fryingpan1234567 · 2 years ago
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Batboys ships feat. the morning after New Years (happy 2023 everyone!!)
~ ”Ughhh…” Dick Grayson took half the covers with him when he fell out of the bed, sore and completely hungover.
Because of this, Wally was forced to actually move and look over the edge at him.
“What the shit was that for?” he grumped. His condition wasn’t much better. He yanked the covers back, but Dick didn’t move.
He groaned. “M’ skull has a heartbeat…” he mumbled into the carpet.
Wally huffed in solidarity. “That speedster alcohol works. Remind me to thank and then punch Cisco later.”
“What, you’re leaving the house today?” Dick joked, finally managing to crawl back up into bed. Thankfully, the windows were closed, and they could probably go back to sleep. He faceplanted into Wally’s chest. “Shtay.”
“Yeah, yeah.” There was a serene pause. Not even the dog was up. “If you puke on me, I’m breaking up with you.”
“I would nev- maybe we should go to the bathroom.”
“GET OFF!”
~ Lian knew her dads were going to be hungover the morning after. She did not count on taking care of and reverse-parenting the shit out of them, though. It was sort of validating.
“Li, I’m buying you the fucking Wonka factory after this,” Roy groaned, half hanging out of the bed.
“You’re my favorite child,” Jason agreed, (barely) catching the water bottle she tossed him.
Lian grinned, leaning against the bed. “Don’t repay me in chocolate, repay me in solo patrol time!”
“Don’t push your luck,” Roy grumbled, taking the bottle Jay passed over.
“I’ll make you Nutella sandwiches for lunch.”
“I hate that you know my weakness.”
~
When Tim woke up, the house was quiet.
Normally he’s not the first one up anyways. The Manor always had the sound of training, yelling, busy hallways. Unless it was early enough, anyways.
Kon’s arm was draped over his chest, and he was still snoring peacefully.
“Kon,” Tim whispered, poking at his bicep. “Conner, we’re up first.”
Conner mumbled something like, “You’re up first. I’m asleep.”
Tim sighed, tracing patterns on his boyfriend’s arm. More sleep didn’t sound too bad, although late nights weren’t an excuse. Late nights were every night.
Still. It was New Years last night. He figured no one would be up until at least nine, which was the latest anyone usually slept in the Manor.
“Turn your brain off,” Kon hummed. “I can feel you thinking. It’s distracting.”
“I thought you were asleep,” Tim teased, lolling his head over to check the actual time.
Oh. Oh, no.
Tim sat bolt upright in bed, startling Kon off of him.
“What-?” he started to say in a panic, but Tim cut him off.
“FUCK,” he yelped. “It’s one in the afternoon!”
~
Despite Drake’s shouting, Damian had managed to sleep in- and that never happened.
He lay staring at the door, a blush spreading across his face as memories from the night before replayed.
“Dami!” Admittedly, the Kryptonian had only found him because he’d paused to watch the countdown in Gotham’s city square. He couldn’t say he was mad, although he was maybe a bit ashamed someone had caught him lacking.
“Kent,” Damian greeted. He hated the butterflies that swarmed his stomach. He hoped it didn’t show in his voice.
“Can I sit?” Jon said obliviously. Damian gestured to the ledge beside him, where they could see the big billboard. Thirty seconds.
Dami glanced at him after a few moments of silence. “Why are you in Gotham?”
Jon shrugged. “Conner’s here. And maybe I wanted to see you.”
Twenty seconds. “Me?”
“Yeah… unless- if you don’t-“
“Jon.” Damian was startled into using his first name. He hesitantly laid a gloved hand on Jon’s. “I like to see you too, if it comforts you.”
Jon smiled. “Well, then- the countdown’s starting!”
10.
9.
8.
Jon hopped up to his feet, pulling Dami with him by the hand. When they were standing, he didn’t let go.
7.
6.
Damian tried to ignore the short distance between them. He could feel the heat radiating from him.
5.
4.
When Jon leaned in, he may or may not have given Dami a heart attack.
3.
2.
1.
He kissed him, right as the first fireworks went off and the crowd screamed.
Movement in the bed next to him scared him so bad he fell out of it.
There was a knife in Damian’s hand before he recognized the person there.
Jon was looking at him, pretty eyes half-lidded, with a sleepy smile. Dami tried not to melt.
“Tryna kill me already, Sunshine?” he mumbled, still buried in the covers. “After one date, too. Am I that bad at kissing?”
“I-“ Dami dropped the knife, mostly in shock. “No. No, of course not. To both questions.”
Jon hummed. “Well maybe you should stop trying to stab me and do it again.”
He did. For a long time. Father didn’t need to know why he never left his room that day.
~ can you tell who my favorite is lol
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hintofcolor · 4 years ago
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I do not like when people bring children into fanfics. Like “this couple has a child” “then she got pregnant” “they’re raising a kid together”
UNLESS
It is the grumpy loner with got a kid via being a god parent.
Like that hits different
Like they only have that one person or that that one couple who is like family, and then those people die and now they have to cope with that along with learning how to raise a child but they know nothing about raising kids and so you see the two of them grieve and grow together and it is just so good
Yes this about Roy dying and leaving Lian to Jason because lian took a liking to Jason and Jason cares about her so much and you know that if a bat cares about some one they will make sure they are safe no matter what (especially Jason) and Jay completely panics because he had no idea Roy made him her legal guardian and he’s going through lists of people who would be better suited for this in his mind.
“What about Dick? Dicks amazing with kids, and he’s always wanted to be a dad. Plus he knew Roy longer than I have? Or Donna? Or Kory? Or you two?! Why did he not leave her with you and Ollie?!”
“Jason calm down. Roy knew you better than anyone, if thought Lian being in your care was the best decision for her, then it is. You trust him, right?”
“Trust has nothing to do with it. I don’t know how to raise a kid.”
“No parent does. But Jason, you aren’t alone. You have people who will help and support you. You have to know that Roy chose you for a reason.”
Jason has to buy an actual apartment but he hasn’t had a home since he died so he has no clue how to live normally but Lian does so this 6 year old is gently teaching how to live normally and Jason is teaching her how to grieve
The scenarios that follow are hilarious. Lian making friends at school and asking Jason if she can have a sleepover and he says no but she’s so much more like her dad than Jason will ever admit so she very easily talks him into it, however she forgets to mention that he has to meet their parents first. So now 6’3 scary and intimidating Jason Todd is standing in a park dressed in all black leather jacket and combat boots with his resting face in a scowl and with jack and Susan and the other parents having absolutely no clue what to do. He can handle small talk with socialites, he learned how to do that when he was young but he is absolutely lost with these normal people, who have normal jobs and live normal lives. And he’s trying so hard because Lian wanted this so bad but he’s so awkward and uncomfortable. What sells the parents on letting them have the sleepover was watching him with lian. Watching him dote on her and keep a close eye and how he always has a genuine smile and waves back when Lian runs by waving at him. Or how he crouches down and let’s Lian out a flower in his hair just like the one she put in her own and how soft his voice was when he said it would be an honor when she told him that now he could be in her fairy army.
And parent teacher conferences are a mess, because Jason just doesn’t fit in. At all. And all the female teachers are flustered around him because this tall well built incredibly attractive man in sprawled out while sitting in a desk far to small for him and nodding attentively when they discuss Lian and how beautiful his smile is when he beams with pride when they praise her for her art or for being so smart. Because of course Lian is smart her dad was a genius, because parent teacher conferences always makes him realize just how much she is like her dad. And while his death still hurts it’s good to know that he will always be in Jason’s life through Lian And the teachers crumble when they talk about her behavior issues because she’s still grieving but she also has her dads anger and the look of concern on his face when he says he will talk to her about it is so honest.
And during play dates only the moms ever seem to bring their kids and they always ask if he can handle it and he always says yes but he’s wearing a tight white t shirt and he’s all sweaty and his hands are greasy and they almost pass out when they ask him what was working on and he says his motorcycle. So they push alittle more but he assures them that he’s fine. And Lian runs past him dragging her friends to her room laughing and joking as they go and Jason just has the fondest look in his eyes as tells her to slow down a little. And they come out a little later all in make shift superhero costumes so when the moms come to pick up their daughters the beg them to let them finish thier and all agree because who wouldn’t want to just stare at Jason for a little longer. Jason is running around with a make shift red helmet chasing these little girls dressed up as different heroes and they are all laughing and giggling and Jason catches one of them and slings her over his shoulder like she weighs nothing and the little girl is laughing so hard as she bangs on his back Lian in her speedy costume finally shoots him down and he goes down all dramatic like and all the little girls run and tackle him and now Jason is laughing too as he’s picking the little girls up off the ground and telling them to go and get their stuff and he has the brightest smile as he apologizes to the moms for keeping them waiting and every last one of the moms falls on love.
And just Jason being domestic and a good dad y’all my heart
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what-if-i-imagine · 4 years ago
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What if Jason had gone to Sanctuary and died with Roy... how would the batfam react?
I’m sorry if this is not exactly what you asked for (I added in a splash of Jayroy) but I hope you enjoy it!
The alarms had gone off and the Justice League snapped into action. Something had happened at Sanctuary, what they didn’t know yet. All of the cameras and ways to contact them had been shot in a power surge, so they were left with having to go to the center themselves.
When they got there, it was a bloody mess.
The bodies of patents were strewn across the center in shows of bloody death, and they couldn’t find a single one left alive. Many members of the League searched among the victims in panic and grief, finding friends and family alike dead. Booster Gold and Harley Quinn were discovered to be the only survivors, neither having seen what happened.
This place that had been created for others was filled with the bodies of those it was supposed to help. They had died while looking for help.
Green Arrow and Batman were searching among the bodies, praying to not find any of their loved ones there. Nightwing followed Batman right on his tail, calling all the hero numbers in his phone in hopes that they would pick up.
Superman and Wonder Woman tried to stop them from entering one of the rooms. At first they hadn’t understood why. This was just as much Batman’s work as it was Superman and Wonder Woman’s, they had created this place together. Then Nightwing had gotten to Arsenal’s contact, and he hadn’t picked up.
“Let me in,” Green Arrow shouted at the two members of the trinity stopping them. “Let me in! Let me see my son!”
“Oliver please,” Diana started.
“No! Let me see him!”
While Oliver’s shouting distracted them, Batman shoved past his two friends. They couldn't catch him before he took in the sight of the room, and Green Arrow was soon able to push past them as well with a crying Nightwing right behind him.
The room was covered in chaos, the metallic scent of blood tinging the air. Batman remembered when this room had been designed. It was meant to help people, just like the rest of Sanctuary. He had made this place to help people, and it had instead killed them. Like lambs to slaughter.
They found the Flash’s body first. Wally West was added to Batman’s mental list of people whose lost souls would weigh down on his conscience, because he had promised Wally that he could heal here.
The next two bodies they found sent Batman to his knees.
Arsenal laid on the ground, his head rested near Flash’s. The second body lay next to Arsenal, head and one hand pillowed on his chest. Arsenal’s hand was on his head, as if trying to comfort or protect. Both were bloody, both clearly long gone. And though the second body’s face was pressed to Arsenal’s chest, its attire was immediately recognizable.
Nightwing screamed but the sound didn’t register in his mind. Green Arrow was crying beside the two bodies, hands flitting in the air as they shook.
“Roy,” Green Arrow sobbed brokenly. “I’m so sorry. I should have been here. I should have protected you.”
“B,” Nightwing said, grabbing his arm like a vice. “B it’s-”
“I know,” Batman said. His voice was rough, ragged. He didn’t care to try and control it. To hide it. This hurt too much to bear alone.
Batman reached out with arms that shook just as badly as Green Arrow’s and gently pulled the body draped over Arsenal’s into his lap. The body rolled over with dead weight, head lolling back off of Batman’s lap.
Batman reached up and cupped the face, moving it so it would face him, and let out a cry that had been building in his chest.
“Arsenal and Red Hood came to sanctuary together,” Superman said as softly as he could, reporting the information he must have read from a chart. “Arsenal wanted to kick his addictions for good, start recovery from the death of his daughter, and learn to cope with the horrors he witnessed every day. Red Hood wished to finally permanently move on from his first death at the hands of the Joker, and to cope with the grief of being disowned from his family and kicked out of his city, as well as the disappearances of the other two members of the Outlaws.”
Batman pushed off his cowl and cradled his son’s broken body close, resting his head on top of his. He didn’t hide his tears. He didn’t have to. Everyone was broken today.
Oliver refused to let them take Jason’s body back to Gotham. He had said he didn’t trust the bats with his burial, as the last time they had buried him they had done so right next to the very woman who sold him out instead of his mother or the Waynes. Instead he insisted on Jason being buried in Star City with Roy, right next to the grave of Lian Harper.
It only took a day for all members of the Batfamily to fly over to Star City. They would be staying a week there, three days before the joint funeral and four days after. With the help of the other League members, both the Wayne and Queen families achieved privacy from the public eye for their grieving.
Dick was destroyed. His two best friends and his younger brother were found dead in the same room, so no one could blame him. For once the usual support of the family, of the entire super community really, was allowed to crumble and rely on the others to pick him back up.
Cass was impossibly quieter than usual, no words escaping her mouth, no sound in her movement. Her face was blank as she resigned herself to the grief and shut down.
Tim cried. The tears never seemed to stop, and even as he tried to refuse comfort, one of his friends was by his side at all times. He cried, and when on the second day he finally couldn’t cry anymore, his tears turned to anger directed towards his father. Tim had worked so hard to get Jason back in the family, and Bruce had thrown all his work away.
Duke tried to hide away. He locked himself in his hotel room, and stayed in the back of groups, and hid. When Tim’s tears had turned to anger, Duke’s silence had turned to tears. He talked to Jason just like he had talked to his parents when he lost them.
Damian was angry. He blamed anyone he possibly could, including himself. No one could go near him without suffering his harsh, searing words. Not even Talia was allowed near him without getting burned. When he wasn’t blaming others, he was curled up on his bed surrounded by his pets.
Steph, Harper and Cullen all tried to help the others, but it didn’t do them much good. They traded off on helping put Dick together again, trying to coax Cass out of her shell, comforting Tim and Duke, and pretending Damian’s words didn’t hurt. They busied themselves so that the reality that Jason was gone wouldn’t crash down on them yet.
Leslie refused to go to Star City until the day of the funeral.
Talia showed up, and swore to Bruce that she had no intention of putting Jason through the Lazarus Pit again. She couldn’t bear to bring that pain on him again. She busied herself with helping prepare the funeral.
Alfred went through intervals of crying silently into his hand and trying to help the others. His efforts were weak despite how hard he tried. He didn’t have it in him to be strong when everything was so wrong.
Bruce blamed himself. Jason had gone to Sanctuary party because of something he had done. Jason had died a second time seeking comfort for something Bruce had done. His son was dead again, and it was all his fault. And he wasn’t coming back this time.
When the day of the funeral came they all shut down. The bats were known for their emotional repression, and the arrows had never been much better, so they stood on that grassy hill silently after the ceremony and watched as the coffins, Jason’s first followed by Roy’s. They had been engaged, so it wasn’t hard to convince the service they were going through to bury them in the same grave as they would with a married couple.
Each member of the families placed their handfuls of dirt in the grave. They watched as the graves were covered in dirt, but didn’t move or speak.
Bruce stared at the grave of his son and the man he had planned to marry. He stared at the tiny grave beside them of Lian Harper. He stared at the faces of his family and friends. He stared, and he knew, nothing was going to be okay again. Not for a long time. It was something he had known the first time Jason died, though the knowledge had been filled with much more devastation that time. This time he was resigned to the knowledge because he knew from past experience, not even the world’s greatest detective could solve the mystery of how to make this okay.
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secondgenerationnerd · 4 years ago
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“Are you even looking at this? What do you mean ‘it’s not that bad’?” for Omega squad?
Y’all want some angst, huh? Gonna make this a bit of a follow up to “Baby Mine”
Also!! I am so sorry this took so long! Work has been super crazy the last few weeks!
----
It’s not often the team’s parents can be together for dinner, but today, with the exception of Bruce out of town on business, things have worked out pretty perfectly. Jason managed to show up, carrying Dahlia with him, and the Drake-Kents have shown up, baby Grace sleeping in Kon’s arms.
Added with the 8 members of Omega, there’s more than a little chaos going on, people spread out around the room, eating and laughing. The hero had turned to a favorite topic: Missions and scars.
“Are you even looking at this?” Lian asks, showing a twisted scar on her forearm, “What do you mean it’s ‘not that bad?’”
“I am looking at it,” Mar’i laughs, pointing at the archer with her fork, “Just saying, based on powers and all, any scar I get is likely to be worse by comparison. With the near invincibility and all.”
“Is this what you all talk about when you’re here, squeaker?” Roy laughs.
Lian gives her father a not-so-charming smile, “Not always, but I don’t feel like getting hit with a sandal again.”
“Why, Li?” Colin snorts into his soda, “You and Jai pranking alpha isn’t worth getting mad about. Now the tortures Damian puts us through in training—”
“They aren’t tortures, Wilkes, and I’d expect you to know that,” Damian tuts. Dahlia toddles toward him, hands stretched out in front of her. Damian lifts her into his lap, tapping her mouth three times with a sweet pepper from his plate, “Mar’i, what scar are you talking about?”
The princess wipes her mouth, standing, “Warning, lifting my shirt a bit.”
“Take it off, Mar!” Irey laughs. Mar’i makes a face at her friend, lifting the edge of her top enough to show a nasty scar on her stomach, barely bigger than the palm of her hand. Her normally tanned skin is red in the center, growing pinker at the edges.
“Holy shit.” Jai blinks, “When did you get that?”
Mar’i sits back down, “Remember when we got ambushed by my aunt?”
“Cass?” Linda frowns, sure the assassin turned dancer would be the last person to hurt Mar’i.
“No, my mom’s sister. Kormand’r.” Mar’i’s slight accent thickens at the name, “Translates to Blackfire in English.”
“I remember her,” Milagro leans against Colin. “It was just after your 12th birthday, right? We were investigating a vandalized property.”
“Yep. She ambushed us and you all got locked in that cage. No powers, no weapons.”
“She beat the shit out of you...” Jai says softly. The team gets a similar look. Like they’re all a thousand miles away.
“That she did. I made that big starblast, destroyed the cliff edge.”
Irey shifts uncomfortably in her seat, “We looked for you for hours.”
The team sits in silence for a moment, then shift, like coming out of a trance. The other heroes in the room understand. They’ve been there too.
“Anyway,” Mar’i continues, “My aunt had taken me to this hanger thing. I’m not sure. I woke up and she was staring at me. Like she was planning. Naturally I got up, ready to fight, but the blast left me weak. Next thing I know, she’s on top of me, and there’s a knife...”
“She stabbed you?” Bianca blinks, unable to understand how anyone could do that to a child.
“She did. When I screamed, she just twisted the knife and laughed.” Mar’i nods. Dick reaches over and sets his hand on his daughter’s. A simple gesture they’ve seen him do a lot over the years. Roy, Wally, and Clark suddenly seem very interested in their plates.
“How the hell did you survive that?” Kon asks, taking a bottle from Tim as Grace fusses. The princess frowns, brow furrowing.
“It’s fuzzy. I just remember a burning feeling then Dad holding me in bed, singing to me.”
Jon looks over at his father, frowning at his hunched shoulders and blank stare, “Dad? You okay?”
“Not really.” Clark can’t look up. “The burning sensation Mar’i remembers...That was my heat vision. We- Wally, Roy, Dick, and I- we found her. Half dead and bleeding.”
“She wouldn’t have made it to a hospital.” Wally says, “We had to help hold her while Clark cauterized the wound.”
More silence, this time uncomfortable. The four men still hear Mar’i’s screams, her pleas for them to stop. The others exchanging a few looks, none of them knowing what to say.
But Mar’i does.
“You saved my life.” Everyone looks to her kind, firm voice, reminding too many of them of her mother.
“We—”
Mar’i gives Roy a kind look, “Uncle Wally said it himself. I wouldn’t have made it to a hospital. You all made a field decision.”
Dick leans over, kissing his daughter’s temple, “Still. We’re sorry, Starshine.”
“Don’t be. Kormand’r hurt me. You all saved me.” Mar’i smiles as she gets up, carrying her plate, “Besides, we already have to many emotionally constipated people here already. Let that shit go.”
That gets a laugh from the group, breaking the tension. As Mar’i sets her plate in the sink, she turns to find herself face to face with Clark. The others have changed the subject, now arguing about most accurate hero/action movies.
“Mar’i, I just wanted to say I am sorry.”
“Clark, you really don’t need to.”
“I do. Coming from someone else that’s, well, hard to hurt, I know what it feels like when you do get hurt.” He places a hand on her shoulder, “I just wanted to say I am sorry. I’m sorry you were hurt and I’m sorry that you still have the scar.”
Mar’i smiles at him, “Scars remind me that I survived whatever tried to kill me. I wear mine with pride.”
Clark nods, smiling back at her, “Jon’s lucky to have you in his life. All of us are, really.”
“Yes, you are.”
That makes the older hero laugh as he hugs her. Mar’i has always hugged the superfam harder than other people, reminding them she won’t break. At times like this, Clark’s grateful for it.
“You know you’re Lois’s favorite, right?” He asks as they walk to the table.
“I’m everyone’s favorite.” Mar’i laughs.
Kon hears that and rolls his eyes, “You sound like your parents.”
Kissing her father’s cheek, Mar’i stands behind him, holding herself to her full height, “And I will never apologize for it.”
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musicfeedsmysoul12 · 5 years ago
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Second Chance
Somewhat inspired by @unmaskedagain and her stories. Or well the pairing came from it. 
If you like my stuff, maybe support me on Ko-Fi?
 After it’s all over, after Hawkmoth is dead, Marinette breaks down screaming. She screams and rages. Not just for the fact she finally can- she can finally break without worry- but also for her partner. Chat Noir lays on the ground… Adrien lays on the ground with a sword through his gut and her frantically trying to heal him while Hawkmoth- Gabriel whatever- stares in horror.
 “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Hawkmoth screams as he’s led away by police, as Paramedics try and heal Adrien. “It wasn’t…”
 It was.
 Adrien was pronounced dead five minutes after Hawkmoth was removed from the scene. And Ladybug left the scene. She left the scene and then as Marinette accepted an internship she’d been offered years ago, vanishing to New York while Lila sprouted claims of having helped lead Ladybug and Chat to Hawkmoth, of her fake sobs about being forced to go along with Gabriel’s plots. 
 Who’d believe the terrorist over a pretty Italian girl?
 Marinette vanished into America and never resurfaced. She didn’t care that Lila was lying. She’d gotten over that years ago thanks to Adrien finally realizing how bad her lies were and trying to help. She didn’t care that her class was still following Lila. She didn’t care her parents barely realized she was gone- treating her like an adult for most of her life helped with that. All she cared about was her shattered heart. 
 Luka and Kagami kept in contact. Chloe she saw when the blonde visited her mother. Everything else was gone.
 She was broken. After all, Ladybug and Black Cat holders were two parts of the same whole. They were yin and yang. And she’d lost her Cat. She was broken in a way only another Black Cat could heal. But she couldn’t let herself find one. 
 She was lost. 
 And then she ran into a redhead who was carrying a little girl and talking on the phone.
-0-
 “Yeah, I’ll be there. Just got to figure out who can watch Lian for about a week. Or more depending on how long this… stuff will take.” Roy Harper says into the phone while Lian whines about being bored. Jason snorts over the phone.
 “You have her with you? Trying to keep her vocabulary clean still?” Jason taunts his friend and Roy laughs. 
 “Oh bite me,” Roy tells him just as a young woman nearly runs into him, the woman busy talking into her own phone. “Whoa! Watch it!” The woman jerks.
 “Oh, Kwami- I’m so sorry.” She does look sorry. “I wasn’t- no Luka I’m talking- look can I call you back? Thanks.” She hangs up her phone as Roy hangs up his after a similar conversation with Jason. “Marinette. I’m sorry for nearly running into you.”
 “Roy. And I’m more worried about what would have happened to my kid.” Lian is hiding her face in his shoulder. Good girl for being wary of strangers. Marinette looks even more apologetic.
 “There’s a cafe near here with cute cookies that look like animals if you’ll let me make it up to you?” And well cookies and animals are Liam’s weakness. Or maybe they’re every seven-year-old’s weakness. Lian eagerly accepts the offering and Roy laughs while Marinette leads them to the cafe. 
 It’s fun and light and soon they’re trading numbers to keep in touch. Roy has his mission with the Outlaws but he finds himself texting Marinette often. Lian when he calls her- staying with Tim Drake for a few weeks- wants to see the pretty lady again. And Roy… wouldn’t mind it. 
 They meet up when Roy’s back in New York and Marinette isn’t running around dealing with a fashion show. They meet up at a park to play with Lian and get ice cream, Marinette telling the story of how there is a magic ice-cream seller in Paris who can give you ice cream based on the person you’re in love with and well Roy has heard weirder things. Sounds like this guy isn’t trying to take over the world. Not like that Hawkmoth guy who the Justice League only realized was real when he got arrested. That had Green Lantern looking stupid while Wonder Woman ripped him a new one. 
 Marinette tells stories about Ladybug and her team to Lian who loves them and adores hearing about any hero. Luckily she doesn’t mention Roy and his skills. It’s safe and wonderful and he loves it.
-0-
 Roy and Lian are bright lights in a long sea of pain for Marinette. She loves spending time with them, laughing and playing games together. She loves going to the park with Lian or going to a movie with Roy. 
 Roy winces when she mentions alcohol and so she avoids it- not enjoying drinking anyway- and focuses on other things like movies or museums or even some science expo Roy was thrilled about. 
 Max was there to and he’d seen her. He came up to her to speak and apologize for never believing her as a kid about Lila. Apparently, she was lying about dating him now as she tried to catch some fame Max had concerning his AI and robotics research. They hug and Marinette… she’s better then she was before. She’s still broken and pained but she feels human enough to say it’s okay and she forgives him now. Roy gets a bit of a rundown of how Marinette was treated in college and lycee, and also it brings up her parents and their expectations and treatment of her.
 She keeps in contact with them, but they stopped being parents long ago. They started treating her like an adult at ten and she never really looked back.
 Roy’s quiet for a few minutes after hearing this before he rolls up his sleeves to show track marks and begins his tale of being adopted by a billionaire from a Navajo reserve. He speaks of loving his adoptive father but being thrown out by him upon becoming addicted to drugs and struggling to get clean only to fall into alcoholism. How his friends helped him get clean, but Lian was what had him stay clean. 
 “I know a thing about bad parents.” He finishes and Marinette hugs him tight. It’s not the same but they both carry trauma from their parents. 
 They aren’t dating but something about Roy makes her feel alive again.
-0-
 Roy introduces Marinette to Kori and Jason when they’re in New York for Lian’s birthday. Marinette came to the party with handmade dolls of the Heroes of Paris. Lian adores them and happily plays with them while Marinette gets along famously with Kori and finds that she can tease Jason well enough. 
 She’s sunshine and adorable and Roy can’t remember the last time he laughed so much or smiled so bright. Jason and Kori sure notice and drill him about his relationship with the girl. There isn’t really one outside of friendship but both know they find each other attractive. There’s just something stopping them. For Roy it’s Lian and Jade and Oliver and his addiction. It’s being Arsenal and being part of the Outlaws. 
 For Marinette… well he doesn’t know but she hides her own scars. They’re just not ready yet, and his friends accept it. They still tease though.
-0-
 “He’s the next Black Cat isn’t he?” Marinette asks Tikki late at night. The Kwami nods.
 “He is. You need a Cat Marinette, you couldn’t keep going without one without going insane.” Marinette has come a long way since she was a teenager. She misses Adrien, misses her kitty but she’s no fool. Soulmates are a thing but many people can be soulmates. Souls come in many. 
 She just wishes it didn’t hurt so much knowing this.
 She has no idea how to tell Roy. She has no idea how to explain it all to him. She doesn’t know how to tell him she’s the Guardian for a box that holds what amount to magical nukes. She just doesn’t.
 She thinks she’s lucky when aliens attack and Roy suits up in front of her, apologizing for lying, saying he’s sorry. 
 She kisses him and it’s their first kiss and means so much. She grins at him and transforms.
 “Roy Harper.” She says to him, pulling out a silver ring. “This is the Miraculous of the Black Cat, the Kwami of Destruction inside. Every Ladybug needs a Black Cat with her. I fell for you without knowing you’re a possibility. But you are. Will you take this responsibility… and be with me?”
 “...Hell yeah.”
-0-
 It’s not perfect. Roy and Marinette know they need to speak more, that more stories need to be told, and more pain needs to be uncovered. But as Roy and Marinette power up and fight, all they can think is that they got their second chance.
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sweet-sammy-kisses · 4 years ago
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You’re the Only Sweet I Want
JayTim Week Day Prompt 2: Fairy Tale/Disney Princess You can also read it on AO3
"Don't you have some Outlaw business to do or something?" Tim had lost count how many times he had asked Jason that. Okay, that was a lie he had asked Jason that every day for the last two weeks since the day he found Jason waiting outside his shop for him.
A shit-eating grin appeared on Jason's face, he was loving the little tick Tim was developing and the faint blush that no matter how hard he tried to fight it. He knew that Tim was enjoying his flirting. "No can do baby bird. Kory and Roy are having a blast catching up with Raven and Gar. And do you want to tell Lian that she can't hang around Bart anymore?"
Tim blanched, Lian had managed to wrap Bart around her little finger, and together the two had become unholy terrors who had no problems in unleashing their doe-eyes on them. It was hard to say no.
Tim was certain that Lian was going to rule the world when she got older.
"We should have never let them meet." Tim groaned in dismay even his former assassins weren't immune to her charm. Owens adored Lian and he got along scary well with Roy, the two of them liked to have sharpshooting contest over at the Titian tower with Gar, Bart, and Conner as judges. Raven and Kory were still as close as ever and it did Lian and Cassie and when she came to visit Cass to have them in their lives. Even Pru was dragged into shopping trips and spa days thanks to Lian's pout. Z and Jason struck up the most interesting of friendships. Tim didn't understand it, at least he had Conner who was just as baffled as he was.
"So why are you here Jason?" Tim asked after letting out a long drawn out sigh, it was better to find out what Jason wanted then he could focus on his baking. Even if it took him a while to calm down from Jason's flirting.
Tim ignored the scraping of a chair being pulled out that just meant that Jason was settling in for the long haul.
"Lian told me the most interesting story, I think you will like it baby bird." Jason's voice was husky and growly it made Tim wonder if that is what he sounded like during sex.
"Oh, that's nice." Tim was on guard Jason had been finding different ways to flirt with him. He knew that Jason would tell him the story, he would pretend not to listen but they both knew he was hanging off every word.
"Once upon a time there was a handsome knight known as the Red Hood, he and his two friends the brave archer Arsenal and the beautiful princess Starfire were known as the Outlaws protectors of the innocent and kicker of bad guys asses."
Tim snorted he very much doubt that Lian said asses but there was no way Jason would say behind, not when he could swear without innocent ears around, and yes that included Bart a rule that was enforced the first time Bart copied Jason and swore, it was wrong to hear him do that. To the Titians Bart was their innocent son who should never say that kind of langue.
"Now the mighty and brave knight had a falling out with his family and went on his own. After all, he had defied death herself to come back. He vowed to do what was needed to ensure that no others were harmed as he had been. But it hadn't always been like that." Jason paused to take a deep breath.
"When he learned that his adopted father the great Dark Knight had let his killer live he was engulfed in hatred and rage and when he learned that he had been replaced by another he was consumed by rage that another innocent life could be cut short as his had been."
Tim's hands froze in the middle of kneading the dough and he could feel Jason's eyes on him.
"Now the knight had been tricked by an evil witch who had a hatred for the new and upcoming knight and she made sure that hatred was passed on to the Red Hood. The knight became consumed with taking down his replacement, to hurt the father that abandoned him and didn't avenge his death. He became twisted and did what he vowed never to do he harmed an innocent. One who had looked up at him and seen him as a hero."
That had Tim turning around to face Jason, he was certain that Jason didn't know of his hero-worship for him.
Any words that Tim might have said died on his lips at the look in Jason's eyes.
Pushing back the chair Jason climbed to his feet and walked closer to Tim, when there were only a few inches between them he continued his story, "With the help of his friends the knight eventually became free of the witch's curse and he saw the truth. The knight he thought had replaced him was more than a knight he was a prince of the stars, whose light saved the Dark Knight and brought light back into his life. The thing is no one realized that until the prince disappeared believed that he was unwanted and cast aside by hurtful actions that he was all of their light and with him gone so was the warmth he brought with him. So the handsome knight vowed that he would find the prince no matter how long it took, even if he needed to look for years, he would find his prince and bring back the light into his life."
Jason saw the realization dawning in Tim's eyes as he darted out his tongue to lick his lips.
"It took the knight five years but at last, he found his prince, he had become a baker using the skills he had learned at the hands of their kindly grandfather, who mourned and missed the prince almost as much as the knight did." Jason knew it was a low blow bringing up Alfred like that, Alfred who had told Jason of how Tim had been so eager to help him any chance he could when he first became Robin and how Alfred had made it his mission to ensure that Tim knew how to take care of him when his parents left him alone.
"If Master Bruce wouldn't help Master Timothy and returned him to his empty house then I made sure that Master Tim knew how to look after himself. He always made my kitchen all the much brighter with his wide smile and eyes that lit up when I asked him to help me out."
Alfred's words haunted Jason, he hadn't known about Tim's parents and once he looked into them he had been appalled by them, they had no right to call themselves parents and he hadn't been too happy with Bruce for allowing Tim to return night after night to that empty place.
"Now the prince had experienced loneliness and being abandoned and he thought it was only natural to be cast aside but he had no clue as to how wrong he was. He was wanted and loved by those who had hurt them. When the knight found him it was clear that the prince had made a new family and they were loyal to him and wouldn't leave him behind. Now the knight didn't know what to do because his heart longed to have a place in the prince's life, to have a piece of his love that he gave so freely to his new family. That love the prince had once offered him only for the knight to toss it away."
While he had been speaking Jason had moved closer and now there was but an inch of space between him and Tim, and he desperately wanted to reach out and pull Tim into his arms.
"What did the knight do?" Tim asked in a soft voice, that if Jason hadn't been so close he would have missed.
"The knight vowed to show the prince that he had changed and that if he gave him a chance the knight would prove to the prince how much he cared for him. The knight wondered if the prince would say yes if he asked him on a date to prove himself to him."
"YES!" Tim blurted out much to his horror and felt his face heat up.
Thrown it took Jason a moment to realize that Tim had said yes to his date, "Are you sure baby bird, I don't want to force you into anything you don't want."
Being asked on a date but his first crush and first love had been everything Tim had dreamed of when he first realized what he was feeling for Jason. "I'm sure Jason."
Jason's lips curled up into a smile that lit up his face before it turned into a sinful smirk that made Tim's knees weak, "Then baby bird be prepared to be swept off your feet. I will give you a night you never forget." Jason promised.
Tim had little doubts about that and he found he couldn't wait.
"I'll pick you up at seven, that should give you enough time prince." Giving Tim a wink Jason exited the kitchen.
Tim nearly collapsed as he heard the bell signal that Jason had left, "What the hell am I going to wear?"
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hood-ex · 4 years ago
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Roy Harper Characterization
I am a HUGE fan of Roy Harper. I’ll defend him until the day I die. I’m always interested to read what other people think about him and how they might interpret his actions, so I was interested to read the issues detailed by roywilliamharperjr. I don’t really like N52 and RHATO was eh, but I was surprised by how conflicted I felt about some of their points.
There were some things I agreed with right away - the erasure of Brave Bow, for example, or outright making his father abusive. Roy’s connection with Brave Bow is integral to his connection to archery, it is something that I personally think means a lot to him, so including it in his origins is essential. Making his father an “abusive alcoholic” is also unnecessary. I don’t like this trope, because it implies that all addicts are abusive. His father was never mentioned to be an addict originally, but that part of his characterization would make sense. Addiction tends to run in the family. What I take issue with is automatically making his father abusive. It’s a trait that often gets lumped in with alcoholism, which can overshadow the tragedy of it. But that’s neither here or there. These were the points I agreed with. But there are some things that really gave me pause. 
They literally kept pushing the idea that he couldn’t even be trusted with money since he’ll spend it all on useless junk like ??? Like yeah that the parent that runs a household a business can’t be trusted with money, sure. In Pre52, He was completely independent when he went solo. He even refused to rejoin the Titans at first because he wanted to do things solo and find himself, and most importantly… he was a single father! A responsible father who independently raised a daughter… 
Pre-FP was lighthearted, but he was also serious because of what he’s been through and he was smart and great at what he does. N52 changed him into a literal idiot (like I said, Lobdell loved reminding us of this) who can’t handle himself alone and has to crack a dumb joke every second and doesn’t take things seriously and has to be babysat by Jason. Even when they tried portraying to do things like build tech, they still wrote him as dumb. Roy’s always been someone that was good with tech, since he obviously built his arrows, weapons, so many high tech bases, etc. But the N52 chose to portray that intellect by portraying him as a mad scientist… that’s literally what they refer to him as multiple times, or a “rockabilly genius”. Basically, they wrote him so that he could only build tech, but he gets so carried away with it to the point where he either destroys a lot of crap while doing it or if he’s unsupervised, he’ll spend all their money on it. They wrote him as someone who was so irresponsible and had to be kept in check, whereas Roy is actually someone who builds things when he needs to. He’s someone who prefers to spend his time either with his family, training, or volunteering somewhere. He doesn’t spend his entire time building things for no reason, he has to plan something out, know why he needs it and adds it in. Technology is a hobby for him that he occasionally spends time on, it isn’t an obsession and it’s nowhere near being his main focus. He was extremely dumbed down to serve a role of being the dumb guy who’s good with tech.
Regardless of what the writer meant, being careless with money is a trait impulsive people tend to have (impulsivity also tends to be common for people who have issues with addiction). Not dumb people. I never read Roy as dumb. The mad scientist trope is actually indicative of high intelligence. Dumb guys aren’t good with tech. Was he scattered and irresponsible in RHATO? Sure. Are some fathers like this? Yes. Does that make him a bad father? No.
I think having Lian made him keep those impulses in check and he took on responsibility that didn’t come naturally to him, but I don’t see how fathering a child would mean you’ve now unlocked x, x, and x trait. That seems unrealistic. It’s okay to struggle with fatherhood. That is much more relatable and interesting. Roy could struggle with these impulses and still be a good father. 
Anyway, this was a very simplistic explanation of Roy’s supposed lack of intelligence, which aren’t defined by any of the listed traits. I can see how he might come off that way, however. Anyone looks at disorganization or bad decisions and immediately thinks the person is a moron. This is not the case. 
N52 made him an outcast in the hero community, made the league and all other heroes look down on him instead of being his friends. He looked up to the heroes and wanted to be treated as an equal among them, and he was-- he was just like any other hero, but that was all thrown out to, once again, justify him being an “outlaw”.
I do realize the OP feels otherwise, but I don’t think it was out of the question for Roy. Again, this wouldn’t be the highlight of Roy’s life and it wouldn’t be the healthiest he’s ever been, which I think is obvious, but expecting someone to remain consistent throughout their entire life isn’t realistic. Do I think it was stretched? Yeah. But again, Roy is a complex character, and when someone feels as if they aren’t living up to an ideal, it’s not uncommon to rebel against that ideal. It went a little far, but it’s not that out of the question. 
Roy being a dad, and the erasure of Lian Harper. When Roy’s a dad, he was something to fight for. He has a reason to be a superhero and do what he does, to be responsible and to be more mature than he already is. Him being a dad completely changed him and gave him a reason to strive to become a better man than he already was, all for his daughter. He helped so many characters because of how his fatherhood changed him. Him being a father gave him so much happiness and brightness in his life despite the mistakes he made before. On top of that, Roy became a father when he was young. He risked his life just to see Lian and take her in. He could have easily ignored her and left her with Jade, but he chose to actively seek her out and risked his life to do so. He wanted to be a father. He wanted to raise his daughter right and be an inspiration for her, and to me that just shows the kind of man he was.
Being a father is one of Roy’s biggest character traits. It isn’t just some random thing, it was part of his characters for literal decades. It’s so much of who he is and holds so much of his development, and the erasure of it just changes so much about him for the worst.
Okay, so… while I agree that Lian is important to Roy’s growth and development, I do not think a character’s personality should be completely shaped around having a child. I do agree that Roy wanted to be a good father and improved exponentially because he took responsibility for Lian. However, there are a lot of different types of fathers. It isn’t really fair to assume Roy was perfect when he was that young, or that didn’t make mistakes. 
So yes, this characterization does change him “for the worst” because he has nothing to keep him accountable. That’s okay. I am personally more interested in seeing characters crash and burn and then being shaped by that experience, not deciding to be better just because they’ve reproduced. Children aren’t bandaids.
This next part is my biggest issue with their post, however. The subject of addiction.
And then there’s his addiction… N52 changed his addiction from heroin to alcohol (it was changed back in Rebirth but still.) Addictions are not and should not be treated like they’re interchangeable. The original drug addiction story, Snowbirds Don’t Fly, was an award winning story that changed the landscape of stories that could be told in comics. It was that good, and changing for just a generic addiction story is pretty ridiculous.
Okay, so… while I get what they are trying to say, in general, addictions don’t stay in neat little boxes. People prone to addiction will often have other addictive behaviors and/or vices. Sometimes they do trade one addiction for another. I realize that their issue is eliminating the heroin from the story altogether, but my point is: addiction is the problem. The object of that addiction is not.
The original story showed that Roy was the one who kicked his addiction away, all because of his will and drive to kick it away. He was the one who wanted to get rid of his problem. With some help from people around him (aka Dinah), he kicked it away and was determined to be a better person because of it. He wanted to become an educator and volunteer to help people dealing with addictions like his, and he wanted to help fight drug dealers and help fight the drug problem. That’s why he joined the DEA– he wanted to help people who went through what he did. Roy appealed to a specific demographic of teenagers that fell low and fell into drug addiction– something that hasn’t been done before with any other character– and he served as a role model as someone who overcame it. N52 just got rid of all that and not only changed his addiction type, but had him be completely be saved by someone else (who he shouldn’t have any relation to in the first place).
Here is where it started to get really cringey for me. This person is very naive if they think that an addict can “kick their addiction away” with “will and drive.” No. It takes so much more than that. Therapy. Medication. Rehab. There is no shame or weakness in asking for or accepting help. Even if they do everything right, most people relapse. Perpetuating the idea that Roy’s willpower overcame a heroin addiction is ridiculous.
N52 focuses on him relapsing and being tempted back all the time, which is against what the character stands for. The whole point is that he’s someone that wants to move on past his mistakes and become a better person and let others see him for who he is as a hero, but N52 keeps throwing his addictions back at him 
This is a terrible understanding of drug addiction. Relapses don’t happen because the person doesn’t want to “move on” or get better. Relapses happen because people are human. Relapses are extremely, extremely common, and it doesn’t make that person a hypocrite like the OP suggests. This rubs me the wrong way for so many reasons.
Heroin addiction is insidious. It’s a literal epidemic. The relapse rate is ridiculously high (over 80%). Trying to tout Roy as someone who should never relapse because it “goes against his values” is very naive. It also won’t resonate with actual drug addicts. 
The real message should be that it’s okay to let someone help you. It’s even more okay to ask for help. In fact, you need to ask for help. This is not something most people can do alone.
I love Roy Harper and I will defend him until the day I die, but I don’t love him because he’s perfect. I love him because he makes mistakes and gets back up. I love him for how he handles those mistakes. That’s the real success story and that’s what people are inspired by: no matter what happens or what you do, just get back up. Keep going. Keep fighting. 
It’s tiresome to see fictional characters held to impossible standards. Mistakes don’t negate good qualities and it doesn’t make them less likable.
How is an addict going to feel if they received that type of message after a relapse? They’re going to think that they went against everything they stood for, not that it was a simple mistake that happens to an overwhelming percentage of people who suffer from addiction. How is that inspiring or encouraging?
Also to comment on N52 “throwing Roy’s addictions back at him” - look, I have my problems with N52, but this isn’t one of them. That is the life of an addict. They have to overcome their addiction every day. It isn’t something you ever recover from completely. That’s why it’s so easy to relapse. 
Sorry for the ramble. I know you didn’t even write this originally. I do follow your blog and <3 it, and I just needed to say something about some of these points, especially where it concerns drug addiction, because it troubled me. Roy Harper is an icon.
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I won’t put words in the OP’s mouth, but since Roy is prob the character I know most outside of the batfam, I’ll touch on a few of these points. 
1. I agree that Roy’s personality doesn’t revolve around Lian. Parenthood itself is not part of the personality, but a child can impact personality in certain ways. For example, forcing someone to be more assertive, responsible, or outgoing.
You said something about how it wasn’t fair to assume Roy was a perfect father. I didn’t get the impression that was a point OP was trying to make. Roy himself said he went into fatherhood fighting and screaming, so it obviously wasn’t easy for him at first. But I got a sense that OP was mostly highlighting the fact that having Lian is the transitional point in Roy’s life that took him from boyhood to manhood. To the newly single father who works as a private detective and then transitions from Speedy to Arsenal to Red Arrow. 
2. I will have to disagree with your view on switching out the heroin for alcohol. I understand what you’re saying about how the addiction to a harmful substance is the main issue. And yeah, in general, the main message of Roy’s drug abuse is that anyone can fall prey to addiction, not just misguided people. 
But “Snowbirds Don’t Fly” was inspired by heroin addicts on the streets and in the drug rehab center that the authors encountered/worked with. 
The effects and risks of heroin addiction also differ from that of alcohol. They produce different struggles for people to deal with, different withdrawal symptoms, etc. Alcohol can be abused more often because of how accessible it is yadda yadda yadda. 
This is why I personally take issue with the two being interchangeable. It may also seem like a minuscule detail that doesn’t really matter (because like you said the focus is the addiction, not the substance itself). But it would be kind of like switching out the murder weapon that killed Bruce’s parents. You may think that the weapon itself doesn’t matter because the focus is on the loss of his parent’s lives.
But everyone knows Bruce’s parents were killed via gun. As a result of that, Bruce has always had an issue with guns in particular. So if we were to switch out the gun with a crowbar (shoutout Jason) in The New 52/Rebirth then that changes Bruce’s character in some ways. It changes his trauma and his association with guns. In his mind gun = murder = loss = grief = failure. The image of the gun is very much so tied into the trauma of losing his parents, which puts significance on the murder weapon. 
Readers would be like wtf I thought Bruce’s parents were killed with a gun, why does this say they got whacked with a crowbar? It would be inconsistent writing and it would make readers confused about what was true and what wasn’t true. 
So I guess you could say the same thing for Roy and heroin. Heroin is the vehicle he used to try and cope with his life, not alcohol. Heroin is the drug that got him fucked up, not alcohol. Heroin is the drug he suffered withdrawal from, not alcohol. Heroin is the drug he constantly has to fight to stay away from, not alcohol. (Although, yes, addictions can be switched out for other addictions, but canonically, as far as I know, Roy never abused alcohol.)
3. In real life, yes, people with addictions generally need to go to some kind of rehab program to get help. However, if we’re going strictly by what’s shown to us in comics, then yes, Roy kicked his addiction without rehab, meds, or therapy. He quit cold turkey and went through the horrific withdrawal symptoms with Dinah by his side. That’s what’s portrayed in the comic. Roy literally attributes his ability to kick the addiction by getting help from Dinah, Hal, and his friends. Not going to rehab or any of that. 
That’s why I think OP possibly found it insulting that N52 portrayed Roy as someone who continued to relapse. Because before N52, he managed to kick his addiction without relapsing. Obviously, not many people in real life can quit cold turkey like Roy did in the Snowbird issue. And before Flashpoint, Roy actually did relapse when Lian died. So I do agree that maybe OP wasn’t very uh… sensitive to the rate of relapse amongst people with addictions. 
Anyways, this is just me sharing some of my thoughts on your points. Glad we can have discussions like this. Thanks for following my blog <3
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