#this fic began because i just wanted fluff and nice things for Jason because I love him and he deserved so much better than canon ever gave

[xysidhequeen]

I know in your Red Knight AU, Jason when on the rampage in another realm, after finding out that Batman replace him with another Robin.

Did Danny manage to be there for him during that time?

He did! Danny was always there for Jason. He actually wanted to chase after Jason immediately, but luckily, the first thing he did was panic call Jazz, absolutely out of his mind. Jazz promptly told Danny to let Jason have some space for a little bit to process.

Which was for the best, really. Jason needed to not feel like he was trapped and that he could be angry. He never really got that before. But the most important thing is Danny came after him and brought him home. Jason needed to feel like he could be angry, but also, like his anger wouldn't mean he'd be punished or abandoned. It was a very delicate time for him, but Danny, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and all our favorite ghosts made sure Jason knew he was very much wanted still. And that he was utterly irreplaceable.

Skulker handled this by breaking all of his weapons and suits overnight and saying he didn't know how to fix them. (Jason very much knew what he was doing, but the time spent on fixing things helped ground him)

Ember handled this by announcing that she couldn't possibly ever sing ever again unless her only other band member was there (Still very obvious, but music time with Ember usually devolved into very necessary crying time. A lot of ice cream was consumed)

Johnny and Kitty handled this by getting into a MASSIVE fight and refusing to speak to each other unless Jason mediated. (This actually was far less obvious, as the two tend to get into fights often. No one is actually certain if the fight was fake or not to this day, but they also haven't broken up once since and Jason is incredibly proud of that)

Fright Knight handled this by.... well, actually, he took the blunt approach and told Jason there was no one in any realm dead or alive he'd ever consider worthy to be his apprentice besides Jason. (This was highly effective as Frighty has always been bluntly honest with Jason. He didn't wholly believe it but it was a comfort. Frighty then beat his ass in a spar and he didn't think of much else)

Basically, everyone was there for Jason. Not just Danny. Jason was made to feel like his anger and hurt were valid, because they were. But he was also not just told, but shown how precious he was to every life he touched. He didn't get it, not at first and he struggled to really believe it.

It wasn't until later, after Danny opened up more about his own trauma and the effects it had on him that Jason actually began to somewhat understand more of what Jazz meant when she said Danny was getting better. He pieced more of the story together from the others to paint a better picture, and that's when it clicked for him. As much as he needed Danny, Danny had needed him just as much. (Clockwork may have had a hand in this as well, but whatever those two talked about, no one will ever know)

Also, as an aside, once everything calmed down, Danny was very pleased to learn the rebelling realm was now back under control and quite terrified of the Ghost King and his Knight. It saved him so much paperwork.

So yeah, this was a bit all over the place, but hopefully, it answers your question. Team Phantom and the ghosts are basically a very large family, and they might fight and bicker, but they seriously pull through and muster together if anyone is hurting. They're a bit clumsy sometimes with it, but the love they all feel is very obvious. I really, really wanted to give Jason a much more healthy origin story into becoming Red Hood than he got in canon. The poor boy went through enough. It was past time for him to get to heal.

Jason still has some hangups. His abandonment issues are still there, and his fear of rejection. But it's not as bad as it was, and because he'd been allowed to express his anger without being punished(or enabled, anger is a fine emotion to feel. But you should never let it consume you) for it, he figured out how to manage it.

He might still slip now, and then, he has trauma, and that won't go away. But Danny will never, ever let him fall. Neither will the rest of the weird little eclectic family they've built.

[internalsealpanic]

Sealing the Deal part 1

Summary: Always, always be nice to sea creatures but never ever accept their pelt.

  A/n: A fic I’ve been meaning to write since forever. My contribution to mermay.

  warning: Disgusting fluff and bad decisions

Main Masterlist

part 2

You look like you're gonna die from boredom in your little fishing boat. 

 Dick rolls over to where Jason was sprawled and used his momentum to push the larger seal into the water. Jason gives an undignified squawk of outrage. Dick just preens and looks smug. 

 You cup your hand over your mouth as you begin to laugh. 

 Jason glares even harder at Dick. Dick... couldn't care even less if he tried. All he can focus on is the wrinkle in the corners of your eyes. They'd been gone for so long these past few months. It felt like the first ray of sun after a long storm.

 Dick claps his fins in excitement even as Jason snuffs and rolls his eyes. You clap in return but accidentally drop your fishing pole into the sea. Reaching for it, you fall into the water. Dick feels a little bad for laughing but you manage to get yourself back up into the boat safely.  You sigh in defeat as your fishing pole drifts away. Dick notices for the first time that your face has grown gaunt from the last few weeks. Are you eating enough? Are you even taking care of yourself? Dick swims over to your boat as it rocks back and forth on the waves. He hops in easily and plops onto your stomach. You laugh and pet his head. It was a weak laugh so he croons at you in question. 

 “Sorry pup, I don’t have any food for you today. I mean I don’t even have any for me.” Despite the sweet timbre of your voice, Dick can still taste the bitter hopelessness in the statement. 

He nuzzles his face into your chest. He can feel just how thin you’ve gotten. He has to do something about this. 

To say Dick had been afraid of humans would be a monumental understatement. It had been around 200 years since humans had left the island and the first thing they did when they came back was hunt down selkies. Dick's parents had been two of the unlucky few who'd been hunted down.

 So when Dick found himself stranded onshore because of a fin tangled in a fishing line, he thought he was a goner. And when he saw you approaching; well, he still thought he was fucked but he thought you'd at least be nicer than the adults.

 Maybe if he acts cute enough you'll spare him. 

 Dick whimpered and he gave you the big innocent look. 

 You shushed him harshly. Dick flinched then you flinched and muttered apologies.

 You approached him slowly. You looked around before crouching and fiddling with the line Dick had managed to get himself caught in. Carefully, you began to disentangle him. It hurt, especially when you took the hook out, but once he was free. He clapped and trilled before you shushed him again.

 Dick thought that it was all over and he could just roll back into the sea until you scoop him up and swaddle him in your shirt.

 After 10 minutes of your father screaming at you, he agreed to treat Dick who knew better than to snap at him. Your father was kind with gentle hands. He worked on Dick while you fed him fish. It wasn't the best fish but  Dick can't complain. 

 After an hour or so, Dick started to wriggle and you pull him closer to your chest. 

 "Dad, can we keep him for a few days? He might still be sick." You plead with big eyes. 

 Your father glared at you then sighed. "No more than two. His wounds just need to close up, understand?"

 You squealed a little. Hugging Dick tighter, you thanked your father before scampering off to find you a basin to put Dick in. You, thankfully, had the good sense to fill it with lukewarm water.

 Dick lived like a king in those two days. You fed him a lot of fish much to your dad's exasperation. You kept him warm. You even read to him and sang songs to him. 

 Dick wanted to stay but he missed Bruce, Alfred, Damian, and maybe that new kid Jason.

On the fourth day (one of the wounds was deeper than expected), Dick was released back into the sea but he never did manage to stay away after that

Dick sets the odd little trinket down in front of Jason's sleeping form. It was something you'd caught in your net days before along with the meager amount of fish you'd managed to net. You'd busied yourself with it for days before throwing it out. Dick wasn't sure what it was; all he knew was that it was something Jason would like. 

 He waits semi patiently for Jason to notice it, nudging it forward a little until it touches Jason's snout and the larger seal is forced to pay attention to Dick. 

 "I know when I'm being bribed, Dickface." Jason says, glaring. 

 Dick volleys it with a wide-eyed hopeful look. He nudges the little trinket forward again. This time, instead of ignoring him, Jason rises to his full height, teeth bared. This... does not faze Dick. 

 "C'mon Jaaaaaaay," Dick says as if the prolonging of syllables would whittle down Jason's irritation. Jason suspects if he were less inclined to tell Dick to fuck off, it would have worked. Probably. But as it stands, Dick is responsible for ruining a very good, very rare nap for Jason and so he's on the shit list and has lost any favor privileges until further notice. 

 "I said no. Go away or ask Bruce."

 "But Jaaaaaaay, it's just a teensy tiny favor. It won't even take an hour. Not with your skill at least."

 "That kind of flattery may work on Harper and it may even work on West but I'm not an idiot about to get involved with whatever shenanigans you have planned with the human."

Dick lets out a long-suffering sigh. Jason isn't stupid enough to think that Dick has actually given up. No, the stubborn little fuck is worse than a barnacle. "You've left me no choice-"

 "I have given you plenty of choices. Most of them involve minding your own goddamn business." Jason says with a little snuff. 

 "-I'm calling it in."

 Jason narrows his eyes at Dick.

 "Don't you dare. That was 5 years ago."

 Dick smiles, evilly. "Unless you want the rest of the family to know about-" 

 "Fine! What do you want?"

 Dick looks smug. Jason wants to bite his face off. 

 "I need you to help me catch fish."

 Jason looks at him, incredulous. "Did you hit your head or something?"

 "Not recently. Look, I just need you to help me catch fish for the human." Dick explains like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Contrary to what Dick seems to think, Jason really isn't concerned with the one human on the island. Most of the selkies on the island have barely even interacted with you outside of staring at you.

 "You're insane."

 "I think we reserve that term for Bruce." 

 Jason raises his head from the ground. "You're not wrong."

   You think you hear the light pitter-patter of raindrops. You sigh. You would be lying if you say you aren't the least bit thankful for the excuse to stay indoors today. You... don't exactly like foraging for food. You had avoided it for as long as you had food in the lighthouse. You thought it would at least last you 'til the ships came in but whatever is going on in the mainland has kept the ships from your shores. You don't mind. You never did find the sailors all that pleasant on the rare occasions that you did have to interact with them. 

 You like your island the way it is but... you're not exactly the most skilled at hunting... or fishing. You have no idea how your father did it. You chucked it up to the miracles of loaves and fishes. You miss him.

 You curl around your pillow in a vain attempt to chase the wakefulness away but the sun in your eyes was too bright. You flutter your eyes open. The sun had the audacity to be there. Still the splushing sound continued. 

 You strain your ears to listen, trying to make heads or tails of it. It was a squishy sound, the sound of putty hitting stone over and over again. You scramble to the front door. In hindsight, you probably should have grabbed a weapon before running towards the strange sound. 

 Opening the door, you're greeted with the sight of a familiar seal caught red-handed with a fish in his mouth.

 You stare at each other for a long moment before your eyes wander down to a pile of fish. A large amount of fish. Laughter rolls from your lips, musical and manic as you bury your face in your hands.

You think the seal furrows his brow at you, dropping the fish in its mouth before plopping towards you. Plop. Plop. Plop. He looks at you with big dark eyes. Your mouth twitches between curling down into a frown and a smile that spread across your face. On one hand, you are confused. On the other hand, you were gonna be able eat some meat. 

 A concerned croon comes from the pup and your face decides that it would rather smile at the moment. You throw your arms around him, not at all caring about the seawater getting on your nightclothes.

 "Thank you." You whisper and the seal answers with a happy trill.

 Dick is over the moon. 

 He can't even help how loud his trills get. It's ok you don't seem to mind either. He's just happy that you get to eat now.... but you don't. 

 Dick's a little frustrated when you don't immediately start digging in. Instead, you go back inside your home, swear, shout in delight then come back out with a basin and a jar of white powder. You then run around to fill the basin with seawater then add what Dick finds out is salt into the seawater. 

 Dick is... concerned. 

 You go back inside the house. When you come out again, you have a knife in your hand. Dick waddles back a bit. He knows you won't hurt him but it's a habit. You develop these kinds of habits around Bruce. 

 You settle yourself onto the ground cross-legged and grab a fish. Dick looks on with mild curiosity. You begin to dismember the fish by cutting off it's head, cutting it up in the middle then removing the bones and stomach. That kind of makes sense, Dick thinks. The bones are kind of annoying. Dick nods his head agreeably until you toss the fish into the basin.

 Dick looks on in utter confusion as you repeat the process with most of the fish he's brought you. 

 You turn to him looking equally befuddled before your eyes soften. You look sheepish. "Sorry pup, I can't eat all of this today so I'm salting them so I can eat them the next few..." You count the fish in the basin. "... weeks."

 Dick tilts his head but doesn't say anything. You really should just eat more. Dick can get you more if you need it. You just need to ask but you seem content with what you're doing. 

Dick is about to rest his head on your lap when you shoot up and scuttle back inside. You return with a line and a smile. Dick watches you string the fish up like laundry. He could probably help you but he has no clue if he should. Just eat the fish damn it.

Finally after what felt like forever, you start preparing the fish and actually eat. You offer Dick some and Dick has to admit cooking the fish does taste odd but not unpleasant. It's totally different from eating it raw (the better way) but it's not horrible. Or maybe it just tastes good because you've got the biggest grin on your face while eating.

Maybe.

 Probably, Dick thinks as he munches on his fish, pressed to your side.

___

 You sing at the top of your voice. It's a cheerful song but Dick can't quite make out the words. He knows it's human but he's not quite familiar with it. The tune is nice though. Dick rests his head on your lap closing his eyes.

 He croons happily when you being to pet him.

 You stop midway through the song dissolving into a fit, of what Dick can only describe as, giggles snorts. It was a despicably adorable sound that was engineered to make Dick feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

 He looks up at you with big curious black eyes. He's not complaining but he hasn't heard you laugh this much before and he may or may not want to know how to make you laugh like this again.

 When you don't answer his questioning gaze, Dick nudges against your chest. Your shoulders are still shaking but you manage to stop laughing for a moment. 

 "Sorry pup," you say wiping a tear from your eye, "I must look crazy to you. "

 A little but not as bad as Bruce, Dick thinks. Bruce thinks you humans still don't know there are selkies on the island. Dick snorts at the idea. Everyone knows that all you humans know about selkies. That's why those men keep coming here trying to trap them. 

 You squish his face affectionately with your hands. "My dad taught me that song and  I just realized..." Your mouth turns into a curved line of held back laughter. "...It's a sea shanty about missing being between a woman's legs." The last few words come out more as giggles than proper syllables but Dick can't enjoy that because he can feel his face warm up from the thought. He hides his face in his flippers. 

 You squeal, absolutely delighted with his mortification. Smiling down at him, you say: "Yanno pup, sometimes I think you understand me."

 Thought process-wise, no.

 Dick snuggles up to you again, blowing air out of his nose to voice his ascent. You can't just say things like that but again, you just simply seem amused by his suffering when you bend down to press a kiss to the top of his head. 

 Dick looks up when you pull away. No! Give him more!

 Dick stretches up to return the favor, having to partially climb on your lap but only managing to boop your nose with his snout. You nuzzle your nose against his and Dick makes the happiest noise in the back of his throat.

   Sometimes after wandering around you had a habit of falling asleep on the shore which Dick thought was fine until he found out that you couldn't swim. Dick being the only with brains in this duo always nudges you awake when the tide starts getting too close. Dick doubts the lapping water will wake you up before sweeping you away. After all, you managed to sleep through Tim, Kon, and Bart's rock piling contest on top of you. Dick shooed them away but even after cleaning up, you didn't wake up.

 Dick sees the sailors on the shore and nudges you. You... don't even blink. You hum, content to bask in the sun as you wrap your arms around Dick. Dick huffs. He likes this but he really would prefer it if you move. Dick considers slipping from your grip and grabbing a fish to slap you with like last time.

 Dick cranes his head to look at the ship again. It was far too close now, too close for you to get away without being seen by the sailors. 

 Dick turns you back over to your back and proceeds to body slam you with all his blubber. He winces when you make a choked noise. Dick can give you apology fish later. 

 "Pup, what the fuck?"

 You see the ship. Your eyes widen then flicker to his injured fin. Dick had injured it when he’d been swimming by the docks and got caught in one of the old traps. You’ve done your best to help it heal but you only know so much. You’re still reading up on herbs in case it happens again.  

 You try in vain to push him off but he's a big loveable sack of blubber and he refuses to move.  “C’mon pup, you need to move. They’ll try to catch you if they see you.” You grunt but the sack of blubber refuses to move. 

 You and Dick stay still as the ship draws near, neither of your chests rises or fall as the ship rocks back and forth.

The ship passes and you let your head fall back with a sigh. 

 Dick nuzzles his snout against your face, his whiskers tickling your face. You giggle and try to push him off. It’s useless so you let him stay there. 

 You both decide to take a nap on the shore with Dick huffing in your face once in a while as he snores. 

You curl up on the floor in front of the fire, watching the embers flicker, flash, and fade. It's the best thing you can do to calm your fraying nerves. The storm rages outside violently as if it was trying to tear the lighthouse down brick by brick. The whole building shakes with another boom of thunder. You close your eyes and burrow under the thick blanket. 

 In the back of your mind, your father is chuckling. The absence of a hand on your head is disconcerting. You remind yourself that it won't come, that you'll have to learn to weather the storm alone. You sigh then tighten the blanket around you.

Tok. Tok. Tok. 

 You blink. The fire was dying. When had you fallen asleep? 

 Tok, tok, tok. 

 Blinking, you rub the sleep from your eyes, but the haze doesn’t lift, only growing as you watch the firelight.  

 Tok tok tok. 

 You shoot up and barrel towards the door with the frantic knocking growing louder and louder as your feet pound against the stone floor.  

 You run into the door in your haste. The loud thud of your body against the door causes the frantic knocks to turn into muffled shouting.

 Prying yourself from the door, you open it and you don't know what you expected but this wasn't it.

 Standing in front of you was a man soaked like a wet rat. You blink in confusion before pulling him inside. You run to grab him a blanket. Wait. You should probably get him a towel. No, wait. You should have gotten his name first. Fuck. 

 You shuffle back into the room with a towel, spare clothes, and an extra blanket. You.. what can generously be called a heart attack. 

 For the first time, in the soft glow of the fire, you can fully admire your guest. Not see, admire because there was a lot to admire.

 The light of the fire flicking over the planes of his chest, with a light dusting of chest hair, the amber glow highlighting all the muscles of his body, framing the ripples of his toned figure. Swallowing any good sense you have, you watch the rainwater turn golden as it drips down his perfectly bronzed skin. The water cuts through valleys of muscle that could have only been handcrafted by gods. Your eyes follow the flow until... Oh.

 You flush furiously, your face glowing brighter than the fire. He's- He's- Oh my god, he's naked. 

 You reign your eyes in. Ok, you let it linger down there a bit. Not long enough for your guest to notice. You concentrate on his face which wasn't hard to do. The man pushes his raven hair out of his face letting you fully appreciate his face. In keeping with his body, his fine boned face looked like Pygmalion himself spent hours shaping it, not satisfied until he's made the perfect face. It's handsome in an adorable way. Not intimidating. It's the kind of face you'd like to pepper with kisses. You try not to focus on his lips in case of any sinful thoughts. You just met the man. The only thing you will note is that yes, his lips do look absolutely kissable and it aggravates you. 

 The most striking feature however are his deep blue eyes. The kind of deep that you feel like you could drown in. The kind of depth that looked too pretty to agonize over the fact that your lungs are burning. You stare, trying to carve a perfect replica of those eyes into your mind. Those eyes... that are currently staring at you... as he steps closer... at an alarming speed.

 You hold the stack of fabric in front of you like a shield. Your guest stops, looking at the stack. His face goes from concern to confusion to blinding enthusiasm. He was probably freezing.

 A smile spreads on his face, the cutest dimples you've ever seen forming on his cheeks, as he accepts the stack. He thanks you and your heart leaps from your chest. Whatever chill you were experiencing from the storm was completely gone. You turn away from him, rubbing the back of your neck and mumbling a halfway point between 'no problem' and 'you're welcome'. You hope it came out as 'no welcome' instead of  'your problem'.

 The man snorts and you are pretty sure which one came out. To save yourself the embarrassment, you walk to the kitchen and start preparing tea. The man thankfully occupies himself by looking at the assortment of knick-knacks you've hoarded gathered over the years. It gives you ample time to breathe.

 "Do you like sugar in your tea?"

 The man nods enthusiastically. You can't help but smile a little. 

 You sit next to him in front of the fireplace as you hand him his mug. He leans his head against your shoulder. You can feel his body radiating a comforting heat. 

 You two sit in silence, sipping tea and watching the fire flicker. You wanna scold him for slurping his tea. You're not exactly his mother. You don't even know his name. 

 You turn to him, face scrunched and about to ask him for his name when he surges forward. His lips brush against your lips as he nudges his nose against yours. You fall backward in shock and the stranger falls on top of you, his eyes still glowing bright and cool against the amber light.

 There's a thrill working up your spine or is it fear? You squeeze your eyes shut and throw your arms over your face. 

 "Please don't hurt me." You plead barely above a whisper. 

 You feel the body above you lower itself on top of you. He chuckles and shakes his head. "(Y/n), you're being silly."

 You open your eyes. The man is laying his body on top of you keeping you pinned down and he's... pouting at you?

 "I- I don't know who you are. You can take what you want but please don't hurt me."

 The pout deepens into a frown.

 "(Y/n), I'm not gonna hurt you. Don't you recognize me?" 

 You blink. You would definitely remember someone this eye-catching.  "You always sing that sea shanty to me. The one about the sailor who misses his wife's..." The stranger flushes and makes a hand gesture. Your face scrunches again. The only person you've sung that to aside from your dad is...

 "Pup?!"

 His frown morphs back into a pout. "I'm not even that little."

 You squish his face with your hands before you let your mind wander. You think back to the scars crisscrossing his limbs and chest.  "How is this possible?"

 He laughs, prying your hands from his face. "I'm a selkie," He says as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "My name is also Dick, not pup."

 You stare up at him wide-eyed and stupefied. Dick snuggles against you like he always does. Somehow snuggling you in this form is better. He can hold you closer like this. You run your hand through his hair, fingers lacing through the tangles in his hair. He lets out an excited trill. 

 Dick might just be in heaven right now. 

 "I dunno how but you're somehow even prettier when I look at you in this form," Dick breathes contently. "I'm so lucky to have such a pretty wife."

 You stiffen. Dick looks up at you and the confusion in your face wrenches a knife in his heart. He swallows. "That is what you meant with this, right?" Dick asks, tugging at the collar of his shirt.

Your mouth turns into various shapes trying to piece together a coherent response. It settles on the simplest one. "No."

 Dick looks stricken like you'd taken a club to his head. 

 You reel back. "I just- I- I thought you were cold and you-"

 Dick's heartaches. It's a dull ache. He thought this kind of thing would be sharp like having a hook pierce your heart.

 His insides twist as he peels of you. 

 Your stomach sinks as you feel the cold fill your body once more. You don’t want him to go. The thought of being alone right now makes your stomach curdle. Your hands grip his shirt without meaning to. The look on his face hurts but the idea of him leaving felt unbearable. You know it's selfish but here you are begging him not to leave. 

 "Dick, I'm sorry... I didn't know... I-" 

 Thunder booms. You squeak and bury your face in his chest. You can't stand storms.

 Dick smiles down at you softly. It's still pained but it's bearable.

 He lays on his side and pulls you closer. He slots your face into his neck. You're still shivering even when he uses his body to shield you from the rest of the world.

 You whisper another apology.

 Dick shushes you, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

The sunlight floods into the room like it does every morning but the room is still cold. Your mind works to understand what's wrong with this picture. Your hand pads beside you. The space next to you is empty save for the blanket left behind.

 You sniffle, gripping the sheet in your hand. You messed up, you think, pulling it to your face. For the first time in months, the tears come easily. You lay there all day because the tears won't stop.

   "If you sigh one more time, I am going to rip your throat out." Jason growls not bothering to open his eyes. Why would he? Dick has been flat and mopey for the past two weeks and Jason is really starting to miss his hyperactivity. 

 Dick lets out another mopey sigh. Jason. Is. Going. To. Scream. 

 "Can't you be depressing in Roy's direction? Or Bruce's?" 

 Dick sighs even louder at the mention of Bruce and Jason, for once, is considering murder or at least maiming. 

 "She doesn't love me back."Dick sniffles and Jason really should have known this had something to do with you. 

 He turns to Dick. "I'm going to regret asking but how do you know that?" The sooner he sorts Dick out, the sooner he gets to sleep. "Did she tell you to go away and never come back?"

 "Well no-"

 It's Jason's turn to sigh. "You fucking moron, What did she even say?"

 "She said she didn't know." Dick lowers his head to the sand and Jason wants to slap him with his tail. 

 Jason is now fully awake and very ready to throttle Dick. Or he's just cranky. "Are you telling me Bruce was right?! This day just keeps getting worse."

 Something seems to click in Dick's brain. "Oh, crap Bruce is right." He mutters stupidly. 

Jason will take whatever consolation he can get out of this. "She probably thought you were just some random pervert flashing her then." Jason snickers. It's petty and childish but so is interrupting a well-deserved nap.

 "What?"

 Jason lets out an exasperated huff through his snout. He twists his body to look at Dick with minimal effort to lift his head.  "Let's see, you turned up naked at her door and then you called her your wife and nearly kissed her in what?  The space of 15 minutes?"

 "I got confused." Dick sputters. 

"Geez, I thought West was bad but you're just a disaster," Jason chuckles, "Oh! And you made the brilliant decision to leave without explanation," Jason is having far too much fun rubbing salt in the wound.  "She probably feels terrible”.

 "Are you guilt-tripping me?"

 "Is it working?"

 "What-" Dick growls. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

 "Hmmmmm, have you tried talking? Yanno the thing Bruce never does. But seriously, I can’t believe you call her your wife and then abandon her." Jason shakes his head. "And you have the audacity to call yourself the smart one."

 Dick strips out of his skin and begins running towards the lighthouse... naked.

 Jason debates on letting him.... he probably shouldn't.

"Dickface!" Jason calls out. 

 Dick doesn't stop, face crumpled in determination and his little Richard swinging wildly as he walks. 

 Jason is gonna die of second-hand embarrassment. 

 "DICKFACE!"

 "What?!" Dick asks turning around his hands on his hips. Like usual, his hip tilts to the side and his foot taps as he waits expectantly for Jason to gather a mildly coherent response. 

 "Your little Richard..." Jason says pointing with his fin.

 Dick looks down and the look of mortification on his face is satisfactory. ".... Right. Shit."

 "Just steal some from her laundry."

  "But she'll be pissed."

 "Ok, so you would rather flash her then?"

 Dick sighs and this time Jason doesn't have the urge to throttle him only because Dick is already beating his own ego into a pulp. "I hate it when you make sense."

 Jason raises a brow, setting his head back down to the warm sand.  "I always make sense."

 Dick just cackles in response as he heads to the lighthouse.

Dick shifts his weight on the balls of his feet. He feels sick like he'd eaten one of those pickled fish you made him one time.  Maybe this was a bad idea. Why did he even listen to Jason? He flips onto his hands and begins to pace.  His stomach feels like it's being tossed violently by ocean currents. It feels like a shapeless lump sitting in the pit of his abdomen. Maybe you're out or maybe you never wanna see him again.

 Your face had been so blown wide with shock when he had called you wife that it looked almost foreign like the suggestion had been so audacious that your face had to reconstruct itself to accommodate the shock. 

 Dick puts a hand to his face trying to stem the flow of thought. He was such an idiot. Why did he assume you would love him like that and why did he just leave you? Dick closes his eyes and breathes. He'll knock just once more then leave if you don't answer.

 Tok.   Tok.   Tok. 

 The knocks register just above a whisper. He thinks you don't hear it. 

 He lets out a breath and walks away. This was stupid. He should never have come back. 

 Jason was right. Fuck. Dick buries his face as he walks away.

 Distantly, Dick hears the squeak of rusty hinges but it's lost in the tempest of thoughts plaguing his mind, in all the little hurts from that night. 

 "Pup?" The sound of your voice is followed by the pounding of your feet against stand. Dick's careening to the ground before he knows it as your body collides with his. 

  "Pup," you sniffle into his shirt, "it is you." 

 Dick twist in your grip so he's facing you. Your face is buried in his shirt. He strokes your hair, wrapping an arm around you, holding you tight. "Of course, it’s me. Who else would bug you at this hour?"

 Dick feels his shirt grow warm. You mumble an apology.

You look up to face Dick with half your face still buried in his shirt. You've clearly been crying based on how red and puffy your eyes are.  Dick's stomach churns at the dark circles under your eyes. He feels guilt stab him in the gut.  All of that combined with your generally disheveled appearance. Dick can just tell that you haven't slept well the last few days. 

 "Let's go inside and talk." You say, peeling yourself off of him. 

 Dick shakes his head, not loosening his grip on your midsection. "Let's walk around you look like you need some sun."

 You flushed and put a hand to your cheek. "Do I look that bad?" You ask absently, a shy smile creeping into your features. 

 Dick smiles at you and pushes your hair out of your face. "Never but the weather is sunny for once and we both need some air."

"So you really didn't know that the island was filled with selkies?" Dick asks, adjusting the infernal scarf you had forced him into. He insisted that he didn't need it. He could just cuddle up to you for warmth but you were equally stubborn about him wearing a coat and the wool monstrosity strangling him. 

 Your face scrunches up in confusion." I- I don't even know what that is."

 Dick stops.

 You slow down upon realizing he wasn't by your side anymore. "You... don't know what a selkie is?" He asks, his face the definition of dumbstruck. 

 You shrink into your coat." My dad wasn't interested in things like that," you shrug, "I dunno much about..." Your hand twists in a circle, reaching for the right words. 

 Dick tilts his head. That made sense. "You thought we were all just seals?"

 You nod slowly, looking like you wanna shrivel up. 

 Dick starts laughing and you look like you're a second away from throwing yourself into the water. 

 "I'm sorry," he says, flailing. He's screwing this up again. He breathes to collect himself. "I just thought it's funny that we all thought my dad was wrong about you guys not knowing."

 You rub the back of your neck. "Most of us mainlanders don't really believe in magic, yanno? It's just such a foreign concept. Kind of hard to wrap my head around it."

 "I get that." The smile on his face makes your gut twist. You fiddle with your hands. 

 "So what are selkies?"

 Dick tilts his head, not exactly sure of how to word it because how do you explain something that's been obvious to you since you can remember to someone who just found out about it a few weeks ago?

 "We're fae, I guess-" Your face twists in confusion.

 Dick needs to backtrack. "We're fae..." This is hard. "We have this human form and we have our seal forms. We switch between them using our pelt."

 Your brow knits in confusion. "Which one is your true form then?" 

 Dick wraps his arm around your waist and holds you closer as you walk along the cliff tops. He hums as he thinks. "Both?" 

 You look up at him with a weary smile. “That makes sense in a way.” You hum.  Swallowing thickly, you fiddle with your hands. "So what was with the... um..." You clear your throat. "What was with the wife thing?"

 Dick’s mouth dries.  “Well... when we want to ask someone to be our mate... we- we kind of give them our pelt and I thought it translated to human clothes…” He stammers out dumbly. 

 “Oh...oh!” Your eyes widen into a look of horror. You open and close your mouth trying to form words. “Dick, I didn’t realize , that must have - I’m sorry I hurt you.” 

 “Please don’t apologize,” Dick says and presses his lips to the top of your head.  His lips are warm and comforting. “I’ve spent so long in love with you my brain just didn’t...” Dick’s mouth twists. “It just didn’t do what it was supposed to.”

 You would definitely laugh at that last part but you’re still seeing stars from the startling confession he just hit you with. You snuggle tighter into his embrace as you look over the sea. You don’t know how to respond. You really don’t and it frustrates you. It was all just a lot to take in all at once like you’d been tossed into the sea and you’re flailing and grasping at water. 

 But if nothing else, you’re at least glad that Dick is still talking to you. 

 “If you don't mind…” Dick says carefully, the look in his eyes determined. “Would it be alright if I try and pursue you properly?” Dick braces for a no. He’s not dumb enough to be hopeful twice but he needs to ask. 

 Inevitably, you freeze. You pull his arm closer to your chest. Swallowing, you ask: “you mean like a human courtship?”

 He nods closing his eyes.  “Yes, I want to court you.” He coughs clearing his throat.

 You’re silent for what felt like the longest 30 seconds of Dick’s life. Dick cracks one eye to see you fiddling with your hair. “Uh Dick, there’s this one problem that might make that difficult…” Dick raises a brow. It wasn’t an outright rejection but it wasn’t an answer. 

 “I don't know how that works either.” You laugh nervously, burying your face in his arm. 

 “Good - then we don’t know if I’m doing it badly.” Dick beams with a blinding smile.

 You twist to look at him, the corners of your mouth twitching. “That sounds like cheating.”

 Dick snorts, “would you rather I court you the selkie way?”

 “I mean it depends. What's the selkie way?”

 “Fish.”

 Dick startles when you let out a loud bark of laughter. “Fish? You’ve already done that so many times.” You giggle.  Dick tries to wrangle his mind away from the fact that he can feel your lips through the thin fabric of the sweater. 

 “I thought it worked.” Dick sighs. He really did, but alas, miscommunication is a cruel mistress.  

 You lower your gaze trying to concentrate on the fraying needlework of his sweater. “Maybe it has.” You mumble low enough for a human not to hear. How unfortunate it is then that you’re dealing with a selkie. 

 Dick is beaming when you look up again. He nuzzles his face against yours. Dick is once again insanely, stupidly, incredibly happy. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Because neither of you knew what you were doing, Dick's attempts to court you ranged from ridiculous (a literal mountain of fish that you ended up drying, giving away to the other seals, and selling to passing ships.)  to ridiculously sweet (finding you handful of pearls).  Dick nudged a little shell overflowing with pearls and looked up at you with liquid eyes.  He could have gotten you pebbles and it would have been endearing.

 It wasn't always gifts though.

 Sometimes Dick would just sit quietly with you on the beach, snuggling against your leg as you scratched his stomach. You love the ways his squish vibrated as he purred. 

 When summer passed and it became unbearable to watch the stars outside, Dick sometimes spent nights in your lighthouse, wrapped up in your sheets or wrapped around you. It was nice having him around the house even if he was kind of a slob. You love him but he is a mess.

 You made the mistake of introducing him to tea cakes and got him addicted to November Cakes specifically. As it turns out, your cute pest has a sweet tooth and will nuzzle you into submission just for another bite.

 If you ever doubted that Dick was evil before, you now have proof.

 During the winter, Dick insisted on staying in the lighthouse to keep you warm. You wanted to point out that you had a fireplace for a reason but it was so hard to turn down hugs from him.

And because you hadn't had the heart to clean out your father's room yet and Dick clearly preferred it, you let Dick sleep next to you on your cot. You felt a bit bad but Dick was just so happy with the arrangement that you didn't want to make him go away. Besides, it was nice to wake up to his sleeping face in the morning, all sleep rumpled and drooling.

 __________________________________________________________________________

 "Hey Jay, do you have a book on selkies?" Dick asks, caterpillaring on the rock Jason is sunbathing on. 

 Jason takes the opportunity to roll down the rock and knock Dick into the sea before saying: "No." It shall be put on record that there are no drama queens in the Wayne family. 

 Dick shakes off the seawater, big puppy eyes staring at Jason. 

 Jason glares at him. He can't even let Jason have a second of smugness.  "Ask Selina."

 No one really knows where Selina came from or why she stayed (well, they had their suspicions), but if you need something you can't find easily, your best bet was to ask her and hope she doesn't ask you to do anything ridiculously hard.

 Dick hasn't had first hand experience but from what Bruce tells him, they're mostly silly things like recite poems or do a flip. He could do both those things. Well, depending on the poem. He gets tongue twisted sometimes. Hmmm, maybe he should ask if he can avoid tongue twisters so he won't bite his tongue.

 Sloughing off his coat, Dick walks towards the glowing cauldron. 

 "Still no clothes pup? You're going to give a poor girl a heart attack." Selina tsked, reappearing from one of the other cave entrances with a handful of things Dick can't recognize. 

 "Oh... I- I'm still not used to it." He says sheepishly. 

 Selina chuckles, dumping the handful of what Dick can assume is plant debris into the cauldron while before dusting her hands off.

 Dick stares at the thick vat. A bubble rises and bursts emitting what sounded like a human voice. "What is that? Should I be worried?"

 "Oh no, no, this? This is just a little soup for colds."

 "It screamed."

 "All soups scream."

 "I- anyway, I came here to ask if you have a book on selkies."

 Selina tilts her head to the side. "I believe I do-"

 "Great!"

 "Buuuut..."

 Of course, the price.

 "I brought pearls and some seashells." He says hopefully. 

 The angle of her head does not change. Though from the gleam in her eyes, she's clearly interested. 

 "Tell me why you need the book."

 Dick's thoughts halt. Should he tell Selina about you? His eyes dart to the boiling cauldron.  "... Why do you need to know?"

 Selina flourishes her hand. The book appears out of thin air."Do you want the book or not, pup?"

 Dick's nerves pinch. Why does everyone call him that? "I need it to teach someone Selkie customs." He manages.

 "Oh! The little lighthouse keeper!"

 "You know her?"

 Selina shrugs. "Do you really think I wouldn't know something going on about the islands nearby?" She pinches his cheek. "Oh little pup, I know about your little crush. You spend more time on land than you do in the sea these days. Dami's been all huffy about it."

 He has.

 "I've told you my reason." Dick says holding his hand out. 

 "Hnnnn, you have I suppose." Selina sighs.

 Dick takes the book, putting it into a waterproof pouch before gingerly putting his pelt back on. He happily caterpillars out of the cave with the pouch in his mouth. He really hopes you'll like this.

You really should just fix up another cot for Dick at this point and maybe buy him a set of clothes when you go to town. 

 "It's too cold to sleep outside." Dick whines, flattening himself against you on the bed. 

 You lift your book to look at him. Dick just gives you that wide-eyed look when he wants something. You roll your eyes,  letting him snuggle up to you.  "Dick, it is obviously summer and you're like 40% blubber." You snort. 

 Dick pouts.  "You're still gonna let me sleep here." 

 You scrunch your face up and sigh. "I can't exactly let you brace the summer cold, can I?" You say, running a hand through his hair. 

 "Eeeeeexactly." Dick says happily as snuggles into you tightly.  He nuzzles his face into your neck wrapping his arms around your waist. You hum helplessly, curling into his embrace.

 "See." Dick trills with a happy grin. 

 "Are you going to be smug about it all night?" You huff, throwing a blanket over the two of you.

 "No," he says,  "you assume I can't keep being smug 'til sunrise."

 "Dork," you snicker, setting the book down. It was a book on selkie traditions that Dick had gotten you a few days ago. You devoured it the same night but you're reading it again and subtly testing things while Dick was invading your house. You hum, running your hand through his hair, fingernails lightly scraping against his scalp. Dick purrs against your chest. "There was a one eyed seal on the beach the other day. He was a grumpy fellow but kind of cute. Seals really are a sleepy lot. The big lug started snoozing on my lap after like 5 minutes." 

 Dick tense under your touch. He looks up at you seriously.

 "That was a selkie." Dick deadpans. 

 You stop your rambling. "What?!"

 "That grumpy one-eyed seal was a selkie." He repeats carefully. 

 Your breath stutters. "Are all of the seals on this island selkies? ALL OF THEM?" Dick is pretty sure your eyes are mounting an escape.

 "All of them, darling." Dick nods. 

 "Oh." You are so screwed. "Do you guys all talk to each other?!" You shouldn't have told that seal about your little crush. You want the mattress to swallow you up. 

 "Yes? Should I be concerned?" Dick asks, lifting his head. 

 "No! No reason!" You squeal, shaking your head.

 Dick pouts at you with suspicion. It occurs to you with some amusement that Dick is actually glaring. You wisely decide to sidestep the conversation. 

 "You guys love taking naps on people, huh?" You say, absently twining your fingers into Dick's hair. He settles his head against your chest. "That's just cus we like you." He hums. 

 A snort rips out of you. "You're just biased."

 Dick looks up at you seriously again. "We selkies like pretty things like any fae." Dick says, wrapping his arms around you more tightly. He's being petty but Dick has always been protective of you and he isn't about to stop now. Besides... he doesn't want anyone stealing you away.

 You frown at him. "Dick, there are far prettier things on this island and sweet talking won’t magically make November cakes appear." You huff, kissing the top of his head before picking up the book and using it to hide the smile shaping your lips. 

 You feel Dick pick himself up off of you. You peek over your book to watch Dick. He scoots closer to your face until the only thing separating you is the far too thin book in your hands.

 "You don't believe me, do you?"

 "No." You say. You don't mean it but it's the easiest thing to conjure up when Dick is this close. Your lips prickle from imagining Dick's lips against yours. 

 You weren't paying attention. Dick has apparently been going on a two-minute diatribe on how pretty you are and in that two minutes, Dick has managed to scoot even closer. He gently takes the book out of your hands to make sure you're paying attention. He fails to take into account the fact that his face is in fact distracting. Your eyes zero in on his very plush and very kissable lips. If you just lean forward a fraction, you could...

 Your lips feel warm and soft against Dick's, the rest of his diatribe dying in the back of his throat as his eyes flutter shut. His mind might just be melting out of his ears because the only thing he can think about is how soft you are and how perfectly your lips fit against his. 

 "I'm sorry." You whisper shyly. You should be sorry, Dick thinks. Who told you to pull away?

 You touch your fingers to your lips. Fuck, what did you just do?

 "You can do it again." Please, he almost adds. 

 You lick your lips. Dick perks up and leans closer. His heart is going to leap out of his chest. You lean closer. Dick can feel his heart pounding against his rib cage. 

 You kiss Dick on the nose and pull away, hiding your lips behind your hand as you snicker. Dick scrunches his nose and blows air out of it. 

 "You know perfectly well what I meant." He huffs. 

 You lean back into your pillow, grinning at him. "I have absolutely no clue what you're on about." You say slowly, smug.

 "Let me remind you then,"A grin takes over his face. Dick leans in, pressing his lips against yours. You exchange breaths as you drink in the feeling of each other's lips. Dick caresses your sides. He feels you shiver and he smiles into your lips. "That ring any bells?"

 "Not really..." You say, flickering your eyes to him. "But if you try again... it might."

 "Oh sweetheart, I can keep reminding you all night." Dick chuckles, winking. 

 Covering your face, you attempt to hide your embarrassment. You hate how easily he flusters you. "You can't just say stuff like that." You whimper. 

 "Why not? I'm supposed to be courting you and that includes buttering you up," Dick says, nuzzling your cheek. You're just too cute.  Dick gently pries your hands away from your face. "Don't hide your face from me, Honey."

 "Oh god, you're making me regret letting you court me."

 "Never."

 ______________________________________________________________________

 Dick's eyes are struggling to remain open as he watches the fire.  He burrows further into the thick comforter you'd given him. It's not quite as warm as his pelt but the fabric is puffy and it has a sweet smell that makes his head swim. 

 Dick angles his head slightly to watch you. You've been toiling for hours and refuse to tell Dick what it is. Your back is still hunched over with your foot bouncing on the floor. Dick lets his eyes flutter shut, listening to the sound of your shuffling tools. 

 You glance down at the adorable mess dozing off on your sofa. You gently move his hair out of his face. He swats at you sleepily, face scrunched even as he sleeps. You sincerely wish you had Damian's talent for art or that you had one of those cameras. You really wish you could keep a picture of Dick's sleepy face. It's the cutest thing in the world.

 "Hey Dickie," you whisper.

 "Hmmmmm?" He groans.

 "Could you hand me your pelt?"

 "Sure," he moans, blindly padding around for it. You snort as he nearly falls off the sofa. After groping nearly every surface, he finally finds the pelt. "here you-"

 The fur brushes your fingertips before Dick stops. Dick shoots up, nearly clipping your nose with his forehead. He's looking at you fully awake, drool still hanging off the corner of his lips."Are you sure?!"

 "Hand it over coward." You smile gently at him. You try your best to fight off the excitement bubbling in your veins. 

 Dick is off the couch, his own excitement barely contained as his whole body vibrates with happiness. He sits up. You hold out your hand but instead of handing you his pelt, Dick drapes it over you like a wedding veil. It's thick and warm to the touch. You let your hands brush over the silken fur. You can feel magic thrumming from it. It feels like a minute current of electricity but it doesn't flow linearly. It ebbs and flows as it pleases, pulsing beneath your fingers. You burrow yourself in it. 

 Something warm spills in Dick's chest as he sees you wrapped up in his pelt. Dick kisses your nose. "You have now been wifed."

 You twitch your nose. "You missed."

 "Nope. Don't think so. Buuuuut if you show me where you want me to kiss you..."

 You roll your eyes and surge forward, pressing your lips to his.  Dick smiles into it, pulling you close and savoring the sensation of your lips melding together. He makes a happy trilling noise while you laugh against his lips. 

 "That clear enough, Dickie?"  You ask, pressing your forehead against his. 

 "Yeah, I think I got it, wifey."

__________________________________________________________

THANKS FOR READING

Tag list:  @batarella​, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish , @birdy-bat-writes​,  @boosyboo9206, @americasmarauders , @l-inkage, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell   @hyp-oh-critical @glorified-red @ marshmallow12435 @vvipgot7be​ @jadedhillon​​

[catxsnow]

LOST IN YESTERDAY J.T.

Request: Hi! The realisation that your requests are open are just the serotonin hit I needed while recovering from surgery! I'm a sucker for fluff, so if you don't mind I'd love to steal some from you. Could I please have Jason attending a Wayne Gala masquerade and falling in love with a person, only to not know their identity? Later, at another gala, he remeets them and figures out it was someone he used to live on the streets with. Does this make sense? I hope so; I love your writing. Tell me if not ♥

Warning: swearing, mentions of blood, alcoholic beverages being consumed

A/N: forever will be naming fics after Tame Impala songs and no one can stop me. Link to get on my taglist is at the bottom of this fic. 

Word count: 3,5k

Everyone knew that Jason hated the Gala's that Bruce held. The non-stop complaining that came from him occurred every time that it was brought up. Tim got annoyed, Dick was frustrated, Damian was threatening to punch Jason if he spoke another word about it. They were all tired of his antics.

Nonetheless, he went to these events - especially when there was an open bar. Jason spent his time avoiding people and (occasionally) hitting on some of the beautiful women that looked his way. It was easy to hold up the "son of a playboy act" even if he didn't care about any of the people he talked to.

To feel even more ridiculous, Bruce hosted a masquerade ball. Jason hated them to begin with, but to have a room full of strangers in masks, in Gotham? Bruce knew better, but it was what his company wanted. At least with Batman and every Robin that there was there, the people would be safe.

Jason took a sip out of the glass he was holding. Ice and whiskey sloshed around in it before meeting his lips. He leaned against the counter of the bar, eyes glazing over the crowd and not looking for anyone in particular. A red mask covered half his face. Gold decor lined around his eyes that matched the tie he was wearing.

There were a dozen other things that he could have been doing that night. Taking down criminals, getting one step closer to taking down the current biggest drug lord in town, hell he could have been saving a kitten from a tree and he would have been more content. Instead, he was stuck in a room full of rich people who couldn't care less about the people of Gotham.

Jason raised his glass to the bartender, indicating another drink. "Make that two more," a voice spoke beside him. They wore a mask similar to Jason's with the exception of silver. All black attire. Lack of a smile until looking over at him. "You looked lonely standing over here."

"That was kind of the point," Jason told them. Sarcasm was heavy in his voice, though it didn't seem to bother them. The bartender set both drinks in front of them. The stranger knocked the whiskey back in one go. Jason raised his eyebrows, shocked by the behaviour of someone attending an infamous Wayne Gala.

"(Y/N)," they stuck their hand out for him to shake. He accepted, still hesitant on what to think about this person. "What's someone like you doing at an event like this?"

"Someone like me?" Jason raised an eyebrow, though it couldn't be seen through the mask. This person clearly didn't know who he was or a thing about him. He was skeptical enough on how they were that quick to pick up on his lack of enthusiasm for being there, particularly hidden behind a mask.

Nonetheless, his curiosity piqued about them.

There was something about this person that made him feel nostalgic. Back before he was the son of Bruce Wayne and everyone knew his face, before he died, hell before he was Robin. Jason didn't get that feeling very often, but he enjoyed it all the same. For that reason alone he would entertain the idea of this person.

"Tense shoulders, wandering eyes, you don't wanna be here," they pointed out to him. He could see their face scrunch up with concentration, trying to figure out exactly where those beautiful blue eyes were from. "So why stay? Or more Importantly why come at all?"

"Call it a requirement," Jason vaguely replied.  He didn't know who this person was or why they were so interested in his reason for being there, but it was starting to get on his nerves. Sure, he was curious about her - but there was nothing more frustrating than someone trying to force a conversation.

Jason adjusted the uncomfortable mask that sat on the bridge of his nose. For someone who wore a mask half their life, he despised the one that he had on. The glitter and sequence dug into his skin and he wished for nothing more than to be able to wear the domino mask he usually had on instead.

Then again, he'd rather be anywhere else but there.

"Care to dance, Jason?" His whole body froze out the sound of his name. Sure, he was recognizable as a Wayne son, but the stranger spoke it so smoothly like they had said it a thousand times - as if they had known him. He didn't like the tone in their voice or the smile on their face as they spoke his name.

They noticed how he tensed - just as he noticed the devious smirk on their lips because of his reaction. He tried so hard to think about who this person was and what they wanted out of him. Money? Murder? Was it an old enemy of his that returned from the grave? He couldn't figure it out.

A song that Jason had grown up to, one that Bruce had gotten him to elegantly learn to dance to, began playing. As much as his mind was telling him to get out of there, to figure out what this person wanted, he offered a hand to them instead. His muscles were tense, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Jason effortlessly guided them through the dance floor. One hand rested on the small of their back, the other clasping theirs. Their bodies were flush together as they swayed to the music. Jason's eyes swept the dance floor but he could feel the gaze of the stranger's eyes on him.

"Are you going to tell me your name?" He asked suddenly.

"You're supposed to be the smart one," they remarked. Jason bit his tongue. He could have easily caused a scene, forced the name out of this person through intimidation but he knew he couldn't. Bruce would have a fit if he did anything out of line - especially anything related to being the Red Hood.

He didn't like being at a disadvantage, in fact, if there was one thing he despised it was just that. There was nothing worse than an enemy - or potential enemy- being two steps ahead of him. This person knew things about him, too many things for someone hiding behind a mask and too afraid to show their face.

Jason suddenly dipped the person, hoping to catch them off guard. The stranger was just as quick as him. They latched onto his shoulders, daring to go even lower than he had already dipped them. Their closeness had Jason completely allured by the fragrance rolling off of them. He felt himself get comfortable around them, just for a moment.

Quickly, he pulled them back up. A smile rested on their face like he had done exactly what they had wanted him to.

They pressed themselves into Jason. Hand going from his shoulder to the back of his neck. He felt a shiver run down his spine from her touch, cool hands making his baby hair stand prominent. They pressed into his skin, guiding him to lower his lips to just inches away from their own.

A sudden wave of trust filled him. He found himself wanting to lean in more until there was no space between. Before he succumbed to these desires, he sharply pulled away. The mystery person was twirled out of his chest, an arms-length apart and only held together by their fingertips.

Jason pressed his mask farther up his face as it slipped down. He pulled them back in, this time making sure to keep their hands nowhere near his bare skin.

As soon as the song was over, Jason broke apart from the mystery person. His eyes darted towards the exit. If they weren't going to leave, then he was. Jason had been there long enough to make Bruce happy and now it was time to get onto his evening with more important things.

"It was nice seeing you, Jason," The person reached up to leave a delicate kiss on his cheek. He wanted to pull away before they could connect with his skin but he was frozen to his spot. They winked at him once more from under their mask before leaving him alone on the dance floor.

He didn't know who it was, but he sure as hell was going to find out.

><

Bruce was surprised to see Jason come so willingly to a gala - especially considering that he had gone to one barely even a month ago. The gala that evening had been an extremely last minute but WE considered it necessary. So, Bruce reluctantly decided to host yet another, and Jason was on the ball to be willing to attend.

What the great Batman didn't know, was that Jason's detective work when trying to find who this mystery person was, completely failed. He couldn't find a single thing about them. They weren't on the guest list, facial recognition couldn't get a good picture of them, and he was running out of clues.

Jason was dying to know who this was and what they wanted with him to the point that he would gladly put on another suit and tie to discover the truth. Then again, it was a long shot to see if they were going to attend as well. Considering that they had just snuck in the first time, he was really pulling a hail mary that she was going to do the same again.

The most frustrating part was that this whole time he had been living on the edge. What if this person was trying to kill him? What if they had found a way to outsmart him and get to him with ease? It was agitating that he couldn't figure out how to get ahead of whoever was after him. If they were after him.

Bruce instilled it in him to be paranoid. Maybe this was just someone that knew him for being the son of Bruce Wayne or had seen him around town before. He couldn't be sure that they were even after him. Nonetheless, it was time to put an end to this relentless suffering on his own behalf.

Once again, Jason found himself planted at the open bar Bruce provided for his guests. This time, however, he was far more alert than he was last time. He could see everything happening behind him with the mirror behind the bar, his peripherals were wide open - no one could sneak up to him.

At least he thought so.

Dressed in all black, hair styled differently than the last time that he had seen them, they had sat beside him. A glass of champagne swirled around in their hands. Jason looked at them in the mirror in front of them both. Striking eyes stared back at him, a playful smirk on their face at the idea of leaving him wondering.

"You sneak in again?" Jason asked, taking a sip of his own drink. They shrugged, though the answer was clearly a yes. They leaned against the edge of the bar and faced him. It was surprising that he hadn't put the pieces together yet - usually, he was faster than this. Jason hesitated before mimicking her.

They were stunning, he could admit that.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, getting straight to the point. He was tired of being tense because of them. "How do you know me?"

They chuckled. As frustrating as it was for him - they had no idea how paranoid he really was. They didn't know about his life as Red Hood or that he was raised by Batman. They knew him as Jason Todd, the kid that persevered through everything, the kid that was lucky enough to be taken in by Bruce Wayne.

They reached out to his arm. Before they could even get close, Jason grabbed their wrist with a deathly tight grip. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Jason," They spoke calmly as if this had happened before. Hesitantly, he let go of their wrist. Gently, they pushed back the suit jacket sleeve he wore to expose his forearm.

His skin was always laced with scars and bruises - even more so since the last time that they had seen him. However, there was one thick, faint scar on his wrist that wasn't from being the Red Hood or Robin. It was from when he was a kid - a stupid accident that left him bleeding and crying.

Jason froze as the tip of their finger ran over the scar. He had gotten so many over the years that he had forgotten where most of them were from. This one, this was one of the first ones that he had gotten. One that he remembered clear as day. For this stranger to randomly pick one scar out of the dozens on his body that weren't from being a hero - it was slim. They would have had to know about it.

"It's fine, it was an accident."

"Jason! You're bleeding. We need to get you to a hospital!" Their voice was higher back then. Filled with worry and fear about the small cut that he had gotten. Jason was trying to be brave, to be strong for them. He knew how they didn't like to see him hurt in any way, especially when it had been their fault.

It was an accident. He wasn't mad, not at them. Never at them. However, the deep cut stung and he could barely stop the tears in his eyes from the pain. Maybe he did need a hospital, however, he knew he couldn't afford it - not for something that he could Maytag himself at home.

"I'm fine," Jason scowled. The cloth wrapped around his arm was becoming stained dark red. They had far more tears on their face than he had. Guilt, worry, all feelings that a kid shouldn't have run through them. Jason sighed, trying to compose himself before speaking again. "It's not your fault (Y/N). It's okay, I'm okay."

"But-"

"But nothing," Jason cut them off. "Accidents happen. Remember just last week I pushed into you and you scraped your knee. Did you blame me?" They shook their head. OF course not, they were running together when they finally stopped and Jason hadn't noticed in time. It wasn't his fault - it was theirs. Just like how this time it was his fault for not watching out. "Exactly. I gotta go home to try and fix this."

"At least let me come home with you to make sure you're alright?" They asked, wiping the salty tears off their cheeks. Jason nodded. (Y/N) was always the one to worry about him.

"What would I do without you (Y/N)?" Jason tried to heighten their mood. The boyish smile that they loved was on his face.

"I don't ever want to find out Jason Todd."

But they did. (Y/N) did have to find out what it was like to live without Jason. It was a couple of years after that incident did Catherine die, his father gone. Bruce Wayne took him in as his new ward and (Y/N) was completely forgotten about. They couldn't blame him, not really. Not when the life of his dreams was handed to him.

They always pictured Jason being happy in that big mansion. He'd get everything that he'd ever wanted, everything that they talked about as kids. He could go to a good school, use his big brains to go to college. Jason must have been happy living with Bruce, that was the only reason that he would have forgotten about his old life.

That was far from the truth.

"(Y/N)," Jason breathed out. He felt like a fool for not realizing this sooner. (Y/N) had been his closet friend growing up. They did everything together - getting away from home, being kids through all their hardships. They were inseparable until he fell off the face of the earth. Until Bruce took him in and he had to push himself away from everybody to keep them safe.

"You're getting slow with your old age," They joked. (Y/N) dropped his wrist and returned to their drink. It had to have been close to a decade since they had seen each other. Jason was far bigger than he was as a kid and it made him almost unrecognizable. "White hair and all, I guess being rich aged you."

"You..." Jason lost all trail of thought. He couldn't believe that it was really them sitting in front of him. More stunning than ever. They loved seeing him stuttering over himself, flustered that after all these years he realized that he never came back. Mostly, it was nice to see him with his cheeks flushed for the first time since they had known each other.

"It's okay Jay," They took another sip of their drink. "I figured living the high life as a Wayne would dull your street skills. I never expected you to recognize me last month." (Y/N) had gotten far more confident over the years. Never would they have acted like this when they were kids.

They were nowhere near the truth, but they were still right. He felt like a damn fool for not being to recognize them through a stupid masquerade mask. Jason stuttered out a few words before giving up altogether. He had so many things that he wanted to ask about, or even just to catch up. Instead, he just remained a flustered mess.

(Y/N) stood up from the bar stool. They leaned in to Jason, planting a soft kiss on the corner of his lips. He felt a warmth spread through his body, just like the last time they had kissed him.

"Keep an eye out, Jason. I'll be seeing you soon."  

"Wait," Jason grabbed onto their wrist before they could make a step out. (Y/N) looked down to him. The large man suddenly looked small with those big, pitiful eyes. "I'm sorry, (Y/N). I'm so sorry that I never came back for you. I wish I would have, I wish I wouldn't have been so selfish."

(Y/N) sighed. They sat back down in the chair that they once occupied. Jason looked pleased with the decision, though even more fear ran through him at the moment. What did he have to say that would make everything right? Why would they show back up now?

"You don't need to apologize. You did nothing wrong," there was sincerity in their voice. Jason was no longer the bold and brave that everyone knew him as. He was brought back to his childhood in a single moment and reminded of just how vulnerable he could be. "I'm here... I'm here because I saw you in the paper a while ago... I thought you died, Jason."

I did.

All he could hear was the worry in their voice. The worry that he had died and they never got to see them again. Never got to relieve their childhood just one more time, or tell him how far he got in their life. (Y/N) was scared that they would never get to tell him that they did everything that they promised as a kid.

He nearly lost his guard for a moment. The boyish grin that he had learned to fake from Bruce spread across his face. He gestured to himself, "as you can see I'm clearly not dead." Except he had been. Except that paper had been right and they had every right to be worried about him dying. Just as it had happened once, it would surely happen again.

(Y/N) (L/N), someone who hadn't seen Jason in years, worried to death about a rumour that spread in town. His heart ached for the first time in a long time.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Jason suddenly blurted out. "I hate these stupid galas, and I don't know about you but I'm starving." To be honest, he didn't care about where they went, he just didn't want to be under the watchful eyes of the public for such a vulnerable moment.

(Y/N)'s lips turned up at his words. "You paying, rich boy?"

"As long as you let me make up for all these years," he countered. If they wanted to, Jason fully intended to bring (Y/N) back into his life. He never realized this empty hole in his heard had been because of them. His whole childhood revolved around their times together. He craved that again.

"You drive a hard bargain." (Y/N) stuck their hand out for Jason to shake. He accepted it gladly. "You've got a deal Jason Todd. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

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[imnotwolverine]

In sickness and in health

Henry Cavill x OC Lisa - multi-chapter fic

Author’s note: Lisa is overworked and sick as a dog, while Henry is the ever-loving, doting caretaker. A little fluffy fluff on the Thursday morning, because I couldn’t sleep (surprise Henry sneaking in on Snyder’s watch party, I hold you responsible). 

Word count: 1.842

Disclaimer: fluff 

--

This is part 15 of the Tea for Two story. 

You can find the Masterlist here. 

--

< Go back to part 14

‘You’re not okay,’ He said softly, pushing my boggling body back in the pile of pillows on the bed. 

I knew he was right. I was somewhere in between a heavy cold and fever-town, but that definitely did not stop me from being obnoxiously stubborn. I wanted to go out for heaven’s sake! Right now my sexy heels should be carrying me through the restless city streets, ready to go to a party. To have fun! But no. It was New Year’s eve and here I was, sitting in bed, looking like a wet rag. And it sucked.

‘Well then at least you go. I won’t accept that I am spoiling this night for you too.’ I tried, my voice coming out too brittle for my liking. Henry’s face scrunched up. ‘You are a piece of work woman.’ He chuckled, giving me a loving look. ‘Thankfully..I can be just as stubborn as you are. And I. Am. Not. Leaving.’ ‘But Jason organised this whole party. And you so wanted to go. You’ve been talking about it for weeks now.’ ‘I know. But there will be more parties. And right now, you first need to get better.’ He cupped my cheek, trying to sooth away my frustrations.

I huffed in annoyance, moving my face away from his hand as I turned on my side, rolling away from him. ‘I hate this.’ I sulked, pulling up the blankets as I felt another cold shiver rush over me. Henry was quiet, his hand gently folding a bit of hair behind my ear, his eyes burning into the back of my head. ‘Can I get you anything love? Tea? Soup? ..A hug?’ His voice was gentle, unfazed by my moping.

I quietly shook my head, my head burning hotly beneath the blanket that I had dragged up to my chin.

It had been a while since I had felt so bad. Actually… Come to think of it. The last time was about a year ago, also during my holidays. I knew I was a bit of a workaholic. I knew I probably should take a few more weeks off in the year, to recharge. But then there always was this new cool project. Or I just couldn’t refrain myself from opening a few e-mails, which then totally escalated again to the point that I was having hour-long work calls. Yes. I was really bad at my work-life balance and my body paid the price.

I felt Henry’s body lift from the mattress as he got up again, his feet shuffling out of the bedroom as he let out the quietest sigh. From that sound alone I knew he was feeling upset and it made me feel crazy guilty. Guilty for him having to see me like this. Guilty for being the major cause of this. Why did I have to be so darn stubborn?

‘Henn?’ I called out feebly.

I heard his footsteps stop mid stairway.

‘Yes dear?’ He answered, his feet immediately moving back to the bedroom.

I rolled around so I could look at him.

‘I’m sorry.’

My jaw clenched as I saw him look at me with those big puppy eyes. It was more than evident that he was feeling worried about me, his nose flaring in discomfort as his eyes trailed over the small sweat drops on my temples.

‘Don’t be. Baby. Just..relax. Try to sleep a bit.’ He moved back to the bed and folded back the blankets, his hand picking up the washcloth from the nightstand, gently dabbing the sweat off my forehead. ‘No..I’m really sorry. This happens every time I take a holiday. My body just crashes. I… I work too much.’ I sighed, my eyes looking anywhere but at Henry, my hands fumbling with the covers. Henry sat down again on the edge of the bed, continuing to dab my head as the sweat drops kept rolling.

Gods I was feeling so shit. My head felt like a ton of bricks, my throat sandpaper and my muscles were aching so badly it felt like I had been hit by a truck.

‘I’m just so darn stubborn.’ I croaked, finally looking back at him. He smiled again. ‘Yes you are. And.. I like that, I do. Just not when you get ill because of it. I want to have you around for as long as is humanly possible, you know?’ His tender words made my heart buzz. ‘I know.’ I nodded slowly, rubbing my head into his hand and closing my eyes for a moment.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. His hand dabbing the sweat of my forehead as he began to hum a slow tune. I felt all worries wash away as the cold cloth gently travelled across my aching hot skin.

‘Could we at least move to the couch? I miss Kal.’ I hummed, finally opening my eyes again.

Henry chuckled. ‘If you promise me you’ll stay put.’ I shrugged. ‘Not like I can do much else.’

‘Okay then.’ He said, sitting back a bit so he could fold away the blankets. I pulled up my feet to get up, but before they even touched the floor I felt myself being scooped up by Henry. ‘I can walk.’ I protested, pouting my cracked lips. ‘And I.. like carrying you.’ He retorted, smiling smugly.

—

The tv was set to its lowest volume as we sat snuggled up on the couch. Henry was wearing a simple black sweater and jogging pants, his arms protectively wrapped around the pile of blankets I was wrapped in. I didn’t know whether I was comfortably toasty, or sick toasty, but I didn’t really care. Henry seemed more than a little happy he could have his arms around me and keep me safe. Ever the knight in shining armour.

‘Your mom told me you were a great fan of King Arthur and his knights when you were young.’ I said with my raspy voice, looking up at him as he peered at the tv. He sniffled, giving me a crooked smile. ‘I was..and still am by the way.’ His smile grew wider as he saw the amused look on my face. ‘How are you feeling?’ His hand brushed away some hair that was sticking to my forehead. ’Okay now. I don’t think I have felt this safe and cosy in my life.’ I snickered, nestling my head back in the nape of his neck.

‘Then I am doing a good job.’ He kissed the top of my head, resting his lips there before moving up ever so slightly. ‘What else did you talk about with my mum?’ His curiosity seeped through his semi-casual tone. I shrugged. ‘Girl things.’

‘Oh don’t give me that. We would have no secrets, right?’ The smile was evident in his voice. ‘Mmmm. Well I wasn’t the only one with secrets. You were pretty..open towards your mom about your secrets while I was asleep on your lap.’ I pushed myself up a bit, my arm shaking with effort. Immediately I felt Henry’s arm wrapping around mine, steadying me as my body trembled with effort. ‘Easy, easy.’ He whispered.

His eyes gave me a quick full-body scan to see if I was alright, before looking back into mine.

‘I’m okay.’ I confirmed with an amused tone as I laid a weak hand on his chest, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Henry shifted slightly in his seat, careful not to shake me up, before licking his lips and looking back at me. ‘Well..I hope that didn’t catch you by..surprise..’ He breathed, checking my reaction. My smile grew wider. ‘No. But you were right about one thing..’ I looked down at my hand on his broad chest, my fingers grazing gently over the soft cable knit. He wore this sweater so often the threads were baring thin at some points.

‘We haven’t really spoken about it all that much.’ He filled in for me. I nodded, looking back up. His tender eyes had gotten a whole lot more stormy now, his nostrils flaring.

He lowered his eyes, licking his lips again. Was he nervous?

‘Well just to confirm. I do want kids, another dog AND a house with a nice garden.’ I nodded, feeling my already hot cheeks burn as his hot gaze quickly peeked back at me. I folded one of my hands around my cheek, feeling the skin burn. ‘I’m not even sure anymore if I’m blushing or blazing.’ I snickered. He smiled, letting out a small breath as he leaned towards the sidetable to grab the cool washcloth and dab it on my heated face again.

‘Good. And marriage..still okay?’ He peered into my eyes as his hand gently pressed the cloth against my cheeks. ‘Of course. I could do with a different last name.’ I shrugged, feigning disinterest. He chuckled, his hand turning my head so I could see him raising a handsome eyebrow in challenge. ‘What?’ I chuckled, leaning into the coolness of the cloth, the moisture forming drips on my salty skin. Two can play that game, I thought, giving him my most seductive gaze. Henry swallowed harshly as his hand froze for a moment against my cheek, our eyes just looking deeply into one another.

In the back of my mind I half-registered the tv had started a count down. But his eyes. Those eyes. I couldn’t look away.

The sound got a touch louder as we heard the neighbours following along top lung, their count down sounding through the living room wall.

‘9..8…7..’

Henry sat up a bit, moving away the wash cloth.

‘6…5…4..’

Our eyes blazed as our lips were curled in stupid smiles. Blue meets green. Boy meets girl. Husband meets wife?

‘3..2...’

I let out a small gasp as Henry bent over.

‘I want it all with you Henry. I do.’ I whispered against his lips, our kiss forming a perfect seal of promises made.

‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!! WOOHOO YEAAAAAA!!!’ The neighbours went berserkers as a loud pop sounded of a champagne bottle.  

Meanwhile our living room was a whole lot more quiet. Much to our amusement. We let out a soft chuckle as Henry’s hand sneaked around my head, pulling me as close as he dared.

‘Happy new year love.’ He smiled, his cheeks showing those cute dimples as he pressed the wash cloth back against my heated skin, our noses touching.

‘Hmm..’ I hummed, leaning into the cool cloth and closing my eyes. ‘Happy new year.’

‘And..’ He sat back a bit. ‘I have a first proposal to make.’

My stomach did a little summersault as I gave him a confused look. ‘Now..?’ I asked, unsurely. He chuckled. ‘Now’s as good a time as any.’ He sat back a bit more and pulled my hands into his, giving me an intent look. ‘Dear Lisa. Would you, please, go on a holiday with me?’

I burst out laughing.

‘Oh by Merlin’s beard! Henry, you! Hahaha.’ I rolled my eyes, before nodding “yes”.

--

Part 16 > 

[elareine]

Reasons to be jealous

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, one swear word Relationships: Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Damian Wayne (side) Additional Tags: Pining, Misunderstandings, Jealousy, Undercover as a Couple, Future Fic, 5+1 Things, Brotherly Bonding, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff Batfam Bingo Square: 5+1 AO3: /18872404

One

“Well, that’s one arsonist behind bars.” Dick closed his laptop with a sigh of deep satisfaction. “Good job, Timmy.”

“Warm in here today,” he remarked absently, still focused on his own screen but knowing that Dick liked a bit of chatter once the tension of a case lessened.

“Oh, yeah, Jay and I were talking about it recently and it just reminded me of how much I like coming home to a warm room.”

Tim actually turned his attention to Dick. Dick and Jason… they talked, sure. The years had even smoothed most of the stiltedness out of it. He would go so far as to call them family.

But they weren’t friends. Tim couldn’t imagine them talking about room temperatures.

“You were?”

Dick laughed. “Weird topic of conversation, right? But you know how boring stake-outs go.”

Tim nodded in a heartfelt manner.

“It’s just a childhood thing. Circus trailers aren’t exactly known for great insulation. And Jay….”, Dick hesitated. Close to two decades later and still none of them liked to think about that child trying to survive on Gotham’s streets.  “Well, he knows cold, too. I thought it would be nice to have it warm if he stops by, is all.”

That was the second time Dick had called Jason ‘Jay’. Tim had thought he was the only one of their family who called Jason that. The only one who regularly saw Jason, too. Apparently not.

He ignored the twinge in his gut and asked, “So you’re getting along better now?”

The smile on Dick’s face was small but genuine. “Yeah.”

“Hey, did you set something on fire? Usually I’m close to freezing in here. See, this is why I bring the food,” Jason joked as he dropped the containers with said food on the kitchen counter.

Tim’s neck felt hot as he moved to take out some plates. “I thought it might be… nice. To be warm.”

It wasn’t a good excuse, he knew that.

Jason’s gaze sharpened. “Nice.”

Tim shrugged as casually as possible.

He thought Jason might ask again - give that man a hint something was up and he would follow it to its bitter end - but the other man finally relaxed into a smile. “Well, it is. Nice.”

When they moved to the couch for their weekly session of greasy food and terrible TV, Jason took his jacket off. Again Tim felt that unease in his gut. He had assumed that Jason kept the jacket on as form of a safety blanket, to hide his guns or even just out of a sense of style. But no, he’d just been freezing because Tim never really noticed the temperature of a room he was in and tended to keep it on the chilly side.

Some detective he was. He’d been doing this - this thing with Jason for years now, being partners, brothers, friends even, but he hadn’t seen something so simple about him. But Dick had.

A knee nudged against his. When he looked up Jason’s eyes were concerned.

“You alright, babybird?”

The nickname, as always, made Tim want to smile, but he just said: “Tired, sorry.”

Two

It was one thing to know that Dick and Jason were getting along better now; another entirely to watch it.

Patrol with just the four of them was always tense. It didn’t happen often. Babs had made plenty of comments about all-men groups being ‘way too testosterone guided’ and Tim absolutely conceded her point. But she was busy and Steph and Cass were away, as was Bruce. The announcement of an upcoming Arkham breakout hadn’t left them with much choice but for the four of them to work together.

Still, Tim had expected it to be tense because Dick and Jason were sniping at each other and Damian at everyone, not because Jason and Dick were goofing around and it was weird.

Dick was laughing and slinging an arm around Jason’s shoulder innocently. Tim knew that move intimately - any moment now Dick’s hand would move under Jason’s right arm and flip him over bodily. He’d done it to Tim and Damian about a thousand times.

Dick’s hand moved and pulled.

Nothing happened.

Jason was grinning under his helmet, Tim was sure. “Bit heavier than you remembered, Nightwing?”

Dick pouted.

Before he could reply, however, he was interrupted by a sharp voice. “Are you done being a distraction?”

Damian was being even more pissy than usual. He’d donned his Batman cowl in Bruce’s absence, but it couldn’t hide the perpetual scowl on his face this night. Tim didn’t need to guess what had caused it. The brat (which was what Damian always would be to him, a head taller than him or not) had always been possessive over Dick, and didn’t Tim know it.

Still, for once, Tim actually agreed with him. They were very distracting.

Luckily, the first inmate chose that moment to break through security forces, and soon they were all too busy for any more flirting.

“Why are you here and not in the shower?” Dick waved a hand in the direction Jason had disappeared to.

“I need to write a mission report,” Tim protested.

“We can do that, right, little D?” Dick smiled at Damian, who grumbled but acquiesced. “Go ahead and have an early night, dude. You look beat.”

“Uh. Thanks.”

Tim made his way to the unofficial changing room they sometimes used after missions, where Jason was just coming out of the shower, a towel around his hips.

He smiled when he saw Tim. “You’re done?”

“Looks like it.”

“Wanna go for some pancakes?”

“Sure.”

With a quiet sigh of relief, Tim peeled out of the tight suit, grimacing mentally at the sweat that made his skin stick to the material. Jason moved next to him to get dressed.

Tim didn’t realise how quiet he’d been until Jason’s hand reached out to poke his newly uncovered cheek. “Something on your mind, babybird?”

“It’s weird,” he admitted, “seeing Dick and you get along.”

Jason laughed. “I bet. Don’t worry, it probably won’t last.”

“What brought the truce on, anyway?”

“Nothing special. Guess we just decided to, to quote a certain Tim Drake, ‘grow up and talk’. Though alcohol was involved. Obviously.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed. Jason wasn’t looking at him and his tone of voice was relaxed, light, even.

He was lying. 

Three

“If he’s coming to Wayne functions now, we might as well make Jason officially a part of the family again.”

“Bruce doesn’t know how to ask and he thinks Jason will say no.”

“He might not.” But Tim was aware that Dick’s attention wasn’t really on their quiet conversation.

Dick was loosening his tie. Tim, curse his brain, couldn’t help but notice the way his throat was flushed, how he swallowed like his mouth was dry.

See, this was the kind of situation where Tim mentally cursed every bit of detective training he’d ever had. He’d really rather not know that his brother was becoming aroused in the middle of a very public ballroom, thank you very much.

Tim followed Dick’s gaze to where Jason and Damian were talking to a group of socialites, the two of them towering over everyone else. Without any conscious input from his brain, his own eyes strayed to where the suit jacket stretched just so over Jason’s broad shoulders, to where the coat flared, perfectly accentuating his waist, down to his thighs just barely contained by the slim suit pants…

Dick’s voice recalled him to the present. “Well, you would know better than anyone else.”

Apparently not, Tim thought. Apparently I don’t know anything about him. If he didn’t even tell me about you…

It was hard to speak around the bitterness in throat. “I know that if he keeps throwing Damian to the wolves like that, he won’t live long enough to answer Bruce.”

Dick laughed. “Aww, you know Damian only means his death threats 30% of the time these days. Still, I’ll go rescue him. Coming?”

Tim waved him off, knowing all three of the official Wayne brothers together would draw a crowd. Worse, it would draw Cass. As much as he loved his sister, he didn’t want her to see the ugly feeling clawing through him.

For a minute, he just watched Dick move through the crowd, a kind word here, a flirtatious smile there, always working his audience. The golden boy. Tim had thought he was over that old jealousy - over fighting for the cowl, for Bruce’s love, for a place in their family, always compared to the first Robin - but now it looked like Jason would be just one more thing he’d lose to Dick and he couldn’t stand it.

There was a familiar presence sidling up to him. For such a big man, Jason could be quite stealthy.

Tim took a deep breath, composing himself. He couldn’t afford to act weird around Jason. Again.

“Hey,” he smiled at him, “Alfred got you into a suit?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to wearing something this expensive.” Jason rolled his shoulders back, stretching the shirt even further. Tim had to look away. “You make it look so natural.”

“I’m always terrified of spilling something.” Tim suppressed a shudder, remembering his mother’s less than understanding attitude when he’d ruined one of his outfits as a child. Alfred, of course, would never do more than cluck disapprovingly, but…

“Well, then you’d better put that glass away and dance with me.” There was a roguish grin on Jason’s face as he offered Tim a hand.

Tim, however, didn’t even really have time to consider that offer before Jason just went and took his hand anyway, his other setting down Tim’s glass on a nearby surface before pulling the younger man to the dance floor.

“Jason,” Tim protested, laughter threatening to break through as Jason pulled him into his arms and began leading him into a quickstep.

“C’mon, the longer we dance, the longer we don’t need to talk to anyone else.” Jason grinned down at him. “Mrs. Quickshaw was already making her way over.”

Now Tim did giggle. “In that case, feel free to whisk me away anytime.”

He thought he saw Dick watching them from the corner of his eyes, but Jason chose that moment to twirl him around and he forgot all about it, breathless with laughter.

Four

“Grayson and Todd.”

Tim looked up from his screen at the cave to the masked crusader sitting next to him. “What about them?” Last time he’d checked, the two were out and about on their usual routes. Jason had even texted him about a particularly funny incident involving two sex workers and a fourteen-year-old wannabe client four minutes ago. Surely even he hadn’t managed to get into trouble in the meantime?

What was he thinking, this was Gotham.

Damian made an impatient gesture. His expression implied that Tim should know exactly what he was talking about, but he deigned to say: “They are closer.”

Oh.

“Yes.” Tim did his best to sound disinterested. There was no way he would bare this wound to Damian.

Damian was frowning up a storm now. “I’ve seen Grayson experience romantic and sexual attraction to someone he believes is out of his reach before. He’s exhibiting all the signs now.”

Tim considered that. In a way, Damian certainly knew Dick better than Tim. (That still smarted a bit, by the way.) The brat had certainly become better about people’s emotions through the years. If Damian said that Dick was in love with Jason, Tim believed him.

For a second, he considered the possibility that it was one-sided with something like joy. Then he squashed it ruthlessly.

It was Dick. How could Jason resist him? Why would he want to? Everyone loved Dick. It didn’t matter that Tim had invested years of his life into supporting Jason through the most difficult times of their lives, into building a relationship that was founded on trust instead of violence. He had never kidded himself that it made Jason obligated or even likely to love him.

It didn’t matter, because who wouldn’t want Dick?

Dick might be pining now, but soon, he would get what he wanted. He always did, in these things.

Tim just hoped for Jason’s sake that Dick wouldn’t get tired of him once he had him.

Shoving the thought away, he said tiredly, “Maybe it is for now.”

There was a loud crack as Damian set down his cup with enough force to split porcelain. “You’re not helpful, Drake,” he spat, jumping up and exiting the cave in his usual dramatic fashion.

Tim watched him leave and wondered why this felt like giving up.

Five

“Oh, I see you have booked our honeymoon suite. May I offer my felicitations?”

Jason smiled and pulled his partner closer into him. “Thank you.”

“Our suite offers everything you need to make it the experience of a lifetime. The rooms include a kitchenette, a secluded balcony with a sea view as well as a whirlpool. I’ll have an attendant bring you a bottle of champagne,” the clerk smiled, “on the house.”

Dick beamed. “Oh, thank you, that’s very kind of you!” He turned to kiss Jason on the cheek. “See, babe, I told you this hotel is the best.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. Grayson. Now, our restaurant serves dinner between six and ten, though I’m happy to give you recommendations if you choose to dine elsewhere. Room service is available by calling…”

“Will she never stop talking,” a voice in Tim’s feed cut her off.

Tim frowned. “You’re supposed to be working, Robin.”

He could practically hear Damian’s eyeroll. “Not much to do as a valet, you imbecile. I’m assigned to take their luggage up,” that was going according to plan, then, Tim thought, how nice to know, thank you, Damian, “but they are too busy flirting to actually do something.”

“That is what they’re supposed to be doing,” Tim reminded him.

“Tch.” Damian’s feed cut off.

Jason and Dick were finally wrapping things up at the reception desk. Tim watched through the security cameras as they turned towards the elevators, their eyes seemingly never leaving each other.

These days, Jason was the logical choice as a partner on these missions if they wanted to keep it in the family. Mostly because people didn’t know he was family, so they could use their actual names to get into luxury hotels and the like. O was busy and Bruce on another planet, so it made sense that Tim was running the backup side of things. Sure, Dick had been a bit quick to volunteer to be Jason’s partner on this one, leaving Damian to infiltrate the labor side of things, but Damian was still a bit stiff in undercover situations like this one. The entire set-up was entirely logical.

Still, as Jason’s hand dropped down to squeeze a generous handful of Dick’s ass, Tim started to see Damian’s point.

The honeymooners made their way up to their room. Separating as soon as the door closed behind Damian, they silently began to case the room.

Tim let them work for it for a minute, then spoke into the mic. “There are no outgoing signals apart from my camera from your room.”

Jason looked up into said camera and smiled. “Thanks. How are things on your end?”

“Uneventful.”

Dick asked, “Where’s Damian?”

“Making his way through the rooms. He’ll hand your note over to the mark in about five minutes.”  

“Better get undressed then,” Dick said, winking at Jason. “Gotta give her a show, right?”

“You actually want her and Damian to walk in on us?” Jason sighed dramatically. “Tim, you’ll rescue me if Damian tries to kill me, right?”

“I don’t know,” Tim replied drily around the bile in his throat, “if you make me watch you two have sex, I might help him hide the bodies.”

“Ouch.” Jason pressed a hand to his heart. “I’m wounded.”

Dick rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt over his eyes. “Just get undressed.”

“Since you’re asking so nicely, darling.”

“Just for you, honey.”

Tim decided to turn his attention to Damian’s feed, instead.

And one

To say the aftermath of the mission was tense was to make an understatement. They had drawn out the mob contact they’d needed and locked away an entire branch of a drug-smuggling cartel, but Jason and Dick had barely made it back to the cave before Damian had appeared to whisk a confused Dick away, throwing acidic looks at Jason all the way.

Jason, weirdly, didn’t seem to take that to heart at all. Instead, he was grinning at Tim. “Got the brat all upset, huh?”

Tim didn’t know what to say. That Damian had good reason to be upset? That both of them couldn’t stand this new relationship that had been on display so obviously during this mission? ‘He’ll come around’, knowing fully well it would be a lie?

Abruptly, Tim stood up from his chair. Then he didn’t know what to do next. His instincts were screaming at him to get of here, to get away from Jason until he had himself under control again, but he couldn’t just storm past him, could he? Then Jason would definitely know something was wrong.

And this was what he had wanted all these years, right? For Jason to be a part of their family again. To be happy.

(For Jason to happy with Tim.

But he should’ve known better. Who could compete with Dick Grayson, after all?)

“I’m happy for you and Dick.” Tim could say it, but he couldn’t make himself look at Jason as he did.

“Tim.” Jason’s voice was soft.

Tim’s eyes stayed stubbornly on the ground even as he heard Jason move closer to him.

Then there was a large hand cupping his left jawbone, gently tilting his head up.

“Oh, babybird, I’m-“ there was just the slightest brush of Jason’s lips against his own. Then Jason’s mouth moved up, pressing gentle kisses to his cheekbones, the arch of his brow, his forehead.

Tim had to close his eyes against the sudden burn in them, and Jason kissed his eyelid, too.

“I’m sorry,” Jason told him earnestly. “I didn’t realise the acting would affect you. I didn’t think you-“

“Well, I do. Love you, I mean.” Tim stopped himself. “Wait, that is what we’re talking about, right?”

“I was hoping.” Jason kissed him again. This time, it lasted a lot longer, just their lips gently moving against each other, Jason’s hands on his neck, Tim’s hands on Jason’s shoulders.

When he finally moved just fractions of a centimetre away, Jason said, “I do, too.”

Tim wanted to believe, to just let himself give in to Jason, drown in his affection, but he had to open his eyes, had to ask. “But… you and Dick…”

To his surprise, Jason chuckled. “When would that even happen? I’m pretty sure I spend every waking hour of the day either with you or texting you or talking to you on the coms, Tim. I was probably texting you during the stake-out when Dick and I were talking about the ideal room temperature that you were so weird about.” He paused. “We were talking about the ideal room temperature, babybird. How does that scream romantic relationship to you?”

Tim was full-on blushing now, he was sure. “You’re very comfortable with each other. And you did do way more touching than necessary on the mission.”

“Okay, number one - we’ve been in this business long enough to know to never go undercover as a couple with someone you actually have feelings for. They will be exposed and it will be a mess and someone will probably be watching. Number two - I just enjoyed annoying the shit out of Damian.”

Tim actually pulled back a bit to look at Jason. “Wait, that was intentional?”

“On my side at least.”

Some of the interactions Tim had had with Damian fit that, he just hadn’t thought it was reciprocated - oh. Dick’s flush at the ball. Oh. “So Dick is-“

“I knew Dick was fucked the moment Damian turned out to be that tall.”

Tim groaned in exasperation. “How did I miss that?”

“To be fair, I didn’t really know before I mentioned to Dick that I’m, you know, with you and he proceeded to have a slow meltdown about Damian in front of me. There was alcohol and crying involved. Wasn’t pretty, believe me.”

“That’s what broke the ice?”

“Yeah. Pretty difficult to get annoyed at someone after you’ve seen them sobbing with guilt about being attracted to the demon brat.”

With an exhale, all the tension Tim had been carrying for weeks now left his body and he slumped forward into Jason’s embrace, hiding his face in his neck.

“Can we please stop talking about our brothers now?” Jason asked plaintively even as his hands started rubbing soothing circles on Tim’s back. “Because I’m kind of stuck on the part where you said you loved me and let me kiss you, here.”

The smile that rose on Tim’s face was slow to unfold but so very, very happy. “You’re right. You should kiss me again.”

Jason did.

Tim had no occasion to think about Dick Grayson again that evening.

[tequila-clifford]

Three Wishes

Pairing: Michael Clifford/Reader

Word Count: 8601

Warnings/Rating: Fluff/Some Angst & Adult Language 

Request:Sorta? It’s was inspired by the photo above. 

Summary: Single mom, Y/N wants her son’s 5th birthday to be perfect. Things don’t exactly go as planned, but best friend, Michael, saves the day, in more ways than one.

If you like this fic, go thank Steff aka @h0tsos because it would have literally never been finished without her. 

“IT’S- MY- BIRTHDAY!” You were hurled out of your sleep by your son, Emmett, catapulting his entire body weight into your side. It was here, the day you wished you could just skip over or push away; your baby boy was five. You would have loved nothing more than to stay in your happy little denial bubble, where you could pretend that he would stay little forever, but, like it or not, it was happening. “Mommy, you need to get up! It’s my birthday!” You couldn’t help but let out a groan at the idea of getting up right now, but you could feel the excitement radiating from him and you knew you had to greet him with just as much enthusiasm.

Without opening your eyes, you wrapped your arms around his middle and pulled him down onto the bed, immediately tickling his sides and sending him into a fit of laughter. “There is NO WAY it’s your birthday today!”

“IT IS!”

“So how old are you today?” He managed to hold up his hand between his giggles and you kissed the tips of his five little fingers. “You’re right, bug, you’re five! What do you say we go make you some birthday waffles and get ready for your party?”

“YES! LET’S GO RIGHT NOW!” You couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement as he practically sprinted out of your room and towards the kitchen. You climbed out of bed and slipped on your robe, following close behind.

You’d just finished up making E’s breakfast and took the first sip of your coffee when your phone began to buzz on the counter, you looked over to see your best friend, Michael’s, face on your screen.

 You instinctively checked your reflection in the microwave before picking up your phone and answering his FaceTime. “You’re up awfully early for a Saturday.”

“Well, good morning to you too, Y/N. Of course I’m up early, it’s my favorite little dudes birthday! Where is E, anyway? Is he awake?”

“Yeah, he’s ri--”

“Is that Mike!? Mommy, I wanna talk!” You handed your phone to your child who was practically vibrating with excitement. “Mike, are you coming to my birthday today? You know I'm FIVE!?” He spit out all in one breath.

“I know, buddy! And you bet I am! Ya know, I heard your mum is making our favorite cake.”

“Already made it. AND you’re in charge of bringing the ice cream, don’t forget!” You shouted from across the kitchen as you started to wash the dishes from breakfast.

“You got it, boss.” Michael let out with a laugh before Emmett interjected again, going on about how he wants chocolate ice cream and that he hopes he gets the Batmobile go-kart that he’s been asking for “for his whole life”.

As you finished up the dishes, Emmett walked back into the kitchen and reluctantly handed you your phone. “Here, Mommy, Mike wants to talk to you now. ”

“Thank you, bug. Why don’t you go upstairs and make your bed?” He nodded and ran out of the kitchen.

“Is Jason coming today?” Michael all but blurted the question out to you as soon as you turned your attention back to your phone. Jason, your ex and Emmett’s father. You had zero expectations when it came to him being a hands-on parent, or being any type of parent, since he has proved time and time again that E was not his priority. More often than not, you found yourself wishing that he would just permanently stay out of your lives, rather than coming around at his convenience, only to leave again and let Emmett down.

“He said he was coming, but you know that doesn’t mean much.” Michael nodded, clearly biting his tongue about the issue. “I haven’t even told E, just in case he doesn’t show. If Jason does come, then he’ll have a nice surprise, but if he doesn’t th--”

“Then at least he won’t be disappointed.” Michael finished your sentence with a sour look on his face and your expression fell to match his, until he spoke again. “But hey, today is still going to be great! I will get the ice cream and I already picked up that thing that you asked me to get. I will be over early to help you decorate with your favorite wine in hand, so you won’t have a complete internal meltdown once all the tiny humans start showing up.”

“What the hell would I do without you?” You let out in a sigh of relief.

“Die, probably.” He replied with a laugh.   

“You’re probably right.”

“Mommy, I need help!” You heard Emmett call from his room.

“Hey, I gotta go, E’s yelling for me. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Yeah, see you later.” With that, you ended your call and headed upstairs.  

About 2 hours had passed by while you frantically cleaned your house, being sure to put anything breakable out of reach. When both of your dogs sped passed you and down the steps, you knew Michael had let himself in. Before you could get down the stairs to greet him, Emmett was running passed you just like the dogs had. “Hey, there’s the birthday boy!” You turned the corner at the bottom of the steps to see him scooping your son up into his arms and spinning him around, both of them with huge smiles plastered on their faces.

Michael looked great, as usual. Long legs in tight skinny jeans with ripped knees exposing his pale skin, black Docs on his feet, and an old band tee to top it off. Emmett pulled the snapback from Michael’s head and placed it on his own, leaving Michael’s blonde fringe hanging in his eyes.  

Emmett and Michael have had a special bond from the first moment they met, the two of you had been friends for years before you had E. When you found out that you were pregnant, Jason had immediately denounced you and your baby; even going as far as accusing you of cheating on him with Michael, anything to get out of being a father.

            Michael had been there for you every step of the way, stepping up without ever being asked or expected, to support you and Emmett however he could. Seeing the two of them together always made you so happy, but this time felt different, almost bittersweet. You sometimes asked yourself what your life would be like, had you never met Jason; always thinking about the what-ifs. You loved Emmett more than anything in the world, and yet there were times when you couldn’t help but wish you’d waited to start a family with the right person; seeing your two favorite people wrestle on the carpet in front of you, you wondered if that “right person” had been Michael from the start.

Michael looked up at you from where he laid on the floor, holding your son in the air with his feet. “Hello, gorgeous,” he said with a laugh. You rolled your eyes and smiled as you fixed your messy hair and subconsciously tugged at your ratty old pajama shirt.

“Do you wanna knock out these decorations now, or?” Michael placed Emmett back on his feet and stood up to meet you.

“Ya know,I think E and I can handle the decorations,” He glanced over to your son and shot him a wink before meeting your eyes again. “You go upstairs and get yourself ready.” You felt some of the tension in your body ease, knowing that was one less thing you had to worry about before people started showing up.

“You’re the best, thank you.” You quickly kissed him on the cheek before turning towards the stairs. “Bug, be a good helper, be sure to listen to Michael. Okay?” He nodded excitedly and you could hear him talking Michael's ear off as you made your way to your bedroom.  

After taking a longer shower than you probably should’ve and drying your hair, you pulled on a fresh pair of panties and reluctantly clasped your bra. You opted to hold off on getting dressed and you slipped your robe back on instead, you put on your favorite playlist, and sat down in front of your mirror. You looked at the clock and let out an exasperated sigh, realizing you didn’t have time for a full face of makeup. You settled for a subtle rose gold shadow and your signature winged liner, being sure to conceal the dark circles under your eyes and to shape up the brows that hadn’t been waxed in way too long, just from lack of free time. You did your best to not overthink the day, trying to not stress about how your house was going to be flooded with over twenty kids under the age of seven in just shy of an hour, and about whether or not Emmett’s father would show.

Just as you were finishing up, there was a tap on your door, you turned to see Michael leaning against the frame with a wine glass in one hand and a bottle in the other. “Thought you might be in need of a drink,” he chuckled and you nodded as he walked over and leaned back against your dresser, handing you the glass. “Is this the playlist I made you?” You nodded and he smiled, looking at his feet for a moment before speaking again. “So, how much crying did you do last night?”

“Ugh. So much.” You shook your head and took a sip of your wine. “I can’t believe he’s five. I can’t believe that I am the mother of a five year old.”

“Well, you’d never know it by looking at you.” You felt a blush creeping up your neck at his words, he cleared his throat before continuing. “It feels like just last week, I was driving you to the hospital after your water broke at my band practice.” You couldn’t help but laugh at the memory, you were so embarrassed that so many people had witnessed that.

“I think E just wanted to see you play in person, he couldn’t wait any longer.” Michael scoffed at the idea as you rested your hand on his forearm, he caught your gaze and immediately turned the attention back to you.

“I just think he was in a hurry to meet his mum. She’s pretty incredible.” Your eyes remained locked on his for just a moment before you cleared your throat and looked away sheepishly.

“I'll always be a little mad that the hospital wouldn't let you in the room with me.” Michael ran his fingers through his hair, and tried to steer the subject in another direction.

“But, I was the first one to meet him once I was allowed in. Do you remember what I said when I held him?”

“Oh my god.” You started laughing again. “You said he looked like Princess Dot from A Bug's Life” Michael squeezed his eyes shut and laughed with you, nodding his head in agreement. “I could not believe you said my baby looked like a bug!”

“But, that nickname stuck, didn't it?” You just shook your head in response before standing up.

“I need to finish getting ready, could you stick around for a second to help me zip up my dress?”

“Of course. Do you want me to step out?”

“It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”  He had; between skinny dipping at Ashton’s birthday party, years of nonchalantly changing clothes in front of one another, and especially after you had E, you’d seen each other naked dozens of times. Michael nodded almost nervously as you pulled your navy blue dress from the hanger and slipped out of your robe. You bent down to step into your dress and you could feel Michael’s eyes on you. When you stood up and pulled the straps over your shoulders you met his eyes, his cheeks were flushed pink and his hand was rubbing the back of his neck, which you knew was one of his anxious habits. You walked over to where he was standing and turned, pulling your hair off to the side and out of the way of the zipper.

You felt his cool, calloused fingers graze your lower back before zipping up your dress, he lingered for a moment, his warm breath fanning over the back of your neck. You could feel your heart racing in your chest as his fingers trailed from your shoulders down to your hands, he grasped your left hand gently and tugged you around to face him. He took your hands into his own and you instinctively laced your fingers with his, loosely; he looked you up and down, shaking his head subtly before catching your eyes again. “You are so beautiful, Y/N.”

You broke your eye contact once again and sucked in a sharp breath. “We better go downstairs. People will be showing up soon.” Your voice was low and you avoided meeting his eyes, you pulled away from his hands and he nodded. You’d started to mentally kick yourself, at first, for ruining the moment, but that quickly turned to you shaking the notion from your mind. There was no “moment”. You scolded yourself for getting caught up in him the way you had, when deep down you knew he meant what he said in the most innocent way. That was just Michael, being Michael. He was just being is normal sweet self, giving you the confidence boost you needed to make it through the day. He couldn’t have meant it in any other way, not with how you look...right?

Emmett may be five, but you’re definitely still rocking the mom bod. Your wide hips, full thighs, and soft stomach that detested being forced into jeans, not to mention the stretch marks adorning your hips, boobs, belly, and arms. E called them your stripes, every time your shirt would ride up a bit and he would see them, he’d growl and say “You look like a tiger, Mommy. That means I’m a tiger too.” You loved that; you loved your body, because it had brought this amazing little boy into the world. But no matter how much you loved your body, you just couldn’t imagine someone like Michael, someone who looks like Michael, loving your body too.

After about 45 minutes of your dogs going crazy every time the doorbell rang, everyone had finally arrived for the party. Michael and E had done a great job with the decorations, Emmett couldn’t wait to tell you how Michael put him up on his shoulders to hang the streamers from the doorway.

All the kids were in the backyard jumping on the ridiculously overpriced moon bounce rental and most of the parents had dropped their kids off at the door and went home. Bright side of the parents not staying for the party? No small talk. You had Michael there, and the rest of the band, who were currently being mobbed by children in the aforementioned inflatable money pit taking up most of your yard. Some of your family had even shown up too, but of course, as predicted, no Jason. You tried not to think about it, knowing that his absence was probably the better side of a shitty coin.

You put on a happy face and lit the candles on E’s birthday cake, your “Milk & Cookies” cake had been a favorite with both Emmett and Michael for as long as you could remember, they would always share a piece, E eating most of your homemade icing from the middle and edges before Michael even got the chance to sit down; not that he ever seemed to mind, he always said that ‘the chocolate chips were his favorite part anyway’, which you knew was a lie. “Here, let me help.” Michael spoke as he walked in through the sliding glass door. “You go stand with E and take some pictures, I’ll carry this.” You smiled at him and rested your hand on his arm for a moment before you walked out to the patio.

Michael followed close behind, a chorus of out of tune guests singing “Happy Birthday” as soon as he emerged from the doorway. The look on Emmetts face was priceless, you only hoped that he would have the same reaction to his gifts as he did over food. You laughed as his face scrunched up, squeezing his eyes shut extra tight before blowing out his candles and making a wish. As soon as he opened them, he practically launched himself into you, wrapping his arms around your neck and hugging you tighter than you think he ever had before; after a silent moment, he let go of you and you just looked at him for a second, trying your best not to tear up in front of all of the people surrounding you. “Okay, how about we open your presents, and then we’ll eat dessert? Sound good?” He excitedly jumped up and down and nodded so fast you were sure he’d concuss himself.

After opening all of the gifts from his friends, the boys, and your family, there were only two to go. Michael came forward carrying a long box, he sat down next to E as he ripped the paper off in record time, the look on his face nearly matching the one he made at the sight of his cake before yelling “A GUITAR! MOMMY, NOW I CAN BE A ROCKSTAR LIKE MIKE!” You didn’t think you had ever seen Michae’ls face light up the way it did in that moment, he was beaming with happiness, maybe even pride. Emmett leapt into his arms the same way he had with you earlier and thanked him profusely.

“I think Mommy might have one more surprise for you.”

They both looked up at you, Michael shooting you a wink and showing off that smirk you loved a little too much. “I think Michael is right. You wait here and cover your eyes.” You walked around the side of your home and through the gate where Michael had hid Emmett's last gift, smiling at the large bow and gift tag Michael had placed on the front. You pushed it around the house, holding your index finger to your lips as you turned the corner, willing all of the kids not to yell and spoil the surprise through their excited whispers. Once you managed to push his deceivingly heavy gift onto the stone patio, you took a second to reclaim your breath and pull out your phone, not wanting to miss recording his reaction. “Okay, Bug, open your eyes!”

The sound that left your sons tiny body could only be compared to one of the velociraptors from Jurassic Park, it took a solid 30 seconds for him to compose himself enough to move from where he stood in front of Michael. “A BATMOBILE! I HAVE WANTED THIS MY WHOLE LIFE!” He turned to Michael almost in disbelief. “Mommy really got me a Batmobile!” Michael just laughed before nodding his head in your direction.

“Well, why don’t you go try it out?”

Emmett turned and bolted towards you, spitting out “thank you Mommy’s” right and left and repeatedly telling you how he has wanted this go-kart “since he was two”.

“Alright baby, you play with some of your new toys while I go cut your cake, okay?” E looked at you a nodded before you turned towards the door. “Make sure you share, Emmett.”

You shot him a warning glance before he answered “Okay, Mommy.”

Before you reached the door, one of your cousins who you had invited strictly out of obligation grabbed your arm. “So, what’s your deal with him?” A puzzled look must have washed over your face because she spoke again without waiting for a response “The hot guy, with Emmett. Mike, right?”

“Oh? Yeah, that’s Michael. Why?”

“Are you two like...a thing?” The question caught you off guard and you fought back the urge to say yes, knowing what her next question would be if you told her the truth. She didn’t wait for another reply from you. “Like, is he single? Because I want him to leave here with me.”

Your mouth suddenly felt dry and you struggled to find the right way to answer her. “Uhh, yeah. I mean, yes. He’s single.”

You didn’t wait around to hear anymore, walking inside and placing both hands on the counter, letting out the breath that you had seemingly been holding. The nervous pit in your stomach from all of the days stress just tripled in size. You glanced out the window to see your cousin chatting him up, and you turned away quickly, trying your best to ignore it.

You just had to get through the cake and ice cream, then parents would be showing up to get their kids soon after and you could finally sit down and take a breath. You pulled out the paper plates from the cupboard behind you and a knife from the block on the counter. When you turned back around, Michael was on the opposite side of the island. “Thought you could use some help with the ice cream.”

You glanced out the window and noticed that your cousin was nowhere to be found, and you held back a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that would be great.” He walked around the counter and opened the freezer, pulling out 3 huge buckets of ice cream. “Jesus, Michael how much do you think these kids will eat?”

“Hey, baby, it’s better to be over prepared.” he said with a wink.

You just rolled your eyes and laughed as he stacked the buckets on the floor and then leaned against the counter next to you, arms crossed in front of his chest. “Aren’t you gonna scoop that?”

“Ehh, it can wait a minute or two. So, funniest thing just happened.”

You raised an eyebrow at him and tried not to stare at the smirk on his face. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“Your cousin just asked me out. Like, shamelessly hit on me at a 5 year old’s birthday party.” You had no words to respond to him, so you opted to just nod, wide eyed. “And then I asked her what made her so confident, to come over and blatantly try to seduce me. And she said that you, so kindly, told her that I was single.”

“Well, you are.”  You said matter-of-factly, looking at Michael as he nodded at your statement.

“I mean, I guess it does look that way.”

“So, what did you tell her then? Since apparently I was wrong in revealing your relationship status.”

Michael rested his hand on top of yours and you looked up to meet his eyes as he spoke. “I told her, that I’m only interested in one person and that I plan to stay single for as long as I have to until that one person is ready to let me love them the way they deserve.”

You were speechless, it was like all of the air in your body was suddenly gone. Before you had the chance to even think of how you could possibly respond, your kitchen was flooded with kids all chanting for cake.

You recoiled your hand and shot Michael an apologetic glance, still unable to use your voice, so he spoke up for you. “Alright, who’s ready for a sugar high?” The enthusiastic cheers, came mostly from Emmett who was acting like he hadn’t eaten in days. “Everyone lineup and Miss Y/N and I will hand out the cake and ice cream.”

As the kids lined up in your kitchen, you couldn’t help but stare at him. To say you were in shock would be putting it lightly. You had never in a million years imagined that this was real, that he was real. Michael had always been there for you, and more importantly, for Emmett. Did he really mean what he said? Did he really love you? You absentmindedly handed kids their cake while you admired how he was interacting with every single child who came up for ice cream, complimenting the girls on their sparkly unicorn bows and high fiving the boys for their Batman shirts. You were in awe of him. As the last kid got their plate and turned to walk outside, you sucked in a deep breath at the realization that you and Michael were alone once again. He didn’t say a word as he put the tubs of ice cream back in the freezer, he turned back to face you, immediately meeting your eyes. “Did you mean that?” You all but blurted out.

Michael just nodded as he stepped forward and pulled you into his arms, your head resting on his chest. You could hear his heart racing and feel how tense he was. “I meant every word.” You heard your front door open and click shut over Michael’s words, but you were too wrapped up in this moment to pay any mind, assuming that it was just one of the parents coming a little early to pick up their kid.

Michael pulled back and met your gaze once again before he started to lean in, you shut your eyes, preparing yourself for something you’ve wanted for so long until you heard little footsteps running through your kitchen. “MICHAEL! I’m all done with my cake, can you open this for me?!” Michael’s demeanor immediately changed as he turned towards E.

He nodded and took the toy from his hands, grabbing the scissors from the drawer to open the packaging. He then found the screwdriver and put in some batteries before handing it back to your eagerly waiting boy. “Here ya go, buddy.”

“Thanks, Daddy!” Without another word or any indication that E was aware of what he said, he ran back outside, leaving you and Michael standing there in shock.

“What the fuck is this, Y/N?” You whipped around to see Emmett’s father standing in the entryway of your kitchen. “I drive all the way here from Burbank, for my son’s birthday, and I walk in to not only see you all cozy with this asshole, but to hear my son calling him “daddy”.

You couldn’t help but notice the slurs at the ends of his words as he finished his sentence. When he took an aggressive step in Michael’s direction, you jumped forward, putting your hands on his chest and pushing him towards the door. “Absolutely not. This is not happening, you need to go.”

“I was invited here, Y/N. Remember?”

“Party started hours ago, Jason. You need to get the hell out of my house.”

“I deserve to know what kind of people are around my son, you know. I think we need to have a talk. I am his father and I don’t like what I saw.” You turned your face away from him in disgust as you got a whiff of the booze on his breath. You finally managed to get him out the front door of your house with Michael close behind you.

“You wanna talk? Fine, let’s talk. First of all, how dare you show up here, trashed! Like, do you honestly think I’m going to let you within 10 feet of my son? You reek of alcohol, Jason.” You were a few feet from him, doing your best to keep your distance and maintain your composure. “Since you want to act like a father for a minute, why don’t you answer some questions for me?” You took his silence as permission and swallowed the tears of anger that you felt welling in the back of your throat. “Who took me to every single doctors appointment, when I was pregnant? Who stayed with Emmett, so I could work double shifts to afford his Christmas gifts? Who stayed up all night with me after bringing E back from the hospital, when he wouldn’t stop crying? Was that you?” You moved closer to him, almost chest to chest. “What about the time when I had the flu and couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone chase around a two year old? Was that you, Jason?” You put your hands on his chest and pushed him backwards towards his car, where you saw his flavor of the week hiding in the passenger seat, you we’re all but yelling now, your voice cracking as you tried to hold it together. “No. It was never you, was it? It was Michael, every fucking time. No wonder Emmett called him “Daddy”, even if it was just an accident. He has been more of a father to him than you ever have.” He avoided looking at you, and you knew that he was doing everything he could to ignore what you were saying, staying fixated on Michael.

“I always knew you two had something going on behind my back.” Jason sneered as he stepped towards Michael “Ya know, I bet that kid isn’t even mine.” Jason’s words made your stomach turn, you looked over at Michael, reading his body language like an open book. His face was turning more red by the second and his knuckles were white as he clenched his fists by his side. “I don’t know why I send you so much goddamn money for him” His eyes cut over to you, but his body was still stalking towards Michael. “Pretty sure rockstar here has you both covered.” He stopped just inches away from Michael's face “I mean since the kid is calling you daddy anyway, maybe you should just take him off my hands.” Jason glanced down to see Michael’s fists trembling with rage “You wanna hit me don’t you?” The smirk on his face as he spoke, should have been warning enough. “Go ahead, rockstar, hit me. Make it a good one.”

“You need to fuck off.” Michael spoke up and suddenly you couldn’t move. “You should be pissed, you have every right to be furious that your son just called me “daddy”. But you’re not going to stand here and get in my face over something that’s your own fucking fault.” You could tell Michael was being careful with his hands, making sure he didn’t set Jason off. “It should piss you off that your own son walked right passed you in the kitchen and didn’t acknowledge you. Maybe if you weren’t such a fucking deadbeat and came around more often, your son might actually know who you are.”

Before Michael could even finish his sentence, Jason had pushed him back towards the house. You knew that he wanted to fight, and he wouldn’t stop until he got his way, he was yelling slurs and practically begging for Michael to hit him. You ran over and grabbed his arm, trying to pull his attention back to you. “Jason, stop it! God dammit, just go home!” He pushed you back with his elbow, causing you to fall down onto the pavement.

The second you hit the ground, Michael had him pinned against the fence. His forearm pressed against Jason’s neck.

In the same instant, Calum came running around the side of the house, pausing when he saw Michael in your ex’s face. “I heard yelling.” Calum helped you up from the sidewalk and made sure you were okay. “Does Michael have this under control?”

You nodded, embarrassment flushing your cheeks. “Can you just keep everyone out back please? Don’t let anyone out here, especially Emmett.” Calum agreed and ran back into the house, closing the door behind him.

You walked quickly over to Jason’s SUV and knocked on the window, motioning for the woman inside to put it down, she obliged nervously after a few seconds and you tried your best to speak calmly. “I really doubt this is what you signed up for, but I’m gonna need you to get in the driver’s seat.” She opened her mouth as if to protest, but you just held up your hand before speaking again, maintaining your low tone. “You get your ass in this driver's seat or I’m going to call the cops to come haul both of you off of my property. He’s a bastard, but he’s the father of my child and I’ll be damned if I let him drive out of here in that condition.”

Without waiting for a response, you turned on your heel and made a beeline for Michael, his words growing clearer as you as you stopped a few feet behind him. He was just inches from Jason’s face, his words were thick with venom and he spit them at your ex as powerfully as he was able. “You’re lucky I have so much to fucking lose, mate, or you’d be leaving here in an ambulance.” You could practically see Michael’s pulse in his neck, his entire body tense with anger. “You have no right to be here acting like this and making a complete ass of yourself. Do you even understand why she’s so angry with you?” You could tell that Michael wasn’t about to hold anything back, like he wasn’t speaking for you, he was speaking for himself.

You shifted around to his left so you could see his face, you didn’t put yourself any closer to them, still a little shaken after being knocked down. Michael took a quick breath before continuing his assault. “You think you can show up maybe twice a year and start bossing her and Emmett around, like you actually have authority here. You don’t get to show up whenever the fuck you feel like it and be a father, Jason.” You weren’t sure you had the ability to speak up, even if you’d wanted to. “Do you think she gets a break? Do you think she gets to just run off whenever she has a cold or if she’s tired or if she just doesn’t feel like being a mom that day? No. She wakes up everyday, puts a smile on her face and raises HER son.”

You could feel the tears welling in your eyes, hearing Michael’s words, even if they weren’t meant for you. You stepped forward, placing your hand on his lower back, it caught his attention for only a moment as he turned his head and met your eyes with an empathetic expression before quickly facing your ex once again, not wanting to give Jason any opportunity to interject. “I would have NEVER let you in that delivery room with her, had I known that this is what you would do with your chance at being a father to him.”

You saw Jason’s expression change and your heart sank. He ‘let’ Jason in the delivery room? Why didn’t you know this before?

“You don’t have to be his dad, Jason. Y/N has been filling both roles for five years without any help from you. You don’t have to like her and you sure as hell don’t have to like me, but you will give her every ounce of respect that she deserves for stepping into the shoes that you weren’t man enough to fill.” Michael removed his forearm from Jason’s throat and gripped his shirt on both shoulders, pulling him from the fence before slamming him back again just hard enough to regain his attention. “Now get the fuck out of here and leave my family alone.”

As he ended his final word, he pulled Jason from the fence once again and pushed him in the general direction of his car. You noticed that what's-her-face had heeded your warning and was sitting uncomfortably in the driver’s seat. You heard Jason mutter something under his breath, along the lines of “I don’t need this bullshit” as he hauled his bruised ego into the passenger side of the SUV.

Michael rigidly stared them down until they were off of your property and out of sight, then his posture immediately changed. He turned to you, resting one hand on your cheek, running his thumb along your jaw as he searched your face for some sort of reaction to what had just happened.

Without a word, you pulled his hand from your face and lead him into the house to rejoin the party. Parents would be showing up any minute to pick up their kids, and you needed time to process.

You stood at the door with Emmett as he said goodbye to the last wave of guests, making sure he thanked everyone for coming. You glanced towards the kitchen where you saw Michael lingering. “Bug, why don’t you go ask Mike if he want to stay for a movie night?” You watched his face light up before he turned and ran towards the kitchen, yelling for Michael to pick a movie before even extending the invitation. Michael looked up at you from where he stood at counter and shot you a smile before following E.

“DON’T FORGET THE POPCORN, MOMMY!” Emmett blared from the living room. You shook your head as you locked the front door, and made your way into the kitchen.

Just as you pulled the popcorn bags from the pantry, you caught Michael out of the corner of your eye. “Here, I’ll take care of the popcorn. You go ahead upstairs and change.” You walked by him with a smile, touching his arm as you passed. You peeked your head into the living room to tell Emmett to go put his own pj’s on before making your way to your bedroom. You slipped on your Wonder Woman sleep shorts and your long sleeved All Time Low t-shirt before brushing out your hair and tossing it up into a messy bun. You looked at yourself in the mirror quickly before heading back down stairs.

You opened the fridge to grab a few drinks, noticing the bottle of wine Michael had brought you this morning tucked in the door. You grabbed the bottle and two glasses, and poured a cup of water for E. You carefully walked into the living room, being sure not to spill anything. After sitting the glasses on the coffee table and pouring the wine for Michael and yourself, you were finally able to sit down for the first time since Emmett had excitedly woken you up that morning.

“Alright, boys, what are we watching?” You positioned yourself at the end of the couch next to Emmett, with Michael on his other side.

“ANT-MAN!” Great. Ant-Man, again. You glanced over to Michael who looked almost as excited as your five year old did. You rolled your eyes and smiled, opting to use this time to think about everything that had happened today. You took a sip of your wine and tried your best to unravel your thoughts, your mind had been going a million miles an hour since your interaction with Michael in the kitchen, before Jason showed up, and everything had just gone downhill from there.

At some point during the first half of the movie, E had ended up sitting on the floor in front of the TV, leaving nothing in between you and Michael to cut the tension. He turned subtly in his spot on the couch and leaned back until his head was resting comfortably in your lap, snapping your out of your thoughts. Your right hand went to his hair, playing with the ends absentmindedly; he took your left hand into his own, lacing your fingers and resting them on his chest.

You sat like that contently for awhile, until Emmett got up from his spot on the floor and walked back to the couch. He climbed up on top of Michael and laid down on his chest, you pulled your hand from Michael’s gently and rested it on E’s back, rubbing small circles and watching his breathing slow. He still managed to watch a few more minutes of the movie before falling asleep. Neither of you seemed to be in a hurry to move from you positions on the couch, so you finished the rest of the movie, the teaser, and all of the remaining credits. You honestly didn’t even consider moving until after the start menu popped back up on the TV, you even watched that on a loop a few times before reluctantly breaking the silence. You looked at Michael and whispered “Can you put him to bed?” He nodded and stood up slowly, Emmett’s head resting on his shoulder and his arms falling limp at his sides. While Michael walked him up to his bedroom, you cleaned up the popcorn bowls and empty glasses from the coffee table and put them in the sink.    

You grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and began making yourself some tea. Your heart started to race as you heard Michael making is way down the steps. You knew what was coming and you weren't sure you were ready for it.

“He's out cold.” Michael spoke softly as he stepped into the kitchen. “All the excitement today wore him out.”

“Yeah, today was definitely something.” You spoke, not looking up from the mug you'd been stirring for a little too long.

“Y/N, I need to apologize for what happened earlier. I lost my head when Jason spoke to you the way he did and when he pushed you, I-I snapped. It wasn’t my place to say those things to him. I’m sorry.” You turned to see Michael looking down at his shoes as he spoke, like he was embarrassed.

“You don’t have to apologize, Michael, I’m not upset with you.” His eyes lifted to meet your own. “I do need to talk to you about something you said though.” He nodded as you grabbed both cups of tea from the counter behind you and took a few steps towards him. You handed him both mugs and turned to pull yourself up onto the counter by his side, before taking back your own. You blew the steam from the top and carefully took a sip before speaking up. “What di- what did you mean, when you said that you “let” him in the delivery room with me?”

You watched Michael’s chest as he drew in a long breath, he didn’t seem surprised by your question, but his brows furrowed and he avoided your eyes for a moment, like he wasn’t quite sure how to answer it. “You remember this morning when we were talking about when E was born, how I drove you to the hospital?” He looked back up at you for confirmation before continuing. “I knew you didn’t want me to leave you, but I had to go to the lobby to call your mom. You remember that too?”

“It’s foggy, but I remember.” You weren’t sure what to expect or where he was going with this, but you felt your heart rate picking up with every word he spoke.

“Well, I had finally managed to contact her and I told her I would wait in the lobby until she got there. While I was waiting, Jason showed up, your mom had called him and told him which hospital you were in.” You weren’t sure how you’d gone 5 years without knowing how Jason found you that night, you were almost angry at yourself for never asking these questions before. “He saw me right away and came at me with the same shit he had today, saying that the baby wasn’t his and that he shouldn’t have wasted the trip.”

You looked at the ground and shook your head, embarrassed that you had ever been with someone so awful. Michael rested his free hand on your thigh, making you look back up at him before he kept going. “Before your mom showed up, the nurse had come into the lobby, she looked at both of us and asked who the father was. I had half a mind to speak up and tell her it was me, since Jason didn’t want to believe that E was his anyway. I knew from day one that you deserved better than him and I knew that your baby deserved better than him too, but I couldn’t do it. I thought I was doing the right thing, after all, I’m not Emmett’s father.” Michael’s voice cracked on the last words of his sentence, you caught his stare again to see that his jade green eyes were glassy and blinking back tears.

As if his words weren’t enough, seeing him, the man who has been there for you, who has been strong for you for years start to fall apart, broke something inside of you; you felt the weight of it sitting in your chest and you couldn’t stop the tears from welling in your eyes. You placed your hand on top of his, still resting on your leg. He took a moment to pull himself together before speaking again. “So when she asked, I said that he was the father and within half a second he was being taken back to you. I regret it everyday, Y/N. Had I known that he would treat you and Emmett this way, I would have never let him see you that night.”

You gripped his hand, rubbing your thumb along the back and swallowing the lump in your throat that was keeping you from speaking. “There is no way you could have predicted how the last five years would play out. You did what you felt was right and I can’t ever be mad at you for that.” Michael nodded softly. “He may have been there to see Emmett being born, but you are the one who has been there for us every single day since.” You paused to take a breath, hoping that what you were about to say wasn’t too much. “Michael, you not being biologically related to my son and your name not being written next to mine on his birth certificate, means nothing to me. Do you think those things matter to Emmett? He walked right passed Jason today and called you “daddy”.” You tried to gauge his expression, but the face you could usually read like a book wasn’t giving anything up. “When you’re gone, he talks about you endlessly. When he’s frustrated and doesn’t want to talk to me, he asks for you. When you call me, he follows me around like a lost puppy until I give him the phone so he can tell you about his day. Michael, he loves you. And I know that you love hi-”

“I love you both.” Michael interjected quickly.

“I know you do.” You spoke softer now, not sure exactly which kind of “love” he meant.

“No, Y/N. When I say “I love you both” I mean, I love Emmett with everything I have, in my eyes, he is my son, regardless of what his birth certificate says. And I mean that I love you, in every sense of the word that you’re thinking of and more. I meant it when I told Jason to stay away from ‘my family’ because I want to protect you from all of his bullshit that you don’t deserve. My parents, the boys, you, and Emmett, you are my family. You are all I have. You are what makes me get up in the morning.” You couldn’t stop the tears from falling as his words sunk in, his hands moved to either side of your face, thumbs wiping away every tear as they rolled down your cheeks. “I meant every single word of what I said earlier, Y/N. I love you and I don’t want anyone else but you.” You placed your hands on top of his, closing your eyes and leaning into his palm. “But-” He took a deep, grounding breath. “I am content with how our lives are now. If you’re not ready or if that’s not what you want at all-” He was pouring his heart out and you could see the vulnerability in his eyes. “As long as I have you and Emmett, I’m happy, Y/N, I don’t need anything else.”

There was a split second, where you were sure his eyes would swallow you whole, because you couldn’t move. You were desperately searching for the right thing to say, every option you’d come up with just not being good enough. After a silence that felt like decades, you finally gathered up the courage to say what you’d been holding back for as long as you could remember. “You have me, Michael. I’m yours.”

In an instant he pulled your lips to his like a magnet. You’d imagined kissing him for so long, and nothing you’d ever thought of compared to this. His lips were soft, melting against yours like they were made just for you. He was slow and sweet until you grabbed for his shirt, using it to pull him closer to you as your wrapped your legs around his torso, in that moment you were glad you’d decided to sit on the counter. Michael’s tongue ran along your lower lip before tugging it lightly between his teeth, pulling a soft moan from your throat. Michael pulled away to catch his breath and you immediately went to his neck, feeling his stubble graze your lips as you began to leave a mark below his jaw, you could feel the vibration of a groan against his throat. His hands moved to your hips, pulling them closer to his own, before abruptly hitting the brakes.

Michael lifted your chin and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against your own. He took a few deep breaths before pulling back, you gave him a puzzled look and he pressed a soft pillowy kiss to your lips once again. “Trust me, Y/N, I want nothing more than to be with you in every way possible. But, we have time.” You couldn’t help but feel a little hurt for a moment, but you knew he was right.

You bit your lip and looked into his eyes once again, he shot you that smirk you’d always loved a little too much and leaned in to catch your lips with his own. You weren’t sure how long you stayed like that, fully content with just kissing him softly, feeling all of the love that had been held back for so many years.

You were jolted back to reality when a tiny voice yelled from the doorway. “OH MY GOD!”

You pulled away from Michael quickly and jumped off the counter. “Bug, what are you doing awake?” You almost felt sick, what if he got upset, how were you going to handle this?

“MY WISH!” You and Michael glanced at one another quickly, confusion washing over both of your faces. Before either of you could reply, he ran over and  hugged Michael’s legs like his life depended on it. “MY WISH! I GOT MY WISH, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”

“What wish, Bug?” Michael spoke, resting his hand on Emmett’s back.

“When I blowed my candles out, I wished that Mommy would love you, so you could be my real Daddy!” Your heart stopped.

You looked to Michael who already had tears in his eyes, he reached down and lifted Emmett into the tightest hug you’ve ever seen, before reaching out for you and pulling you into his side; He kissed your forehead and whispered, “I got my wish too.”

IF YOU READ THIS WHOLE THING I LOVE YOU 

Tag List: @h0tsos @hotmessmichael @karr-bash @singt0mecalum @asht0ns-world @ashton-ma-bestfriend @cxddlyash @bea-utifulxliarx @irwinkitten @5sosdrfluke @jordankate987 @aspiringwildfire @wirioutcolors @emma-rose-biersack @naivelystan @dukesnumber1 @problem-w-problemz @ghstofcalum @gigglyirwin-main @gigglyirwin @mainly-michael @lasagnamichael @angelbabycal

[linaofthemyscira]

Puppies Are Forever

Pairing: Older!Damian Wayne x Platonic!Reader

Words: 1828

Prompt: Puppies Are Forever by Sia//Christmas

Warnings: Damian….plus puppers…the ultimate fluff

A/N aw FUCKLES I’m like cramming this in like 2 days before Xmas lmao. This is my FIRST Damian fic damn, and he’s like 16-ish. I hope you guys enjoy this!

Christmastime was such a big thing for Gotham. There was a ginormous tree-lighting ceremony in front of city hall and buildings always decorated with playful color lights or elegant white lights. Damian’s father, Bruce Wayne, had always gone with those classy white lights, because well, that’s just the way he was.

Since the family celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas, the manor was always decorated more colorfully. Stephanie and Dick were on the house decorating committee, along with Alfred and Duke because they were the only two who “appreciated decorating the most out of the family”. Jason and (also) Alfred were on cooking duty, Cass and Babs made sure no one opened the presents early, and Damian…well he never really had a job. Or technically, never was assigned one. Tim was never assigned a job either, but that was only because he never stopped working. One year he wasn’t even seen throughout Hanukkah and Christmas because he was working a case.

Damian didn’t mind that he had no specific job, that meant he got to spend more time with you. He enjoyed spending time with you because you simply made his life more bright. You made him forget about the anger he would have certain days, you comforted him when he was down, and you appreciated that he had a deep appreciation for animals. You two were inseparable. Jason would always poke fun about when Damian would just ask you out already, but you always laughed and shrugged it off while he would start arguing with Jason.

In order to avoid that (awkward) conversation this year, Damian kept you as far from the manor as possible. Since you lived in the city, he would pick you up and take you to explore all the corners of Gotham (that were the safest). You still had no clue Damian was Robin, and he intended to keep it that way. He had observed his older brother’s relationships with commoners like you and all the stops they’d have to pull out in order to keep that person safe. He even observed his father. And by now, he was 16, he knew the rules. For him, it was common sense. So he kept you in the dark.

Which…was quite ironic because right at this very moment, you were walking through a tunnel of lights in the park. They were strung up on the trees, twinkling brightly like the stars.

“Wow, this is incredible,” you looked all around you in wonder.

“I always enjoy coming to the park during this time of year, especially because of this tunnel,” Damian commented.

“Really? Why is that?” You turned to him.

“It’s just very relaxing,” he shrugged.

“Ah that’s right, you have a crazy family,” You grinned.

“Crazy does not even begin to explain my family, Y/N. I am guessing that right now, Pennyworth and Todd are cooking something and Grayson is trying to eat some of it. Drake has most likely fallen asleep at his computer, and Stephanie is trying to prevent Alfred the cat and Titus from destroying the decorations she spent months creating,” Damian explained.

“Huh,” you nodded. “And your dad?”

Damian visibly scrunched his nose and reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

“I don’t know,” he stuck his hands in his pockets and frowned at the ground.

“Working maybe?” you asked.

“Perhaps,” Damian looked at you and shrugged, though he was thinking of Bruce’s other job. You linked your arm in Damian’s and laid your head on his shoulder. He was a little taken aback but went with it.

“Don’t worry, Dami, he’ll come home. I know he will,” you said softly. Damian smiled to himself at your comforting words.

Thank God he had you.

As the night was ending, Damian escorted you home. This time he took you down a different path, a shortcut he discovered while he was patrolling one night as Robin.

Damian knew you loved animals as well, but you didn’t have any pets because your family’s landlord didn’t allow pets into the building. So when you passed a pet store with puppies in the window and you stopped to look at them, he immediately figured out what to get you for Christmas.

“oH MY GOD! Damian look at these super cute puppies!” you squealed as your eyes lit up like the lights that decorated the Gotham Christmas tree.

“They are adorable,” he said with a small smile.

“Oh, I wonder how much…that one is.” you pointed to one of the puppies that was calmer than the other ones in the pen. The puppy looked up at you and immediately started wagging its tail in excitement. “He’s so cute, ugh. I need him.”

“That, I agree with. You are in dire need of a canine,” He spoke.

“A canine. Damian, you can chill out for one second and call it a dog.” you raised an eyebrow with a smile. He loved that expression because it always meant you were amused by his actions.

“Fine. You do need a dog,” he restated.

“I do. I hate our landlord for not letting us have one.” you agonized. Damian came up with a brilliant plan right on the spot and internally happy danced.

“Y/N, come on, let’s go,” Damian tore you away from the window.

“GOODBYE PUPPY! I LOVE YOU!” you shouted as Damian tugged you down the street.

After a few more minutes of walking, Damian finally got you home in one piece. After your mother opened the door to let you in, you turned to Damian to say goodbye for the evening, even though you knew you’d be texting him sometime within the hour.

“Thanks for taking me out again, Dami,” you beamed at him.

“It was nothing, Y/N. I always enjoy spending time with you.” He said but started blushing when he realized what he said.

“I enjoy spending time with you, Damian,” your smile became more gentle.

“Would you like to come over to the manor on Christmas?” Damian suddenly blurted out. You widened your eyes in response but ended up nodding.

“Of course,” you told him.

“Naturally, whenever you can come over. I know family is important–” Damian started to ramble.

“No, Damian, its okay, I can come over. Thank you,” you told him.

“Anytime, Y/N,” he offered a smile, yet toothy smile, which he rarely did.

“I guess I’ll see you on Christmas then.”

“Okay. Have a good night, Y/N.”

“You too, Damian.”

And with that, you closed the door.

Come Christmas Day, and after all of the presents were unwrapped, you had arrived at the manor door, bearing a gift for Damian and a courtesy one for Alfred for always being so nice to you.

“Please, Y/N, come in, it must be freezing outside,” Alfred ushered you inside.

“Hi, Alfred. I got this for you,” You handed Alfred a small-ish box, to which he was surprised.

“Why thank you, Y/N,” he nodded gracefully. “Master Damian is in the family room.”

“Thank you, Alfred, you’re the best,” you winked and headed off to the family room to join Damian.

He was manspreading in his usual chair, with his usual uninterested look on his face, but when you walked in, he sat up his expression morphed into a much happier one.

“Y/N!” he exclaimed. The only family members left in the room (Alfred, Bruce, Dick, Babs, and Duke) all turned to look at you.

“Hi everybody!” you greeted as you waved.

“Hello, Y/N,” Bruce gave you a tired smile.

“Mr. Wayne, its good to see you,” you walked past him and towards Damian.

“It’s good to see me too,” he yawned. He had a mission the night before as Batman and didn’t make it home until 3 am. On top of that, he hadn’t had his usual morning coffee.

“I’m glad you’re here, Y/N. Now I can give you your present,” Damian stood up when you approached him.

“Right back at ya,” you handed him his present.

“What?” he asked.

“Open it!” you thrust the bag into his hands. Damian sat back down and did as you said, taking out the contents of the gift bag. He lifted out a sketchbook and drawing tools in amazement.

“I know you filled up your old sketchbook so I got you a new one,” you told him.

“Thank you, Y/N this means so much,” he smiled at you. “Now I get to give you your gift.”

Damian set aside the sketchbook and art supplies, stood up, sat you in his seat and left to go get your present.

“He forgot to tell you to close your eyes,” Dick sighed. You laughed at Damian’s antics and then closed your eyes. Damian came back into the room minutes later, holding up a rather large box with holes on the sides and set it on your lap. You felt it was heavy and furrowed your eyebrows to think about what it could be.

“Damian, can I open my eyes now?” you asked.

“Take the top off first,” He smiled.

“What? Did you say for them to take their top off?” Dick asked.

“What? No! I said to take the top of the box off, Grayson!” Damian began to turn red, while you stifled a laugh.

“Sorry, couldn’t hear you,” Dick scratched his head. You had taken off the box top and were waiting to Damian to give you the okay to open your eyes.

“Okay, now you can,” he stood back. You slowly opened your eyes and were met with a fur ball sitting in the box. Your jaw dropped as you picked up the puppy and held it up like it was Simba.

“It’s the pupper from the store! OH it was so not a guy puppy,” you laughed.

“No, it indeed was a bitch,” Damian stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Master Damian!” Alfred scolded.

“YEAH HEY LANGUAGE!” Dick yelled. “YOU’RE LIKE 10!”

“I am 16, Grayson!” Damian snapped. “And I apologize, Pennyworth. I was just using the right terminology.”

Damian turned back to you as you began to cuddle the puppy excessively, sat on the armrest of the chair and smiled down at you.

“What will you name her?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you mumbled.

“I was thinking Holly, but–”

“HOLLY IS PERFECT!” you shouted happily. “Wait, but I can’t bring her home.”

“I can keep her here if you like. You can visit Holly whenever you want,” Damian offered.

“Damian, that’s amazing. Thank you so much,” you beamed.

“May I?” Damian asked to hold your puppy.

“Yeah, of course!” You handed over Holly, and as soon as Damian got both hands on her, she was all over him. She licked his face repeatedly, and Damian struggled to make her stop.

You and Damian spent the whole day together with the new puppy, enjoying each other’s company like always. It certainly was a merry Christmas.

TAGGING:

@ladyalexa @impulsivesuperrobin @batarangtotheheart @little-lesbean-queen @where-is-my-jason-todd @pinkwitch21 @pamelaivy @makeup-wonder-woman @jasontoddandhisguns @dick-graysns @solis200213 @books-netflix-and-pizza @dramatic-and-young @ioczurma @sarcasmismyfirstlove @tsctd @princessonly2 @the–iceberg–lounge @timsflannels @dc-hoe @draketimbers @imaginingadifferentlife @letmestargaze36

[natasha-cole]

Reason to Love L.A.

Pairing: Rob Benedict x Reader

Summary: Rob lives in L.A., Reader is from a small town. Long distance relationships are hard to work through, but maybe he can convince her that L.A. might have more to offer her.

Word Count: 3153

Warnings: Fluff, just a tiny bit of reference to sex.

Notes: You know me, I love my country music and Robbie. Many of my fics are inspired by songs. This one is inspired by Reason to Love L.A. by Jason Aldean.

This is just a little something I whipped up last minute to up my word count for NaNoWriMo, it most likely is a mess and is filled with mistakes. Enjoy!

“She’s coming to see you for real?” Rich asked as he watched Rob scramble around his living room, straightening up and making sure there wouldn’t be anything lying around to embarrass him.

“Yeah, I’m sorry? Did you come here to help?” Rob asked, slightly annoyed that Rich was in fact, not helping the way he had said he would.

“Sure,” he replied, pretending to fluff the pillows lying on the couch. “Why don’t you ever go to visit her?”

“Because, she lives in the middle of nowhere. It’s a four hour drive to the nearest airport, and she insisted that she make the trip this time anyway.”

“How do you do it? I mean, make a long distance relationship work?”

“I don’t know. But I really like her, and I want to keep seeing her, even if we don’t technically see each other.”

“What’s it been? 5 months?”

“Something like that.”

“I give you credit for making it work this long. I couldn’t do it.”

“Her flight should get in soon. She said she’d take a cab, which is good considering I haven’t started dinner.”

“I’ll let you get to it man. And, good luck. I hope this all works out for you.”

Rob anxiously finished cooking dinner, making sure to set the table; candles, wine, the works. He needed to impress her, especially since it would be her first time visiting his house, it was actually her first time visiting California.

He had met her at a convention. He never had qualms about dating a fan, and she just happened to be the only one who caught his eye. She had gone to the city specifically for that convention and Rob liked to think that the whole thing was fate. They had hung out outside of the con, getting to know each other despite the fact that they each knew that there were literal hundreds of miles between them.

He couldn’t stop himself though, he thought of her all the time and had only seen her a handful of times since the convention, usually at other cons that she managed to attend.

He really liked her. Everything between them up until this point had been long conversations over the phone and flirty text messages late at night. It had been 5 months since he had met her, and although it was always difficult, they managed to make it work. He had been thrilled when she agreed to be exclusive, Rob couldn’t stand the thought of her possibly seeing anyone else now that they had decided they were into each other.

He mostly couldn’t believe that he had managed to talk her into flying to L.A. for the week to spend time with him. It was the first week in a long time that he didn’t have to work, and he could give her all of his attention. She had been leery of course, only because she had never been to a city as big as L.A. and she had never even been to the west coast at all. She relayed her fears to him over the phone, reminding him that she never had a reason to leave her home, she loved it there and had no desire to go to the city. Also, she hated flying, it was a legitimate fear of hers.

Rob had still managed to convince her, and he was giddy when she had said yes.

Given the fact that she had to fly all this way to see him, leave the comfort of her home; he knew he had to make a good impression. They hadn’t spent enough time together for her to already be impressed with him, so he had a lot to make up for.

When he heard that knock on his front door, his heart stopped and he suddenly grew exceedingly anxious when he realized she was there. He managed to open the door, indeed greeted by that smile.

“Robbie,” she breathed out with a grin.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” he responded. He moved quickly to help her with her bags, carrying them all in and standing back so she could enter.

“Nice place,” she mused as she looked around.

“How was your flight?”

“Terrifying,” she responded, “I hate flying.”

“I know, but I’m so happy you still came out here for me.”

She laughed, that gorgeous laugh that was like music to his ears. “Hey, everyone has to visit L.A. at some point in their lives, right?”

“Yeah, it’s not that bad.”

“I don’t doubt it. It’s a bit overwhelming, but I’m sure it’s nice.”

“I made dinner,” Rob explained as he led her to the kitchen. She looked at the setup, seemingly impressed.

“This is really nice, thank you.”

“I just figured, since we’ve decided to try this whole long distance thing, I’ve got to step up my game when I do get to see you.”

“You’re doing great so far,” she said, smiling sweetly at him.

They sat through dinner; eating, drinking, and laughing while they talked. Rob told her he was going to take her to see the sights around the city this week, ‘show her what L.A. was really all about’. There would be museums and sights and of course; the beach.

“I’ve never been to the beach,” she said. She took his hand, holding onto it. Rob felt his stomach flip, realizing that he would be able to have physical contact with her all week. The whole phone thing worked for the two of them, but he constantly craved contact with her. Most of all, he constantly missed kissing her. They had only kissed a few times, and it’s not easy when you don’t see each other.

“Well, I think you’ll love it.” He leaned in, kissing her softly, like he had been wanting to do for months.

“I can’t wait.”

He had waited until later on in the week, on a particularly nice evening, to take her to the beach. She was slightly unimpressed, thinking she was missing out on being able to soak up the sun and swim in the waves.

“The ocean during November isn’t all that great,” Rob explained, “it’s too cold to enjoy. You’d have to come back in the summer. It’s much nicer beach weather then.”

She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but feel that she was so turned off by the idea of the city, she probably didn’t have any intention of returning again.

He drove her to the beach, and he asked her about where she was from. She went on about her small town life; the fields, the quiet, the lack of traffic, the sunsets over the mountains, and the late night bonfires out in the middle of nowhere. It all sounded nice, and she spoke of it all fondly, almost as if she were already missing her life back home. Rob felt nervous, knowing that no matter what he had to show her here in his home, it wouldn’t be enough for her. By the end of the week, he knew she would catch her flight back home and probably never look back. It’s not easy to convince people to leave their homes, not when their roots are there.

When they finally arrived, Rob opened her door, taking her hand as he led her along the sand. She stopped for a moment to remove her shoes, carrying them now as she followed him to the shoreline. The waves moved slowly, a gentle breeze enveloping them and he watched as it played in her long dark hair. The sun was beginning to set and he hoped it would be just as nice as the one she loved back home.

“Come on,” Rob started as he too removed his shoes, tossing them onto the sand. She dropped her shoes next to his and followed as he led her closer to the water. They both stepped in and she yelped as the tides lapped over her feet.

“It’s cold!”

“I told you so,” Rob laughed. They took a moment to let the cold water become a little more familiar. After some time, it was no longer unbearably cold and she giggled as she splashed water on him with her foot.

“Hey! That’s not nice.”

“I’ve never been in the Pacific ocean,” she reminded him, “let me splash a little.”

She kicked at the water some more, no longer aiming at him, mostly just enjoying the feel of the water and the sand on her feet. He watched her when she stopped, moving back to him to wrap her arms around his waist. He draped an arm over her shoulder and he saw her inhale deeply, closing her eyes.

“I’ll never forget the way California smells,” she mumbled.

“That bad, huh?”

“I meant, I’ll never forget the smell of the ocean. The city is terrible, but here… it’s almost as nice as back home.”

“It is really nice. That’s why I wanted to bring you here. I thought it might be peaceful enough to remind you that L.A. isn’t so bad.”

“This is really beautiful. Thank you.”

“What I really wanted to show you,” Rob began when he noticed the sun setting now, “was this.” he directed her toward the water, the sun moving slowly into the horizon.

She watched silently, now gripping onto his hand as they stood together, staring off into the distance. The sky danced in hues of pinks and reds and oranges, the slowly disappearing sun casting colors on the soft waves. He felt her grip tighten as the sun slowly disappeared into the ocean, her breath catching as she watched. He missed that sunset, he was too busy watching her; smiling at the way she seemed in a trance over something she had never witnessed before.

“Wow,” she said softly, “you don’t get something quite like that back home.”

“It’s my favorite part of living here,” he replied, still watching her.

“Thank you for bringing me here, for showing me that.”

“It was almost as beautiful as you are,” he said, feeling instantly lame as he said it.

She only smiled at him, pulling him toward her as she was still holding his hand. She pulled him down to kiss him, her hands moving to his neck as he held her waist. They kissed under the darkening sky, waves splashing against their now frozen feet, the rush of the water drowning out the rest of the world.

It had all been so romantic and perfect, Rob couldn't believe his luck. Everything had been going so well, and he was happy to see her smiling the entire time she was with him. They drove back to his house after a while and he couldn’t help but notice that loopy smile she had plastered on her face when they walked into the house.

“I think someone is falling in love with California,” Rob joked, pointing out the way she hadn’t stopped smiling since that beach sunset. He moved to wrap his arms around her again, bringing her in for another kiss. He wanted to never stop kissing her. They had gone so long without this, he was afraid to let it go again, so he tried to get in all the kissing that he could while she was here. When she pulled back from him, she stared into his eyes as she carded a hand through his hair.

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” she replied. Rob swallowed hard, surprised by her words. She smiled that soft smile, causing Rob’s heart to palpitate.

“Then stay with me,” he whispered. He closed his eyes, kissing the top of her head, silently pleading with her not to leave him again.

“How about you take me to bed?” She responded.

He took her hand and led her to his bedroom. They had slept here together all week, but this would be the first time they made love. Rob’s week with her was coming to an end, and the fact that he could be with her this way, only made the pain of having to watch her leave all that more difficult.

They made the most of it, trying to forget that soon she would go home, and they would go back to phone calls and text messages. Rob did all he could to memorize the moment; all of her gasps and moans, the way she whispered his name, and the way their bodies felt as they moved against each other. He had fallen more in love with her than he ever imagined he could, and she had admitted her love for him as well.

All of this made it hurt so much more.

As expected, she left L.A., anxious to get back home now that she had been away for a week.

“There’s nothing like going back to the quiet and the fresh air,” she had explained as she packed, “don’t get me wrong, California has been nice, but it’s not really my style.”

“I bet,” Rob said sadly, “Maybe someday, I can visit you.”

“Maybe,” she replied, offering him another smile. He was going to miss that smile. He was going to miss everything about her, and he decided that having her come out here had been a big mistake on his part. He half expected that by showing her what this place had to offer, she’d maybe think about staying. Not forever necessarily, but just a little while longer. Now, he was in love and about to watch the woman he loved leave him.

“We’ll be okay,” she said, reading his mind, “no matter what, we’ll be okay. We’ve made it this far without being able to see each other all the time. Maybe we’ll last a little longer.”

“I hope so,” he replied, not sure if that were true.

When she was gone, Rob moped around mostly. He tried to focus on work, spend time with friends, anything that he could think of to not think about her so much. They still called each other every day, sent text messages just to have some form of connection now that they were so far away from each other.

It wasn’t easy and Rob was angry at the way the world had put so much distance between them. He knew this wouldn’t work for much longer if neither of them was willing to give something up for the other. He had mulled over the possibility of going to her, but not only was this his home, this is where his work was. He couldn’t move and still be able to work, especially when he was constantly traveling. At the same time, he couldn’t ask her to move for him. He knew that, and he hated that it had to be this way. He had hoped her visit to California would have convinced her to stay there with him, since he wasn’t able to even try to talk to her about it in the first place. It obviously hadn’t worked, as she never brought it up again.

So, he kept going with the relationship the same way they had been managing it all this time. And it only made him feel worse.

He had tried to call her one day, and it was the first time since they had met that she didn’t answer. He didn’t think much of it really, just assumed she was busy. But, when he called a few more times throughout the day, also with no answer; and sent text messages that were not even read; he began to worry. Maybe she realized that this was all too much. Maybe she felt that a long distance relationship wasn’t going to work.

Rob sighed heavily as he tossed his phone on the coffee table. He had spent the entire day at home, mostly trying to get a hold of her, to no avail. He rubbed his hands across his face in frustration, wondering when would be the day that he got that phone call from her to tell him that she didn’t think this was working.

A couple more phone calls and some still unread texts later; which translated to a few more hours without word from her, Rob began to feel even more defeated. She was done with him, he just knew it. A relationship like this could only go on for so long, there had been plenty of times where even he thought about giving up before it all became to much for him to handle. He was devastated that she might have been the one to give up first.

It was late, and he decided that he needed to sleep; maybe not dream about her if he was lucky, maybe not dream at all. He stood up from the couch, heading for the bedroom when there was a soft knock at the door. He paused; wondering why someone was at his house this late. He immediately thought it was Rich who had been pointing out how mopey and depressed Rob had been lately. He had tried to get his friend to go out tonight, have some drinks to forget it all, to which Rob had politely declined. It was just like Rich to show up unannounced to try to drag him out to party in the middle of the night.

“Rich, I said to leave me al-” Rob’s tirade stopped short when he opened the door.

“Hey, Robbie,” she said shyly. Rob realized that he was looking right at her, and it took him a moment to realize that she was real.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, still shocked and unsure of what was happening.

“I missed you, so I thought I’d surprise you,” she smiled. He melted at that smile. “You made it difficult the way you’ve been blowing my phone up though.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear from you all day, and I thought you were ignoring me.”

“I was, but only for the surprise.”

“Are you really here?”

“I’m pretty sure I am,” she laughed, looking down to examine herself.

“How? Why?”

“I was watching the sunset back home yesterday, and I realized something.”

“What’s that? Yours are better than mine?” He joked.

She chuckled, “No, but the one’s here have something that home doesn’t have.”

“Oh, yeah, the ocean.”

“I’m talking about you, you giant dork.” He glanced up at her as she laughed, a smile forming in his own face as he took in what she was saying. “Are you going to let me in, or what?”

“Only if you promise not to leave me,” he replied.

“Hey, I flew all the way out here for you again, and I’m not about to get back on that plane.”

“I thought you hated California.”

“I thought I did too,” she mused, “but I have a reason to love L.A.”

Forever Tags: @destielschild @sorenmarie87 @smoothdogsgirl @kocswain @culturebay @itsfunnierin-enochian @typicalweirdbookworm @angelsandhuntersgalore @riversong-sam @emoryhemsworth @hunterpuff @camelotandastronauts

[lwoorl]

Fanfic retrospective 2018

I have seen 2 people doing this and I thought, oh, why not?! So lets revisit all the fics submitted last year!

Online Hero Need Friends:

Summary: Izuku makes some online friends when he's in middleschool that he keeps when he becomes a pro hero. But he never told them he's The Deku.

Thoughts: This fic was kind of unexpected for me! In a lot of ways. I got inspiration for the idea from a post of Tumblr, but wasn't really going to do anything with it, and one night, suddenly, I just started to write it! I finished the first chapter around 3am on a work day and the response was… Unexpectedly amazing? I remember watching at my phone just seeing the numbers growing and growing, so many people just loved it!!! So I decided hey fuck it let's make it have multiple chapters so, I sort of did that. All chapters were written on moments between classes and it's amazing so many people liked this because it's mostly just a self indulgent piece of fluff with some ocs hanging out, a friend described it as “A long ass fic where nothing happens” (Which is super accurate) but I enjoyed making it and I loved creating the characters!!! I'm gonna finish it sometime in 2019. Sorry for everyone who's been waiting for the epilogue, but I promise this isn't abandoned!!!!

This is my most successful fic to the date which is honestly fucking weird. I'm serious guys, this is a story where NOTHING happens, just fluff with no substance and not even with characters you already know beforehand!! The hell is wrong with you?!

I don't believe you. You aren't like THAT:

Summary: Dick tells Damian he's gay. His brother doesn't take it well.

Thoughts: Ooof this fic. This was a vent fic. I made it after some stuff happened, mostly cause I relate super hard to Dick's relationship with Damian. Tbh this is just a self indulgent wish fulfilment piece of crap, but hey, that's what fics are for, aren't they?! It's actually super embarrassing to think this was my first DC fic, because, again, self indulgent trash. I'm honestly never ever ever gonna recommend anyone to read it, it's, well, embarrassing!!! I hope no one who knows me in real life ever touches it, they would immediately know which situation made me write it and I would just combust with embarrassment on the spot. Ugh. I've thought about orphaning it because, again, super personal and super embarrassing!!! But it's also kind of close to my heart? So I don't think I could just throw it away ever.

Night Habits:

Summary: Damian has a nightmare and goes to Dick's room to feel better. It's not the same as before. (Talon!Dick Grayson series)

Thoughts: This is another fic that was surprisingly popular!! I was thinking of writing a talon!dick story for a while now, and one day I just sit and wrote this. Again, Dick and Damian's relationship is SO precious to me, so of fucking course I did it about that. To be honest I feel this story is lacking because it lacks any context whatsoever, it's a problem I've noticed with all that series, it's just cute or sad moments without much context. But then again, it's fanfiction, and I learned a while ago to stop worrying whether something I post is good or not. Personal enjoyment > Quality.

Grappling Hook:

Summary: Little Dick Grayson goes missing soon after he moved to the manor. Bruce finds him sleeping in the cave as a grappling hook. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: Oh man. Listen, one day I just thought “Hey, I wanna see a soul eater AU of the batfam.” Then I looked and looked… And there wasn't any!! Can you believe it?! So I started to think of my own, not really knowing if it would be a comic or an ask blog or a fanfic. 

Soon it became more of a soul-eater-inspired thing than something actually related to soul eater, because honestly the only thing I really wanted was an au where everything was the same except people turned into objects. I shared the idea with a friend and we started to brainstorm worldbuilding and headcanons. One of those headcanons was that one day Dick just sorta disappeared and Bruce found him as an object sleeping somewhere. I'm not sure why I wrote this first? But I guess I had to start the series somehow and people liked it. So, yay.

Bo Staff:

Summary: Tim turns into an object for the first time. And then accidentally gets locked in a closet. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: My fingers puked this fic THE MOMENT I finished Grappling Hook. Listen, at that point I had been around 6 months without classes and bored out of my mind so, can you blame me? A ton of the following fics also happened DAYS after these, so, yeah, I guess I just really needed something to do, the following weeks were just insanely productive for me.

I like the contrast this fic creates with Dick's. Overall, I think it's ok. I'm not sure if I want to subscribe to the portrayal of Tim's parents here? I like the idea that they care but just are too absorbed on their work to actually notice the kid exists, but I think here they came off as downright hateful. Oh well, I can blame it to it being from Tim's POV I guess. Unreliable narrator and what not. I also think I didn't make it as angsty as I wanted it to be, but most people said it was still pretty sad, so, I guess that's ok.

How (not) to cope when your brother is turned into a zombie that might or might not still be him:

Summary: Tim realizes he's (just maybe) been fucking up a little bit. (Talon!Dick Grayson series)

Thoughts: Oh, this thing. I liked how this thing turned out! I don't 100% like my portray of Talon!Dick on this series. I wanted to make it kind of like Rei in the evangelion movies after she becomes an empty doll, but, like, not so drastic? But idk man, I just have seen way more interesting portrayals of Talon!Dick before so maybe that's why I feel like it's lacking. 

I really enjoyed writing this one fic tho, there are some scenes I really enjoyed writing in here, like when Tim got kicked out of his team for an university project hahaha. Also this was my first time writing a nightmare and it made me realize my deep love for writing dream sequences. Since then I'm trying to restrain myself from adding a dream to every single one of my stories, since I feel it's more powerful with moderation, but believe me when I say the tentation is there…. Hm. Maybe I could write something that's nothing but compilations of characters dreams???? Sure would be a cool character exploration exercise. Hm. Hmmmmmm… I might just have had an idea….

Training:

Summary: Jason asks Dick to help him training on being a shifter. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: This was a fun thing to write!!! I wasn't sure about writing young Jason, but it turned out alright, and overall I just had fun making this!!! I think I portrayed Dick and Jason's relationship well enough, maybe a bit more friendly than they were at the time, but fuck it, I liked this story.

Changzhou Comb:

Summary: Cassandra has a hard time forgetting old habits. (Shifters AU series) 

Thoughts: Oh man. This thing. This thing. Listen I didn't know Cass that well before writing this, I knew some about her and her backstory, but I wasn't really that interested in the character. However, I got this thing that makes me want to portray characters that aren't mine really well, so, naturally, I read every single one of her issues as Batgirl as preparation. Twice.

And. I. Loved it. I loved it so much!!! I loved her so SO much!!! She was such an amazing, endearing, interesting character!!!! Then I finally sit down, and started the story. And let me tell you I was SUPER worried this would turn out mediocre, I wanted to portray the character well but didn't think I could. But then, then something, I don't know what, but something possessed me and I just… Began writing. And it turned out amazing. This is one of my best fics to date. I'm super proud of this one and it's a shame it's the least popular story of this series.

Grandfather's Collection:

Summary: A funny cute little story from Damian's childhood: The first time he pets a cat! (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: This fic was fun to write! It allowed me to show some stuff I wanted to show and it's always a treat to use an unreliable narrator. Also Damian as a tiny little kid excited because of a cat is a treasure. I guess I wish this had been a bit creepier??? But then again, it's hard to make anything truly creepy when your narrator is a tiny kid who's having the best day of his life.

Revolver:

Summary: Some time after coming back to life Jason discovers something's changed. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: I got conflicted feelings about this one. On one hand, I like how the narrator for Jason turned out, and I think the story is fine, it just feels… Idk, contrived? It does depart from canon by a lot (I'm sorry but I just love aus where Jason stays with Talia and Rah's for some time) and I worry Rah's motivations come off as, you know, kinda shallow??? He feels like a Disney villain. And I honestly like writing him like a Disney villain???? I know he's complex in canon and stuff but… Idk, I kind of really enjoy writing him as the embodiment of evil who can decide if you live or die in a whim, so I will probably keep writing him like that, even if it's ooc.

Engraving:

Summary: Tim asks Jason if he knows a good tattoo parlor. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: This one was fun!!! This was a bit of worldbuilding I wanted to show since I first invented this AU, and I think it turned out alright. I'm satisfied with Jason and Tim's interactions. I think including the conversations with Kon and Bart at the end was kind of forced maybe??? But fuck it!! It's fic!!! Personal enjoyment > Quality!

Sleepover:

Summary: Damian has a nightmare. Set during Dick's time as Batman. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: Hellooo again my love for writing weird ass dreams!! This fic was fun, and I like how it ended. From Damian's nightmare to Dick comforting him, it was nice. Just, a nice fic overall. I don’t have much else to add, just. I liked it, I had fun. I really like this one.

Tantrum:

Summary: Jason refuses to shift back, Bruce is out of his depth. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: Honestly this is bad. Just, a bad fic. I really wanted to write something with this general plot, but I don't know if I just wasn't inspired or what but at some point I just went “Ya know what, fuck it.” And rushed it, just, getting out of the way the list of things I wanted to include. Which is a shame cause the basic premise was good!!! I think I might rewrite it someday, I would like to actually write something good out of that plot. Hm.

Let's dance in my borrowed shoes tonight:

Summary: Dick is missing. Someone has to cover for him. (Talon!Dick Grayson series)

Thoughts: Another Cass fic, another idea I wasn't sure I could live up to, another amazing fic that turned out better than expected. I don't know why but Cass just awakens some poetic part of me I guess. It's funny, the more I write her, the more she starts to turn into my favorite character.

I like this one, a lot. Cass as Nightwing is super super cool, and I like how awkward and insecure she is with the whole thing. I really liked the whole watercolor thing too. I was practicing how to use watercolors around the time I wrote this, so you can bet that line came directly from that. I liked to describe the city as painting, I think it suits it. I just. Liked that part a lot.

Also you get a random girl trying to kiss Cass, so what’s not to love?!

Hight morning last minute visit:

Summary: Jason visits someone he hasn't seen in a while. (Talon!Dick Grayson series)

Thoughts: I had this idea for a while now, almost since the beginning of the series, a friend gave it to me and I wanted to write it but I wasn't sure how. I think this turned out alright, I liked my portrayal of Talon!Dick in this one for a change, and I really really liked adding that part where Jason admits he didn't actually kill anyone and tells the story of the kid.

Also, I had this idea for the happy birthday, and I even told my friend “I'm gonna end it in happy birthday Dick and it's gonna be super sad” and she was like “uhhh… Ok?” And I made sure the last line was a gut punch, and based on the reaction of everyone in the comments I succeeded!!!! It was important for me that the last line turned up the sad a lot, it was the whole point of the fic, so I'm glad I could make it work!!!!!

And by the way, the title isn’t a typo. I know how to write “high”. 

Training II: Teacher's teacher

Summary: Someone had to teach Dick how to be good at shifting before he was actually good at it. (Shifters AU series)

Thoughts: Oh man, this whole thing was basically just an info dump disguised as fluff. I needed to add some worldbuilding before moving to some stuff in this series so I used this to get it out of the way, I really hope it wasn't too confusing!!!

In general I liked this fic, I had a ton of fun writing it! I had this idea of Lois being an absolute beast in this AU and I'm happy I could finally show it off, even if I kind of feel she's a tiny itty bit out of character.

Also, there are tons of fics exploring Dick's relationship with Clark, but not so much with Lois. I wanted to make them closer in this AU than in canon and I like how their relationship was portrayed here…. Lois is just a ton of fun.

I also really like how when Lois talks about being a shifter her speech is exactly the opposite of what Dick tells Jason, just a fun detail that shows everything the characters say is just their perspective and everyone got a different opinion on how they see being a shifter, no one’s 100% right.

This was the last fic of 2018 and you got no fucking idea how hard it was to have it ready in time. I almost didn't include the last part because of lack of time, but!! At the end I was able to add everything I wanted to!!! And publish it in time!!!

Special fic

Syntax error.

Listen. Listen. This. This is a special one, that's why I'm talking about this apart from the others. Why is this fic a special one you ask? Oh, I don't know, maybe because I've bEEN WORKING AROUND EIGHT MONTHS ON THIS SHIT BEFORE EVEN PUBLISHING IT?!

Listen. Just. Just listen. I spent way too much time just plotting this story. Way too long. I spent hours just ranting about this to my friends. I made a fucking playlist for this thing. I spent days just figuring out what the chapters will be named. I spent HOURS. DAYS. Researching each character to write them properly, there are chapters I've written like four times for this shit.

Now, is this perfect? Hell no. Specially the first chapters are unpolished as hell and you know you're gonna find typos because I always miss at least one. But as far as I'm concerned this is the only thing I'm actually putting effort into. All the other fics? All the other fics and series I've talked about? Those are just projects to pass the time. Stuff I do when I'm bored. I love them, sure, but it's not like it took more than three hours to write any of them. They're fun stuff, they're entertainment, they're something to pass the time. I will write them between classes or when I'm bored and open drive in my phone and write them without much planning or care. They're just that. Fun

But this thing? This thing right here? Syntax error? That's my baby. That's my goddamn main project. This thing right here already stole hours of my goddamn life and it will only keep stealing more. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I honestly don't give a fuck how many people read this one, I'm past the point of caring. I have and will keep pouring tears, sweat and blood into this shit. This is something I actually care about. This. This is such a personal project guys…. I…. Love… This one…

So that's the retrospective of fics published on 2018!!!!

Man, that was fun, let's just hope 2019 is also a fun, productive year!!!!!