#I know in my heart that the only wayne lex luthor knows is bruce

[kara-zor-els]

People using Lex Luthor as an antagonist against the Waynes in batfam(TM) gala fics are so bizarre to me. I can bet that this man doesn't even know who most of those kids are, nor does he care.

[ladyredmoon13]

DCxDP promt

The Baby Bank

- I think I'm watching to much paternity court. Can be written as a female Danny fic.

A world-renowned fertility clinic and sperm bank have made headlines worldwide for all of the wrong reasons. Apparently, they had been stealing samples from men for almost two decades, and it wasn’t just any men they were collecting from. Wealthy men of power such as actors, senators, and billionaires were all targeted specifically by the facility.

Billionaires like Bruce Wayne, who's name had been leaked to the media just after the story went global. His kids were on the verge of having an emergency family meeting about Bruce's lack of proper protection before the clinics 'methods' of 'sample gathering' came to light.

So they decided to just leave it be after that. Still, they decide to help B find any possible Waynes out there. After all if they were family, then they were family.

To start, Tim hacked into the clinic's systems and tracks down Bruce's files. It takes longer than expected, as it turned out the unwilling/unknowing donors were all hidden in amongst the fertility files.

With a bit of reading they find out that Bruce's sample was only used a handful of times. But due to outside circumstances out of the clinic's control only one child was alive and well at that time.

The only problem was that B was not the only unknowing donor for that child. Reading the patient file showed that the samples were experimentally mixed before fertilizing the patients egg. Who the hell would think that was a good idea was still up in the air but it still didn't change the fact that it was still a 50/50 chance of them being Lex Luthors child.

Cue Danny Fenton just a couple of months after losing his/her friends and family finding out that she was one of those donor babies everyone was talking about. Vlad is shocked but reassured that everything was going to be ok.

They send Danny’s DNA for testing but insisted that it be done by one of his labs to prevent tampering. (and to keep Danny’s halfa status under the table.) Of course Vlad being Vlad gets the courts involved because even though he was appointed Danny’s legal guardian.

If either man can prove that Danny is, in fact, their child. Then Vlad will have no power to stop them from taking him/her away from him.

So the court day comes and Danny is just a mess. He/She feels that everything is just stacking up higher and higher to just fall right on top of him/her.

The results were in and confirmed Danny’s fears. Jack Fenton, the man who raised him/her; was not the father. Danny is devastated and Vlad comforts Danny the best he can, but knows that it was going to get worse before it ever got better.

The judge handling the proceedings was nice enough to pause the hearing to let Danny cry. Bruce wants nothing more than to comfort the teen and his maybe child. One glance over in Luthors direction confirmed the same.

No matter the outcome of today's ruling Danny's life will be forever charged. Danny just wants to wake up from this horrible dream but knows that's not an option.

So with a heavy heart, he/she composes themselves and chooses to continue with the proceedings. With a nod, the judge continues." The envelopes in my hands contain the result of the paternity tests done by DALV Co. and they read as follows..."

- I'm just going to leave the ending to you guys. However you want it to end is how it will end. But personally, I'm all for Bruce. Even though Danny being a Luthor would be interesting to say the least.

[autcnomy]

"You're full of secrets."

He mightn't know that the Batman is Bruce Wayne, but if Gotham's dark seraph has any competition in the art of the impervious mask, it's Lex Luthor. A tic, a half-smirk, is Lex's only tell, as his mind roves far afield of the current--very strange--social encounter on the Luthercorp roof.

Secrets, hm. Yeah. Would you recoil, or would your Arkham charges give me a run for my money?

"Huh." So curated a sound, even that little puff of laughter, into the chilly night.

Just as cold, that night. His hands white-knuckled over the cradle. The form too small and still, skin so pale it was translucent framed by the blankets, every little blue vein visible inside its milky vessel. Too late.

After the eruption of red meteor dust in that cornfield. Smooth-headed, head pickle-sour from hazing and shunning at Excelsior, heart still peculiarly swollen and unguarded: for that little baby. They were gonna have so much fun. Lex's birthday parties weren't gonna be at empty tables anymore.

(The age-old tale: Dad never loved me, because I couldn't be his diligent appendage, a sword of capital or conquest, a proper heir; my baby brother was his miraculous do-over, but my mom.....)

(My mom....)

Stop.

"I guess you're right. You're doing a great job of making that statement sound ambiguous. Is that a question, a complaint...? A compliment?"

The smile is full now, but doesn't reach pewter eyes. They're sad eyes, eyes that know too much for a man not yet thirty. Hands rest, poised and casual, in Lex's long wool coat pockets. The smile disappears and the visage with it.

"Please allow me to be blunt. What're you doing in my city, Batman? Always thought Metropolis was a bit Midwestern for your taste. Gotham really that quiet tonight?"

[bruciemilf]

I'd like to suggest a concept.

Angry protective Bruce as Bruce Wayne who drops Brucie in public when his family and friends are threatened. Who's ready to snarl at a jackass because one too many boundary was crossed and he's DONE.

The thing is that apparently Bruce like this is even scarier than Batman. Or well, Batman is only ever as scary as that when his protective instincts rear their head.

Social media explodes. Bruce is as doting as ever to his children and kind in general. He's just doesn't have any more fucks to give.

His kids are flabbergasted. His kids are proud. They regularly get popcorn.

Other times they get angry because many people don't like this and push back and bring up nasty things from the past. WHAT did people used to say to Bruce when he was a teenager??

Alfred's hands are shaking. He's heard some of this before. But it seems that people only get stealthier.

GODDD ITS THE WAY I HAVE THE PERFECT WHUMP PIECE FOR THIS-

Here's a brutal truth about Gotham; You can either be a broken hero, or a whole villain, but you can't be both at once. One or the other, both kneel to Gotham City in different ways.

No one from the Justice League truly understood. Not until Bruce dismisses the idea of Diana being tonight's arm candy for the rich and sleazy at Wayne Gala;

They needed to get that Kryptonite from Lex's hands, and this is the perfect trap. Bruce is the man for the job. " It's what I'm for; That's my designed purpose."

He's talking about Brucie Wayne, but Clark finds more sinister undertones beneath that. But they soon understand what that means, and it leaves them with ashes in their mouth.

They watch, helplessly, uselessly, as Lex Luthor pulls Bruce into his lap, puffing cigar smoke in his face while admiring the bat of his lashes; Bruce's beauty is a death trap. That bastard won't be thinking about the labs anytime soon.

But it's disturbing to watch.

It's disturbing and wretched, watching Bruce sit there and take it; Smiling emptily, pretending there's nothing wrong when his waist is squeezed or his character is smeared.

Clark watches with red eyes as Lex grabs Bruce's sharp jawline, moving it from side to side, as if displaying an adorable animal, " Brucie's lucky he's pretty, cause there's NOTHING upstairs" while laughing with a group of equally disgusting men.

Bruce is just rolling his eyes internally and hopes Oliver and Hal will get a kick out of this, cause it's the last time he does a mission for this; Better him than Diana.

(Oliver and Hal aren't enjoying this; far from it, actually. Ollie squeezed a champagne glass so hard shards bite into his hand and Hal has to take his ring off because he WILL blast these assholes with it on)

Carmine Falcone is the spark that lights the fire, thought.

Wrinkled, ringed fingers tipping up Bruce's jaw, " When I told Tommy he'll be a looker, he punched my goddam lights out. But I was right, wasn't I? Shame he ain't here to see it,"

Clark is reminded, then, that Tim is watching this from Bruce's lens. Maybe Dick, too. Maybe all of them do. His stomach coils at the thought,

" Maybe that boy of yours, - Tim, right? - is gonna take after you and drop the chairman act. God knows this city needs more pretty boys like you."

There's another, secret truepiece about Gotham; Bruce Wayne wears Batman. Not the other way around.

The League has the pleasure of watching Bruce slowly rise from Lex's lap, smile ice-cold and dangerous and venom painted.

They watch with paused breaths as Bruce Wayne grips Falcone's head and bangs it againts the table and backhand Lex so hard a storm of teeth fly out.

The room temperature is fire, Bruce's anger drowning them in, and there's a bit of pleasure in it. Especially when their friend simply dusts off his hand and says he's ready to go, but Clark HEARS Bruce's heart stutter and panic, " I need to see Tim, - I need... I need Tim. I need my kids."

No one holds him back; They're smarter than that.

No one harms Bruce's children; There's a tall price to pay if you do, and no one's pockets are that deep. And yes, people have lots to say about it; But he's too tired and too sick and too angry to give half a fuck.

As long as his family is okay, what's more to care about? As long as they don't go through what HE went through, what's there to dig after?

But Alfred has his own shares of horror stories about teenage Bruce and how he was treated, and he isn't shy to reveal names.

" But of course, there's nothing Superman could do about it, am I wrong, Mr. Kent?"

" Superman, no. Clark kent just might, sir."

[gilbirda]

Third Law of Motion

Established everlasting trio.

@batpham-discord-highlights

Danny and whoever he wishes to bring are invited to a week at the beach with the Waynes. Tim says he wants to talk, but does he know he is already dating his best friends?

[Read on AO3]

Befriending the Justice League at first had been kind of a rocky situation. There was a lot of misunderstandings, a lot of mistrust, and for some reason Superman hated his guts with passion.

But after some years Danny had settled as one of the fixed members, and one of the most powerful ones, if he can say so himself.

Batman took a while to warm up to him, and maybe helping him create a weapon that could take down the Ghost King helped a lot, but in the end the man revealed himself as the billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne.

It was… an experience, not gonna lie.

Danny’s track record with rich men were Vlad, which despite having mellowed with time AND with losing his right to the throne on the grounds of being a loser, was still a bit of a creep; and Lex Luthor when the man tried to summon him to ask for a wish or something, or maybe try to enslave him to his will? It wasn’t really clear what he wanted, Baldie talked and talked and talked and Danny just got bored and set everything on fire.

Anyway, Bruce Wayne turned out to be kind of a nice guy? The real one, since the public persona was kind of an idiot. The Bruce Wayne he met when he came over to visit for dinner one time, Bruce’s butler-slash-father insisted, was a tired man trying to keep up in a world where gods walked among humans.

Danny respected that.

Also, the man had a huge family. It was stupid. He had an adoption problem, definitely; but also he had such a big heart to accept so many people as his own - not only the officially adopted, but the friends of the family that were considered family too.

Danny left the mansion feeling warm and yearning for a family like that - noisy, rowdy, not afraid to throw down on the living room and wrestle for the remote. He wanted that so much that he couldn’t stop the mini-heart attack when he was invited to come over again, and then again for Thanksgiving and when he realized he had the contact information of everybody saved in his phone.

The Waynes were not afraid to touch his cold skin and call him out on his bullshit, to make jokes about being dead (well, that was more Jason, the dude he found out had some ectoplasm in his veins), to ask about his Kingdom without apprehension in their voices.

They were weird, but amazing.

Also, the Waynes invited him and whoever he wanted to bring to a one week beach vacation. They would take care of everything - transportation, food and where to stay. He and his people would only need to bring their own luggage to the airport, where they would meet.

Turns out, they flew in a private jet to a private island. “This way you can be yourself without thinking of being seen.” Bruce had said when he saw Danny’s shocked face.

“Isn’t it neat having rich friends?” Tucker adjusted his glasses as he sat down on Danny’s bed, watching him look for his bag of toiletries in his suitcase and put it in the ensuite gigantic bathroom.

Because the summer mansion was big enough so everyone had their own room, of course.

“Don’t let Sam hear you, she was pissed off enough about the environmental impact of using a private jet.”

“I think Damian’s rant about Wayne Enterprises’ eco projects and plans for the next five years will shut her up for the rest of the week.”

“I love that kid. I have decided he is my favorite only because of Sam's sour face as he talked.”

Danny chuckled. It had been a success to bring his best friends and partners to this trip. He knew they would get along with the Waynes, but after the flight it became clear that Sam and Damian would get like a house on fire and that Tucker had found his techno geek equal in Tim.

There was a knock on his door.

“Danny? Are you decent?”

“Morally? No, but I have clothes on, if that’s what you are asking.”

From the other side of the door, Jazz’s long suffering sigh was heard perfectly. “That joke got old after the first three times.”

“It’s funnier the more you hate it,” he said as she opened the door and walked in, already wearing her bathing suit and beach dress. “Excited much?”

She blushed a little. “It’s been a while since I went on vacation.”

“That’s what you get when you are such a workaholic.”

She blushed harder. “Shut up, as if you were better,” Jazz smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest. “When was the last time you slept more than three hours at night?”

“I plead the fifth.”

Her face when he said this could rival some of Alfred’s worse ‘im not mad, just disappointed in you’ moments. But she didn’t make a comment on it. Good, as if she held the higher ground morally speaking - she got worse when she was invested in a new project.

“I came to tell you that everyone is going down to the beach, and that refreshments will be served soon. If you want food then don’t take too long.”

With that, she turned and left the room, her steps quiet as always.

“Sometimes I forget how hot your sister is.”

“Tucker!” He hit his friend on the shoulder, growling. “What the heck?”

“What? We are all adults!” The young man rubbed his shoulder. “And it isn’t like I’m interested or anything - hell, she’s like my own sister at this point. I’m just appreciating how good the years have been with her.” His friend looked at him with a pensive gesture. “And you as well, my friend. Blessed is the day you agreed to go out with me.”

Danny rolled his eyes, going back to his suitcase to get his swimming trunks and change in the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror once he had changed. It wasn’t like he thought he wasn’t pretty, he knew attracted attention; it was just he didn’t care that much about it, you know?

Not that he was actually looking for someone else - he had two amazing best friends that were too good for him and actually beat into his head that they really liked him and wanted to try a relationship. They made him feel special already and he had lucked out on the partner department. Why care about more?

***

No kidding, the food was half devoured by the time he and Tucker made an appearance at the beach. The Waynes had set up a dining table and chairs in a wooden platform close to the beachline, since the whole place was for them.

Jazz had saved him some, but both knew it wasn’t enough to feed his ghostly metabolism, so Danny proceeded to grab a plate and stuff there anything that looked half decent.

Who was he kidding - rich people's food was amazing and it wasn’t either his parents’ ecto contaminated food or Jazz’s bland cooking.

With a full belly and after being bullied by his sister and partners to get suncream on, despite insisting that he was already dead and wouldn’t be affected by human ailments; Tim had convinced him to try out a monster of an inflatable floaty that was shaped like a giant avocado.

“Alright now what?” He watched as the young man pushed him and his inflatable platform further from shore. Sam and Tucker said they would follow once their floaties were ready.

“Now we wait.”

“For what.” Danny carefully moved a little so Tim could sit beside him on the inflatable avocado.

“For a big wave and then we ride it.”

“Like surfing?” the halfa frowned a little. The sea was calm for once. “And when will a wave come?”

“Anytime now.”

There was a bit of silence, but Danny didn’t mind. Between the sounds of the sea and the quiet companionship, he realized it has been a solid minute since he just… stopped and lived in the moment.

Tim was a cool guy, a bit weird, but the kind of weird that he was used to. He could talk for hours about something and didn't realize he had been rambling about a million things at the same time - Sam said they were very much alike in that sense, usually with a small knowing smile.

Okay he was cute. Danny wasn’t afraid to think it (now, to say it out loud…)

“Okay, I wanted to, uh, talk.”

“Alright?” Talk? About what?

When he turned to look at the other, he had his face hidden under his hair. Danny’s eyes went for their feet kicking the water, trying to decipher what the other would want to say.

“Tim?”

“Um.”

“You wanted to talk?”

“Talk? Who, me?” He laughed, sunking his head further. Danny saw the other’s ears when he moved, and they were red. He was blushing?

“What do you want to talk about?” And why did he need Danny alone? “Do you need help with something?”

Tim, instead of answering, took a deep breath and turned to look at him with a smile. There was no trace of a blush anywhere.

“You know what? It can wait.”

The halfa narrowed his eyes, detecting his own bullshit deflecting techniques - it could wait, but that didn’t mean Tim was gonna actually talk to him later in the trip, or maybe ever.

“Tell me. Is something bothering you?”

Maybe something he was too embarrassed to say? Or something he didn’t want his brothers to know and that’s why he was coming to him for help. Danny would help him hide a body if that’s what he wanted-

Woah, okay. Where did that come from?

It’s true that they were friends, but…

Tim shook his head. “Nah, everything is fine. So, about those waves.”

Danny narrowed his eyes but let it go. “No waves are coming. But, we can do something funnier.”

“Oh?” The other seemed interested. “Please enlighten me.”

Without further words, Danny transformed, ignoring the way his friend shivered when the rings phased through him at being this close. Sam and Tucker always said it was like a cold breeze.

“Now look who is overdressed.”

“Har har. Check this out.”

Using a bit of flight, Danny stood on the inflatable avocado and extended a hand. He focused, his green eyes turning a shade of blue that wasn’t quite human, and a freeze ray emerged from his fingers. The water on the side of the avocado was now slippery ice.

“I don’t understand where this is going, but that was kind of useless. You can’t freeze the sea.”

“I’m not planning on freezing the sea,” was Danny’s only warning before he shot a normal green beam from his other hand.

For those with basic physics knowledge, you’d know that Newton’s third law of motion says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In this case it meant that the poor floaty and its passengers were propelled forwards and placed on the patch of ice.

“You okay there?” Danny looked at his legs, where the poor human had latched on to not fall into the water.

“Yeah. And I see where this is going.” Quickly and carefully, showing off his nigh perfect balance control, the vigilante stood as well on the avocado. Tim fretted a little about where to place his hands, but decided to simply grab Danny’s shoulders. “Hit it.”

Not needing to be told more, Danny launched them both in a stupid yet incredible show of power - with one hand he froze the water in front of them and with the other he propelled the floaty like it was some kind of raft turned into a speedboat.

Both were laughing as they zipped from one end of the beach to the other, doing loops and stunts that nearly had them fall and eat ice and maybe break some bones.

Danny was having the time of his life, until his friend gasped.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, but his eyes were fixed on their paths and his concentration on using the freeze beam and the ecto beam at the same time.

“I think your sister is flirting with my brother.”

“WHAT.”

It took one moment, one second he looked towards the group of people gathered under beach umbrellas, to break his focus. It didn’t matter that his eyes confirmed it - Jazz was talking to Tim’s older brother, Jason, with a big smile on her face -, because when he stopped looking at where they were going his freeze ray stopped and physics did the rest.

Halfa, human and floaty were launched into the air and back into the water at a speed that would make the crash really hurt. In the last moment, Danny grabbed Tim and made them both intangible so the force of hitting the water at that speed didn’t break any of his bones.

They swam back to the surface, Danny now in human form, completely drenched and breathless from the scary fall.

“You guys okay?” They heard Dick call from the shore.

Danny did a thumbs up, but couldn’t really see with his black mop of hair in front of his eyes. He combed it back with his other hand, finding Tim really close.

“Hello there.”

The other’s cheeks flushed. “Well, that was fun.”

They looked at each other, the sound of the waves crashing in the sand filling in for conversation. Danny felt his cheeks burn a little, his eyes roaming toward the other’s lips when he licked the salt water from them. He had a healing cut in his lower lip, probably from crime fighting.

He wanted to kiss it.

Wait.

“I-I wanted to talk, yes.” Tim looked away for a moment, before frowning and turning back to him.

Danny heard Tim’s heart start beating faster and connected the dots. “I think I know where this is going.”

“You do?” There was a spark of fear in the blue. “Then what’s your answer?”

“I’ll have to talk with my partners but-”

“Partners?”

Danny blinked. Tim blinked.

“Dude,” he deadpanned, “I’m in a polycule with Tucker and Sam. You… you didn’t know?”

By the panicked face and the looks he gave the the group on the shore, and specifically, Danny’s best friends still getting ready to get into the water (the fuckers probably knew this was going to happen and set them up, Danny had to have a talk with them); Danny understood that Tim had no idea he was taken before trying to confess.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I will shut up now. This didn’t happen. Forget I said anything.” He covered his eyes with his hands.

“How didn’t you know? I never hid it.”

“I just thought you guys were very good friends!”

Danny threw his head back and laughed.

[mocksterling]

DC Comics Crack Ships I have but they slowly get more and more deranged

Note: Some of these ships I do not necessarily want to see/won't make sense in the comics. Most of these are more of fun fanfic pairings.

Timberkon

Kon el × Timothy Drake × Barnard Dowd

Barnard would die if he gets to date two heros, the fanboy could never.

Tim Drake has two hands.

The unwanted punk with daddy issues² dates the successful sleep deprived coffee addicted CEO and the civilian fanboy conspiracy theorist with a high pain tolerance.

Both Tim and Kon thought Barnard knew, but no; he no know. Choatic endeavors is the ultimate result.

Wonderlois

Diana Prince × Lois Lane

The lesbian power couple.

I can mainly only see this in an universe where Lois and Clark never get married which is kinda sad beacuse I love Jon Kent with all my heart.

They would share clothes and their wardrobe is above literally every other person they both know. Including Brucie Wayne.

Both of them would be strong women and LGBTQIA+ rights activist.

Superbruclex?

Clark Kent × Bruce Wayne × Lex Luthor

Bruce is more than happy to sit back and let his boyfriends do the talking for him. Lex talks at galas and the like while Clark does it for more casual/superhero situations.

Lex realizes that Bruce and Clark look a lot alike and gets scared that he might have a very specific type. This fear doubles after he finds out that they're both heros.

Bruce realizes that he has to explain polyamorous relationships to his sons (mostly Damian).

The two rich boys fall for the god of all farm boys.

Rasvan?

Vandal Savage × Ra's al Ghul

Old dudes need love too, okay

Sideburn buddies.

Honestly, they would get together just to do the do only to find that they like eachother after years of this type of relationship. They also found that they got more and more domestic with eachother over time.

Ra's al Ghul faces homophobia from his children (especially since he has never been with anyone after his wife/their mother passed). He hides with Vandal Savage after that beacuse they kinda kicked him out. However, Damian finds out much later and hunts him down to tell him in person that he accepts him. Ra's al Ghul actually cries in front of Damian and Vandal; he showed weakness.

[thevindicativevordan]

Why isn't Nightwing a bigger deal? He has all of Batman's skills and Superman's faith in humanity and is arguably the most beloved hero in the DCU, but most people seem to know him either as the leader of the N̶o̶t̶ ̶J̶L̶ Teen Ttians or just Robin.

Thank you for asking me about Nightwing, I've been wanting to write a piece about him for a while now. The short version is that everyone who claims Dick becoming Nightwing was him "moving out of Batman's shadow and becoming his own man" is completely wrong.

Dick Grayson is a fantastic character, someone who saved Bruce Wayne in-universe both by forcing Batman to grow up a bit, and the countless times he saved Batman's life as his partner whether as Robin or Nightwing. Dick saved Batman in the real world as well, hard to believe but Batman was actually in danger of being cancelled due to poor sales early on. Enter Robin, a young daredevil audience stand in the creators hoped would get kids interested in reading Batman. And it worked! Sales on Batman doubled once Robin showed up which is crazy to think about, but Dick Grayson has always been a popular character. Cartoons like Teen Titans, Batman: The Animated Series, and The Batman only helped grow his audience.

Character-wise, Dick Grayson really does fill a number of crucial roles in the DCU. For Batman, Dick is proof that Batman is a positive force. Meeting Batman helped change Dick for the better, helped him heal after his parents died. With Dick, Batman can take comfort in knowing that yes, he has made a difference in the world for at least one orphan boy, which is all he wanted when he lost his parents himself. To the wider DCU, Dick is a friendly face who convinces others that Batman is competent and not a complete asshole. He took this kid in, trained him to be one of the best heroes the DCU has seen, and did it all out of the kindness of his heart. That someone like Dick can confront the evils of Gotham and not break means there's still hope for that city. As Robin, Dick has led the Titans and is an icon in his own right as The Sidekick, the original, the one every other Robin is built around copying or contrasting. The one all other superhero sidekicks are drawing on as a basis. As Robin Dick Grayson is very much on Batman's level.

Just not as Nightwing. As Nightwing, Dick has been a second rate Daredevil which means he's a third rate Batman (fully prepared to get hate for this but I've read and enjoyed the Miller and Bendis DD runs so I feel entitled to my opinion). A typical Nightwing run tends to go like this: Moving to Bludhaven (which is Gotham... but WORSE!), Dick Grayson usually enrolls in a pointless job we don't care about in order to provide some meaningless soap opera drama that doesn't go anywhere. Patrolling the city as Nightwing, he fights a variety of bad guys who are usually rather lame and unthreatening, with his big bad being a Kingpin knockoff called Blockbuster. Villains are fought, long running plotlines are set up, then everything is abandoned because it's Batfamily event time, and Dick has to run back to Gotham in order to play sidekick again. Usually his involvement is completely superfluous and it would've been better if the writer had gotten to opt out. By the time we finally get back to Nightwing's solo plotlines, the audience has usually ceased to care and the run gets cut short.

That's how Nightwing has been since the New 52 at least. Anyone who thinks that's "becoming their own man" is out of their mind. Dick is so thoroughly in Batman's shadow that he got shot in the head and spent a longer time as "Ric" which everyone fucking hated and sold like shit, than he did as Agent Grayson which was extremely well-received. Reiterating: Ric went on longer than Grayson because of a fucking Batman plotpoint Tom King wanted where Bruce was sad and cut off from the Batfamily because of Dick getting shot. Not just calling out King either, how many times was Kyle Higgins Nightwing run derailed because of Scott Snyder's crossovers? Or how about that entire run getting dumped to the side because Johns wanted to out Dick during Forever Evil, a Justice League/Lex Luthor story? DC has repeatedly made their contempt for Nightwing clear, he's Batman's sidekick still in their eyes, and he serves whatever story role the Batman writer wants.

Hell his best stories tend to have been the ones where he's not Nightwing. He was Robin in a good chunk of the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans run. Morrison really showcased his depth as a character when they wrote him as Batman, their time with Dick under the cowl was actually one of the first Batman runs I ever read, and no Nightwing run has ever matched it in terms of quality in my humble opinion. Scott Snyder's work with DickBats also was a high point for the character, showing Dick as competent and examining his relationship with Gotham and the Gordons. King and Seeley gave him one of the best comic runs with Grayson, a series where he wasn't even a "superhero" technically! When it comes to actual pre-New 52 Nightwing runs that are highly recommended where he *is* Nightwing, there's Chuck Dixon and uhhhhhhh... Tomasi's brief run before Dick became Batman? It's not exactly an overwhelming list.

Look there has been good work done with Nightwing, I'm not claiming there hasn't been. Tim Seeley wrote a great run with Nightwing Rebirth. Seeley fleshed out Dick's Rogues Gallery with cool new ones like Raptor, he brought back old foes like Dr. Hurt (why oh why couldn't you have brought back Flamingo too?), he gave Dick's world some character it solely needed. Bludhaven under Seeley is pretty much the only time I've really felt like it lived up to being Dick's city.

The problem with fictional cities is you have to put in the work to give them the character of real cities. You have to make the cities feel like characters in their own right. Gotham is the best example of this, it's a character all it's own, one that tells you a lot about Batman and his cast. In contrast Bludhaven is usually one of the worst. Any place that wants to claim to be worse than the city that is built over the gate to hell and gets wrecked every other month by the Arkham freaks has to really put in the work to compete. Simply put, Bludhaven typically fails utterly. There's nothing about it that makes you really buy it's worse than Gotham, I mean does anyone really think Nightwing's Rogues wouldn't get their lunches eaten by Batman's? No, no one genuinely buys that. When Bludhaven claims to be worse, it just comes across as tryhard, an attribute that does end up telling you about Nightwing in unintentional ways.

So Seeley didn't do that. Instead he created a city built for a hero like Dick Grayson. Someone who is bright and flashy, but does have an element of darkness to him. Someone who loves the spotlight, but often uses it to obscure. Seeley turned Bludhaven into Las Vegas, and that was the fucking best concept for Bludhaven I have ever seen, it makes so much sense. Las Vegas is the "Entertainment Capital of the World" and isn't that the perfect city for a hero who got their start working in the circus? Isn't the aesthetics of the gleaming casinos, the glamorous sex appeal of the performers, and the spectacle of the shows, all being used to cover up the seediness of mob bosses meeting backstage perfect for Nightwing? It's so utterly unlike New York City, yet Las Vegas is still dangerous, it's got a crime culture all it's own. Seeley used it to great effect, as did Humphries during his brief run, and I will always be pissed that DC didn't continue to use it. That should have stuck around and been the definitive look for Bludhaven.

How Seeley's take on Bludhaven was treated feels like a small scale version of how Nightwing in general gets treated. Whenever creators pitched ideas for him, if editorial thought there was potential to break big, they asked for those ideas to be repurposed for Batman instead. Anything big or good gets repurposed for Batman or tossed to the side so Nightwing can go back to his default: having irrelevant adventures in a city that is supposedly worse than Gotham but can't live up to it. Just like how Nightwing is supposedly better than Batman but never gets to show it. Goddamn it's so frustrating seeing his potential get wasted like that.

The Nightwing book should be one of DC's most ambitious books in terms of storytelling. You can go from traditional superhero stories, to romantic soap opera, to spy stories, to crime noir, to horror, to cosmic adventures, and ALL of them would fit because Nightwing is someone who has a foot in both Gotham and Metropolis. He's got friends everywhere on every team, and has been a hero longer than most Leaguers have at this point. No reason DC should still be afraid to let him loose and insisting on hewing close to what Dixon established almost over 30 years ago is only holding him back. At the very least get him some better Rogues, why the hell didn't he get to keep Professor Pyg? That's Dick's villain not Bruce's! Bullshit that they didn't let Dick keep him. Hopefully Flamingo comes back, with a slight revamp I think he'd make a great reoccurring Nightwing Rogue.

Luckily it does look somewhat like Nightwing fans have reason to be optimistic. While Taylor isn't to my taste, DC clearly views him as a "big" writer, and that they put him on Nightwing says a lot. Taylor has been selling well so far, so hopefully he gets to tell his story, hilarious that even he lampshaded having to write Dick running over to Gotham for another tie-in after Taylor's big opening arc was all about Dick committing himself and his money to Bludhaven. Scott Snyder is apparently working on a Black Label Nightwing book which will explore how he's a different detective than Bruce. The Gotham Knights video game has him as one of the main stars, and while Titans is... controversial, it's one of the most popular streaming shows and Dick is the main character. There's a lot of content coming that features him in the starring role, and that will only help his star rise further.

For the first time in, well, ever it feels like DC may be serious about elevating him. Time will tell if it pays off, but I for one choose to be optimistic that the 2020s will be a turning point for Dick Grayson where Nightwing becomes hugely popular in his own right. Not just as Batman's sidekick.

[the-bat-collector]

SUPERBAT Rec List!! AU NO POWERS ish PART 1

I love NO POWERS NO CAPES AUs but its been so hard to find them!! so decided to make this list to help y’all in your search  :D

The length varies, but I prefer long fics so most of these are 10-20k up to 200k 

Heart and Soul by Pandamomochan

E - 150,044

Clark Kent used to be a renowned composer who was said to be able to write masterpieces that were designed uniquely for each individual player. Famous musicians around the world would flock to him in hopes that he would write for them because his pieces were always said to bring out any player's crowning performance. That is, until one day Clark loses his wife in a tragic accident and decides never to write again.

Years later, Clark's son, Jon, gets admitted to the famous "Gotham School of Performing Arts". It is there that Clark meets Bruce Wayne, a strict, uptight, by the book piano instructor who is said to be able to craft the best musicians around the world.

this is one of my favorites. I'm not really into Hurt/Comfort but this is so beautiful!! highly recommended I'm biased cause I play the piano

Seeing Bruce Wayne by Evilpixie

E - 15,089

Clark Kent is the only male midwife working in Metropolis General. Bruce Wayne the residential pediatric surgeon.

I'm so into medicine/doctor AUs this is also one of my favorite fics!if you have to pick one from this list, pick this one!!!

On The Cusp by vesper_house

E - 47,378

Clark's life isn't going so well. He's in his thirties, he works at a coffee shop run by his old crush, his journalism career is going nowhere, and he's broke. It takes only one tall, dark and handsome stranger to change everything.

COFFE SHOP AU COFFESHOP AU!! We need more of these, the dynamic between Bruce and Clark is Great!!!!

A Game You Can't Win by NightFoliage

T - 78,328

Injustice is the hottest MMORPGs available to play! Set in a world where superpowers exist, players can become civilians, heroes, villains, and anybody in-between. Designed by Hiro “Toyman” Okamura, and Timothy Drake-Wayne, Injustice was created with the best Wayne Industries technology available and has the most human NPCs. The game is beyond it's time and is planned to be at the top of the charts for a while.

By accident, Clark finds himself pushed into the spotlight and new found fame. To him, Let’s Plays are a means to stay in touch with friends and to make money. He never got into LPing to become famous.

Bruce, who funded the game after Jason’s accident, is irritated (not jealous) that a video game player is such a big topic among the kids. After the nth time they mention him, Bruce decides to take matters into his own hands and see what all the fuss is about.

link to art

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SUPERBAT FICS OUT THERE!!!!!! this is great and fun and Clark is the best!

As We Grow by butterflyslinky

E - 23,451

Clark Kent is a farmer deep in debt to Lex Luthor.

Bruce Wayne is a billionaire with seven children and no luck in love.

But their families have a scheme to get them together and hopefully make life a little bit better.

Modern Medicine by BuckinghamAlice

G - 5,208

Pediatrician Dr. Clark Kent becomes beloved to his patients, the Wayne boys... as well as to their doting father Bruce.

ABSOLUTELY lovely and adorable, you get the feels!

Hellooooo, nurse! by weirdraccoon INCOMPLETE WIP

T - ?????

Clark enjoys his job at the Free Clinic. He loves helping people and tending injuries. Saving lives. But this man... Bruce Wayne is going to kill him if he doesn't get killed first.

Bruce is still Batman on this one but HERE ME OUT, Clark is a nurse! is incomplete but looking forward to the following chapters!!

Two Cities by EllenD

E - 96,152

Clark Kent, is simply Clark Kent, junior reporter for the Daily Planet who moved to Metropolis from Smallville with big dreams. Bruce Wayne is a billionaire playboy from Gotham, who also happens to be Batman. They meet, date, and fall in love, though not without hurdles because mild-mannered Clark is also socially awkward as heck. But when the most dangerous criminals in Gotham are gunning for Batman, Clark gets caught in the middle of it all. (He's basically Batman's Lois Lane) Meant to be set in the Dawn of Justice movie universe, but also draws inspiration from video games, comics, and those awesome Batman cartoons.

This is part of a series, but this is the main fic of it. Love this trope of Clark is just a civilian and Bruce is Batman. Warning this fic does contain disturbing topics so read the tags.

Here Comes the Sun by batsy_rocks

T - 18,815

Clark Kent is a kind-hearted reporter working in the big city. Bruce Wayne is a stressed dad of four with no idea of what he's doing.

Then they meet.

Seasons of Love by littlechinesedoll

G - 4,603

Clark Kent took over that farm at the edge of the Town of Smallville. He likes Smallville's resident doctor, Bruce Wayne.

The best gifts for Bruce are ginger ale, salad, coffee, and any kind of flowers. He hates gems, and bars of copper, silver, and gold.

Petals and Ink by drunkraiinbow

T - 12,976

With a new kid joining the family, Bruce tries a new tattoo artist to continue the tradition of adding them to his sleeve, but he won't trust just any artist. Clark manages to win him over with his incredible talent and his farm-boy friendly demeanor, and he may even have begun to win Bruce's heart. However, Clark might have a few things to learn first.

FLOWER SHOP TATTOO PARLOUR AU! what else is there to say, this is extremely cute and a fast read! :D

Faceless Killer by Batsymomma11

E - 51,519

Detective Bruce Wayne from the GCPD and detective Clark Kent from the MPD have been asked to create a joint task force in an effort to catch the John Doe Killer that has been ravaging their sister-cities. Aside from their long-standing animosity towards one another, it should be a breeze to work together. Besides, lives depend on them getting along.

They never expected they'd trip headlong into a romantic entanglement that feels a lot more serious than even the killer they're chasing.

The Tailor by maderi

E - 16,026

When Clark is assigned to cover the Wayne gala, he finds himself in need of a professionally tailored suit. His tailor though is drop dead gorgeous, which brings up a lot of awkward situations during their appointments.

Heroes of the Squared Circle by Mithen

M - 226,687

They've gone by many names: Billionaire Brucie, Country Clark, the Kryptonian, the Dark Knight. But no matter what their stage names are, one thing has always been true: Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are the world's finest wrestlers.

Six's a crowd by Untoward INCOMPLETE/ABANDONED

G - 10,133

When Alfred has to make an emergency trip back to England, Bruce soon finds out he can't manage running a business and taking care of six kids all alone.

He turns to a nanny agency for help, and is astonished when he finds Clark Kent, who seems like he can handle anything.

Clark not only can take care of the kids incredibly well but seems to be breaking Bruce's walls down rather well too.

After Hours by ????

E - 3,175

At the end of a long semester Clark can't hide his attraction to Professor Wayne any longer. Grad School AU.

This is practically a one-shot, not really my type of fic but worth adding!! Haven't come across this professor trope in Superbat so if you got any recs, send them my way!

Wings and Fangs by DanielleN3

E - 17,224

Clark thought he could never fall in love with anyone, especially not after being alone for such a long time… but all of that changes when he encounters a sexy vampire in Gotham.

TECHNICALLY they both have powers in this one but there are soooo different from cannon that I think this fic still qualifies for this list

thirteen by CapnWinghead

T - 22,890

Drowning in student loans, Clark Kent takes a summer job as the Wayne family nanny.

OKAY. so this is not entirely NO POWERS, but I mean Clark is a NANNY so this is great! TRUST ME

Kiss me, take my breath away by J_Jubilee

E - 37,934

There were legends about Gotham Reef. Legends that said it was haunted by a beast of foul temper. Stories told of a ravenous sea beast that feasted on the flesh of men, and was said to be more hideous than Satan himself. Others told of a woman with eyes that glowed like gold to lead sailors to their death. Some even spoke of a witch that cursed men and wreck their ships, taking all their treasures with it. When Clark’s catamaran is wrecked by a terrible storm, he learns that the stories were oh so far from true.

Baby Bats by AlmondRose

G - 4,003

this is a short series of adorable and simple domestic fluff

------

Haven't read this one but heeey the art is sooo pretty soo decided to add it anyways

Dragon Heart by Hells Angel 921

T - 27,660

Kal wants to make up for his past.

Bruce tries to move on with his future.

They eventually meet in the middle.

link to art

I didn't know that Dragon/DragonSlayer was a thing but hey... apparently it is, so here it is.

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

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hehe and so my rant ends here! let me know if you know fics that fit any of these tropes! I’m all ears

[keepitmovinshawty]

Ok watching the Snyder Cut again but this time with notes!

Kids today will never know the struggle of buying a movie only to realize that it’s the full screen version instead of the widescreen version.

The opening sequence actually made me tear up a little.

Superman’s cry of anguish is more powerful than Zeus.

Amber Heard. Gross.

I like how the Atlanteans and Amazons have their Mother Boxes in secure locations but “man” has theirs tossed in the back of a closet. Sounds about right.

Because of course Bruce Wayne knows Icelandic too.

So Arthur takes off his shirt to swim but leaves his jeans on. God the chafing...

Alfred dragging Bruce is always hilarious.

Ok this bank scene with Diana was in the 2017 version but it’s a lot more violent in this one. And I guess the desaturation of the scene also makes it seem less like a cartoon. There’s actual tension in this. Editing matters.

“Boring.” Diana said cut to the damn chase. She doesn’t have all day.

Diana really makes use of her greaves.

Not Diana vaporizing this dude.

I want a whole movie of just the Amazons.

I actually like how they did the live action Boom Tube.

The Amazons are beasts with their lassos.

I love Hippolyta.

Part 2! I like how this was split into parts.

No one ever says Superman’s name. It’s always “him.”

Diana always wears white.

This whole scene where Diana goes to Athens is left out.

I think this conversation between Arthur and Vulko is too.

I forgot this movie is canonically before Aquaman.

Steppenwolf is an actual character in this one.

Isn’t this the second time Diana has broken into Bruce’s place?

Ooooh a Green Lantern!

Professor Lupin defeating Darkseid is a highlight.

Forever giggling at how the Amazons and Atlanteans do the most to hide the boxes while Man just buries it in the forest.

I want to meet someone who makes me stop and stare like Barry and Iris did.

There’s always a fruit stand.

Barry giving new meaning to running out of your shoes.

Cyborg’s origin story is easily one of the saddest.

Also, 2017 cut his mother entirely out. I mean, Whedon damn near wrote him out the movie.

I wonder if the Sarah they were talking about is Sarah Charles...

Victor helping the single mother was 🥲

Dr. Manhattan is Barry’s father.

Competitive ice dancing. Very competitive ice dancing.

Batman with a lasso...

Victor is still in his bitter stage.

J. Jonah Jameson and Commissioner Gordon are the same person.

Amber Heard again. Gross.

So the Atlanteans here can’t speak underwater. They only make these trill noises. But they do speak in air pockets.

How unfortunate that Arthur saves Mera just in time.

Steppenwolf wants all the smoke with Diana for some reason.

I love Wonder Woman’s theme.

Aquaman casually late but he holds the water back so it’s all good.

The Anti-Life Equation. That thing that makes earth so special.

Darkseid enters the chat.

Steppenwolf without his armor... Yeesh...

How did Darkseid forget which planet kicked his ass 5000 years ago?

Not Arthur looking incredulous about Victor being able to speak to intelligence. Dude, you talk to fish.

Why do the Nazis find everything?

The little explanation about the Mother Boxes was cool. Also a scene that was cut.

Swanwick being Martian Manhunter this whole time is wild. Also cut from the theatrical version.

You know in other versions of his “death,” Superman isn’t actually dead. His body is just comatose as he heals. But he appears dead to humans because his heart rate slows down so much.

Lol the ship AI is like “this is a monumentally bad idea I strongly advise against it please don’t do this” 🤣🤣🤣

Ironically, Superman returning is the worst part of the movie to me. Not the fact that he’s back just how it’s done. The whole fight sequence to me is ridiculous and a waste of time. Like why has he even forgotten who he is in the first place?

Well in this version there’s no awful “do you bleed” and Lois gets herself to the scene.

Bruh... Victor done watched both parents die now.

Henry Cavill is really pretty. Dude has that old Hollywood gorgeousness.

It’s come to my attention that Bruce and Clark’s mothers have the same name.

Time to go fuck Steppenwolf up!

Black suit Supes flying up into the atmosphere to get some of that sweet, sweet solar radiation.

They finally got that thing to fly only to fuck it up as soon as they get there 😅

Steppenwolf is antagonizing Diana and idk why. What did she do to you, bruh?

Wonder Woman 🤝 Aquaman 🤝 Superman

So this whole part with them essentially losing and Barry having to run back time didn’t happen in 2017 at all. Instead they just had him... save a random family?

Seriously... Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Supes treated Steppenwolf.

Y’all outchea feeling bad for Steppenwolf but let’s not forget his debt was 150K worlds. DeSaad said he still had 50K left. That means he destroyed 100K worlds already. Fuck him.

Man why they tease Granny Goodness then didn’t have her speak? And if she doesn’t sound like Ed Asner is it even worth it?

Ryan Choi! Aka Atom!

Silas’ voiceover during the ending was so touching 🥲

Words cannot express how much I hate Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I actually like Lex as a character but I hate him in the DCEU because just ugh. Worst casting ever.

Oh look it’s Slade. Or Deathstroke. Whichever name strikes your fancy.

Just throwing Batman’s real name out there.

Amber Heard again. 😒😒😒😒😒

I actually like Jared Leto here. Tho that laugh needs work.

I know it’s the Knightmare timeline but I still have a hard time believing Clark becomes Darkseid’s lackey because Lois dies. I get the pain and anguish but dude... Lois wouldn’t want that.

This epilogue felt like the ending, a mid-credits scene, and a post-credits scene put together.

Welp that was great! And I’ll probably watch it a 3rd time this weekend with my siblings.

[chriscdcase95]

Wonder Woman WLW prompts

Alright, so you know how the DCEU incarnation Diana is popularly shipped with a multitude of female characters in both DC and Marvel media ?

Considering she has been walking the Earth for literal decades, I’m wondering where is that one fic of her many WLW romances over the decades are ?

Or possible poly groups she’d be involved in.

Just think of the potential (I say in my mad scientist voice).

Note: The following combines the DCEU, Arrowverse, and MCU into the same world. I don’t now how this would work, so let’s suspend our disbelief a bit. Originally this was just going to be a Superwondercorp post, but my ideas got the better of me.

MCU: 40′s era: Peggy (and Angie) are introduced to Diana temp housemate who would be staying with at Howard Stark’s estates as a guest. Heck, you want to go all the way with the Aunt Peggy headcanons for Kid!Tony, just imagine Aunt Diana!

DCEU: 80′s: You’ve got Diana pairing up with Barbara. I’ve seen plenty of those prompts already, although I am yet to see WW1984.

MCU: 90′s era: Carol Danvers, during one of her on and off stays on Earth happens across Diana while the two happened to be looking into rumor's of alien activity on Earth. Unlike what you’d expect they don’t come to blows, but have more of a rivals to lovers thing. Depending on Carol and Maria’s relationship at this point, we’d get more Aunt Diana.

Although given WandaVison, I’d figure at most Carol would be on and off with Maria, but her heart always leads her back to Maria.

Present Day: Okay this might be a little difficult, because I don’t know which one to settle on.

I’d like to  humor the idea of a Diana x Harley enemies to lovers thing, but taking their DCEU characters into account. I just find them too different and problematic to make it work; I would think that at the very least Diana’s friendship with Bruce, and Harley’s involvement with Jason Todd’s murder would be a point of contention between them, but that’s just me.

Then you got other MCU girls, and to be honest I’m kind of leaning to Natasha Romanov for this one, I just don’t know what version to go with so the following is something I did off the top of my head. 

Warning, it’s gonna be bittersweet because Endgame is a thing. I advise you to skip down to the Superwondercorp bit.

After the events of the Thanos snap, and during the five year time skip, Diana is among those unaffected by the snap. However the Justice League is fractured, brought about by their failure to aid in the fight with Thanos along with the Avengers. When Carol returns to Earth, Diana reunites with her, and with Tony whom she hasn’t seen since her days with Peggy. 

Initially, Diana would serve as another aunt figure to Morgan Stark, and over time however, she ends up bonding with Natasha with the latter holding down the fort with S.H.I.E.LD, with the weight of the world on each others shoulders, with the two working together in that department. The end result is Natasha becoming a “primary” girlfriend to Diana, while the two try to hold eachother together.

Diana doesn’t join in on the time travel heist, but she, and the Justice League, join in on the final battle with Thanos’ army. And when she learns of Natasha’s sacrifice...we see Diana in such a stage of superpowered rage we haven’t seen since her battle with Ares.

When the dust finally settles, and after Tony’s funeral service (which may include DC allies for this AU), Diana takes to mourning in private. She sets up a shrine to the lost loved ones she had over the decades, both lovers and those she considers family. We see Steve (Trevor), Peggy, Tony, Natasha among those she pays tribute too, and those she will always keep in her heart. She is approached by Clint who tells her that Tony isn’t the only one they are mourning that day; during Tony’s hologram speech to his family, we also get a montage of Nathasa’s friend and family (pretty much everyone who wasn’t in the Stark’s living room during the “I Love you 3000″ scene) passing Diana’s shrine to her, each leaving a rose under a picture of Natasha.....

Superwondercorp: Set also corresponding with an alternate version of Supergirl, season five. Set several months after this verse’s version of Endgame.

With the Justice League and Avengers readjusted into the world, Diana decides to take a small break after carrying the world for so long. She is slowly going back into her civilian life, and attending art galleries'. At one such gallary, she meets Lena Luthor, whom she is initially cautious with, but quickly the two grow on each other. 

For the sake of transparency, Diana reveals herself as Wonder Woman, figuring that Lena - as a Luthor - would already know considering this world Lex would already know their identities. As one gag, while Diana and Lena are drinking at Lena’s place, Diana reveals that Bruce Wayne is Batman, to which Lena is genuinely at a loss for words when she finds out.

Anyways, Diana notices and hears about Lena and Kara falling out, and takes it upon herself to fix their relationship. While she’s a freelance superhero, Diana still works with Kara and the two bond over that. We get no more William Dey in this AU; Diana shoots that down before it even starts and is the one who calls out his Nice Guy attitude.

Diana herself isn’t looking for a relationship, as she’s still raw over Natasha’s passing, and it usually takes her years, even decades to get into a new relationship. Despite this, the romantic tensions she feels for Lena and Kara is so thick, that Excalibur itself would break trying to cut it. In addition to the struggles Kara and Lena canonically go through, Diana’s struggle is trying not to fall in love so soon after Natasha. Not that it stops Diana from accidentally sleeping with both of them on two respective occasions.

Since season five technically didn’t get a proper ending, things would still be up in the air for now, but I figure that when Kara and Lena reconcile in the seasons “finale”, they both kiss a surprised Diana on the mouth. They then agree to talk things over after Lex is dealt with...

[ao3feed-ladynoir]

The One and Only Blood Daughter

The One And Only Blood Daughter by QueenKitten01

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was very tired. Like sleep like the dead tired. Most of it was contributed by three people; Alya Cesaire, Chloe Bourgeois, and Lila Rossi.

The latter two, they were just bullies who thought they had the world. For Alya though, lets just say that Marinette was getting really tired of having to worry about her best friend accidentally getting herself killed because she invaded someone's privacy in her haste for a good scoop.

Of course, the fatigue distracted her from the shadow creeping up behind her before she was pulled into a dark alley.

Wait...so she was pulled into an alley by her very short and yet very concerned slightly older brother?

Never saw that coming...

Words: 2855, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Since Wayne Were You His Daughter? (Bio Dad Bruce Wayne)

Fandoms: Maribat-Fandom, Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug, DCU

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Duke Thomas-mentioned, Jagged Stone, Lucius Fox-Mentioned, Alya Césaire, Original Akumatized Character(s), Lex Luthor, Clark Kent-mentioned, Lois Lane-mentioned, Oliver Queen-Mentioned, Jonathan Samuel Kent-mentioned

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Batfamily Members & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Bruce Wayne is Batman, Damian Wayne is Robin, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Bruce Wayne is Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug's Biological Parent, Marinette goes by Cardinal, Damian Wayne Has a Heart, Good Sibling Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Protective Batfamily (DCU), i don't know what i did, Dialogue is in the first half or so, then its not, It was late and I couldn't write that scene very well, oh well, Justice League is very confused, Jagged Stone vs Lex Luthor, Who will Marinette design for?, idk, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is confused, Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain are not the bio parents, Sabine Cheng is Marinette Dupain-Cheng's aunt, Blood Test, it was random and very awkward, I had no other way for them to solve the mystery tho, no beta we die like robins, Bruce Wayne is So Done, a random door was bullied in the makings of this fic, rip random door, Rest in Peace random door, both of those apply, what is with me and my inability to like doors?, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Good Sibling Tim Drake

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34960033

[chibinightowl]

I started off writing this in a mood and it turned into some TimTam pre-relationship. I’ll take it as a win since I really do love the two of them together.

~

Tim knew as soon as he woke up it was going to be one of those days. 

A day where nothing moved him, nothing motivated him. That the only thing that kept him going was caffeine and the promise that if he just kept his shit together long enough, he could go back to bed. 

But as he stared with dead eyes at the clock that refused to move faster, the whole thing seemed like an impossible dream. 

“Tim?” Tam checked with concern in her voice. “You alright?” 

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you seem like you're more dead inside that usual.” Trust her not to pull her punches. 

Scrubbing his face, Tim glanced between his fingers. “I want nothing more than to go to sleep. Screw caffeine, screw all my usual complaints about sleep being for the weak. I just want to go back to bed. Is that too much to ask?”

Tam gave him a pitying look because she knew as well as he did what was on his calendar for today. It was the reason they were both here at the office at an obscenely early hour to make sure they were prepared for whatever was about to be thrown at them. 

Lex Luthor was visiting Wayne Enterprises this afternoon. 

The very fact that he was in Gotham at all had Bruce about ready to tear his hair out. He was already investigating, trying to track down the real reason the megalomaniac was in town. He was supposed to be here this afternoon for the meeting, but everyone knew that Brucie would only make Luthor more coy. 

Tim, on the other hand, was a relative unknown. Young, far too young really, to be in the acting CEO position he was in. The burden was a heavy one, and often weighed more than his responsibilities as Red Robin. But all Luthor would see was an untried boy trying desperately to prove he was up to the task. In his arrogance, the hope was that he'd let something slip. 

It was important. Probably the most important meeting he'd had while in this role thus far. 

What was annoying was that Tim had actually slept decently the night before. He wasn't nervous, so he thought he'd wake up well-rested after allowing for a full eight hours of sleep to be on his A-game. 

But no. Here he was glaring Tam down for no reason other than apathy fueled spite. 

“Did you eat breakfast?” she tried. 

“Kinda? I had a bagel with cream cheese on the way out the door.” 

“Then let's see if you're just hangry.” Tam held out her hand. “Come on, cafeteria time.”

Tim rose from his desk with a put upon sigh. “You're treating me like a child.” 

She had the gall to laugh. “No, if I were treating you like a child, then I'd be treating you like Damian.”

That pulled a surprised huff from Tim. “How so?” he asked, accepting Tam’s hand. It was warm against his own, smooth and soft where his were rough and calloused.

“He always stops making a fuss when given something to eat or drink. For whatever reason, it mellows him out.” 

“Huh.” Tim had to pause in the doorway as he thought that one through. “So that's how you've become the gremlin wrangler.” 

Tam smiled and tugged him along. “I don't know what it is about you guys, but food almost always seems to be the answer.” 

“Isn't the way to a man’s heart through his stomach?” Tim quipped and was actually proud when it sounded real rather than forced. 

The comment garnered him a laugh as Tam pressed the button for the elevator. “I'm not sure yet. You'll be the first to know when I find out.” 

[berjhawn]

Day & Night ~ Ch. 3 ~ Blindside

Bruce Wayne/Batman X Reader (Lady Light) X DC 

Warnings: Past trauma, loss of parents, break ups, genetic engineering, taking peoples DNA without permission, ETC

(A/N) as usual please tell me what you guys think we are almost to the middle of the story. i hope you guys are enjoying it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bruce sat at the League meeting table his mind focused on other things. This mission that Clark was talking about doing was an in and out type. He didn’t need to be here. Hell, tonight he didn’t want too to be here. He wanted to be home, with (Name), and the boys enjoying some down time.

Then he does something he hadn’t done in the middle of a meeting before. He pulls out his cell phone. He sends her a text asking what she was doing and smiles as she instantly replies. As he goes to send her another text Diana clears her throat. Bruce looks up to see them all looking at him.

“I didn’t know Batman could smile.” Barry announces confusion filling his words.

“He doesn’t.” Oliver adds mimicking Barry’s expression.

“I don’t.” Bruce adds making Diana smirk as she rolls her eyes. “You must be seeing things.”

“Walk with me Bruce.” Diana says as she stands up and moves toward the exit while Clark tries to reign in the rest of the league members.

“What is it?” Bruce asks as they walk down the hallway.

“This woman you are dating must be amazing to have you ignoring a meeting like that.” Diana inquires and Bruce knows where this is going.

“She is.” Bruce states honestly trying to drop the conversation.

“Is the reason you won’t show her face to the public, because it’s (Name)?” She asks and worry fills Bruce’s body. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the big guy. I’m glad that she’s finally happy. She deserves that and so much more.”

“She doesn’t know it’s me.” Bruce says making Diana cock an eyebrow in surprise. “She doesn’t want anything to do with this life anymore. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her.”

“Keeping secrets from (name) will only cause her more pain.” Diana states her eyes filling with remorse. “Trust me, telling her the truth is better than her finding out from someone else.”

“Why did she leave?” Bruce asks curiosity filling his voice. “She wouldn’t tell me, or the Bat.”

“It’s not my place to say,” Diana starts moving to look out the window of the watchtower to Earth below. “But if you are serious about her, I will tell you what I can.”

“I love her.” Bruce states with absolutely no hint of a lie in his voice.

“(Name) wasn’t born on Themyscira, she washed up on our shores when she was a child after her mother drowned at sea. Her father used the last bit of his strength to save his only child. My mother found her on the beach on deaths door. Her father lay dead beside her.

“From the moment my mother met (Name) she knew she was special. She once said that it was like the gods had blessed her with the essence of the sun, and she was right. (Name) is basically the sun in human form. Her powers are limitless, and unpredictable. Especially when she is upset.

“Against my mother’s better judgement, she let (Name) leave Themyscira to learn about your world. With every new experience she had (Name) just became more certain that she didn’t wish to return to our home. Then one day she witnessed us save the earth and she wanted to help. So, I brought her here. Hoping this would give meaning to her life.

“At first everything was going well. She and Clark had bonded and for a while they were inseparable. But then,” She pauses for a moment before she continues, “Remember when Connor showed up and Clark ignored him?”

Bruce nods.

“At the time Connor only knew one thing. That he was the product of cloning and that Lex Luthor and Clark were his fathers, so he naturally sought Clark out.”

“But Clark rejected him. I remember I had to have a talk with him about it.”

“While Connor was going through all these emotions about being abandoned, He sought Luthor out. It was then he learned that there was another being that was used in his creation.”

Bruce furrowed his brow, not liking where this was going.

“Luthor told him that he tried to use (Name)’s DNA along with Clark’s and his to make the ultimate being. What Luthor didn’t account for was (Name)’s abilities, her powers, cannot be shared with another being. They belong to her and her alone. However, the genetic mutation that gave her her powers, that can be used to amplify the Kryptonian genes.

“So, having been ignored and abandoned by Clark, Connor sought out the next person in his creation. He sought out his mother.”

“(Name),” Bruce adds and Diana nods.

“When Connor told her what Luthor had said she had the opposite reaction Clark did. I remember her telling me she was shocked and confused as to how they were able to get her DNA, but she wasn’t about to abandon Connor. Whether she wanted it or not, she believed she was partially responsible for him. (Name) became Connor’s mother.”

“Why didn’t I know about this?” Bruce asks anger radiating from him.

“No one did.” Diana confirms folding her arms over her chest. “The only ones who knew were (Name), Luthor, Connor, Clark, and me. We decided it was best to keep it a secret from everyone.”

“If she took over as Connor’s mother, why did she decide to disappear?” Bruce asks.

“(Name) confronted Clark. She tried to get him to help Connor out. She wanted to be the bridge that helped the two of them bond.”

“But?”

“Clark wouldn’t have it. They argued constantly, and then one day (Name) was gone. Whatever happened, why she decided to leave, only her and Clark know the answer to that.” Diana concludes and Bruce has the sudden urge to see (Name).

“There is only one thing I’m not clear on.” Bruce says and Diana turns toward him a confused look on her face. “Who gave Luthor her DNA? We know he got Clark’s because he used Kryptonite to make him weak, but how did he get (Name)’s? last time I checked, she was invulnerable.”

“I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete.” Diana concludes.

Bruce senses someone coming and instantly ends the conversation.

“Thank you,” Bruce says, and she nods.

“You need to tell her, or you’ll lose her.” Diana says before she turns and walks away back toward mission control.

Bruce takes a deep breath and then pulling out his cell phone is about to send her a message when he gets one from her.

‘We need to talk.’

~~~~~~

I stand there frozen in place as I stare motionless at my son’s bright blue eyes. How was he here? How did he know where I was? I wasn’t angry with him but because he looked so much like his father, I needed space away from him.

“Connor, what are you doing here?” I ask and his brow furrows.

“I wanted to see you.” He replies wanting to come in but afraid I would reject him.

I look back at the boys still sitting on the couch and I push my anger and hurt away and motion for him to come inside.

“Come in, please.” I say and he follows.

Once he is inside, I close the door behind him and as my emotions get the better of me, I reach out and pull him into my arms. I hold him as tight as I could as he grips tightly to me. Tears sting my eyes as I think about how much I had truly missed him. Even if I hadn’t given birth to him, Connor was my son. I would always be there for him.

“I’m sorry you had to leave.” Connor says into my shoulder and I shake my head.

“It’s not your fault.” I reply as I pull away from him to cup his cheeks. “You did nothing wrong. I just couldn’t stay there anymore.”

“(Name) you okay?” I hear Damian ask and Connor’s head shoots to look at the boy who was standing in the hallway next to Jason.

“Yeah I-”

“What are you two doing here?” Connor questions anger in his voice.

“What’s it look like super-boy?” Jason retorts and my eyes widen.

“Wait, you all know each other?” I ask glancing back and forth between them.

“They’re Batman’s sidekicks.” Connor announces and my heart drops.

“No, then that would mean that Bruce is…” I pause everything starting to make sense. “Oh, how did I never see it?”

“(Name)?” Damian questions and I turn to look at both him and Jason in a new light.

If they were Batman’s sons, then they knew who I was from the beginning. They all did. Is that why Bruce approached me? Was he just keeping tabs on an unstable superhero? Did he even truly care about me?

“Boys, I think it’s time you guys went home.” I say my heart tightening in my chest.

“Come on Damian,” Jason says to his little brother as he reaches for his jacket. “I think (Name) needs some time alone.”

“No, I don’t want to go. Everything was fine until he showed up. What is he doing here anyway?” Damian argues angrily.

“What am I doing here? I have a right to be here, why are you here?”

“Because we can be.” Jason adds narrowing his eyes at Connor. “What right do you have to be here?”

“She’s my mother!” Connor yells and I grab his arm stopping him.

“Connor, stop!” I yell making him close his mouth.

I glance back at Damian and Jason to see them staring at us in shock. My eyes find Damian’s and I don’t know why but I see disappointment and betrayal in them. My heart was screaming out for me to go to him and hold him, but I couldn’t.

“Please boys, please go home.” I plead with them and I watch as Damian’s eyes turn cold as he grabs his backpack and races past me out the front door.

“I got him.” Jason says as he quickly races off after him.

When they are gone, I close the door and walk past Connor to the couch. I collapse onto it as I feel my legs give out from under me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Connor starts but I stop him with just a sad look.

“I know sweetie. You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” I reply as I reach out to grab my phone.

“Are you okay?” He asks and I shake my head. I couldn’t lie to him.

“No, not really.” I reply as I send a quick text to Bruce.

“I shouldn’t have come.” Connor says instantly moving toward the door to leave.

“Connor, wait.” I call making him stop in his steps. “Come here.”

He waits for a second before he turns and walks over to sit beside me on the couch. Reaching up, I gently brush his hair back as I take a deep breath.

“Connor, you are always welcome wherever I am. I will never tell you differently. I may not have had any say in how you were born, but I will take responsibility and be there for you when ever you need me. I am your mother; I will never turn my back on you.” I say making him nod slightly as his eyes start to water. “You are the best thing I never knew I needed. So never ever feel like you don’t belong here with me. Okay?”

“I understand.” He concludes and I gently lean up and kiss his forehead.

“Now, what happened?” I ask, knowing that there was another reason for him coming to see me.

“I found out who gave your DNA to Cadmus.”

Will Continue - 

[hains-mae]

Flowers - Pt. 2

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (end)

(Damian x Reader) Soulmate AU

Rating: T

Ages: Damian and you are 16, everyone’s ages follow after.

Summary: Soulmate AU where the wounds on your soulmate turns into a flower tattoo on your skin, if it heals with no scars the tattoo goes away, if it heals with a scar then the tattoo stays. You know who your soulmate is. It’s Robin. The vigilante. The crime-fighter and protector of Gotham who runs along side the Dark Knight himself – Batman. And you’re still you. This couldn’t possibly work, could it?

Notes: I did not expect my last fic to gain as much popularity as it had, and I am so thankful. @grincheveryday said there had to be a part 2, and although I wasn’t planning on it – I relented. And now here we are, with part 2.

Anyway, thank you again so much for the lovely comments. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own DC. If I did, I wouldn’t make it as confusing as it is now.

Metropolis. The convention was to be held in Metropolis. The city of Superman! I was more than excited when the school informed us, and it turned out that Lex Corp. was sponsoring our transport and accommodations.

Gotham Academy instructed us to pack a week’s worth. The actual event was going to run for a total of one week. 3 days to try and impress during the showcase. After that they scheduled a meeting for students and companies who were interested in internships and mentoring, which would last another 2 days. On the last day Wayne Ent. promised a gala to finish off with a bang.

“Oh, my baby is growing up.” Mom said as she helped me pack.

“It’ll only be a week, mom. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” I laughed.

It was a decent trip going to the big city of Metropolis. What I noticed first were the clean streets and bright colours. The sun was actually out of the clouds (something that only happened a handful of times during the year back at Gotham). There was a lot of excited chatter on the bus as soon as we entered.

“Alright children, you know the rules. Keep close and stay in sight.” Our science professor spoke up over the murmurs.

“Ah, Gotham Academy I’m presuming!” A boisterous voice caught our attention and successfully made us all quiet.

It was Mr. Lex Luthor.

“Mr. Luthor, it’s an honour. May I just say on behalf of our school we’d like to thank you for the generous hospitality.”

“The honour is mine.” He replied to our guide and professor as he shook her hand. “With such young and brilliant minds, how can I refuse?”

It felt surreal to be there. To be meeting with one of the most famous inventors and businessmen on the planet. I thought about pinching myself but if this was a dream, I didn’t want it to end.

We were ushered into the building that we were going to be staying at for the next week. It looked amazing on the inside just as it did on the outside. The receptionist smiled warmly at us when we entered. As the adults talked about where to place us, my schoolmates and I were left in a waiting area with large, soft sofas. I sighed in delight thinking this day couldn’t get any better.

The briefing was short, and we were sent to our rooms to freshen up before dinner. If I thought the lounge was awesome, the bedrooms were 5 times more. The walls were cream in colour, and the furniture’s light tan tint complimented the aesthetic. Two queen sized beds since were to stay in pairs. Bright yellow flowers on beautifully painted vases stood on each of our bedside tables.

I took the bed closest to the window, and placed my bags on the floor. My roommate didn’t mind as she unzipped her suitcase and began to make herself at home. As we shuffled around placing our belongings in their respective areas, I couldn’t help but wonder if Robin would be here. It was a million to one chance since many schools from Gotham were involved, but still, I hoped.

You don’t even who he is, or even how he looks like under that mask — my inner muse said pointedly. I sighed, knowing it was right.

That evening I opted to go to the dining hall a little earlier than expected. I didn’t have any friends around, since it was limited to one student per section. So I found myself alone sitting on a table with my name printed all fancy on a card. I sighed, pulling out my phone and going over the slides of my presentation for the invention.

“Good evening.” A presence alerted me and I fumbled as my phone slipped from my hands.

They caught it in one swoop.

I looked up and found myself face to face with a pair of clear forest green eyes.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Damian Wayne.” His tone was clipped as he handed me my phone, like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

I swallowed thickly, I’m sure I looked flustered, he seemed like he was in a bad mood. Quickly clearing my throat I took my phone from him and introduced myself as quickly as I could.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said stiffly and sat down beside me.

There must’ve been a mistake on the placement of the name cards. Usually they would assign our seats in accordance to our sections. Mine should be at the last... and oh my god his name is next to mine?!  How did I not notice this???

“The - the pleasure is mine.” I said nervously and tucked my phone back in my pocket.

I may not be part of any of his (or his brothers’) fan club, but I wasn’t living under a rock. Damian Wayne. Son of Bruce Wayne; the one who organised this entire endeavour. The son of a multi-billionaire business man. The prince of Gotham! What in the world was he doing here — next to me?!

There was a painfully thick awkward silence between us, or maybe it's just me — I bit my lip and looked everywhere else in the room but the boy who was sitting beside me.

Taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I noticed a pleasant aroma in the air. I must’ve missed it after our surprising introductions, but his perfume smelled good. It wasn’t a scent I would normally smell nowadays, but I immediately recognised it.

“Arabian oud.” I said out loud. Unintentionally mind you, to which I mentally facepalmed.

I quickly covered my mouth and apologised. Great, now he’ll think you’re a creep, way to go.

“Yeah.” Damian cocked a brow at me and narrowed his eyes. “It is, not many people know.”

“My dad. He liked those kinds of scents. Came a cross it one time during a case he was working on. I guess it grew on me too.”

Talking about my dad to a complete stranger, it was nerve wrecking but at the same time the memory calmed me, and the scent dancing between us only lulled me further into memory lane.

“It sticks better than regular perfume.” He said nonchalantly.

I had to giggle at that. “Well you get what you pay for.” He scoffed, and I reminded myself that this guy was probably rolling in money every day.

There was silence again, but this time a little less awkward. I still hoped everyone would be here soon though.

My wish was granted. Not five minutes later, the room started to get filled. Everyone took their respective places and made quick chatter. Damian and I stayed quiet though. Perhaps his friends weren’t able to come either, well we had that in common.

Damian was introduced to us before the waiters served our food. Apparently he wasn’t part of the convention but because Wayne Ent. was the one sponsoring, Mr. Wayne deemed it necessary for him to make an appearance.

I sighed to myself and looked around, this really was nothing like I expected it to be.

-x-x-x-

Dinner was delicious. Everyone was happily stuffed and ready for bed. Everyone but me. I couldn’t relax after sitting next to Damian the whole night. I felt his stares multiple times but every time I try to catch him I fail.

As soon as we were done an old man wearing formal attire came to pick him up. Didn’t know where to, but I heard “father” and “penthouse”. Rich kids...

Maybe it was just me who was getting a little paranoid. Maybe it was because of all the rumours I heard of how fan clubs treat other girls who even dared to talk to him other than a polite hi or wave. I shuddered at the thought. Our professor was droning on about the rules (again) and the importance of the buddy system. I briefly wondered if I could sneak out for a small walk around the block or something to release some energy.

And that was exactly where I found myself later that evening. I managed to pass the receptionist and walk a couple of minutes around the area. Not too far, the hotel was still in view. There were people around minding their own business, which was new for me since around this time in Gotham, everyone would be at home. The crisp air felt good, and I was finally able to relax. It was too stuffy being next to him. His smell, it reminded me too much of dad. The memory made a lump form in my throat.

I looked up at the starless sky and blinked back tears. Mom said he’d be proud, I wanted to believe it was true.

“Aw little girl. Why so upset?”

I whirled around and saw a man all dressed in baggy black clothes inch closer at me. “How about you come with me and I can make you feel all better.”

I took a step back as my heart started to race. This was probably not the best idea, even though this was Superman’s City, it didn’t mean crime didn’t exist.

A heavy hand gripped tightly at my shoulder and I realised with utter dread that I was surrounded. Only one way to run and it was through the alley. Every instinct in me shouted that it would be a really bad idea, first off I didn’t know the place, and if I just ran I could very well get lost.

But the grip on my shoulder was worse than anything I could’ve imagined at the moment.

“You’re a pretty little thing aren’t ya.” Another man came in and slid his hands across my cheek before covering my mouth.

His breath smelled of alcohol and smoke. It made me gag.

“I’ve got some great ideas on what I can do with you.” He snickered and dropped his other hand lower onto my chest. I gasped in fear.

No, this isn’t happening.

They pushed me further into the alley, away from prying eyes, and into to the shadows. The man started to grope my waist and hips.

This isn’t happening!

I wanted to fight back, wanted to bite his hand and shout, but my body was frozen. I was in shock. My inner voice was yelling at me to do something, to do anything! But fear clasped me tight and hard.

Then he forced his dirt calloused hand under my shirt and touched my breast.

That snapped me out of it.

With a sense of need to survive I dug my elbow into the man who was holding me and shoved the one in front with as much force as I could muster, exactly how dad taught me. They grunted in pain, and their hold on me lifted. I bolted down the dimly lit passage as soon as I was free.

But they didn’t stop. They called after me, swearing and cursing slurs as they ran. Their footsteps echoed along the tight alley. How many of them were there? 4?

They chanted along what they were planning on doing with me once they catch me. It was horrible. My throat tightening in disgust. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how their minds worked. The tears were beginning to fall as every turn I took only lead deeper into the maze.

I kept running, taking quick sharp turns in the hopes to loose them. I refused to go like this. But my heart plummeted as soon as I faced a dead end.

They were all laughing at my demise, taking their time to get to me so the fear really soaked in. They strolled and taunted. Taking out their ropes and knives from their coat pockets.

“This was a really stupid idea...” I whimpered to myself, wiping my wet cheeks furiously as I did.

“No shit.” I instantly recognised the voice. “We really need to stop meeting like this.”

A figure dropped in front of me, clad in familiar colours. I felt my knees go weak and a new wave of tears started to fall. I sobbed in relief.

Robin pulled out his katana and growled at the men.

“Do not touch her.” He spat at them.

“Robin? But isn’t he supposed to be with the Bat?” One of them questioned, but he was outright ignored.

Their leader, the one who groped me, laughed. A loud barking sort of laughter.

“Don’t touch her?” He mimicked. “But I already have. Must say, she’s quite soft.” He leered at me, I could feel him undressing me with his eyes and I instantly clutched my jacket tighter.

“Bastard!” Robin shouted and threw himself into battle.

They didn’t look worried though.

“You’re just a boy!” They yelled at him as they aimed to kill.

It didn’t phase him as he attacked with the same precision as he did before. Their bullets were evaded with his quick movements. I protected my head with my arms and dashed behind a corner full of crates.

“Excuse me.”

I turned to the person next to me.

He offered a smile, and I noticed his feet weren’t touching the ground. He was hovering over the air.

“Quit stalling Superboy!” Robin grunted. “Take her someplace safe!”

“You heard him.” He told me, and carried me bridal style before flying away.

I clutched on to him as the ground became further and further away.

“Wait — what about Robin?” My voice sounded weak but I didn’t want to just leave him behind.

Superboy looked at me and grinned. “He’ll be okay.”

He set me down on the roof of a building just above the fight.

“Can you wait here a moment? We’ll be right back.”

He looked a few years older, dressed in his father’s colors and symbol proudly plastered on the middle of his chest.

I managed a small nod before he zipped back down and joined the fight. With a bit more courage I peered down and watched as they bravely fought the men. Superboy withheld from using his lasers too much, I suppose since they were in such an enclosed space. Robin on the other hand looked like he was putting everything he had out there.

It ended quite fast, with the men tied up in a rope. Robin seemed to be talking to Superboy, the metahuman nodded once and pointed up where I was standing. I quickly looked away and walked back.

A grappling hook shot up before hooking itself to the side of the building. Robin swung forward and landed gracefully in front of me. He looked angry.

I tried not to look at him straight in the eye, hoping to make myself smaller.

“Did they hurt you?” He asked, his voice filled with concern but still laced with a little venom.

I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering, I felt so ashamed, and so used. I felt dirty.

“He touched me...” I chocked out, trying to keep the tears at bay and failing.

Robin clenched his fists.

“What were you doing outside at this hour?”

“I - I just wanted to take a walk. I didn’t - it wasn’t -“ I was shaking. All I wanted to do was go back home and hide under my covers.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. I heard him walk up to me and hold my chin, turning it towards him as he wiped the tears.

“Stop crying.” He said. “You’re safe now.”

Not being able to help it, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. I wasn’t an overly physical type of person but I needed something solid, something safe, to clutch on to after what just happened. I wished my mom was here, but then I also didn’t since all this would do would only worry her more. I dreaded the fact that I needed to tell her what happened. But for now I just breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. Robins arms slowly encircled me, and he patted my shoulder awkwardly.

Wait — this smell…

Arabian oud.

I tensed, and pushed back. Robin looked a little confused at the suddenly change but loosened the hug.

My heart started to race as I looked up at his face. No way, there has to be hundreds with the same perfume, right? I couldn’t, or rather didn’t want to believe it. Was it really him under this mask? I wish I could give myself an answer but I was terrified of what I would find if I looked. I was both mad yet relieved that I didn’t look too closely at his face during dinner or else it might be too easy to pick apart his features. The mask only hid so much. I must’ve been eyeing him for too long because Robin gave me a questioning look.

“I -“ I quickly put a slight distance between us and cleared my throat, hoping the heat on my cheeks would cool down, and my head to stop spinning. “Sorry, and thank you! I... probably should get back.” I finished lamely.

The time it took us to get from where we were to the hotel was filled with silence. I made sure not to make eye contact for too long and when I had to I made sure to ignore everything else. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to piece the puzzle together... It felt risky. I thanked him again, and asked him to thank Superboy.

Sneaking back into my room was a lot more difficult that sneaking out. Thankfully my roommate and I had separate keys so going in was a breeze. She was already asleep when I got there much to my relief. I headed straight to the shower, eager to scrub off the mans filthy hold on me. I grimaced as I caught my reflection in the mirror, my skin was bright red from all the scrubbing and my eyes were puffy. I sniffed and looked away.

I didn’t sleep that night, not well anyway, but that was to be expected.

...

...

... to be continued ...

[amoretheiwa]

Closet Conversation

Tim and Kon have had a thing going for a little while now--a friends-with-benefits kind of things. But Tim isn't sure he can't keep up the pretense of only friendly feelings towards Kon. So things start to come out... That's basically it.

Read on AO3

Read on Tumblr below the cut

Tim found himself hating Kon just a little bit when the Kryptonian finally pulled completely away and didn’t seem even nearly as out of breath as he was. Sweat made Tim’s face damp and he willed his arm not to swipe at his forehead, chest still heaving.

Kon grinned at him—teeth blindingly white and lips still swollen—as he began to reach for his costume pieces.

“I think I have a new favorite room here,” he said with a wink.

Tim pushed down the emotions—and arousal—that evoked and rolled his eyes.

“If every place we did anything like this in ended up as your favorite room, half the Tower would be your favorite.”

Kon raised and wagged his eyebrows.

“Exactly.”

Tim scoffed and turned around, searching for the discarded pieces of his uniform. In the midst of their little…tryst, the oddest things ended up in the oddest places. His boots were in opposite corners and his cape was stuck over the door handle.

“One of these days someone is going to need something in one of these closets and they’re going to find way more than they expected.”

Kon snorted.

“So what? Good for them.”

Tim tensed for a split second before going back to getting dressed. Their friends with benefits arrangement was mutually beneficial. Kon got out his insane amounts of pent-up sexual tension, Tim got stress relief and the added bonus of close proximity to his current crush/best friend. If he could even still call it a crush after the past few years.

Maybe it was the Bat-training, maybe it was his attempt at keeping feelings out of the whole thing, whatever the reason, Tim was finished getting dressed even as Kon was still looking for his top. Tim allowed himself to watch as his friend floated up to the top of a cabinet. His butt looked good at this angle. Tim felt his cheeks flush and turned around, crossing his arms. Robin tradition or not, he mused bitterly on the stories he had heard from Dick, messing around in random rooms in Titans Tower does not seem smart or safe.

“That was dumb,” he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes.

“What was?” Came Kon’s voice most definitely too loud and too close.

Tim whirled and glared at his…friend.

“This,” he gestured at them both, at the room. “This whole thing was and every time we have done it and probably every time we will do it. It’s a dumb thing with dumb perks.”

Kon furrowed his brows, blue eyes glinting.

“What’s dumb about it?”

Tim scoffed.

“Everything. It’s firstly unsanitary,” Kon outright laughed. Tim pursed his lips. “Secondly, it could end causing problems between teammates.”

Kon tilted his head.

“How so? Unless you don’t like my skills,” here the half-Kryptonian wiggled his  hips, “I don’t see any reason to stop.”

Tim felt his heart jump and his blood roil. Ignoring the fact that Kon could hear all the ways his body was betraying him if he was even bothering to pay attention, Tim continued. He turned around again, crossing his arms.

“Say you and Cassie get back together, or you meet someone else. It just would be problematic!”

Kon shrugged and pulled his shirt on. He went to tuck it in as Tim spoke again.

“That was dumb.”

“I know. I heard you the first three times.”

“Crazy dumb. Crazy, stupid sticking fingers into light sockets kind of dumb.”

Tim glared at the wall, not saying anything else. Before he knew what was happening, Kon was pinning him against the wall just as he had been before, only this time both his hands were above his head and Kon wasn’t touching him anywhere else.

“What’s so dumb about this, Tim?” He asked in a low, sultry voice. It wasn’t exactly the same as his sex voice, a little more serious and less out-of-breath, but still far from his hero's voice.

“Is there something that bothers you about this Tim, or is it something about me?”

Tim swallowed, his throat suddenly extremely dry. Even though they had just spent quite a bit of time in there, certain parts of his body were telling him they were more than willing and ready to go another round, maybe even two, with Kon.

“This isn’t a personal commentary on either of us, Superboy.”

Kon leaned in closer to Tim but still didn’t touch him anywhere else. The familiar tingling of his TTK wound its way up from his ankles to rest low on his hips, pushing him further into the wall. He attempted to swallow again.

“Isn’t it though? You don’t have any problems with Bart and Jaime, or Steph and Cass.”

Tim tensed and a good portion of his arousal went away.

“Because they’re all in a public, committed relationship. Any of the potential fall-outs are at least partially anticipated.”

Kon pulled back some.

“Really, Tim? You’re going to go full-on Bats on me like this?”

Tim resented the fact that even Kon called him out on his more Bruce-like qualities—it wasn’t like Jason and Dick weren’t enough. He grit his teeth and tried to pull his wrists free from Kon’s hands. The clone didn’t fight him but didn’t let him just slip away, either.

“This has nothing to do with being a Bat, and even if it did that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.”

Kon floated back some, giving Tim some more space without really freeing him.

“No, you’re right,” Kon put a hand through his hair, “this has nothing to with being a Bat. This has everything to do with you and your repressed emotions. It might make you fit in with the rest of your crime-fighting clan but you didn’t inherit it from them.”

Tim contemplated slapping Kon right then and there. The only thing that stopped him was knowing that being the one to initiate physical contact would mean Kon had won in some sick twisted way.

“I’m no detective but I think there’s something else that makes you see this as dumb,” Kon said softly, almost gently.

Tim flinched and closed his eyes. He was by far not prepared for this change in tone. Fighting, he could do—it’s all he and Kon had ever done before they became friends. But emotions, pity? Hell no.

The silence in the closet was deafening, and if his heartbeat was even half as loud to Kon as it was to him he knew there was no point in hiding. They stood there for what felt like hours before he opened his eyes. Behind his mask, he felt a sense of anonymity rarely afforded to Timothy Drake-Wayne. But in front of Kon? Kon-el, Conner Kent, the clone of Superman himself and containing Lex Luthor’s DNA, was not stupid. Even if he liked to be underestimated as such. He knew it was a lost cause that he was going to have to either come up with a really good lie (even by his standards) or tell the truth, as heart-wrenching as it would end up being.

Tim was just about to open his mouth and say—he didn’t know what, but something—when their communicators went off.

“All Titans, come in. We’re needed ASAP!”

Kon pulled all the way back this time and sighed.

“We’ll finish this conversation later.”

Tim didn’t follow Kon out immediately, instead letting his head fall back against the wall.

If I have any say in the matter we won’t.

Tim had almost forgotten about the uncomfortable conversation that happened after his and Kon’s most recent…meeting. Almost. And God did he hate that he couldn’t bring himself to just calling it what it was—sex, ­unattached and as platonic as it can get sex. Fucking, banging if he wanted to be crude, but it wasn’t much more. No making love for Tim Drake. No, he is much too busy and sleep deprived as it is, let alone emotionally repressed as others had so kindly put it.

He would have completely forgotten about the fact that his best friend (are they even still best friends at this point? What were they supposed to be?) still wanted to talk if it wasn’t for said friend. Tim had hit the showers—finally—after their quick mission. A gangbanger that had gotten too big for his britches decided to dabble in Venom and wrecked a few city blocks by the time they were able to stop him.

While he pulled on some civvies, Tim winced. It was far from the worst battle he had ever been in (hello Ra’s al Ghul, Damian) but bruised ribs were bruised ribs. ­­­­A knock on his door had him tensing. His schedule did not allow him to spend much more time at Titans Tower. After all, he had business back in Gotham of both the suit-and-tie kind and the crime-fighting kind.

“Come in,” he called out. Whichever Titan it was hopefully wouldn’t take up too much of his time.

He heard his door open but knew immediately it wasn’t Bart or Cassie; both of them would have instantly been chattering about something or other. Tim knew in his gut it was Kon before he turned around.

“Do you need something?” He asked, voice cold in a manner he didn’t frequently use on friends and family, just barely keeping himself from crossing his arms.

Kon made sure the door was shut before walking over to Tim’s desk and sitting in his seat. The clone leaned back a tad, just enough that his t-shirt rode up his jeans some. Tim was suddenly very grateful for Kon’s fashion taste and the fact the high-waisted jeans covered skin that otherwise would have been visible and very distracting.

“Yeah, I do, but not right now. This is more of a…a prelude to talking about what you and I need.”

Tim made the split-second decision to not sit down but did finally give in and cross his arms.

“Fine. I don’t have much time so spit it out.”

He hoped that the minute shaking he could feel wasn’t noticeable, but who was Tim kidding? Even with half of Superman’s genes, this was still a superpowered Kryptonian. He leaned against his dresser, the distance exactly enough to not be awkwardly far away but not so close as to make the conversation too intimate, too personal.

Kon eyed Tim. It wasn’t a sensual checking out or aggressive sizing up, just a drawn out and unsubtle observation. Tim began to fidget, a tell and a nervous habit Dick and Bruce had yet to fully train out of him.

“Well?” He finally prompted, undeniably impatient.

Kon leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and hands clasped together.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you brought up earlier, man, and I want you to know that I wasn’t just being a jerk for no reason.”

Tim snorted.

“Like you’ve ever needed a reason to be a jerk.” Kon snapped his head up and glared at Tim.

Tim raised his hands in surrender, genuinely regretting the words.

“Sorry, I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. Continue.”

Kon pursed his lips for a beat before doing just that.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I still stand by what I said earlier even if some of the…personal digs weren’t relevant. It’s a Bats thing to stay emotionally unattached and I’m not like that. I hate it, I actually really hate it. So even though we’ve got this friends-with-benefits thing going on you’re still one of my closest friends. Besides,” he leaned back again, grinning now, a glint in his eyes and the beginnings of a smirk around his mouth, “it’s not liked we don’t keep each other happy.”

Tim swallowed. His heart was racing but he also felt kind of faint. Instinctively the oblivious side of him wondered if he had maybe been poisoned but he knew instantly that that wasn’t the case.

“So you’re saying that you want to keep this up, nothing changing, even though I think it’s dumb?”

Kon groaned and closed his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face.

“I don’t know man. Ideally, there’d be more than just amazing sex in random rooms but since that’s all you’re gonna give that’s all I’m gonna take.”

“Fine b—wait, wait what?” Tim’s voice squeaked in a way it hadn’t in a few years. Kon’s eyebrows furrowed and his cheeks flushed slightly.

“Do you like me?”

Kon looked miffed at having been interrupted but shrugged.

“Yeah, man, I guess. We are friends after all.” Tim stood up and shook his head.

“No, no, you don’t understand. Do you like like-like me? Like, physically and emotionally attracted to me? As in don’t want to just fuck?”

Kon rolled his eyes.

“Well duh. Why do you think I broke it off with Cassie? I straight up seduced you dude, I just realized pretty quickly you weren’t into me on the same level. It’s cool though.”

“Why did you think I’m not into you? I thought it was obvious and you were just humoring me while getting all the benefits.”

Kon raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak but froze. He dropped his head back and started laughing.

“What’s so funny about this?” Tim said, speaking louder so that he could be heard over Kon’s laughter. Emotions were racing through him like a heard of horses but the most prominent one had rapidly become confusion.

“It’s, it’s just that this whole time I, I tho-thought,” Kon wheezed, “thought that you. I don’t know, I just didn’t think you were interested that way.”

Tim felt his jaw metaphorically drop.

“Are you kidding me? We could have been dating this whole time?”

Tim ran his fingers through his hair and gripped it, pacing. Kon stood up and smiled. He walked up to Tim who had begun muttering at light speed, and gently stopped him, holding his shoulders.

“Tim, hey, Rob,” he said softly.

Tim looked up at him and sighed. He bit his bottom lip, and Kon’s eyes flashed down toward his lips.

“Let’s let go of this whole mess and just start over, okay?”

Tim nodded vigorously. Kon grinned and leaned in, kissing him softly. When he pulled back, Tim seemed to be a little in shock.

“So, Robin, Tim Drake-Wayne, would you like to go on a date with me tonight?”

Tim pulled back a little and stared Kon down.

“As much as I want to say yes, I’m way too busy tonight. How about tomorrow? I can make time for a few hours if you can.”

Kon grinned and kissed Tim again, lingering this time.

“I can always make time for you, babe.”

“Babe?”

“Well, yeah, if we’re boyfriends then I reserve the right to call you babe.”

Tim couldn’t deny that he wasn’t getting flustered and flustered quickly.

“Alright, Kon,” Tim grinned, “it’s a date.”

[iselsis]

Unholy Matrimony 2

Jack had left early in the morning two days later for his meeting with Mr. Wayne, and Tim had been waiting in the grand foyer almost without a break ever since.

He knew, like, intellectually, the Mr. Wayne wouldn’t buy him, because, duh, Batman, but he was having a hard time convincing his body of that. His heart pounded wildly, his hands were clammy and gross, and his stomach roiled, both with heat pain and at the thick scent of distress and pheromones in the room. Janet had tried to order him to his room, but he kept sneaking back, and eventually, she just gave up and opened windows.

In the end, he decided that he was less worried about what would happen if Mr. Wayne bought him, and more worried about what would happen when he didn’t. His parents were going to be furious, and while he kind of hoped that they’d just spend a lot of time thinking about what to do next, go on another trip, and forget, like they usually did with commitments they made to him, he didn’t think that that was going to happen this time.

After a few hours, Janet wordlessly stepped into the room. Neither of his parents had spoken to him since the first morning except to snap order and make absolutely sure how much of a disappointment he was. Instead of acknowledging him or snapping at him to stop making her house smell like a crime scene, she leaned against the banister to watch the front door with him. He supposed that meant that his dad would be back soon, and his gut wrenched again. He wasn’t sure if that would be good or bad, but at least it would mean an end to the waiting.

It was only a few more minute before they heard the Drake’s rental (they were never in town long enough to need their own car) roar up the front drive with a worrying speed. His dad was either really excited, or really mad. Tim was leaning towards mad, given the whole “trying to sell my kid to the unholy terror of the night” thing, but that wasn’t assured, he realized. He might have drastically mistyped Batman, and the real Bruce Wayne was more of a “do as I say and not as I do” type person, or maybe he didn’t really mind child brides. Like, he’d stop a grab & go rape, but if they were, like, married, then maybe he wouldn’t really mind.

The door flew open and Jack stormed into the foyer, his whole body and scent screaming rage.

Tim breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He wasn’t getting married, then.

Janet frowned in confusion. “He refused.”

“Refused? Refusing is one thing, but that bastard,” Jack snarled, hurling his briefcase at the floor, where it landed on its spine with a resounding crack and an eruption of papers. “That absolute bastard had the nerve to lecture me about how we should ‘respect and treasure our son’ and ‘cherish the time we have with him.’”

Oh, that was… That was beautiful. Poetic. The small part of him that had been worried about Mr. Wayne actually wanting him that way curled up and died of laughter. The thought of his parents actually following through on Mr. Wayne’s suggestion and respecting him and cherishing their time with him, though, was just too much.

Jack turned and shot a glare at Tim, like it was his fault that Mr. Wayne didn’t want to buy him, and Tim struggled to keep his grin in check.

He must not have been able to keep his amusement from his scent, because his father’s expression darkened, and he stalked toward Tim.

“You think that this is funny, bitch?” Jack snatched Tim’s collar before Tim could make a run for it and shook him harshly.

Tim stumbled, throwing his head back in submission to bare his throat. Jack growled and slapped Tim hard across the face with enough force to send him crashing to the ground.

His head hit the tile hard, making his vision swim with disjointed shapes and blurred edges. He tried to get up, but his father’s shoe slammed into his ribs and he was down again with a cry of pain. The next kick landed in his stomach, then another to his ribs, then his mother’s voice was saying something quietly that Tim couldn’t hear over the pounding of his heart in his ears.

“He deserves it, pompous little omega brat!” Jack snapped venomously.

Tim chanced a glance up, but found only a furious glare from his father and a cool, calculating stare from his mother.

“True.” She lifted her chin so that she was looking down her nose at Tim even more than she had been before. “But we won’t get as good a price for him if he’s broken and ugly. His only asset is his pretty face, dear. Luthor or Queen might be interested if he looks decent.”

A small, ridiculous part of Tim was thrilled, because calling him pretty was the nicest thing his mom had said about him in years. A larger part of Tim cringed at the idea of having to marry Lex Luthor or Oliver Queen. Mr. Wayne was Batman, which meant that of course he would never agree to marry a kid. Tim was sure that the drunken playboy role was just an act.

Lex Luthor, from what he had overheard from his parents, was arrogant, cruel, manipulative, and completely amoral, and that was just with his business partners. Tim was sure that he wouldn’t object to being given a child bride, and Tim also knew that his parents had wanted a deal with Luthor almost as badly as they wanted a deal with Wayne.

Oliver Queen, he knew less about. He did know that he was the CEO of Queen Industries. His parents didn’t think much of him. He was apparently what Bruce Wayne pretended to be: a drunk playboy with too much money and low moral character. He was a useful idiot, though, and they might try to get the better of him with a stilted business deal and a young omega. For all those faults, though, Tim was pretty sure that he wasn’t a criminal.

Jack growled and kicked Tim once more before storming out of the room.

Janet’s lips curled into a frown of distaste. She didn’t have to say anything to communicate just how disappointed she was. After a few moments, she calmly followed her husband out of the room.

Tim tried to get up, but it hurt too much to move. He lay there, curled up in a fetal position on the tile floor, where at least the icy tiles numbed the pain of his bruises and heat, for a long time.

Finally, Tim dragged himself up off the floor, and up two flights of stairs to his bedroom. If he even had his own house, he was going to get a ground floor bedroom, like a sensible person. Or maybe he’d just take suppressants for the heat, and stay away from angry alphas.

Tim slipped into his room and shut the door behind him louder than he would have normally dared with his parents home, but he was hurt, and they were already mad, so he didn’t think it mattered if he slammed the door.

Tim wanted to just curl up into a ball and fall asleep for the next five years, but he had research to do first.

He dragged his laptop out from under his bed, where he’d hidden it in case his dad took it like he’d taken Tim’s phone. Jack had said that Tim didn’t need it anymore, but Tim had a feeling that it was really more out of a fear that Tim would go on social media and paint his parents and their company in a bad light in an attempt to get out of a marriage.

Tim was smart, though, or at the very least, smarter than that.

Options were limited for omegas. He could live on the streets, but he doubted he’d survive long without a pack. Jason Todd had done it, but Jason Todd was an alpha and he was strong enough that Batman had impulse-adopted him to be his Robin. If Tim wanted a prayer of survival, he’d probably have to find a pimp or an alpha. He didn’t want to, but if his other option was Luthor… He’d have to see.

Foster care, especially in Gotham, was basically just the prostitute option. He’d have a guaranteed roof, and probably food, but he wouldn’t get to keep his money and his parents would probably be able to get him back. Gotham’s omega group homes were also hotbeds for abuse without pay.

Tim’s main problem was that what his parents were doing wasn’t technically illegal. Even though omegas weren’t legally considered property anymore, they were second class citizens. If their parents wanted, they could marry them off to any alpha they wanted. Most didn’t anymore, but most also weren’t negotiating multimillion-dollar business deals. His new husband would be his guardian until he was eighteen, and he couldn’t even be divorced until then.

At the very least, Tim was the only one in the marriage who could request a divorce. Something about the alpha assuming responsibility since the omega had little real-world experience before the marriage. If he wanted, once he was eighteen, he could just be really really annoying until whatever alpha married him agreed to give him a severance check and alimony.

That plan probably wouldn’t work. There weren’t any rules about beating your omega for being a brat, or marital rape.

He needed to make a plan, and for that, he needed information.

A search on Lex Luthor turned up relatively innocuous results, until Tim started trying to get around any doctoring of the algorithm by adding keywords like crime and conspiracy. Most people turned their noses up as soon as the word conspiracy was uttered, but Tim had figured out that the richest man in Gotham ran around town dressed as a bat and beating people up with his underage accomplice all because of an acrobatic move. Small clues were important, and rich people are weird.

It turned out that the internet suspected Lex Luthor of a lot. Illegal weapons deals, links to supervillains, human testing, abuse, rape, murder. There wasn’t much that he wasn’t suspected of. Several of his more vocal accusers had turned up “suicided” as some had termed it. There was one, a CK, whose allegations of Luthor’s crimes was so extensive that Tim wasn’t sure if it could actually be true that one man had committed so many crimes.

Luthor was a hard no. Tim would rather chance the streets. Tim would rather die. Heck, if he wanted to die, marrying Luthor would probably take care of that pretty quickly.

Oliver Queen was a different story. Tim couldn’t find many accusations against him of anything, and the accusations he did find were mostly just being a drunkard and a whore. He didn’t seem so bad, or so smart. He seemed like he’d be nice enough, and Tim might even be able to manipulate Mr. Queen into letting him go to school. He’d probably be safer than the streets even if he couldn’t, and if he wasn’t, then at least the streets of Star City weren’t nearly as dangerous as the streets of Gotham.

It struck him while he was looking at a photo of Mr. Queen at a charity gala for polio or rickets or something. Mr. Queen’s beard seemed…familiar.

There was no way.

Tim quickly split the screen and pulled up every picture the public had of Star City’s Green Arrow on one side, comparing it to the picture of Oliver Queen from the newspaper.

How.

Had.

No one.

Noticed?

The facial hair was the exact same, the build, the hair color. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to wear a mask over his mouth and nose than over his eyes? It would take away the risk of the domino slipping over his eyes and actually cover extremely identifiable marks.

His heart sank. Mr. Wayne wouldn’t buy him, because he was a hero. Mr. Queen was a hero too.

He was being sold to Luthor.