen. In her escape, he was willing to let her go, move away from him, or rather, he would have if she hadn't nearly fallen at his feet.

"Talia," he greeted her with the same smugness he always had, arms full of the woman who often tried to end him. Bruce steadied her, helping Talia back to her feet. He noticed the curve of her belly immediately, but said nothing, a certain jealousy flaring inside of him.

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It’s the familiar scent of cologne that comes from the man standing to her left, and the knot in her stomach begins to lace itself around a sour feeling. She doesn’t want confrontation, not right now, not with her belly swollen with child, not here. Biting her lower lip, she attempts to move behind him without being seen — a plan foiled when a man in a hurry knocks her backwards, right into Bruce. 

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Jason’s brows furrowed in response. Bruce didn’t apologize. For anything. Could he keep this Bruce and switch him for his own? It would certainly cause a lot less stress and fights if he did…

“Bingowas his name-o.” The current Nightwing deadpanned, “It’s just the second one. GodforbidI be the first.”

It was a change of pace to not be met with hostility and anger from a Jason Todd. This one was very different though, and Bruce had to guess that he wasn't a delinquent, not out murdering Gotham's criminals just to prove a point. There wasn't anything for Bruce to reach in this one, he'd grown into a hero already. Although in the back of his mind, Bruce assumed that Dick Grayson had done more to shape that than anything.

"Then you're the second," he nodded, just to confirm. "You've ditched your helmet and guns for acrobatics. Why?"

[onlyjustice-blog]

// Even Batmun needs sleep.

Replies and whatever in the morning. Let me know if you'd like a starter!

[onlyjustice-blog]

Those black eyes didn't need pupils for Bruce to follow them behind the white lenses of his cowl, and if that wasn't a big enough clue that he was being sized up, the subtle purr to the demon's voice was. Truthfully, Bruce was unsure of how he felt about that, knowing that Dick Grayson shouldn't even be a consideration in mind. This wasn't Richard though, Bruce reminded himself, not with those wings and that flickering tail, or those deadly-looking fangs.

"Evening," he said, squaring his shoulders. "What brings you to Gotham?"

incubusdick started following you

[onlyjustice-blog]

"What's the matter Bruce? You don't look happy to see me." Jason spat bitterly on sight of the other man.

“No?” Bruce questioned, not looking away from his work, “I thought I was smiling. Your bitterness must have turned it upside down.”

[onlyjustice-blog]

incubusdick replied to your link: Bother Bruce because you can

(( did you want to continue the thread we started? oAo ))

// I thought I replied D; let me go look!

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[onlyjustice-blog]

You once said you’d never give up on me…well I’m not giving up on you.

[onlyjustice-blog]

Often, Bruce made himself false promises of retirement; he'd give up the cape and cowl when Gotham didn't need Batman anymore. In reality, there was always a voice in the back of his mind, reasoning that Gotham would always need Batman, and past that, in a darker place, he knew that he himself would always need the caped crusader. In spite of all that he'd seen and all that he'd been through, Bruce forced himself to soldier on, keep his head up, chin up, and keep going.

However, there were times when the aging hero grew desperate, grappling at straws and loose ends that would possibly return him to the normalcy that had been taken from him. This was one of those times, another instance where Bruce thought he was going crazy as he chased the Red Hood across the Gotham skyline, jumping from ledge to ledge and swinging off of high rises in hopes of an answer. In his gut, Bruce knew who was under the hood, a face that he'd never forget, a guilt and a pain that would never leave him no matter how the years marched by.

It had all happened so quickly, the freefall, the quick explosion of light followed by his lines snagging the Red Hood around the ankles. Bruce wasn't proud of what he was doing, or the lengths that he was going to either confirm or discredit his own suspicions, but at the time, the need to know clouded whatever rational thought had been left in Bruce's mind when it came to Jason Todd.

It would only take a few hours, it would be quick. Bruce rationalized to himself as he toted an unconscious Red Hood home, having not removed the helmet that kept his identify secret yet. Even if the visage was the same, the blood would be real tell. There was a nervousness inside of Bruce, hot and trembling from the thought of being wrong, and worse, the sick notion of being right. He had millions of questions centered around how and why, but that would come later.

Back in the Batcave and staring down at the unconscious face of his second son, Bruce wore a solemn look. Gently, he carded a gloved hand through Jason's hair, inwardly apologizing for all of the pain he'd caused with his carelessness.

After drawing a bit of blood and putting Jason somewhere for safe keeping, so that he couldn't escape, Bruce waited for the blood work to come back in front of the giant monitor of his computer. Again, he already knew the truth, having the same feeling in his gut as before. This was his son, his Robin, his responsibility.

Closed rp with onlyjustice: The Autopsy of Dead Boys

Jason was running fast, body at full tilt with his heart pounding painfully in his chest as he scaled buildings with quick leaps and sharp turns. He could see the fluid black cape at the corner of his eye, he could feel the bat not far behind him, getting closer and closer. Only their second meeting and Bruce already knew it was him, he could tell there was a hint of desperation to how he pursued and that was what made it maddeningly euphoric.

This was the moment he waited for, to have Batman’s attention on him since his pitstop in the coffin. Months of planning after his revival, taking over Gotham’s underground and biggest crime syndicates were paying off. But he wasn’t done yet, this was the beginning of how he would taunt the man to his goddamned grave. “Give it up, Bruce!” He shouts as he free falls from the sky scraper, throwing up a flash bomb before dipping down. His trajectory gun aims for an adjacent building’s ledge before he felt the lighting quick coil of a cable around his ankle. Shit. Jason swore as he snapped out his blade, but it was too quick, going taunt around his leg and pulling him back toward it’s source. Fuck, No!His mind yelling at him to cut it before the inertia got to him. But it happens too quickly- even for his reflexes-, his neck jerks back from the motion, oxygen cut off from his brain for a few lethal moments and he was out cold.

[onlyjustice-blog]

Bruce's brow furrowed beneath the cowl as Nightwing spoke, immediately able to figure out that this was just another trick of the multiverse. "I'm sorry," he apologized, gruff tone sincere since he assumed this other version of his former sidekick to be lost and seeking his own Batman.

"You're familiar," he said, not at all disappointed, "but you're not my first son." If he had to guess, he would say that the striped gloves now belonged to a Jason, which, to Bruce, only made him care all the more.

The voice and cheer-lined tone were familiar, but the two together were not. It sounded like Jason, and while the younger man wore the Nightwing uniform, the build inside the suit wasn’t as slight and lean as it normally was.

“You’re not the Nightwing I know, are you?” he asked.

[onlyjustice-blog]

The voice and cheer-lined tone were familiar, but the two together were not. It sounded like Jason, and while the younger man wore the Nightwing uniform, the build inside the suit wasn't as slight and lean as it normally was.

"You're not the Nightwing I know, are you?" he asked.

replacementfingerstripes started following you

[onlyjustice-blog]

Bruce held back a sigh, not at all amused by the way that Jason was twisting his words. If only his second son knew how much he had been missed, and how withdrawn Bruce had been for years. Seeing him now, the man he'd become, it hurt. Of course, the cowled-man wasn't going to say any of that, Jason wouldn't listen.

"I do," Bruce agreed, staring the younger man down, "but it can't be easy to keep holding on, either."

Bruce squeezed his eyes closed at those words, the guilt from years ago nearly consuming him, making him sick. He wasn’t going to react though, practiced in the art of remaining calm, appearing cold, Jason wasn’t going to be indulged. “A minor set back,” he said. “Who knows what you could do once you let go of this hatred.”

Always though, Bruce always wanted to save the boy from himself.

[onlyjustice-blog]

[onlyjustice-blog]

Bruce squeezed his eyes closed at those words, the guilt from years ago nearly consuming him, making him sick. He wasn't going to react though, practiced in the art of remaining calm, appearing cold, Jason wasn't going to be indulged. "A minor set back," he said. "Who knows what you could do once you let go of this hatred."

Always though, Bruce always wanted to save the boy from himself.

  Bruce didn’t think so, but he knew that Jason would only beg to differ. If looks could kill, he would have already been dead from the look his second son was giving him; some days, dead would have been best. “Maybe you’ve just hit your prime,” he retorted.

[onlyjustice-blog]

Listening to Dick speak, Bruce found himself with a sense of pride knowing that his former sidekick had finally come into his own. "Are you sure you found the source?" he asked, more questions instead of a pat on the back. "It seems like a big deal just to be used a replacement steroids."

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“Bruce! Long time no see!” Dick grinned, “How you’ve been? Still brooding all the time?”

[onlyjustice-blog]

It's Munday. Ask the Mun anything.

Nothing is off limits