Give me a Stan who thinks Fiddleford doesn't know how to throw a punch, much less defend himself in a fight with your average goon, so one morning he takes it upon himself to show the nerd a few basic jabs and hooks and maybe an uppercut or two behind the cabin, because let's face it, there's gonna be a time when Stan can't be there to take a hit for the guy or defend his nerd butt. So he's gonna teach him some stuff for his own peace of mind.
Fiddleford just kind of genially goes along with it, following Stan around the back of the cabin and watching with hands on his hips and a smile as Stan gets into position.
"This is one of the most basic punches in the world, so pay attention, 'cause I'm not gonna show you again," Stan says, knees slightly bent and fists up.
Fidds nods. "You've got my full attention, Stanley."
Stan isn't sure if he's imagining the way Fidds is eyeing him up and down, but he automatically flexes his arms a little more than he needs to. Up ahead, Ford is sitting on a tree stump and taking samples of the air or something (Stan had stopped listening to Ford's explanation once his words went from interesting to Big Science Shit that Stanley Does NOT Care About) and he's watching them with this amused grin, rolling his eyes skyward when Stan won't stop flexing and showing his arms off.
Stan ignores him and rolls his shoulders before jabbing his fists forward in a quick one-two. "There - you catch that?"
Fidds has got his arms crossed now and gives Stan a thumbs up. "Sure did!"
"See, just like this," Stan says, and shows him again despite saying earlier that he wouldn't.
He shows him a few more punches, going over each one a couple times before telling the engineer to mirror him, even getting in close to adjust the guy's scrawny arms and balled fists. He's being real professional about it and everything and doesn't understand why Ford keeps grinning and shaking his head at them, which is making him a little incensed but he stamps it down because Fidds is watching him with this nerdy, dopey smile while letting himself be maneuvered around and he's gotta learn to defend himself 'cause Stan can't stand the thought of some jerkwad wiping that smile off the nerd's face.
"See," he says near the end of the lesson, tapping his fist right against Fidds’s chin. "Do it right and your fist'll hit right here."
Fidds tilts his head a fraction at the touch. "Well alright then, seems easy enough."
"Yeah, like I said, if you do it right. Gimme your hand-" he takes Fidds’s wrist and taps the guy's balled fist against his own stubbly jaw. "Right here. You got that?"
Fidds nods. "Sure do!"
"Good." Stan drops Fidds’s wrist and gets into position again. "Then come on - lay one on me."
Fidds pulls back and blinks at him. "Come again?"
"Hit me!" Stan taps his jaw. "Right here!"
The guy suddenly looks nervous and galnces over at Ford for help. "Hit you? Stanley, I don't think-"
This is what Stan means. Fidds isn't always gonna be able to look to him or Ford to save him. He gets this weird, uncomfortable feeling in his chest at the thought of Fidds facing off against some asshat on his own, and that alone is enough to keep him from letting the guys off easy, if only to get rid of the weird feeling. Maybe a bit selfish but he doesn't care.
"Ah, come on, one little punch ain't gonna hurt ya, Fidds."
"I'm not worried about me," Fidds says, and then frowns when Stan barks a laugh.
"You think you're gonna hurt ME?"
Fidds is still frowning when Ford calls over in an amused, warning tone, "This is not a good idea, Stanely!"
"Just worry about your air test or whatever and leave us alone," Stan calls back. Ford shrugs and scribbles something in his journal, and when Stan turns back to Fidds, Fidds is finally getting into position.
He looks unsure, watching Stan nervously as Stan stands before him with his arms crossed.
"Hey, not bad form - you ready?"
"Well, I suppose so," Fidds says, accent coming in a little thicker than before. "Stan, if you're sure, I should probably warn ya-"
"Don't tell me nothing, just punch me!"
Fidds presses his lips into a line and throws his fist - and jabs Stan on the chin just hard enough to tilt Stan's head half an inch to the side.
"That's it?" Stan guffaws and shakes his head. "That was barely a tap!"
"I don't wanna hurt ya!" Fidds says, sounding so conflicted that Stan gets this urge to pull him into a headlock and ruffle his hair and drive the worry away.
Instead he riles him up.
"Please," he says. "Fidds, look - one of these days I'm not gonna be there to take a hit for you, and then what're you gonna do? Just let some jerk punch ya around?"
Fidds looks slightly perplexed. "Where is this all comin from? No, Stanley, I am NOT gonna just let some jerk punch me around."
"Good! So you gotta learn to defend yourself!" Fidds still looks unsure, so Stan tries a different angle. "Okay, how 'bout this - what if some jerks are beating up on me and Ford, huh? You're just gonna let em?"
Fidds looks up. "What? No, I am not!"
"You're gonna defend us?"
"Dangnabbit, Stan - of course I am!"
"Not gonna let us get our teeth kicked out?"
"What!? No!"
"Then show me!" Stan slaps a hand against his own chin. "Right here, come on! I'm some jerk who just threw your friend Stan to the ground and I'm about to kick him in the gut, what're ya gonna-"
The blow lands hard. Stan's head jerks to the side and he's thrown off balance, and he sees actual stars before his vision clears again and he realizes he's crumpled on the ground. His head swims as hands pull him around onto his back.
"Mother o pearl!" Fidds gasps. He's got his hands on Stan's face, careful touch at complete odds with the punch he'd just landed in the same place. "Are you alright? I am so sorry! I hit ya and you weren't even ready and - you just got me so riled up and I tried to tell ya and I shoulda said earlier instead o just lettin ya show me all those moves, but I just wanted to, well - goddangit, Ford, this ain't funny."
Ford's laughing as he comes up behind them, looking down at where Stan is staring kinda dazedly up at Fidds, who's kneeling by his side in the cool grass. "We did try to tell him, Fiddleford."
"Tell me what?" Stan demands. His jaw is already aching but Fidds’s hands feel kinda good so he doesn't tell him to move.
"Fiddleford was a boxing champion back back in his hometown," Ford says.
Stan blinks. "Bwuh-?"
"Not much of a champion," Fidds says with a wince, but he's blushing a bit as he goes on, "It was never anythin official, but - well, I did win more than a few matches at some backyard parties, see, and - well, people usually don't think I got any hittin power or can defend myself, but my Ma's been all too happy to teach me since I was little, and-"
The guy's rambling, and Stan quits being able to understand what he's saying half way through cause the accent is coming in thick and Ford’s chuckling and standing there looking proud of his best friend and Stan’s a little worried that he's still jarred from the hit, cause when he looks at Fidds kneeling there, one hand one Stan's chest and the other bashfully rubbing his neck while he rambles on - he's still seeing stars.
Later, while Stan sits in the living room with an bag of ice in his jaw and Fiddleford sitting next to him, still rambling about all the times he'd knocked a few guys into the mud in some backcountry hoedown get-together or whatever, Stan can lean back and relax and grin, knowing Fidds is gonna be just fine.
He can't wait to teach him wrestling.
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mamma mia here i go again with another chapter from my leander thesis 🤓 please accept my humble input on mc's curse, the importance of reading between leander's flirting lines and rss's wonderful storytelling details.
ngl when i finally chose not to touch leander's hand first (can you blame me, i'm weak for that man) i was bewildered at how strikingly different the options in this scene play out, and i, strange as it seems, like this one much better.
first of all, it's a parallel (even if it's not intended, the connection is still there) to the opening scene with a deranged traveler: the touch, the sensations, the (foreshadowed) strangling:
leander is definitely affected by the curse — possessed even, i would say, as if he was being told to strangle mc. notice how his actions line up with the traveler's, only in slo-mo, because leander was fighting to take back the control. and when mc calls out for him, he either snaps out of it or gets to the exact point when he takes a hold of the curse. this brings up a question: could mc's curse be sentient? alter the minds, you say? (more under the cut because it got long)
i've seen people speculating that mc's curse might bestow the enlightment but that's not true: mc was told that (and that's why this origin has me by the throat (pun absolutely intended): imagine living with so much guilt, thinking you were doing good, but in fact driving people mad… mmm tasty). it ties perfectly into every origin path where mc was being lied to, deceived and betrayed. however, there's definitely something more to the curse's nature that's yet to be disclosed.
my favourite moment though!! is this nuanced character storytelling!!
the very hand that was inches away from choking mc to death is quickly disguised as caring and soothing. wonder why? to gain mc's trust (non-verbally), to show that leander's in control, he's strong, he's there for mc, he'll take care of them. of course, leander, being a leander, downplays the whole experience of being possessed/affected by the curse, but he's being honest at once. he doesn't lie to mc — and that's also how he's gaining trust, verbally this time.
one more question that begs to be asked: why the hell all of this doesn't happen if mc touches leander first? it seems that the quality of the touch (😭) also plays an important role here:
leander must have felt the power of the curse, but he wasn't possessed by it, he could control it right away — why? because the touch was fleeting? or because it was mc who was touching him, not the other way round?
now hear me out (i might be wrong on this one, because i can't remember any more examples off the top of my head, but i feel like it's definitely a thing. let me know if something comes up!): we should pay closer attention to how leander says the truth (or half-truth), but it could be understood differently at a flirting angle (it's slightly different from this one, where he covers up his misstep). what i think he means here is that he controls the curse, but it sure is a difficult thing to do. "not due to your power" my ass, his need to look strong and heroic and weak at the same time is ridiculous, someone cure this man (ivolunteer.gif)
one more and last thing that's bothering me (it might play into the previous point btw): if you keep touching him, he tells mc that fissures on their hands match his golden pin. why??????? that's such a dumb thing to flirt about, such a weird comparison. what kind of connection is there? it's so out of place, it definitely means something more. leander spill
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and baby, if you knew
word count: 2.1k || pt2 of saying we're just friends
warnings: mentions of the night before (?), morning after, hickies (?)
summary: oh the horrors of getting caught the morning after
You stare at yourself in the mirror, blinking incredulously. (Partially out of pure shock, partially because sleeping with your contacts on was NOT a smart decision on your end)
Holy fuck, Tim got mouthy with you.
You tilt your neck to brush your fingers over the hickeys, gawking at the way it trails down your neck and collar to your chest, the purple popping on your skin. Sure, you weren't half as pale as Tim was, but hello? You didn't even bring concealer. You weren't expecting him to take you to the Wayne Manor.
"Tim." You swallow, grimacing.
Tim raises a brow, shirt pulled halfway over his head.
"How many hickeys did you give me? Do you have a whisk? Do you have ice? Are you secretly a vampire???"
"One question at a time, lovely." he mumbles. "Seven. There's a whisk and ice downstairs. I am not secretly a vampire, although I can see why you'd guess that."
You blink at him. "Do you have a collared shirt?"
"Just settle for one of my shirts for now." He pulls the shirt over his head, tossing you the other one in the bed.
"Please tell me it's not sheer."
"It's not."
"Thank GOD you're rich." You mumble. "It's a blessing to have non-sheer white shirts."
"Yeah, I get that." He mumbles. "Come on. Alfred called us for breakfast a little ago."
"Which one of your siblings are here?"
"We'll see." Tim hums, shutting the door to his room. (All of them are downstairs, likely. They were probably having a post-valentine debriefing like they usually do. Bruce was not spared from it.)
You duck behind Tim when you notice everyone having breakfast.
"You said we'll see! Are none of them staying with the people they were out with last night?!"
"It happens every year." Tim hums, holding his hand out for you. "Come on. Don't do the walk of shame."
"Seriously. I run a stan account for you and live in my dorm. I'm practically a hermit." You deadpan. "I am NOT cut out to be meeting your family this early in the morning."
"Master Tim, young miss. Are you ready for breakfast? We are having pancakes."
"Just kidding I would kill for pancakes right now." You mumble, following behind Tim as he sits you next to him.
All eyes are on you as you adjust the collar of your shirt, the tag scratching against your skin, the hickeys on your neck visible. You thank Alfred as he places a plate before you, and you start at the chocolate chip pancakes. Holy shit, fuck the eyes on you, this was heaven.
"Alfred, do you have a recipe book?" You blink at him, eyes wide in admiration.
"Which recipe would you like, young miss?"
"Oh, all of them if possible. I'd love to be able to cook half as well as you can." You hum, taking another bite of your food. "Do you have a digital copy?"
"Unfortunately, all of it is on paper or in here." He smiles, tapping his brain. "But I am more than willing to provide you with any recipes you may like."
"Mm!" You shove the last piece of the pancake into your mouth, swallowing as you get up. "Tim, do you have a laptop? I want to type a couple recipes down and transcribe what's on paper—"
"Pull open the drawer to your left." He hums.
You pull it open, blinking at him.
"There's a false bottom in it. One of my spare laptops is in it. The password is a combination of letters." He hums.
"With significance?"
"Yes."
"Oh, then I know an approximation, then." You hum, working your finger into the side as you prop it open, pulling his laptop out. "Is it our birthdays?"
"Wait, how did she–" Dick's cut off when you manage to open it on your first try.
"Alright. I'm gonna go! I'll be with Alfred if you need anything." You smile.
"She just?" Duke blinks incredulously. "Did she just hack open your laptop on her first try? Is she in compsci like you?"
"English." Tim grabs a couple pancakes, cutting off a piece of butter. "Creative writing, technically."
"Oh, is she making her own major?"
"Yes." Tim hums. "I don't actually know how she guessed that it would be our birthdays since I only changed it a little while ago. It'd be easier to open if it was just our birthdays combined. Maybe she was stalking me."
"Or, maybe all the years of running a Robin Twitter account finally paid off." Jason shrugs. "She's quite a big writer on the internet too, you know?"
"Yeah." Tim hums. "She's quite the character. Have you read her works?"
"I have." Damian speaks up. "Her writing resembles poetry, pulling on the strings of your heart and snapping them at moments you least expect."
"You've read her works?!" Tim raises a brow at Damian. "That's surprising."
"She resembles the poets."
"She'd love to hear that come out of your mouth for sure." Tim mumbles. "Anything else I should know?"
"She covered me for change once while I went to buy cup noodles." Cass mumbles.
"I'm mutuals with her on Twitter?" Steph points.
"Okay, that's not the point. Timmy." Dick deadpans. "Did you sleep with her last night?"
"Sex or just plain sleeping? Because we did both—"
"I DIDN'T GET TO GIVE YOU THE SHOVEL TALK!" Dick cries. "Okay, when a man and a—"
"Dick, I'm well over into the ages of a legal adult." Tim sighs. "Besides, I'm like seventy percent sure that you gave me the shovel talk when you first found out I was dating Ari in high school. Also, I got one from my dad and Bruce, so I think I'm good."
"Oh, right." Dick mumbles. "But still."
Steph pauses. "Does she want a whisk?"
"She was asking for one earlier." Tim hums.
"We'll go help." Cass mumbles, getting out of the seat, dragging Steph.
"Okay, Tim. Is she the one who was making you all red and blushy during Christmas?" Dick slides closer to him, throwing an arm around his shoulder.
"Yes." Tim sighs, batting Dick's hand away. "She was."
"How'd you ask her out?"
"Told her if she had nothing to do on Valentine's, then she could stick with me and I could plan a date." Tim reaches for another pancake.
"And she agreed?" Jason snorts. "Wow. She's way out of your league."
"Yeah, but at least I got B's absolutely insane ability to pull." He mumbles. "Pulled way out of my league, for sure."
"If you fumble her I fear the things that will happen to you, Drake." Damian clicks his tongue.
"Do I... know her?"
"Duke," Damian sighs. "You're smarter than this."
"He's messing with you right now." Jason pours himself another cup of coffee.
"What's your relationship with her." Tim deadpans.
"She used to peer review my poems." He hums. "It didn't click until Damian showed me her information this morning, though."
"You just let them go through my girlfriend's personal information?!" Tim finally looks at Bruce, who only gives him a shrug.
"No harm in knowing a little more about your girlfriend."
"I swear, if you bring her in on the vigilantism—"
"That's not happening. I can promise that." Bruce glances at his almost empty mug. "Does she know?"
"She called me out for being Red Robin last night in the car." Tim sighs. "Besides, it'd be strange if she didn't notice immediately how similar Red Robin and I's voices are."
"She's been running your account for how long... now?" Bruce motions for Jason to pass him the coffee.
"Since middle school, so like..." Tim pauses. "Give or take seven years."
"That's a long time." Dick mumbles. "My longest-running fanpage is only six-ish years."
"If you count the Gotham Gazette, then I've been running for the longest." Bruce snorts. "Is she the one?"
"I think she is." Tim smiles. "And if she's not..."
"Then I will personally see the end of your life, Drake." Damian grumbles. "I shall have mother adopt her and have her write poetry for me in exchange for a living space and food. She shall be the equivalent of a court poet except to mother and I."
"I honestly think she wouldn't turn that down." Tim grimaces.
"Is she that desperate?"
"She's joked about sleeping with a millionaire to make some money." Tim grimaces. "Something something desperate situations call for desperate measures."
"She would love it in mother's mansion, then." Damian hums, sipping on his tea. "I shall have her write a poem for your death. It shall be my last mercy."
Tim grimaces. "What if she breaks up with me?"
"Then you're in the fault, obviously." Jason mumbles, looking at his phone.
"So it's my fault regardless of what happens?"
"Listen, her tweets are unhinged. You can't say you like crazy girls and then get annoyed when you date one and she acts insane." Jason grumbles.
"He's got a point, Timmers." Dick hums. "I hope it works out for the best, regardless of the ending."
"Twenty bucks they are endgame." Damian mumbles.
"Alfred bet ten that Tim would pop the ring."
"Ugh, come on. You know no one out-bets Alfred." Dick groans. "Did he set up the jar?"
"He did. This morning." Duke hums. "I put my bet in too."
"Come on–"
"You can't say shit when you bet on all of our relationships and pretty much came out unscathed in all of them." Jason glares. "Shut it."
Tim rolls his eyes, surrendering himself to the idea that his relationship would get bet on.
"Tim, can I marry your sisters?" You come out of the kitchen, eyes sparkling.
"We're dating." He sighs. "Pretty bird—"
"EWWWWWWW" A mixture of faked hurls and gags are heard in unison as Tim rolls his eyes.
"Ignore them. Why do you want my sisters?"
"The hickeys are all," You pull your shirt down too to show your cleavage, the hickeys no longer visible, "gone! Your sisters are really good at this."
"Yeah..." Tim sighs, reaching to pull your shirt back up. "Steph isn't my sister, by the way."
"Oh, yes, I know." You smile. "After all, if she was, it'd be strange that you've dated her before."
Tim chokes on the air at your statement.
"Besides, she's my mutual." You hum. "I also got Alfred's recipes, by the way." You hum, smile on your face. "I also got his chocolate chip cookie recipe, though I need to figure out what the secret ingredient is."
"A dash of vanilla extract." Tim lowers his voice. "Don't tell the rest of the family."
"Got it." You give him a thumbs up.
"Do you cook?" Damian speaks up.
"I do! Mainly ethnic foods, since there isn't much of that here in Gotham." You mumble. "Got any good Chinese places?"
"Oh, there's this place on Seventh Ave and Jester." Bruce speaks up. "I used to get dim sum there. It's only open from eight to twelve, and you need to get in via reservation. Feel free to borrow my name whenever. Just make sure to invite me."
"Uncle Dan's, right?" You beam. "I went there a while back with another friend, but I miss like... the dim sum that's messy and chaotic in the morning."
"Oh, then try the one on Lightbeam." Dick pauses. "Ah, what was the other street?"
"Oh, that one's good." Duke agrees. "Sam Woo's Dim Sum and BBQ."
"I've had that too!" You smile. "They're good, just quite a while from the university."
"If you really want something good," Cass speaks up from behind you, "try Jin."
"Jin?"
"It's smaller, but it's family-run, and it's been doing business in Gotham for three generations already." Cass hums. "They're called Jin, but the Chinese character for gold. They're right by Gotham U too. On the corner by Circle K."
"The sketchy looking alley??" You blink.
"Yes, but their dumplings are to die for." She pauses. "And they sell in bulk if you want to boil any in your dorm."
"Tim, I want your sister."
"Pretty bird, we just started going out." He clicks his tongue.
"Tim, if you break her heart, I will date her." Cass blinks.
"You can visit her when she stays in mother's mansion."
"Hm?" You turn to blink at Damian.
"Ignore him—"
"Should you and Drake break up, I have already arranged your living arrangements, should you agree to it."
"And what might they be?" You hand the laptop to Tim, pointing at the document you shared with yourself.
"With my mother. Your only job shall be to write poems and short stories to entertain her."
"Living and writing for the Talia Al Ghul? Count me in." You sigh dreamily.
"Alright." Tim shuts the laptop after changing the password. "We're going to get going before her roommate calls the cops on her."
"Oh, right!" You mumble. "It was a pleasure meeting you all! I hope to see you again sometime?"
"Tim, send her number in the chat later!" Dick calls as Tim pulls you out.
"Sorry, they're quite embarrassing." Tim mumbles.
"They're warm." You smile. "I like it."
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
Tim sighs in relief at the look of fondness on your face. Right.
You'll be fine.
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