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robinrequiems · 3 years

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hey any1 want some superman jon and batman Damian hcs? too bad cause you’re getting them

• damian realized why no one wanted to be batman when he turned 18 and Bruce decided to give him batman when he was 22.

• jon realized why jon didn’t want to be superman when he also turned 18

• oh and right, by gave, I mean bruce sorta can’t be batman anymore. medical reasons…

• damian sorta uh. persuaded clark into giving jon superman.

Damian: look. I don’t wanna be worlds finest with you, old man.

Clark: im- im not old—

Damian: listen here, jon and i? we are gonna surpass you and my dad. so give it to jon and let me prove it.

Clark: this doesn’t seem like a good idea— you aren’t ready— neither is jon

Damian: wait- wait, you don’t believe in your son and i??? wow. WOOOW. okay. i see.

Clark: that’s not it!-

Damian: sure. sure. don’t worry. I see now.

Clark: wait I do!

Damian: no, no you don’t.. it’s— it’s okay, I get it, it’s me, huh?

Clark: no!

Damian: I get it

Clark: please i do! I’ll - oh my rao, you’re playing me

Damian: i am. i cant do this without jon though. please, Clark.

Clark: *sigh, how did he get manipulated by a kid he used to babysit* okay.

• okay so now jon may be a little overwhelmed because one day he’s flamebird, the next, he’s becoming superman? huH. it’s extremely uh. worrying. and really just? wow.

• does Damian feel bad? oh yeah. he does. so bad. but he really can’t do it alone. they always dreamed of being their parents. or being better than them. but they grew up and realized that they really didn’t want to be their parents.

• but here they were, getting fitted for their suits and adding their own details to it.

jon: hey, you look hot

damian: please. shut up.

• they could do this. they could do this. shoot they can’t do this.

• damians own anxiety was going 50 mph. look, okay? remember before heretic when Bruce thought that Damian would become a satanic batman and basically rain hell all over gotham? yeah. that’s what is going on in damians mind.

• he doesn’t want to be that. ( “you won’t be like that, cmon, d, we’re gonna be better.” ) and how Damian wants to believe jon so bad..

• he doesn’t want to become obsessed with Batman like his father did, he still wants to have a life. he doesn’t want to isolate himself away and adopt kids as a coping mechanism. that’s why he needs jon to be superman. jon helps him, he helps him not go off into his own little world and stay there. he believes that with Jon, he’ll be okay. he has to be. maybe he uses jon as his own coping mechanism, but that isn’t the point.

• together, they will outshine their parents. the supersons can do this. they are the next generation, and it’s not like they are alone. they have so many other people to help them. they’ll be okay.

• they have been preparing for this their whole life, but they both feel like they got it too soon. they thought they had more time. Damian does feel guilty when he hears jon talking about how stressed he is about superman and not living up to whatever the hell he has to live up to, but Damian does fear what would. or could. have happened if he didn’t have jon with him. becoming batman took a lot out of him, more than he would like to admit. he just got constant flashbacks to heretic and that whole fiasco he thought he put behind him a loong time ago.

Jon: are you sure you’re okay?

Damian: yes idiot, quit worrying.

Jon: I’ll always worry about, d.

• jon somehow becomes MORE sappier when he becomes superman.

• okay, also, funny story. ( Clark and Bruce don’t find it funny AT ALL ) superman and batman? yeah they sorta kissed after an almost alien invasion. in their suits. uh. in front of an alien who they were arresting for the green lanterns. most people believe that when people say it, it’s a lie, kidding. no they don’t. there were pictures.

bruce: you want to explain this?

damian: not really, no.

• the public knows there’s a new Batman and Superman since yk. Jon’s face is public and was seen as superboy flamebird and now superman, and batman was slightly smaller and had some different moves

• but here’s their main line up: batman ( dami wamie, obvi ), superman ( jonnyboy kent ), nobody ( maya:)) ), green lantern ( tai pham, my baby boy ), lace ( wallace west 2, he goes by lace instead of flash because i said so. ), and shazam ( billy b ).

• fun fact, they have a den mother even though they are all in their 20s. poor dinah.. yeah black canary is their den mother. ( stole it from from yj )

• dinah makes sure they get their injuries checked out, train regularly, and you know. don’t blow up a building.

• again.

• ( when damian and jon were younger, in their teen years, they stupidly accidentally blowed up a building. in their defense, the building was owned by the penguin. and there were no civilians in the area. but they also got a lot of men sent after them.. oops. )

• they are very chaotic. they are the definition of dumbass energy sometimes.

• damian tries to keep the pda down whenever he’s batman, BUT JON DOESNT KNOW HOW TO DO THAT

• hence the amount of photos of jon hugging Damian or kissing him

• damian has never once initiated one in suits

• ( that one time jon almost died does not count )

Damian: thought you were gonna be batman.

Tim: nah, i don’t wanna be bruce. i saw what it did to dick. I would’ve became just like him.

Damian: am i like him??

Tim: god no, bruce would never kiss superman or date him or spray paint the new justice league logo— nice logo, by the way— onto villains bases

Damian: is that a good or bad thing?

Tim; good, that means you probably won’t be a total emotional stunted person using crime fighting as an outlet for unresolved childhood trauma.

Damian: you do realize why i became Robin right

Tim: .. not the point im trying to make. I mean now, brat.

• sometimes you can see some of the heroes dropping by to surprise kids, they heard that their old mentors used to go to children’s hospitals to visit sick kids, so they did that too. on a rare day where there isn’t any crime, which is really rare, they go to a school and talk if it’s a weekday, or they drop by an orphanage to hang out with kids.

• they have gotten into a lot of trouble though. they’re still learning how to work as a team. jon and damian are used to being solo and working with each other, Tai had tagged along a few times when they were younger and knows how they work, along with maya, but billy and Wallace do not.

• they often all get into arguments.

• damian lacks a filter and will criticize everyone if they mess up. and he often goes off alone or is too blunt.

• it takes a long time before they all realize that Damian is just: Damian, he doesnt mean to be mean. ( surprisingly )

• billy is used to being the big kid stuck at the kids table, it’s funny that he’s actually the second oldest when he used to be the youngest. ( lace is like.. 27? shazam is 25.. nobody 24. & the supersons 22. pulled all those ages outta my ass. you’re welcome. )

• dinah is also their therapist. poor dinah.

• like really giving pity to dinah. but dinah loves those kids, she has known some since they were kids. she used to take damian out for ice cream and train with him, and also babysit him. ( AUNT DINAH IS MY FAVORITE GOODBYE ). and she did the same with Jon.

• dinah actually does help a lot of them get over their trauma, not completely, but most have finally spoken about it. they began talking after they all got hit with fear gas.

• that was a bad night.

• they had almost disbanded before when they thought lace had died by the hands of captain cold. they had been arguing all day, and if they didn’t, they might’ve saved him:

• but turns out he wasn’t dead.

• but the argument was still there, and it was strong. it took a while for them to actually work together without dinah forcing them.

• then soon came another new member after maya left to go do some undercover mission for the justice league regarding some alien tech being distributed some place. it was a sad goodbye, but she would be back and she would have a place here.

• welcoming: yara flor. yara was a bit headstrong and wild. damian has screamed at her a lot and almost got into a fist fight with her before being dragged off by his boyfriend 💋

• but she settled in fine. minus the fact damian really wanted to shove a batarang up— anyways. she just had to learn teamwork and shit, she was used to being a solo and she was somewhat new. so they helped her out and she became a solid member of the team.

• sometimes damian and jon just go and sit on a rooftop like they did as kids togeyher. just alone with each other. thinking about how their life changed so quickly.

Damian: i thought we’d ruin our fathers’ legacies and plummet to the ground.

Jon: *he coughed* ..what?

Damian: yeah. i didn’t think we’d get this far, but here we are.

Jon: of course we got this far, and we’re gonna get further.

Damian: i know.

• oh yeah. so. superman. fucking proposed after they defeated darkseid. ( the battle was long, so many people were left injured and on the brick of death, Damian and jon had been separated when it all started. Damian had stayed on earth at first before going to apokolips. Damn he hadn’t seen it since he got resurrected.

Darkseid: oh. I remember you.

Damian: mhm?

Darkseid: ah yes, the little boy who was resurrected here.. the chaos share, your father used it on you.

Damian: i know. i remember what happened. I was there afterall.

Darkseid: I wonder if you are as smart as the original batman.

Damian: i am.

• damian was buying time. he was waiting for reinforcements, namely the people who had powers and could take him down. damian wasn’t stupid. he realized darkseid liked to talk. his friends were fighting off the female furys or whatever they were called. he just had to wait and entertain.

Darkseid: quite the ego there.

Damian: i saved the justice league when i was 13, i deserve to have an ego.

Darkseid: oh, you are by far more talkative than the original.

Damian: thanks.

Darkseid: not a compliment, you fool.

• yeah so. darkseid tried to kill damian, with a beam thing. Damian was about to flip away like the baddie he is, but. jon. went out and yk. took the hit. dumbass.

Damian: you have such a big hero complex.

Jon: wow I just saved you and that’s what you say?????

Damian: yes.

• anyways, after they defeat darkseid, jon pops out a ring from his pocket and asks damian to marry him on apokolips.

Damian: you seriously couldn’t wait til we got on earth?

Jon: dames you almost died. what if- what if something happens, I’ve been putting this off for so long. cmon please?

Damian: you’re seriously asking me to marry you here where, I’m pretty sure, a lot of shit happened to our parents here.

Jon: no time like the present.

Damian: fair. okay.

Jon: just okay???

Damian: im sorry, do you want me to cry or something?

Jon: ughh, you can be so extra and petty sometimes.

Damian: i am not being petty.

Jon: just because I ask you to marry me here you wanna be like “okay” and that’s it

Damian: you’re so dramatic. I’ll marry you. I wanna marry you. Better?

Jon: yeah:)

#batman Damian wayne #superman jon kent #rambles #hc #worlds finest but it’s better

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autisticcassandracain · 3 years

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Braids and Cuts

Fandom/Characters: Batman Comics, Cassandra Cain & Duke Thomas

Wordcount: 1475

Summary: Cass convinces Duke to cut his hair with her, and suggests getting braids. Duke has mixed feelings. The last person who'd done his braids was his mom.

Notes: Written for @duketectivecomics’s Duke Week Day 6: Family Bonding! I tried my best to do my research to be respectful and realistic, but I’m white, so if I got anything wrong regarding natural hair, please let me know! You can read this on AO3 here!

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The Wayne Manor bathroom closest to their bedrooms - because there was more than one, he’d never get used to this mansion no matter how long he spent in it - was still larger than Duke’s old bedroom, which made it easily large enough to drag a truly gigantic standing mirror in there, so they’d be able to see the back of their heads without the hassle of a handheld mirror. Duke laid their guards out while Cass stood in front of it.

“Who’s first?” Cass asked, angling her head so she could see both her sides.

“You, ‘cause mine’ll probably take longer.” Plus, he hadn’t entirely decided whether he’d go through with it. It’d taken quite a while for his hair to grow back this long, and even cutting half of it off was... daunting, to say the least.

When you can’t jump off rooftops, just cut your own hair, you’ll get about the same adrenaline rush.

“I want just one side shaved,” Cass reminded him while she sat back in the chair.

Duke pulled out a clipper and rolled his eyes. “I know, you’ve only said it about three hundred times, but thanks for the reminder.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So, lowest guard?”

The mirror reflected Cass’s huge grin. “Yup.”

It was easier than Duke had expected it to be, but then again, Cass’s hair was straight as a board. The scissors went in almost as easy as the clippers, and before he knew it, half her head was gone and shaved.

And yeah, it actually did look pretty damn good.

Admittedly, Duke had been skeptical when Cass’d first suggested getting dual haircuts. Not just because he’d never done his own hair, but because Cass’s fashion sense was... questionable. Sure, she had strong opinion on how she should look, which was something. It was just unfortunate that none of her opinions were any good. She’d been known to combine every colour in the visible light spectrum in the same outfit, socks with crocs, and just straight up rip off pieces of her clothes if she didn’t like how it looked. Sometimes it worked. Most of the time, it really didn’t.

But she’d come prepared with a photo album of approximately a thousand different tapered cuts, saved sides, and every braid, loc, and twist combo with those you could imagine, and, well. When Duke’d first started growing out his hair again, he’d hoped it would lead to him finally learning how to be creative with it, like his mom was. In practice, he’d done absolutely nothing, except narrowly keeping it alive. Maybe it was time for a chop.

“You sure you don’t want me to do the other side?” Duke asked, fully expecting a no.

Instead, Cass paused, looking in the mirror, angling her head this way and that. Then, she grabbed the clippers from his hand, and raked it through her hair.

“Cass!”

“I’m doing a buzzcut.”

“I thought you said you wanted one side? You were pretty adamant about it!”

“Changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“Queer reasons.”

Duke rubbed his nose. “Sure, okay, whatever makes you happy. But can I at least finish it?”

Cass paused, cocked her head a little, then handed him the clippers.

“Thanks. And I hope you’re not expecting me to cut everything off.”

“Nope.”

“Good, because I spent way too long growing it for that.” And with that, he started shaving the rest of her head.

Around the time he was busy trying not to cut her ear off (easy, with the guard, but still), Cass said, “You should get yellow yarn braids.”

Duke threw her an incredulous look through the mirror. “You’re either wildly underestimating how long yarn braids take, or my patience.”

“You like them,” Cass insisted.

Which, yes, she wasn’t wrong, but, “How could you possibly know that?”

“You kept coming back to them. In the style collection.”

And, yeah, he had. Sure, getting yellow yarn braids was about as ironic as writing ‘I AM THE SIGNAL’ on the side of his head, but it was just such a cool look. He could save both sides of his head and keep them long, or shave only one and make them shorter, and both would be amazing.

“I’m not getting them,” he said. He shut the clipper off. “There, how do you like that?”

The only thing left on Cass’s head were tiny, prickly hairs, that she immediately went to rub her hand across. She stood up and twirled a bit in the mirrors, wearing a huge grin. “Love it.”

“Glad to hear that.” He gave her the clippers. “Go wash that, I should probably section my hair first.” She gave him a thumbs up and moved towards the sink.

They worked in silence for a little while, Duke carefully separating his hair with a comb and moisturizing it, while Cass washed and dried the clippers. The sound of running water would’ve been soothing if Duke wasn’t running high on nerves.

“Can I do it?” Cass asked.

“Cass, I love you, but I’d rather die than let you anywhere near my hair.” He gestured towards her hand. “Give me the clippers.”

And with a pout, she handed them over and hopped onto the washing machine to watch.

Well. No putting it off anymore.

He put the clippers to his head and went to work.

It wasn’t as difficult as he’d expected it to be. He slowly worked over his head, making sure to keep his eyes on the mirror, even as he could feel Cass staring at him.

“I could do the braids,” she offered, from atop the washing machine.

“What part of ‘I’d rather die than let you near my hair’ did you not get?” Duke answered, barely paying attention.

“You used to have braids.”

That made him pause his clipping. “How do you know?”

“Saw pictures at your house.”

“Ah.” He’d taken them down for a while, after he’d come out, but he’d taken a few kid photos with him in foster care, after his parents... you know. It was comforting to hold onto these memories, and over time, it had stopped being strange or embarrassing to see himself look like a little girl. Even a bit nostalgic, in a weird way.

Which might be why he was considering bringing back the styles he’d worn before he’d come out. It made him remember the way his mom used to braid his hair. She was a fast braider, had to be, with box braids being her preferred style. She wore them for as long as she could get away with it, preferring natural looks for her own hair, but gladly braided his with as many beads and bright colours as he asked. He’d never actually been to a professional; braiding had been his and his mom’s little ritual, over the weekend, with Netflix or songs in the background. They’d only stopped when he’d come out and clipped his hair short.

“My mom used to do my braids,” he simply said, and Cass made an understanding noise.

“Don’t you want to learn?” she asked.

On the one hand, he did. He’d always wanted to learn, to be just as fast as his mom. On the other hand, he really, really didn’t. He just wanted his mom to do them for him, forever. Or at least for another few years, to make up for lost time.

Also, on a lighter note, he didn’t feel like sitting still for like, two days, while failing to do his first pair of braids, and really didn’t feel like doing it all alone.

He’d nearly reached the end of his haircut, detangling the last piece of hair to cut before going in for precision clips. It went swift, after that, and in the end, the haircut looked good. Full on the top, low on the sides and back. Mom had always had a full head of hair, but he felt like braids on this style would give it his own twist.

He’d like to show it to her. Maybe she’d even be present enough to appreciate it.

“I’ll do the yarn braids on one condition,” he announced, turning to Cass.

She peaked up. “What?”

“You stay with me the entire time while I do them, and you’re not allowed to get distracted on your phone.”

She grimaced. “You’re mean.”

“You’re the one that wants me to do the braids.”

“Only because it’d make you happy.”

“And because it’d look cool?”

“I’d prefer pink. And orange.”

“Of course you do, you lesbian. Do we have a deal?”

She wrinkled her nose, but said, “Deal.”

It took way longer than he (or Cass, who complained the whole time) would have liked, but two days later, he had yarn braids that ended mid-back, with electric yellow yarn.

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought his mom liked them.

#dukethomasweek2021 #duke thomas #cassandra cain #my posts #my writing #also cass is intended to be a nonbinary trans lesbian but it didn't come up that much

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enigmainvestigations · 3 years

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ENI Season 1 Finale (episodes 8 - 14)

AO3 post: ??? Series link: ???

Episode 8 - A New Client

The man on the ground before him was out cold. Edward knelt and checked the hitman’s jacket pockets and found a pack of Lucky’s, which he pocketed. Next, he checked the man’s pants pockets, but those turned up empty. He pivoted on his feet to check the condition of the hitman behind him, hovering his hand near the man’s nostrils. This one’s breath was faster than the first, and Edward figured he must be coming to. But he didn’t need to worry too much about that; they all looked too beaten up to be much of a threat. Edward rolled the man over to get to his jacket pockets, and, as he did, the man groaned under his breath. Stuffing a hand into the man’s jacket, he found a small piece of paper. His eyes scanned it -- it looked like a phone number -- and he pocketed it to keep it out of the rain. Checking the other pocket in his jacket, Edward heard the man groan again. He looked down and saw the young man’s eyes staring up at him.

Edward grinned as he continued to search him. “First time, huh?”

The man moaned in pain, and rolled over, his motions stiff and weak. Edward patted him down, checking for a firearm. The man attempted to push his arm away, but Edward swatted at his hand to stop him. “Oh, stop complaining. Let me let you in on a little secret, it hurts much more the second day. I’d take it slow if I were you.”

Moving up on his feet, Edward made his way down the alley to the third hitman, who was also beginning to stir on the ground. Checking him, he pulled out a photograph from the man’s jacket. It was a photo of Edward himself -- it looked like it was taken on his night out at the local bars. A small smile crossed his lips, and he pocketed the photo; the man didn’t seem to care, instead focusing all his attention on an attempt to stop the blood gushing from his nose. As he stood, Edward looked down at the men who were writhing in pain, one rigidly attempting to sit up.

“Well boys, you’re on his bad side now. I wish you luck,” he tilted his hat to them, a wide grin on his face as he turned to head out of the alley.

He traveled away from the area, taking a few side routes just in case they’d gotten to their feet and made the idiotic decision to try to kill him a second time. He knew better than to assume the Bat had moved on. He was sure the dark figure was watching him, following him from above like a stalking predator. Edward assumed the Bat had left to see what he would do in his absence. It was a test, something he did frequently to observe people’s behavior. He hated to admit it, it was an intelligent move. But Edward hadn’t touched any of the men’s money, even though the thought had crossed his mind. He could consider it payment for trying to take his life. However, that wouldn’t have been a smart thing to do. If he’d done it, then the Bat would come after him once he was at a safe distance from the alley. That was still a possibility even now though, and his eyes scanned the rooftops around him as he walked and listened to his surroundings for any motion.

Edward hoped Batman wouldn’t reappear -- that whole encounter had been quite jarring and confusing. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that Batman would show up, let alone assist him. His mind kept trying to figure out why the vigilante had entered the fray. The logical answer was that it was because Edward was a civilian now, a citizen that had a hit out on him, and the Bat did what he always does in that situation. But that concept felt too simple, too foreign for him to accept. So, his mind continued to speculate what Batman’s play could’ve been.

He had to admit, it was quite frightening to see the man in action from a different perspective. The spine-chilling tales that surrounded Batman made more sense now. He could only imagine what that encounter must’ve been like from the perspective of a regular citizen. Edward had always seen Batman as a foe -- not quite an equal, but close. The fear he instilled in others had always been something he’d considered the woes of lesser men. But now, the chess pieces had moved, and they were both playing on a different board. Perhaps that was it: he was one of the lesser men now, a regular citizen that needed a phantom to swoop in to save him. Edward felt a wave of emotion hit him abruptly; the sensation of not belonging once again invaded his mind. He tried to keep himself focused on his route rather than waste the time letting it control his thoughts.

Edward couldn’t use the underground shortcut to return -- it was too risky with Batman tailing him. Instead, he opted to make the trip as boring as possible, especially now that he was too far for the men to follow. It made his walk longer, but he needed the time to think over the stark amount of new information he’d acquired.

Two of the hitmen had been young and inexperienced. The man he’d crossed paths with in the loading alley appeared just as surprised to see Edward as Edward was to see him. The thing about young and inexperienced hitmen is they’re cheap, and easy to find in Gotham. Ignorant boys trying to make some quick cash, though any real criminal in the city wouldn’t waste their time on them. Those two facts boded well for him. He was dealing with someone who didn’t know what they were doing, and surely this wouldn’t be the only mistake they made. Whoever they were, the need to hire hitmen showed they were afraid, and fear makes people do stupid things. Stupid things like tilting their hands too much, letting information slip, or jumping out into the open in an illogical attempt to hide. It was a human trait Edward had preyed on frequently during his criminal career, an easy emotion to exploit under the right circumstances.

However, what he hadn’t expected was that whoever this culprit was would take the drastic action of trying to kill him. Nothing in the evidence pointed to such behavior being a predictable reaction. To the culprit it was only a bunch of empty buildings, and he couldn’t fathom what payoff could be involved that would be worth murder. Then again, they were playing a dangerous game and were clearly out of their league. Edward poking his nose around might have been just enough to scare them into making such a silly mistake. Though, he doubted they knew very much about him, or they wouldn’t have been so foolish. Nor would they have made the classic mistake criminals did regularly in this city.

They didn’t hire one hitman, they’d hired three -- the logical fallacy that greater numbers mean a greater possible outcome of success. It was a mistake many in the underground made with the Bat. One guy with a gun couldn’t stop him, so get twenty guys with more guns and the plan will be successful. No one ever considered the obvious: the guns didn’t work, no matter how many you added to the scenario. The more men you used simply meant you wasted more money. It was a mistake he’d never made when dealing with Batman, and it was one of the first riddles about the man he’d solved.

Though, Edward wasn’t very happy about having a hit out on him. He was sick and tired of people trying to kill him, and the fact that he’d have to spend even more time looking over his shoulder just made him feel drained. As he crossed the bridge to the south island he checked his watch; it was three in the morning. Much later than he’d intended to be out, but it didn’t appear that anyone had seen him out and about -- anyone other than the Bat, that is. He could only hope Batman wouldn’t pull some passive-aggressive move and tip off some officer to his activities this evening. By the time he’d unlocked his office door, he was beginning to feel very exhausted. So exhausted, in fact, that he might not even have to drink tonight to get his mind to quiet down.

He was correct in that belief, and he didn’t have to lay on the couch for very long before sleep took him. His rest was deep, and by the time he was awoken by the ringing of the phone the next morning, he had impressions on his skin from the cushions on the couch. In a haze, he pulled the phone down beside him, picked up the handset, and rubbed his face, trying to wake up.

“Isn’t this late for your check-in call, officer?” he muttered into the phone.

There was a short pause on the line, “Excuse me?” Edward could hear quite a lot of noise through the phone, and the voice wasn’t officer Blue 334. “I’m sorry, is this Edward Nigma’s residence?”

Edward yawned, fumbling with his glasses on the floor beside him, “Yeah? Who is this?”

“This is officer Wilkes, I’m --”

“Ahh, Wilkes the snitch. How’re you this fine morning, Wilkes?” Edward propped his glasses on and ran a hand through his hair as he continued to wake.

“I-I’m fine?” He seemed confused by the question, but he cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his professional demeanor. “Mr. Nigma, I’m calling you on behalf of the Commissioner --”

“Is that right?” Edward interrupted.

“...Yes, he would like to speak with you, it concerns a case he’s investigating --”

Edward let out a groan of annoyance.

“-- he would like for you to come to his office this evening.” Wilkes finished, a slight twinge of irritation in his tone.

“This evening?” Edward asked through another yawn.

“Yes, he’s very busy, but he can work you in at eleven tonight.”

Edward rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure, whatever. Tell him I’ll be there,” and he dropped the handset back onto the receiver on the floor.

Immediately, he drifted back to sleep. When he woke again, he adjusted his glasses -- as they’d started digging into the bridge of his nose -- and checked his watch. It was one in the afternoon, and he struggled to pull himself off the couch, his muscles sore from the exertion of the night before. He went through his normal morning routine: he grabbed one of the apples from the kitchen and picked through the new pieces of evidence he’d acquired on his desk. The photo was still a source of amusement for him, and the paper with the phone number didn’t have any other useful information on it. Tossing the apple core into the trash bin, he picked the receiver up off the floor and dialed the number on his rotary phone. He was surprised when the operator picked up the line and asked him to check which number he was calling. Reciting the digits to her, he waited as she checked it again, but, unfortunately, the line was a dead end. He thanked the operator, and, as he set down the phone, he began to fidget. Perhaps they weren’t as foolish as he’d thought, or the number wasn’t a phone number at all.

He flopped into his desk chair, took out one of his notepads, and began working the number through any variation he could think of. He tried to see if there was any alphabetic translation, or if it was some kind of cipher, but everything ended up being nonsense. He flipped the paper over and over in his hand, trying to figure out what else it could be, before tossing it back to the desktop. He was applying too much intelligence to this, there was no way it could be this complicated. The events of last night had proven that, and every time he tried to look at it through a more skilled lens he ended up at a dead end. He was starting to get the feeling that the answer was easy, and it was right under his nose. But right now his mind was foggy -- he was sure he’d gotten too much sleep. He slid the paper and the notepad into his desk drawer and shut it with a flick of his hand. He needed more coffee.

The rest of the day was uneventful. He’d taken a trip down to the diner closer to Old Gotham, thinking a change in environment might help his brain get in gear. A morning paper had been left in one of the booths, and so he’d spent most of his time drinking coffee and scanning the classifieds for any potential work. There hadn’t been any fires yesterday, though that might be because whoever was responsible for the others was now focused on him. After he left the diner, he was feeling more alert and much more energized. He started to make a mental list of places he needed to visit to further the fire investigation, or at least to see if he could get his hands on some records to find a connection between the buildings. He swung back by the office in the evening and grabbed his coat and hat. Then, he headed down to the underground train station.

Once he got onto the platform, he checked his watch; he was early. Just how he liked it. When you weren’t sure what a meeting was for it was best to show up much earlier than the agreed time. It gave the other side less time for preparation and made it more likely that you would enter the discussion at an advantage. He was lucky today -- the trains were on time -- but as he got into the car, his leg muscles tensed. He’d certainly exerted too much energy last night in his malnutritioned state. Edward watched as the lights on the tunnel walls flashed by the windows as it continued on its track, the ambient rustle of the train car almost relaxing. The woman in the car with him kept sneaking glances in his direction. He was sure she recognized him. At one point he caught her staring and stared back, but it was immediately obvious she wasn’t another hitman. He saw nothing but fear in her eyes. Eventually, she got up and moved to the back of the car to put more distance between them and to place herself closer to an exit.

As the train finally approached his stop, Edward stood up and headed to the door, grabbing hold of the railing above to keep his balance. He noticed the woman in the back of the car watching him as he exited the train; at least now she could be at ease. The station was much busier here, and he watched the crowds of people migrating to and from the train around him. He found himself gathered in with the night workers as they traveled up the stairs to the street level. Some of them looked in his direction, but most were too preoccupied with their morning routines to worry. Getting up to the sidewalk, Edward looked around. The traffic was much busier here, even at this late hour. He remembered that this part of the city was very chaotic during the territory wars, but it looked as if it hadn’t suffered too much of the destruction. The streets looked much the same, and to a tourist it would look like it had been nothing but business as usual here. It felt like a photograph, almost like a time capsule.

He looked across the street to his destination, the GCPD headquarters -- the new one, he reminded himself. They had a bad track record of letting these buildings get destroyed, or at least become unusable. He hurried through a break in the traffic and made his way up the wide stone steps to the entrance. He’d only walked through the front doors of this particular building twice, and he was barely conscious at the time. Once inside, he stopped and looked around the small entryway, spotting a plaque on the wall with office numbers. He barely looked at it, just skimmed, knowing the name would catch his eye. And it did. Commissioner and 3rd were all he needed, and he hurried up the steps on his right.

He wasn’t sure what this meeting was for, but he did find it odd that Gordon hadn’t made the invite call himself. Having Wilkes do it could be interpreted in different ways, some insulting and some logical. He assumed Gordon was going to try another tactic to question him about the events inside the Narrows, and he was more than willing to show up for that game. He’d grown tired of his frequent phone calls, and the idea of Gordon trapped in his office with an unrelenting Edward sounded like a good way to spend the evening hours. He wondered how long it was going to take Gordon to figure out that most of the people affected weren’t going to speak. It was Jim’s job, yes; Edward knew that, but it was too ugly of a thing to look back at.

As he climbed the stairs, he noticed many nasty looks from the officers he passed. Some of them looked angry, but others just looked disappointed. Probably that you’re still breathing, Edward thought. Good, I hope it ruins their day. Finally getting to the third floor, Edward began a slow stride down the long hall. The open area to his left was filled with mostly empty desks, and only a few detectives spotted the area, hunched over paperwork or clicking away at their typewriters. He noticed one staring and felt a burst of excitement in his chest. Bullock was sitting at this desk, staring him down, their last encounter clearly not forgotten. Edward noticed he had a new haircut, and that, like last time, he didn't look as rough for wear as Edward was used to. Maybe he finally quit drinking, probably not the best decision in the current climate. With a tilt of his hat he gave Bullock a smile, but Harvey only let out a groan Edward could barely hear and turned back to his work in a huff. Thanks, Bullock, he thought. That at least told Edward he wasn’t here for some empty threat of arrest; Harvey wouldn’t be able to contain his joy if that was the case. That was good, he was tired of that boast.

Getting to Gordon’s office door, he knocked in a rhythmic pattern and entered after hearing an invitation from within. The room was dark other than the lamp on Gordon’s desk, and as Edward entered he noted the slight look of surprise on Jim’s face. Edward closed the door behind him and watched Jim sit up in his chair, and the annoyance on his face made Edward’s mood fly into jubilation.

Jim looked at his watch. “I guess eleven o’clock is ten-thirty in Arkham time.”

“Early bird gets the worm, Jim. I’m a working man now, being overly punctual looks good on all my paperwork.” Edward responded, happily nestling his hands into his coat pockets.

Jim let out an exhausted breath. Taking the work folder off his desk, he shoved it into one of the drawers, but not before Edward could catch a few words off the pages. Jim lit a cigarette as he stood, making his way over to the filing cabinet by the window.

“You want a coffee or anything?” Jim mumbled as he pulled a few files out.

“Got anything stronger?” Edward prodded.

“Yes, but I’m not wasting it on you,” Jim said as he moved back toward his desk with a stack of files in hand. As Jim moved past the window, Edward spotted a tall dark figure there, blocking the moonlight shimmering through the panes. In an instant, his jubilation was gone. Edward glared at the white eyes staring at him from the darkness, and he felt his chest tightened at the realization he hadn’t noticed earlier that the Bat was there.

“Have a seat, Edward,” Jim said as he sat back down at his desk.

“I’ll stand.” Edward blurted out, his eyes still fixated on the dark corner.

Jim’s eyes shifted between the two men, but he decided to ignore the clear animosity Edward held, “Whatever makes you more comfortable, I guess.” He took a deep drag from his snipe and looked Edward square in the eyes, “Alright, Ed. We know --”

“Edward. We’ve been through this, you don’t get to call me that.” Edward interrupted.

“...Edward, I know that you’re investigating the fires.” Jim finished.

Edward stuffed his hands deeper into his coat pockets, giving Jim a stern look. “Is that what this meeting is about? I’m not telling you a damn thing, Jim.” He gave the commissioner a smug grin. “If that’s all, can I go now?”

Jim narrowed his eyes, leaning forward over his desk a bit and piercing Edward with a stern look that only fathers could muster. “How about you let me finish? You think you can keep that smart mouth of yours shut long enough for me to explain?”

Edward gritted his teeth, “Fine.”

Jim puffed on his cigarette, and Edward could tell he’d already gotten on the man’s nerves, which would’ve been enjoyable if it wasn’t for their third wheel. Letting out a deep sigh, the smoke flew around Jim in the bright light from the lamp.

“Edward, I know you’re investigating the fires. You’ve been spotted at a couple of the scenes, and --”

“They weren’t locked down.” Edward interrupted again, but a swift look from Jim made him shut his mouth.

“And, I don’t know how much you’ve figured out on your own. I know this is going to sound strange, but I’m not asking you to divulge all your intel to us. I asked you here to tell you what we know.” Jim finished.

Edward frowned in confusion, then laughed under his breath. “You can’t be serious. You want to tell me what you know?”

“To be honest, this case is pretty complicated,” Jim mumbled around the cigarette in his mouth, “We both decided that the more eyes we have looking at it is a good thing. And then, you’ll have a better idea of what to look for should any new evidence crop up.” Edward could tell he was trying his best to remain professional, to ease any suspicions that Edward had. But the detective knew this was a trick, it had to be. There was no way on Earth either of these men would confide information to him. Edward opened his mouth to speak, but Jim cut him off.

“And, before you say it, no, this isn’t some scheme to get you to tell us what you know. And, again, before you ask, yes, there’s a catch. There’s something we’d like to ask for in return.” Jim huffed out a puff of smoke. “C’mon, Nigma, you’re used to this. We help you with your investigation, and in turn, you help us with a problem we’ve been running up against. It's been causing us some trouble and slowing down progress in the investigation.”

Edward looked between the two men, running through possible options in his mind. He felt out of sorts again, unsure what guise would be the best strategy for this situation. He couldn't play his tried-and-true Riddler shtick, that could ruin everything. But he was too flustered to act out the know-it-all attitude, too put-out for the calm and collected better-than-you routine. The offer was intriguing, but it was sending off every alarm bell in his mind. Then the Bat stepped out of the shadows, and as he got closer to the desk the lamplight made more of him visible. It was much different seeing him in the light than in the dark alley the night before. Edward felt his pulse quicken, and then that grating deep voice finally filled the room.

“Nigma.”

“Don’t,” Edward interrupted, yet again.

“Nigma --”

“I’m here to talk to Jim! I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. If I knew you were going to be here, I wouldn't have come at all.” Edward’s breath hastened, and he cursed himself mentally. That came across less direct and more childish than he’d intended, but the Bat remained silent.

He hated that, he’d always hated it. That expressionless, silent stare always grated on his nerves. Edward hated it even more now that he knew what it was, and that, before, he’d fallen for it so easily. It was an interrogation tactic: remain silent to entice the other to continue speaking. He wasn’t going to fall for it this time, he’d learned this tactic as well, so he simply stared back. Which seemed like a good idea at first, but the longer he looked, the more uncomfortable he became. The light showed him how different the cowl was now, and the cape had changed as well. It always annoyed Edward when the Bat would show up with a whole new suit -- keeping up with all the variations was tedious work. He saw a small nick in the cowl on one side, Hit with something no doubt. Edward’s first thought was that he hoped it hurt, but that thought brought on a strange melancholy sensation. He remembered that the Bat had been hurt a lot recently, and he had no idea how badly since he wasn’t there to see it. He had been... preoccupied at the time.

He’d heard some of the stories, but when it came to the Dark Knight those were mostly untrue. He wasn’t as extravagant as the tales made him out to be. Then, all of a sudden, one of those stories flashed in his memory. They said he’d stayed outside the barricades for a whole week, trying to find a way to break in to save people. But, all his attempts were unsuccessful. Edward hated that one in particular; it sounded exactly like the sort of thing the stubborn idiot would do, and the thought of it made him uneasy. He broke the long stare, his eyes wandering around the room as he tried to look unbothered.

Jim’s gruff voice broke the uncomfortable silence. “Edward, we need your help. That’s what he’s trying to say, that’s why we called you here.”

Edward froze and attempted to hide his shock at that statement, but his gaze darted to Jim’s. He saw genuine pleading in the commissioner’s eyes, and he let out a howl of frustration. Jim arched a brow at the sudden outburst but only watched as Edward reached up and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes in annoyance. Placing them back on, he stomped over to the chair in front of Jim’s desk and sat down with a completely defeated look on his face. Jim seemed to relax at this development, his eyes rested on Edward for a few moments before standing up, “I’ll get you that stiffer drink.”

“Yeah, you better.” he replied, ignoring Jim as he walked past him toward the front of the office. Edward took his coat and hat off, tossing them in the vacant chair beside him. He flinched; suddenly, there was a large file being slid in front of him by a gloved hand. It opened the folder and flipped through some of the pages before stopping on a pile of photographs. As the hand retreated, Edward began to sift through them. There were a lot more fires than he’d known of. But it was what he’d come to expect: the fires all started on different floors, there were different levels of damage, and they were in all different areas of the slums. He heard Gordon pouring some liquid into a glass, which he placed next to him. Flipping through the investigation notes, Edward noticed that they’d already answered one of his questions. The building’s owners had no connection -- at least that was one lead he wouldn’t have to waste his time on.

“You’re sure they’re all connected?” Edward’s question was directed at Jim, and he hoped he’d take the hint.

He heard Jim’s voice move across from him as he sat back down. “That’s what he says. There are some connections, but not many, on paper at least.”

Edward kept that in mind as he continued to read through all the statements from those involved, noting the lack of actual witnesses. He took a sip from his glass without thinking, scotch, he noted. Of course, he’d have scotch. A familiar address jumped out on one of the pages: Mrs. Hattie’s previous residence. He noted the lack of a witness report from her as well as he took another sip from his drink and removed his cigarette pack from his jacket pocket.

“You think it's arson?” Edward asked, though this question was directed at Batman.

There was a pause before that grating voice spoke. “It's possible.”

“It’d have to be someone who had direct access to every building.” Edward stated plainly.

“Not necessarily. A lot of the buildings have been vacant for an extended time.”

“So there isn’t a lot of foot traffic. I get it, but you’d think that it’d be in just one area. It's up north, south, all over.” Edward slid a snipe into the side of his mouth and lit it with a match.

“That’s one of the issues with that theory,” the Bat said. “It's possible, but someone blending in in that many neighborhoods would be difficult.”

“Unless they’re some public servant or something. No one ever suspects the mailman.”

“It's possible, but there are other theories as well. I’m sure you’ll figure them all out.” said Batman. The tone of his voice sounded rather final, as if he was putting an end to the questioning.

Edward put the file back on the desk, taking a drag on his snipe. “Have somewhere to be, do you?”

“Is that satisfactory, Edward?” Jim cut in, Edward shifted his gaze back up to the commissioner and gave him a tired nod.

“Good. Feel free to take it with you, and give it a good look over. Not sure how many of those folks are your clients, but hopefully it helps.” Gordon leaned back in his chair, and Edward could tell he was about to be put in an uncomfortable situation. Jim rubbed his mustache, giving Edward a stern yet pleading look. “We’re having trouble getting people to cooperate with us on this. The owners of the buildings are the only ones speaking to us, the people who lived there or even nearby don’t want to talk. It puts us in a tough spot, and we’re really strapped on any potential witnesses. That leaves us with just paper trails, and stakeouts to see who shows up at the scene. As you can see, it's not much to go on.”

Edward saw the opportunity for a dig right away, and his eyes narrowed, as he took another drag on his snipe. “Did you expect any other reaction than that? Only a fool would think the people in those areas would cooperate with you two.” Edward noted Jim’s quick glare and held up a questioning hand. “What does that have to do with me?”

Jim took a deep breath, snuffing out his cigarette in the tiny ashtray on his desk. “You didn’t seem to have too many issues getting them to talk to you.”

Edward’s eyebrows raised, a knowing smile crossing his face. “Ah, I see. Were you all tailing me on my bar crawl the other night?”

“Maybe. And you didn’t appear to have too many issues. People were willing to talk to you --”

Edward waved his hand in a flippant gesture. “Jim, they’re a bunch of working people. They get off their shifts, and head to the local watering hole. They only talked to me because they were intoxicated, and, well, because they live in the damn slums. They’re not used to us flashy people who are all over the news showing up in their area.”

Jim raised a brow. “You think they talked to you because you were a super-criminal?”

Edward shrugged, draping his arm over the back of the chair. “Is it that hard to fathom, Jim? They’ve only read about me in the papers, seen me on the television. Or they’ve seen my mugshot on wanted posters plastered around the city. I’m sure they never thought I’d show up in a tiny dive bar in the slums wanting to talk to them.” Edward looked between the two of them, a smug grin crossing his face. “I know you two think I’m terribly dangerous, but you need to understand that to some people, dangerous is exciting.”

Jim contemplated his reasoning and briefly looked to Batman, who nodded in response to his questioning look. Edward’s eyes shifted between them again, and he took one final drag on his cigarette before snuffing it out in the ashtray. “So that’s it, huh? You want me to go bar hopping for you two?”

Jim rested his elbows on his desk, his fingers brushing his mustache. “Do you think they’d speak to you again? Would more people talk to you if you tried?”

Edward shrugged, crossing his arms across his ribs and his ankles under Jim’s desk as he slumped in the chair. “It's an idea. I could canvas the areas, but it will require some door-to-door visits. That’s not exactly the safest situation to put myself in.”

Jim nodded and looked to Batman again. “We should do some thorough background checks on these people, make sure none of them are sympathizers or supporters.” Batman nodded in agreement, and Jim looked back to Edward. “We'll send along a list of people to avoid. I guess we’ll try to take another crack at them while you’re gathering intel.”

Edward pressed his lips together, fixing Jim with a serious look. As long as they were agreeing to do that for him, it wouldn’t hurt to see what else he could get them to agree to. “So, how much am I getting paid for this job? And who is buying my drinks? I’m not spending my own money buying booze for people all night long.”

Jim huffed as he leaned back in his chair, gesturing towards Edward as he looked to Batman. “See? I told you.”

Edward smirked, but Batman shifted his gaze down to him. “You’ll be compensated, Nigma.”

“Oh, you’re paying for it? How do I know this isn’t some scam to get a bug into my office?” Edward’s eyes narrowed, but the Bat didn’t react, still giving Edward that silent, annoying stare.

“You’ll be compensated.” he said again, and Edward let out the breath he was holding. That had been too easy, and he decided to see how far he could go until he encountered some push-back.

“Fine, but there’s one more thing. I’m going to need some help.” Edward uncrossed his arms, draping them over the armrests of his chair.

“What kinda help?” Jim asked, giving Edward a suspicious look over the rim of his glasses.

“Well, some people do find chatting with me to be exciting, but others might need a little push to be more upfront with their information. Sometimes it can take people a while to start opening up to me --” Edward decided to ignore Jim’s eye roll of agreement to that, “and since time seems to be a factor in this, it would be smart to have some backup. Some... persuasive backup.”

Jim frowned. He could tell this wasn’t going anywhere good, and Edward was attempting to manipulate the situation. “Alright then, who are you suggesting be your persuasive backup?”

Edward grinned, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on the armrests. “Robin.”

Jim’s eyes widened. “Really, Nigma? You’re gonna pull that kinda shit?” Edward could feel the Bat’s intimidating presence grow as the mood in the room drastically shifted.

He quickly held up his hands. “Calm down, gentlemen! I have my reasons.” Both of the men were glaring at him with anger so tangible he felt like he could cut it with a knife, and his mood improved in an instant. “Okay, number one. He’s,” Edward flicked a finger toward Batman, “too intimidating. He’d just scare the shit out of them and they’d clam up. Number two, I’m unwilling to work with him under any circumstances.” Jim rested an elbow on his desk and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “Number three, the kid can actually take direction. He has ears and he knows how to use them. He doesn’t interrupt me every couple of seconds. Number -- whatever, look, no matter how much I hate to admit it, the kid isn’t a complete imbecile. He can keep up with me, at least, he seems like he can. He’s not going to slow me down, and I’m sure he can take a clue if things get too sketchy.”

Jim’s expression was still very untrusting, but now he appeared to be listening to Edward’s explanation. The Bat, on the other hand, wasn’t buying it, though Edward didn’t blame him. The more obvious solution to this problem would’ve been one of Gordon’s detectives, and Edward was sure Batman could see right through his weak reasoning. “Robin carries the impression of Batman being involved, without all the messy consequences of Batman being involved. I’m sure he can be persuasive enough with people that might need it, and I’m more than confident he can handle himself when I inevitably piss off the wrong person. It’d only be minimal involvement, I want to be around him about as much as he wants to be around me. Another perk is, I don’t have to talk to him during this whole investigation.” Edward concluded, flicking a thumb in the Bat’s direction.

Jim was mulling over what Edward had said, looking at Batman with an exhausted look. “I’m sure it’s just bullshit, but it does make sense. You two would just be at each other’s throats the whole time.”

Batman gave Edward a piercing glare, “No.”

Edward scoffed. “Why? What do I look like to you? I’m not the Joker --” he quickly held up his hands as Batman’s fists clenched at his sides, a light growl leaving his lips. “Okay fine, that was too far. All I’m saying is, you let the kid follow me around, break into my house, but actually putting him to work is too much for you?”

“Him tailing you and monitoring your movements is completely different than having him be in a situation where you are expected to watch his back. You know that, and you’re pushing my patience.”

Edward rolled his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. They’re just a bunch of people who lay down tar, or dig ditches for a living. It's not like they’re hardened criminals. All I need him for is to be a second pair of eyes, and to be there in case someone thinks it's more exciting to talk to a vigilante than an ex-super-criminal.”

Batman continued his intense glare, but he went back to being a silent presence in the room. Jim let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing his temples with his hand. “Sweet lord, you two are tiresome.”

The Bat leaned closer to Edward. “Fine. Minimal involvement.” With that he turned and climbed out of the open window, gliding off into the night without a sound.

Edward leaned over the side of his chair to stare at the vacant window, surprised. Jim just waved a hand, “He does that, don’t take it personally.”

Edward looked back at Jim as he grabbed his belongings off the chair next to him. “Good to know he’s just as rude to you as he is the rest of us.” Putting his hat on, he downed the rest of his drink with an uncomfortable hiss and stood up to put on his coat. “So, do we schedule our next team meeting now? Next time, do we meet at the bat-signal?”

Jim let out another tired sigh, handing the large evidence file up to Edward. “Nigma, just leave. I’ve dealt with you enough tonight. We’ll be in touch.”

Edward snatched up the folder and tucked it under his arm. He gave Jim a slight tip of his hat as he exited the office, a proud smile crossing his lips the moment the door clicked shut. He headed toward the stairs to leave, a happy air to step as he went. But his good spirits were short-lived. By the time he’d gotten to the ground floor, a sense of anxiety had started in his chest. As he stepped out of the front doors, he could feel the thoughts trying to pry into his consciousness. He tried to push them down, to ignore them, but that only made them press even harder.

After all these months you finally get to see him, and you messed it all up, as usual.

Continue reading:

Ep 9 * Ep 10 * Ep 11 * Ep 12 * Ep 13 * Ep 14

#writing post #Season 1 episodes #Season 1 Finale #Edward Nigma #batvillains #Batman #S1 eps 8 - 14 #zorasublime #fic

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komotionlessqueenmm · 4 years

Text

Imagine # 598

Gifs NOT mine. (Found on Pinterest.)

If either gif is yours please let me know, so I can give you credit.

Gif credit goes to - Unknown.

Year posted - 2020

Words - 1,180

*Note this is set in a au where you feel every pain your soulmate feels, up until you meet. In this instance the reader suffers from every blow Superman takes, even when it doesn't hurt him. But because Superman is well Superman he doesn't feel her pain, therefore he assumes he has no soulmate.

----

---(Y/n)'s pov---

With a growl I pulled out my pistols and shot at the Bat. "You've just got to ruin EVERYTHING!" I yelled firing off my last rounds. "Looks like you're out." Batman said before punching me in the face, splitting open my lip. "Oh this will be fun." I snickered dodging his fists. "Not for long." The Bat scowled a he kicked me in the chest, knocking me on my ass. "Where's your brother now?" Batman sassed as he cuffed my hands behind my back. "Exactly where he needs to be." I smirked as an explosion went off in downtown Gotham. "You planed this." Batman pointed out as he looked towards the cloud of smoke. "You caught me, I lied. You didn't ruin anything at all Batsy, you did exactly what you were supposed to do." I laughed like a mad woman, throwing my head back for effect. "Now you've got a choice to make Batman. Take me in to Arkham, or save the civilians from my brother. Tick tock Batsy tick tock." I giggled as I slowly scooted my way back to the ledge of the roof. "How do I know there are civilians down there?" He growled glancing back at me. "Do you really think my brother would go through all that effort without civilians?" I arched a taunting brow, smirking when he turned away from me. "I'll take my chances." He concluded as he stalked towards me, making me growl in annoyance. "Then you're a fool Batsy." I spat in his face as he pulled me up from the ground, throwing me over his shoulder without thought.

---Four days later---

---Third person pov---

Commissioner Gordon sighed to himself as he waited patiently under the Bat signal. "Gordon." Batman muttered as he reached the rooftop, maintaining eye contact when Gordon faced him. "You need to go to Arkham." The Commissioner spoke without hesitation, knowing better than to skirt around the problem. "What's happened?" Batman questioned as he approached his longtime friend. "(Y/n)." Was all Gordon said before walking to the roof access door. "She broke out?" Batman questioned further. "No... Something... Something is wrong with her." Gordon hesitated this time. "That much is obvious." Batman held back a sigh. "You need to see her, trust me... You're going to want to see her." Gordon urged nodding to himself, when he heard the tell tail sound of Batman's cape as he fled the roof.

---At Arkham---

After slipping passed Arkhams security Batman made his way to the medical wing. Having hacked into Arkhams mainframe, and finding out where she was being held. As quickly and quietly as he could he knocked the vent grate off, slipping into the medical wing. Finding (Y/n) rather quickly, since she was the only patient in the medical wing. "What the hell?" Batman muttered to himself at the sight of the exclusively massive bruises scattered across her pale skin. "Alfred." Batman muttered into his tech, his trusty Butler answering rather quickly. "Yes master Bruce?" His voice was as prim and proper as always. "Find out if (Y/n) was in a fight recently, or if she was anywhere near Bane, or Killer Crock." Batman instructed as he took photos of her bruises. "(Y/n) as in Jokers sister?" Alfred asked as the photos were being loaded onto the Batcaves research systems. "Yes." Batman muttered as he scanned her body for any broken bones. "Oh my." Alfred gasped to himself quietly as the photos loaded onto the screens. "Master Bruce, it says (Y/n) was in isolation. And her nurse found her near death in a far corner of her cell last night." Alfred was bewildered with the report, at a loss of what could have happened to her. "Alfred get the medical bay prepped, I'm bringing (Y/n) in." Batman concluded, as he injected her with an antistatic. "Master Bruce?" Alfred frowned to himself. "The only way this could have happened to her, would be if her soulmate was hurt. And there is only one person that could survive such extreme damage. Get Clark to the house, we need to talk." Batman instructed as he began searching for an exit route, he could safely get (Y/n) out of Arkham.

---Some time later---

"Bruce what's going on? Alfred said you had something important you needed to talk about." Clark frowned a little as Bruce waved for Clark to follow him to the Batcave. "Were you in a fight yesterday?" Bruce asked as the elevator doors closed. "Yes I was." Clark nodded his head. "That's what I was afraid of." Bruce sighed as the doors opened. "Why?" Clark urged as he followed Bruce, becoming distracted by the woman within the medical bay. "Who's this?" Clark's frown deepened as he circled the unconscious woman, taking her injuries into account. His heart hammering in his chest simply being in her presence. “This is (Y/n), the Jokers sister. And I think you know why I brought you here.” Bruce sighed under his breath. “She’s... she’s my soulmate isn’t she?” Clark hesitated already knowing the answer. “She’s suffered wounds like these time and time again. Nearly dying from wounds that were simply minor to you.” Bruce sighed again pulling up her medical history to show Clark. “She’s been driven mad by the pain, she and the Joker don't even share blood relation." Bruce spoke softly, watching as Clark reached out to touch her leg. As soon as their skin touched (Y/n)'s eyes snapped open, and her breathing became heavy, her eyes glossing over. "Where am I?" She whimpered as she took in her surroundings. "Calm down it's alright." Bruce tried calming her. "Please I'm in so much pain, please take the pain away." She cried making Clint's heart shatter. "(Y/n) I'm hear now it's alright." Clark whispered taking her face between his hands, looking deeply into her eyes. "You." She sighed as her wounds slowly began to fade away. "I am so so sorry, I didn't think I had a soulmate. You have been suffering for so long, and it's all my fault." Clint whispered as a stray tear rolled down his cheek. "But I'm here now, and I will protect you at all costs." He added smiling through his tears.

"She's still a criminal." Bruce argued as he and Clark stood just outside of the medical bay. "She's my soulmate, I have to be with her." Clark growled. "She's killed people, robbed banks, reeked havoc all across Gotham with her brother. She's a danger to others." Bruce nearly hollered, trying his damnedest to keep quiet. "You're not going to stop me from taking her." Clark's voice was dark and serious, making Bruce swallow his next argument. "If anyone finds out about her, you'll be ruined." Bruce warned before leaving Clark in a huff of anger. "No one ever needs to know about her, she is mine and mine alone." Clark muttered under his breath, before turning back into the medical bay, eager to help and protect her.

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hobbitsnapes · 4 years

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The Red Hoods Protègè chapter 5

Older Damian Wayne x ofc

(Photo made by my lovely friend @bakketsux)

Summary:Red hood has taken a young vigilante under his wing and subsequently changes Damians life forever. (I suck at summary’s)

A light streams through the blinds, shining a light into Damians eyes as he stirs awake. He opens his eyes and looks around him for the cause of him waking up besides the light.

He looks down and sees Titus awake sitting on his feet. The large dogs ears perk up at seeing him awake. Damian sits up and scratches behind the large dogs ears, a smile forming on his face at the sight of his dogs tongue hanging from his mouth. Titus rolls into his back as Damian rubs his tummy.

Damian gets up and goes to his closet. Pulling out some sweatpants and a random shirt. He puts his clothes on and brushes his hair back to tame the mess of bed head hair he’s got. Titus barks at him signaling that he’s tired of waiting.

Damian smiles and grabs the handle to the door and Titus walks down the large hallway towards the kitchen. When he walks in he sees Tim pouring his usual mug of black coffee with enough sugar to rot a persons teethe. His long hair falling in his face clad in a white button up shirt and dark brown slacks with black dress shoes.

Damian walks over and grabs Titus his bowl and puts his food in for him, the dog munching almost immediately after its set on the ground. He grabs some bread and throws it in the toaster. He then pours himself a glass of coffee.

The two men stand at the kitchen island and enjoy their breakfast in silence. Due to growing older and living in the same mansion for over 8 years the two brothers have simmered down their obvious hated towards one another. They aren’t close by any means, but they can stay in a room together and not try to rip their throats out. Sometimes they can even have a small conversation here and there without a screaming match. Tim grabs some papers off the table, and heads to the door on his way to presumably a meeting.

After him and Titus finish eating he puts his cup in the sink and heads back to his room to get ready for the day properly.

He goes to the bathroom and brushes his teeth and grabs his sneakers and heads out the door.

He steps outside and is hit by the fresh smell of the flowers planted by the door, the ray of the sun a warm welcome to his bare skin as he strips his shirt off and starts his run. He runs around the manor a few times and then starts for the trail into the woods, Titus is right behind him as he jogs through the tall trees, the wind carrying a strong smell of oak and pine. He stops his run and heads back for the manor to finish up some work for the day.

The sound of the busy streets and yelling of people drown out any other sounds in the night as Damian swings from his grapple hook to a large building to watch over the dark but bright city.

He sees a figure on a rooftop and goes to inspect who it could be. He lands on the roof silently and watches the figure as they sit on the edge and look down.

“You know, for how quiet you are, you’d think of wearing all black so you don’t stand out like a soar thumb.” It was her, but why was she sitting on the ledge of a building? Shouldn’t she be with Jason? Or anything else? The questions kept swirling in his head until he heard her speak again.

“Are you just gonna stand there or something? Don’t you have crime to go fight?” “Tonight’s been fairly uneventful, no big drug deals, no evil scientists trying to kill us all or anything tonight. Seems like the bad guys took a vacation tonight.” “Who knows, maybe condiment king has something he’s planing, he’s gonna paint the whole city in ketchup and mustard!” This made Damian chuckle, “maybe crazy quilt plans to blanket the entire city in a huge quilt and drown us all in fabric.” He says back. This made the girl laugh, a laugh he never expected from her. It wasn’t full of sarcasm like he expected. It was almost a mix of a giggle and a regular belly laugh. The sound sounding, innocent almost.

She lowers her head as she laughs as a large warm smile graces her usually bratty and cold face. “M-maybe kite man and-and crazy quilt are teaming up to take over the city!!” She says through her laughs. This got Damian to laugh himself. Both enjoying the calm but funny atmosphere they have for the first time.

“Wow you can laugh, you could’ve fooled me into thinking you had no emotions like the bats.” “You know I’m not a robot, I do have some feelings.” “Yeah, I guess we all do don’t we. Even when we try our hardest not to show it.” Her once happy and playful voice taking a sad, broken sounding voice. She looks down at the city, Damian taking a seat a foot away from her. “Why are you up here?” “I could ask you the same thing.” “I saw you sitting here, didn’t know who you where until I got on the roof. But that doesn’t answer my question.” “Just some memories, that’s all I’m gonna say.”

The two sit there in silence as they watch over the city. The bright lights cashing a large light into the black sky. “Hey.” Damian looks at her, her head turned towards him but looking slightly down. “I’m sorry for saying you’re no robin. I see how much good you do for the city, and how much you care for the innocent. You’re just not what I expected whenever I thought of who robin is. But I’m not sorry for killing them. I don’t want to kill every single one. I get some can be helped and I want that. But some just can’t and will kill more and more until they die.” “As Batman always says, that’s not our decision to make. It’s not our job to decide who lives and who dies. Or job is to stop them and put them away.” “But what if you could save millions, just by ending one? What if you could make this city or even the world a better and safer place where people can enjoy life? Where, kids won’t be ripped away from their family?” Her voice broke as she said kids. He wonders what could’ve happened to her but before he can think anymore she stands up. “I’m gonna head towards the docks and see if there’s anything.” She jumps off the building but before she hits the ground she grapples towards the next building, Damian watching her until she disappears into the night.

The sounds of guns being loaded and the heavy footsteps of boots walking on the floor fills the small room. Angel starts putting on her suit in her bedroom. Starting at the legs and pulling the tight material up her legs, then when it reaches her hips she takes a deep breath as she slips it up her torso and her arms. She then Secures her hood over her head, finally putting her mask on and heads out her door.

When she steps into the living room she sees Jason’s shoulders are tense, his body rigid as he hurily gets his weapons ready. “I don’t want you going out tonight.” “What, why?” She’s confused, she’s gone out plenty of times with him, she’s fought plenty of people and monsters twice his size and he’s never had an issue with it before, so why this time?

“It’s bane, it’s way too dangerous for you to go on this one. I’m not even gonna mess with him on this one.” “I’ve gone up against croc before and handled myself.” “And crocs just an animal. He’s lost so much of his humanity that his strength is literally that. His strength. Bane not only matches croc in brute force but he’s got brains of a genius. It’s way too dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt. There’s just some criminals I don’t want you to fight up against and that’s final.” “You know I get I’m Legally your daughter but I’m not fragile. I have to learn at some point and I don’t want you to keep babying me.” “I said this is final. You’re not going out tonight.” “And what if you get hurt? What if he gets a hold of you and hurts you because you went alone?” “Yeah and I’d much rather be the one hurt or dead over my daughter!” At this point Jason has moved over to her, looking her dead in the eyes as he says this. “Yeah and you’re my dad! You know I sometimes can’t tell if you’re holding me back like a baby or if you’ve got a suicide wish! Is that why you won’t let me go after joker?!” “Don’t you DARE bring up that bastard's name!” At this point both of them are shouting at one another. The Loudness of their voices booming off the walls. “Well we have to at some point cause you treat me like I’m fragile glass that’ll break after one fucking hit!” “I SAID THIS IS FINAL! YOU’RE NOT GOING OUT ON THIS ONE TONIGHT! I’LL BE DAMNED IF I LOOSE YOU TOO!”

She can see tears threatening in Jason’s eyes. She doesn’t respond not out of fear of what he’ll do to her, but out of worry for the man she thinks of as her father. “Then I’ll be watching the news making sure you’re okay. Just please promise me one thing.” “What is it.” “Don’t get yourself killed, I need you just as much as you need me dad.” Her voice cracks as she speaks. Tears pooling in her eyes.

Jason pulls her into a bone crushing hug as tears escape both their eyes. “I promise I won’t sweet girl, I’ll never leave you.” “I love you dad..so much.” She sobs. “I love you too my sweet angel. I’ll always come home no matter what, you’re my world.” Jason kisses her forehead then let’s go of her. He puts his helmet on and steps out the door, taking a look at her and then shutting the door.

She paces around the living room as she watches the tv.

Fear and anxiety making it impossible to sit as she watches the mayhem unfold. Bane broke out of blackgate along with his mercenaries, the streets filled with bodies as the men forged on.

She has been keeping an eye out for Jason, he hadn’t been seen the entire night but she knew he was there. The men who fought alongside bane had bullet holes to the head as the numbers dwindled down.

While she was relieved to see he was keeping to his word by not going after bane, she was still frightened that the criminal mastermind would trick him and hurt him or, she couldn’t even imagine what the last option was as tears threatened again.

She stopped in her probably 100 track around the room at the sight of bane holding Jason in the air. Her heart stopped as he threw him as if he was a rag doll. She knows she promised him she wouldn’t go out. But at the sight of him laying on the ground was all she could think of as she strapped her weapons to herself. She never took her suit off in case something like this were to happen.

She ran out the door and hopped on her bike as she sped down the streets as fast as she could. The wind crashing against her, not helping the feeling of the blood pumping all throughout her body. Her heart hammering in her chest the closer she got.

She saw the sight of Batman fighting bane no more than 100 feet away as she jumped from her bike and sprinted to her dad.

In the time she got there Jason somewhat recovered enough to keep fighting. “I TOLD YOU TO STAY BACK!” He yelled as he fired off at another mercenary. “YEAH WELL I SAW YOU GET THROWN LIKE A DOLL AND SLIDE DOWN THE BUILDING LIKE A SLINKY!” She yells as she stabs a man charging after Jason. The pair fighting beside one another as more and more men try to take them down.

She sees a flash before her eyes and sees a man behind her knocked out. She looks up at the sight of Robin looking at her. She nods her head as she runs towards Jason. She pulls out her gun and shoots another man in the head and grabs another man's head and slams it into a window.

The adrenaline pumping through her as she fights the hardest she’s had to before. She’s gone up against plenty of men who are triple her size but has never gone up against trained assassins before.

She hears a yell come from behind her and sees Batman thrown into a building. His body laying on the ground momentarily. But as quickly as he was thrown he shakes his head and gets back up only to be picked up by the throat by bane. Before she can do anything Robin charges at him and hits him with enough force to knock bane onto the ground.

The 2 fight for a few seconds until she sees it. The shine of the blade coming into view and before it’s in the air she charges over and swings up and locks her legs around his head. She pulls her grappling gun and strangles him as she kicks him in the head whilst still holding the rope around his neck. But as she jumps off from him completely he reaches out and takes a hold of her and throws her to the ground. The impact alone knocking all the wind from her body as he hits her in the back. A scream ripping through her at the impact cuts through her. He hits her again in the side as another scream comes out but much weaker as she feels the pain rip through her from the inside out. But nothing is as bad as the searing white hot pain in her back.

As she lays on the ground the need to breathe becomes harder as she sees bane taken down.

She lays there as she hears footsteps come towards her. Fearing this is the end until a figure crouches down to her. The image fuzzy until she sees the cape and mask of robin. Even with a mask covering his eyes she sees the fear and panic cover his face. “Help me, please. It hurts so badly.” She sobs out as best as she can. “I know it does, I’m going to take you away from here, everything’s gonna be okay.” She feels him slowly pick her up and cradle her to his chest as she wraps her arms around him. His other arm going to her legs as he picks her up and starts running.

The feel of his arms holding her as her face is in his chest making her want to fall asleep as the pain subsides.

She doesn’t remember how long he ran for until she feels him lower to the ground whilst still holding her to him. He unwraps his arms from her legs and sets her on the ground. She opens her eyes to see him taking his cape off and ripping it and wrapping it around her thigh. She hadn’t even realized she had been cut until the sting of pressure from the material being wrapped around it. A groan leaving her body at it. “I know it hurts but I need to stop the bleeding.” He goes to her stomach and rubs slightly, the feel of his hands both firm but gentle as he feels for anything broken. A groan leaving her as he reaches her waist. “you broke your fourth rib on your right side but thankfully it missed your appendix. The best thing to do is to let it heal as it doesn’t feel detached. Where else does it hurt?” She can’t answer him as she feels as if she’ll fall asleep any second. “Hey hey hey stay with me okay. I know you’re tired but I need you to stay awake for me okay?” She hears the fear in his voice as she opens her eyes again. “Tell me where it hurts so I can help you.” She grabs his hand from around her, a small shock at the warmth of his skin. She brings it to the side of her back and a cry leaving her at the feeling of his palm resting on her skin. “There’s no bleeding and I don’t feel anything protruding out. Maybe when he threw you it knocked something out of place or twisted something.” “It just hurts so bad and I’m. Im so cold.” She shakes as the chill in the air reaches her bones. “Hold on let me help you.” His arms again wrap around her as she feels his cape being draped over her body. She’s again flushed to his chest as she hears him talking. “Batman I’m in an alley between a Italian restaurant and a maroon apartment building a quarter a mile away from your location. Bring red hood with you. Archangel was hurt but nothing dire but a broken rib, a gash on her right thigh and a possible spinal disc herniation on the upper back.” She didn’t hear anything back but knew her father was on his way to her. “I need you to stay away for me okay. Tell me how did your day go today?” “It went well, I watched a movie this afternoon.” “What was the movie?” “Star Wars the force awakens. It fucking sucked.” A laugh bubbles out from Damian at what she said. “Oh yeah, what made the movie suck?” “Where do I even fucking begin! Kyle ren is more angsty than you are and hux can go shove a lightsaber up his ass till it goes through his mouth. And Rey has more mommy and daddy issues than the Winchester brothers.” A large laugh comes out from Damian at the true anger coming from her. “You really don’t like that movie don’t you?” “Not at all. The director of that movies got more issues than Batman does.” “I don’t even know if that’s possible.” “I heard that you know.” The sound of the deep voice making both of them turn their heads and see the cape. Before they can say anything Jason runs over and wraps his arms around her. “This is why I didn’t want you coming out tonight. I thought I lost you.” “You won’t loose me, I’m never leaving.” Her back now turned from Damian, he looks and sees a large patch of blood from her right shoulder blade. “You’re shoulder blade is bleeding” he puts his hand on the area and a large scream rips out of her.

But not a pained scream, a scream so loud he didn’t see her turn around and claw at his face. She jumps on top of him and wraps her hands around his throat as she keeps screaming at him. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” She’s ripped off of Damian by Jason as she falls into Jason’s arms and sobs. But before he can say anything she takes off down the alley as fast as she can. The sight of her disappears as Jason runs after her. What could have happened to her?

@comic-nerd-dc @psychovigilante

#damian wayne x reader #damian wayne fanfiction #damian wayne imagine #older!damian wayne imagine #batfam x reader #batfamily #batman #jason todd #red hood #dick grayson #tim drake #dc imagine #dc #dceu

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the-ventriloquizt · 4 years

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i was looking up adam's big backstory post, and i couldn't find it, so im going to try and gather all the info i've come up with for adam into one big old post!

adam ascott /aka/ easter info dump!

adam has a sorta complex motivation for his crimes, something that goes beyond 'getting money for trans surgeries' but somehow is exactly that... though it's hard for him to explain

it started during his childhood. childhood in metropolis while superman was there meant seeing the guy everywhere, and the expectation that you would look up to him too. adam was born anna, and his life was spent in fear of superman. it started with paranoia. you see, in metropolis, a big way that kids were made to feel safe was that superman would always be there, would always hear you. adam's bad childhood, what with bullying and a lot of victim blaming from his parents, warped this feeling into 'superman knows you're bad'.

once he started noticing he was a guy, suddenly the masculinity exuded by superman and praised by all the men around seemed threatening. this extra threatened feeling led to adam hating superman, and having awful, mean thoughts, and these mean thoughts led to 'superman knows you hate him'.

adam tried to hide his transness for a while, kept going by anna, even though it made him ill. he began thinking of 'anna' as a different version of him, something still dying off so he could eventually pop out of her corpse, and he waited. he waited.

when he was trying to find a place for himself in metropolis after finishing high school, he was caught up in a bank robbery with some no-name creep that wanted superman's attention. since he was presenting rather femininely and seemed really vulnerable, the guy grabbed him up and dragged him all the way to the top of the bank, holding him to the edge with the threat that he'd be dropped if superman didn't come save him.

superman did show up, and the guy panicked, throwing adam off the edge to distract the superhero. someone in a building across the street took a photo, a photo of a long haired blonde person in a white dress falling to their death, doing nothing, not even screaming. superman caught him, but when he was set on the ground, superman asked...

'Are you okay, miss?'

adam screamed. it was all too much. he screamed, and he pushed away superman, and he ran past the cops, and he ran past the reporters, and he ran all the way to his shitty apartment his family got him while he was in his 'weird phase', as they called it.

'anna' had finally died. the fall killed her, and adam was still raw.

a popular tabloid would have that photo, the photo of 'anna' falling, on the front page. the article would talk about 'the mad woman of metropolis' and how adam screamed, how someone literally screamed after being saved by superman, in this day and age? what, did 'she' want to die?

adam couldn't get work after that. everywhere he went, people asked, 'aren't you that lady that freaked out after getting saved by superman??' and eventually, he couldn't stand it.

the last thing he did before he cut off his family and move away was take what money he could from his account and change his name. 'anna' had died so 'adam' took over.

not that this adam was complete. he still felt wrong when he looked at himself, new name or not. he was still a shell he needed to escape from.

in gotham, nobody asked if he was the 'lady scared of superman'. in fact, in gotham, nobody referred to him at all. he could finally wear his binder and refer to himself properly, and he could start his work. he began working in a bike delivery company during the day...

and when he saw a coded offer for a henchman for egghead leaving retirement for one last heist in the wanted pages, he decided to go for it. he was bad anyways, and he needed the money, and gotham was better. batman couldn't hear him. batman didn't know him. and it didn't matter what happened to this adam, because it was the incomplete adam.

he put on a rabbit mask, and wore some bright clothes, pastels, things he knew egghead wore. the rabbit mask was just what he had on hand, something he got while still in middle school.

the heist went horribly. batman showed up, and while he was distracted with egghead's upset rant about the bat ruining everything, adam ran. he ran, and he ran, and he ran, and batman apparently didn't bother going after him, because he ended up going home without a hint of the bat or his robin chasing him.

he didn't want the egg. the egg was an extremely valuable, priceless, last of it's kind egg, a piece of art. he had no use for it. he thought about selling it, but he didn't know how, or where to bring it. egghead was in jail. there wasn't anything he could do...

(he stashed the egg in a drawer, wrapped in the same white dress 'anna' wore on the day she fell. it was safe, and began standing as a motivation. finish yourself. finish yourself.)

the media ate up the idea of a rabbit running off with an egg while wearing bright colors. began calling him the 'easter bunny', and then eventually just Easter, since it was catchier. adam watched the media die down, and he fully accepted his title. he liked the idea, and realizing that he needed the gimmick if he was ever gonna get the money he wanted for his surgeries to 'complete' himself, began thinking more about what he needed to fully realize his new identity.

he began thinking about this new midpoint between 'anna' and 'adam' as 'easter'. easter was the point between what he had to be and what he wanted to be. easter would still be called adam during the day, but adam couldn't bring himself to actually count as that version of him.

he began playing with some ideas. he carried baskets with him when he stole things, and the best thing he did for himself was formulate his spring-heeled shoes, though the design was stolen off the internet. his boss let him borrow some tools from the shop, under the excuse that he needed to fix his bike up, and he made something that would help him with his escapes and break ins.

he isn't popular yet, but a few higher ranking rogues have borrowed him for a some tasks, including two jobs with the joker (one job to break into a judge's house and steal some family photos, and the other job to break back into the judge's house and replace the family photos, only now they had mustaches painted onto all of his family members. adam was payed in hollowed out carrots full of bills.) he's working on it. the rise in fame is a slow one.

and once he's complete, he's going to return the egg. thats a promise.

adam serves as a lackey for hire, specializing in in-and-out thievery and quick escapes, though he doesn't seem to care too much about the 'thrill' of it all. he has a hard time thinking of plans for hisself, and has an even harder time communicating, though if someone sets him on a task, he'll do whatever he can to continue it, even if he gets hurt.

he doesn't have much weaponry, throwing punches or using explosive eggs made specifically for opening safes if pushed, but he prefers to run from confrontation.

he lives in the wayne garden apartments, and does bike delivery for a delivery company during the day... though he's recently figured out that said company was owned by one warren white, who uses it as a way to transport the smaller goods he promises to his clients.

eventually adam is caught, not in some big blaze of glory, but confronted in his own apartment by the bat. even faced out of costume, adam still attempts to crawl out of his fourth-story apartment window, unable to figure out why the batman was able to figure out who he was... even though he hadn't really been hiding it so well.

he has a fairly long stint in arkham for endangerment of the self, where he ends up able to get the surgeries he needs for his dysphoria, though it's not as cut-and-dry as he thought it'd be. he'd bet on the surgeries giving him the epiphany of who 'adam' really was, but it wasn't as easy as that, so he still struggles with who he is...

the identity of 'easter' hasn't died yet, and adam often falls back on it when he feels unsure of himself, though after a good deal of therapy he's much less likely to recklessly throw himself off of rooftops... which is a great improvement, if you ask dr arkham.

post-surgery, adam still does heists for egg-themed objects for himself and some lackey work for others, trying to find some sort of balance between the life he'd lived up to that point and a future life.

the robin he most often goes up against is tim, though they fight less than they race, with maybe a little bit of teasing from easter’s side. it’s probably the only time he thinks its really fun to run

#adam ascott #easter #dc ocs #long logn post under the cut #transphobia #self harm #??#death #???#a lot of it is metaphorical...

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fanfic-screenplays · 5 years

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Batman Rebirth Part 9

EXT: POWER TOWER - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS

BATMAN plunges ten floors. BATMAN lifts HIS arms, the wings SNAP out.

The WINGS catch the air - EXPANDING, BATMAN glides down.

BARBARA'S still at the broken window - staring down, watching BATMAN glide away... HER coat SWAYING in the wind.

BARBARA: Why now Bruce?!

BARBARA turns away - SMACKING the wall - frustrated, into the corridor.

INT: POWER TOWER: CORRIDOR - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

A FORENSIC TEAM'S is SCOURING the CORRIDOR - scanning the walls, taking photos. DRONES BUZZING around taking photos.

JENNIFER NASHTON - BARBARA'S young, trendy PROTEGE weaves through the crowd.

JENNIFER stops next to BARBARA - leans forward, out the broken window - WATCHING BATMAN glide away, BEHIND a building.

JENNIFER: So he's back?

BARBARA reaches into an pocket - PULLING out an pack of cigarettes. LIGHTS one, BREATHING it in.

BARBARA Yes... I need to know why.

JENNIFER turns back, seeing the cigarette.

JENNIFER: You know that's going to kill you?

BARBARA turns to leave...

BARBARA walks away, through the FORENSIC team. Not turning around.

BARBARA I want every sighting, every rumour, reported directly to me!

INT: BATCAVE: PLATFORM LEVEL

The Bat-jet ROARS into shot - VTOL JETS BLASTING, the jet lowers down onto the tracks. It's canopy SLIDING back, the ladder folding out from the fuselage.

INT: BATJET - COCKPIT

BATMAN'S sat in the cockpit - reaches round to the back of the helmet, pressing in an panel.

The eye-lights flicker and die, the helmet CLANKS apart...

... TERRY pulls it off - HE'S battered and bruised, small cuts and scrapes over HIS face.

HE places HIS head in HIS arms, attempting to come to terms with what just happened... HE's now Batman, the iconic hero.

TERRY (Taking a deep breath) What just happened to my life?

TERRY stays like this for a beat, contemplating...

INT: BATCAVE: PLATFORM LEVEL

BARBARA: (O.S) BRUCE!

TERRY looks up - towards the concourse level - the source of the NOISE, TAKEN ABACK.

TERRY: What the...?

BARBARA: (O.S) WHY NOW?!

TERRY clambers out of the jet - SLOWLY making HIS way across to the escalator...

TERRY CAUTIOUSLY makes HIS way up, into...

INT: BATCAVE: MAIN CONCOURSE - MOMENTS LATER

An BLAZING argument...

BRUCE, with HIS back to BARBARA. HE's staring into the cabinet with the smashed, battered ROBIN suit. The pristine Batgirl suit hanging next to it.

BARBARA: Well?!

BRUCE turns to respond...

BARBARA You know what... Just tell me, who is out there in that suit?!

TERRY slips into the room, behind BARBARA.

BRUCE: You know that I'm not going to do that... Barbara, this city is falling apart, every year more people die. The Mafia get richer...

TERRY steps into the shadows - keeping out of sight, sneaking round, towards the exit...

BRUCE: Tell me, how much have I given GCPD to try and fight this?

INT: BATCAVE: MAIN CONCOURSE - CONTINUOUS

TERRY watches on, hidden, ASTOUNDED, at seeing the Police Commissioner in a shouting match with BRUCE.

BARBARA: That is not the point. You are not the law!

BRUCE You made that perfectly clear twenty years ago... But you are, and you have failed this city.

BARBARA How is one man going to save the city?!

BRUCE That's what you never understood...

INT: BATCAVE: MAIN CONCOURSE - CONTINUOUS

TERRY steps forward, out of the shadows, revealing HIMSELF...

TERRY: (Interrupting) It's not about one man, its a symbol. Something to be feared... or to inspire hope.

BARBARA turns, DUMBSTRUCK at seeing TERRY. SHE slowly takes it all in...

BARBARA: Is this who you have out there?! A kid who's just lost his father? He's barely older than I was...

BRUCE: He has more invested in this than you ever did.

BARBARA: Why?... because he lost his father before becoming an vigilante?

Pause...

BARBARA: Unlike me?!

BRUCE winces, looking down in shame.

BRUCE: That's not what I meant...

INT: BATCAVE: MAIN CONCOURSE - MOMENTS LATER

BARBARA glances back to Terry. HER hand reaches for the cuffs on her belt...

BARBARA I should arrest him for torture...

...TERRY's hand reaches down to the utility belt, HE looks over to BRUCE for confirmation...

BRUCE looks up, THREATENING but CALM...

BRUCE Barbara, if you do that, Gotham will know how Jim closed all those cases... They will reopen them...

BARBARA turns - facing BRUCE, daring HIM to finish that sentence...

BRUCE Just imagine the impact that would do to his legacy...

BARBARA slaps Bruce. TERRY watches on ASTOUNDED...

BARBARA: How dare you threaten me? After everything we went through?

BRUCE stands there, gathering his thoughts. HE shakes his head, this conversation is over, HE's had enough.

BRUCE turns away, walking back towards the desk.

BRUCE Sasha, see her out.

INT: BATCAVE: MAIN CONCOURSE

SASHA appears out of the shadows, SHE GRIPS BARBARA'S wrist - SQUEEZING HARD. Manhandling HER towards the exit.

BARBARA FURIOUSLY SHAKES her off, STOPS, turning to BRUCE - wanting the last word...

BARBARA: Bruce, so help me if he ends up like Jason.

BARBARA STORMS out.

INT: BATCAVE: MAIN CONCOURSE - MOMENTS LATER

TERRY turns, wanting to speak to BRUCE.

BRUCE is now at the display cabinets, staring deeply into them... This is the first time that we have seen them in great detail - The Robin suit has clearly been repeatedly smashed with an crowbar...

TERRY: Erm... Who's Jason?

BRUCE'S eyes settle on the long revolver on the floor of the display case, under the Robin suit.

BRUCE: Terry, not now...

SASHA: He needs to know Bruce...

TERRY: Someone tell me what's going on?

BRUCE closes HIS eyes, placing HIS head against the glass...

BRUCE: �� Barbara, she blames me for what happened...

TERRY sits at the desk, leans forward - watching BRUCE. BRUCE does not turn - staring deep into the case.

FLASHBACK TO:

MONTAGE:

EXT: PAST GOTHAM - GORDON'S HOUSE - NIGHT

It's a modern day, quiet, well kept suburban street, rows upon rows of the same houses. Gotham dockyards visible in the distance.

BRUCE: (V.O) They didn't want her, they wanted Jim...

A beaten up saloon car SPUTTERS into the street, coasting to a stop outside the house in the middle of the street.

The doors of the car swing open. A group of MEN step out - they look average - non descript.

One final MAN steps out, dressed for an holiday - Fedora, hawaiian shirt, shorts...

EXT: PAST GOTHAM - GORDON'S HOUSE - NIGHT

THEY walk up the drive of the house, past the post box. It reads 'Gordon'.

TERRY: (V.O) Who?

The MAN in the hawaiian shirt reaches out and RINGS the doorbell.

INT: GORDON'S HOUSE -HALLWAY - NIGHT.

Imagine the perfect family home, family pictures on the wall.

The doorbell RINGS out.

A younger, 25ish, BARBARA GORDON steps into the hallway. SHE'S in PJ's, ready for bed.

BARBARA reaches out and opens the front door...

SASHA: (V.O) Joker...

EXT: GORDON'S HOUSE - DOORWAY - NIGHT.

The JOKER is standing in the doorway, he's the MAN in the hawaiian shirt - shocking white face, bright red lips, emerald green hair carefully slicked back. It's the clown prince of crime that we know and love...

JOKER cracks a massive smile..

...Fires his long-barreled revolver...

...BARBARA's knocked back from the gunshot,

BRUCE: (V.O) He crippled her...

INT: GORDON'S HOUSE - DOORWAY - NIGHT.

SHE falls back, SMASHING onto the the floor...

INT: GORDON'S HOUSE - LOUNGE

Fairly standard lounge, family photos scattered about.

JIM stands, turning towards the GUNSHOT...

... A RIFLE BUTT SMASHES into JIM's face, knocking HIM down.

EXT: GORDON'S HOUSE - DOORWAY - NIGHT.

SASHA: (V.O) .... Taking her father...

BARBARA watches as JIM'S pulled away. TEARS in HER eyes.

EXT: GOTHAM - AMUSEMENT MILE - NIGHT

It's an abandoned theme park. We're in the Main Street section of the park - where the shops and restaurants were located. Now trashed, graffitied - derelict.

BRUCE: (V.O) Jason was my partner in all this... my friend...

A red sports-motorbike ROARS to up the derelict street. It skids to a halt, dust FLARING up...

BRUCE: (V.O) I told Jason not to engage, to wait for backup...

ROBIN (JASON) climbs off the bike. Sliding HIS green helmet on the handlebars.

BRUCE (V.O) To wait for me, he was impulsive, wanted to prove himself...

ROBIN's suit is very lightweight, more stab proof than bulletproof, red torso, black underlayer. Black cape BILLOWING in the wind.

ROBIN looks around, reaching for his staff...

SASHA: (V.O) Springing the trap.

EXT: AMUSEMENT MILE - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

On every building, GOONS appear on the rooftops -All wearing CLOWN masks...

...The GOONs point assault rifles, light machine guns, rocket launchers straight down at ROBIN...

... ROBIN slowly raises his hands into the air...

INT: AMUSEMENT MILE - THEATRE

The theatre is trashed - completely destroyed, chairs pulled up, paint peeling from the walls.

ROBIN's chained to a chair, in the middle of the theatre. Chained up next to him is Commissioner Jim Gordon. BOTH are heavily BRUISED, BATTERED, BLOODY...

...JOKER stalks between them, CROWBAR in hand...

BRUCE: (V.O) When I found them... they had been beaten... over and over...

JOKER stops in front of ROBIN, JOKER lines up the crowbar - as if he's lining up a golf shot, closing one eye...

BRUCE (V.O) Jason was gone by the time that I'd got there...

JOKER swings the crowbar straight towards ROBINS face.

EXT: AMUSEMENT MILE - PIER- LATER

The pier is rotting, almost falling into the water.

JIM's chained to a crane - hands first, dangling out over the river.HE's STRUGGLING, trying to get free...

BRUCE (V.O) He waited for me...

JOKER's at the base of the crane, casually leaning against it, playing with a knife...

JOKER turns, see's BATMAN standing at the end of the pier.

BATMAN's suit is not as advanced as the one TERRY is using - a dark grey one-piece - some elements of an exoskeleton visible, dark blue cowl and cape.

BRUCE: (V.O) ... Wanted me to see...

#batman #batman beyond #rebirth #science fiction #cyperpunk #cyberpunk #the dark knigth rises #the dark knight #the dark knight rises #bruce wayne #fanfic #fan fiction #fan content #screenplay #futuristic #future #terry mcginnis

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vagrantblvrd · 5 years

Text

Carve It in Stone (1/1)

Summary: Ryan’s gotten sloppy since Trevor’s been dead.

Notes: Prompt fill for Anon who wanted to see Red Hood Trevor from my Batman AU idea???

(Read on AO3)

Ryan’s gotten sloppy since Trevor’s been dead.

Trevor can’t tell if Ryan’s doing it on purpose, daring all of Gotham to realize he’s not joking when he flashes that charming little smile of his and laughs that annoying idiot laugh.

Winks at the camera – always one of those around him, he’s a Haywood after all – and claims he really is the Batman, why are you all laughing?

There are so many – so fucking many – video and audio clips from interviews or press conferences surrounding some crisis or other where he just up and confesses.

Over and over again, with all these jokes and ha, ha, ha, and a little put out that no one ever seems to believe him.

Not that anyone would consider Richie-rich Ryan James Haywood could be capable of a fraction of the things the Batman’s done. (Most think he can’t even tie his own damn shoes without help.)

And when he’s not baiting the press, all of Gotham, he’s just.

Careless.

So many clues he leaves behind about Batman’s identity, why it’s almost like he wants to get caught.

“Idiot,” Trevor says, little twinge of something that might have been fondness once upon a time.

Before Joker and his crowbar, glaring red numbers counting down and everything that followed after. (The waters of the Pit burning, searing, remaking him into whatever he is now.)

Now -

It feels like bitterness, resentment. This flare of anger as Trevor looks up and sees all the photos pinned to the wall of his safehouse.

Batman and Robin swinging over the rooftops of Gotham like everything before it didn’t matter. Like Ryan didn’t learn a damn thing when Trevor died. Making the same mistakes over and over again, and someone needs to do something about that, don’t they.

So.

Better get to it.

========

The new Robin is fast, Trevor will give him that.

Quick little bastard and clever about it, flips and rolls and flares of his cape – bright flash of color against Gotham’s gloom – and the usual thugs and bruisers always, always go for it.

Take the bait and turn and aim, bang, bang, bang always a step behind because again, the kid’s fast.

Smart-mouthed too, even if he’s not quite up to par with Jeremy and his comedic timing. Snappy one-liners and zings.

Trevor watches it all from a nearby rooftop. Robin up against a couple of goons who tried mugging some little old lady out waling her ankle biter of a dog.

Sound of his bo staff cracking against a jaw, the strangled bellow and sound of a grown man falling to his knees in pain. Stunned as he cradles what’s sure to be a fracture of some sort and that’s interesting, isn’t it, when Ryan had come down so hard on Trevor that one time.

Robin backpedals as the second thug thunders towards him, big and imposing and furious after seeing his friend go down.

Rolls out of the way of a booted foot aimed at his kneecap – flash and whirl of his cape – stylized shuriken flying out from behind it as he buys himself a little time, some space. Meaty sound of one of them embedding itself in the thug’s arm and a snarl coming from him like a wounded dog.

“You fucker!”

Trevor snorts, taps the barrel of his gun against his leg as Robin shoots the thug a look – offended, almost – and then he’s moving forward.

Bo snapping out as the thug raises his gun, blood dripping from his arm, and smacks it away like an afterthought. Follows up with another strike of his bo – glancing hit – and pursues the thug who’s the one trying to retreat now.

Snapping and snarling and hopelessly outclassed, he never sees the kick aimed at his jaw, too focused on the damn bo staff Robin uses as a distraction. Flash and spin, streetlights catching off the gleaming metal and Robin’s a vicious bastard too, it seems.

Stands over the thug for a long moment, and prods him to make sure he’s not feigning unconsciousness before he gets out the zip ties.

It would be easy, Trevor knows, to teach him a lesson right now.

Drop down from his vantage spot and drive the point home with his fists, heel of his boot. Wing the little bastard with a bullet from his gun. Ooh, or maybe he could use one of the knives Talia gifted him with as a parting gift he hasn’t had the chance to use just yet.

But.

It’s too soon.

Ryan doesn’t even know there’s a new player in town yet.

Just goes about business as usual, punching and kicking (occasionally gadgeting) the bad guys into groaning piles of bruised and battered and sending them back to Blackgate or Arkham as the situation warrants.

Goes off to play with the Justice League when there’s a major crisis every so often.

Baits the press with that running gag about being Batman – it’s appalling, really, how he still gets away with that – and thinks his little world here is safe.

Well.

Safe as it could be, given Gotham’s very nature.

Thinks he’s got it all under control, has thought up every possibly scenario and planned accordingly with all those contingency plans of his.

Paranoid as all hell and still, Trevor knows, still so damned blind.

“Next time,” Trevor says, tossing off a little salute to Gotham’s little songbird as he heads off to really get things rolling.

========

Black Mask is easy.

Smarter than most, sure, but when it comes down to it he’s still predictable.

Ego to him because he’s the Black Mask.

Everyone in Gotham knows who he is, what he does to those who make an enemy of him, and it’s made him...not quite complacent, but he’s certainly lost whatever edge got him where he is today.

Makes it easy for Trevor to disrupt his operations, swing his attention away from all his goals and ambitions and this new figure in the shiny metal helmet. (Helmet, hood, it’s all semantics, isn’t it?)

Has him focusing on Trevor and the way he’s dismantling everything he’s built up on the bones of others. (Bone and flesh and blood, human suffering and this dark spark Trevor gets now. Has buried deep in him too thanks to the Pit and what it gave him, curled in the back of his mind and whispering to him always.)

And Ryan? He’s just as easy.

Notices the way Black Mask is just so agitated these days, fending off attacks and so, so angry at this new figure looking to make an example of him and his.

Throwing money and every available body he has at Trevor to make him go away, and Ryan just has to stick his nose into things. Needs to know what’s going on to cause Black Mask’s little breakdown-in-progress.

Perfect.

========

“Look at you,” Trevor says, chuckles at the way Ryan’s glaring at him. “New suit?”

More heavily armored than the one he wore when it was Trevor at his side all those years ago.

Meaner looking.

Voices drift up to them, yelling and shouting and all sorts of commotion.

Ryan’s silent.

Still.

Stoic is the word that comes to mind.

Standing across the roof from Trevor in all his Battish glory, bit of a breeze playing with the hem of his cape. (Gotham is almost as dramatic as certain residents.)

All kinds of tech and gadgets on him because he’s the Batman, and that’s part of his shtick. Almost certainly recording their conversation to analyze once he gets back to that little clubhouse of his under the manor.

Trevor hums, nods his head because yes, yes, still the same stubborn bastard as always, Ryan.

Childhood trauma and far too much money, and anyone else would be dead by now if they’d tried the same thing as the idiot before him.

Traveling the world to train, hone his body and mind into this weapon to combat the sort of depraved monsters who left him an orphan.

Oh, he would never think of it like that.

Would insist it’s a noble endeavor he set off on all those years before, long before Trevor was even born. That he’s doing it to protect the people of Gotham, prevent the same from happening to them. (The dark knight the press and so many others refer to him as, and still so blind.)

Takes in orphans and urchins, gives them a home and a purpose.

A suit and a cape and utility belt with all the latest gadgets, and if they’re lucky, if they’re good, they get to live. If not...well.

You get things like Trevor, don’t you.

All twisted up inside, wrong in all the right ways. (Or perhaps it’s the other way around?)

However you want to look at it, you get something like Trevor, and when you put him back in a city like Gotham with people like Ryan and all his mistakes, it’s not going to be a pretty thing.

No, not pretty at all.

Trevor snorts, turning to look down at the burning warehouse below them as emergency crews scramble to contain the fire.

Someone’s screaming.

One of Black Mask’s men suffering from nasty third-degree burns on top of what Trevor did to him to get the answers he needed.

Ryan interfered before Trevor could put the poor bastard out of his misery, more’s the pity.

He’ll die slow now. Pain eased by whatever drugs they pump into him, but Trevor and Ryan both know he won’t make it through the night.

Thank God Ryan saved the man from a bullet to the head only to drag out his death longer than it needs to be.

(Such is mercy..)

“Good talk,” Trevor says, suddenly in no mood to deal with Ryan or his codes, his morals and ethics and goddamned high horse right now. “I’m sure we’ll be doing this again.”

He keeps his voice light, playful, lets the voice modulator do its job to add another layer of complication to things for Ryan, and pulls a small remote out of his jacket pocket.

Holds it up for Ryan to see, waggles it a little, thumb hovering over the big red button.

Watches as Ryan finally reacts, starts to move, but Trevor’s just that tiniest bit faster.

Presses the button and gone in the moment it takes Ryan to decide on an action, the small charges he set earlier going off further down the street.

Big flashy things meant as distractions because Trevor’s a monster, yes, but his grudge isn’t against Gotham’s emergency crews.

Still, Ryan doesn’t know that yet, and he goes for the bait.

Spends a split-second too long agonizing over whether to pursue Trevor before a secondary explosion goes off and the choice is made for him.

Noble endeavors and Duty, and Ryan’s still so predictable.

========

The thing that absolutely kills Trevor about all of this is how stupid Ryan is.

“You get what I mean, don’t you?”

Robin is watching Trevor like he thinks Trevor’s a lunatic.

He’s not wrong, so Trevor lets him have that one.

But really.

Ryan’s goes around playing the role of Ryan Haywood, richie-rich and possibly stupidest man alive just so no one will twig to the fact he’s also Batman.

Big scary asshole in a suit and cape and all his little gadgets and smart as he is, he’s so damn stupid.

“Joker’s still out there!” Trevor yells, and okay that, that is what’s at the heart of this. “That bastard is still out there killing people and what does Batman do about it?”

Fights him again and again and again, just to send him back to Arkham until the next time he breaks out to start the cycle over.

And it’s not just Joker, it’s every other asshole like him.

It never ends because Ryan is too blinded by all his ideals and morals, his ethics.

Privilege.

Joker is out there right now, some new twisted plot playing out while Ryan runs himself ragged trying to stop him. So, so stupid and look what Trevor found while Ryan’s attention is elsewhere?

Little (not so little) Robin all on his lonesome and easy pickings.

Trevor’s not angry at Ryan for not saving him from Joker in time.

No.

That’s not what this is about. It’s never been what it’s about. (Even if there’s some small part of him that wonders why. What he did wrong that Ryan didn’t save him when he kills himself for complete strangers night after night, but he knows, doesn’t he. Trevor was never enough, and that’s fine. It is.)

Ryan let the Joker live.

Put him back in Arkham and just went on like that bastard hadn’t taught him a valuable lesson by killing Trevor.

Went and got himself a new Robin, even.

Bright young man and potential to him Ryan’s sure to ruin before long.

Feisty.

Put up quite the fight when Trevor found him, but Trevor’s been at this longer. (Trained with assassins, and hadn’t that been an eye-opener.)

Plays dirtier than the Batman’s good little sidekick.

Fights mean and nasty, plays for keeps.

“We don’t kill,” Robin says, parrots Batman’s line as though Trevor’s never heard it before, like he doesn’t know.

Trevor laughs, but there’s nothing like amusement in it.

“Oh, I know all about that,” he says, because Ryan’s an idiot.

So here, Ryan, have a little refresher while you’re gallivanting about being a hero.

Robin’s all trussed up at the moment, and while Trevor knows it’s only a matter of time before he frees himself -

“Might want to rethink your career path,” Trevor says, and shoots him.

He sees Robin’s eyes widen in the moment before he fires, and it’s not personal this, not really.

It’s Ryan and his choices, the mistakes he never learns from. (Tough love, minus the love.)

Robin sags in his chains – because Gotham and its Drama, presentation - and Trevor goes over to check on him.

Purses his lips when he sees his suit did its job in stopping the bullet. The impact was a doozy this close, though, wasn’t it. Knocked him back, head cracking against the wall he’s bound to, put him out like a light. (Easy.)

Trevor pats his cheek, smiles to cover up the uneasiness he feels seeing a Robin like this, echoes of a dream or something along those lines.

(A living nightmare and a crowbar bearing down on him, Joker’s grating laughter and pain bleeding into everything.)

A perimeter alarm goes off, and Trevor glances over at the laptop he has set up. Cobbled together warning system to let him know Ryan finally noticed Robin had gone silent on him, came to investigate.

Watches Gotham’s hero miss every damn camera he placed in his haste and wants to laugh because lord knows Trevor always got an earful about that kind of mistake during his time as Robin.

“Oh, Ryan,” he sighs. “No gold star for you.”

Still.

Best not be around when Ryan makes it past all the traps and other fun things Trevor left out for him.

Let the bastard stew a little longer once he gets Robin back.

Wonder why the Red Hood bothered with any of this, why he didn’t just kill Robin while he had the chance. (Why, why, why, and no answers to any of it, not yet.)

Trevor shoots the laptop, lips stretching into a thin smile because Ryan’s going to have a hell of a time getting anything out of it now.

Not impossible, because he has all his gadgets and tech wizardry at his beck and call – has Oracle – but it’s going to cost him time. Effort. Have him working overtime to pull anything useful out of what’s on the hard drive when Trevor’s never been that stupid.

Leaving him bread crumbs that Ryan will have to work for if he wants to find out what the Red Hood’s planning.

“Good luck with that one, Ryan,” Trevor says as he turns to leave because it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

#ragehappy #batman au #prompt fills #anon #implied/referenced torture #implied/referenced character death #temporary character death #Kings of Nowhere #vagrant fic

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cloudparadox · 6 years

Text

Remnants || Chapter 2 - Robin

Summary: AU in which Tim can see things others can’t. (Aka Ghosts)

Tim learns pretending makes things a lot easier. Especially when you watch as one Robin leaves and the other dies and you have to make sure that Batman doesn't go off the deep end.

Tim knew he wouldn't ever be Robin, not like his predecessors, but he'd damn well try, if only for other people's sake and not his own.

Words: 1855

Warnings: Angst, death, ghosts, mental health issues, bad parenting

Pairing: Tim Drake x Jason Todd (eventually)

Notes: So this chapter also kind of just happened?

I really like how this is going so far. There might be a few more typos seeing as I'm posting this from my phone so sorry in advance.

Taglist: @sweeetsummerchiild

Chapters: one,

As Tim grew older, he learned to pretend. Pretending almost came naturally to him. He had days where he didn't feel comfortable in his own skin and so, he wore someone else's. He borrowed the best parts from those around him, and carefully crafted a new version of himself.

As such, he also started getting better at acting as if he was normal. What defined as normal was beyond his reach, but most times, normal was living up to his parent's ideals and expectations. With each passing year though, Tim realized there was more to it than that. Still, he now was somewhat capable in sending spirits away, looking away, acting oblivious to their presence unless his attention was specifically demanded by a spirit in dire need.

He was too soft, as father told him a lot. Mother had expressed the same worry. One night, now long ago, when she'd tucked him into his bed, she'd brushed a hand through his messy hair and smiled. "You're too good for this world, Timothy." Back then he hadn't quite understood what she meant, but now he was sure it was a mix of admiration, love even and a warning. To be stronger, not to leave yourself so vulnerable and trusting.

Tim tried. He really did. But some of them, he just couldn't ignore. So he helped in subtle ways, did research and discovered things that sometimes weren't things meant to be seen by a child. But he was good at that. Knowing stuff and learning more and more each day. So he did just that.

With his parents barely around, it was easy to sneak out and do whatever needed to be done. There were also his nightly adventures as he followed Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. It hadn't been hard to figure out, after seeing that move, the puzzles pieces clicking together, one by one until it formed one big, glaringly obvious picture. Tim didn't tell anyone. Wouldn't tell anyone. Especially not after what happened the last time he confided in someone about something so big and important of his life. Fat load of good it did him, the last time.

There were days when the guilt was eating him alive, concerning Dick. He'd promised Mary that he would make sure her son was safe.

She did say 'at home', didn't she?

Tim pushed the voice back towards the deepest parts of his mind. He felt bad, but what exactly was he supposed to do? Tell on Bruce and Dick so they get discovered and Gotham loses what looks to be the city's only hope? No. That wasn't an option. Dick was doing really well anyways. He was smart, strong and just good, perfect for everything Robin stood for. The Drake boy admired him, practically worshipped the very floor he walked on. Yet not once did he dare reach out to him.

'I met you the night your parents died.' or 'Your mother visited me in ghost form and asked me to look after you' weren't exactly great conversation starters. So he just let it be. It was probably better that way.

He was content with following the dynamic duo around at night, snapping picture after picture and filling entire photo albums. It was better than anything else he could've collected. This was his, and his only. Nothing he had to share, nothing he was going to be judged on since no one knew. Not even the big bad Bat himself, nor his Robin.

As all good things come to an end, so did Dick's time as Robin. It saddened Tim incredibly, but another night in Gotham during the particularly hot and humid late summer, Tim learned that the end of something could mean the birth of something new.

One quote stuck out the most as he was reading through a book.

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T. S. Eliot

It reminded Tim of a supernova. A star's life comes to an end, and one last time it glows bright, billion times as bright as before. Maybe even brighter than an entire galaxy. And out of that, new things are born. A neutron star, or perhaps even a black hole.

That was a good way to describe how he felt about Jason. He was lured in, and from then on unable to get out. Not like he wanted to. Where Dick was seemingly flawless, a bright and endless supernova that demanded everyone's attention and fascination, Jason was a black hole, something brash, dark and mysterious to the point where Tim wanted to know more, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge dragging him out to the rooftops at night more often than ever.

Black holes are so dark because they don't let any of the light inside them escape. And while Tim had never spoken to Jason before, he knew there was a lot of light in the new Robin. He saw it when Robin took his time to talk to some kids, gave them candy or even walked them home to make sure they were safe. Behind all the anger and frustration he took out on the thugs and criminals of Gotham, there was a good, genuine person.

It didn't take Tim long to fall for that. Trust him to crush on someone he never talked to. He couldn't help it, no matter how much he tried. Jason was just so...perfectly imperfect. He was a mess, but Tim could relate to that in so many ways. Dick had never given him that feeling since he seemed so utterly perfect all the time.

Tim knew that was bullshit. Dick wasn't perfect, after all, no one was. But Jason was different. He was perfect in spite of all of his faults and flaws, at least to Tim. Now more than anything, he wanted to meet Robin and he actually began hoping for it, unlike before. Optimism wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Still, Tim continued to capture snapshots of Batman and his Robin.

Until Robin was gone. Until Tim found out. Jason Todd had died. His parents expressed the obligatory condolences to Bruce and then already forgot about it a few days after.

Tim wished he could've gone to the funeral. Wished he could've done something to save Jason. Wished he had been more confident to actually get to know Jason. They could have been friends. Maybe. He'd never find out. He didn't deserve to be there, anyways. It wasn't his place to have demands.

Regrets and more guilt plagued him, only getting worse when he saw how it began affecting Batman. Someone needed to do something. This couldn't go on. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. Batman needed his Robin. Bruce needed Jason.

Tim felt ashamed for thinking that he needed Jason, but as it was, he couldn't bring himself to feel all that much.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, staring at the grave and feeling his insides clench painfully, invisible hands tugging at his heart until it felt like it was being torn apart. "You deserved so much better, Jason. You could've done so much more-" he choked on a sob, hastily wiping at his face with the sleeve of his thin hoodie. By now it was almost summer again, and it hurt to remember the past summers. It had only been a year since the last one, yet it felt like an eternity, an entire lifetime ago.

He felt the presence before he saw it and whirled around to see a girl standing near him, only a few paces away. She didn't look much older than Tim, maybe a good four years, if at all. Not even an adult yet. Her hair was brown, a warm color that shone under the sunlight. Her green eyes were twinkling with something akin to mischief. The only thing that told him she wasn't alive was the way her presence felt.

"Hey. I noticed you around. I almost believed you couldn't see me. Good acting skills." her voice was both soft and strong.

"It comes from years of practice," he responded dryly.

That made the girl crack a grin at him. "I like you." she gave him an all-over, then looking left and right, eyes raking over the empty graveyard. "I'm really sorry to bother, but this kid's ghost isn't hanging around here."

"I know." Tim had pondered what it meant. Why Jason's ghost wasn't present. He'd come to the conclusion he'd simply moved on right away, though that felt wrong. As if Jason would give up that easily. In the beginning, Tim suspected his weakening powers were the source of confusion but now he had another ghost's knowledge and insight.

The more he concentrated, the more it felt like Jason was neither gone nor here. Tim couldn't explain it and that bothered him.

Once more, he felt utterly useless.

"It sucks, huh? Being stuck like this sucks too, but from what I can see you look like shit, sorry to tell ya."

"S'okay" his voice was raspy from misuse and he cleared his throat. "I didn't even really know him. Still, it feels like I've lost someone close, kind of like a best friend." Tim really hoped no one was seeing him "talking to himself." That was always awkward.

"It's okay to be sad. I am. A lot. It's lonely."

"I get it." And that he did. Loneliness had long since becoming an unswerving companion of his.

Somehow, they ended up talking to each other the whole day. Her name was Maia. It was easy, talking to her. And he did for many more days and nights before she too moved on. It was a tearful goodbye, but Tim knew that he wasn't enough to keep her here. Maia promised him that he was enough, and he was reminded of what Mary Grayson had told him all those years ago. He actually believed her. Both of them. They had meant what they said.

Now only he needed to believe in it, too.

Tim knew he'd have to, especially with his plans to become the new Robin. He'd struggled with the thought for a long time, weighed out the cons and pros and made up dozens of plans when it came to the approach. Then it was all only a question of gathering up enough courage.

Batman needed a Robin. Dick didn't want to be Robin. That really only left Tim as an option. So he steeled himself for the rigorous training, the endless hours of lost sleep and pain that came with it and pulled through. He wouldn't tarnish the symbol that was Robin, couldn't, didn't want to. He fought tooth and nail to achieve what the Robins before him had.

And as he got dressed for his first real patrol together with Batman, he promised he would do his best to make Jason proud.

He might never be more than a pretender, but he was fine with that. Pretending was how he got through life, after all.

#tim drake #jason todd #jaytim #dick grayson #damian wayne #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #red robin #red hood #nightwing #robin #batman #batfam #timjay #tim drake x jason todd #fanfic #original character #fic

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mizmahlia · 6 years

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Angst Prompt: You Broke Me

Taken from this list here.

This was inspired by yet another play-through of Batman Arkham Knight. During the scene where Batman’s being hauled off to Arkham to confront Scarecrow, Alfred tells Bruce he’s being tracked through the city. Bruce insinuates that Jason is the one tracking him, and my brain went “WHAT IF JASON TRIED TO STOP THAT TRUCK TO TRY AND FOIL SCARECROW’S PLAN BECAUSE HE HAD A CHANGE OF HEART?”

And, well, now we have 4.4k words of angsty Jason Todd fic.

Spoilers for Batman Arkham Knight

I borrowed a few lines of dialog from the game, as I wanted to fix the ending. Because of reasons.

Warnings: Mentions of torture, some swearing, Jason does shoot some people, and there are some mental health issues depicted.

Jason ripped his helmet open and leaned against the fire escape, trying to catch his breath. The sensor on the building where Scarecrow demanded Batman turn himself over was tripped five minutes ago and he'd sprinted over the rooftops from halfway across Bristol. He knew he didn't have much time until the truck left, taking Batman to Arkham for his unmasking, but he knew he had to try to stop it.

He hoped Bruce noticed the red Bat symbol hastily painted on the building when he'd gone in. He climbed down the fire escape and crept across the street to a deserted SUV that somehow hadn't been vandalized yet, breaking the driver's side window. He got in, hot-wired the engine and brought up his gauntlet screen to check the GPS tracker. At the same time, he tapped into the audio feed from the back of the truck. He was already listening to the audio feed from Bruce's cowl and had been most of the night.

The red dot on the screen began to move and Jason put the SUV in gear and pulled out into the street after it. He heard Alfred tell Bruce the truck's movements were being tracked. Well, that was quick. What no one knew was that Jason installed the tracking device and microphone to make sure Scarecrow didn't double-cross him. He'd wanted his chance to end Bruce, after Scarecrow had his fun. But after their confrontation at the mall, Jason's mission objectives changed drastically and it went from being an assassination mission to a rescue op. Oh, the irony. So between the hacked comm feed and the microphones in the truck, he could hear both sides of the conversation. He rolled his eyes when Bruce replied. "I knew he would." He stomped his foot to the floor and took off after the truck, chasing it out of Kingston and over Mercy Bridge. He knew the fear toxin levels in the back of the truck were rising rapidly. He listened as Scarecrow taunted Batman, telling him the nightmare was almost over and his failure was almost complete. Jason's gut rolled at the thought he'd helped orchestrate this. He knew he had a lot of shit to work out now, but he couldn't allow Scarecrow to finish their plan. Not after what happened earlier. Not after he'd seen the look on Bruce's face. You can't fake that kind of shock, not even if you're Batman. He raced over the bridge and through the side streets of Bleake Island, the truck only a few blocks ahead of him. He just needed to stop the truck before it crossed onto the bridge to Arkham Island; if it reached the bridge, there was no cover and no way to get Batman hidden long enough for the fear toxin to work its way out of his system. As he rounded a corner, he spotted the truck at the next block. He needed to nudge the bumper with the SUV to force it off the road. He grit his teeth and gunned it through the intersection, ignoring the blaring horn from a car that had the right of way. The car clipped the rear passenger side of the SUV, sending him careening off course. "Fuck!" The SUV fishtailed as he tried to keep it from sideswiping a burned-out garbage truck. He cranked the wheel and caught up to the truck. "Brace yourself, Bruce," he muttered. Jason mashed his palm against the horn before colliding with the rear bumper, watching as the truck swerved and hit the curb, rolling into a vacant lot before coming to rest on its roof. He parked the SUV behind an empty school bus and climbed out, staying low and in the shadows as he crept toward the truck. In his ear piece, he heard Bruce groan, apparently still in the back of the truck in range of the microphone. "Mother, don't go. Please.." Jason froze and flattened himself against the side of a building, guilt and panic and fear churning in his stomach. He sank to his knees and clawed at his helmet, gulping in the cold night air when it opened. Bruce was reliving the night his parents died. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to pull himself together. It had only been a few hours since their confrontation, since he'd learned Bruce actually believed the Joker had murdered him almost three years ago. Hours since he realized every single reason he had for planning this entire op was bullshit; that the Joker and Harley had beaten him and scrambled his brain until he honestly believed Batman would give up on Robin. That Bruce would give up on him. He scrubbed his hands over his face and choked back a sob when he realized how thoroughly fucked up this all was. He was furious with Batman for seemingly abandoning him, for letting this happen and replacing him. He'd been through absolute hell- the beatings from the Joker, the meds Harley forced down his throat, the days and weeks of isolation. While most of it blurred together, he remembered the day he broke with absolute clarity. The exact moment he knew he was never going to go home, when he wished they would just kill him. It was the day the Joker showed him the photo of Batman and Robin. A Robin that wasn't him. He felt sick all over again at the memory and leaned forward, his hands on his knees. When he was sure he wasn't going to vomit he sat back against the building. He was shaking. The Joker did terrible and sadistic things to him just to spite Batman, because he wanted Batman's attention. And after everything Joker did, no matter how horrific, Batman never did what was necessary to stop him. It was a vicious circle of murder, terror and nightmare-inducing behaviour that Jason got caught in the middle of and had paid the price for. But then Bruce had seen his face and he'd been genuinely surprised. That's when the small glimmer of hope, hope that Bruce hadn't really forgotten about him after all, took hold and royally screwed everything up. Anger replaced the fear and the panic and Jason laughed, and it sounded so, so wrong. Suffice to say his mental and physical well-being were treading on some pretty thin fucking ice at the moment. A groan from the overturned truck drew his attention and he turned, leaning around the corner. The driver pulled himself from the cab and crawled toward the back of the truck. One of his legs was clearly broken. Jason took several deep breaths to ground himself and he stood up, drawing his sidearm and securing the helmet in place once again. He stalked around the corner and stopped in front of the driver, cocking his head to the side. The driver looked up at him, relieved at the sight of the Arkham Knight standing in front of him. "Sir. We got run off the road, I didn't see who it was." He pulled himself into a sitting position and looked up at Jason, the grimace when he jostled his leg replaced by a confused frown. "We heard you split after your fight with the Bat- you okay?" Jason flicked the safety off his gun. No, I'm definitely not fucking okay. "I'm fine. Change of plans. I'm personally escorting Batman to the Asylum." The driver nodded and leaned against the side of the truck. "You sound so different without the voice modulator. So young." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting the last one and tossing the empty pack back toward the cab. "The guy in the cab is out cold and my leg's broke. Wish I could help you get the bastard to Arkham." The memory of Batman standing over him earlier, offering to help him, saying they could fix this, flashed through his mind and Jason flinched. "Your help won't be necessary." He fired a round into the driver's chest and he went still, the cigarette dropping to the asphalt next to him. Jason knelt behind the truck and pried the door open, revealing a semi-conscious Batman. He holstered the gun and reached in, dragging Batman out and clear of the truck. Jason knelt next to him and studied him. The suit was in tatters; in addition to the bullet he'd fired into Batman's abdomen hours ago that appeared to still be lodged there, there was now a new hole in the right side of the Bat symbol on his chest. The armor plating was scratched and filthy. The cowl was scuffed and dented, and Bruce’s nose was definitely broken underneath it. He had some nasty bruising forming along his jaw. The cape had holes in it and his gloves were coated in grime and blood. All to try and save a city that tried to kill him on a nightly basis. "You look like hell, B," Jason said quietly. "You just don't know when to quit." At the sound of his voice, Bruce's eyes opened and he looked up at Jason. His pupils were dilated, the blue of his irises almost non-existent; he was still deeply under the influence of the fear toxin. Before he realized what he was doing, Jason released the catch on his helmet and opened it again, allowing Bruce to see his face. His eyes widened and he reached a hand toward Jason. "It can't be..." "Yeah, it can be." Jason sighed and his chin dropped to his chest. "We've gotta get out of here; Scarecrow's going to realize the truck isn't on schedule. C'mon." He tugged on Bruce's arm to get him to stand, but he remained on his hands and knees. "You can't be him. I watched Joker shoot him." Bruce's voice went eerily quiet. "I watched Jason die." "I wish I had," Jason muttered. "But we don't have time for this." Bruce backed away from Jason and shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. "No. I failed him. I need to find him. He was right here the whole time and I..." His eyes darted frantically around the empty lot, no doubt searching for the car. "I need to tell him that I didn't know." His eyes met Jason's and the despair in them made Jason shiver. "I searched that asylum for weeks. How could I not have known he was there?" Jason bit his lip and closed the front of the helmet again before he lost control of his emotions. He's afraid he failed me? He heard the rumble of a large truck down the street. "We need to leave. Now." He pulled Bruce to his feet and led him toward the back of the lot, away from the street. There was a mechanic's garage the next block over that probably had a vehicle they could use to get Bruce back to the cave. As they walked, he looked back over his shoulder at Bruce. He was completely lost in his own head and unaware he was being led through Gotham by the man who'd helped orchestrate everything he'd been through. But considering he was allowing himself to be led around meant he didn't believe himself to be in any danger. Something no one (apart from Superman) could do was force Bruce to follow someone he didn't trust. Jason wanted to cry at the irony. He picked the lock on the door of the garage and pushed Bruce through before closing and locking it behind them. He steered Bruce toward a chair and he sat the moment the backs of his knees hit the seat. "Hang tight while I find us a ride." Jason started rifling through the rack of keys hanging above the counter, momentarily forgetting about Bruce until he started talking again. He froze and dropped the set of keys he was holding. "I'm still in control, Joker. You won't get the upper hand." Jason turned and leaned against the counter, his hands gripping the edge tightly. "What did you just say?" Bruce looked up at him and Jason swore his eyes were a neon shade of green. He backed away from Bruce, knocking over a canister of rusted bolts. The sound echoed loudly throughout the shop and Jason flinched at the noise. Bruce was looking right through him and spoke to whoever it was he saw. "You won't break me, Joker. You can't." Bruce looked down at the floor for a moment before glancing up at Jason. His gaze was still vacant, his mind was long gone at the moment, but at least his eyes were back to blue. "I'm already broken." Jason picked the keys up off the floor and glanced out the window, using the key fob to find the Chevy they would use to get Bruce back to Alfred. It was parked just across the lot from the door and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, Batman. We need to get you back to your butler." He turned back to find Bruce watching him. And he was lucid. "He'd love to see you, you know." Jason crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. Despite Bruce not being able to see his face, his focused his gaze on the floor anyway, too embarrassed and ashamed to look him in the eye. "I highly doubt that, after everything that's happened tonight." Bruce stood, carefully making his way toward Jason. He stopped several feet away. "We all thought you were..." he trailed off for a moment, clearing his throat. "I meant what I said, earlier." It's not too late. We can fix this... Together. Jason felt the anger rising again. "Not that simple. You have no idea what he did to me." The look on Bruce's face said otherwise. Jason narrowed his eyes, forgetting Bruce couldn't see it. "Based on what I saw in the video he sent me, I have an idea." Jason shook his head and turned toward a sedan with its tires missing. He punched the trunk, leaving a considerable dent. To hell with being quiet any longer. "That was five minutes, Bruce. He had me down there for OVER A YEAR!" Bruce, to his credit, said nothing. "You have no idea what they did to me," Jason continued, trying to keep from getting hysterical. "I held out for six months before I gave anything up. Six months! And do you know why I finally gave up, after everything they put me through?" He retrieved a photograph from his back pocket and flipped it at Bruce. He reached for it and turned it over, his face growing even paler. "Yeah. I found out I was replaced. So it turns out you deserve all the credit for this one, Batman," Jason said, his tone pure venom. "You broke me. Not the Joker, not Harley. Not the guards who took turns beating me. It was you." "I'm sorry about all of this, Jason. But you need to know there's more to it than that. Consider the source. Please." Bruce put the photograph on the chair behind him. "You know what the Joker was capable of." "I certainly do now." Bruce sighed deeply and his hand went to the wound on his abdomen when the muscles tensed painfully. He looked much older and wearier after the events of the night. He sat down again and reached for the medical pouch on his belt, before remembering he'd removed it. Jason reached into his own belt and fished out a small bottle of pills, tossing it to him. "Here. It's hydrocodone. Should take the edge off." Bruce nodded and took three of them. Before he could speak, half a dozen members of the militia stormed through the door. "Sir? You found him! We're here to bring Batman to the asylum. Scarecrow is waiting." Bruce looked at Jason and gave a subtle nod, a look of determination back on his face. I'll do it for you, if that's what it takes. Jason turned toward his men. "Get him there in one piece, or you'll all wind up like the driver. Are we clear?" "Sir, yes sir." "And don't tell Scarecrow I had to round him up. He's got enough to worry about." Bruce stepped in behind several of the militia and headed toward the door. He glanced behind him before he stepped outside in time to see Jason nod once. You won't have to. I'll get there.

Based on the radio chatter he was listening to, Scarecrow had indeed changed the plan. The militia were now under strict orders not to let the Arkham Knight anywhere near the Asylum. Their orders were to shoot him on sight and shoot to kill. It didn't bother Jason in the slightest. Considering the one man who'd been kicking their asses all over Gotham that night was the one who originally trained him in the art of covert ops?

He'd take those odds any day of the week. But one thing he wasn't ready for was how he'd feel being back on that godforsaken island and staring at the Intensive Treatment building. It wasn't even where he was headed; Scarecrow was set up in the mansion to the east, but in making his way past armed guards and sentry guns, he had to go the long way around Intensive Treatment to get there.

He barely made it to cover behind an overgrown hedge of ivy before he was throwing up, once again feeling the sting of the cold water they poured over his face and the phantom pains of a crowbar, and hearing the sizzle of a branding iron as it was held to his cheek. Strangely enough, it was Robin's voice in his ear piece when he spoke to Batman that brought him back to the present. He forced himself to focus as Scarecrow and Batman started talking. He shook his head and climbed to his feet when Scarecrow bragged about robbing Gotham of hope. He'd been robbed of that, too, once. There was no way he could let Gotham be robbed of whatever hope it had left after tonight. He was only a few hundred yards from the mansion and there were five men between him and the front door. Jason changed the display in his helmet to night-vision and quietly assembled his sniper rifle, taking position on his belly. On his next exhale, the man closest to him went down, followed by his partner ten yards to the right. And when the other three came to investigate he hit them with a smoke grenade before coming up behind them, choking them out. As he was dragging them into the bushes, he heard Commissioner Gordon and Scarecrow arguing, followed by a gunshot he heard both through the ear piece and through a broken window of the main entrance hall of the mansion. Jason froze. Gordon and Bruce were talking now and neither of them sounded like they were in pain, which means Scarecrow likely just shot Robin. Something in Jason broke loose, something he hadn't felt in a long time. An urge to protect someone. He knew full well Tim Drake could hold his own in a fight and he'd tested that himself on several occasions. But the fact a Robin was just shot so someone could prove a point? He didn't care who it was- the son of a bitch would pay for that. Jason sprinted toward the mansion, taking the steps two a time and running a thermal scan of the entrance hall. There were only four people on the screen: Gordon, Bruce, Tim and Scarecrow. He was about the kick the door in when he heard Scarecrow's voice, full of surprise and amusement. "Wayne? Bruce Wayne?" He was too late; he hadn't made it in time to stop Scarecrow from broadcasting Batman's identity to the world. Had he not panicked when he'd seen the Intensive Treatment building, maybe... With an anguished groan, he slid down the door and buried his head in his hands. But he heard Bruce's voice in his head, from when he was much younger and worrying too much about things outside of his control. What-if's don't help people, Jay-lad. Focus on what you can control. He opened his eyes and stared at the Intensive Treatment building, resolve replacing the panic. He could still stop this- he could still stop Scarecrow from killing Bruce, Tim or Commissioner Gordon. Jason stood and brought up an old floor plan of the building in his HUD as Scarecrow continued talking. "Now the world can see you for what you truly are. A legend laid bare. Powerless. Human. Afraid." He heard Bruce moan in pain after the telltale hiss of Scarecrow's injection delivery system pumped him full of the liquid fear toxin. He had to get in there as soon as possible if he was going to get them out alive. But he couldn't barge in the front door and risk Scarecrow shooting any of them just because he could. There was an old service entrance to the kitchen around back that he could use to gain entrance. He made his way around back through a maze of tangled shrubs, broken shutters and fallen bricks, listening to Scarecrow drone on to his live audience about fear and how necessary it is, and how useless Batman was now that he'd been unmasked. No wonder he'd been so insistent on killing Batman before their plan really got off the ground- the man talked constantly. Jason broke the lock on the door and carefully made his way in, listening as Scarecrow continued taunting Bruce, this time about his friends being hunted down and killed for his actions as Batman. It wasn't Bruce's reply that made his blood run cold, but the laughter that followed it. That cackle, the way it made his skin crawl and the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It sounded just like the Joker. Jason rushed to the sink and retched, the sound of that laughter too much to bear. His heart pounding in his ears muffled the sound of Bruce being injected with another dose of toxin. He struggled to breathe normally, growing lightheaded as he began to hyperventilate. He could hear Scarecrow getting angry that Bruce wasn't playing along anymore and Jason knew he didn't have much time left to intervene. He turned and studied the floor plan, following the maze-like hallways until they opened up into the rear of the main entrance hall. He stuck to the shadows and made his way toward the light thrown off by the bank of television monitors mounted against the eastern wall. Bruce was strapped to a gurney that was tilted upright, Gordon knelt on the floor next to an unconscious Robin, and Scarecrow was grandstanding in front of a lone camera. Jason watched in horror as Scarecrow turned from the camera and injected Bruce a third time. He chambered a round in his rifle and lined up his shot, but hesitated when he heard Bruce speak. "I'm not afraid, Crane." Scarecrow stepped back as if he'd been slapped, drawing a gun from his waistband and holding the barrel against Bruce's forehead. Now or never, Jason. Show him you're still here. Jason shouldered the rifle and looked down the scope, the laser sight landing on the gun in Scarecrow's left hand. One shot sent the gun flying. The second shot broke the restraint holding Bruce's arm. Bruce grabbed Scarecrow's wrist as he was going to inject him again, wrenching it around and forcing the maximum dose into Scarecrow's chest. "What's wrong? Scared?" Bruce towered over Scarecrow as the toxin took effect and as he let him go, Jason could see the panic on Scarecrow's face even from his vantage point. Scarecrow stumbled backwards, right into Gordon's fist, and wound up unconscious on the floor. Bruce looked up from where the shots were fired, immediately finding Jason's position. Jason froze, not knowing what to do or say. All he could manage was a nod. I'm late, but I'm here. For everything he'd been through tonight, Bruce managed a small smile and a nod in return. I knew you would be. With that, Bruce crouched next to Gordon and Tim. As Jason turned to leave, he heard Gordon tell Bruce that Tim would be okay. He made his way back out the way he entered and stood at the fence, looking out into the bay and back at the lights of the city. The skies were clearing and he could see the first signs of dawn off in the distance. "Are you going to be alright?" He startled when Bruce's voice came through his ear piece. That meant he was wearing the cowl again. Jason chewed his lip for a moment. "I really don't know." There was a pause and Jason could hear the jet approaching the other side of the island. He turned and watched Batman grapple up into the cockpit. "When all of this settles, whenever that may be, I'd like to talk. If that's okay with you." Jason's eyes watered and he swallowed hard before he answered. The jet hovered over the north end of the island and Jason would be money Bruce was scanning to see where he was. "I.. I'll be around. You'll know where to reach me." The jet banked and headed off toward the Manor, not back into the city. "I left something for you in our usual spot." Jason turned and began the trek back across the island, giving the Intensive Treatment building a wide berth. "The keys to the Bentley?" He could feel Bruce's eye roll through the comm link. "Information. Resources. Something to help you settle into life again." Jason stopped next to his motorcycle and shook his head. "When the hell did you have time to do that?" Bruce answered without missing a beat. "I have a butler, remember?" The link clicked off and Jason got on his bike, heading back into the city. He had some things to take care of before he went back to his safe house, mainly rounding up straggling members of the militia for the GCPD. Then he'd make a stop by the Gotham Knights baseball stadium, where they used to watch ballgames every Saturday, and see what Bruce left for him. He had no idea what his future looked like or what it had in store for him, but the very fact he was planning for one meant he was headed in the right direction. For the second time that night, he allowed himself to hope. And that felt pretty good.

#Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne #Batman Arkham Knight #MizMahlia's fanfiction #Angst like whoa #Fic Request

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81scorp · 4 years

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Constructive criticism: Justice League (2017)

(Originally posted on June 9, 2018)

Ah yes, Justice League. The comic with some of DC`s greatest heroes coming together to form a team that made Marvel so nervous that they created their own superteam: Fantastic Four. Fast forward a few years later, Marvel started to not only make their own movies but they they also created a shared cinematic universe. Warner Bros, owners of the film rights to DC, became eager to strike while the iron was hot and make their own Cinematic universe. It could have gone well if WB hadn`t insisted on paying catch up with Marvel. I do not envy the makers of this movie. Filmed pretty much directly after Batman v Superman only to find out that Bvs did not sit well with audiences so the film makers were forced to do changes mid filming. Add to that a family tragedy that forces the original director to step down and be replaced by a director with a different style. Sure, I don`t think any film productions go flawlessly, all have a few hiccups, and in some cases they can lead to a better movie. This was not the case for Justice League. Personally I didn`t hate it, it made more sense than BvS and I found it more enjoyable. There has been talk of a "Snyder Cut" and people are convinced that it would be a masterpiece. Judging from Snyder`s previous work and his tendencies to always believe that "darker is better" I doubt that. I`m sure it would have been more in tone with Batman v Superman, but would it have been good? If I could run so fast that I could screw the laws of physics, travel backwards in time and change these movies, What would I have done?

Contains SPOILERS for Batman v Superman and Justice League

Secret identities

Bruce, Clark, Barry and Hal should have one. Victor, Arthur and Diana doesn`t have to have one. That`s right, Diana could be open about her superheroing and still keep her day job. (Hey, it works for Jennifer Walters.)

Wonder Woman and the Male gaze

Don`t do the male gaze on Wonder Woman. Nuff said.

The Amazons bikini armor

Give them practical armor that doesn`t expose their midriffs.

The Mother boxes as rare, super important Macguffins

The movie doesn`t have to be superfaithful to everything in the comics but this time I`m gonna be one of that "In the comics" guy. In the comics the Mother boxes are pretty common things on the world of the New Gods. One of their many functions is opening "Boom tubes" to travel long distances. Like the teleportation portals used in this movie. How about this instead: The rare Macguffins are round spheres instead of cubes, and they`re called "Worldbuilders".

The Parademons

Make them a little more green. Once when I watched it there were a few scenes where Cyborg was fighting them and, to be honest, I had trouble telling him apart from them.

Steppenwolf and Cyborg`s CGI

They could have used practical effects mixed with CGI. The metal on Cyborg`s face and the upper half of his torso could have been practical.

Superman being dead

Killing him off in BvS was way to early. Even if JL had been a better movie than it was I still would have written a CC bringing it up. This was also the hardest part of writing this CC. Coming up with a plot where Supes isn`t dead but at the same time keeping the stuff from the movie that could still work.

I`m biased here, but I`d like to think that I did OK.

Plot

3 years ago: A group of scientists dig up an ancient, otherworldly, seemingly high-tech, spherical artefact. Present day: Coast City, Ferris Aircraft: Carol Ferris has finished working for the day and is going home, she notices something (or someone) floating in the air above her. She looks up. It`s Green Lantern. He has been busy keeping order in the galaxy and has been away from Earth for some time. He wonders if anything interesting has happened while he was gone. As if to answer his question we get an opening credit scene to a montage of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash and Aquaman doing what they do best to heroic music, in slow motion. (The style of Zack Snyder can be good if you know where and when to use it.) In one part of this montage Superman should save a kitten (or a puppy). Why? Because he`s frickin` Superman! That`s why!

Gotham: A burglar robs someone`s apartment, Batman shows up and beats him. Bats has the upperhand but gets attacked by a parademon. The parademon has the upperhand but gets attacked by Superman who tries to restrain it. The parademon, fights like a maniac to get out of Supes grip but realizes that Supes is much to strong, so it self destructs. Bats and Supes talk a little. The attacks by these flying creatures have been happening more and more around the globe. Possible invasion? Supes hears that he is needed elsewhere and flies away. The Burglar thinks that Bats has forgotten about him and reaches for his loot but Bats steps on his arm and looks at him as a way of saying "Oh no, my friend, I haven`t forgotten about you". The burglar is left tied up outside the nearest police station. Bats calls Oracle and asks if she`s made any progress. We see a woman in a wheelchair in front of a couple of computerscreens. One of the screens shows info about Barry Allen being the Flash (Yes, Batman knows Barry`s secret identity, because he`s Batman!) On the computerscreen there`s a photo of Hal Jordan (from when he saved Carol Ferris`s life) and a video log made by Silas Stone, where he documents the process of trying to save his son`s life by giving him cybernetic limbs.

Oracle: "Nothing new about the flying, green guy I`m afraid, but I`ve found something about the guy with robot limbs."

She tells him that the young man is Victor Stone, a promising athlete and very intelligent. He was injured in an explosion. The other man is Silas Stone, Victor`s father, who tried to help his son by replacing his lost bodyparts with cybernetic prosthetics. Cybernetic legs and arms (from Lexcorp*) and a bionic eye (from S.T.A.R. labs) to replace one that he lost. It`s rumored that Victor didn`t survive the procedure. She says she`ll look into it more.

Metropolis, S.T.A.R. Labs: Silas Stone is going home for the day, A janitor (let`s call him Bob) gives him his condolences (because of what happened to Victor). Silas goes home to his apartment where his son, Victor is (who is very much alive). Silas talks to him and tries to offer support. Victor tells him that he`s having trouble adjusting to his new body. We get a little backstory through a flashback. After the accident It took him some time, but eventually Victor started to adjust to the idea of living with robot limbs. Then came the day when some scientists brought some unknown, small, high-tech rectangluar device (a Mother Box) to S.T.A.R. labs. When it was put in the same room as Victor it came alive, grew in size, disassembled itself and reassembled itself as a robot body around Victor. The difference between his new cyborg body and his old cybernetic limbs is that the new body is changing, upgrading itself. Everyday he wakes up with something new, like the ability to fly for an example. He also has images of a sphere-shaped object in his head. He`s a stranger in his own body, and it scares him.

Central City: Barry visits his dad in prison and tells him that the investigation has reached a dead-end. His dad, having no hope of ever getting out of jail, tells him to not waste all of his time on his case and move forward with his life. But Barry is determined, he`s not giving up on his dad. Paris: Diana is working in the museum, talks a little to her co-workers, one of them shows her the news where a professor living in Paris is missing. Diana goes to investigate. She arrives at the professor`s apartment. There`s police tape on the crime scene, a big hole in the wall that leads out to the streets and the whole place is a mess. Suddenly she`s not alone, a parademon shows up. She fights it, binds it with her lasso, it tries to break free, can`t, selfdestructs. Wonder Woman knows what it is, and realizes she has places to go and people to see. Metropolis, S.T.A.R. Labs: Bob the janitor is about to leave and go home, hears something, goes to investigate, is ambushed by a parademon.

Central City: Barry is on the phone with Iris. He talks to her about the situation with his dad and how he can do nothing to help him. Iris wants to help. Her best suggestion is that he goes for a walk to clear his head. Barry thinks it`s a good idea. He goes for a run as the Flash, ends up on a rooftop, takes time to reflect. Someone is being robbed, Flash pauses his thinking, stops the robber and goes back to his thinking.

The next day, Maine, Amnesty Bay: Diana is standing on a pier waiting for someone. Arthur shows up. She tells him that they could use his help. Arthur has heard about the flying creatures and wants to help but his hands are tied by the Atlantean royal council who think that he shouldn`t care about the surface world and focus on Atlantis. He tells Diana that he`ll do his best to convince the council but he can`t promise anything. Then he dives into the ocean and hitches a ride on an orca.

Themiscyra: Steppenwolf shows up to steal the worldbuilder. The Amazons put up a good fight and do their best to keep the worldbuilder away from him but in the end he gets away with it. The Amazons send the flaming arrow signal. Diana (who is travelling through the US to tell Bruce about what she knows) and Oracle both see the signal on the tv news.

Bat cave: Bruce is working on a big airship, Diana comes in and wants to talk to him. Alfred reveals to Bruce that it was he who let her in. Diana tells the story of the first time Steppenwolf tried to take over Earth. 1000 years ago the Amazons, the greek gods, the Atlanteans and a guardian from the stars (the Green Lantern who guarded sector 2814 back then), joined forces to defeat him. The worldbuilders were kept separate and the one given to the humans was buried.

Gotham: Oracle is searching for info on Victor. He contacts her, tells her he`s aware that she`s looking for and wants her to stop. She manages to convince him to let her talk to him. He doesn`t want to leave the apartment however and she`s not very mobile herself, being in a wheelchair and all. She tells him that she`ll send someone to speak for her. After giving it some thought Victor`s OK with it.

Metropolis, Daily Planet: Clark and Lois talk a little, about the flying aliens that have shown up recently and people that have been kidnapped. Could there be a connection? If so, what do the creatures need the people for? Clark hears something and excuses himself (looks like a job for Superman), he leaves and Lois gets a phonecall. A little later Supes lands outside a building where a group of reactionary terrorists have taken people hostage. They believe that the invasion of flying creatures is a sign that the world needs to be purged with fire. Not only do they have a time-bomb but they also start shooting at the hostage. Superman is fast and protects the hostage from bullets, as he reaches the time-bomb there`s only one second left and... The bomb is suddenly surrounded by a green forcefield that takes the force of the explosion. It was created by a flying masked man in a green suit. It`s Green Lantern.

Silas Stone`s apartment: The person who comes to talk to Victor in Oracle`s place is Lois Lane.She tries to convince him to join in the fight and reminds him of when he helped her find evidence that saved Supes`s life. Victor`s final response is "I`ll think about it".

Atlantis: Steppenwolf invades Atlantis, fights, defeats and kills two guards. Fights and defeats Mera, Fights and defeats Arthur, takes the worldbuilder and boomtubes away. When Arthur recovers he tells the Atlantean royal council that now is a time for action. Mera supports him. The council admits that they`ll have to get more involved and not distance themselves too much from the surface world. Mera gives Arthur a trident and assures him that she can take care of Atlantis in his absence.

Metropolis, S.T.A.R. Labs: Silas Stone gets kidnapped by a parademon.

Gotham Police Department: Commissioner Gordon is, together with another cop, looking at police reports. He says that with the things that has happened lately he`s starting to wonder if Batman`s help is enough. Heck, soon maybe even Superman`s help won`t be enough. Might be a good idea to call Batman tonight, see if he knows something they don`t.

Metropolis, Silas Stone`s apartment: Victor realizes that his dad should have been home by now and accesses the internet. He hacks into the Police`s database and finds out that his dad has been kidnapped. He takes the big step of stepping outside his apartment.

Central City: Barry gets a call from Bats who tells him to meet him in Gotham. Flash suits up and runs to Gotham.

Somewhere in Russia: We see a town where people and families do everyday stuff, cleaning their houses, reading the news paper etc. In one of the families (lets call them the Dostojevskis) the daughter sees something in the sky. Parademons! Their little town is now under siege by parademons. The people hide in their houses.

Gotham City: Commissioner Gordon turns on the Batsignal. Bats, Wondy and Flash show up. Gordon hopes that Bats has figured something out, he has. Based on where the kidnappings have taken place Bats has deduced that they will most likely find what they`re looking for on an island outside Gotham.

"Count me in!" Arthur shows up.

"Me too!" Victor shows up as well. The gang`s all here it seems... except one.

"Mind if I tag along?"

They look up, it`s Green Lantern. He introduces himself and tells them that Supes is busy elsewhere and may come later. They travel to the island where they go through some underground tunnels. Some of them talk a little, Barry is bothered by the fact that Bats knows his secret identity but he doesn`t know Bats`s

Batman: "I may tell you someday in the future."

Flash asks Bats one last question.

Flash: "What are your superpowers?"

Batman: "I`m good at detective work."

They find Steppenwolf interrogating the kidnapped people. Among the hostage they find the professor from Paris, Bob the janitor and Silas Stone. Flash zooms in and gets a few of them out, Steppenwolf and the parademons react, a fight starts, Flash saves the rest of the hostage. Green Lantern gets knocked out. Steppenwolf realizes that Victor`s body is a Mother Box and uses his own MB to scan and extract possible info from Victor`s body about the whereabouts of the final worldbuilder. Victor`s robotbody resists, but doing that is painful to Victor. Steppenwolf gets the info he needs, blows a hole in the wall, causes a flood and boomtubes away. Things look grim for the heroes but Supes shows up and gets them out of trouble.

A secret base a few miles outside Metropolis: Steppenwolf shows up via boomtube, breaks through the safety doors, the parademons kill the guards, Steppenwolf gets the final worldbuilder and boomtubes away.

The Batcave: The heroes take some time to recharge and come up with a plan. Victor knows that it`s not his fault but he`s still angry that Steppenwolf found the worldbuilder through him. Determined to make things right he goes online to search for any info on where Steppenwolf could possibly be. Flash asks Bats:

"Didn`t you use to have a sidekick? I think I read something about it."

Bats opens up about how he adopted a young cirkus acrobat when his parents died. The kid found out that Bruce Wayne was Batman and wanted to fight crimes by his side. Bruce agreed to train him but made sure that the training would be hard and challenging in the hopes that the boy would give up the idea of becoming a crimefighter. The boy persevered and became Robin. Years later the boy grew up and he and Bats went their separate ways. Bats found a new kid who became the next Robin who sadly was killed by the Joker. This turned Bats down a dark spiral. Flash understands Bats`s pain.

"It`s Bruce by the way, Bruce Wayne."

Bats finally reveals his secret identity to Flash. Alfred shows up, is surprised that Bats has brought company but quickly adapts and asks if he can get them anything to eat or drink. Flash would like something to eat.

As he`s searching databases for info on Steppenwolf`s whereabouts Victor once again comes in contact with Oracle. She gives him her backstory: Batman inspired her to fight crime. She called herself Batgirl and wore a bat-costume of her own. Then Joker shot her and made her a paraplegic. She has fought crime from a distance in a wheelchair since then. The doctors say that there`s a small chance that she may be able to walk again (because in this universe Joker didn`t shoot her directly in the spine). Victor understands Barbara.

Somewhere in Russia: The russians (among them are the Dostojevskis) are still hiding from the parademons. Steppenwolf unites the third worldbuilder with the others and activates them with his Mother box. They start to charge up. We get a little backstory about how he once fought for Darkseid in a war against New Genesis. He made a mistake that helped the forces of New Genesis get the upperhand which lead to them stopping the forces of Apokolips from taking over their planet. Because of this Steppenwolf was demoted and would only get his general-title back if he conquered a number of planets in the name of Darkseid. (We get a flashback where we see Steppenwolf kneel before Granny Goodness, but we don`t get to see Darkseid.)

The Batcave: Victor has found Steppenwolf, the coordinates point to an old town near an old powerplant in Russia. The gang gets ready and they fly to the place in Bats`s airship. Victor tell them how to stop the worldbuilders during the trip. They arrive and come up with a plan. Supes and GL takes care of saving and evacuating civilians, the rest of the team attract the attention of, and fight the parademons to get to the worldbuilder. The League charge into battle. The worldbuilders are fully charged and start to terraform the environment around them. The Dostojevkis are in trouble

The League fight their way through the parademons, the terraforming continues, Supes and GL save and evacuate civilians, the Dostojevskis are still in trouble.The League fight their way through the parademons and reach Steppenwolf, the terraforming continues and it`s getting worse, Supes and GL save and evacuate civilians, the Dostojevskis are still in trouble and it`s getting worse. The League fight Steppenwolf, the terraforming continues, Supes and GL save and evacuate civilians, but it looks like no one is gonna help the Dostojevskis, they`re doomed.But then: Superman saves the Dostojevskis!

He takes them somewhere safe, far away from the warzone. He takes a moment to breathe and gather his strength before he gets back in the fight. The Dostojevski daughter says "Thank you" in russian. Superman says "You`re welcome" in russian. Steppenwolf fights the League, he`s getting the upperhand, GL joins the fight and gets the upperhand for a moment. Steppenwolf gets the upperhand back but then Supes joins the fight. The two of them are pretty evenly matched. While the rest of the league fight Steppenwolf. Victor (with a little help from GL) manages to shut down and separate the worldbuilders, ending the terraforming. Furious, Steppenwolf punches out GL and tears off Victors leg. The league fight him again and destroy his axe. Steppenwolf realizes that he has lost and boomtubes the hell outta there with the rest of his parademons. The heroes have won and the civilians are safe.

Later, somewhere in the U.S.A: Remember the scoutship from Man of Steel? Supes does. He`s found it, placed somewhere in a remote place in the U.S. and it`s gonna become their new HQ. Bats says they should have a round table with seven chairs.

"With room for more." adds Diana.Central city: Barry visits his dad and tells him that his case is moving forward again. His dad wonders how it`s possible. Barry tells him that he has a friend who`s good at detective work.

Metropolis: Victor has joined a kind of big brother mentor program where he teaches basketball to kids.

Batcave: Bruce is reunited with his old protègè Dick Grayson, who now calls himself Nightwing. Apokolips: Steppenwolf bows and apologizes to Granny Goodness, she reminds him that it`s not her that he should apologize to.

Earth: We get Lois`s speech about hope and darkness as a voiceover to a montage where we see Oracle, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Batman and Nighwing in their natural element. The montage ends with Clark Kent walking the streets of Metropolis, he looks up, walks away from the crowd to avoid being seen as he opens his shirt to reveal the Superman logo. Superman flies off into the sky.

The end

Not great but hopefully not bad.

* In my CC I wrote that Lex mentions that a young athlete who got into a terrible accident is now able to walk again, thanks to Lexcorp`s advancements in the field of bionics. I felt I had to keep some of it because I want to have a little continuity.

#81scorp #justice league #dceu #editorial #constructive #criticism

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tialovestelevision · 8 years

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War Zone

The closing of Angel season 1 is going to have a fairly easy lift to match the Adam storyline, but Buffy season 4’s epilogue raised the game. A lot. Let’s see what’s up here. 1. Black woman walking quickly and nervously through nighttime streets Three white men pursuing her. The men are vampires. Vampire turns around to see a group of young men with swords and crossbows ready to attack. Theme song. 2. Fancy party time! Wes and Cordy are dressed up. Angel is not. They’re here to see Mr. Nabbit. Mr. Nabbit wants to speak with Angel. Welland Harding is there too, but Mr. Nabbit doesn’t know him. Mr. Nabbit is a software billionaire. Paying client! Angel has seen a few dungeons and a few dragons. Nabbit fights troglodytes. Oh god… they went to a demon brothel. Someone has pictures. Larry Edwards has pictures. Angel is going to take the case. 3. The young people are fighting the vampires. Making a good accounting of themselves, too. They have an air powered gatling stake gun, which is the coolest thing in this setting, but a vampire got on the truck so they can’t use it. Looks like the vampires killed one of their guys. They’re in a siege, it looks like. No… just hurt him very badly. Maybe fatally. The leader of this group is Gunn. Bobby needs a doctor, but now he doesn’t because he died. Gunn makes sure everyone gets food. They appear to steal food and fight vampires. 4. Demon brothel time. Angel’s there. Swanky place. The person who runs the place doesn’t want to talk to vampires, but Angel pointed out that blackmail is bad for business. Now he’s getting the info. 5. The girl is Gunn’s sister. She thinks he’s getting reckless, and he’s baiting vampires. She doesn’t want to lose him. They found a vampire nest, but were followed back. Vampires are jumping rooftop to rooftop. 6. Angel found Larry. But Gunn found Angel. And Angel just showed Larry his vampire face. Then Batmanned out. Gunn is planning to kill Angel. 7. Larry is giving them a payment, and also appreciated them talking to him. And is paying them a lot of money. He’s David now. 8. Larry is sitting on his car. He brought the photos, but also brought demons. Angel is fighting the demon, but got the photos and is about to get away, but the demon caught up. Angel took the demon out, and is coughing. And jut got shot with the stake gun. He’s running now. Gunn’s people are chasing him. He’s cornered. Gets out by breaking a grate. But they’re attacking the building. It’s rigged with traps, too. They’re well organized. He just deliberately didn’t kill one of Gunn’s people, then caught Gunn’s sister Alonna. He saved Alonna from a trap. The bolt was metal, and Angel pointed that out. Gunn let him leave, but said he’ll kill him if he comes down again. 9. Wes is looking at the pictures while Cordy patches Angel up. Angel wants to find the nest before Gunn’s people do. 10. The vampires are angry with Gunn. Lead vampire just staked his pal for some reason. Vampires are getting ready to attack Gunn’s people. 11. Alonna wants Gunn to work with Angel. Gunn is skeptical. Angel is, it seems, at the vampire nest. One of the vampires is on the ceiling. Angel steps aside and the vampire falls on the floor. 12. Gunn is reloading the stake gun. Gunn hears something. They’re running away. Vampires are there. They gassed the room, but didn’t come in. The vampires are in full body outfits and grabbed Alonna before driving off. Gunn is chasing their van. The vampires are biting her, and knocked Gunn off the van. 13. Wes and Cordy are in Angel’s car. They’re looking for Gunn’s place. Angel’s at the place. “I don’t need advice from some middle class white dude who’s dead.” One of Gunn’s guys has a flamethrower. Gunn just locked Angel in a closet. They’re going after the nest. 14. Gunn’s going in first to check the nest out. He doesn’t have his sword, just a stake. Place is quiet. He hears Alonna humming. She’s a vampire. Just tossed him across the room. Angel is trying to break out of the closet Gunn locked him in. Alonna is offering to turn Gunn. Cordy let Angel out. Angel didn’t use his phone to call them. Angel’s on his way to help Gunn. Alonna is telling him stories about their childhood to convince Gunn to let her turn him. Gunn staked her, though. And Angel’s there, saying they should get out of there. But the vampires are there. Bragging about eating Alonna. Angel killed the lead vampire, and the rest of the vampires are leaving town. Gunn’s people are backing down too. Angel ended that particular war. 15. Cordy and Wes are getting coffee during the day. Talking about Gunn’s people. Cordy has decided not to become David’s trophy wife. And Angel found Gunn, on a roof. Angel says he might need help from Gunn. Fade to black. Overall: Oh good God is Gunn necessary for this franchise. According to Wikipedia, Los Angeles in 1990 was 37% white, 14% black, 40% Hispanic, and 10% of Asian descent, yet our main cast was entirely white. I could almost buy that in Sunnydale, which seems like a very white, very yuppie slice of Suburbia (though choosing to set the show in such is its own problem), but Los Angeles? No. He’s also something else that Angel had lacked to this point in its main cast - a native to the city. Angel and Wesley are both English, and Cordelia is from Sunnydale. Gunn anchors the show in Los Angeles in a way none of the others do. The episode itself? It was fine. Gunn’s arc was the strongest part of it, and he was the de facto main character of the episode in spite of Angel getting more screen time. David’s money will help make a bit of the show revolve less around the agency’s funds, I expect. Looking forward to the next episode.

#angel #war zone #charles gunn #angel season 1 #season 1 #season 4

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coffee-n-some-cream · 8 years

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The Space I Filled - Chapter 2: The Art of Superhero Stalking

The similarities between himself and her were not lost on him, that was for sure. But he was more concerned about how she had heard of him in the first place. He followed her for a few minutes, silently observing her as she searched for him. Her hair was cropped boyishly short, and her all-black wardrobe blended nicely into the night. She was practical, and athletically inclined, apparently. She was good at navigating rooftops, at least. Good for a civilian.

After getting tired of just watching her get more and more frustrated at his lack of appearance, he stood in a particularly shadowy area of the roof so as to minimize what she could see of him, and cleared his throat.

She whipped around, eyes blown wide, and stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

"It's... it's you! It's actually you! Holy shit, I-"

"You," he interrupted in his best Batman voice, causing her to squeak a bit, "were following me."

She didn't take her eyes off of him, but she did shuffle her feet a bit and nod.

"And you were taking pictures."

Another nod.

"Why?"

She looked a bit confused, and said, "Well, because you're amazing. We've never had a vigilante in this city. Most of them are in, ya know, America. And I've always wished someone would show up here and save us, like Superman or Wonderwoman or Batman, or someone. I... I even considered doing it myself, but," she paused to clear her throat, "I'm just a kid, ya know?"

"So you think that running around on rooftops and taking pictures of me is a smart thing to do?"

The look of alarm on her face was a little funny, but this was too serious a situation to be light-hearted.

"I was always careful, and don't worry, I would never get in your way. I just wanted to, I don't know, know more about you? I-" she finally looked away from him, bowing her head, "I'm sorry."

Tim sighed and said, "Don't you think stalking a vigilante is a bit strange? Dangerous? ...Stupid?" Yeah, he felt like a real hypocrite right then.

"Yeah, but I felt like I had to. You probably don't remember, but you saved me and my sister a bit ago," she answered, "We were walking home from her school a few weeks ago and these guys tried to get us into their car. And when we didn't, they got out and started trying to force us. And then you just swooped in and took them out!" Her voice started to gain volume and excitement, and she was bouncing up and down. "And you took the one guy out with a kick, and the other guy drew a gun but you knocked it out of his hand! Then you threw the third guy against the car! It was awesome!"

She took a deep breath and Tim remained silent. He did remember them. He remembered the look of gratitude and awe this girl had shot him and how her little sister had been crying.

"And then you asked us if we were okay," she continued when he didn't say anything, "and I said yes and thanked you, and you nodded and grappled away. It was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. I just had to find out more about you!"

Tim didn't say anything for a while, just watched as she got more and more uncomfortable in the silence. Finally he said, "How old are you. Twelve?"

She bristled a bit. "Thirteen."

"Still young. You shouldn't be out here. Go home."

The crestfallen look on her face was enough to melt a bit of the Batman persona he was putting on, and he sighed a bit. "Look, I'll escort you there. I'm not mad at you, I just don't want to have to worry about you, okay? I'm flattered, but this is really dangerous. You're just a kid."

She nodded a bit, then said, "I'll go home. Can I just ask a favor?"

"...What?"

"Can you... Do you think your grappling hook could carry both of us?"

After a bit of staring, he mentally shrugged and walked out of the shadows, watching as her breath caught a bit at seeing all of him in the pale moonlight. Her fingers twitched toward the phone in her pocket but she didn't pull it out, so he didn't have to tell her to knock it off.

"Where do you live?" he asked, taking out his grappling hook and readying it, mentally performing all the calculations that had to do with the wind speed and which way it was going.

"Avenue Beira Mar, an apartment on the east side."

"Hold on," Tim said as he wrapped an arm around her waist and shot the grapple into a nearby building. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a deathgrip, and he stepped off the building.

Her yelp sounded in his ear on the first swing as the lurch of gravity and the lack of a support under her feet hit her, but by the second swing she was laughing and giggling. Her yells of joy floated and cut through the city air, and her amazement at the ride had Tim re-experiencing his first time grappling. The feeling of flying, the wind in his hair, the complete and total freedom.

He looked at her face, which was crinkled with excitement, and felt a chuckle bubble up from within to join her peals of laughter. He realized that this was all new to her, that she had never experienced this. That she had been tied to the ground her whole life. He grinned and took a particularly sharp turn around a building and she screamed and hid her face in his shoulder, but her histarical giggling only increased.

They soared through the air, and Tim thought that this was the most fun he'd had in years, maybe since he'd left Gotham. Maybe since he'd been Robin. When they finally reached her apartment, he set her down on her balcony.

She stumbled onto it, breathless and still laughing."That was..." she shook her head, seemingly unable to find the words to express it, "that was one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me. Holy shit!"

Tim smiled under the mask, chuckling to let her know he was happy for her.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She paused and smiled a bit ruefully. "And, uh, sorry for stalking you and all that."

"No problem. Just stay safe, okay?"

"Sure," she answered, then turned her back to him to continue ranting about the flight. He took that opportunity to take off, knowing she would turn around and he would be gone.

Apparently he hadn't gotten through to her with his whole, "What you're doing is really dangerous" speech, because a few days later she was following him around again, snapping photos.

He tied up the rapist he was wailing on and grappled to the roof she was sitting on.

"What are you doing?" he asked in his best "disapproving Bruce" voice.

"I was just taking some pictures. Don't worry, I'm being really careful, I'm not following you on your whole route anymore. Which you changed, I noticed," she said with a nervous smile.

Tim really wished the helmet didn't prevent him from pinching the bridge of his nose and considered changing his look simply for that purpose.

"Look, when I said this was dangerous, I meant don't do it again. Ever. Don't you have enough pictures?"

"No... I know it's dangerous but as long as I stay around you I'll be okay. Besides, I can take care of myself well enough. I've lived here my whole life, you know."

"You're twelve."

"Thirteen!" came her indignant cry.

"Thirteen, right, sorry." He sighed. "Being around me is actually really dangerous because I literally go around looking for bad people to beat up, okay? I can't guarantee your protection. I can try, but it's not airtight."

"I know that! I just need to do this, okay? I need to observe you and see what you do so that..." she trailed off, going silent and looking down at the alley below them instead of at him.

"So that what? So that you can... be like me?"

"Well... yeah." She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. You are not getting into the vigilante business. I do not recommend, condone, or allow that, okay? That is not a good idea at all." Holy hell, did this girl make him feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world.

"Why not? How old are you even?" she asked, getting a bit upset now.

He scoffed. "I am twenty-four, thank you very much. That's a lot older than you. And I have a lot more experience. So get that thought out of your head, okay?"

"Really? You look younger," she said musingly. Tim supressed a groan. "Sound like it too..."

"It doesn't matter what I sound like!" He snapped, then put a hand on his forehead. "You're not going to be a vigilante. You are not going to observe me anymore. You are going to go home, or I will carry you there. And it won't be fun like last time."

Her mouth set into a firm line, but she nodded stiffly and got up to climb down the fire escape. He watched her go, arms crossed.

She paused on the fire escape, then looked up at him and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name?" he answered dumbly.

"Yeah. You know, most superheroes have a name. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, waving his hand. He had been calling himself Red X in his head, but hadn't actually said it to anyone. He wanted the criminals to come up with their own names for him to make him seem more like a legend, but the helmet had a red X on it, so it was kind of obvious anyway. He shrugged and answered, "Red X."

A grin split her face. "Oh man, that's so cool."

"Heh. Yeah, cool... What's your name?"

She looked surprised that he asked, but said, "Adriana. Adriana Marsh."

Tim nodded, then said, "Bye Adriana. I better not see you up here again."

She sighed and continued to climb down the fire escape.

AO3

#my writing #fandom writings #ao3 #dc #tim drake #batfam #the space i filled

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mizmahlia · 7 years

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#5 with Jason Todd

Oooo was this one fun. ;) Thanks for requesting this one- I hope it’s angsty enough for you!

(Also? AU drabble is very AU.)

#5: Jason Todd – “How funny. You thought I cared.”

Batman had the Red Hood and a mob hitman cornered in an alley on Miagani Island. The man Red Hood had his gun trained on was stupid enough to cash in on a hit put on a city official. Just as the Red Hood drew his gun to fire a warning shot in his direction, Batman pinned the gun to the wall behind him using his own grapple gun. But then he’d drawn a second weapon faster than Batman thought was possible and now he was dangerously close to finishing off his hostage. The man was on his knees, hands behind his head, facing Batman.

“Try something. I dare you. I make Boy Scouts look lazy.”

Bruce stopped at a safe distance. He could hear the amusement in Jason’s voice, even through the voice modulator in the helmet. The second gun was pointed at the back of the man’s head, his arm steady and the hammer cocked.

“You can’t see it, but under this helmet? I’m enjoying this.”

“You know I can’t let you do this.”

He didn’t move, choosing to give himself enough room to carry out any number of the scenarios in his head. The problem was that most of the scenarios he was considering wound up with the man dead on account of Jason’s accuracy and reflexes. And my hesitation to do what I have to, he thought.

“Ah, yes. ‘The Bat Talk’. Are you really going to do this again?” He tilted his head and sighed theatrically. “You realize the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” He shoved the barrel of the gun against the man’s head and he yelped in surprise.

Bruce bit the inside of his cheek. Jason had always had a knack for pushing his buttons, but this was different. This wasn’t some sparring session at home or a bored Robin on patrol with nothing to do. This was a man, a young man, with a myriad of issues to deal with and a nasty grudge, and that made him more dangerous than Bruce cared to admit.

“And you’re a model example of sanity?” Bruce gestured to the man who was now shaking violently and had wet himself. “This isn’t the way we do things and you know that. I taught you better than this.”

The man looked up at Batman, shocked at the realization these two knew each other.

“Nightwing said something similar nights ago, except he told me I’m 'unhinged’.” He shook his head and looked down to his left. His voice grew quiet. “I guess we’re back to you guys all calling me crazy, huh? Good to know.”

Something in Bruce’s chest lurched at the wounded tone to Jason’s voice. He stepped forward, one hand out in front of him.

“Listen, I…”

Jason cut him off. He holstered his gun and dropped his hands to his sides, balling them into fists.

“You want to know if I’m any more sane or rational than you? Christ, that’s not hard. I have no illusions about what I am and why I am this way,” he said pointedly. “And before you give me any more shit about it, I know what you’re gonna say. You’re gonna tell me that killing someone who took a life not forty-five minutes ago just for money, let me remind you, doesn’t make me any better than him.”

Bruce stayed silent and let Jason talk. He’d holstered the gun under his arm, not at his thigh, and his drawing speed from beneath his arm was slightly slower. He just might have a chance to save him. A small voice in the back of his mind asked which man he was referring to and he told himself he could save them both. But he’d been so exhausted since the siege, both physically and mentally, and he couldn’t deny that the murderer in front of Jason was the least of his concerns.

“It doesn’t. And you know that.”

Jason released the catch on his helmet, the face plate shifting with a hiss. Bruce steeled himself, surprised at the move and not at all prepared to see Jason’s face again. He hadn’t seen him since the night of the siege and his eyes went straight to the scar below Jason’s left eye. Jason knew Bruce would stare and he grinned, ghosting his fingers over the red, raised skin.

“Yeah, this one hurt like a bitch. But it wasn’t the worst thing he did to me.” A bitter chuckle died in his throat and he shook his head. He looked up at Bruce, his piercing blue eyes locked onto the lenses in his cowl.

“The worst thing he did was only a few months in. He showed me a photo of you and the new kid. Sick, right? So everything that happened after that- the beatings, the meds from Harley, the weird psych experiments. They all paled in comparison to what you did to me. You left me.”

Bruce felt the color drain from his face and his stomach rolled. He’d long had suspicions of what happened to Jason, but the only evidence he had to work with was the video Joker sent of Jason’s apparent execution. He’d studied that footage repeatedly, seeing the burns and the bruising and the scarring, and the terrible condition of Jason’s suit. He analyzed the bruising patterns to determine when they’d been inflicted, but there were so many in varying stages of healing it was nearly impossible to tell. In the end, the video showed him everything but told him nothing.

But none of that mattered anymore. None of what the Joker did to Jason could hold a candle to how a photo of a new Robin would hurt him. As difficult as it was for Bruce to admit, the Joker had finally done what he’d been trying to do for years: he destroyed Robin and by extension, Batman. And he’d taken a son from his father.

Jason was staring at him now, anger replaced by smugness at Bruce’s lack of response. He noticed Bruce’s posture stiffen when he mentioned the photo and he took a small measure of satisfaction in the fact he could throw some of his pain back in Bruce’s face. He took advantage of Bruce being distracted and continued talking.

“Anyway. We can reminisce some other time.”

Jason stepped behind the hitman again, grabbing a fistful of his hair. He pulled him to his feet, putting him between himself and Bruce. “One man killing another doesn’t change much, so you’re half-right. But when you’ve killed as many of these assholes as I have? That’s called making a difference.”

His eyes never left Batman’s face as he gripped the man’s chin in one hand and the back of his head in the other, twisting violently. Bruce darted forward but he knew he was too late. Jason let go and the man dropped to the ground in a heap.

“Wow, old man. You’re getting slow. Did you even want to stop me?”

He dusted his hands together and yanked the grapple line from the wall next to him to retrieve his gun. He studied the dents in the barrel before returning it to his holster. He wasn’t at all surprised when Bruce spun him around, fists latching onto his jacket, and he allowed Bruce to slam him against the building behind him. Jason wasn’t looking at Batman at that moment. He was looking at Bruce. And it was Bruce’s voice shouting at him.

“Do you remember any of what I taught you? Do you remember any of what we accomplished together?“ Jason didn’t react and simply stood there, savoring the fact he was nearly the same height as Bruce now. He looked at his former mentor and partner, an empty smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, how funny. You thought I still cared.”

He didn’t move, his eyes boring into Bruce’s.

“You think I still care about any of that? That after everything Joker put me through, everything you let him do to me and countless others, that I would still follow your rules? That I would care about saving the lives of criminals who will never change?”

He slammed his knee into Bruce’s solar plexus, sending him backward and forcing him to let go. Jason then swung one of his massive arms, his gloved fist connecting solidly with Bruce’s face.

“Jason, we don’t cross that line. We don’t take lives. We can’t.” Bruce swiped blood from his cheek. “You used to believe in that.”

“Yeah, well, I used to believe in a lot of things. Like family, for instance. But a year of physical and psychological torture tends to shift your perspective a little bit. The Jason you knew before all of this is long gone. You can thank the Joker and Harley for that.”

Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but the words were lost. He had no idea what to say because he had no idea what his son had been through. Jason looked down at the dead man between them and shook his head.

“You all think I’m crazy, that I need to be saved and sent to Arkham, the place that turned me into… this.” There was so much venom in his words at the mention of Arkham. He looked up at Bruce and his voice wavered ever so slightly.

“I’m a lot of things, B. Angry. Confused. Hell, I know I’m damaged.”

He touched his fingers to a hidden button on his helmet, once again covering his face and the capital ‘J’ on his cheek.

“But I’m not the lunatic you all think I am.”

He fired his grapple at a nearby rooftop and disappeared into the darkness. Bruce again looked at the dead man at his feet. He had to call Gordon and report the incident. But before he could call Gordon, Alfred’s voice was in his ear piece.

“Sir, as much as you don’t want to hear it, I believe that young man has a point.”

“You can’t be serious, Alfred. He’s killing people.”

“You know that’s not what I mean. I disagree with the permanence of the results from his method of crime-fighting, as I know you do.”

Bruce didn’t say a word. He continued staring at the man on the ground, eyes open and fixed on the street lamp above them. He knew Alfred was watching the feed from his cowl live on the monitors back at the cave, looking into those same dead eyes. He knelt down and closed them.

“But?”

“He said it himself; he isn’t insane. Master Jason knows what he’s doing is wrong and he’s aware of the consequences of his actions. As it stands, in a court of law he would be considered sane.”

“He can’t be allowed to take his issues out on Gotham. I won’t let him continue operating this way.”

Bruce shook his head and stood up, sending Gordon a message about the incident and its location. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of that anymore tonight.

“I know you won’t. Master Bruce, was there truth to what he said? Have you and Master Dick told him he’s crazy?”

There was a reproachful tone in Alfred’s voice and Bruce didn’t answer as he launched himself up out of the alley and into the night sky. It wasn’t that simple. They all thought Jason was dead until that night of the siege two months ago. To find out he’d worked for years planning such a horrendous event was too much to process at first. Jason, his partner, his son, had wanted him dead and went to terrifying extremes to try and make that happen. Bruce couldn’t bring himself to consider Jason would have made that decision while he was of sound mind. Jason wouldn’t do that.

But he’d seen the video. And the scar. He’d heard the taunts from Harley about the “fun” she’d had with him. And then there were the flashbacks the Joker had shown him, the ones he told himself weren’t real, couldn’t be real. After tonight, he realized they may have been much more real than he cared to admit.

“Sir, while I agree he’s emotionally volatile and unsteady, he’s been severely traumatized. Please consider the possibility he may be reaching out for help. Even if he doesn’t realize it.”

Bruce turned off his ear piece without responding and glided over the river toward the movie studios. He had to find a way to help Jason, to try and fix the years of damage and abuse. To show him he hadn’t been simply cast aside and written off.

He put on a pot of coffee and sat down at the main computer terminal, locking down the movie studios and disabling all of his communication devices. He couldn’t afford the distractions and didn’t want anyone interfering. It was time to talk to Harley to find out what they did to his son and how to repair the damage.

But if that didn’t work, if his plan failed, he would need a way to stop him. Either way, Harley would give him what he needed. He didn’t fail to see the irony in that and with a grim smile, he started typing.

We can fix this, Jason.

Together.

#MizMahlia's fanfiction #fanfiction #Jason Todd #Red Hood #Batman #Bruce Wayne #angst angst angst #Fic Request

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