#also remember when it was confirmed that wally will check in on his loved ones with out their knowledge at random times of the day because

[biterflies]

big fan of speedsters being Wrong in ways almost indecipherable. big fan of speedsters who when they get too excited or upset or emotional seem to glow and spark with electricity around the edges. big fan of speedsters talking so fast it sounds to the unattuned human ear like the language of the depths where the old ones lie. big fan of speedsters who hang around their lightning rods whenever possible whether the lightning rod is aware of their speedy protector checking in on them at any hour of the day or not. big fan of speedsters who disappear for years or decades at a time and come back the exact same despite the clear aging of the world around them. big fan of speedsters who disappear for a week and come back aged and wise and jaded beyond what years they were a week ago before they left. big fan of speedsters who have the thing above happen then wipe it clean ignore it and go back to their old self and age with no regard for the rules that say that should be impossible. big fan of speedsters who upon dying completely evaporate from this plane of existence. big fan of speedsters

[yjwhatif]

With the semi/cryptic confirmation of Ed and Barts relationship in the series I have a question:

Do you think everyone knows about them (in world) or do you think they’re keeping it secret from some?

It’s just a thought that’s been in my head recently. It is most likely fuelled by the whole drama of G&B not being able to depict a “specific character” (it’s definitely Bart) as gay. They’ve had to hide the relationship from their audience - because of ridiculous reasons - but there are still moments that bring up the question - Are they? Before the reveals from AskGreg, I kinda thought- well they are clearly not together yet, but perhaps they both have feelings for one another and are just waiting for the other to make the next move because they’re nervous idiots who don’t want to have read the situation wrong — all while their friends are like - seriously guys? just get together already. Kinda like they did in s1 with Wally and Artemis - and I guess early Supermartian as well - which I would have been okay with... though with the likelihood of there being at least another two year time skip you’d probably have missed the getting together moment - which would kinda suck. Anyway. With the information about the chances being they were supposed to clearly be in a relationship throughout S3 — which makes the whole structuring of ILLUSIONS just make sense — it’s got me viewing their moments with a whole new energy. Also, I saw this post by Greg —

And let me just clarify, I have no idea if this is actually referencing the Ed and Bart stuff, it might not be (probably isn't). This is purely me speculating.

My reading of this is they got told they couldn’t depict Bart as gay pretty late on and that specifically affected ILLUSIONS where they likely intended to confirm the relationship with that first shot - the kiss on the cheek moment. Even now that moment is just odd - because it’s there but it’s not - because technically there is no actual kiss… which I think is absolutely the point. It plants the seed without actually breaking any rules - all by keeping the momentum but removing the specific kiss frame. It’s the only moment that I feel is explicit in saying they are in a relationship - everything else you can just read into and imply there’s something - but they technically don’t confirm anything.

The whole thing is actually quite interesting - despite the reasoning for it being totally ridiculous. By keeping/showing what they did... People notice it. People talk about it. People reflect on it. More people talk about it. People writing. Make. Create. Discuss it. An entire audience is formed who want and support it. It’s a whole thing now because people noticed it and generated a positive response to it - and that was before all the AskGreg information. The whole reason YJ got a season 3 is because the fans fought to get it back. Enough people talked about it - and kept talking about it - to convince TPTB that the show should come back. Greg and Brandon know this. They know the power the fans have and maybe they hoped that power would help them again in freeing Bart from these ridiculous restrictions. #letbartoutofthecloset

Obviously, we can't know until S4 is released whether G&B got the permission to confirm Bart's sexuality the way they envisioned - but maybe the responses that came during the release of 3b were enough to convince TPTB that they were fighting a losing battle. But who knows, people in power can be very stubborn at times, so we will just have to see what we get. Fingers crossed they eased up though - and not just because of the Ed/Bart relationship (which I am obviously a fan of -- it's fine if not everyone is) - but because these restrictions on LGBTQ+ content shouldn't be a thing and need to stop -- there is just no validity in them.

Anyhow. despite their not being allowed to officially confirm the relationship, Greg's comment about Ed's having a boyfriend they can't name basically confirms the fact without technically breaking any rules again. Masterfully done Wiesman. With this, it implies the pair are in fact dating during S3 which brings us back to the original question... but who knows??

With the comments of Virgil during ILLUSIONS, it's easy to assume their friends do in fact know. They also seem to have no problem being close and interacting with one another whilst in the presence of others -- that is, except for one moment...

Ever since the first time I saw this episode (ELDER WISDOM) I have always found this moment strange - because Ed seems to get kinda awkward when Barry comes to check on Bart. (Or that's how I see it at least.) He realises Flash is standing there and immediately pulls his head down averting his gaze -- almost like he doesn't want to be seen by the elder. But why? Does Barry not know about the pair -- or maybe he doesn't know about Bart and Ed thinks their current closeness is too revealing -- who's to say Bart's even fully out to the world yet -- who's to say either of them are? We certainly don't since we weren't allowed to be shown. We can't know until we know - so until then we can play the speculation game while we wait.

Bart is certainly a bit of a secret keeper when it comes to being himself. I'm still convinced the Bart we see onscreen is merely his interpretation of what he thinks people expect from a speedster in this time. We saw 'real' Bart, he was snarky and cynical and nothing like the Bart we've had for the past two seasons. He said it himself - he's playing a character - and I don't think he knows how to break out of it - not while the possibility exists that it might hurt those he's grown to care about. Bart wants to be seen a certain way to avoid acknowledging the truth of the past - if people see him as happy and smiley, then no one will question him on things he doesn't want to talk about. The problem with that is you can't hide yourself forever - cracks begin to form and eventually, the truth comes out whether you want it to or not. So who knows how comfortable Bart is revealing any of his true self to those he cares about. Maybe his relationship with Ed will be the thing that finally helps him find comfort in being himself, whilst also trusting others to still accept him as himself... and maybe getting him that bit of therapy he really needs.

This brings us to Eduardo… First, can I just say it made me so happy to see Greg’s confirmation of Ed being gay - though it is slightly annoying that he was robbed of his explicit onscreen reveal in S3 thanks to the drama with Bart. His whole relationship to his powers in S2 to S3 fits the representation of coming to terms with your sexuality/identity from a very negative point of view. Feeling like it’s something that needs fixing or needs to be “cured” - to then finding the light and freedom in accepting yourself for you. His growth between seasons is brilliant. He understands the hate and insecurity the teens are feeling because he felt it himself. He does all he can to help them because he never felt he got that help when he needed it - and no one deserves to feel worse for being who they are. Obviously, the things he talks about are framed in the context of dealing with/accepting the meta-gene - yet there are certain moments where it seems he’s saying more than that…

All of which got me wondering - why did Ed originally runaway? It certainly wasn’t because of the meta-abilities he did not yet have. All he’s ever said on the subject was he thought he wanted to be with his father - the man it seems he barely had a relationship with. No, I think Ed has been running from himself for a long time and his dad just happened to be an actual direction for him to aim for. The way he speaks about his wanting to be “cured” and “praying to get rid of his powers” suggests an upbringing around religion and traditional ideas of there being a ‘normal/proper’ way to be — while anything that doesn’t fit that way is treated as other or something that needs to be changed or 'fixed'. Maybe he ran to avoid being found out and run the risk of being ostracised by those he loved. Or maybe he was found out and leaving wasn’t entirely his choice*. If this was the case, I can certainly imagine him not wanting to come out to his dad for fear of his reaction and completely losing all chance of that father-son relationship they’re both trying so hard to keep. It can seem easier to live in secret than risk the reality of loss. So while the meta-gene likely wasn’t the main thing he was angry about in S2, it was able to become a physical thing he could blame and focus his anger on - without having to think about where his issues truly lied… Though with a bit of time it also became the thing he was comfortable conveying his feelings through...

“I’ve learned to accept, even love my meta-abilities”

I love this line so much and it’s all because of the delivery by Freddy Rodrigues. There is the slightest hint of a pause before he says “meta-abilities”, which gives the impression he was about to say something else before then remembering himself and who he was talking to. Then there’s the small inflecion he put on “love”, which makes it sound like it’s the first time he’s heard himself say the words out loud. I don’t hear him talking about the gene - I hear him talking about finally accepting himself - all of himself - for the first time in maybe ever and finally feeling happy because of it. I hear growth... From being the angry 14-year-old skater who just wanted to run away and escape any way he could. To the 16-year-old councillor/Outsider jumping straight into the danger to protect and inspire those who need it. Both he and Bart are such strong characters with so much more to be seen - especially when it comes to the insecurities which lie behind their masks. They both compliment each other pretty perfectly - both powers-wise and personality-wise - meaning while they try to hide themself from others, I don't think it'll take long for them to realise they can't hide from each other.

Anywho, that’s all the speculatary nonsense I’ve got for today. This turned into such a patchwork of vaguely linkable thoughts I’ve had which barely relate to the one I started with - but that is usually how it goes. Take it as you will…

Also, completely unrelated to YJ, but Bi Tim Drake now exists in dc canon which is really cool - seeing all of the joy it’s sparked has really given me something to smile about this week… There is hope after all. 🌈

— LB ⚡️☀️

* OK so here’s a little random snapshot into the chaos of my mind— as I was writing the Ed stuff I had a scene pop into my head of Ed finally -for whatever reason- having to tell his dad that he didn’t leave his abuelo’s home - he got kicked out. His dads confused about this and asks Why? What did you do? And Ed’s like Nothing… I didn’t do anything wrong… he just… found out something. So Seniors like Found out what Eduardo? And Ed’s getting really nervous now because he doesn’t want to say it - That I, um… I’m… Senior step a fraction closer as he picks up on Ed’s anxiety but remains an appropriate distance - Son? Then after a tensening silence he finally says it - sounding the most vulnerable he has ever been - I’m gay… The silence is there again, heavy and unnerving, neither saying a word. Ed can’t move as he’s lock in his elders unreadable glare. Expecting the worse his head drops to take in the floor - anything that isn’t the disappointment ahead - he feels the urge to disappear burning up inside him - consuming him. Then just as he’s about to escape he’s suddenly grounded by a steadying hand rooting itself on his shoulder. Tentatively he lifts his gaze to witness his father, there, with nothing but love and support in his eyes - Mijo. The clamping in his chest dissipates as all the tension escapes at once, along with the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. Ed embraces his dad and the elder embraces his son. Together. A family.

Anyway. That’s probably a load of rubbish but hey my minds full of it… but basically I really want to see a tender moment between Ed and his dad. For whatever reason. Something where Ed’s in a vulnerable state and in need of some emotional support from his father - and without hesitation his father steps up - because that’s what we haven’t seen from them yet. It would perfectly portray the strength of their relationship as father and son - despite their previous struggles - and prove that Senior is willing to support his son no matter the situation as the father - not just the scientist. Its the final step in their healing journey and I wanna see it so bad!!

[daringyounggrayson]

whumptober day 15: fever dreams (AO3)

Dick wakes with a gasp, sitting up where he’d fallen asleep on the couch.

“Are you quite alright, sir?” Alfred asks.

Dick turns around to face him. He’s holding a duster over the bookshelf with an outstretched hand, but he’s completely focused on Dick. His face is one of concern.

“Fine, fine—weird dream,” Dick mumbles, relaxing back into the couch.

“You always had odd dreams when you were ill as a child.” Alfred appears beside him, quickly moves to rest his free hand against Dick’s forehead.

“Yeah?” Dick remembers. His nightmares always got worse when he was sick, but he would also get these bizarre dreams that never made any sense. Sometimes—often—a combination of the two. A couple of times, the fever dreams got so bad that Bruce checked his blood for traces of fear toxin.

“Hmm. Yes, you’re still feverish,” Alfred concludes. He takes his hand off of Dick’s forehead and moves it to rest on top of his shoulder. It’s grounding, comforting. “Have you taken anything?”

“Mmhmm. I took some Tylenol like an hour ago,” Dick says.

“Did you happen to write down your temperature first?”

“Nope.”

Alfred steps away. “One moment, please.”

Dick hums again, wrapping the blanket tightly around himself. Alfred’s back a moment later with a thermometer, which Dick dutifully pops in his mouth. When it beeps, the fever is confirmed: 102.4.

“Hmm. We shall keep a close eye on this. How are you feeling otherwise?”

Dick shrugs. “Not great, but not terrible. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

Alfred considers this, then nods. “I was about to sit down for some lunch. Care to join me?”

“Sure,” Dick says, smiling. He stands from his spot on the couch and follows Alfred to the kitchen, still wrapped in his blanket.

oOo

Dick remembers doing this when he’d been a kid. He used to follow Alfred around a lot in the early days, and it’s something he took comfort in later when he was sick. He’d wrap himself in a blanket cape to stay warm, and then move wherever Alfred went for as long as he was able to. Luckily, Alfred never went far when he was sick, probably because of that habit.

They’re also eating the same noodle soup Alfred would always make when any of them were sick. It’s been modified and tweaked over the years, but the nostalgic flavors remain. And most importantly, it’s warm. It feels good on Dick’s sore throat, and it heats his frozen body from the inside out.

“I had a dream about soup last night,” Dick mentions casually. That’s something else he used to do as a kid—if he’d had a weird dream the night before, he’d usually tell Alfred about it on the way to school. Alfred rarely shared any of his own dreams, claiming not to remember them, but when he did share dreams, they were always happy or funny. Dick wonders if Alfred had cleaned them up, or if he lied about not remembering dreams.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Tim and I were in a soup-making competition, and we kept fighting over who got to stir the pot.” Another thing Alfred let him do as a kid. “You kept yelling at us from the stands, and you told us if we couldn’t get along that neither of us were going to get to stir. You ended up coming to our station and taking over.”

The corner of Alfred’s mouth twitches. “I see I am true to my word even in your dreams.”

Dick smiles and exhales through his nose. “Of course.” Dick thinks back on his dreams from this past week, trying to find one that might make Alfred crack and laugh. “Oh! I had this other one a couple of nights ago that was kind of funny.”

Alfred finishes the last of his soup, nodding for Dick to continue.

“I had to take a break from the Teen Titans because I was sick, so I made Wally’s pet turtle the interim leader,” Dick explains. “But when I came back, all of them loved the turtle way more, so we agreed to just keep him as the leader. But he was too slow and we were late to all of our battles. The villains were mad at us for being late all the time and filed a complaint with the city.”

Alfred’s mouth twitches more at that one. “And none of you thought to simply carry the turtle?”

“None of it makes sense,” Dick chuckles, taking another bite of soup. “Man, I really do miss that turtle, though.”

“I don’t believe I ever met the lad, but I know you and your friends took lots of pictures with him. I believe I have a few of them somewhere,” Alfred trails off, probably trying to remember which photo album they would be in.

They fall into a comfortable silence, and Alfred clears the table. When he sits back down, he covers Dick’s hand with his own. “How long have you been having the nightmares?”

Dick’s smile fades. The endings of his dreams come back to him: someone sneaking poison into their soup and Tim and Alfred dying in front of him; one of the villains not being satisfied with how the city handled the complaint and blowing up their lair, his friends still inside. The other dreams of how Dick had failed, will continue to fail. The people he’s lost staring at him with dead, blank faces screaming your fault.

“All week,” Dick admits, shoulders slumping. Alfred has always seen right through him; waking up gasping had probably just confirmed Alfred’s suspicions.

“You can talk to me,” Alfred offers. “I would be happy to listen if you think it might help.”

Dick turns his hand over, squeezes Alfred’s. “I know. Thanks.”

And true to his word, Alfred listens.

[heyitsani]

Loving You is a Losing Game Chapter 1

@jaydick-week Day 2 fic: Fairytale AU

Word Count: 3,543

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Monsters and Magic

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson

Summary: When Batman goes missing, Nightwing is called in to try and track the man down. What he finds at the spot Batman was last seen is something he's not sure he's equipped to deal with. But that doesn't stop him from doing what he has to in order to get Batman out. Even if it means becoming the poisoner of a strange shadow man in a Gothic castle hidden behind a wall of magic on the edge of Gotham.

Notes: This is my Beauty and the Beast AU set in the comics (sort of...I’ve changed some details and you’ll understand once it’s all done).  I’m not sure how many chapters this one will have but here is the first.  I just wanted to be able to post at least part of the stories I prepared for the week since I wasn’t able to finish any of them.

You can also read it on AO3 here

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

He felt the person before he heard them, and the presence alone was enough for Dick to tense up in ways he’d rather not admit happened.  This was not a confrontation he was in the mood for at the moment, but apparently he was going to have to have it none the less.

“Deathstroke,” he said flatly, turning to look at the other man standing a few feet away in his familiar orange and black gear.

The white-haired man gave a smirk that boiled Dick’s blood, but he refused to react.  “Nightwing, how lovely to see you tonight.”  Dick never understood why Slade kept up the pretense of these meetings being unplanned.  They weren’t.  He might be oblivious to many things, but when a predator is stalking him has never been one of them.  He was well aware of what Slade was doing when he appeared out of nowhere.

“Is there something I can do for you tonight?  Or are you just here to get in my way.”

“Just curious how my favorite Little Bird was doing,” the man said as he leaned against the brick wall that held the door to head down into the building he had made his perch for the night.  “I’ve heard some interesting rumors over the past couple of months and I wanted to see if they were true.”

This was a dangerous game, Dick knew that.  He should just ignore Slade and head to a different spot in hopes the man would leave him alone, but his curiosity was also burning.  What kind of rumor could Slade have possibly heard involving him.

Sighing, Dick turned to face the man.  “And what rumors are those?”  He took the bait.  He frowned when Slade’s smirk turned predatory and made Dick want to take a few steps back to get more space between them.  Despite there being about ten feet already.

“Nightwing hasn’t been seen in Gotham for almost half a year.  And the hero community is wondering why the Titans have lost their leader suddenly.”  Rolling his eyes behind his mask, Dick crossed his arms over his chest.  “Now…you fighting with Daddy Bats isn’t all that strange, but six months?  When there’s still the little Robin running around not fully trained?”

Dick didn’t point out that Damian was Batman’s own son and had been trained by the League of Assassins. He was more trained than any of them had ever been.  And he made sure to point it out frequently to Tim.

“And that you have left behind your precious Titans?  Now that’s surprising.”  But Dick knew he no one other than the team knew why he had separated himself from them and they all accepted it.  He hadn’t been ousted or banned.  He had left because he had needed to.  “Are you isolating yourself, Little Bird?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Slade shrugged and pushed away from the wall, taking a few long strides to close some of the distance between them.  “Seems to me that you are pushing away everyone in your life, Kid.  Perhaps you’re ready for your true destiny?”  Dick frowned.  “Join me.  You know it’s inevitable.”

Dick laughed. Actually laughed at the words and shook his head.  

“Dream on, Slade.  I say it every time you bring it up,” Dick reminded him, uncrossing his arms.  “Until the world has burned, I will never join you.”

“Don’t tempt me, Kid.”

Instead of responding, Dick just rolled his eyes and took a step back off the edge of the roof, free falling for a moment before shooting off his grapple in the direction of where he had parked his motorcycle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Agent A,” Dick said into his comm when he heard Alfred’s voice bleeding through.  He was surprised to be hearing from the older man, but welcomed it none the less.  Even if it was coming in the middle of a fight.  

Landing a punch across the jaw of one of the goons and vaulting himself over the falling body to swiftly knock the other down with a firm kick to his chest, he breathed heavily. “Nightwing, I require your assistance in Gotham.”  Frowning, Dick knelt down and zip-tied the hands of the goons together before sending off the signal and coordinates to BPD.

“You require it?  Or Batman does?”  He questioned as he shot his grapple up to get off the street and out of the area before the cops arrived.  While the cops of BPD had gotten better over time, they still had an arrest order for all vigilantes.  So it was always best that he just left before they arrived. “What’s going on?”

“Batman has not been seen for about 48 hours now.  Robin and Red Robin are off world with the Titans at the moment and I know Batman would rather keep the search in the family before involving the League.” Which made sense in Bruce’s mind, but considering their hero friends had been vanishing left and right over the last two years, Dick thought it was somewhat foolish.  “Might you make your way to the Cave?”

Figuring out where he was in relation to his motorcycle, Dick took off in the direction of where he had stashed it.  “I’m on my way now.  Tell me what he was doing the night he went missing.”  He listened to Alfred relay the major points of the missing hero case that the entire community was working on while holding down their various cities. He listened as Alfred talked about Bruce starting the suspect something was happening in an abandon warehouse on the outskirts of town, not far from Crime Alley.  

Dick confirmed that Bruce had mentioned that to him about a year ago and Dick had told Bruce that there was no activity in the area after running the scans.  But apparently that didn’t mean Bruce had dropped it.  It just meant he didn’t immediately deal with whatever it was that was happening there.

“Master Bruce linked these three heroes and their disappearances with that warehouse,” Alfred said as he pulled open three filed.  Dick frowned when the faces of Roy Harper, Koriand’r, and Wally West appeared on the screen.  Three of his closest friends whose absences he had felt deeply.  If Donna’s face had come up alongside them then he would have left immediately.  “All three had come to town for various reasons and all vanished when leaving in that direction.”

“And Bruce thinks they vanished in the warehouse so he what?  He went there to try and figure out what was happening?”

Alfred nodded and pulled up a video, which Dick easily figured out was the cowl recording from the night he went missing.  Dick watched from Bruce’s eyes as the batmobile came to a stop on the outskirts of the three-building area.  His mentor took a moment to scan the area and look for any signs of life, but when the readings seemed to glitch he still decided to go in.  An action Dick had specifically been told not to do if he had experienced the same thing.

“Magic,” Bruce had said when Dick had reported his findings.  

But Bruce exited the car and headed toward the first of three buildings.  And just as Dick leaned forward, pressing his hands on the desk to watch closely, the screen glitched again and then static.  Scanning the screen for the readings of the video, he frowned.  “What the hell was that?”

“My thoughts?  It is the same magic you encountered when you had gone to scout the area at Master Bruce’s request.”

Dick straightened and frowned.  That was heavy magic if it was able to cut everything off from Bruce.  And it made Dick wonder if Bruce had somehow managed to get stuck behind the wall.  “Is Zatanna one of the missing?”  There had been so many that he couldn’t remember all of them.  Alfred’s nod filled him with dread.  “I have to go check it out.”

“Could I advise you to go to the Watchtower before you do?”

“There’s no time. He’s been missing for two days and some change.  I need to head in there.”  Dick frowned, grabbing his mask from where he had set it down when he had arrived. “But you should contact Clark immediately.  I’m not sure if they’ll be able to spare any of the other magic users, but let them know what Bruce had suspected.”  He turned to head back to his motorcycle but paused when Alfred’s hand landed on his upper arm.  “I have to go, Alf.  I can’t just leave him there.”

“I understand my boy, just be careful.  We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”  Dick gave a nod before continuing to his motorcycle.  “I will contact the League and try to get the Robins to return to Earth.”

“Thanks Alf.  I’ll keep you updated for as long as I can.”

He gave the older man one last smile before he gunned the engine and sped out of the Cave toward the warehouse where he would face too many unknown variables.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pulling up to the same place where Bruce had parked the batmobile, Dick frowned when he noticed the car was no longer there.  They were far enough away from the majority of the city that thieves wouldn’t have gotten to it, but that didn’t account for whatever magic that had been used to protect this area.  So he carefully set his motorcycle into stealth mode and left it tucked between two smaller buildings in the area.  If he was lucky, it would be there to get him and Bruce back to the cave once he found the other man.

“I’m approaching now, Agent A,” he reported to Alfred through the comms, sticking to the shadows as he approached.  He kept one eye on the grounds and the other on any possible movement around him.  “I didn’t notice it last time, but you can actually see the current.”  He moved to stand about a foot away from the now just slightly visible wall of magic.  He looked up, trying to see how far it went, but after about ten feet, the angle didn’t provide a good look.  

It almost reminded him of heat waves that came off the pavement during the worst of Gotham’s summers.

Reaching out a hand, Dick carefully touched the wall and jerked a hand back when it felt like he had been zapped by one of his escrimas.  “It feels like electricity,” he said into the comm but the reply he got back was crackled and broken.  And that meant he was probably on his own.  “I’m not sure if you can hear me anymore, but I’m going in.  Call for the League and the Robins.  Find a magic user and get them here if you can.  I’ll bring him back, Alf.”  And with a deep breath, he stepped forward and into the wall of magic.

And when he came out on the other side, he bent forward with his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. “That is not a good time,” he groaned to himself as he tried to pull himself together.  With a few more deep breaths, Dick straightened and gasped in surprise at the sight of what was on the other side of the wall.

The image projected on the city side of the wall was what he remembered the area to look like.  Three large, abandoned warehouses and their various grounds surrounding them.  Gray and boring, weathered from the lack of upkeep and use.  But what was before him seemed almost gothic in comparison.  In fact, it looked like some of the older buildings of the city.  Gargoyles and all.  The plain concrete walls had been replaced with stone, vines that had not been there two years ago had begun to creep up them giving them an even more aged look.

The grounds themselves were green and reminded him far more of the Manor than what he would have expected a warehouse to look like.  They also looked immaculately kept.  It was almost as if whoever had done the spell had taken a gothic castle and placed it on the edge of Gotham while making every one in the city believe the warehouses remained.

It made Dick feel like he had a rock in his stomach.  This was a very powerful spell.

Scouting the area as best he could, Dick carefully made his way forward with his escrimas in hand and ready for a fight.  He didn’t know what he was bound to encounter, but he wasn’t going to chance not being prepared.  Not when it might be Bruce’s life on the line.  

When the grounds revealed little information, Dick snuck his way inside through one of the windows in the front and quietly made his way through the main foyer.  The more he saw of the building, the heavier the pit in his stomach got.  

The sound of fierce whispering hit his senses as he came to the base of a set of stairs.  

Nightwing, it is Nightwing.  

He frowned, looking around to try and find the source.  

Nightwing can do it.

He wanted to ask what exactly the whisperers thought he could do, but instead he remained silent and looked up the stairs.  There was a faint light further up and like a moth, Dick made his way toward it.  The whispers got quieter and quieter the further up he went.  Until they had vanished all together and he was standing at the top of the stairs, looking at something that he was struggling to understand.  It looked like cells but it wasn’t making sense in his head.

Of course, if this really was some sort of medieval structure, it would make sense for there to be a tower with cells for keeping prisoners.  But what that even what this was.

The sound of movement from one of the ones on the right caught his attention and with barely a thought, he rushed forward to peer inside.  “Batman!”  He cried, latching his escrimas on his back before gripping the bars of the cell door. “Are you okay?!”  He questioned as he looked the older man over.  

“Nightwing,” the name came out as a groan and Dick frowned.  Bruce looked roughed up, but he didn’t look like he was in that bad of condition. “You have to leave.  Get out of here now.  Before it takes you like it took them all.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not going to just leave you here,” he shook his head before searching his utility belt for his lock pick so he could get the cell open and get Bruce out of there.  He had just about gotten the lock open when a loud crash sounded behind him and he was flying toward the cells on the other side of the small hallway.

“What are you doing here?!” The question was practically growled, and Dick tried to focus on the source but all he could see was a shadow and a pair of glowing green eyes.  “You don’t belong here.  Leave!”

Shaking his head, Dick looked over at Bruce before looking back to the shadow.  “I’m not leaving without Batman.”

“Yes, you are,” the shadow growled.  “He’s my prisoner.  He’s cursed to remain.”

Dick carefully stood to his feet and grabbed his escrimas, moving into a fighting stance.  “I’m not leaving without him.  So either you give him to me or I take him.”

“Nightwing, no!”  

But Dick ignored Bruce’s call and carefully moved so he was standing in front of his mentor’s cell. He didn’t know who or what it was he was facing, but he had fought enough in his years to be adaptable. “Dick, please just go.  Get out while you can.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“One of you is leaving before I really lose my temper.”

That gave Dick pause. “One of us?”  The shadow seemed to tilt it’s head and Dick considered the idea building in his mind.  He could get Bruce out of there.  He could get Bruce home to Alfred.  And Bruce would figure out a way to get him out of there.  He could do that.  Dick would never be able to figure out how to combat magic like this.  He wasn’t sure even their magic users in the League would be able to.  But Batman always found a way.  “Take me instead.”

“What?”

“No!”

“You heard me.  Take me instead.  Release Batman and I’ll take his place.”

“You…” the shadow paused, sounding almost awed.  “You would do that for him?”

“Yes.”

“Dick don’t do this, please.”

Turning his head just slightly to lock eyes with Bruce, Dick pursed his lips.  “I have to.  You’ll figure it out.  You’re already there.  I trust you.” The man frowned but understanding filled his eyes and he gave Dick a firm nod.  Turning back to the shadow, Dick latched his escrimas again and raised his chin.  “I’ll stay as long as I have to if you promise to let him go safely on the other side of the magical wall.”

There was silence before the shadow moved like liquid, shoving Dick out of the way and getting Bruce out of the cell.  In a blink of an eye, the pair were gone and Dick was left alone wondering what he was supposed to do now.  He just risked his life on Bruce being able to figure this out.  He had given up everything because he trusted the man enough to get to the bottom of whatever was happening here.  Dick trusted Bruce and Nightwing trusted Batman, but jumping in front of a bullet was different than trapping himself inside a magical dome with no connection to the outside world.

With a deep breath, Dick pulled the mask off his eyes and looked around the room he supposed he would be staying in.  The cells were stereotypical for a medieval castle and under any other circumstance, he would probably laugh at that.  But now this was his...home?

“Come,” a voice came out of nowhere, causing him to jump and quickly turn toward the staircase he had come up.

The shadow was back.

More magic, he mused to himself.  “What?” He questioned the command, wary of what the game might be here.

The shadow shifted and moved forward, stepping into the light to reveal a man.  Not a shadow at all.  Blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, and green eyes.  He was tall but not as tall as the shadow had made him appear to be. And not as bulky, but still solid in muscle mass and strength.  “Do you want to stay up here?”  The man growled, his green eyes taking on an almost glowing look to them.  It made Dick take a step back in self-preservation.

“No, but I thought…” This was where Bruce had been kept after all.  Why was he not to assume that it would be the same for him?

“You thought wrong.” The man turned and headed down the stairs and after a short hesitation, Dick hurried to follow.  He kept quiet as he followed the man down the stairs he had come up in the beginning and then down the halls toward a different wing of the castle.  “This is your home now.  You can go anywhere you like but the West Wing.”

Dick glanced behind him, remembering the staircase they had passed that would have been in the westward direction.  “What’s in the West Wing?”  He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.  He blamed Bruce and his need to raise detectives.

“Nothing of your concern!” The man ground out, turning to glare at Dick with his glowing green eyes.  And though he wanted to take a step back, he resisted the urge.  He did, however, give a slight nod of understanding to pacify the man instead.  There was a moment of pause before he seemed pacified and they continued on the path. “You will stay here,” the man said when they reached an elaborately carved, pair of double doors.  Dick looked up at them before stepping forward and inside the room after he pushed the doors open.

The room itself looked as though it had come right out of a movie.  Four post bed, gleaming silvers and blues all over.  The bed looked plush and the furniture was likely hand carved.  Everything was polished and smooth, gleaming under the lighting.  It was ornate and fancy and Dick hated it.  But that might have had more to do with it being his prison than it being overly done.

He heard the man clear his throat and Dick turned to find he remained in the doorway of the room, looking hesitate to enter.  But that was something Dick had no desire to unpack that right then.  Not when he was still technically a prisoner.

“If you need anything, the others are always lingering.”  The man glanced around the room before straightening his spine.  “I expect you to join me for dinner.”  Dick frowned when the man turned away and slammed the door behind him.  Sighing, Dick turned in a small circle before dropping down onto the edge of the bed.

[sepublic]

Halloween Special: The Shut-In!

           So, this episode is SUPPOSED to be canon, I believe? Or the idea is that within the episode itself, the events take place after the Plantars return to Wartwood, but otherwise it isn’t canon? I’m not sure, I’ll have to go check. Either way…

           This was a REALLY fun, and surprisingly freaky episode, especially towards the end! I love the darker, pragmatic take on Halloween for Amphibia, and how the holiday is interpreted in this world as more of a doomsday preparation sort of thing, this show’s worldbuilding is always so fun. Let me tell you, I lost my mind when I saw human Sprig, Polly, Maddie, and Toadie! Is the implication that Toadie is actually, like, around the kids’ ages this entire time? That makes people shipping him and Mayor Toadstool, uh… VERY, er… But at the same time, I can see why everyone thought he was an adult- So an honest mistake and thus no harm done! And come to think of it, Polly seems to be about the same age as Sprig here. So, the ages may not necessarily match… But then come to think of it, it IS weird that the writers/animators chose to give Toadie a humansona, and not say, Ivy! Actually, Toadie is rather minor and feels oddly specific considering who else was excluded, so I have to wonder if there was some particular reason for this, of if the writers just felt like it?

           Anyhow, the humanized versions of our frog friends are adorable, Sprig and Polly are gingers, no surprise there, and the bucket over Polly’s foot is so cute! I love how Anne didn’t even TRY to change who she was, she legit just tied up her hair and that’s it. Her story was a fun premise, and I expected the video to actually be a jumpscare that pulls in its victims at the last moment. And I mean, sort of? It definitely takes a while for that Video Cat demon thing to arrive… But I loved Anne in this bit, how she’s so smug and proud of herself and really doesn’t want to care what others say about her skills, you go girl! You go write dialogue! And I just realized, but this is possibly the closest look we have to Anne’s actual home and bedroom, assuming things haven’t been changed up all that much in the ‘bootleg’ translation… So F-Annes, analyze!

           That Video Cat being unable to take criticism and literally dying to it is a mood. Also, either its eggs ARE boba, and/or they just taste like it… Either way, keep in mind that Molly legit took a huge bite out of one. Then again, more feral things have happened in Amphibia and ESPECIALLY with Polly, so I guess I’m not too shocked- Look at Anne, she wanted to eat that monster crab that almost killed Sylvia way back when! Are those cats invincible because they’re bound to no videos, or are they subject to regular criticism in general… Can they also be physically killed as well?

           WHY am I even asking, when we know this isn’t canon whatsoever and is never going to come up again!? Anne insists that this happened to her phone specifically, so I guess the gag is that the phone had a previous owner named Anna, etc…. Still, while it’s funny how Anne just gets away with completely making up a story, I do have to wonder if it’s like. Allegorical to a real-life experience. Probably not, given the presence of humanized Sprig, Polly, Maddie, and Toadie… Unless Anne is recounting something that happened in Amphibia, but then Sprig and Polly would’ve recognized what Anne is alluding to, given how they remembered those other past adventures (which was a hilarious gag that I felt nostalgic to recognize). I’m probably just overthinking it.

           Then, we’ve got Hop Pop’s story! He had LUSCIOUS locks, and he met the Grim Reaper- Again, allegedly. Not gonna lie I assumed that dude was Frog Lucifer or something, but this is kind of better? Either way that was pretty dark, and I love the implication that the Grim Reaper legit went out of his way to steal some rando’s hair. Poor Hop Pop, he never got his hair back! Are we going to call this canon? Does this confirm the presence of a Frog Grim Reaper?

           (Side-note, I feel bad for Wally! Imagine being born on a day where everyone has to be holed up lest they turn into Were-Amphibians! That must’ve been quite the scandal for the Ribbiton family, I have to wonder if this influenced his decision to go out and live his own life with how lonely Wally was…)

           Then we have Sprig’s story! I’m so happy to see Ivy again, I never realized how much I missed her and her adorable design, and her hair is so cute! Kind of reminds me of Anne with how wild it is, I want to see a one-shot of Anne bonding with Ivy over their messy hair now. I really appreciate that gag of Sprig realizing what Ivy’s about to say, about how everyone has knitting needles, and Ivy breaking down that door without remorse. This story was my favorite, not just for the comedy, but also…

           DANG, that was legitimately terrifying?!When I saw those slimy frog skins, knowing those were actual people, with Hop Pop even suggesting one of them could’ve been Gary… and YIKES, what happens to the flayed bodies?!? Legit I freaked out when I saw the Seamstress, this was straight-up Leather Face, the show wasn’t even trying to be subtleor dodge around it, those were actual people skins! This was some Wartwood Chainsaw Massacre…! Seeing all of those hanging skins and faces gave me the heebie-jeebies, I didn’t expect the show to go THIS far, and while I’m impressed and glad it managed to freak me out, still! That build up to the reveal of Ivy literally ripping off that ‘face’, us seeing a glimpse of the Seamstress before her skins fall off, and it looks like she lacks any skin entirely, and that’s why she wears others’!

           Only, she DOES have skin, it’s just clear- Fun fact, I watched this with my brother and he immediately recognized the Seamstress as a Glass Frog, by name, before Sprig did! I think it was a neat gag how for Sprig, he immediately calms down because for Amphibians, Glass Frogs are a somewhat normal and non-supernatural facet of life, relatively speaking. For us humans, well, it reminds me of this one myth about a woman whose head can rise from her body, unveiling her organs…

           I THOUGHT the episode was going to go the sweet route, even as I joked that the Seamstress still, y’know, KILLED people. And like Apothecary Gary, the show remembered this and we legit had the Seamstress burn to death in a classic horror movie finale, and I yelled when she made one last stand to grab Ivy by the leg and bite her! I get that there’s meant to be an allegory between Ivy not appreciating her own hair, and the Seamstress not appreciating her own skin, body positivity and all that- But mostly I was too freaked out to appreciate it. Ivy waddling around blindly in present-time was adorable, though.

           And, Polly! I LOVE the sort of lesson, the realization that her being gone was scarier than ANY story they’d heard that night (probably because this was real, at least I assume the other stories were fake but regardless). We get our twist of Polly turning into a Were-Tadpole, and then anticlimactically reacting while the others lose their minds as noises of ruckus are heard, implying that Polly immediately went feral afterwards, or the others just made a mess as they freaked out! Also, love the twist on the ending credits, that’s delightfully morbid…

           All in all, this was a great episode! Surprisingly scary, and definitely hilarious- It’s a much-needed break from this Amphibia hiatus, especially now that I’m also dealing with the hiatus for The Owl House and Infinity Train (the latter of whom may be permanent PLEASE watch the show on HBO Max), and Kipo’s ending. I do have Carmen Sandiego’s third season to watch, though. I wonder if there’s any speculation to be gleaned from the Blue Moon turning people into monsters, and how that can connect to Blue Energy for the Calamity Box relating to the virtue of Heart. Does the Blue Moon turn people into a monstrous form that reflects the darker sides/fears of their heart? I’m probably overthinking it. Either way, I’m really glad we got a classic Holiday Episode for this show- I always love those, ESPECIALLY Halloween ones!

[climaxstriker]

Notes on Wally

Yeah, I’m just making this post as a sort of guide for a mysterious warframe villain that I’m pretty sure is going to make a move soon-ish in an upcoming update.

Dude has a “I’m helping you to help me” Vibe. I made a similar post before but I figured, hey anyone who plays warframe might find this one wanting some idea of what he is. Plus shits and giggles. So Notes are underneath the cut. It’s more or less a recap.

First thing you need to know. The man in the wall is not an illusion. He’s an intelligent being. That much is certain.

I’ll just go over everything as I know from chronological order. From The war within to now.

The War Within: He wanted us to consume the Kuva. A corrupting Oil that brings madness and evil. So right there is an indicator that he wants you to do things that would not be beneficial to your well-being. One important detail to note is mainly how the Queen’s tried to take over your body. She wanted to corrupt your mind with despair.There’s also the detail that the Zariman 10-0 Massacre, where you were forced to kill your parents when Wally controlled all of the adults on the ship. Rell figured it out that his mother wasn’t his mother anymore....that someone was controlling her. That was the beginning of his carefully calculated plan.

The Sacrifice: This whole hunt for Umbra started because the Lotus gave us the vision of Umbra fighting Ballas. This was done telepathically rather than through transmissions. Why would someone use telepathy rather than their usual transmissions and why would she keep telepathy a secret until now? That makes no sense....Assuming of course, that was the Lotus at all. 

Umbra is a warframe with only one memory, being forced to murder his own son, Isaah, made to replay it again and again and again. At the end of the quest, Wally asks if we remember Umbra’s memory the way we do. Confirming it will have him say “Good.” Sounds strange right? Lotus’ sudden telepathy, Wally’s satisfaction at knowing you’ve internalized Umbra’s memory, Plus why would the Lotus show you a warframe to obtain after betraying us? They don’t make sense by themselves but Assume that wasn’t the Lotus but Wally that called you, then it suddenly makes a LOT more sense. Lotus’ whereabouts were merely bait for you to synchronize with Umbra and internalize his memory. The reason? The memory was Umbra being forced to murder his own son. Huh, being forced to murder family was what happened on the Zariman 10-0, right? Huh, that’s weeeeird. Total coincidence, right? Yeah, that has to be a coincidence. Especially if Wally’s involved.

The Chimera Prologue: Wally appears before us wearing Lotus’ helmet. He wants you to follow him. At the end, you find Ballas lamenting his death being stolen from him. He laments how he’s been fooled by Natah. He says to truly end this war, love must die. Meaning we’ll have to kill the Lotus, now reborn as Natah, our former surrogate mother. He gives us the mental blueprint on the Paracesis. It was clear Wally lead us there on purpose. He wanted us to have that sword. Just so we’d be well equipped and aware of what part we’ll have to play in the upcoming quest: the new war.

The bastard’s plan: You’ll noticed I bolded certain phrases throughout this entire post, that’s because I wanted you guys to see the same pattern I saw. Being forced to kill family is something I doubt most people would ever want happen. And Wally was around for a good bit of it. He wants you to be good and traumatized for when he body snatches you. Teshin said the Queen wanted to corrupt your mind with despair until only she remains, nothing says despair like being forced to kill your parents......again. Plus I would think the emotions Umbra felt upon being forced to kill his son was nothing short of despair. He wants to body snatch you and nearly all the pieces are falling into place. He’s trying to push that button again and again until you finally break.

Things I noticed about him though: In the Railjack, there’s a part called a reliquary drive. Inside the reliquary drive, is a giant finger. Yes, your railjack is powered by a giant finger, I wish I was making this up. Wally is very much connected to it since we hear “his” voice when we approach it. Plus when you plug the key into the reliquary drive after completing the war within, you see him waving to you with one finger bent down. Safe to say, that giant finger belongs to him.

Bad news from that revelation: BOI’S FUCKING BIG.

Good news: He has a physical body. If he has a body, he can be killed, assuming his body isn’t already dead. However, even that’s not as simple as that. Otherwise Rell would’ve passed on a LONG time ago. I DID find something interesting though.

This mother fucker is connected to The Duviri Paradox (Well, duh. you see him when you search up the pains of duviri and he’s shown at the end of the trailer). That’s important as fuck because in the Duviri trailer....lies the Zariman 10-0 colony ship.

See how this guy’s arm is clearly robotic in nature? I know, we found a FINGER, not an ARM BUT consider this possibility: in Erra, there was more than one railjack being flown to fight Hunhow. those railjacks’ engines would need to be powered via the reliquary drive. Which would mean more than one finger. I believe, after this guy’s arm was chopped off through unknown circumstances, the Orokin chopped up this guy’s arm to use as a battery for the Railjacks. Dude’s a mysterious character in the void, Check. He’s got a body part that would contain a finger missing, check. Aaaand the Zariman 10-0 is involved. Fucking Check. This guy has got to be the man in the wall.

Possible Weaknesses(?): Rell finally passed on when we terminated his warframe, his then current vessel, AFTER his main body died. This was in the void too. Replicating the circumstances in which Rell finally passed on may help kill Wally for good. Rell died because he no longer had a body to possess. Wally on the other hand, does have a body to possess, albeit, a body he can live without. At first I thought it was dying, but his spirit got stuck in Rell’s warframe for centuries so there must be nothing wrong with it unless there’s some voidy timey wimey stuff going on. I mean, the Operator does age to an adult during the duviri paradox, so anything’s possible. He wants to possess our own body as his own way of escaping. Terminating any vessels he may have in the real world, and in the Duviri area should be the only way to permanently end this piece of shit.

His Vessel in the real world should be either his finger, or the Lotus’ helmet. If I’ve got Wally’s mindset pegged, and I’m pretty damn sure I do, he’d most likely possessed the Lotus’ helmet thinking “If I possess the helmet, it’ll be that much easier to show them the visions I want them to see. Plus, if by chance they figure out I’m possessing this thing, their first instinct will be to destroy this item. But it’s of very high sentimental value to them, so destroying it will be like erasing one of the last traces of mommy dearest and sink them even deeper in despair. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA” (Yes, I did have to add in the evil laugh. It was fucking essential, shut up.) But we’re going to have to have our operators grow up. Grow stronger and become better people from the despair that they face. THat’s the way we fight off Wally.

Oh, and if given the choice......

DO. NOT. PUT. ON. THAT. HELMET.

If Wally IS possessing it, then wearing it would be the worst thing you can do. I am positive he’ll possess you for sure.

Fighting him off does not mean his plans end: Wally carefully calculated this plot in such a way that even if we fight him off, he’ll try again with another Tenno. So, for the sake of ending this piece of shit once and for all, we’ll want his eyes remaining on us.He had everyone kill their parents, he’ll try again with other Tenno even if we foil his plan of possessing us. Going on the offensive seems to be the only option to permanently destroy him. 

Like any person ever, Wally is not perfect: He doesn’t appear to have the ability to read minds. I base this off him asking us if remembering us killing Issah was the way we remember it. If he could read minds, he would’ve known that already. Sure, he could’ve done that act just to get closer to us, but if he had such an ability, he could’ve avoided Rell’s seal on him for sure. This brings up a hopeful possibility that is a bit of a stretch.....

The Operator already knows what Wally is doing: I say it’s a stretch because it took me a while to figure it out his plan, but if it’s an act, it’s a pretty damn good one but if I could see what he’s doing, there’s no reason the Operator shouldn’t either. Using their knowledge on the process of how the continuity works from the war within, and the fact that Wally was sealed away with Rell means that he’d want a body in the real world. Plus, you know, he’s an evil malevolent spirit that is sketchy as fuck. The fact he’s after the Operator means that they plan on taking them over next. Just like he did with the adults on the Zariman 10-0. I needed more evidence but with the right way of thinking, it is possible to see his plan coming. Especially if the “Lotus” didn’t use transmissions but telepathy. I could see the Operator faking the internalization of Umbra’s memory just to string him along. Because the Operator knows if Wally is scared off, he’ll just try taking over another Tenno. They know that if they want to stop him for good, they’ll just have to play dumb and wait for the right moment.

Again, this is a bit of a stretch so I’m not entirely convinced on this possibility.

Tl;dr: Read the damn essay you coward. >=3

[singledarkshade]

Settling In

Part Twenty-Eight - Surprise “Okay,” Barry’s voice came over the comm, “I cleared the building and the fire is out. I’m heading back to CCPD. Let me know if I’m needed for anything else.”

Cisco shut down his system monitoring the suit, “We will, Barry. See you later.”

“Good work,” Joe noted from the corner, “Now that’s over, can you please check what’s wrong with my phone so I can get back to work?”

Cisco held out his hand for the phone, “Let me see. This should only take a few minutes now we’ve finished.”

“And on that note,” Rip spoke up from his station “I need to pick up Jonas. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“Night,” several people called as Rip left.

Silence fell in the room as Caitlin went back to her work while Cisco checked Joe’s phone, he paused suddenly staring at the phone screen before checking his computer.

“What’s wrong?” Joe asked concerned.

“Do you know what day it is in two days?” Cisco demanded.

Harry looked up from his work, “Saturday.”

“Funny,” Cisco frowned before continuing, “According to the dossier we put together for Rip, it’s his birthday on Saturday.”

“Are you sure?” Caitlin quickly accessed the file.

Cisco grimaced, “Of course I am.”

“But is it the right date?” Joe asked, “Because remember how little we actually know about his past and he helped put it together.”

“There’s an easy way to find out,” Cisco noted, he tilted his head up and called, “Gideon, can you confirm for us if it’s Rip’s birthday on Saturday?”

“The date you hold,” Gideon said softly, “Is the closest approximate date that the Time Masters were able to determine as Captain Hunter’s date of birth.”

Silence filled the room for a few seconds as they all took this information in before Cisco nodded, “Alright. Then we are celebrating this,” he announced, “Gideon, does Jonas know?”

“No, Mr Ramon. Captain Hunter has not imparted this information to his son.”

Harry, Joe and Caitlin all moved to congregate around Cisco’s station.

Joe frowned, “What are you planning, Cisco? You know Rip doesn’t like a fuss being made about him?”

“Nothing over the top,” Cisco assured the three of them.

“Then what?” Caitlin asked.

Cisco mused for a few seconds, “Joe, can you make dinner?”

Joe nodded.

“Good,” he smiled a little more confident in his idea, “Clarissa has Jonas Friday night anyway so she can help him get a card and present. Gideon, can you give us ideas for gifts and put a rush on them?”

The AI’s voice was filled with warmth, “Of course I can, Mr Ramon.”

“We get gifts, a cake and have dinner as a family,” Cisco told them, “What do you think?”

Caitlin smiled, “It’s a wonderful idea.”

Harry nodded.

“It is,” Joe added before noting, “I’ll need my phone to make any calls to arrange things.”

Rolling his eyes, Cisco handed Joe the phone back, “Yeah, you need a new battery, but I’d just get a new phone. It’ll be cheaper.”

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

  Rip had been surprised when Joe invited them for dinner on Saturday night, but it wasn’t unusual, ‘family dinners’ were called randomly.

Clarissa had taken Jonas to a children’s entertainment show that afternoon, Gideon showed him a clip of one of the shows and he was relieved not to have been dragged to it, which meant he’d had the entire day to himself.

He’d had a quiet day with Gideon, a quiet birthday in the home he’d made here in this time and place with his best friend. But he was looking forward to seeing his son and spending the evening with the people who had taken them in. Rip didn’t need them to know the significance of the date (or the approximation of the date), all he wanted was to be in their company.

It had taken him by surprise how much he had come to care about the small group, and how much he enjoyed their company. After losing Miranda, Rip never thought he would ever find a family again, but he had.

Knocking on the door he smiled at the woman who opened it.

“Hi, Rip,” Cecile greeted him with a smile and hug, “You’re the last to arrive. Come on in. Jonas is in the kitchen helping make dessert.”

Stepping in past her Rip headed to find his son, stalling as he came across everyone in the dining room all shouting, “Surprise.”

Confused, the Happy Birthday signs and balloons filtered in just as Jonas ran to him. Rip automatically caught his son as he tried to understand what was happening.

“Happy Birthday, Daddy,” Jonas wrapped his arms around Rip’s neck, “Do you like your surprise party?”

Still stunned, Rip kissed his son’s hair, “I do. Thank you,” he looked up at the people standing watching, “You didn’t have to do this?”

“Of course we didn’t,” Joe laughed, clapping his shoulder, “We wanted to. That’s the point Rip.”

Jonas turned to Joe, “Can we give Daddy his presents now?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Joe said, opening his arms to the boy, “Come on, we’ll go get them. Rip, you head into the living room.”

  “Gideon?” Rip asked as he entered the room alone, “Did you tell them about today?”

“No, Captain,” she replied, “Mr Ramon discovered the information and they wanted to do this for you.”

Rip bit his lip for a moment, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You didn’t ask.”

Shaking his head, Rip was distracted when Jonas came running in holding a parcel followed by the rest of the family all carrying presents. He distracted himself from the overwhelming emotions hitting him by catching Jonas and pulling him onto his lap to hug.

“I got this for you, Daddy,” Jonas handed him the present he was holding, “Open it.”

With his bouncing son on his lap Rip managed to carefully open the paper, unlike Jonas and Miranda who both ripped the paper he had always been much more precise when unwrapping.

A smile touched his lips finding a mug with the words, ‘Worlds Greatest Daddy’ on it with a picture of him with Jonas. With it was a hand-made card from Jonas. Rip felt his eyes tear when he read the inscription inside.

To my Daddy, Happy Birthday. You’re the best Daddy ever and I love you lots, Jonas.

Rip hugged Jonas close, “I love you lots too.”

Jonas grinned at him before saying, “Everyone else has presents for you.”

Nodding Rip allowed Jonas to slide off his lap but was relieved the little boy stayed at his side to see the presents Rip was given.

Within the next ten minutes, Rip opened several shirts, a boxset of Westerns, a few rare books he had been interested in and a voucher for a Thai cooking class.

  Dinner was fantastic but that wasn’t surprising, what had surprised Rip was the birthday cake they had made for him. With help from Jonas.

It had been extremely emotional moment for Rip when they brought it out with a few candles lit, which Jonas helped him blow out. He knew that he was part of the family these days, had been given gifts at Christmas but that had been different. Today though, today the people who he thought of as his family showed him that he was truly a part of theirs.

“So,” Clarissa said, appearing at the back door looking out into the garden where Rip was drinking his tea, “You’re hiding out here.”

Rip shrugged, “I just…I just needed a few moments alone.”

“Oh, my dear Rip,” Clarissa moved to him and gently took his face in her hands, “Mary warned me how hard it was for you to accept affection. Even knowing you were loved by her and by Miranda the scars you bear from your childhood run deep, don’t they?”

He swallowed and nodded in silence.

Clarissa pulled him down and placed a kiss on his forehead, just as his mother would, “You have a family now, Rip and we love you. So, come back inside for the rest of your party.”

He almost asked for a few moments more but instead nodded and allowed Clarissa to lead him back inside. Returning to the living room, Rip sat beside Jonas, who was finishing his piece of cake, and joined in the conversation. Looking around the room where Joe, Cecile, Iris, Barry, Cisco, Lisa, Harry, Wally, Jessie and Clarissa sat with him, Rip smiled to himself.

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

  “Hey,” Cisco appeared when Rip was in the kitchen getting Jonas another drink, “I wanted to talk to you alone for a moment.”

Rip nodded, “Okay.”

“I have something else for you,” Cisco explained, “Technically I’ve been pulling it together for a few months, but when I realised what today was, I made sure to finish it.”

The younger man offered Rip a metal headband that looked familiar.

“Is this…”

Cisco nodded, “It will let you speak to Gideon face to face, just as we did at Christmas.”

Rip stared at his friend, unable to find the words to express what this meant to him.

“The connection will only last about twenty-minutes,” Cisco told him, “But it’s only a mark one. I’ll keep working on it.”

“Thank you, Cisco,” Rip said softly, “How does it work?”

Cisco grinned, “You’ll need to be in either Star Labs or your house to use it, but it’s basically plug and play,” he chuckled as Jonas called looking for his drink, “You’re wanted.”

Grabbing the milk for Jonas, Rip held onto the headband tightly.

  Jonas was fast asleep finally and Rip headed to his own room. Laying back on his bed he placed the headband on and activated it.

“Hello, Captain,” Gideon said softly making him sit up to find her standing just outside the parlour on the Waverider.

“Gideon,” Rip instantly moved and hugged her tightly.

He felt her holding onto him just as tightly before she whispered, “It’s wonderful to have you here like this, Rip.”

“This is incredible,” Rip sighed as he let her go.

She smiled back, “Cisco has been working long and hard on the device. I did provide some assistance of course.”

Rip laughed, “Of course. You know I can probably use this to recreate the dream sensors.”

“If you wish, Captain,” Gideon said, she turned and picked something up off the desk in the parlour, “I have a present for you also, Captain. Mr Ramon has the real one in Star Labs, but this allows me to give it to you myself.”

Rip watched confused taking a hold of the leather-bound album she passed him. When he opened it Rip let out a small gasp of surprise seeing a picture of him and Miranda on their wedding day.

“What is this?” he asked confused.

Gideon touched his hand, “Cisco helped me use my memories to create it for you. It has photographs from what I saw of your time with Miranda as well as of Jonas from when he was a baby through until now.”

Flipping through the pages he looked up when Gideon touched his hand, concern filling her eyes.

“Are you alright, Captain?” she asked, “Are you unhappy that I…”

She didn’t get a chance to finish her question as Rip hugged her tightly, “No, I love this. It’s an amazing gift.”

“Happy birthday, Captain,” Gideon whispered to him.

Moving back slightly, Rip looked into her eyes before leaning in closer and kissing her softly.

“Thank you.”

[angryboywonder]

serendipity

          ( Commission for @fantasticalmemories​ !!! Prompt is jaycentric jaydick with Jason sick and Dick taking good care of him with a lot of love and affection! This was so fun to write and my heart is incredibly warm. (: ) 

Jason has never felt this type of way before. This is the worst he’s ever felt being sick and he doesn’t know how much longer he can endure it. His chest is tight, his stomach hurts, and his head is feeling cloudy. His eyes are feeling incredibly swollen and he’s sure it’s from the amount of times he’s sneezed and blown his nose. There’s a mountain of tissues displayed on his bed that he’s yet to transfer over to the trashcan on the other side of his room but he sees no point in doing so if more tissues are just going to accumulate.

He hasn’t actually taken anything to cure his sickness, as he sees no point in medication as he believes it only offers a “placebo effect” and no actual long term fixes.

As dramatic as it may be, Jason cannot remember what it was like before he was sick. What it was like being healthy and not miserable, even if it was only about a day ago.

At some point, he thinks he can hear the front door of his apartment being opened but he also feels so stuffy to the point where he’s positive it’s just his imagination. Once he’s elevated enough on his bed, he allows himself to drift into sleep. He’s so exhausted, he doesn’t actually process his dream or understand what is happening. There’s colors, stiff movement to the point of no control and he can’t make out the faces on any of the figures. By the time he wakes up, he can’t scrape up any idea of what he dreamt about. But he forgets about that as soon as he sees his friend enter the room.  

“What are you doing in my apartment?” Jason croaks, weakly slamming his fists down on his lap.

Dick approaches him as if it’s no big deal, shrugging as he takes a seat on the edge of the bed with a tray in his hands. “I knew you were sick and took it upon myself to use the spare key under the doormat to get in.”

“How’d you know where my spare key is?”

“I think we all know that you keep a spare key outside just in case you get too drunk and lose your main key.” Jason huffs to himself and allows the tray with his soup to be placed on his lap. “I’ll go grab the medicine I bought for you and bring it in here.” Dick smiles, heading out of the room.

Jason can’t help but make a face of distaste before he turns his attention to the food in front of him. He’s surprised the older man didn’t make a comment on the mountain of used tissues the first time he came in, but when he comes in with the bottle of medicine, he has a large trash bag that he scoops the tissues into. “I could’ve done that myself…” Jason mutters, the edge of the bowl against his lips and he slurps the hot liquid.

“I’ve been here for about eight hours now and I haven’t seen you come out of the room once. Just let me help you, please?”  

Jason knows that he actually has no right to complain at this point, but he wouldn’t really admit that he’s low key enjoying the treatment he’s getting, as he realizes that this soup is really good and quite soothing on his throat. The steam coming from it is clearing his sinuses in the best way possible. But when Dick comes at him once again with the medicine, he has to groan exaggeratedly.

“Can I eat first?”

“I’ll go back to the living room after I see you’ve had your medicine.”

Jason huffs, setting the bowl back on the tray and he pops open the bottle of liquid. He’s about to swing it back, unmeasured and everything, before Dick grabs his wrist. “Can you at least take the right dosage?”

“What, afraid I’ll overdose? It’s not even possible, this stuff is fake and just a scheme to make medical professionals gain more money from us.”

Dick makes an exaggerated sound and rolls his eyes. He measures the exact amount that’s stated on the information label and hands Jason the cup, which Jason takes like its a shot of alcohol.

“Happy?”

“Yes, you may continue with your soup.” Dick grins, heading out of the room with all the trash that was accumulated.

The rest of the day Dick is up Jason’s butt, and not even in the pleasant way. Because Jason is awake, Dick feels the need to monitor him. He’s already went through multiple hot rags on his face, his temperature has been checked twice, and the older man actually made him get out of bed to shower. However, after his steamy shower, he steps out to find a fresh change of pajamas, and a towel waiting for him. When he gets back to his room, his bed even has a clean set of sheets, and they’re warm.

“What’s your angle?” Jason asks, slowly sliding back in bed.

“Stop asking me that. The sooner you’re better, the sooner the world can properly be aligned.” Dick spreads his arms as if to represent something like a rainbow, adding some dramatic flair to his purpose.

It’s when Jason is over his sickness that he realizes he misses Dick, because it was nice having someone take care of him and shower him with affection. There was some point of his illness where the older man would sit at the edge of his bed, fingers gently combing through his hair, casually keeping track of the warmth on his forehead. Jason thinks he can actually still feel Dick’s touch but he still wants it there.

He knows that Dick is only a phone call away and he would gladly come back, even if Jason isn’t sick. But would Jason actually call him? He’s not one to intentionally appear needy, and that may be a sign of weakness that he doesn’t wish to display. He flips through the apps on his phone, occasionally pulling up Dick’s contact but quickly leaving it. He squeezes his phone in his hand, huffing a sigh before he chucks it on his bed and leaves his room.

It’s a day later that he gets the “how are you feeling?” text with the endless amounts of smiley faces. Jason takes his time to reply, to not make it seem as if he was waiting by his phone.

Jason makes a sandwich and fifteen minutes later he’s replying to the text. He sends a simple “alright” and contemplates actually thanking Dick, but something about that is holding him back. Probably the fact that he’s still shocked that someone took their whole day to tend to his needs and nurse him back to help. There’s still soup in the fridge and medicine on the counter, just in case he needs it. Jason doesn’t want that, though. He wants his friend.

It’s not even a minute after that text is sent that Jason’s phone is vibrating profusely in his hand and out of some odd natural instinct, he’s answering the call before his brain can process what is really happening. “Uh, hello?”

“Jay!”

“What is it, Dick?” Jason clears his throat, throwing his feet up on the coffee table as he crosses his arms over his chest, propping the phone up between his ear and shoulder with his head tilted. Cool status.

“I was just checking in and… wanting to know if you were free today?”

“I didn’t somehow manage to get you sick?”

“Manage…? What, were you plotting to get me sick? Yes, Jason, I’m sick. Sick in love with you.”

Jason’s stomach flip flops at the small comment. However, this is normal for Dick, with his naturally flirty personality. He’s probably this way with his friend Wally.

“Yeah, whatever. So you want to hang out or something?” But, please say yes.

“Yes!”

“Let me look at my schedule.” Jason pauses. Dick thinks he’s legitimately looking at his schedule. His nonexistent schedule. “Yeah, I’m free.”

“Hell yeah!”

“When can I be expecting you?”

“I was actually already walking toward your apartment hoping you’d be free.”

What the actual fuck?

Jason scrambles to his feet, maintaining his casual tone, “oh? Just let me know when you’re close.” They end the call and although Jason doesn’t have time for a full shower, he sprays some cologne and brushes his teeth, tossing his dark hair to the side. It’s still messy, and his wavy hair still falls over his forehead but he heads back into his room to look over his outfit. He has on a t-shirt and some sweats, which he decides to keep, though he changes into some fresh socks to at least feel the effort.

Dick doesn’t really let Jason know when he’s close, and Jason knows that because there’s some enthusiastic knocking on his door. He opens it to find that bright, award winning smile. “Hey!”

“Hey, there.” Jason grins, stepping aside to allow Dick to come in and kick his shoes off. The apartment managed to maintain its cleanliness since Dick was last over. Jason was able to take the trash out and not leave tissues all over the place, and there weren’t a large amount of dishes piling up so that’s already a step.

The older man stays in the living room while Jason heads to the kitchen and gets a bowl of popcorn going. He lets him decide on a movie, and Jason is sure Dick is conflicted between if they should watch horror or comedy. He’s sure by the time he comes back there’ll be a comedy movie on.

As he walks out, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth, he’s able to confirm that Dick indeed picked comedy.

It’s a less than impressive Seth Rogan movie. Jason isn’t going to make a comment though, because having Dick back in his apartment is all that he could ask for, and he doesn’t mind pretending to be enthused by the choice of entertainment. He puts the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, takes his seat, and they’re watching the movie.

Dick slides up to Jason on the couch casually throughout the movie, which Jason chooses to not acknowledge much although he definitely can notice it, as the cushions on the couch sink occasionally, and now their thighs are touching. An arm is sliding around his shoulders and he grins.

“Are we in high school again?”

Dick pouts, “no! Can I not get close to you?”

“Should’ve yawned while you were at it. You know? Yawn, stretch your arms, slyly throw one around me.”

“Whatever…”

Dick starts to retreat but Jason quickly stops him, grabbing onto his wrist. He pulls the arm back around his own shoulders and even laces their fingers together as they hold hands. “You’re fine.”

His friend looks like he’s about to lean in and close the gap between them but he makes quite a snapping motion as he looks away to sneeze, loud and his whole body jumps with it. “I think I’m getting sick.” He mutters, sinking back into the couch.

“And I’ll take care of you this time.” Jason chuckles, wrapping an arm around Dick’s waist.

[aconitemare]

[jaydick] to all the (D)icks i’ve loved before

JayDick during the famous (first) field scene from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Read it on AO3.

“Are you really going to audition?” Roy asks. He’s got a sheen of sweat across his forehead that’s probably more due to the heat than the exertion on the track field.

“Maybe,” Jason answers. He does actually, one-hundred percent, but he doesn’t feel comfortable sounding committal. “Why not,” he says instead without making it sound like a genuine question. It isn’t.

Roy knows it’s not a question but caring is neither of their strong suits, so he presses. “I dunno’. Doesn’t really seem like you, I guess. Don’t get me wrong,” he switches. His hand reaches out to touch Jason’s shoulder, but it’s been almost an hour of gym outside and his hand misses the mark as they maintain pace. “You’ve got the drama down pat,” he quips. Jason sends him a glare but Roy just snickers. “Maybe, like, if this was Phantom of the Opera-type shit, I’d be like, yeah, that’s you, and I’d be there in the front row telling everyone that the disfigured creep under the basement was my dude, but. A high school performance of Footloose though? That’s some cheesy shit.”

Jason shrugs. Roy isn’t entirely wrong. Jason would’ve joined the drama club last year except their big show was Shrek the Musical. He was tempted to sign up anyway because it’s not like anyone would see a tech on stage, but he really didn’t want to be associated with something that was bound to suck hard. Footloose was comparatively better. He could work with that story.

“You can still sit front row and tell everyone I’m the guy moving props off the stage,” Jason replied.

“Oh, what?” Roy says with his nose scrunching. “You’re not even going to be an actor? Fuck that noise, you should be that dude who fucks the pastor’s daughter.”

“You want me to be Ren McCormack,” Jason supplies.

“Whichever, man; you could tell me the character was named Rhino McJackoff and I’d have to go along with you.”

“Fair enough,” Jason retorts. One of their gym instructors holds out two popsicle sticks as they pass. Roy grabs them both and hands one to Jason. They get a good distance between them and the teacher before they start speaking again because neither are good at censoring their language. Roy has just asked him about Red Dead Redemption 2 when Jason hears his name being shouted.

“Jason! Jason!” Jason turns around to see Dick Grayson jogging towards them. He’s wearing the school’s proper gymnasium uniform, unlike Roy and Jason who both got points deducted for bringing normal gym clothes. GCHS is embroidered in the corner is tiny white lettering. If Dick were to turn around, a cartoonish owl would blink stare hollowly at them.

Neither Jason nor Roy slow their pace so Dick is forced to catch up after he’s caught their attention and maintain speed. “Sup, Dick,” Roy greets, making room for Dick to insert himself between them. This close up, Jason can smell Dick’s shampoo. It’s lighter than he expected, more fresh than spiced like Jason’s cologne.

Dick smiles at Roy and shakes his shoulder. He definitely showed up late to class. Jason knows this not just because he isn’t sweaty like everyone is, but because he missed him during the warm-up. Jason hasn’t liked Dick like that since middle school, but he can admit to himself that he still watches him. He doesn’t think that’s weird or anything because everyone watches Dick — most of all during gym.

“Where’ve you been?” Roy asks easily. Meanwhile, Jason subtly runs a bit farther to the left so he’s not inhaling Dick’s scent with every heavy breath.

“Nurse’s office,” Dick says with a bright grin. “I got into a bit of fender bender this morning. Security guard saw me parking with my bumper torn off and insisted I check in with the nurses while they ratted me out to Bruce.”

Jason remembers Bruce rather well considering he’s only met him once. It was during a birthday party at Wayne Manor for Dick’s younger brother Tim. Bruce was an imposing man who now looms over Jason’s memory of that night. Jason can well imagine Dick crashing his fancy car daddy’s money bought him. Jealousy, not sympathy, clouds Jason’s mood as Roy talks about that sounds rough. Jason hopes he doesn’t mean it so they can talk shit later. But Roy and Dick actually do get along, so he’s probably for real.

“That sucks, Dick, especially on top of stuff with Helena,” Roy seems to commiserate. Jason’s attention perks up here. Helena is Dick’s girlfriend. She’s not the worst person Jason’s ever met, but she’s pretty freaking terrible. They used to be friends in middle school to the point there were rumors about them getting together. Then came the day Helena leaned forward, lashes brushing her cheeks as her lips puckered, and Jason didn’t think, he just confessed. Within a week, Helena had excommunicated Jason from every social circle she touched. Within a week, Jason had to watch his ex-best friend holding hands with the boy he dreamt about.

Helena and Dick had been on-and-off since the advent of high school. Clearly they are off now. Even though Jason holds no hopes for reconciliation with Helena or — delayed wish fulfillment with Grayson, he still eagerly awaits the permanent destruction of a couple that’s tainted much of school for him.

Dick’s expression is uncomfortable after Roy’s comment. Jason lets Dick catch the smirk playing on his lips. Dick takes a deep breath before looking back at Roy and clapping a hand down on Roy’s shoulder with a familiarity that irks Jason. “Hey, we’ll catch up, alright?” promises Dick. “But actually I have something I need to talk to Jason about one-on-one.”

Roy is no stranger to Jason’s tragic backstory regarding Dick Grayson. “Sure thing,” he says dubiously, raising his eyebrows at Jason. For added measure, he waggles them in a way that has both Jason glaring and Dick looking uncomfortable away. Jason opens his mouth slowly because he’s not sure what he wants to say, maybe “wait,” Roy puts a burst of energy into his step until he’s catching up with Wally West who’s already finished the course and is still running for fun.

“Cool dude,” Dick says weirdly.

“Uh, yeah,” says Jason as Dick’s words settle in. I actually have something I need to talk to Jason about one-on-one. What the hell? The most they’ve ever spoken to each other after middle school was while setting up for last year’s homecoming dance. Dick had roped in Kory who roped in Roy who roped in Jason. It was an unfairly good night. Roy fed off Kory’s attention and made Jason laugh so hard he nearly pissed himself several times. Helena had practice all night for her archery league, so Dick was on his own and for whatever reason, he stuck to Jason’s side the whole event.

Jason didn’t let himself think about that night afterwards, but during the moment, Dick had a way of making everything between them feel fresh and new. He hadn’t been weighed down by his private history — a history revolving around Dick that Dick probably didn’t even realize — at all.

“So,” Jason says, toying around with his popsicle sticks as they jog. Without meaning to, Jason has slowed down to Dick’s leisurely walk. “Speak.”

Dick smiles and laughs softly, if a little nervously. He really smiles a lot. Jason wonders how he ever thought Dick was viable partner with his Pollyanna temperament. “Right. Well, here comes the hard part, I guess, right?” Dick asks. Then he seems to wait for Jason to actually dignify that with a response despite it containing no legitimate content to respond to. Dick’s tongue swipes across his bottom lip. He shrugs, smiles. “Here goes,” he says and stops walking altogether. Jason rolls his eyes and stops, although what Dick could possibly say that requires an utter stand-still is beyond him.

Dick’s hand rummages in the pockets of his gym shorts. He pulls out an envelope which he then fiddles with. “I honestly had no idea you felt this way,” Dick begins. Immediately, Jason is on his guard. “I mean, I suppose there were signs and I suppose I ignored them on purpose. Maybe I was wrong to, but it seemed simplest that way, you know, if we just carried on with our own separate lives? What with Helena and me, and you and — someone who’s not in a relationship. Or just freshly out of one, in my case.” Here, Dick chuckled. “You hardly left time for the dust to settle on that one. I actually admire your boldness — for real, it’s refreshing for someone to just lay out all their cards and say, ‘Hey, this is how I feel.’ No dumb high school politics or the proverbial closet, just honesty.”

Jason is barely listening to Dick’s rambling bullshit. His eyes are glued to the envelope that is surely connected to whatever Twilight Zone thing is going down. Dick Grayson is talking to him about feelings and cold dread is rapidly filling Jason like water on the Titanic as he remembers what he did three years ago that can fit inside a tiny envelope.

Dick inches closer, his head tilted slightly upwards as Jason stays staring down at the object in Dick’s hands. “And if I’m also being honest, you wrote things to me that kept me up at night. I don’t think anyone’s ever thought about me that way, about my eyes — well, you know you wrote.”

That’s the last straw, the confirmation Jason needed if not wanted, and he roughly rips the letter out of Jason’s hands. Dick nearly stumbles back in surprise. “I don’t where you got this,” he says, voice low as he glares daggers into Dick’s eyes — blue like clean waters that shimmer in the sun and give life to those desperate for a drink — and steps threateningly into his space. “But it is not yours and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from me and keep everything you read to yourself,” he warns. His embarrassment is bearing down on his shoulders, heating his cheeks and hitting his chest in harsh heartbeats. He stands his ground only because he’s worried the ground might swallow him whole otherwise.

For the second time during gym class, Jason hears his name being called. Jason breaks the intense moment and looks up to see no other than Konnor Kent, Tim’s newly-exxed boyfriend, walking towards him. He’s wearing that leather jacket Jason’s always loved on him and a pair of skin-tight jeans with tons of buckles that should be cringey but instead is just super hot. He’s slighter than Dick although they’re both lean and his thick dark hair curls up at the front rather than lying in a mess of waves like Dick’s. He’s got style to him and although Dick isn’t one to put as much thought into his wardrobe, Jason has to admit now that they’re almost side-by-side that he has a type.

He interrupts his admiration first with the reminder to have a little shame, Konnor is Tim’s, not his, even if they’re not together anymore. His self-flagellation is ended early when he spots a thin piece of paper in Konnor’s leather-clad hands.

Dear Konnor,

Fair warning, what I’m about to tell you is wrong. But that’s why I have to say it. Because if I keep it to myself and refuse to acknowledge what’s between us, then I’ll always feel that way. But if I get it out all on paper now, then I can come to terms with the fact that you’re not mine. You can’t ever be mine.

Jason went on like for five pages, front and back. And now Jason’s heart is on Konnor’s sleeve. Tim just left him and Jason is swooping in for the kill like a vulture. What if Konnor has already told Tim? What if Tim is the one who found these letters? Did he send one to Dick as revenge for his feelings towards Konnor? Would Tim be that petty?

Yes. Tim would absolutely be that petty.

Konnor is almost closing the distance. “Jason, I need to talk to you,” he calls out. Jason honestly cannot handle this. He can’t handle the repercussions of his letter reaching Konnor, let alone of them discussing the letter. Konnor either came here to reject him or, or — to not, and he can’t say which would be worse. Over the years, Jason has landed himself into some pretty risky scenarios from foolhardy adventures, but never has he felt this panicky before.

Konnor is only a few yards away. Jason’s mind has cleared of all things except: I cannot talk to him.

Jason’s body has a solution for this. Jason’s body does not at all consult Jason’s head when it throws itself at Dick Grayson. One hand cups the back of Dick’s neck while the other grabs his arm. Dick isn’t expecting Jason’s full weight and when Jason’s foot slides between his, Dick goes tumbling backwards. The two fall to the ground in tandem but Jason doesn’t break the kiss. He’s vaguely aware of Dick’s little yelp, but he’s more keen on the plush of his lips and the smell of his shampoo. Dick’s chest is solid beneath his. Jason moves just enough to take some of the weight off him, his hand lifting Dick’s neck for a better angle.

Jason’s name is shouted a third time. “Todd, get off him!” he hears an instructor bark. Jason has an arm on either side of Dick’s shoulders as he looks up to see Mr. Queen running towards them, popsicle sticks in hand. Jason gazes down at Dick whose eyes are blown wide and staring straight into Jason’s, lips gently parted.

Jason gets off the boy he’s just tackled. Mr. Queen is asking him what’s wrong with you but Jason is busy watching Konnor’s retreating form. Mr. Queen demands Dick and Jason go to the principal's office. Jason’s head whips around to the teacher. “No, sir, don’t do that,” he nearly begs. He can hear Dick push himself to his feet but he’s stubbornly not looking at him. He doesn’t think he can ever look at Dick again, actually, which is a pity since it’s one of his pastimes. “It’s on me, sir, I tackled him.”

“Yeah, I can fucking tell!” Mr. Queen snaps. Unforeseen, Roy and Wally have lapped around to the three of them. Roy grabs two popsicle sticks, says “dude,” and keeps going. Jason glares until Wally stops rubbernecking.

“Dick can stay. I’ll find my way to the principal’s,” Jason says. He’s relieved when Mr. Queen merely says, “I’ll be checking,” because Jason would die on the spot if he had to then walk with Dick and sit next to him as he explained why exactly he bodyslammed Gotham City High’s sweetheart and planted one on him for all gym class.

Jason shoves his popsicle sticks into Mr. Queen’s hands, still ignoring Dick as he turns on his heels and gets the hell out of there.

[silyabeeodess]

Reflecting on BATIM: Chapter 5

I don’t really have any theories on Chapter 5, and there’s so much with the fanbase taking sides on this sort of thing that I don’t even want to really talk about them, but I do have a lot of thoughts that I feel like I have to get out of my head.  The biggest is that I, like a lot of other people, felt disappointed after the ending.  Not that the ending was bad, (Though it is incredibly annoying and insulting that people who like it want to say that people who didn’t “don’t understand or aren’t deep enough,” like they’re uncultured. No, honey, people have complaints for good reasons: You don’t get to invalidate them.) but that the overall chapter felt lacking. Now, I promise I’ll talk about more than just complaints in this--largely I’ll be bouncing off SuperHorrorBro’s own theories--but I have to get that out of my system first:

1.) We received a lot of hype at the end of Chapter Four and from the preview content for all of the new things that would be implemented into Chapter 5: New characters, new environments, new game mechanics, etc. And for all that we got to see... we barely had the time to see any of it!!  Maybe it was just too much to fit into the timeslot that they’ve been keeping to with the previous chapters, but I would’ve preferred a longer chapter or even waiting months for another one above barely scraping the surface of the new stuff. 

We got Allison Angel and Tom only to see them for that first, long cutscene that took about a fourth (a fifth at least) of the time it took to actually play the chapter, that one fight, and then a little bit at the end. The interactions with them felt rushed, because while Allison was on our side, Tom hated us, and then the next thing we know it’s, “Oh, you hate Sammy too? Here, have an axe. Yeah, bruh, we cool: Nevermind that we left you for dead and I tried to starve you.”  

The trailer made it clear how we would be navigating through flooded tunnels and we only got to use the boat once, granted it was a thoroughly horrifying experience.

We get to see where the Lost Ones are living, but just a small, little area that couldn’t even fill a town square. And not even the full square: I’m talking about that park-like area. “Well, it’s a studio, so it can’t be too big.” After several floors dropping into the center of the earth, I think we’re past that. Then, even with that big fight, we’re promised more chances to fight with Tom and Allison only to fall through the ground and have nothing to do with that ever again. I would’ve rather stuck with them and fought to Joey’s office that way it felt earned rather than play chicken with the Butcher Gang in that weird labyrinth of offices. (The labyrinth was bigger than the Lost One area... :,( )

Then Sammy.  Oh Sammy, I’ve never even really liked you, but you came out of nowhere after all this time has passed full of hints and Easter eggs in previous chapters to all the fans speculating how you’d be back, and then you’re dead just about as quickly and we learn little to nothing about you. 

2.) Ending that previous note with Sammy, I’m going a little further with him. In Chapter 2, the guy tries to sacrifice us (Henry) with the idea that Bendy will set him free if he does, then in Chapter 5... 

“Betrayed! Abandoned! I trusted you! I gave you everything and you left me to rot!” 

...Buddy, I seem to recall you wanting us dead: You don’t get to blame us for crap! If he was talking about Bendy, that’d be one thing, but then that raises some flags as to why he’s associating us with Bendy. I mean, no one else does and he didn’t at first. If he’s not associating Bendy, then he would have to be talking about Henry if he finally remembered him. And if he’s talking about Henry, then he could only be remembering him from a previous ring-around of the story (more on that later) in which Sammy possibly helped Henry under the idea that he was some kind of savior like Allison thought when she said she thought he “was the hope he’d been waiting for.” Seems unlikely, but that’s the only thing that makes sense to me for the 180 degree turn.

3.) Joey. Joey, Joey, Joey... I’ve been following BATIM with one thing primarily on mind: “If Joey isn’t in trouble, then he is going to be...” Whether it was Joey being the victim of his own, inky sins or it was Henry beating him over the head with a lead pipe, I wanted some kind of retribution. And what do we get? “You’re back already? Have a seat... It’s your fault I’m a terrible person because you didn’t stay, so do you wanna go back to your never ending nightmare?” Excuse me? Excuse m-Henry’s fault?! That’s worse than Sammy’s complaint card!!!  No. No! Joey, you do not get to sit around your house drinking coffee in a robe and bunny slippers, after everything you put everyone through, and blame it on Henry! Like, I realize the potential that none of what happened is even real from the storyboard on the desk and the real vs cartoon worlds, but that just makes it worse!!!  And here’s why:

4.) If none of it’s real and it’s just a story, then Joey’s still blaming Henry for all of his own terrible decisions running the company. If Henry’s dead and in some kind of purgatory created by Joey and the Ink Machine, then he’s literally suffering for Joey’s mistakes and getting the blame for them. And if our Henry’s a cartoon creation, then he’s not even the real Henry being blamed for things that Henry didn’t even do in the first place. That one line infuriates me more than anything else that Joey’s done, because it shows that he hasn’t changed at all: He’s still a complete monster!

Now, wrapping up and gearing toward actual analyses/theories, I actually want to bring up the one just released by SuperHorrorBro, as it makes the most sense out of anything else that’s been said.  If you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf234EJT3Fo

I see some potential for this theory. First off, because we know the Ink Machine does in fact exist after we see it in the final clip, but also because it would make sense for Tom and Allison to fit the more perfected versions of them that exist in cartoon form if they were invited back to the studio after everything had fallen apart.  One of my concerns in the past was that, if Allison replaced Susie, then why wasn’t Allison the first “Alice” made from the Ink Machine? Yes, the credits show the order in reverse, but we know the demented Alice is Susie due to her own words:

“Dreams come true, Susie... Dreams come true...”

Anyway, what would make Joey resort to turning to Susie after he had already stabbed her in the back and wouldn’t likely be able to gain her trust beyond simply relying on Susie’s clinging to the part? Well, if Allison and Tom had already left the studio--either because of its financial downfall, dealing with Joey, or from their getting married--then they would’ve dodged a bullet while the experiments were taking place. Tom didn’t trust Joey or like being at the studio, so it’d make sense for him to clear out asap. Women in the 30′s tended not to work if they were married in Allison’s case, and judging from her strong personality, I don’t think she’d put up with Joey long either, especially if he wasn’t paying her enough. As for Wally, I’ve got no idea, but I imagine some similar case for him as well--likely that he was let go (I can’t imagine the nearly broke studio keeping a janitor for long given that the place was always a wreck with the ink machine anyway and it’s was probably one of the “least important jobs” at the place in Joey’s eyes. That, and Wally personally sounded like a clutz.) or changed jobs.  

Another thing to consider is the prominence of just Wally’s and Allison’s letters. Not only as people who could’ve potentially ducked out, but also the last few people who Joey had to turn to. Wally had a carefree spirit, and Allison’s also got a nicer, more trusting nature to her as well. Given how we know that Joey is a sweet-talker--though snake is more like it--he could potentially trick them both into coming back at the studio where others who also avoided death would likely hold a greater resentment against him.  Then there’s Tom’s behavior toward Allison: Caring and protective. Like a husband would be toward his wife.  While it’s confirmed that many of the people at the studio have lost their memories, others still at least possess fragments of them: From Henry’s writing on the walls, to Susie remembering who she was and saying she knew why Henry was there at the studio, to the unnamed individual who “still remember their name.” Tom also remembers who he was--or at least his name--and possibly might remember Allison as his wife or at least at he loved her. Which is really tragic and dang it, I want more on this!!   Finally, there’s the fact that you can see names on the coffins that are in Chapters 1 and 2: Norman and Grant.  If it’s all fake, then it seems unlikely that Joey would’ve storyboarded those coffins specifically for those people and even more unlikely that Henry would know even if he did since there’s no names on them without checking Henry’s own messages.  That, and while there’s the parallel with Norman potentially being the projectionist, we have no idea what happened to Grant beyond the fact that it sounded like he was attacked based on his audio log. So how would Henry know who they belonged to?  By potentially checking them in a previous run. 

I also want to bring up a bit of potential with the storyboards we see in the real world. We assume that Joey drew them, but what if Henry did?  I mean, he’s the artist, and we know from Joey that he has stayed long enough before to ask questions.  What if, instead of all of the interactions being planned, at some point early on, Henry drew the storyboards as a means of coping through the horrors he faced? Henry might be numb to them now based on his lax take to events, but one means of people dealing with their trauma is often by using art as an outlet. This lets them describe what happened better than words could and also help them cope with it. Henry made have done the same.

There’s one thing that tosses a wrench into this and that’s how Allison comments how different Henry is from everyone else, not only in his potential to save them, but also how he can wade through ink without it “claiming him.” I mean, we assume anyway that he would’ve had to have been born from the ink like the others, but if that’s the case then the theory wouldn’t make as much sense.  Still, if he was resurrected in this way, then I do have another idea: If Henry’s one of the last people born from the machine, after all of these tests and trials and experiments, wouldn’t that mean Henry is its most perfect product? He could be more stable than the previous experiments, which would explain why he doesn’t melt into the ink and is able to reform quicker/more often than the others do. Maybe he can’t linger in it for long, but he can survive it for extended periods of time. In the very least, we’ve seen other characters than have been able to travel through the ink, like Sammy and Ink Bendy, so I’d leave it open that as one of the final victims, Henry would have the ability to endure the ink longer than the previous creations. 

I can’t think of anything else to say right now, so I guess that about covers it.  Thanks for sticking around this long if you did.

EDIT: Nevermind, I’ve got one more thing to say with the multiple runs!  The note that what Henry needs is “in the vault” and him later acknowledging that Bendy has to have it.  We assume it to be “The End” tape.  What this would allude to is that, at some point, the tape was indeed in the vault, but some point in another run, Bendy eventually got his hands on it and would know to retrieve it before Henry could, or otherwise made that weird prison/throne room for himself that somehow doesn’t reset like everything else... 

[valeriemperez]

i'm guessing we're going to get an episode next season set entirely in Nora's time, and we'll get to see everyone in old age makeup, lol. or Barry will travel to the future to see what happened there

Oh, man, I would love that! We deserve another special episode like that. I don’t think S4 really had those, unless you count 4.15 and 4.16.

½ I’m trying to figure out why there are wa fans that think Nora doesn’t like Iris based on that last scene. I expected those theories from the antis, but I keep seeing wa fans upset because apparently the way she looked and talked to Iris made it clear she isn’t fond of her. I mean I guess it’s possible that there is some friction between them that will come up next season, but that scene alone didn’t give me the impression that there are problems between them. If anything I’d say she was2/2 nervous because of whatever she messed up in the timeline. I feel like people are really overanalyzing that scene.

Yeah, I think it’s mostly because she hid from Iris in 4.20. It’s very possible that Nora and Iris have a strained relationship at the moment if Barry died and Iris still told her not to go back to save her dad. But it’s also equally likely that Nora just didn’t want to be discovered, and then was more concerned about the mistake she made. We’ll find out in… 4 months lmao. Although I’m sure we’ll get a hint at comic con.

Do you think the writers forgot about the Barry disappearing in 2024? To me at least felt they heavily implied Nora changed the timeline by helping Barry bc I assume were supposed to think he died. Maybe that explains why she was so excited to meet him and avoided Iris up until she had to reveal herself.

They definitely haven’t forgotten, but you have to remember that time can change in an instant. Remember how the newspaper article disappeared in 1.07 just because Barry lost his powers for a day? That means every time Barry’s lost his powers, that article changed. Hell, it might have changed in S4 when Iris quit her job, and we just didn’t check on it. 

But I agree with you that the way they wrote and filmed the finale made it seem like Barry should’ve died in 4.23 in Nora’s timeline, which she changed into our timeline where he doesn’t die there.

From what i read of your tags, you tried to start WestWorld, right? If so, how far in did you get? Because i WANT SO BAD for you to catch up to where the show is, because certain themes that have developed are more along the lines of your tastes, i think.Just realized your tags might have meant you weren’t a fan of a certain character, not that you haven’t been watching or aren’t a fan of Westworld. Sorry! (If this is the case, i’m… with you there re: that characters popularity.)

You were right the first time, no worries. I watched the first season of Westworld, but I had a hard time really focusing on it or getting attached to the characters. Plus I could see the Man in Black twist coming and hated it, lol. But I’ve heard S2 is getting really good and that Shogun world was amazing, so I am definitely gonna catch up as soon as I can!

Was it ever confirmed that the Flash mentioned in the article was actually Barry rather than, say, Wally taking up the mantle? Thawne only thought it was Barry because he went back in time and met that Flash, and the only other future Barry we knew was the Savitar Barry that was happy to let time remnants sacrifice themselves…

The only hint that it’s Barry is the photo on the front being of Barry, but they could always make that a placeholder or have it change at different moments. But I’m positive that when 2024 rolls around, either in the storyline or in real time, they will return to Barry disappearing.

Sorry if my brain seems scrambled with this question and I’ve made a huge comic mistake, but Nora Dawn is the twin who marries a Thawne, right? Could that be cause for tension in the future between her and her mom?

It’s not a huge one, but Don is the one who marries Meloni Thawne. They have Bart while Dawn marries Jeven Ognats and has Jenni.

Do you think Ralph gets to stay because of Hartley’s Saturn Awards nomination or it was just the plan all along? With him back next season, if the ratings continue to go down, the racists will blame Iris.

Not because of his Saturn Award, no. I think the producers like Hartley a lot and tragically enjoyed writing for Ralph, and that’s that. As for the racists, they’ll blame Iris no matter what.

you know what else never came into play was Iris’s written vows. i could have sworn that close-up on them (which they inserted later on with somebody else’s hands, ffs) was significant. it felt like we were supposed to get a good look at that for some reason

Yeah, a lot of us thought they would be important. But maybe the higher ups just wanted a shot of her vows and forgot to get it when Candice was filming lol.

[daringyounggrayson]

Family Dinners

Ok so @flashhwing has this really cute headcanon that Dick and Wally have dinner together every night. They were also kind enough to let me take that sweet headcanon and angst it up a little bit

Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, character injuries and intubation

(AO3)

Wally always loved the idea of family dinners. He remembers being very little—maybe six or seven—and going over to his friend Jeremy’s house one day after school. He had stayed for dinner and Jeremy’s whole family was there. Both of his parents and his younger brother. It wasn’t this magical moment straight out of a movie, but it was . . . nice. And so, so different from the few family dinners he’s had. He doesn’t remember what they ate, but he remembers the atmosphere of the room. They were relaxed and the parents asked all of them about their day and they listened. There was no yelling or tenseness, just a family eating dinner together.

Jeremy didn’t see the novelty and kept asking to be excused so they could play outside before Wally had to go home. Wally remembers feeling nervous as he waited for the inevitable yelling, but it never came. Instead, Jeremy’s dad was smiling and shaking his head in what seemed like amusement, assuring Jeremy that there would still be time to play after dinner. After the second or third time, Jeremy’s mom pursed her lips and took a look at his plate, then told him to take three more bites.

Jeremy shoveled the forkfuls into his mouth and then they ran outside to play, Wally offering a quick thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Whoever as he went. Later, he saw the couple talking quietly as they did the dishes and put away the leftovers together. They both had soft smiles as they caught up and listened to music—and Wally knew right then that he wanted that. He wanted the family dinners, wanted the shared clean up as soft music played in the background. He wanted the normalcy of happy, comfortable family dinners.

He didn’t really think about how he didn’t have family dinners until that night. A lot changed that year, though. He started to realize that his family wasn’t normal. He realized that other dads didn’t hit their kids and threaten their moms. He realized that family dinners that ended in broken glass and tears weren’t normal, and fuck, he just wanted a little piece of normal.

When Aunt Iris started dating the guy who would soon become Uncle Barry, he got to see that little piece of normal more often. He spent a lot of time over there. They had happy family dinners and routine clean up with soft music playing in the background just like Jeremy’s family. Wally knew that those dinners didn’t happen every night, but they always happened when Wally was around, and he got the feeling that they happened a few nights a week even when he wasn’t there.

Dick had family dinners, too. Alfred made them dinner every night, and Bruce was there almost always. Dick used to joke that Alfred forced him into it and that if Dick hadn’t been there waiting, Bruce wouldn’t leave his study. Wally would laugh, never once bringing up how much he wanted that. Wanted family dinners, wanted a dad who would force himself to do things just because his kid would be there.

He never got them, and he’s still working on accepting the fact that he never will.

He’ll never forget that first family dinner he was invited to. He and Dick had just been kids back then, far too young for dating. It had been intimidating, eating chicken across the table from the Batman, but Dick brought that feeling of comfort and normalcy Wally’s come to associate with other people’s family dinners. He talked about his day and traded dumb jokes with Wally that made Bruce’s lips twitch, but mostly they ate and sat in each other’s company.

He had a lot of family dinners at Dick’s after that. The first time after they started dating had been weirdly anxiety-inducing, but Dick had later assured Wally that it was just him and that Bruce didn’t hate him. Though, looking back, it had still had those key components of family dinners. Maybe even more so with Bruce acting as a protective father. (Another thing Wally would never get.)

Now that he’s older, he thinks about family dinners a little differently. He still looks at them with this sense of longing, but he’s also able to step back and analyze why he feels the way he does about them. Where it’s all coming from. And yeah, he knows those dinners won’t make every night magical or ensure that he’ll have a happy (healthy, safe) relationship, but getting to spend every evening catching up with and just being with someone he loves sounds amazing.

When he and Dick decide to move in together, it dawns on him that he’s now in a position where he can have that if he wants. And he does.

The two of them just finished dinner and are currently doing the dishes—that soft music playing in the background and those small smiles pinned on their faces—when he lets it slip. “I really like getting to spend time with you like this. We should do dinners together every night.”

“Aww, babe that’s really sweet,” Dick says, drying off a pan with a towel. “We should definitely do it as often as we can.”

“No.” Wally shakes his head firmly. “Every night. I mean it.”

“Look, I just don’t think it will work realistically. I mean, we’re vigilantes. We both have day jobs, you have school. It just won’t happen every night. Maybe we move our goal to twice a week?” Dick tries to comprise.

Wally wraps his arms around him, pulling Dick close against his chest with still damp hands. “You eat dinner every night, right?”

Dick huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, usually.”

“Then I’ll just eat whenever you eat dinner. I don’t care if it’s six p.m. or three a.m., I want to make time for this.”

“Wally,” Dick starts with a sigh.

“Look, relationships take time and work, and I know how both of us can get; if we don’t make it a priority, we’ll push it off until we solve all of the world’s problems. Dinners are just one way to prioritize us, and we are so worth the effort.” Wally turns Dick around and leans his forehead against his. He ends his speech in a quieter voice, saying, “Plus, I really like knowing I’m going to get to be with you at the end of the day.”

Dick tilts his head up and catches Wally’s lips in a kiss. When he breaks, he nods and says, “Okay. We’ll make time for it.”

And they do. They don’t even miss when Dick is in space for three days (thank you video chat). It’s hard, and sometimes they eat dinner from hospital beds or rooftops. Dinner schedules are weird, and what food counts as dinner really cut it close some nights, but they do it anyway. They catch up, talk about whatever’s on their minds. Some nights they’re too tired to talk, but even just sitting with each other is enough to give Wally that now-familiar sense of warmth and calm.

Wally also learns a lot about Dick during those dinners. The third week into it, Dick had actually thanked him for talking him into it. Apparently, it reminds Dick of his parents; they had always made sure they ate dinner together, too. Even with their crazy performance schedules, they would find time to eat together, even if it was cold spaghetti on the porch at two in the morning with Dick fed and tucked into bed hours earlier.

Dick still has his family dinners at Wayne manor, too. A few times a month they go over and have dinner with everyone. It’s usually fine, but every so often, Dick and Bruce get into a fight. The first time it happens, it makes Wally unreasonably angry, like they were ruining something sacred. It isn’t until a few weeks after the second one that he realizes it’s because it reminds him of his own family dinners, the ones with his dad.

Dick found him crying in the living room that night. He tells him about the secret “family” dinners he never told anyone about. Dick holds him tight and listens and whispers loving promises to him that Wally clings to. Wally never said anything back when they were kids, but he’s sure Dick had suspected; that night on the floor was just confirmation. And it feels good to finally acknowledge it out loud. It’s out there and real now, and Dick is still here. Things are going to be okay, and now Wally is getting those family dinners that Dick tells him he always deserved.

One night, Wally is at the library with a few classmates, trying to finish up a group project. It’s mostly finished, but it’s due in two hours—so cutting it close. He and Dick haven’t eaten yet, and it’s looking like it will end up being a too-tired-to-talk kind of dinner.

Wally’s phone buzzes. He drags his eyes away from the laptop and slides his phone off the table to check it. He knows it’s going to be a message from Dick, and really, Wally is just expecting a picture of something funny he found on patrol. He usually does that when Wally is stressed with school and stuck in the library. Sometimes he’ll also send pictures of a finished dinner that will be waiting to be reheated when Wally gets back, but it’s still a little early for that.

He doesn’t get a picture tonight, though. Instead, what he gets two words: Home early

Those two words alone are code for “Something bad happened and you need to get to the cave now.” It’s so that, if something happens on patrol, they can get ahold of each other’s civilian identities without drawing attention to themselves. But Wally still knows what it means. He knows it means Dick is hurt. Badly.

Wally feels dizzy. “I need to go.” His voice sounds weird and his mouth is dry. He swallows and starts packing up his stuff.

“What do you mean? We still have like an hour left on this.”

“It’s fine.” Where are his keys? He knows he put them in the front pocket—where did they go?

“Is everything okay?”

“Don’t go, you’re the only one who knows what we’re doing.”

Screw the keys, he’ll leave his car here. Not that he was actually planning on driving all the way to Gotham anyway. “See you Tuesday.”

“Shit, he is actually leaving right now.”

He’s gone.

oOo

He calls Dick’s cell, but, unsurprisingly, no one answers. He tries one of his comms, but no one is on. Calling the cave is no good either. When he comes racing into the Cave, he finds Tim sitting on some sparring mats, hands gripping his hair like that alone is keeping him together. His Robin uniform is torn and covered in blood.

He should ask if Tim’s okay, he should make sure the kid’s okay. “Dick?” is all Wally can manage to croak.

Tim’s lip quivers. “I don’t—it happened so fast, I—” he shakes his head and his eyes are staring at a memory Wally can’t see. He sits on the mats next to Tim and they wait in silence.

oOo

He doesn’t know how long he and Tim sit there like that. Long enough for the adrenaline to start tapering off and make Wally yawn.

When Alfred comes out of the makeshift OR, Tim immediately tries to run past him and toward Dick, but Alfred grabs him by the shoulders and says something to make Tim head toward the showers instead. Then Alfred is walking toward Wally, but Wally can’t bring himself to stand and meet him halfway.

“Has Master Tim told you anything?” Alfred asks.

“No.” He couldn’t bring himself to ask. He didn’t even know Dick was going to be in Gotham tonight, and after getting a look at Alfred, he’s wondering what Dick’s chances of ever leaving Gotham again are.

“Alright then.” Alfred sits down next to him on the mats and fills him in.

Apparently, they had been breaking up an underground auction, but comms went down. Dick had gone to find Tim, but when he did, Tim was caught in a losing fight. Dick got him out, but not before a bigger group had gotten Dick down. Tim left to get Bruce’s help, and by the time they got back and found Dick, he was beaten unconscious and being auctioned off. He hadn’t been breathing when they got him back to the cave.

As far as injuries went, recovery would be long. One kidney had been hit so badly they had almost needed to remove it. On top of that, he had a bruised liver, a broken femur, a linear skull fracture, blood loss, a crushed left hand that might require more surgery later on, and then too many bruises and cuts to count. His chest got the worst of it, though: significant bruising, multiple rib fractures, flail chest, one punctured lung, and pulmonary contusions. He has a chest tube in and is intubated, and probably would be for the next few days.

And now Wally has to go in and see it.

Alfred had made sandwiches at some point, and somehow one has been pushed onto his lap. He has one of Dick’s hands trapped within his own, rubbing it with his thumb like that back and forth motion will remind Dick’s heart to keep beating.

He hasn’t eaten for hours and his stomach is starting to feel like it’s collapsing in on him. He rips off a piece of the sandwich and pops it into his mouth. He eats his dinner next to his boyfriend, but they don’t catch up and the silence is far from comfortable. He doesn’t really taste the food, just rips, chews, and swallows. Then repeats that mechanical process until it’s gone and his stomach is temporally silenced.

This is the worst family dinner he’s ever had. And he’s had a lot of bad ones.

oOo

“How’s your IV?” Wally asks the body lying in front of him. “Does it taste nutritious?”

It’s just him right now. Him and Dick. Bruce and Tim are on patrol, and Alfred is manning the comms. It’s day three of this, and Wally just misses him.

“Oh, mine is okay. Some kind of vegetable soup and bread with what you would think is too much butter. But really, is there such a thing?”

The monitors beep and Dick doesn’t smile around the tube.

Wally sets the empty bowl down on the table, then leans forward onto the bed, right next to Dick’s head. “You know, you promised me family dinners. You’re really going to quit, what, four months in? That’s not like you.”

The monitors beep and Dick stays still.

“I know you’ll be okay and you’ll get through this, ‘cause you’re you and I personally think you have some kind of contract with Gotham where in exchange for protecting her she protects you, but that’s not the point. The point is that I’m going to be here no longer how long it takes. We’re a team now.”

He looks over his shoulder, not quite sure why. Whatever he finds or doesn’t, he decides it’s safe to climb up onto the cot. He pushes himself close to Dick sets his hand on top of Dick’s hair. He reaches for his phone with his other hand and pulls up some music. He turns the volume down low, then settles the phone between their ears. He relaxes against Dick again, stares at him until a small albeit pained smile comes to his face.

“You’ll never guess what I found in the library earlier.”

oOo

Dick is on the ventilator for five days. Wally doesn’t leave the manor during that time, and Wally eats all of his dinners down there right next to Dick for every single one. He spends most of his time there with Dick, dinner or not, but he always makes sure to be there for dinner. He knows it must be ridiculous, but it’s habit. He finds he can’t eat dinner without Dick anymore. And maybe the routine will help Dick heal. Talking is supposed to help, right?

This has been the first time that talking to Dick hasn’t been easy. Part of that is that most of the time someone else is down there with them, the exception being dinner; everyone has caught on that that’s Wally’s time. Wally doesn’t know why it surprised him—house of detectives and all that. Everyone has carved out their own alone time with Dick, and everyone respects it. But being apart from Dick is hard, being with Dick is hard. It all comes down to the fact that while Dick’s body is there, Dick isn’t. And that’s what’s putting everyone on edge.

Needless to say, he doesn’t even have the energy to think or worry about the lectures he’s missing. He’s sure he received an angry email from his classmates about their project, but that’s for later-Wally to deal with. Right-now-Wally is watching his unconscious and unbreathing boyfriend.

That last part should change soon, though. Alfred started weaning Dick off the ventilator yesterday afternoon, just a few hours after he removed the chest tube. Dick’s lungs have been doing really well, too, so Alfred has decided it’s safe for him to come off of it.

“All right,” Alfred says as he puts on a pair of gloves. “Will you be staying for this, Master Wally?”

Wally nods and squeezes Dick’s hand a little harder. “Uh-huh.”

“Very well.” He turns to Bruce, tells him, “You can suction now.”

The procedure doesn’t take long, and Wally can’t help but grimace when they finally pull the tube from Dick’s throat. They put an oxygen mask on him and adjust the medication (again) so that it will be easier for him to wake up. The fingers on his right hand start twitching not even an hour later, but he’s still nowhere near consciousness. Wally sits and waits in a tense silence, Bruce and Alfred right across from him. They have no idea what to expect when Dick wakes up. He could be fine, there could be serious deficits, he could be vegetative.

These facts swirl around Wally’s head, but they don’t seem to have an effect on him. None of it will be real until it’s happened, and right now, Dick is just sleeping. (Just sleeping.)

Wally has switched to petting Dick’s hair when Dick’s arm suddenly jerks and his head turns to the side. Wally straightens and takes his hand away while Bruce leans forward, his chair squeaking against the floor in his haste.

“Dick?” Bruce asks, and he’s rubbing his thumb into the side of Dick’s wrist. “Dick, if you can hear me, open your eyes.”

“Nngh,” Dick mumbles through half-closed lips.

“Dick,” Bruce says, louder and firmer than before. “C’mon, chum, you need to wake up now.”

Dick’s eyes peek open, then fall again before rising again and focusing on the face in front of him. “Hhh.”

“Shh.” Bruce pushes Dick’s hair back. Tells him, “You’re alright. Does your throat hurt?”

Dick nods.

“You had a tube in for a few days. But you’re okay now.”

“Breathing hurts,” Dick insists, closing his eyes again and bringing his hands to hover shakily over his chest. And his voice, fuck, his voice is so quiet and barely there. Like it hurts too much to breathe deep enough to talk.

“Your chest took most of the damage. Broken ribs, flail chest, pneumothorax, bruised liver,” Bruce lists off. His eyes flick to his watch, then he stands. “I’ll get you something to help the pain.” He rests his hand in his hair for a moment, then Bruce looks over at Wally, saying, “Wally’s here.”

Dick follows his gaze and finds Wally. He reaches out his hand. “Waa.”

Wally just buries his face in Dick’s offered hand, kissing it gently and never letting go. “Thank god.”

Alfred checks Dick over, eases their worries by confirming that there are no signs of brain damage. The biggest problem will be preventing pneumonia, but with everything Dick’s chest has been through, there’s not much else they can do but wait and see. (And by see, Wally thinks they mean start treatment as soon as something looks suspicious.)

Just coming out of sedatives, Dick isn’t really with it. He’s in a lot of pain, though, and he falls asleep again pretty quickly. After his vitals remain stable for three hours, he gets switched over to a nasal cannula and Alfred says it’s okay to move him up to his bedroom. Wally couldn’t anticipate how relieving that little change in scenery would be.

oOo

Late that afternoon, Wally is just starting to doze off when he hears the sheets rustling.

He pushes himself off of the arm of his chair and sees Dick’s blue eyes scanning the room. “Babe, hey.”

“Hey,” Dick says with a smile, eyes focusing on Wally. His voice is still quiet and soft, both from exhaustion and the pain Dick must be in whenever he inhales.

Something makes Dick frown. “Did I miss dinner?”

“You’ve been out for almost a week, babe.” Wally frowns and blinks at him, thrown and concerned by the question. He woke up during Bruce’s designated time, and while he had still been in a lot of pain, Bruce had said he was coherent. Had things changed? Is something wrong? Where’s Alfred?

“I meant tonight,” Dick clarifies, nodding over at a tray where Wally’s dirty dishes are still sitting. Wally lets out a relieved breath as discreetly as he can. “But, yeah, I guess I missed a lot of dinners. Sorry about that.” He brings his hand up to rub at his throat.

“Don’t worry about it.” Wally pushes a strand of Dick’s hair back. “But—and this is just for the record—I ate dinner next to you every night, so, technically, our streak is still going. And you didn’t miss tonight’s dinner; that was just from lunch. Well, second lunch.”

Dick breathes a laugh through his nose, but it still makes him wince.

“Do you need anything?” Wally asks. “I can go find Alfred if you need more meds.”

“No,” Dick is quick to assure.

“Are you hungry?” Wally asks.

“I don’t know. I guess I should be.” Dick rubs his forehead with his non-broken hand. “Definitely nauseous, though. Morphine?”

“Think so,” Wally answers, peering over at the bags. “Alfred gave you some anti-nausea stuff. I take it it’s not doing anything?”

Dick is biting his lip and staring into space; Wally knows he’s not really listening anymore. “It was bad this time, yeah?”

“Yeah. Recovery is going to be a few months, and I don’t think Alfred is going to let you out of the manor anytime soon.”

Dick closes his eyes, shakes his head slowly instead of speaking.

“Do you want to rest some more?”

Dick shakes his head again.

“We could watch something, or—”

A knock on the door and Alfred steps in.

“Good afternoon, Master Dick. How are we feeling?” Alfred asks, a tray in his hand.

Dick looks over at him, shakes his head and mumbles something too quiet to make out.

“I know it hurts, sir, but you must try to take deep breaths.” Alfred inclines the bed a little more and then hands Dick a pillow. “Try placing this over your chest while you take some deep breaths; it will help with the pain.”

Dick does as he’s told, and while it doesn’t make him wince, it doesn’t look comfortable.

“Has the pain been tolerable?” Alfred asks. “It’s about time for your next dose, so now would be a good time to adjust it.”

“What you gave me last time was fine,” Dick says. Wally was told he asked for more when he woke up with Bruce, and that in itself says something. “Talking just hurts.”

“Yes, between your chest and the intubation, it likely will for a while longer. Is it in your throat or your chest?”

“Both, but more here.” Dick points to his chest, which the pillow is still covering.

“I brought up some ice chips and a throat spray. Would you like those now, too?” Alfred asks.

“Uh,” Dick looks over at the tray. “Just the ice, thanks.”

Alfred nods and starts checking Dick over while Dick soothes his throat with the cool ice. When Alfred finishes, he starts stacking Wally’s dishes onto the other tray and hands Dick his lunch. “Anything else?”

“Is Tim back yet?” Dick asks. He stayed home for school on Thursday and Friday, but Bruce has been forcing him to go since Monday. Dick hasn’t seen him yet, and the last time he did see him, he was pulling him out of a mob. So, understandably, he’s been a little anxious.

“Master Bruce should be back with him in less than twenty minutes.”

Dick nods, checks the clock.

“I’ll be back in an hour. Do call if you need anything.” And then the man is gone.

They end up putting on some nature documentary, and Dick does his best to eat a sufficient amount of food while breaking for the occasional deep breath. When Tim comes home, Bruce pops in to check on Dick and then he and Wally excuse themselves to give them some space. After that, it’s Alfred’s turn, and by the time everyone else comes back in, Dick’s sleeping again. He sleeps through the regular dinner time, so Wally snacks on an apple to tide himself over.

The others are having a pre-patrol nap and Wally is finishing up some reading for tomorrow’s class when Dick finally wakes up.

“Hungry?” Wally asks, snapping his book shut with a grin on his face.

Dick smiles back. “Starving.”

Alfred made some kind of noodle casserole for dinner. Easy to swallow and absolutely delicious. Seeing as Dick can’t really focus on breathing, eating, and a conversation right now, it’s one of those quiet dinners where they mostly just enjoy the other’s company. But it doesn’t matter, the shared dinner still makes Wally feel all warm and like Dick’s finally home.

When they’re done, Dick asks him to put on some music. Wally does, then he puts their dishes on the side table and lies down next to Dick. Wally tells him about all the weird things his family did while he was out, and Dick makes a comment every now and then, but mostly just listens to Wally talk. When he runs out of things to say, he pulls Dick a little closer and they just listen to the music and take each other in.

They have full bellies, small smiles, and soft music. For the first time in days, Dick is truly here and Wally is truly happy. Everything is as it should be.

[valeriemperez]

Tati, I read the description of the episode 4x12 and I think the person that Barry is going to meet (who has a connection with Henry) was a cellmate of his father because I don't think it's Dawn because he's already meet her. This person also could be Don who came from the future with Dawn to help Barry.

I think the same, regarding the new cellmate. Definitely gonna be Fallout, imo.

People tend to assume the worst about Iris whenever a new trailer comes out. Jesus! Like from the trailer for S4 with “You’re not the Flash, we are” to people thinking Iris slapping Barry in 4x07 when it was Marlize to how Iris might out Barry. Promos tend to be misleading. I don’t understand what everyone’s problem is.

‘Fans’ are obsessed with demonizing Iris, it’s incredible. Can’t wait for them to be wrong.

I’m hearing all this speculation that KL is on LOT permanently now, when do you think we will get any confirmation of this?

We won’t get confirmation until he actually appears on Legends, but I hope the stay won’t be permanent. We need West family scenes with Wally in them, and we need Kid Flash too!

“Meanwhile, Barry (Grant Gustin) meets someone with a mysterious connection to Henry Allen.” WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANS?!?!? Is this Dawn/ Nora/ JPK secret character. Do you think this means she could be someone else. Henry Allen’s secret love child? Maybe? I hope not. Or do you think the synopsis is intentionally misleading and she is Dawn Allen and this ‘mysterious connection’ is just her being his granddaughter? 

Dawn may be in the episode, but I think the description is referring to his new cellmate. Also, like you said, she is still connected to Henry if she’s Barry and Iris’ daughter. That makes Henry her grandfather, which isn’t misleading.

Zoe reached 13K follwers on IG. CP is trying to get her dog IG famous. LOL!

And she’s succeeding!

Are you going to the DCTV event that CP is going to this weekend? And if you are which one of your platforms is the best to follow for updates.

Tragically, I am unable to attend. But you can check @maeabdu, @tarcamwat, @wanderer765,  @kmad1880, @AlexisWaverider and plenty of others on Twitter for updates. And remember the panels will be livestreamed!

Not sure if you saw, but Ken (pursuit23 on twitter) said that Keiy isn’t filming The Flash right now (but Violett is). Adding that to the article that came out last night hinting that Wally might be moving to Legends, do you think he will end up switching shows after all?

That’s what it looks like, but I’m holding out hope since Legends switches often.