#dickard grayson

[evilwickedme]

Has anybody used the new Taylor Swift song "Robin" as inspiration for a truly tragically painful piece of art about any of not all of the five Robins yet? ESPECIALLY Dick

[elizabethemerald]

Flying Grason and Circus Gothica DPxDC

AO3

Prompt by @hypewinter ;

Richard Grayson crouched next to one of Gotham’s signature gargoyles, dressed in his Nightwing uniform. He stared down at what had, until just the last week, been an empty lot. Now the lot was filled with the lights and color of a traveling circus. Circus Gothica had come to visit Gotham and Dick’s family wanted to give him a pick-me-up. They had attended the circus, and while Dick had been filled with nostalgia at the displays, he couldn't help a feeling of dread. The tightrope walker… she didn’t seem… The sound of a pair of heavy boots landing on the roof behind him shook him out of his thoughts. 

“What are we doing here, Dickard?” Jason, wearing his full Redhood get up, including his helmet, asked from behind him. Dick turned to face his frequently estranged brother for a moment before returning his attention to the circus below them, now long closed for the night. 

“We are going to investigate this circus for anything suspicious.” Dick said, keeping his focus on the circus. He heard the rattling noise that he knew came from Jason sighing into his voice modulator. 

“I meant, what am I doing here? If you needed to investigate this place why didn’t you call the Brat or the Replacement. Either of the girls would have worked as well.” 

“I needed you here.” Dick said. Jason walked up next to him on the other side of the gargoyle. “I knew if I said I have a bad feeling about the circus without proof everyone else, except for maybe Cass would have dismissed me. ‘Oh it’s just the trauma speaking.’ But I know what I saw. The tightrope walker, she wasn’t willing. I think she was being forced to perform, her motions were too mechanical, as if she wasn’t all there.” 

“And you needed me over Cass because if they are abusing their performers you’re going to beat them to within an inch of their lives and Cass would have stopped you.” Jason said. “Well if you want to save that girl, I’m here for-”

Jason whirled mid-sentence, drawing both guns from his sides and aiming them at something behind them. Dick turned with him, pulling his escrima as he turned but he couldn’t see whatever it was that Jason had reacted to. Jason stayed focused on a single point in space at the far end of the roof. 

“Show yourself!” He barked. 

After a few seconds, during which Jason didn’t waver in his focus, someone faded into view. The kid looked like he was eighteen, maybe nineteen, just a year younger than Jason. He had wavy black hair, blue eyes and was wearing a NASA shirt. Total adoption bait, Dick thought to himself. The guy was holding his hands up in surrender and had a desperate look in his eye. 

“You two are heroes, right?” He asked, his hands still raised. 

Jason and Dick glanced at each other. 

“Yeah, we’re heroes. I’m Nightwing, this is Redhood. Why were you spying on us?” 

“I heard you talking about the tightrope walker, you’re right she is unwilling. Please, I need you to help me, the ringleader, Freakshow, is using mind control on her.” The boy fell to his knees as he begged. “Please, Ancients, please help me. They’re killing her. Please, they're killing her.” 

There was an undeniable desperation in his voice. Dick hesitated for a moment, there was a chance, however slim, that this person was merely a fantastic actor, especially now that the topic of mind-control had been brought up. He was trying to formulate some way to confirm what this person had said other than his own gut feeling when Jason stepped forward, holstering his guns as he did. 

“He’s telling the truth.” Jason said. 

Well Dick had asked him to come because they were team gut instinct, so might as well trust Jason on this one. He returned his escrima to his back. The boy practically collapsed in relief onto the rooftop, falling to his hands and knees for a moment before he started to rise. Jason helped pull him to his feet. 

“Alright, talk. What do you know?” Jason said. 

“Freakshow is the alias used by the Ring-leader. He uses a staff to control… people. The staff should have been destroyed.” He practically growled when he said that. Actually, Dick was certain he really did growl, he arched an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt. “If the staff is taken from him then he loses control over the… people.” 

Dick could hear that the boy was hiding something. Considering the inhuman growl and the slight flash of his eyes, along with the invisibility, he was going to guess that by people, he meant metas. The last thing Gotham needed was mind control focused meta trafficking ring in the city. 

“You said they were killing her? How? Why?” 

He looked away from them, his eyes flicking side to side as he tried to order his thoughts. He was either coming up with a lie or trying to decide how much information to share with them. 

“Ellie… she’s… sick. I have medicine for her. If I can get it to her in time I can save her, but if I get close while Freakshow still has the staff he’ll take control of me. I have some training and some resistance, but it might not be enough. The staff he’s using is ancient, he’s controlled me before but I was able to fight it off. I’m not certain I would be able to do so again, and it’s too much of a risk to try.” 

It seemed the boy had decided on a half truth. The girl, Ellie, was certainly unwell, and her life was in more danger with every second that ticked passed, but what she was sick with and what the medicine for her were were unclear. Jason seemed to pick up on that as well. 

“We’ll get her out of there. And all the rest of them. But when we’re done we’re going to have a long talk.” Jason growled. 

The boy looked up at them, desperation once again shining naked on his face. 

“If you save her I will tell you anything I am able to. I promise. Please just save her and bring her to me.” 

“We will. We’re heroes. It’s what we do.” Dick said, trying to project all the confidence he could to assure the boy. Speaking of which… “By the way, what’s your name? I can’t keep calling you ‘kid’ in my head.” 

“I’m Danny. And I’m not a kid.” Danny had grimaced when Dick had mentioned being a hero, perhaps he had a bad history with heroes? Now he kind of wished he had brought Cass along with him on this venture, she would have been much better at reading this kid. And he was definitely a kid, a teenaged father to an even younger, kidnapped daughter. 

“Ok, Danny. Is there anything else you can tell us about this Freakshow?” 

Danny pulled a backpack from…somewhere, then rustled around on the inside for a few seconds. He slowly stuck his arm further and further inside until his shoulder was ready to disappear before he pulled back. Certainly the bag wasn’t large enough by itself for him to do that. Dick shot a glance at Jason and he could practically feel the matching raised eyebrow even through Jason’s helmet. Danny finally leaned back and tossed two bracelets to the two heroes. 

“I’ve had these built for years just in case, and I’ve been carrying them with me since Ellie was taken. These will keep you safe from Freakshow’s mind control.” 

The bracelets weren’t exactly high fashion, but they didn’t look bad. If Dick was going to place a guess, he would say that Danny had modified and improved upon another’s design. That would be something they would have to ask once this was over. Jason grunted in discomfort when he snapped his on. 

“If these work so well, how don’t wear one to better resist Freakshow?” Jason had a hint of strain in his voice that Dick couldn’t quite figure out. 

Danny reached over as if to grab Dick’s wrist except a spark of toxic green electricity arced off the bracelet to shock Danny’s hand. He gave the bracelet a grim look. Then looked up at them apologetically. 

“If only it were that simple. I haven’t been able to find any technological protection from Freakshow’s mind-control that doesn’t also harm me.” Then he turned to Jason, a look of concern on his face. “Speaking of which, it doesn’t hurt you too badly does it?” 

Dick was confused by that statement. He hadn’t noticed any pain or discomfort coming from the bracelet he now wore on his wrist. Jason however, waggled his hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. 

“It’s not the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.” He said shortly. 

“No, I imagine it wouldn’t be.” Danny said as if sharing an inside joke with Jason and considering his snort he apparently got it. Dick hated not being on a joke, but he figured this one he was probably happy not to have personal experience with. Danny’s face settled into a more determined look. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything else to help you, please, just get Ellie out and safe as quickly as possible. Please, I can’t lose her too.” 

They nodded and turned together and jumped from the roof. Dick wanted to think more about Danny and his various strangeness, but he needed to focus on the task at hand. They had a little girl to save. 

.

In the end, stopping Freakshow wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t nearly as difficult as some of their usual rogues. On the one hand, the performers that Freakshow controlled had powers, something Danny completely failed to mention. They could fly, turn invisible, phase into the ground, even fire off some kind of green energy bolts that reminded Dick far too much of Starfire’s starbolts. On the other hand, none of these powers seemed to be very effective against the two heroes. 

The starbolts didn’t do anything more than tickle Dick, and while they seemed to hurt Jason more, the two of them were well used to avoiding incoming fire from their enemies. They were usually dodging bullets, which moved faster, hurt more and were more lethal than the starbolts, so the performers were mostly useless at range. 

Up close whatever shield Danny had given them kept the performers from touching them, each of them falling back with arcs of electricity jumping between their fingers. It helped that under Freakshow’s control the performers just kept trying to jump or fly into them with a full bodied tackle. Any goon in the goonion knew better than to try to just tackle one of the bat clan. Dick guessed it had something to do with the powers the performers demonstrated, but he set it aside as something to ask Danny about once they were out of there. 

Just when the two Bats were within sight of Freakshow the lights of the big top came on, including a spotlight focused on the high wire. Freakshow stepped back and gestured with the staff in his hands towards where the lone acrobat, the little girl, Danny’s Ellie, stood balanced on the wire. 

“Now, now, little bats! If you take even one step closer a little ghost child will fall to her second death. I’d hate for her to splatter all over the ground of the Big Top!” Freakshow said, with a grin as demented as one of the Joker’s. 

Ellie moved slowly across the tightrope. Dick could immediately pick up on that same mechanical, emotionless movement that had first drawn his attention. He could see that she was being controlled now that he had the confirmation. He could also see just how tired she was, she sagged against the control of her body, any part of her that wasn’t actively being controlled by Freakshow drooped as if she wanted to pass out from exhaustion. Dick just hoped that whatever medicine Danny had for his daughter worked. 

“I’ve got another idea. Nightwing?” Jason growled the words, his modulator making him sound even more inhuman. Dick glanced at his brother and gave him the subtlest of nods. They moved immediately, perfectly in sync. Jason pulled his guns and fired off a few rounds, rubber bullets and all. Dick fired his grapple and rose as the control staff was shot out of Freakshow’s hand. 

Ellie came back to herself and wobbled for a second before she slipped off the wire, gravity immediately taking hold of her. For a second, Dick flashed back to another family falling from the peak of the big top. He remembered the feeling of horror that filled him as his parents fell to their death. He couldn’t allow another family to go through that. Not this time. Ellie falls and Dick was there to meet her. 

The poor girl shivered and shook in his arms as he carefully lowered the two of them to the ground. Large green tears fell from her eyes and her breath rattled in and out of her chest. She grabbed onto his uniform with desperate fingers and seemed to pass out immediately in his arms. Dick dearly wanted to beat Freakshow into submission for what he had done to her, but she very clearly needed her medicine more. Jason settled for breaking Freakshow’s arm before knocking him out and cuffing him. Surprisingly the rest of Freakshow’s victims had vanished into thin air once the staff left his hands. 

Dick carried Ellie back to the rooftop where they had left Danny. The whole time she kept her eyes closed and shook in his arms. Jason carried the staff Freakshow had used, though he held it like it was something foul and offended him personally. Danny had been watching them come and as soon as they were on the roof as well had his arms out for his daughter. Dick handed her off willingly, and Danny almost immediately collapsed to his knees in relief. 

“Daddy?” Elllie croaked the word, barely able to open her eyes. 

“I’m here, Ellie. I’m here. I’ve got the ecto-dejecto.” 

“I tried to fight him.” Her voice was soft and hoarse and hurt Dick just to hear. 

“You did amazing, sweety. You were absolutely amazing.” 

Danny pulled a syringe out from what looked like his own arm. A syringe filled a green gel that glowed softly. Jason stared at the needle as Danny readied it for Ellie. She tried to shove his hand away, but he moved around her. 

“I know you hate it, I know. It’s awful. But you have to take it. Please Ellie, I’ve got you, you’re safe.” 

Dick flinched back in horror as Ellie’s hand melted into a similar green goo. The glowing goo fell from her body to the rooftop but she didn’t seem to react, only mewling softly at Danny as he pushed the needle into her chest, close to where her heart would be. Danny pushed down on the plunger and Ellie threw her head back and screamed. Dick had to cover his ears while even Jason with his helmet stumbled back before the force of her scream. 

Their horror only increased when her entire body fell apart, glowing chunks splashing onto the roof leaving a pale green pearl in Danny’s hands. The puddles of green flowed up into the pearl until there wasn’t a trace of Ellie left other than the pearl. Danny rocked back and forth as he held the pearl, and whispered quietly to it. 

“Please, Ellie. Please. Come back. I was fast enough, please Ellie, just this once, please let me have been fast enough. Please, Ancients, don’t let me lose anyone else. Please, Ellie. Please.”

Danny’s voice was broken with grief and desperation as he begged the little sphere. Dick stepped forward to comfort the grieving father, his own regret heavy in his heart, but Jason’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. The two of them could only watch as Danny begged and begged, still rocking. Only the slow tightening of Jason’s hand on Dick’s shoulder showed his grief and fear rising as well. The three men stared at the little orb in Danny’s hand, two of them hardly daring to breathe as any last remnant of hope faded. 

Then, just when Dick was certain he had been too late, a flash of light came from the little sphere. He blinked the light from his eyes and when he could see again he saw Danny clutching a much more lively Ellie to his chest, sobbing in naked relief. 

“Oh Daddy! I knew you would come and that stupid jerk would pay.” Ellie cheered, hugging him back just as strong. 

“That’s right baby, I’m always going to come for you. I’ll always protect you.” He stood, lifting his daughter easily and turned to show her the two bats. “And these two heroes were the ones who stopped Freakshow and brought you back to me.” 

Ellie smiled at them and they couldn’t help but notice that her smile was just a little too wide, and showed just a few too many teeth. Then she seemed to recognize them and they saw actual literal stars in her eyes. 

“Oh my gosh! You’re Redhood! You’re Aunt Jazz’s favorite hero!” Jason preened for a moment before Ellie continued. “She says there’s something deeply wrong with your entire family and she wants to study you like a bug. She says all of you need ‘like decades of therapy.’”

Jason and Dick didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended by the kid’s words. And they had both rescued children often enough to know that they were often brilliant mimics and considering the intonation she had used, had probably heard that phrase way too often.

“Now Ellie, be nice. They did rescue after all. Give them a proper thank…” Danny’s voice petered out as he saw the staff that Jason still held in his hands. Ellie happily thanked the two heroes as he glared at the staff, analyzing and examining it, his face twisting with more and more rage. 

The staff itself seemed to have been broken before and then sloppily repaired with glowing green and silver technology. It was at this modified portion of the staff that Danny focused his ire. Ellie seemed to notice her father’s fury as her babbling words to the heroes ceased and she turned in his arms to lightly pat her hands on his face. He blinked and looked at her before letting his face relax. 

“Daddy, are you ok?” 

“Yeah, Daddy’s ok sweetie. This is just something bigger I’m going to have to deal with.” 

“Ok.” She hesitated for a moment. “Just promise to be safe, I won’t be able to protect you until I’m bigger.” 

“I promise, munchkin.” 

Jason quietly cleared his throat. They both hated to disrupt the tender moment, but if this was a larger threat they needed the facts as soon as possible. 

“I know, I know. I promised you details.” Danny said as he adjusted how he was carrying Ellie. “This isn’t exactly a topic for the rooftops. Do you have someplace private we can talk? Preferably somewhere I can put the kiddo down for bed after the hard week she’s had?” 

Dick and Jason glanced at each other. There were a variety of safe houses and interrogation rooms the Family had available in the area, or the Batcave, but none were exactly the best for putting a potential ally at ease where they could also have a child sleep over. Hell, Dick’s apartment was barely safe for him to sleep, the pile of dishes in his sink practically counted as a biohazard. Well… there was one place… but that meant revealing…

“B’s out of town for the week for that JL thing isn’t he?” Jason asked, clearly having read Dick’s mind. “He’s not here to disapprove.” 

“Seems like the perfect place for a conversation.” Dick agreed and turned back to see Danny’s slightly worried glance between the two of them. “How about it Danny? Would you like to ride with the kiddo on one of our motorcycles?” 

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Ellie said with a smile. “Aunt Jazz is the one who likes motorcycles. Daddy and I will fly!” 

.

Danny did in fact fly, invisibly and intangibly, with Ellie still in his arms. He followed along in the air over the two bikes as they weaved dangerously in and out of traffic. The two were obviously brothers in so many ways, but their playful daring of each other to push a little faster, to get a little closer to the cars made it even more obvious. Danny couldn’t help the small smile that crept up his face, but speaking of siblings he had to make a call of his own. Jazz answered on the first ring. 

“Danny? Did you find her?” Jazz asked, she had been driving herself crazy for the past week trying to find where Ellie had been taken to. 

“Yeah, I’ve got her safe and sound-”

“Hi Aunt Jazz!” Ellie interrupted to yell into the earpiece Danny was using. He could practically feel Jazz’s wince at the volume, but they were both used to Ellie’s exuberance. 

“Hi Ellie! I’m so glad to hear you’re safe!” Jazz shouted back, making Danny wince this time, but Ellie nodded even though she wasn’t wearing the earpiece and settled back against Danny’s chest. “Talk to me Danny. What happened?” 

“Freakshow was controlling her. And a bunch of other ghosts, but I was able to scoop up the rest while the heroes had their backs turned. I’ll be dropping them off in the zone as soon as I can.” 

“Heroes? What heroes?” 

“I had a little help from Gotham’s beloved Knights. Or at least two of them. They were the ones to take out Freakshow since I couldn’t risk getting closer to him while he held his staff.” 

“I thought you broke that staff the last time you faced him.” 

“I did. It was fixed.” Danny hesitated for a second before dropping the bomb on her. “It was fixed with Fentontech.” 

He could hear the gasp from Jazz at the same time Ellie shivered in fear. Jazz took a steadying breath and Danny could practically see her going through her breathing exercises to control her own panic. 

“I guess that problem will need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.” 

“Mm. I’m hoping that with the help of the local heroes I won’t have to take care of everything myself, but…”

“Some things are personal.” Jazz finished for him. “I understand Danny.” She took another breath before changing topics, now sounding calm and professional. “Could you stay on the line? Tucker is tracking your location, and I would like to confirm for myself that the two of you are ok.” 

“Of course Jazz. Do you want to talk to Ellie?” Danny was already removing the piece from his ear before Jazz could even confirm. Of course Jazz wanted to talk to Ellie. Jazz loved her niece more than oxygen. He slipped the piece into Ellie’s ear so they could talk. 

“Hi Aunt Jazz! This is Ellie, I’ve missed you so much!” Ellie started talking excitedly greeting Jazz again as if Danny would just hand his earpiece to anyone. 

Danny mentally checked out from their conversation as he stayed flying over the two Bats. His parents had already shared their technology with the GIW making it more dangerous to be a ghost or liminal. Even Jazz had been attacked once by GIW agents, though she had left all the agents with concussions and multiple broken bones once she was done with them. 

If they were sharing their technology with other criminals like Freakshow, it was going to be even more dangerous. How long would it take until some of the big rogues get their hands on anti ghost tech? What could someone like the Joker or Luthor do if even the dead aren’t safe from their machinations? 

.

Jason and Dick lead the two ghosts to a large manor on the outskirts of Gotham. Danny eventually recognizes it as Wayne manor. He would have to tell Sam she won their bet on Batman’s secret identity, not that they would ever tell anyone. He and Ellie were welcomed into the house by Alfred, the manor’s butler. The two of them settled in the dining room where Ellie was plied with dinner and dessert after her stressful time with Freakshow. Danny makes a mental note for his daughter to spend time with Aunt Jazz so she can talk things through free of judgment. 

The two bat boys joined them shortly out of costume and the rest of the family trickled in throughout the day as their patrols ended. Damian, who was probably the stabby Robin, glared at them as if they were a threat to his family. Danny couldn’t help the thought that he puffed up like an angry cat. Cassandra and Stephanie, Black Bat and Spoiler respectively, worked together to pull Ellie from Danny’s lap to keep her entertained away from the serious discussion that was happening at the table. Timothy, or Red Robin (Yumm!) was on the receiving end of several stern looks from Alfred for having a computer at the dining table but he was taking rapid notes on everything Danny said. 

Danny told them as much as he felt comfortable with. About ghosts, and over shadowing, and Infinite Realms. He tried to keep the conversation light and focused just on the simple details until Alfred escorted in Jazz at close to three in the morning. 

“Aunt Jazz!” Ellie ran to her and jumped into her arms, Jazz swinging her up into the air easily. As if Ellie had been waiting to be reunited with her family she almost immediately fell asleep in Jazz’s arms. Alfred escorted the two to the guest room he had prepared hours ago. 

Once Jazz had returned to the dining room it was time for the serious conversation. The GIW. The Anti-Ecto Act. The very real threat of extermination that every ectoplasm contaminated person now faced, which included more than half the bats currently at the table as well. Promises are made to get the League looking at the laws. Eventually the conversation turns to talking about Danny and Ellie. 

“Technically she’s my clone.” Danny confessed. “My fruitloop god-father wanted to make me his perfect son, so he stole my DNA and cloned me. She was unstable for a long time and had to keep coming back for injections. We finally figured out what was going on two years ago.”

Danny rubbed a hand up and down his face as he gathered himself. He always hated that it had taken him so long to understand what she needed. 

“Because he’s terrible at biology, he forced her human half to grow at an accelerated rate to match my age, but he couldn’t do the same with her ghost half. The two sides were at war, and it turns out she really was a baby ghost all along, but didn’t have an adult ghost around to be able to depend on. She changed her form to match her actual age, and I’ve been her ghost parent, so I’ve helped steady her core. Until Freakshow came along and stole her away while she still needed me.” 

He glared at the table top as the temperature around him plummeted. Freakshow could have killed his little girl. It would have been all too easy and if Dick and Jason hadn’t helped take away his staff, Danny might have been too late. If Freakshow’s actions had led to Ellie’s death there would have been no safe haven for him in this life or the next. Jazz grabbing his hand brought him back before he sent the dining room into the next ice age. 

The arrival of the daylight hero, Signal, aka Duke, reminded the lot they should have been asleep hours ago. Jazz and Danny retired to the same guest room Ellie was currently snoring away in. They settled down on either side of the bed from her, cuddling Danny’s daughter in the middle. 

“What are we going to do about the Fentons?” Jazz whispered from across Ellie’s still form. 

“If they’re helping villains, they’ve crossed a line. I’ll have to deal with them myself.” Danny hesitated for a bit. “I’ll have to wait until Ellie’s stable again, but then would you mind if she stayed with you? You’re family too, even if you don’t have a ghost form, so she should be stable with you too.” 

“Of course I will, Danny. You don’t even have to ask.” Jazz said, she hesitated as well. “Are you going to bring them in to serve jail time?” 

They had been his parents once. His mom and dad. Jazz still caught herself sometimes referring to them as their parents. But they had crossed too many lines. With Jazz’s childhood, after Danny’s accident, now with Ellie’s health. He took a shaky breath and shook his head. 

“Their crimes are against the dead. And the dead are going to come for their due.”

Jazz nodded, small tears shining in her eyes, before she closed them and let the tears fall. The trio fell asleep, a small, strange family, reunited again after so long. Tomorrow would be a new challenge, but eventually they would know peace. 

[rozaceous]

the blorbo-ification of korvin kwan

set in a combo of @vermillioncrown's 'the pros and cons of digging your own grave' and my 'a sunset every hour,' i wrote a scene for verm as gift fic, because i was so affronted by how mean the narrative was to My Boy (korvin) and how much i wanted him to get wrapped in a blanket and also have a dental visit. hence the title--i spiritually adopted him in a hopefully less cracked version of 'you lost the rights to your oc bc you were mean to them.' (we've all seen the screenshots of those posts, right???)

so this is allie finding out that dick grayson has been hiding an entire twelve year-old from her. she is not well pleased lmao.

Allie’s pretty sure that she’s timed Dick’s work schedule correctly, but she’s also willing to wait outside the doorstep of his latest safe house until he arrives and soothes her frazzled nerves about his general state of being.

What Allie is not expecting is for not-Dick to answer the door, and especially she isn’t expecting that someone to be a wavy-haired East Asian boy who opens the door but doesn’t undo the chain lock, peering through the gap between door and frame all squinty-eyed.

“Um,” says Allie, eyes flashing to the 302 on the door, which is exactly the number it should be. “I’m…looking for Dick?”

The evaluative quality of the kid’s stare does not diminish. “You’re too young to be a girlfriend.”

She’s helpless against the instant full-face squinch that sentence causes. “We’re more like mutually adopted siblings,” she hazards, voice tight, and regretful that everything regarding the usage of Dick's name sounds inappropriate for the public, especially under-eighteens.

A pause.

“Mr Richard didn’t tell you he underwent child acquisition,” he observes.

“He didn’t, and he’s going to rue that fact until the day he dies.”

“Sounds like siblings, yeah. You’re Allie, then?”

“He talked about me to you but couldn’t be bothered to mention you to me?” she mutters, mostly to herself.

“I was trying to pretend to not-hear him talk to you on the phone. Not really possible in this shoebox.” Some of the squinting eases. “If you can prove who you are, I can let you in until Mr Richard gets back. Otherwise I’m calling the cops.”

Allie is…impressed by that statement, she's pretty sure. “I haven’t got a driver’s license yet, but I’ve got a learner’s permit and a library card. Sufficient evidence?”

A hand pokes through the gap, fingers making grabby motions. Three minutes later has her standing in the kitchen, shoes and coat off, and peering at the meal prep in progress.

“Korvin,” as she’s been informed is the kid’s name, “I know Dickard’s idea of a good meal is take-out, but what the fuck? Do you seriously have to cook it yourself if you want a vegetable?”

“Mr Richard makes sure I get fed,” is the dodgy reply, and Allie knows what covering for someone you don’t want to get in trouble sounds like. So she decides straightforward is best.

“Look, I love Dick to bits,” she tells Korvin. “But his life is held together by silly string, boyish charm, and Barbara. Fuck,” she realizes, pulling her flip phone from her back pocket. She holds the power button until the screen lights on. “Yeah, hope that freaks them both out and gets him over here tout de suite.” She puts her attention back on Korvin, who is regarding her with similar wariness as when he first opened the door. “My point is, if you’re not getting taken care of, you tell me, and I make sure it happens. Capische?”

Korvin seems a little too stunned or cagey or something to reply.

She flips her phone back open and opens her contacts before pressing the device into his hands. “Put your number in and text yourself so you can contact me. Which, by the way, is an ‘anytime’ kind of offer.”

Another, slightly wide-eyed look, and Korvin follows her instruction.

Twenty minutes later and even the way that Dick opens the door tells Allie that he knows he’s about to get the ass-chewing of his life. He slinks through the entry like a dog pretending it doesn’t know a thing about the torn up couch cushions, grinning brightly and waving at her across the apartment where she’s removing vegetables from the oven.

“Hey, Allie!” She’ll give him credit that nervousness makes his voice waver only slightly. “See you and Korv met!”

"Hm."

[benbamboozled]

Dickard Grayson aaaand post

[hintofelation99]

The Various Names of Dick Grayson

Some Canon, Some Fanon, Some Headcanon

Richard Grayson

Dick Grayson

The Gray Son

Ric

Dickiebird

Dickface

Dickhead

Dickie

Dickard

Grayson

Big Wing

Big Bird

Little Bird(ie)

Robin

Nightwing

Wing

Rob

Circus Brat

Flying Grayson

Icarus

Tweety Bird

The Acrobat

Goldie

Boy Wonder

Boy Blunder

Dick Sporting Goods

Phaethon (this is used in a mocking sense)

Dick's Drive-In (referencing the fast food joint)

The Flippy One

Traffic Light

Green Panties (Used by Tim, @cpt-america-aint-here disapproved of this one)

Dickothy

Dildo (Jason uses this when Dick is acting 'fake')

[fightwing]

this is dickard grayson when he’s in his anti bruce arcs 

[mchaelscofield]

feel like being messy let's talk about an au situation where ph'yzzon comes to earth (let's say it's s3 but the titans never came to gotham) and to get kory to come home because there's big political drama going on on tamaran and dick is just so bothered by his presence all the time. doubly bothered because kory is so blatantly attracted to ph'yzzon and into him. grayson just gonna have to sit and cry about it because i'm in a petty mood lol.

No because why as soon as Kom said she wanted Kory to rule Tamaran alongside her my petty, messy ass immediately jumped to creating scenarios where Kory decides to go home to deal with the political issues on Tamaran and the team's reactions to her dipping.

But why this au kinda eating... I know Dick would be sick and throwing up (as his trifling ass deserves; Conner should've tossed his ass harder and farther when that bomb went off) at the chemistry between Ph'y and Kory, and my ass would be eating that shit up. And I'mma need Kory to actually LEAVE. That, or get dragged off to Tamaran, so I can really see Dickard's annoying ass sick!

(I'mma feel bad for the other Titans tho)

[magicrowiswritingstuff]

Batboys: Nicknames

Note: Wow, I’ve got followers now ... Hey, and thanks for reading my fics! :D Sadly, I don’t know how productive I can be for the next month or so because my finals will start next week ... but I definitely have some ideas and pieces planned so stay tuned. But for now only something short and sweet :3

Also, read this headcanon if you want to know what different personalities the s/os have.

_________________________________

Dick Grayson:

You two sometimes use names associated with dance styles and their region or decade of origin: "My Steady" when you two dance Rock n Roll. "Mi Amado/a" or "Cariño/a" for Cha-cha-cha, Jive and many more amazing Latin dances. "Schatz" or "Liebling" while dancing the waltz and so on and so on. But normally Dick uses "Dove" or "Lovebird" for you. Especially after he tells you about his alias because he thinks it is ironic and funny. Other nicknames he likes to use are "Sugar", "Littledancer" or "Ballerina" even though he is the one who can dance ballet like a professional who trained forever. You also often use "Lovebird" as a more serious nickname but also "BigBird" or "Mother Hen" after getting to know he is Nightwing because you also think it's funny. Or you call him by silly nicknames you make up at the moment. It often ends up with you just screwing up his name to annoy him. You like to call him "Richie" or "Dickard" though whenever you really want to tease him. After a while Dick ends up doing the same and it quickly escalates into a not so serious competition between you two about who can use the most bizarre and sickly sweet nickname. _________________________________ Jason Todd:

You don't know when it happened but you were sure Jason was the one who initiated it: Using the names of characters from books and movies for each other. He definitely calls you "Juliet" and you call him "Romeo". Or "Cinderella" and "Prince Charming". "Veronica" or just "Sawyer" and "JD" ... the list is endless. However, these names are often just used in private. More normal nicknames Jason likes to use are "Baby/Babe", "Sweetheart" and "Princess" because you definitely are his little princess and he likes to think about himself as your knight in shining armor. You think it fits, especially after he saved you as Red Hood, so you started calling him "My Knight" after that night whenever he calls you princess. Or you use "Princey". You also call him "Birdie" or "Jaybird" but most of the time you just like to call him "Jay". You also like to use "Softy" but he will glare at you whenever you use it in front of others. But that only eggs you on. When you two are teasing each other you like to call him "Hothead", "Hot Shot" or "Firefly" because he is definitely the fire to your ice. He thinks so too so he uses "Waterlily", "Polar Bear" or simply "(Bear) Cub" for you. _________________________________ Tim Drake:

Similar to Jason, Tim will definitely use characters' names as nicknames for you. Most of the time they're video game characters though. And as long as you know about the character you will respond with the respective counterpart. But you often end up using the wrong one because you sometimes just don't know better ... or you do it intentionally just to tease him. Or you just raise an eyebrow in question because you don't recognize the name of the character. When that happens you can bet that Tim will give you a whole presentation about said character and all the games they feature in. Characters you use are for example "Peach/Mario" though you preferably call him "Super Mario" than just "Mario" or "Luigi/Bowser" just to tease. But normally and especially when out in public you two use more default nicknames. He likes to call you "Angel" or "Cuddles". When you are particularly clingy and in need of hugs and cuddles from him he will call you "Cuddle Monster" and roll his eyes. Tough he would never deny you them. You on the other hand like to call him "Bebe/Babe", "Hun" or "Baby Bird". Names that are always lying on the back of your tongue are "Coffee Boy", "Brainiac/Brains" or "Genius". Sometimes they are used genuinely, other times just to tease. _________________________________ Damian Wayne:

Nothing other than "Beloved" will ever leave his lips. Well, when talking about romantic nicknames at least. Damian will definitely call you "Hothead", "Little Rebel", "Troublemaker" or simply "Trouble" whenever you are acting up or being reckless again. Or just because he wants to because you will look at him with an annoyed glint in your eyes that always makes him smile. You like to tease him with whatever nickname you can come up with or feel like. "Iceman" when he behaves stoic and strict or "Jelly Bean" when he acts tough and unfazed because you know there is a softy slumbering deep inside. Or you use that name when he wants to be taken seriously. "Feathers" or "Beak" are used after you figured out he is Robin but only in private. Romantic nicknames you like to use are "Love", "Charmer" or "Charming". But you also mess up his name with great delight when calling him. Or you just simply call him "Dami", "Dame" or "Dames". Something he thinks is really sweet though is when you research and learn Arabic words and phrases of endearment. The pronunciation is sometimes a little off but he gladly corrects and helps you when you want to learn more about the language.

[psyclownsis-a-blog]

fdtd au where everything is the same except they call him dick instead of richie

[skeletonwoman]

J is for Judgement

This is a part 2! Comes after a part 1, and a part 1.5!!

You smile at Dick when he darkens the pet stores doorway.

“Hey baby, hey baby,” he greets and you snort, coming around the counter to give him a hug. You’ve never been much of a hugger, but hell, he’s just the cuddliest.

Also he smells like a tasty man.

Pulling apart, he leans against your counter, an attempt at being casual and you hide a smirk.

“So, bestie,” he begins and you waver in place. Luckily the space is empty apart from the two of you. “I’ve got a thing tonight, if you’re interested in coming.”

“Going out on the town with my bestie?” You begin, about to rain him in stupid compliments.

“Ah- not, the town…” He cuts in and you hum, wrinkling your brow. “Dami is throwing the dog a birthday party,” his tone drags the words as if it’s a chore, even though it sounds like tonight might be the best of your life, “and it’s just a small gathering, family and close friends. I was wondering…”

He gives you a sneaky look.

“Yeeees?” you sing-song back and he licks his lips, trying to hide smile.

“If you were interested…” His mouth drags the words out and you feel like you’re vibrating from the inside out.

“Innnnn?”

“Coming with me to the party tonight?”

“Yeah!” You shout, throwing your fists in the air and bouncing around in a circle before pulling up in front of him, dropping your excitement and blanking your face. “Yeah, sounds cool, no biggie, if you want, no prob, Bob.”

Dick beams at you, still leant against the counter. “They’re going to love you.”

“You bet your ass they will, Richie!” Your bravado has his expression softening with affection, even as your stomach flips with a sudden and crushing panic. Hiding this, you catch his hand in one of yours and swing them. “I am excited to meet Barbaraaaa.”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes and grinning, before pushing off the counter and dragging you about the store.

“Help me get the damn dog a present, it can be from both of us, obviously,” he says, before muttering. “Dogs birthday party, Jason didn’t get a birthday party last year but the dog does?”

You don’t tell Dick about the guy today. You know he notes the scrawled number on your hand and he smiles a little, but when you don’t mention it, he doesn’t ask.

As you’re walking home, Dick having promised to pick you up later, you stare at your phone.

Debating.

Screw it.

Me: Hi, this is Y/N from the pet store, I didn’t get your name today

You wait ten seconds before shoving your phone into your pocket out of anxiety and instead focussing on tonights hellscape.

You have to make these people love you. You have to!

Ignoring the silence and stillness of your pocketed phone, you instead focus on reviewing what you know about Dicks family.

Surprisingly- little.

Honestly? You barely know anything about them.

Except:

               He has two dads, Alfred and Bruce

               He has four brothers, Jay, Tim, Duke and Damian

               He has two sisters, Steph and Cass.

               He has one not sister, Barbara, also his unrequited love

               He doesn’t have favourites between any of them.

Luckily, as you start up your stoop and your chest starts to heave, your phone vibrates in your pocket.

Unknown Number: I’m Jason

You wait. For something, anything.

After two minutes, you’ve entered your apartment and, phone still in hand, made your way to your closet.

After ten, you’ve set the phone back on your bed and are deciding between a red bodysuit and a yellow crop top.

After twenty, you’re in the shower and anxiously shaving your legs even though you’ve decided to wear long pants.

At the thirty minute mark, out of the shower with your hair wrapped but before you apply moisturiser, you pick up the phone and give in.

Me: What do you do, Jason?

Putting it back down, without much expectation, you pick up the moisturiser once more but pause when the device beeps again.

Jason: I’m a freelancer, mixed martial artist.

Jason: Do you like lunch? Or breakfast food.

You try to grin too wide at the messages. He seems a little… unsure, maybe. You’re into it.

Me: I love lunch, and breakfast- for lunch or breakfast. What do you think about dinner?

You nab your red bodysuit and slip yourself into it, then fight on your favourite pair of pink corduroy pants. Gazing at yourself in the mirror, you frown, look at your closet, frown harder.

No.

“You’re hot.” You growl to your mirror self. “I am hot. And I am loveable and tonight is going to be great and tomorrow you can go out with Jason and kiss that gorgeous face.”

His visage pops up before you, scarred and unusual.

You hope his scars are more innocent than- well, than other scars in this city.

Maybe he got them in the womb, or terrible acne that forms perfect lines.

Oh boy.

Jason: I usually work nights, late, and I’d hate to cut our night short because I need to get to work

Your lips purse.

Oh shit!

Dickard: I’m coming up, you better look hot

Shoving away your awful, awful, just awful realization, you look back up at yourself in the mirror and grimace. Throwing on a light coat of lipstick and a layer of mascara, finishing off the makeup you’d been wandering through while texting with-

No.

Leaping up, you grab your jacket- that guys jacket-

Oh hell, you’re so dumb.

Pushing out every thought to do with night time activities and vigilantes and, worse, villain criminals, you throw on the jacket, put your phone and wallet in the pockets, slip on some shoes and snatch your keys.

“Shit,” you murmur, spinning around and nabbing your perfume from the table and spritzing yourself and the jacket. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Bounding for the door, you wrench it open just as Dick raises his hand to knock. You stare at each other, for a moment, while you pant.

“Running late?”

Shoving Dick backwards into the hall, you lock up behind yourself and turn back to him with a cheesy smile. “Show me your Daddy, Dicky.”

His expression goes blank and you hiss out a breath.

“No. No! Don’t-”

“I think maybe-”

“Oh shut up,” you growl and he laughs, throwing an arm over your shoulders and leading you out of the building. “Y’know, I’ve don’t know that much about your family. Like I know the cast, obviously but you’ve literally never told me where you live, and you’ve never-”

Dick grimaces, and you can tell he’s unsure and maybe embarrassed.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll figure it out, I doubt they know much about me, anyway!” You laugh, your throat tight and panicked and he offers a weak smile and a quick squeeze.

  “Oh, f*ck me, Dick.” You stare at the gates.

The Gates.

Not to heaven, or arkham, or anywhere so pedestrian, oh no.

“F*cking Wayne Manor, Grayson? As in Dick Grayson, adopted son of Bruce Wayne?”

Dick shrinks in his seat, driving up the lane, since the gates had opened automatically, for him.

“I’m going to kick your god damn ass, Grayson, I’m going to end you, you’re the worst, literally the worst,” the car stops, “you’re so f*cking dead, you dumb bitch, I can’t believe you’ve done this,” your door opens, “and I’m just so excited to meet your family, Dick! Hahaha!”

You take the hand proffered through the car door and rise to come face to face with- shit- Tim Drake.

Recognisable, famous Tim Drake.

“Hi! Dicks brother Tim! He’s so proud of you,” you greet and Tims lips twitch upwards at the sides, though his slightly warm, slightly protocol expression changes little beyond that.

“Welcome, Y/N, Dick’s mentioned you a lot and we’re all so excited to finally meet you. In the flesh.”

You try not to frown at his weird phrasing, only for it to get worse.

“Oh. Did Jason leave his jacket in your car again, Dick?” Tim asks, his gaze moving from the jacket on your shoulders to Dick, who is sidling up beside you.

Jacket. Jay. Jason. Phone number. Freelancer. Night time work.

Shit, shit, shit, please be a coincidence, please be a coincidence. F*cking Dick, f*cking shit, damn, heck.

You smile absently at the pair.

“Oh, no, this one is apparently very similar to Jasons but Y/N has assured me she found it in her building,” Dick assures him, and you look between the two, gauging their reactions.

Tim grimaces, and Dick frowns at him.

A vigilante gave you this jacket. You just got the phone number of a possible vigilante named Jason. Dicks brother Jay is named Jason and he’s got a jacket like this.

Please.

Hell.

You spot others emerging behind Tim, from the gigantic Wayne Manor doors.

Dick’s eyes dart to them and he slings a comforting arm over your shoulders.

“Let’s get in and out of the cold, hey Tim? C’mon, lead the way.” His voice is jovial but he holds you back a second as Tim sends him a look then starts toward the doors. His face tilts toward yours, a soft whisper coming through your hair to your ear. “I’m so sorry, I should have said something sooner, it’s a- it’s hard to explain, you know I’m adopted, we’re all pretty adopted around here and it’s such a difficult situation and its not like I have the greatest relationship with Bruce and- I’m sorry, Y/N, I should have said something sooner.”

The apology brushes over you and you tilt slightly against him, your forehead setting against his shoulder and he presses a kiss onto the top of your head.

“Thanks, kiddo.”

“We’re two years apart, you galumphing oaf.” You growl back, just as you step through the doors and come face to face with a group of people staring at the pair of you.

Your eyes lock on a beautiful red haired woman, her face stark for a long moment as she takes in the pair of you before everything on her face is hidden with a blink of an eye.

Oh crap.

You step out of Dicks grasp, pointedly, and offer a weak smile to the red haired girl. Barbara.

Shit, hell.

Everyone stares at the movement and it takes you a second before you see him.

“Is that Jasons jacket?” A kid asks loudly, Damian, hopefully, but your eyes don’t stray from the man at the back.

Jason from the pet shop.

“Relax everyone,” Dick laughs, his eyes moving from you to Jason and the pair of you stare at the obvious expression on his face. Dicks voice trails off. “It’s not Jasons…”

“Jesus and the Joker,” you gripe, your eyes darting from Barbara to Jason to Dick.

“So this is your jacket?” Dick asks, gesturing to the beat up brown coat on your shoulders. “How’d she get it? How’d you get it?”

Jasons head twitches in a shake, eyes locked on yours and you squint at him.

“No! Jason. Don’t make her lie. How’d this happen? Why’s she still got it?” He glances at the staring group and sighs. “She got it like a week ago.”

“Three days.”

You grit your teeth, glaring at Jason.

“Shall we, everyone, head into the living room? Alfred, dinner?”

Your eyes dart to Bruce Wayne, his voice and face clearly recognisable from several television segments, and you watch as the group silently and with thick tension move single file through a door. Beside Bruce, another man, Alfred, you guess, steps up close to him and murmurs something before Bruce nods.

Beside you, Dick tangles your fingers.

“Hey, best friend?”

Your eyes slide up to his and he offers you a pathetic smile.

“Dick,” you say softly, as the others exit, leaving the pair of you a moment. “Cards on the table, a group of those people who run around at night visited me and then that night you were out with Jay one of them visited again and he gave me his jacket and then he took it back but then he gave it back and then Jason came into the pet shop today before you did and I got his number and I texted him and I realized that hot guy Jason from the store was some kind of vigilante guy because of what he said and now I get here and they’re the same person and your brother Jason is the Red Hood? And he’s running around with other vigilantes who have hair the same as these people we’ve just walked into and please call me crazy, Dick, that I’m a big ol’ loon, please?”

You don’t mess with the f*cked system in Gotham and you certainly don’t get involved with someone involved with the f*cked system.

“I’m Nightwing.” Dick says in a rush. “And kinda Batman.”

Your nose wrinkles as you try not to burst into tears.

Just… One thing after another.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Dick pulls you into his chest and you don’t resist. He’s Nightwing but he’s still your Dickie, your platonic soulmate. “I was going to tell you soon, but I know how you feel about all of it and I didn’t want you to hate me or my family before you met them.”

“Dick!” Someone yells obnoxiously before being loudly hushed.

“I didn’t know about this Jason thing, I wish he’d have spoken to me, this is my fault for mentioning you to them.”

You hug him tight before pulling back and shaking out your hair. Pasting on a smile, you beam at your best friend.

“It’s a party, Dick, for a dog, I think we should focus on that for now and hope I haven’t ruined any chance to make Barbara like me.” You laugh half-heartedly, before taking his hand and stepping purposefully toward the doors everyone else waits behind.

Heck this was a heck one like just definitely took a while and quite stressful to write idk what was going on

[evilwickedme]

details on my house x batman crossover

it will take place during season six-ish, because season six is my favorite and I want Thirteen there but I don't necessarily want to be bogged down by any specific details

it will take place during the robin!dick era

hilson, maybe

bruharvey, definitely

it's currently 44 words long and I actually really want to write a proper hilson fic after this

[navpike]

cry out what you need to: chapter 3

“Okay, so, you know my partner, Amy Rohrbach? She died, on Sunday. And she had a daughter. She’s five years old and she had no other family and they were going to put her in the system and I just felt so--” “Dick, did you adopt the kid?” “I adopted the kid.”

Or, the one where Dick adopts a child, learns to balance parenting and superheroing, and falls in love, not necessarily in that order.

Chapter Three: did you stand there all alone? [on ao3]

The weekend is hard, to say the least of it.

Rona is up half of Friday night with a stomach ache, and nothing Dick tries to do helps, so he stays up with her, telling her stories about growing up in the circus, and about ridiculous things his siblings have done, just trying to distract her.

He finally gets her to sleep, and passes out in his own bed, only for her to have a nightmare a couple hours later. It says something about how completely drained he is that he barely wakes up when she pads into his room. He wakes up Saturday morning, almost surprised that she’s curled up in the bed next to him. He’s really glad to know that she trusts him enough to come to him to protect her from the nightmares she’s having, but at the same time, he’s concerned about how exhausted he is. How do people do this? It makes no sense to him.

Late Saturday morning, after a truly obscene amount of coffee, he brings Rona back to Amy’s place, so she can pick out what she wants to pack up and take to the penthouse. She spends the whole day asking Dick where her mother is and when she’s coming back and why she’s not there. That continues on into Sunday morning, when they’re unpacking everything, and finally Dick decides to sit her down and have a conversation about how her mom isn’t coming back, that she’s gone now, and Rona gets so upset with him she doesn’t speak to him for the rest of the day.

He feels really shitty after that.

Monday morning starts early. Dick has to drive Rona to school because he feels bad about putting her on the bus, and also sort of doesn’t know where the bus stop is yet, and she’s still not talking to him, but doesn’t want to get out of the car to go to school either and it’s very unpleasant for everyone involved. But he does get her out of the car and into the classroom, finally, with a note in hand for her to give to the teacher, asking if he can meet with her after the school day lets out.

That’s one hurdle done for the day.

As soon as Rona’s off, Dick pulls out his phone and calls Steph, because there’s no way he can go back to Amy’s again and start packing up her whole life on his own.

“Hello Dickalicious, how can I help you this fine Monday morning? By which I mean, it’s eight in the goddamn morning on my day off, why are you calling me?”

“Hello to you to, Stephanie.”

“I’m about to hang up on you, get to it.”

“Short version, I need your help packing up house today.”

There’s a pause, and some shuffling, and a heavy, dramatic sigh, followed by an equally dramatic groan. “What’s in it for me if I say yes?”

“I’ll buy you two bottles of your favorite wine, the really expensive kind, and I’ll give you my motorcycle for the foreseeable future.”

“Yes!” Steph exclaims, before Dick’s even got the whole sentence out. He smiles to himself at the reaction. “I’ll be honest, I’d do it just for the wine, but the bike makes it unrefusable. One more thing though.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve gotta tell me the longer version of this story, and also why you’re giving up your bike just like that. That thing’s your baby.”

“Yeah. Well. Been a crazy week.”

“Dickard, it is Monday morning.”

“Shut up. I’ll be outside your apartment in half an hour. Yes I will bring you coffee. Be ready when I get there.”

“Yes, sir!” she says in a mocking tone, and then the line goes dead.

Dick tosses his phone to the side and wonders if he should have asked Jason instead for a brief moment, and then pulls out of the school parking lot.

True to his word, he is outside of Steph’s apartment half an hour later with one of those too big, too sweet, ungodly concoctions from Starbucks that she likes, and true to her word, Steph’s there waiting for him outside the building.

She climbs into the car and is happy to sit in silence, sipping her stupid gross coffee until Dick pulls into the driveway of Amy’s house, a little one story place in a nice neighborhood in the suburbs just outside of downtown Gotham. Well, as nice of a neighborhood as you can get in Gotham, but still. He turns the car off, and retrieves the keys he’d gotten from Amy’s personal belongings, and the stack of boxes he’d picked up last week, and leads the way up the walk.

They get inside before Steph finally can’t stop herself from asking what’s going on. Dick’s honestly impressed.

“Okay, spill, dude, what are we doing here? Whose house is this? Why are we packing it up. Why are you giving me your bike? I’m dying here, man, I need to know!”

Dick sighs and shakes his head.

“Okay. The abridged version? My partner died last week. I adopted her kid. This is her house, we’re packing up everything to either donate or put in storage for Rona to decide what to do with when she’s old enough. I’m giving you my bike, because I don’t want to get rid of it, but I can’t drive a kid around on it, and I don’t want want it just sit there and gather rust. Plus, I trust you not to wreck it more than I trust any of my siblings.” Steph stares at him with wide eyes, and just blinks for a couple seconds, her mouth hanging open. “So. Wanna start with the kitchen? We can throw out all the perishable food, pack up the non perishables to bring to the food shelter, and all the kitchenware can go in boxes to be donated.”

“Dick, hold up. Hang on. Just.” Steph grabs him by the arm, and stares him dead in the eye for a second. “What the fuck, dude. That’s--You just adopted a kid? Just. Out of nowhere? Just adopted a kid. A whole entire child?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Oh my god, you’re turning into Bruce.”

“Yep. Pretty much,” he says again, a little less enthusiastically.

“Have you told Tim? I wanna tell Tim, can I tell Tim?”

“Go nuts,” Dick says and as she fist pumps, he heads for the kitchen.

After she sends out a text to Tim, he assumes, Steph joins him in the kitchen, and gets right to working, taking one of the flattened boxes and folding it open.

“Alright. So, everything here is getting packed up to be donated?” Dick nods. “Cool. I’ll start on kitchenware if you want to get started on dealing with the food,” she offers, and then, after a beat, she adds, “And D? I’m sorry about your partner. I know you really cared about her.”

Dick is really glad that he asked Steph to help him.

They continue on in near silence for a while after that, until Steph asks about Rona, and Dick is all too happy to talk about her. Steph is more than happy to listen, too, so that fills the silence for a while. When noon rolls around, Dick orders a pizza for them and Steph asks him to marry her over it, and he thinks she’s only half kidding. They continue to pack things away and labelling and stacking boxes in corners as they go.

It’s edging towards one in the afternoon, when Dick finally calls it. They’ve gotten a lot done, the whole kitchen and and living room are boxed up, and the office is started on, and Dick’s loathe to stop productivity right in the middle of it, but he has to go pick up Rona from school.

He drives straight from the house to the school, just before kindergarten classes let out.

Steph wrinkles her nose at him. “Why am I here?”

Dick digs around in his jacket pocket for a second before coming up with the key he’s looking for. He dangles it in front of Steph’s face, and she almost goes cross eyed looking at it.

“This is the key to my bike. If you come in with me and watch Rona while I have a quick meeting with her teacher, you can take it home today. Otherwise, I’m gonna make you help me with something else before I give it to you.” Steph huffs, but she still agrees, swiping the keys from Dick’s hand and climbing out of the car with him.

“I hate you, you know that? You’re the worst.”

“Sure.”

They sign in at the front office and make their way through cheerily decorated hallways, with ‘VISITOR!’ stickers plastered on their fronts and Dick feels very out of place. He’s not a parent. This isn’t right.

But he has a kid to look out for, and that’s all that matters.

When Dick knocks on the door for Val Hanssen’s classroom, she’s just finished ushering the last kid out the back door that leads right to a drive for the busses and parent to pick up children from the kindergarten classrooms.

She opens the door with a too bright smile on her face and Dick wants to cringe, but he doesn’t.

“Wow! When I saw the name Richard Grayson, I never expected that it would be the Dick Grayson! It’s so nice to meet you!” she greets, and Steph does cringe then.

“Nice to meet you too, Ms. Hanssen,” he says, almost dismissively, his attention drawn to where Rona’s sitting too quietly at her desk. He kneels next to her and places a hand on her shoulder gently. “Hey, Ro.” Rona smiles as soon as she sees him, and she throws her arms around his neck, squeezing so tight he almost can’t breathe for a second. “Strong grip there, kiddo. Listen, I’ve gotta talk to your teacher for a minute before we go home, but this is my friend Steph. She’s gonna sit with you outside for a minute, if that’s okay?”

Rona follows his glance over his shoulder at Steph. Steph pulls a face. Rona giggles at her and agrees.

“Come on, short stuff, let’s get your stuff and hang out for a bit,” Steph says. Rona gathers her backpack and jacket and follows Steph out into the hall as Dick takes a seat with the teacher.

“You and your girlfriend are very sweet together, Mr. Grayson. It’s very kind of you two to take Rona in like this,” Hanssen starts off.

“Please, just call me Dick. And Steph’s just a family friend. She was just helping me pack away some of Rona’s mother’s things today.”

“Oh!” her face goes red very abruptly and Dick has to stop himself from laughing. If he had a dollar for every time someone assumed he and the friend he was with were dating, he’d be as rich as Bruce. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to assume anything.”

“Don’t worry about it. Happens all the time. Now, about Rona. I just wanted to be able to talk to you a bit about the whole situation. I don’t know if you were informed about anything, but I wanted to be sure that we could communicate, especially with everything going on.”

Ms. Hanssen pulls out a binder and flips through it to a page with Rona’s name at the top, grades and notes taken down in the rest of the blank space. “Well, the front office did tell me you filed paperwork to have yourself listed as her legal guardian, so I know that much. Are you aware of anything regarding Rona’s schooling?”

Dick shrugs. “No, nothing, really. I’m not a relative. I was her mother’s partner on the police force. But I have physical and legal custody of her, now.”

“Alright, well, Rona’s excelled with all of the work that’s been given to her so far, so if she struggles for a little bit because of this, I’m not going to be too concerned. She was very withdrawn today, very quiet, when she’s usually more of an active participant in lessons. That’s only to be expected really, at first. I’m not too worried yet. Rona is doing as well as she can right now. We can only wait and see what the future brings, and help her as she needs it, but it seems like you’re doing everything to give her the support necessary. If you leave your email and phone number with me, I’d be happy to keep you updated on her progress moving forward.”

“That’d be great. I really just wanted to make sure we were on the same page for the future. Thank you so much, Ms. Hanssen.”

“My pleasure, Mr. Grayson. Feel free to contact me any time.”

Dick leaves his contact information with her, and shakes her hand, gathers his jacket and leaves. It feels like releasing a held breath. Okay. He’s just done a real parenting thing. He really did it.

Go him.

When he gets out into the hallway, Steph is standing on her hands, and Rona is watching in rapt attention.

Goddammit.

“I leave you alone with my kid for two seconds,” he grumbles as he grabs Steph by the waist and flips her right side up. “You’re in a school! Other classes are still going on! What are you doing?”

Steph shrugs, and takes Rona’s hand, and instead of answering him, says, “We’re gonna go get ice cream. Come on, Dicko.”

He wants to protest as they make their way out of the building, but he sees the look on Rona’s face, and after the weekend they’ve had, and the fact that she survived her first day back at school, he can’t find it in himself to say no.

“If I’m buying you ice cream, Brown, you’re not getting that wine I promised you,” he counters, and when Steph is distracted making a noise of protest, Dick takes the opportunity to steal Rona away from her, swinging her up on his shoulders. He remembers doing this once when he’d had lunch with Amy and Rona, about a year ago. Rona squeals in delight now, just as she had back then.

Amy’s not there to cackle and take a picture, not there to warn Dick that he’s going to get ketchup in his hair from Rona’s sticky hands, not there to see her daughter having fun.

But Steph is there to smile and tease them, to take a picture to send to his family, to run ahead, whooping and cheering wildly about ice cream, to make an absolute fool out of herself to make Rona smile.

It’s not the same, but it’s still good.

[lfthinker]

-Selina Kyle is here and already too good for this.

-’where’s the trust= DICKARD GRAYSON, YOU JUST BLEW UP AN ENTIRE WAREHOUSE NOW WHERE ARE PEOPLE GOING TO SLEEP TONIGHT

-Jennifer Morrison isn’t bad as Catwoman, but I keep expecting Dr. House to come in to tell us that it isn’t Lupus.

-A Tommy Elliot. Press F to pay your respects.

[fullydrcwn]

I once almost called Dick Dickard Grayson and the only thing that stopped me was the idea of how hard he would punch me and how hard Wally would laugh at me.

[evilwickedme]

What are some fun headcanons you have about the batfamily?

I'll be repeating a few I've mentioned before but these are all good ones

Jason is a-spec. Aroace or demi, either works for me. In my head JayRoy are a queerplatonic relationship and raise lian together

Actually Jason should be a dad in canon no matter what, even if he doesn't coparent lian. He loves children!!!! It'll be a great way to one-up Bruce and his mediocre to shitty parenting but also I genuinely think he'd make a good dad

YJ core four are actually all in love with one another. It's a mess and it's weird and they're not necessarily all together but it's what works for them. It's Tim at his happiest

Dick's not over his anger issues, he's just the only one in the batfam who's been to therapy. It's the only thing that makes his new characterization make any sense

I'll just bring up my bipolar!Jason ADHD!dick autistic!Tim autistic!Bruce autistic!Damian headcanons again

Jewish!Bruce and Jewish!Tim, obviously, but more importantly, associates-judaism-with-safety-and-hates-it!Jason

I've made posts on both of these I just. Actually I'm not over my own headcanon Jason associates so much of the little things from his brief time with Bruce with safety and he can't stand it. Healing comes in the form of Hanukkah celebrations with his family

Dick speaks every language under the sun. Bruce somehow speaks more. Damian is desperately trying to catch up

Kate and Tim having a close relationship as the only two currently out batfam characters in canon is something that can be so personal, actually,

Steph and Jason having a close relationship as two people with shared backgrounds and who are often treated with extreme distrust by Bruce is something that can be so personal, actually,

Cass loves everyone in her family, she does, but she would not hesitate to take any of them down if truly necessary. Bruce, on the other hand, would hesitate to take any of them down

Bruce is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. Don't get me wrong, he truly is smart. But his contingency plans for everyone are often extremely flawed

Tim is exactly as smart as he thinks he is, it's just everyone else keeps either over or underestimating him

Tim's a team player at heart

Dick is not. He has to work for it. Don't get me wrong, he's good at it. But he has to work for it

Continuing the first hcs above, Jason craves the suburban ideal life more than he's willing to admit. He wants a team-as-family and it kills him he doesn't have it. But he also has self esteem issues up the wazoo and doesn't think he deserves it

Jason never finds out about Dick killing the joker, and Dick doesn't want him to

I know I have more but I'm blanking on the rest rn anyway I feel like this is plenty

[evilwickedme]

What's your favorite costume version for all the batkids?

Oooh okay!! I'll go through a bunch but there are batkids I just don't have strong opinions on in this subject (namely Damian and Duke I'm so sorry)

1. So for Dick obviously the finger stripes are top quality but listen. Listen.

I know it's over the top. I know it's ridiculous. I know he's showing a ridiculous amount of boob and that can't be safe. But tell me that it's not PEAK Dick Grayson. Overdramatic, over the top, sexy and impractical. Is it a good outfit for fighting crime in? Not even a little. Is it my favorite of every single one of his outfits?? Abso fucking lutely.

2. Jason's outfits post robin are all variations on the same theme, and while I like the hoodie look just fine, ultimately I'm here to be as horny as possible about Jason Todd and the leather jacket look is PEAK so

I m e a n

I think we can all agree that this is just. I want to sit on his lap. And just. Wiggle around a little till I'm comfortable. Don't talk to me

3. Tim has gone through a lot of costume variations - there was actually a poll a few weeks ago to decide which was the best one and at the time I voted for option 3:

And I think I voted for it mostly because of what it symbolizes, because if I'm going to be honest, the one I find the most visually compelling is his current suit:

I just think it's so elegant! Should he narratively still be Robin right now? Absolutely not. Do I think that this design is ridiculously aesthetically pleasing? Yes yes I do.

4. Cass is a character who hasn't had many costume designs, but they've all been really distinct from one another. My personal favorite is the Batgirl outfit:

It's just so scary!!! Like it really defines her in so many ways, both as a person and as a vigilante, but the stitch on the mask is just so fucking horrifying and I LOVE it

5. Final one for now (again so sorry Damian and Duke you have good costumes I just don't have strong opinions about them 😭) Steph!!! Like Cass, not many costumes, but they all feel like her, which I love. The Batgirl outfit and modern Spoiler costume are both phenomenal, like genuinely I don't think she has a flop. However I really like the OG:

She's just a shadow!! She has no face!!! She chooses to dress in bright purple eggplant and yet she's still seamlessly blending into the shadows and it's SO GOOD. The only other character who does this is literally batman. I'm just. Ugh I'm in awe of this design it's so good

Thank you for asking this was so much fun to compile!!!!! And now I have all these photos saved in my phone to just bring out like "these are my blorbos" and show to strangers like grandmothers do with their grandkids

(I already had the thigh photo saved I'm not going to even pretend otherwise)