#Tim however sees the sun

[gaywineauntsstuff]

Tim: I can’t tell dick?? I don’t want him to think I’m crazy or not trustworthy bc I’m doing something reckless??!

Jason who saw Dick make out with a mark to steal something from his pocket when Dick was 17:…

Bruce who saw Dick jump off a moving plane and hum the song “I need a hero” instead of calling for Superman:

Wally who say Dick go fuck it and infiltrate a sex trafficking ring as a stripper bc someone said he was too pretty to work for the mob:

Roy who has smacked dick out of delusions 15 times too many:

Clark who saw dick stay in a radioactive city for vibes:

Diana who has heard Donna’s concerned ramblings since she was like 12:

Damian who saw that Dick turned the bat ears into projectiles that can electrocute you:

Steph who saw the same thing:

Tim who refuses to believe Dick Grayson can do anything that isn’t brilliant, premeditated and completely the best option: I CANT HE’ll be so disappointed:(

[nightingale-prompts]

Ghost Town- DCxDP

𐋅ቹ𐌋የ ፱𐌔 𐌔ቹ𐌍ጋ 𐋅ቹ𐌋የ

It was a distorted message that was sent through the Watchtower's transmitter.

It took a while but they were able to sort out that it was an emergency signal. It took longer to locate it. A solid month.

A small town I'm the middle of nowhere. Amityville. The place was desolate.

The entrance to the town was barricaded with old rotten wood. The streets were empty like one of those zombie movies. Cars were just left in the middle of the road. No one was there.

The place felt off. The sky was constantly overcast and the sun didn't want to shine. The nights, however, were worse.

It was left to Batman, Robin, Red Robin, Flash, and Wonder Woman to handle the situation with the the rest of the main team having to deal with a bigger threat in Star City with Green Arrow. A shame because they needed Superman right now.

They needed to locate survives and quickly. They had lost so much time.

Luck was on their side because they located a signal in a small underground bunker.

The people who were there looked worst for wear but they were alive.

"Thank God you are here! Tell us you can get us out of here." One blond teen boy said frantically.

"We'll do everything we can. Tell us what happened. What happened to this town." Diam said putting a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It started when a few students went missing. They showed up as bodies the next day. We thought they were these guys in white suits but they up and left so fast. Then the blocked off the exits. Ever since these people in cloaks would just come out at night and hunt us. They took almost everyone." A blonde girl said.

"We don't know who's left." A middle age man said. "We do know that they don't come out during the day at least."

Awful. It sounded like they where being tormented by some kind of gang of serial killers.

They decided to scout out the area and set up to search when night came.

When the sun went down or when they were sure it would be down the hunt began.

There was a rustle in the woods and the sound of feet rushing towards their location. Then they stopped. Then laughter. Then running in several different directions.

Flash went first as he followed the sound. But he realized too late that he was in a race. He couldn't see with who but he heard footsteps that matched his.

"Your pretty fast." The voice said before Flash felt a slash go through his side and a silver flash of a sickle cross his vision.

Back at the bunker, another hooded figure circled back. In their hand they swung a chain scythe by its chain in a circle. They seemed to be waiting as they stood on a tree branch above them.

"What is your goal?! Why are you hunting the people here?!" Diana yelled that the figure.

The figures laughed. Her voice was unmistakable as a young. Then she threw her chained blade at Diana. It missed and hit the ground next to her. As Diana grabbed to the chain to pull the girl down it burned her hand like acid and she let go in a moment of surprise. Then just as quickly the chain was retracted and the tip of the blade nicked Wonder Woman's shoulder and it burned with searing pain.

Poison.

The girl laughed and she fled backwards through the trees and fled. Diana had not real choice but to chase her for the antidote. She knew that Barry would be back any moment and Batman and the Robins still outnumbered the enemy. It was a gamble but Batman nodded and she felt secure enough to go.

Then there was nothing. Not a sound or sign of friend or foe. They guarded the bunker trying to contact the others. They could go after them and leave the bunker unsecured but that seemed to be the goal of the killers.

And there was another. They heard it. Three sets of footsteps.

Damian seemed especially on edge. Tim was struggling to get a signal as every piece of tech he used was only getting static. He had been able to dig up a little info. This whole town seemed to be stuck in the 90s though. He had to use what records could be scavenged from the town hall. Which gave him very little. But he found the start of the killings. Three teens were found dead, presumed murdered on the eve of an important unveiling.

"Hey there." A voice said behind him.

Damian had already drawn his sword as his blade crashed against a heavy reaping scythe.

"Your quick. Not quick enough." The hooded figure said pushing back with enough force to make Damian crash into Tim.

Immediately Batman threw a few batterangs at the figure who waved his scythe and caused them to clatter against the silver blade.

"It's over. We are finished with our work." The figure said with a hint of amusement as he took off his hood at last.

Before them stood a teenage boy with powder white hair and blood stains on his face. The bunker door was open and it was clear that he had already got in and found his targets. They were dead.

He whistled and the other two figures appeared dragging the missing heroes along with them.

"We haven't had a chase like that in forever." Another boy's voice said dragging Flash behind him.

"I thought you said you hated running after them." The girl said dropping the chained up Diana on the ground.

"I started to miss it." The boy shrugged.

"Who are you?" Batman said clenching his fist.

"Eh? Reapers, I guess." The white haired boy said.

"Wait...you guys are those murdered teens. You guys were alive all this time and just murdered everyone in time. It is some kind of vengeance?" Tim accused.

"So nosy." The hooded boy said. "Who cares about that."

"Tuck, be nice. They are just curious." The white-haired boy said nudging his shoulder. "We are just cleaning up. These people are dead already. Long dead. Haven't you realized?"

Suddenly things clicked into place. The town was abandoned. Despite everything the bunker was still fully stocked but untouched. The technology didn't work and was too old to be usable. The city hall didn’t have anything remotely recent. Why had no one been able to escape the town if they couldn't even leave?

But that doesn't make any sense. Who can they talk to dead people? No, this had to be a lie.

But then the figures disappeared and the bunker was empty.

[orionremastered]

could you do a batfam x oblivious reader who’s so close to finding out they’re a vigilante, but she doesn’t even know if that makes sense? like nightwing crawling in through the window when he thought she was asleep, only for her to be awake and go “wrong house?” not realizing it’s her boyfriend.. who thought she was asleep

this made me laugh. very good thinking brains y'all have

Masterlist

Oblivious

Dick Grayson

The sound of your window sliding open prompts you to look up from where you lie your head on the pillow. You can't seem to get to sleep and maybe it's a good thing— you grab for the lamp on the bedside table and raise it high over your head.

Climbing through the window, however, is not a common thief. It's Nightwing.

"What are you doing here?"

The vigilante freezes, slowly looking up to meet your eyes. "I was told there was domestic abuse occurring in this apartment," he says smoothly. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Where is he?"

You look over to Dick's spot on the bed and only just now do you realise it's empty. There's a note written on paper that reads, OUT TO GET FOOD.

"He's grocery shopping."

"Ah, wrong apartment, then. Sorry to bother you." The vigilante then ducks outside.

Jason Todd

A loud crash prompts you to wake up— far earlier than you're used to. The sun isn't even up yet. Glancing to the side of your bed, you forget Jason's out on a business trip, what ever his business is.

You carefully climb out of bed, creeping to the bedroom door and slowly pushing it open. In your living stands Red Hood himself, dismantling an assault rifle.

"What are you doing in my house?"

The vigilante whips his head around, frozen like a deer in headlights. There's a long few minutes of silence where the two of you stare at each other.

"Gun's not working. I'll be out in a minute, just need to fix it. My apologies."

"Oh," you say, shrugging your shoulders. "Stay safe, then."

Red Hood nods, watching you return to your bed with a quiet sigh.

Tim Drake

Waking up at your usual time and kissing Tim gently on the forehead, almost as a reward for sleeping.

After eating breakfast as quickly as you could, you were surprised to see Tim still asleep and give him another gentle kiss, this time on the nose.

You've only got half an hour until you have to go to work, so you rush to the bathroom to get ready.

The Red Robin suit is draped over the shower wall, unmistakeable.

In your bathroom.

"Tim?" You shout, forgetting your boyfriend's need to sleep. "Tim!"

"What?" he replies groggily, slowly getting out of bed.

"The Red Robin suit is in my bathroom."

"Oh, uh, he asked me to clean it for him. We're sort of like, friends. I guess. It's weird."

"You never told me that," you say.

"It's a recent thing. Sorry."

You shrug and get ready for work, ignoring the suit at is it hangs in your bathroom.

Damian Wayne

"Emergency at work," your boyfriend had said. He gets a lot of those, you think. "Be back in the morning. Maybe later."

Now, going to sleep late— towards midnight, where Damian would have already dragged you into bed— you realised you didn't have on of his shirts to sleep in.

When he wasn't with you to sleep, you always sleep in one of his shirts.

You begin scrummaging through his wardrobe— which you never do— only for a shirt. You find one, your favourite black one, and pull it out.

Underneath the shirt, revealed as you yank it from the drawer, is a katanna.

"Oh. Oh."

It's late. You're tired. You've got the shirt.

It's probably just an antique piece anyway. Rich people have all sorts of things.

[darkstaria]

Yandere Batfam - Soulmate Soul Animal Au.

Chapter 5:

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 6.

Sorry for the long weight everyone! I had to binge allll of Stranger Things for a friend's future birthday event and ohhh wow I thought the episodes were gonna be 20 minutes not 40-1hr

Also I suffered a bit of writers block, it happens

But regardless, I hope you all enjoy! ^ ^

(also the taglist has migrated to the bottom of the fic because it's a bit too long now)

----

The office was large, sprawling walls contained by an even bigger ceiling. The faint humming of Tim’s computer provided no reassurance, nor did the soft leather of your seat. It felt as if you could sink right into it, and try to fade away. There was a faint aroma of coffee that lingered around the office, but it gave you no solace. It just reminded you of the mistakes you made, to end up here. The elephant in the room.

Tim’s smile was bright, a warm sun. You were burning.

“It’s.. nice to see you again.” You attempted, words stumbling about on your tongue. You couldn't help it, the mere presence of your soulmate sending anxiety skyrocketing down your spine. Why couldn't he just get to the point?

“I didn't really expect my company and Wayne Enterprises to be working together.” You continued, a fake smile plastered onto your face. “What a nice coincidence!”

“I hope for us to have a successful collaboration.” Tim replies, still smiling. “But enough about the companies, it's been so long since I've seen you, and I didn't have your number to text.”

You laugh in response, a pale imitation of a real laugh. You had hoped to focus on discussing the work you both had to do first, and then escape before any catch up talks were attempted. Unfortunately, it appears that Tim won't let you do any actual work before engaging with him.

Your nails dug into your knees, an attempt to stay calm. Your reply was measured.

“Oh are you sure? Surely it would be better to get work on the collaboration done first, then we’ll have all the time left to chat freely.”

“I wouldn't worry about that, really. We’ve got plenty of time together, and I wouldn't be able to work without knowing how you're doing lately. Since you didn't have the time to text, I presume you've been busy?”

“Ah, right! Yes! Yes I have been, busy that is, you know how it is with work. Endless and all that.” You were frustrated at being pushed into a lie already. Tim was in charge here and he knew it.

“Why don't you give me your number then?” His smile was perfect, as flawless as his manipulation. “That way, when you're too busy to remember to message, I can remind you.”

You frowned. Like he didn't know your number already.

Quickly remembering you had to smile, you gave him your number, watching as he slowly typed it in, then texted. Only when you showed you received his text did he relent.

The ‘meeting’ continued on from there, Tim asking about all your hobbies and passions. Time ticked on, daylight turning to evening. Any attempt from you to redirect the conversation to either himself or work was swiftly dismissed. A small part of you admired his skill, he was playing you like a doll. You knew it, but you had no option but to play along. It was like an older sibling playing pretend with the young sibling. You hated the comparison.

The attention was unnerving. Your only solace was that neither of you had soul animals present currently, which was an absolute miracle.

Actually… what if that isn't a coincidence at all? Could this too have been engineered? Was that even possible?

“So then what’s your opinion on..” The sound of Tim’s voice slammed you back to reality. You quickly focused back in, fearing losing any advantage due to a lack of attention.

Abruptly, an alarm sounded, the noise blazing a path through your eardrums. You jolted in surprise. Tim however, was barely rattled. A frown appeared on his face as he glanced at his phone.

“That was the Arkham Asylum breakout alarm. It's no longer safe to go outside.” With these words Tim got up, walking over to the door and opening it.

“What…?” You mumbled, horrified.

“Stay here.” He commanded, a firm tone in his voice. This was Red Robin. “I’m going to check on the building, don't leave, it isn't safe.”

“Wait! But.. the collaboration.. we didn't..” The words rushed out of your mouth, leaving you feeling like a fool as Tim paused for a moment, to look at you.

“Don't worry.” He smiled, the weight of it bearing down upon you. You felt small. “You can just come in tomorrow, I'm sure your company won't mind.” With the final word said, Tim closed the door, presumably rushing off to become Red Robin. The click of the door felt like a dismissal, a scolding. A reminder to stay in your place.

Once again, you were trapped.

You clenched your fists. He wanted you to stay here, in his territory. You didn't doubt that Wayne Enterprises had amazing security, probably some of the best considering the identities of the owners. This was likely the third most safe place in Gotham, with the first and second places going to Batman’s base and Wayne Manor.

But… you haven't learned anything yet. All that time spent with him and somehow he hadn't brought up that singular, obvious fact. There was no way he didn't know, not with the way he was acting. And yet, he hadn't brought it up. Why?

What was he getting out of this?

Was he hoping that if you assumed he didn't know then you could easily be monitored? Was he just gathering information before acting? Where was the rest of the vigilantes in this?

Your head was spinning, going in circles. You couldn't understand him, you couldn't understand any of them. Why choose to be vigilantes, knowing the costs that life endures? Why were you tied to them, when you were so against a fundamental part of their existence?

You couldn't understand this at all. How could this be the basis of a soulmate bond?

You were… opposites.

You felt the telltale beat of an oncoming headache. For your own sanity, you decided to fold the incoming soulmate crisis into a small cavity of your brain to panic about later.

Fact One: There was an ongoing Arkham Asylum breakout, everyone is either being attacked, hiding away or escaping the city.

Fact Two: Batman and all his partners are going to be occupied for at least several hours if not a day.

Fact Three: You were going to take advantage of this.

It was the perfect time. All your soulmates were occupied, so none of them would be able to pay any attention to you. Red Robin might know your identity, and so the other vigilantes may know as well.

That didn't need to matter. They may have the information, but information itself is useless, if they are unable to act.

Right now, any Gothamite that isn't involved with rogues is either hiding or escaping. You could join the escapes, and get out of Gotham in the rush.

You didn't have to stay here, to play the role of a caged bird. You could escape, before they even got a chance.

You had to try.

You suppressed a shaky sigh, getting up and walking to the door. You tried the door handle.

Locked.

Uh oh. You tried it again, and then a few more times after that, shaking the door eventually in your desperation. Oh come on! You desperately thought to yourself. The one time you finally got the perfect chance and it's being ruined by a locked door.

Wait. You glanced at the small window in the door, the beginnings of an idea sprouting in your head. You glance over at Tim’s desk, noticing a small paper weight. You smile.

Lifting the paperweight, you judge the weight to be enough. Holding it up, you get into position to throw.

Wait.. the door has a keyhole, not a sliding chain, you realize, almost too late.

Ah.

Well that would have been embarrassing.

Sadly, you place the paperweight back down. There goes that idea.

But that wasn't the only door in the office, there was another one, the one that the shouting voice left out of. You approach the door, trying the doorknob.

Click!

It opens! Giving a small laugh, you advance through the door and out into the halls of Wayne Enterprises, a jubilant smile on your face. Whoever was shouting at Tim earlier, you almost wanted to thank them.

You avoid the elevators, instead picking stairs, as you presumed they may also be in lockdown. It didn't take you too long to get down to the ground floor, since the main walking areas were now barren of people.

The ground floor had some unfortunate news to offer you though. The once wildly open doors had now been locked down and barred, an iron wall between you and freedom.

Although, maybe there was some other way, you thought, eyeing the anxious security guards patrolling the front entrance.

Pulling out of your hiding spot, you approach the guards, making to time your steps, making noise to not scare them. You really didn't want to get shot before you had even left the safety of the building.

“P-please help me!” You stuttered, trembling with tears in your eyes. The guards jolted in surprise, turning to face you. They were expecting threats from the outside, not the inside.

“I need to get home, I can't stay here.” You sobbed, the guards pausing in confusion. They didn't know what to do with you.

“What’s wrong?” A sympathetic guard asked, patting you gently on the back. You almost felt bad.

“I need to go home!” You repeated, tone frantic.

A disgruntled guard stepped up to you. “Look, no one can leave right now. Company policy. It isn't safe, there's been an Arkham breakout. Just sit tight, and whatever’s waiting for you at home will be there when you get back.”

“N-no…” You mumbled. “You don't understand.. I have.. I have a cat, waiting for me.” You glance up, watching the expressions on their faces. They seem unmoved. “A-and my child!” You cry out, realizing you needed a better lie.

“A child?” The disgruntled guard repeated, sounding a little more sympathetic, but clearly not convinced. He eyed you up and down, evidentially thinking you looked a little too young.

“They're so little, but my cat likes to take care of them and I needed the money so, so I left them at home alone today. But recently they're been figuring out how to open doors and if anything happened to them I don't know what I’d d-” Your frantic lie is cut off, the disgruntled guard laying a hand on your shoulder.

“Alright listen. None of us can escort you, we're here on the job.”

You nodded, feeling exuberation rush through you.

“But if anything happened, run right back here, alright?”

You nodded again, fighting a smile on your face. The guards unlocked the doors, watching you dash out with frowns on their tired faces.

They were obvious to the beaming smirk on yours.

Nights in Gotham are by nature a little terrifying, but they're nothing compared to an Arkham breakout night. Shadows crawled up alleyways, the smell of booze and smoke lingering in a way it never could on normal nights. The terror was so pungent in the air, you could almost taste it. It was on the tip of your tongue.

Every so often you'd hear a scream, and you'd walk a little faster. Ideally you would have committed to the stealth route, but you had wasted enough time already.

Your house was on the way to the bus station, so you could easily pop in, grab essentials, and get out. You wouldn't lie, you were nervous. Every so often you’d feel your knees lose strength, and you'd have to fight with your body to regain the strength to stand.

But at this point it was either the horror of whatever your soulmates had in store for you, or the horrors of Arkham night. You'd already picked your poison, now it was time to swallow.

You took a breath in, then out, and continued walking. You were almost there.

The streets of Gotham stretched on endlessly, a cacophony of fear.

Just a bit longer.

A gunshot sounded nearby, the noise blasting through your eardrum.

Almost there.

The hum of a van's engine rushed through the night, haunting laughter echoing through the road.

You could see your house!

You beamed, a smile lighting up your face, as you practically skipped up to the entrance. You reached into your bag to withdraw your keys.

You had just retrieved them when a crowbar smashed into your head.

----

Wow umh, please pray for reader guys, this is NOT going well for them. Who do you think that was?

Me writing shenanigans for this chapter:

I just really feel like reader should smash open this window, let's do it. Wait. They wouldn't have doors that work like that. so reader sadly puts the heavy object down :(

Also me: yeah so reader lies here and it's an absolute mess

Also also me: rip reader that's a lotta head trauma omg

Sorry for the lack of soul animals this chapter :(( there's a reason I swear

The next chapter is definitely gonna be a bit insane, for sure! The soul animals return then anddd in droves!

Taglist: @moonchild-artemisdaughter @jjsmeowthie @madine11-blog @xxrougefangxx @hadesnewpersephone @neerathebrightstar @mel-star636 @jaythes1mp @rosecentury @lov3vivian @gaozorous-rex-blog @victoria1676 @vrsin @silverklaus @ryukyuin @kurai-hono-blog @thisisafish123 @isawyourbrowserhistory @ain-t-no-way-bsfr @realifezompire @lunaluz432 @nickey-diano @sukiiluvs @sara0055 @alleakimlala @kdidgg @paperhermits @lavender-moony @alishii @emmbny @sirenetheblogger @fantasy-angelo @andrasia @vinnvinnvintage @nyra-42 @armystaysatnct @beyond-your-stars @starsdotalk @adeptusxia0 @jailbimbo @yandereheros @sxftiebee @i-have-three-feelings @toast-on-dandelioms @lyl-3 @sitepathos @pato-spoiler-27 @ghostdoodlen @phoenixgurl030 @problematicreblogger @sociallyakwardpanda

@imaginarydreams @zanzie @yuyuzi-ling @soriansick @f1lover4ever @kiikkey @elizzsush @raincxtter @luoyi85 @yune1337 @erikasurfer @thekingofsimps @chaosbeanuwu

If I missed anyone out im super sorry! I generally check the replies for the current chapter and messages for people that want to be tagged, so it's possible for people to slip by

Just remind me again and I'll be sure to add you! (This also goes for if I misspell you accidentally, which also happens cuz I type them all manually)

For some reason I couldnt tag anymore people until I put a random space in-between the tags, so that's apparently a thing. If anyone has any ideas why, I'm listening

[codnasties]

Can we get maybe wedding night 141 links?? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

141 wedding night 🧼👻🧢🚬 (🌽 link)

ghost👻 - soft

on your wedding night, ghost lets you take the lead. it's something he doesn't tend to do as a consequence of past trauma. but for fuck's sake, it's your special day too and he wants to make sure that it's exceptional. a little extra gift, a bit of himself that he hadn't given you before.

so he tells you to use his cock however you like. having you look all pretty on top of him, the sun that shines though the curtains making you look angelical. keeping you close to him, kissing you deeply as he gives you the last bit of himself, giving himself in body and soul. making continuous eye contact as you ride his big dick, your hips lowering and lifting from it in sensual motions. making sure that he spills his seed inside of you, as an offering to him, some form of showing trust back to him.

· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·

soap 🧼 - panties stay on

on your wedding night, soap made sure your panties sayed on. the taset of expensive alcohol still on his tongue, but soon going to be mixed with your arousal. because as tipsy as he may be, he still knows what he wants, especially from you.

he had known the whole tim you were wearing some lace panties under your gown, the ones he loves so much - and has stolen a few of when he was going to be deployed -. and his suspicions had been confirmed when you pulled his hand under your dress while sitting at your table in the reception. looking like loving birds to everyone, but johnny was already plotting in his mind. one he had you in the bedroo, sliding his hand under them to finger your wet cunt and pulling them to the side to fuck you. but they stay on. he may even keep those to himself as a wedding gift of sorts.

· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·

gaz 🧢 - impatient

on your wedding night, gaz doesn't even get to take your dress off. the second he saw you laking down the aile, wearing your pure white dress, he couldn't hold back the tears. the excitement of marrying the love of his life taking over. but as the night progressed, that turned into him knowing he had to fuck you in said dress.

the soft material of it brushing against his skin as he takes your pussy from the back. the skirt bunched up on your waist as he fucks you with the intention of marking you as his, as if the ring on your finger weren't enough. cumming deeply inside of you and making you put your panties back on. returning to the reception with his pearly cum, a colour that combines with your dress, pooling in your lace panties and soiling your poor cunt even more.

· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·

price 🚬 - straight to breeding

on your wedding night, price can no longer hold back. there is a little worm in his brain that's been slowly craving more space for itself in his mind about getting you pregnant. because not only would you look so good with a full belly bearing his spring, he craves to see you with said child proped on your full hips.

he knew you wanted to wait until marriage before starting to try for children, and he's been thinking about putting a baby and seeing you pregnant in you since he asked you out. like full-on planning what colour the nursery is going to be and all that. so yes, on your wedding day he just goes straight into breeding you, getting you all full with his cum until it takes. until your poor pussy can take no more. i wouldn't be surprised if more or less nine months latter you had your first kid.

[l0s3rd0wnt0wn]

MY BIG SISTER GLOWS!!!

How Damians obsession with Weird neglected black!Reader started

To the average untrained eye, you look regular—nothing too special about your looks or facial features. But to the eye of an artist like Damian, you seem unearthly, and to Damian, you glow like the North Star. Your light could dim any constellation and put them to shame. But you’re not the only one in the house that glows; to Damian, Dick's glow is aqua green—it's cool and calm, and it fills the whole room, drowning out anybody else's glow. Jason's glow is bright red; people may think it's because of his anger, but it’s more about his passion and how it fills anything he touches. Tim's glow is a cool cerulean blue—calm and calculated—but it can shine brightly but also remain subtle. However, Damian hadn’t seen your glow for quite some time. He had seen Bruce's and Alfred's, heck, even Steph's, but he had just never managed to see you glow. Your light was never seen in the manor, but outside the manor was a whole other can of worms. As the little weasel walked to his next class, he heard giggling from a group of girls. He ignored it at first; still, he heard a small snort.

"[Name], was that a snort?" a girl said, her mouth wide open like an alligator. Damian's ears perked up at your name; he swiftly turned around to a bright light, so bright it rivaled the sun. It was your light; it was a soft yellow and sparkled as if tiny little stars surrounded you. Damian never knew you could glow, especially in that color, and he never knew you could laugh like that. Your laughs were always small giggles or snickers that lasted a second or more, but this laugh was coming from your very soul, and it lasted much longer.

"Shut up, Zuri, it's not a snort." You denied it quickly, but your snort still came out, and you covered your mouth while laughing. Your glow outshined all the girls, and it seemed to fill the room. He had never seen you like this—never. You were always so brash or closed off, and your glow was usually dim. But at school, it was a whole other thing. Now that Damian saw you like this, he began to sketch every moment you glowed, and sketch he did. There would be pages upon pages dedicated to you and your star-like glow. He committed to memory the way your nose scrunched up, how your eyes squinted, and how your full lips parted into the biggest smile. You would throw your head back making your dreads fall over your shoulders. He knew it by heart; he could close his eyes and paint a picture just with the memory of your smile. But these brief moments of laughter at school weren't enough; he needed to see up close and personal. Deep down, he wanted to be the one who made you glow, but you wouldn't let him. It was like forcing a bird to sing; it only happened naturally. Your glow around him was dim and dark, reminding him of his old glow before even going to the manor. But the young prince felt entitled to your glow, to your shine. He was the grandson of the demon head and the blood son of the bat. How dare you deny him something he so deserved! Sure, he could be cruel at times and rude; sure, his words could break you into a thousand pieces, but he's sorry—he really is. So let him see you shine. Let him paint you and make that glow immortal. Let him see it, after all, you both come from the same blood. It's only fair you let those peasants see your glow, but not him, there beneath you! You know that, right!? So why let these fools see your glow when he is so much more worthy?!

[writingsonsaturn]

i love these tim bradford x sunshine!reader but what if they had like a really not sunshine job, pathologist or something and the others found out.

the idea is probably really stupid, do whatever you want or just pretend i never sent this

sun-kissed shadows

{ masterlist }

🪐 - this is so freaking cute, I loved writing this!!! thank you anon <33

wc - 1.4k

content warning: reader is a blood spatter analyst, descriptive talks of dead bodies and things that go along with being a forensics tech, gore? kinda? its not for the ones with a super weak stomach pookies

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

Tim has always felt some sort of force field pulling him toward you, the way your smile could light up the darkest of rooms, or how your voice is always so soft and airy. He knew he had to introduce himself that night in the bar, Tim asked if he could treat you to a drink and you just couldn’t resist his wide, hopeful smile and agreed. Tim was in love the moment your voice reached his ears, suddenly three years later, your warm body is what he wakes up to.

His eyes studied your face, every little detail that gently lay across your face had been mesmerized since the first time you slept over. Tim’s fingers delicately traced his hand over your cheekbone, a soft gesture he used to pull you out of your dream ridden state.

You stirred slightly, becoming aware of the small disruption. 

“Good morning, pretty girl,” Tim whispered in a sleepy tone.

“Hi,” you smiled widely while stretching your arms, creeping open an eye only to see a smiling Tim staring right back at you.

“Are you aware that it’s creepy to watch someone sleep?” you jokingly said, a smirk making its way onto your face. “I can’t help it, you’re just so beautiful,” Tim explains in a jokingly defensive way, throwing his hand over his chest and fighting a grin. You only giggle and pull yourself onto his chest, resting your chin gently on top of him and looking up into the eyes of your lover.

The two of you laid together, soft spoken words floating around the confined bedroom. Talking about what the day ahead looks like, then finally after some convincing, Tim agrees to get up and make you breakfast before you need to leave. You both worked at the station, however you tend to clock in earlier since you usually have deadlines to meet and paperwork to file. 

Your career wasn’t what people expected you to be a part of, it was a rather dark job - well you didn’t think so, but to each their own. You worked as a blood spatter analyst, reconstruction of crime scenes and helping determine what sort of weapon was used at the time of the attack and or homicide, and most importantly you helped with figuring out how a victim was hit. 

You loved your job, but it was always fun to see the cogs in a person's brain start to rapidly spin when you explain what you do for a living. 

Now, although you work at the same place, nobody actually knows what you do. There has only been a handful of conversations about work considering Tim’s friends very obviously do not want to talk about policing when they are off-duty, which you understood. Everytime you were asked you would simply just say you helped at the crime scene after they all had left, and the crew would just let it go.

Personally, you weren’t sure talking about how far brain matter had flown out of a victims head was a dinner worthy conversation. 

Once you clocked into work for the day you immediately started on the leftover paperwork from last week's case, an elderly man who had been bludgeoned by his caretaker. It was a gruesome shift that day, all the red yarn and pictures taken were horrible, sometimes you wished for the ability to erase memories from your brain's hold. 

You were also aware that once the trial started you would have to testify to the science of how you figured out what was used to kill the man, and how you knew. 

However, not long after lunch - thankfully after - you were called into a scene that was horrific. Blood coating a once white wall, a man on the ground already in rigor mortis, and way too many bodily fluids. 

This case was already different, you were informed that it was a high priority and all hands on deck type of situation. 

That being said, everybody was there. 

Looking around you caught Tim talking with Angela and Nyla, likely because he was the first officer on scene and needed to give an account as to what he saw. You were in full gear, white suit that covered you head to toe, goggles and a KN95 face mask that helps prevent you from breathing in any unwanted fumes that expel out of a deceased human’s body.

Chen, Nolan, and Juarez were all there. Going through the steps of securing the scene, one talking to the housekeeper who found the body and another rolling tape around the front of the property. You walked over to where Tim was standing with the two detectives to get an idea of what needs to be collected into evidence, and what time the body was found.

Taking off the hood of your suit, along with the other two items blocking your facial features to give you better access to communication, you noticed Lucy freeze as she looked your way. 

“Hello detectives,” you smiled kindly, to which they both offered one back. Nyla and Angela knew what you did, they were really the only ones to know, you worked with detectives very closely.

 “Hey bloody, what’s the diagnosis?” Angela joked.

“Pretty standard stuff, was shot directly in the face by shotgun most likely, shrapnel is imbedded into the skin-” you start to explain while pulling up the notes you were taking, ���-had to be pretty up close to produce the amount of damage that was done, found a shoe imprint in the blood as well,” you finish and look up, to now see a small crowd of stunned faces contributed by Lucy, John, and Celina.

“This is so not what I thought you did” Celina gaped, looking at you like you grew a second head.

You laughed at the shock, “guys this really isn’t that crazy,” shaking your head you begin to put your equipment back on so you could make your way back into the house. “What are you talking about? This is insane!” Lucy exclaimed, gesturing to your get-up with over exaggerated hand motions. 

Tim couldn’t help but snicker at the over-the-top reaction perpetrated by your mutual friends, they once explained you were the sunlight to their dark, and traumatic jobs, and here you were getting up close and personal to bloody body parts and foul stenches. 

Before putting the mask on you gave Tim a quick peck, saying you’ll see him tonight for dinner and made your way back into the crime infested home.

The shift had been long, and rough. You spent nearly 45 minutes trying to decipher if there was actually a fingerprint or if it was just a smudge, luckily for you it came back as a partial print, which could give you nothing but it could also give you everything. 

You also had to pick out a couple of pieces of the shrapnel that were stuck in the victims face and place them in evidence bags, for you to also test later at the lab. Different shrapnel comes from different ammos which can be used in different weapons, it was a very significant job you held.

Finishing the day, you turned in reports of today’s findings and got the things ready to be tested in the lab tomorrow morning, because that was tomorrow you’s problem, tonight’s you was leaving and heading to eat dinner at a nice restaurant that Tim surprised you with yesterday. 

Bringing a duffle bag to work always came in handy, especially because you were able to fit a nice pair of date clothes into it making it to where you didn’t have to stop at home to change. 

“God, I am starving” your voice echoed through Tim’s mind, his thrill hard to hide as he got up to greet you. “It’s a good thing I already ordered an appetizer for us then, huh?”  Tim led you to your seat, pulling the chair out for you, then sitting down himself. 

The two of you caught up on the rest of the day, you explaining the frustration game of is it, or is it not with a partial fingerprint and Tim telling you about the women who attempted to flee while handcuffed only to fall head first into dog poop. The laugh you expelled caused other customers to look at you with judgement, but you couldn’t care less. 

By the end of the night, both of you were just admiring each other, “you know, I don’t think our friends imagine me as this light in their life anymore,” the smile on your face was large and knowing.

“You’re still my sunshine,” Tim whispered, sending you a wink.

[mapis-putellas]

𝐵𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑠

Pairing: Alexia Putellas x Reader

Words: 1299

Warnings: None!

Summary: A typical morning in the Putellas household.

Notes: I’m so sorry for the long wait

"Good morning." You murmur as you slip behind Alexia and secure your arms around her waist, craning your head forward to press a kiss to her cheek. It was early, the sun just beginning to rise against the already blue sky, but Alexia seems to have been up for hours. She was clad in nothing but a black sports bra and a pair of red gym shorts, her blonde hair tied back into its usual ponytail with the fly aways secured by a headband.

The skin of her stomach was slightly clammy, and that along with the slight aroma of sweat lingering on her suggests she had just got done working out. You wrinkle your nose as you rest your chin against her shoulder, giving her a playful poke. "You stink." You add as an afterthought, grinning at the scoff that fills your ears.

“Good morning to out too, amor.” The sarcasm was evident as she pats your hands still pressed against her stomach.

“Hey!” You say defensively. “I said good morning first!”

“Before telling me I stink?” She glances back at you, a singular eyebrow raised.

You shrug. “Well, you do, so…”

Alexia turns her head to look back at you, a look of playful resignation on her face. "And yet you’re still hugging me." She retorts.

"The things I do for love," You joke wistfully before suddenly yelping at the not so gentle swat that meets your backside. "Hey, oww!" You whine, reaching back to rub at the smarting skin as you pull away from her. "Did you just swat me with the goddamn spatula?!"

Alexia's face holds no remorse as she turns to face you with a spatula in her hand, a single eyebrow raised. "Yep. And I will do it again if you do not behave, amor" She warns, and you mock salute her as you stomp away to the refrigerator with the intention of making your own breakfast. You all but yank open the door and grab the first thing you see -which just so happened to be a punnet of grapes- before slamming the door shut and tossing your chosen breakfast onto the counter. You hop up next to them, ignoring your still throbbing butt cheek as you begin kicking your legs.

Alexia glares at you as she turns off the stove, and you pointedly glare back as you pop a singular grape into your mouth and chew all without breaking eye contact.

Surprisingly, Alexia was the first to look away, letting out a deep sigh as she begins to dish out two portions of the scrambled eggs she'd made. "Eres un dolor en mi trasero." She grumbles beneath her breath as she heads to the sink to put the frying pan to soak, and your eyes narrow as you toss another grape into your mouth. You have no idea what she'd just said -curse your inability to learn a new language despite the many months of tutoring you'd had- but you were pretty sure it had been insulting.

Spotting the now discarded spatula Alexia had left by the stove, you reach for it and place it out of sight behind you just in time for the blonde to finish with whatever she was doing. She turns to face you, and you smile innocently as you continue kicking your legs like were the epitome of innocence. Alexia's own eyes narrow, glancing between you and her breakfast, and you roll your eyes again as you swallow.

"I didn't do anything to your breakfast, ale, relax."

Assured by the honesty in your voice, Alexia reaches for her eggs. She bends over, resting her elbows on the counter next to your body before beginning to eat.

"I think my butts going to bruise." You say, effectively breaking the silence.

Alexia glances your way and rolls her eyes as she swallows. "I didn't swat you that hard, amor." She murmurs, and you scoff again as you shift s little to face her. You both knew she'd never seriously hurt you, and even if she just so happened to do so on accident, she’d apologise profusely before promising she’d do anything in her power to make it up to you. This, however, was not one of those times. This was simply a case of who could annoy the other more.

"And how do you know?" You retort. "Are you me? Can you feel my pain?" You hold a hand to your chest, your other hand already behind you tightly gripping the handle of the spatula. You could feel the satisfaction racing through your body already. Oooh, revenge was going to be sweet.

Alexia chuckles in amusement at your dramatic response as she pats your thigh in hopes it would momentarily appease you. You simply blink at her audacity.

"I will kiss it better, amor." She promises somewhat seriously as she scoops up a forkful of eggs, and you smile slightly a you tighten your grip around the spatula.

"Aww, thanks. I'll kiss yours better too."

Alexia looks up at you with a frown of confusion. "But I don't-"

You cut her off by reaching forward and swatting her on the ass just a little harder than she'd done to you. She drops her fork in surprise as an unmistakable yelp escapes her lips, her hand instinctively reaching back to sooth the obvious sting, and you cackle loudly as you hop off of the counter with the intention of finding somewhere to hide before she could retaliate. You feel her fingers just skim the material of your shirt as she tries yet fails to grab you before you could leave the room. 

"Amor! Come back here, right now!" You hear her yell.

"No!" You scramble up the stairs, the sound of her footsteps pounding after you. Your hand was just inches away from the bathroom door handle before her arms grab your waist and yank your body back into her own. "Alexia! Let me go! This is not fair!" You laugh as she hauls you up into her arms and carries you through to your bedroom like you were no more than a rag doll.

"How is it not fair?" She tosses you onto the bed and climbs on top of you before you could even think about making your escape. Your chest heaves as she leans over you, her large hands pinning your wrists to the bed.

"You hit me first! I was just getting my well deserved revenge!" You yell, squirming futility beneath her.

Alexia stares down at you in amusement. "Revenge?"

"Yes!" You cry indignantly. "I have a spatula shaped bruise on my ass cheek because of you! It was only fair you get one because of me!"

"You are going to have a lot more than a spatula shape bruise when I am finished with you." Her eyes had a teasing glint to them, and you knew her next move could go one of two ways. One, she could mark you. Or more specifically, your neck and as a result you'd be forced to listen to the relentless teasing from your teammates until it fades. That was typically her chosen punishment for you when you ‘acted up’ despite your many protests. Or there was option number two . She could-

Hands attack your sides before without any warning, and the shriek the escapes your lips was immediate as you scramble to knock her hands away to no avail.

You guess revenge was a dish best served cold after all.

**

Tags:

@goldenempyrean @girlgenius1111 @codiemarin @marysfics @liloandstitchstan @xxnaiaxx @helen-with-an-a @ceesimz

[daydreamabout]

Worst Behaviour [ Tim Bradford Imagine]

Summary: Being on patrol with the person you date, can lead to a different behaviour.

The Los Angeles skyline gleamed under the fading sun, the golden hour casting long shadows over the city streets. Inside the LAPD patrol car, the low hum of the radio was the only sound, aside from the occasional click of Tim's pen as he filled out a report. Beside him, Y/N sat with her usual easy confidence, her eyes scanning the streets as she kept an alert watch on their surroundings. It had been a few weeks since they’d finally acknowledged what had been building between them for months. They were now an official couple, but the last thing they wanted was to broadcast it at work. The two of them were partners in every sense of the word—professionally, yes, but personally as well. They had agreed to keep things lowkey, for the sake of their careers and the dynamics of the team.

But the moment they were in the patrol car together, everything felt natural. They were comfortable, relaxed in each other’s presence. Tim found himself sneaking glances at her more often than he should, his heart warming when she caught his eye and gave him a small, knowing smile. However, the ease of their relationship didn’t erase the fierce protectiveness Tim felt over Y/N. It wasn’t anything new—he’d always had her back, but now, with the added layer of them being together, it felt like an instinct he couldn’t control.

"Tim, check out that guy," Y/N suddenly said, her voice low but firm. She was pointing at a man leaning against a streetlight on a corner, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his posture tense as if he were waiting for something—or someone. Tim’s eyes immediately locked onto the man, his instincts kicking in. His body tensed, hands tightening on the wheel. He had a gut feeling about the guy, and it wasn’t good.

“Stay alert,” Tim said, his tone clipped. "Let’s swing around and see if we can get a closer look."

Y/N noticed the shift in his mood. He was always serious about his work, but there was something different today—something protective and more intense. She didn’t question him, though. She knew that Tim’s instincts were usually right. They took the next turn, looping around the block to get a better vantage point. As they approached the man again, Tim slowed the car, scanning the area. But the guy had noticed them, his posture shifting, and now, he was walking toward the alleyway. “Tim, be careful,” Y/N warned, her hand instinctively hovering near her gun holster.

“I know what I’m doing,” he muttered, his jaw tightening as he brought the car to a stop a little too abruptly. His protective instincts were kicking in full force, and he didn’t realize just how close to the edge he was getting. Without waiting for a word from Y/N, Tim threw the car into park and opened the door. His instincts were screaming at him, urging him to approach the suspect. Y/N quickly followed suit, but as she stepped out of the car, Tim was already several paces ahead, moving toward the man with a determined stride.

"Hey, stop!" Tim called, his voice loud, authoritative.

The man turned, eyes narrowing as he saw the two officers approaching. His hands were still in his pockets, but there was a flicker of tension in his stance. He wasn’t giving them anything.

“Tim, wait up!” Y/N called out, her voice a little sharper now as she moved to catch up with him. But he was already too far into the moment, too fixated on the situation. He didn’t wait for her. As he got closer, the suspect made a sudden move, and Tim reacted instinctively, stepping forward and grabbing the man’s arm. He spun him around, slamming him against the brick wall of the alley.

“Tim!” Y/N shouted, her heart racing. She was there in an instant, grabbing his arm, trying to pull him back. “Let him go!”

But Tim was in full mode now, his emotions getting the better of him. “Stay back, Y/N,” he snapped, his grip tightening around the suspect’s arm. “This guy is up to something.”

Y/N’s heart pounded as she reached for his shoulder, trying to get him to focus. “Tim, he’s not resisting! You’re escalating this.”

“Just let me do my job,” he muttered under his breath, still not fully registering the way his tone had shifted. Before things could get any worse, Y/N stepped in front of Tim, placing herself between him and the suspect. She was calm, collected, but there was an unmistakable firmness in her voice. “I said let him go.”

Tim’s eyes flickered from the suspect to Y/N, and for a moment, there was hesitation in his gaze. The protective instinct that had overridden his reason slowly started to dissipate, but not without a few seconds of tension. The suspect, sensing the shift, quickly pulled away and started to back off, his hands still raised, signaling he wasn’t a threat—at least, for now. Y/N turned to her partner, her face a mix of frustration and concern. "You can’t do that. Not here, not like that. You can’t let your emotions control you on the job."

Tim’s chest heaved with a mixture of adrenaline and regret. He realized now that he’d crossed a line. “I just… I couldn’t let him—"

“I know,” Y/N said, cutting him off. She softened her tone, but there was still a firmness there. “But you can’t let your guard down like that. We have to work together, and that means trusting each other to keep things in check.”

Tim looked at her, his face serious. “I’m sorry. I just… I couldn’t help myself.”

Before she could respond, the sound of a car approaching made them both turn their heads. Sergeant Grey’s patrol car slid to a stop nearby, and he stepped out with his usual no-nonsense demeanor. His eyes flickered between Tim and Y/N, then to the suspect, who had quickly moved out of sight.

"Bradford," Sergeant Grey called, his voice gruff. "A word, please."

Tim’s stomach dropped. He could already tell this wasn’t going to be a friendly conversation.

“Yeah, Sarge?” Tim asked, trying to hide the guilt in his tone.

“Inside. Now,” Sergeant Grey snapped.

Tim exchanged a glance with Y/N. She didn’t say anything, but there was a look of silent understanding between them. She knew this was coming. Tim had let his protectiveness go too far again, and now he was going to have to answer for it.

---

A few minutes later, he sat in Sergeant Grey’s office, the door closed behind him. Sergeant Grey’s piercing eyes were on him as he leaned against his desk, arms crossed.

"You need to understand something, Bradford," Grey began, his voice cold but not without a hint of concern. “You can’t let your personal feelings cloud your judgment on the job. Y/N’s not just your partner. She’s your coworker, and you both need to be able to trust each other in dangerous situations. You’re the senior officer here. You need to lead by example.”

Tim swallowed, nodding. “I know, Sarge. I got carried away. She's just-”

“Everyone’s important to you, Bradford,” Grey interrupted. “That’s part of the job. But if you let your emotions take over every time someone even looks at your partner the wrong way, you’re going to make mistakes. You’ve got to keep your head in the game.”

Tim lowered his gaze, feeling the weight of his actions. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Sergeant Grey softened slightly. “I’m not here to punish you, Bradford. But I don’t want to see this happen again. You’ve got a good partner in Y/N. Don’t let your personal feelings turn into a liability for both of you.”

Tim nodded again. “Understood, Sarge.”

---

Later that evening, as the patrol ended and the shift came to a close, Tim and Y/N walked to their car together in silence. The weight of the conversation with Sergeant Grey hung in the air, but neither of them spoke about it right away. They were still processing the incident—Tim, especially, feeling the weight of having crossed a line. Finally, Y/N spoke, her voice quieter than usual. “You okay?” she asked, her eyes meeting his. Tim ran a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated breath. “Yeah. Just... I messed up, Y/N. I shouldn’t have let my emotions take control like that.”

She gave him a small, understanding smile. “We’ve both been there. But just remember, we’ve got each other’s backs, no matter what. And we’ll handle things together.”

His heart softened at her words, the tension easing in his chest. “Thanks. I’ll do better.”

Y/N reached out, lightly touching his arm. “I know you will. Just… remember to breathe, okay?”

Tim chuckled softly, the weight of the situation lifting just a little. “I’ll try.”

And as they got in the car and drove off into the night, the bond between them felt stronger than ever—two partners, not just in their work, but in everything.

[hidden-eyeballs]

Duke meeting Damian for the first time: *squinting* Dude, why are you so bright?

Damian(son of Apollo): my intellect was well earned while in my grandfather's care.

Duke, unable to look directly at him: no, your aura, it's like I'm looking at the sun.

Damian: Tt, the sun you say...

*later at Jason's safe house*

Damian: *enters through window* Thomas can see me glow

Jason: what? You glow?

Damian: *pinches brow* Yes, Todd, i glow. However, you miss the point. Thomas says my aura is too bright to look at.

Jason: Yikes, did you tell Tim?

Damian: Tt, of course not, Drake would only laugh at my predicament and force a reveal.

Damian: And if that happens, I will drag you all down with me.

[fluentmoviequoter]

Broken Pieces in Loving Hands

Requested by @the-summer-that-went-wrong ! (Tumblr won't let me reply to your ask for some reason, but thank you for the kind words and the great request!!)

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!reader

Summary: You're burnt out after working nonstop on a big project. When you return home and fall apart, Tim's loving hands are ready to hold you together.

Warnings: burnout, brief angst, tons of fluff and comfort

Word Count: 1.4k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info

“Thank you, this is an honour,” you’d said. “I’ll do everything I can to put the company’s best foot forward.”

Now, as your laptop screen grows blurry and midnight approaches, you’re wondering if the company’s best foot always kicks this hard. Your company doesn’t assign projects lightly, and your current leadership position is something you’ve dreamed of and worked toward for years. Being over the entire project and acting as the company representative directly acknowledge your skills, passion, and dedication.

The last few weeks, however, have been filled with late nights, hours upon hours at your laptop with no end in sight, and neglecting your duties and privileges outside of work. You can’t remember the last time you were more than a few feet away from your computer or the project notes, when you went on a date with or even kissed Tim, or when you took a break that wasn’t to get a few restless hours of sleep, dreaming of the project and everything left to do.

There are three days left until the project is finalized and your changes are implemented, and you only have a day or two of work left. What seems like mere minutes after midnight, the sun rises over Los Angeles, and you trek to the company’s gym to shower and get ready for another long day. You’re nearly there, you remind yourself, blatantly ignoring the dark circles under your eyes and your drooping smile, signs of your composed image beginning to pull apart at the seams.

Your fingers slow on the keyboard as your blinks grow heavy. Glancing at the clock on the far wall of your office, which you have to squint to see until your eyes adjust to looking farther than a computer screen, you realize that it’s only 2 p.m. You’re supposed to clock out at 4, but that hasn’t happened in weeks. The sudden lethargy you feel makes those two hours seem like an eternity. Returning your attention to your computer, you switch tabs to open the spreadsheet recording your progress. Two boxes have yet to be checked, double-checked, and initialled, and the tasks are relatively simple. One is a walk-through of your project presentation, which can be done the morning before.

So, at 4 o’clock, for the first time in weeks, you save your work, log out, and gather your things to go home. Sitting in your car, the exhaustion washes over you like a wave, threatening to pull you under and batter you even more than you’ve already done to yourself. Deep down, you knew you were overworking yourself. The project was a major accomplishment, and you wanted to do your best, so you pushed, pulled, and stretched yourself out in every direction to ensure things got done. Now, you feel like a shell, drained and ready to sleep for as long as possible.

There’s a familiar car in the driveway when you park, and you smile as you walk past it. Entering the front door, you kick your shoes off, set your bag down, and then freeze. Your home is your sanctuary; it’s safe, warm, and cosy, and you haven’t let yourself slow down and enjoy it. You aren’t just tired, you realize, you are stressed and feel like the exhaustion and misery you felt in your office will keep dragging you down, never releasing you until you can’t see the light above you anymore. Pressure builds in your eyes, and when you see Tim’s cologne sitting on the table by the door – because he “remembers to put it on at the very last minute” – the mask of competency and readiness you’ve worn shatters. The tears start slow but build rapidly into deep sobs that shake your entire body. You sink to your knees and lean against the back of the couch, wrapping your arms around your waist as all of the emotions you’ve ignored exit you in a painful rush. You wore yourself down until you were fragile enough that a breakdown like this threatens everything. The shards of who you were lay around you, and the realization that you’ve treated a project better than yourself renews your misery.

Breathing shallowly, you nearly mistake the warm arms wrapping around you for a tightening of your chest. Looking up, you see Tim on the floor beside you, concern and love in his eyes as he brushes your hair out of your face. You cling to him then, desperate for a reminder of what you’ve missed. You can’t make it up, you fear, but you can enjoy every moment in his presence while they last. If they last.

Tim’s hand brushes over your hair, then rubs a firm, comforting path up and down your spine as he pulls you closer.

“I’m right here,” he promises softly.

He always was, you know. You weren’t here.

“I’m so sorry,” you cry, hiccups separating each syllable.

Tim tightens his grip on you, pulling you into his lap so your legs are on either side of his hips. You hug him, distantly aware that your mascara is staining his shirt. Tim lifts you carefully as he stands, cradling you against him with one hand beneath your hips as the other slides into your hair. He carries you to the bedroom and lowers gently, setting you on the bed as he kneels before you.

“I got you,” he promises, gently, reverently pulling his thumbs under your lower lashes.

“I’m sorry,” you repeat, following his path with harsher movements, your knuckles painful against your cheekbones.

Tim catches your hands, pulls them into your lap and holds your waist.

“Do you want to change?” he asks.

You nod, and Tim taps your side three times as he stands. He navigates the room with ease, opening and closing drawers and removing what you need and want without asking.

“Shower?” he inquires as he sets a pile of clothing beside you. Your favourite pajama pants, his LAPD Relay 2015 t-shirt exactly what you would have picked.

You shake your head, then remember the light makeup you put on at work this morning has likely run all over your face. Tim seems to read your mind as he emerges from the en suite bathroom with a pack of cotton pads and a gentle makeup remover. His movements across your face are comforting, his pinky trailing lightly behind the soft drag of the cotton.

“You’re okay,” Tim assures you as he unzips your dress and kisses the top of your spine.

“I didn’t…” you begin. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this.”

“I know,” Tim replies, sliding his shirt over your arms. “It’s okay. You’re home now, and we’re going to eat dinner, and you’re going to rest.”

“You shouldn’t have to do all this for me.”

Tim hooks his finger under your chin, directing your eyes to his. “I want to.”

After you pull your pajama pants on and Tim tosses the used cotton pads in the trash, you take his hand and follow him into the kitchen. Your favourite dinner is cooking, and he points toward the couch as he prepares to finish it.

Eating on the couch beside Tim, listening to his recollection of a funny moment at the station last week, you wonder why you let a project get between you like this. It doesn’t matter, Tim’s voice says in your head. I won’t do it again, you decide.

“What would you like to do?” Tim asks after placing your dishes in the dishwasher. “We have ice cream, movies, Monopoly, I think.”

“What do you want to do?” you counter.

Tim leans forward, kisses you, and says, “I’m already doing it.”

You don’t need sleep, you think, you need Tim. Okay, maybe you need sleep too, but Tim is everything you need after a long, tiring, stressful month. He held you together when everything in you threatened to fall apart. He’ll always be there to pick up the broken pieces, and for some reason, he loves you, whether you’re whole or shattered and covered in runny mascara.

“Can we just stay here?” you request. “We can watch whatever you want.”

You lean against Tim’s side as he nods. Comfortable under his arm, you’re where you’re supposed to be. Tim’s comfort is better than medicine, better than sleep, and everything you’ve dreamed of having. With this awaiting you at home, you’re not sure you’ll ever return to work again.

“I love you,” you murmur as you drift off.

“I love you,” Tim replies. No doubt, no surprise at your confession, just a promise.

[astraeus-tree]

In Celebration of Your Birthday

Batfam x Reader (Platonic)

It's my birthday (releasing this as soon as it hits 12am hopefully) so I wanted to write a little drabble Disclaimer(s): Unfortunately there's no Steph, Babs or Duke and they're all probably OOC

Today felt like chaos incarnate, countless things had already happened, yet it was only midday.

You hadn’t woken up on your own, no. Damian was there, waking you up from your peaceful slumber at the ungodliest hour of the night and demanded you to get ready already. You had slowly done your morning routine, still fatigued by sleep, but Damian had rushed you, saying it was dire that you needed to be fast.

When you had finished, he dragged you down to the batcave, excited about whatever he has planned. He shoved your vigilante costume to you and started getting dressed into his Robin uniform.

“Dami? What the hell is going in?” You dressed in your costume, alarms raising in your head.

“We’re going on patrol.” He had finished getting into his costume swiftly, now standing with crossed arms waiting for you to finish.

“It’s not even my turn?” You questioned.

“Just follow me.... Please?” You sighed, he knew you could never deny it when he asked like that

“Alright, lead the way then.”

The patrol was less of a patrol and more of a game of tag with the rooftops of Gotham as your playground.

When the first rays of light first showed, he had quickly led you to the highest point of Gotham: the top of Wayne Tower. When you had finally caught up to him, he was sitting, patting on a place next to him for you to sit in, and so you did. The rooftop was the perfect place to watch the sunrise. The sky had been painted with various shades of orange, like it had been dipped in gold.

He had leaned his head on your shoulder, wrapping his arm around yours and you held you arms around them.

“I’m grateful to have you as my sibling [Name].”

Damian had whispered to you, and you felt your heart swell. You pulled him in closer, ruffling his hair.

“I love you too, you cuties. What’s with the clinginess today though?” You asked, confused as to why he was suddenly acting more clingy than usual. In response, he only looked at you weirdly, as if in disbelief, then stayed quiet. You left it at that.

The two of you had stayed there for a few minutes, until the sun was fully up, and you could see some people already starting their day. Then, you two had went back to the manor, and he left, saying his goodbyes and off to do his own thing.

As soon as you had went up from the Batcave, Cassandra was there, ready to greet you. She had been in her ballet clothes, and pulled you into one of the many rooms of the manor, saying that you two should perform a duet, her dancing and you playing the violin.

And so you did. However, you were so focused on her dancing that you messed up several notes, but she didn’t mind and kept dancing with grace. The duet had lasted several minutes, yet you were so captivated by your little sister’s dancing that it had felt like it was only a few seconds. You were so proud of how far your little sister had come with her ballet dancing.

She had left not long after, but not before saying “I’m glad I’m your sibling, [Name].”

Dick was next with this weird behaviour from your family. He had come up to you while you were resting in your room. He had been sent on a mission, but wanted to see and talk to you before starting it. It was quick, definitely not as long as the other two, but no less impactful to you.

With so much stuff happening around you, you had honestly forgotten it was your birthday. It was no wonder why everyone was suddenly acting weirdly.

You loved them all dearly, but with so many interactions happening so early in the morning, you were already drained. You had been walking around the manor when you spotted Tim laying on the floor of the living room, taking a nap. Tired, you joined him, cuddling up next to him.

Tim had briefly woken up when you laid next to him, but he didn’t move and let you get yourself comfortable as he went back to take a nap.

Alfred had seen you two as he was cleaning around the manor—not that it was unclean, it was just his daily routine— and smiled when he saw you two. He placed a blanket over the two of you and placed a Do Not Disturb sign near the living room to warn the others, who knew exactly what it meant at first glance.

You had woken up a few hours later. Tim had still been taking a nap by that time, so you decided to let him sleep peacefully. He must’ve hear you moving though, because you swore you head a small mumble that sounded like the words ‘I love you.’

Once again, you were taking a walk around the manor when you stumbled into another one of your family members. Though it was unusual to see Jason in the manor, you guessed he was here for your birthday as well.

This time, you were the one to initiate the clingy behaviour. You had opened your arms wide, silently inviting him for a hug. You could see the hesitation in his face before he decided to throw it away and envelop you in an embrace.

“I love you [Name].”

“I love you too little bro.” You two had stayed like that for a while, letting silence overtake the both of you. After all, actions spoke louder than words.

When you had finally let go, you ruffle his hair before he went to go do his own thing.

Your father had called you into the batcave that night before dinner, saying he had a gift for you. Your father was standing in the middle, clearly waiting for you. The lights behind him were dim, clearly hiding something.

“[Name].” He stated plainly.

“Dad? What’s going on?” That was when the lights behind him had turned on and showed a collection of various different weapons behind him.

“I know you’ve been wanting to try out other weapons than your usual one, so your siblings and I have been working on this project for a while now.” You felt your eyes tear up. You had mentioned that in a passing conversation with your father during a patrol once, you never would’ve guessed he would even remember it.

You ran up to hug him. “You really didn’t have to do this, just you being here was everything to me.”

“I wanted to do this for you, you’re my child.”

Later, your whole family had given you a surprise party for dinner. It was small, definitely not as grand as the balls that the Waynes would usually host, but it was perfect. It had everyone you loved and everything you needed.

This is very much inspired by Rizzanon's Batfam February, especially Dami's part lmao

It was supposed to have Jon in it as well but it felt unfair to include him but not anyone else so I had to get rid of him 😔

No song for this title so that's why it's very basic lmao

Have a great day/night everyone <3

[puppybei]

Fragile Crowns

Prologue (Series Masterlist)

Pairing: Duke of the North! Nanami x isekaid!reader

Genre: Romance, Historical and Fantasy

Summary: A tired overworked employee is what you are one night and the next you’re the hated villainess from your favourite historical romance. However shall you escape death from the hands of your supposed beloved, the former prince turned Duke, Nanami Kento

Tw: Office Worker reader! But only for this chapter, reader also gets hit by a white truck.

Wc: 1.3k

DISCONTINUED

You peeked through your fingers at the sun glaring above you, a cup of warm coffee in your hands that you sipped occasionally. The office balcony had sort of become your safe space, you don’t know which heavenly architect made such a secluded, secretive spot but you were thankful for them nonetheless.

It was found on one of your escapades from the hectic office life, a getaway from your cube life where you slaved away like others, typing mindlessly on a keyboard. Sure your coworkers were nice and friendly, but that’s all that they were at the end of the day and you weren’t going to form lifelong friendships with the people who were competing for the same position as you.

An exhausted sigh left your lips as you rested your elbows on the railing, looking down at the bustling city life. From your vantage point you could see pretty much everything, dark alleys where disheveled people sat, the remnants of white powder still lingering on the collars of their shirts, mothers who strolled around baby carts with an avid voice, talking loudly to make sure their babies could hear them, men in dark, drab suits with a phone pressed to their ears, probably shouting at the poor secretary on the other line, food carts parked on the pavements, offering refreshments to passersby.

An advertisement caught your eye, blinding you with flashing images, you squinted trying to make out what the words were saying. It was the live action make of an historical novel- a cheesy overused romantic plot that still had you wriggling your toes in excitement at every chapter the author released.

At one point though, you had gotten annoyed at the antagonist, the rich daughter of a count who bowed down to his daughter’s every whim and wish. She was petty and barely had any personality other her than hating on the orphaned saintess- the female lead with blinding blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Her character had no depth, no personality whatsoever and it slowly started to piss you off on how many times she was getting scot free for her acts, people ignoring the petty crimes until it snowballed to her poisoning the female lead at the Royal ball and getting locked up in the dungeons.

Ofcourse she had well enough earned herself an engagement by that time, a quiet brooding man who apparently already fathered a child, he was supposedly the only man who could tolerate her as well as match her fathers wealth, the exiled prince and Duke of the North- Nanami Kento. He had blonde hair that was cropped, gleaming white teeth on display on the rare occasion that the female lead managed to crack him. Hazel colored eyes that you could stare into- you shook your head, what the hell were you doing, wasting your precious lunch break fantasizing about a fictional man! One who killed his fiancée at the end of the story nonetheless! Granted she was the villainess but atleast as her engaged he should’ve shown her some mercy!

You could smell the foul smoke that radiated from the smoke room of the company. Really what kind of company offers a smoke room for their employees? You scrunch your nose, trying not to inhale the smoke as the men leave the room, leaving the window open so that the smell would disappear. You checked your wristwatch, if the smokers had left it meant that it was time for you to leave too.

You stared at the small time indicator on your laptop, willing time to go faster as you felt the seconds pass by. It was just a minute to 6.30 pm, aka the most acceptable time for a five year employee to leave, because leaving as soon as you’re contractually supposed to is some kind of social suicide.

Your boss finally got up from her office, stretching her arms as you peeked over the top of your cubicle, silently rejoicing. You had completed your work for the day eons ago, thankful for the corner cubicle facing the wall because that meant you got to do some online window shopping in peace.

After Mrs. Takakura left, waving goodbye as her ring glinted in the office lights you finally got up from your seat, back sore from the horrible company issued seats and neck aching from being hunched over your desk. One day you will put that posture correctner you bought online years ago to good use.

A female coworker grabbed you by the elbow just as you were about to leave, a nervous smile spreading over her face. She was one of the more new faced employees you guessed, anxiety radiating off of her as she shifted her weight from one foot to another, chewing on her bottom lip,

“Yes Hatsunabe?”

You asked, cocking a brow upwards as you pried her arm off of yours, that girl surely had a grip for being so small in stature.

“I’m so sorry! I have a blind date set up today- and,”

She averted her eyes from your gaze, cheeks flushed an innocent red as you fought the urge to strangle her by the neck.

“Just show me what you have left Hatsunabe,”

You almost scowled, controlling your features as a tight lipped smile painted itself across your face and you bit back a flurry of curses. She almost squealed in delight as she practically skipped to her cubicle, grateful murmurs spilling from her lips with every second as you tried not to roll your eyes to obviously.

She had a about three hours of work left and you almost put a bullet through her head and then yours, sighing before letting her leave with a wave of your hand.

By the time you finished it was a quarter to ten and the office was completely empty, some lovely asshole had even managed to switch off the lights when they left and you were too tired to bother arguing with them- let alone hold the small talk they would start when they figured out you were still working.

One of these days you’ll learn how to say no to people, maybe that’s just not today. Your limbs felt heavy with exhaustion, each step weighing you down as you pressed the ground floor on the elevator. Eyelids drooping shut in slumber as you leaned your forehead against the cool metal of the empty elevator.

The street outside is somehow still bustling, high schoolers leaving academies and slouching as they walked to the bus stop. You worked diligently all through high school- promising yourself you’d live a better life ten years into the future, and now look where you are- wrinkled blouse and pants that looked over washed, a blazer that you bought as a young adult, convinced that you would grow into it if you hit the gym. Shoes that were slowly falling apart, cheap drugstore super glue the only thing holding it together.

You sighed, subbing your hands over your face, warming it up in the cool night chill as you made your way over to the bus station, looking over at both sides of the road as you waited at the zebra crossing.

The light finally turned red, the green walking sign brightening up on the other side as you trudged your weight forward, the only thing keeping you alive and not falling over was the thought of slipping into your comfy Pyjamas and eating ramen while you binged on the newest chapter of the Historical Romance Fantasy.

The loud horn from a truck snapped you from your thoughts and you turned your head around, only to be met by a white truck going full speed at you. You felt time stop, your heart was beating loudly in your chest. No matter how much you tried to will yourself to move, you were stuck in the middle of the cross walk, like a deer caught in headlights

Next

Authors Note: Here it is!! My baby my love (Nanami) I love grumpy!Nanami x reader fics and this is going to be one of those so look out lmao<3 anyways I hope u guys enjoy the first addition to this fic because there will be more hehe as always, comments and Reblogs are very very very appreciated and!! No spam liking pleaseee

I have no one in my tag list as of now, but drop a comment and I’ll add you right in!

[demonic0angel]

Celestial Bodies AU (5/?)

(Part one, part two, part three, part four, part six, part seven. Also on AO3)

Robin sighed as he sat in the passenger seat beside Batman. Another night of patrol had ended semi-peacefully with thankfully no injuries, but Batman still didn't look happy. He was still in the process of accepting Robin as his partner again, and it tired him out trying to mediate and smooth sharp edges. Everything was just exhausting.

The both of them began turning into the cave, where Nightwing was already standing next to the computers when both Batman and Robin entered. He seemed to have just finished his own patrol, but was still in his uniform.

Robin paused when he saw him.

He looked angry.

That was what usually happened between Nightwing and Batman. The two of them fought like dogs and cats over Robin’s presence and training. When one suggested one thing, the other would argue like their lives depended on it.

(In a way, it did. Robin’s life depended on it.

… or at least, Robin’s life had depended on it.)

Sometimes, he understood why Nightwing was so angry.

If he was disobedient, he could get injured. He didn’t know how many times Nightwing had pushed that idea into his head.

(And although Tim wished he was, he was not Jason. That Robin would never come back, no matter how much Batman tried to pretend he did.)

Both Batman and Robin exited the car and Robin went straight towards Nightwing.

“Hey,” Nightwing called out, his grimace switching out to a small smile, just like a performer would, “how was patrol?”

“It’s been an easy night tonight,” Robin said, peeling off his mask to give Nightwing a smile. “How was yours?”

Nightwing gave a singular nod and then a shrug.

So probably nothing worth noting either.

Batman was silent, taking off his gloves and cape on the other side of the cave.

Robin studied Nightwing’s face.

He was a pretty boy through and through, with long hair in a mullet style and a light smile on his face that made him shine like the sun. To Robin, Nightwing was his goal and his idol. He wanted more than anything to show him that his decision to allow and help him become Robin was not a mistake.

He looked right back at Robin, his eyes considering.

“Nightwing,” Robin began carefully, “did you want to tell me something?”

There was a beat of silence.

Nightwing paused. Then he nodded slowly, “Actually, yes. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to meet the cluster.”

Robin's eyes widened.

The Phantom Cluster was an important part of the Justice League’s history and the survival of the planet. Every time something apocalyptic was about to occur, the King of the cluster would warn the Justice League. On occasion, they would also communicate with their hosts through dreams and visions, and prevent even more disasters.

The hosts of the Phantom clusters were only Robins. No matter how much any other hero tried to appeal to them, the stars only favored the wards under Batman.

Though they also seemed to like the younger heroes a lot, having no problem helping them. Tim had heard that Dick’s star had given his personal approval for Starfire and had actually watched out for the Teen Titans before.

The cluster had always loved the Robins.

(Nightwing had called his bonded star, "mine," and his star had responded back in kind. Jason's nickname for his own star was supposedly "Princess." She had called him "dearest" and from what Nightwing would say, their bond was very strong.

It made something inside of Tim ache.)

Essentially, this was possibly an invitation for Tim to get his own star, if it was true that the cluster bonded to all Robins.

Batman, however, whipped his head around and snarled. “Absolutely not! You are forbidden from seeing the cluster!”

Nightwing’s attitude immediately changed as well. He rolled his eyes and snapped, “Who are you to decide that? You don’t have a damn leg to stand on!”

Robin eyed him. He suddenly felt his heart twinge at the thought that it was his fault that he made them start arguing again. The two of them continued arguing and it wasn’t until Alfred came down into the cave that he spoke up.

“Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion. All of the previous Robins met the cluster, so what's the big deal?" He said, trying to defuse the situation.

“Yes,” Batman spat, “all of the previous Robins met the cluster, and one of them died.”

Robin winced.

“Don’t you dare blame them for Jason,” Nightwing snarled. “If I can’t blame you, you can’t blame them either. They lost a sibling too!”

Robin did not speak again as he thought about the situation.

He wanted to meet them. All of the files on the Batcomputer about the Phantom Cluster had him locked out. All he knew was that it was a cluster made of sentient stars and planets and two of them had chosen an individual Robin to keep as a “host”. When Jason had died, his star had died with him. Everything else were anecdotes from Dick, who clearly loved them and his star very much.

But in order to be Robin, he also needed to meet them. The cluster made deals with all of the previous Robins. Now that there was a new one, would things be easier if he also became a host with a star?

(And maybe, just maybe, Bruce will accept him if he had a star of his own too.)

Robin started to speak again, "I—"

“No. That cluster has been nothing but trouble. Robin, I forbid you to go!” Bruce roared.

Robin gulped and shivered. The pure rage in Batman’s tone suddenly made him worried for what he was going to do. Nightwing wrapped a protective arm around him and pulled him back.

“The Cluster has never hurt a Robin before.”

“He. Will. Not. Be going,” Batman growled.

Alfred coughed into a fist and everyone shut up and looked at him. Robin tried not to move but he couldn’t help but try to press closer to Nightwing.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said sternly, "may I speak with you?"

Bruce wilted and then trudged after the true patriarch of the Wayne family.

It was almost funny, but Robin was still tense as Nightwing glared at the retreating back of their mentor and guardian. Alfred turned slightly to wink at him, and he relaxed with a faint smile.

Robin stared at Nightwing.

"... Nightwing?" He asked carefully.

Nightwing softened further as he looked at him. "Yes, Tim?"

"... it's okay if I don't go, right?"

Nightwing's eyebrows immediately went up to his hairline. It was like he couldn't believe that he would not want to go see the cluster.

Robin grimaced. He corrected himself hurriedly, "I mean— I want to go, but—"

"Tim, it's okay. If you don't want to go, it's fine. But to be honest, I'd rather have you go at least once. The cluster... they've always been allies of us Robins. I'd like you to meet my star, at least."

Us Robins. That thought made Robin pause.

Nightwing always tried to be accommodating and gentle with him. The thought of disappointing him gave him determination.

Robin shook his head and said in a firm tone, "No, I want to go."

Nightwing grinned. "Let's go now, then."

Robin glanced back at where Alfred and Batman had left.

"Don't worry about him. I'll take care of it, okay? I'll say that I forced you or something. B is just a paranoid asshole."

Robin's lips twitched but he nodded quickly and followed Nightwing. The two of them entered the teleportation tube that was installed in the cave and then away they went.

When they landed in the space station, Nightwing immediately locked the doors so nobody would enter.

Robin eyed him. Nightwing gave an innocent smile back and said, "It's just in case he decides to come after us."

Robin didn't say a word as Nightwing lead them through the metal halls before they finally ended up in the main room, where windows covered all of the walls, revealing a beautiful starry world outside of the space shuttle.

Robin gasped as he stared out the window at the close stars and planets. They were so close that Robin could almost see the surface of each star move and shift. Thankfully, the tinted windows allowed them to look directly at them.

"Hello, my star," Nightwing breathed and the stars remained silent. Nightwing didn't seem angry, just sad as he pressed his forehead and left hand to the glass, sighing.

Beyond the glass, the stars inched around an empty space, where the Jason's star used to stay.

Robin bit his lip again.

Jason's death had not only hurt Batman and Gotham, but also the heavens.

He might not have known it, but he was so very loved.

Nightwing exhaled again and then stood up straight. He looked at Robin with a thin smile and beckoned him forward.

"Come on. They don't bite."

Robin came forward, eyes darting towards the stars with silent awe and reverence. The stars and planets glittered and shone with a brilliance that matched the Sun, and Robin couldn't help but stare at the sentient celestial objects that floated in the sky.

"They're beautiful, right?" Nightwing said, and it startled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. They are," he agreed, because if he said otherwise, it would've been a lie.

It was awe-inspiring (and a little bit terrifying) to see somethings so big and large that were benevolent enough to help them.

It made Robin feel smaller than ever.

Nightwing hummed.

The communicator crackled then, taking away the sound of ocean waves and faint TV static.

Nightwing whipped his head around and Robin followed, staring between the communicator and the window, where the stars lied in silence.

"Hello," a thousand voices called and a shiver ran down Robin's spine.

Like the chorus of angels, a symphony of voices, a choir of sirens, the voices were soft and gentle.

They sounded sad. Tired. Wane.

Robin felt like it was odd that he understood what they were feeling, but he said nothing as he looked at Nightwing's face, which was tinged with the same exhaustion in the stars' tones.

"Hello. This is..." Nightwing gestured to him, "Robin. I'd like to introduce you to him."

The sound of ocean waves again. Robin felt his stomach swoop and drop.

Had they rejected him?

He knew he wasn't Jason, but he had to do it. In order for Batman to be the best hero that he could be for Gotham's sake, he needed a Robin.

Nightwing placed a hand on his shoulder and Robin tried to breathe past the panic.

The voices came back and said, ".... we know."

A different voice differentiated itself from the rest. It was distinctly masculine and adult-sounding, unlike the androgynous and childish voices of the others.

"My Nightwing," the voice called softly and Nightwing beamed.

"My star," he returned the call with a nod and a smile.

Nightwing's star continued, "Our little sister wants to make a deal with Robin. If he wants."

Robin startled. "Who?"

Hope filled inside of him. He wasn’t rejected after all!

Nightwing chuckled. "The little sister of the cluster is the protostar. That one, right there."

He pointed outside, towards a small, bow-tie shaped cloud of dust and gas, all of it converging into one center. She spun and consumed nebula swiftly, but did not move otherwise.

"That's the little sister?" Robin tilted his head.

She was oddly... vulnerable. With the way the other stars and planets circled the point of their cluster, and the way they directed the nebula towards her, they were clearly very protective of her.

"Yep," Nightwing said, but he was quickly interrupted.

There was a crackle from the communicator and then an angry hum like that of a buzzing hornet. Robin flinched and looked at Nightwing, who suddenly burst out laughing.

"My star! Please, Robin isn't going to take her away!"

Another angry hum, though less loud and more indignant.

Robin blinked and then relaxed. His lips twitched and he asked, "Is your star jealous that I'm looking at her?"

"He's the most jealous star I know," Nightwing said, in a loud and teasing tone that was clearly meant to be heard by the stars. "Such a sis-con."

Robin snorted, suddenly feeling a little better. He looked at Nightwing, who now looked more relaxed and encouraging. "You can talk to them," he said. "I promise, they're nice."

Robin nodded firmly and stepped up the communicator. "Uhm. Hello," he said, then winced from the awkwardness.

Silence again, and then, a soft, "Hello, Robin."

The word “Robin” was said with so much unspoken affection that it made him flustered. He stuttered then, but as Nightwing looked at him encouragingly, he continued.

Robin took a deep breath and said slowly, "I'd like to make a deal with the protostar, if that's okay. I can't promise that I'll be a good host, but I promise that I'll be the best host I can be. I'll take care of her and Batman too."

Silence.

Robin glanced back at Nightwing, who was grinning widely and giving an enthusiastic double thumbs-up.

Robin turned back as the communicator crackled once more and then the stars said, "Okay."

One voice in particular, softer than the others and lighter, spoke up then. "Let's make a deal, Robin."

She sounded tired, like she was struggling to stay awake and Robin felt his tone softening as he spoke to her, "Okay. I'll make a deal with you. We'll protect each other, okay?"

The protostar said softly, "I'll protect you."

Robin knew that she purposefully did not mention how he would protect her. He knew it, and he felt like he should've said something to make it fair, but the reassurance that she would be there for him suddenly made him breathless. He felt like he was robbed of all oxygen as he stared at the sky and suddenly understood why Nightwing was so fiercely and deeply protective of the cluster, even against Bruce.

They were kind. So very kind despite being cursed children who had become stars.

"Okay," he said slowly, already feeling a deep affection for his star blooming in his chest, "okay."

He instinctively put his hand on the glass and a bright light, flashing and fast, shot out of the nebula cloud she was consuming and flew towards him. It struck the glass and hot warmth entered Robin's body and then into his side.

He paused, taking a deep breath to calm his heart from racing before he opened his tunic, already knowing where the fated mark was.

On his left side, around the area of his ribs, was a four pointed star, white and pastel yellows and blues slowly tattooing itself into his side.

He beamed. "Dick! Look!" He had accidentally called him by his civilian identity, but Nightwing didn't seem to care as he bound forward and then picked him up and twirled him around.

"You did it! You've got your own star!"

Robin beamed.

He was accepted as a Robin and got his very own star from the Phantom cluster!

He wished he could've heard them singing, like Nightwing used to talk about, or maybe made a deal with his star in happier circumstances, but this was nice too.

Nightwing was still cheering and celebrating, but Robin couldn't help but look out past the stars. His protostar spun in place a little, looking a little more cheerful and he smiled.

"Thank you, Robin," she whispered and Robin grinned.

"No, thank you.... partner." That seemed like a good nickname for her.

A beat of silence from her and then she said, in a slightly more upbeat tone, "You too, partner!"

"Pfftt— you're like a couple of cowboys," Nightwing muffled his laugh.

Robin rolled his eyes and shoved him lightly. "Shut up, Dick. You're the one with the creepy, "my star" thing."

Nightwing gasped and put a hand to his chest dramatically.

"Y'know what? You're grounded! I won't take this slander anymore!"

Robin laughed and as the tension bled out from previous days of mourning and grief, he almost wanted to believe that things would be okay again.

He looked out the sky, as Nightwing put him in a headlock, and watched the stars begin to move slowly, as if suddenly gaining the energy to do so.

He watched that empty hole in space be avoided and he thought of Jason again.

No matter what would happen, he would make him and the stars proud.

————

Bruce seemed resigned when he came back bonded. He didn't say anything and just went to his room. Usually, Tim would've been worried, but he wasn't too concerned since he was so excited about having a star for himself.

Dick gave him the codes to unlock the files on the Phantom Cluster and Tim dove right in without hesitation.

He researched everything he could about the cluster, from what they told the Justice League, from Dick's own secret files that he sent over into his computer, from astronomy websites, and he even hacked into NASA's database on stars and astronomical bodies.

Tim finally found another purpose besides being Robin.

He was his star's host.

Being a host for a star belonging to the Phantom Cluster meant many things. For one, their condition reflected on their stars.

If Robin was whole and healthy, so would his star. If he was sick or tired, it would show on his star too.

For another, being a host meant being protected and watched over by the stars.

Nightwing had mentioned before that sometimes, the stars gave them powers. Robin had a hypothesis that with each host being bonded to a star, the powers that they were able to gain grew stronger or increased, since he discovered new abilities that were not recorded since he was bonded to his own star.

A lot of it were minuscule, barely able to make a difference unless it was a split second thing, when Robin miraculously needed just a little push to solve a mystery, fight crime, evade a dangerous situation, or defeat a bad guy.

Nightwing had mentioned before that he had never had a bad landing after being bonded, and that he had a small immunity to heat and fire. He had also said that sometimes, bullets would mysteriously be unable to hit him, but this was a hit-or-miss thing (quite literally) and didn't always happen, so Robin still had to be able to dodge well.

In the reports, the previous Robin mentioned how he would occasionally get brief, sporadic dreams of the future. Every once in a while, he would sleepwalk, and as if possessed, wake up with a new plan, an unknown secret, or an important clue in the morning. After the previous Robin had gotten his star, Nightwing had supposedly gained the same ability on the occasion, and even Robin discovered that ability, which proved his hypothesis.

Robin himself, had odd bouts of good luck, often causing him to end fights or solve cases even faster than Batman could. At other times, the good luck manifested in things like finding an unusual number of heads-facing pennies that were printed in 1943, or finding lost items whenever he lost them. When Robin fell asleep, nightmares were scarce and he would sometimes feel a weight against his side, as if he was resting next to someone with their head on his shoulder.

(When he woke up, he would feel refreshed, but with a slightly melancholy and loneliness. He wondered if it was from his star.)

Robin wanted to be depended on. He wanted to be important and loved and cared for, and his star was everything he wanted.

For her, he wanted to improve.

He trained under several masters, he made enemies and friends, he joined other hero teams, and he even created his own team, the Young Justice. Bruce’s team grew too, with Cass and Stephanie and others joining them in order to help Gotham City.

Every day, he grew older and his star grew alongside him, an eternal beacon.

She spun and whirled like a hurricane, absorbing and eating nebula and growing stronger, almost converging into a sphere as if she was about to begin her transformation into a star.

And then everything changed when Jason's star came back.

————

Both he and Dick had been in the space shuttle when she had reappeared.

The black mass that used to be the quasar still remained, still and quiet, but the other stars seemed to have gain energy from her silent presence. They spun around her happily, as she loomed over them with her inky presence, bending light around her like a lightless black hole.

With her arrival, it meant that Jason had come back.

And with Jason’s return, so did the Batman’s interest in the stars.

“How do they know?” He growled, as they poured over information and audio logs of the interviews of the stars. “How do they know what happens? Did they know that Jason would die and come back?”

Nightwing glared at him, but said tersely, “I don’t know. From what we know, their ability to read the future comes from Clockwork. He visits them and tells them information.”

Robin lifted his eyes up from the paper, which had a picture of his star on it.

“We’ve never seen Clockwork before, have we? We don’t know much about him either.”

“He seems to be an authority figure or warden for the cluster. They speak highly of him, but are purposefully vague,” Nightwing mused, rubbing his chin in thought. “I think I remember my star mentioning once that Clockwork helped him with his past.”

“So… he’s probably also a parental figure,” Robin said, and Nightwing nodded thoughtfully.

Batman looked exhausted, his cowl pulled down off of his head as he bent over the table with an almost inaudible creak of his back and stared intensely at the papers.

Jason’s star had come back, but there were no traces of Jason except an empty grave. They had all been too late when arriving at his grave, only to be met with a coffin that had been broken in from the inside. Whatever had happened, Jason had dug himself out on his own.

Robin knew that it killed Nightwing and Batman inside to imagine the boy they considered as family carving himself out of his own coffin.

The two of them were almost inconsolable at first, but they quickly gathered themselves up again and started investigating.

The cluster was surprisingly unhelpful, not even answering Nightwing when he asked questions about Jason. The only thing his star had said was, “Be patient.”

It was such a hauntingly simple and frustrating answer, exactly like what one would expect coming from an all-powerful and all-knowing being that lived for an unknown amount of years stuck with a child’s mind. Nightwing and Robin did not begrudge them, knowing that they were also protecting the quasar's secrets and bond with the other Robin, but Batman could not say the same.

Of course, they didn’t let that hold them down.

For the first time, Robin had been able to hear the song of the stars.

It was gorgeous. It was still soft, like waking up from a deep sleep, and sometimes it cut off like a bad connection, but Nightwing had looked relieved at the sound of it.

“There’s still another voice missing,” Nightwing had said sadly, “Jason’s quasar— her voice isn’t in the song.”

It already sounded so nice, with the melodic voices of the stars and planets and Dick’s star singing along, so if the loss of one voice was making it incomplete, just how beautiful was the sound when they were all together?

For many reasons, Robin wanted to find Jason.

He was reluctant to continue being Robin for awhile, but Nightwing convinced him to stay.

Once Jason was back, he would give back the suit.

“There’s something we’re missing,” Batman said slowly. “We need to review the facts.”

Nightwing nodded and looked at Robin encouragingly.

Robin began, “Okay. So on XX, XX of this year, we discovered that Jason Todd was revived or in some capacity, alive due to his star returning. He… dug his way out of the coffin himself, but has disappeared for now. The cluster seems to be aware of his movements and location, but is not planning to tell us where or why. The question is, how did Jason come back to life? Where is he, and if he's not in Gotham, did someone take him?”

Nightwing sighed. “We don’t have a lot of information. It’s just a whole bunch of what-ifs and wheres.”

Batman was silent, brooding.

Robin thought some more and then asked, slowly, “Have we reviewed the footage of the cluster before? What if… what if Jason’s star didn’t come back at the time that we thought?”

Nightwing blinked. “What do you mean?”

Batman, however, nodded suddenly. “I think I see what you’re saying. We should review the footage. Nightwing, maybe the time you noticed the star coming back isn’t accurate.”

“What! But I had been coming there every day!” Nightwing said, but then paused. His eyes went wide, and then rushed to the computer.

Batman patted Robin on the shoulder, making warmth ooze in his chest. Batman said with a cold, but vaguely grateful expression, “Good job on the new lead, Robin.”

Robin beamed.

They rewound the camera footage of the cluster which were all kept in the files, since Dick liked rewatching them.

And just as Robin suspected, it was true.

The empty space where the quasar had sat before her demise had not been as empty as Nightwing had thought. For at least a few days before her return as a black star, she had been very small and only noticeable in how light slightly bent around her tiny shape.

She had been shadowed and covered by her siblings until her final reveal and Jason’s ultimate return.

Nightwing covered his face. He seemed to be struggling to find the words on what to say.

Eventually, he said, strangled, “I should’ve looked closer. If I had known, we would’ve found Jason sooner!”

Batman sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up.” Both Robin and Nightwing looked at him with surprise. He sighed again and said, “I am… aware that I‘ve been upset and hostile of the Phantom Cluster. But ultimately, you are still bonded with them and they still offer you some semblance of protection. I am... also grateful that they gave us a chance to know that Jason is back. At least we know now that Jason had dug himself out a few days earlier.”

The three of them looked at each other.

Jason was going to be found and brought back to them. No matter what.

A few months later, almost 6 months after Jason's return, the silent mass that was Jason’s star suddenly bloomed into a protostar, larger than Robin’s. She was a ginormous, funneling top of blue and red nebula, quickly consuming the stellar remnants in the galaxy.

“… what does this mean?” Nightwing muttered as he stared at the footage of her new form. The other stars were cheerfully circling around their sibling again, their song now joined in by their returned sister. “Is he back for real? Was he not back before? Does this mean that he wasn't himself or something?"

Robin was silent, listening to the song. True to Nightwing’s words, the song was beautiful and ethereal.

It was a heaven’s choir, a siren’s song, a mother’s lullaby. It was beautiful in all sorts of ways. The sound was cold and sent shivers down his spine but oddly enough, he welcomed it.

“Do you think he’s… mad?” Robin asked. He felt strangely serene as he listened to the song of the stars.

“… hm?”

“Do you think Jason is mad that I’m Robin and that’s why he’s not coming home?”

Nightwing stared at him with such horror and disbelief that Robin quickly backtracked.

“It’s fine. He’s going to come home,” his tone was firm, hiding his inner insecurities. “The stars foretell it.”

Time passed and Jason’s star remained as a protostar, his own star often twirling around her in happy circles. Both sisters were cute to look at, especially because one was so big and the other was so small. The two of them spun cheerfully around each other, being fed nebula by their family, and Robin watched it all.

Of course, while the stars were in stasis, he was not.

He continued his duties as Robin, made secrets between only Nightwing and the stars, helped others and lived on, even when his mom was killed and his dad was paralyzed and in a coma. He could not prevent it because he had not known.

It was a cruel, cruel fact that the heavens did not care for civilian lives when they were lost.

(The stars did not care much for anyone but the Robins. It was a thought both flattering and terrifying.)

When his dad found out about him being Robin, he was forced to quit. He handed his uniform to Stephanie to keep safe for him, and then he was… normal again.

His protostar seemed unhappy with the decision, but thankfully not with him, because when he climbed onto the roof of the Drake manor to talk to her, she responded back just as eagerly as always. However, she had stopped moving, a sign of either displeasure, discomfort, or something from the future.

“Do I come back to being Robin?” He remembered whispering to her one night, and her answering twinkle made his heart swell.

He liked feeling important, but he also never truly wanted it. The pain and suffering that came from being a hero truthfully scared him. It was only the thought of Batman and Nightwing, as well as his star, that kept him from quitting all together when he first found out that Jason was back.

But he could admit to himself that he liked the feeling of flying through the air, beating bad guys, and saving people. He liked the feeling of recognition and attention.

He didn’t mind not being a hero for a little while. At least he knew that he would come back in the future.

Soon, Stephanie donned the Robin uniform, and at first, Tim could admit that he had been worried. She was reckless and foolhardy, but she was a good person with a keen eye for puzzles and problem-solving. He wanted her to succeed and in order to do so, she needed to meet the cluster.

It had been him who introduced her to her own celestial object and he was also the one who taught her about the Phantom Cluster and their abilities.

The both of them bonded over endearing and anthropomorphic astronomical bodies and Tim was the one who taught her to be Robin too, since Batman seemed insistent on kicking her down. It was difficult to make plans while Tim’s dad was also adamant on driving Stephanie away, but they made it work.

It was a peaceful night, as Tim snuck onto his roof and Stephanie quickly followed with a picnic blanket that was spread over his house shingles. It had been years since the both of them first met and then began working together in the hero scene, boosting each other up with their stars by their side. Now they were good friends after dating for a while and then Tim breaking up with her due to his change in status from a vigilante to civilian.

As they were chatting under the moon, with a tablet holding footage of their respective celestial objects, everything changed.

The song of the stars had cut off slowly, grinding to a halt and making both of them pause in their conversation.

“Uh. They just stopped singing. What does that mean?” Stephanie asked nervously.

Tim stared at the tablet and reached over to bring it closer. “… sometimes it means that there’s something we need to know or something is happening. I wonder what’s going on.”

He knew that Dick was also mostly likely noticing something was up as well.

Both Stephanie and Tim stared at the tablet in silence, tension building as nothing happened yet. The stars and planets slowed down and Tim’s star even stopped spinning, motionless.

Tim’s eyes were drawn to Jason’s quasar-turned-protostar.

There was another beat of silence, and then the camera’s feed turned to white with a sudden screech.

Both of them flinched from the loud scream and then watched a supernova consume the vision of the camera. It took a while before the brightness lowered and the shrieking of metal stopped ringing through their ears.

“Oh my gosh! Look!” Stephanie shook Tim’s shoulder, but it was unnecessary because he couldn’t take his eyes off of the screen.

Jason’s quasar had turned into a frighteningly enormous star. Almost 20 times the size of Dick’s star, Jason’s star had turned into a star that was so blue, it was white. She floated in space for a moment, before she then began a slow cycle around the cluster, carefully avoiding the planets so they would not burn in her luminosity. The rest of the cluster paused, as if taking in the sight of her before following suit and then…

Song burst from the feed again.

“Whoa,” Stephanie said, in a hushed whisper, “it’s beautiful.”

Dick had once described his and his star’s growth into adulthood with new identities. He had said that his star went supernova and transformed from a black hole to a giant star.

He had mentioned how the song had changed, with the addition of a fully mature voice of an adult star.

It happened the same way this time too.

Jason’s star had a light and delicate voice, distinctly feminine and quite high. She provided a soft harmony to the song alongside Dick’s star, with the both of their adult voices enriching the sound of the other stars, who were still children.

Stephanie gave another soft sound of awe.

Tim was more focused on what this meant.

It had been four years since his death. Now that his star had changed, it meant that Jason had also changed his identity, like how Robin became Nightwing. Whatever had happened, Jason had now grown up into an adult. He had come into a new identity in the four years he had been gone, and now he had found himself and alongside with it, his star.

But a question still remained.

Where was he?

————

Tim bopped his head to the music as he bent over his desk. It was another night of peace as he stayed in his room to do his school assignments, while his dad and Danna went on another date.

He was finishing up the last of his homework when he heard the door opening in the faint distance. He took a reflex glimpse outside the window, where he saw a cloudy sky, and then poked his head out of his room.

"Dad! Are you home?"

Silence.

Tim immediately tensed. He patted his pockets for weapons but found nothing. He inched back into his room and picked up the bat that was by his door. When he finally left his room again, he tried to go for nonchalant as he called out, "Dad! Did you bring home the wings I asked for?"

He carefully made his way to the foyer. But before he could turn around the corner and look at who had entered his home, he was knocked back by a fist.

He cried out as pain bloomed on his face. He squinted through the tears, silently wondering how they could hit so hard before he swung the bat. It was stopped with a hand, but Tim maneuvered his body and then lunged forward to kick the assailant back.

He darted backwards to get some distance and stared.

It was a muscular man, all clad in leather and black kevlar with a red helmet on his head.

Tim catalogued his appearance and could not figure out who this person was.

The only person with this kind of memo was the Red Hood, which was an alias that the Joker used, but that couldn’t be possible.

"Who are you?" He snapped. "What are you looking for?"

"What? I'm looking for a who," the man hissed, his voice coming through as electronic. "I'm looking for a Robin."

Tim's stomach dropped.

He said slowly, "I think you're looking in the wrong house. Robin isn't here."

"I heard you quit, Timothy Drake. I heard you quit being Robin and gave it to some other kid. Do you think it's that easy? Do you think it's that easy to leave being Robin behind?"

Oh crap.

Tim scrambled away as the man then lunged at him. He swung the bat again and as the man blocked with a fist, Tim lashed out with another kick. The man grabbed him by the ankle with the other hand and then threw him to the side.

Tim choked on his breath as his back hit the wall, knocking down some picture panes and shattering them on the floor. His back was already starting to ache, but he didn't have time to worry about that when the man struck again, punching him in the stomach.

Tim gagged on the bile rising up his throat before he attacked back with a jab to the throat. He then kicked the man twice in quick succession, making him grunt, and darted up on his feet, dodging a hit from the man's fist again.

"Who are you?!" Tim cried out, his blood freezing in his veins at the thought of Bruce and Dick's secret being known to others.

Would this man reveal their identities? Take Tim as a hostage? Use him to blackmail Bruce?

The man laughed mechanically. He reached behind his head and unlocked the helmet with a faint hiss of air. Then he dropped the helmet onto the floor and brushed his hair back with bright green eyes and a wild smirk full of teeth like he wanted to tear Tim apart.

Tim's eyes widened.

If the familiar face shape didn't key him in, it was the four pointed star on his cheek, unmistakeable and alight with bloody orange and turquoise, that told him just who had came into his house with the intent of attacking him.

"No..." he whispered in disbelief, scrambling backwards again as his breath came out quick and panicked.

Jason had come back?

Jason was back!

If he hadn't just been beaten by him with his fists, he probably would've been happy. Now he was just extremely confused and frightened.

"Oh yes," Jason purred. He was fully grown now, well muscled and clearly trained by someone other than Batman for the last four years. "You're in luck, Robin. You're the first one I saw after being back in this hell hole."

Tim was mentally making a list of the things he needed to do.

Finally, he replied slowly, "But why? Why did you see me first? And where were you?"

"I was dead, obviously," Jason scoffed. “And I came here to ask you a few questions.”

“Okay, cool,” Tim said nervously. “Did you need to punch me to ask me questions?”

Jason didn’t answer, but instead, swung to punch him again. Tim yelped and rolled to dodge. He was barely back on his feet before Jason grabbed his hair and pulled him down, kneeing him in the stomach.

Tim coughed but also took that moment while he was bent over to drop and kick out his legs, knocking Jason off his feet.

Jason fell and Tim jumped over him to get away. He flew down the stairs and barely reached the entryway when he was pounced onto by Jason, who felt like a damn elephant as he pinned him onto the floor with his body weight.

They wrestled but Tim was so out of Jason’s weight class that it wasn’t even funny. Tim could feel the panic within him rising as he struggled and tried to get away from the previous Robin, a once beacon of hope and light for Gotham.

“You have it so easy,” Jason hissed, as he started wrestling him to the ground. “A dad, money, a good home. You never had to dig through trash for scraps. You never had to take care of your dying mom while you were starving yourself. You never had to fight for your life while being tortured!”

Tim kicked Jason in the stomach, allowing just enough space for him to throw back his elbow to his chin. Jason made a faint noise of pain, and punched him once more, but before it could escalate, the most intense feeling of nausea struck Tim.

For a moment, he wondered if he was going to throw up over the previously dead Robin’s hands, but when Jason also paused and moved away from him with a gasp, he realized that both of them were struck with the same condition.

Tim blinked rapidly as the both of them stared at each other in thinly veiled confusion and distrust. Jason suspiciously stared at him, and then looked up out the window that was placed over the door. As Tim blinked away the stars in his eyes, he was beginning to realize that it was not just stars in his vision, but also stars in the sky.

The night was now clear, allowing them both to see a patch of sky with two distinctive lights.

Both Robins, old and new, stared at the rapidly twinkling lights in the distance. There were two flashes, blinking over and over, as if trying to get their attention.

The two sat there in silence. Then Jason looked down at his wrist, which held a watch that was now projecting the image of his star. She was spinning and bursting with solar flares like crazy, enough that Jason gave a disbelieving, almost angry laugh.

"Okay, jeez, I get it, Princess. You want me to keep your sister's fucking host alive."

Tim exhaled in relief, casting his eyes over to the night sky, which held his star in the distance.

Thank the stars that she helped him.

He didn’t want to know what would happen if her and her sister couldn’t get their attention.

He silently mouthed, "Thanks, partner."

The sky twinkled noticeably one last time before it stopped.

Tim jolted when Jason suddenly bent down and started taking off his shirt.

“Excuse me?!” He shrieked, feeling the bruises ache as Jason started undressing him. He struggled weakly, but Jason was still pulling apart his clothes.

“Shut up. Where’s the damn mark?”

Just to spare himself the indignity, Tim pulled his t-shirt to present his side and snapped, “Here.”

Jason stared at the four pointed star, colored with baby blue and butter yellow, for a beat and then stood up in a huff.

Tim glared at him. He loved the Robins and he loved Batman, but that didn’t mean he was just going to forgive him for almost killing him!

"Where are your medical supplies?" Jason asked, looking around his room.

Tim grimaced and said, "The kitchen."

“Where?”

He eyed him with distrust. Jason put his hands on his hips and waited.

“…. In the left cabinet next to the stove.”

Jason went off to look for it, probably, and Tim slowly sat up, rubbing his shoulder that had been knocked against several surfaces this night, while he lifted his eyes to the window again.

His star was still there, faint due to her distance from Earth, but she was still just barely bright enough that he could find her through Gotham’s smog.

Thank the heavens for her and her sister.

Jason came back with a stomp and the emergency medical kit in his hands. He sat down next to Tim and raised a hand, palm up.

"Hand."

Tim gave it to him.

Jason opened the kit and then began to inspect, clean, and wrap up his wounds. Even for his back, Tim was asked to take off his shirt and Jason applied bruise gel all over it. Tim was tense at first, but eventually, he just kind of melted underneath Jason's hands and closed his eyes as he was taken care of by the previous Robin.

Sometimes he would ask Tim questions.

“So what do you call your star?”

“Partner. She calls me partner back too.”

“Ha! You’re like cowboys.”

“You sound like Dick.”

“Like hell I do!”

But Jason didn’t hurt him again. Tim was full-on relaxing by the end of it.

When Jason was finished, Tim was lightly dozing from the warmth of the numbing creams and the fact that it was a late night on a school day. The fact that he hadn’t been hugged or touched in a while certainly aided his sleepy haze too. Jason snorted at the sight of him and said, "Aren't you too trusting? I just beat you up."

Tim grumbled as he opened his eyes and uncurled from his position. "You're an asshole, y'know that? What was all of that even for?"

Jason sighed and said, "I changed. And... I guess… sorry. I wasn't in a right state of mind when I came here."

Tim twisted to look at him. Looking at him closer, Jason's eyes were still green, though noticeably less bright.

The shade of green was so familiar that Tim stared for a long time before he suddenly blurted out, "The league. You were with the League of Assassins!"

Jason narrowed his eyes. "I was."

"Was it Talia? Did she revive you? What happened?"

Jason looked exasperated but he nodded with a deliberately careless shrug. "I died, crawled out of my grave like a zombie, and then she picked me up. I went with her to the League and she threw me into the Lazarus Pits before training me. Now I’m here again to take back what’s mine.”

“Robin?” Tim blurted again. “I’ll give it back to you. I was going to— but someone needed to be Robin and my dad made me quit so I gave it to a friend and she became Robin for a little while, but I don’t think she’ll mind if you get it back.”

“Breathe,” Jason deadpanned, eyeing him with an unidentifiable emotion. “And I don’t care for it anymore.”

“You sure? You definitely cared about it 20 minutes ago,” drawled Tim.

Jason glared at him and Tim narrowed his eyes at him right back.

Eventually, Jason rolled his eyes and looked away. “Well, I stopped caring.” He pointed at Tim demandingly. “I don’t give a fuck what happens next, but if you tell anyone I’m here, I’ll break your damn face!”

“But why?”

Tim could understand that Jason was angry. Whatever had happened in the League had changed him for the worse, but there was still that familiar, charismatic, and caring boy inside, evident by Tim's carefully bandaged wounds (despite being the one to inflict them, but whatever). He could see that Jason was feeling vengeful too, but he didn't want Jason to be estranged from Dick or Bruce.

"I have plans," Jason said with a sneer. "Plans for Gotham that can't have B and Dick interfering."

"... are you trying to get revenge?"

"So what if I am? I died. Better yet, I was murdered. It doesn't matter what you think, I'll do what I need to do and because you're the host of my star's sister, I'll let you go this one time."

Tim thought of Bruce's brooding and endless self-blame at Jason's death. He thought of Dick's almost desperate attempts in training Tim and his neverending grief from the loss of a brother and the loss of a possible future knowing him. He thought of Alfred's silent sorrow, his eyes full of fear when Tim used to suit up in the Batcave. He thought of that period of time where Batman brutalized every criminal he came across, even the petty ones, turning Gotham into a city of rage and pain.

".... They all mourned for you," Tim said, not really knowing what outcome he was looking for by saying this,"B and Dick mourned for you. It was so bad that I had to force them to make me Robin because Batman needed him. Batman needed you."

Jason stared at him, his eyes flickering between greenish hues before he looked away, eyebrows furrowed.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jason snorted coldly. “They clearly didn't care enough if the Joker is still alive. I’m going to stay here and I’m going to kill the Joker. No one else avenged me, so I’ll just have to do it myself.”

The Joker?

Tim's breath hitched as he froze so badly that even Jason paused and raised an eyebrow at him.

Tim stared at Jason with wide eyes.

He could not help but look down slightly, at the four pointed star that covered Jason’s cheek, a mark of the heavens that bound him to a star.

Jason snarled, “What?!”

Tim said slowly, “The… The Joker’s not alive.”

When Jason’s tense posture and aggressive stance slackened into shock, Tim had to continue and say, “He died a while ago.”

Jason grabbed him by the shoulders, fingers digging into his skin as he roared, “Who did it?!”

Tim pursed his lips.

Jason could probably keep a secret, right? He didn’t believe that he would go and tell anyone, especially because….

“Nightwing did. And I helped him hide the body.”

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Check out my CB!Jason art here

Tim and Dani are partners!! Hooray!

I'm sure you can guess who Steph ends up with, hm? She’ll get her own story, dw.

Tbh, I wanted this to be a 3+1 thing with all of the other Robins bc I thought it'd be short, but then it became longer than I expected, so I just... continued writing.... 😶 I think I got too excited again.

I'm trying to write in chronological order, but the history of the Batfam is so ridiculous that idk if I can do that, but if I don't do that, I'll get confused myself, y'know? Someone please help.

The scene where Jason beats the shit out of Tim apparently comes after he reveals his identity to Bruce… so I’m going to switch it for it to make sense. He was also supposed to choke Tim in this fic, but then it got too dark… so I changed that too :9

“How come none of them could figure out that he was with the League?” They knew he was revived in the coffin, so no one thought of the Lazarus pits bc they didn’t think he was basically a zombie (suspend your disbelief, please!). Also, more info on Jazz will be in the fic with Jason’s return.

Tim was originally supposed to go with Tucker, but then I thought about it and I changed it because 1) like Dick and Jason, his star is sort of the opposite of their personality, 2) I don’t see how they’ll encourage each other to grow, 3) a secret third thing

A deeper explanation of reason 2 is on AO3.

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Can you do a tim wright x gnc reader in a wild west au?? I love cowboy tim w/my whole heart

I did not know I needed cowboy Tim in my life until you sent this in, thank you so much and also please enjoy, I hope I did your idea justice <3

I've been sitting on this one for a while trying to come up with the direction I wanted for his AU life, and I think I've settled on farmer by day, and bounty hunter by night. Farmer by day because in my actual canon, I said that if Tim were to retire from the mansion he'd probably become a farmer, and then bounty hunter by night because then he's still fitting in with his assassin job. He's well known in town for the juxtaposition of being a quiet, kind farmer, always supplying crops to everyone and caring so well for his animals, and then being stone cold at night, chasing after his bounty targets atop his mighty steed. So, then, how does our dear cowboy meet you?

Tim rescues you from one of his bounty targets. It's not the first time he's had to save someone being held hostage, but there's just something different about you. You're a traveler, new to the area, with nowhere to go, and considering he had to save you from one outlaw, he's not too keen on you getting caught up with another. So, out of the dear kindness of his heart, he invites you to stay in his farmhouse while you're getting back on your feet, however, you don't get to stay for free, because Tim is gonna put you to work. You get to wake up bright and early every morning, Tim slinging one of his old cowboy hats onto your head to protect you from the sun, working out in the fields to check on and care for all the crops. It almost feels intimate, how tender he is with you when he's showing you how to plant or harvest crops, how jokingly sassy he can be when you do something obviously wrong, the way his eyes crinkle in laughter the first time you fell off one of the horses. Tim had only planned to house you for maybe a couple of months, but now it's been half a year, the crops are changing, the weather is growing colder, and he doesn't have the heart or want to ask you to leave. It's become equally intimate for him, waking up to you fixing him fresh eggs every morning now that you're used to the schedule, watching how all his animals love you and won't leave you alone, seeing how much you care for the land and for him.

Needless to say, our dear cowboy has fallen head over heels for you and cannot figure out how to confess his feelings for you. It ends up happening quite suddenly, the two of you sitting at the dinner table, the windows open to let in some cool air. You've clearly got something on your mind considering how you've been picking at your dinner, until you eventually quietly ask him if he thinks you should leave now. You explain you feel you've been taking advantage of him, staying here long term when it was only supposed to be for a little while, and you don't want to take advantage of the kindness he's shown you. It feels like his world is shattering as he delicately grasps your hands, saying he'd truly prefer it if you'd stay, that you don't have to go. He goes on to say that he loves having you here but instead confesses that he loves you. His brain shuts off, panic ensuing, but before he can retract the statement, you're giving him that dazzling smile that got him whipped for you in the first place and saying you feel the same, and so your temporary home stays your permanent home. Once you're official he feels quite giddy, showing you off in town whenever he rides in on his horse, you sitting in front of him, wrapped up in his arms. The townsfolk who were so used to their quiet, peaceful farmer are pleasantly surprised to see him coming out of his shell, acting so jovially with you by his side, and soon it feels like you were always meant to end up in this town with him. It's so wonderful, waking up and working the fields with you, and then coming home to decompress and relax in your arms after his late nights out. He doesn't know how he ever managed to live before you came along, but now that he has you, he's thankful you're not going anywhere.

[callme-holly]

Yoo, like the fic you did of tim in readers house, and shes trying to get him out.

could you possibly do maybe a blurb or fic of having two-bit in readers rrom and them getting caught with their clothes still off? But they didnt do anything, they were just changing and readers brothers (curtis's) think they did smth🤨🤔😏😏

In reality they were just cuddling (as a couple not besties) and two-bit gets chases out the house, and reader is super embarrased.

I think this would be a really funny fix, LMAOO

Then at the end reader is SUPER embarrased, and they both get teased by thr gang in the afternoon. (bc this is in the mroning, like the tim sitch)

if you dont wanna do this ask, its alr!! Love ur work btw!!♥♥♥

𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐒𝐨 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 [𝐭𝐰𝐨-𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞����𝐬 𝐱 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫]

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - in which two-bit mathews isn't the most subtle boyfriend

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 - it's been a little while but i'm back ya'll. kinda considering going on a long break bc i was unsure if anybody actually read my shit but im in too deep now!! asks are still open for requests!!

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 1.4k words

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - mild swearing

A cool breeze swept in through your open window, and the sun was already high in the sky, casting long shadows that stretched from corner to corner of the bedroom. The curtains are open just enough for a ray of light to slip through, warming the sleep-rumpled sheets pooled around you. 

Beside you, with his arm draped lazily around your waist, lies Two-Bit Mathews, his rust-coloured hair sticking up at a variety of odd angles, his lips parted ever so slightly as he sleeps soundly. He looks unusually peaceful, and you take a second to admire him, gently tracing the freckles dusted across his bare shoulders with the pads of your fingers. There’s a small scar just above his brow, barely visible beneath the messy strands covering it, but you know it’s there all the same. It’s just one of the many things that you find yourself loving. 

Carefully, you brush his hair back into place and press your lips to his forehead, hoping to wake him before your brothers get out of bed and inevitably come knocking at your door. A soft groan rumbles through his chest, and you can see his eyes flutter open for a fleeting moment, bleary blue irises meeting yours as he tries to process where exactly he is. Then those eyes fall shut again, and you sigh heavily, leaning over to shake his shoulder lightly.

“Two, c’mon.” You whisper softly, earning another moan of protest as he pulls you closer, pressing a kiss to the crook of your neck. 

“Five more minutes,” he murmurs against your skin, his voice thick with sleep and his breath tickling your sensitive skin. It's rare to see him so disoriented, so out of it, and you can’t help but feel amused at his behaviour. 

However, your amusement quickly evaporates when you hear the telltale ring of Darry’s alarm, the sound shrill and piercing as it cuts through the silence. You cringe at the sound. Two-Bit grunts in displeasure, burying his face deeper into your shoulder. 

“It's not fair,” he whines, peering up at you. “How can they be awake already? It's Sunday morning. I want to sleep in.” Despite his words, his hold on you loosens slightly, and he pushes himself up onto his elbow, blinking hard until he focuses on your face, his eyes brightening significantly when he meets your gaze. 

The covers pool loosely around your waist as he shifts, and he immediately notices your bare torso, a broad grin spreading across his features.

“Woah, hey, cover up!” A loud laugh escapes him, and you're quick to slap a hand over his mouth, glaring down at him. 

“Shh, you idiot. Darry will hear you.” Two holds his hands up placatingly, his smile still in place as you pull your hand away, rolling your eyes in feigned annoyance at his antics. He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours in a silent apology, one you accept easily, your fingers tangling in his hair as he pulls you closer. It’s sweet and simple, lasting no longer than a couple of seconds before you break apart, a soft smile playing at your lips. 

Two-bit stretches out beside you, propping his head up on his hand as he watches you intently, an unreadable expression in his eyes. You roll off of the mattress, ignoring the quiet whine of protest you get in response, padding across the room in search of your discarded clothes, which lay in a crumpled pile by the door. 

One glance at the clock tells you you've only got a couple minutes to get your very stubborn and very lazy boyfriend dressed and out of your window before Sodapop or Ponyboy come barging in.

With a heavy sigh, you pick up a pair of dark blue jeans, tossing them haphazardly towards Two, who catches them with a broad grin. 

“Put those on.” You mumble, turning back to search for your own clothes, only succeeding in finding your shirt before the door flies open, slamming against the wall and making both of you jump.

“Y/N, Darry wants—” Ponyboy stops short when his gaze lands on Two-Bit, whose jeans are halfway up his thighs, an almost comical look of confusion crossing his features before it's replaced with something akin to horror. “Oh my God,” he breathes out. “You guys...” He trails off, glancing over to you before slapping a hand over his eyes when he realises how very little you're wearing. 

“Get out!” You shriek, your cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red, and Pony doesn’t need to be told twice, turning on his heel and fleeing from the room, no doubt to go tell Darry about his new, and rather horrifying, discovery. 

You turn to look at Two-Bit, who, despite the situation, is still grinning like a madman as he pulls on his shirt, seemingly unfazed by everything that has happened in the last few seconds. That grin quickly fades, however, when a loud crash sounds from the kitchen, accompanied by Darry’s all-too-familiar bellow of your name. 

“Shit…” You curse, tugging on the remainder of your clothes, trying to usher your boyfriend to the window despite his protests. His arms wrap tightly around your midsection, preventing you from even attempting to escape, and though you try to kick and squirm out of his grasp, he simply refuses to release his grip on you, his chin resting on your shoulder. “Keith Mathews, I swear if you don't let me go right now—”

Your threats are interrupted as the door flies open for the second time that morning, and there stands Darry, his hands on his hips, his eyes blazing with a look that could only be described as murderous. You freeze, staring at him helplessly, and Two-Bit offers him a sheepish smile, slowly releasing you and backing away towards the open window. Before he reaches it, however, Darry steps forward, grabbing him by the back of his shirt roughly and dragging him back. 

“Darry!” You exclaim, sounding slightly exasperated as you watch your brother pull Two-Bit out of your room and down the hallway, cursing under his breath as he goes. You trail after them, pausing beside a rather surprised Sodapop and a very guilty-looking Ponyboy as Darry shoves Two out of the front door, crossing his arms and glaring down at him.

“If I find you sneaking in here to see her again, I'll skin you, you hear?” He growls, pointing a threatening finger at the younger greaser, who has the decency to look appropriately terrified, flashing you a pleading look. 

With a sigh, you step forward, placing a gentle hand on your brother’s forearm and forcing out a tight-lipped smile. “Darry, c’mon.” You try, “He wasn’t doing anything wrong.” 

It seems, however, that your pleas fall on deaf ears, and Darry turns sharply to glare at you, his expression stony. You quickly fall silent, listening as your older brother continues to scold Two-Bit, whose eyes are wide with a slight fear. Darry could be really frightening when he wanted to be; you’d learn that the hard way. 

“I mean it,” Darry barks, his attention seemingly back on the redhead still standing on the porch. “From now on, you use the front door, and that bedroom door stays open whenever you’re around. I don’t want any ‘funny business’ going on under this roof. Especially not while I’m sleeping next door.” 

You know exactly what he means by 'funny business', and the implication causes your cheeks to flush crimson. Two-Bit, who looks just as embarrassed as you are, nods hurriedly, and you don't think you've ever seen the greaser look so guilty in all the time that you've known him. 

Darry must notice too, because he relaxes slightly, his tone softer than it had been before, as he speaks once again. “Don't hurt her; you got it?” 

“Got it.” Two nods: “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

Darry huffs, clearly not entirely satisfied with the whole situation, but deciding to drop it nonetheless as he glances between the two of you. He runs a hand through his dark hair, which is still slightly mussed from sleep, and lets out a long sigh. “Ya’ll are going to kill me someday.” He mutters, shaking his head, before turning from the door and heading back in the direction of the kitchen.

Once he’s gone, you shoot Two-Bit an apologetic look, but he merely smiles and winks reassuringly at you before turning on his heel to jog down the porch steps. You close the door with a loud sigh and hear Sodapop chuckle behind you, his arms crossed and a smug smile spread across his features.

“So…” He drawls, looking impossibly pleased with himself. “Two-Bit Mathews, huh?” 

“Shut up.” 

𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬!!