#Bruce came down shortly after

[angstandhappiness]

LMAO YES

While funny and common having Bruce not knowing things that his kids do in fanfics, would be even funnier having him always knowing, but as long it doesn't affect him or give more work to Alfred, he just supports.

Kids planning a hidden game of paintball at the watchtower? Bruce leaves some hi tech paint gum next to the zeta and a memo saying who is there that day and a bonus to annoy someone

I mean, this person has a point! That's MY Bruce Wayne, he is the world's greatest detective after all, he knows exactly what they are doing, he just finds it funny. He took it from Alfred btw, because Alfred knows everything and if he acts like he doesn't, it's an official permission.

[ailithnight]

My brain has served me a delightful scene this morning.

Imagining a point shortly after Jason has officially been brought back to life and therefore is getting pulled into Wayne galas again. (Possibly even at his reintroduction gala, or at least one not long after.) And causing a scene/scandal for shits and giggles.

Some snobbish socialite making the comment, either to Bruce if they are that stupid or close enough to be overheard if they are marginally less stupid, "Should have left that one in the cemetery, eh?"

And for one moment, just a moment, the Brucie mask slips, and it takes ever ounce of self-awareness and restraint in his body for Bruce not to default to his training, to Batman, because How Dare You! How dare you say that about his son. The boy he lost. The boy he grieved. How dare you even insinuate he should be anything less than ecstatic, relieved, grateful that his son came back at all. Mischief and scandal and rough edges and all. Bruce loves him. How dare you imply he should wish his son was still dead.

And Jason, seeing Bruce-Batman-Dad snap, lose control, break a rich snob's nose in his defense; well it certainly doesn't fix their fucked up relationship. But it does marginally improve it. At least knocks Bruce several names down on his shitlist. Makes it a tiny bit tolerable to be around him for a few months.

[redflagshipwriter]

Mama Bat 8: Hungry

Masterpost

Danny would prefer to strike that unfortunate incident from the record and his memory. As soon as he figured out how to cause selective brain damage, it was all over for the mortifying ordeal of being perceived in weakness. He swung his legs miserably over the bathroom counter’s edge and pretended very hard that he was alone in Amity Park where no one noticed or cared if he threw up. 

He was still in the room where Cass had hustled him to clean off his face and see if there would be an encore. He’d had to make a tactical retreat away from the toilet to higher ground when big bats flapped in after him. Presumably they’d learnt that he threw up when Cass went to get whatever supplies one needed to clean partially digested yogurt off antique carpet. Ancestral carpet. Probably made of some nutty rich person material like, uh, hair from the manes of prize-winning horses.

Somehow, Danny cringed even harder. He needed brain damage immediately, please.

“And you’re certain that you don’t need to visit a medical facility?” 

Batman brooded in the literal way that a chicken brooded. Danny tightened his grip on the counter just that little bit more so that no one could drag him into a nest and sit on him. “Wouldn’t do any good,” he said shortly. It came out a little too mean. He tried to correct his voice to be nicer. “Thanks. Tho.” Danny cleared his throat.

“Tt.” Damian expelled air against his front teeth and glowered at his father. “He looks terrible. You cannot believe this.”

Wait, what? Danny blinked down at Uncle Damian, betrayed. “I look terrible?” he echoed. What the hell? Criticism, from Dames? That was new and it sucked a lot.

Bruce got a pinched look. “Danny, honey, you have been looking a little…” He trailed off. “Unwell.”

‘That would be the lack of ectoplasm,’ Danny thought snidely. He kept his mouth firmly shut and turned away. Unfortunately, he caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror and winced at it. He did look pretty wan and thin. It was hard to put a finger on what was off about his appearance, but it was sort of… deathly.

He was putting on weight again thanks to Alfred and Damian’s monitoring of his diet, but it was just a fact that he wasn’t really suited to this environment. Too human to survive in the big Green yonder, too undead to get by on bread alone.

‘...How does Jason do it? His vibes are rank and ghastly as shit,’ Danny thought enviously. ‘He screams BITCH I'M ABOUT TO COMMIT AN INTERDIMENSIONAL WAR CRIME constantly. It’s pretty fucking impressive. An aura like that is not sustained by creme anglaise and goulash. He has to have access to ecto somewhere.’ 

Danny really should have wondered that before. Jason had to be like, the most liminal human being around who wasn’t a halfa. He definitely needed ecto. Where was he getting it? Danny hadn’t really consciously thought about it, but… He felt himself tinge a little green again.

‘Was I feeding off of his ambient ectoplasm when he was here yesterday?’

His mouth filled his saliva that still tasted both sour and like toothpaste. Danny swallowed it with effort. He did not think of how good ecto tasted after you’d been denied and drained. He did not think about the sense memory of how living ecto would indent and then give with a juicy pop around his teeth, splash the inside of his mouth-

Danny buried his face in his hands and tried not to look like he was going to throw up again. Because he was not going to do that. He was not going to eat Jason and he was not going to throw up.

“Danny.” Bruce somehow made his huge strong guy vibes less intense. Danny reluctantly made eye contact to see that the guy kinda had homeless Labrador eyes at the moment. Big. Begging. Full of love and grandfatherly support that he's just waiting for you to accept. “Can I ask you a question?” 

Ugh. Yuck. Feelings.

Danny fidgeted, flexing and tensing his feet. “Yeah,” he said, after a too-long silence. “What's up?”

Damian crossed his arms over his chest, radiating intensely negative child energy into the room.

“Is there something that I'm not providing for you that would help you?” Bruce's voice was excruciatingly gentle.

Danny went stiff. 

Okay, maybe Batman wasn't a big dummy. Danny broke eye contact to look at his knees. His new jeans didn't have the usual tears over his knees. He stared at the weave, picking out an individual line of thread. Everything was so weird now. He was weird now. He’d made sense before but now he was the thing that was wrong and out of place. If he was more normal he could admit that he needed help. He could say what it was, if it wasn’t so freakish and he wasn’t struck silent by the knot in his gut.

“Whatever you need,” Bruce quietly promised. He lowered himself more to Danny's level. “I know a family who all need sunlamps to survive the winter. I have a friend who travels with his own fish tank of fresh ocean water whenever he’s on land.”

That didn’t sound very human. 

Danny sniffed. Ugh, his nose was leaking. He wiped at it with the back of a hand. “Like that tentacle horror guy from the pirate movie?’ 

Bruce's lips twitched. “Exactly like that,” he lied gravely.

He took a shaky breath in. He licked his lips. He glanced up and caught sight of Damian. Sweet, prickly Damian. The preteen was glowering as if that would hide how concerned he was. 

‘He’s a kid. That's a whole ass child. I’m not telling him I'm an existential horror that is tempted to commit cannibalism. Especially not when I’d have to admit that his big brother smells like a whole graveyard buffet.’

Damian sure talked a lot of shit, but he loved his family. A lot. He would have feelings that were way too big for his body about his ‘nephew’ needing to eat something like his big brother Jason. 

Not that Jason was a something. He was a person. Jason was definitely a someone. Danny winced away from that train of thought.

“Danny?” Bruce was barely audible. Danny blinked back to awareness to see that the man was tightly leashed in place by his self control. It was obvious that Bruce very badly wanted to take three steps closer and touch Danny. Danny drew his legs up onto the counter and hid his face between his knees. He didn’t want to look at anyone, he didn’t want to feel pressured to say anything. 

The new posture was convenient because it hid that he was starting to cry. He trembled with the effort to stay silent and mop his tears directly onto the new jeans that smelled like someone else’s laundry detergent..

He was being stupid. That was classic Danny. He hid things that didn’t need to be and he accidentally told people what should be secrets. Was he ever going to get it right? He should just tell them. Tell them! He tried to berate himself into working up the nerve but his jaw might as well have been wired shut in a morgue.

The bathroom went silent. Danny waited and waited for someone to say something. He frowned after a while even as he began to relax. Then he deliberately listened. 

It sounded like he was alone. 

It didn’t seem right, though. It took him a few moments to ping onto what he knew that disproved that. There was a warm, quiet presence about a foot to his left waiting patiently. It wasn’t quite ghostly, even though it was totally silent.

Danny sniffled on his next inhalation.

Cass didn’t say anything.

He lifted his head to see for certain that Bruce and Damian had left the room. They probably hadn’t gone far.

‘She must have asked them to get out when she came back.’

The room spun around him, blurred through his eyelashes. It might as well have been a dream. There was no harm in a dream.

“I need ectoplasm,” Danny admitted. Cass didn’t say anything or touch him. There was no pressure. He could float away if he wanted to. It was safe to admit it now. “That’s what I’m missing. And I can’t get it here. That’s why I came to Gotham. It’s not really easy to get on the living side of things. But Gotham is kinda liminal, so there’s some hotspots.” He paused. He wasn’t sure why. The air felt fragile.

Suddenly, he knew he didn’t want her to say anything yet. Danny swallowed and rushed on. “It’s, uh. What ghosts are made of.” His voice was so raspy that it didn’t even sound like him. “Jason has a lot, actually. But I don’t anymore. So. I need some.”

Cass leaned over very deliberately to put her arm over his shoulder. It was warm and real. The weight of it would keep him from floating away. He could feel the slight flex of her bicep muscles.

He swallowed. He leaned into her.

“We’ll get you what you need,” Cass promised. Simple as that.

[quadrantadvisor]

DP x DC, revenant!Jason Todd

Shortly after meeting, Danny and Jason have a late night conversation about what it means to come back. 1281 words

On AO3

-

Danny woke groggily, in a dark place that he didn't recognize, and took a moment to get his bearings.

He felt the warning ache in his neck that came from being propped up against an arm rest. There were two sources of dim light in the room—the glow of city street lights, muffled behind a curtain, and the green eyes of the man whose lap Danny's feet were propped on.

Right. Danny hadn’t meant to fall asleep on the revenant’s—on Jason’s—couch, but they’d been talking for so long, he must’ve dozed off.

Jason had had so many questions, about ectoplasm, about the zone, about Danny’s own experiences. Danny had done his best to clear up everything he could. A revenant may not be quite the same as he was, but still, it made Danny happy to be able to pass on his hard won knowledge and maybe save someone else a bit of the hurt and confusion that he’d gone through. It was what he’d always wished someone would do for him.

Jason was slumped into the couch, but he didn’t look relaxed. Danny examined his still profile, cast in strange shadows by its own green glow, and wondered how long it had been since he’d moved.

Danny shifted slightly, purposefully producing the fabric sounds of a body against upholstery, to make sure Jason knew he was awake. No reaction. Danny gave him one more moment, then asked, “You okay?”

Jason didn’t look at him when he answered, “You told me I’m basically possessing my own corpse, and I’m supposed to not be upset about that?”

Really, Danny should’ve predicted something like that. How long had he spent, trying to pretend that death hadn’t really touched him? It wasn’t an easy thing to accept.

“What’s the difference between a body and a corpse?” Danny asked.

Jason’s eyes snapped to Danny, their glow intensifying. “I am not dealing with riddle bullshit right now, I swear to-”

“No, I’m being serious,” Danny interrupted, pulling his feet from Jason’s lap and sitting himself up. “There’s one difference between a corpse and a living body, and that’s that someone is living in it. Jason—” he reached out, gripping one of Jason’s hands in his “—you’re alive. That’s what matters. The rest is details.”

Jason’s shoulders bent inwards, his other hand raising to rub at his chest. “You don’t get it,” he said, quiet. “People don’t just come back from what they did to me. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“However you died, it’s not-”

Jason huffed an ugly sound, a short and bitter laugh that Danny hurt to hear. “Is it crazy that that isn’t even what I was talking about? I meant after.” The motion on his chest was repetitive, like he was tracing something underneath his shirt, and Danny got the sinking feeling that he knew just what sort of scar it might be. “I was gone, okay? I was gone, and this body was still here. And they took it, and they cut it open and rummaged around inside to figure out what happened. Which is—” he cut off, sniffed, and Danny gripped his hand tighter “—which is stupid, right? It’s not like it wasn’t obvious.” His fingers twitched, and he continued, haltingly, “I mean, I’ve read the report. Pulled it off his stupid files. The smoke inhalation did me in. After everything that happened, it was the smoke.”

Jasons’ hand pulled out of Danny’s, and they both rose to cover his face, cutting off the glow while he curled in on himself even tighter. His voice was slightly muffled when he said, “And then they had to ship me home, right? So they bled me dry and pumped me full of formaldehyde, and they prettied me up so they could pretend I wasn’t just some empty thing, and Bruce held the tiniest most depressing little funeral known to man and put my ass in the ground, and I had to wake up down there.” His words and his breaths were coming too quick, and Danny didn’t know how to help. He didn’t want Jason to stop, not when it seemed like he needed to say all of this, but he could see just how badly the revenant was hurting.

“But you did wake up,” he whispered.

“Woke up in my own mutilated corpse!” Jason snarled. “Everything I’ve forgotten, and that memory is still crystal fucking clear! It stank in there, like death and vinegar and mud, and it was so small, and I couldn’t even try to scream for help because they sewed my fucking mouth shut—!” He broke off into a sob, and Danny couldn’t stand it anymore, had to lean into Jason’s side and wrap an arm around him as he shook with all the emotion he couldn’t reign in.

“Okay,” Danny said. Not you’re okay, just okay. “Okay, so that’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard, and I regularly hang out with a guy who wants to skin me.”

Jason sniffed. “What?”

“Nevermind. It’s just-”

“No, I think we should go back to the skinning thing-”

“I just don’t want you to let it define you,” Danny interrupted. “I did that. I got into my head about it, the whole ‘being dead’ thing, feeling like I was…” Danny gave himself a second, swallowed, “like some sort of freak. A thing that didn’t belong anywhere. But I’m still alive, and you’re alive, and even if we weren’t, it wouldn’t matter, because we’re still here, and as long as you’re here you can find something that’s worth staying for.” Danny rubbed what he hoped was a soothing pattern into Jason’s admittedly impressive bicep.

Jason let out a sigh. “I must really be pathetic if you’ve gotta pep talk me like that, huh?” he said, and Danny pretended not to see him wiping at his eyes. “Sorry,” he added, “about all this. I’ve got some shit I haven’t dealt with, and this ‘revenant’ stuff brought it up pretty bad.”

“I get it,” Danny said, and hoped Jason could tell how much he meant it.

Jason sighed again, heavy, like he was trying to release something else with his breath, and said, “It still doesn’t make any sense. Logically, I can’t be alive. Where did my blood come from?”

Danny shrugged. “Do you have blood?”

“I definitely have blood. I’ve seen a lot of it.”

That gave Danny pause. “Just like, around?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jason said, deadpan. “I’ve got a surplus, so I like to leave some here and there, make sure everyone gets a chance to appreciate it.”

“I have no idea how much you’re joking and it frightens me,” Danny told him.

“Weak,” Jason replied.

“Anyways, you gotta not think about it too much. The interdimensional goop is already logic-defying, and you’re mixing magic with it with your special soul willpower or something. Your brain will explode if you try to make it make sense.”

Jason huffed a little laugh, bouncing Danny on his shoulder, and this time it made him feel lighter. “Can I just say that I hate that I’m full of interdimensional goop?”

“Valid,” Danny said.

Even without looking at Jason, Danny could tell that he just rolled his eyes by the way the soft green light moved.

Danny had his ear pressed to Jason’s shoulder, feeling his warmth, and if he focused, he could just make out the revenant’s pulse. Personally, Danny thought it was pretty cool to be full of magic and goop and blood. Much cooler than Danny, who was way more science goop than magic goop. They’d have to compare notes on that sometime.

Maybe Jason would come around to it.

[jasmines-library]

Survivors Guilt

WHUMPTOBER DAY 9: ALT prompt: Survivors Guilt

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Summary: When jason dies after taking your place, you experience survivor's guilt.

Word count: 1k

MASTERLIST ⛤ WHUMPTOBER 2024

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You should have died that day. His screams will forever be ingrained in your consciousness; whispering away in the back of your mind. Weaving their way through the cracks like a stubborn weed. You should have died that day, but Jason’s pleading to take your place was enough to satisfy the sadistic man before you. The way his eyes twinkled with a sadistic gleam made you feel sick. You have tried. Tried impossibly hard to get the Joker to leave Jason alone. Tried to tell them that you would take the torture as you were supposed to. But Jay was far too caring for his own good and his pleas to spare you amused the Joker more than you did. Your shreeks of terror and your desperate cries; the ones that ricocheted off of the walls satisfied the Joker. But they would never bring more of a grin to his face than watching the light leave Jason’s eyes. 

By the time Bruce arrived it was already too late. Jason’s heart had long stopped beating. But once they had untied you, they had to drag you away from his body to tend to your injuries. 

You didn’t sleep for weeks after that. You would often wake up in the night screaming for him. You couldn't so much as close your eyes without seeing him. It was like he was haunting you. A ghostly reminder that he died to save you. Because of you. That it should have been you. The guilt hung heavily over your head, weighing you down. And you began to change. It eventually got to the point where you practically refused to sleep. Or rather couldn’t. It was much easier to force yourself to stay awake than to Soon you became more withdrawn. You stopped making appearances at breakfast and dinner and it grew increasingly harder for anyone to find you anywhere other than inside your bedroom. Slowly, you began to lose interest in the things you were so interested in before. You didn’t have the energy to even think about doing them.

The other members of the family noticed of course. At first they had decided to give you some space, offering support when they thought you needed it. They knew they were grieving. They were grieving too. But as the weeks passed they slowly began to notice your withdrawn nature. They missed your lively presence and just seeing your face. 

Late one afternoon, there was a knock on your bedroom door. You tried to ignore it first. Hoping that you could pretend to be asleep and that whoever it was would go away. But then the knock came again followed by your name. 

You could tell that it was Dick on the other side of the door and from his tone of voice you knew he was worried. Of course he was worried. And there was just something about the way he said your name that forced you to get up out of bed and crack open the door. 

Dick seemed rather startled when you opened the door. Truthfully, he hadn't expected you to. But he wasn’t alone. Tim and Damian were with him. 

“Hey….” he said gently. “Do you mind if we come in?”

You hesitated for a moment but let them in reluctantly before shuffling onto your bed.

“Where you been, princess?” Tim asked you “We’ve not seen you. You doing okay?”

“Yeah…” you responded quietly. “Just been…….busy.”

It was a complete lie. You hadn’t been doing much of anything, you couldn’t bring yourself to. Tim frowned a little, but didn’t comment on the matter, instead he placed a hand on your knee, rubbing over the skin gently with the pad of his thumb. 

“You've been sleeping okay?” Damian asked you. The bags under your eyes were far from subtle. 

“...better.” You just answered shortly. That guilt still hung heavy above your head. 

“Good.” a sliver of a smile appeared on Dick’s face before it morphed into a sad look. “We’re worried about you, kid.”

“I’m fine.” You tried to dismiss them. 

Tim tilted his head at you. “You don’t have to keep it bottled up, sweetheart. Talk to us.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but your words failed you. You were scared to open up.

Dick squeezed your hand. “It's alright. Tell us how you’re feeling. We’re listening.”

“I…..it should have been me.” Your words cut through the silence. Honest. And brutal. Raw and real. “He begged him to leave me alone. And he–”

“Shh…” Dick tried to soothe you. “It’s alright. You're okay.”

“Its not okay! he died because of me!”

Damian shook his head. “No. Don’t think like that. Jason died because the Joker is sick.”

“He took my place!” You said. You were on the verge of crying. You could feel the tears prickling at the back of your eyes. They could see the guilt you were experiencing. 

“What happened was not your fault. You hear me?”

“I should have tried harder.”

“No. No sweetheart….” Dick shushed you. “You couldn’t have done anything. The Joker had his mind made up. No one could have done anything to have stopped him. But Jay did what he did because he loved you. Not because you didn’t try hard enough to stop him.”

That was what pushed you over the edge. The tears began to flow. Dick pulled you close to his chest, wrapping you up tightly in his arms as you wept. Tim ran his fingers gently through your hair as Damian laced your fingers with his and traced gentle, soft circles on the back of your hand. 

“Shh…we’ve got you…. It's okay ....”

The three boys held you close, reassuring you and letting you cry. 

“We’re here for you sweetheart.” Tim said. “We’re always gonna be here for you.

“We’re gonna work through this together, okay? It might take us a little while but that’s okay.” Dick explained to you gently. “We’re here for you, kid. Always and forever”

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<- DAY EIGHT ⛤ DAY TEN ->

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TAGS:

@hearts4robs @kingshitonly @alicedawitchbish @hell-o-kittys @azure-drag0ness @harleycao @thewhispersofthewaves @batfamsstuff @xxrougefangxx @rosecentury @noisymutantherelol @killxz @rhiodes @inlovewhithafairytale @that-wannabe-vangoghgurl @canthavetoomuchchaos

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[aealzx]

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Update Post

Prologue | AO3

Previous Next

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It took some time to get Jazz to calm down enough that the others didn’t feel like they might scare her again accidentally. But by that time Alfred had come upstairs to fetch everyone for lunch, so they decided to wait just a little longer before they started looking more into Danny’s condition. Maybe after a good cry and hearty meal Jazz would be more at ease with the investigations. And once Damian was able to convince Jazz to leave the bedroom by having Titus and Ace watch over Danny they were all heading to the dining room.

“You guys didn’t find anything you like?” Tucker asked when he and Sam joined them again with Stephanie and Duke alongside them.

“Got distracted by the dogs,” Danielle claimed, knowing he was wondering why she and Jazz were still wearing the clothes they got from the safehouse. It was only part of the truth, but she didn’t want to dig into the mess that they were still trying to smooth over. Jazz didn’t need more opinions on her behavior to worry over.

“They have dogs?” Tucker asked, looking around in interest.

“Yeah, they’re watching over Danny while we get lunch,” Danielle confirmed, having to pause when they entered the dining room and noticed a few unfamiliar faces.

“Heyyyy, welcome back guys,” Stephanie chimed, cheerfully skipping slightly over to the four newcomers.

“YOU!” Tim accused, pointing his finger at Stephanie, offense saturating his posture. “You were supposed to come with us, and you ditched us! Do you know how annoying it was to pretend like Clark had no idea that I knew that he knew about the kids but I wasn’t going to say anything even if he asked?”

“Uhhhh…. No, because I have no idea what you just said,” Stephanie retorted shamelessly. “Also of course I ditched you. I knew you could handle it and I wanted to see how long everyone could last pretending the kids didn’t know them. They lasted about a minute and a half, if you were wondering.”

Tim seemed about to scold Stephanie more, but then got sidetracked by her announcement of the time it took. “Wow, that fast? What gave everyone away?”

“Jay jay,” Stephanie admitted easily. “Dani picked him out like a red apple in a barrel of grapes.”

“Hey! You’re the one that laughed first, so I say you get the blame,” Jason retorted, already finding a chair to claim for lunch.

“She knew it was you before I laughed,” Stephanie countered.

While they bickered Tim rolled his eyes and followed Cass’ lead in more formally introducing themselves to Jazz and the others. “Hey. Good to see you guys are settling in okay. My name is Tim, and this is Cass,” he greeted, holding a hand out to each of the four.

“The one in the black and red that wasn’t Jason?” Jazz asked, just to clarify.

“And you’re the one that almost dislocated my arm after I kicked you in the ribs when we first met. Nice,” Sam recognized, taking Cass’ offered hand and giving her a mildly amused smile.

It could have been seen as an accusatory comment, but Cass could easily see Sam wasn't feeling malicious about it. So Cass just nodded with a smile, shaking Sam’s hand before pointing at her face. “I like your makeup. Steph’s?”

“Yeah, I asked if I could borrow some since she had the colors I like. I have to say I’m really loving the lip gloss,” Sam confirmed. It was nice to feel more like herself again, having her hair brushed and pulled into an elastic, and face properly decorated.

“It looks good. So you like black and purple, and not just black?” Tim added, noting that Sam was also wearing purple in her clothes.

“As long as it’s dark enough,” Sam confirmed.

“Okay, so are we just supposed to keep pretending we don’t know about them, or are you going to introduce us?” The question came from one of the others who had returned with Cass and Tim, leaning in towards Dick after having conversed with him shortly and whispering loudly.

Dick just snickered, but Bruce was the one that responded first. “You two weren’t supposed to be here until this evening,” he chided, giving the two of them a stern stare.

“Ehhhhh, afternoon, evening, it’s only a few hours apart,” the blonde visitor dismissed, shrugging. “We figured we'd just follow the family home. Besides, this way we can get a headstart on what you wanted us for.”

“And we get some of Alfred’s cooking,” his companion chimed in, snatching a small sandwich from the platter.

“Iiii knew that’s why you followed Tim home,” Dick grinned, folding his arms and shaking his head at his friend. “Wally, this is Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and Dani with an I,” he finally gave in, gesturing to each of the guests in turn. “Guys this is my friend, Wally, and his mentor Barry.”

“Nice to meet you,” Barry greeted, offering his hand.

“Finally,” Wally chimed in, the sandwich already gone.

“Yeaah figures you already knew. Stalker,” Tim jabbed at Wally, earning a snort from Danielle.

“Stalker? What earned you that nickname?” Danielle asked, knowing there was a story behind it if they were still friends despite the accusation.

“Wally gets bored, so checks in on all of his friends throughout the day,” Dick explained, starting to usher everyone to join the others at the lunch table.

“Only because my friends like to get shot at, stabbed, thrown off buildings, and engage in various other activities that are generally detrimental to their health,” Wally counters, flicking the bandage on Dick’s head. “Seriously. I just checked on you this morning and then you went and got attacked by Slade.”

“Should have been on time instead of early then,” Dick brushed off, “We handled it.”

“Well, as far as the Justice League is concerned, you did. But I’m betting she helped,” Wally snickered, pointing at Danielle.

“You bet I did,” Danielle confirmed proudly while dishing up her plate with way more food than the others.

“Aw, you have a new sidekick, Dick,” Wally snickered, then noticed just how much food Danielle had. “Hey wait- She’s not another speedster is she? You’re not replacing me are you?”

The accusation caused Dick to snort, shoving his hand in Wally’s face. “As if,” he declined with a huff. “She’s not a speedster. Just eats a lot.”

“Bet I could eat more than you,” Danielle challenged, not fully knowing what she was getting into.

Wally belted a laugh at the response, but didn’t immediately turn her down. “HA! I doubt it, but it’s been a while since someone tried. You’re on!” he accepted, even if he wouldn’t actually compete with her. No one else would get any lunch if he ate everything he could after all.

While Dick and Sam shifted away from the two children who started devouring their food as Stephanie started taking pictures, Sam looked over to Barry. “So… why are you here?”

Instead of answering Sam, Barry just passed her question onto Bruce by also looking to the man for an answer. Tim told them to stop by this evening, but he hadn’t told them why.

“Barry works as a forensic chemist. I wanted a second opinion on the analysis I have of ectoplasm,” Bruce responded easily. He wasn’t above using the resources he had, especially when someone’s health was on the line.

“Ectoplasm?” Barry repeated, face scrunching in confusion. “Why would I know anything about that? Shouldn’t you ask someone like John for ghost related stuff?”

“No,” Bruce answered simply, not caring to elaborate while Jazz and the others could overhear, even if Jazz was currently updating Sam and Tucker about the diluted ectoplasm that he had managed to obtain.

It wasn’t much of an answer, but having known Bruce for as long as he did Barry wondered if it was because of reasons better not discussed right then. “Fair enough. Sure, I’ll take a look,” he agreed with a shrug, filing the conversation away for later and returning to the meal.

______________

The rest of lunch was just another meal at the Wayne Manor. Once everyone had finished eating, with Wally deliberately making the challenge with Dani a slight win on his side, the kids helped Alfred clean up. Bruce was quick to head back upstairs with Leslie, Barry and Jazz, eager to start making more progress on getting Danny taken care of. It ended up being like they had thought, and now that Jazz had had a moment to cry and be comforted, and a good meal in her belly, she was a lot more patient and receptive to their explanations. It helped that Barry could explain the more chemical side of things when Leslie’s medical knowledge wasn’t quite enough. Because of them Jazz was easily able to accept them using a burn cream Bruce had added a plant toxin neutralizer to on Danny’s injury when Leslie changed the bandages and inspected it this time. And, with a little more explanation for why a blood draw was necessary for a metabolic panel to make sure they weren’t giving Danny too much vitamins as well as to help Bruce and Barry isolate a true sample of ectoplasm, Jazz allowed them to fill the vials they needed. Though it did take longer than Leslie was used to considering the ice fueled stasis appeared to be slowing his blood flow as well.

Something they would soon find was a good thing for more than just prolonging any natural deterioration from being in a coma.

“Huh, so this is the substance you’re looking for,” Barry commented, the tiny sample of blood enlarged under the microscope he was gazing into. Even without having seen various forms of contaminated blood and having to pick apart the details before, it was easy to focus on the brightly glowing green substance.

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed. “When the others treated the kids the first time they were able to get dead tissue samples from all of them, but only enough to run DNA tests to try to pinpoint their identities. There was residue of ectoplasm in the samples, but this was all I was able to gather for it based on that,” he recapped, passing the bottle with the remainder of the diluted ectoplasm to Barry when he looked up.

“Makes sense why she said it was like skim milk,” Barry noted, looking at the bottle as well as the microscope images of its substance that Bruce had pulled up on the computer. “I have to admit, I don’t think it’s a chemical. At least not in the sense that I’m used to. It isn’t like anything I’ve seen before- honestly it looks more like the magic saturated fragments I run across sometimes working on League stuff. You sure you don’t want to contact John, or even Zatana about this?”

“Constantine is an exorcist,” Bruce reminded tersely, “Manipulative personality aside, I don’t think bringing a ghost hunter to help with an injured ghost child would be a wise decision, nor make a good impression on the others.” Not to mention he just didn’t want to deal with the magic user if he could help it. “And Zatanna is trying to keep her distance from the Justice League. I’d like to respect that.”

“Good point,” Barry agreed with a wince, refraining from commenting that Bruce was doing surprisingly well about not completely avoiding the supernatural part of this situation.

“Should I contact Raven then?” Damian spoke up from where he’d been silently watching the process. He was curious about how this ectoplasm substance was apparently so different from the Lazarus pit water, but the current conversation had made him think of his friend.

“Raven?” Bruce repeated, prompting Damian to continue.

“She’s an experienced mage, who is also familiar with living and traveling between dimensions, like Zatara. She also has high empathy, and is closer to the others in age. They might be more receptive to her,” Damian responded.

Bruce was silent as he thought about the proposal, but eventually nodded. While Bruce knew Zatanna would help if she found out it was for Danny, someone who was severely injured, he would still respect her need for a break since they had other options.

“Bruce,” Leslie suddenly called over to them as Damian turned to his phone, sounding tense, borderline afraid. “Is that antitoxin you made safe for intravenous injection?” she prompted when Barry and Bruce paused to listen to her.

Instead of answering her immediately, Bruce stole the microscope from Barry and adjusted the dials. It was hard to tell at first, but there was definitely something else unfamiliar in the blood other than the ectoplasm. Something much smaller, but familiar enough to Bruce from his studies of the blood blossom toxin while he was trying to create an antitoxin. “...It hasn’t been tested for that. We shouldn’t risk it with the state he’s in,” Bruce finally answered, pulling back from the microscope with a furrowed brow as he realized what had Leslie so stressed.

“What’s wrong?” Barry asked, taking a peek at the microscope again, but figuring he should just ask to see if they would give him a quick answer.

“The toxin is in Danny’s bloodstream,” Leslie responded, raising her hands to her arms in stressed discomfort. “That topical cream isn’t going to be effective enough.” And they didn’t have an antitoxin they could give Danny either.

“Ohhh, that’s not good,” Barry agreed. So that’s what the bright red substance he’d seen was. “You said this toxin doesn’t exist in our dimension?” he asked, getting a confirming nod and hum from Bruce. “Trying to figure out an antitoxin injection would take way too long then. What other options do we have? Dialysis? If we can’t neutralize it then we should try to strip it out, yeah?”

“Dialysis is for fluids. But…,” Leslie half corrected, but the question did bring up another possibility. She had to take a moment to consider the effects it might have though, speaking up semi hesitantly. “Hemoperfusion could potentially work if we can find which resin the toxin will attach to.”

“Hemoperfusion resin, got it,” Barry nodded, ready to run off and find whatever he could get for them to test. They already had some of Danny’s blood, they could just test it under the microscope to make sure they were using the proper resin. But Bruce reached out to grab his shoulder.

“Hang on Barry. We agreed to talk to Jazz first before we tried anything with Danny. Don’t run off just yet,” Bruce scolded lightly, ignoring the subtly pleased expression Leslie got about him sticking to his promise to keep Jazz included.

“I’m worried about the side effects as well. If he needs ectoplasm then we have to make sure the resin doesn't also filter that out. And it’s common for hemoperfusion to strip out a percentage of platelets, white blood cells, and other components of blood that should stay,” Leslie admitted. There was a reason hemoperfusion wasn’t commonly used.

“We can monitor him closely during and after the treatment. And we can ask Danielle if she’s willing to give some of her blood for a transfusion if he ends up too deficient in anything,” Bruce offered as a potential course of action if the side effects were too much. Low platelets, blood sugar, or the like was better than being poisoned.

“Danielle?” Leslie asked, extremely uncomfortable with asking someone so young for a blood donation when they should have been looking for a compatible adult.

“Danielle is a clone. Obvious differences aside, she and Danny have the closest DNA match we could ever get. Plus her blood is already saturated with ectoplasm, so we won’t risk diluting what he already has,” Bruce responded, though it seemed just mentioning Danielle was a clone was enough for Leslie to understand.

“Very well,” Leslie sighed, accepting the proposed course of action. “Let’s talk with Jazz then.”

____________________

IIiiiii hit this story WAY too hard in the beginning and gave myself a slight burnout X'DDD whoops. And then this part just did not want to make pretty words in my head or on page, so I'm just dumping it like an overcooked potato

Having too many characters in a scene is haaaard yo. Also Wally seems to have an inconsistent appearance, so I hope he looks okay 8'D

I learned that hemoperfusion is a thing that exists because of researching for this X'DD

____________________

Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02,@oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics,

[auroreliis]

Platonic Yandere!Batfam

Summary: The Batfamily wants to spend time with you, so they force you to watch a film with them.

CW: no warnings

(slightly edited; not proofread)

The sound of keyboard clatter filled the room as your eyes stayed glued to the screen in front of you. Its luminescence stung at your eyes, yet you chose to disregard the uncomfortable sensation, instead opting to blink the dryness away. You were too desperate to distract yourself with video games to notice the tall figure entering your room. You only realized your bedroom door had even been opened when the light from the hallway hit the wall in front of you. The sudden illumination of your room had caught your attention as your heart skipped a few beats. You didn't hear a thing. How were they always so quiet? You glanced at the large shadow cast by whoever entered the room. After briefly scanning over the muscular silhouette you narrowed it down to two people: Jason or Bruce. The fact that anyone bothered you at all was bad enough so you chose to shift your focus back onto the bright screen and pretend you didn't notice how much brighter your previously dark room had gotten.

You were almost convinced that it had worked, when you were suddenly proven wrong. "Your siblings want to watch a film. I figured you should also be invited. Perhaps this way you can spend more time with them", a deep voice spoke. It was Bruce. Your face scrunched up immediately. You did not like that suggestion. Your fingers rested on the keyboard while you were trying to come up with a response. He definitely knew you were avoiding them. You had stopped being completely disobedient, but you did vanish from sight whenever you had the chance to. Declining the offer was what first came to mind, but deep down you knew it wasn't really an offer. Even if you refused, they would drag you down to the living room, you could cry, kick and scream all you want, but there was no escaping their suffocating embraces. So you agreed, albeit begrudgingly. Seemingly satisfied with your reply he smiled at you and gestured towards the hallway, waiting for you to exit your room.

His hand was placed on your shoulder the whole trip to the living room. You wanted to complain about it, but he would need to hear a really good excuse to oblige and you couldn't think of anything other than "It feels restricting", so you chose to keep your mouth shut and endure it. You didn't even need to enter the living room to hear the chaos coming from inside. You couldn't make out a lot of words, as most of the sounds were just screaming, but you did come to the conclusion that they simply had troubles choosing a film to watch. You stopped abruptly, causing Bruce to turn to you and ask, "Is everything okay? Are they too loud? Wait here, I'll tell them to quiet down." With that he left, only to return shortly after, guiding you to the large room. They didn't seem to pay much attention to your appearance until Damian spoke, "I'm sitting next to them!"

Immediately you were dragged to the middle of the sofa, where you were currently sandwiched between Jason and Dick. "Not fair! You sat next to them last time, too!" said Tim, who was clearly not happy with being seated away from you. "Well, I sat down first. Maybe if you had been quicker, you would've gotten this spot", Jason retorted. "Let's not fight, there will always be a next time!" said Dick happily, as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You slightly cringed at the contact before a groan reminded you of the ongoing argument between the siblings. "That's easy for you to say. You sit next to them every time", Tim spoke again, not wanting to lose the argument. "Yes. It's my turn to sit next to them" added Damian. Before the dispute could evolve, Bruce spoke and reminded everyone that this was supposed to be a calm Movie Night. After that, they all managed to shut up.

Tim, after bitterly sitting down next to Jason, asked what kind of film you should watch and the next dilemma ensued: Jason desperately wanted to watch a scary film, claiming that he wanted to see you scared. Dick, on the other hand, was very eager to watch a lighthearted, family-friendly film. Both Damian and Jason were not pleased with that suggestion. It took Bruce intervening once again for the Movie Night to proceed. Jason, in control of the remote, turned on a scary film and didn't let anyone complain.

Much to your dismay, the film was full of jump-scares, unnerving scenes, gore and violence. Before you knew it, you were clinging to Jason and Dick out of fear. Every now and then you glanced away from the television, only to see a smug grin adorning Jason's face, as he pulled you closer to himself. Dick, conversely, wore an expression of distress after noticing how tightly you were gripping his arms. You failed to notice how bitter Tim and Damian looked after not being able to sit next to you. Bruce was also a bit disappointed, but he didn't let that show.

The film ended and the screen faded to black. They turned the lights on and you were left there, paralyzed by fear. Jason, wanting to appear like a kind older brother, offered to let you sleep in his room for the night (or longer, if you wanted to). Although you were scared, you declined. You almost missed how all the others exhaled in relief. There was no way you would be caught accepting their affection, especially not when it was Jason. He would most certainly tease you and your leftover pride would most certainly shatter.

So here you were, laying in your bed with your back pressed against the mattress in order to have a clear view of any possible attackers. It had been a few hours since you first tried to fall asleep. The film you watched with your family shook you to your core. The gore filled scenes replayed in your mind all night long until you decided that this was futile.

Getting out of bed, you slipped on your slightly oversized slippers and made your way into the hall. Now it was time to decide whose door you would knock on. Although you really didn't want to admit it, you were scared and tired, so you contemplated your choices.

You could go to Dick's room, but you would need to prepare yourself accordingly. You wouldn't be able to drink anything, because once he had you in his grasp, he definitely wouldn't let you go for a bathroom break. You would also need to prepare yourself to be throw around like a sack of potatoes, because that guy cannot sleep in one position for the whole night. Overall, not worth it.

Jason was an option, but not the best choice. The only reason you watched a scary film in the first place, was because he wanted you to seek his protection and the only reason you didn't want to let him have that was spite. Besides, he was already smug enough, no need to add fuel to an explosion. Hard pass.

Tim is...probably the best option. He's sly enough to know not to tease you too much and can also resist being clingy most of the time. Your only concern was that he would still be up at this time.

And then there was Damian. He wasn't weak per se, but clinging to a twelve year old somehow hurt your pride more than clinging to Jason.

Tim it is.

Making your way to Tim's room was much more uncomfortable than you expected. You kept looking over you shoulder, not being able to escape the feeling of being watched. By the time you were in front of Tim's door, you had almost been sprinting.

You were about to knock on the door when a very enthusiastic Tim opened it and all but dragged you inside. You were pushed onto the bed and told to make yourself comfortable. He swiftly turned off all his devices and joined you.

It took you a few minutes to process the situation you were in, since his actions had been so fast. You were in Tim's bed. His chest was pressed against your back. His arms were wrapped securely around your waist and his face was tickling the back of your neck.

Not what you would consider ideal circumstances, but at least you knew he would keep this a secret between the two of you, right?

[starry-bi-sky]

tales of the passerine - danny fenton being bruce wayne's first kid

okay okay. so this is like a continuation/elaboration of my oneshot/prompt i wrote about the idea that Danny was the first batkid. We have a lot of aus where he joins the family after the rest of the bats do, right? So hey! Lets shake things up a bit. Danny is the first to be adopted by Bruce Wayne.

Danny's parents and unfortunately Jazz die shortly after the events of TUE -- how so? I was gonna say an ecto-filter explosion, that would call back to the TUE explosion and trauma behind that. But lets do something new! Carbon-monoxide poisoning.

It's not too unexpected for something to break in the Fenton house, especially with the Fenton parents' questionable understanding of proper weapon handling and lab safety. The water heater broke from a stray shot by one of the weapons, and was promptly MacGyver'd incorrectly. Danny went to stay with Tucker for a guys' night, and came back to a dead silent house.

(Danny's neighbors got a very unfortunate shock when he ran to the next house over in hysterics.)

There was a lot of shuffling around with CPS, the police. People had to be called in to handle the equipment in the lab, and the GIW was rumoring to show up in aid to clearing the scene. When Danny heard of that, he immediately went and dismantled the ghost portal to the best of his abilities. He burned the physical blueprints of all his parents' inventions, their blueprints on the ghost portal, and their most dangerous weapons were destroyed beyond recognition. Anything to prevent the GIW from getting their hands on his parents' tech.

It opened up another investigation, but he was not under the list of suspects. He was placed in the care of Vlad Masters, where they then went back to the rebuilt castle mansion in Wisconsin. Danny, terrified of the future that has once passed and may do so again, shuts down in his grief. Inadvertently, he ends up somewhat repressing his ghost half. Something Vlad, who is grieving Madeline but relishing in Jack's demise and his custody of Daniel, is not very happy with.

Vlad's... gone into a bit of a mental health spiral. He's becoming increasingly possessive over Daniel, the final remnants of his friends and a liminal being like him. He doesn't like that Danny's repressing his ghost half -- both out of genuine concern as a ghost, but also because of his desire to control Danny and groom him into the perfect son. If you ever had a phase where you read Dark SBI found family fics, first off; me too bro, and second off; those are the vibes I'm thinking of.

Danny's mentally shut down from grief! And fear. He's dropped into a bad depressive state -- paralyzed with grief and the terror of the inevitable. Clockwork saved his parents because he believes in second chances, but what's the point of that when his family ended up dead anyways? Danny doesn't wanna believe that he's destined to become evil, and he's holding out onto that hope, but it's a thin line, and he feels utterly hopeless and trapped. He hasn't used his powers or ghost form since he trashed the lab, and Vlad has alarms set up to prevent him from trying to escape.

He's also unintentionally cut off Sam and Tucker -- both of whom are so scared and concerned for Danny too, and are trying their damndest to reach out to him. He keeps ignoring their texts. Danny basically haunts Vlad's manor. He goes out to eat if he has to, attends parties Vlad drags him to, and stays in his room all day if he can.

At parties, Vlad doesn't allow Danny to leave his side, or really talk to anyone -- not that Danny wants to. A product of Vlad's increasing possessiveness. Well, he almost doesn't let Danny leave his side. Danny has a habit of slipping off to hide somewhere for the parties whenever he can, and Vlad reluctantly allows it so long as he stays alone.

This becomes an advantage when eventually, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after missing for years, and holds a bright charity ball to celebrate the return. Vlad has been chomping at the bits to get his hands on Wayne Industries, and with the return of its owner there is no better opportunity to wipe out his rival. He goes, and he as normal, brings Daniel with him.

Vlad thinks Wayne will bleed his little heart out for Daniel's poor orphan sob story -- he's a fellow orphan himself, after all. He's not wrong; Wayne's little heart will bleed, just not in the way that benefits him.

Bruce sees Vlad and Danny approaching before they're even close enough to introduce themselves - and like with many of the children he will soon come to care for, it's like someone set a mirror into the past right in front of him.

Danny Fenton's suit is tailor-made for him, and despite the fact that it's his perfect size, the sag in his shoulders, the ducked down head, and the way he hunches into himself all pictures the image of a child in shoes too big for him. There's a far away, glazed over look in his eyes and grief marble-cut into the lines of his face. There's not enough makeup in the world that will hide the dark circles under his eyes.

("My nephew, Daniel Fenton." Vlad's hands are possessive on Danny's shoulders. Bruce immediately notices the way the boy tenses under his touch. "His parents passed recently, and as his godfather I was designated his guardian.") ("I'm so sorry, the loss must've been terrible.") ("Yes, carbon-monoxide poisoning caused it. Daniel was out with friends, when he came home... they had already passed.") (Bruce immediately dislikes that Vlad shared the details of their death unprompted -- he likes it even less when Danny flinches at the reminder and hunches into himself.)

Danny runs off at some point earlier into the charity. At this point, parties are still being held at Wayne Manor (because iirc google search mentioned that was a thing at first before it was changed), so he disappears and hides in one of the empty rooms nearby. It just so happens to be the same room Bruce Wayne hides in when he needs a break from all of the socialization.

Thus begins a long, long process of trust. Bruce can't reveal his hand as being smarter than he looks, but he can be compassionate. Kindness needs no measure of intelligence. He keeps Danny company for as long as he can before he runs the risk of being found.

Rinse and repeat. Vlad insistently wants Wayne Industries, and he'll go to as many Wayne parties as he can to get his hooks into the man. The problem is that Bruce Wayne is never alone, and getting him alone is impossible. Finding him too. It's like the man never stops moving. Always talking to someone, always circling somewhere. He orbits around the room as if he isn't the sun of the Gotham Elite's solar system.

Danny's had such repetitive behavior that Vlad never thinks to believe that Bruce Wayne is disappearing to go talk to him. That "Vlad's" son is even interacting with him at all. Danny never gives him a reason to think so, and neither does Bruce.

Danny doesn't actually acknowledge Bruce until a handful of parties in, where he hands Bruce a small slip of paper he smuggled in that says; "don't trust Vlad". Danny's face stays carefully blank, but he's so tense that his hands are trembling, and he's purposely looking away from him. Bruce plasters a smile onto his face, slips the paper into his pocket, and tells him "okay".

(he's been busy with his own goals with the mafia, but he sets aside time to investigate Vlad Masters. He was holding off. Until now.)

Danny does eventually start speaking to Bruce, he's starting to really like the guy. He's starting to see a little hope, even as Vlad is starting to get more and more agitated with him the more he refuses to use his powers.

He reaches out to Sam and Tucker again, and starts trying to reconnect with them. Vlad has spyware on his phone, and he limits the amount of times he can talk to them. A weird parental control lock of some sort that leaves a time limit on how long he can talk to them for. 30 minutes. Danny doesn't tell them anything about Mr. Wayne.

Danny, slowly, wants out of here, and he's slowly gathering the motivation to do it. Vlad is genuinely scaring him -- and Danny wonders just how truthful the past-future Vlad was when he told him that Danny wanted his ghost half separate. He starts trying to come up with an escape plan.

Vlad has anti-ghost wards everywhere around the mansion, and while they're always on, they boost to full power at sunset. The doors and windows are always locked, all main exits have alarms set on them. The only reason it's not super extensive is because Danny hasn't tried leaving at all yet, so Vlad hasn't had to tighten anything.

At night, Vlad locks the door to his room and puts up an anti-ghost ward around the room. The mansion is on the outside westward side of Madison, more entrenched in rural Wisconsin. The closest town is a four-way stop sign with one house on three corners, and an open bar on the fourth. Not much to go.

He refuses to go to Sam and Tucker; Vlad would look there first. It's too dangerous. Vlad would sound alarm bells and have a manhunt looking for him, Danny can't risk going just anywhere. Too much risk of being found, sold out, or caught. There's really nowhere for him to hide.

Until there is. Bruce is telling Danny about the history of Wayne Manor, and says, as casually as saying the weather; "The manor has dozens of empty rooms, I'm sure Alfred wouldn't mind filling another one if he could." And quietly, hesitantly, Bruce places a careful hand on Danny's shoulder, unrestrictive and gentle; "He wouldn't mind getting one ready for you if you need one."

And there it is. There's his out.

Danny, just as quietly, replies; "I'll keep that in mind."

The ball starts rolling.

Now I've been trying to summarize this au as much as possible for length convenience, but Vlad has been steadily growing more and more controlling. More emotionally manipulative. More agitated at Danny for not using his powers.

He wants Wayne Industries under his thumb but he's been steadily growing more and more concerned with Danny. He's started grabbing him, yanking him around, shaking him; trying to goad him into using his powers. He gets angry when Danny doesn't react, or tells him he doesn't want to use his powers. He hasn't outright attacked him, but he's getting there. This has been happening over the time it takes for Bruce to indirectly offer Danny sanctuary at his home.

It all comes to a head when Vlad stops going to parties at all -- something Danny has to pretend he isn't upset about -- because Vlad doesn't want him around other people anymore. Vlad rarely goes now without him, and only leaves to go to a Wayne function or to handle something at VladCo.

Danny can't wait for Vlad to leave long enough to escape. So he leaves during the night of a big storm. Vlad's locked him in his room, but Danny doesn't bother trying to go for it; he goes to the alarmed window instead. Danny's been repressing his ghost half so long that he can't access his powers immediately anymore -- he can feel it, he knows its there, but he can't quite reach it.

He breaks the lock by hand.

Immediately the alarm goes off through the entire castle, filling the room with red, and he scrambles for the rope the Wisconsin Ghost left for him a few months back. Danny's already out and climbing down the side of the castle before Vlad even reaches his door -- the only good thing about the entire room being ghost-proof is that Vlad can't get in that way.

The rope ends before it reaches the bottom, and he's still twenty feet in the air. It won't kill him if he lands it right. Danny takes his chances, and drops. He breaks his ankle, but he survives.

And he fucking books it to the back garden. He hears Vlad shrieking over the thunder and rain.

I'll save the full experience for a future oneshot, but Danny makes it out into the nearby woods and forcibly experiences what it's like to be in a horror game, trying to hide from the thing that's hunting you. There's only one thing going through his mind; "i'm going to die"

I have this mental image for this scene. Very stereotypical horror imo. Where Danny is hiding behind a tree, with a hand over his mouth, and Vlad is a few feet away from him, glowing ominously red through the trees, trying to search for him.

Danny doesn't get away from this unscathed, but he does get away alive. That's all he could ask for. He gets away by getting his ghost half awakened long enough to transform into Phantom and fly to Gotham.

But he gets to Wayne Manor, he gets to Bruce. Or, at least, Alfred answers the door from his insistent pounding. Danny's just in tears and Alfred gets him in the living room, wrapped in a towel, with ice on his swollen leg before he has to step out and alert Bruce.

Bruce already breaks multiple traffic laws on a nightly basis. And that's just with the sheer existence of the batmobile itself, not including the speeding and military artillery attached. He breaks double the amount trying to speed back to the cave and get out of the suit.

Right off the bat: Bruce will know, at least before Dick enters the picture, about danny's powers. He'll figure out something considering the fact that Danny traveled from Wisconsin to New York in a single night. That'll be a bit of complicated affair, but I've already got something in mind.

Actually it'll probably be very soon after Danny joins the family, because Bruce tries to offer to fight for custody for Danny - the state Danny was in at arrival is clear enough evidence for a trial. But Danny immediately shuts it down, says it's not going to work and then Vlad will know Danny's with him and he won't be safe. He tells him that Vlad cannot know Danny was with Bruce.

Danny's biggest regret was not telling his parents he was a halfa, and while he doesn't want to tell mister wayne (yet), he does tell him about Vlad being one. He needs to know why Danny can't be seen with Bruce. So he tells him, and Danny's current plan is to just hide out from Vlad until he turns 18. That way, he has no more legal jurisdiction over him. After that? He's not sure.

And to wrap this up, since this has already gotten very long and I can make more posts about this au later; I've thought about it, and I'm going to say that Danny does become a vigilante before Dick enters the scene. He goes by, as you probably guessed; Nightingale. "Gale" for short.

[calphalon]

wine and dine | dick grayson headcanons

⤵ tw: not an uppercase in sight, unhealthy relationship, obsessive behavior, possessive behavior, yandere, manipulation/semi-gaslighting, implied purposeful harm ⤵ note: i just think he is overbearing and overstimulating on purpose, but he makes up for it by buying you literally anything ever ⤵ inspo song: under my skin by jukebox the ghost

- dick grayson is not shy when it comes to buying your happiness, a trait he picked up from bruce growing up. even if you’re not comfortable with this, gift giving is deep in his blood.

- it doesn’t matter where you came from before him because everything feels like humble beginnings in comparison to the endless fortune dick has a share in. there is enough money on that black card of his to solve problems you hadn’t even thought of yet, and it was intimidating the power he had just with a call of his name.

- he takes you into places where the price is never discussed, at least not to you. and if you hesitate due to how much you think it costs, he’ll find a way to talk you into getting it anyways. clothes with brands you only thought you’d see photos of, flights to the next place to vacation he randomly planned without telling you, restaurant reservations at such popular locations not even the queen could get a table as soon as he did for you.

- “but wouldn’t this look nice for a date? that way we’ll look good together. people will know we belong together.”

- that’s his excuse often, that the two of you would look better together if you matched. If everyone saw the two of you and immediately knew the two of you were a set. that if you were somehow lost, they would just have to take one look at you to know you were his. some of this is because he wants you to be pampered the way he thinks you deserve…

- some of it is also because there is an image he has to keep as the first son of the wayne legacy. the torch his father passed down to him, playboy billionaire with a desire for a good time, has to be held high even if it comes at the cost of your happiness.

- some of it also because you’re like the perfect doll for him. so easy to dress up and play with, keeping him entertained even when you’re far too tired to do much of anything. he wants to pick you up and take you everywhere, even places you don’t belong, just as an excuse to show off his favorite pastime.

- he does care though, at least he says he does when you’re crying about how you have no privacy with all the cameras in your face all of the time. how people will go to extremes just to capture video and photos of you at your lowest, in those moments you thought you were actually alone.

- he tells you how well you look, how he’ll shield you from all the press tonight so the two of you can just enjoy each other's company without the worry of the outside world. dick will never admit he gave some of those photos and videos on purpose just so you’d come to him seeking a moment of peace. that you would vent to him. that you would see him as the only one who can bring you back to that feeling of normal, even if he is the cause of all the stress.

- you’re his charity case, something to make him feel like a hero when he isn’t playing nightwing. someone to see him as he knows he is, the perfect man. the protagonist's love interest that gives purpose to the story.

- he could never explain where he disappears off to, that he’s the hero in the night who guards the city you’re locked within the border of. excused off as necessary trips… maybe he likes the way you seem so desperate to know if he’s humoring other lovers during this time. maybe he wants you to get as jealous as he does when he sees anyone even try to sway you from him.

- he likes to rush your relationship, asking you to move in less than a month into the relationship and suggests marriage shortly after. he wants you to depend on him for everything. money, safety, privacy, care, everything.

- the home he bought, decorated just for you to house you when he wasn’t playing with you, had everything he could think of to remind you just how much of yours was his. Nothing of your old life made its way in, whether it be a single piece of clothing, a photo of your friends, or even your pet from before. everything in that house was his, including you.

- if he could be the air in your lungs and the blood in your veins he would be. he doesn’t realize how much he wants to live inside your skin, to puppet your brain and convince you he is all there is in the world.

- maybe that’s why it hurts so much when he gets back from a long mission, excused as a family trip that you couldn’t go to because he was concerned how the family would react to you being there, and you’re not there.

- that none of the gifts he has bought you while he was gone, the ones he had sent over special just for you so you’d still be able to be dressed up by him even with all the distance, were touched let alone opened.

- when he calls for you through the house? nothing. phonecalls? voicemail. He knew you had run off when he noticed your wardrobe just a bit less full and that pretty wedding band he got for you left on your nightstand.

- barbara knew he was desperate when dick came knocking on her door, begging for some sort of help finding his lost doll. pleading that you were out there, probably so scared and alone without him. you have nowhere to go without him, that you had nothing else but him.

- when the two of them found that you, where you had run off to while he was gone, dick called in a few more favors to make sure he would never lose you again. maybe if he gave you a reason to fear everything but him, you’d be truly trapped in the dollhouse he built for you. 

thank you everyone for the support !! please do reblog & share if you enjoyed so i know what people are interested in. if you happen to have any requests, feel free to drop those in the ask box :D

[gilverrwrites]

hopefully you're still doing these umm <<3 love you, hope you're feeling better soon totally feel you on the period stuff rn...😔

but emoji prompts for brucie, hal and/or jason (1 or all if you want)

❤️, ⏰, 😴, 🚨, 👄

i hope that's not too many!!

Hal and Jason are under the cut!

Bruce

❤️ making love headcanon

Bruce doesn't make love to you nearly enough for his liking. It's his favourite form of sex, every night he wants nothing more than to come home and show you how much he loves and appreciates you. Every morning he watches you climb out of the bed to prepare for the day and he thinks about kissing every inch of your skin until you agree to get back under the sheets with him. But rarely does he have the time to make good on his desires, or the energy, or the headspace. So he settles for quick romps in the shower, or lazy screwing when he gets home from patrol at 5AM when you're still half asleep and remains ever grateful that you never demand more for him.

⏰ fave time of day to have sex

Sunrise. Not always, often times he is exhausted and beat up and he just wants to sleep in your arms, but other times when he comes home from Batman duties, he's high on the adrenaline and desperate to let off some steam.

Any other night he hates when you wait up for him, but not those nights.

😴 falling asleep after sex

Bruce rarely falls asleep before you do, even when you're retiring at the same time. It's ingrained in him, not to let his guard down around others, even the people he trusts most. So usually he lets you rest your head on his chest, and watches you fall asleep first, no matter how weary he is, and once you're safe and sound and fast asleep he’ll doze off.

🚨 sex that sent me to the ER headcanon

[Repeated] The one time you managed to convince him to fuck you in the batcave. It had been a long night, he’d been craving your touch, he just wanted to get lost in your body. He’d been letting his mind drift, picturing it when you appeared to him, just like a mirage, in the sleek black nightwear he’d bought just for you.

“Bruce, please, I’ve missed you. I need you.”

The moment you were in reach he grabbed you, pressing you to the desk of the bat-computer, absentmindedly forgetting about the freeze gun he’s apprehended from Mr Freeze hours earlier. You managed to accidentally push in the trigger, freezing your thigh in the process. Fortunately, you came out the other side with all your limbs and minimal skin damage.

👄 making out headcanon

Bruce can make out really sloppy. He's got the movie-style, breathtaking, paparazzi-ready kisses down to a T. But in the privacy of your shared home, Bruce isn't really one for making out. Even when things are getting heated and the kisses are coming hot and heavy, tongues stay in your own mouths.

Hal

❤️ making love headcanon

It was a picnic under the stars, your face lit with the green glow of the candles he'd constructed, as you rolled around together on the gingham blanket. There was grass in your hair and starlight in your eyes as you smiled at him, ecstasy on your face.

That was the first time he considered the sex with you to be love making, that was the moment he knew he loved you.

⏰ fave time of day to have sex

Hal’s favourite sex is celebratory sex. He likes to be the big hero, likes it when you slide around his dick, kiss his neck, caress his hair, and sing his praises to reward him for a job well done. This can happen at any time of day really, the universe could come under threat at any time, and Hal will cum under you shortly after.

😴 falling asleep after sex

Hal is cuddly after sex. It’s a frequent occurrence for him to fall asleep with his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck, his hands cradling you close. It’s also a frequent occurrence for him to snore right into your ear and drool straight onto your chest, especially if you’ve really tired him out that night.

🚨 sex that sent me to the ER headcanon

Despite what people may think, despite the fact that Hal risks his life every single day, Hal is actually very on it with safety. Not that he doesn't take risks or enjoy the thrill of doing something dangerous and exciting with you, he’s just very on top of making sure it's done right. Any injuries that may occur in the bedroom department are far more likely to be caused on your end. Be you getting cocking and asking him to give more than you can take, tearing your internal walls or asking him to carry you high into the atmosphere only to trigger some kind of panic attack.

Whatever it is, Hal will get you the right treatment and tease you mercilessly afterwards.

👄 making out headcanon

Hal’s handsy when he makes out with you. At first, it was just about learning your body, in and out; finding the spots and the pressure that makes sense you want more. Nowadays he knows exactly where to touch to goad a reaction out of you and he likes to let his fingers linger just inches away.

He has such an endearing laugh, it's hard to stay annoyed at him when he laughs at you for grabbing his wrists and putting his mischievous hands exactly where you want them.

Jason

❤️ making love headcanon

Jason considers all forms of sex with you to be love making. Because he loves you. He wouldn't ever want to have sex with anyone else, no matter how soft or how kinky. Every time he gets you off in the bathroom with just his hands, whenever you get on your knees for him and take his cock to the back of your throat, all the role-play, the dry humping, the phone sex, all of it is love making to him and you can tell it by the look in his eye.

⏰ fave time of day to have sex

The evenings. Specifically, before he goes off to do his Red Hood thing. It's when he's at his best stamina wise, and he likes to give you a proper farewell, something to remember him by should things go sideways, or just something to think about while you're alone at night, a memory to keep your bed warm until he gets home.

😴 falling asleep after sex

Jason isn't much of a sleep cuddler, but he likes to be touching you in some way. It puts him at ease to feel you, to know you're safe and sound beside him. So he likes to rest his hand on the small of your back, or your thigh, or to hold your hand through the night.

🚨 sex that sent me to the ER headcanon

[Repeated] Jay was getting a little too excited, a little bit rough with the foreplay as he carried you to your bedroom, in stints, pressing you to the walls, the stairs, the doors to kiss and grind on on you. To strip each other of your clothes. It was a short-sighted accident when he whipped you from the wall, planning on carrying you through your bedroom door frame only to slam your head into the jam.

You were fine of course, just a bump, but he wasn’t taking the risk of leaving you with an untreated concussion or anything like that.

👄 making out headcanon

Jay likes it when you're on top. He likes it when you straddle him, wrap your arms around his shoulders and kiss him like you've been starved of affection. He's messy too, it's like he's trying to eat out your mouth, with his tongue down your throat. All that spit making salacious, wet echoes. He holds onto your hips, so tight, like you might abandon him any second, guiding you to grind on his tree trunk thighs as he practically devours you.

Smut Emoji Prompts

[dolphin-writer]

Story Idea That May Never Be Written

Danny almost 18, decides to leave home, Tucker has a new identity ready for him and everything. With help of Jazz he plans to finish his hs classes online.

Right before he leaves his parents find out/he got sloppy/ his mom freaks but his dad stops her and just hugs danny. He is confused, guilty, and hurt by maddies reaction. Tells danny he’ll handle maddy and to just go as he planed

Danny moves to Gothem, for its high ecto levels and basically chill not give a fuck attatude. And other than the petty crime which he knows he can handle it will be great. He finishes his hs classes and gets a job at a mechanics shop.

Jazz is in college in Metropolis as she thinks the rivalry between the sister cities is interesting to study. And now she can use it as an excuse to visit Gotham and Danny.

Sam and Tucker graduate and move to college. Sam goes to Gotham U where Danny is taking night classes as he is now a full time mechanic at the shop. Tucker is at MIT, working at a tech help store.

A year and a half after he ran Danny gets a message from his dad. Jack is now living in Metropolis near Jazz. Maddy lost it, something about everything hitting her at once, the knowledge that her son died in her machine and that she continued trying to end him for years after, and all the things Phantom had to do hit her at once and shifted something in her mind. She was not sane anymore. She wanted to get Danny legally marked as dead because a part of her knew he died. Jack tried to fight it until Jazz told him that it would be good for Danny to lose that last tie so he finally agreed. Shortly after Jack had her assessed and committed to the hospital and then pleaded to the courts for a divorce so he could focus on his last remaining child Jazz instead of watching Maddy rot away. The courts granted it and Maddy became ward of the state. Jack moved to Metropolis and got a job in helping design security systems. 

By the time Sam and Tucker were graduating Danny had risen to running the shop only below the owner. Sam got a job with a Dr. Pamala Islie working on keeping plants from going extinct and trying to revive ones that were. Tucker was still working part time at that tech repair shop but was really working on getting his own tech/coding business more widespread. 

Danny finished his night classes shortly after them and got a good pay raise with it. Right around this time a big bomb hit Gotham in the form of Gothams Prince Bruce Wayne had returned. No one officially knew where he had gone, lots had begun to doubt he would come back saying he was probably dead. So it was a shock to everyone. And soon gotham gossip came to life with the stories of the himbo playboy. Danny could care less but it was fun getting Sam wound up about him. 

Tuckers business officially took off with big names using it such as (Queen Industries, and other companies associated with future heroes) he moved permanently to Metropolis to be close but refused to move to Gotham saying the lack of sun would kill his complexion, which sam returned with like you spend any time outside anyway?

As a year passed Wayne Enterprise started expanding, small at first building up their departments before adding new ones. Then the Martha Wayne Foundation hit the streets. Founding food kitchens and clinics and pharmacies that were cheap to free for anyone. It made a difference for some. Danny started to question the Bruce Wynes' himbo status as it was clear that this wasn’t just a pr move.

Then two years after the circus that was Bruce Wayne's return as the city quieted back down to its normal levels, the people began to hear about a monster, a demon that had been hunting the criminals of Gotham, a shadow that would leave criminals tied up for the police to find. He was a story that word of, would not spread outside of Gothams borders. Now this was something Danny watched and listened for news of. This creature or man was taking over the city little by little and Danny was protective of the city that had become his home. But he was retired and happy so he waited and observed.

Eventually they got a name, Batman. The cost for them gaming the name was that villains, not just criminals were popping out of the woodwork every other week. It was getting concerning to team Phantom, and all of Gotham in general. The press started to blame Batman for these villains' existence, calling him a menace and demanding his arrest. And Danny was conflicted. This man, for he was just a normal human as far as they could figure, was trying his best to save people, stop a problem that was not his fault but he probably felt responsible for, and now the city was against him for it. Danny did not enjoy the parallels and the reminder of his old life, but he sympathized with Batman and became a very vocal supporter of him. 

Eventually others joined Danny in his support of Batman. Eventually the people calling for his arrest were drowned out by those thanking him for trying to protect them. Eventually the police stopped chasing him and started working with him, even asking for help at times.

Time passed Gotham adjusted, as it always does. Danny was getting bored, he loved the mechanic shop it had become his baby, he trained the new hires and even got a couple to tinker and build things with him. But he got home and was bored, so he started experimenting with baking. He had learned how to cook over his time of living in Gotham and quite enjoyed making food for his family, Sam was always stopping by to raid his fridge since he started experimenting with making vegan food. They even got Tucker to admit to liking it. So the natural next step was trying baking. His first few attempts weren’t a disaster but they weren’t very good either. But as time passed he got better but then he faced a different issue. What to do with all the deserts. Everyone he knew was given some, and then the rest were donated to a food kitchen. At Jazzes' suggestion Danny applied to work part time at a small bakery. It was right on the outskirts of Crime alley run by a couple of older ladies and their son. Danny got to bake and work on improving recipes and they got to sell what he made. Though they did try to set him up with their son several times after finding out Danny was bi. So life settled.

Then Batman got a partner, a child partner, and Danny got upset. He had been a child vigilante, he had barely survived being a chile vigilante. Danny who took in and trained as many street kids as he could at the shop. Danny who proudly watched those kids become adults and make it in Gotham. Danny who kept an eye on all the heroes popping up around the globe, and knew that none of them had brought kids into it. Danny who thought about “his” kids as he dug into Robin and realized that Batman was trying to protect the kid in the ways he knew how, and that Robin probably just like his kids didn’t really listen when you tell them no if they’ve set their mind on it. So Danny was still worried but no longer upset with Batman. 

Then Bruce Wayne started showing up at the bakery.

Bruce is a total dork who struggles with basic human interactions at times. So at a cafe/bakery he tells the 17yo cashier, “Compliments to the chief” like a weirdo. She awkwardly hollers back to Danny, who comes out confused.

Bruce has oh fuck hes hot.

*story happens in between but I don't know what*

Something happens Danny speeds away on his bike. Eventually taking it off a bridge into the water before going invisible and flying to his dads in Metropolis. He goes to the realms to lay low for two weeks after visiting with his dad for a couple days. He has to come back because one of his kids is getting married

Bruce who is crushing on Danny, is worried and talks to people. The ladies at the bakery point him in the direction of the mechanic shop. No one there is worried, they say Danny built that bike from the ground up, he has complete control of it, it couldn’t do something if he didn’t want it to. Plus Jerramy is getting married next month and Danny wouldn’t miss that, he’ll be back.  Bruce thinks these people are delusional and still worries and tries to find anything. He finds nothing but dick and Alfred have figured out that he definitely doesn’t have a crush guys, the mission. 

Danny shows up two and a half weeks later just in time to pick up his suit for the wedding. Bruce is kinda losing it. 

[storydays]

Baby Mine

Bruce/Brandi X Daughter! Reader

Bruce groaned as he massaged his temples. He's had this heavy pressure in his head for the last few weeks. At first he thought it was stress..But today, it was a throbbing pressure he'd only ever felt when he inhaled sharply, catching his wife's attention from where she was cooking breakfast. "Something wrong, darling?" wondered Brandi.

Bruce didn't answer, instead he reached into his hair carefully, grimacing from how sensitive his hair was, and stopped shortly when he felt the familiar shape of an egg nestled tightly between his purple locks.

"Bruce?" Brandi called as she turned the stove off, and turned her full attention to her husband. "I-It's an egg." whispered the Troll, feeling a large grin spred across his face. "My love! It's an egg! We're having a baby!" Bruce laughed with glee, his wife leaning down with an amused smile. She kissed her husband's cheek, causing his blue eyes to meet her warm brown eyes.

"We're having another baby." She agreed.

*Timeskip to after Trolls 3 events*

The other Brozone members' and the Pop sisters watched as Bruce worked with his wife, and maneuvered around their 13 kids' chaos. "Bruce, you really should be resting." Brandi commented as she passed out more drinks. "Hon, I'm fine. The baby is fine, too. Their not set to hatch for a few more days." Bruce waved her comment off, as he passed the group's drinks and food out.

"Baby?" Floyd asked. Bruce winced...he forgot to mention the little darling in his hair to his siblings. His tail flicked nervously, but before he could attempt to lie his way out of the situation, Cove and LaBreezey came up with their notebook and crayons and a determined looks on their faces.

Oh no, it was observation time.

Ever since Bruce's two oldest children learned their dad can have babies differently then their relatives on their mother's side, they've been keeping notes, and asking questions about full Trolls' anatomy.

"Yep! And according to our notes, baby 14 should be hatching any day now!" LaBreezy chirped excitedly, as Cove gently checked their Dad's hair to check on the egg, ignoring their dad's hiss of pain and irritation.

Bruce managed to let his oldest child peer at the egg for all of 10 seconds before pulling away with a warning hiss. Cove nodded thoughtfully, before writing something down.

"Are you sure they're okay? I mean, after what Velvet and Veneer did?" Branch asked, fidgeting with his fingers, before Poppy took one of his hands and squeezed in reassurance.

Bruce smiled at his youngest brother, "Yeah, B. I'm fine. when the doctor from Pop Village came to check on Floyd, I pulled her aside and she looked me and the egg over, and--" Bruce let out a groan, dropping the spoon in his hand and holding his head.

Brandi was by his side in an instant and shooed the children away. "Go play, kids. " Turning to her hunched over husband, she leaned down to face him. "Darling, color?" she whispered.

"Red." he whimpered, tail angrily moving about. Moving quickly, but gently, Brandi scooped him and said something to a nearby waiter who nodded. Casting a glace towards the concerned Trolls by the bar, she told them firmly, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Brozone shared a look and waited nervously for news about their brother and unborn niece or nephew.

After waiting for a good two hours, the Trolls had enough and stormed into the back where his brother's house was connected to the restaurant, and actually ran into Brandi, quite literally. Her eyes widen, before she knelt and allowed them to climb on her hand, bringing them eye level.

"Bruce will be fine. The baby is fine, but it was honestly rough on both of their bodies. They're sleeping right now, and you can come see them in a little bit."

"Mom?" called Freddy as his siblings stood behind him looking worried for their family.

Brandi set the Trolls down and knelt in front of her kids, allowing them to squish in her arms.

"Daddy's okay, he's just really tired. He'll be up in a little bit. The baby is also okay, they also need to sleep a little." She cooed, kissing all their foreheads.

"Mom, is it a boy or girl?" Windy asked, tilting his head. Brandi smiled.

"It's a........"

@cobiplayz

[jpmarvel90]

Biggest Mistake

Masterlist Natasha Masterlist

Relationship: Natasha x Reader

Summary: Breaking up with Y/n when she got the offer to join the Avengers, Natasha cut all ties with her ex girlfriend. What will happen when she sees her many years later?

Word Count: 5856

Y/n's POV:

Hearing my beautiful daughters laugh was my favourite thing. She was 4 years old and the apple of my eye. I would do anything for her. This morning we were getting ready for our day out to the park. I had it all planned out, we were going to go to the play park and then my best friend was going to join us for a picnic by the pond where Mia would be able to feed the ducks after.

I had grabbed a couple of Mia's toys to keep her entertained and finish packing up all of the food ready to head out. Mia was excitedly sat in the lounge clinging onto her favourite teddy. It had been given to her by her Auntie Maria the day she was born, and she was never without it.

I walked over and bent down to pick up the excited 4 year old. "Are you ready for our adventure at the park princess?" I asked as she snuggled into my side. "I want to feed the duckies!" She squealed and it made my heart melt. "Ok, come on then, let's get going." I said, grabbing the cooler backpack of food and my bag.

We made out way down to the car and I strapped Mia in. As we drove, we sang along to our favourite Disney songs and in this moment, I was at my happiest. Mia was my entire world and to see her happy and healthy was the only thing I ever wanted in life.

Once we arrive, we quickly make our way over to the kids play area. It's a warm LA morning, perfect for everything we want to do today. Mia quickly makes her way over to the park and is running around trying everything she could. I sat on the bench next to the park and watched her as she enjoyed herself, happily joining in with the other kids as well.

I always felt that I wasn't quite enough for Mia. It was tough being a single mom, especially when Mia was a miracle child. You see, I used to work for SHIELD and was really good friends with Bruce Banner. I was good at science and worked with him in his lab on a number of occasions.

When I had started at SHIELD as a new agent, Natasha Romanoff had not long been recruited. We ended up moving through the ranks together and ended up in a relationship. I adored her and I saw myself spending the rest of my life with her. We were together for 4 years and had decided to start a family together. This is where Bruce came in.

One day when I was working in the lab with him, I had told him how Nat and I were looking to have a child and discussed the process of IVF. It was at this point he offered to look into a way that we could have a child that was biologically both of ours. When I told Natasha she was incredibly happy.

It took a few months before Bruce was able to perfect the procedure. Turns out that was the easy part. As Nat was unable to have kids, it was down to me carry the baby. We went through 8 tries and none were taking. There was no medical reason why, some would just not take, others would and then I would miscarry early on in the pregnancy.

Just as I had gone through the procedure for the ninth time, Nat was offered a place with the newly formed Avengers. I was so excited for her. No matter how much good she had done in the world, she always felt that she had to make up for her past. The Avengers would give her the perfect opportunity for that. What I didn't realise is that this would result in the end of our relationship.

I came home from work one evening and Nat had packed up all of her stuff and was sat waiting by the front door. "Nat, what's all this?" I asked nervously. "I'm leaving Y/n." She said shortly. It caught me so off guard. "I'm sorry what?" I said almost in a chuckle. "I need to focus all of my energy on working with the Avengers. I can't have any distractions anymore. I've packed all my stuff up. You can stay here as long as you want." She said in such a cold manner.

This wasn't the Nat I knew. I knew how ambitious she was with work, and I would never have stood in the way of that, she knew that. My heart was breaking that the woman that I loved more than anything in this world was leaving me. "Is this some sick joke? We're trying for a kid Natasha! You can't just leave." I yelled, my anger taking over.

"We've tried so many times and it's not working Y/n. It's clearly not meant to be. I can make a difference here and I can't do that if I'm being held back." She defended. That felt like a punch to the stomach. "Ok so maybe we can't have a kid this way, but we talked about adopting if it didn't work. What's changed Nat?" I asked, tears starting to fall down my face.

She stood up and grabbed her bags making her way to the door. "I don't love you anymore Y/n." Her words cut through me like a knife. There was no emotion. 4 years and this is how it all ends. I consider going after her, but I know Nat. When she has made up her mind, there is nothing you can do to change it.

I called my best friend Maria who was over within minutes. I knew Maria from my time at SHEILD. She had worked her way up to be Fury's second and I was incredible proud of her. She spent the evening cursing off Natasha and telling me I could do better.

Knowing that I couldn't bare to be around Nat after everything that had happened, I requested a transfer to the LA branch, much to Maria's frustration. Thankfully it was granted, and I was packed and moved within a week. Before I left, I went to visit Bruce for a check up after the finally attempt. My heart broke when Bruce told me that the initial test showed that it was likely that the attempt had been unsuccessful.

Usually, he would do the test a few weeks later than this as the test is more accurate, but as I was leaving, he agreed to do it early. I thanked him for all the effort he had gone through to try and help Nat and I have a kid. He was sorry for how everything had ended, and I promised to keep in touch.

I had been in LA for 6 weeks when I started to throw up and feel run down. I hadn't noticed that I had missed my period as everything had been so stressful with the breakup and subsequent move. Everything was pointing to the fact that I was pregnant, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I called Bruce and he flew out and met me at the lab in LA where he confirmed that I was indeed pregnant with Nat's baby. Well, this was awkward.

I tried to get into contact with Nat, but she blocked all my attempts to contact her. I even asked Maria to try to talk to her, but she was quickly shut down. I knew I wouldn't get back with Nat, but she had a right to know that she had a kid. After I exhausted all opportunities of telling her, I gave up and came to terms with being a single mom.

Maria was there for me the whole way and took a temporary transfer to LA to support me. I decided to leave SHIELD as it wasn't safe to have a job like that and a kid. Thankfully Bruce was able to set me up with a friend of his who gave me a job in their lab. I loved the job, and they were very understanding of my situation.

So now, here I am with my beautiful 4-year-old daughter, waiting for my best friend to join us for lunch. Mia looked a lot like me, apart for her green eyes and gorgeous smile. Her personality, however, was very much like Natasha's. She was smart, strong, stubborn but also incredible kind and loving. She was the best of both of us.

Mia had tired herself out on the play park, so we made our way to the pond. I found a good spot under a tree which provided us some shade from the afternoon sun. Whilst I was getting the food out of the cooler, I heard Mia call out. "AUNTIE MARIA!" I looked up to see Mia run full pelt at Maria who picked her up and spun her around. "Hi there little Monkey!" She greeted, walking over to join me on the picnic blanket.

Maria knelt down and placed Mia on the blanket and then lent over to pulled me in a hug, placing a kiss on my forehead. "Hi Y/n/n. You do not know how much I've been looking forward to this weekend." She said, laying flat on her back, letting out an exaggerated huff. "Work is manic as ever then?" I asked with a chuckle, passing her a plate.

She sat up and perked up when she saw the array of food in front of her. "It's just been endless missions since the fight in Sokovia. A weekend with my two favourite girls is well needed." She said, rolling over and giving Mia a tickle.  "Well, Mia couldn't wait for you to visit. I don't think you'll be getting a restful weekend!" I joked.

We spent the rest of the afternoon eating the rest of the food, feeding the ducks, and playing around in the park. We were all really tired from the running around, so the evening was spent watching movies and eating take out in our pyjamas. We were halfway through Toy Story when there was a knock at the door. "Are you expecting anyone?" Maria asked as we both peered up at the door. "No, I'm a lonely single mom, no one ever visits me." I respond.

I pull myself up from the sofa to answer the door and chuckle as Maria makes her way to her bag to grab her gun. "Seriously Maria, please don't shot my neighbours." I tease, which just earns an eye roll. Unclipping the chain and turning the lock, I'm frozen to the spot as I open the door and see the person stood in front of me. "Hi Y/n."

Nat's POV:

5 years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I broke up with the woman that I was madly in love with. But at the time, I thought it was the right decision. As soon as I was offered a place with the Avengers initiative, I knew it was a chance to help clear my ledger. It was an opportunity I couldn't say no to, and I thought that it was something I couldn't do along side being in a loving relationship with a kid.

I was heartbroken when all of our tries for a child had been unsuccessful. But I guess it was all a blessing in disguise. I lied when I told Y/n that I didn't love her anymore. But I knew it was the only way to make her not fight for me. I stupidly put work first without even entertaining the idea of being able to juggle both. It's so stupid when I see Clint do it with relative ease.

At first Y/n left me alone and I was gratefully for that. But then about 2 months after she kept trying to get a hold of me. I ignored or blocked every method she used to talk to me. I had to focus. Maria even tried to talk to me, but I quickly told her to back off, not wanting to hear it.

It wasn't until the battle of New York, that I realised the mistake that I had made. At the beginning, I was able to bury myself in work and ignore all my feelings. But when I saw the apartment block that Y/n and I shared, get flattened, I realised that I had no idea where she was or if she was even safe. It gave me this feeling of complete helplessness. I felt sick to my stomach at the thoughts of something happening to her.

After we won, I tried to find her, but she had left SHIELD and New York. I regretted that I had ever let her go. She was the most incredible person I had ever met. I just wish I had put her first all those years ago like she did me.

Wanda, Steve and I had been sent on a recon mission in LA. There was a possible Hydra agent living a normal life waiting for his moment to attack. He had a wife and kids, and we were going to find out as much info as we could. We had been here for a week and were now staking him out at the park with his family. Whilst Steve was jogging around, Wanda and I were sat at the café by the pond. We had spent a couple hours observing their movements and were getting ready to leave when Wanda grabbed my arm.

"Oh my God is that Y/n?" She said in shock. I looked over to where she was staring and sure enough, there was Y/n setting up a picnic blanket under a tree. My heart then stopped when I saw he pick up a little girl and place her on the mat. I couldn't speak, my feet were rooted to the spot.

Wanda was able to pull me in the direction a bench where we could sit and observe her. She looked amazing. It looked like she hadn't aged at all in the last 5 years. Her hair was her natural brown colour which looked really good. When we were together, she always had her hair dyed blonde. I was trying to work out the relationship that Y/n had to the child. I couldn't see the child very well, but she looked similar to Y/n.

It broke my heart to think that she has probably gotten married and had a family of her own now. I had missed my chance. "AUNTIE MARIA!" We heard the little child shout. That's when we noticed Agent Hill making her way over to the duo. Wanda and I both sat there shocked. I knew that Y/n and Maria were best friends, but why didn't Maria tell me Y/n had a family?

We watched as they ate and then started to chase each other around. By this point Steve had joined us and had the same reaction that we did. Y/n was currently "it" and was chasing the little girl around who was giggle. God that's a cute laugh. As Y/n caught her she started tickling her causing the child to yell out "STOP IT MAMA!" And there it was. It was her daughter. They looked happy. I guess that's what was important.

After Y/n had left the park, we remained on the bench. I couldn't bring myself to move so both Steve and Wanda stayed with me to comfort me. They both knew how much I wanted to try and reconcile with Y/n over the last few years. "She must have moved on pretty quickly if she's got a kid that old." Steve said with a slightly judgemental tone.

It was in the moment that it clicked. "How old would you say she is?" I asked. They both guessed around 4 and that was exactly the answer I didn't want. "Oh my God. I need to call Bruce." I said in a panic. I fumbled around in my pocket and dialled his number. It rang a couple of times before he answered.

Bruce: Hi Nat, how's the mission going?

Nat: Boring, but that's not the reason I'm calling.

I was very short on the phone. I had a feeling that he had been hiding things from me and I just wanted to know the truth.

Bruce: Ok. Straight to business. What is it you need?

I took a deep breath before asking my question.

Nat: Did Y/n carry on trying to have a baby after we broke up?

I rushed the question out and my heart was pounding whilst I waited for his response.

Bruce: No she didn't.

His answer was short and didn't help me at all until my slow mind started to catch up.

Nat: It was successful, wasn't it? The last time we tried.

I could feel tears starting to sting my eyes as Steve and Wanda sat with confused looks on their faces.

Bruce: Yes. But Nat, you shouldn't be having this conversation with me.

Nat: Then who am I meant to have it with. I've got a kid I didn't know about. How could she not tell me?!

I shouted down the phone, my anger filling me. I couldn't believe that she was pregnant, and she didn't tell me. I had a right to know that I had a kid.

Bruce: Nat, she tried to tell you but you shut down every form of communication with her. You even told Maria that you didn't want anything to do with her and that nothing would change your mind. I understand that you're angry, but you left Y/n. She's had to deal with this all on her own for the last 4 years because the person she was in love with decided she didn't love her any more.

I hadn't heard Bruce get frustrated like this before. Him and Y/n were close and he had gone out of his way to help us when we were trying to have kids. He was right. I had shut her out. I had no one to blame but myself.

Nat: Do you know where she lives?

Bruce: Nat, I don't think that's...

Nat: No Bruce, I need to try and make it right. Please just give me her address.

Bruce: Fine, but if you hurt her even more Nat, I'll make sure you don't get any opportunity to be in that kids life.

Nat: I promise you Bruce, I never want to hurt her again.

I hung up and was met by a text from Bruce with Y/n's address. I looked up and saw Wanda and Steve looking at me waiting for answers. "The little girl...she's mine." I whispered, tears now starting to fall. I heard Wanda let out a small gasp. "What are you going to do?" Steve asked, whilst Wanda placed her arm around my shoulder. "I need to go and see her. Can I take some time this evening?" I asked Steve.

He quickly nodded. "Of course, Wanda and I can write the report and if needed, do the stake out tomorrow. You focus on Y/n and your daughter." He smiled. That felt weird. My daughter. But what if Y/n doesn't want me in their life. I've not exactly done anything to deserve it.

Later that evening I pull up at the house in the suburbs. I'm incredibly nervous, what if she just slams the door in my face? Plucking the small amount of courage that I have I make my way up the pathway to the door. I ring the bell and hear muffled talking from inside. When Y/n opens the door, she looks like she's seen a ghost. "Hi Y/n." Is all I'm able to get out.

We stand in the doorway for a moment before Y/n seems to snap out of her trance. "What are you doing here Natasha?" She asked. Her voice was cold. "I-uh. Could we talk?" I asked tentatively. She sighed but nodded. Moving away from the door she gestured for me to come in. I noticed that Agent Hill was stood in the hallway, her gun clutched in her hand and her jaw clenched.

"Maria, can you take Mia upstairs please?" Y/n asked to which Hill complied with instantly. Mia, what a beautiful name. Hill made her way to the sofa and picked up the little girl, making her way upstairs. I wanted nothing more than to get a proper look at her and to hold her, but I knew I had to earn that. I turned my attention to Y/n who had made her way into the kitchen to grab a beer.

"Want one?" She asked holding one out in my direction. "Thanks." I said as I grabbed it, cracking open the top. The silence was awkward. I hadn't seen Y/n since the day since we broke up and I missed her and her touch. "I'm sorry." I mumble. Y/n looks up at me from her seat at the kitchen island. She doesn't say anything, clearly waiting for me to continue.

I took a deep breath. "I made a big mistake when I left you. I was so focused on making up for everything in my past that I gave up the one thing that I had ever loved." I started, but Y/n just laughed. "I know you have no reason to believe me but I never stopped loving you. I only said I didn't to make the breakup easier for me. I've been trying to find you since the battle of New York, but when I realised how you were gone, I accepted that I had to let you go." I said, with sorrow in my voice.

I can't get a read on Y/n. I have always been able to understand what she is feeling but in this moment, I have no idea. "So why are you here now?" She asked, taking a swig of her beer. "To be honest it was a coincidence, but I'm so happy it happened. We were on a stake out in the park when I saw you there with um, with your daughter." I briefly explained, hesitating when bringing up Mia. "Y/n I never should have left you and I certainly should never have shut you out when you tried to get into contact." I said, trying to convey how sorry I was. "If I had known why I would have come to you straight away." I carried on.

"But would you have stayed had you known? The day you left, you made it pretty clear that having a family would have been an inconvenience to you." Y/n spoke calmly. I couldn't answer her, she was right. "Her name is Mia by the way. She was born on the 9th of July, weighing 6 pounds 3 ounces. I was in labour for 18 hours. She is the best thing in my life. In fact, the best thing to ever happen in my life. You missed out on that." She said, getting up and moving into the lounge.

I got up and followed her like a lost puppy. She was right, I had missed out on so much. "When I saw you in the park earlier, you looked happy. I thought that you had found someone else and started a family. That felt like a dagger to my heart. But when I found out she was mine, I felt so incredible happy. It was short lived though when I remembered that I had missed out on the first 4 years of her life." I said through tears. "I should have been there for you during your pregnancy getting all of your cravings. I should have been there holding your hand whilst you were in labour and I should have been there to watch her grow up. I will forever hate myself for missing that."

Y/n looked up at me. "What is it that you want Nat?" She asked almost frustrated. "You." I said without a hesitation.  "I want you and to be in Mia's life. For us to be a family."  Y/n just scoffed. "You can be apart of her life if that's something you want." "And us?" I asked hopefully. "There isn't an us Natasha. You broke my heart. You can't just walk in here and expect me to turn around and jump back into a relationship with you. But I will never stop you seeing you daughter if that's what you want."

I did want Mia in my life. But I want us to be a family. I love Y/n with ever fibre of my being, and I decide that I am going to do everything in my power to fix this so we can be that family we had always planned to be. "Of course, I want to be in her life. But I'm going to fight for you too. I was stupid 5 years ago. Give me a chance and I'll show you how much I still love you." Y/n shook her head at my words.

"I don't know Nat." She started. I quickly made my way in front of her. I was on my knees holding her hands in my mine, tears falling down my face. "You are the love of my life. I should have put you first instead of my own desire for redemption. I know what I did was terrible and I can't take it back. But I'll show to you that I can be the best Mom and, eventually, partner that you deserve. Please, just let me fight for you." I plead gripping her hands tightly.

I notice that Y/n is crying but she quickly pulls her hand away to wipe the tears. She doesn't answer me but instead asks a question I've been dying for. "Do you want to meet your daughter?" The biggest smile came across my face. "Yes, please, I would love to." Y/n called out to Maria to bring Mia down. I stood up and wiped my face and then straightened out my clothes. Y/n met them at the bottom of the stairs picked Mia up.

My heart was pounding in my chest as Y/n got closer. She placed Mia on the floor and knelt down to her height. "Mia, do you remember when I told you about your other Mom?" She asked. Mia nodded and rubbed at her tired eyes. "Yes Mama. You said she was saving the world." I smiled, at the thought that Y/n had talked about me, making my heart grow. "Well, she's finally come home, and she would like to meet you now. Is that ok?" Again, Mia nodded and Y/n turned her to face me.

"Natasha, this is your daughter Mia." I walked over, trying to fight the tears threatening to fall. "Hi Sweetheart. I'm your Mommy." I said in a whisper. Mia reached out and put her cute little hand on my cheek. Finally getting a good look at her, I can see how much she looks like Y/n. She is beautiful, just like her Mama. But her eyes, it's like looking into my own. "Hi, my name is Mia and I'm 4." She said in a cute little voice.

I laugh at her introduction as does Y/n. "Well, aren't you a big girl. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier." I said starting to cry. Mia leaned forward and wiped away my tears which only made them fall harder. "Don't cry Mommy." "Can I give you a hug?" I asked, also giving Y/n a quick glance for her approval. Mia held her arms open, and I picked her up and held her closer to me.

This was the best feeling in the world. Holding my daughter for the first time. "I love you dorogoy. I promise I'm going to be here for you for the rest of your life." I give her a squeeze and then pull away slightly so I can look at her again. I can't believe I have a daughter.

I spend the next couple of weeks in LA. I stayed at a hotel, so I didn't overwhelm Mia or overcrowd Y/n. I saw them both everyday and I loved every minute of it. Y/n was incredible, and it only made me want to fix things even more. I knew these next few months would be difficult. I couldn't just leave the Avengers as I had a contract, so I was heading back to New York.

It was my last night in LA and I was sat at Y/n's cleaning up after she had cooked us and amazing meal. I really missed her cooking. Whilst I was washing up Y/n lent up against the counter. "I've been thinking about the future." Y/n said, causing a bit of anxiety to creep in. "Ok." I reply, drying my hands on the towel giving her my full attention.

"Mia has loved seeing you every day the past couple of weeks. But not knowing when she'll see you again is difficult. I think she is worried she won't see you again." Y/n started. I went to interrupt but she held out her hand. "No, let me finish. You've already missed out on so much of her life, it's not fair that you miss out on more. So I wanted to know what you would think if we moved back to New York so you could still see Mia around your work schedule?" Y/n asked, her eyes dropping to her hands.

The biggest grin was on my face. I couldn't believe that she was willing to do that. "I would love that. It would be amazing to have you both near me all the time. But I don't want you to uproot your life for me." I said, understanding that she has created a life for herself here in. "LA has never been home for me Natasha. I ran because I couldn't bare to see you everyday with work. Then the little booger came along and my life remained here. You deserve to have her in your life as much as me. Besides, I may have already spoken to Bruce who offer me a job in his lab...."

I couldn't contain my excitement when she said that. I couldn't control my actions and I rushed to Y/n picking her up and twirling her around. As I placed her on the floor I leaned in a placed a gentle kiss on her lips. I quickly came to my senses and pulled away. "I'm so sorry. I-I shouldn't have done that." I stuttered. Y/n is just stood there slightly shellshocked. "No, you're ok. That was, uh, that was nice. Just unexpected"

We both giggle whilst still stood close to each other. "I meant what I said a few weeks ago. I want us to be a family. You have been doing this on your own when I should have been by your side. I can't change the past but I can affect the future. You both deserve it. I know it's going to take time, but I love you Y/n. I want us to have the house we always talked about and maybe a brother or sister for Mia in the future. I don't expect you to say yes now, but I hope that you can see how serious I am and that I'm all in for this to work." I run off a mini speech, wanting to express all of the feelings that I have.

I notice that Y/n eyes have gone glossy. "I wanted to hate you when you left me. But when I held Mia in my arms the first time, all I wanted was you beside me. When I failed to get in contact with you again, I closed myself off, believing that it was always going to just be me and Mia. I want to be mad and angry at you, but then I see you with Mia and it reminds me of when we used to stay up late talking about the family we wanted. You're right, I can't jump right back in, but I want us to get back to where we were. Mia deserves to live in a happy and loving home." Y/n's words warm my heart knowing that I still have a chance to have my family.

I step closer to Y/n and take her hand in mine. "We go at your pace. When you get to New York, we'll work out a routine that's best for Mia and go from there ok?" She nods and I can't help but to lean forward and capture her lips again. This time, she kisses back. My hands raise up to her neck, my thumb gently caressing her jawline whilst hers rest on my waist.

Our kiss is short lived though when we hear little footsteps running down the stairs. "Mama, Mommy, can you read me a story pwease?!" Mia shouts as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. Y/n and I quickly pull away and let out a chuckle. "Of course Princess, we'll be right there." Y/n replies, whilst we don't break eye contact. I am going to marry this woman.

Y/n and Mia moved back to New York and I shared my time between the compound and Y/n's. As well as spending time with Mia to make up for lost time, I also started to take Y/n out on dates again. I wanted to do things right and decided to start from scratch. When the Avengers found out about Mia they were all excited to become Aunties and Uncles. Wanda was particularly amazing as she would happily watch Mia whilst I worked to win Y/n back.

After 6 months Y/n and I were officially back together and I moved out of the compound to live with her and Mia. A year later I proposed, and we married in a small ceremony with our family and friends 2 months after and then we found the perfect house down by the lake outside the city but still close enough for us to work.

Now I'm sat on the porch watching Mia run around after Wanda, who was a frequent visitor. "Here you go love." Y/n said whilst handing me a beer. I quickly jumped out of my seat, "Here let me help you. You should be resting" I said as I guided Y/n to the space next to me on love seat. "You don't need to fuss Nat. I'm pregnant not crippled." She joked as she huffed taking he weight of her feet.

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to me, resting my hand on her bump. "Thank you for giving me everything I ever could have asked for." I whisper in to her hair as I place a small kiss. Y/n turned to look at me, her eyes full of love. "Thank you for coming back to us." She said in response. In this moment I was complete.

[natsgrave]

PICK UP LINES | natasha romanoff

a/n: this is my first time posting and using tumblr, so i don't really know how this shit work, lol. also, i'm not good with summaries and english is not my first language, forgive me. i do not give permission for my work to be copied or translated on other sites. plagiarism is a crime!! masterlist whispers of heartache m.list

Y/N'S POV I was looking at Natasha while she's talking to Bruce seriously, I was wondering if should I do the thing that I saw earlier. A couple exchanging some corny pick up lines. I've been hiding my feelings for her for like a year or two now. Well, what can I say? I'm not really a vocal person and she's very hard to approach.

A cold-hearted ex-assassin spy, how am I supposed to tell her that I'm in love with her? It's hard! She's hard to read and I don't want to ruin what we have now, I don't want her to be uncomfortable and feel weird around me after I confess. Why is it just so impossible?

"Y/LN!!" someone shouted snapping out from my thoughts. I look around and saw Bucky standing at the corner. He made his way towards me and sat down before flashing me a smile.

"What can I do for you, Buck?" I asked.

"Why are you looking at Nat?" He asked with a smirk, and I can feel my face turns red. I'm blushing, oh my god!

"I'm not." I lied as I cleared my throat. He puts his hand on mine and smiled at me genuinely, "It's okay, I'll support you with anything and I'll suggest go get your girl." He said and poke my side making me giggle.

"Bucky stop! It tickles!" I said between laughter but he didn't stop.

While you and Bucky are having your fun, your laughter and giggles caught Natasha's attention. Her heart tightened when she saw you with Bucky, happy. Not that she doesn't want you to be happy, but she want it to be her. She wants to make you happy and give you everything. But she didn't know that you and him are just friends, and to be honest she's the one you're in love with.

"Okay, Bucky! Stop, please, I can't take it anymore!" and finally, he stopped while I start to catch my breathe. I wiped the tear that came out from my eyes because of laughter. Bucky pulled me into a warm embrace and whisper to me, "Go, tell her that you love her before it's too late." He encouraged me before pulling away. I smiled at him and nod. He mess with my hair a little before walking away.

Shortly after Bucky left, I look over where Nat and Bruce are and found Natasha already staring at me. When our eyes met, she turned away quickly and walks out causing me to tilt my head because of confusion. What happened to her? I shrugged my shoulder and start thinking about something to confess my love for her with positive things on my head to boast my confidence.

The night comes, and all of us gathered in the lounge. I was sitting on Bucky's right side while Steve is on the other side of him. Natasha is sitting beside Bruce, talking again about only god knows what. Wanda is with Vision cooking something, while Tony and Clint are just messing around.

I keep stealing glances at Natasha and I'm glad she haven't noticed it yet. But, unlucky me, Bucky notice what I'm doing and nudges my shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing? Talk to her!" He whisper shout.

"You know it's not that easy, right?" I whispered back and he rolled his eyes to me before looking at Natasha. I grab my drink before hearing Bucky cleared his throat making me look at him, confused.

"Hey, Nat." He calls out. Natasha instantly dropped his conversation with Bruce and look at him, "Why?" She asked. I took a sip from my drink while waiting for his response. "Y/N wants to talk to you." He said hiding his smirk while I choke out from my drink. I gave him a look and he just smirked at me, "What the hell, Buck!?" I whispered and slap his arm, not the metal one because I'm not stupid. He just shrugged and lean back to the couch before I turn my gaze over to Natasha and found her eyeing me already causing me to blush and a smirk forms into her lips. SHE DIDN'T EVEN TRIED TO HIDE IT!

"What do you want, Y/N?" She asked with her raspy voice and I swear to god, her voice is enough to kill me. Clearing my throat, I asked and pointed outside, "Can we talk in private, please?" She nods and start to walk outside with me following her behind but before that I look at Bucky and he mouthed a "welcome." I rolled my eyes and give him a finger.

Once we're outside I felt myself getting nervous every passing second and my palm starting to sweat. She turned around and looks at me, "What is it, Y/N?" I took a deep breath and think about what I'm going to do, having second thoughts. Should I really do this? This is going to be so embarrassing and will probably ruin our friendship! 

"Y/N?" She speaks again.

"I just wanted to ask if you're a bank loan?" Natasha's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes looked at me confused, "What?" she asked.

"Because you got my interest." I finished before mentally cursing myself for the stupid and corny pick up line that I spill.

"What are you doing?" She asked hiding her smile.

"I'm trying to be sweet, just give me a sec." I said lifting my pointy finger and think about something else. She kept silent waiting for me to embarrassed myself even more.

"Are you a time traveler? Because I see you in my future." Once again, myself received a mentally cursed from me. Natasha let out a giggle which she tried to cover with cough. I smiled to myself knowing I'm doing good even though I'm embarrassing myself in front of the that girl I like.

"Your hands look heavy, can I hold it for you?" I blurt out and this time with confidence. She shakes her head and smiles, "Why are you doing this exactly?"

"I, uhm— I like you, Nat. Actually, no, scratch that. I love you, Nat. I don't know when and how but one day, I just woke up and suddenly felt this, I've been in love with you for a year now, and I'm not expecting you to like me back. I just want you to know what I feel because everyday, it's getting hard to hide it anymore. I don't know if you're with Bruce because of how close you two are but please, after this don't ignore me, distance yourself from me or feel weird around me. Even you don't feel the same, I still want to be your friend. It's fine by me." I rumble and catch my breathe. She looks at me searching my eyes if I'm telling the truth.

Once she's satisfied she flashed me a genuine smile and walks closely to me before taking my hand, not breaking the eye contact.

"Your lips look lonely would they like to meet mine?" She said and smirked at me.

I feel my face start to heat up, and turning into a crimson red.

"Th-That was nice." I said and nervously chuckled.

"You look so cute when you're nervous, but, I'm serious." She softy said and flashing me another smile. My eyes widen and pointed myself, "You like me too?" I asked with a shocked tone still pointing at myself. She nods and pulled my neck as our lips locked.

Her soft and sweet lips, I grab her waist to pull her closer to me. She wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled away, resting our foreheads together.

"I love you too, Y/N." She confessed causing a smile to form into my face and hugs her tight which she gladly returned.

"You don't know how much this meant to me, Nat. I'm so happy." I mumbled, feeling her giggles.

"I am too, I thought you and Bucky are together because you guys are so close."

"I can say the same with you and Bruce." I replied not pulling away from the hug and walks impossibly close to her.

"You can't get any closer, baby." She chuckled.

I cupped her face and pecked her lips, "Why is your pick up lines are so good and sound so descent, while mine sounds so cringe and corny?" I asked teasingly. She poked my nose before cupping my cheeks, "It's actually sweet, I like it and I love you." She smiled. "Let's go back inside, I think they're looking for us already." I said and starts pulling her back inside. Before we can enter, she stops at the door and turned me around before kissing me. When she pulled away, she smiled at me cheekily which received a giggle from me. We walked back hand in hand causing everyone to notice us.

They gaze goes from us going down to our hands. Bucky let out a very loud cheer, screaming "yes" over and over again all the while Wanda gasp, and smiles form into others faces. I look at Natasha and she did the same.

"I love you, Natasha Romanoff."

"I love you too, Y/N Y/LN."

[yall-batman-fanfic]

Wedding: Without Masks | Batman/Bruce Wayne x Magician!OC[Part 1/2]

Synopsis: When asked about their wedding, Bruce and Vivian would always return with another question. Which one? 

Marry me.

Vivian smiled as she remembered the moment he asked her. It wasn't a grand gesture nor was it planned at all. Rather, Bruce had a plan but emergencies arose which led them to the top of Wayne Tower, standing by their favorite gargoyle, both tired from an emergency made by Harley Quinn. No Joker, just Harley. Then in that peaceful moment, both of them overlooked Gotham trying to salvage their date that did not go their way that night with cupcakes and coffee, and their favorite pastime by that gargoyle.

Just as they were getting dressed again after a moment of love-making under the stars and snuggling under Batman's cape, something dropped from his utility belt. A red velvet box. An odd thing to keep in his person, but seeing the brand at the bottom, Vivian's heart skipped a beat.

“Bruce,” she called for him.

“I was looking for  that,” he mentioned to the belt, but he froze when he saw what she held. “Vivian.”

Slinging the belt over her shoulder, Vivian opened the box and was stunned to see the diamond ring inside. Looking up, Vivian met Bruce's blue eyes, not behind the cowl, but his face. She didn't even know tears were falling down her cheeks until he wiped them away.

“Marry me,” Batman said. Then he took the box from her, taking it out the ring, then got down on one knee and said again, “Marry me, Vivian.”

“Yes,” Vivian breathed out, then knelt down before Bruce to kiss him, and between kisses she said, “Yes. Si. Oui. Da. Sey. I od.”

Bruce wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. He pulled her to him, until they fell to the ground with Vivian straddling his lap, still kissing him as tears fell down their eyes. “I love you, Pryor,” he kissed her again. “I love you, my Red Witch.”

Vivian chuckled and rested her forehead against him. “I love you, Bruce… Batman.”

Taking her hand, Bruce sat up, bringing her with him, and slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. Seeing her wearing it felt right, like all of the pieces were at place. This was the next step, this was where they were headed after all these years of pain, happiness, the adventures, and the family the little family they've made with Dick and Alfred. 

It was them both from the very beginning and to the end.

Batman and the Professor.

The Bat and the Witch.

Bruce and Vivian.

Pressing a kiss on her knuckles, Bruce then turned back to Vivian to pull her for another kiss, and another if it were not for Alfred breaking their moment in the comms.

“Master Bruce, I have received alerts about your heart rate going beyond its normal speed. Is everything alright?”

Vivian laughed as she heard the man's voice in the comms. Reaching for his gauntlet, she pressed on the button to unmute their comms, and say, “Everything's fine, Alfred.”

“Ms. Vivian! I apologize, I was not aware that you were… that you both were…” Alfred stumbled.

“It's fine, Alfred,” said. “And Alfred.”

“Yes, Master Bruce?”

Looking at Vivian with loving eyes, he said, “She said yes.”

A moment of silence came to the other line then Alfred said, “Congratulations, Master Bruce and Ms. Vivian.”

“Thank you, Alfred. We'll be home shortly,” said Vivian.

“Take your time… Penny-One out.”

When they got home, Bruce and Vivian found the Batcave empty, Alfred has gone to bed, Dick was snoring in his bedroom, leaving them in the privacy that they wanted. 

Back in their room, snuggling in their bed, Vivian happily welcomed the embrace from Bruce as he turned in their bed and pulled her to his arms. His hands found hers and he brushed his fingers over her own that had the ring. Vivian leaned down and kissed his fingers.

“I love you,” she whispered to him.

Bruce hummed in response and trailed kisses on her neck. His kisses were a little sloppy as he was still half-asleep, but he became fully awake when he felt her turn to face him to tell him something.

“I told myself if you weren't proposing soon, I was going to do it,” Vivian admitted. “I was already looking at rings, I even consulted with someone who could customize it.”

“Maybe I should have waited longer, I want to see what kind of proposal you’re going to do,” Bruce chuckled. “I bet it doesn’t involve our dinner getting disturbed by Harley Quinn.”

Vivian shrugged. “She was just having a bad day, don’t really have anything against her.”

“Good thing I had this made a long time ago.”

“When?” 

“A few months after you moved in. But really, I should have had this made long before that… maybe the day you took me back after I left you.” Right after she revealed she knew he was Batman. “Because I knew then that there was just you. That I wasn't going to let you go ever again.”

Vivian looked up to kiss him again. “Nothing is going to change between us, promise?”

“Promise. See it as just sealing the deal,” Bruce pulled her lay on his chest. “Dick even told us that we even act and fight like a married couple already. Might as well be one, right?” He joked.

“I guess you’re right,” she shrugged with a teasing grin.

“And the ring scares off those hitting on you in galas too.”

“Please, like you don’t have admirers, Wayne,” Vivian sat up, straddling his waist, and hovered over his face. Her hair acted as a veil that kept them from the world around them. Tonight it’s just them. “I’m lucky that a simple professor in GU caught the attention of Bruce Wayne.”

“No, I’m the lucky one. You’re the pretty one.”

“The people of Gotham would beg to differ,” she leaned down to kiss him and when she was to pull away, Bruce followed her, even if it meant sitting up just take her lips over and over. “So, how are you going to tell the world that Gotham’s remaining eligible bachelor is now one step away from tying the knot?” 

Bruce paused with his kisses and said, “I’ll let Dick handle the PR for that.”

“Really? You’re going to let him do it?”

“I don’t want to sell this story to any media. Let’s make it our announcement.”

“Through Dick.”

“Yeah, through Dick,” he kissed her again and pulled her body closer to his, making him hum when he felt her directly on his crotch. His hands roamed from her thigh to her waist and under her night-shirt where he caressed her skin. In one swift moment, he removed her shirt – wanting to feel her skin on his, nothing in between.

“I just realized something,” Vivian said in their kiss.

“Yes?”

“You didn't really ask me,” she pulled away. “You told me to marry you.”

“You said yes,” he smirked.

“Ask me, Bruce.”

Sighing, Bruce took her hand that had the ring asked, “Will you marry me, Vivian?”

“Yes,” Vivian replied and kissed him again. Laughter left their lips as Bruce turned them over with her beneath him, and he stationed himself between her legs. That morning, the only thing that left their lips were each other's names and the word “yes”.

~*~

Gotham’s many news outlets were on fire with what they saw online. How could they have missed that?! Bruce Wayne is the biggest celebrity in Gotham, he's practically royalty with his family history, so him proposing to his long-term and “non-royal” girlfriend was a huge deal that every rivaling media organization would race to have the story published. Instead, all of them just got the news during lunch from a social media post made by Wayne's ward, Dick Grayson.

It was a single post, a selfie made by the teenager with the Vivian hugging him from behind while showing the diamond engagement ring with the caption: She said yes… but not to me — I'm just the messenger, and in the background was Bruce who was busy with work. It was obviously done purposely by the boy and Vivian – rather, future Mrs. Wayne.

The post was going viral with comments, likes/hearts, and shares, and all the Gazette and the others could do was ride on that trend with articles that explain absolutely nothing but what they saw on the post and hope to get a scoop before the others could.

~*~

Following the announcement made by Dick, had numerous calls from friends, colleagues, and even the Justice League about the news. The couple had to put their phones in silent mode just to get through the day, but what they couldn't stop was a Kryptonian and Lois Lane appearing at their front yard to give their congratulations.

“I invested on a fifty-thousand dollar security around the manor and you just fly into my home,” Bruce muttered as Clark dropped by in his work clothes with Lois Lane in his arms. Lois immediately went to Vivian and tackled her to an embrace, and the two women were inside where she could get an exclusive interview – off the record for now – about everything that happened, how Bruce did it, what are their plans for the wedding, when is the wedding going to happen. 

“You better not put it when I'm off the country!” Lois told Vivian.

“Lois, I just got engaged!” Vivian laughed. “The ring hasn't even made an indent in my finger, at least let it sit there for a while. Gosh, is this a sneak peek on how my everyday life is going to be until the wedding?”

“Honey, this isn't even close to that.”

“I can't believe I had to find out about this through Dick's social media,” Clark told him. 

“I'm surprised you didn't come over the moment I asked the question,” Bruce mocked him.

“Knowing you and Viv, I tend to drown myself out of Gotham's direction. Don't need to know everything that's happening to you both.”

Bruce chuckled. 

“So, was Dick posting it part of the plan too?”

“Thought it would be best if the news came to us. What I didn't think he'll do is make a stolen shot of me with Vivian then doing it like that.”

“Hey! It's going viral, you should thank me!” Dick told Bruce. “And now my phone is ringing nonstop.”

“All of our phones are ringing,” Alfred spoke as he brought them tea. “I had to disconnect the line of two of our phones just to get some peace and quiet in here. Also, please expect many emails and calls from wedding planners in the coming days. I just received a call earlier who promises to make this a wedding of the century.”

“That's a big promise to make,” said Bruce, amused with the chaos that a single post made. 

The following day, as they returned to their normal lives and work, Vivian was met by a mob of reporters trying to get a a scoop from her about the proposal. With the help of Gotham University's security, she was able to get in and work in peace. Well, peaceful as it could get. Inside, she also had people asking her all about the proposal and when they plan to get married. Students, her colleagues. She even had to resort to saying: “If we get through class without anyone asking about the you-know-what, you'll get extra credit,” to her class just so they could finish a lecture.

Bruce was no better in Wayne Enterprise too, but unlike Vivian he can easily get everything in order. He is the big boss after all. But he understood the situation Vivian had to face, especially after seeing it with his own eyes when he went to pick her up from work. She was being chased by the press just to get an interview, Bruce had to intervene and lead Vivian to his car. So he did what he thought would finally put an end to this which involved making some calls with a close friend who was more than willing to cover the story.

Vreeland Conglomerate owns a list of companies, and one of the list of companies under their belt was one of Gotham's most bought lifestyle magazine. Veronica was currently the director of the company and when Bruce called her about the plan she said, “Firstly, I hate you for not telling me about this; second, you just gave me and my team a headache because we'll be rearranging our calendar and the content for next month's issue for this huge scoop; and last, you and Viv better be here with your best wardrobe for the interview and photoshoot this Friday or so help me Wayne, I will bring hell to your introverted home. Understood?”

“Crystal,” Bruce replied and ended the call.

When the magazine was released, Vivian and Bruce were on the front cover, and inside they got a ten-page special that Veronica made to a love story that was bound to end up on the altar. Many were a little pissed that they didn't get to do the special but with the release of the article, people were back on their daily lives.

Then the next part came. Planning the wedding.

~*~

“Can't we just have a small wedding? An intimate one with friends and family,” Vivian sighed as she went through the many ideas that Veronica has placed on multiple peg boards in the wedding planner's office where they have been going for the past few weeks.

Months after the announcement, Vivian and Bruce finally agreed to and found a date that would fit their schedules for their wedding and their honeymoon. It took a long time to decide with Batman going off world to help the Justice League in a couple of cases, and would be gone for months (in one occasion, and during that time Vivian, Dick, and Alfred pulled off one of the biggest scams of all: trying to convince the world that Bruce Wayne is accompanying a research team in the freaking jungle). 

Now, here they were, going through many options to choose from, with a guest list they have not finalized, dresses to try and make sure was perfect, flowers (Vivian reminded Veronica that she did not want to kill flowers for her wedding), catering, a theme, and a venue. 

“And have the people of Gotham rallying? No,” Veronica said as she lifted Vivian's legs off the couch to sit beside her, then laid them back on her lap. “Sorry, kid, that's the rules in marrying into Gotham's socialite. Especially if you're marrying long-running and the last eligible bachelor, Bruce Wayne.”

Seeing Vivian's stressed look, Veronica turned to Dick, who was with them all this time enjoying the cake samples, and nodded at the woman contemplating’s direction. Sighing, Dick got up and sat on the ground then placed Vivian's hand on his head to get a free head massage while she found comfort in it. He never really knew why Vivian found it comforting, but she did mention once: “if you had long hair, I would be braiding it now than messing it around.”

“How about we narrow it down first?” Dick offered. “Wedding dresses?”

Vivian turned to Dick and saw the magazine he was holding up for her to see. It had many wedding dresses made by fashion icons for her to choose from, and all costs a little too much for her liking. 

“You know, there's a dress that my dad sent over. He said my mom wore it in their wedding. It's not too much nor is it glamorous but it was beautiful. But I doubt the people would like it.”

Vivian could remember the image of her mother wearing it as she walked Madeline down the aisle. It was a white dress that reminded her of the fashion of women in Tuscany, with slightly puffed sleeves that reached her elbows and tied at the end, and her skirt had three layers that became shorter as it reached the top layer. Her mother wore a veil too with her crown of flowers that they made.

It was a simple wedding too, just close friends and family. Mostly from Adam's side since all Madline had was Vivian. They had their reception in their local pub, Madeline and Adam danced with the band playing, and Vivian gave a speech as she was Madeline's maid of honor, and the ring bearer.

“Maybe we can do dresses later – where's Bruce anyway, he should be here helping you out,” Veronica got out her phone and started typing a long message for Bruce.

Vivian and Dick gave each other a knowing look and sighed. Batman was currently off-world again and was at the Watchtower. There was an emergency that had the Justice League helping refugees, and a lookout for their next attacks. Batman has been on the Watchtower to keep watch on the next attack made by Red Claw, who was responsible for the refugee evacuation from multiple locations.

They got their hands full for the past couple of weeks.

“He's kind of busy, Ronie,” Vivian said as she sat up, took a breath, and got back on her feet. “Trust me, he wants nothing more than to be here and help me out.”

Not really, they both just wanted an intimate wedding, but as Veronica said, Gotham won't allow it. If they do so, Wayne might find himself on the bad side of every media outlet there was. He already pissed them off when Dick made the announcement of the engagement, they can't do that again with the wedding. 

When Bruce told her about it, he explained that, “it's all for show, yes, but this is still about us.”

“Really? Because the way I'm seeing it, it's about them,” said Dick as he entered the sitting room with ice cream.

“Not helping at all, Dick.”

Back in the wedding planner's office, Vivian finally decided on the flowers (“Fine, we'll go with fake flowers but I gotta twist this story of you having allergies so they won't see it as you being cheap,” said Veronica, “Put in a phobia there, I don't care, just no killing of flowers,” Vivian muttered). When it came to the drinks, Vivian was specific about the wine and the scotch. She'll just turn Bruce's wine to ginger ale. When it came to the cake, Vivian and Veronica turned to Dick to choose.

He did just eat every sample there was.

“I liked the red velvet,” said Dick. “But I don't know about the design.”

“Just make the design simple,” Vivian told them. “Like this one,” she showed the image of the minimalist looking cake with a few flower-shaped icing and twigs. 

For dresses and tux, she chose black but Veronica begged that it won't be a uniform dress. Vivian promised as long as they wore the color it's fine. 

Finishing up, they were met by Alfred who came to the wedding planner's office to pick up Vivian and Dick as the two went with Veronica in her car that day. As they said goodbye to Veronica, Vivian and Dick got in the car and were heading home when Vivian got a call from Bruce.

“Hey, we're just about to head home from the wedding planner's place, everything okay?” Vivian greeted him.

“Viv, it's an emergency,” said Batman.

“What is it?” Vivian placed her phone on speaker for Alfred and Dick to hear. 

“All those attacks were just to get the Justice League scattered. They've launched a missile attack on the city.”

“Gotham?” Vivian asked.

“Yes. I'm chasing the missile with the Batjet as we speak, but I can't be sure if I can get to it in time.”

“I'll handle it. Just keep your line open,” Vivian took the comms that Alfred held out to her and to Dick. The young man was also changing to his Robin uniform now at the back.

“Opening the secure line here, Sir,” Alfred spoke in their comm, letting Vivian end the one on her phone.

“Alfred, Dick, inform Gordon. I need to get to Lady Gotham. It's the closest to where the missile is coming from and the highest point there is.” In a flash, Vivian dropped from her seat and appeared atop Lady Gotham's head. The wind almost blew her away if she had not used magic to stick her to the structure. 

“I'm here, Bruce and I'm creating the shield,” Vivian summoned her seals and began the incantation. With the wide range, Vivian was putting all of her abilities to use, unknowing to her she was letting a few of the magic she has sealed away flow into the spell as she created the large dome around Gotham. 

According to Alfred in their comms, the people of the city were panicking at the sight of the dome, wondering if it was caused by one of their costumed criminals. She even heard Robin informing Commissioner Gordon that this was one of them, that Batman asked a local witch to put the dome around Gotham. 

“The missiles are armed with magnetic repulsion!” Batman called out to everyone in their comms.

Burning. She was burning from the inside, she could feel the power just engulfing her from within, but Vivian held on. 

“Batman, I got it up. Stop your pursuit,” Vivian said through gritted teeth.

“Members of the Justice League are on their way, but I can't promise that they'll get there on time. Lantern's closer, so he can fortify that shield even more.”

She could see the missile coming with her enhanced sight and behind it she saw the Batjet still chasing it. “Batman. Bruce. Stop the pursuit, I can protect Gotham from the blast.”

He was silent for a moment until he said, “We should have eloped than gone through all that.”

“Get back to me and we will. Bruce.”

“I'll be there for dinner tonight, I promise.” The comms were cut off, and Vivian saw what he did, and it horrified her. Batman attached the jet over the missile, and tried to lead it to another direction, one that would ease the impact on Vivian's shield. 

The jet crashed and the missile exploded, the impact made against her shield. Vivian focused the reinforcement of the shield in that direction and kept the debris away from Gotham and fall to the harbor. Seeing it was over, Vivian dropped the shield but she immediately went looking. Jumping off of Lady Gotham, she used her magic to fly her to where the explosion was to look for him. 

When she could find him floating, Vivian dropped to the water to look for any sign of Bruce, and she was right to do so. Batman was struggling to get out of his seat. It must have been damaged when it hit the water after ejecting. Swimming to him, Vivian created a bubble for them to breathe in and she pulled out one of his batarangs to cut the thing off.

“I told you to stop the pursuit,” she scolded him, her voice cracking as she saw the beaten state he was in. The impact in the water was harsh and he looked like he was just thrown across a wall with multiple fractures and possible internal bleeding. 

Batman chuckled but it was faint, “I had to make sure you were safe.”

“I had it.”

“I could still feel your magic's heat, Viv. You were burning up,” Batman slumped against her as Vivian got him off the seat. 

They reemerged to the surface, and just in time, Green Lantern arrived and made a raft for them both to transport them to shore. 

“Hi, I'm –” Hal began.

“He needs medical attention,” Vivian told him. “He's got multiple fractures and internal bleeding. I'm doing the best I can to mend him but… it's not… it's not enough.”

“Yeah, we can take him back to the Watchtower. Let me take him.”

“No. I'm coming with you.”

“It's complicated, lady.”

“I don't give a damn about your protocols right now,” she glared at Green Lantern with tears running down her face. “I'm going with you.” Her eyes glowed gold flames and steam exhumed from her body.

“Right, I'll send word to the Tower and get the medical room ready.”

~*~

It was the sound of the heart monitor and the sight of the rise and fall of his chest that kept Vivian awake despite the temptation of sleep. She can't sleep, even when her body wanted to and was telling her to rest. She didn't want to closer her eyes in fear of waking up with the worst to happen. J'onn reassured her that Batman has stable and will be fine, but she refused to leave his side and said she'll stay.

Seeing that Vivian won't budge, Superman handed her a change of clothes and a blanket to keep her warm. He also reassured her that he'll inform Alfred and Dick of Batman's state to ease their worries. 

Wonder Woman came to see how she and Bruce were, and offered some words of reassurance that he would be alright. Flash and Green Lantern too, who brought her some coffee and a snack, and attempted a conversation with her – any would be good but they went with the question on when the wedding will be. Flash turned to Green Lantern with an incredulous look then whispered, “Not the right time,” and he made an excuse that they'll head out, and if she needed anything just call.

Alone in the room with Bruce, Vivian reached out to hold his hand, careful with his injuries. “We really should have eloped,” she chuckled. “Dad would have killed you for it, but you're Batman. You could have done something to stay alive…” She leaned down and kissed his knuckles. “A Watchtower filled with gods, aliens, other dimensional beings, and metas, and you're the only one who could do the impossible. A man with nothing but your strength, tools that you made, and guts. A lot of guts. You really are the greatest hero there is, Batman.”

“Greatest hero, huh?” A weak voice spoke.

Raising from the bed, Vivian saw Bruce slowly opening his eyes and attempting to speak. “How bad is it?” He spoke with a hoarse voice, struggling a little. “Is it going to ruin the wedding photos?”

“My love,” Vivian carefully leaned down and placed her forehead on his. “You're okay.”

“I did promise that I'll be home for dinner,” Bruce joked. “And I still have a wedding to go to.”

“You scared me,” Vivian whispered.

Bruce hummed as he felt the familiar feeling of her magic enveloping him. It was doing its work in speeding his recovery, he felt stronger but he also felt how weak it was now. She was weak. Tired. He could see in her eyes how tired she was – he was not surprised, she did just envelope Gotham into one dome and fortified it to take on the missile. He knew she would have stopped the missile, but he got an alert in his gauntlet on the magic she was using with the heat monitor he had in his tech to monitor if she was overusing her magic.

In that moment she was overusing her magic and was burning up, similar to that time she was under Fear Toxin. He could only imagine what would happen to her if she took on that missile. But because of her no one got hurt when the missile and the jet crashed into her shield.

“Lay down beside me,” he said to her. “You need to rest.”

“Bruce.”

“I want you beside me.”

“You need to recover.”

“I need the woman I love beside me.”

Sighing, Vivian laid on the hospital bed and made sure to keep to the side so he wouldn't get hurt. Seeing she was at the very side, Bruce used his arm that was not broken to pull her close to him.

“I'm not fragile, Viv. You can wrap your arms around me,” he told her.

“I don't want to hurt you, that's all,” She carefully did what she was told and wrapped an arm around him. “This would have been an interesting story to tell on our toast.”

Batman hummed a chuckle. “I agree… I have a speech prepared in my study for the toast but I don't think it will ever be said for everyone to hear. And it's sad to know that no one will ever know about it too.”

“What did you say there?” Vivian clasped her hand with his.

“How you always had my back,” said Bruce. “How from our first case, I can count on you to save my life, and to the other cases we faced I can count on you, and this. What you did for Gotham was a testament to that too. Without hesitation you put yourself at risk just so I could get out of that safely.”

“Yet you still waiting for the last minute to do it,” Vivian teasingly chastised him. 

“And, like a Phoenix, you life to me again. Bruce Wayne died that day in that alleyway, and I accepted that, then you came along and showed me that he doesn't need to die and there doesn't need to be a distinction between Bruce Wayne and Batman. With you, I can be both. These are not masks. This is who I am, and I can be who I am with you.”

Vivian lifted herself with her elbow and leaned down to kiss his lips. “After Essex, I thought I should say goodbye to that life of mine. I was saying goodbye to the very thing that bonded me to my mother, and then I met you and I realized that starting over doesn't mean I should forget about that part of me. I can start over with my magic. You helped me tap into that magic again. You gave me courage to face my fears and find a new purpose.”

Batman leaned up to brush his nose against hers in an attempt to kiss her. “Let's get married.”

“We are,” Vivian chuckled. “In a couple of months after your recovery.”

“It won't take months for my recovery. Trust me on that,” Bruce smiled. “As soon as I get out of here. Let's get married, just a small one with those we trust — Alfred, Dick, Clark, Diana, and who else you want to invite. Without masks. It's only right that we get married without our masks.”

Vivian smiled. “As Batman and Bruce Wayne?”

Bruce nodded. “As a witch and Vivian Pryor.”

“I like that. We can have our ceremony – our real wedding just for us – and then we put on a show for Gotham.”

“A perfect plan.”

“Let's get married. We can even get married now – I'll call Alfred and Dick,” She laughed.

“After I recover. I want to dance with my wife and carry her into our home.”

“Okay, after your recovery. We head straight to the cave and get married. Just us. No masks.”

“I love you, Pryor.”

“I love you, Wayne.”

“Mind leaning down? I want to kiss you now.”

“Okay, okay,” she leaned down to kiss him over and over.

~*~

Unbeknownst to them, the other members of the Justice League was just outside, about to see him when they got alerts of changes in Bruce's heart monitor, and heard most of their conversation. Well, Superman heard all of it given his super-hearing.

“So, only Superman and Wonder Woman are invited to their wedding?” Flash grumbled.

“If that's the case then Batman shouldn't expect anything from me,” Green Archer muttered.

Wonder Woman rolled her eyes and told them that they should leave the couple alone.

~*~

The request was sudden but Alfred pulled through. He got ordained – online — so he could perform the ceremony, and with a few bribes, he managed to get a marriage license without the secret wedding breaking into the media. Now, as he stood in his son's room, watching him prepare, Alfred couldn't be any happier – prouder that this day was finally here.

His son was finally getting married.

“You sure about this, Bruce?” Dick raised a brow as he watched his surrogate father put on the Bat uniform. “I mean, come on, it's your wedding. At least dress up.”

“If you want to wear a tux, Dick, you're more than welcome to do so,” Bruce chuckled.

“Nah, I'm good with my uniform too. I mean, gotta keep up with the theme,” Dick said as he put on his domino mask and grinned. “Do you know what Viv's gonna wear?”

“She won't tell me. Do you?”

“It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding… or know what it is,” Dick teased him. 

“Well,” Alfred got up from his seat. “Considering you will be reserving your Father's tux for the second wedding, I shall see to Ms. Vivian.”

“Thank you, Alfred,” Bruce said.

But before he left, Alfred went to Bruce and fixed the man's cape. “I am proud of you, son. And to be the one to marry you both is a great honor.”

Bruce smiled and brought Alfred to an embrace. “Thank you, Alfred. For everything.”

“Of course, my boy,” Alfred held him tight. 

Releasing him, Alfred took one good look at Bruce before leaving the room to see Vivian who was in the other room on her own. He knocked five times on the door, and after a moment he heard the two responding knocks, he opened the door and was met by the sight of the woman wearing the white dress that came in their mail that day from Liverpool.

Her mother's wedding dress. 

Her something old.

“Alfred,” she was holding back her tears.

“Now, now, you shouldn't ruin your makeup, Ms. Vivian,” Alfred said as he entered the room with her. 

“I know. I just can't believe that this is actually happening…”

“I knew I should have had Master Richard keep you company,” Alfred led her back to her seat, in front of the vanity, where he helped fix her hair by putting only a portion of the locks at front to the back to be held by pearled and floral pins. 

“You're something blue,” he raised the blue bejeweled flower pin. “And something borrowed. This was Mrs. Waynes.” 

Vivian reached out and held the man's hand. Seeing her smile, Alfred said, “It saddens me that there is no one here to be with you in this room… and though I am not a replacement to your father nor your mother, I hope I can be a proxy to give you away, my dear.”

Vivian nodded, not trusting herself to not cry if she spoke. Alfred squeezed her hand.

“You're more than enough, Alfred,” Vivian leaned on his hand. “Thank you, so much, for accepting me to this home… and for trusting me with your son.”

“I should thank you for making him smile again. I thought I would never see that smile again.”

Finished with her hair, Alfred then pulled out a six-pence out of his shoe. “A six pence in your shoe. May I?”

Vivian nodded and slipped off her shoe so Alfred could put it, then with his aid she wore it again. 

“You look wonderful, my dear,” he said to her. His comms beeped, it was Dick telling him that they were in the cave, and that Superman and Wonder Woman were already there. “Well, looks like they're finally ready. Shall we, Professor?”

“Yes, I'm ready,” Vivian then slowly created something in her hands, her magic flowed around as it created a figure of a bouquet of flowers. Lilies. She had conjured lilies from her magic to be her bouquet. 

~*~

“Maybe I should have worn something different,” Superman said as he glanced at Diana who wore her ceremonial robes that she wore in Themyscira, but instead of white it was blue. When Bruce told him that he was invited to the ceremony as Superman, he went there wearing his uniform but when he arrived he was surprised to find Diana wearing a dress. 

“I told you,” Lois teased him. She wore a dress for the event as well. “Are you all sure with getting married in your uniform?” 

Batman nodded.

“Maybe I should have gone earlier to help Vivian prepare.”

“Trust us, she's taken care of,” said Dick. “Besides, they're coming down now… and that's my cue.” Dick pressed a button on his phone which activated the music. From the elevator, Alfred emerged with Vivian in his arms. 

Batman let out a breath as he saw her. The real her, not the one Gotham wants her to be. His Vivian. Wearing a white dress that showed everyone the truth of who she was. A witch. The dress looked like it came from those books about witches and enchantresses. A witch who was in touch with her surroundings, nature, and life around her. A green witch if it weren't for her affiliation to fire. 

As she walked towards their makeshift altar in the Batcave, Batman couldn't take his eyes off her. No one else was there but them both. All he could see was her smile and the way her eyes twinkled, maybe it was because of the tears of happiness that made it look like they were twinkling he didn't care. She was beautiful, and this was finally happening. 

When they came to the altar – which was just the Batcomputer – Alfred handed her to Bruce before taking his place before them both. Batman took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. 

“Can't wait for the instructions, huh?” Dick teased him.

Vivian laughed and clasped Batman's hands with hers. 

Alfred began the ceremony, making a speech about love and telling the story about their love and how they were able to find rebirth and a purpose to live – really live again with each other's company.

When it came to their vows, Vivian and Bruce decided to stick to the standard version with a few alterations as they both said their vows to each other during that night in the Watchtower hospital bed. Vows that were meant for each other.

“I, Bruce Wayne, take you, Vivian Pryor, as my wife. I promise to always fight for you, to fight to come back to you everyday. No matter where I am, and no matter what adversary I face, I will come back to you. I promise to take any burden you carry and let you carry mine – your shit is my shit too –” Vivian laughed. “I promise to love you, to care for you, even in death. 

“You said that one moment does not define a person's life; It's the journey they made, the memories they leave with those who mourn their passing. I want you to know that you have defined my life’s journey, and I want Gotham – the world to know that you are the very center of Bruce Wayne and Batman’s world.”

When it was Vivian's turn, she took a breath and began, “I, Vivian Pryor, take you, Bruce Wayne, as my husband…” she took a breath again and shrugged. “I forgot what I wrote, so bear with me if this isn’t as romantic as the one you just said.”

“Forgiven,” Batman smirked. 

“I’ve been through a hell lot of shit growing up. I’ve seen things that have scared me that I can’t sleep at night because they haunt me still. But just like that night when you found me throwing up in that trash bin, and accused me of setting up the whole murder to get more publicity on my books –”

“Wait, what?” Lois raised a brow.

“You did what?” Clark questioned Bruce.

“-- you still wrapped your cloak around me when you saw that I needed help. When I was overwhelmed with those that were haunting me, you didn’t know what was happening but you protected me in that simple act. What I’m trying to say is, you have a good heart,” Vivian smiled and placed her hand on his chest. “One that cares for anyone in need and even the villains you face. And I promise to protect that good man from ever descending to madness. They keep telling you that you’re just one bad day away from becoming like them — so, I promise you, that I will be here to remind Batman of who he is. His mission. His code. I will keep this good man grounded.

“I promise to help ease the burdens you carry because I know that there are so many and how heavy it is for you. Your shit is my shit too. I promise to always be here waiting for you to come home, but I will always have your back either if it’s to cover for you when Batman goes missing, or to fake an accident because Batman broke his leg, or to answer your call for help. 

“I promise to love you – the whole you, the one that doesn’t need to wear a mask. And even in death I will love you, Bruce, because I promise that in whatever plane you are sent to in the afterlife, I will fight whatever gatekeeper there is – Charon, Lucifer, the freaking angels – so I can be with you. I love you, Batman, from our first case to our last.”

Batman reached up and caressed her cheek. “I love you, Vivian. From our first kiss to our last.”

When it was time for the rings, Dick handed them the wedding bands, and Bruce was surprised when he saw the customized wedding band for him. It was the design that Vivian had customized for him. It was sleek and black with a single silver stipe in the middle, and inside he saw the engraving: you have my heart – Vivian.

Her wedding band was made of silver, a simple one, and inside she saw the engraving: my love, my life – Bruce.

As  Alfred gave the permission for the couple to finally kiss as husband and wife, Vivian removed Batman’s cowl and brought him to a deep and passionate kiss. Cheers came from their witnesses of four as they celebrated the official union between Bruce and Vivian. 

Breaking the kiss, Bruce picked her up, carrying her in his arms, just as he promised he would do, and kissed her again. Breaking the kiss, Vivian looked at him lovingly and said, “Now and forever, Mr. Pryor.”

Bruce smiled and pressed his forehead on hers. “Now and forever, Mrs. Wayne.”

[redflagshipwriter]

Batmom Cass preview post for Colin!!

This is 600 words as a thank-you for starting my fund to replace my laptop! I am so so appreciative. There's actually... no Cass in this particular section, but I thought it was probably best to share the next scene. Chapter 8: post reveal (about ten minutes after heaving his guts on very expensive carpet)

Danny would prefer to strike that unfortunate incident from the record and his memory. As soon as he figured out how to cause selective brain damage, it was all over for the mortifying ordeal of being perceived in weakness. He swung his legs miserably over the bathroom counter’s edge and pretended very hard that he was alone in Amity Park where no one noticed or cared if he threw up. 

He was still in the room where Cass had hustled him to clean off his face and see if there would be an encore. He’d had to make a tactical retreat away from the toilet to higher ground when big fussy bats flapped in after him. Presumably they’d learnt that he threw up when Cass went to get whatever supplies one needed to clean partially digested yogurt off antique carpet. Ancestral carpet. Probably made of some nutty rich person material like, uh, hair from the manes of prize-winning horses.

Somehow, Danny cringed even harder. He needed brain damage immediately, please.

“And you’re certain that you don’t need to visit a medical facility?” 

Batman brooded in the literal way that a chicken brooded. Danny tightened his grip on the counter just that little bit more so that no one could drag him into a nest and sit on him. “Wouldn’t do any good,” he said shortly. It came out a little too mean. He tried to correct his voice to be nicer. “Thanks. Tho.” Danny cleared his throat.

“Tt.” Damian expelled air against his front teeth and glowered at his father. “He looks terrible. You cannot believe this.”

Wait, what? Danny blinked down at Uncle Damian, betrayed. “I look terrible?” he echoed. What the hell? Criticism, from Dames?

Bruce got a pinched look. “Danny, honey, you have been looking a little…” He trailed off. “Unwell.”

‘That would be the lack of ectoplasm,’ Danny thought snidely. He kept his mouth firmly shut and turned away. Unfortunately, he caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror and winced at it. He did look pretty wan and thin. It was hard to put a finger on what was off about his appearance, but it was sort of… deathly.

He was putting on weight again thanks to Alfred and Damian’s monitoring of his diet, but it was just a fact that he wasn’t really suited to this environment. Too human to survive in the big Green yonder, too undead to get by on bread and roast beef alone.

‘...How does Jason do it? An aura like that is not sustained by creme anglaise and goulash. He has to have access to ecto somewhere.’ 

Danny really should have wondered that before. Jason had to be like, the most liminal human being around who wasn’t a halfa. He definitely needed ecto. Where was he getting it? Danny hadn’t really consciously thought about it, but… He felt himself tinge a little green again.

‘Was I feeding off of his ambient ectoplasm when he was here yesterday?’

His mouth filled his saliva that still tasted both sour and like toothpaste. Danny swallowed it with effort. He did not think of how good ecto tasted after you’d been denied and drained. He did not think about the sense memory of how living ecto would indent and then give with a juicy pop around his teeth, splash the inside of his mouth-

Danny buried his face in his hands and tried not to look like he was going to throw up again. Because he was not going to do that. He was not going to eat Jason and he was not going to throw up.