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heartless-error · 4 years

Text

Love-Struck

Fandom: DC comics, Batman

Pairing: Jason Todd x Timothy Drake (JayTim)

Rating/Tags: JayTim Week 2020 - Day 1: College AU, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Secret Crushes

Other(s) links: AO3

"Okay." Jason sighed, gathering strength to himself. "You remember… That guy?"

"That guy?" Roy asked back.

"Yes."

"The one you have a crush on and look at him from afar, but you deny it and never take the first step because you’re a dramatic bitch?"

"Yeah."

"What? You have finally talked to him?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I hit him with the bike."

Roy was silent, looking at him and blinking a few times at the news. But he didn't have to say anything, Jason knew he was totally fucked.

OR:

Based on the prompt "I was distracted looking at my crush and accidentally hit him."

Love-Struck

It happened on a Tuesday, during the break.

Tim met Conner and Bart outside his classes to head to one of the coffee shops near the campus, between his mathematical analysis class and his computing class, because he wouldn’t be able to survive that day without a third coffee and in addition his friends would be nearby to make sure he didn’t fall in the temptation to drink a fourth.

Everything was going well, Bart received him with an effusive hug and Kon patted his back like always. All started walking towards their destination while talking about their classes, how close they were to the finals, Kon’s new game, where they could go to celebrate when they finish the semester, generally normal things that made Tim forget about how he had slept an hour and half, still had four assignments to do, and his parents were waiting for his presence at tonight’s dinner after they returned from their business trip to Dubai.

Maybe it was because of that hour and half of sleep, or because the little conversation of his two best friends about how Conner was a coward who couldn’t ask Cassie out caused him a slight smile, a warm emotion, and distracted him from his problems and everything around him. But when he crossed the street to the cafe, happy and absent, he didn’t have time to react to anything.

“Watch out!”

“Tim!”

Something hit him and before he knew what, fell unconscious.

~0.0~

“He's alive!”

That was the first thing he heard when he started waking up.

Tim found himself confused as he regained consciousness, his whole body hurt, a lot, but at the same time he was somewhat sleepy. He realized he was lying on a bed that smelled of antiseptic and medicine, around him he could hear bustle and people talking next to him, couldn’t feel his leg either.

“Of course he's alive, calm down.”

That was Kon's voice. And previously was Bart's. If he remembered well, he was with them on campus, just heading to one of his favorite coffee shops before something hit him on the side and everything went dark. If he had to guess, he would say that he hadn’t passed out from the lack of caffeine but had been run over.

Tim growled annoyed, opening his eyes heavily and blinking because of the whitish light of the hospital room.

When he was finally able to focus and wake up properly, the sight that received him was his plastered leg held high and his friends hovering over him with a worried gaze.

“Tim!” Exclaimed Bart, who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

“What's up buddy? How did you sleep?” Conner asked with a relieved smile.

When he tried to answer, he realized how dry his throat was, as well as how overwhelmed he was because of the medications and sedatives that would have been administered to him when had been treated. His friends, realizing this, soon helped him to lean him over and give him the bottle of water that was on the next table.

“What happened?” He ended up asking after recovered himself.

“You got hit by a motorcycle.” Conner answered bluntly. “And you scared us, man.”

“Yes! I almost have a heart attack!” Bart exclaimed. He could tell he was holding himself back to not hug him until crush him because he was benched. “We were talking and suddenly you were flying!”

“Really?” He asked, surprised.

It wouldn't be strange if the hit had thrown him a few meters away, but he felt the most serious wound he had, was that broken leg, so he didn't think he would have fly for real.

“No.” Conner denied instantly.

Yeah, he thought so. What a disappointment.

But now that he was more awake, he remembered certain things clearly.

“I think I remember listening to the ambulance.” He frowned, trying to remember well.

“No, that was Bart screaming.”

“It scared me! Okay?” The redhead excused himself immediately.

“We could hear you better than the sirens.” His other friend started teasing.

Tim couldn’t help to smile amused at this, fondly too. Bart used to be loud in general, but him being so concerned about him was very touching. Also, the fact that his two friends had taken care of him, had accompanied him, waited him to wake up and now were there, receiving him, made him remember why he loved and appreciated them so much.

“I thought it was serious!” The redhead excused himself again.

“Obviously not.” Kon replied, still amused. “Tim is stronger than we think.”

“I'm fine, Bart. For real.” He tried to reassure him, he felt it could have been worse anyway. “I'm only a little numb for the medicines, can you call a nurse?”

As much as he appreciated the ride to the hospital, the treatment and all, he wouldn't like to spend the night there. He didn’t consider his condition serious enough to do so, so he would like to be discharged immediately. He also wants to sleep in his bed, those four assignments weren’t going to be done magically and no nurse was going to allow him to drink a decent coffee. So, hearing his diagnosis and going home was all he wanted now.

However, when Kon and Bart exchanged glances, something told him that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

“What?” He asked immediately.

They didn't answer, just looked at each other again with a slight hint of panic. Which was not cool at all, because it made thousands of unpleasant possibilities run through his mind.

And the worst, the worst of them entered the room before he could ask again.

The temperature in the room dropped suddenly to below zero as soon as Janet Drake, as beautiful and noble as ever, entered keeping her formal, elegant, and polite composure characteristic of her as the sound of her heels echoed in the room harshly. Her pristine appearance contrasted with her icy eyes -identical to his son’s- and his aura in itself, so cold, lethal, and furious that she seemed to freeze all those who dared to look at her directly.

Everything was quiet and it seemed like the death itself, ethereal and deadly, had entered the room. And Jack Drake, who warmly greeted his son and his friends after saying goodbye to the nurse they had been talking to.

“Timothy.” His mother said calmly, firm, approaching the bed with safe steps. “Glad to see you’re awake.”

Tim swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to answer, because now he understood and shared the same panic as his friends. Janet looked angry, was she? God, why he hadn't thought it before? Of course they were going to call his parents after being struck by a bike, and of course it wouldn’t be pleasant for them to receive such news while they were unpacking and planning their dinner tonight. She was angry, right?

“Thanks for being with him, guys.” Said his father to his friends.

Conner tried to smile naturally, but it looked like he had just sucked on a lemon. Bart didn't even try; he was as stiff as a board and looking at him like a deer about to be run over.

Sometimes he found fascinating how his mother -yes, only his mother- still had the power to scare them in this way as if they were still the noisy children he met at summer camp and used to visit him. Anyone would think she hated them, seeing the disinterested attitude she always has maintained, he knows they think so too, but after learning the scholarships of both to enter the best programs of the Gotham University were slightly orchestrated by her, he knows it’s not true. Or maybe it was, and she was just doing him a favor by keeping his best friends close to him. He will never know.

Of course, that doesn't take away the fact that his mother seems furious right now and can effortlessly rip someone's arm off just for the pleasure of doing it.

“N-Never mind…” Conner tried to say with that nervous smile. “Anything for Tim.”

“We’re lucky it wasn’t anything serious, was it?” His father said looking at him directly. “The doctor said is just a few bruises and your poor leg, you will recover without problem, son.”

Tim was a little relieved that the diagnosis was so simple, despite already suspecting it, confirming it didn’t hurt. He saw how his father winked at his friends so they wouldn’t be worried, though they hesitated for a second.

“U-Um... We...” Bart tried to say.

“I’m sure you still have classes to attend today.” Janet cut him off. “Don't worry about Timothy, we’ll take care of it.”

All of that, even from her tone, would have sounded kind if her eyes wouldn’t have been piercing them to the depths of their being, as if she were throwing ice daggers into their hearts. He swears he could see Bart flinch.

“Ok, see you later Tim!” Bart said trying to hide his panic and saying goodbye with a nervous smile.

He could have sworn that if Bart could run at super speed, he would have done it to get out of there. Connor, on his part, reached out to him and lifted his hand to ruffle his hair in that loving, gentle way he used to do, but stopped halfway as soon as he felt Janet's murderous aura grow wild and out of control.

“Get well soon.” He said before turning around and run away like a coward.

Well, he couldn’t blame them. He will text them later.

But now he had been left alone, drugged, hurt and with his parents, one trying to be positive and the other willing to kill someone. Who? He doesn't know, but if he survives this, he vows he'll quit caffeine (he won't).

He felt her mother's icy gaze move from his leg to his face, and he had to swallow hard again to try to speak.

“We were going to the cafe and then…” He tried to explain.

“We know what happened.” She cut him off seriously. Of course she knew it, at this point it doesn't surprise him if she knows even the date the bike wheel was created. “Also know who was the responsible. We'll fix it.”

He didn't know how to take that. On one hand, if they didn’t know who had hit him, at this moment they would be tracing all Gotham with all the resources they had to find it out; But on the other, they knew it, and Tim could only feel sorry for whoever that poor soul was, because they had no idea what was going to come after them.

What's more, he was realizing how his father was compulsively sending messages right now, surely to their lawyers, or to public relations, or whoever, but that wasn’t promising anything good.

“I’m fine.” He said looking at his mother, hoping to appease the murderous hunger that was devouring her right now. “Seriously.”

It didn't seem to work, because she didn't move a single muscle and looked at his plastered leg again.

“I don’t see it that way.” She declared in a soft but deadly tone.

He didn’t have the will to refute her. He had never had it when it came to such a situation, after all he had always had a fragile and compromised health, which didn’t help to calm down his parents when he ended in the hospital again.

On the other hand, many people thought that Janet was someone extremely cold and severe to be a mother. Which wasn't exactly true, it’s just... She showed her love in other ways, a little differently. Tim knows when he was born, he was premature, very small, sickly and not the first baby Janet had carried, but the only one who could have born. For this reason, he knows that, although she travels a lot and not many people consider her a model mother, his mother possess an extreme and powerful sense of overprotection embedded in her, and when it’s active threatens to destroy everything and everyone around it. Which was now aimed at the person who hit him, who is going to have to deal with the Drake army of lawyers.

It’s somewhat unfair and exaggerated to waste such an amount of legal power against someone because of a simple accident, unless it’s a good reason, at least that’s what he thinks. He wishes he had said it, but he knows it will be in vain, they are already in it, and he’s also exhausted, the drugs are probably still working. So, before he knew, he was just falling asleep.

As he slipped into the dream world, he really hoped that the person responsible for the accident weren’t someone he knows or cares about, because they could end up hating him.

He also felt his mother gave him a light kiss on the forehead, but that only made him smile.

~0.0~

“I have a problem.”

“Yeah, I’ve figured out.” Roy replied across the table.

He had only raised an eyebrow and put aside his coffee when he saw Jason enter the room and sit in front of him in panic. Well, Roy couldn't do much after being called there so suddenly either.

“A big problem.”

“I felt it when I received your texts.” He said again, more than calm. “Very deep, by the way.”

Jason snorted. Right now, he was going to explode like a popcorn, many things had happened, so it hadn't been in his plans to write a text beyond the “Help, I fucked up” to his best friend.

“Roy, c’mon” He scolded him, agitated. Right now, he could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket for all the texts Bruce was sending him, that didn’t help at all.

“Ok, sorry.” The redhead raised his hands in an attempt to calm things down, then looked at him curiously. “What happened?”

Jason writhed uncomfortably in his chair at that question, it's not like it's the first time he asked that to him if the redhead was so calm at the moment it's because he was used to doing this. He had come to Roy because he’s his best friend, the one he trusted, who wouldn’t judge him, and the only one who has the privilege to know certain personal information, which had importance at the moment. The thing is, he had no idea where to start, there were so many things at once, he wanted to think about how to explain them all because he could see his friend getting impatient as he hesitated.

“Jay.” He said, it's not like Roy was very patient to begin with.

“Wait, I'm thinking.”

“You're a literature student, you're supposed to be good at words.”

He's right, but Jason's eloquence was absent since this morning.

“I don't know where to start, dammit.”

“From the beginning.” The other said, then looked to his phone. “I have to pick up Lian from school in an hour, so hurry up.”

Jason sighed and scratched the back of his neck, deciding to say it all at once. He said to himself he does it because he didn’t want to interfere with the single father duties from his friend and not because he was going to explode.

“Okay.” He sighed again, gathering strength to himself. “You remember… That guy?”

“That guy?” Roy asked back.

“Yes.”

“The one we saw on campus earlier in the semester?"

“Yes.”

“The one who's also friends with Kent, the quarterback?”

“Yes.”

“Nerd, short, pretty eyes, nice ass and very cute?”

“Yes. Yes.”

"Totally your type?"

“Yep.”

“The one you have a crush on and look at him from afar, but you deny it and never take the first step because you’re a dramatic bitch?”

“Yes.”

“What? You have finally talked to him?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I ran him over.”

Roy was silent. Completely silent, looking at him and blinking a few times at the news. Jason couldn’t avoid wondering if that was the face he did when he found out he was going to be a dad in high school, but he couldn't joke with that because he was too busy panicking right now.

“What?” The redhead ended up asking to make sure he had heard correctly.

“I ran him over, Roy.” He repeated, feeling the panic build within him again.

The other was quiet again, staring at him stunned.

“I. Ran. Him. Over.” He repeated once more, this time to internalize it himself, because since it had happened, he hadn’t even had time to do it. “During the break, with the bike.”

One, two, three seconds of silence before Roy dared to say anything, and when he did everything that came out of his bright and amazing mind was:

“He’s dead?”

“No!” He yelled in exasperation at that, causing some clients in the cafe to look at him.

He didn't even want to imagine that possibility, he already had enough.

“Well, that’s good.” The other tried to say to see the positive point of the whole thing.

“It’s not. It’s not!” He complained, none of this was okay.

“If you think about it, you've already broken the ice, Jay.” His friend joked to cheer him up. "Everything that follows is easy."

“What I broke was his leg.” He sentenced still agitated, he appreciated the attempts from the other for encouraging him but couldn't work for many reasons. “And wait, there's more.”

“There’s more?” He asked, intrigued, with that face he made every time he heard a gossip that interested him.

“There’s more.” He confirmed with a nod. “Now I know his name.”

“You know it?”

"Yes, I finally know it.”

“Tell me.” He asked, beginning to smile, like an exalted puppy.

“Do you want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes!”

“Timothy Drake.”

Roy was quiet again, thoughtful. This time Jason swears that he could see how the gears in his head gave their all -which wasn’t much- to assimilate that name and think where he might have heard it before.

“Drake?” The redhead ended up asking with a frown.

“Yeah. Drake.”

"Like… Drake Industries?”

“Exactly.”

"Your father's competitors?!” He asked then, opening his eyes slightly.

He nodded. His adoptive father, Bruce Wayne, was in charge of the famous and multi-million-dollar company called Wayne Enterprise, which for the past few years had been surrounded by strong rivals in Gotham, such as Drake Industries, for example. Directed by Jack and Janet Drake, who apparently have an only child, a student, very attractive and easy to hit.

“Yes!” He exclaimed, taking his phone out of his pocket to show it to his friend, the object had started vibrating again nonstop, texts arriving over and over again. “And guess what: They are not happy!”

“I wouldn't be either if you ran over my daughter.” Roy said as if it was obvious.

“But you don't have a public image, an army of lawyers and a lot of money!” Technically he had it, because Oliver Queen is not exactly from middle class, but he was not rival of his family and the gossip magazines would not publish the minimum friction that they had. “They've already called Bruce and they want a meeting with those involved, they are going to eat me alive."

He was sure they would. The Gotham's corporate and high-society landscape had never been his thing, he was just a street boy who knew no manners and bored by math, it had been clear from the first and only sophisticated gala to which he was forced to go and in which he learned that high society were unscrupulous sharks.

Maybe if he had gone to more of those parties, he would have met Timothy Drake before and wouldn’t have to learn his name after struck him with his motorcycle, but you can no longer change the past.

"Well, yes, you screwed up." Roy finished saying as he nodded, totally convinced.

What a great support. Wise words.

“They're going to kill me, if Bruce doesn't do it before.” He thought aloud, they hadn't even made an appointment with the lawyers, and he was already stressed. “Or Fox with the public relations team.”

He could already see the headlines in the gossip magazines, overshadowing the ones that talked about his older brother's one-night lovers or the ones that mentioned the bad manners the little one had.

“Yes, you are fucked.” Roy said, nodding and taking in what he had just told him, although after a few seconds he frowned. “But… Bro, just one thing.”

“What?” He asked, rubbing his eyes, and doing his best not to pull his hair out.

“How did you end up running over the boy? You are not a bad driver; you are always focus.”

Now it was Jason’s turn to stay quiet and look at the table, blinking as he chooses an answer that didn't make him look like a fucking mess. He couldn't think of any, so he allowed the silence to continue.

"Jason?" Roy asked, beginning to lose patience again. “What happened?”

Still not saying anything, Jay looked down further and felt his cheeks begin to heat up.

"No…" Roy whispered surprised. Knowing him so well gave him too much of an advantage. “Tell me it’s not true.”

He couldn’t do nothing more than blushing stronger, cross his arms and shrug. He wanted to deny what he was thinking, but he couldn’t.

That morning he hadn't expected to see Timothy hanging around that part of campus with his friends as he searched for a place to park his bike. The boy was wearing a wide sweatshirt, but at the same time those tight pants that fit him so well, his blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the wind ruffled that ebony hair that seemed soft to the touch, and the soft and loving smile that was directed to his friends as they walked together caused things in Jason that he couldn't explain.

So, in one moment he was looking at him stunned and the next he had lost the course of the motorcycle and was hitting him.

Shit happens, right?

Apparently not, because Roy had started laughing. A lot. Had started with a weak and incredulous laugh that had grown to become loud laughter that made the tears jump of his eyes and the people in the cafe look at them again, annoyed.

“I can’t believe it! Jay!” Roy said loudly and laughing like crazy, he could hardly breathe.

“It's not funny.” He replied, his arms crossed and his face anger.

Yes it was, it was very funny indeed. If it had been Roy who had run over his crush for having been too distracted having a gay panic for him, he would have also laughed a lot and wouldn’t have let him forget it for the rest of his life. So, he was sure that his friend was not going to do it too.

“It's amazing!” The other answered trying to dry the tears away but still laughing. “Bud, you’re really fucked.”

Jason knew he was saying it just because being so attracted to a guy to the point of running him over unintentionally was a lot, but if they took into account that surely now that boy hated him, along with his parents, friends, and lawyers, whom he would have to meet soon to deal with the consequences of that, yes, that described his situation quite well.

Jason was fucked.

~0.0~

“I just have one question.” Bruce said to his side, also laying his back on the corridor’s wall.

One day, only one day had passed. 24 hours since he had committed the serious mistake of being too aware of a cutie with black hair and blue big eyes like a damn puppy, and he was already in the law firm wearing a suit, almost sweating and the man he could call father looking at him sternly. They were both in the hallway which was heading to the boardroom as they waited for permission to enter, and Jason had been trying not think about how he had destroyed his chances of dating the Drake boy before Bruce came up to judge him, again.

He didn't blame him, the man had spent the previous day receiving and making calls on his name, making the appointment as he could while containing his desire to give him a slap. He didn’t need the talk of "we are public figures, we have to behave" again, because he gave it that to him a lot at his younger times, so he had tried to stay out of it. This implied that Bruce didn’t have time to ask him anything before he had to get him up earlier to go to the Drake’s law firm. Knowing this, Jason continued looking at nothing, but he nodded to give him the opportunity to ask that question.

“There are more than eighty thousand students enrolled at Gotham University.” The man began to say still looking at him. "And of all of them, you have to run over Timothy Drake precisely?"

Jason seemed to think about it for a few long seconds, although the answer was obvious.

“Yes?” He answered. No one at the university had caught his eye like Tim had, so he doubted he could have been distracted enough by another person to run them over.

Bruce sighed deeply, exasperated, and lifting his hand to the bridge of his nose. He had seen him do that gesture of disappointment so many times throughout his life that he could no longer count them.

"Jason…”

“It was an accident.” He was also lost count the times he had said that since the day before.

"I know, son, but it's not me you have to convince.” He finished explaining, taking another deep breath. “It’s her.”

The tone in which he said that, was uncertain and with severe hints of fear, something he was no longer so used to hearing from Bruce and made a chill run down his spine.

“Her?” He asked, trying not to break his voice from the stress.

Bruce breathed again to try to calm down and nodded, the way he looked at him to reveal more reminded him of Alfred when he told him stories as they cooked together in the manor when he was younger.

“Janet Drake.” He let out that name in a low voice, as if it were forbidden to pronounce it. “You've never met her in person, and I was counting on you not have to.”

“Why?” This time he couldn't stop his voice from breaking slightly.

“Don't get me wrong, she is a beautiful woman, very intelligent and talented. Everyone knows that Drake Industries has come this far thanks to her.” He began to say, in a poor attempt to calm him that was not leading nowhere. "But do you know how she is called?”

“How?” His throat couldn't close anymore, he didn't like where this was going.

“The Ice Queen.” Bruce announced. “That's how she’s known, but I can assure you is not enough.”

This time he didn't want to ask anymore, although Bruce would keep talking. Because the ice queen, the ice queen, the ice queen, fucking seriously? No one who has earned such a name in Gotham's corporate and high-society landscape can be kind and understanding. Fuck.

“I have only seen Janet angry one time.” His father emphasized as he pulled out his tie, as if it were choking him. Maybe he was nervous too. “Many years ago, at a gala organized by the Dumas.”

It took Jason a few seconds. He tried to link that last name to some wealthy Gotham family, but unfortunately, he couldn't think of any.

“Who are the Dumas?” He ended up asking.

Bruce looked him seriously in the eye, returned to pull his tie out and nodded frowning.

“Exactly.” He replied annoyed.

Jason swallowed hard and looked back at nothing at the implication in that response. He was going to die, he was going to die, he was to fucking die, there was a beast in Gotham, a fierce and fearsome beast that apparently erased families from the business and social map and he had angered her, he had angered her a lot. He had awakened the beast by harming her puppy, and everyone knew that nothing was more dangerous than an angry mother.

“Mr. Wayne, you can come in.” They heard the voice of one of the mediators calling them from the door of the boardroom.

It's hot, why it’s so hot? He's sweating, he's sure he's sweating, or maybe crying, but he can't be sure because Bruce has put his hand on his lower back, trying to cheer him up and is directing him to the room followed by his own lawyers because they can't let the Drakes wait, but Jason felt like he was going straight to the slaughterhouse.

When he entered, he was greeted by the sight of another group well-dressed, very serious and sitting across the table, lawyers, public relations, and mediators, ready to work and do reach an agreement between the two of Gotham's biggest families with their friction. However, all of them and their greetings were in the background for him when he realized that in one of the chairs was the small, nerdy and adorable boy who had accidentally hit, who looked at him from his seat surprised by his presence and -surely- for being able to put a face to his attacker. He didn't expect him to be there either, he should be resting, but seeing him made the stress he felt ease at least a little.

Both seemed to stare at each other for a few seconds, recognizing each other, and after what seemed like forever, Timothy gave him a slight, almost imperceptible, sorry smile. Jason's heart jumped and he felt warm for a second, his nerves almost disappeared at that gesture, looking at the way in which the boy had combed different this time for the meeting, how pretty he was -as usual-, or how a dimple formed in his cheek when he was smiling, how beautiful that smile was. He would like to see him smile more, smile at him, and does that mean he didn't hate him? He would like to know, and it was all happiness and hope until he realized why of that sorry smile.

Suddenly he felt cold, so cold.

Janet Drake was also staring at him, sitting right next to her son in a straight and elegant posture, without taking her eyes off him. Black hair, smooth and shiny, delicate features, neutral and apparently calm expression. Beautiful, but unattainable, because her blue, icy eyes pierced him in a way that froze him inside. The woman sitting there seemed to be able to see his soul and rip it off, everything from him, that could split him in two and rip out every part of his being without any effort. And despite appearing calm and serene, her aura, everything in her posture, in her gaze, screamed danger and misfortune.

There’s no doubt, she’s the ice queen in all her glory.

He was wasted.

~0.0~

Tim was wasted.

When he had got up that morning, everything he had asked for was that the meeting was normal and went without any inconvenient. And as he prepared to attend awkwardly and without receive any help, because half a day was not enough time to get used to using crutches, he mentally reviewed what had been planned for that meeting.

His parents hadn’t wanted to reveal who had been the responsible for the incident, he didn’t know exactly the reason, but he sensed it must have been someone important, given the deployment of means that had been carried out, it’s not like they also gave him much opportunity to ask anyway. Both immediately went out to arrange the meeting and to arrange things with the hospital so they would give him discharged, and by the time he was allowed to leave he was too exhausted and wasn’t going to say no to anyone when they asked him to rest even more, because he needed it. Hopefully, he had already had an excuse to turn in those assignments later.

So, despite not knowing who he was going to meet, he had decided to do that unfortunate soul a favor and stay in the line that he was fine, surely it had been an incident, and they didn’t have to give it more importance than it had even though his mother wanted to cut heads and stick them in stakes to decorate the garden.

He was the more affected, his word had to count there... No?

Anyway, that's what he thought before he saw Jason Todd walking through the door.

Now, all crushed down, the meeting had started a while ago and he was quiet, serious and sitting in his chair with the Wayne's in front of him, looking at the fine mahogany table and barely listening to the legal conversation that was taking place in his name, although why he fooled himself? Nothing he could say would change anything or appease his parents. But the thing was, why? why is the world so cruel? Jason Todd? really? Of all people, of all motorcycles in the world, it has to be the one from his crush?

It's not like he'd ever thought he had a slight chance with him after all. Jason was tall, handsome, with that bad boy vibe that he likes too much for his own good, also smart, cult, while Tim was... Tim. They had only spoken face to face once at a gala where a 12-year-old Jason shared a muffin with him and never went to any of them again, sure he didn't even remember it. They also went to different faculties, he only saw him from afar on campus from time to time and they hadn't even spoken, but that didn't stop him from noticing him because he had eyes, thank you. No one knows, except maybe Conner, but beyond a curious sparkle in his eyes after realized that he was drooling over Jason in the distance, he never brought the topic up, so he'd always had that fascination with the Wayne boy in secret and under lock and key. He knew that his parents wouldn't be too happy to find out that he was interested in the son of his greatest competitor, or that he was interested in any boy in general, that topic had never come up anyway and he wasn't going to bring it up.

Until the boy walked into the meeting room with his father and Tim almost had a short circuit when he realized that what hit him was an attractive literature student in a leather jacket riding that incredible Ducati. Come on, it wasn’t fair, he had always wanted to ride that, and then the bike, but it wasn’t the most appropriate thing to think about when the other one was looking at him surprised that he was there. He was so busy panicking that he only managed to give him a nervous smile that he hoped hadn't ridiculed him, and then when they sat down he could only scream internally because Jason was so handsome in a suit, this meeting might not end well, Jay could end up hating him if he didn't already, and his mother hadn’t taken her eyes off the tallest as if she were a shark smelling fresh blood.

So, trying to regain his composure and recover from the revelation, Tim sighed, straightened up in his seat, and pretended to listen the meeting while trying with all his might to calm down.

But he couldn't do it, he couldn’t, because it wasn’t easy. The atmosphere wasn’t the most adequate to do it, he could heard his father laugh and trying to appear friendly and understanding when he knew that it was only a strategy to emphasize the coldness and seriousness of his mother, who, of course, kept looking at the Waynes as if they had committed the greatest offense known to man. He played with his fingers for a moment and peeked to assess the situation, Bruce, or Brucie, kept an eye on the mediator's talk, while Jason… Oh.

He turned his gaze away immediately, trying to control his blush. Jason was looking at him in a sneaky attempt too, but they had both failed when their eyes met across the table. He didn't know what to think about it. Did Jason hate him? He did? What was he thinking? He would hate him, of course. He was too nervous, and the possibilities started to suffocate him, he needed to get out of there.

Luckily, his beloved malevolent mother, the perfect model for being a villain in a Disney movie, possessed a sharp sixth sense that was activated at the slightest sign of anguish on his part, which caused her to divert the piercing gaze of the Waynes to center it on him, silently asking what was wrong.

The only good thing about being run over a day earlier by the guy you like is that he could excuse himself from these kinds of meetings without any repercussions or questions.

“Can I get out for a moment?” He whispered, lowering his head.

His fear of asking something like that wasn’t exactly small, but Janet seemed to consider it for a few seconds as she carefully analyzed him before giving his approval and nodding, not before turning his gaze once more to Jason.

Before deciding to worry more about it, he stood up as he could with the crutches and managed to leave the room ignoring the looks on him. His goal was to get to the water machine that was around the hall to pour himself a glass and calm down a bit, but that broken leg didn’t make it easy for him. It was a hard journey; he swears when he got there, he could hear the victory music of Mario Kart playing in his head.

It would have kept playing, he would even have sang it, if it hadn't been because while pouring that first glass, a voice behind him caught his attention and made him jump and turn around with all the speed he had, which wasn’t a lot.

“Hey.” Jason had said softly.

He had to put everything he had together so as not to drop the plastic cup or crush it in his hands. How had he also escaped from the meeting? So much time had passed since his trip to the water machine?

“H-Hey.” He replied nervously and looking down.

That seemed to make Jason nervous too, who already seemed to be it before too, as well as a little guilty, because he tried to look everywhere except him until he had no choice.

“Hi.” Said the tallest.

“Hi.” He replied again.

Eloquent. Inspiring.

They ended up looking at each other closely, at least for a minute before Tim began to fear again and prepare himself for the impending rejection he was going to suffer without even trying. That happened to him for crossing the street without looking before.

But then Jason sighed hard, he tensed and scream in his mind than he wasn’t ready.

“Listen. I…” He began to say, scratching the back of his neck and looking at him sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Eh?

“Eh?”

The other looked at him confused at his reaction. Although surely, he wasn't more confused than he was, he didn't expect an apology even though it was the most normal thing to do in those situations.

“I'm sorry.” Jason repeated, frowning in confusion. "It was an accident, really. And I'm glad you're okay."

If Jason Todd didn’t want him having a massive crush on him this isn’t the way. At all. He had no right to be so attractive to begin with, but neither so good nor kind to him. Before Tim could think better of it, he was already spitting out an unnecessary question:

“Aren't you angry?” He asked, he knew it sounded a bit stunned, but it seemed weird to him. “For all of this?”

Anyone would have been upset or angry about all the trouble their parents had been having over something like that, with the lawyers, the firm, and the notaries. If it had been someone else, they would have caused them a lot of trouble, he was aware of it. So, he couldn't help but wonder how Jason couldn't blame him for the legal mess.

“Shouldn't I be the one asking that?” Jason said raising an eyebrow and pointing at his crutches. “You were the most affected.”

Blinking, Tim realized what he was implying on that and he quickly shook his head effusively. Jason thought he was angry at him? That he hated him for this or something? That’s why he had been so tense with him?

“Oh no. It’s okay.” He hastened to explain. “I know it was an accident, I wasn't paying attention either, those things happen.”

Jason's shoulders seemed to lift as if a huge weight had been lifted from him, and his eyes shone at him in a way he couldn't determine, made him want to smile, this time from relief. Jason didn't hate him, or vice versa. That was a good sign, wasn't it? It meant he had a chance… Right?

“Thank god.” Murmured the other with a slight smile, clearly relieved.

“Unless you did it on purpose.” He dared to say with a playful tone, wanting to take weight off the issue. “In which case, it wouldn't be so good.”

Jason's smile widened and he let out a funny snort, relaxing him was a plus and made Tim compliment himself for that.

“How would I have met you then?” Jason blurted out, still smiling at him.

The atmosphere between them changed completely, it was no longer so uncomfortable or formal, but very different, embarrassed, and warm. Tim felt how his heart stopped before starting to beat faster, because that last one, the way he had said it, and the nervous look he was giving him now, was Jason flirting with him? It was real?

“A-Ah.” He replied mildly surprised. “I don’t know…”

If he continued like this, his brain would definitely fry, more than it already was. He looked at the hallway wall uneasily as Jason ruffled his hair, also undecided.

“I'd like to make it up to you.” He ended up saying, looking like he had come to an agreement with himself. “If you don’t mind.”

“Oh?” He asked, tilting his head curiously, his heart starting to beat stronger than before by the tiny possibility.

“I can invite you to a coffee, or something like that… It would be okay?”

This time when Jason looked up, still seemed impatient and nervous, but the slight blush covering his cheeks indicated why. Tim almost exploded right there, and he had to take all of himself to act quickly.

“Yes. A coffee would be fine.” He also nervously stated, trying to control himself. “It would be a date?”

The brief seconds Jason took to answer that question born from his desire to know, seemed like hours to him, the longest in Tim's life. But when he ended up nodding, scratching the back of his neck again and totally flushed, he couldn't help but smile excitedly and let his own blush appear this time, feeling warm and happy.

“Then I'd love to.” He answered laughing, he couldn’t help it.

“Yes? Really?” Jason asked in surprise again, as if it hadn't been clear from the start that he would say yes. Although by the way they ended up talking, it wasn’t surprising that he doubted his answer, not many people forgave something like a struck with a bike.

“Yes.” He nodded again, totally sure. “What about now?”

No, he didn’t want to go back to the meeting, he knew Jason either. It was no longer worth it. And maybe with this they could give the public relations team something else to work with.

Jason smiled at him in that warm and happy way that made him feel dizzy, but he looked to the hallway of the meeting room somewhat concerned.

“Bruce is used to me avoiding these things, but I don't think your mother would be very happy.”

After a moment of thinking about it, Tim almost went back to laugh again, happy, funny, almost touched.

Before that meeting and his departure from it he hadn’t been sure, but with Jason now in front of him there was no doubt. Her mother expressed her love in very different ways, and it was evident that she had an efficient and sharp mother radar, there was nothing that escaped her, there was nothing she didn't know, no matter how much Tim had tried to hide his panic at the beginning of the meeting, or his sexuality itself. He was very sure that by now she had to know, and if she wouldn't have wanted him or Jason to leave the room, she wouldn’t allowed it. If she hadn't wanted them to talk right now, Jason wouldn't be there. It was that simple.

“I think we'll be fine.” He assured him with a wide smile, taking his mother's actions as a kind of blessing.

When Jason's eyes shined and he smiled back, he confirmed it.

Yes, they would be fine.

~0.0~

“You look so pretty today, Janet. You haven’t changed at all since our last meeting.” Said Brucie with his usual smile.

“…”

“How much time has passed? Six years?”

“…”

“And look at you, beautiful as always.”

“…”

“Jack is a lucky man.”

“…”

“And Timothy? Oh, I remember when he was little, totally the cutest thing in the galas. Now is a man too, but he looks a lot like you.”

“…”

“Kids, uh? Grow up so fast.”

“…”

“Talking about kids, ours have left a while ago, maybe I should go to find th-”

“Sit down.”

Bruce sit down and didn’t speak again.

#myfic #jaytimweek #jaytimweek2020 #dc comics #batman #jaytim #timjay #tim drake #jason todd #red robin #red hood #college au

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moonchildsaurora · 4 years

Text

The ex-Mercenary with the endearing dimples

»»—— Crew Member #5 of Space Pirates ATEEZ ——««

all aboard The Perihelion, welcome to the co-pilot’s log system! here you’ll be able to access the crew’s profiles should you wish to read about their journeys: (no nsfw content)

[CAPTAIN] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

“if you fall for those dimples, then you’re already half-way in the hunter’s trap”

only a handful of people actually know of his origins, and being a changeling sure comes with a lot of perks for his (previous) field of work

[database file: changelings are nomadic beings, and are able to shift both face and form at will. There are no official records of a changeling’s standard/normal form, and very rarely would anyone get a chance to witness it. Most changelings take on forms of existing beings, depending on the location they’re at and how much they want to blend in, some preferring to add their own artistic flair on appearance]

San’s hair changes almost as quickly as he changes his dagger blades, his current hair of a rich dark brown colour with a turf of silver that never seem to stop shimmering slightly – much like moon light. Which makes his Selenian [database file: moon/silver elves] form all that more convincing

he started his mercenary life on the planet Tundaoria, where all main networks of black markets and underground work are based at

young blood with no last name, a growing reputation – San is an all-round enigma. But he had a talent for tracking, deadly accuracy and disappearing without a trace, hence nobody questioned him other than for getting a job done

he used to work with a small group, ‘Windstriders’, known for their efficient timeframe and clean work. People pay for the quality, majority of the time San worked with others but sometimes he might pick up a few solo missions on the side

earned the nickname ‘Dimples’ from his ex-team mates however whilst he seems harmless on first glance, “the kid? Aye he’s one big sweetheart he is”, he’s learnt to use that highly skewed perception to his advantage

that’s to say he’s managed to coax beings either to bed for a night of pleasure or their deathbeds, talk about deadly charisma

“so on average, what are the chances of someone walking out of your room alive?”

San prides himself with maintaining a level of morality, and won’t kill unless it’s the specific target themselves and/or out of self-defence for any unfortunate souls who decide to intervene with his job. Has nothing against stealing or gambling because, “what’s living without taking a few risks?”

lowkey has a soft spot for younglings and became unexpectedly close to a particular orphanage in a town on the far northern-side of the planet. The head guardian (most orphanages are cared by a guardian or two) found San passed out nearby after a particularly tedious mission and took him in for healing. Since then that place had become an unofficial healer’s spot and safe house

the younglings absolutely adored having him visit, especially when “look, look! The Moon Prince is here!”, bearing gifts such as trinkets, new toys or aleagette pastries [database: assorted savoury or sweet pastry-type snacks that melt in the mouth when eaten, the surprise is that the flavour isn’t known until the first bite]. San would later on start contributing part of his earnings towards the upkeep of the orphanage as a repayment for the guardians’ hospitality (and it’s really for the younglings but he won’t admit that)

every time a youngling treats him to a toothy smile, a wild giggle or when the bolder ones would run up and wrap their petite arms around his legs his fondness grows exponentially. Once, a guardian caught him helping the younglings doodle whatever their hearts desired on themselves so they could match the many permanent silver ink patterns that decorated his arms and back

“already influencing the little ones with your ways, Sannie?” (another nickname that the younglings picked up on and would parrot it back)

“I’ll have you know what we’re doing here is called art”

the one time San was caught off guard was having a past target’s associate track him down to his safe space and carry out a revenge attack – “you took my family away from me and now I’m going to take yours”

San never fully recovered (the invisible wounds at least) for causing innocents to get caught up in the crossfire, for realising too late how attached he’s become to these people and their meaningful presence in his life

as a parting favour, the Windstriders helped San relocate the survivors of the orphanage far away to the much more peaceful city of Aeria (known as ‘City of Healing’ on the planet Cidestea). They said goodbye to a reliable comrade, to his old identity, to his previous lifestyle; mutually promising that contact will only be made again in a dire situation as a last resort – Dimples was off the radar for good

5 years later, after a successful loot haul The Perihelion stopped by Aeria for a re-fuel and mainly because Seonghwa wouldn’t miss an opportunity to stock up on his medicinal herbs (also adopting some new plant children). Hongjoong led his small crew after being directed by a local to “the best tea spot in town” which turned out to be ‘Mosaic Brews’ run by none other than San

now sporting a more turquoise shade of hair and a woodland elven appearance where once silver ink ran along his skin, now a bold black-brown. The younglings who decided to stick by him now have grown too, toughened up by life yet maintained their soft innocence under San’s care for the past years

curiously they stared in awe at Yunho and Mingi, clearly never seeing such giants (to them) before, the older ones enthusiastically brought out the multi-coloured teas for their new guests and the younger ones were spoiled by Seonghwa’s constant cooing. Hongjoong thought San was more than what met his eyes, the seemingly bright shop owner who’s dimples were on full display and heartily conversed with the young captain still had a guarded air around him

it wasn’t until Yunho and Seonghwa gave a few Urousbaines (with captain’s approval of course, one does not just hand out rarities for free) from their loot to the younglings and San’s nonchalant reaction that got Hongjoong’s eyes sparkling

“don’t worry little one, the flower isn’t frozen, here pass me that water bowl.” and the younglings are still convinced till this day that San is some intergalactic prince with magical powers. Because right in front of their eyes the supposedly frozen flower bloomed and the sunlight refracted off its crystal-like petals, casting a spectrum of colours to fill the small shop

“oh how wondrous! How did you know to do that?” (…and San has left the chat)

A LOT of convincing was needed to get San to hear Hongjoong out (by now the crew knew what their captain wants, he gets) and only after tucking the younglings in for the evening in their rooms on the upper level of the shop did the serious talk start

San swore to leave that life behind but he would be kidding himself if he said he didn’t feel a slight tug at his heart for adventure, yet again. It was a tug-of-war between what the head knows vs. what the heart yearns for

“But Sannie how are you going to save the galaxy if you’re stuck here?” came the soft-spoken voice of the youngest and the group nearly had whiplash turning around. The younglings had snuck downstairs and listened in on the convo, knowing it’ll be sad to part with San but even sadder for him to purposely hold back

the younglings won the debate, that they weren’t naïve nor helpless anymore and together they could take care of themselves and the shop – after all they’ve only learnt from the best (San did notify some of the locals whom were trusted regulars of his temporary leave and to keep an eye on the younglings in his stead)

Yunho offered a communication bot to keep in touch so San could check-in whenever he wished, the younglings were fascinated as the Sheirzoi showed them how to work it and a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs” were heard when they saw the main deck of the ship through the screen. At present, he made sure to check-in at least once every week, all smiles & dimples when he sees the little ones’ faces squeezed into the single screen

San held onto the younglings right up until he boarded The Perihelion, and making sure to wave back until they were right out of sight. He packed simply but made sure to put up some of the drawings the younger ones gifted him up on his room’s walls and the ‘lucky charm’ that got braided into his hair was worn proudly (the older kids had woven a band with colourful beads & crystallised Echetta wings they found in the garden – from the ‘lucky butterfly’)

the crew reminded him of his old team, how they looked out for one another despite not being blood-related but nevertheless a family of sorts. Eventually everyone found out of his changeling abilities after he nearly gave them a heart attack, “SAN! YOU’RE PURPLE…WHY IS YOUR SKIN PURPLE?!”

Hongjoong never dug too deep into San’s past but was very grateful and appreciative of his fighting skills, thus made him in charge of training the others to be able to defend themselves at least. Cue strict combat trainer San to pop out (Yeosang adds a new curse word to his vocab list after every lesson)

they’ve seen his lethal side where he went on a rampage after Seonghwa got shot

Is probably the only one Jongho trusts to trial his new weapons without blowing something or someone up accidentally

argues with the hot-headed Wooyoung frequently that sometimes Seonghwa has to put them in time-out, initially was legit arguments but now it’s more with an affectionate undertone

Hongjoong and Seonghwa nearly gave him ‘the space dad & mum talk’ after, “bloody hell did you get attacked or something?” upon seeing an array of purple-pink marks across San’s neck when he came stumbling back to the ship just near dawn. The faint scent of perfume lingering and tousled hair gave away that much. “At least leave us a message if not we’re sending the precious cargo retrieval brigade next time”

recently adopted a Kiatrafel [database file: small winged feline-like creature that can spit fire], he calls her “my girl” and is in the midst of training it to not mark its territory everywhere (including on people)

“SAN! Your hellcat just pissed on Hongjoong...again and coughed up flames on Yunho’s notes. Captain says if you don’t come within 5 seconds he’s throwing her down the chute”

(moodboard made with love, by @s1ardusk ♡)

#ateez scenarios #ateez headcanons #atzinc #pirate ateez #pirate ateez au #ateez au #ateez imagines #choi san #ateez san #ateez blurbs #ateez drabbles #ateez fic #ateez writing #Perihelion Crew #pyx writes #atinyforatiny

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headquartersforlievmuses · 7 years

Text

► Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown was born the daughter of the Cluemaster, one of Gotham City's third-rate villains. Stephanie's father spent most of her childhood in prison or away from the family. Though he claimed to be "rehabilitated" upon his return to Gotham, Stephanie was furious to discover that he was actually returning to crime without his need to leave clues behind. She decided something needed to be done. Stephanie tailored a costume for herself, and called herself the Spoiler. She knew where her father was hiding out, found out his plans, and left clues so that the police and Batman could stop him. Robin (Tim Drake) tracked her down, and she joined in on the capturing of Cluemaster. She also became attracted to Robin, and it annoyed her that he knew her identity but she did not know his.

During the events of "Knightquest", Cluemaster broke out of prison, along with Czonk and the Electrocutioner. Stephanie learned of the breakout on the news. Her mother, suffering from depression, was struggling with an addiction to painkillers. Steph decided to don her Spoiler outfit and go after her dad. She ran into Robin, and he let her work with him, although they got separated. Spoiler helped Robin out and he gave her a kiss in thanks. Before she could find out if she would see him again, the police arrived and they had to part ways.

Stephanie was kidnapped shortly thereafter by the Gully Carson gang, working with Cluemaster, who was still behind bars. Cluemaster got the idea to use her as insurance, but when the Carson gang withheld his part of the cut, he contacted Batman and Robin and told them that he had been forced to orchestrate their schemes because they were holding his daughter. Batman located the Carson's lair and Robin freed Stephanie. She insisted on getting her costume and going with him to bring down the rest of the gang--against Batman's objection. They were successful, and Stephanie decided to pay her dad a little visit in prison. She also made her attraction to the Boy Wonder very clear.

Spoiler next bumped into Robin when he was teamed up with the Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) to take down a street gang selling guns. She told him that she did not think it was fair that he got to have all the fun, so she was going to become the Spoiler more often. She insisted on coming with the two of them as they took down the gang, flirting with Robin as usual. There was no time for that, however, when they went after the real leaders of the gang the following night, as Robin was enraged over the death of a fellow student, Karl Ranck. Steph went to the funeral, unaware that Robin was there (with his girlfriend) in his civilian identity. That night, Spoiler met up with Robin, telling him that she was going to be Spoiler more often, and would help him go against the boy who shot Ranck. They were in over their heads however, but thankfully Batman turned up, saved their necks and ordered Stephanie to go home.

During a point in which Tim and his then-girlfriend Ariana were unable to see each other, he and Stephanie grew even closer. He soon came to realize that his feelings for Stephanie had grown into something more, and after breaking up with Ariana, began dating Stephanie. Unfortunately, because he needed to maintain the Batman Family secrecy, Robin was unable to reveal his true identity to Spoiler. At first, she seemed more than happy with this arrangement.

Unfortunately for Stephanie, she found out she was pregnant by her ex-boyfriend Dean, who had left Gotham City during the Cataclysm. Tim, in his cover identity Alvin Draper, took Stephanie to Lamaze classes, and the two became even closer. Unfortunately Robin was moved temporarily to Keystone City during the last few months of her pregnancy. He however returned to her when she was giving birth. With Tim's help, she was able to deal with giving her child up for adoption. Although a painful experience, she felt it best to give her daughter a chance at a better life.

Soon afterwards, Tim was sent away to boarding school by his father, and the two were forced into a long distance relationship, made even more complicated by the fact she still did not know his real name. During his time away, Robin became friends with a girl named Star. One night, after seeing her go into an alley with some suspicious-looking people, Robin decided to follow her in costume. He ran into Stephanie, also on patrol, and she followed him as he tracked down Star to a gang meeting that erupted in a violent shootout. He managed to save Star, but Stephanie became convinced that he was cheating on her, and refused to see him for a time.

Shortly after this, Robin disappeared from Gotham for several days (he was off in Tibet on a secret mission), and in his absence Spoiler realized that she still wanted to be with him. Batman approached Spoiler and offered to train her. He also told her Tim's real name, and this betrayal drove a wedge in between him and Robin for awhile, as well as causing trouble for Stephanie and Tim. Spoiler began to train with Batman, and also the Birds of Prey (although they were a bit more reluctant). Stephanie also began a friendship with Batgirl Cassandra Cain who helped train her in-exchange for reading lessons.

Stephanie and Tim, as she now knew him, reconciled. Even after Batman - having decided that she was not really hero material - told her to hang up her costume and the Birds stopped mentoring her, she still patrolled with Robin, as well as went on regular dates. When the US Government came to Stephanie and her mother, and told her that the Cluemaster had died in service of his country in the Suicide Squad, Stephanie was shocked. She cut off ties with Tim and went on a crime-fighting rampage, hunting down the Riddler, her father's former associate, to try to get a better idea of who he had been in life. Eventually, she made peace with his memory, and she and Tim rekindled their relationship (It was later revealed after Stephanie's "death" that Arthur Brown had indeed survived, though it remains unknown if she knows that he is alive, or he her).

When his father discovered his secret identity, Tim was told to hang up his cape, and he did. He was forced to live a normal life for a time. During one day after school, Stephanie attempted to surprise Tim with a visit. Unfortunately as she arrived, she caught a female classmate of Tim's attempting to put the moves on him. Assuming yet again that Tim was being unfaithful, Stephanie broke off ties with Tim and angrily decided to put her attention elsewhere. Creating a homemade Robin costume, Stephanie snuck into the Batcave and demanded that Batman train her as the new Robin. Despite his past belief that Stephanie was an inept crime fighter, Batman accepted her, put her through several months of intensive training and made her a costume with the same modifications as Tim's. As Robin she patrolled with Batman, and for a time seemed like a capable replacement for Tim. She was eventually captured by Mr. Zsasz and she used lethal violence against him. Batman did not like that. After Stephanie disobeyed Batman's orders (in order to save his life), Batman later fired her and told her that she was done being a hero because he could not trust her in the field.

In an effort to prove her worth to Batman, Stephanie stole one of his long-range plans for dealing with the entirety of Gotham's criminal underworld. Since this plan was predicated on the involvement of "Matches Malone" (who she did not know was actually one of Batman's alter egos), it quickly spun out of control. The result was a citywide gang war, in which Stephanie was captured by Black Mask, who tortured her to get information about Batman. Although she escaped and made her way to Leslie Thompkins' clinic, she had been severely injured by the villain, and died in a hospital bed as Batman sat beside her.

About a year later, a Spoiler appeared in Gotham once more. Although her identity had yet to be revealed, it was been shown that she had blonde hair and knew Tim Drake's secret identity, leading to confusion and anger on his part. When Robin confronted this new spoiler, it was revealed Stephanie Brown did not die in the above mentioned adventure, but was severely wounded to the point of near-death. Seeing this as a chance for a new life, Stephanie asked Dr. Tompkins to help her fake her death. The two went to Africa, where Stephanie worked as a missionary during her recovery. After recovering, Stephanie returned to the United States and took up her former identity as Spoiler and has resumed her friendship with Drake after announcing her return to her mother. Stephanie also enrolled in the same school with Drake under an assumed name to prevent those criminals who think her already dead to prevent them from resuming their attacks on her in her real name.

Shortly after, Batman disappeared without a trace and Robin summoned Spoiler to talk about the situation. She helped Robin on his quest to find the truth about Batman and together they stopped the Sprang Bridge Soldiers. However, when they found evidence of Batman's activities, she prevented Robin from seeing them. After tearing the city apart, Robin finally learned that Spoiler had sabotaged his efforts and she revealed that she did so under Batman's request.

Spoiler infiltrated Intergang's headquarters to learn if they knew anything about Batman's location. However, her plan failed when Vigilante attacked the place with the intention of killing Johnny Stitches and Spoiler had to stop him. They took the fight outside and were stopped by Batgirl, who made them both an offer to join a new team she was gathering.

After her attempt to sabotage Robin's mission, Stephanie decided to give up her crime fighting career and live a normal life, until she was forced to stop Nocturna from fleeing a crime scene. Then, she realized that she could not give up. Stephanie started working as Spoiler again and this time she captured Nocturna for good. After this, she talked to Tim, who told her that he was leaving Gotham and she finally admitted that she would not stop working as a crime-fighter.

Stephanie Brown not only worked beside Cassandra Cain, but also succeeded her as Batgirl. One night, after Bruce Wayne's apparent death, they were fighting a group of thugs; when the fighting ended, Cain simply took off her outfit saying that since Batman was gone she saw no reason to continue wearing the costume. Stephanie took it and began to wear it, saving people as Batgirl. However, everyone noticed that something was a little off about Batgirl. Barbara tried to reason with Stephanie to get her stop being a vigilante, as she still saw Stephanie as an impetuous youth and remembered her role in causing a city-wide gang war and her near-death experience at Black Mask's hands. However, a new type of recreational drug is hitting the streets of Gotham known as "Thrill," which they discover was manufactured by the Scarecrow and Black Mask. Both women find themselves needing each other to stop this drug trade. Stephanie eventually confronts and defeats Scarecrow, which impresses Barbara and shows that she now has the maturity for the responsibility and is capable of facing her fear and failures,and allows her to continue on as Batgirl. Barbara later takes a job as an assistant professor at Stephanie's school in order to continue to keep in contact with her. Barbara also designs Stephanie a costume for her to replace Cassandra's tattered costume.

As Stephanie is taking steps to balance her double-life as a college student and a vigilante, Barbara makes a test run on Stephanie's Batsuit, which includes monitoring Stephanie's vital signs along with allowing both women to communicate with each other through their comm-links. After battles some of the criminal elements in the city, Stephanie finds herself against Livewire, who causes a blackout on the city while draining its power. Fortunately, Stephanie's costume is insulated, which she is able to easily overpower the villainess. Stephanie also develops an attraction to Gotham PD's newest young recruit Detective Nick Gage, whom also attracted to her as Batgirl and Commissioner Gordon is trying to set as a blind date for Barbara. The elder Gordon finds their mutual attraction unsettling, even though he is not yet awares of the current Batgirl's identity, but knows that she is still a teenager. Her activities also have led her and Barbara to a blow with the new Dynamic Duo: Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damian Wayne). However, even though Stephanie and Damian Wayne initially do not get along, there is a hint that he harbors a crush on her. While meeting a classmate, Francisco, Stephanie is left unconscious after being shot while trying to protect him from a bunch of kidnappers. Stephanie survives the gunshot wound. It is later revealed that Francisco's real name is Fernando Garcia, a son of a real estate mongul whose father's unethical business practices led him to become a target. Because of Garcia's abduction, Stephanie and Barbara join forces with Batman and Robin, as some of the Gotham's rogues are involved of the crime, including Roulette.

Batgirl and Supergirl team up for the first time. Batgirl has been captured and Oracle sends Supergirl to save them. Batgirl and Supergirl become fast friends and go to stop the Toyboy. Supergirl takes down Toyboy while Batgirl stops Mr.Freeze. They are captured by a giant Superman/Batman robot being powered by the Kryptonite Man. Batgirl manages to send out a distress call to Oracle before disconnecting. Oracle calls Superman and the new Batman (Dick Grayson). Superman, Batman, and Robin save them and in the end Supergirl is seen scolding Robin for calling Batgirl "Fatgirl".

Shortly after these events, Stephanie was "tested" by Bruce Wayne, who was disguised as the Insider at the time, and the two reconciled their differences in a poignant moment, ending with Bruce giving her his full approval. Shortly after this, Batgirl fought against Shellcase of the Seven Men of Death in order to stop them from getting to Vicki Vale.

Stephanie then (as Batgirl) came into conflict with a mysterious group known only as "the Order of the Scythe," whose ranks included a speedster. They plotted to frame her for murdering a student on the campus of Gotham University, and stole a high tech suit of armor designed by the same student. Her clash with the Order was permeated by team-ups with Damian Wayne and Klarion the Witchboy.

Powers

Acrobatics: She was trained by Batman and through her own experience in acrobatic tactics.

Computer Hacking: She was trained by Oracle to hack computers and computerized security systems.

Escapology: She was trained by Batman and through her own experience in the art of escaping.

Investigation: Stephanie's investigative nature has allowed her to uncover even Batman's secrets.

Martial Arts: Stephanie was trained by Batman and Oracle in hand-to-hand combat. Using her skills she has not only taken on Batman's villains but Superboy too.

Stealth: She was trained by Batman and Robin in stealthy maneuvers. She was able to sneak into the Batcave and Tim Drake's international hideout, and she has sneaked through Gotham City by its sewers.

Tactical Analysis: Seeking Batman's approval and to solidify her role as his sidekick she stole one of his most dangerous ultimatum plans and enacted it. Though she did not create this plan she was instrumental in its execution.

Throwing: She is skilled enough in throwing that she is able to contend with Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Robin (Tim Drake) and many other sidekicks. She was trained by Batman and Oracle.

Verses

Stephanie Brown v.

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Stephanie Brown v. College Years

tba

#Batman #Batman [Stephanie Brown]#Female Character #non mutuals #face claim: Dove Cameron

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therecoversite · 7 years

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Detox Dangers

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Detox Dangers

Nearly one third of California’s 1,800 + licensed rehabs provide non-medical detox. Somehow this has been allowed in California, while other states have barred other treatment centers from allowing non-medical detox due to the dangers from withdrawal. So how is this dangerous practice being allowed in one of the most progressive states in the nation?

Sadly due to the urgency of most rehab cases, families don’t always have time to do the due diligence to make sure the facility they are sending their loved one to has the appropriate type of care. Some cases are held to whatever their insurance will allow.

Lake Arrowhead’s Above It All treatment center sells the message of professional care, it says on its website that it provides “clinically supervised” and “around-the-clock medical supervision” for patients in detox and aftercare — are medical facilities. Not many know that detox typically happens in a tract home or that the most stringent medical requirement might be the full-time presence of someone who knows CPR. When it comes to the withdrawal symptoms and dangerous signs, the states low medical requirements don’t align with the risks of withdrawal.

Without the proper type of medical care during a withdrawal, sometimes the dangers can be more than fever sweats and shaky nerves. Sometimes without the correct care, a patient can die from their withdrawals. The state of California doesn’t keep track of the number of deaths that occur in detox centers. Officials with Health Care Services only will confirm the number of death investigations in the past 5 years, from 2012 to 2017. 84. But they also noted that the average number of deaths is about 24 a year, which could push the total to 140 by the end of 2017.

Most centers are just in the unfortunate position of just having an unhealthy patient walk into their doors. Drug addicts are not known for their stellar health, and some come with underlying medical problems. But when a new patient is admitted, it can be hard to predict who will have trouble and who will be fine.

Gary Benefield arrived at A Better Tomorrow, a non-medical rehab in Murrieta, CA, after he had recently come down with pneumonia and suffered continuously from emphysema and pulmonary disease, according to a state senate investigation in 2012. Gary died on his 53rd birthday while he was a patient at the rehab.

Brandon Jacques suffered a heart attack and later passed away while admitted to First House in Costa Mesa in 2011. Jacques was only 20 years old and come to the center to seek help for his alcoholism and bulimia. His death was one of the third at the facility, and First House later paid Jacques’ family $10.25 million after it was court ordered.

In 2012, 28-year-old Jason Redmer died of a drug overdose four days after entering West Coast Detox in Huntington Beach. His mother files a wrongful death suit after she learned that the staff didn’t seek medical help quickly enough after they had learned Redmer had ingested drugs. She later settled for an undisclosed amount.

Last year in 2016, Dillon DeRita was found dead of a heart attack on the patio of Pacific Coast Detox in Costa Mesa. He had only been at the center for two day after starting his detox regime. A video showed the rehab staff find DeRita unresponsive and walk away, without calling for help or administering CPR. When an investigation showed that staff had falsified records, the center was closed.

Since 2013, Three clients from Above It All in Lake Arrowhead have died. Terri Darling, 52, James Douglas, 25, and Matthew Maniace, 20. Donavan Doyle, 21, died in the woods near the Lake Arrowhead center after he had been kicked out of or he ran from the program, The San Bernardino corner said Doyle most likely died of hypothermia within hours of leaving.

But Above It All officials said the company is not responsible for any of the deaths, citing the autopsy reports concluded the deaths were natural or from undetermined causes.

Insurance companies claim risk is why part of detox is so expensive, whether doctors are present or not. Above It All charges patients nearly $40,000 a month after an initial $3,000 fee. This is a fairly common rate in the rehab industry.

The owner of Above It All Kory Avarell said that every client is required to see a doctor after arriving. But Matthew Maniace’s parents said the center never showed any record of Matthew being seen before or after his arrival at the detox center.

At 7am on February 26th, Matthew was found in the fetal position, curled up in his hospital bed. A check again at 9:20 am found him in the same position, but this time with yellow foam coming from his mouth. The nurse then started CPR, but it would be 30 more minutes before 911 was called. Emergency workers arrived 5 minutes after the call was placed and by 10:15am, Manice was pronounced dead.

Had Manice been checked every 30 minutes, would the nurse have noticed his disposition and gotten medical help? If they had called 911 right away, would Matthew have been revived?

Since their son’s death, Matthew Manice’s parents have learned a lot about California’s rules regarding addiction treatment. If California also followed other states that have forbid non-medical detoxes, might their son still be alive?

The practice of addicts weaning off drugs or alcohol without close oversight from a doctor or specially trained medical staff is dangerous enough that a growing number of states simply don’t allow it.

“Any program in the state that does detox is considered an acute care facility and is required to have medical oversight,” said Ann Scales, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

North Carolina requires all detox be done under the supervision of a physician, whether it’s in a hospital or residential treatment setting. Indiana has the same law, where a patients detox requires the supervision of a physician or clinical nurse specialist licensed to practice in the state. Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont and many other states are aggressively pushing for a more medically centered approach to treatment.

California’s approach draws criticism from many in the industry. Mark G. Mishek, chief executive of the Minnesota-based Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, was stunned by the lenient rules he encountered when his organization merged with the Rancho Mirage-based Betty Ford Center.

“I’m a hospital administrator. California is very, very cutting-edge and strong in hospital regulation, as you would expect it to be. It has a reputation for being tough,” said Mishek. “For addiction, I thought it would be the same way. But it’s just not.

“A friend was showing me a detox house in L.A. and I thought, ‘God forbid if my wife or daughter ever wound up here.’”

The state follows what is described, legally, as the “corporate practice of medicine doctrine,” which translates as physicians and other licensed health professionals could not work for unlicensed people, including most addiction treatment programs.

A new state law allows non-medical rehabs to partner more closely with physicians for “incidental medical services.”

But the new rule does not require patients to get a complete medical exam before entering treatment. And it does not require that a physician make the call on which level of treatment is best.

“If addiction is a brain disease,” asked Walter Ling, professor of psychiatry and founding director of the Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at UCLA, “where are all the doctors?”

Withdrawal symptoms such as heart attacks, organ failures, fluctuations in body temperature and seizures are all potentially lethal side effects, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“Detox is a really, really dangerous time for a patient,” said Hazelden’s Mishek. “The number of seizures during detox – particularly from alcohol or benzodiazepines (drugs such as Valium and Xanax) – means you have to have really good nurses and doctors to monitor withdrawal.”

Nurses and Doctor’s are not required in California. Though non-medical facilities must screen patients before admission and send higher-risk patients to more medically intensive care, the screening process often centers more on how an addict answers some questions than on any formal medical testing.

Questionnaires given incoming patients are very generic. Questions like:

“Are you feeling fearful?”

“Do you feel bugs crawling on or under your skin?”

“Are you hearing things you know are not there?”

But health histories provided by drug-addled clients are hardly complete, and intake workers don’t have to check with the client’s primary care physician to probe for underlying health risks.

Above It All used to have clients go to urgent care to be cleared as healthy enough for non-medical detox, but Avarell said only a fraction required hospitalization.

Poor medical oversight might have played a role in four deaths that took place from 2008 to 2010 at A Better Tomorrow, a now-shuttered rehab in Murrieta, according to a 2012 state Senate investigation.

The patients had complex medical histories, including problems such as asthma, hypertension, shakes, swelling, shortness of breath, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease and other maladies, the report found. But all four were deemed healthy enough to be admitted to the non-medical facility where they later died.

“The people who work in these places, for the most part, are recovering addicts themselves,” said Anthony Lanzone, an attorney who handled the Redmer family’s case against West Coast Detox. “They aren’t doctors. They aren’t nurses. They don’t know how to handle these problems.”

Some former workers at Above It All agreed.

In sworn testimony given in the wrongful death claims pending against the center, former employees expressed discomfort that patients were admitted to detox without seeing a doctor. The intake screening for one of the patients who died was done by a medical assistant earning $12 an hour, whose job included cooking and cleaning in addition to watching patients.

“Under-trained staff; nurses not adequately knowing how to handle a crisis emergency situation; simple things such as CPR; calling 911; not knowing the difference between contraindicated medications that were highly dangerous in a detox situation,” said Betty Jean Tarvin, a licensed vocational nurse, ticking off problems she believed were common at Above It All.

“I witnessed too much … medicine-related responsibilities put on house managers (who) are not medically trained,” Tarvin said during her deposition.

“When are they going to see there needs to be more medical staff on at the detox center?”

Above It All’s lawyer argued that the former workers had been terminated and were hostile to the company.

But Tarvin also offered kind words for Avarell.

“I just believe the company just got too big … Kory just wasn’t at that level yet. It was too much for him. I believe he has good intentions.”

Avarell declined to comment on specifics because of privacy laws and pending litigation but said his company’s intake protocol is thorough.

“Any good treatment center is going to screen for health issues before the potential client gets to the treatment center, and of course if they are in bad shape, they would go to a more appropriate place,” Avarell wrote by email. “Our assessment has lots and lots of questions, 34 main questions. … We have sent a lot of people to a higher level of care because they weren’t in good health when they got here.”

He estimates that about 5 percent of prospective clients were referred to higher levels of care.

Though the intake screening isn’t done by medical professionals, Avarell said it is prepared by a doctor. “(W)hen we hit a medical question that is out of the ordinary, we have either a nurse or doctor look at the assessment.”

Above It All’s policy was to have clients see a doctor in person within 24 hours of arrival, he said.

“Switching to an all-medical detox model is of course safer, can’t deny that,” said Avarell. “Is it doable? Yes, but not economically feasible. The insurance companies would never pay enough.”

It’s often hard to tell if a center offers medical or non-medical treatment. Critics say some non-medical centers use scientific-sounding jargon in their advertising to imply that they provide a higher level of care than they actually do.

Some argue that allowing non-medical detox without a doctor’s clearance translates into danger for patients.

“The notion of ignoring physiology, and not providing appropriate medical care for someone in a situation that can lead to a true medical emergency, or be a true medical emergency, is grossly inappropriate,” said Michael Miller, past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and medical director of the Herrington Recovery Center at Rogers Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin.

Miller suggested that the rehab model followed in California is financially driven and that actual hospitalization for detox is viewed as too expensive.

It’s difficult to know what type of care your loved one will receive when dealing with a non-medical detox center. It is important for the person to be checked out medically to insure the type of care provided matches the type of care needed. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and if it’s hard to get answers, it may be best to find another facility.

The Recover has taken information formerly published in a Press Enterprise article. The Recover has no opinion on the fault of the treatment centers mentioned.

#Featured

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