#Alfred and Dick are whole-ass adults

[spectral-phases]

Another thing I need people to stop just saying like it's the truth is that Bruce picked up Tim as Robin immediately after Jason died, or that Tim forced his way into being Robin.

Now, of course, there is the caveat that Jason can come back into town thinking that it was the case, he was dead and Talia informed him of the changes in Gotham, so we don't know how accurately he was informed. Another caveat is that Tim can grow up thinking he forced his way into it because he does argue for it at a point, but I need no one else who had a fully developed mind and was there saying it. Okay? Okay.

So, let's tackle the first one. Jason Todd gets an official death certificate in the Daedalus and Icarus Annual explaining how he came back showing his date of death as 4/27/19xx (since comics are always meant to be contemporary unless stated otherwise, we can just ignore the year). The DC Encyclopedia had a death certificate too, but it had a lot of odd details, not least his height and weight being more in line for a 10 year old than a 15 year old (the Titans comic put his height at 5'4" when he died), so I'm going to use the comics certificates over that when they conflict, but the Batman Annual also lists his date of death as 4/27 (why is it a Gotham City Death Certificate when he died in Ethiopia? I have no clue).

(Batman Annual 25)

(New Titans Vol 1 55)

(DC Encyclopedia)

Tim Drake appears after Jason dies when Bruce Wayne is going a little crazy as Batman. He specifically shows up during a break week from school.

(Batman 1940 #441)

Given that he could only have a Break Week feasibly in November for teacher conferences, December for Christmas/New Year's, or March/April for Easter, and the greenery outside show that it's neither November nor December, he's therefore shown up for his Spring Break. Since that would never be after April 27th, then he has to be there at least the first Spring Break following Jason's death, so about a year later.

He shows up and begs Dick to become Robin again to save Bruce from himself.

(Batman 1940 #441)

You see, this is interesting. He's explaining all his best qualities, not as a way to say "I'm right for the job" but to awkwardly (as only Tim Drake can) explain how much Batman and Robin mean to him, and how much they've influenced his life, to show how committed he is to this idea to back-up his assessment that Batman needs Dick as Robin again.

Dick is very adamant in his refusal to step back into the Robin role.

(Batman 1940 #441)

Both Alfred and Dick(Maybe? unless it's just Alfred being the drama again, but Dick did leave his old Robin costume out on the side before leaving) suggest Tim should pick up the costume. And he does only hours later, when Dick and Batman's signals have disappeared after going to confront Two-Face. Tim is feeling guilt over Nightwing possibly being dead because he got involved, he's worried sick about his heroes, and Tim has to go help because he is not built for sitting back and worrying.

(Batman 1940 #442)

At this point, he does start trying to convince both himself and Batman that he should be Robin, but only seriously after Alfred and Dick start hyping Tim up as well. Bruce is not having it. Like. At all.

(Batman 1940 #442)

They go to track down Two-Face and the confrontation ends with Tim nearly getting crushed to death as a pile of cars in the junkyard are toppled over onto the Batmobile, where he's been instructed to wait.

(Batman 1940 #442)

The confrontation ends with Bruce punching Two-Face and telling him that he can't kill Batman or Nightwing (Or Robin?) Or Robin!

Afterwards, after all the adrenaline has worn off and they're back in the manor in their normal clothes, Tim starts to back off of being Robin. He's still super stoked for having had the chance to fight criminals with his heroes, he's 13, give him a break. Please and thank you.

At this point it is Alfred, Dick, and Bruce who cement Tim going into training to become Robin. Yes, because of his logic, but also, like. I think Bruce knows deep down he needs someone to work with just as much as everyone else does. And Tim already knows his secret, and this is the easiest way to keep him quiet. Also, Bruce. Fucking. Communicate better. Jesus.

(Batman 1940 #442)

And then Tim's training begins, but he won't become Robin until the following Christmas. And only after he saves Bruce because he's been captured by Scarecrow and is being tortured with fear toxin with Vikki Vale. Tim was ordered to stay home, but again, he is incapable to standing back and not helping when he thinks there's a problem (this is a good and heroic character trait). This time, he doesn't wear the costume because he can't bear the idea of failing in it, so he dons a ski mask and comes in, gets dosed with fear toxin while saving Batman and beating Scarecrow and runs away before the cops show. Tim believes this means he'll never be Robin, that Bruce will fire him from training, but at least Bruce is alive. When Tim explains this all to Bruce, Bruce says the rules are there for a reason, but sometimes it's okay to break them when justified and gives Tim a new Robin costume.

(Batman 1940 #457)

[brucewaynehater101]

I miss the feeling I had when I first joined this fandom, I knew virtually nothing so everything was correct and I loved everything, even if that stuff just isn’t true, i was like

Bruce is a bit emotionally constipated but loves his kids? Hell yeah sounds legit

dick is a silly happy flippy man who is a bit promiscuous? Love that for him

Jason is a mega feminist literature nerd who is also buff and takes care of the street kids? Perfect man honest

Tim is a nerd who never sleeps and is queer and has never known the touch of a man nor woman? Sweet

Steph is waffle obsessed goofball? Well I prefer pancakes but right on

Cass is a mute badass who loves her fam? I love her

Duke is a normal dude? Well someone has to be and he seems neat

Alfred can do no wrong? Aight, I love old perfect tea men

Damian is a little prick? So are all middle schoolers give him time

But then I had to go learn about the characters and now I have complex opinions about them, and can see the inherent racism and sexism in how they are portrayed

You know before I joined the bat fandom I did not use the exclude tag in ao3? Like tmnt and dp have some bad stuff but usually I could just scroll past.

but now I am having to avoid fics where whole ass adults are bullying and/or oversexulizing a child

Im constantly on the look out for untagged batcwst

I struggle to find fics that don’t describe dicks ass

I have been in this fandom for probably about two years now and y’all I swear

sorry for ranting, and don’t worry I love all your stuff and I know the just back click don’t leave mean comments rule

I’m just tried bc most of the stuff I thought was true turned out to be false

Mm. I do find it a little exhausting trying to navigate the lines of what's canon, what shouldn't be canon (but is due to racism/sexism/homophobia/etc.), and just having fun.

I'm also trying to cultivate the mindset of what I've seen on Tumblr about not policing other people's ships/ideas. I am highly uncomfortable with some (particularly underaged people and adults dating), but I'm also not leaving hate comments. Like you said, the backspace exists for a reason.

Idk. There's a toooon of takes/ideas about the batfam that are inherently false, but as long as they aren't racist/sexist/etc takes, I don't see the harm in them. So what if someone wants a coffee obsessed Tim? So what if Jason's kill code is very strict? As long as they don't claim it's canon, let them be

But yeah. I have a mile long exclude list for fics on AO3. I used to use it only for triggers (I can not do stockhold syndrome, my lords), but now it's got other weird ass shit I've stumbled upon (I saw a fic where the batkids were spanked as punishment??? Like I said, not gonna leave hate comments or single anyone out. Just not my cup of tea).

I also am usually not a fan of romance/sex. It's why the batfam intrigued me so much (found families usually don't have that in it). I like exploring dynamics outside of romance and thus love the batfam. They've got so much going on that romance/sex is not needed. They are such a mess without that dynamic being added (talking about the Bats getting with a third party, but, again, trying not to yuck anyone's yum).

However, I agree. There's a ton of misinformation within fandom. I like how complex canon gets with the characters, but there's also widely different takes with them (mostly talking about Bruce here. He can either be trying or just a straight up horrible dad).

[farshootergotme]

Can I just say thank you thank you. 👏👏👏

I grew up with the 2004 Batman cartoon and I have thought Dick and Bruce had a parental relationship whether it be father/son or Big brother/little brother it depends on the adaption.

I have just recently got back into Batman and into comics in general and I was honestly a bit shell shocked to see so much well adopted family incest which is just wow but I’m just numb to the internet at this point so nothing surprises me anymore.

What I can’t stand is liars, I swear these people who ship dick and Bruce together are just straight up in denial in some places just accept you’re shipping something taboo. Don’t lie to me about how much they hold a place in queer history which is greatly exaggerated given how it happen based on a lie by a quack and his horrible book note the beds were separate I checked the infamous comic panel it’s just draw really badly but given how tight the deadlines for comic back in the day were I will forgive that poor artist. Also another book they source from the 2000s book written about the queer coding of Batman and Robin seems to really like to leave out the fact that Dick is a child and is written as one. No matter what gen he was written as young lad with hobbies similar to that generation and time period mostly.

Like yes at the time it was done because homophobia but don’t pretend there wasn’t another issue aka it would be the grooming of a minor like for context homosexuality was see as connected to pedophilia. Like seriously when I was looking into this topic, it honestly felt like telephone because how much the original context of the panel was lost like seriously does no one check sources anymore.

Another thing they don’t bring up is how in the 1940s adopting was very uncommon and seen as weird to many it wasn’t as accepted back then which is why ward was used because that was more acceptable back then. It’s also the reason why Jason was adopted by Bruce because it was more acceptable when he was created. Also it was such a non issue to the writers at the time that even though technically Dick wasn’t adopted by Bruce on panel he still treated as one by the writers mostly before Marv Wolfman decided it make for interesting story to have Bruce not adopted Dick and have Dick have a whole hang up on it and is confused by why Bruce didn’t at that time.

Like literally I am tired of people claiming Dick doesn’t want to be adopted by Bruce or that he never wanted him to his father to him it’s simply just not true although it is complicated. Like Dick won’t call Bruce dad but in his eyes as he got older he saw Bruce as a father figure as well as his second dad and Bruce has always seen Dick as like a son and to his actual son blood or no blood for crying out loud he bloody raised him along with Alfred for over ten years like how could Dick not develop a parental bond with him and Alfred ahh. He may not be father of the year but he still cared and look after him all those years like no wonder Dick felt hurt in the original Marv wolfmen story when he wasn’t adopted.

Now, I will say in the early adaption of Batman and Robin and even the silver age to an extent. Did betray them as brothers because well the age gap was closer in 1966 version and late 70s cartoons of them so I can see why older fans can see it that way and the silver age mostly do a big brother little brother dynamic with them. While golden age seems to flip flop and if they were father/son or Big brother/little brother and the Bronze Age they went to father/son by the end because that was probably more interesting to write. Like a son repelling against his overly critical and overprotective father figure was probably relatable to lot of teens and young adults reading Dick stories at that time. Then the rest of eras after that just settled with them being Father/son duo mostly. We don’t talk about Devin weird ass takes in their relationship I swear she is just inserting herself in some characters just to be creepy towards Richard and well she nearly destroyed Oliver character by writing him being weird about Richard when he was Robin which was just yikes.

I also just find it so gross how she took a very reserved and very ace coded character like Dick Grayson and sexualised him, like making his exotic and making him overly sexual is just huge yikes to me and making him Romani because circus is such a huge stereotype and quite harmful. I have such mix feelings about Richard being romani because of how it was done and Tom Tyler has done a poor job in my opinion as well. Like originally Dick was just pure American then his mother became european notable french in one of them which makes more sense to me. I don’t know, I will eat my socks when it’s done well which would be wonderful but right now it’s just no to me. Also, why Richard like what just because he’s sexy Devin and he is romani because circus. Like my ass is as white as snow but even I know that is a weird ass take and honestly fetishy in nature I feel.

Which leads to me being so weary of people who do use it because like yes some people do it so well take notes writers at DC. But others well… I feel just sexualise him for the sake of it and I get very suspicious of people who make draw Dick overly feminine or straight up make him the wife in the relationship. It just makes my trans man heart nervous because usually they also ship Richard with older man (Bruce with him as well probably…) which in Canon he has called creeps and acts super uncomfortable around them. Like whatever ship your taboo ships just keep a safe distance from me okay. It just sadden how Richard is written as overly sexual and slutty like that is not my boy. 😭

I think the reason it also upset me so much is Bruce in a lot of ways is like my dad when he is written as a well meaning father figure. I relate to Dick being the eldest of many siblings and also my Dad is my stepdad but he has raised since I was nearly one. I know it’s not the same but to me he is my father and nothing will change that. It’s why I can’t stop people who act like Bruce and Dick aren’t father/son because well he’s not adopted by law so it’s doesn’t count but to Bruce already is and honestly I just wish in modern adaption just get adopted as a early teen at this point. Like even modern DC doesn’t hide or exclude Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne eldest son and I’m so happy for that. (Even though he has been adopted by law but as an adult but I digress.)

I will shot myself mentally if I see another person claim it is DC heteronormative doing their relationship like shut up. You who says this bs you clearly don’t care about queer history or adoption history in general and it’s so harmful how people try to undermine adopted families like that. Like seriously ship what you like just don’t pretend it isn’t taboo as all hell. 😤 Also, anyone who claims this don’t you dare call young queers homophobia because they’re saying how it is. You don’t see people defending pedophilia and incest in Greek mythology do ya.

(Then I think in my head how strange it always the ace coded characters that get sexualised or made the secretly horny seductress/playboy type food for thought.) 🤔

Oh apologies for the kinda rant there but this honestly this has been bothering me about the bat fandom. I will say I’m still a noob when it comes to comic book history and I haven’t read most of Dick and Bruce books but I have done my best to do my homework on them and the rest of Batman history and it members. I have honestly only read modern books like world finest and short teen titans spin off book. I’m currently pre order Mark Waid latest book Batman and Robin year one which I am so excited for truly he is saving me given me some good Father/son moments with Dick and Bruce. Also maybe the new Nightwing which I hope will be good, I read TT run online free because I’m poor :p and it was so boring, Richard just feels so bland in that book. Like I will give TT credit their some good panels and moments but that’s just it. My inner Dick Grayson fanboy is showing ha ha. 😅

Anyway, sorry my rambling but honestly this fandom baffles me sometimes.

I have nothing to add—you said it all. Loved the rant and I agree with all of it! Thanks anon!

[therobinswayne]

dick grayson sometimes feels crazy. because, like, to his whole family, he's a figurehead. he was the first robin, batman's first partner, and everyone knows it. he's got incredible skill, can read batman better than anyone, except maybe alfred, always knows the right thing to say to keep a fight from breaking out, amazing mediator. he's also incredibly goofy and silly, and he brings a level of whimsy into their lives that the crime-fighters might usually miss out on. he lives in bludhaven, but he still is seen patroling in gotham all the time and he's always there for his family. few remember a dick who wasn't so put-together.

but it took him so damn long to get there.

as a child, he was so very angry. he wanted revenge for his parents, and he fought like it. he fought dirty. it took years for batman to train him out of it, for him to feel like every villain wasn't zucco.

as a teenager, he was bitter. he resented bruce's attempts at parenting, he didn't want to forget his parents. he started the titans tohave a reason to get out of the manor, out of gotham. he led the team with an iron fist, since it was how the batman operation ran. it took becoming friends with the team to remind him that he was still a kid himself, that he was allowed to have fun.

he had relationsips with kori and barbara gordon, and both times he made an ass out himself by screwing them over. it took screwing up for him to figure out how to act right. he made his peace with both of them, and it taught him how to apologize and take responsibilty for his actions.

as a very young adult, he was resentful. he started nightwing to get away from bruce, felt like he was being smothered. he let the resent keep him from getting to know jason, never answered his calls, never stopped by to see him. he would only come when he absolutely had to, for a mission or an outbreak. he resented that bruce had let jason be robin, when that was his suit, the name his mother had called him as a child. it took losing jason to see what a fool he'd been.

with tim, he swore to be better. he hung out with him all the time, tried to really be a brother. he tried to be silly, so tim wouldn't forget to be a kid. it was hard, though. he saw jason, so young, bloodied, in the robin costume, whenever he closed his eyes.

joker put babs in a wheelchair. dick beat him to death. with his bare hands. it didn't make him feel any better. he got resuscitated, and then dick had to live knowing he killed a man without joker even staying dead.

when bruce died, and damian came along, and dick had no choice but to be batman for a while. tim was struggling with damian being robin, he took over wayne enterprises, and he left the manor. damian looked to dick for instruction. dick had no idea what to do.

he ran the titans, but that was different. they were under league supervision. this was the bats operation, and he was now batman. there was tim, damian, cassandra, steph, babs, alfred, and they were all looking to him.

he had no choice but to be a leader, a solid role model for them all. he made patrol routes and set up operations, missions, delegates and took extensive notes on everything. he couldn't even grieve for bruce, because there was just too much to do. there was no damn time.

when bruce came back from the past, or wherever the fuck he was, damian threw a fit about not liking the way bruce ran things. that he liked dick's operation better. he turned to look at dick, to ask him for help, because he was the batman to this kid's robin, except he's not, he couldn't do this forever, he could hardly do it for the six months he did.

he goes back to bludhaven. it takes a while for damian to trust him again.

when jason came back, dick had no idea what to do. the last impression of him that this kid had was a bratty teen brother who wanted nothing to do with him. he'd grown so much, but suddenly jason was red hood, pushed all the right buttons, and dick felt seventeen again, he and bruce were fighting so much.

by the time jason's anger settled and everything worked out, dick is in his mid twenties and he's this leader to his little siblings. he was their batman for a half a year, when bruce is unavailable, they look to dick for leadership, and he's the level-headed goofy support they need to keep their lives balanced against bruce.

few remember a dick who wasn't so put-together. but jason didn't see any of that growth.

one night, he walks in on jason earnestly trying to convince the other kids that dick's been replaced by an alien clone. they all think he's joking, since his reasons boil down to he's being a nice guy. when jason sees dick, he narrows his eyes at him like he's assessing an enemy.

dick laughs it off, tells jason he's had to grow up a lot since the old times. he stays the night at the manor. his room hasn't been changed since he first left for bludhaven. he can still see them all in the mirror. the kid who wanted to make every fight personal bc he didn't know how to grieve. the tween who ran away to the titans tower bc he didn't want bruce to parent him. the teenager who screwed up all his relationships bc he didn't know how to balance his emotions. the young adult who saw jason's open face, cautious and nervous but excited to have a family and turned away bc he was self-righteous. the sidekick robin, the overly showboaty early nightwing, the terrified of screwing up batman. and who was he now?

he had done a lot of work to be better for his family. it felt like everything he did was for other people. when bruce was having trouble communicating with the others, he would translate so the kids felt heard and bruce didn't scare them away. he spend half his time in gotham to make sure the team was working well, that everyone was safe.

he feels crazy. he doesn't know who he is, really. but he's sure he's screwing it up somehow. he always is. but he doesn't have time to worry about it now. he's got work in the morning.

he heads to bed.

[002yb]

asdjfkl !!! Thank you for answering my ask about how the Secretary AU would play out if Bruce had to travel under various circumstances. I loooved reading through the different scenarios. My favorite bits were when Alfred was side-eyeing Bruce over taking Jason away from a child; Dick being super suave and attractive, leaving Jason a little tongue-tied; Bruce being a mess and ready to demand Clark fly his ass back to his babygirl at the slightest whiff of trouble; Tim filling in for Bruce and enjoying Jason acting as HIS PA, ahhh.

This whole universe of yours has me in a chokehold. 💕

Ohhhhh, hello hello!! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ That ask was a lot of fun to answer. Thank you for sending it my way! I'm happy to know that you enjoyed my reply to it. ♡♡♡

Secretary AU is very much an All x Jason situation at heart, but ahhhhhh there's something to Tim and Jason's relationship, especially within WE that's so cute. //U///

Hidden sticky notes tucked away between reports that Tim is reviewing as a little surprise and pick me up to make Tim laugh and ease some of the tension out of his shoulders

Smoke breaks!! Where Tim catches Jason and Jason is Σ(°ロ°) as he tries to wave away the smoke and hide the cig, only for Tim to bum it and take a drag himself before heaving the biggest of sighs because damn, what a day (for both of them) and Jason laughs about it because it's so unexpected but nice

Until Bruce catches them and it doesn't matter that they're both adults, they act like kids caught doing something they shouldn't have been lolol

Omg the severity that Bruce handles the HR notice of Tim and Jason's alleged relationship ahahaha. Tim's deadpan stare into the void because Bruce is wildly hypocritical, given his history with HR, wow

[sweet-sammy-kisses]

Tim's run as Robin before all the heartbreak and tragedy.

Tim: TIM YES

Bruce and almost every other adult: TIM NO

Alfred: As long as you are done in time for supper Master Tim. And call me if you need help.

Dick: As long as you are safe, baby bird and call me if you need me to kick some ass and bring popcorn. *Also brags about his baby bird to everyone, especially his fellow heroes.*

Babs: *Has a whole file folder dictated to Bruce's long suffering look of something Tim has done.*

Huntress: Make sure to invite me to some of your missions.

Cass: Kick butt with little brother.

YJ: TIM YES *joins in the sheer chaos, creating even more chaos*

[batman-obsession-by-secret]

I just started reading a dc-comic in German and it is HILARIOUS language wise!!! Dick uses the formal you for a villain who replies with the informal you to Dick but formally to Bruce, which is already funny.

BUT ALFRED ALSO ADRESSES BRUCE FORMALLY? In German you normally don't address someone formally until they reach the age of 16,so either Alfred decided to just address a literal child like a whole-ass adult who he doesn't have an emotional connection to, OR he sat down Bruce on his 16th birthday and explained that from now on he would have to drop the informalities. I don't know what is funnier

[dyslexicandakeyboard]

I'm one to rag on comics sooo...

WFA serious two parters is one of the worst things to happened to batfamily fandom.

And I hate myself for this because I don't really analyse fiction in a "this is bad objectively" way. Like if a story is effective in communicating it's themes and yadyadya then it's good.

Basically, WFA is effective when writing a simple, no-stakes, firmly slice of life story. It's art is whimsical and 'simple' (Not saying it's easy to draw), it's characters are not meant to be seen or discussed in a complex light and their characterisation mainly comes from outside sources, it's story lines are also pretty simple. WFA hits the mark when it's slice of life. It hits it quite effectively.

But, when it goes "deep" or tries to handle "canonical" character flaws, it's very ineffective.

That dumb ass big brother two parter is the bane of my existence. And I'll use it as an example.

Like the whole set up that leads to the main conflict was so contrived (like most of the conflicts in the two parters).

For one, why is Damian asking Dick to drive him? Is there no Alfred or Bruce. It's Alfred's job as a butler, is Alfred busy? But Damian was in school uniform walking into the Manor, then Alfred must have dropped him off. Why didn't Damian just ask Alfred.

But, maybe Damian forgot and Alfred had somewhere else to be. If so then Bruce. But Bruce may be at work, that's a reason. Then why isn't Dick at work? Why is Dick just at the Manor? Day off? But Dick is a main character and shows up in most stories. Shouldn't Dick have less appearances if so or delegate his appearances to phone calls if he's an adult and as a job?

See?

Next, is Tim's reaction. Now, I understand feeling left out. But, Tim is seventeen. A near adult. Having you're day of fun be pushed back for an important errand isn't the end of the world. It's not like Dick said "fuck it, I wanna go clubbing". It's not like it was previously established that Dick constantly ran himself dry trying to please all of them and in the effort hurt Tim. It came out of left field.

All of these cracks in the narrative leads to the plot to seem unrealistic, and thus the the reader will consider it contrived. This also leads to the theme/concept/ideas explored in the chapters seem less impactful.

Also the fact that Dick doesn't really have the flaw of "not asking for help when trying to maintain family relationships". Not saying Dick's the best brother in the whole wide world but Dick has been maintaining his family relationships as the eldest brother for a long time. Dick being responsible and helping Damian doesn't mean that Dick doesn't have time for Tim or that he's blowing him off, it means life got in the way of play. It's also kinda a false equivalence to imply going to an arcade is as important as helping your brother with homework.

Could Dick ask one of his siblings to take Damian, of course.

Was it actually needed in the situation, no.

Was Tim valid for feeling that way, yes.

Was Dick/Tim/Damian in the wrong or had behaviour that needed to be rectified, no.

It could have been an interesting exploration of the role that the eldest plays in the family and how taxing it can be along with how someone can feel an emotion and understand that even if they do feel somehow it doesn't mean that it's the appropriate response to a situation.

Plus, the whole character flaw for Dick is never brought up again. There's no follow up where we see him accept help from the family. The whole story arc which is supposed to develop his character leads nowhere. Rendering the big brother arc meaningless for Dick's character and the webtoon at a whole.

[reigningqueenofwords]

Alfred is a Gift

Pairing: Bruce x Reader, Martha x Thomas, reader’s parents Word count: 3,465

Read on AO3

Part 19 of Without Me

Bruce glared. “I’ll prove to you that I’m a great husband and father.” 

Your father smiled. “There’s nothing I want more than for you to prove me wrong. And that hasn’t happened.” He turned and went back inside. He slammed the door behind him, making people look over. 

Bruce looked down. He felt he was doing his best. But apparently not. Hearing the door, he glanced over to see you. "Babe?" You wrapped your arms around him. 

“Hi.” He said softly, kissing your forehead. “Have I ruined your life?” He asked bluntly. 

"What? No!" You told him. "I love my life." 

He swallowed. “But your job…” He breathed. 

"Is being a mom. I can go to work when they're older. They won't be little forever. Raising our kids is everything to me. Just because I'm scared doesn't mean I don't want her." You told him. ��Beckett is the best little boy, and you were a huge part in that.” You kissed his chin. "He has the best daddy in the whole world!"

“I hope so. I hope you don’t wish you were with someone different.” He pouted. "Just...I'm sorry." He sighed, holding you close. "That I've apparently taken your dreams away.”

You hugged him tight. “No. At all. We’re still young! I have time to do desk jobs.” You promised him. "And dreams can change. Right now my dreams are our kids being happy and healthy!"

“But I forced that on to you.” He said sadly. 

"I stopped taking my birth control for Beckett." You reminded him.

“Right, but would you have if I didn’t want kids so badly?” He asked. 

You kissed him softly. "After seeing you with Noah, I did." You rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re the best.” You smiled. "So, please, ignore him. I'll send Noah out here to keep you company while I go tell my father to stop being a dick to my husband."

“You don’t have to.” He pouted more. “What if I deserve it?” 

"You. Don't." You told him firmly. "Now stop beating yourself up because he has this image of me that I've broken. It's sad he'd rather have me be alone, behind a desk, then loved and happy with my family." 

“And I do love you. So much. You’re the best mom and I love coming home to you and Beckett and now our princess.” Bruce said. "Can we talk names later? I have a couple I like."

“We can.” You nodded quickly. "I can't wait to hear them." You pecked his cheek before heading inside. "Noah, Bruce wants to know if you wanna play catch?"

“I do!” Noah smiled and ran outside quickly. 

You chuckled, but then went to your father, clearly unhappy. "You have some nerve insulting my husband." 

“I’m looking out for you.” He said easily. 

"You're making an ass of yourself!" You countered. "He's an amazing husband and father. He has given you nothing to show that he’s not.” You glared at him. "Those family pictures you love? He surprised me with those. He surprises us with family days all the time. He gets up with Beckett so I can sleep in." You explained. “He loves his son so much and I know he’ll love our daughter with just as much of his heart. He buys me flowers, he writes me notes, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” You didn't care that people were staring at you. "Why is it my life you try to mess with when Nicole sleeps with other people's boyfriends? Can't keep a job? Is living with you?!" You shouted. 

Beckett waddled to you and hugged your leg, pouting. “Mama.” He sniffled. 

You scooped him up. "I'm sorry, baby." You kissed his cheek. "Wanna go see Daddy?"

“Mhmm.” He nodded, eyes watery. 

Shooting your father one last look, you brought Beckett out. "Someone wants his daddy." You told Bruce. "I think I upset him yelling at my dad.”

“That’s okay, buddy.” Bruce took him. 

Beckett nuzzled him, adding to your point that Bruce was a wonderful father. “Why’d you yell at dad?” Noah asked. 

You sighed. “He’s being a butt.” You shrugged. “Being mean to Bruce.”

Noah looked up at Bruce. “But you’re nice.” He looked confused. “Adults are weird.”

“Very weird. Don’t grow up.” Bruce ruffled his hair and Beckett reached down to copy him. He chuckled, looking at the small boy. “Wanna play with Uncle Noah?”

Beckett nodded and looked at Noah excitedly. As soon as his feet were on the ground, he was off to play with the dogs and Noah. 

Bruce pulled you close. “As long as our little family is happy, we can get through anything.” He promised you. “And lots of dads hate their son in laws, right?”

“I guess but it shouldn’t be that way. I love you! That should be enough for him.” You sighed. “I asked why he’s messing with my life when Nicole is how she is.”

“It’s a good question.” Bruce nodded. “I honestly hadn’t even thought of that part.” He frowned. “He just has hated me from the start.” He sighed. “It’ll be twenty years down the line and it’ll be the same shit.” He shrugged. “So I might as well get over it now.” 

You kissed his shoulder and rubbed over his back. “I’ll always defend you.” You promised. 

Your parents left before dinner, your mother hugging you lovingly. She assured you she was thrilled to be getting another grand baby. And that she would speak to your father about how he behaved. Maryanne left, as well, wanting it to be more of a family dinner. Bruce was thankful she was supportive and would be sending her flowers that week. His parents stayed, and Thomas was currently watching a movie with Beckett on his lap. 

You and Martha were designing Maryanne’s baby shower while Bruce made dinner. The house smelled amazing, and your stomach was all but growling when he said it was done. 

Bruce served you first and everyone gathered around the table happily. He was glad his parents seemed to approve of your marriage. At least you had their support as well. Beckett munched on his food happily, making Bruce smile. “Like it, bud?” 

Beckett giggled and nodded. "Yum!" He licked his hand.

You laughed and kissed his head. “Very yum.” You agreed. "Daddy's a good cook."

“Better than Thomas.” Martha giggled. "I think it skipped him."

"Alfred taught me." He said proudly. 

“Alfred is a gift.” You giggled. “I should make him more cookies. He liked the last batch. Maybe I’ll have Beckett ‘help’.” 

“Yay!” Beckett cheered. Everyone chuckled, thankful he was such a happy toddler. He made everything better. You knew he’d be an amazing big brother. Maybe you could do new maternity pictures. 

His parents left right before you started getting Beckett ready for bed. You smiled as he let you put him in his pjs. “Did you have fun today?” You asked as he yawned.

He nodded and giggled tiredly. “Yeah!” He leaned against your chest once he was dressed. 

“Want Daddy to read to you tonight?” You asked, leaving it up to the small boy who read to him at night.

“Mm.” He kicked while he thought. “Mama and Daddy?” He asked, wanting to cuddle you both. “Pease?”

You melted and kissed his head. “Sounds great to me.” You hugged him close and called for Bruce down the hall. He came to peek his head in Beckett’s room, smiling. “Someone wants us both to do bedtime.” 

“Right on.” Bruce beamed and came to lay down so your son was cuddled between you both. Beckett helped and held the book open, eyes already droopy. “He’s not gonna last.” He chuckled.

You kissed his forehead before you began reading. It didn’t take him long before he was leaning against Bruce, sleeping. You smiled widely and looked at Bruce lovingly. “He looks so much more like you in his sleep.”

“Poor kid.” Bruce smiled back. “I hope she looks like you.” He nodded. “She’ll be beautiful.” He breathed. “I still can’t get over how lucky I am.” He reached over and squeezed your hand. “So, how about we go watch a show, and then get some sleep?”

“And maybe a foot rub?” You said hopeful. 

He chuckled, nodding. “Deal.” He got up and went around to lift you bridal style. You wrapped your arms around his neck and giggled, kissing his cheek. “Love you.” He said happily. 

“I love you.” You said contently, letting him set you on the couch. “And thank you for this dress. I don’t think I said that.”

“Anything for my wife.” He smiled. “And, not gonna lie, I knew your ass would look great. I was right.” He squeezed it before sitting next to you. 

You blushed, shaking your head. “Enjoy it now. I think I’ll lose more with each kid.”

“Lose more?” He moved you onto his lap. 

“More ass.” You chuckled. “I think they absorb it to make those cute cheeks.” 

He kissed your shoulder. “I’ll love your ass no matter what.” He promised. “Even when we’re old and have grandkids, I’m gonna be loving it.” He smiled against you. 

“How sweet.” You nuzzled him. “I look forward to growing old with you, honestly.” 

“Me too, baby. Husband and wife for life.” He rubbed your bump. “Parents, eventually grandparents.”

You teared up happily. “You’re my best friend. I love you so much.” You ran your hand through his dark hair.

“I love you, too.” He kissed you lovingly. 

“Oh, I hate you.” You groaned as another contraction hit. 

“I know, baby.” Bruce let you squeeze his hand. “She’s taking a while.” He mumbled to the nurse. “Beckett was impatient to get here.”

“Every pregnancy is different.” The nurse assured. You groaned, shaking your head.

“I can’t anymore.” You told Bruce. “My back is breaking!” You cried. “Ow!”

Bruce felt for you and continued wiping your forehead and now your tears. “You’re almost there. You can do this.” He was trying to be your biggest cheerleader, but hated seeing you in pain. “Can we do anything more?” He asked the nurse. 

“She’s almost able to get the epidural. Just another centimeter.” She rubbed your leg. “Almost, dear.” She said gently.

You whined and clutched to Bruce. “No more for a few years.” You told him, although this one hadn’t been even close to planned. “I’m getting the implant or the ring, or anything!” You screamed as another one hit. 

Bruce teared, kissing your forehead. “I’m so sorry, babe.” He wished he could take the pain away. “Once we’re done wanting kids, I’ll get snipped. Okay?”

You nodded and wiped your eyes. “Okay.” That you could agree to. “Thank you.” You told him. “One more?” 

He stroked your cheek and smiled. “Whatever you say.” He would have been happy with just the two you were about to have. 

You kissed his hand and almost sobbed in relief when they finally came in for the epidural. You felt so much better after that. “I would say an hour more.” The doctor said after they checked. “You’ll have your daughter soon.”

“Thank you.” You sighed in relief. You missed your son, and you wanted this to be over with. 

Bruce didn’t mind that his hand was nearly broken, his eyes focused on the baby girl on your chest. “You did it.” He said proudly. “You’re amazing.”

“I’m so sweaty.” You giggled, overjoyed she was in the world now. “Hey, our little Charlotte.” You kissed her head as she stretched slightly. “I can’t wait to introduce Beckett, and your parents.” 

“Beckett’s going to be so excited.” Bruce nodded. “Plus Alfred. He’s excited to have a little girl around.” He chuckled. “Pretty sure he’s gonna start buying stuff for her 1st birthday soon.” He joked. 

“If he hasn’t already.” You smiled. “Wanna hold her, daddy?” You looked over at him. “I’m sure she would love that.”

“I would love to.” He sat and carefully took her. “She’s so precious.” He was over the moon. “I’m home for three weeks, and I plan to suck that time up.” He reminded you. “Then dad said I can take a week off a month for a year.” He went on. “I didn’t want to tell you until she was here.” 

You sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s going to be so nice.” You squeezed his leg. “Thank you.” You smiled. “I know our kids will love that, too.” 

He smiled down at you. “I’ll call every chance I can.” He promised.

“I know you will.” You beamed at him. "And I'll send a lot of pictures."

“I can’t wait.” He smiled, kissing Charlotte’s nose. "I love you, and your mommy, and your brother so much!" He gushed. 

You watched him lovingly, and didn’t even realize you were tired until you were out. It felt like moments passed before he was asking you up to nurse her. Her little cries were soft but squeaky, making you melt. “I’m here, baby.” You sat up. "Mommy's here." You got yourself set up. "Have your parents brought Beckett?"

“Yeah, and food. Want me to go bring them in?” He smiled. When you nodded, he all but jumped up to get them. Soon Thomas was helping Beckett onto the bed. 

“Be careful with mommy.” He told the toddler. "She's feeding your baby sister."

“Sissy.” Beckett whispered and crawled over to you carefully. 

Thomas and Martha came over, smiling. "So precious." She said gently. "How are you feeling?" 

“Tired and sore, but so happy.” You beamed. "Both my babies are here."

She smiled. “Congratulations.” She kissed your head. "She's beautiful. Alfred is excited to meet her, too."

You grinned. “He’s so sweet.” 

Beckett peered at his sister. “Small.” He stared in awe. He carefully touched her hand and pulled back instantly, afraid to hurt her. "Daddy?" He made grabby hands at Bruce.

Bruce scooped him up. “Hey, it’s okay.” He kissed his head. “You’ll get used to her, buddy.” He promised.

Beckett hid in his neck but watched Charlotte as you burped her. “After you wanna cuddle mommy, and Daddy can cuddle your sister?” He asked, and Beckett nodded.

“So, are you going to finally tell us her name?” Thomas teased. 

Bruce beamed. “Oh, right.” 

“This is Charlotte.” You told them. “Charlotte Marie Wayne.” You smiled. 

“How cute! It’s beautiful.” Martha gushed. “Beckett and Charlotte. Such perfect names.”

Thomas nodded. “Wonderful!” He put his arm around Martha, watching the four of you. 

Beckett cuddled to you once Bruce took Charlotte. You kissed the top of his head, closing your eyes to rest. Bruce rocked Charlotte, looking at her lovingly. 

“Would you like us to watch Beckett for a couple days?" Martha asked.

You hummed and looked at Bruce who nodded. “That’d be nice. Thanks, mom.” He told her. "Just so we get her settled." 

“Of course.” Martha beamed. “Beckett loves his room there anyway.” She had made sure he had everything he needed there. 

“And he loves his grandparents.” You smiled. "So much."

Beckett giggled. “Gama!” " He pointed to her. "Gampa!" He pointed to Thomas.

They always melted when he did that. "Want us to get the boys, too?" He asked, referring to Happy and Lucky.

“If you’d like.” You smiled. "Happy sleeps with Beckett, so he would probably love that."

“And dad loves our dogs.” Bruce laughed. "Which is ironic when he wouldn't let me get one when I was a kid."

“You were enough for us.” Thomas chuckled. "Why do you think you're an only child?" He teased 

Bruce gasped, then shook his head. “I get it actually. I’m a handful.” He grinned. "Which is why I'm surprised she isn't sending me off to get snipped at the moment."

“Very close.” You teased. "But, I think one more in a few years would be nice."

Martha and Thomas beamed, loving the expansion of your family. They honestly had stopped hoping Bruce would ever settle down, until you. Now they had beautiful grandchildren. "Are you hungry, dear?" She asked you.

You opened your mouth and your stomach grumbled, making Beckett burst into giggles. "Very." You said shyly

Thomas went to get your food, making you your plate. "Here you are."

“You’re the best.” You took it happily. "Her labor and delivery was longer and harder than Beckett's." You shook your head.

“Hopefully the recovery is quick, then.” Martha said softly. “You’re very strong.” She sat on the side of your bed.

“Thank you.” You smiled at her. 

Beckett crawled over to hug her. “Gama.” He smiled. 

“Hi, baby.” She lifted him onto her lap. “Are you happy your sister is here?” She brushed his dark hair back. 

He nodded. “So small.” He breathed. 

Bruce chuckled at that. “You were that small.” He told him, playing gently with her small foot. “We’ll show you pictures, okay?”

“Okay!” He said excitedly. 

Sitting on your couch, you sighed contently. “Home.” You smiled.

Bruce kissed your cheek. “I’m so happy we made it here.” He sat with you, Charlotte in her seat in front of his feet.

“Ready for lots of naps?” You giggled. “Because we now have a toddler and a newborn.”

“As long as it’s with my family I’m happy.” He beamed. “I have three weeks home with the people I love most.”

“We’ll make it count.” You promised. “All the family time.” You leaned your head on his shoulder.

Bruce held your hand and took a deep breath, content. “How about when you’re up to it, we bring Beckett to the park?”

“Fresh air sounds nice.” You nodded. “And to watch you two play together.”

“He tires me out so much.” Bruce laughed. “He’s gonna make me invest in a home gym.” He cuddled with you. “I don’t have a dad bod right?” He joked. 

You pretended to think. “Nah, but even if you did...you’re hot.” You kissed his cheek. “And all mine.” You said proudly. “Forever.”

“Poor you.” He teased and hugged you close. “I’m the lucky one.” He chuckled as you giggled as he kissed all over your face. When you squealed, he sucked a mark on your neck. “There. Mine.” He announced. 

“You mean the ring wasn’t proof enough?” You teased.

“Men won’t look at the ring first.” He grinned. 

You laughed. “What men am I ever around?” You looked at him. “Honestly?”

He tilted his head. “Never know. Some creepy mailman or something!” He said so sincerely it was cute.

You giggled. “Well, you’ve made your mark just in case, then.” You smirked. “Does that mean I can leave mine?" As if on cue, Charlotte started to fuss.

He pouted. “Eventually.” He stood up to get her into his arms and transfer her over to you. "I'll get us some water and snacks, okay?"

“Grapes, please.” You told him before getting ready to feed her. "You made mommy really love grapes." You chuckled. “And all things that helped with dehydration.” You grinned and kissed her forehead. She eagerly nursed as you hummed softly to her.

Bruce came back and watched you lovingly. “Best mom ever.” He beamed. 

“I’ll remember this moment during our next argument.” You teased. "Put on a movie?"

“Cartoons?” He asked, used to Beckett. 

You smiled. "How about something above rated G." 

“Right.” He went through the list and picked an old favorite of yours. "There we go."

You smiled wide and watched excitedly. "Just need our boy, and this would be perfect." You mused. 

“He would make us a bit more tired, though.” He smiled. "He'll be home tomorrow." He kissed your temple. "With our boys."

Beckett's tiny bottom lip was sticking out when he woke up to Bruce at work. It was his first day back, and you already missed him. You brought your toddler and newborn to your room, wanting cuddles constantly. “Daddy.” Beckett pouted. 

“I know, baby. I miss him, too.” You told him. “How about we go visit Alfred?” You suggested. It would be the first time you brought the kids out solo, but you knew going there would be the best first bet.

“Okay.” Beckett nodded. 

You got Charlotte and followed him to his room to help him get ready. "Want to wear that jacket Alfred got for you for your birthday?"

“Yeah.” You could tell he was a bit sad as he didn’t have as much enthusiasm as usual. 

Once you were all ready, you grabbed the diaper bag and got Charlotte into her car seat. “Alright, lets go.” You smiled. "Maybe after we can visit Daddy?" 

He gasped. “Pease!” He clapped, making you chuckle.

“We’ll try.” You promised and put the eager boy in the car. “I know how much you love your daddy.” You kissed his forehead.

[lazaruspiss]

watching batman ninja and taking notes bc idk how to focus <3 spoilers under the cut

batman ninja is a wild movie already but harleys design fucks

smth smth. everyone got sent to generally the same time/location with variation, time can vary by years (selina was sent 2 years before bruce) but probably not decades and id assume location varies to anywhere within a certain range of whatever island in japan that this is on.

nightwing and red hood were teamed up separately from batman before the blast that sent everyone back by the look of it. cute.

i wanna see ivyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy- DEATHSTROKE IS HERE?

ohh ok. time difference was based off of proximity/order that they were sucked in, making batman the last to show. a few minutes become years, everyone else were def much closer in timing but even a few seconds mightve made weeks difference in how far back they were sent.

lords alluded to so far: joker, penguin, ivy, deathstroke, two-face

mz ivy im in love w u

"once my fortress is complete, itll be my time to strike. yeahhh" OLD MAN. BOOMER. he says yeah like an adult actor playing a teen in an anti-drug ad campaign.

the lord intros are so fun actually

i love selinas little puppet, not a fan of bruces general disposition.

ok bruce looks better with the beard. also alfred what the fuck. how. and lmao. alfred. "lets go on a japan trip we get back."

HARLEYYYYY SHES SO CUTE. is this tara. i think its tara. love her.

classic "stop me or save the civilian trick" smh

congrats to bane on bulking up i guess? anyways. wheres the others. im bored of batman. i do love the little chibi batman who forcibly ejects bruce, someone mustve added a fail safe specifically for bruce being dumb and self destructive.

the lip syncing is off, is this a dub?

DICKIE!! anime hair... and dick's anime bf/leader of the ninjas.

"how do we regain the advantage when we have nothing" bruce. bruce. the whole squad is here + a ninja army. girl.

DAMIAN? oh hes still cute.

monkee :) hes so silly

so tims swords are just for decoration then? weirdo. joker gets his ass beat, whatever. tim states the obvious. backstab fest. im bored again.

"joker!! you'll kill yourself!!" "that's the point, lmao"

35 min in, still no red hood. just establishing shots to explain that each lord has the special time sticks.

"i didnt know who i was after i lost my car" could you be anymore pathetic. he isnt even cute pathetic, hes just "id push him into a puddle" pathetic. stop brooding you boring bitch. oh thank god. he acknowledges that he has other people carrying his ass. red hood still hasn't shown up, not even for bruces go team speech.

ACK. THE CUT IN ART. SO PRETTY. ill probably make another post for screenshots.

red hood time. finally. jason the buddhist monk and his joker hunt sidequest. a part of jasons lashing out at harley is framed in a way that makes it look like a sexual assault imo, so it's giving some mixed emotions. like if this turns out to just be some regular farmers this would be a "stranger breaks in and gropes your wife while threatening you" kinda deal. i mean they went ass shot to jason grabbing her and holding her like. ack. like hes holding her like that so he can break her arm but u gotta trust me it looks Bad. not to just narrate the entire scene but its a lot. jason's pissed and scary, the art is very pretty, im sacred and a little. you know. youve seen me post you know how i am.

this movie kinda. i personally think it wouldve looked better in 2d.

"if you knew him like i did" bruce... also mr j and harley are fully amnesiac so jason the effectively traumatize 2 strangers for no reason. jokerquinn gets a happy ending by becoming farmers. "we'll take them back with us-" NO??? THIS IS LITERALLY THEIR HAPPY ENDING?? THIS IS THEIR BEST/ONLY SHOT AND TRUE REHABILITATION BRUCE. BRINGING THEM BACK WOULD BE PURE STUPIDITY AND/OR SELFISHNESS.

jason saying bruce but bruce saying red hood...

whoops. they still remember, so bruce is just a dumb hoe who thought he and joker had something special.

why are there penguins here. like actual penguins. and why does slade have a gf.

red hood has my fav voice acting of the boys tbh, the others sound a bit clunky. and is ivy also tara. she sounds a bit like tt03 raven.

mech battle. slade is still hot. even if he is a cringe old man. HARVEY BUDDHA BOT?

dami should get to keep his monkey friend. as a treat.

THIS ISNT SKYRIM I DONT THINK HORSES CAN RUN LIKE THAT

ok two face is funny. coin said i gotta beat ur ass now. literal "switching on a dime" behavior

hi welcome back to robot wars. fight scenes are really hit or miss for me, i love em or i fall asleep. smth smth. joker moment. clowns doing the heavy lifting. and where is harley getting her hair dye from, or is that a wig?

fun fact! red spider lilies (the flower growing from jokers gas bomb) symbolize death <3

aaaaand we're back to mech battles. voltron assemble or whatever.

dami almost gets squished trying to save monkey

bruce. bruce are you having an autism event or are you being rude on purpose. anyways give the dues ex macina to dami he deserves it more. baby boy can play the flute so good <3

"momi?" "whos she" a monkey friend tim. obviously.

THE MONKEYS ARE HELPING HIM PLAY IM GONNA LOSE IT. thats so unrealistic but its sooooooooo cute.

m. monkey.

damian is having the time of his life fr

damian is no longer having the time of his life

bats. bat monkey. b. batman? how.

fire no match for batman made of monkeys and bats. anime punch.

Nightwing Vs Penguin, Red Hood Vs Deathstroke, Red Robin Vs Two Face, Robin Vs Poison Ivy

damian that was not a joke. A for effort tho.

ok so the amnesia WAS real but smth smth plant magic.

joker that is not what a joke is. you're worse that damian.

4 barrels, who do you think you are deathstroke. the guy who killed the prime minister of japan? HARLEY? harley. this frame gets its own post she straight up licked her. and thats a lot of bare monkey ass. blah blah they blow up robot. "keep your tongue to yourself" blushing rn

batjokes sword fight, im bored again. joker has a boner. who give a shit. bruce bores me in that special way of his. i am once again reminded about why i can only ever pay attention to him when Dick is involved. if someone else doesnt show up soon my eyes are gonna roll back into my head. joker is not funny enough to make this interesting. hes kinda hot tho. is it just me or are the animators losing steam towards the end of this. im. im bored. oh i missed the fans, those were cool, its nice to see them one last time. blah blah kill joker- wait a minu- ok nvm. coward. batjokes should die together an share a grave. in main canon even.

gonna cry over monkichi brb. at least he has monmi. his sister? gf? both?

ok so by the credits i assume this movie was originally in japanese. anyways. after credits. bruce does wayne stuff, selina does catwoman things. pfft. old style batcart dents a strangers car.

harley and ivy were tara strong ofc, and apparently jason and dami shared a VA, i didnt even notice that. so did dick and alfred. and grodd and deathstroke. a lot of double casting.

[unluckystarboy]

Oh my god don't get me wrong I love alfred but holy shit hold on.

Cause not only did alfred have guardianship of bruce after his parents died, but he even calls him son.. I mean bruce does have serious trauma and shit but like...IS ALFRED AN ENABLER???? Although, bruce IS a grown ass man and was a young adult when he took dick under his wing (litterally and figuratively.) But that doesn't mean that he was exactly *fit* to be a parent. He was young and kinda new to batman as well. So in theory dick was his free trial. Then kinda fucked that up and then Jason died and that left a BIG hole in everybody. Dick was still mad at Bruce, but what about alfred??? I mean, was he sad? Sure. But who the hell or what the hell was the root of the problem?? Maybe I'm just rambling here and pulling strings that don't really exist but like..

Was the source of all of this deaths that *had* to have happen in every universe? Or just c+ parenting on all ends? Then tim came around and yk the whole absent parent speal. Then damian and such. Everyone either has had bad parenting, or no parenting up to a certain point. Even Richard, I mean, his parents were probably good people *but* kids need stability. Especially at such a young age. All in all I just think that deep down the batfam is prob just fucked up. Even Cass and steph. Hell even barb.

But that's all for my daily ramble today folks.

The batfam is too full of detectives to not realize that Alfred is the worst enabler of them all.

[dccomicsimagines]

Grounded for Halloween - Batfamily Imagine

Requested by Anon - Can I have a batsis x batfam where batsis gets grounded then sneaks out for a halloween party and the boys have to get her back before Bruce finds out? Please and thank you!!!!!!!

***

“You are grounded, young lady,” Bruce said sternly, pointing to the stairs that led up to the manor. His lips were a fine line, steel in his eyes. “Go to your room now.”

“All I did was what you taught me to do!” Your throat burned as you screamed back at him. Tears barely held at bay. “Why don’t you get your head out of your ass and realize it already?!”

Bruce snapped, rage bubbling to the surface. “I didn’t teach you to get yourself killed! Now go to your room and don’t come out until I say so! No patrol, no friends! School and your room, that’s it!” Bruce reached out to grab your arm, but you jerked away and ran up the stairs. Tears ran down your cheeks, wanting to say you hated him, but you held it in. 

A loud bang sounded behind you as you stepped out into his office. You swore, kicking the grandfather clock door closed. “TT, what’s wrong with you?” Damian asked, peering inside at the noise. He had been sent to bed before Bruce laid into you. 

“Shut up,” you choked, pushing past him to go to your room. Embarrassment and rage at the unfairness of it all stayed with you even as you slammed your bedroom door shut.

***

Days passed so slowly. Your father didn’t speak to you and you didn’t speak to him. Alfred brought you meals and tried to play peacemaker. He insisted you take the first step, but you refused. Why did you always have to be the bigger person when he was the adult? He was the one being unreasonable. 

“Stop it,” Damian demanded as he marched into your room without knocking one evening after school. You were doing homework, minding your own business with your headphones on. 

“Stop what?” You took off your headphones with a sigh. “And knock first.” 

“Your fight with Father is going on long enough. He is temperamental and now he won’t let me go on patrol.” He crossed his arms as he stood in front of you. His nose wrinkled. You wanted so badly to reach out to boop it, but knew he would just explode. 

You shook your head and turned back to your calculus homework. “I’m not apologizing when he’s being a dick.”

“He’s not a Dick. Grayson would have come talk to you by now.” Damian snarled when you chuckled slightly. “I will call him.”

“Calling Dick won’t help. He can’t get Dad to be rational no more than we can.” You waved your hand, dismissing Damian. “Now please leave. I got to finish this homework.”

“TT,” Damian huffed and stomped back out of the room. He slammed your door behind him, making you jump. 

Swearing under your breath, you got up from your desk and went to your closet. You leaned against the doorway sadly, eyeing the Padme Amidala Halloween costume you had bought with your friends. The whole group decided to go as Star Wars characters. You were all supposed to go to Violet Crowne’s Halloween party. It was the biggest one of the year. 

Of course, you won’t be able to go. Alfred was following your father’s orders even if he didn’t agree. You sighed. Suddenly, you had a rebellious thought. Why couldn’t you go to the party? You could sneak out and your friends could pick you up just outside Wayne Manor’s gates. Your dad would be none of the wiser. It’s not like he checked on you. He just trusted Alfred. You smiled and went back to your homework. 

***

“Batwoman has the city taken care of. I need you here to watch over (Y/N) and Damian. (Y/N) is grounded and should stay in her room. Damian should at least be in the manor. No patrol,” Bruce ordered as he pulled on his cowl. Dick crossed his arms, unimpressed.

“Right and why are you punishing your children?” Dick bit his lip when Bruce brushed past him to head toward the batplane. 

Bruce grunted, opening the batplane and climbing into the cockpit. “I’ll be back tomorrow at the earliest. Apparently, there is some kind of magic crisis due to the Halloween season. Zatanna asked for my help.” 

Dick frowned at him. “Okay, I’ll ask again. Why are you punishing your kids? I mean I have to uphold it, so I should know what it’s about.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes, flicking a few switches in the cockpit. “Man-Bat is on the prowl. I want them kept out of it. Batwoman will call you if she needs help.” 

“You wouldn’t need me here if it was just that.” Dick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just tell me, Bruce.”

Bruce grunted in response, closing the cockpit. Dick stepped off the platform and watched Bruce take off and fly away. “I’ll just have to ask Alfred,” he mumbled, rolling his shoulders to relieve the tension. Dick headed up into the manor and searched around. 

Damian was painting in his room, grumbling softly to himself. Dick left him alone. He didn’t need paint thrown at him again. Damian’s door still had the paint splatter from last time. 

Your door was firmly closed. Dick bit his lip and knocked gently. “I’m not hungry, Alfred,” you answered through the door.

“I’m not Alfred.” Dick chuckled as you opened the door. You glared at him. Dick’s heart skipped a beat in surprise. 

“Damian called you, didn’t he? Well, you can save it. I’m not apologizing.” You started to shut the door in Dick’s face, but Dick quickly inserted his foot in the doorway.

“Wait, Damian didn’t call me. Bruce did. I’m here for a visit while he’s gone,” Dick said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. 

Your eyes widened. “Dad’s gone?” You reopened the door. “Awesome.” You walked out of your room and started downstairs. 

“Hey kiddo, what’s going on? Why are you grounded?” Dick asked, jogging to catch up to you. You ignored him and entered the kitchen. Alfred looked up from his recipe book. He frowned slightly at you, but didn’t say a word as you got yourself a glass of juice.

“Nothing. I just sit in my room and go to school.” You took a sip of the juice, eyeing Dick carefully. “How long is he going to be gone?”

“A day. He’ll be back tomorrow.” Dick blinked when you walked past him and went back upstairs. He started to follow you, but stopped himself. Clearly, you  weren’t going to explain either. Like father, like daughter. He looked at Alfred helplessly.

Alfred closed the recipe book with a sigh. “Master Bruce and Miss (Y/N) had a disagreement about a situation on patrol. Miss (Y/N) jumped after a suicide victim with no regard to how they were going to save them. Master Bruce had to step in to catch them both.” Alfred shook his head, moving to take some ingredients out of the fridge. “They argued for hours in the cave, screaming at each other. Eventually, Master Bruce grounded her and they haven’t seen nor spoken to each other since. It’s been a week.”

Dick ran a hand through his hair. “Great.” He whistled. “So the only reason he called me home was to babysit?”

Alfred shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps, Master Bruce didn’t give me his reasons.”

Dick bit his lip. “Okay, guess this will be a fun night. I was hoping we could watch movies or something for Halloween?”

“That would be a good idea, Master Dick.” Alfred perked up. “Master Damian hasn’t enjoyed the strain between Miss (Y/N) and Master Bruce. I know Miss (Y/N) is getting restless. Any activity would be good, plus some family time might help soothe the situation.”

Dick smiled in relief. “I’ll call the others and see if they’ll want to come over too. It’ll be good for all of us.” He took out his phone to make the calls while Alfred began to prepare food for the last-minute party.

***

You wore a pair of old jeans and a sweatshirt. The costume was safely tucked into your backpack. Your hair and makeup was done. You opened your bedroom window, pausing to eye the pillow lump under the covers. Hopefully, no one would check on you. 

Just as you were about to climb out, a knock sounded on your door. You swore under your breath. “Yeah?” you asked.

“(Y/N), we’re having a movie night. Come join us,” Dick said, trying the door knob. Luckily, you locked the door. You sighed in slight relief. 

“I’m not feeling well.” You coughed, face burning at the lie. “I think I’ll just sleep.”

“Really?” Dick paused for a long moment. “Okay, can I get you anything?” He sounded disappointed. Your heart ached a little, but it would have felt worse to miss the party. 

“Nah.” You coughed again. “I just need to sleep it off.” 

“Come down if you feel better or if you need anything, okay? We’re here for you, kiddo. Don’t forget that.” You held your breath until you heard him walk away. 

“Thank you,” you whispered to yourself before climbing out the window and scaling down the side of the manor. You had done it before, but never in the dark. 

Your heart stopped when you suddenly lost your footing. You gasped loudly, luckily finding your footing again before you ended up dropping the last two meters. Holding onto the side of the manor for dear life, you stopped, listening to see if you were heard. Only the sounds of the night reached your ears. You sighed in relief and made your way to the ground.

Safely on the ground, you glanced up at your window. It was still open so you could get back inside when you made it back. You saw the headlights of your friends’ car from the road. You quickly ran off into the night, ready for a fun time.

***

“Shouldn’t one of us check on (Y/N) again? At least bring them some medicine and water?” Tim asked once the first movie was done. Cass, Damian, Duke, and Dick were sitting around the den with snacks all around them. Tim was sitting at the small desk in the back, working on his laptop. 

“I will go.” Cass stood up and walked out silently. 

“I hate that she’s sick. She needs something fun after Bruce locked her in her room for so long,” Dick said after a moment as Damian happily stole the remote from Duke to choose the next movie. “I can’t believe Bruce is being so stubborn about this.”

Tim snorted. “Please, he was like this with all of us too.” He glanced at Dick, shaking his head. “Remember when he fired you from Robin when you got hurt by Two-Face. I know he almost banished me a few times too.”

“Yeah, he took me off patrol for two days after I disobeyed orders by going down a side street instead of the main road.” Duke shivered, taking a handful of popcorn. “(Y/N) is just too stubborn to apologize.”

“TT, that is true.” Damian chose an old samurai movie. “It doesn’t matter if you mean it, just say it to please Father.” 

Dick coughed. “You shouldn’t do that. I mean Bruce has a point, but the avoidance of each other is the problem...” He stopped when Cass ran into the room.

“(Y/N) is gone.” She held up your phone. “Pillows were under the blankets and window was open.”

Dick swore under his breath, jumping to his feet. The others copied him except for Damian who didn’t seem concerned. “Everyone suit up. We need (Y/N) back here ASAP. If Bruce finds out she sneaked out...” Dick shivered. “We don’t need this argument between them worse.” 

“I’ll let Al know what’s up,” Duke said, running out of the room. 

Tim closed his laptop. “I’ll see if I can pick up her trail on the city’s cameras. Cass, why don’t you call Barbara and let her know (Y/N) is missing?” Cass nodded and left silently with Tim behind her.

“I knew I should have insisted on seeing her when I knocked,” Dick mumbled to himself, running a hand through his hair. 

“TT.” Damian waved his hand. “You are just a simpleton, Grayson. That’s one of the oldest tricks in the book.” 

Dick narrowed his eyes at Damian who kept his attention on the television. “Do you know something?” 

Damian glanced up at Dick. “TT, this is your problem. You’re our babysitter, at least according to Father.”

Dick grabbed Damian’s arm and pulled him up. “In that case, you’re coming with us to search for your sister.” Damian growled as Dick pulled him from the room.

***

You laughed as you were spun around the room by a guy dressed as Anakin Skywalker. He had found you and asked you to dance. You couldn’t say no, simply from the coincidence alone. 

The party was a lot of fun. There was some under-aged drinking, which you avoided to be the sober driver home for your friends. Lots of dancing and mingling. You let yourself go and enjoy. It was the first time in a week that you had fun. 

“Can I get you something to drink?” the guy dressed as Anakin asked with a smirk. You nodded, catching your breath as you left the dance floor.

“Yeah, just a water. Thanks.” You smiled, leaning against a wall to rest. He left after he squeezed your hip. You sighed as one of your friends joined you on the wall. She was dressed a cute R2-D2. 

“Well, he’s hot.” She giggled, face flushed. The beer in her hand half gone. “Lucky you, all I get are the nerds chasing after me.”

You shrugged. “Well, you can have him when he comes back. I’m not that interested.” You glanced around the room, freezing when you caught a familiar blonde woman in the corner of the room. “I’ll check in with you later.” You left your friend and made your way across the room to the blonde.

“Honestly, you should try it. Waffles and chicken. Who would have thought?” the blonde laughed. The others looked at her like she was crazy. You tapped her shoulder and the others quickly made their escape.

“Steph, what are you doing here? This is a high school party.” You crossed your arms. 

She snorted, turning to reveal her Sailor Moon costume. “I’m investigating. Besides, I should ask why you are here? Aren’t you grounded?” 

You bit your lip. “Maybe, but Dad’s not in the city at the moment.” You glanced around and gestured for Steph to step outside with you. She followed with slight disapproval.

“Isn’t that costume a little too revealing for you?” she asked, frowning. “You don’t want to get that kind of attention.”

“I can take care of myself.” You rolled your eyes, shivering in the cool air. The backyard deck was less crowded. Most of the people were over by the pool and the hot tub. “So what are you investigating?” 

Steph zipped her lips. “Nope. This is my case and you are grounded.” She checked her phone. “Oh, and it looks like everyone is looking for you too.”

Your heart skipped a beat. “Everyone? Including Dad?” 

She opened her message app. “I don’t think so, because Dick said they have to find you before Bruce gets back.” 

“Cool.” You sighed in relief. “Well, don’t tell them I’m here.” 

Steph sighed. “Come on, don’t do that. They already asked if I know where you are.” She swallowed hard. “I’m lucky I even got into this group chat at all. Everyone avoids me except for Cass since Tim and I broke up.”

“They don’t avoid you.” In all honesty, you weren’t sure if they were avoiding her on purpose or not. You weren’t, but you didn’t try to understand the rest of the family. “Steph, please.” You pouted your lips, giving her your best puppy eyes. 

She crumbled in seconds. “Okay, okay. I didn’t see you here and you didn’t see me.” She crossed her arms. “But promise me you’ll check in with them soon? At least let them know you’re safe.” 

“I will.” You waved, heading back inside the party. “Happy Halloween.” 

“You too, (Y/N).” Steph waved back before going to join the teens by the pool. You shook your head, heading back in to find another dance partner. 

***

“Babs, did you find anything?” Dick asked with a hint of panic in his voice. He and Damian were on a rooftop over the movie theater on Miagani Island. Dick remembered you talking about going there with friends once. Maybe you went again?

“No, nothing on cameras. No police reports.” She sighed through the comms. “Tim hasn’t found anything either.” 

Dick groaned, glancing at Damian who was looking at the theater with mild interest. “Damian and I will check out the theater and see if (Y/N) is in there. After that, I think we’ll check her friends’ houses again.”

“I’ve already been to all of them. Nothing. None of them are at home and all their parents just say they are at each others’ houses,” Duke added with a yawn. “Are we sure (Y/N) isn’t at a party or something?” 

Dick froze. “Of course.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She’s at a party. That explains the sneaking out and her friends being AWOL.” 

“TT,” Damian crossed his arms. “Probably Crowne’s party. It was all over school.”

“I’ll check social media,” Barbara said with a sigh. “(Y/N) doesn’t have her phone, but I’ll check her friends’.” 

“Good.” Dick turned off the comm. He glanced at Damian to find him still watching the movie theater with interest. “Come on, D. Let’s go check it out. Maybe we can come back tomorrow?” He dropped down. Damian blinked, huffing before rather eagerly following Dick down. 

***

Things were starting to blur together. You shouldn’t have drank the punch your friend gave you once you came back in after talking to Steph. Dancing away, you lost track of who’s hand was on your hip and just focused on the music. 

Responsibility flew away from you. You weren’t going to be good anymore. Just live your life, who cares what Dad thought? Rebel. 

Suddenly, you found yourself in a bedroom with Anakin Skywalker again. He was kissing you, hands wandering. You let him, enjoying the closeness and the excitement that came with it. 

Suddenly, he disappeared. You gasped, blinking several times to find Steph kicking the boy out of the room with the full power of Sailor Moon. “What the hell?” you asked, feeling like you just resurfaced after being underwater for so long.

“Come on, (Y/N). You need to be sober and get out of here,” Steph said, slapping your cheek. You flinched, gasping as you touched your cheek. It worked, you felt more awake now. 

“I only drank one glass of punch.” You rubbed your eyes, getting to your feet. Steph reached for your costume, readjusting it for you. 

“Don’t worry, it wasn’t the punch.” Steph cupped your face to look you in the eye. “You okay?”

“I’m okay.” You blinked, rubbing your eyes again. “Why do I need to leave?” 

“You just do. I’ve already called Tim.” Steph took your hand and led you out of the bedroom. She stopped in the hallway when downstairs went silent. “Crap.”

Your eyes widened as Steph pushed you back into the bedroom and shut the door. “What was that?” Your head started to throb. 

Steph smiled sheepishly. “You remember I was investigating? Well, I think I might have found it.”

“Found what?” Your eyes widened. “Steph, my friends are down there! What’s going on?!” 

“Hush.” Steph put a hand over your mouth. “Your friends are fine, just unconscious. I found out through my contacts that Mad Hatter was going to use the party to find a new Alice. He had mind control devices in the music.” Steph held her breath when she heard someone come up the stairs. She grabbed your hand and pulled you to hide in the closet. “He brain blasted the room once he found an Alice. Since we weren’t in the same room as the stereo, we weren’t affected.”

You blinked, trying to catch up. “So I’m not drunk.” 

Steph shook her head, pressing her finger against your lips. “No, you’re just under the influence of the music.” She pulled ear plugs out of her ears. The person who came up the stairs went back downstairs. “You’ll be fine. Stay here.” She slipped out of the closet, leaving you behind.

“Like hell.” You followed her. Steph glanced back at you before rolling her eyes and shrugging her shoulders. The two of you went to the edge of the staircase and peered down through the railing to see Mad Hatter and his hired men walking around the unconscious bodies of the teens.

“Where is she?!” Mad Hatter screamed, kicking one of the fallen teens. “I want my Alice! Where is my Alice?”

“Do you know who he thinks is Alice?” You frowned, your headache getting worse. Steph shook her head and pulled out a domino mask. She handed it to you before slipping on one of her own. You put it on with shaky hands.

“You go left, I’ll go right. Move fast.” Steph winked at you and hopped over the railing. You followed her, stumbling slightly from the pain in your head. However, you caught yourself, knocking out the two hired goons on your side quickly.

Mad Hatter clapped his hands. “Alice, there you are,” he said, pointing to you. You felt sick to your stomach. “What a disguise, I almost don’t recognize you, but you can’t fool me.” 

“Lights out, crazy.” Steph came up behind him and elbowed him in the face. Mad Hatter stumbled back, holding his nose. You took the opportunity to nerve strike him. He fell unconsciousness, landing on his face. “Good work.”

“Thanks, you were good too.” You smiled at her. The pain in your head was still pounding away, but you had to admit you missed crime fighting. You glanced around at the fallen teens, going to check on a few of your friends in the corner. A shiver went up your spine at the idea you were Mad Hatter’s target and he would have gotten you if it weren’t for Steph.

A motorcycle sounded from outside. You perked up. Steph peeked out the window, sighing in relief. “It’s just Tim. Go with him. I’ll call the cops and take care of this mess.”

“I shouldn’t leave my friends,” you said, sighing when you found a steady pulse for each one. 

“(Y/N), you got to go. You’re grounded and the longer you’re out, the more angry your dad is going to get.” Steph pulled handcuffs out of her bag and cuffed Hatter’s hands around his back. “I’ll make sure they’re okay. Text them, say you left before everything went down.” 

You sighed, hearing the motorcycle’s engine turn off. Tim would be inside soon. “Thanks for everything, Steph. I would be...well, worse off if it weren’t for you.” 

“You’re welcome.” She grinned, going over to give you a flying hug. “We’ll have to meet for waffles once you’re sprung. I think we could team up some more.” She pressed her cheek against yours. “It would do you good to get away from the big bad bat. He’s such a downer all the time.” She tapped your nose as she pulled away. Your lips couldn’t hold back a smile.

“(Y/N)?!” Tim shouted from the front entry. He sprinted into the room before skidding to a stop when he saw you and Steph surrounded by unconscious people. “What? Is that Mad Hatter?” He gaped at Steph. “What are you doing here?”

Steph rolled her eyes. “I’m finishing my investigation.” She spun around on her heel, nose in the air. “Now I’m calling the cops. You take (Y/N) home now.” 

You went to Tim and took his arm. “Come on, we handled it already,” you said firmly. Tim followed you, shaking his head. 

“You are in so much trouble. Dick’s worried sick, I’d hate to think what Bruce will do when he finds out.” Tim eyed your outfit and took off his coat to hand it to you. You rolled your eyes and slipped it on. 

“I don’t care what Dad has to say.” You walked down the front steps, sirens blaring in the distance. Tim climbed on his bike first, getting settled before you climbed on behind him. “And I didn’t know Mad Hatter was going to attack the party. Steph saved me.”

Tim grunted. “Right. Hold on.” He started the motorcycle and took off. You sighed, resting your cheek against his back. Tightening your arms around his waist, you tried not to think to much of what could have happened. 

***

You stepped through the door of the Manor only to be trapped into a breath-stealing hug from Dick. “Don’t you ever do that to me again!” You choked as he spun you around. 

“You’re killing me, Dick.” He stopped and let you go, but gripped your shoulders. 

“Look at me,” he ordered, forcing you to meet his eye. You felt your bottom lip tremble slightly. His eyes looked deep into your soul. “Next time, you talk to me and never leave your phone behind. If Steph wasn’t there, you could have...” Dick swallowed hard. You wondered when he had been updated on the situation. Barbara probably told him. Steph would have bragged to her. “I know you can take care of yourself, but we can’t back you up if we don’t know where you are.”

Tears burned your eyes, but you blinked them away. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. Dick pulled you into another hug. You hid your face into his shoulder as a few traitorous tears escaped. 

Dick rocked you gently. “You’re safe, that’s what matters.” He rubbed your back. You heard Damian huffing from somewhere nearby before he mumbled about emotional women. Tim slipped around you and Dick and dragged him out of the room. 

“Does Dad have to know?” you asked, sniffling once you had the courage to pull away. 

Dick wiped away your tears with his thumb. It reminded you when you were little and he caught you crying after Bruce missed your birthday. “No, he doesn’t have to know.”

“What do I not need to know?” Bruce asked suddenly. You and Dick froze before turning to catch Bruce standing in the entrance hall. He frowned, wearing a black shirt and sweatpants. By his wet hair, you knew he had been home for some time if he already showered.

Dick took your hand. “You said you were going to be home tomorrow?” 

Bruce glanced at his watch. “It is tomorrow.” He narrowed his eyes at you. You pulled Tim’s jacket tighter around you to hide your costume. “My office. Now.” He turned and left you behind, knowing you’d follow.

“Thanks for trying,” you mumbled to Dick before dragging your feet. 

“Be honest with him. He loves you, kiddo. Don’t forget that.” Dick squeezed your shoulder, letting his hand drop once you stepped out of his reach. You took several deep breaths to stay composed. 

Damian waited outside the office doors. “Good luck.” He smirked.

“Shut up.” You punched his arm hard. He winced, growling at you.

“(Y/N).” Bruce frowned at you through the doorway where he was seated at his desk. It was going to be one of those desk talks. You hated when he did that to you.

You rolled your eyes and marched inside, shutting the door firmly in Damian’s face. Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. “Just don’t yell, okay?” you said, opening your eyes and moving to take a seat. 

Bruce flinched slightly in surprise. You almost smiled at the knowledge you caught him off guard. “What happened tonight?” He leaned back in his chair. His hand folded under his chin, expression unreadable. 

You swallowed hard and wished you could just sink into your chair. “I sneaked out to a party.” You bit your lip when he didn’t react. The silence weighed heavily in the air. “I...I was safe. Steph was there to help me.” 

Bruce frowned. You swore the temperature in the room dropped several degrees by his look alone. “The business with Mad Hatter. You were there?” 

“Not on purpose. I was only at the party.” You had to look out the window behind him. Stay calm, don’t start yelling or crying. Be rational like he wants you to be. You hoped he didn’t know you had become Mad Hatter’s target. 

“So you sneaked out of the house, went to some party and almost got kidnapped by the Mad Hatter?” He got to his feet. “You disobeyed me, disrespected Dick and Alfred, went out without your phone, and almost got yourself killed?” You gulped, Barbara must have told him everything. This family was the worst. 

“Yes, but you were being unreasonable.” You got to your feet, eyes still focused above his head. “I was trained by you. Yeah, sometime I make reckless decisions, but I can handle myself. I would have saved myself and the jumper that night if you wouldn’t have stepped in so fast.” Your eyes finally dropped to meet his gaze. You stuttered. “Going without my phone to the party was a mistake. I was lucky Steph was there, but I wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t ground me.”

Bruce stood up. The look in his eyes sharpened. “Don’t you dare tell me I shouldn’t be able to ground you when you almost got yourself killed.” You flinched when he leaned toward you. Bruce blinked in surprise, his expression softened. “I can’t lose you, (Y/N).”

You felt a tear trail down your cheek. Quickly, you reached to wipe it away. “Dad, I need you to trust me.”

“I do.” His voice dropped to a whisper as he came around the desk to stand in front of you. He hesitated a moment before placing his hands on your shoulders. “Do you know how scared I was that day when you could have died before my eyes? How terrified I was when I got a report from Barbara about tonight?”

His grip tightened on your shoulders. A sob slipped out of your mouth. “I’m sorry.”

Bruce pulled you into his arms. You buried your face into his chest and let yourself cry. He gently moved to sit down in the armchair with you on his lap. You haven’t sat with him like this since you were little.

Time passed. You kept your face against his chest even when Alfred opened the door and offered hot chocolate. Bruce accepted it with a soft thank you. Alfred left quietly. You lifted your face from Bruce’s chest, ignoring the wet spot you left on his shirt. He handed you a hot chocolate. Alfred added marshmallows to it. You smiled a little at the sight.

“No more parties,” Bruce said softly. You looked at up at him, opening your mouth to speak. He held up his hand. “No more parties, because you are grounded from them. However, I want you to know I trust you, so we’ll start patrolling together again.”

You felt your mouth pull into a smile. “Really?” You took a sip of the hot chocolate. Bruce nodded, studying his own cup of hot chocolate. Alfred added marshmallows to his too. “They aren’t bad, Dad.” You giggled, happier than you had been in a week. 

“If you say so.” He took a drink, smirking slightly at the sugary taste. “And I don’t like that costume.”

You blinked before glancing down. With everything, you had forgotten you were still in your costume and Tim’s jacket, which had fallen open to reveal the full thing. “Dad, I’m not a little girl anymore. I can wear stuff like this.”

He grunted, sitting back in his chair. You relaxed against his chest. Both of you enjoyed each other’s company in rare silence. 

[chronicwhorebatman]

uhhhh could u pls pls tell me ur hcs (if u have them) about the batfamilys hairstyles thru the years. do u believe in long hair discowing?? whats jasons hair like as robin vs red hood? give me a whole timeline if u want

you know what? hell yeah.

long post so here’s a cut

bruce. bruce, in his childhood, had the same haircut the whole time!! then his mother died and she cut it for him so for about a year and a half (nearing 10 years old) he had this steadily growing mop of hair that was not cleaned or brushed. occasionally alfred would attempt to get it clean but bruce would hiss like a feral cat so it didn’t get very far

THEN he shaved most of his hair off because it was unsalvageable to a nearly ten year old

then he had a FUCK TON of teenage mistakes. including bleached slightly long hair, although he kept it short at the back because bruce in my head never wants to revisit his Grief Hair phase <33 there were a lot more mistakes but i don’t have those pinpointed but i haven’t decided on them yet! know that he had frosted tips at one point though. it’s important to me.

as an adult he has the regular ass haircut he has in every comic lmao. as bruce it’s just neatly combed, as brucie it’s always sleep-mussed or sex-mussed, and as matches malone his hair is slicked back with so much gel it fucking drips. as matches malone he is a slimy little disgusting rat by design. in his secret drag persona he wears a wig like a coward.

dick. as a kid, dick has the same haircut as his father, whatever that might be!! he’s a baby mimicry and it’s adorable. he also briefly copied his mother’s hair only to discover it took way too much work

the father part also applies to bruce! although i don’t believe dick saw bruce as his father until he was well on his way into adulthood i do believe that he copied his haircut. i will not explain this clash with anything other than imagining dick as a tiny bruce clone is hilarious

discowing era dick had a mullet and bruce hated every second of it.

after that i think dick had short hair but quite floppy round the front? like lotta fringe <33

baby jason is continually fascinated w dick’s hair <33333

jason. jason had relatively short hair when bruce found him but it was growing longer (did not have money for a haircut) but he got it cut when he got adopted. unfortunately he now also has bruce hair because he didn’t care what his hair looked like because he was busy being excited about robin

after he died his hair grew out a bit because when he was comatose nobody was looking after him :(

w the league they shaved his hair because it was kinda gross tbh. he had shaved hair for a while

he grew it back out to what he generally looks like in comic panels, fuck if i know what that’s called. unfortunately the fucker shaved it again at the beginning of being red hood. jason your hair is pretty stop doing this

he then did a whole lot of things to get rid of his white streak from shaving to dying to threatening to colouring it in with sharpie. jokes on him it takes less than 12h to come off <333

tim. tim has had one haircut his entire life! it’s your average white boy haircut.

damian. damian is baby and has only had one haircut. he vaguely resembles a spiky hedgehog.

steph. not batfamily (unless by marriage <3) but including here because my hcs for cass and duke are also “they have had one haircut their whole life” mainly because my brain broke when i tried to picture anything else :/ i’ll leave my brain to marinate on cass and duke and get back to you because i also love them and this feels so bland

ANYWAY steph has long blonde hair then she cuts it into a bob then grows it out again. the cycle continues unless she cuts her hair a lot shorter! which she keeps for longer because she doesn’t like the half grown in half grown out look! then it’s back to the cycle <333

alfred has never had different hair ever. my brain also broke trying to picture it

[fireandspiceland]

wfsn ship dynamic headcanons

I have lots of thoughts and wrote them down so why not share them?

AusHun: seemingly vanilla but secretly kinky, open for threesomes (frying pangle <3)

SuFin: bdsm, praise kink, Tino is a gentle dom and Berwald completely puts himself at his husbands mercy

RusAme: kismesis (do I need to explain that?)

GerEng: more or less patient (depending on his mood) Arthur introducing his inexperienced boyfriend to the joy of sex

Mint Chocolate: Arthur "I only fuck him from behind because this way I cannot see his beautiful face during sex and kiss him and fall in love with him" Kirkland vs. Allen "I needed the money but now I might be falling for a married man but omg he rails me so good" Jones, lingerie and maybe a little feminisation

Veggieburgers: awkward teenagers exploring things with each other (even if they’re adults), Alfred is packin and Allen is not afraid of a challenge

DenNor: moron x morosexual, lots of secretly teasing each other in public, might be an on-off-relationship but whenever they are alone they cannot keep their hands to themselves, always trying to push each other’s limits until one of them breaks

FrUk: old married couple who know exactly how to get each other off but still dont make it easy for each other, big potential for unplanned emotional outbursts during/after sex, food play with chocolate

PruMano: two halves of a whole idiot (affectionately), surprisingly compatible when it comes to sex

PruAus: power struggle, would never admit they actually enjoy it but omg they do, bang as a coping mechanism for things no one outside their relationship could understand

Triple A: Alice domming her two boyfriends Alfred and Allen, crossdressing

Frying Pangle: Roderich and Erzsébet taking Gilbert apart in all the best ways, voyeurism

2p RusAme: ddlg but not how you would expect it, Allen pestering Viktor until he snaps but jokes on him he’s into that shit

2p ItaPan: knife play, kismesis (it's the best word for this kind of relationship that I know okay)

EngUkr: vanilla when they first hook up, but both are experienced, high potential for kinky stuff and Yekaterina pegging Arthur like he deserves it

RusCan: Matthew’s got a big dick and is a possessive lover, rip Ivan's ass, cum play

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

You are ENTIRELY correct, I cut a whole ass unpacking of that shit out cause I did not have the spoons for it at the time. But now... MUAHAHAH I HAVE THE POWER; I HAVE THE SPOONS!

Here's the panels:

Batman (1940) #410

Here's him having the same discussion with Alfred:

Batman (1940) #410

He's the rest of Dick prying the real reasons out of Bruce during their argument:

Batman (1940) #416

An incredibly important question to ask here is: Does Bruce, at any point, give Jason the clear option to just be his kid and go to school instead of being Robin? Because that was super an option available to him! He could have just raised Jason and not had him be Robin!

And no. No he fucking doesn't. Correct me if I'm wrong but I cannot recall a single spot where that is given to him as an option. Even if it was, it seems pretty self evident to me that Batman has never made room in his life for kids that aren't also his crime fighting partners, and it would be pretty weird to assume that Jason wouldn't feel like he needs to be Robin in order to have Bruce's care and attention. Certainly Dick wound up with - in his own estimation - no life outside of being Bruce's partner.

Batman (1940) #416

So we have baby Jason's logic here of "No where else in the whole wide world is safe for me to go. I'm better off supporting myself as a thief than with CPS, and I'm better off as Robin than homeless or supporting myself as a thief."

And we have Bruce's rationalizations here of "He's been neglected and living on his own, and being Robin is better than being homeless so... it's FINE to put this new kid in danger!!! Cause he's tough :) And I really miss my partner in crime fighting :("

So really and truly, Jason is put into the Robin role because he is poor and his health and safety are considered less important because of that. Like you can not get around the fact that Jason's poverty is the excuse being used to endanger his life for the emotional benefit of an adult. He even pretends like Jason's not really a child because he grew up impoverished and neglected! And it is explicitly textually stated that those are false excuses to prop up his desire for a partner after he kicked his previous partner out!

AAAAHHHHHH!

I'd like to next call to attention the parallel between Oliver Queen's treatment of Mia Dearden when she kills someone and Bruce Wayne's treatment of Jason Todd after whatever happened with Felipe.

Oliver Queen takes full responsibility as the adult mentor in the situation and considers it a tragedy that is on all levels his fault. In his eyes, she should never have been put in that situation to begin with.

Green Arrow (2001) #39

Green Arrow (2001) #40

He comforts her immediately and hugs her, even though clearly he wanted to find a way that didn't involve death, and probably doesn't think it was necessary! The human warmth and compassion Oliver shows her is startling to see after reading Batman's treatment of Jason because...

Bruce Wayne in stark contrast does not treat Jason like he's his responsibility or his child; he treats him as if he's a full adult who doesn't need a parental figure at all. Thus Jason is treated as guilty of a crime, and given suspicion and pushed away.

Batman (1940) #425

Batman (1940) #425 - as a side note, this is basically the last thing that happens before Jason dies, so like, just take a moment to drink in the fact that Bruce is telling Jason that a vengeful murderous father is simply the inescapable consequence of killing someone's son. I will literally never be over this.

By this point in the story, Bruce has put Jason in so many situations that no child should have to witness on the truly fucked up grounds that Jason's already been through so much with no thought to trying not to add to that load. Bruce is absolutely, as his father and caregiver and mentor, equally (if not more) responsible for Felipe's fate than Queen was for Mia's killing of the summoner.

The thing is though, Bruce doesn't want a CHILD to nurture, he wants a PARTNER to fight crime with, and he is eminently willing to ignore a child's well-being in order to treat them as a partner.

That, I think, is ultimately what kills Jason.

Too Dangerous for Kids

So, recently I had reason to go back and read Jason's post-crisis debut comic Batman (1940) #408 and it clicked really hard that basically the central theme of Jason becoming Robin was that Robin was too dangerous a job for kids. Before he becomes Robin, Dick got injured, badly, by the Joker, and Batman swore to never endanger another child like that, which is the reason Dick stops being Robin at all

Batman (1940) #416

And I'm friggin realizing now that the posing in Death of the Family is straight up a mirror to this scene of Dick having been shot?? I'm losing my mind???

Batman (1940) #408

Like, look at this in universe magazine shot with this talk on the radio compared to Bruce holding Jason and tell me this was not deliberate????

Batman (1940) #408 and Batman (1940) #428

And THIS TALK?????

Batman (1940) #408

I just... HMMMM, idk there's something very fascinating to me that the theme of 'this is too dangerous for kids' has been there in Jason since day zero.

It also makes me sympathize a lot with poor Dick who got fired "cause it's too dangerous for a kiddo out there", when he was no longer a child, and then WHAT DOES BRUCE HAVE WITH HIM NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER?!

Batman (1940) #416

He's devastated by the realization there's a new Robin, then harsh and critical of the new Robin because he's sure they're gonna screw up and get hurt

Batman (1940) #416

Not because he wants his old job back

Batman (1940) #416

Despite his misgiving about the mantel being passed on at all, at the end of it, he still gives Jason his respect and acceptance into the role

Teen Titans (2003) #29

And this has such fascinating parallels to Jason's reaction to finding out there's a new Robin after him!

Red Hood: The Lost Days #4

He is devastated by the realization there's a new Robin, then attempts to brutally dissuade the new Robin from keeping the mantel because he's sure they're gonna screw up and get killed

Teen Titans (2003) #29

Not because he wants his old job back

Teen Titans (2003) #29

Despite his misgiving about the mantel being passed on at all, at the end of it, Tim still has his respect, and perhaps even his acceptance into the role, although he was far too violent about it to actually properly give the role over like Dick did for him.

Teen Titans (2003) #29

Neither of them have a petty, jealous reaction of you replaced me, but instead have a tangled mess of "I was sloppy, I wasn't good enough, I got hurt, and now you put an even less prepared child in the line of fire?!" Jason is wildly more violent about it, but at the core I feel like the sentiments are the same, and it kinda makes sense because really the end of their times as Robin were very similar to each other, just Jason's was wildly more violent!

I can't help but wonder if maybe part of Jason's reasoning somewhere along the line was "Now I finally get why Dick was so harsh on me back then." And... honestly I don't think it is. Cause while it would make sense it just doesn't seem to be a parallel either of them is conscious of.

It's just this fascinating set of reflections neither one seems to see.

[toomanyrobins2]

Those Four Words Pt. 1

Summary: an escalating fight between Jason and his girlfriend leads to a tense two weeks in Wayne Manor

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

Word count: 2.1k

Warnings: language, mentions of sex and excessive drinking, mentions of character death

masterlist // next part

Jason Todd was in a terrible mood, having just got into an argument with Bruce. He decided to go up to his girlfriend’s studio to get away. She had been hard at work the past couple of days and he was getting needy. He came up behind her on the floor and pulled her into his lap. She tried to wiggle out of his arms. “Jay, I'm trying to do something right now.

He tried to snuggle closer to his girlfriend, “I deserve some of your time too.

“Deserve? You’re especially demanding today. What did you do?” Jason scoffed and pulled away. “What has crawled up your ass?”

“You did.”

She managed to escape and turned to look at her boyfriend, “I did? Huh, I think I would’ve remembered such a disgusting journey into your body.

“Dammit, Y/N! Enough with the sarcasm! You know what I’m saying.”

She sighed at Jason’s attitude, “I don’t understand what you’re doing right now, but you are starting a fight just for the sake of an argument. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you what you want right now.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Jason was standing over his girlfriend, his whole body tense, “From any of you.”

“Why are you being like this? What happened?”

“What? You thought the minute we started dating all of our problems would magically disappear? Are you really that naive?”

Y/N put her brushes down and stood. She tried to walk closer, but he matched each step, moving away from her. “Jason, where the hell is this coming from? I thought we had got past this. Even you and Bruce are in a better place.”

“You think I'll ever forget you abandoned me. You all did!”

“Abandon you! What have you been smoking? We thought you died!”

“You replaced me!”

Now, Y/N was angry too and it was rare that anyone saw her this way. She was deadly calm, but the fire was roaring in her eyes, “I did not replace you.”

“That’s right, you were too busy whoring yourself around Gotham to even think about me.”

“That is not fair and you know it. I mourned you. We all mourned your arrogant ass. I never stopped missing you.”

“I saw the articles, Y/N! Don’t pretend you were mourning me. You were too busy whoring yourself around Gotham.”

Her mind went back to three years ago. Jason had died in an explosion set up by the Joker. She was sixteen and her best friend had died, and she hadn’t handled it well. What started as a way to get out of the house with friends, had led to this wild, secret life. Y/N had snuck out at night and used Bruce’s name to get into clubs. She drank anything she could get her hands on and had gone home with multiple men, trying to forget her pain. Once, Bruce had found out, her world had imploded. He sent her away and finally got her the help she should have received when her parents had passed. The only reason Y/N had moved back to the manor was that Jason had been found. She couldn’t believe that he was trying to use her moments of weakness against her, “How dare you throw that back on me. I was just trying to numb the pain. It wasn’t like I was celebrating the fact that you were gone.”

“Yeah, it really looked like you missed me.”

“God Dammit, Jay!” she stamped her foot, knowing it was childish, “If you would just listen to me!”

“Oh fuck off, Y/N! If I had known I was ever going to be stuck with you and your nagging, I wouldn’t have come back.”

“I wish you hadn’t!” The minute the words left Y/N’s mouth, she gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. Jason’s emotionless mask slammed into place, and suddenly he was as blank as the day Bruce had found him. He turned to walk out and Y/N chased after him, “Jay, wait! I’m sorry!” He jumped onto his motorcycle and was out the door before she could stop him. She slammed her fist into the wall and cursed in frustration and pain. No one would see either of them for the rest of the day. Y/N stayed in her studio, wondering how they got to the point of shouting such hurtful things at each other.

The next day, they had both shown up for Friday night dinner, as was expected of them. Neither spoke, and the tension was too thick to be cut with a knife. Y/N had tried to pull him aside and apologize after dinner, but he had shot her with a cutting glare and stalked away. The other could tell that something had happened, but no one had the details. Tim wandered into the library after patrol that night, to find her in a chair tucked into the corner. “What are you doing here (Y/N/N)? Isn’t it a movie night with Todd?” He noted the tear tracks down her face but knew she hated showing weakness, so he said nothing about them.

“I wasn’t feeling up to it, so I canceled. I think I’ll head to bed now. Night, Timmy.” Y/N went to her room and cried herself to sleep, the guilt overwhelming her as she played the argument over in her head. If only she had just taken a break, maybe the whole situation could have been avoided. She woke up multiple times in the night, crying out Jason’s name after seeing him and the Joker over and over again. Finally, around 3 in the morning, she gave up on sleep and went to the kitchen to pour herself coffee. She decided to keep busy and started making breakfast for the family.

Alfred was the first to appear in the morning, as usual. Y/N tried to pretend that everything was normal, but nothing could be hidden from the family’s butler. He noted the dark circles under her eyes and the tremors in her hands from over-caffeination. The boys slowly started to emerge, and Alfred started to bring out all the food she had made. She made two plates out of habit and headed for the dining room. Y/N started to hand Jason his breakfast as she had every morning for a year, but suddenly she remembered and pulled her hand away. Jason didn’t even bother to look at her, and her heart clenched. She placed the plate on the table and walked back into the kitchen. “Sorry, Alfred, I’m not hungry. I think I’ll go paint.” She placed the plate she had made for herself on the counter and left.

Y/N’s studio had been a safe space since she had first moved into the manor. She had hidden away when she first arrived at Wayne Manor, unused to such an active family. Bruce had called workers to the manor and redid the room when she had told him she liked art. Now, after years of work, canvasses filled the room on all sides. Some paintings, others photos, she had accumulated in the three years. They hung on the walls and were laid across the floor. She flooded the room with Swan Lake, her sad music, and started to mix her colors. The music she played had become an easy way for the others to discern her moods since she hadn’t spoken to anyone except Fallon, Bruce’s wife, when she first came. Bruce and Dick had installed a speaker system in her studio to drown out the noise when she was overwhelmed, and everyone in the Manor could hear it if she turned it on loud enough. When the first notes hit their ears, all eyes in the dining room turned to Jason. He refused to look up and make eye contact, instead, he stared at the breakfast that had been abandoned on the table. Once everyone had averted their gaze, he pushed away from the table and disappeared.

This led to one of the most uncomfortable weeks in the Manor ever. Y/N barely left her studio and no one saw Jason for three days before he returned. When he did, he started to act as if nothing had happened. The music had eventually stopped playing altogether, so they had no idea what kind of mood she was in. Finally, Damian was the one to gather everyone else together, “Y/N/N has not come out of her studio in a week. Since Buckethead has just decided to pretend nothing has happened. We need to fix this.”

Bruce spoke up first, “Jason and Y/N are both adults. They are both being immature, and it will eventually work itself out.

“How can we fix this when we don’t even know what happened?” Tim looked up from his laptop, “I’ve been checking in on Y/N on the cameras. All she does is paint, and the most she’s slept in days is when she falls asleep accidentally. That never lasts long, and she cries. A lot.”

“Why did Fallon have to leave! We need to fix this, or the family vacation is going to be the worst!” Dick collapsed on the couch. Fallon had finally convinced Bruce that the family needed a vacation, but two weeks before they were supposed to leave, her sister had had a baby. She decided to go help her out and just meet them at the resort. They now had a week left, and it was not looking good. No one wanted to bother their mother since she very rarely took time for herself and was enjoying time with her family. They decided Alfred would be the one to try and convince Y/N to leave the studio at least and eat something.

He appeared in the doorway and watched silently as Y/N worked on a large canvas. He walked over and saw that it was a portrait of the family. “This is beautiful, Miss Y/L/N.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” her voice was hoarse from disuse.

“What is the plan for this one?” Alfred sat down next to her on the floor.

“Everyone hates photos, but Fallon wanted a family portrait for the sitting room. Since no one can sit still long enough I decided to paint one and give it to her for her birthday,” she slowly sucked in a breath, “Plus they only have the old one, and J--some people-- are missing from it.” Tears started to well up again in her eyes. Alfred wrapped an arm around Y/N and just sat with her for a moment.

“I’ve kicked the boys out of the kitchen. Do you think you could come down and eat something? For me?” She only nodded and they both stood. Y/N sat on a stool and silently ate the soup Alfred had laid out for her. She barely tasted anything, and she was starting to feel dizzy. Her vision started to blur, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up on the floor and had five heads floating above her.

“Hi, guys. Thought the floor looked lonely.” She tried to sit up but was cut off.

“That is it,” Bruce spoke firmly, “You are going to bed, and you are sleeping. I thought you were mature enough to deal with this but I see I was wrong.” He picked Y/N up and noticed she had lost weight. He carried her up the stairs and before he had reached her bedroom, she was already asleep again. Bruce turned to the boys. “At least one of you is staying in here with her and making sure she sleeps.”

Tim volunteered for the first shift and settled into her desk with his laptop. Y/N had barely been asleep an hour before she woke up from a nightmare of Jason dying. She shot up and shouted out his name, before bursting into tears. Tim -- being the awkward person he is -- was ill-prepared to deal with the crying Y/N. The only solution he could think of was to climb into bed with her and pull up a movie. She slowly fell asleep again and clung to Tim like a starfish. When Dick came to relieve Tim and saw that he was unable to leave, he climbed into bed with the duo. Anytime Y/N would start to become distressed, they would calm her down. Eventually, Damian and Titus joined the cuddle pile, the former somewhat reluctantly, grumbling about how he was only doing this for Y/N. Little did the Bat-Family know, Alfred had called Fallon and told her about the situation and she had rushed home.