#I know the readers know the whole time that Tim’s not dead

[starrycomics]

Duke giving Bruce shit for eating a burger with a knife and fork while Jason and Damian fight in the background: Now That’s What I Call Family

[froggibus]

Hi!

I saw your requests were open so I was wondering if I could request the Batboys with an s/o who passes out from a fever.

I hope you’re doing well!!

Passing Out From A Fever - Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Wally West

Pairing: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Wally West x gn! reader (separately)

Genre: hurt/comfort

Summary: your s/o reacting to you passing out from a fever

Word Count: 1.2k (Dick's), 1k (Jason's), 1.1k (Tim's), 1.1k (Wally's)

CW: sickness/the flu, minor injuries, reader is stubborn and refuses to rest, fainting, established relationship? gn reader but Wally refers to you as a 'damsel in distress', violence + drugs/drug dealers (Jason's) lmk if i missed anything

okok so sorry anon this request is almost 4 months old lmfao. i got a little sidetracked doing other stuff for a while but it is finally here. hope you enjoy it despite how delayed it is

--

Dick 

Dick looks at the numbers on the digital thermometer with a sigh. “Your temperature’s only going up.”

“Is that a bad thing?” You try to joke but your whole body aches, your skin is feverish and clammy, and your head spins every time you open your eyes.

He looks at you seriously, giving you the signature Dick Grayson disappointed older brother, team leader look.

“I take it no patrol tonight?”

He rests his hand on your thigh. “Not a chance in hell.”

“I figured as much,” you grumble.

“I’ll stay in with you tonight,” he insists, giving your leg a squeeze. “We can watch a movie or something. I’ll even let you choose.”

You let out a deep breath, leaning back and resting your head against your cold bed frame. His offer is tempting—it's not often he stays home during the evening. “Okay,” you nod your head slowly. “We’ll stay in tonight.”

He beams at your decision, planting a chaste kiss to your forehead before jumping up and leaving you in your bed. “I’ll be back in an hour, alright?”

You offer a weak thumbs up before relaxing back into your nest of blankets and pillows. It won’t hurt to sleep a little while he’s out, and you are pretty tired. 

— 

You wake up hours later, Dick nowhere to be seen. Your whole body feels like it’s been set on fire and beat with a baseball bat, but you still struggle out of bed to go find your boyfriend. Of course, he’s nowhere to be seen. 

You narrow your eyes, a sinking feeling in your chest because you know exactly where he is. Your hunch is proved right when you open the closet door with shaky hands and see the empty hanger where the Nightwing costume should be. 

What happened to staying in tonight? No patrol?

The thought of him leaving you while you feel this sick lights a fuse in your chest, and before you know it, you’re lazily tugging your own suit over your limbs. The suit only makes you feel hotter, your muscles aching in protest, but you need to see him. 

By some miracle, you manage to stumble your way across Gotham in the dead of night while dealing with an extremely high fever and body aches. 

Still, your boyfriend is nowhere in sight. You followed the trail of beaten thugs and failed robberies straight to the centre of the city, but Nightwing wasn’t there. You feel slightly woozy, your knees shaking below you. 

Your phone buzzes in your back pocket and you take it out, the writing blurry on the small glowing screen. You squint but the letters spin on the screen, and you can’t seem to make them out. 

In fact, when you look up from the screen, the whole world is spinning. Your head feels impossibly heavy, and suddenly your body is pitching forwards. 

————

Dick knows he’s fucked when he gets home and you’re nowhere to be seen. He sees the open closet door and the empty hanger where your costume should’ve been, and groans. 

If only he had just stayed home like he said. Guilt overwhelms him, but he swallows it back and forces himself to push through. 

You shouldn’t even be out of bed, let alone roaming the city dressed as a vigilante. Dick cards his fingers through his hair and starts to make his way through the city again. 

He assumes you were trying to find him, so he circles back through his usual patrol spots. The longer it takes to find you, the more anxious and guilty he feels. 

It’s all his fault that you’re even in this mess, stumbling through the city sick and disoriented.  

He finds you unconscious on a rooftop, tucked away in a corner, a small cut on your face from what he assumes was the impact. Seeing you like this makes his heart drop and for what feels like a thousand years, he watches you and waits for your chest to rise. He stares, holding his own breath until he finally sees your lungs inflate with air. 

He’s scooping you up in his arms and carrying you back to the apartment in an instant, careful not to jostle you too much. He can feel your feverish skin through your costume, sweat pooling on your forehead and neck. He could set a record for how fast he had you home.  

He changes you out of your suit and into comfortable pjs, patching up the mark on your face and tucking you into bed. He’s always taken care of his younger brothers so he knows just how to take care of you. 

He puts an ice pack on your forehead to keep you from burning up too much and gets water and ginger ale for your nightstand. He knows you’ll need fluids and medicine when you wake up and he wants to be prepared. 

Even after he’s prepared everything and double checked his, his nerves don’t settle. You’ve been out cold for at least an hour, with no sign of waking up. Another hour of this and he’ll have to take you to the hospital. 

He paces the room, eyes never leaving your sleeping figure. Wake up, wake up, wake up. He tries to will you awake, hoping your eyes will open any second and you’ll berate him for leaving you. 

“Dick..?”

His pacing comes to a stop, eyes snapping to yours. “Oh, thank god,” he kneels next to your side of the bed and takes your hand in his. “How’re you feeling?”

As if on cue, you groan in pain. The ice pack he placed on your forehead does little to help with the heat that’s ignited your whole body. Your eyes feel painfully heavy, and all of your muscles feel inflamed. 

He holds a glass of water up to your lips, helping you tip your head back so you can drink some. He pops a couple pills into your mouth and pours some more water in to wash them down. 

“They’ll probably take fifteen minutes to work,” he keeps his voice quiet. “You’ll feel a lot better soon though, I promise. I’ll make sure you’re all better.” 

You nod weakly. “You—you left me…”

Dick’s heart breaks at the sound of your sad, weak voice. He was hoping you wouldn’t dwell on that too much, the reminder that his fuck up for you into this mess weighing heavily on him. 

“I know, baby. And I’m so, so sorry. There was an emergency and I thought I could sneak out quick but,” he sighs and tugs on his hair. “I’m not gonna leave your side until you’re all better, okay? Never again.”

You’re too tired and sick to care for grovelling, you’re just glad he’s here and you don’t have to suffer alone. You reach a hand out to grab his hand and weakly tug him towards the bed. 

Dick obliges, crawling in next to you and letting you rest on his chest. “I’m gonna make you all better, hm? You’ll be all better soon, hun.”

His soothing voice coupled with the circles he traces on your back are enough to keep you content until the medicine kicks in. Then, you’re drifting back to sleep in Dick’s arms, already feeling better from the turmoil of the day

-

Jason 

You think Jason may be the most dense man on the planet. Unlike his father, his detective skills seriously need some work. 

When you woke up this morning with a fever and aches, you were sure you could push through it. It’s just a little cold, or so you thought. As the day turned into night and you got ready for patrol, your symptoms only worsened. 

Your body aches grew worse, your fever grew hotter and your movements got sluggish. Still, you brushed it off. You never miss patrol with Jason, and tonight wasn’t going to be a first. 

“You’re off to a slow start,” he teases. 

You would roll your eyes if you weren’t so tired. “Shut up. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

It’s a total lie, of course. And if he could see the swelling of your glassy eyes or touch your boiling skin, he would know otherwise. Lucky for you, the adrenaline rush Jason gets on patrol creates a kind of tunnel vision that allows him to completely overlook your symptoms. 

You stumble a bit, having to brace yourself against one of the shipping containers. You’re glad Jason shot out all of the street lamps at the old dock, leaving you in perpetual darkness. A perfect cover to hide the pain you’re feeling. 

You take a deep breath and groan, pushing off of the container and running to catch up with him. The friction only makes you hotter, the air being forced from your lungs. Your head spins and black spots crowd your vision, but you take a weak breath and force them away. Now is not the time to be weak. 

Jason tilts his head at you, and you can feel his judging eyes from under the mask. “Seriously, are you okay? Did you get hurt or something?”

“Did you? You’re off your game too, Red.” You try to nudge him teasingly but it just sends a shockwave through your body, your head suddenly pounding. 

He looks like he’s going to say something you don’t want to hear but you’re saved by the bell when an unlucky drug dealer stumbles into view.  Jason is pouncing on him in a minute, leaving you to your thoughts. 

His form gets blurrier the more you watch him fight, and you swear your arms and legs are growing heavier by the second. Your head lulls back and you worry for a minute that you’re going to pass out. 

You manage to catch yourself, pinching your arms to keep yourself aware. It works, but only for a second. You have enough time to make eye contact with Jason before your eyes are rolling back and you’re dropping like a sack of potatoes. 

—

Jason is freaking the fuck out. For a minute, he’s worried you’re injured—or worse. All he saw was your panicked expression before you dropped to the pavement. If he wasn’t so worried, he would have laughed at your lack of grace. 

He makes quick work of the remaining drug dealers, tearing through them with all the anxiety he’s feeling. By the time he’s made it to you, your body is practically on fire. He flinched away at first, not expecting your skin to be as hot as it is. 

“You idiot,” he lifts you into his arms, letting your head hang over his shoulder. “You should’ve just told me you were sick.”

He forces himself to keep his calm demeanour the whole way to the apartment. He doesn’t let himself worry until you’re both changed out of your patrol clothes and into normal, ordinary pyjamas. 

He has you laid down in the passenger seat of his car, his foot pressing heavily on the gas the entire way to the hospital. He knows it’s just a fever, but you fainted. Something could be seriously wrong, and he can’t chance anything. Not with you. 

—

You come to in the hospital, an IV in your arm. It takes a few blinks for you to take in your surroundings, but even then, it’s hard to keep your eyes open. Your throbbing headache does not mesh well with the fluorescent lights. 

“Jason,” your voice is barely a whisper. “Did you take me to the hospital?”

“No shit,” he scoffs. “

You would laugh at his brazenness if you weren’t in so much pain. The scratchy cotton thread of the hospital blankets aren’t enough to keep you warm, and despite being covered in sweat, you’re shivering. 

Jason sighs. “You’re an idiot, you know that? You could’ve just told me you were sick.”

“I-I—,” you can barely speak with how bad you’re shivering. 

Jason’s heart hurts at the sight of you, and despite how frustrated he is with your antics, he climbs into the bed with you and lets you lay against his chest. 

You relax into him, trying to sap his body heat. You know this can’t exactly be comfortable for him, especially considering you’re a million degrees, and it makes you appreciate it even more. 

“You know, I thought about just tossing you in the harbour and calling it a day.”

You let out a weak laugh at that. “I’m sure you did.”

“Okay, maybe not,” he admits, “but if you ever do that to me again, you will be taking an impromptu swim.”

“As you wish, Jay.”

He kisses the top of your head, “get some rest, hm?”

You nod weakly, letting your body sag against his. Just as sleep begins to take you, you mumble, “I love you.”

Jason’s heart flutters at your words. “I love you too.”

-

Tim 

Tim is such a hypocrite.

When he pushes himself to his absolute limit, staying up until he quite literally drops, it’s fine. But god forbid you try to push yourself even the slightest, or there’s hell to pay from your boyfriend.

“Tim, I’m fine,” you insist, narrowing glassy eyes on him.

He raises his eyebrows in annoyance. “You’re not fine, y/n. You’re burning up. You’re so congested you sound like a little kid. You need rest.”

“Rest, schmest. I’m coming with you.”

“Y/n, honey, love of my life…if you try to come with me, I will slip you Nyquil and you will take a nap.”

You maintain your glare. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Maybe I already have,” he shrugs, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. “How was the tea I brought you earlier?”

Your eyes shoot wide and you scramble to inspect the now empty Wayne Enterprises mug. There’s no indication that it looks or smells different from any other tea. You look up again, ready to mock laugh at your boyfriend, but he’s no longer there. 

“Fucking Timothy,” you shake your head. 

He’s been trying to force you to get bed rest all day, refusing to even let you come with him to the grocery store. Sure, you have a fever and you’re congested and your head really hurts,  but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in bed. 

You toss the blankets onto the other side of his bed and struggle your way out of it. The air outside of his bed is cold, forcing goosebumps onto your arms, but you don’t care. You tug on one of Tim’s sweatshirts and stumble your way downstairs. 

He’s gone when you get down there, the only semblance of human life being Alfred sitting at the kitchen table. He’s reading a newspaper, seemingly deep in thought, yet the minute you step towards the front door, he speaks. 

“If you are trying to follow Master Timothy, I would advise against that.”

“I-I wasn’t…how did you know?”

He smiles at you, “Master Timothy expected you would try to follow him, and asked that I make sure you rest.”

“Damn you, Tim.”

“I’ve prepared some water in the kettle and there are blankets on the couch if you’d like to watch a tv show with me?”

“That sounds great, thank you,” you sigh, giving up and trudging your way to the couch. 

You settle in under a blanket, leaning your head against the couch cushion. Alfred comes in a few minutes later with two glasses of tea and a bottle of medicine. 

You thank the man and take a few pills and the mug of tea, swallow down the pills and set the tea on the nightstand. 

Alfred turns on the TV and starts to play one of his English soap operas. The sounds all blur together and you fade in and out of consciousness, every once and a while snapping back to reality when you hear the door unlock. 

Of course, a million people seem to come and go from Wayne Mansion and your boyfriend is nowhere to be seen. Alfred has seemed to doze off as well, his eyes closed and head resting on the couch cushion behind him. 

You stand up from the couch on shaky legs, discarding the blankets next to you. You feel dizzy and lightheaded as soon as you stand up but you persevere. 

You’re not really sure where you’re going, all you know is that you want to see Tim and the first step is getting to the front door. You make it to the front entrance, and you’re only five feet from the door, but your whole body hurts so bad and you’re so tired and everything is so hot and cold. 

You brace yourself on the wall, leaning your whole body weight on it. You blink a few times, trying to keep the black spots from spreading to your vision. Everything overheats, and your muscles start to weaken. Before you can take another step, your body is failing, and your vision is going black.

—

Tim comes home just in time to see you hit the floor. He drops his groceries onto the floor, not even closing the door behind him as he runs to your side. 

“Y/n?” He presses a cold hand to your forehead, “y/n, wake up!”

He gently shakes your shoulders, willing you to wake up and be okay. His family all arrive at once, staring at the two of you on the floor. 

“Why couldn’t you just stay in bed? Dummy.”

He slips his hands under your knees and arms, lifting you off the ground. Your skin is hot to the touch but you’re shivering, sweat rolling down your temples. He carries you back to his room, laying you down in the bed and covering you in blankets. 

He knows rationally that you’ll be okay, that your body was just responding to the exertion you put it through today. But emotionally? He’s freaking out. He can’t help but wish he’d stayed home with you, taken care of you himself, laid in bed with you all day. 

Tim tries to distract himself by bringing up water and medicine and a cold cloth for you, but it does little to calm his nerves. Every minute that it takes you to wake up, he only gets more and more anxious. 

Finally, after almost two hours, your eyes flutter open. Your head is pounding and it’s hard to keep from falling back asleep, but you force yourself to stay awake. 

“Tim?” You call out, your voice even raspier than before. 

“Hey, hey, I’m here,” he murmurs, getting up from his desk and kneeling at your side. “How are you feeling?”

“Bad,” you admit, tears threatening to spill. “Really bad.”

He hands you two pills and a glass of water. “Here, take these, okay?”

You struggle to swallow the pills and water but somehow manage. The pain in your body is enough to bring you to tears and you can only hope that the medicine will kick in soon. 

Tim rubs your forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re burning up…”

“I—will you lay with me? I miss you…”

Tim can only oblige. You just look so cute and so vulnerable with your glassy eyes and clammy skin. He wouldn’t dare say no to you right now. 

He kicks off his jeans and t-shirt, trading them for a pair of sweatpants before settling in next to you. He can feel your body heat even though he’s not touching you, and even though he wants to hold you, he’s not sure if he should. 

“Are you hot or cold?” He asks. 

“Cold.”

That’s all the answer he needs before he tugs you into his chest, holding your body gently to his. He places a small kiss on your forehead and makes a silent vow not to leave your side until you feel better. 

-

Wally

“Are you sure you should be going on this mission?” Wally looks at you seriously. 

“Yes. Why are you even asking?”

He presses a hand to your skin, recoiling when he feels how hot you are. “Jesus, you’re hot.”

“Well, hello to you too.” You roll your eyes. 

“Y/n, you don’t look too good. I don’t think you should be coming along,” he looks at you with genuine concern. “You’re running real hot and that’s coming from me.”

“Wally, if I don’t come along, the whole mission is screwed.”

“I know, I know. You’re so stubborn,” he sighs. “Come along but the minute you start to feel worse, you tell me, alright?”

“Alright.”

He flashes you his signature grin, planting a kiss to your nose. He squeezes your shoulders once, before giving you a half assed salute and taking off at the speed of light. 

You smile after him, but your smile fades once he’s out of sight. Your head is spinning and your whole body feels like it’s on fire. With the way your muscles are aching, you’re not sure if you’ll even be able to finish the mission. 

Still, you have to try. 

————

Going on this mission was a mistake. 

It feels like every floor of the sinister science institute is filled with more and more baddies, tougher ones too. You were beat after the first floor, but now that you’re on the fifth, with three more to go, you’re not even sure if you’ll make it. 

You can hear Wally up ahead, zooming back and forth and taking out any baddies in his way. You know he’s partly doing this for you—trying to clear the floor and make things easier on you. He’d asked you one more time before you entered the facility if you were feeling up to it, and after you insisted you were, he didn’t bother to argue. 

You almost wish he did, though. Your head is spinning, everything hurts and everything is so hot and sweaty. You try to force yourself to stay awake, but even you know your movements are slow and sluggish and you’re a danger to all of your teammates. 

Nightwing is somewhere behind you, insisting there’s an air duct he can sneak through to get to the main lab before they evacuate. A part of you wishes you’d gone with him. At least then you wouldn’t be stuck leaning against a wall, desperately trying to get your bearings. 

You force yourself onto your feet, stumbling down the hall after Wally. You only make it a few steps before your muscles turn to jello and the black spots crowd your version.

You go limp, your mind retreating far, far away. 

Wally turns around just in time to see you go limp, and he’s speeding down the hallway and catching you within a fraction of a second. He doesn’t give you the chance to hit the ground, his arms already under your knees and shoulders, ready to carry you to safety. 

Your skin is hot to the touch, hotter than it was earlier. He shakes his head at you. He knew this was gonna happen. He knew you would push yourself too hard and end up getting yourself hurt. 

He gets you out of the building and into the jet you and some of the other Titans had taken to get there. He hates the thought of leaving you there, but he knows you would never forgive him if he abandoned the team now. 

Still, he only gets more and more anxious the longer the mission takes. The second Dick secures the samples he was looking for, Wally is taking off. He’s got you in his arms, speeding back towards your shared apartment. 

He’s got you home in a matter of seconds, changing you into a pair of his boxers and one of his old t-shirts. He tucks your boiling body into bed, covering you with blankets up to your waist. 

He doesn’t really know how to take care of someone when they're sick. Whenever he was sick as a kid, he would always just eat ice cream and play video games. That, or he would sneak out and go hang out with Dick or Connor. 

But he knows you need more than ice cream and video games right now. 

He decides on grabbing you water and digging through your cabinets to find any medicine that could possibly help. He tries to remember what his mom did for him when he was young, and all he can think of is a cold cloth on his forehead. Still, that’s better than leaving you there to boil to death. 

He lays the cloth gently on your forehead, leaving your water and medicine on the nightstand for when you wake up. 

He changes out of his suit, opting for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Of course, you’re wearing his favorite t-shirt, but this one will have to do. He settles into the bed next to you, turning on the tv. He tries to keep the volume and the brightness low. 

After what seems like forever, you start to stir. Everything is too bright and hot when you open your eyes, and it has you squirming and crying. Wally is grabbing your hand as soon as you wake up, using his other hand to press the cold cloth into your forehead. 

“Shhh, babe, it’s okay.”

You clench your eyes shut and shake your head. “E-everything hurts so bad!”

He reaches across you for the water and the medicine, holding the glass up to your lips so you can take a sip before popping the pills into your mouth. You gladly swallow them, relaxing slightly at the taste of water. Wally sets the glass on the nightstand, resting his hands on your thighs. 

“I’m sorry for pushing myself so hard…I’m sorry that you had to clean up after me.”

“Aw baby,” he grins at you, but it’s not as wide and carefree as it usually is. “You know how much I love rescuing damsels in distress.”

Classic Wally, trying to make you laugh even when you feel like you’re on your deathbed. He rubs your thighs gently up and down, trying to soothe you. 

“Did the mission at least go okay?”

He kisses you gently, “don’t you worry your pretty little head about the mission, okay?”

He goes to pull away but you weakly wrap your arms around him, trying to pull him to you. He wraps his arms around your shoulders, holding you tightly. 

“It’s okay baby,” he whispers. “Everything is gonna be okay. I love you so much.”

[somewherebetweendisorder]

Touch Starved

Jason Todd x fem!reader

Warnings: slight angst I guess? fluff??

~~~

You were used to Jason coming home broken and bloody. Or at least, you should be used to it after two years, but it always comes as a paralyzing shock when he stumbles through the window, eyes wary as they land on you. Tonight is no exception. Just as he is inside the room, he falls to his knees, looking up at you.

"It's bad tonight," he warns, not quite meeting your eyes.

You step closer with the caution you would use to approach a wounded animal. There are days you forget this is your reality. Days when Gotham City didn't demand your fiance's time and soul. Days when the streets didn't deliver your boyfriend back to you, worse for wear and half dead. Days when the thought of having to stitch Jason up didn't even cross your mind.

Those fleeting pieces of normalcy were what propelled you through these nights. The hope that there would be another sunny day, sitting across from Jason at your favorite cafe, soaking up the heat like the baguette in your hand soaking up the minestrone in your bowl. Spoon froze in space halfway to your mouth as he recounted stories of growing up with Dick and Tim. Love weighed down the air around you, heavy with desire and longing and words you were both too terrified to verbalize. But you knew, you both knew what lingered there, in the tiny space between you.

So with that image in mind, fading in potency as you helped Jason to his feet, brought back to reality, you vowed to get him through tonight so that another day was possible. No matter what it requires of you. No matter how brutal the task, like a lighter held to wax, melting away your optimism.

"No."

The word is a cacophony in your bedroom, not a word he uses on you often. You struggle to remember the last time he said it. You can't. Meeting his eyes, a deep green, like spring foliage, you are alarmed by the apathy projected at you.

"What?"

"Not tonight. I'll do it."

"No, Jason, let me help. Please." You know the edge of panic is unmistakable in your voice, but you don't care. If he shuts you out now, it'll take ages to fix the damage.

He shakes his head but doesn't stop you from helping him into the bathroom and easing him down onto the closed lid of the toilet. He grunts in pain, and you wince, reaching for the first aid kit below the sink. The cache of gauze and hydrogen peroxide was long ago depleted from the original case. You have to buy more every couple of weeks.

Twisting the cap off of the brown bottle you set it on the edge of the counter along with a roll of gauze, a tube of ointment, and a pair of scissors that you just sterilized. You force your mind blank as you avoid his hard stare and hiss of pain as you work off his leather jacket and toss it on the floor. You cut off the black shirt he's wearing. It's beyond saving.

Once his torso is bared you set to work, cleaning the numerous wounds. You press a little too hard on a deep cut and he growls, hand encircling your wrist to stop you.

"Y/N."

"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm sorry. It's just-"

"Y/N," he repeats, firmer this time. "Stop."

He pries the antibacterial-soaked cotton pad from your hand and stands, towering over you.

"I'll finish. Go to bed it's late."

His words are dismissive, and he's already turning away from you, but your hand on his uninjured bicep stops him.

"Jace," your voice breaks on the nickname, your frayed nerves catching up with you. "What's going on? Why are you shutting me out?"

He doesn't answer, keeping his back to you. As the tears begin to track down your face, you trail your fingertips down his skin. The touch is soft, meant to soothe, but it's too much for Jason. He's been touch-starved his whole life, and on his worst days, your affection is overwhelming.

"Just stop!"

"No! It's been too long for you to revert to this self-destructive behavior. Stop shutting me out! Let me love you. This is how I love you. Just- Stop Jason, please."

His eyes finally meet yours, bloodshot and overflowing with emotion. Before you know what's happening he's easing down to his knees again, burying his face in your chest, breathing irregularly.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. It was so close tonight I just-"

"It's okay. It's okay," you repeat, fingers gently combing through his hair.

His lips seek yours out, desperate and hungry. You can sense it all, the toll that tonight took on him and the fear that lingers. You give in to the kiss, parting your lips and allowing him to deepen the kiss. As his hands begin to creep up your sides you struggle to tap back into the rational side of your brain. Mind foggy from the kiss you take a small step back, fingers ghosting over his lips.

"Let's finish getting you cleaned up, Jace. Then you can take me to bed."

[hazbinpage]

Lucifer x Reader HCs

(In which your relationship is romantic and you both live in the hotel.)

WC is 1741

(A/N: I love Lucifer so much. What a man. That being said, he's probably really OOC in this: we've only seen his character in a select few situations, none of which demonstrate how he treats his romantic partner or bonds with people he doesn't know, and I haven't read enough fics about him to decide what I like. Additionally, I'm not the best at writing romance at this point, so hopefully nothing is too off lol! With the disclaimers out of the way, please enjoy and lmk what you think! :))

-He isn't very fond of sinners, and while his perspective on them has changed since joining the hotel, his opinion certainly hasn't flipped 180 degrees. How could it have? Good deeds never made the news in Hell, and the dead he was forced to interact with were powerful. Powerful sinners were never innocent; no one becomes an overlord by accident. Centuries upon centuries of talking to the powerful, witnessing only violence and hatred, will not be undone by a single moment of comradery in war — a battle where he couldn't know if the sinners were acting solely in their own self-interest.

-This is why, when you first arrive at the hotel, he's fairly aloof. He'll be polite, of course; he has no reason not to be (especially while lowkey still trying to win over his daughter), but will hold himself distant.

-Despite this, he admits you're kinda cute....

-You don't see him often, which doesn't help with his distance — he isn't used to being around so many people, and while he's pretty charismatic and extroverted, he's also still depressed and has a habit of self-isolating when he's going through it (which is often). He only really comes out for his daughter's sake.

-To get to know him faster than his changing perspective and mental challenges would otherwise allow, you could: one, approach him directly! Be friendly, open, and interested in his hobbies. This only works if you do the same for the others, though. If you don't, he might see your advances as manipulation. Two, you could develop a relationship with Charlie. Support her, believe in her cause, and have her back. He'll see you helping his daughter and will want to understand you further. Three, you could talk about ducks. That'll get him. He'll approach you eventually and strike up a conversation.

-If you don't do any of these things, that's fine; he'll just get to know you at the same pace that he gets to know the others. He'll slowly open up to the idea that not all sinners are violent psychopaths, become more comfortable with the rest of the crew, and realize how well he connects with you over a period of several months.

- Lucifer catches feelings pretty fast once you start hanging out for real. He's enamored with you: not only are you cute as fuck, but his daughter loves you, and you're the nicest sinner he's ever met (while kindest of the damned is not a hard-earned title, it's one he appreciates nonetheless).

-Once he realizes he's caught feelings, he'll ask Charlie for permission to ask you out. He doesn't want to pursue you if she isn't comfortable with it; she's already got familial issues, and he doesn't want a sudden shift in the family dynamic to hurt her further. If she says yes (which, if she likes you, she probably will), he'll ask you out to dinner.

-Prepare for the first date to be really awkward. Even if you've known him for a while at this point, he's incredibly nervous — he hasn't done anything romantic in a good while, and the last time he tried a relationship, it didn't work out. The whole time, he's fumbling over his words and cringing at himself, saying things he doesn't mean to while trying to be suave. When he escorts you back home after a very bumpy evening, he'll be downtrodden. He messed things up, just as he knew he would, and now you probably hate him; thoughts of self-loathing and regret swirl in his mind until you say you'll pay him back next time (he blinks up at you owlishly. "Next time? Like...another date?" You confirm his thoughts. "Oh--- oh! Yes, absolutely! I mean, no, no need to pay me back; of course not, but next time sounds good! How does this Saturday at 3 sound?").

-A couple of dates in, and he's feeling more confident, which reflects in his now far more self-assured demeanor and smooth language. He's a silver-tongued devil, after all, and he has to live up to his name.

-If all goes well, after about a month, he realizes he wants you to be his partner. He, once again, gets Charlie's permission and brainstorms with some of your friends about how to pop the question. Initially, he wants to impress you, pulling out the big guns and whisking you off your feet on the balcony of a lavish black-tie restaurant rented for just the two of you. After some discussion among your peers and deliberation of his own, though, he decides to do something else. He invites you to his tower, where he's prepared a handmade dinner with candles and soft music in the background. The food isn't particularly good (he can't cook very well and enlisted Vaggie and Nifty's help to make his dish edible), and the smoke from the candles stopped being pleasant about a half an hour in, but regardless, you both have a wonderful time, laughing about his lack of culinary skills and the excessively warm room. He asks if you would like to be his lover at the end of the evening, nervous but somehow also self-assured, and is overjoyed when you say yes. The next day, he parades you around the hotel, bragging that you said yes and talking about you to anyone who'd listen.

-If he wasn't big on physical affection before he got so lonely, he is now. While his hands might not constantly be on you, they've come close to that, especially if he's going through a hard time. Expect lots of hand-holding, arm-looping, cuddling, and kissing. He likes resting his head on yours (or your shoulder, depending on how tall you are) while he wraps his arms around you (or the reverse — he loves being cradled), you both sitting together on the couch. He also has a habit of rubbing his thumb in circles over the back of your hand while holding it.

-Smother his face with kisses, his cartoony heart-eyes expression will look a tenth lovestruck as he feels.

-You receive frequent duck memes, duck-themed gifts, and duck dissertations. He doesn't go around parading his interest, but if he trusts you, he can't keep himself from wanting to share everything about his hyperfixation. He's concerned about being annoying, though, and while you could try to curb his insecurity by telling him he's not, the best reassurance is to match his energy: talk about your own obsessions and be just as weird about them as he is. Not only does he feel better about himself, but he gets to talk with you for extended periods of time, your eyes alight and grin large. He'll probably try to get into whatever you talk about, wanting to connect with you further.

-He likes giving you gifts in general. Especially those that show you're in a relationship with him, like wearable apple or goat paraphernalia. While he does enjoy gift-giving for its own sake, he's insecure and doesn't want anyone to think they can cross him by taking you. If you give him anything duck-themed, handmade, or (heavens help him) both, especially without reason? He will melt. He loves it; he can feel the thought and effort you put in for him and feels known and loved.

- He’s kinda clingy; he likes being around you as often as possible and gets nervous if you're gone too long; if you leave for more than a day, he's like a koala when you return. It's comforting to him to know where you are, but it’s even more comforting when you tell him how much you love him before you go. His self-esteem isn't at a record low, but it certainly isn't high, and he has huge abandonment issues. Every once in a while, because of this, he'll grow distant; his thoughts of being undeserving or theories about how you're going to leave him become too much, and he semi-subconsciously pulls away to protect himself. Be patient with him during these times; show him how much you care and how you would never leave. Tell him you love him as he is. The first time you say so, he'll cry in your arms and snuggle you for hours.

-He'll become less clingy and insecure as your relationship goes on, but will always rather be with you than alone.

- He's majorly protective. He knows what it's like in Hell, and he knows that by dating you, he's put a target on your back, which only adds to your lack of safety. He will pull all the strings he has in order to keep you safe, whether that means accompanying you when you're out and about, actively keeping you away from overlords, or tracking your phone without your knowledge. He feels bad about some of his less savory means of protection, but not bad enough to stop. The thought of your death haunts him too much to let you be.

-Similarly, though he won't ever admit it, your redemption keeps him up at night. If you're redeemed and go up to heaven, he can't see you anymore — maybe ever. He knows you want to better yourself and tries his best to support you in your improvement, but sometimes his fear gets to be too much. In those moments, he has to spend some time alone before he tries to sabotage your progress in any way — any more than he already has.

-It's hard to tell what his love language is because he uses all of them. He wants to spend time with you (though he will give you a break if you need one; he understands needing to be alone, even if it makes him nervous), give you gifts, be touchy, do things for you, and tell you how wonderful he thinks you are. He wants you to know just how much he cares in every way he can and will be receptive to any form of love in return.

-He doesn't use as many pet names as some of the rest of the cast would, but he does use them! He likes calling you sweetheart and angel-eyes the most.

-Overall, he has a lot of insecurities and mental health problems to work through, but tries his best to be the best partner he can be for you. It's hard work to improve himself, but if you'll have him, he'll stay by your side forever.

[honey-milk-depresso]

Batboys watching anime with reader

You know my ass went FULL ON LOCK MODE with Tim. I went crazy- 💀

***S/o is above 18, which means characters below are also aged up!

Doing requests until 1 Feb! Please see my pinned post and read the request rules on the navi! Thank you!🩷

Batbros watching anime with you

Dick Grayson

He’s watched a few 90s anime before, more the basic ones like One Piece and Pokémon, and he probably still watches them to this day. Boy has old CDs he has and you should probably try finding a Blue Ray (or use his if he can have Tim help fix it because it’s good as dead 💀) because he’s popping in every CD of old anime’s he have lying about.

“Wow, I didn’t know I had cowboy bebop! Or Slam Dunk!” He got a few rare gems, which makes it all the more fun to sit down on the couch under a blanket as you huddle and watch the nostalgic 90s anime shows together while eating popcorn.

He doesn’t mind watching new, modern day animes, just be prepared for when you two watch sad anime shows because he will sob like it’s the end of the world.

“NO, WHY WOULD KAORI DIE LIKE THIS?? AND SHE LOVES ARIMA- OH MY GOD IM SO—”sobs even more. He gets emotional while watching them because it’s so sad that it’s sO GOOD-

Loves dancing to those danceable anime music with you. He goes ALL. OUT. He even sings all of it in Japanese like wow-

I would love to hear him sing Cruel Angel’s Thesis in his Discowing suit and with goth makeup on it because it “sets the mood”, PLEASE-

Overall, great time watching with Dick. <3

Jason Todd

You expect someone like him to like Chainsaw Man, Trigun or something like those grunge-y, guns and knives animes, right? I mean, he does, but only with you and ONLY with you will he let his inner Magical Girl enthusiast ass shine. Because he LOVES Magical Girl animes. That’s probably the reason and one point of time why he wore red ribbons around his arms, he wanted that Sailor Moon experience and Tim might’ve just teased him about that era without knowing his love for Magical Girl animes and Jason might’ve flipped and freaked the fuck out and started chasing him down the manor.

Jason watches Sailor Moon, Madoka when he feels edgier than usual, Cardcaptor Sakura, every Precure series, Tokyo Mew Mew, man has all these shows somehow. He swears they weren’t through illegal means and he just worked very hard to gather all of them. He also might be a shoujo anime fan because if he loves Jane Austen books, you bet his ass would be reading Fruits Basket, Maid Sama or something because of course he would.

Also a Studio Ghibli fan, although watching the Tale of Princess Kaguya might make him feel too much, especially getting pissed off with the dad who forces his daughter into a wealthy life without her input and- yeah, you gotta calm him down as he cries bitterly and sourly with a pout on his face.

The two of you can go on and on about debating about unclear endings of animes all day long. You know the “AND SHE WAS A PRINCESS” video? That’s Jason.

Great man to watch anime with, and he’ll gladly be your Tuxedo Mask to your Sailor Moon (and not the “But you did nothing meme- or the other way around- he don’t mind being the Usagi-). <3

Tim Drake

I’m very convinced this man got into his whole detective shit because he watched Detective Conan and honestly I can’t blame him. Tim has probably the largest vessel of anime knowledge out of all of them. He doesn’t really have a specific genre he likes but he’s pretty fond of old 90s and 80s animes. He can explain the whole lore of One Piece, Fairytale, Pokémon like Jesus Tim, calm down- 💀

I can see him watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain or Key the Metal Doll because he likes that little bit of horror nature and mystery and thriller in his animes although he really doesn’t mind watching Haikyuu all over again if you want to.

Might introduce you to underrated and/or old animes like Revolutionary Girl Utena, Nadia the Secrets of Blue Water, every Studio Ghibli movie, those kinds of animes that give off the really pretty and aesthetic old anime animations that is just so pretty to watch and with really good storylines that both of you can cuddle on a couch together and watch. I bet he even watches anime with you even before you two got together, so you guys pretty much have “watching anime together” as part of the foundation of your relationship. Owns so much manga that you can’t even count, too.

Just… don’t make him watch those really slow burn, comedy love animes, specifically Love War. Not that he don’t like romance animes, he watches Ouran High School Host Club and Your Name, trust me, but Love War? He is going absolutely insane because of it.

“OH MY GOD- PLEASE JUST KISS ALREADY. ME AND S/O ARE ALREADY TOGETHER FIVE MONTHS AGO ANF YOU TWO ARE STILL TOO PROUD TO ADMIT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER WHILE BLUSHING- JUST KISS ALREADY-” <3

Damian Wayne

Damian likes anime. Would 100% go to an anime convention with you as a date if you’re up for it. He doesn’t mind (surprisingly- just for you only-).

He doesn’t necessarily like showmen animes although he has enjoyed a few, but he really loves slice of life, I feel. It just feels like he wants to put himself in a normal life and with a tad bit of drama in it like what the characters go through. The touching ones like Hyouka or Natsume’s Book of Friends.

Also animal related anime maybe except Beastars because he didn’t understand shit-?? He calls that peak anime. Aggretsuko, Chi’s Sweet Home and My Roommate is a Cat?? Damian loves this shit, he watches it intently with his arm around you. Even if he doesn’t smile, you know he loves it by the way his eyes sparkle.

Just don’t tell his brothers. He will seriously feel betrayed if you do so because he only watches these kinds of shows with you: the cute animal ones that are actually wholesome and/or funny.

The whole family is into Studio Ghibli, and he is no exception. He feels like it’s the best kinds of anime to watch with you when you guys just want to turn in for the day and huddle up on the couch. It’s one of the rare times he relaxes and softens and he’s glad to have quality time with you. <3

Duke Thomas

He likes anime! Studio Ghibli is definitely a favourite of his and he would gladly watch it together with you! He also love a fair bit of Shounen animes, the more popular ones like Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece, Haikyuu, or Spy x Family. He likes them a lot!

A big fan of romance animes too: Ouran High School Host Club and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (if you two are in the mood to huddle on the couch together and cry).

Duke doesn’t mind any kind of anime so long as it doesn’t have too much horror or gore like… Higurashi. He gets chills when that anime is mentioned. D-Don’t watch it for your own sake if you don’t know. And if you do, avoid it with him at all cost because he will.

Duke also like singing some good anime songs with you and you guys can go crazy and dance around, just not as dramatic as Dick.

He would be super excited to spend a date with you watching shounen anime movies like from Jujutsu Kaisen and he would be so hype to spend time with you being a fanboy while also sharing that romantic air for the shared love of anime between you two and the love that you two share, although that love is far stronger. <3

Reblogs help! ^^

[fallow-hollow]

take you home

…ft! chilchuck tims x male! half-foot! reader

…tags! fluff, pining, confession, dates, mentions of drinking, post-canon

…word count! 1346

…notes! i fully agree with the fandom consensus that chilchuck is a closeted bisexual

Chilchuck was a pretty prominent union leader on the island, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he’d do the same when he moves back to Kahka Brud to set up shop.

If you’re a half foot in the area, especially one looking for work, it’s pretty much impossible not to know Chilchuck.

No matter your field, he’s a great guy to go to for making connections and financial advice in general.

The first time you talked to him was about negotiating for a contract with a potential employer, but honestly, you’d always sort of admired him from afar. Hard working, sharp-witted, not to mention good looking.

“What?!” You nearly jumped at the man’s exasperated shout, being that he was fairly close to your ear. Chilchuck agreed to help you take a look at one of the contracts you’ve been offered, so you were currently letting him take a look at a copy. This, of course, led to the man peering over your shoulder, which didn’t help your absolutely hopeless crush on him. Not that you were complaining, though.

To make it even worse, he even rested his elbow right on your shoulder to point something out on the paper. “They don’t even include consequential damages litigation here! No way are you going to be tricked into being liable for their lost profits!”

Not turning your head due to your own embarrassment, you merely looked at him in your peripheral vision. “So, what do you think I should do?”

“Wellll….” As he deliberated on your question, the man leaned away from you, allowing you to turn your body towards him more. “If you’re dead set on working with this employer, I’d say negotiate as much as you can. On your own, you can get brushed off easily, but if you need…” he wore a smug grin whilst rubbing under his nose with his index finger. “I can put in a good word for you.”

And if you’re a half-foot, the guy is most likely taller than you. It’s noted that if the entire canon party were half-foots, he’d be taller than even Laios.

By this point in the timeline, I also imagine he’s patched things up with his family, but not in a romantic relationship with his ex-wife anymore. They’re friendly and see each other regularly, and she and his daughters even tease him about putting himself out there again.

From conversations you’ve had with him, you’re more than aware he’s been married before and has kids, and that doesn’t deter you from seeking a relationship with him at all. In fact, if you ever meet his daughters, you’ll likely get along well if you’re as amiable with them as you are with their father.

“I like him,” Puckpatti would declare the moment you left the room. “He seems sweet! You definitely need somebody like that to coax you out of your whole crab apple act, Papa.”

“It’s not like that!” He would instantly retort, causing his two more outgoing daughters to giggle. Even Meijack, albeit not as boisterous as her sisters, had a hint of an amused look on her face.

“Yet.” Flertom winked. “If you ever need some tips to speed up the process, you really shouldn’t be afraid to ask!”

The mere offer turned the man into a stuttering mess. “Stop that or I’ll— I’ll tell your mother!”

For a moment, Meijack’s eyes flitted to her father’s face before retreating back to the side. “She already told us she knew you swung that way.”

Chilchuck would’ve downright screamed if not for your return. “Hey guys, what’d I miss?” He dared not turn around, lest you notice how flushed he’d become in mere minutes.

Puckpatti, with a look so innocent that you could hardly believe she was tormenting her father just moments before, clapped her hands together and grinned. “No, you came at just the right time! I wanted to ask more about how you and Papa met!”

Chilchuck has never dated another guy before, so he doesn’t have a lot of experience in that field. Honestly, since his wife and he were childhood friends, I’m not sure if he’s dated anybody else at all. Most of the guys he knew well were coworkers, drinking buddies, or both, so emotional connection wasn’t always a priority.

Your friendly attitude and respect for his craft already drew him in, plus your little acts of affection drove him absolutely crazy. Give him a hug as a greeting and he’s doing everything he can to resist melting. Could a person really be this sweet with no ulterior motive? Someone like you has got to be even rarer than even the most valuable treasures.

More likely than not, you’d be the one to actually ask him out. You may need to repeat yourself when you ask him, though, cause the man might just die of shock.

Holding up the poster for the ‘couple’s night’ at the bar you frequented together was a bit of a nerve wracking experience, if you were being honest. Watching the other man’s eyes squint and scan over the text, you grinned and asked,

“Would you want to go together?”

For a moment, Chilchuck didn’t really know what to make of your request. You asking him to go out for drinks with him was a totally normal thing between you two, but why were you showing him that ad? After a minute or so of trying and failing to make the proper connection, he grinned and nodded like he’d figured it out.

“Ahhh, so you’re one of those people that’ll pretend to be a couple with their friend to get discounted drinks? Not really a thing I do, but since it’s you, I’ll consider it.”

Hey, why did you look so dejected when he said that? That’s what you meant, right?

Right?

“No, I meant…..” your eyes left his face in favor of lingering on the floor. Those words combined with your expression finally made it all slide into place, and the poor man could only blurt out with a feeling of intense guilt,

“Oh, oh, I’m so so sorry, I didn’t know you were asking—!”

You did end up going together that night, and it was pretty fun, too.

As a partner, Chilchuck is focused on providing stability. As much as he can act like a sleaze sometimes, he doesn’t seem like he does a lot of casual dating. He’d probably feel too old for that kind of thing either way.

When you’ve been together for a while, he may even offer to share finances and move in together. He says it would be “economical” and all, but you can also tell he clearly wants to be with you daily, and that makes you happy.

Protective as all hell. When he gets a little tipsy, he may get snappy with anyone he even thinks is looking at you the wrong way.

“Hey!” From beside you, you heard your lover’s voice slur. “You got a problem with my man?”

A sigh escaped your lips. “Chilchuck, he’s just collecting the empty glasses.”

Your words must not have either not reached him or not even affected him, because he continued to glare up at the waiter with a hazy, unfounded suspicion that truly only a drunk Chilchuck could possess.

A hand on his waist pulling him into your collar made quick work of sating him, a smile gracing your lips when he groaned into the fabric of your shirt. “We’ll leave soon, okay hon? Soon we can go home.”

Briefly, his half lidded eyes opened wider if only to look up at your face as if you were an illusion, something too good to be true.

“I get to take a pretty thing like you home with me….?”

Lord, for such a serious person, he really could make you laugh sometimes. It was probably just the lighting, but you hoped that the redness of his face really did intensify at your smile as you gazed down at him.

“You can every single night, Chil. Always.”

[silverwhittlingknife]

In issue # 110 of Nightwing (1996), why did Dick look irritated (and clench his fist) when Tim told him that Bruce considered adoption (which Tim rejected obvs), especially since Tim's dad was killed (and Dick knows that)?

ANON YOU HAVE ASKED ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE ISSUES OF NIGHTWING OF ALL TIME <333

Very short answer: it's the trauma

So the thing is, this is a heartbreaking issue that requires a lot of footnoting, because the emotional undercurrents are BIG and POWERFUL but the dialogue is deliberately understated?? and Dick and Tim are often not saying what they mean?? or just straight-up lying to each other?? and they're TALKING PAST EACH OTHER because

they both suck at communication

they are not even TRYING to communicate their actual problems - like, if Tim straight-up said, "A bunch of people I love are dead and I keep having nightmares about how it's my fault and I'm guilty and miserable and lonely and avoiding Bruce and I came to your city because I was reeling and I missed you and I didn't know what else to do and now I'm scared you're mad at me," that would crack through Dick's determination to keep his distance because Dick's whole thing here is based on the conviction that Tim is fine, but of course Tim doesn't say any of that, and Dick can't read his mind. And Dick's not quite as determined a liar as Tim so Tim is able to figure out a little more of what's going on with Dick vis-a-vis insecurities, but Tim's still completely missing what a colossal mess Dick is right now, and again: this is because he's not a mind-reader and Dick doesn't tell him! And doesn't want to tell him! And doesn't want him to know! So Tim thinks that Dick's maybe acting this way because he's mad at Tim, and he tries to solve the problem from that angle, even though that's not at all what's going on and actually Dick's miserable and traumatized and mad at himself

I love it so much

So the short-ish answer to your question is, Tim's correctly guessed at some of Dick's insecurities here. Dick's not mad that Tim's in the city, but Tim's right that the adoption was a big deal to Dick, and he's right that Dick's a little threatened by the idea of Tim getting adopted too. (This wouldn't normally be the case! But Dick was kinda uneasy about Tim in the early days when his own relationship to Bruce felt very shaky, and right now Dick's feeling like he's lost Bruce again, and when he's insecure about himself he tends to slide into seeing Tim as a rival - both in vigilante terms and in terms of a connection to Bruce.)

And probably the main reason Dick's so stunned - and a bit angry - here is because Bruce didn't tell him, and although this is very different from Bruce not telling him about adopting Jason... it's still jabbing at those old wounds.

BUT THE LONGER ANSWER is important! Dick loves Tim, a lot!! SO MUCH. He watches Tim sadly from a distance and thinks about how much he loves him in this very comic! So why isn't Dick more enthusiastic about the potential adoption? Why is he skulking around in alleys being miserable and self-destructive and avoiding Tim so determinedly that Tim's convinced he's offended Dick somehow? What's going on???

Well, Dick's life has been imploding.

So to really answer your question, we have to back up a bit and get the context of what's going on with Dick and Tim prior to this comic.

I started writing about this and it got way out of hand, so below please find a guide to my four-part manifesto about Nightwing 110 and what's going on and why I think it's great:

Background: Dick + Tim + Trauma Conga Lines

Background: War Games Aftermath

Nightwing 110

Fix-It Fic Ideas

rambling manifesto is below the cut

Background: Dick + Tim + Trauma Conga Lines

Images: a reporter is shot and killed in front of Dick in N 93; a few days later, Darla is shot and killed in front of Tim in R 129; a blood-covered Dick turns from Blockbuster's body in N 93; a blood-covered Tim stares at his father's body in IC 6

Timeline-wise, we're in The Bad Year for Dick and Tim. Dick's life has been FALLING APART. Blockbuster figured out his secret identity and started murdering his entire supporting cast: Blockbuster hired someone to attack Haly's Circus, blew up Dick's entire apartment building, and shot a reporter in front of Dick. In the climactic confrontation, Catalina Flores killed Blockbuster and raped Dick.

More or less simultaneously in War Games, Tim's life has ALSO been falling apart and his supporting cast has been getting gruesomely murdered. In quick succession, Jack figured out Tim's secret and Tim had to quit, Steph got hired and fired as Robin; Steph accidentally started a gang war; Darla got shot and killed in front of Tim during the gang war; Steph got killed by Black Mask; and Jack Drake got killed by Captain Boomerang.

It's a grimdark time in DC comics.

Background: War Games Aftermath

Dick's slowly recovering in the Manor as Bruce recaps recent events to him (Batman 634)

Now, Dick's actually part of War Games - very briefly. A day or two after Blockbuster's death, Bruce calls Dick for help, and Dick comes to Gotham. Dick and Tim briefly interact but Gotham is in flames, they're both freaking out, and they don't really help each other - Tim tries to tell Dick about Darla, and Dick shuts him down (not realizing Darla is actually Tim's friend); Dick has a panic attack in front of Tim and Tim drags him out of danger but gets snappish instead of worried.

AND THEN, midway through the gang war, Dick gets shot in the leg and ends up in a coma for a while. By the time he's recovered enough to wake up and walk around, Steph's dead, Jack's dead, the funerals are over, and Tim - who's avoiding Bruce - has moved to Blüdhaven.

Here's Dick trying to get answers out of Alfred in Nightwing 99 (Alfred and Bruce aren't telling him anything, either because they can't stand to talk about it or because they're worried about impeding his recovery):

Somewhere around here - presumably whenever he first learns about Jack's death? - Dick calls Tim, who doesn't pick up, in IC 7:

In Nightwing 99, it's implied that Dick leaves the Manor almost as soon as he wakes up, after confronting Bruce:

Dick can't bring himself to confess Blockbuster's death, but obliquely admits his own distress: "…Bruce, I'm lost." Bruce wants to solve things by throwing themselves into The Mission in Gotham: "It's just you and me again, Dick. But there's plenty of work to do." As he talks, Dick grabs his crutches and leaves. He confronts Catalina, arrests her, and tries to turn himself in... but Amy doesn't let him. As he's walking out, angry at Amy and at himself, a prisoner offers him a card.

Meanwhile, in the Batcave, Alfred's stunned to discover that Dick's abandoned his costume:

In Nightwing 107, we learn that Dick has ditched everything and apparently joined the mob - or is he undercover? Dick ultimately comes up with justifications for what he's doing, but a lot of what he's doing is punishing himself and hiding from his life. He's in Detroit for a while, but then has to go back to Blüdhaven, where he sees Tim...

...and now we're caught up with Nightwing 110.

Nightwing 110

I haven't had a chance to see Robin in action since the beginning of the gang wars in Gotham. It seems like just yesterday he was an earnest little computer geek too smart for his own good. He's still too smart for his own good and he can still kick butt with a search engine, but now he's a full-fledged superhero, to boot. Wonder if he knows how good he is? Not just at the fighting, but at keeping the whole thing on his terms. That's really hard to do, and Tim - he's been through so much, and weathered it so well.

Dick's been staying mostly in Detroit rather than Blüdhaven for various reasons, but one very important one is that he's been avoiding Tim.

Dick and Tim's relationship always suffers when Dick's self-worth issues get in the way, and this is probably the most dramatic moment AND IT'S SO SAAAAAD *wails*

From very early on, Dick has had a very high opinion of Tim, and - like Bruce's conviction that "you're better than me, Dick" - this is

very heartwarming and an expression of Dick's faith in Tim

very important to Tim, who tries really hard to impress Dick and (like Dick) hangs a lot of his self-worth on being needed and useful

a source of many sweet moments

but also

a source of problems in their relationship, because Dick's high opinion of Tim and low opinion of himself means he consistently underestimates how important he is to Tim, wonders if Tim would be better off without him, and sometimes thinks that keeping his distance is good for Tim so that Dick doesn't bring him down... and meanwhile Tim interprets Dick's distance as disapproval or hostility

When Dick's down on himself, he'll continually compare himself unfavorably to Tim - Tim questions more, Tim's better with Bruce, Tim's got better computer skills, etc. etc.

And that's what's happening here, when Dick watches Tim fight from a distance:

Dick: Still, Timmy played it through nice and clean. Disarmed the perps, protected and avoided the cops, kept any civilians from being shot... God, I love that kid. Too much to let him see me like this.

This isn't a neutral assessment of Tim's skills. This is Dick castigating himself. The implication is: Tim plays it nice and clean, Tim kept civilians from getting shot... unlike me. Elsewhere in this arc, Dick's been convinced that he's "poison."

He can't bear to see Tim because he's certain he'll only bring Tim down.

... There's a problem with his plan, though. Tim's spotted him.

Narrator voice: they were not okay

I LOVE THIS PANEL SO MUCH

Tim spots Dick before he can sneak away, and chases after him. At first he tries to tease light-heartedly - "Look at you! Back on your feet!" - but when Dick looks away grim-faced, Tim sobers and we get a bit more of his actual worries. (Tim will sometimes fake cheerfulness when under stress - both Babs and his friends comment on this in War Games and in Teen Titans.)

Now they catch up. Tim asks Dick if he's okay. (Dick says he is. He's not.) Where he's staying. ("Some people" are the mobster family.) Dick asks Tim how his step-mom is. (Tim says she's okay. She's not. She's had a breakdown.) How school's going. (Tim says school's okay too. Actually, he's dropped out.)

And now at last we've looped back to the panels at the top! Dick tries to retreat, and Tim - convinced that Dick is mad at him, which is really not the case - tries to figure out if Dick is mad at him for coming to Blüdhaven without permission, or about Bruce's offer of adoption. (Tim's self-worth issues mean that Tim's convinced that Dick is mad at him about something, as opposed to the truth, which is that Dick is spiraling and it has nothing to do with Tim.)

Dick (turning away): We - we shouldn't be talking like this. Tim (fake-cheer, acting as if Dick means "we shouldn't be talking with you in costume and me out-of-costume"): Well, go get your gear! Dick: I can't do that. Tim (more serious now): You're not mad I'm, like, in your city or anything? Dick (shocked): NO! No. I'm honored. You have more of a right to be here than I do. Tim: Is it the adoption thing? Dick: The what? Tim: 'Cause I was a little worried about that. That's kinda part of why I said no. I mean, that and the uncle thing. I was just thinking it wasn't really all that long since he officially adopted you, which was kind of a big deal, emotionally or whatever, and to me you're like totally his son and I don't wanna step on that or anything.

Dick (whirling): What are you talking about, Tim? Bruce is going to adopt you? Tim (hands up): No! I mean, he was. But he's not now. I've got this uncle… So I don't need, you know, anything really… from Bruce, or… You, uh. You didn't know. I'm sorry, I figured he would've talked to you about it or something. Dick (turning away, jumping off the balcony): Yeah, right. Fat chance. Tim: Well anyway, it's not gonna happen, so you don't have to worry about it... right?

Dick's unnerved by the adoption offer mostly because it drives home his distance from Bruce - he didn't know Bruce was offering this, and since Dick's been thinking of himself as Estranged from Everyone Forever, it feels like Tim joining Bruce's family - replacing Dick - instead of Tim joining Dick's family. So he reacts badly - EVEN THOUGH!!! AGAIN!!! DICK LOVES TIM A LOT!!!

So Dick emphasizes the distance he's trying to create: tells Tim that whatever he does is up to him and Bruce, not Dick, because Dick's withdrawing from everything. Actually, Tim should forget that he ever knew Dick:

Dick (pulls his hood up, turns away): Look, Timmy, I'm sorry. I don't care what he does. If he can be of help to you, you should take him up on it. I wish I could offer to help you myself, but I can't. I'm not part of this anymore. This whole thing… I'm out. Tim: Yeah, right… Dick: From now on, it'd be better if you forgot you ever knew me. Tim (echoing what Dick said): ...Fat chance.

Tim's hurt by this, and he's been pretty oblivious about what's going on with Dick, but he's not an idiot, and after a moment of hesitation he correctly figures out from this ramble what Dick's not saying, which is that Dick's feeling like he's worthless to Bruce, that Bruce doesn't value him, that he's lost that relationship. So Tim impulsively tries to reassure him that Bruce does need him... but Dick's in a lousy headspace and it doesn't work:

Dick's walking away. Tim chases after him again. Tim: Hey, uh-! Remember how I once told you that Batman needed a Robin? Well, that's still true, but even more than that, he…he needs you. You know, not like every second or whatever, but at the end of the day, he needs to know you're still on his side. It's…important. Dick kicks over a newspaper stand. Dick (glaring): YOU- ! - you have no idea how much of my life I've wasted believing that was true. Dick pulls up his hood again and walks away.

(Side-note: forever wonderful to me that both Dick and Tim use "need" as a synonym for "love." Issues: they have them.)

Fix-It Fic Ideas

I have spent a lot of time thinking about potential fix-it fics for this comic (TRAGICALLY AFAIK NO ONE HAS WRITTEN ANY, FEEL FREE TO BE THE FIRST). An idea that I offer free to a good home:

A bit after Dick leaves, Tim winds up in trouble and gets injured and Dick has to rescue him (how does Dick find out about it? I dunno)

Tim's injured so naturally Dick's gonna take him back to his home with his stepmom and/or uncle

. . . except the uncle is an actor and not a very convincing one; Tim's entire edifice of lies collapses

Dick realizes that Tim is not actually weathering things well

Dick still thinks that he's poison and terrible and awful and (insert self-hating monologue here) BUT Tim living on his own after his dad is murdered is so bad as far as Dick's concerned that clearly SOME kind of intervention is necessary

Tim insists he does not need an intervention

Dick's sense of responsibility and worry over Tim now force him to carve out time from his major project of hate-myself-and-feel-bad to try to look out for Tim

Dick insists that Tim stay with him until his stepmom is better

They share an apartment for a while

They are both still super-super-super traumatized

???

eventual hugs and healing on both sides

profit

Alternate fix-it:

Tim follows Dick back to the Tevis' house like the little stalker he is, and then introduces himself in disguise as Alvin Draper

Dick's furious and frustrated but can't do much about this without screwing up his own disguise

Tim's determined to figure out what's going on with Dick partly for altruistic reasons and partly because he's also running from his own life, but Dick doesn't figure out the second part until way later

Dick's so frustrated with Tim being here when Dick told him to go - plus wrapped up in wondering what Tim knows, and being paranoid about what he might figure out, and hating being observed - that it takes him a while to start wondering questions like, "wait, shouldn't Tim be in school"

Dick and Tim are pretending not to know each other - or pretending to have a hostile relationship, or something - so any real conversations have to be in snatches in secret

Dick tries to bluff/threaten Tim into leaving (for his own good!!) but it doesn't work

Slow crawl toward mutual awareness of trauma which they're both super-self-conscious about - Dick hears Tim crying at night; Tim hears Dick's nightmares or sees another panic attack

??

At some point it becomes increasingly obvious that they know each other / that their story about their relationship is fake, and when the mobsters confront them, Dick says yeah, he lied, actually Tim's his little brother, and he gives some kind of stylized version of the truth which doubles as an emotional speech to Tim who gets all choked up and hugs him

and it's very touching and emotional because remember Tim HASN'T been adopted so they're NOT brothers and Tim was worried maybe Dick didn't WANT to be brothers but Dick CONSIDERS him a brother so ;_;

??? i don't know what happens next. do they quit the mob? does Dick now explain his mob-infiltration plan to Tim?

meanwhile off-panel Bruce stops Deathstroke from blowing up Blüdhaven, well done Bruce

oh wait or maybe Cass does??

anyway Dick and Tim have hugged so then there's a happy ending

In Conclusion

IN CONCLUSION Dick and Tim should hug more and this comic proves it. Look at them! They both need hugs! They're standing so close to each other! THEY ARE MIRROR IMAGES OF TRAUMA AND BAD COPING MECHANISMS they need each other and they don't know how to say it - they want to help each other and they also don't know how to say it - they don't know how to talk to each other or to anyone else - Dick lashes out and Tim lies and they both isolate themselves and withdraw into depression loneliness even though they could help each other! and would want to help each other! but they won't ask for what they need because they don't think they deserve it and they don't realize how important they are to each other

i just think they're neat. i want to study them like bugs and rattle them around in a jar until all the masks come off and they can actually see each other clearly

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

The cold truth

Artful Dodger one shot. Jack Dawkins x fem reader

Before Fagin's return, before Belle, before it all there was y/n. The first woman to break Jack's heart. He kept her portrait in a silver locket, the chain hanging on his bed. One day, long after her operation Belle sits in the hospital going over medical text when Hetty comes into her. Seeing the locket in Belle's hand she tells her the story.

"She was a lovely girl, a nurse here. Odd though because she was married. So many of us live a solitary life but not y/n. She was such a wonderful spirit. I'm convinced she could make the dead dance with her joy. None of us could have known. Jack was the first to notice the changes, they were so small at first. Y/n had always had the most beautiful red hair, it was so thick she could hardly contain it and would have it tied several plates pinned about her head. I remember Jack coming to me one morning, the spirals were gone. It was all chopped off up to her shoulders. Y/n wouldn't tell us what happened.

Then it was the bruises. Poking out of her dress on her neck, her arms you know. She just kept saying she was clumsy, but we spent hours with her and none of us ever saw her even trip. Jack tries to ask her once but she brushed him off.

I don't know if it was her original joy or the subsequent lack of it, but the doctor seemed fixated on her. He needed to know what was happening.

One time he bumped into her, knocking her ribs and the touch sent y/n to the floor. Shocked by the reaction Jack took her aside and checked her over. Y/n had a bruise that covered her whole left side. Angry and red, purple, blue. Still she wouldn't tell us a thing. Jack took it upon himself to look after her. Noting that she would often work a whole day without a bite of food he began making extra lunch and sitting with her.

He would talk about her when she wasn't around. Retelling her jokes and talking of her beauty.

Of course we know now that it was her husband. He cut her hair off with an axe. Said she was too vain about her appearance and a nurse didn't need long hair. The beatings were worse. He would attack her for any little mistakes. Her ribs? That was because she had burnt dinner one night. He was an awful man. We only found out because Jack found her wandering the streets on his way home for the cat and bagpipes. He had kicked her out of their house. I don't remember what for, but Jack found her and he took care of her. By then the only time I saw her happy was when they were sat together. She told him everything and he promised to help her. Said she could have a bed in our nurses quarters. She even appeared happy for a while, the two of em did.

A week or so later she went home to collect her things, convinced her husband would be at work. He wasn't.

She managed to get back here. I'll never know how she made it. One broken leg, a fractured elbow and a knife in her gut. She did though, she came stumbling in. I think I screamed when I saw her. Jack rushed her into the theatre, but this was about a year before you came along. There was nothing he could do with the knife wound. That damn blade was wide enough to take down an elephant. Ripped her up so badly inside. She couldn't breathe and the blood was pouring into her lungs.

Jack tried and tried until she asked him to stop. Exhausted and covered in her blood, Jack was ready to collapse himself. She held tight to his hand and looked into his eyes.

"No, no y/n, you gotta fight this. You can't die." Jack begged her.

"Jack, I have to go. I'm sorry. You can't save me." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. Jack held on to her. I had hoped his will alone might make God knit her back together. My faith took a knock that day and I'm not afraid to admit it. The look on that boys face when they insisted on taking her away. Tim had to hold him to keep Jack from following her body to the grave.

We all changed after that day. The first time one of our own bad died so brutally. Jack wasn't the same. He threw himself into his work, his competition with Sneed.

You know there are times when he still visits her grave. Maybe that's why he was so desperate to save you, Lady Belle. Jack's poor heart couldn't take another love being ripped away from him. It's a lovely portrait of her. " She finishes by glancing over Belle's shoulder at the lockett.

"he's in prison, so you think, do you think you could take me to her grave?" Belle asks.

It's a small wooden cross with her name carved into it.

"we couldn't afford a real headstone. " Hetty explains. Belle bent to touch the wood, running her fingers over the carved wood.

"What happened to the husband?"

"Got himself hanged for his troubles three weeks after. It took three hours for him to die. Come on now miss we should get you back before you're missed." Hetty reminded her.

"of course. I shall bring y/n flowers tomorrow."

"very good Milady "

[igotanidea]

Phantom: Jason Todd x ghost!reader

part 2 to Specter

***

He would never say it outloud, not that he had to, but adjusting to living without her took much more time then it should.

When he came back, lost, confused and thrown into completely different reality when Tim replaced him in the role of Robin, when Damian joined the family, when he was apparently no longer welcomed and fitting, Y/N would have been the only familiar thing keeping him from jumping into the abyss of madness.

 And now, he had to struggle through every day with the thought of her lingering in the back of his mind, followed by two simple words that seemed to justify his every action and pushing forward.

For her.

For her, because she wouldn’t want to watch you fall into the claws of depression.

For her, since it was the only way to prove he was actually worth something and if there was something beyond the grave, Jason wanted her to be proud of him.

Oh,

To see her, just one more time. To hear her voice, her laugh, to feel the touch of her hand on his cheek, always so gentle and caring, even when he did something stupid or reckless.

His mind was turning in direct proportion to the way his body was tossing in bed unable to sleep.

He missed her terribly, only now realizing how much pain it actually brings to loose someone without hope of ever getting them back into one’s life.

Like never ever.

What it meant to get killed and to kill. Having someone’s all fate in one’s hands, playing God, deciding who was and who wasn’t to survive. And if anything it felt like a heavy burden on his shoulders. Jason never regretted getting rid of the scumbags and criminals of Gotham, cleaning the street, taking on the responsibility neither Batman nor any of his brother were ever capable of pursuing. He knew the consequences, both positive and negative. But for the first time he understood the personal emptiness coming from killing.

If only she was here.

She would probably scoff at him, act indifferent and then say something funny or mocking to diffuse the tension that would make them both laugh and feel at least a bit better about this whole vigilantism mess they got involved in as kids.

Or maybe she would be like Bruce. Rejecting him because he had changed his tactics and methods of operation? After all, he wasn’t so brutal and aggressive when he was Robin, she knew him as.

“Fuck!” he hissed, jumping of the bed, unable to have any rest “Get yourself together Todd!” standing in front of bathroom mirror he clutched the sink, almost breaking it due to the force he put into action. “She’s dead. She’s gone. Who the fuck care of what she would think!?” he looked deep into his own eyes, showing desperation, loneliness, fear and uncertainty for future. Despite not being the one to dwell on the past and overanalyze, he could almost see the little street kid he was years ago looking back at him.

“On the other side of the mirror like a fucking Alice in Wonderland” he muttered to himself, head hanging low.

At least until he noticed a shadow appearing behind his back and reflecting in the glass surface, immediately activating all his fighting instincts.

“WHO THE HELL IS HERE?! GET OUT AND SHOW YOUR FACE YOU COWARD!”

Obviously no one showed up which only spur his aggression further on.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Jason muttered casually, but there was no denying his predatory tone that made the innocent words seem life threatening.  “Cause when I find you myself, I’ll make you beg for mercy…” he smirked at the plan already forming in his head as he started searching for the intruder in the whole apartment.

“Is that how you greet an old friend?” a voice, not much louder than a whisper or a rustle of a spring wind bounced off the walls, but there still wasn’t anyone inside.

“SHOW YOURSELF!”

“You know, I can’t remember you being this violent back in the days….”

“THE HELL!?”

“Calm yourself Jaybird, I kinda get what it means to be brought back from the grave.”

“What--?”

Jason’s stutters weren’t interrupted by a thunder or lightning or any other supernatural weather occurrence and yet, the familiar silhouette floating in the air, surrounded by a faint blue glow, almost stopped his heart.

“Y/N?”

“Hey Jaybrird.” She smirked as if she wasn’t a ghost appearing out of thin air. “couldn’t leave me alone even from behind the grave, huh?”

“You’re dead!” he cried out taking a step back even if all his instincts were telling him to run from forward and hold her. The rational part of his brain telling him that she clearly had no body to hold.

‘No more than you I see. How’s life, Todd?”

“Like a second chance that I’m obviously wasting not being a good boy.” He rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling the wave of happiness and familiarity stemming from her presence even in this form.

“Oh, please!” she laughed “good boys are holdovers. Haven’t you heard that girls only fall for the misfits and rebels?”

“Is that why you’re here then? Cause you missed the rebel I became?”

“I’m here because clearly your obsessive thoughts about me became so intrusive that someone up there decided I need to come back and teach you a lesson about leaving dead people in peace.”

“Y/N…” he sighed meeting her eyes, that were still the same e/c orbs he loved so much.

“I know…”

“I missed you…”

“I know…”

Guided my some crazy instinct he approached her, his hand travelling up to cup her cheek, to feel the texture of her skin, but instead meeting the cold air when his fingers permeated the ghost form of his friend/lover.

And it was so fucking depressing. Having her so close and still feeling the distance and separation deriving from the thin line separating two worlds – living and death – unable to cross them. If he knew it would work and they would meet afterlife he would reach for one of his guns and put a bullet in his head right away just to be with her, but the risk of going straight to hell and being divided forever was too great.

So he settled on satisfying his eyes with her half-lucent presence and his ears with the home-like voice.

“I’m sorry-“ she whispered

“No.” he cut her off abruptly, tears almost springing from his eyes at having her but not having her at the same time. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t there for you. I should have been. I should have listened when you told me to stay and not pursue this stupid search-“

“It was not your fault. You were a kid.”

“I should have known better.”

“Neither of us did. And being stupid is a privilege of childhood and teenagerhood.”

“Is that your way of telling me I should be rational and mature now?” Jason teased, pushing the pain away, deep inside.

“Nah.” She laughed softly and it echoed through the empty space like bells “that’s impossible! Not with all I saw you doing.”

“You- you saw?!”

‘I saw. But me calling you out on all your shit is not something why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here Y/N?”

“I have no idea…”

“Is there any way to –“

“Bring me back?”

“Yeah.”

“Straight to the point, huh? Are there anything filthy in your mind that might be the reason of this sudden urge Mr. Todd?” Y/N joked.

“You have no idea.” Something dangerous flashed In his eyes “But seriously, is there?”

“Do I look like a ghost expert?”

“You are a ghost so who better!?”

“Oh, excuse me, let me call Klaus from umbrella academy and ask his expertise.”

“What? He;s a fictional character!”

“Yes, but it’s similar level of abstraction! I have no body, I have no special skills, sorry to disappoint, so even if I was to cast a spell or something-“

“A spell!” Jason interrupted her with the widest grin.

“What?” that sudden change in attitude got her by surprise, brows furrowing in confusion.

“I know an expert on the spells.”

“Please tell me you don’t mean—”

“Oh I do mean!”

“I am not going to take Constantine advice!”

‘Too bad I didn’t ask your opinion on the matter. It’s been decided.”

“Damn, you are an asshole.”

“Yeah, asshole desperate enough to make a fool out of himself if that gets him the girl he’s into back.”

@havikspike

[scarlethexelove]

I love dark things so may I request manipulative Agatha Harkness and reader? They are in a toxic relationship and reader wants to end it but Agatha always convince her to stay + smut ~if it is okay~

 thank you so much

Please Stay

Pairings: Agatha Harkness x Reader

Word Count: 2420

Warnings: Cheating mentioned, Smut, Dom!Agatha, Sub!Reader, Cunnilingus (Both Receiving), Magic Used for Sex, Face Sitting, Not really a warning but no use of Y/n.

A/N: This one took a minute but I got it done. Hopefully you like it. She is just so fantastic at manipulation. Please enjoy :)

“I’m done! I’m fucking done Agatha! I can’t do this anymore.” A tear rolls down your cheek as you look at your wife. “Please baby don’t do this. Please Stay.” She pleads with you, she wraps her hands around your wrist gently. “Do this! Do this! You did this!” You start to cry as your heart breaks. “You ruined this when I found you knuckles deep in that whore.” You point towards the door where not minutes ago a woman scrambled out of your shared bed grabbing her clothes along the way as she scurried out of the room. 

Your marriage hasn’t been perfect and tensions have been super high. You have tried to leave on multiple occasions. Tired of the fighting and the lies, but today, today was the final straw. Finding your wife fucking another woman in your bed. The bed you have shared for many years now tainted. Agatha had always been able to convince you to stay to give her one more chance. She was an expert at manipulating you and you knew what she was doing every time, but you still let it happen. 

You pull your arms from Agatha’s grasp as you move to your closet grabbing a suitcase and toss it on the bed. The dead silence in the room is broken up by shuffling of your packing and your sobs. Agatha stands there shocked that you are standing up to her and actually packing to leave. 

Agatha grabs you by the waist and spins you to look at her. To your shock she actually has tears in her eyes. Out of all the years together you have only seen her cry a handful of times. So you're stunned, which gives her an opportunity. She leans in and kisses you hard. It takes you a second but you're quickly pulling back and pushing her away. “Don’t” Your voice quivers. “Please baby, don't leave me.” She pleads.

You know if you stay too long that you will give in. So you grab your bag and start making your way to the door. But Agatha doesn’t let you go long. “I’ll change. I can change. It’s you and it has always been you baby. I can’t lose you.” She pleads. The squeaking of the door handle is heard as you try to make your exit but Agatha has other plans. She puts her hand on it slamming it shut. Grabbing you again and spinning you around. She presses you into the door and presses up against you. You’re not surprised by her bold move but it still makes you gasp. Your bag falling from your grasp and making a thud on the floor. Her lips crash against yours again kissing you hungrily. Her hands on your waist pinning you to the door. This time is much harder for you to fight back but you manage to pull away your breath a little jagged. 

“Agatha no. I can’t do this anymore.” Your voice is low. All the pain and hurt coming through each word that you speak. But Agatha doesn’t take no for an answer; she knows she can wear you down if she keeps trying. So she moves down to your neck. Lightly nipping and sucking as she moves down. “Please baby, please stay.” She kisses your neck between each word. “Aggie please.” You’re not pleading for her to continue but for her to let you go. Agatha smirks against your neck while still kissing. Your resolve is slowly crumbling. She knows by the use of her nickname. This whole time you haven’t used it. 

A smirk plays on Agatha’s lips as she pulls away. “Let me fuck you one more time. If you want to leave after that I won’t stop you.” You looked at her shocked but something inside tells you it will be closure. You can leave, this is your chance. “Fine, one last time and then I’m done.” Agatha excitedly picks you up as you wrap your legs around her waist. She walks you two over to the bed, pecking your lips before tossing you on the bed. You think for a second about the woman she was just fucking in this bed but you push it out remembering that you can leave after. 

Agatha crawls up your body kissing you as she fiddles to undo your pants buttons and zipper. The kiss is sloppy but it feels as if she is pouring all the love she has for you in it. Once she gets your pants undone she pulls at the waistband. You lift your hips up as she pulls down both your pants and underwear. You help kick them off as she continues kissing you. Once those are off she breaks the kissing leaving you lightly panting. She sits back and you raise up to her she grabs your shirt and pulls it over your head. You lift your arms making it easier for her. Throwing all your clothes in a pile on the floor. 

This time it is your turn to lean in kissing her. Catching Agatha by surprise as you shove your tongue in her mouth. Your tongue fighting for dominance but Agatha has always been the one in control so she takes control quickly. She is able to unclasp your bra as the two of you makeout. It quickly joins the pile on the floor. A few minutes of you two making out leaves you breathless. Agatha pulls back before pushing you back down on the bed. Her fully clothed body above you. She leans down and kisses your neck again. Nipping and biting leaving marks behind as she slowly makes her way down your body. 

You grow impatient at her slow pace. Bucking your hips as a whine leaves your lips. “Aggieeee” She smirks at your desperation knowing that her plan is working. “Patience baby girl.” So you comply knowing that you don’t want to upset the older woman. She settles between your thighs licking her lips at your cunt. All red and swollen just begging for attention. Your wetness covering your thighs. “So wet. All of this for me, sweet girl?” You nod your head and buck towards her again. “I’ll give you what you want, you're being such a good girl for me.” Her tone is sickenly sweet and you know you shouldn’t give in but your brain is becoming fuzzy. 

The next thing you know lips are wrapped around your bundle of nerves and Agatha’s arms are wrapped tightly around your thighs. You let out a low moan as she sucks harshly. You try desperately to grind but her hold on you makes it almost impossible. She lets her teeth occasionally graze over your clit as she moves down pushing her tongue into your entrance. One of your hands flying down and lacing your fingers in her hair. Pulling her closer causing Agatha to moan into your pussy. The vibrations cause you to let out a moan. “Mmm fuck Aggie. R-right there.” You desperately try to grind on her face. 

Agatha laps at your juices as she continues to fuck her tongue in and out of your pussy. Her hold tight on your thighs as she pulls you close to her. Your addicting taste on her tongue. She again scrapes her teeth over your clit as she wraps her lips around it again. Swirling her tongue around your bundle of nerves and sucking harshly. Your body quivers under her touch as the knot grows in your lower stomach. As Agatha alternates between fucking her tongue in you and sucking your clit she can feel as your walls start clamping down on her tongue. Your grip on her hair tightening as you become more desperate to cum. 

“Be a good girl and cum on my tongue.” Agatha mumbles into your heat. It takes a few more thrust of her tongue and her nose brushing against your clit for you to cum all over her face. Your body trembles as your thighs tighten around her head, back arching up as you try and grind on her face. Agatha works you through your orgasm as you slowly come down. Already feeling spent from your first orgasm. 

Agatha pulls away, giving you a chance to calm down. You let out a whine but you're heaving and trying to catch your breath so you don’t fight it as much. You're so focused on your recovery that you don’t hear the ruffling and movement until you feel the bed dipping near your head. You turn to look and see Agatha with a sweet smile on her face. Her body naked as she shuffles and throws her leg over your head. She smirks at you as you look up to her. Her glistening cunt inches from your face. Your mouth watering at the sight wanting nothing more than to taste her and please her. 

Wrapping your arms loosely around Agatha thighs and pulling her down. You open your mouth and flatten your tongue. You know exactly what the woman wants and that is for her to use your mouth for her pleasure. She lowers herself perfectly onto your tongue, grinding her hips down on your face. Her head is thrown back as she enjoys the feeling of your tongue brushing against her clit. She grips the headboard as she continues to grind. The woman above you wants only to use you for her pleasure. For her to maintain her control over you in the bedroom and in life. 

A warm light buzz can be felt on your clit causing you to jolt and moan into the woman's pussy. Agatha moans at the vibrations of your moan. You look up at her and see that her hands are glowing a light purple as she grips the headboard. The buzzing intensifies causing you to squirm. Agatha looks down at you smirking as your hips buck and jerk, but she keeps you locked in place with her thighs wrapped tightly around your head. Her hips grinding harder down on you only making her moan more. Your light whimpers being heard as she uses your body. You're overwhelmed with pleasure at satisfying her and the buzzing your feeling. 

“You like it when I use your mouth to get off hmmm? Like being my perfect fuck toy?” Agatha taunts you, her hips jerking. Your grip on her hips tightening as you moan out a yes. She chuckles above you. Loving how much you are willing to please her. The buzzing increases as Agatha’s hips jerk more erratically. She is already so worked up from pleasing you that it isn’t taking much for her to be teetering on the edge. But she wants you to cum with her. So she does what she can to bring you to the edge with her. 

You don’t even need to do anything as she uses her mouth maintaining her control just gripping her thighs as she grinds. “Fuck! Gonna cum on that pretty face of yours.” She pants above you the closer she gets. “I want you to cum with me, sweet girl. Can you do that? Can you do that for me?” You eagerly nod your head the best you can as it is clamped between her thighs. It’s getting a bit hard to breathe but you want to see her fall apart above you. She continues her movements as she increases the buzzing again. Your legs are trembling as your hips buck from the stimulation. You're teetering on the edge ready to let go and Agatha is right there with you. 

“Mmm fuck! Cum with me.” Agatha moans as she releases all over your face. You moan lapping at her juices the best you can as you join her in bliss. Your own release coating your thighs as your orgasm washes over you. Both of your moans bouncing off the walls as you ride out your highs together. Agatha’s hips coming to a slow stop. You whimper as the buzzing continues. Praying that it stops soon but it doesn’t. 

Agatha removes herself from your face giving you the chance to catch a deep breath. Her release coating the lower half of your face. You continue to whimper and moan your body on fire as you try to squirm away from the invisible force buzzing on your clit. “T-too much.” You try to tell Agatha but she just smiles at you. “One more sweet girl. Can you give me that?” With tears in your eyes you nod your head. Not wanting to disappoint her. 

So the buzzing continues as Agatha leans in kissing you lovingly. This kiss is different from the others, it isn’t fast or greedy. It is soft and sweet as she makes you feel how much she does actually love you. Her hand lightly drawing patterns on your stomach her body pressed closely to yours. Your orgasm quickly approaches from how overstimulated you are. You can feel yourself clenching around nothing the closer you get. Agatha swallows your moans as you two make out. 

It’s not long before you are cuming again hard. Agatha lets the buzzing slow to let your ride out your high before it comes to a stop. She pulls back looking at your fucked out tear stained face. You're both breathing heavy as you catch your breaths. Agatha places her hand on your face gently wiping the tears away. You can’t help but nuzzle into her hand as she does so. As you have calmed down Agatha pulls you into her chest wrapping her arms around you tightly and kissing your head. “You did so good for me baby. Such a good girl.” She says as she gently rubs your back, your face nuzzling into her chest. You croon at the praise. 

All feels right in this moment. And that is when you realize you're not going anywhere. She has done it again. Made you feel the love you have been missing from her. The promise that she will do better, be better. You hope that this time is true and that she will give you the love you need, no the love you deserve. You can never bring yourself to leave her no matter how hard you try, no matter the things she does. You love her too much to let her go. “I love you Aggie.” You mumble into her chest. She smiles above you holding you close and kissing your head again. “I love you too baby.”

[lightwing-s]

Just realized one thing, Tim responding Jason only to realise he's food!vlogger reader's bf and accept it in the most calmest way is so accurate, but what more accurate is that he will be freaking out in the most calmest way too. Like... pouring coffee in his cup and stop it the moment it almost full, like perfectly stop. having his book upside down yet still able to read out the original content like it doesn't bother him when the batkids point out (probably duke). having the idea of wanting to bake cookies but immediately oppose against the idea himself and disgust by it cos he knows well he has only mastered the coffee but not the food... and eventually, one day when steph or the other batkids swap out the newest video, the first thing that completely broke Tim (and cause him to laugh out while the others trying to figure out what's wrong with him) is when he finally come in term that Jason and reader dating and he immediately sabotage Jason like...

Tim: So, you're the boyfriend😏

Jay: ...

Jay: ...

Jay: ...Don't tell me the reason why even demon brat called me to check in you is because of this

Tim: THAT SON OF A BIT——

Tim: Well, the moment you figure out you're not the only one who dated normal civilian

Tim: You WOULD freak out

Tim: Even though your gf is an influencer

Tim: A good one

Tim: Say, can I come visit? Alfie knows and definitely trying hard not to brag, so you must let have someone for him to brag along

Tim: 🤓

Jay: ...

Jay: Fine. Come along.

Jay: But no coffee for 2 days before.

Tim: Deal.

Tim was having breakfast at lunch time after pulling an all nighter, sleep bags evident under his eyes and a large cup of coffee on the table. The steam emanating from it filled the entire kitchen with its strong smell, making Jason, who just entered the room, nearly beg his brother for a sip of the beverage.

Sitting down in front of him with his hard earned drink, Tim watched his brother’s arms crossing on his chest, the muscles well defined (a feat Tim was slightly jealous off) and bringing out a memory, an impression he had seen it before, but not on his brother.

Looking at Y/n’s latest cooking video, he watched as she assembled the plate and placed it in front of her boyfriend, whose muscular biceps popped off just like his brother’s.

Just like his brother’s. No way!

This realization shadowed Tim’s mind for the whole week. He wasn’t 100%, dead set on it being true, but it looked so much like him. So, he took upon himself to watch all of Y/n’s videos and analyze each and everyone of the mysterious boyfriend’s appearances until he found enough evidence to support his claim he was none other than Jason Todd.

The whole family got worried, though. Tim was quiet, aloof, had his mind elsewhere and they didn’t know where to point to. They even called Jason to check on him too, worry flooding their minds over their brother’s sudden weird behavior.

“Hey buddy, you’re alright?” Jason’s voice broke through the phone. “Everyone’s been saying you’ve been off lately, so I just want to make sure. Cass even said you poured coffee out of your cup! So you got us all worried and shit…”

“So, you are the boyfriend?’

Tim’s sudden inquisition left the line silent, not even Jason’s breath being heard through the line. It took him a while, but when sound came on the phone again, Jason’s voice was covered in what Tim suspected was joy and mockery.

“Don't tell me the reason why even demon brat called me to check in on you is because of this.” he asked, incredulous.

That little son of a bit- “Well, the moment you figure out not only that you're not the only one in the family dating a normal civilian, albeit somewhat famous herself, but also that this information was hidden right under your nose, you’d freak out yourself.”

Jason couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh, admiring his brother’s insane detective abilities (that he managed to challenge even if for just a while.

“Say…” Tim restarted. “Can I come visit?”

Hearing a quick denial, Tim still insisted. “I know Alfred knows, and he’s definitely trying hard not to brag about it, so you need to let him have someone to brag about it to.”

Another moment of silence followed, and Tim had to bite his nails to control his anxiousness.

“Fine.” Jason decided. “Come along.”

Almost throwing his arms up, Tim imagined all the food he would finally be able to try personally. 

“But no coffee for at least 2 days before you meet her.” Jason added. “I don’t want you acting all weird in front of her.”

“Can I have a Red Bull?”

“Not even those.”

Pretending to think for a while, Tim then replied. “Deal.”

It was only two days, anyway. Two day caffeine free to get a taste of Y/n’s heavenly food. It wouldn’t be that bad.

[niphredil-14]

Tim Drake - Locktober

Content: Smut, Bottom!Tim Drake, one face slap, chastity cage (male), nudes, lingerie, watching porn together, vibrator use, masturbation, vaginal penetration, strap ons, male and female masturbation, boob job Pairing: Tim Drake/AFAB!Reader (she/her used) Word Count: 1.5k A/N: I meant for this to be a drabble but oh well

‘Fuck, this is torture,’ He thought. He almost wanted to convince himself that he didn’t know why he had agreed to it in the first place, but that would have been a lie, and good boys don’t lie. He knew that when he was finally granted that wave of pleasure, that it would have been worth it, and so, on the night of September thirtieth, she had presented him with a lock, cage, and her most devilish smirk, he submitted. The agreement was for him to keep it on from midnight on the first of October until the same time on November first. It seemed to him, at the time, entirely doable, yet he could feel each tick and tock of the clock in his office chipping away at his sanity, as strongly as he could feel the metal slightly digging into his dick. He was praying for the clock’s hand to speed up, so sure if only time was quicker, that his torture would be lessened. What he wasn’t so sure of, however, was if he wanted those godawful, sinful texts to stop coming his way. She was gorgeous, that was undeniable, but damn, could she be cruel. Throughout the whole of October, she had sent several risqué selfies his way, though it seemed that in those last twelve hours, she had upped her game. Once an hour she sent nudes, lingerie photos, and videos of her masturbating. Tim wouldn’t have been surprised if he had dropped dead from lack of blood in his brain. When the clock hit five, he ran out the door and sped home.

Throwing open the bedroom door, he fell to his knees before her, whimpering and whining, grabbing at the back of her thighs, trying to pull her closer to him.

“Ready to have it off huh, baby?” She cooed at him, mimicking his pout. Her question was met with a whine and a nod. “Well then it’s a shame that you’ve got another six and a half hours to go, isn’t it?” He looked up at her, betrayal written across his face. Chuckling, she reminded him of their deal. “Midnight to midnight, remember baby? It’s only five-thirty, you’ve gotta hold on a little longer for me, yeah?” Despair throbbing in his heart, matching the blood in his cock,  he groaned, burying his face into her tummy.

“You’re evil.” He mumbled; his voice muffled. She laughed at that.

“If I were evil, I wouldn’t have a few movies set up to help pass the time, now, would I?” He raised his head from her torso and gave her a suspicious glare. A smile broke out on her face. “Snacks and everything.”

 He was going to cry. Yeah, some movies she had set out for them. The Fifty Shades of Grey series. Not only had she chosen straight up porn for them to watch, but she was still dressed in the lingerie from her selfies, and the cherry on top was her not-so-subtle vibrator at work underneath the blanket. He was at his limit; he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. If he couldn’t pleasure himself, he could at least make her suffer in the same way that she made him. Ripping the blanket off of the both of them, he didn’t take the time to register her shock, and instead reached for the vibe, tossing it down onto the ground to accompany the blanket. He grabbed her thighs, loving the way his fingers sunk in and left marks in the plush skin, and yanked them apart, slotting himself between, and nudging her clit with his nose. Her legs fought his hold, trying to wrap around his skull, but although she usually had control, he had the strength in that moment, and her legs went nowhere. Tim’s tongue left his mouth and began to lightly tease her folds. Starting from the bottom of her slit, he would run just the tip of his tongue over the inner crease of her left lip, skipping over the clit, and tracing back down her right side. Just when he had pressed a light kiss to her clit had her fingers dragged through and gripped the hair right at the base of his skull. Tugging his head up with a sharp pull, she gave him a hard glare. “What do you think you’re doing, Timmy?” Never did he think that his own name could sound so derogatory, yet so pleasing rolling off of her tongue. His mouth went dry, but he knew his best bet was being honest, good boys are always honest.

“I,” He started, gulping and wetting his lips. “I want to fuck you.” She smiled, her eyes crinkling in that way that he loved. A multifaceted goddess, she was to him, so cute and kind, so sexy and cruel. She lowered her other hand to his cheek stroking with a touch so gentle, it was a burning whiplash to the cage trapping his cock.

“There’s still a few hours until we take the cage off. You know that.” He groaned, nuzzling into the palm of her hand and pouting. She chuckled again. “You wanna fuck me, huh?” She hummed in thought. “I think we can compromise until midnight, yeah?”

 He laid atop her on the couch, straps wrapped around his thighs, the plastic penis shoved deep into her. She was laying on her back, one leg around his waist, the other hooked over the back of the couch, her arms holding onto his shoulders. They were both nude, except for the lacy red bra that stayed secure over her breasts. That was even worse for Tim, who was sure at that point that the cage could do little to keep him from busting right then and there. His dick sat nestled underneath the strap on, getting only the friction of slapping against her ass before being pulled away. She growled when his hips began to slow. Raising a hand back to his hair and tugging his head back so they were eye to eye, she spat, “Don’t you dare stop now. You said you wanted to fuck me, didn’t you?” He whined.

“’S not what I meant.” Releasing his hair, she cracked her hand against his cheek, sending his face snapping to the side.

“You said you wanted to fuck me. Now, you’ll take what I let you have, and you’ll be fucking grateful for it!” He whined and nodded, tucking his face back into her shoulder and picking up his pace. She had come four times by the time the clock hit twelve, and when the alarm she had set went off, he had pulled out of her and sat back, ripping the strap off and tossing it aside, panting heavily. “Aw, you’re real excited. Are you sure you want me to take the cage off? It seems to be really working you up!” She teased.

“Fuck, yes, please, I need to cum, I need to cum, please.” His begging was second to none at giving her the ego boost of a lifetime.

“Alright baby, sit back, legs spread wide for me.” He followed orders well, his back pressed against the back of the couch, his legs dangling wide open over the edge. Sliding down to kneel before him, she looked up at him and continued her teasing. “You’re really sure?” He whined and frantically nodded, incapable of giving any more of a response. She reached a hand down into her bra and pulled a small key from the left cup. His eyes followed her every movement as she put the key into the lock and turned. He hadn’t even realized that his hand was reaching for his cock until he came after the second pump. If he weren’t so horny, he probably would have been humiliated, but her giggles meant nothing to him as he continued jacking off. She didn’t interfere, content watching him enjoy his newfound freedom. Her idleness left only when he was about to come again. Grasping his wrist and holding down his hips she stopped his movements. He whimpered in protest, his head thrown back against the couch, but he was shushed. "Don’t you whine at me when I’m about to give you something much better than your hand.” She scolded, placing his hand aside. His head lifted off of the couch to look down at her, admiring her every dip, curve, perfection, and flaw. Her hand had released his and had moved to his member, giving it a few strokes before she pursed her lips and let a glob of spit drop down onto the head. It was already lubed up from the sheer amount of cum that had leaked out of it. She gave him a few more pumps with her hand, then shuffled forward on her knees and positioned his dick between her tits, pressing them together around him. Lowering her head only for a moment to press a quick kiss to the tip, she said,

“Go on, Timmy. You know what to do.”

[ecoamerica]

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[damianbugs]

Batman #125 will forever haunt me, for multiple reasons, but mainly because these six panels have shown such a horrific and tragic side of Bruce Wayne's mission that is so often overlooked — and presents an important take on what this mission actually is.

Writers, and readers, have become increasingly desensitised to the concept of Bruce's children dying, simply because it (unfortunately) happens so often. Even I'll admit, simply having a passing thought about what Bruce had to have done to prepare his dead son's body for the police to find post-'Death In The Family' is not as horrible as having to see him do it.

It is such a... raw action. As if knowing you were just too late, your son's body still warm, the rigor mortis still not present, the fire and smoke of an explosion still around you wasn't bad enough — you now have no time to mourn, because to protect the very thing your son died for, you need to strip him of his uniform and set up a death you know isn't true.

Bruce realises the same with Tim, who tells him, blood pouring out of his wound, that Bruce has to change him out of his uniform before they reach the hospital. All to protect this damned mission that his children are willing to die for.

Bruce has no time to process the death of his son at all, because quickly, Robin becomes Jason Todd. Bruce Wayne shouldn't be anywhere near here, Batman even less so, and everything about this is wrong but you know that this whole mission would amount to nothing if you don't do what you have to. Your son would have died for nothing. You would have lost him for nothing.

Unlike Jason, Tim is still alive when he's literally bleeding out in Bruce's arms and yet, with what little breath he has left, Tim insists they need to uphold their secret identities. Call it training, or responsibility, or the want to protect a legacy — whatever it is, Bruce Wayne is once again exposed to this all encompassing tragedy of his mission.

The mission that, he notes, he's failing. Again.

Bruce Wayne is a person who is constantly surrounded by death, but I think it is important to note that all this death is physical. One can know about death, hear about it in their family, visit the bodies and graves of people who were once alive — but it is an entirely different motivation to be constantly reminded of death right because it's literally in your hands.

Bruce watched them get shot and sat next to his parents dead bodies. He held his son, and immediately had to position Jason's body after he passed. He held Damian as he died. Heard Tim when he was killed. Listened and watched Stephanie flat line. He is constantly left to physically handle grief in its most exposing forms.

But again, the mission. The damned mission.

Isn't it too cruel? Almost? Yet, Bruce constantly finds himself in this cycle of repeating the same grief, the same actions, again and again. After every death he faces, he learns to handle it in a new way, and incorporates that into a lesson in this mission.

I wonder if one day he'll realise he's simply compensating for the guilt he feels. He blames himself for his parents death, thus the seed that would one day grow into batman is planted. He blames himself for Jason's death, and thus closes himself off to any future family, stopping himself from ever forming a bond with a child like he had before he lost his son. A piece of him is always deconstructed after death, but he rebuilds it in a way that is entirely unrecognisable.

This mission to protect Gotham, to protect the innocent, is only half of what he's actually achieving. The rest of it is his own, selfish punishment, for failing the mission.

[hunterwritesstuff]

Y.Yandere Nightwing x transmasc reader? As treat? 👉👈

Sure thing! :D

Tw for: Yandere behavior, also, because reading comprehension seems to be dead nowadays, I DO NOT CONDONE NOR ENCOURAGE THIS BEHAVIOR. IF YOU THINK I DO, YOU ARE WRONG. DO NOT IMITATE THIS BEHAVIOR.

💙 Going with the idea that it starts off normal, like, he conceals his tendencies, he starts off as a seemingly normal total sweetheart! He offers to help with your transition and everything!

💙 But the instant the family accepts you and Dick? Good luck ever getting out of the manor without an escort.

💙 The only voice of reason is Alfred, thank fuck.

💙 Try to sneak out back? Tim's out there.

💙 Sneak out the rooftop window? Jason's up there.

💙 Sneak out the front? Damian.

💙 The reason everyone is so on your ass the whole time is because they all respect and care about Dick.

💙 Talking about Dick himself, though, he's very much so overprotective and overpossessive, treating you as though you're made of already cracked glass.

💙 "You want to go out to town? Babe, you know how dangerous it is out there!! I don't want you to get hurt."

💙 "You want some time alone? But what if someone stalked you here with malicious intent?!"

💙 Very much so builds up your distrust of people other than him and his family so as to keep you close.

💙 He's very touchy. Like, he's not afraid to touch you wherever he wants.

💙 He very much so uses gender affirming compliments, making sure you feel loved.

💙 He does love you. He loves you so much.

💙 Why do you think he's doing all this? Because he doesn't love you? How terrible of a human being do you take him for?

💙 He does love you, he does!

💙 The-Th-The locks are for your safety, h-he only wants what's best for you!!

💙 Just stop SCREAMING.

💙 If he were to be honest with you, you living in a different place than him fucking killed him inside. He hated being without you so fucking much. It made him twitchy. That's why he took you to live with him.

💙 Chances are that he'll keep as close an eye on you as he can.

[yellowocaballero]

I love how your Bruce is traditional but it is also like a mix of different types of traditional. Like he comes across as both "Rich white old money type" traditional AND "member of a marginalized minority group who take great pride in their identity to cope with years of ostracization and going "the world wanted me dead for my culture and religion so i might as well die loud and proud instead of conforming to their unachievable ideals" " traditional

Thank you for this ask, I really love it! I have a shitton to say on this topic, including a lot of worldbuilding decisions on Gotham cultures, immigrant spaces, segregation, how it ended up like 1920s-1930s NYC/Chicago mixed with my own city, Jason "Foil" Todd's Inferiority Complex, but that would make this depressingly long. Long time readers would know that I have, like, really complex and discrete religion headcanons for everybody I write. It's important.

Any decent Batman Story (TM) is about Gotham. It has to be a huge presence. It's like writing Dick Tracy without Chicago, or Cheers without Boston. When he's written well, Batman is a reflection of Gotham, and they metaphorically represent each other.

Most Batman writers get this, so there's always a lot of historical worldbuilding and everything. But I'm a community health person, and I grew up in the inner area of my own very large city, and creating a Gotham that feels real and rich is more complicated than the Court of Owls stuff. For me, cities are the intersection of culture, community, history, oppression/SES/war etc, and the modern day to day lives of people. When I want to make a rich city that was relevant and important to the story, I wanted to focus on immigrants and cultural minorities. You know - the people who create the cities lol. I decided on a history that involved the idea that Jewish families were the oldest in Gotham, and that they were one of the people to help create it and influence its culture.

I read a Daniel Handler quote just now that said "there is something naturally Jewish about unending misery". What is more Batman, Bruce, and Gotham than that, lol. The Jewish diaspora experience - the traditional history just as you outlined it in your ask - is baked into Gotham, it's the foundation. Gotham is a city of unending misery, but it's a city that stands tall. It takes a thousand hits and always gets back up again. People within it experience unending poverty and suffering, but they stand together. Just fucking refuse to die, as a whole. What's more Jewish than that! What is more Batman than that! Gotham should always be allegorical for Batman and Bruce, and through Gotham existing in that traditional Jewish experience, I think that's where you got the impression of Bruce as very traditional too.

Tim and the Drakes are the modern reflection of this. I was extremely explicit that Tim is alone in the world because of the Holocaust. I talk a lot in the story about how war and violence destroy children's lives, and that stretches back to the 1940s. About how war and violence creates violent children, which is what Tim became. His acting out was from the trauma of seeing his family slaughtered in front of him, and like a lot of people he used his religion to justify it.

There's a reason why the very first moment when Tim and Bruce actually connect as a family is when they find kinship and understanding through their shared backgrounds and values. They both saw their families slaughtered, they're both alone in the world - but they found each other, and they'll keep living.

OK BELIEVE IT OR NOT THAT'S THE SHORT VERSION. Seriously, though, I'm not. Uh. Actually fucking Jewish. This is like the fourth time I've talked out of my ass about this. I'm actually really interested in reading about the actual Jewish themes in Batman, because from what little I know they HAVE to be there. Any smart people out there who know about it, or who can link something written about it?

[songbirdblues]

theres much to be said about the woobification of tim drake as a character entirely in fanon, but one thing in particular that tends to irk me is the misinterpretation of this scene.

now, i generally dont have a problem with fanon interprets of events like this!!! in fact, im an avid fanfic reader and i can honestly say i dont mind when comic events get squashed or stretched out of proportion. people want angst and fluff, and hurt and comfort, and i can respect that a lot of dc fans get their info from fanon and dont bother/simply dont want to read comics because they lack those feel-good moments/that emotional depth that fanfics have. thats fine, thats none of my business, and thats perfectly valid!

...but i think it does get to a point where a comic is SO misinterpreted, like this one (or just this series in general, really), that it loses all that makes it good and interesting in the first place.

dick isn't a bad guy here. whether you think what he said was warranted or not, or if you think him saying that he thinks tim should seek help is insensitive or wrong, he's not some evil abusive guy who hates tim (tim literally calls him his brother in the scene???? in a positive context??)

i just see a lot of people think dick is some terrible villain for this event (and for the "firing and replacing tim just so damian can be robin for no reason" thing which is also a misinterpretation of what happened, but thats something else). when in reality dick himself is already struggling to keep his family from falling apart even more than it already has, has been forced to become batman, and has to raise this random, murderous kid that just popped into his life (i love damian but bro was giving dick gray hairs in his twenties in the beginning lol), all while dealing with the loss of his father for the second time in his life. on top of this, to him, his 16 year old brother is off doing god knows what across europe going on a wild goose chase looking for their (presumably) dead father and doesnt know what to do about it.

but despite all that, in tims eyes, dick massively messed up. we know he thinks this by what he says in the comic.

which leads me to my last point; tims own thoughts. this is a bit more of my opinion on tims character rather than objective fact so bear with me. tims internal monologue and emotional journey across red robin are why i think this series is so heavily (sorry to keep using this word) misinterpreted by fanon.

throughout the course of the story, tim is being forced to suffer with a grief that that he doesnt know how to deal with. like dick, this is the second father tim has lost. but the difference between them is that when tim experiences loss he... doesnt really know how to deal with it, like at all. he goes crazy when he loses someone close to him. at least dick can kinda sorta keep it together. after jack died and bruce tried to adopt him, tim literally hired a man to pretend to be his uncle to avoid it. when kon died, he tried to clone him 99 whole times with old luthor tech, (and later when damian died, tim hallucinated hugging him, or at the very least pretended to, which while a lot tamer than these other instances i still think it speaks to how deeply he feels these losses and how badly he handles it). i dont know the specifics of how he acted about other people hes lost like bart, stephanie, and his mom, but tim even says himself that part of the reason why he's doing all this is because of how many people he's lost, so it can be assumed he reacted harshly to their passing, too.

tim also admits, multiple times throughout red robin, that he knows he sounds/acts crazy, he admits that he goes farther than he ever went as robin when dealing with criminals and cases because as red robin he's now "tainted" and agrees with connor in a later issue that "red robin" is his punishment for himself.

so what i mean by all this is that, simply put, tim is an unreliable narrator. of course we as the readers feel angry at dick and cassie, tim himself is angry at them. he feels hurt and betrayed, and it could even be assumed at that point that he feels they abandoned him, and he thinks that they think hes crazy. he isolates himself from everyone, he feels unworthy of everything, and he "knows" hes lost it. "except for everything, im perfectly fine." is a quote he says, and there are plenty more like it in the series.

my point is that in tims eyes for the majority of his character arc as red robin, nearly everyone hes ever loved has either died or abandoned him, but as the audience we know thats not the case. cassie loves him, dick of course loves him, they just both made mistakes and hurt him, but that doesnt make either of them irredeemable or mean that they dont care about tim. tim himself, in that moment, just doesnt believe that, or doesnt even seem to consider that. he sees the bad, and blinded by his own grief and anger, doesnt see the good.

i just think a lot of people miss that, and just write dick off as borderline abusive or purposefully hurtful in red robin fanfics, because comics tend to get telephoned so much in the fandom that thats what people see him as, when it's not the case, which is how we got the "dick threatens to send tim to arkham" thing. (but thats just gonna happen i guess. did you know that in the actual jasons attack on titans tower comic jason wears his robin costume?? yeesh i'll have to stick with fanon on their interpretation of that whole thing. see its not bad all the time)

besides the idea of the whole arkham trope thing, theres still plenty of canon angst to pull from in red robin! you can write about how tim thinks hes losing it, ra's weird infatuation with tim and everything that comes with that, tim being forced to deal with losing robin, tims rocky relationship with tam fox, tims super rocky relationship with damian, any interaction between kon and tim, OH. the fact that at one point tim got kicked out of a tall building and accepted his death (only thinking about how bruce would be proud), only to be saved by dick last minute and then lying about knowing dick would save him (yeah right buddy) ((its issue #12)). theres also the idea of bruce and tim talking after tim finds him (canon bruce hug!!!). and theres more im forgetting for sure. all that to say theres plenty of ideas already there for the taking!!!!! red robin is a great comic filled with plenty of emotional moments.

moral of the story, dick isn't a terrible person, tim needs help but he isn't a little baby incapable of doing anything, and i believe writing them differently in the context of red robin (2009) is a disservice to their characters and their relationships with each other in the actual comic.

...but i mean, im not your dad. write what you want