#Jason and Duke swore not to tell anyone

[batsandbirdsandothers]

Inspired by this post - Jason and Duke having glowy eyes and freaking Bruce out

Bruce: Have kids, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. I thought I was gonna shit my pants.

Dick: But they’re so adorable, aren’t they?

Bruce: Unfortunately yes.

[auroreliis]

Platonic batfam (or romantic, if you prefer). With darling who's English language not native. And theynot take a words in English like Their native language, Not entirely. Would insisted Bruce what batkid (any age, sure) call he "father" but on the Their (Her/His) native language? If he will know what They don't make the meaning same, like for he and batboys (and girls)? I mean, I would easily call someone "father" or "brother" exactly in English even if I don't perceive them as such, because it's not father-Father for me. How about others? Maybe batfam take it as an opportunity for to get close to darling, to teach Them to better perceive English and them in this context. And also. What about darling who swears in his native language (switches to his native language when angry/annoyed). Conversely, They calls those They like with nice nicknames in his native language, for example, Alfred (the cat and the original), Duke, probably girls.

L🍑

Yes! Absolutely, they would take this chance to get closer to you!!!

Bruce is your dad, therefore you must refer to him as such. He really doesn’t care in which language, as he either speaks it or will speak it soon, so go right ahead and speak your native language.

While the Batfam speaks English fluently, they will not force you to learn it. In fact, they’d rather force themselves to learn YOUR language (…if they don’t speak it already, that is)

However, if he heard you admit that you only call him dad in English, because it feels less personal, he would be stumped. I mean, he can’t just force you to switch your language, what would that change? Though he would certainly find ways to ensure you truly think of him as your father, he just needs to figure out how…

Also, swearing is strictly forbiden according to Bruce and Dick. You’re their little angel, the light of their lives, so you will NOT be heard using such profanities, no matter which language you speak.

Jason doesn’t give enough fucks to snitch, but if you went overboard, he would tell you to watch it.

Tim is the biggest snitch ever. Do not break ANY rules in his proximity, you will regret it.

Damian, like Bruce and Dick, prefers it when you use polite and gentle language. You’re like a blossom, blooming in the sunlight, such disgusting and vile words should not be coming from you, so watch it.

Duke would kind of freeze if you swore around him. He, ever so loyal to Bruce, cannot let this fly, but…imagining the scolding you’d get makes him feel bad. Besides, you’d never forgive him if he snitched, right? Fine, he’ll endure it, despite how uncomfortable it makes him feel. The things we do for love, huh?

Stephanie is so cool, because she’s rebellious enough to not snitch on you, but also obedient enough to not get into trouble with Bruce (…at least not THAT often). Hence why she not only ignores your swearing, but also swears with you! Not in front of Bruce, though. He would scold you both.

Cassandra has it tough. She obviously doesn’t want to snitch on you or forbid you from speaking your mind, but sometimes, your words, or specifically your use of those words in her proximity, make her feel a bit disrespected. You shouldn’t use such words in the proximity of someone who is older than you, that’s what she was taught.

Barbara is a mix of Dick’s and Steph’s attitude. Most of the time, she doesn’t care, but if your words are directed at anyone from the family, she’s telling Bruce to reprimand you right away.

In short, be careful of what you do and who is nearby when you do it.

Oh and, you have a nickname for someone specific? You won’t hear the end of it (in a positive way…mostly). They won’t leave you alone, they won’t shup up and they won’t stop bragging about how they clearly must be the favourite because their nickname is the more affectionate one, or their nickname is used more often, etc.

Truly a delusional bunch.

[peterxwade24]

Safety Found in Red Sleeves Shorts

Grave Talks

I hope you enjoy this little short about some of the graves in the SFiRS 'verse, and I hope you enjoy this little snapshot into Oswald's past.

Without further ado, on with the short.

It didn’t take long after it happened before Oswald Cobblepot was watching his friend be lowered into the ground. He had known Liuxian for a long time, longer than he would admit to anyone else, and couldn’t believe that she was gone.

Oswald and Liuxian, more commonly called Ozzy and Lucy, had been friends in high school, when they had both moved to town. Ozzy might have grown up down the road, in the next town over, but Liuxian had grown up in Shang Hai.

Ozzy had loved Lucy from the minute they met, two awkward twelve-year-olds who didn’t fit in with their peers. Lucy had been the one to push Ozzy into ornithology, noticing his love of birds and pushing him to take it further. Some would say that Lucy was the reason he became The Penguin but Ozzy liked to think that Lucy was the reason he was around for his chick.

Pere and Gale had silently been standing next to Oswald, letting him lose himself in his thoughts. They knew how hard it was for the man, as he had so few friends. They knew that he needed the time to reminisce as he watched his oldest friend go into the ground. Pere and Gale had never actually known Lucy, Ozzy and Lucy having had fallen out of touch when Lucy started working the streets and Ozzy started actively fighting against Batman.

Ozzy swore that Lucy would have loved the two of them, that she would have introduced the two to Thana as her aunts, just as Ozzy was her uncle.

Oswald turned away from his oldest friend, towards the two women who stood at his side through everything and with a smile offered them his hands. “Shall we go?”

The trio of birds walked out of the cemetery, their arms linked and Oswald’s head down as he left more than just his oldest and dearest friend behind, he left a good chunk of his very being in the cemetery too.

-*-*-*

Jason looked at his grave, a grimace on his face. “Did anyone even visit me here?”

Dick frowned and shrugged. “I don’t even know. I know I did a couple of times before I was shipped off to Jump City.”

Tim leaned against his brothers and nodded. “I visited once a week for a couple of months then it turned into once a month. I arranged for flowers to be delivered every week after the headstone was put in. I made sure the flowers were native flowers and that they rotate them according to when the flower blooms.”

“That’s really nice but also really weird Timbers.” Jason ruffled his brother’s hair and smiled. “We should probably get back before Kutlat Saghira drives the girls and Duke crazy.”

“Your kid? Drive anyone crazy?” Dick laughed as he dodged a hit aimed his way. “Jace, Baby Wing is a sweetheart. We love him, and all of us would do anything to help the two of you. He’s the next generation of this family.”

“Shut up Dickhead.” Jason pushed Dick’s shoulder before the three set off back towards the apartment. “It’s not just him. Mar’i and Jai and Irey, they’re the next generation too. The four of them? They’re this family’s future.”

“So what you’re saying is any children the rest of us have are the next generation of this family, even if they’re technically apart of the same generation as someone apart of this generation of the family.”

“Yes Timmy. Why? Are you thinking of having kids soon?” Dick smiled and laughed as Tim blushed bright red. “If you do decide to have kids, you’ll let someone know, right?”

Tim shrugged and looked at his older brothers. “Thanks, for being so understanding of my situation.”

“You’ll always be our little brother Replacement, no matter what anyone else has to say about the matter.” Jason slipped his arm around Tim’s shoulders and pulled him close. “You can tell us anything.”

“Thanks Jay.”

[breadbrobin]

batfam headcanons for my soul

- jason is part italian and also so is tim. steph and dick call them the mario brothers. both are adamant they are mario. everyone else has started referring to both of them as luigi. neither has caught on

- tim and damian are actually pretty close but keep pretending to hate each other because they know the others all have bets on how long it’ll take before they even tolerate each other

- all of them are terrible drivers when it comes to the road rules. because they drive the batmobile, which is obv super different, they suck at driving normal cars and legally. they get pulled over a lot. bribes are common but hey, this is gotham so what’s new tbh

- most of them have considered whether they can sell a sibling, few (jason, tim) have actually researched how to do this and gotten scarily close to actually doing it

- jason listens to taylor swift openly and proudly. he is slowly corrupting the rest of the family

- dick and jason somehow got everyone else into theatre and musical theatre. movie nights are an experience

- roy is just. always there. he’s not part of the family, nor do any of them want him to be. he will not leave. alfred has not yet found where he stays or how he gets in

- dick likes to climb walls

- steph once found tim asleep, hanging from a gym bar. she left him there

- bruce once found tim asleep on top of the fridge. he left him there

- tim once woke up in japan. what.

- duke sings random things he does while he’s doing them. it has started to bleed into everyone else. they could start a choir at this point

- cass will sit anywhere. on chairs, the ground, people, tables, bannisters, anything. she likes to sit on peoples shoulders a lot

- babs is the only person who knows tim and damian actually get along. she found them working side by side one time and they swore her into the secret

- babs knows everyone’s secrets eventually, but she doesn’t tell anyone. until she needs to, of course

- bruce once woke up in japan after a mission gone awry. he was meant to be in canada. he ran into tim there. it was a weird day

[incorrectbatfam]

duke thomas headcanons?

When he was 3, he made his mom buy one of those bear-shaped honey bottles and slept with it at night, refusing to let anyone open it and eat the honey. This went on for weeks, so his mom emptied out the honey and replaced it with honey-colored resin

He has an unexplainable distrust of 2% milk

One time he and Dick were on a bike ride and he made them stop so a turtle could cross, even though they could've easily moved it or ridden around

Duke collects dentist hourglasses (the 2-minute ones for brushing teeth) and whenever someone annoys him, he puts one in their bathroom

His first kiss with Izzy was when they were cleaning up after robotics club by themselves

Instead of stealing his siblings' stuff, he puts them in random places.

Dick: "Jason, why are your shoes on my toilet seat?"

Jason: "You tell me. Why is your grapple under my pillow?"

The worst cold Duke ever had was when he was 5 and his nose felt like they had corks shoved up them. After that, he swore never to get sick again, and he's been true to his word

He listens to lo-fi when he studies and Damian drew him as the Lo-Fi Girl

He's the only one allowed to be alone in the Manor because all he does is re-enact that dance scene from Risky Business

Bruce memorizes everyone's comfort candy. Duke's is the left Twix

Duke accidentally got a one-day job at a mall kiosk

Everyone thinks Jason brought the Welsh Christmas horse to holiday dinner and gave it a seat at the table, but it was Duke

[current-interest-writings]

Batmom and the broken ankle...

Summary: batmom breaks an ankle doing mundane tasks. Her children and husband smother pamper her until she’s better. Alfred helps her find some peace and quiet.

Batfam x batmom (y/n)

Not edited for mistakes before being posted.

You had broken your ankle. How you ask?

By helping Alfred dust and having to use the ladder to do so.

And since that day your children act as if you are made of the most fragile glass.

Your husband wasn’t helping with that either. You loved Bruce, but dear lord did you need some breathing room.

You swore they acted like you would shatter on the floor if they weren’t doing everything for you.

You made a list of things they wouldn’t let you do.

Get your own books from the Wayne library

Walk/hobble down to the movie room for movie night.

Hobble into the kitchen for your own snacks

Rest by yourself.

Your husband now showered with you at all times. (Which is nice, you just wish it wasn’t because of the broken ankle.

You love your family. But Alfred is the only one who doesn’t treat you like glass.

Your children all had the same reaction reactions but different methods.

Dick was your oldest child, so he was used to you being clumsy. But the way he handled it hasn’t changed much. He would rest with you while you healed, made sure your ankle was cushioned enough. And wouldn’t let you walk alone.

Jason never handled seeing you in pain or injured very well. He somehow thought it was his fault and you would kick him out. But after that he learned to bring you books, maybe even read with you. And when dick wasn’t looking he too would cuddle with you... but don’t tell anyone.

Tim is a whole other story, he at first avoided you. Then he would bring you coffee, tea, or water. Food usually came with it too. Then he would sit in the corner on his laptop for a while.

Damien was the kid who believed you should tough it out. But he also was just that, a Kid. He loved you as if you were his birth mother, you showed him love and compassion. And he tried his best to return that when you were hurt. Would even bring his animals with him as well.

Duke was the newest member of the family, he wasn’t sure what was or wasn’t crossing a line with you, but he soon learned that when it came to your children you always had an open door. So he went in to talk to you.

Your boys were a lot. But you loved them, your daughters luckily were willing to help you get around the house.... unnoticed.

But Alfred was your true savior, he would walk with you down to the gardens, or even to his private area in the Wayne mansion. The last place the Wayne boys would look.

He helped you get five minutes of free time.

Until your husband came home to find you.

Then it was back to square one.

[quillsareswords]

Could you do something with Damian and a really cuddly, clingy, touchy-feely reader? I feel like his brothers would be v confused about the whole situation bc Damian's just chillin and always seems neutral to what's happening while reader is just like, koala bear hugging him and stuff all the time.

Firstly. I love this concept with every fiber of my being because, oh good god, it's me. Thank you so much for bringing this to inbox, because I've been lacking on inspiration lately, and this is just what I need right now. Thanks doll!!

Prompt List // Masterlist (in bio)

Tim stops dead in his tracks, cereal bowl nearly slipping from his hand as he halts in the doorway to the huge living room. He pauses, before cautiously asking, "What is this? What am I looking at?"

Damian's arm twitches against your back, the only give away that he's been caught off guard. You seem just as relaxed, sprawled on top of him like you've been there your whole life.

You don't even look at him, eyes still glued to the phone screen shining up at you from the floor, which you're facing with your face pressed against Damian's shoulder. "You've known me for five years and you still haven't learned my name? Rude."

He blinks. "Sure, sure. Right. Because it's absolutely normal for anyone to successfully get within a foot of Damian and not get knocked out."

You snort, but it still isn't enough to pry your attention away from your phone. Damian either, as he reads a book over your shoulder, which is settled under his chin. He must be tired or in a terrifyingly good mood, if he hasn't shoved you off in hopes of hiding emotions from his family. That's what he usually does when he gets caught with you, anyway.

He's been tiptoeing around the subject of you for a solid year and half now. It wasn't exactly easy, seeing as you're also a family friend, what with being a vigilante and all. You're Damian's partner, have been for three years, and you're in the manor often enough that you have your own room, right next to Damian's.

Still, even with no clear answers from either of you, the whole family has suspected a relationship for a long time.

But Damian isn't very touch oriented. In fact, he's been known to go to nearly astonishing lengths to avoid being touched at all.

And now here he is, you laying on top of him, out in the open, absolutely unbothered by Tim catching it.

Tim decides quickly not to risk Damian's mood spoiling while he's around, so he backpedals and heads for his room.

• • •

Jason doesn't come to the manor often, but when he does, there's usually a decently concerning reason for it. This time, he's waiting out a possible kidnapping by one king pin or another. You haven't been paying as much attention as you probably should.

Now, he's trotting down the steps from Bruce's office to fix a suspicious rattling noise his motorcycle has been making for a shameful period of time.

However, he stops beside the super computer, looking a little aghast and far too dramatic for the sight.

Damian side-eyes him, still typing away, but his head doesn't move. It really can't, because you're resting your head on top of it.

You're resting your full weight on the back of the chair, which Jason now realizes isn't the tall backed chair that usual sits there, with your cheek buried in the soft looking bush that is Damian's hair. Your eyes are closed, and your arms and draped over his shoulders, hands laying on his chest.

Jason catches himself staring when Damian's side-eyeing turns into a curious glare. Tentatively, Jason points to you, and raises an eyebrow.

Lowly, Damian somewhat patiently answers, "She's half asleep."

Your eyebrows slant together. "Hmm?"

Jason's expression becomes more confused. "She sleeps standing up?"

"Apparently," Damian mumbles.

Jason, more than a little perturbed but Damian's oddly placid demeanor and your absurd sleeping habits, shuffles the rest if the way to his bike, grabbing the toolbox on his way.

• • •

Dick sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket—correction, three blankets, facing the rest of the living room, where Damian sits on one couch, and Duke occupies the other.

"No no, I'm not saying Bella wasn't smokin, I'm just saying that those facial expressions and life decisions were questionable enough to make a guy think twice," Dick tries to reason.

Duke makes a face. "Bro, are you kidding? If a chick stares at you from across a lunch room and you've never spoke to her, you don't even try."

Damian scoffs. Duke raises an eyebrow, and just when he's about to beg for the story of who tied him to a steel chair and forced him to watch Twilight, you shoulder the double door open.

Damian doesn't look up from his newest book, which could be deemed rude if you weren't so close and comfortable with one another. "Evening, Beloved, how was your drive?"

You say nothing. You drop your bag by his feet, crawl the rest of the way onto the couch, and collapse. Your head in on a pillow between Damian's thighs and the arm of the couch, the rest of you divided unevenly between his lap and the rest of the couch.

He glances away from the pages briefly. "Traffic?" His hand slips under your shirt to gently run blunt nails up and down your spine.

For a moment, you're quiet, and neither of the two older men know how to react.

Then, without warning, you wail into the pillow. "Who the everloving fuck drives a Winnebago through central Gotham at six o'clock going fourteen miles an hour?"

Duke barks a loud laugh, before he claps a hand over his mouth in fear of a punishment. But a man can only do so much, so he sits with his hand over his mouth, giggling like a fifteen year old listening to a dirty joke with his parents in the room.

Damian chuckles lightly, white teeth peeking through a little smile that he's trying to suppress, much for the same reason Duke is doing his best not to let you hear him laugh.

Dick is more focused on the two of you, and the fact that his baby brother has grown up and changed for the better so much—

• • •

Cassandra climbs the stairs with some difficulty, thanks to two new sets of stitches and a few too many fresh bruises.

It's nothing a few days of relaxation won't fix. It was worth it, to see Poison Ivy put back behind bars—even if it did take four of you.

Shortly after arriving back, you and Damian had disappeared up to his room, after you'd both been checked over by Alfred. Aside from some intense bruising and a fee cuts and scrapes, you'd both been spared.

She knocks on his door a few times. With no answer, she loudly turns the handle and pushes the door open slowly, giving you enough time to correct her if need be. She knows at least one of you are in here, because the light is on. "Alfred sent me to tell you that there's dinner, if you want–"

She stops. You are, in fact, both in the room. However, neither of you are conscious.

Damian is sprawled haphazardly across his bed, face half squished into a pillow.

You're flopped across his back, horizontal across his bed, likely also with a pillow, but she can't see your face to be sure.

For a moment that feels a little intrusive, she stares, eyes wide. Not because he's in only boxers and you're in shorts and a sports bra (neither are necessarily a new sight, with one makeshift locker room in the Cave and a city with way too many privacy-surpassing emergencies), but because she's never witnessed Damian allowing another person to be so close to him while asleep.

Even on week long stakeouts that confine them to one room, he claims one corner for himself and doesn't tolerate that invisible boundary to be broken, especially when he's asleep.

She wouldn't even be so surprised if you were passed out in his reading chair, or even on a pile of blankets in the floor, or hell, even if you were on opposite sides of the bed. But you're literally as close to him as you could possibly be. And he's still sound asleep.

She closes the door and backs away slowly, a little smile on her face, even though she was too tired to laugh at the joke Bruce tried to crack a few minutes ago.

• • •

Bruce sits, almost impatiently, on a stone bench by the fountain the middle of Gotham City Gardens. The whole family had come here for the day, on invitation of the organization's owners. Of course, not everyone was officially recognized as family by anyone outside the Manor, so there were quite a few plus ones—you being one of them.

Of course you were. You're always invited. Over the years, it's become a running joke. A trip to the grocery store? (Y/N) must be invited. Walking from the W.I. building to an ice cream parlor and back? I bet (Y/N) is invited. At one point, Damian became so simultaneously annoyed and amused by it that for a week, you really did join him on every single outing. No one knows how exactly you made it across Gotham in six minutes flat to help him pick up cereal but by golly you managed it.

Bruce is currently waiting on you and Damian, who swore to meet him here for a few pictures (at Alfred's request). The pair of you had gone off on your own after about an hour of meandering around with his family, and no one has heard from either of you since. He would be worried, but you were both too excited about this to get into any trouble that would risk being sent home early.

Your laughter finds him before you do. It comes from around a corner of tall hedges, and shortly after, so do you.

You're smiling ear to ear, giggling like a school girl, elbows balanced on Damian's shoulders, about as precariously as you are on his back. That is to say, quite stable. Damian is grinning as well, his arms linked around you're knees at his sides to keep you as stable as you are. You've got an ice cream cone in each hand, one obviously having had more attention than the other.

Bruce's heart swells in his chest at the absolute joy on his son's face.

Damian stops not too far, shifting your weight to free one hand. You help, carefully resituating yourself to hold yourself up easily. You hand him the neglected ice cream, resting your now free hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Father," Damian sounds a little winded, and Bruce wonders if the running he heard earlier had been you two. "Somebody found an ice cream bar and insisted we stop before meeting you." He doesn't sound apologetic in the least.

"Hey!" You laugh, flicking the back of his ear as payback.

As payback for payback, he takes the edge of his cone between his teeth, and uses his free hand to give the back of your knee a quick pinch, before he occupies his hand again to tilt the odds in his favor.

You squeal and jerk. "Damian! You're gonna make me fall, and if I go down, you're coming with me!"

Bruce laughs loudly.

• • •

Alfred is on his way to the library to finish the afternoon chores. All he needs to do is straighten up in there, and he can call it an evening. Just in time, too, as one of the local channels is running a Downton Abbey marathon tonight that he doesn't particularly want to miss.

He pushes open the doors to get a little extra fresh air, but pauses just inside the doorway.

Damian is stretched out in one of the plush leather chairs, his long legs propped up by his ankles on the coffee table, head resting limply on the back of the chair. You're curled up in his lap, head on his shoulder, legs folded up on either side of his thighs, arms wound around his back. His hands are folded together on your back. You're both fast asleep.

The elder man is suddenly flooded with memories of the boy's first few months in this manor. In this room, even. He was politely feral, as Bruce had once put it. He was so uncomfortable all the time, though he fought not to show it. It was so new to him, to be openly cared for the way his family tried to care for him. Most people he met back then treated him as the cold, rude, trained assassin that he presented himself as.

So many overlooked the terrified ten year old boy that shook beneath the armor and the weight of the mantels he was expected to take up in so few years.

Of course Alfred had been paying attention to him all this time, all the growing he's done and the man he's becoming. He's always been proud.

But it's here, in this exact moment, that Alfred really takes in how different he is now, compared to then.

Not only did he find the strength and the trust to forge a close bond with you, one that would arguably outlast just about anything it was forced to endure, but he'd fostered such a sweet affection for you. He's found the space within himself to make room for a great love for you, and his family, and his friends.

And you're so good for him. You remind him of the things he could be, if he wanted, and not of what he should be or could have been. You provide him a sense of normalcy when he needs it, and battle ready companion when he needs that.

You look past the blazing armor of controlled aggression and lessons learned to reach the beautiful soul he is. And most importantly, you love him for all of it. You manage to dig so far beyond what he's been taught and the walls he's put up, that you look at what was meant to be the perfect soldier and you see a pillow to sleep on. You trust him with everything, including your vulnerability, just as he trusts you.

Alfred marks the page of the open book on the floor, closes it, and leaves it in the table for you later. He leaves as quietly as he came, in hopes of leaving the two of you undisturbed.

[singtheskyandfightlikehell]

BatFamily Headcanons: Stuffed Animals

In an attempt to productively combat my recent writer’s block, I’m practicing writing the batfam characters through short character study fics (which I will post once I make enough) and comparative headcanons. I might end up making short fics out of these, as well, since some of them got a bit long anyways

Today I decided to explore how many stuffed animals each member of the batfam (plus an adjacent character or two) has, what they think of them, how they got them, etc. I’ve got eleven characters on this list (and I’m still missing some, sorry)

Bruce:

Bruce put aside stuffed animals when he was eleven, deciding it was time to become serious. However, since acquiring children, he has been gifted a number of stuffed animals, ranging from a small and realistic brown bat to a child-sized bear wearing his cape and cowl. None of the children know this, but he keeps them all in a prominent position in his walk-in closet. Sometimes, when he has a particularly nasty fight with one of his kids, or he discovers something (like an injury) that they were hiding from him, he’ll tell the stuffed animals all the things he struggles to tell his children in the hopes that, one day, he’ll figure out how to express himself when it actually counts.

Alfred:

Alfred has no stuffed animals of his own, but he keeps the old, worn teddy bear that was once Thomas’ and later Bruce’s, alongside the somewhat lopsided bunny that Martha attempted to sew for Bruce when he was two. They sit side by side in a spotless glass cabinet filled with other memories that various members of the family have at one point or another attempted to cast aside.

Dick:

Dick has a pair of stuffed elephants, Eleonore and Zitka, and a teddy bear of his own, all from the circus. Most of the time they sit on the shelf under one of his nightstands, but when he has a particularly bad day, he’ll hold them all tightly until he falls asleep. If he’s crying, he finds it slows the tears to press kisses to the tops of their heads, or just smoosh his whole face into them. Sometimes, if he’s having a particularly good day – especially if no one else is sharing in his good mood – he’ll tell them about whatever made him happy. The rarest occasions are a bittersweet combination of both, the moments when he dwells on his happiest memories of his parents. When this happens, he is more likely to address them than his family, talking to them like old friends who were “there” for the things he’s recalling. It reminds him of the parties he would host as a small child, attended by his stuffed animals and his parents and sometimes other people from the giant family that was Haly’s, and for just that moment he’ll feel suspended somewhere between grief and content.

Barbara:

Barbara had lots of stuffed animals growing up, but as she got older, she gave most of them away. The only one she kept was a little otter that her father gave her for her first birthday. She doesn’t remember this, of course, but they have an old home video of that day which she’s seen a few times, and she know it’s one of her dad’s favorites to watch when he’s feeling nostalgic. She does remember the way she used to drag the otter with her everywhere she went when she was about four, and it’s so worn now that all of its original fluffiness has disappeared. She sets it up near her main computer and uses it in place of a rubber duck.

Jim:

When Babs decided she was too old for her stuffed animals, Jim was instructed to give them away at one of the Gotham children’s toy drives he helps run as commissioner. Only about half of them ever make it out of the house, because he keeps looking at them and remembering little moments that involve each of them. He has two boxes full of them that he swears he’s going to bring to the next drive, but he’s been swearing that for over ten years now.

Jason:

When Jason first arrived at the manor, he swore up and down that stuffed animals were dumb kids toys that he was way too old for. The first time Dick showed up at the manor after Jason was there, he brought a plush dog he’d picked up on the way there, unsure what to get his surprise new brother but not putting an excess of thought into it either. After all, he wasn’t about to ask Bruce what Jason might like. Jason made a show of scorn and tossing the toy in the trash, but when Dick was gone he dug it back out. When he was sleeping, he clutched the dog protectively against his chest like it might be snatched away at any time. When he wasn’t sleeping, he kept it hidden in a box wedged under a floorboard beneath the bed, alongside his other contraband. It was there when he died and it’s still there now. Every time he’s in the manor, he thinks about sneaking into his old room to retrieve it, alongside some of his other old belongings, but he never does. His reasoning alternates between not caring, being too old for toys, not wanting to set foot in his old room, and not wanting to get caught caring after all these years.

He does however have an obnoxiously long bright red snake that Roy won at some sort of archery carnival game while they were supposed to be tracking a suspect. He’d griped at Roy for wasting time with frivolous games, a complaint that was very on brand for their relationship. He’s pretty sure Roy saw through him, though, and understood the real reason he was so antsy to leave the carnival, given his soft apology later that night. He also recently acquired a floppy stingray, a gift from Lian for his latest birthday. She told him that she’d gotten to pet a stingray at the aquarium where she’d bought it, and it reminded her of him. Specifically, she’d said he was, “Kinda dangerous and maybe a little scary, but actually really soft to anyone who’s nice enough”. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that description, but the gift had a place of pride, resting atop an old model of his helmet that Roy had “defaced” with a sweet message that always made Jason smile.

Cass:

Cass grew up without stuffed animals, and was honestly a little confused at first about why she might want one. The first one she ever got was a tiny key-chain cat that was given to her by a little girl she saved. She was unsure what to make of the object itself, but she treasured it as a symbol, proof that she was doing good in the world. It was Steph who convinced her to look for more, to look for stuffed animals in her “style”. Eventually, she got two of the most different ones she could find: an iridescent octopus packed tightly with beans and made of a coarse fabric, and a large fluffy goose that squished like a cloud and was made of the softest fabric imaginable. She likes tossing the octopus lightly in the air to feel the weight of it, and faceplanting into the giant goose. She also has a big bear holding a plush heart that Steph got her for their first Valentine’s.

Tim:

Tim’s relationship with stuffed animals is a bit more complicated. He had five growing up: a dog, a bear, a lion, a rabbit, and a lamb. They had names, stories, personalities, and they were his friends (his only friends, at the time). When he was seven, he woke up one day to find them gone. His mother scolded him for his tears, explaining that he was too old for baby toys, and that his attachment to them would only hinder his path forward. For years, he felt ashamed whenever he thought of his grief towards them, because he knew they were just toys, he knew he was being a baby about it, and yet…

It wasn’t until he was fifteen years old and stumbled across an article about autistic people and the projection of feelings onto objects that he understood why he had been willing to sneak out at night to search through pawn store after pawn store and – once – the landfill in the hopes of seeing his beloved toys again. As a teen in the Wayne household, he knew he could get as many stuffed animals as he liked, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so after what had happened before. He got one giant, floppy moose, barely half a foot shorter than himself, that he clings to like an octopus when he manages to lay down, whether he succeeds in falling asleep or not. Additionally, on a night after Jason made amends with the family, Tim returned to his room to find a fifteen inch plush latte with a cute little face on the mug portion and a sticky note on top that simply read: Sorry for trying to kill you a bunch. My bad :) He keeps it on top of his dresser, and while he doesn’t really hug it, he did discover it was the perfect object for chucking at his siblings’ heads whenever the situation calls for it.

Steph:

Steph loves stuffed animals. While she never got any of the fancy brand name ones, or the luxuriously soft ones, or the hyper-realistic ones, her mom had a tradition of buying her one for every birthday, Christmas, and Easter. She soon had quite a collection, and – like Tim – she gave them all names and personalities. She played out complex scenarios with them and the few dolls she had, designing an intricate world of wild concepts and plots. She also used her stuffed animals to conquer her fears, like thunderstorms and darkness, by pretending they were all more scared than she was, so she had to be brave for all of them. Steph still has her whole collection, as well as quite a few “nicer” (though equally loved) ones that she has acquired from various Waynes. At this point, pretty much everyone in the Wayne family has given her a stuffed animal at some time or other. For a couple of years now, she has taken to posing with her massive collection and making fake family Christmas cards to send out to everyone she knows, where she will update them on the well-being of any plushie they’ve given her.

Duke:

Duke also has a great love of stuffed animals, although he doesn’t match Steph for quantity. He only had a few beloved animals growing up, all of which he’s held onto (a panda, a penguin, a turtle, a frog, a leopard, and a pikachu). Since being fostered by Bruce, Duke has taken to searching out and buying only the rarest stuffed animals he can find: an anteater, a platypus, a manatee, a sloth, and an axolotl have made the cut so far. Bruce knows about this and has taken to keeping an eye out for anything interesting whenever he’s out. After accidentally mentioning it at a gala one time, it has since become his favorite topic, as getting drawn into an intense discussion with Bruce Wayne about where to acquire strange plushies for his son elicits one of two reactions from his guests: delighted awws or hilariously awkward attempts to steer the conversation back to high society definitions of business and pleasure. At Duke’s request, a large shelf was built around the top of his room, so that all of his stuffed animals can sit comfortably and be clearly seen.

Damian:

Damian was much like Jason when he arrived at the manor in more ways than one, but his determination to prove himself above stuffed animals was certainly on that list. He sneered at his siblings’ attempts to treat him like the child he swore he wasn’t. And honestly, even after he began to lower his walls just a little, he still wasn’t particularly fond of stuffed animals. Sure, he privately thought they were cute, and sure he might (might) find himself holding one at night if it happened to have been left in his bed by an annoying sibling, but in general he preferred live animals to fake ones. Real animals had personalities and feelings, fake ones did not, it was as simple as that, no matter what Stephanie claimed. But as time went on, Damian found himself acquiring a small army of stuffed animals against his will. Some of his siblings (Jason, Tim, sometimes Duke) gave them to him because they found it funny to watch him growl about how he was not an infant in need of deceitful comforts. Some of his siblings (Dick, Cass, sometimes Duke… sometimes his father as well) would give them to him because they knew he liked animals so they assumed he’d like imitations of animals as well. Steph would just give them to everybody, every now and then. But regardless of motive, Damian soon found his room overflowing with stuffed animals that were moderately cute but ultimately pointless.

It wasn’t until a patrol a few years after he’d taken on the mantle of Robin that he discovered a solution. Tim had hidden a tiny stuffed bear in the medical supply compartment of his utility belt, a felt bandage wrapped around its little head. He hadn’t been wounded, but the young girl he’d rescued had been bleeding from a wound that looked worryingly dirty. The bear had fallen out of the pouch, right into her lap, and she’d stared at it with wide eyes, surprise halting the flow of her tears. She’d held onto it the whole time he disinfected her arm and bandaged it, and afterwards he had insisted she keep it. For the first time that night, she’d smiled. After that, Damian began taking a few of his many stuffed animals out on patrol with him, ready to hand out to any and all injured, lost, or otherwise traumatized children once he’d rescued them from their troubles. Eventually he began running out of toys he’d been gifted, even though he kept getting new ones, so at some point he begins to regularly sneak out for the sole purpose of acquiring stuffed animals to hand out. He never tells his siblings, but he suspects they’ve found out anyway, when the presents they give him drastically decrease in size.

[heyitsani]

You Can't Wake up, This Is Not a Dream

Batman Bingo 2020: "Why can’t you see that?”

Word Count: 3457

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: Jason swears and there’s mentions of past emotional trauma/abuse (depending on how you look at Bruce’s treatment of Dick when he fired him from Robin)

Pairing: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd

Summary: Damian decides it's time to move on from Robin, but he has a requirement that takes Dick and Bruce by surprise.

Notes: This is a big FU to DC for their treatment of Damian and Robin.  I also started writing this months ago.  It was my WIP from this past Wednesday that I finished two days ago but didn’t get the chance to post.  Up next is my Duke request that I am polishing up now.  I might post it today, but most likely tomorrow.

Updated card at the bottom of this post.

You can also read this on AO3 here

“No Father, I insist.” Dick watched Damian’s bright green eyes look from Bruce to Dick and then back.  And he could tell his brother meant what he was saying, but even Dick could see it was illogical.

Sighing, Dick leaned back against the table of the batcomputer and crossed his arms over his chest.  “Dames, Batman needs Robin.  We’ve all seen what happens when he doesn’t have one,” Dick tried to reason with his brother.  Sure, there had been a time when Dick would have expected Batman’s sidekick to bear a different name, but he had gotten over that (mostly) a long time ago.

“That is not true, Richard. He simply needs his partner.  I am sure that spot can easily be filled, but it should not be with another Robin.”

“And what would you have me do then, Damian?”  Bruce spoke up for the first time since agreeing that Damian should start moving away from his role as Robin.  At the age of 18, it was time he became his own hero.  The youngest had come to Bruce and Dick while they talked about some gear Dick had come to borrow and asked them what they had thought about him hanging up the mantle.  Dick had enthusiastically agreed and congratulated his brother.  Bruce had been much calmer and subdue but had also thought it a good idea.  But when Dick mentioned having to find a new Robin, Damian had outright said no.

Damian shrugged a shoulder. “Move on,” he said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“Just like that?” Damian’s silence at Bruce’s question spoke volumes.  But none of this explained why Damian thought Robin needed to retire with him.  And Dick could tell he was holding something back, but whether it was because of Bruce’s presence or Dick’s, the older brother couldn’t quite tell.

And though Dick wanted answers, he heaved a sigh of relief when his phone rang and Jason’s name lit up his screen.  

“Jay.”

“I got the location for tonight’s drop.  You headed back yet?”

“Not yet, got a little sidetracked.  I have the gear and I’ll be heading out soon.”  He heard Jason mumble something and Dick had a feeling he didn’t want to know what the younger man had said.  “Yeah yeah, I’ll grab food on my way back.”

“You better.  Let me know when you leave.”

Dick gave an affirmative before ending the call.  “Look, Jay and I have an important op tonight that I need to get back to.  Call me tomorrow Dames.  We can talk some more.”  Damian nodded and Dick reached over to give his brother a hug before he clapped a hand to Bruce’s shoulder.  “Thanks for the gear, Old Man.  I’ll send the reports to you in a few days.”

“Be safe,” came the all too familiar grunt from Bruce as Dick walked away.  Turning to walk backwards toward his car, Dick smiled brightly and held his arms open.

“Aren’t I always?”

“No, you’re not, Grayson!” Damian’s face looked annoyed, but Dick just laughed before sliding into his car.

The drive back to Bludhaven was plagued with thoughts about what Damian had said.  And he still couldn’t figure out why his brother wanted Robin to be retired.  He just couldn’t find any reason.  When Dick had asked him to take up the cape, Damian had been thrilled.  A little overconfident and stubborn, but he had still been ready to fight.  They all had. So why wouldn’t Damian want someone else to have that same emotion?  It just didn’t make sense.

But he supposed he wouldn’t figure it out until Damian felt he should know.  So, he dropped the line of thought and focused on the tasks at hand. A brief stop at a local Thai place to get the order he told Jason to place distracted him enough that he stopped thinking about the situation long enough to get back to the apartment he and Jason shared.  

“Jay?”  He called out as he pushed open the door, dropping his keys in the bowl near the door and letting the duffle bag he had placed the gear he had borrowed from Bruce drop to the floor next to the small table.

“Finally, I’m fucking starving.”  Dick snorted and made his way into the kitchen where he found Jason grabbing plates and utensils.  “Where’s the stuff?”

Dick jerked his head toward the front door as he placed the two bags of food onto the counter and leaned over to press a kiss to the corner of Jason’s mouth.  It earned him a pleased rumble that brought a smile to Dick’s face.  “Over by the door.  Leave it there.  We can look it over later.”  Jason looked like he wanted to argue, but after a glance at Dick’s face he let it drop.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Dick told him, turning his focus on unbagging the food but Jason’s hand slipping around his waist and the resting his chin on Dick’s shoulder pulled his attention.

“What happened?”

Sighing, Dick stopped what he was doing and leaned back into Jason.  “Dames is going to step down from Robin, be his own hero.”  And though he couldn’t see his face, he knew that Jason would look confused.

“That’s a good thing. Kid is getting too old to be a sidekick. That can’t be what’s upsetting you.”

“I’m not upset,” Dick told him, feeling Jason tense to argue.  “I’m not.  I’m curious. He told B and me he doesn’t want anyone else to take up the Robin mantle after him.  He didn’t seem like he wanted to get into the reason why with both of us there.  But I don’t know if he didn’t want me to know or if it was Bruce he didn’t want to know.”

“Bruce.”

Turning to look at Jason, Dick raised a brow.  “That’s an awfully certain answer awfully quick.”

Jason pulled back and shrugged a shoulder.  “I might know why he feels that way.  He and I had a talk a few weeks ago and I think he took something I said to heart.” Dick’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent to see if Jason would say more.  “Whether or not you’re willing to admit it to anyone other than me or the brat, that kid thinks of you as his dad.  B might be ‘Father’ or whatever, but you are his Dad.”

Dick was aware of what everyone thought of his and Damian’s relationship.  Even if the pair had never discussed it.  “But that’s not what this is about.”

“No, it’s not.  But because of how he feels, he takes things involving you and your emotions seriously.”  And yeah, Dick knew that.  “I said a lot of the issues between you and B would never be resolved so long as someone else was running around wearing the colors of the Flying Grayson’s while responding to the name your mother used to call you…”

“Jay, you didn’t,” Dick sighed, closing his eyes.  

“Look, I know you told me that in the dark because you didn’t want to hurt me but my emotions involving those years as Robin are buried under so much shit, I hardly remember our issues from then.  But I know you well enough to know that so long as Robin flies, your wound will never heal.”

That hushed conversation in the darkness of their bedroom, his head resting on Jason’s chest so he could listen to the strong beat of his heart had been hard.  And Dick couldn’t even remember how it had come about, but he didn’t regret telling Jason exactly why he had been so angry when Bruce had given Jason the mantle without telling Dick first.  Bruce, who had known where the colors and the name had come from, hadn’t even hesitated.  And when Dick had told his guardian that, he had been brushed aside and told it was bigger than Dick.  

And that had hurt.

He was Robin, the others took on the persona but Dick.  Was. Robin.  

“I’m not going to apologize for telling him.”  And Dick would never have expected that anyway.  It wasn’t like he had told Jason it was a secret and to keep it that way. “And I won’t apologize for putting your emotional wellbeing before B’s crusade.  You will always win.”  Dick knew that.

“I wish you wouldn’t have put that on his shoulders.  Out of everyone, it shouldn’t have been his,” he says, sighing softly as he leans back against the counter.

“I know, Goldie, but I also had a feeling today’s chat would be coming soon.  And sue me for not wanting to see you deal with another person becoming Robin.”  Jason sounded defensive, but the look on his face was too apologetic for that.  

Rubbing at his forehead, Dick sighed again and shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter right now.  Let’s just eat and then get tonight figured out.  I told Damian to call me tomorrow, so I can talk to him about it then.”  He watched Jason watch him for a moment before nodding and they both turned back to dealing with the food.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You got a visitor, Dickhead!”  Dick heard Jason call out.  He hadn’t bothered to get out of their bed yet after last night’s late and painful mission.  He was still feeling the pain meds he had caved and taken after the knife wound to his leg had been stitched up.  “Don’t you dare get out of that fucking bed,” Jason’s voice sounded, from the doorway this time.

“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to,” Dick admitted, voice rough from the sleep he had been pulled from.

Behind Jason’s imposing figure, Dick could make out the shape of his youngest brother.  “Grayson, Todd told me what happened last night. How are you feeling?”  Dick shrugged a shoulder and rubbed at his face before attempting to push himself up to sit against the headboard of the bed.

“Stop it, you idiot. You’ll tear your stitches,” Jason reprimanded him softly, rushing over to help Dick get in the position he wanted. Once there were no less than four pillows behind him and he swore he wasn’t in any significant amount of pain, Jason moved away and looked at Damian.  The younger hadn’t come more than a few steps into the room, watching his older brother.  “I’m going to get you some food so you can take some more pills, Boy Idiot.  Want some coffee or tea, Dames?”

“Tea would be acceptable,” Damian answered as he shifted further into the room and waited for Jason to leave.  Dick watched Damian take in the state of the room and Dick found himself eternally glad for Jason’s neat freak nature that had forced him into already cleaning up the bloody mess that had been his uniform and the stuff they had used to patch up his leg in the early hours of the morning.

“Take a seat, Dami,” Dick said gently, patting the spot next to him.  He chuckled when Damian eyed Jason’s spot distastefully before settling on the edge near Dick’s injured leg.  “I thought you were going to call?  Why did you drive all the way out here?”

“You’re injured, you fool.”

“And that means I can’t talk on the phone?”  Dick teased, watching Damian roll his eyes in annoyance.

“Of course not.  But I wanted to be sure Todd was taking adequate care of you.”  Dick ‘oh-ed’ and nodded his head.  “Things seem to be up to par,” he admitted, and Dick hummed.  “Todd told me he told you what he and I spoke of.”

“He did.  And I’m sorry he put that on you, Dames.  I didn’t want any of you to know something that is beyond fixing.”  Dick watched Damian stare at his lap, hands folded properly in his lap as he sat there motionless.  “Talk to me kid.”

That caught Damian’s attention and the scoff at the nickname brought a warmth to Dick’s chest.

“I am not a child, Grayson.”

“No, but you’re still my baby brother and something is bugging you.”

Without looking at Dick, Damian shrugged his shoulders and Dick couldn’t help but marvel at how much the other man had changed in the eight years he had been in the family.  From petulant murder brat to a mature and emotional man.  It was more than his father could say.

“Dames?”  Dick prompted, trying to get the other man to tell him what he was thinking.

“You gave me Robin.” Damian finally looked over at Dick and the elder wasn’t sure what the look on his face meant so he remained silent and nodded.  “Of all your successors, I am the only one you chose.”

“You are my progeny, yes.”

“No, not like that,” Damian waved a hand in exasperation.  “Robin was stolen from you over and over.  Your own name, your own identity.  It was ripped from you and given to Todd, to Drake, to Brown without your consent.”  Again, Dick nodded, seeing where this was going.  “But you took it back from Drake and you gave it to me when you could have given me something else.  Why did you do that?”

And wow if that wasn’t a loaded question.  And one that Dick wasn’t sure he could answer.  It hadn’t even occurred to him to take Robin and retire it completely. He hadn’t ever considered that. To him, it was too late to right that particular wrong of his youth.

“It wouldn’t have healed that wound, Dames.  The damage was done and sometimes it’s just not worth it.”

But Damian was shaking his head.  “And me forcing Father to retire Robin won’t make a difference either?”

“Bruce and I will never bridge that particular gap.  If that is why you are doing this, don’t.  I forgave him a long time ago, but I’ll never be able to forget.  I am in love with one of the reasons I’ll never be able to forget,” Dick laughed, waving a hand in the general direction of the kitchen where he knew Jason was.

“Why must you do that?” Dick raised an eyebrow.  “Why do you have to be so flippant about your own emotions when you are anything but with everyone else’s?”

“It’s easier that way, Damian,” Dick admitted with a sigh.  It was easier to ignore the things he felt when it came to the past or the pain he had suffered over the years.  He knew if he spent too much time lingering on those thoughts and emotions, he would never dig himself back out of that hole.  He would be crushed under the weight of the things he had never bothered to deal with.  Mirage, Catalina, Blockbuster, his parents, and so many other things.  So much grief and loss, so much pain.  It would bury him, and he would never get up again.  “In order for me to survive, this is what I have to do.”

Damian watched him and Dick waited, hoping he wouldn’t do what Dick had done to him so many times in the past and force him to talk about it.  Instead, Dick found himself with his arms full of his baby brother for an extremely rare Damian-initiated hug.  Letting his eyes close for a moment, he let himself relax into the hug because it felt good.  He was always an affectionate person, but it was so rare people returned that affection. Often, he was basically forcing it on others.  The moments when people forced it on him?  He relished them.

Though he expected Damian to pull away after a minute, Dick found himself held longer than he would have ever thought.  “You’re emotions are valid.  Your pain is just as important as the rest of ours.  Why can’t you see that?”  The words were spoken into his shoulder, muffled by muscle and the material of Dick’s shirt.  “I stand by what I told Father,” Damian whispered into Dick’s shoulder and Dick hummed his question.  “Robin should retire.”  He pulled back and green eyes met sapphire, burning hot with determination.  “There are plenty of options for partners for Batman. And Father is not losing Robin the way he lost him with Todd.”

Dick considered his words, leaning further into the pile of pillows behind him as Damian resumed his previous position.  Jason chose that moment to come into the room with a plate of food and two mugs in hand. One look at his face told Dick he had heard the last bit of the conversation.

Smiling softly at Jason, Dick took the plate and the mug and watched Jason hand the other mug to Damian. He chuckled at the sight of the grilled cheese and the pain pills.  “Thanks, Jay,” he tilted his head, hinting for Jason to give him a kiss.  A request that was quickly fulfilled before the man leaned against the wall near the bed, facing the two brothers on the bed.  “Got something to say?”

“I might, but my opinion doesn’t really matter on this one.”

“Neither does mine,” Dick said, more to Damian than to Jason.  At Damian’s frown, Dick shrugged a shoulder.  “I’m not Robin anymore, Dames.  It’s is yours and no one else’s.  If you want it to retire, then retire it.  I appreciate the sentiment behind it, and I would be so incredibly proud to have the name retire under you, but it is your decision.”  Dick watched Damian look over to Jason and from the corner of his vision he could see Jason nod, confirming that what Dick was saying was true.

“Then I suppose all that’s left is to figure out who I am to be now.”

And Dick didn’t envy Damian on that front.  It had been difficult to come up with Nightwing.  And he had the help of Clark on that one.

“What do you want, Damian? Do you want to remain in Gotham, or do you want to find your own place?”  Dick took a bite of his sandwich to keep himself from questioning Jason, but it didn’t hide the frown and question in his eyes when he looked at his boyfriend. “We could always use help here in the ‘Haven.”

That seemed to have caught Damian’s attention and Dick continued to eat while the youngest of them worked things through in his mind.  Once he had consumed enough of the sandwich, Dick took the pills Jason had given him before setting the mug of tea down on the bedside table.

“You’re always welcome here, Dames.  And if that’s something you think you might be interested in, then perhaps you should make a visit to Clark’s and have him tell you the legend he told me when I was in your position.”  Though his own position had been forced upon him and not quite by choice the way it will be for Damian.

“The legend of Nightwing and Flamebird?  Yes, Jon told me that years ago,” Damian waved a hand in dismissal.  “He was so haughty about knowing how you came to be Nightwing because Clark is so proud of his influence on you.”

Jason snorted out a laugh and Dick simply raised an eyebrow at his youngest brother.

“I wouldn’t let your father know about that, if I were you,” Dick chuckled.  While Bruce had gotten much better in relation to Clark over the years, he still held an edge of mistrust with the Kryptonian.  It wasn’t personal, it was just Bruce being the paranoid bastard he always was.  Dick was convinced if he hadn’t raised all of his Robins, he never would have trusted them. Steph was proof of that.  They had been like oil and water.

“I think I shall meditate on the subject for a while and see what conclusion I come to.”  Dick leaned forward and placed a hand on his brother’s upper arm, squeezing lightly.

“We will help however we can, you know that.  But don’t keep Bruce in the dark if you do plan on leaving Gotham.  He doesn’t handle change well.  We all know that.”  Dick reminded Damian, who nodded with a deep frown.

Jason clapped his hands together before moving forward to ruffle Damian’s perfectly coifed hair.  “Congrats Demon Brat, you’re on your way to being a real man.”

“Fuck off, Todd,” Damian growled, swatting Jason’s hand away as Dick leaned back and laughed at the pair. Whatever his younger brother decided, Dick knew it would be the right decision for him.  And he couldn’t help but be proud of the man he had become in the years since he had joined the family as a petulant and snotty ten year old.

[queerbutstillhere]

Damian never really intended to make an announcement to his family about his courtship with Jonathan Kent.

He had, of course, asked the Kryptonian permission to court his son, and the teens mother, but he never addressed the situation to his own father. It simply wasn't necessary. Bruce never asked his consent on the dozens of women he had dated since Damian arrived, why should Damian ask him? Besides. He had an excellent judge of character, and everyone who had ever met Jon knew he was the purest person alive. He knew Damian's background and his current life, and never judged him for it. He was, in a word, perfect.

Jon had assumed Damian told his family, and with most the Wayne's and their various extended relations off on their own missions and agendas, no one ever saw them together doing anything that wasn't passed off as best friend stuff. So Jon never questioned it. He trusted, and assumed, his boyfriend has told his family members.

Only he hadn't. He had just deemed it irrelevant and then after a while, it never came up.

For three years.

They had moved in together, Jon's freshman year of college. Damian had moved to Metropolis, removing himself from Wayne Enterprises, from Batco, from everything. He made a name for himself without them, got a very nice job in Metropolis as vice president of a very well to do research company, moved into a huge loft apartment with his boyfriend and learned to live in the sun. Everyone in his family just accepted it. They never questioned the two, knowing they were "best friends" and it was only logical for the two to move in together, since they were "best friends" and knew each other's nightly activities.

It wasn't a far stretch for people, specifically the Metropolis Police, to figure out that the new masked vigilante who had suddenly appeared in Metropolis one night and started investigating crimes the police couldn't figure out was one of Batman's birds. Especially with the prior Robin, a muscular adult male, disappearing and briefly being replaced by thin teenage girl. But they soon learned that Damian was more then his past, as everyone else did.

A year or so after they had moved in together, they were planning to get married. They hadn't tried to surprise propose to each other, it would be nearly impossible, what with Damian being able to read Jon like a bold font newspaper, and Jon having super senses, and knowing Damian better then anyone else in the world. They had a talk about it over dinner, agreeing that they were ready to be wed. They briefly discussed it with the Kent's, who were overjoyed, and not a month after, sent wedding invitations.

It wasn't until a week later, they were laying in bed after a long day patrolling when Damian heard a thump. It had come from downstairs, in their living room. Jon grumbled and sat up, clearly having been on the verge of sleep.

"Its your dad," Jon stated, standing and reaching for a pair of pants.

"What does he want? He never comes to Metropolis anymore."

"Dunno. Maybe he has complaints about our wedding venue."

Damian was pulling on a shirt when he remembered.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Jon looked over, mussing up his wet hair.

Footsteps were coming up the stairs.

"Ah ha."

"Babe, what's wrong?" Jon asked, clearly concerned.

"It occurs to me. . . ." Damian said gently, knowing how Jon would react. "I may have neglected to inform my family that we were dating."

Jon's jaw dropped, eyes almost bulging out of his skull.

"We've been dating for four years!" He screeched in horror.

"Yes. I am aware," Damian said dryly, moving towards the door.

"How did you not tell them!?!"

"It never came up, and they're surprisingly oblivious."

"Holy shit, your dad is gonna kill me. And your brothers and your aunt and- oh my God."

Damian rolled his eyes.

"Calm down, Habibi, I'm not going to let anyone touch you, not this close to our wedding."

He pulled open the door and walked out, meeting the Batman at the top of the stairs.

"Father."

"Damian."

He glanced behind Bruce to spot his latest ward, the blonde haired teen looking around the apartment in amazement.

"Can I help you?" Damian asked, tilting his head to the left slightly.

He heard Jon walking over, and a hand gently touched the small of his back. Bruce reached up, pulling off his cowl, eyes flickering over the both of them.

"Can we talk?"

"Of course."

Damian brushed past his father easily on the wide industrial style stairs, jogging down the metal steps and heading to the kitchen.

"Lacey," he greeted with a nod, passing the teen now wearing the Robin uniform.

"Hi," she breathed out.

Damian went to the kitchen, starting a kettle of water boiling.

"Your siblings are on their way."

"I expected no less."

"Oh god," Jon whined, Damian looked up to see him standing at the bottom of the stairs, a hand in his hair.

Damian rolled his eyes and simply adjusted for the additional company, getting out more tea cups, as well as starting the coffee pot.

An awkward silence settled over the room, and then one by one, his siblings filed into the apartment until the sofas were full and everyone had a steaming hot mug in hand. Jon stalked over, looking anxious and snagged Damian's hand, pulling him to the furthest corner, the one that held their small round dining table that overlooked the city.

"You're not fucking with me, you never told them?" Jon hissed.

"No."

"Why not."

"It slipped my mind, and you never asked me about it."

"I assumed you had told them or they already knew! They're detectives!"

Damian shrugged. "Well, I never told them, and with our decision to keep our relationship out of the public eye, it was probably never suspected. After all, we were best friends first."

"You're telling them. I can't handle this."

Damian hummed, lightly patting his fiance's cheek.

"You'll be fine. Go sit down."

Jon obeyed, snagging his cup of tea and walking away, slumping in his armchair. Damian followed, lightly sitting on the arm of Jon's chair, looking at each of his family members, only nine of the surprisingly large bunch. Duke seemed the most amused by this situation. Lacey, the new Robin, seemed a little intimidated by being in a room with all her predecessors.

"What is the matter, then?" Damian asked finally.

"Tim?" Bruce said, looking at his third child.

The vigilante stood, reaching into a pocket and producing an envelope folded in half. He held it out to Damian, who took it, pretending he didn't know what it was, as if he hadn't designed the entire thing and would be able to recognize it on the spot. Jon gave a tiny whimper, letting his head fall on Damian's side.

"Oh quit," Damian muttered, smacking the man's knee.

He pulled the invitation out, eyes scanning over it quickly, looking for defects in the soft blue over white card. Of course there were none, he smile fondly, he had loved the design the moment it was in his hands and he still did. The invitation was well worn from having lived in Drake's belt, and he was sure it had been looked at many a times.

"And?" He said, looking up. "If you are all unable to make the date, im sure we can arrange for another time."

Jason busted out laughing, then swore as he spilled coffee in his lap.

"Don't get coffee on my sofa, Todd," Damian commented, passing the invitation back to Tim.

"Damian." Bruce was clearly displeased.

Damian arched an eyebrow.

"This is real?" Dick asked, motioning at the invitation which had been set on the coffee table.

"Why would we send out a fake wedding invitation."

"Oh, maybe because no one except Alfred knew you two were even dating!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"Oh so you did tell someone."

"Ah. No. . . I didn't. Alfred is just far more observant then everyone else."

Jon laughed bitterly and shook his head, sipping his tea.

"Damian. Explain."

"I mean, how long have you two?" Barbara motioned at them vaguely.

"Four years," Damian answered easily.

They all rightfully looked shocked.

"And you never told us?!" Dick hissed, offended.

"I didn't see that it would matter much, I wasn't dating him for your approval, and still do not need it. He never mentioned it so I never remembered to address it. You should be more disappointed in yourselves that you never figured it out in four years."

"I knew," Cassandra said finally. "Saw how you acted."

Damian nodded while Dick whirled on her, scolding her for not bringing it up. Bruce was just watching them, a mask of curiosity replacing his cowl, then he turned his gaze to Jon.

"Did your parents know?"

"From day one," the Kryptonian responded, an arm sliding around Damian's hips.

Bruce scoffed and shook his head.

"I can't believe this. Four years?!?" Jason exclaimed, looking shocked.

"I mean, its really not that surprising if you think about it," Duke inputted.

"All the signs we missed!" Tim bemoaned, slumping into his seat.

They all continued making comments and talking over each other. Damian and Jon sighed, looking at each other.

"Children," Bruce snapped and everyone went silent, looking up at the one common factor this ragtag group. Well, except for Jon. He was here for another Wayne. "Were you ever going to tell us?"

"We did." Damian gestured at the invitation.

"How the hell did you forget that you hadn't told us?" Tim asked.

"I got busy."

Jason snorted, looking away, mouthing some sarcastic comment. Damian ignored him.

"It was not an intentional act, to leave you clueless for so long. I simply forgot, to the point where I didn't even remember that you didn't know. So when we sent out the invitations I didn't think twice about it."

They didn't seem to know what to say to that, Jon finally inputted.

"I really thought he had told you, or I assumed he would, which is why I never brought it up either. We wanted to keep our relationship away from the public, and I guess you guys accidentally became a part of that group."

A little giggle came from Lacey, and everyone looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I think this is just really funny," she said. "Damian, I think its lovely that you're getting married, congratulations, mazel tov, live long and prosper and all that."

Damian felt himself smiling slightly, something he did a lot these days.

"Thank you, Lacey."

She giggled lightly, looking down as she tried to stiffle her laughs and still her shaking shoulders.

One by one, the rest of the family gave their congratulations, though still dumbfounded by the news, and made their way out, off the balcony. Bruce and Lacey were the last to leave, and he sent the teen out to wait for him.

"Damian. . . " He said with a sigh, glancing at Jon.

Damian felt something like anger, protectiveness, bubble up in him. He knew his fathers opinions of metas. He often shared them, but Jon. Jon was something else.

"Father, I'm marrying him. With or without your approval."

Jon's hand squeezed his hip.

Bruce sighed again, shaking his head.

"That's not it, Damian. You don't have to rush to be defensive all the time. I just wish you would've told me, I would have supported you the whole time, and I will from this moment on."

Damian nodded. Jon's hand moved to his back, pushing until Damian took the hint and stood. Bruce was standing at the edge of the sofa, looking at his son. Jon's foot kicked his ankle. Damian sighed and walked closer, and when Bruce moved to hug him, he wrapped his arms around his father's back. Bruce hugged him for a moment before pulling away, giving a sad smile.

"All my boys are so grown up," he murmured softly, reaching up to pat Damian's head like he was a toddler.

Then he looked past Damian at Jon. "I don't need to tell you what will happen if you hurt him."

"If I hurt him, I shall well and truly deserve it."

Bruce nodded, satisfied. He turned and walked towards the balcony.

"Damian, I love you. And if you need anything, you know you can call."

"I know, Father."

Bruce turned, tightly shutting the balcony door behind him. Damian sighed and turned back to Jon.

"Well, they know, and no one tried to kill you, satisfied?"

"Oh, no, I'm terrified that I'll wake up tomorrow with a chunk of Kryptonite in my face, but," Jon shrugged, standing and beginning to gather abandoned mugs.

"You're dramatic."

Silently, they cleaned up and then turned off lights, heading back to bed. Jon laid down and watched Damian move around, fussing with a few things in their room for a bit before finally calming and turning off the light. He came and laid down, facing his fiance.

"I love you, Damian."

"And I you, Habibi."

Jon hummed, rolling over and stretching, kissing Damian softly. In a months time they'd be husband's, and neither one could imagine life any other way. Damian secretly believed, if such things were true, they were soulmates, destined to always be lovers in every universe and timeline. He would, of course, never say this out loud, but he could think it, and he would.

[galahadwilder]

Hey! I'm following you for ML stuff, but I finally figured out you were into Batman as well, took me awhile. Do you have any advice on where to start for people who want to get into it? I just want to know which Robin is which when I read fanfiction hahaha. Thank youu

So the first thing to know is that there is no single Batman comic that will explain the entire Batfamily, because there are so many of them that the Manor must be running out of bedrooms by now. The second thing is that I’m not great at figuring out a starting place—a lot of comics are sort of aggressively mediocre and I can’t exactly tell the standout ones from the bad. Anyone who has any suggestions for anon, feel free to comment with them!

(In terms of fanfic recs: read literally anything by @unpretty. They are a wizard. Their fanfic is so good it has literally won awards.)

Now, a brief introduction to every member of the Batfamily that I can currently remember—save Alfred and Batman, who I am assuming you already know.

The Robins

Dick Grayson (Robin I, Nightwing II, and Batman IV). Richard John Grayson was a former child acrobat, member of the flying Graysons, and the first child adopted by Bruce Wayne. He is a human disaster of a Hufflepuff who makes terrible life choices, leaves his Nightwing costume on the floor of his apartment where literally anyone can see it, and doesn’t know how to cook anything but cereal. Despite his terrible lack of self-sufficiency, actually gives amazing life advice and is the heart and soul of the Batclan. There are villains who are willing to kill to protect him.

Jason Todd (Robin II, The Red Hood II, Red Robin I, Batman III). Jason Todd is the ballsiest Robin, having met Batman while attempting to steal the tire from the Batmobile, and, upon being confronted by the Goddamn Batman, decided the best course of action was to attack him with a tire iron. Jason is passionate and impulsive, but also extremely studious and intelligent. Well-liked despite his abrasiveness. He is the first Robin to die in the line of duty; when he came back, he and Bruce had a falling out over not killing the Joker, and now their relationship is rather shaky. Jason uses guns and has moonlighted as a crime boss in order to better control Gotham’s criminal element from the inside, which works mostly because he has nerves of steel and the ability to spin stunningly convincing bullshit at the drop of a hat.

Carrie Kelley (Robin II.5): See “Elseworlds and Future.”

Tim Drake (Robin III, Red Robin II, Drake I, Batman Beyond II): Tim has the greatest intellect of the Batclan; however, unlike Barbara (see “Batgirls”), Tim’s wisdom score is through the bloody floor. He figured out Batman and Robin’s identities on his own, and after Jason died he walked up to Bruce and basically told him “I know who you are and I’m Robin now,” which... worked. Tim is the least physically gifted of the Robins, but he makes up for it in detective skills and tactical intelligence. He was the only Robin to still have living parents outside of the Batfamily, though they were murdered soon into his career. He dropped out of high school and was acting CEO of Wayne Enterprises for a time. He has crippling depression and is implied to be suicidal.

Stephanie Brown (Spoiler I, Robin IV, Batgirl III): see under “Batgirls.”

Damian Wayne (Robin V): Damian is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and was raised—unbeknownst to his father—by his mother and grandfather to be an assassin, as well as to be the best at literally everything (for context: despite being a young teenager, he technically holds multiple unaccredited PHDs). However, this stunted his social development, so he is rude and abrasive almost constantly, though he has been getting better and his closest friends and family can see that he’s covering for a superiority/inferiority complex a mile deep. Damian has a constant need to prove himself and has taken up his father’s adoption habit, though he prefers animals. Animals are better than people.

Duke Thomas (Robin ??, The Signal): Duke Thomas was the first metahuman Bruce allowed into the Batfamily. Originally decided to take on The Riddler by himself at the age of... seven or so? Eventually joined a collective called “We Are Robin” and fought crime, unsanctioned. After his parents were driven mad by Joker Venom, Bruce took him in. He now fights crime in the daytime, unlike the rest of the Batfamily, using his nebulously-defined extrasensory abilities to augment his Batfamily training.

The Batgirls

Barbara Gordon (Batgirl I, Oracle I): while Tim may be the most intelligent member of the Batclan, Babs is the all-around smartest. Her intellect is damned high, and unlike most of the Batfamily, Barbara is actually capable of making good decisions. She just... decides not to, most of the time. Barbara is the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon and was the first Batgirl; she lost the use of her legs when Joker shot her in the spine, but refused to take a backseat in the Batclan’s war on crime and became Oracle, hacker extraordinaire who directs the activities of every single vigilante in Gotham from her clocktower lair. She has since regained the use of her legs and reclaimed the Batgirl mantle, turning Oracle into a living AI.

Helena Wayne (Batgirl I.5, Huntress I): see “Elseworlds and Future.”

Cassandra Cain/Wayne (Batgirl II, Black Bat I, Orphan I): Cassandra is the daughter of assassins Lady Shiva and David Cain, and had what is hands-down the worst childhood of the entire Batfamily (her father would shoot her in the leg, and if she flinched, he’d shoot her again). She was raised without spoken words, and as a result the language centers of her brain are more adapted for body language than words. This gives her a kind of combat clairvoyance where it’s nearly impossible for a human combatant to surprise her. After her first murder, she swore to never again take a life, and joined the Batclan to atone. I personally believe that she is Bruce’s favorite child and the true heir to the mantle of the Bat.

Stephanie Brown (Spoiler I, Robin IV, Batgirl III): the daughter of Arthur Brown, a criminal known as Cluemaster, Stephanie became a vigilante specifically to oppose her father and then just had a bunch of mission creep. She is brash, sarcastic, and reckless, but has oodles of passion and natural talent. DC editors hate her, so she ends up screwing up or getting pushed aside a lot, but she is much more competent than she appears and is extremely good at getting people to underestimate her.

Others

Kate Kane (Batwoman I): Kate Kane is Bruce’s cousin, dishonorably discharged from the military under “dont ask don’t tell,” though this has likely been retconned thanks to DC’s sliding timescale. She is actually specifically not connected to the Batfamily, being more of an auxiliary member by her own choice—as a military woman, she dislikes their methods and considers them sloppy. She uses guns, has her own rogues’ gallery unconnected to her cousin’s, and is extremely competent.

Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael I, Batman II): Jean-Paul believed himself to be an ordinary college student, but was in fact a genetically modified super-soldier created to punish the wicked through the use of magic and advanced technology. He eventually broke his conditioning thanks to Batman and joined the family, even taking over for Batman briefly after Bane broke his back. (This proved to be a terrible decision.) He fights using powered armor and enchanted medieval weaponry.

Harper Row (Bluebird I): I know very little about Harper except that she is openly bisexual and uses hilariously oversized sci-fi guns.

Claire Clover (Gotham Girl I): a metahuman with Superman-like abilities; however, the more she uses them, the faster her lifespan burns away. Last I checked, she was working with Bane for some reason to do bad things to Batman. Don’t know why. She’s odd.

Lonnie Machin (Anarky I, Moneyspider I): may or may not be the son of The Joker. Lonnie is a genius Anarchist, but not of the “bomb-throwing” variety—in fact, he detests bombers. Briefly acted as Tim’s Oracle, since, thanks to extensive neurological self-modification, he’s one of the few people in Gotham who is actually more intelligent than Tim is.

Helena Bertinelli (Huntress II, Batgirl briefly I think?): daughter of a crime family that got wiped out by a rival crime family. However, she didn’t know her family was mafia, and as a vigilante in Gotham ended up trying to operate under Batman’s rules. Wasn’t very good at that—she’s a bit too vicious and brutal, despite her attempts to rein herself in. Uses crossbows primarily.

Elseworlds & Future

Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond I): the definitive future Batman. Thanks to Amanda Waller and superscience shenanigans, Terry is the biological son of Bruce Wayne. He wears a highly advanced batsuit that is closer to powered armor than a costume, which gives Iron Man a run for his money. Unlike Bruce’s obsessive preparedness, Terry’s skillset lies in improvisation.

Carrie Kelley (Robin II.5): the Robin of the dystopian timeline of The Dark Knight Returns. It’s been a while since I read DKR, so I don’t remember much about her.

Helena Wayne (Batgirl I.5, Huntress I): Bruce and Selina’s daughter from another dimension.

[sassycassie-s-writing]

Batfang

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Jason Todd/Red Hood

Rating: T/PG-13

Original Idea: @burkgolden gave me a lot of fantastic inspiration for this one!

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) This one... really got away from me. Not sorry. Had too much to tell. Also, y’all, this is me we’re talking about. AU’s like this are bound to happen. XD ;-P

@welovegroot @jason-redhood @jason-todd-squad

^^^^^

“If you turned Batman into a vampire… could he, like, actually turn into a real bat?” Red Hood asked as he swung through Gotham while I leapt from building to building beside him.

I laughed. “Eventually,” I said. “But it’s a difficult trick to master. Even for Batman… it would probably take at least a few days.”

“How long did it take you?” Red Hood continued.

“A month. And even that was considered fast,” I said.

“Huh.”

Gotham was the best place to be a vampire. It was almost never sunny, overcast reigned supreme, it wasn’t even warm very often.

It was also full of criminals who I could feed off without feeling guilty.

I never killed any of them, but I didn’t feel bad about preying on people who preyed on innocents. If I took 40% of a criminal’s blood every two weeks, I could survive indefinitely in Gotham.

“But Bats is stubborn and really smart. So he’d master it faster?” Red Hood asked.

“Possibly,” I said playfully. “Though you or Damian might even cotton on faster than Batsy, Jason.”

“So how come you’re not flying around Gotham as a bat right now?”

“Because you’re talking and I can’t reply without a human voice box.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault.”

“Yup,” I replied.

Jason laughed. Then cut himself off. A moment later, I heard him sigh. “Got a ping. An alleyway half-a-mile north of here is having a scuffle.”

I tsked. “An alleyway. Always an alleyway,” I muttered. “This is Gotham. They could be mugging someone in broad daylight in the middle of the road and people won’t even be fazed by it.”

“Well… maybe that’s the one level of discretion Gotham criminals have,” Jason joked as we changed direction and started heading north.

Half-a-mile wasn’t far. As I jumped between two buildings, I spun in the air. Black mist surrounded me and my form rearranged itself into that of a bat. I flew after Jason toward the alleyway, following him since he had a HUD inside his helmet with a map. All I knew for certain was the endless amount of human blood pulsing through the city. It was hard for me to pick out locations unless blood had been drawn. Exposed blood was so much more potent than blood safely pumping underneath someone’s skin. Even a single drop.

We made it to the alleyway. Jason dropped off the roof of one of the buildings and parkoured his way down while I swooped, mist surrounding me again and transforming back into my true form, fangs bared and a hiss in my throat.

Gotham knew for a long time that all the Bats and Birds in Batman’s little gaggle of children were 100% human. Then Duke came along. A metahuman. And then, more recently, I joined too. And Gotham learned that one of the Bats was an actual vampire. As a civilian, no one would guess that I wasn’t human, so the Wayne family was still safe from suspicion.

One of the criminals swore. “It’s Hood and Batfang!” The other two whirled, surprised. The victim fell on his backside on the ground.

All three of the criminals opened fire. I heard Jason swear and start evading while I charged straight in, bullets pinging off my skin.

We made quick work of the criminals; subduing them and tying them up. Jason sent the victim inside for safety while I stole a quick drink from one of the criminal’s wrists. Jason politely looked away. He always did. Claimed that he could handle a lot, but drinking blood weirded him out.

I straightened up and turned to Jason with a smile, wiping blood off my lip. Usually I was a clean drinker, but it was hard when the meal struggled against me.

My smile dropped.

Jason was holding his abdomen. The smell of exposed blood—that I’d missed in the heat of battle—filled my nose.

Jason swore and staggered backward.

I ran forward and caught him, lowering him to the ground. “Hood? Hood!” I pleaded. “Stay with me. Stay with me. We’ll… we’ll… we’ll get you help.” My body shuddered as I breathed in the smell of his blood. I’d smelt it before. He bled almost every night. But there was more of it than usual. And the amount increased the potency. “I’ll call an ambulance and—”

“No,” he protested. “Agent A…”

“There’s no time to get all the way there. I have to get you to a hospit—Hood? Red Hood?!”

He’d gone limp in my arms, eyes fluttering closed.

I grabbed his commlink and shoved it in my ear. “Batman!” I exclaimed. “It’s Hood! He took a bullet to the gut. He’s bleeding out. What do I do?”

“Bring him back to HQ. Now.”

I shook my head. “There’s no time. I’ll never make it before he dies. The only way he could survive that long is…” I trailed off.

“Batfang? Batfang? What’s the only way he could survive?”

I released a long, quiet breath, fluttering my loose hairs. “I’ll call you back,” I said, ripping the earpiece out of my ear.

“Batfang? BATFANG!” I heard Batman shouting through the comm, but ignored it.

Carefully, I cupped Jason’s face in one hand. “I love you,” I whispered to him. “I can’t lose you. Don’t hate me. Please.” Leaning down, I inhaled the intoxicating scent of his exposed blood. My body shuddered again as I breathed it in.

I sunk my fangs into his neck.

The microscopic holes at the bottom of each one released a shot of venom into his bloodstream. His whole body tensed and convulsed.

I scooped him up and ran back to the safe house he and I had been sharing for the last year, setting him on the bed and perching next to him. I brushed his bangs out of his face. The white streak he usually kept hidden was grey with grime and sweat.

“Just sleep, darling. It’ll be over soon.”

I started to sob, despite not being able to shed tears.

^^^^^

“Gotham and Blüdhaven are the only places I can feed without feeling guilty,” the vampire girl said to Batman while Jason watched with his arms folded in the shadows.

“Why?”

“Because… preying on people who prey on innocents? That’s kinda their Just Desserts, isn’t it? And for me, well, it’s just… dessert.” She smirked a little to herself, finding her own joke funny.

Batman rolled his eyes at the pun. The girl tensed as though she was about to get punched. But Batman’s fists remained curled at his sides.

“You’re not leaving even if I want you to, are you?”

“All due respect, sir, I can actually turn into a bat. So I think I kinda fit in around here.” She beamed again. “You can call me Batfang. It’s not the best and I’m trying to figure out a better code but I know how to handle myself and feeding off criminals is fine with me. I’ve never killed anyone I’ve fed off before. Not knowingly at least. Maybe when I was a fresh turn I might have gone too far and the poor meal never recovered but fresh turns have the least control.” She paused. “And, also, no. I’m not leaving even if you want me to.”

Jason emerged from the shadows. “I’ll keep an eye on her,” he said. “She’ll be safe with me. I’ll keep her in line.”

Batman’s eyes narrowed behind his cowl. “You think I’m going to trust you with her? That I don’t know your history of crossing the line?”

Jason glared at Batman. “I can keep her in line from either side of the line, Bats,” he snarled.

“Here,” the vampire girl said, pulling a pill capsule out of her bag and delicately holding it. “I keep a few of these on hand. It’s full of vervain. The skin of this thing so much as breaks inside my mouth or stomach and I’m a goner. I imagine with your guys’ skills, it wouldn’t be too difficult to force-feed me one if I step out of line.” She dropped the pill into Jason’s hand and passed another one to Batman.

Her black eyes bored into Batman’s. “Keep me in line,” she said. There was a challenge in her voice that said, “But you won’t need to.”

Jason couldn’t help but smile. He liked her. She was feisty.

^^^^^

Jason woke up to a burning pain in his neck. A dull ache in his abdomen and a toothache reminded him of the shot through the gut he’d sustained. How long had it been? Had everything turned out alright? Had Batfang…?

Oh $#!+—had Batfang gone ballistic? She’d told him once when they first started dating that powerful surges of emotion could cause a vampire to go absolutely berserk and slaughter every human nearby in a frenzy and drain them all dry. Oh man… he hoped she hadn’t gone crazy. Just when she’d been building up a reputation as a feared but respected Gotham vigilante…

The sound of sobbing roused his attention. His senses… they were in overdrive. Like he’d just come off a dose of fear toxin gas. He was aware of the threads underneath his fingers. The light against his eyelids. Something that smelled really good and really strong, but was unfamiliar. She must have cooked something in her endless box of recipes that she’d collected. His mouth tasted like he was recovering from an illness. But the sobbing was the most prominent sensation.

He peeled his eyes open—shielding them as sunlight blinded him—and sat up.

A familiar back in a familiar short, light, thin black cape was curled up in a ball on the other side of the bed, hair brushed over one shoulder. She was shaking. He knew she couldn’t cry, but he forgot all about it as he moved to wrap his arms around her. “B… baby?” His gentle tone seemed loud to him—so he couldn’t imagine how much louder it was to her with her heightened senses. She flinched, recoiling away from him. “Babe what’s wrong?”

Turning, she buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry, Jay. I… I couldn’t lose you,” she sobbed.

“Babe, what did you do?” He sounded so sharp.

She reached up and touched his neck. He hissed as the burning pain spiked.

Carefully releasing her so she wouldn’t fall over, he went to the bathroom.

“Uh… baby? Where’s my reflection?” he called. She just sobbed again.

Understanding sunk in. He slumped, bracing his hands against the sink. The marble cracked slightly under his grip.

“You… you turned me,” he said.

“Yes,” she muttered.

“You turned me. Into a vampire.”

“Yes,” she repeated.

Jason let go of the sink and slowly turned around to face her. She was still curled up on the bed, her hair a mess and her black eyes turning red. Both sclera and iris. She kept the black glamour over her eyes when normal people were around because the red tended to freak people out. Though she would let the red through when she was intimidating criminals.

“Why would you do that?” Jason asked.

“I told you—I couldn’t—” She paused to sob. “I couldn’t lose you, darling. I love you.” She curled up tighter. “Please… don’t hate me.”

“Babe… I told you I never wanted to be turned—”

“I know—but it was the only way to keep you from dying! I’m so sorry. I… I damned you!” Once again she dissolved into tears.

Jason shook his head, cursing his bleeding heart for how much he loved her.

^^^^^

Jason crossed from the bathroom back to me, wrapping his arms around me. “We’ll figure this out, babe,” he said quietly. “It’s just… I never wanted this.”

“I know. I know you didn’t. And I never had any intention of turning you. But… you were dying. Stomach wounds are so dangerous and you were already losing too much of it. Your life force was disappearing. I could feel it. You’re… I love you too much. I couldn’t… just let you die. Do you know what my life was like before I met you? It was fifty years of lonely darkness. Of empty interactions and passive acquaintances. I…”

“Wait. Fifty years? How old are you?” Jason demanded.

I met his gaze. The blue of his eyes was already turning muddy amber, turning to red. The first time he tasted human blood, the blue would be completely gone. “Seventy-one. Fifty years of that as a creature of the night. A monster in the darkness. Did I never tell you how old I am?”

“No!” Jason exclaimed.

“Oh yeah. I’m old. Well… I’m just as old as an average elderly person I guess. So I think I’m doing alright as far as aging goes.” I tried to smile but I couldn’t get over the terrible guilt eating me up. I’d directly betrayed Jason’s trust in me—and his wishes regarding his life.

“I think so too,” he said, giving me a squeeze. I burrowed into his side. “Babe… is there a cure for this?”

“Probably. Vampirism, like lycanthropy, is technically a curse—or a disease. There’s probably a way to reverse it.”

“So why didn’t you ever?”

“I don’t want to. I like who I am. Now anyway. I spent the first ten years of this existence loathing myself and despising the monster I’d become. And then one day I just… stopped. I… I realized as the times changed, that I was safe as a vampire. No one could rob me or mug me or hurt me anymore. And there was something incredibly freeing about that. And I embraced it. I learned martial arts and made myself better to defend other people. And that’s how Batfang eventually became a thing. Not until after your Big Bad Bat showed up in Gotham did I decide that a codename and costume might be fun, but I’ve been doing this for a while. But… if you really don’t want to be like me… we’ll find a cure.”

“If we did… would you take it with me? Be human ag—?”

“No,” I said, cutting him off. “I like being the way I am. But I’ll help you find a cure.” I sniffed. “First, though, we have to get you some sustenance. Otherwise you’ll starve to death within a day. But I do have to warn you: your fangs have little tiny holes in the bottom of the points. They’re downright impossible to actually see. Even for us. But that’s where your venom gets injected. You can’t stop your mouth from filling your fangs with venom, but you do have conscious control over releasing it. There’s a tiny bit of venom around your fangs. Not enough to turn a person into a vampire through feeding, but enough to numb the wounds and wipe the memories of the last few minutes from a victim’s mind. The venom inside your fangs is a slightly different chemical composition. It will turn a human into a vampire. So… when you feed, don’t release the venom. We don’t need anymore vampires in Gotham. I promise you that.”

Jason nodded. “Okay. What do we do?”

I met his eyes. “We’ll find a cure for you, darling. I swear to it on my soul that will never make it to heaven. But for now, we’re going hunting.”

[peterxwade24]

BWYD Chapter 2

Damian and Marinette Begin to Get Along

Bruce, in full Batman gear, sat around the table in the Watchtower with his ever present scowl on his face. Clark, dressed as Superman, sat across from him with his eyes squinting trying to figure out what was causing his best friend to scowl more.

Hal Jordan sat in front of one of the computers, reviewing footage from around the world despite the organization being called the Justice League of America. Booster Gold, sat to Hal’s left, was listening to phone messages and rolling his eyes at certain more prankish sounding phone calls.

Diana, from the head of the table, looked around the room before she looked at Bruce. “What ails you so Batman?” Bruce’s head snapped up at the sound of her voice and she raised an eyebrow.

“What makes you think I’m distracted?” Bruce’s voice came out weaker than it usually did. “I can’t tell them about my daughter” raced through his head. “Why do you ask?”

Clark raised an eyebrow at his friend before he watched Bruce check his phone.

“Actually, I need to make a call. You know how the boys are.” Bruce got up from the table and went out into the hallway.

Clark and Diana shared a look before the two followed to the door and listened in on their friend and colleague’s phone call.

“Hi Mon Chou.” Bruce’s voice took on a soft tone. “I know I said I’d be there to tuck you in tonight but things are running late at work.”

“That’s okay,” the voice on the other end of the line was quiet and caused Clark and Diana to raise their eyebrows at each other. “You called, that’s all that really matters.”

“Were your brothers nice to you?” Bruce’s tone took on that same tone he used on all of his kids. “What did you and Alfred bake today?”

The girl, because none of Bruce’s sons’ had voices high enough for it, giggled. “We made cream puffs!” The girl yawned, sounding like a kitten.

“Tiny Bat. You know it’s past your bedtime.” Dick’s voice sounded from the other end of the line.

“I know. But,” Clark and Diana could only assume the girl thrust the phone into Dick’s hands because the next thing they heard was his voice.

“You don’t have to call to check up on how we’re treating her. A simple text will suffice.” Dick sounded exasperated with Bruce and Clark and Diana shared a look. “However,” Clark and Diana pressed their ears against the door and looked at each other, “Damian wouldn’t stop glaring at her. So, you’ll have to talk to him when you get home.”

Bruce sighed, “of course. Put her back on.”

“Oiseau bleu is being overprotective again.” Her voice betrayed the fact that she was pouting and that pulled a laugh from Bruce. “It’s not nice to laugh.”

“He’s just being a good brother.” Bruce’s voice betrayed his smile and he let out a small chuckle. “I’ll be home soon, okay Mon Chou?”

“Okay.” The girl yawned again before her voice came one last time. “Bonne nuit.”

“Good night Mon Chou.” Bruce blew a kiss before he hung up the phone.

Clark and Diana scrambled back to their seats, moments before Bruce walked back into the room. Clark raised his eyebrow at Diana before she cleared her throat.

“What ails you?” Diana asked again, her tone more forceful.

“Just some drama at home. You know how Damian is.” Bruce dismissed her question with a wave of his hand.

Clark shot Diana a look and they both looked at Bruce.

Booster Gold shot Bruce a look over his shoulder. “There’s a call from Paris asking specifically for Batman.”

Bruce rose from his chair and strode towards the computer, plucking the headset off of Booster’s head. “Batman.”

The voice on the other end of the line sounded to be the same age as his youngest. “Hey, uh, Bat-dude. We, uh, Dudette’s friends, uh Kim and I, were wondering if we could see her. It’s been a year since we saw her last and we really miss her.”

Bruce’s face took on a contemplative expression before he shook his head. “I’m sure something can be arranged with her adoptive family.” He let out a sigh and pulled his phone out of the pouch on his belt. He sent a quick text to Alfred and smiled when he got the response. “How does next weekend sound?”

The boy on the other line let out a shocked gasp. “Yes sir Bat-dude! That sounds really cool!”

Batman nodded, and a rare smile spread across his face. “Okay. I’ll be in touch.” Batman nodded at Booster and Booster dropped the call. “I have to go.”

Batman strode from the room and left via Zeta tube. Clark and Diana gave Bruce a ten second head start before they called out “Bye!”

---

Bruce, dressed once again in sweatpants and his father’s t-shirt with slippers, walked from his office to the bedroom belonging to his youngest child. The smile on his face faltered when he opened the door and the bed was empty. He turned on his heel and walked down the hall, checking every bedroom and only receiving the same results. Empty beds.

Bruce reached the last room, belonging to Damian, and prayed that at least one of his kids was in their room. He looked in and swore when Damian also wasn’t in his room. He turned on his heel again and went to check the rest of the rooms.

On his way to the game room, the only room other than his own he hasn’t checked yet, he came across Diana and Clark. He scowled at the two but simply shrugged his shoulders. “Follow me.”

Rounding the corner, Bruce looked into the game room and was disappointed when there wasn’t a single trace of any of his kids. He let out a heavy sigh before turning to his friends. “What do you want?”

“To meet your new orphan.” Clark explained while Diana nodded.

“She’s asleep, or should be.” Bruce led the way to his own bedroom and quietly opened his door. The three adults saw all six of Bruce’s children on his bed, Damian curled around Marinette with Dick and Jason lying on the edges and Tim and Duke between them and the younger two. Damian’s hand was curled around Marinette’s own hand with each of their brother’s arms extended towards them.

Bruce smiled and took a picture of his six kids and sent it to his oldest three daughters.

Diana and Clark let out quiet “awes” and turned to their friend. “This is so cute. I didn’t think Damian liked anyone.” Clark’s overly jovial tone disturbed Dick and Jason, who both rolled off the bed without disturbing the other four sleeping bodies.

Jason stalked towards the man and got in his face. “Don’t you dare speak loudly. She just went down less than twenty minutes ago.” Jason’s voice was quiet but spoke leagues.

Dick glared at Clark and ushered the three adults out of the room, followed closely by Jason and himself, and pulled the door closed. “They were playing a game, Duke and Tiny Bat, and Tim and Damian burst into the room and disrupted their game. Tiny Bat laughed and then Damian turned on her. She yelled at Damian and ran off. Damian followed and slowly the rest of followed. We found them in your closet, Tiny Bat had tears on her face and was leaning against Damian’s chest.”

Jason nodded before he stepped up. “We picked up Pixie Pop, but Demon Spawn wouldn’t let go of her hand. We put them on the bed, then Replacement and Duke climbed in after them. We laid down for a moment and only woke up when Ray of Sunshine got loud.”

Bruce nodded before looking over at his two sons. “We’re going to Paris next weekend.”

[dc-x-readers]

Blind (Batboys Head Cannons)

Request: I would like to request a head canon of the batboys + Bruce where their s/o is blind, unless you've already done it.

So I am a little worried about this one, I tries to keep it light, but I don’t know any blind people, so if what I am saying is insensitive, then please let me know and I will take it down

Trigger Warnings: Swearing, racism, Blindess

Bruce:

-He is super protective over you, it’s not exactly because you’re blind, he would be protective of you even if you weren’t, but because you are he feels like he can never take his eyes off of you.

-He is a total dork, and insists on carrying you around the manor in his arms so you won’t bump into things

-Even though you can walk just fine!

-But you really love the feeling of his strong arms holding you up.

-When you two go on dates, he will hold your hand, because he is so afraid that if he lets go you will disappear like his parents did-to help you see damnit

-Whenever someone says something rude about being blind he goes scary quiet, and you have to squeeze his hand to keep him calm, because “it’s okay, they just don’t understand, I’m used to it.”

-“You shouldn’t have to be Y/N!”

-Most of the time who ever was talking about gets a menacing visit from the Batman later that night.

-He loves you so much, and you love him back just as much.

Dick:

-Is a total dork.

-He actually forgets your blind sometimes and throws things to you, which always end up hitting you.

-He is super apologetic, and kisses every inch of your body to say sorry.

-He also tells you to ‘look over here’ a lot, to which you always reply with a sarcastic joke.

                    -“Hey Y/N, look at this meme, it’s hilarious.”

                    -“It’s almost as funny as your face.”

                   -“Hey! My face isn’t funny.”

                   -“How should I know? I’ve never seen it, just like I will never see        that meme.”

                    -“Sorry.”

-He goes around the entire apartment and labels everything in braille, so you can tell which type of cereal you have in your hands.

-You guys go on dates to the movie theatre, and he narrators what the characters are doing when they’re not talking

                    -“Well right now a girl is walking down a hallway”

                    -“How is she walking?”

                    -“What? Y/N-”

                    -“Is she walking with confidence, is she walking slowly.”

                    -“She’s walking like she’s on a mission. Oh wait she just got into a big white room.”

                    -“Can you guys stop talking, this is a movie theater”- Some random guy shouts.

                    -“You Dingus! She’s blind!”

-Loves to kiss every part of your body and tell you how beautiful you are, you tell him he’s beautiful too.

-Loving each other unconditionally.

Jason:

-This doofus didn’t even know you were blind for your first two dates, because the first one was a coffee date and you wore your big sunglasses, and the second one was a walk in the park.

-It wasn’t until he took you to a bar, with you still wearing your sunglasses, that he figured it out.

                  -“Isn’t it a little dark in here to be wearing sunglasses?”

                  -“I don’t know, I’m blind.”

-His face gets super red, and he is super embarrassed, because like how could he not know?

-You take his hand and tell him it’s alright, you're actually kind of glad that he didn’t notice, because a lot of people just take pity on you for your blindness, even though it is only a part of your identity.

-From then on he tries to have dates which require a lot of textures, like when he takes you to the ocean wildlife preserve to feel all the different animals.

-Often when your hands touch his body you begin to tear up, because you can feel every raised scar.

-He wipes your tears and tells you not to cry because the scars lead him to you.

-If anyone ever makes a rude or hurtful comment about your blindness that person gets a beating from a very very pissed Red Hood.

-Loving each other more than anything in the world, and being in a happy healthy relationship.

Tim:

-Unlike the rest of his idiot brothers, he knows your blind right away.

-You two meet in high school when you're partnered up together for a project and you were worried that Tim was going to see you as dead weight because you couldn’t see.

-He didn’t see you as dead weight, instead he thought you were really interesting- and he asked you a great deal of questions about your blindness.

             -After making sure the questions weren’t rude.

-The first time he made you coffee he got out the packets of sugar and asked if you wanted real of fake sugar, but you surprised him by being able tell the difference between the packets because of the grains.

-He thinks everything you can do is super cool, and wants to learn everything about you, as a person and as a blind person.

-He doesn’t even realize he has feelings for you until one day he is walking around in a supermarket and just sees your favorite chocolates and your favorite smelling flowers and just decides to get them for you, the cashier tells him he must be a very good boyfriend.

             -To which Tim is like “Oh crap I’m in love with Y/N!”

-Once you two start dating your dates usually consist of handing out in his room, talking or listening to music.

-He loves you so much, and you love him back just as much.

Damian:

-At first Damian only knows you because you are allowed to bring your (Seeing eye) dog to school and Damian is upset that they won’t allow Titus in.

-The first day he talks to you is only to ask what your dog’s name was.

-You told him your dog’s name, and then explained how your dog was to help you get around.

-After that Damian started to grow more interested in you than your dog.

-He asked you if you would want to take a walk with him and Titus, he counted it as your first date, even though he never told you that fact.

-It took three more dates for him to actually kiss you, which surprised the hell out of you, because what is he doing.

             -“Kissing you we’re dating right? That’s what people who are dating do.

             -“Since when have we been dating?”

             -“Three weeks now, get with it Y/N. TT.”

-Being very confused, and asking Damian if he only wanted a relationship because you had a service animal which could go everywhere with you.

-Damian was really offended, because he really cares for you. As a person. Not because you have special accommodations.

-Making sure for the rest of his life to give you more attention and tell you explicitly how much he cares for you. Not just your dog.

-Whenever he hears someone say something rude about your blindness you have to physically hold him back from killing the person,

           -“Damian where were you even keeping that sword?”

-Being the cutest couple ever, and being very very in love.

Duke Thomas:

-He is the least emotionally constipated of his brothers.

-Duke is super sweet, and always tries to make sure you are happy.

-He barely lets go of your hand when you're together, partially because he’s scared you will fall on your face but also because he loves the feel of your hand in his.

-You keep trying to tell him you can walk fine on your own, but at the same time you never try to pull your hand away from his.

-He takes you on super stereotypical dates: The carnival, the aquarium, the beach. But he quickly learns these dates aren’t super appealing to you because you can’t see the views which make the dates so special.

-So sometimes he closes his eyes and tries to describe the sense with feelings and textures.

             -It never works, but you really appreciate the effort.

-Being black he has always been used to prejudices, so even though they bothered him, he let them go without rising to the challenge and beating the crap out of bigoted assholes. But when he heard them say something about how you were not as good as others because you were blind he lost it. He screamed at the person and swore and told them off. To which they replied with a the angry black stereotype. Then it was your turn to go off, because no one talks to your boyfriend like that.

-In the end the two of you protect each other so well and love each other so much that stereotypes seem to wash away.

-You two are the epitome of a healthy relationship, both of you building each other up and watching each other's backs.

[upliftsquire]

Arrangements

Alex was terminally bored. She meant it literally – she was convinced this would be the event that killed her. The dull formalities and stiff dances had almost brought her to tears already. She was carefully not slouching against the wall – Anne hated that, and it was more effort than it was worth in the steel corset crushing her ribs. It was painful, but necessary. It emphasised her hourglass figure to the extreme – without the corset, she was almost unrecognisable. In different clothes and without make-up, she was unrecognisable. She could walk the streets as herself without people muttering about the pyrate’s daughter. She could be anonymous, and was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to leave altogether. Her studies were about as concluded as they would be, so she had no reason to stay with the Grishams anymore. The tears of boredom that had been threatening nearly spilled from her eyes when she saw one of the Aristo horde break away from a huddle of conversation to approach her. In fairness to him, he looked about as happy about it as she was. Not a short black hair on his head was out of place and every line of his black suit was elegant. If it weren’t for the hesitant frown on his lips and the uncertainty in his striking blue eyes, he would have appeared completely unruffled. He looked probably like she did. Like someone familiar with such surroundings, who hated them all the same. With that observation in mind, she didn’t immediately find some excuse to desperately avoid being drawn into conversation. “Miss Alexia Drake.” He greeted, somewhere between a question and identification. He clearly had no idea where to go from there, his tongue having apparently failed him as he just stared at her like it was the first and last time he’d ever see her. Rather than ridicule him, she said “Alex. My name’s just Alex.” “Shit, I’m sorry!” he apologised quickly and profusely. When Alex giggled, he grimaced, but apologised with less fervour and speed. “Ah, erm, sorry I swore. You won’t mention it to anyone, will you? My father’d have a fit if he found out I cursed in earshot of a lady.” “As would just about anyone else.” The man’s look turned decidedly sheepish. “Terribly sorry about that. I’m Jason Williams by the way.” Just as he finished speaking, he took her right hand in both of his, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing the powdered and perfumed skin. It was a standard greeting between a man and woman of their social standing, but with him looking up at her with bright eyes through dark lashes, soft lips pressed to the back of her hand, she could feel the blood pooling in her cheeks, and was glad for the paint and powder that covered her exposed flesh. “Duke Williams’ son?” she asked, her voice only slightly breathy as she reclaimed her hand. “The same.” He answered with a smile. “My brother would be here, but he left for the capital this morning.” “I don’t think I know him.” Alex admitted. Jason looked surprised. “Are you sure? He’s a serial flirter.” “Repeat-offender Kieran?” she asked, thinking that perhaps she did know him. He didn’t look like he quite knew whether to smile or look ashamed. “That would be him. Never got around to telling you his full name, huh?” “Amazing really, considering how many words came out of his mouth.” “No doubt all of them flirtatious.” He smiled now, probably because she wasn’t judging him by his brother’s standard. She preferred it to Kieran’s teasing smirks. Alex smiled with him. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company, but you looked like you came to talk to me with a purpose in mind.” The pleasant smile twisted into a grimace. He ran into his hand through already tousled hair, and suddenly didn’t know where to look. “Do you see my father over there, talking with your mother?” “Adoptive.” Alex corrected automatically. “Yes, they’ve been glancing at us with alarming frequency.” “Note how pleased my father looks.” “Is that what his good mood looks like?” she asked. She’d only seen the Duke of Khom a few times, and had never talked to him. She’d never talked to him. She’d never seen him smile, and tonight didn’t break the pattern. “Yes, but don’t you want to know what they’re talking about.” Jason was looking quite uncomfortable, so she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to know, but she asked anyway. “They’re arranging our marriage.” Etiquette had never been her strongest of the subjects she studied. She’d never before wished she tried harder – in fact, she never tried at all, and as such, she was incapable of keeping the fury she felt towards Anne from her face, even though Jason was the only one to see it. He winced when he did, Alex’s expression softening in immediate reaction. “I’m sorry, I know it wasn’t your idea, but…” she trailed off. But when I was adopted, I thought I was being sold as a slave, and since then, I’ve become a slave to their whims. “I mean, I’m sure you’re well worth marrying, it’s just…” “You’d rather it was you who chose me, not your mother.” He smiled sympathetically. “Adoptive.” He added when he saw her open her mouth. She closed it again. “I was going to say thank you.” Then she grinned with him, because they both knew she was lying. “Thanks for trying.” “And really, thank you for telling me.” “In truth, I almost didn’t.” he admitted. Before she could ask him to, he elaborated. “Every time I’ve seen you, you’ve been surrounded by babbling idiot. I didn’t want to curse you with another one once you’d finally found peace.” She laughed at that. “I was bored anyway.” There was a moment of perfectly agreeable silence, broken by Alex’s exclamation of “Shit, Anne and your father are headed this way.” Jason’s amusement prompted her to add, “Don’t you dare tell Anne I swore!” “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He said, eyes twinkling. He held his hand out to her with a slight bow. “May I have this dance?” Seeing exactly what he was up to, Alex’s face took on an impish expression to match his. “It’s all yours.” She told him as she placed her hand in his. Every other ballroom dance she’d participated in had been too restrained and ordered for Alex’s liking, but somehow, with Jason, a dance that had been dull just last week became the very highlight of this week. It was like every nerve ending she had had relocated to the areas she and Jason touched – the smooth fabric covering his shoulder, the heat of his hand against hers, and despite the cotton and steel boning that lay between his hand and the curve of her waist, she could swear that she felt it as if it were against her bare skin. Without her permission – without even her conscious knowledge – her body drew closer to his, until they were at the barest limits of acceptable distance. Once she was aware of it, it became incredibly difficult to keep that distance, especially with Jason’s hand in hers and at her waist seeming to pull her closer, even as they whirled and stepped in time with the other dancers. Throughout the whole ordeal, during which neither could pull away but didn’t dare pull the other closer, they didn’t talk. They couldn’t find any words that would do, and while she couldn’t speak for Jason, Alex wanted to close his mouth with hers every time he opened it, though she’d never felt that urge before. The dance’s ending felt more abrupt than it should have. Immediately, both looked away, though their eyes hadn’t left each other’s since the dance began. As Alex’s hands fell to her side, she noticed they felt cold. “Our time’s up.” Jason told her, nodding his head to indicate something behind her. She managed not to look too dazed when she turned, but couldn’t contain the groan when she saw Anne striding towards her. “Darling, you danced so wonderfully!” she exclaimed. “Your Grace,” she said to the Duke. “Don’t you think they make a wonderful pair?” “Yes, wonderful.” The Duke answered dryly. “I can only hope I dance so well at my wedding.” She could feel the questioning glance from Jason, but she ignored it. Every once in a while, Alex thought that maybe Anne was being purposely obtuse, but there was no hint of frustration with Alex’s underlying mockery when she seized upon the perfect segue. “Oh, how funny you should say that! Lord Williams has asked for your hand in marriage.” At that, she turned to Jason, and he looked suitably worried about the glint in her eyes. “Really? He never asked me.” Anne completely missed the exchange between the two Williams, a nonverbal ‘you were meant to tell her’ and a likewise response of ‘I did!’ The Duke, quite unsurprisingly, was much sharper than Anne. “I broached the subject with Mrs. Grisham on my son’s behalf.” “Just this very day?” she asked, giving a faint pretence of excitement. Jason and his father saw through it easily of course, but if Anne did, she didn’t show it. Letting Anne believe Alex was the girl she wanted made Alex’s life easier. “Indeed!” Anne almost squealed. “Isn’t it wonderful?” Anne had a very limited vocabulary. It vexed Alex to no end. ‘Darling’ and ‘oh’ had become her least favourite words, and soon ‘wonderful’ was going to be added to the list. “Of course, but, well, it’s not terribly romantic is it?” That’s was the only way she could of on such short notice to convey some sort of disappointment in the situation to Anne. “No, darling.” She admitted. “But there’ll be plenty of time for romance once you’re married!” “Will there be time for us to talk too? Time to get to know each other?” she asked, her voice growing harder though she hadn’t meant for it to. “How about some time to have a second conversation?” Anne missed the point entirely. “Oh, of course, darling!” “Then why not before?” “Why wait?” Anne countered. Of course, Alex thought. Because it didn’t matter whether or not to she liked him, and the less time he had to dislike her, the better. And the sooner she could give him children. Alex had to suppress a shiver at the thought, partly at the thought of being little more than a brood mare, but more than she’d like to admit, it was because of the thought of sex with a handsome man. She knew there was no point to arguing any further – Anne would never even see her point, let alone understand it. She forced herself to smile. “Indeed. How long will I have to wait?” she managed to choke out. She barely made the words sound normal. “Not long at all – by the end of the year perhaps. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Being married at midnight on the last day of the year?” Anne probably didn’t fully understand the symbolism that would be implicit in that – an ending and a beginning. All on her birthday. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to get through that day. She had to make sure she was gone by then. “Wonderful.” Alex responded, almost absently. “I think I’d like some air – please excuse me.” Such was her state of mind that she didn’t even notice Jason following her. She was halfway to the centre of the maze in the garden before she knew he was there, but she didn’t stop until she reached the centre. Once she was there, she collapsed unceremoniously and rather unladylike into the nearest bench. Anne had been talking about installing lights in the maze, like there were around the rest of the garden, but she was the only one that ever came out here at night. Jason following her didn’t count. She hadn’t got round to it, and wouldn’t for some time yet. Jason sat beside her with only a little more dignity. Correctly, he assumed she didn’t care about her skirts, and rather than shove them out of the way, he used them as insulation from the cold stone of the bench. A few minutes passed in silence, Alex staring with an uncomfortable sort of emotional numbness at the heavily shadowed flowers. She realised she’d never really expected this – she’d known it was inevitable, especially given the amount of time her desire to continue her lessons had caused her to linger. But somehow she’d thought it wouldn’t happen. She’d have to leave before her birthday then, if that was when the wedding was going to be planned for, which meant she wouldn’t complete her lessons. “Do you want to have that second conversation now?” Jason asked. “Or do you want to wait until we’re married?” She laughed at that. “I won’t ignore you to prove a point.” She assured him. Jason beamed at her. “Excellent, because I would like to get to know you.” “What do you want to know?” she asked, twisting to face him more directly, spreading her arms as much as she dared without hitting him. “Open book.” “Somehow, I don’t think that’s quite true.” His tone was more teasing than distrustful. “Why do you say that?” “Even the vapid ones have secrets, most of them as banal as themselves.” He made a show of examining her, a small smile on his face. “But I think your secrets are far more interesting.” “I have a few good ones.” She couldn’t help grinning. “I’m not telling though.” “What?” he asked, aghast. “And ruin the mystery? I wouldn’t listen if you told me.” “Well that just ruins the point of conversation. So, what do you want to know?” He thought for a moment. “I guess we’ll start simple – what do you like to do?” Alex didn’t need to think about that. “Mechanics.” Jason began to grin. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “What?” she asked, her voice low and wary. “See, interesting.” he continued to grin. She smiled with him. “Never really understood mechanics myself – not for lack of trying, I just can’t seem to understand how it works.” “Neither do I.” Alex admitted. “Really?” “Really. Not a clue how it works – I could go into detail about why it should, but I’d just bore you –“ “No, please tell me. I need an excuse the next time our mechanic mocks me for not understanding his work.” Alex grinned. She couldn’t remember where she’d heard it, but she’d heard to judge a man by how he treated his inferiors, and by the sounds of it, he had a similar relationship to the servants of his household as she did to those in hers. She didn’t mention it though. “Everyone just assumes that the steam moving through the clockwork turns the gears, but a wind of greater force through it won’t turn the gears – it’s impossible to just use a wind or something like it to turn the gears. But for some reason steam does. And Shintan stone! Mix it with anything and burn it, and for some reason it makes the gears turn! There’s no reason it should, no way it should. It just, does.” Jason had been smiling at her, and the longer she spoke, the happier he seemed to get. “You really do love mechanics, huh?” Alex blushed beneath her make-up. “Yeah, but what about you? What do you do in your spare time?” “Recently, I’ve been fixing up my uncle’s ship.” “Really? How’s that going for you?” “Slowly.” He answered promptly. “How slowly?” Alex asked. “I’ve been working on it for the last six years.” Alex stared at him wide-eyed. “What, you and a one-armed four-year-old?” He scowled at her. “A few apprentice ship builders and an aging mechanic.” She just blinked at him, she couldn’t think of a decent response. He continued defensively. “The ship was badly damaged in a fight with pyrates a long time back, and while its condition had been maintained, it had never been improved. I had to hire someone to make up plans to rebuild it and refit it at the same time, and after I hired the mechanic, it seemed like he was pulling everything apart and rebuilding it, and I’m not even totally sure that they followed the plans.” “Is it at least close to finished?” “Yes,” he said, pride evident in his voice. “Complete, in fact. As soon as I find a crew, I’m going to take her on a short routine patrol off the coast, just to make sure everything’s working right.” “What do you have planned for her after that?” She was beginning to seriously consider stowing away. “I don’t know really – I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but my father has been talking about having me Captain her as a sort of private ship for the Aristocracy – for things the public had no need to know, I think were his words. Ostensibly Navy, I gather from the rest of what he’s said. But now I have no idea, since he’s arranged this marriage.” “And you can hardly take me with you.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I could perhaps get away with taking my wife with me, but almost certainly not the daughter of a pyrate, especially one as infamous as your father.” “Maybe I could just stowaway.” She grinned, to disguise the truth of the statement. “Maybe I should keep an eye out for you.” He replied dryly. “If I was serious, you wouldn’t be able to stop me.” She told him, wondering herself just how serious she really was. “If you were serious, I would help you.” She looked sharply at him, and was struck by the knowledge that he meant it. It was there on his face, plain to see despite the faint light. Like he knew what she was thinking, he asked, “Do you want me to help you?”

Alex walked along the harbour, dressed in one of the smaller sets of Roger’s old clothes, a messenger bag over her shoulder with some more clothes and a few other things, her mother’s sword attached to the strap. Ria and Conté walked with her, carrying bags with their own belongings, and a medium-sized canvas that Alex had painted of them for them, and that was probably going to become cumbersome to them, given the nomadic lifestyle their families had. They stopped at the ship with the name Clockwork Conjuror painted elegantly on the side. Alex whistled in appreciation for the vessel – large, but sleek, and the best of every ship in the harbour. “You did a good job.” She called up to the Captain at the top of the gangplank. “She’s a beautiful ship.” “That she is, and I need a good mechanic to keep her so.” He said, making his way down the gangplank. “Here I am.” Alex grinned, and when he stood in front of her, impulse overtook her actions as she took his face in her hands and startled him with a kiss.