#all those batman and robin jokes for this?

[green-eyedfirework]

Wintergreen blinked at the request.

He usually spent time listening to the pulse of the underworld, monitoring contracts on various forums and sites, talking to his sources, managing the web of contacts he had to find the kind of jobs that Slade would take.  He was meticulous about it—Slade was attached to his reputation, and Wintergreen still had to hear his bitching about the one and only job he ever left unfinished, even though completing it would’ve meant killing Jericho.

Often, Wintergreen was approached directly.  Several people wanted Deathstroke the Terminator’s services in particular, and most were smart enough to use him as an intermediary, rather than be faced with Slade’s uncertain mood.  Wintergreen filtered through those as well, though most were Slade’s usual style and paycheck.  There was a certain responsibility in essentially being a pseudo handler, a responsibility Wintergreen had accepted years and years ago, and he made sure to bury any contract that would destroy more of Slade than was already gone.

This particular contract...well.  Wintergreen didn’t know what to do with it.

It was from a verified source—it was from Nightwing, so the morality of the job wasn’t in question, but Nightwing had never put out contracts before.  Strange in and of itself.

The pay was generous, but then again, Dick Grayson was newly in control of the entire Wayne fortune, so that made sense.

The job was...unusual.

Wintergreen reread the contract, hoping it would make a little more sense this time.

Stand-in for Batman.  Mission parameters strictly non-lethal, and minimum collateral damage.  Mission includes patrolling Gotham City and assisting with containment of Gotham Rogues.  Suit and gear will be provided.  Particulars available upon acceptance. 

Batman was dead.  The whole world knew it, even if the Bats and the Waynes attempted to cover it up by sticking someone else in the suit and hiring a lookalike to play Bruce Wayne.  Anyone with half a brain could tell that the Bats were fracturing—though in all fairness, they’d been fracturing for a while, Batman was just enough of a terrifying specter to cover it up.

And now Nightwing wanted to bring that specter back.

Well.

Wintergreen thought through the logistics—Slade was certainly capable of it, and the job wasn’t unreasonable—and then the implications—Dick Grayson must be truly desperate, if he was going to these lengths—as he considered the contract.

He finally came to a decision.

If nothing else, at least he’d get to see the look on Slade’s face.

~#~

“You’re going to need to repeat that again,” Slade said flatly.

“If you haven’t heard it the first twelve times I told you, Slade, I’m not sure what one more is going to do,” Wintergreen said.  The bastard was amused, Slade could hear it.

“You’re telling me,” Slade growled, “that the goody two-shoes Robin is asking me to play Batman.”

“He’s Nightwing now, and yes, that is what I’m saying.  I’m glad your listening comprehension isn’t failing.”

Slade made an inarticulate snarl.

“Are you accepting the job or not, Slade?  It’s a yes or a no question,” Wintergreen hummed, looking away from the screen and down at his keyboard.

“You can’t be serious.”  It wasn’t April 1st, and Wintergreen wasn’t in the habit of playing jokes, but if one of the kids had gotten to him—“Whose idea is it?  Joey?  Rose?  Given that the man is dead, it’s in poor taste.”

“It’s not a joke,” Wintergreen replied.  “Confirmed with Nightwing himself.  It’s real, and yes, they’re really asking for you.”

“Why?” Slade asked, honestly bewildered.  “I thought someone else was filling the suit.  And even if they aren’t, why not get one of the other heroes to do it?”

“Nightwing was doing it, but he sprained an ankle, and the situation is too precarious in Gotham for him to take a break.  No one else was available.  Or so he says,” Wintergreen added, looking up.

“And you think this is a legitimate contract.”

There was a long, stretched silence.  “Yes,” Wintergreen said finally, quiet, “I think it’s legitimate.  They need someone with the skills, the control, and discretion, you fit all three.”

Aside from the fact that he was a mercenary, he’d fought them all once before, and now they were willing to trust him with the keys to the empire?

“I saw him.  Nightwing,” Wintergreen clarified.  “He looked exhausted.  I doubt he had the energy to come up with an elaborate lie.”

“The kid’s a good actor,” Slade said automatically, and ground his teeth.  “It’s most likely a trap.”

“You’re Deathstroke.  Nothing they try is going to keep you down—”

“Just going to jinx it, are you—”

“And besides, Slade—aren’t you the slightest bit curious?”

Damn him.  Damn him to the deepest pits of hell.

Slade always loved a challenge.  If Nightwing was attempting a double-cross, Slade would enjoy shredding his plan to pieces and exacting retribution.  And if he wasn’t...playing a hero?  One of the first heroes, the infamous Dark Knight?

His blood was singing already.

“Fine.  Get me a plane to Gotham.”

~#~

The meeting location was a rooftop in Gotham, which was typical.  What wasn’t typical was Dick Grayson stumbling out of the rooftop access door on crutches, dressed in dark clothes and a domino mask in an attempt at secrecy.

Slade had thoughtfully foregone the Deathstroke armor, given the particulars of this request, but Grayson didn’t look armored or even armed.  “Slade,” Grayson said, with something approaching relief.  “You made it.”

“You have a job for me?” Slade said archly, watching as Grayson hobbled over.  Sprained ankle, his ass.  Something was at least cracked there, or Grayson would’ve foregone the crutches entirely.

“Yes,” Grayson wavered on one foot to run an absent hand through his hair.  In Slade’s professional opinion, the kid looked like shit.  “I’m assuming Wintergreen told you—”

“I’m not sure I can believe what Wintergreen told me,” Slade raised an eyebrow.  “Seemed a little too fantastical to be true.  You sure you want me for this job, kid?”

“You’re the best, aren’t you?” Grayson smiled, and it was a shadow of Nightwing’s charming grin.  No wonder the kid had broken something, if he looked this close to passing out.  He’d probably worn himself straight into the ground.  “But if you’re accepting, we can take this downstairs.”

Slade should’ve said no.  Should’ve walked away.  Gotham was a sinking ship without its protector to hold it afloat, and best case scenario was that the place wiped itself off the map.  He could even consider it a civic duty.

But the lines of exhaustion on Grayson’s face stopped him, the lines of exhaustion for a face that young, and besides—what was life without a little risk?

‘Downstairs’ apparently meant the basement, because of course the Waynes had a penthouse apartment with rooftop access and an elevator down to a secret bunker below the building.  Wayne had really gone overboard with his bases, how many toys did the man need?

No, Slade was not jealous, and besides, there wasn’t a single gun down here.  Not a single blade either, except for the one a twelve-year-old was currently menacing him with.

“So this is who you obtained to play theater for a week,” the kid sneered, and he sounded just like his parents.  Both of them.  “A trained pet who sees the world through a scope.”

It might’ve been insulting, if the kid wasn’t twelve.  “Al Ghul,” Slade greeted, walking past him like the katana wasn’t even there.

“Wilson,” the kid spat, and those prickles were all Talia.  The scowl was definitely Wayne’s.

“Is he going to be part of this too?” Slade asked, because he was demanding a raise if that was the case.  The kid was a biter, and Slade wasn’t a babysitter.

“No,” Grayson replied just a little too quickly, his eyes going wide for a fraction of a second.  “No,” he repeated, calmer.  “Robin will be staying off patrol until I recover.”

“Tt,” the kid sneered, “I shouldn’t be handicapped by your mistakes, and I already told you that I’m more than capable of patrolling—”

“We already discussed this, Dami,” Grayson said, his light tone at odds with his pinched expression.  “And my answer hasn’t changed.”

Slade could practically feel the kid’s seething glare, and mentally marked down a note to watch him.  Twelve or not, the kid had been raised an assassin.

“Now, Alfred will be down soon to make sure the suit and gear all fits properly, and I’ll teach you how to throw batarangs in a bit, but first we’re going to go over the rules,” Grayson said, easing himself into a chair in front of a large computer setup.  “First rule.  No killing.”

Slade took a deep breath, “I’m well aware of your moral code, kid—”

“No killing,” Grayson repeated, blue eyes sharp.  “Not for any reason.  Not if you think it’s the only option left.  There’s another way, there will always be another way, and you’re smart and fast enough to find one.  Batman doesn’t kill, and if you’re going to wear the cape and cowl, I need to know you can stick to that.”

Grayson was acting like this was the first non-lethal mission Slade had ever taken.  “No killing,” he repeated mildly, and Grayson deflated slightly.

“Great.  Rule number two…”

[an-entity-i-think]

Okay so you know the drill,, there's a gala! Wow Bruce Wayne is so dreamy 😍 he's a whore 🥵 he's a dad 🥰 he's a- oh shit he's a hostage 😳

Everyone looks around frantic and scared but also... not really... cause ya know... this happens like every Wayne gala? Like they had to sign a slip saying that Wayne Inc isn't liable for any injuries during a possible takeover cause the Board was tired of people sneaking in just to sue after being shot by Ozzie's umbrella gun (it was just a graze 🙄) (Bruce pays for them all anyway)

But! This time Damian was in his arms when he was taken hostage! Extra collateral! How tragic! He's just a poor boy ;(

The corners have shadows of course and next thing you know- through a series of odd instances that are totally irrelevant to the story (oh his other children must be so scared! Must have hid under the tables since no one saw them,, how terribly sad) -a few of Gotham's vigilantes show up to save the day! (Is it 9 already?)

Alas! a goon (he's new, he's blue, he'll shoot himself in the shoe 🎶) gets startled and almost shoots poor defenseless Damian Wayne and oh Bruce becomes a real papa bear and slams his fist into the goons face-

"No." He practically growls- which uh Brucie can growl? A spattering of confusion goes around the room before a laughing Red Hood can be heard after checking on the goon-

"Damn! Good job papi!"

Everyone in the room pauses.

Did the Red Hood... just call Brucie Wayne Papi? The Red Hood, the anti-hero of unknown age who just recently obtained the praise of the city for taking down the recent baddie with the Gotham sirens when all the other bats seemed to be out of town?

A million ideas pass through the thoughts of the elite in attendance.

A million thoughts pass through Jason who just realized what he said after seeing that Goon Lagoon lost his front teeth.

He looks to Nightwing and in state of panic they speak to each other in a way that only panicking siblings who can't speak can share-

'You done fucked up,' Dick seems to say with a twitch of his eyebrow.

'Obviously, you stupid idiot, but how do I fix it,' Jason responds practically psychically with a tilt of his head.

Dick just looks at him in pity, and with a shake of his head, he stares into his little brother's soul with the plan

-of course nobody else hears this conversation,, everyone in the room just watches the two vigilantes stare at each other weirdly for a few seconds (theyre on complete opposite sides of the room? There is not a single shred of subtle about them having a mental conversation even if nobody knows what it's about) before a look a pure absolute disgust reveals itself across Red Hood's masked face (he threw his helmet for fun earlier in the battle not important) before settling into a neutral stiffness.

Solemnly devastated, like he's about to go off to war and his Beau will be left behind to be cared for by his evil brother who will no doubt try to take advantage of his estate,,

or like a teenager being told by an acquaintance that they found their old elementary school YouTube account with videos of them role-playing with their Littlest Pet Shop animals,,

or like when a mother writes a 12k story for her fandom during her toddlers nap time only for the child not only to wake up before expected but also somehow spill applejuice all over her laptop (the one she's had since she was a teen) shorting it and deleting the story because she didn't press save on top of being morbidly tired from lack of sleep-

He looks up and says with clarity in his voice even if it's also filled with the verbal equivalent of eating 4 lemons raw and slow- peel and all,

"That's what I call him in bed."

Everyone in The Know takes psychic damage.

The elite in the crowd do little more than nod before moving on.

Bruce just smiles big and fake and pretends like he doesn't want to die.

Red Hood looks at his gun with wistfullness, while Nightwing does an unnecessary amount of acrobatics along the chandeliers above them just to land next to him and pat him on the shoulder.

Later, an anonymous commenter spoke about hearing Damian Wayne whisper to himself, "I hate this fucking family," as Timothy Drake-Wayne (who appeared miraculously safe and sound) gave him a nod of agreement.

[forevercloudnine]

Now that the ball has started rolling on unwrapping Batfolder contents -- if I may ask what's in 'mental illness' and 'fancast' for 'hashtag just Bruce things'?

💗 "fancast" is entirely screenshots of Jack Palance in Sudden Fear (1952) and Cary Grant in Suspicion (1941), who are my personal ideal Bruce castings.

"mental illness" is basically just a catch-all for any panel of Bruce doing something particularly deranged (or of a mental health professional attempting to diagnosis him with something). Although going through it now, a SURPRISING amount of it is screenshots from when I read the novelizations for Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1997)???

[hopeless--light]

Dp x Dc Why do I hear boss music?

Drabble or ficlet? Who knows I thought of this and would like to write a short dp x dc

The Joker was walking around gleefully he had escaped Arkham yet again but he hadn't done anything yet. Tim was on strict watching duty to see if he can catch Joker in a scheme before he did anything. Everyone else was either off-world, Jason and Dick, or in the middle of busting a trafficking ring, Bruce and Damian. So the Joker was still a high enough priority to keep an eye on but they didn't have the men to spare to take him back.

Tim knew he was being extra stealthy he did not want to become the next Robin victim he had enough clown trauma thank you very much. But he still swore the maniac had turned towards him with a creepy ass smile he always wears. But after an hour of just mindless wandering in the dark, the Joker had yet to do anything. That was until he turned down an alley toward a kid wearing headphones.

Now who wore soundproof headphones while wandering a back alley in the Gotham? Tim could only assume a tourist on top of the kid was prime adoption bait with black hair and pretty glowing blue eyes. Wait glowing? Tim couldn't tell properly from his vantage point on the roof across the street but it really did look like his eyes were glowing blue. And the Joker had noticed too, Shit the Joker was after a defenseless pretty meta. It's just a plus he had black hair and blue eyes, Joker knew Batman had an adoption type.

Time watched in slow motion as the Joker smiled at him and then reached for the teen. The Joker ripped the soundproof headphones off and Tim was hauling ass only stumbling when he heard boss music?

Danny was the final boss.

It started off as a joke between Sam, Tucker, and him, he was the ghost king after all so that means he was technically the final boss. If this were a game he would be the final showdown for heroes to protect the world. Pariah Dark was literally his final boss and he took that mantle up.

So what did the trio do they made a playlist of all their final boss music whether it was video games or movies and played it anytime Danny was visiting them, as he was now in Gotham working on his college degree. But what Danny never would admit is he genuinely enjoyed that playlist and listened to it when he was trying to amp himself up for what future project he needed to work on. Like now he was wandering the streets trying to get inspiration on his final project for class while listening to some boss music to stir up adrenaline.

Sometimes he forgot he was in the most crime-ridden town and that technically he was a meta so color him surprised when he was amping himself up this Freakshow wannabe ripped his headphones off. Not cool. But the worst part was the cord coming off his phone blasting the music. Now he can get away with listening to boss music but he will forever cringe at what started playing when those headphones were yanked away.

Meglovania

[nerdpoe]

Small thing, may or may not continue, sorry if it's wonky lmao.

When Sam had told Danny and Tucker that Gotham Galas were a whole unknown level of boring, they hadn't believed her.

That had been before they'd gone to one with her, after much begging of her parents and many compromises for them all.

She had been so right, it sucked so bad.

So in Danny's defense, he'd needed fresh air and if he could fly while invisible, why not?

To be entirely fair, Danny hadn't meant to find the Batcave. Neither had he meant to find Batman with his cowl off, revealing a very tired Bruce Wayne.

And he really, really hadn't meant to find Bruce Wayne in the middle of a mental breakdown all alone in that big, lonely cave.

Floating forward, and very carefully remaining invisible, Danny looked over the overly-large screen to see what had the man so-ah. It looked like a mission had just ended, and judging by the chatter he could hear Red Robin was missing.

Apparently, the warehouse had blown up, and no one wanted to assume the worst.

Well, one intangible and super-strength minor superhero on the way then. He couldn't see Red Robin's ghost, which meant the other hero was probably just unconscious or hurt.

He'd have to hurry though.

But Danny didn't want to leave Mr. Wayne here, muttering how he never did it right and how it was all his fault. The man clearly needed someone to talk to, and that person could not be Danny.

Danny wasn't good at emotions, nor was Mr. Wayne in a place to meet a new hero if the rumors about Batman's paranoia were to be trusted. It was better to have the man meet a new unknown on his own terms than to randomly show up in his city when he was raw and hurting.

Frowning, Danny thought hard before letting out a breathless sigh and tugging out his phone, sending a text before dialing Jazz, and placing it on top of the keyboard in speaker mode while removing it's invisibility. Mr. Wayne could look up who owned the phone and make his own conclusions; Danny knew who he was, so it was only fair.

And Jazz was the best Emotion Person Danny knew. Whether the man talked to her or not was his choice, but the least Danny could do was throw it out there.

Without looking back, Danny memorized the coordinates and teleported as close as he could get based on landmarks.

He left just as Jazz answered and Mr. Wayne flinched, and arrive just in time to see another small explosion. Probably a propane tank.

The temptation to make a propane and propane accessories joke was strong, but Danny valiantly resisted and sunk through the rubble.

The search was quick and done quicker; Red Robin was definitely still alive and protected by two steel beams that had landed perfectly to form a protective cross over him. Unfortunately, those had probably also been what had knocked him out.

Danny frowned, thinking. He knew he wasn't supposed to move people with head wounds, but then how was he supposed to....well. Surely one of the other heroes digging above and around him would know.

Danny sighed, floating up. He really wasn't looking forward to revealing himself to heroes associated with the League, but saving a life was a bit more important.

"Hey!"

Danny found himself at the end of way more weapons than he would have liked, and almost stumbled over his next words.

"I found him!"

Great news, the weapons were gone. Instead they were just staring at him, barely-there hope sparkling in their eyes. He got that. They didn't want to get it just to find out he was lying or against them.

"But I think he's not safe to move? I don't know for sure, but I think he got hit in the head, and I'm not a doctor."

"Is there a pulse?" Nightwing asked, his voice shaking as he stumbled forward.

"Yeah, he's alive. Just like, really hurt-" Danny didn't get a chance to elaborate before Red Hoods helmet was shoved into his hands, the Red Hood himself getting into Danny's face.

"This has a video feed, take this and this-" and oh hey, something was being shoved into Danny's ear, and Hood's hands were shaking really badly- "-and do what she tells you."

A little bewildered, Danny nodded.

"Um...Hello?" He tried, and a brisk, no-nonsense voice answered.

"I don't know who you are, but show me Red Robin. Now."

Damn, the voice in his ear was demanding. Fair enough, though.

"Yes ma'am," he said, not bothering to go invisible and just going intangible instead, floating down through the wreckage until he found Red Robin again.

What followed was roughly thirty seconds of silence as he dutifully held out the helmet and let earpiece lady look at the fallen hero.

"I need a list of your powers, now."

Danny jumped slightly, almost losing his grip on the helmet.

"Uh, um, I...I can turn invisible, I can fly, I can go intangible, I have super strength, I can scream really loud, and um...regeneration? But only for me. And Ice. And Teleportation, but that one's new and I'm not very good at it so there's like a 50/50 chance of ending up halfway through a wall-"

"Okay. Alright, focus. What's your name?"

"Uh, Phantom."

"Clarify Ice" "I can create it and control it, and it will never melt unless I want it to."

"Staunch the bleeding by freezing the wound on his head. Do not move his head if you can help it."

Danny nodded, forgetting she couldn't see him, and set down the helmet to move forward. It took a bit, but the headwound was in a fairly awkward place. Luckily, he couldn't see skull bone, and he tried not to let the smell of blood get to him as he froze the wound. Human blood always smelled so different from his own.

"I'm. I'm done freezing the headwound, Miss Lady."

"Oracle. Now for the next part I need you to make a neck brace out of what you can that's around you. You said super strength, can you bend steel rebar?"

"Yes, easily."

"Use that, just stay with us so that we can remove it once we get him treated."

Arts and crafts, huh? He could do that, no problem!

Thirty minutes later and Red Robin was as stable as he was going to get under a collapsed building, and Danny managed to maneuver him onto a door he had found to act as a backboard.

"Okay, I'm gonna turn us intangible and go above now, we ready up there?"

"Yes, the team is ready to get him out of costume and into civvies. After that, you're taking him to the nearest hospital."

"Got it."

Danny carefully floated himself and Red Robin up and clear of debris, and even more carefully held himself and Red Robin still as Robin and Spoiler hurried to cut Red Robin out of his hero get-up and haphazardly throw on some jeans and a random torn off shirt sleeve.

"Now go," Spoiler whispered, pointing in the direction of the nearest hospital.

And Danny went.

part twoooooo

[thebirdsandthebats]

Okay @s-p-r-i-n-g-t-i-m-e I’m sure you know plenty BUT I’m going to use your wonderful and hilarious comment on this as an excuse to talk about Bernard, bc I realized recently that there are plenty of ppl who haven’t read most of the comics he’s been in. So get ready for my long overdue:

UNPACKING BERNARD DOWD + HIS TRAUMA (for those who cannot keep up with comics but want to get to know him)

So to start, Tim met Bernard years ago ofc, when they were in high school. It’s established pretty quick that Bernard is an extremely Unserious guy LMAO, the first thing he does is literally circle Tim and try to feel him out socially, see what kind of guy he is. He’s the kind of guy who gets himself in trouble with his big mouth, and seems to enjoy poking at Tim and testing his patience. By the time we meet Bernard again in the recent years, he’s grown a lot, but at his core he’s still the light-hearted, fun, goofy guy with very strong opinions. Just less stand-offish, maybe

Throughout the time Tim spends at this school though, Bernard does experience some wild shit. He lost Darla (somebody he really cared about), he experienced a shooting at his school, and then Darla came back from the dead, kind of scared the hell out of him, and used him to contact Tim again. It was kind of played for laughs, but like. That’s gotta fuck you up. (Robin #140)

Obviously this is the kind of thing that maybeee has a lasting effect on you. And BECAUSE Tim Drake: Robin got cut so short and the writer had to rush to wrap up the series, we’re left to fill in a lot of gaps and draw conclusions about the years we didn’t see Bernard ourselves. But we absolutely get some insight as to his life after Tim left that school and we stopped seeing him in the comics. Spoiler alert: it was hard.

In TDR, Bernard discusses the the cult that he’d been in that Tim saved him from in Urban Legends. He says that “he’d accepted himself”, but others hadn’t. Obviously there’s the natural reading that he means his queerness (which has me chewing through drywall), but I think that he’s speaking very broadly too. Bernard is a very odd example of a civilian, because he’s always getting dragged into things much bigger than him. And even before that, he had his big ideas, his conspiracies, his loud personality. He tended to rub people the wrong way in high school. Then in issue #7 of TDR (the Bernard pov issue my most beloved, weird pacing aside) Bernard refers to this “oozy, sticky feeling” that he ALWAYS feels when Tim isn’t around. He says when he’s alone it’s harder to put one foot in front of the other. To keep GOING. To wake up every day.

I think that Bernard has always felt like an outcast. (Robin #121, he doesn’t fit into any clique). He wasn’t as okay with it as he acted. And I think he wasn’t getting any attention from his parents. (Batman: Urban Legends #5, Bernard’s parents nonchalance to the days leading up to his kidnapping)

So just like Bernard explained to Tim, that feeling got bad. and he wanted to let go. The chaos monsters, the cult, all of it was a means to an end. But then Tim agreed to see him again, and I think that sparked something in him. Because he started learning to fight. When he was tied down to that alter and Tim was saving him, I think it fully sank in to Bernard that he didn’t want to die. Reconnecting with Tim gave him hope and made him really feel something good for the first time in ages.

So now that they’re dating after the cult fiasco, we get to know this current Bernard. A less goading, maybe calmer Bernard. But he’s still himself, of course, rambling about his ideas and making bad jokes and sticking to his guns (he has NEVER been a pushover, no idea where people get that idea?). I think a lot of people complained that Bernard mellowed out too much in terms of attitude, but I think if he seems “nicer” it’s because 1) he’s grown now. It’s been a while since we last saw him, and he’s clearly changed a lot. And 2) because he’s dating Tim now. He likes him a lot, and he’s an affectionate partner. He wants to lift Tim up.

But the fact that he was pulled into a cult still remains. And as lighthearted as Bernard tries to be, that traumatic experience still happened. It said in Urban Legends #5 while Tim was searching for him that Bernard had welts on his arms and legs and had been acting different, so it’s not like he was just snatched up on a whim. He’d spent significant time there. For those who haven’t read much abt the ways cult trauma specifically can fuck you up, I recommend doing a search if you’re in a good headspace for that and want to understand him more. because it’s pretty bad.

And then! yeah. you guessed it. Bernard gets kidnapped again. Chained up next to a BOMB that’s counting down. RIGHT WHEN HE’S WORKING ON HEALING FROM ALMOST BEING SACRIFICED BY A CULT.

And surely this can’t get crazier. He’s almost died twice in the past 6 months. except, remember his parents? In TD:R #7, we really see a little more of his relationship with his parents. He doesn’t live up to their standards, and his dad specifically seems to just want to argue with him. The restaurant they’re at is attacked, and everything goes to shit, and. you know, I think these panels really speak for themselves.

And for the record, when it’s revealed that everyone is seeing their worst fears, Bernard’s parents fears are not about him.

So now Bernard has to deal with that. And we start to see that Bernard is really not as okay as he’s tried to be. He keeps a baseball bat by his door because he’s been kidnapped twice now. And just when he’d likely thought things couldn’t get worse, he heard the Chaos Monsters were back. I can’t imagine he feels safe. He lashes out for the first time since all this has happened and yells at Kate and Tim, because while they’re doing what they feel is necessary to save more people (AND I DONT BLAME THEM AT ALL), Bernard can’t talk about it.

And I will forever be sad and insist that TD:R got cancelled too soon, just before we could get into the really juicy stuff, because things had to be wrapped up pretty quick and this was the only comic Bernard was consistently appearing in. But when Tim is giving himself up to the chaos monsters, Bernard goes out and rallies anyone he knows can help. Things were rushed because there was no more time to flesh out the story the way it could have been, but I’m including these panels just because I love Bernard Audacity Dowd using a fucking flashlight and shadow puppet to call Batman. geeking out for a minute. And then leading the battalion to save Tim with a SLEDGEHAMMER. gay people rule.

So yeah! While I see the vision of how a lot of Bernard’s trauma was meant to be semi-resolved and let him come to peace after saving Tim back, we just didn’t have the time for him to heal properly. I’d give anything to get inside his brain again. UHH IF YOU READ THIS I HOPE YOU LOVE BERNARD NOW and don’t come at me if I left something out, some of my comics aren’t with me rn. Bonus TimBer for the road:

[battymommastuff]

A Mother's Rage (GRAPHIC)

Batmom x Batfamily

Prompt: You became the one person that the Joker would never forget...

Inspiration

You couldn't remember what happened...

It all felt like a haze of blood...and the sound of metal hitting someone's skull....

The maniacal laughter filling your ears...

The feeling of your husband pulling you away from the man you were going to kill...

What you remember was Batman, your husband bringing in the dead body of your second son. Jason Todd. The little boy that had filled the hole Dick left. The Golden Son was next to you when you saw the body Bruce had been carrying. The scream that left your mouth would haunt Bruce, Alfred, and Dick's mind until the day they died.

You remember walking to the cold metal table that Jason's body was put on. You remember cradling his lifeless face while begging for him to make a sound. Looking into his cold, dead eyes that Bruce hadn't had the strength to close. You removed the mask that protected your identity from the world and rested your forehead against Jason's while sobbing. Dick could only stand next to you and comfort you as you screamed, and pleaded for Jason to come back.

You remember the soul destroying sadness in your heart turning into a murderous rage. Dick looked over to you as your sobs suddenly ceased. He watched as your head slowly lifted from Jason's and a look of darkness was on your face.

Bruce remembers that look as he was across from you. You were looking right at him...hoping that he had the same feeling in his heart as you did...but he didn't. Bruce knew something in you was awakening. A side of you that he once had when he was younger...the inner monster in us all...

The Joker remembers that night...all too well. He remembers boasting to Batman about murdering the Robin...the boy wonder was dead. Beaten to death with a crowbar. The same crowbar that he had proudly on display for everyone in Amusement Mile to see.

The Joker's men remember a shadow moving through the darkness. The remember being nervous for second then terrified a second later...then finding themselves nearly beaten to death as Batman's longest sidekick rampaged through Amusement Mile. She was so fast and brutal that they didn't get the chance to apply pressure to the triggers on their guns before their arms were bent backwards and snapped in half.

The Joker remembers watching her walk into his lair. Blood covering her mask, and suit. A batarang clenched tightly in her hand that she tossed to the side. He didn't get a word out before a fist connected with his face. The Joker could only laugh as she delivered blow after blow to his face. On the other side of the city your husband and son were racing to get to you.

The last thing you remember was watching The Joker laugh under you. Clutching his stomach as if you told him the funniest joke ever created. It filled you with an entirely new rage. You were going to kill him. The Joker would die tonight. Your eyes drifted up to the crowbar covering in your son's blood. It was sitting there as if it were a museum piece. That's when you blacked out.

That's when you could hear the sounds of metal hitting someone skull. The sound of blood and coughing starting to cover the sound of laughter. You weren't going to stop...you were going to kill him. He took someone from you...a debt needed to be paid.

Those who remember what happened that night would say that The Joker was lucky. Before You could deliver the fatal blow, Batman pulled you away from him. That's when you came back to reality. At one point, you'd abandoned the crowbar and went back to beating him with your fists. Nightwing was hovering over the Joker's body to see if he was still alive. Apart of him was glad to see the sight before him. The Joker deserved every minute of this.

It was then that he knew the depths his adoptive mother would go for her children. A depth that he wasn't sure Bruce would ever touch. He's seen the brutality that Bruce could get to, but this was different.

This became a night that everyone would remember...

[rad-batson]

Damian Wayne Headcanons :) in which I give him actual character growth, suck it dc writers

this is extremely long, I am not sorry

He has literally no footsteps, you cannot hear him walk, even when he stomps around in one of those moods, it’s just barely a little *pat pat pat*

He doodles on everything. With everything. Some Gothamites have found intricate floral designs etched into the roof or random brick walls (most likely with a knife) after seeing Robin patrol.

He has like 20 weighted blankets, all different weights and sizes depending on his mood.

His favorite item in his room is a silver Nintendo DS. (He likes to use the little chat rooms, even if no one else is on the other end. He doodles and writes little messages. It’s like his diary.)

He loves all animals, and that includes the creepy ones. Especially the creepy ones.

Once, Tim started screaming bloody murder over a massive bug with a bajillion legs in his room. Damian now houses it in an enclosure in his bedroom. Her name is Mildred, Millie for short.

When he was in the LoA, he was forbidden from stimming in front of others. It took two years for anyone in the batfamily to ever witness him stimming.

His most common stimming behaviors are shaking out his hands, scratching his palms, and rubbing his hands across different surfaces. When he’s really stressed, he’ll snap his fingers.

He absolutely hates cameras. They’re loud and make him uncomfortable. One reporter almost got scratched when they got too close to him with the flash on. He only barely tolerates the security cameras in the manor. Barely.

He can and will be roped into any dare imaginable. Bruce repeatedly forbids him from taking dares from his siblings for months at a time.

He has a compartment in his utility belt dedicated to treats for any animal he sees on patrol.

When he’s tired, he’ll speak a mixture of Arabic, Mandarin, and English. Only Bruce can make sense of it, and occasionally Jason.

Bruce absolutely refuses to yell at Damian. Even if some of his other kids argue that he’s being too nice, he’ll only use his Batman voice and his Soft But Disappointed Dad Voice, but he will Never yell.

(He doesn’t tell them it’s because of what happened the first and only time he yelled at Damian. Bruce moved his hand a bit, and Damian flinched wildly. Bruce cried for hours over the implications of that.)

Damian only feels comfortable sitting if he can clearly see the main entrance. If not, he’ll sit with his back against a wall or he’ll stand.

He dutifully takes the responsibility of feeding and grooming every Wayne animal. They receive the most nutritious and filling meals on the market (all while receiving lots of head pats.)

He has very strong eyebrows just like his father. They tend to pull the same exasperated expressions too, highlighting their resemblance.

Talia taught Damian at a very young age how to write perfectly with both hands. He no longer remembers if he is naturally left or right-handed.

The one insult he cannot handle is “spoiled brat.” A few months after he arrived, someone in the family called him that as a joke, and he completely shut down emotionally. No anger, no sadness, no resentment. Literally just nothing. For days. No one knows why, but they will never let it happen again.

You know he’s Up to Something TM if he swings his legs back and forth while he sits.

He is obsessed with those cheap TV documentaries about famous plane crashes and shipwrecks. After finishing one, he’ll find the nearest family member and tell them all about it: how it happened, what human error caused it, and his fool-proof plan for if it ever happens again and he is nearby. Usually, it’s Alfred.

For the first few years at the manor, Damian’s favorite spot is the family graveyard. Everyone calls him dramatic. He just likes how it’s so quiet. (And he’s dramatic.)

When Jason waxes poetics about dying over dinner, Damian just groans and says, “So have I. You’re not special.” That’s how the family learns he was repeatedly revived in the Lazarus Pit due to the fatal nature of his training and abuse.

His first ever crush was on the cute male tech at Alfred the Cat’s vet. Damian was 12. Jason, who accompanied him, proceeded to give him both The Talk (“It’s okay to like boys”) and The Talk (“Your body is ✨changing✨”) on the drive home.

He will not text back unless it is absolutely necessary. He will leave people on read. He does not hate you. (…Probably.)

Titus is a registered therapy dog, trained in helping Damian through panic attacks and sensory overload. If you ever see Damian asleep on the floor, eyes cried out with Titus resting on top of him, you know why.

When he was 13, he tried to fake his own death after he failed a test at school and “dishonored the family name.” Bruce and Dick had to sit him down and explain that grades aren’t everything, and they still love him unconditionally.

He talks to animals like they’re human. He has a habit of venting his frustrations to Batcow in particular. And his fish while he feeds them.

His love language to others is a mixture of gifts and quality time, usually without words.

One day, Damian was snooping around the house and found that one of the electrical closets leads to a tiny space—barely two feet wide—in between the sheetrock and the foundation wall with nothing but a single hanging lightbulb. It took years before anyone else found it, but by then, Damian had painted an 8x10 ft mural on the wall and created a small bed of blankets and pillows for when he needs a quiet place to escape unwanted stimuli.

When he sleeps, his cheeks puff out like a little chipmunk. It’s adorable.

During the Winter Olympics one year, Damian falls in love with figure skating and decides he wants to try it out, but he never asks to take up lessons in fear that he will be horrible at it.

Duke figures this out and now takes him ice skating just enough to avoid suspicion. It’s become their bonding activity.

Once, Jason and Tim made him try a Sour Patch Kids-flavored energy drink. He immediately spit it out and said, “What the fuck?! That’s even worse than drinking from the Lazarus Pit.” And that’s how the family learns that Ra’s made Damian drink from the Lazarus Pit a few times.

One day, Steph told Damian about the wonders of concealed self defense products. Now, about 80% of the mundane items Damian owns is secretly a knife. He will purchase any item that is secretly a knife. Including several fake lipstick tubes.

He has rigorous self-control when it comes to sleep. Sure, his schedule is a bit fucked up for someone his age, but he is in bed and asleep exactly when he tells himself. (His siblings could never.)

His entire wardrobe is soft items he “found” stole from the laundry room. If it’s comfortable, it’s his now. (No one complains. In fact, having Damian steal your clothes is considered a privilege.)

He hates whenever Alfred tries to recreate dishes from his childhood. It’s just not the same. Alfred understands.

When he’s really stressed—like the “I am one stubbed toe away from a complete meltdown” stressed—he will finger paint. He likes the feeling of it on his skin.

Due to his time in the LoA, Damian has a habit of never telling anyone if he’s injured. Instead, he’ll pretend nothing’s wrong until he passes out or literally can’t move right and someone calls him out. He’s working on it, though.

There’s a massive system of fish tanks in his room complete with handmade decor and multiple venomous species. No one even realizes until Alfred mentions it during dinner.

He has hyper fixated at least once on every single artistic medium you can imagine. His top three are oil paintings, mosaics, and pottery, but he mostly sticks to drawing in his free time.

He has taste tested all of his pets’ treats at one point for “research purposes.”

Giving friends their own nickname is one of the most intimate things Damian does to express his relationship with someone.

Once, he was having an argument with a sibling, and they said, “Oh yeah? Well at least Bruce wanted me!” Damian didn’t leave his room for exactly six days. He even stapled blackout curtains to his windows and the vents. Bruce chewed the shit out of whoever said it and spent hours every day talking to Damian through the door to convince him that, yes, Bruce wants him and couldn’t ever think of a family without him. Damian didn’t come out, however, until he heard Bruce crying while begging him to eat. Damian slept in Bruce’s bed that night and the following week.

When he turns 15, he gets really obsessed with Måneskin.

He’s exactly the kind of Art Hoe that is completely loyal to his favorite brand of art supplies and wouldn’t touch other brands with a 10ft pole.

He has weirdly thin fingers. Like creepily thin, especially as he grows older. Someone commented on them once, and Damian proceeded to wear gloves nonstop for a week.

There are exactly four (4) people who are allowed to touch him without permission first. Dick, Jon, Bruce, and Talia in that order.

His eyes are actually naturally blue. The reason they are green is because of the Lazarus Pit. It’s always the Lazarus Pit. (They barely glow in the dark too, but you need to really pay attention to notice.)

He can wiggle his ears. The only people to ever witness it are Cass and Duke. They’ve been sworn to secrecy.

Whenever one of his many pets sleeps in his bed, he tries to stay as still as possible without touching them so they don’t get annoyed and leave, but they always worm their way into his arms.

As he grows, his family is surprised to learn that he isn’t building the same muscle as his dad. Instead, he’s lean like his mother due to an extremely fast metabolism. He eats a lot to maintain proper health. (His cheeks are still puffy when he sleeps, though. And when he smiles.)

Dick is his emergency contact for school, partially because Dick isn’t as busy, partially due to that time Bruce “died,” but mostly because Damian is terrified of disappointing Bruce if he ever gets in trouble. Thankfully, Dick is convincing Damian otherwise.

His favorite ever birthday gift comes from Tim. It’s a pottery studio he spent months building on their property in secret with several pottery wheels and a kiln.

His hands have always had a sort of surgical accuracy to them due to his stealth training, but it never came to the forefront of everyone’s mind until one particular mission when Tim got shot, and they needed to get the bullet out as quickly as possible. Despite being bigger than most of his family members by now, and Tim refusing to stay still the whole time, Damian was the only one capable of taking the bullet out. While riding in the Batmobile. Going 80 mph. Completely painlessly. Damian is immediately given the de facto role of Combat Medic.

Jon likes to send Good morning texts to Damian. At first, he didn’t know about the “only responds if it’s an emergency” thing, though, so he decided to stop after a few weeks of Damian never replying. Within an hour of not getting the usual text, Damian was at Jon’s house in full Robin gear to make sure he was okay.

He and Steph like to paint each other’s nails when one of them is stressed. After Damian comes out as pansexual, Steph paints little pride flags on his fingers.

He only plays Minecraft on creative mode. He likes building farms and wildlife preserves.

At 16, he gets asked out by a pretty girl in school that Damian had a crush on last year, but he thinks it’s a joke because he can’t fathom anyone liking him so he turns her down.

As he grows, his looks become more androgynous, again eerily resembling his mother, but his voice drops low enough that it doesn’t cause much misgendering.

Then he starts thinking of his gender a bit more and wonders if he’s also a They.

He likes to paint all over the soles of his shoes whenever he gets a new pair. No one will ever really see it, of course, and it eventually wears off the more he walks, but he knows it’s there.

It’s a nice day in the park. He’s doing homework on a picnic table while Titus and Ace run around, and he can’t stop thinking about his future.

Yesterday, there was a school assembly about choosing a career path. Alfred slid him an SAT prep book during breakfast. And his class was assigned one of those “Which career path is best for you?” quizzes.

He gets Veterinarian.

It takes a full five minutes as Damian stares at the results, thinking about the crazy, out-of-this-world idea of not being a vigilante or assassin his entire life, what it would be like if he just turned his back on the future which was so carefully laid out in front of him since birth, before it clicks into place.

Damian doesn’t want to be Batman.

He doesn’t want to lead the LoA either.

Two years later, Damian enrolls in Gotham University and majors in Wildlife Biology on the Pre-Vet track with a minor in Studio Arts. He gets a dorm room, works in the pottery studio, and volunteers at the local animal shelter.

He is content.

Does some of this stray from canon? Yes. However, I do not give a rat’s ass. Thank you, and goodnight.

[jaysgirlx]

Can you do a fic based off of https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRcsG8Yu/ this TikTok when Jason and reader was talking and it got deep and he joked about off!ng himself and the reader sits with him all night just in case he wasn’t joking? Please? I love your writing so much and if this is a touchy topic feel free to ignore or correct. Have a nice day!

❝ 𝐈’𝐌 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ❞

❥ pairing: jason todd x civilian f!reader

❥ summary: Jason and you are close, you always have been so close that you thought you knew him well enough to read his mind except you're wrong about that, and what you learn ends up scaring you more.

❥ warnings: mentions of death/suicide/afterlife, reminiscing of torture, heavy angst, little fluff, happy ending

❥ wc: 1.5k

Your fingers, combed through Jason's black locks while he focused his attention on you. The two of you had moments on these where you sat together in a comfortable silence. They tended to happen when one of you was upset, usually you but tonight you could tell something was wrong with Jason. So you kept quiet and let him rest. You didn't know if late nights like these would last forever.

"How long are you going to play with my hair princess?"

"Until you tell me what's wrong Jay"

Again you both fell into a silence. This time it was awkward like maybe you should've played dumb but it was too late night to think that. Jason sighed and sat up on your couch and laid his head on your lap. You tried to remove your hand from his hair but he gave this look like this is what he needed at least for tonight.

You weren't sure if or when you and Jason had crossed the friend boundary. The two of you obviously had not slept together but you had kissed numerous times. Sometimes when he was anxious you'd kiss him just to calm him down and it worked, except for the fact you'd end up making out. Or when he would go on patrol and you were worried he would kiss you and then he'd end up cuddling you till you slept off. The kisses you both shared were like little reassurances of love. Though the two of you never actually spoke about what they really meant.

You had wanted to for the longest time but you didn't because in the end you always knew that Jason cared for you. You could tell by the way he always left you breakfast when he had to leave while you were asleep or by the way he'd walk you home if you had decided to work overtime. Jason cared in his own little way and you take what you got especially since he made the best pancakes.

"I fought with Bruce today, he took Dick's side on something and I just got mad…I know they both care, but it doesn't feel like it sometimes y'know? It still feels like they're Batman and Nightwing and I'm still Robin" He stopped himself from speaking further like if he spoke more, he'd say something he'd regret. Jason didn't want to drop all his problems on you because he knew you would listen and he knew you'd comfort him. You did so much for him and was slightly worried he was becoming too much. Jason didn't want to become a burden to you, he enjoyed spending time with you and he didn't wan to fuck that up.

"I've always got your side Jay if that helps and you're not Robin anymore okay and regardless of that, Robin didn't make you…well you" you say, caressing his face. "You're just you Jay and if they've got a problem with you well then they have a problem with me"

"Well, I think I hate myself if I'm being honest" Those words made your hands stop and now you started to really listen. You knew Jason wasn't exactly happy with his life but you didn't think he hated himself. He was so cocky all the time that you couldn't even fathom the idea of him hating himself. "These days getting up in the mornings is so difficult and a good night's rest…I don't remember the last time I had one"

"Well I think we all can relate to that, life kinda sucks for all of us Jay. Everything we do is out of our hands and it seems like no matter how hard we try we're never fully just happy"

"You got that right, the last time I was really happy was…well nevermind, But sometimes I think about killing myself"

"Well I mean we all have, I thought about it a couple of times when work gets hard but-

"No y/n, I mean like really killing myself, like just putting my gun to my head and that's it." He laughs but you still don't manage to find it funny. "I know damn well there will be plenty of people who will probably find it pretty, my brains splattered everywhere and my body lifeless"

"I'd really prefer you'd not do that Jay"

"Okay but in all seriousness-"

"I don't want to hear this Jay"

"I'd want you to plan my funeral, you'd make it beautiful and hopefully not gloomy"

"Jay is this a funny matter, stop joking around"

"I doubt there's an afterlife, seeing that I did die once and I don't remember any floating gates or firey pits"

"Jay please stop it"

"C'mon we both know without you, I'd be better off-"

"No." you said and it came out broken. Jason looked up at you, you weren't playing with his hair anymore, you were crying. He tried to reach up and your tears away but you pushed away his hand. He hadn't meant to upset you, he didn't mean it. Well, he did but he wasn't going to, not when you still cared for him. You were what he was living for. "No, you can't do that Jay"

He again tries to wipe your tears and this time you let him, he sits up and kisses your forehead wishing he had never said anything. You were his world and all he could ever ask for. Without you, who would be there for him after a bad run on patrol? or when his nightmares would start coming back? Deep down Jason Todd is scared of living, he's scared of living without you. "I won't sweetheart, I won't, I promise. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said any of that"

Now he's holding you and rubbing your back, whispering sweet nothings into your ear. The two of you fell back into your comfortable silence, while Jason made himself comfortable again laying his head on your lap. He hates seeing you that way, with that look of fear and worry. He never wanted to cause it. He wanted to say something but all those hours of patrol and working overtime finally caught up to him. He thought he'd just take a nap, he didn't want to burden you with how heavy he was, lying on his lap but he couldn't help you, your lap was so comfy.

For a while, you watched Jason and didn't know why you were. He said he wouldn't hurt himself, he promised. Still, you were scared because of the way he talked about it...it was clear it wasn't the first time. You knew he had fallen asleep, his tell was that his breathing had slowed. You picked that up when he started coming over early in that morning to nap with you. Jason was only ever truly calm when was he asleep with you.

Watching him like this felt natural like you had to do this. You knew he was serious about killing himself and you just couldn't imagine a life with him, without Jason. Gently you caressed his sleeping face, admiring how handsome he was. The things that happened to him, you knew they affected him but you didn't want to think he'd go as far as to…no you couldn't think of it.

You leaned your own body back on the couch and tried to relax. You'd stay all night with him if you had to, you'd make sure he was safe. You weekend a vigilante like him, you couldn't fight and protect him from villains but you could protect him from himself. It probably seems crazy that you want to protect Jason Todd from himself but it's all you know how to do. You're not completely sure if Jason loves you but you know that you love him.

"I will always be with you, I'm yours Jay, I'm with you" you whisper sweetly against his forehead, before planting a soft kiss. You watch him all night and he sleeps quietly and hopefully comfortably with his head resting on your lap. You didn't work the next day and you had stayed up all night before, this wouldn't be difficult for you.

Even if it was, it was for Jason and he was always worth any trouble. You wish you could tell him that but that's a conversation for another time, for now, you just want to make sure he is still alive every morning.

When Jason Todd wakes up the following morning, you're drinking what he thinks is probably coffee and reading a book. His eyes fixate on you and he reaches up to brush his hand against your face, you smile at the soft touch. HE lets out a yawn and finally speaks up, "Whatcha doing up so early, princess?"

"Just admiring you Jay"

"M'sorry for sleeping on you, and I'm even more sorry for making you feel upset last night, you're…you're very important to me y/n, and as long as you'll have me, I'll be here"

"And I'm with you, for as long as you'll have me" you say with a smile as you hand him the rest of your coffee. He drank the rest before gently pressing a kiss to your lips. Another reassure of his love

Jason Todd was yours for a lifetime and you were happy with just that.

❥ a/n: sorry this took so long anon! I kept rewriting it because I didn't like how it was going. btw comment to be added to my taglist.

❥ taglist: @meowkn, @nia-jul, @woodenanemone, @millyhelp, @yourlocalcringydaydreamer, @kazzattack, @orchidsangel, @gleasonlovesjasontodd, @jason-anon

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

Maddy watched her son as he chatted with his friends at the kitchen table, homework and after school snacked were scattered across its surface as Danny told his friends all about his new crush.

And that was exactly what it was. She recognized those soft pleading puppy dog eyes, those dreamy sighs and of course the way that Sam girl was bending the cutlery in her grip as she gritted her teeth.

If she hadn't tested her multiple times she would have thought Sam was a ghost! Now there's a funny thought! A ghost! Under thier noses the entire time! She could have laughed!

Bringing this up with Jack made him have the same conclusion as her. They needed to go to Gotham to capture this Red Robin boy and make sure he wasn't an evil ghost in disguise and if he isn't then they needed to give him a good shovel talk anyway. This was the baby of thier family after all. Thier little angel was the sweetest, most innocent child on the planet and they wouldn't let anyone hurt him!

Meanwhile Danny is whispering to his friends about how he had reanimated like 800 hot dogs and set them loose in Vlads business tower when Bruce Wayne was supposed to be visiting. They had little guns, swords, battle flags and everything

Maddie later realizes the Robin of the less red variety was also her sons "type" and tries to capture him too. She also considers putting her son in therapy cause she's noticing some unhealthy trends in his choice of significant others...

Later Danny calls the police station and asks to speak to batman. When asked why he confessed he wanted to ask if they could free his parents and that thier godfather was a supervillian who was weirdly obsessed with Danny and his mom and has been abusive in the past.

The bats didn't even get a chance to make a joke before the bat adoption papers were out.

[goggles-mcgee]

Steve Harrington being absolutely pissed/terrified at the Upside-Down and all it's monsters and being a Petty Betty and reading everything he can about DnD monsters and how best to kill them because the UD monsters seem to have a pattern and the kids relate the monsters to those in their game. Steve absolutely wanting to be as prepared as he can and reading up on any and all creatures, mythical, magical, cryptid, horror just in case they run into the Upside-down equivalent. Steve especially doing this during season 3.

Eddie Munson of course works at the mall too, at the record store across from Scoop's and may or may not have the biggest crush on Steve Harrington who he can sometimes see through the shop's windows when the customers are low, but he and Steve don't properly interact till season 4. Not until he adopts his merry band of little sheep. Steve and he somewhat talking when he picks them up from Hellfire. It's not until Steve arrives a bit to early for pickup and sits down to wait for them in the clubroom that they actual start talking more than a handful of words.

Steve is over the moon to actually be making a friend around his own age. Eddie is in-between wanting to scream in frustration for actually liking Steve more after they continue to get to know each other or just kiss his stupidly pretty lips. The rest of Hellfire are apprehensive but after seeing how Steve interacts with the kids, with Eddie's blatant flirting (Steve though is oblivious) and how Steve seems to be friends with that chicken Robin in band, they mostly just ignore him or even ask how his day was.

It's during one session that Steve purposefully came early so he could hang out that Steve's knowledge is revealed. He's just chilling on the club room's donated sofa and reading Batman Annual #8 that Lucas lent him after ranting about the art and story for so long that Steve gave in and asked to borrow it. Lucas liked to joke that they had to give Steve an activity otherwise he'd fall asleep so Lucas would bring him a comic and Dustin usually had a snack his mom packed for Steve. So Steve is just snacking, reading, minding his own business when he hears the kids arguing about how best to take down Gray Ooze and Steve just mindlessly remembering all his studying just blurts, "It's immune to cold and fire, I don't know what weapons you have on hand or your spell things but anything besides cold and fire should work."

He's still reading the comic and snacking on some almonds so he misses when all heads turn to look at him in bafflement, or complete heart-eyes in Eddie's case. He does not miss when Dustin, Mike and Lucas start yelling at him and demanding how he knew that.

Eddie is wondering how soon is too soon to get Steve a promise ring.

[bothoutsiders]

ok so you know the hero gets kidnapped and no one comes and the villain gets pissed on their captive’s behalf and treats them better than their former associates did trope ?

i need that with early red hood jason and robin tim

jason steals tim expecting the calvary to come racing in

but ,,, no one comes

and ok jason can understand why timbit's little baby hero team didn't come

superboy, wonder girl and impulse are all currently off planet

but the batfam isn't

the girls are in hong kong for whatever reason but dick and bruce are across town from where him and tim are

he's had tim for over a week they have to have realized that he's missing at this point

and now jason's like "actually fuck them i'm keeping you"

hello anon! thank you for your request. i think it came a bit small; first jaytim thing i type with my new keyboard B) but it was fun. it's a bit domestic tho, hope you enjoy :)

--

It has been a little over a week since Robin got here. 

It somehow felt like those parents who forgot to pick up their kids at school. Robin had been at the mercy of Red Hood for a week and a few days and there was no sign of anyone coming to rescue him anytime soon.

Jason even went through his notes, every piece of information he had, and his own plan. Many times.

Something didn’t click.

When he kidnapped Robin, he knew Batman would come for him. Knew there would be a big fight, some spilled blood and maybe broken bones. He then would be able to torture Robin in front of Bruce and make him beg, maybe even cry. Satiate his own thirst for vengeance with Bruce’s suffering.

But nothing like that happened.

Robin’s friends were not around and Jason knew that. It was excusable but… What was the explanation for Batman to ignore this? Was he trying to play some kind of sick game with his mind or did he actually not care about Tim?

He didn’t even send Nightwing either. There was no Justice League. There was nobody.

No one.

What was the point of torturing or doing something to Robin if Bruce wasn’t here to witness it?

“Do you have golden grahams?”

Jason turned to look at the teen and thought about what was happening. There was no way Bruce hadn’t realised his new Robin was missing. Nor that Jason had kidnapped him and now was even feeding him.

“No, but I can buy some later.” He said as he placed a windowed box on the table and pushed it toward Tim slowly. “I got you donuts though.”

“Oh?” Robin looked at the box, interested when he had heard it was donuts. Right now he was wearing Jason’s clothes and had come out from a nice shower. “They’re from  Holesome Dough! Great!”

Jason watched him devour one after another while he thought about the situation. He was definitely not imagining things. It was happening.

He looked down and noticed Tim’s bare feet, some drops of his wet hair making a mess around. “I’ve told you to wear shoes and to dry your hair properly. I’m not going to clean that.”

Tim looked down for a few moments before he’d go and sit down in a chair, enjoying his snack.

Stupid Batman was ignoring his own Robin, who was definitely in danger. If Jason were completely fucked up, right now he would have had Tim’s head on display and probably had sent some parts of his body to Bruce, just as a silly joke.

Bruce knew where he was and didn’t even care!

He didn’t care.

Jason rubbed his eyes, tired and frustrated. “I’m not really surprised. Just disappointed.”

“About what?” Tim turned to look at him, a crumb on his upper lip. “Oh. I’ll dry my hair after this. You want some?” He offered him the donut he was eating since it was the last one.

“He’s not coming, is he?” This felt so familiar.

“Bruce?” Tim shrugged. “He might think I have it under control.”

“Replacement, I beat you up. You passed out as you bled when I took you with me. If you were able to handle it, you would’ve contacted him. He didn’t even call you. What’s his excuse?” He snorted and took a seat. “He’s across town, yeah, Gotham is big but not that big that he can’t come to rescue his sidekick.”

Of course it pissed him off. Days prior Jason had gone to check if Batman was around, to make sure he wasn’t out of Gotham doing something else that stopped him from coming to rescue his young, new soldier. The worst of all this? Batman was in Gotham.

It made Jason furious.

This Robin could have the same ending as he did, history would repeat and Bruce didn’t give a fuck about it. It didn’t seem as if Batman wanted a Robin, at least not one to last.

He just can’t be responsible like a proper adult, maybe that’s why he doesn’t have children or pets. Maybe this is why he doesn’t have a family.

He snorted, so close to pulling from his own hair. If someone has a sidekick, they teach them, they protect them. Where was Batman when he was needed? With how things went, Jason suspected that Bruce decided to give Tim to him. As those who throw meat to wild dogs, to keep them busy, keep them away.

“Fuck it. Fuck Bruce, fuck Dick, fuck everyone, I’m keeping you.”

[vinelark]

in return for the fic recs i got last month, here are a few fics i read recently that i want to absolutely yell about from the rooftops:

Iron, Fire, Mirror-Glass by PurpleSoot: an early batman days AU where, while slowly healing from a spine-shattering injury, bruce finds an old book about the fae. in a fit of desperation he attempts a Summoning to try to heal his spine. enter: robin.

this story is fantastic—the kind of longfic with a plot so good and satisfying that finishing it leaves you on a reading high for at least a week. one of the best early days bruce fics i’ve ever read, with honorable mentions to excellent alfred and clark and jim and selina characterizations—but robin (dick) really takes the cake here. the balance of chilling, otherworldly, not-quite-human vs. playful, earnest, Still Just a Child…chef’s kiss. the way robin’s character arc drags bruce kicking and screaming through his own emotional growth is so well-paced and well-wrought that i already want to reread just so i can experience it again. this is one of those god-tier longfics that i can’t believe i got to read for free on the internet.

mid-reading testimonial:

The Lone Ranger Never Had to Deal with Bruce Wayne by @theskeptileptic: a tim-joins-the-family-early fic in which tim decides to do everyone (his parents) a solid by faking his own death and running away to canada, except his weirdo neighbor bruce wayne keeps butting in and messing up his plans.

this is one of the rare stories where tim doesn’t know batman’s identity yet, and even rarer stories where that somehow makes the whole thing even more compelling. this fic has two of my favorite things: small, lonely, moderately unhinged tim drake pov, and really good pangs—pangs that are expertly teased out through flashbacks that add context to the present action at exactly the right moments. also, a very fun cameo near the end. i had a blast reading this one, physically clutched my chest more than once, and am already looking forward to rereading.

mid-reading testimonial (feat. @cairoscene):

equivalent exchange by scribblemetimbers (wip): an au set during tim’s robin days in which tim discovers 1) crossroads demons are a thing and 2) people can make deals with them. deals that include bringing people back from the dead, so long as you’re willing to pay the price with your own life.

this fic is so…🤌‼️ it feels like everything i want in a fic so far, down to two incredibly specific concepts i love (bruce, in his grief, saying something harsh to robin!tim with disastrous consequences later + tim making a big secret sacrifice gambit) which are both done so so well, within a larger plot that is also done so so well. the way this fic cuts in and out of scenes at the exact right moments for max tension feels like a masterclass in causing me to tear my hair out (in the best way), and instead of assorted pangs reading it is just one big Pang. it currently leaves off on an agonizing cliffhanger but, again, in the best way. highly recommend. (thank you again @owlbats for the rec!)

exchange between me and my friend after i sent the link, which about sums it up:

and to cut this angst with some humor:

IRIS Log #1548 by @deadchannelradio: a night on patrol as recorded by the bats’ audio logs, centering around red hood getting flung into a ditch and everyone, eventually, getting home safe.

one of the top ten funniest things i’ve ever read—spiritually up there with send to all (and if you’ve seen my fic rec tag you’ll know what a compliment that is). this makes use of the audio log format SO well. the dialogue shines, the jokes land with excellent timing, and it moves at such a clip that it’s pretty much impossible to stop reading once you’ve started. every character shines in this, and i’ve randomly choked on laughter remembering the phrase ‘good god he got thrown like a corn hole beanbag’ like twenty times in the past few weeks.

mid-reading testimonial:

[envysparkler]

There’s a goddamn reason he wears a full face helmet with the best air filters he can buy.

He gasps for air, choking his breaths and gasping harder because the warehouse is full of fear toxin, he knows it is, and his helmet is lost because they needed an explosive and his backup rebreather was shot out of his hand and he can’t breathe.

He stumbles away from a shadow all in black, looming over him like Death itself, and a hand snags his wrist as the Devil smiles.

“It’s not real,” Batman growls.

“It’s not real,” the Joker croons.

No.

No.

But it’s too late.  He can already hear the laughter.

~#~

Hood doesn’t start screaming until they get him in the Batmobile.  Dick holds him down, pinning him flat against the backseat, and keeps his fingers interlaced with Jason’s as he murmurs, “It’s not real.  Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real, okay, you’re safe, you’re safe, it’s not real, Jaybird, you’re safe, you’re safe –”

Standard fear toxin protocol.  Restrain and reassure.  The effects of each one vary, but sometimes it’s possible to lead someone out of their head with the soothing words.

Hood isn’t calming down.  He’s just screaming louder.

~#~

The broken bones, he can feel them, he can feel the agony as they shift underneath his skin, as the Joker nears and he chokes on a sob because please, no, not again, he can’t take this anymore, he wants Bruce, he wants Batman, he wants someone to save him from this monster.

The Joker crouches next to him and watches him, those bright, bright eyes that are sharp like poisoned daggers.  He reaches out, and Jason can’t help the tears, but all the Joker does is carefully, gently, curl his fingers between Jason’s, careful not to jostle the broken bones.

“Shh, little Robin,” the Joker says, and Jason stares at him.  “It’s not real.  Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real.  You’re safe.”

A curl of hope inside of him – this is a nightmare, it has to be, if he just concentrates, he’ll be back in the Cave and Bruce will be there – of course this isn’t real, this amount of pain isn’t possible, he feels like he’s going to die –

The Joker’s smile widens.

~#~

“No,” is the first thing Jason says, his voice hoarse from screaming, and he says it as they lock him into the restraints.  They don’t have a choice, he’s thrashing and screaming but he tugs at the restraints – once, twice, thrice, before going alarmingly limp.

“No, no, it’s real, it’s real,” Jason says, his eyes unfocused, and Steph takes over the reassurances, the steady prattle second nature after how many times she’s done it.

“It’s not real, Jason, whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real,” she says, low and soothing, “You’re safe, you’re in the Cave, you’re home, we’re all here with you, it’s not real.”

“Stop,” Jason says, choked, “Stop – stop saying that – it’s real –”

“No, Jason, it’s not, you got hit with fear toxin, it’s not real, you’re okay.”

“Please,” Jason begs, and she doesn’t know who he’s talking to.

~#~

“It’s not real,” the Joker laughs, and the crowbar comes swinging down.  Jason screams at the snap of bone and the hope is dying.

This is real.  It’s real, and it’s killing him.

“Fuck you,” Jason snarls, “You think I can’t tell you’re making it up?  Fear toxin doesn’t feel like this.”

“It’s not real,” the Joker repeats, laughing as he swings the crowbar down again, “It’s!  Not!  Real!”

Jason wants to believe it.  Jason knows better than to believe it.  He’s hurting and screaming and the pain is so vivid it doesn’t feel real.

No.

This is just another one of the Joker’s sick games.

It’s real.

He’s hurt and dying.

It’s real.

Or…is that the joke?

A thumb rubs over his knuckles, “You’re safe, Jaybird.”

The Joker laughs as Jason falls.

~#~

“Jason, please,” Tim says hoarsely, “Please, this is real, you’re safe, please, please hear us, you’re safe.”

Dick had to leave.  He couldn’t stay, not with Jason alternating between screams and sobs and begging that made it extremely clear what he’s seeing.  They all eyed Bruce, but the man has planted himself in a chair next to Jason’s bed, and refuses to move.

He doesn’t speak either.

They’ve tried everything, the whole protocol for fear toxin, they’ve double-checked that it’s the same standard toxin, they’ve given him the antidote even though it won’t do much good this late after exposure.

It has to wear off at some point.

Right?

~#~

“It’s not real,” the Joker laughs, “It’s not real, it’s not real!  Can you tell yet, Boy Blunder?  Is this real?”  The crowbar swings out, and Jason screams as it crashes into his dislocated shoulder.  “Or how about this?”  It slams into broken legs, and his breath turns into a wheeze.

It’s not real.

It can’t be real.

The pain is so intense he feels like someone decided to rip his skin off and douse his bones in acid.

It’s not possible.

It can’t be possible.

This can’t be real, because he cannot live with himself if it is.

~#~

“Stop,” Cass says sharply, and pulls Tim away.  She was watching all this time, but she only sees it now.  The way Jason curls further into himself every time they tell him he’s safe.

It’s not helping.  It’s only reinforcing whatever is in his head.

“Don’t,” she says when Tim tries to start again, “Making it worse.”

“What,” Tim rasps, “Why?”

Cass does not know.  Her little brother has many prickly edges, and she has not cut herself on all of them yet.

“Stop,” she pleads, because they are losing him, she can see it, his eyes are unfocused and distant, and he is not getting any closer.

Tim looks at her, and back at Jason, and sighs, slumping back into the chair and burying his head in his hands.

~#~

“Okay, pumpkin, why don’t you close your eyes, and when you open them, you’ll be back safe with Batsy!”

Jason closes his eyes – please, please –

The Joker shrieks with laughter, and hope and dread war in equal measure.  He just wants this to be over.

“Sweet dreams, Boy Blunder!” the Joker cackles, and Jason can faintly hear a door shut.

It – it’s ending soon.  Right?  He’ll wake up and he’ll be fine and it will just be one bad fear toxin nightmare.

He pushes himself up.  Onto broken bones.  They scream and grind painfully.

This can’t be real.  His whole body is broken.  He will never be able to fight again.  He might never be able to walk again.

He crawls forward.  Inch by inch.  The door is in front of him.

It’s just a bad trip.  Because Batman would’ve come if it was real.  Batman would’ve saved the day if it was real.  If Batman’s not here, that means it’s fake.

He pulls on the door handle, and it doesn’t turn.

It’s not real, he imagines in Bruce’s voice, you’re safe, Jay-lad.

He hears the ticking.

It’s not real, Dick says, you’re safe, you’re in the Cave, you’re going to be fine, Jaybird.

00:05.

It’s not real, he tries desperately to believe, to wish himself back to the Cave, to watch his surroundings waver and break, to blur out entirely, it’s not real.

00:01.

Jason closes his eyes and lets out one last sob.

It’s not real.

~#~

The Cave has turned into a mausoleum.  Damian creeps down the stairs and shivers as he heads to the medbay.

Cain is perched on a free bed, staring intently at Todd as though she can distinguish microexpressions.  As though there are any expressions to distinguish.  Drake is at the computer, sending frequent glances towards Todd as he attempts to analyze the toxin for the hundredth time.

There is no point.  The toxin was standard.  The bloodwork came back clean.  For all intents and purposes, Todd should be fine.  They even removed the restraints.

Todd is not fine.  He stopped screaming and thrashing, and now he’s just staring vacantly into empty space.  Brown and Damian have been busy keeping Richard and Pennyworth occupied in the Manor so they don’t come back down.  So they don’t see the shell that has replaced Todd.

No one has been able to get Father to move.  He’s sitting on the bed now, Todd’s head in his lap, carefully stroking the hair away from his face.

Father’s face is wet, but he hasn’t made a single sound.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Genuine advice for people who joined the Batfam fandom because of fan content and are too scared to get into actual comics or not sure where to start:Please don't buy a single word 'Fuck canon!' people tell you about ANY Batfam member and i do mean ANY.They're lying to you to get you to sanatize them and deprive you of deserving to know what they're actually like because their peabrains can't process multilayered characters and relathionships in favor of bigoted stereotypes and writing that's insanely insulting to them and if you're a minor especially,they're lying to you about whatever they say about shipping the male members with eachother not being in*cest or ped0 too-Bruce has been Dick's adoptive dad since Dick's debut issue,he legally adopted Jason and Duke too,Damian's his bio kid and with Tim it's a bit more complicated but it's very much canon that they see eachother as father and son and Tim has lived at Wayne Manor at several points in canon and would be brothers regardless of anything else due to this but they also use that exact word to describe their dynamic and so does everybody else

This applies to Cass being their sister too because Bruce adopted her after they formed a dad-daughter bond a while into her being Batgirl but as Stephanie has a mom she lives with and has never seen Bruce as a parental figure nor he her as one of his kids,you're freegame to ship her with Tim or Cass and in fact i highly encourage doing both.Batfanon stans are once again doing mass lying(damn they should get a different hobby)by saying the four male Robins are the 'core' ones.Stephanie has been included in Robin stuff for a long time now and Duke dosen't get the same treatment due to antiblackness so THAT'S an actual 'Fuck canon!' moment so you should make it six Robins and know that the intention with only four is always misogyny and whitewashing(also just saying but those fanarts are always ugly anyway,they make them look like shitty anime boys instead of themselves)

Dick is an almost perfect eldest sibling and the other Batkids deeply appreciate him for it,he was Tim's Robin and him and Cass are his favorite siblings,Duke is Jason's favorite brother and vice versa but he's also extremely close to Cass,none of them make Damian go through 'normal youngest sibling treatment' because none of them are normal so they grew a sense of basic decency and Damian's closest to Dick and Stephanie and Stephanie's a canon csa victim so kindly keep your paws off her with your 'date all of your s/os siblings' jokes because she has self-worth and class,thanks

Ignore the original Red Hood and The Outlaws run and anything to do with Jason and Roy friendship in fandom and read the original Teen Titans run,New Teen Titans,Arsenal 1998,The Titans 1999,Green Arrow 2001 and Outsiders 2003 if you want to understand Roy too or at least ask around blogs centered on him for context.Ignore Tom Taylor's Nightwing run and Teen Titans 2003 and Batgirl of Burnside and anything by Devin Grayson(she's quite literally done irreperable damage to Batman lore and i wish i was kidding).Read Robin 1993,90s Young Justice,Batgirl 2000,Batgirl 2009,Red Robin,Son of Batman and literally everything Duke's in which i can provide a reading list for instead and i'm working on a megapost of all the Jason media that's actually good so new fans don't waste their time.I'm genuinely saying this to be helpful because 'fandom isn't activism' is a puratical priviliged phrase that should've never existed just like Batfanon shouldn't either

[dairy-farmer]

So I'm pretty sure you have a story that's basically Red Robin only fucks on missions. But have you considered the opposite? Tim is a consummate professional at all times during missions or his WE work. He does not flirt, make bedroom eyes, or even make suggestive comments at all, and will in fact tear to anyone who does: such as one memorable occasion when he came across Batman and Catwoman getting frisky on a roof.

This is lead to the Justice League assuming he's a prude and/or of virgin. Except any time they try to bring that up to the bats or the core four They tend to clam up and look shifty. This is because Tim is a complete slut when he's not working. It's like that joke about so-and-so cry is during sex and then the responses no they cry before sex and after sex but during sex they have a goddamn mission to do. But the opposite: Tim fucks before missions and after missions, but during missions he's got a goddamn job to do.

One time with Young Justice, Kon tries flirting with Tim and gets shot down and yelled at immediately. Later on he goes to Tim's room to apologize while Tim is finishing up the mission report. He says he's sorry for flirting during the mission, and Tim tells him not to do it again and submits the report... Before pouncing on Kon and suggesting they fuck right now immediately.

The Bats are always trying to figure out a way to be the one around as soon as he finishes up a mission / mission report / gets home from WE, because Tim is insatiable outside work.

Unfortunately, that also means a lot of people getting blue balls whenever a mission comes up unexpectedly, because Tim will hop off whatever dick he's on and immediately get to work, and refuses any advances until the job is done and no amount of begging or bargaining will change his mind.

ooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 YESSSSSSSSSS!!!! i love tim being SO good at separation of his private life and his professional life. he takes his job VERY seriously. he puts the utmost effort and attention to it and that petty 'relationship' bullshit does not have a place on the field because while he was training as robin dick would tell him about all the drama and gossip. he'd talk about it like they were two highschoolers at a lunch table and tim felt...disapproval.

he understood that some capes had been doing their job for years, they had experience under their belt and so maybe they had a better handle on the situation than they let on and it allowed them to flirt and make charged comments while in a serious situation. other capes had powers, super speed, super strength, etc, etc.

tim didn't. tim was a greenhorn through and through. he had no powers and he was small. he had to work 10, 20, 30 times harder.

tim would hold the lives of people in his hands. the difference between someone living or dying could be seconds, inches. tim had to be faster, smarter. he had to take his job seriously. some people were going to be experiencing the worst day of their life and tim had to be able to give them all his attention.

tim imagined what he would feel. if he'd just gotten mugged and thoroughly beaten and found out that batman was too slow to save him because he was too busy making the moves on catwoman six blocks away. tim, in that moment, can't imagine it. but he figures out very quickly that he would've been fucking furious.

bruce is an adult. he can have adult relationships. he's been doing his job for longer than tim has been alive. tim knows that. he respects that.

but he's picking up slack. he knows batman is meeting catwoman for info and it's just bad luck that tim ends up caught between stopping a thief that tripped a silent alarm and some drunk kid on a joy ride who almost crushed a pedestrian under his wheels. but tim handles it. he's been trained to. but with those two things going on he's almost too late to stop the monster that pulls a girl into an alley a few streets away and starts undressing her.

she's mute. tim sees it on her medical bracelet. it's why he couldn't hear screams or cries. but the alley was right over his and batman's patrol route and...he got lucky. he got there in time. she's horribly shaken but not as badly as she would've been if he'd been moments too late. moments. seconds. tim could've been too late. he would've been there sooner if he'd had a second set of hands.

tim really hoped the info batman got was worth it.

tim is angry. he's clenching his jaw in anger because some of the things he sees in gotham aren't easy to shake off. he reassures himself that the girl is safe now. that the paramedics will make sure she's stabilized and the hospital will call her parents.

tim lands on a nearby roof and sees batman and catwoman straightening their suits, sees catwoman fixing her lipstick in a mirror compact, sees bruce subtly adjust his crotch plate and....tim stops.

tim is not stupid. so he holds his tongue until catwoman is gone. she's not a hero. she's never claimed to be so he has no place to yell at her. tim also can't let her see him fighting with bruce. it pokes a hole in their teamwork dynamic. tim waits until she's several blocks away and bruce is gruffly talking about patrol and looking into a few things.

he's walking towards the edge of a roof and tim is silent and tense by his side. he waits until bruce is done talking to speak.

"did you get your dick sucked?"

bruce doesn't make a sound. he doesn't stumble. but he does stop.

"i hope you did. i hope the thirty minutes it took you to wrap up whatever bullshit you were doing with her was worth the girl i almost didn't save!"

tim's voice grows in volume and anger at how fucking reckless bruce was. this was not batman's fucking job. to sit on his ass and get fellatio on a rooftop while the people of gotham were brutalized.

what the fuck was he thinking? tim has been mad at batman before. he's vocalized his displeasure, whined about him being unfair but he has never been. this. upset. before.

bruce turns to face him. his lips are pursed and curved down in that silently dissatisfied way he always does when he's about to lecture tim but tim won't let him. he is not the one who is wrong this time. and tim won't let him go on thinking that what he was doing was okay.

tim steps closer, stepping nearly toe to toe with bruce and sharply poking bruce's chest armor with his finger.

" if you want to get your dick wet that's fine, i don't give a shit." tim is on his toes. bruce has to tilt his head down and their noses are almost touching. if someone was watching them they'd probably look ridiculous but tim's not worried about that. "i swear to god you better not pull this 'cat and bat' routine on patrol again, do you understand me?"

tim's voice is at a near growl, his teeth are grinding and he's almost certain his vision is going red.

"you do that shit when you're off the fucking clock or next time i won't be so nice to you or her."

catwoman gets a pass. this time. this one time.

but they're grown fucking adults and they should know better. tim's still a kid and HE knows better. HE has the self control to keep his pussy tucked away while on the job. it's not like tim is chaste or a prude. tim hasn't been a virgin since summer camp when he was twelve and he...gets around.

tim is stone silent to bruce for the rest of patrol. he's angry and frustrated and he works his anger out on the scum of the night.

when they return to the cave bruce is tensed and quiet. tim knows he doesn't like scoldings. he doesn't like reprimands. and he doesn't like being yelled at.

normally tim would be the one to apologize in their fights. he'd be the one to try and keep the peace but not this time. not for this. tim won't apologize for being right.

he might be young and he might be new to the 'business' but his gut tells him that bruce's actions that night and likely every night that he did that were utterly unacceptable.

tim never apologizes for his words and bruce is tense, quiet, and awkward for a few more days before he approaches tim.

by that point tim's anger has faded. he's checked up on the girl from the alley. she wasn't badly hurt. tim left some pamphlets for free counseling services offered by W.E in the mailbox of her parent's house and he watched as her father drove and picked her up each night from her night school.

he's not as angry anymore but he is sticking to his guns. they got lucky this time. tim got there in time. but if they'd been working together as they should've been, it never would've gone as far as it did.

when bruce approaches tim's bench he's towering and glowering like usual. his jaw is tight and his body language speaks of discomfort which is a rare sight. he tries to start the conversation about how sex is natural for adults, that bruce hadn't meant what he and catwoman did to make tim uncomfortable and that-

tim cuts him off pretty quickly because bruce is clearly misunderstanding something. bruce could fuck tim's mother in front of him and he still probably wouldn't give a shit. that's not tim's problem. tim's not squeamish about sex, he does it all the time. but tim's problem was with bruce doing it in the suit. his problem was bruce neglecting his job and duty in favor of a quickie.

that pissed tim off. that was what tim yelled at him for.

bruce's expression does a little shift at tim's words before looking away from him.

he doesn't wander off but he doesn't say anything more about it so tim goes back to work. either bruce will say something or he won't. either way tim still has preparations to make with his gear for patrol. tim is fiddling with his utility belt when bruce's deep voice pipes up again.

"you feel very strongly about this."

it doesn't sound like a question but tim nods and makes a sound of assent.

tim is holding a precision screwdriver and tightening a few of the smaller bolts when bruce lets out a breath and puts a firm hand on tim's shoulder. he tightens it slightly to catch tim's eye and tim looks up at him.

bruce is still looking away, avoiding his gaze slightly but those eyes are dragged to meet his. there is some resolve in them.

"i won't do it again tim. i promise. i'm sorry that i put you into a tight spot and i'm sorry that i neglected my duties. i'll make sure to keep that confined to my private life, you won't have to worry about that again."

bruce doesn't do lip service and he doesn't apologize for nothing.

so tim believes him. bruce is not a bad person and he didn't know about that girl. it was wrong of tim to have blamed him for it when the only one who had any responsibility for it was that piece of crap that was sitting in a cell nursing some bruises and a broken tooth.

tim tells him as such. he apologizes, he tells bruce that it really wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have known.

bruce thanks him and the two of them are back. the air is a little awkward for a little longer but the two of them are awkward in general so it's not a big deal. bruce decides to break the remaining tension by offering to help tim with his belt modifications. bruce has a magnifying light shining down on a stubborn screw and tim is holding it still while bruce has the tool. tim is so engrossed in counting the number of clockwise rotations that he almost misses bruce's next question.

"what did you mean when you said you 'did it all the time'?"

the ice breaker following tim and bruce's first actual fight is bruce slowly nodding at learning that his third robin was a slut.

it's not the last fight bruce and tim have. but it is the last one they have as batman and robin. bruce and tim's other fights mostly consist of bruce criticizing tim's choice in partners and tim telling bruce that he didn't care about the person, all he wanted was their dick in his pussy.

eventually, it leads to dick similarly joining in when he witnesses a fierce argument in the car between bruce and tim and how tim was just 'being petty' by 'sliding in the dms' of old classmates from bruce's graduating class.

"but timmy, that guy is too old for you!"

dick's comment leads to him begging tim on the outside of his locked bedroom door to be "reasonable" and that all the guys dick graduated were rich pricks!

turns out tim can be petty. vindictively petty. and he also can and will sleep with anyone they know if they don't keep their comments to themselves.

so clearly they have to do something. they have to save tim from making bad choices in his youth.

they figure out that tim's sex drive stems almost entirely from the stress of his job as robin. within the hour of finishing patrol tim will have some guy willingly making the drive from gotham to his dad's house next door to fuck him.

words about 'high risk behavior' fall on deaf ears because tim is young and he 'needs' some way to be able to unwind from being robin because if he doesn't he might have a stroke.

dick worries that one of those guys will be a serial killer and so he keeps a close eye on tim. he's pacing and stressed while telling bruce about how half those guys don't even use condoms! what if tim gets pregnant, what if they give him something!!!

bruce is similarly upset.

really...they're pushed to do it.

they won't pretend like they don't also have needs. both he and dick agree with tim's words about not being distracted on patrol.

bruce keeps things professional with catwoman but selina doesn't seem all that receptive to bruce's approaches.

dick usually flirts with barbara in person but on comms she's been distant and terse after he turned her down or told her to 'keep the line professional'.

dick and bruce don't have a great track record with interpersonal relationships and so they've clearly fucked up somewhere along the line.

naturally that meant no more pussy for them.

sure they could just go out and find someone like tim but...well...tim was someone people would do anything to sleep with.

bruce and dick are attractive but women aren't about to get-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-drive-to-the-manor-to-fuck-them attractive.

so their solution is born more from a place of need and a desire to protect tim.

the only problem is figuring out how they're going to share tim.

bruce will arrive at the manor first and be cleaned and ready in his bedroom for tim only to find out that tim started riding dick in the shower, frantically fucking and slamming his tight little pussy down on dick's cock.

dick will arrive to the manor, eager, only for tim to stumble out of the batmobile because bruce tugged him onto his cock as soon as they were parked in the cave.

sometimes tim will push away their advances and immediately start for the batcomputer because he has a lead he wants to follow up on. it will be minutes to hours before tim will turn around and crawling into their laps while grinding his sweet baby cunt on their covered cocks.

it's a struggle. sometimes bruce will get to fuck tim three nights in a row and other times dick will get him for a whole week.

they figure out that tim is willing to fuck before patrol and it's only during patrol that is off limits.

but...tim is so much hornier and his pussy is so much tighter directly after patrol because he's fucking his frustration out by roughly riding their cocks.

tim is their little secret until the family expands.

on other teams, with other capes tim is strictly chaste and professional which they're quietly grateful for because the last thing they want is more competition for tim pussy.

capes all tend to know each other and following tim joining bruce on a justice league operation tim's reputation as a very professional and 'has-a-larger-stick-than-batman's-up-his-butt' personality spread.

it's not...quite a mean moniker. but some of the more flirtatious capes like to bee line to tim and whisper pick up lines and make implications about tim maybe coming over to their place after the mission. they do it to see tim's deep frown and tense rejections as well as occasional reprimands.

tim doesn't hesitate to correct other vigilantes if they're wrong or if they cross the line but mostly tim holds his tongue with capes higher on the pecking order.

tim's yj team pick up on it but don't seem to realize that tim won't hesitate to rip them a new asshole if they try to pull the same shit.

while yj like to joke around they do take their job seriously. they want to be taken seriously so they don't often joke in front of the bigger capes or their mentors.

but then superboy makes a mistake. it happens sometimes and tim corrects him and lectures him. but this time the justice league is in hearing distance and...and kon flirts when he's nervous and trying to hide it. he hasn't done it in a while and he...he really doesn't mean to make robin mad.

at first robin is just scolding him, telling him not to deviate from the plan again, that he knows better and that they're a team.

and usually superboy will roll his eyes and take it. but he swears he can feel superman side eyeing him... it's probably in his head because superman doesn't give a shit about him but kon can't shake the feeling so he...propositions tim to get him to ease up.

he calls robin 'sweetheart' and he talks about how he can tell tim's panties are all in a bunch and that kon is very good with his hands and can fix that for him. he adds a wink and...

tim is not a yeller. but when he's pissed everyone in a ten mile radius can feel it.

his words are low and biting. his frown is cutting and his eyes are cold and angry as he leans in close to tell kon what he thinks of his words.

kon fills with shame when tim tells him how utterly inappropriate he's being and that this wasn't how he should speak to people who were his friends. this wasn't how he should speak to teammates and this wasn't how he should speak to strangers. tim asked what part of tim's lecture invited kon to make those comments? what part of tim's demeanor or frustration with the situation and unhappiness that kon had deviated from the plan told him that tim would at all be entertained by his proposition?

if nobody in the justice league was paying attention before well they certainly were now. kon fucked himself by opening his stupid mouth.

someone, green lantern it sounds like, calls out in a slightly joking tone for robin to ease up on kon and kon wishes he could've shook his head and made an 'X' with his hands to signal that no one should interfere when robin is (rightly) angry.

robin is just as cold and biting when he turns and in a tight voice says that he's just doing his job and he'd appreciate it if people could learn that their 'cute' little words about fucking him weren't welcome when he was trying to do his fucking job.

kon flinches at that because robin doesn't curse. ever.

kon takes the verbal lashing. it's humiliating. but nowhere near humiliating at knowing that he might have just broken something between him and robin.

at the base. cassie retreats somewhere with bart who keeps glancing back at kon who is shifting back and forth between feet outside tim's room where tim is typing his mission report for batman. batman had wanted tim to follow him back to gotham in the batplane but tim has insisted on finishing some work with yj.

kon needs to apologize. not just because he was wrong but also because tim was his friend and the last thing kon ever wanted was to make him uncomfortable with his comments.

so he does.

he hangs his head and sincerely apologizes to tim about his words, that he won't ever do it again, that he feels ashamed and that he hopes tim will forgive him. that he doesn't know why he said such stupid shit but that clark had been there and clark being there always leads to kon making an ass of himself and he's so sorry that he'd said those things to tim.

tim stares at him and softly accepts his apology and that he shouldn't do that again while they're working. that kon is one of his closest friends and he's happy that he came to tim's room...

a moment later tim makes a click with the mouse of his computer and closes it before setting it to a side table.

kon is fiddling with his hands in front of him only a few inches from where tim is sitting. as soon as the laptop is away kon has a few seconds before he's on his back on tim's bed with a lapful of squirming robin who is working off his suit and belt.

kon is SO confused and staring up at tim who is pawing at kon's suit.

"want to fuck now?"

oh kon must be having a stroke because there is NO way this is happening. he manages to mumble something about professionalism and how hadn't tim just been saying something like that-?

tim tilts his head like a confused puppy and stares down at kon.

"yeah. but i'm not working now."

and that's all the permission kon needs.

he'd always internally thought about how tim would secretly be a freak in the sheets given how quiet and serious he was.

he's right. tim is.

kon can barely feel his cock the next morning. he hadn't even known balls could be sore but they are.

kon is hoping for a repeat but batman arrives and skirts tim away. something about gotham business and so kon is left just staring into space knowing that he now knows how tight tim goes when he's cumming on kon's cock.

tim gets shared occasionally by non-bats. if they're lucky enough to be around when tim's out of work mode and horny (which is almost always).

when tim becomes CEO his open slots for hot, sloppy sex doubles overnight. the family couldn't be happier even if it is a challenge to get to tim before someone else. and also the fact that when they're fucking tim they have to cross their fingers that no one will call his emergency beacon during sex because tim will immediately go from sweetly panting and moaning on their cocks to pulling his sweet baby cunt up and off to respond to an immediate call for his assistance.

the first time it happens to dick he follows tim all the way down the hall in just a sheet while begging tim to come back, that they were both so close. if tim didn't want to finish that was alright but could he at least just bend over slightly for a few moments because dick swore he could cum in just a few pumps- please timmy!

bruce once makes the mistake of tightening his grip on tim's hips, refusing to let him go and speeding up because he's so close-

he ends up with a black eye and nursing an icepack while tim sits at the end of the bed, curled over on his laptop and searching out some evidence that barbara requested of him. it's hours before tim is done and riding him again. bruce gets to cum but he's also stuck with a sore eye and having to wear makeup for two weeks.

it's a careful balance. but a worthwhile one.