#Steph always gets me back in the mood to draw

[laundrybiscuits]

45 for ask game? 👀

Content note: mention of period-typical homophobia 

Can be read as taking place between this one and this (NSFW) one if you want, but I think it stands alone okay.

I know we’re supposed to be just friends / Miss Temptation I don’t think you know / you keep me waitin’ / know you like to take it slow / Miss Temptation you never let it show 

Eddie always hammers away at the back door like she’s trying to break it down. When Steph finally gets to the doorway, Eddie’s hopping up and down with her hands jammed in her armpits.

“Jesus, Harrington. Took you long enough,” she says, pushing past Steph to the living room. “I was freezing my tits off out there. Please tell me that fireplace works.”

Steph rolls her eyes a little, because it’s not that cold out. It’s only just started snowing, big damp flakes melting in Eddie’s hair. 

“I don’t know,” she says. “Never tried it. There’s some wood in the crate, though.”

“Never—seriously? C’mon, let’s figure it out, I bet we can get it going.”

Steph could point out that she’s got central heating, and that Eddie will warm up if she just waits like two seconds, but instead she just grins and leaves Eddie to it while she goes to pour some drinks.

A few minutes later, she hears Eddie crow in victory. She comes back in to find Eddie with her jacket discarded and the sleeves of her flannel rolled up, jabbing a poker cautiously at a crackling flame.

“Hey,” she says, tapping the wineglass gently against Eddie’s forearm. “That was fast.”

“Ah, you know. Wayne likes to go camping.” Eddie beams up at her. “Let’s turn off the ceiling lights, it’ll be nicer.”

It is nicer. Steph settles in next to Eddie, not touching but close enough to feel the warmth of her body, and sips her wine. The firelight makes Eddie look lit up from the inside; like all that golden warmth is coming from under translucent skin still flushed from the cold. Her red flannel shirt is open at the neck. It looks like something she might’ve inherited from Wayne, oversized and worn soft as silk, crumpling at the collar. 

Steph wishes there was some music playing, but somehow it feels like getting up to put something on would be too much. It would be the kind of dumb thing she’d do to set the mood with a guy, and that’s not what Eddie’s here for, obviously. 

As far as Steph knows, Eddie’s never had a boyfriend. 

It’s not a huge surprise. She’s never exactly been popular, plus she dresses like some burnout guy, all baggy shirts and jackets and beat-up jeans. 

Of course people call her a lesbo all the time. But that’s just normal teenage stuff; even Steph gets teased like that whenever she has a bad hair day or does well in volleyball or whatever. It’s just something people say, and then you say it back to them, and it’s normal. 

Lately, Steph has been trying to remember if there’s ever been anything more to it. Rumors, that kind of thing. Anything someone might’ve seen or heard that would make it more than words.

Steph’s always known gay people exist, she’s not stupid, but before Robin she’d thought of it as a city thing. Whenever there was something in the paper, her mother always used to say that it’s a real shame that in the city, boys who don’t have their families around can run wild. She never said exactly what running wild meant, and she never said anything at all about girls, except once, when she’d paused and squeezed Steph’s shoulders, bussing her hair, and said at least we don’t have to worry about that with you, darling.

Steph doesn’t even know how it works, with girls. She can’t picture it. Maybe Eddie would tell her, if she could find the right way to ask. If Eddie even knows—and there she is back at the beginning again, nothing figured out, just going round and round. 

So she doesn’t bring it up. Doesn’t even really know why, except that this way, nobody has to worry about anything. 

Beside her, Eddie drains her wine and draws her legs up, folding her arms over her knees. It pulls her flannel over her shoulders in a smooth line, like maybe she’s not wearing anything underneath. Which would be so stupid in this weather, honestly—Steph can’t imagine going out with just a layer of worn cotton and that leather jacket Eddie loves so much between the biting cold and bare skin. 

“You’re sleeping over tonight, right?” she says. “You’ll freeze to death if I let you head back out tonight.”

“If you let me, huh?” Eddie grins. “Can’t have my death on your conscience, I guess. Sure, Harrington, we can have a sleepover. You can braid my hair and tell me all about whatever cute guy you’ve got your eye on nowadays.”

That’s about as good an opening as she’s likely to get, if she can just find the right words. 

“Or you could tell me about any cute guys you’ve got your eye on,” is what she settles on.

“Please,” Eddie snorts. “The unwashed miscreants of Hawkins should be so lucky. Like I’d ever want a boyfriend—uh, from around here, anyway.”

“You don’t…get lonely?” Steph asks. It comes out a little soft around the edges.

Eddie leans her chin on her arms. After a moment, she murmurs, “I didn’t say that.”

Steph could probably say something back, she thinks. Some kind of response. Anything. 

They sit there, watching the fire as it slowly turns the logs to ash, for a very long time.

[stars-and-chocolate]

I’d Marry Her If I Could 
(Click for better quality x)

[leonicscorpio]

Batboy Headcanons because I made this for me but you all can enjoy this too if want. (May contain mild NSFW)

Dick:

Has a weird relationship with unwanted gaze and the attention he receives because of his physique. He genuinely likes the attention but he draws the line when people start getting touchy. Just because he's shirtless working out doesn't mean he gave you consent to touch him.

Has good dieting skills but he's in his mid-late 20's and his metabolism has 0 signs of slowing down. He once ate a whole xl bag of M&M's in front of Steph and Babs and both said they wanted to murder him because he won't gain a pound.

Dick has ADHD and I'm sorry if you don't think otherwise. He has hyperactive type ADHD and while he's gotten better at controlling his symptoms he still stims stretching and flexing his arms and shaking his arms.

While not so much in Gotham, Dick is very politically active and volunteers at voter registration and working with organizations with the mission of police demilitarization in Blüdhaven.

Dick is a very sexually driven individual. However, I don't think it's entirely healthy. His ADHD also comes into play with this but Dick just needs to have a release at least twice a day or he'll feel physically sick.

I don't know if you all have seen male gymnasts. But Dick, like the rest of them, has FREAKSISHLY large biceps. Everyone talks about Dick has the best ass in the bat family and while Jason may be larger and stronger, Dick has the best physique.

Dick's apartment is littered with sticky notes in places such as the fridge/in front of his computer. If it's not written down and in a place where he can't ignore it, it's not going to get done.

I'm sorry I know everyone says his birthday is in March but I have to go to the older Nightwing comics and say his Birthday is December 1st. I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me this man doesn't give off Sagittarius energy. You can't. I respect you but you can't look at that and tell me that man isn't a Sagittarius or has super heavy Sag in his birth chart.

Dick's at home doing nothing but chilling? You best believe he's gonna be shirts off, tits out, and rocking some blue flannel PJ's.

Dick is currently the only member of the family asides from Barbara who is regularly attending therapy. And he actively encourages each of his brothers and sisters to go every time.

After his Agent 37 days. He sits down with Jason and talks about having to use a gun and how hard it was. And how having to kill people has affected him. When he had to kill the KGBeast (Agent 37 days he snapped his neck) I headcanon Dick just trauma v*mit*d. Jason hugged him and just consoled him.

It's canon that Dick has anger issues but to me, it's not explored or talked about enough and not a lot of people like to talk about it. Dick is very much the 'if I ignore it it'll go away' type when it comes to his anger and he can brush most insults or harassment off fine enough. But when he breaks, he makes Jason look like a saint. I'm talking slamming you into a wall and screaming in your face angry. He'll be profusely apologetic afterward but still.

Despite popular belief, I don't think he's that bad of a cook. He's just not very experimentative. He can follow a recipe and does look at some guides. But to me, Dick Grayson just is that guy who is like Chicken veggies and rice are a meal that I can cook 4-6 times a week.

Dick has a slight fear of dentists. He doesn't have bad teeth and has good dental health. He just doesn't like the idea of a drill going in his mouth and the few times Bruce has to take him to a dentist he had a panic attack every time.

Everyone lives for the fics where Jason beats the shit out of Tim and everyone is just like lol well Bruce and Dick just forgives him. No. When Dick found out it was Jason who beat Tim to the ground, Dick was literally seething and told Jason "Pick on someone your own size or else I'll make you wish you back in that f'ing coffin."

Dick's favorite foods (some based in Canon*): Milk Chocolate*, Cereal*, Asparagus, Bananas, Banana flavored candy, Hawaiian Pizza* (suffer its canon) Rum, thanksgiving Turkey.

Jason:

He may be the self-diagnosed black sheep (rightfully so) of the family, but Jason does genuinely love spending time with his siblings. Whether it be sharing memes with them on social media or just randomly showing up where they are and abducting them to go get ice cream/coffee/snacks.

He'd probably attempt to harm you if you told him this to his face. But he is the closest acting to Bruce out of all of the family. In terms of mannerisms and inherent warmth and kindness behind a dark façade.

Has two moods: either exceptionally, almost neat-freak levels of clean, or his life is completely falling apart and Jason can't tell you for sure what color his floors are because there's so much stuff scattered about.

Despite their initial hatred of each other, Jason truly feels closest to Tim and Tim is the only person asides from maybe Barbra who he can just talk to without feeling any judgment.

Jason only smokes when he's extremely nervous about an operation or a hit. For those who don't know criminal justice cigarettes are the fastest way to get genetic material on someone. That being said he does still like to smoke occasionally.

Me, plus a lot of people give him this sort of 'Lazarus Rage' as I like to call it. When he's in the heat of a mission or if he's getting upset/angry his vision will get blurred with green, and it feeds on his anger and just gets perpetually harder to contain until he releases it. Jason has gotten much better at controlling it. But as he will tell Tim or Babs, he's "seeing green" which means they need to be careful because Jason could kill.

Everyone says Dick is the mother hen. I see you, I accept you, but let me raise you. Jason came to realize that he died because of his rash decision to go after The Joker alone. If Jason finds any of his siblings out acting alone, or even at the very least without Oracle. Jason WILL forcefully interject himself and ask them what the fuck they think their doing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Trying to get close to Jason is hard. He will degrade you can attempt to try to get you to hate him before he lets you in (that cheeky Tsun of him)

He genuinely cares for and supports all of his siblings but has been rough on them needlessly. But if Bruce is being the distant or absent parent he is, you better believe if any of the siblings drops him a text or a call, Jason will be there in a heartbeat.

He's the most physically powerful of the whole Bat Family. You don't understand because of his time in the League, his time with the All-Caste, and having abused Venom for a time, he can snap an arm bone like it's a carrot with little effort.

Everyone in the family likes dogs and goes out of their way to gush over a dog, but Jason takes it to a whole new level. And even when he's masked up dogs just gravitate to Jason.

Can and has grown a beard in a matter of a few days. He usually likes to be clean shaven but some days he likes to wear a beard just to throw everyone off.

One time him, Steph, Tim, and Duke all went to a restaurant (Red Robin lol) and the waitress got his order wrong and his burger had raw tomatoes on it, Jason took the tomatoes off and ate it while looking absolutely miserable. Tim: Jay why did you eat that you didn't have to you know you could have asked the server to fix your burger. Jason, almost in tears: "She works really hard and she tried and I'm a scary dude I don't want to make her upset.." Duke: "... Jason you literally shot at a cop for looking at you funny the other day. But you're afraid of upsetting a waitress?!? I mean ACAB but dude.. "

Jason's happiest big brother moment™ was taking Tim and Damian to the shooting range and watching them both get their first bullseye.

You can't tell me Jason Todd was into the Emo/Screamo/Warped-Tour Scene. His favorite bands/Albums in no particular order, That's the Spirit (Literally the whole album is Jason Themed and I'm gonna die on this hill) & Sempiternal by Bring me the Horizon, Digital Renegade & Everyone's Safe in the Treehouse by I See Stars, The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways by Crown the Empire,

Jason Todd's favorite foods: (Also some based in Canon*) Burgers, Chili Dogs*, Lager-style beers, Freshly baked bread*, Neopolitan ice cream, grilled corn, and Chinese Chicken noodle soup with Duck.

Tim:

This boy *slaps car roof* gives off so much asexual energy. I know New 52 exists but I just feel like Tim is the person who really, REALLY has to trust you and like you before he's sexually active with you.

HYPERFIXATES. You also can't tell me Tim isn't on the spectrum/or has ADHD.

Is the only member of the family who regularly checks up on Jason and talks to him every day via text message. The two are memelords together and love to play pranks on the other members.

While Dick may give the most frequent hugs and Jason gives the tightest, most secure hugs, Tim's hugs are always the warmest and make you just feel good.

Tim's birthday is July 19th. Meaning he's a Cancer. Let that sink in.. no, really let that information just soak. (Note I have nothing against Cancer women, cancer men however....)

All of the bat boys really struggle with talking about their feelings. Dick will manipulate you into changing the subject via twisting it to be about you, Jason will just cut you off or will ignore you, Damian will deflect everything and harass you until you stop, Tim however, Tim is very emotional and while he's very calculated about who he's emotional with, he's not afraid to break down and cry if he trusts you.

Everyone who says he's the level headed Robin haha how's it feel to be WRONG. Tim is at best the least functional college student and at worst a lemming. 'No Tim, coffee isn't a meal I'm going to make you some food or I'm going to stick you in a room with Damian for an hour.' Richard (Dick) John Grayson.

People overblow how addicted to caffeine Tim is. But it's true. Just overblown. You can talk to him before he's had his caffeine just don't expect him to be anything but curt and blunt.

Everyone says Jason would be the worst at texting but it's Tim. He's the master of leaving you on read. While Jason may do it on purpose, Tim is just really bad at texting people and while he always will read your messages he forgets to respond unless it's really funny or really pressing.

Everyone sees Tim as this bean pole super skinny boy Robin. Tim may not be stacked like Dick or a freaking tank like Jason, but Tim is NOT super skinny. He's just as muscular and likes to work out as anyone, but he just is super lean, so he looks a lot bigger and his muscles are more defined because of how thin his skin is. He has those almost disgusting spider veins on his arm. Kind of gross to look at, but he's the dream of any nurse. This means Tim is also the king of accidentally sending/posting thirst traps.

He really is the glue of the Bat Family. Everyone kidnaps Tim for 'Tim Time'.

Dick likes to spar with and in general just hang out with Tim. Tim tried to teach Dick how to skateboard and you'd think the boy who mastered the trapeze would know how to skateboard but you'd be wrong.

Babs and Tim always hang out and talk about computer stuff and Babs knows she can vent to Tim about anything and he won't say a word.

Tim and Steph were a thing for a while and even though they're just friends now, they still are very close and the two have a very deep bond, liking to shop with each other and watch movies,

Cass just loves to be around Tim because of how calming he is but also she knows she can spar with him AND Cass can also skateboard with Tim too.

Even though him and Damian are always fighting, the two still end up being together and have this unspoken bond. They work great together on a team but other than that they still hate each other.

And while everyone still is hesitant around Jason, and despite the fact that Jason literally beat Tim to within an inch of his life, AND would still trigger Tim and taunt him about it. The two have this odd closeness that rivals even him and Steph. Tim will always be the first to bat for Jason. Jason was Tim's Robin. And despite the fact Jason literally beat it into Tim's head to "never meet your heroes." Tim will always be there for Jason should he ask. The two are just close. And it's hard to describe. Bruce has caught Tim and Jason just platonically sleeping next to each other or just doing their own things shoulder to shoulder silently, just enjoying each other's company.

Tim and Duke also have a really positive relationship with one another and the two can stay up all night just talking about anything. Their minds just mesh well together. The two also love to team up and prank the other members of the Batman Family.

Tim's favorite ASMR/Stim? Watching those Tik Toks of people cleaning computers or cleaning phones. The sound of an air duster is like music to his ears and if any of the Bats need their technology cleaned it secretly makes Tim so happy to help them.

Wear his hair up or wear his hair down? It depends! While Tim likes his long hair he also has gotten plenty of compliments for his short hair and likes to style it to suit any occasion.

My one pet-peeve with Tim is that he probably is that person who lets his privilege show from time to time. While he was essentially raised to just sit down, shut up, and be a perfect trophy son to the Drake's. The Drake's were in the same tax bracket as Bruce and Tim definitely was a rich kid. He never means to come across as spoiled, but sometimes Jason will give him harsh looks if Tim just throws away food he doesn't like or says things like Chipotle is 'poor people food'

Tim Drake's favorite foods (you know by now*) Donuts*, Shallot and Artichoke Pizza with Canadian Bacon* (odd choice but it could work) Artichokes in general are his favorite vegetable, Strawberries, and Beef Pho.

Damian:

I headcanon that he has the worst teeth of all of the Bat Boys and he actually has to use lingual braces. (Hence why you can't see his braces)

Canonically is a very good artist and while him and Tim don't get along, Tim introduced Damian to digital art and gave him a photoshop pack and a nice tablet for his birthday one year and Damian loved it so much.

Damian is a capricorn and I will die on this hill. A January capricorn too.

Now you want a good chef? You've got Damian. Having converted to veganism Damian has had to get creative whenever he goes out to eat so he tends to like to eat more home cooked foods. Damian loves all matters of mushrooms, eggplant, and bell peppers.

Damian really struggles the most with his wanting to just be a normal kid. Despite the fact he will dismiss you for it, anytime he gets to spend at Gotham Academy with Jon and the rest of the kids he's naturally the happiest.

Damian LOVES to give gifts. He loves the look on people's faces when they are shocked when they actually get something from Damian.

Despite the fact that he's been traumatized from both his times with Ra's and Talia as well as with Bruce. He just wants Bruce and Talia to be together because he loves them both equally.

While he's the least flexible and least gymnastic of the Robins do let your guard down around him. He is the fastest runner and the guy is rivaled only by Jason in terms of lethality.

So someone (Jason Todd & Duke Thomas) introduced Damian to trap music and ever since anytime his phone gets stolen people will be shocked to find he's listening to some combination of Lil' Yachty, X, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz, and Kodak.

If any random person tries to hug Damian he'll immediately push them away, he'll bitch and moan about just about anyone hugging him other than Bruce & Dick.

Damian loves to go to the beach/the ocean. He just thinks it's so vast and he loves the brineness of the air. Also being half white, quarter middle-eastern and quarter Chinese (Yes everyone forgets Talia is half Chinese) Damian gets DARK. And although he's just okay as a swimmer he still likes bogeyboarding and eventually wants to learn how to surf.

I'm genuinely afraid once Puberty is done with this kid and everyone in the family is. He has Bruce Wayne AND Talia Al-Ghouls genes and those are two SEXY human beings. Damian's gonna grow a beard one day and people aren't going to know how to act.

Damian secretly plays Fortnight and not even Jon knows. He doesn't want to get shamed. He'd rather lose a match and ruin his streaks than deal with the shame of anyone in that family finding out he plays Fortnight.

Damian Wayne's favorite foods (canon*) Cereal*, Avocados, Grilled Tempeh, his mom's Tabbouleh, Mushroom Tacos, and Vegan Sushi rolls, and grape juice.

Duke Thomas

Duke is like, freakishly good with a piano, and he picked it up naturally!

Also everyone says Tim brews the best pot of coffee in the Bat Family, cue to everyone's surprise when Tim was sick one day and couldn't make a pot. Only to find the coffee was freaking amazing. Duke didn't take any credit at first until Alfred let it slip that Duke was the one who brewed the pot.

Duke being the only Meta of the family originally thought he was the double-token because he was a Meta and a black boy. Needless to say his fears were seriously unfounded the moment he got to know everyone.

Although he somewhat fears Jason and his temper initially, he and Jason have one of the closest relationships in the family. If Tim isn't around to bat for Jason, Duke will happily take his spot. The two work on each other's bikes and grew to share the same taste in music.

Duke uses his Photokenetic powers as a force for good and for shenanigans. Jason wants to play a prank on Dick and Damian while Dick is reading Damian a story? Duke will hide Jason in the shadows and will cover up his shadow. Alfred dropped something in the dark? You better believe Duke will find it in 3 seconds or less.

Duke makes it a point to visit his parents every weekend to talk to them. Although they are making some progress in their recoveries, it's still slow going. Eventually, he starts bringing members of the family to see his parents. It started with Cass, then Jason, and the rest followed suit.

Duke loves playing video games with Damian and even helps Damian beat some tougher levels when Damian is about to rage and destroy the console.

Duke is into Magic the Gathering and you cannot tell me otherwise. Duke also is the DM for the Bat Kids annual D&D games. I can and will make a D&D Batfam Headcanons if asked.

Loves Pho just as much as Cass and Tim and they all call it a date night every now and then where they can go to a hole in the wall pho place. It's really a secret between the three of them.

DUKE THOMAS IS THE BEST SWIMMER OF THE BAT BOYS AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. HE JUST THRIVES IN THE WATER.

Finding out his birth father is a supervillain was really tough for him. He went into a shell for a little bit afterwards. Cass and Steph were there to help talk him out of his funk.

Duke Thomas's favorite foods (lol what canon DC hasn't acknowleged our boy in a while..) Chicken Pho, Thai Iced Tea, Papaya, Crab Cakes, Italian Hoagies, his mom's Lemon Poundcake, mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I hope y'all enjoyed! Up next (eventually) will be the Bat Girls!

[ketchupqueenboiiii]

Damian Wayne with henna tattoos, so precious

like I've learnt that that they aren't strictly religious, so I'm just imagining Damian getting bored at the manor and not feeling like video games or training (since he has the option not to) and just sketching smaller designs in a not book and imagining what they would look like on him and an idea sparks when he remembers a picture of his mother when she was younger with henna tattoos and like Titus I know what we're going to do today.

So he tells Alfred he's going to take Titus out for a walk in a small park near the 99 ranch of Gotham or something. Alfred drops him off and after a few minutes he walks to the local Asian market (idk if Gotham has a Chinatown)

He finds some henna tattoo kits but gets distracted and ends up buying a shit ton of stuff while he's high on nostalgia. (like those lychee and coconut jelly things and some fresh taho, maybe even some halo-halo syrup mix (these are filipino foods i know but im typing hungry and i have a headcanon that the league was pretty diverse so he probably tried dozens of different cuisines)) so Alfred questions the bags when he picks up Damian and Titus (who probably got a treat too.)

Damian just says he and Titus went for a snack and continued slurping down the taho juices

When he gets home Bruce raises an eyebrow at the bags but Alfred just said Damian shopped hungry so he left it alone.

So now Damian is in his room setting out the designs and contemplating which to start. He chose to draw on his left fore arm and back hand since he has armor there and its not likely that it'll be revealed in a fight.

During the wait time he just watches tv or something while trying to show restraint with those jelly things.

As he admires his handy work he gets all giddy like, wow this looks good and he's all proud of himself and he's in a really good mood for the rest of the day.

Damian keeps it from Bruce because he sits on Bruce's left and subtly keeps his sleeves down and his palm always facing Bruce

But at the next (mandatory) family dinner, whoever sits next to Damian on his left, im gonna say steph, points it out

Steph: omg, is that a tattoo?!

Bruce and Dick have tiny heart attacks right there and everyone's eyes bulge out a little

Damian, a bit self conscious, gets a little defensive: Likely not the kind you're thinking of. It's a henna tattoo

Steph: Ooh, do me next!

everyone kind of forgets dinner and just passes Damian's arm around the table (as in pulling him around the table) the next morning everyone gets a little something something, other than Bruce. Who, against his not tattoos rule, got a intricate hand design to show off at his next gala

so Im just saying henna tattoo damain wayne is a breeding ground for batfam fluff

he's just so pure

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Hey I love your...everything about dick Grayson. I have a terrible memory but I remember someone saying they think dick Grayson has ADHD and I think it was you? If it was can you talk about it a little more? Like, give some examples of traits? I love that headcanon but as someone not that knowledgeable of this stuff I wanted to get someone else's pov on the topic

agh thank you!! and yea, that was me, in this post. that was just me rambling a bit and me jotting stuff down, but i did say if you wanted more i’d be happy to give more. and so, in headcanon format, here is more.

One of Dick Grayson’s defining traits is that he could not sit still. Everybody had noticed it, everybody had commented on it, and everyone pretended to find it annoying while also knowing that his constant fidgeting, bouncing, leaping, talking, and laughing was a comfort. The buzz of energy surrounding him was a constant, and prompted many many people to offhandedly remark to Bruce, “He’s probably got ADHD.” Green Arrow, when Robin was talking Flash’s ear off when he first met the Justice League. A socialite in a dress with a borderline-obscene neckline when Dick came up to him for the eighth time that night, drawing his attention to something new. Even Harley Quinn, as he jumped around her in circles after they’d tied her up to a pole in a warehouse while Bruce copied the data, although she said it with a fond little grin and a bit more, well, educated style.

And if he was being honest? Bruce agreed with all of them. Just, in a different way. 

Dick’s hyperfixiations were a sight to behold. He’d find something interesting to label as his New favourite thing ever, Bruce!!, absorb everything there was to know about the topic, then move on to something new in a month. Which had always been the problem. Bruce couldn’t begin to count the nights he had to coerce Dick into coming downstairs, leaving his rare igneous rock collection or his college-level textbook about nerve paralysis or his new batch of poisonous flowers, and eating something, or going to bed. There was a reason Dick was underweight for most of his life, and still was as an adult.

It was in his “all or nothing” attitude, the way he threw his entire self into the job, or whatever needed to be done. But if he decided something wasn’t worth it, or that he was done, he dropped it entirely, with no lost love. His impulse control was bad, but that was something Bruce could help him with, train him to keep a level head or make the right choice. Though, making choices was another thing to tackle altogether. Choice paralysis was the best way to describe it. If Dick didn’t absolutely make up his mind about something, then he was split, caught between two different choices, and he couldn’t say no to either. 

Jason may have rage coursing through his blood, but his anger was solid, dependable, reliable. Dick’s mood swings, however, were monsters that Bruce had been trying to understand since Dick was a child, his kindness and understanding changing to harsh words and accusatory looks so fast it gave Bruce whiplash. Jason seemed to be one of the few who could wade his way through them, never trying to change him or stop him, just trying to understand him.

Tim’s internal clock may be blown and shot to hell, but it was out of willpower, determination. He had work to do, and he would power through his tiredness until it was done. (And then he’d grab an oversized superboy t-shirt and crash for a couple days on end.) Dick, on the other hand, could not sleep. Lying in a bed made him restless, but sitting in the kitchen hunched over a mug of chamomile tea made gave him a headache. Dick had once told him, in the hours where it was too early to be morning but too late to be night, that he just wanted his brain to stop for once, to just shut off. Bruce didn’t have an answer. Tim, apparently, had an answer, because he would sit up with Dick in that kitchen, turning the lights down low, and talking with him about this cool new spot he found for his photography, or some changes he’s thinking of making to his suit. Tim’s quiet rambling seemed to ease the headache, at least.

Cass and Dick may not have many things in common, at first glance. They never bonded the way they did to other members of the family, the way Cass and Steph learned to laugh together or the way Dick and Jason finally reached an understanding, and were able to just spend time together. Bruce actually thought Cass would get along with Damian, given their shared assassin history. But Damian just looked at him strange, and said “I’m not the one who was raised as a human weapon.” And that...that was true. Cass may have been isolated and alone, and Dick might have been raised with love and affection, but Bruce couldn’t deny that the two of them had been raised, as Damian put it, human weapons. And despite Dick’s ease and grace and innate flexibility, Bruce knew that Dick itched at his skin, sometimes felt uncomfortable and not in control in his own body. But then he saw Dick with Cass one day, stretching and going over some basic yoga poses, the silence between them thick with something heavy and grateful. Bruce memorized the content and peaceful look on his children’s faces, then left as quietly as he’d entered. 

Bruce was no stranger to Stephanie’s self esteem issues, overhearing her in front of the mirror many a time, clothed in the Robin costume and telling herself, in between gritted teeth, “I deserve to be here. I’m good enough. I’ve got this.” As for Dick, his self esteem issues were a tad different. His constant need to make people like him, his jokes and quips that were aimed to make people think he was funny, think he was worth it, his absolute terror of rejection, the way he broke off relationships and had trouble maintaining the ones he did have under the philosophy of leaving before they rejected him for real. A whisper in the back of Bruce’s mind whispered Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, though neither of them were fond of labels. But it wasn’t hard to miss the easy stream of compliments flowing back and forth between Dick and Steph, usually good natured teasing, but no less sincere. It helped them more than they realized.

People may say Damian was violent, rude, and prone to outbursts. And this was true, for the most part. Bruce knew Damian was still getting a handle on his emotions, but he also knew the kid actually meditated in his free time, and most of his actions were well planned and thought out. Dick, on the other hand, had outbursts frequently. He’d just gotten much better at controlling them, or maybe just blowing up at Bruce and hiding them from the rest of the family. And his emotions were a hurricane, a whirlwind of raw power. Regulating him had long since gone out the window. Luckily, Damian seemed think the opposite (or maybe Bruce had given up too early). Dick never actually seemed to enjoy meditating with Damian, but controlling their tempers was something the two of them were working on together, one backing the other up or slow them down, and vice versa. 

Every time someone came up to him, telling him Dick was just so cheerful and hyper and constantly in motion, Bruce was brought back to the first week in the manor, Alfred raising his eyebrow at Bruce after Dick’s latest antics had landed him in his room, refusing to open the door for anyone. Bruce knew Alfred was running through a mental checklist in his head, same as him. Alfred had told him, “This is going to be quite a bit of trouble, Master Bruce.” Bruce had shown his weary agreement. Then Alfred had nodded resolutely, and said “I suppose we shall just love him right, then.”

Bruce knew without a doubt that Alfred had succeeded in that particular promise. But Bruce was still asking himself whether or not he had. 

ADHD is,,,,,,,hard to write. tag list: @comicsandhoney @dangerduckjpeg @yesboopityboop @birdy-bat-writes @astroherogirl @anothertimdrakestan @thebatsandbirdsofgotham @subtleappreciation

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 18

First time reader click here

TWs/Summary: We stan ✨women in science✨. Bruce uwu. Twitter social media AU nobody asked for. Stephen and Tony are dicks and I'm not talking about their anatomy. Setting up mood for Bruce smut, ngl. PTSD makes things spicy. I'm depressed so please be kind ✌🏻💀🙃

"I really do wonder how can you two fit those egos of yours in your pants," I kept my tone forcefully casual, cheerful even. "Why don't you just fuck already?"

I was met with stunned silence. Suddenly, the room seemed far too large and the people in much too quiet, staring at me with various expressions of horror obvious in their faces. As the strange friendship began developing between me and the team, my "outbursts" - how Steve liked to call them - lessened considerably. I had no need to provoke them into giving me attention, just striking up a casual chat was enough. The Avengers were great conversationalists, to my surprise.

Tony and Stephen, when paired, were the exception. I could count on one hand the amount of times they successfully came to a conclusion without fighting like cats and dogs. It was like each man had made it a personal mission to verbally top the other, more often than not resulting in a thirty-minute shitshow ending with one storming off in a dramatic flourish. It was mind-boggling how two supremely intelligent men could not find a way to communicate efficiently without infuriating the rest of the team.

Plus me. One way or another, I was almost always around. In the beginning, it was hilarious to see the free circus but it got old really quickly when they couldn't decide on dinner or a movie, leaving the rest of us starving and bored. Or the great Cloak debate - that one lasted days and the fussy thing was so upset, it point blank refused to part from Peter for a substantial amount of time. It's pretty fucking creepy that a semi-sentient, ancient piece of outerwear watches you when you sleep - just sayin'. I personally interjected with my own snark and sass whenever Tony and Stephen got too heated, successfully drawing the attention to myself. The fight broke up and I had amazing sex with Tony later, it was a win-win scenario.

Yet, Tony and Stephen didn't stop. To me, their way of "talking" (and I use that term loosely) looked a lot like unresolved sexual tension. Stephen frequently used his greater height to tower over Tony in a childish attempt to establish dominance; the engineer was no rookie and responded with extravagant peacocking such as "subtly" tapping the bracelet that hosted his nanotech suit or parading at dinner in a $30,000 custom made designer outfit. Because Tony could.

I was pleasantly surprised when Natasha started laughing at my remark. Full-blown, belly laugh. Those were rare, coming from the Widow, her usual mirth was quiet, sophisticated, just like her. Deadly (adorable). Bucky followed suit, snorting together with Clint and Loki.

Steve looked none too pleased with me. But then again, was he ever? "Doll, don't be rude."

"Brat," Bruce said at the same time, palming his face.

"People always call me a brat. And guess what, Steve?" I popped my hip, twirling a cotton candy pink coloured Dum-Dum between my fingers. "What can you do about it? Nothing," I shrugged, leaning my head against Bruce's shoulder affectionately.

Steve just shook his head in disappointment. "Can we get back on topic? Please?"

"Captain, I think that Stark..." Strange began talking with Tony dramatically groaning in the background and I instantly tuned out the useless babble. Steve should've been smarter and revoked speaking rights from Tony and Stephen. Or asked Loki to magically render them both mute for ten minutes.

"You're not wrong," Bruce quietly whispered next to my ear. "Ten bucks says Wanda meddles and those two finally work out their frustrations," The scientist hid a grin against my head. I felt the amused, giddy energy radiating off him like a plasma beam.

"I don't even have to bet," I rolled my eyes. "If she doesn't do it, I will."

Both Tony and Stephen were throwing me equally infuriated glances. One promised me a good, hard fucking and the other saw me a short, poisonous lecture on appropriate behaviour in the nearest future - you can guess which is which. If I had it my way, I'd skip the lecture and go straight to a hot, filthy threesome with two men twice my age. I wasn't blind, Strange was hot as hell and could be decent and even nice once in a blue moon.

He could, but he wouldn't be. I wanted that raw, unadulterated lust, tension so concentrated it walked the razor's edge between violent craving and repulsion. Ever since the incident with Clint, I had this ugly mess inside of me, like a live wire about to snap. My brain was constantly racing, darting between how utterly useless I am in a group of supers and embracing my normal-ness, amplifying it by hosting game nights and spending time trying to convince people to start a dungeons and dragons campaign. Or something.

My sleep was like Swiss cheese, riddled with holes where I stayed awake for one or two hours at a time in the middle of the night after waking up sweaty, with my heart hammering out of my chest. Sometimes I dreamt of Clint's lifeless, sickly white body, sometimes the whole room flooded with blood and I couldn't stop it no matter what, there was so much of it, I drowned in it, I startled up with the taste of it in my mouth. Rarely, the worst of it came - the one where Clint was alive as millions of millions of little fluorescent, poisonous jellyfish burst out of him and he screamed and screamed and screamed...

I had PTSD. Yay, me. As if my uselessness wasn't enough of a burden, my brain decided for me that it wasn't good enough that I saved Clint and now it was punishing me for being close to a group of people who routinely saved the WORLD.

I contemplated my usual habits - going to a party, getting trashed and dancing until my legs were numb. I just wanted to shut my brain off for a moment, give it a hard reset so-to-say, but with Tony on my back like a jet-pack, I didn't doubt he'd show up to the place and drag me out of there even if I was kicking and screaming. And he was a Stark, a billionaire, so visiting my dad in Cali wouldn't be possible on my own. Tony would gas up the jet and the rest of the team would find and excuse to tag along, too. As much as I loved being the baby menace who could get away with anything, I hated the way they all herded me, like I was an actual child. I couldn't get away from myself, not even for a moment.

I had the backup-backup plan and I was going to have to execute it. Desperate times, desperate measures. "I don't doubt y'all enjoy listening to Tony and Steph flirt," The nickname escaped unmoderated from my lips before I could catch myself. "But what are we doing for Halloween? I need to know if I gotta get a costume," Bruce chuckled next to me and wrapped an arm around me, happy for the distraction. Unlike me, the scientist was obligated to listen and participate in the avengers-themed discussion. Which was difficult because the engineer and the sorcerer constantly bickered, inadvertently taking over the talk.

"Halloween?" Steve groaned.

"We should do something," Bucky side-eyed his boyfriend. "For the children." Something told me he wasn't thinking of the children, at all. The man was positively leering, probably thinking about what kind of a tight suit he could convince Steve to squeeze into.

"A party!" Tony immediately exclaimed, interrupting Stephen mid-setence.

"Tony, no," Steve stated firmly.

"Tony, YES!" Clint perked up. "A snack bar. A bar-bar."

"I will not be helping you all if you get alcohol poisoning," Stephen crossed his arms.

"So it's a party," I stated firmly, throwing a contemplating look at Wanda and Pietro. The twins looked unsure but excited. I knew I could count on fellow young people to support my decision to have fun, dance a little, drink a little. Let loose. To nail my point, I turned to Bruce with a mischievous smirk. "Fifty bucks says Stephen is too stuck up to show up in costume."

"Beg pardon?!" The sorcerer exclaimed. His eyebrows threatened to meet his hairline.

"I think you give him too little credit, Princess," Bruce winked at me and we solemnly shook hands. It was great having a fellow partner in mischief. Loki's approving smirk just sealed the deal for me.

"It's not my fault you sometimes act like you have a stick up your butt," I gave in the way of explanation, shrugging my shoulders innocently in Stephen's direction. "I'm just pointing out the obvious."

"I don't dare to imagine what's been up yours," The sorcerer retorted dryly, in an uncharacteristically childish fashion, arms still crossed. It almost looked like he was pouting.

"Tony," I simply said, leering salaciously at the man.

"Ooh, kinky," Clint reached over and we promptly high-fived each other in the wake of multiple embarrassed groans emanating around the room. "Strange, you're a boring old man, get over it."

"And you regularly end up in dumpsters, Barton," Strange retorted quickly. "Not my idea of fun."

"You wouldn't know fun if it hit you in the face!" Tony grinned triumphantly, confident in his superiority over Strange. Look at that, the team was doing the work for me and I didn't even have to try.

"I'll show you fun," Stephen retorted darkly. It was obvious the man was planning something.

"Ok, boomer," I raised my eyebrows in muted satisfaction before turning around and grabbing Bruce to drag along with me. "I'm confiscating your best scientist to amuse myself. I am bored. We will go and do actual science whilst y'all argue. Bye."

My patience had run out. We were examining the parasites we found in the murder-anthropods-from-space, codename MAFS, courtesy of yours truly, and their amazing properties to penetrate cell membranes and feed on metals in organic life forms. Without Bruce's help I understood maybe half of it but he had the patience of a saint and dutifully and understandably explained to me the finer points of studying aliens. Signing half a dozen NDAs was never more worth it.

Steve's sigh consisted of 99% suffering and 2% disappointment. Natasha face-palmed silently in the corner, clutching a mug of coffee, a poster child for existential dread.

"Wait for me," Tony whined, going for the door and promptly being stopped by Steve pointing out the team needing his input on one mission or another. The engineer sighed. "Baby girl, don't let the green mean to start any experiments without me." Tony instructed, pointing an accusatory finger in our direction.

I clutched at Bruce dramatically, feigning hurt feelings and was rewarded with a swift motion of his arms. I shrieked delightfully at being thrown over the scientist's shoulder as he hastened his pace towards the elevator, hightailing it out of there. "I'd never snitch on science daddy," I wiggled my eyebrows in Tony's direction, sticking a hand down the back pocket of Bruce's pants, dangling over his shoulder like a happy sack of potatoes.

The lab smelled strongly of alcohol and bitter chemicals, the solution that Bruce developed to ensure the optimal state of the alien pathogens. The man's genius never ceased to amaze me: Bruce came up with the needed formula in the span of a few hours while running low on sleep, post a Hulk-out session.

We put on our protective gear - "science onesies" I called them - along with a respirator and goggles and set to the segregated part of the lab where the specimens were kept under a blue light. The glass wall between Bruce's and Tony's lab was dimmed; I reflected in it, looking positively futuristic in my double-stacked white platformed boots and white hazmat suit.

"Wait," I motioned to Bruce to come over.

"Oh, right, our music," He was already half-way to being in total Science Mode. "Friday, please put on the "Get Schwifty" playlist, 60% volume."

The playlist that me and Bruce came up with for our lab sessions. The man was such an adorable dork. Thirty percent my music, thirty percent of his indie rock shit and forty percent 00's bops. In other words, utter perfection.

I finally managed to fish out my phone from my pants. "No, let's take a selfie," I struck an impressive pose and pointed the camera as Avril Lavigne sung the first verse to Sk8r Boi.

Bruce laughed but abided by the request, giving me bunny ears in the photo, tapping the fingers of his other hand on my waist to the rhythm of the song.

"He was a skater boy, she said see ya later boy!" I sang along, switching my Instagram to stories and posting the short clip of us just vibing with the caption #sciencetime, Bruce laughing openly behind his respirator. I looked cute and silly in my outfit.

"Send the video to me, I'll post it on my Twitter," Bruce requested. I indulged him then put my phone away, ready to conquer the world of microbiology. Or die trying. Science was calling...

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @cutenessloading @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie

[ereawrites]

Tim Drake x Reader - Envy

The first time he realises it's more than a stupid crush is mid-summer, sweat across the back of his neck, ice in his drink. Bruce has had a tough few weeks, and he's learning to surround himself with the people he cares about in times like these: besides, the weather is gorgeous, a rarity for Gotham, and so Bruce throws an extended family barbecue. 'Family' has always been a little tough to define, for Tim and for many others who share the Wayne name. Some - Dick, Jason, Damian, Cass - feel as though they could be his blood siblings, like they share more than a name and a vigilante identity and a proclivity for violence. Duke, Kon, and Jon have somehow become his annoying cousins who say, let me play the games on your phone, Tim, I know you get the unreleased ones, don't lie, but he loves them all the same.

It's when he sees you talking to Steph, the distant ex who he now considers one of his closest friends, that the depth of his feelings really hits him. You're in a swimsuit - he shouldn't stare, he shouldn't, it's summer and it's hot and it's perfectly normal for you to want to enjoy the pool while you're at the manor - with a cocktail in hand, golden sun catching in your hair, a warm smile lighting up your features, eyes crinkled up at the corners with laughter. Maybe Steph is telling an anecdote about the family; perhaps you're just enjoying this perfect day.

A giggle spills from your lips, shiny with the cherry-flavoured lip balm he knows you use, right as your gaze wanders across the pool and meets Tim's own. Although he's quick to react, transforming his face into a friendly smile and giving you a small wave, he has to fight back a blush from the shame of almost being caught staring. He isn't a creep. He isn't.

"Tim!", you exclaim, as he crosses around the pool and makes his way over to you and Steph. "I didn't know you could even come out in the sun! I hope you're wearing sunscreen."

Steph smirks. "You're all... milky. How long has it been since you left your computer screen?'

Tim feels your eyes drag down over his body, probably only because Steph's just pointed out how pale he is, but he's in a swimsuit too and he can feel your gaze burning hot on every inch of exposed skin. He huffs out a sarcastic laugh. "Funny, both of you. Duke attacked me with a bottle of SPF twenty minutes ago."

You and Steph dissolve into another fit of laughter: clearly the image of his assault is amusing to you. Tim would pretend to be more annoyed than he really is, maybe play it up a little to make you both feel bad, but he knows that you're only in a good mood. Why wouldn't you be? This is the first day you've had fully to yourself in weeks - he makes a point to stay updated on your activities, but he's not a creep, it's normal to take an interest - between your schoolwork and your internship. The hard work has paid off, though, and you've just graduated at the top of your class with a path straight into a major company. He can cut you some slack for now.

"Do either of you two know where I can find Damian?", Steph pipes up suddenly after a sip of her own drink. "I've gotta talk to him."

Tim exaggerates a disgusted tremble, which only earns him a playful slap from Steph and another little giggle from you. "Poor you. He's probably walking the dogs on the other side of the garden, or something - antisocial little shit."

"Damian, antisocial? I haven't heard from you in almost three weeks, Timothy Drake! You hypocrite!", Steph cries. Three weeks? He could've sworn it was only a week ago, at most; he FaceTimed her for a catch up, and she was talking about her crush on Kon's dad, and he'd explained he'd been busy because he'd been helping you write your thesis - but, wait, it hadn't even been the final section, so it must have been longer ago than he thought, because you submitted your final draft five days ago - shit.

Tim sighs. "Sorry, Steph. Actually, sorry to both of you. I... lost track of time, I guess?"

"I'll let you off this time, Drake-", Steph narrows her eyes at him, and tips back the last of her cocktail. "But you better repay me by having another drink ready for me when I come back."

She grins widely, and heads off to find Damian: God knows why she wants to talk to him when he's being so antisocial, but she's always had a way of drawing the young boy out of his shell. Tim chuckles under his breath, and turns to smile sheepishly at you.

"And you? What do I have to do to make you forgive me?", he offers. He's half-teasing, but there's a part of him that feels guilty. It's selfish. He knows it is; he's the one who finds himself wanting to spend so much time with you, not the other way around, and he sees you more than enough. You probably haven't even realised it's been four days since you last spoke to him.

You swirl the last dregs of your drinks thoughtfully, smiling at him - God, your smile is perfect, so soft and warm and kind - and then reach out to pat him on the shoulder. "I think I'm the one who owes you, you know."

Your touch lingers for just a fraction of a second and Tim is forced to suppress a shiver. "Meaning?'

"You've spent most of your free time for months helping me with schoolwork, Timmy! There's no way I would've been able to - actually, no, I would have managed fine without help - but you made it so much easier. I wish I could do more to thank you."

Tim waves away your gratitude with a small smile. "You've done plenty - besides, I enjoyed helping you."

"Why?", you grin, and the previous playfulness you'd exhibited with Steph is beginning to spark back up in your eyes. "Because my area of study interests you so much? Or is it just because I'm your favourite person?'

There are a million ways he could play this. This stupid, summer crush has been eating at him for weeks now, and Tim knows all too well that he's bad with emotions. He has no idea which course of action he should choose: flirt, or tease, or act aloof? Dick would dazzle you with a charming grin and a compliment - Jason would make a ridiculous, suggestive joke that somehow would be flirty instead of creepy - Damian (and Tim feels indescribable shame at the fact that his younger brother would be better at this than him) would brush the teasing off in a way that only drew you in.

"...Spending time with you isn't the worst thing in the world.", Tim settles on, and he mentally kicks himself as soon as the words leave his mouth. God, he isn't a creep, but he's stupid. So stupid. Almost as stupid as he is for developing a crush in the first place.

By some saving grace, your smile only widens. "So I am your favourite person?'

He needs another drink.

"You're in danger of losing that title.", he shrugs, and begins to head for the drinks table that Alfred so thoughtfully set up - you follow without question. "But, well, I wouldn't have spent all that time with you if, you know, I didn't like you. It was actually... kind of fun."

You fix yourself your own cocktail at the same time as him. It must be your favourite, since it's the same as the last one you were drinking, and Tim has to remind himself again that he's not a creep as he wonders how it would feel to kiss the taste of sweet alcohol off your lips. It's just a crush. He's going to get over it.

"Aww - I knew you loved me! Seriously, though - I did really enjoy spending that time with you. Even if you did spend half of it vibrating from caffeine overload, and the other half shouting at me for drinking caffeine myself.", you say.

He shrugs. "It's bad for you." Hypocrisy normally gets to Tim, but he can excuse the bad habit for himself. He can't help but worry about you.

The words that spill from your fruit-stained lips in response - teasing, as always, no more than that, stop it - and the glint in your eye and the little quirk of your mouth upwards; something about it just feels different and it makes his stomach lurch. "You're a bad influence, Timmy. I like it."

Fuck. He sips at his drink, too much vodka for his liking and too little ice, but oh well: he's got bigger things to worry about, like hiding how thickly he swallows. Like pretending he doesn't notice the faint sheen of sweat coating your collarbones, and the dip of your throat, spreading across your shoulders and down, down, dipping to your stomach - he pretends he doesn't notice. It's hot. You're warm. And a bit of sweat shouldn't get to him as much as it does.

"Every person here is a bad influence. You asked me for help, anyway. I'm starting to regret doing it.". That's a blatant lie and you both know it, but Tim doesn't know quite how to react other than with sarcasm. He feels like he's dancing with you every time he speaks to you, skating on paper-thin ice but loving the thrill - don't be so fucking dramatic, it's just a crush, stop it.

You roll your eyes and place your glass down onto the table. "I'm sorry. You're a fantastic influence, and you've made the last few months far more bearable. Thank you. I mean it."

And then you bring one hand to his shoulder, a feather-light touch that still sends him practically careening into ecstasy, and before Tim quite realises what's happening, you're pressing a friendly kiss to his left cheek.

You pull back with a smile. "I'll stop giving you shit for today, but only because I'm so grateful."

You just fucking kissed him. You were barely an inch away from his lips, close enough that he could almost smell your drink on your lips, and it was only a friendly gesture and he knows you do it with everyone and he knows it doesn't mean anything, to you, at least - but, to Tim, you've just punched right through his chest and grabbed his heart and squeezed, tight, snatched the breath right from his lungs and all rational thought from his brain; he wants, so badly, to lean forward and kiss you for real this time. He would, if he had the courage. He would, if he knew you felt the same way.

This is more than a stupid, summer crush.

Tim wants you to kiss him again. He wants to take your hand and parade you around the barbecue on his arm. He would lick the sweat off your fucking collarbones, if you would only let him. Maybe he is a creep. He doesn't care anymore.

Another sip of his drink. He's so fucked.

You don't notice the way his jaw tenses, or the way his breathing quickens; why would you? You're not looking for any kind of reaction, because, for you, it was just a kiss on the cheek, nothing more, nothing worthy of a revelation of his feelings.

"Oh, Tim - look, Kon's coming over!", you nudge him with your elbow, drink back in hand. Tim's too shellshocked to do anything other than follow your gaze, right over to where Kon's walking over to the two of you. He must have been in the pool with Jon and Dick, because his hair is wet and rivulets of water are running down his chest - Tim doesn't think he'll ever really get used to his best friend being so absolutely ripped. He hates it.

Kon fixes you with a beaming grin. "Hey, guys! What's with all the drinking? I though barbecues were for having fun and eating, not an alcohol club."

Tim forces a smirk: Kon will see right through him if he isn't careful, figure out what’s going on. The smile on your face, though, is wide and genuine, almost as big as Kon's.

"Says Aquaman over here.", you giggle. Kon shakes his head, flicking water at you, and you squeal and dash behind Tim.

Droplets of pool water land on Tim's face, filling his nose with the scent of chlorine instead of the scent of your drink, and he mourns the loss. "Careful, Kon. Chlorine can burn our skin right off. You wouldn't want to hurt us, right?"

The other male's eyes widen comically, and he mouths a seriously at Tim, concern evident in his gaze. Having a half-alien best friend has its drawbacks, but it's worth it for the tricks Tim gets to play.

You peek over Tim's shoulder and, upon determining that the coast is clear, step out and pout at him. "Don't tease - Kon, don't listen. He's stringing you along."

Tim scowls at you. "Fuck - you couldn't have played along for a few minutes? Seriously?"

Kon lets out a hearty chuckle, and out of nowhere he reaches his hand out towards you - for a moment, Tim just stares at it, wondering why his best friend is offering his hand to you. Then, you take it, that soft smile on your face, and Kon's pulling you into his chest and you're squeezing his hand and he's kissing you gently on the forehead.

"I knew I could rely on you.", Kon smiles, brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face. The penny begins to drop for Tim, but it's as if it's in slow motion - he sees the grand reveal coming, but he it doesn't quite sink in just yet.

You turn back to face Tim, keeping your fingers interlaced with Kon's so his arm wraps around your body and settles on your waist, pressing you into his side. "I - uh, sorry, Tim. Kon's still... getting the hang of how much PDA is acceptable."

Oh. Tim should have seen this coming. He should have noticed the signs; they all spring up in his mind now, the way Kon only ever seemed to blush around you, and the way Tim's noticed you checking Kon out during training a few times (he'd not thought much of it, you'd be blind not to), and the way both of you have been so suspiciously quiet about your love lives lately - maybe to protect his feelings, to make him feel like he's not the odd-one-out of the group, to avoid excluding him.

"It's fine,", he lies. "But, well - PDA? I didn't realise you two were... close like that."

Why is he torturing himself by asking for details?

You offer him an apologetic look. "I know you've been really busy, lately - you know, with work, and stuff. I thought it would be best to hold off on telling you about anything going on until you had less on your plate."

You don't say it with pity, like you know that he's been harbouring feelings for you: no, it's just friendly concern, knowing that he would want to know about your new crush and help you navigate it, because Tim is shit with his own feelings but he's got a penchant for helping others with their own.

"Thanks for being considerate. I wouldn't have minded helping you, you know.", Tim says. Another lie. It would have absolutely fucking killed him to help you, but at least he would have seen this coming. At least he could have prepared.

Kon squeezes you into his side, and then releases you so he can pour himself a drink. His bright blue eyes, kind and piercing, prompt Tim to speak again. "And, Kon - come on, buddy. Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Kon chuckles warmly. "I guess I didn't really realise what I was feeling, you know? I mean, I knew that it was different, but I didn't exactly know what it meant... or how to explain it."

Another piece of the puzzle falls into place. There's a domino effect in Tim's mind and right now he hates how intelligent he is, wishes he could turn it off for a second if only so that he would stop making deductions about this relationship that's sprung up right under his nose.

"You made the first move, then?", he asks, directed at you, and he can feel his smile starting to slip. There are beads of water on your waist in the wake of Kon's touch.

You let out a small, almost embarrassed laugh - Kon returns to your side, not touching you this time, but still standing in a way that makes it seem as though he's protecting you. "You could put it that way. I mean, nothing's official yet - no one even knows other than you and Steph and Jon, we're still figuring it out. We don't wanna make a big deal, you know?'

Tim doesn't know. He nods anyway. "I'm happy for you both."

The smile on his lips - vodka, ice, fruit - falters just a little too much and he knows Kon notices it. Bright blue eyes soften in worry, his mouth moves to ask if Tim's alright, but Tim just glances back at you; small smile on your lips, golden sun in your hair, happy.

"I'll have to go make sure that Bruce and Jason aren't in danger of blowing us all up in a gas explosion. I'll catch up with you two after.", Tim says, just before Kon can get any words out. He gestures aimlessly in the direction of the barbecue, and you and Kon nod in unison - together, a couple - and Tim throws back the last of his drink before he leaves.

He should be happy for you - he is, in a way, glad that Kon's found someone he can be vulnerable with and you've found someone who makes you happy. He should have been more convincing - he doesn't want either of you to worry. He should have seen this coming. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He should never have let himself start feeling anything for you in the first place.

Maybe, Tim thinks as he heads into the cool air of the manor and slips into a quiet room, closing the door behind him - maybe, if you hadn't have kissed him on the cheek, it would've been easier. He could've kept telling himself that this was just a stupid, summer crush, and it would've went away by the time the first snow fell in Gotham, and if worst came to worst he could've called Steph and distracted himself for a few nights. The thought of that, of touching anyone else, makes him feel sick now.

Tim runs his hands through his hair and tugs desperately at the ends. He has no idea how he's meant to come back out to the barbecue, watch Kon kiss the taste of sweet alcohol off your lips, think about Kon's hands on your body - he can't do this. He can't.

[squintyfist]

Starlight Comfort

A Round Robin done with @geminibabyhere @supersilversleuth @fanfictiongreenirises @batbirdies @blackroseaki38 @marzue  Words: 1,243  Characters: Stephanie Brown & Damian Wayne had to move a sentence or two around to make it flow better

Stephanie turned around in her seat with a huff, shooting a glare at the gremlin behind her.

The gremlin pushed a card into her hands and ran away, leaving her to wonder for a few moments why there was a card with "Sister 💜💚 " written on it.

This was indeed very suspicious. She debated with herself, knowing it would be a bad idea to open it. But who was she kidding, curiosity killed the cat, but the power of eggplant awesomeness would always bring it back.

A cloud of glitter enveloped her the moment she opened it, settling over Steph like a cloud and leaving her spluttering.

She had to admit she was impressed with the glitter surprise, the kid learned from the best after all.

At least it was purple, she thought, clearing it away with her hand to finally see the message inside.

The letter read: "Meet me at the fallen tree near the poolhouse in the Manor's backyard at 23:38 tonight."

Steph glanced at the clock - this left her with exactly three minutes to get there.

The glitter carnage left her covered in uncleanable purple glitter, but she ignored it to rush to the fallen tree near the poolhouse in the Manor's backyard in time.

It wasn’t like she’d never looked like a fool before and if there were shenanigans afoot, Steph wanted a part in them.

She just hoped she wouldn't be the one bamboozled tonight. She would rather be a part of the scheming than a victim of the scheme.

The unrecognizable red drops and scuff marks on the ground worried her a bit, but she pushed it aside to see…

Turned out there was a whole table set up with a telescope to see stars and sweets they both liked.

She carefully scrutinized the setup, suspicious of what the kid had planned.

She looked at the kid who gave her...puppy eyes. Puppy eyes.

Steph sighed, regretting her words even before they flew out of her mouth. "Now what do you want me to do?"

Damian gave her a judging stare, and said, "Stargaze, clearly."

Stephanie squinted back, not entirely convinced. “So, was there a purpose to the glitter bomb? Or was that just for fun?”

"Clearly, if the purpose is unclear to you, then you don't deserve the answer to your question."

Stephanie swung to settle next to Damian, deigning to ignore when he shuffled to sit closer to her (though she did smear some glitter onto his cheek).

Silence then rang between them long enough for Steph to start getting fidgety.

"Hey, you look like an eggplant now", Stephanie said, pointing towards the purple glitter smudged on his cheeks and the glint in his green eyes as she tried to kill the silence. She didn't expect to get the reply of "Very funny, Princess Aubergine."

Steph gasped, "So you were paying attention when I was ranting to you about it!"

Damian scoffed, but his cheeks went just a little pink at the call-out.

Stephanie laughed at his pink cheeks. It was lowkey cute, but also hilarious.

Damian refused to make eye contact with her, instead, staring at the stars as he grumbled, “I have memorized and cataloged all sorts of information, that story is hardly special.”

"Uh-huh, sure." She said, before deciding to let the matter drop. She wouldn't want to tease him too much and then get him in a bad mood before she figured out what, exactly, was going on tonight.

This was fun though as they took turns using the telescope. The knee-length kid looked up at her with a shine and awe in his eyes that was usually reserved for elder siblings whenever kids thought they were doing something very special.

She didn't even try to point out all the constellations she knew, the kid was like a walking encyclopedia of them all; instead, she made up stories about each one, connecting dots in the sky to make shapes that didn't exist, and watching as Damian made his not-quite-a-smile-but-not-the-usual-scowl face.

She was careful not to shift too suddenly—Damian was leaning on her shoulder to look more closely through the telescope, and she didn’t want to startle him away.

"Is—" She heard him start, but he stopped speaking just as quickly. She glanced over and saw that he seemed to be trying to find the right words.

"Is this plan for spending time and doing good things...good?" He asked, not really looking at her but also sending hopeful but hesitant glances her way.

"It is..." she paused for dramatic effect, "...adequate," she said, mocking him and pointing out the uncharacteristic nature of his question both. He scowled in response and looked away in a poor attempt to keep his relieved expression out of sight.

She weighed the pros and cons of giving him a hug, before compromising and brushing her arm against his.

He did that weird >tt< thing and looked away, hiding that not-smile of his, "I'm... glad that this outing has proven to be successful in uplifting your mood." He said, surprising her.

She blinked and a smile spread on her face and Damian looked seriously concerned at that. 

"No. That's contagious," he said.

Damian backed away in mock offense while she laughed, drawing her grin out wider till it strained the corners of her mouth.

She decided to take her chances and held her arms out, glitter still coating her as she darted after him. “Come on kiddo, you’re not afraid of little ol’ me, are you?”

"If I hadn't been raised in the League of Assassins and if I hadn't gotten used to your face, then yes, I would have been." He said, but still, he moved to let himself be hugged, surprising Stephanie once again.

When they separated, Damian said, "So my nefarious plan for getting a big sister hug and getting you to hug me worked very well" as he gave a sage nod.

He seemed to be acting...off tonight, as if he were hiding something, Steph thought, playing out everything that had happened so far back through her head. Damian stopped her halfway through with a suspiciously well-timed distraction.

“I—“, Damian paused again, still visibly struggling with saying what he wanted to say, but Steph was nothing if not patient (well, in regards to Damian).

"Yesterday, whilst in the middle of a 'mission' with Jon, I caught a glimpse of an alternate universe... one where…where you-" He didn't seem able to continue, his words halting in his throat no matter how hard he tried to force them out.

It was not difficult for Steph to fill the blank herself but she knew the kid was way affected by it and had no else to talk to. "Must have been boring to not have me around" she commented lightly and Damian nodded his head against her shoulder in response.

She knew he was lying, at least partly, just "a glimpse" wouldn't have been enough to bring him to this. She let it go though, surprised and touched at his uncharacteristically non-emotionally-constipated actions. Dick's teachings must have been wearing off on the kid, or better yet, her own.

She decided to let it go for now, what he currently seemed to need was some quiet quality time.

So that's what they had. Sitting next to each other and watching the stars twinkle in the sky above, taking comfort in each other's alive presence.

[shittystockholmstyles]

Carnival || Oscar Diaz

Summary: Oscar takes Steph out to the Carnival

Warnings: Language, smuty smut smut

A/N: Another Oscar story because I’m seriously thirsting over this man. This is pt 2 to House Party Enjoy!

Steph was sitting out on her front porch, drawing, when she heard someone whistle. She looked up to find a familiar cherry red Impala parked on the street. The passenger window was rolled down and she could see Oscar staring back at her. It had been a week since that night at the Santos party and they hadn’t spoken. In fact she had actively avoided going anywhere she might run into him.

“Ay Mamas, come over here” he said.

Steph rolled her eyes, she didn’t like the way he was ordering her over but she wasn’t in the mood to argue with the gang member. She set her sketchbook and pencil down and walked over, leaning her arms on the passenger door.

“What’s up?” Steph asked

Oscar’s eyes roamed over her body, “I ain’t seen you around lately” he even responded in a questioning tone.

“I’ve been busy”

“You and your girls going to the carnival tonight?” He asked

Shepherd shrugged “Maybe. We haven’t decided yet”

Oscar nodded and was silent. “Were you planning on going?” Steph asked

“I might” Oscar responded, “thought you’d want a ride there?”

Steph nodded, shock at the offer, “yeah ok”

“Be ready by 7, I don’t like waiting” Oscar said and put his car into drive.

Steph stepped back, nodding ok, and watched as he drove off.

Steph decided to head inside and take a shower. Once she got out she began going through her closet, looking for something to wear, as she called Maria.

“Hola chica” Maria’s voice came through the phone “did you decide if you wanna hit up the carnival tonight?”

“That’s what I’m calling about” Steph said, suddenly a little nervous “Oscar stopped by and asked me to go with him”

“Oscar?” Maria asked confused “oh shit! You mean Spooky? ¿De verdad?”

“Si, he’s even picking me up” Steph replied as she tossed several pairs of pants to the side. “The question is what do I wear?”

“Dress definitely dress” Maria said

“Isn’t that a little too much?” Steph ask, a little unsure about wearing a dress to the carnival.

“Not if it’s a casual dress, here switch to video and I’ll help you pick something out”

Steph faced her phone to her closet and began showing Maria the few dresses she owned. Most were meant for a night out at the bars not a casual gathering and she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard.

“Wait go back to that pink one” Maria said

Steph grabbed the pink dress down and looked at it. The dress was light pink, it had thin straps and lace lined the sweetheart neckline. She put it on and looked in the mirror. The dress was shorter than she remembered it being, falling just above mid thigh, but it was simple and with the right jacket could work for tonight. Steph continued talking to Maria as they both did their hair and makeup.

Time seemed to fly by, Steph glanced at the clock and it was 5 minutes to 7. Her and Maria said their goodbyes, promising to see each other later, and she slipped on a pair of white vans and a light cropped denim jacket as she headed to the door. Sure enough Oscar’s car was parked in front of her house. She closed her door and locked it, feeling his eyes on her.

“Hey” Steph said hopping into the passenger seat.

“Que pasa Mamas” said Oscar “you ready?”

She nodded and he pulled back onto the street.

The drive to the carnival was quiet, neither one of them saying anything. Soon they were parking and getting out of Oscar’s car. They walked up to the ticket booth and Oscar refused to let Steph pay, he paid for both of them.

“What do you wanna do first Mamas?” He asked placing a hand on her lower back.

Steph pointed towards a food tent and asked “do you want a beer?”

He nodded and led her toward the tent were he again refused to let her pay. He offered her one of the Coronas he had purchased saying “where to next?”

They ended up playing a few games, Steph was shocked at how easy it was to get Oscar to agree to play and that he was actually good. He had won a prize throwing baseballs at bowling pins. He turned to her and let her pick out a prize. Steph chose a fluffy unicorn and hugged it to her chest. She glance at Oscar and caught him smiling at her, she also caught the moment that smile slipped off his face and was replaced with a hardened expression. Steph turned to see what he was looking at and saw a few guys in purple, the 19th street gang, staring at him.

“I’ll be back, stay here” he said leaving no room to argue.

All Steph could do was watch as he started talking to the shortest of the guys. The conversation looked like it was getting heated when the short guy smirked and glanced over in Steph’s direction. Oscar looked back at her before shoving the guy back, his voice rising to a point where you could hear it over the noise of the carnival “quieres morir? Aye? You got a death wish foo? Get the fuck out of here!”

The guys friends pulled him back and they turned to leave, as Oscar made his way back to Steph.

“Is everything alright” she asked as she internally shamed herself for forgetting just the kind of man she was hanging out with. He was the leader of a gang and a killer, she knew what the teardrop tattoo under his eye meant.

“no te preocupes Mamas,” he said, stepping closer to her “let’s get out of here”

Steph nodded and followed him back to the car. She could feel the anger rolling off of him and yet somehow she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

They sat through another silent drive back to her house. When Oscar pulled up to the curb he shut off the engine and asked, “ can I come in?”

Steph nodded and led the way up to her front door and unlocked it. Oscar followed her down the hallway into her bedroom and looked around at the clean space. Steph shifted her weight from one foot to the other not sure what to say.

Oscar moved to stand in front of Steph, placing his hand on her hips and pulling her body against his.

“You have no idea the kind of thoughts that have been running through my mind all night” Oscar said, running his hands over her ass down to the hem of her dress and back up under her dress.

Steph felt her breath hitch and her panties began to get wet. She ran her hands up Oscar’s chest and linked them around his neck pulling his face down to hers. She pressed her lips against his and whispered “why don’t you show me”

Oscar raised an eyebrow “you think you can handle it Mami?”

“I think I showed you I could handle it last week” Steph said and tugged on his bottom lip. Suddenly she felt herself being lifted up and tossed on her bed. Oscar quickly followed, pushing her legs apart and kneeling between them. She felt her dress rise up, exposing her panties. He ran his hands up her thighs and graze his fingers across her covered pussy. Steph shivered with want.

“Damn Mami do you always get this wet so fast or is that just for me?” Oscar asked, his voice thick with lust. He pushed his thumb against her clit waiting for an answer.

Steph let out a moan and shook her head “only for you papi” she gasped moving her hips to create the friction she needed.

Oscar used his free hand to pin her hips down to the bed “did I say you could move?” He began rubbing slow circles against her clit. Steph’s panties were soaked and her moans came faster. She heard a the tearing of clothing and poked down to see that Oscar had torn of her panties. She had no time to think about that though has he pushed a finger deep onside her.

“Mmmmm fuck papi” she moaned and he sped up his pace. Oscar used his free hand to pull down the top of her dress and expose her breasts he brought his mouth to one of her nipples and ran his tongue over it. The sensation was all too much and Steph couldn’t hold back the moans that fell past her lips.

She opened her eyes as she felt Oscar pull away. He had stood up and was removing his clothes. Steph watched as his full erection sprang free of his pants. She had almost forgotten how huge he was.

“Take your dress off” he demanded getting back on her bed.

Steph did as she was told and let out a little yelp as he moved behind her and grabbed her hips. She could feel his dick rub against her ass and she began to grind against him. Oscar let out moan and that gave her the confidence to continue.

She slowly bent over, arching her back and made eye contact with him over her shoulder “aren’t you gonna fuck me papi?”

“My little slut” Oscar said and with a smirk he slapped her ass, hard.

Oscar guided his dick to the entrance of her pussy and slammed into Steph causing her to scream out his name.

“Fuck Mami, your pussy is so tight” Oscar gasped.

He held her hips steady as he began to move in and out at a fast pace, slapping her ass every once in a while.

Steph felt her thighs begin to shake and a fire build in the pit of her stomach as Oscar continued his movement, hitting the spot only he seemed to be able to hit. “Os- I- I’m gonna cum” she screamed.

Her body was shaking and she didn’t think she could hold her self up any longer but Oscar wrapped his arm around her waist and continued his movements.

“C’mon Mami, you said you could handle it” he grunted out, continuing to hold her up. The hand her hips moved around to find her clit and Oscar began to rub fast circles. Steph let out a scream as she felt the pressure begin to build up again.

“Papi I’m gonna cum” she screamed as her climax came, her pussy tightened around Oscar’s dick and this time it was enough to make him cum. His strokes became sloppy as he emptied himself into her. Oscar released his grip on Steph and she collapsed onto her bed, her body shaking.

Oscar laid down beside her. The last thing Steph remember before passing out was Oscar wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

“Dulces sueños princesa” Oscar’s voice filled her head.

[frederikandersens]

All I Want (3) F.A

Warnings: sex! Brief mention of couple counselling & Auston being a dick! (shocker)

A/N: i have been doing SO much research on how to write sex scenes it’s not even funny, i tried my best lmao, enjoy😌 ALSO this is the last part🥺

You still stayed at Austons, however Freddie did sleep in the guest room with you. You two were finally making progress, but when you finally come to your senses you realize he’s no longer in bed with you.

You let out a loud, frustrated sigh as you force yourself to get out of bed. Making your way downstairs, you were clearly in a bad mood until you see a note with your name on it, raising an eyebrow Auston notices the confusion.

“Fred left that for you, not sure what it says, he told me not to read it” Auston winks. The bitch definitely read it.

Y/N,

I know it was stupid of me to leave you so early in the morning, but this is all so crazy. I need time. I’m my love.

“Time? What could he possibly need more time for?” You scoff. He couldn’t be serious, he’s the one that fucked this up, right? “Think he said something about him going to the one café in Yorkville that you two always went to, might wanna meet him there, not sure if he’s still there but-” Auston says, “no- no I’m not letting him do this! I’m not gonna come running to him, I’m done, I tried Auston, I really did but I can’t do this with him anymore” you feel tears form in your eyes but refuse to let them fall- you didn’t want to cry over Freddie anymore.

“That’s fine” auston pours his coffee, “although I do have a question” he says, “yeah what?” You ask, “it may be too soon but I was just wondering if maybe you’d like to go out sometime?” He smiles confidently.

“You’re fucking with me, right? Freddie put you up to this?” You ask, he shakes his head, “no! Are you stupid, Auston!? Why would I ever date my boyfriends bestfriend?! I’m going to go see what Steph and Mitch are up to and hang out there for the day” you say putting on your sandals and grabbing your car keys, slamming the door behind you.

As you drive you can’t help but think of Auston and yours conversation, how stupid could he be? Isn’t it bro code or something to not go after your boys girl? He didn’t think he actually had a chance, did he? Though this is Auston Matthews you’re talking about and he had a habit of being a bit entitled at times.

You contemplated going to Freddie’s, but you really wanted him to know how mad you were for him leaving you this morning, it hurt you to say the least. You were disrupted by a phone call as you pull to the nearest parking lot.

“Hello?” You ask, “yes hello, is this miss. Y/L/N? It’s about the apartment, you got it if you want it”

Yesterday while it was just you and Auston you had applied to an apartment, assuming you wouldn’t hear back, “yes this is” You reply, “the place is ready when you are, get back to me this week if you want to make the move” That was pretty much the just of the conversation, nothing worth mentioning, “finally” you let a sigh of relief fall from your lips.

Y/N:

got that apartment, i’ll be out in a few days

Auston:

damn, so soon?

Y/N:

take the fucking hint auston

You roll your eyes at that message, you had also shot Freddie a quick message saying you’d be by to pick up the remainder of your things at a later date.

-

“Hey” you walk into Steph and Mitchs home. They always told you to just walk in, that you were family to them, “oh” you sigh as you see Freddie, “I didn’t know you’d be here” he nervously wipes his hands on his pants, “yeah, I just needed to leave for a bit, where’s Steph and Mitch?” You ask.

He waits a few seconds before talking, “sorry- um- they left for the night and asked me to watch Zeus” he says, “oh” you nod. Why was this so awkward? You went from easily having a conversation about anything and everything to nothing.

“I think we should talk more- about last night specifically” he says, “and I just want you to listen, no fighting” he says, you nod your head in agreement.

“We’ve been struggling, no doubt. And we’ve let it go on for too long and I feel it’s gotten to a point where there’s no fixing it” he says.

“No, I don’t understand this at all, we’re Freddie and Y/N, we’re the couple everyone looks up to, this can’t happen, I can’t lose you” you drape your leg over his.

“I told you to listen to me for a minute, please, Y/N, just listen, that’s all I’m asking from you” he sighs, you wish you could understand why he thinks there’s no fixing this, but you couldn’t come up with anything.

“I love you and-” you cut him off, “prove it then, Fred, prove to me you love me, because if you did this bullshit wouldn’t be coming out of your mouth” you cry.

“Y/N” he says sympathetically, rubbing small circles on your knee, “I can’t lose you, Freddie” you wipe your eyes with the sleeves of your hoodie, actually, Freddie’s hoodie that he gave to you because you were cold, even though you had your own hoodies.

It was so sad how fast things changed between you and Freddie, you just wanted things to be normal again, like how when you two first started dating. How innocent you were at the time. It was just like yesterday his arms were wrapped around you as you’d fall asleep, or his quiet snores that you absolutely hated and were now missing more than ever.

He stares at you for a moment, trying to read you before he pulls you in for a kiss, pushing you on your back, enjoying the feeling of his lips on yours, your hands travel up his shirt, “I’m not doing anything with you if it ends up in you leaving... again” you pull away, not letting him distract you from your end goal, he lets out a sigh, as he brushes a hand through his hair, his messy hair that always turned you on so much, “don’t worry, we’ll figure this out” he kisses your neck before his lips meet yours again.

“I can’t do this infront of the dog” you sigh, he lets out a breathy laugh and picks you up, you wrap your legs around his waist as he carries you to the guest room, kicking the door shut behind him before putting you down and pushing you agaisnt it, he pulls his shirt off tossing it across the room, his lips instantly meeting yours and it’s not long before your granting his tongue access to your mouth, your hands running up and down his now bare chest, feeling every little detail.

You push yourselves as close together as possible, trying to make up for the months you hadn’t been there for eachother physically. You feel him hard and ready agaisnt you, “bed” he says sternly.

You quickly take off the clothes you had been wearing, Freddie watches your every move as he gets off to you getting undressed, you had no clue when he took his pants off, but you weren’t about to question it, “lay down, angel” he says, his voice suddenly softer than before.

It’s not long before he’s leaning over top of you, opening your legs for him, letting you know you’re ready for him. You both moan in sync as he presses into you, the feeling of not being together finally begin to fade away, you draw him in deeper and deeper into the kiss, he knew what you were trying to do, he knew you wanted to give him a reason to stay. He also wanted this as bad as you did, he wanted you.

“C’mon, Fred, doesn’t this make you wanna stay” you bite your lip, digging your nails in his back, “mhm, forgot how good it is” he kisses your jaw, “yeah?” You moan.

His thrust were slow and steady, and truthfully it was making you so much more frustrated than before and you push your hips into him, “so needy, huh?” He smirks as he pulls out to throw your leg over his shoulder, you missed him so much, missed his touch, missed the feeling of him inside of you, “Fred” his name falls from your lips, this only encourages him more as he thrusts faster and harder into you, the headboard hitting the wall and the bed obnoxiously squeaking.

He keeps this steady pace, only slowing down for a few seconds just to speed up again. You hear his pants in your ear, “Y/N” he whispers, to what felt impossible his thrust get faster, practically bashing the headboard agaisnt the wall, causing pleasure-filled screams to fall from your mouth, it’s not long before you come to your high, and he only last a few minutes after you. The feeling of being apart was too much.

Once you both calm down, he pulls out, and you let out a soft, quiet moan, “I can’t leave you, I really can’t” he leans down for a soft kiss, “I’m glad” you lazily smile, “one of us needs to tell Steph, Mitch, and Auston that we’re okay now, that we’re working on things” Freddie suggests, “I will” I smile, “I’ll gladly do it” you both make your way to the bathroom to take a shower.

The shower consisted of possibly another round or two, and washing eachother, and maybe a blowjob, and maybe even shampoo getting in your eye. It was an interesting shower to say the least, but you won’t complain about the shampoo in your eye since Freddie was right there wrapping his arms around you as you wiped at your eye.

sqaud

Freddie:

Hey

Auston:

Hi?

Steph:

Hello

Mitch:

How’s my zeusy boy doing?

Freddie:

He’s good

Y/N:

Fred and I are good, we’re working on things:)

Steph:

WHAT

Mitch:

OMG NO

Ur joking?!

Omg let’s cry

Auston:

Aye

You smile as you put your phone down, you never expected a man to be the cause of your happiness, but love does some fucked up things to you.

A pair of warm arms wrap around you, pulling you as close as possible and it’s all you could ever need, “does Zeus need out?” I ask, Freddie sighs, “yeah” he gets up, “I’ll come with you” you hold his hand as you exit the room.

You both stand at the patio door as you watch Zeus run around the yard, letting him burn off some energy before bedtime.

“One day maybe we can move into a house and get a dog, or maybe a baby?” I look up at him and smile, “not for a couple years anyway” I add, “of course, love” he presses a kiss to your head, “whenever your ready, I am” he wraps his arm around your shoulder.

As you let Zeus in, he goes straight up on the couch, and honestly he probably wasn’t allowed on there but it’s one night, let the dog live. Freddie picks you up bridal style and carries you to the bedroom where you then cuddle, running your hands up and down his stomach, tracing the dip in his collarbone, tracing his abs, and giving him soft kisses on his neck and jaw, “it’s 11 Y/N, we need to sleep, especially you, I know it’s been hard” he kisses your head.

It’s a few minutes at least before you say anything, “hasn’t it been hard for you?” You ask him, “of course, but you’re my main priority, my mom said she was concerned about you because when she’d call you, you weren’t upbeat as usual, she knew something was going on but I didn’t wanna tell her becau-” you cut him off, “I told her” I say, Freddie’s eyes go wide, “that’s why she was mad at me?” He sighs, “hang on” you lean over Freddie to grab your phone.

Y/N:

Freddie and I are working on things. You’ve raised a good man, thank you.

Charlotte:

I’m glad to hear. I was very angry with him after hearing what he was doing with your friend. I tried my best with him. Thank you for sticking around, I love you my dear

Y/N:

I love you, thank you

“I’m so glad the two of you get along so well” he smiles, rubbing your shoulder, “me too, I love your mom a lot” you look up at him, causing him to smile, “she loves you.”

“This is so perfect” I wrap my arm around him, “this is all I want is to be with you like this, just cuddling and talking” I smile, “I’m very lucky to have you, I love you so much” he says, his voice soft, “i love you too baby” and it’s not long before sleep overtakes you.

You both would finally be together and happy. Attending couples counselling every other week. And as far as the Auston thing goes, Freddie didn’t need to know, and you and Auston weren’t exactly super close as you had been before, but you tolerated him for the sake of Freddie.

“I love you” he whispers planting a kiss on your head, pulling you closer into him as he also falls asleep. And when Steph and Mitch get home, they see you two peacefully sleeping and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of their bestfriends finally happy again.

[black-streak]

Saturday night's alright for fighting (but Sundays are meant for rest) - Deprived

Part 13

In case y'all forgot, their entire relationship started with sleeping and cuddles. If you're sick of reading about it, I don't know how you made it this far. Last! Bit! Until the bet's end! Warning, it might take me forever to write part 14. Thoughts are always loved.

Tags!: @emjrabbitwolf @mystery-5-5 @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @fandomkitty8 @dast218 @silvergold-swirl @shizukiryuu . @my-name-is-michell @kurogaya913 @elspethshadow @thecatnipmademedoit @shamefullove @ladylucina28 @crazylittlemunchkin @rayray384 @cassiejaydee @yuulxd @ladysblackcat @naclychilli @caffeinetheory @persephonebutkore @fertileleaf @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @weird-pale-blonde-person @st0rmy-w1th1n @littleblue5mcdork @dudet @naoryllis @disneyfoxuniverse @lordsmeldingtonthethird @taoiichii @resignedcatservant @iloontjeboontje @a-fan-fighting-for-equality

~---~

Missing someone starts simple enough. You raincheck a date or have to cancel a few times because life just demanded too much of you that week. Not that big of a deal, especially for a new couple. Surely the attachment and codependency hasn't settled in too heavily yet. Except maybe you're accustomed to seeing them at least four nights and two days every week at minimum even before dating. Perhaps that person helps with your bad habits and the lack of their presence disperses half your impulse control. There's even a chance that your basic human needs get tossed into a shallow grave with no marker because who really needs food and water and sleep? Those are optional right? But really, to skip all the roundabout half speak, it all accumulated into one basic thought, 'I miss Tim.'

...

"Something I should know about?" Robin spoke, not turning towards her where she landed at his side. 

"Not allowed to follow my bestie every now and again?"

"Tt. I am well aware that I am not your usual choice of company, Tuemessian. Angel's? Maybe. Not yours."

She hesitated a moment, contemplating teasing only to stop herself. She came to confide in him, not annoy and he had already offered the branch. No need to have it retracted.

"Batman decided to tail Red a few days ago."

"Hmm, Red Robin hasn't been on any particularly difficult cases lately. Why would he need the extra help?"

"Because of me."

"We all know you shadow him. No reason to start getting uppity about it now," he paused for a moment before shooting her an accusatory look, "Something must have changed. And you neglected to inform me."

Heaving a long suffering sigh at Robin's tone, she fell against his side.

"Might've gotten on Batman's bad side. And let him see me. And hung off Red."

"So he's babysitting you now," he realized.

"Pretty much."

"And you came running to me in retaliation so as not to be observed," he observed with an unimpressed scowl.

"I will not be tailed by a man in a glorified onesie. It's demeaning and rude," she sniffed, nose turned up in a perfect imitation of Chloe.

"Suppose I should get used to my new patrol partner then?"

"Until Bats gets his head out of where it doesn't belong anyways," she pouted further, "I'm going to miss Red."

"If you plan to whine about it, I won't stick around to hear it," he threatened.

"Yeah right, you love me too much to just abandon me."

"Don't push it."

…

Two nights later, Jason found Marinette sitting on the roof of the manor, drawing in her sketch pad.

"You know Littlewing is out tonight, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright sugarcube, what's up? You always follow him on patrol nights," Jason asked, settling behind her and letting her lean back into his chest, taking comfort in the contact, "Unless you're the reason Batsy bitched all of last night?"

"He confronted Tim on why Vixen wasn't following Red Robin anymore. Said that Vixen was his responsibility and he was shirking it."

"And Tim told him to stop supervising his nights out," Jason filled in the blanks, chuckling at the memory, "thought he'd blow a gasket when Tim ignored him after that."

"Red told me he'd let me know when Bruce decided to back off so I could come out again. Followed Robin the last two nights, but it got boring. Taking a night off."

"Yeah, kid's too serious in the suit to be much fun. What you working on up here anyways?"

"New outfit for Kori. Owe her one," she stifled a yawn, concentrating once more on the mechanics of making a crop top that didn't move or lift with your arms up or when turned upside down, without being skin tight.

"And the roof was the best option for this, obviously."

"No distractions up here."

"Or really?"

"Don't even think about it!"

He snagged the sketchbook and took off back through the window and down the hall, laughing when he heard a shriek and the immediate sounds of Mari giving chase.

"Jason get back here with that!"

…

Stephanie dropped into the apartment on a Thursday, taking in the fabric bound chaos of the living area, particularly thick around a work desk that seemingly exploded. Scattered bits of boning, lacing, eyelets, three seam rippers and notably a few chains, sticking out of the disaster. In the center of it all sat a tiny designer with a vicious snarl curling the edge of her lip.

Skipping over, Steph wrapped her hands around and squeezed at the tense shoulders, noticing the concerning lack of reaction.

"Mari, I'm hungry."

"I'll make you something later."

"Hmm, don't think so. I'm calling for pizza. You're joining me and no, work is not allowed during pizza time." 

With that, she dragged Marinette off the chair and into the bedroom, both dropping onto the bed as Stephanie made the call, not needing to ask what the other wanted. Marinette didn't bother arguing, which was only more concerning. Steph wondered for a moment if she should call in reinforcement, but ultimately opted out. 'Nah, I got this.'

"Okay, should be here soon," she stated, relaxing into the comforter for a while, letting the other recover from being abruptly yanked out of work mode; read ten minutes of silence before curiosity won out.

"So what are you killing yourself over this time? Oh! Your suit for the next show? You have to let me see it!"

"No no, that was finished a week ago. You can stop by the studio tomorrow to check it out. You're still coming with me, right? I have a dress set aside for you."

"Obviously. I'm your date. However, that doesn't answer what you were getting so pissy with out there?" She teased, peaking at the other from the corner of her eye.

"It's a corset. Like, an actual, structured, hand embroidered, perfectly laced up corset. My hands feel like a crime scene with how much I've torn into them trying to get this right."

"Oh god, those things are so intricate. You're going to be screaming bloody murder by the end, why would you even do that to yourself?"

"... Haven't been sleeping much, figured it'd help get the frustration out."

"You never sleep much. Hence the sleep cuddle club," she pondered the thought a moment before snickering, "you two could make a business out of that if you weren't already swamping yourselves. Cuddle sessions for the sleep deprived and lonely. Oh! I'll go grab the door. I'm stealing your wallet by the way." 

Stephanie launched out of the room to the sound of a knocking door and a Mari grumbling about it hardly being stealing when you announce it and the owner doesn't care. Walking back in, she dropped the box between them, yanked the top off and grabbed for the garlic butter sauce they ordered to dip the crusts in.

"You're disgusting."

"And you lack respect for sauce. What else is new?"

"... I've been skipping nap time too," Mari muttered, hoping the other wouldn't hear.

"What do you mean you've been skipping naps? That's like, the only time you two ever sleep! Marinette, you cannot be awake 24/7."

"Pshh, more like 23/6. I crash hard on day 7."

"... That's a whole mood. Might I ask as to why you hate yourself so suddenly?"

"My commissions have gone through the roof with award season coming up, and spring weddings start up immediately after that. I might be clientele only, but my client basis is massive at this point! I don't have time and the few moments I've been free, Tim's been out for the night. And lord knows I don't sleep well alone."

"Uh-huh. And how long has this been going on?" Steph focused on the cheese stringing from her mouth that just would not let go, to give the other a chance to build up to tell the truth without having a guilty stare off.

"Um. About two weeks?" Mari flinched, wishing she were Tuemessian so she could disappear right there.

"So what you're telling me is that you haven't slept more than 12 collective hours, you're overworking yourself to the point of compliance to my antics, and your boyfriend, who's just as much of a sleepless wreck as you are, hasn't dragged you off for your regularly scheduled nap dates. Is that correct?"

"Well yeah. Wait, my boyfriend?"

"Don't even try me, I know you and Tim are a thing. No denying it. It's so damn blatant, it's ridiculous the others seem so oblivious to it," Steph rolled her eyes, daintily wiping her fingers off and grabbing a half empty water bottle off the nightstand to drain. A perfect contradiction of uppity and uncaring that only she seemed to pull off.

Marinette could only blink in surprise for a moment before nodding along, "We didn't plan for this," she murmured, half distracted.

"For what?"

"Nothing," she shook her head to clear the thought, "point is.Yes? I mean, we're just really busy and haven't found time and he knows how important this all is to me and even if he doesn't approve, it's not like he can get away to prevent it. Which would make him a total hypocrite if he called me out on it. Honestly, it's not even that bad, I'm catching up on so much now and I'll get to see him soon I'm sure, just as soon as I get through this season and!"

"That's it! I'm staging an intervention! We're finishing this pizza, cleaning you up and then I'm dropping you off at his apartment where you will sleep. Tomorrow the two of you are not leaving the bed until noon at the earliest. No work, only rest. Understood?"

"Noooo, Stephanniiieee, I'm busy!"

"Are you telling me you don't want snuggles?"

"... No."

"Then quit your bitchin, your arguments are lost on me. Now help me with this before I eat it all, itty bitty."

…

It took maybe fifteen minutes to finish the food and get some water down, another twenty to shower and get coerced into wearing cozy black fleece leggings, lavender tank top, and a soft, deep royal purple cardigan, and finally an extra ten minutes to lock up and make it out of the complex.

While Marinette was locked away in the bathroom, Stephanie called up Tim.

"Tell me you're at home. Or can be back in the next fifteen minutes."

"I just walked in?"

"Perfect, I'm dropping Mari off soon. She's like the walking dead right now and that's coming from the Dead Robins Club VP."

"VP…"

"Duh, Jason's the President. Damian's a recruit. Mari's not allowed to become the newbie. She's not even a Robin, it'd make no sense."

"What about Dick and I?"

"You two never actually died, doesn't count."

"Fair… wait, what's going on with ma loutine?"

"When's the last time you slept properly? Or even napped?"

"..."

"So when do you think she last slept or napped?"

"..."

"We'll be there soon."

…

Marinette found herself dragged up to his apartment, the door opening as she was pushed forward into a warm, familiar chest.

Since being dragged from her work, the lack of self care was slowly catching up to her. She hadn't even bothered to pull her hair out of her face, just letting the freshly blow dried fluff fall were it may. She had a vague idea of how they got here, but either way was grateful to find herself warm and held, even if it was in a doorway with the two talking over her head. She caught only snippets: something about not skipping out on each other anymore and a suggestion about living situations that made the body pressed to hers flush. Eventually the two stopped and Stephanie left. A hand pressed to the side of her face and she looked up to Tim who tilted to rest his forehead on hers.

"Hello sweetheart."

"Mon Somnambule," she smiled, eyes closing automatically.

"Think you're beating me there. When have you last slept?"

"Hypocrite."

"That's not an answer."

Mari pouted, not looking like she wanted to answer.

"Have you slept beyond an hour at a time?"

"I can't remember," she admitted.

"Why haven't you slept? You're usually better at self regulation than I am."

"Missed you."

"It's more than that though, isn't it?"

She pulled back and burrowed back into his chest, concentrating on the sound of his heartbeat.

"Couldn't sleep alone. Dark figure stalking me. Brought back bad memories. Became a nonentity for a reason. I do the following now. I make others uncomfortable, observe and toy with them. Not the other way round."

"I took care of that. He won't follow me anymore. You can come back out. But sweetheart, why didn't you call me?"

"Too risky at night with him following you. Too busy during the day. Didn't seem like there was a good time," she admitted.

He frowned, but let it go, gently tugging her arms over his shoulders to clasp behind his neck and placed his hands on the back of her thighs in a prompt to jump up. With her firmly wrapped around him, he made way to his bedroom, sitting down on the edge and pulling back a touch.

"Maybe Steph was right about living situations," he muttered to himself, hushing her when she hummed in confusion.

"Are you comfortable sleeping in that?"

She tugged at the cardigan, accidently getting tangled until he helped her out of it, folding it off to the side. She tucked her face down into the side of his neck and slumped into him completely. Turning them about, he settled her down, curling around her.

"Sleep well, love."

[queerbutstillhere]

If you‘re still taking writing requests, maybe something with the batfam having to take care of Dick?

Hiya! Sorry it took so long to get to this! But here we are, enjoy!

Breaking his arm wasn't exactly how Dick had intended to spend this month.

He'd been laid off of work because of his arm, he couldn't go out as Nightwing because of his arm, he could barely cook because of his arm.

He was just stuck at home, mostly by himself. The Titans all tried to stop by every once in a while, and they'd all be trading off running patrols for him, but even the occasional weekend with one of his friends or even his boyfriend wasnt quite enough to stave off the intense depression that accompanied his time off. He'd read so many books and binged so many tv shows. And now he just wasn't interested in anything.

Running and working out was awkward with a broken arm, so he could barely stay active. He couldn't sleep well because he was a stomach sleeper. He couldn't crochet or knit or any of the various busy work hobbies he'd picked up because they all required both hands.

After a while, he just got bored and drove back home, leaving a note for anyone who came to his apartment (inside the apartment, because we all know Dick's friends just let themselves in anyway), sent the Titans a text and then headed for Gotham.

When he got there it was around 1am, and the entire family was down in the cave or gone. He just dropped his overnight bag in his bedroom, then went down to the cave.

Alfred was thoroughly shocked to see him. 

"Master Richard!" Alfred exclaimed, looking up from where he was fixing a hole in a uniform.

"Hi, Alfie."

Jason teased him for being lonely.

He ended up being sat down in the lounge area while Alfred quickly made some tea, then came and scolded him for how loose he was wearing his sling.

Damian was the first one to arrive back home, Jon on his heels like a loyal puppy, and he too immediately started scolding Dick, mostly for not resting. 

Tim made some comment about keeping his mind active.

And Bruce, who arrived last, at nearly 3am, just gave Dick a confused look before disappearing into the locker room, and when he came back, wearing sweats and a hoodie, he held a hand out to his eldest.

"Come on, let's go get food."

Dick grabbed his father's hand with his good one and let himself be pulled up. They walked to the elevator in silence. And then road up it in silence.

"Blüdhaven was too quite."

"I know."

"I didn't want to intrude but I was just bored."

"You're not intruding."

"And I'm sorry to come unannounced but-"

"Dick." Bruce turned to his son as the elevator stopped. "This is your home, you're always welcome here."

Dick grinned just a bit, his slight anxiety eased. He followed Bruce through to the kitchen, where he could hear the others already chattering.

"Where's Cass?"

"Off with the other girls," Bruce explained, stepping into the kitchen. "So it's a boys- er . . . It's just us this weekend."

Dick smiled lightly at Bruce's quick correction but didn't comment, especially as Damian was already harassing him about eating.

"When was the last time you ate, Grayson?" Damian asked in that sassy, authorative voice of his. He was helping Jason prepare something.

"Uh, earlier? Like, six pm."

Damian nodded thoughtfully. "Good good."

"Where'd the kid go?"

"Jon is asleep," Damian answered as if it was an obvious fact, then turned to dump some veggies into a huge pan.

"Are you guys making stir-fry?"

Dick went to grab a glass, but found Tim holding a cup up in front of him. He took it with a quiet thanks and went to get water from the fridge.

"That is the plan."

"Does Alfie know you're up to this?"

"Tt, of course, Grayson."

Dick hung out with his siblings and father while waiting for their food to be done, and once it was, they all migrated to the dining room, sitting around the table and chatting. Dick got mocked because he couldn't use chopsticks, and in turn he mocked the others for anything and everything he could think of. But they were all laughing and grinning and it was so worth it.

He ending up spending the whole weekend, and the next week as well, even though during the afternoons he was still pretty bored, with everyone gone for work or school. He often sat around in whatever room Alfred was in, trailing after him like a lost puppy, like he used to do during summers when he was a kid. Sometimes they just sat around and had tea together and chatted and it was amazing.

Dick could tell everyone was watching him, a little cautiously. Everyone was preventing him from doing anything that could put stress on his arm, constantly offering to get him things, or jumping up to grab something before he could. In a way it was driving him insane, but at the same time, in a selfish way, it was nice to have them solely focused on him. Or at least, solely focused on him when they were out of costume or not fighting with each other.

"Richard, you need to elevate your arm."

Dick looked over at Damian, who had just walked in, a sketchbook and a pack of pencils clutched against his chest.

"Right. I was just." Dick motioned towards the book he had been reading.

Damian frowned, and marched over. He set his sketchbook on the coffee table and stacked up some pillows next to Dicks arm. 

"There."

Then he scooped up his sketchbook and plopped down in an armchair on the other side of the room.

"When did you get back from school?" Dick asked, noting Damian was still in his school uniform.

"Twenty minutes ago."

The kid selected a pencil and started drawing on the page, not bothering to look up at Dick.

"Whatcha gonna draw?"

"I don't know yet.”

Dick decided to leave Damian alone, clearly he wasn't in a talking mood, so he just returned to reading, glad Bruce had a much larger library then he did.

An hour later, Tim walked in and plopped down next to Dick, a bag of chips in one hand and a laptop in the other. 

Another hour later and Bruce appeared, Cassandra with him, the two signing and laughing with each other.

Slowly the living room filled up with members of their crazy family. Jason and Duke, Babs and Steph, Kate, Harper, Carrie, Cullen, and Dick had no idea why they were all here, even as they all gathered in the dining room for dinner.

Finally he leaned over to Babs. "So, mind telling me what's going on here?"

She looked up at him with a grin.

"One of your gingers gave us a call and told us you had been lonely. So when we all found out you were here, we figured we'd drop by."

Dick snorted, adjust his sling. "Wally."

Babs winked at him. "On the nose."

Dick just shook his head, turning to look around the table, voices echoing off the dining room walls and causing a chaotic mess of sound. And he grinned. He grinned because he loved his family, his large, wonderful, crazy family, and he wouldn't trade them for anything.

[dynastyau]

Mystery Man

It’s finally here! The first ever Hades and Persephone fic! I am super nervous for this one, I really don’t know how good it is or if anyone will even read it. I worked really hard on this fic and I do hope you enjoy it. I was up until 6am and decided to finish this while I couldn't sleep. Anyway, enjoy! 

-MaKenzie ♥️

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

Persephone was always known as a free spirit. She was known for spreading warmth and joy everywhere she went. Steph enjoyed it when everyone around her was happy and joyous. To her, she always wanted to make the world around her a party!  

This “free-spirit” came about because of the way she was raised. When she was younger her mother was a bit stricter than other parents. Not that her mother was cruel or mean in any way she just wanted her daughter to be the best that she could be. Demeter was known for her successful winery and farm to table restaurant that was located just outside of town. She had gone through many different road bumps in her life that shaped her to be who she is.

Those challenges that she faced brought out the desire to help her daughter to be the best. She just wanted her daughter to not have to face the same mistakes and traumas that she experienced. At times she knew that she was overbearing but she would rather be overbearing than allow her daughter to suffer.

Young Persephone saw this as her mother trying to control her. She believed that her mother was trying to groom her to be the same woman that she was. It infuriated the young woman and drove her to be this free-spirit. For some on the outside, it may have seemed that the young woman was rebelling but Persephone saw it as being “free”.

The young girl spent her free time at her dear half-brother’s, Hermes, bar. While he didn’t fully support her underage drinking he did help supply her. He knew how she felt about her mother and the “lessons” and wanted to help relieve stress any way that he can. The young girl would host parties almost nightly at the bar.

These parties were always very popular, mainly because of the free booze and everyone’s love for Persephone. Steph was a very beautiful young woman, a sight for sore eyes. Men flocked to the young woman trying to take a shot with her. To their dismay, she was highly uninterested in their conquests. She would never admit it to anyone but she did enjoy the attention, she wanted to be loved for more than her looks.

This male attention that she received was not taken well by the other women in the town. They started nasty rumors about Steph. They were saying that she was a floozy, that she slept with anyone who gave her attention, that she was a “revolving door.” She never let those women get to her in public but her pillow knew many tears. She let all of the nasty words roll off her back the best she could but there were times when it was too much to bear.

Demeter’s words about how boys only want “one thing” from women were constantly playing in her head. While some of the men actually had pure intentions with Steph she couldn't believe them. It wasn’t until Hades stepped foot in Herme’s bar she started to question those words.

She saw the tall dark man who lurked in the corner. He was silent, not talking to those around her. She watched from afar, admiring everything about him. There was this mysterious, attractive aura around him that was drawing her to him. She wanted to get to know him but for the first time, she was afraid.

She was afraid that he would reject her, that he would destroy the sunshine inside of her. These fears were new to her. She didn’t fully understand where they came from, why she felt this way. It was unnerving to her, she was used to being so confident, or at least pretending to be.

The more she stared at the mystery man the more her mind wandered. She started to think about what he sounds like, what it would feel like to be in his arms, who is that man? Her mood instantly dropped when he saw a group of women, known for starting all of these rumors about her, making their way to him.

She was instantly drawn to the dark, mysterious man but knew that this group of women was instantly going to ruin any chance she had with him. She turned to the bartender and ordered another drink to drown out the incoming sadness.

Hades could feel someone watching him. He figured that it was because he was new to town and it was the first time he had ever set foot in this bar. Moving to a smaller town he knew that he was going to be a “novelty” for a few. When he finally saw who was watching him he lost his breath for a moment. Sitting at the bartop was a beautiful woman with bouncy, curly hair he wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through.

He had never felt so captivated by a woman before. She was a different breed of woman, she was the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He was captivated by the small smile on her face but he was yearning to see that smile in full bloom. Even from a distance, he could see that she was absolute perfection.

All he wanted was to get to know her, get to know everything about her. Just as he was about to go make his way to the beautiful women a group of women blocked his way. He could admit that objectively these women were beautiful but nowhere near as beautiful as the mystery woman.

Persephone downed glass after glass, doing everything she can to try to forget the mystery man. “What’s on your mind sister?” Hermes’ rich voice pulled her to look at the full glass he set in front of her. Instead of answering she just turned to look at the guy, there was just something about him begging her to go to him. “Who is he?” Hermes hadn’t seen the man around before but he was just as intrigued. Whoever this man was he had caught the eye of Steph and that never happens.

With a sad sigh, she pulled her gaze away from him, just missing him gazing back at her. “I don’t know,” she paused taking a swig of the drink in front of her, “but I want to.” This was a surprise to Hermes, his dear sister had never shown a real interest in any male suitors before.  

Before either of them could respond a large man took a seat on the stool next to her. Without missing a beat he slung his arm around her shoulders pulling her close to him. “Why would you want that creep when you can have me?” This is why Steph wasn’t interested in the men in this town.

Hades didn’t want to believe in what the women were saying about the beautiful woman. At one point he tuned them out and went back to gazing at the women. Her shoulders were slumped, even from this distance, he could tell she was upset. He was about to go talk to her when some man sat next to her, pulling her in close.

Maybe those nasty rumors that the women mentioned were true? As much as he wanted not to believe the rumors in the lack of response from the woman dampened his mood. The nagging feeling of jealousy arose confusing him, he felt the need to go be with this woman regardless of what he was told.

Just as Hades was about to give up and walk out the door he noticed the woman start to push away. Persephone had tried to deny the man’s advances but he wasn’t taking a hint. She wasn't sure if it was due to the alcohol or that this man was used to getting everything he wanted. “Come on baby, we will have a great time,” she wanted to barf at his words.

She continued to try to wiggle free from his grasp, unsuccessful. Hermes had run to the restroom leaving her alone, more vulnerable to the man’s growing aggression. “I told you I am not interested in you, you big oaf!” Her voice was rising along with her annoyance.

She tried to turn to look for the mystery man as if he could help. When he was nowhere to be found she started to struggle less. Maybe this is what she deserved? “You’re done fighting, good!” The man took her silence as an answer, “Now let’s go!”

He wrapped his large hand around her thin arm, gripping tighter than necessary. Unwillingly she was being dragged towards the door. Her mind was full of questions about how she let herself get here. This is exactly the type of man her mother had warned her about if only she listened.

The tugging suddenly stopped, causing Persephone to raise her head. Her desire to fight off the man came back after she saw it was the mystery man. That desire was squashed when the gripping hand tightened enough to leave a mark.

Hades was entranced in her beauty up close, she was the most beautiful thing in the world. While he wanted to just admire her beauty, the wincing pulled him out of his trance. “Where do you think you are going with her?”

His deep voice vibrated through Persephone igniting feelings she had never experienced. She wanted nothing more than to run into the safety of his arms. “She’s coming home with me tonight,” her arm was yanked, deepening the already forming bruise.   The anger inside of Hades roared seeing how he was hurting this delicate flower in front of him. “I suggest you unhand her,” as if it was even possible his voice dropped even lower, a lingering threat present in his words.

Steph was curious why this stranger was trying to help her. Surely he just feels bad for her, that can be the only logical explanation to her. The man just laughed squeezing her arm to the point it felt like her bone was gonna break.

When Hades heard the small whimper come from the woman he instantly started to roll up his sleeves. The sight of the Hades preparing to fight caused the man to thrust Persephone into Hades' arms, “Damn man she isn’t worth a fight, the girl is used anyway.”

She bit back tears at this statement, the women in this town have done everything they can to destroy her reputation. There is no doubt in her mind that this stranger would ever want to talk to her again. “Are you okay,” Hades tried to keep his voice soft and gentle, the poor girl had just been through so much.

When she answered through sobs and a cradling of her injured arm he instantly pulled her into a hug. She tensed slightly surprised by his kindness, Hades himself was even surprised. Having her in his arms was everything that he could have imagined and more.

“Thank you,” Steph’s voice was small and unstable. The fear of what she just experienced was slowly bleeding away due to the comfort of the mystery man’s arms. For the first time, she left like she found the place that she belonged. “I’m Persephone,” she prompted hoping that he would be willing to talk to her.

Persephone. It was the perfect name for her. He was instantly trapped by this woman, not that he was complaining. “Can I escort you home?” He was hoping that he wasn’t coming off as creepy. Steph pushed herself away from him, he was just like every other guy. It took a second for Hades to fully comprehend what he just said, “Oh my, I didn’t mean it like that!” He started to fumble with his words, not exactly sure what to say to get him out of this mess,” I-I meant it in the way I can walk you home to make sure you get there safely.”

“I don’t want to accompany you inside,” for some odd reason Steph found this upsetting. “Not that you aren’t stunning but I am just trying to be a gentleman-”

As much as she was enjoying watching him fumble over his words she cut him off, “I would very much appreciate it, thank you.” For the first time a smile broke out on his face, she thought he couldn’t be more handsome but she was dead wrong. He held his arm for her to take, she let out a small giggle at his politeness.

The two fell into comfortable conversation, getting to know each other on the walk home. It wasn’t until they reached Steph’s doorstep that she realized something. “Wait,” she pulled the two of them to a stop. Hades started to panic slightly, the puzzled look on her face was making him uneasy. Was she going to say she didn’t want to see him again? “You never told me your name,” she laughed at the large sigh of relief that came from the attractive man.

He took a step away grabbing her hand in the process. Her hand was brought to his lips where his lips lingered. The fluttering in her heart made it feel like she was going to pass out. When he pulled back slightly, opening his closed eyes locking on hers instantly she lost the ability to breathe. “I’m Hades.”

[julerocks]

So here we go… dear @clariserenaldi​ this is for you and I really hope you like this little one shot.

Before I start, I have to go into some detail. A little while ago, we got that bts pic of Matteo lying on David’s desk and I saw that valve thingy was gone the day after and that was a headcanon I always wanted to read about.

Then Pauline’s druck fandom gift exchange happened and I thought “That’s it…this is the moment, use this and try to put your thoughts into words”. The thing is, I have never written anything before but wanted to be part of this wonderful event. Therefore, thanks to my lovely Inga @amyriadfthings​ and Pauline @shakshuka-grandpasweaters​ you both have no idea how much you helped me <3

And now, dear Steph this is for you.

Vielleicht Vielleicht

or how many headcanons can be put into roughly 2k words

Matteo thought he would sleep like a baby after these last days. He was sleep-deprived and yes, after the last 24 hours he would have bet all his money he would fall asleep the minute he laid his head on the pillow. However, David had other plans, not that Matteo complains, he loves this boy so much and making love to him after all this heartache and turmoil and not knowing if he would see him again felt like salvation and everything falling into place. From now on its David and Matteo, so simple yet so powerful.

Nevertheless, right now he is feeling more awake than ever. He is not sure, if David is still with him or if he is already sleeping. Matteo instinctively hugs David a little tighter to give him assurance he will be there for him even when he sleeps, trying to find his inner composure to fall asleep as well.

The floor lamp and both table lamps, which David switched on when they entered his room, are still on and Matteo feels the impulse to turn them off, so maybe he could find sleep eventually. He is convinced by now that David is sleeping soundly, considering his soothing and constant breathing. The problem is that half of David’s body is literally on top of Matteo and the latter does not want to wake him up, so he tries to move as slowly as possible. After a time that felt like an eternity, Matteo has freed himself from David’s embrace and stands up carefully.

‘These damn floorboards’ he thinks when they creak loudly as he takes his first step. He takes another step and tries to make himself as light as a feather. After a few steps, he arrives at the desk and switches off the floor lamp and the first on the table. He is reaching for the second one and the moment he wants to turn it off, his gaze falls on a red metal piece lying on the foot of the lamp. He touches the red thing, which seems to be the valve of a faucet, and asks himself what it might be.

“That’s from the pool,” David says in a sleepy voice and Matteo is so startled that he stumbles over his own feet and finds support on the desk chair.

“Alter… I thought you were asleep!” Matteo responds while trying to calm his heartbeat.

“It was cold all of a sudden and I noticed that you were no longer in bed,” David says and sits up. Matteo smiles fondly: “I just wanted to turn off the lamps and then I saw this valve and was wondering what it is.”

David tilts his head the way that Matteo loves so much, starts smiling warmly and begins to speak: “Well I took it with me the day we finally kissed.”

“Really?” Matteo looks surprised.

“Hm… I don’t know why, but I just had this feeling. Like something was gonna happen. First you fight with Sara… and then you wanted to get away with me. So yeah, I was very hopeful. That valve caught my eye just when I was thinking about what could happen with us,” David explains and rubs his face. “So I just couldn’t leave it there. Please come back to bed now.”

“Your wish is my demand,” Matteo grins and gets up, keeps the valve in his hand and goes back to David. He puts his arm around his boyfriend, David places his head on Matteo’s chest, and they both look at the red iron thing in Matteo’s hand.

“After I left you that Sunday morning I grabbed my jacket on my way out I found the valve again in my pocket. From then on, it is my lucky charm. These hours with you were the best I had in a very long time,” David pauses and looks up to Matteo.

“I had the valve with me always and everywhere. Down by the water that day and you told me that you broke up with Sara… I had it in my pocket and touched it to get some courage… I just I just wish I’d been braver that day.”

Matteo instinctively intensifies his embrace while David continues: “Do you remember that evening, when you messaged me after I came out to you, stating that you wouldn’t let me down? I was lying right here on my bed… holding the valve. Or when you called me before my math exam, I sat at my desk and had it right in front of me and I was relieved that you wanted to see me, you have no idea. That evening I went to bed happier than I had been in weeks, which was ridiculous considering in sight of the upcoming math exam, but I couldn’t help it, you know.”

Matteo briefly loosens the hug and puts the valve down on the floor besides the plant that is at his side of the bed and snuggles back to David again.

“I actually like the idea that you had something that reminded you of me the whole time. For me it was your drawings. I always kept them close, and pinned the second one on my wall and looked at it for hours. But don’t ever tell anyone about it, I still have a reputation to lose,” Matteo grins. “In an outburst I even crumbled the second one only to straighten it again afterwards. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.”

Matteo stops speaking because he has the feeling that David already fell back asleep and Matteo touches David’s hair because he missed it so much, but instead David asks softly:

“Do you know AnnenMayKantereit?”

“Yeah but that’s not my first choice of music. I’m more into K.I.Z, Frittenbude, Trettmann or RY X when I’m not in a good mood. Also a very important person to me introduced me to the music of a certain Irish singer. You know, I was actually familiar with that particular song… I mean I have not been living under a rock, but besides that song I haven’t heard any of his other stuff and have actually listened to everything he has ever released in the last 4 weeks,” Matteo pauses and strokes David’s arm.

“Always a pleasure to teach you some taste in music,” says David and fends off a loving punch from Matteo. “Since we are going down memory lane, do you actually remember which song you heard when we saw each other the first time in the hallway? I mean you were wearing your headphones that day,” Matteo asks.

“I was thinking about that yesterday, but you know what I have not a single clue. I would love to say something substantial like "Take me to church”, but yeah I have no idea. I mean, even if I did remember, the moment I saw you everything went blank. I had this strict plan of changing school, be as inconspicuous as possible to get my degrees for studying without having to interact with many people… yeah I felt that I never looked up from the floor, locking the world out while listening to music. However, the moment I actually did look up I saw your incredibly sad eyes, and I know it sounds silly, but I had the feeling even time slowed down. I felt drawn to you the minute we locked eyes,“ David laughs quietly to himself.

"It is cheesy, but I felt seen and I wanted to be seen, but only from you, if that makes sense. I had to take another look, that was nothing I could control, and then you looked back and I knew I was screwed and my plan had failed utterly,” David ends and after some time Matteo starts to speak:

“This is nice because I almost had the same feeling you know… I felt lost and the way you looked at me, I knew immediately that I wanted to get to know you and I was so freaking happy when you showed up at the abi prank committee… By the way, you were kind of checking me out.”

David starts to giggle and rubs his face into Matteo’s neck while he remembers this first interaction with the blonde boy.  

“Ja! I actually noticed that,” says Matteo blissful while placing a kiss on David’s head. “My brain was running at full speed, just to keep us talking so I had to come up with something fast and was so relieved you accepted my offer of having a smoke with me,” Matteo chuckles. “But then you played that cool and mysterious dude and let me down with that eyelash. I was so proud of myself but you looked unimpressed as hell,” Matteo smiles and David places a little peck on his neck. 

“Yeah, I admit that was adorable, you have no idea how much I have melted inside but I couldn’t let my guard down immediately… cool and mysterious you know." 

David takes Matteo’s hand and looks at their intertwined fingers.

"I am so relieved I finally got you, Herr Schreibner.” Matteo kisses David’s brow like David kissed Matteo’s after their first time.

“And I am very happy I can finally be with you. There is still one thing I want to tell you and it has something to do with AnnenMayKantereit. There is this song called "Vielleicht, vielleicht” and I listened to it all the time in the weeks we were separated because it just reminded me so much of us. There are these lyrics that basically say that you see what I don’t show anyone else and that I can tell you things I am not telling myself, or that it’s easy to be honest with you and you give me time when I am not ready. Those words describe perfectly what I felt about us, even after that short time we spent together.��

Matteo kisses David. His mind is still overwhelmed at the thought that he is able to kiss David every time he wants to. He feels the warmth of David’s body and a sweet feeling rises in him. Is it possible that everything will be good in the end? They have each other from now on and Matteo just hopes that David knows he can trust him unconditionally.

"Would you play that song for me? I think I would like to hear it.”

“The AnnenMayKantereit song?”

Matteo nods.

David sits up, takes his cell phone from the bedside table and starts looking for the song. Matteo sees with half an eye that David is scrolling through a playlist that is called “Unterwasser” and Matteo can’t help but smile tenderly.

“Oh, will I ever get to hear the other songs of that playlist as well?”

“Yes, sure, but not now. Like a wise man once said: we have all the time in the world… or something like that.”

Both boys smile and they lie tightly wrapped around one another and listen to the voice of Henning May.

Suddenly Matteo feels overcome by drowsiness. He kisses David on the head and says “Enough for tonight. Sleep tight David. Ich liebe dich.”

But David can’t hear him anymore; he has already fallen asleep again.

Matteo takes the phone from David’s hand, covers him with a blanket and lies down himself, closes his eyes when…

‘Ah, god damn it… One lamp is still on!’

[incoherentbabblings]

Take Back the Cake, Burn the Shoes, and Boil the Rice (11/11)

Within two months there have been two murders of Gotham newlyweds moments after the ceremony. The only connecting factor was both brides wore the same designer’s work. Needing to establish who exactly is behind the crimes, Bruce enlists Tim and Stephanie to have the biggest wedding Gotham high society has seen in decades, putting a target on their heads not just for the killer, but Gotham society too. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Ao3 Link Here!

In lists of depressing moments, having to dismiss a wedding reception before it had even begun was surely high-ranking in placement. As soon as the family and the Titans returned to the manor, Stephanie ran upstairs, dress in tatters, wanting nothing more to rip off the outfit and return to sweatpants and a jumper.

Kara went to follow her, but Cassandra asked her to wait.

“Let her have a minute.”

Kara did not look pleased but listened. Bart, distracted as always, said,

“She has, like, loads of scars up her back…”

Conner nudged Bart to make him shut up, and they watched as Tim, eyes wet, tugged off his jacket and tie. Alfred suggested that everyone sit in the drawing room and wait for Bruce to return home. He reassuringly rubbed Tim’s back.

“I will take care of everything wedding related now Master Tim. Don’t you and Miss Stephanie worry about anything, just each other.”

Tim smiled and everyone piled into the room. The caterers had insisted on leaving behind the food, and Alfred offered to take them to assorted shelters across the city later the next day. Soon enough everyone was sat with a plate of very nice looking nibbles, but no appetite to eat. Even Bart seemed reluctant, sensing the morose mood of the room.

The wedding cake, the lovely beautiful lemon cake – the only thing Stephanie and Tim had been pleased with – never made an appearance. It was hidden away in the kitchen, and Tim had no energy to go looking for it.

The quiet stretched on, Stephanie and Bruce not returning, until finally Tim’s temper snapped, and he carelessly threw down his plate, got up, and stormed out the room.

“Wait Tim –”

“Go home Conner!” He turned back to his friends. “This whole thing was always going to be a misery, so we were trying to spare you the idiocy of it all. You weren’t invited, and you pushed in anyway. Well you got your spectacle, alright? Go home.”

He slammed the door shut, uncaring about anyone else’s mood, and stomped upstairs.

Collapsed in a stained white heap at the end of the corridor was Stephanie, and knelt next to her, was Bruce. Returned from patrol, he had quickly changed into a simple black t-shirt and pair of trousers.

Tim’s temper faded, and he slowly approached the pair. When he reached them, he slid down the wall next to Stephanie, and was grateful when she took his hand. Her eyes were dry, but she looked exhausted and a little cheesed off. Bruce had the decency to look somewhat sorry for how the day had gone.

They sat in silence for a moment longer, when Steph took a steadying breath, and asked, “Was the point of making this such a giant mess to give us a viable reason to split as a couple? To keep us in the dark like that, so that the chaos would be more authentic?”

“It was humiliating was what it was.” Tim cut in. Bruce looked at him sharply, and Stephanie just closed her eyes, emotionally drained and uninterested in getting into an argument. Not now.

“Neither of you were hurt?” Bruce asked the pair. They shook their heads. Bruce sighed, then rocked back on his heels, resting more comfortably. “It was another one of my misguided ideas… I suppose.”

“So is that lecture we spoke of last night oncoming or…”

“No lecture. But… feel free to ask questions now.”

Tim immediately launched into an interrogation.

“Was it a crazy-ex?”

Stephanie scolded Tim with a look. Don’t downplay it, she implied.

“Not the one in prison we spoke of. This man, Anthony Saville… well. Self-taught in harming others. Can’t stand the thought of his girlfriend having outside interests and a career. The relationship had moved quickly and violently. Rebecca saw it as making a choice between her life or her job.”

“Not the lives of those poor people?”

“She was very frightened.”

“But… she helped him murder those people. There were other ways…” Stephanie nudged off her shoes, feet sore from wearing such high heels the past few days and thumped her head against the wood panelling of the corridor. “I wish she had felt she could have gotten help before this spiralled. Before she thought being with him was her only option.”

Bruce looked at Stephanie, whilst Tim shut his eyes. Not for the first time, the idea that she was just too good of a person for Gotham returned.

“Wayne Enterprises has some initiatives with shelters and resources for those men and women who need help. I can take a closer look at how they’re getting on, see what more we can do.”

“Can I help?” She asked. “When everything’s cooled down. It’s nearly summer and I won’t have much work at the library in the meantime.”

“I’ll look into it, Stephanie.”

“Thank you.”

He inspected her once more in her gown, and watched as a sudden thought came to her, and she flushed with shame. “Bruce… the veil, and the earrings…” She took off the pearls, abruptly very nervous and apologetic. Shaking, she held them out for Bruce, who carefully allowed her to drop them into his palm. “Alfred has the veil, but it’s ruined, everyone stepped on it and tore it and…”

“It’s alright.” Bruce interrupted. “It’s just a thing. Didn’t have much sentimental value. These on the other hand…” He shook his closed fist that held the pearls. “…do. And you brought them back home.”

“Now what?”

“Alfred will take care of the logistics of a cancelled wedding. The two of you just need to figure out what your relationship is to be in the aftermath of all this.” Bruce looked to Stephanie. “Did you not tell me yesterday you weren’t going to wipe your hands of the whole thing?”

Stephanie managed to smirk. “Oh sure. For better for worse.”

She gave Bruce a pointed look as Tim’s head fell to rest on her shoulder. She hoped, if nothing else, Bruce would read the unspoken message she was trying to convey. She didn’t want to take part in this ongoing conflict between Bruce or Tim, but she hoped that by now she had certified where she stood. Bruce wasn’t going to get anything from her that acted against Tim. Not anymore.

She nuzzled Tim’s head, unashamed, and Bruce stood up. He didn’t look upset, only a little amused and smug.

“That’s fine Stephanie. We can discuss more after dinner.”

“Wait.” Tim pushed. “What was the reason? For this whole…endeavour. For all the hidden facts and secrets?”

“Stephanie is many things, but she is not a particularly good liar.”

“Hey… My mom didn’t—”

“To be fair Steph,” Tim cut in, “Your mom spent most of your adolescence at work or baked. She didn’t even know you went missing that one time for like three days.”

“…Harsh.”

Bruce took control of the conversation once more, “Tell me that if you knew Rebecca was involved, either of you, that you would have been okay with her making your dress. You in particular,” Bruce nodded at Tim, “You wouldn’t have let it alone. I wanted to do it my way. I needed that damning piece of evidence for her and I needed to catch him in the act. No questions to be made of their guilt. I told you both at the start. Leave the investigation to me. And you did just that.”

Tim’s eyes widened.

“This wasn’t a goddamned test was it?” He said, tone very flat. Bruce’s next words had to be chosen carefully, or a fight would ensue.

“I knew this would be an emotionally difficult job. The rest of the family are like gossiping hens. I just wanted you two to focus on each other. It wasn’t a test, it was an opportunity.”

Slowly Stephanie heard the unspoken confession.

“One more question. If I had said no, all those weeks ago. If I refused to play this game with Tim, would you have found another way to arrest Andrews and Saville?”

“You were the only two I wanted for this mission. I just wish it had run a little bit more smoothly for you both.”

Oh. This was Bruce’s demented method of making Tim and Steph make up. Take a mission and have them play house until it became real. Stephanie laughed, incredulous. Seven dead but one happy couple, as if that were an equal trade. Bruce would offer no more information, and she could not find the willpower to argue. Bruce Wayne was using pre-existing cases to play goddamn matchmaker with. Somehow this was on a whole other level of controlling concerning the three of them, even for Bruce.

Tim scoffed, and returned to his perch on Stephanie’s shoulder. “Whatever,” He muttered. “You’re welcome, then. Again.”

Tim’s dismissal was better than his anger, and Stephanie stared across the way at a chest of drawers. She doubted there was anything in it, rich people liked to have things to fill the space, but she just wanted Bruce to leave. There was nothing to be gained from this conversation. They would forgive him for meddling, as they always did. At least it came from a genuine desire to help. It’s what she told herself repeatedly. Tim, she thought, might just be one step closer to putting his foot out the door, and she worried about those consequences more than any paper headline tomorrow. No doubt the front-page image would be her pushing Rebecca down the stairs like a demented bridezilla.

And then Bruce left, and that was that. Tim and Stephanie remained on the floor for a while longer, Tim lost in his head, Stephanie still reeling from the day’s events.

“I’m going to look through his notes.” Tim muttered. “Nothing about this makes sense.”

“That’s fine.”

“You’re not curious?”

She sighed, looking down. “Just wanna move forward.”

Her wedding band glistened in the warm light of the corridor. It was intensely sparkly, when most wedding bands she knew were solid gold, like Tim’s was, but she found herself quite liking it. With her left hand, she reached for his own, and he allowed it, as she twisted his ring around and around his finger.

“We need to really talk.” He whispered.

“Agreed.” She looked down the corridor, out the window. The rain was finally letting up. “Get changed and go for a walk?”

He hummed in agreement, helping pull her and the weighty dress to her feet.

“You really did look beautiful today, by the way.”

Stephanie blushed, then returned the compliment.

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

Face washed, braids undone and now in a high ponytail, and wearing nothing more extravagant than jeggings and a fuzzy yellow sweater, Steph had gone out onto the stone patio to wait for Tim. It was where they had kissed in the rain for their photo shoot, and soon enough Tim emerged to pull her out of that memory, wearing simple black jeans and a hoodie. Neither said anything, but they began to meander through the manor gardens. The ground was sodden, and although Tim’s sneakers were getting ruined, he didn’t mind. Steph was wearing chunky brown ankle boots that were quickly caked in mud. She had better grip than Tim though, who every now and then would slip a little, with her instinctively reaching out to grab him.

When they reached a good distance from the manor, Tim took her left hand, and they walked towards the forest trees that lined the estate.

Tim thought of her distressed face at the end of the ceremony, when the Dean confirmed they were married (at least to the Church). He tried to think through why that could have been.

“What would you have done? If it was your real wedding?” Tim asked, finally breaking the silence.

Stephanie hummed, and moved so she could wrap her arm around Tim’s own, and had a little think.

“Smaller dress for one.”

Tim chuckled, and Stephanie gripped his arm tighter. “Seriously though, I’m half of the mind that I would make my own… square neck and cap sleeves, buttoned back, all satin. No more lace and tulle and taffeta!” She giggled. Tim stopped in a clearing, but Stephanie began to waltz around, kicking up mud as she went. She was acting like a seven-year-old, listing off her ideal wedding, but Tim was quite content to listen and watch. “And my flowers… azaleas, snowdrops, lily of the valley and milkvetch… burgundy roses. No yellow funeral flowers! I mean, the lemon cake was good. I liked that idea for sure… but no sit-down meal after. Just lots of platters and cold food… And we’d get married here! At the manor, with just the family and our friends. And our first dance would be –”

Tim’s smile as she babbled dropped, and he asked, “Our? So, you���d keep the groom?”

Stephanie looked at him incredulously. She was momentarily caught out at the slip up, though after a second, she decided that there was nothing false in her statement.

“Of course, I would.” She teased, walking back over to Tim. “I told you, no-one else will do.”

“You didn’t seem happy about it at the Cathedral. I thought...”

She laughed gently. “Of course I wasn’t. If I were to marry you, I didn’t want it to be like that. I... I just felt hollow at the end. It wasn’t how I wanted it to go.”

“Well that’s great, considering we’re kinda maybe probably married now.” Sarcasm crept in his voice, and Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

“Are we? I thought you had to get the civil side signed before it’s all done and dusted.”

Tim paused, thinking it through.

“No. We’re not.” He concluded.

“Then what’s the issue?”

“You wanna deal with a thousand people asking you about legal troubles for the rest of your life? We got the licence and we had the religious ceremony but we haven’t got the certificate so… it’s a mess waiting to happen.” Tim blew his hair off his forehead. “I think, we have two options. PR wise.”

“Oh? Shoot.”

“Within the next month we go to the registrars and get the civil ceremony done super quick. Sign the form, hey presto, we’re actually married. We’ve got the licence for another six months, and we finished the religious side, for whatever that’s worth… just one signature and we’re there.”

She screwed up her lip, not convinced. “Do you actually want to be married? ‘Cause Tim… I’ve not even graduated college yet. I wanna take our time. I want us to do it our way.”

Tim thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “I guess not. And we said we’d start from scratch after this.”

“We did.”

“So, our other option is to do exactly that. Say we need a bit of time to regroup and catch our breath. I think people would understand. Especially if you’re going to all this WE stuff with me or Bruce then it shows people we’re sticking to a guns and not dumping each other at the first sign of trouble… People will be sympathetic, I think.”

“There were loads of people this morning… cheering for us… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“The world ain’t as bad as you think it is sometimes, Steph.”

“Humph. Look at you being all optimistic.”

“You’re a good influence!” He laughed.

“Am I?”

“I’ll say it as many times as you need to hear it, Steph, you’re a good person.”

She shook her head. “No. Not that. I mean you.” She took his elbows. “What we talked about yesterday… your anger and Bruce and…”

Tim huffed, and looked to the side, reminding her of a guilty child.

“Tim.”

“I’m okay. I promise.”

She didn’t believe him, and silently told herself she was going to have to play the long game. He was worth it. That was of no doubt.

“Okay. So, starting from scratch… what if, hypothetically, I said I wanted to move back in with my mom next weekend?”

“Why?”

“Tim.”

She didn’t miss the flash of panic on his face. Don’t go. He wanted to beg. You said you wouldn’t leave.

“I…would be sad. But it’s your choice.”

She nodded. “Okay, well, what if I said… I wanted you to take back all the jewellery you bought me. Or give them away or throw them in the river. Even the wedding bands.”

“That’s a lot of money in the river.”

“Stop side stepping.”

He screwed up his face.

“All of them? Even the ones you haven’t seen yet?”

She flushed red and puffed out her cheeks. “How many more did you buy?”

“Just the one. I… hold on.” He tugged her over to a tree stump so she could sit. It was damp and a little uncomfortable. Tim got on one knee, and Steph started to have flashbacks to the restaurant.

“Tim…”

“No, no. Let me speak first before you freak.”

“Oh, you –”

“I’ve kept this one near me the whole time. Just as a reminder. I didn’t ever ask you to marry me at the dinner, remember? You just saw the ring and flipped.”

“To be honest, I’ve repressed the whole thing.”

“Well, I’m still not going to ask you to marry me. At least not yet.”

Stephanie finally relaxed, then leaned forward. “Then why am I sat on a tree stump in the middle of the forest with you down on your muddy knees?”

“Because this…” And he pulled out from his jean pocket a tiny velvet bag. Taking her left hand, he removed her wedding band, then flipped her hand so it was facing palm up. Shaking the little bag, another ring fell out to rest on her heart line. “Is a promise ring.”

The ring was more delicate than her engagement ring, which had at times felt more like a knuckle duster than anything else. This had a pink diamond centre, with eight pear shaped white diamonds forming petals, and smaller pink diamonds completing the gaps, forming a circle. It was set in rose gold, and she gasped a little as she inspected it.

“Had it made for you.” Tim explained. “You’ll be pleased to know this one only cost eight thousand.”

“Oh, very reasonable.” She teased, continuing to inspect it. “It’s beautiful Tim. But a promise ring? Swear I made a pretty big promise for us last night.”

“Yeah, well when I bought it, I wasn’t expecting us to…” Redder than a tomato, he looked like his fourteen-year-old self after she would tease him with a kiss. “Hmm. Let me stick to my script.”

“Oh okay.” She sat up straight, hands resting on her knees. “Prim and proper. Sorry, sir.”

“Very serious.”

“Super serious.”

Tim cleared his throat dramatically and folded her fingers over the promise ring. He wrapped her hand in both of his.

“I made up vows, you know. In my head.”

“Oh.” Every now and then the boy would remind her of how utterly head over heels he was for her, and she would grow embarrassed. He was so oddly earnest with his affections, that Stephanie, even after half a lifetime of trying to convince herself of the innate goodness of people, was still taken aback by how openly Tim loved her.

“Dick talks a lot about being people’s safety net. And you were mine. Except, I didn’t know it until you were gone. And then when we hurt each other… But now, I feel grounded again. You cut through all the nonsense and see straight into my core. And sometimes that’s frightening, how well you know what weird things go through my head. You know me better than nearly anyone. And when I look at you and see how far you’ve come… I loved that angry spite filled firecracker, but I also loved Gotham’s golden girl just the same.” He squeezed her fist, and she could feel him starting to shake. “I wanted to, when we first started this, to show you that you didn’t need to be frightened, being with me. And I know I failed at that.”

“No, Tim, it wasn’t you.”

Her soft protest was ignored and passed over, and Tim continued onwards. “I should have done more. So, I promise. I vow. I want to be your safety net as much as you’re mine. To be your sunshine, your home, the way you are to me. You said last night was your promise to me that you’re in it for the long haul. And I’m sorry I couldn’t give you something just as meaningful other than a promise ring, but it’s in the name. And it’s a reminder, not just to you, but also to me. I don’t care which finger you wear it on, I just ask that you trust me…with you. I swear I’ll take care of you and love you until you forget the concept of love being conditional, because what I feel for you… it’s constant, and unchanging. I swear on... I swear on…”

“…Not the moon.”

“No?”

She giggled and lifted her free hand to rest on his cheek. “Oh, you must know that reference, Mr Romeo. O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon. That monthly changes in her circle orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable.”

Tim looked a little bashful, but she quoted the line so flawlessly he felt compelled to run with it, to see how far he could take the romanticism.

“Well then… What should I swear by?”

If she kept going, if she remembered the next piece of dialogue, he would have her response to his vow. She tilted her head, eyes looking upwards, as she fought to remember the line.

“Do not swear at all. Or…” She sat back, “Oh what was it? Um…oh! If thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I’ll believe thee.”

She laughed, both happy that she was able to play along and that she recalled lines from a play she had not read in years. Tim moved closer.

“Okay then. I swear, on my life, that I will love you, to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part. And maybe even after, knowing this family’s relationship with death and the supernatural.” He licked his lips, “And I’m demanding to know if you think I’m worth the fuss.”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Course you are.” He answered easily.

“…And so are you.” And she smiled, whilst also feeling incredibly fragile. Voice very quiet, as if speaking loudly would shatter the moment, she got on the ground with him and said, “You saved me. You know that, right? When we were kids? I was so angry, and hurt, and yet being around you… I craved it. Because you were just everything I wanted to be. I could be more than what my life would have been if Spoiler never came to be. And I could be more than that pain and hurt of those first months on Gotham’s rooftops. And then you chose me over Ariana and… I hold on so tight to those memories.”

She sniffed, knowing she was being a little melodramatic, but Tim was very good at pulling it out of her. She wanted over the top and romantic. They deserved it.

“Moments like sitting with you at the park, on Wayne Tower, in that pizza place, on my sofa when you and Dana made me chicken soup when I was sick, when we went to that diner and the lady gave you a free burger ‘cause she thought you killed the guy who hurt me, sitting on your lap on your sixteenth birthday watching that terrible kung fu movie and making out with you on the roof, doing crossword puzzles with you on a stakeout, the music shop… God, the music shop… I’m sorry I let things fall apart the way they did. The best memories of my life. I ruined those moments for so long. But… I’m better now. So, we can make more memories.”

The ground was very cold, and her knees were growing numb from the damp, but she continued to gaze at Tim. There was something deeply affirming to hear that she held those memories in such high reverence as he, that she was just as protective over them.

She finished her own little speech, bashful and bright red, but still smiling. “And I’ll make a promise back. I swear that your pain will fade because I’ll make sure you won’t ever feel alone, that you won’t ever be lost because I will always be around to drag you back, kicking and screaming, and that I will always, always, love you.”

Tim grinned, and released his grip on her hand. She opened her palm, ring safely tucked away, and he picked it up. Holding it, he then asked,

“This isn’t a marriage proposal.”

“No.”

“But I am going to ask, formally, Stephanie Brown, do you want to be my…my girlfriend. Again.”

There was something very child-like in the question, like they were on the playground playing in the dollhouse. But it wasn’t a game. It wasn’t a dream. It was real, and she knew her answer before the question had been asked.

“Yes. I would like that very much.”

Tim laughed, and the wet tears finally fell down Stephanie’s cheeks. They were happy tears, so she let them be.

“What finger do you want it on?”

She held out her left hand.

“A ring like that deserves to be on my ring finger, right?”

He slid it on. This time he had ordered it a little larger, not sure if she would have opted for her middle finger instead, so it managed to get over her knuckle with significantly less effort than the wedding band. It would need tightening, just a little, but they had all the time in the world for that.

They kissed, and the morning’s car crash lifted from their shoulders. They were short, breathless kisses, innocent and punctuated by the sound of Stephanie’s giggles and Tim’s exaggerated noises as he kissed her cheeks, nose, forehead...anything he could plant his lips on. They kissed for a very long time.

“Thank you, by the way. For pulling me out the way at the Cathedral.” Tim said as they broke apart. Stephanie got to her feet, offering her hand to Tim, who gratefully took it. She linked his arm back in his, and they made their way back to the house. “Would have had a bullet in the heart, judging from the trajectory, if you hadn’t been so quick.”

“You’re welcome. You better stick by that vow Mr Drake. You’re not to leave me, even a gunshot wound can’t take you out.”

They returned to the manor only to find that, despite Tim’s angry demand, the Titans had not left, and were in fact sat on the balcony with the rest of the family. Every single one of them, even Damian, looked extremely curious.

Tim shot Steph a look, and the pair sped up, jogging back over and up the stairs. If making those vows had been frightening but cathartic, it was nothing compared to letting their family and friends know the conclusion of the entire event. Tim felt Stephanie shaking as they faced the Titans, who, more than anything, just wanted to be kept in the loop. Her shaking stilled when Conner invited them to come to San Francisco and tell the rest of the Titans in person the good news, and that they could think of it as a pseudo honeymoon. Tim couldn’t help but send Conner an eternally grateful look, to which Conner got a glint in his eyes that implied he was going to lord this moment over Tim for the rest of his life.

It seemed everyone was in agreement. It was best to let everyone hear the truth now because it was good news. It was happy news. Don’t be afraid of people’s judgement because there was nothing to feel guilty about.

Tim and Stephanie were stuck at the hip come hell or high water, and throughout the entire conversation, they never let go of the other’s hand.

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

The next few days were… interesting in its non-eventfulness. In how quickly things settled. Especially after the roller coaster of a wedding day. Alfred had seemingly ordered an issue of every newspaper in the region, plus some national ones, apparently for the sole purpose of showing Stephanie how many angles of that one shot of her throwing Rebecca down the stairs existed. Luckily, the headlines were damning the Newlywed Murderers whilst pages four and five were composed of what was probably the original intended article, filled with photos of the family and guests entering the cathedral. Stephanie hummed to herself. She’d looked really nice… ah well.

To say nothing of how good Tim had looked. Ooft. She didn’t know who had styled his hair, but they deserved a hefty payment as thanks. It certainly wasn’t Tim – no, the boy usually left it alone, which in recent years had resulted in it sticking up in clumps after he had grown it out a little. Every day he was creeping closer and closer to the mad scientist aesthetic, but Stephanie quite enjoyed it as it gave her something to hold onto when he… hmm, never mind.

The articles themselves were deliberately neutral. At least the Daily Planet and the Gotham Gazette were (not shockingly, considering their parent companies) largely sympathetic. There were still some hints that the story was a lie. As if Tim and Stephanie were honestly that selfless and willing to put themselves in harms way, could it be that they were already married? Was the entire thing a fake out?

Stephanie sighed, reading the pieces on Rebecca and, after events had passed, just feeling sorry for her more than anything, and a deep disdain for the man who had abused her past breaking point. She knew Tim was trying to pinch information off the bat computer, not believing for one moment that Bruce had told them the entire truth regarding the case. Stephanie had left him to it, not wanting to be involved in Tim’s ever mounting mistrust of Bruce. She wanted to get back on with being a student, with working her odd jobs, with Batgirl, only from now on she wouldn’t return home to her mother’s house at the end of the day. She silently resolved to alter Tim’s apartment in places, to make it homier. The first thing to be changed was the placement of the stuffed toy duck he had won for her all those weeks ago. It now lived on the sofa in the living room, a convenient cushion and squeezy stress toy when required. It no longer loomed over Tim’s bed; beady eyes filled with judgement.

Tim had kept his huffiness focused on where it belonged (Bruce) and two days later had insisted on going with Bruce to work. Bruce, who was wearing a sling and a cut lip to pretend like the car accident had genuinely happened, shook his head.

“You’re supposed to be on your honeymoon annual leave.” He had reminded Tim.

“Redundant. I wanna make a press release.”

Steph, who was in the process of stuffing her little purple car full of leftover food and cake, ready to take to the community centre, slammed the boot shut.

“Sweetie you don’t have to.”

“No. I do.” He nodded his head, looking all formal in a suit. Stephanie, on the other hand, was wearing a long-sleeved forest green dress that hung off her like a shapeless tent, but Tim thought she made it work. Tim wiggled her earrings, giant cheap gold coloured hoops, and the little beads on them jangled. “I’ll tell people ‘the truth’, for what it’s worth. Commissioner Gordon gave us a list of things I can slash can’t confirm.”

“Want me to come with?”

“Nah. You’re a private person, Steph. You don’t owe the world anything. I’ll send an in-person reminder.” A kiss on the cheek, then a nudge towards the driver’s side of the car. “Honest. I’ll take care of it. Have fun at the centre today.”

“Well, who doesn’t like cake, eh? I’ll see you tonight. Still waiting on that Chinese takeout.”

“You order when you get home, I’ll transfer you the money.”

“Okay, bye love. Text when you’re on your way back?” Tim nodded, and she sighed, getting in the car. Bruce had an odd look on his face, a pinched sort of affection at the two’s domestic banter. Before she drove away, she rolled down the car window and poked her nose out. “Good luck you two! I’ve heard the press can be a nightmare!”

“Harhar. Bye, Stephie.”

Blushing, Steph rolled the window back up, and whizzed the car around the front of the manor to get back on the road to Gotham. Tim blithely waved goodbye, and Steph made her way back into the city. She blanched and then laughed as she exited the manor grounds, thinking to herself how easily saying goodbye for the day had been. How easily they slipped into domestic stability and safety. It felt fitting. It felt right.

Soon enough, just after crossing the bridge from the mainland, her mother rang. Hitting the speaker, she answered, then tried to find a place to pull over. Her mother waited patiently until Steph ended up in a MacDonald’s parking lot.

“You okay, mom?”

“Just wanted to check in on you.”

Her mother was at work, because of course she was, but seemed to have found a spare moment to call.

“I’m heading down to Park Row –”

“To Tim’s apartment?”

“No,” She laughed awkwardly, “To the community centre. There’s a session on this morning for the elderly… thought they might want some cake and a chat.”

There was a pause as her mother thought through what Stephanie said. “You’re a good girl, you know that?”

“Mm.” She sidestepped the compliment.

“But you’re okay?”

“Yes. Promise. Hey, listen… my room…”

“Yeah?”

“If… if you want, mom, you can turn my room into an office if you like? Or make it a spare room and rent it to lodgers, get some extra cash? Or just a room for you to relax in. You can sell the furniture and –”

“Steph? It’s your room, sweetheart. It’ll be waiting for you whenever you come back, for whatever reason. Even if it’s just for the odd night here and there.”

“…Thanks, mom.”

There was another breath, then Crystal asked what was actually on her mind. “So, you’re staying? With him?”

“Yes. For real.” She heard her mother tut. “Don’t be like that.”

“Oh, I know you won’t be told. Believe me, I know.”

“I’ll still come round for Friday night board games. Honest.”

“Alright then. But bring Tim next time.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I want to keep an eye on him.”

“Mommy.”

Her protest went unheard. Stephanie had learned in recent years that her mother shared an unshakeable stubbornness, albeit much quieter than Stephanie’s.

“Have to go. Bye Steph, talk to you later.”

“Bye…”

Pursing her lips, Stephanie had an abrupt craving for a McFlurry, and crept forward to the drive thru. She needed a distraction from whatever that conversation was before she went to the centre, and sugary food seemed an appropriate method.

Tim, meanwhile, had been forced to drive Bruce to the office. Bruce had flapped his arm in the sling as an excuse.

Sat in traffic, Bruce broke the silence.

“So, next steps?”

“For…?”

“You. Stephanie. This whole endeavour.”

Tim snorted, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the wheel. “Dare I ask your opinion on the not signed off marriage?”

“It’s okay. You’re both too young anyway.”

Incredulous, but also seeing that Bruce was trying to lighten the mood, Tim laughed. Bruce smiled back in his usual tight-lipped manner. Slowly, Tim’s smile faded, and his expression grew sadder.

“You promise that you don’t have a problem with us?”

Bruce’s broad chest heaved. “I promise. And I do think you work well together. I told you that at the start. In and out of costume. Besides, she wanted me to walk her down the aisle. I want to do that for her one day. I understand if you don’t believe me… but I want you both to be happy.”

Again, Bruce was showing off how fond he had grown of Steph, and Tim relaxed. This wasn’t five years ago, they genuinely could make a fresh start. “She makes me happy.” He said, quietly.

“She’s also made you miserable.” Bruce said, playing devil’s advocate.

“… I think… I think that’s because I let her. Because I trusted her. I mean, who in your life has made you the most sad? It’s the people you love, right? Not the ones you hate.”

Bruce nodded, taking Tim’s words to heart. If he could, Tim would have tried to hug Bruce, but instead he remained strapped in the car, creeping through green red green red lights. He just wanted a fresh start with everything. It took a moment, but Bruce sensed Tim’s neediness, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re doing fine Tim. Just… keep moving forward.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do... With her next to me.”

Bruce squeezed Tim’s shoulder tight, then the silent drive continued.

Stephanie had watched on the tiny tv at the centre, as one of the staff members came rushing in, exclaiming that Stephanie’s husband was on the television. She had sat down next to one old lady who seemed so decrepit her spine had folded permanently at ninety degrees, shaking fingers picking apart the lemon cake and icing.

“Oh, he’s a handsome guy isn’t he Steph.” The staff member teased.

“Ssht!”

Not my husband Steph wanted to argue, but she let it lie. The announcement was just Tim stood outside Wayne Tower, reiterating everything that had happened the other day. No they were not married, yes they were still together but were going to wait until things calmed down, our thanks to the Cathedral, I have made a donation even though I know it will never make up for the damage and loss, no we did not plan a wedding to catch a bad guy (don’t be ridiculous), please be nice to Stephanie she’s a private citizen, glad we could catch a murderer and bring justice, looking for ways to improve options for men and women in domestic abuse scenarios… and on and on.

Tim did very well she thought, not cracking once under the questions that came his way. People certainly tried to find holes to nit-pick in, but – as much as it sometimes disquieted Stephanie – he could be a very good liar when called upon.

The old lady she was sat with slowly clicked that the boy on the screen was someone important to Stephanie, and she tapped Stephanie’s new ring insistently.

“Seems like a good boy.”

“He is.”

And then she returned to picking up dishes, bringing them through to the kitchen. She was here to work, not to have people fawn over her. That didn’t mean she didn’t smile to herself at the well-intentioned teases people threw her way for the rest of the day.

Come the evening, when the two were reunited at the apartment, Stephanie finally got the Chinese takeaway she’d been craving. Empty cartons were streamed across the counter, and the time was ticking down before they were off for patrol. Stephanie was strewn across Tim, who was himself stretched across the sofa. He was playing with her ring, looking smug.

“Why’re you so happy?” She teased.

“No reason.” And his arm that was wrapped around her waist squeezed. Part of him was still up in cloud nine. He had Steph, on his couch, on him, snoozing the early evening away. Her hair smelled of her candy scented soaps, and it was no longer inappropriate of him to verbalise how much he liked it. It was why he couldn’t bring himself to be…too… angry at Bruce.

The ends justify the means… right?

Wait no. That’s not how it –

“You did good today.” Stephanie interrupted. “I saw on the tv. Everyone thought so.”

“Yeah?”

She nuzzled backwards, pressing firmly against his chest and neck. “I thought so too. Thank you, Tim.”

He made a noise of acknowledgement and closed his eyes. Another moment of comfortable silence passed, when a thought returned to Tim, and his eyes popped open.

“You know, I’ve been thinking…”

“Shocker.” Her tone was groggy, as if she were half asleep and he was keeping her awake.

Tim stubbornly ignored her, “…and you never mentioned the piano.”

“Oh?”

“Well, you know. It’s there. If you ever want to –”

She sat up and looked down at Tim, who was looking a little nervous. Pianos and her had a somewhat volatile history. Maybe Tim thought it was triggering. Stephanie had at first just stubbornly ignore the thing, not wanting to give Tim the satisfaction of thinking she was even tempted. Then there had been twelve hundred other things to juggle, and she simply not had the time.

“You’re about as subtle as a brick to the face sometimes you know?”

Tim looked alarmed. “Speaking from experience or…?”

“You want a little concert? I haven’t played in years mind you.”

“I want you… to do whatever you…want to do.”

She was not impressed by his attempts to downplay the request and rolled her eyes. “Come on. Sit with me. See if you recognize this one.”

The bench was just wide enough to sit the two of them at. She shuffled a little, taking off her slippers so she could get a better feel for the peddles. Clearing her throat, as if she were about to conduct an orchestra, she placed her fingers on the keys. She took in a deep breath and tossed her hair back. Tim watched the process, fascinated.

“Ready?” She asked.

Tim nodded.

Smirking, Stephanie began to play the wedding march, only for it to take three notes for Tim to recognize the song and make him instantly outraged. He yelled incoherently and slammed his fingers down on the lower end of the scale. The noise was clanging, disjointed, and hilarious. Romantic moment ruined. Stephanie began to laugh so hard her snorting came through.

“You’re a monster!” Tim cried out, half laughing himself. He slapped the casing down, miffed. Stephanie continued to cackle, hands covering her mouth as she tried to stop the undignified grunts.

“Too bad! You’re stuck with me remember?”

Tim pulled at her hands, to free the path to her mouth. He didn’t miss Steph’s squeal of delight when he kissed her, and immediately her hands were cradling his jaw, wrists still loosely held by Tim. His thumbs were pressed on her pulse point, and he felt it throb harder the longer they kissed. The childish exuberance faded, and the kiss slowed and deepened.

When they broke apart, Tim placed his lips to her left cheek. “Until death do us part.” He murmured, then he moved to her right cheek. He felt her skin grow warm, and seep into his own core.

Pale blue eyes stared into indigo, and a long moment passed in silence, the clock on the mantle providing the only noise. Some garden birds chirped outside, and the fluttering of their wings past the window made Stephanie flinch out of the silence. Caught of guard, she laughed, then moved so she could perch herself on Tim’s lap. She tried not to giggle at the slight cross-eyed look he developed as she settled down. Leaning forward, she kissed his forehead, and she felt his warm breath brush over her clavicle.

“Until death do us part.” She whispered back. “And after, if it’s allowed.”

Not for the first, and certainly not for the last time, they sat still, admiring the other. Steph, with her choppy blonde hair, button nose and chewed lips, whose ability to pull herself out of despair was unrivalled, whose compassion and fire made her a beacon to those feeling lost. Tim, with his ink black hair and eyes paler than Gotham’s cloudy skies, whose ingenuity and loyalty was only matched by his earnest idealism. Tim ran his thumb over her lips, seeing the bruise and cuts that she had left from anxiously pulling at the skin, and he had left in previous days.

No longer feeling shy, he tugged on her neck, encouraging her back to him. They kissed again, and for the moment, things were perfect.

The End.

[confetti-cake-key]

I was tagged by @exosbaeks thank you so much for tagging me dear!! This was so much fun!!

I'll tag: @teddybear-march, @wishfulunicorns , @hisnameisminho, @gwiyonew, @1991shinwoo

rules: bold the aesthetics you relate to and add twenty of your own aesthetic qualities for others to bold

Soft

baby pink | iridescent | glitter is always a good option | no bra | minimalistic tattoos | cherry patterns | sweet scented perfumes | wearing generous amounts of blush | doodling hearts | getting excited to pet an animal | fun nails | rewatching old barbie movies | hair sticking to glossed lips | heart shaped sunglasses | taking pictures of the sunset or sunrise | stuffed animals | protecting nature | stickers everywhere | teen movies | the light rain that falls from a clear sky at the beginning of the night

Dark academia

neutral tones | masculine outfits | studying languages | worn down copy of books | grey skies | turtleneck sweaters | loose fitting pants | hair tied with a silk ribbon | trying to remember a cool difficult word you read somewhere to use in a convo | thick belts | minimal makeup | windows fogged by rain | vintage jewelry | blouses with cuffed sleeves | reading a murder mystery and trying to solve it | oxford style shoes | sweater vests | subtitled old movies in a language you don’t speak | leaves crackling as you walk | annotating books to express your emotions about the story

Edgy

closet full of dark clothes | fishnet tights | makeup sweating off | neon signs | searching for unknown songs | chokers | band tees | doodling on old converses | finding smoking aesthetically pleasing but not doing it | weird humor | accidentally very dramatic | dim lights | layered outfits | chain belts | chipped nail polish | messy hair | low quality pics | piercings | combat boots | scribbling on desks

Seventies

colorful wardrobe | doodling flowers | wearing short shorts | using a bikini top or bra as a normal top | listening to ABBA | flowers in your hair | diy-ing everything | jamming to songs alone in your room | drunkenly telling your friends you love them | patterned bandanas | mid heeled shoes | messy braids | flared sleeves | walking barefoot on grass or sand | bold sunglasses | the good kind of tired you get after doing something you enjoy for hours | feeding stray animals | fun patterned socks | room decorated with succulents and other plants| likes to go roller skating or skateboarding

Preppy casual

collared clothes | drinking juice out of a champagne glass | getting excited to see the met gala looks | thick headbands | small pastel cardigans | making your friends take your ootd pics | plaid mini skirts | tweed two pieces | watching reality tv to pass time | frilly tops | watching old hollywood movies | academically driven | long manicured nails | new year’s eve fireworks | colorful tights | layered golden jewelry | yearns for luxury brand items | decorating your room with fairy-lights | cursive and neat handwriting | lace details

Cinnamon- Steph

gold jewelry, slowdancing in the kitchen with a lover, sun on skin, red-tinted lip balm, lazy mornings, getting lost in foreign cities, scent of bakeries, high-waisted jeans, kissing someone’s neck, writing reminders on your wrist, sleeping in braids to have waves in the morning, growing an herb garden, gentle touches, sketches tucked between pages, flushed cheeks, tandem bikes, floating in a pool, vintage gold hand-mirror, deer grazing, softly singing while doing chores

jaesmintea- dia

oversized everything | painted nails | fairy lights | dozing off in the middle of class | tying hair up into a ponytail | round glasses | laughing so hard you can’t breathe | late night study sessions | tender hand holding | impromptu photoshoots | drowning in moondust | bathing in the light of the sunset | strawberry flavored lollipops | polaroid pictures | eagerly tugging someone down the street | handwritten love letters | smell of coffee | living with reckless abandon | crinkled pages of a journal | replaying the same part in a song over and over

naptimetea- helena

everything black | rewearing your favorite outfit | drawing late into the night | rewatching favorite shows | the bread isle | minty lip balm | falling asleep anywhere and everywhere | making green tea | useless questions when it’s 2 am | forehead kisses | sleeping in till the afternoon | love of pink | staying up to watch the sunrise | dancing in the bathroom | messy handwriting | pile of sketchbooks | talking for hours about interest | old sentimental stuff animals | hanging out on the bed and doing nothing | thick fluffy blankets

jeonginks

the thrill of leaning your body way over a balcony’s edge | the suffocating feeling when the strong wind blows down your lungs | tip-toeing barefoot | hair ruffling and cheek pinching | hugging a body pillow at night | facing the sky with closed eyes | the whimsical silence when it’s past midnight and you’re the only person awake | when you can physically feel your eyes soften when you look at someone | dancing alone with only an oversized shirt | when your sweater falls over your thighs as you stand up | humming scary but memorable lullabies | vivid imagination | w-sitting with a mini skirt and thigh high socks | heated laptop on your lap | cereal at 3 am | gliding your fingers across your thighs | bittersweet melancholy | withdrawn and distant eyes | very tight belts | wanting love but not believing in it | not cruel but not kind

Scxrletwxtches

listening to a song and remembering the times you used to listen to it on repeat | imagining yourself living in any other life than the one you have now | crop tops and high waisted jeans | forgetting to smile but not actually being upset | nuzzling your face in the crook of their neck | back hugs when you’re stressed | turning in assignments 1 minute before they’re due | wanting a relationship but getting scared the moment you’re in one | pretending that you don’t care when inside you’re burning with doubts and fears | the sound of the evening waves as you lie on the sand | lying in your bed listening to your sad playlist | exhaustion but you can’t sleep | singing loudly when you’re the only one home | feeling safe and comfortable with that person in your life | knee high suede black boots with your black winter coat | comfort over appearance | writing essays at 2 am | creative peak from 1 am to 4 am | the one that always ends up walking in the back of a friend group

hyunsracha-sav!

split-dye hair | female rappers | staying up until 6am and sleeping until 1pm | taking notes on an ipad | middle school emo music | mini skirts | late night drives | rain on the ocean | flirting with people when you’re bored | doc martens | eating ramen in the pot | afraid of being looked at | fishnets | getting joy out of making people laugh | small tattoos | crying yourself to sleep | peppermint everything | desperate for freedom | chipped black nail polish

lveletters

well-worn converse | ginger ice cream | farmers’ markets | amaretto in coffee | the sound of pen on paper | empty mountain trails | black and white photographs | vintage bicycles | roads trips with no destination | overfilled bookcases | a shoebox full of ticket stubs | granny smith apples | orange gerbera daisies | cardigan sweaters | games that tell a story | red wine in a mason jar | succulent gardens | tattoos of birds | fresh-baked muffins | a favorite pair of jeans

dnceracha-sydni

black chelsea boots | chapped lips | browline glasses | losing yourself in video games | impressionist art | pink peonies | writing down anything you need to remember | the smell of gasoline | business goth style | dangly earrings | florals | ballet flats | cuffed jeans | liking the villain | a stack of journals | generous amounts of highlighter | knives | rain on a tin roof | heavy footsteps | small-town diners |

exobaeks

large mug collections | making playlists for every mood and occasion | the color and the scent of lavender | every shade of blue | red wine and chocolate | dark red lipstick | people watching from a café terrasse | a stack of half-read books by the bed | early morning flights | passport stamps | the french language | leather jackets | eucalyptus-scented candles | séyès ruled paper and fountain pens | boxes filled with mementos | 80s music | wanting to learn every language | sweater weather | big winter coats | hot drinks and warm blankets on cold rainy days

confetti-cake-key

Pin striped suits | lilac scented candles | Listening to old cassettes | A wardrobe with all the colors of the rainbow | Learning about ancient history | Swords | Drinking soda from a glass bottle | Cuddling with your pet after a long day | The feeling of power that comes with the sound of the clicking of high heels | Warm brownies with vanilla ice cream | Hugs from someone you love | Covering your walls with photos and posters | The feeling of being so small compared to the beautiful night sky | Watching snow fall outside while wrapped in your favorite blanket | Dancing while no one is watching | Leather jackets