#That day something changed inside Talia

[ghurab-alzilal]

3 y/o Damian: Mama?

Talia: What?

3 y/o Damian, growling : Not you!

*awkward silence *

LoA's Jason: M-me?

3 y/o Damian: Duh?! Come here! Read me a bedtime tale! *takes Jason by the hand and leaves with him *

[fancyfeathers]

Love the mother daughter pair, but not gonna lie, fascinated by the thought of bruce blackmailing reader, and then having to properly try and woo her back essentially. If he really wants a seemingly loving family, he has to know he needs to coax his wife and the mother of his daughter into a better mood and viewpoint. No matter how much blackmail he has, she can start gaining just as much now that she's in his life, and I doubt the daughter will start trusting him properly with the tension between him and her mother. How would bruce coax the mother back? And would Talia actually have an easier time establishing a connection? Could see Bruce feeling jealous of Talia if that was the case. Idk just the tangent my mind ran on, even if that's not the case still love the work

Yandere Batfam w/ Wife/Mother!Darling & Daughter/Sister!Darling Masterlist

The blackmail is practically all there is he does that truly hurts him, and that’s only if she does not agree to his proposal when states his intent of gaining custody of their daughter. But after that comes to pass everything would be perfect for a normal couple, news about their engagement spreads like fire, and the wedding will probably be the social event of the century given how they were engaged once before and now it’s back on. The most perfect white wedding and Bruce treating his darling like the perfect husband.

Their daughter does not know the details of what happened, one moment it’s her and her mama having a perfect life together, traveling the world and being each other’s best friend, and then the next all of that is over, her father is back in her mother’s life and now she has siblings and none of them feel like the family she had with her mama, it feels suffocating and her mama doesn’t seem as bright as she once did.She clings to her mama every single day and is only separated when her attention is dragged away forcefully from her daughter and one of her brothers of father comes right to the littlest one’s side.

His wife does not push any of them away, she lets her husband hold her in the morning hours when they have just woken up and press kisses onto her face, she lets Dick call her mom as he runs up to hug her, she lets Jason help her daughter with her homework even though she asked her for help, she lets Tim take her daughter out to the park even if it’s their mother-daughter day they have, or used to have, every week, she lets Damian sit down by her and lay against her while she reads to her daughter. She will never be happy but she will fake it, she does not want to make a scene and have her daughter see and realize something is wrong and do something herself. She wants her daughter to be happy and have a future, go to university, leave Gotham and go back to what is left of the life they had, parents make sacrifices for their children and she is willing to do everything for her. She plays the game of pretend, acts like the perfect wife and mother and stepmother, stays calm and bites back all the internal rage she has building up inside her.

Honestly it is after every she has been through just for her daughter’s sake is when Talia starts to think a bit more highly of her, she understands the strength it takes to make sacrifices for one’s child. She also knows how possessive and protective they all are of her and her daughter, so meeting her discreetly is the best option. Like at a charity gala and someone accidentally spills something on her dress and has to go to the bathroom to clean up and-

“Hello again.”

She nearly screamed when she turned on the bathroom light and saw Talia’s reflection in the mirror. Talia helps her clean up and change into a new dress all while talking to her about what she has found out. She went from viewing her as Bruce’s house pet, because it was clear their marriage was not equal, to seeing a mother who is willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to take care of her daughter.

But it is during this the question arises and the answer is terrifying…

“What are you going to do if your daughter is just as trapped as you are? What if all you did for her was in vein?”

“I-I….”

“You are far too soft, you will never get what you desire for your daughter while you stay docile, playing the role of a perfect housewife, a house pet…”

“Talia…”

“I should be off now, but do take care of my Damian, he adores you as his stepmother.”

She leaves her alone in the bathroom and she just cries, feeling like a failure of a mother and she she can barely look her daughter in the eye again.

She just lays awake at night with the thoughts of the life she grew up with, she had a golden childhood and all she wanted was that happiness for her own daughter.

After that there is no chance of anyone winning her over, but she will not act out either, she just feels dead inside, like a complete failure of a mother. Her daughter clearly notices something is wrong and while her mother will stay perfectly compliant, her daughter is a completely different story.

The moment she sees her mom loose that shine in her eyes like she had when raising her on her own she knows this is all of their faults, they took her and her mom away from their life they loved and now there is nothing left of the mother who used to teach her to dance at parties, or attend her piano recitals and sat in the front row to applaud the loudest and despite the busy schedule of meetings she had she never missed one, or when her mom who could not help but boast about her daughter’s latest achievements…

Remember she is still her father’s daughter and has a level of determination that should not be tired under pressure.

[w2soneshots]

Oh Haz -W2S

words: 0.8k+

warnings: angst, commitment issues.

summary: Harry freaks out and bolts when you tell him that you love him, so he has to figure out a way to make it up to you.

notes: hello loves! I have a few requests to write but I thought of this fic all by myself🙊 (for once😅). I hope you enjoy!!💘🫶🏼

"So you told him that you love him and he just... left?" Talia asked in disbelief as we ate lunch. I nodded. "What a prick! Did he say anything?" "No. He stuttered for a second then got up off the bed, grabbed his coat and made a b-line for the front door." I replied. Me and Harry have been seeing each other for almost four months now and I've known that I love him for over a month. I decided to wait a little while because I didn't want him to freak out but it seems I should've waited even longer.

That night, after talking things over with Talia, all I could think about was him. Worried in case I'd completely fucked everything up. Eventually I decided that it wasn't my fault. If he wasn't ready to commit after a whole four months then maybe he didn't like me as much as I thought he did. I just wanted him to text me because I wasn't sure what was going on. The last time I spoke to him was the night he left, I've heard nothing since then.

The next day I got up and got ready for work. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, pinned my hair back, applied a little bit of makeup then got dressed into a matching skirt and blazer suit along with tights and some black heels. After quickly eating some breakfast I grabbed my bag and drove to the building in which I work.

The day dragged on and so I couldn't wait to get home, get into my pyjamas, order a takeout and watch some trashy tv. Once I was finally finished I said good night to my boss and headed home.

My heels clicked on the tiled floor as I walked towards the front of my apartment. My brows furrowed as I noticed something on my doorstep. Once I was a close enough I realised what it was. I picked up the bouquet of white flowers then unlocked my apartment door and went inside.

I set the flowers on my kitchen counter and walked into my bedroom to change into some comfy clothes. Once I was finished I took a closer look at the roses. A note was placed inside. I pulled it out then opened it. The note read: "I'm sorry about the other day. Can I make it up to you with dinner tomorrow night? -Harry x" I smiled. He could've just sent me a text but this was way cuter and meant a lot more.

I sent him a quick message: "thank you for the flowers. Do you wanna meet at our usual spot at 7 ish?" He replied quickly, "yeah, that's perfect. See u then." I set my phone down and enjoyed the rest of my night but not before I called Talia to tell her about what had happened in the past twenty minutes and she also thought that the flowers were adorable.

After getting a good sleep I woke up in a great mood. Thankfully it was also my day off so I went to run some errands before I came back and began getting ready for mine and Harry's date. I took a warm shower, took time to do my hair and makeup then slipped into a cute dress that I had brought earlier that day. Once I was finished I left my apartment and drove to the restaurant me and Harry always go to; since we both love it and it's where we had our first date.

I parked my car then headed inside. I was quickly met with a waitress who took me to a quiet table at the back. Harry hadn't arrived yet so I sat patiently on my phone while I waited.

"Hey." I looked up to see Harry. "Hi." I stood to greet him. We shared a quick hug before both sitting down. "How are you?" He asked. "Good. You?" It was awkward, which is what I expected. "I feel awful, you know- because of the other day. I owe you an explanation." He began seriously. I smiled lightly at him since I could tell he was very nervous.

He took a deep breath. "I uh- my last relationship was really fast and it ended quickly as well. I think I freaked out because I um- I didn't want the same thing to happen with us 'cause... I love you, like a lot." He didn't look me in the eyes until he said the last sentence. My features softened. "Oh Haz, I understand. We can take it as slow as you need. And I'm really relieved that you feel the same." I replied.

The mood changed quickly and we enjoyed our night like nothing had even happened. Harry invited me over to his apartment afterwards and as we lay together on his bed, my head rested on his chest and his fingers gently playing with my hair, I felt so happy.

[callsign-dexter]

Love's Wake-Up Call

Request: GREAT NEWS !! Sooo then I'll be the first sending in an idea hehe 🤭🫣 as we all love some angsty shit, I'll think about where she's also a trainer and Tim and her are crushing but he ignores it as he wants to stay professional. But during one dangerous call, she gets there for support and saves his life by taking some bullets and Tim forgets everything professional immediately pleading her to not die until they have a at least one date. Later at the hospital he's there when you wake up and after he lectured you, he finally asks you out?

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Police Officer!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff

Masterlist

For as long as you could remember you had been in love with Tim Bradford. You two went through the academy together and became great friends. With your friendship came along a major crush on your male friend. Tim would never admit it but he was in love with you too but he pushed his feelings down whereas you tried to hide yours but it was too much so they stayed surfaced. Everyone knew that you both had a crush on each other but Tim was just too stubborn to say anything and you didn't want to get rejected. 

Your alarm is what woke you up early in the morning. You sighed and rolled over and turned it off. You laid there for a few minutes until you got the energy to get up. When you did you went into the bathroom and got in the shower and then brushed your teeth getting ready to start the long shift with Tim. Like him you were a training officer and you loved it and wouldn’t change it for the world. You loved the trainee that you had. He was smart, resourceful, loves the law and follows it, and is easy to get along with. His name was Luke Winters and he has a boyfriend but he is planning on proposing to him they also had a kid together.

When you had finished getting ready and packed a bag with extra clothing you set out to the kitchen and made yourself a cup of coffee, after it was done you put it in a thermos and you were off. You walked out of the house and turned back to lock the door. When you made sure it was locked and secure you walked over to your royal blue Jeep and got in and started it. Your Bluetooth automatically connected to the car and started playing music. You smiled and started your journey to work.

It didn’t take long for you to get to work and when you pulled in you saw Tim’s truck and parked next to it smiling. He must’ve just gotten there because he was getting out while you parked. You quickly killed the engine and got out as well. You grabbed your bag “Good morning.” Tim said as you rounded the front of your Jeep.

“Good morning, Tim.” You said and he smiled and you two walked towards the station. 

“Have a good night?” He asked and you nodded.

“I did nothing special. How about you?” You asked

“It was ok. Have any plans for when you’re off?” He asked and you thought about saying something that involved him but refrained from doing so.

“Nope.” You said and he nodded and then he was opening the door for you and you smiled and walked in. 

“Good morning, Officer Bradford and Officer Y/L/N.” The person at the front desk said and you smiled at her and then walked through the doors towards the locker rooms. 

“You know I was thinking after shift maybe we could go and grab something to eat.” You said nervously and he didn’t reply but, on the inside, he was excited but he was at work so he had to keep it professional.

“We’ll see.” He said and then went into the locker room to change leaving you standing there and you frowned but did the same thing. You were quick to change and head into the briefing room. You saw him sitting there talking with Angela and Talia smiling and laughing and that made you smile but it quickly faded when he looked over at you. You turned your gaze away from him and quickly went and sat down next to Angela instead of next to him and he frowned but you didn’t see it. Sergeant Grey walked in and the day began. The Rookies quickly got with their TOs and then everyone was going to get their bags and guns. 

“Are you ok?” Luke asked and you looked at him.

“Yea, I’m ok. Just didn’t have the best night last night.” You said and he nodded.

“It wasn’t the best for us either. Cody got sick in the middle of the night and it was just a huge mess.” Luke said

“Is he ok? Is Dakota staying with him?” You asked as he loaded the bags and guns into the trunk and then shutting it and then getting into the shop.

“Yes, he has a doctor’s appointment today. So, I hope it is alright that I’m on my phone.” He said looking a little nervous.

“Don’t worry about it. I understand. Family comes first.” You said and he smiled.

“Thank you.” He said and you smiled and nodded at him. 

The morning was nothing interesting or eventful but you got all the calls that you needed Luke to get to get him to pass his training. Before you knew it, it was lunch time. You pulled into the usual hang out place for you guys. You had been coming here for as long as you could remember. You pulled up and killed the engine and then the both of you were getting out. “Hey, Officer Y/L/N!” Nolan said and you smiled.

“Good afternoon, Officer Nolan.” You said “You guys having a good morning?” You asked, he nodded.

“Yea, nothing too interesting. How about you both?” He asked and you nodded.

“Pretty much the same thing.” You said and then you all ordered and waited for your food and it was out in no time. You all grabbed yours and headed to the two tables that everyone sat at. 

“Hey guys.” You said and they smiled. A collective of ‘hey’s were said.

“Hello Officer Y/L/N.” Tim said being professional and you smiled but a pang of sadness went through you but you didn’t let it show. Lunch was uneventful and nothing interesting was talked about. You really just wanted to get back out on the road. You weren’t really paying attention to the topic or what was being said just enough to put your input in. Your mind was mostly on Tim and how you would love to be with him but he doesn’t seem to act like he cares or likes you. A call came in and you answered it.

“Officer Winters! Let’s go!” You yelled out and Luke was up and out of this seat and heading towards you and the shop. You threw away your trash and so did he. What you didn’t see was Tim looking at you with eyes that only screamed love but you didn’t even give him a glance as you pulled out of the parking lot. 

“You love her, don’t you?” Angela asked with a smirk and he looked over at her.

“No.” He said with a higher pitched voice.

“Oh, you do! You can’t deny it.” Talia said and he rolled his eyes and then a call came in and he was quick to jump to it and calling Lucy over and they were off.

“He is so in love.” Angela said and the girls nodded.

“Yes, he is and so is she.” Talia said and they nodded.

“We knew she was in love because she doesn’t hold it back and because we have a discussion about it. He just needs to come to his senses.” Angela said and Talia nodded.

“I have a feeling he will get that chance soon.” Talia said boy did they know she was right.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

While your call was quick and simple you were now driving around looking for anything suspicious. Luke was multitasking looking out and on his phone. “Everything ok?” You asked him and he looked up sheepishly nodded.

“Cody has the flu and a double ear infection.” Luke said

“Oh no. Do you need to go home?” You asked and he shook his head.

“No, I asked Dakota and he said no and to finish up the shift.” He said and you smiled and nodded. It was silent for a few more minutes until the radio went off and it was Tim’s voice.

“7-Adam-19 requesting back up.” Tim said and you nodded at Luke who was looking at you.

“7- Adam-20 responding.” Luke said and you were off to their location. Your lights and sirens were flashing and that helped clear the road and you were there in no time. When Tim heard that you were responding his heart sank but he didn’t let it show he was keeping it professional. 

You got there and quickly parked, shutting the sirens off and both you and Luke were jumping out and heading over to Lucy and Tim. “What’s going on?” You asked, trying not to show how happy you were with standing so close to him.

“We got here about 20 minutes ago due to a call of disturbance and at first everything was going smoothly and then he started to get agitated. He has not barricaded himself in his house and won’t come out.” Lucy said and you nodded.

“What is the plan?” You asked

“Initially we were going to just storm in there but he pulled out a gun and started to become a danger to himself and others around him.” Tim said and you nodded. 

“Have you tried to talk to him again?” You asked and he shook his head.

“No, we figured he wouldn’t want to talk to us.” Lucy said and you nodded.

“Ok, we’ll go try. Maybe a new set of people will help.” You said and they nodded. You and Luke started your way up to the house. You and Luke got up to the door and knocked on the door “Mr. Duncan, I’m Officer Y/L/N and I have Officer Winters with me. Would you please come to the door and we can talk about this?” You asked.

“Are the other officers gone?” He asked and you looked at Luke and he nodded.

“Yes, they are.” You said, you hated lying but it was the only way to hopefully get him out. There was a sound of shouting and things being knocked over and then the door started to unlock and it slowly opened and you took a quick look back at Tim and saw him smile but it was small. “Good afternoon, Mr. Duncan. We were called here for a disturbance.” You said he walked outside “Can you come out further onto the grass?” You asked and he hesitated but nodded and did so. 

“I don't know why you guys are here. I wasn’t even playing my music too loud and the screaming was from a movie.” He said and you nodded trying to keep him on his good side. Nothing seemed dangerous but you knew that could quickly change in a heartbeat. You looked him over and then noticed his bloody knuckles.

“Sir, are you ok? Is someone in the house with you?” You asked and he shook his head getting defensive.

“No, it’s just me. I got mad earlier and punched the wall.” He said but you noticed the scratches on his neck. Just then a woman came running out.

“Help me! He has kidnapped me!” She yelled and before she could get to you, he had grabbed her and brought out a gun putting it at her head. You drew your gun and so did the others. He slowly backed up and that gave you and Luke time to back up until you were with Tim and Lucy. 

“What is your plan?” You asked

“Call for back-up.” Tim said and you nodded and then started for your radio in your car but the sound of a gun went off and you froze. You looked up and saw that Duncan had turned to point the gun at the 4 of you. 

“Don’t you move!” He shouted and you brought your hands up in surrender. You needed to get to the radio. You slowly started to back up again and he sent a warning shot your way but it had grazed you and you hissed and that got Tim’s attention. “Don’t move!” He yelled out.

Tim looked over at you and noticed the blood “Are you ok?” He asked and you nodded.

“Yea, I’m good.” You said and then something clicked in Duncan’s mind and he started to shoot off bullets and that caused you to fire back. Gunfire was becoming more frequent and that was concerning. Shop doors were opened and everyone was ducking behind them. “Are you good?” You asked Tim and he didn’t respond but he stood up and shot off a shot and then ducked down again.

“Yea, I’m good. I’m gonna move to get better access.” He said and you nodded.

“I’m going with you.” You said and he looked at you.

“No.” He said and you looked at him.

“This is not up for discussion.” You said and he groaned but started the move. You kept an eye on Duncan and as you started to move, he saw you and aimed his gun at you and Tim, he was right in the crossfire and you couldn’t have him getting shot. “Tim!” You shouted when you saw Duncan pull the trigger and pushed him out of the way. The bullet connected with your neck and then another shot popped off and it had entered your chest right below your ribcage and you froze. Gun fire ceased and Duncan was taken down and the woman was saved but now you were standing there shell shocked. Tim had gotten up and his eyes widened. 

“Y/N.” He said, stunned and you looked over at him and then your knees buckled. “No no no no.” He said and then moved to grab you as you slowly fell.

“Tim-” You started but he cut you off. 

“Don’t try to talk. Save your energy.” He said and you coughed and some blood came up with it. He reached for his radio with his bloody hand “Shots fired; shots fired. Officer down, I repeat officer down.” He said into his radio. You felt your eyes start to close and he noticed this and put his hand back on the bleeding shoulder wound. “Hey hey keep those eyes open. You can’t die. I still need to take you on our first date.” He said and that would’ve surprised you if you weren’t losing blood and fighting for your life. Lucy and Luke had arrested the man and saved the woman.

 By now more units were arriving and that meant Angela, Jackson, Taila, and Nolan were showing up. They rushed over to you and Tim “What can we do?” Nolan asked.

“Make room for the ambulance and get them over her fast.” Tim said looking at him, he nodded and was off and looked back down at you and noticed your eyes were closed. “Hey, Y/N. Open those eyes for me.” He said and got no response. He could feel your pulse on your neck but it was slow and that worried him. “You can’t do this to me.” He said. 

The ambulance was quick to get there and made their way over to you and got you up on the stretcher and moved to the ambulance. He moved with them and got in and nobody argued with him. Once everyone was in, they were off heading to the hospital. He was beating himself up for hiding his feelings for you and not making them known earlier because now he was here with you as you were fighting for your life. They arrived at the hospital in no time and they were rushing you back and away from him. He went and sat in the waiting room to wait. He doesn’t know how long he was sitting there but Angela, Jackson, Talia, Nolan, Luke, and Lucy all showed up. “Any news?” Lucy asked and he shook his head.

“No.” He said looking down at his bloodied hands, bloodied with your blood.

“How long since they took her back?” Luke worried for his TO and his friend.

“30 minutes.” He said and they nodded and everyone sat down waiting for good news. 14 minutes and Grace was coming out with bloodied scrubs and Tim was the first one up. “How is she?” He asked not to hold back his emotions.

“She’s pulled through.” She said and everyone sighed in relief “However we did lose her 2 times on the operating table but got her back each time. I want to keep her under for a few days to let her rest.” She said and everyone nodded.

“Are we able to see her?” Angela asked and she nodded.

“Right this way.” She said and they followed her. When they got to your room, they could see all the wires connected to you and that you were sleeping. “Anything happens, let me know.” She said and they nodded. Tim was the first one to move and sit down next to you. Wade had also shown up at some point and walked into the room and his heart sank, you were like a daughter to him and you actually cared for him, he hated seeing you like this. Nothing was said between them and that was ok. Although the others wanted to stay, they knew they couldn’t and they went back to work but Tim protested and wasn’t going to leave your side. Wade wasn’t going to fight him on it so he allowed him to stay. When their shift was over Luke had come back with your bag and Tim’s bag. Tim thanked him and they sat there talking for a little bit about you and then Luke had to leave. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Tim hated waiting. You shouldn’t be lying there connected to all the wires fighting for your life. If he hadn’t moved then you wouldn’t be in this situation and he hated that. It was leading into day 6 and you had yet to wake up and it was driving him mad. He barely moved, he only moved when he needed to eat, sometimes he didn’t do that unless it was someone bringing it to him, and he only took a shower at the hospital and brushed his teeth there. Grace and Gio were in and out checking on you and your wounds, they had taken you off sedation and now it was up to you. 

10 days and you were still asleep and it was driving Tim mad. He kept thinking about that it was all his fault for moving and not making you stay. He was thinking about how stupid it was that he didn’t tell you how he really felt about you. Really, he was just beating himself up. He needed you to wake up so he could tell you that he was in love with you and that he wanted to be with you and only you.

It was during the night and he was sleeping when you started to wake up. You first opened your eyes and the room was darkened so it was easy on your eyes and then you felt a warm hand in yours and you looked down and saw it was connected to the man you loved, then the pain hit and you tensed up. Tim must’ve felt you tense up because he was jolting awake and scooting his chair back. “Y/N.” He said your name and you were breathing through the pain. After it passed you opened your eyes and looked at him.

“Tim?” You said in a hoarse voice “What?” You said but couldn’t get anything else out.

“You were shot covering me. What were you thinking? I told you not and yet you still did. Do you know how stupid that was? You were shot twice and almost didn’t make it. You know how heartbroken I would’ve been if you hadn’t had made it? I was kneeling there watching the love of my life slowly slipping away from me. You’ve been here for 2 weeks and those 2 weeks have been so painful and nerve wracking for me. If it weren’t for the others bringing food or had brought our bags I wouldn’t have moved from that spot. I was so scared that you weren’t going to make it.” He said coming to the end of his speech. You just stared at him and a smile crept up to your face. “What are you smiling about?” He asked, trying to stay mad.

“You love me?” You asked and he rolled his eyes.

“All of that lecturing and that is what you take away from this?” He asked but an actual smile appeared on his face. “Yes, I love you. As soon as you're out of here and feeling up to it, would you like to go on a date with me?” He asked.

“Yes, I would love that.” You said and smiled and leaned down and kissed your forehead.

“Good.” He said when he pulled away “I’m going to go and get Grace and Gio.” He added and started to get up.

“Oh, and Tim?” You said and that had him stopping and looking at you with a raised eyebrow. “I love you too.” You said and that made him smile and walk back over and kissed you on the lips and you returned it. When he pulled away, he brought his hand gently up to your face and caressed it.

“I love you too. I’ll be right back.” He said and you nodded and he left. You brought your hand up to where his hand was and smiled. You both loved each other and this was going to be a wonderful start to a wonderful relationship and you couldn’t wait and neither could Tim. All it took was for you to get shot, of course that sucked but you got the man you loved and you couldn’t be any happier. 

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[laufire]

I listened to "Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome" for the second time; it's an audio drama from 1989 and here are some Jason mentions in it that make me want to chew glass:

Barbara: I could try to tap into his computer... it may still have my voice print on file, unless he trashed it when the Joker put me in this chair Gordon: Now Batman may seem a cold-hearted son of a gun, but I don't think he'd ever erase Batgirl from his files. Barbara (whispering): Yeah, I wonder... he's tried hard enough to forget Jason.

//

Dick: Jason's left him a hell of a legacy. First he throws himself into his work with a suicidal intensity, and now he's- he's planning to quit? Alfred: Um, Master Dick... Nobody knows that anything has happened to Robin. You know- I often think back to the sight of you both leaving to go on patrol- Dick: No! Never again! Alfred: He always seemed happier with you... Dick: Things are different now. I can't make this a fairy tale with a happy ending. Even if I came back, would that wipe away the pain of what happened to Jason? I can't change what's happened, and now that I've got my independence, I'm not sure I want to.

//

Bruce: Happiness isn't what I seek. Gotham city is where I belong! Where I'm needed! Maybe Jason was the only one who really understood that. Talia: Jason? The other boy who worked with you? The second Robin? Bruce: He knew Gotham city the way I do. He was a petty thief; he used to hang around here stealing the wheels off cars. On the day I met him, he was trying to boost the tires of mine. He'd been orphaned, like me. But whereas my parents' money shielded me from starvation, he had to live by his wits. I knew if I left him here I'd find myself running him in later on for something more serious... so I took him back with me, gave him a home, trained him the way I trained Dick Grayson... seemed logical. Nobody had guessed the original Batman-Robin team split up. Once Dick left to go to college, we drifted apart. Then Jason came along. He was young, fit, eager to learn... and apt student. For a while it was as if I'd never been without a Robin. But there were undercurrents; he had a dangerous amount of aggression to work off, he became moody, resentful, reckless! I began to realize I'd made a mistake. (flashback) Alfred: I've noticed some disquieting things about Master Jason myself. The lad never mentions his parents, yet I've come across him crying over his old photographs. Being your partner is hardly the best situation for a teenager still adjusting to such a loss. Bruce: Then I must try and rectify the situation. Jason's going off active duty immediately. Jason: And I don't have a word to say about it, huh? Bruce: How long have you been hiding there, Jason? Jason: You can't be serious about this! Bruce: I am. You've got a lot of anger and pain inside of you. Jason: I can handle it. Bruce: We can work this out. Jason: You want to talk? Talk to Alfred. (end flashback) Talia: The poor child... and both parents long dead... Bruce: So I thought. But then Jason discovered that his late father had remarried. His real mother was still alive. He used the computer to track her down, and set off after her, alone. He never thought she might be involved with the Joker; never guessed it might be a trap. By the time I got to him, I'd lost him. He was beaten half to death and then blown up trying to save his mother's life. Talia: You mustn't blame yourself. Bruce: He'd still be alive to day if I'd left him where I found him! In Crime Alley... Talia: How can you say that? You saved his life, my love. You delivered him. Bruce: I delivered him- right into the hands of the Joker. I've got to pay for that.

enjoy :)))

[necrotic-nephilim]

I think what I love the most about Reverse Robin AU TimJay is the absolute potential for hero worship with Jason toward Tim. In canon we often forget that Tim didn't really care for Jason as Robin, meanwhile as I never shut up about, Jason has been weirdly respecting and obsessed with Tim since finding out about Tim's existence. So if you flip their order, make Tim Red Hood and make Jason Red Robin, there's so much room for hero worship from Jason.

As Robin, Jason has always teetered that edge of being pro-murder or not. Whether you believe he killed Felipe or not, even in his Post-Crisis introduction as Robin, he almost kills Two Face. Those concepts of lethal justice have always been brewing inside him, just reigned in by Bruce. So if you have Robin!Jason witnessing Red Hood!Tim start killing people and quickly making noticeable change in the landscape of gangs in Gotham, Jason would take quick notice. I think Tim as Red Hood would still be lethal, but there'd be a different application than Jason's Red Hood. Heads in duffle bags isn't Tim's style, even if he kills. I think you'd see something much more akin to that time Tim almost killed Boomerang, where it's such an elaborately thought out set up, it realistically doesn't even look like Tim killed anyone. It'd take months for Bruce to connect this string of deaths as anything other than coincidental, let alone link them to Red Hood. And Jason is wickedly smart, even as Robin. Jason, putting those pieces together before Bruce does and witnessing the undeniable positive change for Gotham it's enacting? Robin!Jason would be incredibly drawn in by that, and then even more-so, a Red Robin!Jason who has to grapple with being replaced to make room for the next Robin would I think, in anger, turn to Red Hood. And Tim would push him away at first, his plans don't have room for a scorned teenager who's trying to get back at Bruce and Nightwing!Damian like this- but I think Jason would wear him down. Prove to Tim that Jason can think on his wavelength.

Slightly related, what interests me about Red Hood!Tim is how it'd implicate his closeness to Ra's. Jason is taken into the League by Talia in Lost Days and Ra's doesn't necessarily approve of Jason's presence, especially not of Talia dunking him in the Pit, but Ra's has always canonically been A Little Weird about Tim. I think in a world Tim dies as the second Robin, it would be Ra's who dunks Tim to preserve his mind that Ra's thinks shouldn't be wasted, and you have the potential for 'apprentice of Ra's' Tim wrapped up in it all, even without him experience the Red Robin arc. So when it's Jason as Red Robin, instead of him going to Ra's when he's scorned by the Batfamily, he goes to Tim. The person he once idolized, because I think Tim would've been Jason's Robin. Smart, competent, a strong legacy to live up to. And now he's back, and he's pro-killing, an edge that Jason has always teetered on and would feel even closer to when he's replaced by a young Dick. I think Tim wouldn't ever be able to get rid of Jason.

Then on Tim's side, I think his reaction to being replaced after his death would be a complicated one. Objectively, being the Robin who believes Batman needs a Robin, he'd respect the logic and know Bruce was always going to replace him eventually. But still, there's always going to be that instinctual emotional reaction of betrayal and replacement. I think he'd view Jason at first with anger and distance, but then, seeing Jason as this street kid with begrudging potential, I could see Red Hood!Tim testing Jason. Constantly throwing things at Jason, seeing how he reacts, if he lives up to being Robin. Tim has a need for analyzing people, understanding their strengths and weaknesses. And he seems the Robin mantle very uniquely, he'd need to have it proven to him that Jason can handle it.

So you would have this dynamic of Jason hero worshipping Tim, slowly believing in Tim's methodology. While Tim is at first dismissive of him, but then starts to test him, see what makes this kid tick. And I think the TimJay potential of Jason trying to prove himself to Tim could be Neat.

[unadulteratedsoulsweets]

A DC X DP IDEA#10 Their Humanity

Imagine dis…

It is always Talia, Damian, and Ra hiding the fact that either they have another child of Batman that died due to the fight to the death between siblings. It is always either Danny faking or is at the edge of death to escape the League. But what if in this universe it is quite the opposite?

…

It came as a surprise to Talia that she had just given birth to twins, with her Father on her side exclaiming that they were blessed to have the Al Ghul have twin heirs.

The midwife first presented the first newborn as well as the one to come out first. Tan skin as well emerald green eyes and a mop of spiky hair on top of his head are what they saw naming him Damian as the firstborn as well the future Demon Head. Crying and screaming his heart out, Ra deemed him worthy enough of being the heir.

But the moment the two laid their eyes on the second child made them feel that their heart had just beaten.

The second one was not crying just sleeping quietly and peacefully, light skin and blue eyes are what had greeted them, and with bated breath, they look intently at the second born.

With wide eyes, Talia named the child Danyal in the quietest and softest voice she could muster. Her Father, on the other hand, his eyes stayed on his 2nd grandson as something foreign and unknown inside him stirred, something warm that he could not describe the sensation. Carefully reaching out his hand to take a good look at the boy’s face, Talia would have never thought in her life but her maternal instincts are now screaming at her to protect Danyal from her own father if he ever dares to harm the boy which confuses her, as in her entire life there had been not a single moment of such frivolous emotions arise, not even when she seduced Batman for the sake of creating the ultimate heir yet here she was, still weak after literal moments after giving birth add to the fact she felt indifference to her firstborn so what made Danyal special to the point she was ready to fight her Father for Danyal’s safety?

Ra didn’t comment when he saw the rigid form of Talia and continued reaching out to the newborn. Now take note that he had taken multiple bathes using the pits, also it is a well-known fact that babies tend to know things or even read the mood. Babies are also known as the most innocent creatures on this planet aside for toddlers and kids, so when Ra reached towards Danyal he had expected the child to be scared and start crying but his grandson who was merely minutes born did the impossible.

Danyal had reached out, gave the tinniest grip a newborn could do, and giggled as if he already knew that whoever that man is, he just knew that he felt safe just by being around him.

Ra widened his eyes at the action and merely hummed in approval or dismissal Talia never knew.

But that day whether they knew or not the world the of cruelest assassins who wouldn’t bat an eye whether they kill children and newborns for the sake of their cause had just their world had just been shifted towards this newborn.

…

During the early years of both children, the League had changed to something of the past Ra would rather die or even commit seppuku than see the changes in the League.

Ra and Talia both interacted with Danyal, using the milk that was produced from her very own body to nourish Danyal while Damián was in the care of his wet nurses.

Ra would look question at the tiny infant, does this child possess some sort of meta ability that made him likable?

Unlikely, the number of tests that the child had to face to ensure his health reveals no gene or mutation of any sort.

Talia would express a foreign expression to her and those around her every time she interacted with Danyal, every time he smiles, giggled, cooed, and laughs she felt lighter and happy. On the other hand, every time Danyal cries or even has even the lightest traces of being upset she would immediately gets rid of the source.

Ra would very often come to the twin’s chambers to observe Danyal, and every time he would take a brief visit Danyal would immediately stir awake and try to reach out to his grandfather.

Each time Ra would leave with unclear thoughts and mind as he still has that current yet foreign feeling in his chest.

Each time that Ra would leave the chambers Danyal would always steal a small piece of the cold man’s heart.

Until one day those walls that were built using the strongest materials that surround their Icey cold hearts, slowly crumble and melt at the mention of Danyal

New toys, new robes that were made with the finest silks, and gifts that were made for a king were all presented and gifted to Danyal who was barely a month old and barely able to hold his own head on his own.

…

Growing up Damian had noticed the amount of personal attention his younger brother has received through his grandfather and mother. For someone who had done the League’s utilization of basic forms at a young age under the tillage from his personal trainers. Danyal on the other hand was a bit of a slow learner, he was not born to be an assassin a thought that passed his mind.

Damian witnessed the acknowledgment and praise that came from both his grandfather and mother when Danyal had perfected a certain form that he had already perfected a month prior.

At first, Damian is bewildered at the amount of attention and personal gifts that were given to his younger brother.

Is he not the heir of the League? Is he not the first-born grandson of the Demon Head?

At first, he held anger and resentment towards Danyal in his mind he is a competition for the privilege of being trained personally by the two greatest warriors in the League.

Even though he had vocally and physically informed Danyal his displeasure towards him didn’t deter Danyal from him from training with him, fighting alongside him, looking at the stars with him, and creating a bond with him. To the point that Danyal had dragged Damian to a private training session with the attendance of the two people whom Damian had respected.

As he progressed alongside his younger brother, he finally learned why he was cherished and treasured.

Danyal is fresh cool water in the desert sands and scorching sun that surrounds the Nanda Parbat.

That day he swore to protect Danyal from the harms of the world to the point that the majority of his kills are either child rapes, or child abusers in any shape or form as he alongside his grandfather and mother that together they will make a world a better place for Danyal.

…

All but one person held annoyance and offense towards the unofficial prince of the League, Deathstroke, a few months before turns to be a defect to the League, he had originally planned to plant bombs around the base to be blown sky high but all of his plans went to the drain when Danyal Al Ghul had confronted him ad disabled the bombs he spent months to place in places that no one would ever think off.

Deathstroke admit it, he thought that Danyal Al Ghul is nothing but a sheltered spoilt prince but clearly the skills he had shown to Deathstroke to the point he Deathstroke was very impressed at the raw skill and talent this boy held at the mere age of 7 made him almost feel guilty, almost.

Deathstroke is a grown man with 10 years of experience in his belt, he easily overpowered the child after dealing with countless injuries that he had obtained when fighting the child.

Grabbing Danyal by the neck, he ponders what would he do to the child when Ra Al Ghul alongside his daughter and grandson with plenty of assassins behind his back looks enraged at the mere scene before him.

Deathstroke pondered at his predicament he could escape but he needed a distraction, looking down below he saw the glowing green waters of the Lazarus pits.

Letting go of the unconscious child he watched gleefully under his mask as he watched the unaltered horror etched on each Al Ghul's faces as they watch Danyal fall towards the pits.

…

It will be fine Ra assured himself, with his little side project of Jason Todd, he raised the teen from the dead using the pits, he had also used the pits to ensure his longevity.

But when Danyal hadn’t reached out to the edges of the pool he began to think the unimaginable.

Damian his first grandson at the very edges of the pits looking for any signs of his brother, Talia barking orders to the rest of the assassins to look for the prince.

Minutes turned into hours as Danyal hadn’t reached the surface.

That day something inside of all of them died as anger, resentment, grief, and depression at the mere fact that Danyal Al Ghul is no longer with them.

…

Danny had always known that he wasn’t the son of Jack and Maddie Fenton, he knew that the Lazarus pits had somehow transported him to an alternate dimension, those nightmares that his “sister” and “parents” used to tell him that was only a figment of imagination were his memories, using the skills he had learned he searched for any whispers of the league or even his father but so far his search led him to an unknown dimension.

Clinging to only the memories he had to ground him, to remember himself that they are waiting for him.

Pretending to have amnesia and acting to be a scared little boy who was abandoned in the forest was easier as of now he needed to make a new identity. On the papers, he was named Daniel Fenton, a shy and quiet young boy who was found in the middle of the forest suffering from multiple injuries, hypothermia, and amnesia.

The only reason he had picked the Fenton’s as his fosters is due to the fact that they have an advanced and unrestricted vault of weapons as well their studies are well aligned at the Lazarus pits.

Pretending to be a meek boy who was bullied by a larger child, who was best friends with two of the natural outcasts in the population as well sabotaging his own grades in order to remain unseen or normal.

Dying at the age of 10 was not even part of the plan, he had read that children who are about to enter their teen years are doing something childish or even stupid. Nor becoming alive once again or even becoming a vigilante like his father, even getting attached to his supposed friends as well as sister to the point he would rather die for the second time than see them hurt.

When he became the crowned prince of the Infinite Realms, he had ordered all of the ghosts and rogues to stay in the Realms as it was getting dangerous for all ghosts as the GIW and the Fenton’s have not only doubled their efforts as well became more brutal in terms of handling ghosts.

At the age of 13 there we see Danny running toward the Infinite Realms all bloody and injured. Jack and Maddie had found out and they were in the middle of dissecting him when his two best friends and the woman whom he is proud to call his sister all to burst into a hidden GIW location which is where he is being held and practically all of them prepared to lay their lives for him. All three of them not only rescued him but also destroyed all research and weapons they possibly have about the Infinite Realms.

As he was trying to create a portal a natural portal randomly opened in front of him, leaving no choice he immediately jumped.

…

It had been 6 years since Danyal had died, during this time the previous 10-year-old Damian Al Ghul was introduced and stayed with his father who was Batman in Gotham.

Ra Al Ghul had been revived secretly and started to rebuild the League. Talia had finally captured Slade and finally slit the man’s throat after hours of continuous torture.

Ra along with Talia was looking somberly at the pits as this was the final resting place of Danyal, as it has been years since the pits had taken and had not returned the body of Danyal.

Suddenly the pits started to glow brighter and brighter unable to stand the brightness both Ra and Talia covered their eyes. The moment they take a moment to discern what made the pits reacts like that, a loud splash was heard around the cave.

Talia just needed a second to see who dared to use the pits to suddenly see herself swimming to retrieve what had just disturbed the pits.

The moment she reached the shores she didn’t dare to wish for, there she is, cradling a 13-year-old bloodied and injured version of Danyal.

Disbelief is written on the faces of the Al Ghul’s, Ra didn’t want to be taken advantage of and immediately requested a DNA test that came back positive.

Relief and happiness flowed like air to the two Al Ghuls.

Thus, the journey of healing and family.

…

It has been months since Damian had started to act differently Bruce thought.

His 13-year-old son started to go out more in the guise of spending time with his siblings, but when the said siblings denied ever spending time with Damian made him worry. According to the parenting books he had found online, teens especially Damian’s age tend to be more rebellious to find the place where they belong.

This prompted them to follow him when he had requested to have a week out of town with a “sibling”, Batman along with Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin is following Damian in his civilian clothing to an expensive hotel and resort surrounded by the desert sun.

As they were going around inside the said resort and hotel, they saw Ra and Talia Al Ghul which made them immediately on the defensive as they start to wonder over the comms what could the hotel or this resort has that warranted the attention of the two deadly assassins.

As they hide in the shadows, they saw a child collide with Ra, they were almost afraid of what Ra would have done but what Ra have done made them drop their respective jaws.

Ra just smiled, SMILED, the assassin that even Batman has trouble defeating as well as holding the title of the cruelest assassin in the world, smiled, and hugged the child.

Looking closely, they swore they saw a mini Bruce in that teen. Blue eyes with a mop of black hair that rests on top of the teen's head.

Another clone? Was an immediate conclusion up until they saw Talia approach the pair with a soft smile, as the child ran up to Talia screaming mother.

Damian who entered alongside Talia, didn’t seem to bother by the supposed clone, the Batfam knew his deep hatred towards clones, so when Damian just looked at the teen with soft eyes made them fear the worse.

Damian was being blackmailed by the League or else their new brother might just suffer the consequence of refusing.

Batman was distraught about another child that has hidden from him and was right now being held against his will, Red Hood exclaimed that he was sure he saw the Demons spawn with blue eyes not green.

Now they fight about who has the rightful custody of Danyal Al Ghul Wayne.

…

PS: If someone out there wants to continue or make a fic about this you are free to do so don’t forget to tag me though.

[sykesandskittles]

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER ONE

Harlow

Sometimes I feel cursed.

Okay, well, not cursed exactly. But I’ve had my share of challenges in the nineteen years I’ve been on this planet. Well-meaning people—usually adults—have always told me to be thankful for my hardships. It makes you stronger. More capable. Independent.

I wish all that were true. Really, the events that have shaped my life just settle like silt inside me, tainting every thought, every action. Until I’m convinced misfortune has been braided into my DNA.

Generational trauma, isn’t that what they call it?

I dig my toes into the wet sand and look out at the Pacific Ocean. It’s hard to feel cursed here, though. Malibu is a magical place, soaked in sunshine, with a surprising small-town feel. But its best quality is how far it is from Fresno. From home. From the events of last year.

The sharp wind whips through my hair and stings my cheeks. My best friend, Talia, and I wandered down to the beach hours ago after we’d unpacked our boxes and set up our dorm rooms.

Talia called me crazy when I waded into the frigid water, dunking my head under the salty waves like some kind of baptism. Maybe it was a type of cleansing. The ghosts of my past washing away with the tide.

If only forgetting were so easy.

“Hey, look what I found!”

I turn to see Talia walk up to me with something cradled in her palm. It’s a piece of green sea glass. “It was probably a beer bottle or something originally.”

Picking it up, I angle it toward the fading sunlight, looking at it from different angles, admiring its beauty. The power of the ocean is wild—transforming an ordinary beer bottle into something so beautiful. I wonder if it has the power to transform me, too. “What are you going to do with it?”

Talia shrugs. “Turn it into a necklace or something, maybe.”

Another gust of ocean Taliaze whips through me, and my teeth start chattering. “It’s almost sunset. We should head back to the residence hall.”

Exeter University West—one of the West Coast's most prestigious colleges—is right on the beach. When Talia and I applied last year, it was a long shot. A pipe dream. We both have decent grades, but nothing spectacular. So, months later, when we were both accepted, it felt like a miracle. Then when I scored a full scholarship, I finally started to believe my luck was changing.

Exeter is the escape I’ve been desperate for. A fresh start.

I look down the length of the beach and see a huge Victorian mansion perched on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. I noticed it when we first got to campus a couple of days ago. It’s hard to miss. The giant Gothic structure is painted a dark, crimson red with navy blue trim, and ornate woodwork that makes it look out of place on a modern college campus. I was probably here first, though, and the university just encroached gradually until the house and grounds were consumed by the sprawling campus.

It’s a creepy-looking house, though. No lie.

“Our residence hall is right on the other side of that weird house,” I say.

“Okay, let’s go,” Talia says, her bottom lip quivering. “I’m turning into a brine-flavored popsicle.”

The sharp wind continues to cut through us as we walk along the sand, getting dark quickly, and we’re two girls walking alone, so I’m on full alert—glancing behind us, my hand resting on the small stun gun tucked into my front pocket.

But the beach is empty—which is surprising, considering the amount of students on campus. It rained a little earlier, and it’s freezing, so maybe that’s why no one is here. But cold or not, there would still be a couple of people out here, at least, right?

“Slow down,” Talia pouts. “Your legs are longer than mine.”

I pause so she can catch up. “Have you noticed there’s no one else out here? That’s weird, right? I mean, it’s cold, but it’s not that cold.”

“There are people out here,” she says, pointing ahead. I squint, and sure enough, there’s a fire burning about half a mile in the distance, on the beach directly below the creepy house. I don’t know how I missed that, but to be fair, the beach isn’t straight—there’s a shrub-capped berm in the way, and the fire is partially hidden behind that.

“Oh, yeah, huh.”

Talia shakes her head and continues walking. “You are so blind. I keep telling you to go to the eye doctor.”

“I’m not blind.”

“Oh, really?” she says. “So when you walked up to that girl back in high school and started telling her off because you thought she was Veronica?”

I frown, trudging after Talia in the sand. Now it’s me trying to keep up with her. “Okay, but in my defense, they could be twins. I’d like to see the DNA report on those two.”

Talia stops and rolls her eyes at me. “The girl you accosted was three inches shorter than Veronica, and has glasses—which you also need.”

I blow out a breath. “Details. Whatever.”

With a scoff, Talia turns back around and we both keep walking. The beach narrows as we approach the fire, so we have to climb over the berm to get to the other side. It’s rough, and the shrubs are spiny, but we manage to make it down the other side.

“I’m remembering why we didn’t come this way originally,” Talia says. “The sidewalk was a lot easier.”

The sidewalk also dips between several university buildings, and in the dark, there’s no way I’m taking that route. I don’t want to say that, though, so I just shrug. “This way is shorter.”

Talia just pushes out a frustrated breath.

The closer we get to the fire, though, it becomes clear that something is sketchy. There are several people, all wearing robes with hoods, gathered in a half-circle around the fire, facing the ocean, chanting something.

Chanting.

What the…?

I reach out and grab Talia, pulling her back into a crouching position. We had to walk up and over, so we’re somewhat concealed by the random tufts of brush, but not entirely. And we’re only about thirty feet away, but thankfully, I don’t think we’ve been seen.

“Holy shit,” Talia whispers.

I blink rapidly to try and see through the murky twilight. There’s one guy, drenched, and completely naked, cupping his family jewels, shivering in front of the cloaked group.

“What are they doing?” I ask my tone low.

“It could be a frat, but the robes are weird. I think this is the Society of the Burning Crown,” Talia says with a note of awe in her voice.

I swallow. “What is that? Please tell me it’s a chess club or something.”

“Does this look like a chess club?” Talia hisses. She grabs my hand and pulls me forward, but I dig my heels into the sand. “Come on, we need to get closer.”

Closer? Is she insane? “Oh, fuck, no. Whatever this is, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

She manages to drag me several feet forward, but only because fighting her could draw attention to us. So far, we’ve managed to go unnoticed, and I’d like to keep it that way.

We crouch down again, and I try to quiet my breathing. It’s not likely they can hear anything over the roaring ocean, or their weird chanting, but I’m not taking any chances. If I could stop breathing altogether, I would.

Someone from the half-circle approaches the fire. I can’t see their faces, but I’m guessing by the person’s size, and broad shoulders, it’s a guy—and he’s probably the leader. He has a long, metal-looking rod in his hand that he shoves into the fire.

“Okay, we’ve seen enough,” I whisper. “Let’s go.”

Talia just waves me off, her gaze fixed on the odd ritual in front of us. Whatever this is, I get the distinct idea that Talia and I aren’t supposed to be witnessing it. And I would love to honor that.

The chanting continues for a couple of minutes, then Lead Guy approaches Naked Guy and says something to him that I can’t hear. Whatever he says is swallowed by the sound of the roaring ocean.

In response to what was said, Naked Guy nods once, then turns to face the ocean, and falls to his knees. His shoulders curl forward, exposing the length of his spine, and I watch as his thin frame vibrates violently against the cold.

Lead Guy takes another step forward, his hand jutting out like a surgeon silently requesting his scalpel. Someone from the circle removes the rod from the fire and places it in Lead Guy’s outstretched hand.

My breath is held, my gaze cemented to the scene as I watch Lead Guy pull his arm back—almost like he’s doing it in slow motion. Is he going to hit the other guy with that rod? Is this actually happening right in front of me?

As Lead Guy’s arm juts forward, and the tip of the rod makes contact, Naked Guy screams out in pain, the sound echoing off the cliffs surrounding us. He’s being branded. The barbaric act is so shocking and so unexpected, that a scream is ripped from my own throat, and I lurch forward.

“Shit, Harlow!” Talia hisses, pulling me back.

I shove my hand over my mouth to silence the whimper that bubbles up from my throat. It’s too late. They see us. Every hooded figure is turned toward Talia and me, and their leader—God help us—is already crossing the sand, closing the distance between us…

HIS EYES ARE A COLD, Dark Brown. That’s the first thing I notice as the leader of this group stalks toward us, shadows from the moon playing across his masked face, half-hidden under the hood of his robe.

Intensity radiates off this guy, his large body moving with confidence across the sand. When he stops right in front of us, I gulp. He looks like a bouncer, ready to toss us out of a club.

Talia and I are standing side-by-side, but when he speaks, he looks directly at me. “Leave. Now.” His voice is muffled by the mask, but it's deep and harsh, and sends a shiver of fear down my spine. “Go back the way you came.”

I’m already half-turned, opening my mouth to tell him, “Yup, no problem, we’re already gone,” when Talia grabs my wrist, stopping me.

“Hold on,” Talia says, looking over his shoulder at the other robed figures. “What are you guys doing out here?”

The guy’s jaw clenches tightly as he drags his gaze away from me and settles on Talia. Behind the mask, his eyes narrow, and if we needed evidence that we don’t belong here, there it is. Right there. That deadly stare.

“Talia,” I say, practically pleading. “Let’s go.”

She doesn’t hear me, or she’s deliberately ignoring me. Either way, she steps up to Lead Guy. “If you don’t want people watching you, then you shouldn’t be doing this—” She waves wildly at the scene in front of us. “–out in public.”

“This is a private beach,” he answers through gritted teeth. “And you aren’t welcome here.”

I grab Talia's elbow firmly and dare a glance at Lead Guy. “We’re leaving.”

I don’t love the idea of taking the sidewalk all the way back to our residence hall, but it’s either that or walk straight through this creepy-ass ritual. Mmm, no thanks. Hard pass.

Talia struggles against me, but I manage to keep my grip. “You can’t tell us what to do!” she practically yells at the guy. “We’re just walking along the beach. You’re the ones doing sketchy shit.”

Oh, damn. He inadvertently triggered Talia's defiance. I’ve known her since middle school, and she’s always been strong-willed, even to her own detriment. Tell her not to jump off the bridge, and she’s going to do it just to prove she can.

Right now, though, my job is to make sure we don’t end up as the topic of a true crime episode.

“Talia,” I say firmly, yanking her in the direction we just came. She digs her heels in, but I manage to move her a little—enough to encourage me to keep pulling. “Let’s leave the nice Jedis alone.”

I hear the stranger grunt as we walk away, and I feel the weight of his gaze pressing on me until Talia and I reach the top of the berm. I release Talia and quickly make my way down the other side of the small hill, then head up the beach, toward the sidewalk. It’s a steep climb, but I make it in record time, Talia trailing behind me.

“Slow down,” she says, annoyed.

I shake my head and pick up my pace. “We shouldn’t have seen that,” I say.

“Oh, who cares, Harlow? They shouldn’t have been out in the open if whatever they’re doing is such a secret.”

I stop abruptly and turn to face her. “The beach is empty.”

I’d noticed that earlier, but I’d assumed it had something to do with the rain. Now, I wonder if people had gotten the memo that something was going down tonight, and had deliberately stayed off the beach.

Lord.

We stumbled onto something we weren’t supposed to see, and I can't help but wonder what the repercussions of that might be. None, I hope. We left, and hopefully, that’s the end of it.

But ever since the incident last year, my mind has been stuck in survival mode. It feels like everything and everyone is a potential threat. So I doubt I’ll stop worrying about this whole thing anytime soon.

It’s taken a mountain of therapy just to get me to this point–willing to leave my hometown and start over somewhere new. And, honestly, if it weren’t for Talia, that never would have happened. In my darkest moments, she was there, guiding me and encouraging me. She’s the one person in my life I can rely on.

But her impulsivity can get her into trouble, and I feel like I’m always trying to rein her in. Even when we were kids, I was saving her from herself. Trying to get her to think before she tumbled right off that proverbial bridge.

“You have to admit, that was amazing!” Talia says, clapping her hands excitedly. “Shit. I never thought we’d get to see something like that.”

I keep walking. The faster we get to the residence hall and off this dark sidewalk, the better. “A guy was getting branded. What’s amazing about that?”

“I’m pretty sure we just witnessed the initiation ceremony for the Society of the Burning Crown.” She’s walking behind me, and I don’t need to see her face to know she has a smile stretched across her face. I can hear it in her voice. “No one gets to see that. Unless you’re a member, obviously.”

I stop and turn around to face her. “That—what we just saw—was super shady. Branding, violence, anything like that is strictly against the university’s policy.”

She looks lost. “Okay, and? What does that have to do with us?”

“Are they going to be worried we’ll tell someone about it?”

Talia snorts. “You’re afraid they’re going to come after us? They aren’t the mafia, Harlow. They don’t give a shit about us.”

Secret societies are like cults in my mind—and cults can do some pretty crazy shit to keep their secrets hidden. I should know—my mom has been in a cult for the last eight years. She joined when I was eleven—just skipped right over to Florida, leaving me to live with my grandmother. That’s the kind of power these types of groups wield.

Talia grabs me. “Harlow, you’ve got to stop worrying so much.” I sigh. “I’m trying, but it’s not easy.”

Her expression softens. “I know, but everything is going to be fine. How were we supposed to know, right? We were just—” She motions casually “–walking along the beach.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

But as we walk back to the residence hall, an uneasy feeling gathers in my stomach. The whole idea behind coming to ExU was to blend in. Start over. Stay away from drama. Classes haven’t even started yet, and trouble has already rooted me out.

We get to the building fine—thank God—and I swipe my key card. I’m on the second floor, and Talia is on the third, so we part ways on the second-floor landing.

“See you tomorrow!” Talia calls out, walking up that last set of stairs to her floor. “And stop worrying!”

I just roll my eyes and open the door that leads to my floor. It’s going to be tough to fall asleep tonight—but not because I’m worrying. I know the second I lay my head down to sleep, all I’m going to see in my mind’s eye are a pair of electric brown eyes…

The next morning, I’m barely awake when my roommate, Emily, taps me on the shoulder. “Um, Harlow. Are you awake?”

My eyes are practically sealed shut—how could I be awake? Moaning, I roll over onto my side and face the wall. “No,” I say, pushing my voice through the gravel in my throat.

Last night, just as I predicted, I got zero sleep. As I lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, last night’s events were on repeat inside my head.

Was there something I could have done differently? Inside the safety of my thoughts, I’m always braver than I was out there on the sand—and I say something snarky and clever back to Lead Guy. It’s different every time, but he’s always taken aback by my clever response.

I finally fell asleep around five, just as sunlight started bleeding into the night sky.

But my roomie is an early riser—or so she told me yesterday. And that obviously still holds, even though classes don’t officially start for another two days.

“Okay, well, there’s a note or something here for you. I’ll just put it on your nightstand.”

A note?

I wonder if it’s from Talia. Usually, she’d just text me, but if I’m not answering then she might resort to a handwritten note.

The door clicks shut as Emily leaves, and I flip over onto my back, stretching until I feel a pleasant sting spread across my shoulders. Then I blink and pick up my phone. It’s only eight in the morning. My God. Where on earth could Emily possibly be going this early?

Sitting up, I yawn and glance at the note she left on my nightstand. It’s a black envelope with my name scrawled on the back in all caps—not Talia’s swoopy cursive. I open the envelope and pull out a piece of black cardstock. There’s a symbol on the front. It’s a crown, embossed in gold, flames erupting from the tips

.

Oh, shit.

Didn’t Talia say the society we encountered last night was called the Society of the Burning Crown?

I flip the card over.

Preference Ceremony  

Ten O’Clock  

Rush House

Uh.

I immediately text Talia with a photo of the invite, followed by a full screen of question marks.

Talia is in my room within fifteen minutes, sitting on my bed, cross-legged, looking at the invite from every possible angle. “Well, it looks legit,” she says, scratching the gold embossing.

“What’s a Preference Ceremony?” I ask.

Before arriving on campus, Talia did a ton of research about the university—history, culture, clubs, party scene…any information she could get her hands on. Maybe she ran across a website that mentioned it.

“Never heard of it,” she says, tossing the invite onto the bed next to her. She picks up her phone, types something in, then starts scrolling. “There might be something online about it.”

I do my own search on my laptop, but there’s nothing. All I can find on the Burning Crown is general information that’s been posted on a random forum dedicated to secret societies.

“Listen to this,” I say. “The Society of the Burning Crown is a secret society, founded in 1890, on the campus that is known today as Exeter University West. Rush House is the society’s headquarters and sits on the edge of the university’s 124 acres.” I turn my computer, so she can see the photo that’s been inserted between the paragraphs. It’s that creepy Victorian house on the cliff. I pull my computer back and continue reading out loud, “Little is known about the inner workings of the society, but the rumored structure is a larger membership known as the Circle, and a smaller, ruling class, known as the Omen boys. The Omens are the direct descendants of the four founding members.”

Talia scrapes her teeth over her bottom lip, thinking. “Hm. Does it say anything about what a Preference Ceremony is?”

“Nope.”

She lifts her hands, slapping them back down on her knees. “Welp, I suppose we’ll just have to find out then!”

I shake my head. “No way.”

Talia frowns at me, her delicate features scrunched up and contorted. She never really looks ugly, though. She has a pert little nose, high cheekbones, and long, dark eyelashes that are 1000% real. The girls in high school always hated her for that.

She shoves her bottom lip out in a pout. “Oh, come on, why not? It’ll be an adventure.”

“Yesterday, that guy was pissed that we’d stumbled on their…whatever that was. Then this morning, they slid an invite under my door?” I press my lips together. “If that’s not weird, then I don’t know what is.”

“Maybe they just want to make amends,” Talia offers. “You said yourself that they might be afraid we’ll tell someone. So maybe this is their way of, I don’t know, smoothing things over.”

I pick up the envelope that the note came in, reading my name over and over, almost as if I stare at it long enough, it’ll give up its author’s secrets. It just makes me more uneasy, though, if anything.

“How do they even know my name? And why just give me an invite?”

My tone is rising, and Talia must sense how tense I’m getting. She knows the year I’ve had, and how desperately I just want to have a normal freshman experience. Quiet. Boring. No drama.

She reaches over and places a hand on my arm. “Harlow, it’s okay. Societies like this have their hand in everything, and if someone steps foot on their campus, they usually know about it. It’s not personal to you.” She shrugs. “And you probably got the invite because you’re closer to the building entrance. Why bother sending two invites when they know we’re together?”

It’s a paper-thin theory and doesn’t even make sense, but I cling to it because believing there’s a deeper meaning would seriously threaten my mental health. And the whole idea behind starting over is not over-analyzing every little thing. Or so my therapist, Dr. Cunningham, says.

I take a deep breath. “Yeah, okay. Doesn’t matter anyway, because we’re not going.” I snatch the invite up off the bed and rip it in two.

Talia lunges at me, her green eyes wide with horror. “Harlow, what the fuck?” She grabs the two pieces from my hands and tries to fit them back together. “We have to go. No one gets invited to these things. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

I lean back against my pillows. “You know how I feel about cults, Talia. Don’t ask me to do this.”

“It’s not a cult. It’s a secret society. There’s a big difference.”

I push out a sigh. “That’s disputable.”

I know her, though. If Talia wants to do something, she’ll do it, no matter what I say. And I can’t let her go to something like that alone—it’s way too sketchy.

“Maybe they want to apologize for last night? And if we don’t go, then they might see that as an insult.”

I make a face. “Apologize? The guy from last night didn’t look sorry. He looked pissed.”

“Okay, let’s compromise. We’ll go, see what they want, and if there’s anything shady happening, then we’ll leave. Easy. No stress.”

No stress. I practically snort at that. I’m already stressed.

I think about it for a second, then take the invite from her hands, shoving both pieces into the black envelope. “Fine, we’ll go under two conditions.”

“Okay, shoot,” she says, and I can already see she wants to squeal with excitement.

“One: we find out what they want, then leave.” I hold a finger in the air before she can respond. “Two: if they even hint at trying to recruit us, we bail right then and there.” Talia opens her mouth to argue, but I stop her. “Ah! We leave immediately.”

She deflates a little, but I think she knows this is the only way I’ll do it. And the envelope has my name on it, which gives me a little leverage. She could try to go without me, but there’s a chance they’d turn her away at the door.

Talia leans back. “Fine. Deal.”

I nod, satisfied. But deep down, I have a sinking feeling there’s more to all of this than a simple apology. Something much darker…

[phantom-dc]

A deal with the Ghost King

First previous AO3

It's been 2 months since the Justice League summoned the Ghost King.

The League was having another meeting about it. Other then Batman none had noticed any sign of its precense. Constantine hadn't found any trace of the King outside of Gotham, leading to the conclusion that whatever had happened occured in Batmans territory. He and his Robins had searched all over Gotham to see if anything strange was going on. Even Red Hood checked his area, though he had seemed preoccupied. Still, nothing had stood out to them. That was when Shazam mentioned reality itself might have changed.

That had sparked a whole new debate. According to Constantine it was certainly possible. The Ghost King has many powerfull subjects, and near-godlike allies as wel. If the ghost of Kronos had aided him time itself could have been altered. If something like that did happen, only someone outside of their reality would be able to tell the difference. That had sparked an idea in Batman. The camera's inside the meeting hall had become useless, but the ones outside it could still work! He quickly made his way to the security station to acces the cameta feeds of that day. A few closest to the meeting hall had still been static, but he found what he was looking for: Jason, leaving the waiting room and heading for the meeting hall, only to return a few minutes later. When Batman comes back to the rest of the League he immediatly aprooaches the Flash. 'Why didn't you interrogate Red Hood?' Flash admits he finds Red Hood kinda scary. 'He's a Bat with guns, B! I figured since everyone else hadn't seen anything he hadn't either, so I went to ask the others.' Batman puts Flash monitor duty as punishment and turns to Constantine. 'Gather everything you need to detect a change in reality you can and anything that might help us track the Ghost King and meet me in Gotham. I'm going to talk to Hood. Meeting's adjourned.'

Getting out of the Zeta-tube and stepping into the Bat-Cave, Bruce rubs his eyes in annoyance. All this time, Jason was the one with awnsers. As he walks to the Batmobile, Alfred asks him where he is headed. When Bruce tells him needs to talk to Jason, Alfred reminds him that they are having dinner today. He assumes Bruce forgot? Bruce sighs. That's right, Jason was here for dinner, for- Alfred cuts him off. 'Master Jason is introducing us to his boyfriend today. You are already quite late, but not to worry. I have already told him you had a meeting that ran late. Everyone has been making up for your abcense in the meantime. Dinner is about to be served, so whatever you need to discuss with Master Jason will have to wait until Mr. Fenton leaves. Bruce relents. Perhaps he will find a moment alone to grill Jason for awnsers. In the meantime he will put on his best Brucie Wayne face and meet their guest.

By the time Bruce had managed to get out of the Batsuit and get to the dinner hall, Alfred was already serving the plates. Bruce apologizes for running late and spots their guest. A young man with black hair and blue eyes, with a lean build and shorter than expected. He introduced himself as Danny Fenton, and was polite yet friendly. As expected of someone meeting their lovers parents, though something seemed off. He had expected someone more... dangerous. He brushed it off. Perhaps he was projecting his own tastes on Jason, if Talia and Selina were any indicators. While everyone was sitting down, Bruce asked Dick to distract Danny after dinner, he needs to talk to Jason about a case. Dick says he'll do what he can, but Danny proved pretty clingy. They haven't left eachothers side since they got here.

The converstation the group was having before Bruce arrived picked back up. 'Damian, you're going to love Ellie. She is such a troublemaker, I have no doubt you'll get along great!' Jason was gushing about Danny's little sister. Bruce was suprised that Jason had already met Danny's family. 'Well, we have been dating for 2 months, but we just clicked so well! And Danny had already been singing her praises, I just had to meet her!' 2 months? Bruce had been so preoccupied with his case that he had missed this for that long? Duke asks how Danny and Jason met. Danny doesn't look like the type to hang around Crime Alley? Jason says they met at work. Danny tells them he'd been called to get rid of a big rock that was becoming a hazard. 'Oh, so you work in excavation? Did it have anything to do with that new soupkitchen you were talking about, Jason?' Jason starts saying no, when he gets interrupted:

'B, THE GHOST KING IS IN GOTHAM RIGHT NOW! IF WE HURRY WE MIGHT-.' Contantine had burst into the room, when he stopped dead in his tracks, dropping half the stuff he was carrying. 'You, uh... already found him?' Bruce is confused, when suddenly Danny waves at Constantine. 'Hiya Connie! How've you been? Need me to get rid of another rock for you?' Realization hits Bruce hard: this 'Danny' is the Ghost King!?! He immediatly stands up, battle ready. He needs to protect his family from this threat! Dick is confused, what is going on? Before Bruce can explain, Jason cuts in: 'I was about to tell you. When I said 'work', I meant Hero work. We met during that asteroid-incident in the Watchtower. The League needed Danny to get rid of it, but things got complicated and they left him to figure out what to do next. That's when we met, and-' Duke interrupts him: 'Wait, you're that Ghost King Bruce been worrying about? He's been pulling his hair out for months straight! You just disapeared on them!' Danny huffs. 'Well, if they hadn't been so rude as to ditch me I might've stuck around to chat. Besides, they took forever! If Jason hadn't come along and made a deal with me I might not have made it in time!' That snaps Bruce back in reality. He immediatly turns to Jason: 'What did you give him?' Jason is suprised at the sudden question. 'What do you mean?' Constantine is about to lose it. 'You made a deal with the Ghost King! What did you offer him? Servitude? Your first-born? YOUR SOUL?' Danny gets a mischevous grin. 'Oh, he offered me something much more valuable.' Constantine is freaking out: ' WHAT COULD BE WORTH MORE THAN THE 8 BILLION SOULS YOU WERE GOING YO GET!?!'

'A date~!'

After that all hell broke loose. Bruce slumped down on his chair as 2 months worth of stress was released. Tim and Duke were freaking out that apearantly the League hadn't told anyone the world had been in danger. Cass held back Damian as he was trying to attack the 'Pit demon' that had seduced his brother. Dick held his head in his hands, realizing that Jason now had ammo to be absolutly insufferable. Jason was indeed thinking of all the ways he could milk this, and Alfred was trying to get Contantine concious again after he had fainted. During all this, Danny knew:

'Best. Deal. Ever.'

THE END

[mirrormazeworld]

Silver, The Knight of Dawn and "Sole, Luna, e Talia"

A while ago I came across a tweet on X where the writer was disappointed because Silver's dad has the same face as Silver and accused twst for being lazy (and maybe some of you have been thinking this way as well). But here I have a feeling this is yet another subtle "Easter egg" as tribute to "Sun, Moon and Talia", a literary fairy tale in which it was an inspiration to the original Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault (which later Perrault's version is the main inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty)

From the main story, particularly from Lilia's dialogue when he found and blessed baby Silver, Lilia said "The golden hair that shines like sunlight was caused by the blessings of the day" and Silver's hair turned to be silver colored as if it had been "lit by the moonlight with the night blessing"

"Sun, Moon and Talia" also has a similar synopsis to the Sleeping Beauty we know as this was what inspired the original "Sleeping Beauty"

However, it's widely known that most Disney fairy tales are from folktales all over the world. And those folktales are really dark that Disney must revise them so the animation would be acceptable and safe for children. (Like the Evil Queen in the original Snow White who danced wearing red-hot slippers in the prince's and Snow White's wedding until she dies for example). Sleeping Beauty is without exception, as its darker version, "Sole, Luna e Talia" tells about the "Sleeping Beauty" (Talia) who got r4ped while she was under the curse and gave birth to twins, which she named as Sun and Moon"

And of course twst also knew it wouldn't be appropriate if they wrote book 7 and included something about r4pe somewhere inside of it, so instead of writing the "Sun" and "Moon" as baby twins, they used the same baby (baby Silver) to represent both Sole and Luna with the changing color of his hair, and also purposely make both Silver and Knight of Dawn like twins, with Knight of Dawn represents as the "Sun" and Silver as the "Moon", even Silver's name was inspired from the moonlight itself.

Personally I admire how twst team revised a once inappropriate and dark folktale about a sleeping beauty that was r4ped by a lustful king becomes a story about family bond beyond time and blood ties that can make you cry...and I wish they will continue their work this way and exceed my expectations.

Cr: Screenshot translations by Otome Ayui

[msfcatlover]

Nightwing!Damian would still be of the Corruption, though he has so many healthy relationships in his life that its influence on him is slipping. His swarm is smaller now than it’s ever been. His power fades day by day. He might even manage to be human again someday (he doesn’t know how he feels about that, when his swarm are so beloved & his monster side has always been a source of pride for Damian.)

Tim was always going to be of the Eye, being Oracle only doubles down on it.

Cass in the TMA AU is basically Agnes Montague, but for the Stranger. That wouldn’t change either.

Steph was only just starting out when Damian took her under his wing. She never fully got caught in the spiraling fixation on destroying her father by any means necessary, she couldn’t pursue one goal to the exclusion of all others, and as the first fully human (non-Alfred) member of the team, everyone would be doing their best to protect that humanity, monitoring her for any sign of supernatural influence and guiding her away before it could get its hooks in her (they are still Bruce’s children, after all.) Until she came out of the dirt, unsheltered & unprotected, already marked so many times over, with fear & rage boiling in her blood. Until Talia gave Steph her mind back, gave Steph a purpose again, and the rage boiled over plasmatic hate. Until Steph laughed like a roaring maelstrom, sparks crackling in her wild hair, something bordering on madness in her eyes, and Talia thought: Oh. I have made a mistake. (The storm would be leashed, eventually. Steph does have self control, she has goals to achieve, plans to make, and power alone could not do that. But in that moment, when Steph realized her killer was still killing people despite everything that had happened, in her pain & fury, she gave in. She stepped backwards off that invisible ledge and plunged headfirst into what she knew she was Becoming. She embraced it, wholeheartedly. In that moment, it almost wasn’t Stephanie Brown in that garden, but the Cataclysm itself inside her skin. Almost.)

Duke… I’m still struggling to think of a good match for, but honestly in this AU… His ability to connect, to make people listen to him, his desire to step up & save the city himself if he has to, and the fact Duke is the eldest/first batkid in this AU (giving him & Bruce even more in common when Batman had only ever fought alone) all make me want to say Web. BUT with his powers, his ability to lead a crowd, the sheer scale of his potential, I also want to say Vast? What little I know of Gnomon also says Vast, ALTHOUGH…. …we could play off their shadow control, invert Duke’s light powers for this AU, and say Dark. Which would make Duke borderline antithetical to Web!Bruce, but hey, maybe Web!Bruce wants to prove to himself just how much choice he still has—that the Web can make him as uncomfortable as it likes, but he’s still going to take care of a child in need. (Assuming he is going against the Web’s wishes, of course, and it isn’t reverse psychologying him…) (My gut says Web!Duke, though. The more I think about it, the more I like Web!Duke conceptually… but I am worried that it doesn’t fit him. That Duke’s all-or-nothing “if no one else is going to, I’ll do it myself” attitude & raw charisma is not close enough to the Web’s need for control. I don’t like it when people just assign characters an Entity for the Aesthetic(TM) or for shallow, surface-level reasons—it has to resonate with their own personal failings, or else what’s even the point?)

Jason was human when he joined the family, and they’d want to keep him that way… but I think by the time he gets back from the Red Robin arc, Jason would’ve been claimed by the Hunt.

Dick gets scooped up by the family almost immediately in this AU, and Cass does her best to temper in his early-days bloodlust. With Cass as his Batman, I think Dick would be tempted by the Vast, but ultimately chase after her by embracing his own Otherness. (Or Dick was already a Stranger when his parents fell. But honestly, I like the arc of Dick learning to love himself & following in his mentor’s footsteps so much more than making him a Stranger because Circus.)

[nekoannie-chan]

Stalking

Stalking

Title: Stalking.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Dark!Steve Rogers X Reader.

Word count: 286 words.

Rating: Teen.

Summary: Steve stalks you.

Major Tags: Stalking, kidnapping.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @sweetspicybingo, Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card & square 6:

"Stalking.”

You can read it on Wattpad, Ao3 and Spanish.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

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You had always led a quiet life, or well as quiet as possible for a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, however, everything changed when you met Steve at one of the meetings.

Steve struck you as charismatic, and confident, and seemed interested in everything you had to say.

After the meeting, Steve started showing up at places you frequented. You would see him at your favorite coffee shop, at the gym, and even at his apartment building, regardless of whether it was outside or inside work. At first, you thought it was a coincidence, but after a while it started to seem very strange to you.

One night, as you were walking home, you noticed a familiar figure in the shadows, but you decided to ignore him and hurried your pace, but he caught up with you.

“Hi, Y/N,” Steve said with a strange smile.

“Do you need something, Steve?”

“I just wanted to see you,” he replied, moving closer. “I think we have a special connection.”

You ran as fast as you could.

That night, you couldn't sleep. Steve's presence disturbed you.

The next few days were hell. You'd get anonymous texts and calls in the middle of the night. You knew it was Steve.

One weekend, you decided to sleep late when you heard a noise downstairs. You walked downstairs slowly and found Steve in the living room.

“How...how did you get in?” you stammered, recoiling.

“Your mother let me in,” he said with a smile. “I told her we were friends.”

You knew he was lying, you lived alone, Steve noticed how you stiffened, surely you were going to get your gun.

“You don't understand. I'm not going to leave you.”

Everything turns into darkness.

[bats-and-birds-24]

Chapter 8:

Tim woke up actually feeling refreshed for once. Looking around the room he once again realized that he was in the league of assassins. Leave it to him to somehow manage to get a good night's sleep in the enemy's guest room, but not in his own bed.

He gets up and notices that he was wearing a delicate silk green and gold pajama set, something he distinctly remembers not going to sleep in. His stomach churned uncomfortably, the league probably changed him while he was unconscious, meaning that they now knew all the tools he had in his utility belt.

Tim grimaced as he hobbled over to the table where his uniform, now clean, neatly sat. Rummaging through his utility belt, he couldn't help but notice that all his tools had been cleaned and neatly arranged. Some had even been replaced with better league versions. 

He sighed, Talia must have had the servants go through everything. He wanted to say something, but decides that it would be safer to bite his tongue while being a guest at one of the best assassin groups in the world.

Noticing a bathroom in the corner of his eye, he figures that he may as well clean up, along with checking that scar on his abdomen. 

He grabs a towel and his now clean uniform and heads inside.

"What the fuck Bruce." Dick's tone was flat, monotone, but inside, he was seething.

Bruce noticing his eldest, grimaced for the argument that was to come, "I'm not going to defend myself-"

"You better not," Dick cuts in, "what's all this about losing Tim?"

Bruce rubs his face, "Tim's tracker turned off at the league of shadows base on Sullivan Island."

Dick released a breath he didn't know he was holding in. It was typical for either he or Tim to turn off the tracker when they felt that B was becoming too overbearing. 

"B, Tim probably just turned off the tracker on his phone because he knew that you would get all paranoid." He replies, rubbing at his temples.

Bruce was getting frustrated now, "Not the tracker in his phone Dick, I'm talking about the one in the soles of his boots. He doesn't know about that one yet."

Dick could feel his blood pressure rise at this, "I'm sorry, are you telling me that you secretly chipped Tim?" 

Bruce's tension was increasing now as well, "That's not the biggest issue here-"

Only to be cut off by Dick muttering, "Of course it isn't." under his breath.

Bruce took a deep breath to calm himself,and through gritted teeth, he replies, "Because, Tim may have gotten himself kidnapped."

Everything was silent for a moment as a Dick digested that piece of information. His rage began to come back in full force. 

How could he push away another Robin, had he learned nothing after Jason's passing? However, he pushed all of that information aside to focus on the bigger picture, they needed to get Tim back, and fast, if Bruce was correct. The league of shadows were considered high threat level villains for a reason after all.

Dick lets out a sigh and rubs his eyes, "I'll suit up and head to the base, you get the DNA kit and meet me there."

The two separated to do what needs to be done.

Jason was having a fairly normal day with Cass and Damian when he noticed Talia enter the room. She looked tired. She was still as put together as ever, but the weariness in her eyes gave it away.

Cass looked at him, she must have noticed it as well. She nodded at him and scoops Damian up in her arms, ignoring his protests, and leaves for the training grounds, leaving him and Talia alone.

Jason starts, "Alright Talia, what's going on?"

Talia looks away, "Nothing you need to worry about." 

"I refuse to accept that." Talia could see the glint in his eyes which showed that he won't be backing down anytime soon.

Might as well get this over with.

"The current Robin, Tim Drake, has come to look for you in the league." 

The ground seemed to sway beneath his feet. Jason stumbled over to the nearest chair and flopped down. His mind was going a mile a minute. What would the kid who replaced him want to see him for?

Bruce had to be behind this, he must have known that he came back to life. He wasn't ready to meet Batman again, his father again.

"I want to meet the kid." It came out as a hoarse whisper, but Talia could hear the conviction behind it.

She looks at him and replies, "Alright then, you two will meet tomorrow evening." Jason simply nods.

As she turned and left the room, she couldn't help but think that this was good, they were always bound to meet, but at the very least, she would now have control over how.

[cookiesupplier]

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Fifty-Six

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, online bullying, panic attacks, stalking, mental health issues, conspiracy theories.

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. For everyone involved.

author’s note: Unbeta'd. I know nothing about real police procedure, don't look at me, I've made it up. Just the Epilogue to go!

To read from the beginning, check out the Masterlist Here!

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After all of that, the detectives left him in the interrogation room for hours. Room? Box. It wasn’t a room, there was no way that it could be called an interrogation room, it was nothing but a sweat box. He should know too, considering how long he’d spent days on end living inside a tour bus, a tour bus that could also easily be turned into a sweat box in during the long summer days of the tour days. Especially back when the buses were barely more than that, nothing more than that, a sweat box. 

Ricky was left sitting, no, sweating it out in that interrogation room, coming up to three hours when one of the detectives finally came back in to let him know he was free to go, for now at least. He had a feeling that this wasn’t something they were happy about doing, which was ridiculous, it wasn’t as if they could have any kind of proof he was involved in this, he wasn’t! Yes, he knew his claim about the trauma soul bond would probably seem ridiculous to many, but that didn’t mean he was trying to kill Talia, and assuming that was just offensive to him.

He should have called them on their bullshit, he knew he should have, as he looked at the detectives, why did he realise that now?! Fuck, his brain was just done from the hospital, and all he could think about was getting back to his soulmates. 

As he was walking down the hall from the offices that the interrogation had been in, Ricky’s eyes widened when he saw her being led down the hall towards him by another officer. Grace. Shit. She was the last person he wanted to see right now, of all people in the world he could run into, all he wanted was to be back at the hospital. To see if Talia was doing any better, to see if Chris was okay. They’d have called if anything had changed while he was gone, right?

Either way, Grace just wasn’t worth the aggravation. She wasn’t worth the stress or the brain power. Keep walking and ignore her. 

As he kept going, it was then, as he pushed the mental fortitude to just keep going, push past as he walked and ignore her, that was when she noticed him. Ricky assumed until that point she possibly had been too frustrated by the fact she was here at all, being escorted by the police officer behind her, or so he assumed, but then, oh then it went out the window. She saw him, and just like that, chaos. It was always chaos with her now, but he’d have loved to avoid it, not that he could block her like with the death threats online last time. This time… it was the screech that came right for him.

“You! Richard Olson! I can’t believe it, why was she driving your car?! You never let me drive your car! You were the one supposed to be driving your car! How dare you, how dare you, how dare-”

Even as Grace was practically being dragged away, she was still screaming at the top of her lungs. The beat cop that had brought her in was attempting to lead her away forcefully, while the detectives who had brought him in had come out to investigate the source of the commotion. No doubt Grace had been brought in for questioning on their case, so it was something to note, made him wonder if they had not waited until the very moment she was being escorted in to let him go. What were they going to do if she’d attacked him, what were they going to do if she’d tried to kill him, right there in the middle of the station? She had just admitted to attempting to kill Talia thinking it was him, who knows what could have happened, and they weren’t even out here when it happened. 

“Are you kidding me?!”

Ricky looked at the detectives when they said that obviously she was going to be charged with Talia’s attempted murder, as if it was so simple. Not even an apology for suspecting and accusing him as they had.

“If you could come back with us to give a statement-”

“Not today.”

He was putting his foot down. After three hours of being shirked around, he’d had enough.

“You just had me sitting in that room for three hours straight, I am, frankly, tired, sweltering hot, starving, and all I want to do is get back to the hospital… where I would have liked to have been this entire time.”

Glaring at them. Instead, they’d kept him here, looking back, he felt like an idiot because he should have demanded they charged him or let him go, but he hadn’t, he’d been so worried about the Grace issue, he let it go. There was also the other problem, he didn’t want anyone to dig into Chris, find out about his other soulmate, it could be a disaster, so he let them walk all over him, and he shouldn’t have, idiot.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give a statement.”

Pulling out his wallet, he flipped it open and pulled out one of his person business cards and handed it over. 

“You can contact me at a later date, and we can arrange it through official channels, no just showing up at the hospital this time. My family is going through a very stressful time, as you can imagine.”

Ignoring anything else they might have had to say to him, he just left, he was done with them. Assholes.

Ricky was worn out, he was so worn thin by the time he had driven himself back to the hospital. As it was, he was practically half on autopilot all the way back during the drive. Yes, he knew how dangerous that was, especially considering the cause of what had Talia laying in that bed right now, but his head was back in that police station. Grace had been trying to kill him, and instead Talia was fighting for her life. If she died, if, if Chris lost another soulmate… Grace she… Continuing, before he knew it, he was on his way into the hospital, riding the elevator, up to the floor where he knew Chris, Vinny, and Ava were waiting for him. 

When he did get to Talia’s hospital room though she had her own private room, they had made sure of that, especially when they realised Grace was involved, Vinny and Ava were nowhere to be found. It was Chris, just Chris, sitting there by Talia’s bed, holding her hand, a book open in the other, the sound of his voice pausing softly as Ricky approached the doorway. He’d been reading to her. Ricky smiled a little, only for the expression to fade after a moment when he looked at Chris, thinking about everything that had happened, seeing the instant smile on his face when he saw him. Of course, Chris seeing the way Ricky’s face fell, just caused the singer’s expression to just drop, instantly.

“What, what happened?”

Chris had enough of Ava and Vinny after a while, he knew that they were just trying to be supportive and positive. It got to be a bit much when he was worried about not only Talia in a coma and Ricky at the police station. Grace was trying to destroy his soulmate bonds from both sides. They should have done something before now, they should have, but she’d disappeared into thin air. He should have hired an investigator to find her, to figure out what she was up to after that live when she disappeared. After everything that happened with his stalker, he knew better than to assume she would leave Ricky alone, he knew. Five years, five years she’d stuck to him like glue, why would she let go now?. Now, now Talia was barely holding on, and Ricky, looking down at his phone, why hadn’t he called, it had been hours.

Sighing, he had sent Vinny and Ava home almost an hour ago, told them he was just going to nap, and he had, for about half an hour. However, for the last twenty minutes or so since he’d woken up, he had been reading Alice in Wonderland to Talia. It had been something he’d had Ava bring up a few days ago. He remembered Talia telling him how much she loved it during one of their coffee sessions, only for now Ricky to finally return. Smiling at the sight of him, so happy to see him, feeling an instant warmth that they had at long last let him go. The problem was, the moment Chris saw Ricky in the doorway, he knew something wasn’t right with him.

“What, what happened?”

Closing the book, he immediately set it aside on the bedside table, he knew something had to have happened. It wasn’t if something had, it was had. Hours, they had kept him for hours, and that despondent look on his face, he knew it was something. Chris’ arms opened to him as Ricky half stumbled into them, sitting in the chair beside him, almost falling against his side, his face pressing against his shoulder, muffled words against his shirt.

“I don’t want to talk about it.

“Rick-”

He knew, it wouldn’t be good not to talk about it, no matter how badly it went, and it might be raw now, but this was the police. Chris was terrified what might come of this. He remembered how it had been when he’d gone through it all, and he’d admit, when he’d been in the same place Ricky was now, he’d had the same reaction, never wanting to talk… It had not taken him down a good path. Sighing, he didn’t know if he should push, or just wait, his arms squeezing around him.

“Chris, I, I know, but it’s my fault, and I can’t, okay, I know you think I should talk about it, but it’s my fault. All of this is my fault, and nothing that I’m going to do or say is going to make this all right.”

Oh, wow, wait one second there, Chris brain came to a screeching halt when it came to thinking about how to deal with helping Ricky deal with his stalker issue… He tried to pull back to get a look at him some, only for Ricky’s arms to tighten his grip around him with a sob.

“Rick, Ricky, Cupcake, fuck, this is not your fault. Grace is absolutely psycho. What did they say to you? I told you not to let them make you feel crazy, that includes letting them make you believe that the blame was on you babe, dammit, this was not your fault-”

That was when Ricky pulled back, Chris saw the tears in his eyes now, not just hearing them in his words.

“She thought it was me in the car, Chris. She was trying to kill me, not Talia. She wouldn’t be in that bed fighting for her life if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be worried about losing a second soulmate if it weren’t for me. Dammit Chris. This is on me. You're right, she is psycho, she stalked me, she manipulated me, she- she-”

Ricky choked before he could finish… and found himself sobbing into Chris' shoulder again. He was no better when it came to the last part, knowing what he had done to Talia, between their tattoos, and coercion. It was all so grey, but he felt like a monster some days. He was trying so hard to be better, and she said she forgave him, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive himself… but Grace… the law was so muddled about sexual predators and faux soulmate crimes. Many wanted them to be labelled as rapists, whether it was consensual or not because one party had had no clue of the truth. Others, however, said it was no different from a normal relationship and a person lying to their partner, Ricky did not agree. Considering the bond that had formed from his trauma, how Chris’ tattoo had literally changed, Ricky far from agreed, what Grace had done to him, it went far beyond just lying to your partner. She ripped at his very soul.

Some states called it rape, some assault, some called it nothing at all. Theirs, however, had a statute of limitations on faux soulmate related sexual assault and Ricky hadn’t figured Grace out in time. In turn, it had left him feeling like the disaster he was now. 

Chris just held Ricky like that, in his arms, resolved to comfort him as best he could, refusing to let him give in. He would be there for him as long as he needed him to be. No matter what happened to Talia. This was not his fault, no matter what he though, no matter what anyone might have said to him, Chris refused to let him believe it. 

It was when he heard a groan from the hospital bed that he was looking over to the hospital bed,

“Talia?”

The next thing he knew, a soft, groggy murmur came from the small woman in the bed.

“Put the bunny back in the top hat, get back in the top hat, Mister Bunny, come back!”

Even Rick, who had been sobbing a moment before, couldn’t help but chuckling at her babbling as she started to slowly regain consciousness.

“I told you that magic white rabbit tattoo on her hip had to have more of a story behind it than Alice in Wonderland.”

Chris didn’t care, he was laughing with Ricky, watching him wipe the tears from his eyes as he had said it, looking between his two soulmates, he was just overjoyed that Talia was waking up, 

“Welcome back, JellyBean.”

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

[threshergm]

Halo: The Series - Talia Perez Backstory

Talia is a UNSC Marine Reservist. Her unit is H&S Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines ("New Alexandria's Own"). Like the name suggests, the regiment is based out of the city itself (at FLEETCOM, no less), and is drawn from Marines who live in and around the New Alexandria area.

She's a Communications Marine - able to maintain, repair, and operate any radio or sat-link communications system in the UNSC Marine Corps inventory.

Talia's Abuelo is alive and named Raul. He was a Navy man, a reservist who served aboard big warships, and he retired at the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer.

When he and John are in the same room, they refer to each other as "Chief." Talia rolls her eyes at this, but can't help but smile.

Talia is third-generation Reacher; Raul Perez having emigrated from a failed colony named Hidalgo decades before, and the family having originated in Cuba on Earth.

Many refugees from Hidalgo settled in the same area of New Alexandria. The neighborhood became known as Santiago Circle. Spanish is still spoken on the streets, thus preserving the accent among the residents.

Talia's father Nestor was a Navy reservist as well, a WSO aboard a Longsword fighter. He instilled in Talia a love of literature, especially fantasy, and read to her every night he was home during her formative years. Their favorite was The Lord of the Rings.

He was killed in action against the Covenant during the Siege of the Atlas Moons. Talia was only ten years old.

Talia has a little tattoo of the Gull Crown of Gondor in black, with a tiny White Tree superimposed over it, on the inside of her wrist in his honor.

Talia's mother Elena always resented having her so young, feeling she'd been robbed of her youth, and skipped town after her father died. Talia was devastated, but her grandparents took her in.

This left Talia determined to prove that she was better than her mom by marrying young as well, but sticking around and being the mother she wanted for herself.

When Talia was 14, her mother returned a changed woman. Diagnosed with terminal Boren's Syndrome, she came home hoping to reconcile with her daughter before her death. Talia forgave her repentant mother, and cared for her for nearly a year before she passed away. It was an enormously healing experience.

Around the same time, Talia met Alex Shawcross, the love of her life. He was a poor kid from Manassas - his father was a firefighter who died in the line of duty - leaving him to care for his four siblings while his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet.

Talia first saw him waiting at the transit station with his four siblings one day after school - already a man at just 15 - and it was love at first sight.

Alex was cutting lunches so his siblings would have something to take home for dinner. Talia noticed this - and how skinny he was - and started bringing leftovers from home and leaving them in his locker so he'd have something to eat. When he caught her; she confessed her love for him, and they were inseparable after that.

They had an adorable chaste teenage romance. Meeting at her favorite tea shop before school, trips to bookshops were he would watch her go through the stacks thoughtfully, sneaking out to meet at the park halfway between their houses to sit on the swings together and talk. Staying after his baseball games to sit on the blanket she brought to pad the bleachers and stargaze.

The Marines were part opportunity, part desperation for Alex; while Talia saw service as a way to honor her father's memory and live up to the example her grandfather had set. They had their plan - serve a contract, go to school, get good jobs. Make enough to get Alex's family out of tenement housing in Manassas. Buy a little land outside the city, build a kiva in the hills. Alex would work in the city, Talia would work from home and raise their children.

Alex proposed to her the night before they shipped out on their first deployments - to opposite ends of the Outer Colonies. They made love for the first time on a blanket in center field on the ball diamond, under the stars and aurora of Reach.

Talia made it back from her first deployment without incident. Alex didn't. He died under a Covenant glassing beam on an unnamed rock, trying to evacuate an unregistered colony that had called for help. No remains were recovered. All she has left of him is the simple, cheap, but cherished brass ring he gave her the night she agreed to become his wife.

Talia's never been the same since Alex died. She carries the weight of him every day.

[laufire]

with that episode I'm thinking again about talia and (im)mortality, and how it's changed over the years. recently I read batman #334-335 (part of the arc that starts with dick leaving the house because bruce is too ~blind to see that talia is bad news!!). in those comics, talia is visibly aging, and ra's lords some kind of elixir (not the pit, something else) over her, using it to keep her young and raising questions about her longevity. and in #335 specifically he puts her inside a lazarus pit very briefly after she's been shot.

although with talia there's not really as much of a distinction between pre and post-crisis continuity, I consider this canon for "pre-crisis" talia but not post-crisis, because my favourite piece speaking on the matter is "batman: the chalice."

in it, ra's wants to take arthur's holy grail (yeah, that chalice) from bruce, to confer immortality to talia so she can be his "little girl forever." bruce asks the right question: is that what she wants? and ra's answers ilke ra's would: she is ever obedient to my wishes.

talia arrives (with a well-timed array of bullets), and when ra's talks about giving the grail to her as a gift, her words are "I would spit [that gift] in your face, father. I would die for you, but I will not become immortal for you." she asks him to let her live each day as a precious one, without dreading each morning "as an endless progression." but the most important part to me is what she says between those two lines.

That is a choice I will not allow you to make for me. Having lived my life in your company, the prospect of eternal life is not the attraction for me it might be for another.

an obvious reading would be that she's seen him suffering as an immortal being, and rejects that for herself. but my personal take is that, for talia? death is an escape from ra's. certainly something to look forward to, when she considers the alternative: an eternity where she remains under his thumb, at his beck and call, where as we've seen in other comics ("red hood: the lost days" being one of my favourite examples so far), she struggles to find parcels of her life to keep away from his control.

I mean, compare it to how he lords it over her pre-crisis (and although I prefer to imagine current talia as being exactly the age she's supposed to be, you could easily fuse both of them by having her know from experience what that control entails). or with what he does with her now-immortal body in batman beyond.