#Tim: HE WAS CHECKING ME OUT AND NEITHER OF US REALIZED IT

[anothertimdrakestan]

Death Wont Do - Jason Todd x Reader

TW: blood & gore & angst

a little more dramatic and descriptive than my usual style, let me know what you think

~~~

It's like a 6th sense. The quietest feeling that something's wrong. The feeling in your stomach that keeps you up just a little later than normal.

You were sat on the couch of your apartment, mindlessly checking your phone as some song hummed softly in the background, a glass of something bubbly on the side table next to you to fill the void of Jason being out on patrol. You knew he'd come back later than you usually stayed up, but you felt like waiting for a goodnight kiss.

And suddenly you got the text:

It's Tim on J's phone, get to cave asap if you're reading this.

A pit formed in your stomach as you rushed to grab your keys. A few minutes drive and 10 missed calls as you frantically dialed Tim and Jason before realizing it was serious enough neither was responding.

You braced yourself for what you'd walk into: blood, pain, panic, but the cave was empty. Confusion bubbled up against the fear, hoping between clenched teeth for a prank or a lighthearted surprise. Nonetheless, your instincts urged you to prepare for the worst.

You pulled out the medbay: stitching supplies at the ready, stretcher wheels unlocked, bandages organized just the way Alfred had taught you- where was Alfred? Where was Bruce or Damian- even Jon or Conner who were frequently watching some sort of cartoon on the giant screen in the cave at this time.

Cass was the first in the cave, you recognized the rev of her bike, rushing to the entrance. Her suit was torn, deep gashes that stung you just by looking at them. She pulled off her mask with a wince, an expression you weren't used to seeing on her typical stoic face. You were her shadow as she sat herself down at your faux-medbay and began cleaning and stitching her own wounds, she wouldn't want to be touched right now and from your assessment she was more than capable in her condition.

You broke the steady silence: "is it- is everyone? What happened out there Cass?" knowing she wouldn't really respond you took her shaking her head as a gutwrenching response.

And for what might've been the first time in your life, you saw her whipser "bad" as she locked eyes with you.

Before you could process just what that meant, the quiet hum of the batmobile ripped you from your dread and into action. You heard an echoing shout as Damian lept from the passenger seat of the still moving car, almost flying towards you as the batmobile came to a screeching halt.

"It's Todd, it's not good. Quickly." were the few words the boy wonder could mutter as he started pulling the stretcher towards the car. You followed silently, blood already pounding in your ears.

The door of the car opened and you saw Jason draped across the backseat, muttering and groaning as Damian began to drag him onto the stretcher.

You froze at the sight, bones jutted up out of his skin like a brutal landscape of fractures. His skin, paler than ever before, appeared as if it had lost all its color, like it had bled out completely. Like a corpse in a movie, where CGI created almost inhumane wounds, Jason bore them right in front of you.

Tim's car door slamming ripped you from your shock. He rounded the car instantly and began helping Damian gently move Jason to the cot. While Cass and Damian were silent in a panic, Tim couldn't help but talk through his terror:

"It's all over, well pretty much over. Bruce and the rest are out cleaning it up but he told us to get Jay home because well, I mean he hasn't look worse since probably his first death. And I really don't want to be here for his second. Dames, pull I'll push, God he's heavy, alright, Y/N lock the wheels Damian grab start cleaning wounds on his legs I'll take torso- Y/N? Lock the damn wheels."

Again you snapped into reality, realizing you'd trailed behind the bloody precession. You lowered yourself to secure the wheels, the cool air providing a momentary relief as the weight of the situation settled in. You thought about staying down there, curling up beneath the cot and waiting until the nightmare was over. Tim and Damian were a well oiled triage machine above you- calling out stitching plans, applying bandages, preparing casts for the breaks.

And for the first time, Jason called out softly for you, "Y/N?" You shot up, immediately at his side, pushing the sweat and blood matted hair away from his eyes. They were closed, furrowed in agony but he still called for you, "where's Y/N? I need to see-"

"I'm here, I'm right here Jace." your voice wavering, but he got more frantic, shaking and groaning as Tim and Damian began to restrain him. "No! I need to see her! Stop, take me home! She lives at-"

"Jace I'm right here, I'm here, can you look at me?" your voice was pitchy and raw as you cupped his cheek in your hand. As you lightly pressed your finger to his temple his eyes shot open and wildly took in his surroundings before landing on you. Like an exhale he sunk back into the stretcher, eyes fluttering shut once again.

Beneath his closed eyelids, the pain etched deep lines on his face, but Tim soldiered on, having forced Damian to go tend to his own wounds. The silence was painful, but you had to ask, "he's gonna be okay right?"

Tim's eyes flashed up to meet yours with a kind of smile, "this big guy's been dipped in the Lazarus pit. It's gonna take more than some broken bones and a few lost pints of blood to kill him. Here, come bandage his arms, it's better than staring at his ugly face." you felt a small smile bubble up, Jason's face was bruised and his nose slightly crooked, but you appreciated the quip.

"Here, clean, apply gauze, and wrap. These are all superficial so I promise you can't mess anything up." he pushed bandaging materials into your shaking hands. At first you could barely move, but soon it felt soothing to lend a helping hand. Tim was focused and quiet, and you slowly worked your way up each of Jason's arms, carely wrapping any tear in his skin you could find.

Tim suddenly stepped back with a deep and satified sigh, heading towards the medicine pantry. He came back with an IV and softly nudged your shoulder, "he'll be okay, gonna give him fluids and enough of a sedative to knock him out for a few hours. Go wash off, eat something, and come on back to trade my shift watching him."

You nodded, looking down to realize you were also now covered in a layer of sweat and blood. "Tim, he would've died without you, you're incredible. I'll be right back." you couldn't exactly find the words for the gratitude, but Tim shook it off nonetheless.

"I had to stay in the 'zero Jason deaths' club, Bruce and Dick would've had a field day." you shook your head, beelining for a shower.

When you came back down to the cave Tim was in a tshirt and sweatpants, his own bandages peeking from the sleeves of the shirt. "Ready for a shift change?" you called, causing him to swivel around in the batcave chair and stand up with a stretch.

"You were fast! He'll probably wake up in a few hours, text me whenever for whatever." with a yawn he shuffled out of the cave and you planted yourself in the chair next to Jason.

You nearly screamed as Jason suddenly whispered "is he gone?" Like a cartoon he opened one squinting eye before deciding to fully lock his emerald eyes with your own. "Coast is clear, how are you love?"

You were stunned, "I- you were- how are you? I mean I'm fine, clearly. But what in the-" Jason laughed into a wince but answered:

"Had a couple crazy dreams, I woke up when I heard you call for Tim but wanted the shift change so Tim didn't spend 20 minutes calling me an idiot and a careless maniac.

You shook your head, "and if I call you an idiot and a careless maniac?" but Jason just hummed and attempted to shrug. "Jason Peter Todd you almost died!"

"Keyword there is 'almost' sweetheart."

"And what if Tim and Damian weren't there? What if you'd actually died?" you cupped his cheek again, letting the weight of his head rest into your palm.

"Not even death would stop me from crawling home to you." he vowed. At that, you sunk down, resting your head on his shoulder and lightly running your hand across his chest.

"I believe you, I do. But tell me you'll never let it get to that. This was too much for me Jace I almost thought you were dead when they pulled you out of the car."

He tensed, "you were here for all that? I'm sorry, I don't want to scare you like that." You couldn't believe the man on his deathbed was apologizing to you, but somehow it all felt very Jason Todd.

"It's okay Jay, I'm just glad you're here."

"Always, now scoot me over so I can hold you," he murmered, groaning as he pushed himself over enough to make room for you to slip in next to him. He went to raise his arm and looked annoyed saying, "damn Tim bandaged my whole damn arms. I look like a mummy the hell was he doing" and you stiffened against him.

"Okay asshole that's my bandaging work there, and I'll have you know I stopped a whole lot of your blood from pouring out of your arms." you gave him a childish glare while Jason looked at you with a smirk.

"Remind me never to get a papercut around you, I might lose circulation." he teased, draped a mummy-arm around you as you relaxed into his embrace.

You retorted: "At least I didn't get wheeled into the cave looking like casper the ghost"

"Alright alright, no more near death experiences, scout's honor." he chuckled, and you decided it was a good enough promise for now.

"Deal" you replied, slowly letting the soft sound of Jason's breathing lull you to sleep as your adrenaline had finally dissipated, finally allowing yourself to believe your boy would live to see another night.

Tomorrow? Or the day after that? Well, that would have to be future Y/N's problem :)

~

Hope you enjoyed, let me know if you caught the song reference. xoxo

[maccreadysbaby]

A Hundred Ways to Become a Wayne

batfamily + oc insert

tw: angst

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

bentley and dick have been through it™︎ thanks to the secret keeper and all they came out with on the other end was a sad little nickname that runs so much deeper in their shared trauma than anybody realizes. even each other.

AKA BENTLEY AND DICK ARE HAVING ROUGH TIMES OKAY

(also i’m kinda sad babybird isn’t a canonical nickname the batfam uses, but it also makes me kinda happy because im stealing it.)

part eleven

❝ BABYBIRD ❞

FRIDAY — AUGUST 7 — 3:20PM

BENTLEY LEARNED, THROUGH TEXT MESSAGES ON THE RIDE BACK TO THE MANOR, THAT SUSPENDED MEANT TEMPORARILY KICKED OUT OF SCHOOL. And that Asten had pulled all the stops (even tears) when talking to the principal to make sure he didn’t get it.

Bruce hadn't wasted a second rushing into the school’s office all worried-like to pick Bentley up, and he was starting to think something was wrong with him for feeling so… numb. Weird. Different. He didn’t know.

The drive was quiet. Bentley took to staring out the window and hoped it gave the impression that he didn’t really want to talk about anything. He didn’t want to get Damian in trouble, he didn’t want to imagine The Secret Keeper, and he didn’t want to think about Dick still not being awake, either. His attempt at attending school to fill his mind with something different had failed, and here he was, just as miserable as he was before. Actually, since his father had been added to the myriad of things floating around in his brain, he could probably say he was more miserable than before.

They pulled into the Manor and parked in the garage, and Bruce cut the car off with a sigh. Neither of them got out.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Bruce questioned softly, and Bentley felt his gaze settle on the side of his head. He finally peeled his eyes away from the window and looked back over at him. He had the same small, reassuring smile as always.

Bentley didn’t know what he wanted to do. What he needed to do. If he were being completely honest, this was probably the worst he’d felt since Christmas Eve. Dick, arguably the easiest one for Bentley to confide in, had been unconscious and unresponsive for days with no clear handle on what was wrong or what would happen to him. Damian, the first other child Bentley ever met and the one Wayne he spent most of his time with, decided he didn’t like him nor want him in the house anymore. He hadn’t slept more than about eight hours in the past three days, and was constantly checking over his shoulder for a supervillain that was kidnapping people. And to round it all out, like a cherry on top of his cake of despair, he couldn’t stop thinking about his dad.

He was exhausted, he was scared, he was sad and he was anxious, and he didn’t freaking know what to do about it.

“No,” He finally sighed, looking down at his pants. “I’m just… tired.”

Bruce nodded lightly, though his eyes held something different that Bentley couldn’t quite place. “Let’s get you inside, then.”

Bentley nodded, and they got out of the car and went into the Manor. It was really quiet inside, given that Damian and Duke were still at school. Tim was probably at work, if Bentley had to guess, and Dick was still in the cave. He wasn’t sure about everyone else, but the house seemed really big and really empty, and it reminded him of Whittaker Estate.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come get me, okay?” Bruce asked softly, running a hand over Bentley’s head.

“Okay,” He replied. 

He went up to his room after that, dropping his backpack by his dresser and curling up on his mattress. And that’s where he laid for the next hour and a half, unable to sleep despite being absolutely exhausted, trying to fight away negative thoughts with about as much mental strength as a blade of grass. Bruce popped his head in once, so he pretended to be asleep. He heard his phone going off in his backpack periodically, where he’d left it when he got out of the car, but he never got up to get it out.

When the clock struck three-forty-five, he pulled himself off of his mattress and forced himself back down the stairs. He either needed a well-deserved breakdown or a distraction, and he opted for the less embarrassing option.

He walked into the library to find a book, thinking maybe if he could slip away for a while he’d be fine, but he found a Jason instead.

He was reading quietly on one end of the long couch, in sweats that Bentley was halfway sure he’d seen Dick wearing before, and the white streak at the front of his black hair was on full display, nearly glowing in the radiant light from the fireplace. He glanced up when Bentley walked in, then looked back down.

“Hey, kid,” He greeted casually, and Bentley was sort of glad he was looking at the book and not him. He made his way to the opposite end of the couch and sat down on it, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around them.

He breathed in and out deeply. “Hey.”

He saw Jason steal another quick glance at him in his peripheral. “You okay?”

“Mhm,” Was as much of a response as he trusted himself to make without doing something embarrassing, like crying. Instead, he just sat there and stared down at his socks. He was sure Jason had heard about what happened at school, so he was kind of glad it was him and not anyone else. Jason wasn’t one to ask questions, and Bentley didn’t want to answer any.

He wasn’t allowed to feel this bad. Not when his life had taken a complete turn from his father’s house to the Manor. Not when he’d gotten so lucky, so fortunate. There were kids much, much worse off than him that were happy — so he just needed to suck it up and deal with it. He was fine. He had to be.

A long moment of silence passed, and Bentley debated grabbing a book or something, but he didn’t really want to move. 

“…Jason?”

Bentley didn’t look over as he spoke, but he saw Jason turn toward him in the corner of his eye.

“Yeah?”

He sucked in a breath, resting his chin on his knees. “Will you… read to me?”

Another quiet moment passed, and he could feel Jason’s eyes on him the same way he felt Bruce’s in the car. “What do you want to hear?”

Bentley shrugged lightly. “Whatever you have is fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,”

“Okay…” Jason replied, shifting a little and looking back down at his book. “‘I am by no means of opinion, I assure you,’ said he, ‘that a ball of this kind, given by a young man of character, to respectable people, can have any evil tendency.”

Bentley tried his best to focus.

“‘And I am so far from objecting to dancing myself that I shall hope to be honoured with the hands of all my fair cousins in the course of the evening, and I take this opportunity of soliciting yours, Miss Elizabeth, for the two first dances especially, — a preference which I trust my cousin Jane will attribute to the right cause, and not to any disrespect for her.’”

Bentley blinked back the stubborn burn that surfaced behind his eyes. Not because of what Jason was saying — he was hardly able to comprehend that — but because of how bad he felt for feeling bad. He should be fine.

“Elizabeth felt herself completely taken in. She had fully proposed being engaged by Wickham for those very dances: — and to have Mr. Collins instead! — her liveliness had been never worse timed. There was no help for it however.”

He turned his head completely away when his eyes started brimming, internally begging for it to go away. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he just be fine like he was supposed to?

“Kid?”

Bentley squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force everything to just stop, but it seemed to only make it all worse. 

“Bentley?”

He sniffled, and didn’t look over at him. “Can you just keep reading? Please?”

Jason was quiet for a few moments, during which Bentley hoped and prayed he wasn’t about to ask anything, but instead he continued: “…Wickham's happiness and her own was per force delayed a little longer, and Mr. Collins's proposal accepted with as good a grace as she could.”

Bentley tried to force all the bad feelings away, shove them down and bottle them up, but he was struggling to, and he didn’t know why.

“She was not the better pleased with his gallantry, from the idea it suggested of something more. — It now first struck her, that she was selected from among her sisters as worthy of being the mistress of  Hunsford Parsonage, and of assisting to form a quadrille table at Rosings, in the absence of more eligible visitors.”

Bentley sniffer quietly (he didn’t mean to.) and as soon as he realized he did, he brought a hand up to his mouth. He shouldn’t have come downstairs at all.

“Hey, kid?”

Bentley said nothing. Didn’t look at him. Didn’t breathe. Maybe if he ignored him long enough he’d forget about it.

“C’mere,”

He did turn to look at him that time. And Jason was looking back at him, gesturing with a hand for Bentley to move toward him on the couch.

So Bentley did. He stood up, walked over there, and sat back down next to Jason, bringing his knees up into the same position he had been in before. 

“I’m not great at this kind of thing, but… if you want to talk about it, I’ll listen,” He explained simply, blue eyes flicking to several places. Bentley shook his head, staring down at his feet.

“I don’t,” 

That was enough for Jason. Bentley was glad he didn’t pry. Even though he was always trying to help, Dick pried a lot, and sometimes Bentley didn’t really want to talk. Jason seemed to understand.

He kept reading to him instead of asking anything more. Bentley ended up just sucking it all up, forcing himself to stop because he was fine. Jason just kept narrating whatever posh rich people book he was reading, and after a while, even draped an arm over the back of the couch where Bentley was. (Not touching him — Jason had always been careful about that kind of thing since they learned about his father, and Bentley wondered if he was doing it because he knew how complicated touch could be in stressful situations. He still hadn’t forgotten that abuse was noted several times in Jason’s file, and he assumed it wasn’t a coincidence that he was the most touch-conscious one when it came to another abuse survivor.) 

Bentley was pretty sure he heard Damian and Duke get home from school, but he didn’t move. He just hung off of every word Jason said, focusing on his inflection, on the slightly faded Crime Alley drawl he had that Bentley recognized from Asten’s voice, the way they said certain words the same. And eventually, his mind quieted, the delayed wave of after-anxiety-attack exhaustion hit him, and he faded away thinking about a strange mixture of Crime Alley and whatever fancy ball the rich people were at in Jason’s book.

—

“-Hey, kid,”

Bentley shifted slightly with a soft hum of acknowledgement, not wasting the energy to force his eyes open. Wherever he was, he was warm and comfortable.

“It’s eight-thirty,” He heard Jason say. “And Bruce just told me Dick’s awake, and he’s asking for you.”

Bentley sat up quickly, rubbing at his eyes and blinking them open. There was a blanket around him, and his head had been resting on Jason’s right shoulder. The library was dark now, only illuminated by the fireplace and a few lamps. (He tried not to think about how long Jason had been sitting in there with him.) 

“Dick’s awake?” He asked quietly, stifling a yawn to the best of his ability. He really hoped this wasn’t some sort of sick dream. Dick waking up wouldn’t solve all of his problems, no, but it would definitely get rid of a big one.

“Yeah,” Jason replied, putting his book down on the nightstand beside the couch. The little bookmark he kept in it had moved from the beginning to nearly the end. “You wanna go down there?”

Bentley stood up, pulling the blanket tighter around him with a quick: “Yeah.”

Jason rose from the couch, too, with a stretch and yawn of his own. “You really know how to put people to sleep, kid. Ten more minutes and I’d have signed off for the night.”

Bentley snickered emptily, then counted his fingers and read some of the book spines as he walked out of the library, just to make sure he was actually awake. He seemed awake, and he had ten fingers and could make out the words on the books, so he proceeded down to the cave.

As soon as he and Jason exited the elevator and began descending the stairs, he could hear voices. Mostly Bruce and Alfred’s, but sometimes Dick’s and maybe Tim’s a few times, too. It helped to fend away the cold that had been settling in his chest and made him feel… better. A little.

Bentley turned into the cave, spotting Tim at the Batcomputer typing away, and he could see a crowd of people in the Medbay. More specifically, Alfred hovering around doing his caretaker duties, Bruce and Damian on opposite sides of the bed, and Dick, sitting up on the mattress, awake and alert and okay.

Well, scratch the okay part. He didn’t look hurt or sick, but he was on the edge of the bed, his upper-body being cradled by Bruce and he was very obviously crying. But he was awake, and he was alive, and that was enough for Bentley.

He drifted to the door of the medbay, settling quietly in the doorframe. Everybody noticed his presence but Dick. Bentley wasn’t sure what had happened when he was unconscious, or what he’d seen, but it seemed to have taken a toll on him. He looked different, somehow, not necessarily physically, but… different. Kind of like he felt how Bentley felt. Like his typical Dick Grayson charm and gleeful demeanor had been stripped away.

Bentley stood there for a few moments before Bruce rubbed Dick’s back lightly. “Bentley’s here, chum.”

He sat up and turned, scouring the room before his ocean blue eyes came to rest where Bentley was standing, fiddling with his fingers in the doorway. Apparently, something about him being there was cause for concern, because Dick started crying harder when he saw him, and it made Bentley’s heart clench.

Did Dick not want him here, either?

“You can come in, bud,” Bruce said softly. “He’s okay. He just missed you.”

Bentley took a few hesitant steps into the room, watching them closely — the way Damian was looking at him so calculatively, and how Bruce’s fond and reassuring gaze contrasted it wildly. When he got close to the hospital bed, Dick reached for him. After Bentley glanced between Bruce and Alfred and only got soft smiles and nods of encouragement, he pushed himself up on the edge of the hospital bed.

“Hey…”

As soon as he was within reach, Dick grabbed him and reeled him in like some kind of professional fisherman, and Bentley just let him.

“I could hear you,” He whispered quietly, occasional sniffles and hiccups pushing Bentley closer to wishing everything short of death on the Secret Keeper. “I could hear you talking to me, I saw… oh my God…”

Bentley stayed quiet, but gently brought his arms up and around Dick’s torso in return. He was all but in his lap, and Dick was holding onto him like he was some sort of fleeting memory that would fade away the very second he let go. 

Dick sniffed, hiding his face in Bentley’s hair. “I love you, babybird. I love you so much.”

And that was it. Every semblance of willpower dissipated with just a few words, every shred of dignity and feigned composure, every haphazardly pinned-up false pretense that Bentley was fine fluttered away in the wind, and he wept.

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld 💚

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @cademygod

[outtheoiseaux]

Best ever marble hornets fanfic being co-written by me and @bandagedloser (here’s the barebones plot so we don’t forget)

- Jay and hoody both survive (bc Tim like literally never checks if either of them r alive) but by the time they recover and start investigating what happened, Tim is long gone, as well as Alex. All they have is blood on the floor, a bodycam, and a pair of glasses.

- they find each other, girl fight, come to some kind of an agreement, find Jessica, and get her to help them find out what happened to tim or Alex.

- there’s no trace of the two, nor is there any trace of the operator, until strange sightings of a faceless man and a living tree begin to be reported in southern states, and settle in texas. the trio realizes that the operator is following something, or someone, and they follow suit.

- road trip!

- basically they’re following operator sightings around the country so they can find out what happened to Alex/tim (they know one of them died, but not who)

- Jay is a crystal bitch(but not the kind you think)

- naturally (bc the hooded man refuses to take off his mask) Jay n Jessica get creative

- 🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️Brian reveal🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️

- no separation between Brian and the hooded man.

- even with their ultra stalker instincts they can’t find shit on Tim or Alex, so they decide to hit the roads and begin their search

- first they go to the one place where everything is bigger and better, Texas. Obviously they rob a buc-ee’s. Brian is a Texan by heart. (They remember the Alamo)

- they begin to realize that the paranormal world is a lot wider than they initially thought.

- Brian debates free the nip vs free the tip with Jessica.

- they go to New Mexico after a string of grisly murders eerily similar to Alex’s drawings. Here, they find evidence that while Alex is not connected to the murders, he may be alive.

- they go to Tennessee, learn to pickpocket like the French youth, and follow reports of a cold case body strung up in the woods, and discover that Alex has died. The operator keeps moving, so they realize it must be following Tim.

- they go to Las Vegas, discover jay’s questionable past, Brian is almost killed by a weird goth chick named Jane who mistakes him for working with the operator and the strange slit-faced killer it’s supposedly been using. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

- after Tim’s trail goes cold, the group moves off course to Idaho to meet up with a longtime internet friend of jay’s: an eccentric internet stalker named Nina. They show her the bodycam and Alex’a laptop, which she uses to track down Tim, who has Alex’s phone. Based on his latest searches and messages, he’s also been tracking the killer jane has been following.

- Tim is luckily in Montana ! Only a state above them. They make their way to his location but while on a pit stop, Jessica, while trying to flirt with a cute girl who lives in the area, is hunted for sport by the very same woman! While Jay and Brian laze around, Jessica fends off Mrs. ouellette with the help of the strange axe murderer from all the way back in New Mexico.

- finally making their way to Tim’s location, Toby (the axe murderer lol), Jessica, Jay and Brian make their way through the northern Montana forests Tim their search for Tim. The operator appears, sending them across the forest until they end up driving straight through him and end up in a woodland clearing.

- Tim and Jane are there! They’ve managed to corner a strange gaunt man who appears to be the slit-faced serial killer jane’s been chasing. Tim distracts him and jane tries to shoot him down, but neither of them are very successful until Jay and co. Drive straight into him.

- Tim and jane rush to meet their sudden accomplices and are shocked to discover who they are.

[daughterofthereaper02]

Imagine the dagger squad are all at the readers house getting ready for the Navy State Ball and Nat and reader are getting ready in her room together blasting Taylor swift and dancing around getting all dolled up and rooster Bob and Hangman look so happy to see their S/O feeling completely comfortable infront of their friends. It would be so cute to them look like love struck puppies 💖

A/N: YES! This is so cute!!!!!! SIDE NOTE: I have seen different photos with women in uniform and out along with the men in their whites and blues. For this they WILL be in their dress whites (what Maverick wore for those who don't know).

Warnings: Fluff, Taylor Swift, reader in a dress (no detail besides color. Can imagine a pantsuit instead).

You sang into your hairbrush with Nat, both of you singing Mr. Perfectly Fine with face masks on. You two had become quick best friends when you both met after your boyfriends introduced you to her.

Now you both decided to make a day out of getting ready for the Navy State Ball together, getting your nails done early this morning and then just hanging out doing skin care and stuff before. You guys were goofing around the whole time. Occasionally one of your boyfriends one come to check in on you guys, smiling fondly as you both hung out. Neither of you had the typical prom experience so you were giving it to each other.

That experience meant blasting every Taylor Swift song and singing loudly.

When it came down to finishing getting ready with however you both did, with hair and makeup, the music went on louder. It was all Taylor Swift and you both sang at the top of your lungs while the rest of the dagger squad began to show up so everyone could carpool together.

"I like shiny things" Nat sang as you helped her do her hair. "But I'd marry you with paper rings!" You continued, a big smile on your face as you carefully curled her hair. This was an event where she didn't have to wear her uniform. You were ready besides your outfit, standing in your bathrobe.

Jake came up and knocked on the door. "Ladies? You almost ready?" He asked but he was staring at you in awe, like you were a million dollars. "Just about honey. Need to put on our outfits, shoes, and jewelry. Then we'll be down. Finish putting on your uniform" you laughed. He mockingly saluted, "Yes ma'am" he told you before walking away.

He practically flew down the stairs and to Robert and Bradley, "Stunning, absolutely stunning" he said, his voice making it obvious he was star struck. Robert looked upstairs, wanting to go up but Jake stopped him. "She wants us dressed and ready" he said, the song switching upstairs. "The country side?" Bradley asked as Tim McGraw came on. Robert laughed and shook his head, "Her and I danced to this in The Hard Deck when you two were passed out drunk in the corner. Someone put it on and it may have been the day I wore that cowboy hat" he grinned as he adjusted his pins in the mirror.

Upstairs you were in a dark grey dress that fit the dress code. You put on your jewelry and took a deep breath as you looked at Natasha, "You look amazing Nat" you smiled, taking in the sight of your best friend, she looked like a goddess. She turned to you and her eyes widened, "Me? You look like an angel, those boys are going to be shocked" she smiled brightly, making you flush. You were both about to go down when she forgot something, you barely realized the music was still going and switched to Wildest Dreams.

You stepped down the stairs and the three turned, their faces full of love. They straightened up a little more, tucking their covers under their arms. Bradley came up and held out his hand, "May we have the pleasure of escorting the most beautiful woman to the ball?" He asked, making your face flush but you nodded, "It's all my pleasure" you murmured.

None of you saw your friends recording it, it was going to be shown at the wedding. It had been captured perfectly, the looks of love, the way Bobs face twitched and his jaw clenched to not let his jaw fall, the deep breath Bradley took in shock of you, and the way Jake's face lit up seeing you again. They also caught your look of complete adoration when you saw them, that no one else was in the room.

It was a beautiful night, spending it with the three as you all danced. If you were in Jake's lap at the little after get together at a diner and half asleep, no one said anything.

Tag list:

@blackcat2907

@18crazybutcutealsopsycho

@peaches-and-sunshine

@natasharomanoffisbaebby

@sweetheartlizzie07

@lollypop90907

@the-hottest-lieutenants

@jamiedontbeacracko

@fandomstanner24

[the-coffee-fandom]

For @tim-drake-is-underrated Happy Birthday 💜💜💜

Marinette: *sighs*

Tim: What's wrong?

Marinette: Do you think I'll get a significant other before prom?

Tim: *slightly taken aback* Well of course. Who wouldn't want to be with you?

Marinette: *blushes and looks down, twiddling her fingers*

Tim: What's this about Mari?

Marinette: *shrugs* I just... In the halls there was this group teasing someone because they didn't have a date. Of course, having a date isn't all that important and you should be happy with yourself no matter the relationship status...but also...I do want to go with someone special.

Tim: *nods in understanding and puts his hand over hers* I absolutely understand. But hey, you have three years to get there. And whatever's left of this year. You'll find someone.

Marinette: *smiles softly at Tim* Thank you Tim *kisses his cheek* I have to go now, class is soon.

Tim: *nods slightly dumbstruck*

Marinette: *collects her stuff* see you later Tim

Tim: *puts hand to spot she kissed while watching her leave*

*Bell Rings*

-After school that day-

Tim: *rushes down the steps* Marinette! Wait up!

Marinette: *stops at the bottom for him* Oh sorry Tim

Tim: *chuckles* All good. I just wanted to ask you something?

Marinette: *nods* go ahead

Tim: *takes a deep breath* What if, if neither of us gets a date to prom we go with each other instead? That way neither of us will be lonely and you are the best company to have around and it'll be perfect.

Marinette: *takes a moment to process his rushed out words* You want to go to prom with me?

Tim: *nods* If you dont get a date before prom, I'll be your date.

Marinette: *thinks about it* ok deal. If neither of us gets asked to go to the prom we have to go with each other instead.

Tim: *grins* Deal

Marinette: *giggles* Ok well I'll see you tomorrow Tim. Thank you.

-3 years later-

Steph: *falls into chair in front of Marinette with a sigh*

Marinette: *stops eating lunch to look up* Hey Steph. What's wrong?

Steph: *sighs and outs head on the table* I asked Tim to go to prom with me. Can you believe it? He already has a date! And he won't tell me who!

Marinette: *surprised* He does?

Steph: I know right? Super unexpected! Usually they make these big proposals and you just know who's going together. There was nothing like that for him. How is anyone supposed to know the tea! Who is the mysterious person he's going with?!? You're close to him. Who is it.

Marinette: *leans backward slightly as Steph leans forward* I haven't heard anything about any dates nor him being asked to prom.

Steph: huh strange. Has he asked you?

Marinette: *shakes head no*

Steph: huh crazy. Well I guess we'll see who the lucky person is at prom. Maybe him and Bernard hooked back up? Maybe he finally realized Kon trails him like a puppy? You're already checked off the list....oh this is such a fun mystery!

Marinette: *nods distractedly* yeah

Marinette: I have to get to class, I'll see you later?

Steph: *nods* course!

-After school-

Marinette: *catches up to Tim and walks next to him*

Tim: Oh hey Mari

Marinette: Hey! You missed lunch?

Tim: Im sorry, got caught up in work.

Marinette: *nods in understanding* that's ok I understand.

Tim: *smiles*

Marinette: Sooo.... You remember our deal?

Tim: The one we've made every year since we came to high school?

Marinette: Yes that one.

Tim: Of course. Why do you bring it up? Have you been asked out yet?

Marinette: *pulls books closer to chest* No. I was just wondering if you had?

Tim: *shakes his head no* Afraid not. Guess I'm not as popular as I'd like to think I am *smirks doopely* Guess I'm going with you this year, if you don't wanna back out of course.

Marinette: no no of course not!

Tim: *chuckles* Good, I'll see you later Mari

Marinette: *nods and watches him leave*

Marinette: *the second his cars out of sight, turns on heel and rushes over to table Adrien, Luka, Kagami, Steph, Cass, and Jon were at

Marinette: *slams hands on table*

Marinette: Guys I think Tim has a crush on me?

Everyone: *looks at her deadpanned*

Kagami: That was blatantly obvious.

Everyone: *nods in agreement*

Marinette: *sputters*

Adrien: I mean...I thought you guys were in a relationship and just trying to hide it very badly?

Luka: *holds out hand*

Jon and Adrien: *pulls cash out their pockets and hands it over*

Marinette: were you betting on us?

Steph: oh absolutely.

Marinette: Weren't you trying to go out with him?

Cass: *tilts head*

Steph: *chuckles* Nah I'm going with Cass. I just wanted to see if he was going with you so I could win

Marinette: ....another bet?

Cass: *nods*

Luka: We're betting if you'll get together before or during prom for those who hadn't betted that you were already together.

Jon: *crosses arms and sulks* Can't believe I lost

Adrien: *pats his shoulder* there there we'll take the walk of shame together

Marinette: So...Tim does like me?!

Kagami: Obviously

Cass: *nods sharply once*

Marinette: *runs hands through hair* ok...I have to go now

-Night of prom-

*knock on door*

Marinette: *opens door revealing Tim dressed in a nice suit with a large bouquet*

Tim: *nervously hands her flowers*

Marinette: *snaps out of shock* Oh tim...these are beautiful. Thank you you didn't have to

Tim: Its my pleasure. You deserve only the best.

Marinette: *clears throat* Tim...

Tim: *face falls* you have a date don't you...

Marinette: no! I mean yes but uh no er

Tim: Its ok...im sorry ill just go

Marinette: *grabs his wrist* No. Dont leave. *You* are my date.

Tim: *tilts head in confusion*

Marinette: You know...if you wanted to go with me, you just had to ask? You didn't have to make that crazy deal. I would have said yes.

Tim: How long have you known...

Marinette: This afternoon

Tim: Oh.

Marinette: Steph told me you rejected her because you already had a date.

Tim: I'm sorry Marinette..

Marinette: Dont be. Its..sweet. Im glad I get to go with you.

Tim: So you...

Marinette: *smiles doopely* yeah. I like you too. A lot.

Tim: May I kiss you?

Marinette: Absolutely

[mjsparkour]

rina fic recs

Okay so I've made a few recommendations for rina fics in the past and so much has been written for them not just post the finale but over the summer that I have to make a new one!

Here's a list of some of the previous recommendations I've made before:

For this list I'm gonna start off with some authors and the fics they've written for them recently (with their respective summaries). Then I'm gonna list out some other fics I don't think I've mentioned before. I would highly recommend checking out their other stories not just for rina but other fandoms as well because they're so talented!

peculiarblue:

Starting off this list with the author of the rina bible, the story of us, herself. Here are some of my favorites she'd written for season 3:

scary/not so scary: scary: realizing he's falling in love with gina porter, not scary: also, realizing he's falling in love with gina porter.

(or, ricky battles a monster of a read-through rehearsal with good friends, lists, and gina porter)

the rule of threes: gina porter gets three surprises when she arrives at camp shallow lake: a celebrity guest, the fact that she's at camp at all and enjoying it so far, and ricky bowen or, ricky and gina find their way back to each other during one perfect summer.

ways around the word love: a comprehensive guide by ricky bowen, as told by gina porter

(a love languages 5 + 1).

say yes: Ricky didn’t see Gina coming. Not when he stumbled into that HSM audition, not in the skatepark. Not in his car on the way home from homecoming and not when he showed up to Shallow Lake, guitar in hand. Definitely didn’t tonight, not now, walking out of the barn during camp prom.

(ricky tries his hardest to complete his bucket list before his birthday, with varying degrees of success -- a camp prom and opening night fic)

jadoresari:

RED STRING OF FATE: “i guess what i would say about rina is, i think the reason people go to their high school reunions, even 50 years later, is because you never really graduate from high school.” —Tim Federle

Ten years after the East High gang graduated, Miss Jenn decides to host a high school reunion for her favorite theater club class.

When two people with a long history finally see each other again, will old feelings resurface? “You never really graduate from high school.”

Or will they keep running away and leave everything left unsaid? “I’m safer when I’m on the run.”

The story of Ricky and Gina during High School and how they finally rekindled years after, because where there was fire ashes remain.

“i do think there’s a lot between those two characters that is very much still on the table, even if they’re not quite ready to see what that actually means.” —Tim Federle

SUMMERTIME SADNESS: EJ Caswell has been dating Gina Porter since opening night, but something's different now.

Ricky Bowen seems to be a usual topic of conversation and he can't believe this is happening to him again.

The story of how EJ Caswell witnessed his girlfriend fall for the high school skate rat.

Or maybe, she had already fallen for him and EJ was just now devastatingly finding out.

"She promised me the world, but promised him the galaxy."

BEGIN AGAIN: “—but there is something in this summer wind a moment to begin again.”

A summer spent at camp wasn’t in Ricky’s plans and neither was pining over Gina Porter all summer—though he can’t really say he truly minded the latter, he was too in love with her to care.

scoutshonour:

I've been blossoming alone over you: It’d been easy to look away from him in Ashlyn’s living room. But now, hours later, with no one around them, nothing but the piles of snow by their feet, and the handful of visible stars strewn above them - Gina can’t look away.

His mouth twitches into a moonlit smile and suddenly, she doesn’t have to try so hard to smile back. Her fake one slips easily into a real one without her noticing.

(Post 2x01. A late-night talk on Ashlyn’s lawn.)

happier than ever: “Gina,” it comes out strangled from Ricky’s throat but it feels like an exhale, like his first real one all day, all month, all fucking year. He strides towards her and remembers to stop just two feet from her. “I just wanted to make sure you were … okay.”

(or: Instead of Nini, Ricky’s the one who finds Gina crying after opening night for Beauty and The Beast.)

Now here are some fics I would recommend reading overall. I'd highly recommend checking out some of these authors' other rina fics! These are some of my favorites from post s2 and 3:

The Parent Trap by rinasawake: “You don’t quit on anything, but you can quit on me, huh?”

Divorced parents, Gina and Ricky, are living on opposite ends of the U.S. - dealing with an impending wedding, their high school reunion, and recurring flashbacks that make them wonder why they've ever broken up in the first place. But, after meeting at theater camp, long-lost twins Ellie Porter and Alex Bowen also engineer an identity swap, giving each other the opportunity to meet their missing parent - and bring the complete family back together.

What could go wrong?

2. the way that she loved you by iknowpIaces: [would you love her, the way that she loved you?]

Ricky looks over at her. She’s with EJ, which isn’t a rare sight these days. Those two are almost always together. It’s weird.

They’re whispering about who knows what, paying no mind to whatever Ms. Jenn is talking about. Neither is Ricky, to be fair, but hey, it’s not his fault they’re distracting him with their not-so-subtle whispers and giggles.

Seriously, how does Ms. Jenn not hear them?

3. wish we could be honest by steambend: When Princess Gina was betrothed to her neighboring country's Prince EJ, she had to uproot her life and move to the Caswell family palace, where Gina progressively felt more and more out of her depth. The only thing that kept her afloat was her assigned guard, Ricky, who Gina couldn't help but feel inexplicably drawn to.

Of course, her relationship with Ricky was only one of friendly companionship, and not at all romantic in any way. Right?

(this fic is an incomplete multichapter fic that is currently updating regularly)

4. collateral damage by Madkin: “What happened to not being a quitter? To not giving up on us?”

”You gave up on us!” She sees him open his mouth to protest so she lets the words keep spilling out. “When’s the last time you asked me how I was? How I felt being away from my mom? Living in a house that isn’t mine with a family I barely know? Getting another supporting role I don’t want?” Gina pauses as she tries to regain her composure. She meets his stunned eyes. “When was the last time we talked about anything except Nini?”

5. Everybody Talks by CanaryWidow: “We should get our cover story together and establish some rules,” Gina stated. “Like they did in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

Ricky furrowed his brow. “To All the What?”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Ok, we definitely need to do a movie marathon date, because you literally have no taste.”

Or, the one where Gina and Ricky fake date as everyone from their school watches their every move through an anonymous Instagram account known as Gossip Girl. (this fic is an incomplete multichapter fic that is currently updating regularly)

6. homesick (for you) by spider_eli: This fic starts in the summer following Beauty and the Beast and things between Gina and Ricky have never been weirder. Ever since Gina stood her ground at Carlos' Quinceañero, the pair haven't really been acting like friends. Gina's founds new friends in the other theatre kids (and more), while Ricky has spent his time figuring himself out. But they can't ignore that things feel unfinished between them...

title inspired by the avett brother's lyrics, "i have been homesick for you since we met."

(this is an incomplete multichapter fic)

7. A Little More of You by spider_eli: Gina Porter and Ricky Bowen have been at each other's throats their entire lives. The only thing they have in common is their best friend, Howie Lawson. But something changes when they start spending more time together.

Because I've been tearing through Dawson's Creek during the HSMTMTS hiatus and Joey and Pacey really set the bar. This'll just be little Jacey scenes but with Rina instead !! It's very dialogue heavy because if you've ever seen Dawson's Creek.... yeah.

EDIT 9/2021: while i’m no longer updating this fic, follow me on twt @spkderwylan

8. pluto projector by adhdsoras: "What… what is Gina to you, Ricky?" Red's voice was barely above a whisper, his hesitation clear as he stopped in his tracks, chewing on his nails, his eyes finding interest on his shoes. Ricky swallowed thickly, his heart pounding in his chest, confused and distraught by the question more than anything else. Silence grew between them as he struggled to find the right words, the air hanging cold and thick around them. He opened his mouth but no words came out, his foot tapping more intensely against the concrete wall.

"I have a girlfriend," He managed to croak out the words, finally, after minutes of struggle, "I love my girlfriend."

An exploration of Gina & Ricky's relationship, from (mostly) Ricky's perspective.

Starts during the events of season 2 episode 4, and diverges from there. (this fic is an incomplete multichapter fic)

9. please don't say you love me by adhdsoras: EJ rejected Gina's invitation to be her date to camp prom, much to Ricky's surprise. So, when Gina comes up with a plan to get back at her boyfriend, who's Ricky to say no to her?

He would do anything for her, even if it meant breaking his own heart.

10. waiting room by mariiposie: 'The first time it happened, she said, ‘I couldn’t sleep,’ and Ricky said, ‘Neither could I,’ and she sat down at the end of the boardwalk next to him, letting her feet make ripples on the sleeping surface of the midnight lake, and said nothing more. This wasn’t allowed to happen; so they said nothing at all, until the sun came up, and two of a kind, they found their way back to their respective cabins. And they did not say another word of it until the next night, when Ricky found his way along the gravel paths to Gina’s cabin, and she’d been standing there, and he’d said, ‘We could do it again, if you’d like.’'

11. Answer Garden by busyheadinthedark: A note in a locker. A message from a known stranger. A teared up book page with smudged handwriting. A sticky note found by accident— or was it? Different ways in which they were contacted by the same person but they all ended up the same way.

That’s how the story begins. (this fic is an incomplete multichapter fic)

12. Decline to answer by fandomwolfx: Gina must have walked around the whole of camp Shallow Lake at least three times now.

The tube of blue paint in her hand is starting to dry out from the relentless July heat and her boyfriend who insisted he wanted to wear some so that they could match is nowhere to be found.

Not that she should be surprised, EJ has been MIA for most of the camp so far too busy spending time with the other counselors which is… whatever.

Or, how did Ricky end up with that blue facepaint during 'It's On'?

13. plus one by bunnoon: after their individual breakups and years of on and off friendship, ricky and gina decide to team up and take on wedding season together by making a pact to be each other’s plus one to every wedding of the year. however, what they didn’t plan for was the feelings that arise along the way.

♡ based off the 2019 romcom by the same name

14. Of the Utmost Importance by goldenthread: Lord Richard Bowen is at odds with himself. After being confronted with an unpleasant truth (his mother’s adulterous behavior within the very walls of the estate) and his fiance since the age of five reminds him of their impending nuptials, he coasts. He finds himself on a writing retreat of his own design skipping out on duties as Lord and husband to Duchess Nini Salazar Roberts. He comes home to his entire world changing. Baroness Genevive Porter arrives in town and the world shifts on its axis again.

rina regency era fic no one asked for (bridgerton and pride and prejudice inspired).

(this fic is an incomplete multichapter fic that is currently updating regularly)

15. come home to my heart by goldenthread: Ricky and Gina spend the majority of the summer apart, choosing to take second chances on other people. The tangled web of miscommunication somehow worsens, and the two wind up hating each other all while starring in East High's latest production of 'Into The Woods'. Ricky thinks his senior year is off to a great start.

(this fic is an incomplete multichapter fic that is currently updating regularly)

[soulmate-game]

Not related to the other two Bio!mom Harley AUs that I did. Just... similar. I wrote this instead of sleeping, as per the usual.

—*—*—*—*—*

“I need your help.”

No accent, no threats of violence, no beating around the bush (figurative or otherwise). No fighting or unconscious bodies.

Just Harley Quinn with her hair down, no makeup, and completely serious, in the center of the Bat Cave. Even though her usual exaggerated Brooklynn accent (circa 1950s) had become a pretty inseparable part of her personality over the years, every now and then she forcibly stuffed it down and used her mostly unaccented voice. The one reminiscent of days with less colors on her face, a high bun, and a pristine white lab coat.

Every single one of the Bats and Birds present, fresh from an interrupted patrol thanks to her, could count the number of times they had seen Harley like this on one hand. Bruce would have the most recollections, but everyone else would have plenty of fingers left on said hand. So they all knew, especially when Bruce willingly pulled down his cowl so he could look Harley in the eye, that this was the start of something they were not likely to forget. And maybe their chances of survival were slim too.

“Harley,” Bruce’s voice was still gruff, seeing as he was still mostly Batman at the moment, but his eyes were soft. “Maybe you should tell us what you need help with first. And sit down. You look exhausted.”

Sure enough, there were dark circles under Harley’s eyes. She let Bruce-man lead her over to one of their debriefing tables and sit her down. She let out a huge sigh, her fingers tangling in her loose blond locks.

“I have a confession, and it isn’t gonna leave this cave, capiche?” The slight return of her accent relieved a little of the tension, but not much. Taking this as their cue, the rest of the bats spread out into their usual seats at the table. Bruce stayed near Harley, keeping a hand on her shoulder in silent support. Harley didn’t continue talking until he gave her a solemn nod in agreement. She gulped— an action that immediately returned the tension.

“... fifteen years ago, back when I was still with Joker, I disappeared off the Gotham scene for a few months. I’m sure a few of you remember,” she looked up, and a couple of the older vigilantes nodded. Really, Jason has still been Robin back then. But the memory stuck out in his head now that he was thinking about it.

“Yeah, you were breaking away from him a little bit, which was weird at the time,” Red Hood mused aloud, arms crossed. “I think you helped us out a couple times and did some of your first team ups with Ivy before you vanished. Then a few months go by and you were back in action with Joker, so we mostly ignored it as you just being you.”

Harley nodded. “Ah, my Ivy’s a lifesaver, even back then. She helped cover up the timeline by keeping me in action for longer than I should’a been without putting me at too much risk.”

“Timeline…” Red Robin spoke up, eyes huge even behind his mask. “You don’t mean—“

“Harley,” Bruce breathed, having also caught on. “You were pregnant?”

The air went still. Harley sniffed, eyes watering even as she smiled.

“Oh yeah. Shouldn’t have been possible, ya know? Me ‘n Joker being dumped in that damn acid should have made us both more sterile than an operatin’ room. But I knew I couldn’t raise a kid, so after she was born—“

“You kept her?” Damian interrupted, earning a gentle cuff over the head from Dick. Harley just snorted.

“Yeah. Not gonna lie, I thought about abortion. But the baby didn’t do nothin’ wrong, and I was still in love with Joker back then so I was ecstatic that I was able to make something new with part ‘a him in it. Still, I knew a baby didn’t deserve to be raised in Gotham. Especially not my baby, not with my enemies and history. Not with who her father was. I knew he’d never want her, never let me keep her. So I spent the last five months of my pregnancy lookin’ around for the best possible family to take her in. And I found them in Paris, France. A sweet couple, both of them bakers. Sabine, she’s both adorably sweet and super kickass. Comes from a Chinese family that is crazy about teachin’ their women martial arts. But nothing shady about it, I triple checked. Just bonding through kicking people in the face. Which is perfect, I wanted my baby to know how to defend herself. I knew she’d need those skills eventually. And Tom, that’s Sabine’s wife, he’s a gentle giant. Same size as Bane, but as harmless as a puppy and makes the best croissants ever. Seriously, the best.”

“Harley,” Bruce gently prodded, but there was a tiny grin on his face. Seeing her behaving so… so normally, so proud and reminiscent, was a rare treat. Bruce would be lying if he said he wasn’t proud of how far the woman had come. How she had freed herself and become a better person, mostly on her own.

“Right, right. The point,” Harley took a breath, rubbing her forehead. “I came clean to Tom and Sabine, but apparently they knew who I was the whole time. They just didn’t care— did I mention they are perfect? Anyway, once I explained everything, they agreed immediately to adopting my baby. They’d been wanting kids, but it would’a been too risky for Sabine’s health. That’s how I found them anyway, they were in the market to adopt. We named her Marinette. She took Tom and Sabine’s last names, hyphenated. We decided Quinn would be her middle name. And after that, I came back to Gotham and told myself that she was in good hands and I needed to forget about her. Cuz I was no good for her. I knew that. I went back to my old tricks. And then…” Harley chuckled, but it was self-depreciating.

“Then a few years passed, and I started breaking away from Joker for real. Then we broke up, I blew up Ace Chemicals while you guys were outta town doing Justice League and Young Justice shit. I started dating Ivy. And—“ she smiled softly at the table, clearly seeing something the rest of them couldn’t. “Then Ivy convinced me to go see her. Visit my baby, see how she’s been. And I did. Marinette was seven years old, but damn it to hell she was gorgeous. And say whatever you want about me and Joker— most of it will even be true— but neither of us are stupid. And she inherited all of our intelligence. All of it. She got my blue eyes. But she got his hair, which meant Sabine teased me relentlessly about ‘are you sure she isn’t that Wayne’s kid?’ And don’t make that face Bruce, you’d be lucky to have a kid half as beautiful as my Mari-pie. No offense, Damian. Anyway. Anyway, this is the important part. Or part of it.

“She sat there and listened to everything I had to say. Everything. A little seven year old, who could barely understand English at the time, and she listened without interrupting once. She never threw a fit, she wasn’t angry or confused. I told her about the things I’d done in the past— well, G rated versions— and she didn’t care. She called me Momma Harley right away, said she wanted to meet Aunt Ivy sometime soon, and started telling me everything about her that I’d missed. From that day on, she became my sunshine. The light of my life, and I still call her at least once a week every week. When I disappear for a few days out of the city? I’m visiting her—“

“You’re banned from international travel, Harley,” Dick scolded, but he sounded way too amused for it to work. He knew she had her ways, anyway. Nobody could actually stop Harley damn Quinn from doing whatever she wanted.

“—Ugh, she tells me the same thing every time! Disappointed glare and everything. I don’t know how I gave birth to such a goodie goodie, but somehow I did. Not important though! The important thing is, I’m always the first to hear when something new happens in her life. And we had decided that she wouldn’t visit me in Gotham until she was at least eighteen, but apparently she disobeyed me— which I should have expected honestly— and entered you guys’ WE international scholastic competition.”

“Oh no,” Bruce pinched the bridge of her nose. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng? The contest winner?” He finally pulled out a chair and sat down. “The winner gets an all-expense paid trip to Gotham for them and their whole class.”

“Exactly!” Harley threw up her hands. “Mari told me last week, and I’ve been trying to talk her out of coming ever since. But she’s inherited both of our stubbornness too, and she isn’t budgin’ a bit. ‘Momma Harley, I wanna see you and Auntie Ivy though!’ And ‘Momma, Gotham’s nothing I can’t handle,’ or my favorite, ‘Maybe you’ll finally get to see me dropkick someone three times my size then, and I’ll prove it.’”

“So that’s what you meant by you need our help,” Tim said as he leaned forward over the table. “Joker just broke out of Arkham yesterday. You want us to protect her.”

“I’d prefer if one of you was with her outside of the mask too, as often as possible,” Harley confirmed. “I can’t stop her from coming here anymore, but I also don’t trust Joker for a second. As soon as he sees her, I’m afraid he’ll make the connection.”

“She looks like him?” Damian asked, scrunching up his nose at the ugly mental image of Joker as a teenage girl. Harley shook her head, solemn.

“She looks like a dark-haired mini-me,” she corrected. “She even keeps her hair in pigtails as her way of showing support for me. And I know Marinette can kick ass, Sabine’s trained her well. But Marinette inherited more than I’d like from me,” Harley ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t notice it until she was thirteen. She got a crush on a classmate, and it was almost like watching videos of me back during the early days of— well, of Harley Quinn. Just without the crime and insanity. She didn’t even realize that she was almost stalking the poor kid until I pointed it out, and luckily I was able to put my doctorate to good use and we nipped that right in the bud ASAP. She never meant it that way, anyway. As soon as I explained things to her, she was horrified and immediately asked me to help her learn how to have a healthy relationship. That was a fun discussion,” Harley grimaced. “But she still gets attached to people really, really easily. Once she grew out of her crush on that boy, she adopted him as her unofficial brother. She already calls Selina “Auntie,” even though I’ve barely mentioned her to Marinette. She gets attached fast, and deeply. And I’m afraid that even after all the warning I’ve done, all the stories I’ve told her—“

“You’re afraid she’ll get attached to Joker just like you did,” Bruce finished for her, closing his eyes. “Because she knows he’s her father.”

“Yes,” Tears were slowly dripping down her face already, her hands curled into fists so tightly that her knuckles were paper white. “You know how he is. If he finds out she’s his biological daughter, he’ll immediately try to take advantage of that. And he’s far too good with his words for people like me and Mari. I’m worried outta my mind. Please. Help keep my baby safe from him.”

“We will,” Jason no longer had his helmet on, or the domino mask that he usually wore underneath it. All of them knew masks were merely formality with Harley nowadays. And he needed to look her directly in the eye so she could see how serious he was. “I can sign up as a bodyguard for the class. It won’t be weird, seeing as they’re tourists and this is Gotham. They also have several rich kids in their group if I remember right.”

Bruce nodded, agreeing with Jason. “That’s a good idea. I can lead the class on their tours of WE personally. That’ll serve the purpose of keeping an eye on her and shutting up the investors that keep begging me to make more public appearances for the sake of the company. Marinette’s name is already released to the news as the winner of the contest, so we can’t keep her out of the spotlight long. Tim, you’ll have to keep an eye on any and all pictures of the class. Try to erase or doctor the images with her in it well enough that connections between her and Harley can’t be easily made. Dick, you and Damian will be in charge of keeping an eye out for any activity from Joker. The slightest hint, and you notify all of us. We’ll decide on a case-by-case basis who is necessary to stick with the class and who goes after the clown.”

“She’s gonna sneak out of her hotel to stay with me and Ivy,” Harley admitted, bringing the (now slightly judgemental) attention back to her. She raised her hands up in surrender. “She didn’t tell me that, and I didn’t approve or suggest it! I just know my baby too well to not realize that that’s her plan. Could ya provide an escort?”

Bruce sighed. “This is gonna be an eventful month.”

[charleswaterloo]

AGREED DO THE ULTIMATE FIC REC

Thank you so much for asking!! Okay, here we go!

DC fics that I got a few paragraphs into and already KNEW were going to be AMAZING:

1. The Jason Project by loosingletters

Warnings: Major Character Death

Jason had just wanted to see his autopsy report, he had only wanted to know what information Bruce had about his death. And when Bruce hadn't given it to him, he had stolen it. He hadn’t meant to stumble upon the bucket list of a dead child and the footage of a grieving father crossing one item after another off the list.

My thoughts: I don't often cry (which isn't healthy lmao) but this fic made me cry (happy tears!). It is absolutely wonderful and while angsty it has such a beautiful ending. I can't recommend it enough!

2. Little bird by Ididloveyou_once

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Tim knew he was fucked if only for the way that his brain was chanting Jason, like a litany. So he definitely didn’t need to hear the cold, mechanical chuckle or the chillingly delighted 'lucky me' to know that this was not good.

He took a second to look down at his coffee mournfully.

Then, he threw it at Hood’s helmet and bolted down the Tower corridor.

Or: Tim is supposed to be at Gotham Academy for a parent-teacher conference. Hood has other plans (Titans Tower AU).

My thoughts: One of the best Titans Tower AU fics I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The ending is to die for and so fluffy - it never fails to warm my heart <3

3. Straight to Voicemail by cabbagetop

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

“Red Hood. I need you to incapacitate Timothy Drake-Wayne.” “Aw, man,” Jason sighs, shouldering through the old wooden doors and out into the street with his books under his arm. “You and half the northern hemisphere. What’d he do this time?”

Jason's phone is blowing up about one Timothy Drake-Wayne (who is Jason's responsibility since when, exactly?). Jason comfort-eats. Jason suffers long. Jason reluctantly tries to keep this Raphus cucullatus of a human being alive, and maybe finds himself sidling back into the family while he's at it.

My thoughts: I was crying with laughter by the third sentence. If you want free serotonin, you will find it here folks, I guarantee it. Brilliantly written and hilarious and such a fantastic interpretation of Jason's character. Please read this lmao <3

4. miss me? by envysparkler

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Jason’s plan to observe his family’s reactions to his resurrection…does not go as intended.

My thoughts: I think I've recommended this one at least once before, but I will do so again because it is one of the best stories I have ever had the honour of reading on AO3. It has a happy ending, but was another fic which actually made me tear up. It is just beautiful and I'm sure some of you have read it before. Read it again even if you have - it's that good.

5. No Pain, All Gain by @sohotthateveryonedied

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Bruce checks Tim’s IV. “Are you in any pain? Do you need more morphine?”

Tim’s pupils are so wide that only the faintest ring of blue can be seen. He watches Bruce the way a five-year-old watches cartoons. “I’m all good, B-dog. All Gucci, like we cool teens say." His words are slurred almost beyond recognition, but Tim doesn’t seem to notice or care. "I could fight Superman right now.”

My thoughts: I know of only about 3 or 4 fics featuring Tim absolutely high out of his mind on some drug or another and this has got to be one of the absolute best of them. Whenever I feel the Depression(TM) crawling in and I need to laugh INSTANTLY I read this. It has not failed me yet. I can't recommend it enough it's so funny and a great read <3 The line below from the fic makes me scream laugh EVERY TIME:

“He’s not in his right mind.” “So? Neither are you half the time but you’re still in charge of everything.”

6. The Ouija Boy by SunnyBlue

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Timothy Drake was a stillborn baby. He was born dead, stayed that way for a solid five minutes, and was then resuscitated in the delivery room. He was a child who grew up alone, but for his imaginary friends. He had so many imaginary friends, in fact, that his parents sent him to get evaluated several times over the course of his childhood, which was spent with Tim as the only heartbeat in that house.

But that didn’t mean he was alone.

---

Tim sees dead people. When a Batboys murder investigation is going nowhere, he realizes his only chance at solving the case is to speak to the ghost of one of the victims. He has to reveal his secret to his brothers -- or risk the killer getting away.

My thoughts: STAND BACK FOR POSSIBLY ONE OF MY TOP TEN FAVOURITE FICS OF ALL TIME. I'm pretty sure I've recommended this one before but I will do so again. The story is impeccable, the mystery is ELITE and everything about it is literally perfect. I re-read this at least once a month so I can bask in its greatness and become a better person for having read it.

7. there but for the grace of god by TheResurrectionist

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

From a tumblr prompt.

AKA, "A Justice League fic where everyone argues about who's the most beautiful and intimidating sexy from the Big Three and everyone has valid points."

My thoughts: I'm going to let the note I added to the bookmark I made of this fic speak for itself. Here's what I wrote: "This was so funny - shoutout Jason for undeniable lad vibes plus the fact he felt he needed to neatly organise and write down the big three's sexiest traits."

8. American Ninja Worrier by DangerBeckett

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

It's just like Tim to give a poor college student a start in the business world. Kid's a bleeding heart, and usually, that's the sort of thing Jason avoids at all costs. He prefers his bleeding hearts on the literal side, and despite Bruce's best efforts, he's never had a head for business.

Unfortunately, though, this time the business is ninjas, and that's the sort of thing that makes Jason take notice. Because Bruce is useless, and someone's gotta make sure Tim's new internship program doesn't take down all of Gotham.

That's Jason's job, after all.

My thoughts: Please GOD just read the first few paragraphs. You'll know exactly what I mean when I say that this fic is it. Hilarious, badass and adorable. I mean, see the title of this fic rec. I just knew this fic was going to be amazing from the first line.

I have many, many more of course, but I'll leave this here for now as it's getting to be a pretty long post. Anyway, these are all fics - short and long! - that I knew were going to be absolutely perfect within the first few moments of reading. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

[ragingbookdragon]

I'm Only A Crack In This Castle Of Glass (Hardly Anything Else I Need To Be) PT. 5

Batfamily x Batsis Story!

Word Count: 2.5K Warnings: Explicit Language, ALL THE ANGST. AND MORE TO COME! Tags!: @itsnottilly @cloudyskylines @starflyer-104 @iwillstaywiththemforever @justine-en @weirdgirlfromtx @notsostraightweeb @candlestudy @edlothia-baby @soul-end @willieoo @willowoo @peterxwade24 @the-atlantic-french-fry @bad-bouquet-of-emotions @vvipgot7be @pure-princess-97 @atomicsoulhumanspy

Author's Note: I have nothing to say for any of the emotions y'all are about to get from this. Enjoy!-Thorne

She wasn’t sure what she expected when she sat down, but the stretching silence growing between her and her estranged family wasn’t it. She tried to look anywhere but them, not because she was ashamed—far from it. But it was more than awkward sitting across from three brothers and a father she’d not spoken to in three years, let alone tell them she was even alive.

Her eyes found Wally’s as he sat down beside her eldest brother and if looks could’ve killed, he’d been dead and buried.

“Glare at me all you want, but I’m not going to apologize,” he shrugged.

Scowling, she turned her attention to the skyline. “Fuck you,” she spat, crossing her arms.

“At least talk to them, (Y/N).”

“And why should I, Wally?” she questioned, glaring at him. “I don’t have anything to say. If I did, I wouldn’t be here in Central.”

“You’re not leaving until you talk to them,” he finalized with a firm look and she growled low in her throat and resigned herself to her fate.

Her eyes darted to her father’s and she couldn’t for the life of her decipher what was in them. “I’ll talk for an hour,” she told him. “I’m not talking about what I’ve been doing in Central City, so don’t ask. I’m not talking about the life I’ve been living, so don’t ask. You’re only allowed to ask me about my departure and that’s it. But after one hour is up, I’m leaving.”

“Who said you get to leave,” Wally questioned, and she shot him the darkest glower she could muster.

“So help me God, Wally West you’ll either take me home or you’ll fix that fucking elevator and I’ll walk myself home. Because if you don’t, I’ll tell the world who every vigilante is at this table.”

For once she managed to stump him because his eyes went wide—so did her family’s but she didn’t care—and he finally nodded.

“Alright. One hour.”

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, she turned back to her family, more specifically her father. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?”

“Maybe for you to come home, (Y/N),” Jason answered, and she glanced to him.

“Not a chance. Next?”

“(Y/N), you don’t have to be hostile. We’re not going to force you here,” Dick said, and she looked at him now, eyes narrowing.

“The manipulation tactic isn’t going to work on me, Dick. I’m not here for to be tricked into coming back. I’m never coming back.” She cocked her leg over the side of the table and reclined, biting out, “Give me your anger. I’d prefer that instead of whatever this pitiful bullshit you’ve got going on.”

In the eighteen years they’d known their sister they’d never heard her say such a callous thing, but her words had practically slapped Dick across the face because hurt etched onto his expression, then immediately turned into anger.

“You want my anger? Fine.” He stood and pointed at her. “What the hell is wrong with you! Why would just up and disappear like you did! Do you have any idea how scared we were for you! How distraught!”

(Y/N) blinked at him. “Knowing how you like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders because you can’t help but be a hero? Probably a lot.” She made a dramatic show of looking at her watch. “You’ve got forty minutes. Keep it up.”

Her eyes shifted to Bruce’s. “Did you let them read the letter? Or did you just throw it away after you read it?”

Dick, Jason, and Tim all turned to Bruce at that.

“Letter?” Tim repeated. “What letter?”

(Y/N)’s mouth made an ‘o’ shape and then she smiled knowingly. “Oh, you never showed them the letter, did you?” She looked to her brothers. “I wrote dad a letter the night I left to explain why I was leaving. It’s sugarcoated bullshit but it is the truth.”

Dick’s face contorted in anger. “(Y/N) left a reason behind and you didn’t tell us about it? Three years and not a single word?”

Bruce merely stared at her as he pulled the letter out of his coat pocket. “I was going to burn it when I found her again. Talk to her before anyone else could.”

Jason snatched the letter from his hands. It had faded a bit, softened around the hard edges, like someone had opened it and read it every day for three years.

His eyes scanned the paper, and he met her gaze, voice chock-full of hurt and she had to fight tooth and nail to keep herself from externally reacting. “You left because you thought we didn’t care about you?”

Dick reached over and took the letter. With furrowed brows and a frown, he started to read aloud, and Bruce gazed at (Y/N) as the memory came back to him.

***

Mornings at the manor were unusually quiet in comparison with the evenings. Everyone was typically too tired to argue so it accounted for a peaceful breakfast of soft words and chewing. Everyone had an assigned seat and every child had learned early on not to take the seat that belonged to another brother or their sister because there would be a fight about it.

Dick and Jason sat next to each other and (Y/N) took the seat at the end of that side; Tim and Damian took the other side—oldest to youngest, just the neat and even way Bruce liked it.

It was rare for any of the boys to be awake before him or Alfred and (Y/N) was usually the first kid to the table, the boys wandering in just minutes after her. Oddly enough, that morning she hadn’t come down for breakfast—which she always came to.

Bruce looked at Alfred. “Is (Y/N) coming down?”

Alfred hummed and gently maneuvered Tim’s arm to the side to he could set down the plate. “When I went to her door, it was locked, and I received no conversation from inside.”

Jason snorted and sipped his coffee. “Probably had a long night with her friends and is still out. I know I would be.”

“How would you know?” Tim interrupted. “You died before you got to the eleventh grade.”

“You’re one to talk, dropout,” Dick countered, and Damian sighed.

“Richard, you dropped out of college. The only son of Batman who has actually completed an entire bout of schooling is me.”

The three boys turned on him with scowls and retorted, “No one asked you, pipsqueak.” Damian glared back at them.

Bruce rolled his eyes, using the side of his fork to cut into his omelet. “Let’s try not to start a free-for-all here in the breakfast room, please.” He glanced at Alfred. “She’s probably tired from all the ceremonies. Let her sleep.”

Alfred nodded. “Of course, Master Bruce. She should be well rested this evening.”

But when the evening came, Alfred still hadn’t been able to get (Y/N) to unlock her bedroom nor speak to him. He certainly wasn’t worried, but it was off for her to be so reclusive. When Bruce and the boys came back from patrol, he mentioned it to him.

“Miss (Y/N) hasn’t come out from her bedroom, Master Bruce. Nor has she said a single word all day.”

Bruce’s brows furrowed and he tugged the cowl off, rising from the seat at the Batcomputer. “I’ll go check on her,” he replied. “You deal with…” his steel eyes drifted to Dick who had Tim in a headlock and Jason who was giving Damian a noogie. “Them,” he finalized, leaving the poor butler behind.

He knocked on the door to her room and pressed his ear to it. “(Y/N)? You haven’t come out all day. Is everything alright?”

Nothing. Not even a breath.

“(Y/N), are you in there?” he asked again and when he didn’t receive a confirmation, he raised his arm, running his fingers along the doorframe until he touched a small metal piece. He pulled it down and stuck it in the door, wiggling the knob for a second before it clicked, and he opened the door.

“Sweetheart, we’ve been trying to—” Bruce went silent when he saw the kempt room. Bed neatly made, everything organized and put away. Even her clothes hamper was empty.

He blinked and walked into the room, quickly heading to the bathroom to check for her there. It was empty as well, and just as clean, leaving him stunned as he exited the bath.

Wandering over to her desk, he saw an elegant envelope sitting on top of her laptop, his name written in beautiful penmanship. He picked it up and unfolded it, pulling out the multi-page letter. He drew his eyes along the golden lines, reading her words.

Dad,

I don’t really know how to start this letter. Truth be told I’ve written at least six before this one, and even then, I’m not entirely happy with it. But if you’re reading this, I’m not here anymore. I haven’t hurt myself in anyway, you don’t need to worry about Vicki Vale or Jack Ryder reporting the discovery of my body. I mean it in a literal sense—I’m not in Gotham anymore. Neither am I ever coming back.

Don’t think this is your fault. You’re a good father, the best I could’ve been given, and my brothers are good siblings. But the truth is that I’m not fit for this family of heroes. And I never have been. My best when trying to be what all of you are, was never good enough and I’ve spent eighteen years staring at your backs, waiting for you all to realize that I’m still here, that I still matter even if I’m not like you. And I don’t want to feel like a stranger in my own home any longer.

I don’t want you to look for me. I know you will, but I wish you wouldn’t. This isn’t some spur of the moment thing I decided to do the night after graduation. If you look at my bank records, I’ve been withdrawing cash from my savings since freshman year—this is four years of planning, so please understand that I’m doing this because I don’t want to be found—ever.

I’ll leave the story for the media up for you, though I doubt that they’ll care long enough to make a deal of it. It’ll pass like winter does spring and they’ll move on to the next bigger story.

Thank you for everything dad, and good luck with Gotham—keep it safe like you always have. And I hope that one day when you think of me, you won’t feel disappointment. I’ve only ever tried to be something that when you looked down on me, you’d only be proud, and I hope one day I’ll achieve what I always dreamed about. Eighteen is young to be on your own and I’m scared. But I’ll be okay—I always have been.

So do me a favor and don’t spend too much time over this. There are plenty more younger kids that need a parent’s hand on their backs to steady them like you once did for me. Find one and fill my spot. Let them shine brighter than I ever could. Let them be the one worthy to be a Wayne—I know I never was.

-(Y/N)

Bruce barely had time to grasp the back of her chair to keep himself from falling to his knees in shock. The letter was clenched in his hand and his lungs wouldn’t take in air like he wanted them to, his heart aching with each palpitation. He looked around the room to her dresser drawers, willing the strength into his legs to moved over to it. He opened every drawer and to his astonishment, they were empty. Hurrying to the bathroom, he noticed the drawers in there were empty as well. She was really gone. And he had no idea what to do.

***

Tears were in Dick’s eyes when he finished the letter and he looked up at her. “How could you ever think we didn’t care about you, (Y/N)?”

She didn’t want to have this conversation. She didn’t want to sit there and explain every time she asked her brothers if they wanted to do something with her and they conveniently had something else to do. Didn’t want to explain every school and extracurricular performance that went unattended and left a little girl standing in front of a crowd barely managing to stave off the tears as she bowed and thanked them for coming. She didn’t want to remember all the memories that chipped away at her heart with every disappointment that occurred. All she wanted to do was leave.

(Y/N) had earlier returned to her original position, hands in her lap and she clenched her fists until her nails bit into the skin of her palms, eyes directed anywhere but Dick’s.

“I think it’s time we call this little reunion done,” she said, standing to her feet. “We’re not going to get anywhere.”

“Not if you run again,” Jason muttered, unconsciously wiping a tear from his eye.

She pointed at him, hissing, “I didn’t run the first time, Jason. I left. On my own accord.”

“You ran instead of coming to us, (Y/N),” Tim said, and she threw her hands above her head in disbelief.

“What the fuck did you want me to do! Wander down into the cave and beg at your feet for someone to pay attention to me! To at least pretend like I was a sister! I did! Every day!”

(Y/N) picked up her purse and yanked it up her arm. “Cassandra seems to be fitting in better than I did. So go and dote on her as the younger sibling. I’m not interested in the position anymore.”

“It’s not a competition,” Dick explained. “We love you just as much as we love Cass.”

She paused and gazed at him, voice laced with disappointment as she disagreed, “Then you should make sure she’s content in the manor, because if you love her with any semblance of how you loved me? It’s not at all.”

Her eyes shifted to Wally’s. “Fix the elevator. Now.”

He stayed seated for a moment, the two of them staring each other down, then he nodded wordlessly and moved to the elevator, starting it again. Her family stayed seated, and she gave them one final look before she followed Wally, silently waiting for the doors to open.

When they did, she stepped inside and turned around, hitting the button. Just before the doors closed, Wally stopped them and murmured, “You’re making a mistake.”

“My worst mistake was becoming friends with you.” (Y/N) blinked at him, then reached up and shoved his hand away from the door and as it closed, she remarked coldly, “And you can go to hell for all I care.”

[sporadically-sexy]

A Lesson in Self Defense

When Jason starts teaching free self defense classes, the last person he expects to show up is his replacement. Tim hears about Jason’s lessons and takes it upon himself to make sure the Red Hood’s not up to something, so in retaliation Jason uses him as a test dummy for the class. Neither of them expect to like it quite that much.

Read on AO3 here! Warning, this is rated E for explicit!

Next >

At five of six, a reasonably sized group of people have gathered. It’s not a large crowd, but it’s enough. Jason’s feeling pretty pleased with himself when he spots him.

What the fuck is the pretender doing here, chatting with the other students? He’s sure as fuck not here for the free self defense lessons. This is a beginner’s class, there’s nothing he’s teaching the brat doesn’t already know. And even if he did, Jason’s sure as fuck not going to be the one teaching him.

Whatever he’s doing here, he’s not welcome, and Jason’s going to make sure he knows it. He carefully does not storm over to where the pretender is standing.

“S’cues me, could I borrow him for just a sec?” He says to the young blonde woman Tim’s chatting with.

“Oh sure.” The woman says. “Of course, we can talk more later.”

Tim smiles at her, but tenses imperceptibly as Jason steers him away from the others.

“What the fuck are you doing here, pretender?” Jason hisses.

“Well the Red Hood is giving self-defense lessons in my neighborhood, and I wanted to know why.” Tim says dryly.

“It never occurred to you that maybe it’s just for the good of the community?” Jason says through gritted teeth. He doesn’t like what the pretender is implying.

“Oh, it occurred to me. But when have you done anything to earn the benefit of my doubt?” Tim asks cooly. “Was it the time you nearly slit my throat, the time you wrote a message in my blood, or the time you put a batarang in my chest?”

Jason doesn’t have an answer to that. The little shit’s right, he’s got no ground to stand on. The pretender has every right to be suspicious of Jason.

“If it makes you feel any better, Bruce didn’t ask me to come. I’m here on my own.” It does make him feel better, actually, that Bruce didn’t feel the need to check up on him. At least not in this. “And as it happens, I do live in the neighborhood.”

That’s news to Jason. He hadn’t realized the kid had moved out of the manor. But looking at him, the pretender’s not much of a kid anymore. Those cheekbones are sharp, not a hint of baby fat to be found.

“Little robin’s flying far from the nest.” Jason says. He doesn’t for a second believe that spoiled little rich boy Tim Drake lives in Crime Alley.

“What, you haven’t heard?” Tim sneers. “I’m not Robin anymore.”

“Oh I’ve heard. You’re Red Robin now. Because what’s mine is yours.” He says nastily. He knows enough about how Tim actually became Robin to know his old anger was irrational and unfair. That doesn’t mean Tim doesn’t still piss him off though.

“Because I needed something already tainted, and that suited the bill.” Tim says coolly, and Jason should probably get away from this conversation before he starts seeing green.

“You wanna stick around? Fine. But don’t think I’m gonna take it easy on you.” Jason snaps.

“I would never expect you to.” Tim shoots back, and he walks away to rejoin the other participants.

Jason takes a few calming breaths, getting his temper under control before he calls the class to order. He introduces himself and goes over the basics of what they’ll be doing.

“The best way to win a fight is not to fight in the first place, so we’re gonna focus on how to get away from someone grabbing you. For the first move, I’m gonna do a demonstration. Tim, thanks so much for agreeing to help.” He says, giving the replacement a nasty smile. He hopes he hadn’t given the participants a false name. (That’s a lie, be kinda does.)

Tim’s eyes narrow momentarily, but he plays along. “It’s my pleasure. I did some self defense stuff back when I was a kid, but I’m not sure how much I remember.” Giving himself an out for if he’s better than a beginner should be.

“First I’m gonna show you what an attacker might do, then I’m gonna go over how to get out of it.” Tim nods, preparing himself, but Jason moves before he’s ready and Tim reacts on instinct. He flips Jason over his shoulder. Jason rolls with it, but Tim grabs him around the knee and completely fucks his landing, and he ends up on his back. Luckily they’re on mats, so nothing’s hurt but his pride.

“Wow!” Tim says, the picture of surprise. “I guess I remember more than I thought.”

“That was amazing!” The blonde woman gushes.

“I would never have been able to do that if Jason hadn’t let me.” Tim lies, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Jason can say he was caught off guard all he likes, but the truth is Tim absolutely had him, and they both know it.

“That’s still awesome! He’s so much bigger than you, and you totally took him down!” The woman says, with all the grace and tact of a child.

“A lot of my training was focused on how to take down opponents who were bigger than me.” Tim says sheepishly. “I practiced a lot when I was younger.”

That’s absolutely true. What he’s not saying is that that was a move taught to him by Lady Shiva, specifically to disable uber athletic opponents like Dick Grayson. Or people taught by Dick Grayson.

Jason can feel his face heating up, but he forces himself to keep his cool. Mostly.

“Since you’re so experienced , you can help me with the rest of the demonstration. With out flipping me this time.” Jason says through gritted teeth. Tim took him down and they both know it, even if no one else does. Jason takes a few more calming breaths. This class is supposed to help people who are in dangerous situations, but that’s not gonna work out if the teacher comes across as an arrogant hothead.

“Of course. It would be my pleasure, Jason. Just tell me what to do.” Tim says, the picture of affable geniality. Jason hates him.

Still, he moves slower this time, which is better for demonstration purposes anyway. He positions Tim facing away from him, which he can tell the pretender doesn’t like.

“I see this kind of thing all the time in clubs.” Jason says, slipping an arm around the pretender’s waist from behind and pulling him close. Tim tenses slightly, and Jason can feel his muscles contracting under his thin t-shirt. He doesn’t know why he’s surprised the pretender is so well muscled— he’s a Bat, he has the same crazy training routine as the rest of them— but he is. He supposes it’s because he looks so slight, although if he were shirtless he’d bet Tim would have the same dorito shape as the rest of them.

He goes over how to twist and break free of the hold, and then pairs them off to practice. Tim is immediately claimed by the pretty blonde woman, which pisses Jason off all the more. Of course she’d immediately attach herself to Drake, Gotham’s perfect boy. She hasn’t even made the connection to who he really is and she’s still fawning all over him. Jason does his best to ignore them, going around the room and giving gentle corrections as needed. They practice that move for fifteen minutes before Jason calls to a halt.

“Alright, lookin good folks. I’m gonna show you the next move. Tim, if you wouldn’t mind assisting me?” Jason can tell Tim’s not pleased to be used as a test dummy, but that’s just too damn bad.

“For the next move, I’m gonna show you how to disable someone who grabs you by the arm. The main thing is to break their hold and get away, but I’ll also show you how to attack. Tim, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing me by the arm?”

The replacement complies, and Jason takes great pleasure is showing them how to get out of the move, and a follow up they could do if they needed to disable their opponent before running. It involves sticking his fingers right near the pretender’s eyes and his knees right near his balls, and it’s enjoyable to see him flinch ever so slightly as Jason comes close. Then he sets them back into pairs, and they practice that for the next fifteen minute. Jason walks around, correcting forms and helping out.

He shows them how to get out of two more holds using the pretender as his test dummy. It’s fun to feel his muscles tense slightly under Jason’s hands. He can tell how uncomfortable the pretender is to be here, but that’s his own damn fault for coming. Jason didn’t make him, and as far as revenge plots go, this is pretty fucking mild.

“Alright, good job everyone, you’re really getting the hang of this.” Jason calls to signal the end of the class. “But the only way to really make sure you’ve got it is to practice until it becomes muscle memory, and that’s more than we can do in an hour long class. So get together with your friends— or make friends with the other folks here— and practice outside of class too. I’ll probably go over this stuff again in future classes, because I know not everyone will be here every time. But if you practice for ten minutes every day, you’ll really be prepared for when it happens in real life.”

There’s an appreciative murmur that goes around the class, and people start packing up to go.

“Will you be back next week?” The blonde woman, who has since identified herself as Layla, asks Drake.

“I’m not sure. My schedule’s pretty busy.” He hedges. Jason can tell he’s a little uncomfortable with the attention.

“You should definitely come. You make a good demonstration dummy.” Jason says as sweetly as he’s able, which isn’t all that sweet, but at least isn’t outwardly hostile. Tim looks and him and Jason gives him a cocky grin. Tim’s eyes narrow, considering.

“I’ll think about it.” He says finally.

“Do.” Jason says, sickly sweet, and the pretender finally leaves. A couple of the other students have questions for him after the class, so he answers those before heading out himself. He doesn’t go far, just to the next room over where he’s set up some workout equipment. He may not have all the bells and whistles of the Batcave, but he’s got a pretty good thing going. After his workout he heads home to his primary safe house. He’s reluctant to call it his apartment, even though that’s basically what it is at this point. Still, referring to it as his safe house feels safer, in case he has to burn it in the future. He takes a shower and grabs himself a non-alcoholic beer to enjoy before patrol. He’s got time to kill and he wants to relax for a bit.

He flips through his subscription services for something to watch, but nothing catches his interest, so he decides to deal with his boredom the old fashioned way. He grabs some lube out of a convenient drawer and leans back against his couch. He undoes his pants and shoves down his boxers just enough to get his dick out before slicking himself up. He buys himself the good lube, the stuff that really lasts. It the same stuff Bruce had awkwardly presented him with when he’d given him the sex talk, but Jason tries not to think about that. He doesn’t need to consider that he uses the same brand of lube as the Batman.

He casts about for a pleasant fantasy to distract himself with, preferring his own imagination to porn. For some reason, he lands on the pretender’s face, which, weird, but he rolls with it. He imagines Tim on his knees on Jason’s floor, sucking him off, his pretty mouth spread wide around Jason’s cock. Yes, that’s a nice fantasy. He’d start off slow, unsheathing himself and watching the pretender’s eyes widen at his size. He’d feed it to him slowly, because Jason’s a gentleman like that. He’d choke and gag slightly, but he’d take him fully, and Jason would feel so good fully sheathed in his throat.

He’d start moving, just a little bit at first, getting the pretender used to the stretch. He’d watch the tears forming in those pretty blue eyes as he struggles to take it all. Once Jason’s sure he can take it, he’ll start moving a bit faster. Just a bit, no need to rush. He’ll hold his dick down the pretender’s throat, and he’ll make sweet little noises as he chokes on Jason’s cock.

He wants more of those sounds, and he’ll get them once he starts fucking him in earnest, the hot wet sounds that come from fucking someone’s mouth and the ones that are all Tim as he gags and chokes as Jason fucks into him. He’ll take it beautifully though, looking up at Jason with wide, wet eyes. Jason move faster and faster, fucking his own fist with a wet squelching sound. He’s so close, he can feel his orgasm coming on. In his minds eyes, he pulls out just in time to come all over the pretender’s perfect pretty face. In real life, Jason comes into his hand, panting, making sure not to get any on his clothes or couch.

So… that was weird. He’s never thought about his replacement like that before, and he’s not entirely sure how he feels about it, despite how hot the fantasy was. He thinks about it. Is it a little fucked up that he’s having fantasies about his replacement? Probably, given that he’s tried to kill the kid more than once. But Tim’s not his brother, no matter how much Bruce might want to pretend otherwise. It’s not hurting anyone, so Jason doesn’t really care. It’s a hot fantasy, and it got him off. That’s all that really matters.

He cleans off and then suits up. He’s got work to do.

[robinofgothamcity]

♡ scenario: meeting dick's ex girlfriend and it going awkwardly well

♡ characters: jason todd ( red hood ) x fem! reader

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / i'm sorry but have yall seen that comparison of Jason Todd from Titans to the comics that the DC Titans twit made? bc every time i look at it, it takes me out. my twitter groupchat have slaughtering it all night :').

you in Dick's apartment, fiddling with a few of his weapons as he sternly told you to put it down before you hurt yourself. you, clearly not bothering to listen, continued to fiddle with the batarang as it managed to hit you on the nose. in between Dick's laugh, he wheezed out an 'I told you so'.

"fuck off, when are we going to your dad's place?" you asked, "I want to get back home before we get back to our apartments later than we already are," you mumbled, getting up and grabbing your keys.

Dick ushered you out the door, murmuring that he'd buy you a coffee on the way to Gotham as compensation for helping his family out. you were Dick's ex girlfriend and although the two of you ended on friendly terms, you managed to know his families secret and thus, you decided to help Dick out with his hero work in Bludhaven.

the two of you had realized a while into the relationship that neither of you were really into each other romantically. it felt a bit forced with the kisses and dates and a part of you saw the way Dick felt about his ex still. you weren't mad at the way he felt about Barbara but you could tell that he still had feelings for her and you didn't want him to deny his true feelings for her anymore.

both of you hopped into your car and made your way over to his father's place. you had met Bruce a while back when you were dating Dick and by extension, you had met Dick's younger brother Damian. he was still a bit of a prick to you every time you met him but Dick had told you that Damian was just that way with everyone. you had a few interactions with Duke and Cassie from time to time but it was only when they stopped by. the only two you had yet to meet were Dick's two younger brothers, Tim and Jason.

you had heard stories about them it wasn't anything too crazy. all you knew was that Tim was a bit on the shyer side and Jason was the one with the crazy backstory. they hadn't told you everything about Jason but you did know that Jason was dead at one point and managed to come back. how? you didn't know and frankly, you didn't want to know. knowing that this world was filled with superheroes from out of this world and held supernatural abilities was enough for you.

by the time you arrived to Bruce's place, you had Dick take in your back pack as you sipped away on the Starbucks he had bought for you. Dick entered through the batcave, waving a hello to everyone as you saw Damian and gave the little gremlin a smirk before chasing him for a hug.

"get away from me you peasant," Damian screamed, grabbing his blade and pointing it at you. you laughed, sitting down on his chair, "aww, and to think I thought you'd be happy to see me!" you giggled, taking your laptop out of your bag with a few other things.

you noticed that there was another person in the room that you hadn't familiarized yourself with and got up, "hi, I'm ( your name ), Dick's work partner," you said, stretching your hand out for him, "and the pain in my ass." you rolled your eyes as the man chuckled, "I'm Jason," he replied. his voice alone made the hair on your arms raise in goosebumps as you found his voice extremely attractive, "pleasure," you responded, trying not to sound nervous.

Dick wasn't the smartest of all brothers, clearly but it didn't exactly take an idiot to see the way you immediately acted around Jason. he noticed the way you pulled yourself back a bit as Jason stood up to give you a proper hello. when he first met you, you were instantly the confident person you always were but this time, you were pulling yourself back a bit.

"so, how did you meet Dick?" Jason asked. you laughed, "we're partners at work and I even dated the asshole for a while," Dick whipped his head around as you heard Damian hollering from laughter, "I'm right here!" he exclaimed. you rolled your playfully, "please, I heard the way you talk about me to Barbara," you pressed, making Dick slump down in his seat in shame.

Jason laughed at the way you managed to make Dick fall back. he had never seen someone do that to him before and frankly, he kind of liked the way you poked at Dick a bit. everyone knew he was the easiest target to mess with but it seemed as though you were professional at it, just like Damian was.

"so, who are the ones on patrol tonight?" Bruce asked, getting up. Damian and Dick raised their hands as they all looked to Jason, "you're still hurt from your previous run in so you will be sitting this one out Master Jason," Alfred spoke up. you saw the way Jason wanted to argue but Alfred gave him the 'you better not try it' look.

"you can stay with her," Dick offered, slipping into his suit, "she's helping out with communication tonight since Tim is off doing work with the Titans." you gave Jason a wave of encouragement as he agreed, not as excited as you thought he'd be. you shrugged it off, waving everyone off with a 'be careful' lecture.

the batcave went silent as Alfred had offered to bring the both of you coffee for the long night. you were sitting across from Jason, your legs crossed as you slipped in your headphone into one ear to make sure you could hear what Damian, Dick, and Bruce were saying clearly. you cracked your neck, trying to make it unstiff as you gave the three of them their coordinates of where they were to meet if they all separated....which was the first thing they did.

"so, why did you and Dick break up?" Jason asked suddenly. you lifted your head up, "oh, we just realized we were better off as friends," you replied, "everything felt kind of forced and a bit weird so we figured it was best to just be friends before it got any weirder."

Jason nodded, smiling underneath his stoic face. he knew he wanted to make a move on you but realized it was a slimey thing to do so quick. he hadn't known the real reason to the break up but figured since you were still friends with Dick, it clearly meant that there were no hard feelings, especially when Dick was trying his time again with Barbara.

the two of you remained silent, sipping away on water and coffee. a few yawns crossed your face as you tried to keep yourself awake. this wasn't the first time Dick had you doing this but you hadn't went strictly from work to Dick's place and didn't get the chance to take a nap before leaving. Jason saw the way you were fighting off your sleep and chuckled.

"tired?" he asked. you nodded slowly, "long day and an even longer day tomorrow," you replied. you saw your phone ping up with text messages as you let out a groan of annoyance, "something wrong?" Jason asked, seeing the way messages came in left and right.

you flipped the phone over, "it's dumb. some guy I was seeing hasn't stopped messaging me ever since I gave him my number and even when I told him I wasn't interested, he still kept going," you confessed, wanting nothing more than to chuck your phone against the wall to make it stop.

Jason thought for a moment. he could play this one of two ways. one: trying to give you mature, adult advice or two: being the petty teenager he used to once be. "wanna try to get him back?" he asked, quickly checking the communicators and cameras to make sure everything was still okay. you nodded your head a bit slowly, not knowing what he was hinting at.

Jason grabbed your phone, quickly taking a photo before writing a few thing down and sending it. your eyes widened, seeing what he wrote out.

"might wanna stop texting the girl who has no interest in you."

you gave Jason a look as he laughed, "what?" he asked, going back to the cameras and communicators. after a while, you got a message that they were heading back to the cave as others took their place. you clapped in tired happiness as you shut the computers down and put every thing into your bad so you and Dick could head out as quickly as possible.

"leaving already?" Jason poked playfully. you smiled, "I have work in the morning and I doubt you'd want to spend anymore time with me," you joked back. Jason grabbed your phone again, this time putting his number into your phone before shooting himself a message.

"you couldn't even wait a day?" Dick said as he got out of the batmobile. you shrugged playfully, "what can I say? your brother is hot," you responded, waving your phone with his number in it. Jason choked on his spit as Damian gagged, "gross, keep that shit to yourself," Damian yelled, slamming the door of the batcave as he made his way to his room.

you gave Jason a wink goodbye before getting into Dick's car.

"see ya soon sweetheart."

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Into The Unknown, Part 1

... I have no self-control do not perceive me

Marinette stared at the pile of bright red, yellow, and green clothes on the ground. It was all she’d done in the five-ish minutes since she’d portaled onto the scene. Just… stared.

It wasn’t like there was much else to do, anyways. Red Robin was currently beating the absolute fuck out of the person that had the audacity to disintegrate his brother right in front of him. It wasn’t like she could even fix it because the witch had been out cold before she had been able to pull Red Robin off to get a hit in so she could use her lucky charm.

So, she stared.

It was weird. She could almost feel a person inside the clothes but… maybe that was the residue or the ashes or whatever gets left behind when you zap a person out of existence? She didn’t really want to check, to be honest. Gross.

Eventually, though, she hesitantly leaned down and brushed her hand over it, trying to find the energy and get rid of it because it was really uncomfortable --.

… oh hell no that pile of clothes did not just fucking giggle at her.

She narrowed her eyes and carefully lifted up the bottom of the shirt, only to yelp and fall back. She scrabbled on the gross Gotham alley ground until her back hit Red Robin’s arm and he was forced to pause or risk hitting a meta (which would not have been good for his health).

“What?” He hissed.

She swallowed thickly. “That’s a child.”

“... what?” Red asked, all the anger bleeding from his tone in his confusion.

“We let Batman’s kid turn into a baby,” she whispered… then, it sunk in more. “We let Batman’s kid turn into a baby.”

He straightened on top of the thing that was really more bloody pulp than person at this point. “What do you mean ‘we let Batman’s kid turn into a baby’?”

But she didn’t really get a chance to answer because the baby chose that exact moment to be sick of being suffocated under all the armor and pushed it off.

Red Robin gulped. Because, yep, that was Robin as a baby. Batman was going to kill them.

Except he wasn’t going to kill them. Because Batman doesn't kill. No, Batman would find something even worse and that would suck.

The baby -- Robin? Should she still call him that mentally? -- giggled at their pain. Like an asshole.

They were so fucked.

~

He’d let B’s favorite kid get turned into a baby. Was there a way to get unadopted? Because if there was it was totally going to happen. Or maybe his dad would just cut him off because he was 19 now and could just get kicked out.

No. Nope! Not going to happen. No. He could fix this.

“Okay. Okay okay okay. We need a plan,” he heard himself saying.

Ladybug scoffed. “We? I was barely even here, this is on you.”

“Leave me alone to deal with this and I swear to god I will tell B that you did it.”

She paled. “You wouldn’t. No way.”

“Yes way. So, help me think of something.”

The baby giggled and started crawling over and both of them averted their eyes because, unfortunately, the child did not get baby clothes to go with his random transformation. Baby Damian didn't seem to care as he reached them and started climbing on Ladybug since she was closest. At least it wasn’t him. He did not want to see his adoptive brother’s… ew.

Ladybug made a gagging sound and then quickly summoned a lucky charm. She kept her face turned away as much as her neck would physically allow as she fumbled her way through swaddling the child in a polka-dotted blanket.

And then her shoulders slumped a little. “Great. Great. This is… great,” she muttered, picking up the bundle o’ baby.

He let himself look down now that it was safe.

“Alright, we need to go to another dimension where time moves faster,” Ladybug said after a few seconds. “And then we wait for him to age… fifteen-ish years. Best way to not make Batman notice.”

“... what about us? We also age.”

“Huh…? Oh. Right. You’re human.” She pulled off the glasses she was wearing and blinked a few times before handing it over. “Congrats on your upgrade. The tiny horse god is named Kaalki. She likes cake.”

“The tiny --?” He let out the world’s manliest screech as his eyes landed on the floating bug horse hybrid thing holy shit no no no no no the sci fi movies didn’t prepare him for this shit.

Kaalki looked a little offended but then her eyes landed on the baby and she gasped. “Aw, baby humans are always so cute.”

“Great, Kaalki, you take it,” said Ladybug.

Kaalki did try, to her credit. It just so happened that the approximately one-year-old baby was a lot bigger than the… whatever she was. Tim was refusing to believe that this was a god. Too many implications. He already had something to have a breakdown over, he didn’t need another thing right now, thank you very much.

Tim rested his head in his hands but he had more things to worry about than the blood that he was accidentally streaking through his hair.

“Okay. Okay. We can go to another dimension and try and raise him. Maybe we can make it have a ratio of one month here for every year there so any differences could be blamed on that.”

“Ya!” Said baby Damian. He probably didn’t actually know what was going on but he sure seemed excited so that was cool.

Ladybug sighed and nodded. “Great. You get food and money and clothes and I’ll take this lady to the cops… and I guess I’ll watch the kid until you get back because your dad cannot know.”

They shook on it.

~

This may be the dumbest idea that she’d ever had, and that was saying something. She didn’t know if she could trust Red Robin on this one, they hardly ever worked together. What if he just left her alone with this kid and let her try and figure this out on her own?

No. He wouldn’t do that. He was the last person known to be with Robin. Robin going missing would be bad for him, too. And, besides, she was pretty sure that he was a duty-driven person based on what she’d heard, she just had to hope that he saw this as his duty, too.

She turned the baby in her arms to get more comfortable as she waited for him to (hopefully) come back.

Part of her wanted to try and find someone from this world to reverse this but she didn’t know any outside of her, Adrien, Alix, and (now) Red Robin. Not on a personal level. Not enough that she knew for sure that they wouldn’t blab to Batman about it.

So, no, this is what she was doing.

But she had things to do. So, she pulled out her yoyo-phone-hybrid-thingy and wedged it against her ear.

“Chaton,” she said the moment he picked up. “You’re alone, right?”

“Uh… yeah?”

“Great. I, Ladybug, relinquish the Miracle Box and name Chat Noir the new guardian.”

“WHAT --?!” He didn’t get to finish as a box dropped on his lap and knocked the wind out of him.

“Just for, like, a year and a half. Sorry. Bye!”

“DON’T JUST ‘BYE’ ME WHAT THE --?!”

She hung up and closed the yoyo, hooking it back to her belt and ignoring it when it started buzzing again.

She looked down at Robin, who was squinting up at her. She returned the squint. Why was this baby so quiet? She didn’t get it. Surely, he should have been crying at this point.

“Do you still… remember things?” She asked, hoping against all hope that maybe he had retained his memories at the very least.

Robin smiled at her, but it was the blank-eyed baby smile that meant he wasn’t really understanding her. She bit down a curse.

Great. So, she’d not only gotten a baby but she’d gotten a fucking weird one. Great.

~

Tim left a note for his family saying that he, Damian, and Ladybug were bored and were going dimension hopping. His family would probably be suspicious but, hey, at least it wouldn’t be his problem for a good fifteen years on his end.

And, yeah, he knew this was probably one of his dumber plans but… it wasn’t the dumbest. And he was always one to commit when it came down to it. One time he had faked being shot and dealt with crutches for an entire year just to convince Vicki Vale that he wasn’t Red Robin. He had no fears that he couldn’t see this through.

Ladybug, though? A total mystery. She did nearly everything on a whim as far as he knew. She hopped from city to city fighting crime for absolutely no reason outside of boredom and made up all of her plans on the fly. No, he was a bit concerned about her ability to keep doing it.

So, he went as quickly as he possibly could. There was no rhyme or reason to what he was grabbing. He was just… putting stuff in there. There was money and three watches to help them move between dimensions, yes, but there was also a fanta orange and a copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and exactly seven pairs of socks.

… yeah, he had the necessities. Probably.

He nearly got out the door before he realized he was still in his crime-fighting gear and he quickly shucked it all off and tossed it into the tub so the blood wouldn’t track any more than it already had. He did not need to avoid Batman’s wrath only to end up on the receiving end of Alfred’s.

He pulled on the first hoodie and jeans he could grab and looked around to make sure he hadn’t left anything of importance.

Okay. Now he was ready to go.

~

Marinette was awkwardly bouncing the baby when Red Robin finally showed up.

… not that she would have recognized him if she hadn’t felt Kaalki hovering in his pocket. In her eyes, he was just a random white guy wearing shades in the middle of the night.

She glanced up at him and gave him an awkward smile.

“Ready?”

He smiled back and held out two watches. Neither fit baby Robin so she prepared herself to choke out a literal baby holy fuck what even was her life.

“Which dimension should we go to?”

“Preferably one without miraculi,” Marinette said. “I don’t want to know what happens if there’s two of the same god in a dimension.”

He nodded slowly. “Probably best if Batman doesn’t exist, either, he’d probably notice my existence.”

“... so… no heroes at all?”

“Looks like we’re going cold turkey,” Red Robin said in a tone that was probably supposed to be joking but just came out flat.

She pushed herself to her feet and waited as he scrolled through the millions of dimensions.

Finally, he came upon one and she added the coordinates to her and Robin’s watches.

She readied Robin’s watch against his neck and tried to ignore the kid’s sudden squirminess.

“3… 2… 1…”

They were gone in a whirl of blue light.

~~~~~

Next

@nathleigh @peachmuses

[mochegato]

Jasonette Protection Program

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Marinette pulled her coat closer around her as she made her way from the bus stop to her apartment.  She had made the brilliant decision when she moved here not to get a car because… Gotham.  The likelihood that it would get damaged or destroyed in some kind of attack was ridiculously high.  The likelihood the bus would get blown up or taken over, while definitely still present, was significantly lower.

But today she was regretting that decision.  It meant she couldn’t isolate herself like she wanted to.  It meant she was exposed to anybody and everybody at the bus stop and on the bus and on the sidewalk and any one of them could have been the one to drug her.  She eyed the people around her as she walked.  Okay, maybe not the woman who looked like she was in her 90’s and could barely walk… and dropped her knitting out of her bag.

Marinette rushed over to her and paused right before reaching her. She twirled around and scanned the faces around her.  She could feel somebody watching her.  She could feel their eyes scrutinizing her every move.  She studied the shadows and the windows, but couldn’t find anyone watching her.  She frowned slightly and shook her head.  She was getting paranoid.  She was seeing and feeling things that weren’t there.  

She sighed and turned back to the woman, crouching down to help her put her knitting back in her bag.  The woman smiled in appreciation, which Marinette returned with a shaky one of her own.  She walked the remaining few feet to her apartment building and took a cautious look up and down the dark street before turning into it.  She made sure she heard the click of the door latching before continuing up the stairs, not that it would do anything.  Logically she knew that, but her anxiety still demanded it.

She kept her eyes on the stairwell as she made her way up to her apartment on the top floor, eyes hyper vigilant for any movement, her ears hyper sensitive to any sounds from the stairs.  She got to her floor and paused for a few moments waiting to see if any sounds or movement indicated someone behind her.  She let out a relieved sigh when there was no noise and turned to her apartment before letting out a muffled screech.

Jason jumped, dropping his phone he had been scrolling on, in his rush to hold up his hands in a placating motion.  “Just me.  It’s okay. It’s just me.”  He watched her for a few seconds.  She was starting to breathe hard, her eyes were boring into him. “Although I just realized you may not remember me.  So this was actually an incredibly stupid plan.”  He took a few steps away from her door, his hands still held up to let her know he wasn’t a threat.

Marinette continued to stare at him for a few more seconds, forcing her breathing to slow.  “You… you’re Tim’s brother, right?  You… you were…” she squinted at him, “you were in my bedroom?”

Jason grimaced and looked down to the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “Yeah… that doesn’t make me sound too good, does it?”

She eyed him suspiciously.  “What are you doing here?”  

He perked up slightly and gave her a small, reassuring smile. “I wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing today.  It can hit a day or a few days later sometimes.  And I’m a security expert.  I consult on it for people and companies.  I wanted to offer to check your security for you so you’d feel safe, at least when you’re at home.”  He turned to her door and knocked on the doorframe.  “I can already tell that you need better locks.  I could have broken in easily, but I didn’t think you would appreciate finding me in your apartment.”

She raised an eyebrow at him but let out a quiet chuckle and looked away after a few seconds.  “You would be right.”  She looked back up at him and tentatively walked over closer to her door.  “But, I don’t think I can afford to hire you.”

Jason waved off her concern.  “I wouldn’t let you.  I’d charge Tim for it.  He can afford it and he’s worried enough that I’m actually kind of surprised he hasn’t contacted me already, but I suppose that has something to do with him not wanting you to meet me in the first place.”

Marinette quirked her lips to the side and studied him.  The longer she watched and talked to him the more memories came back and the clearer they became.  She was slowly starting to get bits and pieces of the night before, not enough to create a coherent picture, just incredibly short scenes, a word here, a smile there.  Regardless of what she could remember though, this was Tim’s brother and although Tim didn’t want them to meet, he trusted him, not that she would ever be allowed to say that out loud to either of them.  

She finally nodded and pulled out her keys.  “Well, I can at least offer you dinner while you’re here. If you’d like.”  She gave him a small smile as she passed him into the apartment taking off her coat and dropping her bag on the small dining room table.

Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise.  After the way she had reacted when she saw him, he honestly didn’t think she would talk to him let alone let him into her apartment.  He was starting to understand how she could have gotten drugged so easily if she was that trusting.  But then again, Tim had said they all were being careful. Her even more so than the others. So why was she so trusting now?  “I would never turn down free food,” he said slowly.

He closed the door behind him with a quick glance at the inside part of the lock, confirming his original suspicions.  Standard issue, not particularly secure.  He could have picked it in all of three minutes when he was only eight.  He didn’t have to lean down to study the doorknob to know it was in worse condition. One good kick and the door would be wide open.  He sighed. If anyone wanted to get into her apartment, it wouldn’t take them very much effort.

He turned back to the apartment, letting his frown morph into a smile.  Her apartment was cozy and lived in and very much her.  There were touches of her everywhere along with some touches that he wouldn’t have expected.  He shook his head at the condition of the apartment.  It wasn’t terribly messy but it also wouldn’t count as anything close to clean.  He could see why she and Tim got along so well.  Neither could clean up after themselves to save their lives.  

There were bits of fabric and half completed sewing projects scattered around along with random pages of scientific reports.  He raised an eyebrow at that.  Odd combination.  His eyes caught on men’s shoes by the door.  He scrunched his forehead in confusion.  If she lived with someone, where were they?  Where were they last night?  Why hadn’t Tim mentioned him?  “You live with someone?  A boyfriend?”

Marinette looked up from the refrigerator.  “No.  Well, yes, but no.  I live with my best friend,” she explained quickly, “but he’s visiting friends this week.”

Jason nodded.  That was good at least.  She wasn’t living alone.  There was someone else with her usually.  That makes it less likely someone could just break in and attack her.  He moved over to the window and sighed again, more deeply this time.  It was worse than the door.  “No curtains. You should probably get some, preferably lined ones.  This lock is ancient too.  It wouldn’t take much to jimmy it.  We’ll get you new locks for your windows and your door.”

Marinette looked at him wide eyed as she set a bunch of grapes and a jug of filtered water from the refrigerator on the counter.  She hadn’t been expecting the locks to be that bad.  She knew it wasn’t amazing, but then again, she hadn’t really been too concerned about being specifically targeted here.  Nobody really knew who she was, or rather used to be.  She was just an average citizen here.  

She stared at the window for a few seconds, her head cocking to the side and her eyes unfocusing as her mind wandered through the possibilities of what could have happened and what still could.  She was no longer safe, not even in her own home.  But then again, she never really had been had she?  She had just thought she was.  She thought she was safer after they’d defeated Hawkmoth, but she’d just traded one danger for another.

Jason watched as her face morphed from one expression to another, her eyes distant.  Her face clearly displaying each and every emotion she was going through, no matter how flitting.  Jason could guess where her head went.  When her eyes started shimmering, he opened his mouth to bring her out of it when her phone rang.  She jerked back violently, knocking over the jug of water.  

She cursed as she tried to stop the jug’s descent only to knock it further away, further spreading the water.  She gave a defeated groan and grabbed a towel from a nearby drawer to start sopping up the water.  Jason jumped to grab a few more towels to help.  It took a few minutes, but they were finally able to clean up the water with a minimum of damage to papers left on the counter.  Luckily, none of Marinette’s sketches were on the island anymore but Adrien was definitely going to have to reprint some of his papers for research.

Marinette gave Jason an appreciative smile and threw the papers in recycling and the towels in the sink.  She let out a deep frustrated sigh as she leaned against the counter.  After a few seconds, she ran her hands through her hair and laughed.  Jason frowned at the sound.  It was short and mirthless and sounded utterly wrong coming from her.  He could see her starting to spin but didn’t know her well enough to know how to help.  God, he really hadn’t thought this through.

Jason very slowly started reaching for her so she could see his hands coming.  Shen she didn’t shy away, he set a hand on her arm to ground her.  She looked up into his eyes, panicked eyes meeting concerned eyes. They both jumped when her phone started ringing again.  They both chuckled quietly at their reactions.  

“Sorry…” she started but was cut off by another ring.  She shook her head at herself.  She hadn’t even noticed the original call had dropped.  She checked the caller id and smiled at the phone. “Hey Tim.”  She paused to listen to him.  “No, I’m fine.  I just… I knocked something over and was cleaning it.  Sorry for scaring you.”

She gave Jason an apologetic smile as she listened to Tim.  “I’m doing okay, I guess.  I think I’m just jumpy… and getting paranoid.  I could have sworn someone was watching me walk home, but when I looked nobody was around or rather nobody was paying attention to me.” She missed the slight grimace Jason shot toward the floor.  “No, thank you though.  Actually, your brother is here already.”  She smiled at Jason again and put Tim on speaker.  

“…that so.  That’s very thoughtful of him,” Tim quipped in a clipped tone.

“Yeah, he’s checking my locks,” Marinette continued, seemingly oblivious to the tension in his voice, or attributing it to his concern.  “Apparently my door and window locks are pretty bad,” Marinette frowned at the thought.

“Uh huh.  Well it’s just so great that he came over then,” Tim gritted out.

Marinette did a double take when Jason’s phone dinged repeatedly with an extended series of text notifications.  She blinked at it a few times before looking questioningly at Jason. He rolled his eyes and turned his phone off.  He met her eyes with a shrug and a wink as he sat at her island.

“Tell him I say hi and remind him he has plans with Bruce soon,” Tim continued tightly.

Jason huffed.  “Tell him to tell B, I'm not going on patrol until Demon Spawn calms down.  And tell him I’m sending him the bill for this.”  He motioned vaguely around them.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Tim conceded easily before his voice turned harsh again, “And tell him…”

“You two do realize you can hear each other and you two both know you can hear each other and I know you can hear each other and I’m not an owl!” Marinette admonished them sharply.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Tim started chuckling.  “Sorry, Hermione.”

“Thank you, Harry.”  She nodded at the phone even though he couldn’t see her.

“Hey!  That makes me Ron?  What the fuck?” Jason objected raising up from his seat in offense.

“Oh come on, you’d look good with red hair,” Marinette teased him lightly.

“You better fucking not be Ron,” Tim growled.   “You’re more like Draco anyway,” he continued flippantly.

“Fuck you, Pretender,” Jason growled.

“Yeah, this is making me feel better,” Marinette sighed, leaning against the counter.

There was a guilty pause as the men took in her words.  “Sorry,” Jason finally spoke up after a while.

“What?”  Marinette gave him a curious look until realization set in.  “Oh!  No, I was serious.  You two remind me of my friends.  It feels comforting, normal.”

Tim waited a second before speaking up cautiously. “So… you’re okay for tonight?  You feel safe?”

Marinette smiled at the phone again.  “Yeah, Tim.  I’m okay.  Thanks for checking on me.”

“Of course.  Let me know if that changes.  I’ll be over in three minutes flat,” he promised.

Marinette grinned mischievously.  “Do I get a free pizza if you take longer?”

Tim huffed out a laugh.  “Absolutely.”

“Sweet.  I might test it just for that,” she teased him.  “Night, Tim.”

“Night.  And tell Jason to turn his phone back on before I do it for him.”

Marinette rolled her eyes.  “Still not an owl,” she singsonged before she hung up.  She looked over to Jason with a concerned smile. “Do you have to go?  It sounded like you already had plans?”

Jason waved her off and took the battery out of his phone before leaning against the counter near her.  “I have plenty of time.  Like I said, if I show up now De… Damian is going to attack me.” Marinette’s eyes widened in concern but Jason waved her off again.  “It’s fine. He isn’t as tough as he thinks he is. He wouldn’t be able to hurt me, but Bruce would yell at me for it and Dick would give me his disappointed in you lecture.  It’s better for everyone if I stay away for a few days.”  

He grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tim just doesn’t want me stealing his friend away with my superior looks and charm.”

Marinette scowled lightly at him.  “Tim is very handsome and charming,” she insisted defensively.

Jason shot her a devilish smile.  “But not as much as me, right?”

Marinette scoffed at him and rolled her eyes.  “You certainly seem to think so.”  She rinsed some grapes and set them in a bowl between the two of them. “But he’s the only reason you’re here right now.  If you weren’t Tim’s brother and we hadn’t met last night when you were fairly respectful of me in my… state…”

“Fairly!?” Jason squawked.

“I’d have called, well, not the cops, but Tim, to take care of you,” she continued over him.  She grabbed a grape and chewed on it while she watched him appraisingly as she leaned back against the counter opposite him.  “Do you make a habit of stealing his friends?”

Jason shrugged and grabbed a few grapes.  “No, we generally move in different…” he searched for a nice way to phrase it, “circles.”

She hummed in response.  “And yet here you are, willingly entering in a circle with one of his friends.” She eyed him pointedly.  She quickly broke their eye contact to look down and cross her arms over her chest protectively.  “Thank you for breaking into this particular circle to help me out. Last night spooked me more than I want to admit.”

“Did you want to talk about it?  Or pretend like it never happened.  I can help with either,” Jason offered.

Marinette stared at the grapes for a while without talking. Jason was certain she was about to start spiraling again when she spoke up quietly.  “I was keeping an eye on my drinks.  I only took my eyes off of them when I was around people I trusted and we weren’t exactly close to other people for someone to just slip something in.”  She frowned and looked at nothing in particular. She poured herself a glass of water and held the rim of the glass against her lips without drinking it as she remembered the night before.  “I don’t know which scares me more, that someone was that good to get it in with all of us there or…”

“That one of the people you trust might be responsible,” Jason finished for her after a few seconds of silence.  When she looked up to meet her eyes, she looked so shaken and uncertain, he wanted to pull her into a tight, reassuring hug, but after the night before, he wasn’t sure a virtual stranger’s embrace would be the most reassuring.  He settled for moving to lean against the counter next to her so their arms were almost touching, but she still had her personal space.

“Yeah,” she said wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing her arms.  

“You think you were the intended victim?” he asked curiously.  He and Tim had already discussed the night and decided that she had to be, but he was curious what her thoughts were.  “You don’t think it was just opportunistic.  You think whoever was with targeting you.”

She shook her head and looked down, frowning at the floor.  She gripped her arms tighter.  “I don’t know.  I was never alone and I only drank with my friends at our own table away from other people.  I mean someone at the bar could have drugged it before it was brought over when the waitress brought drinks but…”

“How would they know who it would go to,” Jason finished again.  “Seems unlikely they’d risk the drug like that if they didn’t know who it would go to. If they didn’t have a plan to get the person out.”

Marinette looked up at him anxiously and nodded.  She studied him for a few more seconds before she shook herself out of her daze.  She looked up at him with a fake smile.  “So what are you feeling for dinner?  I can make some pasta.  I can do stir fry.  I can whip up a casserole.  What do you want?”

“I’ll be happy with whatever you feel like having tonight,” he assured her with a smile.

“I don’t… really… feel like eating,” she mumbled, looking away again. “This is more something for me to focus on instead of last night.”

Jason gave her a gentle smile and lowered himself to her level, trying to gain her attention.  “Look, I know you don’t know me but why don’t we order take out and we can watch a movie, or if you want to be alone, I can leave.”

“I don’t want to be alone,” she answered quickly, instantly looking over to him with a desperate look in her eyes.

Jason nodded slowly and gave her a gentle smile.  He rested his hands lightly on her arms to reassure her he was there and not going anywhere unless she wanted him to.  “That’s understandable.  I wouldn’t want to be either.  Do you want me to call Tim over?  I know you probably feel safer with him and when he can’t be here in three minutes, you get a pizza.”

She gave him a wan smile.  “No, I trust you.  And I’m not really feeling pizza right now.”

Jason smiled back.  “I want to joke and say that’s a terrible decision, but now doesn’t seem like the best time.” She gave him a deadpan look that made his grin widen.  “I’ll save that for later,” he finished with a wink. His expression quickly turned serious as he watched her.  “You should eat though.  What kind of food do you want to try?  There’s a good Indian restaurant around the corner.”

She looked away.  “I don’t want to order out.  I don’t want food that I…”

Jason nodded and moved closer again.  “Yeah, that’s reasonable.  Let’s make something together, yeah?  I saw some eggs and milk in your refrigerator and there’s bread on the counter.  How do you feel about breakfast for dinner?  French toast sound good?  I think you call it Lost Bread?  And how do you feel about Clueless?”

“The movie?” she asked confused.

“Yeah, adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma.”

“Fan of Alicia Silverstone or Jane Austen?” she teased weakly.

“Both,” Jason answered with a wink.

Marinette snickered and nodded.  “That all sounds amazing.”  She moved away to start getting the pan and bowls out, watching him while he got the ingredients prepared.  “Thank you, Jason.  You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“No problem.  We’ll get things figured out so you can feel safe, or at least as safe as you can feel in Gotham,” he assured her, and himself.  They were going to find who drugged her and make her feel safe again.  Whoever it was messed with one of Tim’s friends, one of the few he really trusted, that means whoever it was messed with his family and nobody messed with their family.

Tags:

@jasonette-july-event @maribatserver @aespades @demonicbusiness @read-fantasy-to-escape-reality @jayjayspixiepop

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 22: Petrichor and Bibliosmia (Library/books)

AO3

Prev

Marinette frowned at the rain outside of her window. She had wanted to go to the botanical gardens with Harley and Ivy today. But with the rain, both women decided it would be better to just reschedule. They didn’t want her to get sick. Which, to be fair, was sweet. But still upsetting because she really wanted to go to the gardens. She’d planned on using the plants as inspiration to make something for Ivy.

“Tikki, I’m bored.” She says, looking at her smallest friend. Tikki just looks at her.

“You’ve been stuck inside because of the weather before, Marinette. Why don’t you design?” Tikki suggests. Marinette huffs, flopping back down onto the cushioned window seat.

“But there’s nothing inspiring in my room, Tikki.” She mumbles, before shooting back up. “Do you think any of the boys are here?” She asks.

“Only one way to find out!” Tikki says with a smile, obviously relieved to have avoided any more whining from Marinette. She jumps up, throwing one of Dick’s old hoodies on over her t-shirt. She’d always gotten cold easily, and becoming the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous didn’t help. That, and the manor was cold on a good day- it would probably be freezing with how bad the weather was. She slides down the banister, knowing her Dad was at work and couldn’t yell at her.

“Miss Marinette, if you insist on behaving like your brothers, I will have to resort to treating you like your brothers.” Alfred says with raised eyebrows. But she can sense the smile wanting to break through. She just grins apologetically.

“Sorry, Alfred.” She says. “Speaking of my brothers, are any of them here right now?” She asks. If they’re not, she could probably convince Alfred to bake something with her. As long as she promises not to slide down the banister again.

“I believe Master Jason is in the library. Masters Dick and Damian are in the gym and Master Tim is at Wayne Enterprises with your father.” He says and she hums, thinking. She could go do some training with Dick and Damian, or she could go sit and sketch in the library with Jason.

“Thanks Alfred!” She says, giving him a wide smile before turning and walking down one of the many halls. She glances in open doors as she walks. Despite having lived here for nearly a month, she still got lost going anywhere other than her room, the dining room, the kitchen, and the Batcave. They were kind of the places she’d gone the most. She could also easily find her dad’s study and the main sitting room, most of the time. But the library wasn’t really a place she’d spent a lot of time in. And while she loved Dick and Damian, she also knew that they hadn’t gotten time to hang out just the two of them in a while. She’d talked to Dick before, about how when their dad was missing, he was basically Damian’s father. She knew that bonds like that didn’t just go away, knew that neither boy wanted it to. So she figured she’d just annoy Jay instead of barging in on the others’ bonding time.

Finally finding the library, she grins. Pushing the cracked door open a little more, she moves into the room, jaw dropping. The floor to ceiling bookshelves were packed. There were huge overstuffed couches, and the large windows had window seats attached- perfect little reading nooks. Quickly making a mental note to come to the library more, she starts to search for Jay. She knew he had to be in here. Alfred is never wrong. She grins when she spots him, sitting in what looked like an insanely uncomfortable position, but one she knew from experience was the best.

“Whatchya reading?” She asks, walking over and getting comfortable on the couch next to him.

“<i>Pride and Prejudice<i>.” He says, continuing reading for a moment before putting a little scrap of paper in the book and shutting it. “What’s up, Pixie Pop?” He asks, looking at her with a grin. Marinette sighs dramatically and moves so that she’s upside down on the couch.

“It’s raining. And I was supposed to go to the gardens with Ivy and Harley but they canceled because of my ‘health’ and they were ‘concerned’.” She says with a pout.

“And you decided the library was the best place to curb your boredom? No offense kid, but you don’t seem like the type to read.” He says and she huffs.

“I like books! It’s just-” She pauses, remembering the way Lila had teased her for it back in Paris. Her classmates hadn’t joined in, not really. They’d just agreed that she was a little odd.

“You okay, Pix?” Jason asks, his earlier grin replaced with a slightly concerned look. Marinette winces and nods.

“Yeah it’s- I can read. I swear I can. But when I’m looking at a book, or an article or anything with a lot of text, it gets hard to pick out the pieces. Things just kind of swirl together and then I can’t decode it and I get frustrated and just stop reading. It sucks, ‘cause I do like books. I listen to audiobooks while doing commissions.” She rambles, stopping and turning red. Though that may be from hanging upside down on the couch. Sighing, she sits up and shrugs. “Sorry I’m so weird.” She says. Jason’s face morphs into a scowl.

“Just ‘cause you learn differently doesn’t mean you’re weird, kid. Just means you’ve got your own style. Don’t let any of those little shits you go to school with tell you differently.” He says, reaching out and ruffling her hair. She smiles at him, a genuine happy smile. She was so relieved that he didn’t think she was weird. Or stupid. Lila had thrown that word around. That one hurt. Marinette prided herself on her quick thinking and cleverness. And her grades. They were some of the best in the class! So for Lila to call her stupid…

“Pixie.” Jason says, drawing the nickname out in a sing-song voice. She looks at him and raises an eyebrow. “You were zoned out, kid. So, was there something ya wanna do?” He asks. Marinette glances down at the book in his hand and frowns.

“I don’t wanna keep you from reading. I can just sit in here with you. I’ll probably end up grabbing my sketchbook.” She says. Jason waves in a ‘no big deal’ motion.

“I’ve read this book a million times.” He reassures her. She glances at the cover again, realizing it’s not one she’s really heard much about before.

“What’s it about?” She asks. “I’ve never read it.” Jay’s face morphs into a huge grin.

“You said you like listening to books, right?” He asks. She nods. “Well, then settle in because I’m going to read to you.” He says proudly with a grin.

“Oh, you really don’t-” She tries to say. She didn’t want to make him read to her. That was not-

“Oh but I want to.” He says, effectively cutting off her mental ramble before she can complete her meltdown. “Listen Pix, this is one of my favorite books. If you go listen to some dumb audio book, you won’t get my commentary. Trust me, this is the best way for you to read the book.” He says and she snorts, shaking her head lightly.

“Okay, Jay, let’s read a book.”

---

Finally arriving home after being stuck at the office, Bruce sets off to find his daughter. Since his apology a few days ago, he’d attempted to make an effort to check in on her and see how she was doing. He tried to also do the same with the boys, but they had all given him odd looks, so he didn’t continue. He checks her room, the Batcave, the sitting room- nothing. He finally decides to check the kitchen. If he had to guess, she’d be there baking with Alfred. He walks in and sees Alfred, but no Marinette.

“Good evening, Alfred. Have you seen Marinette?” Bruce asks, silently hoping she hadn’t left the planet again.

“I believe she’s in the library with Master Jason.” Alfred says and Bruce blinks in surprise. He’d never seen her read a book before, while Jason always had a book on him. He supposed it could be a hobby of hers that he just hasn’t noticed. Or, she could have just followed Jason. Which seems more likely. The two of them were all but attached at the hip ever since the Gala. It was surprising, but at the same time welcoming. Thanking Alfred quickly, he walks towards the library. He’d just say hi and leave. No need to make them stop reading if they were having fun. Gently pushing open the library door he walks in and pauses at the sight. Marinette had wrapped herself in a blanket and was almost sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration on her face. Jason had his legs swung over the arm of the couch and was reading out loud. Immediately recognizing the book as Jason’s favorite, Bruce slowly leaves the library, careful not to let the door slam. He’d have the chance to talk to Marinette later, but for now, he’d let the two continue reading in peace.

Next

Tag list: @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @laurcad123 @waiting247 @jayjayspixiepop @mizzy-pop @jjmjjktth @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @jumpingjoy82 @lady-bee-fechin @corporeal-terrestrial

[liquid-luck-00]

Truth / Lies

Bio!Dad Bruce

Bio!Dad Masterlist ~~~ Ao3 ~~~ First ~~~ Previous ~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette slipped out of the apartment early the next morning. She ran through the city, the early morning air stung her skin, waking her up more with each step.

Last night was a whirlwind and she didn't let herself think about it. But now she was.

Three months, almost four.

She has only known she was a Wayne for four months.

If this had happened sooner. She shuddered at the thought, yet it still flitted across her mind. She would have married her brother had this happened sooner.

Would she have recognized Damian from the 10 seconds she spent looking at his photo that day. No, she wouldn't and that thought terrified her. If it happened before then, she wouldn't even know she had a brother.

Would Bruce have recognized her, maybe, but then again that was assuming he knew what she looked like. And knowing what and how this happened, they wouldn’t have even met until after the fact.

She didn't even realize she had made her regular circuit until she was back in front of their apartment building. She opened the door and made her way up.

Hopefully Tim was gone, and they wouldn't need to explain last night.

She opened the door and there was not only Tim, but also Dick, Jason, and Bruce. At the table was a statuesque Damian.

"How much did they get out of you?" She tentatively asked.

"They threatened to call Manhunter." Was his answer.

Okay they know nothing, but oh no, oh no, oh no. She sat next to Damian turning into statue number two.

"Mini, the two of you disappeared last night what happened." Dad tried to stay calm, but his patience must have been tested by Sol already.

"Two truths, one lie." She side eyed Damian.

"We were in Nanda Parbat." Damian started.

"We avoided one mind numbing wedding." Marinette continued.

"The order has a larger moral back-bone than the league."

"You two aren't seriously playing this game to stall, are you?!" Tim seemed close to a mental breakdown. Then again, he hasn't slept in a week, so them disappearing may be the straw that broke him.

"Nanda Parbat and the league are tied so 1 and 3 are true." Jason figured.

"I would agree if this wasn't the second time, they said they avoided a wedding." Tim sighed.

"But it doesn't add into any of the others." Dick added.

"This morning their excuse was they were avoiding a wedding." Tim supplied.

"The truths are 1 and 2." Dad spoke definitely.

"Care to fill in the rest of the class B." Jason scoffed.

"Mini looks down for a fraction of a second when she lies, and she didn't when she said 2. Leaving 1 or 3 as the lie. Damian doesn't have a tick but using what he said 1 is true." He explained.

"There is no way for them to make that round trip in such a short time." Dick thought aloud. "Unless the order is filled with magic users. Meaning it is possible. And kidnapping kids could count as a lower moral backbone."

"Okay, so you're right, but kidnapping isn't the reason the League has a larger moral compass." Marinette assured.

"Do we want to know why the League of fucking Assassins has a larger moral backbone than an order of supposedly good magicians?" Jay was the one to speak the question on everyone's mind.

"Well if not saying or attempting to stop marrying two underage people is any indication." Damian scoffed.

"I honestly think it was their idea in the first place." Marinette mused aloud.

"Please for the love of god tell me you two weren't the ones getting married." Tim finally put it together.

"We avoided one hell of a headache inducing wedding. What do you think." She confirmed exasperated.

In a second (4) Errors could be seen on the faces of their family.

"Mini how long will it take to get to the league with Kaalki?" Dad was the first to recover, but his voice was eerily level, scarier than his even tone as Batman.

"Instantaneously, but someone who knows it better should be the one opening the portal." She responded quickly.

"Give the glasses to your brother. Damian open a portal."

Neither of them put up a fight, doing exactly as they were told. Not 20 seconds later all six of them were back in the middle of the League of Assassins following a clearly pissed off Bruce Wayne.

Thank kwamii that everyone else seem to know exactly where they were going in this compound because she sure didn’t. She walked right next to Damian the entire time and they were both watching their fathers back.

Twist and turns one after another and they finally came to what she can only describe as a throne room. When she saw the piece of shit that is Damian's maternal grandfather once again.

"Ra's." Was all her father stated. It is no exaggeration when she says that the color drained from that man’s face. She apparently wasn’t the only one contemplating exactly what had gone down last night. And the inevitable reaction of her family. What she failed to notice however, but her father didn’t was next to him was the same monk, still there. "Name." He ordered.

"Su-Han." He still spoke with dignity, but fear crept into his voice and stance.

"What the fuck did you try to do to my kids." Bruce growled in that instant she stopped breathing.

"Holy shit did Bruce just..." Jason stage whispered to Dick. However, she still couldn’t breathe and just watched the exchange. If she didn’t know her father’s rule to not kill, she would think he would be about to kill both Ra's and Su-Han, but she did know that rule. She’s pretty sure her father my break it though.

---

Bruce immediately was in a state of shock.

As Batman he had contingencies and plans in place for everything and anything. But this, this never was a probable scenario ever.

Once his shock faded, he saw red, he was absolutely livid. Children, his children, were almost married, for what. A feud that neither knew even existed.

"Mini how long will it take to get to the league with Kaalki?" His voice was dead even, attempting and failing to keep his anger in check. Thank God Hawkmoth was no more.

"Instantaneously, but someone who knows it better should be the one opening the portal." She responded quickly.

"Give the glasses to your brother. Damian open a portal."

Mini handed Damian the glasses, who immediately opened a portal. He walked through with his kids in tow, but he did not stray from his warpath. He found Ra's and another man, who wore the symbol on Mari's box.

"Ra's." Was all he said, knowing he had the man's attention the moment he entered. He showed no attempt to be bored. or uninterested. In fact, if it didn't seem impossible, Bruce would go so far as to say he was scared. He then looked over at the second man. "Name." He spoke again.

"Su-Han." He still spoke with dignity, but fear crept into his voice and stance.

"What the fuck did you try to do to my kids." Bruce demanded.

"It is not like you to visit." Ra's seemed to dance around his question.

"Why my kids?!" His voice rose and patience dwindled. So much so he didn't notice his two youngest slipped out of the room. While the older three seemed to be eating cookies and pastries, watching the show.

"Them being related was an unforeseen factor." Su-Han answered. "For there to be peace the two organizations needed to be unified."

"And both of you rubbed your cumulative two brain cells together and thought marrying two kids together is a valid response."

It was Ra's turn to speak. "Both of your children happen to be the next in line to command both respective organizations. Marriage was simply a contract between the two individual organizations to maintain peace. Although that failed to occur."

"Why did marriage come before I don't know, a god damn Peace treaty." He stopped to breathe.

"Given our history." Su-Han tried to make a point, but he didn't let him.

"You want history, I hear they have been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians and the Ancient Babylonian Empires."

Both men stood there seemingly trying to formulate any response that could work. “Marriage was the most reliable method to promote unity between the two.”

"Bullshit, you both wanted something quick and easy." An explosion was heard in the compound, sending Ra's into a fighting stance. "You both wanted to make it their responsibility to keep the peace. And when it would fail you would use it as an excuse to return to fighting one another."

A full minute of pure silence when no one so much as moved drawled on. Until the doors opened, and in walked his children, as a fox and a horse with two Kwamii in front of them.

"Are you two the ones responsible for the explosion?"

They looked at one another, then back at him. Damian was the one who answered. "Yes."

"What did you four do?" He asked, although he only did so more out of obligation than curiosity.

"We may have destroyed all the Pools of Miracles." Tikki flew forward and answered.

"You destroyed the Lazarus Pits / Pools!" Was shouted by Ra's and Su-Han.

"Yes, so it's magic cannot be further twisted." Mari stood firm.

"And for the monks to stop using it to extend their lives." Damian added.

"Can I spite them now?" A cat Kwamii he never met before asked him.

"I should be more disappointed, but I'm not." He sighed. "Go on ahead."

"Pigtails your family is the best." The cat cheered. "Now for you two."

The best way to explain what he did was that he phased through each of their hearts and floated on back. The entire time he were a grin that rivaled the cheshire cat.

"Plagg, what did you do?" Tikki tentatively asked.

"What's the fun in telling you now. Plagg cackled. With that they all left, back to Paris. Never mess with his kids, because one they can God damn take care of themselves and two, he may not kill but he will supervise if even one of them is hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~ Taglist: @mochinek0 @justafanwarrior @abrx2002 @ranger-gothamite @fantasiame @moonystars14 @mochegato @bigbeautifulandfullofsugar @maribat-is-lifeblood @iglowinggemma28 @miraculous-ninja @talutah0 @vixen-uchiha @danielslilangel @witchsblackfox @pawsitivelymiraculous @lizziejay @marinettepotterandplagg @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @dast218 @sassakitty @miyla-lokidottir @lilkymilky @tazanna-blythe @tired-butterfly @lozzybowe @smolplantmum @queencommonsense @loopingtangent @chez-pezeater @paintedhope7 @technicallyburninggarden @meme991001 @wannajointhecrabcult @melicmusicmagic @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze @fidget-eep @miraculouslydumb @iamablinkmarvelarmy @laurcad123 @hauntedwintersweets @fc-studios @fusser90 @madking-warqueen @buginetye @little-lady-bird @thebooki3h @iamabrownfox @galla02006 @syrencall @gimpedmercy

[justcourttee]

could you do one where dami and mari are dating but they havent told the waynes yet and they keep seeing hints of their relationship (like clothes around the place, dami talking to on the phone and smiling, stuff like that) but they cant figure out whats happening!!!! the ice prince is softening and theyre like wtf!!!

I’m sorry, it’s a little different. I got carried away! I hope you still like it!

Tim is Like a Genius or Something..

It was official. Tim had lost it.

At least that was the sentiment the family shared as they watched him tumble down the rabbit hole that he had sprawled out across the dining room table.

“-and then he smiled at me. At me! That has never happened before, at least not a genuine one.” He paused to catch his breath, allowing his theory to sink in.

“Timmy, don’t you think you’re giving the boy too much credit?” Jason was the only one able to voice what they all were thinking, at least the one with the best chance of not getting their head torn off. “I mean, he has trouble communicating with his own gender and now you’re telling me he’s been able to woo his female lab partner?”

Tim slammed his hands on the table in frustration before sinking back into the chair he had started in. For weeks now he had been gathering evidence of his brother’s oddities and for weeks he had been haunted by a softer and friendlier Damian.

“Think about it guys, please!”

His pleads seemed to fall on deaf ears as one by one they left the table, each offering their own look of sympathy until he was the only one in the room. It wasn’t long until he himself had given up, collecting his pictures from the table, tearing them in half one by one.

Maybe Dick was right. His hallucinations were getting the better of him. After all, even if Damian was changing, it couldn’t be because of one girl, right?

Absolutely nobody in the world could wield enough power to reign in a demon such as him. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tim had survived another week of hallucinations. He had tried sleeping more, laying off his coffee, and even cutting his hours back from Wayne Enterprises. But as he sat in the kitchen, going through his emails, his mind remained drowning in thoughts of his replacement.

“Timmy, do you know who this jacket belongs to? The ladies say it’s not theirs and if it’s one of Brucie’s night friends, I bet it’s worth thousands.”

Tim spared a glance from his laptop to where Jason stood in front of him, his fist clenched around a small black pullover. He had half the mind to wave him off when something pink flashed from the corner of his eye.

“Jason, let me see the jacket.”

Jason tossed it, his face cautious as if Tim were about to dart with his next paycheck, but it was the furthest thought in the younger Wayne’s mind.

“The girl that Damian is always bringing over, it belongs to her. His lab partner.”

“You mean Marinette? Damn, then I probably won’t make much off of it. Guess I’ll probably give it back next time I see her.”

Tim waited, his face showcasing the perplexion he felt as Jason seemed to walk away thoughtlessly. How he could come to the same conclusion that he did? How? It felt like it was so obvious.

“No.” His voice was firm, barely above a whisper as he shook off the thought, returning to his laptop. He agreed that he would drop it and that’s what he was going to do. “Marinette was just a nice girl trying to help out Damian and he probably views as some intriguing toy, yeah, that’s all.”

Besides, it was just one jacket and why would he want to damn the girl over one jacket.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . He should have damned her. That was the only thought that plagued his mind as he listened to the conversation at breakfast.

“Did you guys know that the Demon uses his phone during patrol?”

Bruce looked up from his paper, his face a mixture of disappointment and interest.

“Can you elaborate Dick? What do you mean by uses his phone?”

“Exactly that! We took a break on a roof in our sector and right as I was about to turn around to ask him where we should check next, he was answering a phone call! We sat on that roof for an hour because he said ‘he couldn’t hang up yet’.”

Tim nearly choked on his coffee as he slammed his mug into the table earning a glance from both the men.

“Richard, who was calling him?”

“Hmm? You know, I tried asking him but he waved me off instead.”

“You mean he didn’t try to tear your head off?” Tim watched in horror as Dick shook his head in denial, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Maybe he finally has a friend other than Jon!”

Bruce nodded as if the notion weren’t completely insane, his eyes returning the newspaper in his hands. Dick smiled, returning to his crossword as if there was nothing wrong with the world as if he didn’t drop the largest bombshell in history.

“This is so wrong, why can’t any of you see how wrong this is?”

Neither spared him a glance as they continued their morning routines with thoughtless giddy expressions.

At this point, Tim wasn’t sure he could drop it anymore. There was so much evidence piling up, so much pointing that Damian obviously liked the girl at least. Why was he the only one who could see that?

It was decided. The next time Marinette came over, he was confronting this once and for all.

.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tim waited and waited. Weeks passed between her last visit to the manor. Damian had left several times and random hours of the day, always giving him vague answers as to where he was going. It was as if the little demon read his mind and decided it was safer to meet her outside the manor.

He was so close to giving up when a truly diabolical thought crossed his mind. His smile was sinister as he approached Bruce’s office, his plan foolproof. He gave a slight knock on the door, two voices asking him to enter.

“Hey Bruce, Dick. I was just thinking the other day, we haven’t seen Marinette around lately. You both know that Damian is terrible at keeping up with his acquaintances. Maybe we should invite her for dinner one night! I mean, we all adore her, right? She is such a good influence for Damian too.”

It was like clockwork. Both Dick and Bruce jumped on the opportunity each pulling out their phones to let both kids know the details of when this dinner party would occur. As Tim left out the room, he couldn’t help the hysterical giggle that escaped from his lips. For good measure, he made sure to linger by Damian’s room, awaiting the reaction he was longing to hear. Surely enough, a soft ‘shit’ could be heard followed by heavy footsteps echoing as if he was pacing his room. It was the best sound Tim had heard in weeks.

Three agonizing days passed before Tim found himself waiting at the manor door to welcome Marinette into the manor. Damian had volunteered to bring her to the dining room himself, but Tim argued that it would be rude if not a single one of them were also there to greet her. In the end, Tim and Dick were volunteered to accompany one angry demon to see Marinette to the dining hall.

“Thank you so much for having me! I was surprised when I received a call from not just Damian, but you too Dick. I was under the impression that Damian hadn’t said anything yet.”

Damian’s face paled as his eyes darted to Dick’s as if Marinette said something damning. Tim caught onto immediately, his eyes also watching Dick’s face for any indication that he had realized the weight in her statement.

“Said anything? You mean about your friendship? Well, it’s impossible to pry anything from him, but we couldn’t let him keep you all to himself!”

In all of his blissful ignorance, he turned on his heel, dragging Marinette with him, chatting idly about whatever came to mind. Damian raced after him, his face a mixture of panic and hatred. It was a sight that warmed Tim to his core.

All dinner he watched as Damian stirred the conversation off Marinette only for someone to inevitably bring it right back. He relished in Damian nearly pulling his own hair out to ensure no one asked the question that Tim had been pressing for weeks now.

As the night drew to an end, Damian couldn’t rush her out of the manor fast enough. The doors slammed shut with a loud thud ricocheting through everyone’s ears.

“So, we’re in agreeance right?”

Tim turned his attention to where Jason leaned against the entryway, his lazy smirk building hope in the younger boy’s chest.

“Very much. They are definitely courting, or what is the phrase you call it now? Dating? Hangin’?” Bruce chuckled at his own joke before his gaze dropped to meet Tim’s. “It looks like we owe you an apology.”

Words never sounded more beautiful to Tim, he honestly felt like he might shed a tear. A heavy weight caused him to stumble as Dick threw himself onto Tim’s back.

“Tim is like a genius or something, right guys? I mean who would have ever guessed that Damian had a girlfriend! Hey, do you think they’ll get married? Does that mean at this point Damian is your best chance at getting grandkids?”

Tim dealt with the picking and jokes and the onslaught of fake apologies as they remained crowded in the entrance, waiting for Damian’s return. To him, none of it mattered as much as seeing his replacement’s face the minute they walked through the door.

After all, it was a large reward for a small price to pay. It all comes with being a genius.

Permanent Tag List:

@ash-amg @rebecarojas07 @heaven428 @long-lost-peace @thequeenofpotatoeunicornss @moongoddesskiana @nach0ava @iamablinkmarvelarmy @seraphkitty @clumsy-owl-4178 @pawsitivelymiraculous @mialuvscats @leagrey @smolplantmum @animegirlweeb @glitterflowercat @ladybug-182 @maskedpainter @remy-289 @redbullgivescaswings