#tim with alfred standing behind him with a shotgun: he said no

[spectral-honey]

I was watching teen titans and thinking about how Slades obsessed with making Dick his apprentice and Tim has Ras whose similar and I was like wow Batman just trains assassin magnets ig

And then I thought hey what if it was reversed like Ras and Slade already had the robins as their apprentices before they met Batman and then were like "hey Batman will you train my apprentice for me" and Batman was like sure.

& then as soon as he got handed the children he went hmm. Well actually I think I am going to make them my sons. obvs they're like "hey give them back" but Bruce goes "I already introduced them to Alfred so no <3"

[woahajimes]

So I have this little headcanon (well,,,, not really a headcanon but more of a nice-to-think-about headcanon because it would never happen but it’s- like the title- nice to think about so im sharing it here) in which they’re all going to the beach in this sorta mini-van that bruce rented. And take in mind that this is the wayne family, but at the same time most people that wear a bat on their chest,,,, so they had to whack some things up.

BUT ANYWAYS, it was Bruce’s dumbass idea to buy a van and call it a road-trip, and honestly? no one was ready. That usually happens with big families, even with one that has most kids over 18. And how everyone was on board with the idea doesn’t matter because this is my headcanon and they are all now squished in a minivan and there are bags in the back and towels in the seats and there’s a cooler on top because it didn’t fit. 

and just for reference the van was like SMALL. it was sort of like the school buses but way smaller, so they’re like buses in which there are three seats in front, driver, and then like two others (the middle one doesn’t really count because that’s where you put waterbottles and stuff). There’s a sort of space in the back, where you usually put the backpacks (these are like elementary school buses and every single kid has those backpacks with wheels and it’s a pain in the ass-) and then there is another set of four seats (that’s more like a sofa but no armrest- god please have patience there is literally not a single image on google im trying to be specific- and those are facing the back of the bus (so the backrest (?) is facing the place with the bags).

THEN we have another seat that’s close to this one but facing the opposite way but it’s only THREE seats so there’s a space for the next row of three seats and then there’s the back one that’s four again.

In conclusion, you can fit 18-ish people, driver counted. 

and continuing with my story, it’s Bruce driving, Alfred as shotgun, a water-bottle or two in the middle, the bags in their respective places... and then... 

disaster. 

Babs is the only one sitting in the four-seat closer to the bags, harper is in the three-seat, Dick is there as well. 

and then there’s the rest. Steph, Cass, Duke, Jason, Tim, Damian, they’re all screaming in the back and they’re throwing towels around and there’s an “OW! THAT WAS MY HAIR YOU DICKHEAD!” and a “THAT’S MINE!” and so many other things because. the back of the bus, it’s cURSED. And Bruce is just driving with a strained smile because he wants so badly to turn around and throw a waterbottle at each of their heads to get them to shut up (of course, it wouldn’t work because not even god can calm down the back of the bus)

Tim and Jason somehow get into this argument of how tim ‘has no friends’ and Tim shoots back that in fact he DOES, that he’s calling them right this instant. And bruce doesn’t even have a chance to yell at them, because now there’s a speedster and a cloned kryptonian right beside the moving minivan and Bruce is lowkey freaking out because none of them (the ones in the van and the ones out) are wearing their superhero costumes, and then Tim is just with his hands pressed on the window and he’s like practically banging the glass and waving and they can’t hear him but he’s like “HEY! HEY HYE HEY YOU GUYS MADE IT!!!” and then dick is just telling them to cut it out and slow down because you know, identities, and Steph is like HOLY SHIT THEY DID MAKE IT and Damian is just sitting upside down with his legs in the backrest off the seat and Duke is in the same position, making fun of Damian because his feet don’t reach. 

Kon and Bart seem to get the hint because they slow down, but not before bart has literally jumped towards the MOVING VAN and vibrated through (i’m like 99% sure he is able to do that so-) and then he literally landed on Tim (tim actually softened his fall, because Tim’s back literally made a ~crack~ sound by hitting somebody’s knee) and stood up real quick and then started waving and laughing at kon, who was now running normal-speed beside the van. 

And then bruce went FASTER and kon was like WHAT THE HECK OLD MAN and he can’t use his powers so he’s literally running behind the van and bart is laughing his ass off and then tim is like “BRUCE STOP THE VAN!” and then Bart is already calling cassie and telling her what happened and you can hear cassie laughing from over the phone and then Tim is just yelling at bruce in the background. Bruce eventually DOES stop, and Tim opens the door for him and Kon crawls in and Bart’s still laughing, and he’s practically leaning onto Dick and Harper, and they’re squished together and bart’s just laughing on the phone while Kon sits on the really far end of the opposite seat (practically on the door) so he’s the furthest from babs as possible because he’s actually terrified of her. Tim is just sorta awkward because he now realizes that he was a bit TOO excited to see kon, and then the back of the bus/van is staring at them and like what the hell and then Tim goes “who doesn’t have friends, huh?”, and Jason goes ‘pfft’ and he calls roy but he’s spending time with lian; he calls artemis and she goes, “but wasn’t this a family trip? what do you need me for?”, SO jaosn calls bizarro and then he barely answers the phone when bizarro goes “RED HER SAID NO. BYE” so Jason slumps and it’s quiet for a second when steph goes “is that GUM IN MY HAIR”. And then jason laughs and its chaos all over again. (i might make a ‘things that were heard from the back of the road trip bus post bc i have so many ideas oh my god)

and then they are at the beach, the bus barely stops and there’s a few bags thrown out the window, and people yelling at Kon to open the door, and Kon not being able to work under pressure so tim opens it and everyone’s pushing each other and Steph has an uneven strand of hair, because Damian went to ‘extreme measures’ and cut it so now steph’s hair is uneven and they were going to keep cutting it “to make it even” but then Alfred was like “you’re all going to clean the van afterwards so think carefully” and then nobody did anything and there’s literally a ziploc bag with steph’s strand of hair (damian didn’t even cut to where the gum was, he cut even FURTHER but yes, the gum is in the bag). 

As I was saying, they get out of the van, and the bags are out and Bruce has NO IDEA what to do. none. It’s alfred that rents a tent and then Damian’s chasing duke into a random restaurant’s changeroom and showers and then cass is dragging harper that’s dragging steph that’s dragging jason and tim is getting the bags with Kon and bart and bart realizes that he doesn’t  have a swimsuit and then he stops walking and Kon seems to realize too and it’s like OH MAN and they can’t run back (because no powers, rule set by bruce when two super-powered bros came in the bus) and They’ recarrying the bags to this tent (do you guys know what im talking about? i feel like we’re imagining completely different things- it’s this but much more people and there’s a bunch of people selling stuff like sunglasses and doign hair, piercings, tattoos even - for the tattoos thing it’s just promo for an actual shop they don’t tattoo you in the actual beach - ) and It’s literally Kon, tim and bart carrying the bags (which they CAN carry between the three, it’s not like they packed up half the manor) and then a minute later or so Steph is sprinting towards Tim and she’s yelling something Tim can’t understand and then Steph points at her bag (that tim’s carrying) and she screams something like “SAND! HOT!” and then she’s like high-knee-ing/sprinting even faster and Cass is just walking barefoot in the sand, super calm, but she’s got Harper on her back. Damian and Duke are racing towards the shadow (because the sand is cooler there), and next thing you know Jason’s aready in the tent with a coconut. 

And if you haven’t thougth about how the Batfam would be in the beach then let me tell you, you don’t have enough spare time because i know for a FAT FACT that: 

It was Jason that insisted on Bruce buying sand toys (a whole bag, i swear)

Damian tried coconut water, didn’t like it all that much (altho he loves the inside- idk what it’s called but it’s edible i swear)

Bruce put on an excessive amount of sunscreen

Duke has swimming trunks with the robin logo just to piss damian off (also Damian has matching ones but with the batman one)

Steph, Cass and Harper rented a banana boat (here’s a picture) and they dragged Jason and Tim along, just to toss them off in the end 

Jason 1000% got stung by a jellyfish 

Bruce bought like seven friendship bracelets from this guy that made them because they looked deadass cool 

They played beach volleyball and let me tell you Damian can throw a really mean overhand serve (actually, i don’t think you THROW a serve, but like,,, serve one-)

dick got buried in the sand, courtesy of Jason

bart was pissy because he couldn’t go in the water, so he and Kon sprinted with normal speed (they both had water-proof anklets that sucked their powers, so it was REALLY  a no-powers vacation, courtesy of Bruce, again.)

the only ones in stock were neon, and they settled real quick so now theyre sprinting back and cardying a bag of keychains they thought looked rad as hell and now tim caught up to them and all three are practically skipping towards the water

,,,,they forgot to put sunscreen on.... all of them,,, they forgot....

tim made a sand castle

in teams of two (kon/bart, tim/cass, duke/harper, steph/jason, dick/damian) got on each other shoulders and basically spent five minutes trying to see who would be the last team standing, splashing water everywhere and stuff

first team to go down was Dick and damian, because steph pushed damian and by trying to keep himself on Dick's shoulders, damian accidentally poked dick's eye (sort of CLAWED in so you know what i mean).

second team to go down was steph and jason, because damian doesnt play fair and so he swam down and literally just scratched Jason's ankle, knowing damn well that the jellyfish sting was there. Jaosn shrieked and steph lost her balance. so much for vigilantes at night with stealth and talent, huh.

third team to go down was tim and bart because kon insisted on being on bart’s shoulders and that’s easy peasy because i mean, bart’s not WEAK, but he’s not TALL either and it’s not like Kon weighs a feather and they’re on the deeper side,,,,, you can imagine the rest

Now there’s two teams, and they call it a tie because otherwise someone’s gonna end up injured (altho tim likes to say that he and cass won)

There’s music playing in the background, with really vulgar lyrics that alfred disapproves of, but you know. It’s not his beach. 

THIS IS REALLY JUST A SCREAM POST SORRY IT’S NOT WHAT YOU GUYS SIGNED UP FOR BUT TAGLIST ANYWAYS: @red-hood-redemption @screennamealreadyused @bikoncon @catxsnow @thesporklecat @thesesickfics-justmakemesick @hauntingsonofrobin anddd i think i forgot someone sorry 

[imagines4thefandoms]

The Ramen Filth (Batfam x Reader)

requested: no

word count: 18k+

“Y/n what are your plans for spring break,” your best friend (Bff/n) asked as the two of you walked out of your last class.

“I'm going to go home actually. I miss everyone,” you told them.

“So no trip to Bora Bora, a week on a yacht,” they asked slightly pushing you.

“Nope, just me my brother, father, Alfred, and my bed,” you replied pushing them back.

When you guys left the building they went to their car while you headed to your dorm room. It always surprised people when they found out that you lived on campus. “You’re a Wayne. Why don’t you live in some penthouse in the city.” “Why are you slumming it here?” Well, you wanted the whole college experience.

When you entered your dorm room, you tried to pack your bags quietly so as not to wake up your roommate. But that didn’t work cause when you were grabbing some clothes and throwing them into a suitcase, she woke up.

“Excited to go home,” they asked you sitting up in bed.

“I haven’t seen them since August,” you replied searching around your room for your car keys. “So maybe a little.”

After you found your keys, you proceeded to gather the rest of the stuff you were bringing home with you. Your roommate got out of bed and went to grab a drink from the fridge. You looked over at her and watched her shotgun a bud light.

“Jesus (r/n) it's 2 in the afternoon,” you exclaimed throwing your computer bag on your bed.

“Well for me it's breakfast,” she replied grabbing a hoodie from their closet and grabbing their backpack. “Well off to class. Drive safe.”

You shook your head at them and waved them off, while you grabbed some snacks to enjoy while at the manor. After grabbing, your suitcase, computer bag, backpack, purse, and dirty clothes you headed out to your car. There was quite a long walk from your dorm to your car cause parking is hell but many people had already left so there was a straight shot to the car. You popped the trunk of your car and put everything in the trunk.

After getting in the driver’s seat and starting the car. You set up your fave Spotify playlist and started to head back home. The college you attend is just outside Gotham which your father kind of insisted. You didn’t really object. Sure you loved Gotham even with all the craziness it held but it has been nice being able to walk around town and not get mugged or have a city block shut down due to dad and the joker.

Once you crossed Gotham City limits, you kind of tensed up and double-checked that the doors were locked but once you were closer to Wayne Manor you started to relax. You really enjoyed the scenery on the ride home. It reminded you of when Dad first brought you home after your mother left you at GCPD with a note letting them know you belong to Bruce.

The Manor came into view and you saw Damian and Titus running around in the yard. You pulled up to the front door and Titus jumped at your door, either he was excited you were home or ready to attack you. Damian called Titus over to him then ran over to open the door for you.

“Sister you’re home,” he said in his usually monotone but this time he gave hug.

“I missed you to bud,” you replied hugging him back.

He helped you get your stuff out of your trunk and carried it into the house. You placed your suitcase and dirty closed by the front door while Damian brought the rest to your room. Jason was in the living room with Tim playing video games. Dick was either at work or in the cave training and the same could be said for dad.

“Honey I'm home,” you called out.

“Y/n,” Jason and Tim yelled running to give you a hug.

Jason tripped Tim in order to hug you first. Tim got up, punched Jason in the arm then gave you a hug. You missed this. Your annoying brothers. They didn’t give you time to breathe. They just grabbed your arm and pulled you over to the couch to play their video games with them. Alfred walked into the room and a smile appeared on his face when he saw you.

“Welcome home, miss. Y/n,” he said walking over to you to give you a hug.

“I missed you,” you replied returning the hug.

“I suppose you have something for me,” he asked letting you go.

“Yes sir, by the front door.”

Once Alfred left you decided to play a round or two with Jay and Tim. You were so in the zone of kicking their asses you didn’t notice when your dad came home. He just stood behind the couch and watched four of his kids play video games without a care in the world.

“Come one, you weren’t smart enough to see that coming college girl,” Jason teased as he was beating you.

“Prepare to die again Jason,” you said as you beat the crap out of him and killing him.

“You cheated,” he said throwing down the controller.

“No you just suck, Todd,” Damian said defending you.

Someone behind you coughs. You turned around as saw dad and Dick standing there. You got up from the couch and ran to give your dad a hug. After he left you to go, which took a while you gave your favorite older brother a hug.

“I missed you,” you said looking between your brother and father.

“Right back at ya kid,” Dick said ruffling your hair.

After giving your dad another hug, you returned to kick Tim’s ass this time. You kicked Tim’s Damian’s, Dick’s, and Jason’s ass (again) at the game before Alfred came in and announced that dinner was ready. Your stomach did like a backflip from the excitement of Alfred’s cooking. It had been a long time since you had a home-cooked meal; you kind of lived off ramen, cereal, and coffee for the past 9 months. You jumped with joy when you saw that he made (favorite meal).

“Aw Alfred I love you,” you said taking a seat at the dinner table.

The meal was delicious, no surprise there. After dinner, you caught them up on everything, even though you basically call home every day. Damian made a comment about how he missed having you around and Jason teased him about it which caused the two of them to fight. Tim got excited about the 24/7 library and coffee shop. That boy worries you sometimes. Dick kept asking about the security and how safe you are even though he basically interviewed every campus officer when you first moved in.

“This is nice and all but don’t you boys have a night job to do,” you asked getting up from the table.

“My daughter is home from college after 9 months. I don’t have to go out the boys have it,” your father replied.

“Daddy, i will be home for 9 long days. Go plus I was hoping you would so I could catch up on sleep. LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE DO,” you yelled the last part so Tim could hear. “Just wake me up when you get back so I know you're safe.

“Alright,” he agreed to get up and heading down to the cave.

“Be safe guys,” you warned them before they went down.

“Always am,” Jason replied which really didn’t sit well with you.

You asked Alfred if he wanted help cleaning but he declined the offer and told you to go to bed. Not needed to be told twice, you went up to your room and just plopped on the bed.

“I forgot how comfortable this bed was,” you said to yourself.

You decided that you needed to change into pj's, so you climbed out of bed and changed only to lay back on the cloud. Sleep took over about five minutes after your head hit the pillow and it was wonderful. But it didn’t last. You woke up and check to see what time it was. 2:19. Going back to sleep wasn’t going to work, so you decided to sneak downstairs for some late-night ramen. You grabbed the (favorite flavor) ramen from your backpack and then headed downstairs. It took a while to find the kettle cause Alfred is very particular about where things go but after you found it, you boiled some water and make the ramen. You were sitting at the table enjoying your snack when the lights came. You froze with noodles hanging out of your mouth when you saw that it was Alfred.

“What are you eating,” he asked disgustingly.

“Ramen,” you replied with a mouth full of noodles. He shook his head and grabbed the bowl.

“Hey give it back.”

“This isn’t food y/n. Do you eat this often while away at school,” he asked kind of scared of your answer?

“Only when I'm hungry,” you replied with a sweet smile.

“unacceptable. You will never eat this filth again,” he promised as he tossed the food in the trashcan.

“Hey, that was my last bag. And that filth is delicious.”

“No Wayne child will eat this especially under my roof,” he warned grabbing a pan and placing it on the stove.

“What are you doing,” you inquired.

“Making you a proper meal.”

“No the point of ramen is that it's not filling. I'm not that hungry I just couldn’t go back to sleep.”

He ignored your comment and proceeded to make your grilled cheese and tomato soup. Alfred placed the food in front of you and shook his head as he went back down to the cave. You had eaten half the ramen already and were kind of full but the grilled cheese smelled so good. So after eating basically a second dinner you went back to sleep. Being home was great.

The rest of your time home was just like you never left. You had a daddy/daughter date and helped everybody train. There was also a small family trip to the amusement park, which was amazing. Damian ate too much and threw up on dad. Best day ever. When it was time to go back to school, you hugged everyone bye and dad helped you pack your car. Before you left Alfred handed you two tote bags.

“Promise me that you will call if you need food. And never eat that filth again,” he warned you in his caring way.

You looked in the bag and saw that he and meal prepped for you. There was enough food here for the next week. Alfred always takes care of you.

“Thanks, Alfred. And I promise.”

Ever since then Alfred and made it his mission to drive up every weekend to bring you meals for the week. Sure it was kind of embarrassing, especially when he didn’t it in the quad during lunch. But you weren’t going to complain. Alfred’s cooking was amazing.

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

They All Fall Down - fic

Characters: Damian Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Bruce Wayne, Jon Kent, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake Summary: Bruce didn’t destroy Dick and Tim after they infected him with the Anti-Life Equation. Now Damian might be the one who pays the price for the oversight. A/N: A DCEASED what-if because I like to hurt myself. Clark and Jon heard Damian’s heartbeat speed up and knew something was wrong. They’d all been silently checking on him during his mourning so they knew where he was. It continues into the normal story from there I imagine. Sorry the end is a little iffy, not sorry for the emotions~ Reminder if you like my stuff, please check out and consider my Patreon and/or Ko-Fi for more!

~~

Damian couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. Just held the communicator as tight as possible.

His father had contacted them, told them he was dying. He’d been infected by the Anti-Life Equation, but slowed the spread long enough to call. To say he loved him, he was sorry, and that Alfred was coming.

“But…Bruce, I don’t understand.” Clark was saying, but Damian wasn’t paying attention. He was still trying to comprehend. “I mean…I know you have a lot of technology, but surely there’s failsafes…”

“There…are.” Bruce’s breath was labored. “I was attacked.”

“By who?” Clark demanded. “You said Alfred is fine…”

“Dick. Tim.” Bruce wheezed. “And that’s…that’s something else.”

Damian closed his eyes instantly. Grayson was already gone. Drake. And the apocalypse had barely even started.

What about everyone else? Todd? Cain? Commissioner Gordon? Did they get calls from Father too? Did they know what was happening? Or were they gone too?

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Opened his eyes to see Lois Lane standing next to him, ready to comfort. Jon was behind her, tears in his eyes as he bit his lip.

“…I didn’t kill them.” Bruce whispered. “I…It all happened so fast, and I was too weak. They escaped the manor before Alfred got his shotgun. Before I could go after them.”

Jon gasped, clamped his hand over his mouth. Clark paused, glanced at Damian himself. “…How long ago?”

“Hours.” Bruce admitted. “…Clark, they were heading in the direction of Metropolis.”

“But why?” Lois called. “Why wouldn’t they go into Gotham?”

“Higher population in Metropolis. More people to infect there than Gotham, I imagine. Especially with you all there saving people. Here…” Bruce hesitated. “It’s a bloodbath here already.”

“Father…!” Damian called. Lois’s hand squeezed his shoulder.

“Alfred will be there soon, Damian. Don’t worry.” Bruce promised. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t.” Damian cried, ignoring the tears already on his face. “Father, please don’t. You always win. You always find a way-”

“Not this time, son. I’m sorry.” And Bruce sounded genuinely apologetic. Like he’d failed at something. “Stay with Clark and Lois, alright? They’ll keep you safe. And they’ll keep Alfred safe when he gets there too.”

Damian sniffed, wiped at his eyes. “…Yes, sir.”

“I love you, Damian. I always have.” Bruce’s breath hitched. “And I’m so proud of you.”

“I love you, too.” Damian whispered. “I love you, too, Father. Thank you for everything. Thank you for loving me too.”

Bruce grunted, and let out a thin wheeze. “Clark. I don’t want him to…the communicator…”

“I’ve got you, Bruce.” Clark murmured. As if Damian would break at the gentlest touch, Clark carefully took the communicator from his hand, and moved to the other side of the rooftop with the other Justice League members who were gathered.

But even with the attempt to get out of his earshot, Damian heard the low rumble of his father screaming in pain. Lois instantly spun him around, embracing him as tight as possible. She held the back of Damian’s head, practically curling around him.

“Don’t listen, sweetheart.” Lois whispered, even as Jon tackled them both from the side. Damian could feel Lois’s own tears dripping into his hair as he clung to her himself. “Just…block it out, okay? Think about…about Alfred. He’ll be here soon. He’ll be here with us soon, and…and…”

Lois rambled for a few minutes, trying anything she could to overpower the sounds that may have carried from the communicator. It didn’t help much, didn’t wipe out the fact of what was happening, even though her voice was louder than the dying of his father, but he appreciated her effort.

About ten minutes later, still cocooned in Lois’s arms, he heard Clark return.

“Alfred will be here by nightfall.” Clark said solemnly. Damian tightened his own grip on Lois.

It was done. His father was dead.

Batman was dead.

Lois held him for a little while longer, and Jon bounced between checking on them and checking on his own father. Eventually, Damian backed out of her arms, quietly requesting a few moments to himself. She nodded, and gave him a sad smile.

He went to one of the lower roofs of the Daily Planet building. Away from the group, the chatter, the strategizing.

Just a few minutes. That’s all he’d need. A few minutes to cry, to mourn, to grieve. Then he’d be back in the mission. Then he’d go back to saving humanity, like his father and brothers always taught him to.

He thought briefly of his mother. She was in Gotham as well. Did she survive? Did she…need help?

She wasn’t a good person, but if he mentioned it to Clark, maybe Superman would help him go find her.

Would she mourn Bruce? Would she give her condolences for Grayson and Drake? Would she care at all?

He heard a bang as he sat there, the creaking of a ladder, bringing him out of his reverie, back to reality. Figured it was Jon coming to check on him already. How long had he been sitting there? He checked the clock in his mask interface.

Oh. It’d already been an hour.

“…I don’t want to talk about it, Jon.” He called, sitting up a little straighter, rubbing the tears from his eyes. “We have more important things to worry about than-”

There was another stomp, and Damian hesitated. It wasn’t coming from the ladder above him, where Jon would have come from.

It was coming from the fire escape over the ledge in front of him. The one that led to the ground.

“Fuck.” He whispered, scrambling to his feet. He sidestepped towards the ladder that went back to the Justice League, keeping his eye on the roof ledge. He couldn’t take that chance, couldn’t take his eyes off the threat.

Another thump, and then a hand appeared over the side. A gloved hand.

A blue-striped, black gloved hand.

“No…” Damian breathed before he could stop himself. His heart sunk, as a second, bloodier black-and-blue hand joined it. “Oh, please no…”

Dick’s head popped over the ledge, and he snarled like a wild animal, blood flicking away from his face. If you could even call it his face anymore. Skin flapped loosely away from his skull, blood poured like a waterfall from an exposed eye socket. Part of his mouth was missing, and it looked like he was grinning.

And Damian was trained since birth. Under the world’s greatest assassins, under Batman. Under the worst and the best. He trained for moments like this. For scenarios like this. He’d jumped to action in life or death situations before, made decisions at the drop of a hat a million times.

But here, he froze.

“Grayson…” He whispered. Dick’s hands just scrambled on the ledge, like he didn’t know how to climb up. “Grayson…i-it’s me.”

Dick just growled, dragging himself forward, pulling himself onto the roof with his sheer strength.

“Focus!” Damian shouted. “You’ve beaten odds like this before!”

Spit mixed with the blood as it dripped down Dick’s throat. He continued forward, his knee just reaching the ledge. As he did, another hand appeared behind it, slapping to find purchase. A mop of black hair bobbed behind it.

Drake.

Damian’s heart was pounding. What were they doing here? Yes, Batman said they were coming to Metropolis but…to this exact spot? To exactly where he was?

Did they…remember him? Did they come here to find him?

He stepped away from the ladder, towards his brothers.

“Grayson?” He breathed. “Drake?”

Tim gave a shriek, all but flipping himself onto the roof. He stumbled to his knees, but kept his forward momentum. Kept crawling at Damian. Dick shuffled forward, eyes shifting to the roof above them.

Oh, right. The Justice League was up there. A Kryptonian, a Green Lantern, and a bunch of other powerful beings.

Full of life.

They weren’t here for him. They didn’t follow him. They followed the meat. Followed the power.

He was just in the way.

He swallowed back his tears and risked turning away, looking for his way up. The ladder was a few feet down the wall, further than he originally thought. He’d have to make a break for it.

So he did.

But he was still small, still young. And his brothers always had that height on him. That long stride.

That speed.

He took two steps, but Tim was already reaching the ladder with a guttural laugh. Damian tried to back away, but in his periphery, he saw Dick running at him, inhaling into those now-forever empty lungs to roar.

Damian ducked his reaching hands, spun away and tried to put distance between them. He slowed at the ledge they’d climbed, and glanced over. A sea of the Anti-Life zombies were below them, all clamoring for that same fire escape.

He was fucked.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Tim was already rushing back at him, clawed hands aimed at his throat. Dick was right behind him, teeth bared.

Damian dodged to the side.

Those tears he tried to swallow came back full force as he ran to the opposite corner. This was life or death. This was the apocalypse. This was the end, if he wasn’t careful.

But.

He wouldn’t lay a hand on his brothers.

And maybe if he were in a better state of mind, maybe if he hadn’t just listened to his father succumb to this very virus, he would have attempted to take on Drake. Would have tried to fight him, if only out of some semblance of mercy.

But Grayson – never.

Damian could never go against Grayson. Not in the way he needed to save his own life, anyway.  

So he ran. He took the cowardly way out, and he ran.

But even the Flash stumbled sometimes.

He was trying to distract them. Play tag until he could get them away from the ladder he needed, then scramble up it and make his escape.

He’d just sidestepped Tim again, swerved around those outstretched hands, and was taking off towards the other side of the roof. Just a few more passes, a few more laps, and he should have them far enough-

His boot hit a loose piece of tarpaper. His foot slid out to the side, twisting his knee in an awkward angle and throwing him down onto the roof.

And it was over.

He rolled to his back just as Dick’s hand closed around his throat. As Tim dropped onto his legs.

Damian closed his eyes. It’s okay. It’s okay. He told himself. It’ll be over quick. And then I’ll be with them. Then I’ll be with my family anyway-

“No!”

Damian opened his eyes just in time to see Jon dropping out of the sky, ramming into Tim with such speed that it launched him from the building, and into the wall of the next one, splattering him into nothing more than blood and guts, like he was a fly on a windshield.

Damian blinked, and Clark was there too. His face was cold, angry, terrified as he grabbed Dick by his own throat and yanked him away.

Damian coughed as he tried to sit up, Jon instantly at his side, holding his shoulders.

“S-Superman-”

“I’m sorry.” Clark said as he held Dick up in the air. Dick struggled in his hold, hands reaching up to try and loosen his grip. He was still growling, still shrieking. “I’m so sorry, Dick.”

Without preamble, Clark shoved his fist through Dick’s chest, pulling as many bones and organs out the other side as he could. Then he dragged his arm until it exploded out Dick’s side.

Dick went limp. Damian gasped, and, for the second time that afternoon, forgot how to breathe.

Carefully, Clark laid Dick’s remains on the roof. “I’m so sorry.” He whispered again, as he used his heat vision to cremate what was left.

As soon as the last of him was ash, Clark turned back to Damian, whose eyes were practically bulging out if his mask. He was trembling in Jon’s hands, jaw dropped in shock.

“No…” He whispered, even as Clark walked towards them. Tears fell instantly as Clark collapsed to his knees in front of him, pulling him fiercely into his arms. “No…!”

No one mentioned the blood on Clark’s hands. No one mentioned Dick’s blood on Clark’s hands.

“I’m so sorry.” Clark repeated shakily as Damian sobbed into his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

Damian just shook his head, his trembles increasing by the second. Clark just squeezed his eyes shut and held the boy tighter.

After a moment, Clark blindly reached out, reeling Jon into his arms as well. Held him just as hard.

(Covered him in Dick’s blood too.)

I will not let this virus touch them. Clark told himself. Silently promised to the children in his arms. No matter what it takes.

After a few minutes, Clark silently took to the air, returning the boys to the rooftop, and the care of the Leaguers standing there, and Lois. Lois began pulling the boys from his arms before he even landed.

He glanced at Dinah and Oliver, who nodded. He gave them a grim smile and nodded back, floating back over to take care of the hoard at the bottom of the fire escape, and the fire escape itself.

He glanced towards the other building, to see if there was anything left of Tim Drake. There wasn’t.

When he decided the hoard of zombies was sufficiently culled, he went back to the rooftop. Dinah had built the green mockery of an igloo around Lois and the boys, giving them a sense of peace in this new chaos, a moment alone. She opened a sliver of it as he walked towards them, and closed it after.

The world could wait a little bit.

Jon was sitting on Lois’s lap, Damian next to her. She was holding his hand, and he wasn’t shaking anymore.

Dick’s blood had dried, leaving brown splashes all across his skin and uniform.

His eyes looked dead.

Clark sat next to him and tugged him into his side. Damian came willingly.

“Mind if I stay with you?” Clark whispered. “Just until Alfred gets here.”

“…Until Alfred gets here.” Damian repeated with a dry voice. “Okay.”

Clark carefully leaned down, pressing a kiss to Damian’s hair. “I’m so sorry, Damian.”

“I know.” Damian returned softly. “I know, Superman.”

Clark glanced up at Lois, at his own son. Jon’s eyes were half-lidded, he was already so exhausted. There were still tear tracks on Lois’s face, too. He gave them a grim smile.

This was going to be a long apocalypse.

[elyreywrites]

hips don’t lie (shakira shakira)

a crack fic born of a typo, and enabled by discord (shout out to the C&C discord server!! y’all are amazing.) also, it was a motivational gift for a friend. and a huge thanks to Bumpkin for being my beta on this fic!

title from Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”.

please REBLOG -- DO NOT REPOST

AO3 Link

Teen 1,895 words Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne part of my batkids shenanigans series

Summary:

Tim breaks a hip. Dick and Jason fight for the right of sitting shotgun. Barbara is the Actual Best. And Bruce is Suffering.

- - - - -

Tim leaned back against the wall in his cell and waited. He certainly wasn’t going to escape at the moment – not after some goon had slammed a metal bat into his hip. Standing wasn’t going to happen, much less fighting. As it was, Tim could block out the pain while sitting down and not moving. He’d dragged his body out of the desert after he was stabbed in the spleen, he could ignore this pain.

The sound of shattering glass and indistinct yelling brought a grin to his face. Ah, his rescue had arrived. Who did they send this time? The gunfire that broke out could mean Jason, or the goons had guns. Maybe both. The only guarantee was that it wasn’t Damian. He had a final paper due in the morning for school and Bruce ordered him off patrol.

The commotion lasted all of ten minutes. After another couple of minutes, something banged on the other side of the door.

“Hey Red, yell if you’re in here,” called Dick. After a second, he squawked, “What was that for?”

“He might be unconscious and can’t fucking answer,” Jason snarked.

Huh, both of them to the rescue. “I’m conscious,” he yelled. The lock clicked and his two older brothers strolled in, the keys dangling from the lock.

“Oh good,” Jason drawled, “then you can explain why the fuck you didn’t escape on your own.” He tossed Tim an extra comm, which he immediately put in.

Tim hummed. “I mean, it might have something to do with the metal bat that some asshole caught me in the hip with.”

Both men paused, just as Bruce appeared in the doorway. Tim knew his eyebrow was raised expectantly under the cowl. Tim looked straight at him and said, “I’m not very hip.”

In the background, Dick started snickering as Jason choked on his laughter. Bruce, though – Bruce went still. Bat still – the kind he only got in two situations. One, if he was about to drop into a fight. Two, when one of his kids made an exceptionally bad joke. The second often came before the Heavy Sigh of Exasperated Dad. “Your hip is injured,” he inferred, returning to the matter at hand. “What else can you tell us about the injury?”

Smirking, he complained, “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

The snickering turned into near-hysterical giggles. Jason was wheezing under the helmet. And there was the Heavy Sigh of Exasperated Dad.

“Someone call Life Alert!” Dick gasped out through his giggling.

“Fucking hell, kid,” Jason managed. “You little fucking shit. We were worried about your goddamn ass, and here you are, making shitty jokes like you’re Nightwing.”

“Hey!”

Bruce shook his head. “Your hip might be broken. Let’s–”

Dick cut off their father. “That’s so sad,” he choked out past his widening grin, “Oracle, play ‘Hips Don’t Lie’.”

Bruce froze. Tim watched with glee as Jason sunk to the floor, his wheezing turning into the high-pitched keening of someone laughing without air. And then – because Babs was the Actual Best – the song started playing over the comm line.

Ah, there it was: the second Heavy Sigh of Exasperated Dad, almost entirely drowned out by Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”.

“Why,” he asked, long-suffering. “Why do you do this to me? Just… you two, get to the Batmobile. I'll get Red.”

Tim raised an eyebrow behind the mask. “You’re the one that chose to be a father. Really, you should have expected this.”

Bruce tilts his head, his own equivalent of a raised eyebrow when he’s in the cowl. “Oh, I’m supposed to expect my children to reference memes and make jokes when one has broken a hip. That’s what I was supposed to be prepared for, when I decided to take in a grieving child. The parenting books never warned me about that.” He leaned down and tried to carefully pick Tim up, as Tim gritted his teeth against the pain. In the background, “Hips Don’t Lie” faded away.

Over the comm, Jason scoffed. “As if you ever read any parenting books.”

“I know for a fact that you didn’t,” Dick added. “Agent A made enough pointed comments about it that I know you didn’t. Also, I call shotgun.”

“You can have shotgun over my cold, dead body, you dick!” Jason snapped.

“First of all, stop joking about your death! Second of all, fuck you, you know the rules! Hood, get back here! I fucking called shotgun as soon as the Batmobile was in view, respect the fucking rules!”

“You’ll have to drag me out!”

“Red Robin gets shotgun,” Batman cut in.

Tim looked at Bruce blankly. “One, Red Robin is staying out of this, as one of them has already tried to kill me before. Two, Red Robin has a broken hip and needs to be in the backseat, because there is no way in hell I can sit upright very well right now.”

“For shame, B,” Dick sighed. “Hood, I swear to fucking god, get the fuck out of shotgun! Batmaaaaan, Hood isn’t following the ruuuules!”

Tim felt the Heavy Sigh that time. Damn, three in one night? They were doing pretty well. “That’s not really anything new, though, is it?” Tim snarked.

“You wanna fuckin’ go, punk?” Jason called back.

Closer now, Tim could see as Dick shook his head in over-dramatic disappointment. “I can’t believe you, Hood. Breaking the Sacred Rules of Calling Shotgun. Threatening to fight a kid with a broken hip. What would Agent A say?”

“Oh shit.” Tim whispered, grinning, “you’re gonna be in trouble.”

Jason growled back over the line, apparently kicking out at Dick from his spot in shotgun. “Fuck you, I’m an adult!”

Someone hummed on the comm line. “Would you care to repeat that?” Alfred said, as calmly as ever.

At the same time, Dick grabbed Jason’s leg to pull him from the Batmobile. Both things caused Jason to squawk as he landed on his ass on the ground. “No, Agent A. Sorry, Agent A. Hey, that is not fair, I got there first! I have longer legs, and you’re gonna stick me in the back?!”

Bruce stopped for a second, watching the chaos of Dick trying to get into the passenger seat by climbing over Jason, who was still laying on the ground, while Jason kept grabbing his legs and pulling him back out. Tim watched Bruce, waiting. Wondering.

Bruce inhaled and–

Jason and Dick both froze as they heard the fourth Heavy Sigh of the night.

“Is… is that a record?” Jason asked, in a reverent whisper.

“I don’t know,” Dick replied, just as awed.

Tim smirked. “Robin and I have managed seven in one night.”

“What?!” Dick shrieked.

“How?!”

Bruce only looked tiredly upon his eldest sons. “Robin and Red Robin,” he said, as though that was enough explanation. Tim had to admit, it kind of was. No need to mention that it was only for show now, more for the purpose of antagonizing their family than anything else. Cass knew, because Cass always knew, but she only giggled whenever she witnessed their fights.

Jason and Dick stared at each other, Dick’s leg still caught in Jason’s grasp. “We can probably get at least five before we get back to the Cave,” Dick muttered lowly, as though the comm wasn’t picking up everything he said.

“Done,” Jason said. “But I still got here first so stop trying to claim shotgun.”

“Hmmm, nope. I called it as soon as the Batmobile was in view. Them’s the rules, little brother.”

Jason snarled. “I’m taller than you! I need the extra leg space more!”

“You are barely taller than me, and not enough to really matter for leg space.”

Batman carefully put Tim down so he was stretched out along the length of the backseat and climbed in the driver's seat. “How is it,” he began, “that Red Robin, your younger brother, is acting more mature than both of you.”

Jason and Dick both stared at Bruce in utter betrayal. Then Jason looked back at Dick. “Go share the backseat with Red, you’re the oldest. He’s in pain. He needs his big brother to tell him it’s okay.”

“God no,” Tim muttered. He did not want Dick’s smothering right now.

Dick gasped, head snapping to stare at Tim. “Holy shit, I didn’t even think about that! Red, does it hurt a lot? You need a hug.”

Plans for revenge were already forming in Tim’s mind as Dick climbed in the backseat with him, letting Tim lean back against him. Dick’s arms wrapped around Tim in what some considered a hug and others considered an inescapable hold. A hand was already carding through his hair and his oldest brother reassured him that they’d be back at the Cave soon. Jason was snickering from the passenger seat.

Dick needed a distraction.

“Hey, O?” Tim asked, “Can you connect to the Batmobile? You probably already know what I’m thinking.”

“Sure thing Red,” Barbara smirked. He knew she did – he could hear it. Through the speakers in the car, “Hips Don’t Lie” started playing, again.

Tim didn’t miss Bruce’s hands tightening on the steering wheel, probably refraining from sighing again. Of course, now that he knew they were actively trying to antagonize him, it was going to be a lot harder.

As Tim expected, with Shakira blaring out of the speakers, Dick and Jason joined in on the singing. Loudly and off-key. A grin stretched across his face. Normally, he’d join in, but the pain was a bit too much for him to do that. That was fine, Bruce was getting twitchy enough as it was.

There was still no sigh yet, though. No matter how terribly Dick and Jason sang along, even going so far as to be off-beat, Bruce only twitched. At least, until the Spanish came.

“You know Spanish,” Bruce whispered, pained, as Jason sang English words that sounded just similar enough. Dick was doing the same, but without coordination, they were singing different words, creating the sound of pure chaos. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“You only have yourself to blame,” Tim snickered.

The fifth Heavy Sigh of Exasperated Dad cut the awful singing off so Dick and Jason could scream their victory. Tim regretted nothing as he slammed his head back into Dick’s chin.

“Ow! Reeed, whyyyy?” Dick whined, leaning his head back away from Tim.

Tim would have twisted around to glare at him if that didn’t seem like a Bad Plan. “You yelled in my fucking ear! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“We’re here,” Bruce called desperately, dragging himself out of the car. “Please, boys, please. Just… stop. It’s been a long night. Take pity on your old man.”

“Eh, I’m gonna go the fuck to sleep anyway,” Jason shrugged as he climbed out. “We succeeded in our goal. Have fun with the broken hip, Timmers! Night!” Tim watched him go, incredulous. A broken hip wasn’t what he’d call “fun” – despite the jokes and references that could be made.

Dick helped Bruce get him out of the car, and then smirked. “Your new ringtone is ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, just so you know. Night, Timmy!”

Tim watched his brothers leave, beginning to twitch himself. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

“You’ll never be hip again,” deadpanned Bruce.

[1-2-4sudoku]

Snapped Restraints: Chapter Three: Crumbling

 On Sunday, we visited Dick and his wife Barbara in their house in Bludhaven. 

I sat between Tim and Damian in the car, which I thought was brave of me. Cass was behind us while Alfred drove the car and Bruce rode shotgun. 

I didn’t like to leave Nadia alone (probably because my dad tried to kill once or twice), so I’d brought her with me. I allowed Damian to hold her while Tim napped on my shoulder.

Damian’s whole face lit up as Nadia began to climb up his shirt. I’d lived with him for three weeks now, and it was the first time I’d heard him laugh. It was a beautiful sound.

“Damian!” Bruce snapped, making his youngest son jump. “Give it back to Juliette!”

“She. Not it,” I corrected him bitterly, then called her back to me. 

“You shouldn’t have brought that thing along in the first place,” grumbled Bruce.

“I told her she could,” Alfred interceded on my behalf. “Nadia is sanitary, intelligent, and more polite than you, Master Bruce,”

Buuurrrrrrnnnnn. “Thank you, Alfred.”

Dick and Barbara, it turned out, lived in one of those thingies where all the houses are connected at the sides but it’s not an apartment. The door was answered by both inhabitants.

I was shocked when Damian voluntarily hugged Dick. “I missed you, Grayson.”

“I missed you, too, buddy,” he replied earnestly. He hugged each one of us tightly. I decided that he gave the best hugs.

Barbara was just as nice as her husband. Everyone bent down to hug her in her wheelchair, except Cassandra, who just knelt and hugged her head on her knees and a huge smile. They must have been incredibly close. I knew Cass visited here a lot, since Bruce didn’t bother to send her to school. 

When Barbara greeted me, she said: “You must be Juliette. Dick showed me how fast you can fold origami. You have talent.”

I blushed and thanked her. She had red hair and kind, intelligent green eyes behind round glasses. Her eyes smiled at me.

The family spread themselves throughout the living room and kitchen. Damian followed Dick everywhere, with Tim not far behind at times. I sat on the floor by the coffee table and showed Cass and Barbara how to make origami fairies.

After only around fifteen minutes, the doorbell rang for a second time. “That must be Jason!” Dick said happily.

I looked up grinning from ear to ear. “You mean as in Jason Todd? Redhood the mob boss?”

“You did not,” Bruce growled. Fucking Gargoyle Face again.

“This is a family day, Bruce,” Barbara reminded him, sounding irritated.

“And Master Jason is family,” Alfred added.

The doorbell rang again in a way that suggested someone was leaning on it heavily.

“He’s getting impatient,” Dick said. “I better let him in.”

I followed him to the front door. Opening it, he revealed the burliest man I’d ever seen who wasn’t Bane. He was tall, had black hair, and wore a leather jacket.

“The fuck is this?” were his first words as he gestured to me.

“Language,” Alfred chided him from the couch.

“The newest addition to Bruce’s ever increasing child collection,” Dick told him.

“I’m Juliette Lativian,” I informed Jason. I stuck out my hand and we shook. His hand almost mine almost completely.

“You have a rat in your pocket,” he noticed.

“You have guns in your holsters,” I replied cheekily.

“Jason!” Dick hissed.

Jason just laughed. “I like this kid Julie.”

I wagged my finger at him, but I was smiling. “I don’t answer to Julie, Jules, or Wayne.”

“I have a new favorite,” Jason announced.

I had a new favorite, too. He didn’t make fun of me for Nadia, which shot his credibility way up. Adding to that was the fact that he clearly did not like Bruce.

We stayed at the Grayson residence for two hours, and I spent the whole time with Jason. We talked about everything from gun laws to mob bossery to books to origami. With me, most things ended up being about origami.

Before we left, I gave him a fox that I folded. “Consider this a reminder to visit me.”

“I won’t need it,” he said. “But I’ll keep it because I like it.”

When damian, Cassandra, Tim, Alfred, Bruce and I got home:

“Don’t talk to Jason. Don’t interact with Jason. You’re not allowed to be friends with Jason. You’re not allowed to welcome him into this house, either.”

The next day, Tim came down for breakfast wearing his MAKE WAY FOR THE GENIUS shirt.

“Change,” Bruce said. He barely even looked up.

“Jason got that for you right?” I asked.

“Yes,” Tim said on his way to the coffee machine. His hair stuck up like Einstein’s.

“SO CHANGE.” Bruce demanded. “NOW!”

Tim flinched, muttered: “Yes, Bruce”, and left to do that. With one kid left to pick on, Bruce turned to me. “You’ve got the filthy rat on your shoulder.”

“Nadia isn’t filthy, Father.” That was Damian, saying the words in my head before I could spit them out.

Bruce rounded on him. “If it isn’t filthy, why not let it share your bed? Why not let it walk through your food?”

He made a grab for my beloved rat, but drew his hand back quickly when he heard approaching footsteps.

“Master Damian, have you fed Titus yet?” Alfred asked.

“Actually Alfred, I think I did today,” Bruce said.

Damian stood up very fast with very wide eyes. “I’ll check,” he replied with a pale face.Then he strode out of the room at godspeed.

Didn’t Damian have a cat once? I wondered.

Before we left for school, I gave Nadia to Cassandra to watch.

“Guard her with your life,” I whispered urgently. I didn’t want to know what Bruce would do to her on a bad day.

Cassandra nodded, but that wasn’t good enough for me.

“Promise me that you’ll guard her with your life,” I insisted. “You have to say it out loud. I know you can. Just say it to put me at ease.”

“I promise.” she amended.

“Thank you.” Reassured, I could now leave for school.

I was in seventh grade, Damian was in fifth grade, and middle school had recess together. I guess neither of us had bothered to make friends, so we found ourselves sitting quietly together on the swings. I broke the silence.

“I know it hurts.”

Damian replied defensively, with a bitter note to his voice. “If you’re going to tell me to stand up for myself, don’t, because I hate hypocrites. I know he hits you to.”

“Then I guess we’re both just a little too used to people treating us like shit.” After I said it, it surprised me how blatently true it was.

“Well, you know who hurt me first,” Damian remarked. “Who was it for you?”

“My parents,” I admitted. “Both were drug addicts.”

A girl with pink highlights in her hair appeared near us. “Were your parents high when they decided to have a kid?”

“Leave her alone,” Damian exacted.

“Fuck off!”

I got up. “Why don’t you go crawl back into that nasty little  hole you came from?”

Then a kid standing next to the pink haired girl who might have been her boyfriend barked: “Don’t tell her what to do!!’, and he pushed me back hard.

I fell on the swing I was standing in front of, only I slid back on it further. Then gravity took effect and pulled me forward with a lurch. My shirt rode up and the hot plastic swing burned my exposed back. 

I’m told that Damian attacked those two and beat them up pretty badly. I didn’t see it though, because I curled up in fetal position and hid my face. It was an instinct to protect myself that I couldn’t shake needing.

I’d been with Bruce for a month now and somehow it was schoolyard bullying that coaxed me into a panic attack so bad that it was more like a nervous breakdown. I suppose it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I wouldn’t let anyone touch me, and I hit them if they tried. Even Damian. I cried and screamed at the top of my lungs for everyone to stay away from me.

I’m told that everyone else involved was taken to the office. One of the guidance counslers managed to calm me down slightly and take me to her office, where I hid under a table and fell asleep. 

All I really remember is sheer sheer terror, anguish, and frustration as I tried to coax flashbacks to the back of my mind. I thought it was going to swallow me whole if I didn’t get it out of my head. I guess that just exhausted me so much that I conked out.

Sleep was blissful. Bruce was not. He didn’t talk the whole ride home. I sat in the backseat with Damian, who clutched my hand. I think he was trying to comfort me, though.

At home Bruce took me and Damian to the kitchen. Alfred wasn’t home. He must be buying groceries or something. I don’t think Cass is home, either. At least she has Nadia with her, I thought. And Bruce was seething with fury.

“DO YOU REALIZE HOW YOU MADE ME LOOK?!?!?” he bellowed. The counsler must have figured out that most kids don’t suffer debilitating breakdowns when someone else pushes them. Fuck.

“Not good,” I squeaked.

Bruce’s veins bulged and his face twisted itself into the likeness of a gargoyle. He pointed a finger. “THANKS TO YOU TWO SHITS, I GOT TO SPEND 30 MINUTES TALKING TO THE PRINCIPAL ABOUT YOUR HOME LIFE AND FAMILY PROBLEMS!!!!!!”

Damian’s lower lip trembled. He was trying to be strong, but he was still a ten year old. “I-I’m sorry, Father,” he stuttered.

“SORRY ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH!” Gargoyle Face thundered, and he punched Damian in the stomach twice. The second blow was severe enough to make his poor son puke all over the linoleum floor.

He yelled at him for that, too. “LOOK WHAT YOU DID, YOU LITTLE FUCKER!!!”

I was tired of being terrorized, and I was tired of seeing others hurt. I tried to lunge at Bruce, but I slipped in the puddle of vomit fell, and bit my lip hard. Gargoyle Face grabbed me by my hair and started pulling me up. Shrieking with pain, I scrambled to my feet so that I wouldn’t be scalped.

I fell into line just like that. Pain was the price I always paid when I tried to stand up to bullies.

Gargoyle Face forced me to look at him, forced me to look into the eyes of a demon. “Come with me.”

He half dragged me to my room, and all I could think was: At least he’s forgotten about my baby brother.

That sorry excuse for a father was trembling with fury as he pointed his finger at me. “This is what you get for making me look bad!”

Then he tore the place apart. He tossed everything off my bed, overturned my furniture, ripped apart my closet, and gathered my paper creations. He threw them in the dormant fireplace and lit them ablaze.

Seeing that was like having my soul burned. I couldn’t care less about my clothes or furniture, but it devastated me to see my world destroyed. The colorful origami transformed any hostile environment into a realm of beauty. 

Burning my origami was like burning my house to ashes. It takes ages to create a home, but the most incredible of them can be destroyed in less than five minutes.

This was never going to be different, the flames taunted me. It was the ultimate betrayal. Tears ran down my face, but I didn’t make a sound. I knew better than that,

Then I peered out the window and saw Alfred’s car pulling up. The kind old butler’s arrival gave me courage, and my anger was quickly burning through my fear and replacing it. “Stop it.”

Bruce whirled and stalked toward me, then leaned in dangerously close. I could feel his breath on me. “What was that?”

“Stop it. You can’t just treat your kids like this and claim to be a hero.”

“I could kill you with one blow, Jules. What makes you think you can talk to me like that?”

“Three words. Alfred is home.”

He looked out the window and turned pasty white.

“Don’t push me over the edge. If you do, I swear on that’s holy I will destroy you. And. My. Name. Is. Jul-i-ette.” I barely breathed those words, but I made sure that Gargoyle Face heard me.

He put on his human face quickly and left me to clean up his mess with the little resolve I had left.

As I remade my bed, I barely contained my anger. As I put away my clothes, I promised myself that the warning I gave Bruce was the last one he was getting.