#Now he probably got the entire Batfam ready to come help him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bigskydreaming · 3 years

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And one more bit from the “Kings of the Sky” AU albeit several installments in, because I just......don’t know when or why I stumbled into an obsession with the dynamics between Dick and Jason and Cass as the eldest three Wayne siblings, but its there, its real, and its happening. I’ve stopped fighting it. I just....enjoy writing those three being dumb siblings who are dumb like so, so much.

Anyway, in this AU series, Jason doesn’t go to Ethiopia and die, but rather eventually joins Dick at Titans Tower more regularly and is Flamebird. Both are closer with Bruce here than in canon because Dick helped Bruce and Jason get through the Garzonas stuff and Jason helped kick Bruce in the direction of Dick and adoption papers right after the Brother Blood storyline. Then Cass is actually the third to join the family, by way of Babs, and she’s Batgirl and then Black Bat, but there’s a period of time when its just Dick, Jason and Cass as the Wayne kids.

(PS - this is the same series as where Jason ends up with his own age group of Titans, and accidentally falls into a love quadrangle of doom that is absolutely NOT a polycule dammit, with Tom Bronson (Tomcat), Ray Terrill (The Ray) and Todd Rice (Obsidian). Which amuses his brother and sister to no end).

Tim and Duke are both next, but sorta at the same time? Like Tim’s story takes a sharp turn when Robin II never dies and obviously is Flamebird now like Robin I is Nightwing, and Tim winds up in foster care after his parents die differently than in canon. Duke is also in foster care at this time, though a different placement, and while no Robin has died here, its been awhile since there’s been one in Gotham, and to kids who grew up with the idea of there always being a Robin, that feels weird and wrong ultimately.

So Tim and Duke both hit on the idea of being Robin like, at around the same time and totally disconnected from one another, and that leads to them both joining the Batfam around the same time, and co-sharing Robin until Damian arrives much later and they both move on to new identities. But there’s no real confusion between Robins because Duke is the daytime Robin with more yellow coloring in his costume and Tim is the nighttime Robin with more red, and people say Red or Yellow if they ever need to differentiate which Robin they’re talking about. Anyway.

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

So [Tim and Duke] run into trouble eventually and then when running from trouble they run into each other and they’re like….huh. Awkward. And then they decide well, might as well both run from trouble in the same direction, I guess. So they do.

“Did you have a plan for dealing with these guys?” Tim yelled at Duke. The other boy looked back over his shoulder briefly and gave what would probably have been a half-shrug if he didn’t awkwardly try to barrel-roll over a car two seconds later.

“Umm, sorta?”

“How sorta are we talking about? Maybe the two of us together could fill in the gaps in the plan and come up with one full plan?”

“Uh yeah, no, its not that kinda sorta. I meant sorta in the sense that I thought I had a plan but it didn’t work and that’s why these guys are after me. Sooooo…”

“Not helpful, basically.”

“Yeah. Pretty much. And hey, I don’t hear you offering up a plan! Did you even have one at all?”

“Uh….I mean I kinda didn’t think I was going to need one because I figured some kid running around in a mask making a nuisance of himself was the sorta thing that was bound to attract Batman. And so I was just pretty much running around until that happened, and then I’d make a case for how I obviously need training and Gotham needs Robin and if its not me its likely to be someone else trying eventually anyway so why not be me?”

Duke paused just long enough to squint at him. “That’s a terrible plan.”

Tim rolled his eyes. The effort didn’t pair well with his huffing and over-all exertions from running for his life and all that, but necessity demanded. “Yeah I know, that’s why I never said it was a plan! It was mostly….more…idea-ish.”

“I’m just saying, I thought I was doing this wrong, but at least I had a plan! I mean yeah, it might have ended up with me accidentally busting in on what I thought was a bunch of Riddler’s henchmen setting up some kind of clue thing, only it was actually a bunch of Intergang type guys with alien space guns or some shit all dressed up as Riddler henchmen for some reason? I dunno what they were trying to do honestly, but so yeah I might have ended up running away on foot from like twenty of them and some kind of hovercycle -”

“I’m going to cut you off there and say wherever this is going its probably not the superior vantage point I think you think you have.”

Meanwhile, Batman was not going to be coming because he’s off on a JLA mission. However, in his absence Dick and Jason are in town filling in, and they finished taking out the bad guys several blocks back and caught up to whomever was running from them, figured out the situation and are currently sitting on the edge of a rooftop watching them realize they’re totally lost and trying to figure out where to go from here. Mostly because Dick and Jason are incredibly amused listening to their back and forth and also just…this whole situation.

Dick justifies not piping up to let them know they’re safe now by saying this is good intel gathering so we can offer Bruce our assessment as to whether they’re gonna try and keep doing this whether we train them or not, and also how they handle this whole being lost situation. Not knowing they don’t have to run anymore isn’t going to hurt them and really, this is a good field exercise almost.

Jason justifies not piping up by saying this is fucking hilarious and I will hurt you if you end this any sooner than we have to, I deserve this, I had a rough week.

Which is right around the time that Cass pipes up from where she’s been lurking unnoticed behind them this whole time: “Oh no. Was it Tom? Or Ray? Or was it Todd?”

And she does it right in Jason’s ear so he kinda aborted-shrieks and almost falls off the roof except Cass is ready for that and grabs his arm to steady him.

“I hate when you do that!” Jason growls in an attempt to cover up how badly she got him and also because he hates when she does it which is why she does it a lot. Again, they don’t hate each other at all, but they do seem to act like it a lot, and neither of them is entirely sure why. They kinda just started doing it and have each been trying to get the other back ever since and ended up locked in an unending spiral of gotcha-gotchaback, except, y’know, Batfam style.

Dick occasionally picks sides just to muddy the waters. And then he randomly switches sides without warning, so neither of them ever wants to risk getting too peeved at him even when he’s helping the other, because that might push him fully over to the other side and leave them permanently outnumbered, so they’re kinda stuck, which is exactly as he likes it, lol.

“Why are you Satan,” Jason hisses dramatically as he gets up and stomps over to the other side of the roof to sulk, lest she almost knock him off again. Its not the almost falling part that bothers him, its that she’s the one that snatches him to safety each time. She’s like a freaking cat toying with a - yeah not going there, just blaming Selina. Knew them hanging out was going to be bad news for me somehow, he gripes.

Cass just shrugs and smoothly sits down cross-legged right where she is, grinning Cheshire-cat style at him from there. “Childhood trauma,” is her answer.

“Great, and now you’re stealing my comeback on top of it?! Is nothing sacred to you?”

She offers another shrug. He would like to return those for store credit please. Maybe get something useful instead. “Haven’t decided yet. Babs is still helping me explore my options. We’re going alphabetically and we’re only on the E-religions.”

“God, you’re the worst. I can’t believe you ruined sisters for me.”

“You already used that same line last week when you came out of your room still half-asleep and she was just sitting directly across from your door waiting and staring unblinking and you yelped and dropped your laptop on your toe, and then cursed so loud that B came running around the hall thinking we were being invaded,” Dick reported idly, still perched in the same position he’d been in all along and watching the boys below them. “Just in case you thought no one noticed when you recycle.”

“I noticed too,” Cass added solemnly.

“I have no siblings,” Jason intoned. He threw up his hands dramatically and then loudly jumped down to the street below with a little help from the fire escape. It drew both Duke and Tim’s attention and they startled before realizing it was Flamebird. And that he’d landed on the street and was stalking past them while barely acknowledging them. And that that was Nightwing standing on the roof now with his hands on his hips yelling after him.

“Oh, reeeeeeal subtle. You’re not having fun anymore so you gotta make sure nobody else does either. Wow, the Brat-like behavior, just jumped out of the shadows with that one!”

And that was Flamebird not even turning around and just yelling back. “I HAVE NO SIBLINGS!”

And also they were both pretty sure that was Batgirl crouched on the roof next to Nightwing now, and she was…..sticking her tongue out at Flamebird’s back? No, Batgirl very much definitely was sticking out her tongue, that wasn’t in doubt, it was more just….very unexpected to see.

What was happening right now?

********

Eventually Tim and Duke have inevitably worn down [Bruce’s] resistance to training them by insisting they’re gonna keep doing this and if its not them its gonna be someone sooner or later anyway. Because, as they put it, you guys may not know this but Gotham’s gotten used to Robins by now and it freaks people out not to see one and Robin’s as important as Batman really and there needs to be a Robin and its not just us that will think that, like look at the fact that already two of us had the exact same idea, huh? And also, we’re gonna keep doing it anyway, sooooo….there’s that.

And then Cass vouches that they’re both 100% serious about that.

And then Dick vouches that as a former determined daredevil kid that was absolutely going to keep doing the same thing no matter whether you’d helped me or not, B, I also am of the assessment that these two mean it all the way.

And not to be left out and just to have something to contribute but also grumpy because his brother and sister are picking on him and he’s eighteen going on ten, Jason throws in: “And my assessment is that they both definitely seem dumb enough to keep doing this without help anyway and they definitely need help or they definitely will die, I’d give it a month, month and a half tops.”

And then Bruce dryly thanks his children for their contributions, their keen insights in this matter have been absolutely invaluable, he has no idea how he would make a decision here without it.

“Oooh, a rare sighting of Bat-snark in the wild. Someone call Nat-Geo quick, maybe he’ll do it again,” Dick says.

Bruce sighs. Duke and Tim look like they’re trying to decide if they’re allowed to be amused or if that’s also part of some weird Bat-test that they’re probably taking without even knowing it.

So Tim and Duke move in, start training together, and then also get sent to school together and it takes a month or so of settling in before they decide whether or not they actually are happy about this. There’s a period of deciding they’re supposed to be bitter rivals who snipe at each other back and forth across the dining table at every available opportunity, but that changes the first night Dick and Jason come back from the Tower since Tim and Duke have moved in and where Cass is also home instead of at the Clocktower with Babs.

Since all three of the older Batkids, upon seeing Tim and Duke squabble at dinner, decide to obnoxiously coo about how adorable it is watching the kids play. Which pretty instantly cements Duke and Tim as realizing their best chance of surviving the sudden acquisition of three older superhero ninja foster siblings who all can be as obnoxious as they are dangerous but also as much as they are - Duke and Tim are convinced - all quite insane.

A belief further cemented the next morning, with all three of them having spent the night at the Manor as well. Treating Duke and Tim to their first Saturday morning episode of the Cass and Jason show.

In this episode, Jason emerged from his bedroom in his pajamas still but warily peeking his head out first to look both ways down the hall before deciding it was clear…..and then makes it just almost to the end of the hallway leading to the stairs, when Cass drops down from where she’d been waiting perched above the other side of the door, in such a way as to suddenly fill the doorway just in front of him, hanging upside down suspending herself just with her feet wedged above the doorway, all while keeping her hands crossed her chest, a dead-eyed expression on her face, and with her tongue hanging out like she’s some kind of vampire hanging upside down in mid-slumber.

Jason shrieked and stumbled back a foot before catching himself and shoving two fingers in a cross shape in her direction.

“Demon! DEMON! Goddammit, I abjure thee, that’s supposed to fucking do something about having a demon sister, now what the fuck does it take to banish you!?”

“Can’t be banished,” Cass informed him, still upside down. “Can be bought though.”

Jason halted. “What?”

“I’m really surprised you never figured it out,” Dick said from his room further down the hallway. He was leaning against the doorjamb, arms casually crossed.

“Why did you think she never goes after me?”

Jason swiveled back and forth between his siblings suspiciously, trying to scry both their inscrutable (and in Cass’ case, still upside down) faces for signs they were telling the truth. “You’re telling me that Little Miss Monstrous has been a pain in my ass from day one and the reason she’s never so much as eked a single boo in your direction is you’ve been bribing her all this time?”

Dick shrugged. “Its all about getting in on the ground floor.”

Jason squinted, still unconvinced. “Nuh-uh. No way. You’re just fucking with me. Like if this is for real, what have you been buying her off with?”

Dick smiled beatifically. “Cuddles and hugs.”

“NO! NO! Bullshit! I am NOT falling for this crap again, you are not gonna get me this way this time. I call BS, fuck you, nuh uh, you’re lying out your ass and your ass-face both.”

“Wait, what is this ‘this’ that I did before? What ever are you talking about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“Is this about the Care Bear you had when you were fifteen?”

“Shut upppppppppppppppp, I didn’t have a Care Bear then, you’re such a - “

“Oh, I dunno, I’m preeeeetty sure there’s some holiday photos from that year that would say otherwise, pretty definitively in the form of you and your Care Bear….”

“That I only had because you literally just gave it to me as a present solely so that you could claim that I had a Care Bear when I was fifteen, you douchebag!”

“Just because I gave you the Care Bear didn’t mean you had to keep the Care Bear and hold the Care Bear and love the Care Bear, Jay. You chose to do all that.”

“I only kept the damn thing because you’re an asshole who lied about it being a family heirloom so I felt like I had to or I’d be a total jerk. Is nothing sacred to you?”

“I didn’t lie! It is a treasured family heirloom! Its the first Care Bear I gave to my little brother to teach him the important and valuable lesson that Care Bears - say it with me now - “

“Finish that sentence and they will never find your body.”

“CARE!” Cass shrieked from behind him before jumping on Jason’s back and bearing him down to the floor in an undignified tangle as she splayed atop him like a starfish and he stared up at the ceiling in a kind of strangled frozen fury, like there was so much emotion he wanted to process he’d overheated and now was stuck like that until he cooled down.

That was when Dick leaned over him and solemnly added one final thought, as though it was a crucial addition of the gravest importance:: “A lot.”

Jason’s eye twitched.

Dick’s eyes went wide in response. “Uh oh. He went to the Danger Zone. Run Cass. We’ve unleashed the dogs of war!”

Cass was off and on her feet in a second, taking off down the hall like a rocket. “Not the dogs of war!” She yelled.

Dick was only seconds behind her when behind him, Jason rose like an eruption, growling wordlessly and sparks practically flashing from his suddenly flinty eyes. He charged after them like an enraged bull.

“Kenny Loggins wouldn’t want this!” Dick yelled over his shoulder as he rounded the doorway and vanished. Jason rounded it in hot pursuit.

“Poison Ivy won’t even be able to make compost from what’s left of you when I’m through!”

The yelling and running vanished into the distance. Duke and Tim finally looked at each other blankly.

“What?” Tim asked. Duke shrugged helplessly.

A door opened at the end of the hallway. Bruce stuck his head out. “Is it safe?”

Tim just stared at him.

“What?” Duke asked.

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

LOL mostly I just want to get to the tail end of the series, when Dick and Jason go undercover as supervillains in the Society of well, Supervillains....Dick as War Shrike and Jason as Gray Jay. (A kind of bird usually known for or referenced as being thieving and unpredictable and unexpectedly dangerous despite its size. Jason never went into the Lazarus Pit here and so isn’t as huge as he is in canon, he’s on the smaller side due to his early life’s malnutrition. Living with Bruce helped him catch up enough that he’s not TINY tiny, but he’s still smaller enough that this particular mantle fits him a little better than it would his massive canon depiction).

Cass also partakes in the undercover storyline, just showing up uninvited in a persona she’s crafted for the mission and calls Black Swan. And War Shrike and Gray Jay are both so startled and obviously a little freaked by her unexpected arrival, that combined with her being ticked at her brothers for leaving her behind, RUDE, and them sufficiently cowed and guilted by her wrath, that it all adds up to the other villains as being clear evidence that she is the boss and they are her advance minions.

Which mollifies and satisfies Cass immensely, and leaves Jason grumpy that their mission was hijacked and also his sister is The Worst, and leaves Dick temporarily disgruntled because This Whole Thing Was His Idea DAMMIT but then five seconds later finding it hilarious because Dick is a chaos connoisseur and he has an appreciation for whimsy and the unexpected.

“I can’t believe you not only gate-crashed our extremely sensitive and delicate undercover operation, but you completely hijacked it as well! This is so typical,” Jason grouched.

Cass simply swept ahead of him and strode down the hallway with lethal grace. “Silence minion.”

Jason spluttered behind her and she grinned to herself. He really made it too easy sometimes.

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anothertimdrakestan · 4 years

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hello please may i request the batboys proposing to their s/o 🥺 those marriage hcs were real cute and they just got me thinking u know. thank u 🖤

How The Batfam Prosposes To Their S/O HC

ofc! thank you! check out the marriage hc HERE! this req is beyond adorable and i tried to live up to the cuteness 🥰

Dick Grayson:

- dick would be SO EXTRA dude

- he'd get all your loved ones, family, friends etc and bundle up his whole family and have them waiting to suprise you

- he seems like a proposing on your anniversary so you don't expect it guys

- if you're down for slightly public stuff he'd take you to a theme park like disneyland and you'd both spend the day with your loved ones watching tim and dami bicker over the fastest way to get to the most rides or your best friend totally simping over jason and him flirting like a motherfucker, hand in hand with dick, just happy that there's finally a perfect day where everyone is together

- imagine going up on a huge rollercoaster and dick whispering all his favorite moments with you as the cart ticks up a massive hill

- then right before the drop, dick turns to you, "what i'm really asking is: marry me y/n" and the ride drops, you screaming yes as you zoom down the massive hill and do loop de loops, your happy tears flying all over the place

- the picture they take when you drop shows you cry-screaming while dick grins like an idiot

- getting off the ride dick's brothers and your loved ones are bouncing off the walls "WHAT DID YOU SAY" y/b/f screeched as soon as you come out from the ride

- with one hand you held up the printed picture of you screaming with "she said yes!" written on the top and with the other hand you held up a brand new, gorgeous ring siting snuggly on your finger

- the rest of the day is spent hand in hand with dick, you keep walking around saying "look how pretty my ring looks next to this!" or "WAIT LET ME TAKE A PICTURE WITH MY HAND OUT" and you both get tons of adorable candid photos with various disneyland/theme parks places and items that you'll be treasuring forever

Jason Todd:

- texting jason that your boss suprisingly let your team off work a couple hours early you both made plans to meet at home for dinner together and a night in, a rarity recently with how busy you were finishing school and having a job while he had red hood duties

- coming back to your shared home there were rose petals trailing you into your bedroom, and a huge paper screen blocking you from seeing the kitchen or your dining room, but you wanted to let jason have his fun so you followed the petals

- on your bed was the outfit that makes you feel like a hot bitch and a note saying "hey angel, put this on then open the laptop" and you complied

- as soon as you put in your login a video titled "to the love of my life" which was pretty sappy for jason, but you clicked anyway

- a roughly edited video shows jason sitting down, his cheeks slightly tear stained as he says "y/n i've loved you with everything and more, more than i ever knew was possible. you taught me i deserved to be loved and you showed me how to live life to the fullest" as he continued you felt tears start to brim, jason was always more of an actions guy so these words meant everything to you

- the video was so intensely personal it had you openly crying at the end when jason smiled at the camera "hey love, you're probably crying right now - i know that because i love you beautiful. so, care to come back outside now?" the video ended and you got up, realizing what was about to happen

- at the end of your hallway was jason, dressed in a suit, his cheeks stained with tears like yours, holding out his hand for you

- trying not to fall apart you stumbled into his embrace while he kissed your head, pushing you back slightly to get on one knee with a cheesy grin

- "i didn't think i'd ever get to do this, you know i always think in the negative, but with you everything is good. so be my good, forever. be my better half, my favorite thing, my home, my girl, forever. marry me y/n" unable to speak through all the flooding emotions you just nodded, letting out an excited squeak as jason grabbed your hand, sliding a ring on the finger

- leading you into the dining room jason had whipped out his expert chef skills and made an amazing dinner, and the two of you spent the night reminiscing on old memories, hoping for amazing future moments, and just relaxing in each other's embrace

Tim Drake:

- tim is not smooth let's be real, and when you've been with him for all those years he physically cannot keep a secret from you so you knew something was up when he actually set aside 5 hours for a date night, uninterrupted

- it took about 3 tries to get dick to break and admit tim was planning on proposing that night, you expected it soon, neither of you were big on suprise public moments and were super open in communicating and had both agreed that this year was the best to finally get engaged, tim always wanted to make you feel safe and this would be no different so you weren't worried

- taking careful notice to apply only waterproof mascara you were ready for a tear filled night with the love of your life

- during the fancy dinner you were jittery and excited waiting for a ring in your pasta or a note under your napkin, but nothing, and tim was acting normal as ever, making you think he'd aborted the mission

- it was always fun having a private dinner with tim, he loved to rent out the roof of gotham building and gettting a private dinner served on top of the world, making you feel like the only person in the world

- as you finished cracking jokes, telling stories, and overall just loving each other's presence you got up and went to head down when tim grabbed your hand, pulling you into a hug whispering "ready for a little suprise my love?" while your breath caught in your chest as almost on cue a helicopter landed on the other side of the top of the building

- wind whipping around tim kept your hand in his, helping you in and securing you, putting on your headset and giving your cheek a quick peck

- as the helicopter took off you saw gotham from god's eye view, watching as it got smaller, melting into the last few rays of sunlight, tim gave your hand a squeeze as he said "the view's almost as pretty as you y'know" with your favorite cheesy grin

- as the helicopter turned giving you a perfect view of the setting sun tim began his speech, pulling your hands into his, "y/n through every up and down you've been there, i always thought i wasn't wanted until i met you and i can never repay you for everything you've taught me, i'd give you the world if i could, but i think the next best thing is giving you me. in every moment i promise to be yours, your sidekick, your partner in crime, your secret keeper, and your lover. i will always be yours, no matter what. and tonight i'm asking you to be mine, will you marry me y/n?"

- you nodded vigorously as tim pulled out a velvet box, opening to take out a beautiful ring, slipping it on your finger while you pushed away tears

- the helicopter dropped you both off outside of gotham at one of jason's safe houses that tim had transformed into a little one night home, and it was far enough outside of gotham that you could see the stars, laying on the roof as tim listed off various constellations and you both whispered about your future together, hand in hand with your other half for the rest of your life

Damian Wayne:

- when damian told dick his plan to just ask you to marry him during patrol he got a whole lecture about the importance of making it a memorable moment and blah blah blah so damian really wanted to live up to this "life changing moment" where he's not even marrying you just asking you as if after all these years you'd suddenly say no

- so that's how you ended up packed into one of bruce's cars with titus and damiwn driving to a supposedly beautiful hiking trail

- you were genuinely concerned for damians mental health because every time there was traffic or titus needing a rest stop he looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel

- once there the hike was serene, the three of you trekking up a beautiful mountain surrounded by the fresh air

- during a particularly sweaty patch you lazily took off your shirt, hoping to get a little cooler, you normally trained in a sports bra and leggings anyway so it wasn't weird until damian refused to take his shirt off too. as you and titus sprinted forwards you teased dami "love bird i can see you sweating cmon!" but he continued to refuse and you let it go

- you'd both slowed down to a walking pace as you rounded to the top of the mountain, the view was beyond beautiful and you plopped down on the crest of the mountain, using damians lap as a pillow while titus sprawled across the both of you

- as damian mindlessly played with your hair, lightly tugging it as he stayed deep in thought you took a moment to really appriciate your boyfriend

- he's eyes shone and his jawline was slightly hardened in a way that shows he was busy in thought, your eyes traced down from his perfect lips to his neck, where you noticed a thin white string hanging around his neck slipping down behind his shirt. without thinking, and before dami could react, you tugged the string out of his shirt, a golden band with a perfect diamond met your eyes before damian could stop you from seeing it

- "d-damian is that what i think it is" you whispered, sitting up to face him while he blushed

- "beloved, i was trying to think of the words to say but you're always three steps ahead of me aren't you" he whispered, untying the string with ease and slipping the ring off of the string, he stared at the ring unable to make eye contact with you "everything i do is for you my love, and though i don't quite understand why cementing it in the eyes of a government is important, if it means i can love you for my entire life i will do anything. so please my love, my best friend, my favorite girl, marry me beloved" he finished, swallowing harshly to fight back the rogue feeling to cry

- you did not hold back. letting tears slip out while he put the ring on your finger you flung yourself into his arms and he relaxed in your embrace, titus beginning to lick your face clearing the tears while you giggled, truly on top of the world with damian, forever and always

a/n: these all got so sappy ahcowkfjr i'm such a fluff monster omg... anyways! i tried to keep them fun and interesting but i definitely air with damian on the side of thinking proposals are slightly overhyped and as an anxious bean i already get scared at the idea of everyone looking at you no matter how in love you are haha so all the proposals were kinda personal i hope that's okay lolzzz anywho! love you hope you enjoyed!

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ectonurites · 3 years

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do u have any thoughts on the whole “tim is zapped to time prison” storyline? bc i feel like it could have been pretty interesting and a good way to bring back young justice/tim’s memories more immediately if it hadn’t been such a blatant attempt to just get tim out of storylines bc they had no ideas for his character

sorry lol u don’t have to respond i just kind of wish people talked about this storyline more? and the fact that tim lowkey became one of the only people in dc with knowledge of the other timelines (i think so at least) and nobody really addressed it?? like going into the next phase where people learn about other timelines after death metal.... tim should already know some of this stuff right?

YES YES YES OKAY LETS TALK ABOUT THIS this got incredibly long because I just have a lot to say (and i included screenshots) and i prob got a little off topic but. but lets get started anyways:

i haven’t read that particular storyline in a few months so i might be missing/misremembering some details here, but that whole ‘time prison + future tim’ thing was like. a really really interesting concept and the implications/impacts it has are a big part of why i liked tynion’s detective comics run as much as i did even with it’s flaws in characterization (such as treating tim like he was jimmy neutron boy genius and making steph..... be all ready to quit/breakaway from the team like that. the steph quitting characterization really started i think in batgirl convergence and unfortunately has haunted her since, even though pre reboot never giving up was like...... one of her defining traits. dc i hate you sometimes)

i think that one of the biggest things that bothers me about the situation is how little we saw most of the other characters in the batfamily grieve (aside from steph and some with bruce, but again the way steph was portrayed just... hhhhhh. it very much reduced her to ‘tims girlfriend’ more than i’d have preferred) but otherwise like...as far as I can remember there was maybe one line in that monsters crossover thing where dick mentioned tim was gone, jason had a single line about avoiding the funeral in rhato, i dont think they showed any reaction from babs at all until after he was back, and the most for damian I recall is at the end of the 2014 teen titans run (#24) where he looks at... a case with the old red robin uniform Tim wasn’t even wearing anymore when he died? and that just bugs me. Instead of getting to see the actual funeral we get one flashback to it way after the fact once Bruce already knows Tim’s not actually dead

But at the time when they all DID think he was dead? the closest thing we see was in that same teen titans issue (#24) there’s a memorial-type ‘sharing stories’ thing after the funeral with tim’s titans friends but.... we don’t see something like that with his family. tim is a major presence in these peoples’ lives, they are his family, when he gets sent into time prison its even SAID how loved he apparently is

its just... idk. they all thought he was dead, and if they had put more emphasis on showing not just telling how that effected EVERYONE (not just steph) in the batfam, it might have felt a lot less like they were just putting tim away until there was a story idea for him. (like obviously I know they can’t make everyone’s stories revolve around Tim, but I’d have way preferred a detective comics issue of the funeral/memorial with the family than having there only be a teen titans one, I think it would have... held more relevance & meaning... but instead they just went right into that monster crossover story instead of lingering on this)

but then the Tim story itself once it does pick up way later, with titans tomorrow/future tim coming along having that whole “tell conner you’re sorry” “who’s conner?” exchange with current tim... that opens up A LOT of things to think about, and I think was pretty interestingly done if i’m remembering correctly. future tim recognizes the timelines are different, and ya know goes off to try to change things further ("whaddaya got there?” “a gun to kill batwoman” “NO!!!!”), theres lots of fighting etc etc the good guys win as we expect, but once that’s all settled tim’s left there with this whole. thought process

which ya know is the big indicator there’s weird timeline/reality fuckery going on (or also the read here can be that tim and kon are so connected across all space and time that their bond can transcend anything even timelines and realities and reboots... “and they were soulmates” “oh my god they were soulmates”)

ANYWAYS lets not forget that tim isnt the only one who learns about this other timeline stuff during this whole situation!

Brother Eye has records of future tim’s timeline, and cass & steph see who they used to be! and as soon as steph finds out ‘holy shit i was ROBIN and BATGIRL?’ she also desperately wants to know more! which then a bit later leads into young justice 2019 where instead of going off to college like they told Bruce they were gonna, Steph and Tim go get the help of Zatanna to see what might be going on in their brains with these timelines and weird feelings (as we see in flashback form in yj 2019 #5)

and HOO BOY DOES SHE FIND THINGS! she gets in there and finds out that oh yeah, their brains had very much so been tampered with, and with her magic she undoes some of it, by unlocking memories, and Tim finally remembers Conner! (also in case u were wondering, that panel is specifically a callback to this one from yj 1998 #17 when Cissie quit the team)

one thing that I think is weird/interesting/idk if it gets... properly addressed even, was that Zatanna also poked around Steph’s brain too and she didn’t remember everything? Might have something to do even with how Tim had been in time prison, might have taken less work from Z to open things up because of that? Who knows

additionally i wanna call attention to how he said “That entire chapter of my life” which... leading into my next point a bit... strongly leads me to believe even though he’s remembering some things he definitely does not have ALL of his memories back (because theres a lot more than just the young justice ‘chapter’ of tim’s life that was drastically changed by the new 52 & rebirth)

BUT moving on, i wanna bring up this part from later on (after they figured out that there was a crisis that caused things in the world to change, which is why their memories/brains were messed with) in issue #16

so yeah, I think it’s indicated even though Zatanna brought back some memories and opened up his brain a bit, there’s still many holes, and some things seem more like dreams rather than memories and he’s probably unable to tell which are which on his own to some extent. (also for reference the real thing that Tim thought was just a dream is... likely yj 1998 issue #1)

So based on the things i’ve brought up here (which are the things I remember off the top of my head, I could easily be accidentally leaving shit out LMAO i haven’t fully read through any of these books in at least 3 or more months now) I think it’s safe to assume that Tim definitely has a head start on getting back his memories before Death Metal happens, but that it was by no means a complete thing. So the after effects of Death Metal are probably just gonna... be a little less drastic for him vs most other people because it was already happening, but it’ll be kinda filling in the remaining gaps?

And like you said he is absolutely one of the few people that already knew about about the timelines/the fact that these crises have happened and changed things, but pretty much all the other young justice characters are also aware that there was meddling in the timeline/that multiple timelines and alternate universes like this exist since they were all together as a group when it got explained (in like. yj 2019 #15 i believe is where most of the explaining happens) (and cass as well is aware of things to some extent because of her and steph’s interaction with Brother Eye) but the difference is that Zatanna didn’t go into everyone’s brains, so they aren’t dealing with the same memory things as Tim (and possibly Steph? because again Z DID go in her brain, she just wasn’t able to unlock all the same things as she did with Tim)

but yeah in general i SO wish this was explored more, both in canon and in fanworks (fanworks tho... that can still happen >:3c). Memories hazily coming in for Tim while Kon and Bart are able to confirm or deny things, him dealing with conflicting memories and feelings about his past as they trickle in... like I think we’ll start to see these types of things moving forward across a lot of titles with Infinite Frontier (i BELIEVE dont quote me on this but I BELIEVE the person writing Damian’s upcoming solo had mentioned in an interview that the memories coming back of the other timeline aren’t going to be an all at once thing but will be more gradual for most characters) but the fact that it theoretically had already been happening for Tim for MONTHS and we only got that one crumb indicating it in #16 of it instead of any actual exploration makes me SAAAAAAD

#Anonymous #tim drake #dc comics #meta #sam talks about tim too much #if anyone has diff thoughts interpretations im always down to discuss!#this sent me down a rabbit hole thats why i didnt answer last night it was Suddenly 1am djsjsjs #also sorry no issue numbers on the detective comics stuff but those r screenshots i already had #from my readthrough a while back or google images. so i didnt go check

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side-shawty · 4 years

Text

Don’t Hate Me

Fandom: DC

Type: one-shot

Prompt/Summary: “Hello! Can I request a Damian Wayne x reader where the reader can communicate and control animals, so when the batfam sees her fight for the first time, they're like, hella surprised and Dami is very pleased that the reader treats the animals so kindly? 💜💜👽”

Pairing(s): Damian Wayne x Reader

Requested? YES by @comicnerd557

I mostly focused on the controlling part but the communication is implied. I hope you enjoy :)

-Duckie

“Come on Y/N just show me what your power is please~” Dick begged for what felt like the millionth time today. Ever since Damian had let it “slip” that you had an ability that even he didn’t know about all of the Wayne boys had become curious.

“Just give us a hint,” Tim pressed as you sat on one of the sofas, getting ready for a post-patrol movie night.

“I’m telling you she’s not going to give it up,” Damian said as he sat beside you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, you were quick to snuggle into his side.

“How about this,” Jason began settling into one of the armchairs, “If we guess right or even pretty close then you have to tell us that we’re right, okay?”

“Deal,” you said as Dick started the movie but it was pointless considering they spent the entirety of it trying to guess at your power. They were close a couple of times but not enough to call them right.

“Okay can you, um, teleport people?” Dick asked as the credits rolled.

“Nope,” you said, popping the ‘p’ and repositioning to place your head in Damian’s lap.

“Alight how about —“ Jason started but was interrupted as all of your phones began to chime with a crime alert from Bruce, who was already suited in the cave when you all arrived, he probably hadn’t taken it off.

“Sorry to interrupt movie night but I could use a hand with something,” Bruce said, “Get suited up, I’ll brief you in 5.”

“So much for a quiet night,” you said before you all suited up for a second time that night.

When you all got back there were already images and CCTV footage on the Batcomputer and Bruce didn’t hesitate to begin.

“At approximately 3:45 AM Killer Croc and Gorilla Grodd released all the animals from the Gotham Zoo from their cages but have yet to release them into the city. They’re trying to wait until sunrise for their ‘animal liberation.’

“The police are there but it seems they have lions and tigers barricading the entrances. We’ll go in, take down Crock and Grodd, and put the animals back. Hopefully before breakfast,” he finished and you saw Damian’s hands become fists, you knew he had a soft spot for animals and it was one of the reasons you hesitated to tell him about your powers.

You controlled them, for lack of a better word. Yes, they might have been drawn to you but like Grodd, it didn’t take much for them to bend to your will.

“One last thing,” Bruce continued, “You’ll be needing these. Attach them to your temples and Grodd won’t be able to get inside your head.” He looked to you, “Y/N, you’ll be needing this too,” Bruce said and handed you an amplifier. You looked at him and shock but he only winked at you.

Damn, he really was the world’s greatest detective.

“What why does she get a special gadget?” Jason asked.

“It probably has to do with her powers, idiot,” Tim retorted.

“Shut up replacement. Y/N you told B about your powers before us? I’m hurt,” he said throwing a hand over his heart as you all made your way to your vehicles.

“Let’s be honest, nobody tells B anything,” you said before hopping onto your cycle and revving the engine.

———

The Zoo was controlled chaos when you got there. Gordon already knew what Grodd’s powers were so he had fewer men than with a regular villain. Just in case the gorilla somehow managed to be able to control the animals and the police there wouldn’t be too many at his disposal.

You split into two teams Bruce, Tim, and Dick would focus on Killer Croc whilst you, Damian, and Jason went after Grodd. They had barricaded themselves in the middle of the zoo along with crocodiles and gorillas because they truly were that cliche.

Killer Croc put up a good a fight as ever but he couldn’t do much when Grodd turned on him and forced the animals to defend only himself. Croc went down cursing Grodd’s name as Batman and Nightwing left to take him to the authorities.

“Now that the nuisance is out of the way I can focus my energy on getting rid of all you pests,” he said and began his onslaught. You fought but waited for Batman’s signal before hitting the amplifier on your neck and stretching your powers.

“Stop,” you spoke, holding a hand in front of Grodd and he immediately went lax before you.

Damian and his brothers also froze as Batman and Nightwing returned to the battlefield.

“What the hell?” Grodd spoke angrily, “What are you doing to me girl?!” He screamed at you.

“You’re strong Grodd but your downfall is that you’re also an animal and I control animals,” you told him, a smug smile on your face as he roared at you.

“Silence,” you commanded and he found himself unable to speak.

“Take his helmet, Robin, it’s still controlling the animals but they can’t move if he can’t. The cuffs are on my belt,” you told him and Damian quickly removed it and disabled it. Within minutes he was in police custody with the proper utilities to ensure he wouldn’t be using his powers any more tonight.

“Nice work Y/H/N,” Batman complimented and you smiled at him.

“Couldn’t have done it without this,” you told him tapping the amplifier.

“Feel free to keep it. Now let’s get these animals back in their enclosures,” Batman said and you all instantly got to work.

You took the lead mostly, coaxing the larger animals back to where they should be but stopping often to pet them or appreciate how beautiful they were. At some point, Robin had joined you in or rather stared watch you as you were getting the polar bears back to their place.

Even though you weren’t looking at him you could feel his eyes on you from your crouched position rubbing at the polar bear cubs belly.

“What?” You asked as the cub rolled over and stood up to join its mother behind the gates.

“So this is your power? It is truly“ you braced yourself for the worst, “amazing,” Damian finished and you had to do a double-take.

“Huh?” You said dumbly, not expecting that at all.

He grabbed your hand so you stood next to him but still avoided eye contact.

“Why did you not tell me sooner?” Damian questioned softly, releasing your hand because you were still in uniform even if your only witnesses were animals.

You thought about beating around the bush or making a joke of it but instead, you said, “I thought you’d hate me.”

“Hate you?” He said, incredulous, so much so that you spared a glance at him and suddenly you took interest in anything but him.

“Yes, I’m no better than Grodd,” You said fingers grazing over the feathers of a passing peacock.

“Tsk, I assure you that you are not similar to that overgrown monkey in the slightest. Let’s go home,” he said and you nodded.

——

When you got back you took a long shower and didn’t see Damian again until you found him reading on his bed as the sun rose.

He looked at you, all smiles as if nothing had changed and it made you look away again as you sat next to him.

Damian sighed at your silence and put his book down, holding your hand instead.

“What’s wrong beloved?” He asked, noting your lack of eye contact.

“I just don’t understand why you’re so okay with my power. I mean I can’t stand it and I hate using it,” you told him and risked a glance into his blue orbs, suddenly you couldn’t look away.

“Y/N do you want to know one of the reasons I fell in love with you?” When you said nothing he continued, “It’s because Ace, Titus, and Alfred don’t like anyone outside of the family for at least a month but the moment you stepped through the door they were as smitten with you as I was,” he told you and your eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Really? ” You asked, you hadn’t even noticed.

“Yeah, and then when you told me you were studying to be a vet I fell a little harder. And when I came back from patrol and found you and Titus sleeping on my bed. And when you carried that bird half a mile in the rain because of its broken wing,” he said and before he could continue you interrupted.

“Robin, it was a robin. I found it a day after we told each other about our night lives. I thought of you that entire half-mile,” you told him smiling as the rising sun began to make his eyes shine.

“There you go again,” he said and you tilted your head slightly in confusion, “Making me fall in love.”

You felt your cheeks warm beneath your chocolate skin as he used his free hand to cup your face.

“I don’t hate you or your power beloved, I know people who would be more than happy to abuse an ability like yours but you only use it for good. Hell if it was up to me I’d use it to make Alfred attack Drake non-stop,” he smiled at you and you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips.

“That laugh too, I have always loved your laugh,” he told you.

“Okay now you’re getting cheesy,” you smiled as he released your hand to mimic the one on your face.

“Oh am I?” He teased inching closer and closer to your face.

“Absolutely,” you told him before closing the space between you and falling into a kiss that was all smiles and love.

Suddenly you didn’t hate your power so much.

#damian wayne x reader #damian wayne x black!reader #damian wayne imagine #batfamily x reader #bruce wayne x reader #batfamily x black!reader #jason todd x reader #dick grayson x reader #tim drake x reader #dc imagine #dc one shot

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elareine · 4 years

Note

the song better place by rachel platten and jay/dick or maybe just some jay-centric bat fam. hope this prompt works for you. love your fics <3

Thank you <3 That’s a very JayDick song, but I love writing batfam, too, so... have both.

Steph took one look at Jason’s old-new room and pronounced: “You need to redecorate.”

“No shit.”

“Let’s go.”

Which was how Jason found himself in Ikea of all places. She even dragged a flustered-looking Tim with her, who proved to be supremely unhelpful when it came to curtain color (“I don’t think either red or purple will look good with those walls,” bullshit) but very willing to hand over his credit card. It was… fun. The room felt less like a tomb when Steph was done with it, which was great.

He told her that.

“Well, duh.” She grinned. “No one in this house knows how to decorate for shit. You should see what Tim did with his bedroom…”

Jason spent a minute considering his options. “Anime girls?”

“Nope.”

“Superman posters.”

“Nope, but I like the way you’re thinking.”

“Bad Picasso replicas.”

“Nooo,”

“I give up.”

“He did…” Steph paused dramatically. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing. It still looks like it did in the eighties.”

Jason laughed, and she looked gratified. “Sounds terrible.”

They kept working on the bookshelf. Ikea was great for those; that’s why they went there in the first place. Well, that and the look on Bruce’s face when he saw the boxes.

After a minute, Jason asked: “So… are you seeing a lot of Tim’s bedroom, then?”

“Yeah. So what?” She glared at him, which he was starting to realize was a sure sign that she was embarrassed.

“So nothing. Didn’t know that was happening again, that’s all.”

It took her a minute, but she softened. “Yeah. I… guess we’re giving it a second chance.”

“That’s cool,” he told her sincerely. “I mean, you could clearly do better, but he damn well knows what he’s got now.”

“Hmm.” Steph was hiding behind the shelf she was holding up, but he could still tell she was pleased. “So how about your own second chance, huh?”

…damn, he’d walked right into that one. “Shut up.”

—

“Home invasion in sector 6R. Three 1Cs, suspected armed. Neighbors reporting shots, five people in the house. Hood, you’re closest.”

Jason had already changed course. “I’m on it.”

He waited—this was the point where Batman would send a Robin or two after him, maybe even Nightwing or himself, “just as back-up.” There was no way they would let him operate as part of the team without close supervision for at least a year. Jason was determined to grit his teeth and bear it, even if he wasn’t sure for how long he could. He was chafing already, running like this with the others when he’d been on his own for so long.

However, Bruce only confirmed that he’d heard him, and then the line went silent.

Huh.

—

There was no better time to be awake in the manor than the early morning in Jason’s opinion. The light fell softly into the kitchen as he entered, barefoot and in his pajamas.

Alfred was there, of course. “Good morning, Jason.”

It was their private ritual; had been even before Jason had moved back into the fold. Six a.m., tea and sandwiches. The only difference was that now, Jason hadn’t vanished by the time Damian stomped into the kitchen, glowering at them for being awake and having the audacity to send him to school.

It was kinda adorable, not that Jason would ever tell him that. Instead, he watched Damian make his way through his own breakfast and nodded toward the packed lunch waiting for him. “I see you’re not taking advantage of the school cafeteria, then?”

“Them?” The amount of scorn Damian managed to pack into a single word would have weighed down a ship or two. “They would not know good food if it chased after them with a sword.”

“Let me guess—still only three spices, and these are salt, pepper, and ketchup?” Jason asked.

“I believe there is a fourth one now—they have a particularly intolerable mixture that they like to label ‘Chinese.’” Damian’s whole face scrunched up with distaste. “It tastes nothing like what Mother used to cook.”

“While I am sorry to hear that,” Alfred inserted, “we will be late if we don’t leave soon.”

Damian grumbled but hopped off his chair. Jason glanced at the clock — seven a.m. Dick would get up soon. Might as well make him a sandwich, too.

He pulled the ingredients closer, already compiling a list of recipes in his head. Talia had shown him how to make most of Damian’s favorites. He could teach those to Alfred, no problem.

—

“Hood. Stop it right now.” Dick looked at him with big eyes, or so Jason assumed, considering they were both wearing their masks.

“No, continue.” Barbara sounded choked, audibly forcing down laugher.

And, hey. Love was one thing, but Jason knew who gave him the best intel night after night. “So big bird and B decide that they have to infiltrate this organization, right? Only… they’re all swingers…”

Her laughter was brighter than the streetlights.

—

Jason stepped into the corridor and silently closed the door behind him.

God, but it had taken a long time to get Dick tired and ready to sleep. Jason himself was still feeling too wired to pass out, but then he wasn’t operating on a 40-hour sleep deficit, so it was totally not the same thing.

He decided to wander down to the cave. Bruce was still up, of course, acknowledging Jason’s presence with a grunt. The only other person present was Tim, who was bent over some files.

…like, really bent over them. One could almost think…yup, he’d fallen asleep at the table.

Jason gently poked him. Then he harshly poked him. When nothing happened, he sighed and moved one arm under Tim’s legs, the other gripping his shoulders. The kid would fuck up his back if he stayed like that. It took a bit of effort, but they were soon making their way up the stairs, Tim cradled securely in Jason’s arms.

They’d almost made it upstairs when Tim stirred, blue eyes opening halfway and looking at him.

Heart in his throat, Jason waited. This family had a bad habit of coming awake swinging, and with Jason hovering over them… well, it wouldn’t be entirely unjustified, wouldn’t it? Especially in Tim’s case.

Tim grumbled and went right back to sleep.

—

Jason pinched his nose. Or tried to, but he was wearing his helmet, so he basically poked himself in the face. Judging from Duke’s expression, that wasn’t helping his point.

“So you decided to buy us time by…”

“Ninja traps,” Cassie finished for him. Looking as if that made total sense.

“Ninja traps.”

“Well, it was more of an obstacle course, really,” Duke added helpfully.

“Okay, that’s a weird-ass move, but I can respect that. Then why did that warehouse explode?”

“Fire.” Cassie’s expression gave nothing away.

Jason looked to Duke. “What she said.”

“And the fire was there because…?”

“Fire is an obstacle.”

Jason groaned. “I cannot believe I’m the responsible person here,” he lamented. “Is this how you feel most of the time, D?”

There was laughter over the com. “Oh, Nightwing has finally acquired a co-parent,” Steph commented, followed by Tim’s: “About time.”

(Everyone ignored Bruce’s “Hey!”.)

—

“Jason.”

Bruce was hovering. He probably didn’t intend to it; it just came naturally. Jason still felt that nervous lurch in his stomach whenever Bruce did that, but he was trying to get over it, so he just asked: “Yeah?”

“Let me show you something.”

They went into one of the rooms behind Bruce’s office that Jason had always assumed held nothing but files. He was very wrong.

“After you… left, I found myself reading books and thinking—he would’ve loved that.”

The walls were lined with bookcases. There were special editions of Jane Austen reprints, thick sci-fi novels, and nineteenth-century murder mysteries. It was eclectic and weird and precisely what Jason liked. What they both liked.

“I kept collecting them,” Bruce told him, voice too even. “Just… in case, I suppose.”

Jason stared at the shelves and shelves full of books, all read exactly once. His eyes were stinging because the glass display downstairs—that was bullshit. That uniform was about and for Bruce, and the new Robins, not Jason.

But this?

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Bruce almost-smiled, relief written across his face. “You’re welcome. Uh. I’ll leave you to it.”

Jason let him take two steps, then he said: “Bruce. If there was ever a time for a hug, this is it.”

“Oh. Right.”

Jason let Bruce pull him into an embrace—hugged back just as fiercely and told him: “It’s okay. You can stop grieving now. I’m here.”

If Bruce’s shoulders were shaking, neither of them mentioned it.

—

It was a total accident. Jason had felt like holding Dick’s hand, so he did. It was only when he looked up and caught Tim’s eye that he remembered—right. They were surrounded by Dick’s family. Their family.

Tim winked. The conversation didn’t stop. No one else commented or even gave them a second glance.

Something in Jason exhaled.

Dick squeezed his hand, smiling at something Damian was saying, and ugh, sometimes Jason was so full of feelings, he didn’t know what to do with it. Dick was just so—so—

Yeah. Jason was so fucking gone for him. All he could think about was how it would feel if there was a ring, there, pressing against his own.

He leaned back, adding a sarcastic comment or two to the conversation just to bask in the sunshine of Dick’s laughter. That thought warranted some serious consideration, not to mention talking to Dick, but—just the idea that he could have that? That he trusted himself, and Dick, and their family, enough to have that?

It was more than enough.

—

(Three days before Jason moved into the manor, Dick called a family gathering.

“Why is Jason not here, then?” Tim asked, frowning. “If it’s a family matter, it concerns him, too.”

Dick could kiss him for that. Instead he said: “Because it’s about him. I’m gonna lay down some ground rules, okay?”

Jason letting Dick convince him to move back in with them… that was huge. And dangerous. Dick had figured out long ago that Jay and Bruce had no idea how to handle each other anymore. Neither did the rest. That didn’t mean they didn’t want to. Dick was hopeful.

It was just… Jay was the best thing in Dick’s world; his support, his light, his conscience. He just made everything better. And Dick had no intentions of letting their family or anyone else fuck that up.)

(I’m taking prompts.)

#elareine writes #batfamily #jaydick #jason todd #this was meant to be shorter and is totally unedited because it's 1am and i wanna bedone with it #sorry

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kandoesfanfics-writes · 4 years

Note

83 but with all the batfam + Mari fluff?

“If you want me, come and get me, motherfuckers.”

Ah, thank you. A feel good prompt at last!

—————————————————————————————————-

Bruce blinked slowly, trying to gauge exactly what emotion he should be feeling at the moment.

Clark was standing behind him in awe and slight terror, waiting to see how the big Bat was going to respond.

Diana looked absolutely delighted by the goings on of Bruce’s children.

The entire hallway was covered in little foam darts with sticky cups attached to the tips. Pink, purple, black, gold, red, blue, green, and grey foam darts painted the normally dull colors of the manor. They were attached to the pictures, the walls, the banisters, basically anything solid.

Throw pillows were tossed in every direction. Blankets were held up haphazardly, as if they were a hastily made shelter. Books were also scattered across the floor, along with some creatively taped together foam darts that looked like…throwing stars? While it didn’t look like anything was broken or damaged, the lack of Alfred greatly concerned Bruce.

He was positive the butler wouldn’t let the children get away with this. Alfred had taken care of this house since he was a boy, and Bruce knew that the children couldn’t overtake Alfred. Each child had their own sense of respect for Alfred, occasionally listening to him instead of Bruce. If Alfred had ordered them to stop, they would have ceased immediately.

Alfred didn’t call Bruce to tell him he was leaving either, so the man knew his ‘father’ had to be inside the house.

“Clark, take the eastside. Diana, you take the west side. I’ll try and see if I can’t locate Alfred. Keep on your toes, the kids have most likely set up traps,” Bruce said quietly.

Both nodded, though Clark seemed more serious than Diana. The Amazon’s blue eyes were sparkling with excitement and mirth as she broke away from the group. Clark was hesitant to leave Bruce, but one glare from the man sent him on his way.

Clark may be virtually indestructible, however, he knew his best friend well. He also knew his best friend’s children well. He knew damn well he was walking into a literal warzone with some of the fastest and most intelligent non-metas to ever take up a cape. He was now a potential target, and he wasn’t dumb enough to underestimate the Bats…especially not on their home turf.

——————

As it turned out, Clark was very right to worry.

How did he know?

There were now fifteen darts stuck to his head.

The man of steel had been walking down one of the many corridors when he felt something strike the back of his head. He had pulled off a dart, which was grey in color. He tried listening around him to hear if there were any footsteps approaching him, but when he closed his eyes to focus, a barrage of darts came out of nowhere.

He began to run, only to be yanked into a passageway by someone.

That someone swearing fervently once they saw him.

“Motherfucker! The girls’ got Clark, Dick! And he obviously didn’t fuckin’ see Babs because he’s completely unarmed! He’s fuckin’ useless!”

Clark’s eyes widened as he looked to the dark haired man speaking.

“Jason? One, watch your language. Two, what in the name of Ma’s apple pie is going on here?” he demanded, looking at Bruce’s second eldest son.

Jason gave him a grin with teeth, essentially telling the Blue Boy Scout to go fuck himself. Another set of footsteps caused Clark’s attention to snap to the newcomer, who he recognized immediately. Dick was holding a finger to his mouth with an intense glare on his face.

“Shut. Up! Do you want the girls to find us? Or worse?” he hissed lowly.

Clark looked bewildered between the two brothers as they began to make obscene hand gestures towards one another in annoyance. He still had no idea what was going on and was about to go find Bruce until Damian appeared.

“Training exercise,” he whispered. “Girls against boys. To participate, you had to go see Barbara for the comm and dart gun with your specified color. Since you did not, this means that you are not on our team and will be considered a casualty point instead of full points. However, since the girls got you first, that means if we shoot you, we don’t get any points. So you’re safe from at least us.”

Clark felt a headache beginning as he rubbed his right temple. The things these kids thought up when they were bored! Clearly Bruce hadn’t known about this, considering his confusion upon entering the manor. Did Alfred know what the kids were do—

He gasped as another dart hit him. This time the dart hit the back of his neck. He ripped it off to see it was a grey foam dart once again. He held it in his hand, rubbing the back of his neck. Clark wondered which of the girls would have chosen grey—

“Fuck, we’ve gotta move!” a fourth voice came, slightly panicked. “He found us! Abort, abort!”

Who found them?

Who was he?

Clark watched as Tim haphazardly shoved things into a bag, turning it into a makeshift shield. Jason began to swear violently as Damian responded that they couldn’t move from their position. The girls were lying in wait for them just around the corner. If they fled, they’d all be shot. Dick seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, taking cover behind one of the statues in the room. He went to speak until Jason covered his hand.

“I’ll go.”

“Jay—”

“I said, I’ll go. Just get ready to run,” Jason said, alarmingly grim.

Wasn’t this just a game—?

Jason sprinted out of the room, hollering as loudly as he could, “IF YOU WANT ME, COME AND GET ME, MOTHERFUCKERS!”

Clark watched as a spray of darts followed Jason’s path as he attempted to reach cover. Dick, Tim, and Damian darted down the opposite way, leaving Clark behind. The Kryptonian just stood there, confused and still being pelted with little foam darts. It wasn’t until he heard a jubilant voice that he actually began to move.

“Clark! Why aren’t you getting in on the action?” Diana asked him, with her own dart gun in hand.

“Diana? What are you—”

“The girls were a player down and invited me to join their team! I think this will be a brilliant exercise in teamwork, strategy, and stealth!”

Of course Diana would think this was fun.

And of course, Diana also took this opportunity to shoot him with her own red and blue darts.

Clark then wondered if Bruce was getting it just as bad as he was.

———————

Bruce, while having not been shot yet, was not having much luck either.

He had seen his boys race past him, but the trio hadn’t paused for a second. All three had had foam darts of the pink, purple, black, blue and red, and grey variety sticking to them, some falling off as they ran. Considering the fact that none of his children had stopped their mischief upon seeing him, he figured that either they didn’t see him…or they saw him and did not care.

His daughters, as well as his hopefully future daughter-in-law, also darted past him without a care. The girls were mostly covered in grey darts, but there were some red, blue, gold, and green ones attached to them. Diana was also trailing after the girls, however, she only had grey darts on her body. They paid him no mind, giggling and laughing as they raced past him.

Bruce was now irritated, and he continued to search for Alfred. It appeared the only sane person in this goddamn house would have to restore order. His kids had even roped sweet little Marinette into their tomfoolery, and it was up to Bruce to stop them before they got her hurt. Though, Alfred was probably the only one who could stop them now.

He went to walk back into the foyer, not having found Alfred in the kitchen or living room, when he felt something hit him between the eyes.

The next thing Bruce noticed was that his children had all frozen, staring at him with wide eyes.

Jason looked delighted, a wide grin on his face. Dick and Tim were horrified, mouths agape. Damian was laughing, as was Stephanie. Marinette’s grey eyes were wide, and she’d covered her mouth with her hands. Cass’s shoulders silently shook with mirth, and Diana had a shit eating grin on her face.

Clark had just appeared next to him sighing, a grey dart on his forehead.

“Got you too, huh?” he said with a sigh. “Okay kids, which one of you decided nailing me and Bruce on the forehead would be fun?”

“Oh, it wasn’t one of them,” a sing-song voice came. “By the way, both teams lost.”

This brought forth arguments from the Bat-siblings as Marinette wiggled her way to the front. The dark haired Parisian walked over to the speaker… a red-headed woman in a wheelchair.

“Who won then, Ms. Barbara?” Marinette asked, ever polite.

“Please, Marinette, call me Babs,” Barbara said with a smile. “And our surprise sniper won of course! By taking out both Bruce and Clark, he clenched the final victory.”

Marinette’s grey eyes lit up, and she laughed loudly.

“Congratulations, Alfred! Looks like we’ll be making dinner tonight,” she said with a grin.

Alfred stepped out from behind his hiding spot, smiling at the lot.

“Yes, yes, you will be. I trust Master Dick and you will keep them in line?” he said, handing Barbara his dart gun.

“Oui, Alfred!” Marinette chirped. “What would you like for dinner?”

“Surprise me, Miss Marinette. I’m sure you’ll pick something wonderful,” he replied.

Bruce watched with wide eyes as Alfred instructed the children to clean up. The kids left without a fuss. Marinette and Dick left the room last, discussing what they would be making for dinner. Alfred walked over to both Bruce and Clark. He snatched both darts off of their foreheads before smiling and saying, “Welcome home, Master Bruce. Master Clark, it’s good to see you. Miss Diana will join you once she’s done helping the children clean up.”

Clark looked down at his best friend before sighing.

The Waynes and company were… certainly something else.

#maribat #no real pairing but hinted #feel good fluff #kan answers an ask #kan writes some things #prompt response #long post

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marthaskane · 3 years

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What are your favourite moments in Gotham?

Honestly, there are too many to count! This show provided so many good and/or iconic moments. Although some of the first ones that came to mind were (in no particular order):

literally any batcat scene to be honest but in particular: them getting to know one another in 1x09/1x10 (with the food fight as a pure highlight), the whole “i miss you” exchange in 2x03 (it sets up their relationship in a really nice way in terms of them caring for one another but bruce always wanting to stand and fight for others where selina, more often than not and completely understandably, is more about personal survival, “i felt tied to her...” in 2x10 is also an amazing scene demonstrating the underlying reasons why their relationship exists, why it works, and the draw they have to one another (and it highlights the bond they share despite everything else), there’s some great stuff in 2x15 but more on that later, the rooftop scene in 3x05, “does this mean you are my girlfriend? / “shut up.” in 3x11, the cheek kiss in 3x11, rooftop scene in 4x01, every scene where bruce sees selina at a party/event and his world stops (2x03, 3x05, 4x01), everything about 4x15/4x16, selina coming to see bruce on his birthday in 4x18, selina calming bruce down when he’s under the influence of the fear toxin in 4x21, the end sequence of 4x21 and the start of 4x22, all of their stuff in 5x03, 5x09, 5x11, selina knowing bruce is there in 5x12 without seeing him because SOULMATES, and their final rooftop scene in 5x12 because despite the sadness, i think it does a good job of showing the deep bond they have even after ten years and also sets up the idea that this will continue and they will work their way back to each other again (”i’ll never leave gotham again.”).

tiny little bruce running into alfred’s arms after his parents’ deaths in 1x01

jerome’s interrogation scene in 1x16 - cameron absolutely nailed this scene and it was a fantastic reveal.

“I’m the king of gotham!”

jerome’s speech to gotham in 2x02

the batfam fighting to save bruce in 2x11

bruce vs sonny in 2x15 - this does such an amazing job of showing bruce’s development into the man he will eventually become. this resilience and strength is unbelievable and with alfred’s voiceover to motivate bruce, it’s such a wonderful and powerful moment in the show. plus, you have selina’s fretting about bruce as he is repeatedly hurt - from completely looking away in terror to screaming “stop!” as much at bruce as at sonny because she knows that bruce WANTS to be hurt but she can’t bear to see it. that being said, this moment is absolutely BRUCE’S and the music and the look on his face as he gets back up no matter what is so incredible and earned.

“I may not be the man you’d choose as second in a street fight but anything I can do to help Bruce, I will.” - Lucius Fox, MVP

Firefly vs Mr Freeze (2x22)

“My name is Fish Mooney. Bitch.” - Fish is so unbelievably iconic

“I hope you know, Oswald, I would do anything for you.” listen this and oswald holding ed after he’s been strangled and ed wakes up and they’re THAT CLOSE had me screaming the first time I watched it.

lee punching ed, though i don’t quite remember what episode this was in

alfred protecting his kiddos in 3x11, and them coming back to help him when he’s knocked down by talon.

3x14 - that’s it, the whole episode

harvey snapping jim out of the tetch virus’ hold on him - BROMANCE

alfred trying to get through to bruce over the course of 3x21/3x22 and their conversation about true norths in 3x22 while alfred is in hospital

selina using the whip for the first time in 3x22

BRUCE DOING BATMAN SHIT AT THE END OF THE EPISODE!!! that rooftop shot is INCREDIBLE

jim vs scarecrow 4x02 - i wish we’d seen more of jonathan in general tbh, he would have been an excellent parallel to bruce with the whole “become what you fear” thing

lucius making bruce bulletproof armour for “rock climbing” because he’s an absolute legend

BILLIONAIRE BRAT BRUCE WAYNE AT THE AUCTION - DAVID’S COMEDY TIMING WAS BRILLIANT AND WE DIDN’T DESERVE IT - 4x03. this was a wonderful moment for bruce and shows the development of his “ bruce wayne mask”

the sirens team up

“you want a war? YOU’VE GOT ONE” - oswald cobblepot

Selina vs Ivy - 4x14 (”I’m no hero.” plus the whip? YES PLEASE)

Any time anybody is under Ivy’s hypnosis because it is absolute comedy gold

i honestly just want to put 4x15-4x22 in general because it’s my fave block of episodes in the show’s entire run but shoutouts to jeremiah’s descent into madness, the reveal in 4x20 and the entire twin arc in general, harvey refusing to be hypnotised again and just screaming and chasing after mad hatter and scarecrow in 4x17, “but i trust you ed” and that whole ed/oswald pier scene in 4x15, bruce choosing to stay in gotham after the bridges have blown and making gotham his resposibility and his and alfred’s goodbye, and jim and bruce’s final scene with the light which is paralleled with their first ever scene because i’m a sucker for full circle moments - also BRUCE IS THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL

oswald telling ed that he couldn’t just let him die

5x07! 5x07! 5x07! BRUCE VS JEREMIAH

ed saving oswald in 5x08 and oswald saying “we really are meant for each other”

the batcat kiss at the wedding in 5x09 and alfred and lucius’ reaction to it (which me and my brother now joke is a result of them both having been equally tired of thomas and martha’s shit in pennyworth and are now just like ‘oh no, not again’ XD)

HARVEY BULLOCK in general

selina and alfred vs bane

ed coming back to help save the city because, and only because, oswald stayed

selina and bruce blowing up wayne enterprises in 5x11

batcat vs bane

barbara naming her child after herself like the icon she is, but also giving her the middle name lee and letting her have her father’s surname so that when she grows up she knows who she can rely on (so pure)

WHENEVER YOU NEED ME

bruce and alfred’s goodbye in 5x11

barbara being determined to have a taller tower than bruce lmao - 5x12

selina stealing the diamond

Lucius “i didn’t even hesitate” Fox building bruce’s suit and tech and generally just being the MVP that he is - 5x12

oswald and ed being 100% ready to fight batman but saying “tomorrow” after seeing him jump rooftops

the FINAL SCENE - jim with the batsignal, calling batman “a friend” and that final shot of batman on the rooftop because BOY WAS THAT EARNED (though i still think david was robbed even though it is his face under the cowl) and solidifying bruce’s position as the light in the darkness of gotham!!

and this probably isn’t even all of them but thank you so much for asking. what are your favourite moments?

#sorry this took so long #I knew I needed to type this on my laptop because it was going to be so long haha #answered #smart-as-paint

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ellana-ravenwood · 4 years

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Batfam and friends after dentist

I just remembered this video : clickclickclick, and this happened. Please, don’t take it too seriously it’s just a fun little joke post haha. I hope you’ll still enjoy it a little nonetheless ^^. Here we are, the Batfam and friends, after dentist :

DICK

Dick : “Turns out my dentist is not giving me a plaque for great teeth after all. He really hurt my fillings.” Makes all the WORST pun you can think about, to calm his nerve, as he’s about to go to surgery to take his wisdom teeth out. Bruce is there, for support. Of course, he’d be there for his son. Dick wakes up, the surgery went GREAT. He looks around, a little groggy, looks at his dad, and...Starts to rap absolute nonsense, as if his life depended on it :

“I'm feeling the rainbow like skittles

dropping reptars like my name was tommy pickles

for rizzle, thats drizzle?

nah my nizzle, thats the shizzle”

Asks Bruce to buy him a “big ass gold chain” and if the dentist could transplant silver teeth on him now, “while we’re at it”. Bruce is able to reason with him and convinces him that sure, he’ll buy him the gold chain he wants, but he should wait for the teeth because his mouth is still too numb and such. Dick agrees that it sounds sensible, but does not drop the subject of him becoming a successful rapper. On the way back to the Manor, they stop to buy a gold chain, because Bruce cannot resists when his kids give him the “puppy eyes”. Dick choses the ugliest biggest thing in the entire shop. It says “bling bling” on it, has a few shiny diamonds, and is about twice the size of his head. He looks at it as if it was the best thing on earth while on the ride home. The drugs start to wear off but as a result he’s super tired again, he goes to sleep...Wakes up with that ugly chain, wondering what the hell happened.

JASON

Woke up after wisdom teeth removal. Got pissed because he really wanted Coca Cola but there was only Pepsi. Proceeded to tell Bruce that him bringing Pepsi back instead of Coke was worst than when he didn’t kill the Joker to avenge his death (queue Bruce nervously looking at the nurses, and really insisting on how funny people who just got their wisdom teeth removed could be). After the Pepsi/Coke debacle claimed he has 9 children (Bruce’s influence for sure hahaha). Apollo and Jean-Claude being his favorite two. Proceeded to cry because he admitted he had favorite children, and thought it was horrible to choose a favorite. Apologized to “his” kids that were definitely not there and talked about how his dad (pointing at Bruce), never had favorites. Bruce is touched. Until Jason remembers the Pepsi incident and tries to escape the room by jumping out of the window to go pouting alone somewhere. Queue a ridiculous struggle between Bruce and his son, as Jason, still quite limped and out of it because of the sleeping drugs, resists as best as he can while his dad drags him to the car to go home, trying to be as gentle as possible because he doesn’t want to hurt Jason’s mouth. Just to be sure, Bruce stops on the way to buy a bunch of coke bottles...

TIM

After waking up from getting his wisdom teeth removed, sitting in a wheelchair because he can’t stand yet (Tim is very resistant to anesthetic, and they had to give him more than usual for it to work), telling to Bruce who’s wheeling him back to the car, in a very dramatic way : “Lady, I thank you for your help. You have to release me back to the ocean now. My time on land, is over.”

Bruce, not sure he quite understood : “...What was that, chum ?”

Tim : “I said please m’am, get me back to my people. They need me.”

Then the boy proceeds to stick both his legs up, and move them as if he was a mermaid, making “woosh” sounds with his mouth as if he was splashing water around. Bruce doesn’t even try to reason with him (he remembers how it was impossible to do so with Jason and his Coke, or with Dick who really thought he was a rapper), so he goes along with it, talking about Tim’s “people” and why he can’t stay on land. Queue a dramatic full of adventure stories where he was taken away from his land and...and Bruce realizes the boy is kinda telling Aquaman’s story (that he probably learned by hacking into Batman’s secret files he has on everyone). He seems to really believe it...When they get back home, Tim is suspicious because there is no ocean, but his dad convinces him that the pool is said ocean, and Tim solemnly say “good bye” to Bruce, before dipping into the water. Of course, Bruce keeps an eye on him, because in the state he is there might be accidents, but Tim just lays there, on his back, floating around and mumbling about fish species he knows. Eventually, the cold water gets to him and he finally comes back to his senses. Bruce helps him out of the pool, and Tim goes to sleep, wrapped in blankets, holding his dad’s hand.

CASSANDRA

She had to have a rather heavy mouth surgery after an accident, and woke up ,slowly, in a hospital bed. Bruce was there of course, waiting patiently, worried, and hoping she’d wake up soon. It was nerve wracking to wait for your child to be better ! When she does wake up, she doesn’t even look lost or anything, although the surgeon told Bruce that she was probably gonna be feeling a little hazy and such. So the fact she seems totally fine reassures her dad. And then suddenly she throws her blanket off of her, stands up so fast that Bruce’s brain doesn’t have time to react, and walks to the nearest fire alarm. She looks at Bruce straight in the eyes, pull the alarm, and just says :

“Shit’s fire.”

DAMIAN

He had to have a minor surgery on his jaw, but was still put under anesthetic. Bruce, having witnessed his other kids under it, is ready to have a good laugh...But his boy is just sitting there, waiting for his father to fill in some paperwork and pay for the surgery. Yeah sure, it’s a little weird that he keeps petting his tongue but, ya know, maybe he’s feeling weird because his entire mouth is numb. Then Bruce is done with paperworks and such, and goes to Damian, who proceeds to tell him he got “a ‘ew ‘at” (a new cat)...

“Um. Really, champ ? Uuuh...Where is it ?” ----> Bruce playing along. And then Damian looks at him and breaks into a huge goofy smile and says : “’Ight ‘ere.” (Right here) Showing the tongue he has been petting for the past twenty minutes. Damian then tells to whoever goes by that he has a new cat and asks them if they want to pet him. Bruce takes him home, laughing to himself all the way, and promises a Damian who came back to his senses that this little story will indeed stay between them.

BRUCE

Not actually him after dentist, but something I thought about a lot :

Dentist : “Mister Wayne, do you grind your teeth ?”

Bruce : “Yes. Have you seen how many children I have ?”

Also, he waits the last minute before having to urgently remove his wisdom teeth, because the big bad bat is...afraid of the dentist. Alfred has to go with him. Bruce makes sure all the kids are busy this day, to their great disappointment...Alfred takes a lot of video for them (because it’s unfair he got to see them all floozy and they didn’t). The kids make a montage of it and post it on YouTube, as well as on instagram stories, calling it : “Is Bruce Wayne ok ?”, and it’s like a bunch of short images of what Bruce did after his surgery, still under the anesthetic’s influence. Him crying, him laughing like a mad man the second after, him hugging a pillow shaped like a tooth and refusing to let go because he thinks it’s the one they took out of his mouth, blabbering nonsense, asking for a “taco milkshake” etc etc...Of course, video went viral.

ALFRED

Has apparently nothing wrong with him, which is infuriating to the family who was really expecting him to have something that they could eventually use against him. Since he “raised” most of the them, he has way too much leverage against them, and they have way too little. But he’s just normal, and it’s so annoying.

Up until they come home, and he goes in the kitchen, ignores Bruce telling him that he needs to get some rest, and proceeds to whip a five course meal, making the weirdest combination ever...Porridge and Turkey ? Saurkraut in an Enchilada ? Salt and Vinegar chips in a smoothie ?

STEPHANIE

Bruce picks her up after her wisdom teeth removal (it’sjusttheeasythinghaha), along with Tim, and she has that dreamy look in her eyes. Tim asks her if she’s alright, and she’s like :

“The dentist said I need a crown.”

Tim and Bruce are a little perplex, like, this doesn’t sound nice ? But then Steph looks at them and just says :

“I said, I KNOW RIGHT ?! Guys. I’m going to be a queen.”

Queue Bruce and Tim smiling, and Steph mumbling something about how one day, she’ll be the boss of them haha.

DUKE

Of course, Bruce went with Duke because...Well, he unfortunately has no one else :/. And when you have any sort of surgery, it’s nice to have someone you trust with you. So. Anyway. Surgery goes on, and Duke wakes up after a few hours, a little out of it. He looks at Bruce, smiles and is like : “Hiii Brush !” while laughing a little to himself. Which makes B smile too, but then he gets worried because all of a sudden, Duke freezes, and stares at the nurse. Then after a few seconds he’s whispering to Bruce :

“Hey, hey, why didn’t you tell me that Céline Dion was my nurse ?”

Evidently, Bruce is confused. Duke then proceeds to admit his biggest guilty pleasure is to blast Céline Dion’s songs when he’s alone. Gushes over that nurse that looks NOTHING like Céline Dion, but he’s SURE it’s her. He blushes and is embarassed because he’s such a fan ! But then finally asks for an autograph, sings her songs badly (even worst with all the gauze in his mouth), and leaves the room, holding onto Bruce, with tears in his eyes because man...he just met Céline Dion !

BARBARA

Wakes up from having her wisdom teeth removed, crying, admitting that she killed the president...Which one ? Martin Van Buren of course. Spends the next few minutes crying about how she’s a disgrace to her family because she killed someone and HER DAD IS A COP !! Starts to sing : “Mammmaaaaaaaa, I killed a maaaaaaan” while still crying. But then suddenly is sure that she actually got framed, and becomes super suspicious of everyone, everything culminating when Dick comes to pick her up to bring her home and she thinks he’s the one that is “blackmailing” her, so she takes a run for it...Dick gets Barbara back to her place with a black eye, saying “I don’t want to talk about it” to Commissioner Gordon. Haha.

LUCAS FOX :

As the dentists says : “I need to put some bitewings in your mouth for the X-rays ok ?”

Luke Fox : “Bat...wing ? Oh. OH ! BATWING !” Hahahaha (could also work with David of course).

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

Ok done. Again, nothing to take too seriously, it’s obviously just a few little jokes :). Wanted to share nonetheless, I like writing “domestic” lighthearted Batfam stuffs...haha ^^' .

Ah and yeah I know some members of the Batfam extended family (it’s pretty big now) are missing, but I guess it just means I’ll make another post about it hehe. So please, don’t give me too much grief about those I “forgot”, it was getting too long ^^.

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cetaceans-pls · 4 years

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Chapters: 1/2 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne

On a quick mission with Jason to deal with pirates in the Caribbean, Bruce finds himself ejected overboard and accidentally lost at sea. Being a castaway gives Bruce ample time to indulge in self-discovery and survivorman-ing, as Jason boats across Pit-green waters in search of this dumb, fine man.

Or, things go incredibly wrong for Bruce and Jason while out at sea, but with help from a dedicated boat captain, The Fellowship Of The Rings, and banana-leaf-pants, they're actually unstoppable.

Written for the @batfam-big-bang, beta’d by @kuraness, @sultcnah, and hassan, with art by @pikachica, @succulents-and-fairy-lights, and @mandolinplayer (thanks everyone)! Special shout-out to @setsailslash for being the wind beneath my wings.

And! Thanks to the mods for organising this massive, chaotic event c:

Please enjoy the first part of a story about a damp and determined Bat and the struggles a a dapper young man’s gotta face to save his dank ass dad 🙏

On tumblr below the cut c:

Pulling a disappearing act is something Bruce should be good at; he’s had years and years of practice by now sinking into the night. Keeping secrets is pretty important in being invisible too, which is why the files outlining the increasingly severe piracy problems in the Caribbean are so heavily encrypted they may as well not exist. After all, at any moment any of his children could be using the Batcomputer to do anything from figuring out how to topple a corrupt government remotely to buying an unreasonable number of chew toys for Ace, and given that they’re all so ridiculously nosy, a security breach is more a question of when rather than if .

Nosiness is a good trait for vigilante detectives, but it makes it hard to work covertly without tipping anyone off. International travel isn’t a good idea for anyone this deep into a pandemic, and while Bruce Wayne being an ass and swanning around the Bahamas in a yacht is pretty believable as far as cover stories go, he’s not keen to subject anyone else to the sort of vitriol that behaviour will garner.

So the plan is simple, with as few moving parts as possible. Three, maybe four days tops being loud and visible on his biggest, ugliest yacht in the hopes that pirates will decide to come after him, and then maybe a couple of days after that to dismantle the bulk of the operation after he’s tracked them back to their base. There’s less of a chance of failure than his usual work, but it still leaves him feeling uneasy.

It’s a long way away from Gotham, and he’s not exactly excited to leave, but his comfort’s not more important than a greater good. The League really does need to sort out a presence for Central America though, and that goes on his notes for the mission too.

So he had planned in secrecy so complete not even Alfred was informed, because Alfred can be notoriously casual in his flagrant betrayal if he disagrees with Bruce’s plans. He’s skulking around the cave at 11 AM on a Tuesday when most of the family is either at work or asleep, and half an hour later he’s climbing into a Beemer, ready to roll out. He has a moment of smug certainty that he’s gotten away with this before the door to the passenger’s side is ripped open, and Jason climbs in with a little battered suitcase, a pair of aviators that reflect metallic blue, a genuinely heinous red wig, and what can only be described as a noxious Hawaiian shirt.

Bruce doesn’t think he’s ever seen a shade of yellow so bright, but it’s now imprinted on the back of his eyeballs, so that’s that.

“Jason, what are you doing?”

Bruce doesn’t even know if he’s referring to Jason’s presence, his outfit, or his hair (oh god, his hair ).

“Tim was supposed to be the one to tail your ass on this mission, but he’s still way too concussed after last week’s fight with Clayface so he got pulled out.” Jason chucks his suitcase to the backseat and pulls his seatbelt on, still fastidious about traffic safety despite it all. “Then Dick wanted to sub in but Blüdhaven needs him more than you do right now. So they called in the big guns to look out for you, and when I get back everyone’s gonna owe me favours. Sounds like a damn good deal for a week of work.”

Favours are a currency way more important than cash within this family, but Bruce struggles to see how a few favours is worth a few days in the company of a man you loathe.

(All right, loathe may be a bit dramatic, but it’s how Bruce feels about himself in reference to Jason, and it’s mind-boggling that a boy can wake up in a coffin and be driven to lunacy by the Pit and still, somehow, end up in this car with him in an ugly shirt and an offer of support).

He decides against asking if Jason’s really going to be all right floating in a sea of green in bad company, and doesn’t make Jason leave. It’s the rule of things; if he fails to out-sneak his children, he must deal with their demands, because it’s the only way he could get them to agree to his more paranoid measures in return.

So Bruce makes an effort not to think about it, in spite of himself, and gets the car in gear.

It really is looking like a damn good deal for a week of work; with good company, how badly can things go wrong?

Karma really wants to make him eat his words.

Years and years on the job, near-death experiences well past a hundred by now, active involvement in everything from petty theft to intergalactic peace missions, and it’s a little incredible that this is somehow the first time he’s been held at gunpoint while wearing the skimpiest pair of Speedos he could force up his thighs.

A billion dollars for a dressing gown, Bruce thinks but very carefully doesn’t say to the pirates who have commandeered the yacht. It’s all part of the plan, minus his questionable outfit.

Whoever’s manning the screens at the Cave is likely having a grand old laugh right now, but if it’s Stephanie he hopes she realises that he is using her trick with waterproof concealer and translucent powder to hide his scars, and it’s working like a charm. The Speedo was meant to feed the paparazzis that are currently stalking him in their little fishing boats that are weighed down with telephoto lenses, and L’Oreal 24 Hour Max Hold Extra Dewy Outlast! Long-Wearing Concealer makes him look happily whole from 40 yards.

He hadn’t expected the pirates to come on the one day he had planned to parade in front of the paps, but luck is a lady and it looks like Bruce just will not be getting lucky tonight.

The leader of the gang is yelling at the captain, clearly assuming Bruce cannot speak Spanish and isn’t worth speaking to regardless, which is fair. The leader is also standing far, far too close for a man without a facemask in these sickly times, and Bruce makes a show of tripping over nothing and landing in between Pirate Captain and Captain Luis, building space in between them. Half a dozen vaccine trials down, he’s as close to confidently immune as he can be, so he just strikes an entirely embarrassing pose and grins up at Mr. Pirate. “Sorry, sorry, not every day you get hijacked. Listen, you,” he waves at the assembled gang of ne’er-do-wells, “take my stuff,” he waves to indicate every gaudy expensive thing not nailed down in this frankly ghastly ship, “and leave us alone, okay?”

It’s tempting fate to be extra loud and extra slow like he’s talking to somebody extra dumb, but eyes on him are eyes off civilians, so that’s what he does.

It’s the point of information-gathering with the entire force of his Bruce Wayne Billionaire Playboy personality after all, even if Jason hasn’t stopped mocking him relentlessly for his outfits and table manners and affect (and so on and so forth) every time he breaks into the Master Cabin to help cover up Bruce’s many, many back scars.

The Pirate Captain appears to not appreciate being spoken to like a concussed toddler, and backhands Bruce right across the cheek. Bruce dutifully sets his tooth in so that he gets a dramatically split lip, and tries to look suitably cowed as he wonders about the man’s hand hygiene. Where is Jason, anyways? The standard response in this situation would be to evacuate civilians to safety, and even if the captain is currently stuck with Bruce, hopefully the stewards and the cooks are being shown to the panic room. It’s only in doubt because it’s a Thursday, and Thursdays are Jimmy-the-steward-boy’s day off. What that means is that Jason is likely in his bunk listening to audiobooks while half-asleep, and if it’s the Lord of the Rings and Jason’s hit a particularly engaging part, they could be firing cannons on deck and he wouldn’t hear.

It’s still fine, probably. Jason’s good at showing up when you least expect him.

There’s enough pride and bull-headedness in Bruce’s veins that he still officially objects to having back-up whenever he follows a case abroad, but times like these it’s really hard to feel anything but grateful that his children don’t trust him not to get himself killed in suitably dramatic ways as soon as he leaves Gotham. It’s even easier to feel glad that he and Jason have gotten good enough with each other that laid up on the ground of his yacht with blood in his mouth, Bruce knows that everything’s going to be alright.

“Please,” he says, and his voice trills like a well-trained bird, “please don’t hurt me. I have so much money, if that’s what you want. Somebody just needs to call my PA, we can do a transfer right now.” Oh, good, the captain is slowly backing away while all eyes are on Bruce and his tiny swimwear.

Thank you, Stephanie, for recommending a concealer that doesn’t even smudge as he dramatically cowers on the ground. The captain’s taken shelter behind the big outdoor dining table, a sturdy, immovable beast made of aluminium, and Bruce has a semi-circle of reasonably menacing men he could potentially incapacitate without definitely dying. Things are looking up already.

Pirate Captain (Pirate King? Pirate Lord? Pirate Admiral? Who knows how a hierarchy works for the lawless, after all) is barking orders for one of his men to handcuff Bruce and move him over to their boat, because this is now a kidnapping-for-ransom situation. In casual dress, Bruce wouldn’t have minded it much; there’s enough untraceable kit in his average pair of slacks to get him out of most situations.

Again, the cursed Speedos are hugely, disproportionately problematic despite their actual size. At least there’s the tracker and the lockpicks in his watch, because thankfully no one questions why a rich man who is mostly nude would be decked out in a fantastically expensive watch.

A gangly boy who can’t possibly be much older than 20 hauls him to his feet and starts to tie his hands behind his back, which is fine. The boy also deftly unbuckles Bruce’s watch and sleight-of-hands it away, presumably into the pocket of his beaten up jeans, and that is decidedly less fine. Still, as long as the tracker remains in his vicinity, it won’t take much effort for him to be found.

Things are still on track, even if they’ve gone off the rails an alarming number of times since he woke up this morning and nicked his face while shaving for the first time in, oh, a decade? More? Hopefully there’ll be a sack or something he can fashion into a tunic on the pirate boat; he doesn’t imagine this entire ordeal will outlast his long-lasting concealer, and given that the yacht’s currently bobbing in the ocean somewhere between Nassau and Port-au-Prince, help’s not far away (so long as Jason has also called the Coast Guard and is not still in his bunk, listening to Gandalf telling an overlong story).

It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine, until it’s not.

Honestly, Bruce takes worker well-being very seriously, whether it’s the COO of the Hong Kong branch of WE or the tired cab driver who inadvertently helped the Bat on an undercover case at 3:30 AM one morning. Fair pay, fair working conditions, every benefit that’s the industry standard and a few that he secretly encouraged the unions to demand. It’s a point of pride that people who work for him enjoy it, and it’s a way Bruce Wayne can help people in a way that Batman can’t even dream of.

It’s important that people who work for him are treated well; them becoming a little protective over him when some journo gets particularly nasty on Twitter is frankly rather sweet.

It’s significantly Less Okay that when they meet him in real life, ‘a little protective’ becomes ‘Captain Luis, seeing his bumbling dim-witted but ultimately not a bad guy boss getting carted away by pirates, finds strength from deep within himself to pick up a chair, start screaming, and try to bumrush half a dozen heavily armed men’.

Time slows down in times of crisis, thank god. Jason’s still nowhere to be seen, and reality narrows to Bruce running through every possible thing he could conceivably do to keep Luis safe. In the first fraction of a second, a trademark Bruce Wayne clumsy stumble is discarded as an option; two of the pirates already have their guns up. He doesn’t have smoke bombs or stun grenades or any of his million gadgets, and his hands are tied (literally and metaphorically), but playing dumb and letting Luis get shot to preserve his identity doesn’t even feature as an option.

And so, half a second after Luis starts his war cry, cracked voice and all, Bruce is actively working to dislocate his thumb to get out of his bindings, weight tipped forward in the hope that he can body slam half the men to the ground before they can get to their guns.

It doesn’t work; he gets shot in place of Luis, what feels like a clean through-and-through by the hip that hopefully missed anything particularly important. He does manage to bring a couple of the men nearest to him down with a heavy whumph , and little victories are still worth savouring even while lightly bleeding out on the ground.

He hears a lot of shouting, both from the direction of the pirate boat (reinforcements?) and from the grand double doors that lead to the inside dining room (reinforcements!) but he just keeps moving. Best case scenario, Luis knocked somebody out with one of the absolutely hideous chrome-and-leather chairs before beating a hasty retreat, and now Jason’s tag-teaming in for clean up.

Worst case scenario, he and Luis are about to be killed, and the news might be broken to his family by unflattering pap shots gone viral on Facebook. It’s an unbearable thought, so he doesn’t think, and just keeps moving around like an angry bull intent on sharing his displeasure.

There are a lot of gunshots, and something clips his ear as he knocks another man to the floor. While the pirate groans, Bruce headbutts him unconscious with a helping hand from the metal plates that help hold his skull in one piece. He thinks he hears Jason’s voice, but he knows Jay’s there for sure because no other weapon on Earth seems to crack the air quite like his Jerichos, and it’s like light at the end of a tunnel.

He hopes that Jason’s wearing some manner of face-covering; Bruce Wayne smashing a bunch of skinny pirates to the ground in a feat of great clumsiness and luck is entertaining enough to be acceptable, but a master marksman taking out a horde of sea-faring villains isn’t as likely to come off as normal.

Bruce doesn’t have the breathing room to turn around and check because more pirates are scrambling aboard with their own weight in weaponry, even if in his mind’s eye he imagines that Jason is wearing a pillowcase on his head with holes shot out for the eyes.

What an absurd quantity of guns. The number of ways Bruce hates the damned things is uncountable, and if Jason is actually on deck yelling blue murder in pyjamas, things can tip over from ‘scuffle’ into ‘bloodbath’ real damn quick.

Only one thing for it, then. He rolls away from a well-aimed kick and staggers to his feet, keeping his hands behind his back even though he’s worked his way free already. Pirate Captain man is angrily waving his rifle like he’s never known a day of joy in his life, but shooting Bruce might break the streak.

“Stop, stop!” Bruce shouts, aiming to look as non-threatening as a man who has mowed down a series of pirates can. “You can take me, just don’t hurt my staff.” Stand down, Jason , is implicit, while stand down, Luis , is implored.

It’s enough to get the man to bark for his men to stop shooting, as he tries to grab Bruce by the throat in a presumably threatening manner. This is what you get for modern-day piracy where there’s a lot less rigging and ropes and a lot more outboard engines; his grip strength is laughable, but Bruce gamely pretends to struggle to breathe anyway.

Pirate Captain hauls Bruce towards the cluster of his men, looking smug before he turns Bruce to let him see the wreckage of the outdoor lounge of the yacht. It’s bullet-riddled and messed up, but this far from the engine and the bridge, the damage is almost exclusively cosmetic. Thankfully Luis seems relatively whole even if he’s got the remains of a chair leg in his hands and a snarl twisting his face, and so does Jason. No pillowcase head-covering, unfortunately, but his steward-boy curly ginger wig is on and his oversized sleeping t-shirt is bulked out in a suspiciously bulletproof-vest shaped mass (thank God).

There are headphones hanging around Jay’s neck, so Bruce assumes he’d gotten it right about the morning lie-in and audiobook listening. Even mid-emergency, it’s still a rare, nice feeling to see that he knows Jason well enough to guess at least this correctly. Bruce tries to communicate with his eyes that everyone just needs to calm down and let him be taken. Pirates don’t tend to shoot billionaires dead, what with the invisible hand of the free market ensuring trigger discipline and all that, so it’s fine. They can rescue him afterwards, and there’s always help to be had. Superman might be off-world at present and Aquaman might take his own sweet time because he’s a sea king moonlighting as a massive asshole, but as long as no one gets hurt badly, a delay doesn’t matter to Bruce.

Jason’s scowling, but he does point his guns down. There’s hope yet that this is going to end relatively bloodlessly, but then the Pirate Captain lets his little victory get to his head. He’s got Bruce in an ineffective chokehold, and now he’s chuckling and waving his gun around and telling Jason that you’re not so confident now that we’ve got your boss, huh?

Even at a distance, Bruce can see that Jason is just barely holding on to his temper, jaw tight and teeth clenched. Having close to a foot over his captor and a hell of a lot of muscle mass on top, the ‘chokehold’ registers more like a messy cuddle, so it’s fine.

It’s all fine.

Until, of course, it isn’t.

Because Pirate Captain isn’t completely done flexing, because he takes it into his head to further press his advantage and slam the point home, he holds the muzzle of his rifle to Bruce’s temple, and shouts bang!

And of course Bruce has been held hostage before, of course he’s had weapons brandished in front of his face, of course there’s nothing exceptionally terrible about this situation when compared to the dozens of exceptionally terrible situations he’s been stuck in.

It’s just that he’s always, always hated guns, and he particularly hates guns held to people’s heads (a goddamn mystery why), and it’s just a little beyond what he considers tolerable, to find himself on the other side of a situation where a parent is about to be shot in the head in front of their child.

It’s something he’ll be ashamed about for the rest of forever, but hindsight’s 20/20 and not even an iron will could stop the tiniest of flinches when the thought of Jason’s going to have to see me die and he isn’t even the one pulling the trigger goes through his head at great speed.

It’s a blink-and-you’d-miss-it moment, but Jason hadn’t blinked, and it’s just that inch too far.

Lord, if Luis had been fearsome before, then Jason picking up a steak knife from the dining table and throwing it so viciously, so hatefully that it goes right through the back of a pirate man’s hand is an absolute vision of terror. While Bruce gets the side of his face coated in blood (he’s pessimistically hoping it isn’t from an arterial flow), Jason is scooping up Luis and chucking him overboard. It feels like barely a second has passed from when the first splatter of blood had hit his cheek before Jason appears right in front of him, one hand holding both guns (cool-looking but hilariously ill-advised) while the other is wrapped around the bulky plastic case of the emergency life raft.

Someone tries to drag Bruce back, and the man is met with two gun butts to the nose with a resounding crack! . A moment after that and Jason has Bruce pulled behind him, wig askew and kicking a different man right in the family jewels. The Pirate Captain is screaming and waving at them even as Jason hustles Bruce towards one side of the ship, shoving a life jacket down over his head and tightening the straps before Bruce can get his hands through the armholes.

It is, clearly, on purpose. “Jason,” Bruce warns him, growling even as he keeps the name as quiet as he can. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Jason kicks a stack of sun loungers over to act as a barricade against the approaching pirates, but he’s completely unharried as he turns to look at Bruce. “B, you’re banged up to fuck and back, and these guys are just massive assholes who’ve been pillaging ships carrying aid during a goddamn pandemic. Your plan’s not working out, so I’m going to handle it my way. Just go hang out in the water for a while, okay,” Jason pauses and shoots over the top of the mass of wood, before ducking down to reload. “On God, I’ll swab the decks clean-ish before I pull you back up. That’s my plan.”

An errant chair arm by Jason’s side explodes into splinters from the return fire, and it’s getting really hard to avoid kill shots in order to have a civil conversation. They’re running out of time, and Bruce knows , knows without a shadow of a single doubt that this is restraint and thoughtfulness and care from Jason, to hold back on what he thinks is right just because he knows Bruce doesn’t like to see a case devolve into death. There’s also a chance that the gun to his head shook both of them up more than they want to admit. This could well be a really touching moment for everyone involved.

But a dozen pirates are advancing, and more than wanting to stop Jason from murdering a bunch of people, Bruce simply refuses to let him face this alone, so he just shakes his head and starts trying to work his way out of the vest.

Unfortunately, it’s at about the same time the pirates decide to go on an all-out siege, running towards them and knocking the stack of chairs over in their haste. Bruce doesn’t have time to think, just steps forward so that he can body block Jason and hope that polyethylene foam can take a shot or 12.

Jason disagrees with this course of action, and he makes it exceedingly clear. One moment Bruce is standing firm between his son and almost-certain death, and the next he finds himself being flung over the side of the yacht, Jason executing a frankly gorgeous Judo throw. A blob of bright orange follows him down, the instant raft deploying in midair.

“Fly, you fucking fool!” Jason screams at him, and Bruce’s last thought before he hits the water and the hard outer shell of the raft hits him in the head, is that he was right.

Jason had been listening to the Lord of the Rings.

(And Bruce is really regretting leaving the Shire).

It’s going to be a hell of a story to tell the gang; hijinx on the high seas, and if Jason can convince Bruce to take a picture of him looking suitably pensive while the sea breeze flutters his hair and open shirt, they’ll have a cover for the book deal that inevitably follows Jimmy the Red-Haired Steward’s dramatic rescue of literal billionaire Bruce Wayne.

It’s almost anti-climactic in the end; he sends Bruce overboard and is polite enough to chuck a raft down with him so that the man won’t have to find out that not even Steph’s go-to brand of makeup can stand up to the open ocean, and minus an overbearing parent idiotically trying to take bullets for him, Jason’s free to just go right the hell off.

By his count, there must be close to 20 pirates now, and just one of him.

Damn, what fun odds. He knocks out 4 guys the moment they pass his barricade, and they definitely won’t be dying from those wounds. There’s a slightly messier kerfuffle when he kicks a tabletop off its legs and flings it at the guy who thought setting off a rocket-launcher in a luxury yacht is a good idea, and casualties from that are self-inflicted, so there’s no sweating it.

A half hour of screaming and shooting later, and at this point he’s just showing off when he leaps off the upper deck and gets a trick shot out into the knee of the man with the biggest rifle. At the end of it there’s a lot of moaning and groaning on the ground, there’s blood everywhere, and barring rocket-man, the Pirate Captain’s still the worst off because a serrated steak knife thrown at high speed will do a number on anyone. It’s exactly what he deserves.

Jason putters about securing the pirates with fishing line, and shoves handkerchiefs into the deeper wounds as he does a headcount and takes deep pride in having not killed anyone even though his temper’s the most frayed it’s been in a while (his history with bodies of water is bad and his track record with parental figures is even worse).

He leaves the captain tied up on the sun deck, because a sunburn’s the least the man deserves after holding a gun to Bruce’s head and being so proud of it. If Jason had trod on his hand a little heavily on his way off the deck, well. Some lessons just need to be worked in with some elbow grease.

Cleaning takes a while because B can be so damn picky about appearances , and it’s easier to do without the man himself anyways, so he doesn’t think twice about leaving Bruce to sulk in his floating inflatable tent while Jason works. When he hears noises from the pirate ship while he’s going around disarming all the weapons, he ends up finding a gaggle of kidnapped fishermen stuffed in the hold, and he wants to go step on the Pirate Captain’s hand all over again.

He frees the fishermen and moves them onto the yacht, where the staff who have crept out of the panic room with knives in their hands and murder in their hearts welcome the poor fucks and make them something hot to eat. Really, being a crusader’s a lot easier without Bruce’s presence, and it’s like a victory lap at this point. No one’s dead, even more people have been rescued than when they started, and the Coast Guard should be rolling in any minute.

Jason cannot wait to show off to B just how damn good he is at his job.

Everything wrapped up and a dozen shoulder-slaps from the crewmembers later, Jason makes his way down to the back of the yacht, where a platform can be lowered and the canoes and jet skis can be set out in the water. He’s fully expecting to see Luis hanging on to the ladder near there, with Bruce tethered like an errant puppy. Jason’s already grinning as the platform swings open with a quiet splash, but the sight that greets him isn’t one for smug eyes.

Luis is there, looking a little cold but ultimately quite calm and relaxed, and smiles when he sees him. “Jimmy!” Luis calls out, hauling himself up onto the platform and taking his shirt off to wring it dry. “You crazy bastard. I’m glad you’re okay! Is Mister Bruce also all right? The pirates are gone?” He eyes the bobbing pirate ship with great distrust, and overall gives the impression of a man ready to pick up a kayak oar and go to war.

Jason’s leaning as far off the platform as he can, craning his neck to try and see the bright orange floating raft. “Pirates are taken care of,” he tells Luis, and doesn’t let his unease show. “Everyone’s fine, but I threw Mister Bruce off the boat too, with the little tent raft. Did you not see him, captain?”

Luis shakes his head. “You must have thrown him overboard on the other side, Jimmy.” He turns a frightful shade of pale, and leans back out the yacht to help look. “Can Mister Bruce swim?”

Everyone in the family is an accomplished swimmer; for reasons that probably only make sense when you’re a paranoid patriarch, all of them had to prove that they could swim a mile in full gear before they were okayed to patrol close to the waterfront. It’s also common knowledge in a family with a collective competitive streak a mile wide that Bruce once rescued 3 full-grown adults in the open ocean while fully kitted out, so yeah.

“Yeah, he can swim.”

So why in the hell is he not right here?

Jason takes a deep breath, and reminds himself Bruce always has a tracker on him somewhere, so even if he was carried away by the waves, actually locating him shouldn’t be an issue. What’s more likely to be a pain in the ass is the Coast Guard boats plowing through the sea towards them. Jason’s cover as a steward is enough to fool local police, but if he’s pulled in for questioning re: owning and using his guns, it’s going to become A Problem.

A problem that would take a lot of time to handle, and that’s not something Jason’s got in spades if Bruce is missing.

Ah, shit. He’s going to have to call this in, and that’s not going to be possible in an itchy wig on a ship crawling with officers. It’s time for Jimmy to disappear, looks like.

He considers his options, and decides to just go with his gut. Luis seems like a good guy; civilians who step up in a life-or-death situation despite common sense telling them not to usually are. And compared to B, Jason’s always been quicker to trust, anyways.

“Listen, Luis,” he tells the man, face serious. “I’m actually Mister Bruce’s bodyguard. If he’s missing or drowning, I have to go find him. He’s…. like family.” Thank God that no one else is here to hear this. “But if the Coast Guard comes and takes us all in for questioning, I can’t start looking for him. Can you tell them I jumped in the sea after Mister Bruce, and to send people out to find us? I need to grab the tender and sneak off first; he’s been in the water for a while already now, so I just don’t have time to wait.”

Everything is probably completely fine, but you don’t live and then die and then be reborn and then continue to live as a successful vigilante by hanging your hat on ‘probably’. Jason’s itching to get on the little tender and check in with Alfred, but Luis covering for him would be really fucking helpful.

It feels real good when his instincts pay off. Luis doesn’t even bother saying ‘Yes’ and ‘Of course’; he’s already striding to the little box by the light switch that has the keys for all the gear, and after a quick rummage around he throws the boat’s keys to Jason.

“I’m going to believe you, Jimmy. Go find Mister Bruce, and I will tell the police how you saved us and why you left. Do you need anything more?”

Luis is just hitting homerun after homerun today, wow. Jason grins, and shakes his head. “I’m going to get my stuff from my bunk and climb out the porthole in the kitchen right onto the boat. See you when I see you, captain.”

And Jason’s gone.

Bruce comes to a couple of hours after his inauspicious disembarkation, if he’s judging the sun right. His face is an achy sunburned mess, but he supposes it’s preferable to being unconscious while facedown in water. He regains consciousness quietly and calmly, an extremely important skill when you are regularly abducted and knocked out, but when he cracks his eye open all he sees is the sea, all all of it.

He takes stock of the situation, and notes with some resignation that his yacht (the Pretty Penny, and worth every cent for the look on Alfred’s face) is nowhere in goddamn sight. He’s still cocooned in a life jacket, but luckily a loose buckle had wrapped around the ropes lining the life raft. It takes a bit of finessing, to work his way free and then haul himself up into the raft when he’s disorientated from being sunburned and injured and groggy, but he manages eventually.

The raft had managed to inflate all the way up, and the little tent provided blessed, blessed shade. If he was marooned on a liferaft with his children, or with a civilian, Bruce would be all action by now, cataloguing injuries and rummaging around to find what equipment they have. That’s just the exact right thing to do, in a survival situation.

But he isn’t marooned on a liferaft with anybody else. He’s by himself, his face feels like it’s on fire, he’s a little concussed, and he doesn’t know if everyone’s safe on the yacht. Instead of doing something meaningful, Bruce just groans and lays out as flat as he can get on the small raft, with his legs hanging off over the side.

Might as well get sunburnt knees, make a set of it.

It’s starting to feel like he’s just not meant to have a casual fun time out here in the Caribbean, and this far away from shore, nobody can hear him swear.

His legs are starting to sizzle a little by the time Bruce re-finds his will to survive, and he eventually drags himself upright, looks down to once again despair that he’s literally in swimwear and nothing else, and tugs out the dry bag filled with survival equipment tucked into a pocket near the back of the tent. He’s sure it’ll have much more kit than the average equipment bag, but because he can’t remember the last time he took it into his head to pack survival kits for non-Bat vehicles, everything is likely several years out of date.

As he digs around, any hope of finding a tracker that can ping! loud enough to alert the Batcave disappears. There’s a brick of a satellite phone, but failure to keep it well-maintained means the battery is completely flat, and trying to fix it in a bobbing liferaft that’s constantly letting water in…. ill-advised.

At least being in the Caribbean in the summer means that the current is more likely to have him drifting across the archipelago instead of sweeping him out to the Atlantic. Deserted islands are a dime a dozen here, and Bruce shudders at the thought that he might meet his end here, where it’s warm and sunny and beautiful, instead of bleeding out into a puddle of what might be rainwater or piss or both in a dark alley in Gotham, which is what he thematically deserves.

If only Alfred were here to hear him loudly think about his death after maybe 3 hours of being at sea with his own grim thoughts.

At least the kit bag reflects his personal preferences. Enough energy bars to keep a man physically functioning for at least 2 weeks, and half of them are white-chocolate-and-cranberry flavoured. There’s a rain poncho made of the same material his cape was about 5 years ago, which means it’s light and breathable and incredibly strong. He puts it on, because where Jason presumably gets power from wearing either leather or garish beachwear, Bruce unfortunately counts himself closer to goth than not, and a black raincoat is enough to make him feel at least marginally better.

He digs around some more and finds the usual suspects: a multi-tool with a blade sharp enough to gut a camel (tried! And tested!), 3 flare guns, a little floating solar still, a first aid kit that could keep you alive through increasingly alarming injuries, wax matches and some solid fuel, and a little tin mug that had some fishing line and a bunch of hooks. God, there’s even sun cream in here, and that’s as Classic Alfred as the tiny glass bottle of exquisite whiskey. The reach of one elderly butler’s tender loving care extends really alarmingly far, and Bruce salutes the sky in his honour before taking a carefully-rationed glug of Stranahan for moral support.

It burns smoothly down his throat, and it’s as close to a second wind as Bruce is likely to get out here. Bruce sets up the solar still and has it floating on a tether right by the raft, even if he’s got at best a couple of hours of daylight left. Dinner for the night is either a protein bar or fresh-caught fish if he can swing it, and the bottle of good whiskey needs to stretch for 2 weeks for the worst case survival scenario, because that’s around when Superman comes back from his off-world mission and can come play fetch.

Best case scenario, Jason’s going to pull up in the BatWing any moment now, and Bruce will gaze upon a hideous ginger wig and once again get to marvel at the miracle of Jason alive and coming at him.

The Batman hasn’t survived so long off the backs of best case scenarios though. Fantasy revelled in, Bruce starts divvying up his resources and makes his peace with potentially having his body be found in a poncho 3 months from now by deeply unlucky fishermen.

Hell of a legacy to leave for his children, but it’s better than pearls and a dark alleyway (he sure would have appreciated a larger bottle of whiskey).

Escape was the name of the game, so Jason doesn’t burn time on thinking, just grabs his supplies and steals the tender, gunning the engine and gone out of sight before the Coast Guard could board the Penny. It’s pretty hair-raising, literally; throttle opened to full he almost loses his wig to the whipping winds.

Fifteen minutes after separating from Captain Luis, Jason’s dropping anchor in a tiny lagoon and pulling out his Bat-issued laptop. First things first, he runs through all the trackers Bruce is most likely to have on him. No point in alerting HQ if Bruce just got washed ashore on a little beach a couple of miles away. He could do without the rest of the family calling him out for simultaneously being both Bruce’s back-up as well as the main reason Bruce is currently missing, thanks. There’s already plenty of self-recrimination going ‘round.

The internet’s pretty slow considering the private BatSatellite beaming it right down at him, but it only takes a few minutes before he’s run through the checklist of the dozen or so standard trackers Bruce could have chosen from. Almost everything is deactivated, probably because a mother-of-pearl button and a tie clip aren’t options that mesh with swimwear too often, but one of his watches is active and blinking a cheerful green from the other side of the island, moving swiftly towards land.

Jason thinks hell yeah! at the start but then logic comes a-calling; neither the current nor a very determined man could move that quickly, and the blip is moving in a straight line away from the yacht. He takes another look at the list, and groans when he realises that what likely happened was that Bruce’s shiny golden Rolex was liberated from him pre-getting-thrown-overboard, and is now likely enjoying a pleasant ride to Nassau in the pocket of some pirate on the Coast Guard’s ship.

“This is why I told him to get a goddamn belly button ring,” Jason shouts down at an errant starfish, who fundamentally does not care. Garish intimate jewelry work because they can stay on regardless of the state of undress, and because not even the most determined thugs tend to be super interested about groping around a man’s navel to get half an ounce of cheap tin and silver. An ugly piercing is by far the best option for discreet trackers.

Just classic goddamn Bruce; too good for gun violence, too good for tacky piercings, too good to just stay the hell still. Jason half-heartedly goes through the rest of the list, on the extremely off chance that Bruce slapped on the temporary tramp stamp with its special magnetic ink, or decided to opt for the cute anklet with dangling shells that’s a Cass design, but no go.

There’s not a blip anywhere, and if Bruce is really really lost at sea, time’s not something either of them have a whole lot of. Jason starts up the boat and decides to head right to the outermost chain of tiny islands, because the vital thing here is making sure that Bruce doesn’t get swept right out into the open ocean. One hand on the wheel, with the other he pops an earphone back in and presses a complicated code using the volume up/down buttons. It’s another few seconds of the Fellowship coming through before the comm connects, and it’s Alfred.

“How can I help, Master Jason?”

“How much of what went down did you catch, Agent A?”

“I must confess to a little chuckle when I saw Master Bruce being thrown overboard. The onboard cameras caught the rest of your fight, and may I just say, splendid aim with the steak knife. I doubt I could have done better myself.”

That’s a blatant lie if Jason’s ever heard one, but he’ll take it. “Thanks, Alfie. Thing is, uh. Thing is, I might have misplaced B.”

There’s a short pause, and Alfred’s voice comes back on with polite inquiry. “What do you mean by ‘misplaced’, Master Jason?”

“You saw me chuck B over and leave him a life raft, right? Yeah, well, when I went ‘round to do a pick-up, he was gone. And he doesn’t have any kit on him, so.” Urgh, this is going to live on in infamy. “So I might have lost Batman somewhere in the sea.”

There’s another pause, a little longer this time, filled with enough character that Jason can just imagine Alfred with his head tipped back, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose to chase off a headache that has given him no peace presumably since B was born. “I see. Do you know if he is injured? Or if Master Bruce is missing as per some sort of plan?”

“Think he might have been grazed by a couple of bullets, but nothing life-threatening. And this could be a dick move that’s part of a bigger plan, Alfred, but he knows you’d be real passive-aggressive if he runs off without telling anyone. He pulls that kind of bullshit when things are apocalyptic, but it’s just a bunch of pirates not social-distancing.” Jason worries at his lower lip, and tries to feel more confident about the absence of serious injuries. “I don’t know, maybe he hit the water wrong and passed out and got swept out, or something. I just know I’m not leaving this as is.”

God literally save B if this does turn out to be some dumbfuck ploy to go off and Rambo a mission solo, that’s a Jason Todd guarantee right there.

“I believe not trusting Master Bruce to be all right is generally the right way of thinking, unfortunately.” Alfred sighs, and it comes off as static in the earpiece. “I will make some inquiries, and see what resources we have for a search and rescue mission. In the meantime, Master Jason, do what you think is best. Master Bruce may not have any of his usual equipment, but so long as he has the raft, he should survive for a good long while.”

Knowing how extremely over-prepared Bruce is in almost every aspect of his life, Jason wouldn’t be too surprised to know that all WE rafts came prepared with spear guns and a bar of solid gold. Best case scenario, he’ll find Bruce in time for dinner, and they can have an(other) awkward meal where Bruce does his damnedest to be inoffensive and haltingly the best father he can be, while Jason tries not to get ticked off by every third word out of the man’s mouth.

Jason tells Alfred that he’s going to whip out some maps and do a lap around all the tiny little cays that dot the sea to try and find Bruce, and half his head’s thinking about a memorial service where Clark will presumably burst into tears while stood in front of a casket that’s got a symbolic Speedo in it, and that’s how Bruce is going to go down in history, which is what he deserves.

The other half decides that now is a good time to remember how Bruce had once gone all-out on a search-and-rescue mission for Jason too, many many years ago, and oh, look how that turned out.

What a fucking feast or famine man.

Fishing is an accursed activity for accursed men. Bruce is somebody whose hobby slash raison d’etre involves getting dressed up in armour and perching on a gargoyle somewhere high up in an unmoving manner for hours at a time, and he still finds himself bored almost to tears by the lows and lowers of idly holding a fishing line in his hand, being convinced something has gotten hooked, and pulling up absolutely nothing (again and again and again).

It’s blissfully sundown by now and there’s no fresh fish on the menu, but he has a mouthful of fresh water thanks to the solar still, and he’s got half a protein bar in him for dinner. The moon’s nowhere near full and the stars are obscured; he’s completely enveloped in the kind of darkness that’s so, so foreign to a city like Gotham.

It’s all blackness as far as the eye can see, which is not very far, and all he has for company are his thoughts and the quiet splish splish splish of little waves pattering against the side of his raft.

It’s deeply unnerving even for Bruce, a man who has on occasion described himself as The Night. He has a fire starter and nothing to start a fire; he has a phone and no way to connect to anyone. He has a lot and very little all at once, and despite his best efforts, no amount of focus can get anything done .

So Bruce sits with his back to the opening of the little tent, and over the next couple of hours finds himself slumping and sliding lower, til his head is thrown back across the edge and all he sees is nothing.

Stoicism in the face of terrible odds is an important part of being the Batman, but Bruce has no cowl and no cape; he’s just him right now. As he stares at what may or may not be the North Star, he finds himself thinking about how dinner was supposed to be scallops and baked fish with a side of exquisite wine, and gently mourns just a little. If his luck held, Jason would have swung by later to help himself to the dessert tray that Bruce has delivered straight to his room, and he could have sat there and basked in the unending pleasure of Jay's healthy and hearty and whole company.

Instead, he’s stuck out at sea trying to guess how close or far away he is from 10:47 PM, which is the default time to throw up a signal in cases where a team’s been broken up. In Gotham, even if he didn’t have a watch or a phone or a comm unit or a car, he could usually guess the time down to 15 minutes, just based on which shops were open and which shops were closed, what buses were running and what colour the WE building was lit up to, by the presence or absence of the tinkly elevator music that accompanies the fountain light show in the main plaza.

Here, there’s nothing. The position of the planets would be a bit of a hint on a good day, but on a bad day with heavy clouds and a concussion he’s not confident Venus is real. The outdoors are a mistake, and laid out in a raft miles and miles away from the nearest cityscape Bruce feels homesickness so keenly he has to turn over and throw up a little bit.

At least the concussion is keeping him company.

The first hour after nightfall he had taken the initiative to just sit there and count time out, but there’s something spectacularly soul-sucking about counting down seconds. Bruce was somewhere in the 3000s when he came to the conclusion that he would rather not reinforce his concept of mortality by literally calling out each moment he comes closer to death, thanks. It’s been a while since he stopped counting, but time’s a mess in the absence of manmade context.

He’s also, shamefully, a mess in the absence of manmade context.

Bruce has 3 flares and a son out there somewhere looking for him. Having a predetermined time to launch a signal is not a fundamentally bad idea, but it’s not practical when out in the field, and right now he’s even willing to go so far so as to admit that using the time of his parents’ passing is both extremely grim and extremely unkind to all parties involved.

All factors considered, it’s as good a time as any to get the flare gun. If he’s lucky, Jason will be ‘round to pick him up in under an hour. If he’s less lucky, it might be a different band of roving pirates that come for him, though by this point the company of sun-dried criminals is greatly preferable to just his own.

If he’s really, really unlucky, the flare’ll explode big and bright up in the sky to the attention of absolutely no one, and when that happens Bruce can begin to doubt his reality as much as he doubts Venus’.

“Please let it not be 10:47,” he says in the vain hope that karma’s looking out for him as he sticks his upper body out the tent flaps and shoots at the sky.

The flare goes up straight and true and explodes into bright bright light, and all of this would be a thing to be happy about if the presence of light didn’t highlight the clear, helpless absence of everything else.

For the first time in a very long time, the fearsome big bad Bat of Gotham turns in early for the night, but nobody is even around to appreciate it.

(He will find out that it was, in fact, just around 9 when he shot off the flare, or just about 3000 seconds after the 3000 seconds he’d already counted.)

(The invention of time was a Mistake.)

[1/2]

#batfam big bang 2020 #batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #whale writing #the vibe is v much that specific kind of humid depressed u get in summer #when ur not feeling great but #the overwhelming presence of the sun tells your body to #keep on keeping on #anyways i love the sea thanks for coming to my community tedtalk

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redhoodssweetheart · 4 years

Text

Love Languages (BatFam Version)

Genre: Fluff

Relationship: No Romantic Relations

Requested: Yes (REQUESTS ARE CLOSED)

Word Count: 2.2K

Warnings: None

Description: Dick learns about the love languages and shares them with the others in his family.

A/N: The Reader version should be out tomorrow.

Dick had always been a loveable person. He was open and carrying to those around him. And recently he had been learning about the five languages of love. He had come across them by accident when he had been surfing the web. He had been on a Wiki deep dive when he had come across the article.

From there his interest in the subject grew and he decided that he was going to use the five languages of love on his family. This is how it went.

Quality Time

The first was the easiest to achieve. Living in the mansion with everyone meant that there was a lot of time to spend together. Dick had gone to Alfred and said he wanted to help make a family dinner for everyone. Alfred had been surprised at first wondering what had brought this one, but he agreed.

Dick then told the others that that coming Friday was a family dinner and there were no exceptions. They all had to show up. There had been a few grumbles about dinner, but nothing to major. They mainly seemed intrigued by this idea.

Friday came and Dick and Alfred spent the majority of the afternoon preparing the meal. Occasionally someone would come in and see what was happening. Damian snickered when he saw Dick’s “Kiss the cook” apron with the cartoon chef on it. Dick paid no mind to Damian’s gentle teasing.

Alfred then showed Dick how to properly make rolls like the family seemed to enjoy the most. He coached him on how to keep an eye on them so that they wouldn’t burn. Dick listened intently to everything that Alfred told him and prepared the rolls accordingly.

Once dinner was in the oven and there wasn’t much else that could be done at the moment Alfred showed Dick how to properly set the table. Bruce was already in there reading the evening paper when he heard Alfred’s gentle tone and saw Dick following along, his gaze fixed on what Alfred was showing him. Bruce briefly wondered what this was about and why Dick seemed to take such an interest in this now.

Soon the timers were going off and Alfred and Dick set to arranging the food on platters and plates just so. The two men carried the plates and platters out on a cart and Dick was happy to see that everyone had showed up. Tim sat on Bruce’s left at the head of the table, Damian on the right, Jason by Tim, and Dick would be by Damian.

Alfred went to leave, but Dick stopped him, “Stay and eat with us Alfred, you’re a part of this family too.”

Alfred smiled fondly at Dick and promised that he would be back momentarily. He returned and sat beside Jason. Dick had made sure that everyone had put their phones on silent and put them in a basket outside the dining room. He wanted them all to talk without the distractions of everyday life. The only phone allowed at the table was the one that Commissioner Gordon called in case of an emergency.

Overall Dick was happy with how the evening had gone and was pleasantly surprised when they all even offered to help with the dishes. Damian dried while Alfred washed. Dick and the others were in charge of putting the dishes away. When the job was done Bruce suggested that they do this more often and Dick was happy that this had been a success.

Gifts

Seeing the katana had been a complete accident. Dick hadn’t thought anything of it at first and then he remembered that Damian was collecting antique katanas. He had a nice collection started in his room that he wouldn’t let anyone touch. Jason had tried and nearly lost his hand. From that point on the others merely admired them from afar, too afraid to incur the wrath of Damian Wayne.

The glint of the steel is what first drew Dick’s attention to the sword in the window. Realizing what he had just stumbled across he went in to talk to the shop owner about acquiring it. The store owner was a nice older gentleman who had just put the katana up for sale the day prior. “I’ve had a lot of interest in this sword,” he told Dick as he began carefully boxing the katana up. “Young gentlemen come in here from time to time when I put up katanas and other various antique weaponry. None of them ever had even to buy them. Except this one gentleman. He’s a teenager, and he’s always pursuing this shop, he likes the katanas the best.”

A light bulb went off over Dick’s head, “Is his name Damian Wayne?”

“Yes! You know Mr. Wayne?” The man asked.

Dick chuckled, “That’s who this sword is for. He’s collecting them, and I happened to see this and thought that it would be a good gift for him.”

“Well I certainly think he’ll like it,” the old man said. “Have a wonderful day, Mr. Grayson.”

Dick headed back to the manor after that encounter to get the surprise ready for Damian once he got home from school. Jason was in the living room when Dick came in and arched an eyebrow at the long, mysterious box that he was carrying.

“And what pray tell is in the box?”

“A surprise and none of your business,” he told Jason as he grabbed some shiny Christmas wrapping paper (they had nothing else according to Alfred), and began the infuriating process of wrapping the box.

Jason sat back and watched Dick struggle and ultimately lose to the Santa covered wrapping paper. Tim wandered in with a cup of coffee in hand and paused when he saw Dick struggling on the floor. “Jesus, did I forget Christmas?”

Jason leaned his head back to look at Tim, “Tim, it’s July.”

Tim blinked, “Then why on earth is Grayson wrapping something up in Santa covered wrapping paper?”

Dick threw up his hands, “Because Alfred said this was all we had!”

“Grayson, there’s literally an entire closet filled with different wrapping papers,” Tim informed him before sipping from his still steaming mug.

“Alfred!” Dick got up and went storming through the house to find Alfred and ask him why on earth he gave him the Christmas paper.

Damian stepped into the room, his school bag slung over one shoulder, “What’s Grayson shouting about now?”

“He got someone a gift and Alfred gave him Christmas paper to wrap it with,” Jason said.

“Come to think of it, I think that’s the paper that Bruce hates. He says the Santa’s are too creepy,” Tim said as he moved closer to inspect it. It was, in fact, the paper that Bruce hated. The Santa smiles looked a little too demonic and put Tim in mind of the Joker’s smile. “Alfred has been trying to use it up as much as possible lately, and probably gave it to Dick hoping to use the rest of it up.”

Dick came back into the room and noticed that Damian had now joined them. “Damian!” He hurried over to his half wrapped box and held it out to the younger boy, “This is for you.”

“Me?” Damian eyed the box as he took it. “Why me?”

Dick shrugged, “I saw it today and thought of you, so I bought it.”

“Well open it!” Jason said impatiently as he waited for Damian to tear into it.

Tim produced a knife and handed it over to Damian so he could cut the tap. When he opened it his eyes widened and he pulled the katana out of its resting place. “It’s stunning,” he said reverently. Glancing at Dick he asked, “Why?”

Dick shrugged, “You’ve been collecting them and I figured this would be a nice addition to your collection.”

Damian gently set it back into the box, “Thank you Grayson, that was… thoughtful of you.” Then he turned on his heel and hurried off to his room.

“Hey why didn’t you get us anything,” Jason said.

Dick rolled his eyes, “Maybe I’ll get something for you later, but right now stop being greedy.” With that, he headed out of the room.

Acts of Service

Alfred was constantly doing things for the others. He took care of them. He stitched them up when they came home with bullet and knife wounds. He was always a constant in their lives, and he never complained about things. They took him for granted most of the time.

Dick hadn’t ever really thought about it when he was younger or even now. He just knew that Alfred was there and he took care of them.

Today however while Alfred was out getting groceries and taking Damian to school Dick set to work.

There were still dishes that needed to be cleaned and put away and some of the chores that Alfred usually did. Dick cleaned the dishes and put things away first, he then went to the basement where the laundry was located and began a load of laundry. When that was going he headed back upstairs to vacuum the entryway of the manor.

Alfred was shocked when he arrived home to see the kitchen was clean. He could have sworn he had left some dishes in the sink and in the dishwasher. He made his way through the manor and saw Dick with a pair of headphones in vacuuming the floor singing along to some rock song that Alfred wasn’t familiar with.

He slipped away before Dick could notice him and found Bruce in his study looking over some paperwork. “Have you noticed something off about Master Dick lately, sir?”

Bruce looked up from what he was doing and gave Alfred a quizzical look. “What do you mean by off? I’ll admit my boys aren’t the most normal group out there, but I don’t see anything wrong with them.”

“Well he’s doing my chores sir, and not to mention he bought Master Damian a katana, and insists that we do family night. It’s just a little suspect.”

Bruce thought back to what he had witnessed from Dick lately, he would admit that he hadn’t paid much attention to him or even considered anything being off. “I’ll keep an eye on him Alfred, maybe he’s just bored and needs something to do.”

Alfred was still concerned, but left the matter alone.

Words of Affirmation

The last of the love languages was words of affirmation. Over the past week Dick had been putting into action all five. He knew the others were probably a little confused by his new found affection, but it made him happy. Alfred looked a little less strained, Damian looked happy with his newest katana, and family dinners were a success.

All that was left were the words of affirmation. He was trying to think of good ways to do this. He told Damian good job when training with him and he began mastering new skills; he told Jason that he liked his new haircut when he had gotten home; he thanked Alfred for the wonderful meals; and he told Tim that he was glad he was watching their backs from the cave most nights.

The last person he had to say something too was Bruce.

It was late one evening, the sky was cloudy and rainy and Dick and the others were doing their own thing. Bruce was in the library reading when Dick approached him, his hands behind his back.

Bruce looked up from the book when he felt Dick’s presence beside him. “What can I help you with, Dick?”

Dick took a seat across from Bruce and leaned forward, “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this… but thank you for taking me in after my parents died. That was a really rough period for me and it was nice having someone who understood what I was going through. So thank you.”

Bruce closed his book and studied Dick for a moment, “Dick is something wrong?”

Dick’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “No! Why would something be wrong?”

“The others and I have noticed you’ve been doing little things here and there. One day you did Alfred’s chores, the next you wanted us to all have a family dinner, buying Damian that katana. I’m just wondering what’s going on.”

“It’s nothing serious, Bruce,” Dick quickly said. “It’s just I read about love language and I thought that I should show you all how much I care for you. You’re my family and I love you all, so I just wanted to give back I guess.”

Bruce was pleasantly surprised to hear this. “Well, thank you for telling me this Dick. I try my best for you all, and sometimes I feel slightly overwhelmed or like I’m not doing the best I can. And Dick, I hope you know how highly I think of you, how proud I am. I’ve enjoyed having you in my life along with the others.”

Dick smiled and stood, “I should probably go tell Alfred that there’s nothing wrong with me, I’m sure he was the one that brought this up to you.”

“He was,” Bruce confirmed. “Have a good evening, Dick.”

“You too, Bruce.”

Dick stepped out of the library and went in search of Alfred who was having his evening tea. He explained what he had just told Bruce and Alfred seemed very relieved that there wasn’t anything wrong with Dick. When Dick went to leave Alfred asked Dick if he would like to stay for some tea to which he agreed.

#Dick Grayson #Dick Grayson fluff #Dick Grayson fanfic #Dick Grayson fanfiction #Damian Wayne #Bruce Wayne #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #DC Comics #DC Comics fanfic #DC Comics fanfiction #DC Comics fluff #Requested

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sassycassie-s-series · 6 years

Text

All My Fault 12

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Damian Wayne/Batman

Rating: PG

Notes: (Masterlist) This one is just enough longer than usual that I feel the need to point it out XD

Tag List (Open): @batboys-and-other-messes @nanna-the-batmum @probsjosh @welovegroot

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11

^^^^^

“Do you not want to put your dress on first?” Damian asked.

“Nope. Hair first. Then makeup. Then Steph’s gonna come in and help me with my dress,” I replied. “I'm not pulling it on over my head, though, so it won’t ruin my hair.”

“Tt. I see,” Damian said. “Alright. Have a seat.”

I obediently sat down in front of my desk chair in just shorts, my hoodie, and the bra I was going to wear under my gown. The hoodie was so I could just unzip it and take it off without pulling a shirt over my hair to ruin it.

Damian sat behind me in my desk chair, pulled a package of bobby pins out of his pocket, and picked up my brush and comb. My hair was hanging, wet, down my back and all brushed out. I leaned my head back into Damian’s hands. He began to run his fingers through my hair to section it off as evenly as possible.

I kept my eyes closed so I could just feel what he was doing. It was so relaxing.

While I’d been dancing with Dick in the ballroom the day before, he’d dramatically languished that he was so jealous that I let Damian play with my hair and not him. Dick complained that he’d always wanted to play with my hair because it looked so thick and soft and I would never let him. Which wasn’t entirely true, but he was exaggerating for dramatic effect. And it worked to get me to smile. Then again, my smiles came easy. Unlike Damian and Bruce’s.

I let out a little, “Hmm…” of contentment.

“Does that feel good?” Damian asked. There was no smile in his voice. Just a genuine question.

“Mmhmm,” I grunted, bouncing my left eyebrow. “Feels sooo good.”

Damian chuckled quietly, almost like he didn’t want me to hear. But when I was literally sitting with my shoulders nearly touching his shins, it would have been hard for me not to hear.

It took longer for him to do my hair tonight than last night, even though my hair was wet and staying in place better, because he was being more precise and careful. I gave him complete control over my hair and just sat there, moving around whenever his hands guided me to tilt my head a certain direction.

After maybe fifteen minutes—twenty, maybe?—he finished it off, pinning a few weaves in place, curling the few wisps he teased out of the weaves and plaits, and giving my hair a generous helping of hairspray while using his other hand to block my eyes and face from getting sprayed.

He helped me to my feet. “Take a look,” he recommended. I jogged over to the mirror in my bathroom and peered at it.

“Wow! It looks even better today!” I exclaimed. “I just wanna touch it! But I know I can’t!” I cast a bright smile over my shoulder at him. “Thank you, Damian!” I rushed back over to him and threw my arms around him. “I love it!” I pulled back. “Okay! I gotta put my makeup on. I’ll see you in a little bit, yeah?”

Damian nodded, a bit astonished at the intensity of my hug, and slowly backed out of my room. “Yes. Of course. I will be here to escort you downstairs precisely at five-fifty-five,” he replied.

“Great. Thanks again! I totally owe you one. ‘Kay see you later!” I shut the door and ran to my phone to text Stephanie. Okay he’s gone! Come help me with this dress!

Are you not doing your makeup first?

I’ll start it while you’re on your way. Can’t wait for you to see this hairstyle. It’s amazing.

I'm excited too! Be right there!

I smiled and unzipped my jacket. In my closet, I unzipped the garment bag and got the beautiful green evening gown out, draping it over my bed. In my bathroom I started my eyeshadow, peering at myself through half-lids in the mirror.

Hot dang Damian did a fantastic hairstyle. He got my hair out of my face, but made it look elegant and beautiful. My hair was always one of my favorite features about myself, and I was grateful that he was able to make it look so nice. Especially since this was my first event in this future and I usually did my own hair the same way every time.

Knock-knock!

I ran to my door and yanked it open.

Stephanie Brown, a.k.a. The Spoiler, stood there with a smile on her face. She used to be about two years younger than me. Now she was six years older. She looked gorgeous as always. Glimmering violet gown that hugged her fit figure, soft blonde hair falling in careful curls. She was a few inches taller than me.

She pushed herself into my room and into my hug. “Look at you, Cloudy!” she squealed. “You look so pretty!” She pulled back enough to look at my hair. “Oh wow. Damian’s got a good eye. That’s got, like, a perfect balance to your profile. Look at me. Look to the side,” she ordered, pinching my chin and turning my head side-to-side. “Yup. You’re gonna be a knockout tonight.” She shut my bedroom door behind her. “Now. Dress.”

“Dress,” I agreed. I picked it up off my bed and showed it off to her. “What do you think?”

“It’s gorgeous. Damian still has no idea why you picked the color you did?”

“Not a clue. Or if he did figure it out, he hasn’t confronted me about it.”

“Huh. Well. Maybe when he sees you in it, he’ll get it.” She took it from my hands and unzipped the back. “Okay. Step lightly,” she warned. I nodded, pulled off my shorts and hoodie, and gently eased into the dress. Steph helped it up over my legs and hips, made sure I got my arms into the short sleeves, and then zipped up the back for me. She turned me around to look me up and down. “I think I'm going to faint,” she teased. “You look so beautiful!” She smiled. “I missed you, y’know.”

“I know, Steph. Thanks.” I smiled.

“You gonna finish your makeup now?” she asked.

“Yeah. How much time have I got?” I wondered, peering around for my alarm clock. Where had I hidden it this time?

Steph looked at her phone. “About twenty minutes,” she said.

“Perfect. Just enough time. I’ll see you down there.”

“See you down there.” She squeezed my arms and squealed. “Tonight’s gonna be great!” With dexterity I would literally never master, she ran out of my room—in her four-inch heels. I was wearing two-inch heels that I could feasibly dance in.

Another head poked in as Steph left. “Hey kid,” Jason greeted. “I'm still legally dead so I'm heading out on patrol. Someone’s gotta. Just wanted to wish you luck.”

“Thanks Jay,” I offered, crossing over to him and giving him a little hug—just a small one though so I wouldn’t wrinkle my dress.

“Wow. You’re drop-dead gorgeous tonight, kiddo,” he said. “Damian’s gonna die when he sees you.”

I snorted. “Steph said something similar.”

“She’s not wrong. I mean, if Damian’s not already in love with you, he will be by the end of the night.”

I smacked Jason in the chest. “Jason! Damian’s not in love with me!” I retorted with a laugh. “We’re just… working on being friends. You know he and I were never particularly close when he was younger—”

“Maybe, Cloudy, but you’ll see.” He gave me a cheeky wink and moved to leave. “Tomorrow I wanna hear all about it.”

“Bye Jason,” I said.

He ducked out of my room with a sarcastic two-fingered salute. “Have fun, Princess of Gotham!”

“I'm not a princess!” I called out after him before shutting my door and going back to my makeup. Not much left now. Some rouge. Some eyeliner—not even winged. Mascara. Lipstick. Maybe a touch of perfume if I felt the need… did I put on deodorant? Shoot. I couldn’t remember.

I yanked open my medicine cabinet and popped the deodorant lid off. Oh well. Even if I already had, what was wrong with more, right? Extra protection or something? I didn’t know. I was hitting panic mode.

I went back to my makeup, going through my pre-gala checklist in my head. My hair was done—Damian did it, which was really throwing me off my groove. My makeup was in progress. My dress was on. I’d put my heels on before Damian came to get me. I didn’t need a bag or my phone because we were literally in the house where I lived. I’d come up and reapply lipstick if I needed to. I shouldn’t need to though… it tended to last for at least four hours as long as I didn’t eat anything.

Okay. Good. Calm down. No panic. Just another party. Not even giving a speech. Not in front of everyone anyway. I’d probably be explaining my fake story about being lost in the time-stream fifteen hundred times to gossips who wanted something to talk about for the next several months, but there was no podium.

I was curling my eyelashes when I heard a knock on the door. “McCloud? Are you finished?” Damian called.

“Uh… not yet!” I shouted. “Gimme a few minutes! You can go ahead and head downstairs if you wanna come back in five minutes!”

“Tt. Don’t be ridiculous, McCloud. I cannot show up to the charity ball without the lady I'm escorting.”

“Seriously, Damian! Just head down! It’s fine. Go schmooze for five minutes till I'm done. I just have to finish my makeup and get my heels—oh crap! I forgot my jewelry!” I shoved the mascara wand in the tube and dropped it on my counter before gathering up my skirt into one hand and running into my bedroom. I rummaged through my jewelry box, looking for the stud emerald earrings I’d planned on wearing—Dick had picked them out, but Damian gave them to me on my twentieth birthday.

There they were. I held them in one hand and searched for my necklace in the other. A heavy gold chain with emeralds on it. Come on. Bruce gave it to me like two days ago…

There it was! I snatched it and the matching bracelet.

I ran back to my bathroom to finish mascara and lipstick before heels and jewelry.

Mascara. Done. Lipstick. Done but a little messy—need to fix that… Okay fixed… Jewelry: cleaned off. Earrings in. Bracelet on. Little struggle with my necklace, but it’s on, I thought frantically. Heels!

I hopped into them and buckled them around my ankles.

Once I was ready, I looked at myself in front of my full-length mirror in my closet.

I looked nice.

Straightening my posture and taking a fortifying breath, I strode over to my door. I hadn’t heard Damian say anything so I assumed he went downstairs without me.

Here we go, I thought. I yanked the door open, ready to face the party.

I nearly walked into a pillar wrapped in a tuxedo standing right there. “Damian!”

^^^^^

Damian stared, his eyes widening and mouth dropping open.

He closed and opened his mouth like a fish for a moment, too stunned to fathom his racing thoughts into words. “You… you look incredible,” he finally managed to say. Stupid—stupid! You sound like an imbecile, he thought sharply.

She wore the gown he’d designed and she’d colored—it was a vibrant yet relaxed green with simple gold accents. It wasn’t a gown that hugged her entire body tightly. She hated not being able to move. It fit her torso well and hung loose down her legs. He could see the low gold heels poking out from under the hem. Her lips were a dark pink with a purplish tint. She wore the gold-and-emerald necklace Father had suggested, and the earrings Damian once gave her for her birthday. Her eyeliner made the brown of her eyes even darker and more intense. The mascara boldened her eyelashes—they were thick and dark anyway, but now they were long, black, and far more noticeable.

McCloud smiled—a bright expression that could put the entire night sky to shame. It was the same kind of grin she’d given him when she saw her properly-done hairdo in the mirror earlier. The kind that made his heart pound and his breathing falter. “Thank you! You look really nice too!” she replied, looking him up and down. “You really fill out a tux now that you’re older.”

“Thank… thank you,” he said.

How to Sound Like an Idiot 101: Try to Talk to Your Crush When She’s So Gorgeous You’re Speechless, he heard Tim’s laughing voice say in his mind.

Damian got his wits back. He offered her his arm. “Shall we?” he asked.

She looped her arm through his. “Absolutely,” she replied. “I, uh, I'm surprised you waited for me.”

“Of course,” he said. “I could hardly go down into the masses without you.”

She giggled quietly. “Thanks.”

Damian’s heart thudded against his sternum with every step they took toward the ballroom. He could smell her perfume—something floral. Jasmine, maybe. Or was it lavender? It was a familiar scent that he couldn’t place. She’d worn it before, he knew that. A long time ago for him. Not so long for her.

Whatever it was, he had to convince himself not to be intoxicated and entirely enraptured by it.

^^^^^

Damian and I reached the stairs to the foyer. Guests were arriving by the carload and streaming into the ballroom. I squeezed Damian’s arm tighter. “You ready?” I asked.

“As long as you are,” he replied.

We descended down into the charity ball.

#All My Fault #Chapter 12 #All My Fault Chapter 12 #Damian Wayne #Damian Wayne Imagine #Damian Wayne FanFiction #Robin #Robin Imagine #Robin FanFiction #Batman #Batman Imagine #Batman FanFiction #DC #DC Imagine #DC FanFiction #BatFam #BatFam Imagine #BatFam FanFiction

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firebunnylover · 6 years

Text

Hannah Watches LoSH - Chain of Command

Ho boy... has it been a while since I've been doing this. I apologize to everyone for the wait, but a lot of things been going on for me IRL. I recently got approval for student loans so I’m just waiting for that to come in before school, which will be full time this next semester. I'm trying to resume this on a regular basis as means with coping with recent... frustrations.

Also, if you notice inconsistencies with the different gifs regarding fonts, that is because I was busy figuring out how to make sure they stood out. And then I had computer problems right as i was halfway done making all of them. And then I thought I lost them.

BUT WHILE MOST OF THE FILES WERE OKAY, I HAD TO GO AND FIND EACH GODDAMN INDIVIDUAL FONT.

So if it takes me a while to get the next one out, know that there is a good chance it’s because I had a heart attack OR/AND I seem to take my frustrations out on my pillow via screaming...

Chain of Command

We kick off the episode with the Cruiser going highspeed someplace, while the Legion are trying to maintain contact with people, Lightning Lad seeming to be the most concerned.

Wow the same face syndrome here is worse than with Disney.

Lightning Lad asks the people on screen how they're holding up, to which they reply that they need help as the storm they're experiencing is getting worse.

You gotta give this show credit for constantly making Bouncy pilot on board.

Oh. That ain't good.

DON’T GIVE THIS PLANET SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE TREATMENT GARTH!

… Ohhhh...

As soon as the opening finishes playing, we see the Cruiser is still speeding, and Lightning Lad is incredibly anxious about arriving to his home planet. To the point he's constantly asking for updates from the team.

Sooo history class time?

He then goes to describe Winath, stating it's the "breadbasket of the galaxy", as it provides most of the galaxies food supply.

Certainly makes his farm boy insults from the first episode look weak.

But he moves on to discuss that cosmic storms used to be a big problem for Winath until they built "THE CORE DIFFUSOR STATION". A station that turns storm energy to usable energy. But unfortunately, the current storm is way more powerful than the maximum the station can handle, which makes the Legion's first priority to make sure the station doesn’t overload.

Awwww~

However, as soon as they approach the planet, turns out that storm is way worse than anticipated. Saturn Girl manages to get in contact with the people on the planet that are in the shelter.

SO MANY TWINS.

Ah, parents... gonna have to discuss them later.

Saturn Girl you should have caught him in your arms. You're the only one who hasn't!

Seeing as the Cruiser wasn’t built for the storm either, Lightning Lad instructs the Trips and Bouncy to stay on board while everyone else takes the battle pod.

Wait. Battle pod?

Huh.

Don't crash, this isn't the Intergalactic games.

Well, that's what he get for telling another person to do something outside their capabilities.

Unsurprisingly, Lightning Lad crash lands. Typical.

And that's why Lightning Lad is not the pilot on the usual schedule...

Upon entering, the place looks trashed but Lightning Lad says they got there just in time. Mm-hm.

Whom?

Aww he lookin a little heartbroken for a moment~

Bromance.

And then the introduction between Superman and Cosmic Boy. And honestly, Cosmic Boy starts to fanboy a bit.

JEALOUS GARTH!

Lightning Lad demands to know what Cosmic Boy is doing on Winath, and he states they got a distress call...

Wait. Plural?

Turns out he brought someone along. Ferro Lad.

Ok I can't help but laugh a little bit at this.

Cosmic Boy encourages Ferro Lad to demonstrate his powers, which is turning into Metal. And then Lightning Lad interrupts. He tries to give orders, but Cosmic Boy quickly overrides him, having Superman Lighting Lad and Colossal Boy and Ferro Lad stabilize the building while he and Saturn Girl and B5 go to the core.

Aww.

He snaps out of his emo mode pretty quickly though and goes to work.

The core meanwhile is well beyond f***ed, making Cosmic Boy project a magnetic field over the central part, but doesn't seem like it will last.

Outside, Lightning Lad is whining to Superman about Cosmic Boy about bringing in a new member with no audition, only for Superman to say it seems like a good choice.

Wow, it's like this show loves making Superman compatible with just about everyone.

Unfortunately, the generator they were trying to put back together outside overloads.

Ouch.

He isn't able to contain the core, and Brainy is unable to work on it, and the radiation happens to be building, getting ready to blow. When trying to reaching Superman, due to communication problems caused by radiation from the core. But who needs communicators when you got Saturn Girl?

She quickly instructs Superman to get the core out ASAP, and he does. But when it blows, he passes out, making it impossible for her to reach him.

As Superman is falling back to Winath, Bouncy goes to save him.

What a pure relationship.

Unfortunately, they lose sight of him in what I assume is smoke. THankfully he lands on the ship.

Bouncy then has to maneuver the ship to prevent debris hitting them, which does make superman tumble, but Triplicate Girl catches him from the hatch door.

But the debris decides that the cruiser isn't enough to pick on, and targets the guys that are still on the ground, while throwing in cyclones into the mix. So ground team goes to meet up with inside team.

As there is no core to help pacify the weather, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad get into an argument on getting the system back online vs saving whatever they can.

When Lightning Lad asks who's going, much to his surprise, Ferro Lad and Colossal Boy volunteer. Brainy stays, being the nerd he is.

And there's the jerk persona again.

While outside and fixing a bridge, Ferro Lad confronts Lightning Lad.

Okay. That would include the entire BatFam on Lighting Lad's suspicious people list.

… WELL NOW I DO.

Back on the cruiser:

TRIPLICATE GIRL IS THE TEAM MEDIC!

Bouncy notices a pattern to the storm, but gets ignored by the ground team. And then despite protests, Superman leaves as well.

I feel u.

Meanwhile, Brainy is building a replacement for the old core. When Saturn Girl asks what she can do, Cosmic Boy tells her to step back so she doesn’t get hurt.

The outdoor squad is still struggling with the damn but Lighting Lad flies off when he sees a farm getting wasted by the debris, despite Colossal Boy's statement on not being able to save everything.

He tries to blast away the hail that's falling, but can only split the largest piece in half, which still does a lot of damage. Superman does arrive to help knock the hail stones away, but the ground starts to fall out from underneath.

DUDE THE HOUSE IS FALLING APART WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!

Wait. That room.

Oh.

OH SHIT OW NO STOP MY HEART IS NEVER READY FOR THIS PART

Just as the house is going into the ground, Lightning Lad flies out just in time.

Ow.

After this, we cut to Lightning Lad telling Superman that it was his home.

OW.

Saturn Girl contacts them to inform them that Brainy fixed the power system, and they fly off to go back.

When asked where she’s going, Saturn Girl states she's going to the shelter, to which Cosmic Boy says she's too vulnerable. And thus she lays down the best burn she made yet on this show.

List of things that have happened to her beforehand:

-Carried off by Timber Wolf while he was in full feral mode

-Nearly blasted by Alexis

-Trapped in a fear-feeding abomination of a space station AND GOING THROUGH HER WORST FEAR OF ROLLER COASTERS

-Trapped in the Phantom Zone

She’s dealt with worse.

Ok if even Brainy, one of the least sociable of the group, knows you f***ed up, then you f***ed up big time.

Back on the cruiser, Bouncy predicts where the next massive part of the storm will hit. The damn, where it will rupture, causing mudslide and sinkhole at the shelter.

But the people on the planet won't listen. At first.

YAS BOI

Yeee

With everyone finally getting in line, Bouncy gives instructions.

As the boys are working on this, Saturn Girl arrives to the shelter, offering assurance they will be ok.

Back with the boys, yes I know, that was fast, Lightning Lad starts a fire intentionally, and Superman moves a tornado, directing the flood into what I assume is another river, lake or possibly ocean. It ain't a pond, I know that.

The station finally goes back online, and it seems to be functioning.

WElp, Brainy certainly likes to leave his signature.

So pure~

Back with Saturn Girl as she and the Winathians begin exiting.

Sarcastic SG is what I live for.

Lighting Lad arrives, with the picture he saved from the house. But doesn't go for Saturn GIrl.

Hmm.

We cut to the cruiser leaving Winath, and Cosmic Boy and Lighting Lad soon dissolve into another argument.

Wait, MONTHS?! Yeah, Lightning Lad has a right here to be mad, give an update at least once a week.

Fair enough. If Lightning Lad knew where you were, he probably would have made a massive bad impression.

I thought that was Tinya's role... then again I doubt she enjoys it.

Aww, poor ferro lad.

So, to put this argument into the ground, they hold an election. Probably will end better than the american ones can.

Nothing but respect for my team leader.

THIS SHIP IS CANNON!

Is Mekt in jail? Or do you consider him more of a nuisance on the level of STAR FINGAH?

But yeah I guess nothing can go wrong.

… SHIT.

So final thoughts on the episode overall and the characters

This was the first episode without a villain character. The main conflict is among the team and trying to keep the planet from being shredded. It's also the only episode with no villain character. I really wish we got more episodes like this, or even on the Legion's everyday mundane lives.

As for the storm plot point, it does remind me a lot of actual natural disasters and nuclear disasters. Which I think from a writing stance is a good thing.

Now. Winath. In all honestly, I kind of want to do a whole post on Winath culture and on the Ranzz family and my personal thoughts, but I'll put some tidbits of that discussion in here.

Big source for food in the galaxy. How big is that planet? Earth size? Moon size? Seems suspicious they only showed us one shelter and that there's only one station, so I'll have to go with moon, maybe smaller. So that should mean that year-round it is the optimal place for most crops. Minus cosmic storms.

But onto the whole subject of why there are so many twins.

In the comics, it was completely normal for twin births, while solo children are the minority. We aren't given any particular reason why though. We did see some people without twins in the shelter, but that doesn’t mean they weren't born single.

Another thing from the comics I want to mention is that Solo children were stereotyped as psychopaths.

Hmm. Wonder how that could possibly negatively impact kids who were solo on Winath. I said sarcastically, looking at a certain trash baby.

When I first watched this, this was when I started doing research into the old Legion comics. Where Mekt was about as sane as a cat on catnip. And had no sense of fashion.

Yes, of course I'm bringing the Trash Lord into discussion, he was in a photo! Don't worry, I'll keep the topic on him short.

Mm. He doesn't seem very happy. Pretty distant from everyone else. Gonna have to go with the possibility that solo children don't get the best treatment on Winath.

… Wonder how he felt hearing about the whole event for this episode?

And then there is the subject of Mr. and Mrs. Ranzz. How did they treat their sons exactly? Because clearly they love Garth and he did a lot of accomplishments, but Mekt came out as a mess.

In a post from Tom Bierbaum, who worked on the comics, located here, he describes the family as ”...Bit of a mixed bag. There was a lot of good there, but the parents were probably highly accomplished, career-driven people who expected nothing less of their kids but were so wrapped up in their own responsibilities that they weren't giving their kids the kind of attention and support they'd need to reach their positive potentials.”

One thing to keep in mind is that the family were a bunch of farmers. And farming is not easy. So it is possible that being too busy was one of the reasons that the kids ended up as they did, although unintentionally.

But I just gotta mention something based on personal experience.

So most of my Dad’s side of the family live in North Carolina and were in the countryside and worked with farms.

And most of them conservatives.

Like, racist homophobic conservatives.

You can imagine how uncomfortable I, a biracial pansexual Latina girl, can get around them.

So, based on a personal experience, I am suspicious if there was some neglect towards Mekt as he was a minority that was discriminated against, and favoritism towards Garth and Ayla for being twins.

But it’s hard to say given that we barely see them or their behaviors.

Moving on.

Now the actual characters in the episode.

Starting with Superman. His fanbase grows. Not much development but we also see he's a little impulsive here, judging by how fast he went to get back out of the cruiser.

Brainy doesn't get much development either. But he definitely seems far more open to people now, given he was smiling at Cosmic Boy. Smiling. Our little grouchy pants. SMILING. The writers are keeping consistent with how he has been becoming more and more open to people emotionally, as well as expressive.

And then we have Colossal Boy. This is his second speaking role episode. He seems rather close to Cosmic Boy. Not exclusive to pet names. Which does warrant... shipping grounds. As far as character development goes, it is interesting to note that even though he's close to Cosmic Boy, he volunteers to help Lightning Lad outside the core. So, he might be more pro-active than CB1. But he also says Brainy has a big head. This could be seen as a jab at B5 because of his intelligence, but Brainy also asked if he could get any smaller than what he currently was. Perhaps being asked go get smaller is something he has to deal with frequently, and that was one of his ways of throwing it back into another person's face.

Ferro Lad... so, he seems generally nice in this episode, a bit on the social awkward side, and prefers to stay out of arguments that don’t necessarily involve him. But he keeps his face covered to hide whatever is underneath it, saying people don't want to see what's underneath. We can easily figure this means that he has been disfigured somehow, but whether or not he himself is conscious on it as well is another matter.

Which reminds me of Deadpool, who is self-conscious in his movie and that serves as the motivation to find Axe – oh I'm sorry, FRANCIS.

But let's talk some trivia about his comic book origins. Originally, Jim Shooter, a white guy, who worked on LoSH comics, wanted to make him black. However, as writing the character took place during the 60s, DC shot down the idea, saying they would lose distribution in the South. Whitewashing him in the final product.

So, good on Jim for trying with good intentions, bad on DC for tearing it down.

As for where that goes as a consequence overall in most media for LoSH, we'll discuss it in the future.

But... that now begs the question... have other adaptations tackled this race-change? In the cartoon, we can see the skin around his eyes as well as his hands, which are light. So, it’s probably unlikely.

Given Jim Shooter's original idea, I would totally be down for seeing a POC version of Ferro Lad.

But I only found out Ferro Lad's backstory thanks to a friend in the last year, so it's might not well known, and the people working on the show might not have known at the time. And I've stated this before, and I'll say it again, the show originally had Triplicate Girl with darker skin, and given that they made her lighter in the final product was executive meddling, so who knows?

Speaking of Triplicate Girl, this episode once again gives us a lot of character development with her. She seems to be the medic of the group, or at least seems to have sufficient knowledge to give medical treatment. And that's a pretty interesting idea in the show. I personally would love to see more superheroes with more real-world skills. Most of the time.

(Glares at Marvel's Doctor Strange)

But she is shown around Bouncy for the majority of the show. But she has her own individuality, as she has more confidence than him, and reassures him that there was no mistake with the votes.

And now, our lovable Bouncy. This is episode gives him A LOT of development, as we watch him assess the situation and take control, making the best decisions on how to treat the situation. And accidentally becomes the new leader during the polls. Something he also has a hard time believing.

Okay, so he had to try multiple times to get into the Legion, and even when he’s in, he finds people questioning his abilities. So now, all of the sudden, he has been elevated to LEADER. That’s a definitely a big shift.

This does look like a good thing (especially since most of the legion think their worst enemies are behind bars based on what Lightning Lad said), and back when I first watched this show, I thought it was the best outcome. But now I can’t help but wonder, what are the qualifications?

Because as much as Bouncing Boy is a good person and does have skills and can assess a situation, we do have to acknowledge that if he doesn't meet the qualifications, he really shouldn't be in the position. Good intentions don't automatically mean good results in the long run. I think the next episode looks into this a bit more but keep it in mind.

I never thought I would criticize the show on that aspect when I was younger, but given the 2016 election results and where that has led, can you blame me for being concerned with this now?

Which reminds me – PLEASE GO VOTE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE THIS NOVEMBER!

And now, the founders.

So this is Cosmic Boy's first major off screen appearance. And the show quickly show he's Lightning Lad's foil. He does take his duties seriously but does leave the team for a time to try establishing themselves to others, without contacting anyone. Diplomacy seems like a more reasonable reason than just because you're going through the ego-emo phase, but still.

Does seem to like Saturn Girl, but unlike Lightning Lad, seems to be more overprotective, where he won't have her do anything. Something similar to Timber Wolf in the degree of unintentional misogyny. Something she calls him out on. And like Lightning Lad, doesn't back down from a challenge. But there doesn't seem to be any malice/anger on his part, unlike Lightning Lad.

Saturn Girl also gets developed as well. But it is in terms of her relationship between the two boys, in a love-triangle sort of way unfortunately. She reassures Lightning Lad that she would be with him regardless of what happens, but as soon as Cosmic Boy shows up, she goes to him. And when Lightning Lad is getting ready to go outside, she chooses to stay to serve as communication. But she makes her own decision on going to the shelter. And later, she lets Lightning Lad go to his parents without intervening or apologizing. She practices agency in these relationships, and makes it clear no one owns her and she is capable of doing things, which I really like to see.

And now our favorite Trash Child.

Lightning Lad is confronted with a threat to his home, so he takes this mission far more seriously than most other missions we have seen so far. He is going out of his way for all efforts to protect Winath. And it is understandable why. As for his jerk-and-pride personality issues, he seems to be in better control, except he seems to have focused most of it on Cosmic Boy. However, it does pop up in the tone of his voice when Saturn Girl stays behind. And has trouble trusting new people. But he seems fast to warm up to Ferro Lad.

But he doesn’t demand any apologies from Saturn Girl for siding with Cosmic Boy, showing he truly respects her.

When Bouncy becomes the new elected leader, he doesn't hold anything against him. Instead, he is supportive. We wouldn't have gotten that with our Lightning Lad in the first episode.

And can I just say the quiet moments in this episode really delivered? Both the moment when he goes to his room and when he goes to his parents show his vulnerable side.

But before I wrap up this episode, I just want to thank everyone who has put up with me taking so long to resume these reviews.

Hopefully the next one won’t take as long to get out, but... we’ll see.

#hannah watches losh #losh #legion of superheroes #legion of super heroes

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sassycassie-s-writing · 6 years

Text

Dating Drama - Part 4: The Aftermath and Conclusion

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam, SuperFam - Jason Todd/Red Hood, Conner Kent/Superboy

Rating: PG

Original Idea: Part 3 was too much of a cliffhanger so a Part 4 had to be written.

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) And thus concludes the Dating Drama Saga! And just like any good book saga, this one is literally twice as long as parts 1 and 2 and, like, one-and-a-half times as long as part 3. @welovegroot @batboys-and-other-messes, couldn’t have done this without you two! So thank you! This is a little late because I needed a little help going over it and making sure the pacing and content felt right.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

^^^^^

I drove all night—or maybe I didn’t. I don’t even know. I was subconsciously making my way toward Metropolis—following the familiar route I’d taken dozens of times. Gotham and Metropolis weren’t terribly far apart—maybe an hour or two?—but I was so distracted that I didn’t notice that time even existed or how long I’d been in my car.

I came to a stop in Metropolis outside a familiar building. One I’d seen and been in hundreds of times.

I got out of my car, grabbed my backpack, and locked it behind me.

“Hello young lady. Been a while since I’ve seen you here,” the doorman said.

I smiled politely. “Yeah. Nice to see you again, Mr. Kane,” I replied.

He seemed to notice the smile was a little forced and my eyes were probably still bloodshot. “You alright, miss?”

I shrugged. “You know, I don’t know. Is Conner Kent home? Do you know?”

“I… am unsure. I don’t believe so. Mr. Kent left earlier but I don’t recall if he’s returned yet.”

“Well, may I go check?”

“Of course.” Mr. Kane pulled the door open for me.

“Thank you,” I said, still grinning, as I ducked into the apartment building.

“Miss!” Mr. Kane called after me. I turned, eyebrows up. “He hasn’t been the same since the last time I saw you here, you know. He’s not as… bright. Less cheerful. Not like the days when you two would run in here large as life, hand-in-hand, and smiling like you were the only two people in the world.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Right,” I settled on, glancing down and walking backward toward the stairs.

“Whatever your purpose, young lady, I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kane,” I said. I turned as he closed the door again and ran up the stairs.

Before I knew it, I was out of breath from the climb and standing in front of a door with a familiar number and chipped paint. I licked my lips—my whole mouth was dry. Closing my eyes with a sigh, I lifted my hand and knocked. “Hey Conner,” I said at a normal volume, knowing he could hear me if he was home.

There was a heartbeat of silence.

The door opened. “Hey Stars,” Conner greeted, looking somewhat surprised. There was a towel around his neck over his Superboy T-shirt and water glistening in his hair.

“Hi,” I replied. “Sorry to drop in like this. I… I didn’t know what else to do.”

He opened the door wider. “Come on in,” he said, a concerned expression on his face. I stepped over the threshold into an apartment where I spent dozens of nights over three-and-a-half years watching movies. “Have a seat,” Conner invited, gesturing to his sofa. He pulled his towel up over his head and shook it vigorously to dry off his hair before throwing it into the bathroom. His hair stuck out at odd angles, fluffy and significantly drier than it had been moments before. “Can I get you anything?” he called from where he was walking to his kitchen.

“Just water would be great. Thanks,” I replied.

He filled up a glass, brought it over to me, and passed it to me. I accepted it as he sat down on the other end of the sofa, perched on the edge as if ready to jump up at ay moment.

“What’s up?”

“Jason and I got in a fight earlier.”

He licked his lower lip and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I, uh, I know. I heard it.”

I snorted with bitter humor. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I heard him say my name in the back of my ears. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to hurt you.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “So you heard what happened,” I stated.

“… Yeah.” Hesitantly, he patted my knee, almost as though he was wary to even touch me.

I nodded. “And what did you think?”

“Huh?”

“What did you think? Did we sound ridiculous and out-of-line?”

“Not really. You both made points and you both said things that seemed like you were trying to hurt the other. Even if you weren’t, that was how it sounded. Both of you crossed lines and neither of you were entirely fair. But emotions were running high and I know how anger feels more intimately than almost anyone and fairness isn’t always a player when emotions are high,” he said thoughtfully.

“Okay,” I said.

“How’s the infection?”

“Mostly gone. I feel healthy… physically. Alfred gave me some more antibiotics and I think I’ll be back at one-hundred-percent in a couple days. I’ve had a lot worse.”

“So how are you feeling?”

I shrugged. “Fine. A little achy and weak maybe, but that’ll go away soon.”

“Not exactly what I meant.”

“Oh. Then what did you mean?”

“Now that the fight’s over and you’ve had time to think about it. How are you feeling?”

I thought for a moment, trying to fathom my thoughts into words. “Lost. Confused. Still a little frustrated but the anger burned off a while ago. A little dumbfounded. Like, I didn’t think breaking up with your soulmate was even allowed.”

Conner snorted. “Well, Jason never was one for playing by the rules, was he?” he joked.

“Mmm. Fair point,” I said. I took a sip of water.

“Stars, listen, I know you still care for him. You don’t just leave your soulmate with… no emotional consequences. But part of me can’t help but hope you still care for me too. And even if that interest isn’t romantic, I want you to know I'm here for you, no matter what. Okay?”

I glanced up and met Conner’s eyes. They were a darker blue than Jason’s—more ocean-colored than Jason’s ice. I sighed. “I do still care for you, Kon. But I'm going to… I don’t know. Need time to… sort myself out, as Jason put it. And… I don’t know if I'm ready to just go running back to you. I mean, maybe I’ll just move to Bludhaven for a while and get away from everything. I don’t want to move back to Metropolis but I don’t really want to stay in Gotham either.”

“I understand. For now, can we still be friends?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean, can we still be friendly? No dancing around each other like we’re both bombs waiting to explode. You have a much more playful and cheery personality than anyone else I think I’ve ever met—except maybe Nightwing. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be happy around me when something good is happening, like maybe we watch The Incredibles with Tim some night in the future, because you’re still conflicted about what happened with Jason.”

I took a deep breath, staring into the depths of my glass of water and thinking. “Yeah we can be friendly,” I decided.

“Thank you. Because I miss your smile.”

That made me smile. He was still kind.

He patted my knee. “There it is,” he said. “That smile could light up a city. It’s full of stars.”

I chuckled. “Thanks. I feel a little better now.”

Conner got to his feet. “You should get some rest. It’s too dark to drive anywhere and I think you could use some sleep.” He paused. “Feel free to take the bed. I’ll be out all night.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have a Metropolis to look after.”

Oh right. Duh. I rubbed at a scab on my knuckle that hadn’t healed from the last time I went out and fought bad guys. “Thank you, Kon. You’re being really nice to me.”

He shrugged. “Just doing what any… friend would do,” he said with a grin. He rested a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be back in the morning. Get some rest.”

“Thank you,” I said.

He grinned, went to the window, and flew out. I sighed and shut it behind him. I’d done that more than once—a time two years ago when I got sick and couldn’t go out and fight with him sprang to mind.

I went to one of his cupboards and pulled out a few blankets. I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d sleep, but at least I could close my eyes, still feeling a little burnt from the salt of my tears. I snuggled down on his sofa and heaved a huge cleansing breath. A wave of tired washed over me. I closed my eyes, already drifting in and out of consciousness.

^^^^^

Starbeam was curled up against Conner’s chest, his arm thrown over her shoulders. They’d been watching a movie but switched over to the news on a text from Tim.

“—other news the superhero duo commonly nicknamed SuperStar by internet bloggers comprising of Metropolis’ own Superboy and Starbeam of Gotham took out the Green Rink Gang last night. The pair have been in some form of a business partnership for the last three years and have helped the city’s crime rate drop fifteen percent in that time with some degree of permanency. They left the Green Rink Gang tied up at the crime scene…”

“We did good,” Conner said, stroking her hair. Starbeam grunted tiredly in agreement. “It’s funny that they haven’t figured out that we’re in more of a romantic partnership than a business one. I mean, we don’t do much to hide it.”

“That is funny. You know what else is funny? I thought you were going to say ‘domestic partnership’ for a second there and I was like, ‘Isn’t that like a legal term for marriage?’” Starbeam joked.

Conner shrugged. “Maybe one day our romantic partnership will be a domestic one.”

“Mm. I'm not ready for that,” Starbeam said.

Conner’s eyes flicked to the cupboard where he kept his movie collection. It was too high for Starbeam to reach without getting on a kitchen stool, so he’d hidden the black velvet box containing a ring there where she wouldn’t find it. He’d had it for nearly a year but never felt ready enough or brave enough to ask the question. It could wait a little longer.

He looked back at the TV. Starbeam hadn’t even noticed he’d looked away from it.

^^^^^

Conner shook his head to clear it, twisting his body to bank around a skyscraper. Last he checked, that ring was still there and she still wasn’t ready.

That’s okay, he thought. Give it time to see what develops. Maybe things will change. And if they don’t, respect her decisions.

^^^^^

I woke up to clanging noises nearby, on a surface that was soft but decidedly not my own bed. My vigilante instincts kicked into overdrive. I’d been kidnapped and they were breaking out the torture equipment! Escape!

I tried to leap up into a fighting stance, but got tangled up in two or three different blankets. “Whoa!” I shouted, tilting dangerously and falling to crash on a coffee table I caught sight of.

“Op! Look out!” a familiar voice exclaimed. There was a whoosh and familiar arms were steadying me. Conner’s eyes searched my face—for signs of what, I wasn’t sure. “You okay? You hurt anything?”

“No. I'm good. Thanks,” I replied. “Sorry. I just… it was unfamiliar surroundings to wake up to and my mind… overreacted.”

He shrugged. “You’re a Gotham vigilante. You reacted according to appropriate threat levels in your situation,” he commented casually, helping me untangle from the blankets. “I was going to move you to my bed when I got in and saw you on the couch since it’s more comfortable, but I didn’t want to wake you up. Sorry. You looked so peaceful and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Right. So… Breakfast?”

“Love some. What can I help with?”

“Nothing. You can relax and let me finish making pancakes in peace,” Conner said, patting my shoulder before going back to the kitchen. “How’d you sleep?”

I pushed my messy hair out of my face. “Okay. How about you? How was Metropolis?”

“Eh. The usual. We’re not as bad as Gotham so I’ll never complain much,” he said, casting a playful grin over his shoulder.

His phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket. “Hey Tim, what’s going on?”

Tim was in enough of a panic to be yelling, because I could hear him. “Dude! Starbeam is missing! She and Jason got in a fight yesterday and she just drove off and none of us even saw her leave and her phone’s GPS has been deactivated—” Did I deactivate my GPS? I didn’t remember. “—and she’s not answering her phone and her suit is still here in the cave so her homing device isn’t with her and we have no idea where she is and—”

“Tim!” Conner exclaimed to get his best friend to pipe down. “Calm down. She’s right here with me.”

“Hi Tim!” I called, hoping he could hear me from across the apartment. Conner passed me his phone and went back to stirring the pancake batter. “Hi Tim,” I repeated quieter.

“Starbeam! What the &*$% you can’t just disappear like that!” Tim shouted. “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been?”

“I'm surprised anyone’s noticed me enough to be worried about me in Gotham, to be honest,” I admitted. “Jason’s still mad at me, probably, and the rest of you tend to be too focused on your own cases and projects to really pay attention to my comings and goings.”

“Fair point but it’s not like the entire house just listened to you fight and then didn’t care to check up on you. Dick went to your room with some cookies and ice cream and you were just gone and your backpack and some clothes were missing and your car wasn’t on the drive. We searched the entirety of Gotham for you all night! Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going?”

“I needed some time alone, Timmy. And I didn’t need an entourage of bats following me.”

Tim was quiet for a second. “Okay,” he said. “Are you okay, though, Starbeam?”

“Yeah I'm fine. Conner’s taking real good care of me. Promise. He’s making pancakes right now.” I didn’t ask the questions I wanted to—how was Jason? Did he look for me?—because it felt petty.

“Okay. I'm… glad,” Tim said.

“Tim,” I said. “I know this last little while has been hard on you. With… me and your brother and your best friend and stuff. And I am sorry. Really. Hopefully one day everything will get sorted out and you won’t have to be so caught up in the middle of the drama.”

“Thanks Starbeam. That… means a lot. I, uh, I'm gonna go tell Bruce that I found where you are.”

“Okay. See you later, Tim.”

“Bye Starbeam.”

I hung up the call and set Conner’s phone off to the side. He glanced over at me.

“So, good to see you seem to be feeling somewhat better,” he said.

I sighed quietly. “Yeah I guess,” I said. “I mean, I'm not gonna feel, like, really good till like next week but my brain and heart aren’t as much of a hurricane as they were last night.”

“That’s something, at least,” Conner commented, making a pancake in a frying pan.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Yeah it’s something.”

We had breakfast and then cleaned up, talking about superficial stuff like Metropolis’ weather compared to Gotham’s and whatever weird stuff we’d seen on the news lately. Once everything was put away, we stood in the kitchen. I felt better, but still not great. I perched on the arm of his sofa.

“Thank you, Kon. You’re being really kind to me,” I said. “This must not be easy on you either.”

He shrugged. “It’s not the easiest thing I’ve ever done—emotions aren’t my strong point—but I’m trying and I still care about you and your emotional well-being so I'm doing what I can,” he said. “I mean, am I dying a little inside knowing that someone I care about is hurting? Yeah. But sometimes we have to put aside our own feelings to be someone else’s anchor.”

I rocked back and forth on my heels. “Can I… can I hug you?” I asked tentatively. “If this was happening with my parents closer to me… I’d ask them for a hug.”

“Of course.”

It was a very awkward, distant hug—so unlike any I’d ever shared with him even when Jason and I were together the first time and Kon and I were just good friends. Despite what he said about us being friendly rather than dancing around each other like we were bombs, that was exactly what we were doing. Just dipping our toes into the water rather than diving into the deep end.

Despite the awkward distance though, I felt comforted. Safe. Being so small and wrapped in someone else’s arms always gave me a sense of security.

He patted the back of my head. “It’s going to be okay, Stars. I promise,” he vowed. “Everything will work out alright in the end.”

I nodded. “Thanks Conner. I hope so,” I agreed before pulling out of the hug.

His deep blue eyes searched my face. “It will. You’re strong and you’re smart.” He sighed. “Well. You’re welcome to stay here for a couple days till you figure out what you want, you know that right?”

“Thank you, Conner. But I… I can’t. Not yet. I just need to be by myself until I work out my heart.”

Conner looked hurt but tried not to. “Tha-That’s okay,” he said. “I’ll always be here for you.”

I stepped closer to him and set my hands on his elbows. “Thank you,” I said sincerely. “For everything.” I tilted up onto my tiptoes, hesitated, and placed a soft, halting kiss of gratitude on his cheek. Once I was back on solid ground, I turned on my heel, grabbed my backpack, and went to the door. I reached for the handle and turned around. “I’ll… I’ll let you know when I sort everything out.”

“Okay.” He quirked a small crooked smile.

“Goodbye, Conner.” I turned back to the door.

“Hang on!” he called before I could leave. I turned. There was a whoosh and he was in front of me. He gave me another hug. As he pulled away, he pressed his lips to the top of my head. “For luck,” he explained. “So you can figure everything out.”

I backed out the door. “Thank you, Conner. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you soon.” I shut it behind me.

^^^^^

One Month Later…

Knock-knock! “Hey Kon,” I said.

The door opened once again. “Hey there,” he replied with a little smile. “How’s Bludhaven been?”

“Oh. You know. It’s been Bludhaven. Doesn’t change.” I shrugged. “Dick comes over every couple nights to share stories and gossip about rogue’s love lives. Big brother Dick stuff.” Conner nodded understandingly. Everyone in our life who’d met Dick Grayson knew his caring, big brotherly nature.

“Seen Jason?”

“Nope. Last I heard, he and the Outlaws were somewhere in Colorado.”

“You okay with that?” Kon asked, opening the door wider to let me in. I stepped over the threshold and gave him a friendly side-arm hug.

“Yeah. He can do whatever he wants with his life. I figured out what I want with mine.”

“And what’s that?” Conner asked.

I hesitated, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. “If… if you’re willing, I’d like to try us again,” I admitted. “I still love you, Conner Kent. And I miss you.”

His face lit up. He pulled me into a delicate hug that grew stronger when he figured out how much strength wouldn’t crush me. “I would like that more than anything, Stars. I still love you too and I am completely willing to try.”

I grinned slightly. “May… may I?” I asked, eyes flicking down to Conner’s lips. He bit his lower one for a moment as a grin tilted up the corners.

“You may,” he replied, bending down.

It was soft and careful—nothing forceful. Neither of us grabbing onto the other and yanking for all we were worth. No. This was cautious. Hesitant. We were testing the waters and making sure this was what we both wanted.

Our last mission together—the one that caused my world to flip upside-down—shot through my head.

^^^^^

It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out mission. Run in, grab the package, and get out. Simple. No alarms triggered meant we could be in and out in ten minutes, tops. We’d spent the evening before casing the compound from the outside and slept not too far away from it, but far enough that their security wouldn’t find us.

But of course something had to go wrong and we breached an alarm when extracting the package from its containment. I wasn’t even sure what the package was. Batman just said it was a dangerous bioweapon and needed to be destroyed.

Conner grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the facility. He was a lot faster than I was so I stumbled along behind, trying to secure the package in my utility belt with one hand.

I lost count of how many guards we knocked out after five and how many bullets we dodged after three. Conner nearly yanked my arm out of its socket at least twice pulling me out of the paths of stray bullets.

We cleared the compound and security guards opened fire even more than they had inside. Conner snatched me around the waist and took off into the sky. I shrieked in surprise as we shot out of range. Conner looked down at me, concern all over his face. “Package secure?” he asked. I put one hand over my belt. I could feel the vial that had the bioweapon in it.

“Yup!” I called over the wind.

We touched down several miles away from the compound where my ride—a miniature version of the Batwing—was waiting for me. My heart was still pounding from the fight and the moment I could have sworn I saw a bullet in slow-motion as it whizzed right past my eyes. Once my feet were back on solid ground, I sighed in relief that we were out of the situation, my lips quirking up into a small smile.

“Whoo! We made it!” I exclaimed. I whirled and grabbed Conner’s shoulders as though to give him a celebratory kiss—the way I would have done back when we were together.

I froze.

“Nope. Never mind,” I said, mortified. “Force of habit. Sorry. Forget it ever happened.”

“Forget what?” Kon asked, agreeing.

“Exactly.” I got in the Baby Batwing and jetted off before I could make a bigger idiot of myself.

^^^^^

No more of that. Kon was here, with me, now. And there wasn’t a Red-Hood-sized elephant in the room.

When we pulled away, Conner searched my face. “Okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Think we can do this again?”

“I think we can try.” I felt a grin pull on my face. There was a sense of rightness, wholeness, to the atmosphere of Conner’s living room, emotions thrumming between us. I had a feeling Conner and I would be just fine.

#Dating Drama #Part 4 #The Aftermath and Conclusion #Dating Drama Part 4 The Aftermath and Conclusion #Jason Todd #Jason Todd Imagine #Jason Todd FanFiction #Red Hood #Red Hood Imagine #Red Hood FanFiction #Conner Kent #Conner Kent Imagine #Conner Kent FanFiction #Superboy #Superboy Imagine #Superboy FanFiction

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camsthisky · 7 years

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Masterlist of Cam’s DC fics

aka the only fics of mine that really matter to me rn

One Shots

Here lies Jason Todd Words: 607 Summary: From a prompt meme on tumblr #17: "Oh, just digging myself a nice grave, you?” with Dick and Jason.

Irrational Words: 1,035 Summary: Tim’s too curious for his own good, because he’s behind Dick now, reading the text over Dick’s shoulder while he sips his coffee. Dick watches as Tim’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Wow,” Tim says when he finishes. “That sounds like loads of fun. Good luck.” Dick groans. “This is the worst.”

Tim gives him an incredulous look. “Right. Because getting asked to babysit as a last resort is definitely worse than everything we’ve been through in the past year.”

the unshakable mountains we blew to pieces Words: 3,284 Summary: "What had happened tonight had shaken them all to the core. It was a blow straight to the heart. It worked so well. They hadn’t seen it coming. Even Dick hadn’t seen it coming, and Tim knew from experience that Dick prepared for the worst."Missing scenes from S2 ep 9: Darkest

I’m Here for a Pick Up Words: 2,948 Summary: Tim has the unfortunate task of picking Dick Grayson up from the police station while Damian tags along when Bruce is out of town. It doesn't turn out exactly as he thought it would, and honestly, he might just be okay with that.

Not My Fault You Didn’t Check the Calendar Words: 896 Summary: It's Mandatory Family Day and Dick just wants everyone to pick something to do. It'd be nice if Jason didn't try to run away, too. Day 1 of batfam week

Jason-Level Ridiculous Words: 694 Summary: 27. “The washing machine broke, I almost lost my keys, the car got dented, and a wasp got into the house and hijacked the bedroom for four day! Four. Days.” With Jason and Tim

Good Siblings are Hard to Come by Words: 1,146 Summary: In which Cass and Damian are good siblings, even when they're wasting valuable time that could be spent saving Bruce's life. Day 3 of batfam week

I Want Us to be Batman and Robin Forever Words: 1,511 Summary: While cleaning the attic, Bruce finds a letter written by a ten-year-old Dick, and Dick ends up thinking about the consequences of becoming Robin all those years ago. Day 5 of batfam week

Bad Nights Words: 3,169 Summary: When a rough night gets to be too much, and he doesn't want to go home, Dick decides to crash at the nearest safe house in order to treat his injuries and get his head on straight. Of course it's just his luck that there's already a little brother there. And it looks like his bad night is about to get worse. Day 4 of batfam week

There is No One Stronger Words: 825 Summary: 58. “I’ve been in love with you my entire life. Ever since the day I first met you.” Dick and Babs!! Takes place the morning after Bad Nights.

Dare to Jump Words: 1,990 Summary: "Tim and Dick had gotten caught unawares (drugged) in that alleyway three hours ago, and it was only about two in the morning now. As they were brought in from a few underground tunnels, Bruce wouldn’t be looking for them anytime soon, and since Oracle wasn’t on comms tonight, he probably wouldn’t know they were gone until someone else reported them missing. Just make it to the roof, Dick thought to himself. Make it to the roof and Bruce would know that they were there." or "Do you think I can make that jump?" with Dick and Tim

Aliens Words: 502 Summary: From a prompt on tumblr. "Do you think somewhere out there, there are aliens?" with Tim and Conner

Splash of Pink Words: 674 Summary: Dick wakes up to chaos, which is normal. What isn't normal is that Damian is sleeping in his bed and his other siblings are Up To Something.

Break Me Down and Build Me Up Words: 7,104 Summary: What if Robin: Year One took place in the Young Justice world? A story how Robin and Kid Flash first meet.

A Couple of Bullets Won’t Get Me Down Words: 1,414 Summary: While answering Tim's distress call, Dick gets hurt, and Damian freaks out a little.

(But You Just Might) Words: 826 Summary: Damian's POV of A Couple of Bullets Won't Get Me Down

Step Out of the Dark Words: 1,020 Summary: “Sometimes I talk to him, and it’s like I’m talking to a wall,” Dick admits. “I don’t know what happened. I used to be good at understanding him, but now it’s like he’s pushing me away. He barely even looks at me.” In which Dick Grayson isn't Robin anymore and Wally West is a good friend.

To Be Better Words: 1,201 Summary: In which Damian has to choose between Dick and Talia and finds that it really isn't a choice.

Looking for a Laugh Words: 959 Summary: Dick was laughing so hard he was crying. Literal tears were streaming down his face. “I think this is the best day of my life,” he choked.

Tim shook his head and moaned, “Just make it stop.”

“Never,” Steph said. “I want to savor every single second.”

In which Tim was an awkward teenager who made video diaries and the batfamily gets a laugh.

Home to You Words: 922 Summary: “He almost doesn’t make it in time.

Or maybe he doesn’t make it in time. Because when he drops through the skylight and takes out the two thugs standing over his son, Dick doesn’t move. And when Bruce finishes with the men, he’s crashing down on his knees next to Dick, praying, wishing, hoping that everything’s okay. That Dick’s not—

He’s not. He’s not. Dick’s chest is expanding and deflating, if only ever so slightly, and when Bruce checks, there’s a pulse. The odd thing, though, is that Dick’s eyes are wide open, staring sightlessly into the middle-distance, and Bruce realizes that wherever Dick is right now, it isn’t here."

Or: Bruce just wants Dick to come back to him.

Judge and Juror Words: 6,617 Summary: Anonymous asked: I was just wondering if you would like to write a story set during bvs and how Nightwing could be involved there?

Without a Mask Words: 2,376 Summary: In which Dick is kidnapped for the very first time and Bruce swears he’s going to have a heart attack.

Maybe This Time Will Be Different Words: 1,722 (2/2) Summary: Dick has his hands planted against the tiles in front of him, his head hanging low as th water runs over him. The Nightwing suit is unzipped down to his waist, and Dick’s panting for breath, his chest heaving. Bruce is at his side in an instant.

Where’s Grayson? Words: 638 Summary: isi7140 asked “Where’s Grayson?” (after Damian’s resurrection) or Damian comes back to life only to find that Richard Grayson has died.

I’ve Already Come Undone Words: 7,118 Summary: He doesn’t notice it at first. He’s too happy. He’s back. For good, now. Damian’s alive, and talking to him. Jason and Tim are mad at him for a little while, but they both start talking to him soon enough, too. Cass gives him smiles and hugs, and she lets him kiss her cheek occasionally. So, yeah. He’s too caught up in his family to notice what’s happening at first. In which Dick's trauma catches up to him before he's ready.

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep Words: 1,367 Summary: Dick's just had brain surgery and Bruce is alive. It’s everything that Dick had hoped for.

Up High Words: 641 Summary: “Grayson, what are you doing up here?”

Dick shrugs, a sad smile pulling at his lips. He’d stopped asking that when his feet first started to take him up here years ago. “I like the view.”

Damian hesitates, obviously uncertain how to continue. “Father’s looking for you,” Damian says after a quiet minute or two. “He sent me to find you.”

We Were Built to Fall Apart Words: 1,213 (2/2) Summary: Dick is hurt, tired, and ready to let go. Bruce doesn't seem to be ready to let him.

Not Too Late Words: 438 Summary: AU where Bruce actually makes it on time to save Jason

Ice Packs and Big Brothers Words: 1,355 Summary: In which Jason is actually a good big brother, even if he doesn't care for his siblings in the most conventional way.

A War Inside My Head Words: 4,642 Summary: Dick is tired and sick and his family takes care of him.

Survival Words: 548 Summary: Where Bruce and Dick don't physically fight about Dick faking his death, but Bruce still makes Dick go undercover anyways.

There is No Trust Words: 649 Summary: “It's been a long time since Dick's had a reaction to fear toxin like this. Where his hands shake and his breaths come in pants, and he just can't seem to focus. Bruce had administered the antidote on patrol, Dick thinks. At least, he remembers Bruce giving it to him, but he's not sure how much he can trust those memories right now.

The main thing, the thing Dick knows for sure, is that this is fear toxin that's coursing through his veins, and it's making him see things straight from his nightmares.”

Hope Rises Like a Phoenix Words: 1,939 Summary: “Bruce doesn’t say anything when the tears prick at his eyes and he has to bury his face into his father figure’s chest. The day his parents fell. The day that had changed everything. Even so many years later, he can’t figure out why it still hurts so much. And why it’s always really only today that’s the worst?”

Everything and Nothing Words: 922 Summary: Damian has a hard time dealing with Dick's death. Luckily, Tim's there to help him through it.

No Response Words: 1,765 Summary: Dick won't answer the door, so Jason improvises.

It Only Takes Two Fingers if We Lift Together Words: 3,338 Summary: Tim wishes that he'd realized Dick was so stressed out sooner. Maybe he could have helped more.

Displaced Words: 2,051 Summary: “Bruce’s vision wavers, and only once he steadies himself does he look up to find—Dick. But not Dick. Because Dick is eleven years old, and this man is clearly only a few years younger than Bruce himself is. If that. But no. Bruce would know those bright blue eyes anywhere. This is Dick. This is his son.” or Bruce accidentally time travels

Elephants Words: 1,401 Summary: "He remembered coming here with Bruce when he was a kid. He’d ached for the circus, for Zitka, and the zoo elephants had been the closest he could get. It had been nice, something he and Bruce liked doing together, and they’d made it a tradition to go once a month. At least, up until they’d starting majorly fighting. Then he and Bruce had gone their separate ways, and Dick had ached for months."

Grip, Strength, and Focus Words: 661 Summary: Dick is the only one in the way between Bruce living or falling to his death. He's not going to let someone he loves fall. Not again.

How Happy the Home Words: 927 Summary: "When Jason climbs in through the window to his apartment, the one thing he does not expect to see is Dick lying on his couch." or Dick is a mess and Jason helps his brother out.

Man Dies of Cold, Not Darkness Words: 1,411 Summary: "Dick’s been coming home from school to an almost empty manor for four days and they’ve been leaving later and later for patrol because Bruce has been absorbed in some case he won’t let Dick take a look at. Dick’s been eating alone while Alfred watches him with sad eyes, and Dick hates it."

What Have We Become? Words: 879 Summary: "He feels cursed. At moments like this, when he’s at his lowest, when he’s mourning the people that keep falling around him again and again, Dick feels like maybe the world should just leave him alone. Leave him to suffer alone and away from people he can hurt.And who can hurt him."

Of Quiet Birds in Circled Flight Words: 1,093 Summary: Richard Grayson may have just been shot in the back of the head, but Damian refuses to believe that Batman will die. He doesn't care what his father thinks. Richard will make it.

Keep the Lights On Words: 752 Summary: Missing Scene mentioned in Nightwing #29 that was not written. I was disappointed and emotional so I wrote it instead.

Glitter Words: 503 Summary: In which Dick does Barbara's makeup for the school dance

The Sun is Warm (and Bruce is Happy) Words: 328 Summary: In which my followers don't believe I can write fluff and dare me to write at least three sentences

Involve Me and I Learn Words: 1,160 Summary: Damian finds an abandoned litter of kittens and Dick hates that he can't tell Damian yes.

Breathe Disaster Words: 1,561 Summary: Dick's been shot, Wally feels guilty, and Cassandra sheds some insight on why Dick fights.

Never, Forever Words: 898 Summary: Tim finds Damian in front of the Nightwing memorial, crying. He does what he thinks Dick would do: be a brother.

An Old and Faded Wish Words: 507 Summary: “Dick?” Bruce groans, and Tim lifts his head to look at him.

“No,” Tim says, his voice soft. “No, it’s Tim, remember?”

Bruce stares up at him blankly from the cot. “Where’s Dick?”

Tim swallows. This is not what he’d been expecting when Clark had called for someone to pick Bruce up from the watchtower. “He’s not here.”

From Far Across a Yellow Field Words: 2,028 Summary: “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really,” Dick says, and Wally notices that he hasn’t quite met Wally’s gaze this entire time. Not a good sign, all things considering. “I just don’t want to go home tonight.”

“Well,” Wally says, a small grin pulling his own lips up, “how about we grab that ice cream and then we hit that field. You know, the one we camped in that one time?”

“Yeah.” Dick lets out a soft sigh. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

That’s How This Works Words: 1,119 Summary: Damian's made a mistake. A fatal mistake. or Damian's hit by fear toxin, and Cass and Dick are there for him.

Let Us Be Brave Words: 399 Summary: Dick feels the weight of the world on his shoulders with Bruce gone.

Beat the Impossible Words: 771 Summary: Dick and Tim talk after Dick comes home from Spyral.

Fair and Square Words: 1,674 Summary: In which Wally is bored, Artemis is savage, Clark is exasperated, and Dick just wants to kick some ass.

Maximum Fun Words: 954 Summary: Dick teaches Bruce the finer points of leaf jumping.

Let Us Be Brave Words: 399 Summary: Dick feels the weight of the world on his shoulders with Bruce gone.

Beat the Impossible Words: 771 Summary: Dick and Tim talk after Dick comes home from Spyral.

Fair and Square Words: 1,674 Summary: In which Wally is bored, Artemis is savage, Clark is exasperated, and Dick just wants to kick some ass.

Life’s But a Walking Shadow Words: 1,902 Summary: The puzzle pieces aren’t fitting. Dick doesn’t know what’s happening. But one thing that he does know is that he has to get to Bruce. He has to.

Never Completely At Home Again Words: 895 Summary: The shower’s been running for thirty minutes, and the longer it stays on, the more Bruce thinks that maybe something’s wrong.

Shuddering Darkness Words: 7,586 Summary: Jason hadn't meant to let any of this happen. It happened anyways.

Big Brothering the Big Brother Words: 1,899 Summary: In which Jason and Damian both have feelings and Dick is a bigger idiot than Jason thought.

Shoes Far Too Big Words: 547 Summary: Damian has a panic attack and Dick doesn't really know what he's doing.

A Patch Job Words: 459 Summary: Things between Tim and Dick are never going to be the same, Tim thinks.

Visions of Sugarplums Words: 3,751 Summary: See, it happens like this. Everything’s normal for them all—or, well. As normal as a family full of vigilantes can get. But things are running smoothly. He keeps his head up and his ears open, though, because he may be able to move forward, but he isn’t stupid enough to think that he’s not going to hit a bump in the road. He always hits a bump in the road. He just hadn’t expected this.

A Constant State Words: 520 Summary: Tim talks to Dick's grave.

Break Your Fall Words: 1,095 Summary: Dick's drunk and Wally takes care of him.

The Good Life Words: 1,062 Summary: Turns out, Dick has a surprise up his sleeve. A surprise that can get even Tim to let loose and have fun, apparently.

give me a ghost of a smile Words: 2,188 Summary: Dick meets with a photographer for a photo shoot, Tim has a bad feeling, and Bruce is overprotective.

The Pain of Today Words: 1,560 Summary: Dick wants to hit something. Or scream. Or cry. Or a million other things that are impossible in this moment, because he’s barely holding himself together enough to exist right now, even though all he wants to do is to just. Not.

Breakfast in Bed Words: 1,529 Summary: Dick gets woken up very early in the morning, but if it's to help his little brother, then he doesn't think he minds at all.

Too Many Walls and Not Enough Bridges Words: 3,727 Summary: There's something bothering Damian. Dick's determined to help Damian feel comfortable enough to share it.

i want to wake up (i hate this dream) Words: 2,366 Summary: Sometimes, Dick feels like a zombie. Like he’s the walking dead. Like nothing will ever be good again. Sometimes, he takes too much weight onto his shoulders, and he never puts it down. There’s a point where he crumbles to dust underneath all that weight, and there’s nothing for him to do but ride the breakdown and wait until he can bear the weight and start the whole process over again.

lost in the inbetween Words: 2,521 Summary: Dick is mind controlled. Jason tries to his best to snap him out of it.

i’m half asleep (we’re incomplete) Words: 1,141 Summary: Dick can't find his hoodie.

Multi-Chapter Fics (kind of)

Lighting Up a Roomful of Possibilities Words: 16,041 (8/25) Summary: A series of missing scenes in Young Justice between Bruce and Dick.

Life is a Journey (I have not finished this challenge yet, whoops) Words: 6,263 (16/?) Summary: A 30 Day Writing Challenge for the month of July, using only DC characters (mostly batfam). Every day will be a new prompt.

Teach Me to Dream Words: 27,778 (8/?) Summary: Dick’s eleven. Not thirteen and eager to prove himself. Not seventeen and mourning a brother. Not nineteen and wishing his best friend wasn’t dead and Bruce would look him in the eyes. He’s only eleven. So why does he remember all of that?

Let Them In Before They Go Words: 11,932 (34/34) Summary: A collection of prompts from my sleepover saturday on tumblr

Theory of Relativity Words: 2,293 (1/?) Summary: In which Dick Grayson gets de-aged and everybody freaks out

And We Watched You Unravel Words: 740 (1/?) Summary: An alternate POV fic for I've Already Come Undone

Determined Ghosts Words: 7,388 (3/?) Summary: A gala, supposed to be spent by eating cakes and wearing a pretty dress, goes wrong. But honestly? What doesn't in Steph's life? Still, they better figure this out before it's more than just Dick that's hurt.

The Ache for Home Words: 5,761 (1/2) Summary: Dick goes missing, and Jason looks for him. He wonders, though, why he's the only one looking.

The Gravity of Tempered Grace Words: 10,004 (8/?) Summary: He’s sick, he finally catches on, and at that moment, a cough builds up in his chest, and he barely has enough energy to sit up enough to let his lungs work properly. A coughing fit later, and Dick’s breaths are making a horrible wheezing sound that makes him sound like one of Titus’ chew toys.That’s bad. He’s pretty sure that’s bad.

A Place We Don’t Have to Feel Unknown Words: 32,083 (33/?) Summary: Collection of batfam prompts from tumblr

Five Times Dick Danced With His Family Words: 1,467 (2/?) Summary: ...and one time they all dance with him.

There in the Sudden Blackness Words: 1,783 (2/2) Summary: Tim and Dick argue, and at the end, Tim's not actually sure if either of them actually won.

paper crowns of silver and gold Words: 2,521 (2/7) Summary: collection for batfamweek 2018

YJ Series

The Tact Series – A series that follows Dick Grayson trying his best to be okay again after trying to shoulder the weight of the world and his best friend’s death. It’s a good thing Tim’s there to help him through it

Why is Tim the Only One With Any Tact? Words: 4,819 Summary: "Hiding? Tim wasn’t hiding anything. It was more like not telling. Best not to get anyone else involved in Dick’s business if it wasn’t going to help, and telling Wally, with whatever problems he and Dick were having, was probably the definition of not helping.

“Nothing,” Tim said in the most convincing voice he had. Which, if this was Dick, wouldn’t have worked even a little bit. But this was Wally, and while Wally may have been Dick’s best friend once upon a time, he didn’t know anything about Tim.

“It’s just been a rough couple of nights in Gotham.”

In which Tim tries to mediate an argument between Dick and Wally. Things don't go so well.

I Know You’re Not Okay Words: 3,043 Summary: Bruce is home, Tim is panicking, and Dick is missing. That is, until Bruce finds Dick crying his eyes out in the cave. Sequel to "Why is Tim the Only One With Any Tact?"

Holding the Universe Together Words: 3,844 Summary: After months of the cape and cowl wearing Dick down, Bruce is finally back, relieving Dick of Batman. He finally feels like himself again. Maybe even enough to visit the Watchtower and catch up with an old friend.

Finally Coming Home Words: 3,678 Summary: "It was all coming out now. Everything that he’d kept tucked deep into his very being, his insecurities, his nightmares, he was laying them all down for Wally to see, and he felt so bare. Like he was being stripped and stared at, and he hated it. But he couldn’t make himself stop." Dick and Wally finally talk, but only after Dick almost gets himself killed.

You Are My Home Words: 1,565 Summary: Wally's POV of Finally Coming Home

No Amount of Time or Space Words: 4,378 (3/9) Summary: So Dick isn't okay as he'd like people to think, but what's new? Well, communication, apparently or Tim reminds Dick that communication is an important aspect of friendship, so Dick talks to and tries to reconnect with the friends he'd lost in the face of the Reach's invasion. Unsurprisingly, it's hard.

#masterlist #camryn writes #dc

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