#but Talia’s got him under control

[ghost-bxrd]

Was rereading What you're looking for (you claim to abhor) and I just realized I'm a little confused on whether Jason is aware that Damian is Bruce's kid or not? Does he just think Talia had a child with someone and ended up bonding with Damian, hence he has a little brother? Or is he aware that Talia has been hiding Damian from Bruce and is too preoccupied with the whole "my family thinks i'm my own boyfriend" mess that the thought of mentioning Damian just hasn't come up?

Yes Jason is aware!

Talia never kept it a secret from him. When she took Jason in after some League operatives found him wandering around Gotham following his resurrection she only waited long enough to ascertain that he wouldn’t pose a threat to a vulnerable kid before introducing them to each other.

Jason was still mostly catatonic at the time so his memories of meeting Damian for the first time are a bit foggy, but after he was submerged in the Pit and Talia caught him up on everything she also informed him of Dami’s lineage.

Jason’s wasn’t really intent on spending time with Damian for a while after that (mostly because he didn’t remember his time before the Pit at all for a few months yet and partly because… well, he was afraid that someone looking like Bruce might trigger the Pit rage).

Damian, true to fashion, stayed away from Jason for a solid two days before he snuck away from the heavily protected Al Ghul quarters and marched through Nanda Parbat all by himself to find his self proclaimed brother.

Jason was both appalled and impressed when he found the kid fighting off two would-be assassins just outside his room. (Talia was mildly miffed that the assassins were already dead by the time she caught up to Damian)

Damian and Jason frequently trained together after that, a lot of times even with Talia personally when she wasn’t yet convinced Jason would be capable of protecting both himself and Damian from tutors who would wish them harm.

Soon the two became virtually inseparable and Jason got promoted quickly first to Damian’s personal bodyguard, then to General of the Shadows and eventually got officially adopted by Talia al Ghul in a ceremony where Ra’s also gave his consent.

Oh wow ok that got off topic real quick I’m so sorry. I’ll just leave this here anyway.

But to answer the last question: 50/50

On one hand Jason is pretty preoccupied with the whole Gotham Drama, on the other hand he never had any intention to tell Bruce about Damian in the first place. As far as he’s concerned, Damian is way better off in the safety of Nanda Parbat with a kickass mom and a homicidal grandad, far, FAR away from Bruce’s crusade and his tendency to put kids in suits.

I hope that answers it 💚💚💚

[qcomicsy]

I think a thing that people get wrong about Jason's anger is that it's not explosive.

It's cold. Jason isn't the type of person who storms off at every little thing or goes throwing tantrums and setting things on fire blindfully.

He's the type of person who's very practical. He keeps to himself, always. You rarely see issues where Jason's anger is reactive at the moment where the trigger happens to him. If you see his character up close, most of the time when he's triggered his reaction is calm. Even cold.

He gets triggered -> He keeps to himself → He makes a plan → And then he reacts.

Jason's anger being something explosive and out of character and out of place is actually how other people (characters) see it, because they have no idea on how it's playing out on Jason's head.

And that's a thing you can see operating since he was a child.

Where the only exceptions about this effect is either when someone he believes needs his help is involved.

See Nightwing Annual (2021)

But In Batman #411 when Jason learns the fact that Two-Face was responsible for his father's death and Bruce was keeping that from him as a secret his first reaction isn't to blow up on him.

Was to seethe.

Bruce goes up home after dealing with a Two-Face case (in my field we call that poetic irony) and asks Alfred where Jason is, Alfred's answer is that he's been sleeping all day (which is a conclusion that Alfred drew probably after going to check on Jason and seeing him in fact on his bed all day).

But when you see the next panel, even though he is on the bed, He's fully awake and both his expression and his body language shows that he's in fact angry.

This is the first time he appears again in the comics after learning that Two Face killed his dad.

Jason doesn't go towards Bruce immediately to demand an explanation or ask why he did this, or even to throw the truth on his face.

(Which could be debatable that that's something the Dick would usually do, but I'm not that literate on Dick's comics)

His reaction wasn't immediate.

His reaction was to go to his bed and stay quiet. Jason stayed calm and collected the whole trip until meeting Two Face again.

But the moment Jason as Robin has the opportunity to get his hands on Two-Face he does this

From Bruce, and maybe Alfred's perspective it could be interpreted as out of place or him storming off.

But it isn't. Jason was able to keep his cool (even though he shut off), until he was face a face to Two Face.

Does that mean he planned that to happen?

That's debatable, in any moment of this issue it is shown that Jason was actually planning to get to Two Face and do this. I my personal opinion, other and much more plausible explanation is: That he was in fact trying to keep to himself but couldn't hold back the moment that he saw his dad's murder.

You can see the same thing happening as Jason learns that Batman got another Robin in Red Hood: Lost Days.

Talia asks "You all right?" and Jason's first answer is "Sure Why Wouldn't I Be Alright?"

When he's alone he finally has the moment to break down.

(Actually both Red Hood: The lost days and Batman: Under the Red Hood are great case studies on how that usually play out on Jason's head.)

Jason is way more in control of his emotions than people ever give him credit for. The thing is that Jason holds it back until he either blows off or is capable to throw it back in someone's face.

[elizabethemerald]

Don't Sneak up on People with Swords

@im-totally-not-an-alien-2 made a prompt about Danny sneaking up on Jason Todd and @sky00asara made a comment in the tags about what would happen if Danny did that to Talia. So here is my version of that! Enjoy.

Talia al Ghul watched her beloved from afar. He was out, again patrolling his city for those he considered wrong doers. Her son was by his side. She scowled at how Damian’s fighting style had changed, softened in the company of her beloved. Despite her love for the man under the cowl, he had a tremendous ability to take even the most ruthless of killers and change them to spare the undeserving. He had even tried it with her. 

She was hidden on the roof of an abandoned tower nearby. The tower had succumbed to fire and was now condemned until the city got around to destroying it properly. For now it made the perfect place for her to observe her beloved and her son work undisturbed. 

“Excuse me?” 

Talia whirled, drawing her blade as she spun. Her blade moved fast enough to almost cut the air itself yet the small shape ducked under her stroke and back-pedaled quickly to move out her range. 

“Jeez! Why is everyone in this city so jumpy!” 

The voice more than anything made her realize that the person who had somehow snuck close enough was an actual child. Their black hair and blue eyes made her wonder if this was another of her beloved’s adoptees. Except surely this boy was too young to catch Bruce’s eye? 

“Well maybe you should not sneak up on people?” Talia hissed, her voice soft yet stern. To say nothing of how a child who couldn’t be older than five had snuck up on her at all. 

“Well maybe you shouldn’t brood on the roof of my home!” The child snarked back, just like one of the Bat’s brood would, completely unafraid of the blade still in her hand. Talia raised an eyebrow at him then looked around at the burnt skeleton of the building they were standing on. 

“This building is not fit for human occupation.”

“Neither was the last place I lived.” He said dismissively. “This place hasn’t even killed me yet, so it’s practically a paradise.” 

She was tempted to take the child’s words as sarcasm, yet something in the way he spoke made her think he meant it more truthfully. 

“You’ve died before?” Talia asked. She relaxed her hold on her blade, allowing it to rest at her side. 

“Oh yeah, I die all the time.” He said, then he looked at her curiously tilting his head first one way, then another. “You’ve died too, huh?” 

She nodded, now examining him closely, looking for the signs she would recognize. She could see the hint of a scar on the boy’s palm that might have caused a death. 

“What is it with this town that so many people have died and come back?” The boy asked, apparently rhetorically as he didn’t let her answer. “First the stabby Robin, then the stabby Batgirl, then Batman, and even Red Hood. It’s like everyone I run into is contaminated.” 

Talia’s eyes widened. 

“You can sense those who have utilized the Lazarus Pits?” She would have to inform her father about this child. He could put the entire League of Assassins at risk. The child before her just shrugged. 

“I have no idea what that is. Red Hood mentioned some kind of pit as well, but I’ve never seen anything like that. I just know y’all are contaminated with ectoplasm, though not enough to make a core.” 

“What is this… ectoplasm?” Another name for the Lazarus Waters? Had there perhaps been a Pit outside of League control? In the midwest somewhere based on the boy’s accent. 

“Oh it’s this stuff.” He held his hand out and Talia couldn’t help keep her expression of shock withdrawn despite all her training as his hand filled with the glowing green light of the Pits. He held the Pit Water in his hand then tossed the glowing orb to his other hand in a half juggle as if he weren’t carrying the League's greatest secret and weapon. 

Nevermind telling her father about this child, he could never learn of him. If Ras had the power this child had under his control the world would never survive. There was only one option. She needed to train this child to wield this strength. With the stealth he displayed in sneaking up on her and his power over the Pits themselves he could make an assassin like the world had never seen. He could be the next Head of the Demon under her guidance. She knelt down to the boy’s level, slipping her sword back away as she did so. 

“Tell me, young one. Are you living in this death trap of a building all by yourself?” 

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I’ve got it taken care of. I know I’m little, but that just means people are less likely to notice me. I’m able to steal all the food I need from that big box store down the street.” 

“Oh of that I have no doubt. My name is Talia al Ghul. What’s yours?” 

“Hmm. I’m Danny.” The boy seemed hesitant to trust her, which to be perfectly honest was probably a very smart thing to do, but at least she had a name for this gift of Lazarus. 

“Danny, how would you like to come live with me? You won’t have to steal any more, or worry about food ever again, and I could train you how to fight even better than the Bats.” 

He narrowed his eyes at her, looking her over closely. 

“Would I get a sword?” 

“If a sword is what you want, then once you were trained in its use I would acquire one for you.”

Danny looked like he was about to nod, but then he froze, his head tilting to the side as if he was listening to something. His eyes widened and Talia tensed. 

“Uh-oh. Fruit Loop incoming. I gotta go.” 

Talia half turned as she heard the sound of one of her beloved’s grappling lines catching on the building’s edge. By the time she had turned back to face him, Danny had completely vanished. She hadn’t even heard him leave. She stood and scowled as her beloved landed on the rooftop next to her. 

“Talia.” He grunted at her, glaring all the while. 

“Beloved. Must you ruin every nice thing in my life?” Talia snarled back. The boy, Danny, had the gift of Lazarus at his beck and call and Batman had scared him off. 

Bruce looked momentarily stunned at her fury, but quickly hid it behind his mask. However Talia couldn’t care less about her beloved right now. She just needed to lose him so she could return to find the boy. The boy who would change the world with his power. 

[lazycats-stuff]

Batfamily

Batfamily & male!reader, part 2, part 3, part 4 - platonic

talia and bruce having a older son who “went missing ” but actually joined the court of owls . he’s become friends with a bunch of rouges and two face is like a dad to him. he lives with harley and ivy and sometimes selina and they just chaos. but he runs into batfam and damian just wants to kidnap him so he can have his brother back - REQUEST

Batfamily & male!reader, PART 2, - platonic

Hi! Sorry I don’t know if you’re still taking requests but if you are, can I request a male!vigilante!Y/N. he’s likes 13-15 (younger than Tim but a older than Damian). He’s a orphan and been the infamous vigilante who goes by Jinx. He’s like super duper smart and knows martial arts and overall a total badass. The bat family has been trying to catch him for a couple of months now since he’s been like stealing their missions. Y/N just finished stopping a drug dealing near the docks. He’s about to leave when night wing and Robin (Damian) jump in front of him. They fight and robin kicks him in the ocean, knocking him out. When nightwing sees he’s not coming back, he goes and rescues him. So like they take him back to the bat cave and they put him in a cell and interrogate him, they find out he’s just a kid, a orphan and knows their secret identities (cause like I said, he’s super smart) Bruce decides to adopt the kid saying something like that it’s ether being adopted or going to jail. And Y/N and Damian aren’t happy about but have no choice and yeah that’s it. Sorry if it’s complicated or long - REQUEST

Batfamily & gn!reader - platonic

Can I request a gn!reader x batfam? The reader is in the batfamily business and is the 2nd youngest. They’re on a mission with the others, when they get hit by a alien tech which turns the reader into a toddler (2-3 years old?)😱 so the batfamily had to take care of the reader till they find an antidote. You can end it with the reader being turned back to their original age? - REQUEST

Batfamily & male!reader, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4 - platonic

can i request a scenario where the reader, who has been trained as a weapon for most of their life, struggles with expressing their emotions. The reader has been adopted by the Batfamily and is injured during a mission. They try to hide their injuries, but Dick or Jason (or both) find out and scold the reader for keeping it a secret. The reader responds by saying that they didn't think it was a big deal. it was a big deal. So it’s fluff and angst. The scenario can end with the Batfamily having a movie night after patching the reader up to help them feel better. If the scenario crosses any boundaries, please feel free to change anything necessary.

Batfamily & male!reader, GENDER NEUTRAL VERSION - platonic

Hi! If this makes you uncomfortable writing, you can choose to ignore it. I was hoping you could do male!reader, who was on patrol and the reader is kidnapped by a villain, and once the batfamily find them its to late and they were brainwashed and was now under control of a villain. (Bonus points if the villain, is actually their biological father who trained them to be a weapon before the reader got saved by the batfamily) Once they like have a fight and the batfam knock ‘em out they bring him to the cave and try to bring his memories back. It takes a while to get his memory back since the reader is not trusting them and doesn’t talk to them because they were brainwashed to think the batfamily is bad but after a while something happens and their mind snaps and they’re back to normal and they get all emotional because they hurt their true family??

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

May i request a baby bat (preferably male) that's left at home with a babysitter (it was after Alfred's surgery or he could just be sick but he's resting) while everyone is out on missions and the babysitter is completely ignoring the babies cries for food and a diaper change while titus is trying to comfort him (btw i noticed that you write titus as doberman even though he's a great dane? Please don't take offense i didn't know if this was on purpose or not so i just thought I'll point it out!) baby ends up crawling out of his crib, out of the doggy door and into the streets in only a diaper and shorts and of course titus is right behind, every time baby tries to go into traffic titus is gently nudging him away with his snout , every time a random person tries to pick up the baby and take him to the police titus is not having it, until eventually word reaches the batfam about this and they go to investigate and the unbelievable anger they felt after watching the camera footage of inside their house, you can choose what happens to the babysitter but family fluff with the baby please! Sorry if this is long i just heard from other writers that the more details they have the easier it is to write, thank you!

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

I'd like to request batfam x male reader, who crotchets a lot. He has some medical issues, so he doesn't go on patrol, he helps out with information gathering though. When Damian got added to the strays, the reader tried being a good older brother, and he crochets him a little stuffed animal for him as a welcome gift. Everyone in the family has one, even Alfred. Let's say, Damian had a bad day, and coincidentally the reader just finished the crochet animal and goes to his room to give it to Damian. Damian snaps and destroys the stuffed animal in front of the reader, also saying some pretty hurtful stuff. The reader cries because it took a lot of time to male it. You can end it however you want Take your time <3

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can I pretty please request male!reader x batfam who isn’t like sacred of most things like he’s really calm during watching horror movies or if their on a mission and he sees a dead person, he might feel disgusted but like doesn’t care really. So he acts hes not afraid of anything. Anything but bugs. I mean hes AFRAID, really afraid of BUGS. Not like ants or flys or cockroaches or small spiders. no things like big and creepy looking spiders or centipedes or bugs that just look creepy yoy get what I’m saying? I kinda want this to be with Tim or Jason and the reader is younger than them

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can I request a batfamily x male reader where reader is the youngest member(just a few months or so younger than Damien) and brings home a tiger he’s somehow managed to tame and is trying to convince his family to let him keep it?

Batfamily & male!reader, PART 2 - platonic

Batfamily x teen!reader who’s like younger than Timmy but older than dami, and he’s also a vigilante and were one before being taken in by the family. Anyways he has been with the family for a little while now and he’s close with every member, heck even he’s even close with the JL. But the batfamily doesn’t really know much about the reader’s past, and it’s a big deal if the world greatest detective doesn’t know ether. So a mission goes wrong and the reader is hurt so they obviously have to remove some of their clothing to treat him and they are shocked when they find many scars on the reader’s body. They decide to ask them about it when he wakes up. Once the reader wakes up and sees his body wrapped in bandages, he panics and has a panic attack because he knows they know about his scars now. One of the family member comes in and calms him down, and once’s he’s calm, they ask about how he got these scars. The reader knows he can’t keep lying anymore so he reluctantly tells them. His backstory is like Damians and cass. His father has a clan of his own and he trained the reader from birth to be the best assassin in the world. His punishments and training were harsher than Damian’s even. But he ran away from all that when he was 10. By the time he finishes the rest of the family is there and heard everything, he just breaks down crying again and the whole family now comforts him, telling him he’s safe now. IM SORRY IF YOUR UNCOMFORTABLE BY THIS :(

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hey, I'd love a batfam x reader fic, where the reader got mistreated by the family when they were first introduced (not by Alfred tho), they ignored here and just focused on their own shit and when the reader got older and they realized "oh shit I got another sibling" they wanna build a relationship, but the reader hates them and is like "nah, I don't give a shit how bad you feel, kys" and "Do i look like I care? Fuck off and please fall down the stairs and break your neck" or they're really overly nicest most anime girl voice to make them feel extra bad "oh my absolutely dearest brother, I would love to spend time with you, buuuut I just don't want you to waste your time on your little brother, okayyy 😚" I hope you can imagine something with this! Take time and have great day

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Baby bat who gets kidnapped by lex Luthor but has no clue what’s happening like he’s being taken to metropolis and baby bats is like are we thiere yet singing and being a menace Thiere confused on why an ugly bald guy is taking them out but Luthor gets fed up and leaves the kid somewhere and they just vibe

Batfamily & male!reader, part 2 - platonic

I hope it’s not too weird but can I request batfam a batbro!reader, older than Damian but younger then Tim that isn’t very emotional when it comes to death? Like they don’t understand why people are so hysterical over death. Maybe an animal died and they just go “oh they’re dead” like it was nothing. Hope ur doing well, I’m projecting so much with this but I can’t wait to see what you do if you do. I love ur writing, can’t wait to read more 🫶

Batfamily & male!reader, part 2 - platonic

Another request, hope it’s not bad. But batbro!reader who was raised to be perfect. Who’s older than Damian bur younger than Tim. But I was thinking maybe Bruce and readers mum have split custody and his mum is very demanding, the reader doing things like music and ballet (I just love dancing bc I was a dancer) and their mum pushes them to be perfect, in that and schoolwork and belittles then if it’s not perfect. Like they are worse than most of the family, not sleeping and always studying or pushing his body to the limits with practice. The family is going to a dancing competition for Cassandra and the reader is performing but they don’t know, reader not getting first place and they see how his mother reacts badly, maybe belittling the reader, their reaction maybe. Hope it makes sense, if you are uncomfortable with it dw🫶. I’ve seen so many assassin or killer ones.

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Oh god, i don't have any specific scenarios but i would really like to see some more babybat reader? Maybe batfam and a foodie baby? One where he's the happiest when he's eating

Batfam & male!reader - platonic

I'd like to see how batfam deal with babybat (not necessarily baby like 4 or 5) that's obsessed with video games? Like first thing he does in the morning is turn on his playstation before he even has breakfast or anything, maybe Bruce takes him out to get some outside time but instead he's just pointing out how some things look like this certain game he played etc, and basically the only way his brothers can interact with him is if they asked to play with him

Batfam & male!reader - platonic

Hey, I was wondering if you could do the Batfam with a Teen Former black Widow ( sorry English isn't my first language)

Batfam & male!reader - platonic

Can I request a batfamily discovering that Bruce has another biological son(who’s reader and is the second youngest) but also that reader is stuck in a abusive home and they go to save him from it?

Batfam & male!reader - platonic

Im so sorry ,in advance, its okey to ignore the request Batfam x child here this scenario: Batfam where on a mission catching some criminals, like usual but then hearing crying noise on the dark alleyways, when Batman or anyone in the batfamily check to see, When they looked, they saw a crying child with little bit blood on their face , they asked “why are they crying?are you hurt?” or “ are you okey? What happened?” The child pointed at darkest corners of the alley. they looked where the child was pointing at, they saw two of the parents died in the same manner like Batman backstory , when the child look up at them still crying , they lift their arms and said “ c-can I-i *sob*have a-a hug?*sob* p-please” How would the batfamily react? Or what to do to calm the child reader

Batfam & male!reader - platonic

Batfam x little bat bro The batbro is a really quiet kid, not non-verbal, just hardly ever talks. He's just quiet all around, when walking, eating, doing whatever. He also likes to stare a lot. Just imagine the kid suddenly appearing in front of Bruce's desk , you can just see his little grabby hands and the upper part of his face, and he just stares. Definitely is the one to accidentally scare them with suddenly appearing even tho he's been here the whole time. The definition of this --->●_●

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Batkids x male reader, were the reader was Bruce's best friend but due to some bad blood they kinda hate each other, but still look out for each other. Now what about Bruce having to go on a mission with the justice league, and lets just say Alfred is on vacation and Bruce just takes the extra step and let's the kids stay at the reader's place, because he knows they're safe with him. While the reader hates Bruce, he loves his nephews and he takes great care of them. Bruce eventually returns and the kid's are obs with their uncle, so now Bruce has to visit the reader more often and maybe they repair their friendship??

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hey so I was wondering if you could do a fic/head cannons of the batfamily reacting and bonding over time with Bruce’s biological son he had 20 years ago (one night stand stuff) when he was young. The son who went missing when he was 10. And he came back as a blood witch/vampire due to his mothers heritage around dicks age now and him and dick bond in specific getting together eventually also some Damian being jealous/spiteful but warming up and bonding with him happy ending if you are willing to do this I’d appreciate it and want it so much but thank you anyways If you don’t for even considering it

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

could u maybe make a batfam x male reader and where the reader is like trained to be an spy or something and their mission was to figure out what was going on inside the manor but they figured out to much and got roped into the batfams family

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Could you do one where batfam and batbro!reader are on a mission and reader gets hit with something that temporarily makes him half cat? Like ears, tail, teeth, stuff like that?

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Yk the one where batbro reader meets the justice league and the leave absolutely loves him? Could you do one with the young justice with Tim or teens titans with dick or the outlaws with Jason?

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hey I was just wondering if you’d possibly do headcannons of A fic of the batfam in specific Damian getting all of readers (Damian’s biological older brother who’s a blood witch/vampire) long decade old friends killed by accident when he slips up and tells the league where they operate from and reader cannot cope with this so he goes into the forest at night to scream and cry in private but Damian follows him one night and sees reader about to end their lives and he stops them admits the truth and expects the reader to kill him with one look but instead reader hugs him and cry’s saying he should have been a better brother and he understands it’s a mistake and Damian gets upset as well and hugs reader back just them both crying saying sorry and Bruce finds them and takes them back to the mansion, the end and if you can’t do it cause of the attempted suicide I understand it’s just a personal thing but thank you for considering my request anyways.

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Okay hear me out, reader x batfamily okay? The reader is 2nd youngest (like 14) and recently during a mission, they got sent to alternate reality where they’re a bad guy, and witnessed themself kill the batfamily? Obviously you don’t have to write out that part if it makes you uncomfortable, but any ways. Once they return they distant themselves from the family beacuse they’re scared they’re going to hurt the family and turn out like the other evil them? The batfamily has enough of this after a while and corners them and kinda pressures them into telling what’s going on with them, and the reader kinda breaks down and says what they saw and that they’re scared they’re going to hurt their family. The batfam comforts them and tells them that, their nothing like their evil self? Somethin like thattt

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Batbro rwader who gets the flu or has bad fever but refuses to rest and still wants to go on patrol? (2nd youngest like 2 years older than dami) PRETTY PLEASEEEEE

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hey, I wanted to ask if you could do a bat!bro who’s Australian? And very aussie, like they go bogan (look it up if you don’t know) when they are mad and every second word is basically just a swear word of some kind (especially c*nt) Also showing everyone Kath and Kim, it’s a classic and I recommend it to everyone.

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Heyo, can I ask for a bat!bro reader who’s around 16 or 17 and they find out that he smokes and drinks? And sometimes some drugs. And he (tries to) hide it from everyone? If not it’s ok, and I hope ur doing good. Can’t wait to see what you write 🫶

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hello I was wondering if you could do a Batfam x teen reader, where the reader is like Lara croft from Tom Raider. The reader love going on adventure to ancient ruin and collect artefacts. The story is up to you, of course! Thanks you for your amazing writing! (sorry, English isn't my first language)

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hi! Could you do a Batfam x teen reader, where the reader does illegal street race, he sneaks out at night to go those race, and the Batfam found out about it ! Thank you ;)

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can we get fic where male batbro x batfamily, where his school is having a field trip to Wayne enterprises? I’m not sure if you watch marvel or read marvel fics but it’s basically likes the ones where peters has a field trip to go stark industry’s. Anyways, so Bruce and Tim work their right? Tim is the co-ceo and Tom is just teasing him the whole time Tim gives a tour but when they took a break for the the kids to eat and stuff. Tim walks in on someone picking on batbro reader, the batbro reader doesn’t care that much but Tim does. Tim just gets protective of him and kinda threatens the bullies with a smile?

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can you do a batfam x baby bro reader? Where Bruce puts reader in a Batman onesie and it was cute and when they boys see it they all start fighting, which turns physical quick, over who’s costume reader should wear a onesie of next

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

My latest obsession > motorcycles ,i know so many people call them death machines but i can't help but get heart eyes when i look at them, anyways i wanted to know how would the batfam react to the youngest family member batbro reader being like that? I'm especially curious about Bruce, will he buy a whole garage for his kid? Or try to steer his interest somewhere else? Also i think Jason will try to be reader's riding buddy <3

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

How about a one of the one where the family didn't know about male reader past and found scars. Let's see the justice league/titans/young justice reactions to readers past R.I.P Deathstroke cause the moment anyone sees him there all about to jump on him🤣

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Could you do a batfam x batbro reader? Where reader is the 2nd youngest and they all accidentally forget his birthday, and they see him all teary eyed and they all feel really guilty and go to apologize to him except plot twist, batbro also forgot that it was his birthday and was teary eyed because he saw a really emotional scene in a video game he was playing and it made him tear up

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can I ask for a follow up on Australian bat!bro reader where he gets annoyed bc they won’t let him drink alcohol or smth? Here in Australia there is alot of underage drinking. (I mean I got high and tipsy at my 17th birthday party with parental permission💀) Just thinking about the culture shock most of them would get 😭

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hey, I love your fics. I wanted to request a bat!bro reader who’s 16 where Bruce has split custody with his mum (he grew up with his mum and wanted split) but it turns out his mum was just using him to get money from Bruce and is kind of neglectful? And he always gives it to her bc he’s a mamas boy? Stay safe and don’t forget to stay hydrated <33

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hello, I was wondering if you could do a Batfam x teen reader, who does figure skating?

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hello, firstly I love your writings ! I was wondering if you could do a Batfam x teen reader, who is like the winter soldier from Marvel? He has a Metal arm and has been trained to be a weapon . Only if you want to, of course. have a good day !

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hi! So I’ve had this idea for a while and idk why but I thought I would go ahead and request it. Batfam x Batbro reader who’s the 2nd oldest (maybe their ages range from like 25-18) and is really close with all his brothers. One night after some encouraging from Dick he decides to go out with some friends. While he is gone this villain who he’s been fighting for a while breaks into the mansion and uses his powers of mind control on the family. (the boys and Bruce, Alfred has the night off so he isn’t here) He uses them as leverage over batbro when he gets back from his night out. (Could you focus more on the scene where they break in and mind control happens? I’ve been picturing we see that part happen and then batbro gets home. Kinda like you would see on a tv show) The villain tries to bargain with batbro (maybe he has powers that villain wants?) for his family but because batbro is a smart badass he finds a way to project villain’s own powers back onto himself so batbro is able to command him to release him family and then he gets sent to jail. The brothers are very impressed with his quick thinking skills and they end up having a “sleepover” in one of their room (because let’s be honest, those beds could probably hold like 15 people) and they all fight over who gets to lay next to batbro and Dick and Jason end up winning that fight. It ends with the brothers being like “hope you enjoyed your once chance at protecting us because it will never happen again!” To batbro because they (even the once younger than him) and very protective of him. If not it’s totally ok!!! Thank! Love your work!!

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Could you do batman x son reader, where the reader struggles with an eating disorder. Maybe reader faints on a patrol or maybe he just trys to hide his Ed behaviors (like skipping meals, over exercising, purging, ect...) from the family, but one day the family just figures it out.

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hellooo, I was wondering if you could write a fic on how the bat family would react to the male reader having a mental breakdown. The male reader always acts like he is the best. And all of a sudden he just broke down and started crying and they all feel bad for him. Idk if this makes sense I'm sorry 😭😭

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

been thinking of a batbro bimbo reader who isn't yet fully aware of his family's identitys but is a vigilante too. Thinking of him getting flirted on and the other's getting protective. Especially the younger siblings (Ex: Damian)

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

hi I love your posts and I wanted to ask if you could do batfamily x newest batbro who was created to be a weapon and when bruce saves him and makes him have a childhood he couldn't make choices like the demon slayer kanao please - @elizabeth63646esangrenta

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can I request a batfamily fic with a reader who loves reading and is rly shy but they’re trying to spend more time with them ♥️

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

I had read a fic of yours where Batson was Australian, I don't know if you have other requests like this but if you accept, make one with Batson being Brazilian and he likes football, carnival and who likes to listen and dance to music by the great diva Anitta

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Could you do batfam x baby bat reader? Where reader is a tiny force of chaos who likes to run around and cause mischief, and the only person he’s perfectly behaved with (aside from Alfred) is Damian, and while the rest of the family is trying to figure out why, Damian is just being smug cause even as an infant his little brother obviously knows who his superior brother is

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hi, this is my first time asking here I really love your work and also the whole reason me going into the DC fandom really... Anyway, back to my request can you do like a fluffy interaction with the batfamily when child (male or gn) reader told them that they had a "boyfriend" at school. Not entirely sure if this is really you're cup of tea and if not you can ignore it.

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Hello I was wondering if you could write a teen male reader with the Batfam. The reader is super into technology and hacking stuff and kinda helps the fam in the background of mission Thanks you!

Batfamily & male!reader - romantic with Bruce Wayne

Hello, I hope you are doing alright! So I can have a kinda cross over idea for a teen male reader. a mix of Batfam and star wars. The reader is a Jedi padawan that had to flee towards the Earth after the Jedi were forced into hiding and the rest is up to you.

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

Can you do a teen reader (younger than Damian by 1 or 2 years) x batfam, where he is spider man? (I mean kinda like miles morales, he has electricity powers but his webs are organic too and doesn’t need a web shooters.) he is Bruce’s biological child and his mother died, yk his canon event and what not. So he has to move to Gotham and isn’t happy about. Just distant and all. One night He sneaked out and bought a train ticket and went to New York, and was only spider man and just slept in somewhere. So the batfamily tracked him to New York, and while looking for him, they bump into him as spider man. They have to team up to find a villian but reafer gets hurt in the end and his mask fell off and they see it’s reader? They bring him and just have a talk when he wakes up and they come to conclusion for him to join the family in their fighting in Gotham?

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

Hello author. I hope your having a splendid day May I request a reader x batfamily ( a year younger than Damian) They are a Demi god of lightning and electricity. He has been having a hard time with cases and failing and stuff like that, too much pressure. And he’s kind of hitting his breaking point. So during a fight with a villain, alone. The villain corrupts the reader and makes him evil. For a few months he became a villain and barely anyone could stop him. The batfamily at first didn’t know it was him but during a mission that was orders by the villain that corrupted him, to kill Althea (your oc) but Althea got away with injures but saw his face and told her mom and her mom told bats. So with this new information the batfamily were more devastated . With the help of the justice league the batfamily are in a show down with the reader, somewhere near a cliff and they fight and while also talking about their memories together. Reader was too powerful though and restrains everyone with use his electricity. His eyes are red and with dead eyes he walks towards any batfamily member of your choice and was about to deliver the final blow before the bat member looks at them and says ‘ I love you, my son/little brother’ reader hesitates and his eyes widens and filled with tears, the red disappearing. He’s of course confused and disoriented, he steps back and not notices the cliff. His mind coming back to me as he slowly lets his restaions of the others disappear. He steps back near the cliff and looks back into the abyss and back at his family and friends. With regret and a messed up mind right now thinking he won’t be forgiven, he purposely steps back and fall down the cliff. No one was fast enough to stop his fall and he dies. They retrieve his body and they’re just depressed and stuff for a while hut Damian won’t allow his only little sibling to die and takes his body to talia and he gets revived back. when he brings unconscious reader back, the batfamily are upset at him for doing a dangerous act but happy that it went well. Sorry it’s too long.

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

HEYYY, firstly how are you! I wanted to ask if you could write about a teen male reader with the Batfam. He is kinda like the winter soldier if you know what I mean ( skilled fighter, metal arm..), since he lived with the Batfam he was doing a good mental recovery, but one day he goes back to winter soldier mode on the fam, and they try to get him back to normal again, idk Thanks you bye !

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

Ok this one is mainly for Alfred but u could add batbros and batdad if u want, anyways i was wondering what would alfred (or any of the fam) do to stop BatToddler reader tantrum? Like i imagine the setting would be grocery shopping and Alfred's only getting healthy food including boring plain cereal and BatToddler is not having it and only wants sugar loaded cereal and starts whining and tearing up right there in the middle of the store, would alfred give in to those tears or find an alternative? I imagine batdad would give in and the brothers might even encourage it giving that they probably eat the same junk food

Batfamily & male!reader - platonic

(Kind of self projecting sorry lol) SO! BabyBat has an upset stomach but Bruce's too anxious about giving him medicine because can his baby stomach handle those chemicals? Insert Alfred rolling up his sleeves "give him here master Bruce" a tired Bruce just hands him over without question and watches as alfred and baby head to the kitchen and suddenly...baby stopped crying? Bruce walks into the kitchen seeing flower stems on the counter and Alfred standing there with a sleeping baby "...How?" "Rosewater master Bruce, i made and fed him Rosewater" Not sure how to end this but basically BabyBat would only drink Rosewater from now on and Bruce has to upgrade his gardening game ,Alfred always has already-made Rosewater so his Grandson is always hydrated and the rest of batbros are just like "hell yeah my brother's too fancy for regular water" I hope you except my request and thank u! I love u

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

Remember when u wrote batbro who's Australian? Now u HAVE TO do Italian! This time with Italian toddler batbro, please little Italian people with their small hand gestures are so funny and so fricking adorable to me I'm tearing up just thinking about it

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

I remember back when i was a few months old and still using a baby walker, I'll wake up early morning but my parents will be too exhausted to get up yet so my older sister will put me in the walker in front of the TV and turn on something like national geographic or anything about animals then I'm entertained for hours(might take a stroll around the livingroom but with my eyes still on the tv) even though i understood nothing lol, can i see something like that with batfam and babybat? I feel like this is something batbros will definitely do if they're too tired to entertain their baby brother but still want to hangout with him(they just end up open mouthed staring at the tv just like the baby < Bruce's favourite site in the morning)

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

U know those adorable videos where big brothers are the most gentle and just keep picking up and kissing their baby sibling no matter if the baby was sleeping or not? I imagine babybatbro (triple B lol) will be napping next to Bruce in bed and then which ever batbro will come in and steal the baby with no explanation hehe, I'd like to see something like that with all 4 batbros please

Batfamily x male!reader - platonic

Artist toddler batbro! Can't help but draw/ paint at least once a day and at the end of the day batfam is anticipating who will be the lucky family member that'll receive which ever art piece their youngest has created that day (sometimes the art piece is on the walls or floor of the mansion but no one has the heart to be angry when little batbro is just proudly presenting his art) Toddler batbro *leaves a paint covered tiny handprint on the wall* Bruce: alfred, frame that

Batfamily x male!reader - Romantic with Damian

Please write Damian x friend reader who's really shy, and they have to make a school project together, and they do so at the manor, but because the reader is shy he doesn't want to meet the family. The family (to annoy damian) want to meet this friends, but Damian actually likes the reader and tries to protect him from his brother's

Batfamily x male!reader, PART 2- platonic

What about Batfam x male reader where the reader was actually the first child Bruce adopted and he was the practice child. He hated growing io because Bruce had really no idea what to do and then the other kids came along and now Bruce kinda understood what to do. He hates family time because he never felt like family, he was just some doll the others could practice on so later they wouldn't make mistakes. And i imagine at some point they snap. I feel like what if Damian brought over Jon for dinner and Jon was like "oh I thought Dick's the oldest, you never told me about (reader)" and reader just slams down their fist and goes to their room. At this point the rest of the family try to comfort them but the reader only screams about how they never were a son or bother, they were only a practice doll for them to use and then throw away

Batfamily x male reader

Batfam x reader who bites, like affectionately bites them. The bites don't hurt, and it mostly on the arms, like when they are sitting down, the reader just goes now and lightly bites them because they have an oral fixation

Batfamily x male!reader

What about male reader being Alfred's nephew who came to live with him because his parents died or were just unfit parents? Alfred isn't all too happy that he's here, but not because he hates him, no, but because Gotham isn't the safest place and the fact that he's bow living with the vigilante family isn't the greatest fact. I feel like Alfred would be very overprotective of his nephew, and just the family's reaction to Alfred's nephew, i feel like the family didn't really ask Alfred about his family and such .

Batfamily x male!reader

Batfam x M reader hwere the reader is Bruce's older brother, who decided to move away from Gotham after a really big fight between him and Bruce (before Dick was adopted) Bruce wanted to reach out, but never really did because he thought the reader hated him. At some point the reader decided to come back to Gotham and meet with Bruce because he got married and had a kid, but his partner died and he needed support + his kid wanted to know about their uncle. Now total shock on the batfam part because they have an uncle??? And Bruce didn't tell them??? Now they try to build a relationship, but Bruce is still a bit distant because he feels guilty

Batfamily x male!reader

Batfam at a gala with the reader being dubbed the "hearttrob", the reader is really handsome and nearly everybody wants to get into his pants. However, the reader is actually a really innocent and the family is always on a mission to stop anyone from talking to the reader who just wants to get him into their bed. They're like "nuh uh he only deserves the best"

Batfamily x male!reader

What about Bruce"sneaking out" to go on date with the reader. His son's obviously follow him to see what their father is up to. When they realize that he's going on a date, they tease him the next day because 'the playboy is settling down'

[dcxdpdabbles]

I recently had a dream that wouldn't leave me alone so I feel the need to share it with someone else.

I can't remember the name of the fic that had been rereading at the moment but it's a crossover DC/DP/MLB. In the fic Danny, Damien and Marinette are called the three headed beast. At the time I was also reading a fic with Captain Marvel and I got it stuck in my head that what if Danny, Marinette and Billy were the three headed beast and Damien was their baby sibling.

Like hear me out they were made by Ra's without even Talia knowing. He wanted to raise his potential heir without even his daughter interfering. When the three are about 7 some magic bs with a Lazarus portal happened resulting in them living in a separate dimension for decades away from Ra's before being de-aged and sent bad under their grandfather's thumb (honestly I don't really remember what happened, my dream confused me). Once back they quickly jump ship and fake their deaths making sure nobody's are left to try and revive.

Roughly 2-3 years later Talia had Damien. I don't remember why but he knew about the triplets and had been on multiple family bonding trips with them without Ra's or Talia knowing so when Tim said Bruce was alive he just said ok, called his older siblings sounding sad and said find him. And then I woke up (and thought about it a lot).

Sorry for the rant this idea just wouldn't leave me alone.

I can just imagine Phantom and Marvel being entirely different people. Like Captain Marvel doesn't happen until after leaving the league neither does the portal incident so both Phantom and Marvel are completely different heros. The three went their separate ways once out of the league, yes they love each other (and the baby sibling they occasionally pop in on and kidnap for a few weeks to month to for adventures in dimensions that have different time flows) but they are grown adults they have their own lives they want to lead and they definitely haven't needed a parent in decades.

Anyways I'll stop now I just need to share this.

That's honestly such a cool dream. I don't read a lot of Miraculous Ladybug crossovers with DC but I do know the show.

It's interesting how all of them would be extremely powerful for their respective hero personas, but no one would link them as the Three Head Beast.

Also since Danny and Billy would be different heroes, I like to think that maybe Danny would have become more like a meta-human instead of a halfa. Maybe it was due to all his dimension-hopping as I can see him being the triplet that would enjoy exploring the Infinite Realms.

Danny has wanders lust- he hates lingering in one place too long so he is always on the move, always wanting to see new worlds and new timelines.

Maybe he would become Clockwork's human lesion as he can't be King. He happily goes to the living realms of the timelines Clockwork needs him to observe for the stars.

Danny believes the stars are a reminder of his freedom because it's one of the first things he saw the day they faked their deaths. He loves seeing new constellations and can't wait to jump lines again to discover new ones.

Billy meanwhile would fall into Magic again but this time it would be his own magic. He has the highest potential in magic to make him a candidate for the Wizard, but his past of being in Ra's thumb mucked up his purity soul bit.

Still, he finds out that "You're a Wizard, Billy" while traveling dimensions and unlike Danny chooses to stay in a lot of them for long periods just learning all he can of magic.

Marinette, unlike her brothers, is much more willing to stay in one place. Yes, she'll sometimes join them on trips or go looking for an adventure but she wanted to build a home. Danny and Billy see it as a cage, far too used to Ra's locking them up to not get itchy to move about, but she saw it as having control.

She picks her house. She picks the dimensions. Marinette is the one that decides when and where she wants to go. Nothing is bigger "I made it out. I survived you" then staying in their native dimension with Ra's on the other side of the world. If he finds her and tries to bring her back, welp she escaped before she can do it again.

But she didn't want big adventures or conflicts with Ra's, she was comforted. So Marinette opens a bakery in France, living as mundanely as possible but with years of deadly training under her skin and a strong link to Spirits.

Marinette didn't get her Kawami when the Guardian needed to pass them on, because she wasn't there, but years of Lazarus Water, Ectoplasim of the Infinite Realms, and just her aura she can see them.

Alongside thousands and thousands of Spirits that are everywhere. Some get attacked by her and her little bakery. Marinette allows them to live with her and respects them and their domain, so it's not really a surprise when they start bestowing small Blessings on her. She may not possess a miraculous that powers her up but she has a bag of tricks that are close and her own training that practically makes her a miraculous holder anyway.

And that's them the three heads of the Ra's Three-Headed Beasts- monsters, killers, weapons from birth- who lived on as what they wanted.

An explorer with a love of stars.

A mage with a love of study.

A Baker with a love of everyday life.

One day, when a little ninja wanders into Marinette's bakery on a break from his first real mission, the three gain a new love for their little brother.

Damian may not understand his older siblings desire to not be a cape but he respects them all the same. He still trains every day in the hopes of one day besting them but not to prove his worth.

Only to make Danny, Marinette, and Billy proud.

[dazzlinghazefics]

Derek Hale x Reader : Hale and Mikaelson.

(part 1)

guess this is gonna be a series.

Derek Hale x Reader ( fem!mikaelson, Elijah's daughter)

Part 1! ~

Being an Original's daughter, and a witch with little control on powers had a lot of perks, so it was no surprise that Y/N Mikaelson, the miracle child of Elijah Mikaelson had to be under strict observation of her father and huge af family, especially her Hybrid uncle, Nik.

Y/N came into existence due to a procreation spell done on her mother, the love of Elijah's life, who had died at childbirth.

If anything that she inherited from her mother, was her witch powers ( a lil bit from her grandma Esther too lol ) and sense of humor ( well, her Uncle Kol says she has the humor from him) and rest is all from her father ( expect sense of fashion, thankfully. Who the heck wears suits in the summer heat?)

Elijah taught her values and virtues and literature, Klaus taught her art and how to kick someone's ass, Freya did her best to help with magic, Kol would often help her pull pranks, sneak around and have her share of fun, Rebekah would doll her up in the latest fashion and Marcel helped her to get relief from the family drama.

Beacon Hills. It's where her father decided to keep her safe. Throughout their existence, the Originals have made numerous enemies. And he couldn't afford to lose his child, his baby, to them.

And she fell in love.

With none other than her father's old ally, Talia Hale's son, the current Alpha of the renowned wolf family, Derek Samuel Hale.

Elijah, for the first time had found her interested in something other than books, music and magic, so was lenient in letting her meet him and letting him court her (much to Klaus's annoyance and possessiveness) .

But he absolutely hated it when his little one would sneak out and run into dangers just to help the pack. He couldn't stop her though, because she was fiercely loyal and stubborn and knew how to save herself.

Elijah knew Derek's the one for his princess, for his young one. His ample knowledge on the supernatural had told him his daughter and Derek had been destined to be together.

She had triggered her magic in the Beacon Hills preserve, while playing with Derek, as a child and one look of Talia had told him everything.

Derek Hale is her trigger and anchor, both.

She gained control on her magic while helping the werewolf in a faceoff with Gerard Argent, the one whom all the supernaturals loathe.

Elijah had to leave this daughter back in BH, for the safety and run to NOLA for handling his family's stupidity, warning her ( read literally pleading her ) to not get in trouble.

But things are never normal in Beacon Hills too.

That f*cking protection broke and here she is, pregnant. At 21, thankfully ( or her father and uncles would have straight ripped out Derek's heart, instead of going for a slightly less painful way)

" Derek Samuel Hale, istg, am gonna castrate you and then kill (pls, their baby is not going to grow up without their father.)"

" Calm down, sweetheart! We'll go through this together."

" Don't sweetheart me, Derek! We're going to be parents fgs!"

" I love you, and I love our child too."

" I know and I love you too, Der, but am scared."

" Our child had the Mikaelson-Hale gene. And we won't let anything happen to our child. Come here."

Later, they both visited the hospital for a checkup, completely unaware that they were being watched upon.

" Y/N, love, I think we owe an explanation of your presence at the hospital earlier today with your boyfriend."

Shoot. Her whole family.

Klaus's voice boomed in the house as soon as Y/N had stepped in, followed by Derek, who immediately felt he is in front of the hungry lion lions.

Elijah, Klaus, Kol, Marcel.

Guess he won't live to see the next day.

" What's wrong, princess? Are you sick?" Elijah asked worried and panicked, walking toward her.

" Uhm..ermm..."

Derek didn't know from were he got the courage, but he did.

Softly taking his girl's fingers in his, he said, as calmly as he could, "We're expecting a child. Y/N's pregnant."

The room was silent until Derek was shoved against the wall both by Elijah and Klaus.

"Dad! Uncle Nik!" Y/N cried out, dread and panic filling her face, as Kol hugged her, to calm her.

"Leave him, Dad!"

Kol humored, " It takes two to have a baby, brothers."

Klaus and Elijah's glare shut him up though.

"Dad, leave Derek please!"

Derek was coughing due to the choking.

All of a sudden, Elijah loosened his grip and started laughing.

Marcel rolled his eyes, " The news has sent him into a shock I think."

"Brother?"

"Dad?"

" Mr. Mikaelson?"

Rest were left shocked.

PART TWO?

sometime later if there's response on this one, (joking lol).

[jonathan-samuel-smith]

Lord Jon and Prince Damian is a funny combination because just imagine Clark never managed to conquer all earth because magic and magic user, Talia basically built a huge kingdom to protect her people from the Lords and also accepts some others who are fleeing.

Years past and Jon has always been curious about that place and laughs when he faces Talia's youngest soldiers. He falls in love deeply hard about that boy with green eyes, then Jon starts to try to seduce that cute and smol boy (and Damian hates him deeply)

Just imagine:

Jon: *throws a body at his door like a cat*

Damian: ... Some guys bring flowers

Jon: I'm not 'some guy'

And also

J: "i've killed for you. how many other people can say that?"

D: "... Multiple, actually"

Basically: Lord Jon's love language is being annoying

Took me a while to figure out how I'd write the Super Lords, but eventually I was inspired by another work. I might write a sequel to this but we'll see. Fic under the cut.

Jon was scrolling on his phone, looking to find people talking negatively about him or his father so he could send them death threats. He could probably find them easily and make good on those threats, but then he'd have to get up, and he was comfortable where he was. He was getting a little peckish though, so he might run through a couple if he got up to eat.

His dad came into the room looking flawless. “Jon.”

“Hey dad, can you get me something to eat?”

“What? No. Get it yourself, or better yet, ask Kelex.”

“I thought you took away my voice commands after I killed the wrong general last week.”

“Oh, right. Have the knowledge crystals not taught you how to hack yet?”

Jon groaned ”I hate the knowledge crystals dad, they take so much time. I don't see the point in them.”

“The point is they would teach you how to solve problems, like how to reinstate your voice commands in Kelex’s code. Now get up, I have something important for you to do.”

Jon got up and stretched. “Oh I'm way hungrier than I thought. Hold that thought, Dad.”

“Jona–” Kal started sternly as a gust of wind blew past him. He could hear Jon ferociously consuming junk food from the pantry in superspeed. When he was done, he ran back up to his dad.

“Hey Dad, I'm back. What's up?”

“What do you know about Talia Al Ghul?”

“Oh that's easy. She's like, your archnemesis. Her family's got really strong magic so she can kill us if she gets close enough. She controls the last stronghold of human resistance. She's older than you so she's, what, a million?” He grinned cheekily “Just kidding, Dad. You don't look a day over 500.” He laughed. “Kidding! You should see the look on your face.”

“Jon, I'm being serious here.”

“‘kay.”

“She's just crowned her heir, Prince Damian. He's your age.”

“Oh?”

“He's an even more powerful mage than his mother, and trained in martial arts. He is a serious threat, one that needs to be neutralized.”

“Ok, but how am I gonna do that? You said he's more powerful than his mom, and you can't kill her.”

“He takes his group of soldiers into the Himalayas every month to train privately. I want you to ambush them.”

“Kill them, right? How do you want them dead?”

“Doesn't matter.”

“Alright. I'll be right back.”

Kal grabbed his arm and dug his fingers in hard enough to bruise. “You could die today, Jon. Take this seriously. Run away if you need to. You're no good to me dead.”

Jon nodded. “Got it.”

Jon flew to the mountains and looked for them with his heat vision. He found them fighting each other and flew down and started snapping the neck of the closest person to him. Unfortunately, this was slow enough to draw alarm from the other assassins, who all knew magical attacks. Still, Jon was quick and he fought dirty, letting out a deafening shout and causing an avalanche. The teens fought him with martial arts married with magic, sacrificing their lives so that the final assassin could defeat Jon and place him in magical bindings.

He spat blood. “You're lucky they can be brought back to life, or I wouldn't have spared yours.”

“I didn't ask you to. But thank you– not for sparing my life, but for beating me. I've never lost before. It was exhilarating! Can you do it again?”

The boy looked at him strangely. “What?”

Jon grinned manically. “You're a great fighter. I want you to defeat me again. And again and again until I get bored. What's your name? I never even lose to my dad.”

“... I am prince Damian Al Ghul.”

“Oh no way! I came here to kill you! Well, I'm not doing that anymore.”

“Clearly not.” Damian said, gesturing to the chains around him.

“Oh no, not cuz of that. I meant cuz like–” Jon cut himself off as Damian took off his mask and piercing green eyes met his own. “Wow, you're really pretty. I've never seen anyone as pretty as you in my whole life. Definitely not prettier. I think I was saying something?”

Damian blushed. “Tt. You were saying why you're not going to kill me.”

“I think I'm in love with you.”

“What?!” Damian squeaked.

“That was so cute! You're so cute! You're so small you look like you'd fit just right in my arms!”

“Go back to the ‘I love you’ part because I'm not understanding!” He shouted.

“I'll say it as many times as you want! I love you, I love you, iloveyouiloveyouiloveyoui–”

“Stop! You can't love me, you just met me, and your dad is superman!”

“Um, I'm pretty sure I can. Love at first sight is a thing, and I've known you for longer than that already.”

“So what, just because you think I'm pretty and I beat you for the first time, you're in love with me?”

“Is that not enough? Ok well, I really like the color of your eyes, and you're really powerful, and you make me feel so many feelings I have never felt before! Fear, excitement, curiosity, admiration, respect, awe, happiness, arousal–”

“Stop talking.”

“Whatever you want, gorgeous.”

“That's talking.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“Still talking.”

“I don't know how you want me to stop talking if you keep talking to me. Oh but uh, don't stop, I like it.”

Damian facepalmed. “I'm taking you back to my mother.”

“Oh I hope she doesn't decide to kill me after you went through the trouble of sparing me, that would be really embarrassing for you.”

Damian was quiet for a few minutes. “...You've never felt curious? Or excited, or afraid or happy? Really?”

Jon shrugged. “Maybe once. But nowadays I'm always either bored or bloodthirsty. Except right now, I'm neither. You're the most interesting person I've ever met and I just killed 5 people. That's like, 1 more than I usually do in a day.”

Damian set his jaw hard. “Why do you kill so many people?”

“Why do you think, assassin Prince? To feel alive.”

“...Who do you usually kill?”

“Dissidents and criminals. My dad's okay if they're dissidents or criminals. There's not, like, a ton of those out there anymore, though, so I've taken to scrolling back really far on Twitter. Oh, and jaywalkers.”

“Tt. Typical.”

“Who do you usually kill?”

“Political enemies, soldiers, criminals.”

“I guess everyone's a political enemy when they're aligned with us and not you. That's a lot more people you can kill. I kinda wanna join your side now.”

“We don't kill frivolously.”

“Why not?”

“Because we value human life.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Why does your father care about order if not to preserve human life?”

Jon laughed. “My dad doesn't care about humans! He just wanted to tidy things up. He gets mad when I kill other people because it messes with his system. It's one of those dumb parent rules, like keeping your socks in the sock drawer, or cleaning the fortress on Sundays even though we have robot servants.”

“... You're completely insane.”

“Do you want me not to be?”

Damian furrowed his brow. “Why are you asking me that?”

“I want you to get what you want! You deserve to get anything you want, way more than my dad does. I bet you could with your magic! Cast a spell on me, make me sane for you. If you want that, I want it.”

“It's Jonathan, isn't it?”

“Yeah, or you can call me Jon. Or you know, whatever you want. Even if it's mean, I can take it.”

“...Jonathan. I don't want to take your agency away with my magic. That wouldn't be right.”

Jon shrugged against his chains. “If you say so, my prince.” Damian was quiet for a while, and Jon slipped free of his chains to help Damian cart back all of the bodies. “You should let me carry this.”

“What– Jon?! How did you escape my bindings?”

“Magic interacts completely unpredictably with me.”

“I don't– why are you even still here?”

“Why would I leave? It's not as if there's anything more interesting on TV. Twitter says all the shows are boring cuz of Dad. Well, you know, the dead side of Twitter. God do you know how perfect you look? From every angle?”

“Jon, I think you should just leave.”

“Well, my dad is expecting me home soon. What do you think I should tell him about you not being dead?”

“... Is he going to hurt you if you go back?”

Jon shrugged. “If I let him. Which I probably will, so I don't get grounded. But I might be grounded anyway since this meant a lot to him. If I don't get grounded, can I see you again?”

“It's best if you don't.”

“I'm going to be honest, I don't like that answer. If you want me to stay away you'll have to use your magic to harm me.”

“Tt. Do you have a death wish?”

“No. My biggest wish is for you to spar with me and win.”

“What if I lose?”

“Then we'll go again until you win.”

“...Hm. You're very… persistent.”

Jon grinned. “Thanks. Wow, it feels really good when you compliment me. Do it again.”

“Um… you have really unique eyes?”

Jon beamed. “This is great, keep going!”

Damian blushed. “I'd rather not.”

Jon pouted. “Pleeeeaaase? I'll do anything.”

“Will you go home?”

“Fine, yes, after… 3 more compliments. Then I'll go home, for now.”

“Tt. Your curls look very nice, your hair makes a nice contrast against your skin tone and you– ah… you… that is, you're very strong.”

“I already knew that last one.”

“I meant muscular.”

“That's not a compliment, that's just a fact.”

Damian’s ears burned. “...I like it. I like that about you. I like that you're muscular. It looks… visually appealing.”

“Oh, I'm definitely in love with you. I'd love to stay and compliment you back, but I said I'd leave, and I want you to trust me! If you ever need me, or just want me, all you have to do is call. I'll come.”

Jon flew back home. “Dad? I ambushed him, caused an avalanche, and killed his squad, but he still beat me.” Jon called out.

Kal walked out to see his son. “You look unharmed. Why did he let you go?”

“Honestly? I think I annoyed him too much. But I'm going back tomorrow.”

“I see… an ambush didn't work, so you'll have to gain his trust and then betray him. I was going to punish you but your tenacity and cunning deserve a reward, so it is simpler to do nothing.

“Oh, yeah, psh, that's totally why I want to go back. I totally want to murder him in cold blood. I mean, you know how much I love murder.”

Kal frowned. “I do know. It gets in the way of your studies. However, this time I approve.”

“‘kay. Thanks. See ya.” He went back to his room to watch Damian with his X-ray vision.

The next day, Jon went to Nanda Parbat and watched Damian from the sky, waiting until he was alone to approach him.

Damian’s hair was slicked back with sweat and he was flushed and panting.

“Prince Damian. You look somehow even more incredible than last time.”

“Spare me the mockery.”

“What? I'm not mocking you. The way your skin flushes and glistens is as enchanting as any of your spells, my lord.”

“Hn. You know most humans find sweat repulsive?”

“I'm only half human. Also, you smell great. Musky. Can I lick you?”

“Definitely not.” Jon pouted. “Do you want something?”

“Yeah. Can we spar?”

“After lunch. Would you like to dine with me?”

“Can I? Won't the servants see me?”

“I cook for myself.”

Jon gasped. “I get to try your cooking?! Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air.

Damian chuckled good naturedly.

Jon leaned against the island as Damian cooked. “What did your dad say about you failing to kill me?”

“Oh I told him I was going back today and he thought I meant that I was going to gain your trust to kill you.” Damian stiffened. “So I'm going to let him think that so I can spend more time with you.”

“Try this.” Damian said, handing Jon a spoonful of sauce. Jon tasted it.

“Hm, that's pretty good! I've never had this before.”

Damian tasted it himself and nodded. “It is good.”

Jon ate at his usual impatient pace and spent the rest of the meal talking at Damian.

“Alright, Superboy, follow me.”

“Anywhere.”

“Tt.” Damian led him to the training courtyard. “Here we are. Remember to be quiet.”

Jon rushed to tackle Damian but he predicted it and dodged, casting a spell to slow down Jon’s movements. It was a lot stronger than the spell Damian intended to cast, and he moved like a sloth. “Wow prince…” he began as Damian took his time pinning Jon to the ground and immobilizing him with a spell. The first spell wore off quicker than expected. “...Damian you're so fast! Oh, it's already over!” Jon giggled. “You did even better this time! I suppose it's to be expected since it wasn't an ambush. You're really impressive…” Jon sighed dreamily, looking up into Damian’s eyes with a lovestruck gaze.

Damian coughed and looked away. “...You wanted me to beat you. Did you go easy on me?”

“I can honestly say that didn't even occur to me. I don't know why I would do that. Would it have made you happy?”

“Hell no. It would have made me angry.”

Jon smiled. “I'd like to see you angry. Maybe I will next time. Though I don't know if you'd even notice, considering how well you beat me this time.”

Damian looked confused. “Why would you want me to be angry?”

Jon raised a brow. “‘Cause I wanna see how you look when you're angry. I've never seen it before. I wonder if it would make me angry, too. I never get angry anymore.”

“You're… impossible.”

Jon grinned toothily. “Is that a good thing?”

“... I haven't decided.” Damian got off of Jon, much to the younger teen’s disappointment, and did a nullification spell on Jon before helping him up. Jon smirked and flipped Damian over his shoulder as he stood, but Damian landed on his feet and cast a sleeping spell on Jon. He woke him up with a water spell, sitting on his chest.

“You got me again! I love you.”

“You're weird.”

“Is that bad?”

“I haven't decided.”

Jon smiled, crinkling his eyes. “Wanna go again?”

Damian laughed. “Sure. I've not even worked up a sweat yet.”

The next time he came to Nanda Parbat he threw down a corpse in front of Damian, face still splattered in blood.

Damian sighed. “Most guys bring flowers.”

“I'm not ‘most guys’”

“Who was he?”

“He criticized your looks so I killed him for you.”

“Jon, I don't care what anyone says about me.”

Jon's eyes flashed red. “I care that he said that. Now he can't say anything like it ever again. What do you think of my technique?”

“Messy, but efficient.”

Jon smiled “Thank you. Do you want to spar?”

“Jon it's 11:38 at night.”

“... Is that a problem?”

“I was sleeping.”

“Oh. Can I join you?”

“Tt. No. Go home.”

Jon pouted. Damian held firm.

“Okay. I'll miss you.”

“Tt. You say such embarrassing things. Goodnight.”

Jon smiled, then quickly leaned in to kiss Damian’s cheek. “Good night, my love.”

Damian slammed the door in his face.

It became somewhat of a pattern for Jon to ambush Damian when he went out on missions, and Damian learned to expect it. Jon was getting faster at killing Damian’s compliment.

“I killed them, so we can be alone!” Jon said cheerfully, gently touching Damian’s cheeks with his bloody fingers and looking at him adoringly.

“Jon. Keep your hands to yourself before I cut them off.” He said, drawing his rune-encrusted sword slightly out of the scabbard.

Jon pouted but removed his hands. “As you wish, my lord. So, what are you out here for today?”

“I was planning on retrieving a magical relic from a temple to the east of here, until you showed up. You’re like a gnat.”

“I can get it for you!”

“Tt, I’m sure you can’t, there are magical booby traps.”

Jon pouted. “I want to do this for you. Please?”

“Jon, I am certain that if you were deathly injured my mother would not permit me to put your body in the lazarus pit.”

“Not even if I died saving your life?”

“Likely not. I shouldn't even be talking to you, you are the enemy.”

Jon grinned. “I guess we both like to do whatever we want.”

“It is human nature to desire freedom.”

“Well yeah but I'm not human.”

“You are as human as you are kryptonian. I wonder, did your father have the same disregard for your mother as with the rest of humanity?”

“I dunno. I was cloned from her dead body and my dad. I never saw them interact. But I know he loved her, and I know he misses her. He's told me it's the only reason he puts up with me.”

“It does not sound like you are very close.”

“We aren't. But he's the only other kryptonian other than Kara Zor-el so y'know, he's important. Not as important as you, of course, but he was previously the most important person in my life.”

“We're here. Don't follow me.”

Jon floated after him. “But I wanna keep you safe! Let me carry you.”

“No– Jon, put me down!”

Jon grinned and flew Damian in. “What's it look like? I can look through the walls for you.”

“Unneeded, I have a map.”

Jon swiped the map from him and read it. “I have a great sense of direction, don't worry.”

“You are infuriating.”

“We cause strong emotions in each other~ how lovely. Okay, hold tight.”

Jon flew quickly down the halls, before being knocked into the wall by a magical hammer. Damian rolled off of him as Jon groaned in pain. “You idiot. Where are we?”

Jon grunted and pointed to their location on the map.

“I can’t even cast a healing spell on you as I have no idea how it will effect you.”

“Don't worry… I have super healing… so the side that hit the wall will be fine. The wall isn't magic, right?”

Damian checked. “Luckily for you, it is regular stone.”

Jon grinned. “Help me up? I wanna help you finish this.”

“It's a bad idea. We need to get you out of here.”

Jon shook his head. “I'm not going. I'll be right behind you. You can handle the magic traps, and I can fly in front of an arrow for you or something.”

“And what if it's a magical arrow?”

“I'll die for you. Did I not mention that?”

“Tt. You're dangerous to have around. But if you're not leaving…” Damian got out a rope and tied them together by their waists with a length of rope in between them. “Stick close to me.”

Jon floated to his feet. “Mkay. Let's go!”

Damian sighed and pulled along a floating Jon. He disabled the traps as they went until they reached the chamber with the artifact. Damian picked it up and the room shook with a deep voice.

“To get out of trouble, face your double. Return the staff to the rack and it will end the attack.”

Smoke billowed out of the air vents and coalesced into shadow versions of Jon and Damian. Damian sighed and took out his katana.

Jon and Damian fought back to back as their shadow versions worked independently. Damian took out his double and Jon defeated his own. The smoke dissipated and Jon cheered.

“We did it! That was awesome! They didn’t stand a chance against our teamwork! Imagine if you came in here with your whole squad! That would have been so much chaos, I really did you a favor by killing them.”

Damian growled and pressed his sword to Jon’s throat, backing him up against the wall. “No. Killing.”

“Mhn, so it's fine if you kill me but not if I kill your squad, who as we've previously established can come back to life whereas I will not?”

“I will kill you if I have to.”

“I would expect nothing less, my prince.” Jon smiled slightly. “So this is what you look like when you're angry. I love the intensity in your eyes.”

Damian narrowed his eyes. “Are you really trying to de-escalate the situation by flirting?”

Jon shook his head as much as he could. “Just saying what I think, my lord. And I think you look beautiful.”

Damian sighed and withdrew his blade. “You're an idiot.”

Jon smiled cheerily and let Damian drag him along by the rope still attached to his waist. Damian escorted Jon back to the entrance of the temple and cut the rope. “You need to stop killing my team every time I leave the palace. It makes me look incompetent.”

“Do you get in trouble?”

“Not exactly, no–”

“Then it's fine!”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen to me carefully. I am telling you that I want you to stop killing my team. Did you not say that I deserve to get what I want?”

“You're turning my words against me! I just want to be with you. Your assassins would never allow it. If I don't defeat them, I'll die.” Jon whined.

“Then learn non-lethal techniques of taking people down. Practice on those criminals or whatever.”

“You want me to… not kill a criminal?”

“Yes.”

“I can try… can I still be violent?”

“I would appreciate it if you did not scar my team too badly. But outside of that, you can be as brutal as you like as long as they do not die.”

“Okay. I will practice not killing and come back to you. Farewell, my prince.”

“Farewell, lord Jonathan.” Damian said as Jon lifted off into the sky, the cut rope rippling in the wind with his cape.

Jon stormed through the palace towards Damian, knocking people out of the way like flies. “Prince Damian! I came back, as I said I would.”

“Yes, I can see that. Are you here to kill more of my people? You know I cannot allow that, Lord Jonathan.”

Jon cocked his head. “Why would I do that? I don’t care about humans.”

Damian quirked a brow. “I am human.”

“You’re better than everyone else, though.”

“Is that so?”

Jon giggled. “Yeah, I think you could even kill me if you tried. That’s so hot. Look at you, not attacking me right now… so romantic...” Jon sighed.

Damian tutted. “I’m beginning to regret that.”

Jon giggled. “Some days I think I love you so much I'd just let you. Would you like me to do that? Or would you want a fight?” He came closer.

“What kind of question is that?”

“A genuine one. Oh… If I tried to kill you, I hope you’d try to kill me too… maybe we could die at the same time. If I am going to die, I want it to be by your hand. And no one else deserves to take your life away but me, and only if you asked me to.” He giggled, twirling his hair. “I really like having you around, so you would have to convince me first, or else I wouldn’t even let you kill yourself.” Jon hummed. “But I don’t see you convincing me that this world is so terrible as to deserve to be ridden of such beauty.” He stroked Damian’s cheek with a gloved hand, and Damian smacked it away. Jon sighed. “I love you.”

“You don’t know what love means. Your father never showed you.”

“I don’t? Well then, you’ll have to teach me. No one else will do.”

Damian tutted, before sighing as if greatly put upon and offering his ring for Jon to kiss. He did so gladly, kneeling at his feet.

“My prince.” Jon held Damian’s hand by the wrist and turned it over so he could nuzzle into his palm. Damian allowed it. Jon locked his violet eyes on Damian’s emerald ones. He kissed his fingertips one by one.

“You are so devoted to me. It’s perplexing.”

Jon kissed his wrist. “It’s simple; the whole earth should bow to you. You are perfection. Every moment you spend with me is pure gold; my greatest treasures.Or maybe it is that I can take anything in the world that I want, except for you. You are the only thing I could ever rightfully earn. The only goal worth pursuing. Everything was meaningless and dull until I met you, my Prince.”

Damian cupped his cheek. “And what if you got me? What then? Do you truly believe that to be love?”

“I would work to keep you and to serve you, to make you happy.” He smiled. “To annoy you, to pester you, to laugh with you, to see you cry. To hold you. To learn everything there is to know about you until you’ve changed so much that I have to learn you all over again.” He sniffed Damian’s wrist, at the cologne there, and deeper at all the smells that made up Damian. “Intoxicating.” Jon puffed out a laugh. “I don’t know what love is supposed to be like. Have I got it wrong? Do you think it matters? I ask out of curiosity, ‘cause even if it were really something completely morally unacceptable to you, I wouldn't care. It feels better than anything ever has. It’s what I live for.”

Damian’s lips parted in surprise. He schooled his features to ask his next question. “How many people have you killed since I last saw you?”

“None.” Jon smiled. “I’m learning, see? I can do better. I must be of some use to you, haven’t I?”

Damian got a strange look in his eye just then, and Jon became excited at the prospect of learning that expression. “Get up.”

Jon wilted. “Have I offended you, my Prince?”

Damian shook his head. “Stand up. Don’t. Float.”

Jon bowed his head obediently and stood up. Damian stepped close and put his hand on Jon’s shoulder, pulling him down into a slow and gentle kiss. Jon did not know his heart could race so fast. Damian pulled away with an unreadable look in his eye. “Alright, Jon. I accept. I will teach you how to love.”

Jon beamed. “Oh, this is so much better than murder.” He whispered.

Damian smirked. “It is, isn’t it? A lot of things are.” Damian took his hand off of Jon’s shoulder and put both behind his own back.

“Could you excuse me for just one moment? I feel the urge to go fly.”

Damian nodded, and Jon flew off, laughing brightly like a child.

Jon returned a moment later. “I love you! It feels so triumphant!” Jon gasped. “Does this mean we are dating? Boyfriends?!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. My mother will not be pleased.”

“I can kill her for you, if you wan’t.”

Damian glared at him. “No. No Killing.”

Jon looked at him for a long time. “Okay… Okay. But if someone tries to kill you, I won’t spare them. Even if you get mad at me. Even if you don’t believe my explanation. Even if you can take care of yourself. I promise, I won’t let you die.”

Damian scowled. “Just…kiss me, you idiot.”

Jon flew to his side in an instant, but was much more apprehensive about actually kissing him, so Damian grabbed his head and dragged their mouths together. Jon purred and pulled him closer. Damian nibbled on Jon’s bottom lip and he gasped. “Damian!”

“Yes?”

“You’ve done this before! And I can’t kill whoever you did it with!”

“You don’t have worry, they are already dead.”

“Woah, do you kill people instead of breaking up with them?”

“Tt, no. They betrayed me. I made an example of them.”

“Wow, I can’t imagine killing you if you betrayed me.”

“Hm. I can’t say it was pleasant, but— we are supposed to be kissing right now, Jonathan.” He pulled him in for a few more smooches.

“Is this part of learning how to love?” Jon asked dazedly.

“No, this is for me. I’m just glad I found a way to shut you up.”

“Dami! That’s–” More kissing. “That’s mean. I love it when you’re mean to me.”

They had their arms wrapped around each other by now. Damian rubbed between Jon’s shoulder blades. “You really shouldn’t.”

“Nobody is ever mean to me but you! How could I not like it? I love when you give me attention.”

“To have everyone afraid of you, your whole life… Let’s change that, hm? You are terrifying in the way that you move, talk, smile, laugh, and behave… But we should be able to change at least two of those.”

“Am I so scary, even to you?”

“No, not to me. You’re even… cute.”

“Isn’t that a bad thing?”

Damian furrowed his brow. “No, why would it be?”

“My father always told me to stop acting so cute, that it was distracting.”

“Everything about you is distracting. You’re currently distracting me from my work. I didn’t think you cared.”

Jon smiled. “You’re right, I don’t. And like I said, you can be mean to me, as long as you don’t ignore me. Well, even if you tried to ignore me, I’d cover your eyes until you had to acknowledge me. Or… maybe I could bite you, like Krypto used to do when I was little and I’d ignore him. Hm… come to think of it, you did just say I was distracting, I’m sure there are lots of ways I could get your attention. I like being distracting.”

Damian arched a brow. “Surely you’ll allow me to get my work done.”

“Well, that’s not ignoring me ‘cause you’re mad! So it’s fine. I can just watch you.”

“Do you watch me when you leave?”

Jon nodded. “And I strain my ears to listen. I love the sound of your voice, my prince.”

“Oh Jonathan, your life cannot only be me. I want you to stay in the palace so I can show you other things you might find meaningful.”

“Like what?”

“Friendship, learning to cook, making art. Things that are worthwhile because of the struggle. I think you will enjoy pottery.”

“What's so interesting about making pots? Plenty of people can do that.”

“They can do it because they put in the work, and they are better than you at it. Don't you want to impress me with an excellent piece of pottery?”

“You would like it if I gave you something I made?”

“Jon, the only person who can make the art that you would make is you. If you do not make it, it will never be known. You can give me something no one else can.”

“Who cares? Everyone will say they love it so I don't singe their eyebrows off…”

Damian arched a brow. “I won't.”

Jon blushed and smiled at Damian. “That's right, you're not afraid to tell me what you think. You're my equal.”

“I may even decide to encourage you with kisses.”

Jon rumbled a purr. “I love you. I'm going to make you the best pot ever.”

Damian kissed him again. “Good. I eagerly await it.”

[boymeetswerewolf]

Sterek Week '23 // Day 4, Whole of the Moon / @sterekweek-2023

when you get caught between the moon and new york city i know it's crazy, but it's true if you get caught between the moon and new york city the best that you can do ... is fall in love - Christopher Cross, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"

"The Best Thing You Can Do"

When Derek was little, he asked Talia how anchors worked and how he would find his. She explained that anchors were different for everyone, but for him... for him it would be love. At that age, Derek just scoffed at the idea of his anchor being love. How could something so frivolous like being in love help him control his werewolf transformation?

So Derek went through life never quite fully getting the hang of getting his transformation under control during the full moon. The various places he lived at, he would always make sure to lock himself in during his transformation so that he wouldn't go rampaging through the streets of New York on a full moon.

In the back of his mind, his mother's words stayed with him, even though he'd experimented with a million other things as anchors that never seemed to quite work. It wasn't until he moved into a loft apartment and then met his downstairs neighbour, Stiles Stilinski, that things started to change.

It wasn't exactly love at first sight. In fact Derek found Stiles to be a little annoying and a spoiled college kid at first who was just living off his parents' money. But then, somehow, they began spending more and more time together, and as Derek got to know Stiles more he realised he'd misjudged him. He was pretty insecure at times and tried to mask his social anxiety by - ironically - becoming a party animal. But there was a caring side to Stiles that softened Derek to him. Stiles was often concerned with the welfare of his friends, making sure they had everything they needed and helping them as much as he could. He even managed to drag Derek out of the loft to go and party with other people once in a while.

Though Derek could get annoyed if this didn't fit in with his regimented schedule of being a hermit, he did find himself enjoying his time with Stiles. It was during one night out in a club when Derek realised he'd lost track of time... and the moon. The copious amounts of alcohol might have had something to do with it, but there was another reason too. Stiles had been on his mind all night as they were dancing and having fun, so when he walked outside and saw the full moon, Derek just stopped and stared at it.

He could feel the urge to shift come over him, the fire running through his blood... but for the first time in his life he had control over it. He turned around to see Stiles coming outside to find him, a quizzical expression on his face. "Where did you disappear to?" Stiles asked, glancing up at the moon.

"Oh, nowhere... I was just having an epiphany of sorts," Derek grinned and reached out to take Stiles' hand.

The energy that passed through that single touch was electric, and it surprised Stiles who almost pulled his hand away but then after a moment squeezed Derek's hand tighter.

"Well this is new," Stiles said, sounding a little surprised but definitely pleased.

It was the first time they'd intimately touched like that on purpose, neither having spoken of their attraction to the other before. Derek hadn't even mentioned anything remotely related to werewolves that might give Stiles an inclination that Derek was more than he seemed.

"I don't know what's going on with you tonight, but I like it," Stiles smiled and chuckled, wiping his tired drunken eyes with a smile.

"Yeah, there are a few things I need to tell you," Derek admitted, a glint of joy in his eyes, "But don't worry."

"Well see, that's why I like spending time with you... I never feel like I have to worry when I do," Stiles explained, his voice playful but the message earnest. "You make my anxiety just melt away. I can actually enjoy myself, enjoy life"

Derek smiled to himself, then to Stiles. "It's the same for me," he said softly. He couldn't tell Stiles yet how happy that made him, but it wouldn't be long before he did. Even though Derek hadn't realised he was falling in love, he knew without a doubt he'd found his anchor.

The pair took things slowly after that, carefully navigating the path from platonic to romantic, but every full moon Stiles would come over and they'd hang out, most of the time just watching movies and talking about anything and everything. Just having Stiles around him was enough to help Derek maintain control over his werewolf transformation.

And so he realised his mother was right: the best thing he could do was fall in love, which is exactly what he did.

[nerdpoe]

Coffee, Honey, and sometimes Hazelnuts.

I wrote the beginnings of Omega verse while drunk and finished it fucking don't look at me.

Ao3

Tim may have let something slip when he was losing blood and about to go into surgery. Ra's may have taken him completely seriously and done what was requested. Tim...finds that he perhaps did not have a normal relationship with his body, and that he may have actually been Trans the entire time and just. Didn't think about it. Or, Tim demands a Secondary Gender Transition from Ra's. Ra's takes him seriously and does it while Tim's under for spleen removal (Nothing violating, just HRT and induced coma for the physical Transition). Tim wakes up an Omega instead of an Alpha and...actually is pretty okay with it.

Tim was…floaty. Woozy, even. The kind of feeling that usually meant a fantastic sleep was just around the corner.

But some inconsiderate fuck was jostling his arm.

Tim groaned and swatted at them.

“…Ah. You’re awake.”

“Oh, he’s awake? Come, Detective, open your eyes.”

Gross.

That sounded like Ra’s Al Ghul.

Time forced his eyes open just so he could glare at the man.

The asshole just looked amused.

“Fascinating. You’ve lost almost enough blood to kill you and yet, here you are. Awake.” Ra’s even sounded mildly impressed.

Tim did not want to impress Ra’s.

“Gooo f’ck yersef.” 

Yes. There. That got the point across beautifully.

Ra’s, the jackass, just looked even more amused.

“I see. Well, we have to put you under to save your life, dear Detective, unless you would rather have a dip in the Pits. I would consider such an offer a…gift, if you would.”

Tim snorted, flapping his hand at Ra’s and inadvertently slapping a ninja nurse in the face.

Whoops.

“On’y gift I neeeeed is. Is. Heats.”

Ra’s raised an eyebrow.

“I denand the. The. I wanna bee uh ‘Mega.”

Ra’s raised his other eyebrow.

“…I see. Very well, Detective. I hope you enjoy this…little gesture of goodwill.”

“Fuhuuck yew very moch.”

“Indeed.”

~~~~~~

Tim woke up.

That was something he hadn’t really been expecting, but he was thrilled to do it nonetheless.

Less thrilling was where he was.

A bedroom draped in silks and finery, with the security risk of wide windows, an open door that led to an uncomfortably extravagant bathroom, and a weird smell. It was a good scent, to be sure, but when Tim sat up there was no one present but himself.

So…huh. 

Tim sniffed the air.

The scent was definitely a person’s. Coffee and Honey, and a lingering afterscent of roasted hazelnuts. 

It was pleasant.

It was also an Omega scent.

Which made Tim even more confused; Ra’s was an Alpha, and this definitely wasn’t Talia’s scent. Nor was it Pru’s. So who’s room was he in? And why did he feel so rested? He almost never felt like that.

Tim swung his legs over the edge of the bed, noting the lack of chains, and stood up to stretch.

He…felt good? He felt comfortable in his skin? He never felt comfortable in his skin. He braced himself for his own scent as he stretched, but instead was met with more of that strange Omega’s scent.

Wait.

Tim reached up and rubbed one of his own scent glands, giving himself a sniff.

Coffee. Honey. Lingering Roasted Hazelnuts.

Omega.

Which was a huge change, because the last time Tim had checked he was absolutely an Alpha with a, for some reason, repugnant scent. (Everyone swore to him it was all in his head, but he knew he reeked.)

Then he remembered the last thing he said to Ra’s.

Tim tensed, waiting to feel…something. Revulsion. Betrayal.

But there was nothing.

He just…felt like Tim; for the first time since he was an unpresented Pup.

Tim sat back down and wrinkled his nose, lifting the League shirt he was wearing to check on the stab wound he knew he’d had coming in.

It was healing nicely, and given the length of time for a transition, he’d been under for about a month.

He didn’t feel any abnormal aches or pains, so not only was it done correctly and in a controlled environment, but he hadn’t been raped. He knew the signs to look for and none were present.

He was absolutely going to go to a Crisis Center as soon as he could just to be sure, and Turkey was home to some of the best of the best, so he was confident that if he had been violated he would find everything he’d need resource wise no problem. But he felt like he had a bead on how Ra’s worked; that if Ra’s wanted to use him like that, he’d want Tim awake to…struggle. As disgusting as that was.

But he hadn’t.

Ra’s really had just…given Tim a free Transition to a different Secondary Gender.

Tim tried, he really did, to dredge up any resentment for the Transition.

He was angry that he was clearly being held by Ra’s. He was pissed that Ra’s would even consider that Tim would be so stupid as to think those windows weren’t lined with assassins just out of sight. He was annoyed at the lack of obvious trackers, as that meant there was probably a subdermal one. He was scared for Pru. He was worried about Tam. 

But regarding changing Secondary Gender?

He only felt…relief.

“Wait, was I trans the entire time?”

Hated his own scent? Check; Bruce and Dick were always getting onto him about abusing scent blockers. Always felt like crawling out of his skin? Check; it usually manifested in burying himself in work. Avoided mirrors? Check; he just couldn’t, even though he knew that Secondary Genders didn’t really effect outward appearance like Primary Genders. Aversion to Rut sex? Check; Rut hadn’t given him any sex drive at all, it’d just increased his anxiety to the point where he was prescribed suppressants and anti-anxiety medication.

Tim rerouted his thinking, considering the same situations with his current Secondary Characteristics.

Scent? He actually rather enjoyed it; he definitely wouldn’t be wearing scent blockers unless he had to. Actually settled in his own skin? Yup, and he even felt…languid? Was that the word? It felt like the word. 

He stood up and walked into the adjoined bathroom, took a deep breath, and looked into the mirror.

That…that certainly was a Tim. From toe to tip, that was a Tim.

And he didn’t feel any particular way about the reflection, aside from the thought that he should brush his hair and teeth. There was no uncomfortable part of his brain that had him squirming, he didn’t feel the instinctive need to find any excuse not to look in the mirror.

It was just Tim.

He felt his shoulders relax.

He couldn’t know how different his Heats would be from how is Ruts had been, but given that during a Transition a Heat or Rut was inevitable while the Transitionee was under, and the fact that he actually felt well rested?

He was going to assume that his Heats were far better and easier on his body than his Ruts had been, but he couldn’t know for sure until he’d experienced a Heat.

…He wasn’t dreading it, though. Not the way the thought of future Ruts would fill him with a slow, stacking anxiety.

So.

Tim was trans.

Tim…Tim was a detective, though? How had he not noticed that sooner? Looking back on it it was super obvious but like. He hadn’t noticed?

Did everyone feel this settled in their own skin?!

Was this how people normally felt?! No wonder everyone gave him strange looks! He’d thought all of that was normal!

The door opened, distracting Tim from his thoughts. Which was good, because he’d been about to go off on a mental tangent about being an idiot.

The assassin that had come in only spared him a glance as the guy set down a tray of food.

“So…is Pru okay?” Tim ventured, slowly stepping out of the bathroom.

The assassin snorted.

“She is well enough to undergo further training, to ensure mistakes like that do not happen again. Orientation will begin after you’ve eaten, then the Demon Head would speak with you.”

Tim blinked.

“Wait, you’d actually let me have Orientation?”

The assassin sniffed, clearly offended even as he straightened up and turned towards the door.

“We are not savages. Honestly, Americans.” The man muttered as he left.

~~~~~~

“-And so, in conclusion, while a Heat does make you more inclined to intercourse and does heighten the experience, it does not strip you of your autonomy. Should you feel that such is happening, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately; that is abnormal, and you have either been drugged or need medical intervention due to an extreme hormonal imbalance.”

Tim nodded along politely. He’d already known, but Orientation was important when Transitioning.

“For now, we shall practice performing a Rebuke. Do as you would with a Command, and your new physiology should handle the rest. Like so; Copy me.”

Tim twitched against the command, and fought against his innate need to fight it.

“..Copy me?”

“Very good.” The Omega Consultant in front of him nodded and wrote something in his tablet. Tim tried his best not to fidget. “Next is what to expect during a pregnancy, should you choose to pursue that.”

‘I wanted this, I wanted this, I wanted this-‘ Tim chanted to himself as he got Sex Ed version 2.0.

~~~~~~

Dick was definitely not barely staving off a mental breakdown on his couch.

He totally hadn’t waited until Damian was asleep to bury himself in blankets and stare blankly at a dead TV.

Dick was fine. Dick was okay. Dick had to be okay, because if he wasn’t then he couldn’t be there for Damian and he couldn’t be ready for when Tim got back.

He’d told his little brother he trusted him, and he meant it, but that trust didn’t stop Dick from missing his pack’s shortest Alpha.

On the coffee table, his phone lit up and started vibrating.

A bright, cheery tone reserved for Tim, derived from the song he hated the most, rang out into the living room.

Dick almost faceplanted into the coffee table for how quickly he lunged for the tiny glowing screen, but he managed to save himself and fumble the phone to his ear.

“Tim! Hey! How’s it going? Are you okay? Do you need reinforcement?”

But instead of Tim’s voice, a deep, hoarse chuckle made it through the speaker.

Dick knew that voice.

Ra’s.

“Where’s Tim?” Dick breathed, tense and still.

“The young Detective isn’t really meant to be an Alpha, I feel,” the old assassin said instead of answering Dick, “I merely wanted to inform you of a delay in his return, should he choose to return at all. He needs time to…adjust. To his new body.”

Dick couldn’t feel his toes, and only barely managed to keep a grasp on the phone.

He opened his mouth to threaten Ra’s, probably demand to know where Tim was again, but all that came out was one of the loudest, most feral Growls he’d ever let loose.

“How is it? Being the only Alpha of your Pack now, with your Leader gone? You are watching after my grandson, after all; I simply need to ensure he will be raised in a stable environment.” Ra’s voice was full of false pity, and Dick could no longer see anything in front of him clearly.

“Do not fucking touch him!” Dick finally Commanded, guttural and loud and definitely waking Damian up.

“Oh, it’s a bit too late for that, I fear; who else would I trust to handle his Transition? Do tell my grandson I wish him well.” With that, the line went dead.

Dick was left standing in the living room, on the verge of hyperventilating, tense and shaking and furious.

“…Richard?” Damian’s voice asked, and Dick heard the Beta Pup quietly approaching him from his left. 

Dick dropped the phone and dragged Damian to him, burying his nose in the Pup’s hair. He was distantly aware of the Beta letting out a hesitant, quiet purr in an effort to calm him, but he couldn’t vocalize his gratitude for the action.

They stayed like that, Dick caging Damian in with his arms and Damian letting him, for about fifteen minutes.

Then Dick shakily raised his head and reached for his phone.

He couldn’t leave Gotham; Tim would never forgive him if Batman left Gotham undefended in such a tumultuous time.

But he knew an Omega who could, would, and would take great pleasure in putting Ra’s down.

~~~~~~

Jason rolled over and answered the phone.

He hadn’t been sleeping anyways, so fuck it.

He held the phone to his ear.

He listened.

Green flooded the room, the source being his eyes, as he sat up.

“Ra’s did fucking what?”

~~~~~~

Tim walked into the meeting room just as Ra’s ended a call with someone.

Using Tim’s phone.

Goddammit, he’d done something to make Tim’s life harder.

The Alpha handed Tim’s phone to a random assassin with a bored-“Destroy this.”

Tim kept his face clear of any emotion. He had the stupid thing cloned anyways, he’d just go find the backup once he was done with whatever Ra’s wanted.

Turned out, Ra’s had gone ahead and grabbed Tam.

Tim could only get Tam back if he took out the Council of Spiders.

Tim did his posturing, as did Ra’s, and the dance was a relatively new one but felt like they’d done it time and time again.

As Tim was being escorted out, though, he couldn’t help but ask.

“Why help me with…with the other thing? If you think you can cash it in later, let me tell you-“

“Why would I deny you an operation I myself had to have to be better?” Ra’s interrupted, genuine curiosity on his face. “I expect you to handle the Council of Spiders, young Detective; you would not be fighting at your best if you did not fit into your own skin.”

Tim was verbally punched into silence.

Huh.

The assassins led him into a different section, into a room that had his Red Robin suit repaired and ready for him.

…Huh.

Tim still intended to cripple Ra’s organization, and it felt gross to have something in common with the Alpha, but the new Omega decided that he could handle the trade of having something in common if it meant finally feeling like himself.

He seriously was going to fuck Ra’s over, though. 

He just had to call basically everyone on his phone’s contact list first to do damage control for…whatever the creep had done.

Fucking Ra’s.

@aeoliantectrix @lollilollipop99 @tanu-kai @lykoscor @theobliviousshipper @simplestoryteller

[blorb-el]

Don’t know if you made a post on this but what’s your opinion on DCAU Clark and how unapproachable(?) they made him in the later JL/JLU series without ever resolving it? Like I know the Cadmus arc hinges on him never considering himself a possible threat but it seems there was room for no much introspection outside a couple moments (that were later backtracked).

I've had like 6 half finished posts about this buried deep in the drafts for a year because I have capital B Brain Rot about this, but every time I tried to write it out I got six sentences in and wanted to rewatch the entire DCAU in order to get my facts straight. This time I'm resisting the urge, so forgive me if I forget specific episodes

Also, unfortunately for you, it’s nanowrimo, which means my brain is in Type All The Words Mode, and not Communicate Effectively and Succinctly Mode, and also I need a break from WSBF chapter 8, so. You’re getting a 3.5k essay sort of answering this question but not really. you will see

Thank you to my fellow lawyer for the defense of Rectangle Clark @januariat for helping to put this together

I do rewatch STAS and JL a fair amount, but much less JLU, so I actually don’t have much to say about the specific execution there. I’m planning on rewatching it soon. But for now…

To me it boils down to two answers. The Doylist answer, and what I think the writers really did have in mind, is that they came up with the Cadmus plot, knew it was an absolute banger of a storyline, and decided that it was worth compromising Superman's personality in order to write a good story. which is not something I can fault them for - as a fanfic writer, I make the same calculated tradeoffs every time I set out to write a fic. Characters are tools for narrative, even if these particular characters come with an additional weight of the tradition of collaborative storytelling that their most effective stories honor.

However, I do think it’s possible to, post-hoc, cobble together a Watsonian, narratively satisfying (if fucked up and sad) character arc for DCAU Clark if you also take STAS and JL into account. I think the key to understanding his character arc is his relationship with control. Throughout STAS, JL, and JLU, and then one more time in Batman Beyond for good measure, over and over again, he's manipulated and his powers and body are used as resources for other people. Obviously that’s not much of an excuse for becoming more authoritarian/overbearing/etc, Fascism Is Bad and I personally think a more IC superman would retreat more than double down (as in Kingdom Come), but looking at the totality of things that have happened to him before Cadmus, it's a little more understandable why he'd get close to snapping under the strain. Here's my personal reading of his arc, and the events that might have led to Clark behaving so irrationally in JLU.

cut for sheer length, but also mentions of manipulation, sexual assault, victim blaming, that sort of thing

One of the recurring themes in the DCAU is villains dehumanizing, depowering, and/or manipulating Clark. In STAS, Parasite, Lex via Bizarro, Talia and Ra’s al Ghul use him as a source for their own power. The Preserver and Maxima treat him like some exotic prize, disregarding his wishes. Jax-Ur and Mala use him and then betray him. But the most impactful, by far, is Darkseid.

In Apokolips Now, Darkseid defeats Clark, puts his bleeding body into public stocks, and drags him through the middle of Metropolis. Clark’s only rescued by the last minute intervention of the New Gods, and as a parting shot Darkseid murders Clark’s friend in front of everyone. Even though Clark prevents Earth from turning into Apokolips, it’s a huge emotional loss, and they don’t shy away from showing his rage and helplessness. But it’s when Darkseid returns in Legacy, the finale of STAS, that Clark’s life truly takes a turn for the worse.

Forgive me if this is all plot recap to you, anon, but I feel like a lot of people don’t know that STAS ends with Clark being mind controlled, heavily implied to be sexually assaulted, and forced to try to take over the Earth, killing god knows how many people in the process. When the military finally brings him down with a Kryptonite warhead and imprisons him, they nearly kill Supergirl in the process. Then Lex almost gives him a lethal injection, with a US general looking on, implying that the government approves of killing him. Lois breaks him out, he tries to get help for Kara from Dr. Hamilton, and then goes to Apokolips. Most fights in STAS have him shrug off blows. He ends this one bleeding from his mouth, looking almost dead. When he finally casts down Darkseid, tells the Hunger Dogs (the slaves on Apokolips) that they’re free… they turn away from Superman. They cluster around Darkseid to protect and heal him.

Those universal truths of a lot of Superman stories, that goodness and liberty and the American Way* always win? They don't in STAS. A representative of the US government (as far as he knows) has tried to kill him. He lost his temper and spoke in a harsh tone of voice once, because Kara was dying and he was hurt and desperate, and now his friend Dr. Hamilton, the man he trusted to repair the Kryptonian ship, study his body and his powers, one of the people who knew him best in STAS, is afraid of him - and, as we find out later, takes immediate, drastic, and violating action against Kara and against him. The series ends with the small town man standing on the roof of the Planet, hearing people hate and fear him, wondering how people will ever trust him again.

*I hate this phrase personally when used as a Superman Motto, but it's used here as a contrast to the fascistic imagery of Apokolips Now and Legacy (as well as Brave New World, which, hoo boy, we aren’t even getting into that one).

Six months (iirc) after the STAS finale, in Secret Origins, the US government has agreed to let a visibly older and wearier Superman help disarm the nuclear stockpile - only for this to backfire on him because it was a Plot by the White Martians. Clark’s let down the country again. He’s helped aliens invade again, and to make matters worse, he sped away in the middle of an attack to break into an official government facility to free J'onn. Clark founds the Justice League beginning from a place of personal failure, as a check on himself. Clark has power and wants to help people with it, but he’s been turned against people he cares about, and has twice now failed to protect the world. It’s worth noting that Legacy put him into the world stage; before, in STAS, I can’t think of any true worldwide threats besides maybe Jax-Ur and Mala.

Most of the rest of season 1 of JL isn’t particularly Clark-focused, although he does appear in a lot of episodes, but the themes of some of these episodes are potentially relevant to understanding his character later, so: brief bullet point summaries.

During In Blackest Night, Clark sees his respected colleague turn himself into an authority that turns out to be incompetent investigators looking for a scapegoat. Interesting. Surrendering to governmental authority/oversight didn’t turn out too well here. 

During The Enemy Below, on Clark’s advice, Aquaman tries to solve his problems peacefully with diplomacy and is immediately shot in a life threatening assassination attempt.  Peaceful diplomacy doesn't work so well for him.

During Injustice for All, Lex is dying of cancer. Clark tries to reach out and is rebuffed, with Lex going on to try to found a team to kill him and the rest of the League.

During Paradise Lost, Clark sees his respected colleague turn herself into the authorities and immediately get banished from her home for the crime of trying to save it with all the resources she had at her disposal. Interesting. Surrendering to governmental authority/oversight didn’t turn out too well here, again. 

During War World, Clark’s again captured for exploitation. This is essentially a retread of The Main Man from STAS, doubling down on how some people see him as a thing to be exploited.

During Fury, Clark’s completely ineffective at preventing an attempted genocide of half the world’s population.

Season 2 opens with Twilight, one of the most important episodes for understanding Clark’s mindset during the Cadmus arc. Imagine, if you will, the above happening to you. Darkseid shows up at your workplace. And the man you’ve worked with the longest, your friend, your ally, tells you to cry him a river, build him a bridge, and get over it. Tells you to get over being brainwashed, manipulated, and humiliated. Tells you to get over having your broken and bleeding body paraded around the streets of Metropolis, tells you to get over having your friend killed in front of you for trying to defend you, tells you to get over almost getting your cousin killed. Sure, Brainiac is a planetary-scale threat; Darkseid and Apokolips are in real trouble. Clark was wrong to write off Apokolips and its people, and the League should absolutely have intervened in the situation. But the way Bruce went about it was… one of the harshest things DCAU Bruce has ever done, and one of the only times the narrative seems to actually agree that he was an asshole about it. And even then, you really need the context of STAS to understand why Clark is so furious and hurt in this scene.

Clark relents and goes along with Bruce’s plan to trust Darkseid, only to end up betrayed again, the whole ruse just another ploy for Brainiac to gain control of Clark, torture him, and use Clark’s body to upgrade himself. Clark had spared Darkseid back on Apokolips at the end of Legacy, on Kara’s advice. But now Darkseid’s come after him, again. Used him again to put not only Earth but who knows how many other worlds at risk, now that Brainiac’s even more powerful. It’s the downfall of Krypton, over and over again. And when Clark goes to end it, I think he doesn’t care that the base is about to go, as long as Darkseid goes down with it. That isn’t a price Bruce is willing to pay, so he teleports Clark out. And he’s wrong, again. “No one could have survived that.” Well… no, Bruce. Darkseid does, and Clark knows it.

During Tabula Rasa, Lex manipulates Amazo the exact way he tried to use Bizarro. Clark once again fails to guard against a terrible, potentially world-ending threat, and in fact makes the situation worse by his very presence.

Then we come to Only a Dream, another key episode in understanding this version of Superman. Clark’s deepest fear is that his powers will keep on growing beyond his ability to control them, eventually destroying everything around him. In his nightmare He kills Lois and Jimmy, destroys the Daily Planet, and grows into a brutish, hulking, clumsy figure, first crying out for someone to help him, and then losing hope. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He goes back to the Kent farm and curls up in the spaceship in the fetal position, convinced that he’s only going to hurt anyone who tries to help. Is it any wonder, since that’s literally what’s happened to him in Legacy? Is it any wonder that he’d want to give up, to retreat? If we’re to take the World of Cardboard speech literally, he’s already having to focus on this restraint every day, in every interaction. This is my personal explanation/hc as to why in every single fight he lets himself get knocked around a bit first; he’s calibrating how hard he can hit back without doing irrevocable damage. Anyway. Deeply fucked up 2 minutes of horror. Wish they’d explored this a little bit more in later seasons.

Then, directly after this, it’s A Better World. After we’ve just seen that his worst nightmare is hurting people by being unable to control his powers, we come face to face with a world where he’s hurt people by the precise and controlled application of his powers. Justice Lord Clark uses the same Superman Robots we saw Kara use in Legacy. He’s become quite adept at his lobotomization techniques. Later on in JLU, we see ‘our’ universe’s Clark attempt to lobotomize Doomsday the exact same way Justice Lord Superman did. Again, Clark fails to protect the world from himself, and to make matters worse, the guy to save the day is Lex Luthor. I’d be a little miffed if the maniac who wants to kill me so so bad turned out to be instrumental in saving the world and now I owe him some unspecified favor in the future. Clark’s met with failure and distrust trying to fix things his way, now he tries to do things in an uncharacteristically sneaky way and… gets met with more dislike and distrust.

Eclipsed continues this trend of hurting his friends; he’s temporarily mind controlled and hurts Wally.

In The Terror Beyond, he fucks up and puts the world in danger again, all because from his point of view, he tried to prevent Solomon Grundy being manipulated and used (like he himself has been used over and over again).

In Secret Society, his frustration comes to a peak, amplified by Grodd’s telepathic manipulation. He’s been trying to do his best, but he snaps that he’s had better luck fighting armies alone (dubious plural there, but he did pretty much evaporate an army in Legacy, so at least once, ok) and that he’s had to hold back his abilities in order to be on the League. Again if we take the World of Cardboard speech at face value, this is true, and we see it in the episode when he accidentally hurts Shayera with heat vision despite shouting a warning beforehand. It’s also telling how other members of the League have the ability to constantly voice doubts about its usefulness and cohesiveness as an organization (hi Bruce) but when he expresses the same doubts everyone gasps. When he expresses his doubt and frustration, when he steps away, the organization that’s collectively saved the world several times falls apart; they’re reliant on him, and he has to be aware of the entire existence of the League as an extra burden of responsibility.

Since both this episode and the Cadmus arc as a whole are meant to show his flaws as a leader, it’s worth examining the foundations of that leadership as established in the DCAU. Clark’s the leader of the League, but narratively, Bruce is its brains and its ethics and Wally is its heart. As a result, Clark is filling the role of leader of the League without the narrative scaffolding that gives him the respect comics incarnations of the character are generally accorded. (I’m admittedly only drawing here from the JLA runs I’ve personally read, Morrison/Porter 90’s JLA and the early Fox/Sekowsky 60’s JLA). Superman might not technically be the First Superhero according to these continuities, but he is respected as though he is (and as we comic book nerds know him to be). The League in these comics treat him as something of an ethical standard bearer, a primus inter pares, as well as being the muscle. In the DCAU, Batman, having founded the DCAU with BTAS, is the First Superhero, and the entire plotline of the Justice Lords centers Wally as the emotional anchor of the team. Clark doesn’t have that pre-established stature. What really qualifies him to be the leader, besides the fact that Bruce doesn’t want to do it? His position seems precarious, relying more on Superman’s pre-established reputation than his actual onscreen characterization. Centering Bruce and Wally are legitimate creative choices I don’t even necessarily disagree with, but it means Clark-as-leader functions quite differently than more traditional JL structures.

Hereafter is something of a healing point for him. It’s a little fucked up that Superman almost bashes Vandal Savage’s head in with a rock, but you take what you can get at this point. He comes out of it fine, but everyone else is forced to reckon with what he means to them. Hereafter coming directly after Secret Society is a very good reunification for the League. Shame about what’s gonna happen in three episodes.

In Wild Cards, he’s useful to address the immediate threat but ineffective to stop the real, countrywide (worldwide?) threat. (I should note that of course I don’t expect every episode’s threat to be solved by Clark; I’m just pointing out a trend that I think his character would perceive as failures on his part. If the writers ever let him reflect.)

JL ends as it began, with another massive alien invasion that Clark helped facilitate in Starcrossed, by working with the Thanagarians during the first part of their plan. As a fellow exile, a fellow alien, he’s hurt and angry with Shayera’s betrayal… even though, in the end, in probably one of his best moments, he votes to allow her to stay in the League.

(Sidenote: almost every interaction Clark has had with other aliens have been despotic societies or individuals: Jax-Ur and Mala, Apokolips, Maxima’s planet, War World, and now Thanagar. The Guardians built robotic police/foot soldiers to enforce their will. Even New Genesis is ruled by a benevolent dictator. Martian society is nearly extinct, overrun by… more alien despots, surviving only with J'onn. Argoan society is nearly extinct, surviving only with Kara. At least Lobo isn’t a fascist? Small consolation.)

JLU begins after a short time skip. I’m not as familiar with JLU episodes since it’s been a while since I’ve watched them, so I’m not going to attempt an episode-by-episode breakdown. Also this post is already way too long. But the point of this post is to look at Clark’s overall arc until this point, and see how it informs his decisions in JLU. For a more JLU-specific informed point of view check this post by januariat!

What we have is a man who naturally wants to take responsibility on his own shoulders, a doer and a fixer who wants to get into the ring and solve problems, who wants to use his abilities to help, being confronted over and over again with a string of personal failures, manipulation, and betrayal. When he tries to set a boundary about not being willing to help the man who took over his body and forced him against his home in Twilight, he’s told to get over it by his most trusted ally. When his deepest fears are revealed in Only a Dream, we see them having been already realized in Legacy. And when he’s presented with his dream of a peaceful life farming, a family that loves him, and no responsibility to save the world, it’s ripped away from him in For The Man Who Has Everything.

Ultimately, I don’t have a good answer for exactly how he doubles down in JLU S2, because I need to rewatch all of it with this understanding of the character. But I think you can see the shape of a traditional Superman character in there, trying and trying again and again to do the right thing, putting himself on the line - only instead of learning from his experiences and letting them inform his actions, he’s carrying the weight of years of suppressed trauma while trying to hold up the entire Justice League. This long, long run of failure, manipulation, betrayal, and distrust adds up. And there’s only so much weight one person can hold on their shoulders, even if they are a Superman.

(And then as the nice little capstone to his story, in Batman Beyond's The Call, he’s kept under alien mind control for years! With the way Starro clings to his chest, he probably hasn’t been touched in years! Trapped in his own mind, forced to watch as yet another alien species uses him as a tool to hurt his own teammates and invade the Earth! And that’s the last we see of DCAU Clark! What a fun little ending to his character arc that doesn’t make me go insane whenever I think about it. Very very very normal about this.)

[cookiesupplier]

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Twenty-One

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, panic attack, stalking, online bullying.

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. For everyone involved.

author’s note: Unbeta'd, readers beware as always lol.

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram

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Seeing her on her knees looking up at him like that, her eyes so wide, from the feel of the way her throat contracted around his cock as she swallowed, to the moans and whimpers as he fucked her pretty mouth, and shit.. shit.. a shiver ran down his spine. She was perfect like this, so trusting as she looked at him despite the way he’d been treating her, shit, why the fuck did she trust him?

No, no, no.. He couldn’t, he couldn’t do this. Not only that, he knew he shouldn’t be doing any of this. She deserved so much better than him, so much better. He didn’t deserve her or anything close to how understanding she’s seemed after how much of an ass he’d been, he knew that already. No matter what he’s been through, nothing gave him the right.

“Fuck, Talia, I, I’m sorry.”

“Rick, I.. what? What is this, what is happening right now? I..”

His voice came out in a rasp, and a strangled sound left his throat, even her voice, she was shaking, her voice, she sounded scared.. Fuck she sounded scared.. Of him? Of what was going on between them, scared of what? He didn’t know, all he knew was he couldn’t control anything of what he was feeling. He pulled back from her, breaking off contact as he let go of her completely, he needed to clear his head, and touching her wasn’t helping that. Shit. Every time he touched her, just thinking about it even, made his tattoo tingle, again, and he swore under his breath, what the fuck was happening. Yet pulling away right now, and fixing himself in his pants, he could swear the very thought of forcing himself not to touch her no matter how much he even wanted to reach out and help her up from the floor, had his soulmate tattoo on his neck flaring up and starting to burn. Not bad per se, not by much, but just enough that he knew it didn’t like what he was doing.

What the fuck.

Now he was thinking about his tattoo like it had feelings, like it was a fucking sentient being.

What was wrong with him?

He could hear Talia moving behind him as he turned to face the kitchen counter, his hands pressing against the stone top. Pressing down to keep himself there for the moment.

“Rick?”

“I’m sorry, we, I shouldn’t have done that, not again.. I mean.. We can’t do this, we can’t be… this, Talia. I just got out of the most fucked up relationship. She was a stalker for fuck's sake, and I thought I was in love with her, I bought a damn ring, how screwed up is that? I mean-”

His voice choked off, he wanted to be done with all of this, he’d talked about it all on that horrendous video yesterday, but that had been clinical, that had been precise facts for the story of what Grace had done to him. Making sure to refute everything she had claimed about him, about Talia, her lies. This, though, felt like reaching into his chest and ripping out.. He couldn’t even go online to read all the messages after the video because of the thought of what people would say. He wasn’t sure what would feel worse, people believing him and sympathising, hearing all the different ways people have been treated so horribly, or the people calling him a fucking liar and making up excuses to call it off with Grace, then there was the worst of all, calling him exactly how he felt, a damn fucking fool for not realising that she’d been lying all those years ago.

“I can’t even walk into my own fucking house right now. I changed the locks and upped the security, but it feels like it means nothing because she lived there for two years, and she’s everywhere in that place. I hate her Talia, and yet, I thought I loved her, but was it her? Who even was she?”

Looking at Talia, she was at least standing now, and he felt like fucking shit to see she looked so unsteady, like any moment she could start shaking and had her arms wrapped around herself, she looked about as good as he felt. He felt good when he was talking to her, he had, and yet, there was something, something so overwhelming out of his control, he didn’t know if he could trust…

“I was dating someone who lied to me from the very moment I met them, who stalked me, and didn’t blink the entire time, not once about any of it. Was I stupid, was I just, did I want to be blind so badly that I pretended? What’s going to happen now? I mean, my relationships are royally screwed now, how can I ever trust-”

“Me?”

“No, me, Talia, I can’t trust myself. For all the shit I’ve said about you, being a fake soulmate, I’m sorry I’ve been such a bastard. But it’s not you, it’s never been you thats the problem Talia, it’s always been me.”

Ricky didn’t even trust himself anymore, he’d been in a relationship that was nothing but lies and manipulation for years, and he’d believed it all, how could he trust his judgement now? As it was, admitting that he was the one that was the problem between Talia and him instead of his claims before now, well…

“Ricky,”

He swallowed as Talia moved to stand next to him, her back to the counter as he finished turning so they were both facing the same way as they talked.

“You don’t have to apolo-”

“Don’t, start with that again, please,”

Rick shut her down quickly, at least she seemed to have stopped shaking, and their tattoos had stopped tingling, calming down from that damned arousal. Talking, talking he could do, as long as he didn’t touch her.

“I have ripped into you so much, treated you like shit, and you have just waved it off like nothing, give me credit here, I was a complete asshole and a bastard, say it Talia. Say it, out loud. Admit it, and stop telling me I don’t have to apologise, like you’ll just let me off the hook again? Sweetheart, because, that is not what’s going to happen here.”

Even if it was just him, he wasn’t going to let it go, not this time. He felt guilty a little for a second when Talia seemed to shrink for a moment at his little rant, but he felt like she would just keep letting him keep doing it, and let him keep treating her like he had, and being an asshole. No.

“I,”

“Say it, I mean it. Go on.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“Listen to my voice, Sweetheart, Say it.”

Ricky crossed his arms in front of his chest, stopping himself from reaching for her hands to convince her to do it, to say it, maybe he was being an asshole even now, but he wanted to hear it, her admit, that she could actually say it, see it, and not just wave it off. Looking at her, stubbornly, as she pursed her lips slightly, a little bit stubborn herself maybe, as she huffed out a soft, fine almost, he wasn’t sure if she actually said it or imagined it, but here we go as she started.

“Okay, so you're a bastard, and half the time since I’ve met you I’ve wanted to fucking slap you every time you’ve opened your mouth.”

There we go, Ricky couldn’t help but smirk slightly at that, that was a little more than he asked for, but he liked it. Good. Maybe she would slap him next time he went too far. Not that he encouraged violence in relationships, but they weren’t dating, and he had been an asshole.

“Little bit colourful, feel better?”

Not that she had said that she was the one upset before, he was the one that seemed to be breaking down between the two of them, but he just couldn’t believe she was doing any better, not with how clammed up she was, not… not with what Ava said at the party. Damn Ava, her words had dug like a tick in his brain. Someone had hurt Talia because of him, because of their tattoo, and he’d made it worse.

“Maybe.”

She was smiling a little at least now, just a little, much better than her shrinking back before, Right would take that as a win.

“Well, one of us at least, then.”

Glancing back to the other side of the kitchen, he tsked slightly with his tongue with a sigh after a moment, his arms not relaxing across his chest as he thought about where this all left them. With freaky soulmate tattoos that were flaring up strangely, and…

“I can’t do another relationship, and screw me not wanting a soulmate, you, shit, I feel bad for you being stuck with me about now. I am beyond fucked up because there is something seriously wrong with me. Honestly, if I were you, I would be running so far, so fast it’s not even funny.”

“Rick-”

Before he could start to say anything about her tone, how it sounded like she was going to get all apologetic and forgiving on him again,

“Stop, this time you listen to me.”

He paused as she shut him down, regarding her slightly, it was fair play he guessed, holding his hand out and gesturing for her to continue without risking touching her, he’d listen, he’d been horrible enough not to listen to her plenty already.

“You were dealt a shit card, we’ve both been dealt shitty hands with this soulmate thing, and whatever is going on with our tattoos I have no idea what it is, the fact I’ve never heard about it before kind of scares me a little, but, that's not my point. My point, what was my point,”

He smiled a little at the cute way she rambled, her words running away with her as her mind went on a tangent. Rick had been there, he recognised it. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d edited his videos, repeatedly with the way he’d lost his thoughts when he’d talk, having to redo the clips, over and over. So he waited patiently for her to find what it was she wanted to say again.

“Shit, I lost it, anyway,”

Ricky couldn’t help but chuckle roughly, but otherwise stayed silent, letting her continue.

“You were dealt a shit hand, but that doesn’t define you. I’m not saying you should just jump right back into everything, I’m not, you need time to sort everything out, so take it. If you can’t trust yourself, trust others. Get outside opinions.”

Shrugging, then again, he hadn’t been all that welcome of that lately, and from the look on his face, he wasn’t that impressed with her advice.

“Talia, no, if I listened to everyone else, I’d probably have you knocked up by now, I swear.”

He was not laughing about it either, nor was she with her face changing a few different shades of red when he said that. Ricky couldn’t forget how it felt like everyone had been pushing him towards her ever since he’d broken it off with Grace and considering two out of three times he’d been alone with her, he’d not been able to keep his hands off of her. Everything was so overwhelming, and he swallowed, well, she knew what had happened.

Now, even now, the air felt so thick, he stretched his neck a little, fuck, the tingle was back as his hands flexed, and he gripped the counter on either side of him again, holding onto it, he wasn’t pushing that limit between them again.. But only so much he could ignore it.. He didn’t care how willing she seemed, either time, that tattoo, it didn’t feel right, he’d been so fucking stupid to think it was fine.

“Ricky! I’m being serious.”

“So am I! Everyone has been pushing me to get closer to you ever since I broke it off with Grace, as if finally having my real soulmate will magically fix all my problems. I’m sorry, but I don’t see it that way. Soulmates can be a wonderful bond, but they make you vulnerable, and to me, they are terrifying as shit too.”

Case in point, what was happening with their marks, she wasn’t wrong, it was rather freaky that he’d never heard this happening before. Now that he knew it wasn’t all in his head, and he wasn’t imagining it, it was tangible, he was going to do a deep dive to see if he could find out any information about it at all. Maybe he could even ask-

Talia suddenly let out a groan of slight disgust, her face scrunching up as she looked away, catching Ricky’s attention and pulling him away from his thoughts.

“What?”

“I just, I thought about how Kyle used to talk about soulmate couples having babies so soon after they get together, and thinking about the whole rush of it being like this, and it made me think about Ava and Vinny right now, and I just. No. I don’t. No.”

At that, Ricky couldn’t help but start laughing.

“Shit, well, Laura and Justin, they did, so, and Vin and Ava were stuck in a bus for two weeks, so we're on strict rules there, and tensions abound, how have they been here?”

Talia got a bit of a look he wasn’t sure he could read on her face before she started talking,

“I’ve been escaping to go have coffee with Chris every afternoon to give them alone time because I -”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence when a surge ran through both of their tattoos at the same time, but it was nothing like the pleasure that they had enjoyed earlier, and far more like the one Ricky had felt when he’d pulled away from her, only worse, a lot worse. The moment he heard her talking about escaping to have coffee with Chris, he remembered seeing her there in the café with him, laughing, looking so happy, and thinking about her sneaking off to spend secret time alone with him, and the next thing he knew, his hand was flying to his neck with the pain that was ripping through his skin.

“Fuck, what the hell, is going on?!”

Ricky glanced over to Talia, her words so much more shocked, having no idea why there was pain, just that there was, and she looked to be in just as much pain as him. Made him wonder if she always felt what he felt, or if it was when they were in proximity. Had she felt him when they were at the café? Was it only when they were together? Or maybe only when the feelings were extremely intense, like now?

Either way…

“I don’t know, but I think it’s about time we try to find out.”

Divider by @saradika-graphics

[samgirl98]

Mending a Family 19/?

Prev | Next

Danny had a secret he was keeping from Jazz and daddy.

He held the wavy knife in his tiny hands.

After Talia left (and Danny had gotten a lecture from his dad and Jazz about leaving with dangerous assassins around), Danny went to his room and found the knife under his pillow.

Danny didn’t know how Talia did it, but he knew she was the one who had left it there.

It was beautiful.

It was made of silver and had a green hilt with gold designs. He didn’t know what material the curved hilt was made of, but he hoped it wasn’t real gold. Danny knew if he told his dad about it, he would take it away until Danny was older. Danny held the knife close to him before going under his bed and hiding the knife under the floorboards. He used his intangibility.

He could keep this one secret from his daddy and Jazz.

“What are you doing under there, kiddo?”

Danny hit his head on the bed in surprise. His daddy had entered Danny’s room without Danny noticing.

Papa was getting too good at hiding his presence.

“Nothing, I was just looking for something,” he lied while rubbing the top of his head.

“Let me see if you got a bump, chum.”

Danny let his dad prod his head.

“Well, there’s no swelling. Does it hurt a lot?”

“No, it’s already feeling better.”

“Good. What were you looking for? Maybe I can help.”

“No!”

Danny suddenly felt guilty and looked down at his feet.

Jason stilled. His son was dispelling feelings of guilt.

“Danny, is there something you want to tell me?”

Danny bit his lip before shaking his head.

Jason tilted his head. He knew Danny was hiding something but didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing. He could be making something to surprise them later. Maybe he found something that he wanted to keep for himself.

It could also be something dangerous, though.

Jason knelt at Danny’s level and touched his son’s shoulder.

“Whatever it is that you’re…looking for, is it dangerous?”

“No…maybe.”

Alarm bells started blaring in Jason’s head.

“What is it, chum?”

He was trying to keep a level head, but what if Danny had something that could or was harming him?

Jazz came to Danny’s door and looked at both of them.

“What’s wrong?”

Danny sighed. He would be badgered until he spilled the beans, so he might as well tell them. Maybe they wouldn’t be too mad.

Danny hesitated for a moment, “Talia left me something when she was here.”

Jason stilled and then felt anger rising.

“What did she leave you, Danny?”

Danny flinched at daddy’s tone. He sounded so angry already.

Jason took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He couldn’t believe Talia had entered their home and left Danny something without Jason’s knowledge.

“A knife.”

Of course. Of fucking course, Talia left his son a weapon.

“Can I see it?”

Danny went under the bed and took out a Kris dagger. Anyone who was in the know would recognize the dagger as League. Also, the colors and decorations on it would point straight to the Al Ghul line.

Talia had claimed Danny.

Jason gritted his teeth, not recognizing his feelings.

He saw Talia as a mother, but she wasn’t a very good one. She ignored boundaries, did what she wanted, and was controlling. She was almost like a deadly female version of Bruce. However, she was trying, in her weird way, to show that she cared for Jason and Danny.

A day before his birthday, Jason had received a myriad of swords and daggers, all with the Al Ghul green and gold. She was showing she cared in the only way she knew how.

Still, he wished she could show she cared for Danny without giving his son deadly weapons.

“Danny, you should’ve told us about this. We have to know these kind of things to keep you and Ellie safe,” Jazz scolded.

“I’m sorry,” Danny said, “Are you mad, dad?”

“No, I’m not. Talia is complicated. I don’t like that you hid a dangerous weapon from me, though.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Okay, I’m taking this and putting it away until you can learn how to use it. If Jazz is okay with it, I’ll teach you a few self-defense moves, and then we can graduate with knife work.”

“Really? That means you won’t take my knife away from me?”

“Whether I like it or not, it was a gift from Talia. It’s better that you know how to use it than to keep it away from you. However, you’re grounded again. It’s okay for you to keep things to yourself as long as it isn’t a danger to you or those around you.”

“The Kris dagger was not something you should’ve kept to yourself. We have to know when someone breaches our defenses to secure the place better. What if it wasn’t Talia that left you the dagger? We have to think about these things, Danny.”

That…made a lot of sense.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven,” Jason said, “Now, off to bed with you.”

“How long will I be grounded?”

“Jazz and I will talk about that tonight. Right now, it’s past your bedtime.”

Danny nodded and was glad to see his dad still tucked him in (he ignored the sixteen-year-old in him, saying it was embarrassing.)

Jason kissed Danny’s forehead and left his son (God, he had a son) to sleep.

Jazz was waiting for him in the kitchen; she was tapping her foot. Jason could feel her anger and fear.

“I’ll talk to Talia,” he said while putting the dagger on the table. He shone under the lights.

“What kind of person gives a five-year-old a knife?”

“Someone who was raised by assassins.”

Jazz sighed.

“He won’t let it go, now. He may look five, but the sixteen-year-old is in there somewhere, and he likes weapons.

Jason nodded.

“That’s why I want to start teaching him safety. I’ll teach him a few defense moves and use a fake knife to teach him about safety. We should get on top of this,” Jason said, resigned.

He didn’t want Danny anywhere near weapons and fighting, but he knew it would be a losing battle.

Damn you, Talia.

Jazz thought about it for a few seconds and nodded.

“Okay, but I am on the condition that I join.”

“That’s fine,” Jason said.

Jason hid the knife in the safe in the back of the closet, sent Talia a message, and went to bed.

@itsberrydreemurstuff @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @skulld3mort-1fan @theauthorandtheartist @emergentpanda-blog @jaggedheart11 @fisticuffsatapplebees @booberrylizard @fantasticbluebirdfan @thegatorsgooseoose @cyrwrites @kjoboo91 @crystallicedart @amaramizuki666 @spekulatiusmuffin @meira-3919 @kilasmess @bubblemixer @lexdamo @wonderland-daisy @mj-arts-n-stuff @amyheart19 @dolfay @the-church-grimm @undead-essence @aph-mable @lizisipancardo @purrloin77 @writer-extraodinaire @charlietheepic7 @sinfulloccultist @nootherusernameworked @coruscateselene @chaoticchange @itsberrydreemurstuff @gmkelz11 @feral-bunny31 @paroovian @thatonegaybitch68 @d4ydr34min9 @overtherose @fandomwandererer @vipower001 @thordottir45 @blackrabbitt3t @rosecinnamonbun @bianca-hooks123 @epilepticnerd @dat1angel @consouling @flamingenchiladadragon @all-mights-asscheeks

[nekoannie-chan]

All day

Title: All day.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Reader.

Rating: Mature.

Word count: 330 words.

Warnings: Smut, PWP.

Summary: Steve and you have a free day, so you have sex all day.

A/N: This is my entry to @multifandom-lover, Annie-1018 & square 5:

"I can do this all day"

You can read it on Wattpad and Ao3 too.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission that my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other's people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou  @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @smokeandnailz  @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae  @harrysthiccthighss @marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes  @sapphire-rogers​ @lizzieolseniskinda​ @notyourtypicalrose​ @hallecarey1​  @nana1000night​ @talia-rumlow​ @writingshae​ @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga​  @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare​ @endlesstwanted​  @chemtrails-club​  @marigoldreamer​ @whiskeytangofoxtrot555​  @here4thefanfics​ @theestorm​ @patzammit​

When your mobile phone rang, waking you up, you mentally hoped it wasn't a mission. After a long time, you had finally been able to take a break from the hectic pace of life you were leading at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Fortunately, it was an unimportant message, so you left your mobile phone; you didn't have to go to the Triskelion, so if you woke Steve up at that moment... you picked up your mobile phone again to check the time; it was four in the morning, so if you woke him up at that moment, you could have some fun before breakfast.

You got on top of Steve and started kissing his hair, then you started going down his neck without stopping kissing him. You knew how much he liked you waking him up that way, and it was also very useful for what you wanted.

"It's not fair," Steve mumbled, turning around and putting you under him. "You're playing dirty, Y/N," he complained.

"Are you sure?" you questioned as you ran your hand down his hip to where you knew you would have complete control. When you came, he let out a growl. "I know what you like, and we seem to have time to enjoy each other."

He took your hand and began to run his tongue slowly down your neck, paying attention to all the parts he knew gave you the most pleasure.

You lost track of time as soon as you started, just as you had already lost track of the number of orgasms you had had; however, your stomach began to protest, and you needed to eat something before continuing.

"I can do this all day."

"I know, but I need to eat something to recover my energy; I don't have the serum like you," you answered.

Steve took your hand and kissed it. "Okay, but we'll continue with this later," he said as he lightly and playfully ran his hand up and down your thigh.

[silverskull]

hey can you do a future fic where Angela speaks at Tim’s wedding as his “best women” and the speech be emotional as fuckkkkk

This prompt was just too enthusiastic to pass up. Thank you, Nonnie. I know you sent this on the FIRST OF JANUARY, but better late than never… eh? It took a little gear grinding, but I eventually got back into the writing flow!

Full fic below the cut, or HERE on AO3 (kudos, comments and reblogs loved and adored! 💖)

“I don’t give a damn.”

“You give so many damns they’re visible from space.”

Tim rolled his eyes at Angela, working hard not to choke on his mouthful of coffee at the same time. She might be right, but it would never do to let her actually know that she was. He set his mug down on his office desk, studiously ignoring her, and shuffling through the manila folders in his inbox instead.

“Are you inviting Talia?”

“She’s on the list.”

“Good. Then she’ll get this.”

Angela chewed the end of her pen thoughtfully, staring at the writing in the incongruously pink notebook in her other hand. She seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, nodding firmly, before scribbling rapidly on the next blank page. She’d made herself perfectly at home in Tim’s office, slouched in the chair opposite his desk, one leg slung lazily over the armrest, and there didn’t seem to be any way for him to remove her without physically ejecting the entire chair from the room.

It was his own fault, really.

He could have chosen anyone - Thorsen would have done whatever he asked, and, given his history, probably funded the entire endeavour just for the privilege. Genny was an obvious option, or even one of his nephews - the role would have been ceremonial, and Tim could still have control over everything. Lucy had actually suggested Grey, who would have been perfect… if only Tim hadn’t already asked Angela.

And now she had inserted herself into what seemed like his every waking moment, alternatively referring to herself as his ‘Best Woman’, ‘Groom's Girl’, ‘Chief Chick’, or, with what was becoming frightening regularity, ‘Maid of Awesomeness’.

“I’m definitely running with the ‘hot pants’ joke,” Angela concluded aloud, ticking a section of the page with visible satisfaction.

Tim fixed his eyes on his computer screen, scrolling blindly through the afternoon’s unread emails.

“Do whatever you want. I’ve told you: I don’t give a damn.”

“Oh but you will,” Angela drawled, glancing up at him from the corner of her eye. “You. Will.”

***

“...and he says ‘hot pants?’, right? Like a question! Like he didn’t just completely ignore the paragraphs about it in the group chat a few months earlier! The full-on emoji text chains! The links to several unquestionable websites! So, the bachelorette squad comes as a complete shock to him when he rolls up to us in the shop at two am!”

Angela had the crowd practically crying with laughter, and Tim could see Noah and June lurching with mirth in their chairs, slapping the table, the crystal champagne glasses on the surface ringing with the vibration. Under their own table, he slipped his hand around Lucy’s waist, settling his fingers against the lace dress covering her upper thighs. He pressed his nose against her neck, burying his embarrassment in the curls of her hair, and she raised her hand to his cheek, holding him close as her giggles bubbled low in her throat, tingling against the skin on his lips.

“Ignore her,” she whispered.

“Absolutely not,” he replied, pinching her thigh mischievously and raising his lips to her ear. “She’s right. I missed a lot. In fact, I think I’m going to need a thorough revision course. And, you’ll remember, I learn best by doing.”

Lucy snorted, her cheeks turning an alluring shade of pink, and she slapped him on the chest, shoving him firmly away from her. He moved with her, rolling back and smirking, then sliding his hand up to her neck. Her smiling lips were too good to resist, and he drew her towards him for a quick kiss, resting his nose against hers and letting her eyes blur into warm, brown pools before him.

“And as sickeningly lovey-dovey as they are today, you might be surprised to learn that it wasn’t always this way…” Angela tapped her notecards pointedly on the mic stand and Tim heard Bailey stifle a giggle at the table in front of them. He straightened his jacket with one hand, clearing his throat and turning ever-so-slightly away from Lucy and towards Angela.

Angela narrowed her eyes at him, tossing her hair over one shoulder and turning back to the crowd.

“It was hard to say, at first, which one of them annoyed the other more. Smart money would have been on Tim - the hardass TO with a record number of washouts. The man loves a challenge, and finding flaws in the knowledge of one of the brightest young things to graduate the Academy this decade was like catnip for him. He couldn’t resist tormenting her.”

Tim could see Bailey again, turning to Nolan beside her and raising her eyebrows quizzically. Nolan shook his head and dropped it into his hands, massaging a point on his forehead as if the memory was physically hurting him. Tim grinned.

“But Lucy didn’t just roll over and take it,” Angela continued, interrupting Tim’s hazy memory of Lucy, framed outside the passenger window of their shop and hurrying alongside him while the sun beat mercilessly down on her long, wool sleeves. “Oh no. Lucy Chen gave the betting pool a run for their money. Am I right, Smitty? Not that there’s a betting pool in the office or anything, Sarge…” Angela pursed her lips and frowned in feigned seriousness at Grey, who, like Nolan, now also had his eyes covered. It did nothing to put a halt to Angela’s gallop.

“This woman stole her training officer's wallet - picked his damn pocket in the middle of a brawl, and kept it secret until he realised he couldn’t pay for his dinner. She abandoned him with her beer tab on Plain Clothes Day, detonated powder in his face the night she made P2, and bribed her way into short sleeves by setting him up on a successful date. By the way - hey, Rachel! Long time, no see.” Angela waved airily at a table near the back of the room, while Tim tried, unsuccessfully, to keep a straight face. Lucy had thrown her head back in gales of laughter, one hand pressed to her chest, where his engagement ring glinted and glimmered in the reflected light of the chandeliers.

It drew his eyes to the gold wedding band just below it, freshly polished and perfectly sized. He was reaching for her hand before he even realised what he was doing, stroking his thumb along the smooth metal and drawing her knuckles to his lips. She curled her fingers around his, tipping her head towards him and letting him pull her close.

This - this moment here with her, in front of their friends and family - was worth a thousand of her powder bombs. A million.

He’d pay her back, of course. 

But he’d take as good as he gave - something he hadn’t even realised about himself until he met Lucy. Who’d have thought he could make it to his late thirties, through a troubled childhood, two tours in the Middle East, and a broken marriage, and still have things to learn about himself? So many years spent weaving his tough, protective cocoon, building up the hard-knocks and hard-laughs persona that culminated in TO Bradford, only to find the catalyst for his metamorphosis right there in the passenger’s seat of his shop.

His bride. His wife.

His Lucy.

“But, despite the friction, they settled into an easy rhythm. I saw it, slowly falling into place. Bishop too. Harper had all sorts of blatant and inappropriate questions when she joined the team.” Angela winked at Nyla, who raised her glass in response, a sly grin hidden behind the crystal rim. “And I know he’ll never admit it, but I don’t doubt that Sergeant Grey saw exactly where this was headed long before any of the rest of us. Sir, you’re practically psychic when it comes to teaming people up, and there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

Celina was nodding along with Angela’s words, her eyes wide and her mouth tight with reserved laughter. Luna was whispering in her ear, and Grey was trying - and failing - to speed Angela up with a raised finger, circling in the air.

“And we joke. We do. We have good times in our Mid-Wilshire family.” Angela paused as calls of ‘hear hear’ echoed throughout the room and glasses were lifted in an agreeable toast. “But things haven’t always been easy. Not for us. Not for Lucy and Tim. We’ve had our tragedies, and we’ve lost good people along the way. I’d like to direct your attention, and ask you to raise your glasses, to the couple’s ‘In Memoriam’ shrine, and particularly our colleagues… our friends: Captain Zoe Anderson and Officer Jackson West.” 

Quiet murmurs rustled through the crowd as people twisted in their seats to look for the little table Lucy had insisted on setting up near the front of the room. Small flickering tealights and loose white petals artfully surrounded framed pictures of their friends, and it felt, for a moment, as if the ceiling lights above them dimmed and the happy faces of Jackson, Captain Andersen and the others beamed brighter, smiling their approval through the insubstantially thin veil that separated them.

Lucy turned to Tim then, dipping her head against his shoulder and dropping his hand to swipe her own fingers across her cheek. He caught the momentary sheen of tears below her lashes, and he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, pulling her closer to him and into the space below his shoulder where she fit just-so. He felt her hand stretch up along his back, latching onto his neck for support, and he raised his lips to her forehead, dropping a comforting kiss onto the crown of her head.

“I can tell you - if either of them were with us today, I wouldn’t be up here entertaining you all by myself. Both Jackson and Captain Andersen would have had plenty to say about this particular turn of events.” Angela smirked at Tim again, and he heard Lucy give a constricted laugh from her perch at his shoulder.

“But that’s not to say that it was entirely unexpected. These two have been through their fair share - more than fair, even - of troubles. Neither of you-” she turned to wave her notecards at both Lucy and Tim “-have seen the other when one of you is missing. And it’s a testament to your flair for thrill-seeking that this has happened more than once.”

“Bad-Luck magnets!” Smitty yelled, from the back of the hall.

Angela allowed a brief chuckle to pass through the crowd before she became solemn again.

“But seriously. You’ve come through the worst things life could throw at you - anyone’s worst fears - and you’ve come out stronger for it. We’ve all witnessed it. Tim, I know you would move heaven and earth for Lucy; and hell would freeze over before Lucy would leave Tim behind. It’s inspirational. It’s powerful. And it’s a little scary, not gonna lie.”

Tim allowed himself a quick laugh, tightening his grip around Lucy’s waist, and imagining the sparkle of her moonstone ring on the fingers gently combing through the hairs on the back of his head. She leaned closer to him, her cheek resting just above the collar of his dress shirt, and he pushed away the thoughts, dark and intrusive, of what his life would be like if he hadn’t found that ring. If she hadn’t thought to drop it for him. If the trust between them wasn’t so strong, so unshakeable, that it kept her believing he’d come for her, even as her own breath slowly started to poison her and the sun sank low over the endless, barren desert, leaving him chasing the shadows of his own fear.

A cold shiver ran down his spine, and Lucy, ever observant, sat up, tilting her head to catch his eye with a quizzical brow. He gave a small shake of the head, raising his hand from her waist to her neck, and he brushed his lips against her forehead again, steadying himself with her warmth, her fragrance, and her proximity.

She was here. She was here. She was here, and she was safe and they were surrounded by support and love, and that was all that mattered.

Lucy settled back against his side as Angela continued, and Tim let his hand drift along the cool skin of her arm and down into its home on the curve of her hip.

“All of which brings us neatly back to Hot Pants here, and her lovely husband, Handsy.”

The crowd erupted into laughter, partly at Angela’s nonchalant delivery, partly in relief at being back from the brink of horrors past. Tim reached for his glass and took a fortifying sip of his champagne, as Lucy, amused, tapped her thumb at the base of his neck.

“You know, for all I said earlier about the inevitability of this whole relationship, I think there are a couple of people that deserve the real credit for finally propelling these two numbskulls into action. Raise a glass with me, if you will, for Jake Butler, RIP, and Sava Wu, MIA.”

A split in the crowd quickly became apparent, with the Mid-Wilshire gang laughing and toasting energetically, while their friends from outside the station clinked glasses in confusion, with puzzled looks and whispered questions.

“It’s a shame LA CLEAR shut down the airing of that documentary for operational security reasons,” Angela continued “But for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, suffice it to say that these two dummies had to go undercover together -  to Las Vegas, of all places - and they thought a solid method of preparation was to get together and practise. kissing.”

Uproarious laughter filled the room, and, at her table, Tamara dropped her head onto her hands, her eyes squeezed shut and her shoulders shaking with laughter. Tim could feel his cheeks grow red again, and he turned to Lucy, who was also giggling, one elbow resting on his shoulder, with the back of her hand covering her mouth. She glanced at him, her eyes sparkling beneath her dark lashes, and he suddenly found that he didn’t care what anyone else thought. This whole room could yuck it up together at his expense, but he was the only one who Lucy looked at like that. The only one who got to kiss her lips, and cradle her hips and inhale the scent of the skin in the well of her collarbones.

The only one who got to wear her ring.

“None of us were ever privy to exactly what went on after that. There was a little bit of separation, some partner reshuffling, and a lot of stupidly longing glances across the bullpen - yes, we all saw you,” Angela addressed this last part directly to Tim and Lucy, rolling her eyes before turning back to the mic. “But somehow or other, before we knew it, we were all conniving to bump Tim out of Lucy’s chain of command, and the two of them started arriving to work, more often than not, in the same vehicle.”

Angela paused to take a drink from her champagne flute, and the crowd waited patiently, eager to hear what secrets she’d spill next. Tim felt Lucy’s foot stroke the back of his calf, hidden from sight beneath the draped folds of the tablecloth, and he cleared his throat and tried, heroically, to focus his attention back on Angela.

“And somehow, all of that has led us here, today. To this room and this celebration. It’s been a long road, with plenty of obstacles, and I don’t doubt that you two will have more to come. All I can wish for you is this: May the road rise to meet you, and the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rain fall softly on the field of your love, and until we meet again-” Angela turned to lift her glass to the crowd, who, by some unspoken agreement, had decided to rise to their feet and raise their glasses in response. “May you be safe. May you be cherished. And may you always be this loved. To Tim and Lucy!”

The crowd repeated Angela’s toast, cheering and clapping for them, and Tim felt the uncanny sensation that his heart was about to burst out of his chest. His breath was tight, his eyes unexpectedly blurry, and it took Lucy’s hand on his jaw, physically turning him towards her, to snap him out of it.

He had a brief glimpse of her face, beaming with happiness, her eyes locked on his, before she pulled him down for a kiss. Their lips met, soft and warm and champagne-sweet, and the rush of blood in his ears slowed to match the steady rhythm of the pulse below her skin. He inhaled deeply, vanilla frosting and floral bouquet and Lucy - just Lucy - warm and familiar and ever inviting. He kissed her again, quickly, smiling, then hooked her fingers through his own, guiding her upright and presenting her to their friends with a flourish.

The cheering increased in volume, Thorsen’s sharp wolf-whistle piercing through the applause, and Tim took a moment to nod towards Angela. She winked at him, dropping her notecards into her clutch, and he mouthed a silent ‘thank you’.

He’d made the right choice, with her, after all.

And as Lucy tugged on his hand, turning him towards her for yet another public kiss, he couldn’t help feeling like he’d made the right choice over and over again; finally finding his place in the world. His people. His family. The loving home he’d been searching for ever since he was a small boy.

And here, now, with those same friends and family, and Lucy - his Lucy - he allowed himself to celebrate that home. To let his friends cheer as he made his vows and placed his ring and kissed his wife.

His love.

His life.

His forever.

[phantomposting]

Another day another half asleep prompt rant where I use terrible grammar and probably make a ton of spelling mistakes. Sorry in advance I am running on about 2hrs of sleep so its soup brain hours.

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

So I've been thinking for awhile about how badly I wanna see more dp x dc AU's with Freakshow and circus Gothica and I've been rotating this idea in my head instead of sleeping.

So of course this is a Danny and Damian are twins au with the obligatory there can't be two heirs so the twins are made to fight to the death and Danny comes out the loser and gets revived by Talia and hidden in Amity Park Illinois. Everything goes about the same for Danny and Damian though if one wants this to be an AU where Danny gets adopted by the bats one can make it a Fentons are bad parents AU for extra spice.

Eventually we get to the Circus Gothica episode and Sam and Tucker fail to break the mind control Freakshow's got Danny under. So Danny ends up on the road with Circus Gothica going city to city and stealing valuables for Freakshow.

Danny's life is a haze at this point and he's probably not doing the greatest cause even half ghosts need to eat which probably leads to Freakshow discovering Danny's situation and becoming extremely jealous due to his ghost envy. But he believes he can absolutely use this as a cover so he probably makes an effort to keep Danny alive.

Eventually the circus makes it's way to Gotham and Dick is absolutely ecstatic to see a circus come to town. He very much wants to show Damian what the circus is like so of course he drags him with. Damian definetly is disinterested in such a thing but the circus gains his attention when the reaper act comes on stage. That reaper looks so familar... it couldn't possibly be, could it?

After the show Damian is absolutely determined to meet the reaper. Freakshow probably gives some excuses but Damian won't take no for an answer and sneaks in anyways. Damian tries to question the reaper when alone and we get a hazy "Danyal?" "Dami???..." moment with Danny getting a brief moment of clarity before Damian is forced to hide and Freakshow comes in and starts ordering him around again.

This leads to a big adventure where Dick and Damian have to solve the mystery of Damian's dead twin and this circus. They absolutely believe the league is involved at first but surprisingly that doesn't end up being the case. If you wanted to you could also absolutely bring Constantine in on this due to the artifact used to control Danny or it can just be a siblings foiling plans thing.

Eventually they solve the mystery get Freakshow arrested and save Danny. Danny and Damian get sibling bonding time as Danny recovers and either Danny can be taken in by the Wayne's if you got the Fenton's are bad parents route or Danny can go back to Amity Park knowing his twin is alive and well and keep in contact with Damian frequently visiting him.

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Destiny & Deliverance: Chapter 14

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo X OFC New as of 8/09/2023

SUPPORT YOUR CREATORS. REBLOGGING & COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives. 

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: "I figured you wouldn’t want me to choose violence."

I paused my movements, in shock that Justin was walking toward me. He was with a woman and another couple I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t bring myself to move from where I was currently standing in his path. This is the effect he always had on me. I would just shut down. My heart started racing out of control and my breath was catching in my throat. I suddenly felt lightheaded and nauseous. I was one hundred percent about to have a panic attack over this asshole. As he approached, he did a double take, then his eyes locked with mine when he realized it was me.

“Well, I’m surprised to see you here. This isn’t your typical hangout.” 

I didn’t answer him. I just continued to stare at him, wide-eyed with my jaw tightened. I had a sudden urge to punch his smug face as he looked me up and down in the most disgusting way.

“I see you’ve changed up your style. I’ve got to say Talia, not a fan.”

“You think I give a damn about your opinion?” I shocked myself with that response. I was still trying to keep my breathing under control as he stared at me. He was slowly inching closer, attempting to intimidate me like he always did, especially toward the end.  

He reached up to grab a strain of my hair and I smacked his hand away forcefully. 

“I like what you’ve done with your hair. That messy look suits you, these days,” he said matter of factly. 

Justin’s eyes shifted up behind me as he took a step backwards. Dieter put his left arm around my waist, pulling me to him. I leaned into his side, still trying to calm myself. I glanced up at Dieter, he could see the panic on my face.

“She does look amazing, doesn’t she?” Dieter said as he kissed the top of my head. Raising his left hand to brush it through the curls at my shoulder. He turned toward Justin, giving him a brilliant smile as he reached out with his right hand to shake and introduce himself. Justin reached out to return the shake as he took in the sight of the man standing before him. Now it was Justin’s turn to be intimidated and I was loving every second of it. Dieter was smiling, but the blazing look in his darkened eyes said something else. 

Justin looked back to me, that smug look returning. I knotted the back of Dieter’s shirt in my hand, bracing for whatever was to come.

“Well, I see it didn’t take you long to move on, did it darling?” He directed his gaze back to Dieter, “I certainly hope she’s more affectionate toward you than she was with me. She can be kind of a buzzkill.”

I took in a sharp breath. Anger immediately took over any panic I was feeling. Dieter’s grip tightened on my waist when he felt me inch forward. He looked at Justin and smiled again. His reply was controlled and collected. He said it in the same tone that someone would use to make small talk about the weather. 

“I think that may be more of a problem with you than her. She didn’t seem to have any issues showing me affection last night…or this morning,” he leaned forward before he continued, lowering his voice. “You really need an abnormal amount of stamina to keep up with her, so I wouldn’t take it personally.” 

Dieter gave him a quick pat on the shoulder with his right hand as he said the last line, still holding me to his side with the other. My right hand shot up to my mouth to stifle the laugh that nearly burst from my lips. The three people that Justin arrived with also struggled to hide their laughter. Justin’s smug appearance had shifted to an angry glare as he processed Dieter’s words. Dieter looked down at his watch after it pinged indicating he received a text message. 

“Look at that, our table is ready. Please excuse us,” he said as he gave a small wave and smiled again toward the group. We turned to go inside. He placed his arm around my shoulders to pull me tightly against him as we walked. Then, he bent his arm up to put his fingers in my hair, gently pushing my head toward his. He turned and kissed the top of my head again. Once we were inside, I was still recovering from the mild panic attack and also fighting off maniacal laughter. It was a weird mix of emotions that I had never experienced. 

We were led to a table in the back corner of the outdoor patio seating area. I sat down with my back facing toward the building. Dieter pulled his seat over as close as he could to mine and sat down. He still had a decent view of the patio behind me. We sat with our bodies pointed toward each other. The bottom length of our legs was pressed together. Both of us propped our chins on our hands, our faces leaned in close together while I tried to compose myself. His left hand alternated between rubbing my back or neck and twisting a strand of hair in his fingers. I finally spoke up as a smile spread across my face. 

“I can’t believe you said that to him.”    

“Why? Hugs count as affection, right? It wasn’t a lie.” He shrugged with a mischievous grin on his face. All I could do was roll my eyes at him. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what you were insinuating.” I gave him a scolding look as he continued to laugh. 

“I’m sorry, it was either go for the ego or punch that shit-eating grin off his face. I figured you wouldn’t want me to choose violence, though I feel like you almost did.”  He beamed at me proudly. “I may have almost chosen violence. Thank you for stopping me.” I said through an exasperated laugh. 

I noticed Dieter’s eyes shift to the area behind me and there was a brief flash of anger in his eyes. 

“What is it?” I almost turned to look, but he stopped me. 

“Our friend was just seated over near the exit. He’s currently giving us a very menacing look. Just pretend he isn’t there and if he wants to stare, I’ll give him a show.”  

A sly smile spread across his face as his eyes met mine. Then he bit at his bottom lip, giving me a ridiculously dazzling and flirty look. I couldn’t help glancing down at his mouth. As long as he kept looking at me like that, I wasn’t going to have any issues forgetting about Justin. He knew what he was doing. 

He removed his right hand from his chin and used it to entwine his fingers together with my right hand that sat on the table. He began rubbing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. I used my free hand to flip through the menu as he showered me with attention. I knew he was laying it on thick for show, but I couldn’t help enjoying it just the same.

After the waitress took our order, we continued to lean in closely together as we chatted. He would occasionally put his forehead against mine as he rubbed the back of my hair and talked softly about random things. There was the occasional loud laugh from both of us as he told me a few stories about his brother and sister from their childhood. 

Dieter said we had gotten some particularly nasty looks from the peanut gallery when we laughed loudly, which encouraged him to do it more. His chaotic energy was on full display by this point. He even conned me into taking a few obnoxious selfies with us kissing each other on the cheek. After our food came, we sat closely together and sampled each other's meals. He was on a mission to be as nauseating as possible.

When our waitress brought the check, he asked her to bring the check for Justin’s table too. I gave him a questioning look. He smiled, “I just feel like we should be extra nice to our friends over there. It’ll piss him off. Also, it’s kind of a dick power move.”  

“I’m kind of here for it. It’ll definitely piss him off.”   

Once he settled both checks, we got up to head toward the exit. He entwined his fingers with mine once again, making sure that I stayed close to him. As we passed Justin’s table, he looked at us with disgust. Dieter smiled at him and briefly paused to say he hoped they enjoyed their lunch and had a lovely afternoon. I didn’t even bother to look Justin’s way. My eyes were focused on Dieter as he spoke. I had a wry smile on my face as the boyish grin spread across his. He gave them a small wave as we moved toward the exit. How he could keep his composure, I had no idea. As soon as we walked out of the exit I started to cackle with laughter. I could only imagine the look on Justin’s face once he realized Dieter paid for their meal. I’m sure it was priceless. 

I was proud of myself for overcoming whatever hold Justin had over me in that moment. I know it was because of Dieter. I felt confident with him by my side, and he made me realize Justin is nothing but a bully and a coward. He no longer had any control over me, and I was free of him. There was no reason for me to continue to have that type of reaction to him. It would be the last time that would ever happen as far as I was concerned. I made a conscious decision to no longer let the fear of him control my emotions.   

After we left the cafe, we headed to a few furniture stores to look around. I discovered Dieter had a pretty eclectic taste and didn’t seem to be too picky. For the most part, he was more worried about comfort than looks. Though he wasn’t afraid to point out when he thought something was completely ridiculous looking. After the furniture stores, we went to the local home improvement store to look at paint colors. As we stood in front of the wall of paint sample cards, I could see him mentally shutting down. It was a little much for him to process. I felt like he should have a “loading…” sign across his forehead based on his facial expression. I started to laugh at him. He turned to look at me, wide-eyed.

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen all day. How in the hell do you pick a color? I think I’m over stimulated by this.” 

That did me in and caused me to laugh harder. He just stood there staring at me with an annoyed expression. 

“I’m sorry. It’s not funny. Your face got me though.” 

Once I got him to zone in on a specific color palate, he was able to focus a little better. He finally decided he liked gray with a blue undertone. We found a complementary dark blue color to use as an accent in a few areas. We grabbed some paint samples and small brushes to test the varying shades out on his wall. Afterwards, I led him over to the tile area to look at kitchen backsplashes. His eyes glazed over a little as he looked down the aisle at all the options. He started shaking his head and I’m pretty sure his eye twitched too. 

“You know what, I completely trust you on this one. Pick out whatever you think works. I don’t have the patience for that.” 

I started laughing at him again.

“Ok, fine. I’ll figure that one out on my own. I don’t want to hear any complaints if you don’t like whatever I pick though.” 

“You’ll not hear a peep out of me. I promise.”

“Good. We’re done here then. I feel like I need to get you a snack or something.”

“Oooooh, good idea. Let's go get a smoothie,” he said as he briefly bounced up and down.

“You and Lauren are obsessed with those damn smoothies,” I rolled my eyes at him, “but if it perks you up, then let's do it.” 

“Hey now. I’m sorry if I find paint colors to be boring. I’m perfectly happy to be looking at them with you. Just don’t ask me to pick stuff. I’m too indecisive and it stresses me out. I would much rather watch you pick out paint colors for me than do it myself.” He said matter of factly. 

I shook my head at him as we walked toward the checkout line. About thirty minutes later, we found ourselves sitting in one of the booths at the smoothie place, waiting for our order. As we waited, he filled me in on an upcoming trip he needed to take for work the following week. He said that he had a few appearances, meetings, and a cameo to film. He was going to be gone for a week. He didn’t seem very excited about it. 

“Are you not looking forward to it?”

“I’m a little nervous. I’m dunno why. I’m not sure that I’m looking forward to being gone either. I think I’ve gotten a little spoiled while I’ve been on this break.” 

I reached out and squeezed his hand that was sitting on the table. He turned his hand over and grasped mine in return, not letting go.  

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You just have to get back into work mode. At least it’s a short one. That should help you ease back in before you leave to film your next movie. How long will you be gone for that one again?”   

“It’s scheduled for five months. Sometimes it takes a little longer for the outdoor shoots though. It’s in Canada, so I should be able to easily come visit when we have some down time. Maybe you guys can come visit me too?” 

I gave him an apprehensive look. He knew I hated flying. I would do it for him if he really wanted me to though. I couldn’t tell him no.   

“Of course, I can work from anywhere most days. I may need some tranquilizers for the trip though.” 

He laughed at me, but I was being one hundred percent serious about that. He paused the conversation to go grab our orders, then came back to sit down. He was quiet for a minute, before speaking again. 

“Honestly, I think I’m a little worried about the change of environment. I feel like I’ve made some improvements and I don’t want to fall back into old habits, you know what I mean? I haven’t really been where I’m at now while being away and working. I just hope the change in routine doesn’t mess me up.”    

“I understand that. If at any point you're having a hard time you can call me or your family. I think that’ll help keep you focused and grounded.”

The look on his face told me he wasn’t sure if that would work. 

“Hey, I mean it. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night. If you need to chat to take your mind off things, you call me. I’ll answer.”

He shook his head, and his brows drew together as he started to worry at his bottom lip. I hated that he was feeling this way.   

As the day of his departure drew closer, I could tell he was getting more keyed up than usual. It was like he couldn’t sit still. He was constantly looking for things to do to keep himself busy. He spent a lot of time with me, doing everything from cleaning out the pool for me to going grocery shopping with me. He had so much pent-up energy that he couldn’t get rid of. I wasn’t even sure if he was getting enough sleep. 

On Saturday, the day before he left, he gave me the spare key to his house and credit card. I had promised him that I would get started on some things while he was away. I insisted it would be easier to do without him being there, but in reality, I needed something to do to keep myself busy. We had been spending so much time together, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself at the thought of him being gone. It was making me feel a little anxious too.  

We spent the whole evening together. We cooked, ate dinner, then settled in on the couch to watch TV. Though I’m not sure either of us were really paying attention to the show as we stared at the moving pictures on the screen. He sat with his head leaned against my shoulder, unblinking. I kept glancing down at his face. It was expressionless. We had both been unusually silent the entire night, but he wasn’t straying far from me physically. Any chance he got; he was touching me in some way. When he wasn’t, the anxiety was more visible on his face. 

It was near midnight when he finally said that he probably needed to head home since he had an early start. I walked him out to his car. Before he got in, he pulled me into a tight hug, burying his face into my hair. He sat like that for a while. I held him just as tightly, with my face nuzzled into his chest, inhaling his scent. This was another one of those moments where our actions did the talking for us. He didn’t want to leave me. I didn’t want him to leave me. He eventually loosened his hold on me and planted a kiss on my forehead. Moving both hands to the back of my neck as he did so. He sat there for another moment before he spoke. I could feel his lips brush against my hair. 

“I’ll give you a call when I get to the hotel, yeah?” 

I nodded and stepped back so that I could look up at him. The sadness in his eyes had changed to fear. I reached up to cup his cheek, gently rubbing with my thumb, and gave him a reassuring smile. He leaned into my hand before turning to get into his car. He didn’t look my way again.

This was a hundred times harder than New York even though I knew I would see him again. I was worried about him this time. He seemed like he was struggling, and I didn’t know how to fix it for him.    

I had a restless night. I lost count of how many times I woke up. Soon after sunrise, I pulled myself out of bed and made a pot of coffee. I decided to throw myself into my new project. I got dressed in some old clothes and headed to the home improvement store to pick up the paint we had decided on, the backsplash for the kitchen, and all the materials needed for application. I stopped to grab a quick breakfast then headed over to his house. After eating, I started laying out the plastic and taping things off. Once that was done, I removed the hardware from the walls and started sanding things down while I listened to music on Dieter’s Bluetooth speaker system. It was a mindless task that allowed me to zone out and not really think about anything other than the task I was doing. It was exactly what I needed. 

I had been working for some time when my ringing cell drew me out of my intense focus. It was Lauren calling. I leaned over to answer it on speaker phone. 

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I’m at Dieter’s, spackling and sanding spots on the wall.”

She was quiet for a minute. 

“Didn’t he go out of town today?”

“He did, I figured it would be a good time to do this since he’s gone.” 

“How are you handling that? Your voice sounds…off.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m a little worried about him. He was having a hard time with it last night.” 

“Have you heard from him since he left?”

“Not yet, he said he would call me today.” I sat down on the floor and sighed heavily. 

“This fucking sucks. This is exactly why we don’t need to do the relationship thing. It’s too much.”

“Honestly, I don’t think the relationship component would really change anything at this point. You two got it bad and I don’t understand why you're fighting it.” 

I sighed again, “That’s not true. I’m just worried about him is all it is.” 

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, honey. Do you need help with anything?” 

“No, I’ve got it covered. I’ll be over here if you need anything.” 

“Alright, text me if you need me.”

I hung up the phone and sat there looking around. I was being so meticulous; it didn’t even look like I had accomplished much. I gave a huff to myself before getting back to work. I worked until it was nearing dinner time. I took a brief break to order a pizza. I sat playing a game on my phone until it arrived. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. I ended up devouring several slices. Just as I was walking over to get back to work, my phone started ringing with an incoming facetime call. It was Dieter. I rushed to answer it, almost tripping over the plastic laying on the floor. 

“Hey,” I said breathlessly after the video connected.

“Hola, mi estrella, qué estás haciendo?”

I raised my eyebrows at him and laughed, “What?” I asked. He chuckled in response.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m working on your kitchen.” 

“Wait, you’re doing it yourself?”

“Yeah, how else did you think it was gonna get done?” I laughed at him.

“I thought you were gonna hire someone to do it?”

“Noooo. I’m doing it myself. I like doing this stuff.” 

“What’s on your face?” I reached up to wipe my cheek, just now realizing something was there.

“It’s dust, I’ve been spackling and sanding.” He laughed at me.

“Well, if I had known you were gonna do it yourself, I would have told you to wait and helped you.”

“No, you would hate it. This is not your idea of fun,” I said with a chuckle.

The video image started to jump around for a moment as he laid down on the bed. He started to fill me in on his day of travel and the few meetings he had. I worked as we talked. He seemed better today, less anxious. I was happy about that. Before we knew it, two hours had passed, and it was getting kind of late. Our phone batteries were not happy either.  

“It’s getting late. How long are you planning to work on that?” I shrugged. 

“Why don’t you just stay at my place tonight. No sense in you being out alone this time of night.”

“I live like three minutes away, it’s fine. Besides, I need to shower, and I need clothes.”

“Use mine. I don’t care,” he said as he shrugged. I gave an exasperated chuckle at his persistence. 

“I’ll think about it.” The thought of curling up in his bed in one of his shirts did sound very appealing.  

“You’re so hardheaded sometimes,” he said as he rolled his eyes at me. 

“Pretty sure you are too, sir.” 

He bit his lip, then grinned slightly as he released it. It was so fucking hot when he did that. I felt that familiar ache at my core. Ugh, get a grip on yourself Talia. 

“What time is it there?”

“Almost 2AM.”

“Geez, you need to go to sleep. I know you probably have an early call tomorrow.”

He shrugged again, “I won’t be able to sleep.”

“Why?”

“My mind won’t allow me to. You know how I am sometimes. The nighttime is the worst.”

“I’m sorry. Anything I can do to help?”

“Just talk to me, please. Te extraño.” (I miss you.)

I nodded. I wasn’t sure what he said, but there was a lot of emotion behind it. His eyes looked sad again. 

“I’ll tell you what, give me like, twenty minutes. I’m gonna go take a quick shower, then I’ll call you back, ok? 

“Are you gonna use my shower?” He gave me a small smirk. I don’t know why, but I felt like he enjoyed the thought of that. 

“Yes, and I’ll stay here tonight and talk to you.” His smile widened slightly. 

“Ok, get it done. Don’t keep me waiting too long, please.”

We both hung up and I hurried through the house to lock up, then to his room, trying to not make a mess as I went. I showered quickly, using his shampoo and body wash. The smell of him surrounded me and strangely enough, it was comforting. I walked out into his room, still wrapped in a towel, and quickly found a t-shirt in his closet. I pulled it on as I walked over to where I had set my phone to charge. Quickly picking it up to dial his number. It didn’t even give a full ring before the facetime video connected. He was lying in bed, the room behind him was dimly lit by the tv. He smiled into the camera.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to bail on me.”

“I said twenty minutes. I’m only three minutes late,” I said with a teasing smile as I worked to pull the covers back on his bed. I crawled up to settle in.   

We talked for nearly an hour before he started to doze off. He fell asleep while we were still on the phone. I didn’t even bother to try and wake him. Instead, I disconnected the call, hoping it didn’t disturb him. 

I set my phone alarm so I could get up and head home to work the next morning. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep after that. I was exhausted after spending the day doing more manual labor than I was used to. As I drifted off, my thoughts were solely focused on Dieter. His smell was everywhere around me, which I’m sure had a heavy influence on my dreams that night. 

A/N: Just to prepare you, the angst is really going to ramp up next chapter. There may also be some high levels of sexual tension...👀

Seriously, these two just need to get together already. They are wearing me out. 🤣

Next Chapter

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