#Connor's horrible shirts bring me joy

[artbybrittney]

Surely you've seen the hat man, Hank!

Bonus panel feat. Connor's horrible wardrobe:

[anchinoe]

I Hope You Know That You’re My Home

Also on AO3. Beta read by @mizmahlia :D Follow me on my main blog @kat-astrophic-todd . Chapter 1.

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Chapter 2: Don’t Let This Be The End

The memories always seemed to leave him broken. He felt like he was out of his body, an outsider looking at Bruce Wayne from above. He came to himself slowly; first he felt the fabric of his trousers and his vision started to focus. He heard muffled voices, as if he was underwater. His daughter shook his shoulders violently.

“Cassandra?” He furrowed his brow, not knowing what was happening.

“Look,” she pointed sharply at the TV, where Jason’s face was on the news. He felt dizziness taking over his body. He wasn’t sure what was real anymore.

“It seems our wayward bad boy celebrity has been doing more than partying with Prince Harry around Europe these last years.” Vicki Vale smirked at the camera. Bruce had the feeling she was enjoying every second of it. “Yale University couldn’t keep the secret anymore when the graduation ceremony took place and the young Wayne heir went to accept his diploma.”

“Oh, my God.” Bruce heard Dick mutter behind him.

“The young man graduated with honors in Ethics, Politics and Economics,” she kept on, a surprisingly genuine smile on her face. “His teachers say he was the most dedicated student of his class and therefore graduated a year early. The rector tells us he was very adamant on keeping his identity a secret, for reasons we all can imagine.”

Bruce felt her staring right through him.

“And he confirmed Mr. Todd-Wayne has already been offered a position in several companies. We're sure he is going to achieve great things.”

The following headlines were a blur for everyone in the room. No one was bold enough to talk; time had stopped for them.

“Did you know?” Bruce whispered at no one in particular.

His children were as surprised as he was, the only one remaining calm was Alfred. The old man looked up and met his eyes.

“Master Jason might have mentioned college, but he never specified and I certainly wasn’t going to try and pry information from him,” he admitted. Silence fell upon them once again while they let the information sink in.

“But that’s fantastic!” Dick finally shook off the initial surprise and now was openly smiling. He looked so proud and happy that it hurt, looking at him.

Yes, Bruce thought, yes it is.

But as his eldest son left the room to, no doubt, congratulate Jason, he couldn’t shake off the sadness that overcame him. Not because he wasn’t happy or proud, but because he wasn’t allowed to be part of his son’s life anymore. He couldn’t hug him and hold him. He couldn’t pepper his face with kisses or tell him how his success made a warm feeling spread in his chest, making him want to shed happy tears and cry out in joy.

Instead, he had to wait for his kids to take pity and share something about Jason with him. He would have to wait for Jason to give interviews or to resign himself to search on social media for gossip. Pathetic, really.

He would do anything to fix the bond he broke, he would give anything to get his beloved son back. To take his words back. To pause and look and realize how broken his son had been, the pain he carried, the signs he should have seen.

The guilt weighing on Damian’s conscience for not telling him right away what Bruce should have already figured out.

  ᴥ

  He heard Damian’s light steps seconds before he knocked on the study’s door. Bruce tried to compose himself a little. He wiped his face, combed his hair a little and tried to smooth out the wrinkles on his shirt.

“Come in.” His voice more confident than he felt. He hadn’t slept in days, trying to find Jason, to find any clue about his whereabouts. In moments like this he really hated how intelligent his son was.

“Father,” Damian greeted him absentmindedly. He looked distracted, and nervous. Bruce was exhausted, but he knew his son well.

“Sit down, please.” Damian did as he was told. “Is everything alright?” Bruce knew it wasn’t, but let his eleven-year-old son talk at his own rhythm.

Damian gulped and looked at his designer shoes, not even grazing the floor. He bit his lip and took a deep breath, finally looking at Bruce. He was crying.

“This is-” Damian wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater furiously, squaring his shoulders. He looked too old for his age. Bruce didn’t like it.

“This is all my fault.” His voice broke at the last word, breaking also Bruce’s heart.

“Jason” He hiccupped

“Left. A-and it’s…”

Another hiccup

“All my fault.” His shoulders shook and Bruce stood up and ran to hug his son with force. The child almost clawed at him, grabbing his shirt as if it was a lifeline. The crying worsened.

“Damian,” Bruce couldn’t let the sadness overtake him. Damian needed him now. His boy was breaking down and he needed to be there for him. He clutched him in his arms and whispered on his ear.

“Listen to me, son. This is not your fault, okay? If anything, it’s my fault. I said horrible things to your brother and he…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. Bruce blinked away the tears.

“B-but I should have told you,” Damian wailed, curling even more around Bruce.

“Tell me what?” Bruce had a bad feeling. There was something he was missing.

“Jason was having trouble at Gotham Academy.” The kid took a breath, trying to steady himself. “There were boys beating him and calling him names and-” Damian gulped again, “he asked me not to tell you. He said he could deal with it, he didn’t want to worry you. But in September everything was worse and we started fighting because I wanted to tell you so they would stop.”

“Slow down, Damian.” He said softly. Bruce tried to calm down and not think about tearing those bullies to shreds in front of their parents. “Why were they bullying Jason? I thought he was doing okay with the other students.”

“He was,” Damian sighed, “but he liked a boy from the football team and kissed him.” Bruce clenched his jaw, already knowing the rest of the story. “Jason told me they were picking on him for being bisexual. They called him “faggot” and made his life miserable in the training sessions. That’s why he left the team.”

Bruce inhaled sharply through his nose and buried his face on his son’s neck, trying to find some comfort. He knew that anger, clawing from the inside and trying to overcome him. And he wanted to give in so badly. His son had been bullied and humiliated. His boy had been beaten up just because he liked boys and girls. He had been suffering in silence because he didn’t want to worry Bruce. And Bruce had…

What have you done? What the hell have you done?

His son was probably terrified and devastated, alone somewhere, thinking that his father didn’t love him.

Now everything made sense. Why Jason didn’t want to take his senior year, how angry and distant he had become in the course of months. His fights with Damian. The drinking.

If his parents could see him now. How royally he had fucked everything up. They would be so disappointed, so heartbroken.

He had to find Jason and apologize. He needed to know he was alright. Bruce knew this was all his doing. If only he had tried talking to Jason, to understand what was happening to him. If only he would have approached things differently.

If only he had worked to be the kind of person his children could talk to.

  ᴥ

  Barely a month after Jason graduated, rumors said Lex-Corp had offered him a position. Bruce almost broke his cup of coffee when Lucius told him. Everyone knew how much he hated Lex. He was arrogant and rude and a megalomaniac. He had also tried to destroy Wayne Enterprise ever since Bruce told him exactly that in a gala, years ago. In front of two hundred people.

Nothing good seemed to happen at galas. Bruce wondered if it would be so terrible to stop attending. Alfred and Lucius would probably find a creative way to make his life a living hell.

And then, Jason was caught on camera. Someone asked about the rumors.

 “Considering the ties between Talia and Lex Luthor, are you considering the Lex-Corp’s offer? What does your father think?” the journalist asked at the speed of light.

Jason seemed to take some time to answer, flashes blinding him.

“Working for Luthor?” The young man furrowed his brow and then smirked, “Nah, I wouldn’t do that to Oliver.”

 That had fueled Bruce’s anger. He hadn’t even addressed him. He had just jumped right to Oliver Queen. It was clear that Jason wanted to make sure Bruce knew he wasn’t one of his priorities.

That hurt, he had to admit. And he almost expected Jason to start working at Queen Industries, but no. His son was never one to half-ass shenanigans.

Almost a year after the whole scandal and subsequent harassment from the press, Bruce found out what his son had been up to the whole time. And the one who told him this time was none other than his cousin.

“What?” Bruce barked in shock.

“Yep,” Kate leaned back in the chair, resting her feet on Bruce’s desk. “The kid is hiring Kane Enterprises for the security and transport. Dad thought he was joking when he told us he was building his own company.” She laughed. She had always liked Jason, his straightforwardness and his honesty. “They grow up so fast.”

“What did you tell him?” He was still processing the information.

“What do you think?” she deadpanned. “What? You wanted me to refuse my favorite nephew’s offer?” she huffed. Kate had started joking about Jason being his favorite after he came out publicly.

  ᴥ

  “So, what can you tell us about your rumored affair with Connor? What can you tell us about your sexuality?” Vicki asked Jason.

“Why should I talk about it? Do I ask you about the time you were with my father?” Jason had been building up the anger during the whole interview. Bruce was almost surprised he hadn’t lashed out when the questions about the family didn’t stop coming.

“You’re free to talk about that. You’re free to hate him. My sexuality is not the only thing I am. I should be free, too, to decide where and when I talk about it. Just like you are free to talk about me and my family whenever and wherever you please.” And then he stood up and left the set.

A couple of days after, he tweeted about the whole incident: “i’m sorry if i was harsh the other day @VickiV”

And then: “for all the lgbt people supporting me: you are the loveliest and i’m fucking PROUD of being bisexual”

After the whole thing, he did an interview with Lois Lane, who wouldn’t normally cover those kinds of things, but made an exception because her husband was Bruce’s best friend. And she loved Jason.

It was clear that Jason was totally relaxed around Lois. He trusted her with his life. He also knew that her interview would be far more serious and hard. On that set, Lois lane was journalist first and friend second. And he seemed to respect that.

She tread lightly on the family topic and gave Jason the freedom to choose not answer certain questions (like the ones regarding why he left) and then talked in-depth about how hard it’s been for him to accept his sexuality and the biphobia outside a within the LGBT community.

“Is there anything else you want to talk about?” Lois asked with a smile.

“Well, I want to apologize again to Vicki Vale. I may not always agree with how she does her job, but I know I didn’t handle the situation well.” He sighed. “And I want to thank my siblings and Alfred for being there, supporting me and making sure I was okay when all of this blew up. Especially Damian.” He smiled sadly at the camera.

It was clear that Lois wanted to point out the omission of Bruce in the sentence, but they ended the interview there.

  ᴥ

  After that, Kate had declared how proud she was of her nephew to anyone who asked about him. Bruce was jealous of her, in a way. She could express her feelings without the press questioning them or Jason getting angry at her for talking about him.

There had been pics of her and Jason going out in Star City and Metropolis. Bruce never asked. Kate told him Jason was fine and happy, anyway. He loved her for it, and she knew him enough to read it on his face when he teared up. She would always ruffle his hair and joke about something else, like she did when they were younger.

Now, seated in front of him with her immaculate red hair in a bob, she smiled like that to him again. As if she was giving him the time to catch up on his feelings and decide what he would do next.

“How is he doing it?” Bruce knew for a fact that Jason wasn’t spending his Wayne money on it. He made very clear that he didn’t want anything to do with the fortune. It annoyed Bruce more than he wanted to admit. He was supposed to take care of his children, he wanted them to use his money to build their lives. It was their money, too. The fact that Jason was probably using Queen’s money didn’t help, either.

“I think Talia lent him the money,” Kate started carefully. Bruce’s relationship with Talia was rocky, at best. “He did mention a partner.”

Jason didn’t have a nice childhood, and because of that he usually didn’t trust men. But women… he nearly worshipped them. They were superior creatures to him, part of why he was so close to Cassandra.

And because of that, he never disrespected Talia or judged her. Dick and Tim, and even Cassandra, weren’t very fond of her and how her relationship with Bruce ended. But Jason had always been nothing but respectful to her. He would often linger in the room she was when she came to visit Damian. He listened intently to her stories of conquerors and traditional oriental tales. Talia was clearly fond of him and, eventually, she became attached.

She would take Damian and Jason on holiday trips and art auctions. She once bought a first edition for Jason. He wouldn’t stop smiling for nearly a week. They had their own traditions, like their yearly travel to Nanda Parbat, or celebrating Talia’s birthday, just the three of them. Damian started looking up to Jason; they formed their very own family. In the end, Bruce was sure both Talia and Jason considered each other mother and son, in some way.

That’s why Kate’s guess was most likely true.

It seemed everyone got to parent his son, except him.

He had to fix that, somehow.

“Please, keep me informed,” he told Kate. It was the first time he asked her to do something when it came to Jason.

“I know that look, Bruce.” She shook her head in defeat. “Whatever you’re planning, it better not blow up on your face. Because the last thing we need is for Jason to run away from the family. Again.”

[dccomicsimagines]

A Funny Feeling - Superboy x Reader - Part Two

Part One

Happy Birthday, Anon!!

Requested by Anon -  So my favourite story of yours is "A Funny Feeling", and as its my birthday soon i was wondering if i could maybe request a part 2?

Requested by Anon -  Hi i just read a funny feeling and for some reason it really hit me. Can you do a part 2 with connor experiencing more feeling?

Requested by Anon - Any chance for a second part where the reader has to go home and Connor gets a funny feeling that is like sadness/grief or something?? 

Requested by Anon - a part 2 to A Funny Feeling where the Reader has been on the team a couple of years and is in a relationship with connor, but then the league find a way to send them home and they have to decide whether to stay or not, or something? 

Requested by whatsmy-ageagain -  I love your imagines!! Especially A Funny Feeling!!! Any chance for a part 2?! 

“You know, I’ve never seen the stars this bright,” you said, leaning back against Conner’s chest. He pressed a kiss to your head, his arms wrapping around your waist to keep you on his lap as Sphere flew the two of you slowly over the ocean. The two of you were so far out, the city lights seemed almost as distant as the stars above.

“I figured you would enjoy it,” Conner mumbled into your ear. You hummed, resting your head on his shoulder to gaze at the stars. Two years had passed since the day you fell into his world. You and Conner had been together for most of those two years. Somehow, being with Conner made you miss your home less. 

The two of you sat in silence for a long time. It wasn’t until Conner cleared his throat did you speak again. You sat up, turning slightly to look at him. “What?”

Conner blushed, giving you a shy smile. “I was just thinking about something,” he explained, shrugging his shoulders. You narrowed your eyes at him suspiciously. 

“You seem to be thinking about it pretty hard,” you teased, touching your nose to his. He smirked at you as you settled back against him. 

“I was just thinking about the future,” he began softly. He nuzzled your hair. “Our future.”

“Really?” you asked curiously, prompting him to continue. 

He cleared his throat, shifting slightly in his seat. “Yeah, I was thinking about maybe where we’d live, what we’d do, if I’d still be part of the team, if we’ll have kids...” Conner rambled, blushing at the last part. You threw a glance at him, giving him a playful smile.

“You really have been thinking a lot,” you amazed, your smile falling into a melancholy one.

Conner frowned, worriedly. “Does that bother you?”

“No,” you replied quickly, adjusting yourself in his lap to face him. You cupped his face, forcing him to meet your eyes. “I’ve had the same thoughts about our future, especially since it doesn’t look like I’ll ever get home.” You frowned slightly, missing your home once again. It always hit you once or twice a day, eating at your heart. 

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Conner said softly, reaching to brush away a tear that slipped down your cheek. You ducked your head, trying to control yourself. “I’m sorry you were taken from your home, but I’m glad you are here.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love being here with you, Conner,” you reassured, meeting his eye. “I can’t imagine my life without you, but I miss my family. It kills me to think they don’t know where I am or if I’m okay...”

“I know,” Conner soothed, wrapping his arms around you to pull you into a hug. You accepted it, taking a sniff of his shirt. He smelled so good, almost like home. 

The moment was interrupted when Sphere beeped about an incoming transmission from the cave. You and Conner traded looks before you turned around in his lap to face the console as Batman appeared in front of you on a floating screen.

“Superboy, (Y/N), return to the cave,” Batman’s voice ordered through the transmission. 

Conner growled, glaring at Batman. “We requested tonight off.” You bit your lip to hide a smile as Batman narrowed his eyes.

“Return to the cave now,” Batman repeated sternly, cutting off the transmission. You turned to look at Conner in confusion.

“What do you think he wants?” you asked as Sphere flew the two of you back to the cave. Conner frowned, shrugging his shoulders. He couldn’t bring himself to tell you about the horrible wrenching feeling in his chest as if everything he loved was about to be taken away. 

Batman was waiting for you when you and Conner arrived on Sphere. Conner helped you down before turning to face Batman.

“What is it, Batman?” you asked politely. Conner was still glaring at him, hating that your special moment alone was ruined. 

“We have news, (Y/N),” Batman began, gesturing for you to follow him. You did, pulling Conner along by his hand. He seemed reluctant for some reason. 

Entering the main room of the cave, you were surprised to find Doctor Fate, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and the rest of the team waiting for you. Conner’s hand tightened around yours at the sight.

“(Y/N),” Black Canary began after a long silence. “We found you a way home.” 

“What?” you gasped, shocked beyond belief. Tears sparked in your eyes as a wave of conflicting emotions ran through you. “You better not be kidding.” Conner’s grip on your hand was starting to bruise, but you didn’t notice. 

Kaldur stepped forward with a sad smile on his face. “We’re not kidding, (Y/N).” You studied him for a moment, checking for honesty. When you were satisfied, you faced everyone else.

“I can go home?” you asked in a small voice, tears of joy slipping down your face. You pulled away from Conner when Batman answered for everyone.

“Yes,” he stated, emotionless. You took a moment to absorb the fact before you sprinted towards Batman, trapping him into a hug.

“Thank you so much,” you sobbed, not able to stop yourself from crying. The rest of the team was snickering at the sight. Black Canary just smiled, opening her arms when you let go of Batman to hug her. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!”

Letting go of Black Canary, you spun around to Conner, jumping into this arms. You were a mess, sobbing and laughing at the same time. Conner patted your back, keeping his expression blank as a funny feeling grew in his chest. He looked over your shoulder at the team, not knowing what this feeling was. It wasn’t love like last time, but more unpleasant, nauseating.  

When you released Conner and went to hug the rest of the team, he stayed frozen where he was. Unable to move or think, Conner had no idea what to do.

The day after you left, Conner woke up in the medical bay. The last thing he remembered was seeing you walk towards a shining golden portal. Seeing you disappear, Conner felt like his whole world crumbled around him. 

He found he couldn’t move as if he no longer had the energy for it. Laying in the medical bay for two days straight, he ignored everyone who came to speak with him. Black Canary kept trying to make him take pills that were supposed to help, but Conner refused her. 

It was only when Wally and Dick visited that he spoke. He turned his head to look at them as they stood next to his bedside. “What is this feeling in my chest?”

Wally blinked, sharing a look with Robin. “What do you mean, Supey?” 

“Last time I had a funny feeling in my chest, you explained it was a crush on (Y/N),” Conner reasoned, the faintest glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Now it feels like nothing as if my heart just disappeared from my chest.” The hopelessness on his face broke Dick and Wally’s hearts. “What is it?”

Dick and Wally shared another look before Dick stepped forward to pat Conner’s arm. “I think what you’re feeling now is grief.” Conner frowned in confusion.

“But (Y/N) isn’t dead, I shouldn’t be grieving.” 

“Yeah, but they are gone,” Wally explained carefully. “You might never see them again, so it can be like they’re dead.”

Dick glared at Wally, smacking him across the head. Wally cried out, frowning as Dick spoke. “That’s not what he meant, Conner. He’s saying that someone being gone from your life can make you grieve for them.” Dick swallowed hard before continuing. “The funny feeling you have is because you miss (Y/N).” 

Conner’s face fell at their words, the light in his eyes died. A frown kept pulling at his lips as Wally and Dick eyed him with sympathy. A vision of your face kept creeping into his mind. You were so beautiful, but then he reminded himself that he was never going to see you again. Without warning, a sob slipped passed his lips as Conner broke. 

Wally jumped in surprise at Conner’s tears, but Dick was ready, encasing Conner in a tight hug. It took Wally a moment, but he soon joined Dick in the hug as they tried to hold Conner together. 

Time passed and Conner recovered as much as he could. There was no light in his eyes, but he lived. He ate, slept, trained, and went on missions with the team. The rest of the team worried about him, but he would brush off their concern.

The team had been sent on a mission to Metropolis to stop Wizard from blowing up a bridge or something. Conner was out of it when they said Metropolis, because it only reminded him of you. He kept remembering the first time he had saw you.  

During the mission, Conner was barely paying attention. He ran into things, ignored cries for help, and got hit by Wizard several times to the point where the team was worried that he might be dying. What they didn’t know was that he had been dying since you disappeared from his life. 

One hard knock sent Conner crashing through five buildings and rolling into an empty street. When he came to a stop, he simply laid there. He almost wished the last hit killed him as he tried to find the will to stand up. Closing his eyes, he sighed when M’gann shouted into his head. He thought back at her, letting her know he was okay. 

Suddenly, without any warning, a familiar scream filled the air. Conner’s eyes snapped open as he scrambled to his feet. In the far distance, a figure was falling through the air, tumbling towards their death. Conner’s instincts took over, sprinting to the figure. He leaped into the air, catching the figure by slipping his arms under their knees and back.

Conner landed heavily on the ground. He cradled the person to his chest, taking the impact of the landing. 

“Are you okay?” Conner asked, leaning back to look at the person’s face. He froze when he saw the person was you. 

“My hero,” you cried, wrapping your arms around his neck. You kissed him, laughing at his stunned expression. “Why are you so surprised?”

“(Y/N),” Conner choked, his eyes drinking in your beauty. Seeing you restarted his heart, and he suddenly found the first funny feeling that he always would associate with you growing in his chest. “It’s really you.”

Conner’s arms tightened around you before spinning you around. You shrieked, burying your head into his chest to stop yourself from getting dizzy. “Conner stop,” you giggled before he slowed and set you on the ground. 

“I thought you were gone for good,” Conner mumbled, studying your features as if trying to memorize them. “You went home.”

You smiled sadly at him, tracing the contours of his face while gazing into his blue eyes. “I did, and I saw my family.  They know I’m okay, and they know about you too.” Conner’s eyes widened at your words. “I started falling apart without you, thinking I would never see you again. My parents thought I was suicidal, and I guess I was. It was then when I decided I had to come back to you.”

Conner leaned down to kiss you before leaning back to touch his nose to yours. “I know how much you wanted to go home, but I can’t live without you, (Y/N). My life ended when you disappeared from it.”

“And it began again when I came back,” you finished, kissing his chin and then his lips. A crash echoed from the distance drawing you and Conner away from one another. 

“Oops,” Conner mumbled, glancing over at the origin of the sound. “The team and I were fighting Wizard when you fell from the sky.” 

You snorted, pushing Conner towards the sound. “Then you better go help them.” You gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be here when you’re done.” Conner grinned at you before leaping away to help the team. You watched him go, confident you made the right choice. 

As the distance between you and Conner grew, Conner listened for your heartbeat. Counting each one, Conner grinned as the funny feeling grew in his chest once again.