#((tim took one look at yet another adult and went 'i can help fix him'))

[robinofgothamcity]

♡ starting prompt: “the guy who wins your heart will be so lucky.” 

♡ pairing: Tim Drake (Red Robin) & fem reader

♡ lyric inspiration: “I will take your pain and put it on my heart. I won’t hesitate, just tell me where to start.” / not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes. 

“she’s drunk, isn’t she?” Barbara asked, looking at you empathetically, “again?” Dick replied, shaking his head. you were in the corner of the living room, wine bottle in your hand, and singing to whatever was playing, “she caught her ex cheating on her...again,” Barbara explained.

Dick sighed, seeing the clear pain on your face. you were dancing and singing with a smile plastered on your face but the pain you were trying to hide was still evident in your eyes. this had been the third time someone you were dating had done something to make you break up with them and everyone was being honest, they were ready to find your ex and tell them a thing or two. 

“that’s really upsetting,” Dick mentioned, “she really liked him too. wherever she’s finding these guys to date, she needs to stop, and realize that the one she should be dating is in front of her eyes.”

the two of them looked to Tim, who was off in his was off in his own space, doing work for the Bat. Barbara gave him a hearty laugh, “yeah right!” she exclaimed, “the day Tim tells her how he feels is the day Damian thanks one of us for saving him.” Dick looked at her before hesitantly agreeing. 

you walked towards the two, a drunk smile on your face. Dick grabbed the unopened wine bottle and hid it behind his back, “where’s the red wine I had here?” you asked, a pout on your face. Barbara gave Dick a quick look, “you finished it, sweetheart,” she informed, “the last bottle you bought is on the floor by the couch.” 

you growled, giving a stink face, “this sucks. I’m still not drunk and still have thoughts of that IDIOT in my head...I need to find more alcohol,” you said with sudden determination, “do you think your dad has any?” you asked rhetorically. 

Dick and Barbara went wide eyed as they saw you speeding towards the stairs, “TIM GRAB HER!” Dick screamed. Tim whipped his head up, seeing as you nearly out of the batcave and scrambled to get you. 

you were on the second step when he grabbed you by the waist and hurled you into his arms, “come on ( your name ), you don’t need to be drinking anymore,” he whispered in your ear. you gave your best friend a sad pout, “please?” you you asked with your lip sticking out. Tim shook his head no as you sighed in defeat. 

“it’s like everyone can see they’re in love except for them!” Barbara exclaimed, running her hands through her hair, “when they’re not doing hero work, they collectively share one brain cell,” Damian replied as he and the Kent kid walked into the lair. 

your smile widened, seeing your favorite sidekick walk in, “DAMIAN!” you yelled, running to him with wide arms. he immediately ran away from you but with the speed of your legs, you managed to catch him easily enough, “what is wrong with her?” he yelled, trying to pry himself away from you. 

Tim, Dick, Barbara, and Jon laughed as you continued to hug him while he struggled to get away, “Damian, you know you love it!” you said happily. he gave his brother a look for help, “what is wrong with her!” he yelled again, finally escaping his arms. 

the three adults looked at each other as Tim spoke up, “she’s going through a rough time right now,” was all he managed to say as Damian scoffed, “what? did she go through another break up or something?” he said, not realizing your sudden change of expression. 

you looked at the wall emotionless. Tim and Dick gave their brother a death stare as Jon walked up to you and wrapped his arm around you, “hey, it’s okay! there’s other people out there!” he tried to comfort you. 

hearing Jon’s words, you felt tears brimming your eyes as you gave the Kent a tight hug, “really?” you slurred. Jon gave Tim a desperate look as he grabbed you and pulled your arm around him, “lets get you to bed? even though it’s noon?” he laughed, pulling you and himself to his bedroom. 

“I swear that idiot is never going to confess his feelings for her, is he?” Damian asked his older brother as he agreed. 

+

a few days had passed since you had gotten drunk at the Wayne manor. you were still a bit upset at the break up but more than anything, you were sad about not having anyone to come home and talk to after your work shifts. 

you had never gotten far enough in a relationship where you had to admit what you did on the side but you would still come home beat from your ‘day’ job. you had been living alone the minute you turned eighteen as your parents refused to accept what you did with your free time. 

being a superhero and helping out Batman when you had the chance was something you prided yourself on but your parents found it a waste of time as you had dropped going to college to help the bat out. you didn’t have any special powers, much like the rest of the Wayne family but your skills on the field made up for it regardless. 

you saw your beeper going off indicating that either Dick or Bruce himself wanted to speak to you. you picked it up, showing that you were available to speak when the small screen showed up. 

“afternoon ( your name ), you available to patrol tonight?” Dick asked, showing you the schedule for this weeks patrol. you looked it over, realizing you were able to pick up a few rounds, “yeah, I can do tonight, Wednesday, and Friday night!” you replied. 

Dick smiled, “great to hear that! you’ll be doing rounds with Tim and Garfield,” he informed you. you nodded excitedly, “how you holding up?” he asked, trying to hint at your situation, “fine, I think? still stings but trying to get myself out there again,” you muttered, releasing a heavy sigh, 

he remained silent for a bit but decided to bite back on his words, “ah, I’m sure you’ll find someone who’s worth your time soon enough. we’re here if you need anyone to talk to!” Dick said before departing and ending the call. 

you slumped yourself on the couch and tried to get your mind off your ex boyfriend. this had been your third try at a relationship and every single time, every single one of them had done something to ruin it. the first one had completely ghosted you. the second one had broken up with you after he finally got laid, and the your last relationship ended because he had cheated on you. 

you had mentioned the start of your relationships to the Wayne’s so they knew where you would run off to when you weren’t busy with work or hero work. despite keeping your relationship on the down low, each of them always crawled up to your door, apologizing profusely for what they did and you were able to tell that one of them were the reasons why. 

the crying session you would usually have after a break up had yet to happen but you knew that it was bound to happen eventually. the crying after the break up always felt like the biggest wave of relief and you knew that was the last thing you had to cross off your list before fully moving on. 

you ended up taking a nap on the couch, not realizing you were about to be to patrol as you bolted out of the blanket and ran to put on your uniform. the uniform was a bit tight on your body so it felt like it took your forty years to slip on but soon enough, you made your way to your starting destination. 

Tim was already on the top of the roof, leaning against his bo-staff as you hurled onto the roof. you gave him a smile, standing next to him, “how are you feeling?” he asked, as the two of you sat on the ledge of the building. 

you shrugged, knowing if you spoke, you would end up crying, “fine,” you replied, trying not to speak any farther. Tim could see the hurt in your eyes and remained silent the rest of the time. 

it was almost the end of the patrolling session when you had caught a stupid thug trying to steal the purse off of a man. you immediately swooped down from the building, standing behind the thug and kicking him from behind the leg as Tim escorted the man to his car. 

you stared at the thug with disgust, “you should really learn your lesson to not be stealing from others,” you spat, kicking him in the rib cage again. Tim watched as he saw your eyes light up with pure rage, “maybe the next time you decide to be this much of a low life, you’ll end up in grave,” you continued. 

you had blown a couple of punches to the thug as he was starting to cough up blood. Tim immediately ran to you and held you up as the man scrambled up and tried to run away as fast as possible. “calm down!” Tim yelled, holding you against his chest and restricting your arms. 

the tears had finally came down your face as sobs racked your body as you moved yourself to cry into Tim’s chest. the lucky part in all of that was that you were in a darkened alley so no one was able to tell who was being a hysterical drama queen. 

“it’s okay, you’re okay,” Tim soothed, rubbing your back softly. you hid your face against his chest, “why is it always me?” you screamed, “I’m a great person and have done nothing to deserve what I’ve gotten!” you managed to say, 

Tim nodded understandingly. 

“I know,” he replied, “but the guy who wins your heart will be so lucky,” he whispered. you looked up to him with teary eyes, “really?” you asked. Tim nodded, “I know it. the next person who ends up with you will be the one. I promise you,” he stated.

you stared at him, confused, “how do you know?” Tim sighed, knowing he might as well rip off his confession like a band-aid, “because I was hoping I could be the next person to take you out on a date,” he finally confessed.

the air was deadly silent as you fixed your eyes on his face. you tried to respond but no words were falling from your lips. Tim felt his heart fall into his stomach as he realized he might’ve ruined your entire friendship with him with his stupid little confession. 

“Tim...Tim, look at me.” you grabbed his chin and made him stare at you, “Tim, do you like me?” you asked, trying to read his expression. 

Tim nodded as you smiled at his sudden flustered look, “listen, I don’t know how to feel about this but I know there’s something there for you. how about in a few weeks, the two of us can go out on a date to a museum or something?” you grabbed his hand softly. 

the two of you looked at each other as Tim wiped the stray tears off your face and nodded, “of course. name a time and day and I’ll be there!” he said. before you respond, you heard both of your beepers going off indicating that your patrol time was over. 

“I’ll definitely let you know.” 

that was all you managed to say before grabbing your grappling hook and swinging away into the night, leaving a shy and flustered Tim in the alleyway. 

[her-world-on-fire]

Atlas {Jason Todd x Reader}

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Word Count: 3,720

Prompts: ii. and vii. ❝i am calm. i am nothing but calm all the time.❞ ❝no, you're not. you're fifteen seconds from starting a fight at all times.❞ & ❝i'm surprised you haven't killed him yet.❞ ❝i keep trying but nobody ever let me get that far.❞ 

"JASON CALM DOWN!" I pressed my hand against his chest, looking into his eyes fiercely, we didn't the time for his temper. He broke away and walked away but not before he shot the guy in the leg. "We weren't here, or the next one goes in your brain." He said slowly and then turned back to me. His piercing blue eyes felt almost cold, I blinked in shock. I've seen him angry more times than I can count but this was unsettling."I am calm. I am nothing but calm all the time." He said through clenched teeth, making me scoff as we jumped off of the roof. We broke out into a sprint, by now I regained my composure. "No, you're not. you're fifteen seconds from starting a fight at all times."  Jason was a hothead, he was so angry at the world. He tried his hardest to make sure it was safe at night but he felt like he didn't make a difference so he was pissed off. He was pissed off that so many bad people got to live and kill good innocent people. The bad people got to tear mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, from their families. So his solution ironically was to do the same thing. He would kill those who he thought deserved it. Contradictory but his temper always got the best of him. Normally I would let him be angry, but not tonight. We had an agreement with Bruce, we needed his help. The agreement included no killing. As much as Jason hated it we couldn't do it ourselves this time, it was bigger than us. 

For months we had been trying to investigate why the number of children missing spiked. At first, it was hard to notice. Street kids those who wouldn't be looked for. Then foster kids would be adopted more frequently finally, normal kids began to be abducted. Street kids would never leave each other, they were the closest thing to a family they had. So when they began reaching out to us we got worried and looked into it. We went around Gotham talking to them, they knew who we were and confessed everything. "Something is going on Jay. Something big." We climbed on his bike and went back to our apartment. We had been living together shortly after we started working together. We would always end up together at the end of the night too tired to go back to our own apartment. So we decided to get an apartment together. We each had our own rooms because we needed time apart sometimes. That was one of the most important things I learned. Sometimes you just need to be alone. It can be overwhelming spending so much time with one person. Especially the lack of sleep, and frustrations over unsolved cases, it all just took a toll on us. He took his helmet off and sighed running a hand through his hair. I pulled up my computer and looked into news articles. Of course, nothing had been mentioned about street kids. I was just about to put the paper down when my eyes drifted to a suggestion. 

Percentage of foster kids adopted in Gotham rises

"No fucking way." I breathed, Jason loomed over my shoulder. I looked back at him, we shared a look. This wasn't a coincidence, someone was taking kids. No bodies were being found so why were they being taken? I had a couple of theories already. I stood up from the screen and pulled on  my jacket, "Where are you going?" He asked following after me, keys still in hand. "To find out what the hell is going on." We tried to figure it out ourselves but it seemed like we were always 10 steps behind. So I suggested we get help. Outright, Jason was outraged I even suggested it so I walked away and let him cool down. Sure enough, he came around once he began thinking straight. I handed him his helmet, I had already turned his bike on, I smirked. He tossed his cigarette, "Not a fucking word." He growled as I tossed it to him and he caught it. 

He got on and sped off, to the Wayne Manor. He scowled, as we arrived at the gates. The doors opened and he pulled in, we were greeted by Alfred. "To what do we owe this surprise?" He asked and I elbowed Jason, he remained silent. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity, "It's nice to see you again Alfred. We're here to talk to the boys." Jason turned to me, even angrier than before. Alfred looked between us and I gave him a polite smile as he walked us in. I lowered my voice, "Don't give me that shit. You know the boys are going to listen in if we want them to or not, better they know straight instead of getting crooked details." I rolled my eyes and gave him a begging look. I took my hand in his, I knew this isn't where he wanted to be and I was trying to keep him calm.

He huffed and then we arrived at the study. It took a while to get there since the Mansion was so big. Jason was boiling, he was so dramatic. We were greeted by Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Damian. "Both of you are here this can't be good." Damian commented as Jason growled, "Fuck off, Demon spawn." I gave his hand a squeeze and then looked at him Dick sighed as he and Tim exchanged looks. Bruce was deadly silent, waiting for us to explain why we were there. I wasn't going to speak this time, Jason had to say more than 4 words. I cleared my throat and nudged Jason giving him a stern look. He shuffled forward and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "We need your help." He said directly looking at Bruce, both holding their glares. It was amazing how incredibly alike they both were, and they refused to see it. I brushed my fingers over his knuckles, they were icy cold. His rings were even colder making a shiver run down my spine. I didn't even know if he was going to agree. Jason lost control the last time Bruce agreed to help us and I had to work without him. Jason was a pain the whole time, he kept asking for information but I wouldn't give it. I knew if I did he would follow and piss Bruce off. Bruce didn't speak for a long time. I assumed he was still holding the grudge. 

"I'll keep him in check." I paused looking at Jason to make sure he didn't make things worse. He pressed his lips together, no doubt restraining himself by biting his tongue. Still, he didn't say a word. "Please we wouldn't bother you if this wasn't important." The two finally looked at me. Tim stepped forward this time, he spoke in a flurry. He stumbled over his words, "You're not bothering its really good to see you. Not just you. But not that it's not good to see you. It's good to uh see you both." I smiled, some of the tension was gone now.  Dick clamped a hand over Tim's mouth to keep him from babbling further. The boys claimed he had a crush, I thought it was sweet. I looked up at Jason if looks could kill. Tim drove Jason crazy. Dick pet Tim and sighed as Damian snickered, "We talked about this Tim, too much caffeine makes you jittery." Dick chimed in a sing-song voice, almost gloating he told him so. "Speak for yourself I don't like seeing these ugly mugs around here." Dick smacked the back of Damian's head and he growled. 

Jason almost pulled me behind him, it was pure instinct. He was already on edge being back at the mansion. He hated being here, he felt so out of place. He felt like a failure the rest of the boys were still under his wing, it was like he was replaced and pushed out. I wouldn't have dragged him here if I didn't think I had to. He was immediately silenced when Bruce put his hand out to shut everyone up. He rubbed his temple and sighed, "Jason is an adult, he should be able to control himself. If he can't and crosses a line again you're both done." Jason gripped my hand tighter, I knew he was seconds away from giving up keeping his mouth shut. His patience by now was paper-thin. I decided it would be best if I did the rest of the talking. "We understand."

Alfred called Bruce away and he excused himself leaving us with the boys. I saw Tim nudge Dick, and raised an eyebrow. I only caught a fragment of what Tim said, "Please, just ask." He rolled his eyes at his brother letting out a long sigh before he turned to me. "Is your wiring still acting up?" This caught Jason's attention, the wiring in the apartment wasn't acting up. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for my response. I was confused for a moment until it hit me. In my other apartment my lights used to act up, I told Jason about it but he was asleep so I told myself I would tell him later. I never did. "Oh! No, I'm not in the apartment anymore!" I said, making Tim's head drop in shame. I mentioned something about the wiring and Tim most likely wanted to fix it. He seemed very interested whenever there were problems in my apartment, in fact, I'm sure he fixed every broken appliance. It was another reason to move in with Jason. "Oh," Dick said and then looked to Tim, he stepped forward. "You found a new place already?" I looked at Jason. He squirmed under my glare, the boys seemed interested, they could sense it. 

 "Actually, I moved in with Jason." 3 jaws simultaneously dropped. Jason scowled at them and I smirked, "You didn't tell them as I told you to." My voice seemed nice but my eyes were screaming murder. What if they needed me and couldn't reach me? This was something to bring up in private, judging by his look Jason knew that too. Jason turned to me and I pulled his arm and held a finger, "One second," I made it clear that we would continue the conversation later. The boys couldn't hear anything but he was in trouble. There was no hitting so that was a good thing.  Tim whispered, "They moved in together? What does that mean?" Damian rolled his eyes, and Dick sighed. We made our way back to them. "I'm surprised you haven't killed him yet." Damian paused, "And a little impressed you've put up with him for so long." 

"I keep trying but nobody ever let me get that far." There was a swarm of questions I shut my eyes and put my head on Jason's shoulder. My face turned bright red,  Jason smirked and whispered in my ear. "I knew what the fuck I was doing darling." He said slowly taking in the fact that he was right. I underestimated the boys, and he was reveling. He pulled away and gave a short shout. They all stopped clamoring. "God, you guys were going to give me a headache." I brought my fingers to my temple and looked into their eyes. "One at a time please." Dick pushed the two aside murmuring he had privileges. Despite being older, he was just as curious as to his younger brothers. "Why did you move in?" I looked at Jason pleading, and he shook his head. "Not touching these questions with a 10 feet pole." I groaned but accepted my punishment. Maybe there was a reason for the secret. I thought about my answer for a moment then replied, "Well it was more out of convenience. One of us would always end up at the others, and my apartment had bad wiring. So we chose his. He got tired of having to go to mine and get his things. So he suggested it and now we live together." 

Dick looked between us and nodded, satisfied with his answer. It was like an interrogation, and I was taking all of the heat. It was Tim's turn he even raised his hand. I pouted, he looked upset. I never took the whole crush thing seriously. Now I could really see it, this whole time I thought the boys were just teasing him. "Are you two together?" He hesitated and I froze unsure of how to answer. I didn't want to get his hopes up or break his heart but I honestly didn't know what to tell him. It seemed like it, we lived together, we slept together, but we never really talked about it. I looked at Jason he held the same panicked expression. How do could we explain that sometimes we had sex and then never talked about it? I tilted my head to him, to signal for his help. 

He gave me a look, I asked for this. I really did. Nevertheless, he saved me. He too was thinking of the hookups, making him smirk. I covered my face and turned away trying to regain composure. In fact, I knew under Jason's shirt, there were purple marks trailing down his chest and I had ones that matched. He made his higher, and if my shirt were to shift, he could see.  "We need to figure that out ourselves as well," Jason replied. It was a valid answer, Tim didn't seem to torn up about it. My hands absent-mindedly went over to rub my neck. Suddenly, it was hot. Judging by his look, Dick's suspicions were confirmed. Damian broke the silence pushing past Tim. "Do you kill people?" I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I ran my tongue across my bottom lip. I was so tempted not to answer. I knew it could backfire. Jason looked to me, wondering if he needed to save me again. I shook my head and looked back at Damian. "Due to my past, yes. I try not to now." Growing up in a sketchy place, I learned at a young age you can't depend on people. I fell in with the wrong people and made questionable decisions. However, every time I did kill I felt justified. I used to be as angry as Jason and I lost control a lot. But now working with Jason I calmed down, one of us needed to have a level head and I knew it probably wouldn't be him. I felt dirty now. I really opened a can of worms with that one. When it comes to his brothers I will never doubt Jason again. 

In the next few weeks, we worked closely with the boys.  Each night we got closer, to finding the source. We spent most of our nights in the Batcave tracing leads. Jason was getting antsy, so he went out and patrolled. Lucky that he did, because he caught an abduction as it was happening. "On 45th! They took a group of kids into a van." Jason's voice shouted in my ear. Dick shot up from his seat. The boys pilled into the Batmobile. I took my bike and followed close behind. Jason gave us the coordinates. "How far out are you?" 

"11 minutes."

"We can't wait that long." I could hear the desperation in his voice. He knew exactly what those kids were going through. He was reliving his trauma. "Jason, if we blow this we lose them all. Wait for us. We can't let a single one alert the rest of the group." He went silent. Sensing the urgency we all sped up even more. The Batmobile was easily recognized and most civilians cleared a path. We arrived and saw Jason's bike parked in a nearby lot. He was set up on the roof overlooking the building making sure no one got out. 

"I'm sending the drone," Tim called and released his bird into the air. He guided it into the building giving us a full view of what was inside. Children were in cages, surrounded by men with guns. In the center of the room, there was a table with computers. "They're waiting for the signal." Dick looked at all of us. "This has to be flawless. No mess-ups. We get one shot." 

"Tim, I want you on those computers. I want to know everything on there. The rest of us have one job. Make sure no one gets away." Having received our orders we all grouped up. Tim ran another scan of the building. "Two from the roof, one from the back door, and two from the front." Jason and I took the roof, Dick took the back door and Damian and Tim took the front. 

We all waited for the signal. "Now." Dick spoke into the comms. All at once, we each infiltrated the building. Tim went straight for the men by the computers. He took them out with ease and then uploaded his drive into the computer. Damian kept anyone away from the table. Jason and I focused on the guards who were standing by the children. We were mindful of their weapons and kept them away from the children. 

Each of the men was bounded, ready for the GCPD. "Which one of you fuckers has the key?" Jason asked looking at each one of the men. Neither of them spoke a word. "Fine." He grabbed the closet man and took his hand. He took his index finger and in a swift movement pulled it back. An agonizing scream came from the man, and a loud cracking noise followed right after. I moved to Jason, "Do you really want to traumatize them even more?" He thought for a moment and then looked back at the man. "What about this one?" He grabbed his ring finger and then man yelped. "It's him!" He pointed to a blonde man across the room. I went over and reached in his pockets, sure enough, there was a key. I breathed a sigh of relief and began releasing the children. "How much longer on the drive?" Dick questioned Tim, "30 seconds." 

Dick nodded and looked at me. "Alfred I need GCPD and medical." 

"Right away, ETA is 3 minutes." 

Jason took the same man by the collar and dragged him out of the room. I followed after him. "GCPD will be here in 3 minutes. We stopped them. We know where all their warehouses are, and everything we need is on that drive." I whispered to him but he didn't budge. "I only need 2. This one's a talker." He moved away and then looked at the man. "Who do you report to?" 

"He'll kill me, he knows everything-" Jason didn't let him finish before he landed a devastating blow right to his face. "I don't have time for this. What is his name?" He grabbed his hair and held his face up. Blood trickled down his cheek. "But my-" Once again another blow landed on his face. The man coughed up blood, Jason didn't ask again. He waited for another few seconds. As he went to strike him again, the man pleaded. "Wait! David Benjamin." He managed to get it out. 

--------------------------------------------------

Jason and I only got to stick around briefly. Our relationship with the police wasn't as amicable. Due to our spotty record, we had warrants out for our arrest. Once the children were taken by the EMTs we went back to our apartment. Jason was sitting on the fire escape. He still hadn't changed. The blood still seeping in his clothes. "Hey, come in." Jason looked down and obliged. Once he got in I shut the blinds. I guided him into the bathroom. "Let's get these off." I slowly took off his gloves, he inhaled deeply. I looked over them, they were bloody and raw. I sighed and turned on the warm water. "The rest of these too." My hands moved to his shirt and I pulled I off over his head. There were a few small cuts, but nothing that needed stitches. 

Jason had been silent. I knew what was bothering him. He was thinking about those kids, he saw himself in each one of them. I guided him to the shower and helped him take off the rest of his clothes. I helped him into the shower and once he was under the warm water, it was like he was out of his trance. "Get in here." 

I hadn't changed either. I was too worried about him. He was admitting that he needed the company. I agreed and stripped off my clothes. We both stood under the warm water. Neither of us spoke as we washed away the deeds of the night. 

Once we got out of the shower we got dressed and sat on the bed. "We did it, Jason. They're safe now." 

"I know." He said softly. I took his hands and gently ran my fingers across them. He sighed and looked at me. "Let's go to bed." I moved to the lamp by the bed and shut it off. I pulled the covers on the bed back and climbed into bed. I sighed and felt the warmth comfort me. My body ached, but it was worth it. I felt Jason tug me closer to him. I moved closer and rested my head on his chest. He ran his fingers through my hair absentmindedly. "Thank you." I looked up at him and he exhaled. "I don't know what I would do without you." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips. His other hand moved around me and rested on my side. "I love you."

"I love you, Jay." 

After weeks of restlessness, Jason finally closed his eyes and slept peacefully.

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[black-streak]

Saturday night's alright for fighting (but Sundays are meant for rest) - In which a date is Had

Part 5

Aaaaand back to your regular scheduled fluff (though there is a tiny touch of angst here that you can miss if you blink too long) I really need to find a way to connect these, but I also refuse to leave mobile... Oh! And I have people to tag now? Sooo, here you go, @poshplumcot & @emjrabbitwolf

~---~

The almost run in with Red Hood the night before had Marinette on edge. She slept for only a few scant hours before waking in the morning hyper aware of her surroundings; skirting corners and slinking about her apartment, ready to bolt should the need arise.

In hindsight, the vigilance only added to her anxiety, lending itself to her in the form of launching bodily away from her phone when it buzzed without her permission.

How dare it! Didn't it know better than to startle her? 

Peering over the edge of a half wall, she glared at the offending object only for it to light up and buzz again! How rude! 

Picking her way over to it, she held it by a corner and tapped the screen to find two messages from "Mon Somnambule". Perking up and opening the chat it read, 'What time should I expect you over?' and then, 'youre still coming, right?'

Scrambling to answer, Mari quickly typed a reassurance and asked if he had a preference in time as her schedule was cleared for the day.

'Somehow free as well. Come by round 2? Or could pick you up. Have a movie marathon.' He texted back.

Checking the time and nodding to herself, she sent an affirmation and let Tim know she'd be fine getting there on her own.

Now for the real question: what does one wear to a lazy Sunday movie marathon that is also technically a first date? 

Walking into her room, she saw the decision had been taken out of her hands, two blurs of kwami rampaging the walk in closet.

"Plagg! Trixx! Get out of there!"

The orange blur stopped, then suddenly popped up into her space, "Guess I won't tell you what we put together then. Tragic really, probably forgot all about it in the back there. Oh well, if the Kit doesn't want help… come on Plagg, let's leave her to it." Trixx drew out, exaggerated movements and mournful sighs as he moved away, Plagg snickering from where he waited back in the closet.

Deadpanning at the little fox, Mari moved towards where they had been, only to light up and gasp upon finding the blood red hooded dress, complete with long sleeves and asymmetrical hemline. Pulling it out, she set it on the bed with black sweater boots and a thin black choker with gold swirls she grabbed off her necklace rack.

"You win this round. It's in his colors too!" 

"Well he did say you were his, yes?" Trixx teased.

"Perhaps you shouldnt wear that after all," Plagg growled.

"Oh hush, I know you approve, whether you admit it or not." Marinette scoffed, leaving to take a quick shower.

….

At 2 o'clock on the dot, Tim lost his filter.

"You're on time."

"Should I not be?"

"You're never on time."

" I can leave and come back in 10 if you prefer?"

"No no, come in. Sorry, just taken by surprise is all." 

It was then that he took a moment to take her in as she went past him, door closing and locking behind her. Only to find her studying him too.

"Gray sweats and a pale blue t-shirt. Any particular reason for that?"

"No clue what you're talking about," he stated flippantly, taking hold of her hand as he sidled past her. "Did you have something in mind you wanted to watch?"

"Hmm… Harry Potter?"

"...which?"

"You did mention a marathon, right?"

"Even I know watching 8 movies in a row isn't healthy. Alfred will sense our bad decisions and hunt us down for even trying."

"No, of course not, but we could watch a few today and watch the rest later?" She hinted, looking around to take in the living space, having never been here before.

"You haven't even survived this date yet and you're asking for another?"

"Is that okay?" She peeked up at him, blushing.

"I mean, yeah, but it's your own fault if you come to regret it."

"I won't," she intoned, turning to look about once more, "should we set up in the living room," she asked before he could respond.

Within a few minutes, they were ready, snacks and drinks laid before them with the first movie queued up, speakers blaring the opening lines of Hedwig's theme, nostalgic notes swirling around them and yet they sat perfectly still, a foot apart.

She broke the silence first, "Why does this feel so much different?"

"...How do you mean?"

"We've fallen asleep together in your bed before and yet here we are, a foot apart and avoiding eye contact on the premise of watching a movie we've both probably seen at least a dozen times."

"Different context. Our naps are something started with no expectations or labels. Now it's been labeled a date, that freedom is lost."

"... That's stupid."

"Completely unreasonable."

"Idiotic, flawed logic."

"Couldn't agree more."

 They sat in silence another few minutes.

"We still haven't done anything about it."

"I know."

"Hnph."

Swallowing down his anxious energy, Tim turnt and took her hand that lay furthest from him, guiding it over and past his shoulder, resulting in her torso twisting and stretching out to lay across his. Only he completely miscalculated in his distracted state and ended up bumping heads with her, which in turn made her jump back, arm still at his shoulder, yanking him forward. They fell completely off balance and landed on the opposite side of the couch, him lying atop her small frame.

Freezing in place, wide eyed, Tim was unsure how to recover when a small giggle came from above. Which then turned into a full bellied laugh. Cautiously, he lifted himself up off her only to watch her eyes spring tears of mirth as she tried to catch her breath.

"I guess that's one way to break the tension!"

Letting out a whoosh of air, he slumped back down on her in relief.

"Hey! Don't crush me!" She gasped, squirming under him.

"I know for a fact you can handle more weight than this."

"You know nothing!"

"I know many things."

Shifting, he landed beside her, turning towards the movie and manipulating Mari around till her back pressed into his chest, "Better?"

"Much," she murmured, tilting back to brush a kiss across his jaw before returning to watching the movie.

…

"How does this whole mother's love thing work? By blood? That makes no sense! Petunia obviously doesn't love him, so shouldn't that cancel it out somehow? I think Rowling was off her rocker when she decided this."

"Or it was just an excuse to keep him in his state of being the abused tragic character."

"What if that whole thing was a lie? Wasn't Dumbledore grooming him for suicide or something? Probably wanted to keep him under such horrible circumstances to reaffirm his love for Hogwarts and desire to return even after his life was threatened all those times."

"And this is the gay representation she wants to give us? Sounds homophobic to me. Let Seamus and Dean love each other, damnit!"

"And Ginny and Luna!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" 

"... You're right, let them date too! And make Harry Bi, you pansy!" 

…

They ended up taking a break between the first and second movie, taking the time to order delivery, get new drinks, use the bathroom, etc., before returning to the couch, Tim spooning Marinette once again.

"Are you okay?" He asked, softening his tone.

"Yeah, why?"

"You slipped up last night. I could see your eyes in the last few moments there."

"Is that why you're wearing blue and gray?" She teased, deflecting.

He blushed, but remained undeterred, "Lutine."

"... I didn't slip up."

"You never let yourself be seen. What changed?"

"You."

"..."

"I want you to know me. Especially if we're going to be continuing this. I've tried dating with a secret identity. It never works out. I know you on both sides, observed you without letting you return the favor. I want to change that." 

She laced their fingers, lifting to press a kiss to his wrist, eyes closed.

He stayed quiet, observing her now, vulnerable and fragile, waiting upon his judgement.

"Were you planning to reveal yourself?"

A small nod.

"But then Jason showed up?"

Another nod.

"And you still won't tell him? He's going to be fine with it, you know."

"Soon. It didn't feel right to come out of hiding to you both at the same time like that."

They fell silent, taking everything in, only to jump at the doorbell. Rushing up, Marinette went to answer it, returning and pulling out boxes of Chinese before setting up the second movie. As it started, they let it drop for now, touching from shoulder to hip where her leg deviated to wrap around his, reassuring each other that they were okay.

…

"Can we just talk about Lockhart though? He is such a little manipulative jerk! He wanted to leave them in the chamber! A bunch of 11 and 12 year olds! Who does that?!" 

"Literally any DADA professor Dumbly door decides to hire, apparently. And what's with the reliance of these adults on children to save their skins? Is that what boarding school is all about? Letting children raise themselves?"

"I'm so sick of these God awful adults pushing all of their responsibilities and mistakes on to literal kids to fix and take care of. He can barely take care of himself and you want him to save everyone? Just like that? With no help or guidance, just, 'here you go kid, lack of support for breakfast, negligence of supposedly trusted adults for lunch, an emotional breakdown for dinner, and a punctured lung for dessert!"

"... You want to talk about it?"

"Not really…"

"Okay."

…

By the end of the second movie, the sky had darkened considerably, having taken quite a while to start up any of them, it was now past eight, still early for them, but late enough to bring a different atmosphere, hushed and intimate between them.

"You look good in red."

"Oh?"

"Mm," Tim hummed, nudging the choker round her neck with his nose, "I like this little detail here too."

Goosebumps raising where skin met, she twisted to face him, lips ghosting over to his ear.

"It reminded me of you."

Faster than she could react, she felt a hand holding her face in place as lips descended upon her own, insistent and sure footed. 

Mari desperately wanted to return the passion, to push into him and give as good as she got, but all she could do was melt in his embrace, unreasonably warm at how assertive it felt.

Pulling back for air, he watched her gasp, enjoying the flush to her skin and glaze to her eyes.

"Did you still want to watch the third movie?"

"... Yeah. Couch is getting a bit uncomfortable though."

"We could relocate."

"Please?"

… 

At some point after having borrowed a spare toothbrush, washed her face, settled into Tim's bed- which was somehow different to being in the one at the manor- and starting the last movie, they had stopped paying attention and started focusing on each other. Passionate kisses turned into making out turned into soft brushes of lips over skin and finally settled into curling up around each other to sleep.

Tomorrow they would return to their hectic lives of running a company and finishing commissions for high profile clientele along with running around at night protecting a city that refused to protect itself, but for now, it was just them. Just this one peaceful night, wrapped in each other's arms.

[currentfandomkick]

Bio! dad Strange part 14, Evillustrator Part 2 and Magic Consequences Start

Recap: Girls are trying to get Marinette and Nathaniel together. Kim, Alix and  Max now have their cannon miraculous and have some training with Marinette as they know she’s ladybug. Evillustrator is happening now. Chat is talking to Marinette because she (accidentally?) admitted to being meta.

“Why haven’t you…”

“My family is here Chat, if I left I’d be missing and invesigated. They’d connect the dots and they’d pay for harbouring a meta.”

Chat ran a hand through his hair. “I, I didn’t know they do that. I thought it was just send to another country—and most like having metas around.”

Marinette shook her head. “As weapons. As long as i’m unregistered, i’m safe.”

Chat didn't like it. He didst hide it either.

“I’ll be fine… just need to make it eight more years. Legally an adult, then move in with Father.”

“That’s… not okay.”

Marinette gave him a sad smile. “I can’t leave Maman. Or my family and friends here.”

Chat seemed to get that. “I, its not fun.”

Marinette watched her partner, even with her head swimming still. He was curled in on himself, not making eye contact by looking at the floor. Guilt, possible remorse, and was emotionally connected to the idea of leaving people. Someone left him or he left a lot of people. willingness in either case uncertain... maybe both with one causing the other?

Chat kept his eyes low. Marinette made notes that she knows this, not as Ladybug but as a civilian.

“So, I’m going on my date.”

“With an akuma.”

“He’s not violent, he promised not to hurt anyone.”

“Which makes him easier to take down. When’s your date?”

“None of you business.”

“Marinette...”

“Chat, trust me, I think he’ll give up the akuma on his own. I don’t need you to save me, and i trust him.”

Chat hid his wince poorly.

“Just, don’t tell anyone about the...”

“Sun healing?”

“....that.”

“Is that you’re only power or...”

“Its rude to ask.”

“oops?”

“Do you ever talk to people?”

“Father isn’t a fan of it.”

“... don’t tell my parents that. they are serial adopters and i’m not having a superhero at dinner.”

“I, superhero?”

“Powers, and hero. What else would i call you?”

Chat didn’t answer that. He did leave her house though, so she’d take the win there.

She started another groupchat without Chloe or Alix or Sabrina or Lila.

Marinette: So dress or pants for outfit? Boatride.

Juleka: If you go dress, leggings. trust me, i live on one.

Rose: Oh, don’t you have a Zatanna outfit?

Marinette hummed, leaving her house to go to her old hobby room. She kept that one there.

Mylene: did you tell thim thank you?

Marinette: He was nice but it didn’t come up, sorry!

Alya: if he’s rude let me know, i will drag him on the Ladyblog, no questions asked.

Marinette smiled at that on her balcony, getting in her sunshine while she could. The girls in her class were a good distraction from her meta problems. and the lack of Gotham contact. She needed to know if any of her messages got through, but needed an excuse to leave Paris to try again. Father was her best bet, he’d play telephone until someone got it to Tim or the Justice League. But for now, for now she was just excited for her first date.

She slipped into Nonno’s bakery with her key, and waved at him as he worked.

A few minutes later she took a picture of herself in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a faux-corset dress shirt with a black three quarter blazer with elbow length sleeves.

Juleka: fishnet gloves or lace gloves to go with?

Alya: ooo, that’s cute. Hair down, and i vote fishnet

Rose: lace! floral lace would be so pretty~

Mylene: lace if you have it

Marinette grabbed elbow length fingerless black floral lace gloves and sent a picture

Alya: You look great girl!

the text after that were mostly about shoes (they agreed on no flats or heels on the boat. The jury agreed on a cute pair of boots at her house.

Nonno was done when she left her room to grab the chosen shoes with her outfit.

“I told them to stop letting you help out at events.”

“Its a date Nonno.”

Rolland paused, processed, then ordered the mice to hold down the fort before turning to her again

this was going to be interesting...

Rolland sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Marinetta, I am meeting the boy. If he no good, we leave. If he is, I leave you two in public place to make goo-goo eyes, is how it was done in the old days and will go with every boy that tries to take you away from me.”

Marinette rolled her eyes at that. “Nonno, that’s Papa’s job.”

“Peh. Your Papa would coo over the whole thing and forget his job is to put the fear of God into the boy.”

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck. Rolland wasn’t wrong after all… “You can say hi, but he’s akumatized right now—he won’t hurt me, just, he’s not a hundred percent there.”

“I meet boy.”

“Yes.”

“Boy brainwashed and still does what you ask?”

“Yes Nonno.”

“If he’s polite he has my blessing. But remember, one foot out of line…”

“And treat him like an amatauer with bread dough—“

“Break in half and smashed in the center!” Rolland and Marinette said together.

“Good, good. Now, is that what you are wearing to your date?”

“After I get my shoes. and no scaring him off!”

Rolland rolled his eyes, and followed her to her room, helping her out with if she needed any make-up (no, maybe chapstick but nothing else) fixing her hair and listening to her gush about Nathaniel.

“He better be good boy.”

“he’s akumatized but he promised not to hurt anyone after i asked. and no reports of any akuma activity on the app.”

Nonno was the one to escort her to the meeting place. And if she sensed a certain cat and whispered he wanted to datecrash and Nonno went off after him... well. She wants a break from heroing and meta problems, and her date is part of that.

Evillustrator was holding his hand, trembling when they came.

“Na—Evillustrator?”

“Marinette!”

“Ah, you’re the boy that wants to date my Marinetta?” Rolland said, circling the villain.

Evillustrator stood straight, “I, yes, if, if she’ll have me that is.”

Rolland gave the boy a once over. “Hurt her, and amateur breadmakers will seem merciful.”

Evillustrator nodded, looking over to Marinette when Rolland turned around. And blushing. Oh, she was very glad it wasn’t one sided.

“I’m glad you could make it Marinette.”

“Me too, and Nonno, you were just leaving, right?”

“Yes, yes. He knows what happens, and my Marinetta knows what to do if he forgets.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Nonno!”

“Pheh, kids these days, always rushing off. Remember—hands to yourselves!”

“NONNO!” Marinette really hoped the others weren’t watching this.

The man waved her off, leaving the pair to their date. “Call after date, or tell your Papa. He’ll call.”

Marinette shook her head. “Sorry about that.”

“No, its fine. I’m just really happy you’re here.”

Marinette smiled at him, almost missing the way a Certain Chat was hanging around the trees.

“It’s really beautiful.”

“Thank you, but I’m just getting started,” Evillustrator smiled, or smirked. She couldn’t tell. “Ah, you gotta be kidding me!”

“Huh?”

“I can’t draw properly in the dark.”

One weakness located. Good to know if he changes.

“Voila!” and he made a small sun. oh, this was so not going to be good for her treatment schedule.

Marinette watched as he let his world enter the real one, music flowing from his pen as he wrote. “You’re so talented, I just don’t get why you’d ever use it to hurt people.”

“Just Chloe, and not anymore. You stayed true to your promise, so I’ll stay true to mine.”

Did she mention she liked him for two years? No?

And Chat was there, on the rooftops now… and there were others following. Why were her friends incapable of being subtle?

“I know I’m not as good as you with just drawing,” Marientte began.

“I’ve seen your work Marinette, you’re a wonderful artist.”

“Is it okay if I draw something for you too?”

“Of course!”

She watched him quickly make a sketchpad and pens. Not what she was going for but she’d work with it. He knew she preferred traditional… why did he have to get akumatized for them to go on a date? Why couldn’t she just get the words out before?

There were thumps on the boat then. Why was Chat like this—they’d gone over stealth that week, or was that with the other three? Either way, she would so call Aunt Selina for help with stubborn cats and boys when she got out of Paris. ON top of the Leauge or some kind of general hero aid, but still. Principle.

A staff separated them. Chat’s.

Marinette jumped back because she trusted her partner but yikes!

“Marinette, you’re working with him!” Oh, her partner did not like civilian her. Good thing secret identities were harder for strangers to crack.

“Nathaniel,” Marinette let her voice shake.

“Stay away from her!”

Suddenly there was a shield over her. Was it bad a part of her really, really liked the idea of him working with her and Chat? And not just the crushing part? Probably. But a girl can daydream. Plus, his powers are very useful.

“Don’t worry pinkie, I got’cha!” Monkey King said as he flung her over his shoulder and jumped onto the bridge.

“MARINETTE!” Evillustrator cried out, trying to get to her

“Who are you!” Chat shot back, blocking Evillustrator.

“Friends of Ladybug, Kitty,” Bunnix yelled as she jumped onto the boat.

Evillustrator managed to get up to the bridge, letting the others argue over who was saving Marinette and seeming to forget about the akuma in the process. He quietly followed the monkey user, waiting until he put Marinette down.

“You’ll be safe here Marinette!” Kim said, running back to the others. “I’ll be back when the akuma is caught. Might wanna work on your luck.” She hated him right then and there. A lot.

“I, don’t hurt him. He’s not a bad person, or even violent.”

Kim’s face changed then. “He targeted Chloe!”

“And he stopped when I asked, and he only targeted her because she was being horrible!”

“How is looking out for you--you know what, we’ll talk later about your poor life choices, and taste in boyfriends!” he yelled as he ran off.

“I--we’re not---not yet but---urgh!”

Evillustrator made himself known then. “Marinette, you’re okay?”

Marinette almost jumped. Almost. “I, I think so,” she rubbed her arms. It was getting cold out.

“I, sorry for how our date ended back there.”

“It was a pretty bad date crashing,” Marinette murmured, not seeing how Evilustrators face went a bit red at her comment. “But it wasn’t your fault. Do you mind if we just, draw somewhere fro a bit?”

She needed him alone for this to work.

He grinned back at her. “Art room?”

“Art room.”

“Hold on, I’ll fly us there.”

She did as asked, looping her arms around his neck and maybe, just maybe, there’s more than a little part of her that liked being able to lean on someone else in situations like this. Where she wasn’t in charge or making every decision for everyone.

He jetted them to the school, and she was certain he tripped an alarm on the way.

She moved to her ‘blurp’ sketchpad, tweaking a few designs inspired by some of Rose’s ‘special’ plants. She waited until Evillustrator put his pen down. she nabbed the jar from Rose’s current project, lid and all, stomped on his pen and jarred the akuma.

“Marinette?” Nathaniel was there. God she missed seeing him. “Wh, what happened?”

“I, you were akumatized. Chat and three new heroes got me away from you but you found me again. You didn’t hurt me or anything, it was more or a date-crashing is all...”

“Oh my god I am so sorry Marinette.”

Marinette’s mind spiraled into the worst case. He regrets this. he regrets talking to me. Oh god, he hates me for taking advantage of his trust as an akuma. I crushed my crush crushing on me. he hates me now. “I, its fine, you probably didn’t even want to, I, sorry, I should have said no.”

“Wait, we were on a date?” It was obvious, she was dressed up, and they were alone and okay, they broke into the school but there’s worse crimes and its pseudo-public property as they both help pay for it to run and she’s rambling again. Face the music Marinette.

“Yes.”

“And you, you wanted to be there?”

“Wi, with you Nathaniel, not uh, not Evillustrator.” God he must hate her. was it cheating to go on a date with someone’s akumatized self? What were the walls here—too many doors and she didn’t see anything resembling rules around this.

“This is horrible timing, but make-up date Saturday?”

“I,” Marinette was tongue-tied. Tikki hit her into awareness from her purse. Shit, she forgot Tikki was there.

“Are you sure?”

“If you are.” She was VERY sure she wanted to go on a real date with Nathaniel. Without her partner and friends stalking them. And Nonno’s circling.

“Then, uh, yes. Yes, I, I’d love y-to. I’d love to!”

If anyone besides the poor butterfly could see them, they would see two very blushy and embarrassed middle schoolers having a hard time making eye contact while grinning like idiots.

“We, uh, we should let Chat know we have the akuma,” Marinette mumbled, glancing at it. She was only 60% certain it wouldn’t phase through like a kwami.

“Right! I’ll post it on the ladyblog.”

“i’ll text the akuma alert.”

“Is Ladybug okay—wait did I kill ladybug!” Nathaniel was panicking. About killing her alter ego. Oh god she was in deep because that was adorable and no! bad brain! Comfort him—don’t fawn over when panicking!

“NO! She, she’s fine! She wasn’t at the battle.”

“OH THANK GOD!”

The pair waited for an angry Chat Noir, ready to lecture them both, only to see blushy Marinette holding Nathaniel’s hand with a jarred akuma in front of them.

“You got his object.” He was stunned by this. well, she did tell him she could.

“Holy—I told you she could do it!” Monkey King was grinning.

“Just because she can, doesn’t mean she should Monkey King,” Max snapped, glaring at him like it was all Kim’s fault Marinette went missing for a few hours… granted he contributed to that.

“So, civvies can kick akuma butt now, good to know, good to know,” Bunnix added, grinning a little too wide. She knew something.

“I, uh, sorry for any harm I did when I was, well, akumatized.”

Monkey King opened his mouth,ready to tell him off.

Only Chat beat him to it, kind of. “Yeah, I heard from Chloe about what happened. Outing a crush, and saying you can’t be together over a private drawing, in public... that’s pretty understandable. Honestly, I’m just glad you didn’t go Stoneheart’s route.” Chat looked between the two at their joined hands. he twitched--why?  “Oh—oh! Definitely took the direct route. Good for you two!” strained voice too, what was bothering him about this?

Monkey King then saw the pair holding hands. And blushing and—what did that cretin do to his little sister!

Pegasus looked over and sighed. He knew this would happen. Markov predicted it.

Bunnix was grinning like a loon.

“I’ll take the akuma until my Lady can purify it. My teammates will go home for now and work on teamwork for next time, right?”

“I only have to answer to the Gaurdian.”

“Eh.”

“We have class tomorrow,” Pegasus pointed out.

Marinette nodded along, quick to leave with Nathaniel, her parents fussing over her first REAL date that Saturday---the girls all agreed to assemble to help with outfit and makeup and coaching, and cooed over the end result. except Chloe who was insistent that Marinette could do much better.

She managed to escape only to see an annoyed Chat not far from her balcony. One escape later and she met him on the rooftops.

“Doing better M’lady?”

“A little... Lucky charm!” a jar. “Miraculous Ladybug!” she blanked again. she hated that. when she came to she swayed a bit.

Chat caught her. “M’lady?”

her head was swimming. “I think we need to change our battle plan... using Tikki makes me sick.”

Chat paled at that. “I’ll get the message out tonight, just, hold on, okay?

--

Chat did get the message out. The Justice League did recieve the transmission, but the video file was corrupted. it was the fifth corrupted file they’d received from France.

Hal was getting tired of seeing them, grumbling about it being a prank and it wasn’t funny that someone was pranking the League and taking away from valuable resources and people who need them.

--

Chat met with the Guardian and told him what was happening to Ladybug.

The Gaurdian rubbed his temples. “We need to use her less often. Perhaps have Pegasus and her work from a remote location until we need her to purify the akuma and undo the damage... I believe it is time you begin to work with another miraculous--I chose you as a weak cat so that Paris could not be destroyed with a misplaced Cataclysm. It seems we need more than what i thought... This is the snake miraculous. He has the power to let you change an outcome. i do not know how many minutes you will have with your second chance.”

Chat took the offered box and let the second Kwami, Sass, speak.

“Greetings. I am Sass.”

“Adrien, also Chat Noir.”

“Are we combining or switching?”

Fu looked thoughtful for a moment. “For now, switching. We will work on fusing another day. I believe there’s someone you already trust to share the Black Cat with.”

Adrien sighed, knowning exactly who he meant.

--

END!

so i’m putting this one to a quick vote as to who Adiren shares Plagg with.

Chloe or Felix?

Chloe is fun for theme and working on her (self) destructive tendencies from cannon as general ml writer salt. She would be Duchess (i just like that for her and the general Cat!chloe fanworks) and would have some trouble controlling her Cataclysm, and only be called in for more dangerous akuma as Duchess. she would not know Adrien is Chat. She is still a ladybug fangirl, and yes, she is also Queen Bee when she isn’t able to be Duchess for ReasonsTM  (as all miraculous are swapped like candy in my AU because of fights needing different powers, strategies, and for some people (Marinette) are safer with different miraculous, while others are just good one)

Felix would run around as Chat Noir as a body double, work on mending his and Adiren’s relationship and issues, be aware Adrien is Chat, and calls Gabriel out at home when he’s being a paranoid dad. For the Marinette side, they are gremlin freinds, co-founders of the Adrein protection squad, and sometimes discuss reverse-theiving techniques. potential as one of her love interests or vice versa, but eh? also Adiren blowing off steam by being Felix fro a day while Felix does recon on Adrien’s freinds as Adrein to make sure his cousin isn’t falling for fake friends.

Yes, I am doing mass character overhauls in terms of character arcs, but my fic, screw cannon.

Please comment to vote, since i am hardcore 50/50 here, and need help on this one.

i will eventually post this on the a03, its the only mlb fic under crazyjc

@mosseaters @chaosace​ @daminett4life​ @emeraldpuffguide​ @ilovefluffbutsmutisalsogreat​ @mystery-5-5​ @weird-pale-blonde-person​ @dast218​

[queenmylovely]

Day One

Summary: Joe mazzello x fem!reader. We shot Live Aid day one. 

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: little bit of awkwardness, but just a meet-cute really

A/N: A little oneshot/meet-cute for a request I got! I was a dresser for a Midsummer at my uni last spring, so here’s me projecting lol. I tried to channel a shy person, lol jk it’s just how my awkward self would be. I hope you like what I wrote, and any feedback including likes, replies, and reblog are greatly appreciated!

Request: Happy Sunday! Can I please get something where joe meets a shy reader?

Perfect Performance, Masterlist

gif by @ohaladdins

🎥🎥🎥

It’s assumed that everyone in the entertainment industry must be outgoing and very extroverted. But, as a seamstress and assistant to a costume designer, you luckily didn’t have to be as you were generally very shy.

When your boss, Julian, was chosen as the costume designer for the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, you were super excited. Growing up, you had loved Queen and working in any sort of proximity to them would be a dream. Not to mention that most of your fashion sense revolved around the ‘70s and ‘80s in general. It was a perfect fit.

Julian started working on drafts and sketches as soon as he was hired and instructed you to shop for fabrics at antique stores and hole in the wall sewing shops. You gladly went about your tasks, buying things for the movie and maybe picking up some stuff for clothes you would make yourself, on your own dime of course.

Production started soon after, and you were making and tweaking racks and racks of original pieces, replicas, and antique finds. One day, you and the rest of the costume crew moved everything from Julian’s shop to the movie studio, and you knew that you were going to start fittings soon.

First up was the Live Aid scene, and you started dressing and doing fittings of extras. You had a short break while the 50 or so extras that your team had dressed were being blocked. Next, each of your team would be doing the first fitting for one of the actors that played the band members. You had been assigned to the one that was playing the bass player, an actor named Joe Mazzello.

While you were part of the industry, and certainly watched a lot of movies, you had never heard of any of the actors except for Rami Malek. And you only knew him from his parts in the Night at the Museum movies. You actually considered this a perk, since it meant you probably wouldn’t get starstruck while dressing them.

As you were re-tagging and hanging up some pieces that hadn’t been used, you heard footsteps walking into your work area. You turned around and saw a guy standing somewhat hesitantly at the edge, looking in. He was medium height with brownish-red hair, and green eyes with a slight glint in them.

“Oh, are you an extra? Am I early?” the guy asked you as he took in your appearance. You were wearing high-waisted light wash jean shorts with a red and white ringer shirt tucked into them. Looking down as he did, you smiled slightly to yourself. You supposed you did look like a lot of the extras you had dressed.

“No, um, I’m Y/N, your costume fitter. You’re right on time,” you reassured him, and he sighed in relief and came the rest of the way into your space.

“That’s good. I’m always worried I’m going to be late, so I end up being really early to things and sometimes that causes a problem,” he explained to you. You nodded back.

Walking over to the rack, you read the signs until you found the one that was labeled “Mazzello, J.” Pushing the other clothes aside, you grabbed his first outfit. It was a pink button down shirt with a wild pattern on it and light wash blue jeans. To be honest, it was something you definitely would pick out for yourself to wear. You handed them to him and pointed to the little changing area that had a curtain.

“You can change in there. Do you have an undershirt on?” you asked since he was wearing a sweater and you couldn’t tell.

“Yeah,” he replied, lifting the hem of his sweater slightly so you could see. It lifted his shirt with it and you caught a small glimpse of his stomach. You turned quickly to find your binder with your notes, trying to hide the blush that had instantly heated your cheeks.

“Okay, um, you should take that off too. John Deacon wasn’t wearing one during the show,” you told him as you checked your notes. You heard the scrape of the rings of the curtain on the rail and turned back around to wait. After a minute, he came back out. He was wearing the shirt buttoned to the top and tucked in tightly. You walked over to the shoe rack and grabbed the correct pair, handing them to him. As he pulled them on, you scrutinized the outfit to make sure everything was correct.

“So, do I look like him?” Joe said with a smile and quirked eyebrow.

“Very close,” you responded, turning back to your binder. You flipped to another page that had a picture of John Deacon in the same outfit and looked at the differences between Joe and John. Noticing what you were doing, Joe moved so that both he and the picture would be in you line of sight easily.

After seeing the main differences, you stepped over to Joe and began fixing them. As a seamstress and someone that had dressed many actors of all genders, one thing you weren’t afraid of doing was fixing someone’s clothes. You always made sure that the actors were comfortable, though, so you said a quiet “May I?” and waited for Joe to nod before you started.

First, you undid the very top button of the shirt and pulled the collar to open the shirt more. Next, you grabbed onto either side of the shirt next to Joe’s ribs and pulled up slightly so it would be a more loose and baggy tuck. Next, you knelt down to fix his shoes.

Out of habit, you assumed, Joe had pulled the pant legs down so they covered the top couple inches of the high-topped shoes. To fix this, you pulled up the pant legs so they bunched around the top of the shoe instead.

You stepped back and looked between him and the photo again and realized what you had forgotten. You reached into his ditty bag and pulled out a white belt. Joe took it from your outstretched hand with a smile and pulled it on.

Although you were used to helping people get dressed, him pulling on a belt was a strangely intimate moment that made heat flush your cheeks yet again. Since you were avoiding looking at his face, you missed the same heat color his cheeks a bright pink.

Once he was done, you took another look and said, almost to yourself, “Perfect.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he said and you looked up, not thinking he would reply. You made eye contact timidly, but he was smiling at you and that glint in his eyes was brighter than ever.

“They did a very good job when they casted you,” you told him quietly while averting your eyes, and he had to lean forward slightly to catch your words.

“Well, that’s mostly yet to be seen. Starting with Live Aid is the real test,” he joked, but he also seemed genuinely kind of nervous.

“I bet you’ll do great. They wouldn’t have cast you if they didn’t think you were up to the job. Plus, you’re practically a spitting image of him. Just on looks alone, you’re already doing a great job,” you told him, meeting his eyes with more confidence and offering a small smile.

Joe grinned back at you, glad for your words of encouragement, but waited to see if you wanted to continue the conversation since he could tell you were a little shy.

Just as you were working up the nerve to ask him a question, a PA stuck their head into your workspace to let Joe know that he was needed on set.

“I’d better be going. I’ll see you later; you’re my costume fitter all shoot, right?” he asked as he headed towards the exit.

You nodded in reply. He stopped in the doorway, giving you an infectious smile that you returned after a second.

“Good, I’m looking forward to being dressed by your capable hands,” he said with a wink before heading to set, leaving you with wide eyes, but a smile still on your face and a burst of giggles rising in your throat. This was going to be a wild ride. 

🎥🎥🎥

Taglist: @somekindof-cheese @gwilyoubemine@deacytits @supersonicfreddie @siriuslovesmarlene @bowiequeen @acdeaky @deakysgirl @sunflower-borhap-boys @deakyfordays @queensilveryrog @happy-at-home @ceruleanrainblues @briarrose26 

I just kinda created this taglist so if you would like to be taken off or added, just send me a message or ask!

Reminder that my requests are open! If you would like something in a sort of one shot format/length or blurb, etc. send it in! I’ll write for any of the Borhap or Queen boys (Freddie only platonically), Lucy, Patrick Murray, Gardner Langway and adult!Tim Murphy or possibly any of the other characters these people have played if I know enough about them!

[scottishhellhound]

The sound of the grandfather clock clicking back into place, sealing the entrance to the Cave for the night, had the tension draining from Bruce's shoulders, letting them fall for the first time in what felt like hours.

5 days, 22 hours, 14 minutes, and 43 seconds. That's how long the Batman and various Robin's, past and present, had spent chasing the Joker and Two-Face around Gotham, after a breakout from Arkham.

They'd been caught several hours ago, but Bruce had told his family to head home, either to the manor or a safe house to get some well earned rest, and he'd take care of the reports.

3 hours later and he'd finally finished, and was heading up for some much needed rest of his own.

His assent up the large staircase was interrupted by the sound of a small crash, followed immediately by quiet, but heartfelt cursing, coming from the kitchen.

Bruce immediately ran through a mental tally of who could be awake in the manor beside himself.

Alfred was in bed. Had signed off once everyone had called in safe and sound, and no immediate medical emergencies reported for treatment. Cass had gone to crash at Stephanie's apartment. Dick and Tim were at the penthouse, and Damian had been sent home the night before, and benched, after almost falling off a roof in his exhaustion.

Which only left Jason.

But as far as Bruce knew, Jason had headed to his safehouse in the Bowery as soon as Joker had been brought down. Having retreated to calm himself down, Bruce assumed, away from his family's prying eyes and invasive questions.

His siblings meant well, but Jason preferred to not talk about his trauma unless he wished. And after direct and prolonged contact with a perpetrator of that trauma, Jay very much preferred to be alone.

Bruce turned on silent feet, pulling out one of Tim's collapsible bos as he passed one of the "weaponized plants".

He circled around to the far side of the kitchen, taking the long way around, entering through the old service entrance.

He stepped into the dimly lit kitchen, his last step loud in the silence, and three things happened at one. The smell of warm sugar hit his nose, he raised his borrowed weapon just in time to block the knife thrown at him, and dark blue eyes met teal across the dark expanse, as Bruce took in the picture of his second son in sleep pants, a tank top, and an apron, arm extended from the thrown knife.

"Shit! Jesus, B, warn a guy why dontcha."

"Sorry, I -"

Bruce just watched as Jason turned back to the stove, ignoring him - seemingly forgetting that he just threw a butcher knife at his father - and pick up a piping bag.

Bruce edged closer cautiously, leaning the bo against the wall, watching the tense line of Jason's shoulders, the stiff way he held himself, as he squeezed out batter into the pot of boiling oil. He took in the bandages on Jason's arms, the bit of white he could see peeking out through the arm of his shirt, hinting at injured ribs.

"Jason... what... what are you doing?"

Jason shoots him a look over his shoulder as he pipes another strip of batter out into the pot. "I'm making churros... what does it look like?"

"Why?"

The former Robin doesn't say anything for several moments as he grabs a set of tongs, and starts fishing cooked churros out of the pot, setting them on a prepared plate.

"Wanted a snack."

"And you decided to make churros?"

"I like churros."

Bruce heaves a heavy sigh as he reaches the island. It didn't used to be hard talking to Jason. It used to be easy, almost easier than talking to Dick at the same age had been.

But that was before the Joker. Before the Lazarus Pit, before the madness and blood of Jason's return.

However he was slowly coming back to the family, getting along better with his siblings. He and Steph got along like a house on fire, and Bruce still wasn't sure how he felt about that friendship quite yet. But he was working with them, instead of against them, and that alone was a miracle. He talked once a week at least with Alfred, helped Dick on cases, made sure Tim was surviving on more than energy drinks and coffee. The only one Jason seemed to still avoid was him; especially if none of his siblings were around.

But Jason was here, at the manor, knowing that everyone else had been sent to bed. There had to be a reason. Jason was a lot of things, reckless, brash, brave, but even his most reckless stunts always had a reason.

"Jay, it's four in the morning, what are you doing here?"

Jason stiffens immediately, blue-green eyes narrowing, and Bruce winces, knowing exactly how Jason would take that statement.

Rejection.

Bruce quickly holds up a hand, pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. "I'm sorry, that came out badly."

The apology brings Jason up short, Bruce can see him snap his mouth shut, biting back whatever his no doubt scathing reply would have been.

"What did you mean then? That line you always spouting about the major always bein' my home, no matter what a lie?"

"No, Jason. The manor is and will always be your home. We will always be your family. That is never a fact you need to doubt."

Both men stared in startled silence after Bruce's uncharacteristic outburst.

"Wow, B, that's...." Jason rubbed at the back of his neck as he turned away, a faint hint of red spreading across his face, ignoring Bruce for a moment, and turning off the stove. "You must be totally sleep deprived if you let all of that out." He turns back and Bruce fights back a grin of his own at the teasing smirk he sees on his son's face. "I'll have to tell Dickie the secret of getting you to open up is to not let you sleep for close to a week."

Jason hops up onto a stool at the island, placing a the plate of churros between them, dusting them with cinnamon sugar, before picking one up and biting into the still steaming dough.

Bruce watches as Jason sets the sugar down, and raises a surprised brow when he nudges the plate towards him. He grabs one along with a napkin from the stack that Alfred always keeps on the counter.

Bruce takes a bite, being careful not to burn himself, and can't help the small hum of appreciation as he chews.

"Jason, this is really good."

"Thanks, it's not much. Just a recipe I remember one of our neighbours making when I was a kid. She made mean Torrijas too."

The sat in companionable silence for a bit longer, both finishing their early morning snack.

Bruce wiped the sugar off his fingers before risking asking his question again. "Jay, what are you doing cooking at 4 in the morning? I thought you went to one of your safe houses?"

Jason stiffened again, hands balling into fists. Bruce watched as he took a breath, slowly relaxing his hands, though he was still tense, like he expected a blow at any moment.

"I don't mind that you're here, son, I just thought after all that happened, you'd want to be alone?"

"I was, I did, but...it was too quiet, but too loud at the same time. I could hear everything. Every drip of the pipes, every creak of wood, the traffic, the silence, and -" he cut himself off abruptly, shaking his head so hard it had to hurt. Bruce wanted so badly to reach for him, but knew from past experiences to not touch Jason when he was this worked up.

His next words were soft, so quiet Bruce barely heard them, but they made his heart break all the more for his Robin. "Everything sounded like his laugh, nothing could drown it out, so...I came here." Jason scrubbed a hand down his face. "I tried sleeping in one of the guest rooms for a bit, but that ended...badly. I didn't want to go down to the cave, and I didn't want to bug Alfie, but I needed something to keep my busy, so I just came down here and started cooking."

He shrugged, eyes fixed firmly on the plate of churros. "There's batter in the fridge for pancakes, a bunch of fruits cut up for toppings, and - " Bruce reached across the table, stopping Jason's rambling by placing his hand on Jason's, and squeezing gently. Bruce was surprised, but pleased, to see that despite how much Jason had grown without them to see, his hand was still just a bit smaller than his. Reminding Bruce that even though he was close to being an adult, could take care of himself, Jason was in many ways still a child, and he would always be his son. No matter how big he got.

"It's fine Jason. I don't mind. We all don't want to be alone sometimes. Even if we don't want to talk about the problem, doesn't mean we need to be by ourselves."

He squeezed his hand once more before letting go, standing and taking his plate and napkin to the sink.

"That...okay, who are you and what have you done with Bruce?" Jason snapped, voice hard and uncertain.

Bruce paused as he placed his plate in the sink, thinking on Jason's words. Did he really not talk to his kids about non-work things that often, that Jason's first thought is that he's an imposter?

He turned around to find Jason glaring at him, eyes hard, hand shaking around the knife he was holding.

Bruce immediately raised his hands, palms out. "I'm me Jason. I'm not an impostor, or being controlled, or a doppelganger or anything like that."

He took a slow, careful step back towards the island, making sure his gaze never strayed from Jason's face. "But I'm starting to realize I may owe you and your siblings an apology."

"Why?" Jason's face pinched tight, eyes dark with suspicion, as he watched Bruce retake his seat at the island.

"The fact that your first thought is that I've been replaced, tells me that I haven't been doing my job as your father as well as I should have been."

The knife dropped back to the island as Jason's hand goes slack, the clattering of plastic and metal echoing in the suddenly silent kitchen.

"Bruce that's - "

"Don't say that's not true Jay, we both know that that would be disingenuous at best."

"I didn't notice how much this whole thing affected you, when I should have known." He looked Jason in the eye then, not bothering to hide his regret. "You, who have lost the most to the Joker and Two-Face. If I didn't notice how much you were struggling, knowing that, what else have I missed? Not just with you, but with your brothers and sister?"

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair, and letting his head rest against his palm, hiding his face now. "Dick has called me on it before, so have you, but I've refused to see it, and that's not okay either, and that its taken this, sleep deprivation, and the fact that after two years of coming back to us, that you still doubt your place here with us, with me, means I've failed."

It's so silent following his statement that Bruce thinks Jason must have left, and he wouldn't blame the boy either. So to say Bruce was startled when a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder, would have been an understatement. His head shot up, nearly colliding with Jason's jaw, and Jason took a hasty step back, other arm coming up across his chest, ready to block.

They both took a moment to reorient themselves and Jason inhaled deeply before speaking.

"It's not just on you, Bruce. I mean a lot of it's on you, and your conceal don't feel, bullshit life motto. But God knows I don't make it easy on you, neither do Tim, and the demon. We all know Cass is basically perfect," both men chuckled briefly. "And the only one of us well adjusted enough to talk about feelings is Dick, and even he's too much like you most days to talk about his own feelings. We're all to blame for this."

"So how do we fix it? Most people recommend counseling of some kind, but that won't work here, not with what we do."

Jason tilted his head in thought, forehead creasing like it used to when he was younger, still Robin, and was trying to puzzle out a Rogue's latest scheme.

Before Bruce could poke his forehead, tease him like he used to for thinking too hard, Jason's face paled and he looked at Bruce in horror.

"Jason, what is it?"

"All I can hear is Dick chanting "family bonding" in my head like deranged puppet, and the puppets not wrong."

Bruce's own face pulled into a frown as he tried to make sense of Jason's bizarre statement.

"Jay...I don't understand."

Jason waved his hands around as he tried to articulate his point. "You're worried about not being a good enough dad, we all have parent-issues, we don't talk because none of us feel like a family unless we're out on the streets punching criminals in the face. Which is great for working out frustration, but not for actually handling issues."

Bruce caught on then, realizing where Jason's thoughts were heading. "We don't do enough as a family outside of the masks...you're right, this is Dick's dream come true."

"Movie night." Both men looked at each other as they spoke the words together, before dissolving into laughter muffled behind hands.

Bruce stood once he got himself under control several minutes later, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder.

Jason glanced at it, before looking up and offered Bruce a small smile.

"I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the ass, sometimes."

Bruce smiled back, then reached up and ruffled his boys hair, ignoring the indignant squawk Jason made in protest. "Well, as Alfred would say, you come by it honestly. I taught you to fight, for this city and your family, it's only fair I passed on some of my less admirable traits as well."

They left the kitchen and headed back towards the big staircase in comfortable silence, pausing when they'd reached the top.

"I'm sorry too Jay, for lot of things. I'm going to try and do better. With you and your siblings. I'm going to make mistakes, and I'm probably going to make a bigger mess of things before I get it right, but I'm going to try. "

Jason stared at him eyes wide before he seemed to come to an internal decision, face hardening. Before Bruce could say a word Jason was stepping into him, head dropping onto his shoulder, and arms wrapping around him.

Bruce was rigid for all of two seconds before returning the hug from his second son, something he never thought he'd get again willingly outside of life and death situations.

"That's all I-we want Bruce, is for you to try."

Bruce tightened his arms around him, bringing one hand up to cup the back of Jason's head, holding on for as long as Jay would let him.

"I think I can do that."

[desertangell]

End of the Year

I’m going to be sappy for a second because I’m definitely one of those people that takes this time of year to reflect upon all that has happened and how it all may affect the new year.

The beginning of 2019 was difficult. A lot happened that made me struggle with my mental health, but I also finally took the steps I needed to seek the help that would get me through the day. My 90 days as the ZooMobile Coordinator occurred on January 12th, and I spent that next weekend in Santa Monica. The fact that I live so close to California and the ocean still eludes me. January also included my decision to participate in my first aerial showcase at Vertical Fix. Little did I know how much it would mean to me.

February didn’t include anything major from what I can remember. I continued training as an aerialist, learning to love the trapeze, and I traveled to some fun places in Arizona, including Ajo, where they have a lot of beautiful murals to explore.

My first aerial performance was on March 22nd, and I had so many people show up to support me. I overcame my stage fright, fell in love with my makeup and costume, and I put everything I had into what I brought to the audience. It was magical. Of course, that meant I had to do it again in another few months!

March was also the month when I met April. We started talking via Instagram and met in Papago Park to take pictures of yoga poses. Needless to say, we became fast friends, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have her in my life.

The next month included seeing Cirque du Soleil’s AmaLuna and hanging out in Las Vegas with my sister, Lizzy, and two of her friends who also became my friends! We didn’t do anything too crazy, but it was an incredibly fun weekend and one I still look back on fondly.

May brought the end of my overnight travel season for ZooMobile. The season had come and gone, and my last couple of weeks were spent in Flagstaff. I also got my wisdom teeth out! Which wasn’t super fun but the process was fairly easy and didn’t end up in any issues afterwards. I also started rehearsals for my second student showcase at Vertical Fix! This time, I was set on doing a performance on sling, a squishy version of the trapeze.

In June, I went on my first long vacation since moving to Arizona. I went up to Wisconsin to stay with Lizzy and also got to spend a couple of days with my other sister, mom, and my grandma. We celebrated her 90th birthday! When Lizzy visited me over the holidays in 2018, she said she wanted to retire in Phoenix. When I was in Wisconsin, I said I would retire there.

July included so many great things, and I didn’t even know it at the time. I went to LA to visit Laura for her birthday, and we went to Disneyland. My first visit! She and I had decided that we were going to be roommates, so it was also a great opportunity to get to know each other better. Of course, she did take me to a boarded up mental hospital…at night. My second student showcase was on July 20th, and I completely loved becoming the Mad Hatter. April came to see me with her husband, and she was sold on being involved in the next one! I also decided to go on a date with someone named Tim on July 26th. We liked each other pretty quickly, and it continued on from there.

Once August started, it was time to begin my ZooMobile season again. I wouldn’t be doing any overnights just yet, but the summer had gone by fast. I did decide to begin volunteering as a Volunteer Keeper Assistant in our Equine Department, and I loved spending my Mondays with the horses!

My brother, Mario, turned 30 in September, so that meant I got to plan my first trip back home since moving to Phoenix. Right before his birthday, though, I spent time with Tim to celebrate his birthday. We went on a great hike in Prescott and had some pretty delicious food! He had also helped me move into my new apartment with Laura before my vacation. Vacation with my family meant a new tattoo, paying for my brother to get his first tattoo, and making tamales from scratch for the first time! I had only ever helped assemble them in the past. It felt like a rite of passage, and me and Lizzy did a really great job! All too fast, though, my vacation came to an end, and I went back to the Southwest.

October! One of my favorite months of the year. Tim and I went to Vegas together for a weekend. We had a great time, and he was definitely more of an adult than I was. We also said “I love you” for the first time, and I still feel lucky to have him in my life. In my new apartment, I adopted two cats from a friend, and I loved them immediately. Posey and Fester are my children now, and I get sad when I’m away from them for even just a few days.

Before I knew it, November was here. I attended the Vertical Fix showcase to see April and other friends perform, and it made me realize that I would have to try and be in the next one. Tim and I took our first long vacation together and spent a week in Park City, Utah. We did a lot of staying in the hotel, but it was so relaxing. One of the highlights, though, was getting to swim in hot springs that are in a crater! It was incredible. Tim and I also took part in a 5K Bubble Run. The bubbles were dyed to color our clothes, and we did more walking than running, but it was an accomplishment! At the end of November, I had gotten to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tim and his family and hosted a Friendsgiving for all of the amazing people I’ve met thus far while living in Arizona.

And now, it’s December. With less than one week until 2020, I can’t believe everything that has happened this year. For my birthday, my friend Alex hosted a birthday party with an Ugly Christmas Sweater theme, and I received my first aerial apparatus as a gift from Tim. On Christmas Day, I went with Tim to spend the day with his family. His parents and sisters had gotten me gifts as well, and I felt very special. The holidays may not be my favorite time of year anymore, but they are made exponentially better when they aren’t spent alone. I’ve created a home here, and my life is rich with the people I’ve met. There are difficult days, and I sometimes only want to stay in bed. I don’t know if I am working in the job I want to stay in forever, and I still miss having more trees and green grass surrounding me. But overall, 2019 has given me a lot. I can only hope 2020 has even more exciting plans in store.

[tessatechaitea]

The New Titans #60

First time in my comic book reading history that I noticed how much Nightwing's symbol looks like the torso of a woman in a skimpy top.

It's difficult beginning a new New Titans comic book when I'd let myself believe I was finished reading them all. It's especially difficult to keep reading this comic book when the first page includes this warning:

You don't have to tell me twice!

Apparently my brain disagreed with its first assessment that the comic book didn't need to tell me twice because it reread the warning and idiotically read it correctly this time.

Dammit! Why did I already read Batman #440?! Now I'm practically locked into reading this!

Looking on the bright side for the second time in my life (the first time was when I realized that when I die, it'll most likely be in some horrible accident in which I won't have time to register that my life is ending and therefore I'll never actually know I've died, easing swiftly into the loving embrace of non-existence!), I thought, "Well, Batman #440 was written by Wolfman and it was a decent read. How terrible can this comic book be?!" But that pleasant thought was completely undone when the first panel reminded me of something I had yet to consider:

Fuck. Cyborg was still alive at this time. I'm fucking bored already!

Well, looking on the bright side who loves seeing a character yell "Booyah!" constantly, this comic book should be a real treat! I do feel a little bit of white guilt creeping in around the corners when I voice my indifference of the most boring character in the DC Universe because he's black. Especially with Donald Trump's recent explicitly racist tweets and the GOP's rush to hide behind other members of the GOP in the hopes that they won't have to shrug apathetically on camera when asked about the tweets. But it's not my fault that DC Comics chose to make their most boring character an American black man! Would it help if I said some of my favorite DC characters were black? Nope. Just heard how that sounds. Not better! Paragraph breaks don't do as much heavy lifting as I need them to. Sometimes after I've written some commentary, I'll wander off to another part of the Internet to take in some sights. Then when I come back, I sometimes want to discuss what I've just experienced. But going from one paragraph to another, readers just think they're reading it in real time as I wrote it. What I need are paragraph breaks that represent the amount of time I was away (but not what I was doing while I was away or they'd all be variations on "Gone five minutes. Jerked off to Sailor Moon porn where Rei surprises Usagi in the shower and teaches her how to masturbate" or "Gone ten minutes. Watched an erotic massage video and spent most of the time fiddling with the sound so the downstairs neighbors couldn't hear it. Turns out 3 out of 100 is still to loud for some women's orgasms" or "Gone three days. Couldn't take reading another Wolfman New Titans comic book and wound up just playing thirty games of Apex"). Between the last paragraph and this one, I went on Twitter where Andy Richter posted Fats Domino's version of The Beatles' "Lady Madonna." My only response after hearing it was, "Holy fuck." Seriously, I never want to hear The Beatles' shit version ever again! I also just noticed in the above panel, Cyborg accidentally stuck his penis plug-in to the side of his face! Whoops! Back in 1989, Cyborg wasn't capable of contacting anybody in the DC Universe immediately. So he's having trouble finding Dick Grayson. He tried his pager and...well, that's about it! It was 1989! If somebody wasn't sitting by their phone, you didn't have many other options when trying to contact them! This is probably one of the moments where much later DC editors looked back at Cyborg and realized he needed to be more powerful. I'm not arguing that he definitely needed to be more than a white noise gun that said "Booyah!" but they could have realized he needed to be interesting as well. Hell, it's not long after this issue that Marv Wolfman completely gives up on him and smashes him into bits. Having no other options but to risk exposing Batman's secret identity by putting calls to Wayne Manor on the Titans phone records, Cyborg gives Bruce a call. I'd understand interrupting Batman's hectic life if the world were on fire but the big emergency right now is that some weird kid looking for Dick visited Kory while she was practically naked (no wait. She had a towel on after showering so her body was more covered than usual). Batman is busy dealing with Two-Face even though it's the middle of the day. I think maybe Alfred lied to Cyborg. I bet Batman's taking a shit. Dick has gone back to Haly's Circus to find himself.

I bet these two clowns are actually old white land developers responsible for the circus failing! Their next trick will be to dress up like ghosts and zombies to scare everyone away!

A third clown named Harry comes out of a tent and passes out in Dick's arms. Can you imagine blacking out as a clown? You'd probably wake up in an unknown tent with no make-up covered in lion spit and shame. Dick meets with Haly and is all, "I read about the circus closing down and I couldn't figure out why. But now that I'm here, I totally get it!" And Haly is all, "Fuck you, Dick! You try running a circus in 2019! I mean 1989! Oh, yeah, I guess I should probably still have been able to trick idiots into thinking freak sideshows and abusing animals was still cool." Haly actually blames the failing of his circus on too much TV and too many video games. Obviously Super Mario, Tecmo Bowl, and Duck Hunt (hee hee! You thought, "Cunt!") were way more fun and interesting than sitting in a smelly tent being terrorized by people in greasy face paint but Haly really should take a little responsibility for his own business failings. Dick arrives and in ten minutes, he's already washed an elephant and kept a drunk clown from breaking his neck. Maybe get off your ass, Harry Haly, and fix up your shit. Haly also mentions that there's been a rash of accidents that have kept the selling price of the circus down. I bet it was those fucking clowns!

He's talking about his penis so yes, Dick, he has to ask.

While at Haly's Circus, Dick Grayson witnesses the origin of Clown Batman!

Later, after Bozo Wayne grew to an adult and was wondering what direction to take, a clown crashed through his window.

Tensions are running high at the Haly Circus as some performers want to circus to be sold so they can move on and others just want things to remain unchanged.

Finally, a clown that makes me laugh!

During the show later, Wilhelm the lion tamer gets his throat ripped out before Dick can save him. Dick was disguised as a clown so Wilhelm probably bled out as Dick was struggling to take off the stupid shoes. Tim Drake is in the audience watching because he's smarter than the entire Titans team put together. Later, Tim and Dick team up to find out who's been sabotaging Haly's Circus. It turns out it was the little person and the strong man. So typical! It's totally who I thought it was and not those two clowns from earlier. That was just a red herring I was throwing out to confuse you. The team-up doesn't make me like Tim Drake any better. But then Tim makes an admission that warms my heart and I can't help but love the kid.

Wolfman knew what he was doing.

At the end of the day, Dick Grayson buys half of Haly's Circus to help keep it afloat (with Bruce's money). Then Tim shows him the pictures of Batman battling Ravager that he took in Batman #440. He pleads with Dick to go back to help Batman cope with the death of Jason Todd. "Batman needs Robin!" he argues like a nerd doing his thesis on Batman's inexplicable need to endanger minors. Dick takes the kid seriously because who else has ever figured out that Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are Batman and Robin?! Only the smartest man on Earth and he won't do that for another twenty five years! The New Titans #60 Rating: B+. Apparently it's the Titans that make the Titans comic book suck. Concentrating on Dick Grayson and his relationship with Batman and the circus (and even this new upstart kid that loves Dick) causes Marv Wolfman to be at his best! My guess is that it's the lack of Cyborg that really makes the book shine.

[kneesheee]

Little Devil

warnings: warnings: cursing | blackmail | vague references to child abuse | age regression

Week one had come and gone since The One That is All left her sister in the False Heir’s care.  One week and Nyssa has not gathered anymore news. Oh, she had people following the one called Death Demon, but it was few since the girl had taken to either torturing or straight out killing the ones following her.

She snarled in anger as her technicians picked up on her people dancing alongside the borders of Gotham. They were not welcomed there, and her dearest sister had placed elaborate traps keyed into Nyssa’s frequency. If any of them stepped a foot in that city, they would die immediately. All to protect the False Heir. The boy held no claim over the title, yet Talia just gave it away. As if it were a toy and not a title of prestige.

Nyssa will kill the imposter and then her sister. She will claim the Demon Head’s title and she will get her wonderful little boy back. He was a Prince to be raised in the highest regard. He was destined to rule the world. Not run around in spandex and tights in the slums of alley ways.

“Mistress, we’ve got a location for the Lazarus Prince.”

Nyssa spun around immediately. “Well then. It’s about time. Lead me there.”

--

Piercing green eyes tracked the Red One (Jason, his name is Jason) around the room. He seemed agitated. Something was wrong. He had received a call from someone named Basil. He changed his clothing into something different. (A suit, he called it) He pulled up a magical screen where images of other people spoke to him.

She turned her head to look at the Silent One (Cass. She said her name was Cass). She was the only one besides Jason to speak with her without words. The girl was more fluent than she and Jason, but she made it easier to speak with.

She was also worried about Jason. He was getting incredibly angry.

“Mr. Wilson, I assure you that I know exactly what I am doing. Mother wouldn’t have left me in charge otherwise. We will move forward with these propositions just as she had planned. If there aren’t any more concerns, then this call is just a waste of all our time. I will be sure to inform Mother of the undermining that is taking place inside of this board. Either do your job as you are supposed to, or I will see to it personally that you are blacklisted in every position. I will have you covered in so much red-tape that it be the only color you know.”

There had been a dark presence seeping out of him. Talia could see the Silent One tense as if waiting for a blow to strike. Talia was confused. Jason was only acting as the Demon Head’s Heir. Father was similar though his presence was more menacing than Jason’s.

“If that will be all gentlemen, I have more important things to deal with.”

He made the magical screen disappear before he took a deep breath. The darkness seemed to fade into the background. She had never seen Father do that. His presence spilled over everything and everyone. It was only because of Mother that Talia hadn’t taken some for herself. But with Jason as the Heir and his ability to control it, then there will be no need for Talia to have that. Will it?

She will take some just in case.

When Jason turned to look at her, he didn’t look like the Heir. He looked like the kindhearted brother he had been for the past few days.

“Cass, can you watch T for me? I have an errand to run. It shouldn’t take long.”

Talia didn’t want to be separated from Jason especially not in what he stakes as their safe place. She trusted the Silent One’s skill only when they were at the castle, but this she and Jason’s home.

She will bring forth the dangers of underestimating the daughter of the demon.

--

Jason raced across the rooftop. It had been a week since Jamila left and he heard rumors that the Death Demon had been spotted countless times in Gotham. Though they really couldn’t be counted as rumors considering that she tended to take selfies with her victims that she chased to Gotham or the working girls she took to protecting while she was there.

Not to mention the weird frenemy relationship she had going with Harley. “She’s cool, but like her ex-boyfriend killed you and she stayed by his side. And I know all about abusive relationships, but I can’t get over it. Especially when you count in the fact that she helped as a distraction.”

Jamila was protective like that, but that didn’t stop her from sneaking into Arkham and beheading Joker. She claimed it was on Talia’s orders but the bloodthirsty smile on her face and the bloody clothes she still wore suggested otherwise.

It didn’t take long for him to make it to Ivy’s garden. He noticed the villainess tending to some of her plants quietly. She looked up when he landed in front of her.

“Are you here for another branch of Aloe Vera? I believe I have some in the back.”

“I wasn’t here for that… at first. But I can definitely use some. But I was also so wondering if my cousin dropped off anything?”

Ivy huffed. She also had a weird relationship with Jamila. They were friends but they always argued over Jamila using the plants she gets from Ivy for poisons. She never wants anything else.

“Mm. Yes, she left an envelope. She also left with some sage. That was surprising,” the scientist replied as she stood up. Jason followed her careful to watch out for the rose petals blooming as Ivy walked.

He sat at her table while she passed him the leather and went through her aloe vera plants. She wanted to find one of the good branches.

“You know, Pam, my ma business is looking for botanist. She doesn’t care for criminal history. If you’re interested—”

Ivy turned to look at him with suspicion in her eyes. She opened her mouth to either declined or curse him before attacking. “It’s just a thought. I’ll ask my cousin to spare some time to give you more information. But you can say no. No one is going to try to force you to do something you don’t want to.”

Ivy hummed quietly before passing him a branch. “I will think on it. Do tell your cousin that I will like to her from her soon.”

Jason nodded his head and gave his thanks before leaving to head back to his deaged mother.

--

To the Born-Again Prince,

This is the first week’s update of news regarding your situation. I have successfully managed to siphon out a handful of culprits that could be possible suspects.  From what I have gathered, it seems your problem is either science based or magical. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were a mixture of both. This is Mother we are talking about after all.

Speaking of the Forgotten One, she has sent her people to trail after me. I have shown them exactly why I earned the honor to bear the title of the Death Demon. She also has her mercenaries stationed on the outside of the borders of Gotham. She also has creating havoc in Bludhaven.  I wouldn’t be surprise if that Blue Idiot takes off to fight them.

Do try to keep a leash on that one. It’s a trap. She wishes to draw you all out.

I will also like to inform you to check in on my brother. I do not know what it is exactly, but my instincts scream for me to go after him. Which is confusing… I have never met him so why do I care?

Furthermore, there are pictures and detailed analysis of the suspects that I have found. Look over them. I will wait one week for your answer before I move on with my own plans.

Your darling cousin,

Death Demon

--

Jason sat on his couch going over the information that Jamila provided. At least three of them will end up at the end of this week. Not because Jason ordered it if they didn’t supply suitable information, but because Jamila took a strong offense to misogynist serial rapists and organ traffickers.

From what she could find, many of the men have had multiple contact with Nyssa over the past two months alone.

Jamila has noticed that they are all only at least an hour away from each other. It was either bad planning or a convenient trap she noted in her reports.

At least he managed to narrow down the causes. He sent off a quick email to Tim to get in contact with Zatanna. He just needed her to do a scan over Talia more than anything else.

There will be more problems than solutions if this turned out to be science based. Mainly because of the water of the Lazarus pits that flows through Talia’s bloodstream. More so when she was an adult than she is now. He will need to get a blood sample from Tiny Talia and cross reference it with the few samples he has of her adult form.

He looked up from his papers to the sound of giggling. There had been a stunned paused. When he glanced over, he saw Talia in the ballet outfit that Cass had instructed him to buy on the way back. Again, it was incredibly strange to Talia in such a way.

She would surely kill for the off-brand fabric that the tutu was made of. She only believed in the finest silks and satins. And she loved personally handcrafted material. She had stated you could tell a person’s heart and soul from the things they created personally.

She was standing there frozen as if she couldn’t believe that sound had just came out of her mouth. Jason smiled just a little before heading in their direction. He could always look over the rest of the files later.

“Well aren’t you beautiful,” he told her. She turned to stare at with the same confused and awed look on her face.

“Something wrong. Sound is new,” Jason would be worried about her speaking in broken sentences if he didn’t also know that she managed to read his Jane Austen and Charles Dickens books without stumbling.

“You were giggling. It means laughing lightly and repeatedly in an excited, nervous, or silly way. You were excited about dancing like Cass, so you giggled in your excitement. It’s not a bad thing.”

She scrunched her nose up before accepting his words. Jason picked her and gave a nod to Cass who was packing up her own things. “How about we go fix some brownies and then head over to the Manor? I’m sure Damian would be happy to spend some time with you.”

Talia perked her head up. She was fascinated to know that she had another brother besides Jason. Mother didn’t really talk about him, but she was delighted to get to know him as well.

But first, brownies. She loved watching Jason cook and tasting the food. The last time she had tried to do so when she was with Father, the cook poured hot water on her hands. Talia killed him on Father’s orders, but it was not an event she liked to repeat.

--

Nyssa took slow and sure steps to the young man that had grown to look so much like her and her ex-husband. He was the perfect blend of them both. He was her pride and joy. He was her Prince.

He was resting comfortably in the bed that her subordinates brought him too. The horse tranquilizers were sitting on the bed beside her and she knew it would soon be time for another doze. The Lazarus waters in his blood washed away the effects much too fast for her.

She sat down on the bed beside him and ran her hand through his curls. Her precious baby boy. He would grow stronger and more perfect by her side. They will change the world to the ultimate Utopia. Her father would be proud of her.

“Soon, my son. We will reign supreme.”

[ellana-ravenwood]

The Break-Up (Part 1/4)- Bruce Wayne x Reader

Summary : That time the League, helped/lead by Smol Dickiebird, fixed Bruce and Batmom’s relationship.

Can you spot all the easter eggs (from my main Batmom stories) I scattered in this story ? ...You know what ? Let’s make it a game. Whoever guesses them all, I’ll write a story just for them. I referenced tons of other work with Batmom in this story, more than usual so...Yup :-). Anyway hope you’ll like it, and as usual, feedbacks are very VERY welcomed ! : 

FINISHED SERIES : PART 2, PART 2.5, PART 3, PART 4

my master list blog :  @ella-ravenwood-archives

__________________________________________________

 Every time Richard Grayson came to visit his parents, siblings or “grandfather” (he came to call Alfred “gramps”, just to annoy him), nostalgia pinched his heart.

Whenever he climbed those steps to the main entrance, opened the big doors to come in the foyer, walked down corridors, rooms etc etc...memories of his childhood and teen years in the manor surged him, and filled him with a kind of sadness that wasn’t too terrible to endure. 

A kind of sadness he always greeted as an old friend. 

Nostalgia. 

Heart tightening, and a stupid fond smile plastered on his face. 

Every time. 

You’d think after four years, it wouldn’t happen anymore, right ? But no.

Dick Grayson was a sentimental, and even though he moved out of his home years ago, and found a nice apartment in Blüdhaven, built his own home...It always made him feel weird to come back to the Manor. 

Even more since he married his teenage sweetheart, Barbara Gordon, and got his first child (the most wonderful little girl in the universe ! Position she shared with his little sister Cass’ of course, who was so cute when she was still a kid ! Damian, aka “most protective uncle ever”, agreed).

Because now, with his job as a police officer and his nightly activities in Blüdhaven...He rarely had time to come “home”. 

Well, that wasn’t really true. 

He still came over at least four times a week and, on most week-ends, his family would come to his apartment to have lunch. And he often caught up with one of his siblings, or parents, or Alfred but...it wasn’t the same anymore. 

He still didn’t see you as often as he used to. As often as he wanted to. 

It was actually a tough change for him, to not be able to get out of his room and find one of you somewhere in his house.

He actually thought about asking his dad to buy an entire building, and then you guys could all live on one floor and you’d be all together always and...he quickly realized it was unreasonable and ridiculous. 

It was just so strange that he couldn’t see any of you whenever he wanted. He was a “responsible” adult now (who bought legos for his daughter just so he could play with them too). 

He grew up...and his siblings too. Hell, Damian was going to be seventeen !! 

He had to accept that things were changing. Evolving. 

It was awful. 

...Though he found reassurance in the fact that some things actually never changed. 

Like how much his parents were in love. 

Dick had let himself in the manor and was looking for any members of his family, roaming the gigantic house. 

He found Alfred asleep on his father’s office chair, a duster in one hand (the poor butler wasn’t getting any younger, and got tired easily nowadays). 

Dick put a blanket over him and left the office silently, continuing his search. 

He found you and Bruce in the main living room, asleep as well, on the couch, in each others’ arms. 

You weren’t getting any younger either...and though his mom, you, was quite younger than Bruce, it seemed like you were the one who was getting tired the fastest lately...

You weren’t even fifty yet ! But in the past few months, you always seemed so exhausted and such...Dick made a mental note to remind you to rest more, and to stop taking care of them so much like that, it would kill you one day ! 

There was a note on the living room table. Dick recognized his youngest brother’s handwriting (elegant and classy). The note stated : 

“Parents, 

We went to Jason’s place to see his new motorcycle and to kick his ass butt ass (sorry Mom, for trying to watch my profanities :p (this stupid smiley was added by Tim Drake)) at Tekken, 

Love you (Cassandra forced me to write that),

Damian, Cass and Tim.”

Dick smiled at the thought of his younger siblings playing Tekken. 

That game always ended in “bloodshed” and fights, at the Wayne household (competitive kids)...until you would come along and win every game and settle their quarrel easily. 

You were the best at Tekken, period. 

Well, there was the sempiternel fight about who was the second best but you know... 

Yes, his siblings’ antics always made Dick smile uncontrollably. 

Another thing that always made him smile : you and Bruce, forever in love. 

And as he was looking fondly over you two, at your embraced form on the couch, he couldn’t help but smile like an idiot and think : “relationship goal, right there”. 

It was everything he aspired to have with Barbara. Your perfect relationship. 

Haha. 

Perfect ? Well, not always. 

You were both too stubborn for your own good, and had quite a temper. A strong personality too, which meant that sometimes, fights happened. 

Small ones about petty things, and big one over important matters...but it always ended up the same, wether it was about something small or big : with you two apologizing profusely, regardless of who was wrong, and then...going to...do...gross things in your bedroom (or whatever place somewhat private was available to you). 

Dick shivered. 

He was almost thirty and did some...uncatholic things with Barbara too but he could never not be be grossed out by his parents doing...ew. 

Whatever, the important thing there, wasn’t that, but it was that no matter what, you’d always pull through. You always had each other’s back. You always made up, and your “perfect” relationship would only grow stronger each time. 

You guys were made for each others, and it wasn’t a silly fight that would separate you two (Hell, every healthy couple fought from time to time). 

Though...it almost did once. 

Here’s a memory Dick didn’t particularly cherish. 

That time he almost never had a second (amazing and perfect) mom. 

That time you two almost made a decision that would have make the both of you forever miserable and bitter. 

That time you almost ruined your life (Dick loved to be over-dramatic...though in this instance, he genuinely believed you almost ruined each others life). 

************

Nearly twenty years earlier : 

-Oh my God Bruce, get over yourself ! 

-I’m the one that’s suppose to get over myself ?! Please (Y/N), grow up ! 

This was terrible. 

Dick had to do all the efforts in the World not to cry. 

He had been living with you and Bruce Wayne for the past six months now (you moved in with Bruce after about a year of relationship...Eight months hidden from paparazzis and danger, four months officially together. It was Bruce’s idea. He loved you, you were almost always at the Manor anyway, you had an entire chest of drawers full of your stuffs...you might as well live with him !). 

And though the pain of losing his parents was still vivid, his little eight years old heart felt he had another chance at life. Felt like he could still be happy. 

Sometimes, he felt awful that, only six months after his parents’ death, he was already feeling better...but he couldn’t help it. 

You, Bruce and Alfred made him feel like he was home instantly, as soon as he set foot in Wayne Manor. 

Especially you, if he was honest. Bruce was busy, and Alfred’s English phlegm didn't go through Dick yet, just like Dick’s need for hugs and reassurance wasn’t clear enough for the butler yet. But you...

You were but (almost) twenty two years old and yet took full responsibility (well, almost too, Bruce was there too) of that lost (and adorable) kid. 

Though you were barely an adult yourself, you didn’t hesitate one second about what you’d do when Bruce said he was taking Dick as his ward. 

You just took care of him as if he was yours, without questions. 

When he had nightmares, shivering in his bed, you were there before he opened his eyes and screamed. And you always convinced Bruce easily to let him sleep in your bed, between the two of you, when he was still too scared to fall back asleep. 

You always asked him if he was alright, you listened to him, and to put it in a simpler way : you just loved him. You made sure he knew you loved him. Made sure he knew he still had a family. 

In fact, you and Bruce were making him feel so at home that he almost called you “mom” and “dad” a few times. 

...He wanted to call you like that. 

But he was to afraid that it would mean betraying his own parents, betraying their memory ! Oh man, it was a lot to take for an eight year old boy, life wasn’t suppose to be that difficult at that age ! 

...It seemed though, like part of his dilemma would be no more soon, as he keeps listening to you and Bruce arguing in the living room, hiding on top of the stairs: 

-I guess this is what I get for dating a goddamn child ! 

Bruce says angrily, and your face says it all. It looses all colors, and it seems to Dick as if you were deeply wounded by Bruce’s words...but too stubborn to actually show it, as you say : 

-Oh. Child. Of course. It didn’t seem to bother you last night uh ? 

-Completely unrelated to the subject. 

-Oh really ? 

-Yes really, and you know it (Y/N). You’re being unresonable. You know you’re wrong, and lack arguments, hence you start to talk about things that has nothing to do with the subject. 

-Like you just did by stating that you’re dating a “goddamn child” ? 

Dick couldn’t really understand everything you were saying (he was so curious about what you did last night though...a pillow fight maybe ? if the situation wasn’t so desperate, and made him feel so miserable, then he would have been vexed that you didn’t invite him to said pillow fight !), but his heart tightened at your every words.

He couldn’t stand seeing you two fight. 

He wasn’t used to see you two fight...In six months with you guys, he only saw you argue about very petty things a few times, and immediately apologize. 

But this time ? It seemed serious. 

It was about Bruce’s night activities (Dick knew now that he was the Batman), and how he put himself in useless danger sometimes. How he needed to be more careful. 

It was about Bruce not wanting you to meddle with this part of his life at all, even if he knew you were right. 

It was about Bruce still being somewhat reluctant about letting you fully in his life. 

It was about Bruce being an insensitive prick. 

It was about you being too stubborn to let it go. 

It was about you wanting to meddle with his night activities, because you cared about what happened to him, but also because you were vexed he was treating you like a weak child, trying to shield you from all of it.

It was about you not being experienced enough with his “dark side” yet to realize when to stay silent, or to know how exactly to tell him things. 

There was a way to talk to Bruce. And you didn’t master it quite yet...it would take you a few more years for that really. Your boyfriend (soon to be husband) was a damn complicated man. 

-Don’t tell me what to do (Y/N). I was upfront with you. You know this...is...my life work, and it comes first. 

You stay in front of him for a few moments, in silence, taking his words in. 

Bruce looks at you back, his face unreadable. 

He knows perfectly well this is not the truth, that you and Dick are more important than anything else now...but he’s too stubborn to admit it, he’s still too used to his old lonely ways (even though he had you by his side for more than a year now...it had just been six months since you were here 24/7). 

And he’s not sure he wants to let it go...Wouldn’t that mean betraying his parents ? 

Finally, you say those awful words, that makes Dick want to cry even more : 

-Fine, I think we’re done here then.

-Fine. 

-Fine. 

You glare at Bruce, and he gives you one of his infuriating arrogant look in return. It does indeed, infuriate you. 

When you said : “I think we’re done here”, you didn’t mean “done” forever. You meant that there was nothing more to say. That this fight was over, and would stay unresolved. You meant...but it doesn’t matter what you meant, because he misunderstands and, struggling to hide how truly heartbroken he is, he says coldly : 

-You know where the door is. 

It’s a tone he never used with you before. It lacks love, awe, fondness, joy...it’s empty (just like he’s feeling now), and it hurts you more than anything else. 

And from there...Things escalate quickly. 

You both say things you do not actually mean. You both enter “self-defense” mode and starts to be genuinely awful to each others.

You both go too far. 

Neither of you actually say the word “break-up”, but as you storm off the manor without even saying “bye” to Alfred or Dick, what is happening is pretty clear. 

Sat on the floor in the corridors upstairs, Dick hears you leave in a fury, saying profanities he would never dare to say out loud. 

He hears Bruce yell : “And don’t come back !”. 

And all he can do, is stay there, “hidden”, crying softly. When Alfred finds him, a few hours later, for the first time since he came in the Manor, he takes him in his arms, and they stay like that for a bit. 

Bruce sees them, as he climbs the stairs...but he ignores them. Silently, he goes and locks himself in his bedroom, trying to erase from his head the face of that poor little boy who’s crying in his butler’s arms. 

For the second time in his life, Dick Grayson’s family is “dead”. 

************

Dick doesn’t see you for almost an entire week. 

The day after your departure, one of your friend came to get your stuffs. 

Bruce wasn’t there...since you left he buried himself in his work, both by day and by night. 

Bruce Wayne never attended that many meetings at Wayne Inc, and Batman never arrested that many criminals in the streets in such a short time span. 

The poor man was exhausted, both physically and mentally...Dick understood. When he first arrived at Wayne Manor, right after his parents’ death, he never forgot the look his adopted father gave you, when he said : “I know things are difficult for you right now...but I promise it will get better. I know my words might sound hollow for you but...one day, you’ll see. One day, you’ll realize that the World is still spinning, and that you’re still able to love and be loved. I hope I will help, just like others have helped me”, emphasizing the fact that Bruce knew most of his happiness came from you being by his side. 

But he was too stubborn to admit it, and therefor, worked even more. 

Maybe he was trying to stay distracted, to keep going so he would never have time to actually think about what happened ?

Maybe. 

Dick doesn’t hear anything about you for an entire week, when you finally call. It seems you knew Bruce wasn’t there, as you called on the Manor’s landline. 

Alfred answers of course, and you two talk for a few minutes. It sounds to Dick as if the butler went through different feelings while talking to you, from despair to anger, finishing on a beaten note. 

He comes to him, and gives him the phone, saying a flat and emotionless : 

-It is Miss (Y/L/N). 

Excitedly, Dick takes the machine in his small hand and says, voice full of hope : 

-(Y/N) ? 

It’s such a relief, to hear you say :

-Hey buddy, how’s it going ? 

-Ok. When are you coming back ? 

There’s an awkward silence, and he can feel by your tone that you’re choosing your words very carefully : 

-I...I’m not sure I’m coming back kiddo. 

HAHA ! “Not sure”. You didn’t outright say : “I’m not coming back”. You just said..”not sure”. This was something, right ? You continue : 

-Listen buddy, what about I take you to the fair tomorrow ? And we can talk. Would you like that ? 

-Yes ! Yes I would love that ! 

On the other side of the line, you can’t help but smile. Damn you missed that kid. But your smile soon turn sad and you say : 

-I have to go right now, but we’ll talk more tomorrow ok ? Can you give the phone back to Alfred please ? 

-Yes. See you tomorrow right ? 

-Right. 

-Promise ? 

-Promise. 

-Good. You can’t break a promise. Bye bye, I love you. 

The words come out of his mouth faster than he can think and...he’s a bit embarrassed, but not too much. After all, it’s true. He loves you. 

Your voice breaks a bit as you answer :

-Love you too buddy, love you too. See you tomorrow. 

He gives the phone back to Alfred, and act as if he’s going back to his business, though he clearly tries to listen in on what the butler says. 

Alfred though, knows better, and walks further away, and Dick end up only understanding a few cryptic words : “...ask him yourself...” “...miserable...” “...back...” “...his everything...”. 

Soon enough though, being just a child, he forgets about it, and focus all heartedly on the perspective of seeing you again tomorrow. And at the fair at that ! He couldn’t wait. 

He missed you so much, during that week of silence...

************

You end the call with Alfred and your heart is filled with nothing but sadness and pain. 

You want to call Bruce, to beg him to take you back, to apologize, to...whatever really. You just want to hear his voice. 

But you don’t. Because you’re too stubborn. Because he doesn’t call you either.

And man, why did you have to feel so bad about not talking to Dick in a week ? You weren’t his mom after all !! 

Just thinking those words make your heart bleed. It makes you realize that things are truly over, and that you’ll...never...be...his mom. For the hundredth time that week, you go to bed early and weep all night...

************

Bruce is greeted by a very excited Dick who jumps in his arms and goes on and on about what he’ll do the next day. Automatically, Bruce catches him and lifts him up in the air, holding him against his chest. 

It takes the Batman a few minutes to finally understand why, for the first time in a week, his boy seems so lively. 

It’s you. 

Of course, it’s you.

It’s the prospect of seeing you again. 

For a split second, Bruce’s heart beats faster, and it almost feels as if he’s going to be the one seeing you tomorrow. 

But the dark reality slaps him in the face fast enough. He won’t see you. Not ever. Not after all the things he dared to tell you...

And oh he regrets every single words, oh he wishes he was brave enough to call you and beg for your forgiveness...He would do anything to get you back, he would do anything you wanted. He would even stop being Batman, if that’s what it took and...But it wouldn’t happen. 

He was too cowardly, too proud and stubborn, to actually call you and apologize. To actually give himself another shot at “being happy”. 

It couldn’t happen anymore. He had his chance, and he blew it. It was destiny bringing him back down on Earth. You’d be better off without him. That was sure. It’s as if life was telling him : “you’ve been a selfish bastard, you knew your relationship with her wouldn’t actually go anywhere, and you played with her...this is your punishment. Karma’s a bitch”. 

And as Dick was going on and on about all the things he’d do with you at the fair, it dawned on him that...vacations were over. 

You left, forever. 

He had to...

-DO YOU THINK THERE’S ROLLERCOASTERS AT THE FAIR ?! DO YOU THINK I’M TALL ENOUGH TO RIDE THEM !!?? DO YOU THINK (Y/N) WILL BUY ME COTTON CANDY ?! 

Just talking about you made him want to end it all. That’s how much he loved and missed you. He’ve had enough of this life of pain and misery. When you came in, you eclipsed (almost) the darkness...if he didn’t make a promise to his parents, that he would spend his life avenging them, he’s not sure he would still be alive. 

He listens, keeping silent, to Dick’s ramblings about you, and about what you guys are going to do. Alfred fills him in on what you said on the phone, how you asked to see Dick and take him out for the day. 

Bruce doesn’t say anything. He couldn’t bear the fact that the boy would be able to see and touch you, while he himself would never be allowed to do that ever again. But what could he do ? Stop Dick from ever seeing you again ? 

You’d never allow that, loving that kid too much. And besides...it wasn’t this poor little eight year’s old fault, your relationship didn’t last. 

Why should he be punished for something he had no control over ? Bruce shook his head and chased away his selfish thoughts. 

Of course he’d let Dick see you. 

But...Was it really fair to do so, knowing you wouldn’t be there for him as much as you used to ? Was it fair to let him have hope of you ever coming back when Bruce knew it would never happen ? He didn’t want the boy to be hurt...

Maybe he shouldn’t let him see you. 

No. This was ridiculous. You...

-Do you think I’ll be able to convince her to come back, eh, Bruce ? 

Lost in his thoughts, it seemed as if the Batman lost track of the conversation, and didn’t hear a big chunk of Dick’s ramblings. He couldn’t remember how the kid came to talk about you coming back...Oh this wasn’t good. 

He gives a desperate look to Alfred, but the butler isn’t looking back. In fact, he’s turned away from his “master”, in an obvious “You got yourself in this mess, handle things yourself” way, and slowly leaves the room. 

Bruce turns to Dick’s painfully hopeful face, and say : 

-I...I don’t think she...wants to...wouldn’t want to...

He stumbles on his words, and it seems to encourage the little boy. Yes. This was his time. He had a week to rehearse his speech, but didn’t dare to say anything...but now ? Now it was the time : 

-Bruce, we don’t know that ! You didn’t even call her. You guys didn’t speak calmed down yet. You know when people are angry, they say stupid things. Which is what happened. There’s still a chance, and if you want her to come bac...

-No. 

Bruce understood where the boy wanted to go. And he had to rip any hope from him, now. Otherwise, it would become dangerous. 

Bruce understood that Dick was about to try and convince him to make a move, to try and get you back. He guessed easily that the kid was about to tell him that he’ll talk to you tomorrow, to plead his case. That he’d help in any way shape or form. 

Bruce knew that Dick was about to go on a rant about how they should try again, about how there was still...hope. 

But Bruce knew better. He was convinced he would never get you back, he knew he went too far, pushed you away one too many time...He knew you thought his Batman activities were more important to him than you or worst, than Dick, and he knew you couldn’t forgive him (at the time, it seems he didn’t fully understand you yet...but you two were still in the “early stage” of the relationship of course). 

And he had to destroy all hope. He had to be blunt, though dishonest. 

-...No ? 

Dick said in a small voice, not understanding. Closing his eyes, Bruce got on his knees and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. After a deep sigh, he said : 

-I...don’t want (Y/N) back. And I meant what I told her. 

-No Bruce, you love her. 

Dick’s innocent look, and the way his voice sounded so sure of his statement...almost make Bruce cracks. The man almost breaks down and tells all of his feelings to his kid but...he’s just a kid. A tiny eight years old. He couldn’t burden that boy with his pain like that...And so he shakes his head and says : 

-No Dickie. No. I...Loved her. But those feelings are...gone...now. We’re...we’re not together anymore. We broke up. That’s how life is. Sometimes...you...just have to move on from good things and...or...good things turn into bad...I don’t want her back. And she doesn’t want to come back. You heard her, we’re done. It’s over. 

Every single stumbling words that came out of his mouth was a struggle. But he thought that his cold tone was pretty convincing. He thought that Dick and his young age would buy his lies easily (clearly underestimating him). He gets back on his feet and ruffle his boy’s hair, taking the direction of the Batcave (he needed to think about something else than you right now). 

Dick looks at him leave, tears welled up in his eyes...and more determined than ever. 

************

Of course, his failure today could have had convinced him to abandon all hope. 

But...no, never. He knew he was right. 

That morning, you came to pick Dick up. You thought you saw Bruce looking at your car from behind his bedroom’s curtains but...It was probably all in your head. Wishful thinking. You wanting him to miss you...but for what ? 

You wouldn’t get back together. 

The vision of that little eight year old boy excitedly going down the Manor’s stairs, a backpack in his hand, and rushing in your car lifted your heart. 

For the first time in a week, you didn’t feel too terrible. Hell, you even caught yourself smiling widely at Dick ! 

You feel a bit bad for not going out to say “hi” to Alfred...No, that was an understatement. You grew so close from the man, while you were dating Bruce...it physically hurt your soul to not go out to hug him and catch up...but what if Bruce was there ? 

You couldn’t risk it. And so you just kinda nod at the butler from your car, and drive away, not noticing his pained expression. 

The morning flies by so fast, you don’t even realize it’s already noon, only Dick’s belly grumbling gives you a hint. 

And it’s there, while you eat lunch, that he attacks. 

He talks about Bruce, observing your reaction. But just like your boy...ex-boyfriend, you cut his sentences short. 

There is no “(Y/N) and Bruce” anymore, you’re not getting back together. 

Dick can tell you even less words than he told Bruce...And yet. 

Yet it doesn’t discouraged him. 

It should have had. But it doesn’t. 

A few months ago, Dick started his training with Bruce. One day, he too would be a night vigilante ! And one of his first lesson was this : “Always observe the situation, always know your ennemies”. 

He would have never thought but today...his ennemies were the people he loved most in the World. 

You and Bruce. 

He triggered emotions in you by talking about getting back together, and he was now convinced that you both loved each other but were too dumb (later he’d know that “dumb” wasn’t the right word...”stubborn” was...well, stubbornness was dumb) to apologize and fix things yourselves ! 

Or maybe too scared ? Not brave enough ? No. Impossible. Not you two. It wasn’t that. You were really just...too dumb. 

By telling you guys he would try to get you back together, he made sure that you were still in love. And obviously, you were. 

You both thought you were way better liers than you really were. 

Dick could see through you two. When you said “we’re not going back together, I don’t want too, and he/she wouldn’t either anyway”, all he could hear was the “anyway” signifying that there was still a kind of wish to be back together, that you were just afraid it was a one-way thing...

Yes. Months of training actually taught him a lot. 

Dick was slowly becoming a detective. And theory had no secrets for him...The “know your enemies part” was over. Now came the part he...didn’t know so well. 

The action. 

He was still too inexperienced in that. He wasn’t sure how to act...after all, he was just an eight year old boy. 

And he couldn’t ask Bruce for help, as he would usually when he was in a delicate situation, because Bruce was part of the problem...

It took Dick a few days to come up with a solution. 

What did Bruce always said ? 

-If you’re in deep and big trouble, and I’m not here to help...Call this number. Ask for Superman and tell him everything. He will help. He will fix things. 

This definitely counted as “deep and big trouble”. And Bruce couldn’t help. And he needed someone to help him fix things...

Dick waited for Bruce to leave for his nightly activities, and for Alfred to look away (Dick wasn’t sure yet if Alfred would agree with him and his plan and...he couldn’t risk the butler to stop him. Of course, he would never do such a thing, because he wanted as much as Dick for you two to get back together, and he actually “looked away” on purpose but...well, he couldn’t blame the kid for being unsure, after all, Alfred didn’t talk much about what he thought of the situation, things being too hurtful for him to...). 

He dialed the “red number” Bruce gave him. 

A voice he didn’t recognize fused from the computer : 

-Member N°2. Batman. You’ve reached the League headquarters, how can I be of service ? 

With an hesitant and small voice, Dick says : 

-Hum...Can I...talk to...Superman ? 

-Member n°2. Batman. You asked to talk to Superman. Getting you through...now. 

There were a few agonizing minutes where Dick thought Superman wouldn’t pick up but...Finally, his face appeared on the computer. He seemed a bit panicky, and when he noticed Dick in front of him, seemed to get even more panicked : 

-Dick ? What is happening ? Are you ok ? Is Batman ok ? What is the danger ?! 

Dick took a big breath to give himself courage and said, more determined than ever : 

-No, I am not ok. And Batman definitely isn’t either. And the danger...it’s his dumb self being too dumb to realize he’s taking a dumb decision ! 

To be continue...

__________________________________________

I wrote this in a surge of inspiration. It’s very late, I’m tired, and it’s pretty bad. 

I didn’t write anything in almost three weeks (it’s easy to guess, I’m a bit rusty and this story is...b.a.d, especially the end of this part), so of course when I get back at it it’s an awfully long story...Anyway, this is why I cut that story in half. I know writing long ass one shots is my style, but that one really was too long :-). 

See y’all soon for part two, hoped you liked it and that it didn't disappoint you after my “long” absence.

[makeup-wonder-woman]

A soulmate to remember chapter 11

A/N: Welcome to my 200 follower celebration! I’ll be posting 2 chapters in my series, and opening up Headcanons for 24 hours!!! You defiantly have to send them in through my ask box for me to def. answer/see it.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10

Tags: @welcometothecity, @miss-nerdalots,@marvelsimaginess, @naturalnation123 , @suavehayes @nervouswastelandvoid, @glrynwor (let me know if I missed you/you want to be tagged) so I can add you to the list! Hope you enjoyed!

Word counter- 2,532

Chapter 11- Bonding with Family

  Three months slowly turned into five. You could tell in your heart that you truly loved Jason Peter Todd Wayne. Steph (boss, not Batfriend) and you had many, many complaining sessions about out significant others, Sara and Marie would chime in occasionally. College was stressful, but Exams would be here soon, and then there'd be a small break. You slowly got to know his brothers, Bruce, Alfred, and Mrs. Wayne, and found a few moments that you truly broke ground.

  Well, with Dick it was more like the ground didn't need to be broken, because he was pretty open in the beginning. you had stopped by the Manor rather early before your first fancy dinner date one week after you had met them. Dick had been there to greet you,"Y/N! So lovely to see you, come on in."

 He herded you to the kitchen, chattering excitedly as he went, and served you some lemonade while telling embarrassing stories of Jason.  You knew he was sincere, which made you smile, until Jason came down slightly horrified and ran out with you as fast as humanly possible.

    Tim was a bit different. Whenever you were present he seemed a bit...in awe ...that you were his brother's soulmate. It was a week and a half after the fact when you had managed to thank him for the upgrades to your phone, which he simply said it was no problem. Jason then walked in a somber look on his face,"Hey, Y/N, I'm really feel horrible, but I'll have to cancel, I know it's not a good excuse but a friend of mine needs help saving a city."

  You smirked,"No problem! I figure I'll have to get used to this."

 Jason raised his eyebrow at me,"Really? You're not mad?"

"No. It's fine," You threw my arm around Tim,"Timothy and I'll just have to hang out until you're back."

"What-" Tim babbled out, while Jason looked shocked and somewhat angry.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope! Go save that city. Tim, let's go get some coffee!"

 Tim had no choice as you steered him towards the front door and into your car. We then promptly tracked to your favorite coffee spot, Tim smiled,"I love this place!"

"Me too, they've got the strongest stuff around. Have you tried their scones yet?"

"I'm afraid I've only needed the caffeine." You glanced over at him as you both walked in. You understood right then thanks to Jason's complaints that the younger boy hardly ever slept, let alone consumed much else besides coffee.

 "Then you are missing out and it's my cheat day, so we're getting some."

   Then the two of you stayed up all night talking over your coffee and waited for Jason to come back, who promptly sent the exhausted Tim to bed and took you home. You fell asleep in the car despite the caffeine fix.

   Bruce, well he seemed to respect you a lot after the first night. A few days after your night with Tim, Jason and you had planned to meet for lunch while he was at the office. Those plans were put on hold when he got stuck in a meeting. So, while you waited, Bruce came down to see you. The two of you talked for a few moments before Jason then let you know that this meeting was gong to be a long one. Bruce promptly took you to the small restaurant that Jason and you had gone to earlier, chatting the whole time.

 Mrs. Wayne loved you the moment she met you, apparently. She got your number from Tim and made a shopping day with you. You were trying on a dress while she tried on a skirt, and you felt very at home with her, so I asked,"Mrs. Wayne?"

"Please Y/N, you don't have to call me that. Call me my name or one of the boy's nicknames for me."

  "Oh, that's what I was going to ask, you see I have plenty of women in my life that are like second mothers to me, and I was wondering if I could give you the nickname I give them?"

"What's the nickname?" Mrs. Wayne asked in such a strained way you though she was holding back tears in her dressing room.

"I just put Momma in front of their last names, so it'd be Momma Wayne for you."

"I love it! And I'd be honored."

 She immediately tackled you into a hug, but still, it was nice.

  Alfred was easy, he and you chatted while everyone was out on patrol and Momma Wayne was having to deal with some upscale women-only gala event. You had asked him to teach you some recipes, and the two of you ended up making a complete meal of different easy make foods like made from scratch mac  and cheese and biscuits. And, while you didn't cook them, he gave you tips for chicken, hamburger and steak.

"You're a life savor," You said as you wrote his tips down,"My mother will be so happy that I can cook something other besides some easy mac-and-cheese."

  Alfred laughed,"Yes, now shall we move onto the real reason you have asked for cooking tips?"

  You smiled and cracked your knuckles,"Let's get onto the sweets!"

   A few hours later, and about three differs recipes, you had made chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate cake and some vanilla cupcakes. Alfred and you were covered in flour, but you were happy with it. Of course, the real judges came in later, and this was also the night you met Barbra and Stephanie. Barbra had on her batgirl costume and Stephanie was in her Spoiler costume, they both smiled when they saw you and introduced themselves.

  "It's nice to meet you, I'm Y/N," you told them.

 Alfred smiled,"It is good to see you both, now surely you'd like to try the food that Miss. L/N and I have made?" Barbra took a cookie and Stephanie took a cupcake.

"O-M-G," Stephanie smiled,"Delicious!"  

 Barbra nodded,"We'll have to have the two of you make us some post-patrol food more often!"

  The boys filed in after that, and tore through the food, and they all like it too.

   Damian, that was an interesting day. Alfred had called you from the cave, Bruce and Momma Wayne were out of the country, Dick was away doing superhero-things, Jason was busy at the company, and Tim was in school,"Would you happen to be free to pick Master Damian up from school, his Headmaster has called."

  You looked up from your somewhat-appetizing late lunch/early dinner at the school cafe, and sighed into the phone,"He's at Gotham Academy, right?"

   "Yes, Ma'am."

  You checked your watch, you'd have just enough time to pick him up and take him back to the Manor, and possibly be only a few minutes late to your next class,"Alright. I'll do it, no problem!"

"Thank you Mrs. L/N, I wouldn't have asked, but under the circumstances," Alfred started,"You just have to pick him up, the Headmaster and Master Bruce spoke over a conference call."

"It's no problem really, I'm glad to help," you wrapped your food back up and tossed it into your bag, along with your notebook that you had been studying out of,"I'll let you go. Bye!"

"Good bye Miss. Y/N," he replied before he hung up. You put my phone up, grabbed your ice coffee and threw your bag over your shoulder.

  It was only about a five minute drive to Gotham academy, and you quickly walked into the front office. The secretary straightened and smiled,"Why if it isn't Y/N L/N! It's been a while."  

  You blushed,"Really, it's only been a semester Mrs. Daisha. I'm here to pick up Damian Wayne."

She nodded,"Ah, yes, Mr. Pennyworth called. The Headmaster should be finishing up with a lecture to Damian."

  You winced,"Meh, a lecture from Hammerhead, no thank you."

   Mrs. Daisha's face twisted into a sympathetic look,"Yes, well, this is his third incident that ends with a suspension this semester, Asha. I don't need to remind you the rules."

  "Another one this semester and he'll be expelled. Yes, I know," You chewed on your lip and gazed at the door,"I'm sure he can keep himself contained."

 Two minutes later Headmaster Hammer had opened the door and Damian stalked out, his hands in his pockets and a bruise forming on his cheek. Headmaster Hammer looked at me in surprise,"Miss. Y/N L/N, I'm surprised to see you here."

    Mrs. Daisha rushed to explain,"Miss L/N was sent to pick Mr. Wayne up."

   Headmaster Hammer crossed his arms and pursed his lips,"I see. So those rumors are true that you are Jason Todd-Wayne's Soul Mate."

"Yes indeed,"You said with a guarded smile before glancing to Damian,"Alright Damian, let's get you home. I’m sure Alfred would love to have a word with you," You gently put your hand on his shoulder before smiling at the other adults," Headmaster, Mrs. Daisha."

 When the door shut behind the two of you, Damian shrugged your hand off of him,"How can you stand to be civil to that man."

   You sighed,"Lots and lots of practice. I went here you know."

  Damian scoffed,"Yes, it was in your file."

  "Of course you did," You sighed again, and checked your watch,"Well keep moving Damian, I have to get you to the Manor and get to my next class."

 "I can drive."

  "I’m not surprised, but no, maybe another day, when you didn't just get suspended from school."

Damian huffed but got into the passenger seat regardless, he eyes the chaotic state that your backseat was in and scoffed,"That is unappealing."

 "Yeah well I'm a college student that takes fifteen hours worth of classes and am in the Theatre Program for fun- I don't really have free time to clean out my car."

 "Tss."

   You rolled my eyes,"So, can I ask about that bruise or will that get me hissed at again?"

 Damian shifted in his seat,"I'd prefer you just drive. Why did you get sent for me anyway?"

 "Everyone is super busy either with work, school or an after hours activity. Alfred asked me for help."

"And you just dropped everything at the butler's beck and call?"

 "Damian, that butler, is someone I would hope to consider as a friend, and maybe someday family, and you help out friends and family. Plus, it's not like I'd leave you at the mercy of Hammerhead,"You glanced down at your dashboard clock and sighed,"Even if it will make me late for my College Algebra class..."

 Damian seemed to be silenced for a moment,"Why do you call me Damian?" You shot him a glance that you held too long because he simply gazed forward calmly and said,"Red light."

   You turned back with a yelp and slammed on your brakes,"Thanks," You muttered before turning back to him,"I call you Damian because I see how annoyed you get when Jason or one of the other boys or younger girls call you nicknames. You don't really like it so, I respect you enough not to annoy you."

  Damian simply stared back at the stoplight,"Green light."

   You shrugged and continued on your way, and you turned off the main road to take the back roads to the manor. Damian didn't speak up again, until after the Manor came into view,"Thank you do the ride home, Y/N. I apologize for any inconvenience my actions may have caused."

   You glanced over at him in surprised and pulled over to the side or the road,"Well I'm surprised that you are apologizing, and I thank you for it, but it's not necessary. Though, if you could tell me why, I might be able to understand why you lost your cool. I might even help you make an argument with Alfred."  

 Damian glanced at your and then his feet,"They... Were talking about you."

  You were surprised, but at the same time not. Surprised that he'd defended you, not that they were talking about you. You were in countless gossip magazines now, and preppy rich kids that lived in gotham loved to gossip. You nodded,"Really? I take it, that it wasn't anything good."

"They were saying how you were just like Mother, probably rigged it and faking it. It made me angry, but they kept going and said you were probably a degenerate because you went to a community college and were on scholarship. Never tell Todd this, because if you do I will promptly deny it, but I think you're the best thing that's ever happen to him. And I like your cupcakes." You broke out in a wide grin, and picked up you cellphone, Damian eyed you,"What are you doing?"

  You put your finger to your lips in a shushing motion,"Hello! Alfred? Yes, I might be getting Damian back a little late... Problem? No no... Everything is fine... Something just came up at the theatre and Damian has some skills that I could use. Is it okay if I borrow him?... Great! You just relax and watch the cave in case Dick comes back....Bye!"

   You hung up the phone and glanced over at Damian,"Alright, we've got about a two hours. How's about we go grab a bit to eat and then head over to my place to make some cupcakes?"

 Damian looked at you with somewhat-masked-surprise,"But... What about your class?"

 I shrugged,"Meh. The homework is online and due on the day of the test. It'll be fine!"

 Damian grinned,"Alright. This seems like an appropriate plan."

  The two of you had fun, mainly making a mess, when Jason had gotten the details from Alfred. He came straight to your place, and found Damian and you surrounded by thirty cupcakes. "What in the hell happened here?"

    You grinned,"Couldn't pick a flavor. Wow, I guess I don't have to drop him off anymore- you came right on time to pick him up."

  "We make a great team, it is amazing what we accomplished in just an hour and forty five minutes,"Damian said as he shoved a cupcake at Jason,"Here Todd. I promise it's not poisoned."

 Jason glanced at you and you nodded, he took a reluctant bite,"Okay, not bad... Wait... What the hell kind of cupcake is this?"

 "Something your meager palate might not be able to comprehend."

   you dipped my hand in flour and flicked it at Damian,"Don't act so high and mighty Damian, you and I both know you just gave him an maple and bacon one!"

"We made them for Titus,” which was true, though you had to take a break to research dog-safe recipes, “ surely Todd would like them all the same."

  You laughed as Jason growled,"Hey!"

    The three of you split up all the cupcakes, but you gave most of them to the boys to take home to the others. You waved bye to Damian as he left the apartment with the large box of them in his arms. Jason turned to you and kissed your cheek,"You're amazing, you know that?"

    You blushed,"Hey, Damian defended my honor, I had to do something!"

 Jason put his cheek to your and whispered,"Wonder what it'll get me.."

  You pushed him away and blushed harder,"Oh you! Just get Damian home safely please."

 Jason looked mock-hurt,"What about me?!"

   "The next time you defend my honor Todd. The next time."