#like on one hand i know a lot of people hate shoving talia into that motherhood role at any available opportunity and i do too to be clear

[roobylavender]

i’m sure you’ve talked about it before but you expand more on your thoughts about talia & jason and how their relationship would be? what are some positives and negatives their interactions would bring? (your talia metas are everything)

thank you! on talia's end i think a lot of it would come down to balance and restraint. because there are a lot of unpredictable factors at play and on top of it her tutelage of jason coincides with her last years under her father's thumb so there's parts of herself that she's beginning to close off out of self preservation and exhaustion. that's why i like the placement of under the hood right after the close of lexcorp era even if it obv wasn't intended because it puts her in a place comparatively to take all of the risks after a year of complete physical and emotional isolation. and even then i feel like there would still be a lot of restraint because of the guilt over her part in jason's various massacres. i could see her reprimanding him but in a very cautious and empathetic way so as not to set him off the way bruce would if he was the one lecturing him. so like.. not quite in the realm of mothering but maybe teetering on the edge of it. and i do think talia would try to maintain some distance out of respect for his history. which may or may not fuck with jason emotionally because as possessive as he is of his own grief i do think he'd long for even the smallest semblance of what he thinks he could get. like guarded as he is he would certainly soften to her over time and abide by her guidance even if he didn't necessarily verbalize the fact. i don't really know that i'd see any negatives between them like at worst it would be awkward and strained because he wouldn't be sure of how to place her in his life and she wouldn't want to overstep

[fantasyyluvr]

Bat-Boys in Bed

I couldn’t find a good gif, sue me

Dick Grayson’s mouth is filthy. And he gets enough praise, so I think he’d be into praising you instead.” You’re so pretty, all fucked-out and dumb…just for me” as he pounds into you, panting in between words.

He’d also be into touchy sex positions, like missionary where he can hook his nose into your neck and wrap his arms around you. Dick would be into you giving him hickies.

I think Dick has an insane stamina—round after round. His hips would meet yours at a punishing pace as he muttered out praise,” this cunt is so warm and wet for me. My beautiful girl.” And he place wet kisses to your neck and cheeks.

Dick isn’t above moaning, but he’s not pornographic about it.i see him whimpering and begging if he’s getting a blow job or if you’re on top and teasing him, but I don’t see him moaning as much or more than you.

Jason Todd isn’t much of a talker during sex, but I do believe he moans. He’d be a lot more gentle with you than popular belief thinks. Especially if we’re talking older, mature Jason who’s passed his “fresh from the pit madness.”

I do believe Jason has a choking kink and I’ll die on this hill. And it doesn’t have to be his hand around your throat or vice versa. It can be him shoving his cock to the back of your throat and feeling you pulse and throb around him.

He enjoys, mature Jason too, seeing your eyes go wide and glassy. Jason loves to pull his cock from your mouth after you’ve had enough and seeing your lips plump and pink. He loves the slight flush of your tits.

Jason is a lot more eager to switch roles and be on the bottom than Dick. If you’re feeling top-ish and want to ride. Jason wouldn’t argue as you ground down on him, rolling your hips and leaving a trail of slick on his pelvis.

He’d beg through covered lips as you shushed him and picked up your pace, driving your hips forward and giving Jason the release he’d been craving.

I don’t know enough about Tim or Duke, sorry.

Bruce is harder to read because there’s decades of lore, canon, and stuff that’s not in the main continuity. Many writers have different versions of him that some favorite—however, here goes.

Bruce is a control freak. Whether you planned it or not, you’d end up in a dom/sub dynamic. He’d be choosing your clothes, picking which jewelry he buys, telling you when to cum before you even realize it.

I also think he has a power imbalance kink, just a little bit. Nothing extreme or megalomaniacal. So I truly believe you wouldn’t be rich (sorry lol); you’d maybe be a lesser known vigilante, and that’s if Bruce is healthily interested in you. I believe you’d be a civilian, but a smart and compassionate one. We know Bruce isn’t one to dumb himself down for company; we know Bruce is attracted to smart women, but none of his past relationships worked because they didn’t have a heart ( I love Talia, but he real; she wasn’t Mother Teresa).

This one may lose people, but I believe Bruce has a breeding kink. It would be a chance for him to restart. His only blood child is an arrogant, cold assassin and the rest of his children are masked vigilantes who dance with death nightly. But with you, his love, he could have a child not born in pain and anger. He’s older and wiser; he’s not as vengeful and mission oriented as he was when he adopted Dick and Jason; Tim sought him out, and Damian came with a chip on his shoulder.

Bruce is unyielding in his refusal to switch places. He’s too paranoid and enjoys control too much to bottom. The closest you’ll get to topping is bossing him around from the bottom.” faster, pretty boy.” You reached up and caressed his face as his pace stuttered and he spilled into you, gasping and groaning as he did.

You wouldn’t be fucked in the suit or the Batmobile. And he hates being called Batman in bed. The closest you’d get to mixing sex with his vigilante life is getting fucked in the Batcomputer seat.

Damian Wayne is the kinkiest Batfam member. I see Damian, who didn’t undergo such a beautiful arc, having a blood and bondage kink.

Damian preferred to tie you down rather than tie you up. He cares for you, and tying you up puts you in an uncomfortable position (he doesn’t want that) and it screws with your circulation. And if he ties you down, he can see your face as he places the vibrator right on your clit. He can see you try to knock your knees—to no avail.

Damian loved to take a small knife and inflict a wound, if you can even call it that. It was feather soft, and you loved when he would wrap his mouth around the wound and suck the blood. Then he’d kiss you, letting the saliva and metallic taste mingle.

I believe Damian would be into hickies and spanking too, but not the for the violence like I see from the kinkier side of the fandom. He would be into hickies, spanking, bandage, and blood play for the markings. It all boiled down to markings. And that’s not to claim that those activities didn’t get you both off, but Damian’s true enjoyment stemmed from the possessiveness of it all.

That’s why he likes to untie you and massage the rope imprints, then walk you to the mirror and spin you around, letting you see all the prints and marks. He could feel himself harden again, but he knew he’d break you if he ever tried to impose his libido and stamina on you.

Don’t kill me, but Damian isn’t into cunnilingus. He also wouldn’t bottom, not like you’d want him to. If, and that’s a huge “if” ( it’s months into the relationship too), he does bottom, it’s not traditional bottoming. Damian would top from the bottom,” go slower, grind harder, beloved.” And he’d grip your hips hard enough to leave prints, because marks, duh!

Damian likes sloppy blow jobs. I know he’s proper and clean, but trust me. Spit, moans, and whimpers; that’s what gets him off. And seeing your cheeks flush and your breathing quicken, but you keep going lower and taking more of him in. He appreciates the determination, and it makes him feel in control, huge, and dominant which strokes his ego.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Allergies II

Hardersson x Daughter!Reader

Natalia Guijarro (OC) x Hardersson!Reader

Part of The Big Adeventures Universe

Summary: You have another allergic reaction

In all honesty, you didn't really think it was that serious.

Nutrition meetings at Barcelona were a lot more in depth than what you were used to at Arsenal. They took ages and were full of information that would probably be interesting if you actually cared but, alas, nutrition had never been as interesting to you as other subjects so you tended to just zone out.

You were handed a new smoothie with some kind of new protein powder in or something you would have known if you actually listened.

You drank it.

That's when things start to get weird.

The nutritionist continues to drone on and you frown, scratching at your neck.

You stare down at your bottle for a moment as your throat goes all scratchy and intense.

You force yourself to swallow before glancing around.

Your throat gets a bit tighter.

No one else seems to be having such a reaction so you unscrew the top of your bottle to peer inside. You sniff the mixture before standing up.

You can feel people watch as you make your way over to the first aid kit at the front of the room. Your throat has fully closed up now and you know that you're turning alarmingly red and probably breaking out in hives.

Honestly, you feel a little bit shocked how you're even conscious right now but you grab your epipen and stab it into your leg.

"Banana," You say plainly," I can't eat that."

Even with the adrenaline now pumping through your system, you slide your way down the wall to sit on the floor, breathing in deeply.

The room erupts into chaos the moment you sit down.

The medical staff come in to check your blood pressure and your throat and the expiration date of your epipen. The nutritionist leading the session is going absolutely ballistic yelling at one of her assistants for not checking the allergy sheets before making and handing out the smoothies.

Talia looks close to tears as she forces her way towards you, practically shoving some of the medics away. "Are you okay? Is it bad? Do I need to call your mums?"

"No! Don't call my-"

Talia's already gone out into the hall, phone pressed up against her ear.

You wonder which one of your mothers she has in her contacts.

Surely not Morsa because she's still in that stage where she's pretending to hate your girlfriend but you can't remember your Momma and Talia interacting enough to have swapped numbers and you know for certain that you weren't one to hand out people's numbers without explicit permission.

As the medics fuss and the nutritionist yells, the team also gather around to check that you're alright but you just give them a gallant shrug.

"I'm fine," You say," The epipen did its work."

"I think I'd prefer if you take the day off," The head of the medical team says," Just to be safe. You can come back tomorrow."

You know better than to argue with him so you just nod with a little sigh of annoyance.

"I can take her home," Talia says as she re-enters the room," I've got her."

"I can take a taxi home," You insist.

You and Talia drive in together so only one car is used. If you go home in that car now then she'll have to get a taxi in the middle of rush hour.

"I'll take you home," Talia says," Coach can spare me at training today. Someone's got to make sure you actually follow medical advice."

You roll your eyes. "I swear you've been hanging out with my Momma behind my back." You take the hand she offers to help you stand. "You sound just like her."

You end up back home fairly quickly, curled up on the sofa and practically forced to take a nap.

Prins joins you, curled up in the bend of your knee. Reina settles on the top of the sofa behind your head, completely stretched out and at ease with herself while Kung manages to wiggle himself between your arms to nap there.

You don't know how long you nap for but it must be a while because the sun is setting when you wake up and you can smell Talia cooking up your favourite pasta dish in the world.

You sit up.

You've definitely been sleeping for a while because Reina has migrated to her cat tree, poking her head out of the cave to watch Kung bounce around the floor in outrage at not being allowed up there with her.

Prins has taken Kung's place between your arms and his tongue rolls out of his mouth in a semblance of a dopey smile when he notices you awake, his tail beginning to wag happily.

"Hi, little man," You say, gently scratching between his ears," Did you keep me company?"

Prins' tail wags even more fiercely than before.

"Didn't want to leave your side."

You jolt, shrieking and Prins whines a little.

"Morsa! What are you doing here?!"

"Talia called your Momma," Morsa says, tucking the blanket more firmly around your body," Your allergies acted up."

"I dealt with it," You insist," You didn't have to fly out."

"Yes, we did," Morsa replies," Because if we waited for you to tell us, it would take weeks!"

You puff out your cheeks. "I wouldn't want to worry you over something so silly."

"Are you calling your allergies silly again?" Momma says. She enters with two plates worth of food and you sit up.

Prins leaps down to wander over to his own dog bed. Seeing him lying there, Kung wanders over, jumping up onto Prins' back to finish napping there as Reina ducks her head back into her cave.

"No, Momma," You mumble, accepting your food as Morsa takes a seat on the armchair and Momma to the left of you, leaving an empty space for Talia, who also brings out food for herself and Morsa before taking her own seat.

"Are you feeling better, mi vida?" She asks," You look better."

You nod. "I feel fine. My leg aches a little but that's expected."

"We'll put an icepack on it once we've finished eating. Prins was very worried about you."

Prins raises his head at the mention of his name, tail wagging.

"He's good boy."

Morsa grins from across the room. "I knew getting you a dog was a good idea."

Momma scoffs. "You told me that we should have gotten her a fish."

Morsa coughs to clear her throat and mumbles," Don't lie, Pernille."

"You wanted to get me a fish?" You laugh in disbelief," And you say Rocky is the most disappointing pet in the world."

"Are you really saying your pet rock is more exciting than a fish?"

"Am I?" You pretend to think for a moment. "Yes. Yes, I am."

[butwhyduh]

Ephemoral

Damian Wayne x reader

Summary: another of my betrayal stories. Damian is like 20. I don’t want to betray children lmao.

You were saccharine like the sweet honey candy Damian would eat as a child. Your laughter was a soft melody he adored. And sight of you with tears in your eyes made him want to rip the world apart. His love for you was like an ancient Grecian tale and it scared Damian. He cared too deeply for someone who’s feet were so shallow in this world. He’d died once and could easily do so again.

But laying next to you on a blanket on the south lawn of Wayne Manor, made Damian not care about his fear. You were here and so was he. His eyes watched you stretch and smile. He couldn’t help but lean over to hug your waist. He breathed in your soft perfum deeply with closed eyes.

“Dami! What are you doing?” You laughed and he grinned.

“Capturing the princess,” he said kissing your collarbone. You laughed and pulled away as he tickled your ribs. “You’re so beautiful today. Have I told you?”

“No. I’m only wearing a hoodie and jeans, Dami,” you reminded him.

“It’s not your clothing that makes you beautiful,” Damian said leaning over you. You looked at his intense green eyes framed with thick dark lashes and full brows. His tan skin glowed in the sunshine. “It’s what’s underneath,” he said romantically.

“Kinky,” you whispered in his ear with a grin and he stiffened before rolling his eyes.

“I was trying to be sweet. Though you are quite lovely physically as well, beloved,” Damian conceded. You grinned and grasped the back of his neck. You pulled him into a kiss. You spent most of the unseasonably warm winter day kissing on the lawn. Damian didn’t dare take it further as you were stanch on your beliefs that sex should be private.

“What would you like to eat, my beloved,” he asked later in the day. Damian lay on his back, looking at the dying lights of dust. You had nestled into his arms to watch too.

“Hmmm how about something spicy,” you asked looking over to him. He grinned and nodded. Damian could never tell you no.

“Let’s get changed and we can go eat somewhere properly,” he suggested. You rolled over in his arms to look at his face.

“Really?” You asked. “Don’t you have patrol tonight?”

“Later. But right now, I want to spoil my love,” he said grasping the back of your neck gently to pull you into a kiss.

Damian had gotten a table at an exclusive restaurant. Of course he had. One word and he could go anywhere: Wayne. You considered feeling bad but as you walked up the stairs to a private table on the balcony that watched over Gotham’s night sky, you could care less. The city could be on fire and Damian wouldn’t have noticed. His eyes were on the dress that curved to your form, the soft clicking sound of your heels, the wine colored lipstick you wore.

You chatted softly about things in your life. University classes and hobbies. Damian couldn’t help but feel a guilt. You knew he was a Wayne and was Robin. But you didn’t know he was an Al Ghul or his long complicated past. The fact that he was raised as an assassin. The fact that his mother had verbally threatened to kill you a few times and only Damian’s threats back had stopped her.

“Damian, are you okay?” You asked after a while. He had a hard line of his brow and he was silent. Damian shook himself and sat up straighter.

“I apologize. My mind was wandering,” he admitted. You grasped his hand.

“To what?”

“My mother,” he said truthfully. Damian didn’t know why he told you that. One of your eyebrows rose. He had never said anything about her and the issue seemed painful.

“Really?”

“Yes. 2 days ago was her birthday,” Damian said. Not that the league would ever celebrate simply being born. You had to earn a celebration in war or strategy.

“Oh. Do you speak to her,” you finally asked. You’d wanted to know for a long time but was scared to bring it up. Why was he willing to share Robin with you but not his own mother?

“No. I haven’t in years. She’s....” Damian failed to come up with the right words. A murderer? Assassin? Cold heartless bitch? No. In her own way, she loved him. And unfortunately it was a deeply dysfunctional way. “Strong willed. And hard to get along with. It’s hard to explain.”

“I see. Do you want to get along with her? You’re a grown man now. Surely she would respect that,” you said and he almost rolled his eyes at how innocent and naive you sounded. His mother would rather rip out her own spine than let Damian be his own man if it was up to her. Damian simply squeezed your hand gently.

“I don’t think so. She believes eternal ‘I’m your mother, listen to me.’ We’ve butt heads for years over it. Even though we live across the globe apart,” Damian said with a rueful smile. He hadn’t told you about her, not really. But it felt good to tell you that his relationship with her wasn’t great. It was partial honesty at least.

“Where does she live,” you asked and his brain froze for a half minute. That was something he could not answer. She was far too dangerous to know about. Ignorance was truly bliss on the account.

“She travels a lot. China, Middle East, Peru. She doesn’t stay in one place very long,” Damian said. He was truthful at least.

“Wow. She must have a great job to travel like that. What does she do,” you asked. He almost laughed in frustration. When did you become the detective? That’s not fair to you. Inquisition is not a flaw in of itself.

“She works in defense contracts. It’s very confidential and complicated,” he finally answered. You nodded sagely.

“Like the rest of your family. Complicated and confidential,” you answered giving him a wry smile. Damian smiled back.

“Perhaps. Perhaps. I hate to eat and run, beloved. But duty calls. Can I call you a car to the manor?” Damian asked. You nodded. There was one company that the Wayne family would hire rides from. One of Alfred’s ex military buddies owned a contractor company that hired private security that doubled as drivers. Confidential and discreet was their motto and they had never let down the family.

20 minutes later a member of the staff walked you, and a small box of food from the dessert platter, to a waiting car. The driver was a quiet intense looking man. He had obvious muscles despite being in a full suit. It wasn’t a surprise. He was security after all.

“Wayne Manor, please sir,” you called to him. He nodded.

“Of course Madame,” he answered in a very soft accent that wasn’t Gothamite. You sat back and relaxed. It was almost 11 and you were getting a little tired. Your head began to droop and your eyes became heavy. It was in that moment that the car made a wrong turn. You sat up straight.

“Sir, it was supposed to be a right turn back there. You’ve gone the wrong way,” you said. He only rolled the partition closed. You gasped. “Sir,” you said forcefully as he drove faster the wrong way. You looked at your phone and noticed a no service sign. There was no way with the amount Damian paid for it. You tried the knob at a stop sign to find it locked like you worried. Your heart pounded roughly. You were being kidnapped.

For 2 hours, the car drove farther and farther out of Gotham. Your city was nowhere to be seen and you didn’t have a clue where you were. The car finally drove up the gravel drive of what looked like a military compound. You gulped as it stopped. The door opened and the man motioned for you to get out. You shrank to the back of the seat.

“If you don’t come out willingly, I will have to drag you and I’d hate to ruin your pretty dress,” he said in a tone that made you think that he hoped to ruin your clothing. Your eyes were wide but you climbed out on your own. He looked you over hungrily before shoving your shoulder toward the front door. You gasped. Your heels made loud clicking noises on the concrete floor and you almost grimaced at how loud you felt. There was no sneaking in here.

He walked you up a set of stairs into a private room. The man gave you a look over before locking you in. Almost as an insult, he hadn’t bothered to take your phone from you. It was useless without any signal.

In another room, Talia lounged in a chair. She watched the security footage of your room. You looked around stiffly before finally sitting on the corner of the bed. You were kidnapped and being held in a cement room in the middle of nowhere without a way to contact anyone in a dress and heels. This was less than ideal.

“I wonder what my son sees in her. She didn’t fight at all. Came willingly. Not much in the way of protecting herself. How could she possibly be a good partner,” Talia asked and the men beside her knew better than to answer. Talia decided to meet you herself.

She casually opened the door and walked in. You stared at her. Talia smiled softly. You were terrified and scared people are easy to control.

“Hello,” she started. “My name is Talia, and you are dating my son, Damian.”

What an odd specific coincidence that you would see her right after talking about her. She wasn’t dressed as if she was in the military and damn sure wasn’t in China or Peru. What didn’t Damian tell you?

“I simply had to meet you. I must say that I’m... disappointed. You aren’t much of a fighter, are you?” She said. Much like a good lawyer, Talia asked questions she already knew the answer to.

“I didn’t know I needed to be,” you said and she grinned.

“No. But you do have a mouth. Such a pretty little one. Too bad,” she said and before you could comprehend what she meant, you were hit in the mouth. You cried out in pain and covered your face in your hand. Your shoulders curled around you protectively and you scooted to the back of the bed. You could taste iron and you wiped away some blood. She had busted your lip already.

“Didn’t even attempt to deflect my hit. And your soft lip burst open instantly. You could never handle a real fight,” she said before tutting. You could only stare up at her as she towered over you. She was right. Damian had taught you a few self defense maneuvers but you had never fought anyone.

You could see parts of her that were in Damian. Besides the obvious skin color, she had his intense eyes and her predatory mannerisms. Damian had never used it on you, but you had seen Robin scare criminals without a word. You had thought it was a Batman thing, but it was from her. Batman hung over them like a predatory bird that killed quickly, with mercy. Talia looked at them the way a cat looked at a mouse. She was going to play with them before eating. You resisted the urge to shiver.

“Damian will be here in a few hours. Why don’t I see if I can toughen you up beforehand,” she said smiling. Talia gripped your shoulder and dug her nails in. You groaned. You tried to pull away.

“No no, dear. That will cost you,” she said before backhanding your face. You gasped out a sob as blood started flowing again.

—————————

It took Damian a full 3 hours to realize you were missing. Embarrassingly long time in his mind. He called the car company to ask about the ride. Damian expected you to be asleep and didn’t want to wake you to calm his mind.

“Mr Wayne, we have an issue,” a woman’s crisp voice cake through the phone. Damian was taking a break on a rooftop.

“What do you mean,” he growled. She stuttered before answering.

“ we can’t find the driver. He won’t respond to our cal-“

“How long? How long have you known?” He asked. Damian was pacing the rooftop with pure murder on his face.

“About an hour, sir. We called GCPD immediately,” she said.

“Your incompetence astounds me,” he said before hanging up. Damian called you instantly. After the fifth time of your phone ringing to voicemail, he was almost in a panic. He sat down breathing deeply. He could call his father but this was his problem. He’d give it 2 hours and then call Bruce.

It was 10 minutes before he had his answer. There was a loud clicking sound in his comms signaling that Oracle was about to talk.

“Robin, there is a man tied up with a sign for you,” she said. “5th and Cherrry behind the gazebo. Police have already taken him into custody for care and questioning. But the message...” she trailed off.

“The Wayne place where it all started. Where you started. Or she’s dead,” Oracle read. “Does that mean anything Robin? Should I contact Batman? Nightwing?”

“No. I’ll take care of it,” he said hanging up on her. Damian knew exactly where to go as gross at it was. Bruce’s old compound in the woods where Damian was conceived. Of course his mother would reference something that weird. It was a full two hour drive up there and Damian was flying on his motorcycle. The place was now privately owned, probably the league. He climbed in through a side window, pulling out his swords as he snuck around. He turned a corner and stopped.

“My son,” Talia said with a false warmth. Damian looked over at her and she grinned. Behind her was you and Damian’s heart dropped. You were on your knees, your arms tied above your head in a V shape. The delicate dress you had worn to dinner only a few hours before was dirty with one strap hanging on your arm. The topside of your breast was visible as you breathed erratically. Spot of blood and dirt clung to the dress and Damian could see the sweat on you from where he stood yards away. Your bottom lip was bloody and swollen and you had the beginnings of a black eye. Talia had definitely been hurting you.

You looked up at him, your eyes were so fucking scared but hopeful. Hopeful that he would save you. But the second Damian moved towards you, Talia put a dagger to your throat.

“Okay Mother. You have my attention. What do you want?” Damian asked. He covered the raw rage in his voice with a blankness. She would win if he was emotional.

“I wanted to meet your companion. She is on a whole.... disappointing. Weaker than a kitten. No fight. She is not worthy of you, Damian. Not someone who you should conceive heirs of the Al Ghul line with. She is nothing,” Talia said.

Now Damian wanted to fight his mother, say that you were more important to him than she ever was. But if he did that, the target on your back was forever. And he didn’t think his mother would simply beat you next time. So he did something he hated.

“Mother. You misunderstand the situation. I have no intention of having children with her. I only keep her around to amuse me,” he said and your mouth fell open. You sagged against the ropes. “You’ve wasted your time kidnapping a toy. Mother, I thought you better than this. Let her go.”

You started crying. You were nothing to him. Just like you always feared. You weren’t wealthy or connected or powerful. Damian had been playing with you and you fell in love.

“Why don’t I just kill her,” she suggested and you gasped.

“No. As Robin, I cannot let you kill an innocent. She’s been naive but doesn’t deserve that,” he said and Talia backed away.

A side window broke. Batman and Nightwing landed on the ground. Talia’s men began fighting. Damian ran towards her and she evaded him.

“I won’t kill her. You have my words. But what I did was nothing compared to what you did, my son,” she said with a laugh. She ran past Bruce. “My beloved. We will meet again,” she said before climbing in an armored car that pulled up. The three heroes took out her men and tied them up.

Damian quickly ran to you and cut the rope with his katana. You fell into his arms. You were barely awake and tears fell down your face. Damian looked you over before hugging you tight. You tried to push him away.

“Don’t,” you said wetly. “Don’t touch me,” you said wobbly on your feet. “I’m not your toy.”

“Beloved. I said all of that to save you. I love you,” he said trying to get close and you put your arm up.

“No. I just want to go home,” you said barely pushing past him. You only made it a few steps before you collapsed. Damian caught you and half carried you bridal style as you looked away from him and sobbed. Nightwing came over quickly, sending the trouble.

“I can help you,” he asked and you pushed from Damian’s arms to his. Dick carried you to the batmobile. You sat sobbing in your hands.

“What happened?” Dick asked after closing the door and standing by Damian.

“I had to tell mother I was not interested in her. What I said was cruel, I’ll admit. But she wanted to kill her, Richard,” Damian said. His whole face looked pained. Dick nodded.

Damian followed the batmobile to the cave. Dick carried you to the med bay where your cuts and scrapes were cleaned. You changed clothing. Ice was applied to your bruises and you looked so close to sleep. Damian stood close by nervously.

“Go away,” you said to him and Damian’s brows furrowed and he closed his eyes. “I don’t want you near me.”

He nodded and left the area. Instead, Damian watched you on the main monitor. You cried into a pillow before falling asleep. Damian could barely watch.

“What do I do?” He asked Dick miserably. “How do I take back what I said?”

“Give her time. Give her space. She’ll just to process it first” Dick suggested. Damian nodded.

That’s how you went an entire month without seeing him. He watched you everyday. Damian gave you all the space you needed. It was long after your lip had healed before he spoke to you. You stayed at a friend’s house. You signed up for college classes, got a job at a coffee shop, and just tried to move on.

But it had truly fucked you up. Yeah, you had nightmares about Talia beating the shit out of you. But what was worse was that every memory of Damian was tainted. Did he truly love you or was he simply playing with you. He seemed like he had loved you. Was it all fake?

He came to your work. It was purely an accident. Damian just wanted a coffee. He walked up to the counter pulling out his wallet and almost dropped it when he saw you. Your hair was falling out of a hairnet and your white dress shirt had seen better day. But Damian thought you looked so beautiful.

“Hi,” he said and you stiffened.

“Damian,” you breathed.

“How- how are you?” He asked.

“Fine. Do you want a coffee or something? There’s a line,” you motioned behind him. He quickly ordered a drink.

“Can I talk to you sometime?” He asked as you made the drink.

“Uuh.”

“Yes? Give me just a few minutes of your time,” he begged and you stopped to look at him. You sighed.

“I have a break in 15 minutes. You can talk then I guess,” you answered. You handed him his coffee.

“Thanks. Great,” he said with a determined look before sitting at a table. Damian watched you work almost the entire time. It was a little unnerving but how he used to be before.

You sat down with a drink beside him. Damian played with his fingers before speaking. You couldn’t help notice how handsome he looked in a dark green Henley and black jeans.

“I’m sorry I haven’t tried to talk to you earlier,” he started. “But I need you to know, everything I said that night to my mother was a lie. I have never thought of you like that. But if I showed interest in you, she would have targeted you. I should have told you about her earlier.”

“What does she really do?”

Damian sighed.

“She’s an assassin. She raised me to be one until I was 8 and then I moved in with my father. I should have warned you about her. She’s crazy. Obsessed with the lineage in our family. It’s very strange. I don’t share her beliefs,” he said.

“That’s good because that was... weird. I mean, the whole thing was but her talking about heirs was super weird,” you said taking a drink.

“Yeah. Yeah. I sometimes think she picked Bruce because of his pedigree. But more important that any of that madness is you. I miss you,” he says earnestly. You gulped.

It was painful. He called you everything you worried about. Nothing but a toy. A distraction.

“I really really miss you. Because I-“ he struggled to speak. “I love you,” Damian finally said. He had never said that one. He had always danced just beside those words.

“Dami,” you said cautiously.

“I love you. And I always have,” he said holding your hand. You didn’t pull away. “Please let me make it up to you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“I- I don’t know,” you said feeling yourself fall under his spell.

“Please,” he whispered leaning towards you. You leaned in as well. His pretty green eyes stared at you, pleading. You couldn’t say no to him either.

“Okay,” you said. Damian gently, like he might break you, gave you a kiss. He pulled back to look at your face for any reaction. You had a little smile before giving him another kiss.

[whenwordsmakesense]

<- The Cursed Boy AU part 2 ->

Tagging @suis0u because this has been inspired by her post. (Go check it out! Also, read the first part of this series of ficlets).

It took them almost the entire day to empty only the unused guestrooms.

"I am never agreeing again to anything you say," Laura complained as she fell back on the victorian-era couch, groaning like a dying whale and being generally annoying. Derek pushed her away. "I'm tired!"

"So am I," he settled in the empty space that he'd created, and pushed Laura further away until he was satisfied with the amount of space he claimed on the admittedly gorgeous couch. Laura was a lump at his side, but at least she was tired enough to not retaliate back.

Uncle Peter smirked at them from his own claimed spot on the opposite couch. "It was your idea to come here," he told them, and Laura lazily raised her fingers towards Derek. Derek pushed her grimy hands away from his face. Uncle Peter rolled his eyes. "Derek's idea," he amended, and continued, "Think of this as exercise. You need to work those muscles somehow, and I doubt you can do that while staying at home and doing whatever it is you do at home."

"I blog," Derek grumbled. Laura snorted beside him.

"Right, if that's what you want to call it."

"I know about your destiel—"

Laura leaped at him, and Derek and her tumbled off of the couch and onto the cold marble floors of the living room.

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Laura hissed at his face, and Derek tried his level best to force her away from him. He didn't succeed, unfortunately.

"Children. I promised Talia I would send you back home in one piece," Uncle Peter sounded amused, and Derek knew he would be of no help.

"She started it!"

"Oh, like you actually blog about stuff! All you do is create art—"

Uncle Peter perked up at that, as he most often did around Derek when he learnt of something interesting. Even his mother did that. It was weird at first, but after he knew why, it was sad.

"That is blogging! I blog about art," Derek insisted, and shoved Laura away. She didn't move that far, and was back on him in an instant.

"You blog about fanfiction," Laura bit out, and Derek clawed her hip, the only place he could reach. She yelped.

"It's not my fault your writing is so bad that nobody follows you or interacts with you,"

"Take that back! Derek, take. That. Back."

It felt like Derek's sixteenth birthday all over again. Laura had been jealous of him because their parents gave him a Camaro while she'd only gotten a shitty Toyota, but to be fair Derek hadn't flunked his grades and sneaked out thrice while being grounded.

Mercifully, uncle Peter intervened.

"All right. Enough." He pulled them apart with ease, armed with the experience of several years on how to conduct with the two of them. "Laura. You take your mother's old room in the East Corridor, and you take the room in the West."

Laura smirked at him. Derek glared at his uncle.

"Those are the guest rooms! We just emptied them out,"

"Not all of them. Now, go."

He grumbled at being relegated to the 'bad' rooms, but really, he was just curious as to why one of the guest rooms was purposefully left for him. Something in Derek roared in anticipation, like this was the first step towards something big and important, the same way he felt the pull towards that locked door.

He hadn't been able to think about anything else for most of the day, mind drifting back towards the door again and again; he couldn't help it. There was just... something, that pulled at him, made him want to run and howl, a pull so strong that for one brief moment he had actually mused that the moon itself was lost in there, alone in a place that used to be so full of life, once. But Laura hadn't seemed bothered, and as much as Derek hates to even think that Laura can be right, he knows that she's right to call him a drama king.

He found the room easily enough, and he dreamt to be like his uncle someday, smart and conniving, and not a simpleton fool that he is. He doesn't know how uncle Peter hid the biggest room out of all the guest rooms—possibly even the actual bedrooms—from two werewolves, but he did, and now Derek's jaw is on the floor because this bedroom is gorgeous.

This room hasn't been painted a soft cream color like the others, it still has the stone walls, but unlike the rest of the non-renovated house these walls are plain, like they've been maintained delicately over the years that no one has lived here in, and Derek loves it in a way he can't explain. He's always loved beautiful things, but more than that he's loved the potential of beauty; here, right here in this room, he can feel that potential in waves.

The bed is big enough for two people, and Derek imagines sleeping here with the love of his life wrapped in his arms, imagines the moonlight falling through the window right above the window to fall on them, the way it would capture them, and enrapture Derek; he imagines late night discussions of things as mundane as how each other's day went, and as intimate as what they hope from the future. Derek imagines a lifetime of beauty and love and gentleness in this room, something so out of the left field that he isn't sure why he is out of breath: is it because of the voice in his mind that says he won't find someone so special, or because he is too deep in his fantasy that he is seeing a vivid image of a man waiting on the bed for him, a sudden thing that roots itself in his heart?

Derek shook his head, tried to focus again on the beauty of the room. It's simple in design, something pure, but it meant a lot to him, like there's a history here that he can't read but can understand anyways, like seeing art and feeling the emotions behind it even if he didn't know the story behind it.

He is tired, though, exhausted even, and he doesn't believe he can stand any longer. So, he stripped off his clothes, put them on the top of the drawer that stood in a corner—amber eyes, a soft smile, dotted skin that Derek wants to run his lips through—he shook his head, too tired to even dwell on the sudden but familiar image in his head, and promptly slid onto the bed in only his boxers.

He couldn't wait to explore the Castle tomorrow, but for now he slept.

[story-collector]

The Family We Chose

Part 4

I am so sorry about the delay...I literally have no excuse. I was literally just ignoring that I needed to type this.

I’m only planning about six chapters so I have two more after this. Depending on how I feel I’m going to start taking requests for little side one shots. My ask box is open I believe. Also sorry for how short the last chapter was, I kinda covered all I had in that much and my style of writing isn’t the most descriptive and then over descriptive in other place....idk, but feed back is welcome and I will do my best to meet your expectations! (Note: I will not change anything at all what so ever if you try to gatekeep)

⚠️Small trigger warning for sexual harassment ⚠️

16

The attacks from the League of Assassins became harsher and harsher. We got away with more wounds and more scars. People started to question. Outings were harder, so much crime was passed over because we were to busy fighting the League and protecting Damian. We mourned everyone we missed and doubled our patrols. But exhaustion set in, and during one of the times we were all asleep or not there, Damian slipped away.

We searched for him for months while still fighting crime and villains almost every single day. The Akumas got worse and then we realized that the League of Assassins had left and we cried together.

He had left the turtle miraculous in my hand when he left. I had woken up to his absence and the bracelet slipping from my grasp. I put it on and hadn’t removed it since. We had become more vicious with the Akumas as they got harder and we found no signs of Damian. People noticed and for awhile they were scared and tried even harder to not feel. We don’t like to think of that time.

As four months with no signs we left off searching. We still kept an eye out but between regular patrols, school, Akumas (and now the Amoks), and work, we didn’t have as much time to look as we did before. I cried the day we had to stop searching and spent hours looking at the photos of him and the rest of the team. We cried ourselves to sleep many times during this year.

For awhile we disappeared into our work. People grew concerned for us as it reflected both in our superhero life and our civilian life. The people realized that their superhero team had lost something but they didn’t quite know what as Damian was only a rumor and ghost to the people. This year was a dark spot to our reputation but not one we were faulted for.

During this year a new kid came to our class, her name was Lila Rossi and she was the devil incarnate. She was a lying manipulative bitch. None of us liked her, not with her lies about us and the way she twisted the class. She trapped Adrien, his dad forcing him to be with her as she modeled for Gabriel. Adrien was Ace, and he hated her. He didn’t like the way she touched him, the way she grabbed him, the way she tried to advance on him. The way she tried to force him.

We tried to keep him away from her and the class didn’t like it. They thought I was jealous and that we were the bullies. They fell so deep for her lies that we didn’t think they would ever really get out of that pit. They sacrificed their futures for her lies. Not to brag but we were already so much ahead of them. We didn’t lay down out plans for a lie of a better chance. It was still disheartening to see how much they gave up for a lier.

One person didn’t fall for her lies. Alix continued to stay by our side. And as such after a few months we brought her into the team. At first we thought she would be good for the bunny miraculous, but the tiger fit her much better. She quickly bonded with Roaar, the two causing a lot of mischief and bringing needed joy to our lives. She had never met Damian but she still mourned with us and stayed by our side as we adjusted to life without him.

Elsewhere

“Come along Damian. We shouldn’t keep your father waiting.”

I glared up at the woman that gave birth to me. No, I didn’t think of her as my mother. She and the rest of the league had tried to hurt and kill the people I considered family.

I quickly shoved the memories away, it wouldn’t do good to cry in front of The Talia Al-Ghul. We were fleeing the temple, my grandfather having lost his life in the recent attack. I found I didn’t feel as much sorrow as I thought I would. I stepped onto the boat and rushed to my room and locking the door.

I slid to the floor and just stared at the ceiling. No news had come out of Paris about my family. It was like the miraculous team and Hawkmoth didn’t exist to the outside world. What mattered was that I knew. I knew how hard they fought to protect their city and how hard they would take it when they couldn’t save someone.

I refused to think of how hard they had taken my disappearance. It would be better and safer for them in the long run. I still missed them so much but at least they would die or get injured because they were protecting me again. I felt the boat start to move and sighed before standing and going to the window.

“I’m sorry for leaving, but at least you’re safe.”

Taglist

@buginetye @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @dood-space @silvergold-swirl

[chbslove]

i am steter trash so i wrote an au where stiles is a spark that lives in the forest because he killed his dad in an accident back when he was a kid and couldn't control his magic and his moms family was just made up of mages and he is the first one to actually be a born spark with loads of power so she raises him and teaches him everything she knows

and in this au sparks are being hunted and put down like animals so claudia builds a house in the forest with stiles where he can live and study magic on the land of their family and after she dies stiles moves there.

(and yes hes a lot older in this because it makes me antsy to write about eighteen year old stiles and adult peter. sorry. I'm a pussy okay.)

and stiles meets his gang! and scott is a dryad, lydia is a mermaid, jackson and danny are mermen (and jackson and danny are together by the way), i planned allison as a regular human that meets scott on a walk in the woods and falls in love with him later in the story because the hale fire storyline is still happening, and kira is an ancient kitsune who also lives in the forest and is good friends with stiles, and erica, boyd, isaac, liam, theo etc are not there yet but thats cause stiles is pretty alone.

he just minds his own business and takes care of the dryads and meets fairies (who live in the forest) and makes a deal with them that they'll stop screwing around with humans and stay in the forest and he'll protect them and take care of them because sparks are powerful and the fairies appreciate that instead of being afraid of him.

and stiles just does his thing for a couple of years until the fairies go a little bit too far and peter hale, who is stupidly a little too far in the forest on his patrol, gets caught in a storm they cause and gets lost in the woods, and he finds stiles' house and stiles takes him in and gives him dry clothes and then guards him back so peter won't get himself fairy'ed

and then a week passes and stiles is kind of anxious peters family will tell him to fuck off the woods (even though it's stiles' heritage to take care of the forest, the hales just live there) and then: the actual plot

a little apple dryad tells him scott found a dying fairy. this fairy apparently told scott in her dying breath something wolfish killed her, and stiles wrongly thinks peter and his family did that, and he goes to find scott to ask him about it, but scott is just gone. stiles can't find him and gets worried and checks his wards, and when he gets to the wards around the hale property, he meets laura. he asks her if she's seen scott, and she saw him going back into the forest, but stiles still can't find him.

laura leaves and stiles finds the ward to their territory broken, and it stinks like druid, so he figures it was this deaton guy because werewolves aren't sneaky like that.

stiles visits lydia (because he still can't find scott and lydia knows how to calm him down) and finds out jackson and danny saw a monster while making out under the surface of their lake and from then stiles knows that the hales have got nothing to do with this because what lydia describes Is Not a werewolf.

so he gets pissy, and then ultimately is enraged when he finds a dead stag this monster killed, and because he's pissy he visits the hales to tell talia he's rightfully going to kill their emissary for being a bitch and breaking his wards and letting some monster walk his territory.

and talia is all "what the fuck how do i not know you." and stiles is all internally "i see my darling peter kept his promises" and then he's internally like "wait fuck i'm not really in love with this guy am i" and then he's like "oh. OH."

and talia convinces him not to kill deaton because shes awesome and stiles grumpily agrees because... not agreeing would be a dick move and it would mean. War. Basically.

so the hales offer their help looking for scott and stiles finds this monster thing on his search and its a wendigo yay, and scott has been following this thing around for days now because he's a dumbass and wanted to help, and they bro out

and the hales and stiles kill this thing, which means magic action. and stiles is awesome. and everyone knows that now.

what follows is just steter get-to-know-eachother and the hale pack are the biggest wingmen (wingpeople) ever and there's fluff and magic and a lot of flowers because stiles is a person that can't for the life of him say the words "i love you" and gets incredibly anxious when people say "i love you" so he mostly displays his feelings for peter in hanakotoba, the traditional japanese flower language that kira taught him, and peter eventually catches onto that and they get together in a load of angst and fluff and they have sex. because of course they have loads of sex. bold of you to think peter can keep his hands off stiles for longer than a day and likewise.

and there is like a load of stiles/hale pack friendship dynamics because i love them all and then suddenly yeehaw. hale fire.

So paige has already happened in this timeline before stiles and peter met, and derek still meets kate and she does her scum thing and uses him. a bunch of hunters show up to the hale house, shoot them with wolfsbane bullets and gather them so they can burn together.

stiles wakes up in a rush because something bad is happening to his wolves but then his eyes fall closed again and he can't get out of bed for a solid time because someone freaking poisoned him and he's fevering and weak and everything is dizzy, but he forces himself up because something. bad. is happening. to his. wolves. he stumbles into his kitchen and almost dies right there and then, because the poison is wolfsbane and he feels like he got tons of it shoved down his throat by the person that poisoned him. his life starts flashing in front of his eyes and he fights back at it and vomits the wolfsbane out, believes it out of his system and when it's gone, he's just left raging.

because i hate kate, stiles loses control when he meets her at the hale house and kills her. he gets the pack and gets them out of the house, breaks the mountain ash circle and they leave. the hales can't go back to their house because the place is swarming with hunters

and peter and stiles figure out it was deaton who told kate everything she needed to know to set this trap and the mountain ash circle also stinks like druid, so deaton gets revealed as being the bad guy all along. stiles figures that he also poisoned him so he wouldnt interrupt, and that deaton wanted thalias alpha spark. the wendigo was a test and deaton put it there on purpose to see how strong stiles was and if he would care about the hales, because deaton knew stiles would feel the hunters killing them and ever since peter and stiles got together the druid knew he would have to murder him too to get the hales dead.

and stiles is just half feral in his wrath and the aftermath of the wolfsbane poisoning, and derek is sobbing and muttering about this being all his fault, and peter has two bullets stuck in his knees and has to be held up by his niece and his brother-in-law, and every one of them is shot and hurt and crying and talia does her best to comfort derek while shaking as well

and stiles just closes his eyes. takes a deep breath. and takes care of his family-in-law, because fuck if he isnt gonna marry peter after this. he takes them in, gives them clean and comfortable clothes, patches them up, lets them shower, yeets his living room so they have space for a big puppy pile, gives them food and water to drink and then draws a ward around his house that is strong enough deaton won't be able to find them unless he sells his soul to the king of hell.

when he's done with that, he locks the hales in and asks kira to take care of them and make sure they're okay while he's gone. she agrees and stiles goes and because he's angry and kind of more dark than i let slip until now so he just. slaughters the hunters that are left. and he enjoys it.

then he shows up to chris argents house, shocks the living hell out of allison because he's still covered in blood and ash, and goes talk to gerard, who is there for alibi purposes. he just flatly tells the truth and asks gerard how many times they've done this now. and the second the old man lets slip the hales weren't the first, stiles goes full Older Derek Hale Mode and slams him against a wall to threaten the living shit out of the man.

by threaten i mean he says that he'll kill him and there's nothing the guy can do about it, cause stiles will find him, no matter how far he runs. yknow bamf dark stiles shit. i am living for writing this scene right now bye

and then he looks at chris and allison. allison looks scared out of her mind and then she asks if thats true. if her family really did something like that. and chris has to look her square in the eye and tell her through gritted teeth that, altough he didnt know about this, yes, they did that to innocent people.

and stiles looks at chris and gives him a nod, because he knows the guy can get this right, he knows allison is strong and fierce and will be fine no matter what. he looks at gerard and sneers at him in disgust. then he leaves like the dramatic bitch he is, but not without ensuring chris will clean this mess up and make an alliance with talia.

he goes back to the house and the only one still awake is peter, and stiles breaks down completely, covered in blood from head to toe and scared out of his mind too. peter holds him, gently leads him into the shower, and helps him get cleaned up, washes his hair, picks out clothes for him, and they go to sleep together.

then, recovery. stiles organizes therapy for derek because lord knows the boy needs it, he nurses the hales healthy, shows them around in the house, they meet his friends, cora and lydia take a particularly special interest in each other, scott is sad because allison broke up with him but stiles visits the argents and talks to her a lot and they become friends too, and he knows scott will get over her eventually, just as she's getting over him.

and stiles shows the hales his life for a while until everyone is recovered, and then they go back to the hale house that he cleaned up already (because, uh, corpses had to be buried, floors had to be cleaned from blood and the smell of magic and mountain ash had to be erased)

and then peter proposes to stiles and they have a beautiful wedding by the lake where cora can talk to lydia, and derek ends up talking to scott quite a lot because scott is nervous and sweet and falls head over heels for the quiet werewolf, and guess who allison ends up with? nobody. because allison is fucking awesome and in the hunter business and she takes it upon her to start cleaning up the community and goes against hunters that are like her aunt just killing innocent people and a relationship with anybody would just be annoying. maybe she realizes she isnt even into relationships, i don't know that yet. aro ally would be interesting, dude.

And then in the end stiles goes to live with the hales and they mend their territory together so he can still visit his friends and he leaves the house to cora who eventually moves there as an adult so she can live with lydia. he and peter move out as well and they go back to town when stiles is ready, because he's lived so freaking long in the fear someone will hunt him down and kill him for his power, and now everything is peaceful. so he puts down his weapons, stops fighting, and lives happily ever after.

and has loads of sex with peter. just because.

[daemoninwhiteround2]

Damian is a jealous little shit when it comes to Jason and his milk. He doesnt like to share him in ANY way when he is nursing. That means that besides from hogging the milk from the rest of the pack, he also wants his undivided attention and affection. He has bitten Jason before to draw his attention back to him whenver any other member of the pack "distracts" him while nursing. At this point Jason has given up. Theres no fixing that kid

Could you please do more mama Jason breast feeding Damian? Maybe before and after they left the League?

Dami is a possesive and jealous little shit over Jasons milk. He doesnt give a shit that he is no longer a little pup and the milk changed its composition, no longer meant for his nutrition but to strengthen pack bonds. He gives no fucks. It was his first and he will be damned if he has to share it. Also thats his Umm'i. The omega that raised him. He doesnt give a shit that he is pack Omega (and the ONLY omega on the pack) Jason was his first. Dami literally has growled at Bruce over his milk

Things...

drift.

Everything happens but none of it catches his attention.

Life flows past him and he is like a stone, unmoved, removed, only ever an observer.

And then

Her.

The one static image in a sea of colour and sound.

Bright green eyes and dark hair.

There’s...

something.

He should ... something.

It flows out of reach and he remains.

And then

Him.

Small, soft.

Warm and heavy in his arms.

Smells like everything good and right in the world.

She does something, shifts him close, and

Wet

Pull

Hurts?

No. 

Is ... right.

Only thing that has been right for...

He cuddles him close and allows the world to drift past them both.

--

Jason only comes to movie night because he twisted one ankle, broke the other and was taken to the Manor against his will and now, since they’ve dumped him in the rumpus room on the second floor, he literally can’t leave. 

“You’re a shit,” he tells Dick, who is not even vaguely attempting to hide his delight as he sticks throw pillows in and around Jason.

It isn’t pulling at his nesting instincts. It isn’t.

“I know you are but what am I?” Dick sing-songs back as he slides another pillow beneath Jason’s ankle. He’s managed to wedge them between a five pillow structure taking up the entirety of the footstool Jason has his feet propped up on; his ankles are definitely raised and also he definitely can’t move his legs without toppling everything.

Even if Jason wanted to get up, he doubts he could struggle out of pillow hell before it all comes falling down and he suffocates to death for a second time.

“Christ, how old are you again?”

“Old enough to know better than to go running around on the street after Freeze has iced it over.”

Hmm. Dick’s got him there.

“Besides,” Dick continues, “it’s been forever since we’ve all hung out.”

Jason pointedly looks around the otherwise empty room. “Yeah, just you, me, and all your friends.”

“Ha ha, Jason, you’re hilarious.” Dick actually has the audacity to roll his eyes. “I mean, Bruce sent Damian back a couple of hours ago, since it’s a school night, and Tim didn’t go out at all, he’s got a big presentation at W.E. tomorrow! So we can all hang out together.” He plumps another pillow, stares at it like it holds the secrets to ... well, a happy family. “It’s been a while since so much of the pack’s been together.”

Jason wants to scoff, but Dick’s tone brings him up short. He’s not even sure Dick meant for him to hear it. He sounds ... wistful.

Dick’s really the only one of them who knows what a happy, well-adjusted pack should be. Jason's family was ... the less said the better, Tim’s were distant and then dead, and Damian...

Dick’s the only one of them who knows what pack could be like. Should be like. The rest of them just have ... hopes, dreams, more formed by TV than anything else. Jason gave, gives Dick a lot of shit for being so desperate to play happy families, but he also ... when Dick’s like this, bringing him down, making him face the reality of their heavily-fractured pack seems ... unnecessarily cruel.

“Whatever,” he finally settles on, performatively rolling his eyes as he reaches for the remote. “I get to pick what we watch though.”

Dick grins, bright and blinding, and Jason remembers why people call him the heart of the hero community.

Fuck, he’d be so good at fulfilling an omega’s traditional role for a pack.

 He basically does already because Jason can’t get his fucking shit together and--

Not. Now.

He flips through the channels, ignores Dick darting in and out, bringing more and more blankets and pillows as he does. By the time Jason’s given up and settled on some random movie, Dick’s herded Tim and Damian into the room. 

Dick settles down on a loveseat close to Jason, not close enough that he feels crowded but not far enough that it’s a snub. Jason ... doesn’t know how to deal with that display of thoughtfulness, so he shoves it under the rug in his mind and glances at his other packmates brothers fellow vigilantes. 

Tim, typically, flops face down into a pile of blankets and pillows and doesn’t move. It’s fairly even odds if he’s already asleep or if he’s going over expense reports in his head.

Damian, on the other hand, shifts his weight from foot to foot, glancing at Dick, at Jason, and at the open expanse of floor. Jason can’t stop himself from tensing up--Damian’s far too disciplined to display such an obvious tell, even after a couple of years of Dick chipping away at the mountain of bullshit Damian was taught by the League.

Dick, of course, notices. “Come sit with me, little D!” he calls and pats the cushion next to him.

Damian tuts and ... sits next to Jason?

Jason shoots him a glance, Damian scowls up at him, looks away and crosses his arms.

Jason chalks it up to Damian not wanting to deal with Dick (which, mood) and focuses on the TV.

--

A warm weight nestles against his side, and Jason blinks back to reality.

“What’s up?” he keeps his voice just loud enough to be heard, hopes to not disturb the others--Dick’s head definitely tilts in their direction, for all he doesn’t actually seem to look over.

“Hungry,” Damian grunts.

Jason pointedly tilts his head at pillow hell. “Can’t exactly help you with that, kid.”

Damian tuts. “Yes you can. You did before.”

Jason freezes. He’s never been really certain that Talia had him interacting with Damian before he took a tip in the worst-reviewed jacuzzi in the world--knows for sure they didn’t after, but when he’d been allowed in the excuse of a nest he’d managed to construct, he’d smelt something like...

That would explain ... a lot.

“I don’t know what you-”

Damian cuts him off. “You’re an omega, aren’t you?”

Dick’s definitely looking at him. The skin on the back of Jason’s neck crawls. “Yes, but-”

“You’re still an omega.”

And with that, Damian shoves Jason’s shirt up to his armpits and latches onto his closest nipple.

Jason nearly shrieks, nearly shoves Damian away, but then he sucks, and

and

he

remembers.

Warm and heavy.

Smelt like everything good in the world.

“Damian,” he murmurs. He feels like he’s just got a 2x4 to the face without the helmet in the way. He feels like he’s been punched in the gut by Bane. He feels like

He feels like...

He...

He lowers his hand until he cups the back of Damian’s neck. Damian crawls forward, doesn’t lift his mouth, and awkwardly curls up into Jason’s lap.

Ever since Jason actually realised he had tits, he’s always found them annoyingly large. He typically wears compression tops and sports bras, the only reason why he’s not is that he’d been planning to go to sleep and he hates wearing one to bed. 

“Guess that explains why,” he says inanely.

Damian’s not actually getting any milk--Jay doesn’t have a pup, for all he babysits Lian, and the pack would have to actively be nursing for him to make milk for them. And yet ... just the action is...

“Little wing,” Dick murmurs from too-close.

Jason turns to look at him, and Dick’s outstretched fingertips brush against his cheek. He freezes, arm still holding Damian close, and stares at his pack’s second.

Dick’s eyes are impossibly blue in the flickering light of the tv.

“Jason,” he says.

Jason ... leans forward, leans into it, but Damian sinks his sharp little baby teeth into his mouthful of tit and snarls all ‘fuck off this omega’s mine’.

Jason reflexively slaps the back of his head, a move he’s seen more than one omega pull on their misbehaving alpha pups.

Dick snorts and backs off, raising his hands like that’ll placate Damian, like they can’t all see the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth (like they all can’t see tears pooling in his eyelashes). “Alright, alright, Damian, he’s all yours.”

Dick settles back in his loveseat and Damian settles down. Not even five minutes later and please-content-happy-happy-happy alpha scent floats over from Dick’s direction.

“Really?” Jason arches an eyebrow at Dick. He ignores the fact that he can’t seem to stop himself from combing his fingers through Damian’s hair.

“Really.”

Dick has no right to sound as happy as he does.

This has no right to ... Jason never expected this. Never deserved this. And yet...

And yet.

[pop-culturereference]

Up High

Characters: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson

Relationship: Damian Wayne and Tim Drake

Summary: After KGBeast shoots Dick, Damian is angry. He even contemplates killing KGBeast. Good thing Tim is there to talk him down. (Even if Damian was tempted to kill the KGBeast, he would not actually do it. idk what DC was thinking with this arc in Teen Titans.)

From the tallest building in Blüdhaven, the city was completely different. Damian sat, dangling and swinging his legs, as the sun rose and shone off of the water in the bay. Up close, Damian knew, the water was murky and clogged with bobbing debris, but the glint of the sun hid that from him when he saw it from all the way up here. It was quiet; the noise of the streets didn’t reach up here—the workers cleaning the streets, the screeching of the metro, the shouting. 

Grayson had taught him to love places like this. Up high, everything was different. Grayson had called it  “a clearer perspective.” He’d told Damian, “I come up here to re-orient myself. You know, Robin, when you’re down there, everything is so up-close and you’re right in the thick of it. The buildings are taller than you, you get shoved and pushed in the crowd, and the streetlamps are just bright enough to show you all the rats crawling out of the sewers.” He’d taken off Batman’s cowl then, and ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s the same thing with being Robin. You have to look at it like this. That way, instead of showing you the rats, the streetlights are like stars.”

Damian had scoffed. At the time, he didn’t believe anything Grayson told him: he wasn’t Damian’s father; his father was dead, and Grayson thought he could replace him. Now, though, he felt like Grayson’s words had seeped down into his bones.

That was good, because Grayson probably wouldn’t be saying any more of that; it was Damian’s duty now to hold onto as much of him as he could. Just after Damian thought he had his brother back, KGBeast had shot him in the head, and he was gone again. That was what brought him up here: he needed a clearer perspective. He itched to kill KGBeast. It scraped at his every thought. He couldn’t go a day without rage crawling in him.

How was any of this fair? First, Damian had died. Then, he came back to life, but Grayson was dead. They’d been reunited and things had miraculously worked out, and Damian had been almost ready to believe that the world was a genuinely good place. But after all that, after things aligning so well, finding hope, KGBeast had ruined it. Grayson deserved better, and KGBeast deserved worse.

Damian kicked his legs harder against the concrete of the building. Above the city like this was the perfect place to make his choice.

Grayson was the one who’d taught him the value of life. He would be disappointed in Damian if he killed the KGBeast. Damian could already picture the look: Grayson standing sternly with his hands on his hips, but sadness and pity in his eyes. Grayson would never make that look again. Grayson was no longer Grayson. 

Something had to be done. The world was unfair, and Damian wasn’t going to wait for it to take away the only good things he had left. Grayson was gone and Ric wouldn’t care; Ric didn’t even like Damian. 

Earlier that day, when they were finally allowed into the hospital after the surgery, Damian planned to tell Grayson about the animals. He always liked hearing about them; he would smile, ask questions, and try to ruffle Damian’s hair, so Damian hoped that it would distract him from the possibility of forced retirement from Nightwing.

“I am teaching Ace how to open doors, he is progressing very quickly. He now fetches my blades for me, even when my door is closed. It was a brilliant-”

“Look. Kid. I’m sorry, I don’t know you, I don’t know your dog, and I don’t care. I’m not Dick. I need you to leave me alone.”

“Do you remember Pennyworth? Last week, he caught Alfred, the cat, in the-”

“What part of leave me alone don’t you understand? I. Don’t. Know. You. I can’t babysit, God,  I’m strapped to a hospital bed! Get! Out!”

Damian had stormed out and come directly to Blüdhaven to get above and away from everything. The tear tracks on his face had long since dried, but he didn’t think he could face everything yet, so even as the sun rose, he stayed. The sunrise was beautiful but cruel. He couldn’t start another day with his family, he could never adjust himself to Ric in Grayson’s stead. 

The world was horrible, and killing KGBeast wouldn’t fix the damage he had done, but the world would be slightly better with him gone. Damian was already a killer; he’d killed more people than he could count, not that he’d ever bothered to keep track. One more wouldn’t make a difference.

When the sun rises above the waterline completely, he thought, I’ll leave, and I’ll track him down and kill him.

Until then, he looked out over the city and tried to find what Grayson saw. 

Damian could almost hear him saying, Don’t worry so much about it, Little D. The point is to not worry.

“Tt. Nonsensical as always,” he replied to the voice in his head. Then, “I,” he started. He quickly looked around, just to double check that he really was alone up here. “I miss you already,” he whispered. He felt the beginning of tears and snot, so he sniffed and blinked until they left.

When the sun left the water, he stood up and turned around to leave, only to see someone else on the other end of the roof.

“Damian,” Drake called. 

“Turn around and jump off, Drake,” Damian called back. He stood with his arms crossed. Had Drake followed him there? Was he going to lecture him? Did his father send him?

“I just talked to Dick,” Drake said, walking closer. That gave Damian pause—did Grayson send Drake? “He told me to leave him alone.” With every word, he stepped forward and he didn’t have to yell so loud to be heard. “And, he told me that he sent you away and that he wasn’t a damn babysitter.”

Drake sounded bitter, so for once they had something in common.

“Tt,” is all Damian could say, unable to even come up with an insult for Drake.

Drake sat down where Damian had been sitting just barely watching the sunrise and patted the concrete next him, motioning for Damian to sit. Damian did not.

“Dick loved to climb up high,” Drake said. “I think it made him feel at home, plus, he always said something about perspective.” He heaved a sigh and craned his head back to look at Damian. The sun glistened off tears in his eyes. “You and I both know that the Dick we saw today was not Dick. One day, he may make it back to himself, but for now… I think it’ll be a bit.” He pulled one leg to his chest and let the other dangle off the edge as he continued, “I know he loved you a lot. I can’t figure out why- I’m sorry, forget I said that last bit. What I’m saying is, even though we haven’t ever gotten along, I want to try. For Dick.”

“Tt.” Damian took a hesitating step toward Drake, then lowered himself down to sit next to him. He refused to look at him, though, eyes on the horizon. Drake moved to pat his shoulder, but Damian grabbed his hand and twisted. “If you try to touch me again, I throw you off.”

“Ha! So endearing. I see now why Dick likes you so much.”

After that comment, they sat in silence for a while. Drake swung his legs like Damian was doing earlier, so Damian very pointedly did not kick or swing his own.

“You know,” Drake said, glancing at Damian from the side of his eye, “I don’t think I ever quite understood Jason until today. Dick was shot, and Bruce does nothing? Weak. Doesn’t Dick deserve more than that, after everything?”

“My father-” Damian starts, defensively, but Drake doesn’t stop at the interruption.

“Then, I realized, I get it. Bruce is right. If we went and killed the KGBeast, that would just continue a cycle of violence. It would just go from generation to generation. Bruce passes it to us, just like Talia passed it to you.”

“My mother-”

“Changing the world isn’t easy, Damian. Especially for us. It always starts with little things like this. If we killed KGBeast, why don’t we kill every criminal? It would be unfair to only kill criminals who only hurt us personally.”

Damian agreed. If he killed the KGBeast, he would have to kill most criminals he met. For the sake of justice and fairness.

Drake sighed and turned his head to Damian, trying to look him in the eyes. Damian still refused to look back, gazing out over the city.

“Not every criminal, not even every murderer, deserves to die,” Drake said. “I stick by this more than ever. I need to, for Dick. God, Damian, when you first showed up, I thought you were hopeless and that we either needed to send you back to Talia or lock you up. You had killed people, and, sorry, but you were an insufferable brat.” He huffed a short laugh. “Still are sometimes.”

“I will push you off.”

“Wait, Damian. Listen, for once. It took years to convince me. Dick kept telling me that it wasn’t really your fault and that I just had to give you a chance. I never really did, and I’m sorry for that.” He took a deep breath. “That’s his legacy. His legacy is you. He loved you and was so proud of you, Damian. And he was right. I hate to say this, but I just needed to give you a chance. What do you say? Will you give me a chance?”

“Tt.”

Drake laughed, a little teary. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

They sat in silence as the sun climbed the sky and the shadows shortened. Damian still itched to kill the KGBeast, but maybe that wouldn’t be justice after all. He had been just about to leave and hunt him down when Drake showed up, but now, he’d thought better of it.

“Drake,” he said.

“Hm?”

“I don’t need babysitting. Tell that to Grayson when you see him next. And, also tell him that...  he was right about perspective.”

[inosuketingz]

the sheets are stained with blood [p.2]

( gif source rafikecoyote )

PART ONE [ PART TWO ] PART THREE PART FOUR Victor Zsasz x fem!Reader Warning: swearing, mentions of sex, violence, blood, spoilers for Birds of Prey Word Count: 1980 A/N: I promise I am not dead I just disappeared. I do plan on extended this fic to like far off places so if you want me to tag you in upcoming parts, feel free to ask!

 Victor’s knife digs deeper into your neck and you groan. His face isn’t an inch away from yours, his breath able to tickle your nose. 

 “I’ve got a special place on my back for you, Night Hex,” Zsasz insists. You roll your eyes. People only started to call Night Hex after your first few encounters with Wonder Woman. It just so happened that they all occurred during the night, and now you’re stuck with that shit hole of a super villain name. 

 You grab onto his arm and he instinctively tries to jerk it away, but your grip is tight as you chant “Mutanter et nos, mutanter et nos, mutanter et nos.” One of the first spells you ever learned- it allows you to swap positions with whoever is in your grasp.

 In the blink of an eye, you are standing where Zsasz stood, holding his knife into his neck. For a second a look of shock and confusion crosses his face until that shit-eating grin returns. 

“Spooky,” he mocks you.

 “I hate to rain on your parade, Mr. Zsasz, but I’m not in the mood to be another one of your slaughter animals.” You pull back, making sure to keep the weapon on you. “Maybe next time, though.”

  He doesn’t move from the wall and you watch him watch you, waiting for him to say something. You two share a moment of silence, VIctor staring you down with hooded eyes.

 You aren’t sure if you should get nervous right now. You could easily overpower him with one one of the plethora of spells you know. But, it’s not like you’re immortal or anything. All it takes is for him to grab the nearest sharp object to gut you- and you’re a goner. 

 “Why the hell are you here?” You question and quickly add “And how the hell did you get into my apartment?” 

 Again, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, you watch him reach into the back pockets of his dress pants and you immediately slam his knife into his shoulder before he can pull anything out. A small, but joyful smile forms on your lips as you stare down at him. Your strength is in your witchcraft, not weapons. When your instinct led you to shove the knife into Zsasz’s skin, you were only about 50% sure you were strong enough to actually hurt him. 

 He looks  up at you as he pulls the object out of him. “You didn’t even let me answer, bitch.” And then he tries to lunge at you. Again- you are a witch. Not a weapons-master nor a body builder. From what you’ve heard about Zsasz, his strength is impressive for a normal human. One punch from him could knock you out. 

 Since you started practicing your witchcraft after turning 18, you found out there were a lot of pros and cons that came with it. Pros are; with the right spell, potion, ritual, or object- you are capable of doing practically anything. Cons are; these things take time. So in cases where a psycho is attacking you with a knife, and you don’t have time to say a three-line spell, you have to act from the top of your head. Usually not the best idea.

 And, in this scenario, as Zsasz’s hand’s only a little a couple of inches away from your face, your brain tells you to raise your leg and slam your foot on his groin as hard as you can. The chunky platform heels you’re wearing help with the effort. 

 Victor stumbles back, dropping the knife to cup his crotch in pain. You lurch for the weapon the second it slips out of his hand and shove Zsasz to the ground, straddling chest as his back hits the floor to keep him from moving. 

 Maybe dealing with Wonder Woman these past few years has its perks.

 Holding the knife up in warning, you repeat yourself “What do you want, Victor?”

 Again, he smiles. “So, you really don’t remember me, huh?” He, again, changed the subject. 

 “What?” You lowered your arm in confusion. “The fuck are you talking about?” A man like VIctor Zsasz is not one you could forget. But, he doesn’t let it go.

 “I mean, sure, it was a couple of years ago, but c’mon. I wasn’t that bad, was I?” He’s amused as he speaks. He knows the more ambiguity he says, the deeper he gets under your skin.

 You watch him chuckle and narrow your eyes in thought. Admittedly, your history is a long and fanatical one. Maybe you did come across Zsasz one time or another.

It's when he continues his monologue that the bulb in your brain finally lights up. “What was the name they gave you? Cosima or some shit?” 

 You struggle to come up with a reply. Cosima? In the least cliche way; you haven’t heard that name in years. Victor laughs at the shocked look on your face. “You do remember!” He feigns appreciation.

 Your parents never took too great of a liking to you. As they raised you and your twin sister, with the knowledge that only offspring becomes a witch, it was clear that they wanted that witch to be the latter, Talia. You couldn’t blame them, of course. You were a little shit, constantly hanging with the wrong crowds and causing chaos around the city. And then, you inherited the powers. They were angry about it. A month later Talia went missing. They became angrier.

 Their favoritism never really bothered you, and you and your sister were actually quite close. You didn’t take your sister’s disappearance well. What started as you stealing a few things from the corner store as a kid turned into sex, drugs, high theft, and more. 

 So, they kicked you out. For the first few months, you couch hopped from friend’s house to friend’s house. At this time, you had almost no experience with magic, so scamming your way through life using witchcraft wasn’t an option. Then, one of your friends proposed a job offer. She worked as a dancer at a gentlemen's club where there happened to be an opening. 

 Workers also got free housing, so you took the friend on her offer. You never imagined that you’d work as a stripper, but at that point- you were desperate for anything. 

 Rich men from all over the world came to the club, one of them being the rich Gotham entrepreneur Vikram Zsasz. He was well into his 40’s and brought with him a couple of employees for his company- as well as his 25 year old son, Victor Zsasz. 

 It was so hard to draw a connection to the Victor who lays cackling on your hardwood floor to the fresh-faced young man who visited that day. He was a completely different person, you wouldn’t have ever remembered it was him had he not mentioned it. 

 The younger Zsasz moved with energy and pride, like some arrogant frat boy. He was attractive, as he still is, with clear skin that lacked the tally marks that plague him now. When your boss escorted you and a few other girls to host the group of men, he was chugging a glass of scotch like juice, his platinum blonde hair styled in a messy side part. 

 You remember his attention always being on you as you sat with the party. You never thought much of it since there was always men and women lusting over you while you danced. His eyes watched you with adoration, unlike the disturbing leers he gives you now.

 You would have declined his offer when he asked you to spend the night with him had he been anyone else. But, he was hot and you were horny so you accepted.

 He was equally as cocky in bed as he was at the gentlemen’s club. He kept telling you to “lay back and let him do all the work”, something you didn’t have a problem with since it wasn’t like you planned on doing shit anyway. He attacked your pussy like he hadn’t eaten in days. The feeling of his tongue swirling against your clit and his fingers deep inside of you had you pulling at his hair. 

 When he inserted himself inside of you, you remember that he was rough. He took you from behind first and held you by your neck as he continuously ordered you to call him “Daddy” and praise his work on you. 

 For about two hours, all that filled the hotel room were your moans, his groans and the sound of your skin slapping against each other. 

 Your face warms and you feel yourself growing wet from the thought. You don’t even notice when he placed his hands on your thighs. 

 “Guess I wasn’t so bad after all, witch.” His voice pulls you out of your thoughts and you’re reminded that the Victor you’re straddling isn’t the boy from your memories. 

 He’s an insane serial killer whose body count of corpses ascends over the Wayne Tower . A devil who lurks the streets of Gotham. One ready to take the lives of any that come too close to him, including you.

 You push yourself off of him. “Don’t call me that, dickhead.” 

 “What else should I call you? My little slut?” He sits up on his elbows and smiles when you roll your eyes. “Or maybe a fucking cocksucker? That’s what you are anyway-”

 “If you’re not here to kill me, stop wasting my time,” you cut him off. He’s trying to get into your head, with his twisted teasing and reminders. You’re not in the mood for any of it. 

  He glances at the stab wound on his shoulder. It wasn’t too deep, but his printed Versace dress shirt is stained with blood. “What, you’re not gonna help with Daddy’s wounds?” He taunts you.

~ ~ ~

 Zsasz moans in comfort as he slips into the bath. His arm was stiff since you actually did wrap his gash on his shoulder. You made sure you tied it too tight, so much so that it almost cut the circulation off his arms. But that didn’t matter. It’s the fact that you did it which he cares so much about it.

 He picks his phone from the pockets of his pants which he tossed on the bathroom floor while getting undressed. He opens the photo app and taps on an untitled folder. In it are images of you, ranging from low quality helicopter shots of your encounters with Wonder Woman to pictures he snapped of you from your apartment window without you knowing.

 When he saw you that day at the club, he was immediately fascinated with your looks. When he returned to Gotham, you were all that took up his mind. He was obsessed, but he lost you. You were hours away, in the dangerous parts of Boston without anyone to watch over you. 

 His parents died a few months after his encounter with you. After that, his depression led him to the gambling addiction where he lost it all to Oswald Cobblepot. He was ready to end it all when he met Roman. By then, he almost forgot about you until your face showed up on nationwide news one day as everyone dubbed you Wonder Woman’s new foe.

 He zooms in on a photo he had taken of you in the shower. Your breasts were nearly in full view, if it wasn’t for the stupid fucking plant you had in there that blocked much of the window. Zsasz smiles.

 He’s lost everything. He lost his parents in the car accident. He lost his fortune in the Gotham casino. He lost Roman to that bitch, Harley Quinn. He’s lost everything. Everything except you.

[dilfdoctordoom]

What would Bette’s first impressions of the Robins be? (Steph included)

Yet another lengthy one, so under the cut we go.

Dick:

Okay, hottest of takes here, but we’re gonna follow the original Bat-Girl origin for Bette (ie. she didn’t become a hero because of Robin)

She does have a crush on Robin, mainly because like... I think she feels that she has to??? If that makes sense???

Bette will do whatever it takes to fit in and she assumes that to fit in, she has to be with Robin. It’s a mess born of extreme insecurities & I don’t think it’d happen is somebody had sat her down and explained... she doesn’t need to

But yeah!!! She does genuinely think she’s cool

Technically her first impression of him is made when she saves him, Batwoman & Batman... she keeps on calling him Damsel after that

He hates it but she thinks it’s funny

As for Dick Grayson...

She thinks Dick Grayson is a dork, but he can do cool flips so maybe he isn’t all bad

Probably one of his first friends in Gotham, if we’re being honest? I think Bruce would’ve wanted someone Dick’s age around him, so Bette got invited over a lot & they became friends eventually

Bette and Dick get along far better than Bat-Girl and Robin, okay, I don’t make the rules. They’re just dumbasses together... absolutely no brain cells... the chaos they unleashed, utterly unparalleled

Jason:

So Bette actually knows he’s Robin, so no weird two first meetings

Bette arrives the second she reads on the Gotham Gazette that Bruce got a kid. How could he not tell her? They’re supposed to be family, she should be informed if she has new family, did you know the kid’s birthday is soon? He’s left her in an awkward position on getting a gift but this is Bette Kane. She is inhumanly persistent

Jason is quizzed on his interests the second she arrives at Wayne Manor. And her arrival is... wow. He didn’t know people could drop glitter with every step but apparently, that’s a superpower beauty pageants give you. Weird.

Oh, you like books? What kind of books? Classical, huh... thank god Bette knows Bruce’s library inside and out, she might actually be able to get him something that isn’t already there

Bette’s general impression of Jason is holy shit, this kid is adorable? Literally so cute? She wants to pinch his lil cheeks. 10/10 excellent decision on Bruce’s part, she will support this

Jason thinks Bette is... a lot. Which she is, to be fair. Not, like, the worst person he’s ever met, but he seriously doubts he’d be able to handle her in large bouts

Tim:

This one is actually kinda fun because I’m headcanoning that they meet before he ever becomes a hero! They’re both a part of Gotham’s elite, they meet before he starts kicking people’s heads in

They’re very formal with each other. The Kanes & the Drakes aren’t exactly close so...yeah

Bette always does kinda try to help him out when she can

She actually ends up being hired as his tutor for a few subjects. It’s a case of unstoppable force, immovable object; Tim Drake’s hatred of school vs Bette Kane’s inability to give up on anything

He does actually end up learning stuff. He places it down to the fear

Bette thinks he’s just a sweet little kid

Tim doesn’t actually find out she was the original Bat-Girl, or that she’s Flamebird until he becomes Robin. He was too focused on Batman and he just... loses his mind when he realizes it. It makes so much sense but also what? What? Bruce explain it huts his head make it make sense but also make it make less sense

Steph:

They first meet when Steph is Spoiler. Bette is Flamebird at the time & they team up to take on the Joker & insult Batman

It is pure unadulterated chaos

Who let this happen? Unclear, but Batman’s already got a migraine & Eddie wishes that this never occurred. He wants to go back to a time before they knew each other

Steph throws bricks, Bette is surprisingly good at riddles, this was a disaster in the making. Have you met them? Can you imagine them working together? God. I fear for Gotham

Bette thinks Steph is super cool... and like, hey, maybe she does relate a little to the whole ‘Batman and Robin disapprove’ thing...

She kinda breaks a lot of rules & tells Steph her identity that night because look. Bette gets how important a proper support system is. If Bruce had been a little more honest with her a little earlier, things in her Bat-Girl era probably would’ve gone better

So Flamebird lets Spoiler know her secret identity. She hasn’t said anything that links her to Bruce or anybody else so it’s probably fine and even if it isn’t... Bette doesn’t see it as a bad thing if a kid that wants to do good knows where to find more help

The next morning, Stephanie Brown meets up with Bette Kane for waffles and is taught the importance of being underestimated, how to weaponize it

Damian:

Bruce is dead. They both go to his funeral but they don’t meet then

Bette goes completely silent for a week after his death and then she shows up at Wayne Manor, the entirety of the Gray Ghost in hand

As far as she knows, Bruce is never gonna get to show his son this and that’s... not fair, in her mind

So they watch it together. Sometimes Damian paints, sometimes one of his pets is there, but most of the time, it’s just the two of them

It takes him a while to start talking to her. His information on Bette Kane doesn’t paint an overly flattering picture and he’s extremely dismissive of her, but also, Dick’s been changing how he sees things and she’s actually trying to let him know Bruce, not Batman

Sometimes, completely unprompted, she’ll tell him stories about his father. It’s never about Batman (because that wasn’t all her cousin was and his son deserves to know that), always Bruce Wayne. The Bruce that she knew, not the playboy facade

He... he isn’t mad about it. It’s different from anything that Dick or Talia has ever told him

Robin V & Flamebird don’t ever work together but. The second he’s in danger, in genuine danger, and Dick has sent out the call... she’s there

I wouldn’t say Bette is in the best place when Damian arrives (her cousin is dead, like, that’s gonna hurt) but she sees a kid that needs help and that overrides everything else. Besides, Bruce would be disappointed in her if she didn’t give Dick a little assistance

She sees a lot of her cousin in him and it takes her a while not to be awkward about it

It takes a lot of time, but eventually, they do get along much better and aren’t always so silent around each other

Duke:

Duke is Bette’s favourite Robin, even if she first meets him when he’s the Signal

Like, sorry, there’s absolutely no doubt about this. He’s got cool light powers, she loves that he doesn’t take Bruce’s shit and she just... she thinks he’s awesome, you know?

Sometimes she’ll help him patrol during the day. It’s actually what gets her back into the Flamebird costume, it’s a lot of fun

They have a different dynamic than any of the ones she has with the other Robins for a lot of reasons. Like, it’s never gonna be how it is with the first three, because Bette is so much older now. It’s not gonna be how it was with Steph, because she & Steph bonded over how Batman and Robin shoved them aside. Damian is Bruce’s kid and that added a different element to their dynamic

But Duke. Duke’s got this light in him and Bette is fiercely protective of him. They have a different dynamic -- because Bette has seen what usually happens to Robins, to anyone that wore that mantle. She won’t see it happen again

[mrsgaryrennell]

Random Question Tag #2

I’m Latina so it’s expected of me to arrive late to anything 💀 gorgeous @ariendiel​​ tagged me 🥺 I’m so sorry sis, I didn’t get a chance to do this until now 😭 

1. Tim or Bobby? 

Tim lol I’m sorry guys. I think Tim is superior 😬

2. Choose two Islanders (from any season) to be quarantined with, and why? 

Talia and Priya, my two queens 😌 I know it’d be super fun and have girls night all the time haha 

3. How/when did you discover the game? 

Noel Miller on June 2019 🤡 

4. If you could rewrite a scene, what scene would you rewrite? 

Omg 💀there’s so many haha Hmm, I’d say re-writing the mean tweets lol So instead of revealing the Lottie/Gary kiss, it would reveal the MC/Gary kiss. Show Lottie that Gary still interested in MC 💅🏼I hate how they played it out to be a secret but it was never revealed 😑 

5. Favourite challenge? 

I wasn’t really fond of the challenges lmao but if I had to choose one, it’d be the baby challenge 🥺it was so cute 

6. If you could put/ship two Islanders together, who would you put together and why?

Ooooh I like this question lol and I’ve thought about it haha I’d put Lucas and Priya together. I think they’d get each other a lot with their ambitions and they look hot af together too 🥵 

I also think that Chelsea and Henrik would make a great couple tbh They’re both so sweet and adorable. I can see Henrik really trying his best to make Chelsea happy by doing anything she wants to do lol 💛💛

7. Describe your ideal S3 LI. 

Pedro Pascal lol I would love a suave Latino LI okay I know he’d be a heartthrob 🥴

Fusebox better make Dicky into a LI otherwise Imma cry 

8. New or old Hannah? 

You really making me choose between the two huh lol ugh alright. Um, old!Hannah Montana was tolerable I guess. I still think she was annoying whether she’s the old or new Hannah 🙄

9. Who was dumped too soon? 

I think Lurik was dumped too soon, along with Priya. I think they should’ve stayed longer and it was a missed opportunity to really dive into the character’s growth. 

10. Jakub or Felix? 

Hah, wow. Y’all really be testing my answers here lol I would choose Felix 🤢but I wouldn’t tolerate him for that long 😂

11. Henrik or Lucas? 

Agh this question is kinda hard to answer. So I am physically more attracted to Lucas. He’s very handsome but his personality is not for me. He seems too stern and serious lol Just overall, his personality is a turn off for me 🤷🏻‍♀️

And with Henrik, I’m not totally into his physical appearance but I LOVE his personality lol He’s def a sweetheart, super chill, and funny. Knowing me, I do go for personality more haha so I’d choose Henrik 💛

12. Jo or Hope? 

Easy. I’d go for Jo. A lot of people don’t like her and I’ll be honest, I don’t think she’s all that bad 👀people def gonna come for me haha I know a lot of them don’t like Jo fsr

13. Lottie or Priya? 

Come on now lol Priya 💯She will always have my loyalty. She was the first girl there never judged MC’s interest for any guy in the villa. Lottie can shove her hypocrite girl code bs up her ass 

14. What originally drew you to your LI? 

So, I think a lot of people are not gonna believe me when I say that I wasn’t totally attracted to Gary physically at the beginning. I didn’t have MC couple up with him at the beginning 💀But his personality, being a total softie, and being family-oriented turned me into a Gary stan 😭😭😭🤧 

15. Favourite LI of all time (both seasons)? 

I was never attached to the S1 characters tbh But my biased ass is gonna say that Gary is truly the best LI of both seasons. You literally get a little bit of everything with him. You get a bit of a slow burn if you think about it. He knows he’s into MC but he’s still trying to let go of his lad ways of life lol Until CA hits, he’s determined to pursue MC. I do believe that out of all LI’s, Gary’s the one that falls the hardest for MC. Just the gem scenes alone really show how mesmerized he is of her 😭But yeah, you get drama, romance, funny scenes with Gary, extreme fluff, his backstory, sexy and playful gems scenes. It’s a great route 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

16. Favourite scene/day? 

Idk why but I loved the day MC and Gary got to meet the fam 🥺🥺🥺Same day he also asked her to be his girlfriend. Such as wholesome day tbh, I love it! 

17. Who had the best character development? 

Again, my biased ass haha I think Gary has the best character development, hands down. How he opened up about his mental health to MC like I wasn’t expecting that from FB so I love them for giving our Garebear that in-depth backstory about having bullies as a child, his dad leaving, and having body image issues. Just like, omg 😭At first sight, he just looks like a very confident man but underneath all that, there’s heavy layers 🤧

18. One thing that irked you about the game?

Hah, Lottie. I hate that whenever Lottie criticized MC, MC couldn’t say shit. She couldn’t clap back and MC looked like a rag in the villa. I wish MC had the opportunity to put her in her place, especially during the Gary route. We sort of got that when R!Hannah came over but I just felt like it wasn’t enough 🙄I just wanted MC to tell everyone’s truths at some point 

19. Season 1 reunion or Season 2 wedding? 

I think S2 wedding was better but it’s still not that great lol 

20. Describe domestic life or a head-canon about/with your LI. 

After the show, Gary took MC to meet his nan 🥺And Gary’s family loves MC to death. They def moved in together lol MC and Gary argue about him not picking up after himself cuz he’s a slob 😂I also think MC teaches Gary how to cook because she ain’t gonna be doing everything around haha 

21. Guess some of the Islanders surnames? 

Girl, idk lol I’m not good at any of that. 

I seriously don’t know who to tag lmao anyone is free to do it 😌 It was a lot of fun! 

[our-happygirl500-fan]

I would like to take a moment to discuss possible Rogues and Villains for Stephanie Brown outside her dad because Steph has faced a lot of bad guys from Penguin to Victor Zazz and there are even villains that she hasn’t faced that would have a really cool dynamic against Steph I’m going to be combining both preboot and reboot continuity because Steph is badass and has kicked a lot of ass:

The Riddler: There’s a lot of potential here for Nygma to be one of Steph’s main Rogues simply because of the huge amount of history that he has with the Brown family, Cluemaster was called ‘a Riddler knockoff’ multiple times by fans and even in comics and Nygma has tried to kill Arthur multiple times for the man ‘stealing his bit’ however despite their almost rivalry Ed seems to respect Arthur even going so far as to want to work with him, and the Riddler even stayed at Arthur’s house for a period of time during which Steph had to call him “Uncle Ed”, it would have been really interesting to play with the Riddler’s connection to the Brown family especially if you think of the Riddler maybe even being what inspired Cluemaster in the first place you could say that he helped shaped the Brown families entire lives. Also when Steph went to his house the first thing Nygma did was give Steph apple juice and it would have been really cool for DC to play around with Batgirl (or Spoiler or whoever Steph is at the time) fighting the Riddler and then Edward Nygma acting like a weird uncle to Stephanie Brown.

Scarecrow: This should be obvious considering the Scarecrow was the first villain Steph ever faced as Batgirl but what’s really cool about him being in her rogue gallery is that Scarecrow is god damn terrified of Stephanie Brown both in preboot and reboot simply because Stephanie does not let her fear control her and she is able to power through any fear with determination and hope.

The Penguin: Steph god damn hates the Penguin as seen when Cass and Steph faced him in his Robin run. Oswald represents what Steph hates most about Gotham, the corrupt that use people and let them turn to crime and then let them take the fall. Penguin has escaped the law so many times simply because he has money and that infuriates Steph and it would really be interesting to see Steph face Penguin and his corruption as she herself grows and becomes for mature and controlled. We almost got to see some of that back when Steph came back from the dead and she was spy on Penguin and sabotaging him but that was later dropped.

 Deathstroke: Slade was once one of Dick’s primary antagonists though we haven’t seen them interact in a while but I was always incredibly disappointed that we didn’t see Slade interact with Dick much during the Batman reborn era, here is someone who Dick has faced since he was Robin and I’m supposed to believe that Slade doesn’t take an interest in Batman Dick and his Batgirl and Robin? Slade might take Dick becoming Batman as Dick being ‘all grown up’ especially since he has his own ‘sidekicks’ Batgirl and Robin. Steph is the Batgirl to Dick’s Batman (and I will always wish that DC showed the dynamic between Steph, Dick and Damian more just for it’s mountains of potential), but most importantly Batman Dick is primarily the Batman to Steph’s Batgirl, (Bruce and Steph only got to work together a few times before the reboot) and Dick chose Damian to be Robin so in a sense Damian and Steph are primarily Dick’s sidekicks the same way Dick and Barbara were to Bruce back in the day and I could definitely see Slade taking an interest in Damian and Steph primarily as a way to get to Dick and then getting interested in Damian and Steph themselves. We’ve seen a bit of this with Damian after the reboot the rivalry we once saw with Slade and Dick now being shown with Slade and Damian but we never got to see Slade and Steph interaction and I really do think he would have ended up rather interested in her not only because out of all the Robins she is the one most like Dick personality wise to the point where even Bruce compared the two and why I think writers like to hint at Nightwing being Steph’s future the same way they hint at Batman being Cass’s but Steph also has an impressive tenacity and ability to adapt and think on her feet that I think even Slade would have been impressed by. Also Slade hurt Steph’s best friend and she should get to punch him in the face for it.

The Joker: The Joker has a connection to almost all the Bats and despite them never actually interacting Steph is no exception. Not only does Steph have a connection to the Joker through Barbara her mentor who has expressed fear at the possibility of Steph facing the Joker but the Joker also has expressed interest in Stephanie herself. Robin Steph is quite simply ‘the one that got away’ to the Joker, she died by someone else’s hand before he could even face her and than infuriates in considering he believes he is Batman’s greatest foe. Joker has tried to kill Black Mask several times for killing Steph because he believes killing Robins is ‘his job’ and with out killing Steph no matter how many Robin’s or Batgirls he hurts or kills he’ll always be one behind. However Joker knows that the Red Hood is the Robin that he killed and if the Robin that he killed can come back maybe the Robin he didn’t get to kill can also come back and if he ever makes the connection between the blonde Robin and the Blonde Batgirl look out Steph.

Shiva: I know these days Shiva is primarily Cass’s villain but Shiva was once an antagonist for the entire Batfamily and has faced Tim, Bruce and even Jason a few times. I’m putting Shiva on the list primarily because of her connections to the people that Steph is connected with, Shiva’s faced and trained with Tim, Shiva has an interest in Black Canary who has trained Steph but most importantly Steph and Cass have Carolyn and Sandra parallels. Shown a few times and driven home by Cass’s hallucination of Steph’s ghost telling her the story of Sandra and Carolyn. There’s also a contrast to how Shiva reacted to her sister’s death by it driving her to be a killer and become stronger and stronger all the while looking for her death while Steph’s death drove Cass to try and become a better person often using Steph’s memory as a way to push her forward in things she was unsure of yet felt like she needed to do and drove her to become better so she wouldn’t loose anyone else. Steph’s memory also drove Cass to live with Steph’s ‘ghost’ telling Cass to keep going and keep fighting but like Shiva Cass was also shown to idealise death because she believed she would be with Steph again. It would be really interesting for Shiva to see Steph and Cass and be reminder of herself and her sister and it would be super cool to see how Shiva interacts with someone who reminds her of Carolyn.

Black Mask: This should be obvious the man tortured her, the man killed her, Steph deserves to punch him in the face. I see the fandom loving talking about Jason and Black Mask but he was Steph's murderer and Steph's death put him on the map of Gotham's villains, like he's a major villain *now* but no one cared about him before War Games in fact I've seen people think he was a character created specifically for War Games. Also because of the movie people seem to think that Jason was going after Black mask to get to the Joker but in comics Jason had the Joker before he even started going after Black Mask, and yeah you could argue he needed Bruce's attention but there are so many ways to do that so I am entirely convinced that Jason went after black mask for Steph, his fellow dead Robin and lower gotham kid and if that got Batman's attention even better. You all love having Jason face his murderer let Steph beat up hers.

Zazz: He’s primarily on the list because the comic where Robin Steph and Bruce went up against him was extremely well done and well written and had super good art and I want everyone to remember it and read it.

The Court of Owls: After Dick, Steph and Duke are the ones with the largest connections to the Court, Duke because they were the first antagonists the We Are Robin kids faced and Steph because the Court did actually kill Arthur Brown, they slit his throat, we saw it happen, Steph identified his body at the morgue and considering the Batfamilies whole theme of avenging dead parents Steph really should have faced the people who killed her dad more.

Talia Al Ghul: Okay god you have no idea how much I want Talia and Steph to interact. Both and Steph have been reduced to simply their relationships with male characters far too many times by writers for years Talia was defined by being her father’s daughter or being Bruce’s love interest and later it was all about her connect to Jason or Damian and when Talia finally is her own character when she is not defined by her relationship with Ra’s or Bruce or Jason or Damian she’s written as a villain. Steph only ever really had her first appearance and two glorious years as Batgirl where she was written as completely her own character without writers feeling the need to shove her connection to male characters in our faces. For years Steph was defined by being Tim’s love interest and Bruce worrying about her being out in the field. Even when Steph was dead we were constantly shown how much Steph death hurt and how it was affecting Bruce and Tim. It would be really cool for Talia to see Steph and try and stop Steph from ending up defined by her male relationships the same way Talia was for years, perhaps it would be cool for Talia to be invested in Steph’s growth and development because she does not want to see Steph make the same mistakes as her. Also I really want Talia to be like a mother figure to Steph because 1. Steph deserves all the mother figures because she has such bad luck with father figures and 2. If Talia acts like a mom to Steph she’ll have been like a mother to the entire dead Robin’s club.

Eiko Hasigawa: Eiko was the daughter of a Yakuza crime boss and she became Catwoman to foil her fathers criminal actions, she was Selina’s lover and Steph’s mentor until her father died and his death broke her causing her to become a ruthless crime boss and massacre over 15 crime families to make a point. Eiko’s men even hunted down and tried to kill Steph for weeks because they thought that Steph was a loose end before they learned that Eiko cares greatly for Steph and promptly backed off. Eiko was a mentor for Steph and was shown to care for Steph greatly, making her a lot of promises and wanting Steph by her side. I think Eiko and Steph saw a lot of themselves in each other both putting on masks to try and stop their fathers yet Eiko ended up taking up the role of the father she once tried to stop. Steph and Eiko have a complicated relationship in that they both care for each other yet are now on different sides with Eiko giving Steph the ultimatum of trying to save Gotham or standing by her side and Steph chose the life of a vigilante. Eiko’s kind of disappeared but it would be so cool to have those two interact again.

Amanda Waller: Tricky since Amanda being a villain depends entirely on your perspective. Cluemaster has ‘died’ a number of times in comics but the first time readers actually cared about his death is when Arthur joined the Suicide Squad, Waller’s team and Arthur later died on a mission. Arthur would later come back to life as ‘Aron Black’ and work to turn politician’s in Gotham and the people of Gotham themselves against the idea of Batman but I think it would be interesting to see Steph interact with the women who led the team her dad was on in one of his first deaths.

The Reapers: Remember those college kids with the Super Powered Tech suits that Steph fought in her Batgirl run? They were cool especially Harmony, you know the one with the sound powers I loved her, let’s bring them back.

Crystal Brown: Okay this one is going to make people upset I’ll admit, look I know we all love and prefer the Crystal Brown who got past her addiction and trauma and was trying to repair her relationship with Steph with waffles and board games that we got in Steph’s Batgirl run but DC got rid of her and now Crystal is even who helped Arthur with his plots and tried to kill Steph and then tried to emotionally manipulate Steph when that didn’t work and then abandoned Steph when *that* didn’t work. We haven’t seen Crystal since like 2014 and the last time she was even mentioned was when Bruce was setting up the Gotham Knights and said that Steph was raised by ‘two verifiable geniuses’ indicating that Crystal is intelligent and probably a dangerous villain if she wanted to be. And look we all prefer good mom Crystal but since we’re not having that I’d rather have a Crystal that gets to be a main antagonist than one that just disappears and is never seen from again. Also while the troupe of abuse victim becoming an abuser themselves does kind of suck it is important to see because it shows that just because someone has suffered it gives them no right to make others suffer as well, also evil Crystal would be super cool to see in contrast to Steph and how different the paths Steph and her mother took in response to Arthurs abuse was. Also if I wrote evil Crystal I’d give her cool shapeshifting powers as a little nod to how she had a different design every time she appeared before DC finally decided on the design we know today when Steph came back to life.

Those are the ones I have now though I’m sure I can think of more but feel free to add to Steph’s Rogue Gallery if you think there’s someone I missed, also I know they’re not villains anymore but Selina and Jason would also be cool options because not only was Steph briefly part of the Cat family in the New 52 and trained with Selina and Eiko but Selina was also one of the last people she saw before she died in War Games so they do have some strong connections and Jason and Steph are sort of universally connected despite never properly interacting both growing up in similar situations with addict mothers and criminal fathers, having complicated relationships with Bruce and dying and coming back. Before she died Bruce would make references to Jason when talking about Steph and War Crimes took place in the middle of the Under The Red Hood Arc heck Black Mask one of Jason’s primary antagonists was the one who killed Steph and in the reboot Steph has even MORE Jason parallels because she experiences homelessness and her own mother betraying and trying to kill her too so it would have been cool for Steph to face the Red Hood but honestly with all the connections and parallels any meaningful interaction between Steph and Jason is a long time coming.  

[wellthatjusthappend]

Since we are on the topic of Dick being a jealous mess when it comes to Jason's relationship with his villains how about a scenario involving Talia? Like Dick seeing her being casually touchy feely with Jason while he acts like it's nothing really new and/or maybe him thinking that Jason was kidnapped when in reality he was out being Talia's date/arm candy/reinforcement in a party

I like it! Especially when you think about how strategic such an encounter had to be from their side. 

---

“Little one, I am in need of an escort to the Wayne Gala and I have decided you will do,” Talia announced as she reclined ever so casually on Jason’s couch as if she had every right to be there. Though, considering how much she’d probably spent of Jason’s training, she probably did. 

“Surprised B invited you,” Jason said dryly as he set down his duffle bag on the table, “He’s usually much more of a coward than that.”

“I am Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter, I do not need a piece of paper to tell me where I can go,” Talia waved dismissively. Which is all Jason needed to know that she had not been invited. Probably with good reason considering the kinds of things she usually pulled at events with lots of influential people. 

“Well I’m honored and all that, but I ain’t going to the Gala. Those things are always a huge bore and the lines for the food are too long,” Jason shrugged, starting to make himself a cup of tea in the kitchen.

He didn’t feel Talia approach until she slid her arms around his waist from behind. 

“But Little One, just imagine how enraged my Beloved will be when he sees us together there,” she purred.

Jason didn’t even have to think about that one. 

“I’m in.”

---

While pissing off Bruce was the main goal of going to the Gala, it turned out Dick was also there. Jason still didn’t quite know what his deal was, but he was enjoying watching him lose his mind in the corner.

“Care to dance?” Jason asked, extending an arm to Talia. She shot a small and wicked looking smile in Bruce’s direction before turning back to Jason. 

“But of course,” She smiled. 

Talia was not one to let someone else take the lead, but Jason really didn’t mind so he just relaxed and let her put him through his paces on the dance floor. Her neckline was plunging and she pressed far closer to him than was appropriate, but Talia was like that sometimes and Jason had learned over the years not to get completely distracted. Or well, not to get distracted to the point it was rude. She’d probably be a little offended if he weren’t a little distracted. 

Jason wasn’t sure if it was Bruce or Dick burning holes in the back of his head with the force of their glare, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself for once. 

“May I cut-in?” Bruce said smoothly, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

“I don’t know,” Talia with a slow smile, “Jason and I were just thinking of leaving together.”

The way her hand trailed over his hip left no room to doubt what she was implying they’d be doing. 

“I insist,” Bruce said, the glint of something dangerous in his eyes that made Talia press closer to Jason just for a moment. Jason could sympathize. 

“Well then,” Jason coughed stepping away with a sardonic smile at Bruce, “He’s all yours my Lady.”

Talia gave him a secret smile that meant Jason was going to be rewarded for this performance later. Jason was hoping for a new set of swords. He’d had his eye on a few that had come into the league recently. 

Bruce stepped between them hurriedly and whisked Talia away back onto the dance floor.

Jason barely had time to wish her luck in his head before someone was grabbing him by his expensive jacket and towing him out of the ballroom into one of the many dark corridors. Jason grinned as he was shoved up against the wall. 

“Hey Dickie,” he purred.

Dick snarled something under his breath and then kissed him hard. 

Jason didn’t really understand why Dick was jealous- it’s not like Talia really had eyes for anyone besides Bruce- but he was certainly enjoying the results. Especially the possessive way Dick was holding his hips as they kissed. That was real nice. 

“What’s the matter Dick-head?” Jason taunted, leaning into another kiss, “What’s got you so riled up? Kissing a guy out here where anyone could see u… that’s not very Golden Boy of you.”

“You’re doing this on purpose,” Dick growled. 

“Doing what?” Jason grinned innocently, only to get bitten. 

“She’s using you,” Dick hissed. 

“Nah, really?”

“This isn’t a game, Jason,” Dick said getting a prissy look on his face, “She’s a lot older than you. It’s not appropriate for her to be doing stuff with you. She’s doing to hurt you.”

“God, you’re such a hypocrite.” Jason said rolling his eyes and thinking of Dick’s little haram of older men and ladies he tumbled into bed with.

Whatever Dick had to say to that, Jason didn’t really want to hear it so he pulled him into another kiss, hitching a leg up to pull Dick a little closer. Luckily, Dick was an easy guy to distract and he was quick to take charge. And christ on a cracker, the guy could kiss. Jason hadn’t known before that someone could turn a kiss into a full body experience, but he was learning quickly. 

Both Dick and Jason jumped at the flash of the camera. 

“Don’t you two look cozy,” smiled Vicky Vale stepping closer, “Dick Grayson, is this your new boyfriend? What’s your name, hon?”

God, Jason hated reporters. 

“This is your fault,” Jason muttered, pulling away.

“You’re just going to leave me here?” hissed Dick, looking extremely embarrassed. 

“Yup.” 

“Mister Grayson, can you comment on-” Jason didn’t stay to hear the rest, just slipped back into the ballroom. Talia and Bruce were nowhere in sight and Jason was willing to bet they’d wound up in bed together, which meant it was time for Jason to leave.

He wasn’t too disappointed; he’d got what he’d come for.

[bat-losers-inc]

Collisions in the Dark (Ch 13): Desperado

Summary: Tim suddenly finds himself surrounded by allies and enemies alike as he risks his own life to bring Jason back from the grave. 

Pairings: Tim Drake / Jason Todd

Chapter Notes: Desperado: A piece that seems determined to give itself up, typically to bring about stalemate or perpetual check. Also a threatened piece that sacrifices itself for the maximum compensation possible.

“You are a fever I am learning to live with, and everything is happening at the wrong end of a very long tunnel.” — ” Straw House, Straw Dog”, Richard Siken.

“Don’t move,” The metal pressed hard against his neck and Tim couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him. Fingers dug into his shoulder. Tim could feel the force on the grip, every finger discernible through the layers of clothes he wore.

There were more people now. Tim could sense them behind him in the shifting of air and clothing.

“Signal the Demon Head. Tell them to bring the helicopter around to our location.

The knife was removed right before Tim was kicked in the back of the knees, sending him crashing to the ground. Tim caught himself with his hands out of reflex. He didn’t need to lift his hands to see that the skin there was scraped raw. The throbbing sensation told him all he needed to know. The feel of grit in the wounds. Sharp. Taunting him.

One of the people behind him spoke quietly into a comm unit.

Tim didn’t dare to look over his shoulder, instead beseeching the earth under his burning palms. He turned his head ever so slightly, eyes on the shadow of the man, stretched across the ground across Tim’s shoulder by the midday sun.  “Please. Please. Just let me do this for him and then I’ll go with you. I’ll go.”

I’m so close, thought Tim. It can’t end here.

“No.”

Tim almost wanted to laugh at the cruelness of it.

Game over. No more moves to get you out of this one, Drake.

Perhaps there were more moves to be explored, but Tim didn’t want to play this game anymore. Better to lay down his King and surrender the board to his opponent. But still…

Tim thought if it was going to end it would have been more dramatic. Not this do-not-pass-go bulls—

The trio of gunshots sounded loud enough to cause a small rockslide. Tim cringed inwards, cheek pressed against the stone, bracing for some kind of  impact that never came.

A hand grabbed him roughly by the jacket and jerked him onto his back. A gun, still smoking, was shoved in Tim’s face, but it wasn’t the shiny instrument that could seal Tim’s fate that had his eyes fixed. No… it was the face of a woman with eyes dark, wreathed in smudged kohl eyeliner. The effect it gave off was like elegant war paint.

“Tell me your name.” Her tone was blunt and jarring enough to leave Tim staring at her like the words she was speaking weren’t English. They most definitely were, though there was an accent that Tim couldn’t place.

“Your name!” she shouted. Her hair, chopped roughly into an angled bob, blew against the side of her face. She dropped to her knees and pressed the gun to the center of Tim’s forehead.

Her voice lowered but her words were no less rough.  “Tell me your name before I kill you out of sheer impatience alone. I don’t have time to waste standing out in the open where anyone can see.”

Tim found his voice finally. “Tim Drake.” he said.

The gun fell away from Tim’s head, her grip losing all of its tension at once.

“Christ, it is you.” she groaned, eyes traveling to the dead men next to them. She didn’t seem to feel particularly bad about shooting them in the back.

Her gaze fell on Jason and lingered.

“You’re here to bring him back, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

She tilted her head, a scrutinizing expression evident in her gaze.

“Is he really worth it?”

Tim swallowed and said with some conviction. “Yes.”

The woman nodded then proceeded to yank him to his feet. He was pulled down a set of stairs that led into the dim interior of the cave. Tim wrestled around in her grip for a moment. He couldn’t just leave Jason lying out there in the cold. But as he turned to look back he saw two men lifting Jason’s covered form and following in their wake down the steps.

“If someone asked my father the same question about you, he would answer the same.”

She glanced over her shoulder, expression disinterested. “I’m inclined to say fuck both of you and your pledges of love if only so that the rest of the planet doesn’t have to suffer the consequences of your selfishness. The both of you would raze the earth to keep the one you love.”

Her smile was sharp and luminescent in the torchlight glow. “You want to disagree but I can see in your eyes that it’s true. There’s a determination lurking behind those pretty blue eyes that refuses to die out.”

Tim stopped walking. There was a lot to unpack in such a statement, but Tim started with the most pressing. “I’m sorry… your father? ”

She stopped walking and turned to face him. That disinterested expression was back though Tim was starting to get the feeling that it hadn’t ever left. Nor would it.

“Don’t play the idiot. We both know you’re smarter than that otherwise Ra’s wouldn’t be pursuing you to the ends of the earth. He doesn’t waste his time on anyone he deems beneath him.”

The pieces were fitting into place, like a jumbled up puzzle. Tim had been given the corner pieces and now he could figure out the rest of the image. Nyssa Al Ghul. Ra’s other daughter. Talia’s sister. It was no wonder Talia had told Tim to come here.

“You’re supposed to be dead.” he said.

Nyssa shrugged and started descending the rest of the way down the stairs. “And you’re supposed to be Ra’s’ heir, the one he would leave his empire to. So?”

“So, if you hate my cause so much then why are you helping me?” asked Tim as he rounded the last few steps and entered into a large cave cast in an eerie green glow. Tim’s stride faulted as his gaze fell on the swaying waters of the lazarus pit.

Nyssa smiled. “Simple. As much as I hate this selfish, teenage puppy love that you and Jason Todd have for each other. I hate Ra’s so much more. And if bringing Jason Todd back to life is what keeps you fighting against my father, then I’ll help you. If only to keep you from joining him. I don’t think the world is ready to see what two calculating minds like yours and his can do together.”

Tim hugged his elbows, eyes still glued to the lazarus pit. “I don’t think I’m ready to find out either.”

The men shuffled past them to the edge of the lazarus pit. Jason body was lowered carefully onto the ground. Tim had to force himself not to look away when Jason’s body was unwrapped, the sheet falling open to expose his face, pale and tinged blue around the lips. His eyes looked like storm clouds, covering out that pale green that Tim so adored.

Nyssa placed a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “We don’t have much time, but I need you to know what you’re getting into before you blindly agree to go forward with this.”

“What do you mean? Will Jason go pit-crazed like before?” asked Tim.

Nyssa shook her head. “The risk is not Jason’s. It’s yours. There is a reason that someone can only be brought back from the dead with the lazarus pit once in their life. You get one free pass, I don’t think anyone really knows why, but after that it comes at a price.”

Tim swallowed, mouth dry. “What— What’s the price?”

“A life for a life.”

“So to bring Jason back… I’d have to die?”

Nyssa smiled. “Not exactly. You’d just be giving up your get out of death free card.”

Tim stared into the depths of the lazarus pit. “So if I bring Jason back… I lose a life. And, later on, if someone tries to bring me back…”

“It wouldn’t be Jason. That’s for sure. He doesn’t have anything left to barter with death. But whoever does it, they’d lose their freebie, and then the next person, and the next… Ra’s has had his servants sacrificing themselves in honor of him for centuries. They give up their second chance in order to prolong his existence.”

“That’s vile.”

“It’s fitting. Death is a grizzly business. So why should thwarting it be a graceful affair?”

Nyssa’s eyed him as if he were a child. Compared to her, with what she knew about the world, he probably was one.

“So now you know the risks. Do you accept the terms of the pit? A life for a life.”

Tim nodded. “My second life for his. Anyway… I wouldn’t want a second life in a world without him. Who would I live for if not for him?”      

Nyssa smiled a smile all lips and no teeth.

“Good. Wade into the pit.”

Tim moved to the edge of the pit where a set of stone steps led down into the murky green water. He took the first step, water filling his shoes and soaking the edges of his pants. He kept walking until his clothes hung heavy on him as the weight of water saturated the fabric and clung to his arms and torso. He had expected a supernatural jolt to travel through his body once he’d immersed himself in the water. Nothing. It just felt like… water. Tim kept moving forward, only stopping when he was standing in the center of the pool, green water lapping at the top of his ribs as it rippled around him.

He turned, shivering, to face Nyssa. She was crouched at the edge of the pool, hands resting on top of Jason’s body.

“What now?” His breath frosted the air in front of him.

“Pull him into the pit with you and submerge the both of you under the water together. That’s when the pit effect’s will start to work.”

Tim waded over towards Jason’s body. He grasped onto Jason’s wrist. His wet hand soaked the sleeve of Jason’s shirt a dark blue. Submerged in the icy water, Tim’s fingers were almost as blue as Jason’s.

Footsteps hurried down the stone steps that led into the cave. Nyssa turned her head in the direction of the disturbance. Tim’s eyes slid past her head in the same direction. It was one of the men who’d carried Jason’s body down to the cave. He came around the corner of the stairs and jerked to a stop.

“What is it?” Nyssa asked, voice sharp and alert to the distress emanating from the figure. She got an answer, though it came in the form of a sword thrusting through the man’s torso.

Nyssa sprinted to the wall and yanked a spear free from the wall. She returned to stand next to Jason’s body, eyes glued to the man skewered on the blade.

The man stared briefly at the blade protruding from his body before he jerked forward, the blade dislodging with a horrible wet sound that had Tim’s stomach doing somersaults at he looked on. The man collapsed where he stood. Ra’s al Ghul scraped the bottom of his bloodstained shoe on the ground. It painted a red streak across the stone.

Tim’s grip tightened on Jason’s cold wrist. His fear was visible as the air before him fogged from his shaky breathing. Tim sunk his teeth into his bottom lip and tried to calm himself even though he knew that Ra’s had noticed it as well. Tim was terrified and they both knew it.

“Timothy, get out of the water.”

Ra’s stepped calmly over the bleeding man, bloody sword held easily at his side. His cold stare pinned Tim to the spot, like a butterfly under a magnifying glass.

“Don’t.” Nyssa hissed at him. She widened her stance, spear held at the ready.

Ra’s eyed her curiously. “Think carefully about your next move, Nyssa. I wouldn’t want to have to kill you right after finding out you’ve been alive for all these years.”

Nyssa didn’t so much look at Tim as angle her head in his direction.

“Remember to hold your breath.”

She planted her boot against Jason’s hip and shoved. Tim was standing too close. The weight of dead limbs fell on top of him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him backwards off his feet. Tim only had enough time to gasp a breath and wrap his arms around Jason’s torso before Jason’s body weight pressed him under the icy water.

Jason was the anchor tied around Tim’s legs, dragging him to the bottom of the sea.

Tim’s eyes burned as he stared up through the water, trying to see Nyssa and Ra’s head off against each other, swords coming together in the clash of metal against metal. Tim’s back knocked against the rocky bottom of the pit, Jason’s weight crushing the air from his lungs. His mouth opened in a silent, watery gasp of pain, air bubbling up to the surface.

Nothing happened.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and for a frantic moment thought he might drown before he could bring Jason back.

Then Tim felt a burning sensation starting up inside of him. Flashes of white light burst behind his eyelids. The pit waters were starting to take effect.

Tim gripped Jason tightly and gave himself up to the pit’s power.

The flashes came faster now, shuttering bursts of light exploding behind his eyes until, suddenly, everything erupted into a single blinding light. Murky colors came flooding in from the edges of Tim’s vision. They swirled and danced before Tim’s eyes, never forming any image or shape.

Tim’s lungs burned with the need for air. A booming rattle reverberated through the ground. The water tremored around Tim’s prone form.

He opened his watery eyes to see what had caused it, but his vision was already fading to black.

Tim jerked into consciousness with a gasp that filling his lungs with water. He opened his eyes to dark water. Around him the world was exploding with distant noise. The sensation was similar to listening to far off thunder. A dull roar that you felt more in your bones than heard with your ears. There was the thud of something large dropping into the water and Tim turned his head to see a chunk of stone sinking to the pit floor next to him.

His body seized and twisted with the need to breath, but his limbs were so heavy they felt anchored to the pit floor.

Something seized his arm and yanked him upwards towards the noise and lights. Tim blinked blearily at the hand locked in a vice grip around his elbow and let his gaze travel upwards to the dark hair that shifted sluggishly with the motion of the water.

Jason, Tim had a moment to think before he was pulled above the surface of the water into a world that was falling to pieces around them.

Tim crawled up onto the steps, coughing up mouthfuls of water with every breath. He stared up through watery eyes at the scene in front of him. There was a wide rent in the cave ceiling, streaming sunlight across the ground, light catching on the craters left in the ground by fallen rocks. The cave’s interior had been turned into a battlefield, groups of people dancing in combat around boulders and dead bodies.

Tim was startled to see the Batwing parked in the cave’s interior, ramp dropped open at the back and left that way. His eyes found Bruce and Dick fighting beside Nyssa, the three of them alternating attacks between Ra’s and his ninjas. Dick caught sight of Tim as he was pivoting away from an enemy’s strike. He lashed out with a kick to his foe’s torso and risked turning back towards Tim, screaming out towards him. Whatever he said was lost among the cacophony of noise, but the jerk of his head towards the Batwing got his meaning across.

Tim choked up more water, wishing he could stop the shaking in his limbs enough to get his feet under him and head into the fray. As it was now, though, he’d probably only succeed in getting himself captured or killed.

He knew he needed to move. Instead he turned his head and stared at Jason, his body hunched next to him as he hacked into a fist. Water streamed from his hair and shoulders.

Tim gripped Jason’s wet sleeve with shaking fingers. He couldn’t believe he was alive, but the evidence was all there. Tangible under Tim’s fingertips. Shaking from the cold.

“Jason,” his name came hoarsely from his lips. Jason shifted, eyes finding him under a tangle of wet hair. He squeezed Tim’s fingers so tightly that it hurt. Tim was tempted to pull free, but before he could Jason was stumbling to his feet, dragging Tim up with him.  

They hurtled forward into the strife in a reckless, heedless way that was possible only for the truly weary and wounded. They clutched each other, fists knotted tight in jackets and sweatshirts, bodies pressed flushed against each other, using the other’s weight to keep themselves upright.

It was a relief when strong hands latched onto them, lifting their failing forms off their feet. Tim was hefted over a solid set of shoulders. He stared disjointedly at Jason as he was lifted into Bruce’s arms, head pressing against the hard line of Bruce’s kevlar suit.

Dick ran up the ramp of the Batwing, Tim’s head jostling with each step. He was placed on the floor of the aircraft, back propped up against a cabinet. Bruce shifted Jason off into Dick’s hands and hustled past them towards the controls. Jason couldn’t keep his feet for more than a minute before they crumpled under him.

“Woah, easy. Easy.” Dick eased him to the ground. His eyes kept flickering worriedly to the fighting that the bottom of the ramp. Nyssa and her men wouldn’t be able to hold them off forever.

“Bruce, get us out of here already!” Dick shouted. Tim stared at him as he slammed his palm against a button on the wall. The ramp started to close as the engines roared to life. The aircraft lifted off the ground, the ramp still hanging halfway open.

Dick turned just in time to see a blade spiraling towards his chest. He threw himself sideways and watched as the blade slammed into the wall by Tim’s head and clattered into Tim’s lap. Tim couldn’t muster up the energy push it onto the floor.

Dick was next to him in an instant, hands checking him for injuries.

“Are you alright? Did it hit you?”

Tim clutched at Dick’s wrist, ceasing his movements. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep.

“Fine, I’m—”

“Timothy!”

Tim words abandoned him as he watched Ra’s, now empty handed, struggle towards them against the press of bodies. The last thing he saw was Ra’s’ savage expression fixed upon him  before the ramp closed completely.  

Tim’s body gave a violent shiver right before he passed out.  

[flavourlessfiction]

Ice Melts When Heated - Chapter 1

Relationships: Jason Todd/Tim Drake

Rating: Mature

Tags: Alternate Universe - Skating, figure skating, Rivals, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies is a slight overstatement tho, Banter, Time Skips, Rating May Change

Ao3: x

Three quarters of an hour, that’s how long he had before the ice resurfacing, an hour and five minutes until the warm up. Skating fourth in the group. He just needed to remain relaxed. What was it that Bruce always said? The world could tell whether he was going to win or not the second before his music started, in that moment he either switched on or fizzled out.

He just needed to warm up properly, stretched for the spins and strong for the jumps. The short program had been a hard fight but he’d won it. Some would say convincingly, the scores would say as much but half way through Tim wouldn’t have agreed, everything had just felt…. Difficult. Like he was running out of energy in the last sixty seconds of a program that was barely two minutes long.

In truth, he’d slept poorly the night before and fatigue might have just caught him at the worst possible time. Today that wasn’t an issue but he certainly couldn’t focus, the eyes burning into the back of his jacket, reporters who he couldn’t speak to wanting some sort of confirmation of arrogance that was synonymous with the students of Bruce Wayne. Arrogance that was largely perception. A fifteen-year-old hardly knew how to be arrogant, they merely said what was on their mind and that was why it had been a safe bet for Tim to rarely speak to the press, he allowed Bruce or Dick to speak for him, tolerated that everyone simply thought he was shy and awkward, all that mattered was he skated well. He’d rather be seen as an awkward kid than a cocky asshole, it meant he wasn’t surrounded by drama.

Drama always followed Bruce Wayne though and being the new ‘golden child’ meant drama would follow him too. He just didn’t expect it to come from the guy he looked up to when they were both at the same rink.

At nineteen Jason Todd was far more intimidating than he’d been at fourteen, he’d finished growing what with being out due to injury over the past couple of years, an injury that hardened him and certainly seemed to make him resent anyone affiliated with Wayne. In truth Tim should have expected some sort of confrontation, he might only be a junior but it was his last season before moving up to seniors, or so Bruce had said. But being pulled into the bathroom without warning just thirty minutes before the junior pairs competition completed wasn’t what he’d expected.

Fifty-five minutes and he’d have to be warming up, a lot could happen in fifty-five minutes, he needed to get to work on his skates in at least forty-five.

He supposed he should consider himself lucky that Bruce followed them into the bathroom so Jason couldn’t do more than threaten him. “You’re really showing him off like a little robot aren’t you, Bruce?” So, Jason had no interest in him, merely needed to bait Bruce into some sort of a fight. It didn’t take much to wriggle out of his arms, Jason was stronger but Tim was smaller and was more invested in getting out of his grip than Jason was in keeping a hold of him. “Junior World Champ at fourteen but you weren’t allowed to move up because he didn’t have another junior in the wings?”

Well maybe some of his vitriol was meant to be for him. He hadn’t been allowed to move up to seniors due to ages anyway, although he doubted Jason knew when his birthday was. “Jason, we have better things to do rather than listen to you.” Bruce almost sounded bored, like it wasn’t concerning in any way that he was being ranted at by another skater, one that was likely feeling pretty resentful right now.

It was no secret that Jason thought Bruce ruined his career, he’d said it several times online and in interviews. That didn’t give it any real factual basis. It wasn’t just the coach’s fault if the skater got injured. “Your obsession with black haired blue eyed male skaters really is interesting Bruce, Talia told me you always secretly wished you could have been a singles skater, trying to live through all of us? She told me lots of things about your personal lives too. Secrets you wouldn’t want getting out. Things that would destroy your career… relationships.”

“You always were so quick to anger. I have a skater to prepare and you have to compete in a few hours too, don’t you have better things to do right now?” How many times was Bruce going to use the words ‘better things to do’? He was going to sound like a broken record very quickly if he said it again.

He couldn’t help but bite his lip as he tried not to laugh, shrinking as Jason’s eyes went back to him. “Everyone knows you’re prone to fuck ups Drake, second in an event that should have been a sure thing. Your score isn’t unbeatable even though you seem to think you’re untouchable.” Had the situation been less tense Tim would have been delighted that Jason had even noticed his career, although he could sense he was just watching out of spite, hoping that he as Bruce’s student failed.

“I know, we’re all human, that doesn’t mean I’m not in a better place than you were at my age.” That quiver in Jason’s lip made it worth it, he didn’t want to speak up but Bruce wasn’t exactly coming to his defence and stating facts might rattle Jason rather than staying silent and making him think he was right. People weren’t attempting the jumps he now did when Jason was his age, four years is a long time in the skating world.

There were plenty of mind games played but typically they weren’t between people in completely different divisions. He was merely collateral, which meant he had to stick up for himself at some point. “You’re a little shit you know that Timmy?” Jason said, the smirk more dangerous than the glares he’d been getting previously, Bruce not stepping between them even though Jason advanced, if he tried anything Jason would end up suspended because it would be the word of two against one, it just depended on what Jason tried.

The collar of his team jacket was grabbed, pulling him closer as Jason loomed over him. “Enough Jason, he’s a kid.” He always hated that being thrown around, not only did he look younger than he was but people treated him as such, sometimes it worked in his favour but it still wasn’t palatable by any means.

“You don’t get to dictate what’s enough anymore.” Neither one of them could see the punch coming, one to the side before being shoved away. He supposed he should be thankful for not getting punched in the face. “Enjoy your last year of juniors Timmy, I’ll make sure it’s a lot worse once you’re a senior.”

Threats weren’t exactly something most skaters threw around so casually, USFSA wasn’t forgiving and ISU liked to pretend it wasn’t as corrupt as it was. Which meant any scandal would be dealt with quickly, a villain would be punished and never given the chance to be competitive again. It wasn’t fair but it was true. “Are you okay?” A firm hand to his back, making Tim stand straighter as he rubbed his side.

“Yeah. I didn’t really know what to expect when he grabbed me.” His voice was soft, if people overheard then a scandal would be caused before anyone official got to it. “I just want to finish getting ready.” He could tell he sounded unnerved, that he’d lost this focus. That was something he needed to fix and quickly.

It wasn’t a stupid pride thing. He genuinely wanted to win and if he wanted to do that he couldn’t be focused on Jason threatening him. “I’m going to speak to an official so this can be handled appropriately.”

“No… It’s okay, he barely got me and I don’t think it was planned, he just doesn’t know how to deal with you being around. Don’t tell people.” Tim didn’t know if he sounded like he was pleading, but he’d said enough to convince Bruce, or at least make Bruce lie to his face for the time being.

He wasn’t being magnanimous, Tim wasn’t going to pretend he was fine, but the worst thing right now would be to draw attention to it. He didn’t want this to follow him and the best way to stop that from happening was to let Jason get away with it. To beat him when they met in the future.

---

How many times was he going to have to go over this spin? The positions were there but he couldn’t get the rotations in the Biellman which he was having to wind up too much as he switched feet for the back spin rather than just having to change feet in a natural manner. It didn’t help that his left hamstring had been nagging him for days.

He could see people watching him, fans with their cameras trained watching him do the same element over and over again. People could probably see the frustration written all over his face. Everyone said he read like a book, they said that not knowing that he kept most of what he thought hidden well away. At least Dick said he was harder to read. He still thought it was strange that at sixteen he didn’t talk to anyone properly. Joked about how it had gotten past the point of being endearing but at least Bruce seemed to like it.

Bruce just wanted his skaters to be obedient and he definitely got that with Tim. Unzipping his jacket he moved over to the boards, stopping by Bruce who wore the same look he always did when he wasn’t pleased with him. It allowed Tim the time to prepare for whatever was bound to come out of his mouth. “Don’t do the Biellman, change it to a layback attitude spin that way you get the rotations and you don’t end up hurting your hamstring further.”

He took the bottle of water that was offered to him, glancing to see what other coaches were near enough to him. Talia and Jason were certainly within earshot and Oliver might not have been close enough to hear but could read what was going on, could tell his student that Tim was potentially carrying an injury. “In practice or during the event?”

“Both.” He felt like he was choking on the water, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he coughed.

“If I do that I could lose a level and would definitely lose GOE for using a more basic variation. I can’t lose the points like that when with clean skates it’s going to be close.” It wasn’t the first time he’d disagreed with Bruce, he was obedient but he hadn’t ever been a doormat. If he didn’t agree he’d say something, to at least better understand Bruce’s point of view. He didn’t speak out in front of others all that often though.

Bruce didn’t want to have a bar of it though, his expression shifting from displeased to annoyed. “Tim, it’s not all about winning, we’ll get the places for next season, this is about you not getting injured and being out for a long period of time.” It was always about preserving injuries.

He didn’t agree though. “This is Worlds. Aside from the Olympics there’s no time that’s more important than now to win. If I can’t skate for a few weeks as a result well then good thing there’s no competitions for five months. They didn’t put me on the team this year because they thought I was too young and wanted someone with Olympic experience, if I don’t win or at least medal it will prove them right.”

“You didn’t make the team because there were only two places available and despite finishing second at nationals you didn’t have the points behind you. Do the spin I’m telling you to do, stop playing a numbers game, everyone has to skate clean including you for that scenario to work.” He hated when Bruce spoke like that, menacing, controlling, it told him that he was done talking even though Tim still had plenty more to way.

It didn’t help that the person he was actually concerned about beating was a few feet away clearly listening in to every word they were saying. “Bruce, I want to win. Shouldn’t I be putting my best foot forward?”

Bruce took the now empty water bottle as he set it down on the barrier, placing his skate guards down turn. “Do whatever you want Tim.” That wasn’t a good sign, Bruce stepping away as Tim still stood there, not missing the snickering that came from Jason’s direction. For all the threats, he’d made last year nothing had come from them. Although Tim hadn’t even come close to beating him when they’d gone head to head, Jason had won nationals by a twenty-point margin whilst only three points had separated Tim and the third-place skater.

Jason didn’t need to use any sort of intimidating tactics because he’d quickly become untouchable in the last year.

It was aggravating to say the least and Bruce didn’t seem to care, didn’t want him to beat Jason it felt like. It wasn’t unfair to say Bruce had been distracted with his son though. He had many other students and Tim wasn’t jealous, it was just frustrating feeling like he was going to be labelled as washed up because his coach was distracted.

“You have more spark than you let on, maybe you’re more than just a girly skater who has a few big jumps.” Now that was arrogant, Jason knew nothing about him aside from a few protocol sheets and opinions online.

Finally shedding his jacket and draping it over the barrier Tim bit his lip, trying to keep himself from saying something. It was all a mind game, to make him go against what Bruce was saying, he just needed to shut out Jason entirely, in three days the season would be over entirely and if he disobeyed Bruce he’d end up having hell to pay. “I don’t care if I look more graceful than most guys, maybe you should work on how heavy footed you are on your combination jumps.” Bruce would definitely reprimand him for playing into that later, but for once he needed to get the last word in and whilst Jason didn’t look like he was at a loss for words, he was definitely giving him the opportunity to skate away from him.

---

Timothy Drake – USA

TES: 106.39 PCS: 92.58 Deduction: 0.00

FS: 198.97

Second

Combined Total: 302.68

Second.

He did what he was told and he was proven right. Jason had a deduction and he was still in second with one skater to go, and a level 3 on his combination spin is what did it. Yet he had to smile and appear like he was happy with losing, happy with failing to get a gold medal in a competition that wasn’t in the Grand Prix circuit. There was less than a point in it. He didn’t skate perfectly, but had he just gone with his gut rather than with Bruce’s word he’d be sitting in first right now.

Smile. You can’t look ungrateful. It sucked! As soon as eyes weren’t on him he could show how he felt but for now he had to pretend like he was okay with another silver medal for the year. He was sure in time he’d be happy with it but right now he wanted to be annoyed as any other teenager would be when they’d let an opportunity slip because of the words of an adult around them.

Professional athletes didn’t get to behave like teenagers though, not in public at least.

There was a time and a place for being upset and this wasn’t it. He stood from the kiss and cry, going to the ‘Green Room’ whilst Bruce shuffled over to the press, likely making comments about how he’s very proud of his scores even though he can read it all over Bruce’s face that he’s annoyed as well. Likely not only because he was proven wrong but because it was so close. If it was even a few more points he wouldn’t have had to think about the what ifs, because he wouldn’t have been able to make up the difference.

Despite how much he wanted to say ‘I told you so’ he never would. The satisfaction wouldn’t be worth it. Stepping over the tucked in feet of one person he barely looked at the hand that was offered to him for a high five, accepting it before taking a seat, trying hard not to make a face when he realised that the hand had come from Jason. He was the last person he wanted some congratulations from.

Second wasn’t something you threw a party for.

At least there was only five minutes or so before he knew whether he’d finish the year as nothing more than a second-place skater or if the man on the ice would exceed all expectations and go to second or first from sixth. Losing to more than just Jason would be less irritating. 302.68 was a perfectly respectable score, a season’s best and a lot of events he would have won with a score like that. It didn’t make it any easier to stomach.

“Well that’s three spots without a doubt. Although we knew that would happen, didn’t we?” Why was Jason bothering to talk? He would have thought the fact that Tim actively avoided him at banquets and other events was enough to convince him to leave him alone. No one would want to hang around the person that had hit them and threatened them. They only had to play nice for cameras because they were from the same country. Speaking was completely unnecessary however.

----

Talk About Predictable! Two Seasons in a row of the same Gold and Silver Medalists in Mens Singles

By Iris West

There aren’t always things in the figure skating world that are expected, however, it seems Jason Todd and Timothy Drake have become mainstays in first and second place, respectively, at major competitions for the past two years. Excluding the Olympics, Todd and Drake have landed on 6 international podiums together and have kept up the same placements at their national championships.

At the end of last season it appeared the only thing holding back Drake from that Worlds title was a minor injury but Todd has proven to be unstoppable for another year, often bulldozing any competition with his technical programs, that seem to be far more his style than when he was a student of Bruce Wayne.

It’s a rivalry that excites myself, as Drake almost consistently leading after the short always makes me wonder what is going to be pulled out in the free program for Todd to secure that win. Both skaters have declined to comment on their personal opinions on their rivalry, but some fans have been lead to believe that the two have a great deal of animosity between them, be it because Drake is now Bruce Wayne’s shining star or because of a fractured relationship from when they were both training at Wayne’s rink.

Needless to say all of this is speculation and we shouldn’t be forcing rumours of a bitter rivalry unnecessarily, despite being competitors many skaters do get along quite well, however, that isn’t to say that these two are friends. But it’s still thrilling to watch them go head to head several times a year.

---

Apparently, it would take over four hours to get into Boston, which meant most people would be sleeping. Last night had been late for many of them and whilst the show had been a success there were enough people on the bus running on little to no sleep at all half a dozen people were asleep the moment they left New York.

Aside from a few snores it was mostly quiet, Tim resting his back against the window, his feet on the free seat as he read as a book and listened to music with one headphone in. God, he could hear Steph and Connor a few rows behind him laughing every now and then, at least they weren’t being too loud, Steph’s laugh really did carry when it wanted to.

In a way, their noise cut through the awkward silence between snores. It was probably good Dick was asleep otherwise there would be someone that was just that little bit too loud. He had no idea what they all went out and did last night but the way they were talking in the warm up it sounded like they were having a great time, he’d just hit a wall so early that he missed out on the festivities something he definitely couldn’t afford to do in a few weeks’ time, he’d be shamed for being boring on his birthday of all nights.

He rested his head back against the window as he paused from his book, unable to focus and as it got darker it was becoming harder to read, he could always mess around on his laptop and edit photos for a few hours but then once it ran out of charge he’d be unbelievably bored. If he injected himself into any of the conversations it would certainly feel awkward.

There wasn’t an option anyway, Tim’s body tensing as he felt his feet being lifted someone sitting his feet in their lap. He really hoped that it was Tam or Bart, but the latter was sleeping and Tam had mentioned something about doing an essay for her summer class she was taking. When he did look at who had taken his spare seat he couldn’t help but scowl. “What do you want?” He whispered, if looks could kill Jason wouldn’t be dead but he’d certainly have a few injuries.

“I’m bored and your pals back there are way too close to making out so I need someone to distract me.” If it was anyone else he would have been fine with it, would have just cracked a few jokes and kept doing his own thing. Jason, he wasn’t too comfortable being around.

The punch might have been water under the bridge at this point. But that didn’t mean he wanted to be friendly with Jason, he’d calmed down, sure, but Jason was the same competitor, always seeming to find ways to trip him up, even with false niceties. “Go watch something on your phone.”

“Phone’s dead.”

“Go wake up Dick I’m sure he’ll play with you.”

“Kinky.”

Tim rolled his eyes, shifting in the seat so that his feet touched the ground and he was facing forward, not wanting to indulge Jason too much. “I don’t want to be friends with you Jason and if we weren’t both competing on the circuit I wouldn’t ever have to talk to you.” He uttered, if he could kick the other off the seat without causing a commotion he would, however, if Jason suddenly hit the isle floor it would certainly draw attention and possibly wake up a few of the lighter sleepers.

“You’re colder than you let on Timmy.” Jason teased, why was he so insistent? They didn’t need to be friends or talk to each other, plenty of people barely spoke unless they needed to and none of them had ever thrown punches.

“I feel like you’re showing me exactly why you’re perpetually single.” Tim sighed, giving up on the book, Jason wasn’t going to leave him alone and if he was going to keep talking Tim wasn’t going to be able to focus on it anyway.

Jason only chuckled, pinching Tim’s cheek as though he was a kid who’d done a cutesy dance. “I don’t see anyone, male or female ever hanging off of your arm. When I was seventeen I was trying to get with anyone I could.” He wouldn’t have reacted with anything more than another frown but Jason’s hand patted his thigh and he couldn’t help but shift away, staring at him with wide eyes. “You’re seventeen, relax, I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good, because I wouldn’t ever look in your direction.”

“To busy lusting after Conner Kent?”

“I’m not gay, Jason.”

“I heard about you getting caught with that guy at the rink, though, so I’m just throwing around a couple of suggestions.”

Where had he heard that from? He didn’t think that was a rumour that had gotten out, well not a rumour considering there was truth behind it. However, he didn’t like the idea of it getting through everyone, he would have thought what happened at the rink stayed there considering it was his own private information. “I’m not interested, I’d rather focus on what’s important.”

“Important…” Jason started, quickly closing his mouth when Tim looked away. “You can’t only have skating in your life, it’s going to destroy you the first time something goes wrong.”

He tried to stay silent, hold his tongue even though he didn’t want this conversation, if it was just going to be a critique about his dating life or skating career then he wasn’t interested in it for a moment. “Are you speaking from past experience?” He wanted to hurt him.

To throw it in his face that Jason had been five times worse than he was and he’d nearly lost skating entirely. At least Tim had made it through Juniors and a few seasons of seniors with nothing more than a few sprains or strains. “Yes, Tim there’s nothing wrong with having hobbies outside of skating, even if said hobby is dating.”

Life advice from one Jason Todd, it wasn’t something that he’d ever thought he’d have the honour of having the pleasure of receiving. He never wanted nor needed to get it again. “Stop.” He groaned, trying not to make a face. “I have hobbies, just because I don’t get guided around by my dick like other people.”

“Subtle.”

He hadn’t even been trying to make a comment about Jason, just speaking in general terms but it had hit enough of a nerve. “Why do you care so much if I’m dating?”

“Because you’re a good kid and you seem to hang out just by yourself when both Steph and Conner are around.”

“No one wants to be a third wheel, and I hang out with other people Tam, Dick when you’re not hogging him, Cass and Bart when they are doing shows.” He said softly, he could suppose that it did seem like he just kept to himself this year at least. “Also, I’m not a kid.”

He needed an excuse to get out of this conversation, he might not have liked Jason but something just rubbed him the wrong way about being referred to as a kid. He was days away from turning eighteen, most didn’t treat him like a kid anymore but Jason seemed pretty intent on bringing his age into the matter. “You’re a kid and you should be doing stuff that high school aged kids are doing.”

That was enough, he couldn’t grab all of his things but he could certainly move and sit somewhere else. The only issue was he had to climb over Jason. It was easier said than done, his book and phone in one hand and the other grabbing Jason’s shoulder, pushing him into the back of the chair as he climbed over him. It was almost satisfying seeing Jason look completely taken aback, not having any idea what to do. If he could take a picture of that face right now he would.

He made a b-line towards the back of the bus, Tam’s face brightening when she saw him, moving her laptop and books off of the spare seat beside her. Tim didn’t even have to ask and she already made room for him. “You look irritated.” She said as he sat, by contrast she looked relieved to be pulled away from her assignment.

“Irritated isn’t the right word but I don’t know how to describe how I feel.” He said, slumping into the seat, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t understand how Jason’s forced attempts at trying to be nice when he was such an asshole to me when he came back to compete.”

Tam smiled, as though she knew more than he did. “I think he was redirecting a lot of anger towards you for a while, probably feels guilty, probably listened to Dick talk about how great you are and wanted to take some advice on board.”

“Please, this is Jason Todd we’re talking about, he and Bruce used to argue all the time when he didn’t like the advice he was given, it’s probably just a carefully laid trap.”

“True, but he’s also mellowed out a lot. Although I don’t have the same history as you and I don’t get attacked from multiple angles like you do.” Tim Raised an eyebrow, so she was talking about Damian, he didn’t even understand what he’d done there but it felt similar to Jason’s problem with him originally, he was taking Bruce’s attention and he didn’t like it. Jason had just been more discrete in his hatred.

Tim sighed, resting his head on Tam’s shoulder. “I should have just sat beside you and been a distraction for the whole ride.”

“I’m not Conner, I wouldn’t spend the whole ride making out with you.”

“I’m not into Conner, despite what everyone thinks and he’s dating Steph, which very much proves he has a type.”

“I was more saying in our friendship you’re definitely the Steph.”

He lifted his head, almost squinting as he stared at Tam, who remarkably managed to keep a straight face, whilst even he was trying not to laugh. “I don’t know how to feel about you saying that, next time you are bored and want me to come to your room perhaps I’ll just ignore you.”

“I highly doubt that, you like people seeing you for you too much.”