#j → bruce wayne (affections)

[dcxdpdabbles]

I love every fic That has Danny still being Phantom even while in the DC universe but sometimes I just want my little guy to flex his intellect and be all around little mad scientist that only sometimes uses his powers to pick up a screwdriver

Danny is smart.

He knows he is brilliant.

He may have been outshined by his family when he was younger, but that was because his focus was on something else, and frankly, being born last into a family of geniuses made one feel like one wasn't as intelligent as them.

He constantly compared himself to them, knowing that they had already achieved what he was doing and falling further and further behind in his self-wellow.

Then Danny left Amity Park and went into the real world.....he found his intelligence got him far. Danny was exceptionally brilliant when he was working on machinery, chemistry, and, above all else, engineering.

Maybe it had something to do with watching his parents repurpose any household item into a completely new technology that affected beings from different dimensions simply because they used math.

Or maybe it was that his brain was always moving, always connecting, and constantly processing. Danny didn't realize that people couldn't just make whatever idea came into their heads a reality.

Hell, his dad heard about Mr. Freeze's ray and he made a copy in two months. Danny made Mr. Freeze's ray in two weeks. He made other ghost tech in that same amount or enough to arm his schoolmates in one afternoon.

The point is that Danny is good at what he does. Put a screwdriver in huis hand, and he be off until whatever hair brain idea he had a physical form.

Everyone in Amity Park knew this as a fact about the Fentons/ Since they moved in, there was nothing but experiments one right after the other. Sure, they wasted it on things like Ecto-studies, but his parents made their money from somewhere before the world learned about ghosts.

Danny's parents had many, and he means many, patents. Everything from a brand of microwaves to vehicle parts.

His parents created them, sold them to partial rights to companies, and then wasted whatever money they got on some new experiment for a ghost that had not yielded any fortunes.

He thought he could do the same. Just apply to anywhere that would take him after creating a portable phone changer on one's wrist. He figured it would have gotten less attention than he did hadn't he just shown up at Wayne Expo as an unknown inventor through his parents contacts.

Danny had felt relatively small with his foldable plastic table and his four cardboard boxes of his invention while everyone had booths and screens, and a few even had prominent speakers with people in suits that cost more than his house

. Danny felt like a little kid trying to sell lemonade in the five-star hotel lobby. Everyone walked right by him without a glance, or they jeered and mocked him.

That was until Bruce Wayne wandered over. Kind and charming the man, maybe he wasn't the brightest- but he stood there listening to Danny excitedly explain how moving the hand on the bracelet caused it to charge, so walking around with it was all the kinetic energy it needed.

His ward- Dick Grayson, in all his tiny ten-year-old authority, had purchased a bracelet from Danny. It had been the only sale he made that night, but it was the only one he needed. Bruce had called him to offer him a position at WE.

Like his parents, Danny enjoyed his freedom, so instead, he offered to be a freelance inventor. He would show the Wayne's first dibs but go where the wind took him. He made them if he found buyers who weren't trying to ice him out of profits.

Unlike his parents, he didn't waste the funds past his travels. Slowly but surely building up a fortune over time.

Danny still went out as Phantom, but over the years he invented random gadgets and chemicals that he would ship to Bruce for a healthy paycheck. Ussually he makes something that the rich man off-handedly comments on.

"Oh Danny, I just loved skydiving, but I'm scared Dick's parachute will get stuck."

Danny invented one with small rocket blasters Bruce could manually control into landing for his son.

"I always enjoy undersea diving. The tanks are a killer on my back. Jason was almost weighted down by them too."

Danny created a breathing mask that had the tanks in smaller easier-to-carry cylinders.

"Tim really loves his computers. Wish I could take the whole thing with me when I go out!"

Danny had a working computer on a heliographic wristwatch the next month.

It was awesome. Danny traveled a lot but always found time to call and speak with Bruce. He got to know the man well over the years, found himself chatting with him for hours, and even spent his visits to Gotham at Wayne Manor as a guest.

Bruce's kids were a riot to be around. He would often go away for a while only to return and find that they had grown in numbers. He loved them like his own and found himself a confidant among the children.

It was he that Dick called to whispers about his insecurity within Bruce's home. He would go to all the gymnastics and mathletes shows he could catch, cheering the loudest among the rich parents as Dick outshone the rest of the children.

Danny had practically flown home to rip Bruce a new one until the man admitted to his gapping son that he had applied to be his father mere months after taking him in.

It was Danny that Jason spoke to when Dick and Bruce's fights were too loud. He would take the boy on trips, and talk for hours about books to calm down, then he had sat Bruce and Dick down to rip another new one.

It was no surprise that Jason had called him when he had tried to run away to confront his birth mother. He had been there to see the bitch arrested before she could hurt Jason.

It was Danny that Tim often sought out to showcase his photos. He always made sure to call the boy right before he was meant to sleep, regardless of which part of the world Danny was on, to wish him goodnight and talk about their days.

Tim always brightened whenever Danny caught his skateboard competitions or club performances. He was the one who found out Tim's biological parents neglected him after the boy told him, and he was the one to help Bruce win custody.

Then came Damian, who was as scared as he was angry. Danny adored him and saw so many ghost-like mannerisms in him that connecting to the boy wasn't hard at all.

Bruce didn't seem to understand that his son was used to outlined expectations and grew irritable when he felt he failed them. He was the one that help Damian get used to his environment and was the one the boy was much more willing to try new things with.

Steph and Danny often got along well with their sense of humor, but mostly she followed him around, seeking approval that likely missed out from her parents. They would sit down and talk about her future and what she wanted in life, and he even let her practice her makeup on him and giggle about boys.

Sometimes, it felt like she didn't have to be the tough girl from the rough part of town. She could be a teenage girl without a care in the world. At least, that's what she claimed Danny made her feel like.

Cass didn't talk much, but she didn't have to for Danny to not see how much she enjoyed their days out, too.

He loved taking her to see the arts, to sit and listen to music together, and most of all, to see her slowly bloom into a sociable young lady so different from the closed-off girl that first arrived at Wayne Manor.

Duke was still relatively new, but Danny could spot the wild, unhinged look in his eye that would have made him a proper Fenton. The two often spent their time playing video games and working in the community together.

Duke seemed to enjoy when Danny invited him to tag along on short trips, especially when the two would go camping. As someone who grew up in the city, he had never been fishing until Danny taught him how to reel in a big one at a lake a state over. The whole Wayne family had cheered the dark skin boy on as he held the trout over his head for the photo.

Alfred treated him like one of the family sometimes meeting up with Danny on his travels for a cup of tea or a nice phone call to gossip about Bruce.

Danny loved it but adored when the Waynes would help with his inventions. Even if all they did was sit in his makeshift lab inside his RV or the west wing of Wayne Manor like Bruce did, having them made his hands fly faster and his calculations sharper.

Sometimes, he caught the strangest, softest look on Bruce's face when Danny would be wielding.

Danny was so used to this lifestyle that he would forget about his ghost powers. It's not like he really needed them.

That came to head when he returned to Gotham on a whim, wanting to surprise Bruce for his birthday by taking the other man out to dinner somewhere fancy he happened to stumble across the scene of Scarecrow holding the Waynes- his Waynes- as hostages at an award ceremony in the new mental hospital they had funded.

Danny hadn't thought.

He saw the Fear Gas vents open and pulled one of his gadgets. He threw it as hard as he could at Scarecrow, watching with satisfaction as it bounced off the manic's head- knocking him out and spinning in place as it activated.

It was a miniature vacuum- meant to gather pollution in the air to hopefully clean up their planet- sucking in all the green smoke before it could harm.

He three out of the other five at the goons that had tried to gas the spectators before, pressing his anti-gravity plates- reversing them to slam the goons into a heap and officially knocking them out.

Danny took down the Rouge in under a minute.

"Bruce! Kids! Are you alright?" He cried rushing the stage to the stunned family. He helped them out of their bonds, gentelly tracing the bruise on Bruce's face with a soft whine. "They hurt you."

"I'm alright, darling," Bruce muttered, leaning into his palm. "I'm better with you here. What was that?"

"Oh just a-"

"Look out!" Dick suddenly screams as a flash of ice comes from nowhere. Danny tucks Bruce onto his chest and rolls away from the ray's pathway. They land with his friend on his back and Danny leaning over him in a protective hunch.

Quickly, he stops his foot against the ice, pressing the heel back and watching bursts of electricity from his built-in tazer race up the ice to the beam of Dr. Freeze.

The man doesn't have time to react before spamming and hitting the ground. Danny scoffs. "Using a ray with a cryogenic laser beam so last season. Invent something new, you one act poney."

Bruce stares up at him with those soft eyes again, and Danny smiles now that he is sure the Danger is gone.

"Is there nothing that mind of yours can't do?" Bruce asks and Danny laughs helping him to his feet as police swarm the place.

"Find me a date, maybe." Danny jokes, "I haven't had one since you took in Dick.""

"Neither has Father!" Damian shouts from behind them. Danny bemussingly watches the young boy march up to gesture at the mortified-looking man.

Despite his father's obvious embarrassment, Damian does not seem bothered to shout for everyone to hear. "He may swing both ways but hasn't acquired a suitable spouse. What says you, Danny? You could assist in correcting this error."

"Sure, I'll take him out." Danny laughs, patting the boy on his shoulder, knowing he hates to have his hair touched. Damian all but melts into his hand like his father seemingly smug. "I know a great club to meet some great people in Metropolis!"

Damian's smug look fades away as Bruce's eyes fall. "I meant for you to be Father's sp-"

"Danny, would you mind explaining those tazer shoes?" Bruce cuts in, throwing a arm over the inventor's shoulder. "They were dazzling!"

"Oh, Bruce, I'm always happy to explain my creations!"

Damian pouts as the two walk away, acting like a married couple to the scattered spectators. If only his Father would just man up and tell Danny that he's practically been his second Father all these years, they need to officiate it.

Tim sighs, placing a hand like Danny did on his shoulder. "It's okay, Dami. This time, we will surely succeed in the Parent Trap plan. Maybe before Danny gets lost in the lab trying to invent a way to warp travel."

"Don't even joke, Tim," Jason says. "Danny would figure that out. He created the Zeta Beams to make it to my senior play. He'll figure out warping if we ask him to."

"Dad's the best," Steph laughs, and they all agree, determined more than ever to make Parent Trap happen.

Master Post Link

[alienguts]

SFW Alphabet (Bruce Wayne x GN!Reader)

Warnings: none

A/N: I know I had a poll going, but this one was already finished.

A - Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Bruce wasn't the most affectionate partner in the beginning (thank the unresolved childhood trauma for that), but once he realised that it's okay to touch you and be touched, he couldn't get enough of you. He likes to be as close to you as he can in public and private, and he can be a little overprotective.

B - Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Relationships of any kind can be difficult with Bruce, but he's one of the best friends you could have. He's a very private person but he's also loyal and always willing to help you out of a problem, whether that involves money or not.

C - Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Bruce is only really a cuddler for you. He'll give his kids hugs but obviously not in the way he hugs you. Whenever he has some downtime (which isn't very often), he just wants to cuddle up on the sofa or in bed with you and just enjoy your company. He's always the big spoon, he likes being able to wrap you in his arms and bury his face into your shoulder.

D - Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Settling down isn't really in the cards for Bruce, given both of his lifestyles. The daytime life of a billionaire philanthropist and the night-time life of a vigilante doesn't leave a lot of time for a domestic life.

Is Bruce good at cooking and cleaning? Of course not. This man could burn a cup of water and it's well documented that he once fucked up a simple sandwich.

E - Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Bruce is a lot of things, but he's not a coward. If he had to break up with someone, he'd do it in person. Not over the phone, text, or send someone else to do it for him. Unfortunately, he's done it many times but it never feels good.

F - Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Oh, dear, Bruce. Commitment has never been a very easy thing for Bruce. Deep down he truly wants to get close to other people, but he knows that he can't. It took him long enough to open up to you, it takes even longer for him to propose, but once you're engaged, he wants to be married ASAP.

G - Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Bruce is a lot more gentle than he looks. He's a lot of hard edges and knows how to be scary and intimidating, but he truly is a teddy bear. He doesn't want to do anything to hurt you (unless you want him to) and he knows how dangerous his life can be for both you and him, so he wants to keep you at ease as much as possible.

H - Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

When it was just him and Alfred, Bruce wasn't really one for hugs. He wouldn't really know how to react and would be awkward, but that changed with his little family getting bigger and starting a relationship with you.

Bruce's hugs are always warm and soothing, but there are moments when he'll hug you as if he's scared to let you go.

I - I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Bruce needed a while before he said he loved you. He knew that he had some pretty serious feelings for you, but he felt like he couldn't say it to you until he fully understood how he felt.

Once he did it felt like a giant weight off his shoulders and couldn't stop saying it.

J - Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Bruce isn't really the jealous type, but on those odd occasions when he does get jealous, it can be a little overbearing. He'll see someone try to sidle up to you at an event and immediately appear out of nowhere to remind them that you're his.

K - Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

I may have written some headcanons about this already...

L - Little ones (How are they around children?)

Considering that he has a small army of children, it's easy to see that Bruce is very good with children, no matter their age. He never planned on being a father or even a father figure, but he's happy to have his family.

M - Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Bruce are relatively relaxed, considering that he's 3/4 asleep and refusing to get out of bed. He hates being woken up and turns into the biggest baby when he doesn't get at least five more minutes.

N - Night (How are nights spent with them?)

It's no surprise that time spent at night with Bruce is very short and not all that relaxing. You've had countless sleepless nights when you've worried yourself sick about him, only for him to come home and reassure you that he's fine.

O - Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

It takes Bruce a very long time to start opening up to you. Being in a relationship with him is putting a giant target on your back and he wants you to be safe more than anything. At first, he tells you surface-level things and once he knows he can trust you, he'll tell you the super secret things.

P - Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Bruce can't really afford to lose his patience easily. It would ruin his public reputation and also cause him to not think as clearly when fighting crime. He's had to train himself to stay as calm as possible at all times.

Q - Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

Bruce remembers everything about you, even the smallest things. He knows exactly where you like to put things, the way you eat your meals and every little quirk that you have.

R - Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

Bruce can never really pick one specific moment in your relationship that's his favourite. He cherishes every second that he gets to spend with you, but the times when he truly understood how much you trusted each other are precious to him.

S - Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Bruce is very protective of you, but not to the point of being suffocating. He respects your independence and doesn't want to keep you in a gilded cage but he wants you to be safe. Having ties to the Wayne family can be a little dangerous at times.

T - Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Bruce puts a lot of effort into your relationship because he knows how much being Batman can get in the way. In the beginning, he had no problem with throwing his money around and getting you the best version of something you wanted, but down the line, he eased off.

U - Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Does moonlighting as a costumed vigilante count as a bad habit? Bruce has an incredible memory but there are times when he's so hyper-focused on his work that he forgets that there's a world outside of crimefighting.

V - Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

As Batman, he couldn't care less, but Bruce Wayne the famous playboy needs to keep up appearances. As long as he's clean and his body is at the best it can perform, he's relatively happy.

W - Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

It's difficult to say. If the two of you broke up, Bruce would definitely feel like a part of him was missing, but he wouldn't realise it until a while after.

X - Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Bruce has absolutely no knowledge of pop culture. He often has to look through the tabloids for things to talk about at galas unless you tell him about something.

Y - Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

It shouldn't be said that Bruce doesn't like criminals. He can excuse something small like petty shoplifting for survival, but anything with serious repercussions is a deal-breaker.

That hasn't stopped him in the past, though...

Z - Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Bruce gets so little sleep that any etiquette about sharing a bed goes out of the window when he does. He'll sleep diagonally and hog all the blankets and pillows but once he remembers that you're there, he becomes a total cuddle bug.

[fablesuntold]

🃏Biography. The Joker🃏

Most of this is made up by the mun— do not steal or reblog as I’ve put a lot of thought into this. Also do not copy this layout.

Basic info:

Real name: Jack Oswald White— but this information has never been disclosed to anyone else so only he knows his real name.

Preferred alias:

Joker.

Mister. J.

John Doe.

J.

Age: 31 years old.

Birthday: Born October 31st.

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio.

Gender: Male.

Sexuality: Bisexual.

Nationality: American.

Born in: Gotham City, United States.

Currently residing in: Gotham City, United States.

Morality: Chaotic evil.

Occupation: Full time menace to society/Self proclaimed King of Gotham City.

🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏

Appearance:

Height: 1.8m / 5’11”

Weight: 76 kg/ 12 stone.

Hair: Neon Green/Brunette before the acid incident.

Eyes: Bright blue.

Tattoos: Joker has a range of tattoos from head to toe. Most resemble his alter ego. From jesters to playing cards and toothy smiles, his skin is decorated like tapestry with the art. His favourite tattoo of all is the ‘Damaged’ on his forehead as it best describes his mental state of mind. He plans to get more, possibly something that could be used to mock Batman with because why not~? He just loves to rile the caped crusader up.

Piercings: The only piercings Joker currently has are his ear piercings and a tongue piercing. He much prefers tattoos but will likely get more anyway in the future.

Scars: Due to many battles and run ins with Batman over the years, Joker has sustained many injuries much like his archnemesis. Scars litter his pale skin, some jagged and deep and some faded. Luckily his tattoos cover the worst of them— partly the reason he got them to begin with.

Other: Thanks to a rather intense fight with Batman before being escorted to Arkham Asylum, Joker’s regular front teeth were brutally smashed out and had to be replaced with silver caps— thus why his mouth takes on a more metallic look.

Faceclaim: Jared Leto.

🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏

Family/Friends:

Mother: Sophia White.

Status: Unknown.

Relationship: Joker doesn’t remember much about his time spent in his mother’s care. At the age of seven, he was placed into an orphanage due to his parents not wanting him anymore, though he briefly recalls his mother’s hand combing through his hair one last time before she turned on her heel and made a swift exit from his life— a strange display of affection for somebody who so easily gave up on him. The true reason as to why she gave him up remains unclear, but the abandonment has stuck with him more than he likes to admit. He can’t help but to wonder though.. was there a part of Sophia that regretted leaving her son behind?

Father: Damien White.

Status: Deceased.

Relationship: Much like his mother, not much is recalled about his relationship with his father. All he remembers is that his father used to shout a lot and smack his mother around when she stood up to him. Perhaps the reason he was put into care? Joker doesn’t know, but he no longer possesses the quality to care about why exactly they’re no longer around.

Siblings: He’s an only child as far as he knows. Given the fact that he doesn’t know his family at all though, it’s a possibility that he could have siblings somewhere out there.

Spouse: N/A. (Depending on the verse, I usually ship him with Harley Quinn and have a few plot ideas if anyone is interested. Bruce Wayne is also an option too as an enemies to lovers/enemies with benefits plot.)

Kids: N/A. (Again, depends on the verse.)

Pets: He once owned a pet Hyena called Chuckles, but it was quickly confiscated and sent off to a zoo when Joker was apprehended by Batman and sent to Arkham Asylum.

Friends: Joker doesn’t consider many people his friends, but his closest companions are Harley Quinn, Jonny Frost and of course he’ll claim Batman to be his best friend even though Batman loathes the bones of him.

🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏

Other:

Personality traits/Characteristics: Narcissistic, sarcastic, witty, cruel, unpredictable, brazen, overconfident, wild, crude, apathetic, heartless, clever, impatient, impulsive, aggressive, cynical, enigmatic, obnoxious, possessive, envious, greedy, menacing, loud, immature, twisted, wicked, evil, mischievous, irritable, selfish, boastful, excitable, assertive, demented.

MBTI Type: ENTP. He’s an extrovert who is creative and loves a good plan. However, he’s easily distracted by new possibilities and can often stray away from his original plans to pursue another manic idea. He’ll do anything to achieve his goals even despite the resistance from others he knows he’ll be met with.

Any mental illness: Joker suffers from schizophrenia— psychotic disorder which often results in random bursts of violent outbreaks and excessive delusions, hallucinations included. His mind is often muddled with wild fantasies that can only be described as insane and no amount of therapy has been able to provide him relief. Past therapists at Arkham Asylum conclude that he may be bordering on dissociative identity disorder too.

Weapons: Depending on his mood, Joker uses a range of weapons from handguns to bombs and melee weapons.. but his absolute favourite of them all is his trusty submachine gun. Nothing gives him a thrill quite like letting those bullets fly all while laughing hysterically about it.

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Backstory:

A rough childhood behind him, Jack was born into an abusive household and exposed to violence at a young age. With his father mercilessly beating him and his mother almost every night in an alcohol induced rage, it’s no surprise that his morals were corrupted from the get-go. However, he wasn’t around his father long enough for him to be a major influence in his life when his mother decided enough was enough.

Waiting for her husband to consume enough alcohol for him to pass out, Jack’s mother wasted no time in driving her son to the nearest orphanage and after a whispered ‘you’ll be safe here’ and a quick kiss to his forehead, she disappeared off into the night never to be seen or heard of again.

Growing up, Jack always knew he was different to the other kids in care. He wasn’t interested in what they were interested in, dolls and action figures only doing so much to appease his tormented little mind. Instead, Jack found himself fascinated with crime and death which quickly caused concern for staff at the orphanage when told time and time again about his morbid curiosity. To say the least, staff often found themselves uneasy around him, especially when he started to display symptoms of early schizophrenia— the exact same symptoms that deterred any potential foster parents away from adopting him.

By the time he reached eighteen and with no success of a foster family, Jack was released as a young adult into the world— and that’s where his life of crime began. Quickly getting in with the wrong crowd after a club brawl gone wrong, Jack joined one of Gotham’s many notorious gangs of thugs where he quickly began to climb the hierarchy. For the first time in his life, Jack felt as though he had a purpose. Like he had a life worth living with people who understood him. But all of that came crashing down within the blink of an eye.

One stormy evening, Jack found himself on the end of a drug bust when Batman intercepted the deal. Him being the supplier, he was chased through the streets of Gotham until a promising escape route beckoned him in the form of a chemical factory. Little did he know this is where his life would take a drastic turn.

On the cusp of escaping, it wasn’t until Batman took a swoop at him from the top floor did he lose his footing and take a tumble into a burning container of acid that quickly burned and bleached his skin a sickly white, lips stained red and chemically altering his hair to a neon green once he finally emerged after almost drowning. It was that exact same acid that drove him further down the road of insanity. Pronounced dead by Batman, he’d once again been left behind.

Following that night Jack became obsessed with Batman and swore revenge, and in the following years he adopted his alter ego— becoming well known and greatly feared as ‘The Joker’ thanks to his unique appearance which oddly resembled that of a clown.

From bank heists to mass murder and destruction across the city, it didn’t take long for Batman to find him once again and many altercations with him later, Joker unfortunately landed himself a one way ticket to Arkham Asylum after a particularly lethal fight with the masked hero. Therapy sessions were made a mockery of, and Joker only laughed at anyone who attempted to help him, only requesting to speak to Batman. This resulted in him being doomed to spend most of his twenties confined by white cushioned walls and restrained in a snug straitjacket for everyone’s safety— including his own.

**MORE TO BE ADDED**

[shoucloudlord]

So I mentioned I was making a essay about A Death In The Family, and I thought it was due today and my teacher deceived us but I like what I have so far so I'm sharing this. Please know that this is a argumentative essay and it might not make much sense but I hope you enjoy this shitty essay, this needs more editing but I like this so far. Also I made a really scuffed title and I hate myself. (essay under the cut)

Emotions That Hit With a Crowbar

Graphic novels are targeted toward kids or teens, and the storytelling in the medium is more expressive than a novel. Yes, in a book you could have the same story but with the way comics are made it’s easier to get lost in the story being told and you don’t have to use your imagination to think of the designs for the gadgets and the world. With graphic novels, writers and artists work together to tell the story, and the story can be dark, light, gruesome, soft, and much more. Graphic novels are a way for people who grow up reading them to get inspired to make stuff like this, from becoming a writer or an artist.

Comics have been around since the late 30’s, and they’ve grown in the past 90 years, creating iconic characters and events that happened in them. Batman: A Death In The Family is one such event. The Batman comics are among the top-selling comics in the industry alongside Superman. Still, when the comic Batman: A Death In The Family came out in 1988 it was a pivotal point for the characters Bruce Wayne and Batman, along with Jason Todd who would later become Red Hood, an homage to The Joker’s old identity after being resurrected. Batman: A Death In The Family is one of the most iconic storylines in comics history, which has had a significant impact on the comic book medium and its community of readers by bringing people together to make a choice that influenced the story, the repercussions of which are still being felt to this day. A Death In The Family should be added to the Canon because of its impact on comics history and the unique way it allowed the readers to change history themselves.

Some would say “Its superficial story arc and catering to its audience at the time dates the story and anchors it firmly in place as a populous novel not written by any one author to import any great truth but rather written to create marketing buzz and to get rid of a problematic character that was hurting sales. A classic must be eminently meaningful, Death In The Family can be viewed as solely a cynical money grab.” - B, a good friend of mine and comic enthusiast. The writers saw that Jason was unpopular and at an editorial retreat the DC president of the time wanted to deal with Jason Todd, Dennis O’Neil recalled an SNL skit from 1982, and he then proposed that they use that skit for Jason Todd. ¹

 A Death In The Family was made to deal with a problematic character but it also led to an emotional story that when it first came out, affected many people, and it still affects people today. When you read stories you get very attached, and as the story goes on and the character evolves you grow with them. A Death In The Family has a well-known and beloved character die, having an event that caused distress to the reader is not just a money grab. It’s an emotional story for the readers who love these characters.

Jason Todd debuted in 1983 and his character was revamped in 1987, he was born to Willis Todd and Sheila Haywood but was raised by Willis and Catherine Todd in Crime Alley. Jason's father was a criminal often working for the rogues of Gotham and when he was working for Two-Face he was killed, leaving Catherine to raise Jason, but Catherine died of an overdose a while later. So Jason was to live on the streets taking tires of cars to sell just to survive. While looking for cars to steal tires from, Jason came across the Batmobile and started to take the tires. He got 3 tires off before Batman arrived and when Batman confronted Jason, the boy hit the man in the chest with a tire iron.

Jason ran away but Batman caught up to the boy and took him to a home, but after a while Bruce Wayne adopted Jason. Jason found out Bruce Wayne was Batman and went through six months of training before becoming the second Robin. Bruce knew Jason was volatile during his time as Robin and hoped that being Robin would help with his anger, but it didn't. As Jason grew into the Robin role he became more violent and during a fight with a man named Felipe Garzonas and the circumstances of his death, Bruce and Jason fought more often. When Jason became too violent, Bruce benched him from going out as Robin and Jason stormed out of the manor.

Jason made his way back to his old home in Crime Alley and met a friend of his parents who gave him his family's stuff back, in the box included Jason's birth certificate. As Jason looked at it, he noticed that his birth mother's name, although smudged and unreadable, had the letter "S" instead of "C". Inside Wilis Todd's contact book were three names with the letter "S" as the first name, Sharmin Rosen, Shiva Woosan (Lady Shiva), and Sheila Haywood. This prompted Jason to go on the hunt for his birth mother. All the while The Joker made his escape from Arkham and Bruce started to go after him.

Jason made his way to Ethiopia, Sheila was stationed here to help with relief for refugees and The Joker was here as well blackmailing Sheila for materials for his evil plot. Jason and Bruce (who caught up with Jason during his hunt for The Joker) made their way into the camp and when Jason and Sheila met they started to catch up. Afterward, The Joker starts to leave, and Jason finds out that his birth mother is being blackmailed so Bruce goes after the trucks while Jason tries to help his birth mother, he reveals he's Robin to her and is led to a warehouse where The Joker was waiting. Sheila betrayed him and The Joker started his attack on the boy. The Joker beat Robin with a crowbar and when he was done he double-crossed Sheila and left them in the warehouse with a bomb. Jason tried to save his mother but when they got to the doors, they were locked shut and the bomb went off, Bruce Wayne made it to the warehouse as it exploded.

A Death In The Family belongs in the Canon because of the impact it has on the community and companies. The writers secured the two phone numbers they would use for the vote even before the comics started to come out, the writers were prepared to have both outcomes come out once the votes were cast. On September 9th, 1988 Batman #427 came out, and at the very end of the comic were two phone numbers. Readers had only the 15th and 16th of September to cast their votes before the next issue was released with the result. When the two days came the final vote was 10,614 and the majority was 5,343 for Jason's death. The 72-vote difference was what sealed Jason's fate.² Batman #428 came out on October 20th and Jason Todd was dead. This was the first time a major comic character was killed, the DC editorial team wanted Jason Todd's death to be permanent since they were done with him. A Death In The Family gave readers a unique experience by giving them the voice to make a change within the story they've been reading for years. 

The late 1980s and early 1990s were regarded as the grunge era and A Death In The Family was the last straw on the camel's back so to speak. When the comic singles were released it helped lead DC comics into the darker period of comics and how they made their characters from then on. While it's possible that it didn't help the publishers make more comics that were geared to the audience of the time, it was a start. Since comics before A Death In The Family didn't have consequences like they do now, they were soft and more toned down. A Death In The Family changed how storytelling could be in comics, around the late 80s and early 90s Comics started going in a darker direction. It opened the door to more brutal events that happened within the stories, we got comics like Death of Superman, Knightfall, Kingdom Come, and The Sandman to name a few. A Death In The Family should be in the Canon because it helped change comic-book storytelling.

Within the comics community, A Death In The Family is regarded as a classic and an important comic to the Batman Mythos, it helped change how Batman acts and does things while fighting crime. It belongs in the canon not because the comics community regards it as a classic when it comes to the character's story, but for the effect it still has today. There have been a few mentions of Jason throughout the years before he was resurrected in 2005, his character has been mentioned in the 2003 Teen Titans show, and even today The Vote is referenced and used in the Batman lore, in Red Hood: Outlaws, the writers made The Vote Canon inside the lore, Gotham City made a poll asking if they wanted Batman to keep the new Robin and they said no. The Young Justice TV show had Jason's death in season 2, showing his character through a tribute to his death. After Jason Todd's resurrection and the comic that showed what happened to him, there was an animated movie based on the comic of the same name Batman: Under The Red Hood. With Jason coming back as an anti-hero, it gave Batman a foil. This foil gives more depth to both Bruce and Jason and their relationship within comics. Even though it's been over three decades, A Death In The Family will always have a big impact on the Batman Comics.

Graphic novels are an expressive medium, it has more and less freedom of expression than novels. Graphic novels are told in short segments but they go on for long periods of time, creating unique and iconic stories. Batman: A Death In The Family gave the readers a unique experience, the writers brought the readers together and let them have a chance to change the story how they wanted. The comic helped change the comics game with its tonal shift from fun to gritty and expanded the audience's reach. Through the medium of comics, it’s a digestible form, and to the readers along with many others, it becomes a classic.

[johnconstantinejld]

Gotham Tales-Harley

Ting-a-ling-a-ling. Up I pop.

Mistah J is dying now, and I’m seeing him for what he was. A no-good, rotten, back-stabbing angel.

‘Is that why he always told the authorities on you when you escaped so he could get good reports from the Asylum guards?’

Diana’s just jealous cos she doesn’t have a puddin’ like I do.

Did.

He was just a clown when I met him. And after years listening to other peoples problems, he listened to mine. And in return, he told me things, secret things. He had never told them to anyone.

And he had a million of them. An abusive father one night, a runaway mother the next. Was his Dad a drunk, or was there only one time he only ever saw him happy? At a circus when he was seven? Ice show. He told me it was an ice show. And I gave him a joke to kill Bats.

In return, he kicked me out of a window and fractured my spine in three places, broke an arm and a leg.

But I wasn’t going to let that affect me. I could change him for the better. Only I knew what his real face, what he was really thinking. And every night, when we put painted on our smiles, we just laughed at each other. He wasn’t laughing at me. He never did that. Laughing at how easy he had turned me, corrupted me?

One night, he decided to raid the chemical plant. Mistah J always had something going on. Everyone was going to look as happy as he did. Happy as a clown.

‘Don’t bring the babies, Harl. They’ll be in the way.’

I now know why Red was telling me he was doing something big. There had been robberies at quarries and explosive places all near Gotham. He gives me a gun and tells me to watch out for the Bats.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling.

It’s stopped being funny. Walking through the narrow catwalks above bubbling tanks where anything could be in the shadows. I didn’t even see the Bats. He took out the lights and then I was outside, handcuffed and being put in the car.

When I got out, I immediately went to find him, and my clown was dying. He was always smiling now, but chemicals aren’t best for him. He was dying. Chemicals don’t do good for the kidneys. He was burning to death from the inside, and he was jacking off to someone.

I wasn’t the only Harley in his life.

He spat blood and looked at our jaded room. But I still thought there was a place for me.

Batman said it was a joke. He laughed at the joke I had become. From up-and-coming doctor to good-for-nothing sidekick. He laughed. It’s a sound you should never hear. He doesn’t trust me, and rightfully so. Maybe cos I tried to blow up the Comish. Not Bruce Wayne, though. I wouldn’t hurt him. Nice guy. And unattached.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling!

I tried to run my own thing. Me and Red, taking back Gotham and making it big. But she started giving me lectures, about how little we were getting. She wanted bigger projects with lots of science-y words. She wanted to return Gotham to a forest and it meant taking away my babies. Said they were in the wrong climate. I fell out again, went off grid, came out sometimes to talk to Batgirl and the others if they came round. Katana and the others. We’d take back this dump. Black Mask don’t know what’s coming. Things became bigger than Gotham. Batgirl told me about life outside. I got to spend days not wearing the bells and cap. Ting-a-ling-a-ling.

I took off the costume, dressed normally. It felt good. I didn’t have to listen to a lecture, be scared of a wallop when I came home. Now they’re talking about a League. Got talking something about a satellite. No, space station.

Fighting crimes feels good. If only I could get Bats to trust me.

[shatteredfears-arch]

things abt harvey bc jessies starter reminded me and ima be at work all day so even tho i have the reply written i cant format or add an icon until tuesday;;; (CWs for the obvious if you know any of his various versions: parent death, abuse, forced institutionalization of the mother, manipulation, etc)

His coin is an american half dollar, misprinted so both halves have a face, and he’a had it since he was a kid. It’s sort of become his stabilizer, in any event you can catch his hand in his pocket fidgeting with it, and when he’s speaking for political events you can see him rubbing it between his right thumb and forefinger.

He’s left handed, but due to his interest in dualism, did learn to be ambidextrous while ‘testing the differences’.

His mother is guatamalan and cuban. Her grandparents immigrated.

In the comics, he has a brother named Murray. But as he’s too young to be the series Murray’s brother, i altered it a bit.

Thus, his birth father is M/urray F/ranklin, whom he knew. They were never married, and Harvey inherited his mother’s name: Dent.

Murray kept Harvey a secret, and would claim his mother was just ‘a helping hand’ or ‘old friend’. When she started talking, he belittled her mental state to get her institutionalized. Something he clearly intended to do with Harvey as well, using his declining mental health as an excuse— Harvey’s intense desire for justice stems entirely from the treatment he received from his father, and the mistreatment given to his mother. The way law enforcement agreed to help Murray just due to his fame (and, lbr, the fact he’s white) led to Harvey’s intense distrust of police as well, and his desire to ‘clean house’ on them when he was older. His political desires stem entirely from being mistreated his entire life, and wanting better for others.

He was at the studio when Murray died, and he smiled when he saw it. He’d tell the police he didn’t see anything.

When he was 17, he filed and became fully emancipated.

He got various odd jobs here and there so he could afford law school, and never inherited anything from his father. He has, however, kept every piece of documentation he had to prove Murray was his father, and what he did to him. Fully intent to one day destroy his already tattered image once Harvey made his own. He does not believe the dead should continue to be glorified if they did something wrong.

he became a lawyer at the age of 26, and became district attorney at 30. he’s currently almost 32. and he is older than bruce.

His survival skills taught him how to be manipulative. While part of him does consider Bruce a friend, he’s mostly friends with Bruce for Bruce’s money, and the knowledge of what that money can do for a campaign. plus the fact bruce also seems to distrust most of gcpd.

he’s mentioned before that the same day the waynes were murdered, so was his father, and he hasn’t been allowed to see his mother in years. it’s part of how he got bruce to be his friend.

he has an ex wife, and a daughter. his disappointment that they only had one child and not twins led to a level of resentment which is what broke apart their marriage (and.. the fact they got married and had a child at 18 years of age) and he ignored Duella most of her early life. When he finally went to therapy (outside gotham, he travels to metropolis) and started medications, he found it easier to show her love and affection.. but by then it was a bit too late.

Present day, Duella is 13, and Harvey and her mother share 50/50 custody. in both houses, Duella has an ‘alter’ to ‘criminals’ she idolizes. He did not mind when she had the ‘alter’ to J/oker. He does mind now that she has one for R/iddler.

His medication is kept under lock and key now due to Duella, during the R/iddler streams, flushing all his medication down the toilet and trying to take and destroy his precious coin. Causing the back to be completely defaced. His ex refused to also sign off on therapy, since she’d need to keep up the visits to metropolis when duella was with him, so he sent duella back to her mother during the rest of the r/iddler streams. he does not take her to events. He will occasionally mention her, however, and does not try to keep her a secret. He does tell people she’s troubled, though, and has used asking for advice as a front for empathy towards him and his career.

[xxj0kerxx]

because my tags are apparently fucked.

[astrum-naut]

enamored (yandere jason todd, yandere tim drake, older! yandere damian wayne headcanons)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m still alive I swear.

WARNING/s:  jealousy, possessiveness, unhealthy behaviors, mentions of kidnapping, death, murder, stalking, non-consensual monitoring or usage of cameras, toxic relationships, bullying, manipulation, stealing clothes LMAOO, alleged breaking and entering

Always remember that this is a work of fiction and everything written does not fully encompass and describe Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne’s personality and character. Feel free to send in asks / questions / clarifications / thoughts about them as well.

j. todd

First of all, I would just like to know what you did in your past life for this fine-ass man to want to be the object of your affections. 

It’s pretty much an open secret amongst both the Bat-family and the general public (to some extent) that he’s the black sheep in the sea of children Bruce had adopted. Even with the whispers of his broken past and nefarious deeds, he’s going to shock you with his quiet demeanor enhanced by his devilish looks. 

You’d expect him to have armfuls of women at his beck and call, but his introverted bookworm personality DEFINITELY leaves you a lot more vulnerable and interested in his charms. 

Yet, that does not remove how much this man still boasts a lot of red flags under plain sight. 

A wolf in sheep's clothing through and through, his hot temperament and violent streak only cover up the hole in his heart to be desired and loved.

Your relationship with him is most likely going to be an amalgamation of Bruce’s and Dick’s towards their respective darlings but obviously with Jason’s strife and behavior to the situation.

For one, you both are in this push-and-pull relationship. It may seem like you are doing most of the work and being the most affected, but that notion couldn’t even be more wrong. Jason’s definitely struggling to make sense of his feelings. He's never felt this intense of emotions towards someone romantically and he just knows the unhealthy urges of keeping you safe are further heightened by his traumatic experiences.

But what makes him more shaken is how a possessive streak accompanies these selfish desires. He’s honestly impressed at how everything he comes across reminds him of you. No trinket or item is too outlandish enough to remember your face, your mannerisms, your personality. Everything. 

And unlike most of his family members who slowly go through this process or are immediately immersed into this fucked up sense of thinking, his will power to resist these urges are definitely commendable. But not for long. 

Because as soon as Jason buries his guilt and insecurities under his veil similar to how he handles most of his problems, you’re just going to wish he was a lot more hesitant and aloof towards you.

This man is the trigger-happy one in the family and it carries over to his love-life.

Expect every ex, past lover, rivals, and threats to be dealt with at some point or another. Jason would give a period of time or some leeway if they currently have lovers of the sort; but if they allude to or decide to pursue interest in you - they’re definitely disappearing before you could even notice. 

Despite his supposedly meat-head personality, he’s still a bat through and through and remains to be calculated and controlling of the situation at all times. If he doesn’t beat the crap out of them, then he’ll make their demise or disappearance an accident or an unfortunate event. Think a villain coincidentally orchestrating their various crimes in the same vicinity as they are. 

He thinks he’s real slick with it too, but I think Jason can’t completely cover up his oozing red flags during this period. He’s a lot more quiet and seemingly uncaring about what happens to you in the beginning but now there’s a lot of more tense silence and expressive body language.

You’re definitely caught in between the crossfire of this new development and you’re left bursting at the seams of what happens next.

But aside from the initial hesitance, Jason is a soft romantic.

He’s a reader, he’s seen the in’s-and-out’s as well as the epitomes of romance various couples share and with a solemn expression definitely wishes he would experience the same. The yearning doesn’t go unnoticed though, since he’s picking up the pace now mostly in touch with his feelings. 

He’s like dark chocolate - bitter and unconventional, yet still sweet to the mouth whenever he does any type of gesture. 

Sure, he still performs the traditional acts of romance - giving you flowers, trinkets that remind you of him, and such but there’s this signature touch of subtlety. While Dick and Bruce are very transparent with their advances (wanting to show you from the get-go how their affections translate when they are with you), Jason - the ever so cunning man that he is - wants to tease you and let the feeling linger. He wants to keep you guessing and on your toes, be it some biting joke that leaves you speechless once you understand the punchline or an experience that leaves you blushing. 

Unlike his usual escapades, he’s a lot more soft and vulnerable than his family members give him credit for.  He never thought he was capable of doing the sappy things he would do in this period of his life. When he’s awake in the dead of night, he stares at the empty side of his bed and just imagines your warm figure damp on the mattress. He traces the letters of your name in comfort when he’s anxious, and his teammates tease him endlessly when they manage to catch him whispering your name in his sleep.

But those desires don’t cover up the trail of blood and guilt he’s left in his wake. 

Surprisingly, he shares the same self-awareness / mindset as Dick - the only difference being he’s not wearing rose-tinted glasses about it. 

Jason definitely wants to keep you unaware as much as possible of the eventual sins he’s done. As opposed to his family members who find it logical that their darlings should not want to find their activity for obvious reasons (i.e they don’t want their darlings to leave them), he’s much more upfront that he doesn’t want to taint or dirty you with his actions. Dick’s main shtick as a yandere is that his darling liking him is above all else; while Jason wants the same he also understands another much darker side to this which is if his darling finds out and understandably reacts negatively, it further proves he is a bad person.

But if he’s not having bouts of existential crises, then much like the other bats he’s a master stalker as well. 

He definitely monitors you in person, walking from roof-top to roof-top to investigate your whereabouts. He’s also really fond of visiting your place of residence and learning more about you behind the scenes. I’d like to think he lounges a lot in your kitchen, he looks around your cupboards and takes note of all the different produce and snacks you consume. He’s an absolute domestic king and he likes learning about your different preferred brands and items. 

Hell, sometimes you arrive from work and you could feel the couch or bed a bit too warm from where you last left it…

Other than that, Jason’s definitely an interesting case and a departure from both Bruce and Dick in his yandere escapades; as he still allows his guilty subconscious to seep into his love life.

t. drake

A lot of people like to undermine or underestimate the darkness that is in Tim whether through a yandere perspective and in the general sense - and that definitely makes it all the more shocking when you come to the revelation that maybe he isn’t so innocent after all.

When this man gets attached, he gets ATTACHED. Like no semblance of logic or intellect would be able to deter him from his plans to keep you to himself or in a more positive life - have you love him. If he can somehow force Bruce into adapting him as his son, then he can have you in his arms at the end of whatever year he decides is best for you - trust.

With that in mind, an important part of his character that is repeatedly pointed out is his obsession and his stalker-ish tendencies. If he was not in love with you, the man would definitely be much more criticized by his family for his behavior.

He’s the typical yandere archetype; researching as much as he can about his beloved, trailing after them wherever they go, having the most basic and intricate information about you memorized, and most likely having a shrine on you in the bat-cave or any other safehouse he has. Tim would definitely be in the opening scene of some stalker film if you see him in this state, messy room, trash everywhere, eyes flickering to the screens and CCTVs of any information and current whereabouts, eyebags on full display - the whole seven yards.

He’s one of the most alarming yandere’s to have since there’s something about him that makes him so creepy - and that’s already considering the stalking, murking, and other fucked up habits the other Batfamily members possess.

When he watches you through the cameras, his brothers and even Bruce are even unnerved at how creepy he looks. Eyes fully blown, tongue licking his lips at random intervals, and heavy breathing at the exhaustion of his line of work. He looks dead on the inside yet somehow he remains a shell of himself whenever he gets into one of these moods. Definitely slouches at his chair and would be at the desk for hours if he was not pulled away by them or Alfred.

Tim has a suave persona he’s mastered to a T around the public eye and somehow even with practice that manages to quiver when he’s around you.

Jason definitely jokes at the fact that if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought it was his first time talking to another human being since his brother is so damn awkward. It’s definitely subtle enough that a normal person wouldn’t notice but his family members know damn well he’s dying on the inside out of shyness. Shifting eyes, always interrupting you but never meaning it in a malicious way, rubbing his neck, smiling forcibly, and the list goes on. He’s too excited and nervous at the same time, so forgive him for his actions.  

If the previous excerpts didn’t solidify that this man is more of a watcher than a participator, then one attribute that he absolutely inherited from Bruce is the ability to become a shadow.

All of the Batfamily help each other in their yandere escapades of stalking and murdering, but in the former’s portion, there’s always some kind of preference or route they would like to take. Dick, Jason, and Damian all prefer stalking you personally - as in following you rooftop to rooftop, and having the feeling of eyes pinned on your figure at all times. For Bruce and Tim, its technology. Cameras, detectors, CCTVs, if they can commit to it, they’ll do it.

It’s also because he sometimes daydreams and gets lost in his head that he becomes too careless in stalking you. There’s been enough times that you notice him in the dark of night or even see a flash of him during his patrol.

He’ll definitely try sneaking mini-microphones and cameras in every crevice of your belongings and your home, since he acknowledges he becomes too socially inept much to his chagrin when he’s around you.

He’s also an avid writer about it too, think of diaries and journals written in your honor. While the others mostly prefer recording everything digitally and skimming them over whenever they want, Tim treats it like personal entries about the development of your relationship and the observation of your person.

His intellect likes deducing and picking apart your psyche since he finds legitimately learning about someone through scientific and education perspectives to be very interesting - it means it gives him the opportunity to understand you in all the forms you come in.

That’s one of his greatest strengths as a yandere, since he’s very understanding and perceptive of how not only you work but the circumstances that surround you - that being potential rivals or anomalies like friends or family members. While yanderes typically associate the latter as a burden or a means to hinder their route towards their darlings, he knows they are vital in keeping you sane as a functional human being and he knows that every other possibility and situation will allow different ideologies and sides of you to reveal - and that means no kidnapping if he can help it.

But that doesn’t mean he’s going to be a doormat and let you do whatever you want. Since he’s sandwiched between Jason and Damian - much more trigger-happy and brutal yandere’s - his well-renowned intellect finally makes a comeback when it comes to any threats - whether it's towards your safety or your availability in your love life.

This man’s a thinker and he’s definitely exploring all the most efficient possibilities that will allow the worst outcomes to happen to his victim. Everything and anything is on the table when it comes to you and that’s the more intimidating part, since anything that has his darling involved only makes him more manipulative, cut-throat, and intelligent to be able to achieve his objectives. He’d typically resort to a little blackmail and have that person moved somewhere with contacts severely tied.

Tim also gets very pouty and moody when he gets jealous which is relatively easy to do despite his belief surrounding you with other people is important. He would be a bit more sarcastic, brash, and even inconsiderate when you catch him in one of his moods - much to the annoyance and even concern of the others if pushed towards it. He becomes the mini-me of Bruce in that sense, brooding, silent, and illogical if it counts.

If that somehow didn’t creep you out, then he’s relatively a good lover if he pulls himself together.

Very sweet, yet has an aura of silent reliance. Super wise and comforting to the point that he is always most likely to get approached by you whenever you have any problem much to his glee.

But don’t think he’s an absolute saint in that department either, because he’s going to manipulate you into affording better choices and lessening any possible rivals he has to deal with. Unlike the others who have some emotional tick when faced with a rival, he can mostly maintain a facade of being helpful yet collected.

He underestimates how cool and heart-pounding these interactions can be too. Soft-spoken, finally making proper eye-contact and even brushing his hand against yours just to seal the deal.

He’s one to watch out for and never underestimate since he not only holds refinement but determination in making you love him in spite of all his mishaps.

After all, you didn’t think all those blouses and sweaters disappearing were mere coincidences, did you?

d. wayne

Bruce and Talia as both yandere’s and parents already have terrible nuances, but that doesn’t come close to the combination and result of that pairing in the form of Damian.

While Bruce is a silent protector, Talia is the overbearing type. She has a distinct habit of always hovering over her darling like some mother bear always waiting for her child to fuck up one way or another. She’s there to pick up those pieces and will baby you even through the small missteps.

At an early age, Talia will subtly ingrate these mindsets towards her son though it won’t be the main priority of her parenting. She still wants to train him to be the ultimate assassin but her behavior definitely lingers even when Bruce inevitably adopts him. 

That being said, when he’s young, Damian is definitely the tsundere type. Meaning he doesn’t necessarily understand when both platonic and romantic feelings arise so he’s left brushing them off and acting off aloof, similar to his dad but even worse. 

It’s definitely the Al Ghul pride and you’ll be wondering what you did wrong to provoke his temper. Expect lots of snarky remarks, harsh expressions, and downright downgrading encounters whenever you two meet up.

Whether you’re his classmate or team-mate in the Titans, you would be begging all your superiors or guardians to keep you away from him.

For a time, this strategy works and it also makes Damian realize his inner turmoil.

His brothers, who are all variations of softies in different spectrums, warn him against this behavior and make him realize his true intentions of behaving that way. Hell, maybe even Bruce or Talia confront him on his actions and it gives their son the wake-up call that he needs. 

What follows after is the period of mortification and guilt. This time will definitely be exacerbated if you further separate yourself from him; whether you move away or you avoid him (a power move since he has all the resources at his disposal to hunt you down), Damian’s going to be repenting for his sins in a whole new light.

When you’re separated, he mimics Bruce’s love language of gift-giving and opportunity. You wanted to win that scholarship? Boom, even sealed with the Wayne Enterprises signature of approval. You wanted to go on that vacation trip but you lack the funds to do so? Here’s all the vouchers and tickets you would ever need for the rest of your life.

Whether you're smart enough to realize his tactics and even half the bravery to stop them, he’s never going to stop and he’s finally going to strike the moment in which he finally meets you once more.

Depending on the timing as well as a culmination of different circumstances, he’s most likely going to be an adult (probably mid 20s - 30s) or hitting his early 20s, he really wants to make it up to you. 

He’s a thorn at your side, always wanting to persistently remedy his actions with his wealth and status. If you weren’t already annoyed by that, then will the savior complex suffice? This is where he inherits his mother’s behavior since the anger issues get replaced by the tendency to always baby you. When you eventually get together, the safehouse he takes you to is baby-proofed and no object can be turned into a weapon whether you like it or not. 

Out of all of his brothers, he’s most likely to kidnap you as well; and that is only because he never got the affection and attention he got from his darling and rightfully so. The only one I could see competing with him is definitely Tim since the latter lacks charisma and is incredibly shy. When he finally inherits the League of Assassins or remains a Gotham vigilante, he’s still going to be drowning you with anything you desire. Except freedom, of course.

Since the man is an heiress and technically a prince at best, he’s the traditional lover you would see in fantasy novels or old maritime films. He channels his inner romantic by writing you letters, reserving items for some of the most niche interests or desires you might have, and he definitely paints your face in canvases and sketchbooks under his behalf. His room, much to the chagrin of his other family members, would definitely be filled with your face and similar memorabilia you like and enjoy. He shows his affections quietly yet through a sleek and private eye. He only inherited from the best of the best, am I right?

He’s also surprisingly clingy as well. Well, all of the other Bat-brothers are but he’s almost on the same level as Dick. Blame it on the distance or blame it on him finally being with the love of his life. 

But this man is still not a saint after years of development without you in the picture. Since his jealousy and possessiveness also evolved alongside his new much more caring and nurturing demeanor. 

Back then, since you were relatively targeted by his harsh criticisms and behavior, you would most likely turn to other people for comfort and guidance.

Suffice it to say, Damian obviously didn’t like that.

In contrast to his much more loud-mouthed and obnoxious facade around you, he’d get eerily silent around his rival - always giving them the nastiest looks or death glares whenever they’re around you or even all by themselves. If they would provoke him, he’d fall for it with a snap of a finger because of his poor temperament. No matter how it would end, you’d be at your companion’s heels defending them and even comforting them - which leaves Damian oddly somber and would even leave you alone after the whole ordeal.

Since he was in denial, he could only brush off those encounters and even his rivals as mere nuisances, similarly to how he treats every inconvenience or challenge standing in his way.

But now, that predator-esque behavior still remains but a little more refined. It’s all in his more subtle body language, from the dip in his eyebrows or the occasional twitch from his eyes.

Depending on which stage he is in in his life as a full-fledged Wayne or an Al-Ghul, these transactions could go one of two ways. Since Jason is one of the only actively trigger-happy members in the family, he tends to be begrudgingly lenient yet still on the look-out for any possible fuck-ups or advances committed. And by lenient, I mean 1 shot and you’re out. That means murder, blackmail, kidnapping, or any other atrcocity the League of Assassins can commit. Even if he is Robin or a heroic mantle, Ra’s and Talia would be happy to do any clean up under his name.

Speaking of League of Assassins, they’re going to trail your ass whether you like it or not. Same goes to the Bat-family and they’re very proactive about it too. Considering Damian started with a twisted view of love in general accompanied by the fact that he was not exactly known for having the most friends back in the day, they are going to do everything just so you both could end up together.

That’s what makes Damian one of the most formidable yanderes since not only does he have a plethora of connections from heroes and villains alike, but he tends to get babied because of his traumatic experiences.

 It’s undeniable he’s a brat but he somehow gets people to still care for him at best and be there for him at his worst through a mere beck and call.

 And with enough hard-work and perseverance, he needs you to do the same. Willingly.

[greenorangevioletgrass]

Yknow wHAT. If we're doing cute Eid headcanons I'm here for it.

Here me out. Since Damian Wayne was raised in like...Middle Eastern-ish culture, I feel like, even if it's not like...the BIGGEST part of his identity, he still likes to celebrate some holidays. Just because maybe it reminds him a bit of home? (Lets just pretend the League of Assassins wasn't here ok we're only here for the fluff) So he 1000000% spends like..the two days ish before Eid in kitchen with Alfred, teaching him how to make simple traditional foods. Like...baklava, or...or kunafa, or logma, or I can go on fOREVER

but I just...I like the cute idea of Damian wanting to share a little bit of the culture he grew up with with his new family. And they are mORE than happy to help out with it.

Oh god I think I might be crying anyway :)) thats what I've got

omg omg omg lil edgelord damian discreetly coming up to alfred asking if he knows how to make baklava

alfred goes "i... can look it up for you?" and damian goes "no need, let me show you how" and they spend the afternoon in the kitchen making it

and then dick comes in like "whoa what's all this?" and damian at first dismisses him but then offers him the finished product anyway. and damian may end up confessing that he used to do this back home with his mom around eid and going door-to-door around the neighborhood (it's amazing how sugar crash affects this kid, dick muses, it's like giving a grownup some tequila!).

so then dick reads up on eid traditions online and comes up with a plan.

morning of, damian is woken up by takbeer chants all over the house. specifically from his siblings' rooms. it's deafening and confusing and he's pounding the door closest to his room. duke opens the door, still in his pajamas, goes "hey man, happy eid!" and gives him a box of chocolates and goes "bye!" shutting the door on him. the music is turned down from behind the door.

what the fuck? he knocks at tim's door next who gives him a small envelope and says "don't spend it all in one place!" there's $5 inside.

steph answers the door wearing a nice dress, although her hair is still dripping from the shower and she still looks dead tired from patrol. she gives him an eid greeting card with a $20 gift card to starbucks tucked in the envelope. it's the thought that counts, he supposes.

even jason is at home and blaring it all full volume, although he has a headphone slung around his neck when he opens the door. he tosses damian a snicker bar and goes "don't eat it for breakfast, ya weirdo." damian scowls, he's now going to. "but i won't tell bruce if you do today," he ruffles the youngest wayne's already messy hair and shoves him away, closing the door shut.

dick is the last. and the worst. he doesn't answer, even after damian's fist pounding at the door. "I KNOW THIS WAS YOUR IDEA, GRAYSON!!!" still nothing. he turns the doorknob--it's not even locked. inside, his eldest brother has his suit peeled off the top part of his body, hanging by his hips, absolutely vibing to the thumping drums and repeated chants. "you know what? this actually slaps!" "these are prayers, you heathen, you're being disgraceful." "oof sorry." he immediately turns it down and looks at damian expectantly, as if waiting for his approval--or thanks. "why would you put everyone up to this?!" "hey man if you don't want free money or candy, i'll take it off of your hands" but damian holds it close to his chest possessively. it's times like these that dick is reminded that damian, the devil's spawn he might be, is a kid. so dick shoots finger guns, "you're welcome kid", and walks backwards out of his room.

damian runs into bruce on his way back to his room. "i see your siblings have gotten you a little eid gifts?" and he groans. "if you're gonna give me gifts, i hope you at least have the decency to wrap it properly, father. unlike these philistines..." he glances down at the pile he's balancing in his arm. "i actually wasn't sure if you'd like gifts, so... i'll just see you downstairs for breakfast?" damian's not sure why his heart drops a little, but he just murmurs "okay" and goes back into his room. the takbeer is faint now.

but he goes downstairs into the dining room, and there it is, all laid out on the table. all the eid dishes from home, from another lifetime. and the people from this lifetime gathered around it, munching and chatting away like it's another ordinary meal. he catches bruce's eyes and nods a little at his father. nobody spots it, but he sees a ghost of a smile behind his father's coffee cup. and damian finds himself smiling a little bit, too.

[gatorbites-imagines]

Bat-son headcanons

I couldn't think of anything X reader to write, so here's my headcanons for the batsons

When I write fics I might fall back more on these headcanons, but will try to stick close to canon. If you want X reader stuff closer to my hcs just let me know.

If you have any requests, my inbox is open

Tw: mention of abuse, self harm and mentioned torture

(warning, these are not really my headcanons anymore, I just don't wanna delete this post)

Dick Grayson

- Dick is around 25 years old

- Both of his parents were Romani.

- His eyes are a darker shade of blue, than in comics.

- Dick has black hair

- Dick deals with trauma and bouts of anxiety and depression. At times this will affect his ability to eat, leading to him going long periods of time not eating. When he was younger, he struggled with self-harm but does not do it anymore. He has the fear of not being good enough and disappointing his family. He has a fear of losing his family and loved ones.

- Major scars include, multiple gunshot wounds and stab wounds.

- Dick has a tense relationship with Bruce.

- Dick has a good relationship with Damian, but his relationship with Tim is tense, whilst his relationship with Jason is non-existent.

- His best friends are Wally West and Barbara Gordon

Jason Todd

- Jason is around 20

- His dad was American, and his mother was Hispanic.

- After the Lazarus pit, his eyes have become a sickly green, matching that of the pit.

- Jason has black hair, with a white patch in the front

- Jason deals with deep the type of trauma that turns to anger, but with support from friends, he has learned to deal with it in healthier ways. He has extreme night terrors and has bouts of time where he will self-harm as he needs the pain to prove he is still alive. He used to dissociate a lot when he first came back from the dead. When he was taken in by Bruce he would flinch and fear any form of authority. He struggles with Claustrophobia.

- Major scars include, a large scar on the side of his head, a J carved into his cheek, an autopsy scar, many major scars on his back, large scar on his neck from batarang, many smaller scars littering his body.

- Jason has a horrible relationship with Bruce.

- Jason has a semi-sentient being a part of him, which he calls Pit. It was left over from the Lazarus pit. It is not sentient like a human, but more in the animal manner. This boosts Jason’s healing, speed, and strength.

- After Bruce ordered him to stay away from “his family”, Jason removed the bat from his outfit

- After the confrontation with Bruce, he has cut most contact with the bat family

- He has a familial like relationship with Slade Wilson

- Jasons best friends are Roy Harper, koriand'r, Artemis, Bizarro and Eddie Bloomberg

Tim Drake

- Tim is around 18

- His parents were American

- His eyes are similar shade of blue to the comics.

- Tim has longer black hair, which can be found in the comics.

- Tim deals with trauma that leads to night terrors which makes him neglect sleep. He has a deep anxiety of not being good enough and being suddenly replaced as Robin only fueled these fears. He has no self-harmed in the way Dick or Jason have, but he does punish himself for doing something wrong or not good enough.

- Major scars include, Missing spleen and scar in that area, Burns, multiple bullet and stab wounds. A scar across his neck.

- Tim has a tense relationship with Bruce, though it is not as tense as Dick.

- Tim has a tense relationship with both Dick and Damian, and his relationship with Jason is non-existent.

- Tims best friends are Connor “Kon-el” Kent and Stephanie Brown

Damian Wayne

- Damian is around 12

- His father is American, and his mother is half Arab, half Chinese

- His eyes are a similar blue/Green to that in the comics.

- Damian has black hair

- The batfamily has many pets, most brought home by Damian. Ace the German shepherd, Titus the Great Dane, Alfred the cat, Jerry the Turkey, Goliath the demon-bat, Bat-cow, and a nameless dragon from Nightwing #42

- Damian deals with nightmares and bouts of sleep paralysis. He fears not being good enough, and even though he knows the bats would never do it, he fears physical punishment for not doing good enough. He is hypervigilant at times, which stresses him out a lot. He goes non-verbal at times.

- Major scars include, Shot in the spine and had it replaced, Major internal organ replacement, multiple scars on his back from “correction training” whilst he was still with the league of assassins.

- Damian has a deep respect for his father, and looks up to him.

- Damian has a good relationship with Dick, but has a dislike for Tim. He remembers Jason from his time with the league of assassins, but their relationship is now non-existent.

- Damian’s best friend is Jon Kent.

[hintofelation99]

Jason Chaperons Damian's Field Trip

Damian and Jason in the Batcave trying to murder each other

Jason: I'm going to kill you demon brat!

Damian: Ha! I'd like to see you try Todd!

Fighting continues for the next two days

Bruce: That's it! Jason, Damian, no more fighting. You two are going to bond even if it kills you!

Jason: Again?

Bruce: Not the time Jason!

Damian, rolling his eyes: And how exactly do you expect me to bond with this barbarian?

Bruce: A trip to the art museum.

Damian and Jason look confused.

Bruce: Damian's class is going to the Gotham art museum next Friday. I was going to chaperon, but since you both decided to try and stab each other in public I have some PR matters to attend to. So, Jason will chaperon.

Damian: That is absolutely ridiculous father. Is it not enough that I am already forced to see subpar art with snot nosed brats? Now I have to take the zombie?!

Jason: Watch it brat!

Damian: Tt

Jason and Damian glare at each other.

Bruce: No, your brother is taking you to see world renowned art with your peers.

Jason: C'mon Bruce, world renowned? It's the Gotham art museum.

Bruce, glaring: Fine. Country renowned.

Jason raises his eyebrows.

Bruce: Don't push it. I'll call the school and let them know that you're taking my place.

--> The Next Friday <--

Jason: Damian! Get your ass down here!

Damian: I am right beside you Todd.

Jason: Where's your tie? And your blazer? Where's your backpack?

Damian: Calm down Todd. I have never been late for school and I do not plan to deviate from that today.

Jason: Whatever. Just be ready in the next five minutes, I want to get coffee first and we are not going to be late.

Damian: Pennyworth has already brewed a pot of that infernal drink.

Jason: And Tim has already called dibs on the entire pot. That kid is scrawny, but when it comes to coffee he's vicious.

Damian: Tt.

-------

Damian: STOP THE CAR RIGHT NOW TODD!

Tires screech as Jason whips into a parallel parking spot in front of the school. Damian's entire class watches this happen. They look terrified.

Damian, jumping out of the car, cursing in Arabic: Are you trying to murder me?!

Jason, casually getting out of the car with a Frappuccino, shrugs: I told you we wouldn't be late.

Damian: WE ARE THIRTY MINUTES LATE!!

Jason, shrugs: Oops.

-------

Teacher: Ok class! This is Jason Todd, he is Damian's older brother and he will be helping out on the field trip today. I expect you all to be on your best behavior today! Now Mr. Todd, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?

Jason, feet on a desk not paying attention, glaring at Damian.

Teacher: Mr. Todd?

Jason chokes on Frappuccino, stands up.

Jason: Uh, yeah, sure. Um, my name is Jason Todd, feel free to just call me Jason. Uh, what else?

Teacher: Maybe give us a fun fact about yourself?

Jason: Sure, sure. Uh I recently spent some time down under.

Teacher: Oh, in Australia?

Jason: Yeah, let's go with that.

Damian facepalms

-------

On the bus, kids screaming and throwing things at each other. Damian and Jason sit at the front near Damian's teacher. Jason has his eyes closed and looks tense.

Teacher: Uh, Mr. Todd? Jason? Are you alright?

Jason: Just peachy.

Damian: Pull it together Todd. You are embarrassing me.

Jason: Listen demon spawn, I'm trying to keep it together and not maim a rich brat. So why don't you shut up.

Damian: Tt. Everyone knows you are too cowardly to maim a child. However, I do admit that the loud and confined environment could cause stress... Here. Take these.

Damian hands Jason headphones. Jason looks confused.

Damian: Grayson claims that music can have a calming affect.

Jason: ...Thanks brat.

-------

Teacher: Ok class we are here! Remember to stick with your groups. Group one is with me. Group two is with Mrs. Smith. And group three is with Jason.

Kids break into groups, each group has seven kids.

Jason: Group three over here!

Damian rolls his eyes as the other six kids approach.

Jason: Be nice. Ok kiddos, we're starting at the uh American Rural Avant Garde exhibit. What the fuck is that crap?

Teacher: Oh my! Um, Mr. Todd. We do not encourage such strong language.

Jason: Wha- oh! You mean crap, so teach' that's my bad.

Teacher: Uh, no I uh-

Jason: Anyway c'mon demons let's go look at shitty art.

Teacher, chanting under their breath: The Wayne's donate a lot of money. The Wayne's donate a lot of money.

-------

In the cubism section.

Kid 1: Mr. Todd! When's lunch?

Jason: Call me Jason kid, and it's only ten? Lunch isn't until one.

Kid 2: But I'm hungry!

Kid 3: And this is boring!

Jason: It's not that bad, look at this thing! It's- oh shit is that a Picasso?

Kid 4: Uh, yeah?

Jason: Fuck that asshole, let's go get ice cream.

Damian: Todd! That is not in the schedule, we can not skip a section just because you dislike the artist!

Jason: See, that's were you're wrong baby bird. I'm in charge and I say that Picasso is an asshole and we're skipping his shit.

Damian: We are already in trouble with father, if we exhibit bad behavior he might force us to spend more time together.

Jason: Look kid, Bruce sent me here because he wants us to bond. The greatest form of bonding is breaking rules and skipping school. So, really, by skipping we're actually doing what he wants.

Damian: Tt. I suppose that sounds accurate.

-------

Jason: Time for lunch kiddos.

Kid 2: But we just finished our ice cream break?

Jason: No, we just finished the seeing the museums second floor. Right?

Kid 6: No we-

Jason: No no, we finished the second floor. The whole ice cream thing, that's our little secret. Right?

Kids: Ohhhhh

Jason: Now you're getting it!

-------

Damian glares at his lunch

Jason: What's wrong kiddo?

Damian: Tt. It appears that I might have, accidentally, taken Drake's lunch instead of my own.

Jason: And? What's the problem?

Damian: Drake, packed that abomination that he calls a sandwich.

Jason: Oh, god. He packed a peanut butter pepperoni sandwich again?

Damian, looking at the lunch with complete disgust: Yes.

Jason: Here, take my PB&J.

Damian: ...

Jason: Timbits taste in sandwich's is a crime against humanity. But I'm not vegan, so if worst comes to worst I'll eat it.

Damian: ...Thank you Todd. I- I did not think you cared about my dietary choices.

Jason: Just because we fight sometimes doesn't mean I won't have your back kid. Yeah, I guess being vegan is a choice, but it's a choice that I'll always support.

Damian quickly hugs Jason before taking his sandwich and pretending nothing happened.

Damian: I appreciate the support. Thank you, brother.

Jason: No problem baby bird.

-------

Jason: So, we have an hour before we have to get back on the bus. And, uh- oh shit! Ok, so apparently we had an assignment. Uh, the instructions say to draw your favorite work and write why you like it. What the fuck kind of bullshit assignment is that?

Jason: Uh, ok we're doing a speed draw. Everyone just pull up your favorite work on the museum website and try your best.

--> 40 Minutes Later <--

Jason: Ok, hand me your sheets and let's head to the bus.

Damian, hands his assignment in.

Jason: Whoa, huh.

Damian, looking nervous: What Todd?

Jason: Nothing, just this is a really good drawing kid.

Damian blushes: Of course it is.

Jason smiles and ruffles Damian's hair: Good job brat.

Damian smiles and heads to the bus

------

Both in the car, about to drive back to the manor.

Jason: You know, I actually sorta had fun today.

Damian: Your presence was... enjoyable.

Jason: We're never telling that to Bruce, right?

Damian: Obviously, if father thinks that his plan worked he will be completely insufferable.

Jason: Agreed. Y'know, sometimes field trips go long.

Damian: Oh?

Jason: Yeah, I mean, it wouldn't be too weird if we were an hour or so late getting home.

Damian: If we were to be late getting home, how would we spend that time?

Jason: There's a cool arcade that should be open right now.

Damian: I do not believe that I have ever been to an arcade.

Jason: Well, that needs to be fixed right now. You down baby bird?

Damian: I- uh I am down, is that the correct usage of the term?

Jason: Hell yeah.

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

Based on this headcanon.

[psychovigilantewrites]

Chapter 14 - A Different Point of View

Summary:  Things that happened that you weren't aware of.

Word count: 9,163 words

A/N: Thank you for being so patient with me. I struggled with this chapter due to its nature. I had to further dive into Bruce and Dick's character that I wasn't too familiar with.2020 was a very tough year for me. I lost lots, learned lots. And I thought that the quarantine would mean I would write more. But I was wrong. Life hit me hard, and I stopped doing a lot of things I used to enjoy.Despite being virtually absent last year, you guys stuck by me anyway. Thank you. I love you all for that.Special thanks to my two beta readers. You know who you are. Here it goes.

(i recommend you guys read previous chapters to refresh coz I had to lol)

Ao3

Masterlist

The roles that people played were false- a mere necessity for their career or survival. Everyone was playing a role, whether it was of their own accord or not.

Bruce Wayne was a role- superficial, fake, yet vital to Gotham. Batman, on the other hand, was a completely different role, born out of exigence and a sense of justice.

Dick Grayson, however, genuinely enjoyed playing his role.

Nightwing felt right to him. Being a police officer felt right to him. And especially, if not ultimately, being an older brother.

He listened to the dial tone of his phone, which rung for a few seconds before you finally picked up.

“Hey,” Dick heard your voice, the usual chirp absent that day.

Dick frowned to himself. Bruce was right about you being troubled after all.

“Hey, sis!” he forced the concern out of his voice. “You busy?”

“Nah, I’m just going over some old case files. What’s up?”

Dick leaned back into his sofa. Aside from the traffic blaring outside, the silence in his apartment made it easier for him to concentrate on analysing your speech patterns.

“Can’t I call just to ask how you’re doing?” he teased, easing into the conversation.

Everyone had always told him how he was natural at talking.

“You already called last week…”

Dick smiled to himself. He could already picture your narrowed eyes regarding him with suspicion.

It was good that you were always on your feet, but it was becoming borderline unhealthy. It reminded him of Jason and how he was always so guarded .

He pushed the memory away.

“I can’t call you again?” he rolled his eyes at no one.

“Bruce put you up to this,” you accused.

That’s because he’s worried about you, kid.

If only you knew how much Bruce had changed for you. Dick was glad that you were being loved by Bruce, yet he still couldn't help but feel slightly bitter that he never got that kind of treatment from his father- not the same treatment he gave you.

But he would rather die than admit his selfish thoughts to anyone.

“Yeah,” he conceded, “He was worried about you after last night.”

“I’m fine, Dick,” you insisted.

How many times has he heard those very same words from Jason?

“Well, if you’re not, then you can talk to me,” he offered.

A short pause.

Your response would be what differentiated you from his late brother.

“Actually, yeah,” you admitted.

There it was. No matter how stupid he knew it was for even comparing the two of you, he found that he always had to remind himself not to.

“How did you deal with it? Did it affect you?”

Dick told you his own experience with gore and dead bodies, how he overcame it, how he coped. There was silence after, and he just somehow knew what you were going to ask next.

“How did, uh, he deal with it?”

Your voice came in a whisper, hesitation evidently clear.

Dick was expecting it, but his heart still sank. He knew how everyone acted when Jason was brought up in conversation- he was guilty of reacting as well. He also knew how you were smart enough to avoid that topic.

It had been years. They should all have moved on, because Dick knew that they were also hurting you.

“He came to me as well.” Dick recalled Jason’s hesitant voice over the phone, never directly saying what was wrong, just rambling about things other than what was really going on in his head.

“Then he gradually called less and less when he learned how to deal with it himself.”

The day Dick noticed it, he was happy for Jason, but a small part of him was saddened that his little brother no longer needed him.

“I’ll have to look for that cognitive therapy, then. Thank you for calling, Dick. Talking to you helped.”

Did it really? He noticed your voice had changed again. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone on about Jason like that.

“No problem, kid. Call me if you need to talk, okay?”

The familiar beep left him isolated with his thoughts, wondering if you would trail in Jason's footsteps.

When will the day come when you eventually stop calling altogether?

***

He felt indebted to his city- the city he loved. The city he hated. The city that robbed him of his childhood.

He felt indebted to his family- the family he would give up everything for, the family he couldn’t stop hurting.

And he was sorry. God, he was sorry.

Sorry for everything he’s said and done- or didn’t do. But he still couldn’t stop. Because he didn’t know how.

Yet, no matter how much he claimed to love his family, the problem with Bruce Wayne was that he always expected them to be the people he wanted them to be.

Never like himself, though. No, he would never want them to turn out like him.

“That’s an order. Stay-”

The silence that followed the click in his ear represented the first time you had ever disobeyed a direct order.

It was a little late on your side. Dick and Jason had begun to disobey him within their first six months in uniform. But you had always been obedient- which made it easier for Bruce to trust you in the field.

This first time came as an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. And Bruce was…

Disappointed.

He grit his teeth when he saw you on the ground with the warehouse burning behind you. If he had just been a few seconds late, would you be in the fire, too?

“I almost had him.”

Bruce didn’t miss the wince of pain as you got up to your feet.

He had heard those exact words before countless times from J- no.

Bruce shoved that thought away.

“He would have gotten away, and we wouldn’t have known who it was that did this,” you argued, brows drawn together in a frown, mouth downturned. Your respiratory rate was high, and you were having trouble breathing.

When did you grow so tall? So confident?

Bruce silently pointed to the active security camera he noticed the minute he arrived and saw your expression fall- only for a second.

“I still think I made the right decision,” you insisted.

“You disobeyed a direct order.” He hated his own voice. The way he spoke sounded too militant.

“I acted how I saw fit,” you continued, “You always say to follow my instincts-”

“Not if your instincts contradict my orders.” He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. He thought he had changed. But no, Bruce was still a dictator.

“Wow. Just- wow.”

He could see the little twitches of annoyance within the disbelief on your face. He understood it completely.

You were walking away, clutching onto your side and weakly limping to your bike, adamant on not seeking his help.

He hated seeing you injured, in pain. It was his fault. If only he was faster, he could have stopped Red Hood from beating you up. If only he predicted it sooner, if only-

“I’ll be heading back now.”

He missed what you had said before that.

“Robin,” Bruce forced out, “Have Alfred check your injuries.”

He should have been there.

When you drove away, he lingered at the crime scene.

Bruce flipped a switch in his helmet, and his lense changed. Non-organic material lighted up bright white. He noticed a fractured piece of shrapnel lying on the ground, less than a centimeter long.

He picked it up and placed it into a test tube from his belt. Switching his view to normal, he saw that it was red, maybe made from fiberglass. He could only deduce that it was a piece of Red Hood’s helmet.

Despite Bruce’s frustrations at you for disobeying him, he felt a swell of pride. You probably landed a hit hard enough to crack the helmet just a little bit that you yourself probably didn’t even realise it.

He shone a UV light on it. A small portion of it glowed.

Bruce had always been numb when he played investigator so that he would remain impartial and objective. That was true justice.

But when he pocketed the evidence and sped to the Batmobile, he felt something he had never felt before.

Against all logic and rationality, he found himself dreading to uncover who the blood belonged to.

***

Bruce never drank his sorrows away. It was dangerous, too easy to develop an addiction to. He could have easily drowned in alcohol at any given chance, like when he thought of his parents, or when he thought-no, knew- he wasn’t enough.

But no, he only restricted his drinking for leisurely activities. He was disciplined. It was the reason why he was who he was.

However, in that moment, staring at the results of the DNA analysis after hours of anxious waiting, he wished he allowed himself a drink.

Not because he was distraught, not because he was in grief- but because he just didn’t know what to feel.

It wasn’t numbness. It was just plain confusion, an internal tornado of emotions whirling inside him all at once.

Footsteps.

He tapped on a button once, immediately closing the window of the test results displayed on the screen.

Composing himself, he clicked on another pending case to pretend he wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown. It’s just another role.

“Master Bruce.”

Why was he still up at this hour?

“Yes, Alfred,” he turned to meet the butler’s tired eyes- just as tired as his own.

Tired because of him.

Alfred was always up because of him. Because Bruce was a disease, constantly burdening others, dragging them down, keeping them up at night.

“I made some sandwiches. They’re light. Please do eat them,” he set the tray on the cluttered desk, simply pushing aside the numerous stacks of papers.

“Go to bed, Alfred,” he told him. Alfred was too old to be up at this hour. And whose fault is that?

“In due time,” he responded calmly, “What of the blood results, if I may ask?”

“Inconclusive,” Bruce lied.

“I see.”

Suspicion shrouded Alfred’s voice.

“How are her injuries?” Bruce asked, the pain finally creeping in, seeping into his bones.

“I commend you for asking about your daughter’s injuries after only four whole hours of staring at the screen, Master Bruce. You would definitely win father of the year.”

“I was occupied,” he sighed, “Please.”

“Her injuries are only superficial,” Alfred said, “Surface contusions at most.”

He still hurt her.

“Thank you, Alfred. Now go to bed.”

“It was only a little more than two decades ago when I was telling you the same,” he grumbled away.

Bruce made sure Alfred was gone before pulling up the results on the screen again, the glaring ‘MATCH’ sign staring angrily back at him as if it were shouting at Bruce, yelling in rage.

And Bruce understood completely. He had failed Jason Todd. He had betrayed him. And now he was back, vengeful, and full of resentment.

But that didn’t matter to Bruce.

Because despite it all, his son was alive.

In the end, that was all that mattered.

***

What did my son do to my daughter?

Bruce watched in horror as you lay unconscious on the hospital bed, hooked to the IV bag. He couldn’t stop staring at the bruises littering your neck.

Bruises that were far too small and evenly shaped to be the effect of a mere throttling.

He knew how the people close to him viewed him. He knew they thought he was strong, unforgiving, cold, emotionless. Especially when they put him side by side with Clark.

But he forced himself to be those things, because if he didn’t, he would have broken down years ago.

He was used to it. The pain. The darkness.

But this time, he felt like he was being crushed.

He felt like he was hanging on by a thread- no. A delicate strand of thin, brittle hair.

“It’s okay, doctor,” you had said, “I know what you’re going to ask me. No, my genitalia does not hurt. He didn’t do anything to me.”

He felt a wave of relief crash over him.

Jason wasn’t that far gone, then.

But as Bruce looked at your neck again, he still couldn’t help but feel nausea crawling into his core.

He still touched her.

Jim left after his questioning, and you drifted to sleep. He went over to you and looked down at your face, taking everything in.

Since when did you look so mature? When did you get so beautiful?

He couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. Even in sleep you had your eyebrows tugged down, as if you were angry that you had to go to bed. He didn’t know why he never saw that small part of you that shouted rebellion despite you almost always following his orders.

He realised that when he watched you sleep, you looked a bit like- no. Don’t ever compare the two.

He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to your forehead, trying to convey all of his feelings to you.

He was sorry. So god damned sorry for dragging you into this, for hurting you, for pulling you down to the depths with him.

Hoping you didn’t feel the teardrop that fell to your forehead, he quickly wiped it away before leaving for his press statement.

***

“Master Bruce, please!”

Another crash.

Alfred’s plea snapped him out of his blinding fury, his crushing pain.

He was standing at the hallway near the Manor entrance, glass and broken wood shattered at his feet, feeling the walls closing in and narrowing as Alfred looked at him in alarm.

“I-I’m sorry, Alfred. I-” he stammered, feeling like the small, helpless boy who watched his parents die before him.

He remembered the time when he was little, only a couple of months after the tragedy. He had done the exact same thing, taking out his anger and anguish by destroying things, triggered by something he had long forgotten about.

At that time, Alfred had held him closely in his arms as he stained the butler’s suit with his snot and tears. Again, a burden to the man who raised him.

This time, he refused the old man’s offer of comfort, walking past to descend to the cold darkness of the cave he was so familiar with.

Bruce didn’t usually drink his sorrows away, but this time, he did.

***

Dick wasn’t a good person. He was far from it.

Case in example, it was the first time he saw you after your kidnapping.

He meant to come sooner, he really did. But he was just so busy in Bludhaven, he couldn’t spare any time to rush over the moment he heard his sister was hurt. He tried to justify it in his head by thinking that you were probably handling it fine.

But he was just trying to make himself feel better.

What a great brother he was.

“So, why are you obsessing over violent crimes?” he asked, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

Desensitization was one thing when you worked in that field, but obsession was a whole other problem. And he didn’t want to see his sister walk down that path.

“A lunatic just kidnapped me a couple weeks ago, Dick, maybe this is my coping mechanism,” you huffed, giving him your signature eye roll.

A lot of things start with just a coping mechanism, kid.

Dick knew it about it all too well. The people he brought in on an almost daily basis, high as kites. The accident last week on the highway at three in the morning, two innocent lives taken because of a drunk man who had started drinking three years ago to cope with his mother’s loss.

The man downstairs in the cold cave, who was just a little boy when his parents died, now living with the trauma while going out night after night to beat up criminals, sleeping only three hours a day at most.

“I don’t want your pity, Dick,” you huffed, “I’m fine.”

Yeah, you were. And that was what worried Dick the most.

“I know you are,” he tried to smile, “Which is why I don’t think this is your coping mechanism.”

You talked to Dick about Red Hood, sharing your concerns about him. This is what made you, you. Opening up to him, offering your thoughts and feelings. It was something he never had with Bruce or Jason. The both of them were similar in that sense.

“He won’t tell me either,” Dick huffed, “It’s always been like that with him. No matter how hard I try to get closer to him, sometimes it feels like he’s getting further away.”

It was the same with Jason as well. Did everyone he cared about just end up running away from him?

“I can relate to that,” you sighed.

“But I have a feeling that he will tell you eventually,” Dick tried to comfort you, “It seems too important not to.”

Dick knew better. Bruce had always excluded information from him, whether it was important or not.

“And,” Dick hurriedly tried to change the subject, “I heard from Alfred that you’re not talking to Bruce. May I ask why?”

“So that’s why you’re here,” you eyed him suspiciously. . “I came to check up on you,” he stated, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come here right after, but my little sister did just get kidnapped.”

When are you going to stop putting your guard up around me, kid?

“I told you, I’m fine,” you insisted.

“Then you’re fine enough to tell me why you haven’t been talking to Bruce,” Dick pushed, “I won’t judge. I’ve had my fair share of cold shoulders and fights with him too. I know first hand how frustrating he can be. So come on, tell.”

He saw you hesitate for just a moment, before conceding.

“We fought,” you began, “It was when I got back from the hospital. He wouldn’t tell me who Red Hood was. And he- he called me ‘Jason’.”

Ah, fucking hell, Bruce.

“Jesus,” he whispered, “What did he say exactly?”

“‘Back down, Jason’,” your voice cracked.

Dick saw the way Bruce spiraled after Jason’s death, and he would never tell you this, but deep down he was against Bruce adopting you so soon after. He thought that Bruce was using you to fill up the hole he too felt with Jason’s absence.

You were so like him, yet so different. Still, Bruce must have been really distracted if he could slip as badly as he did.

Dick would ask later.

“Now that’s something I haven’t heard in years,” Dick chuckled humorlessly.

Jason arguing with Bruce about using excessive force. Jason sneaking out to go for patrols whenever he was grounded. Hell, even Jason stealing whiskey from the cabinet at the age of fifteen.

He could still remember it so clearly. Jason with his dark hair poking into his eyes that were full of fury, cheeks puffed up and red as he pouted angrily at Bruce for making him stay at the Manor on nights Bruce insisted on going alone.

Dick tried to shove the past away. He knew he was making you even sadder.

“Has Bruce made any attempts to reconcile?” Dick remembered the conversation he was having with you.

“Yeah, but I’m still mad at him,” you pouted.

“And you have every right to be,” Dick nodded, “But Bruce, well, you know Bruce. He keeps these things to himself, but obviously he’s still hurting.”

You have know idea how much he’s hurting, Little Wing.

You avoided Dick’s eyes, looking down at your fumbling thumbs as the room became silent.

“I’m seeing someone,” you changed the subject.

“You are?”

Interesting.

“Yeah,” you blushed, “It’s still very new, and we’re not official yet or anything. But we’re definitely testing the waters.”

“That’s great,” Dick grinned, “Who is he? Tell me the deets. Spill the tea.”

He sort of loved gossip. It wasn’t a secret.

“I met him in the library a while back,” you excitedly said, “We exchanged numbers. Started texting, meeting up from time to time. He’s really cute.”

Ah, young love. What Dick would give to be at that age again.

“I bet he is,” Dick teased.

“What’s with that face?” you laughed, “He is! He’s slightly older, and he’s got this sexy bad boy look, you know?”

“I thought you liked the nerdy types?” Dick responded. He saw a picture of you and your classmates on your Instagram. Typical prep school kids.

“I never had a type, you ass!” . “You’re right. I thought you were completely uninterested in boys,” he wondered out loud, “Is he nice, at least?”

“Yeah he is,” you smiled to yourself, “He didn’t know I was Wayne until 2 weeks ago. Before that, we were mainly texting. Now we’re meeting up more. I feel like I can be myself with him. I don’t know, there’s just something about him that makes me trust him.”

So you still have some of your walls up with me, but you trust a stranger? Who is this guy?

“I’m not going to tell him anything!” you quickly added, “I’m not stupid. I know I shouldn’t trust someone I just met. It’s not about the confidential stuff. It’s the little things like how I feel, and my problems, and just- stuff, you know?”

The thought didn’t even cross his mind. Dick trusted you enough with their secret, just as how Bruce did.

“I get it,” Dick tried to rationalise, “You don’t know what it is about the person, but you feel like the two of you just click, am I right?”

It had been like that with Barbara. It had been like that with Kory.

Now Dick was alone, and deep down he knew that they saw him as how he truly was. Selfish.

“Exactly,” you smiled, “Been with anyone like that before?”

“One or two,” he brushed it off, “People like that- whom you just click with- they’re hard to come by. You should see where this leads. Who knows, maybe he’s one of those that would stick around, huh?”

What he would give to have at least one person who would stick with him.

After he met with Gordon, Dick went to the cave to see Bruce who was, of course, facing the computers.

“I know what you’re going to say,” his father’s voice echoed without even turning to look at him.

“Then you know how much you’ve hurt her?” he crossed his arms.

Bruce did turn around to face him, and Dick suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

He knew that Bruce hardly ever slept, but this was different. He looked disheveled, his complexion pale, his eyes more bloodshot and the dark circles even more prominent.

Alfred did say how badly Bruce took the kidnapping, finding him passed out on the cave floor with an empty bottle of scotch in his hand, but he thought that Bruce would have gotten himself together by now. It was surprising to see him that way, and Dick felt… Uncomfortable.

Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just the kidnapping, nor his fight with you.

“You found out something,” Dick narrowed his eyes, “Something important. What is it?”

He caught a flash of guilt in Bruce’s eyes. “I’ll tell you some other time.”

“Bruce,” Dick groaned, “This is why you keep on hurting her.”

Hurting us.

“I’m protecting everyone.”

“You can’t use that excuse with me anymore,” he sighed, “I don’t need your protection. So tell me.”

“No.”

That was his final word, and he knew that Bruce would never budge.

“Fine,” he let out a breath, “Did you know that she’s seeing someone?”

Bruce frowned.

Which made Dick frown. Since when did Bruce miss things? What the fuck was going on with him?

“Name?”

“Dunno. Didn’t ask. And no, don’t you dare,” Dick pointed an accusatory finger at him, “Do not do a background check on him. She deserves privacy. Hell, don’t even bring it up. You have no right to go poking into her relationships.”

Dick was being defensive, but that was because he was trying to convince himself as well, which was why he didn’t ask you for a name. He knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.

“I wasn’t going to,” Bruce reassured, “She… She deserves a life. A normal life. Not this- not-”

Dick knew then he had to leave, because Bruce’s voice breaking meant he was far from okay, and he knew that Bruce hated to show his vulnerability to anyone.

“Bruce,” Dick said, this time softly, “You’re not alone, you know. I’ve been with you since the beginning, and I’m still with you now.”

And with that, Bruce turned his back towards him again, silently going back to his goddamned computers.

“He’s been that way ever since the kidnapping,” Alfred informed him when he walked up to the manor.

“I don’t think it’s just the kidnapping, Alf,” he frowned at the butler, “There’s something more to it. Did he figure out who Red Hood is?”

“Perhaps,” Alfred pursed his lips, “But he refuses to tell me.”

“That means we know him personally,” Dick theorised, “Who the hell could it be that he’s so adamant on keeping it a secret?”

“I do not know Master Dick, but it can’t be anyone good if he’s got Master Bruce drinking during the day.”

***

Bruce knew that he was wrong to call you by his dead son’s name.

But his dead son was supposed to stay dead instead of haunting him with that glaring red bat across his chest, and having that thought in his head all the time, he slipped up.

He prided himself with his contingency plans and detective skills and preparations, but no amount of time could ever prepare him for when he found out his dead son had sexually assaulted his daughter.

You seemed to have dealt with it surprisingly well, exceeding his expectations. In fact, Bruce thought it was a bit odd that you weren’t as affected by it.

And then he saw it.

He saw what he thought was the internalized anger you felt finally bursting through the seams of your tightly lidded emotions.

And he wasn’t prepared for it.

Bruce didn’t think you had it in you, or else he would never have made you Robin.

But there you were on the ground, beating a man beyond recognition.

He couldn’t dread this moment because he never saw it coming. Not from you. Never from you.

He hurriedly ripped you off the man, flinging you away with force.

Pulse was present, but weak. Flail chest. It took him only a few seconds to observe the damage you did to the man’s face. It didn’t look good.

“Stay back,” he growled at you when you came close.

He couldn’t look at you. He didn’t want to.

“I-I didn’t mean to,” he heard you whisper.

“Call an ambulance,” he ordered.

There was no other choice. He had to take the fall for you.

“NOW!” he snarled at you again. In the background, you were on the phone, but Bruce’s thoughts were elsewhere, calculating what needs to be done.

You moved-

“Leave. I’ll deal with this.” You needed to go. You couldn’t be here when the ambulance and police arrived.

“Batman-”

“I said leave,” he snapped. He couldn’t even hear your voice.

He waited for the ambulance to come before leaving, making sure they saw him escape. Making sure he would be the one the media would attack.

And while he drove back to the Cave, he decided to give his son a call.

“Bruce?”

“Dick,” he sighed. He knew he had always been unfair to his eldest, giving him so much pressure to perform, pushing him to be his best- and ultimately away. He knew that he never showed it, but he was proud of Dick. He always had been from the very beginning.

“What’s wrong?”

It wasn’t a surprise that Dick picked up immediately that something was wrong. If it wasn’t for the fact that calling him out of the blue was what gave it away, Bruce himself trained Dick.

“She- she crossed the line tonight,” he tried to explain, “Jerome Miller. She attacked him. The damage she’s done to him is irreversible. I suspect he will be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.”

“Jesus,” Dick breathed from over the line, “Why didn’t you stop her?”

“I wasn’t there,” he grit. He thought he could trust you.

But deep down Bruce knew that it was all his fault after all. Who was he to act so righteous when he was the reason your parents died?

“I don’t know if she’ll talk to me, Bruce,” Dick sighed, “Not about something like this. She’s probably beating herself up over this already.”

“As she should.”

“Bruce.”

“Please,” Bruce asked, “I’m worried. She isn’t herself and I can’t blame her for it, but the chances of her talking to you are much higher than if I were to try.”

“I’ll try,” Dick agreed.

“Report to me after.”

“Bruce, we’ve talked about this,” Dick grumbled, “I am under no obligation to report to you. I’m doing this for her. Not you.”

He was trying not to go back to the man he was before, but sometimes he couldn’t help it.

They’re your children, not your soldiers.

He had to remind himself time and time again. It was easier to be just a father to you as compared to Dick and Jason, yet even then he made slips.

“I know,” he apologised. “Thank you.”

Click.

And then Bruce was alone again.

***

Bruce watched you from the corner of his eye when you came back. He noticed that you had put more effort into dressing up when you left the house that day.

There was a slight bounce to your step and a small smile that played on your lips.

Dick was right after all. There was someone you were seeing.

But no, he couldn’t look into it. In fact, it would be hypocritical of him if he did. Dick had many girlfriends and flings, and Bruce didn’t want to know about any of them. Mainly because Dick was his first, and the thought of a boy he raised maturing and having relationships made him feel confused about parenthood.

Not that many of them lasted too long anyway.

Jason was a little different. While Dick had girls lining up after him all the time, Jason was much more subtle about the girls he liked, and that made Bruce more curious- but not enough to investigate.

He thought about when Barbara had caught Jason looking at her, making him turn red. He wondered if Jason would like you.

A tight squeeze in his chest.

He didn’t let his mind linger there.

Bruce felt obligated to protect you, which tempted him to investigate the boy you were seeing. It could be a trap, it could be someone using you for fame and money, or something even more sinister. Hell, it could be Jason himself after that stunt he pulled off.

But there was no evidence, and Bruce wanted to be a father to you this time instead of Batman the mentor. So Bruce would have to trust you on this one.

***

There was something holding Bruce back from telling everyone the truth about Jason.

And because he is who he is, Bruce knew what it was.

Guilt. He blamed himself for what had happened, and telling others about it meant owning up to his mistakes. Bruce never ran away from his fears and feelings despite what others might think. On the contrary, he held to them very strongly, using them as a motivation to fight head on.

This time, though, he felt more self destructive- the worst he had ever felt since he carried Jason’s corpse from the rubble- and so he tried to delay the inevitable.

But time was running out. He had enough time to wallow in self pity. It was time to pull himself together, and the first step began with Alfred.

The Cave was colder than usual that night, air thin and darker despite the illumination he had provided. Bruce was slumped in his usual wheeled chair, cowl resting on the desk after patrol, the weight of his suit almost crushing him in his weakened mental state.

“Alfred,” Bruce sighed, “Please, take a seat. I have something to tell you.”

“I assume this is about the identity of one criminal who has been terrorizing your daughter?” Alfred retorted, sitting down anyway.

“Yes,” Bruce nodded, “This… This won’t be easy, Alfred. I suggest you prepare for the worst.”

“And the worst being..?”

Bruce wheeled himself closer to the butler, leaning forward. “It’s Jason.”

Alfred merely blinked. “I’m sorry, sir, but I’m afraid my ears have caught up to my age. I must have misheard you, because for a moment, I thought you said that Red Hood is Jason.”

“You didn’t mishear me, Alfred. It’s him.”

Bruce saw the confusion in Alfred’s eyes, the frantic search for reason. “Our Jason? Jason Todd?”

“Yes, Alfred.”

And then, Bruce felt it. The pain he had been suffering with for weeks spreading to the man who raised him. Alfred clutched his chest with one hand, the other clenching tightly over the armrest of his chair, his breathing quickened.

“Impossible,” he whispered, “Jason died. How?”

“There was an event regarding The League and Superboy punching reality. I won’t get into details, but I suspect that was what caused the initial resurrection. The restoration, however. We know of someone who has been continuously restored time and time again.”

“Ra’s Al Ghul,” Alfred concluded, “But why? Why on Earth would he restore Jason?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce frowned, “But it is an almost perfect revenge plan. I would like to entertain the idea that he has brainwashed Jason into thinking we are the enemy, but I can’t put it past him to develop a hatred for me. I… betrayed him.”

“Master Bruce, this is not your fault,” Alfred rose to his feet, “If it is indeed Jason, we can still help. I have faith in the boy.”

“Me too, Alfred. Me too.”

Bruce didn’t miss the sob that echoed faintly through the cave when Alfred ascended back up.

***

As if in slow motion, he saw every change of emotion on Dick’s face. The way he blinked once in confusion, the surprise approaching as he widened his eyes, and then his eyebrows stitching together in a deep frown, his lips downturning and nose flaring in anger.

Bruce saw the punch coming, but he did not do anything to counter it. Gladly, he took the right hook Dick gave him, appreciating the sting that radiated from his cheekbone to his jaw.

“How long have you known?” his son shook in anger.

“Dick-”

“HOW LONG, BRUCE?!” Dick roared, fists clenched, voice echoing in the cave.

“Since the night he blew up the warehouse,” Bruce replied.

“Jesus, fuck,” Dick ran his fingers through his hair, “Jesus, Bruce. That was over a month ago.”

“I know.”

“We-” he choked on his words, “We deserved to know.”

“I know.”

“So why the fuck didn’t you say anything?!” he slammed his fists on the desk. Bruce caught a few drops of tears that fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce apologised, and meant it. But he just couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.

“You’re sorry?” Dick looked at him with eyes far too cold than he knew, “He was my brother, Bruce. He told me things he never told anyone else. We shared secrets and jokes. We went to the same diner once a week to catch up. He asked for my help and I asked for his. And then he died. Just like that, because you couldn’t keep him on a leash. And now he’s back, and you knew it was him, and you’re just sorry?”

Dick’s eyes were wet and red, and filled with contempt. Bruce couldn’t blame him. He hated himself, too.

“Does she know?” he whispered, “Does she know that the man who attacked her is your son, and is my brother?”

Like always, he pushed the pain away efficiently, logically, objectively.

“Yes,” he confirmed, “I told her this afternoon.”

“And she’s not angry?”

“If she was, she did not show it,” Bruce described, “In fact, she looked… Worried.”

“Of fucking course she would be worried,” he snarled, “She’s worried that she’s going to be irrelevant to you now the dead Robin is back.”

“She’s not,” Bruce growled at that, “She’s not his replacement. She never was.”

“Does she know that, Bruce?” Dick snickered, “Did you finally get over yourself and tell her that? Because the last fucking time I spoke to her, you called her Jason.”

Bruce didn’t know how to respond to that. He was good at smiling at the cameras and making speeches and charming an audience, but he was never good with words, real words that described his true feelings to the ones he cared for the most.

“I’m sorry,” he simply said, now numb to everything throughout years and years of practice. “I promise, I will bring him back. Will you help me?”

“What can I do that you can’t?” Dick scoffed.

“You knew him, Dick,” Bruce said, “You knew him in ways I never did. I can predict his movements, but to accurately guess what his motivations are- you knew him better than I did.”

“Fine,” Dick conceded, “But I’m not forgiving you for this, Bruce. I swear, you’re going to pay for all the secrets you’ve kept from us, be it by my hand or someone else’s.”

***

“Did you know that your daughter went out last night to see a boy while we were patrolling?” Dick brought up.

He was looking at Bruce’s back, as he always was.

Bruce was on the computers, going through hours upon hours of security footage and traffic cams for Red Hood- for Jason.

It was difficult for him to put the two together. Jason had always been his little brother. Young, naive, inexperienced. And now that same person was the leader of the underground.

It was definitely difficult.

“Alfred mentioned she went out, but I didn’t know it was to meet a boy,” Bruce replied without glancing his way.

“Well, she lied to me about it at first,” Dick sank in a chair, looking at his nails. “Got pretty defensive when I brought it up. Even tried to deflect by using Jason against me.”

Dick knew you meant to hurt him with your words, and it worked.

He was definitely surprised that you would stoop that low because he always saw you as a sweet, kind girl.

People change. That’s what happens when you stick with Batman.

But Dick didn’t expect you to change so fast.

“She… used Jason against you?”

Bruce finally turned towards him, the ever constant frown a little bit deeper that moment.

“Yeah,” Dick straightened, “It was the first time she’s ever spoken to me that way.”

“What did she say exactly?”

“That I was distracting myself by using humor as a coping mechanism, and that I should come to terms with the fact that it was my brother who kidnapped and sexually assaulted her,” he repeated bitterly.

“What did you say to her that she responded that way?” Bruce asked.

“I was just making fun of her boyfriend,” Dick shrugged, “Why? Do you think she’s hiding something?”

At first, Dick thought that you were genuinely angry at the both of them because you were right- Jason did kidnap you. Jason did do those things to you. And Jason was supposed to be under both Bruce and Dick’s responsibility.

Dick didn’t blame you for it, because he would have probably been angry if the situation was reversed.

It was one of the mistakes he always made as Robin when Bruce was teaching him how to accurately deduce by reading people. Never assume that someone’s motivations would be the same as your own.

“She hid that she has… someone from me. There must be a reason why.”

“Or she knows how you are and would rather not have your nose in her business, Bruce. She did find out about that tracker you put in her necklace. How did she even react to it?”

Bruce had done the same with both Dick and Jason while they were Robin, though it didn’t come disguised as a pretty, shiny piece of metal.

On the contrary, during Dick’s Robin days, Bruce had hid it behind his third molar while he was unconscious. He only found out after a year, when he was held hostage by a mercenary who wanted to use him to lure Batman. Said mercenary had detected the tracking device and pulled it out along with the tooth.

It made him increasingly more hostile towards Batman and his never ending need for control, but at least it saved him a trip to the dentist.

From what Dick knew, Jason died with his tracker on him.

Bruce had said that it was all done in the name of safety.

But would you tell Jason the same thing now?

“I apologised and never replaced the one Red Hood damaged. I thought that would have been sufficient for her to trust me again.”

Dick let out a bark of laughter at that, but it was void of any humor. “Only you would think that not replacing her damn tracker would make her trust you. No wonder she hasn’t told you anything.”

It was probably best not to mention that you were now also sexually active.

“Do you think she’s hiding something important?” Bruce asked.

“Are you actually asking for my opinion?” Dick smirked, “No, but it’s too soon to tell, anyway. Relax, Bruce. It’s like you forgot what it was like to be young and in love.”

That was obviously a joke. Bruce grew out of his childhood the moment he saw his parents getting killed in that alley.

As for being in love, did Bruce ever allow himself that?

***

“What did you say she called herself?” Nightwing asked softly.

The poor girl was scared out of her mind to the point where Dick found it difficult to extract important information from her ramblings.

Well, that’s what happens when someone makes you kill a person.

It was difficult, so difficult, to face the fact that it was Jason behind all of that.

“I t-think, V,” the witness- Elena- stuttered. “She with him. But try to stop him.”

Behind him, he felt Batman pause. He was walking around the club and analysing evidence while listening to the conversation.

“She tried to stop him? Him as in Red Hood?” Dick frowned.

“Yes,” Elena looked down and rubbed her arms.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but,” Dick tried, “You told me they were partners.”

“Yes, but she try to stop him,” she repeated, “I don’t know.”

“It’s okay,” Dick offered a smile, “Thank you very much. You’ve been a huge help.”

“Am I going to prison?” she looked at him with big, wet eyes.

“We’ll make sure you won’t,” Dick assured, “You’ll get the best defense team in Gotham.”

“You can do that?” she asked, hope in her voice.

“It’s the least we could do,” Dick answered, a sad smile playing on his lips.

He’s our responsibility.

“Thank you,” she gave a watery laugh, “Even prison better than with him, I want to be free.”

Dick heard footsteps approaching. As he turned around, Gordon entered the crime scene, followed by his team.

“Of course you’re here first,” he sighed at Batman.

“Gordon.”

“You might have to speak to the police again, okay?” Dick told Elena who was suddenly nervous again by the presence of so many people. “I’ll make sure they know you’re innocent. Gordon is the only one you can trust, okay?”

She nodded, her gaze turning downwards.

“Gordon,” he approached the aging man. He was used to talking with Gordon in Batman’s stead, even when he was Robin, and remembered feeling proud of himself whenever he finished speaking to Gordon regarding cases without Batman having to add anything.

“Nightwing,” he blinked, “It’s been a while.”

“Desperate times calls for desperate backups,” he grinned, “Anyway, the girl. She’s a victim of Victor Ibenescu’s human trafficking trade. Romanian, only thirteen when she was kidnapped. She was forced to shoot Victor by Red Hood.”

“This Red Hood likes his poetic justice,” Gordon snickered.

“It’s still first degree murder, or at least, that’s how the law would make it seem,” Dick reminded him, “But I assure you she’s innocent. Red Hood threatened to kill and rape her if she didn’t shoot.”

That was a lie, on both his part and Elena’s. Judging by the way she averted her eyes and touched her own arm, Dick could tell that she wasn’t telling the whole truth about being threatened by Red Hood- but he also knew that he couldn’t expose her and get into more trouble.

He wanted to let out a tired sigh, but that would give him away in front of Gordon and the other officers. He still needed to maintain his air of hopefulness, and he couldn’t seem like he was troubled by his thoughts.

Time to meet Bruce back at the cave and watch the surveillance footage.

***

“He’s got a partner now,” Dick voiced out his findings, “Since when did Red Hood partner up?”

Bruce’s frown was deep as he stared at the screen.

Dick pursed his lips. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Whether this is Red Hood or Jason?” Bruce hummed, “This definitely does not seem like anything Red Hood would do. He’s always tried to separate himself from others because it furthers his authoritarian agenda. He does not get friendly with people because people are disposable to him.”

“So you think this is Jason, then?” Dick concluded, “Well, Jason never had much of a problem working with others in the past, and he made some friends. He wasn’t the type to be hostile to people.”

“He did have trust issues,” Bruce pointed out, “At the very beginning.”

“Yes, and he kept a lot of things to himself,” Dick agreed, “But he did have friends.”

“Special friends,” Bruce added, “Friends who gained his respect and trust. So the question is- who is this girl and how did she manage to gain his trust?”

“Hey, play it back again,” Dick said, “Those moves.”

Bruce played the security tape, showing the mysterious girl and Red Hood taking down Victor’s men.

“Arnis,” Bruce pointed out.

“It’s a little different.”

“She has incorporated silat in as well. Low stance,” Bruce observed. “She’s skilled, but not polished. It could be anyone.”

There was something familiar about the girl that Dick couldn’t pinpoint. Dick usually had strong intuition- a gut feeling that enabled him to know which facts to focus on during an investigation, or a strong ability to see through people.

But the problem was that it wasn’t solid proof or evidence, something Batman heavily focused on. It was a gut feeling that told him he knew who the girl was.

“Do you think it’s-” he broke off without completing his sentence. There was nothing to back his claims.

“She has no reason or motive to work with Jason,” Bruce shot the idea down, “He’s hurt her. And… She wouldn’t betray me like that.”

“She’s been keeping secrets, Bruce,” Dick reminded, hating the fact that this time it was him who was suspicious.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

Because he never would have thought that Jason was capable of torture and murder, either.

Why didn’t he come to me?

“As you clearly pointed out prior to this,” Bruce grit, “She has her reasons as to why she’s keeping secrets. And it is most probably because of me. All of you kept secrets. But this time, I’d like to let her keep hers.”

It was sweet, seeing Bruce that way.

“Is it guilt?” Dick asked.

“It’s repentance.”

Dick hated playing the bad guy.

Because he wasn’t supposed to be. He was the one people looked up to for inspiration, he was the light to Batman’s darkness, he was the smiles and charms and laughter.

He wasn’t the one who would accuse his little sister of fraternizing with the- was Jason the enemy?

Shit. Jason had messed with his senses. Dick’s head was chaotic, his emotions causing him to tense up.

Was he wrong? Was he just like Bruce? Was he jumping to conclusions just because Alfred told him you were out? Should he investigate this Carter you said you were with?

No. I’m not Bruce.

And now, you were looking at him with angry eyes, betrayed and appalled by his accusation.

*** Large.

That was the first thing that came to Dick’s mind when he saw his little brother.

The last time Dick saw him, he was much shorter, and definitely not as bulky.

And the last time Dick saw Jason, he was giving him a hug goodbye, complaining that Dick had messed up his hair.

And now, Jason was aiming a gun at him.

The gunshot didn’t hurt nearly as much as the thought that Jason had indeed shot him. Did Jason hate him that much?

You’re almost as guilty as he is, Jason’s voice echoed in his head.

“Bruce,” he gasped in the comms, “I’m down. They got away.”

“I heard a gunshot,” the deep voice in his ear spoke.

“Yeah, Jason shot my leg,” Dick winced, “Didn’t hit bone but I think it nicked my artery.”

“There are children here,” Batman said, “I was right. He’s sabotaging the Powers’. Gordon should be here soon. You control your bleeding.”

Dick nodded to himself and took a deep breath before plunging his finger into the gunshot wound to keep himself from bleeding out.

***

“...suspects that the crime lord only known as Red Hood and an unidentified female were behind the home invasion. Maria and Joseph Powers were left in a gruesome state according to reports, but their only child Carrie Powers was unharmed. The authorities are not sure what Red Hood’s motive was, but more will be elaborated during Commissioner Gordon’s public address later this afternoon...”

Dick heard you close the door.

“You didn’t come home last night,” he lowered the volume of the television.

“Uh, yeah,” you answered.

Dick looked over at you. You seemed tired, eyes swollen and red from crying, wearing an oversized t-shirt that he didn’t recognize.

“I was at-”

“Carter’s?” he finished your sentence for you.

“Yeah,” you nodded, sitting down next to him on the sofa.

Dick frowned to himself. Your arms were crossed, you were avoiding eye contact, your body was angled away from him.

“You heard about the Powers’?” he turned his gaze towards the television.

“I saw the news on the way here,” you monotoned.

You smelled like a different shampoo. It was familiar, but Dick couldn’t remember where he had smelled it before.

“So you know that-”

“Yes, Jason did it,” you said rigidly.

“Along with-”

“His partner.”

Ah, now he remembered the smell. Jason’s favorite shampoo. He used to make fun of him for choosing one that was called what it was called. He didn’t really care about it, Dick kept his hair soft and fluffy with multiple women’s hair products. He just liked to rile Jason up because he was so defensive about it.

And with that, Dick let out a long, disappointed sigh.

“Bruce is in the cave. I suggest that you think long and hard about what to tell him,” Dick offered you a soft smile, “But no matter what you choose to say, you’ll always be my sister, and I’ll always love you no matter what, okay?”

You gave him a look of shock, and then realised that he had figured it out.

“I’m sorry, Dick,” you lips trembled, your eyes started brimming with tears.

“No, kid. I’m sorry,” he replied, “Go.”

You nodded and left.

Despite being right all along, he didn’t feel any sense of achievement. Dick couldn’t help but partly blame himself. For being so absent, for being neglectful, for being a bad brother.

Dick wasn’t perfect, but like hell would he stop trying to be.

***

For years Bruce had tried to stop feeling guilty for being relieved whenever someone else takes care of a problem he couldn’t solve- especially when it involved murder.

Bruce had tried to take down the Powers for almost a decade, and everytime he got close, there was always another obstacle in the way. It was difficult to expose the rich and powerful without resorting to violence, without resorting to breaking his principles.

So Bruce was ready to stop himself from internally celebrating their deaths. This time, however, he wasn’t as pleased. Because this time, it was Jason who brutally murdered two people. Jason, who was supposed to be under his care and responsibility.

“Bruce?” he heard your timid, small voice from behind him. “I have to tell you something.”

And there it was.

Bruce turned around and looked straight at you, piercing your eyes with his own as he waited on your confession.

A minute passed.

“I’m V,” you struggled to speak, “I’ve been meeting up with Jason for a few months now. I didn’t know he was Red Hood until you told me. But when you did tell me, I chose to confront him and team up with him anyway.”

Bruce didn’t say anything.

“He- he’s not a bad person, Bruce,” you justified, “He’s just really hurt. He needs help.”

You were telling Bruce things he already knew.

“I- I fell in love with him,” you continued, “And I let my feelings cloud my judgement and betrayed your trust. At first I thought that he was onto something, that his… methods were better than yours. And I was angry that you kept secrets from me. But after last night- after what I saw- I couldn’t- I couldn’t stay.”

Bruce clenched his jaw.

He suspected it. Dick suspected it. But for your sake, the both of them chose to put their trust in you. He had tried so hard to change from his old ways. He learned his lesson with both Dick and Jason.

He didn’t want you to go through the same thing they did.

So, he chose to blindly trust you anyway, hoping that he wasn’t right.

“I’m sorry, Bruce,” you were sobbing now, “I’m so sorry. Please, say something.”

After another minute of watching you break down in front of him, Bruce finally spoke up.

“Hang up your colors. You’re no longer my Robin.”

[fictionkinfessions]

Kin god was cruel for making me a member of the batfam. Because now i gotta read like ten thousand comics to learn about all of bruces fucking kids. I also kin bruce! I had no kids in my bruce canon! AND YET. My father's heart was too big for his house, and *my* memory! Did he ever think about how this would affect me? (/j /im being a brat)

(Damien Wayne kin)

[liquid-luck-00]

Connections 6

Chapter 6

this is based on @thepeacetea daminette soulmate au

Masterlist *** First *** Previous *** Next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Grandfather hated soulmates and the entire league shared that sentiment. His Mother was glad for the fact that he did not have any soul mark. That was good he wasn’t tied to anyone; he didn’t have to worry about it. It wasn’t until he was six that something changed, and he was thankful that he was alone in his room when it happened. A thought fluttered through his mind alone he instantly recognized was not his own.

An invisible bond. My soulmate will be affected by the *********** magic that affects me. They are my other half; I have to protect them.

“Tt” Damian allowed to be stated aloud. Protect me huh, as if! That was when it occurred to him I have a soulmate.

Damian bolted up and sat straight. If I have a soulmate and I just heard their thoughts. Well if this was their thoughts. Do they know mine. Damian was beginning to become infuriated with this new piece of knowledge, what struck him as odd was the fact that he felt like something was missing in the thought. It was as if that last piece could help him understand this peculiar event. In that moment, his mother came into his room.

“Damian it is time to go” His mother snapped him out of his thoughts, and he pushed this into the back of his mind. He followed his mother, and this was simply filled away in his mind under things that were useless or frustrating.

---

It wasn’t until three years later would his bond would infuriate him again. As far as he knew nothing was out of the ordinary. No one batted and eye when he already knew how to handle guns, they simply praised him for being a natural and he himself did not think of it either.

But then he had to get ready for the Lazarus Ritual. His mother came to retrieve him and then everything changed. He remembered walking behind his mother blinked and he was sitting in a large room. In his lap was a book filled with drawings. Wait what the Hell was he wearing. He looked at his hands and his skin was lighter, he was wearing a wait is this a skirt. Then he looked up and saw this thing. It was this little red blob with a black spot on its forehead between clear blue eyes. That was when he began to scowl.

The question left his lips before he could process anymore “Maza ank (What are you)?” he practically spat continuing still “Ayn anna (Where am I)?” the blob seemed to only stare in shock.

The little thing looked at him and then smiled. Why would it smile. “I’m Tikki and it is nice to meet you, soulmate to my chosen” it seemed to choose its words carefully, wait why did it respond in English. But it answered half of my question he was about to respond but this Tikki spoke again “As to where you are, I am not at liberty to say.”

He decided to shift to English as this creature seemed to speak it “What is the meaning of this soulmate to your chosen rubbish?”

“just as it sounds you are the soulmate of my chosen. You being here is a result of your bond.” He scowled and stared at the blob and it sighed. “You have an invisible bond but because your other half is my chosen you both have a bond different than anyone else’s on the planet.” He began to scowl harder if that was even possible. “this bond will only continue to grow but know that what one learns the other knows as well. I am assuming it is because of you that my chosen knows how to fight.”

This pulled at Damian’s interest they know how to fight because of me then what do I know because of them. He looked at the blob again and decided to ask “does your chosen know how to handle firearms, before today?” he half hoped he was wrong because if they did his soulmate may just be as dangerous as him if not more if this creature was anything to go off of.

It was quiet and then it nodded “yes my chosen has known how to handle firearms for years now.”

Shit. Well at least I know that they can handle themselves.

“I believe our time has come to an end. Until we meet once again soulmate of my chosen.” It spoke as he blinked and then he was standing on a balcony cliff overlooking the Lazarus pit as they took his grandfather out to his chambers. He dimly remembered his mother calling him and leaving him in his quarters. Then the memory of the ritual surfaced. It was odd he was watching it but it felt detached from himself almost like a video recording, there was no feeling just the ritual and the proceedings but he felt nothing from it.

---

Mari was going through her sketchbook talking about what she was planning for her dad, she blinked and she was walking behind a woman, her aura was deadly so she schooled her emotions and presented a blank face almost bored and then they exited the dark halls into an outcrop balcony of sorts overlooking a large cavern with a pool of bubbling acid green water on the other side.

She scanned the cave and then she noticed several people dressed in all black surrounding another man. From her vantage she saw a cruel face that was surrounded by black and white hair and beard. His eyes were the same acid green as the water and the aura around him as well. He wore a regal robe in a deep crimson accentuated by black and gold designs.

The cruel mad began to speak and she understood it as being Arabic.

“All here are to bear witness to the revitalization of the Demon Head. By the power of the Lazurus Pit…” more was said and then Marinette watched as the man took the robe off and stepped into the Pit. He completely submerged and the water glowed a sickly green and then he remerged. He put on the robe and continued to speak.

Mari knew that what she just witnessed was an abuse of the magic in the water, and she forced herself to remain impassive. She knew that everyone in the room would turn on her if she showed any emotion that would betray her. And then it hit her she knew no one and was talking with Tikki sitting in the parlor of Wayne Manor so how did she end up here. She watched as the man with cruel eyes left and she blinked again and then she saw Tikki staring at her expectantly, and she simply shook her head, Tikki looked sad and then Alfred came in.  

“Miss Mari” he tried to get her attention kneeling next to her on the couch, but she simply stared straight forwards. Everyone came into the room trying to find out why Alfred sounded frazzled.

Then she looked up and stared at Jason, she finally found her voice and asked “J… Jay… Jay-Jay why are… why are you covered in chaos magic” everyone was staring at her so she tried asking another way. “Why are you covered in magic from the Lazarus Pit?” everyone looked scared and now Mari was confused as well.

“How do you know that name, Mari?” Tikki asked her, breaking the silence.

“I” she didn’t know how to explain what just happened to her “I just heard it, I saw it, it was it was like a ritual”

“Tikki is this normal for a miraculous holder” Bruce asked looking at Tikki hoping for an answer

Tikki simply shook her head “No it isn’t. seeing the Lazarus arura is for a Ladybug, but this knowledge is not normal…” then she stopped ad gave Mari a knowing and sad smile. “Mari do you think?” Tikki didn’t have to finish the question for Mari to understand.

As Tikki asked her everything seemed to fall into place she was close to crying from fear or joy she didn’t know. “it might be, it’s the most logical.”

“What does this incur exactly?” Alfred spoke from kneeling beside Marinette.

“Her soulmate” Tikki said and that left everyone quiet once again. “Mari knows how to fight, that much you know but what you don’t is that she has never had any type of training. The same goes for several languages she has never studied, she can read a person’s body language without any difficulty, and now this.” Everyone was staring at her now almost like they knew something that she didn’t and that scared her.

Bruce kneeled down and pulled Mari into a hug. And whispered in her ear quiet enough so no one else heard but her “I’ll explain but for now it is okay to cry if your scared something must have happened for this to affect you so much”

Her eyes widened in surprise before she began to cry, and Bruce took her in his arms and together with Tikki left the parlor to her room.

---

Once they were in Mari’s room Bruce wrapped her in a blanket and sat next to her on the bed when the door opened. There stood Jason in front and right behind him were Dick and Tim, further in the hallway was probably Alfred. Bruce glared at them and they closed the door and heard several pairs of feet leave.

Bruce sighed and shared a look with Tikki before he spoke “Pixie do you know what the Lazarus Pit is?”

She shook her head no “not completely, no.”

“What do you know?” this time Tikki spoke.

“I could tell it was filled with magic. It was a pool of bubbling acid green water.”

“you said it was like a ritual can you explain” Bruce tried to keep his voice level. He had hoped to never have to explain this to Mari, Mari looked down into her lap and Tikki flew into her sights.

“He said it was a Revitalization Ritual. Something about a Demon”

He was surprised when Tikki started to speak. “The Lazarus Pit was created by a wish combining the miraculous of the Ladybug and the Black cat. The Ladybug magic allows anyone touched by the water to be revived, healed, and extends their life. It was created by the first wish. However, the Black cat’s magic breaks the soul of the person it touches, thus making them quick to anger and dangerous there is only one exception, but it is more of a rumor as it has never happened.”

Bruce asked without thinking “Can you heal someone from the pit after they come back?” If this is true we can help Jason.

“It is possible, but it would only be stated in the grimoire, and it was lost along with the peacock and Butterfly miraculous” Bruce couldn’t help the small frown but it was soon replaced by shock as little Mari hugged him.

“We will help Jay-Jay with or without magic” Bruce let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and hugged Mari.

“I know” he then looked at the girl and he now continued. “The Pit is controlled by a group called the League of Assassins and the Demon you heard of is a man by the name of Ra’s al Ghul.”

Mari looked pensive “Tall, cruel acid green eyes with black and white hair and beard” she stated as if recalling something.

Bruce just looked at her shocked “yes” he couldn’t believe this how did sweet little Mari meet such a man. “How. How do you know him?”

“I saw him during the ritual” this just brought up more questions, but all his questions died on his lips as he saw Tikki rise.

“Mari you swapped with your soulmate today” she stated it as a fact as if she knew and was confirming it. Mari nodded her head, and Tikki sighed. “I spoke with them while you were swapped it happened right before Alfred came into the room. They were direct and to the point, and I don’t think they knew that they even had a soulmate until today.”

This was news but then again knowing Ra’s despises weakness any assassin in training under him would as well. It also figures if it is an invisible bond, they are so rare that there is very little known how they interact with the soul. In this moment he knew that he would protect the little pixie in front of him wrapped up in a blanket, and he knew that her ‘Brothers’ would protect her as well.

Next

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

Taglist🐞🦇

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[joker-dreams-blog]

Joker Dreams: Ice Skating

Background: Based on a dream I had. You’re enjoying your day off at the park when things go awry... Not edited for grammar, etc.

Context: J has been stalking the reader without the reader’s knowledge. Reader knows about J from the newspapers only. Your plans for ice skating clash with J’s plans for chaos.

Ledger!Joker x Reader

Warnings: 18+ only; mentions of an explosion, violence; creepy behavior, stalking, kidnapping, unwanted advances (kissing, touching, holding); delusional thinking; clumsy reader; unconsciousness

You had been wanting to go ice skating for a while, but it was always packed at Gotham Park. Fortunately for you, no one was skating today. Instead, everyone was too preoccupied with the ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Gotham’s favorite celebrity, boy billionaire Bruce Wayne. The park was unveiling a new statue of their benefactor, Mr. Wayne, so it was the perfect day to change up your routine and head downhill to the empty skating rink. 

On your way to the rink, you passed an assortment of banners and balloons promoting the event. All the park staff was dressed in clown masks, and music was being played from the loudspeakers. You quickly made your way from the center of the park to the ice skating rink to avoid any unnecessary commotion and noise. 

Once on the ice, you mindlessly skated in isolation, enjoying the peace and quiet. However, this reprieve was short-lived. “Excuse me, ah, miss...you’re not supposed-ta be here,” a staff member in a clown mask interrupted. You stopped skating, suddenly aware you were not alone. “Oh...I...I’m sorry, I’ll head out,” you replied, skating over to the bench to take off your skates and pack it up for the day. 

“I didn’t know the ice skating rink was closed today,” you continued. The man in the clown mask leered behind you, slowly approaching the bench. “It’s not,” he replied plainly. “But...you’re, ah...really...really… not-t...supposed-ta be here...today,” J said, taking off his mask, revealing his true identity. You stopped, frozen in place. Before you had a chance to react, J had his signature knife to your throat, and his other arm firmly around your waist. 

“Hey. Come here. Look at me,” he said as you struggled against his grasp. You couldn’t look him in the eyes. Instead, you started to panic. J didn’t like that. He was growing impatient. “Look at me,” he said in a deeper, more commanding tone, forcing your attention. Tears welled up in your eyes. It was obvious that you were terrified. J was annoyed. He didn’t have much time, and you were already fouling up his plan. You were not supposed to be at the park today.

 “Oh, shush, shush, shush, shush…now none of that-t...” He clumsily stroked your face in an attempt to console you. “Now... I’m gonna need you to be a good girl and do as I say...Hmm?” You sniffled and nodded your head, agreeing to the clown’s words. “Good...good...now, I’m gonna need ya to run as, uh, far away from the park as you can...” He paused. “Because Uncle J here’s about to make some...fireworks...” 

He waved a detonator at your face. Your stomach dropped at the insinuation. “Now don’t try to be a hero, sweetheart-t,” he continued. “Just do as I say. And...Run!” J let go of you and pushed you in the right direction for a head start. Your wobbly legs made it some distance before giving out. You quickly lost your balance and fell, hitting your head on the way down, knocking yourself out.

J bursted out into laughter. Your unfortunate fall was just the comic relief he needed today. You showing up at the park while he was doing a job had stressed him out. You were supposed to be at home safe and sound in your bed. Not ice skating just downhill from his target. However, the fact that you were a bumbling idiot under pressure worked out well for him. He could have some fun.

J took a moment to admire you lying unconscious on the ground. He smiled to himself at how ridiculous you were. “You are just so precious to me, y/n,” he said in a sweet, yet condescending tone. He bent down, cupped your face in his hands, and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Alright-t, enough fooling around,” he sighed as he picked you up and swung you over his shoulder. “Let’s get ya outta here, kiddo.” J took you to a nearby parking lot, and signaled to some men in clown masks to load up the van for departure. 

He got in the back of the vehicle and sat you in his lap, wrapping an arm around you to keep you secure. He made sure you were somewhat comfortable. “Mmm...you just had to go skating today, didn’t you?” he started, moving some hair out of your face. He usually wasn’t one for showing affection, but he was feeling a little sentimental today. J sighed, “Were you just trying to spend some time with me, doll...is...is that w-why you came to the park-k?” He ran his fingers along your newly formed bruise. “D-Did ya...miss me? Is that-t why you came?” he asked, falling deeper into his delusion. 

J let out a soft groan and repositioned himself. “Hmm...well..how about-t we go out with a bang...togetherrr?” he hummed with his lips close to your ear. J took your limp hand and pressed it down on the detonator. In the distance, the screams of hundreds of Gothamites could be heard over the explosion of Gotham Park’s shiny new statue of their beloved Bruce Wayne. Chaos ensued.

J held you close as the van made its escape. For a man “without a plan,” J was actually a meticulous planner. Usually, he would be upset with so many changes to his day, but running into you was actually nice. He always made sure to keep work and pleasure separate, but even with taking you along for the ride, things turned out just fine. And so, with you safe in his arms, and Gotham Park’s newest statue blown to a million smithereens, J took time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fireworks with his girl.  

It was just a shame that you would be waking up soon....

[consumeconstantly]

Small Buff Girl Sightings Ch. 5

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ao3

3:00AM | CoffeeVamp: bb bat update us TheOG: ^^ more info on the situation in paris

3:28AM | Demonspawn: It is difficult to obtain information on Hawkmoth. The butterflies disperse after they are cleansed, and before they land their target, they don’t show up electronically.  Coffee Vamp: o how the mighty have fallen i thought u said u could best me bb boi

3:42AM | Demonspawn: I’d like to see you do better. Coffee Vamp: IS THAT A CHALLENGE Coffee Vamp: ill take u up on that gimme 24 hours and ur going down TheOG: he has had a whole month so dont be too sure of that LadyLady: would you guys SHUT UP its two and some of us have jobs to do Coffee Vamp: cmon babs u luv us dont deny it LadyLady: Don’t make me hunt you down, Tim. Coffee Vamp: oOooO proper punctuation im shaking TheOG: just shut off notifications Babs TheOG: Bruce does Jesus: i don’t think the man has checked this chat in years Coffee Vamp: wdym brucie checks the chat all the time hes just a silent lurker Coffee Vamp: he doesnt even set himself to invisible

3:57AM | Daddy is away. Coffee Vamp: im so glad i have admin privileges imagine if i didnt bruce would have a boring normal nickname like his actual name LadyLady: good lord, why am I even in this chat?? Daddy: You’re supposed to keep them under control. Coffee Vamp: SEE I TOLD U BRUCE IS A SILENT LURKER> THIS. IS. SOLID. PROOF. IN YOUR FACE TheOG: nobody said otherwise Coffee Vamp: also how are the people have you made friends Jesus: Demon spawn? Making friends? Id be less surprised if he told us he has a new fling Coffee Vamp: is j right? Got a winter fling? 

4:12AM | Coffee Vamp: ur lack of a response tells us nothing  TheOG: im sure he’s just adopted his usual icy persona Coffee Vamp: haha hes the bb of so many things Coffee Vamp: bb vamp bb demon spawn ice ice bb Coffee Vamp: getitt im so funny

4:36AM | Coffee Vamp: guys?

“I told you I could get her to write her number on your cup,” Marinette grins with pride.

“And I told you I didn’t want her to.” Damian scowls and kicks a pebble in his path.

“You’re still wearing the clothes I picked out for you,” she points out.

“You told me to wear it. I wore it. I’m not interested in her.” 

Marinette squints at Damian, evaluates whether he’s telling the truth or not. “Huh, you really aren’t interested. I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t wear the other outfit I picked out for you-- that one would have gotten her to ask you out on the spot.”

Damian groans. “We’re going to have to find a new coffee place.”

“Or we could just come when she’s not on shift and run away like mice when we do see her?”

Damian gives her The Look.

“But they have good coffee here,” Marinette whines.

“Maybe you should have thought about that before dressing me up and sending me to my death.”

“It’s not my fault! You only have your parents to blame for your looks.”

It’s true; both of Damian’s parents are good-looking. His whole family is, actually, adopted or not. All of the good looking people he meets are talented and have a tragic life story. Which is the cause and which is the effect, Damian isn’t sure. But it holds true even in Paris. All he has to do is look at Marinette or Adrien, though he’s not a hundred percent sure where the tragedy kicks in for Marinette. Probably the time when she was at odds with Lila, but he hasn’t looked much into the situation. He can even use Lila Rossi as an example. She has even worse color coordination than Damian is, but her features are model worthy. Lila Rossi is also definitely fucked up in ways that Damian doesn’t care to explore.

The effects of Marinette’s well-placed compliments has Damian thinking about himself in a positive manner that he never has before. Bruce is always stingy with praise, and the other senior members of the Justice League of America see him as another Robin that doesn’t need praise because competency comes with the mantle. Dick and Barbara compliment him occasionally, but that’s rarer now that his place is more firmly cemented in the family. Damian doesn’t think he’s ever had someone so willing to genuinely compliment him. Marinette’s compliments extend to more than just his looks, as well. She praises his technological skills as he sets up her website and has complimented him as he helps her out with whatever altercations she inevitably comes across on the streets. If he reveals his skills as Robin, reveals himself as Damian Wayne, will he receive even more praise?

“But since we did buy you that absolute knockout of an outfit, you’re going to have to wear it eventually. So whose heart do you want to steal?”

“I don’t want a relationship,” Damian repeats. They seem like more effort than they’re worth, and he always sees couples fighting and complaining about each other. Plus, they have to make time for each other and his alter ego doesn’t allow for that, though he supposes that he isn't Robin. At least, not right now.

“You don’t need to want a relationship just to flirt with somebody. Who’s it going to be? The intern at the Louvre? My parent’s newest hire? Oooh, how about Nicolette?” Marinette’s voice takes on a more mischievous tone. 

Damian will give Marinette this much: her taste in the aesthetics of people is far from bad. The intern from the Louvre is two hundred pounds of lean muscle with a devil-may-care smile and a deep, belly laugh that makes people laugh with him, but Damian and he don’t have anything in common. Her parent’s new hire is knockout gorgeous, with warm brown eyes, and definitely the kind of girl Damian would have gone for as a one night stand back in Gotham. However, he’s also 98% sure that she has a very possessive boyfriend who stops by the bakery every time she has a shift. Nicolette is considered her college’s belle, and her intense gaze paired with her surprisingly friendly demeanor might have been appealing to Damian if she weren’t ten years older than him. 

“I’m not into any of them,” he says, simply.

“Then who are you into? Surely someone has caught your eye in the past month?” Marinette looks genuinely curious, but her expression shifts into horror. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I never asked your preferences, if I was being insensitive, I’m sorry, I mean I’m pan, but you absolutely don’t have to tell me, it’s your right if you’re not comfortable.”

Damian does look slightly uncomfortable now that she’s looking at him more closely. His arms are crossed over each other, across his chest, and his hair is tousled. Then, he lets out a small laugh, and Marinette melts. “It’s fine, Pigtails. All of the people you listed are attractive, but I’m not attracted to them. I’m more of a personality guy, though I can’t say that personality has stopped me from things more than dates before.”

He’s had his fair share of hook-ups and makeout sessions in the past when feeling particularly frustrated with something that wasn’t going his way, though his primary method of relief is through sparring. Short missions and one night stands go fairly well together; he doesn’t ever have to deal with people wanting long term relationships, and even if they do, he’s gone before they know it. So far, he hasn’t hooked up with anyone in Paris, but then again, he’s only been here for a month and this is a long term mission. Whatever time he’s not with Marinette or at school is dedicated to piecing together the mystery that is the Miraculous and trying to figure out Hawkmoth’s identity. 

“Oh,” Marinette continues to blush.

She’s clearly too embarrassed to bring up any other topic, so Damian decides that he’ll shoot the same conversation topic back at her. Marinette is attractive, and people she meets ask for her numbers and dates often enough. She’ll accept the former if they aren’t a total creep, but she always turns down requests for dates.

“And you? Why aren’t you out there questing for love? No crushes or significant others that I need to beat off with a stick?”

This does manage to lessen her flush. She frowns, turns something over in her mind. 

“No crushes right now, no. I used to have a huge crush on Adrien just a year ago. He’s such a sweet person, but we don’t see eye to eye on important matters.” And also not into sex, either. Even physical affection hits him the wrong way sometimes, which makes Marinette worry even further for his well being with Lila’s constant touches. Still, he hasn’t said anything, and Lila hasn’t done anything more than grasp his arm or shoulders every now and then, to reassure the class that yes, they are the golden couple. Marinette also suspects that he is very unwilling to talk about the whole situation in general, and it’s not as though they’re super close.

Of course she had a crush on Adrien. Damian can see it now, Marinette looking at Adrien with her big blue eyes, her lashes fluttering when she gets close to him. Stuttering when she gets embarrassed or when she gets close to him. It makes his lungs constrict, but he’s not sure why.

“As for past relationships, there’s only really Luka. We had a pretty good run, but he’s out of the country, touring. He wanted to try long distance, but I didn’t really want that. But he’s respectful-- there’s no need to beat him off with a stick or anything.”

“I’m surprised a pretty girl like you doesn’t have more suitors,” Damian says, stepping over a crack in the sidewalk as they walk towards the park.

Marinette gags. “There are some other people who have been interested, but I wouldn’t exactly consider them relationship material. If you’re going after a girl just because she looks exotic, that’s sort of nasty. I guess I’m just unlucky in love.”

“At least you’re not as bad off as Ladybug is,” Damian jokes.

She looks at him strangely. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, first there was that creepy sculptor who must have been twice her age, then there’s Chat Noir who keeps flirting with her despite her requests not to, plus all of the random love akumas. I’m not even going to talk about the hordes of guys who chase after her, trying to get a date just because she’s a superhero. It’s not even like she can kick them between the legs because she has an image to uphold and all that.” He smirks, nudges her with his arm. “I’m surprised you haven’t done that with some of your stalkers.”

“Oh. You’re right, huh. Though, I don’t think Chat Noir has actually flirted for a while now.”  Chat Noir has been very subdued as of late, and it makes Ladybug worry.

Marinette feels uncomfortable with the way the conversation has shifted. How does Damian know about all of these past akuma attacks? As far as Marinette is aware, most information about anything Miraculous related is difficult to get a hold of abroad, largely because the Miraculous try to hide their existence as best they can, and partially because Mayor Bourgeois doesn’t want word to get out that he hasn’t flushed a supervillain terrorist out even though he’s had three years to do it.

“Copycat happened three years ago.” It’s a question, almost.

“I figure I might as well keep up with the heroes of Paris. I’m here and they’re interesting.” Damian figures this is as good a time as any to bring up his interest in Hawkmoth. Marinette has been nothing but helpful and she’s definitely the kind of person whose heart is in the right place. Not to mention that she’s definitely smart and seems impartial; the one time he asked her about her thoughts on the heroes, he found out that she didn’t see them as perfect. She was able to critique Ladybug in full, which seemed pretty odd considering the rest of Paris seemed to have nothing but glowing praise for the heroine. “You’ve had some awful luck with akumas yourself. Weird how Ladybug didn’t show up when you got kidnapped by Evillustrator. One of the only times she didn’t show up for an akuma.”

“And what happened to the other heroes? It’s mostly Ladybug now. She must be in an awful state with her civilian life.” He looks off to the park, occasionally flicking his attention back Marinette’s face, evaluating her expression.

She catches his eyes and he swiftly looks away, looking almost nervous. Marinette stiffens. He knows, he knows, he knows, he can’t know. But how? How does he know that she’s Ladybug? She hasn’t let anything slip around him. She's been careful not to. Everything she’s ever said about Ladybug has been brief and curt, taking on an almost angry tone.

“If you’re so interested in Parisian heroes, I’m sure you saw the press conference Ladybug and Chat Noir gave last year about why the other heroes would be showing up less often.” Marinette keeps her voice carefully neutral. She needs to play this safe. She’s probably over reacting-- she’s been on edge with Hawkmoth sending out an akuma attack nearly every single day for the past few months.

Damian shakes his head. “It didn’t seem like good reasoning. Ladybug and Chat Noir are too untrained. They haven’t beat two villains in three years. They should let someone else take over.” 

Marinette has come across a good number of Ladybug and Chat Noir haters throughout her time. Those who dislike the Parisian heroes often make the exact same arguments Damian is now. That they’re not fast enough. That they should have taken down Hawkmoth and Mayura already. This is nothing new to her, though it does hurt hearing it from Damian, for some reason. She can’t even argue with most of the points he’s brought up. Going mostly solo was because of her own, selfish reasons. She really should have beaten Hawkmoth and Mayura by now. 

“The only thing they have going for them right now is that they’re keeping their Miraculous out of Hawkmoth’s hands.” She pretends that the reason why Chat Noir doesn’t show up to battle is to ensure that Hawkmoth can’t get both of the Miraculous in one fell swoop. It feels hopeless to fight villain after villain without any movement forwards. Her mind wanders to the increasing frequency of akumas and smiles, sardonically. “Some people think it’s only a matter of time until Ladybug and Chat Noir lose.”

“Hawkmoth almost seems to be the better strategist.” The two of them pass store front after store front. “Do you ever wonder what they look like, under the mask? Who they are?”

Marinette stares at the concrete underneath her feet. Hawkmoth, the better strategist? Laughable, and entirely incorrect. Even the people who hate Ladybug admit that her plans almost always work out, and that her plans are second to none. Really the only person who can possibly think that Hawkmoth is a better strategist is--

She can’t think like that. Damian is her friend. He’s just curious about Paris. Her lack of sleep and increase in paranoia re making her imagine things that are impossible. Besides, Damian isn’t on her list of suspects-- he told her he’s only been here for a short time, and Hawkmoth’s Miraculous definitely has a limited range. It’s a real pity that the world of Miraculous makes concrete evidence hard to come by, otherwise, Marinette likes to think Hawkmoth would have been behind bars already. 

“No,” she lies. Hawkmoth haunts her dreams and every waking hour. She spends hours and hours on theories and scouring out information and people who fit the clues she’s painstakingly pieced together. “Not really.”

Damian’s eyes are a piercing green, and for a moment, Marinette thinks she stops breathing. “Is that so? I’m really interested in who Ladybug is under the mask. I’d love the opportunity to talk to her in person, especially about her Miraculous. The powers she has are… very interesting.”

No. There’s no way that Damian can be Hawkmoth, right? This is all just her paranoia speaking. Damian is just a foreigner who is interested in super heroes. It’s no biggie. Still, she can’t shake off the idea that there’s more to Damian than meets the eye. The way he walks-- no, prowls-- commands respect. Marinette can tell that he knows how to fight, and knows how to fight well. He’s very good at finding information on people-- she sent a whole case file to her on Renee and his situation with his mother within twenty four hours of going into the precinct, complete with video evidence Marinette knows should have been impossible to procure without hacking-- and keeps up with her critiques on Ladybug and Chat Noir’s techniques like he’s watched their battles over and over again. He remembers akuma battles Marinette has half forgotten, because they happened so long ago.

She stares up at him, hands shoved in the pockets of the jacket she chose for him when they went on their wardrobe makeover. Damian is surprisingly wealthy; he purchased anything she even glanced at with passing approval. He looks straight forward, apparently waiting for some response from her. Just because Damian is her friend, doesn’t mean she can immediately expunge him from her list of suspects. So far, she has taken all of Damian’s words at face value. It didn’t matter to her that he rarely talks about his family or his life before Paris. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t brought her to his home during all of the weeks that they’ve been hanging out together. Really, Marinette just figured that he had a rocky relationship with his family, and that he may have been on the poorer side and was embarrassed to show her where he lived. But clearly. Damian is well off enough to afford brand name clothes without batting an eye. Things aren’t adding up. All of the red flags that she’s blatantly ignored start to crop up in her head.

The book on the species of butterflies that akumas are made of, tucked under his arm. The way he showed up after every single akuma attack when she rarely saw him in the area before or during it. His knowledge of the three languages that form the basis of the Miraculous Tome-- Mandarin, Arabic, and English.

If he is Hawkmoth, what sort of emotions would he be feeling right now? Some sort of euphoria, maybe, realizing that he could get infinitely closer to Ladybug when she is Marinette. Anticipation, too. Has Marinette been hanging out with a super villain for the past month? Has she really come to the point where she can call a supervillain her best friend?

Marinette takes another look at Damian’s outfit. Master Fu said that the Miraculous Hawkmoth owns is in the shape of a brooch. Marinette sees no such object on Damian, which could either mean that he’s not Hawkmoth or that he’s just been taking it off whenever he’s with her. She’s really hoping it’s not the second option.

She needs to gather her thoughts, make a plan on how to proceed. When she’s sure that Damian isn’t looking, Marinette sets off the ringtone that is saved for her Maman’s texts and calls. This catches Damian’s attention, and she waves looks up from her phone as though she’s responding. 

“Maman wants me to do a delivery. If you’re looking for more information on the whole superhero situation in Paris, I can get you Alya’s number. She runs the Ladyblog-- I’m sure she’d be glad to talk with you.” Alya also has some of the worst conspiracy theories that Marinette has ever seen. She doesn’t often keep abreast of what the Ladyblog’s portrayal of Ladybug is, but back when Marinette and Alya were friends, she was subjected to wild theories that made her stomach nauseous with how little logic there was. Which means that if-- if-- Damian is actually Hawkmoth, he might be thrown off by what she says.

“I’ll see you on Monday? Jagged texted me last night and wants me to change the embroidery on his commission.” This isn’t exactly a lie; Jagged wants one of the smaller details to be changed, but it certainly won’t take as long as she’s suggesting. Marinette hopes that it’s enough of an excuse to get Damian off her back for the rest of today and tomorrow while she reevaluates her game plans and life choices. 

Damian waves her off. “I don’t think that Ladyblogger girl knows anymore than I do. She’s of no help to me. I’ll see you on Monday.”

#

Marinette’s reaction to Damian’s questions are weird. There’s an underlying tension that she exuded before they parted ways, and he’s still thinking about it a day later.

Marinette, who he always finds near an akuma attack right after it occurs. Marinette, who is emotionally and physically superior to most other Parisians. Marinette, who hasn’t been akumatized in a class full of idiots and other victims. Marinette, who doesn’t like Ladybug even though she seems like a fairly competent and kind hero, despite the fact that she hasn’t caught Hawkmoth yet. Marinette, who rarely talks about akumas despite all of the time he spends with her, which is highly unusual because even people he only briefly meets manage to slip in something about akumas into the conversation. Damian feels like there must be some sort of connection between Marintte and the akuma situation that he’s not getting, but it’s eluding him.

He sits down with his laptop in his apartment and looks up information about Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s definitely just as talented as he suspected; in her ninth year of schooling, she won a Gabriel competition, participated in a music video of Clara Nightingale’s, and collaborated with Jagged Stone on an album cover. So that was how she met him-- he wondered, but never asked. There are also a few instagram posts that have tagged her as a good samaritan and a few articles that detail a small, asian girl who’s going around Paris helping random people that are in need.

The weird things that Damian finds are contained in her school records. She’s apparently in very good company with her IQ, but what’s more interesting is all the dates that she is tardy or absent from school. They line up perfectly with all of the dates that akumas appear. He feels dread gather in his stomach. 

A few more searches seem to cement his growing suspicions. Around the same time that Marinette obtained a truce with Lila matched up with when theorists believed that the Italian girl started working with Hawkmoth. He reads the instagrams and tweets of her classmates from the first year that Hawkmoth arrived, which talk about how excellent Marinette is at calming them down and guiding them to a better place. He also reads the posts of Chloe Bourgeois and Alya Cesaire and the articles about Marinette and Evillustrator that tell a slightly different story-- that Marinette is capable of manipulating others into more unpleasant situations.

Damian jolts. There is an incoming call from his father. 

“Are updates on Paris, Damian?” 

Should he give them a clue to his growing suspicions that Marinette is Hawkmoth? No, he can’t tell them until he gathers more information. 

“No,” he says. “Information about Hawkmoth and the Miraculous are hard to come by.”

There’s a sigh and what sounds like the rustling of papers from the other side. “I figured. Tim and Barbara can’t find anything over here, either, but the Justice League is worried. They want results.”

“The Justice League and I agreed that having Robin make an appearance would be beneficial. Gain Ladybug and Chat Noir’s trust, or find Hawkmoth. Information might come easier with your alter ego.”

“All right.” 

Another pause. He and his father have always had an awkward relationship. Bruce didn’t know of his existence until he was ten, and by that time, the most formative years of Damian’s life had already passed. Bruce Wayne may be many things, but good at dealing with children, he is not. Even after adopting so many children, he doesn’t know how to raise a child. Damian and his brothers have all raised themselves, with Bruce only stepping in when one of them is really going off the rails.

“Is everything else going well in Paris? School is good?”

“School is fine.” Damian wonders whether he should tell his father about Marinette. About the girl who is kind and capable and scarily efficient at dispatching criminals for a citizen and-- he can’t think about her like that. He decides against telling his father about her. She might be Hawkmoth, after all, and confirming her existence to his father means that he’s denying that possibility. “Gotham?”

“Nothing out of the usual. A few run-ins with the Joker.”

Another silence. The lapses in conversation aren’t awkward, but Damian thinks of the playful banter Marinette has with her parents and frowns. 

“Goodbye, Father.”

“Goodnight, Damian.”

Damian looks around at his empty apartment. There is nothing in it, except for his suitcase and a few pieces of furniture. It’s nothing like the manor, where he knows that Tim is up at all hours slaving away on another project that Damian rarely gets to see, or that Jason is in the training room with Dick joining him occasionally. He can’t pick a fight with Tim or have Dick try to mediate the conflicts between himself and Jason. No nightly patrols with three or four people talking over the comms, or near instantaneous backup when he gets into a tight spot. There is no Alfred or Barbara or Cassandra or Bruce here. Only Damian. 

He looks down at his laptop, at the various information and images of Marinette that he has up on his screen. In good conscience, he can’t continue being friends with her. Not with the possibility that she is the person he’s trying to hunt down. 

He remembers her saying that being lonely is different than being alone. 

Damian is lonely.

#

Patrol is a necessary evil. 

Ladybug doesn’t hate patrol. She’s not very fond of it, though. It cuts into time that she could be spending sleeping or designing or anything else, really. In the beginning, it started as a way to figure out how everything worked under the guise of the dark and without the constant threat of an akuma hanging over head. Then, it progressed into disproving the theory about Ladybug’s age, because civilians aren’t inclined to believe that a teenage girl who has school the next day would patrol every day in the early morning. Now, it shows the Parisians how devoted Ladybug is-- that’s something that she’s struggled with ever since withdrawing the Miraculous from all of the part time heroes-- and lets Marinette blow off any steam that she has. 

Right now, Marinette needs to blow off a lot of steam. Still, even as Ladybug, as much as Marinette wants to scream to high hell and back about how she’s been friends-- very close friends, she’d dare to say-- with the same person who has been terrorizing Paris for years, she can’t. If she screams, there will be media coverage on it, and she doesn’t want to deal with what the press would write up some article about how Ladybug was overworked and needed to bring back the other heroes, or that Ladybug wasn’t mentally sound enough to take care of Paris, she should just give up the Miraculous, or that Ladybug’s scream was [insert some poetic nonsense that English teachers wax about for hours even though the author never intended the audience to read that deeply into it].

Marinette doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s gotten close to Damian. She’s as close to him as she is with Kagami, Luka, Jagged and Penny. Damian knows that she’s MDC. He knows her hopes and aspirations. He knows her family, knows the majority of her friends, and knows what’s important to her. It will be so easy for him to tear her apart now. Marinette isn’t sure what Hawkmoth is waiting for, but she almost hopes that he’ll get it over with sooner rather than later.

What will Hawkmoth do first? Go after the website that he helped her make, probably. Cut off the financial support that she could use to run away and create another identity. Then, he’ll go after her friends, few and far as they may be. Renee next. Her family, last. She wonders who Mayura is, if he is Hawkmoth. She hasn’t seen anyone that’s close to him. Then again, Damian reveals next to nothing about himself. She’s never even seen where he lives.

There’s a shadow on the rooftops. 

God, of course Hawkmoth would send out an akuma today. He knows how horrible her mental state must be. There’s no way he wouldn’t take advantage of that.

She yoyos over to the shadow, not close enough to strike or apprehend, but close enough to easily give chase without the akuma being able to give her the slip.

“Ladybug,” the akuma says.

“Cut the crap. We all know you want the Miraculous, Hawkmoth. Let’s get to it.” The shadow steps forward where a street lamp illuminates its costume, and once again, she is assaulted by the barrage of colors on her eyes. After seeing how awful Damian’s color coordination was, it’s easy to come to terms with the awful designs of all of his costumes. Still, she’s surprised that the boy who dresses in the same outfit every day creates such outlandish costumes for all of his minions. 

The akuma frowns, tenses. 

“I’m not Hawkmoth,” it insists. “I’m Robin, a vigilante from Gotham. I’ve come to learn more about the current situation and aid you in taking Hawkmoth down.”

 Ladybug scoffs. She’s not sure what this akuma’s tactic is, but none of the others have tried to lie to her so blatantly about their identity. And ripping off an identity? That is a new low, even for Hawkmoth. She’s sure that the real Robin didn’t agree to this, and if she were close with the vigilante, maybe she could get him to throw a lawsuit or two at Hawkmoth once he was in custody, just for kicks.

Robin the akuma scrambles, apparently looking for something that can verify his identity. 

Ladybug strikes. There’s no pride in striking an opponent when they are distracted, but it’s a means to an end. If Damian is dumb enough to send out an akuma confused about its identity tonight of all nights-- a night where Ladybug is distressed and it would be all too easy to take advantage of her-- then she’s going to take advantage of it.

It’s easy to bind the akuma. Startlingly easy. The akuma is different tonight, then. His powers have something to do with close contact, maybe? Ladybug looks on his person for things that could be the point of akumatization, eyes flitting from Robin’s waistband to his mask.

She comes to an unpleasant conclusion. The measurements and the coloring are a perfect match. Hawkmoth has come to meet her in person.

“Damian,” Ladybug hisses. 

Damian’s eyes widen, like he doesn’t know how she’s pieced together his identity. How stupid does he think she is? He’s been dropping hints constantly. Information a transfer to Paris shouldn’t know. Never telling Marinette anything personal. Always being near an akuma attack when it happens. It’s almost like he wanted her to figure out his identity.

“How did you know?” 

“Please, Hawkmoth, did you really think that Marinette couldn’t connect the dots? You must have thought awfully little of her if you thought that your constant appearances near all of the akuma and questions about the Miraculous didn’t lead me to your identity.”

“Hawkmoth? Ladybug, I’m not Hawkmoth, I’m Robin.”

“And I’m the queen of England. Renounce your Miraculous now, Hawkmoth. Or I’ll beat you until you detransform and take it from you.” 

Damian looks confused before his face contorts to an expression of resignation. He recognizes a cold fury in her eyes that is distinct to people who won’t give up until they get their way, and there’s really no other way around this right now. He should have brought his comm with him, but he wasn’t expecting to meet Ladybug tonight; he just wanted to assess the situation as Robin, to get out from his apartment for a second. Rookie mistake. 

True to her word, Ladybug beats Damian unconscious and also until he’s black and blue. She’ll be lying if she didn’t say she took out some of her fury from the past years on him.

But here’s the thing; Damian doesn’t detransform. He stays in his god-awful costume that has the same disgusting shade of mustard yellow as that one top Damian owns. That’s not what’s supposed to happen. When Miraculous users faint, they detransform because it takes a sort of mental awareness to handle the powers bestowed upon them. Is it different because Damian is an akuma? Is there some sort of Miraculous bylaw that if a Miraculous user gets akumatized, they get to stay in their alternate form? Oh wait, that’s right, he’s an akuma, not Hawkmoth right now.

Ladybug stumbles forward, breaking all of the weapons that are on his belt, taking off his mask and breaking that as well. No akuma comes out. She tries his gloves, then his boots. She pats him down, seeing if there’s anything she missed. She rips his suit, too. Nothing. There’s no brooch in his personal effects either.

What is she supposed to do now? 

Seeing no alternative, Ladybug picks Damian up and yoyos back to Tom and Sabine’s Boulangerie to safely detransform and figure out what the fuck is going on.

He’s not Hawkmoth, is the conclusion Marinette comes to after a side by side comparison of pictures of the vigilante and Damian. The horrifying conclusion: the person lying on the floor of her bedroom is actually Robin, the vigilante from Gotham. 

Marinette knows it’s better to err on the side of caution, but she still buries her head in her hands in embarrassment. How can she have gotten him so wrong? She really needs to get better at reading people, because deciding that random civilians are Hawkmoth clearly has not paid off. 

She also cannot believe that the Justice League has decided to step in now, and with a sidekick from America, of all things--Marinette is pretty sure that she sent the videos to the European branch. It must have been three years since her first notification to them. She contacted them immediately after Stoneheart, and again, after Syren when she was distraught at the death that surrounded her. With no response, there was nothing she could do. She has to start relying on herself and her own skills. 

Ladybug only contacted them once more, after Heroes’ Day. At that point, Ladybug had been thinking for a while that someone who was naturally superpowered or someone with a high grade of intelligence-- like the heroes affiliated with the Justice League-- would do more harm than good if they were allowed in the city. After the devastation of her teammates being akumatized, and the nearly week long battle that ensued, she was certain that she could barely fight her teammates, let alone trained professionals. So with shaky hands and red rimmed eyes, she said to please disregard her earlier messages; the situation in Paris wasn’t that bad, and Ladybug could handle it. 

Damian groans. Marinette jumps; he is waking up far earlier than she anticipated. She wants to transform back into Ladybug. Being in her spots gives her a pseudo sense of security. First, though, she has to restrain him. Even though he isn’t Hawkmoth, she’s not sure whether he’s a threat or not. She makes quick work of it, using the thickest zip ties that she has on hand and restraining his arms and legs.

She doesn’t get the chance to transform back into Ladybug, but that’s just as well, because at the end of the day, Marinette is the foundation of anything that makes Ladybug a hero to the public. Damian opens his eyes almost immediately after she has finished restraining him, taking in his surroundings and the person in front of him.

“Marinette? Where’s Ladybug?” No questions of how he got there; Ladybug can clearly carry her own weight and more. No questions as to why there are zip ties cutting into his wrists and ankles; he has seen too many of Marinette’s victims on the streets.

“What do you mean, where’s Ladybug?” Marinette is right in front of him. She might not have the suit on, but at the end of the day, she does have the Ladybug Miraculous, which means she’s Ladybug through and through, and Damian must know that. Otherwise, there’s no real reason for Robin to be spending so much time with Marinette. The fact that she feels more real and true to herself as Marinette than as Ladybug probably means nothing to him.

“She knocked me out on a rooftop. Didn’t know that you two knew each other personally. I’m not Hawkmoth, by the way.” He twitches, then realizes that he’s been tied up. “Why’d she leave me with you?”

So he doesn’t know that she’s also Ladybug? This whole thing keeps getting more confusing. Still, the less people that know about her alter ego, the better. Marinette will keep him in the dark. She attributes his blatant misunderstanding to the identity concealment magic of the Miraculous. It’s powerful stuff. If it didn’t exist, she’s sure she would have found concrete evidence as to who Hawkmoth is by now. 

“She asked me to assess whether you were a threat or not. Whether or not she casts the Miraculous Cure is contingent on my response.”

“Ladybug wants you to assess whether I’m a threat or not? Why’d she leave a possible super villain with a civilian?”

“I help Ladybug out with many things.” Her voice turns to clinical detachment. She uses this method to dissociate as Ladybug when things get overwhelming. Assess the situation. Get in, deakumatize, get out. Marinette needs to distance herself. It’s bad enough that the situation is this convoluted, but she doesn’t need Damian to doubt Ladybug’s capabilities as well. “Ladybug knows that you’re not Hawkmoth now, and she knows that I can handle myself with any run of the mill bad guy, even if they are a supposed vigilante.”

“Tell me, Robin,” Marinette spits the name like a curse, “Why should I tell Ladybug that you’re not a threat? That you are who you say you are?”

In all honesty, all Marinette wants to do is knock Damian out again so she can collect her thoughts. She’s not sure how she should address his presence as Robin in Paris and is still reeling from the whiplash of thinking he was Hawkmoth only for him to turn into a foreign vigilante. Next thing she knows, he’ll tell her that his name isn’t even Damian Grayson. Well, now that she thinks about it, he’s definitely not. After this encounter finishes, she’ll look up Damian and Gotham and see what she gets.

He looks flustered, like he never expected anybody to question his identity or presence. It’s laughable, really. Marinette doubts that the Justice League actually sent him; he’s probably here to explore on his own. That means he’ll only be a pain in the ass to deal with. Maybe she needs to get into contact with the Justice League again, if only just so she can deport Robin with more ease. 

“I can call Batman,” he says.

Marinette doesn’t think this is a very good solution. There’s no way for her to prove that the person on the other side actually is Batman and not some actor. But after racking her brain, she can’t come up with a much better solution. It’s not like Robin has any superpowers that she can request to see, and she doesn’t have a direct line to anybody from the Justice League.

“Fine. Call Batman.”

“It’s in the pocket near on my right side.” Marinette doesn’t bother going closer to him. She destroyed everything on him earlier, in case it was the akuma’s vessel. Ladybug thought she came across a phone, but now she’s glad she smashed it and left it on that random rooftop. He probably has some sort of tracker on his phone. In any case, Marinette thinks it’s weird for a vigilante to have a phone on them while on the rooftops. Shouldn’t he have an earpiece or something? 

“Your phone was destroyed by Ladybug. Tell me the number to call. I’ll put it on speaker.” Marinette isn’t sure if the number he’ll have her call will be some sort of secure connection or direct line that is only accessible through Damian’s phone, but she doesn’t particularly care because the Miraculous Communicators are exactly that. Miraculous. Master Fu assured her that all communications were private and impossible to crack unless they also had a Miraculous. Which is why she’s using the Miraculous Communicator to call Batman.

Damian winces, then speaks into the offered phone. 

“Batman, it’s Robin. I need to verify my identity in order to proceed.”

“Are you with Ladybug?”

So he is on a mission, then, and not just playing hooky. If Batman is involved, Marinette has no doubt the rest of the Justice League will follow soon. This will be a dreadfully unpleasant call.

“I’m making it a video call,” Marinette says. “And no, he’s not with Ladybug. I’m Ladybug’s point of contact, and she doesn’t take kindly to people encroaching on her territory without permission.”

“Robin, what happened?” Batman isn’t accepting her video request.

Marinette cuts off whatever Damian is about to say. “Damian was suspicious; I reported his activities to Ladybug and she believed that he could be Hawkmoth. Then, she caught him on the roofs and took him back to my place after verifying that he wasn’t Hawkmoth. Video call, Batman. I’d like to see that you are who you say you are, before I send Robin back to the states.”

“She knows your civilian identity? Two people know that you’re Robin?”

“Turn your video on. If you can’t prove that you are who Damian says you are, Ladybug and I will do everything in our powers to deport him and make sure that the Justice League is not allowed in Paris again. Ladybug said that she doesn’t need any unknowns in her city, and I’ve been hoping Robin came here of his own volition. It sounds like that isn’t the case.”

Marinette thinks that Batman curses in English, but she’s not sure. Fluent though Marinette may be, she is not well versed in curses, colloquialisms, or American memes. The camera turns on. It’s Batman, or at the very least, an actor wearing a very good knock off costume.

It’s annoying that Marinette can’t see his eyes. There’s some white film where his eyes should be, and the fact that his cowl covers more than half of his face isn’t doing her any favors in letting her read his facial expression. She moves herself so that Batman can see both her and Robin.

“Why is Robin restrained?”

“Like I said: he was suspicious. I’m not taking any chances.”

A moment of silence.

“How do you want me to prove my identity?” 

That’s good. He’s not asking who she is, though she’s sure that there are cameras pointing at the screen on Batman’s end, running facial analysis and background checks on her. The Miraculous magic will ensure that any connections between her and Ladybug will not come to light. Other than her identity as Ladybug, Marinette has nothing to hide.

“If you’re Batman, then you should have access to the League’s calls, European and otherwise. Play me the last video that Ladybug sent you. I know what she said.” She spares a glance at Damian. His jaw is tight, but when he looks at her, she finds what looks like regret. It’s not entirely Damian’s fault. A mission is a responsibility, and Marinette understands that in order to be a hero or vigilante, one must be willing to do anything to accomplish the mission. Really, she’s only Ladybug because she feels that heavy weight of the words duty and responsibility on her shoulders. Fu’s fault.

“Behave. If you try something, I’ll knock you out.” Marinette sets the communicator on her desk and eyes him. The zipties are so tight around his arms and legs that he is bleeding. Marinette feels a flash of sympathy, then pushes it away. It was his fault for-- why was he at fault, again? 

“I have the video.” Batman sounds even peakier than when they started the call. He plays the video.

“Justice League. This is Ladybug. I rescind my requests for help; I can take care of Paris with my own team. Any help from you at this point would be a detriment and could potentially harm the citizens of Paris. Hawkmoth manipulates strong emotions, and I don’t need to handle a metahuman or tactical genius to gain more power to wreak havoc on my city. I will not contact you with any further requests for assistance.”

It’s an awful video. Marinette had to wait a day after the Heroes’ week fiasco just so her eyes wouldn’t be red. At least her voice doesn’t waver in it. There’s a conviction in the whole video that was unique to that moment. 

Marinette looks at Batman, then at Robin. 

“Clearly the Justice League refused to listen. Ladybug doesn’t want or need your help at this point in time. Why are you here?”

“The Justice League is at fault for not paying attention to Ladybug’s other videos. But Mayor Bourgeois and President Macron can only cover such alarming incidents for so long. Ladybug and her… team clearly need help in order to find and take down Hawkmoth, so once the American branch of the Justice League found out half a year ago, we started to investigate.” Batman speaks in lieu of Damian. Marinette briefly wonders if Damian knows who Batman is under the mask. She bets he does. They’re probably close, what with how worried Batman sounds. 

“What makes you think that the Justice League is any better equipped to handle this situation? Ladybug and her team have been fighting for the past three years and resolved every akuma with no help from you. She needed your help in earlier years. Now she doesn’t.”

“Exactly; it’s been three years and she still hasn’t caught Hawkmoth.”

“You say that like the Justice League doesn’t have a team with more wealth and manpower than Ladybug does that’s been looking into Hawkmoth and the Miraculous for the past half year and clearly has not found any reasonable leads. Ladybug has only been actively looking for Hawkmoth for the past two years, not three. The police handled the first year, not that you’ve done any homework on the situation. Thought that a field agent would help your chances?” 

There is fire in Marinette’s stomach. Batman sounds so dismissive of all of the work that she’s been doing. It’s been hard on her; she doesn’t have the support that she needs and doesn’t have the experience or expertise to hunt down Hawkmoth on her own. She trained briefly under Master Fu to learn spells and ways to expand her powers as Ladybug, but that was an equivalent exchange: she no longer trusts that other holders won’t be akumatized. Her growing cynicism and physical training from Maman came at the expense of Chat Noir; after the whole Lila incident in her first year as Ladybug, she found out that Chat Noir and Adrien were one and the same. And Gabriel Agreste is not afraid to use his son until Adrien is stretched far too thin, which forced Marinette to nearly bench her partner.

“Three years,” Batman says again.

“If the Justice League can’t figure it out nearly unlimited resources and funding in half a year-- both ordinary and super human-- then clearly it isn’t a question of time. It’s a question of capability. Get off your high horse, Batman. You haven’t given me any reasons why Ladybug and I shouldn’t deport Robin here, and you’re definitely not making a good case as to why she shouldn’t go to Mayor Bourgeois and France’s president to ensure that the Justice League and its affiliates and ban hero travel into Paris. Bourgeois already doesn’t want information on it’s supervillain situation to get out.” 

“Marinette,” Damian pleads.

As Robin and as Damian, he doesn’t pose a threat. He hasn’t been helpful, but he certainly hasn’t messed with the status quo for the month that he’s been here. Still, he is a liability. If he stays in Paris, he is the gateway for the other members of the Justice League to fly in and try to commandeer the fragile balance that she has found. She can’t afford for something like that to happen.  

“You’re not any better, Robin. Why did you even hang around me? Thought I was a threat?” Her eyes narrow in realization. It makes sense why he decided to hang out with her, despite his initial cold front. He was playing a role.“You thought I was Hawkmoth.”

His silence is an agreement.

“We just want to help,” Damian says, and against her better judgement, Marinette believes him. 

Her shoulders round, and Marinette sighs. She can’t truly begrudge Damian for that train of thought, not when she believed the same about him. She’s been a little harsh on them so far, in part due to old resentment that they never responded to her in that first, awful year when she needed the help. 

There’s a dull tiredness that comes with knowing someone who she considered one of her closest friends suspected her of being a supervillain, though she did believe the same of him, so maybe they’re even. It still hurts, though. It hurts like when Alya decided that Marinette was mean-hearted enough to stop the members of their class from reaching their full potential. It hurts like when Marinette finally realized that she couldn’t repair their friendship, not to what it used to be. It hurts like when she looked around the classroom and realized that she couldn’t talk to anyone there. It hurts like when Marinette decided that she couldn’t risk helping her friends the way she wanted to. 

“What kind of help can you offer us? We don’t need any more of you to come out here.” Resources are nice. More money to fund therapy programs around town won’t hurt. Master Fu doesn’t help on that part. Really, he doesn’t help at all. Even though she has Chat Noir and had a team, she often feels like it’s herself against the world. Some days, she reaches up to her earrings and feels an aching emptiness, like there’s something more to the Miraculous that’s been sealed away.

“We can give you resources. Money, connections, experience. Robin is good with technology. He can help you track down where Hawkmoth is.”

Marinette’s laugh is bitter. “Sure, he can try, but the butterflies Hawkmoth sends out aren’t visible by the normal human eye or electronically until they’ve found their mark. Once they’re purified, they’re just normal butterflies, and they go off in random directions.”

“Normal human eye? It sounds like there are exceptions.” Damian readjusts himself. He has fidgeted his way into an uncomfortable looking seiza position, where his ankles are bleeding. 

“A true holder can see the butterflies at all times.”

Marinette also decides to throw them a bone so there’s no questions as to why a mere civilian is working with Ladybug. “That’s why Ladybug recruited me. I was Multimouse.”

Multimouse was in the file that Damian sent his father, but he asks, just to make sure. “The one that can split itself?”

“That’s correct. I guess now is as good a time as any for the two of you to get your questions answered.”

“Why are you the point of civilian contact instead of any of the other more frequently used heroes? Didn’t you appear only once?” Damian avoids looking Marinette in the eyes, and that makes her feel slightly better. He’s ashamed of his actions. Good. 

“Ladybug said that the other hero’s civilian forms were either compromised or not in a good position.”

“Ladybug knows who all the holders are.” Batman speculates. He looks less tense now that Damian is no longer tied up, but his voice remains gravelly and distrubed. Maybe that’s what he sounds like all the time.  “Who else knows? Do you?” 

“Only Ladybug knows.” Marinette lives in half truths. She’s not sure that they’re much better than lies, but they’re all she has. Secrecy is the only thing Master Fu has sincerely taught her.

“Why have all the other heroes disappeared?” 

“Ladybug said that it was too dangerous for someone who could be akumatized to hold a Miraculous. Rena Rage, Shell Shock, Queen Wasp-- they were all frighteningly powerful akumas. It’s also why Chat Noir has been showing up less and less; his home life is not the best, and she’s trying her best to ensure that he doesn’t get akumatized.”

“She’s not worried for herself or,” Damian’s eyes flick to Marinette, away from Batman. “For you?” 

“She knows that both of us are good at dealing with stress. We have our own methods of coping.” She looks at Damian, her mouth tightening into a frown. “If you want to stay in Paris, I’ll cut you a deal. We can work together for two weeks, and if we don’t get any results, you have to leave and the Justice League must promise that they won’t interfere again.”

“Two weeks isn’t enough time,” Damian objects.

“If you don’t think it’s enough time, just leave now. I’ll say now that I’m only willing to work with you during the night. That’s the time I work on Miraculous related stuff now, anyways. And stay out of the akuma battles.” She doesn’t actually think that working together will help anyways, and she wants Damian gone sooner rather than later. He’s been making her feel too much and emotions that are far more explosive and easy to take advantage of than Marinette has in a long time. She doesn’t want to be targeted by an akuma because of her inner conflict. 

“Two weeks, then,” Batman agrees. “Robin can contact me if you need any extra resources.”

Marinette hangs up and assesses Damian. He looks almost pitiful, with bruising around his eyes, tousled hair, a ripped suit, and cuts where his skin is exposed. She opens her trap door in a clear gesture for him to depart. Downstairs is dark; her Maman and Papa have long since gone to sleep, and it’s only a few more hours until they wake up to start baking. “We start tomorrow. If you need Ladybug for anything, tell me.”

He’s half way down the ladder when he looks back up at Marinette, into her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” he says.

Marinette can’t breath. She feels like vomiting. His eyes are so green in comparison to the purple bruising on his face. She did that to him. She made him look that way. All she’s ever wanted to do as Ladybug is protect the people she cared for. But Damian-- Marinette doesn’t know. She doesn't know whether what Damian has done can actually be described as bad. He was just trying to do what Batman told him to do. Keeping an eye on a threat. Marinette wonders how long he thought she was Hawkmoth. She wonders if he ever thought they were friends. 

“I’m sorry too,” Marinette says, and shuts the trap door.

They’re both sorry for very different things.