#what if; for a few moments; his death wasn't about how he 'failed' Bruce

[crimsonfeatheredraven]

You know what? I think Jason should be a bit more unhinged about his death. I'm not talking about death jokes or "did you die?" comments or even the angst filled moments that we've been getting, which I respect in their own right.... but I'm thinking more along the lines of him carrying dirt from his grave around in a little pendant that he wears around his neck 90% of the time... using his coffin as a table or bookshelf...having a stain glass window in his actual apartment that has a depiction of the angel that stands over his grave...

I wish he would be allowed to actually enjoy his second life more...but I also think it be interesting to see him have a more macabre fascination with his death without linking it to Bruce...

[littledead-ridinghood]

This is part two of Jason crying over Bruce, but this time centering around his childhood. To note: All but one of these Jason's crying moments here are in relation to Bruce rather than Bruce actively going out of his way to make Jason miserable, but isn't that part of the parent-child relationship experience? adjacently fucking up your kid emotionally?

[part 1]

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Starting off strong with Jason's pre-crisis adoption arc! This is the arc where we get Bruce saying he'd literally give up all his possessions and money to be able to keep Jason around when he and Natalia are going full divorce parental rights mode over the boy. So, Jason's been put in an orphanage for the time being as the whole legal side gets sorted out and both he and Bruce are heartbroken. Jason spends a lot of time crying and being morose over the fact in the orphanage (panel one: being taken away. Panel two: no tears, but he misses Bruce a lot. Panel three: Jason's covering up the fact that he is crying) Wild arc. Bruce almost throws hands in a court of law. Jason is very unsure of his place in people's lives, is kinda shy & sensitive, and even has a slight stutter to match his apprehensiveness at times, but he loves being with bruce and calls the manor home. Also interesting to note, this arc comes in two halves. The introduction of Nocturna then a break where Jason becomes robin to which we then fall back immediately into Natalia now including a complicated custody battle.

this isn't a crying photo, but it's important to me. In this arc we're also given this panel of Bruce and Jason hugging and look at their size difference :( baby :( makes me think about, if comics wanted to hurt me more, how when bruce hears Jason's voice he naturally looks down sometimes instead of remembering that they're almost at eye level AND HE CALLS HIM HIS SOOOOONNNNN AND DC ACKNOWLEDGES ADOPTED PARENT_CHILD RELATIONSHIPS THST:S HID FATHER whhhhyhyhhyhyhyyyy sorry that got away me, way too much pathos, but also, come on!

Moving on to more robin days, still pre-crisis, but it's that weird mix of turning into post-crisis, it's almost right on the line, we have Jason breaking down in tears over fear toxin which makes him see hallucinations of Bruce yelling at him about how "Jason failed him". It's So Sad that in this story Bruce's greatest fear (which he used to overpower the fear toxin) is Jason dying and Jason's greatest fear is failing Bruce and then both ended up playing out in comics years later (Jason dying and Bruce believing Jason is a "failure" Bat's words, not mine). lots of feelings over it. See, what modern writers try to do today with Jason's robin years will never live up to the OG. What I mean by that is the entirety of Jason's pre and post-crisis run is soooooo foreboding and Jason has a lot of near-death experiences (usually due to Bruce's own short sightings that modern writers try to emulate through the trope that Jason isn't good enough to be Robin). What makes it so heart-sinking-to-your gut in his OG run is that in these comics, the idea for Jason to die, isn't an actual idea yet. And, now, looking back, it's this sickening accidental foreshadowing that modern writers lay on too thick, too "obviously he's going to die:/" when No, He Wasn't. Here: it's not an idea; Nowadays, it's the actual canon therefore it doesn't have the same effect as we already know the tragedy. It interferes with modern stories as they focus too much on his demise rather than his character.

here's one of Jason's near-death experiences. This is the arc before we fully switch to post-crisis!Jay. Bruce accidentally contributes to shooting Jason, in park row, a few blocks away from where they'll soon meet again once more by two stray gunshots.

No, Jason's not crying, but I think he would be if he wasn't half dead on the ground. Like the last part, this one's more implied. Anyway, the irony of Jason's almost dying in park row where Bruce's parents did by the same weapon, also to the chest, but this time the roles of parent and child are reversed though Bruce is still the only sole survivor *mwah* Art! Furthermore, the irony of Jason being reborn and rebirth in the alley mirroring his rise from the grave ~20 years later. Jason's entire existence can be encapsulated by full circles, foils, and parallels. I love it.

Moving on to older Jason! In Lost Days, Jason has a lot of breakdowns. He is very much not okay at all during the arc. Here, he's around 16 years old and this is after Talia's conversation with a catatonic!Jason where she tells him how Bruce misses him very much and loved nothing more than him and his older brother. It's an incredibly significant moment because the tear once again confirms that Jason is somewhat aware of his surroundings. Another moment would be when Jason fights all the League warriors but doesn't defend himself against Talia meaning he is aware of who he's fighting and has trust held for the woman. But, even then, he didn't have any emotional reaction to being slapped, he just took it without argument. The tear is significant because it's the first emotion Talia has seen this shell of Jason express, one of sadness, one over Bruce. Even in this state of a waking coma, Jason still has a deep love for Bruce and it hurts so much to hear that the man missing him.

Continuing the Lost Days theme! Jason has taken his swim in the pit and is coming to terms with all the missing time. The first two pictures are one right after each other where Jason finds out the Joker is still alive and Bruce continues the cycle of just putting the clown in jail

The third photo is of Jason having a mental breakdown on his way to Gotham over the fact that so many others died after him--He Was Dead--and it meant nothing, the joker was still killing

Jason's an angry crier! We see it here! We see it in UtRH! We even see it in the webtoon! It makes me think of that tumblr post, wet anger is terrible because it shows the other person that they got to you, and you cared--Still care. Shows you have a stake in the conversation, in the relationship, of what happened Really Fuckin' Mattered to you and Really Fuckin' Got to you. All of which links back to the sensitive side of Jason as well as how he tries to push down the fact that he cares for others and has a stake in the survival of the world (emphasized clearly in him saving the entirity of London and making sure the Arab students didn't get racially targeted and blamed even though Jason says he doesn't care about the world). Here though, it's the overwhelming emotion that he believed he mattered and Jay feels as though he's been sold a lie. He's angry. He's upset. He's hurt. He's miserable. He feels used.

Jason died when he was 15, was dead for 6 months and then was catatonic for another 1.5(this changes a lot bc sometimes he's catatonic on the street for 5-6 months, other times it's a year and then was catatonic in the league for another year). His last memory was of him dying, his next is his grave, and the third is the pit. For what takes over the span of 2.5 years for everyone else, happens to him in the time span of approximately 10 hours for him. Shockingly functionally for being whammed by some of three of the worst things to happen to him ever. And he still gets his throat slit soon after at the age 18 (I have the math written down somewhere, but canonically he came back to Gotham a couple months after his 18th, but even then he's technically 6 months younger than he should be due to 6 months dead and just know maybe the most streamline timelines aren't important and we should just read the stories without thought of precise age and time but I've never done it simple). damn. Someone, please ask him if he's okay. He's not. But it's the taking the time to care and ask that counts.

And, finally, to conclude Lost Days, Jason's reaction to Talia telling him that there's a new Robin.

What I've always found particularly obnoxious about how fandom treats Jason and Tim's relationship is how so many believe that Jason was absolutely seeing red, spitting blood when he found out there was a new robin, but really all he did was like...lay down and cry. That's kinda Jason's thing if you've gotten this far and haven't noticed. This also falls pretty in line with Jason's robin characterization. He's insecure about his role as both robin and Bruce's son. Even when Jason's 15, he fears he's always at risk of being replaced and being kicked out. When he finds out about Dick, Jason's first question is wondering if the older will want his role back. He never got the full support and help he need, no matter how much others did or didn't help, so when Jay's PTSD finally came knocking for its due, it's as if Jason never actually left the survival mode he lived in the entire time before Bruce. So hearing that Bruce "moved on" with a new robin, coming into the spotlight within six months of his passing (and Jason went through robin training, he knows how long it takes. He knows that that kid would've had to pop up within weeks of his murder (not to suggest Bruce wasn't hesitant about Tim going out so soon after Jason's passing), it solidifies that ever-present insecurity he's had his entire life that he's never been good enough for anything or anyone.

This one randomly hit me while writing meta, and I debated adding it because Jason isn't crying but Wow, is Bruce deliberately trying to be a dick. This one is a retcon with the age-old "You're not my dad" trope except, in a shocking twist, Absolutely shocking twist, the roles are reversed and *Bruce* says the "I'm not your father" line (something Jason has never said, mind you, towards any of the people he considers parental figures) (link here to my meta on that topic). I chose this image instead of the usual single panel because it's so much worse within the context it surrounds. When placed within its page, we, the readers, learn that this is one of the last conversations Bruce and Jason have before he runs off to Ethiopia to find his bio-mom. This is one of the last things Bruce ever tells Jason before the boy is murdered. Again, this is the retcon thing that I mentioned in the first part, these sorts of retcons don't make me feel bad for Bruce. This makes me feel bad for Jason. No wonder, after looking for a family for years, Jason would jump at the opportunity to have more. When the man he calls his father doesn't see himself as his father, Jason's desperation becomes palatable. The need to feel safe and wanted is overwhelming, especially with Jason's history of being rotated out for something "better" or "more important." Jason's relationship with Bruce is fundamentally different from all the other children because he started off by looking at Bruce as a father figure. And Jason constantly sees Bruce as Bruce first rather than Batman or compartmentalizing his own and other people's parts like Bruce does. Dick didn't want Bruce to be his father when he became his ward. This is important to their later years, when Bruce started acting like a parent, the two began to clash horribly. Tim wasn't an orphan when he became Robin and literally forged family members so he didn't have to be in relation to the Waynes. Steph would rather die than consider Bruce her dad. Cass was a grown woman compared to a child when she joined the bats. And Damian, DC believes Bruce and his father-son relationship is built in due to blood (that whole "I have one son" thing ugh). But, as seen in earlier panels, Jason did come into the manor looking for a father within Bruce (and Bruce, a son within Jason). You can ignore this retcon. Or you could not and read it as Jason being absolutely crushed at the thought that he found someone who wanted him as his kid only to hear he has been lied to this entire time. A la: like Shelia. A la: His worth lies in how well he is a "good solider"

obligatory elseworld: Once Again, Batman: White Knight! this time the original run, not the spin-off. This is the world where Bruce manages to "cure" the joker allowing him to go back to leaving as Jack Napier. The world's a little more realistic in the sense the joker's more a crazed fanboy who tortured Jason out of jealousy rather than a genocidal terrorist. On this Earth, he tortures Jason brutally in attempt to get him to reveal Bruce's identity. He's in pure misery. It's like a softer version of Arkham Knight where instead of being murdered, he is tortured (though here for substantially less time, a couple months as opposed to like 1.5-2 years in the arkhamverse), and instead of returning to the manor, Jason leaves Gotham. (It's later revealed Jason does actually go back to the manor, but he sees Bruce training the second robin (on this earth, he's the first) and feels utterly violated and replaced). So, here we have a crying Jason, tortured so thoroughly he's brought to tears over his relationship and involvement with Bruce that he reveals the bat's identity leading Jason to his freedom.

Anyway, Jason's overall character of Robin, OG run, retcons, and post-robin depictions, is characterized by heavy emotion, naivety, and hope. Personally, I feel Jaylovers would've been more lenient on DC's victim-blaming around Jason's murder if it did center more around his tendency to get overwhelmed in high-tension situations as well as how, throughout most of Jason's OG run, he is heavily portrayed as a lonely child desperate for love (his OG run says so itself. Again pulling from the introduction of Natalia arc, the narration box reads him "impatient for more love"). Though we know DC never would have done that as that makes Jason look too sympathetic. Saying "he died because he wanted to be loved" does not carry the message "he died because he was reckless" of which DC wants to re-write.

@tumblingxelian, I'm so happy you liked the last post and hope you enjoy this one too! If I've missed any panels* between Jason crying over Bruce within these two parts, please let me know, y'all. My "crying Jason" album, though extensive, is ever-growing. Again, these are just the crying in relation/because of Bruce panels sprinkled in with some of my "maybe Bruce shouldn't be a father" from my general "comic panels" album.

*I didn't add the Cheer panel because I refuse to acknowledge the story's existence I really don't agree with Jason's characterization within that story arc and believe how he got to the dream world situation is not based in his true character. The story fundamentally does not read like Jason as many aspects of, what I believe are, his core character traits are missing and I can't in good faith add a panel that reads like an OC (to *MY* interpretation of Jason). I also have a hunch that I did miss one panel from RHatO V1 when Jason's having his fever, literal acid dream, but I'm not sure. This realization is literally just hitting me now. I, for sure, missed a few BftC panels where Jason's having a mental breakdown over Dick showing him Bruce's will again. He's So Fucked up in that arc. And even though that arc doesn't read like Jason, the author admitted to wanting to write Jason as irredeemable as possible, as well as is one of the only confirmed (by the author) cases of pit mad!Jason, I say this with my chest, I like BftC better than Cheer because at least in BftC Jason is competent. Not to say I want that to be Jason's characterization, or even that I enjoy him written like that, but at least he despises the corrupt police force Bruce tries so hard to impress and that counts for something. I completely blanked on that arc and may do a follow-up part sometime in the coming weeks to see if I weed out any other panels matching the afformative guidelines.

[katzell]

your thoughts on the marvelous mrs. maisel finale? especially, the conclusion of the lenny and midge’s storyline?

Thank you so much for the ask!

I've been thinking about it for weeks, so it's time to get into it. I'm going to mainly address the Lenny and Midge part of the question, mostly because addressing everything else would make this far longer than it already is. And boy is it long. Here we go!

After years of ranting and raving, I now know when there is a version of a show I am watching and a completely different show the writers are creating. When I realize the show I want isn't something the showrunners are interested in, I cut and run.

I nearly dropped Maisel many times over the years as it became clear Midge was never going to have her big break before the finale. It would rather spin its wheels and have more family dinners and musical numbers than grapple with the real dangers of being in show business in the 1950s and 1960s. Midge and Lenny was the only thing that kept me going, and paradoxically it was because Lenny was going to die rather than in spite of it.

I never carried an ounce of hope that Lenny was going to escape the real fate of Lenny Bruce. When the Palladinos introduced Lenny in the pilot, they never meant for him to be a regular character. It was supposed to be a fun nod to the comedians of the time and the kind of comedy the Palladinos were inspired to explore in the series. And then Luke Kirby gave a mesmerizing, unforgettable performance. From that point forward, ASP was always very careful to make most of the characters who populate Midge's world fictional versions of real people. The decision to call him Lenny Bruce and not David Blake (or something better) put limits on what that character could realistically be or do.

For ASP, saving Lenny would have meant undercutting the few ties to reality Maisel had established. And I I agree with her. Especially given how little the show really seemed interested in exploring the darkness of that world. Sexism, racism, antisemitism, homophobia were all present, but the tone was always more light and whimsical. Which is why we got so many interminable boring overindulgent musical sequences.

Knowing that Lenny's death was coming filed in some of the shadows the show itself danced (literally) around. It also allowed me to enjoy Midge and Lenny as a pair of star crossed lovers who could have saved each other, but ultimately don't because of both their own faults and the societal forces around them.

Accepting those limits, I found really beautiful tragedy in Lenny's final two appearances. The opening scene broke me. I was prepared for him to die, but I wasn't prepared to watch him fail. Immediately after the episode I was upset with that narrative choice, but rewatching his previous appearances I came to agree this moment carries more narrative weight than one terrible phone call ever could. Midge watching Lenny fail and not confronting him after was set up in season four. And it's a tragedy of miscommunication on both their parts that comes from a place of love and respect.

Lenny told Midge when he woke up on her couch that he never wanted her to save him again. He was so embarrassed at the idea of Midge seeing him at his worst that he fled her home without his shoes, without using the bathroom, almost in a state of undress. Lenny also made clear to Midge that his drug use wasn't something he would discuss with her in the hotel room. Lenny so desperately wanted Midge to be impressed by him. And yet that desire ultimately prevents any chance Midge has of actually getting close to him. At Carnegie Hall, he realizes for the first time how carefully Midge listens to him and appreciates him. The thought terrifies him. Suddenly his best self seems like it might ruin Midge. So he bolts.

Lenny and Midge could talk about the struggle of comedy and even nod to the ways the world was inhospitable to people who lived outside of the accepted cultural mores of the time, but Lenny could never bring himself to share with her the nature of his addiction. For Lenny, this subject was far more taboo and unspeakable than religion, race, and sex. Because unlike those topics, society saw (and still sees) addiction as a personal failing. For all that Lenny could call bullshit on some things, he internalized this myth. If Lenny had been more honest with Midge, if he had gotten out of the cab and gone back upstairs, if he had let Midge know more about his drug use, if he had asked Midge to bring an umbrella to support him for more than national television appearances, Midge would never have let him fall on his own.

Midge remembers everything Lenny ever said to her. His words are maxims, even prophesies. Midge believes Lenny even when she shouldn't. We see her quoting him often. She carries his fortune with her for the rest of her life. It's such a clear indication of her love for him, but it's also a tragedy. Midge probably let herself believe that the paraphernalia she found in the bathroom wasn't a big deal, because Lenny had promised her it wasn't. By the time she had heard enough to know differently, the damage was done. If Lenny hadn't told her not to save him she would have tried to pull him out of his spiral with everything she had. As it was, she sent him Susie, her best friend, her greatest asset, the lifeline she had relied on over and over. But it just wasn't enough. Midge couldn't meet him at the club and respect what he had told her. And Midge always, always tried to do what Lenny said.

That miscommunication, that tragedy, is heartbreakingly rendered by Rachel Brosnahan and Luke Kirby. Without explicitly saying anything, we know Lenny wants Midge to walk through that door and to try to rescue him. And we know that Midge wants to do just that, but cannot bear the idea of being rejected by him.

In the end, at least, we have that scene in Chinese restaurant which I think might be the most visually stunning scene of any of Midge and Lenny's encounters (I'm sorry Miami club, you are a close second!) It's a nice final reminder of what Lenny did for Midge: he acknowledged she deserved a place amongst the elites of the craft. I only wish there had been room for Midge to also validate Lenny. I would have loved her to give him some parting words that he might also treasure.

There are other ways of tragically ending Midge and Lenny's journey that I would have loved to see, but given the Palladinos disinterest in really exploring the nasty, dark, ugly parts of show business in the 1960s, I am not surprised we didn't get them. That can be a project for a fanfic writer who doesn't want to "fix it" so much as "make it worse." (Go for it fanfic writer! Sometimes we need sad things!)

I also have my own ideas of what would be a happy ending for these characters (see Midge and Lenny's Alternative Adventures). But I think the key to landing those stories (for me) is to confront this miscommunication so that Midge and Lenny can both accept and demand more from each other and to build up a new, less brittle kind of respect that comes from real intimacy. I want productive fights that tear through artifice and expose the mess underneath. Only then do I think they have a shot of saving each other from their own worst instincts.

Does that mean I liked it? Hahahahaha I don't even know. I respect it. It lingers. I felt something. And that's better than most series finales. And Midge and Lenny remain sensational.

[earth-93]

BRIGADE FILES: HULK (Part 1)

Stars & Stripes Hotline [Version 1.14]

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Directory of C:\BrigadeFiles\Avengers\BANNER_BRUCE.txt

[file data =

Main Alias/Moniker: Hulk

Legal Name: Dr. Bruce Robert Banner

Other Aliases: Doc, Big Guy, Hulkster, Greenfoot, Jade Jaws, Green Giant, Shrek

Date of Birth: May 19th, 1975 (Age: 30)

Status: Alive

Species: Human Mutate (Gamma Mutate)

Sex: Male

Gender: Cisgender

Height/Weight: [Bruce] 5'8'' (173cm) / 125 lbs (57kg); [Hulk] 7' - 8'5'' (2 - 2.5m) / 1,150 - 4,000 lbs (680 - 1,815kg)

Hair/Eye Color: [Bruce] Brown / Brown; [Hulk] Black / Green

Timeline (1975 - 1985): My past with Bruce aside, I don't think you need me to tell you that most of what's been written about the Hulk is bull. Nothing but conspiracy rags that make parsing the fact from the fiction even harder (If I were a more paranoid type, I'd say it's on purpose. I wouldn't put it past Ross or SHIELD to keep the public on their toes about Bruce, no matter how much good press he gets. I'm just as biased as any other guy, but I'm biased in the sense that I was just some kid that a so-called monster tried to help. Do with that what you will.

Bruce has said that his earliest memory was being pulled out from a car wreck by his dad during a rainy night. Brian Banner went back to get his wife, but by then the car had sunk so deep into the muddy earth that he couldn't find the strength to pull her out. That moment was totally where Old Man Banner's obsession with strength first came from. Once the media got a hold of the Hulk's identity, a lot of those write-ups loved to embellish Bruce's childhood. Don't get it twisted, Brian Banner wasn't the Devil, but he was a mean sonuvabitch. He would at least have his stepmom Rebecca in his life, once the Banners moved to New Mexico. To this day, Bruce still thinks of her fondly.

Brian himself was almost never home, instead toiling away at his gig at Desert State. See, Brian Banner was a physician with a specialty in glands. After he failed to pull his first wife out of that wreck, he became fixated on the theory of "hysterical strength." You know those stories you hear about moms being able to lift whole cars to save their babies? No scientist has ever been able to square away how and why that happens, but Old Man Banner was hellbent on being the one to crack it. When the higher-ups are Desert State shot down his research, he decided to keep going at home.

Timeline (1985 - 1991): To this day, Bruce has never said what really went down that night. As far as I know, his mind just blocked it out. I have my theories, but if I'm resorting to speculation I'm no better than one of those rag pieces. All I know for sure is what was put on the police report: The morning after a nasty storm, authorities swept through the Banner household smashed up, Rebecca beaten to death, and Bruce left in a shock in the same room as the body. A few days later, Brian was found in the middle of the desert, naked and hysterical. He was charged with murdering Rebecca and was given life.

Another misconception about Bruce is that his anger issues only came about once he went green. What he went through, that's where it all started, and you don't even have to trust me on that. His aunt and uncle would back me up, since they were the ones who took Bruce in. Back then, Bruce was unresponsive, quick to anger, and would throw a fit if he ever felt cornered or too agitated. He wasn't too responsive to treatment at first, either. What turned it all around for Bruce was his cousin, Jen. She was born a year before his aunt and uncle took him in, and even though they did their best with him, they had understandable worries about Bruce being around Jen. He says this is what first made him try to take treatment seriously. Earning that trust from his aunt and uncle. To this day, the two see each other more as siblings than cousins.

He put a lid on his anger issues, but Bruce's social skills never really picked up. His brains, though, they never seemed to stop growing. So when he got an in at the Tomorrow Academy across the country, his aunt and uncle couldn't see a downside. I have my theories Ross had his eye on Bruce all the way back then because of who his old man was, but I can't back that claim--yet. Even if I can't make a direct connection, Ross still definitely had his finger on the place. That meant having an extended stay in New York, and his kid popping in the Academy from time to time. That's how Bruce first met Betty. In spite of himself, Bruce managed to strike something up with Betty, and they kept in you well after the Academy's shutdown. Even when Bruce had any school in the world to nab his PhD, he went with NJIT so he would be closer to Betty. Neither of them could have imagined this would seal Bruce's fate.

Timeline (1991 - 1998): Betty was in Jersey because she was one of the first recruits for the newly-minted SHIELD Comm School. She wanted to keep up the family military tradition by getting into spy work, but even back then she was a sleuth at heart. Case in point, when she and Bruce got close enough he started opening up about his past, Betty couldn't just leave it be. I don't know if it was empathy to help Bruce get closure, or just a fixation on solving a mystery. Whatever it was, Betty put together an investigation on what Brian was researching before he killed Rebecca and showed it to Bruce.

In turn, a switch went off in Bruce when he poured over his old man's work in hysterical strength. Like father, like son, Bruce became obsessed with finishing his old man's work to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. SHIELD was either desperate, or Bruce made one heckuva pitch, because in no time at all a new Super-Solider project was in the works. The ink on Bruce's pHd wasn't even dry before a base in the desert was installed to further explore his theories.

Call it trauma, shame, fear, or even some lingering loyalty to the powers that victimized him, but Bruce has never come clean about what went down at Project Gamma. From what I personally know, their experiments went well past any ethical boundaries. A young man looking for some closer was quickly finding things spinning out of his control, that's a lot on your conscience. And that all came crashing down on that one fateful day, when an internal sabotage caused a radiation leak, then a breakout of its test subjects—helped by a big, green giant barrelling through the walls and security for them.

continue data? y/n]

[inthememetime]

Not sure if you're still taking these but,

🤬- calm character gets MAD and B has never seen it before with Bruce Wayne as A or B?

How about a good ol' outsider POV?

Yukta Patel considered herself somewhat of an expert on Bruce Wayne's gala behavior. For the past 10 years, she'd been the main gala reporter in Gotham, and Gotham's very own Brucie Wayne was at nearly every one.

All the younger debutantes fought for a place on his arm, so there was rarely the same woman twice, and he was the trendsetter for menswear at the beginning of every season.

But beyond that, what took him from being just another greedy rich man to a beloved figure in Gotham was his kindness.

There was no yelling when an errant child ran into the crowd during a daytime affair and spread raspberry jam on his tan suit, or when something went wrong, like the kitchen running out of shrimp or his steak being just a little too brown.

He reminded her, genuinely, of her grandfather in all the best ways.

Yukta's little sister referred to him as a himbo, which, after several explanations as to what that was, fit him quite well. Kind but stern at times. Easy humor. Genuine but airheaded.

When wealthy men and women said they did their best for Gotham, she laughed at home. When Bruce Wayne said it, she knew it was true.

All that was to say this: Yukta Patel had never seen gentle, kind, quick-to-laugh Bruce Wayne really, truly angry. She'd been heading over there for a quick chat (read: a break she would be paid for, as long as she got his opinion on literally anything) when she saw it: fellow billionaire, known supervillain, Lex Luthor was approaching Mr. Wayne.

She was too far away to hear the start of the conversation, but the way Bruce's head tilted just a little, the thinning of his lips, and the way (most damning for anyone who knew Bruce Wayne) one hand made its way to his hip told her things were about to get nasty.

She hurried over- whether to get a closer view or stop it even she didn't know- and was just fast enough to hear the name 'Jason Todd', his son who'd been tortured and murdered on live camera last year, come out of Luthor's mouth with a sneer, followed by the words, "got what he deserved."

She doubted even Luthor's security guards, halfway across the room but closing in fast, saw the punch coming.

The scariest part to Yukta wasn't the sickening crack followed by a shout, or the blood that spurted from Luthor's nose splattering across Bruce's pinstripe suit, or even the two vicious follow-up hits from Wayne.

The scariest part occurred his face didn't change. There was no snarling or yelling, nothing to indicate a blow was incoming. One moment Bruce's free hand was on his hip. The next, it was in Luthor's face, one, two, three times.

Only once the other billionaire was on the ground and holding his face did his expression change. Even then, it simply became flat, dead. The other hand, still holding his wine glass, shattered the bell, leaving just the stem ending in a sharp, jagged point.

Yukta had lived in Gotham all her life. The number of times she'd seen someone shanked to death couldn't be counted on both hands.

She took a risk- possibly a deadly one, and put herself in front of his left hand, hiding it from view. "Mr. Wayne," she begged, trying not to shake and failing, "please drop the weapon. Please."

His jaw clenched and she had a moment of fear- surely this was the moment Bruce Wayne snapped, this was when one of the few good, uncorrupted souls in Gotham snapped. His blue eyes met her brown ones, and reflexively, fearfully, she added another, "please."

He dropped the improvised weapon.

Later, Yukta would report on the faux-pas of Mrs. William-Lankshire's neon plaid pantsuit, and the new trend of butterflies in jewel tones on dresses and tie clips alike. She would report on Luthor starting an argument that Wayne ended.

She would not mention the fact that, for just a moment, she feared for her life. That she didn't know if she would be coming home to her little sister and their cats, or if she would be witness to the murder of Lex Luthor.

Yukta had thought, once, she knew everything there was to know about Wayne. She realized, over the course of fewer than five minutes, that what she thought was a well-trained show dog was a wolf.

Oh yes, quite pretty, and friendly when it suited him. But perhaps he was a Gotham native, after all.

[teenage-idiot]

In the Blink of an Eye - 7

Avengers Age of Ultron | Quicksilver x Female Reader Fan-fiction.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

Contains strong language, sexual references and mentions of death.

1258 words

CHAPTER 7

I sat down at the table for dinner, Pietro taking a seat next to me. On the other side of me sat Wanda, who smiled at me, a smile that I returned. 

Over dinner we all got to talking about anything and everything, and then the subject became me, which I was quite surprised about, after all, why would anyone want to spend their time talking about me?

"So, y/n, how old are you?" Thor asked.

"I'm 19," I answered politely.

"Oh, you're quite young then," he said, looking slightly shocked.

"That's only two years younger than me," Pietro beamed down at me.

I looked at him, his dorky grin making me smile. For some reason I had thought he was older than that. Maybe it was the slight facial hair he possessed, or maybe his build. I mean he was in pretty good shape. Great shape actually. I quickly realised I was staring, and hurriedly looked away, as I felt a slight blush creeping up on my cheeks. 

The rest of the evening was filled with many stories, laughs and weird conversational topics. It was midnight before I decided to head up to my room, exhausted after a long, hard day at work. 

I was walking down the corridor to the elevator, being too tired to take the stairs. I heard Pietro call out from behind me, and then felt a sharp breeze against my skin, and he was beside me, same as always.

"Hey, you heading up?"

"Yeah, I'm super tired so I'm gonna call it a night," I replied, yawning at the end of my sentence.

"I'll walk you to your room," he said, making it sound like more of a statement than an offer.

The elevator came and we both got in. I rubbed my eyes groggily as he pushed the button for our floor. For a while it was silent, we both just stood there, not saying anything. It wasn't an awkward silence though, more like a nice silence. The kind of silence where you don't need to say anything. 

The walk to the room was the same, although I could feel him glance at me a few times as we moved along. When we got there, I opened the door before turning around and thanking him. We both said our goodnights and then I slipped away into my room, and he disappeared down the hall to do the same. 

As I clambered into bed, I found myself thinking about Pietro, how sweet he was. I liked him. He was kind, and caring, and I could tell he was an overall good person, even though I hadn't known him for that long. He made me laugh too, and I thought about all the funny things he said to make me crack a smile, or burst out laughing at a completely inappropriate moment. Yeah, I liked Pietro. He made me happy.

The next day was the same old routine. Wake up, get ready, have breakfast, go to training, freshen up, have dinner, go to bed. The day after was the same, and the day after that. I had soon been there a week, and even though that's really not very long, I was beginning to feel at home, like I belonged. I had never met a bunch of people who all seemed to genuinely care for me like these ones did, or at least I thought they all did.

I had been helping Tony and Bruce work on some computer programme they'd developed, as I was just as educated as they were when it came to technology. However, something had not quite gone the way they wanted it too, and now Tony was freaking out and yelling at me. Bruce had tried to calm him down, but failed in his attempt.

"It's really not that hard y/n! Now everything is ruined because of you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that was going to happen. I just thought that maybe-"

"Maybe what?! Maybe it would all just magically work out?! Well in case you haven't noticed, that's not actually how it works," he spat, anger seeping out of him like a wet sponge.

I really didn't know what to do or say. Maybe it was my fault, maybe I'd thought it out wrong. I had no clue. The only thing I knew was that he had now succeeded in making me feel like a complete piece of shit. Luckily Steve walked in at just the right moment.

"What's going on here?"

Tony glared at me and then looked over at Steve, who was also looking pretty pissed off. Without uttering another word, Tony moved away from me, and went to work on some other device that had been lying around. 

"Are you alright?" Steve sighed, clearly not that surprised by Tony's crazy outburst. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, I just kind of hate being shouted at," I answered.

"Okay then," Steve let out another sigh before walking away from me and over to Bruce, presumably to talk about what just happened.

Unfortunately, the situation didn't end here.

I was heading down the hallway leading to the lift after training, when I heard shouting coming from a branching hallway. I knew it wasn't a good sign, but decided to follow the sound anyway, to find out who it was and what was going on. I got to the end of the hallway and was quite shocked at what I saw. 

Pietro was standing having a full blown argument with Tony, and it was getting pretty ugly. Pietro looked as if he were about to punch Tony in the face, turning it into a full on fist fight, so I stepped in.

"Guys, stop it!" I yelled so to be heard over all of their yelling.

"Y/n," Tony looked surprised to see me, and then ashamed, "I want to apologize for earlier.  I – I don't know what came over me. I know I'm a bit of a hothead sometimes but, I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Tony," I gave him a small smile.

"That's not an excuse for being a total dick," Pietro said.

"Hey, you want to take this outside, 'cause I can go all day," Tony shot back, a threatening tone to his voice.

Pietro looked like he was about to say something else, but I stopped him, moving him away from Tony, and away from the fight that would soon commence if I didn't do something.

We began to walk together, and then I finally spoke.

"Pietro, why were you yelling at Tony?" I asked, wondering why on earth such a kind person would be screaming at someone else like that.

"Because y/n! He did it to you, and he can't just speak to you – no – yell at you like that and get away with it. I had to say something," he said, agitation and frustration in his voice.

"Pietro, you really don't have to do that for me," I said, completely taken aback that someone, let alone Pietro, would stand up for me in that way.

"I know," he sighed, "I just care about you, you know?" 

"Yeah, I know," I said, "and I care about you too. But please, no more fights."

"We'll see," he smirked.

I had to admit, he did look pretty damn hot when he was mad, and that smirk got me every single time.

We continued to walk down the hall, deciding to move on from the situation, and to forgive and forget.

-

a/n - bit of a longer chapter! idk why i wrote all the initial chapters so short lol but i was new to writing fanfics at the time so there you have it i guess! enjoy :)

- t

[morgansunflower]

Sister

Four time's Y/N helps her brothers and the first time they help her

Dick Grayson X sister-reader!

When Dick is Robin and gets fear toxin from Scarecrow

I came to the Manor missing home I knocked Alfred opened

"hey Alfred"

"Ms Y/N always lovely to see you back home. Your father is at work Master Richard is taking much needed time asleep"

I walked in wait why's Dick asle-Scarecrow! Shit! No! No! No! I can't believe I forgot!

"I'm the world's worst sister!"

I ran upstairs remembering, Dick got injected with fear toxin last night he had called me last night acting off. I asked Bruce and he told me. I knocked not hearing anything come on bud open up

"hey Birdboy it's your sister Dick little bro.. OK I'm opening the door"

I slowly opened the door the lights off. The sunlight shining in from the window. I saw him laying with a blanket wrapped around him, he was shaking, mumbling and crying. I ran to his side touching his shoulder

"Dick! Buddy please open your eyes"

He carefully opened his eyes he saw me he jolted back terrified. It kills me seeing him like this

"Dick buddy it's OK it's me it's your sister you're OK you're here" I said calming

He quickly wrapped his arms around my neck crying. I rubbed his head my heart breaking. Oh, Grayson.

"shhh shhh it's OK"

He crossed his legs around me

"I'm so sorry I wasn't good enough"

"Dick honey you are a great kid. You are my brother ok nothing is going to change that I promise you. You are more than good enough"

I sat on the bed he hugged my neck crying. I rubbed his head rocking back and forth he kept crying

"shhh it's OK Birdboy"

I use his nickname again to help pull him out of his panic attack. He finally started calming down. He's OK.

"there that's better" I softly said

"hey sis" he asked his voice brittle

"yeah buddy"

"can I have some ice cream"

A wave of relief crashes into me. I smiled in relief he's going to be OK my baby brother is going to be OK

"of course"

Jason Todd X sister-reader!

Jason worries he will lose Y/N the same way he lost his mom

I headed to the my place from grocery shopping. I pulled in seeing my kitchen light on. Did I leave the light on? I grabbed the groceries I went inside and screamed. I dropped the groceries, Jason!

"Jason what hell?! Are you trying to scare me to death?!"

He just stood there not looking at me

"hey what's wrong, Jaybird"

He shrugged his shoulders what is going on with him. I picked up the groceries and put them away. I turned folding my arms

"spill it" I demanded

"c-can you promise me something?"

"if you ask me first"

"you would never do.. it right"

"what's it, Jason?" his eye's swell he's trying not to cry. I want to hold him and tell him everything's going to be OK. Though Jason's not Grayson it's best to let him express his feelings before smothering him with affection "Jay?"

"N-nothing forget I said anything" he puts his hands in his pocket

"Jason come on now what is it?"

"never do.. Drugs" I'm shocked

"Jason Peter Todd! Of course I would never do that it's wrong and I love you all too much too even put you through that"

His lip trembling. I can't stop myself. I put my hands on his shoulders he wouldn't look at me

"sometimes the people you love are not good enough" he disappointingly stated

"Jay, what do you mean not good enough"

He shakes his head and he mumbled something

"Jason have you been doing--" he cut me off

"fuck no!" he sighed, good that's a mountain in my gut leaving "I just....forget it"

"Jason, buddy talk to me. I'm here you can tell me anything about what's going on with you"

"I - yesterday was my mom's anniversary of when she died OK... I just didn't-don't I--"

Oh buddy I hugged him tight he wouldn't hug me back. I didn't care. I finally felt him wrap his arms around me. I heard him crying

"Jason. You listen to me when I say that I am not going anywhere. I promise you I will never do that to you ok"

He nodded we parted I kissed his head he sniffed

"geez I sound like a baby"

"you sound like you needed to get things off your chest. You want to stay here tonight we can watch Harry Potter and LORD Of The Rings. I got honey buns"

He smiled drying his tears and nodded. I dried his tears with my thumbs hugging him again

Tim Drake X sister-reader!

Y/N gets a call that her sister died she rushes to the Manor to make sure her little brother Tim is OK (the picture is from when is dad died but I thought it'd work for the moment)

Stephanie died last night Dick just told me as of a few moments ago. My first worry Tim. I went to the Manor rushing to Tim's room I gently knocked. Please be OK

"hey Timmy.. It's me Y/N.. Dick told me what happened" I feel tears threatening to fall "I just want you to know that I am here for you.... Can I open the door?"

I hear him take a deep breath I opened the door his room completely trashed the lights off it wouldn't be if.. Stephanie saw this. A lot of things would be different I turned the light on. He lays on his bed. I looked at his face his eyes bloodshot, watering, swollen like he had been crying for hour's. He started sniffing he rubbed his nose and eye's

"you ok? "

"I'm fine... you need help with something?" he asked

"Tim you know you don't have to be that way not with me"

I sat on his bed he huffed shutting his laptop

"I'm fine Y/N I just need to be left alone right now"

"Tim you've been through so much you can't expect me to just let you go through this alone. I'm your sister rather if you like it or not"

"just promise me you won't leave me too sis"

"of course Timmy"

I hugged him he buried his head in my neck sobbing holding on to me tight

"I love her Y/N h-how am I supposed to live without her I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. She was my life, my happiness, my everything.. H-how am I sup-posed to go on with life without her"

"Tim I don't have the right advice but I promise you that you are going to get through this, your strong. It may take time but you are going to be OK I promise"

Damian Wayne X sister-reader!

Damian feels guilty for how he treats Y/N before he died. She's trying not to crowd him through it causes little Damian to think she doesn't care about him

I sat on the couch trying not to cry Dick just got off the phone with me telling me that Damian's alive, he's OK, he's not OK, but he will be. I hear my door open and see little D. Don't bombard him he just got back I'm sure Dick's been giving him a million hugs. Damian, folded his arms

"tt I see my sister's house hasn't been properly taken care of"

"well sometimes people grieve differently"

He looked at me shocked he looked away from me. He looks at the door. What should I do?

"father has requested that I return with you home"

"that's fine I'm feeling home sick"

Damian just stood there I grabbed my keys worrying about him. We left to go to the Manor. That evening Damian went to his room refusing too see anyone. I sat on the couch. Dick walked in he sat down next to me

"he's feeling guilty, Y/N"

"guilty! About what?"

"for how he treats you, did treat you He's afraid you don't see him the way you see me, Tim and Jason"

"Aww, Damian!"

I quickly got up I ran to his room and knocked

"hey Dami... Little D can we talk"

"there is nothing to speak of!" he snapped

"come on Damian please let me talk to you I want to see my little brother"

"I don't want to say anything to you"

"OK then just listen"

"tt fine I'm listening"

I sat against the door

"Damian, I should have told you year's ago that I love you... You are my little brother, no one can ever change that, not your grandfather, your mother, your father, not your siblings. Absolutely nothing will change the fact that I love you Damian. You are always going to be my little brother...I was a wreak Damian losing you broke me knowing I failed to say you are not a bad kid, I didn't get the chance to say goodbye, I love you little brother, I'm sorry" I broke down sobbing remorse is all I feel

Damian opened the door. I hugged him wall on my knees I stood he held on to my neck crossing his legs around me. I kissed his head he cried. That's all we both needed.

"I love you too sister"

Bat-brother's X sister-reader!

The boys help their sister

I sat on the couch my arm's bandaged, my hand wrapped in bandaging, and my legs bandaged. A sling for my broken left arm. I look like hell. I heard my phone Dick I used my good hand but I kept shaking fuck. I'm still sore. I put the phone on the table answering. I put him on speaker and laid on the couch

"I'm here"

-"hey where are you at sis"

"ho-me"

-"Y/N, what happened? Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"P-patrol"

Fuck it hurts to talk

-"you need us to come get you?"

"I-I d-d-don't n-know" I stuttered

-"I'm on my way with our brother's"

"hmm m"

Dick hung up I laid there. I hear the car pull in. Damian, abruptly opened the door and slammed it behind him. He ran to me a glare on his face

"dammit sister!"

My head throbbed. I groaned the rest of my brother's walked in. I tried to set up

"hey take it easy sis" Dick said

Jason put pillows behind so I could sit up with ease. They all looked at me not a single smile

"wo-uld y-you guy's p-please not look at me like th-that"

"Y/N, try to quit talking" Tim said

"f-food I-in" Dick cut me off

"Y/N you've taken care of all of us for a long time it's time we help you.. Now please rest"

I took deep breaths laying down. The boys sat in front of the couch. We watched a movie eating snacks. It makes me feel better knowing they are OK and safe. I ruffle each one of their heads

"I love you boy's" they each respond with 'I love you too' in their own way

"yeah, but don't ever fucking get yourself this fucked up again!" Jason added Dick elbowed Jason. This is home. My family, is my home.

Bruce's P. O. V

Night had fallen the boys did not come for patrol meaning Y/N is not OK. I drove to my daughter's house looking for the boy's and making sure she's OK. I made it I opened the door quietly. I saw the boy's asleep on the floor leaning on the couch and each other. My daughter sound asleep. Her breathing evident she's in pain. My heart drops. I laid a blanket on the boy's. I kissed her head she touched my hand. She opened her eye's. I softly smile, shushing and shake my head intending to let her know to stay quiet. A rare occasion to have my son's and my daughter together with silence. It's pleasant.

[mercurysstars]

The Shadow Thief (part 4)

Summary: what happens when Peter has to work with the girl he hates to possibly save the world.

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: swearing

A/n: I apologize for the late chapter! :)

_

"What the fuck." Peter said wide-eyed.

Peter quickly parked the car and unbutton his seatbelt. He opened the door and stepped out in front of the car. The Avengers compound was destroyed, all of the windows were busted through, the doors were broken and even a few walls were missing.

Peter felt as though his stomach was twisted into 10 knots. It was like some sort of sick joke. Could they really be gone? They were the earth's mightiest heroes, right? He clenched his fist, Peter felt tears weld up in his eyes but he never let them fall.

Y/n got out of the car and walked next to him. When she approached him, he didn't say a word, he just stood there and stared. After a few moments of silence, Y/n gave him a little nudge "Let's see if we can find anything inside."

Peter didn't say anything to acknowledge her but he followed her. Y/n stepped through the broken glass door. The electricity was cut so the elevator didn't work. She found the stairs so she began to climb.

The first floor they enter was the laboratories. They were all a wreck, it looked like they all had been scavenged through. Desks were flipped, papers were scattered, glass was everywhere.

Y/n looked over to Peter. His face was blank void of any emotions but she sensed he was still stuck in a state of shock. They needed to leave. She figured by now that who it was attacked them earlier had found where they were and sending another load of soldiers.

"Peter, where is the Avengers weaponry?" She asked. He didn't say anything or point anywhere. Y/n cursed him and herself.

Not knowing what else to do Y/n began to search through the lab to see if she could find anything that could help them. Y/n noticed a random bookshelf along the wall. What were the chances that could be a secret door?

Y/n walked over to the shelf. With all of her knowledge from cliché movies, Y/n began to pull on random books. Every time one didn't work she would throw it backward.

Finally, Y/n pulled on a book about ants. She heard a noise and the bookshelf moved backward. She mentally high-fived herself. Y/n looked over to Peter "Stay there." She told him. She figured he probably wouldn't have moved anyway.

Y/n walked down a flight of stairs and pushed open another door. When she opened the door her jaw nearly fell slack. It was a lab but 100x nicer. It felt like something out of a movie.

There were huge screens and holograms. There were long desks with pieces of different robots on them. Y/n figured this is where Tony and Bruce did their work.

There was a big cabinet labeled spider-boy. She tried to open the cabinet but it was locked. She tried again but ultimately failed. Y/n grabbed one of the screwdrivers off of the table and stuck it in the lock. She balled up her fist at the end and hit her palm against her fist. The lock gave Y/n a shock "Fuck."

The cabinet swung open revealing tons of different equipment. There was a bag at the bottom that Y/n assumed was Peters. She grabbed the bag and began to shove everything that could fit. She grabbed web fluid, web-shooters and she might have even grabbed one of his suits.

Y/n zipped up the bag a knife caught her eye on the other side of the room. She walked over to the knife. It was black with a few gold lines running through the middle. Y/n picked up then knife and a screen popped up.

A video began to play with a shaken up Tony Stark "Anyone who watches this SOS. You are in danger meet—."

The video paused and a voice interrupted "Vehicle approaching. Click to watch surveillance footage."

Y/n clicked on the button a video popped up of several SUVs pulling onto the road leading to the compound. Y/n was confused. Why would this pop-up? She looked at the corner for the date. The footage was live. She swore she felt her heart leap out of her chest.

Y/n tucked the knife in her pocket and booked it up the stairs. Peter was still where she left him and she ran over to him. "We need to go." He stared at the wall

"Peter we need to go like right now." He still didn't make a move.

Y/n decided to say fuck it and take matters into her own hand. If he didn't want to move she would make him. Y/n took a deep breath and slapped Peter as hard as she could. "Get it together."

Peter's hand flew to his cheek and he glared at her "Ow! That hurt." Peter shrieked.

"Good. We need to leave. They already found us again."

"Tony told me about a few safe houses just in case something ever did happen."

"Good enough for me." Y/n took the bag off her bag and shoved it into Peter's hands. What was he good for if not super strength.

They ran down the stairs, sometimes skipping two or three at a time. They ran through the door and to the car. Right as they got 10 feet within the car it exploded and caused them to fly backward.

"Son of a bitch." Y/n exclaimed. Her ears were ringing from the loud noise.

"That was our only ride out." Peter groaned. He was sure they were going to die. He figured he had a good enough run. He was surprised he lasted this long anyway.

"Maybe not."

Peter followed Y/n's line of sight to a motorcycle "Are you crazy?" There was no way in hell he was getting on that. He rather take his chances with the SWAT team.

Y/n gave Peter a look. One that over the few times he's meet her he's grown to know almost too well. She was going to do something risky, stupid, but not necessarily unnecessary.

Y/n gave Peter a wave before she broke into a full sprint toward the bike. She was going to get herself killed. Peter clenched his fists before running after her.

Shots began flying toward them and Y/n hopped on the bike. Peter got on the bag, she quickly started the bike and pulled off before he got the chance to argue.

After 30 minutes of riding in a random direction into the woods, Y/n pulled over. Peter unwrapped his arms from around her waist and got off the bike.

Peter walked over to a tree, bent over, and threw up. Y/n grimaced and quickly looked away. He may be strong but his stomach surely isn't. Of course, she didn't say that she figured he was occupied enough for the moment.

When Peter was done he walked over to Y/n and threw his hands up in the air "What in the actual fuck. You could've gotten us killed."

Y/n had to suppress the urge to laugh. She noticed whenever Peter got mad his face scrunched up and got red. "I just saved your ass. You surely could have stayed back there and tango with the death squad."

"Jesus Y/n. Do you even know how to drive a motorcycle?" Peter shouted.

"Well actually no." He had gotten her there "My fight or flight had kicked in and that's good enough for me." She put her hands on her hips.

Peter let out a long sigh. She was crazy. Actually fucking batshit crazy. "We need to get to a safe house, and figure out a plan."

Well isn't he just a bright one? "Well, Mr. Parker be my guest." She pointed to the bike "Unless you're too scared." She challenged.

"I'm not scared." Okay so maybe he was a little scared but he wasn't going to tell Y/n that. He walked over to the motorcycle and swung his leg around. It was just like riding a Bike. Right?

Y/n swung her leg around the back of the bike and sat behind Peter. She wrapped her arms around his waist "How Are We going to get there? Does your Spidey sense show you the path to follow?" She teased.

"It doesn't work like that." He grumbled as he pulled off.

They drove for what felt like hours. Y/n was pretty sure she dozen off a few times from the lack of scenery. Her arms were starting to ache and her but were starting to get sore from driving on the gravel road.

Finally, they pulled in front of a big cabin. It was huge, it looked like a place someone would go to get away for a weekend. The cabin was surrounded by trees and behind it was a lake.

Peter turned off the bike and they both got off. They walk up the stairs to the porch. Peter punched in a few numbers. There was a camera above the door. Peter walked through the door. A voice came through a speaker "Welcome, Peter Parker."

When Y/n tried to walk through the door the voice came through again "Unauthorized personal."

Y/n looked over to Peter. He had a clueless look on his face and he shrugged. Not knowing what else to do Y/n looked at the camera "Y/n Y/l/n."

"Access granted. Welcome, Y/n Y/l/n."

Y/n walked through the door "I wasn't sure that it would work." Peter laughed.

Y/n looked at Peter and narrowed her eyes "We came all the way out here when you weren't even sure if I could get into the damn safe house."

"I took a calculated risk." Peter crossed his arms.

"Oh so when you take a chance it's a calculated risk but when I do it's stupid and reckless."

"Before I take a risk I weigh all my options but when you do it's always spontaneous and mindless."

"Well, my spontaneous decisions saved your ass more times than I can count."

"Can you stop swearing for like 2 seconds?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Peter. Does my fucking swearing bother you?" Y/n seethed.

"I can't with you." Peter sighed pinching the bridge of his nose "I'm going to take a shower there should be some clothes for you in one of the rooms." He walked upstairs and out of view.

Y/n let out a long breath of air. Peter was such a stick in the mud. "Can you stop swearing?" She whispered to herself in a mock voice. God, he really did manage to get on her nerves.

Y/n finally took a chance to look around the cabin. If she could even call it that. It was nicer inside than it looked to be outside. It's looked like a normal modern house with the exception it had the Stark touch.

Y/n walked upstairs and entered one of the random rooms. It had a queen bed and a nightstand. The closet was huge and full of different clothes and shoes. She found a pair of open-fingered gloves. If she had to guess she'd say this was the scarlet witch's room.

Y/n suddenly felt dirty and decide that she needed to take a shower. She grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt she thought could maybe fit. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, she hoped Peter didn't use all of the hot water.

She peeled off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She lets the warm water run down her back. It did wonders for her sore muscles. She quickly scrubbed the rest of her body and turned off the shower.

Y/n dried off and got dressed. She stepped back into the room. She saw Wanda's bed. It looked more comfortable than it did before. It was basically calling her name. Y/n decided to say fuck it and hop in the bed. She decided whoever was trying to kill them could wait for tomorrow.

Part 5

Taglist

@fandom-strumpet • @ginger-swag-rapunzel • @libraries-and-coffee

[iriel3000]

Unhappily Ever After Endgame

Summary: Clint Barton is having a difficult time dealing with the aftermath of Natasha’s sacrifice on Vormir. These are Clint’s and Laura’s thoughts.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Sad, character death(pre-story), jealousy, guilt

Part One: Clint

"Let me go." Her beautiful face looked up at him.

"No. Please, no." He begged.

"It's okay."

"No!"

"Nat!" Clint jolted awake.

"Clint?" A female voice croaked his name. Wrong voice, not her voice.

The sleeping form stirred next to him. The hair was wrong too. It was supposed to be red not brown.

"Hon, what are you doing?" Laura asked with annoyance as she yanked her wrist from his grasp. "You're squeezing so hard it's cutting off my circulation."

"Sorry." Hawkeye apologized automatically. It wasn't the first time that happened.

Swinging his legs over the bed, he sat up and grabbed a shirt and jeans. He dressed quickly and left, not bothering to look back. Quietly, he checked on the kids before heading to the barn.

Climbing the rope ladder to the loft, Clint opened the flap door in the ceiling and jumped out onto the roof. This was one of his quiet places when he needed to think or be alone.

It had been a year. One year since the stones had been retrieved and everyone that had vanished returned. Thanos was brought down and Clint had his family back.

This was what he longed for right?

Hawkeye scanned his property with sharp eyes. The sun was about to rise, the colors of morning blazed over the fields in front of him. Red light splashed over the trees as the bright star peaked over the horizon.

Red.

Like blood.

Her blood. Spilled over the rocks of another goddamn planet.

He wasn't even able to bring her body home.

Sighing, Clint hung his head and listened to the animals start to stir. He should be counting his blessings. He now has his kids and wife all together and his farm. Everything turned out the way they wanted.

Almost.

He should be waking up grateful for the sacrifice one woman made so he could get his family back. He should be out there living life to the fullest to honor what she gave up, but he wasn't.

He couldn't.

His teammates tried to help.

Thor. Hawkeye later apologized to the Asgardian for lashing out at him. Barton appreciated the big man's willingness to move space and time to get Natasha back.

Steve. The only other man Clint trusted to work with Nat. Hawkeye worried less when she partnered with Cap. Of course, Steve tried to get Hawkeye to talk about her. He brought up the arrow necklace she would wear, telling him how Natasha always talked about Clint when he wasn't around.

Absently, Clint fingered the charm dangling between his dog tags. Stark had brought it to him after Vormir. She had taken it off before they jumped.

Tony. The man who always had a sharp remark or funny quip to break an uncomfortable mood, but not this time. No wisecracks, no uplifting sentiments. He held the necklace in his hand for a moment, before handing it to Barton, as if not wanting to give up a piece of her.

Now Tony was with Natasha. Two teammates that should be here to celebrate the victory, but instead, Clint had to watch them both die.

Then there was Banner. The look on his face was heart wrenching when he told Hawk of his attempts to bring Nat back, and how they all failed. The gentle scientist had really cared about her.

Another wave of guilt washed over Clint. Nat and Bruce might have been happy together if it weren't for Hawkeye and his obvious disapproval of their relationship. He was so unfairly cold to her during that time. When all she wanted was to be loved by someone who could love her back, openly and freely.

Cursing, he pressed his fists against his temples. God, he had been so selfish when it came to her love and loyalty to him.

He married another woman thinking he wanted the 'normal' life. Flaunted it in her face. Expected her to accept Laura because he thought he wanted white picket fences. Paraded his pregnant wife in front of his best friend who couldn't have children, and not by her own choice.

Never once did Natasha show any jealousy or envy. Never once did she turn him away. She was always supportive. In fact, she was the one that argued with SHEILD so he could have this safe spot away from the chaos.

And what did he do for her in return?

Abandoned her on numerous occasions. Acted like a controlling ex boyfriend the few times she tried to connect with someone else or pushed her away when she dared to find comfort in another man's arms.

During the civil war, she asked Clint to side with Cap while she sided with Tony, in hopes of secretly bringing the team back together. When the shit hit the fan, she took the weight of the blame for the fall out.

Where was he? Hiding at the farm playing House while his partner was attacked from all sides. SHEILD, the media, Hydra; all of her enemies were looking for her. She left to go into hiding before telling him. It was better this way, she said.

To keep him and his family safe.

She always thought of him first, and he took it for granted.

Then, the Snap. Clint had made sure Natasha was alive but couldn't bear to see her. If he did, he would've crumbled.

So once again, he orphaned the person who needed him most. Devastated from losing the kids, he never gave thought to her worry for him or the loneliness she must have endured after losing her comrades and having her partner go AWOL.

For five years.

Five years of ignoring her messages she left around the world trying to find him. Five years of not being at her side, making sure she was okay. Five years of not seeing her smile or hearing her laughter. When he was the only one who could truly make her laugh.

He was the only one she ever really trusted.

And he let her go...

Click the link for Part Two: Laura

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Dangerous Love (Pt. 04 of 13)

Pairing: Bruce Wayne (Batman) X Harley Quinn's sister!Reader

Summary: You're Harley Quinn's sister, Havoc, one of the many villain's of Gotham. But you've been caught, and has been tortured constantly for an year in Belle Reve. But when your think your life can't be anything else than the nightmare you find yourself into, Bruce Wayne, the Batman, takes you in for a project. He has a program to rehabilitate villains, and you're his lab rat. But soon enough confusing feelings start getting in the way. You know falling for Bruce is stupid. But can you keep your heart under control?

Word count: 2.3K

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{Justice League - DC Masterlist}

×

Nightmares

You're looking at the garden, admiring the little white flowers that only blossom at night. You're tired, eyes heavy, but you can't sleep. Some bats are flying down there, and you wonder if they live nearby. A much larger figure passes by, in a blur. Suddenly, the lights go off. Opening the window, you bend over, holding on the bars, to try and see more. Then, you hear a click.

Your head turns at the door. Did it just unlock? Is the system electrical? Then why does Bruce always uses a key? Moving to the door, you slowly turn the handle and... Another click. It's open. Pulling it, you step forward. The silence makes you anxious, and so does the darkness. Looking at the sides, you start walking down the hall.

“Bruce?” You call out, and your voice echoes through the place. You get no response.

Your legs keep moving, taking you downstairs and to the door, which is wide open. Why is Bruce doing this? Is it a test? Or did something happened to him? You shouldn't go. You should–

You're moving, against your will. Why are you moving against your will? Wasn't that the plan? To wait for an opportunity and run away?

The gates are open too, and they're the only thing you can see in the darkness. The next thing you know is that you're on the streets. Empty streets, no lights on. You're taking the way to the abandoned mall you claimed, taking all the right entrances and the elevator that leads to the underground. Your old house.

You walk through the garage, among the many cars you own. Reaching your private headquarters, you see piles of money. The jewels too, more shiny than usual.

“Is anyone here?” The place doesn't seem abandoned. You know they're still working for you, even after all that time in prison. They wouldn't dare to abandon you.

“Look who's back.” Your sister comes out of nowhere, followed by her boyfriend, the Joker. “Where were you, little sis?”

“I got out.” You could tell them the truth, that Batman held you hostage. But you don't want them to retaliate. “What are you doing here? You're not supposed to come uninvited.”

There's something in the air, in the atmosphere. It's so cold and and dark, like you're drowning in it. A weird feeling builds up as if you need to go home. But this is home, the only home you ever had.

What are you doing here? You made a promise not to run away. Bruce told you he'd help, so why did he let you get out? Why did he let the doors open?

“We know everything, dear." Joker sing songs, pacing around you. “The Batsy broke you down... Or should I say, Bruce Wayne?”

“What?” How does he know that? “I was in prison. Belle Reve. I got out.” You repeat, turning on your heels to look Joker in the eye.

“And now you're back home,” Harley exclaims, hugging you. “Enjoy yourself, sis. This is who you are. Have fun, steal what you crave for, and then, one day, they will just get you again.”

“Thanks to you, I know who Batsy is.” Joke speaks again, getting your attention. “I can attack him in bright daylight. When he's vulnerable, away from his toys.”

“You know you'll go back there right? The paradise on Earth.” Harley starts again. “They always manage to find us. And once they do, the torture is tuned all the way up.”

“Shut up, Harley.” You burst out.

“I will make sure to tell Batman you helped me. I may even bring his head here so you can use it as a decoration.”

“Shut up!” You're covering your ears, trying to understand what happened. What you did. You didn't tell anyone about Bruce. You know you didn't. “Shut up!”

“You're going back to Belle Reve, sis. We always do. We'll die there.”

“Batman's blood is in your hands, Havoc. Upon his death, we will rule Gotham.”

“Shut up!”

You sit up abruptly, just as the door is being open. Breathing fast, you run to the bathroom before Alfred comes in. Closing the door behind your back, you slide to the floor, hands on your head. “It was just a dream. Just a dream.” You mumble to yourself. Why did it scare you so much? You shouldn't be sleeping. “I won't go back. It was just a dream. Just a dream...”

A knock on the door startles you. “(Y/N)?”

It isn't Alfred, it's Bruce. With your heart pounding against your chest, you stumble up, opening the door and almost collapsing against his chest when you step out. He looks down at you, worried.

“Hi,” you whisper, stepping back.

“You look terrified. What happened?” He touches your arm, guiding you to sit on the bed. Behind him, you see a cart with lunch.

“I fell asleep. I shouldn't, I... I had a nightmare. No big deal.” As you move closer to the headboard, you see a book on the nightstand. “What's that?” Taking it, you read the cover. Game Of Thrones.

“I decided to bring you that. So you'll have something to do.” Bruce sits on the bed, hesitantly. “It has some violence, but I think you can deal with that.”

“Isn't there a TV show about it?”

“I'll stream if for you once you finish the book.”

“Ok.” It's good to finally have something to do. Opening the book, you look through the first pages.

“Why did you say you shouldn't sleep?” He inquires. Shaking your head slightly, you don't answer. “(Y/N).”

“Hm?” Looking up from the book, you meet his eyes. Why is he so worried?

“Won't you answer me?”

“I don't like sleeping.” Shrugging your shoulders, you sustain his stare. Bruce has nice eyes, and they're kind. You can't remember the last time someone looked at you like this. “The nightmares are constant so... I take naps. Whenever I feel like I'm falling asleep I get up. I don't sleep for more than three hours every night.”

“And what do you do up all night?”

“Nothing. I stare at the ceiling. The garden... Did you know that the little white flowers only blossom at night?” Smiling, you put the book down and move to the window. The garden is beautiful. You grow mesmerized by it every day. The flowers and threes are amazing.

“(Y/N), you need to sleep. To rest.” Bruce walks over you, touching your arm to get your attention. “Do you want something to help?”

“I'm used to my sleep schedule, don't worry.” You meet his eyes for a few seconds before looking through the window again. “I saw some people there a few days ago.”

“An interview. Now go eat.” Bruce brings the cart as you sit in the armchair. Sweet potato soup, your favorite.

He shouldn't be here for lunch, though. “Shouldn't you be at work?”

His expression changes, and he looks sad. “It's Saturday.”

“Oh... And don't you have a girlfriend or something?” The question comes out suddenly, before you even notice what you said. That's the bad part of being honest all the time, you lost the ability to control your thoughts.

“No, I don't have anyone at the moment. Why?”

“Because it's Saturday. You should be with her.” In the back of your mind, the figure of Bruce with a woman in his arm, going to dinners, smiling and chatting, bothers you. You don't understand why. It's only natural. A handsome man like Bruce probably has a lot of women chasing him. Being rich only makes it worse.

“Don't worry. I'm all yours today.”

That makes you giggle, looking down at the soup. “The therapy session will be long then.”

As usual, Bruce waits until you're done eating. You're growing used to his presence, and sometimes you think you're even a little excited to see him. It's unbelievable how gentle he is. Nobody was ever gentle to you. It's weird how you're failing to look for an opportunity to run away. You're just not thinking about this anymore.

When you're done, you push the cart away, holding your glass of soda. “So... What are we talking about today?”

“I have news. And I need you to tell me how you feel about them.” Bruce is serious now, all professional. Did you do something? Why does he seem so distant?

“Alright.”

“Yesterday night I found the Joker.” He begins, eyes focused on you, reading your face. “He almost managed to run away, but one of his bombs went off before the time, while he was close. He blew up, thrown into the air, and when he fell, he broke his spine. There's a chance Joker won't ever walk again.”

You don't know what he wants you to say. People tend to connect you to the Joker, even though you haven't worked with him in years. You're more like enemies now. “Well, that's too bad for him. And for Harley. She'll be heartbroken.”

“What about you?”

“I won't say I'm happy about it, I'm just... I don't feel anything.”

“Have you and the Joker ever been in any kind of... Relationship?”

That's new. “No. He kissed me once, to make Harley jealous, but I kicked him in the balls for it.” The memory makes you smile. His face was priceless. “He did make some... propositions, but I never accepted.”

“Why?” Bruce seems very interested in this. What are you thinking? He's just trying to understand and help you. Nothing more.

“Because he wasn't my type,” you say with a smirk.

“Does that mean other men made the same kind of propositions and you accepted?”

“What? No!” You exclaim, putting the empty glass on the cart. “I... I'm not...”

“See? When you don't say the truth, I can make any assumptions.” He leans forward, as he usually does. You're not sure why, but you mirror his position, looking into his eyes. “The truth, please.”

“Well, it's true that he's not my type, but... In my world, love is dangerous. You have lots of enemies and having someone you care about gives them a weak spot. So I never really gave me or... Love... A chance.” It's funny how easy it feels to open up to Bruce now. It doesn't mean you enjoy saying these things, they're supposed to be a secret, but with time, you're getting used to it. He has an effect on you, this man.

“For some people, there's no need for love in some... Situations.”

“For some people, yes. For me... It would never feel right.” You move back again, looking down at the sunlight coming through the window, on the floor between you and Bruce.

“(Y/N), I know the guards used to beat you. But did they ever... Assaulted you any other way?” The heaviness in his voice is tangible. Bruce is angry, worried.

“No. Never.” You're quick to answer, and he soon seems to relax. “Everything they feel for me is disgust, thank God. That... Never happened. They only touch me to beat me up.”

“I'm... Happy to know that. A pretty girl like you... I couldn't help but wonder if they ever tried something so filthy.”

“Woman.” You correct him as usual, the word pretty burning through your mind. Does he really think you're pretty?

“Woman. Forgive me.” A smile. A smile comes to his lips and you're mesmerized. He's so handsome, and now even more.

“I like your smile,” you tell him, biting back a smile yourself. “Didn't know Batman had this ability.”

“You're improving.”

“Am I?” It comes to your mind suddenly, that he brought you here to prove a point. “I'm happy your project is going well.” Running a hand through your hair, you get up, moving to the bed.

“I don't think of you as a project.”

“Really?” You don't believe him. “Sometimes I wonder what will be my fate after this. You say you can put me back into the normal world, but I'm not sure I believe it... I think that I'll end up in Belle Reve. And it'll be even worse because now I'm used to all this.” Gesturing at the room in general, you look at him. “Comfortable bed, nice showers, beauty products... Not being hurt every single day.”

Going back to Belle Reve would break you down, you think. The villain in you says that you can take it, all over again if needed, but the other part... Tells you otherwise. The very thought of your old cell is enough to make you shake like a leaf.

“I will never let you go back there,” Bruce speaks up, intense eyes on you, burning. “Never.”

“Keep me here then... If that's what it takes. I don't mind.” You can barely hear your own voice. You can't believe you just said that, that you would be ok being here for the rest of your life. But if your options are this room or cell 304B, you'd pick this room.

“Let's see how things go. There's no need to rush.”

Nodding, you continue telling him about your connections with the Joker, and about the many times you were at war against each other. After dinner, you ask for a pencil or pen, so you can underline the parts you like in the book. Bruce brings you a blue pen before wishing goodnight and telling you to try and sleep well.

But you can't. It's 2 a.m. and you're reading. You find a blank page in the book, so you rip it off and decide to draw. It's been years since you've drawn, and you're not really sure what you're doing. A few hours go by until you're finished with it. Bruce. You just drew Bruce Wayne. You stare at his features. His eyes, nose, jaw... Lips. Folding the paper, you decide to use it as a bookmark. He won't find out if you keep it inside the book.

×

@redwolf-7 @glitterypinkkitty @mybabyboytony @chipster-21 @agustdpeach @yaakimoon2

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of October 23rd, 2019

Best of this Week: Batman: Curse of the White Knight #4 - Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth and AndWorld Design

A Darkness has fallen over Gotham. 

Jim Gordon has always been one of the most trustworthy police officers in the cesspool known as Gotham City. Under his tenure as Commissioner, he cleaned up Gotham PD as much as he possibly could, brought up great officers like Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya and even formed a long lasting partnership with Gotham's protector, Batman. His role gained him allies and enemies alike and he put his life on the line every day he out a badge on.

Unfortunately for him, his number came in the last issue when Azrael impaled him with his sword, leaving him for dead in an alley for Batman and the Gotham PD to see. This issue follows what happens immediately after.

Gordon is rushed to the hospital and the doctors do their very best to keep him alive. The shots are tense and heartbreaking as we get no dialogue except for the words of the flashback that occurs simultaneously. Barbara is frantic, pushing through Renee and Harvey Bullock. We don't hear what she's saying, but her pain is palpable. She doesn't have the cool calmness she maintained as Batgirl, she's just a girl terrified of losing her father.

As the doctors use their defibrillators, Gordon flat lines and Barbara doesn't even acknowledge Batman as she runs into the night, tears in her eyes. Interspersed between the operation are panels showing a flashback between Barbara and Jim. It acts a bit of foreshadowing as Jim tells Barbara to fight back and hit harder after she tells him that a boy bullied her at school. These two scenes play out in perfect opposition to each other.

Murphy is really good at Panel to Panel storytelling and conveys the happiness and absolute destruction with little dialogue, body language and facial expressions. He wants you to feel the despair that Barbara feels. Pulling in close to Gordon's short breaths as she bangs on the window in the background as he kisses her little forehead in the next panel, it's almost too much.

Hollingsworth colors the operation scenes with cool colors, making everything seem sterile aside from the blood on Gordon's chest. It's bleak and lacks the warmness of the muted pink/purple hue of the flashback. Murphy also does his best to depict how much Jim meant to Barbara by showing her childhood innocence and happiness opposite the fear that she faces as an adult. Barbara is absolutely devastated by what happens to her father and later on, it will drive to her make a reckless decision that will change her life forever.

Tensions are high when the Gotham Terrorism Oppression (GTO) unit meets in the aftermath of Gordon's death. Barbara blames Batman and calls him a coward for operating in the shadows while her father stood at the forefront. Dick Grayson wants to console her, but Renee tells him to stay focused and when he tries to question her authority, she snaps that Jim put her in charge before his death.

Bruce leaves in the middle of the GTO's planning, frustrating Renee as she gets a taste of what Gordon dealt with for years. He goes to visit Leslie Thompkins who's taking care of Harleen Quinzel after she's given birth to twins. They converse and Leslie reveals to Bruce that she and Alfred had known about the journal of Edmond Wayne.

What's interesting about this section is the manner in which they retrieved it. Shortly after Bruce had put on the cowl, Alfred and Leslie found a letter addressed to Bruce and Batman, telling them to go to the oldest part of Gotham. The scene is drawn and colored in a style reminiscent of what I think of when I hear Victorian Era England. There's a lot of smoke, greys, muted colors and vibrant yellows from lamps and fire. The building they enter is very old timey and they meet someone surprising upon their arrival.

While his name is never stated, I believe the Librarian of the New Order of St. Dumas to be Jason Blood. He maintains Blood's red hair with a white streak and his brazenness when speaking to Alfred and Leslie and his lack of care when Alfred  levels a rapier to his throat is characteristic of a man that has lived for centuries and the knowledge he has attained up that point. He tells Alfred to give the journal to Bruce when he thinks the boy is read and then he just suddenly disappears. Alfred and Leslie have been guarding the secret ever since.

While all of this is going on, Barbara tries to find anything she can about the man who killed her father. Dick tries to talk to her, flipping their roles from the first White Knight series. Dick was angry the entirety of that series, blaming Bruce for the destruction of Gotham City, but now Barbara sees what he was talking about back then. Murphy makes the decision to not have Barbara don her mask, but still wear the ears, signaling that she can no longer hide behind her mask while Dick still wears his.

(From Batman: White Knight #6)

She's rapidly removing herself from the world of capes and cowls, saying it's not working, while Dick reminds her that she chose this life, same as him. She gets a hit on the vehicle Azrael used and sets off after him. She removes the bat ears, heads to the armory, grabs a gun and almost takes a tumbler before Harvey Bullock meets her there. Their relationship doesn't need too many words as both of them want revenge, not justice. 

It's wonderful to see because there's no pretense between them. Harvey wasn't exactly the best policeman before he was under Gordon, but he eventually learned to respect his higher up. He became a better officer and person because of Jim, he'd obviously be in the same mindset as Barbara, knowing that there's only one way for this to end. As they race off in the Tumbler, the background is colored in a beautiful shade of light brown, insisting that the fight is on and blood is boiling.

Dick informs Batman that Barbara and a tumbler are missing, so Batman tracks it and catches up to her and Harvey just as they've ambushed Azrael and his crew. Barbara levels a gun to Azrael's head and cries tears of anger as she goes to pull the trigger. Batman wraps a grapple around the muzzle of the gun and rips it away before Azrael's brain is scattered all over the street. The distraction of Batman's arrival allows the rest of Azrael's crew to get their bearings as they begin to shoot at the Bat and Harvey. Azrael lunges at Barbara. 

With fire spreading all around them, the next few pages are coated with an intense orange and the action is impactful. Harvey screams at Batman to shoot Azrael as he overpowers Barbara. Bruce stands there, not knowing what to do and drops the gun, going for his grapple again. His inaction, however, allows Azrael to knee Barbara in the spine, breaking it with an unsettling "CRACK" sound effect.

Batman retaliates in anger, pleading with Azrael to leave the rest of them out of the fight. Azrael responds by saying that God must have spared Bruce for this moment, for this fight and begins to turn the tables on Batman. He manages to cut the cowl off of Batman before one of his crew pulls him away from the fight, saying that they need to leave as one of their men is lost and they escape. In the aftermath, Batman walks out of the fire with Barbara, his facial expression giving it away that he knows he has utterly failed.

One of the best characteristics of this version of Batman is his inability to recognize or change his ways following his failures. He failed to see how his increasingly dangerous battles with the Joker were destroying Gotham City, he failed to see that his protegés were slowly losing their trust and faith in him and only got worse over time. He tries his best to change throughout this series, but he's always stopped by his own mind. 

It was heavily implied that his aversion to firearms is what caused this timeline's original Robin, Jason Todd, to be killed and now it's cost Barbara her mobility. Batman doesn't often face adversity this much, so it's great to see him continually broken down by the circumstances that absolutely could have been prevented. On the flip side, maybe this is exactly what he needed to actually solve the problem of Azrael. Not by killing him, but by using his motivation and willingness to change as a driving force to defeating the Knight and the remainder of his order.

He can't flinch in the face of danger, not anymore.