#Talia wanted them to leave together while she distracted Ra's

[rin-may-1103]

The Disappointment.

This may or may not have multiple parts, depending on whether I feel like writing more. (dcxdp, demon twin au.) also based on some post I read a while ago... can't remember for the life of me who wrote it but if any of you guys do, let me know.

"This way," Mother hissed, snatching Danny's wrist tightly. Damian lagged behind, twisting his head this way and that, keeping an eye out for anyone following them.

"Quick now, we must hurry." She hissed again, her eyes darting back and forth, eyeing the small nicks and scratches she had left previously to lead them away.

Danny glanced back at his brother, watching as he scowled and defiantly lifted his head. His baby brother would die before he allowed anyone to see him defeated.

Glancing back to the path, Danny watched as Mother took down anyone who was in their way, killing without hesitation. As he watched another body hit the floor, Grandfather's muttered words from when he left dinner, ran through the back of his head, "Bring the disappointment to me after sundown. I've seen enough."

There was nowhere in the world they could hide that Grandfather wouldn't follow. They would be hunted for the rest of their short lives, hiding in fear like cowards. Grandfather would not rest until he drew blood.

"In here, Habibi, quiet now. Quickly, both of you." Mother finally let Danny's wrist go, darting across the hall to open the secret door. Danny moved to the side, signaling to Damian that he would keep watch. His brother nodded his head and quickly made his way over, ducking into the small, dark, and eerie corridor.

Mother crouched next to Damian, running her hands over his face like this would be the last time she would see it. knowing her, she probably expected it to be. No one went against their grandfather without severe consequences.

Glancing over his shoulder, Danny studied the shadows; there was a lookout patrol moving closer, which meant they only had a minute before they were discovered. Gritting his teeth, Danny darted across the hall, but instead of joining his mother and brother in the dark corridor, he pushed the wall back, leaving only the missing brick his mother had initially taken out.

"Danyal!" his mother hissed, her voice full of stern panic.

"Apologies Mother, but I can not let you do this," Danny replied, glancing to the side to see how much time he had left. Forty seconds. Crouching down, he picked up the brick and looked back at his mother. Damian stood next to her, his brows furrowed in confusion. Obviously, he hadn't figured out Danny's plan, otherwise he would have started shouting at him.

Mother stared at him for a second, her stern eyes wavering for the first time in Danny's life that he could remember. "Take care of him for me, keep him safe when I can not," Danny asked, grabbing the hood hanging around the back of his neck.

Mother's eyes teared up, but she straightened her back, her black hair framing her pretty face. "You've made up your mind then," she said, her voice low and steady. She rested her hand on Damian's shoulder, giving Danny a nod of understanding. "You are like your father, his love makes him weak."

"But," she continued, kneeling down in a bow, "You are of the demon's blood, it runs in your veins just like mine. Your actions will not be forgotten, nor will they be for nothing. You have my word, tifl alqamar. I love you, Habibi."

Danny nodded his head, unable to voice the thoughts clogging his throat. Instead, he took a silent breath, pulled his hood and mask into place, and shoved the final brick into place. Sealing off his precious family just in time to hear the guards around the corner.

Turning around, Danny silently stalked forward, drawing his shoulders back. The group rounded the corner and stopped, watching him in anticipation. Pitching his voice just slightly to the left and rolling his tongue, Danny spoke in a neutral voice, "take me to grandfather."

The two guards in front shared a look, but the ones in the back straightened up and moved aside. Marching forward, Danny passed the two hesitating guards and with a quick slice, brought them to their knees. He needed this to work, there was no room for mercy, no matter how much he hated it.

"I am the grandson of the demon head, you will respect me as you respect him. there will be no next time." Danny continued walking, pretending to not care if the two managed to follow or not. the remaining guards trailed behind him, silently observing him.

Danny was glad Mother had insisted on them matching today. otherwise, his plan would have failed long before he made it to his grandfather's door.

Stopping in front of the painted carved wood that was grandfather's door, Danny idly studied the carvings and statues around the grand hall. He remembered all the stories of how grandfather had collected them over his lifetime; grand stories of bloodshed and cunning manipulation.

His eyes settled on the one farthest away, with the least interesting story. It was considered ordinary, placed next to art worth billions. But it was Danny's favorite. It was a simple green crystal, carved like a crescent moon.

so simple, yet the most beautiful piece in Danny's opinion. He had always hoped he would die beneath the stars and his ever-faithful friend the moon. Maybe, instead of beneath them, he could die amongst them.

He would take it with him, he decided.

Turning sharply, Danny marched over to the small pedistal and plucked the crystal into his hand. Wrapping his fingers around it, he shoved it into a side pocket and returned back to his position.

They only had to wait for another minute before the door opened, grandfather's servants clearing a path for Danny to walk through.

"I see your mother did not drag you away," Grandfather mused, sitting in his large chair. His dark eyes studied Danny's form, taking in the katana on his back, and the hood and mask concealing his face. He was dressed like he would for a mission; no discernable features, no sign of who he was or wasn't. The perfect image of an assassin.

"at least you aren't a coward," Grandfather hummed, standing from his seat. He slowly pulled out his own katana, aiming it at Danny in a challenge. "no, just disappointing. but you are my blood and that earns you the right to die an honorable death. Draw your sword child, and fight like the warrior you are."

Danny bowed like he had been taught, then without another moment of hesitation, drew his sword and lunged.

He wished he could say it was a drawn-out battle of strength and minds, but it was not. for Danny was only ten years old, and his grandfather had hundreds of years of training and discipline behind him.

he gazed up at his grandfather as his knees hit the ground, his katana dropping to the ground as his hand reached up to the sword impaling his chest. Grandfather's eyes were filled with nothing but contempt, contempt for the useless boy he had just sentenced to death.

but his contempt did not bother Danny, no instead it drew a smile to his face. As much as Grandfather lorded his sharp mind over them, he had never been able to stop Danny from surprising him. So, with a burst of adrenaline, Danny allowed the small shuriken he hid in his sleeve to drop to his left hand and buried it deep into his grandfather's chest.

grandfather lunged back, pulling his katana with him, removing the only thing keeping Danny upright. Danny's body hit the ground, and with the last of his strength, he twisted his head so he could listen as his grandfather cried out in anger.

Grandfather's breath was heavy, the sound of him removing the dagger filling the silence. the shuriken was dropped to the ground with a sharp clatter, falling just a few feet from Danny's face.

"you," Grandfather huffed, "aren't such a disappointment after all. I'll grant you one last honor and keep you in the family tomb. Rest now, Damian, you have fought well."

Danny smiled, the cold feeling of blood loss crawling through his body, but not fast enough to block out the pressure of the moon crystal still in his pocket. He hoped Mother had gotten Damian out in time, and he hoped Damian could forgive him for what he had done.

[wpdarlingpan]

Hello! I recently follow you and read your writing of DC. I love it, your writing are really good! For a request, i have this idea...

Platonic yandere Damian wayne with twin sister reader. Maybe, when they were kids, he used to be hated her because she was excelent in everything and have a little care and love from Talia. But she really care for his brother and then Ra al-ghul put them to fight among themselves on a cliff to see who was going to be the future leader and in a bad move, they ended up hanging up in the cliff. Then his sister, not wanting to see his brother die, brings him back to the surface and she ends up falling. Damian didn't know how to react and only receive a slap from his mother .

How about, after Damian goes to live with Bruce and being the new Robin, in one of the fights with Slade and his partner, this partner decides to let himself be trapped so that Slade can escape. In the Batcave, they take off the mask to discover that it is their sister, but someone very different, with another personality, cold, somewhat insane, hostile and very intelligent like that, because she was submerged in the Lazarus pit by Slade, who consider as a parent. Maybe Damian will try to reason with her and apologize for what he did to her. She tells him that it is too late and a smoke bomb explodes to reveal that Slade came for his daughter. She, determined, goes with him, but Damian tries to stop her, but is defeated and tells him that he should never have saved him, to see how Damian tears up and before leaving, he laughs and says "I didn't know that demons cry "

it could be possible? Thanks!!

Ukht: Sister in Arabic

Title: Not Again

Talia was surprised when she gave birth to twins. The boy a few minutes sooner than the girl. She was glad as well as they had two lethal weapons instead of one.

Two children with the blood of Talia Al Ghul and The Batman.

There was a boy she named Damian and she name the girl Y/N. She cared for them a short time after they were born then they were cared for mostly by maids.

As they grew older Damian began to despise his younger sister. She was perfect at everything and he was always second best. He believed she got all the love of their mother and grandfather and left him with none.

They were 10 when they were dropped at the top of the tallest mountain on their land and told to fight to determine the next Leader of the League Of Assassins. They were equals. They fought for hours as they each met each attack with one of equal force same with defense. They were bloody and bruised and Y/N couldn’t bare to hurt her brother anymore. But we she was about to give, she didn’t notice how close to the edge they were. The stood facing each other with their feet barely not over the edge but as Damian attack he knocked himself over the edge because he lost balance as he grew angry and let his emotions over ride his training. But as he fell he grabbed onto his sisters leg and she was pulled down with him. The didn’t fall far as they ended hanging onto a small ledge not to far from the top of the mountain.

Y/N knew what she had to do, but did she have the strength to do it is what she was questioning to herself.

She grabbed the rope she had attached to her belt and used one hand to toss it up and luckily for her it landed around a tall rock while the other end flew back down. The two ends of the rope were next to her and she leaned over and attached the rope to Damians belt as he struggled to hold on. He looked over once he felt the weight on his belt and he looked back at her questioningly.

“I love you Damian.” She said as she grabbed onto one end of the rope, pulling Damian up to the top as she used as much of the weight she could to work as a pulley system. She didn’t want him to bed up falling back down so as soon as she saw he was safely to the top, or as safe as you could be on the top of the mountain. She let go.

Damian screamed as he saw his sister fall beneath the clouds to her death, and he couldn’t do anything. He hated her all of his life for reasons she could not control and he didn’t realize that he never triplet hated her until he realized he never had been without her. She patched him up after fights in the middle of the night so he couldn’t protest, gave his pieces of food, tried to show him love but he wouldn’t accept it, not from her. 

He regretted it now.

A assassin flew a helicopter up to the mountain with Talia in the back going to collect Damian. Once she arrived and Damian had fought the pain and walked onto the helicopter, Talia slapped him sending him to the floor with a red hand print on his cheek. He wouldn’t cry, never.

They arrived back at the compound and Talia led him to Ra’s. Of course they talked about everything he did wrong then made him practice for 5 hours until it was perfect. After they sent him away to sleep he had nightmares of his sisters death, and how he hated her all those years.

The next day he was sent to live with his father after the league was attacked and Ra’s was killed. His mother handed him off and later on he decided to stay with his father even after he was to be brought back to the league. It had been a few months since then and Batman and Robin were in the middle of a fight with Slade otherwise known as deathstroke. He was a powerful force to be reckoned with. But even worse now, as he had a sidekick.

A fully masked figure wearing fighting gear and knifes strapped to their thigh, not to mention the very sharp Katana they were wielding, it was a difficult task for them both. But Batman dodged a stroke from the blade and the blade hit a gas pipe, as it was about to explode Slade ran off and Batman was about to go follow before she tackled him to the ground. They fought for a good couple seconds before Robin joined the fight and she was knocked out.

Batman and Robin swung out of the warehouse with Batman holding the masked figure as the pipe exploded leaving behind a burning building.

They put her in handcuffs and put her in the back of the batmobile as they drove home.

“Who do you think she is Batman?”

“I’m not sure.”

They drove home in silence, when did Slade get a partner?

Once in the bat cave they tied her to a chair before Alfred fixed up their cuts. The figure began to slowly wake up and she struggled in the chair before settling while staring at the duo.

“Why were you with Slade? A partner? Sidekick? Apprentice?” She doesn’t respond and continued to glare. The Bat stared right back and couldn’t help but think she was very short, just a inch or two below Damian. Her eyes seemed young as well but didn’t hold any innocence.

“You heard him, who are you?!” Damian demanded by Robin put a hand on his shoulder

They still didn’t respond. But, an idea came to mind. If she gave away her identity it would distract them enough for her to initiate a plan.

“Take off my mask Damian and see.” She spoke ominously while they both looked in shock that she knew his identity. He got over it and quickly ripped off her mask and he was staring into eyes alike to his own.

“Y-Y/N?”

“Miss me? I’m sure you didn’t.”

“Who is she Damian?”

“He never told you about me?” She asked with a fake point then proceeded to smirk.

“Damian?” Batman questioned further but all domain could do was stare.

“I’m his twin sister.” If there was a time the bat had showed that he was shocked it would have been when he found out about Damian, but this one rivaled it.

“W-What?”

He looked over to Damian but Damian turned away.

“Yep, his little sister only by a few minutes.”

Damian and Bruce took off the masks looked at her. Bruce saw the resemblances, between Damian and her, between her and himself.

Damian knelt in front of her and stared into her eyes.

“Forgive me ukht, please forgive me.” Tears gathered in his eyes surprising y/n. Damian crying? That’s not possible.

“Forgive you for what Damian?” Bruce questioned staring at his children.

Y/N had her lips pursed so Damian responded.

“Our mother and grandfather put us against each other in a mountain… it was a fight to the death to determine who would be the heir to the league. We fought for hours before I let me emotions lead and I fell. I grabbed onto y/n and she came down with me. We felt onto a ledge with barely enough room for us to hold on.” Bruce’s eyes are wide and slightly teary. “She grabbed her rope and made a pulley system. I was slipping, she tied it to my belt and jumped, telling me she loved me. Pulling me to the top as she Plummeted down. She fell, or rather let go so I could live.”

“And yet here we are.” She spoke snarky glaring at Damian.

“How are you here then?” Bruce questioned feeling as if he knew the answer. Jason was a standing example.

“You already know Bruce. The Lazarus Pit. Just like how it brought back Robin #2.” She smirked as he glared slightly. Damian glared back at their father as he needed to calm down.

“But did you know something Batman?” 

“What is it Y/N?”

“We always have a back up plan.”

With that the wall bursted open and Y/N shook of the robes she had been working away with a small knife. She held up a small tracker she had on her and smirked at their surprise faces. The duo threw on their masks even though their identity’s were already known.

Slade walked in with swords at the ready and he threw one to Y/N.

“Nice to see you.” Slade smirked at her.

“To you as well.”

“Ready to go?” He questioned her ignoring the bat and the bird.

“Ready when you are.” They nodded slightly and

Slade attacked Batman while she got Damian. With the help of a smoke Bomb and their disorientation from the information that she was alive, they were fairly easy to take down. They knocked the duo down to the floor and tied their legs together, just to give them enough time to escape.

“You can’t go! Not again.” Damian yelled with tears streaming down his face. He couldn’t lose her, not again.

“Wow look at that Slade.”

“What is it Y/N?” He played along as they turns towards the whole in the wall.

“I didn’t know Demons could cry. You learn something new everyday.”

Slade tossed another smoke Bomb into the cave as the last dispersed, distracting Damian and Bruce since they had almost gotten out of the rope, and got far away from the duo.

Damian stared at the hole in the wall in a mix of anger and sadness. Bruce in shock still.

Damian sobbed and fell to the floor in tears.

“Not again.”

~*~

Hopefully you liked it! Sorry it wasn’t too Yandere, I wasn’t sure how to make him a Yandere with this. But I how it was still good. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day! ♡

[cdelphiki]

She couldn’t do this.

Damian. Her precious little Damian. The baby with a beautiful smile. Infectious laugh. Adorable babble. Who so sweetly, so gently, pet any stray cat that sat still long enough for him to ‘catch.’ Who hugged anyone that cared for him, and even the random servants who lingered long enough.

That baby. Her baby.

Watching him, at 18-months-old, be taught how to wield a sword. Watching as the trainer smacked his hands, his side, his face, every time he wobbled, or lost interest, or got confused.

Hearing his cry, and seeing his pleading eyes, whenever it happened.

Seeing him look at her, and call for her, then get distraught because she did nothing.

She just stood there.

Next to her father.

And watched.

There was nothing more she could do. Going against her father would only bring more harm on her son. It would only risk Father taking Damian from her entirely.

But she couldn’t do this.

It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her body.

Someone was inside her, with red hot claws, scratching away. Destroying everything. Killing her.

Her stomach was filling with vile acid, and just one move, one word, and it might come up.

Weakness, her father would say.

Useless.

Pathetic.

Perhaps that is why he ordered her presence, for this training session.

She’d hardly been allowed time with her son. Not in nearly a year had she been granted daily visits with him.

Her father had been disappointed in how attached she’d been becoming.

‘He is to be a warrior,’ Father had said, ‘worthy of his station. He cannot become the Demon’s head if he is soft.’

Perhaps it was then she should have done something.

Said something.

But instead, she just bowed her head and followed orders.

Like a good daughter would do.

What use was that now?

Damian whimpered again, as his trainer smacked him on the back with the flat of his blade. He’d started slouching. They were working on form.

Talia resisted closing her eyes. She knew, she knew if she did, she would not be able to stop the tears that followed.

She had to remain strong. Stable. Unaffected….

Unaffected in her father’s eyes, at least.

When she’d lied to Bruce, when she’d told him she’d miscarried…. What was she thinking?

She- she hadn’t wanted to betray her father. Hadn’t wanted to betray the League. This was her life. She’d been raised in this, she owed everything she had. Her training. Her wealth. Her skills. Everything to her father.

But-

But what did that matter?

Was it worth it? Was her son worth it?

“All done,” Damian pleaded, when he fell over and scraped his hands on the hard cement, “all done all done all done.”

The trainer just stood him back up and handed him the sword again, ignoring his cries.

When Damian looked at her and cried, “Mama,” again, Talia could taste the bile.

How could she have just handed her son over to Ra’s like this? What kind of monster was she?

Her son was crying for her, and she was standing by, watching him be hurt.

All because her father told her to.

The fact that he knew to call her ‘Mama’ was all because she snuck in to see him. Ordered his nursemaids to leave the room. Swore them to secrecy.

Had killed, a few of them…

She’s more than sure Ra’s had noticed, now.

As Talia stood there, watching her son struggle to stop crying and listen to his trainer, Talia made a decision.

Because nearly two years ago, when she’d told Bruce about her ‘miscarriage,’ she’d made a huge mistake.

Her father’s influence was toxic.

This training?

It was hell.

Talia loved what it’d turned her into, she loved her skills and abilities.

But if this was the cost?

This?

Her child?

There was only one place on earth where she’d be safe, where he’d be safe. One person able to offer that protection.

And once Talia told him, she knew he’d move heaven and earth to get them away.

- - -

To say Bruce was suspicious would be an understatement.

Talia had broken ties with him two years prior.

On not-so-friendly terms, at that.

She’d betrayed him. Joined her father, and all but stabbed him in the back in doing so.

He’d loved her.

He really had.

She had been- he thought she was-

They were going to spend their lives together. Raise a child. He thought she was-

But that was over. In the past.

And yet, there she was, staring back at him through a webcam, asking for his help.

Asking for help, after hacking into his computer, in the cave, where his son could enter at any moment.

How on earth was he supposed to explain his past fling with Talia al Ghul to Jason?

“Why should I trust you?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

Because how would he be able to deny her request?

Once upon a time, he would have died for this opportunity. Would have cried, from utter relief, to get her away from the League. To bring her home. Keep her safe.

Yes. She could keep herself safe. Defend herself. Hold her own, against even him, but he could offer his protection of the entire Justice League. If it came down to it.

He’d loved her.

But she’d chosen her father. Chosen a life as an assassin. Rejected him. And it was hard for him to forget that.

“I lied to you,” she said, pulling his attention back to the present, “I lied.”

She said it with such finality, Bruce narrowed his eyes. And just stared.

He was sure she’d lied about many things. Why was this the ‘reason?’ And why would lying be a reason to trust her now?

To give her a chance, now?

“About?” he pressed, ignoring the thought in the back of his head asking whether this was all a distraction so the League could move in on Gotham.

Alarms would be going off, if that were the case. Literal alarms, in the cave.

Besides, the League hadn’t been doing anything in the United States for many months.

They were too busy building up their forces in the Alps. Bruce still had no idea why, but they’d been beefing up their presence there for over a year and a half.

“You know about what,” Talia said, gently. Almost apologetically.

His heart fluttered, a little.

There was one thing. One thing, that had she been lying about, he’s not sure he’d be angry about.

Not right now, at least.

“Bruce,” she pled, “I- I’ve made a mistake.” Her voice cracked, and she rested a hand against the side of her face as she looked off to the side, away from her camera. “Father is so cruel to him, Bruce. I need your help.”

No.

Anger was definitely not the emotion he was feeling. It- it was down there. It was deep, deep down there, and later that night. Or, perhaps, in a few days, he knew he would hit a punching bag until his knuckles were bloody.

But on top? Right now?

On top was hope.

Hope, excitement, and… and utter devastation.

“Him?” Bruce whispered, resisting the urge to rip his mask off and rub at his face. He was on camera, he had to remind himself. He had no idea how many people were watching.

And this could all be one magnificent lie. A trick to get him off balance. So they could strike, while he had his guard down.

While he was yearning for something he’d thought he’d lost, two years prior.

“He’s beautiful, Bruce,” she whispered, her voice catching on the next sentence, “He looks just like you, and I can tell he gets his empathy from you. But,” she paused, a ferocious determination taking over her face. A trait of her’s that had caused Bruce to fall in the first place.

“Father will destroy him if we don’t get him away.”

There would be no ‘ifs.’

If Bruce had ever had a mission that had no option for failure, it was this one.

He didn’t care if Talia changed her mind, ten minutes later. This mission was happening, and he was bringing home what he thought he’d lost.

Bruce has no idea how he got through the following ten minutes, planning out with Talia exactly how and when the pickup would go. Nightwing, Robin and himself would all approach the compound in the batwing, in stealth mode. He’d pulled Clark in on the call, and Superman agreed he would be on standby, watching from afar for anything to go wrong.

If they were spotted, or if the League tried anything, the entire Justice League would respond, if necessary.

Clark promised he’d keep the mission itself classified. No one but the core team would know the details of what they were picking up. The core team being himself, the Flash, and the Bats.

His ears were ringing the entire time, and he felt like an outsider, looking in.

‘He looks just like you,’ Talia had said.

That’s all he could think about.

Bruce had a son.

There-

Was there anything more to say?

He had a son.

“Talia,” he rasped, just before she cut the call with him. After a deep breath, he looked deep into the camera, doing his best to convey his seriousness. His promise, should it be necessary. “If this is a trick.”

With sadness in her eyes, Talia smiled and said, “We will see you tomorrow, Beloved,” and with that, ended the call.

It came as no surprise when, not even a quarter of a second later, the papers on his desk flew up into the air. Each one wafting back down, before Bruce even had the chance to close his eyes and take a breath.

Bringing Clark in on this was necessary.

As much as he hated bringing personal missions to those outside the family, there was no way he could risk this one.

If Talia was telling the truth, and he wasn’t successful on his own. Wasn’t able to take on the entire League while protecting a helpless infant.

Well.

He’d never forgive himself.

Ever.

But none of that meant he had to be happy his best friend was there to witness this.

“Bruce, this is,” Clark started, setting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing, but Bruce cut him off.

“Clark, just,” he said, pulling his mask off so he could finally wipe his eyes. He wasn’t even mortified at the crack in his voice, because there was far too many other things swirling through his head. “Give me a minute.”

He had… so much to do. He hadn’t time for this.

And yet…

It was the only thing he could do.

Closing his eyes, Bruce took a second to recenter himself. Find his strength and embrace his duties. Right now, he needed to be Batman.

But before he was able to complete a single deep breath, he heard from the top of the stairs, “B?”

And everything just became much more complicated.

“Bruce?” Jason asked again, a little hesitantly, as he made his way down the stairs, “Superman? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Bruce said, reeling it all in and trying his best to blink back the wetness in his eyes. So maybe he wouldn’t have to wipe his face in front of his son.

His… middle son.

Because, Bruce actually had three…

“Is Dick okay?” Jason asked a little more frantically, because despite his best efforts, Bruce sniffed.

“He’s fine,” Clark soothed, squeezing Bruce’s shoulder a little tighter as Jason hurried his way down the stairs, “Nothing is wrong, Jase.”

“Then why is…” Jason said, trailing off when he finally made it to where Bruce was sitting.

They had so much to do. Bruce hadn’t the time for this.

It was time for Batman.

“Suit up,” he told his son, shrugging Clark’s hand off and squaring his shoulders. They had just under three hours before take off, and there was so much to do. “We have a mission.”

- - -

By ‘a mission,’ Bruce meant they were infiltrating the freaking League of Assassins.

Like.

In the middle of the day. Completely randomly.

Well, they were set to leave in three hours, with a 5 hour flight time. And considering the time difference, it would actually be about 4am when they arrived at Nanda Parbat.

So.

Middle of the night, kind of.

Jason was both super excited, and kind of freaked out.

Especially when Bruce called in Dick.

Those two worked together, sure. Sometimes. But it was always so fucking tense, and Jason kind of hated it.

Bruce also always refused to call in Dick for anything. Dick always just kind of, forced himself in on the mission.

But for this?

Whatever the fuck this was?

It had Bruce calling in not only Dick Grayson, but Superman, too.

Because that’s why Superman had been there. He’d already called the guy in.

Whatever was going on, it was huge.

And whatever it was, Jason actually started feeling very nervous. Because Bruce said he had news to share. And he called Alfred down first, before he shared it.

Bruce paced. Back and forth, back and forth. In front of the conference table for two full minutes while the four of them sat there, waiting for him to fucking say something.

“Do you want me?” Clark asked, and was immediately shot down by a glare from Bruce.

Was Bruce dying?

Were they going to the League to steal some pit water??

Because he said he was okay.

Clark said he was okay, and Clark wouldn’t lie about something like that. Right? Jason wouldn’t put it past Bruce at all to be a freaking hypocrite and lie to him so not to make him worry, but not Clark.

He was way too much a boy scout.

Yet, there Bruce was. Pacing back and forth. Freaking out about something.

“B, you’re freaking the kid out,” Dick said, leaning back in his chair, like he was fucking relaxed during this.

Their freaking dad could be dying and he was chill about it.

No wonder his name was Dick.

“I am not,” he protested, but Bruce quit his pacing and sighed, anyway.

“Honestly, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, from where he sat next to Jason, “Whatever it is, I am confident we can handle it.”

“A couple years ago,” Bruce started, pausing to sigh again before he turned his back to them, but continued, “I got… involved… with Talia al Ghul.”

“Gross. I knew it,” Dick said, pulling a face for Jason to see.

“From the League of Assassins,” Jason said, just to clarify.

So… were they staging this mission so Bruce could go…

Ew.

Gross.

Disgusting.

Jason hated his mind for putting that picture in his head.

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed, apparently uncaring that he’d just put horrible awful pictures in Jason’s head.

He was thirteen. This was probably child abuse.

“It was serious,” he continued, “We had been… discussing marriage.”

“Oh my,” Alfred said, in as close to a gasp as Jason had ever heard from Alfred.

Jason didn’t blame him. Bruce had never really struck Jason as a ‘serious’ kinda guy.

Not with the ladies, at least.

Mostly because he had a different chick hanging off of him at every party.

“She had been with child,” Bruce finally said, nearly stumbling over his words as he spit the sentence out.

The air in the room seemed to still, and they all stared at Bruce.

Well, all of them, except Clark. Since apparently Clark already knew.

“Why… why,” Dick stammered, then stopped.

Jason didn’t really know what to ask first, either.

But apparently Bruce knew what to answer first.

“She told me she miscarried. She, she told me. I thought-“ with another sigh, Bruce turned back around, finally allowing them to see the exhaustion on his face, as he rubbed at it and sat down at the head of the table.

“I thought she’d miscarried. She dumped me, after that. Refused to leave her father and the League, and sent me home. I- I should have checked up on it. Verified her story, but… I was just so-”

Bruce put his face in his hands, and just sat there, for a very long minute.

Dick, to Jason’s surprise, was the one to break the silence, because neither he nor Alfred seemed to be able to find any words. Jason had never heard Bruce so close to tears, before.

He was kind of scared of getting Bruce to talk more.

And if Bruce was saying what he was saying, well…

Jason really had no words for it.

Batman apparently had a baby.

And they were going to rescue it from the League of Assassins.

That was just…

Wow.

Holy.

Shit.

“So,” Dick said, a small smile tugging on his lips as he did, “is it a boy or a girl?”

- - -

Everything was going smoothly.

They had agreed on a meet-up time eight hours from the end of their call, which meant Talia had most the night to figure out her plan for getting Damian out of his nursery.

In the end, she’d decided on using simple tranquilizer darts.

It was dirty, a completely dishonorable way to fight, but Talia couldn’t find it in herself to care.

The very last thing she needed was for one of the nursemaids to notice her break-in and alert the guards.

She’d packed her bag before heading to Damian’s room, so all she had left to do was grab him before Bruce arrived.

Sneaking into his room was painfully easy, and she only had to sedate one nursemaid, who had already been asleep, anyway.

Honestly. It couldn’t have been easier, and it was putting Talia on edge.

Damian stirred, when she lifted him from the crib, so Talia shoved the pacifier into his mouth she knew he’d been deprived of for eight months at that point.

He’d taken to sucking his thumb, in its stead, and Talia had always hated that about her father’s rules.

Why was it so difficult to indulge her son in one simple comfort.

The pacifier worked like a charm, and Damian latched onto it with one hand as he sucked away, curling into Talia’s hold as she wrapped the cloth around them both, creating a make-shift carrier.

Out of everything, the hardest part was getting him tied to her securely. Because with the pacifier, he was as quiet as a lamb, not making a single peep of protest. She wasn’t even sure if he’d woken enough to see who had been holding him.

After the day he’d had, Talia was grateful he could still find peace in his sleep.

Climbing up to the roofs was a little more difficult. Damian did whine, a little, when she had to press herself up against the wall of the third floor, to hide from a patrolling guard below.

She closed her eyes and held her breath, begging every deity she could think of to keep Damian silent as the guard paused and looked around. After adjusting her grip, so she could hold them both with one hand, she placed her newly free hand on his head and tried to soothe him.

Damian shifted against her, even though he was pinned rather tightly between her and the wall, then stilled. His little pacifier bobbing in and out as he grasped tightly to her blouse.

The guard looked around, up and down the narrow courtyard below where she was climbing, but after a long minute, turned around and continued on with his patrol.

Talia didn’t allow herself a sigh of relief.

With three more moves, Talia reached the edge of the roof and pulled herself up, without scraping Damian against the edge. He didn’t notice in his sleep.

Soon, he’d be able to pass all his nights in such peace.

His days, too.

She had no doubt in her mind that Bruce would offer them the sanctuary they needed, to allow Damian to grow up without fears.

But, if he didn’t, she’d find it anyway.

This child. Her child, would never know the pain he’d experienced that day again.

As silently as she’d been trained, Talia raced across the rooftops to the pickup location. Bruce was promised to be there in two minutes, and she needed to be three buildings over.

“Shh,” she whispered, hugging Damian tightly as she ran. The movement was, apparently, disrupting his sleep, and he’d started to stir, “sleep, my prince.”

“Mama,” he mumbled, snuggling against her.

“Yes,” she choked, preparing to make the last jump to the roof where Bruce was to meet them, “Mama is here, baby.”

She’d given Bruce the coordinates of the highest roof in the complex, in hopes that he could simply swoop in and grab them, not needing to stop or interact with anyone.

He was bringing his team, though. He was bringing Superman.

Talia had never had any sort of admiration for the alien. His technique was abysmal, tending to toss around his unearthly strength, rather than exhibit any skill during his fights.

But knowing that, if it came down to it, she could likely just shout ‘Superman,’ and in an instant he’d be there, ready and able to take Damian to safety… It helped keep her calm.

Father would not be expecting the help of a Kryptonian. Bruce had never been one to ask for help, so it was unlikely Father would have his kryptonite within reach.

The final jump was a little longer than comfortable, and Talia had to land in a roll to avoid injuring herself or falling off completely. She rolled on her back, using her arms to keep Damian from making contact with the roof at all.

Her heart was hammering when she finished the roll on her feet. She had thirty more yards to go, and she’d been at the exact coordinates she’d given Bruce.

Thirty more yards, and one more minute.

Talia shook, as she stood in the exact spot. Damian was fully awake now, and wriggling against the cloth wrapped around him.

“Be still, my dear,” she whispered, hugging him a little tighter as she searched the night sky for any sign of their rescue, “Just a few more moments.”

“Out,” Damian cried, not quite at a normal level, but much louder than Talia felt comfortable with, as he started struggling against her arms, “Down.”

“In a moment,” she whispered desperately. Her arms felt like rubber, as the adrenaline that had kept her running started to ebb.

It was a minute past pickup, and Batman was no where in sight.

If he didn’t show…

Damian whined out again, this time loudly.

“Be patient, my love,” she whispered, now fighting back tears, “Your father is coming for us.”

He had to be.

“Mama,” Damian cried, pulling his pacifier out of his mouth completely to whine at her more efficiently.

She looked around frantically, making sure no guards were near enough to have heard him.

When she didn’t see anyone coming at them, she bounced Damian some and tried to force the pacifier back into his mouth. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she repeated, over and over, really unsure, at this point, if it was for Damian or herself.

Because if Bruce weren’t coming, was any of his team?

Was she just standing on a roof, risking the life of her son for nothing?

Father would not take lightly an attempted defection.

What would he do to Damian?

Probably take him away from her forever. She’d never see him again. Never know the pain he was in. Never be able to hold him, after a hard day, and comfort him. Remind him of her love.

She’d lose him forever, and-

Talia’s knees nearly buckled when, without warning, a jet materialized out of nowhere not ten feet above her.

His technology was amazing. She hadn’t even felt it coming, much less heard it.

And before she even realized it, tears were streaming down her face.

A hatch opened, right on the underside of the jet, and Batman himself leaned out, reaching a hand down to her.

“Talia,” he breathed, shaking his hand, as if desperately begging her to grab it.

She’d never accepted an offered hand so fast in her life.

As he pulled her up into the jet, swiftly and effortlessly, as if it were nothing, Talia felt herself relax. All the adrenaline leave her body entirely as she collapsed right onto the ground of Bruce’s jet.

She didn’t even care who all was there to see.

Because for the first time in her life, Talia felt like she could breathe.

- - -

She hadn’t been lying.

That was the only thing circling through Bruce’s head as he pulled Talia up into the jet, them stopping barely long enough for him to do that before Dick was turning around and racing away.

As far as they could tell, they hadn’t been spotted until they turned off the craft’s cloaking system.

If all went to plan, the League would not be able to respond quickly enough to catch them. Nightwing was supposed to take them on an indirect route back to Gotham, completely in stealth mode.

Ra’s al Ghul could search the skies all night and never find them.

He hoped.

But all that was for Nightwing to worry about. That had been the plan. If Talia was telling the truth, he’d agreed, Bruce could focus on that, while Dick handled keeping them hidden and taking them to safety. Jason could give him backup, if necessary.

Bruce trusted Dick with his life.

And he was so thankful for that, because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do much beyond what he was currently doing.

Which was watching as Talia collapsed onto the floor, clumsily freeing a baby from a carrier as she cried into his hair.

“Tal-“ he started, reaching an hand out to her, really unsure about what he was going to do. But he froze, when the baby squirmed and twisted out of the cloth holding him.

Because Talia was right.

He was beautiful.

His bright green eyes were mesmerizing, and Bruce felt his heart seize as the baby looked at him, ever so briefly.

It wasn’t until that very instant did Bruce realize his life had been incomplete.

There had been a piece of him missing, and he hadn’t even realized it.

The baby turned back to his mother and said, “Mama,” reaching up for her face.

“Yes,” Talia sobbed, grabbing his hand and holding it to her cheek, before she wrapped him up into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry,” she said, squeezing him tight, “I’m so sorry.”

Bruce watched helplessly as Talia devolved further and further into incoherence, as she whispered her apologies and proclaimed her love for the very confused looking baby in her arms.

The baby didn’t protest, though. He leaned into her hug and stayed there, like he understood his mother needed a hug back.

How old was he?

If he’d been born on time, by Bruce’s estimations, he’d be about…

Seventeen months old?

Eighteen?

He didn’t know much about baby development, but he did know that it was during the first year they turned from basically babies to tiny, outspoken little people.

How developed was his son? How much had Bruce missed?

Bruce knelt down in front of Talia and sat there, waiting for her to recover.

What she had been through, he had no idea.

It had to have been a lot, for her to reach out and actually ask for help.

She was stubborn, like that. Never asking for help. Never even expecting it.

And her reaction to being pulled into safety, well.

He was afraid to learn what she’d been through.

Jason caught his eye, lingering just on the outskirts of his vision. He looked up and tried to offer a reassuring face, but probably fell flat, because Jason frowned at him. But Jason held a thumbs up at him, both letting him know they’d flown into the clear and Superman had been informed of the successful mission, and asking if Bruce was good.

With a single nod, Bruce thanked him, and turned his attention back to Talia.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, looking at him, now, but still hugging the baby tightly to her.

“What happened?” he asked, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the baby.

Touch his son.

Bruce had never been one to want to hold babies, usually perfectly content to just observe them, but his arms yearned for the weight of this baby in his arms.

He didn’t even know his name.

“Father,” she said, her voice almost squeaking with the effort.

Bruce hadn’t seen her in two years, and he still wanted to pull her to his side.

Never had he seen her like this.

But he kept his distance. Let her recover on her own. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her, in that moment.

At all.

“Father,” she said again, this time much more confidently, one hand absently combing through the baby’s hair.

The beautiful baby who had twisted in her hold, just enough, to stare at him.

“Started his training.” There was so much pain in her voice, Bruce could only imagine what kind of horrors that meant.

Who trained a baby?

“Bruce,” she choked out, squeezing the baby again, “it was so bad. I- I just stood there and watched. I couldn’t- I couldn’t do anything else. He would have harmed him more. Or taken him from me.”

“What happened,” he repeated, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible.

Any anger he had about whatever ‘training’ implied was being pushed down. Buried deep into the recesses of his brain.

No one needed his anger right now.

When the baby continued to stare at him, Bruce realized he still had his cowl on.

What kind of introduction was this? Being presented to his son as Batman, first.

Hopefully he hadn’t scared the kid too much to want to be held.

Talia started crying again, and shifted so she was sitting criss-cross, the baby still cradled in her arms as she blubbered out, “They hit him so many times, Bruce. I’m so sorry,” and before Bruce could even respond. Could even think of how to respond, she turned her face down to the baby and repeated, “I’m so sorry, Damian. I’m so sorry, my love. I’ll never let- I’ll never-”

But she didn’t complete the sentence, because she’d lost it again, and the baby… Damian?

Damian.

That was the most beautiful name he’d ever heard.

Damian looked very confused and concerned for his mother’s mood.

“He’s safe now,” Bruce tried, scooting over to her side to set a hand on her back, “He’s safe.”

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated, curling further onto Damian.

“Mama,” Damian said again, this time pointing at Bruce when Talia opened her eyes and gave him her attention.

“Yes,” she said, smiling for the first time as she wiped her tears away, “Yes, dear. This is-“ she paused, looking up at Bruce, then said again, “This is Daddy.”

Bruce could cry.

He was not going to cry.

“Do you want to hold him?” Talia asked, apparently seeing the intense desire plastered all over his face.

All Bruce wanted to do was hold him. There was nothing on earth he wanted more.

“May I?” he asked, almost afraid to even try.

What if Damian didn’t like him?

What if he started crying, when Bruce took him?

“He’s your son, Bruce,” Talia said, lifting Damian from her lap and offering him over.

After hesitating for only a second, Bruce reached out and held his hands out to Damian, who looked at him appraisingly, like he were judging Bruce and determining if he was worth his attention.

But then, before Bruce could even hold his breath, Damian leaned toward him, and Bruce could definitely cry.

Because then Damian was in his arms, looking straight into his eyes as he let Bruce hold him close.

And-

And.

Bruce had no thoughts.

“Hi, Damian,” he choked out, trying his hardest not to cry, “I’m- I’m your-“ but he couldn’t get the word out.

Couldn’t get anything else out.

Damian didn’t seem to care, because he smiled at Bruce and said, “Hi,” back.

And Bruce was definitely crying, now.

Just a little.

But he didn’t care.

He didn’t care, because he had the son he thought he’d lost two years ago cradled in his arms, and nothing could ruin the moment.

- - -

Jason was thankful that the jet was large enough he didn’t have to hear Bruce talking to his new baby son.

He honestly had no idea how to feel about all of this.

Bruce had apparently done it with the daughter of one of their most dangerous villains, and he was now probably definitely crying tears of joy while he held the son of said villainous daughter.

But Jason wasn’t jealous.

How could he be?

The baby was just a baby. It’s not like the posed any sort of threat to Jason.

Except.

By… stealing away Bruce’s attention.

Jason was not being jealous of a baby. The baby deserved his dad’s attention. Especially since he had a dad as great as Bruce. Jason would know. He’d been playing the role of dad for him for a year.

Now, though… now he had a real son.

He was not jealous.

“Stop worrying,” Dick said, from where he was flying the jet, sitting in the seat next to Jason.

Jason had taken the spot of co-pilot just because it was the farthest away from Bruce he could be. He wasn’t really helping Nightwing fly.

Mostly because Nightwing didn’t need help flying. He actually had the auto-pilot engaged.

“I’m not worrying.”

“You’re right,” Dick said, laughing a little as he leaned back in his chair, “You’re freaking out.”

Crossing his arms, Jason tried his best to look completely and totally unaffected by everything ever as he said, “Am not.”

Apparently he was unconvincing, because Dick gave him a shit eating grin and ruffled his hair.

Like the asshole he was.

“You’re right. You’re the epitome of calm and collected.”

“Fuck you,” Jason snapped. Dick should mind his own fucking business.

They still weren’t, like, friends or anything, either. Dick had been clear about how happy he was Jason existed. Sure, they’d kind of made up some in recent months. And Dick even offered his blessing for Jason to be Robin, but that didn’t mean they were friends.

Apparently Dick didn’t agree, because he kept being an asshole and talking to him by saying, “Look, this isn’t going to change anything between you and Bruce, okay?”

Through a pout, Jason mumbled, “How would you know?” Bruce getting a son was going to change everything.

“Because this happened to me, remember?”

Jason rolled his eyes. Just because Bruce adopted him didn’t mean Dick knew what it was like to have his adopted dad get a biological child and not need him anymore. If anything, Dick should be freaking out, too, because they were both the adopted kids and the baby was the real son.

Except Dick didn’t live with them, so he wasn’t at risk of being homeless again if Bruce kicked him out. Since, well, Bruce couldn’t kick him out.

Maybe Dick should fuck off and leave him alone.

“Did Bruce adopting you change how he felt about me?” Dick asked, nudging Jason’s arm as he did.

Asshole.

“Fuck you, it’s different,” he snapped. In fact, they all knew Dick was the favorite child between the two of them, so it was completely and totally different.

Maybe Dick should be worrying more. He wasn’t going to be the favorite anymore.

Bruce was so happy about having a biological son he was crying about it.

Bruce had never been that happy about Jason.

“Not really,” Dick said, sighing some, “I thought he was writing me off completely when he adopted you.”

“Bruce never shuts up about you, it’s always ‘Dick this’ and ‘Dick that’ whenever I do anything, so shut up. But we’re both adopted, and that baby over there ain’t.”

Dick cocked a head at him and then let out a huff of a laugh. “Bruce never even told you. Wow.”

“Told me what?” Jason demanded, crossing his arms harder, because he didn’t want to storm off. Mostly because that would mean facing Bruce with his stupid new baby.

“I knew he was terrible with communication, but geez.”

“What, Dickface, just tell me.”

“Jase,” Dick said, offering a softer smile than before, “I’m not adopted. Bruce never adopted me. He was simply my ‘guardian’ until I aged out of the system. He has no legal obligation to me at all, now.”

“He-“ Jason started, because there was no way that was true.

No. Fucking. Way.

Bruce cared about Dick way too much for that to be true.

And why would Bruce adopt him, but not Dick? That also made no sense.

Dick was the favorite.

“You’re lying. He calls you his son all the time.”

“I know,” Dick said softly, still smiling like an asshole, “Because even if he’s never said it, and probably never will say it, he loves me. Just like he loves you.”

“Shut up,” he said, because he couldn’t figure out anything else to say. Obviously he knew Bruce, like, loved him and shit. But they didn’t have to talk about it.

But… Dick was kind of right about one point. He was adopted.

It’s not like Bruce could go back on that.

So kicked out probably wasn’t on the table.

“I promise, Jason, this isn’t going to change anything between you two. So don’t worry too much.”

Jason was stuck trying to come up with something to respond with that was more witty than 'fuck you' when he was startled by Bruce’s footsteps approaching the cockpit.

If Bruce saw him pouting, there was no doubt he’d be able to read Jason as easily as Dick Fucking Grayson had read him, and that would not be good.

He wasn’t ready for that.

“Jason,” Bruce said, sounding like he was smiling wider than Jason had ever seen him smile.

Except.

Maybe.

On his adoption day. When Bruce hugged him and said ,“Welcome to the family, Jaylad,” with his stupid dopey smile…

And… and…

“Dick,” Bruce continued, now inside the cockpit, with the little baby in his arms, “I want you boys to meet your little brother, Damian.”

And maybe…

Maybe Dick was right.

Jason had nothing to worry about.

He’d always wanted a little brother, too.

[watchtower-feed]

Death Do We Part (Part 7)

SSA Spin-off ✧ Jason Todd ✧ Physical Link ✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5 ✧ 6 ✧ 7 ✧ 8 ✧ 9 ✧ 10 ✧ 11 ✧ 12 ✧ 13 ✧ 14 ✧ 15 ✧ Notes: This is turning out to be a slow burn fic and I’m sad. I’m going to sneak in some fluff in the next part. Words: 2,354

    Bruce glares down at her, “Where’s Jason?”

    Talia’s eyes narrow in sadness and she closes them as she shakes her head. “He betrayed the League. He killed them all.”

    Before she could even finish her words, you’re already lifting up your knees to hide your face.

    “He’s gone, beloved.”

     Jason stares at the ceiling in his room, absentmindedly caressing his arms, finally wondering if he’ll ever see your words on his arms again. After what happened, what he did, he expected you to write strings of profanities and some words of disappointment or sadness. He at least expected a strong punch in the gut but all he’s received is silence.

     He’s drowning in the silence of his room. The silence of his days and nights. The silence even the wind brings in the desert. So many times he’s found himself clutching the fountain pen but never dipping it in the ink bottle. Only hovering its tip over his skin. He knows he’s done something extremely wrong and he can never redeem himself.

     But then he thinks, why does it matter? Just because you were born with the link, doesn’t mean anything. He thinks that every time he gets knocked down in training. He considers it while he watches his wounds bleed and stain his clothes. He thinks of you whenever he coughs blood into his palms.

     He can’t say sorry. He knows how but he doesn’t want to. He tells himself he needs this. These little bouts and drills are necessary for the future he wants, a future without his murderer. He’s just not sure if he wants you in it. Or if you’ll want him.

     Frustrated, Jason rubs his head, messing up his hair, and locks himself in his room without dinner. He closes his windows, turns off the lights, and lies still on his bed. He shuts his eyes and takes one last deep breath before numbing his body to the cold air in his room and the soft cotton bed.

     The first thing he feels from you is warmth. Then there’s a cackle like fire eating away at a piece of wood. He can feel the heat on his face and palms and he can almost see you sitting in front of the large fireplace at the manor.

     He focuses on his auditory senses but doesn’t hear anything, just the fire and wood softly echoing in the room. Then he hears the large wooden door slowly open along with a voice he hasn’t heard in years.

     “Y/N.” He can hear his father. His voice is so gentle and wary. Jason wonders if he used that voice to whisper apologies to his own dead body when he found him. “Dick called me because you weren’t answering his calls.”

     “Oh. I left my phone in my room.”

     Your voice still floods every fiber in Jason’s body. His body shivers, almost breaking his concentration. He hasn’t heard your voice for the longest time and it’s only now that he realizes how much he misses it.

     “I’ll tell him.” Jason doesn’t hear the wooden door close. Only the crackling fire continues to fill the room with sound. “I’m not going to ask you what happened but I want you to know that you can always talk to me about it. It may not seem like it but I am a good listener.”

     Jason almost wants to laugh with joy. For a moment, he’s happy that Bruce is taking care of you. Treating you with as much care and sympathy as he did for him.

     “Do you…” Jason feels you nibbling on your lips before you continue speaking, “Is there a way to get rid of a soulmate link?” you whisper.

     Jason suddenly feels whiplashed. His body has gone stiff with his mouth open and his brows furrowed, creasing close together at the center.

     “It’s not the bruises or the bleeding-- It’s just---”

     Bruce waits a few more seconds before prodding, “Just?”

     “Just,” you reply with finality. “Thank you, Bruce. I’ll go ahead and text Dick.”

     Jason feels the warmth of the fire disappear from your face.

     “Y/N, after we find Jason, I’ll help you find a way. If that’s still what you want.”

     Jason doesn’t hear you reply. After a moment, the next thing he feels is soft cotton on his face, warm tears on his cheeks, and nothing else for the rest of the night. When Jason wakes up, his own eyes are strained and tears have dried up on his own cheeks.

     “You seem distracted,” Talia frowns as he scrutinizes Jason who quickly goes defensive.

     “I’m not.”

     Talia doesn’t say anything but she keeps watching him throughout the day. The extra pair of eyes on him during training does not help him feel any better. He’s making mistakes he wouldn’t have as Robin and he keeps glaring at Talia until she leaves with a huff.

     Finally done for the day, Jason takes a stroll around the compound, something he’s taken to doing ever since you stopped writing. He wants to be sure he knew every nook and cranny of the place where he’s being held. 

     One of his favorite spots was an empty well half-concealed by foliage. He believes it’s directly under one of the tunnels connecting the fortress into the sacred city, a tunnel off-limits to assassins in training, so he’s been toiling his restless nights digging away at it absently-mindedly.

     “We may need to bring the soulmate in.”

     Talia’s calculating voice floats down the well as her shadow looms over Jason. He quickly panics but notices that Talia has her back turned to the well. Jason quickly flattens himself against the wall directly closest to Talia and Ra’s Al Ghul and slows down his breathing.

     “He still thinks we don’t know about the link. It could be our last chance to keep the boy in our control.”

     Ra’s grunts, “You know as well as I do how much more difficult that contingency plan is.”

     “Yes. My beloved has taken in a new ward. But we both know he’s not training Y/N. She’s still an easy target.”

     Jason grit his teeth. Your name passing through Talia’s lips does not sit well with him, especially the implication of what they have planned for you. What they’ve always planned for you.

     Ra’s is quiet for a while. A distant call catches both of their attention. “If the boy continues to fare poorly, then we may revisit this discussion.”

     Jason doesn’t go back to his room. Fueled by anger, frustration, and a grave sense of panic, he stays inside the deep well. After hours pacing back and forth in the darkness, forcing his breathing to calm down unsuccessfully, he stomps and jumps in anger inside the well. The dirt floor muted his feet but it cracked under his weight.

     A small patch of earth gave way and Jason fell through. He landed on hard ground in what seemed to be a man-made tunnel. The very tunnel he’s been digging to see.

     Then everything clicks inside his head. Quick-thinking and resourceful, like a true Robin. Jason looks up through the hole until he finds the moon halfway to its apex and estimates what time it is. From what he’s heard from the other assassins, the city is only an hour ride away from the fortress so he might just have enough time to run there and back before his morning training.

     Eth Alth'eban was a small city filled with priest warriors. They valued their faith and religion above everything. They prided themselves as people of great devotion and resilience. While the League of Assassins saw them as an obstacle over the land where the new Lazarus pit can thrive. 

     It took one week for the League to completely bring the sacred city down. Less than that to completely break down the citizens’ wills and only four days to corrupt half of their souls.

     Human trafficking. That was the new-age problem the League had employed to completely eradicate a city of devotion and resilience. They kidnapped their children, and then their women, and sold them to the next cities over. Once they fought their warriors, they were so enraged, they’ve lost all reason and that’s when the League had the upper hand.

     They defeated them but didn’t kill them. They fought the warriors of Eth Alth'eban until they were on their knees begging for mercy. Blood running down their face and saliva spitting from their mouth every time they pleaded. The assassins took one look at them and then walked away.

     That was their mistake. Once Jason had made it to the city, he immediately locates a small resistance of young people, children of the warriors the League had shamed. Without caution but with complete determination, he strides up to them with his hands up and states his purpose clear and loud.

     They stare at him like he’s crazy. Jason thinks he is crazy. But there’s no time and he knows what they want and how to make them agree. The group look at each other in question until the tallest one finally speaks.

     “If what you say is true, how do you expect us to go up against the League of Assassins in one night?”

     Jason grins, finally getting somewhere, much sooner than he thought. “We’re going to need guns. Lots of it.”

     A few months later, Jason stands front and center, surrounded by assassins and stared down by Ra’s Al Ghul. It’s one of those nights where a training member is given the chance to challenge a fully-fledged assassin. If they pass, it’s a sign that they no longer need training and they have achieved their first kill.

     The League is in shock when Jason walks past the assassins, the elite members, and stands right in front of Ra’s. By League tradition, only a blood-relative or a betrothed can challenge Ra’s, a fight for the position of the Demon Head.

     Jason chuckles, “I’m just messing with you.” He laughs boisterously as the room goes sour. Some of the young assassins try to stifle their snickers but Ra’s, Talia, and the elite members are not amused. 

     “Do you think this is funny? Is the League truly a joke to you?” Talia snaps at him.

     Jason doesn’t look at her. “I wasn’t trying to be funny.” He turns around to look at the full number of the League. He turns to the shadows in the darkness, counting the silhouettes surrounding the premises overhead. Absentmindedly he replies, “I was trying to get out of the way.”

     Bullets rain down like hellfire. Ra’s shouts orders. Talia pulls out her sword. But Jason is faster and he shoots both of them in the chest before they could even take a step toward him. He shoots them two more times along their torso and doesn’t wait for the youth of Eth Alth'eban to finish fulfilling their lifelong dream of vengeance.

     Jason sneaks away and finally escapes the fortress that has held him and shaped him for a whole year. The League of Assassins are bad guys, villains, but their methods are right. How can evil truly leave Gotham if Batman never stops it from breathing?

     Jason’s first destination is home, smuggling himself aboard a cargo ship and slipping into the city under the Bat’s radar. He doesn’t go straight to Wayne manor even though his feet are itching to come running to you. To his home.

     “So close yet so fucking far,” he whispers to himself as he waits for another night of darkness to veil the city and deafen it with sirens. He has been waiting for one big villainous operation that can distract the Bats for a few hours. He plans on going to Wayne manor and take you with him, away from Gotham and go anywhere in the world.

     Finally, from the surveillance he’s planted at every exit of the cave, he sees them leave at the same time, leaving you and Alfred in the manor. Jason still knows the property like the back of his hand and uses the shadows and blind spots to make his way toward the back entrance.

     He suddenly stops when he sees you on a balcony, the balcony of his room. Your arms are crossed. Your eyes are staring directly ahead at the horizon of the foggy and blurry Gotham skyline.

     “It’s warmer tonight. Did you find a better place?”

     At first, Jason thinks you saw him.

     “I bet you hated the sand getting in your hair and on your face,” you chuckle softly. “I stopped getting seasick so I’m guessing you’ve finally arrived… wherever it is you’re trying to get to.”

     Jason slowly crouches down beneath the balcony, pressing his back against the brick wall and straining his ears to hear you better, letting your voice replenish him like an oasis in the desert.

     “Dick thinks you’re here. In Gotham. That’s why they’ve been out there every single night. Scouring the city for you. Hoping you’re not injured. Hoping you’re fine. Hoping you haven’t completely turned to the dark side...”

     You pause for a breath and your voice sounds different when you speak next. Quiet. Sadder. “I hope you’re not injured. I hope you’re well. I also hope you’re not here.”

     Jason closes his eyes and leans his head against the wall, searing pain tearing through his chest.

     “After what you did, Jason… Bruce thinks the first thing you’ll do in Gotham is kill the Joker.”

     Your next words come in an even softer voice, almost strained, “Then maybe Tim…”

     Jason opens his eyes. All relief has been washed away from his body. Why don’t you think he’ll see you first?

     “I hope he’s wrong. I hope you decided to leave this life and choose a better one. You’ve always been scrappy, Jason. You can achieve anything you put your mind to.”

     Jason hears you sigh along with the shiver that goes through your body.

     “I don’t know if you’re listening this time. I felt you listening before, sometimes when I’m at the fireplace, or down in the cave, or pretending to be asleep… If you’re listening now, and if you’re in Gotham City… turn back. Take this second chance. Find a new purpose--”

     Jason’s heard enough. He slams the wall with his fist and rushes from the shadows until he’s off the property.

     You’re startled. You quickly scan the property for any movement but you just miss the figure retreating into the distance. Back into Gotham City.

✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5 ✧ 6 ✧ 7 ✧ 8 ✧ 9 ✧ 10 ✧ 11 ✧ 12 ✧ 13 ✧ 14 ✧ 15 ✧

✧ Watchtower Masterlist ✧

[wellthatjusthappend]

Since we are on the topic of Dick being a jealous mess when it comes to Jason's relationship with his villains how about a scenario involving Talia? Like Dick seeing her being casually touchy feely with Jason while he acts like it's nothing really new and/or maybe him thinking that Jason was kidnapped when in reality he was out being Talia's date/arm candy/reinforcement in a party

I like it! Especially when you think about how strategic such an encounter had to be from their side. 

---

“Little one, I am in need of an escort to the Wayne Gala and I have decided you will do,” Talia announced as she reclined ever so casually on Jason’s couch as if she had every right to be there. Though, considering how much she’d probably spent of Jason’s training, she probably did. 

“Surprised B invited you,” Jason said dryly as he set down his duffle bag on the table, “He’s usually much more of a coward than that.”

“I am Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter, I do not need a piece of paper to tell me where I can go,” Talia waved dismissively. Which is all Jason needed to know that she had not been invited. Probably with good reason considering the kinds of things she usually pulled at events with lots of influential people. 

“Well I’m honored and all that, but I ain’t going to the Gala. Those things are always a huge bore and the lines for the food are too long,” Jason shrugged, starting to make himself a cup of tea in the kitchen.

He didn’t feel Talia approach until she slid her arms around his waist from behind. 

“But Little One, just imagine how enraged my Beloved will be when he sees us together there,” she purred.

Jason didn’t even have to think about that one. 

“I’m in.”

---

While pissing off Bruce was the main goal of going to the Gala, it turned out Dick was also there. Jason still didn’t quite know what his deal was, but he was enjoying watching him lose his mind in the corner.

“Care to dance?” Jason asked, extending an arm to Talia. She shot a small and wicked looking smile in Bruce’s direction before turning back to Jason. 

“But of course,” She smiled. 

Talia was not one to let someone else take the lead, but Jason really didn’t mind so he just relaxed and let her put him through his paces on the dance floor. Her neckline was plunging and she pressed far closer to him than was appropriate, but Talia was like that sometimes and Jason had learned over the years not to get completely distracted. Or well, not to get distracted to the point it was rude. She’d probably be a little offended if he weren’t a little distracted. 

Jason wasn’t sure if it was Bruce or Dick burning holes in the back of his head with the force of their glare, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself for once. 

“May I cut-in?” Bruce said smoothly, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

“I don’t know,” Talia with a slow smile, “Jason and I were just thinking of leaving together.”

The way her hand trailed over his hip left no room to doubt what she was implying they’d be doing. 

“I insist,” Bruce said, the glint of something dangerous in his eyes that made Talia press closer to Jason just for a moment. Jason could sympathize. 

“Well then,” Jason coughed stepping away with a sardonic smile at Bruce, “He’s all yours my Lady.”

Talia gave him a secret smile that meant Jason was going to be rewarded for this performance later. Jason was hoping for a new set of swords. He’d had his eye on a few that had come into the league recently. 

Bruce stepped between them hurriedly and whisked Talia away back onto the dance floor.

Jason barely had time to wish her luck in his head before someone was grabbing him by his expensive jacket and towing him out of the ballroom into one of the many dark corridors. Jason grinned as he was shoved up against the wall. 

“Hey Dickie,” he purred.

Dick snarled something under his breath and then kissed him hard. 

Jason didn’t really understand why Dick was jealous- it’s not like Talia really had eyes for anyone besides Bruce- but he was certainly enjoying the results. Especially the possessive way Dick was holding his hips as they kissed. That was real nice. 

“What’s the matter Dick-head?” Jason taunted, leaning into another kiss, “What’s got you so riled up? Kissing a guy out here where anyone could see u… that’s not very Golden Boy of you.”

“You’re doing this on purpose,” Dick growled. 

“Doing what?” Jason grinned innocently, only to get bitten. 

“She’s using you,” Dick hissed. 

“Nah, really?”

“This isn’t a game, Jason,” Dick said getting a prissy look on his face, “She’s a lot older than you. It’s not appropriate for her to be doing stuff with you. She’s doing to hurt you.”

“God, you’re such a hypocrite.” Jason said rolling his eyes and thinking of Dick’s little haram of older men and ladies he tumbled into bed with.

Whatever Dick had to say to that, Jason didn’t really want to hear it so he pulled him into another kiss, hitching a leg up to pull Dick a little closer. Luckily, Dick was an easy guy to distract and he was quick to take charge. And christ on a cracker, the guy could kiss. Jason hadn’t known before that someone could turn a kiss into a full body experience, but he was learning quickly. 

Both Dick and Jason jumped at the flash of the camera. 

“Don’t you two look cozy,” smiled Vicky Vale stepping closer, “Dick Grayson, is this your new boyfriend? What’s your name, hon?”

God, Jason hated reporters. 

“This is your fault,” Jason muttered, pulling away.

“You’re just going to leave me here?” hissed Dick, looking extremely embarrassed. 

“Yup.” 

“Mister Grayson, can you comment on-” Jason didn’t stay to hear the rest, just slipped back into the ballroom. Talia and Bruce were nowhere in sight and Jason was willing to bet they’d wound up in bed together, which meant it was time for Jason to leave.

He wasn’t too disappointed; he’d got what he’d come for.

[edyacouky]

Journey to the Past (4/10)

Honnestly writting this chapter was so awful ! I'm still not proud of it ... Hope that you will like it nevertheless Have a nice day everyone ! :D

Can be read on AO3

Can be read on Tumblr Prev - Next

                                                       ~*~

Once Jay could stand on his feet again, the little group goes find the guy Roy knows. Easily, once they prove they can pay him, the guy produces them one visa each.

They immediately go to the train station hoping have the next train for Star City. There is one on the platform. They jump on the train, after buying their ticket, with such on hurry that the inspectors didn’t try to stop them.

They collapse when they found where to sit with relief sigh. Only Lian isn’t breathless because Roy carries her to run, it doesn’t stop her to imitate the others.

“I didn’t think we could have made it. Jay admits

-It would have been a shame. Roy answer. There is only one train to Star City per week.

-How long it will take to arrive to Star City? Jay asks

-It should take twelve hours if there is no trouble. But there is always trouble with train. We should probably arrive at Star City in twenty-four hours.”

Colin and Damian look daggers at each other.

The travel would be long if they don’t start to support each other.

                                                            ~*~

Jay and Roy try to make Colin and Damian talk about why they argue later, but neither of them wanted to talk. After a few minutes and some promise to try get along, Jay and Roy change the subject of the conversation.

“Do you want to discuss about what happen earlier? Roy asks to Jason

-That’s nothing.

-Doesn’t look like that.

-I’m used to it. That’s just headache. Nothing life threatening.” Jay reassures Roy with a smile.

Jeez, Roy has found an accomplice really cute.

“Don’t hesitate to tell us if you feel bad, ok?

-Ok.”

They decide then to keep the kids entertaining and keep Jay’s lessons to be the Perfect Lost Prince; until they decide have some sleep.

Roy is wake up by Lian.

“What’s happen, Pumpkins? Roy asks with a yawn

-I need to go.

-To go? Oh! Yeah sure.”

Roy wakes up Jay who almost uses his dagger before he recognizes him.

“Just tell you that Lian and I go to the bathroom.

-Ok. I will take care of Colin. Don’t worry.

-Thanks. Come on Pumpkins.”

Jay can’t believe that he was asleep so well. He isn’t sure if Roy didn’t wake up; he would have realized that he was gone. He must have been more drained by his headache that he thought. That’s too dangerous. He glances at Damian to be sure that he still here safe and sound.

He caresses tenderly Damian’s hair, trying to calm himself. His plan is based so much on luck; there is so many things that could go wrong.

Damian groans and blinks rapidly.

“Shh, my Prince. Jay whispers putting his hand on Damian’s eyes. Everything is fine.”

A shadow appears in the hallway coming toward them quietly.

                                                     ~*~

Roy and Lian get out of the bathroom to come back to their seats, when Roy heard an inspector behind him.

“Stupid idea to do the control at this hour.” Roy thinks when he remembers they have one last station to go before leave the country so maybe not so stupid but still pretty bothering.

Then his blood freezes.

The color on their visa isn’t the same as the visa of the other passengers.

What the hell they had paid this guy for if he didn’t make convincing visa?

If Roy meets this guy again he will kill him.

“Hurry up, Pumpkins. We have to get back to our seat, now.”

Lian is confused by sudden Roy’s worry and she obeys without complaining. She is not awake enough to wanted ask question about what’s going on.

                                                     ~*~

When Jay hears the floor creaks, he thinks at first that it must be Roy and Lian, but it’s seems too quiet to be them.

He pushes as smoothly as he can Damian so he can stand up.

“What’s going on? Damian grunts

-Wakes up Colin and prepares to run.” Jay murmurs

Jay approaches the door but before he can open it, someone else did it for him.

“We have to leave; Roy said immediately, our visas are not good.

-What?

-The color isn’t good. We have to hide on the baggage car.”

After feeling relieved that he was worried about nothing, Jay panics that they wouldn’t success avoid all the inspectors.

They are almost on the baggage car when Jay say green reflect on a glass.

He tries to stick his dagger on the intruder’s body once he sees the Al Ghul’s color. But his opponent success to block him. In less than one second, Jay’s dagger is on the floor, his arms are blocked on his back and one hand is groping his genital clearly without his consent.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Jay.” Barsad murmurs in his ear

Jay could have thrown up. Barsad is clearly one of the reason he is more than happy Talia refuses anyone to court him.

Barsad is twenty years old older than Jay and is one of Ra’s Al Ghul’s men that he met less than one year after Talia take him in.

This asshole assumes that he could do whatever he wants with him, demanding that he was his, without considering Jay’s age or consent.

“Let him go. Roy orders aiming one arrow at Barsad’s head after making sure the kids is behind him

-That’s cute. Barsad mocks before biting hard Jay’s neck hiding his head behind Jay’s

-Stop that instantly!” Damian yells ready to fight too

Using this distraction, Jay success drag oneself out, pushing Barsad and when he tries to grab Jay again Roy shoot him in his shoulder.

“Run!”

Jay take back his dagger before follow them.

Despite his injury, Barsad seems determined to catch them.

More than once, they almost get caught when changing of car.

“You’re mine.” Barsad keeps whispering

At a moment he succeeds catch Colin by the hair menacing to make him fall off the train. Before any of the adult could react, Damian stabs him and takes Colin’s hand to push him in their direction.

Then Jay pushes Barsad, making him fall off the train.

With a little hope he is dead on the river. But Jay doesn’t believe it.

                                                  ~*~

Once they are sure no one seems come to them, Roy puts the kids to sleep and take care of Jay’s injury.

They still didn’t say anything to each other. Jay doesn’t what lie he should say to make sure Roy keep help them despite proving that they are a hazard for his children.

He was so sure he was ready to protect Damian, but now he isn’t anymore. Maybe Princess Talia was wrong to trust him. If only she was here to help them.

Without helping himself, Jay starts to cry as quietly as he can with the kids next to them. He doesn’t want to worry his Prince.

“You lie to me, about the reason you are on the road.” Roy simply says

Jay knows that it’s the moment for him to lie but he doesn’t seem able to talk.

“The clothes of this guy seemed pretty expensive. I suppose he is rich.”

Again, Jay’s tongue is unable to move.

“And he wants to marry you. And your parents are ok with that.

-I truly don’t want to talk about that.”

The only though of being bonded to someone as awful as Barsad make him sick.

“Look, knowing him he must still be alive and he and my … father will come after Dami and me soon. I understand that you prefer renounce to our … plan. That’s ok. You will find another way.

-Jay, it’s out of question. We will stick together.

-No …

-Hey, it’s not like we have something to lose. You see how we live.

-But your children …

-I know.”

Roy has a pause where he looks at Colin and Lian.

“I swear I would do anything to protect them, but, it’s not fair to let you down. We’re team, ok?”

Jay can’t believe how stupidly kind this man can be.

“I will make sure you won’t regret it.”

                                                    ~*~

They don’t know how they succeed to arrive at Star City without any more problems, but they thank their lucky star.

Roy being still known by Dinah’s domestics despite their opinion on him or Lian, they let them enter. Their coats are barely take off that Dinah arrives.

“Oh my Gods! Roy, you all look so miserable! She exclaims visibly unhappy about that. Go take a bath, then we will have lunch.

-Dinah, I’m here to talk to you about something. Roy tries to explain

-I’m sure that can wait until we eat. I’m going inform that there are guests.”

And like that she disappears after having kissing tenderly all her unexpected guest, even the two she never meet before. Without another word could be say, they find themselves cleaned, on new clothes, more relaxed.

“How can she have men clothes? Jay asks perplexed

-Oh … Well, she has some friends that can stay here.”

Roy is so prepare to have to defend Dinah that he is a little shocked when Jay accepts his explanation without a frown.

“That’s pretty generous to her to let us borrow.

-Oh knowing her, we will leave with it?

-Can we do that?”

Roy simply shrugs, like to say “why not?”.

                                                     ~*~

During lunch, the presentations are finally done. Despite what Roy was expected, she seems more interested by Damian than to Jay.

“I have to admit that it’s not a simply courtesy visit. I have something to announce you. Roy finally get to say when the children leave the table

-Oh, Roy. Don’t worry, you have my blessing. Dinah says taking Roy’s hand before looking at Jay. It does seem that he makes you happy and that’s the only thing that’s matter.

-What? No! No, that’s not what I want to talk about. Roy explains babbling while Jay blushes furiously. I have brought Jay here to you because he is the Lost Prince and I was hoping you could help us to be introduced on the Wayne’s family.

-He is now? Dinah asks suspicious letting Roy’s hand go. Bruce has suffered enough. It’s out of question that I help anyone take advantage of him.

-Dinah … Roy want to defend themselves but the way she looks at him stop any word to come out his mouth

-I am. Jay said. I am Jason Todd the Lost Prince. We have no bad intention by telling that. We won’t use your help to abuse the Royal Family. I promise you if you help us all you will do is permitted a father to get back his son.”

Not really a lie, with Damian being Bruce’s son. Jay hopes it’s enough to be credible.

“Roy, please leave us alone.”

Roy looks uncertain but Jay reassures him with a smile.

“You must understand that I may have further question.

-Shoot.”

                                                       ~*~

Roy tries to distract himself by playing with the kids. He is pleasantly surprised when he realize that Colin and Damian seem being friend now. Look, like have his life safe by “this spoil brat”, help Colin being kinder to his judgment and Damian does more effort to be patient and nicer.

But no matter what, he can’t help to worry. Hours pass and neither Jay nor Dinah leave the room. The rest of their journey depends of this conversation and he doesn’t even have a little idea how things are going.

“Jay is smart. Damian says. You shouldn’t worry this much.”

One hour before dinner, finally, Jay and Dinah come join them.

Jay immediately let himself drop on the closest chair. He looks pale and sweating.

“Are you alright? Roy worries

-Just headaches. That’s fine.”

Roy then looks at Dinah who seems fighting with herself while she looks at the kids playing.

“So? What do you say?

-I will help you. She finally says. I will give you a letter to give to Duchess Katherine Kane, I’m sure that she will present you to Bruce.

-Thank you! Roy exclaim kissing her cheek with gratitude. You won’t regret it.

-I hope so.”

                                                        ~*~

Despite what Roy and Jay have planned, they don’t continue their journey the next morning.

Dinah doesn’t want them to leave without they have clothes that will make them well received by the Court.

She also wants to booking for the boat and spends a letter to Kate so she knows they come visit her before they are at her door.

She takes the kids with her without anything Jay or Damian can say to change her mind. She lets enough money to Roy telling him to have fun.

Roy tries to change her mind before they go, talking alone with her in her office.

“We can’t let you the kids.

-Of course you can! It would be my pleasure. She says before whispering. Plus, I’m sure you could use some time alone with the Lost Prince.

-I don’t understand what you mean.

-Please, like you don’t like him.

-That’s not …

-I think he likes you too. It will be such a good alliance if you take the chance. Despite your choice you’re still Ollie’s heir after all. She says with malice in her eyes

-He doesn’t know that.

-Really? So he likes you for what you are. That’s fabulous.”

Knowing a lost cause when he sees one, Roy gives up.

It’s more complicated for him to stop blushing though.

                                                 ~*~

During their shopping, Jay doesn’t mean do be disagreeable to Roy, quite the contrary, but his mind wandering toward Damian.

They’re so close to their purpose yet so far.

And the discussion with Dinah perturbed him.

All the questions she asks. Some answers were provided by Roy, but some it was given to him by a flash.

The worst was the question about how he lost Bruce Wayne this famous day.

A flash of scream, blood’s odor, fear and a laugh that haunted him until now, make him babble about a secret door on a wall. It was so stupid, that he wasn’t surprised then she doesn’t want him to elaborate, and just look at him with her eyes wide.

These headaches were worst that what he admits to Roy. In fact, Dinah have to stop multiple times for letting Jay’s pain calm down.

Maybe he will find the essential oil that helps him in one of the shop. He really needs it.

Suddenly Jay recognizes two men on the street. They are Ra’s men.

Taking advantage that they didn’t have saw them yet; Jay pushes Roy on a dark alley. He puts himself against a wall where he could see the men, his hands on Roy’s shoulder force the redhead man to hide him.

Roy doesn’t understand what is going on. One minute they were walking in silence, Roy searching desperately what he can say. The next second, his body is really too close to Jay’s. It was so sudden that Roy had to put his hands on each side of Jay’s head.

“I think he likes you too.” Dinah’s voice booms in his head

Jay looks uncertain, almost shy with his eyes lost beyond Roy.

Did … Did Jay do the first step? Does he want their relationship to change?

Does Roy want their relationship to change? Should he do the next step? Should he kiss Jay? Like that, here?

Jay starts to breathe again when the two men disappear without saw them. He suddenly feels stupid for react that way without explain anything to Roy. He must think he is crazy.

When he finally look back at Roy, feared what kind of expression he may see, he doesn’t have time to see his face before lips meet his.

Before Roy kiss him.

Roy is kissing him.

Jay doesn’t understand how it could be possible. Of course, they become close and Roy keeps telling that Jay and Damian are part of the group as much as Lian and Colin. Of course, Jay may have a stupid crush on Roy.

Jay admires Roy to put the kids before him, to be gentle, brave and funny. Jay isn’t ashamed in his own head that he also admires Roy’s strong arms, his tender green eyes, and his messy red hair.

Without control himself, Jay reciprocates the kiss, forgetting for a moment his dangerous situation. Maybe it is for that Talia always refuses he was courted, because she knows it will make him stupid.

Thinking of his Princess makes his blood freezes and he stops the kiss.

“Did I do something wrong? Roy asks worried by his brusqueness

-It’s just …”

How Jay can explain everything going inside his head?

“There were my father’s men here.

-What? Roy says looking around but they weren’t here anymore. So you didn’t bring us here to …

-No.

-But to hide from them.

-Yes.

-Oh fuck! Sorry! I’m so sorry. I should never have assumed it was what you wanted. Roy apologies taking a step back but Jay’s hands are still firmly on his shoulder

- No. It was fine. It’s just … it’s my first kiss. He admits blushing furiously.

-Oh. Shit! Really? How he can be?”

Roy can’t believe that. Jay is too beautiful. He must have caught more than once someone’s attention. And anyone who starts to know can only fall for his stubbornness, his love for his younger brother, and his intelligence.

And there is this Barsad. He doesn’t look like the kind of guy that understands what no mean. Well maybe Jay doesn’t count the kiss that could have been imposing to him and Roy can agree with this reasoning.

“It’s my first because my … my mother always refused that I was courted. Jay says first which is true, but then he adds to not admit his previous lie. She didn’t agree with my … father about that. And now she is …”

Roy can understand that. Jay is so young yet. Only nineteen years old. He doesn’t think he will authorize anyone court his children before they are fifty years old.

But there is something else in the way, Jay talk about his mother.

“You miss her. Roy guess

-Terribly.”

Jay feels so lost; he never needed as much her guidance as now and she may be dead.

Jay appreciates when Roy hugs him. Not only the physical contact soothes his pain, but he permits him to hide his expression that must be awful.

“Do you think she would have loved me?” Roy asks jokingly even if the answer is stupidly important for him

Talia hated Barsad and the other men like him. But Jay also remembers one of his teachers.

An old man with a single eye. A prestigious combatant who promise bring honor and money to the Al Ghul family, if Talia accept to give him Jay.

Jay never understands why Slade Winston seemed so interested by him. Nor why Talia refuses such an offer.

Then Jay tries to imagine how Talia would have seen Roy.

A stranger, a nobody with two bastard children at his charge who can offer nothing to the Al Ghul family.

“Not at all.”

Jay sighs.

“I can’t do this. I appreciate you a lot Roy. But with all that happen right now. Dami, my father, the Lost Prince … I can’t do it without her approval … That’s stupid I know but …

-Hey, you have no excuse to give to me. If it’s no, it’s no. I appreciate you enough as a friend. That’s enough for me.”

Roy lies. Not the part no is no, but that’s friendship is enough to him. Now that he knows that Jay have some feeling for him, it will be more complicated to make sure his mind doesn’t wandering to much about “what if”.

They stop hugging and agree that they should come back to Dinah’s house and doesn’t talk anymore about what just happen.

                                                     ~*~

Dinah is nice enough to say them good by at the port.

“I can’t thank you enough.” Roy assures feeling guilty for playing with Dinah’s emotion

But it’s too late to back off now. Their children need money and their scam is a way like any other, he keeps telling himself.

“Just be safe, ok?”

Roy promises.

Little did they know that the men, Jay saw earlier are on the same boat as them.

One of them pays the telegrapher so he could use his machine. He informs the King Al Ghul that he found the target on boat and demands what the next order is.

“This night it will come to you. Wait for it next to a lifeboat. You will be extract tomorrow morning.”

If the man doesn’t understand how he could be possible, he doesn’t ask anything more. He leaves the room, give it back to the telegrapher, and while all the passengers go meet their dream, he wait next to a lifeboat with his accomplice.

                                                     ~*~

Roy is ashamed of himself with how wildly his heart beat when Jay lies next to him in the bed.

All the kids wanted sleep in the same bed to keep talking, and the adults were too happy that they start to get along that they say yes without thinking.

They would have say even if they have realized how embarrassed they would be. They would not have answer just as quickly as they did.

Since none of them is tired, they lying down face to face to discuss but they can’t find any word to say.

Roy feels fluttered in his stomach by being this close to Jay.

Jay doesn’t even dare look him in the eyes. His curly hairs are the cutest mess Roy ever sees. He really wants to run a hand through his hair. His cheeks are bright red; his skin must be so warm. If only he could kiss them again. Nervously, Jay licks his lips then he bites it. The things he wishes to do to them, the things he will do to prove he is worthy to do.

Roy’s gaze runs though Jay’s body. His aching neck shows the bite that this bastard of Barsad left and Roy can’t help but think is a perfect place to let his own biting mark above it in plain sight. His chest unfortunately hides with the wide tee-shirt Jay wore. He can’t prevent but ask to himself how his nipples must look like.

The rest of Jay’s body is hidden by the sheet but Roy remembers very well his thighs. Roy wouldn’t mind dying between them.

When he looks up, he wishes to die right now.

Jay is redder that it could be possible, and his eyes are straight in Roy’s.

And he knows, he can only know, what exactly Roy has in mind.

“I’m sorry. Roy whispers standing up. I will sleep on the floor.

-Don’t be stupid.” Jay tells forcing him to lay down

Jay feels how hard Roy’s heart beat with his hand on his chest. It reassured him that he isn’t the only one in the state.

“I’m sorry.

-That’s ok.

-No, I …”

Roy looks where the kids talk, not wanting they hear them, and comes closer to Jay.

“I understand that you say no to me and I accept that. I’m sorry I make you uncomfortable.

-You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I’m very …flattered.”

That’s Jay’s turn to look at Roy’s lips.

It would have been easier to resist if Roy’s feelings were one sided and not prevent by a ghost he never meet.

“I wish your mother would have approved me. He confess

-Me too.”

Roy is ready to take a risk and kiss Jay. Maybe this time Jay will not fear to shame a dead parent and only take in consideration what he wants.

But Jay suddenly turns back.

The moment has passed.

Roy turns back too.

                                                      ~*~

“Kitten.”

Jay groans, opening with difficulties his eyes. He feels so appeased. Even if he trust this voice, he would mind sleep a little more.

“Kitten, come on wake up. We will be late.”

This woman has a playful smile, kind eyes.

Jay want to please her as much as he want to make Talia proud. He thinks he knows her with how happy she makes him by just being there. He stupidly smile at her and slowly he starts to stand up.

His feet touch the soft grass in the same times he smells lavender. He seems like he falls asleep on the blanket where they had picnic.

Their water pitcher is still hall full of fresh water, some fruits are still uneaten. He can’t help himself but take a grape to eat it.

His juice is so delicious. He moans with pleasure without thinking of stopping himself.

“Come on.” She says again before disappear between the trees.

He goes after her, but he didn’t make a step that her voice resonated.

“Don’t forget Ace.”

Jay turn his head and see the puppy asleep on the blanket. Carefully, he doesn’t dare wake him up and take the little puppy in his arms, shushing him when he starts to mumble.

Every time he thought he lost her, she appears and shows him the way with her playful smile. Until they arrives to a riverside.

Here, a man swimming on the middle of the river welcomes them with a bright smile.

“Jaylad, we were waiting for you. Come here.”

The woman enters in the water to hug the man who tenderly kiss her cheek.

Jay doesn’t dare to move. The scenery is too beautiful. How can he dare bother them?

“Last in the water is a fool! A young man exclaims before taping his back and goes to the water

Despite he obviously bothers the couple, all of them laugh.

“He is older than you but you’re more mature. A redhead woman sitting on the river side sighs. But we love him like that.”

And without letting Jay answers, she stand up and goes rejoin them.

Just when Jay wanted to go on the water too, Ace keep mumble more and more visibly disturbed.

“That’s ok Master Jason. Let me take care of him.” An old man in impeccable suit told him

Jay nods and puts Ace in the old man’s arms.

Unexpectedly, Ace totally wake up and bite the old man on the neck, killing him. Jay screams terrified and tries to run far away of the suddenly dangerous dog. But he is stopped by the man who have catch his arms. How fast is he? He was in the center of the river not a minute age.

“No, comes with us. You will be safe.”

Jay want to believe him, he really wants, but something boils in him when he saw the man kicks the dog.

The clear blue water turns into muds, maggots exit the ground, and the dog turns more like a werewolf. Even the kind expression of the man becomes menacing.

“Jaylad, come with me.”

He doesn’t know what to do.

Before he can decided an arrow hit the man right in the chest, then another in his head.

Jay can’t stop screaming, yelling, crying. Everything was so beautiful, why is it turn as a nightmare?

                                                      ~*~

Lian is wake up in the middle of the night by coughs. They really scare her because she never knows how awful they will be. This time it wasn’t that bad, but she wants to drink a cup of water.

She looks to see if Colin is asleep, he is. She looks to see if Dami is asleep, he is not here.

She frowns then wake up Colin.

“What? He groans

-Did you argues with Dami again? She asks

-What? No … Why?

-He is not there.

-What?”

Colin stand up and have to admit that Dami isn’t in the room. What worried is that Jay is not there too.

This two have admit that a member of their family is after them and it is safer to travel on group. Why should they have go somewhere alone on the middle of the night?

The two kids go wake up Roy.

“What the fu…dge? What the fudge kids?

-Did you argue with Jay? Lian asks

-No. Roy defends himself blushing furiously. Why?

-Where are they then?

-Where are who? Roy asks not totally wake up

-Jay and Dami. Where are they?”

Roy frowns and look around. Neither Jay nor Dami is there. It doesn’t look like Jay to leave without tells him with the men of their patriarch after them.

“Stay here. Don’t open the door. Roy orders them while taking his bow and arrows. I will go where they can be.”

Lian and Colin look at him with big worried eyes, but they nod and obey.

After looking at some corridors, Roy goes on the deck. He really hopes they are not there with the rainstorm. They risk falling overboard and disappear between the waves.

Of course, his wish isn’t fulfilled.

At first, he didn’t realize what he saw. Jay is next to a lifeboat with Dami in his arms and he is chatting with someone Roy doesn’t recognize. Maybe this is some friends or nice strangers. He can hope.

Before he can call out Jay and asks him if everything is alright, he sees something so absurd he stops to think for a moment; Jay gives Dami to the stranger.

He frowns and thinks maybe they are friends. But before he can finish his though, Dami suddenly stab again and again the stranger in the neck.

Jay seems panicked, he yells and cries. He even tries to run away but he is catch up.

Roy doesn’t have to think anymore.

He knows that no matter what awful thing Dami can do, he cares too much about Jay to do anything that could hurt him. He knows that Jay will do anything to protect Dami so he would have never let anyone kick him.

He aims an arrow to the other stranger that touches him right in the chest, another in the head.

Jay panics even more. He is even ready to go overboard when Dami approaches him.

Dami catch him to force him stay on the boat. An awful mistake.

Jay kicks him violently while yelling and crying.

Roy is finally close enough to intervene between the two brothers. He places himself in front of Dami.

“Are you ok, kid?

-No! Jay is not himself! I don’t know what happen to him!

-Are you hurt?

-Tt … I’m fine. Don’t let him go.”

Roy can’t answer because Jay tries again to go overboard.

Immediately, Roy catches him and knowing that Jay will react violently, he is ready to take the hits.

Despite the taste of the blood in his mouth, Roy tries to wake him up with words. But when Jay tries to punch Dami again, when the kid want simply to help, Roy slaps Jay’s face.

He feels bad with how sad and lost Jay’s eyes are, but at least they are more lucid too.

“They’re all going to die! Jay cries hugging Roy. They’re all going to die!

-Everything is alright Jay. You’re here with us. With Dami and me. Remember?

-Dami! Where is he? How is he?”

He finally sees Dami. His face is covered by blood and he is perplexed by Jay, like it is the first time he sees him.

“What happen? Dami asks trying to hide his fears

-I don’t know … I don’t understand …I keep seeing faces … So many faces …”

Dami doesn’t hesitate anymore and hugs his brother who doesn’t want let him go. In the meantime, Roy takes the bodies to throw them up overboard.

“I’m so sorry … Dami I love you so much … I don’t understand…

-Guys, we should go back to our room before a wave takes us with it.” Roy says

The brothers dry their tears and stand up. They go back to the room in silence.

                                                           ~*~

Colin and Lian gasp when they saw how pitiful they are.

“Dami, what happen to you? Colin asks touching with many care his bloody face

-Tt, that’s fine.

-It’s not. Jay contradicts searching for a tissue to give him a quick wash

-Let me to do it. Roy says. And dry you up.

-No, I will do it.”

While the adults argue, Colin sight and take the tissue to take care of Damian that he forces to sit, while Lian encourage Dami to undress and accept the sheet on his shoulders.

“What’s happen? Colin asks again

-We were attacked.

-I can’t believe it doesn’t wake up us. Where are you hurt? Colin ask when he sees no scratches

-I’m fine. It’s not my blood.”

Sure enough when Colin helps Damian to change, he sees no cut or any injury bleeding. But there is a bruise on his shoulder.

“Could be worse. Colin admits

-Told you.”

In the meantime, Roy tries to calm down Jay.

“I don’t understand my vision neither why I bring Dami to them. Jay frightened

-You have never been a sleepwalker?

-No!

-I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe these men drug you or hypnotized you earlier without we saw them.”

Jay is skeptical, but what else it can be?

                                                       ~*~

Fortunately, they don’t have to spend another night on the boat, but this event creates uneasiness they can’t let it go.

Even when some musicians play joyful music for the passengers, and Roy convince Jay do dance with him, using as excuse that it’s for his lessons, they couldn’t feel safe until they arrive to Gotham.

Which is a shame.

Roy persuaded that Jay must don’t know how to dance first taking the lead until it was pretty clear for everyone that Jay was a better dancer than Roy.

“Is there something you don’t know how to do? Roy playful asks

-One or two.” Jay falsely modestly answer even if he must admit he doesn’t know how to calm his heart and stop blushing around Roy

                                                  ~*~

Finally they are in Gotham. Dinah make sure a taxi will wait for them at the port and bring them at Duchess Kate’s home.

The conductor is nice and asks if they want him to wait, telling them that she rarely accept visitor, but they refuse.

After that, Roy and Jay aren’t surprised when Duchess Katherine Kate’s domestic refuse to let them see her without a rendez vous, but it’s raining, they could at least let them enters.

Since the domestic accept to give Dinah’s letter to Kate, Jay and Roy decide to stay a little around in case she wants to meet them once the letter read.

They’re waiting outside, making what they can so the kids don’t catch cold.

After half one hour, Jay and Roy start discuss about find a place to sleep and stay warm and come back tomorrow. Then suddenly, Duchess Katherine herself opens the door to face them.

She watches them all, her eyes stay longer on Jay and Damian’s face.

“Oh my … That should be interesting!” She exclaim with a wide smile and malicious eyes

[scandalsavagefanfic]

You are my thoughts fuel right now. Can't stop thinking about your aus and fics even when I'm working! Like your werewolf Ra's and turned hunter Jay: What if after a while Ra's gets intrigued by Tim? How Jason would react? Or Once he is left alone at the base in wolf form and the Hunters Bats break in and take a random wolf for interrogation. The shock when they see its Jason and is pregnant! And that just for that one!

Hello darling! I wanted to answer this so much sooner but I had to get to this point in the story (which didn’t start as a story, just some smutty fun, until I got so many amazing asks with such amazing ideas).

Anyway, I was so flattered that my fics were on your mind! You are so sweet and amazing! Thank you so much!

Words: 1626

Rating: T? M? (I don’t know… there’s no sex in this part either… what’s happening to me?)

Read the previous chapters on AO3!

Jason knows something isn’tright when Ra’s tries to send him away with Talia and Damian.

Ra’s usually likes to keephim close, especially when he’s this far along. Jason takes some comfort fromthe fact that the Alpha didn’t seem to realize how attached to his omega hewould become. Those unwanted instincts and feelings to make one’s mate happyand protect them are apparently a two-way street. Ra’s gets particularlyprotective and territorial toward the end of Jason’s pregnancies. And he onlyhas a few weeks before he gives birth.

Again, he thinks bitterly. On the one hand, he’s grateful that hedoesn’t have to spend 9 months pregnant like a human (though he would muchprefer the 65-day period of wolves) and on the other he despises that the 4month pregnancy and short recovery time means Ra’s has kept him swollen withhis spawn practically all year.

He wonders if that’s normal. Humansand wolves usually only mate once a year and though his first year with thepack is past, he was pregnant a third timebefore it ended.

He’s also a little bitterthat he’s going miss his change by about a week and he is going to have to popthe new ones out as a human. He had his first litter as a wolf and the secondas person. He much prefers going through it as the wolf. It’s less…embarrassing? Certainly less painful.

And even though he loves allhis pups, there’s already too many for him to handle on his own.

Jason sighs. He doesn’t mindgoing off to wherever Ra’s wants them to go.

With Damian.

Damian’s still a pup and asthe oldest child he’s actually been pretty helpful wrangling all his littleaunts and uncles. Jason knows that much of the kid’s motivation is to make surenone of his grandfather’s new children supplant him in the pack hierarchy, toestablish his dominance over them early. But Jason also knows who Damian reallyis, that Damian feels the same pull to Jason’s pups that his little ones felttoward Bruce and Dick, that they’re pack twice over. No one had to tell him,and no one has. But he can see so much of Bruce in Damian it’s almost scary.

But Talia? He knows Ra’strusts his Alpha daughter as much as he trusts anyone. But he doesn’t think hismate sees the way she eyes him sometimes. He’s the only omega in the pack(apparently it’s normal that only the lead Alpha takes a mate) and she’d beenaway on a mission when Ra’s let everyone else have a go at him after hisill-fated escape attempt. He gets the feeling she thinks she missed out. It’spretty unlikely the opportunity will arise again. Even if Jason were to try torun away… at this point, Ra’s is too invested. He has no doubt the Alpha wouldpunish him severely. But it would be private. Ra’s won’t share him now. Regardless,Jason doesn’t really want to be alone with Talia.

So he’s grateful when hisAlpha changes his mind and says he can stay. That it ‘actually works out betterthis way’ which then puts Jason right back on edge.

Their current keep, a remote Gothic castle somewhere in northern Germany, is strangely quiet as Jasontiptoes around. Something is going on, he has a sick feeling in the pit of hisstomach. And it’s not however many pups are in there this time.

Ra’s had told him to staywith the kids. But that’s always been a given so the fact that he had felt theneed to say something… well, it makes it impossible for Jason to resist leavinghis pups with Damian to go snooping around.

The few people he does runinto don’t try to stop him either so the rest of the pack must not know what’sgoing on any more than him. Though he does disappear into a shadow to avoidTalia.

As he creeps deeper into thelower levels he hears speaking coming from a room at the end of a long stonehall. Jason recognizes Ra’s’ soft, low tone easily and spares a moment to hate the way it immediately calms him.The other voice is too quiet to make out.

“—my eye on you since youstarted looking into his disappearance,” Ra’s is saying as Jason carefullymakes his way to door, “You’re very nearly as good a hunter as your ‘father’.What you lack in his physical prowess you make up for with intellect. Too badintellect only gets you so far when you go off on your own.”

There’s the sound of chainsclinking together and little grunting noises that indicate a struggle. Thensomething is mumbled too gently for Jason to hear.

“No they won’t, son,” hisAlpha drawls, “They do not know where you are and they believe he is dead.”

More garbled words, most ofwhich he can’t quite catch. He hears ‘found you’ and ‘babies’ and ‘you’re sick’and finally ‘knows the difference’ but not much else. However, there’s a smallnote of familiarity in the way it sounds. It pulls at the loose ends of faraway memories.

“Ah, yes. Thank you forconfirming that it was your meddlesome family who broke into our last home. Asfor Jason, I’ll have to have a word with him about it, I suppose. After all,family should come first. And Jason’s family is no longer your’s. It’s mine.”

Jason freezes. One of hisbrothers is chained up in that room with Ra’s. Just as he had been once.

Suddenly his Alpha’s desireto send away the only omega for miles makes more sense.

The wave of conflictingemotions that flood through him are debilitating. He’s hurt and angry that hismate would try to make another, especially now, while he carries yet anotherlitter of their pups. But he’s also terrified for…

Tim… that’s who’s in there,that is whose voice he hears. Restrained and at Ra’s’ mercy.

An internal war rages as hisinstincts clash. He hadn’t really had much time to get to know Tim before hewas captured by the Shadow Pack. Tim had been new, only been with them forabout a year. Bruce had taken him in after a lone wolf killed his parents.Jason had liked him but Tim hadn’t had a chance to come out of his shell yet.

Regardless, Tim is part oftheir clan. He is family. Who does Jason protect when both parties are pack?

It’s harder than it shouldbe, to choose Tim, and he hates himself for how long it takes him to stumblethrough the doorway begging “No, please, Ra’s don’t���“.

But it’s nothing to theself-loathing he feels when he sees Ra’s pull away from Tim’s limp body, teethbloody, and realizes he’s too late.

Jason’s knees hit the flooras Ra’s turns and smiles down at him.

“What… what did you do?”Jason asks softly, staring at the drop of blood that drips down Tim’s claviclefrom the bite in his neck until tears sting his eyes. He doesn’t expect andanswer. It’s obvious.

Ra’s slips his fingers underJason’s chin and tilts his head up before cupping his cheek. Jason meets hisgaze and the tears fall.

“You need assistance, Beloved,”Ra’s explains. Jason closes his eyes at the term of affection and leans intothe warm touch. “There is no appropriate option within the pack. So I’ve madeyou one.”

Jason glances back to Tim,still hanging unconscious against the wall, already starting to sweat profuselyas his body begins facilitating the changes to come.

In that moment he’s struckwith a sense of clarity. He won’t let Ra’s do to Tim what was done to him.He’ll help Tim get away before the bond that keeps Jason at his Alpha’s sidemore than anything else can be established. He’s relieved to find that it hasnothing to do with jealousy, nothing to do with Ra’s finding another, or a new,mate, nothing to do with being replaced. But everything to do with protectinghis brother. Ra’s will never touch Tim the way he’s touched Jason.

As though he can read Jason’sthoughts in his expression, Ra’s chuckles and leans over, pressing their lipstogether. Jason opens his mouth without complaint when Ra’s’ tongue prods athim for access.

When the Alpha pulls away andstraightens he cocks his head, regarding Jason with an odd warmth.

“Do not worry, my dear. Youare not being set aside. It did occur to me that two omegas would give me moreoptions in the future. But the pack has no need for another, not to mention theadditional temptation and distraction of an unmated omega, or the resentmentthat could build under a greedy Alpha with two mates. Our kind do not take wellto such departures from protocol.”

Jason tries to suppress thetingle of relief he feels. Focuses instead on his confusion because the packcertainly doesn’t need another Alpha and an Alpha wouldn’t be much help to him.He also tries to focus on that streak of fear he feels for Tim; the anger hefeels toward Ra’s.

“Timothy is much bettersuited to being a beta anyway.”

Jason frowns. He has neverheard of betas.

But then Ra’s’ fingers are inhis hair, his nails scratching lightly at his scalp.

“Come, Beloved,” Ra’s growlsdarkly, tugging him to his feet and pressing him back into the door frame, “Yousmell delicious. I want to spend the rest of the night inside you with yourneck between my teeth.”

[thedcdunce]

Deadshot

“They're wrong. If I wanted to be dead, I would be. I don't want to die. I just don't care if I do.” - Deadshot

Real Name: Floyd Lawton

Gender: Male

Height: 6′ 1″

Weight: 202 lbs (92 kg)

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Abilities:

Marksmanship

Enhanced Senses

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Weaponry

Bilingualism

Equipment:

Wrist-mounted guns

Universe: 

Earth-One

New Earth

Citizenship: American

Base of Operations: Gotham City

Parents:

George Lawton; father

Genevieve Lawton; mother

Marital Status: Divorced (Susan Lawton; wife)

Occupation: 

Assassin

Mercenary

First Appearance: Batman #59 (June, 1950)

Abilities

Marksmanship: Deadshot is said to "never miss."

Enhanced Senses: It's implied that Deadshot possesses senses far beyond a normal human being.

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Weaponry

Bilingualism: Floyd Lawton is bilingual. He learned to speak Russian as a youth, and also claims to have been a card-carrying communist.

Equipment

Wrist-mounted guns: Deadshot has a wrist-mounted gun on each arm. They fire magnum bullets when he presses a trigger button on his palm. They also contain a grappling hook that allows him to swing across buildings.

Personality

In his psychological profile, Marnie Herrs says that Floyd Lawton has strong self-destructive urges. Herrs believes that he is looking for a way to die, and he hopes the Suicide Squad will provide one. Despite this, she says there is another side of him that wants to be well and does not know how. Captain Boomerang asks why he chooses to live in a prison cell, and Deadshot replies that "a bed's a bed." He has described himself as similar to Rick Flag, and states that they are both "lone wolves" who "don't fit in the pack." Herrs asks him about his sexual relationships, and he says that he exclusively visits prostitutes. He prefers sex to be simple like a business transaction, and hates figuring out what women want in relationships.

Floyd Lawton has told Marnie Herrs that life means nothing to him. His brother was the only person he ever cared about. He claims to have felt nothing, no guilt or remorse, when he killed his brother. He says the only life anybody really cares about is their own, and he does not even care about that. In his own words, he is "killing time, waiting to die." He tells Marnie that evil is real, and the only way to cure some people is with a bullet to the head. When his son was killed and he murdered the people responsible, he described this as a necessary action to protect his reputation. This was accompanied by an emotional outburst. Marnie Herrs accused him of being unable to admit his feelings because he could not deal with his own anger and grief.

History

Floyd Lawton is Deadshot, known as the world's deadliest marksman. His weapons of choice are two guns mounted on each wrist. He began his career as a vigilante in Gotham City, but he later became a highly-priced assassin and mercenary. He has been a core member of the Secret Six and the Suicide Squad.

Origins

Floyd Lawton grew up as a member of the idle rich. His father George Lawton made money in real estate, and his mother Genevieve Pitt belonged to a family of wealthy bankers. His brother Edward Lawton was a golden child, described as the opposite of Floyd. Both parents doted on Edward while treating Floyd poorly, but Floyd still grew up idolizing his older brother. George was unfaithful and cruel to Genevieve, so she asked her sons to kill their father. Eddie locked Floyd in the boathouse when Floyd tried to warn his father. Floyd broke out and grabbed his hunting rifle. Eddie had already shot their father in the second-floor library, paralyzing George for life, and was preparing to kill him. Floyd climbed a tree and aimed to disarm his brother, but a branch snapped and he shot Eddie between the eyes. He killed the brother he loved to save the father he hated. This incident was covered up to avoid dishonoring the family name. George denied Genevieve a divorce and forced her to live alone on a small stipend.

Some time after that, Lawton sought the training of the professional assassin David Cain, who instructed Lawton and taught him his marksmanship abilities.

The Man Who Replaced Batman

Floyd Lawton moved to Gotham City where he started living as a millionaire playboy. Wearing a domino mask, top hat, and tuxedo, he became the gun-toting vigilante Deadshot. Deadshot worked closely with Commissioner Gordon during Batman's absence. He became popular enough that they build a "Deadshot Signal" to replace the Bat-Signal. Batman investigated Deadshot and found that he was in cahoots with criminals to distract police from more serious crimes. During the final confrontation, Deadshot is unable to kill Batman as the Dark Knight had tampered his weapons. Like this, Lawton was arrested and sent to prison.

Strange Apparitions

Years later, Deadshot broke out of prison after becoming a hardened convict, who no longer cared about hurting innocent bystanders. He blamed Batman for ruining his life and tried to kill him using a new red suit with wrist-mounted guns. Their battle took them to a convention hall where Batman defeated Deadshot on top of a Giant Typewriter.

A short time later, Rupert Thorne broke Deadshot out of prison and hired him to assassinate Bruce Wayne, who he believed was Batman. The Human Target was hired to pose as Bruce Wayne while Batman fought Deadshot. When Deadshot saw them together, he tried to kill both of them, but the Human Target took him down. This proved to Thorne and a suspicious Vicki Vale that Bruce was not Batman.

Later, Batman visited Deadshot in prison for information on Thorne and broke him out when he learned the corrupt warden wanted them both dead. Deadshot was held prisoner in the Batcave, blindfolded so he does not know its location. Much later, Deadshot was hired to kill Julia Remarque as part of a plot with Syrian terrorists. Deadshot and the whole terrorist organization was defeated by Batman with help from Julia and Alfred Pennyworth.

Deadshot is seen as a member of the super-villain army during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, where he is defeated by the Creeper. Batman later receives a note that says "Know your foes," so he uses the Batcomputer to educate Jason Todd on many villains including Deadshot. Ra's al Ghul releases every super-villain in Gotham's prison and Arkham Asylum on Batman's first anniversary. Deadshot helps the Joker take over GCPD Headquarters, but Batman stops them and Talia al Ghul takes down Deadshot.

Legends

Deadshot is arrested by The Flash while pulling a robbery in Manhattan. Amanda Waller sends Bronze Tiger and Rick Flag to visit him in Riker's Island, offering him a pardon if he will come to work with Task Force X. Deadshot is placed as a member of the new Suicide Squad, and he kills their target Brimstone at Mount Rushmore with an experimental laser rifle. He does not leave when the others are released after this mission. Waller asks Deadshot to assassinate Captain Boomerang when Boomerang threatens to reveal the Suicide Squad to the public. Rick Flag knocks Deadshot's rifle out of the way, and has Enchantress solve the problem non-lethally.

Suicide Squad

Deadshot decides to stay with the Suicide Squad for personal reasons, living out of Belle Reve prison in Louisiana. His psychologist Marnie Herrs suggests that he joined the team because of a personal death wish. Their next mission is attacking the Jihad in Qurac. Deadshot is supposed to neutralize Manticore, and he kills Manticore by shooting him in the face point blank. When Belle Reve is attacked by the Female Furies, Deadshot refuses to help and says that security was not part of his deal. He impersonates the racist vigilante William Hell to discredit him at a white power rally. They are later sent to arrest Firestorm. Deadshot is not allowed to kill, but he nearly murders Blue Beetle out of anger before Rick Flag knocks him unconscious. His ability to speak Russian is useful when they are sent to kidnap Zoya Trigorin in Moscow. Enchantress goes on a rampage, and he is forced to take her down with a non-lethal shot. This leads to a shootout with the Russian army. In their battle against the People's Heroes, Deadshot fights Molotov using random projectiles because he does not have a gun. Enchantress tries to kill the defenseless Deadshot in revenge, but Boomerang knocks her out. In one of their therapy sessions, Deadshot accuses Marnie Herrs of not caring about her patients and she slaps him in the face. He kisses her, then leaves and tells her it did not happen. Warden Economos sends the Squad to kill Manhunters during Millennium. They battle androids in the swamp until Boomerang and Deadshot are both out of ammo, but they manage to survive the encounter. The Squad does not receive credit for this victory. Deadshot has to fight his oldest enemy when Batman infiltrates Belle Reve. Batman is able to knock Deadshot out, but later says that he knows Deadshot is pulling his shots for Waller.

Rick Flag disobeys Waller and takes the Suicide Squad to rescue Nemesis in Moscow. Waller angrily has Justice League International sent to stop them. Batman tells Deadshot not to waste his time by pulling shots again, and Deadshot angrily relents. Mister Miracle tries to fight Deadshot, but Deadshot wins and holds him at gunpoint. The teams stop fighting, and Bronze Tiger has to hit Deadshot to stop him from executing Mister Miracle. His gun goes off, but nobody is sure if this was intentional. In his next therapy session with Marnie Herrs, Deadshot reveals that he has an ex-wife and son. He decides to stop seeing Marnie for therapy because of the sexual tension between them. Nightshade takes everyone to a mission in the Land of the Nightshades, and they are captured by Incubus. Incubus is bonded to Nightshade's brother Larry Eden, so Deadshot ends the fight by shooting Larry in the head. They are next trapped in the Zero Zone, and Deadshot fights Zone creatures until Shade the Changing Man helps them get home. The Jihad returns and Deadshot is sent to neutralize their speedster Jaculi, so he shoots her in the kneecap. Jaculi tells him to kill her or she will come back for him, and Deadshot replies "I believe you" then kills her.

Beginnings

Deadshot begins taking more suicide missions, and he eliminates the last member of the gang he used to run with. He is sent undercover to kill a crimelord named El Jefe, and he slaughters a plane full of gangsters then falls out as it crashes. Black Orchid rescues him. His ex-wife Susan Lawton asks him for help, and Deadshot decides to take a leave of absence from the Suicide Squad. Marnie Herrs takes a leave of absence to follow him for answers about his past. Susan tells Deadshot that their son Edward was kidnapped. Deadshot tracks down his old associates, who are holding his son until he completes an old contract. He refuses to negotiate, and tortures these men to get the location of his son. Deadshot goes on a rampage killing everyone involved with the kidnapping of his son, including the expert sniper Pantha. Edward is trusted to a pedophile named Wes Anselm, who rapes him and accidentally kills him. Deadshot arrives too late and executes Anselm. This leads him to the real mastermind, his mother Genevieve Pitt. Deadshot's mother wanted him to kill his father George Lawton, completing the "contract" that lead to the death of Deadshot's brother. Marnie Herrs convinces Deadshot not to kill his mother, and instead, he cripples her the same way his father is crippled. In the aftermath, Marnie encourages Floyd to come back to therapy, but Floyd insists there is no cure for what he is.

Final Round

The Suicide Squad was blackmailed by Derek Tolliver and Senator Cray, so Rick Flag decided to assassinate both of them. Flag was unaware that Amanda Waller had already dealt with this situation privately. Waller realized what he was planning, and sent the entire Suicide Squad to stop Rick Flag from killing Senator Cray "by whatever means necessary." Simon LaGrieve insisted that Deadshot was not mentally fit to go on this mission after the death of his son, but Waller ignored him. Deadshot finds Rick Flag at the Lincoln Memorial, where Flag is holding Cray at gunpoint. He stops Rick Flag by killing the senator himself, following his orders to the letter. Then he whispers to himself "Ed. I killed the old man this time. Did just like ma told me." The police arrive and Flag tries to take Deadshot away. Deadshot, with tears streaming down his face, says that he will take care of the police and threatens to shoot Flag if he does not run. There is a shootout on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and Deadshot is hit with many bullets, but he manages to survive. In the hospital later, Waller is furious that Deadshot killed Cray, and Deadshot replies that her orders should have been more clear. Waller later has stress hallucinations about sending Deadshot on a mission in his unstable condition.

The Phoenix Gambit

Lawton's uniform was stolen by an airport employee, who used it to commit many crimes and murders. Lawton was forced to kill the man with a bullet to the head. The shooting of his own "image" affected him greatly. For a while, he did not even fix the hole in his own uniform. While the suit had been lost, Lawton had threatened to kill his teammate Captain Boomerang, who he felt had been responsible due to drinking and missing their plane.

Some time before his last mission for the Suicide Squad, Count Vertigo asked him if he would kill him if asked. Deadshot agreed to consider it and reminded Vertigo with some regularity. After their final mission on Diabloverde, the two went off to a secluded area for the decision. Vertigo declined, a decision Deadshot accepted with no argument.

Suicidal Tendencies

Kobra pays Deadshot one million dollars to assassinate Deathstroke and Peacemaker. Deadshot attacks them in Switzerland, but they defeat him and explain that he was Kobra's next target. Peacemaker hires Deadshot for the price of one million and one dollars. He works with them and takes revenge by shooting Kobra, but Kobra survives and Deadshot is captured by Gennifer Deveraux. Kobra tries to brainwash Deadshot, and uses him as bait to capture Deathstroke and Peacemaker. Deadshot breaks free and distracts Kobra while the others escape. He kills Gennifer and they are able to destroy Kobra's base with help from Doctor Light and Katana. Deathstroke is later framed for treason, and Sarge Steel sends Bronze Tiger and Deadshot to bring him in. Deadshot is able to capture Deathstroke by shooting several rounds into his chest while he is distracted by Bronze Tiger. He is later hired again to help Deathstroke find nuclear weapons stockpiled by Crimelord. Deadshot visits Vatican City to assassinate the Pope, but Wonder Woman stops him and takes him into custody.

Amanda Waller puts a new Suicide Squad together, to destroy the Silicon Dragons in Hawaii. Deadshot is forced to fight Knockout when he recruits her. They travel to the underwater base of the cartel with Superboy. He battles Stinger, who is supposed to be his equal, but Knockout pulls him away before they can test who is better. Captain Boomerang is revealed to be working for Lady Dragon, so Deadshot tries to kill him. Deadshot shoots Captain Boomerang in both his hands while he is holding onto a ledge. Superboy rescues Boomerang, but Deadshot still crippled his ability to throw. They blow up the facility and escape.

Killer Elite

The demon Neron releases every villain in Belle Reve, and takes many including Deadshot to Hell. Deadshot is one of the villains to accept Neron's offer, making a literal deal with the devil. He begins working with the assassins Bolt, Chiller, Deadline, and Merlyn as a group called the Killer Elite. They are promised the power to kill their enemies if they spread mayhem for Neron. Each member is told to commit their dream assassination, and Deadshot chooses to blow up a classroom of kindergarten students. He views this as a poetic statement to demonstrate the meaninglessness of life. Obsidian blocks the bullets with his body, and pulls Deadshot into his shadow realm. Obsidian tries to tell Deadshot that they are not so different, and their inner pain comes from the same place. Deadshot continues lashing out violently, so Obsidian knocks him out. The Killer Elite are later seen trying to eliminate the Body Doubles, who they view as competition. Deadshot betrays his team and pretends to get knocked out because he is secretly involved with Carmen Leno.

The CIA recruits a new Suicide Squad to hunt down Hawk and Dove, under the authority of Loren Freitag. Deadshot has a stand-off with Hawk's father Colonel Martens, and Dove takes Deadshot down from behind. He gets into a sniper duel with Vigilante, and defeats her, but surrenders himself rather than murder a government agent.

Brainwave invites Deadshot to become a member of the new Secret Society of Super-Villains. This is revealed to be a sting operation by the JLA, and every member is arrested. Deadshot is seen imprisoned in Belle Reve when the JLA deal with a super-villain riot. Two-Face hires Deadshot to kill Batman, and Deadshot shoots Batman in the back so he falls off a building. Batman hunts Deadshot down, and Deadshot suggests they duel like the old west. Batman is quicker on the draw and he breaks Deadshot's jaw with a batarang.

Deadshot returns to Gotham when he is hired to kill the mob boss Lew Moxon. Moxon hires Zeiss as his bodyguard. Batman hunts Deadshot down, but Deadshot shoots the batline and escapes. Moxon is under heavy guard, so Deadshot manipulates Batman to get Moxon into the open. He slaps Moxon's daughter Mallory to the ground, and shoots Moxon in the spine. Moxon is paralyzed from the waist down. Batman arrives and Deadshot is forced to escape before he can finish the kill. He is next seen in the audience at a superhero fight organized by Roulette.

The Joker is told he is dying, so he infects an army of super-villains with Joker Venom including Deadshot. The Killer Elite are sent to attack Iron Heights. Deadline, Deadshot, and Merlyn kill a large number of guards until they are driven back by Gregory Wolfe. Deadshot uses the venom to infect his old teammate Captain Boomerang. The Flash takes Deadshot down with a punch to the face. This is the Killer Elite's last mission.

General Rock's Suicide Squad

Deadshot is recruited by General Rock to become a member of his new Suicide Squad, which is developed in the aftermath of Our Worlds at War. There are several other new members that he works closely with such as Blackstarr, Havana, Killer Frost, Major Disaster, Modem, and Reactron. They operate under the authority of President Luthor. This team was ultimately unsuccessful and they were disbanded.

War Games

The Penguin hires Deadshot as a bodyguard when every gang leader in Gotham is invited to a summit. This turns into a shootout, and Deadshot kills several men including Junior Galante while Penguin escapes. They meet Orpheus, and Deadshot catches up with his old friend Onyx. Hush and Prometheus subdue Deadshot when they assault the Penguin. Tarantula disarms Deadshot and defeats him in physical combat when she invades the Iceberg Lounge.

Deadshot was part of a community of assassins who congregate on the Injustice Gang satellite. He is the one who tells this group that Doctor Light was mind-wiped, while they are hanging out and playing Risk. Deadshot, Merlyn, and Monocle are attacked by the Justice League. Green Lantern traps Deadshot in an energy construct, and Deadshot shoots a ricochet bullet that slices his own neck. This is a ruse to make him drop the construct, and Deadshot blinds the invulnerable hero by shooting him in the face. Despite this clever trick, he is captured by Superman. These villains are prosecuted by Kate Spencer in court, but they avoid prison thanks to Deadshot's government connections.

Urban Renewal

Deadshot discovered he had a daughter, Zoe, who was being raised in a crime-filled area of Star City by her mother, Michelle Torres. Lawton decided to do right by this daughter and embarked on a lethal war on the local gangs that plague the area. The series ends with Deadshot faking his death, having realized a normal life is not for him, but having mostly cleared up the area and having convinced Green Arrow to patrol it more regularly.

Secret Six

The Secret Six were banded together by a mysterious, shrouded character named Mockingbird who offered a major reward for committing to the team and a severe punishment for not accepting membership. Deadshot was offered the reward of ruling North America; his punishment was to be the destruction of the neighborhood of his daughter and her mother. At the end of the mini-series, a stalemate was reached and Deadshot's status remains roughly unchanged from the end of his second mini-series. He remains a part of The Secret Six and was shown having reached a grudging friendship with another member, Catman. His share of the payment for the Six's mercenary work is stated to be sent in its entirety to his daughter and her mother. After the Six disbanded, Knockout commented in passing that he had returned to the Suicide Squad.

Salvation Run

Deadshot and the Suicide Squad were assigned in rounding up supervillains for removal from Earth to a supposedly peaceful planet known as Cygnus 4019 as part of Project Salvation. The group has encountered Pied Piper and Trickster several times, and each time failed to capture them. Deadshot made a solo effort to capture them, but the pair again eluded him. Much later, Deadshot traced and attacks Piper and Trickster on a train outside of the Rocky Mountains. Given that the supervillains are aware of Project Salvation Deadshot apparently kills The Trickster leaving Pied Piper on his own. In Salvation Run #2 Deadshot and along with Bane were tricked and sent off to the prison planet along with the last batch of criminals. Before being sent to Salvation, Rick Flag Jr. stated to him as the Boom Tube closed that he ca not have people like him on Earth. Deadshot vowed that if he ever returned to Earth, he would take his revenge on Rick. After helping fight off the Parademon invasion he managed to escape with the surviving villains in the teleporter.

Unhinged

The Secret Six are later reunited with a new lineup including Bane, Catman, Jeanette, Rag Doll, and Scandal. Their first mission is trying to recover a "Get Out of Hell Free" card forged by the demon Neron, which is held by the vigilante Tarantula. This puts them into conflict with the mysterious villain Junior, who sends an army of super-villains to kill them. Tarantula sacrifices herself to kill Junior.

Fun Facts

Floyd Lawton is known to have been friends with William Heller growing up.

Deadshot is lactose intolerant.

Deadshot's wrist-guns are inspired by the real life "Sleeve Guns" manufactured during WWII by the British Army's Station IX.

[ageeksnerdyworld]

You Don't Give Me A Halo

Characters: Damian Wayne, Talia Al-Ghul, Ra’s Al-Ghul, Mara Al-Ghul, The Demon's Fist, Bruce Wayne

Word Count: 2,288

Trigger Warning: Violence, Description of Injuries, Slight Swearing

A/N: AU Parts– X, X Doing more of my college age Damian AU. This particular fic can really take place anywhere in it. Tbh this doesn’t need to specifically fit in this AU I just really wanted to write something with the three main Al-Ghuls. Slight Rebirth connection with Mara and The Demon's Fist here just because. I decided to use a real life city for the location for The League's headquarters because it makes sense to me that Ra's would control an entire real-life city. As usual translations are at the very bottom.

Summary: Damian receives a mysterious visit from his mother one night. After some questioning Talia reveals that Bruce has been abducted. It is obvious to the both of them that Ra’s Al-Ghul is behind the abduction. And so Damian must travel to the headquarters of The League of Assassins to save his father from the evil clutches of Ra’s.

It was the beginning of November and Yale University was currently holding Family Weekend. Most students looked forward to the event; wanting to show off to their parents and/or younger siblings. But no one was coming to visit him as everyone was far too busy with other things. Mostly it was the double-life that called them all away. Besides, he had grown accustomed to it so, it didn’t bother him much anymore when his father missed important events in his life.

Sometime in the night the window to his dorm creaks open and the sound wakes him. He quietly reaches behind the headboard and grabs his sword from its hiding spot. Grasping it tightly he removes the covers and steps out of bed. As he walks over to the door the intruder makes their way to his bed.

He flicks the light switch and is startled by the person he sees.

“آم؟”

Even though the intruder wears an all-black ninja outfit and hood over their head and stands with her back towards him Damian recognizes her right away. He would recognize her anywhere; even in a crowd of people. Turning around she removes her hood which causes her long brown hair to cascade down her shoulders; framing her face. Her skin is slightly darker than his but their eyes are the same jade-like green. Talia looks at her son and smiles.

“.داميان حبي”

He asks; “ما الذي تفعله هنا؟”

“لا تستطيع الأم فقط أن تري انبها؟”

Damian scoffs as he crosses over to her and grips his sword tighter as he swiftly moves into a fighting stance. Gritting his teeth in anger he says; “أنا أعلم أبك جيدا جدا ,الأم ,ويمكني أن أقول عندما كنت الحفاظ على أس دار من لي"

Talia sighs and says; “.معتاز”

“أحتاج مساعدتكم داميان” she says gravely.

She looks away; unable to say what needs to be said next. Damian gets angrier thinking that his mother is stalling but his anger melts when he sees the glint of a tear in her eye. The tear rolls down her cheek, as she turns back to him, she quickly wipes it away and says; “.أنت تبدو كثير” Just as he opens his mouth to ask her why she’s crying Talia reveals the real reason why she came to see her son.

“.تم اختطاف والدك”

Damian’s eyes widen, his hands drop to his sides; his sword falls to floor with a loud clash. In the same moment his mouth drops open in a small circle of shock and he whispers in disbelief; “لا يمكن ان يكون صحيحا …هذا ليس طحيحا”

“.آخسى ذ لك”

“.ولكن لا تقلق أعرف بالضبط من فما ذ لك”

Damian shoots her a confused look. But just as he’s about to ask her to whom she’s referring to he stops. There’s only one person his mother could be talking about after all.

He mutters “جد” just as she says “رآس”.

Damian paces the floor in anger as his mother sits on his bed and begins to explain what happened. And it all makes perfect sense. Bruce received a distress call from Commissioner Gordon; he and his family were under attack. He rushes over there to save the man but when he arrived everything seemed fine. Suspicious he decides to stay with them for the night but Gordon receives a call from Arkham. The inmates were rioting and they needed help. Batman goes in his stead; thinking someone might be gunning for the commissioner.

When he made it to Arkham almost every single inmate was out of their cells. All except The Joker who had initiated the riot via Joker toxin. Then he got a call that Killer Croc was terrorizing The Narrows. He rushes over there and quickly subdues Croc. A call comes in from the Botanical Gardens; Ivy was controlling the guards and “freeing” the plants. And then he got a call that an altercation broke out at the Iceberg Lounge.

All the rushing around the city was too much for Bruce and the night began to take its toll.

And that was when The League attacked. They ambushed Bruce when he was vulnerable and their sheer numbers overpowered him. Talia only knew because Ra’s had sent her taunting photos of the capture. But then again the way she explained it the whole thing makes too much sense. Something was wrong and he knew it. She had to be lying; trying to trick him for some reason. He shakes his head, shaking the doubtful thoughts out of his mind, and picks his sword up from the floor.

He tells her that he’ll do everything in his power to bring Bruce back; even if that means killing Ra’s. Talia nods, readjusts her hood, and leaves his dorm the same way she entered it.

XXXXX

The sun beats down hard and hot as Damian walks through the city of Al-Hareeq. He watches the people peacefully go about their daily lives. Children play and laugh, vendors sell their wares, couples walk together hand in hand. Everything seems perfectly normal as if the city isn’t home to the one of the greatest cult leaders in the world.

For all intents and purposes he’s dressed like any normal American tourist. He wears gray tennis shoes, khaki shorts, a black t-shirt and a green hoodie; with the hood up to mask his face. It’s all on the off chance any League members hide amongst the citizens. He cannot afford to be recognized by anyone; not yet. His look is completed with a camera around his neck and a large black duffle bag at his side.

But unbeknownst to anyone his Robin costume and weaponry hide inside the duffle.

Damian walks through the city in silence making his way to the League compound. The compound sits on the very outskirts of the city on top of a medium-sized and rather rocky mountain. The steps to the compound start at the very bottom of the north-west face and extend to the middle; where the compound sits inside the rock. Despite not having been back in years he stills has a very good memory of the layout of the place. And he knows the one place where his grandfather will most likely be inside.

After climbing the steps Damian enters the compound and slips into an unoccupied washroom. Once inside; he locks the door, opens his duffle bag and changes into his Robin costume. He slings his katana over his shoulder and looks at himself in the mirror and nods approvingly. Then he opens the door and sneaks his way to the basement.

Upon arriving in the basement he hides behind a pillar and watches as his grandfather exits the Lazarus Pit. Once Ra’s attendants leave Damian steps out from behind the pillar, removes his sword from its sheath, and makes his presence known.

“.جد”

Ra’s turns around at the sound of the boy’s voice. He smiles widely and says; “.داميان; حفيدي ,وريت ,دمي”

“.لقد عدت إلى مكانك الصحيح بجانبى”

“عبادتك الاستبدادية. .أنت مخطئ ,جد, أنا لم إلى أي شيء”

The young man’s reply is laced with ice cold threats. A good amount space stands between the two. With his sword at the ready Damian begins to close the gap. Staring his grandfather down, death lurking behind his green eyes, he says; “.لقد جئت لإنقاذ أبي”

But Ra’s ignores his grandson and tries to make small talk. He smiles proudly and says; “.لقد نمت منذ رأيت آخر لك”

“!كنت في الثانية عشرة من العمر آخر مرة شا هدنا فيها بمضنا البعض. وإذا كان يخدم الذاكرة كان ذلك نفسها لك”

Growing tired of the obvious stalling Damian attacks Ra’s. He rushes across the short remainder of the gap and jumps into the air before his grandfather can attack. He flips over the man and expertly lands on his feet. Landing directly behind Ra’s he grabs a hold of the man while he’s caught off guard. With the blade against his grandfather’s throat Damian threateningly whispers. “قل لي أين كنت عقد الأب او انا سوف يقتلك حيت تقف.”

Ra’s laughs.

“كنت تمتقد أنك يمكن آن هز يمة لي الطفل؟”

Ra’s pushes up against the middle of Damian’s sword with all his rejuvenated strength. The force is too much for Damian to handle and the sword flies from his grip.

“يمكن آن يحقق الكثير من المظلمة ,ولك كنت دائما السماح لك القلب الحصول على الطريق.”

“!وتبدو حيث رعاية حطلن لك”

“آه ,ولكن, آنت لا تملم أبدا هل؟”

Ra’s looks up at Damian with a mix of anger and disappointment; “.ليست الحياة حططت لك أن تقودها”

“.آنت تحصل على تقرير مصيري في الحياة”

Standing above Ra’s he swings his sword close enough to his grandfather’s neck to make a thin cut in the skin. “أين أني؟” he demands fiercely.

Ras laughs; ”.انه في حقول القتل"

“.ابن عمك مارا ولقضق شيطان يجب أن تجمل عمل سريع من المبا حث”

Damian leaves Ra’s and runs through the compound to get to Bruce before he’s executed. He had known for a long time that Ra’s planned on using his father’s body as a vessel if the need ever arose. His grandfather, and his mother, never kept their plans a secret from him when he was growing up under their wing. They kept many secrets but their overall plan for him wasn’t one of them. For the longest time Damian believed all the lies they fed him about his and his father’s destiny. And now he knew the truth he no longer believed.

But never once in his life had Damian ever thought that Ra’s would go to such lengths to ensure that he had The Bat’s body on hand.

When he reaches the Killing Field he sees his cousin Mara standing over a beaten and bloodied Batman. She raises her katana to inflict the fatal blow but Damian calls out, screaming, “!الأب” His cry startles the others; forcing them to turn around.

His father also looks but unlike the junior League members Bruce Wayne wears a stern smile on his face.

The four members of Demon’s Fist fight hard and fast; as if their lives depended on it. That’s thanks to all of the League training and whatever bullshit Ra’s fed them. Most likely something along the lines of “Silence is an assassin’s greatest asset.” Whatever he told them they took it to heart and not a single one of them even grunted in pain when they were hurt.

Soon three of the four are down and only Mara is left.

As he fights his cousin Damian remembers when his grandfather first told him about his plans to create the Demon’s Fist. He was only about seven years old but Ra’s told him it was his destiny to be the group’s leader. And that the group of young assassins would help Damian continue to hone the skills he had and would need to stand beside his grandfather.

The loud clash of metal against metal brings Damian’s focus back into the fight.

Pushing his sword against Mara’s identical League-issued katana Damian grits his teeth. While all her focus remains on the blades Damian notices that her stance is slightly off. He swipes at her left leg and knocks her to the ground. But she gets back up almost instantly and the fight begins again. He spins away from her strike just in time to only receive a slight graze. Quickly turning back around to face her he lunges the blade into her arm.

The pain of the wound makes her drop to her knees and she releases her sword.

He picks it up and stabs her in the leg; to ensure that she does not get up.

Once Damian defeats Mara he rushes to his father’s side. Bruce’s face is covered in bruises and cuts. Blood streams down his face from a gash in his forehead. His costume is in tatters and his cowl is nowhere to be seen. Kneeling down next to Bruce he clutches his father’s hand in worry as unwanted tears start to prick at his eyes.

“الأب هل أنت بخير؟”

Bruce ensures his youngest son that he’s fine. But he allows Damian to help him up because if truth be told Bruce was in a great deal of pain and he could not get up on his own. Damian tries to blink away his tears, even bites his lip to distract his emotions with physical pain, but they continue to fall as he whispers; ".كنت جدا نصل من الوقت المناسب"

“.لا باس ابن أنا بخير الآن”

To prove the point Bruce moves out from under Damian's arm. But he limps and winces with each step. The pained grimace on his face is obvious despite his efforts to hide it. Looking over with a worried face Damian asks; "هل أنت المنزل؟"

Bruce shoots Damian a look that tells him to drop it and so he does. They walk out of the Killing Field, and out of the League’s compound, in complete silence. Realizing how scary this must have been for his son Bruce eases up on the stern-dad moment. This wasn’t really the time or the place for him to act like that. And besides, Damian refused to speak a word of English since he rescued him. That alone was enough proof of how afraid and distraught he had been.

He moves closer to his youngest son and wraps his arm around the young man’s shoulders.

".لنذهب إلى المنزل"

~~~ Translations:

Mother.-- آم

Damian, my love.-- داميان حبي

What are you doing here?-- ما الذي تفعله هنا؟

Can’t a mother just want to see her son?-- لا تستطيع الأم فقط أن تري انبها؟

I know you very well, Mother, and I can tell when you are keeping secrets from me.-- أنا أعلم أبك جيدا جدا الأم ويمكني أن أقول عندما كنت الحفاظ على أس دار من لي

Very well.-- معتاز

I need your help, Damian.-- أحتاج مساعدتكم داميان

You look so much like him.-- أنت تبدو كثير

Your father has been abducted.-- تم اختطاف والدك

It’s not true… It can’t be true.-- لا يمكن ان يكون صحيحا …هذا ليس طحيحا

You’re lying!-- !انت تكذب

I’m afraid it is.-- آخسى ذ لك

But don’t worry; I know exactly who did it.-- ولكن لا تقلق أعرف بالضبط من فما ذ لك

Grandfather-- جد

Ra’s-- رآس

Damian; my grandson, my heir, my blood.-- .داميان; حفيدي ,وريت ,دمي

You have returned to your rightful place beside me.-- لقد عدت إلى مكانك الصحيح بجانبى

You are mistaken, Grandfather, I have not returned to anything. Especially your despotic cult.-- أنت مخطئ ,جد, أنا لم إلى أي شيء. خاصة عبادتك الاستبدادية

I have come to save my father.-- لقد جئت لإنقاذ أبي

You have grown since I last saw you.-- .لقد نمت منذ رأيت آخر لك

I was thirteen years old the last time we saw each other. And if memory serves it was because you ordered my own cousin to murder me to prove herself to you!-- !كنت في الثانية عشرة من العمر آخر مرة شا هدنا فيها بمضنا البمض. وإذا كان يخدم الذاكرة كان ذلك نفسها لك

Tell me where you’re holding Father or I will kill you where you stand.--قل لي أين كنت عقد الأب او انا سوف يقتلك حيت تقف

You think you can defeat me, child?-- كنت تمتقد أنك يمكن آن هز يمة لي الطفل؟

You could have achieved so much greatness Damian, but, you always let your heart get in the way. I always taught you that emotions are for the weak. And look where caring got you! Ah, but you never learn do you?--هل يمكن آن يحقق الكثير من المظلمة ,ولكن, كنت دائما السماح لك القلب الحصول على الطريق. وتبدو حيث رعاية حطلن لك! آه ,ولكن, آنت لا تملم أبدا هل؟

This is not the life I planned for you to lead.-- هذه ليست الحياة حططت لك أن تقودها.

You do not get to decide my fate in life.-- آنت تحصل على تقرير مصيري في الحياة

Where is my father?-- أين أني؟

In the Killing Field.-- .انه في حقول القتل

Your cousin Mara and The Demon’s Fist should make quick work of the detective.-- ابن عمك مارا ولقضق شيطان يجب أن تجمل عمل سريع من المبا حث

Father!-- !الأب

Father, are you alright?-- الأب هل أنت بخير؟

I was so afraid I wouldn't arrive in time.-- كنت جدا نصل من الوقت المناسب

It’s okay, son, I’m fine now.-- لا باس ابن أنا بخير الآن

Are you sure you're alright?-- هل أنت المنزل؟

Let's go home.-- لنذهب إلى المنزل