#Still thinking about how Cass was excited that her son was having a huge party with a bunch of girls and was not mad at all

[abeinginsand]

Taylor rainy day hcs

Taylor loves being in the rain, but I imagine his mom would ask him to take an umbrella, at least sometimes? Or Cass may sneak it into his go-bag other times, so he doesn't forget it.

Most often the umbrella is not used properly.

He's used it as a stealth item to hide from and avoid classmates and teachers that he doesn't like around town. Its a go to way to avoid awkward or annoying conversations. Taylor also enjoys striking poses with it on occasion, works great as a second sword of sorts. He can try super cool dual wielding poses or use the sturdy umbrella as a makeshift cane on the rare occasions he forgets his own at home.

When the rain gets extremely heavy and/or his legs are feeling extra achy that day. Taylor will sit down some place and rest the umbrella against something so he can sit under it. Probably play on his phone for awhile while listening to the rain drops. Probably gets an Uber back home when the rain stops! It depend on how long the rain lasts or how hard he zoned into his mobile games.

Or on the rare occurrence he isn't alone, he'll offer the umbrella to the other classmate (if they don't have one). Its mostly only happened during field trips or at the end of a school day. After the offer, they'll go their separate ways. Sometimes the person will return the umbrella while occasionally it'll need to be replaced. He's got money though and he wasn't really using it much anyway so that part doesn't phase him. To add to that, his mom is usually really happy when he says he offered an umbrella to someone, especially someone that happens to be a girl. She's been giving him the signature Swift fam "you've got this" thumbs up a lot more lately. If he's honest, sometimes the idea of romance is...a lot when it's not a strict 2d interaction. He stops offering the umbrella to people for a few months.

Things are different when his new sidekicks come into the picture. Firstly, when it rains, Normal offers him an umbrella at the same time as Taylor was offering it to him. They ended up accidentally hitting each other haha. Though Taylor's hand stung more than Normal's did given he was not wearing a mascot costume. The two get past some awkward apologies and talk about either music or school gossip.

With Scary, she skeptically accepted the umbrella but asked why he didn't use it for himself. No one's asked him before and Taylor passionately rambles about his love for rain and rainy day scenes in stories as they walk through town. Though sometimes Scary does tease that he must not be worried about getting sick from the rain because idiots don't catch colds, right? He takes some psychic damage with an on cue anime sound effect. Teasing aside, Scary is the first to send him a text on an actual sick day--usually a short, "you're alive, right?" type of message which is nice in its own way.

The first time getting caught in the rain with Link doesn't go at all like Taylor was expecting. Link doesn't have an umbrella like Normal did and doesn't ask why like Scary had. Instead, Link arches an eyebrow and looks at the blue with white polka dots umbrella in his friend's outstretched hand for few minutes and then back to Taylor.

He says, "Thanks and okay, we should share it though." Taylor slowly agrees and the two share it while he remains surprised. It was the first time he'd shared an umbrella with someone since his childhood friend moved away. He was so used to walking alone or keeping some distance when with a person that he'd forgotten sharing it was a thing. Link holds the umbrella above them as they leave school. They talk about sports games and anime, joking around and occasionally playfully jabbing each other with fingers or elbows.

When the rain gets harder though, Link bolts forward to find the nearest open shop. This ends up dousing Taylor with water pretty good! He makes some sound that he hopes the natural rain bgm covered up and runs after the athlete. They end up racing each other which was initially frustrating but ends up pretty fun. For some reason, running in the rain alone or with a friend gives this cozy, familiar feeling too just like sitting by a fireplace or campfire does. Maybe it was because he used to play in the rain with his mom a lot as a kid.

Lastly, Taylor walking with Hermie during a rainy day leads to a teaching lesson. They both had umbrellas and, like certain punk seekers of darkness, Hermie asked why Taylor liked the rain so much. Hermie chimes in to Taylor's rambles with his own fav rain-related stuff and mentions a certain musical number. One of the few musicals that Taylor knew that weren't anime related! Anyways, Hermie proudly shows off his performing skill by doing atleast some of Singing in the Rain which Taylor thinks is pretty cool. The two practice some of the steps for awhile until the rain stops.

[incorrectbatfam]

Stepmom!Selina?

She sees what she's getting into from a mile away, but she welcomes it because Bruce's kids are a part of him, and she loves all of Bruce.

The kids all see it coming too, and while some (Damian) take longer to warm up to her, she's welcomed into the fold with open arms.

Selina's got a heart as big as her partner and while she's not always perfect, you can see how much she cares.

As a former foster child herself, Selina understands Duke's unique experiences and traumas from the foster care system, so whenever he needs to talk, she's the first one he goes to. Sometimes he doesn't want to (or need to) talk, so they'll watch boxing matches or she'll teach him little bits of Mandarin. If the kitchen isn't busy, they'll try their hand at new TikTok recipes, and film themselves either succeeding or debunking the original poster.

Being raised in isolation to be a human weapon meant Cass missed out on a lot of the things daughters typically learn as children/teens. The evening of Cass's first gala, she didn't know the first thing about doing her own hair and makeup. She's braved assassin armies, but her self-made disaster of bobby pins and eyeshadow nearly drives her to tears. Selina swoops in, wipes Cass's face with gentle reassurances, and walks her through step-by-step.

Selina considers it a privilege to have watched Dick grow from the spunky little Robin to the man he is today. Even though he's taller than her, she still ruffled his hair when he does a good job. She also keeps the first ever birthday card he gave her, which includes a pop-up bat signal and scented stickers, and remembers all of his favorite radio stations. Also, when Bruce does something, Dick goes tattling to Selina.

For a while, Carrie mooched off of her siblings' Netflix profiles, but everyone got tired of her messing up their algorithm and she was forced to make her own. She soon realized how much freedom she had because no one could see what she was watching. Selina caught on to the power trip and started researching and watching snippets whenever a new show comes out. That's how she stopped a bunch of preteen girls from watching Squid Game.

Tim often gets overlooked as not just the middle child, but the child who appears put-together and regularly takes on adult responsibilities. Selina, however, remembers that he's still a teenager. She regularly checks in and gradually teaches him that it's okay to let go and act his age. Selina encourages him to call his Young Justice friends outside of missions and take small acts of rebellion against Bruce. When Tim and his boyfriend snuck out to a famous lover's lookout, Selina gave them the car keys and covered for them.

She noticed that Jason really enjoys hanging out with Harley Quinn, bonding over not just Joker trauma but other shared interests like music taste. After Harley turns to the antihero side, Selina discusses with Bruce and they start inviting Aunt Harley and Aunt Ivy to dinner. The first time they do that, Harley is so excited that she baked a three-layer cake just for Jason. Literally, in strawberry frosting, it said, "THIS CAKE IS FOR JASON ONLY." Finding someone that Jason can relate to remains one of Selina's proudest accomplishments.

She's trying her best, but she makes mistakes too. For instance, although Wayne Manor has plenty of kitchen space, Selina does her cooking at Harley and Ivy's because Ivy can offer her fresh plant-based ingredients that suited Damian's needs. When Alfred's not available, she sends Damian to school with healthy, flavorful vegan lunches shaped into Cheese Viking characters. One time, she was tasked with bringing brownies to a PTA meeting. Incidentally, Harley was simultaneously baking a... different kind of brownie for a block party (you can see where this is heading). When an angry superintendent demanded to know who was responsible, Selina wisely kept her mouth shut and thankfully, so did Damian.

Cullen loves concerts, but he's a huge introvert who gets anxiety when he's left alone in a crowd. Selina becomes his concert buddy, and she'll go as all-out as he does. Sometimes that's showing up to a garage band dressed-down in hoodies and sunglasses. Other times it's painting their faces and looking like they just came out of a Hot Topic blowout sale. She even listens to the discography beforehand so she can blend in. Selina learns a lot about Cullen through this, because nothing says more about a person than the music they listen to.

Harper, though looking rough around the edges, turns into a giddy little kid at interactive science museums. During one of these trips, Harper got distracted by the giant Newton's Cradle so she didn't notice a fourth grade field trip sweeping up Selina. When they reunited at the gift shop, a chaperone had given Selina a school t-shirt and she was put in charge of grading ten kids' assignments. Harper laughed so hard that she spewed lemonade on the museum owner. Neither of them will let the other live that day down.

Selina and Barbara openly talk about guy stuff, and Selina is more than happy to offer advice in times of need. They're both pretty liberal talking about that stuff, and one time they did a tier ranking of all the Gotham Rogues based on how effective their gimmick is (Joker was the only S-tier). They then proceeded to get into a debate on whether or not Man-Bat and Killer Croc should qualify for the list, which led to them staring each other down at dinner while the other family members sat around them confused.

Steph's school offered a Mother's Day breakfast. Although Crystal Brown was doing her best and wanted to make it, she was scheduled a double-shift that the breakfast fell right in the middle of. Selina reached out to Crystal and with permission, went in her place. Afraid that Steph would publicly reject her, Selina sat in the parking lot for ten minutes as Bruce amped her up over the phone. Steph, thinking that no one would no up, was ecstatic and said that she couldn't have thought of anyone better. They enjoyed stacking up waffles and making the girls who bully Steph envious.

Long before she and Bruce got married, Selina made it clear that she would not be relegated to the gender-typical role of a homemaker, and Bruce happily concurred because it's 2021. They knew that to give Alfred a break, they'd have to take on some chores themselves. Instead of dividing up a boring old chore chart, they find ways to make cleaning fun and collaborative. They'll dance around the halls in mop slippers, play "guess the stain", and race their roombas. The kids see this and start modeling the behavior in their own ways—Dick swings from high places to dust them, Damian trains his pets to pick up garbage, and Cass and Duke compete to see who can clean the most bathtubs.

Some parts of the Manor are due for redecorating, so Selina and Alfred make a day trip out of interior design sketches, flipping through furniture catalogues, and looking at paint swatches. It sounds boring at first, but the menial tasks meant they had plenty of time for conversation, and she finally understood why everyone respects him. They also made room in the afternoon for a stroll through the park and afternoon tea, where he told her and her only the secret to a perfect scone.

The other Justice League partners welcome her into the group too. Whenever Selina's in Metropolis, she joins Lois and Ma and Pa for Sunday brunch where they share what their kids have been up to. Iris shows her life hacks to cooking large batches of food in a short time. Selina and Dinah discover an online store dedicated to selling vigilante gear and go on a Cyber Monday spree for their whole families. Steve Trevor, Diana's partner, teaches Selina how to fly with the invisible jet so she can surprise Bruce with the batplane.

After overcoming their initial conflicts, Selina and Talia hold a high amount of respect for each other. Talia sees Selina as not just a capable combatant, but a worthy partner to her former beloved and stepmother to her son. Selina, after spending all that time with the kids, understands the motherly love that Talia holds for Damian and makes it abundantly clear that she would never try to replace Talia in the boy's life. Regardless, looking after all those kids is hard, so they are very much open to the idea of co-parenting.

(Selina doesn't know it, but all this makes Bruce fall in love with her all over again.)

[enragedbees]

Does He Make You Happy?

Updates Saturdays 6pm EST!

Pairing: Logicality, side Prinxiety

Summary: With the wedding coming so close, Logan and Patton are both struggling. Logan can’t run away.

Warnings: suicidal thoughts, insecurity, worthlessness, a few swears, depression, self-loathing (If I missed anything, please let me know!)

Words: 3831

Song rec: Could be two; Stone Cold by Demi Lovato (thanks to Catrina Mae on AO3 for mentioning this!) and (It’s Hard) Letting You Go by Bon Jovi

A huge thanks to the remarkable @xionbean for being my beta reader!!

A/N so, wow, this ended up being really difficult to write. Please heed the warnings!! Just so you guys know, I have an epilogue planned, and something in the works for after that. I don’t think the epilogue will be very long, so I may not wait until next week to post again. However angsty this gets I hope you guys enjoy!

Taglist: @xxpeach-bobaxx @starwarsdestroyedme ​  @faded-paper-colours @nafsbluebery @cass-isdumb  @fall-sunflowers @darkstrange-son @thenewlarislynn @cas-is-a-hunter @endless-rain-of-words 

Please let me know what you think! :)

First Previous

Next ——————————————-

Chapter 6: A Different Kind of Blue

        Patton walked into the hotel he was supposed to be staying in for the night. Roman and Virgil were at the front desk. A few other wedding party members were in the lobby.

        Roman picked up two room cards and walked over to Patton.

        “Hey, James was looking for you,” Roman said. “He told me to let you know he’s up in your guys’ room.”

        Patton nodded absently. “Oh, okay, thanks.”

        Virgil squinted. “Hey, you okay?”

        “Hm?” Patton tried to think through the cotton stuffed in his head. “I’m fine.”

        Roman was oblivious, apparently. “What time do we have to be at the venue tomorrow for setup?”

        Patton thought about it. He couldn’t remember. “I’m not sure. James should know.”

        “That’s okay,” Roman shrugged. “It’s probably still on the itinerary on my phone.” He turned to Virgil. “You ready to head up?”

        “Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.” Virgil pecked him on the cheek. Roman turned to leave.

        Virgil pulled Patton to the seating area in the corner of the hotel lobby and gently sat him down. “Okay, spill.”

        Patton looked over at Virgil, the pure concern and love he saw in Virgil’s eyes. His sluggishness and lack of focus disappeared, and everything else in his mind honed into a sharp point pressing into his chest. Patton’s dam cracked and broke open and everything burst out all at once.

~

Logan sat in a bar downtown, an empty glass of what used to be a neat double tequila resting lazily in his hand.

        He stared down at the bar, feeling like he was barely functioning. He didn’t even know how he got to where he was. He had no idea how long he had been there. The bartender had walked over to check on him a couple times, but it was clear Logan didn’t want company, so he soon stopped.

        Logan did know he had stopped crying before entering the bar. He was sure his eyes were still red, but he was just exhausted. Logan had used up the remainder of his energy in maintaining a sitting position and knew he didn’t have the motivation to get up and go home or even flag the bartender for a second drink.

        Logan felt another person sit down next to him and saw the purple sleeve of a sweater out of his peripherals.

        “I’ll have a cosmo,” Virgil told the bartender. He gestured to Logan. “And get him another of whatever he’s having, on me, thanks.”

        Virgil turned to Logan as the bartender walked away. Logan still couldn’t gather the energy to shift his position.

        “You don’t have to buy me a drink,” Logan mumbled. “How did you know I’d be here?”

        “I didn’t,” Virgil said. “I had just about given up looking for you, so I walked in to get a drink. Total coincidence.”

        Logan wasn’t entirely convinced that that was true, but he didn’t care enough to argue. Virgil peered over at him.

        “Are you okay?”

        Logan almost scoffed. “No.”

        Virgil pursed his lips and thanked the bartender, who had set their drinks down. He watched as Logan gingerly moved his hand around the glass, hesitate, then toss his head back and down the drink, setting it back on the counter and not moving again.

        Virgil sighed. “I wish I could help you, man.”

        Logan still couldn’t look up, as much as he wanted to. “Thanks.”

        Virgil hesitated a moment before continuing. “But, you know, you were the one who left. He managed to find happiness again. This is good for him. You can’t blame him for getting over you.”

        Logan swallowed. “I know.”

        “Really, though.” Virgil tried to catch Logan’s eye. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with something like this. You don’t deserve it.”

        Logan almost immediately broke down. He bit his lip as his face heated again. Virgil turned back away and sipped his drink, pulling out his wallet.

        Logan sniffed. “Are you leaving?”

        “No, just paying my bill. I’ll stay here as long as you need me to.” Virgil shuffled some cash.

        Logan nodded, nearly choking on his own suppressed emotions again. He couldn’t even croak out an expression of his immense gratitude.

        He didn’t know how long they sat there together, in silence, until Logan mustered the energy to stand up. He thanked Virgil again and walked out the door, wanting to go anywhere but home.

~

        Logan packed the next morning.

        He didn’t have a plan. He didn’t have a destination. What he had was an expanse of time before his classes started and a desperate need to run away.

        Logan packed light. He put a few versatile clothing items and some basic necessities in one suitcase and got into his car and drove. A few minutes in, he decided to stop once for coffee so he wouldn’t have to stop again for a while.

        Logan walked into a coffee shop and ordered his drink. He sat down to wait, turned, and saw Mia Rojas walking through the door.

        She stopped when she saw Logan. Logan prayed she would wave politely and leave him alone. She walked over.

        “Hello, Logan,” she said. “We were just on our way over to the venue. I didn’t expect to see you before the wedding.”

        The knife in Logan’s gut twisted. “It’s nice to see you again, Mia. Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to make it to the wedding.” Logan hoped he was able to hide the crack in his voice. Mia seemed to understand. She nodded slowly.

        “That’s too bad. Patton seemed excited when he said he had reconnected with you.”

        Logan looked down. “I don’t want to cause any discomfort.”

        “That’s…considerate of you.” Mia hesitated, then sat down across from Logan. “May I ask, what do you think of James?”

        Logan took a breath. Why is she still here? “I think he’s a great guy. I think he’s good for Patton.” At least Logan didn’t have to lie.

        “He certainly makes Patton very happy.” Mia sighed.

        Logan swallowed and looked down. “Yes, he does.”

        Mia glanced at him, gaze full of sympathy. She chose her next words carefully. “And it’s true that he fits with Patton well. Even though…” She hesitated, looking Logan in the eye. “I’ve seen Patton happier.”

        Logan heard the silent words that would have come next. With you.

        And he recognized the underlying message that Mia would never even think of verbalizing: It should be you.

        Logan didn’t know why, but Mia’s implication pissed him off. This wasn’t something she had the right to decide for Patton; he had made his choice and nobody had the right to pretend like they knew better. Not only was it ridiculously inappropriate. Even if she did believe it, Mia shouldn’t have said anything, especially not to Logan.

        Logan stood up, the ground swaying under him from the sudden change of state. “It was nice seeing you, Mia, but I have to get going.”

        Mia pursed her lips, quickly changing it into a tight smile. “Nice seeing you, too.”

        Logan picked up his coffee and walked out the door, shaking. He climbed into his car and started drove, passing the exit sign for the city and, eventually, the state, with no plan in his head other than escape.

~

Patton couldn’t concentrate.

        He was supposed to be excited. The whole day was meant for preparations for what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. The whole experience was supposed to be a time he would look back on with love and nostalgia.

        James was oblivious, for which Patton was eternally grateful. They had gone to bed the night before and Patton’s guilt ate through him all night. He couldn’t sleep. He didn’t feel like he had a right to even touch James, but then James would roll over and wrap an arm around Patton and he’d feel even worse.

        Patton tried to forget. He focused on his fiancé, the love of his life, his almost-husband. He ignored the sourness that swelled in his chest when he looked at James, he didn’t allow himself to worry that it would never go away.  

        They decorated the reception venue in the morning. Their families were there to help, along with the members of the wedding party who could make it there the night before.

        James was blissful. He didn’t stop smiling all morning. He put everyone to work and made sure everything was running smoothly. He was so happy and it almost broke Patton’s heart. How could he betray someone who had never done anything but make him happy, someone he loved more than anyone else in the world?

        James squeezed Patton’s hand. “Hey, you okay?”

        Patton shook the thoughts from his head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled tightly. “I just can’t believe it’s…really happening.”

        “I know, right?” James chuckled. “It feels like we’ve been waiting for so long, it almost hasn’t set in for me yet.”

        He turned away, and Patton’s vision flashed. He felt hands grasping at his shirt, tears wetting his cheeks, Logan’s mouth on his. Patton gasped a little, pulling himself out of the memory. He looked around.

        His parents were unpacking boxes of glassware. Roman and Virgil were over across the room, giggling about something and putting together the table centerpieces. James sat nearby with his sister as they arranged seating cards. Everyone was cheerful, helpful, making every effort to make his day the happiest it could be. Patton looked at the floor, swirling with guilt, shame, doubt.

        The day passed way too quickly. After setting up the venue, Patton and James went for lunch with their friends. The restaurant had some small celebration for the happy couple, reminiscent of those awful birthday performances waiters were forced to give. It was nothing elaborate, but enough to supposedly make them feel special. Patton forced himself to grin through it as their friends toasted to their happiness. James was embarrassed, but beaming effortlessly, and Patton hated himself.

        Not long after lunch came the rehearsal. Patton walked down the aisle to James four different times until the organizer was happy with his pace. Each time James watched him walk to the altar, his smile grew bigger and lovelier. With each redo, the knot in Patton’s stomach grew tighter.

        And once Patton got to that altar and joined hands with his fiancé, his vision flashed again, and he saw Logan standing across from him, and he hurt even more, and he hated himself even more.

        The only even partial comfort was seeing how excited James grew with each passing hour. Patton knew James deserved better than the thoughts running through his head all day, but he hoped he could make James smile like that every day for the rest of their lives. But every time a thought like that flitted through his mind, he once again remembered Logan, and the night before, and he just went back to hurting.

        The rehearsal passed and Patton went back to the hotel to get ready for the rehearsal dinner, where he would be expected to hold onto James’ arm the whole night, thanking guests for coming and showing them how happy he was to be there. But even that passed in a blur.

        Before Patton knew it, he was back at his hotel. James kissed him goodnight, clearly about to jump out of his skin with anticipation, but James soon went up to his room to get some sleep. Patton stayed in the empty hotel lobby for as long as possible before he forced himself to leave.

        Patton unlocked the door to his hotel room and switched the light on. His suitcase and belongings had already been brought in, and his outfit for tomorrow laid neatly packed on a chair, ready for transport to the venue. The door closed behind him. Being completely alone for the first time since Logan walked away the night before, the weight of Patton’s misery swelled enough to crush him.

~

Logan checked into a hotel hours away from home.

        He had no idea how to escape. He wanted to just keep driving farther and farther until he fell off the face of the Earth. Nowhere was distant enough. He couldn’t outrun everything happening.

        Logan rolled his suitcase into his room. His limbs hung heavy with fatigue and grief. He locked the door and started unpacking the few thing’s he’d need that night before leaving again.

        Logan sat on the bed and pulled out his phone for the first time all day. A notification from a few hours before popped up.

        Event Tomorrow: Patton’s Wedding

        A sudden surge of adrenaline lit Logan’s nerves on fire. He didn’t form a coherent thought. He didn’t think at all. The only thing running through his mind was run escape leave get away escape GET RID OF IT and he threw his phone away from him as fast as he could. It smashed against the wall and shattered, the few remaining intact parts of the screen going black.

        Logan’s heart pounded. He really hadn’t expected such a visceral response. But Logan realized in that moment just how much he couldn’t handle it.

        Was it really already happening?

Patton sat on the bed in his hotel room, staring at the wall with his hands folded on his lap. He glanced at the clock: 12:03am.

        He was getting married today. In less than sixteen hours, Patton would be married.

        He continued to repeat that to himself, married, today, married, married, trying to make the words bring him the same excitement and joy they had brought over the past few months.

        Today was supposed to be the happiest day of Patton’s life. And why wouldn’t it be? He had his dream wedding planned, with everyone he cared about most coming to celebrate with him. They rented a gorgeous venue that was even more breathtaking after the hard decorating work from the day. Patton had a wonderful, relaxing honeymoon planned the day after.

        And he had such a great fiancé. James was great. He was kind, patient, accommodating, funny, sensitive, and exceptionally good looking. And he cared so much for Patton. His friends and family loved James. And so did Patton.

        He loved James. He knew he did. Patton loved James so desperately and it killed him that he wasn’t as happy as he should have been. Patton was being offered everything he ever wanted, and all he had to do was marry the love of his life.

        Why the hell was that so difficult?

        Logan wanted to do anything to stop the shattering of his heart, anything so that he wouldn’t have to live in a world where Patton was married to someone else. Escape. Get away. Run. Hide.

Where could he possibly go that was far enough? How could he escape when everything was a reminder of what he had given up? And how was the excruciating pain he was in better than feeling nothing at all?

He couldn’t live like this. He had to run away, any possible way he could. He’d jump out the window of his hotel room if he had to. He’d steal a bottle of chemical cleaner and down the whole thing.

        A cold darkness settled on Logan. Where had that come from?

        Logan’s chest heaved. He tried to ignore it. He couldn’t help but fixate on the fact that tomorrow Patton would be getting married. Logan gasped again, tears slipping out of his eyes and between the fingers that rose up to cover his mouth.

        He saw now. It would be so easy to escape. One jump, one swallow, one tightly wound sheet hung from the ceiling, and everything would go away.

        Maybe it would work. What else could be farther away?

        Logan’s heart pounded. Stop it, he chastised himself. You’re being ridiculous. You’re going to throw your life away over something as pathetic as this? You won’t.

        Logan stood up, panting, and paced the room. The pit in his stomach expanded to swallow his entire body in despair. Tears continued leaking uninhibited down his face as he ran his fingers through his hair. The voice in his head, the same one that had tormented him his entire life returned, dark and malicious.

        But what if you did?

        A knock sounded from Patton’s hotel room door.

        “It’s open,” Patton called, unmoving.

        The door opened. Patton heard footsteps behind his back, and Roman sat down next to him on the bed. The door closed on its own.

        “How are you?” Roman asked, fidgeting with his hands.

        What a ridiculous question. Patton was expected to be able to answer that in a single response? He barely knew how he was, and it’s not like he would have been able to form a comprehensible string of words to express it if he did know.

        Patton sighed through his nose. He shook his head. “Am I making a huge mistake?”

        Roman took a deep breath, leaning back on his hands. “Okay, so we’re getting right into it.”

        “I’m sorry, I don’t want to put you in the middle of this. “Forget I said anything,” Patton added quickly.

        Roman waved his hand, dismissing Patton. “No, no, it’s okay. This is why I came by.”

        Patton sighed again. He wondered what he was supposed to be feeling right then. He had no shame, no fear, no excitement. He just felt hollow. And hurt. Always hurt.

        “Patton, it’s normal to be nervous the night before a wedding,” Roman said. “I don’t think it’s normal to already be doubting the decision to get married.”

        Patton closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

        Roman put a hand on Patton’s back, rubbing his shoulder affectionately. They stayed there in silence for a few moments. Hesitantly, Roman bit his lip and opened his mouth.

        “Patton, you still love Logan. I think you always have.”

        “But I love James, too!” Patton cried, head shooting up.

        “I know you do,” Roman continued. “James is good for you. I think you guys would be happy together.” He sighed. “But not if you aren’t over Logan.”

        “Of course I’m over him!” Patton stood up. “He left me! I was forced to get over him! He left, out of nowhere, and I never even had time to prepare! I didn’t get a chance for closure before he walked away and left me alone and James was the only one who gave me back everything Logan took! I had no choice but to get over him!”

        Roman pursed his lips, one eyebrow raised. Patton stifled a dry sob and collapsed back on the bed, covering his face again, eyes burning.

        Patton felt Roman’s hand go back to his shoulder. “What’s wrong with me?” He sobbed. “Why is this so hard?”

        Logan sat on the bed. His hands shook. His vision was clouded with tears and darkness. Was he really considering something so drastic?

        He wondered who would miss him. He didn’t have very many family members. His mother would miss him. Virgil would. Roman, too, probably. Was that it? Would the knowledge that three people would miss him be enough? Would anyone else be sad if he was gone?

        Would Patton?

        Logan could see Patton’s face as a faceless messenger told him what happened. Logan saw his features contort in grief, in denial, in regret, in guilt, in complete and total anguish. Logan saw Patton fall to his knees as it overtook him. Logan thought it would make him feel better to see Patton miss him so painfully in his mind, but it just deepened the wound in his chest.

        Logan tried to talk himself down. Something has to get better. This isn’t the end. You’ll be happy again someday. This isn’t rational. You haven’t been together in years. It would be almost embarrassing to go to such an extreme over one ex.

        But all Logan could feel was the all-encompassing hurt hitting him in waves. He couldn’t live like this for long. And it really would be so easy. And then everything would be over. He wouldn’t hurt so much.

        One swallow. One jump. It would be so easy.

        Patton looked up at Roman, a single tear running down his cheek. “I really love James. I swear I do. You have to believe me. I hate this.”

        “I know.”

        Patton took a shaky breath in. “I really don’t know what to do.”

        “If you’re struggling with the choice, I can’t help you.” Roman sighed and pulled his hand away. “This is your responsibility. Just know…” Roman leaned over and locked onto Patton’s teary gaze.

        “Whatever you decide, we support you. The people who love you want you to be happy. Nobody will be upset with you for making a choice that’s right for you.” Roman paused. “That includes Logan.”

        Patton nodded and sniffed. He took a moment and a deep breath. He wiped his eyes and stood up. “Thank you, Roman.”

        “Of course,” Roman said. “Are you okay?”

        “I’m okay.” Patton nodded again.

        “Do you want me to stay here?”

        “Yes, please.”

        Roman nodded. After a moment, he stood up and held open his arms.. Patton stepped forward and fell into his embrace. Patton took a deep breath and let himself relax, for just a few seconds ignoring the ache in his chest.

        Logan stood back up, trembling. He looked for his phone before remembering he didn’t have one anymore. Logan took quick, deep breaths, at first not realizing he was hyperventilating. He started pacing again. The voice egged him on.

        What are you waiting for, then? Nobody’s coming to stop you. Nobody knows what’s going on. You really think it’s going to get better? You actually believe you haven’t fucked everything up beyond repair? You know the truth. This is exactly what you wanted, remember? This is your fault. You deserve this. You deserve this.

        Y̶̛̩̰͚̒͂́͒͂͘͝O̶̻̠͍͎͎̭͓̲̓̔͊͘U̵̻̮̞̬͉̟̮̬̅͌̍͘͜ ̴̨̫̦͓̮͍̘̊̽D̸̛̞̭͙̲͈͎̫͇̹̂̌͂͐͛̀͘͜͠E̸S̷̢̰͔͎̠͍̏͆́Ȩ̵̡̭̩̏͝ͅR̴̆̆V̸̲̝͒͂̾̋͊́̇̾͠͠Ȅ̷͛͊̔́̀̒̈́ ̵̝̦͑̏̽̍͛͠T̷̓̚Ḩ̷̛̞͎̗̺̋̅̑͐́̄̑Į̵̠̩̠̳̺̳̫͂S̶.

        Logan stumbled to the window and out onto the small balcony of his room. He gripped the railing and tried to steady himself, taking deep gulping breaths of the cool night air.

        Logan looked up into the sky, scanning the stars. He couldn’t focus hard enough to recognize any familiar constellations, any minor source of comfort. The usual golden glow of the stars was gone, replaced with a cold, painful white light.

        Logan swallowed and glanced down. He was positive the ground was a million miles away. The wind whipped his hair back as he squeezed the railing until his knuckles went white. His thoughts stormed through his mind like a tempest. It would be so easy. One jump. Logan’s eyes prickled. He bit his lip, letting a few more tears stream down, gasping panting shaking clinging to the railing. One jump, so easy.

        Above his racing thoughts rose the sinister voice, the only coherent idea in his mind, moving in for the kill.

        What are you waiting for?

[odilestory]

Two Years - Super!Reader x Tim Drake

pretty long one shot with Jon’s sister (superman’s daughter) and Tim Drake. *SLIGHT NSFW BUT NOTHING SERIOUS* towards the end. also mostly based off Super Sons,,,enjoy! 

--

Being a Kent is about as normal as you’d expect. Obviously, my brother and I inherited my dad’s powers, those being dominant traits (I’m guessing). I remember when I gained my first ability; the super hearing. I was around three years old, in preschool. Now, when you first get the ‘super traits,’ you can’t control them. At all. So, when a kid woke up crying during nap-time, to me it sounded like someone was blowing a trumpet right next to my ear, and I woke up bawling as well. At six, I got the heat vision while in the bath. Thankfully, mom figured out she better take me out of the tub before I boiled myself. At seven I got the strength. I saw two kids fighting on the playground and decided to step in. I interfered by pushing one of the kids, but much to my dismay I didn’t push him to the ground. I pushed him across the school yard. That was an interesting call home. But, by far the most exciting power I gained was when I was eight. That’s when I started flying, and boy was dad excited. Mom was concerned, but she trusted me (even though I was eight) and she trusted dad to help me with it. We had just gotten a trampoline (I think it was a birthday present for me and Jon) and of course, I had to try it out. I remember Mom holding Jon next to Dad while I jumped. One, two, three, and on the fourth, I stayed up there. Just hovering. I looked at my Dad, confused at first, but soon we both smiled at each other and he flew up to meet me. The rest of the powers came over the years. Flying will always be a major perk of being a Kent.

Now I’m seventeen and Jon is ten. I’m a senior and Jon is in fifth grade. We both go to the West-Reeve School, of course he’s in their elementary program and I’m in the high school. We used to go to public school, but Bruce (Dad’s apparent best friend and semi-local billionaire) made quite a donation to the school and insisted that Jon and his son Damian, a.k.a. Robin (did I mention Bruce is Batman?), go there in exchange for their own heroes-and-vigilantes-in-training-headquarters as I like to call it. I had friends at the school, so when Dad told me Jon was going and asked if I would like to, I said sure. The only catch being I had to drive them back to our house everyday. Damian usually stayed at our house after school to do homework. To get home, he usually got zeta beamed back to Gotham via their HQ. Occasionally, I use the head quarters as well, but mostly to monitor Jon and Damian. Some nights, however, I meet up with Batgirl in Gotham and patrol with her under the mantle Supergirl, soon to be Superwoman in about eight months. We’re good friends with the bat-family. After all, I drive one of them home everyday. They’re kinda like my older brothers and sisters in a way. Whenever we would visit them or visa versa, Dick would always entertain me while Dad and Bruce talked about League stuff.  Jason taught me a lot about self defense, and even though I would probably never need to know, he taught me how to shoot a gun (much to Dad’s disapproval). Damian was like the annoyingly rude little brother that I never knew I wanted. Steph, Cass, and Babs are like my sisters. We even have a group chat dedicated to bitching about our brothers. Tim was different though. As embarrassing as it is, I’ve had a crush on him ever since I met him at a Wayne Enterprises party. I think I was thirteen and he was fourteen. We kinda hit it off at the party I guess, and we started hanging out a lot. His smart matched my smart, and his stupid matched my stupid, even though at times we were either smarter or more stupid than the other. Not long after I caught feelings, and after about a year and a half of crushing, he asked me out when I was fifteen and he was sixteen. Shockingly, we’ve been able to keep it a secret from both our parents. Being vigilantes helps a lot, I’ll just say I’m on patrol with Steph or Babs and instead hang out at his house while Bruce is gone. Alfred and Babs are the only ones who know, and they’re sworn to secrecy and trusted as well. However, I get the feeling Dick knows too; he always gives me these looks when I’m around him and Tim. I’m not worried though, like Alfred, he’s to be trusted.

—

On this particular day, Friday, I had plans to go out with Tim. It was our two year anniversary of him asking me out. I never really kept track of anniversaries, but he seemed to enjoy the thought of it, so I went along. He said he had something special planned, even though as far as I knew we were doing the usual and just hanging out at his place while Bruce was on patrol. We didn’t get to see each other as much lately. He had a lot of cases and he started his internship, which meant he was extra busy. Somehow, he still found time for our time. My first mistake of the day happened before we left the school parking lot. Jon had a big school project on a try-fold that he wanted to put in the trunk. I was waiting for them to get to the car, sitting in the driver seat, texting Tim. I was in the middle of typing when Damian got in the passenger seat and informed me that Jon needed to put his project in the back. I couldn’t open the trunk without the keys (my car wasn’t the newest thing ever), so I left my phone, open, on the seat as I went out to open the trunk for Jon. Of course, in the minute I was out of the car, Damian had noticed I left my phone open. And he found it interesting how I was texting Tim. So, being the sneak he was, he went through as many messages as he could, undoubtedly finding the short “love you”s and “babe”s hidden somewhere in there, because when I got in the car again, we had this weird look on his face like he was trying not to laugh. Or gag. The second mistake wouldn’t have been such a huge factor if Damian hadn’t looked through my phone, but he did. So this didn’t help his developing theory disprove itself: I told the boys I needed to stop at the store and said that I’d buy them a snack if they wanted to come with. I really needed to go to get coffee. For Tim. I figured it would be a nice gift for him. I knew his favorite kind, and the store was on the way home, so I took advantage. Before we started driving I finished my text to Tim, saying “see you later :)” during which I caught Damian trying to take a peek at my phone, but he tried to play it off as stretched him neck. We got out of the car in the store parking lot, I locked the car, and walked into the store with my hand on Jon’s shoulder and Damian on my other side. I made a B-line for the coffee, and left Damian and Jon to pick out their food. It took we a while to find the right kind, so both the boys had found me and their snacks before I could find the right coffee. The boys were quietly bickering next to me. I found it, and picked it up off the shelf checking the price. Damian was quick to notice the one I had picked. He smirked and said, “Is that the one you’re buying?” I responded without looking at him. “Yep. Why’d you ask?” “Well, I couldn’t help but notice that Drake quite enjoys that brand and roast. Any significance?” Damn that kid. Him and his detective mind. Then Jon had to help him out and interrogate me too. “Yeah, sis, you don’t even drink homemade coffee, you only get iced mochas from the shop. Why are you buying it?” They were trying to get me. “A present for a friend.” Was the best I thought of in the moment. “Tt.” Damian made that weird noise and turned, walking to the register. I followed, cursing myself under my breath. If he had suspicion, he was gonna tell Bruce, and then Bruce would call my Dad, and then everyone would know. Including the media. I can just see it now: “WAYNE WARD DATING JOURNALISTS’ DAUGHTER!” Great. The ride back to our house was a nightmare. I could hear Damian murmuring fractions of sentences to himself. He was most likely debating how he should tell Bruce.  When we got back to the house, as I unlocked the door, I heard Damian whisper to Jon, “We need to talk. In your room. And she can’t hear.” I scoffed and set my bag down on the couch, going to get a snack from the kitchen. Mom and Dad were still at work and would be for another hour or so. “Sis, me and Damian are going to my room, and no super hearing! We are having a confidential conversation!” “You got it, hun!” I yelled as Jon ran up to stairs to his room, Damian trailing behind. It was a rule in our house that if someone explicitly said for no powers to be used, then we weren’t allowed to use powers. It’s a big trust and loyalty thing, often used as punishment. Instead of grounding us, we weren’t allowed to fly or use super strength or speed. Which, in a way I guess is grounding us. I decided to get the little weekend homework I had done before my night out. I was going to meet Barbara for dinner and catch up time at 6, and then be at Tim’s at 8. I had never been over there that early, it was usually always after 10, but Tim said Bruce was away on business, so he would’t be there. And Damian went on patrol with Dick whenever Bruce left him alone, so we didn’t have to worry. I was done with homework by the time Mom and Dad got home, around 4:30, and Damian left around then as well, making sure to give me a look before he walked out the door. I greeted my parents as usual when they came home. “Hey!” I said when they walked in “How was work?” “mm, it was good. Nothing special today. Did Damian already leave?” Mom said, giving me a kiss on the forehead before setting down her things. “Yep. Just a few minutes before you guys got here.” “How was your day, sweetie?” Dad lifted me up from my chair and spun me around a few times, making Mom laugh. “And where’s my son?” “Your son is upstairs, hopefully doing homework. My day was good.” Jon ran down the stairs and jumped onto Dad’s shoulders, making him stumble. They started their own conversation as I walked to the kitchen to meet Mom. “Do we have anything going on tonight?” I jumped up and sat on the counter, watching as she took out a snack for herself. “I don’t think so. Why, do you have a date?” “A date? Not on my watch!” Dad commented from the living room, earning a look from his wife. I laughed a bit nervously. “No, but I was planning on meeting Babs for dinner at 6 and then maybe helping her on patrol. Is that ok?” “Fine with me. Clark?” She looked to him. “Alright with me. Just be home before 12. She can handle the rest of the night on her own. And call me if you need any help.” “Ok, Dad.” I laughed and hopped off the counter, putting the books I was done with back in my bag and headed up to put it in my room for the weekend. Before I made it halfway up the steps, I was interrogated again. “What’s this coffee for?” Mom yelled from the kitchen. I froze, but gave her the same answer I gave the boys. “Present for a friend. I’m gonna drop it off on my way to Gotham.” “Ah.”

The rest of the night went without conflict. It took me around thirty minutes to fly to Gotham, so I left at 5:15. I liked to be early. I headed out with a kiss from Mom and Dad and a hug from Jon, a change of clothes and the coffee securely in a bag. I landed in Gotham and changed into civilian clothes and walked to the restaurant Babs said to meet at. I gawked at the sight of it. It looked too fancy and expensive. Bruce was definitely paying for this one. Over dinner, I would find I was right. We just talked about stuff in general. She asked me how it was going with me and Tim, and I told her about our planned meeting. She teased me about it, but in a sisterly way. After dinner, we parted ways and I headed to the manor. I arrived promptly at eight and was greeted by Alfred. “Good evening, Miss Kent. Here for Tim, I presume?” “Hi Alfred! Yup, is he upstairs?” I entered as he stepped aside. “I believe so. Is there a special occasion tonight?” I took off my jacket and hung it on the coat rack. “Two year anniversary, actually.” I smiled at him and he smiled back. “A congratulations is in order, then. Might I ask when you plan on telling Master Bruce?” I sighed. “I have a feeling he’ll find out soon enough.” I turned and headed to Tim’s room. “Whatever you say, miss. If you don’t find him in his room, check the theatre. I saw him there earlier.” “Thanks Alfred!” I hurriedly walked up to stairs and stopped at Tim’s door. I could hear him talking to himself. Cute. I knocked on the door, and then heard some shuffling and a laptop shut. I opened the door and saw Tim finishing writing a note on his desk. I set my bag down on the end of his bed. His room was clean. A rarity. He looked up and smiled at me. “Its been a while.” He said smoothly. “I know.” I walked over to him and put my arms around his neck, and his went around my waist. “Boy, have I got a lot to tell you.” “Well, we’ve got plenty of time. How long can you stay?” “Dad said to be home my twelve. I can stay ‘till 11 just to be safe.” “Sounds good to me.” He smiled and kissed me. Not quickly, but not too slowly either. Maybe for two or three seconds we held onto it. We pulled away at the same time, smiling. “So, what’ve you got planned, lover boy?” I sat on his bed and watched him walk over to me. He stood in front of me, hands on his hips. “If it’s cool with you, I thought we could just hang out. Nothing super special, just fluffy stuff. Watch a movie, cuddle, make out. The basics.” Tim was usually kinda shy and awkward, but we had become so close that he almost reminded me of Dick. Outgoing, and more forward. As just witnessed with the “make out” thing. I laughed lightly. “Sounds perfect. Before we get into it though,” I reached into my bag and pulled out the coffee. “Here’s this. It’s not a lot but you seem like you could use it.” He got this dorky excited look on his face. “Thanks, babe. You didn’t have to get me this, but thank you. So much. I’m sure it’ll be helpful.” He took it out of my hands and gave me a kiss on the forehead, then went to set the bag of grounds on his desk. He turned to me. “Theatre?” He held out his hand. “Theatre.” I took it and we made our way downstairs. We picked an action/thriller movie that got pretty good ratings. Tim was picky about movies. Lucky for him, we barely watched the movie. We were either talking to each other while cuddling or complaining about the movie’s production. We were both quite the critics. Within the last thirty minutes of the movie, we got into a heated make out session that included removing a few garments of clothing. Shirts were no more, but I kept my bra on, I don’t think he minded. I was sitting on his lap, legs hooked behind his back, on one of the couches in the theater room. Last time I checked the time, it was just ten ‘o’ clock. No one was supposed to be home until at least 1 a.m., so we had plenty of time My hand started tracing shapes on his chest and abs, he then moved kiss my neck and collar bones, trying to give me a hickey, earning a soft moan from me. I tried not to be loud. I didn’t want to scar Alfred. We had gone farther than just make out before. We had gone all the way a few times, and I thought tonight would be one of those nights. But before he could take his lips off my neck, we heard: “Drake?” We looked at each other with panic. We were making out, shirtless, and Damian was about to catch us. How embarrassing. “Drake? Are you home?” I quickly handed him his shirt and he found mine, I got off of him and sat next to him, quickly putting it back on and watching him put on his. Damian was gonna get it for ruining my night. “What do we do?” I whispered to him. “I don’t know! If you go upstairs he’ll see you!” “I could speed past?” “He’d still notice…” “Shh! I hear his footsteps,” I put a finger to his lips. “Tim he’s coming in here!” He sighed. We both knew there was nothing we could do. He didn’t even have to say anything, we both knew. Damian walked in. He laughed. The little demon laughed! “So, my suspicions were correct. Between the texts and the coffee, I knew you’d be here, Kent. I told Dick I needed to stop by, and now that I know I was right, I’ll be on my way. Good night, Drake, Kent.” He laughed as he walked out, clearly pleased. After he was gone, Tim and I just looked at each other. We burst out laughing. I fell into his chest and we hugged each other, just enjoying each other’s company. It was almost eleven now, I would have to leave soon. “Thanks for the coffee, babe.” “Thanks for the hickey, sweetie.” I gave him a kiss, said goodbye, gave him a final kiss, and flew off.

I got home at 11:34. I unlocked the door and saw Dad in the kitchen. I figured he had just gotten back from a crisis. “Welcome home.” He walked over to me. He looked tired. “Were you in the city?” I asked as he hugged me. “Yeah, had to check something out. It wasn’t major. Only took an hour.” “Ah. Well, I’m goin’ to bed. Night.” I made my way to the stairs, but again, I was stopped before I made it upstairs. “Why do you smell like…cologne?” I froze again, and sighed. I gave up. I walked back down and sat on the couch. He sat beside me. “Who’s the boy?” I put my head in my hands. He put his hand on my back. I could feel him smiling. “Tim Drake…” He laughed and pulled me to his side. He wasn’t upset at all. He was probably glad it was someone he knew. “How long?” Here goes the shocker. Slowly, I spit it out. “Two…years…” I winced, awaiting reaction. “Two years!?” He pretty much yelled. I heard Mom and Jon coming down the stairs to see what was wrong. I hung my head back on the couch. This was gonna take some explaining.