#Tim was dick even if did it unknowingly

[paperbackribs]

He is the flower and she is his sun

Ashley sucks in a breath, her eyes bouncing between her boyfriend and his partner. Is he kidding right now? Can he feel the almost visible cartoon hearts in his eyes as he leans back into her space? She knows cops are a close-knit group; she knows from every story, every barbeque, every interaction she had seen growing up as a cop’s kid. But this is more than the bond of working closely together; this is a spark that could light a forest fire, and it’s not directed towards his actual girlfriend.

She had patiently waited over the phone while Tim set Lucy up with the man sitting next to her. She asks herself what Tim had been thinking since anytime Chris tries to interject in this painful parody of a double date Tim noticeably closes off. Not towards Lucy or even towards Ashley, but in a way that demonstrates how little he thinks of the man. Tim clearly thinks highly of Lucy, and she can’t help but mull over why he would match her with someone he considers such a dud.

Lucy leans in to take his mushroom pancake and, fair, they’ve likely shared dozens of meals at this point. But she watches his gratitude and contrasts it against how he had mocked the waiter. How he had turned up with a generally bad attitude against this dinner that she had looked so much forward to sharing with him. And it is in that moment, that bubble of awareness, that she feels the cold wash of the truth sweep over her. Tim will never feel for her as he does the woman seated next to him. The woman who is always by his side. The woman who he turns to like he is the flower and she is his sun.

It's later. Tim’s posture and face are soft and relaxed under her porchlight, leaning towards her as if to kiss her goodnight. She feels a brief moment of exasperated fondness for this dense man. This otherwise good man who is not hers. Her annoyance and frustration is banked at the moment; smothered under the calm of knowing what needs to happen next. She’ll allow herself to dwell in some unhappy and possibly bitter thoughts tomorrow. In this moment, she doesn’t have the energy.

Right now, she puts her hand to his chest. He is warm under her palm, his heart steady but unexcited at her touch. “No, Tim.”

He visibly recoils; unsure, where he had thought he had been welcome.

Ashley sighs, he really doesn’t see it and somehow this task has fallen on her. “This isn’t working. I think we should stop now.”

His face crinkles in confusion then abruptly clears. “I’m sorry, Ash. My entire attitude about trying to do something new with you… I’m just – I’m sorry, that wasn’t right of me.”

She chews the inside of her cheek, “yeah, you were acting like you were doing me a favour and then you spent the whole night talking with Lucy. It didn’t feel good.”

“I know, you’re right.” He shrugs lightly, “it’s just, the thing is, every job I’ve had has been wall-to-wall unpredictability, being ready for anything –“

“No,” she cuts him off. Of course, he missed the takeaway. The very centre of what she is trying to say. Have they been talking around each other the entire time they’ve been dating? Did it take the oddity of tonight for her to finally realise it?

“You spent the whole night talking with your partner. With Lucy.”

He swipes away her observation, “she is not my partner, okay. I’m her sergeant.”

She very calmly, so very calmy, exhales.

“That’s not the point. Tim, tonight if you had asked anyone looking in on our date they would have said you and Lucy were the ones dating. Chris and I,” her laughter sounds empty even to herself. “We were set-decorations for the Lucy and Tim show. It sucked that you weren’t into tonight. Like, really sucked – I was so excited to share this evening with you. I was happy at the thought to getting to know you a bit better by becoming friends with your friends.”

Tim takes a wide step back, hands firmly balled into the front of his jeans.

“But you are not friendly with Lucy, Tim.” Her voice rises and she hates that her eyes are becoming glassy. “You are a goddamn married couple and somehow I am the other woman.”

Tim is frozen, mouth agape and if she wasn’t burning so badly in humiliation, she would find it sort of cute. She stares him down.

He seems to gather his thoughts, clearing his throat and reaching for her before he seems to think better of it.

“I’m sorry, Ashley.” His voice is quiet. “I never meant to make you feel that way.”

“Yeah, well.” She wraps her arms around her ribs. She thought she had this under control, but her mouth just won’t stop “I did. I do. And I don’t want to keep feeling this way. I don’t want to wake up in six months and find out that you and Lucy finally figured each other out. I don’t want you calling me to say, hey, I’m sorry, but I’m in love with my partner and we’re breaking up.” She closes her eyes, gathers her thoughts. “I deserve better than being your placeholder, Tim Bradford.”

His eyes are heavy on her and he nods. Almost decisively. “You’re right. I’m sorry and I’ll drop your things from my place at Jerry’s later this week.”

No matter her conviction that this is the right move, it stings that he doesn’t try to convince her otherwise. That his shock has suspiciously transformed into his own sort of conviction. Ashley knows that Tim is a man of actions over words. And, as she locks the door behind her, she can’t help wondering what Tim’s next action will be.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Jason had been acting strange lately, something everyone except him seemed to notice. It started with Jason bringing Tim a full home-cooked meal into his nest and insisting he needed to eat something decent and wouldn't let him get back to the case he was obsessing over until he did.

Dick got called "Big Wing" for the first time in a while and even got hugged and spun around. He nearly cried.

Bruce keeps getting called Dad. He also nearly cries. He actually does cry when Jason, half asleep, mutters a soft, "love you"

Cass took advantage of Jason's good mood to invite him to chat with her and Steph on a picnic where they both tried to figure out why he's so happy and buy time for Barbara to look through all the places Jason had been and make sure he didn't run foul of a rogue or something.

It didn't take her too long to find out all of this started soon after a party he was invited to via one of his former goons where Jason got drunk and left with an equally drunk guy.

Appearently Jason got laid but the guy disappeared soon after. Whats more mysterious is that this Daniel (Danny) Nightengale was a fake identity and they had no idea who- or what- he really was or what effect he was having on Jason.

Damian made the mistake of insulting this guy and it took Bruce, Dick, Tim and Cass working together to pull a pit raged Jason off of him.

Yeah.

They needed to find this guy.

Plot twist: Jason unknowingly fed on Dannys energy and accidentally got thralled

[allyendergirl]

The person Jason has the hardest time warming up to when he’s in the process of assimilating into the family again, is Dick.

Dick hated him when Jason was a kid. And with all that hatred, Dick reminded Jason of Willis. Sure Dick never laid a hand on him like Willis did, but he sure looked like he wanted to.

The glares of hatred that Jason was on the receiving ends of sent Jason spiraling into a PTSD attack more than once. Dick’s glares we’re always filled with so much more vitriol than Willis’ were. The thing that terrified Jason most about Dick’s glares was that Dick did them when he was sober, unlike Willis.

Dick also sounded like Willis, with his heavy angry footsteps stomping all over the manor, just like Willis’ sounded around the apartment. Dick would throw things against walls, break doors and chairs, rip cabinet doors right off their hinges, something that Willis wasn’t even able to do. Willis would hit and throw things, but he never broke them, they were too poor for that, even Willis realized that.

And the shouting. Dick never got far when it came to shouting at Jason, Alfred or Bruce would always shut that shit down on site. Physically dragging Dick away from him so he wouldn’t say something triggering to Jason. But watching a nearly grown man, practically feral with anger, looking like he wants to kill you, be dragged away from you by your older family members wasn’t a calming sight either. And the sound of Bruce and Dick shouting from behind closed doors was a staple noise during Jason’s time in the manor, just like Willis’ yelling was in his time at the apartment.

Sure Dick’s anger was different than Willis’ anger. Dick’s anger was a righteous fury that was big and explosive like a munitions shed on fire. Willis’ anger was solid and dark, festering and painful like acid forced in your mouth. But that didn’t mean that Dick wasn’t scary. That all of Dick’s traits that he unknowingly shared with Willis didn’t unsettle and haunt Jason.

Dick was never kind to Jason while in the manor. So seeing Dick after Jason’s death, and seeing him filled with joy, looking so soft compared to what Jason knew him as. It was a shock. Of course Jason knew that people can change, just look at him pre and post death. But to see Dick smile at Tim, smile at Robin was like a cold water gut wrenching feeling in his stomach. It was weird. It was unlike the Dick he knew in every way. And yet there Dick was looking after Tim and Damian as a big brother should, when that was all Jason ever wanted from Dick when he was a child. To see Dick give that to Tim and Damian so freely when it was withheld so viciously from Jason, made Jason want to cry. Cry at how unfair it was. Scream to know what had made Dick have such a drastic change of heart? Did Jason really have to die for Dick to want a brother? Did Jason have to die for Dick to see that how he treated Jason was wrong? Did Jason have to die for Dick to realize that he should never treat a child that way? Did Jason have to die for him to be worthy of Dick’s love?

Did Jason have to be a martyr for his younger brothers?

Did Jason have to pretend that Dick’s torment over him just, never happened?

How do you go about mending such a Brocken relationship? A relationship that was barely even there to begin with.

Does Dick even feel sorry for what he did to Jason? Does Dick even realize what he did to Jason?

Will Dick and Jason ever be able to be brothers like this? After all this time, after all the violence?

Would Jason even be able to forgive Dick?

Would Jason be ready to confront that fact that he already has. Because if forgiving Dick, and all the yelling, and the threatening, all the screaming, all the breaking got Dick to smile at him like that, like a brother, like family. Then, it would be worth it.

Wouldn’t it?

[brucewaynehater101]

ok so i had an idea and it may be stupid idk but basically

you know the trope of the batfam watch tims training and are horrified? that kinda reversed. tim deletes his training bc he knows damian will watch the training tapes to get an idea of what is expected and he doesn't want damian to think that bruce (grieving) is bruce (normal). so damian kinda writes tim off because he (correctly for tims first training like paris) assumes bruce doesnt care enough about tim to train him himself. then later he makes a comment about it and dick is like no bruce trained him and the batfam is like huh....

so they ask bruce ab tims training and he assumes they saw what little bruce can remember of it and hes like 'i wasnt well, i wasnt right to do that to him, i should never have done that' etc; assuming they saw the tapes

so they now know that bruce DID train tim but the logs are wiped and tim just laughs it off and makes unknowingly concerning comments. and bruce in his self hatred makes it sound SO BAD like wdym bruce

like they know that grief over his parents created batman so what did grief over his child make him do and from dicks retelling (including hitting dick bc wtf) he was unhinged and thats from what dick heard in bludhaven. he wasnt even in bruces area

so wtf did you DO bruce

Ooh! I do love this twist on that trope. Lots of layers to explore.

Their imagination with this will definitely be working against them. One solution to the lack of evidence would be Barbara and Alfred. I don't think Barbara knew Tim was going to delete the videos, but I bet she keeps her own evidence against Bruce.

After Bruce hit Dick (whether Dick told her or she found out), you bet she got evidence of that and started collecting more against Bruce. Will she do anything with it? She doesn't know. Regardless, she still keeps a file that she updates.

Now, does she have training videos? Up to y'all to decide. Besides those, she does have video and photo proof of Bruce yelling at Tim, berating him, calling him Jason, and being an ass (both in the cave and on patrol).

Alfred would be able to tell the batkids how often he had to patch up Tim from training and what the day-to-day atmosphere was like during Tim's time as Robin.

Overall, I do love the protective Tim in this (as far as Damian) and how he's fucking himself over to help his family

[ghost-bxrd]

Burntout! Jason when he wakes up and realizes that overprotective-jason-is-not-allowed-out-of-my-site-because-he-might-disappeer-again mode has been activated for Bruce. Or just how Dick reacts when he finds out Jason is alive again.

Not entirely sure if you mean the prompt where Jason pretends to have been kidnapped by the Red Hood but I’m going with that one! Pls correct me if you meant another prompt 💚

Ok so the first day Jason wakes up in Wayne manor he knows this is gonna be one hell of a ride because when he goes to leave the room (and possibly sneak out) he finds Bruce and Dick waiting right in front of his door. Dick is fast asleep, Bruce looks like he hasn’t had a shut eye in several days and the moment he spots Jason he just kind of— deflates. (Jason had drawn a hard line with Bruce staying in a chair beside his bed the entire night. He’s still pissed af at the man after all)

Dick startles awake only a few seconds after and has much the same reaction, breathing something about a dream before he launches himself at Jason and hugs the living daylights out of him for as many times in the last twenty four hours. (Jason had to throw Dick out of his room much like Bruce, citing some kind of bullshit trauma response as the reason. In truth he was mildly concerned he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from trying to throttle them during the night.)

Bruce and Dick both had multiple micro breakdowns while waiting in front of Jason’s door because on one hand they know how important it is to allow trauma victims to establish boundaries, on the other hand they had to reassure each other every couple minutes that, no, they did not imagine the last few hours and Jason is indeed alive and sleeping just beyond the door.

Meanwhile Jason is trying not to go stir crazy with how he had to go from “murder and mayhem” plans involving torture and taunting of certain bats to “I’m a scared teenager and so happy to be home”. Some of it, obviously, isn’t even an act (certainly not the part where he gets to see Alfred again). But it’s getting increasingly hard to curb the resentment he still feels towards Bruce and Dick.

And TIM, hooo boy. Jason does NOT like having to pretend to like the little shit who stole his colors.

Thankfully (and unknowingly) for everyone involved (especially Tim) Jason ends up taking a grudging shine to the new kid (you can’t keep hating someone who’s got literal stars in their eyes every time they talk to you) and soon scraps his plans of torture and throat slitting for him. Kidnapping’s still on the table though. He’ll have to salvage this situation somehow.

[wolfjackle-creates]

WIP Wednesday

Enjoy another snippet of the fic about ghost Robin haunting Jason! I really need to think up a title. Maybe I'll brainstorm some ideas and put out a poll to see what everyone likes.

Part 1 is here

And onto part 2 (1.2k words)!

-----

Looks like he was breaking his promise to Jazz to not do any ghostly business tonight. Of course Jazz’s boyfriend would be haunted by a ghost that needed help. Why was he even surprised? He adjusted the strap of his backpack to hold it more firmly. Hopefully something he’d brought would be enough and it’d be just a matter of getting Robin alone for a few minutes.

Jazz let go of Danny’s hand to take Jason’s as he led them down a hallway. Robin tightened his grip on Alfred before letting go and giving Danny a sad smile. Both Jason and Robin would point to objects and rooms as they passed. Danny paid extra attention to the items Robin pointed out that Jason ignored: a crack in the wall, a mark that had never been painted over, the chandelier he decided to hang from for a few seconds.

Voices echoed out of one of the upcoming rooms, and Jason slowed. Jazz leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Robin had the opposite reaction and shot a grin at Danny and flew to the doorway, waving him to come inside.

Danny couldn’t help but smile back at his obvious excitement. Jazz caught his expression and narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, she was not going to let this go.

With a deep breath, Jason entered the room, Jazz and Danny right behind him. “Hey everyone, this is Jazz’s brother Danny.”

Inside, too many people were gathered on a collection of chairs and couches. One man was sitting upside down on a chair, his feet on the back cushion and head inches from the ground. He grinned at them and did a flip that somehow ended with him on his feet and halfway across the room in the space of a breath. Robin cartwheeled to him.

“Hey, Danny, I’m Jason’s older brother Dick! Glad you could make it. Jazz says you’re always busy.” He held out his hand to shake, unknowingly passing it right through Robin.

Danny couldn’t help but look at where the arm passed through the ghost, but did have the wherewithal to shake Dick’s hand.

“Dick? You really use that by choice?” The words were out of his mouth before he could think. Embarrassed, he slapped his other hand over his mouth at the same time Jazz hissed a warning at him. “Shit! I mean—”

Only to be cut off by everyone laughing. Dick waved off his apology. “My parents were immigrants and it’s what they called me. After they died, I decided to stick with it. Don’t worry, I’ve heard all the jokes.”

“He’s made most of them, too,” added another black-haired boy. This one looked to be close to Danny’s age. “I’m Tim. We’re glad you could make it. Jazz mentioned you’re usually busy with work?”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. But I spent the last few weeks making sure I could get tonight free with minimal chance of interruption.” Not that it worked, his eyes flicked to Robin who was now hugging Bruce Wayne, the only person of the bunch he recognized on sight. And, what was that feeling radiating off Bruce Wayne? It was like liminality, but not quite. Had he died?

“Welcome to my home, Danny,” Bruce Wayne stood and came over to shake his hand with a wide grin on his face. “I’m Bruce and these are my kids.”

“Oi! Don’t call me your kid!” protested a blonde girl. “Hey there, I’m Steph and I’m just here for the food and to give Jason a hard time.” She also felt strange. Not a ghost, but the touch of death lingered. What sort of family had Jazz gotten involved in?

The rest of the group introduced themselves. Both Damian and Cass were liminal as well. So, out of the ten people he’d met tonight, three of them had died and two were as liminal as Sam, Tucker, and Jazz.

Completely ignoring the fact that Danny was trying to come to terms with all the death in what was supposed to be a normal rich family, Robin was doing even more antics to get his attention. He greeted Dick just as warmly as he had Bruce and Alfred. Cass, Tim, and Damian were the other three he seemed to like the most, though they didn’t get hugs. He didn’t react at all to Steph or Duke. He sat on Barbara’s lap for a minute, too, before returning to Dick’s side.

No one noticed the ghost desperate for their attention. Not even Jazz.

Barbara took the time to point out where the drinks were located and Danny looked over the selection of pop before grabbing a coke. He closed his eyes at the satisfying sound of the tab opening and sighed at the first taste.

One of the boys laughed and said, “You’re acting like you haven’t had a coke before.”

“Nope. I’m acting like I love coke and haven’t had any pop at all in ages.” He plopped down on a couch next to Jazz who ruffled his hair.

“Have you been traveling that long?”

Danny shrugged. “How long ago was our last phone call?”

“You don’t remember? Last week.”

“Grandpa had me doing favors for him. He dropped me off this morning.”

Jazz huffed in the way that indicated she was very annoyed. But it’s not like Danny could just not do the things Clockwork asked of him. Besides, his most recent trip was fun. He’d gone to another planet! He couldn’t wait until he could tell Jazz all about it.

Jason looked at them curiously. “You’ve never mentioned a grandfather before, Jazz.”

“Oh, he’s not really our grandfather. Just someone who helped Danny out once and decided to stick around. They’ve gotten close over the past few years. He’s fond of me, too, but we don’t have the same relationship.”

“Grandpa’s great. If infuriating at times. But favors for him are always interesting.”

“Next time feel free to invite him,” offered Bruce.

The image of Clockwork in Wayne Manor caused Danny to snort into his coke. “I don’t think he’d fit in here,” was all he said. Though maybe Robin would appreciate another ghostly visitor.

Dick did a cartwheel and landed upside down on an armchair. “What, too uptight for the likes of us?”

The last prank he and Clockwork had played on the Observants played in his mind and he smiled wider. “Not at all. You just come from different worlds.”

“I’ll have you know I grew up on the streets in Crime Alley.”

“I was a circus performer.”

“I was raised a rich kid through and through, but I hardly spend times in the upper echelons of society.”

“My dad’s in prison.”

“I’m a librarian.”

“I’m a foster kid.”

Danny held a hand up and laughed. They were still from different worlds, but he couldn’t explain he meant Earth versus the Infinite Realms. “I get it, I get it. I’ll let him know next time.”

“If he’s still in the area, you should invite him,” said Dick. “Alfred’s food is to die for.” Robin was hanging upside down next to Dick nodding solemnly.

Danny tried to stop himself, he really did. He even managed to keep from saying he’d been there done that, but he couldn’t keep from laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

-----

Part 3

And for the tag list!

@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew

[nerdpoe]

Of Kindness and Empathy 4

First, Second, Third, AO3

Bruce was, unexpectedly, having a great time.

The doctors had informed him that Tim would recover just fine, that by miracle of all miracles it was only a scattering of first and second degree burns and a mild concussion. He could leave him with Damian and Dick, then, and go seek out Daniel.

Daniel, unknowingly, had actually made his day a bit better.

The teen hero he had come to talk to had managed to get himself and his friends trapped in an elevator with glass walls. 

Once he had realized what had been happening, he’d gone up to the fifth floor via stairs for the sole sake of sipping on a mimosa and watching the theatrics. Sue him, his kids hadn’t messed up this bad in a very long time and it was a sort of cathartic schadenfreude to see.

Daniel Fenton, who was kneeling next to the intercom and frantically gesturing with his hands, had not noticed him.

Tucker Foley, the kid on the ground surrounded by chicken bones and pieces of meat, was hiding under a torn skirt.

Samantha Manson, who had torn off the portion of her dress below the knees and given it to Tucker Foley, had noticed him, was slowly signing at him some of the most vitriolic insults he had ever seen. 

When he’d signed back, she had taken that as permission to speed up her signing to a more fluent level. The insults hadn’t stopped for fifteen minutes, and she never repeated herself.

Which was, honestly, pretty impressive.

He both wanted her to meet Cass and dreaded it.

Watching teens being teens helped ease some of the weight from Bruce’s shoulders. Daniel did not appear to be in a dire situation, no matter his personal feelings on being trapped in an elevator he could not phase through, and he looked healthy.

Jason and Duke had joked that he would be adopting another one, but so far it did not look like he needed to pull Daniel away from any sort of situation.

The technician crews were on their way already.

All Bruce had to do was enjoy the show.

~~~~~

Tim felt like his brain was melting through his ears, for more reasons than the concussion.

“So you trusted an unknown with my secret identity?” He hissed, clutching the blanket in a white knuckled grip.

“Well according to Bruce, he trusted us with his first,” Dick defended quietly, keeping an eye on the door in case any nurses walked in.

Damian didn’t even bother with a response. He had told Dick that if he said it, Tim would react like this, whatever that meant, and then went back to researching something on the tablet Bruce had left behind.

Tim had been fine with being rescued by an unknown meta. Really, he had. He had also been planning on setting up good relations with said meta for future rescue operations, since apparently said meta could teleport. And had density shifting which he could project on others. And invisibility. And super strength, and flight, and super speed. 

In all honesty a treasure like this meta was a fantastic find, and Tim had been very eager to include the new guy on any rescue missions they would need him on.

That had been before his dear siblings had told him that they did not, in fact, receive him from the meta and transport him themselves.

The meta, Phantom, had been the one to take him directly to the hospital after they had changed him into civilian attire in front of him.

Which.

First off a stranger knew who he really was.

Second, a stranger now knew who he really was.

“Again Tim, we also know who he is,” Dick tried to reassure him again, “In fact Bruce just left to go meet with him and get more information on the anti-”

“Richard.”

Dick froze and quietly placed a hand over his own mouth.

Tim narrowed his eyes.

“The anti…what?”

“No,” Damian said shortly, not looking up from his tablet, “you are to rest, not gain a new obsession.”

Tim turned his attention to the easier target.

Dick very deliberately was not looking at him.

“Dick.”

The hand shifted, but did not remove itself from its owner’s mouth.

“...Please?”

The hand twitched and it appeared that deliberately avoiding Tim’s gaze was getting harder.

Good.

“From one brother to another?”

Damian sighed and stood up, walking out of the room. Presumably to report that Dick had lost the battle of wills and was about to tell Tim something that would lead to a new ‘obsession’.

Which it would not.

Tim was mature. 

Tim would not fall into a rabbit hole because it was mildly interesting.

“There’s a government body dedicated to the genocide of Interdimensional beings and legal laws that got passed mandating the report of these beings to government entities so that they can be captured and tortured,” Dick finally spilled through his hand in one breath.

Tim froze.

“I’m sorry, there’s a what?”

Tim needed his computer.

~~~~~

Constantine had not been expecting a call from Gotham.

He really, really had not been expecting a call from one of Batman’s hoard.

“Run that by me again, mate,” he said as calmly as he could, the hand holding the cigarette shaking violently, “Because I could have sworn you just said the American government was trying to start an interdimensional war with the Infinite Realms.”

Red Robin repeated himself.

The wording had not changed at all.

“Okay. Okay. That’s fine. It’s great, it’s fine, this is fine. Great.” 

The cigarette was on the ground now and the shaking hand that had been holding it was rubbing at his face.

“And the powers of the ‘meta’ that saved you?”

With every power listed, John felt another piece of his soul fucking die.

That was a Spirit. A ghost. A right proper one from the Realm of the Dead, or the Infinite Realms. 

No offense to Deadman, but there was a very big fat fucking difference between a Spirit of the Infinite Realms and a ghost who had never been allowed to set foot in said realms.

“Okay. Is the uh…’meta’ open to talking?”

Red Robin gave him an affirmative, and even went so far as to state that the Spirit was currently talking with Batman.

John perked up,

That was…actually pretty good news! He almost never got that type of news anymore!

“Have Batman ask if the King of the Infinite Realms is open for talks, and get Aquaman and Wonder Woman ready for diplomacy if the answer is yes. Here’s hoping he isn’t as much of a rampaging psychotic Warlord as the books make him out to be.”

The line went silent.

“Ah, mate? You there?”

“What?!”

Red Robin’s scandalized shriek could be heard clear across the room. John checked to make sure the phone hadn’t accidentally been placed on speaker.

It hadn’t.

“Yeah mate, the Infinite Realms are where these ‘Ecto-beings’ come from,”John explained as patiently as he could. Which was not at all. “They have a hierarchy based on strength, and a whole royal court too. Some gods as well, now that I think about it. Demons won’t even touch the place, all that constant fighting means constantly shifting territories, so they wouldn’t be able to settle down and build a nice, big lair. Spirits just take the lair with them, so they don’t really give two fucks.”

Oh no, he’s made the little Robin hyperventilate.

“Yeah so if we could set up political talks to avoid a war with a race that is built for it, that would be great.”

He was going to find the scientists that Red Robin was talking about and strangle them with his own hands.

~~~~~

Bruce’s phone went off.

As his hand was reaching for his pocket to grab it, it went off again.

And again.

And again.

Good feelings gone, he held up a hand to pause Samantha’s insult tirade and looked at his messages.

Tim: 

Bruce we need to ask Daniel if 

we can talk to the King of the 

Infinite Realms

Tim: 

Bruce this is really important

Tim: 

Daniel’s entire race is built for war 

they are very dangerous without 

even being threatened

Tim: 

I think that’s why the government 

wants them but Constantine says that 

we’re probably about to start an 

interdimensional war

Tim: 

I’ve already contacted Aquaman 

and Wonder Woman for 

diplomatic talks they're on standby

Bruce took a deep breath in through his nose. Held it. Let it out slowly.

Then he looked up at the technicians prying the doors apart on the elevator.

Their apparent only hope to avoid war was ‘helping’ the technicians and desperately trying to make it look like he wasn’t much help at all. Daniel was single handedly pulling apart the doors of the elevator, and acting like the technicians were doing all the work.

A great moral boost for them, to be sure.

Samantha’s parents were waiting on the other side, and looked like they were out for blood.

Bruce hadn’t wanted to get involved, had resigned himself to just going to Daniel and Tucker’s hotel room as Batman and handing the phone back.

But this was beyond urgent if true.

They had been antagonizing a very dangerous race for one to two years, and to correct this mistake time was of the essence.

His eyes met Samantha’s, who had actually paused in her insults at his request, and she glared back at him imperiously.

With unnaturally purple eyes that reflected the fluorescent lights of the elevator back at him.

For a very small moment, a fraction of a second, it felt like he was being stared down by a predator.

Then it was gone.

The elevator doors had been forced open, and she had deigned him not worth her attention.

Bruce:

It isn’t just Daniel. I’ll see 

what I can do.

He put on his best Brucie smile and hurried to the elevator, just in time to catch the Manson’s hissing at their daughter about befriending ‘disappointments’ and how they were a ‘bad influence’.

Their daughter who was probably a citizen of these Infinite Realms.

Their daughter who was probably already a terrifying person to fight, and was friends with a confirmed, actual denizen of said Realms.

‘Daniel’s entire race is built for war’ Tim had said.

“Hello there,” he introduced himself, successfully distracting them from scolding their daughter, “Bruce Wayne, but my friends call me Brucie. I’m afraid I’m at fault for making them rush down to meet me, I know how it is, but I wanted to talk with Mr. Fenton here about his parents' inventions!”

Bruce very much did not know how it was, and was barely aware of whatever bullshit was coming out of his mouth, but he really needed to stop these kids from being carted away by a pair of very angry, very human parents.

Whatever he had said had been the wrong thing to say, if Tucker’s head snapping towards him with an unnatural speed and snapping vertebrate said anything.

Too late to go back, though.

“Oh, Mr. Wayne, Why I-”

“Please, Call me Brucie! How about instead of just talking to Mr. Fenton, I also take his two friends here with us down to the 24/7 breakfast bar and get their two cents?”

Samantha’s parents stuttered, clearly not expecting The Bruce Wayne to want to talk to their daughter. A bit rude, but he would use it if he could.

“Of course Brucie!” Mr. Manson interrupted his wife, shoving a hand into Bruce’s face, “Let’s talk business while the little tykes run off to get ready! In clothing more befitting a man of your stature, of course!”

And with one sentence Mr. Manson had just dismissed all of the teens present as children without any real opinion.

Bruce was starting to understand Samantha a bit more. Constant dismissal like this from an authority figure would have driven anyone to anger.

Luckily, he wasn’t stuck in an unfruitful conversation with the man for long; the kids had finished changing relatively quickly and rushed back. Hushed tones came from them as they argued quietly among themselves.

Bruce caught a few phrases; “-can’t trust him-” and “-against us too-”, only to be quieted by Daniel’s soft murmur of “-not everyone is bad, let’s give him a chance, it-”

And a tension Bruce hadn’t realized was being held in his shoulders loosened.

At least Daniel, if no other entity, was willing to talk. Things hadn’t been irrevocably damaged between their races.

There was hope.

“Well thank you so much for this talk, Mr. Manson, but it looks like it’s time for me to take these kids down to-”

“Of course, of course! In fact, we should be thanking you!” Mr. Manson interrupted him, laughing heartily as he patted his daughter’s shoulder. She had apparently been forced into a very unappealing pink dress, and looked like she was going to rip off her father’s hand.

Literally.

Bruce couldn’t even remember what he’d said as he herded the kids away from the man who hadn’t even asked where a veritable stranger was taking his daughter, which he would be looking into later, and down to the gift shop, not the restaurant.

Daniel looked around, confused. Tucker and Samantha just glared at Bruce with full on distrust.

“You don’t need suits or evening gowns for the breakfast bar,” Bruce quietly explained, dropping the Brucie persona, “There’s clothes over there and dressing rooms over there. My treat.”

Finally, Samantha eased up on the distrust, giving a quick nod of approval before grabbing Tucker and Daniel’s hands and dragging them with her to the clothes.

He sat down and started continuing research on Phantom, Amity, and the Anti-Ecto Acts,  anticipating a half hour wait. Bruce was pleasantly surprised when Tucker tapped on his shoulder fifteen minutes later, dressed in something that looked much more comfortable.

“We’re rung up at the counter, Mr. Wayne,” he explained, not as hostile as before but still a bit distant.

Bruce glanced at Samantha and Daniel as he stood up and went to pay. They were both dressed in clothes that far better fit their personalities, what little he knew of them.

Good.

It was key to make sure all parties were comfortable and ready to talk if he wanted the talks to go well. Having them in clothes they hated in a place where it was going to be blindingly clear they did not have to dress like that would only make things harder.

The merch they chose also would say what heroes they valued, another small glimpse into their personalities.

More useful information to store away.

Foley was more drawn towards Signal merch, Manson to Poison Ivy, and Fenton to Nightwing.

He could work with this.

No.

He would make this work.

Earth would not fall into war with another dimension because of one country’s mistakes.

~~~~~

Danny was so, so happy to be wearing a hoodie again. It wasn’t his NASA hoodie, but it was close enough.

Nightwing understood his need for puns.

Mr. Wayne, on the other hand, looked like he was about to vibrate out of his skin with nerves.

At a distance he probably looked fine, but Danny had already seen him in…a very bad mental place, and could sort of tell if the man was stressed now that he had seen him at his worst.

Sam and Tucker stuck close by him, finally willing to give Mr. Wayne a chance after the man had gotten them some normal clothes, making the seating at the table very off balance. Three teens on one side, one Multi-Billionaire on the other.

After the server had left with their orders, the man had leaned on the table, ready to begin.

“My deepest apologies for what those laws have done to you and yours,” Mr. Wayne started, eyes serious and unwavering, “Rest assured we are taking steps to get those laws abolished. This will not happen again.”

Sam eased up a little, nodding.

Danny let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed at the back of his neck, not wanting to make it a big deal but understanding that it undeniably was.

“We would also like to ensure that the King of Infinite Realms is willing to overlook this slight,” the man continued, his knuckles going white with tension as the man very clearly focused on only grabbing his other hand and none of the breakable tableware, “Do you know how we can get in contact with him, and if so would you be willing to introduce us?”

Danny froze, unsure of how to proceed.

The King was currently asleep, and unable to wake up or he absolutely would start a fight. Not for any real reason, of course. Just because it was Pariah Dark, and if there was a chance to fight he’d take it.

Maybe Clockwork?

Nah, he wanted to speak with the King, not a maybe-god.

Tucker, bless him, stepped up to the plate.

“So Mr. Wayne, sir, I’m really sorry but we can’t do that and you don’t want us to try.”

“Yeah, Pariah Dark doesn’t give two shits about laws like that, he just wants to conquer anything that moves,” Sam added in.

Danny could see that Mr. Wayne was not taking that news well.

“What they mean is that Pariah Dark is currently asleep,” he butted in before Mr. Wayne could get the wrong idea, “And he has been for a very long time. To see him and talk to him would mean waking him up, but there’s a reason we had him locked in an eternal slumber. Guy’s a real jerk, ya know?”

Some of the tension eased from Mr. Wayne's shoulders. Danny counted that as a win.

The small interrupted that the food being delivered provided enough time for the man to pull himself together.

Sam and Tucker still hadn’t been told who Mr. Wayne was, and probably just assumed he was a concerned citizen.

Danny was not going to out the man. He was not.

Then Danny’s phone slid across the table to him.

“I put my number in there as well as Tim’s,” Mr. Wayne started, nodding towards it, “He may want to speak with you. If you have any trouble or need any assistance, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Danny nodded, pocketing the phone and awkwardly deciding if it was an appropriate time to dig in.

Tucker answered it for him by shoving a forkfull of egg into Danny’s mouth.

Tucker then ran interference by asking a million questions about Wayne Industries, and when he ran out of questions Sam took over a grilled the man on how someone so seemingly incompetent managed to run a company that large.

Danny gave a small smile and shrugged in apology, but was forced back to eating by his friends.

He could have sworn he saw Mr. Wayne smile back. Just a little.

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[mossfrg]

Lost Talon au 3/?

Imagine Jason’s reaction to Dick being brought back. Like, Jason was the Robin right after Dick died— he had the biggest shoes to fill, coming immediately after the original. He was constantly trying to live up to the standards Dick unknowingly set. After he nearly died by the Joker’s hand and made his own identity, Jason felt more comfortable with himself and out to bed his worries.

But then Dick comes back, and he comes back wrong.

Jason had always privately hoped that one day this older brother would appear and take the reigns for him. The he would get to meet The Dick Grayson, have that man as an older brother.

Instead, Jason is still the oldest, and now has to deal with a half-brainwashed (non-consensually!!) genetically modified 18-year-old almost assassin who’s 12ish years out of place. What the fuck. He did not sign up for this.

Tim feels much the same way. He’s older than Dick, and that’s not something that should’ve ever happened. Tim remembers seeing Dick at galas, remembers his warm tanned skin and bright blue eyes when he’d smile. Remembers being taught how to do a flip and a cartwheel by a boy who claimed to fly from chandeliers. Remembers a kind older boy sneaking him into the gardens when things got too loud and he was so young and couldn’t handle the way his parents looked at him but this older boy was giving him the time of day-

And now that boy is younger than him. Blue eyes replaced by cold, unflinching gold. Skin still tan, but paler with a gray tint to it; black veins crawl up his throat and down his arms. He’s cold to the touch. He’s still kind, but much more hesitant in showing that softness; more likely to flash his claws than return a gentle hug. And that’s not to mention the wings, over 20ft of feathers and muscle tucked between his shoulders (he still perches on chandeliers though).

Damian had never met the First Son his Father had taken in. He’s heard countless stories of the brave, kind, caring, innocent child who creates the Robin mantle. Who didn’t kill, who made jokes, who was kind and sweet and friendly. Damian, unlike the other two, didn’t worry about living up to Grayson, but to living up to the innocent he brought. How could Damian ever be a good Robin when his hands were stained with blood?

But then Grayson, Richard, had been found. And he had blood on his hands. Less so than Damian himself, of course, and less than even Todd or Drake. But still. It was blood. And he’d gone under much the same training Damian himself had. The First Robin, trained and bloodied like Damian. Who took one look at Damian wearing his family’s name and colors and beamed for the first time since they’d brought him home, wings extending to wrap around him as he cooed, who’d heard that Todd and Drake had also shared the mantle and dragged them into the hug too, proclaiming them family and his flock, “or colony if you really want to stick with the bat theme, B, but I think it’s telling that 4/4 of your sidekicks went with a bird theme, maybe you should think of being Birdman-“

Richard Grayson, who despite everything, still managed to be himself after 12 years. Damian thinks it gives him a little hope and privately, thinks that if Richard can be so good after what he’s been through, there’s a chance Damian can be good too. Not that he’s ever say that aloud; he’s the Blood Son after all, even if Richard was the First Son.

[gerryrigged]

For the wip ask game, could you say more about the DickTim reverse robin AU? 👀

Ahhh, I love that one, but it has several backstory/set-up arcs before the romance can even kick off hghkkldjfs THE STRUGGLES

OKAY SO. This is a story about a young Dick being in love with a years-older Tim from childhood, reversing their usual ship dynamic. Most of what I have so far is concerning their backstories, when Dick is still quite young (5-10-ish), so it's more of a puppy love at that point, while Tim sees him as a child.

Overview of the first arc below the cut.

First off, 12-year-old Tim is newly training to be Shrike (the hero identity Damian Wayne abandoned (or Batman took away from him; opinions differ) after he and Bruce had a serious falling out). As part of that training, he's sent to learn from various experts in physical and crime-fighting arts, much as Bruce did when he first left Gotham, or as Tim was meant to on his first Paris trip in canon.

So Tim ends up training in acrobatics for a month with the famous Flying Graysons, whom he has long admired - along with their 5-year-old wunderkind son, Dickie. Who absolutely adores Tim, following him around everywhere, showing off his own (legitimately incredible) skills, sweetly promising to 'teach Timmy everything he knows' and insisting on flying with Tim on the trapeze at every opportunity. Tim fully dotes on him, and Dick just blooms like a little flower whenever he has the older boy's attention.

When Tim isn't training (or catering to Dick's adorably bossy whims), he's often taking pictures with the beloved camera he couldn't bring himself to leave at home. And the circus provides such a vivid panorama to capture - something new every moment!

Once, however, he unknowingly photographs something dangerous, and when someone is sent to steal the evidence (ie Tim's camera), Dickie walks in on the attempted theft. He starts to shout, but is immediately grabbed and a hand clamped over his mouth. Dickie struggles harder, kicking and screaming even with his mouth closed, so the man shushing him grips even tighter, his big hand covering the whole of Dickie's tiny mouth and nose.

Dickie soon starts to suffocate.

Until Tim bursts in, fast and furious. Dick, still thrashing weakly but fading fast, sees Tim run up and do a flying kick to take down the other thug on the scene. He hears Tim yell out for him, just as his eyes roll up and he loses consciousness.

Tim ends up having to perform CPR - luckily, learning first aid, including forms of CPR for all ages, was one of the first things Bruce set him to learning.

Dickie wakes up with Tim breathing life into him, while John and Mary also kneel close by, frantic, with various circus folk pacing on phones to 9-1-1 or kicking the tied-up thugs in the background.

Dickie stares up at Tim, the fuzzy white static of oxygen deprivation painting a halo all around him in Dickie's vision. His knight in shining armor!!! His HERO!!!!!!

(Meanwhile, Tim is trying not to break down crying or hug Dickie so tight in relief that he has trouble breathing again.)

The Graysons REALLY adopt Tim after that. The whole circus does.

("I'm gonna marry Timmy!" Dickie insists after they get home from the hospital. He's suckered Tim onto his bed with him with tearful eyes (Tim really didn't need much prodding to come and cuddle him immediately) and is glommed onto Tim's waist, clinging. "Just you watch." Mary teases (somewhat emotionally) that Tim already stole Dickie's first kiss, so of course he has to make an honest boy of him. Then Tim can be a Grayson 'officially' - hurray, she's so happy!)

(Tim can't stop smiling, so he hides it by pressing his lips to Dickie's hair.)

Tim keeps in contact with Mary, John, and especially Dick after he has to leave. Video calls, texts, postcards, the works. And he makes time to fly out whenever Haly's is traveling the eastern seaboard - to visit, cheer on their performances, spend time playing around with Dickie all over the circus and on the trapeze.

He's family.

("He's my fiance," Dickie corrects. "I thought you said he was your older brother?" one of the clowns asks, tapping his nose teasingly. "Same thing," Dickie sniffs, batting him away.)

So of course 8-year-old Dick notices immediately when Tim stops returning his texts. And his emails. And answering his phone - until his voicemail fills all the way up from Dickie's frantic calls.

It takes them a while to track down Tim's obituary, and the write-up of his funeral, in the Gotham Gazette. Tim had been so private about the people in his life away from the circus, so they hadn't had anyone else to call and ask, and limited resources to put into the search from their tour on the other side of the continent.

When they find out, Dick sinks to the floor and curls into a ball, a silent little pillbug of lost, confused grief. Mary scoops him up and wraps herself around him, and John wraps himself around Mary. They rock, and they soak each other's skin with tears, until Dick's heart cracks open and a thin, wavering wail pours out. It never seems to stop.

He doesn't smile or speak for weeks.

[kiragecko]

List request batfamily’s worst hair day ever

[Warning for parasites/bugs in Babs' entry.]

Dick - a witch once gave him his dream hair. Waist length, perfectly straight, stayed in a ponytail without needing to be coated with gel first. Even Babs, his primary Mullet-Hater, seemed to find it attractive! And then it turned out the hair was actually sentient, and sucking out his memories. So he had to cut it off. He sulked for weeks.

Babs - the same witch gave her techno-lice. Little nanobots creeping around her scalp, their skittering feet far easier to feel than normal lice, though they were no easier to remove. Also trying to suck out her memories. She could see movement when she looked in the mirror! Babs isn't scared of bugs, but MEMORY-SUCKING BUGS?! She was ready to take a flamethrower to her scalp.

Jason - one of Ivy's creations mimicked certain puberty hormones. Jason spent hours growing hair EVERYWHERE. It was the height of summer. He had a beard! His whole body itched, he stank, and he had to remove layers to avoid heat stroke so everyone SAW. Just awful.

Tim - secretly, he's enjoyed most of his hair disasters. Doing stupid stuff with his hair and then being very deadpan while his companions suffer is delightful enrichment for him. But he was once at a gala, mildly disguised, and someone mistook him for his mom. Because he'd accidentally recreated one of her Business Looks. He'd been in a SUIT! The idea of Butch Janet has traumatized him for life and that was the worst hair day.

Steph - dyed her hair on a day that SOME Rogue had dumped something into the water supply. It turned out a patchwork of green, orange, bleached white, and black. She was terrified of mind control chemicals, or Joker Toxin, but apparently she doesn't get to have BADASS problems. Just an embarrassing dye job that she couldn't afford to get professionally fixed.

Cass - Wanted to go to her second rave. Got distracted by being Batgirl and didn't have much time to get ready. No hairgel in the apartment, and Tim was being moody and no fun, so she tried to find a solution herself. 'School glue' is not like 'children's markers' - it doesn't wash out after. She did not want to cut her hair off, but roots growing out with weird chunky blobs at the ends does not look good.

Damian - unknowingly wore the same spiked hairstyle as 13-year-old Drake for THREE WEEKS as Robin. He was foolish enough to think it LOOKED GOOD. He can trust no one.

Duke - still isn't sure what happened. He was in one of Ivy's parks, but when she finally turned up to free him she acted like HE was the one who had brought the weird hair-growing mist. Complained about him damaging her plants with his 'mammalian filaments'. Why would ANYONE choose to grow a 3 foot halo of hair that grew AROUND the underbrush he was trying to get out of?? He was stuck for almost 40 minutes! At least she just gave him a shave and kicked him out, it could have been a lot worse.

Bruce - involved alien ... pollen? Slime? Difficult to fit in an Earth classification system. His hair started melting, very slowly. As it melted, it stretched and oozed across his face. And then everywhere it touched also started sprouting wet hair? He has locked the report.

Alfred - back in his pre-butler days. Involved a theatrical wig attached with ENTIRELY the wrong adhesive. By the time he realized that taking it off was not going to work, the wig was half destroyed and he'd lost several patches of hair. There was no recovery by that point.

[mochegato]

Jasonette Protection Program

Chapter 1

Jason smirked as the lock disengaged for him. Tim may be ‘the smart one’ but thank God he was predictable.  It made things like breaking into his townhouse so much easier.  Now he just had to convince him to let him hide at his place for a few days.  It shouldn’t be too hard once he knew it would piss off Damian, because again, Tim was predictable, and one thing he reveled in more than tormenting Jason was tormenting the gremlin.  And not being able to find Jason would absolutely kill Damian, meaning he couldn’t kill Jason.  And none of them would think to look for Jason at Tim’s place of all places.

“Hey, Preten… er… Tim.  You here?” Jason called out as he relocked the door behind him.  “Come on, Tim.  I know you’re here.  You said you were going to hang out with friends tonight, which we both know means you’re going to be home alone all night.”

Jason moved through the townhouse looking for Tim, getting increasingly paranoid as he moved.  He’d told Alfred he’d be around if he needed anything, and he would never lie to Alfred.  So where was he, Jason wondered to himself as he walked past Tim’s bedroom, noting the untouched bed and wandered into the spare bedroom.  And who was the woman in the bed?  The suspiciously, absolutely gorgeous woman, sleeping peacefully in the bed he was going to use.  When Tim was conspicuously missing?  Well that was unpredictable.  

What the fuck was going on?  Tim was paranoid as fuck.  And to just leave someone in his townhouse unsupervised?  Someone who was pretending like she could sleep through Jason screaming at the top of his lungs?  Something was off.  “Hey! Person who doesn’t live here!” Jason yelled.  “Who the fuck are you and why are you in my brother’s bed?”

The woman’s eyes popped open.  Her face scrunched in confusion after a beat, but she slowly closed her eyes again.  “Hey, no!” Jason kicked the bed hard enough to jostle the entire bed.  “Who the fuck are you?”  

This time the woman, who he now realized was probably Tim’s girlfriend that he hadn’t told any of them existed, which he couldn’t blame Tim for, he wouldn’t want to introduce anyone to this family unless he had to either, bolted up to sitting and gasped in a breath.  Her head whipped around clumsily to find the source of the disruption.  She blinked groggily as she looked around, almost like she wasn’t registering what she was seeing, not really.  Jason almost felt bad for waking her up because damn, she must have been really deeply asleep.  It was taking her a while to settle back into reality.

Jason’s theory about her not really taking in what she saw was confirmed when her gaze swept past him with no reaction at all.  The room was dim, but wasn’t dark.  He wasn’t hidden.  There was no way she could have missed him.  After a few seconds she stopped her scan of the room and blinked blankly, swaying slightly in place, and brought her gaze back to him.  She blinked more heavily a few more times as she stared at him as if trying to figure out if he was really there.

Her eyes met his, but didn’t seem to see him. They looked glazed over.  He would normally be a bit more sympathetic to the sleep induced daze, but he was already in a bad mood and she was fucking ignoring him and where was Tim?  “Yes, I’m real,” he gruffly answered her unasked question.  “Now, for the third time, what the fuck are you doing in my brother’s bed?”

She looked down at herself and the bed she was in.  Her head lolled unsteadily as she looked around until she fell back onto the bed with a grunt.  “I see why your brother is the detective, not you.”  

“Excuse me!” he growled at her.  Instead of flinching back like a normal person would have, a smile teased on her lips and she turned over on her side, curling happily into her pillow.  Jason almost thought she’d fallen asleep and was about to strip the comforter off of her until she slurred out a sleepy question.  “So, which brother are you?”

He stared at her, unsure how to react to her. She knew Tim was a detective.  How did she know that?  ‘Detective’ isn’t a term you could just throw in there like ‘he’s the smart one’ would be, which, he was used to hearing.  But ‘detective’ was extremely specific and directly related to their nightly activities.  Unless he told her he was a private detective for some reason?  Or an inside joke?  And she was acting so casual about it, like it was an understood thing.  “Jason,” he finally answered.  Regardless of whether she knew or not, giving that much wouldn’t hurt.

“Ooohhh,” she smiled against the pillow, not even bothering to open her eyes.  “I was supposed to never meet you.  You should definitely stay close by.  Take a picture of Tim’s face when he sees you with me.  It’s going to be brilliant.  I would pay to see it.”

He smiled in spite of himself, but quickly schooled his expression.  She wasn’t answering his questions.  She was deftly avoiding giving him any information.  It was so natural, he could almost believe it really was, but nobody in their lives was that innocent.  But then again, her body was completely relaxed.  He was accustomed to deceptive relaxation, body positioning that appeared outwardly to be relaxed, but the muscles were prone and ready to jump into action in an instant if a threat presented itself.  She didn’t show those signs.  She was either amazingly good, which would explain how she knew who Tim was, or she really was that relaxed and innocent.  

Either way, he still didn’t have a name.  “And who are you exactly?  For the fourth time,” he asked again.

“Tomorrow,” she murmured as she groped for the covers to pull them back up over her chest.  “So tired. Just sleep.  Tim will be back soon, maybe.  Ask h…” she trailed off.

“You don't care if I share the bed?” he asked suspiciously.  This seemed more and more like a trap, but what the hell the trap could be, he couldn’t figure out.  He wasn’t married or seeing anyone so it wasn’t like she could blackmail him with pictures. And she couldn’t exhort him by forcing him into a situation where he defends himself against her husband or boyfriend who just ‘happens’ to walk in on them in bed, that was actually a popular one in Gotham for some reason, because they were in Tim’s townhouse and she knew they were brothers so… what the hell could her game be?

“And there was one bed,” she mumbled amused, giggling softly to herself.

“What?”

She waved him off sloppily.  “Not worried. You lay one finger on me and Tim will kill you.” She clumsily patted the space in the bed next to her.  “Sleep.”

“I’m sleeping on the couch,” he insisted surlily. He waited to see how she would react, but her only response was a soft snore.  He snorted.  He studied the woman, trying to figure out who exactly this woman was and how close to Tim she was, because not many girlfriends would suggest pranking their boyfriends with cheating… with the boyfriend’s brother, especially when she apparently knew there was animosity between them.  

Some of that could be because she was currently quite obviously not quite aware of reality.  He was now convinced it was a bit more than just being tired.  She had clearly enjoyed her night a bit too much, which he could completely understand. If he had to spend an entire night laughing with Tim, he’d need to be drunk too.

His head snapped in the direction of the front door when he heard the sounds of a lock disengaging and the door opening.  He glanced back at the woman in the bed, whose name he still didn’t know, and made a split second decision to trust her despite that fact.  The likelihood that she was conning him was far outweighed by the opportunity to prank Tim, and with his friend’s? girlfriend’s? whichever’s help!  This was unheard of.  Dick’s friends were more than willing to help with a prank, knowingly or unknowingly, but Tim’s friends?  Never. At least not with Jason.

He ripped off his jacket and shirt, throwing them toward the corner of the room and hopped toward the bed as he pulled off his boots.  He jumped under the covers behind the woman and let the covers pool around his hips, just above his pants waistband.  He pulled the covers up to the woman’s shoulders to hide the fact that she was still wearing her shirt.  She barely moved at all in response to his actions.  He wasn’t even sure if she knew he was there.  He really hoped when she woke up that she remembered the prank.

He could hear Tim’s footsteps as he got closer to the door.  Just before he reached the door, Jason threw his arm over the woman’s waist and moved closer to her.  He just barely cracked his eye open, enough to see Tim, but still look closed if the other person wasn’t watching closely enough.

Tim peeked quietly into the room.  He did a double take when he saw the bed.  “What the…” Tim started.  Jason couldn’t stop the small grin that spread on his face, that is until Tim reacted.  

He suddenly threw the door open and rushed the bed. He hauled Jason out of the bed with more strength than Jason remembered him having.  Tim threw him against the wall hard enough to knock a few pictures off the wall.  His face was contorted in the angriest scowl Jason had ever seen on him.  He shoved his forearm into Jason’s throat, pushing hard enough that Jason had to gasp to get air.

Tim moved closer, his eyes sparking with so much anger that for the first time Jason was a bit intimidated.  Maybe this hadn’t been such a brilliant idea after all.  But, this reaction from the normally composed Tim was definitely unpredictable.  The woman wasn’t kidding when she said Tim would kill him for touching her.  Tim paused and glanced down toward Jason’s cargo pants, still tightly belted and zipped.  When he looked back up, his eyes had somehow narrowed even more.  “That better have been just a terrible fucking joke.”

Jason rolled his eyes and tried to push Tim’s arm away from his throat, but Tim wouldn’t yield.  “Calm down, Timbers.  I didn’t sleep with your girlfriend,” Jason jeered.

“She isn’t my girlfriend, asshole,” Tim sneered back pushing his forearm harder into Jason’s throat.  “She’s a good friend who got drugged by someone tonight, intending to do God knows what.  So you can imagine how utterly not funny I find you joking about sleeping with her right now.”

Jason’s eyes widened in realization.  That… that would explain a lot.  “Oh Shit.  I’m really sorry, Tim.  I swear I didn’t do anything to her.”  Tim nodded slightly and lowered his arm, but his expression didn’t soften much.  He continued to glare at Jason.

His stare down was interrupted by a soft, tired, slightly slurred voice.  “What happened?  Tim?”  The woman smiled slightly.  “You’re home.”  Her eyes flicked over to Jason and she stopped to contemplate him.  “Hey, you’re real.  Did you take a picture?”

Tim whipped his head over to Jason, his heated glare back in place. “A picture of what, exactly?” he demanded.

Jason held up his hands in an effort to placate him.  She was really, really not helping them right now. “Of your face when you saw us together,” he explained slowly.  Tim drew in a deep breath and his jaw got even tighter.  “In my defense, it was her idea,” Jason said quickly, pointing to the woman, “and I didn’t know she was drugged.”

Tim looked away and huffed out an angry breath. He rubbed his forehead.  “Of course it was her idea.”  He turned to the woman with an exasperated sigh.  “You’re not funny, Marinette.”

The woman, Marinette, pouted at him and nestled deeper into the covers.  “I’m fucking hilarious,” she mumbled out from under the covers.  Her face emerged from the covers as she took them both in.  She looked down at Jason’s chest for a second and threw off the comforter to look down at her chest.  She pulled gently at the front of her shirt.  “Should have taken my shirt off too.  Would have been funnier,” she chastised lightly before collapsing back onto the bed and closing her eyes again.

“No,” Tim yelled out holding out his hands in a halting motion.

Marinette opened one eye to glare at him before turning over and snuggling into the covers on the other side.  “Fuck you.  I have great breasts.”

Tim groaned and looked down mortified.  “Oh God, that’s not something I wanted to ever hear coming out of your mouth.”

“And you’re in trouble anyway,” she continued, ignoring Tim’s comment, her words slurring slightly more as fatigue claimed more of her attention.  “Why didn’t you tell me your brother was sexy?”

Tim groaned and ran his hand down his face.  “And there’s another.”  He looked back at her with a serious expression.  “Not sexy, annoying asshole.”

“No, she clearly said sexy,” Jason corrected him with a cocky grin.

“Touch her and die,” Tim hissed.

“Protective much,” Jason taunted.

“That’s exactly what I am, protective of my drugged friend,” Tim growled back, reminding Jason of the situation and why Marinette was there in the first place.  He turned back to Marinette with a softer expression.  “You can do far better than him.”  He didn’t even flinch when Jason punched him hard in the shoulder. Jason discretely looked up to see how Marinette reacted to Tim’s words, but she was already sleeping again.

He only looked away from her when Tim punched his shoulder and shoved him toward the door.  “Don’t even fucking think about it,” he snapped.

“Yeah, yeah.  Okay.  Whatever, keep your friend,” Jason waved him off, but his eyes found their way back to her as they left the room.  “Tell me what happened while I raid your fridge.”

Chapter 2

@jasonette-july-event

[jinx-jade]

Contagious adoption Part 2: Creatures

Marinette and Tim were sitting in the living room of one of Tim’s apartments. They had flown in from the Tibet village about thirteen or fourteen hours ago.

Tim had filled out all the adoption papers and any other legal papers his newly claimed daughter would need. To his surprise, Marinette had identification papers. He had thought the little deity didn’t need them. After all, Marinette had lived on the hill to grant wishes, why would she need identification papers.

Unless she didn’t live on the hill her whole life… 

Thinking back to what Marinette had said when he asked her why she stayed up on the mountain all alone. Tim had a feeling she’s been abandoned before.

Back on the mountain, Marinette had shifted from one foot to the other a few times before answering his question. She seemed to have been contemplating what to tell him. Or was it how much to tell him? 

Her answer, “Because I have nowhere else to go and no one waiting for me anywhere.” was a well-thought-out way to respond. 

If no one wants you, then no one waits for you.

If no one waits for you, then you have nowhere to go.

“... ake, Mr. Drake,” Marinette called for the umpteenth time.

“Sorry about that, guess I got lost in my thoughts,” Tim said with a sheepish smile. “Did you need something? Oh, and you can just call me Tim, or any variation of dad that you’re comfortable with.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t need anything… ” The little deity trailed off. “But, uh, does… does Papa work?”

Tim gave his daughter a soft smile.

‘His daughter. Now wasn’t that a strange thought.’ Tim couldn’t help but think to himself.

“You can call me Papa if you want.” He said with a smile, before adding, “I can speak French and a few other languages.”

Tim was unsure why he felt like mentioning that he can speak French was important. However, when Tim saw Marinette look up at him in awe, he couldn’t help but think It was the right thing to say.

“Now, what is it you wanted to do,” Tim asked, picking his daughter up so she doesn’t have to look up at him the whole conversation.

“Can we make cookies? It’s… It’s been a long time since I’ve had any…” Marinette trailed off again.

“Of course we can make cookies. What kind did you want to make?” Tim asked with a soft smile.

Life continued like normal for the young CEO, vigilante, with the addition of a small deity. However, there were a few changes to his lifestyle.

Tim was now able to cook and bake, not as good as Alfred, but he figured that Alfred won’t ban him from the kitchen.

Tim also registered Marinette Drake-Wayne as being homeschooled. Which was fine since Tim was technically qualified to homeschool his kid. However, Marinette flew through the classes like they were nothing. Her teachers wanted to have her IQ tested, but Marinette said she didn’t want to, so no one pushed it.

Tim also worked from home, only ever showing up to meetings. He also seemed to have a little helper when it came to some of the paperwork. Turns out, Marinette knows how a business runs, and how to run one. It was slightly concerning, but his daughter waved his concern off.

Tim took a break from being a vigilante. He still helped out by sending the bats reports of the rogue of the day, or sometimes a week, that they were tracking. Marinette helped out with this as well. Apparently, she’s been a vigilante before. To say that Tim was concerned was an understatement, but his concern was once again, waved off.

After a month of living with his adopted daughter, Tim had his first in-person meeting at W.E.

“Hey bean, do you want to come with me to work?” Tim asked while making breakfast.

“Am I allowed to?” Marinette shot back in response.

“I mean, B. always took his kids to work so, I’m just gonna say you’re allowed to,” Tim answered with a shrug, setting the food at the table.

Marinette shrugged back.

“Sure! I’ll go ahead and call H.R. and let them know I’ll be making my first appearance as Marinette Drake-Wayne.” Marinette informed him, before digging into her food.

Tim chuckled at that.

“You’re definitely gonna be H.R.’s favorite.” He claimed before he began eating his breakfast.

“Papa, I used to grant magic wishes on a hill with mythical creatures, that is my version of normal. I’m willing to bet that I will be H.R.’s least favorite person by the end of the year.” Marinette claimed, causing Tim to laugh.

“Bean, sweetheart, you’re about to call H.R. to let them know about a mess they will have to clean up. The rest of the Waynes, myself included, usually just let them find out through the tabloids and news stations. You’re definitely gonna be their favorite.” Tim informed his daughter.

_______________________

Tim stepped out of his car and walked through W.E. up to his office. He was aware of the attention that was on him, not bothered by it in the slightest.

He looked down at his daughter to see that she was trying to hide from sight. She was clearly not comfortable with everyone looking at her. Well, everyone looking at her and the lack of magic. He really should have remembered that Marinette has extremely bad anxiety whenever she can’t freely use magic. In his defense, it seemed that neither of them had remembered due to having barely left the apartment the whole month Marinette has been living there.

Tim looked up and around the workplace. He raised a brow at the employees that were just watching, most of them scrambled to work, or simply turned their attention away to seem busy.

When Tim and Marinette finally made it to Tim’s office, they thought they could relax, only to see the rest of the Waynes sitting inside.

Bruce looked like he was about to ask something, but stopped when he caught sight of the little girl hiding behind Tim.

Tim of course, ignored his families questioning stares in favor of calming his daughter.

Tim sat Marinette down in his office chair with a cup of coffee, before turning his attention to the others in the room.

“I wasn’t aware everyone started working at W.E.” Tim joked with a raised brow. A clear question as to why they were in his office.

“Not all of us do,” Dick answered looking towards the small child. “Did you just give the tiny person coffee?”

Tim shrugs the question off easily, “Caffeine helps calm her anxiety when she’s too overwhelmed.”

“And who exactly is she?” Damian inquired, sounding a bit more like a demand than a question.

Tim looked over to Marinette who seemed to be doing slightly better. There wasn’t much else they could do besides give her more coffee and random tasks to do. He gestured for her to come over and talk, a simple task to take her mind off the lack of magic. She slowly made her way off the office chair and towards the group of people.

“Marinette, this is my adoptive father, brothers, and sister, Bruce, Barbara, Dick, Cass, Jason, Steph, and Damian. Guys, this is Marinette Drake-Wayne, my adopted daughter.”

Marinette gave a small, shy wave and smile before hiding behind her father once again.

“You disappeared for a month, and apparently adopted a kid.” Jason states. “Damn, and here I thought it was supposed to be my job to stress B. out.” He claimed with a chuckle.

“Could one of you watch Marinette for me while B. and I are in the meeting? I had asked her this morning if she wanted to come since I couldn’t leave her at home alone, but I don’t think either of us thought It would be this bad for her anxiety.” Tim states.

“How about those of us who don’t have a meeting to attend will go back to the manor, and we can watch over Marinette,” Barbara suggests.

Tim looked to Marinette to see if she would be ok with it, only to receive a shrug from the little deity.

“Ok.” Tim agreed after some hesitation. “If Marinette starts getting too anxious then give her something with caffeine in it and have her draw, or bake something,” Tim informs them.

After Marinette and Tim say their goodbyes, Marinette follows Barbara, Dick, Cass, and Steph out to the limo.

The drive to Wayne manor was awkward, to say the least. None of the Waynes had known that Tim adopted a kid, and they weren’t sure if she knew about their nightly activities, so they stayed quiet.

Tim’s daughter didn’t seem to mind the silence. Marinette was looking out the window calmly with no signs of her previous anxiety. However, every once in a while her hand slightly opens and closes as if grabbing something.

When they arrived at the manor, Dick was immediately grabbed into a hug by his daughter. Mar’i speaks too fast and excitedly for them to understand, unknowingly grabbing the attention of most of the Waynes.

Cass however, noticed the youngest and newest Waynes flinch at Mar’i’s unexpected appearance. Cass quickly and quietly, moved away from the other Waynes, bringing Marinette with her, inside the manor.

“Would the two of you like anything to drink or snack on?” Alfred asked when they entered.

“Tea. Muffin,” Cass says pointing to herself. “Coffee. Muffin?” Cass said pointing to Marinette.

“Of course, why don’t the two of you relax in the garden,” Alfred suggests.

Cass nodded her head leading them to the garden while Alfred left to prepare their snacks and drinks. Marinette seemed to be stuck in her head and simply followed Cass silently.

Marinette and Cass spent the afternoon in the garden, the plants seemed to have a calming effect on the smaller Wayne. After Marinette being in the garden for a while and drinking her coffee, Marinette seemed to have calmed down.

However, not all of Marinette’s anxiety and nerves were calmed by the coffee and plants. Cass just wasn’t sure what else could be calming the little bluenette.

After a few more minutes had passed, some small creatures started gravitating towards Marinette.

A white rabbit, some squirrels, birds, even a butterfly landed on Marinette’s nose making the girl giggle.

Cass could only watch in awe as the small creatures came closer. None of them wanted any food, water, or shelter, they simply wanted Marinette’s attention.

Then Cass noticed that the few small injuries and bruises she had received from last night’s patrol were fading away.

No.

They were healing.

Cass took out her phone and quickly recorded her injuries healing too fast to be normal, this seemed like the kind of thing the other bats would want to know. 

Cass also took a video and a few pictures of Marinette playing with the animals. She had to admit, the pictures looked adorable, so of course, she sent some to Tim. 

Chat: Tim

Cass: one attached picture*

Tim: good call on bringing her to the garden

Cass: Alfred idea

Tim: where are the others

Cass: Mar’i frightened? Marenet?

Tim: KEEP MARINETTE AWAY FROM KORI AND MARI

Cass: why

Tim: Marinette isn’t

Tim: normal

Cass: one attached video*

Tim: yeah

Tim: her anxiety is caused by not being able to use magic freely

Tim: should have mentioned that before

Tim: sorry

Cass: I text others?

Tim: Yeah go-ahead

Tim: Lunch break is over

Tim: I'll see you guys when the meetings are over

Cass: ok

Cass shot a quick text to Dick, warning him that Tim doesn’t want Kor’i or Mar’i near Marinette till he was at the manor, before looking up from her phone to check on Marinette. She seemed to be relaxed, definitely not as anxious as before. Cass probably wouldn’t have been able to tell that Marinette has anxiety from looking at her right now.

Marinette looked up from the little creatures she seemed to have befriended, with a smile. She got up with some plants in her hand and made her way towards Cass.

Marinette placed a flower crown on Cass’s head with a giggle, before running back to the animals.

Cass couldn’t help but think that Tim had a lot of explaining to do when he gets to the manor.

‘But that’s not my problem to deal with.’ Cass thought to herself as she took a picture of the flower crown and sent it to the family chat.

[itsnothappening]

identities | lukanette

Word Count: +1.3k

summary: tim shot him a funny look. “tell luka about our nightly activities, obviously.”

ao3 | wattpad | masterlist | prompts | series masterlist

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“We should tell him,” Tim stated as soon as the family backed away from the door.

Bruce - still on a high because Luka liked them! - said, distractedly, “Tell him what?”

Tim shot him a funny look. “Tell Luka about our nightly activities, obviously.”

That caught Bruce’s attention. “What? No!”

“Why?” This time it was Dick who spoke.

Bruce faltered for an answer. “Because…”

Shooting him a pointed look, Dick asked again, “Why?”

“Because he just came. It’s going to freak him out!” Bruce managed to say.

“Freak him out?” Dick quoted. “That sounds wrong when you say it. Like really-”

Jason shot Dick a pointed look and Dick paused. “Oh, right. So? He didn’t run away when we went all crazy on him or his friend?”

“You mean crazier than normal.” Jason said with a grin. Damian snorted.

Dick glared at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course, Dickie.” Jason said.

Continuing, Dick glared at him and said to Bruce. “And even if we did hide it from him and told him, after three months, don’t you think he’s going to be mad at us for not telling him?”

Any retort Bruce had was smothered when he heard that because, well, it was true. Luka would be pissed if they kept it a secret from him.

And it seemed like all of his children knew that because they all shot him triumphant smiles.

◇─◇──◇─◇

At first, Marinette didn’t understand what was going on. What being Luka’s family suddenly doing things that only a select few of superheroes could do - specifically, Batman’s team.

It all started the next day when Marinette and Luka walked down the stairs with Tim spewing an impressive amount of information about the superheroes.

So much that it was actually suspicious because really, superheroes didn’t go around telling people this information. And Marinette knew that being one and everything.

“-and he totally kicked his ass. Red Robin just pushed him off the roof just like that.” Tim snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

Luka listened attentively, apparently not realizing that was too much information.

There were two options, Marinette decided, one: that the Waynes were villains or at least something like it , or two: they were the Batfamily.

And honestly, Marinette hoped it was the second one because she was likely to go on a murderous rampage if they were villains.

◇─◇──◇─◇

Dick shot Tim a glare when he walked down with Luka and Marinette raving about himself.

Tim just shot him a smug smirk.

Upping his game, Dick launched himself over the counter into an acrobatic move that only Nightwing could have done.

Tim was still talking but he soon stopped with a scowl when he realized his audience weren’t paying attention to him.

Luka and Marinette were both gaping at him, though the latter had an odd expression on her face.

“How did you-” Luka seemed at a loss for words. “How did you do that?”

Dick gave Tim a smug smile as he bit into an apple, casually. “I was brought up in a circus. I learnt some stuff over the years.”

Marinette shot him a narrowed glare - seriously, what was up with her? “And does anyone else know that?”

“Nope,” Dick said cheerfully, unknowingly sealing Marinette’s suspicions.

As he walked out of the door, Dick muttered to Tim, “You owe me 20.”

Tim shot him the stink-eye.

◇─◇──◇─◇

Over the next few days, Marinette made a careful note of everything in Luka’s family.

When Dick said he was the only one to do that move, one thing became clear - the Waynes were the Batfamily.

Marinette wasn’t sure how she didn’t notice it before because once she put enough thought into it, it was kind of obvious.

Bruce was Batman, Dick was Nightwing, Jason was Red Hood, Tim was Red Robin (why was he glorifying himself so much then?) and Damian was Robin.

Once she was aware of what she was looking for, Marinette realized that, well, they weren’t trying to hide it.

Luka was oblivious to it, of course, he didn’t know. As far as he knew, they just had some amazing skills that varied from person to person.

But to Marinette it was very obvious.

And it became clear.

So, just to mess with them, she decided to suggest a design for Tim’s wardrobe.

As she walked down to breakfast that morning, Marinette smirked at Tim.

“So,” she said sweetly and Luka shot her a look because he knew what that meant. After all, she had used the same look on Lila before. “I had an idea.”

Tim looked up from his bickering with Jason about some bet about showing off. “Really?” he asked excitedly. “What?”

“I was thinking about doing something related to Red Robin.”

The reactions were so perfectly in sync, that Marinette almost thought they practiced it.

Tim choked on his cup of coffee, spilling some of it on Jason.

Jason, who was scrolling through his phone, dropped it and cursed loudly.

Dick who was pouring some milk into his cereal, froze and the milk just continued coming through, long after the bowl was full.

Damian threw his knives into a wall. Poor wall.

Bruce, who was reading the newspaper, tore it in surprise.

Alfred merely shot her a knowing look and Luka…poor Luka looked so confused.

Recovering, Tim hastily said, “Okay!” far too perkily. “What did you have in mind?”

His attempt at casualness failed miserably when everyone else was still trying to recover.

Seeing everyone else’s reactions sealed it for Marinette. “I figured you out.” Blunt and straight to the point.

Luka stared at her. “Figured out what?”

Before she could answer, Dick, still with the bowl of overflowing milk, said, “But you’re not supposed to know! It was only for Luka - we thought he’d figure it out!”

“Figure what out?” Luka’s voice had a hint of exasperation in it.

Bruce folded his paper decisively. “That we’re vigilantes.”

◇─◇──◇─◇

When Luka met his extended family, he genuinely did not expect this.

This being the fact that they were the vigilantes of Gotham.

“I’m sorry what?” he asked weakly.

His father - Luka still wasn’t used to saying that - repeated himself. “We are the vigilantes of Gotham.”

“And you knew?” He directed this question at Marinette.

Marinette shot him a sheepish look, her eyes pleading with him to not be mad - as if he would be, he was just curious. “I had suspicions. I figured it out yesterday.”

And as Luka ran through the last few days, it became clear- how had he not seen that before?

Especially with all the hysterical research he had done when he figured out who his father was.

Jason’s affinity with guns, Damian’s with knives, Tim’s with computers and…well, sticks and Dick’s with acrobatics. Bruce had no outward sign, but he should have figured the others out!

“Of course,” Luka said distractedly. “How did I not figure it out before?”

But why would they be so obvious about it? Anyone - except for Marinette, of course, she was Ladybug, she definitely had it figured out - from Gotham could have understood.

“But why were you so…” Luka struggled for the right word without seeming too rude.

“Obvious about it?” Bruce asked with a faint smile. “We wanted to tell you. But we weren’t sure how to. So-”

“We decided to let you figure it out on your own.” Jason finished. And then he looked at Marinette. “But how did you find out?”

Marinette shifted uncomfortably and Luka hid a smile. He knew the answer.

But he wasn’t going to out her. She could tell them if she wanted to.

Eventually, when her eyes flicked from one person to another, she said, “Because I’m one too?”

It sounded more like a question than a statement.

“How are you-” Damian asked confusedly, when Luka answered him.

“She’s Ladybug - superhero of Paris.”

Now it was their turn to be surprised.

“How did you know that?” asked Marinette.

Really, she needed to improve on her excuses - they were extremely see-through.

“You’re not as sneaky as you think, Marinette.”

Luka grinned smugly as the room burst out into shouts.

Ha! Take that.

[mxtantrights]

past lives | epilogue

a/n: time to look forward. and back. this doesn’t feature a big time jump. I’m gonna make an ending so cheesy... I think I’ve left this story pretty open so that you can insert whatever you want / envision for yourself. Once again thank you all who kept up and read or who’s gonna binge read once this comes out! Love ya <3

You opened your front door and there they all were. Most importantly Alfred. You had to show the man you could cook and fend for yourself if need be. Even though others couldn’t say the same.

“Great you’re all here. Come in, I’ve got the table set up and everything.” you said. 

They walk in one-by-one into your home. You were up last night tossing and turning because it really wasn’t much. They didn’t all live in the manor currently but they all had lived there previously. 

You eyed Damian specifically, to see his reaction to your place. He hadn’t been inside of it yet. Only ever on the fire escape and even that needed some work. You watched as took one swift look around and nodded at you. 

“It’s quaint.” he said.

“Did you just call me cheap or something?” you said.

“It was a compliment.”

“You hesitated.”

-

You wince as Alfred wrapped up your lower stomach. It was to help the swelling he said. You were sitting up on the bed in the guest bedroom. 

“May I ask what caused such bruising.” he asks.

You look over at Bruce who’s out of his nighttime suit and is watching from across the room. 

“A really big box.” 

You see Tim leaning against the door archway, hands behind his back. Bruce was Batman and Damian was Robin. That meant the Tim shaped Red Robin was Tim. He steps further into the room and reveals his hands.

He hands you two pills, “for the pain.”

You take them out of his hands and put them into your mouth. Then he hands you an opened water bottle. You take that and gulp down the pills, you have to tilt you head back a bit. 

When you tilt it back forward you feel the hammering of the punches again. It makes you wince. Alfred had already did the best he could with your face. No stitches thankfully. But just bandages and ointments.

“So how long have you known I was his child?” you ask Tim.

He shrugs his shoulders, “After the gala before the lunch interview”

“You mean the set up to get my DNA.”

He winces when you say that. 

“Tomatoe, tomato.”

Alfred lets you know that he’s done wrapping you and that you should lay down and try to get some rest. Which you don't argue with, you get the feeling that you don’t really argue with a man like him. He helps you pull your shirt down.

So you lean back slowly into the bed. You try to hold back the sounds of pain but one slips past your lips. This makes Tim and Bruce stand over your bed.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m pretty sure I’m not gonna die from a couple beatings from Ra’s.” You say plainly.

And it hurts Bruce. Damian had told him that you were in the league years before. But he could tell the harsh treatment you suffered there stayed with you. You were able to take so many hits from Ra’s it was something he never wanted to witness in his life.

“Any normal person would.” Tim says.

Bruce looks over at him.

“Well after I came out the pit things changed.” You answer.

They both look at you then. You figured Damian told at least Bruce that you were brought back to life by the pit. Maybe he was leaving that to you to discuss. 

“We’ll talk about this in the morning. Get some-” Bruce begins.

Then you hear the incoming footsteps to your new room. Sure enough Damian pops into view in the doorway. He wastes no time in running over to you, stopping short of hugging you once he sees the wrappings peeking through your newly acquired pajamas.

“Alfred says you’ll live.” he says.

You nod you head lightly, as to not start another headache before the ibuprofen kicks in. 

“You got there right in time.”

“I shouldn’t have let him get to you in the first place.” 

“Wasn’t your fault, besides I can handle myself.” 

“Obviously not look at your face.”

“I was in retirement. Cut me some slack.”

Bruce interrupts the impromptu match the both of you were having. Even though a part of him didn’t want to. He wanted to see the two of you interact more, since the both of you were family after all.

“Time to rest, say goodnight Damian.”

Damian takes another look over you. 

“Goodnight.”

He walks out the door with his brother and father. And they shut the lights on their way out. You're thankful you get to shut your eyes for a bit. The homecoming Ra’s gave you was anything but sweet.

By morning time, you wake up to find Damian sleeping in a chair at the end of your bed. He has a blanket pulled over his form, from either Alfred or Bruce you take it.

-

“Thanks for offering to do the dishes with me. I know Alfred is probably losing it in there.” You said.

Bruce looked at you with a laugh, “Yeah.”

When you handed the last dish for him to dry and cut off the sink you didn’t make a move to leave the kitchen. You had some words to say to him now that everything was out in the open.

“I wanna be clear, that day when you hinted at the recorder being on and me hearing your conversation with the others, I wasn’t rejecting you.” 

Bruce stopped drying the plate for a second. You saw him falter. He tried to pick up like it didn’t happen but you saw it. Instead of letting him continue you grabbed the plate from him.

He looked at you. 

“You weren’t?”

You shake your head, “No. I think you're a great guy, from what I know at least. And you had to be or my mother wouldn’t have liked you. Nor would she had wanted me to find you.”

“About your mother-”

“We can talk about her another time. I’m talking about you Bruce Wayne. I wanted to let you know that I do wanna figure out this relationship. I couldn’t say anything before because there was things I was unsure of.”

He cleared his throat.

“Like me?”

“No I wasn't unsure of you. I was unsure of how you would react about me and my past. I was your secret child who had been murdered and brought back to life by a mercenary who trained me to kill. On top of that, I had unknowingly cared for your youngest son before either of us knew anything.” you said.

He nodded his head at your words.

“But I think I knew I was sure of you when you wanted to fake me out about the added information in your interview. When you let me walk away.” you said.

Bruce tried to hide a grin but he couldn’t do it, “I thought you rejected me that day.”

“I was trying to protect you. Before I knew who you were during the night time, that is.”

“So now that you know, how do we do this?” he asked.

You hold up on finger, “First, you will not send me money. I make enough as it is and I do not need more.”

“Maybe just a savings account then.” 

“No, Bruce, no accounts. And no secret accounts either, I’ve heard from Alfred about your little set ups and such.”

“Sneaky.”

“I like him”

- 

When you finally get to the dinning room in the morning everyone, sans Alfred, is waiting for you. You hold onto your wrapping as you take the open seat next to Damian and across from Jason.

“I just wanna say I’m sorry for flirting with you before I knew you were family.” Jason says.

He doesn’t sound that sorry, which makes you look over at Damian. He’s got a proud smirk on his face. You face forward again.

“It’ll never happen again right Todd?” he asks.

Jason mumbles something indescribable. 

Then the room is filled with a moment of silence. It’s not really awkward per say, but you think it’ because they all have so many questions they don’t know where to start.

“So you guys LARP every night?” you ask.

Tim busts out laughing along with Dick. Jason crosses his arms over his chest with a chuckle. Damian, who you can tell is looking at you like you’ve grown another head, isn’t laughing. Neither is Bruce. Like father, like son you guess.

“I think you’re gonna fit right in.” Dick says.

“Speaking of which, are you gonna live here now?” Damian asks point blank.

Bruce beings to apologize for him but you shake your head and let him know it’s alright.

“I’m going to remain at my own residence. If you wanna come over you know the way.”

Jason has a look of shock on his face and Damian stops him. 

“Shut it Todd.”

-

A knock comes from your front door. It must be one of them, maybe they forgot something? You jog over to the door and open it.

Dick Grayson is in your doorway. 

“Did you leave something here?” you asked.

“No, I just wanted to say that I’m glad you're a part of the family. Honestly I’ve never seen Damian so calm before. And not his typical calm where he’s planning out every exit, this is different. It’s like he’s a normal kid.” he said.

You are speechless for a moment. 

“Thank you for letting me know, Dick.” you smiled.

“Gotta get going, a flight to catch.” 

You nodded you head, “Jason said you were in between red-heads. Do I wanna know what that means?”

He chuckled.

“I’ll let you know when I visit again, gotta go meet Wally.” he said.

Then he left with a simple wave. You could tell he wanted to hug you but didn’t want to cross any boundaries you might’ve had. In all honesty you would’ve hugged him back. You can see a bit of him in Damian and you’re thankful. 

You closed the door and turned the lock. 

-

As the rest of the boys cleared out, Bruce slid over your phone. The new one that you thought you had dropped on the sidewalk when you were taken. You reach for it and it’s totally fine.

You look up at him.

“Thanks, how did you get this?” 

“Nyssa.” 

Her name makes you still. She was never going to contact you after that night. Whatever friendship the two of your had was over. It was going to be hard to come to terms with but you’d have to make do.

But why did Nyssa have your phone?

“But this was on the ground last time I checked.” you asks.

“We saw on cctv, she picked it up while you were being put into the van. She had it on her the whole time, she’s the reason we were able to find you. Nyssa turned it on and it pinged a tower.” he answers.

Maybe it would be the last thing she ever did for you. Saving your life. You didn’t know what to think about her actions. It all felt like a past life or something.

You turn it on and see that you have unread messages and unanswered calls. Spanning days.

“How do I have all of this on my phone?” “I might’ve asked a favor from Killer Croc. It’s just the SIM card don't worry.”

“You mean Batman asked Killer Croc to find my phone?” 

“He told me it wasn’t that far from where you dropped it, outside of your building.”

“What I’m hearing is you and Killer Croc talk one-on-one.”

-

About fifteen minutes later, after Dick returned, there was a knock you were expecting. It came from your fire escape. You hurried your way into your room and drew up the blinds. There he was.

You slid open the window.

“Hurry up and get in, it’s fuckin cold out there and I’ve got nothing on.” you said.

He climbed through the window and stood toe to toe with you. 

“I can see that. Nice tank top.” he joked.

You raised your eyebrows at him, “You know I can just kick you out of my home you horny bastard.” 

“Oh but then we couldn’t all the fun stuff.”

“That would indeed be the point Jason.”

He kissed the top of your head. Then he began to peel off his jacket. The same one that he wore to the gala when you first met. He looked just as good right now as he did that night. The cigarette smell might’ve added to that too. He placed it over the chair that sat in the corner of your room near the window.

It was a quick, like lighting really, and you saw him move his eyes away but he looked at your scar below your collarbone. It stuck out like a sore thumb when you two weren’t rolling around in the dark.

But before you can say something to him, he speaks.

“I never told you this, but I think we must’ve ran into each other before all of this.” he says.

You tilt your head, “where would I run into you, Jason Todd?”

“I’m not sure, maybe in a past life or something.” he shrugs.

You watch as he walks past you, heading to the kitchen no doubt. Out of the both of you your fridge is the better choice for actual food and not takeout. You follow behind him, only up until your room’s doorway which you lean your body against. And you think to yourself, you have a couple of past lives now.

[butwhyduh]

Security Breach

Dick Grayson x reader

Summary: he’s supposed to protect the reader in Titans tower after she was attacked and there is a big failure. Injuries mentioned briefly.

It was 3 days earlier that your life had been in danger. Dick felt awful, barely left your side. Deathstroke, Slade fucking Wilson had attacked you in your apartment when Dick was on patrol. He had tailed Dick and found out about you. Dick had found you before Deathstroke had done much damage. Your hip had been dislocated and a gash over that thigh that required a few stitches.

Dick brought you to Titans tower and didn’t leave the building for 3 days and rarely let you go out of eyesight. He held you tightly at night and watched you sleep while getting very little of his own. He could have lost you. You could have been killed for being with him.

It was helpful because you had a bandage on your thigh and your hip hurt every time you walked. It was also smothering. So when the other Titans were going on patrol, you insisted that he go and act normal. They were going to question what happened to Nightwing soon if he didn’t.

“Fine. Here is a panic button. Push this and it will lock down all the doors and windows and send me a signal. Don’t hesitate to use it. Okay?” Dick said. He had an intensity and worry in his eyes that you couldn’t quite quiet before he left. He pulled you close for a kiss that wasn’t exactly proper in front of the team.

You pulled back flushed. “Dick,” you breathed before clearing your throat. “I’ll be fine. Just go. You need to get out. You’ll go nuts,” you joked as you pulled away from him. Raven and Beast Boy smiled a little before Dick joined them.

“I’ll be back soon,” Dick said before the elevator closed.

You laid on the huge couch sinking into the pillows before turning on literally any show you could imagine. Bruce Wayne didn’t skimp on tv services. The couch was so comfortable and you finally found a position that your hip didn’t hurt and you fell asleep. The panic button was lost in the cushions.

You woke up to a sound in the kitchen. It had to be a few hours later. You assumed the Titans were back and hobbled into the kitchen, carting an empty glass with you. You turned the corner and gasped while dropping the glass. It shattered loudly on the tile floor.

Deathstroke in black and orange armor stood in the kitchen. He turned and looked at you with a tilted head.

“I assumed I was alone. I guess I got lucky,” he said and you looked back towards the doorway but you were barely walking. There was no way that you were running. He was huge and strong and probably fast.

“L-lucky?” You said, stepping back as he walked nearer. You felt the cold counter hit your lower back. You’d unknowingly walked yourself into a trap.

“Yeah. I can finish what I started,” he said quietly. The softness of his voice was chilling. He wasn’t mad and knew he was in control. Even in perfect health you had a severe disadvantage. And you were injured.

“You don’t have to,” you barely say above a whisper.

“See, Nightwing took something from me and I’ll take something from him,” Deathstroke said. He was now in your space. You shifted legs and winced in pain despite yourself. “Has to hurt, hu? Right about here,” he said before pressing on your cut. You gasped in pain and tried to scoot away fruitlessly. He caged you against the counter.

Your heart pounded. “Please, don’t,” you pleaded.

“Did Nightwing stop,” he asked coldly and you didn’t have an answer. As far as you knew, his son got between him and Dick and got killed in the crossfire. You tried to move again and grimaced in pain.

“That’s more than a cut. I thought I heard a pop,” Deathstroke said before pressing on your injured hip. Your vision flashed white and you shrieked before grabbing the counter. He chuckled. “I thought so.”

“Please,” you breathed, leaning as far away as he let you. “Don’t hurt me.” You leaped for the knife block behind you but he quickly pressed your hip to the counter and you whimpered and almost fell to the floor, far from reaching the knife.

“It’s not about you, sweetheart. I have an issue with your boyfriend. His parents are dead, has no siblings, and no kids. You’re it, darling. The only person that can be hurt to hurt him.... That’s enough. I didn’t come here to play with you,” he said lazily unclipping the strap on a gun. “I came here to kill y-“

A shiny piece of metal was thrown between you both and he barely leaped out of the way as his gun went flying. You screamed and cowled down. A blur of black and blue jumped in front of you and finally you realized that a Deathstroke and Dick were fighting. You hobbled towards the doorway only for Wilson to shoot the doorframe above your head. You collapsed to the ground in horror.

“Attacking my house?” Dick said and you could hear and see rage unlike what you’ve seen before. “My girlfriend,” he said with vicious hits landing on Deathstroke who gave as good as he got. The other gun was lost as well. Escrima sticks were pulled out and a sword was pulled.

They fought hand to hand for a while, neither relenting control. Dick finally tossed the sword from Wilson’s hand and pointed his shocking escrima at the other man. Both were bleeding and exhausted and there was sounds downstairs where the other Titans must have gotten back. Knowing he had lost the round, Deathstroke jumped through the glass window and into the night. Dick watched him go before turning to see you cowling on the floor.

He bent down and cradled your face. “Baby, are you okay?” Dick looked over your body for any injuries.

“Uh yeah. Yeah I’m fine,” you said but Dick could see you trembling. He carefully scooped you up pulled you to his chest and you broke down into a sob. You grasped his suit tightly and cried in relief and fear.

The other Titans came up within 20 minutes. Dick had rushed home after the mission, leaving them behind. They took in the scene quickly. Broken glass everywhere and you sitting in Dick’s lap while crying.

“We’ll need to update security and install patrols until we get this fixed. Come on,” Kori said and you couldn’t be more grateful as the others left the room. If you thought Dick was smothering before, he didn’t leave your side beside patrol. This time you didn’t mind.

Dick gently woke you from a nightmare. You clung to him in a sticky sweat of cold fear. Your eyes were wild until you realized that it was Dick and not Deathstroke there to finish the job.

“I’m right here. It’s okay,” he said, too knowledgeable about the nightmares from trauma. He gently spoke to you and rubbed your back until you fell asleep. He was always against Bruce fighting his battles for him but he made the exception today. If Tim had done it before, Dick could too.

A few hours later you were sitting in his lap, watching a movie, when Dick got the message from Bruce.

Bruce: All clear. $50,000 but clear.

Dick: thanks. I owe you.

All Dick had to do was make sure that you knew you were safe but not know that it cost him $50,000. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

[mischiefandspirits]

Robins Reverse Age, but Not Order

Is there an AU where it’s reverse robins in age, but Bruce still takes them all in in the same order?

Like…

Four-year-old Dick Grayson had been watching his parents perform from the sidelines, dreaming of when he’d get to join them in the air, when the ropes snapped

Bruce was there and, after finding out the boy had no one else, took Dick in

He was not at all prepared

He worried constantly over the very small child now in his care

Which is why, when Alfred called one night during patrol the following winter to tell him Dick had a minor fever, Bruce dropped everything and rushed back to the Batmobile

Only to find a young, recently orphaned seven-year-old trying to steal his tires

He brings Jason back to the cave because he can’t leave the boy on the street, but Dick needs him

Jason was only meant to stay the night then Bruce would find him somewhere more permanent

Bruce hadn’t planned for Dick to be in the cave alone, the boy having given Alfred the slip

Bruce hadn’t expected Dick would blow their secret identities at the start, the boy having understood the need for secrecy far easier and faster than Bruce and Alfred had expected

Bruce had been blindsided by the tantrum Dick threw under the mistaken impression that Bruce didn’t want Dick anymore and was replacing him with Jason

When Bruce walked towards Dick, hoping to calm him down, Jason panicked

He thought Bruce was angry at Dick for his screaming and crying so he darted forward, grabbed Dick, and ran off

By the time Bruce found both kids, they’d managed to calm each other down and formed an alliance

Bruce had two children, whether he liked it or not

He liked it, even if it meant he had two reasons to fret

Around half a year later, Tim Drake arrived on Bruce’s doorstep

He had a presentation

TLDR: Tim had figured out Bruce was Batman

Also, Tim had noticed how Bruce’s worries over the smol beans had affected his Batman work

Tim’s solution: Bruce needed someone watching his back, like in the old days with the Batgirls

Bruce resented the fact that they’d be called “old days”

He also had no intention on bringing a twelve-year-old into the field

He did, however, have all the intention to look into the drakes

Jason wasn’t that much younger than Tim had been when he’d started running around Gotham. At night. Alone.

Bruce then had three children under his care

Two years passed and suddenly there was a new vigilante in Gotham

Stephanie Brown was Bruce’s worst nightmare because she unknowingly brought back Tim’s crusade about Bruce needing a partner in the field

It was a hard fought battle, but Bruce managed to keep Augur (Tim) in the cave, even if he now had Spoiler tagging along on patrol and the safer busts

At least Bruce had some back up once Stephanie’s mother got out of rehab so it wasn’t a constant two-on-one (or worse since Jason and Dick would sometimes back up Tim and Stephanie)

Then Bruce went missing in the time stream

And this is how twenty-five-year-old Damian al Ghul Wayne arrived in Gotham ready to take his rightful place as his father’s heir, only to find himself faced with four obnoxious younger siblings

Safe to say, there was a lot of chaos during that time

Chaos that caused a vigilante gang to rise up

The gang remained even when Bruce returned

Once things calmed down some, Bruce reached out to the gang

He and their leader, Signal, managed to come to an arrangement and the gang and the Bats began to work hand in hand

Bruce even took a personal interest in Duke Thomas, helping him to hone his leadership skills while also getting the him the help he needed with his metahuman abilities

And the story ends with Bruce the father of six