#And dick doesn't like talia for some stupid reason | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

galaxymagitech · 6 months

Text

Skyglow

Summary: Jason wakes up in a coffin for the second time, the feeling of satin brushing against his fingers and the thick scent of dirt filling his nostrils. He should probably start digging. But he doesn't.

Characters: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne

Warnings: Suicidal thoughts, possibly something that counts as a suicide attempt (not sure), a character claws at their skin.

It’s a dark, clear night in Gotham, and if you squint hard enough, you can almost see the stars.

Jason sits at the edge of the roof, staring into the sky and pretending like he’s finding meaning there. There’s the sound of soft footsteps behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason sees Nightwing hang his legs off the roof’s edge a few feet away.

“When I was little,” Jason says, “I used to think they made the stars up.”

Dick hums.

“Bruce took me on a business trip in Metropolis, one day. We wanted to be there before sundown, but we ended up getting delayed. Don’t remember why. And so we were driving on the interstate and I looked up from my book and just—there were stars. Everywhere. And I was just like, oh, I guess stars aren’t just a metaphor. Can you believe that? I was twelve when I learned that stars were real.”

Dick shifts a little. “I never thought of that.”

“What, that a stupid little kid wouldn’t believe in stars?”

“That some people in Gotham haven’t ever seen a star. That’s just…” They sit in silence, for a bit. “Why are we here?” Dick asks, eventually.

Jason shrugs. “I dunno why you followed me.” That’s not entirely true. He’d be willing to bet that Tim snitched. But he doesn’t know why Tim decided his concerns were important enough to bother Nightwing about. Or why Dick decided to actually be concerned.

Dick sighs. “You know what I’m asking. Why are you here?”

Jason doesn’t know. He’s been hanging out on a lot of rooftops, lately. Maybe if he sits on enough ledges, he’ll decide if it’s actually worth it to jump, instead of just slowly sliding off.

Unlike the stars, that’s a metaphor; Jason wouldn’t jump. A fall isn’t clean enough. Too much of a chance that the universe will fuck him over again. No, if he dies, he wants to stay dead.

“I don’t know what brought me back,” Jason says, well aware that Dick meant here on the rooftop, not here as in alive. “But dead screw-ups don’t come back to life. That’s for…Superman. The forces of evil. Hell, I’d buy it if Batman came back. But me? No fucking way was I supposed to get a second shot.”

“You did, Jason,” Dick says. “You’re alive. I don’t care if we don’t know how, you’re alive.”

But Jason just plows right past. “I figured, if I didn’t deserve a second shot, then I must’ve been brought back for a reason. ‘cause there was something I needed to do.” He frowns. “Do you know the first words I heard once I came back to myself?” Dick shakes his head. “Yeah, why would you? I didn’t say. But. Talia said, ‘you remain unavenged.’ That’s what she told me.”

“Jason—”

“So I figured it had to be revenge, right? Only, I haven’t been able to kill the Joker. And then I figured, maybe I needed to prove Batman wrong. But he’s still doing the same thing he always did, letting the Joker live, not fixing anything. And then I figured, it was up to me, and my job was to fix things. But I’m not killing right now, I’m following the rules, and I’m a fucking joke, Dick. Everyone knows it. So there isn’t really a point to me after all.”

“Don’t say that.”

Jason shrugs. “It’s true. There isn’t. It would’ve been better if I hadn’t crawled my way out of that grave.”

---

Jason wakes up gasping for air and rolls over, fumbling for the switch of the lamp beside his bed. Instead, his fingers brush against cushioned satin.

Groggily, he opens his eyes, only to see complete darkness. No light filters through the curtains or leaks underneath the door. It’s unnatural. It’s wrong. He reaches up an arm, only to hit the ceiling a couple inches above his face. That’s when the panic sets in.

Jason loses himself to the shocks of fear pulsing through his system, pumped by his pounding heart. For a long time, he can’t think at all. He can only drown in the darkness and terror. When he regains awareness, his breaths are shallow and he can feel strips of satin beneath his fingers, torn from the roof of—

What is the last thing you remember? Jason blinks, but his memories swim. He doesn’t know. There are glimpses, lines thrown out into the water, but as soon as he reaches for them, they’re gone. He leans over Tim’s shoulder in the Batcave, examining a color-coded spreadsheet. He stands in front of Bruce, helmet on, as they brief on top of a rooftop. He sits at the kitchen table of Safehouse 4, the oldest of the safehouses he hasn’t burnt yet, with Around the World in 80 Days propped open as he picks at an omelet. All of the memories feel old. None of them explain where he is now.

His neck is itching, Jason realizes. He reaches up instinctively to loosen his tie. That’s when he realizes that he is, in fact, wearing a tie. These days, Jason only wears one of those for infiltration. Was he on an infiltration mission? He brushes a hand against his face. There doesn’t seem to be any make-up there, not even concealer for his scars.

The realization comes to him dully, this time.

He’s in a suit, surrounded by satin, in a small, enclosed space, and it’s dark. Jason’s been here before.

---

Jason stands across from Bruce, no, Batman. At the man’s side is Robin, arms slightly raised and fists tightly clenched. It’s milliseconds away from a defensive position. Jason should probably feel bad about that, but he doesn’t.

When he speaks, he aims to hurt. “You have no idea what it was like,” Jason says. “I crawled my way out of my own grave.”

This should not be news to anyone, but Bruce still flinches.

Jason grins, all teeth. “I remember it, sometimes. It took hours. I was screaming the whole time. I tore off all my fingernails, you know. Even when I was Robin, the most any torturer got to was four. But I lost ten, and I kept digging.” The Replacement looks like he’s going to be sick. Good. “Up and up and up. I knew I wasn’t gonna make it, you see. You can’t force your way out of your own grave. Mythbusters did an episode on it, yeah? So I had to scoop the dirt away, but I knew I wasn’t gonna have enough air for that. But I kept digging, because I thought—I thought maybe someone would find me, and if I made it just a little bit easier for them—”

“I’m sorry,” Batman says roughly. “Jason, I’m so sorr—"

Jason ignores him. It feels good to ignore an apology from Batman, instead of being grateful for whatever scraps of contrition the man can manage. “I don’t know how I did it. It should’ve been impossible. I think maybe I suffocated, and just came back to life and kept digging again, and suffocated again, and—”

“Stop,” Batman orders.

“Things are fuzzier, after I made it out. But I remember I was cold. So, so cold. It was raining. And I felt like I was as cold as a corpse, like life hadn’t properly warmed me up yet. And I didn’t know where I was going. I couldn’t walk, so I just crawled. I just crawled, Bruce, and then I stood up, and then I walked. A few hours before, I was being beaten to death with a crowbar. I thought someone would find me then. No one did. And I was still stupid enough to think someone would find me that second time.”

Robin’s right hand drifts toward Batman, like he’s going to try to cling to his mentor’s cape, before he clearly thinks better of it and withdraws his hand as if burnt. Batman growls. He doesn’t sound entirely human.

“You know nothing, Bruce,” Jason spits. “Nothing.”

---

Jason is in a coffin. He can smell the dirt around him, and he’s too lucid for that to be entirely an olfactory hallucination. He’s in a coffin, and he’s buried underground.

Although Jason wouldn’t put it past certain Rogues and crime families to bury someone alive, he’s in a suit and he isn’t wearing anything to disguise his identity. He has to face the facts.

Jason can feel phantom pains in his fingers, his lungs burning for oxygen before he’s even begun to truly run out of air.

Jason should probably start digging. But he doesn’t.

It’s quiet, in this coffin, just the sounds of his own ragged breaths. Jason knows that the first time around, he screamed. And when he couldn’t scream anymore, he cried, and when he couldn’t cry, he pleaded in hoarse whispers for someone, anyone, Bruce, Dick, Dad, please, please—

Jason realizes he isn’t breathing anymore and forces himself to inhale, wheezing like a dying man. Hah. He already died. At least twice. Probably—probably more. If he came back this time, how many times in the past have his “brushes with death” in fact taken him past its threshold?

But in the past, he seized his chance at life with both hands. This time…this time…

The universe brought him back for a reason. But it isn’t the Joker, and it isn’t Batman, and it isn’t Gotham. And Jason—Jason had been glad to fulfill it, whatever it was. He’d taken his second chance and used it, used himself as kindling to start whatever fire the universe desired. But he’s fucking tired of being burnt. Speaking of burning—

No one told Jason to write a will. He knows Dick has one and Bruce, of course, has one. Alfred has one, Barbara has one, even Cassandra Cain has one, although she has little to her name. Jason knows it’s standard vigilante/superhero procedure to have your affairs in order. But no one could work up the willpower—heh, willpower—to approach Jason and ask that he prepare for a second death.

Jason wrote a will anyway. Legally, he doesn’t exist. He has a small amount of money in various fake identities, but most of his funds aren’t exactly something he can distribute in a will. But he doesn’t much care what happens to them after his death. No, he wrote the will after one too many nightmares about his resurrection. That night, he picked up a pen and scribbled feverishly in his notebook that he wanted to be cremated. And Jason woke up in the morning and looked at it and thought, yeah, that’s fair. So he made it about as official as it could get.

Right now, it’s really fucking clear that he hasn’t been cremated.

Jason should start digging. But he doesn’t.

Death was supposed to mean that he was done. Cremation was supposed to ensure that. Jason just wants to be done. He thinks he deserves that much, at least.

Jason thinks, what if I just lay here? Last time, he took his chance to live. What good did that do him? He didn’t get revenge, he didn’t get proof that Bruce cared, hell, he didn’t even properly protect Crime Alley. His dad always told Jason that he had to grow up to be something, “not like your old man.” But one time when he was drunk, Willis looked straight at Jason and said, “you’re never gonna amount to anything” and Jason had never figured out if his father had been talking to Jason or himself. Jason had thought, with Robin, that he mattered. But he was replaced as easy as can be. He never mattered. He squandered his first life, and he failed at his second, and really, Jason thinks, what’s the point of a third?

Jason wonders what will happen if he just stays here. Good corpses stay still. Good corpses don’t dig their way out of graves. Jason’s been dead twice now. He should be a pro at being a corpse.

It’s always been hard to do nothing. The same impulse that urged Jason to take his tire iron to the Batmobile makes his hands twitch to start digging. He’s wasting valuable time. Jason’s always been a do-er, and now he needs to not do anything. He’s always been a survivor, and now he has to lay down and die.

Jason should really start digging. But he doesn’t.

He is done being a zombie, a revenant, a walking memorial. He shouldn’t have come back that first time. The universe put things right and now Jason has to prevent her from having second thoughts.

---

“What the hell was that?” The Replacement shouts, one hand tight around his bo staff and the other clenched into a fist.

“I don’t answer to you,” Jason sneers. He folds his arms across his chest. Fuck it. This is a waste of time. He leans down to snap a ziptie over wrists of one of the less injured traffickers. The sooner he cleans up, the sooner he can get out of this warehouse.

“This is my route, so according to protocol, you do,” Tim insists.

“Yeah, I don’t follow protocol.” Jason gestures at the criminals bleeding all over the warehouse floor. None of them are dead. Probably.

“Clearly, or else you wouldn’t have engaged!”

“I made an informed decision.”

“No, you didn’t. You entered the middle of a freaking firefight, Hood, without your helmet, and you didn’t know you had backup.”

“It was fine.”

“Because I was there! Which you didn’t know, because you refuse to be on our comms.”

“I don’t need you.”

“Hood, do you not see how insane what you just did was? Or do you just not care?”

Jason bristles. “What, concerned about the poor widdle traffickers?”

Tim throws his hands into the air, like Jason’s the one being difficult. “That’s not what I’m talking about! I don’t care about them!”

Jason feels his lips twitch into a smirk, and before he knows it, he’s drawn a gun from its holster and trained it on the goon at his feet. His smirk widens into a grin at Tim’s flinch. “Oh, really? Guess I’ll just take out some trash then.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Tim says, voice carefully measured. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

Well, that’s one way to ensure that Tim never gets to his actual point. Jason flicks the safety off. The click echoes through the warehouse.

“Stop it,” the kid tries to order. Jason’s finger twitches on the trigger. “Please, Hood. Don’t do this.”

Jason shrugs and clicks the safety on, as if it doesn’t physically pain him to leave this scum alive. He knew he wasn’t going to kill anyone the second he dropped down from the rafters, and unlike what Batman thinks, he has self-control.

The Replacement tries to hide his relief, but he does a piss-poor job of it. “That was reckless,” Tim says. “Really, really reckless, and you know it.”

Jason turns around without a word. He doesn’t have to deal with this shit.

“I’ll have to tell B.”

Jason really doesn’t need a lecture from Bruce, but he can just avoid the cave until Bruce gets distracted by something equally reckless Tim does. Or, well, probably not equally reckless—Jason’s well-aware that what he did is pretty close to the edge of the ‘reckless’ spectrum, straddling the line between ‘reckless’ and, well, ‘suicidal.’ But equally stupid, at least. The Replacement seems like a dumb kid.

“I’ll tell Nightwing,” Tim tries desperately, and that makes Jason spin around. Because shit, Nightwing would hunt him down and not be satisfied just giving a lecture. He’d want to talk about feelings.

“Fine,” Jason huffs. “What do you want? A safehouse? Files? Me off this case?”

“I want you to stay alive, because believe it or not, I’d like Batman to not have another mental breakdown.”

Yeah, right. Like that would happen. Batman would still have his precious display case, and he cares far more about the dead kid than the Red Hood.

“Bruce can’t lose his son again,” Tim says, and Jason just—he can’t do this. His vision whites out. He has to leave. So he leaves.

When Jason finally registers the thuds of his boots, he’s three long blocks away from the warehouse. Whatever. The Replacement’s not going to go crying to Nightwing about Hood being a little reckless. If anything, he’ll be pleased.

---

Jason swallows. If he’s going to die, he might as well use up his air faster. Less time to wait. “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

He recites the first chapter of Pride and Prejudice. Darkness by Lord Byron. Sings You Are My Sunshine five times. Waiting to die is a slow, slow thing, and every second, his entire body is screaming dig, save yourself, survive!

There’s a sound above him, strange thumping. Maybe, Jason thinks, it’s raining. That would be…not ironic, but there’s a strange sort of circle to it, isn’t there? He was born on a rainy day, and Catherine arrived at the hospital soaked. He was reborn in the rain. If he had dug up, he would have been born yet again in the rain. The opposite of a phoenix.

Bruce should have cremated him. Jason doesn’t even know that he won’t just suffocate and then wake up again, but this time with no air. An endless loop of suffocation. The thought sends a thrill of terror through Jason. He regrets not digging.

But if he wakes up again, Jason supposes, then he’ll make his way out. It’ll hurt, but he can take his time. And then after, after, he’ll find a fire. And then he won’t have to remember how much it hurt.

The thought should be comforting, but Jason just feels terrified, and afraid, and alone. He wonders where they buried him this time. Last time, he’d been next to Sheila. But he’d screamed at Bruce for it, so maybe, maybe this time it’s somewhere else. Next to his mom, his real mom, even. Not that Bruce seemed to particularly care about Jason’s wishes, when he was actually real and not just a memorial caged within rose-tinted glass. After all, he’d asked to be cremated.

Jason closes his eyes. Everything feels detached, out of phase. He isn’t sure if it’s oxygen deprivation setting in or a side-effect of his resurrection, or just the strangeness of the scenario. He’s tired. That could be any one of the three as well.

How did I die? Jason wonders. He strains for his memories. The taste of rocky road ice cream from his favorite ice cream shop. Tim laughing. Flashes of blinding light. None of it is an answer. None of it explains what happened.

The thuds are getting louder. Jason wonders if it’s hail. Last he remembers, it was June. If it’s winter now, he supposes six months have passed. Maybe more. Maybe he’s been dead for years.

“I’m tired,” Jason whispers. “I’m so tired.” He blinks. His vision tilts. Definitely oxygen deprivation.

It’s almost over.

And then Jason hears—Jason hears voices and there’s a light, but it’s dim, and there are shadows falling on him. Jason lies there. He wonders if this is what he saw right before he died the second time. The first time, he just saw flames, seared across his eyelids.

“Jason,” someone says. They sound horrified.

That’s his name. Jason doesn’t respond. What’s the point?

“Hold on.”

This dream doesn’t make much sense. Jason hopes it’ll be over soon.

Something grasps his arms and pulls. No. No, Jason has to stay. Corpses have to stay in their graves. If he doesn’t stay, then he’ll have to come back, and he’ll just ruin it again. He has to stay. “No,” Jason can hear himself babbling. “No, let me go, let me—no. I have to. I have to go back.”

“Jason, calm down.”

“No!” Jason shouts, desperately. He throws out a kick and dives forwards, eyes closed. Strong arms catch him around the waist and hold him close, pulling him against someone’s chest. “No, I have to go back! Please!”

“Jason, open your eyes!”

Jason’s eyes snap open and he sees—

Batman. Nightwing. Robin. It’s all wrong.

Jason doubles over. “Please,” he sobs. “I have to go back. You need to let me go back.”

“You’re okay, Jason,” Batman says in his ear, but his voice is all Bruce. “You’re alive.”

“Yeah, that’s the fucking problem.” Dick startles. Jason must’ve said that out loud. “Please,” he whispers.

The first time he dug himself out of his own grave, Jason’s voice was gone by the time he made it to the surface. This time, someone else dug him out, but no one will listen when he speaks.

Jason slumps in Bruce’s hold, and they just…stand there. Eventually, Bruce slowly sets Jason on the ground and kneels down in front of him.

Jason’s heartbeat pounds in his ear. It’s wrong. His heart shouldn’t be beating. It’s wrongwrongwrongwrong. Desperately, Jason claws at his wrists, trying to dig the heartbeat out. It has to go away. Someone tugs at his hand and Jason snatches it away and cradles his hand against his chest. His pulse continues to tear him apart.

“Jason,” Bruce says. “Do you know where you are right now?”

“A fucking graveyard, right?” Jason says. His eyes burn. He refuses to wipe at them. He can feel the hard, rocky dirt beneath him. He wants to be numb again. He shouldn’t be here. He should be underground.

There’s a sharp silence. “We’re not in a graveyard, Little Wing,” Dick says, eventually.

Jason looks around slowly. His vision feels disconnected, and it takes several moments for each image to register. But there are no gravestones around, just trees, trees and sky. It’s dark out. He thinks, when he looks up, he can almost see the stars. He doesn’t understand. “Then why am I in a suit?”

“Do you remember the gala?” Tim asks, so quietly that Jason almost doesn’t hear him. In fact, it sounds more like “…oo…ber…gala?” with the rest being lost underneath the Replacement’s breath, but Jason figures that’s what he’s saying. Jason shakes his head.

Dick takes a step closer. “The paparazzi saw us out in Gotham four days ago. With you. You…there was a gala tonight. Bruce convinced you to go with us. And then you went missing. We thought you walked out early. But then…well, Tim was working on a case, and…well…”

“A weird cult thought you were a zombie,” Tim says, when it becomes clear that Dick’s not going to explain anything properly. “So they knocked you out, did a ritual, and re-buried you.”

This is real, Jason thinks suddenly, and then he’s doubled over, retching. Nothing comes out except spit. He can feel grass beneath his hands. When he curls his fingers, he scrapes up dirt. “This is real,” Jason says aloud. “This is real. This is real.”

“This is real,” Dick confirms. Jason retches again.

This is real. Jason doesn’t know what to say.

Tim sighs. “We need to take you to the police.”

Bruce shakes his head. “We need to talk.” His voice is dark. Jason shudders.

“Not like this, Bruce,” Dick says. “Not with the cowl on. Jason, are you good to deal with questions right now?”

“I don’t remember much.” Jason tugs at his tie in the stifling heat. Across the room, Tim is talking to a group of teenage boys and making large, animated gestures. Jason stumbles, catching himself on a nearby table.

“That’s fine, Jay,” Dick says. “We recovered security footage and we have confessions. We’ll be there in civies as soon as we can, okay?”

Jason shrugs. Someone helps him to his feet.

---

On the rooftop, Dick places a hand over Jason’s. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true,” Jason says quietly. “I shouldn’t have come back.”

“You’re wrong,” Dick says. He sounds so sure. But that’s the first Robin. He’s sure about everything. Jason could never measure up.

“Jason Todd was better off without me insulting his memory.”

“Who cares about a memory?” Dick scoffs. “You’re alive.”

“Tell that to Bruce.”

“Tell that to yourself,” Dick says. “You’re alive, Jason. You’re alive. Don’t you see how amazing that is? All of us—me, Bruce, Tim, Alfred—we’re so happy that you’re alive.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jason says. He believes that Dick believes it. He believes that Dick has to believe it, that Dick won’t admit to himself that he wishes Jason was still dead. Dick will always ignore his darker thoughts. But Jason knows. Jason knows Dick would be happier if Jason never came back. And Bruce? The man doesn’t even think that Jason counts as Jason anymore. Alfred no doubt can see that something in Jason is deeply, deeply wrong—sociopathic tendencies, Talia had theorized, although Jason suspects he’s far beyond tendencies. And Tim has no reason to wish his murderous predecessor well, not after the Tower. So, no, Jason doesn’t believe Dick.

“You will,” Dick says. “I promise.”

Jason stares into the sky. He thinks maybe, just maybe, he can see a star.

#finally worked up the energy to write a fanfic again #hopefully I can return to my WIPs soon #fanfiction #jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #bruce wayne #batman #batfamily #dc comics #dcu #dc #batfam #batman fanfiction #dc fanfiction

38 notes · View notes

brucewaynehater101 · 5 months

Note

*sasukepose.jpg* I'm starting to realize that Trash!Tim is more like if OG!Cale regressed rather than Kim Rok Soo transmigrating, and rather than Trash!OGCale turning into a decent human, it's the other way around for Tim of turning from decent into trash and---

*lies on floor* I've been going about this all wrong!

Because in my mind, I was thinking Tim in the same way as Kim Rok Soo, because I hc Tim to have hyperthymesia and they both lost so many people but the only reason they're able to survive is because they learned to rely on other people!

And for regressed Tim to throw all that away in his new life, to make sure that the family he loves gets a happy life while he suffers? While he sees a family portrait with him missing from it? While he sits at the table and has Bruno from Encanto's levels of wanting to eat with his family but can only eat with them from afar? I just---

My heart is breaking. Unlike Kim Rok Soo who transmigrated and slowly built a family for himself, it's OG!Cale in the original timeline destroying his relationships with his family to keep them happy and safe. I am in tears.

I was thinking of Dick being Tim's Lee Soo Hyuk, telling Tim that living is best! I was thinking of Jason being his Choi Jung Soo, and Bruce being his Choi Han. Bruce who just lost his son having this sort of darkness in him, and Tim taking a page out of Jason's book and just feeding Bruce till he feels better rather than doing his whole Batman needs a Robin thing from the OG!timeline.

But now, NOW. THINGS ARE ANGSTIER. If in the OG!Timeline Jason and Damian were manipulated to get rid of Tim by Talia, Tim now goes on ahead and puts that target on his back himself. He's doing so well at being trash, he wonders if this is all he's good for in the long run of his life. How long can he keep this up, how long can he keep the gazes of disdain on himself by the people he loves? They don't even know him in this timeline, and that hurts even further.

My thoughts gets to a point where Tim got too deep in being trash that he ends up on a rooftop, looking at the sky and basking in the Gotham sunset. He's beside Jason's favorite gargoyle and he's just standing there.

Jason has plenty of reason to hate Tim, but Red Bat (stupid name, I know, but just to get to the scenario) has no reason to turn someone who may be a rich spoiled brat away.

So, he calls out to Tim. Asks him what's wrong.

Tim doesn't reply. But when he turns his head, Jason could only see how anguished this boy looks. How could a spoiled brat who knows nothing but being trash look so tortured and defeated when nothing even happened to him to look that way?

Or something is. Something might be happening behind the scenes.

That anguished look is instantly replaced with that cocky smirk, but his red eyes full of tears were still on display.

Tim says something, Jason doesn't listen.

It was probably to get a rise out of him, but so much is happening in Jason's head.

"Wanna get some chili dogs?" he asks on impulse.

It shuts Tim up, makes Tim have a complicated look on his face, before settling for what Jason could tell is forced disgust. Because the kids' eyes were widened, his shoulders relaxed. He's hopeful and excited.

Jason grabs Tim and jumps off the roof, grappling to his favorite chili dog stand. The kid didn't even force a scream or demands for a lawyer.

But he did hug Jason tight.

Huh.

Shizz... This kind of makes me want to actually write a bit of an angst fic about the Tim "Trash" AU. You are correct that the entire thing would be angsty, but I imagine Tim's narration of it would be full of jokes. He's be laughing, rolling his eyes, making slightly fucked up jokes about his situation, but he wouldn't go into it. Maybe he'd even convince himself that it's fun to pretend so much. He's a bit of a troll like that and makes internal debates with himself on how fast he can get someone to explode in rage.

But, yeah. I wrote a fic about Tim going back in time and purposefully cutting himself off from the family (and not rejoining them despite helping them). This, though? Him making himself into a public figure he knows his family would despise? Yikes.

It hurts but in a very delicious way.

How much time does he spend hesitating before doing an action that would lower the Waynes opinion of him? How often does he try to ignore his family so he can do what he must (being "trash")?

Hopefully, Tim isn't alone in that AU. I like to imagine he has another persona (maybe his vigilante one, maybe an online one) so that he has at least someone who doesn't hate him

#dc comics #tim drake #dc universe #dc au #thank you for the ask!!!!

44 notes · View notes

fancyfade · 9 months

Note

random question but i'd love to hear your analysis of damian's speech patterns/cadence! ik it's changed over time a bit but i'd love to hear ur take on it

I kept saving this in my inbox trying to be like "i'll think of a good response sometime and dedicate time to it" but I could not ;_;

In general, when he just starts in the comic, Batman and Son, we see a lot more focus on him having like "spoiled kid" vibes (at least how people conceptualize that) in dialogue, with stuff that it's hard to imagine him saying later (like yelling 'why can't I have a laptop').

He also curses freely in Batman and Son, I can't remember level of cursing later.

IIRC he doesn't start calling people mostly by their last names until at least batman and robin 2009 (possibly 2011?) but he does speak notably different in batman and robin 2009. He takes himself seriously. We see later comics indicate he doesn't use slang a long (like when he says something sucks, dick is like "i'm proud you're finally using youthful colloquialisms").

Damian in general sounds pretty confident when he speaks, and does not readily admit fault. He likes trash-talking people as he's fighting. we see this multiple times in Robin: Son of Batman (in his fight with Talia in a flashback, in the preview comic, etc) and in Batman and Robin 2011.

Williamson kind of bland-ified his voice so much I don't count it as evolution of Damian's speech patterns but Williamson just failing as a writer.

like IDK for some reason this bit

Batman and Robin #2

just seemed so un-damian-like to me? like I get him being concerned about the animals, that's not OOC. But him pleading immediately is super weird. Williamson's probably like "oh the reader's too stupid to tell he cares about animals if he doesn't" but like.. in general, in pre-Williamson writing, Damian can obviously care about people or animals without immediately coming across as pleading or desperate

I will keep in mind how his speech is portrayed as I continue my Damian re-read! Hopefully then I'll have a more defined answer for you :P

#dc comics #anon #ask #damian wayne #robin #batman and robin 2023 #batman and robin 2011

44 notes · View notes

daughterofsarenrae · 3 months

Note

for the character questions ! this may be like starting trojan war pt 2 but gimme ur favorite robin thoughts

god damn it. i like them all ;;-;; i'm a coward and i rolled for it so i'm gonna do damian

three facts about them from my personal headcanons 1- in my personal 15-ish years later worldstate damian is completely retired from vigilante life. he took a gap year traveling the world and came to the realization that he didn't have to follow either of his parents' paths. he ends up going to vet school 2- his morning routine is like an hour long and 30% of it is gelling his spiky hair. another 30% is skincare. he has talia to thank for his process, they used to get ready in the morning together 3- i think he needs to take up recreational scuba diving. why dont you look at some pretty fish and then maybe you'll calm down

a reason they suck -can very much fall into the 'push other people down to raise urself up' thing but also he's like. 10. (14? whatever the fuck age he is now i dont try to understand continuity.) that's just what 10 year olds are like. your honor my client didnt even try to kill his brother a few times and if he did it wasn't even that big a deal

a reason they are great -he's so funny i love a lil sassy guy. he is also The Autism Ever

a reason I relate to them -animal lover is the big obvious one!

(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character -uhhh idk man he's like. a baby. damijon is cute but i think also they should be platonic soulmates. or qpp. i think damian will figure out that he is somewhere on the aroace spectrum

five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened -that boy is the most violinist-coded character ive ever seen. let him battle it out for first chair. the most violent environment of all: the first violin section -literally why doesn't he have a horse. hello. i need a horsegirl movie starring damian STAT -he should do trapeze with dick :') -man he is so bad at video games. and it makes him so MAD bc he keeps losing to tim. unacceptable. he swears off video games forever bc they're stupid!!!! until dick introduces him to animal crossing and stardew valley -this might be canon idk but he should have annual passes to the zoo and the aquarium and he should go every saturday to draw pictures of the animals. he is slowly befriending all of the zookeepers. one day his plan will succeed and they will take him on a behind the scenes tour. he has so many questions about SSPs

Send me characters!

#i'd say steph is my favorite robin but she was robin for like 3 months and then died rip. and she will always be spoiler <3 to me <3 #i go back and forth between dick damian & tim for favorite robin. i am so sorry jason. ily too #i have NOT read anywhere near as many damian comics bc ive mostly been reading 90s-2000s comics #thanks for the ask!#ash tag

3 notes · View notes

falconlord5 · 8 months

Text

Comfort And Joy

There is no comfort or joy in -20 weather. Summer is the only good season.

Why is Hawkgirl the only one in a coat? J'onn is more naked than she is.

Aw, look at the cute little octopus aliens!

Well, that's kind of a depressing note to begin an episode on.

Written by Paul Dini. That explains a lot.

Directed by Butch Lukic.

GL snowboarding. Cool. I don't think we get to see a lot of the Green Lantern's just... using their constructs for fun. At least, not in JL. Probably something that happens more often in the comics.

Ooh, snowball fight! We weren't allowed to do those at school, for fear of ice and rocks. Which, sadly, some kids would have absolutely packed into their snowballs.

Do orphanages even exist anymore?

Okay, that's a stupid toy. But I can see why the kids (and the Flash, who is a big kid) would like it.

Honestly, Clark should have brought J'onn to the Kents ages ago. They have a lot of experience with helping an alien fit in.

Okay, I want to talk about this line here. We've talked about how Barbara was originally introduced as a love interest and relative equal to Batman. How she was not intended as a love interest for Dick Grayson and how that relationship was the product of internal politics at DC and remains a serious downgrade for Barbara. Seriously. She went from an independent hero to the sidekick's love interest. Fuck. that.

We've even talked a bit about how Barbara and Kara are bisexual and are super into each other. So I want to be clear here: they ain't skiing. Barbara has Kara holed up in a lodge somewhere (probably something she sweet talked Bruce into loaning her) and they. are. fucking. like. energizer bunnies on steroids. Barbara is Kara's domme and she totally has Kara tied up, whipped, whatever her evil little mind can think of. And Kara is loving it. Kara is a naughty sub who continually provokes Barbara into more punishment.

And when they're not fucking, they're doing each other's nails and drinking enough hot chocolate to give the entire country of Canada diabetes while warming themselves by the fire.

Ah, Streaky. It's funny how much of the BatFam has a thing for cat people. There's Bruce/Selina (and arguably Talia; she's always struck me as very feline); Dick/Starfire (descended from alien cats); and Barbara/Kara (owns a cat).

Ooh, that had to hurt.

Ah, Black Friday. That American shit needs to be outlawed here in Canada.

You know, Santa's real in the comics.

Don't worry about it Ma. Every man in the DCAU wears the same size! (I kid, I kid)

Shayera, your definition of a celebration is not the same as most peoples.

Hey, it's the Ultra-Humanite. How'd you get out of prison?

Ammo's heavy. Like, really heavy. And that battery pack doesn't look any lighter. Why do bad guys only notice they're out of ammo when they pull the damned trigger?

Thing about holidays: if you're looking for company, you can find it. Jewish, Christian, secular, whatever. Holidays are communal affairs by design.

Shayera, you're a bitch.

Okay, on the one hand this was kind of a dick move by the Ultra-Humanite. On the other hand, The Nutcracker is genuinely loved by kids, so I can see why the kids appreciate it even if it isn't the exact toy they wanted.

And why wouldn't kids love The Nutcracker? You've got action, romance, adventure, deliciously evil villains... there's a reason why it plays every Christmas and there's three hundred adaptations of it.

That's so sweet. In a Conan-the-Barbarian way.

The DCAU has a thing for making its male stars sing, huh?

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Animated by Koko/Dong Yang Enterprise Co. Ltd.

#live blogging #dcau #justice league #comfort and joy #dc animated universe

0 notes

oifaaa · 2 years

Note

Watch Jason write home to Mama Talia about his latest villainous deeds and she sends him back letters about how proud she is

Talia is happy to help fund Jasons little crime empire bc she knows that it will drive Bruce insane and there's no greater joy in life then talia causing chaos to her (ex??) husband

#Ask #Anon #Talias just like #So proud of my eldest #Causing chaos for his father and half siblings #As long as he doesn't kill Bruce that's all okay in her book #She needs him alive to look after damian for a bit #Last time Bruce died dick got custody somehow #And dick doesn't like talia for some stupid reason #So gotta keep Bruce alive so that doesn't happen again

183 notes · View notes

jaydicksummerexchange · 3 years

Text

2021 JDSE Release Post: Wed. August 25

[ ❤ Works posted so far! ❤ ]

You’ve made it to the middle of the week, so why not treat yourself with some delicious exchange works?

Here are today’s posted works:

A Little Competition (never hurt nobody) by Anonymous for ballercat [Rating:, No Archive Warnings Apply, 10.3k words]

Tags: Rivals to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Training, Light Angst, Dick Grayson is Renegade, Sandra Woosan is Jason Todd's Parent(not by blood), Dick Grayson as Slade Wilson's Apprentice, Found Family, Assassins & Hitmen, Non-Graphic Violence, BAMF Jason Todd, BAMF Dick Grayson, Competence Kink, Making Out

Summary: Dick Grayson is Renegade, the protégé of Slade Wilson. Jason Todd is Shadow, the apprentice of Sandra Wu-San. And much to both of their chagrin, they're being forced to work together.

Rip Yourself Open by Anonymous for Reagy_Jay [Explicit, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 2.7k words]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Post-Arkhamverse Jason Todd, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Hurt Jason Todd, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dick Grayson, Comfort Sex, Scars, Nipple Piercings, Dick Grayson Loves Jason Todd, Est…(click for more tags)

Summary: "You're doing it on purpose," Dick says flatly, looking Jason in the eye.

It's not a question.

Jason doesn't look at Dick long. He hasn't been careful lately. He’s been putting himself in harm's way more often than necessary. Taking stupid risks for no good reason. At least, no reason he feels he can articulate to Dick.

something delicate by Anonymous for mlim8 [General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, 4.6k words]

Tags: Reverse Robins, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Batboys are bad at communication, yet again, Jason is emotionally stable in this one, Dickie has a crush, Damian Wayne is Batman, Dick Grayson is Robin, Jason Todd is Bluejay, I can't believe that last one is an actual tag wow, Hurt Dick Grayson

Summary: In which Dick is benched from Robin for the first time and Jason has to help him and Damian communicate.

Near, Possible, Inevitable by anonymous for lostandlonelybirds (RUNNFROMTHEAK) [Mature , Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, 22.1k]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Talia al Ghul, Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, Jason Al Ghul, Breaking Up & Making Up, Unreliable Narrator, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Fri…(click for more tags)

Summary: He can feel that Veil holds back with him (less so with Bruce and his teammates), keeping to deflects and the occasional roll on the ground. He’s brought sword and knife - his preferred weapons - upon Dick, but never more than superficial wounds that Dick may have sustained training. It’s not what Dick would call friendly, just not hostile. When his team asks he has no explanation to give. When Bruce grills him, he has even less to say. The glass trinket is less of a souvenir and more of a possessed object haunting him from where it sits at the bottom of his sock drawer.

It’s not like he asked for the assassin to take an interest in him.

He’s never tried to welcome Veil any more than any other assassin he knows.

Dick knows better than to fall in love with an assassin. It's just so hard to resist.

My brother's my baby daddy?! by Anonymous for ManxomeFaux [Mature, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 5.5k words]

Tags:

Omega Verse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Linear Narrative, Time Skips, Dysfunctional Family, baby daddy drama, Dick Grayson Has Issues, Fluff and Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Lots of drama due to Jason hiding the baby, He has a good reason aka bruce is a shitty dad, Alpha/Omega, Misogyny, Like alpha beta type beat, Eventual Happy Ending

Summary: Jason has a difficult time adjusting to being a omega with his dysfunctional upbringing and adoptive family. Things only grow drastically worse when he gets pregnant by the golden child, Dick Grayson himself.

Redolence by Anonymous for naol [Explicit, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 7.6k words]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Reverse Robins, Batkids Age Reversal, Alpha Dick Grayson, Omega Jason Todd, Scenting, Nesting, Sleepy Cuddles, Getting Together, Resolved Sexual Tension, Smut, Fluff and Sm…(click for more tags)

Summary: Jason smells good.

Owl Me Once You Graduate by Anonymous for withthekeyisking [Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, 0k words]

Tags: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Wally West, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Colin Wilkes, Dinah Lance (background), Jonathan Crane (Mentioned), Damian Wayne, Sorting Hat (Harry Potter), Barbara Gordon (Mentioned), Artemis of Bana-Mighdall …(click for more tags)

Summary: At Hogwarts, there's an Unofficial Competition between 7th year Slytherin Dick Grayson and 5th year Ravenclaw Jason Todd.

At least... According to Dick, there is.

#2021 jaydick exchange #jaydick #dickjay #jason todd & dick grayson #dick grayson & jason todd #anyway you want them we got them!#hot vigilante summer

65 notes · View notes

risingmoonyue · 5 years

Text

Batman/P5 Crossover

-Sometime before Akechi but after Futaba or Haru

-Damian is sent to Tokyo to check it out for whatever reason (maybe they had a fight, or he’s going stir crazy, or he’s just the only one they can send at the time and didn't bother with all that "you're not old enough" business)

-Dami is younger than Futaba by a year or three or four

-He is baby

-He is transferred to Shujin as a child prodigy where he also immediately joins the "outcast" community because of his attitude and intelligence

-Talia goes too, manages to cut off all his communications with the Batfam, and is planning to take him home in a month whether he likes it or not

-For whatever reason, Batfam doesn't realize this??? (Like, either she's faking reports or they're too busy (think fight or chaos in Gotham scenario maybe???))

-Anyways, obviously Dami doesn't want this

-Somehow the Phantom Thieves hear about the situation

-Maybe he was assigned to shadow Makoto for a while, and they managed to overhear a phone conversation either to Talia or Dami trying to get in touch with the Batfam and nothing really working

-And eventually they outright see him fighting with his mother with him at some point (either in person or over a phone call) mentioning that she already disowned him, he's happy with his Father's family, and that he will head her family business over his dead body—and oh would you look at that, you already managed that, care to try again Mother?

-The PT's are understandably alarmed

-And learn her name from Damian (from Makoto maybe or someone else he bonded a little with) (MORGANA) (THEY GAVE HIM MONA FOR A DAY AND NOW THEY KNOW EVERYTHING FROM HIS MANY PETS TO HIS LEAST TO MOST FAVORITE SIBLINGS STARTING FROM TIM TO DICK TO HIS FAVORITE FOODS TO EVERYONE IN HIS FAMILY’S NAMES TO HOW STUPID HE FINDS EVERYONE AND WHY THEY'RE STUPID TO HIS FAVORITE MUSIC TO WHY ANIMALS ARE SUPERIOR TO HUMANS AND MONA’S LIKE OMG TMI BUT LOVED IT THERE BECAUSE HE WAS PAMPERED LIKE NO TOMORROW GOT ONLY THE BEST FOOD AND THE BEST BEDS AND TOYS THAT HE GOT TO TAKE WITH HIM BACK TO LEBLANC AND NOW AKIRA AND SOJIRO ARE LIKE DUDE WHY AND MONA’S LIKE IM KEEPING HIM THIS HUMAN IS GOOD SORRY AKIRA YOU’RE DEMOTED)

-The palace is basically a fortress full of assasin ninjas and clones

-Dunno what her keywords are tho

-Or her what her palace actually is

-Help?????????

-Cognitive Bruce, Ra's, Damian, Dami clones, and Jason (maybe rest of batfam??? Idk)

-Long story short, the traps are so assassin-y that they need someone who knows the actual Talia because egads, this is the closest they have all come to actually dying

-And they didn't really want to do it and were just gonna power through

-But Dami manages to find out and get in and of course uses his background to help out whether they like it or not

(-he's slightly off put by Joker's name, but then decides to just solely call Gotham!Joker "The Clown")

-At some point they are captured by the Shadow Talia who is decked out in super fancy traditional Arab clothing and probably every conceivable hidden weapon known to man

-Talia says Damian won't and can't ever change from who he "is meant to be", referring to him as her Alexander and basically brutally addresses all of his insecurities concerning the batfam and people and society in general

-And all this is kinda killing him cause he still loves Talia despite the fact that she killed him and had a violent citywide custody battle with Batman but he also loves the batfam too even if he would absolutely never admit it (except to maybe Grayson)

-Joker does his emotional kick-start thing and/or Dami is like Makoto and just gets so mad he triggers it himself, but either way, lo and behold, Damian is now a persona user, usurping Futaba's place as the baby of the team

-The outfit is kinda inspired by his future adult league outfit with the top and bottom and gold jewelry, but has a raggedy cloak with dull gold edges, a Robin mask and gauntlets, and his main weapons are batarang-sword hybrids

---acknowledging his past and moving on with his present

-Persona: Aladdin, Tsun Zu, Ali Baba, somone else???? Need ideas plz help

-Probably the fastest member of the group

-His small body makes his hits not as strong, but hoo boy can that kid move around

-Hits a lot and dodges most

-Most of his Persona abilities are physical and have high crit and/or are status affects

-Downside is he has not a lot of SP (compared to the rest of the group)

-And he has pretty good HP

-Those good ol' “superior genetics” have to be good for something after all

-Anyways they escape to find the treasure another day

-And Dami is all smug because HA you definitely can't stop me now

-And the PTs are just resigned to keeping an eye on the extremely competent snotty assassin/vigilante child

-They do like him though so it's not too bad (comes with learning all his darkest secrets via his mother and thought processes that tends to accompany watching someone at their lowest get a persona)

(-They do manage to temper him a bit and help him adjust better to actual society too that's nice)

-As such, they also know about Batman and Robin and his whoooole family. Both sides.

-Damian decided not to tell batfam because he does agree with the whole "most adults suck" mentality that the Phantom Thieves have; despite his deep, deep respect for his father and mother and Grayson, they all do kinda suck

-And he’s rather not get pulled out as he surely would if he told them

(-On a side note, he likes Sojiro

-The man gives him coffee, curry, and leaves him mostly to his own devices

-Instant win)

-He is dubbed "Mockingbird" apon return to the metaverse because of his freaky talented vocal skills in mimicking anyone and everyone's voice

-Eventually, they beat Talia

-She doesn't publicly confess to all her sins unlike everyone else

-PTs don't realize it worked until Damian came into school with a genuine smile on his face, and more relaxed than he'd been since he got there

-PTs are confused until Damian's like, this works out because hey, don't want to have several people assassinated and draw the entire freaking league to Tokyo

(-Which was probably why Talia didn't)

-They agree

-But she does break down to tears in Dami's arms and promise to ACTUALLY TALK CIVILLY with Bruce to try and make up for everything and try to fix up the league

-He stays for the rest of p5

-But steers all his reports very much away from the Phantom Thieves

-If anything, he downplays absolutely everything, and makes it seem like it's nothing super big but he's gonna stay a while to keep and eye out because y'alls are busy and I like it here and I haven't gotten expelled so there

-The PTs like to add funny stuff on there just to see if they’ll notice

-Like, Akira likes to have Dami describe his day in excruciating detail. Like, recounting the entirety of his nine or so months to Sae during police interrogation, excruciating

-Mona is pushing for the shiny stuff

-Yusuke just likes to put in bursts of randomness (Dami once mentioned that an acquaintance made another acquaintance T-pose in a church for art lol)

-Ann loves to rant about food

-Haru is always insisting on about feelings

-Ryuji likes to complain about everything and puts in ridiculous requests

-Futaba is just putting in every gen-z thing ever

-Makoto is actually responsible and tries to get him to talk about his progress in school and his social life

-And Akechi is absolutely nowhere near any of this and doesn’t know it exists

-When they have the Tokyo/Japan-wide calling card, Batfam sees it too because let's face it, that's totally the sorta thing that they would keep an eye out for even if he didn't look at the news in the entirety of the time Dami was in Tokyo

-And they send a message to Damian (the first actual communication they've had since before Talia) saying "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON OVER THERE????"

-And with the entirety of the Phantom Thieves looking over his shoulder, Damian's just like "Chill dudes, everything's fiiiiiiiiiine"

-And they're like "UH WHAT PART OF THIS IS FINE????" because they've dug around a bit and found every news report, and oh hey, this isn't anywhere near as calm as Damian described and he’s being super OOC and what’s going on?!?!?!?!?!

-And Damian, being egged on by the most of the PTs, just sends a winky face

-Just

-😉

-And he's smug, because it's still chaos over there so they can't actually come get him and try to pull him out because he's being super ooc

-Which means he's free to do what he wants/needs in the meantime

-Cue the end of the game

-And Dami is going with them on their summer road trip and cackling because the batfam is scrambling to find him in Tokyo but lol nope he's in a van the Japanese government tried and fail to follow

-And he found all the trackers like, a year ago

-Every

-Single

-One

-They eventually track him down to Akira's house where they're calmly eating dinner (and they've been expecting this for the past week so Mona was keeping watch just so they could pull this off) and talking about how uneventful the school year was

-Cue mass confusion in the batfam

-As the PTs enjoy just confusing them so much

-By talking to Mona

-Talking normal then crazy then normal again

-And just generally being their normal selves lol

-They explain absolutely nothing beyond gushing about how much progress socially and academically he’s made (gotta embarrass the baby of the group somehow) and making sure that if Dami absolutely has to go home that he's able to stay in touch

(-Later, Damian forms his own hero persona outside of Batman and Robin)

(-He names it Mockingbird)

(-Batfam proceeds to have a brain aneurysm while the PTs dab their happy proud tears out of their eyes on their regularly scheduled tea time at the Wayne Manor)

(-Damian sends a private plane every week or two lol)

(Bonus: ARTTTTTTT)

(Psst if you guys have ideas for art, outfits, interactions or scenarios, let me know)

#my writing #my art #batman #persona 5 #p5 #persona #batman x p5 #damian wayne #akira kurusu #ren amamiya #p5 protagonist #ive been holding onto this one for a wHILE

54 notes · View notes

wellthatjusthappend · 5 years

Note

Hey, first off, I really like your writing, it's always so touching or captivating, and second, if you take requests, could I ask for one where Jaspn has a Type(TM) that's pretty dangerous (like Slade, Ra's, Roman, Talia, whatever) and Dick finds out and starts intereferring when Jason butts heads with them and Jay is just over there like, The fuck,Dickhead? That's my fight! Because he doesn't realize that those dangerous older people are actually flirting with him

Thank you so much!

This was a fun prompt! Usually it’s Dick with a haram of semi-villainous older men and women. Jason does have his few too though, and he’s much more oblivious to their attentions.

---

“Red Hood…” Black Mask purred, eyes trailing over Jason just a little too predatorily, “I was hoping you might show up.”

Dick gritted his teeth.

“What can I say?” Dick could hear the grin in Jason’s voice even through the voice mod of his helmet, “I heard you were having a party and just had to swing by. You know I love spoiling your fun, Mask.”

Bodies of Black Mask’s men lay all around, but Dick knew more would be on the way. He wasn’t technically supposed to be there- Jason certainly wouldn’t appreciate it- but lately he’d been worrying about Jason.

First there was Talia and the familiar way she felt free to touch Jason. Then there Scarecrow and all the creepy psychological crap he’d had to say about Red Hood and all the ways he could bend and break under the right hands. How he might even submit himself to the abuse willingly. Since then Dick hadn’t been able to ignore that Jason seemed to attract a Type… specifically villains that would hurt him.

Worse, Jason seemed to respond to them.

Black Mask was not the only one who had showed an interest since Dick started to pay attention, but he was by far the worst in Dick’s opinion. In his nightmares he sometimes dreamed up terrible scenario after scenario that a sadist like Roman would want to put Jason through. It brought up a fierce and all encompassing protectiveness in him.

“Oh, Red, if you wanted to be my bitch, all you had to do was ask,” Roman said, pulling what was definitely not a standard gun and pointing it at Jason. Dick didn’t want to find out what that was. He didn’t think, just jumped in and threw a wingding at the hand gripping the gun, fury pounding in his head.

Whatever Roman was planning for Jason, Dick wasn’t going to allow it.

“Nightwing- what the fuck?” Jason was snarling furiously.

Dick was much more focused on the retreating villain before them.

“Oh Hood, I didn’t know you’d invited friends,” Roman said rubbing his hand and glaring back at Dick.

“I didn’t,” Jason said pointedly at Dick.

“Stay away from him,” Dick growled, ignoring him.

Black Mask paused before a pleased and somewhat lecherous look flitted over his face.

“Ah… I see. You’re much smarter than your brother dearest here. Prettier too,” Black Mask said, confirming what Dick feared.

Dick could feel Jason boiling with anger behind him. He was going to get an earful later, but so long as Black Mask turned his attention elsewhere, he didn’t care.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much interest in your type. Pity,” Black Mask said starting to back away even as he turned back to Jason, a refreshed gleam in his eyes, “Hood, next time let’s keep it... private.”

Dick wanted to beat the shit out of him.

He didn’t catch whatever Jason’s sassy comeback was because Black Mask’s men were suddenly pouring into the room and both he and Jason had to beat a hasty retreat. Once they’d fought their way out and were safely on a nearby rooftop, Jason tried to round on him.

“What the fuck was that?” Jason spat.

“Not here,” Dick snapped, gesturing to the swarming false-facers who were still hunting for them below. He could tell Jason was glaring at him, but to his surprise he didn’t put up a fight in being led back to one of Dick’s safe houses. Jason tossed his helmet on the couch and flopped down on the couch with an expectant look.

“You need to be more careful,” Dick started to lecture.

“Oh fuck you, I didn’t need your help,” Jason rolled his eyes.

“He was about to do something to you,” Dick snapped, “I wasn’t about to stand by and watch.”

“You shouldn’t have been watching in the first place,” Jason snapped, “I would have handled whatever it was. I always do.”

It was somewhat tempting to say something about the Joker, but that would have been way below the belt and Dick still managing to hold onto his temper. He wasn’t angry at Jason anyway.

“I don’t like how he looks at you,” Dick said instead.

“So he wants to shoot me full of bullets, what else is new?” Jason rolled his eyes, “He’s a villain Dickhead, he’s supposed to have a fucked up way of looking at me.”

Not like this. Dick wasn’t sure he wanted Jason to know that Roman wanted him that way though. What if he tried to use it to his advantage? What if he went and did something stupid the next time any of the Bat’s pissed him off?

“Leave Black Mask to us,” Dick said instead.

“You’re so fucking-”

“I’m worried about you.”

“‘Worried’ my ass, you’re just being a controlling asshole just like him,” There was no question of who he was talking about. Dick didn’t think he was being quite as bad as Bruce but dammit, sometimes Bruce had the right idea with things like this. He didn’t think Jason would appreciate hearing that though.

When he didn’t immediately defend himself, Jason made a disgusted sound and tried to walk away from him. For some reason, that made something rise in his chest and Dick found himself taking a step forward and grabbing at Jason’s jacket.

He wouldn’t let some villain have Jason. They’d hurt him and maybe even please him and then hurt him even worse. It was all against the rules.

“He can’t have you. Promise me Jason you won’t let him,” Dick hissed jerking Jason close.

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Back off,” Jason warned, flashing teeth, “You’re acting like a jealous shithead or something.”

Dick went very still. Too still, because suddenly Jason’s eyes were widening.

“Wait- seriously?”

“I’m not jealous,” Dick snapped.

“Holy shit…” Jason was staring at him like he’d never seen him properly before and Dick hated it.

“Shut up-” Dick shoved him.

Jason tried to grab him again and Dick caught him in the cheek with and elbow. Jason hissed but kept coming. Soon they were sparring awkwardly and knocking over the sparse furniture of the safe house. They weren’t even properly fighting, but Dick knew it would be bad to get caught. Dick should have maybe run, but that would have made it look like Jason was right. Which he totally wasn’t.

Probably.

If anyone asked, it was Jason’s fault. He tried to headbutt him and so Dick grabbed his hair and yanked and Jason made this sound that had Dick’s brain shorting out in a second.

The next thing he knew he was kissing Jason angrily. It was all his fault for stirring up all of this in Dick anyway.

Jason made a surprised sound, but quickly kissed back with all the competitiveness that still betrayed his youth. He was also still obviously not very experienced yet, something that filled Dick with satisfaction.

So maybe Talia hadn’t gotten her claws in quite as deeply as he’d feared.

Jason was pushing him down onto the carpet and Dick went willingly. He was glad he did when Jason threw a leg over him and pressed close, never breaking their furious kiss. It would have been almost innocent if either of them had been able to keep their hands to themselves.

There was a part of Dick that was panicking about all of this; that he shouldn’t be doing this. He didn’t know what Jason was to him on the best of days, but he had a feeling that he definitely shouldn’t be about to have sex with him on his safehouse floor. But there was another part of him that wanted to draw blood. Wanted to bite and push and breach. Wanted to see the way Jason crumbled under his hand… how he’d gasp and groan.

Something in him was positive it’d be a beautiful sight.

Dick flipped them and pinned Jason down with his own weight, bending back his legs and making Jason shiver. He wasn’t nearly as flexible as Dick, and forcing him back into the position made his muscles strain and tremble a little. It made Dick very aware of the heat between his legs and how vulnerable Jason was to him in this position.

Or maybe just in general.

It made Dick feel almost monstrous. It also made him want to push Jason even further. He shouldn’t want to see what Jason’s eyes looked like streaked with tears, but... he also really really did.

Maybe Jason saw something of that in his eyes because his legs flexed around him as he said almost cautiously, “Dick…?”

Dick was almost grateful that his his comm chimed.

“Nightwing, come in,” came Bruce’s voice.

It was like being drowned in icy guilt. Dick drew away from Jason hastily as he reached up and answered.

“Nightwing here, what’s up?” Dick said, trying to ignore the way Jason sneered at him as he lowered his legs.

“You’re needed on a situation at the bank on central and 8th,” Bruce said shortly.

“On it,” Dick said, already adjusting his suit.

He was too embarrassed to look at Jason, hoped he realized too that this had been a mistake. Before he could head out the window though, Jason’s phone rang.

“Hey Slade,” Jason said, “I was about to call you.”

Dick froze.

“About that offer for some more hands on training,” Jason met his eyes challengingly, “I’ll take it.”

Dammit.

#story requests #jaydick #one-sided jayroman #hinted possible sladejay #jealousy #my writing #sometimes it takes me a while to fill prompts #Anonymous

41 notes · View notes