#maybe alfred and barbra too

[thevoidstaredback]

How To Balance Your Daytime and Nighttime Activities So That You Don't Burn Yourself Out More Than You Already Have

Communication is good. It's wonderful, even! But screaming matches? Especially ones that last this long, aren't healthy in the slightest. In fact, all they do is damage relationships. So, after convincing Barbra and Tim to go upstairs, promising that he'd be up in a few minutes with Dick, he went back to where Bruce and Dick were screaming at each other.

Nothing had been thrown yet. Small mercies.

God, Danny hated being a mediator. Why couldn't people just work out their problems by talking? It'd make his life so much easier. Was that so hard to do? Too much to ask? Apparently.

"And you-!" Bruce rounded on Danny the second he closed the door behind him. "You don't get to come into my house and-"

"Let me stop you right there, Mister Wayne." A few days into his running away, Danny discovered a new power. He can't control it, but sometimes, when he's angry or needs people to shut up, the inside of his throat goes cold and his eyes narrow. It's really cool, from Danny's perspective, and pun fully intended. Something about Mister Wayne had brought that power to the surface, and thank the gods for that because Danny really needs to be listened to right now. "I told you earlier that my name was not a fight you wanted to pick. I think I should reword that. I am not a person you want to pick a fight with."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, meeting Danny's glare with his own. "Is that a threat?"

"Yes, Mister Wayne, that was a threat. And you can hold me to it. I will win any and every fight you try to pick with me."

Dick kept glancing between the two. He had a bad feeling about these two interacting like this, but something was stopping him from getting them apart.

"I have your name and your face. It won't be too hard to get you arrested for several crimes."

"Framing a child, Mister Wayne? Good luck with that. I don't exist anymore. Besides, I can threaten the same thing about Batman, and that holds significantly more weight than anything you could do to my name."

"If you're not scared, then you'll give me your whole name."

"That was a horrible fish for information, Mister Wayne. You're slipping. You must be getting rusty in your old age."

"Danny-"

"Dick." Danny held his hand out to his - on paper - responsible adult, "C'mon, Tim and Barbra are waiting for us upstairs."

Danny lead Dick out of the room, Bruce staying behind and obviously glaring at the back of Danny's head. When the door shut, Dick sighed, every bit of tension he hadn't felt melting off of him. "Sorry about him."

Danny shook his head. "Don't apologise, Dick, you didn't do anything to spark that. However," he glanced at him from the corner of his eye, still holding his hand, "Screaming matches aren't going to fix anything between you two. I don't know if you even want a relationship with him, but he's right. We came into his house, so it's up to us to be polite. You may be his kid, but you are a guest in his home until you two can form some kind of positive relationship. The hostility between y'all right now? That demotes you to 'house guest' instead of 'visiting child'. Got it?"

"..yeah."

"Good. Now, Tim and Barbra are waiting upstairs; go find them."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to go apologise to Alfred."

"Alfred? Why?"

"Bruce may claim this as his house, but Alfred's the one who takes care of it. It's his haunt, so I'm gonna go apologise for almost starting a fight."

"Um, alright..?"

***

Dick found himself wandering into the room that had been given to Tim. It was bare bones and barely looked used, but that's where he found Tim and Babs. He sat next to her.

"Where's Danny?" Tim asked.

"I- He's gone to talk to Alfred for a minute."

"Oh? Why?"

"I don't..he wasn't really clear on that."

"Oh."

The three lapsed into a silence that hovered somewhere between comfortable and uncomfortable. Tim was on his bed, messing with something on his phone, smiling occasionally or chuckling softly. Dick and Barbra sat together on the couch against the wall between the two windows. None of them spoke for a while.

It was a lon twenty minutes of sitting, doing nothing. Sometimes one of them shifted, but no conversation was made.

The door opened. "Wow. Did I end up in a graveyard or something? Y'all're quieter than the dead." The three flinched back as if struck. "Sorry, that was in poor taste." He closed the door behind him and sat on the foot of Tim's bed. "Seriously, though, why're y'all so quiet?"

"Waiting for you," Tim answered, "What'd you talk to Alfred about?"

Danny waved his hand in the air as if to physically dispel the words. "Nothing you need to worry about. Good news, though, I have a standing invitation to the Manor, so.."

"Is that a good idea?" Barbra asked, "You and B, well...You didn't really.."

"Yeah," he smiled, "Alfred's given me permission, and that's all I need. I won't be going with you guys to the Bat Cave, though."

"What?" Tim's voice pitched up a bit, "Why?"

"That's Mister Wayne's haunt. Because he doesn't like me, I'm not gonna risk even thinking about going down there."

"But you'll come and go from his house?"

"Yes."

"Weird."

"I don't make the rules, Timmy." Tim snorted softly. Barbra smiled.

"I hate to be the one to bring the mood down again," Dick said, "But why were you wanting to go to the Cave?"

"I just said I wasn't."

"Yeah, but why would you ever need to go down there?"

At this, Danny looked a bit sheepish, turning to look away from the others and rubbing the back of his neck. "Alfred said we're staying the night."

"What!" Dick shot up from his seat.

"Are you coming on patrol with us?" Barbra asked Dick, her eyes expectant.

Tim grinned. "That'd be so cool! You two should totally join us!"

Dick shook his head. "I really-" He cut himself off, making the mistake of looking Barbra and Tim in the eye. He sighed. "Alright, I'll join you guys for the night. But I don't answer to Bruce."

"Yay!"

"Wouldn't expect ya to."

"What about you, Danny?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't do the whole vigilante thing anymore."

"'Anymore'?" Babs raised her eyebrow, "That's a story I wanna hear."

He blushed. "It's really not,"

"You'll be on comms, though, right?" Tim wondered.

"I, um.... Sure. I'll join you guys on comms."

"Yes!"

"But I'm still not going into the Bat Cave."

Part 13 Part 15

[breadandblankets]

so i can find someone to rely on (and run to them)

Chapter 3: I Went Through The Kiln on Mount Tonglu and All I Got Was This Stupid T Shirt

Summary:

"Life is above all things, Jason, precious," Bruce had said. "What else do we have?" Jason didn't think Bruce's philosophy could rest on the idea that someone could be too stubborn to die. Jason had always lived to overachieve; it seems death makes no difference. Or, The Bats Have a Mystery, Alfred has a decent morning for once, Jason continues to try and unionize the underworld, and Duke enables a supervillain

first chapter without a new violence warning lets gooooo and Duke!!!!

[gaintsnowflake]

❆ UNTIL THE EVEVATORE CHIMED

PAIRING : dick grayson x fem!reader

ONESHOT : you are forced to return to your apartment after the loss of your boyfriend... there is more than just flowers at your doorstep

WARNINGS : angst. pure angst. heavy loads of grief. mentions of death, funerals, and cannon violence. you slap him on the cheek.

A/N : i genuinely teared up rereading this.... holy sad bro- im just a sappy sad teen can you blame me?? okay lots of love and hope you enjoy <33

masterlist

     IN LOVING MEMORY OF DICK GRAYSON Beloved son, brother, and friend

    You must have read the gravestone a thousand times over. The pittering of the rain on your umbrella furthering the realization of it all. He was dead. Gone. No body, no remains. Only pieces of his burnt clothes. 

    You had nothing left to remember him except a cold bed and clothes scattered across your shared apartment. One you can’t even imagine returning to knowing his warm embrace won't be there to welcome you. It would feel empty without his constant being. Yet you felt emptier. A new loneliness crept inside you. 

     By the time you stepped away from the grave, your legs nearly gave out. You couldn’t tell if it was the lack of food, sleep, or the hours you spent staring at it. Everyone else had left the funeral hours ago, even Bruce had left you to mourn your lover. 

     The whine of Haley at your shoes was enough to remind you that wasting away over his grave wasn’t an option. 

     “I know, Haley… I miss him too,” your voice cracked as your eyes found hers. Hand reaching out as you squatted down to pet her. “How do you feel about spending the night at Grandpa Bruce’s? Maybe you can even play with Tim…” 

      The lack of a response only made you exhale, if only she could talk back. But the next best option would be Alfred, though you're not sure he is holding up himself.

      The screen of your phone is filled with notifications, missed phone calls, unread messages, even emails of people with nothing but pity. Reaching out as a matter of obligation rather than care. Leading you to ignore them all as you scrolled to call Bruce, intentions of asking to stay in the manner for a few days, just till you could bring yourself to go home to a heavy silence that would remain unbroken. 

       It rung and it rung, no answer. You scrolled till you found Tim’s name, it rung again. No answer. Alfred… no answer. Barbra, no answer. No answer. No answer. No answer. 

       Not only was your boyfriend a ghost, but his family was ghosting you. 

       Haley only whined more as the wind howled. Now your only option was the apartment. Seven blocks away. And with every step you took, you felt your chest close a little bit more, as if your heart gave away with his.

       Eventually you got to the building. It stood before you, as if it curled towards you. A blanket ready to consume you in sadness and self-pity. But everyone must face its monsters and this was only one of yours.

       “C’mon Haley.”

       She ran at your feet, an excitement in her step as if she was expecting him to be in your home. As if it was his scent that filled the dreary stairwell and elongated hallway the elevator door. The walls slowly closed as you made your way towards the shiny silver doors. Remembering all the times Dick and you would race out the door, attempting to not be late, you always were when you were with him. It was a curse that followed that man. One that you wished still held onto you, because now it would be your footsteps that sounded the halls instead of the laughter he caused. 

       You could still hear him pressing the button of the elevator as your finger pressed onto it. His smile was bright as he made sure you were the first to step inside, always making a dramatic gesture. People did always say he seemed happier when you were with him, and his theatrics was only one of the proving matters. 

       But the chime of the elevator wasn’t as familiar as it used to be, neither were the brown walls you never found yourself looking at long. Dick would always catch your attention before the doors even had a chance of closing. Now it was just you and passionless walls. Though, Haley kept great company as she pawed at your legs, still confused by your damp mood. 

       In her mind you were going home to go see dad. He would present her with a treat and you a kiss on the cheek. And all would be good.

       But you knew her dad wouldn’t be on the other side of the door. Something you couldn’t bring yourself to explain to the dog… Would she understand your words anyway?

      Lost within your thoughts you didn’t notice the doors had opened, meeting you with another long hallway towards your door. Your neighbors had left flowers outside your apartment, a note that had condolences in big letters just barely caught your eye, leading you to kick it lightly out of frustration. 

      Moments passed as you stared at the lilies that touched the ground next to the brown door that seemed to haunt your being. Haley, sitting and whining as she punched the door. Waiting for you to open it. Yet you couldn’t bring yourself to open the door. Your head opting instead to lean against it. Maybe instead of going in, you could sleep out here. The floor could bring at least some comfort. More than the lack of a home inside the apartment. 

       “Excuse me ma’am?” 

    A voice. His voice.

No. No. You were hallucinating. You were so heartbroken you were imagining his voice in this stranger’s.

“Hm?” You didn’t move. Couldn’t bring yourself to look.

“Do you live here?”

No. Definitely his voice.

You turned your head so quickly that “whiplash” didn’t do it justice.

The man standing there looked just like him. His hair was a bit messier, but it was the same modelesque frame you questioned how you ever got to wrap your arms around. The same eyes you lost yourself in. The same nose you used to boop when he gave you a fake scowl. The same jaw you used to kiss in your most intimate moments.

It was him.

Maybe you had died. Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe— maybe— maybe.

“Ma’am— are you alright?” he asked, the way he always had when you were upset. Same tone. Same concern.

“Dick?” you said. This time, with more anger than confusion. “Dick, is that you?”

“I... I don’t know. I’m sorry. I—look, I need help. I’ve lost my memory. I lost everything. All I know is—I have the key to this apartment. And—fuck. If you could just help me. Tell me if you know anything about who I am…”

His voice faded as you took weak steps forward and fell into his chest. You sobbed— loud, uncontrollable sobs. As if it were the first time you’d cried at all.

Dick stopped talking, confusion flashing across his face. But still, he wrapped his arms around you. Rubbed your back gently as you sobbed.

He was real. He was alive. He was whole.

You had him now.

The sleepless nights of mourning were over. His heartbeat beat in your ears—the same one that lulled you to sleep on rough nights.

After minutes, though it was not enough time at all, you pulled away, looked into his loving eyes… and slapped him across the face. Then kissed the light red mark it left.

“God, don’t do that to me again. I thought you were dead. You’re an asshole. Holy shit, you're actually alive…” Your words came fast as you hugged him again.

Nothing else mattered anymore.

You’d figure it out in time.

You had him in your arms now.

[polarspaz]

Was rereading the Knowing Too Much AU (eldritch batfam beloved), and realized that since Barbara's aspect is knowledge does that mean she's the third to figure it out? Maybe after the Cave Incident where everyone's trying to undo the "curse" Tim is under. She wants to know what happened to him, she wants to know why, she wants to know how, she wants to know if she can fix it. And then she stumbles upon his research, and figures out what's really going on. And she changes. (It's not a curse, it's so much worse...)

You are correct! Barbra is the third one to figure out what's really going on. But I'm trying to decided wither or not she tells Tim she knows. Telling Tim might devastate him, as he's clearly been trying to keep this thing suppressed in anyway possible, and telling him could also actually make things even worse.

The less people know about this mess, the better.

I also updated the positive/negative powers for the EldritchFamily

-Tim/Aspect Hope = Power/Teleportation. Tim can create a portal to anywhere, and innately knows where any object or person is. The entity however forces Tim to drag people back to Gotham, wither they want to return or not. Tim is essentially the chain that keeps them tied to city

-Bruce/Aspect Justice = Power/Shadow manipulation. Bruce can warp shadows and make them physical. He can also melt into shadows and use them to travel anywhere there is a patch of darkness. He can also lurk in these spots and spy on people if he wishes. The entity however has a good deal of influence on Bruce and can tamper with his personalty, making him more extreme in his crusade or suppress his emotions.

-Dick/Aspect Humanity = Power/Empathy. Dick can amplify people's positive emotions, like love, happiness, and compassion. His power helps the family retain their humanity, boosts their powers, it can also help compel villains to do good deeds. The negative part to his power though is that the entity will make Dick inject negative emotions into villains, making them even more deranged and violent.

-Jason/Aspect Rebirth = Power/resurrection. Jason's power is the most OP and ironically the most simplistic, he can bring people back to life. The downside? The entity makes him bring back villains too, especially the Joker.

-Cassandra/Aspect Secrets = Power/Invisibility. If Cassandra doesn’t want to be found or suspected, she will never be seen or thought of again until she desires it. She can also turn herself or anything she wants completely invisible, even to technology and the senses, meaning you can't track her through smell or sound either. The entity forces her to hide objects or people that could help the family rebel against it. ((She never remembers doing this either, so she can't just cheat and tell where the shit is lol))

Barbra/Aspect Knowledge = Power…Knowledge lol. If Barbra wants to know something, she will always find the answer to it. She remembers EVERYTHING and instantly understands any complex idea or problem that comes before her. However, whatever she learns, she must share that same knowledge with the entity, meaning whatever she knows, the entity knows too.

Also here's some others who are affected by the entity.

Alfred/Aspect Loyalty. Jim Gordon/Aspect Diligence. Damian/Aspect Redemption. Joker /Aspect Chaos. Catwoman Aspect/Desire. Stephanie /Aspect Mischief.

[magnusraydar]

Personally, I believe the Batfamily is too big, but it can most definitely work. For it to work, I think the Batfamily should be hugely spread out. I'd want the Batfamily to work outside of Gotham, like Dick.

I'd believe that the people who should be in Gotham are Batman, Robin (Damien), Barbra, Alfred, Signal, and Red Hood. As they have the most connections to Gotham. They need to learn more as well or have a purpose in Gotham. Jason stays for Crime Alley.

Those who should stay out of Gotham, Nightwing, Red Robin, Batwoman, Huntress, Blackbat, Batgirl, and almost the entire family. (Personally, I believe Luke Fox and others that aren't fully developed as well are retired.)

Nightwing is in Blud, Red Robin is traveling the world like a spy, Batwoman is in a neighboring city, Huntress goes wherever, Blackbat is in Hong Kong, Batgirl a bit of a wonderer to me so I'm not 100% where'd she be stationed but it'd be outside Gotham. They can visit Gotham to help, but they're not really there besides visits in crisis and for hanging out for family.

For more obscure family members like Carrie and Terry, they are future characters, so they're in Gotham. Terry is future Batman, and Carrie is a future Robin not for Terry, though, but maybe Damian's or someone else.

The Batfamily is huge, and the more obscure family members should be retired and done with that life.

[spinstertheuncommon]

Gotham's Sewist - Medical malevolence | Bruce Wayne x Reader

Masterlist

this is self indulgent writing about accessibility.

cw: swears, canon typical violence, disability and medical talk, reader accidently runs over their thumb nail with the sewing machine (from experience, hurts like a bitch), no blood just pain,

Not proof read in the slightest.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It's been about 7 months since Babs' run in with the Joker, but it still made you sick. how disgusting that clown is, that if you could, he would be 60 feet under in several pieces. but this isn't about you, and instead you have to leave all the vengeance to Batman, who, in all honestly you're not very happy with. you know he's doing what he thinks is best and what matches his moral code or whatever, but one exception would be nice. the world would be safer if the Joker wasn't running around.

but noooo! no killing never ever!!

you scoff, rolling your eyes at Bruce's nonsense.

no one really said anything about you knowing, but you're aware that at least Bruce and Alfred know you know. neither want to directly address it, the former being stubborn, and the latter recognising it's not his place to talk, but unlike B, Alfred will crack a joke in the most serious way, that half the time you're unsure if he knows what he's doing.

Doesn't mean he's off the chopping block. if Bruce wants to hold his morals over the safety of the kids he's putting in the line of fire, then fine, be that way, but he better put that damn clown in maximum security prison or so help him you will be coming for his ego and dying his suits pink. fill his pockets with glitter. maybe eve-

FUCK!!

you rip your hand back, causing further pain as your thumbnail tears. that's what you get for not paying attention while sewing, I guess. you roll back from your desk, and push the wheeled chair over to your shelf where your first aid kit sits. you mostly use it when visiting the street kids, so it's stocked to the brim with fun and bright band aids. you pull out a Miffy one, wrapping it around your thumb. just as you're disposing of the paper, the bell above your door rings. it's mid day, so randoms coming off the street isn't uncommon, but the rando in question is well welcome.

"hey Babs, how we hanging?"

"eh, sub par. i expect you to know the feeling," Barbra Gordon wheels in, her dad parked in his cruiser outside. Jim hadn’t introduced himself to you in the early days, but since the accident, he comes to you for advice. He felt very out of his depth when all of a sudden he has to rip up his hand made deck to install a ramp, add slopes to every ledge, and navigate Gothams lack of healthcare and physical therapist. He knows the system, sure, but always knew it at a distance. But now, his daughter was thrown into the thick of it, and he felt helpless. To begin he was just asking the basics; what was the best way to alter his house, who were making the better mobility aids, what PT would you recommend? But about 2 months a go, he came to your store, puffy and red in the face, with Babs in her latest surgery. He collapses on the couch in the store front and cried, gutted by how guilty he feels being tired.

Now you call him every other week, just to make sure he doesn't boil over again.

"Know it too well, babe, " you push your chair back past the table, towards the rack along the wall, pulling down the royal purple garment bag. You knew what you were doing. You flop it over the client chair you have, hooking it to your desk, and unzipping the front to reveal the stack of 3 outfits.

"Is that-?" Babs rolled closer, knees bumping the chair arm. She grazes her hand across the fabrics, scared to mark the pressed lapels.

"Your three, custom suits. All accesable with combinations of side zips, elastics, magnetic clasps, and breathable mesh panels in the back. Both sexy and comfortable.” You sell, but there’s no way you’re gonna take them back anyway, payment or not. But neither of the Gordons would do that anyhow.

Babs sighed, a whispy smile on her face. She grabs your shoulder, lightly shaking it. You know this is her way of saying thanks.

It becomes harder to express gratitude in a genuine sense. Being expected to say thank you every time a person does the bare minimum, like opening a door, or not obstructing the sidewalk. Being told that you have to be patient, with yourself, your body, and all the questions from others.

They're just curious, no harm no fowl.

But truly you couldn't care less to be patient for others.

And while new to the circumstances, you can't wait to teach Babs the confidence to tell people to fuck off.

"I can't wait to wear these, seriously," she praised, not taking her eyes off of the suits, "I don't know where I would be without you."

"Probably somewhere naked," you both laugh, but really, you feel the weight of her words resting in your chest.

It's a journey. A chronic, forever journey.

But never would you let her go it alone.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This wrote more like a list of thoughts rather than a actual fic, but if you're reading this then I did something.

Big love to all the disabled baddies out there, from a disabled baddie myself ♡♡

Do not copy, steal, or repost my works!

[rubydubydoo122]

In every universe Jason Peter Todd dies young. It’s a fate sealed across the multiverse. Maybe he could hope that there’s one universe where he doesn’t. aka, Jason, Dick, and Bruce go multiverse hopping, and are not having a fun time. (Ps, when I started writing this fic I hced Jason as Latino, but I don't really believe in that hc anymore, so just a heads up if you don't like that hc)

TRIGGER WARNING -> Child Death (it's Jason)

They spent the next couple of realities kind of… drifting. 

They spent the first couple universes mainly in hotel rooms or abandoned apartments, because Jason was tired . Using his All-Blades to almost his limit twice in one week, along with being pinballed around the multiverse was exhausting. 

Though eventually they went back to watching different Jasons die.

There were different Robins killed by different rogues– Scarecrow's goons giving him multiple doses of fear toxin. Ivy’s plants throwing him into a building too hard. Another Jacicle, this time a courtesy of Mr. Freeze.  

Then there was the reality where Jason got killed by the Joker in that one warehouse alone. Then the Jason , who got killed by the Joker at Amusement Mile. And the Jason who was captured in Arkham Asylum and apparently brainwashed and then he died. And then– there were a lot of Jasons killed by the Joker. 

They couldn’t do anything about the Jason who dropped dead on the streets. He couldn’t find clean water for a week, because of a rogue attack on the plumbing. (When that had happened to him there had been a convenience store owner who was kind enough to spot him and give him a spare water bottle. The owner stuck with him and made sure he sipped slowly.)

There was also the Jason who died caught up in a gang war. And the one who got shot by a cop. Gotta love the GCPD, (Commissioner Gordon is the exception.) 

What really sucks is that they’ve learned that no matter how hard they try, Jason is still going to die. They’ve tried keeping Jason at the manor. They’ve tried keeping him out of the way from rogues, they’ve tried tying up the Joker before he could get to Jay, but he keeps on dying .

Honestly it’s starting to get annoying. Is Jason following the three Ds– Disassociation, Derealization, and Death-Jokes– to stay sane? Obviously. You can only watch yourself die so many times until the voice of the Anti Monitor that says, “Incongruities must be purged” gets too loud and you start thinking, Huh, maybe being purged isn’t such a bad idea .

But honestly, the worst part about this is that none of the Jasons have been older than 15. At least they could bump it up a number. 

They also were never in a place long enough to actually start on the beacon prototype. So that sucked even more.

Until they landed in the Universe they were currently in. They landed just outside of the Manor’s Ballroom which was currently filled with people dressed in black tie attire.

On the stage, there was a banner that read: 30th Annual Wayne Foundation Charity Gala. There were three large tables closest to the stage, on the left seated Bruce, Talia, Damian, Baby Jon in a highchair, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Diana Prince, and Alfred 

On the right, seated Leslie Thompkins, Commissioner Gordon, Elaine and Doug Thomas, Crystal Brown, Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance, and a man Jason has never seen in his life.

And the middle table held the rest of them. Barbra, Roy, Dick, Cass, Jason, Stephanie, Tim, and Duke.

Yet, despite the supposedly very magical presence of One Wonder Woman, and Talia (and Superman and Duke he supposes) it didn’t feel like there was any magic at all. Zero, zilch, nada.

Jason turned to Bruce, “I don’t think Uncle Clark and Aunt Diana are superheroes here.”

“I don’t think any of us are.” Dick was analyzing each of them closely, until his eyes blew wide, and he started  smacking both Bruce and Jason’s shoulder, “The Man sitting next to Oliver is Béla Károlyi. As in the Olympic level gymnastics coach.” Just as he said that, alternate reality Dick leaned back, seemingly saying something to Mr. Károlyi which made the man laugh, causing his brother’s jaw to drop.

Jason looked back to all of the tables, realizing that everyone looked so much… happier. So much lighter. He felt a smile creep onto his face, “Ya know, in all of the other Universes, I died either on the streets or because I was Robin. I have a pretty good feeling about this one.” 

Bruce looked like he was about to say something when the lights started to dim, and a projector was rolled out.

The screen opened up to an eight year old Dickie in a booster seat, holding Zitka in his arms. The camera quality showed it was from the early 2000s, which, yeah, considering if Dick was eight, it was probably 2002? There was a symphony of awws that went around the room as Alternate Reality Dick rolled his eyes, but sent a smile towards his Bruce.

The video continued to show clips of Bruce taking Dickie to visit Haly’s circus, probably for the first time since Bruce took him in.

Bruce turned to Dick with a raised eyebrow, “Remember how I had to practically pry you from Zitka when it was time to leave?”

Dick snorted, “I remember her smacking you with her trunk. Haly was really concerned, but I knew you were fine.”

“Because I’m Batman?”

“Because you’re Batman.” 

Then there was a video of Dickie and Bruce at a playground, where Bruce is struggling to squeeze down a tube slide. Alfred and Dickie dusting the chandeliers together– except Alfred was on a ladder, and Dick was hanging off of something. There were more pictures– a couple with Dick in a leotard and sweats with several gold medals around his neck, while he and Bruce ate ice cream– but mostly they were just of Dickie being a kid. In front of the school building, rolling out cookie dough with Alfred, up in a tree, that sorta thing. 

There was also a video of Dickie watching the Olympics, and watching the male Olympians do the Vault. He looked into the camera “Please, I can do better than that.”

The audience erupted into cheers, as Mr. Károlyi reached over and patted Dick’s shoulder.

Until there was a video of a maybe four year old Cass hiding behind Talia’s leg. 

“Hi, my name’s Dick.”

Talia gave Dickie a soft smile, “This is Cass. She can be a little shy sometimes.”

“ That’s ok. Bruce was a little shy at first too. Look at him now.” Dickie peered around Talia to get a better look, “Hi Cass, I can’t wait to get to know you.”

Alternate reality Cass was covering her face with her hands as another round of awws circled the room, but Dick leaned in to whisper something into her ear which made her look up and smile at him.

There were a lot more pictures of Talia, Cass, and Dickie doing things together. Like Cass painting Dickie’s nails, Dickie teaching Cass how to tumble, and a picture of Cass and Dickie standing side by side, backpacks on, holding signs that said KTG and 5th on it. There was also a really cute video of Dickie and Cass setting up a date night for Bruce and Talia. 

Then there was a video of maybe a six year old Cass holding hands with a toddler in the middle of a Gala. 

“Whatcha got there Cass?” It was a young voice, so he assumed it was Dickie behind the camera.

“A baby brother.” 

“I’m Tim! Where do you live?”

The room erupted into howls as alternate reality Tim lowered his head so he could no longer see the screen. 

Dick turned to Jason, “Guess the stalker tendencies started young.”

From then on, there were a lot of photos and videos that included Tim and Cass in the middle of shenanigans together. Cass putting lotion in Tim’s hair, Cass putting makeup on Tim, both of them racing those little electric cars down the giant manor driveway. Bruce teaching Cass how to ride a bike, with Talia and Dickie cheering her on in the background. Videos of Cass dancing balletT

There was also a picture that looked like it was from Thanksgiving, with Alfred, Bruce, Talia, Dickie, Cass, Tim, Jack and Janet Drake, Uncle Clark, Ma and Pa Kent and Aunt Diana. So Bruce and Dick probably just babysat Tim a lot. 

Then there was a video of a very large backyard wedding– It looked like a fusion wedding. Yeah, the closeups of Talia showed henna decorating her arms.

“You know your name’s hidden in the design.” 

“I already found it.” Bruce grinned at Talia, and placed a finger right below her ring knuckle, “Right here.”

“You know they say it is a sign of good luck if the groom finds his name faster.”

Bruce kissed Talia’s forehead, “We don’t need luck, but I’ll take it. Now where are my shoes?”

Talia laughed, “Well, Beloved, Dick is going to have to find them. If not, you have to pay Cass to get them back.”

“Dick can’t even find his own shoes half the time.”

“Well, you’re a billionaire for a reason.”

There was also a video of Ra’s and Bruce dancing bhangra together, which honestly wasn’t bad at all.

The next picture was of a 14 year old Dickie, and an eight year old Cass, with Talia, Bruce and Alfred in the courthouse holding up adoption papers.

There were a couple of photos of the five of them at Disney World. Then some more Thanksgiving photos, this time, Janet Drake wasn’t there, but Jack was. Except he was in a wheelchair. There were more photos and videos from throughout the year. Like Cass and Dick’s Birthdays, Mothers and Fathers day, and then Tim’s 6th birthday.

It looked like a really small thing, and Jack wasn’t there. Then Bruce handed him a gift wrapped rectangle. “Happy Birthday, Tim. I know it hasn’t been the best year, but hopefully the next one is better.”

Tim took the gift with a tiny smile, and unwrapped it. “A camera!! I love it! I love it! I love it! I’m going to take a picture of all of us right now!” Tim frowned at the buttons, “How do I take the picture?”

There were giggles that went around the room as the slideshow continued, now with a lot more photos of Bruce and Alfred compared to before. There was a video of Dickie holding both of Tim’s hands while Tim balanced on a skateboard. A video of Cass teaching Tim and Dickie her Ballet routine, and a really nice picture of Dickie in the middle of a corkscrew flip. 

Then it cut to a video of Cass and Dickie teasing Tim in the living room.

“I’m not scared. It’s just a movie.” That being said, Tim was currently hiding in Bruce’s arms, so he definitely was scared.

“We can turn it off if you would like us to, Tim.”

“I’m not scared! I am six years old. I’m not a baby. I hate being the youngest.”

The camera panned to Talia, “Well…you don’t have to be the youngest anymore. I’m going to have a baby.”  

Tim’s eyes widened, and then he rolled his eyes. “Finally.”

The next couple of videos and photos were of Dick, Cass, and Tim painting the nursery– Jason totally forgot the manor had a nursery– yellow and green while Alfred and Bruce assembled a crib. There was a video from the Baby Shower where everyone was putting bangles on Talia’s arms, along with feeding her sweets. 

The next video was of all six of them in the nursery with a giant whiteboard, where Bruce  tapped it with a dry erase marker, “Alright, what should we name this kid?”  

Tim jumped up and down, “ I got one! Peanut!”

Talia laughed from the rocking chair she was in, as Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, “Like…the butter?”

“Yup.”

“Write it down, Beloved. I like it.”

There were squeaks on the whiteboard, that felt a little long for just Cat, but oh well.

Dickie was doing a headstand against the crib, “Do we know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?”

“We want it to be a surprise.”

“Hmm.” Dickie maneuvered so he was sitting properly on the floor, “What about Robin? My mom used to call me that. Maybe it could be the baby’s middle name? It’s gender neutral.” 

Jason turned to his brother Dick, “Your mom used to call you Robin?”

Dick nodded, but didn’t take his eyes off the screen

Screen Bruce looked to Dickie, “Are you sure, Chum? You don’t want to use it if you have any kids of your own?”

Dickie smiled, “I think I’d use my parents' names for my own kids. I’d like my sibling to share Robin with me. I’d give it to Cass and Tim if I could.”

The pride was practically bleeding through the screen, as Bruce erased the middle line separating Boy and Girl, to make a column for middle name. 

Talia ran her fingers through Cass’s hair as she started to braid it, “ What about your parents names, Beloved?”

Bruce shook his head, “They wouldn’t appreciate that.”

Alfred cleared his throat, “Might I suggest Athanasia? It was one of the names your parents picked out if you were to be a girl.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Write it down.”

Dickie snorted, “Yet they decided to name Bruce, Bruce. What are you, a mechanic?”

Tim moved to sit on the ottoman of the rocking chair, “Your name’s Dick .”

Dickie opened his mouth like he was about to make a counterpoint, but ultimately decided against it.

“Cass, do you have any ideas?”

Cass leaned back and pressed her ear to Talia’s stomach like she was listening to the baby, “Damian. Damian Al Ghul-Wayne. But we should call him Cat.”

The next couple photos were of Talia in a hospital bed holding a newborn Damian. Then a video of a tousled Bruce taking Damian from Talia, “This is weird. Usually they’re bigger when I first hold them.”

Tim was running around the hospital room taking pictures of Bruce and the baby from different angles, “If he’s too small for you, can I hold him? My arms are the perfect size to hold a baby.”

There was a hand that reached out to ruffle Tim’s hair, “I thought you said you wanted to take pictures first.”

“I do! But I also wanna hold him.”

“Why don’t you take pictures of Damian with everyone else, and then you can hold him. Save the best for last, ya know.”

Tim nodded and continued taking pictures.

Bruce, smiled down at Damian, “He has your nose and lips, Talia.”

“He has your ears, Beloved.”

There was a gag from behind the camera as Bruce kissed Talia’s forehead. Then they both looked to Alfred, “Do you want to hold him?” 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude–”

“Alfred, he’s your grandson. Just like Dick, Cass, and Tim.”

Alfred seemed to reboot at the statement, but it didn’t phase him for long, as Bruce placed Damian in his arms. “Why hello there, little lad.” Bruce came closer to the camera as it stayed trained on Alfred and Damian, “I can film for a bit.” The camera shifted a bit and a very ruffled looking Dickie appeared on screen, in a leotard and sweats. “What time is your first event at?”

“10:30, but Bruce–”

“Alright, that gives us about thirty more minutes here…”

“Bruce–”

“if I speed a bit, we’ll be able to make it back with time for you to warm–”

“Dad!” That seemed to immediately shut Bruce up. Jason kinda wished the camera was on his face, “I’d rather stay here with Talia, and you, and Damian.”

“What about the scouts?”

“I’ve still got, like, three years until I can go to the Olympics. I’ve got time. Besides, I fly for my family. Not for scouts.” Dick tapped his chest twice with his fist, before there was the sound of shuffling off camera, which Jason assumed was a hug.

Then Alfred walked over to Dick, and handed Damian to him. Dick made a face like ‘why are you handing me a child’ but then looked down at Damian and smiled, “Besides, he’s already stolen my heart. Good luck trying to get your child back.” Bruce and Talia both laughed, but Dick looked to Cass, “Do you want to hold him?”

Cass’s eyes widened as she shook her head, “No.”

“Alright then, Tim, go wash your hands and sit down.”

Tim did a little Mario jump, before running to the nearest hand sanitizer dispenser and running back to one of the waiting room seats, and making grabby motions at Dick.

Dick made a panicked expression before Damian went back to Alfred so that Alfred could give him to Tim.

“Make sure to support his head, ok?”

Tim nodded, as Alfred placed Damian in his arms, “Oh! Oh! He’s waking up!” Tim grinned, showing off his missing tooth, “Hi Peanut, I’m your big brother Tim.” Damian blinked up at Tim, once, twice.

Then he started to cry.

Tim’s eyes widened as he looked a little past the camera, “Take him back. Take him back!”

The next couple photos and videos were of Damian and the rest of the family at different milestones. And a little tiny baby Damian napping on Bruce’s shoulder, while Bruce is also asleep.

The Next video was from slightly outside the playroom– Jason didn’t even know they had one of those– of Talia and Bruce crouching in front of Damian in his walker.

“Say Ummmi. Habibi say Ummmi.”

“Don’t listen to your Mother, say Baba, Baba, Bababababa.”

The camera came closer, and Damian immediately looked at him, and gave the camera a two toothed smile that made the entire audience coo, “ Dee!”

Bruce frowned back at Damian, “I can work with that, Dada, say Dada, Damian.”

Damian reached to whoever was holding the camera, “ Dee!”

Dick laughed from behind the camera, “I think he’s trying to say…Dickie!”

“Diggie!”

“I win! I was his first words.” The camera shuffled around until it was in Bruce’s hands. Dick picked Damian out of the walker, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Cass owes me five dollars.”

His brother Dick turned to Bruce, “Ha!”

The video was cut off with a photo of Dick, Cass, Tim and Damian all piled on top of Bruce. There were more photos and videos as the years progressed. From Tim doing skateboard tricks, and Cass and Dick belting to “Enchanted”, to holiday photos, Tim getting adopted and Damian somehow covered completely in flour. There was also a video of the whole family going feral of Dick getting on the US Olympic team. 

So that was probably why Mr. Károlyi was sitting at the friends and family table up front. 

The next video had horrible quality, so it had to have been taken on an old iphone or something. “Um, Hi, Tim here, I’m recording for Bruce’s therapist, cus I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. So, it’s June 27th, and– ya know what, I’ll just show you.” The camera flipped around to show a Mercedes GLE that was missing three tires, and a Bruce who was hunched over, clutching his stomach laughing, “Bruce, do you want to tell Leslie what’s going on?”

“There was this–this tiny little kid, and he- and he stole my tires.” Bruce fully squatted and leaned his head against the car door because he was still laughing, “And then– and then–” Bruce apparently could not stop himself from laughing, “ And then he hit me with the tire iron, and called me a big boob!” If Bruce wasn’t on a street he would’ve been rolling around on the floor.

Honestly, Jason doesn’t think there was ever a time Bruce laughed that hard.

“Are you hurt, Beloved?”

Bruce shook his head no, and took a couple of breaths while wiping tears from his eyes, “ Tim, give me back my phone. I’ve got some people to call.”

“Are you gonna call the cops on him?”

Bruce looked at Tim like he was crazy, “No, I need to contact Elaine to see if I can adopt him.”

There was a bit of shuffling, but the camera only cut off after Tim grumbled, “ I could probably steal your tires too.”

Jason spared a glance at Bruce, only to find him with a slight fond smile. “Ain’t no way that was that funny.” Honestly, all Jason could remember was being terrified out of his mind. If he hadn’t been so scared, he would’ve thought of a better insult than ‘ya big boob.’

Bruce huffed out a laugh , a real one that Jason hasn’t seen or heard in years, “Honestly, It was a lot funnier considering I was dressed as a giant bat when you took a swing.”

Jason shook his head in disbelief.

“I’d get hit with that tire iron a million times if it meant you would enter my life.”

Oh. Oh.

No. He probably just means the kid Jason used to be. Jason sucked in a breath through his teeth, “Been there, done that, and let me tell you, Old Man, it was not fun.”

Jason half expected Bruce to yell at him for making a joke about his death, but he just rolled his eyes, “I guess I walked right into that one.” The next photo was a candid of Jay in the manor’s library white streak stark against his black hair, looking like he just rolled into Narnia, “That was the exact expression you made when you first saw the library.” Bruce looked back at Jason with a smile that wrinkled the crows feet around his eyes.

“I guess some things are constants when it comes to us.” 

Bruce fixed his gaze at the younger Jay who was oblivious to the way alternate reality Bruce was smiling fondly at him. “I have a good feeling about this reality too.”

They continued to watch the slideshow. Most of the pictures and videos with Jay in them consisted of him covering his face, unless he was absorbed in a book, or cooking with Alfred.

Then there was a video of Jay in the bathroom with a bowl of black hair dye and a brush, Cass straightening the white streak, so that the hair dye would go on more evenly.

The mirror showed it was Tim behind the camera, “I still think you should paint it red.”

Cass set down the straightener, “I think you should keep it the way it is.”

Jay shook his head, “This is gonna be my first time out in public as Wayne's new foster. They’ll already–” Jay cut himself off and chewed the inside of his cheek, “Maybe in a couple years. I’m just not used to all of this yet, and I don’t want more eyes on me because of a stupid autoimmune disease.” Jay took the brush and started parting the white strip so he could cover it in the hair dye.

“It’s not stupid. It looks really cool.”

“It makes you unique,” Cass shrugged, “ It is your hair, though, and you should be changing it because you want to, and not because everyone else thinks you should.” Cass smiled at herself, “ That’s what Dick would say.”

Jay frowned for a second, until a mischievous grin slowly appeared on his face, “ I’m gonna dye my hair, but not because of anyone else. I just wanna see how long it takes Dick to figure out I have vitiligo.”

Cass grinned and grabbed the bowl of hair dye, “I’ll help.”

Jay lowered the lid of the toilet and sat down facing Cass, “Timbo, you’d better hide that video.”

Dick turned to Jason, and flicked his hair, “I guess the white streak is also a universal constant. Even if the reason isn’t magic in this one.” He turned back to watching the slideshow, as Jason shared a look with Bruce.

Dick may be a great detective, but boy could he be dense sometimes. 

The next picture was of Jay and a three year old Damian looking out of the plane window, followed by a video of Jay reading out loud to Damian, Tim and Cass, as all of them gradually get closer and closer, until they were all cuddling, and then a photo of Damian, Tim and Cass sleeping as Jay seemed to continue reading 

Then there was a video of the seven of them in an empty looking stadium. The camera focused on Jay for a couple seconds before he pushed it away and it focused on Dick hugging his siblings. And then Talia, and then Alfred.

“Bruce, can’t you give it to him? You know him better, and you bought it.”

“You came up with the idea, Jason.”

“Anyone with brain cells would’ve been able to come up with it.” Dick started walking over to the pair, “Here, let me take the camera…” There was a bit of shuffling, “And you can take the bag!”

The camera focused just as Dick engulfed Bruce in a hug.

They pulled apart as Dick glanced at the bag, “Ya know, B, you didn’t have to get me a gift. A new little brother is more than enough.”

Bruce handed the gift bag to Dick, “Actually, the gift was Jason’s idea.”

“Snitch.”

“I am just giving credit where it’s due.”

Dick opened the bag and pulled out a red and yellow leotard with a pair of green shorts and green pants. Dick immediately recognized the colors and put a hand to his mouth.

“I know blue is also the color of the Flying Graysons, but to me these colors have always been more… iconic. I’m sorry if I overstepped, you don’t have to wear it–”

“No, shut up, I’m wearing it.” Dick had a soft smile on his face, “I was debating doing the quadruple flip, but I’m sure this is a sign that I should.”

Bruce clapped a hand on Dick’s shoulder, “ Great, because the rest of us are going to match.”

“Stop, I’m literally going to cry.”

The next photo was of all of the Robins– the whole family, because Alfred, Bruce and Talia were also wearing red, yellow, and green– in their colors. In the Grayson colors

Jason looked over at Dick whose eyes were glossy, but he was still smiling. Though he wasn’t looking at the screen. He was looking at alternate reality Jay, who was being nuggied by alternate reality Dick.

Dick realized Jason was looking at him, “It’s kinda the opposite of our first meeting.”

“Huh. it is, isn’t it?” he thought back to Dick giving him the box with a Robin suit that was too big for him. It was Dick’s official stamp of approval. He never got to grow into that suit.

Vaguely, he wonders if Bruce threw away that suit, along with all the other ones, save the one he died in.

The next video was of Jason in the garage with Bruce staring at a singular tire with a bow around it.

“Is that a tire I stole?”

Bruce grinned, “It is.”

“Huh. I didn’t realize you got them back.”

“I have my ways.”

Jay turned to face Bruce, “You do realize I stole them to make money, right? Currently, this serves no purpose to me.” His face morphed into something dejected “Unless…”

“No. No, not that.” Bruce kneeled in front of him, “ Jay, lad, I know you’ve only been here for a little over a month, but I would like to say, you will always have a home here. No matter what. 

“In fact this is more of a promise. I was thinking of giving you a tire for each of your birthdays, so by the time you turn 16, you’ll have all four. I was thinking we could maybe build a car together.”

There was a flurry of emotions that flashed over Jay’s face, before it settled on disbelief. “You? Bruce Wayne? Build a car?”

 “I am a man of many talents.”

Jay raised an eyebrow, “I better not be the only one putting elbow grease into this thing, otherwise, as soon as it’s finished I’m drivin’ away. With all four tires this time.”

Bruce lifted his arm to flex his bicep, “I’ll put in the muscle.”

Jay rushed in to give Bruce a hug and just as quickly pulled away, “ Thank you, Bruce.” Then Jay turned to face the camera directly, “ Are you seriously filming us, Tim?”

There was a video of the family helping Dick move into a dorm room. A picture of the first day of school with a very happy looking Jay, and just… memories captured that was so normal . No bruises, no broken arms, no hollow eyes from any of them. Just… love.

Obviously Jason knew that this family had to have had its fair share of ups and downs– most of them had seen loss in horrific ways– but the downs didn’t seem to lead to bloodshed, or near murder. Just more understanding.

The slideshow ended with a photo of the entire family cuddling on the couch, sleeping while Dick who was on the outskirts took a selfie.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the lights slowly brightened and alternate reality Bruce took to the stage. 

“Hello everyone, and welcome to the 30th Annual Wayne Foundation Charity Gala.” There was a polite round of applause, “Now, you may be wondering why I decided to start off the night differently than I have in the past years. That is because it has been brought to my attention that my usual speech about philanthropy and giving back to the community is, and I quote ‘ mundane and monotonous, and became stale after the second gala.’ Jason’s words, not mine. So he helped me write this.” There were a couple of chuckles that went around the room, “While I still believe in those values, the real reason this Gala is so important to me, is because it was important to my parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne. To me, this Gala has always been in memory of them.

“My parents loved this city, but they didn’t love it for its old buildings, or the grime on the pavement. No. They loved Gotham for her people. My dad, a doctor, who never turned his back on someone in need, no matter their background. My mom, who knew she was blessed with money and realized she could use that to help other people who need it in this city. Which is why the Wayne Foundation was made. Though, I don’t think there’s a single person in Gotham who didn’t already know that. Yet there was so much more to my parents than just that. Even though they’ve been long gone, I still see them everywhere. 

“I see my mom sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping her tea while Alfred prepares breakfast. I see my dad in the living room whenever baseball plays. I see my parents on the porch swing that overlooks the garden, but most importantly, I see them in my kids.

“The way Dick cares for his siblings sometimes is almost the exact same as how my dad used to care about me. He’ll bring an ice pack over in three seconds flat, even if they say they’re ok. He’ll slap a bandaid on an ouch, even if it isn’t bleeding. He’ll do anything to bring a smile to their faces. Just like my dad always did with me.

“I’d give up everything just to see Cass laugh. Because the way she laughs is just how my mom laughed. The way it starts with soft giggles and gradually gets louder and louder. The way she leans her head back and clutches her stomach. The way if something is truly hilarious, she’ll lean her head on the nearest solid object, trying to gasp for air.

“And Damian, oh Damian. He looks so much like Talia, but sometimes, I catch myself staring at him, picking out which of his features belonged to my mom, and which of his features belonged to my dad. His ears are shaped just like hers, his eyebrows are sculpted just like his. His curly hair is definitely from my mom.

“I can tell that Tim looks at the world in the same way my mom did. He looks at everything, taking in every little detail. He knows even when the subtlest thing is off. And when he looks at you, you know he is not just seeing you, but he’s seeing you . All of you.” 

Bruce pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the podium, “And I knew all of these things subconsciously, but Jason, he had to hold my hand through writing this whole speech. I would say some things that I remembered about my parents, and he’d go ‘ like blank does?’ and I'd be like–” Bruce facepalmed, “ duh. But he didn’t help me with this part. Uh oh, I’m going off script.” There was a rumble of laughter at that, but Bruce had a really soft smile on, and was making eye contact with Jay, “But in all seriousness, I think of the way I met Jason often. How he came to me on the reminder of the darkest day of my life, and turned that day into something brighter to remember. And I don’t believe in Fate, or God, but whenever I think of that night in the alley, I can no longer think of a boy who lost his parents. I can only think of my parents guiding their grandson to me. Jason made me realize that my parents guided all of my children to me, and to Talia, and to Alfred. And for that…” Bruce’s eyes were shining as he blinked hard and fast, “I don’t think words can describe how… how glad I am to be blessed with the beautiful family I have today.”

I can only think of my parents guiding their grandson to me.

Jason turned to his Bruce, only to see tears streaming down his face. 

What’s going on? Was he hurt? Why is he crying? He never cries. Batman never cries.

But this wasn’t Batman. This was Bruce.

I can only think of my parents guiding their grandson to me.

“Bruce? Do you…?”

Bruce looked from Jason to Dick and back to Jason, “Every single word and more. And so much more.”

And before he knew it, he was in his Dad’s Bruce’s his Dad’s Bruce’s his Dad’s arms. And then his brother’s arms. He was in his dad’s and his brother’s arms and everything felt–

Whole .

Jason felt whole .

They stayed in each other’s embrace as Alternate Reality Bruce finished up his speech, “There was a poem my mom read to me once, and I had forgotten about it until Jason showed it to me again. The poem actually inspired this entire speech. It’s called ‘ Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep’ by Mary Elizabeth Frye. 

“Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain.

“When you awaken in the morning's hush; I am the swift uplifting rush; Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry,

“I am not there; I did not die.”

There was a moment of silence as the audience drank in the words. And the silence was pierced. But not by applause or cheers.

It was pierced by twin shots.

Gunshots. 

And screaming. Screaming even though the room seemed to be drowned out by the sound of cicadas.

Because Jay was slumped on the table. 

He wasn’t Robin. He was no longer a street kid.

Still, he was–

Bleeding. 

One Bullet through the heart, one bullet through the head. 

Tablecloth stained red.

[thevoidstaredback]

How To Balance Your Daytime and Nighttime Activities So That You Don't Burn Yourself Out More Than You Already Have

Danny didn't know how he was doing it, but all the acting classes he never took were really paying off!

'Fake 'til you make it and hope you don't get caught' is a great motto to live by and he is prepared to defend this hill with what's left of his living life.

By some miracle, Alfred hadn't kicked him from the haunt, instead giving him all the same permissions Dick, Barbra, and Tim have! He was warned about going to the Bat Cave for any reason, though. Not like Danny had any plans to enter Bruce Wayne's haunt. No thank you.

Speaking of Mister Wayne, Danny was so ready to be away from him. Just knowing they're in the same building was setting him off!

Bruce Wayne, on TV and in the eye of the public, was a man grieving his lost son. He's a playboy and a philanthropist who couldn't tell you left from right, but he's also Gotham's White Knight; her prince. A family man who's lost yet another of his family and doing his best to move past it.

In private, at least as far as Danny could tell, Bruce Wayne is a pessimist and a narcissist. He's a man desperate for a family, but unwilling to let anyone close, pushing everyone away and keeping them no closer than arm's length. He's stuck in the past, unable to move past mourning his parents and now his son. He is much more Batman than Bruce Wayne and it's only a matter of time before the two worlds collide disastrously.

Danny wouldn't know, but he can make a pretty educated guess on the matter.

Throughout the entire dinner, Danny had been observing everyone. He analyzed how they interacted, how they held themselves, how they ate, and how they reacted to his and Mister Wayne's conversation.

His main focus is Dick. Dick will always be his top priority, but Tim had quickly been added to the list. Barbra wasn't nearly as high on his list of people to take care of, but he was going to offer his help should she ever need it.

Especially because she snuck a nervous glance at Miaster Wayne when he mentioned Oracle.

He hadn't intended to stay the night in Gotham, but he wasn't going to turn away the opportunity, especially because Alfred was very insistent that Danny and Dick stay. And Tim and Barbra asking them on patrol? They both had pretty good puppy eyes, but Danny wasn't the one who made the mistake of looking at them.

Regardless, Nightwing being in Gotham for the night presented the Bludhaven Goons the perfect opportunity to commit crimes unpunished for the night. It wouldn't take long for the news to get out. Danny had fully planned on Phantom being there, flying over to work in Bludhaven before returning at his normal time, but Tim and Barbra convincing him to be on comms presented a bit of a hiccup in his plans.

Dick finding out about Phantom was inevitable. In fact, he didn't plan on hiding Phantom, but the times where Dick or Nightwing were awake never matched up when Phantom was out.

Okay, so maybe he was hiding a little bit.

Tim and Barbra finding out, on the other hand, was a bit of a problem.

Phantom was a hero in Amity Park, Illinois for only a little while before disappearing. He wasn't hugely known outside of the town or ghost hunters, not doing anything to warrant attention from the Big Leagues. (Nothing they knew of, anyway) It was unlikely that anyone outside of the niche group even knew his name, let alone what he looked like or how he worked.

Still. Tim figured out Nightwing's and Batman's identities, probably Batgirl's, too. And Batman is notoriously known for his paranoia and for somehow knowing everything and having a way to counteract it.

Mister Wayne is already looking into Danny, likely having already stumbled across the Missing Person report that wouldn't have gone through, ending up at a dead end. He'd easily put Danny and Phantom together as related somehow, if not being the same person.

Tim, similar to Mister Wayne, needs to know everything. The difference is that Tim's need to know is obviously a trauma response. Something that Danny would like to help him with, but that's beside the current point. It'll take maybe five minutes for Tim to find out everything he can about Phantom and Danny, especially now that he knows that Danny used to be a vigilante.

Sure, Danny could try and hide Phantom from them, but being on comms with them for the night would alert them to even the smallest fight. He's not a loud person, much preferring espionage and stealth over physical altercations, no matter how much his track record disagreed.

So, he's now presented with a choice. Introduce them to Phantom despite telling them that he was done being a hero, or leave Bludhaven to the mercy of her underworld for the night.

He was never quite able to leave stuff alone.

Sam had called him a tutelar.

Whatever that means.

Why couldn't these decisions be easier? Can't he ever have a Cinderella option? Why can't he ever just not decide?

Part 14 Part 16

[drawnfromthedead]

Batman au I want to share (but don’t know if I will ever write in full): 

The Wayne Family never existed (or at least were never in Gotham) but all the rogues and the robins still do. Kinda?

I imagine that it all starts with Dick, whose parents were just killed in front of him and he refuses to wait to get justice. He runs away from the foster system and makes his way to an abandoned manor where he sets up shop and he takes apart the fancy rich people clothes to make his first suit, and takes all the left behind stuff to sell anyway he can to get his first set of hero equipment, he starts collecting stuff he steals from the rogues of gotham to build up his own hero lair and follows ever lead or maybe lead he can to find his parents killer. He winds up doing a lot of spying on people during this and most of his training is actually him carefully imitating his enemies and combining them with his acrobatics. Maybe along the way he finds someone looking to “get out of this kinda life” and Dick needs to do more to look like he belongs in that manor anyways so people don't get suspicious, so boom! He has a butler now. Through watching the rogues around Gotham he eventually sees how death warps people and develops his own hero code of some sort.

By the time he’s 19 he’s figured out a way to legitimize his claim on the manor (forged documents) and has found his way into several companies (threatened them with their own criminal acts) and has been funding his vigilante lifestyle quite well and maybe he was able to get his parents justice. He's not quite the no killing, unreal detective, Batman, but he's been doing good for Gotham and he's mellowed out a bit after he got his revenge. Then he meets 15 year old Jason, who's been involved with the risky side of drugs trying to help his mom. Only she's just died and he has a lot of anger and nowhere to live or anyone to trust, so Dick is like, guess I have a brother now.

Jason starts learning from Dick, and he obviously doesn’t have a no killing rule just a “limited killing rule” so Jason is never pressured or mistrusted enough or otherwise “pushed” into seeking out his bio mother and the joker is long dead in the first place so he never dies.

Eventually Tim discovers them, gets his creepy little victorian ass out and about following them and eventually catches both of them unawares AFTER his parents died, when he's like 14 or so, and was seeking out help in exchange he could fund them more legally so Dick could finally bring a long list of people to justice without hurting the rest of the city with his loss, boom second little brother and guy in the chair acquired!

And lets say maybe Barbra was involved from the beginning ‘cuz Dick was inexperienced and got caught (luckily by her and not her dad) so she’s been in and out this whole time, and Steph got involved because of multiple reasons, like maybe her dad got too much ( if I remember correctly he was a villain? might look into it again later), or maybe she also caught them once and wanted in because of the gotham mindset of “ this place is a shit hole but its our shit hole and we love it!” Cass gets involved around the same time as Jason maybe because she has just gotten away from her dad and maybe this worlds alfred equivalent found her and brought her to the manor to get help and maybe she’s the first one of them to have a no killing rule that everyone does their best to respect after seeing what she’s been through (maybe they fought her dad and ass holes from the LOA and they were like damn don’t wanna be that). And anyways Dicks like damn now I got this big ass family and things are looking up in the world!

Until they meet a version of Damian with a different dad who got left behind by  Ra’s when Ra’s found a weakness in him of some kind (maybe left for dead and helped out but a kind stranger which you can totally still find in Gotham) and at first he's attacking all of them and maybe killing people across Gotham but maybe one of the team get through to him and he’s brought into the family once again.

Somehow they wind up with the family they could have had in another world had things been different, and somehow they make things worse and better and they’re all working through it the best that they can. And Dick adopts Duke eventually too so cool first meta vigilante in Gotham how cool!

Also all of their names are bird or fairytale themes because Dick would have still chosen Robin (In some versions his mom called him that, in others it’s because of robin hood and it means something to him given what he's done to be who he is now) So all of them have to be birds because I say so. Damian would be Nightwing 'cuz he inherited it from Dick in that one game and I like to think maybe it still came from his oldest brother sorta dad figure in this because a lot of people leave out Damian being Dick's robin first and I want them to be close bc its adorable!

[theoceantot]

Chapter 2

Batman picked up Perse still wrapped in his cape while he called the batmobile. When it arrived the loud noise of the car scared her making Perse bury her face in his chest. Batman gently shushed her and carefully put her in one of the two seats in the back. Perse not wanting to be alone reached her arms out to him whining.

"Don't worry little one I'm taking you someplace safe"

That seemed to calm her down a bit. At least enough for her not to ball her eyes out while he was driving. The ride there was relatively peaceful. The screams of the unfortunate crew seemed to scare everyone into hiding. For now. By the time they reached the batcave Perse was so tired she didn't have the strength to even get out of the seat so Batman picked her up and cradled her into his big arms. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Batman carried her upstairs and layed her in his king sized bed and covered her up with the covers making sure she was nice and warm.

After making sure she was asleep for 20 minutes he went to the clock tower in Gotham to see Barbra. When she saw him she was quick to start asking questions.

"Bruce there you are I was beginning to worry? How's the girl is she okay? You didn't hurt her did you? Was she actually a little? How-"

"Shes okay and yes you were right she is acting like she's not in the right headspace. I'd say she acts more like an infant now"

"Awwwww that's so cute. I'm guessing since you're here in one piece she trusts you now?"

"It seems like it. You were right though Barbara. She's scared. But the question is of what or who?" He said who with a distaste in his mouth. Who would hurt such an innocent girl? Monsters that's who. Before the two could discuss the topic anymore Alfred was calling them on the screen.

Before Batman or Oracle could ask what was wrong they heard your loud cries in the background. Batman was so shocked that you were even up. Who knows the last time you even gotten a good night sleep or slept at all.

"Im sorry to bother you master Bruce but it seems the little one is up"

"Wow how did you know" Batman replied with a matter of fact tone.

"We'll be there as soon as we can Alfred but until then you should probably call Dick or Tim just incase she gets too out of control" Barbara said

"Of course"

Alfred hung up the call and called Dick immediately after. Perses eyes were going from her normal green color to blue. Alfred wasn't for sure what that meant but he knew it couldn't be good. After five minutes Dick let's himself in to see the manor soaked in water and hears loud cried coming from upstairs. Dick rushes upstairs to see Perse crying in the middle of Bruce's floor water radiatiing off of her body spraying everywhere. Dick then saw Alfred coming out of the bathroom wiping all the water off of him with a towel. He sighed. Not that he was annoyed with Perse but just for the fact he didn't know how to cheer her up and make her stop crying. It hurt him.

Dick entered the room slowly dodging all the water that was coming at him.

"Princess, can you look at me for a minute"

Perse finally looked up and saw a new face. He had a caring and soft look in his eyes and was approaching her like Batman did and he didn't hurt her. She calmed down enough to stop radiating water and soaking everything. The eye contact didn't last too long as she looked down at her lap fairly quickly.

"You're like our own personal sprinkler you know that?" Dick laughed.

'He doesn't seem mad'

"Why all the tears princess? Did something happen that we don't know about? Maybe a bad dream or are you not feeling that well?" Dick asked.

Perse tried telling him but it all came out in babbles and more tears. The only thing he understood was "cape"

Alfred knew what she was talking about instantly and went to retrieve it. Alfred quickly handed Dick the cape. He held it out for Perse to see her eyes lighting up instantly

"Is this what you wanted princess"

Perse squealed and wrapped the cape around her smiling brightly. She missed it so much. Being wrapped in the cape was the happiest she ever was so whenever she had it she felt that same happiness over again.

Batman and Barbra rushed into the mansion. He quickly ran up the stairs while Oracle used her mechanical chair that connected to the banister.

When Perse saw Batman she ran to him and hugged him close. All the water around the manor soon disappeared and things were even dry again including Alfred to his relief.

"Have you been causing problems young lady?"

Batman asked with a small smile.

"I sowwy"

"Honey it's alright we know how scared you must've been we understand" Barbra said looking at everyone and nodded.

"Its quite alright Ms" Alfred said

"What is your name princess?" Dick asked

"Perse"

All of them froze at this.

[redheadjustin]

Hope you are having a good day/night?

Imagine if Joker took DNA from Jason during the time he had captured him and used it to create a child, whom he raises to be his predecessor. Now what happeneds when Jason finds out he has a son? And not only that he's being raised by the man who tortured and killed him! (Maybe even a lil batfam/Bruce to help out Jason deal with everything) and what if he is around the same age as when Jason died?

It was a dark and gloomy night in Gotham which was nothing unusual. It was even darker around Wyane manor. A young man in his early twenties walked in the main doors of the impressive estate. He had a military haircut with a white stripe in his hair. And a jagged scar that started on the left side of his lips all the way to the crown of his head. This man was Jason Todd, and he was grumpy as usual. He was called to the batcave when he’d rather be sleeping. Jason had just gotten back to Gotham after an undercover mission in Scotland. The brute of the man dragged his tired body through the main entryway of the manor and to Bruce’s downstairs study. All the while Jason had to fight off memories. These were good memories. But, Jason was far too tired to allow himself to reminisce. Even in the good ones. Once Jason reached the downstairs study it was automatic, reaching for the switch that opened the fake bookcase and revealed the elevator.

Jason had a half smile on his face as he stepped into the elevator. The door closed and his destination had been set all before Jason could turn around to face the elevator. The elevator was slower than usual. Jason tried to keep his eyes open. But his exhaustion won out for a few seconds and his eyes closed. And flashes of memories filled Jason’s mind. A blonde woman, his Robin suit, a crowbar, blood, a bomb, him trying to escape, resignation to dying, green liquid, his eyes opening, rage, Talia, Bruce, JOKER, that laugh, his gun pointed at the bastard, Bruce forgiving him, welcoming him back to the family. Jason is pulled out of his memories by the soft chime of the elevator. Jason shakes his head and walks out of the elevator. And Jason’s smile is back. He’d always loved the batcave. The trophies, the training area and most of all the quiet. It was a place for Jason to clear his head. Especially once he came back from the dead. It seemed ever since his dip in the pit Jason had a lot of anger and thoughts floating into his head at all hours of the day. The only time his head was clear was during petrol. And it was something Jason needed a lot these days.

“Jason.” Jason looks up at the call of his voice. It was his older brother, Dick Grayson. Jason’s legs were moving to his brother without him thinking about it. “Thanks for coming, little wing.” Dick says with his trademark grin and slinging an arm around Jason’s shoulder. Jason lets a snort out, “when Bruce texts me saying ‘batcave now’ i don't exactly have a choice.” It sounded resentful but Dick knew that it was a joke. Dick, Barbra, Jason and Tim all make jokes on how they all drop everything when Burce asks for them. “No, no you didn’t. But tonight it was really important. And you came. I’ll let the old man explain but, the WHOLE family is here.” Dick says as he leads Jason towards the batcomputer. “Wait, the WHOLE family?” Jason asked, alarm suddenly growing in his stomach. Dick didn’t respond and instead kept walking and soon Jason could see the ENTIRE bat family. Burce, Alfred, Barbra, Tim, Damian, Stephine, Cassandra, Duke, Luke, Kate and Selina were all gathered around the bat computer. This was big.

At Dick’s footsteps Burce turns and once he sees Jason a small smile finds its way on the face of the Dark knight. “Thank you for coming, Jason. I know you just got back from overseas and must be tired. But, this takes priority.” Burce says as he raises from his chair. And for a second Jason thought he was 11 again first meeting him. But he's not. And this is more serious than Jason was used to. Not to say that the stuff the family usually deals with isn’t serious, it is, but for some reason when he was Robin things were more fun. And less about trying to save the world and just protect Gotham.

“I’ll get straight to business because this involves the entire family and then me and the others will cover your beat.” Burce started as he sat back into his chair and hit a button and the face Jason still sees in his nightmares, Joker. “About two nights ago Joker was reported missing from Aharkham. Harely was covering for him and his son.” The last word sent a chill down Jason’s spine and he doesn’t know why. He wanted to interrupt but he knew Bruce would explain. “During your flight from Europe, Joker attacked. When we arrived on scene there was a boy about 14 with green hair but normal skin and eyes. Once he saw us he surrendered instantly. He claimed to be your son instead of Joker’s. We took a field DNA sample. Alfred confirmed his relation to you. We immediately brought him back to the cave and we examined the thumb drive he gave us. Joker took your DNA right before he killed you.” Burce finished as he stood and looked into Jason’s eyes. Jason knew. He knew. There was no doubt, he had a son.

“Jason.” Burce said in a soft voice. Jason couldn’t look away. He was a father. And his son was raised by the mam- MONSTER who killed him and is the reason he's much more buff than before. “This is a shock. I understand how you feel.” Bruce did understand just a few years back, Damian joined the family. But this is not as “pure” intentioned. A madman took his DNA to make a son. HIS son and raise it to be like him. Jaon was ferrous. He wanted to kill Joker more than he ever wanted before. “But, right now there is a 14 year old boy in the gymnastics room. And he wants to meet you.”

And with that Jason is moving towards the gymnastics room. He can hear someone call out to him but he doesn’t care. His son needs him. And that’s all that deserves his attention. Soon Jason is walking into the room. He can see his son flipping like Dick does. The green hair sticks out like a sore thumb. Jason knows hair dye from a mile away. If his son wants to continue to dye it Jason will let him. Jason watches with a proud smile as his son dismounts and sticks the landing and Jason can’t stop himself from clapping.

“Nice dismount. Almost as good as Uncle Dick.” Jason said with a smile. The second the words left Jason’s mouth the boy’s head snapped over and if Jason doubted he had a son looking into the boy’s eyes told him everything he needed to know. The boy, already having tears in his eyes Ran to his father and Jason caught him. The hug was tight and filled with love. “It’s okay baby hood. Daddy’s got you.” and while it might be weird to say that to a teenager Jason had missed almost all of his son's life so far, so for Jason he is daddy. “It’s okay bud, I got you. I got you. ”

[laalaaliaa]

Hey!!

Can I pls rq a batfam x batsis were she gets her phone taken away so she logs onto her ao3 account on the TV when she thought nobody was home

Just some hc abt how they'd react (and maybe some Damian too, pls)

Ao3

just some hc’s about how they react

batfam x batsis!reader

proofread?: no

thanks for the request, i meant to get to the others, but i fell asleep, enjoy <3

So you got in trouble, whether it be in school, on patrol, or in general, so Bruce takes away your phone for the first time ever

At first you’re fine, you’ve suffered worse, so much so, you tell it to Bruce’s face

“I don’t need my phone, I’m doing just fine”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

Then he keeps it for the next three days, that’s when you’re really suffering

You’re moping around the house, at school, in public, practically anywhere you’re at

Until you start sucking up to Bruce like crazy, in hopes you get your phone privileges back

You’re practically sucking up to him 24/7, especially before patrol when he’s giving THAT speech

“Tim, you were sloppy last night.”

“Yeah, very sloppy.”

“Enough.”

“Alright.”

And eventually when Bruce tells you that you still can get your phone back, you’re pretty pissed, you went out of your way to agree with this man—get a load of this guy!

So now you’re here, on the couch, alone, mad and frustrated as you stare at the blank tv screen, your reflection staring right back

Nobody’s home, it’s just you, and the beautiful TV right in front of you

So you decide to do possibly one of the stupidest things you could ever do, and you grab the remote, prompting the cursor to awaken and you guide it towards the internet symbol

Bruce may have taken away your ability to practically live, but he would not take away your ability to read whatever you wanted, about whoever you wanted

You’re on the Ao3 website by the time you can properly think about what you’re doing, and you can’t help but feel giddy, glancing around to make sure nobody was around to see what you were doing

You spend minutes browsing through your bookmarked tab, until eventually you actually click on one

Now you were here, on the couch, leaning forward as much as you could to see whatever it was you were reading

Alfred

Now if Alfred were to catch you, it’d be very, very awkward

Not only would it be awkward but it’d be weird, because as much as he wants to ask, he doesn’t, instead he just stares at you, then the TV, then you

He’s behind you, you just don’t know it, so he’ll leave it like that—you never knowing he was there to witness it in the first place

Bruce

If Bruce catches you, it’s game over, not only because you’re reading whatever it is in the living room, but because you’re grounded and you know better

You’re on the couch whenever he walks in, and he assumes you’re just watching tv, but no—to his surprise you’re reading those things again

He physically shudders before he’s stood behind you in an instant, hand on your shoulder as he watches you slowly turn your head around with a smile

Let’s just say you had a long talk, a really long talk, one where you had to leave halfway through cause it got too embarrassing

And the only question on your mind is—“how does he know what Ao3 is?”

Dick

When Dick catches you, it’s not awkward or embarrassing, but rather weird because instead of making you feel weird about it, he’s smiling at you, rubbing your back as he tells you he “understands”

You’re cringing on the inside, trying your best to keep your smile up as you nod absentmindedly to every word he says

He’s a sweetheart, that’s expected

But hearing him say you’re fantasies are well justified is not expected

Safe to say you’re never gonna read Ao3 in the living room again, the confrontation was too embarrassing

Barbra

She has no words, and you don’t either

You just stare at each other, unable to comprehend the fact that you’d been caught, and that she caught you reading Ao3 on the TV

It isn’t until she tells you that she wanted to hangout that you finally snap out of whatever trance you’re in

You agree, but only if she never tells anyone about what you were doing—she agrees, quicker than you thought she would

You were both awkward while hanging out until she eventually told you to get over it, and that it’s normal

Jason

He’s bursting out into laughter immediately

Full on hunched over laughing, slapping his knee, the whole gist

You’re scowling, closing out Ao3, all while this dude is STILL laughing

You’re not embarrassed anymore that you got caught, but rather annoyed that he’s full on laughing at you

You tell him not to tell anyone and he says “no promises”

He even gives you a look, a look reminding you that he caught you on Ao3 on the family tv in the living room

It’s safe to say he won’t tell anyone, but he will always, and I mean, always remind you of what you’ve done

Stephanie

When she catches you, she’s full on gasping, not out of shock, but out of happiness

She’s hopping over the couch, sitting beside you as she asks about what you’re reading, who it’s about, and much more

You’re pretty much bonding over the fact that she caught you on Ao3, and you’re not ashamed

When you ask her not to tell anyone, she’s pretty much holding pinkies with you, and it’s safe to say the two of you have a secret that you both gladly divulge in

Tim

He’s pretty shocked, he gasps out loud, dropping whatever he has in his hands, and ultimately scares you in the process

He’s pointing at you, and the tv, and going on a full rant about how awkward it is for him to catch you reading on Ao3, he even reveals he already caught Stephanie on there, making you chuckle

You’re laughing, but he’s not, he’s just collecting his things while dramatically revealing how traumatized he is by this, groaning loudly, even pretending to slip and drop his things once more for an even more dramatic effect

But then he’ll literally forget two days later and you never have to worry about whether or not he’ll tell anyone

Cassandra

She’s silent, so silent you don’t even hear her sitting beside you until you lean back, catching a glimpse of her in your peripherals

You don’t scream, no you’re just shocked, you hope she doesn’t know what it is, and you hope she doesn’t tell anyone

But you know Cassie, she’d never reveal you like that, so you go as far as giving her the remote and explaining what it all is

She’s just sitting there listening to you, remote in hand as she does nothing, so you take it from her and ask if she’s gonna tell on you

She shakes her head “no” and you’re practically hugging the girl to death

Damian

He’s judging you 100 percent, going on and on about how Bruce would be disappointed in you and your antics

Even when you’re logged off the tv, walking towards your bedroom, he’s still going off on you

Right before dinner you promise to give him your dessert if he shuts his fat mouth, and he somewhat agrees

Once dessert comes out, you don’t even gotta look at him, you’re sliding him your plate, watching him devour it with a mischievous grin

He’s definitely gonna hold that against you for the rest of your life

[thedelusionreaderbitch]

Coming out to the batfam as asexual

A/n: So asexuals are all different, even then I tried to make it as universal as possible but if you're sex favorable (I'm not so that's probably partially why I wrote it like that) this one (unfortunately) might not be for you!

Warnings: Being scared to come out, mentions of aphobia and killing people, I think that's it? You have been warned!

The reader is gender neutral!

Requested by: @bandshirts-andbooks

Ironically for being the world's best detectives no one really caught on

I think the only person who might of is Cass, but it's nothing for sure, she just saw your body language would change slightly when people talked about sex

The first person you tell is Alfred

You were probably having a bad day, maybe seeing some straight people talk about ace people in a really negative way, and perhaps some queer people online who told you, that ace people didn't belong in the community

And people just being shitheads in general towards the queer community and just all these laws being made against trans people everywhere can really wear someone down, right?

So it's the middle of the night and you're in the kitchen crying because it's just been a bad day

And Alfred comes in, "Mx. L/n are you alright?"

After you were adopted you never got Bruce's last name

"Ah, yes! Don't worry it's nothing!"

🥹

All it takes is one raised eyebrow from him and you're quickly defeated, and he pulls out a chair and sits next to you

"Don't let things fester for too long Mx. L/n, you know what happens to your brothers when they do."

Sighing you wring your hands through your hair (something you picked up from your father) "I just-"

"Alfred I think I'm asexual."

"There's a silence and half your brain is thinking maybe Alfred doesn't know what it is and the other half think he hates you now

"Mx. L/n you do not "think so" I'm pretty sure you know."

And that in itself is confirmation that he supports you, the way he's smiling makes you wonder how you could think anything else

Okay next you come out to Cass

Because Alfred slyly told you she might already know

She's supportive and tells you in her own way that she would hurt anyone who isn't

I also think she understands you the most because I headcanon (is it canon???) that Cass is asexual

So she's who you go for to vent, and eventually she'll come out to you as ace too!

Then there's Stephanie and Barbra

Steph squeals; "Another member of the alphabet mafia!" And Barbra recomends a bunch of asexual groups online where they share their personal experiences

While all this fluffiness is happening the batboys tm are trying to get back at you for winning the prank war last week

Naturally they go into your dating history, because why not?

Murder might be committed by Cass after this

There aren't very many people but there's ONE person from your high school days

And thanks to Tim's savvy tech skills they somehow find out you're a virgin

(don't ask)

At this point Damian didn't really know the plan, but he's mostly the distraction anyways!

In the past you had told them you weren't one

High school was not good for your baby ace ass alright?

Meaning they thought it was fair game because they were getting back at you for lying and winning the prank war

Imagine your surprise when at a rare dinner Jason, Tim, and Dick are glancing at each other mischievously

Bruce looks like he has no idea what's going on and Damian (for once) looks oddly innocent

"You know how we use to say Jason gets no bitches" Dick starts up

"Hey!"

"Well little Timmy here." Dick continues ignoring an angry Jay. "Found out you're worse than Jaybird and are a Virgin."

You just stare dumbfounded at their giggling faces

"I didn't know that this was part of the plan." Damian mutters

At this point you were much more confident in yourself and had momentairly forgetten that Bruce was still in the room

Just imagine seeing those faces

when you finally tell them

"I'm asexual fuckwads."

Their faces go BEAT RED

"Oh, um..."

"Also Tim, idk how you found out I was still a virgin, but if you do anything like that again..."

The look on Tim's face - it was very clear that your threat got through to him

Then you remembered Bruce was still in the room

Slowly you turned your head to face him

Instead of saying anything he just gave you a smile

That's how you came out to the Batfam, from being scared, to be a confident badass

-thedelusionreaderbitch

dc taglist: no one yet!

[rhiaemrys]

So, I've been trying to identify who would escalate a prank war to Kevin McCallister levels in the batfamily and I've come down to Three (3) options. By all means feel free to have a (fun) debate about it, though. This is just my opinion.

Option one, the most understandable: Damian Wayne

Damian was effectively raised as an only child while also being told to be The Best. Of course he's chronically unable to back down once challenged and so no matter who started this, Damian will attempt to end it. It's an easy way to prove himself their betters while also being super petty. Also, he desperately want's to prove to Jon that he's not a stick in the mud. Also also, his brothers are insane and there's no telling what the next prank will be and who will be caught in the crossfire. Might as well make sure that any revenge is premeditated.

Option two, the wildcard: Cassandra Cain

Cass is also an only child. She was also raised to be The Best and is stubborn as hell so of course she gets involved in what she sees as a fun competition with her family. Her image of retaliation is skewed, though so she always ends up going slightly overboard. Not enough for anyone to get mad, but it's suspicious that it's always enough to make the person ticked off, yet not murderously enraged. She's also a little shit who can get away with anything with Bruce if she looks innocent enough. It drives her brothers up a wall because there's no evidence to prove she DID do it. Cass knows exactly what she's doing and she's not afraid to do it.

Option Three, the Actual Kevin McCallister: Tim Drake

Listen, okay. I had to put him here. On top of being an only child I swear to god this kid was obsessed with Home Alone. He absolutely would take the opportunity to MacGyver some shit to torture his siblings, bonus points if it hits Bruce too. You cannot convince me he didn't booby-trap Drake manor at some point while his parents were globe trotting. He doesn't have any excuse of pride about challenges, he's just a malicious actor here. Tim fears no retribution or god, he's nearly been killed several times and it hasn't stuck so why would it start now. You attack, and he attacks back a thousand times harder. You attack Tim and practically sign a waiver allowing him the freedom to ruin your costume or civilian lifestyle.

Cut here before the explanations of those who don't escalate (Need to emphasize here, they still may participate but they don't make it worse) because this has gotten out of hand

Reasoning for others to not be included:

Duke: He's unhinged yes, but he's not batshit insane. He fully understands that if he escalates, someone is going to make a murder attempt. He doesn't want to be the next Tim, that's not a position he wants to willingly put himself in yet. He'll contribute or join a team, but ultimately Duke can be found in the one Neutral Zone, Alfred's kitchen, watching with bemusement as his siblings attempt to turn the Manor into a war-zone. If pranked, he'll prank back, but not escalate. Also people feel a little like kicking a puppy when they prank him. Duke weaponizes this and uses it to get out of bullshit or pull off bullshit scot-free.

Stephanie: Maybe she's on a team. Maybe she's a free agent. She doesn't want anyone to target her specifically because then she truly has to be paranoid. Instead, she's always helping with pranks, making everyone indebted to her and thus allowing her to be the only safe person other than Alfred.

Barbra: I just. I cannot emphasize how much the family leaves her out of this. She will find a way to get back at you and it will end your idea of pranking her again. Unlike Alfred, who was universally known to be off-limits, she knew that someone would try something because all of that family is made up of little shits. This meant that she has to shut it down once it starts. She is immune. Inevitably someone will push the envelope and Babs will remind them that she control's their tech and information systems. She will however, assist if a prank gets particularly nasty and someone needs to shut the war down. Typically she's recruited by Alfred or Bruce to end the war where it stands once it starts to get to the Property Destruction Level.

Jason: He was asked not to participate by Alfred and Jason willingly obeys only Alfred. This is specifically because of one incident when this happened with Tim, Dick, and him. Back when he and Tim were getting along somewhat and Dick had somehow pissed both of them off, they escalated The War. It ended with three new craters in the warehouse district, The Riddler so traumatized that he completely avoids doing Rouge Activities when Red Robin and Red Hood are on speaking terms, and Dick stuck in a box on his way across the country. Instead, Jason enjoys being on Stephanie's side of aiding whoever is funnier. He is not off limits though. Oh dear god he is not off limits. He is the victim of so many pranks. He just cannot retaliate. In turn, he turns into a snitch for this event, and only this event. Jason will alert Alfred of any destructive pranks. He will let Alfred know of birdies staying up too late, of birdies jumping off buildings because superman will catch them, of birdies doing general dumb ass restricted shit. Jason will make the pranker's life a living hell.

Dick: Dick matches the energy of the prank. He's petty so it will always be perfectly organized so that it causes maximum damage while never managing to be something one can reasonably escalate against. (For example, Tim once hid all of Dicks cereal in increasingly impossible places and swapping the boxes so they were labeled wrong. In retaliation every single one of Tim's coffees became decaf. They're the exact same flavor, but the caffeine content is so low it barely counts as coffee. Tim didn't notice until he went on a case bender and passed out thirty hours in despite drinking eight cups of coffee. This was weeks later after the war ended. There was no retaliation. Tim still has no clue how Dick got in, out, AND made the perfect replica) Damian learned at the feet of the master, but unfortunately has too much localized anger to play it to perfection like Dick can.

Cullen and Harper: They don't live at the Manor. They refuse to participate. They'll help small scale, but they're both sensible enough to know that anymore makes them targets.

Bruce: I don't need to explain this. He's tired. He doesn't want to be here. He never actively participates and yet always ends up in the crossfire. Can people please stop pranking each other on patrol? Must you dye Tim's suit neon pink? It's really not conducive to being the cities silent protectors.

[c-clownprince]

I, personally, am all for stoner Tim Drake.

The batfamily has no clue. they think its sleep deprivation messing with his brain (Bruce, Alfred, Dick) or is just like that (Jason, Damian, Barbra, Cass).

During galas, Tim sometimes takes angel dust with some of the guests closer to his age, and are all sworn to secrecy in favor of making it through the night.

Physically cannot function how he normally does when sober; without a trip from whatever drug, Tim is too full of energy and doesnt know how to release said energy in a proper manner.

He makes weed brownies on the regular, but stopped for a few months when Alfred caught them baking in the kitchen oven at three in the morning — which Jason got blamed for.

All of the young justice are stoners: Kon rarely does drugs due to the high risk but does smoke weed on occasion, Bart avidly intakes cannabis and heroin to calm his nerves, and Cassie only smokes tobacco.

Stephanie is the only one aside from the young justice who knows about it and is not much opposed.

Despite his favoritism toward drugs, tim wont drink straight from the bottle. a few shots, maybe. but aside from that he doesnt want much to do with alcohol.

The only thing keeping him from doing it out and about is because of him being CEO of WE, so reputation is valuable, alongside tim being terrified of alfreds disapproval.

[dramatic-squirrel]

Daminette December Day 13- Drink

@maribat-calendar-events

Ten minutes in and Marinette wasn’t sure she was going to last. She looked around the dining room marking all the possible exits and while she tried to be subtle, she was positive more than one of the Wayne’s had noticed what she was doing. Although, how could you blame her, for the last ten minutes, no one had said anything, not even small talk to break the silence, she felt like she was being interrogated not meeting her boyfriend’s family.

“Master Bruce,” the sound of Alfred’s voice was like sweet salvation to Marinette. “I believe dinners are usually more enjoyable with conversation.” He gave a pointed stare.

Damian’s father glared back at Alfred, but relented in the end. “So Marinette, Damian’s told us that you’re aspiring to run your own fashion line.”

“Oh, uh… yes. It’s my dream to one day have my own brand. I have a few clients already, but I haven’t expanded to the public just yet.” From across the table she thought she heard Tim mutter something about already knowing that before the thud of something hitting something else resounded in the silence that had descended upon the table once again. Marinette tried to think of something to talk about but besides Damian, she rarely ever had long conversations with non-superheroes. 

As she was wondering if it would be too depressing to bring up the recent crisis happening in Cape Town, she reached for her drink. Her anxiety was making her thirsty, so she didn’t even hesitate to drink it all in one go. That was a mistake for two reasons. The first being, that it wasn’t her drink, as Barbra tried to tell her the split second before Marinette downed the beverage. The second mistake was that the drink was alcohol, fairly strong alcohol at that, as it burned her throat as she swallowed.

She tried to suppress her coughing so as to not draw attention to herself, but the more she tried the more obvious it was that she was choking on literally air. Her face began to turn red and Marinette wasn’t sure if it was because of the coughing, the alcohol, or the embarrassment. When she had finally stopped, all eyes had turned on the Marinette, while she wished that she could just teleport away with Kaalki. 

Dick broke the silence. “So… The food is really great. Thanks, Alfred.” Everyone murmured their agreements. A few minutes later, the alcohol started taking effect, as Marintte suddenly started to feel dizzy. It wasn’t her first time drinking alcohol although she only ever had a sip or two for the most part, so her tolerance was really low.  

“Did you know that ladybugs hibernate in colonies of upwards to a thousand ladybugs?” a tiny hiccup escaped, her face flushed. Everyone stared at her again, wondering how they came onto this topic. “And cats apparently can’t taste sweet things. Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Now I see why Damian fell in love, she’s an animal lover.” Jason nodded his head in understanding.

“Animals are nice,” Marinette nodded along with him. “But I hate butterflies and peacocks. They’re so annoying.” she scrunched up her nose at the memories they brought up.

“Uh, maybe we should let Marinette lie down for a bit before she embarrasses herself.” Dick suggested.

Damian stood up to guide her to the living room when she spoke up again. “A secret kept in a shell is a pearl and a spicy rock is ginger.” 

“Oh great, she’s speaking in riddles now. We just dealt with the Riddler! Can’t we just have one night before going back to the riddles thing?” Tim yelled. 

“Drake, you goddamn moron.” Damian cursed at him. “Has your sleep deprived brain rid you of any sense of secrecy?” Tim just stared at him too zoned out to make out what he was saying.

“Calm down, Damian.” Dick tried to placate. “Marinette, Tim was just talking about how Wayne Enterprises was attacked recently by the Riddler.” He gave a pretty convincing excuse.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t convincing enough for Marinette. “You’re all Batman! Or Batman and Robin and Nightwing and…” she tried to count how many vigilantes there were. “...and the rest of them!”

“Noooo. Nope, we’re just your average billionaire family.” Dick was terrible at lying. At the head of the table Bruce just sighed as he prepped for the headache that would come from dealing with the fall out of this dinner.

“I wonder if it’s a rich person thing. Cause a lot of rich people are villains, but my friend Adrien’s also a superhero.” Marinette quickly covered her mouth, dread appearing on her face at the admission, meanwhile, everyone else paused what they were doing. “Did I say superhero, pfft, I meant super dork. We’re not… he’s not, I mean he couldn’t be a superhero.”

“You’re a superhero?” Damian asked her. He didn’t wait for a response. “That explains why your martial arts skills, gymnastic abilities and high level of leadership skills.”

She swayed a bit from side to side. “Ok, look. I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.” “Tell you what?” Tim asked.

“Identities,” she whispered it like someone else was going to hear. “I’ll go first. I’m-”

“Still incredibly drunk.” Damian cut her off. “We can discuss this at a later time. Let me show you somewhere you may lay down.”

“But-”

“Tim,” Bruce interrupted. “Damian’s right. We’ll bring it up later. Marinette, I apologize for how the dinner has gone this evening. I hope you can rest well, and safely make it back home.”

She looked confused before smiling. “It was nice meeting you, Bats, Robins. Bug out” she saluted then walked out of the room on unsteady feet, Damian helping her.

As soon as she left, Jason couldn’t help himself. “Finally, something we can blame on Babs.”

“Fuck you Jason.”