#dick and kaldur

[raindear-a]

It’s Dick Grayson of YJ’s Birthday and I drew Kaldick.

[shadowsndaisies]

codename: nightingale - usual suspects

Reference: Young Justice Season 1 Episode 25

WC: 7.4k

synopsis: fuck cadmus tbh, robin needs to work on his timing, kaldur’s got birdy’s back, and roy finally gets what he wanted

main masterlist

codename: nightingale series masterlist

a/n: guys, there's only one more in the season after this. i cannot belive my little hyperfixation fic of pure self-indulgence has come this far. i love you all so much and your support means so much, especially when i know that i go months without posting but you all come back so excited with each update! xoxo

WASHINTON, D.C.December 30th, 09:16 EST

You were all in the Hall. The mega screen before you shows the official Justice League Induction and announcement playing on every news channel. Wally and Dick were standing on either side of you, and all of you had your eyes glued to the screen.

“The Justice League was formed for two reasons: first, as an acknowledgment that no single individual, no matter how powerful, can solve all the world's problems alone. And second, to uphold the values of truth, liberty, and justice,” Superman was making the announcement this year. Usually, it was him or Wonder Woman, seeing as the Bat didn’t exactly exude charming. “That, uh, last one's even in the name,” Superman muses, gaining a few laughs from the crowd before him. “These five heroes have sworn to uphold those values,” he continues, and the camera pans over Doctor Fate, Plastic Man, the Atom, Icon, and finally, Red Arrow.

Your lip quirks a bit as you stare at Roy. he had sent you a message this morning, reminding you that you could be standing with him today, but you had just laughed and mused that with how badly he’d wanted this, it’s surprising anyone else can stand up there with him, never mind you, who would undoubtedly steal the spotlight. You were happy for him, you were, but you were also bummed. You all had just gotten into a groove with Roy on the Team, even if it was only for a few missions, and once again, he was gone.

“You are watching live coverage of the Justice League's induction of its five newest members,” Cat Grant’s voice pulls your focus back to the News. “Looks like the entire League has shown up to welcome the new blood. Everyone from Batman to Captain Marvel!” she exclaims.

“I’m glad they didn't kick Billy out,” Wally decides, and you can’t help but nod. Dinah had mentioned briefly that there had been a chance he wouldn’t be. “And I love the fact there's a ten-year-old on the League,” he says, taking a bite of his apple.

Dick hangs his head, and you see Kaldur turn toward your redheaded best friend while the new girl, Raquel, turns to you all, “There is?” she asks.

You elbow Wally squarely between his ribs, and he hunches over, “Ow, Birdy!” he groans.

“Way to keep a secret, genius,” you scoff, glaring at him through your blacked-out lenses.

“Hey, she's on the Team now, right?” Wally defends, one arm rubbing at his side while he eats his apple.

“Is this going to be a regular thing, you just blurt out secrets whenever we get new people?” you ask.

Wally has the audacity to look affronted, “I don’t-“

“You told me about the Watchtower,” Zatanna cuts in before he can say anything else, and you snort.

Wally retorts by taking another bite of his apple and glaring at you.

Everyone’s attention shifts back to the screen, “Superman is now handing out official League membership cards starting with Doctor Fate…” You and Dick both step forward briefly to squeeze Zatanna’s shoulder in solidarity, something she smiles gently in response to, and you can feel the comfort she takes from the action in the seconds you’re touching. “…The Atom, Plastic Man, and Icon.”

“You know, I was the one who convinced Icon to become a hero in the first place. I should be celebrating with him, not hidden away in here!” Raquel complains, and you bite your lip to keep from laughing.

“Welcome to our world,” Kaldur laments.

“Well, I suppose there's an upside, too,” Raquel flirts as she eyes Kaldur. Quietly to Rob, you roll your eyes and fake a gag, which gets a silent chuckle out of him.

“Finally, Green Arrow welcomes his former protege, Speedy, now known as Red Arrow, to this roster of heroes,” Cat’s voice continues, but it’s quickly drowned out by your cheers.

“Way to go, Roy!” Wally shouts, pumping a fist in the air.

“At last, he has his wish,” Kaldur nods.

“Woohoo!” you exclaim, smiling at the screen. “The first of us to make it,” you breathe.

“No one'll call him a sidekick anymore,” Dick nods.

“Wait- Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing?” Raquel demands, and you can feel the twinge in the air. “You sidekicks were my inspiration.”

“Well, see, six months ago-“ Robin explains, but he’s quickly cut off when his communicator starts to beep.

You hover over his shoulder to look at what he’s looking at and can’t help but frown. In the background, however, you can hear as Cat Grant finishes her report, “So there you have it. The world's officially a safer place!”

There are tons of questions being shot out to Superman, who was still running the press conference.

“Looks like we can’t stay,” you announce, and everyone turns to you.

“We have a mission,” Robin tacks on, and the shift is evident as we all turn to the Zeta.

SMOKEY MOUNTAINS December 30, 10:48 EST

“Are you sure it's her? I mean, are you absolutely positive?” Artemis asks, and it’s easy to pick up on her anxiety in the enclosed space of the bioship.

After the alert, you quickly got to the cave and changed before loading onto the bioship. The alert in question had been about a Cheshire spotting. After everything that’s happened in the last few months, especially in Taipei and then again in Louisiana, catching her was a top priority for the team.

“See for yourself,” Robin says, displaying the details on the screens in the bioship.

“This is the security footage from the Asheville Regional Airport. Facial recognition confirms that's Jade Nguyen,” you explain, having witnessed the details when they first came through Robin’s wrist computer. “But you've seen her without her mask. What do you think?”

Artemis stares at the screen for a second before her lips tug down, “It's Jade. Cheshire,” she confirms.

“Agreed, but focus on what she carries,” Aqualad hints. “Is that the case you saw in New Orleans? The one that got away?” He asks.

Artemis’ eyes harden, and her jaw sets, “Yes.”

“Okay, I'm guessing from the mug shot that this Cheshire's the bad guy. But what's so important about that case?” Rocket asks.

You have to bite back the urge to say you mean other than the fact that we fumbled the ball and lost it? Luckily, Robin speaks up first.

“Remember the Injustice League?” he asks, pulling up a photo of your friends from the bayou.

“And their giant evil plants? Uh, yeah,” Rocket confirms.

“Evil and Nasty plants,” you mutter lowly, glaring at the photo.

“The Team and the League put them in prison, but their allies still scheme, and whatever is in that containment case seems important to their plans,” Aqualad explains.

“We had a chance to grab it in New Orleans, but someone-“ Wally tacks on, but you interrupt him with a glare that he seems to miss as he focuses on Artemis.

“But we screwed up,” you correct. It was a team mission and the team’s attitudes and environment that culminated in what had happened. You weren’t going to place the blame squarely on Artemis.

Wally’s eyes dart to you, and you quirk a brow challengingly. He, in turn, scoffs and turns back to face the front instead.

“Approaching Cheshire's jet,” M’gann announces.

Everyone’s focus turns to the front, but when you get close enough, you let out a low gasp, and a wave of shock rolls over everyone at the scene of the downed plane. The crash had evidently been rough, but it’s a sharp note of grief that hits you that has you turning to Artemis, who is resolutely not staring at the crash anymore.

“Looks like there were no survivors,” M’gann notes, and your lips tug down as you try to assess the scene from the air.

“We need to go down,” you decide.

“NG-“ Wally’s scoff has everyone turning to you for an explanation.

“We need to check the wreckage,” you state.

“Are you serious?” Rocket asks, eyebrows raised.

“Cheshire and the case are our responsibilities, we check the wreckage,” you affirm.

It’s quiet for a moment before Kaldur speaks up, “open the hatches,” he agrees, and Wally lets out a puff of air, shaking his head, but stands up regardless.

M’gann opens a few drop hatches for those who can’t fly while the rest go ahead.

Soon enough, you’re spread out through the crash, analyzing anything you could find and looking for any indication that Cheshire was still in the plane when it went down or the case itself.

“How come Homeland Security and the N.T.S.B. Aren't all over this?” KF shouts, asking anyone.

“Cheshire's ID was a League alert,” you answer from where you’re crouched near the front of the plane, grabbing the black box and tossing it to Rob.

“Authorities didn't pick it up, and her jet didn't follow its flight plan,” Robin supplied.

“Flew under the radar, literally,” you note, standing back up.

“The Watchtower auto-tracked the jet and recorded the crash,” Robin continued.

“Then why isn't the League here?” Rocket pressed.

“Because our Boy Wonder has hacking skills and arranged to get the alert first,” Zatanna smirked. “Well that, and because Nightingale said to make it so,” she teases, gaining an eye roll from you.

“And because Cheshire and that case represent our unfinished business,” Aqualad corrects.

Superboy moves another part of the plane before asking the question that everyone had been wondering, “Where are the bodies?”

“Here's one. And it is stunning….” a voice all but purrs, grabbing everyone’s attention.

You can’t tell if you’re relieved or annoyed that Cheshire is standing tall, all in one piece, but you’re positive that this was the best outcome you could’ve hoped for, at least you were until the next voice pipped up.

“I am flora, not fauna,” the voice begins, and your gaze shifts as you spot the camouflaged ninjas along the mountainside. “I am foliage, not trees,” it continues, and your gaze keeps moving up, counting the adversaries before stopping on the man in green. “What am I?” The Riddler possesses his question, and you spot Shimmer and Mammoth behind him, too. He snaps his fingers, and suddenly, pylons are popping up from under the snow, and you groan at the realization.

Within seconds everyone is trapped underneath a green dome, “Seriously? A trap? We’re idiots,” you huff, soft enough for only Dick to hear, and he just shakes his head.

“Come on, you can get this. I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I?” The Riddler urges. “I…

“Am bush,” Robin grits, and you don’t hold back the groan that escapes this time.

“Didn't you think we'd be tipped you were on Cheshire's trail?” Riddler asked. “We're tired of your interference, kiddies. This is the end game. Ordered from above and executed by their master strategist, moi.”

You can’t help but roll your eyes. There was something about Riddler that screamed Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but that could be something you picked up from Dinah’s files.

“Miss Martian, is everyone linked?” Aqualad asks, and the second you hear him, your hands reach back to your back holster, fingers wrapping around your escrima sticks. “Yes,” she confirms, and you make brief eye contact with Dick, tilting your head slightly to indicate a direction. He responds with the same small action in confirmation. “Go!” Aqualad orders, and everyone splits up.

Zatanna makes her move first while you and Dick rush up behind and around her, “Ekahs siht ebolgwons!” (shake this snowglobe) she chants. Within your pylon-ed dome, snow flurries, creating an excellent interference from any direct attack.

The rest of the team jumps into action, using the moment of surprise and confusion to take on the ninjas.

You’ve just knocked one down when Aqualad speaks up again, “Superboy, the pylons,” he orders, and you risk a glance toward your friend with the S.

“Working on it,” he announces out loud, and you focus back on the enemies before you.

“KF-- cradle?” you inquire as you run up, behind Wally. “Ready,” he confirms, turning and dropping down, proffering his hands.

You run up and, with no hesitation, step into Wally’s grip. He’s pushing your body up a second later, giving you enough air to wail your escrima sticks down on the underprepared shadow. It’s reassuring that Wally will always have your back, even in disagreements. As he falls, knocked out, you quickly scan the rest of the battle and manage to spot as Rocket gets hit.

“Rocket’s down, she needs an assist K, and we’ve got a Shadow two tiers up, with some sort of electric disk device, looks like fatherbox tech to me,” you inform the team.

Robin quickly gets up, knocks out the Shadow, and Kaldur moves for the disk. You almost move to help him when you spot a Shadow coming up behind him, but you see M’gann moving in. You turn back to take on another Shadow, this time with Dick at your back fighting his own, but you see it when Conner launches into the air. You’re waiting for gravity to start pulling him back, but it doesn’t.

“That’s impossible,” you note as you use the electricity feature on a Shadow, who then crumples at your feet.

Robin turns his head, and his eyes widen as he stares at what you are.

“SB, you're flying!” he gasps, and your eyes widen too when you catch him using heat vision a moment later.

In his rage, he seems to miss the results of his attack. Your gaze drops, and you can see the top of Artemis’ head.

“Avalanche!” you shout into the link, hoping she’d cleared out of the way in time. You really weren’t trying to relive the Arctic in the real world. It’s silent for a moment, and then your anxiety takes over, “ARTEMIS!” you’re screaming into the link.  “I’m alright!” she confirms, and you let out a breath.

Rob taps your shoulder and gestures up to where Riddler’s still standing, and you nod. The two of you make your way up, targeting Shimmer and effectively knocking her out cold with a mix of a smoke grenade, Robin’s bola, and your well-aimed punch.

With Riddler’s focus on you and Rob, Zatanna floats behind him as the smoke clears, “Tekcajtiarts!” (straightjacket!) she announces, and Riddler’s suddenly restrained, unable to get free.

“No!” he shouts. “I am not the straightjacket type! I am strictly Belle Reve not Arkham!” Riddler argues.

Zatanna huffs out a, “Gag mih!” (gag him!) effectively silencing the Riddler's little tirade.

“Hey Rob, what is broken when you name it?” you ask, a shit-eating grin on your face as you crouch down beside Riddler, who only glares at you in return.

“Silence,” Robin smirks, earning Edward Nigma’s ire.

“Hguone htiw eht ebolgwons,” (enough with the snowglobe) Zatanna’s shout echos’s across the mountain, and suddenly the snow stops.

You all quickly work on the remaining pylons before loading the bioship with Nigma and the captured Shadows.

“Cheshire?” you ask out loud.

“Gone,” Artemis confirms.

“From you? Again?” Wally challenges. “That’s like the third-“

“Enough,” Kaldur cuts in quick. “We need to drop these prisoners off at Belle Reve and return to the Cave, I imagine, the League will want a debrief and an explanation.”

“I guess it’s a good thing, I got the case, though,” Artemis adds, and you can’t help but smile at her.

MOUNT JUSTICEDecember 30, 15:45 EST

You felt like he was staring right at you. Given the whiteouts of his mask, Batman could be glaring at any of you, “Tell me if this sounds familiar. You hacked League systems, disobeyed protocol, and endangered your lives,” he pauses. 

You have to fight the wince when you catch Dinah’s eye. She’s standing behind Batman with Red Tornado and Martian Man-Hunter, and she’s got an eyebrow quirked as she stares straight at you.

“And your initiative resulted in the capture of three escaped felons proving Warden Strange runs Belle Reve as a cover for criminal activity…. Well done,” he affirms, and you let out a small breath, gaze darting over to Robin, who quirks his lips in a small smile, one you match.

“And then there's this,” he adds, forcing your attention back as he and Icon approach the case that Artemis had recovered, “Bio-technology integrated with some form of nano-circuitry.”

“Though I am unfamiliar with the species, the bio-component is clearly not of Earth,” Icon confirms.

“We'll take it to the Watchtower for further study,” Batman decides, and the Leaguers head back toward the Zeta.

Canary lingers before walking over to you, mostly everyone else disperses, but you can feel Wally and Kaldur behind you, and Dick’s still at your side.

“I get the feeling that this decision was not made on your own?” she inquires, staring at you.

“I have a team,” you reply loftily. “I don’t have to make these decisions on my own.”

“No, you don’t,” she smiles gently at you, running a hand across your cheek, and then turns to the boys, “and I’m glad to know you see it too.” She says nothing but offers you a pat on the shoulder and turns to the Zeta.

As soon as Canary and Icon zeta out, you turn to the team, shoulders set, “You realize we were set up,” your tone is even, despite the worrisome nature.

“Yes,” Aqualad confirms. “Cheshire and Riddler were tipped and ready for us.”

“They knew we were looking for her, specifically,” you point out, and you can’t help the way your gut swoops.

“Not the mole thing again,” Artemis groans, and your lips turn down. How was it that Roy got to move on, but you were still battling the same demon.

“Mole thing?” Rocket asks, concerned. “Again?”

“We had intel that there was a traitor on the Team,” Wally explains, tone resigned.

“Namely, Artemis, M'gann, or me,” Conner huffs, his bravado cutting through as he steps forward with clenched fists and levels a glare at you specifically.

“It is more complicated than that,” Kaldur argues, placing a hand on Conner’s shoulder.

“And we-“ you gesture between you and Kaldur “-never said that, we only tried to look into the claim to see if it were true,” you argue.

Conner scoffs and shoves Kaldur’s hand away, turning to leave, “But your recent behavior does concern me,” Kaldur adds, following after him. “Your attack on Mammoth nearly got Artemis killed.”

Conner doesn’t respond, though he does stop for a moment. When he winces, your brow furrows, “Conner?” you call cautiously.

“There’s something I need to do,” Conner says, turning back to face you, but his tone is wholly different. “Something I need to tell you,” he admits, and you shift as you pick up the unease of everyone in the room. “Last month, on Thanksgiving, I went back to CADMUS and found a few things out.” Your eye twitches slightly at the mention of CADMUS, but you fight to keep your expression neutral. “When I was cloned, only half the DNA was Superman’s. The other half was human,” he admits, and there’s a shift from everyone else. “That's why I don't have, will never have, full Kryptonian powers.”

Your brow furrows, thinking about what you’d seen today, “You sure? Because you sure seemed to have them today,” Robin teases, voicing your thoughts.

“I've been using these,” Conner says, pulling up his sleeve and showing a patch, “Shields. They suppress my human DNA. I get the flight, the heat-vision, but I think I also get angry. Well, angrier… I’m… sorry,” he explains and only one question comes to mind.

“Conner, where did you get those?” you ask, voice lethal.

Conner winces at the question and your tone but meets your gaze. There’s an honesty there that hasn’t existed in a while, a calmness that stems from finally unloading the truth, “From my human father… Lex Luthor.”

There’s an audible intake of breath from someone behind you, and everyone’s eyes are blowing wide, but you? You’re fuming because if Lex Luthor had that much reach, it meant he must have been the silent bankroller for CADMUS, which in turn means Lex Luthor was responsible for the death of your parents, and that? That was not something you’d be letting go of, not now, not ever.

“Lex Luthor, is your dad?” Dick asks. The surprise is evident, and if not for the topic, it would’ve been a moment to commemorate, catching the Boy Wonder off guard.

“He's summoned me to Santa Prisca,” Conner continues.

The silence is deafening. Your shoulders tense as you try to gather your thoughts, and as you open your mouth to say something about Conner’s decision to keep these things secret, Artemis speaks up.

“Ahhh, listen,” she sighs. “Superboy’s not the only one suffering from bad DNA,” she admits, and you tense further, turning to look at the blond. She pulls up three IDs on the holo-computer before beginning. “My mother is Huntress, an ex-con. The rest of my family aren't even ex. My dad's Sportsmaster, and he's sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca, too.”

You gape at the screen, but it all makes sense: her need to prove something, her secrets, her mother’s desperation, even the reason why Cheshire always seemed to escape when up against Artemis.

“That's why-“ Wally’s voice cracks, and you’re hit with a wave of understanding and regret from the speedster as he stares at the archer.

“Yeah,” she mutters. “I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out. “

“I knew you weren’t GAs niece, but-“ you mumble but stop as eyes shift to you.

“I knew,” Dick negates, and Artemis’ eyes blow wide, and you can’t help but gape at him. “Hey, I'm a detective!” he defends but quirks a smile, “But it never mattered. You aren't your family. You're one of us,” he reminds her.

“You always have been,” you manage to choke out, “nothing to prove,” you remind her, and you can see how the tension melts away from her.

Wally pushes forward and stops beside her. He hesitates on what to say but eventually settles for a small smile, propping an arm on her shoulder and jokingly asking, “So who's next?”

“I am,” comes the somber response from M’gann, and for the first time since the start of these revelations, you watch as she seems to curl up into herself.

“I swear I was kidding,” Wally says desperately, hands up in surrender.

“Queen Bee's been blackmailing me. She wants me in Santa Prisca too,” she admits.

“Blackmailing?” Kaldur repeats as if he hadn’t heard her correctly.

“How?” you press. Your voice is rough, and you notice how M’gann’s not the only one to flinch at it.

“She knows my… true… Martian form,” M’gann admits, but the way she says it makes it seem heavier than your first instinct.

“Bald M'gann? Who cares if-“ Robin wants to make a joke, to lighten the mood, but M’gann cuts him off, and before she shifts, you know why: Bald M’gann had been another cover for a secret she hadn’t been ready to share.

“No,” she interrupts, taking a deep breath before shifting.

If you thought the reactions to Luthor being Conner’s human dad were extreme, it was nothing to how almost everyone reacted to M’gann’s true form. She stood before you, a towering creature, a White Martian. While your information was limited, you had enough to assemble a theory.

You fought not to react, to stand firm and impassive beside Kaldur, just as he did. The only other person not to react was Conner.

There’s a whispered “woah” from Rocket as everyone else releases startled gasps.

“I realized you would never accept me if you saw what I really am,” M’gann tells us, and you ache for her. You struggled sometimes balancing Nightingale and (y/n) Roxo. You couldn’t imagine having kept your true self a secret from everyone, having no one to turn to. It had to have been incredibly draining and lonely… so lonely. Your anger was fading with each revelation, but there was one point where you were still stuck.

“M’gann, did we truly seem so shallow?” Kaldur inquires, and though he sounds the same, you can hear the hurt in his words, the edge you recognize as him questioning his abilities in setting the tone of his leadership.

M’gann crosses her arms, her gaze cast down. Dinah called that stance protecting by avoidance, “I couldn't take a chance,” M’gann admits. “Being a white Martian among the green on Mars, I endured constant rejection….I couldn't face that from-“

“From me?” Conner asks, carefully stepping forward and taking her hand.

The way they stare at each other is enough to tell that they are now having a more private conversation. Dick takes the opportunity to grab your shoulder, forcing you to turn to him, Kaldur doing the same.

“Now might be a good time for anyone else to share secrets regarding CADMUS,” he hints, and your lips part- he hadn’t even bothered to whisper.

“What are you talking about?” Zatanna’s question echoes from behind him, but you standing stock still, staring at him.

“You must be joking,” you hiss as you shrug out of Dick’s grip.

“C’mon, Birdy,” he urges, and you feel Kaldur’s hand on your shoulder.

You shrug off Kaldur, too, before spinning on your heel, pushing past Artemis and Wally and to the computer. Your hands shake a bit while you type, but you pull up everything you have; the news article about your parent’s death, the report on your blood from Dinah and Bruce, and the readings on the genomorphs at CADMUS. You take a deep breath before turning back to everyone now looking at you and at everything you’ve pulled up, eyes jumping between each article and report.

You sniff before reaching into a compartment of your belt and pulling out a mask adhesive dissolution wipe. When you start pulling at your mask, there are a few wide eyes, and when your glare lands on Robin, all he does is smile in return.

“My name is (y/n) Roxo, and when I was six years old, I witnessed the murder of my parents,” you begin. Everyone but Kaldur and Robin focus on you with lips parted and wide eyes. “They were Wayne Enterprises scientists, brilliant actually. They noticed some discrepancies with a project in the labs, cover-ups, and false reports. One had to do with an instance when I was in their lab and was accidentally exposed to whatever the project had been focused on,” You begin. “When we went to CADMUS on the Fourth of July, something about the genomorphs seemed familiar. I later discovered that’s because when I was young, I was exposed to a replication of their abilities, the beginnings of the research that led to the cloning capabilities. It’s what gave me the empath abilities and why J’onn thinks I could manifest further powers, just like the genomorphs have,” you explain.

“Which is why you looked like you were about to whip out some kryptonite when SB here said Luthor was his dad,” Artemis pieced, gaze jumping toward you and Conner. “Because CADMUS-“

“Because CADMUS is his project, and he funded, orchestrated- he was responsible for my parents murder,” you affirm, eyes meeting Conner’s.

“Holy shit,” Wally mumbled, and you couldn’t help but agree.

Conner was staring straight at you despite how focused he had been on M’gann only moments before. His blue eyes were wide as he stared straight at you, his lips parted but closed, and then his expression shifted as he took in the rage in your eyes and again when he saw the hurt. His shoulders sag slightly, and he slowly takes steps forward until he is right in front of you.

“I- I’m so sorry, Bir- (y/n),” he stutters over your name for a second, and you want to hold onto the anger. You want to be mad at him, but his eyes are so open and honest with you right now, and you’re reminded of the Conner who saved you from Cadmus back in July, the one who wanted to do good, to be good.

“It’s not okay, but I don’t… I don’t blame you,” the fact that your blame fell squarely on Lex Luthor went without saying.

He offers a curt nod, “a problem for later?” he adds quietly, and you give a silent nod in affirmation.

“So uh.. I know I’m new, but what now?” Rocket asked, and everyone’s eyes jumped from person to person, waiting for someone to speak up.

“We know that CADMUS has played a much larger role than any of us anticipated when we began this team six months ago, and we know that Superboy, Artemis, and Miss Martian are all expected at Santa Prisca,” Kaldur begins, and everyone’s attention shifts to him. “So we go as a team. Prepared for whatever they may throw at us. The backroom deals and secret alliances end today.”

SANTA PRISCADecember 30, 17:57 ECT

“Superboy’s about to make contact,” M’gann’s voice echoes as everyone focuses on the exchange.

You and Robin were in the bioship with M’gann. At the same time, Kaldur, Wally, Rocket, and Zatanna had taken discreet positions on the island, each of you waiting for the call.

You could feel Robin staring at the back of your head, but you ignored him instead of focusing on what was happening on the ground below you.

“Welcome, Superboy,” Lex Luthor’s voice sets you on edge the second you hear it. Still, you force yourself to watch as Suberboy dismounts the Supercycle. “I'd like to introduce you to my associate, Queen Bee.”

Even though it was expected, your heart begins to speed up a bit in reaction to the developments, “My pleasure,” she greets.

“I believe you know everyone else. Sportsmaster, Mercy, Blockbuster. And our new friend Bane, who's allowed us use of his island in exchange for certain considerations,” Luthor introduces as everyone around him steps forward.

“No one wanted to listen when I said following Bane was a bad idea, and here we are,” you huff into the link, but the rest are silent.

“So the Injustice League was just a distraction. You two have been behind everything from the start,” Conner surmises, painting his expression with shock.

“Heh, a flattering notion, son, but we have many friends,” Luthor sidesteps, and your skin crawls at the way he calls SB son.

“This one of your friends now?” Conner asks as a helicopter begins to approach and then as it lands.

“No, my boy,” Luthor smirks. “One of yours.”

Conner glares at the copter until the door slides open, “Artemis?” the name rings out with a tone of shock, and you roll your shoulders, trying to force yourself to relax.

To her credit, she plays her role well, “The hero thing wasn't working out. You get how it is. No trust,” she scoffs, seemingly indifferent to the developments around her. “This is where I belong,” she adds, and you flinch.

“You’re up, Miss M,” you announce, and she backs the bioship up a bit, making a circle around the island and de-camouflaging the bioship before parking it in the air above the group.

“It's a fast-growing club,” Queen B announces as M’gann descends to the ground.

You reach for the rope, securing yourself to the repeller in preparation for when you’ll all be making your move.

“So… you’re just going to ignore me?” he asks cautiously.

Your glare sharpens in his direction, but it’s difficult to make out with your mask back.

“I know you’re upset that I-“

“Upset? Dick, I’m furious, you pushed me into revealing things they didn’t need to know! Things I trusted you enough to share about, privately!”

“They needed to know!” he argues. “(y/n) you consistently come to the rescue, you throw your life on the line for us, you did it in the Bayou, you did it for Wally in Seattle, you did it last week for me in the Circus. You do it all the time, because you know these things about everyone, you know when they need the support, but no one- outside of Kaldur and I, even had the slightest inclination. They needed to know, because today is more than the conspiracy of the last six months. Today could be the end, of it all, for you. Today could be the answers you’ve been looking for since Dinah took you in.”

“It wasn’t your call to make,” you hiss.

“No, it wasn’t. But this team fights better, fights stronger, when it’s united, and you’ve always been able to make us get our shit together better than anyone else can,” he sighs.

You glare at him but refuse to respond, and his shoulders drop.

“Why are they here?” M’gann’s startled gasp forces you both to look back to the ground from your spots within the ship. “You promised!” she cries.

“I’ve kept your secret and my promise,” Queen B argues, tone deadly. “Now, you keep yours,” when M’gann ducks her head, the monarch smirks, “Good girl.”

“Give me more shields, and I'm in, too,” Conner decides, and your lips twitch down. Espionage was not his forte.

Luthor walks closer and stares at Conner briefly before smirking, “My boy, you're a terrible liar.”

Conner’s eyes blow wide before winding back for an attack. However, before he can, Luthor plays his card, “Red Sun.”

Conner does well with his role. His entire body relaxes, face falling flat, arms hanging limply at his side as he stands straight with a muted expression, staring at Luthor.

“What do you want us to do?” Artemis asks, stepping forward, prodding the meeting along.

Luthor nods his head once, and Sportsmaster gestures to Artemis and M’gann. “You two, follow me.”

“What about Superboy?” M’gann asks, eyes sliding to Queen B.

“He'll be fine. He simply requires a few adjustments…” she trails off.

Everyone but Superboy begins to follow after Sportsmaster, “Bring him along,” Luthor orders, and Blockbuster moves toward Conner.

Your breath catches as you wait to see what happens. You’d all agreed that it’d be Artemis, M’gann, or Conner’s call on when to move, given they were the three in the thick of it. So when Artemis starts running forward, bow in hand before shooting at Blockbuster, trapping him for the moment, before turning around and aiming at her father.

“Sorry, Dad. Wanted to play you like you tried to play me but I can't let them mess with Superboy's head!” she shouted.

“M'gann, be a dear and take Artemis down,” Queen B orders.

You look at Rob as you both step up to the drop-hole.

You let out an audible groan as you stare at the boy across from you, “After,” is all you say.

He nods in affirmation, “milkshakes?” and you nod in agreement.

M’gann lifts Artemis in the air but then uses the distraction to fling Queen B backward and into a tree. She falls to the ground unconscious, and you wait for the verbal confirmation. Artemis shoots a shot at her dad, and then M’gann lets her down.

“Queen Bee is down,” M’gann confirms. “Superboy, you're safe from her control.”

"I may not be much of a liar, but I fooled you,” Conner announced as he approached Luthor.

“And I'm so proud,” Lex states sarcastically. “I take it Miss Martian cleaned Red Sun from your mind?”

“And confirmed Nightingale, Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash rescued me from Cadmus before you had time to install any other programming,” Conner shoots back.

Luthor sighs, “All true. Personally, I blame Dr. Desmond.”

As if verbally queued, Blockbuster frees himself from Artemis’ trap, charging at Superboy.

You observe as Bane’s goons start engaging, and the supercycle quickly lays down cover fire while SB gets busy with Blockbuster.

Artemis and M’gann alternate between defense and offense until, “Guys, reinforcement time,” the blonde calls.

Rocket and Wally are the first two to make it to everyone, and you glance at Rob, “Ready?”

“Go,” he confirms, and you both drop-down, trusting the rope and the bioship as you go. You yank the stop when you’re only a few feet off the ground, and both you and Robin stop abruptly before releasing yourselves, dropping to the ground and landing agilely on your feet.

You take a second to scan your surroundings. You spot Kaldur facing off with Luthor and his assistant, an unconscious Queen B in his arms. You turn instead to take on some of the goons. You and Rob were methodical in knocking down person after person, you hear the cocking of a gun behind you, and you turn with wide eyes,

“Ekoms dna srorrim!” (smoke and mirrors!) Zatanna chants and the gun turns to smoke, which then turns into a giant serpent, winding its way around the goon’s body. “Egnahc ekans otni sgnidnib!” (change snake into bindings); she continues, and the snake becomes a rope.

You’re frozen in surprise for a second, but that’s knocked away when Bane appears and charges at Robin, Zatanna, and you simultaneously.

“Shit!” you manage to grit out in surprise.

Your hands start moving blindly, a hand going to your hip where your grapple is. You quickly twist the cord out of the gun before whipping it and your arm out to the side in an arc. The tensile strength of the cable is enough to stop Bane as he falls forward with the three of you.

You and Rob push him off and to the side. Robin covers you while you quickly peek at Zatanna, who seems knocked out. You look up in time to see Bane get back up and start fighting with Robin. You're on your feet when he gets pushed back, facing off against Bane.

“Hola Chicita, it’s been some time,” he teases, head tilting down at you.

“Not nearly long enough, Bane,” you huff.

“Etaerc Elagnithgin Snoisulli!” (create nightingale illusions) Zatanna’s rushed chant whips through you, and you can feel the prickle of her magic as it washes over you, and suddenly, there are dozens of you all facing Bane.

Bane’s surprise is visible as he scans each and every duplicate of you. "Gotta love an army of NG,” Rob smirks as he pushes himself up.

You smirk in return and pull out your ring daggers, several duplicates doing the same or arming themselves with escrima sticks and marble bombs before you’re all running at Bane. He gets distracted by the ones jumping up at him directly and misses when the true you slip around him with one of your blades out. You cut through his tubes of Venom, weakening him. Then you turn with an escrima stick crackling with electricity and plant it firmly at the base of his neck, watching with satisfaction as it brings him to his knees and then as he collapses.

You pull back, and with the moment you have, you take in a deep lungful of air, finally able to breathe. As you look around, you realize the fighting has stopped. Artemis and KF are standing by an unconscious and tar-trapped Sportsmaster. Superboy, Miss M, and Rocket are posted up by Blockbuster. You stare down at Bane as you realize who isn’t still here, and Robin joins you a second later.

“NG?” his voice is hesitant, as he notices how you’re gripping your escrima stick and dagger, your body tense, as you stare at Bane.

“He got away,” your voice cracks as you say it, and your fists clench tighter. "Luthor-"

When Robin touches your shoulder, you both recoil quickly; his lips part as he stares at you and his hand.

“I.. I felt-“

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, tugging on all the strings threatening to burst free, trying to cram your emotions back in their place to keep them from leaking out and affecting everyone around you. You drop your weaponry, hugging yourself as you try to compact your feelings.

A different hand lands on your shoulder. When you turn your head, you see Kaldur beside you. You can feel yourself unraveling just as fast as you attempt to stuff it all down.

“Stop,” you say as you attempt to shrug him off.

“It is okay to feel angry, my friend,” he reminds you, eyes burning with the same rage you feel, and you know in that second that it is the same rage, it is your rage, that he’s taking it on, for you.

“Kaldur, stop, that’s not- you shouldn’t-“ you huff, but with each move back, he follows, until suddenly he’s holding you in a tight hug, and you can’t move anymore. “Stop,” you beg, gripping on to his arms.

“Allow us to help, epitrépste mou na sikóso aftó to város. stiríxou páno mou, chrisimopoíise ti dýnamí mou, méchri na anaktíseis ti dikí sou. Eímai statherós, paliós fílos. (let me carry this burden. lean on me, use my strength, until you regain your own. I am steady, old friend).”

His words wash over you, and you finally do that. You stop pushing against the bits that are bleeding. You can feel Kaldur stiffen when he finally feels the whole barrage of your emotions, but quickly, he tightens his hold on you. When tears start to fall from both of you, all you can do is sag into him in relief.

“Den eínai díkaio. Xéfyge. Tha éprepe na eínai edó. Tha éprepe na logodotísei gia ta enklímatá tou, ton rólo tou. Échoun fýgei kai eínai exaitías tou. Eímai tóso kourasménos kai tóso thymoménos, to niótho óli tin óra kai prospathó tóso sklirá na min to afíso éxo. Allá giatí eínai eléftheros?” (It's not fair. He got away. He should be here. He should have to answer for his crimes, his role. They're gone and it’s because of him. I am so tired and so angry, I feel it all the time, and I try so hard not to let it out. But why does he get to be free?) the words tumble from your lips in sobs of atlantean.

Part of the truth you’re admitting was too raw to admit to everyone else, none of the sidekicks had ever seen your anger, your rage— Kaldur had. Kaldur was the one who he lped you learn how to manage it. He was the one who taught you, the one who showed you how to channel it into something better.

“Thýmose, Poulí, tha diatiríso tin isorropía kai gia tous dýo,” (Be angry, Bird, I will maintain the balance for us both) he answers, his voice as calm as ever, and you can’t help but marvel at him, how he can hold your anger, your hurt, your rage, but present as calm, and keep it from seeping out when you can’t do anything but make a mess.

You know the team’s watching. You know they’re concerned and want to tell them it’s okay, that you’re okay, but you’re not. You know that. Dinah would know what to say and how to tell the team that they did a good job and that they should enjoy the win, but you can’t. You can’t tell them that you can’t enjoy it, not when the mastermind of it all managed to escape.

Quietly, Kaldur helps you back onto the Bioship. Vaguely, you hear the conversations happening around you. 

“It is always like this,” Rocket scoffs, dropping into her seat. 

“Told you,” Wally chimes, but you can feel his gaze on you.

“Hey, disaster averted. Feeling the aster,” Robin muses as he settles next to you but keeps a distance.

“Agreed, this has been a good day,” Kaldur nods, fists clenched as he turns to you, “but it is not the end.”

“No,” you ground out in confirmation, and you can feel the promise in his words, “it’s not.”

[romancemedia]

Young Justice - Christopher Jones Illustrations

[amanda-multifandom]

Young Justice - throughout the seasons

Next to Batman TAS, this is my favorite DC cartoon. This series not only has some family drama and personal issues in their plots along with interesting action, this is one of the few DC items that gives Nightwing the spotlight he deserves.

Speaking of which, When Worlds and Dangers Collide might change to this route with some Batman TAS touches.

[detectiveforfree]

redrawing some of my favs to battle my sadness caused by yj:t seems to be counterproductive, but fuck it i just want more emotions for wally's funeral TToTT

dick's apperance literally broke my heart, cause it only just fucking hit him full force. his best friend is gone. and all those pent up emotions come flooding out

artemis' made me so sad, because she looks so lost and afraid, and I bet she spent most of her time from Antartica up to funeral in a daze

barry literally can't look at the grave, he seeks comfort in iris and im QnQ

bart doesnt cry, because he is no stranger to loosing people he cares about, but he is sad and so tired of it

perdita's words about kid flash/wally being something of a security blanket grabbed me by a throat and won't let go, because with him gone how scared and vulnerable and sad must she feel???

[thebubblesareevil]

The Gotham Ghost Pt. 1

This is not how he thought things would go. After the reality gauntlet Danny thought everything would turn out okay when he finally revealed himself. He was wrong.

One thing he neglected to consider was the two times his identity was revealed were life or death situations. Situations where they had to rely on him in order to survive. This was not one of those times. It was stupid really, he was just so tired and he wasn’t paying attention. He walked into the kitchen and made himself breakfast like he did every morning. He didn’t see his mom sitting at the table. She did see him phase his hand through the cabinet. Before he even turned around he was hit in the back with a shot from an ecto gun. He knew his parents could be cold, he knew they could be neglectful. He didn’t think they would be so cruel. He ran through the house, grabbing the bug out bag Jazz insisted he pack and he ran, he ran far and he ran fast, his parents hot on his tail. He ran to the one place he knew the boo-merang couldn’t find him.

Gotham

He’d lost count of the amount of times his parents complained about Gotham. Apparently it generated massive amounts of interference which distorted low levels of ectoplasm. Which meant that so long as he didn’t overdo it with his powers in his human form, and didn’t transform, they shouldn’t be able to track him. So he took buses and hitchhiked his way to Gotham, found a condemned building to squat in and, just to be safe, hid his bag in the walls. The first time someone tried to rob him was pretty fun. He was walking down an alley when some guy held a gun to his back, demanding he hand over his wallet. Danny slowly turned around allowing a light green glow to coat his eyes, his skin began to pale as the muggy temperature slowly begins to drop as he eyes and teeth begin to sharpen. The would be mugger slowly tries to back away when Danny charges, going right through him and stealing HIS wallet in turn before taking off while he was on the ground panicking. It happens a few more times before rumors start to circulate that Gotham is haunted. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to truly catch the bats attention, until robin goes missing.

Danny is minding his own business, heading back to his hideout when he comes across the little bird, it appears he bit off a little more than he could chew this time as a massive man slowly corners the brightly colored vigilante. Danny stops and weighs his options. He likely wouldn’t kill the little bird, incurring that level of wrath from the bat would count as suicide. But looking at the downed kid he lets out a long cold sigh, he knew he couldn’t walk away. He pushed his ghostly nature to the front as much as he dared as he slowly made his way down the alley, stretching his shadow out until it reached the end of alley. He speaks with a shattered voice tinged with a hollow echo that reverberates through the alley “Walk away.” The large man quickly turns and gasps when he sees the apparition “Diablo de ojos verdes” but he steadies himself and charges towards the specter..only to was right through him sending an icy wave through his body. Danny doesn’t move he just slowly turned his head around, making sure it cracks as it turns bringing out his fangs as he gives a wide toothy grin and says “run” he fully turns around and starts to move towards the masked giant. He was gone before Danny made it to the end of the alley. Danny gives a out a relieved sigh, he really didn’t want to fight, before release if his ghostly state and turning back to the fallen bird.

He tries to wake the kid, because that is most definitely a kid, with little success. Danny looks around trying to see if he can catch sight of the bat to no avail. Danny lets out a loud groan knowing there was no way he was leaving an injured kid knocked out in alleyway in Gotham, there are sooo many ways that could go wrong. So with some slight struggling he managed to get the kid on his back and headed back to his hideout.

When he gets there he lays him down on his makeshift bed, wincing at the blood that he just KNEW was going to stain. Oh well it’s not like it was anything new. He pulls out his limited supplies and makes a note to pick up more bandages. Once he finishes dressing the kids wounds he’s starts packing up everything ha can and pulls up his go bag. He’s just finishing when the kids starts to stir. Danny grabs his last bottle of water and brings it over to the kid. “Take it easy little bird, you took quite a beating back there.” The bird immediately reaches up to check his mask “I’m not an asshole, your honor is intact don’t worry.” He looks around at the dingy building before looking at his apparent rescuer “who are you?”

“Me? I’m nobody, just a ghost. Now drink your water, I need to head out before your bat dad comes charging in.” Robin snorts the water “I’m sorry my what?!” He laughs.

Danny looks at him like he’s lost it “Your bat dad, the furry that goes around fighting crime with you?” At this point Robin has rolled off the makeshift bed laughing and is holding his bruised ribs “Oh god please stop, it hurts, your killing me.” Danny grins “Well at least your sense of humor is intact.”

Danny sets down his bag.

“What we’re you doing fighting that guy by yourself anyway?” At this Robin looked more than a little offended. “Don’t give me that look, I may not have been here for long but even I know who Bane is and I know that even the Bat has a hard time fighting him. So what possessed you to try doing it by yourself.” Robin gives a huff and looks away.

“It was just a simple robbery, how was I supposed to know it was a trap?” Robin looked dejected “One I walked right into.” Danny sat down next to the smaller hero. “Look you’ve been doing this for how long?” Robin looks at him “about a year now” Danny nods “So you’ve been doing this for one year, ONE, and you fell for a trap meant for Batman, who’s been doing this a heck of a lot longer than you have. Honestly I’m impressed, I only came in at the tail end of it but it’s pretty obvious you held your own better than most. That’s something to be proud of. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think you should be out fighting at all, but at the very least I know you can handle yourself.” The two continued to chat and eventually they were joined by a third. Danny didn’t notice the newest addition, but Robin did and he slowly maneuvered to block the only other exit. It was then that Danny noticed the bat and sighed “You were stalling.” Robin had the decency to look a little ashamed as he said “Yeah, sorry about that.”

He turned towards the bat “I haven’t done anything illegal and I wasn’t the one who hurt your bird, so I’ll just be on my way okay.” Batman narrowed his eyes and held up one of the stolen wallets “OH come on! Who hasn’t stolen a few wallets?! Besides they tried to rob me first!”

“I’m not coming after you for a few wallets, however there is a noticeable pattern among the wallets stolen.” Danny scoffed “and would you like to share with the class?” Batman slowly approached the teen, stopping when Danny too a step back. “All of the wallets belong to people who have claimed to have seen the Gotham Ghost.” Danny starts to take deep breaths, his eyes widening. “Look I haven’t hurt anybody, okay!?! I just needed a place to stay for a bit, sure I took their wallets, but I needed food! They were threatening to kill me!” Batman motions for Danny to calm down as he continues his approach, Danny slowly backing into a wall. “I already said you’re not in trouble for the wallets. I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. I can help you get home, I’m sure your parents are looking everywhere for you, worried—”

“Oh they’re looking for me alright, but they’re not worried. They’re the ones hunting me.” Batman froze, looking towards Robin. He looked back at Danny he came to a decision “I have a safe house near here that you can stay in for the night. If you’re still there in the morning, a man will come by in the morning and we can see about getting you a more permanent residence.” Danny looked at Batman, shocked, before asking “Why?” Batman shook his head and said, “Because you need help.” With that he moves over to Robin and picks him up. He gives Danny a slip of paper with an address on it. “If you’re interested go to this address.” And the two left. Danny sat down and stared at the paper thinking over his options.

————-

Batman gently sets Robin down in the batmobile before getting on his side. Once they are both settled and the hood is up the two head back to the cave. Dick looks down at his knees in shame “I’m sorry, I should have waited.” Bruce gives a soft sigh before placing a hand on Dicks head “You’re right, but what matters right now is that you’re okay. We can go over protocol another day, for now let’s get you looked at.”

Dick looks back at Bruce “and what about Ghost?” Bruce raises an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that you know who I mean, he didn’t tell me his name and he sure as heck didn’t tell you it either.”

“For now, if he decides to take the offer, he can stay at the safe house. Tomorrow Bruce Wayne will come to him on Batman’s behalf and try to set him up in foster care.” Dick gives a slight hum “Y’know you could do that or…” Bruce glances over at Dick “or what?” Dick gets an excited look on his face “I’ve always wanted a big brother!”

—————-

The next day found Danny waking up on one of the most comfortable mattresses in his life. He walked into the kitchen and made himself coffee and a half burned omelette (progress!) and sat down to eat. After he finished his meal he pulled out everything in his big out bag to determine what is still usable and what needed to be replaced. After all it’s not like Batman doesn’t clearly have the money to replace a few bandages. It was as he was packing everything back up that there was a knock at the door. Danny sighed before opening the door to reveal… a rich guy, great. “Are you the guy Batman sent?” He asks as he steps aside to let the stranger in.

“You could say that, my name is Bruce Wayne and this is a halfway house that I set up with Batman as a way to help get kids, like yourself, off the streets.” Danny scoffed “Off the streets to where, foster care? No thanks, I’m trying to stay off of the governments radar if you don’t mind.”

“Foster care is an option, there’s also private adoption. Could you share anything about why you don’t want the government knowing where you are?” Danny raised a skeptical eyebrow “I don’t see how any of that matters to you, look I’ll be out of your hair by the end of the day, so just forget about it.” There was something off about this guy.

“I’m not trying to push you out of the apartment, I only want to make sure you have somewhere safe to go and someone looking after you, you won’t have that on the streets.” He said with a frown.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock!” Danny was starting to get annoyed with this guy, and why did he feel so familiar!! “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to put someone else in danger just so I can feel safe! Look I’m grateful for the offer I really am, but no.” Danny gets up and heads for the door despite Bruce’s protests. “Thank you for letting me stay the night, if all goes well, I won’t be seeing you around.” Bruce grabs Danny by the shoulder and holds out a business card.

“Just think about it, if you change your mind you can reach me anytime.” Danny reluctantly took the card before leaving.

——-

Bruce sat down for a second “Well that went well.” He said with a sigh before touching something behind his ear. “Is the tracker activated?”

“Good news and bad news!” Dick replied “The good news is the tracker is working great!” Bruce sighed, looking to the heavens “and the bad news?” Dick let’s put a laugh “The bad news is it never left the apartment.” Bruce scrunched his brow, ‘This may be more complicated that we thought.’

——-

After leaving the apartment Danny went in search of a new place to stay, as there was no way he was going back to that apartment. He was passing by the Gotham cemetery looking at the card he was given when he heard someone call out to him.

“You should take him up on his offer dear.”

Danny turned to face the woman sitting on a gravestone. “Oh? And pray tell why should I trust him? He’s just another rich weirdo looking for something to gain. As far as he’s concerned I’m just some charity case, he’ll put me in a home and that will be that. For me though? I can only hide so much.” He sighs “I’m tired of hiding.”

“Hmmm, that sounds like quite the conundrum….Walk with me?” She says with a secretive smile. Danny snorts “A gorgeous gal like you? How can I refuse?” Danny steps into the cemetery and breathes in the morning dew.

“Even Gotham has its moments, don’t you think?” She said with an airy voice.

“You could say that. They’re rare that’s for sure but those few moments of peace….they’re worth the chaos.” He says with a soft smile before giving her a heavy sigh “Out with it, I know you want to say something. Probably something about how I should open myself up to new opportunities, or that not everyone is out to get me, or even that I can’t know that things will go wrong unless I try!” A soft giggle echos through the graves. “It seems to me you’ve already told yourself all those things… so what’s holding you back?” He sighs

“I just… I guess I’m scared, I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I can be hurt like that again.” He sighs rubbing the back of his neck with a soft grin. “Y’know this is what happens when your sister is a budding psychiatrist, you become way too self-aware.”

She gives him a soft laugh as she comes to a stop before a grave “There’s nothing wrong with knowing yourself. I think it’s time you take a leap of faith, and for what it’s worth Bruce is a good man. He’ll make sure you’re taken care of, but I may be a bit biased, just don’t forget to visit us every now and again. We all love having you come by.” Danny smiles

“And be deprived of your lovely company, never!” He chuckles “Thanks Ms. Martha, it was good talking to you. Tell your husband I said hi!” Danny turned to make his way back to the entrance, greeting wayward spirits as he passed. He wandered through the streets of Gotham thinking over everything, he looked at the night sky and saw the bat signal lighting up the night.

He had made his decision.

——————

He was in the process of taking a fresh patch of cookies out of the oven when Alfred heard the doorbell ring. Making sure to turn off the oven, he made his way to the entrance, curious to see who had come calling so early in the morning. After all Master Bruce was notorious for being late to rise and Master Dick was already at school for the day. Any…. other guests would attempt to make contact through the cave, not the front entrance. Perhaps a salesman? They so rarely get unexpected visitors, he made sure his shotgun was within reach before answering the door. What he found on the other side was oddly enough a young man, not much older than Master Dick, who appeared to be distracted by the manor grounds.

“How may I help you young sir?” The teen turned to face him and he was struck by tired blue eyes. They reminded him so much of Master Bruce at that age, tired and lost. He pulled out a card from his pocket before addressing him.

“I know he said, but uhh I don’t really have a phone.” He said with a wince. “I wasn’t really sure how else to get a hold of him.”

Alfred gave the teen a considering look “I’m afraid Master Bruce has not yet risen for the day.”

“Oh! Uh I see, I can come back later or not…”

Alfred gave a warm smile “I only just pulled a fresh batch of my famous chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. If you would like we could have some with a fresh pot of tea while we wait for him to wake.”

The teen visibly brightened at the mention of food, deeply worrying the aged butler. “That sounds fantastic!”

“Well then shall we?” He opened the door, motioning the boy inside “Might I have a name for our guest or shall that stay a mystery.” The teen paused looking at him.

“Danny. You can call me Danny.”

——-

Bruce found them in the lounge when he woke an hour later. Alfred was pouring a fresh cup of tea while their mysterious guest spoke, quite passionately, about the travesty of Plutos excommunication from planet hood.

“You know” he paused as the teen swiftly turned “I hear they’ve actually fixed that. Pluto is officially back on the roster.” The teen relaxes just slightly but does not let down his guard. Alfred gives him a LOOK “Now that Master Bruce has risen I shall take my leave for now, to prepare lunch. Young master Danny, will you be staying for the afternoon meal? I’m preparing a nice hearty stew.” Danny looked ready to start drooling, but looked towards Bruce. “That sounds fantastic, Danny and I will be in the office discussing some business.” He said, placing a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Shall we?”

The two made their way through the manor, passing sculptures and artwork alike. When they arrive at the office Danny sees a large portrait of a rather familiar couple. ‘Oh yeah, definitely biased’ he thought

“My parents” Bruce explained after noticing Danny’s interest in the painting “Both were quite active in charities and trying to reform Gotham. The Martha Wayne orphanage fund has helped hundreds of children, like yourself, find new homes-”

“Cut the spiel. Look if I’m just a charity case to you, I’ll leave right now. The only reason I’m here to begin with is because a friend of mine said you’d be able to help.”

Bruce nodded “Alright then, I’ve been working on your paperwork. There wasn’t much I could do without your name, but I’ve managed to find a family in Fawcett City that’d be willing to take you in no questions asked. They have a good record and—”

“No”

Bruce wondered if he should still be surprised at this point “Okay, your other option is a young couple in Central City, they-”

“NO!” Bruce looks up from the papers on his desk, the teen in front of him looks seconds away from running out the door. “Okay, would you like to talk about why not?”

Danny paused for a moment “Look I’m sure they’re nice, but I’m not leaving Gotham, I won’t.” ‘I can’t’ he thought.

Bruce gave Danny a considering look. “I don’t have any families available in Gotham at the moment to take you in permanently.”

A slight shake of the head “That’s fine, all I really need it documentation so I can get a job, once I turn 18 I’m out of there anyway.” He said seriously.

Bruce thinks over all the families in Gotham he had looked over. Not many would be willing to work with the severe lack of trust, that coupled with the lack of documents and his options just shrank to the single digits. He could a migraine start to for when he hears the pounding footsteps of his ward racing down the halls. He has mere moments to process this before Dick burst the the door exclaiming “You won’t believe what happened at school today!” Danny twisted around at the intrusion and made eye contact with Dick for a few seconds before he awkwardly laughed. “Sorry to interrupt, I didn’t realize we had a guest.”

Bruce smiled at his ward “Danny this is my ward, Dick Grayson, who is supposed to be in school right now.” Dick gave a mischievous grin “That’s what I was just gonna tell you! You might get a letter explaining things, but there was a massive prank played by some upperclassmen. All of the alarms in the school went of for an hour before they decided to end things early. They were still going off when we left. I hitched a ride with one of my classmates, figured you might still be asleep and Alfred would be cooking.”

“Upperclassmen? Really? Well, I guess I’ll just have to talk to the school about upgrading their security if a few students can disrupt the whole school.” He says giving Dick a stern look, he just gave his signature laugh and replied “I guess so!” Neither of the two noticed Danny’s eyes widen just a fraction, before he schooled his features.

“We were just getting ready to head to the dining room for lunch, care to join us?” Bruce asks Dick raising an eyebrow. “Definitely!” He turns to Danny “Alfred cooks the best food, there’s nothing like it.” Danny indulges him a little as they make their way to the dining room, which was surprisingly already set for three. “Alfred always knows.” Dick says with a shrug. The three sit down making light conversation, Bruce dancing around the topic of his housing situation not wanting to scare him off. They start to talk about how Dick came to be in Bruce’s care.

“I’m still grateful that Bruce was able to take me in, at that point I had gone through so many foster homes they were planning to send me to an orphanage.” Danny nodded along “How old were you?”

“I was only eleven when my parents died, I was twelve when Bruce took me in, that was three years ago.” Danny gave a slight hum as he took a bite of his food. “And how old were you when you found out Bruce was a furry?”

Bruce choked, Dick spewed stew all over the table, Alfred sighed. Once Bruce managed to regain his composure he gave Danny a stern look “Care to explain? I think there’s been some sort of misunderstanding.”

“Gonna be honest, you definitely seemed familiar at first but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. It was Dick that gave it away, no offense but you have a very distinct laugh.” Bruce gave Dick a look, he just gave him a shrug “You try keeping a straight face as some guy talks about Batman being a furry.”

“Look I’m not gonna tell anyone, just wanted to get the awkward reveal out of the way. Last time I dealt with peoples secret identities my ex girlfriend shot me. Not something I’d care to repeat.” Bruce sighed “While I appreciate that, somehow I get the feeling that you aren’t doing this out of the goodness of your heart.” Danny smirked

“Think of it as incentive to keep me in Gotham, after all who know what I might talk about while I’m away?” Dick chuckled “Blackmailing the bat? Gutsy.”

He turned to Bruce “Can we keep him?” Bruce questioned his decisions on life. “He’s not a pet, he’s a living, breathing, human being.” Danny’s snort did not go unnoticed, something to investigate later. “Let’s head back to the office and see what we can work out. As for you young man, I’m certain they didn’t send you home without work to do, so you might want to get started on that.”

The two stayed in the office going through files on different programs and families. Danny shooting each one down, too religious, too many kids, to far from the area. They were getting ready to widen their search a bit when Alfred announced that dinner was ready. “Stay for dinner and if you’d like, you’re free to stay the night or take up residence at the apartment for the time being.”

“Thanks, I’d prefer the apartment if you don’t mind. It’s close to the cemetery, it’s peaceful there.” Bruce gives Danny a considering look

“Most people try to avoid cemeteries, they tend to hate being reminded of their mortality.” Danny just shrugs.

“I’m not afraid of dying, not when the living can be so much crueler.” Bruce looks at Danny sadly, wondering exactly what he’d been through.

Dick joined them for dinner and the three sat down, Danny trying and failing to convince Alfred to join them. They talked the whole meal, laughing and sharing stories. Bruce hadn’t seen Dick this happy in awhile, weighed down with more guilt and responsibility than any child his age should. He thought back to what Dick said that first night. Once they finished their meal Danny once more tried to fight with Alfred to take the dishes. A losing battle, Bruce knew, Alfred is relentless. He looked at the bright smile on Dick’s face and the argument between Danny and Alfred. He couldn’t help but agree with Dick, all that’s left to do is plan and ask.

They made it all the way to the door, Bruce trying to figure out how to broach the subject.

“Should I come back tomorrow, to keep working on the paperwork and stuff” Danny asked awkwardly

“You could or…” Danny looked up

“Or what?”

“You could stay, here, I could foster you.” Danny moves to object “Before you say no, I understand that you likely don’t want to be in public eye, we could put together some paperwork as far as anyone will be concerned you don’t exist. You don’t have to be my son if you don’t want to. You can think of this as just a place to stay, but I think… I think you could be happy here. Dick has already expressed his desire for a brother and Alfred would welcome the company. If you want to continue your schooling I could hire a private tutor or i could get you signed up for online classes. So what do you say?”

Danny looked at the ground thinking over everything Bruce said. He was tired of running, maybe, maybe Ms. Martha was right maybe he should take a chance on Bruce Wayne. He square his shoulders and looked Bruce straight in the eye.

“Yes”

End Pt 1

[adhdslugcrimes]

New au, yandere au.

Wally: what happened to my bully, Rob.

Other YJL members, looking at Robin from behind the kitchen counter.

Robin: I don't know what you're talking about, last time I checked he's alive, isn't he?

Wally: he is, but he flinches when I get near him, he moved desks if he can which is bad for him since I was his easy A in chemistry. So, what the hell did you do.

Dick: I'm not even talking about this. *Gets up to leave, gets pinned to the wall by Wally.* You know I can hurt you to get out of this.

Wally: you won't, now tell me what did you do.

Dick: ugh, fine. I, as my other self, told him to never touch you again or his mother was going to eat meat pies using his meat for it. I wasn't going to stand this bully bullshit anymore.

Teammates: *softly gasp*

Wally: you shouldn't have done that in the first place, if I wanted to protect myself I could have, now people are wondering what I did and there's eyes on me, what time did you do it.

Dick: at 18:00.

Wally: American time.

Dick: ugh, 6pm.

Wally: thanks, *kiss Rob forehead* noe behave you psychopath.

Dick: whatever.

Wally left to tell Barry how far too go back, Dick following him, the teammates left in shock.

Artemis: we're never eating whatever he cooks.

Everyone but Kaldur: agreed.

Kaldur: at least he's alive.

Them, looking at Kaldur.

Kaldur: I have history with them, remember?

Them: oh, yeah...

[49311grayson]

[BirdFlash] Maybe

Kaldur, frown: Wally. Are you gay?

Wally: Nope.

Wally, looks at Dick: Uh… I guess?

[leinterested]

Story of the pic

[cipheress-to-k-pop]

Boys VS Girls (Part 2)

"Todays mission objective: Interrogation."

Said Batman and you all shared glances

Ever since Batman had gotten wind of your little contests, he began incorporating it into mock missions

Once you were diffusing bombs

Another time you were simulating fire rescue procedures

And it seemed today, you would be interrogating each other

"Boys. You need to find out about: The Secret."

You all froze

The secret

It was the best kept secret that the girls had kept

You refused to tell anyone about it

Swearing that you'd each take it to your graves

Even when your boyfriend, Nightwing, had pleaded you kept a firm no

Which was quite an accomplishment honestly

Considering you had to turn down his sweet begging eyes

They had to admit that you all looked quite adorable with blood drained faces and discomfort

"B that's so cruel! Even for you!"

The reason all of you were so scared was because last week, it had been the girls who were interrogating the boys

Needless to say you did NOT go easy on them

Long story short, they were separated to cut the weak ones out

Wally was starved

Kaldur was put into a warm room

Conner was placed into highly stimulating room

And once again, Nightwing was avoided like the plague

He had already received his own training from B

So all you had to do was check up on him and make sure he hadn't escaped

While also giving him food and some cuddles

You could only hope he would return the gesture

But you could tell by the evil smirk on his face that you were dreaming too big

This would take all your strength

All your determination

And all the mental strength you had

And so you found yourself in a dark room with your hands bound to the chair

And in entered Wally and Nightwing

"Uncomfortable, are you?"

"Quite uncomfortable considering Artemis told me you have a thing for ropes."

Wally might as well have burst into flames then and there

Nightwing narrowed his eyes at him before turning to you

"Last chance to tell us babe. Before we actually have to do something you'll regret."

You scoffed

"I'm not scared of you two and I know that you're not gonna do anything that might actually hurt me. So why don't you just stop right here before you do something you'll regret."

You smirked and glanced at your boyfriend

"We both know I can hold a grudge."

That had his cocky smile slipping off his face

"Yeah, I'm out."

"WHAT? YOU'RE SUCH A SIMP!"

"I'M PROTECTING MY OWN INTERESTS!"

"PLEASE YOU JUST WANT TO GET LAID!"

"I'M INTERESTED IN THAT!"

You glanced at Wally

"Wanna try again?"

There was absolutely no chance they were getting you to spill

But just because Dick didn't want to get on your bad side

Didn't mean he was not afraid of poking the bear

The others got grilled for hours

So four hours later you were gathered back into the training room with Batman

They had very much targeted your weak link M'Gann

Once you saw her come in with that apologetic look on her face, you knew you had lost

They smirked at you, turning to Batman

"The secret is that Artemis didn't actually like Wally romantically until 2 months into their relationship."

A slow grin spread on all your faces when you turned to M'Gann who had a victorious smile on her face

You squealed in happiness, hugging her

"That's a secret but it's not the secret." Said M'Gann, cool as a cucumber

They groaned, accepting defeat

"I blame nightwing."

Your boyfriend glared at you and you returned it with a wink

"You're the worst."

It was then that Dinah decided to come into the room

Terrible timing

And it seemed she had heard only the end of this conversation

And immediately jumped to conclusions

"Don't be mad Nightwing. It's not like she stripped with him."

Utter silence

You could hear each and everyone's breathing

The girls looked absolutely mortified

The boys looked shocked af

Nightwing looked like you might as well have punched him

And even Batman looked confused

You hid your face in your hands to avoid the frown on his face

"Explain. Now."

It was then Dinah realized that she had made a mistake

"The guys lost, didn't they?"

You opened your mouth but all the words died in her throat when you saw the glare he was sending you

"Don't be mad at her Nightwing. She did it for me."-Zatanna

"And it was my idea."-Artemis

"Guys, it's okay."

You took a deep breath, shrinking at his gaze

"You remember Zatanna's shitty ex-boyfriend?"

"The one who cheated on her and took every available opportunity to hit on you? Vaguely."

Oh boy, he was really pissed

"Well, after he cheated on her, she wanted to get back at him. So I dmed him on insta and asked if he wanted to 'netflix and chill'."

You were really not improving your case

And with each word he just frowned deeper

You just hoped he wouldn't be too upset with you

You avoided the guys gazes as well

Although you could feel it burning your face

If Conner had laser vision like Clark, you're unsure what would even happen to you

"Long story short. I drove him up with me to makeout point and then left him there in nothing but his underwear until his mother came to pick him up. I didn't do anything though! And I sanitized and exorcised the car as soon as this was done."

Dick looked offended

"You let someone else take their clothes off in front of you?!"

You looked down, pouting at your lap

"I was there to take pictures." - M'Gann

"And I blocked the other path so if anyone wanted to leave they'd have to drive past him crying in his underwear." -Artemis

"And I was there with another guy to show him what he missed." - Zatanna

If they were being honest

They were kind of scared of all of you

Wally and Conner shared a glance

Is this their fate if they ever managed to piss them off enough?

You put on your best puppy dog eyes and the kind of pout that you knew had his knees weak

"Don't be mad? It was just a prank."

He looked unimpressed

"We're talking about this when we get home."

Uh-oh you know what that meant

You sighed, shooting a glare at Dinah from the corner of your eye

She smiled apologetically and averted her gaze

"I'm so telling Oliver about that time you got pulled over."

"Tell him and I'm telling about the incident at the last mission." - Dinah

"Why are you bringing me into this!? If anything it should be about the abs thing since it was Artemis' idea!" - M'Gann

You all froze

And then turned back to the boys

"There are more secrets?"

You all shut your mouths

They shared a glance before smirking

"In the mood for another interrogation?"

Forever Taglist:

@simonsbluee

@hanbedumbaf

@superheroesaremyjam113263

@writers-whirlwind

DC Taglist:

@emmacata

@p--e--a--c--h--e--s

@sometimeseverythingsucks

@sokkas-honour

@unstable1902

@lostgirlheart

@missdisapear

@tadpole-san

@isawachickeninatree

@uxavity

@battlenix

@capricorn-stark

@evermoore580

@dumbbitchgalore

@fuckingjinkies

@some-lovely-day

[avisisisis]

M'gann: Aw, the light went out :(

Wally: Oh don't worry guys I got this

Wally: *Shakes his entire body really fast*

Wally: *Starts glowing*

Artemis: What? How?

Wally: I swallowed a flashlight!

Kaldur, on the verge of a heart attack: WHY WOULD YOU–

[imdeadinsidesiriuslydead]

Hello ! Hope you're doing good <33

Can I request platonic headcanons of YJ! Dick,Kaldur,M'gann (and any other characters that you think will suit this idea). Them meeting alien!reader(any gender you like) who's around the same age as them and that recently joined the YJ? Like for example,reader has 4 arms and has a cool space ship and being able to control elements (water or smth) ?

Please ignore this if you want I suck at making requests. Hope you have a good day/night !

From Another World | yj! Characters x platonic Alien! reader

a/n: I am doing good thanks for asking! I love this! It’s so creative and I never really get to do platonic things so I’m so happy I got this request!

Warnings: None. Gender of reader is never mentioned.

Contains: Robin, Aqua Lad, Miss Martian. Season 1 timeline.

ROBIN:

Robin would have immediately welcomed you to the team.

he keeps his distance though, his training with Batman taught him to find weaknesses and strengths of anyone he’s around. It’s like a switch in his brain he can’t switch off.

He would like to train you to use your water manipulation powers but knows he probably no help with that.

he would do research on your world to get some background information. He’s a sneaky little thing

He probably try to crack a few water jokes around you.

“Hey Y/N! H2O is water but what is H2O4?”

”Robin that’s not a eleme-“

”For swimming and drinking!”

”Get out of my room.”

He would probably try to find any possible weaknesses or kill spots on your spaceship.

He would ask you to teach him to fly it, and of course you do.

He would be interested in teaching you hand to hand combat with multiple arms, but again might not be the best at doing that since he only has two.

He would teach you how to hack a basic computer, standard knowledge amongst the team

Aqua lad:

Aqua lad welcomed you with loving arms onto the team, being the leader.

He starts training you how to use your Water powers in battle, and is constantly looking for new tactics and weapons to teach you to form with water.

He would take you to Atlantis and show you around, being the one of the only other member of the team who can breath underwater is lonely so he’s glad he can take you back and show you his home, he’s really proud to be an Atlantian

He would be very interested in learning your native language and the power of your people

He would totally introduce you to Aquaman

He would tell you about his struggles with dealing with his emotions and feelings about Tula. He feels like you two are connected through your abilities and is willing to let down his wall and not be a tough leader around you.

you two become pretty close friends quickly after joining. He’s very glad of the new addition on the team.

Miss Martian:

M’gann is so freaking happy to meet another alien

She s felt so isolated with her ability set and her not being from earth made her feel like she didn’t truly belong

But since you came along that is out the window!

She starts sharing about her home life on Mars and opens up about what her true form looks like before she told the others.

M’gann would form two extra arms to teach you how to properly fight against your enemy

She would be very interested in learning your planet’s costumes and culture and she would share hers as well.

She would teach you all about human culture as well and would help you pick a secret identity

She would definitely make you cook with her.

She’d show you food from mars and how to cook it along with human food. She would love to see and try some of your planets food too.

M’gann would teach you to fly the Bioship and would love to show off her organic clothes

When you show her your spaceship she would freak.

She would love to learn how to fly it and would love to visit your home world with you.

She’d open up about feeling like an outsider in the team and how you being there just makes her feel more at home and at ease.

———

sorry if this is really short!

request are open!

[youngjusticeslut]

Kaldur: I believe I have finally come to terms with Conner’s death ☺️

Dick: 

[romancemedia]

Nightwing's Trio Group - Young Justice S1-4

[dccomicsimagines]

Truth or Dare Valentine - Young Justice Imagine

Requested by Anon -  Can you please do a young justice x reader imagine where the team just finished a mission and is just sitting in the cave bored so they decide to play truth or dare. A lot of juicy secrets are revealed and the reader also confesses their feelings for another hero (your choice)

Requested by Anon - Can we have a Valentine’s Day with the team?

Author’s Note - This are late. I’m sorry.

***

“Wally, slow down. I need to see how you do it.” You shoved at his shoulder. The two of you were sitting on the floor in the living area of the cave. Homework covered the coffee table as you struggled through calculus. Wally knew what he was doing somehow.

He sighed, leaning away from his page so you could look. “To use the power rule, multiply the variable's exponent n, by its coefficient a, then subtract 1 from the exponent.” He pointed to the quote in the book. 

“English please.” You sighed before copying his work. Wally rolled his eyes and went back to it, but left his paper in your view. 

“Are you cheating?” Kaldur’s voice cut you like a knife. You and Wally flinched, turning to find Kaldur taking a seat in an armchair with a book in his hand.

“Not really. There’s no cheating in Calculus,” you said. You felt heat on your cheeks, going back to copying Wally’s work before it was noticed. 

“(Y/N) is the cheat. I’m just here.” Wally smirked when you smacked him. 

Kaldur hummed. You peeked at him to find him reading. Taking a deep breath, you tried to relax and focus on trying to puzzle what Wally was doing.

A creepy laugh came from behind you. You rolled your eyes. “Shut up, Rob.”

“What? I can’t be whelmed at how hard Calculus is for you.” Dick hopped over the couch and sat beside you. He cupped his chin, resting his elbow on your textbook. “It’s not that difficult.”

“Says the math geek.” You elbowed him hard. He groaned, rolling on the floor like you killed him. Wally gave you both an annoyed look while Kaldur ignored all of you. 

“Guys, guess what?!” M’gann flew into the room. She grinned, clapping her hands excitedly. Conner followed her. He looked bored, but a hint of a smile pulled at his lips at M’gann’s excitement. You almost rolled your eyes.

“What, babe?” Wally looked up suddenly. You wondered if he gave himself whiplash. 

“Red Tornado said we could have a Valentine’s Day party!” She let out a squeal, landing next to Dick. 

You quickly looked down at your homework, hiding your expression. The others seemed excited, but your heart fell. Valentine’s Day wasn’t a good day for you.

“We’re going to feel the aster.” Dick nudged your side. “What do you think, (Y/N)?”

You forced a smile on your face. “It’s great. Lots of fun.” You glanced up. M’gann was fooled by your grin, but Dick looked slightly alarmed. You quickly went back to your homework. 

“What is Valentine’s Day again?” Kaldur asked. You blushed at his words.

“It’s the holiday of love.” M’gann sighed. “People confess their love for others, and be romantic. They also give a lot of candy, and you give out valentines for those you care about.” 

“It’s a lot of fun.” Wally blushed. “But Valentine’s Day is only two days away? Are you going to get everything ready in time?” He frowned slightly when M’gann got a glimmer in her eye.

“That’s why we’re all going to get ready for the party.” M’gann took a small notebook out of her pocket. “Artemis, Zatanna, and Raquel are on their way. Now we’re going to divide up the tasks...”

You swallowed hard, knowing you were stuck. “Are you okay?” Dick whispered in your ear. You just shook your head, tightening your hold on your pencil to stop your hand from shaking. Dick’s hand rested on your back. 

Taking a deep breath, you kept copying Wally’s work until you got to where he stopped. “I’ll be right back.” You gave everyone a false smile before practically running out of the room. 

Luckily, you made it to your room before your lungs stopped working. You curled up into a ball and let yourself soak in your emotions for a few hours.

***

“So M’gann has a list.” Dick unfolded two pieces of paper. You held back a groan when you saw both were written on front and back. You, Dick, Zatanna, and Artemis were at the local big box store. Dick seemed awed by the experience while Zatanna and Artemis just seemed happy to spend money that wasn’t theirs. 

“Let’s divide and conquer.” Artemis snatched one paper out of Dick’s hand. “Z and I will take this one. You and Mopey can take the other.”

You flinched at the nickname. Artemis was teasing, but it stun. Dick gave you a smile as Artemis and Zatanna grabbed a cart and headed off. 

The store was decked out in red and pink. You felt sick.

Dick took a cart, gesturing toward the baby’s seat. “Want in?”

You smacked his arm. “Only if you go in first.”

Dick laughed. He rolled the cart into the store and straight into the Valentine’s section. You dragged your feet behind him, trying not to think too much.

He tossed bags of candy in the cart along with decorations. “You know we have to get valentines to give out?”

“Amazing.” You narrowed your eyes when he stopped by the display of valentines. He chuckled before picking a set of Justice League valentines with temporary tattoos inside.

“What ones you want?” Dick crossed his arms, eyeing you carefully. 

You swallowed past the lump in your throat. “I’m only doing this for M’gann.” You grabbed the first box you saw and tossed it in the cart. Dick hummed, eyeing the box you tossed in. 

“Paw Patrol, huh?” Dick laughed. You couldn’t even crack a smile. “Well at least the snap bracelets will have everyone feeling the aster.”

You just shook your head. “Can we just leave this section please?”

Dick shook his head. “No, we still got things to get.” He went to the next aisle. “What’s wrong? You’ve been...off ever since M’gann mentioned having the party.”

You rubbed your temples. It was going to get asked eventually. Old memories drifted back. Your heart dropped to the floor. “I don’t like Valentine’s Day.”

“Noted.” Dick eyed you carefully as you both stopped by a wall of stuffed animals. “Why?”

You took a shaky breath. “Well...you know how schools do the thing where you can pay like a dollar to send a carnation to someone.” You kept your eyes on a stupid looking bear with a giant heart in his arms. 

“Sure, I’ve heard of it.” Dick shrugged. “My school does that, but to the extreme.”

“Rich people.” You snorted, shaking your head. “Well, I’m not well liked at my school.” You made your eyes drop to your feet, digging your toe into the floor. Dick shifted next to you. “I mean I hang out with Wally, but he’s a nerd, so...I’m not very popular.”

Dick snorted. “He is a nerd, but go on.” He kept his eyes on you. You felt a blush burn to your cheeks, but you kept your eyes on your feet.

“They did the carnation thing last year and I got one from someone I didn’t really know. She was in one of my classes though and I liked her.” You bit your lip when Dick touched your arm. “It said to meet her behind the school, so like an idiot I went. When I got there, she and her friends were there, laughing at me. Apparently, it was a joke.”

“That’s horrible.” Dick wrapped an arm around you. You let him, tensing slightly at the touch. 

“Yeah, well, they had their laugh, called me a loser and said how no one would ever like me,” you chuckled humorlessly. “It kinda soured the holiday for me.”

Dick hummed. “Fair.” He nudged your arm, getting you to look at him. “I’m sorry.”

You shrugged, looking up at the ceiling as you blinked back the tears. “I’d rather we keep this between us.”

“Wally doesn’t know?” Dick raised an eyebrow. You and Wally went to school together.

“I didn’t tell him. He just thought I had allergies that day. He’s not very bright when he doesn’t want to be.” You felt a real laugh work it’s way out of your chest. 

Dick nodded, picking up the bear you had been looking at and tossing it in the cart. “Fast feet, slow brain,” he chuckled.

Laughter bubbled in your stomach. “Good one.” You held your hand up for a high five. Dick smirked, slapping your hand with a grin. “How much more shopping do we have?”

“Not much. Most of our list was candy.” Dick handed the list to you before pushing the cart along. You followed him. The bitter feeling eating at your heart was dampen slightly. You hoped you could keep it up for the party.

***

Over the next day, the cave was filled with pre-party jitters. M’gann was everywhere, making sure the cave was properly decorated in all places. You sighed as you quickly realized the only place to get away from Valentine’s Day was your room. 

That being said, on the day of the party, you struggled to leave your safe space.  M’gann insisted everyone wear red or pink. You were wearing a red shirt with Dracula on it. It gave you some satisfaction, but not enough to open the door and join the party.

You paced your room. A lump formed in your throat. You could hear the laughter from those girls. Pressing a hand against your chest, you tried to slow your heart.

A knock came from your door. You jumped, almost letting out an embarrassing shriek. 

“(Y/N), the party is starting,” Raquel said through the door. “Please get out here before M’gann sends Conner to drag you out.”

You let out a slow breath, calming your racing heart. “I’m coming.” You opened the door to find Raquel leaning against your door frame. She was wearing a red sweater with pink hearts on it. A smile pulled on her lips at the sight of you.

“At least you’re wearing red.” She crossed her arms, studying your shirt. You almost blushed. “Dick mentioned that you aren’t a fan of Valentine’s Day.”

“Blabbermouth.” You rolled your eyes, stepping out into the hallway and closing your bedroom door. “He promised he wouldn’t tell.”

Raquel just shook her head. “Yeah, but we were worried about you.” She smiled, nudging your shoulder. “Besides he asked me to make a Valentine’s Day box for you, so M’gann won’t be sad that you didn’t make one.”

The blush crept onto your cheeks, betraying you. “Thanks. I couldn’t bring myself to make one.”

“It’s okay. I get it, trust me.” She nodded down the hall. “I know it’s going to be hard with the décor and everything, but try to have fun. Think of it as a regular party.”

You closed your eyes. Maybe Raquel was right? Just pretend it was a normal party. You felt a slight weight lift off your chest. Suddenly, it was easier to breathe. “That’s a good idea.”

“We’re all your friends, (Y/N). Today is about new memories.” She hooked her arm in yours and pulled you along. “Come on, we got candy to eat and Wally to make fun of.”

You laughed. “Wally’s already made a fool out of himself?”

“Of course, he’s practically planning on proposing to M’gann.” Raquel shook her head, giggling as you both entered the party to enjoy the show.

***

The party remained pretty lame until about ten o’clock. Red Tornado, who had been supervising, left for Watchtower duty. Everyone sat around the living room, watching the end credits of a rom-com. 

“So...should we make this party more interesting?” Zatanna asked, getting to her feet once the zeta tube went quiet. She turned off the tv.

“What do you mean?” M’gann sat up straighter, eyes widening. Conner watched her with a smile. 

You bit your lip as Wally perked up. He had been moping since his failed attempt to kiss M’gann earlier. “Could we play truth or dare?” Wally said with a sneaky smirk. You met his gaze and rolled your eyes. He just wrinkled his nose at you.

“I always wanted to play truth or dare.” M’gann floated out of her seat.

“What is truth or dare?” Kaldur whispered to you. You winced.

“Truth or dare is a game. Basically, one person asks you if you want to give a truth or take a dare, you chose one and you have to answer honestly or do the dare,” you said softly. The others began to debate playing the game. Dick and Artemis were against, everyone else was for it except for Conner, who seemed indifferent.

“And if you do not answer or perform the dare?” Kaldur raised an eyebrow. 

“Then you do the other and if you refuse both, then there is usually some kind of punishment.” You pursed your lips. “It can be fun.”

Kaldur nodded, quietly watching the debate before the two of you. 

Artemis stood up, holding up her hands. “Fine, but I want to lay down a rule. We have a right to refuse any dare or questions that are disgusting.” She looked straight at Wally.

“Hey, why are you looking at me? If anything, you should be worried about Raquel,” Wally said, pointing at Raquel as if she was the murderess at the end of a detective novel. 

Raquel rolled her eyes and laughed. “As if.”

“It sounds reasonable,” Kaldur added.

“Let’s play.” M’gann spun around in the air. “Can I go first? Someone ask me.”

Wally opened his mouth, but Dick slapped a hand over his mouth. “Truth or dare, M’gann?” Dick said, grinning.

“Rude.” Wally pouted, pushing Dick’s hand away.

“Dare.” M’gann giggled. Conner gave Dick a warning look. Dick just smiled.

“I dare you to shift into Black Canary and give Wally a lecture about common decency.” Dick chuckled his evil little laugh. You exploded with laughter along with everyone else. Wally turned as red as his hair.

M’gann shifted into Black Canary, floating down to her feet and standing over Wally with her hands on her hips. “Wallace West, how many times must we go over how to eat with your mouth closed? I don’t care how many calories you need to eat. Close your mouth when you chew. Very simple.” She leaned down and demonstrated. Wally’s eyes were wide. You sensed he was enjoying this a tad too much.

“I think this confirms he has a crush on Black Canary as well as M’gann, huh?” Zatanna whispered, giggling. You made a note to humiliate Wally with this later.

“Well, I’m feeling the aster now,” Dick said once M’gann finished and shifted back to herself. “That was great, M’gann.”

“Thanks.” She sat back next to Conner. Conner took her hand, looking at her in the way you all knew they were talking via mind link to each other. M’gann smiled before looking around the room carefully. “So I get to ask next?” 

Dick nodded. “Anyone, but me.”

You wrung your hands. Luckily, she had her eyes on Raquel. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” Raquel grinned, sitting back in her seat with a confidence you envied.

M’gann thought for a second. “If only you and one other person is the last two people in the world, who would it be?”

“That’s a tough one.” Raquel rubbed her temple in thought. “I guess I would probably pick someone in this room.” She looked around, smirking when her gaze fell on Kaldur. Kaldur avoided her gaze. “I guess I’ll have Kaldur. 

“Ooo,” Zatanna and Artemis said, giggling like mad. Everyone laughed while Kaldur just gave Raquel a shy smile.

Raquel looked around the room. Wally raised his hand. “Pick me. Come on,” he whined, almost falling out of his seat.

“Oh fine, Wally. Truth or dare?” Raquel shook her head.

“Dare,” he said, puffing out his chest. 

Dick laughed. “This is going to be good.” You pressed your hand over your mouth to hold back the volcano of laughter that threatened to escape. It took all you had not to get your phone out to record.

Raquel smirked. “Okay...” She pursed her lips in thought. “I dare you to not talk for the next half an hour.”

Wally deflated. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. 

“Oh my god, silence. For once.” Artemis sighed loudly, making everyone laugh. 

Wally crossed his arms, glaring. You snapped a picture as your phone was unable to stay in your pocket. Wally’s eyes flashed at the sight. You didn’t realize then, you created your worst nightmare.

***

Over the next half an hour, you learned Conner went commando on a regular basis, that Dick was involved in the creation of the make out closet at his school, M’gann liked to pretend to be Black Canary with Conner (that one might have scarred the whole team), and that Artemis would rather marry the Joker than anyone else in the whole world.

Kaldur took a dare. Conner dared him to go out and find a seashell. He did that with ease. M’gann took Conner aside afterwards to explain how dares were supposed to be more...interesting than that.

You only had to reveal that you wet the bed until you were ten. Embarrassing, but you would live.

Meanwhile, Wally stayed quiet. He kept looking at you strangely. You wondered what was wrong. It was funny, but you were starting to have fun, forgetting it was a Valentine’s Day party.

“Okay, Wally. You won your dare,” Raquel said when her phone’s timer went off. 

“Good.” Wally smirked at you. You raised an eyebrow at him. “So I get to pick someone, right?” Raquel nodded.

“Wasn’t that nice? Being quiet?” Artemis mocked, tossing a pillow at Wally. Wally caught it, unamused.

“Har, Har.” He threw the pillow back at her. She dodged it with a laugh. Wally looked straight at you. “(Y/N), truth or dare?”

A chill ran down your spine. Goosebumps rose on your skin. You didn’t like what was in his eyes. “Truth,” you said. Truth was safer than dare, you thought. 

“Okay.” Wally smirked, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Why does everyone at school call you Gullible Rose behind your back?”

Time froze. Your blood ran cold as you felt the smile drop from your face. Tears filled your eyes. Wally just smiled rather evilly. 

Everyone else fell silent at your expression. Dick got to his feet. “(Y/N), don’t answer that,” Dick snapped. His face flushed.

“What? Are you scared?” Wally rolled his eyes, watching you. You glimpsed a brief hesitation in his eyes. You bit your lip. Wally didn’t know, he didn’t mean any harm. At least that’s what you tried to tell yourself.

You took a deep breath. “It’s okay.” You gave Wally a shaky smile. “You really don’t know? Or are you being mean?”

Wally blinked in surprise. Everyone glanced between the two of you. “(Y/N), you don’t have to answer. You can ask the next person,” M’gann said, frowning slightly. You were sure this broke her illusion of Truth or Dare.

“No, it’s okay.” You held up a hand. “The last thing I want is for Wally to claim I didn’t play by the rules. I mean I already copy his homework.” You let out a fake laugh that no one joined you in. 

“(Y/N), you don’t have to.” Dick crossed the room and sat down beside you. “You really don’t.”

Letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, you looked straight at Wally. “Last Valentine’s Day, I got sent a carnation at school. It said to meet my special someone behind the school. I did, only to find a group of the popular girls there to call me a loser and make fun of me. That’s why they call me Gullible Rose. Stupid really, because it was a carnation, not a rose, but whatever.”

Raquel patted your shoulder in support. Wally’s shoulders dropped. His mouth twitched. You knew he knew who the people were in the story, but honestly, it hurt to say their names. 

“That’s why...oh, I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Artemis said genuinely. Zatanna nodded beside her, tears in her eyes.  

M’gann started to cry. Conner hugged her. “(Y/N) was bullied. I thought that only happened in movies,” M’gann said, muffled by Conner’s shirt. 

“I’m fine, guys. I’m over it.” You waved your hand, trying to smile. However, a frown kept pulling at your lips. Your eyes burned with tears. 

“No, you are not.” Kaldur reached over to pat your knee. “And that is alright.”

Wally jumped to his feet. Everyone looked at him. You blinked at how red his face was. His hands trembled. “M’gann, you still have eggs in the fridge?”

“Yes? Why?” M’gann sniffled, pulling away from Conner. 

Wally sped to the kitchen and came back with the two full egg cartons. “We’re heading out.” Wally balanced both cartons in one hand and held the other out to you. “Come on, (Y/N). It’s time for some revenge.”

You blinked before that smile you been trying for finally appeared. “Really?”

He nodded. You took his hand and stood up. “Really.”

“Wait, are we doing what I think we’re doing?” Raquel laughed, rubbing her hands together in glee.

“Batman is going to kill me, but it’s worth it.” Dick nudged your side, smirking. 

M’gann and Conner looked confused. Artemis and Zatanna quietly explained it to them and soon all four were grinning in anticipation.

Kaldur held up a hand. “I should be worried, yes?”

“Nah, you’ll be fine.” Raquel kissed his cheek and took his hand to lead him out of the room. 

Wally handed you a carton of eggs. “Thanks, Walls,” you whispered as you both followed the others toward the zeta tube. 

“Hey, you’d do the same for me.” Wally winked at you. You laughed for real, lighter than air.

***

After leaving Kaldur and Raquel as lookout, the rest of the team stood outside your former crush’s house. The lights were off, but her car was in the driveway.

“So what’s the plan, Baywatch?” Artemis whispered. She gently tossed an egg in her hand.

“(Y/N) gets to throw first.” Wally nodded for you to take an egg out of the carton in your hand. 

“I think you should go for the car,” Dick whispered softly in your ear. You rocked on your feet, biting your lip. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach. You didn’t know if they were from excitement or fear or a mix of the two.

You opened your carton and took the cool egg in your hand. It was smooth, you rolled it with your fingers. Wally gave you a smile. “Go for the car,” he said. “She loves the car.”

M’gann tittered behind you, eyes wide with an innocence akin to a child using a swear word for the first time. Artemis and Zatanna hushed her. 

“The car huh?” You rolled your shoulder before throwing the egg. It splattered against the rear windshield. A giggle slipped out of you at the sight. “That was fun.” 

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Artemis said as she threw hers and got the side mirror. “Best part if she doesn’t catch it, she’ll have fried eggs on her car in the morning.”

“Ooo, let me get the other one,” Zatanna giggled, taking aim. She threw her egg, but it was a weak throw. As the egg began to fall toward the driveway, Zatanna whispered, “Tih eht edis rorrim.” The egg disappeared only to appear shattered on the other side mirror a moment later.

Everyone laughed, trying to keep quiet. “Nice save,” Dick chuckled softly. He threw his egg, hitting the tail light of the car. “Feeling the aster tonight!”

M’gann hushed him. “Don’t we have to be quiet?” she said through the mind link. A nearby house’s lights turned on. Everyone froze.

“Duck.” Wally grabbed you and pulled you down behind a nearby trash can. Dick, Artemis, Zatanna, and Conner crouched down. M'gann blended in with her Martian camouflage. A shadow passed by the window of the house before the light turned off again.

“We should go. I don’t want you all to get into trouble,” you said, getting to your feet. 

“Come on, we have to get rid of all these eggs.” Wally stood back up and threw another egg. It slammed against the trunk. “Besides, we won’t get caught.”

You bit your lip. Taking the cool egg in your hand, you threw it and hit the back bumper. 

Everyone kept tossing until only one egg was left. You glanced at Conner, who stood watching the other houses. He hadn’t taken a turn. You went to him and handed him an egg. “Last one. Make it count for me.” He frowned, but you smiled at him brightly.

“Are you sure?” Conner eyed the egg before glancing at the car. “This is your revenge.”

You glanced back at Wally who was goofing off with Dick. “Yeah, go ahead. Besides, this is good life experience for you.” Conner raised an eyebrow. “M’gann will think it’s cool.” He looked at M’gann who quickly looked away blushing. 

A rare smirk pulled at Conner’s lip. He took aim. Your eyes widened as his muscles tensed. Wally clapped a hand on your shoulder just as glass shattering filled the night air. The team froze. 

The car’s rear windshield was gone. The car alarm blared. Conner bit his lip. Lights turned on in the former crush’s house as well as every house on the block. “Run,” Wally shouted, grabbing your arm to pull you with him.

Everyone ran in different directions. Wally scooped you up in his arms and sped through the backyards of the houses. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing breathlessly. Pressing a hand against your mouth, you tried to keep quiet.

“That’s the last time we let Conner egg something,” Wally chuckled, slowly to a stop outside of a closed convenience store. He set you on your feet.

Laughter bubbled out of you. “Noted.” You leaned against the store window and caught your breath. “Thanks Walls. I honestly wasn’t looking forward to this day or the party.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up like I did. I was an ass.” Wally crossed his arms, looking down at his feet. “And I’m sorry I didn’t realize what happened earlier. I should have known.”

You shrugged, brushing off invisible dirt from your jeans. “It’s not your fault. Besides, you made it better. I can’t wait to hear about this at school.” You nudged his shoulder as you both started to walk toward the nearest zeta tube. “I hope the rest of the team got away.”

Wally winced. “They’ll be fine, I hope.” He blushed. “Or we’ll die by Batman’s hand.”

You rolled your eyes, snorting. Looking up at the night sky, you let out a deep breath. Your heart fluttered. Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad with a group of friends that would do anything for you. You glanced at Wally again and wrapped your arm around him. He laughed, half hugging you back.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

Yandere Platonic Young Justice celebrating Christmas with the reader (headcanons)

Yandere Young Justice Celebrating Christmas w/ Their Darling!Reader (platonic)

Christmas (along with other holidays) would become all the more important to the team as a whole once their darling has entered their lives. Especially if it’s their first Christmas with their darling or their darling is very much into the Christmas spirit. Either way everyone would want to make it as special as possible, something all of them can happily remember and fondly look back on. They’re going all out cause of course their darling deserves the best of the best after all.

The team would all be extremely overwhelmed when it came to gifts for their their darling. They each want to get the perfect one and also maybe one up each other a little or a lot *cough* Wally, Dick, and Artemis *cough* Each of the members would have their own means of trying to figure out what to get you. Whether it’s just plain asking you or spying on you even more than usual to get an idea of something.

M’gann would be one of the more confident ones in the present she got for you, she can get in your mind after all so therefore she would have the most knowledge of what you would want. And if she feels particularly generous she might share what you were most looking forward to or really wanting with the others. Dick and Wally are a few others who would be confident in their gifts for you only to second guess themselves last minute and go out of their way to get you more. A majority of them would end up getting you more than one gift, even if they had all already agreed on only gifting one present to you and each other. Like, sure everyone else went through with getting one gift for everyone but of course their precious darling had to be an exception.

Kaldur and Connor (especially if this is his first Christmas in general) would probably end up being the only ones to stick with the one gift rule. Speaking of rules, there would be ground rules for spending Christmas with their darling, as there are usually set rules amongst the team when concerning their darling at all but to say they actually go through with following them is debatable.

A one gift rule would have been one of the first ones brought up amongst the group, especially if it was their first Christmas with their darling. They wouldn’t want to overwhelm you with too much (especially when it came to you getting gifts for them) but then again they also want to spoil you with what all you deserve and make the most of the holly jolly day so of course some exceptions would be made. Whether that’s actually been communicated to the others or not is dependable on who we’re specifically talking about.

Another big rule made amongst the team would be ‘Absolutely and utterly no mistletoes for any reason!’ Whether they’re celebrating small with just you and each other or there’s a much bigger celebration going on with others (in particular with strangers or at least people the team aren’t familiar or acquainted with), any and all mistletoes in sight would be immediately dealt with. Wally would be speeding around the entire place pulling down and getting rid of whatever mistletoes he crosses paths with. God forbid anyone were to end up under a mistletoe with their darling, especially if said person purposely lured their darling under said mistletoe. All hell would break loose and hands are being thrown.

When it does come to decorating and preparing to spend Christmas with their darling the team has every intention of going all out. Although they would be torn between decorating everything before their darling can, just having it all be ready for them and overall surprising them or they also really look forward to decorating together with their darling and getting to spend even more time with them and have some good ol’ wholesome fun together.

It probably ends up with the team going all out putting lights and displays up, along with some knick-knacks here and there but they save decorating the Christmas tree for when you get there so you all can do that together like a happy family. To be honest it’s a pretty chaotic mess that they couldn’t be more appreciative of you not being there to bare witness to it. It would be their luck though that you end up walking right in on the mess they end up making in the process. No matter how organized and planned they were going into it that’s not exactly the result you’re greeted to. Like, sure it was all going good in the beginning but of course it had to get competitive. But eventually they’ll get it together, most definitely with your support and encouragement helping them along the way.

When it comes to decorating the Christmas tree, the team is all in silent agreement that they won’t mess this part up, especially since you’re there with them this time around. Everyone is trying to be as careful as possible, not only in handling all the ornaments, garland, and lights (+maybe the strings of popcorn depending) but also by not getting competitive and trying to make a game out of one upping each other for your attention or something of the sort like they usually do. And for the most part it goes well even with a few slight moments of showing off, particularly on Zatanna’s part. She was having a little too much fun using her powers on a few of the decorations, especially doing so to make you laugh or look on in awe.

Once everything else is taken care of and all the decorations are in their places it’s time to put the star or angel on the tree and they all want you to be the one to do so. Whether you’re tall enough to reach on your own or not, Connor would lift you up nonetheless to place the tree topper where it goes. After that’s done there’s a few silent moments of everyone proudly marveling at their handiwork and taking it all in.

After that would be going through all the baking and cooking that’ll be taking place. The decorating wouldn’t just stop at the Christmas tree, no there are still lots of cookies and what not to get to. If you thought the decorating and competitiveness before was a mess then you haven’t seen anything yet. There will be competitions to see who can create the best gingerbread house or who can decorate the cookies the best. Or who can make the most cookies/sweets. There will definitely be a challenge to see who could decorate the best cookie version of their darling, it’s probably the most serious any of them take a competition and everyone is involved in it. But no matter what everyone else were to do or make, if their darling were to go out of their way to decorate cookies that looked like all of them or something like that it would be the cutest/bestest thing in the whole world to each of them. There may even be some tearing up at the the whole thing but definitely lots of gushing over it and their darling.

There will most definitely be a sleepover on Christmas Eve just so it’s all the easier for them to be with you on Christmas Day. That way they can spend every waking moment with you from start to finish. Also, there’s no doubt that someone picked out matching outfits for everyone to where, whether they’re pajamas or ugly sweaters everyone is going to wear them and be happy about it (it may be a little forced depending on who came up with the idea but it’s the thought that counts, right). Now, if their darling was the one to have picked out matching outfits for everyone then it would be genuinely, willingly, and graciously accepted. The team will rock their new pajamas or sweaters all day long and we’ll after Christmas is over with.

When Christmas Day finally rolls around and it’s time to exchange/open up presents everyone is anxiously awaiting their darling’s reactions to their respective gifts. With all the worrying, second guessing and overthinking all the team members had been dealing with they completely hadn’t thought about the fact that they would also be receiving gifts from their darling. Given that a few, if not most, of the members had thrown the one gift rule out when it came to their darling it wouldn’t be a surprise if their darling felt bad for not getting more gifts for them after seeing all the ones they got, resulting in the others feeling guilty for making their darling feel bad. They would all vehemently reassure their darling that it was more than fine and that the amount of gifts wasn’t the point of celebrating or Christmas in general. In fact it was about being able to spend it with each other (mainly just their darling) and getting to make more memories together as a whole.

When I say that everyone on the team would absolutely cherish the ever loving hell out of whatever their darling got them, I mean it. No matter how small it is or what it is, as long as it came from their darling and they thought of the respective team member when they were getting it then that’s all that matters. If the gift were to have been homemade then you can bet your sweet lasagna that it will be treated with the utmost care and utterly adored. I will say though that if some gifts happened to be homemade and the rest were not then the ones who received the homemade gifts would be rubbing it in the others faces.

Of course there would be a snowball fight at some point. It would all start out as harmless fun but eventually get a little out of hand. Like every time before there will be a fight or competition started by one or a few of the team members and it’ll end up with Kaldur, M’gann or Zatanna taking their darling out of the cross fire and off to do something much more calm and relaxing like building a snowman or making snow angels while the others sort out their beef.