#Unless you make Tim into the skateboarder?

[siren-of-the-ocean-tumbls]

Sometimes, I get semi-obsessed with a new Fandom and I need to write a Tim Drake AU. But then the logistics of world building kicks in and I have no idea how to combine these 2 canons.

Like, I have made things work before. But I am also only human

[batfamhastwitter]

Since I think it'll be a hot minute before the next update, I figured that I'd post some headcanons relating to this au that have been floating around in my brain for a while!

Bruce is one of those celebrities that has tens of millions of followers, but unless you live in/around Gotham, there is a high likelihood that you have never seen his posts

Even though he spends zero to no time on twitter in his day to day life and doesn't have notifications turned on, Dick is always one of the first ten people to like his sibling's posts. There is a running bet going between the rest of the family about how he does it (there may or may not be a murder board)

Jason can and will get into heated debates with idiots on the daily on a secret account. Bruce has been begging him to stop because he knows that it will eventually end up reaching the media. Little does he know that's Jason's main motivator for continuing.

Because of her dyslexia, Cass doesn't really use twitter a lot, since the idea of reading scrolling walls of text doesn't appeal to her very much, which is why I don't have her make appearances very often (not that I don't love her! I just don't see her as someone who would be online very much anyways)

Tim was 100000% a Tumblr girly back in the day, and though he'll deny it, he totally still is. It's where he hosted the old blog he used to document his pictures of Batman and Robin when he was younger, and how it has transitioned to more general subjects, though sometimes he'll post a picture of one of the Bats from an angle that should be impossible for a civilian to have gotten to.

Steph actually had a big twitter following before ever being publicly associated with the Waynes! She's into the makeup scene and has posted the occasional video of her routines for years, at first on YouTube and then on TikTok. Even though the makeup wasn't great at first because she was a teenager and just getting started, people loved her humor, so they stuck around! Sometimes morons try to say that she's only successful because she's associated with the Waynes, and she takes great joy in showing them how being associated with the Waynes barely boosted her follower count.

Duke has had the same twitter account since he was 13, and occasionally an embarrassing tweet from that era of his life will resurface and be quoted around the manor until he starts retaliating by retweeting some of their "greatest hits" (like the one time tim crashed into a food table at a gala when he was nine because he had snuck his skateboard in.) Needless to say the rest usually quiet down afterwards lol

Damian has the second highest follower count in the family besides Bruce because people love how he goes from posting a cute photo of Titus and Alfred the Cat snuggling to doxing someone (coughTimcough) for annoying him

Lmk if you guys like this type of thing! I'm definitely down to post more headcanons and the like if there's interest, hope you enjoy! :)

[lonniemachin]

tim

Sexuality Headcanon: bi of course! canon, which is why it’s also canon in my head.

Gender Headcanon: cis guy but i could also see him as some flavor of nonbinary or transfem.

A ship I have with said character: you already know what i’m gonna say. timlonnie. i’ve gone over my thoughts on it so many times but i enjoy the ways in which they exist as separate characters and also foil each other and the way that their histories are intertwined. i think that the precipice of mutual understanding theyve existed on since they first met is super interesting and if they stepped over it it has the potential to be good for the both of them as they possess characteristics the other lack yet are also the same in certain ways. they make a good team when they work together and… it’s just fun. tim grows to care about her and understand her ideals, the most important thing to her. for someone like lonnie who is so isolated, i think that counts for something. AND he saved her life twice.

A BROTP I have with said character: can’t go wrong with tim & kon, which needs no introduction, but i also love his relationships with his eldest siblings (dick & cass) and of course. of COURSE. cassie sandsmark.

A NOTP I have with said character: aside from the obvious (batcest) do not breathe the same air as me if you ship him with jpv. which should go without saying but you’d be surprised!

A random headcanon: brown eyes babyyy. my mind refuses to register him as having anything else. also i think he is italian-irish american jewish and i’m stickin’ to it.

General Opinion over said character: where to begin. tim is one of my favorite DeeCees but if he isn’t yes he is no he isn’t ❤️. he’s genuinely compelling to me both in-universe and out-of-universe as one of the catalysts that brought the Bat Family as it develops together, being a part of events and teams that left such a huge impact on the dcu and what he represents symbolically wrt robin in the bat mythos, as well as generally knowing a little bit of everybody which makes for some great dynamics but i think his perception tends to get caught up in such a convoluted web of fanon and counter-fanon that it can be hard to tell, unless you… yknow. read his comics. just exactly who he is. i like his trait of being someone who knows his role very well and knows what he does not want to become and developing just how he differs from both of those. i do not understand why people latch onto him so hard though and think a large chunk of his fans tend to find it hard to accept that the dcu does not revolve around him and that he has flaws and it can come at the expense of people’s perception of a ton of other characters. also he’s a car guy over being a skateboarder… remember this and update your headcanons accordingly (/joke).

[witch-withdarkholdfingers]

Okay so I've got some reasons as a new punk who has a battle jacket with some weird mixes of patches.

My jacket has patches for movies, TV shows, bands, skateboard company's. All type of shit. And the biggest issue in the way of added band patches is that they are so hard to find. And they decent ones are really expensive now. I have trouble finding patches for half the bands I listen to. It's easier to find ones for bands who've been around since the 80s. Unless you want like nirvana or my chemical romance. You kinda gotta make your own. And at that point you usually just buy a t-shirt cause you want to actually support the band. And then ya you have bands getting canceled for fucking everything. Like Tim Armstrong from rancid dating a 16 year old as an adult. Or Sid Vicious being a homophobic asshole. It's hard to find good bands who have a good reputation and good patches.

But I'd suggest checking out your local record stores. Find albums that look cool and see if they band has patches in the store and see if the albums any good. You'll find interesting bands and support your local businesses and bands.

i do wonder why so many of the diy patch pants/vests/jackets i see online these days don't have many band patches at all. most are political or decorative

[hintofelation99]

Batfam Favorite Outfits:

Dick:

A sleeveless crop top and joggers. Or a crop top with work out shorts. Or he’ll go topless with either pair of pants.

Basically either little clothing, or light, thin clothing. He’s pretty comfortable with showing skin. It’s one of the things he and Kori have in common.

He and Steph wear the brightest colors out of all the family members so usually they go shopping together.

Shopping with Steph has resulted in him having at least two rompers.

Babs

A nerdy t-shirt with a loose knit cardigan and high rise jeans.

She also usually wear zip up combat boots bc 1) they look cool and 2) fuck actually tying your shoes.

Babs always has a variety of glasses, right now her favorite are the rounded thick framed glasses with a turtle shell pattern.

Recently Steph got her into scrunchies and now Babs always has one.

Jason

A button up shirt with his favorite dark red sweater and gray pants, or nice jeans.

Honestly he wears they stereotypical lit nerd outfits.

He does really like being a bit dressier even in daily wear because it makes him feel more put together.

He usually carries a messenger bag with two books he’s currently reading, one of his all time favorite books, a notebook, some pens, first aid supplies, and a spare domino.

Tim

Tim has three favorite outfits for three different settings/frames of mind.

1) The CEO: a dark gray double breasted slim-fit suit with peak lapels. He usually wears this with a wine colored tie that Steph got him.

2) The Skater Kid: A t-shirt with ripped jeans, a bomber jacket (or flannel shirt), and vans. He’s always carrying his camera when he’s dressed like this and usually has his skateboard.

3) The Leave Me Alone Unless You Have Coffee: Hello Kitty PJ pants that Steph got him as a joke, one of Kon’s shirts, one of Dick or Jason’s hoodies, green lantern fluffy socks, and dinosaur slippers. His hair is always in a messy, half undone bun and he’s usually looking at a case file.

Cass

Slim high waisted double breasted dress pants, a collared, white, silk shirt, heels, and gold jewelry.

As she’s become more well known by the public Cass has developed a reputation as being extremely fashionable.

She and Dick have done several magazine covers together and are both known as fashion icons.

According to one article “Cassandra Wayne is the epitome of a modern woman. She effortlessly combines classic and contemporary to create jaw dropping looks that have fashionistas everywhere raving.”

Steph

Steph loves to wear yoga pants and Jason’s t-shirts. Bc of this Jason is constantly running out of t-shirts

She also loves rompers, like if she wants to look cute she goes for a romper. She loves them bc they bc she could kick someone’s ass in one without accidentally flashing people.

One thing Steph loves about being close with the Wayne’s is dressing up for galas. It’s not something she wants to do constantly but getting the chance to wear insanely fancy dresses every once in a while is super fun to her.

One time Bruce bought her a Cinderella style ball gown and she almost cried out of pure excitement. Then she punched Bruce and threatened to give him frosted tips in his sleep if he told anyone that she teared up.

Duke

Duke used to just be a t-shirt and jeans guy but as he and Jason have gotten closer he’s started to mimic his older brothers style.

Right now he like to wear a button up shirt with a cardigan and dark wash jeans.

His favorite cardigan is a yellow button up that Jason gave him.

He’s almost always wearing converse, they’re just his go to shoes.

Damian

Damian used to only wear dress pants and nice shirts (outside of training ofc) because Talia was strict and said his clothes should reflect his status.

But after becoming friends with Jon he started to loosen up and wear clothes that he actually wanted to wear.

Nowadays his favorite outfits consist of joggers, a plain v-neck, and a pair of Adidas.

Another outfit that he loves but will never admit to loving is a pair of joggers, Adidas, and the ‘High School Musical’ t-shirt that he stole from Jon.

---------------

For @abdefgijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

soulmate au?????

Soulmate Au where things that people love/hate appear tattooed on their soulmate’s body. If they love it it’ll be on their front, and if they hate it it’ll appear on their back. The more important it is the closer it is to the heart. They can also move around/disappear over time.

Tim Drake is two years old when he receives his first soulmarks. There are two: the names Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain are found in elegant script over his heart.

He was alone when he’d found it, attempting to learn how to button up his shirt, and they’d sprung from his skin. He didn’t bother crying. He’d long since lost hope that someone would come for him if he did.

Instead, he’d waited for a maid to come into the room on her rounds and called her over.

The woman had smiled kindly as she explained soulmarks. How they were actually a good thing. How they meant that he was going to fall in love one day and one day he could get married! Like his mommy and daddy!

He’d seen how his mom and dad were sometimes. He wasn’t all that impressed.

Tim decided that the whole ‘soulmate’ thing could wait. He had a shirt to learn how to button.

~

On the other side of the world, however, Marinette Dupain Cheng is born without any tattoos on her body. Her parents don’t think much of it. She was just older than her soulmate, then. Or maybe she didn’t have one. That was fine.

But then, three years later, a computer appeared over her heart.

Marinette didn’t even notice until she was pulling off her shirt for a bath.

She hadn’t been shocked or scared like Tim had been, instead she’d beamed and waddled over to her mother with the widest grin on her face.

“Maman! Maman! Look! I have a soulmark!”

Sabine had smiled and turned to look but, much to Marinette’s confusion, it quickly morphed into an anxious expression.

Then her mother brought the smile back and she figured it must have been her imagination. The woman had reached out to ruffle her hair.

Marinette had finished getting ready and gotten in the bath, and her mother looked her over for a soulmark as she cleaned her. But there wasn’t one. There wasn’t one on her back and, outside of the one that had just formed, there wasn’t one on her front.

Then what was going on? Even abused kids tended to have their parent’s names somewhere on their bodies. But there was nothing.

The next guess was that her soulmate’s parents were dead. Usually, orphans had their housemates’ names on them, so the kid would have to be on the streets. Could a street kid really get enough access to a computer that it appears over their heart?

Sabine finished toweling off her daughter and pressed a kiss to her head after pulling her shirt on.

“Want to watch Pere bake some?”

The little girl’s eyes lit up and she nodded.

~

Whoever Tim’s soulmate was, they were really good at making friends. His chest was littered with names by the end of their first year of school.

And then there was one name on his back, right over his heart: Chloe Bourgeois. He frowned when he saw it.

For the first time since his first soulmark had appeared, he found himself curious about what was going on.

He pulled out his computer and looked up the name, not expecting to find much.

But, it turned out he did. After running an article through google translate (which didn’t work great) he managed to gather that she was the daughter of the mayor of Paris.

So... his soulmate was French.

(Unless they just had a vendetta against a random 3-year-old. Unlikely, though.)

He pulled up a new tab. It never hurt to learn a new language.

~

Their likes and dislikes slowly cropped up on their bodies as time went on.

Tim had smiled despite himself when he saw the pictures cropping up. A whisk was found on his shoulder, and then a video game console popped up on his stomach, and then a sewing needle and buttons could be seen under their parent’s names. On his back, he could find what appeared to be homework and broccoli. Whoever his soulmate was, their life seemed quaint and pleasant.

Marinette had been happy to see all the little things popping up over herself as well. A circus tent on the sole of her foot, a skateboard on her neck, a camera by the computer. On her back, she could see what looked like playing cards. She thought all their hobbies sounded cute (if a bit random). She was just concerned about the distinct lack of names on her body; she hoped that they were at least getting enough social interaction.

~

When she was twelve, it finally happened: a name appeared!

She stared at the script that had displaced the computer and her eyebrows knit together.

Batman.

Maybe a pet’s name? Human names tended to give a first and last name, so...

She typed it into her phone to try and translate it to French and her eyes widened when it actually gave information on someone in this place called Gotham.

A vigilante?

She laid back in her bed and frowned to herself.

In order for a person to show up as a name, there had to be a personal connection. If there wasn’t, like a celebrity crush, it would show up as a picture. But this was text, so…

Well, she hoped that her soulmate was safe.

Over time, more names appeared. They were all just as odd.

Nightwing?

Batgirl?

A simple google search showed they were vigilantes, too. She frowned slightly.

As long as they were okay, she supposed she should just be happy that they were talking to good people.

Besides, being friends with vigilantes seemed kind of cool. She could understand the appeal. She wished that Paris had something like that.

~

When he was fifteen a polka-dotted yoyo appeared over his heart, displacing their family’s names slightly. He stared at the yoyo for a minute in the mirror and then snickered to himself.

“Damn. They must really like yoyos.”

He laughed to himself and glanced at his back to see if anything changed, and was surprised to find that Chloe’s name had been moved away to make room for…

Was that a butterfly?

“And hate butterflies, apparently.”

~

She stared at the tiny bird over her heart.

Computers, skateboards, circuses, photography, and… birdwatching?

Whoever her soulmate was, their hobbies had range.

~

Tim had been changing out of his Robin costume when the names started disappearing.

Panic filled him. He’d heard before that, when your soulmate dies, your tattoos start to disappear.

But a few stayed, as did their hobbies.

He looked over the remaining names.

Their parents were still there, right next to the yoyo. Their family life was okay…

He stared at the other name and his eyebrows knit together.

Who names their kid Chat Noir?

He shook his head slightly. Maybe his soulmate had a black cat and wasn’t good at naming things.

Tim checked his back, mostly out of habit more than anything, and frowned to himself.

The butterfly had disappeared, and in its place were two names:

Lila Rossi and Hawkmoth.

~

She grinned as she twirled around in the dress she’d made. She was rather proud of it, it had a nice red and black color scheme.

She started taking it off, only to realize something.

Everything was gone.

She looked over her skin, running her fingers over where all the tiny tattoos had once been and felt tears form in her eyes.

Her soulmate was…

And then, slowly but surely, something appeared on her chest.

She wiped her eyes and looked at it, only to frown.

A gag gun that said ‘BANG’.

Nerves rattled around inside her. Something was definitely wrong, she could tell. But how could she fix it?

Maybe she could convince Master Fu to give her the horse miraculous? She could drop into Gotham as Ladybug for a little while and check up on them? Sure, she had no idea who her soulmate was, but she knew who they hung out with. She should at least make sure they’re okay.

A few hours later she was dumped unceremoniously onto a Gotham rooftop.

She looked up at the portal Master Fu had dropped her through and made a rude hand gesture, then pushed herself to her feet. She walked to the edge of the roof, dusting herself off as she went, and looked over the side.

Wow, this place definitely looked like the most dangerous city in the world. She could see a guy holding a gun while walking an old lady across the street it was so bad.

She pulled out her phone and looked up a picture of the vigilantes that she’d seen on her chest. Nightwing… Batgirl…  Batman…

Man, did they have to wear such dark colors? It was night! How dare they do the smart thing and make it hard to see them!

Fine. Time to wonder around and pray, she supposed.

She had been considering detransforming and seeing if she could buy a coffee when she heard a click behind her head.

Ah. Fuck.

~~~

Part 1/21, 34k words in all

Next

The version on AO3 was edited by me to make it better (in my opinion) but this is the original version if you'd prefer that

You didn’t really give me any specifics so I’m sorry if this didn’t turn out like you wanted. You were probably expecting fluff but uhhhhhh,,, don’t know why you were asking ME for that --

[tired-inyxe]

Oh yep, his spleen got stolen from the league of assassins in the Red Robin run, that run was just straight up insanity tbh

He’s some other things canonically true (unless proven otherwise. Fandom is not very clear and I don’t have the money for comics. If you know I got something wrong pls lmk and provide panels) about Tim that are wild and make for great fic ideas:

-He cloned his best friend/boyfriend (Kon) 99 times

-he watched Santa die in a firey explosion w the rest of young justice

-he loves skateboarding

-he brags about lying to Batman

-in every future timeline known he turns into Evil Gun Batman

-he’s been 17 for a ridiculous amount of years, it’s a common joke that he just stopped aging

-he killed possibly hundreds of people by blowing up half of Ra’s Al Ghuls bases

-he is the teenage celebrity crush inside canon well being a complete looser

-he befriended a group of league assassins and now one of them is his personal assistant when he’s running his job at Wayne enterprises (Tam <3)

-he has a boat even though he hates the water

-he makes ridiculously insane lists and is like “ah yes, this is doable”

-he calls his hideout “the nest”

-he figured out Bruce’s and Dick’s identities when he was 9

-he thinks he’s way smarter than he is and isn’t smarter than a lotta the bats. He just believes his own hype because he was the smart kid in school (use this to humble him it’s fun)

-he’s a trust fund kid and not from Bruce Wayne

-instead of letting Bruce adopt him he claimed to be staying at his uncles, who he made up and payed a random guy to act as. He later got emancipated

-he’s dropped out of at least 5 high schools, all for different reasons

-he’s the current CEO of Wayne enterprises and became ceo because Bruce was lost in the timestream and Ra’s was encroaching on the company

-Ra’s prefers him as an heir over Damian

-him and Steph dated once. It did not end well

-he’s not addicted to coffee in canon but I do have to add my two cents here and say that the addiction to caffeine and being constantly sleep deprived adds to his insanity. Give him times where he’s experiencing hallucinations and making up the strangest contingencies on a pegboard. Its fun

-he faked his death with Cass. Twice.

There’s more and I even got panels but this is getting rly long so I’ll just leave u with this

First batfam fix I read is a sick fic with Tim and his ???missing spleen???? oh well it was amazing and now I might branch out into batfam aus along with my usual fics

[wndrgrrl]

 𝙬𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 ☆ 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡

( milena tscharntke . 22. she/her. cis female. ) are you a HERO? something tells me that blood splattered converses, the crack of thunder following the lightning strike, and worn in skateboards makes you who you are, CASSANDRA SANDSMARK. with the powers of DEMIGOD EMPOWERMENT, you’re sure to have a courageous, aggressive personality — and you definitely belong to  UNAFFILIATED. were you listening to REPEAT by GRACE VANDERWAAL on your way to the subway? it suits you. we can’t wait to see what you do next! 

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞    ;    cassandra ‘cassie’ elizabeth sandsmark  ( wonder girl ) 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦    ;    virginia    gardner 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦    ;     virginia    gardner 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐭    ;    demi-god physiology   ( super strength / speed / stamina. flight. semi-invulnerability. )     amazon training.   +  lasso that channels zeus’ lightning.  𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬    ;     teen titans ;  young justice ;  the amazons & wonderfam   etc. 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲    ;     zeus   ( father. )   helena sandsmark  ( mother. )  you do not want to even think about the number of half siblings have zeus as a dad gives you .    (   most significantly; hercules & ares* are the brothers she’s closest to. ) * closest to wanting to murder.  𝐳𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜    ;    aries sun.  aquarius moon.  sagittarius rising.    𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 ;  april 6th,  2002. 𝐰𝐢𝐤𝐢 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤    ;     full bio    +  wiki.  + pinterest + spotify

what were they doing when they passed through the portal? 

cassie was trying to cram in the readings for next weeks lectures at metropolis university   (  undergrad in archeology  ) +  trying to do monitor duty at the same time in the tower,  the sudden portal did take her by surprise but she’s used to just dealing with problems head on and tried to fight it because ?? that usually solves her problems.   unfortunately, this time it only caused more.  at least she doesn’t have to worry about those readings in this universe !

semi-related this meme a friend sent me out of context a month ago that inexplicabaly just makes sense rn.

cassie (handshake emoji) superboy prime claiming they punched a hole in the multiverse

            where are they living? are they living with anyone?

cassie is currently living w.  garfield  logan  and  her  girlfriend  cissie  king-jones  in  a  cute  little  apt. 

           why is your character affiliated with who they’re affiliated with?

they’re her friends and family.   both the titans team,  and the amazons she considers to be part of her family.  whilst cassie can be quick to make friends on a personal level;    on a professional level,  she doesn’t like to work with people she doesn’t trust or know  --  in both needing to have good comms on the battlefield,  & that she doesn’t want to lose any more people in battle. 

          who are their major friends, allies, and foes?

her besties are conner kent, tim drake & bart allen - they are her boys !!! other besties include cissie king-jones, greta haywood & anita fite.   diana prince, donna troy & artemis are her mentors -- and foes wise,   hera & ares can choke  ( tentatively,   she’s not sure if pantheons stay the same across the multiverse. )

         whose hands do they believe the country should be in?

the correct answer is womens hands.   but,  cassie is a very dilligant amazon & whatever wonder woman says she will support without fault because that’s her idol !! ( unless diana tries to give her boy advice, she keeps throwing her boyfriends off of roofs :/ )

        what’s their current mental state at? their physical state?

cassie is taking everything in her stride as well as anyone physically could;   she’s gotten into wackier hijinks before.  the  one thing she’s struggling with mainly is no longer having a public identity,    she’s so used to wonder girl just being apart of her day to day life that it being abnormal to just fly around definitely makes her a bit ://

[draganasimpsforjeff]

Uhhhh,,,, do ya happen to have any Masky and/or Hoodie hc? Thanks for taking a look at my ask lmao-

Hehhe lets get this bread may switch from Masky/Tim to Hoodie/Brian just bc I'm too lazy to change it

• even though I headcanon Tim as older, doesn't mean he's more mature

• has learned the "meme language" as he calls it, like tea, fleek, queen, big dick energy,.etc

•but only to confuse poor Hoodie

• "Literally Jeff is a fucking rat, why don't we just hit him with a broom till he yeets out of the window?"

• Brian, terrified and clutching his coffee. "Excuse me?"

• they are stupid competitive

• but usually Hoodie knows his limit...however

• Masky has once tackled a creepypasta during a game of football, but didn't realize it was near a patch of poison oak bc all he saw was "BALL"

• just ball ball ball...red...tackle...get ball

• so this fucker got real itchy the next day and had to use a shit ton of ointment

• It amuses Hoodie when Toby gets on Tim's nerves, as long as its not a seriously high impact of a mission, but if it is, Hoodie will quickly shut that shit down

• Hoodie is the one that drives. He doesn't like Masky doing it with his impulsive nature and seizures and Toby....just no.. so Hoodie drives

• Tim cannot cook for shit. Unless its simple things like mac and cheese or other pasta...and don't let him bake, this dude doesn't know anything about following directions and just adds whatever he wants

• alright alright, So, imma say that Brian/ Hoodie use to skateboard, cuz he's got that vibe, yknow? And not just cruise but like tricks too

• only time his confidence is higher than Jeffs...how is that possible?

• Hoodie will know if he trusts someone or not. But makes it stay internally while Masky will just flat out, "I DONT FUCKING LIKE YOU"

• Hoodie often feels like a single parent with an impulsive, raged older son and a emotionally unstable younger son who makes things harder than they have to be

• give this poor man a drink...pls...or 10.

• cannot draw for shit, but sing? Oh they sound like angels, only time they are pretty calm even though Hoodie has stage freight, he can get lost in it.

[poepoe-thebunny]

Damien The Littlest Brother

Or: Stuff Damian does with his siblings.

Dick

Dick in some ways was another form of idolization for Damian. Damian was so very young when they first met, younger still when Ra's and the league sunk their teeth into his heart and tried their best to tear it to shreds. Dick's role, part sibling part guardian, was the first major form of stability Damian had. Little Damian had been born with the mythos of The Bat hanging overhead, and the hope of measuring up to first his grandfather's and then his father's standards had nearly broken him.

Like a lot of children Damian didn't necessarily understand or appreciate what Dick was trying to do for him until he was older. But just like other children Damian clung to the emotional support and care Dick gave him, the care he had so often been deprived of.

Damian wasn't necessarily there for the events that shaped Dick and the rest of their family, but he is growing up in the aftereffects of it. Dick chose to give Damian the love he deserved, Dick chose not to punish a child for the situation he was born into. But Dick isn't perfect. He loses his temper, he gets frustrated, he gets things wrong, he makes mistakes, he bleeds. Dick, at least initially, was real and human in a way Bruce wasn't to a little boy who already had his future decided for him.

While he may not admit it, Damian looks up to Dick because in a lot of ways Dick is a better person than most. Dick is a good man, a better man than Bruce in some ways. He shows Damian what a hero actually is, and that the concept of being a hero isn't tied to the suit. Dick shows Damian that he can and is a good person, that he can make those decisions for himself and that his own emotional needs are not anything to be ashamed of. Damian is a boy first, not a weapon.

So Damian leans into his affection. There are shared naps after patrol, and days out getting ice cream or going to the zoo. Damian wakes a tired Dick up with a pillow to the face, and pillow fights and laughter ensues. Dick comes along to the school showcases, where an embarrassed Damian has pictures and paintings of their family up for all to see. He never once mocks Damian's desires, instead listening with seriousness to every moment of Damian's vulnerability.

That's what sticks with Damian the most. That Dick wholeheartedly believes Damian is a good person, that Damian can be good and kind and soft. He sees Damian fumble with his cool demeanor, growing shy and embarrassed when chatting with students his own age. Damian knows the names of most of his classmates, takes down random details that shouldn't be important to a stranger "We're NOT friends Grayson," but Damian talks to the youngest students about animals, and how to properly hold puppies. Damian has lists of underfunded animal shelters and regularly sends them to Bruce and Tim when preparations for the Wayne Foundation charity events come up. Damian knows most of the officers in Bludhaven since he occasionally stops by with something for Dick, a late lunch or hot drink or Dick's spare clothes in case he needs out of his police uniform. After many coos, head pats and cheek pinches, Damian is occasionally "babysat" by some of them while Dick is out on patrol of the police variety. He does not realize how much he has charmed Dick's co-workers, talking about his pets or his brothers.

Dick is the kind of hero, the kind of person, Damian was told wasn't real. That heroes were childish nonsense, that mercy and love were weak. The concept that someone could love him, that he was deserving of love instead of being forced to earn it, was foreign. But Dick Grayson was all of that. So Damian puts up less and less of a fight over the silly pictures they take together. Dick buys books about animals, and Damian grudgingly wears the cute stupid animal ear headbands Dick buys him. While part of Damian knows he won't be, the part that viciously beats "heroes" and "love" and "ice cream" back with a vengeance, another part of Damian, a very small fragile part, thinks that maybe if he grew up becoming like Dick Grayson the Person (TM) it wouldn't be so bad. "Awww thanks Dami!"

Jason:

Next to Tim, the Cain Instincts are strongest with Jason. Jason is constantly ruffling his hair, calling him names, and sitting on him. Jason does not give a single iota of a damn for any sort of authority except Alfred. Jason is not afraid of Damian.

So when Damian latches onto Jason's neck ready to strangle him, he laughs like it's the best thing he's ever seen, and a wrestling match ensues. They bond over it, over the goading and the competition.

They bond over books too, over stories and musicals and words Damian shouldn't care about but he does. Damian says he's too old for fairy tales even though he never had them to begin with, never had stories told when tucked into bed unless it was for a harsh life lesson. And yet Damian will find books as gifts for Jason, and Jason will read them aloud after Damian annoys him by pressing his feet into Jason's side. He swears up and down that the exaggerated voices and accented narration from Jason are done purely to annoy him. Damian constantly interrupts him, always asking questions and Jason tells him to shut up and be patient, "learn to listen demon brat."

They watch Disney and Ghibli, Laika and Illumination, and after a very enlightening conversation with one Tim Drake, Jason introduces Damian to theater. From Antigone to Romeo and Juliet, from West Side Story to Hadestown to Heathers the Musical. Bruce has walked in on them recreating various iconic sword fights too many times to count, quoting lines while dressed in blanket robes and crowns made of craft feathers and stick on jewels. Alfred thorough enjoys their riveting performances.

Like a lion teaching his cubs through play, Jason teaches him that he's never too mature for anything and screw anyone else who doesn't like it. Jason teaches him fun in a way Damian never allowed himself to have before, to look past his mission, and do things for enjoyment. He teaches Damian defiance and rebellion, two very important things for him to learn even if it's only interrupting rude rich people and disagreeing with his father over whether he needs to attend another gala.

Damian and Jason have a strange relationship, and initially aren't quite sure how to act around one another. Such large parts of their identity and experiences were formed by an indirect overlapping influence. Jason's death and the effect it had on the family and how they treat Damian, Jason's time with the league and the lazarus pit. But at the same time they understand each other in a way some of their other siblings don't. The strength and struggle in establishing their independence and identity means that their grudging respect turns into fondness with time.

Tim:

It appears that Cain Instincts don't particularly care if one is related or not, given the sheer amount of times Tim and Damian are at each other's throats initially. But with time they settle and grow more comfortable with each other, the words turn from anger to a grumbly sort of discontent, like irritated puppy's more than anything.

They bond over pride. They bond over failure. The two aren't that different really. They've seen each other at their worst. Missions with too many close calls, where the knife wounds cut too close and the bullets bit to deep, when the snap of Gotham's jaw came to close to closing over them and the only thing saving Gotham's Rogues from the collective wrath of two angry Robin's was the weight of their family's morals.

They had to learn to trust each other. But they do.

The insults are more to fill the silence, partially affection and partially with the need to annoy. They watch reruns of Star Trek and play Legend of Zelda in pajama pants (Tim) and hoody's (Damian), half draped over each other with his feet in Tim's lap. When Damian couldn't find one to his satisfaction, he gifted Tim a new skateboard with his own hand drawn and painted design. He sends a video to the family group chat of him laughing when Tim faceplants.

They are the DEFINITION of annoying to each other. Damian chucks clothes at Tim to make him shower, they get into slap fights over breakfast, they sneer at each other's drinks. "With all the coffee it's no wonder you don't grow Drake," While handing a sick Tim herbal tea for his throat.

It's an underlying trust that rarely needs to be affirmed. But when it does Damian won't hesitate to let his opinion be known. Whether it be high school bullies mocking his gangly brother, reporters trying to pit the "blood son" against the "Boy CEO", or shady members of the Gotham elite with too much interest in his family and his company, Damian's blunt attitude comes back with a vengeance. There will be no Wayne Charm, no shop talk, no backhanded compliments, when Damian Wayne gets between them and his brother. It's "I trust my brother," and "No business with the likes of you," or even "When I said you two weren't on the same level, I meant that you were the incompetent one."

Tim always tries to scold him, tells him he shouldn't be petty, I can protect myself demon, but he smiles while he says it.

Stephanie

She teases him mercilessly, will smile sweetly while "blackmailing" him and challenges him to do things he has never done before. Damian won't admit he enjoys any of it even upon threat of death. She's loud, annoying, and demanding and unapologetically so and Damian is convinced she was dropped on her head as a child. Stephanie is his sister and he loves her as a younger brother would, hurling insults at each other while fighting over french fries drinking smoothies in some fast food restaurant at 2 in the afternoon on a day out.

What strikes him about Stephanie is that she demands respect because she knows on a fundamental level that she deserves it, that all of her hard work was her own and she knew she could do it even when everyone else thought she didn't belong. As he grows Damian comes not only to admire her, but finds this a very important lesson to learn for himself.

Stephanie pushes him, she encourages him even if it's hidden under mutually shared insults. On days where she "babysits him" (she does not, Damian tells himself he doesn't need a babysitter he doesn't) she's perfectly happy to work on their motorcycles together, or have random picnics in the park with bags of fast food, or challenge him to rounds of ping pong. They learn eventually that they make a very good team together. Either destroying Tim and Jason in video games, the occasional local ping pong or DDR tournament when visiting Gotham U, or spur of the moment plans in a night time fight. Stephanie is crazy enough to believe it will work, and Damian is crazy enough to believe Stephanie will follow.

Stephanie understands what it feels like to constantly have to justify yourself, to be told you can't measure up and that you're place isn't here, even though you know it is. To have the weight of your family's decisions hanging overhead for the judgment of others.

So they learn to love each other through healthy competition and teasing remarks. Stephanie shoos him off to "talk to kids your own age, don't be so serious!". It's normal, in some ways the closest to normal Damian has had in a long time. And though they won't say it out loud, it's nice to know someone else agrees that they are entitled to these moments of happiness, these moments they were stripped of and denied for so long. They believe in each other and their right to happiness. Damian will never doubt Stephanie's strength, as spoiler or Batgirl or robin or Stephanie, and in return she will never doubt him or his place in their family.

...

Even if that means trying to escape when she wants to play dress up. "I am not your doll Brown," "Fine fine, whatever you say short stack."

Cass:

The moments between Damian and Cass are silent, but if you believe nothing is said then you are entirely wrong. They speak to each other quite often even if they don't use words.

He watches her dance, and thinks she is so strong. Damian swears she could have been a princess in another life, if life had not sunk its fangs in and poisoned her with pain instead. Just as he would have been a prince. While he initially tried to hide it, Cass always knew he was there. Damian watches her. Damian hears her words, her joy and her tears, and puts it down on to charcoal and paper. I hear you, and he shows them to her, how her form litters his pages as she pats his head. There is, Damian thinks, a poetic irony in seeing something so dangerous create something so beautiful. She is art and deserves to be heard, and Damian is grateful that she hears him too. He lets her look at pages of charcoal and ink, at canvases of paint full of everything Damian can't put into words quite yet, and finds understanding.

But while he is a Wayne, he was an Al Ghul at one point and his mother gave him the training every prince should have, skills beyond his sword. So one day, as she stretches, he brings in a case and sets it down with a clunk. He tunes the strings and plays Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor, as she watches him with eyes that understand far too much, eyes that say I know, I hear you baby brother. Damian almost wishes she didn't, partially due to the struggle of his own pride, but also because no one should ever have to understand that kind of pain.

Moments with Cass are quiet, but they are never silent. Cass teaches him understanding, helps teach him empathy. And while Damian knows he can never dance the way she can, he can play and sketch and paint and between them their secrets can no longer be secrets. Cass doesn't teach him how to feel ,no, he's always been too good at that. Instead she teaches him ways to coax them out when the words won't come, to look around him with the wonder he wasn't allowed to have before, to let him be defined by a different set of skills that shows he can create something beautiful too.

Duke:

Damien thinks Duke is "cool", like the kind of cool you see in movies and TV shows, the average teenage boys in jeans and sneakers who fight for the underdog and stand up to bullies in a 3-on-1 fight even if they know they won't win. There is a conviction in Duke that rivals Damian's own, and Damian can't help but admire someone willing to strike out on their own and do something when they felt others were failing.

Duke is "Chill" as Jason likes to say, he's low pressure and not pushy in a way that Damian appreciates. He's calm, not in the stoic way of some of the others, but in a way that doesn't put Damian out of his comfort zone with expectations.

Time spent with Duke often consists of puzzles and card games, or movies. Duke is very good at using Damian's own pride against him to "trick" him into playing, but together they do everything from DnD to Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters. It's relaxing.

Duke tells him about school and if Damian is having trouble with the more normal things of being a tween, like worrying whether other kids like him, or wearing something embarrasing, Duke brings him out of his own head. Duke plays along with his competitive nature, challenging him to races the few times they patrol together. He finds Damian outside drawing, and teaches him soccer. Other times they sit there together, Duke writing whatever comes to mind while Damian sketches. Damian gifts Duke a detailed portrait of himself; standing in the center of the crowded streets, body spliced into neat clockwork-style segments with patches of his Signal uniform, the red jacket from his time in the "We R Robin" crew, his sports uniforms, and casual clothing, the bright light of his powers bursting from within in a halo under the Gotham smog. He is Gotham's daylight protector, unique and gifted, and Damian respects that.

It's not easy, Damian is still young and cocky, still isn't very good at saying what he feels. But Duke sees right through his attempts to play it off, and it's always met with head pats and a "Whatever you say lil' D." Damian won't say it out loud but he thinks that the sheer conviction Duke has for doing what's right bleeds into every aspect of him, and that maybe with time it will do the same for himself. Damian admires his strength of will and determination, and the work Duke is willing to put in to get what he wants.

[thattimdrakeguy]

I don’t read fan fictions a lot.

Mainly because a lot of it is specifically done to be self-indulging to the writer or fanon things, that I simply do not enjoy myself. Enjoy what ever you want, I’m just saying I don’t like a lot of things in the fandom, or in ‘fanon’ and so forth.

So it’s hard to find any content I necessarily like. One, because I ever read it much to begin with, so I won’t know any writers. Two, the majority of fan fics are written to have stuff I don’t like. Just that stuff in-general.

But there’s one writer who I just always like to read from, because in a time where a lot of comics feel like bad fan fiction, it’s really good to just have good fan fiction to be able to read.

I feel incredibly dorky saying that, because if you’re not in a fandom space, most fan fics ya hear are just porn. But there’s also a lot of genuinely good stories that are written with the quality of professional writers, and I just enjoy that sort of thing.

When the content is better than the actual current state of the source is from. Why not read it, ya know?

But I just enjoy how this writer always captures the spirit of the characters for who they actually are, and not just the fandom idea of who they are, of which there are several, the very blatant fanon (ditzy Dick, just a teasing big brother Jason, coffee weirdo Tim, cute innocent Damian, etc), or what they think is accurate canon (which is basically everyone is angsty, depressed, cusses, talks the same, and you can tell who the fav is by who gets the most sympathy in the fic), and the ‘Nono, guys, THIS is accurate’ (which is a mix of the worst of both normally). 

It’s very rare thing to find stuff that just feels based on the comics and their imagination alone, and I just appreciate that content a ton. It’s so much funner to feel like I’m reading someone’s imagination onto something that has very minimum actual fandom influence. So you can just see the pure form of the characters, with little mistakes sure, but there’s that heart and spirit into it that still makes it great. Seeing other people’s natural interpretations can be very fun to see personally. 

It’s just that a lot of the time lately, you can really tell that someone’s “interpretation” wasn’t really natural, and they in reality just made a vision up, and they don’t want to admit isn’t that accurate. Which is sort of fine, except for the defensive, angry, genuinely insults people if they don’t accept their personal fanon folk. Which is where it becomes very irritating to people more and more so I notice. Imagination is fine, just don’t be delusional or a dick about it, essentially with that part.

Like specifically with Tim in comics lately, especially, there’s been years long span since Tim has actually been written in a way that doesn’t feel like bad fan fiction. Heck, I’d say over a decade nearly, generally speaking.

Rebirth especially, Tynion’s run of Detective Comics turned Tim into a Zac Efron-esque (like not literally looking like him, but that type of guy he looked like at the time unless my memory is wrong) looking super genius, who everyone praises, and is treated as the best of all of us, till random one issue they backtrack from that to be like “haha not really guys”, even though there was just an arc where for some reason Evil Tim Batman can beat up all of the Robins. As if somehow Tim, who is noted in Sins of Youth, would be a very tiny Batman, would be able to take on like five of the world’s best martial artists at once. As well as also previously having flashbacks that treat Tim like he is the most brilliant mind in the world.

Like Tynion made Tim such a super genius stereotype, there’s points where it’s just freaking parody.

I don’t get where the super genius stuff comes from. Tim’s biggest invention was putting rockets on a skateboard. When the hell is he gonna figure out how to make a super base, and super houses, and other things, only a year older then when he put rockets on a skateboard, and never really did anything else besides bang-a-rangs.

Just freaking ridiculous.

Even if outside people think it’s dorky, I’ll take the story written by a fan that captures the spirits of the character’s accurately. Especially when it’s written more like a professional than the actual professional. It just feels like a very “no duh” kind of thing. They aren’t even always accurate about everything, doesn’t even bug me a lot, my standard is just get what the spirit of the character is right, and don’t muck up the rest too much.

I should probably say who they are, but I kind of feel like with me mentioning how fan fiction is generally considered pretty dorky, and lame, and embarrassing by the general outlook. It kinda puts a damper on any actual praise.

But I am being genuine. They do write some of the only stories I find myself in a rush to read when they’re updated.

Couldn’t be bothered to do that with most comics anymore.

[browniesarethebest]

Hey I love your reverse batfamily fics! Can you possibly write one about Tim and Damian?! Some angst with a happy ending? Great work!

You got it! And sorry for the lateness! Who knew not including Dick would make this so hard to write?

When Drake first came to the Manor, Damian was furious.

It was bad enough that Father was letting some back-alley harlot masquerade as one of his partners, but to actually allow some new child into their home? Without consulting Damian?

Was he not enough?

Damian immediately disregarded that thought. Of course he was enough. He was the perfect son, a master of multiple fighting styles, and a damn good detective. He was the perfect partner to the Batman—no one else was needed.

This child had no apparent skills (besides figuring out who Batman and Shadowbat were, but the 21-year-old was ignoring that), despite being just slightly older than Damian was when he arrived at the Manor. He was small and thin and could not look Damian in the eyes for more than 3 seconds before looking away in fear. He was completely untrained and unfit to be part of their lives. The boy’s only redeeming factor was that he did not speak unless prompted by Father.

But time passed, and Drake grew more comfortable—more confident. He chattered. He interrupted. He and the harlot encouraged each other, especially when it came to annoying Damian.

The boy was ruining the dynamic between Father and him. Quiet nights in the study reading were now spent in the living room watching movies, though Damian never joined. Quiet nights in the Cave solving the latest case were now noisy nights filled with incessant chatter that gave Damian a migraine.

Damian ignored the insight the boy sometimes had. He would never be a better detective than Damian and his father.

And now that the boy was comfortable, he continuously attempted to spend time with Damian. He tried to get Damian to go skateboarding of all things. He intruded during Damian’s meditations. During his reading. During his sketching.

One day, Damian finally snapped. It had been a rough night with trying to track down the Joker. He and Batman had split up to save time on checking out potential locations, but the child had been left with Damian, much to his rage. At least the blonde had gone with Batman. He never would have been able to deal with them both alone.

But Drake would not. Shut. Up. After enduring this for 15 minutes in what should have been a silent stakeout, Damian whirled around, cutting the boy off.

“You may have deceived my father into believing you could ever be worthy of working with us, let alone hold the title of a Bat—” What kind of name was Kid Bat anyway? It sounded ridiculous in Damian’s opinion “—but I know better. You are weak. You will never be good enough to be one of us. Even Brown has more potential than you, and she’s nothing more than some back-alley broad.”

Damian’s chest heaved, clenching his fists as he finished. Drake flinched, and Damian could imagine the tears building behind the mask. The boy bowed his head, shaking.

“Y-You’re right,” he whispered. “I’ll never be one of you.”

Drake fled, leaping from building to building until Damian couldn’t see him anymore. Good. He turned around and continued his stakeout.

After a few hours, Damian called it a bust. Batman chimed in a moment later over comms and said the same about his location. Damian stood and stretched. He figured he should go find Drake now—the boy had obviously not gone to his father, or he would have heard about it. He was sure Drake would tell his father what he had said tonight, but Damian would weather it like always. Father should have known better than to leave the brat with him.

Drake was missing.

Damian didn’t expect to feel minor guilt with that statement, but he tamped it down. It wasn’t his fault that Drake was missing. The boy had gone off on his own in Gotham. He could even blame Batman for giving the boy the costume in the first place. None of this would have happened if Father had left well enough alone.

They knew Drake was with Joker and Harley—the jack-in-a-box discovered by Batgirl had told them that. It was just a matter of finding the boy.

Damian knew that Father and Brown blamed him, though Batman never said as much. Brown had no reservations, however, and loudly proclaimed his guilt whenever he was within earshot. He was at the breaking point during her latest rant when she suddenly went silent.

“I see Harley. Following her now. I’m heading down Robinson Avenue.”

Batman and Shadowbat took off from their locations. As they grew closer, they could hear Batgirl telling them everything she saw.

“She’s gone into Laughing Larry’s Toy Factory. Heading in now.”

Silence. Damian was almost there.

“Holy fuck.”

“Batgirl?” Batman asked.

“They’re...fuck, they’re—Kid Bat!”

“Goddammit, Brown!” Damian snarled. “Wait for backup!” 

The toy factory was in his sight. Out of the corner of his eye, Damian saw Batman swing in. Damian followed him, slinking into the building.

“You bastards!” Stephanie screamed over the comm. Damian winced and turned it off. It wouldn’t do to be distracted—or lose his hearing.

The sounds of fighting drew the duo to a set of double doors. Before they could go in, they burst open, Batgirl flying through and crumpling to the ground at their feet.

“Batman! So glad you can join us!” They looked up. The light behind Joker cast him in shadows, the only truly visible thing being his sickly grin. “Harley, dear, won’t you give the sidekick a warm welcome to our home?”

“On it, Mistah J!” Harley flipped into the room, aiming a kick at Shadowbat. He easily blocked and threw her at the wall. She merely kicked off of it and flew back at him.

During their fight, Batman engaged the Joker. Damian knew that fight would be much more difficult, so he did his best to incapacitate Joker’s sidekick as quickly as possible. It was fairly easy—his training with his mother and grandfather far superior to Harley’s own skill. Just as he knocked her out with a punch to the head, he heard Batgirl come to with a moan. He made his way over to her and begrudgingly helped her up. Her face was bloody, and her costume was littered with bloody cuts, but she didn’t seem to care as she desperately clung to Damian’s suit.

“Shadowbat—” she gasped, “—Kid Bat, he’s—”

“Show me.” 

Brown led him threw the double doors into the main room of the factory. She moved towards a curtain-off area in the corner, and Damian could hear whimpers and giggles coming from it. His trepidation grew.

“I-I think we made it in time. He’s definitely going to be fucked up for a while, but if they were doing what I think they were doing...we made it in time.”

She drew back the curtain, and Damian clenched his teeth. Drake was strapped down to an operating table, electrodes stuck to his temples. Metal clamps were attached to the table, attached to a machine that sat next to a small table filled with syringes and various other surgical tools. 

Damian felt sick.

Together, he and Batgirl disconnected the electrodes from the boy’s head and unstrapped him. Brown gathered Drake into her arms, but at her touch, the boy wrenched himself back and fell over the side of the table. His giggles increased in volume.

“Kid Bat?” Stephanie hesitantly stepped around the tabled and whispered, “Tim?”

Rounding the table, Damian found Drake writhing on the floor, a grin stretched painfully from ear to ear. Ignoring his feelings, he knelt down and pulled out the Joker venom cure to inject into the boy’s neck. He quieted down for a moment before his cackles started up again even louder than before.

“We need to get him back to the Cave,” Damian said. He looked at Batgirl. “Take him back on my bike. I’ll help Batman with the Joker.”

“But—”

Damian growled, “Do you wanna help him or not?”

Batgirl glanced back down at Kid Bat before nodding and lifting the boy into her arms. She looked into Damian’s eyes, determined. “Make that bastard pay.”

Damian nodded, “We will.”

Brown ran off. Shadowbat took a deep breath and clenched his fists until they hurt. He turned around, his expression cold.

It was time to show the Joker that no one messed with the Bats.

The weeks went by slowly as Drake healed. Thankfully, they rescued him before the grin could turn permanent or leave scars. His giggling and cackling also died down once Batman and him found a cure for the specific strain of venom Joker had used.

Drake was quiet again. Though the returned peace was nice, Damian was once again feeling unfamiliar emotions. He didn’t like them, so he ignored them. They usually went away after some time had passed, and Damian would feel fine again.

After more time passed, Drake started acting like his more upbeat self again. Damian missed the silence, but he admitted (only to himself) that he felt relief. Though he still felt some disdain for Drake’s intrusion into his family, he was still a hero, and he didn’t like seeing any child in pain (except maybe Baby Doll, but she didn’t count).

Damian and Drake would never be friends, but that didn’t mean Damian wouldn’t watch out for him. They were Bats, and that’s what Bats did for each other.

[jasontoddiefor]

Title: In the dark blue sky you keep Summary: Martha Wayne, the Bat of Gotham, wakes up in a world where here son never died. The difference is startling. AN: Based on an anon prompt in which Flashpoint Thomas and a Batman!Martha meet my happy imaginary canon verse.

Her son had green eyes.

Her son was dead.

Reflexively, Martha grabbed the imposter, clone, hallucination, Fear Toxin. Had someone finally figured out her identity? Was it Crane? No, he wasn’t smart enough on his own, maybe Two-Face had helped or Black Mask. He had been pretty annoyed she and that upstart with Joker’s old moniker had been decimating his empire-

“Grandmother! You’re hurting me!”

Bruce was struggling against her grip, cursing in Arabic under his breath, and Martha finally remembered. Shocked, she let go of Damian, who was quick to take a few steps back.

“Damian. I- I apologize.”

The teenager just sighed, feigning calmness, while still staring at her hand. He looked a lot like Talia wearing that expression. In her homeworld – dimension traveling was a concept Martha still wasn’t comfortable with – Talia had been a girl just as stubborn and proud as Damian. After her death, Martha had often wondered who she could have become, hadn’t the world wanted to get back at Ra’s al Ghul. It was strange to see a world where she had a son.

Where Martha’s son was a father himself.

“It’s fine,” Damian said. “I’ll tell the others to wake you with a broom or a ruler like we do with Baba. And breakfast is ready. Alfred said you can eat upstairs if you want to.”

She had eaten breakfast with everybody else for the past five days, even if it had been uncomfortable to sit next to Thomas again. This other world’s version of him was rough, broken. He didn’t resemble the sweet man Martha recalled. But she supposed she wasn’t much like his wife either. That Martha Wayne had fallen into despair and madness, thriving in the blood splatters of the Joker.

She hadn’t locked down her emotions like a Kane, taken off her wedding ring and traded it for a knife to become someone, something different.

This Bruce probably recognized neither of his parents in these killers wearing their faces.

“Do you have guests today?”

Damian shook his head. “No, just a full house. Everybody’s home again for the first time in weeks, so we’re all eating together. It’s become somewhat of a tradition. Baba wasn’t sure whether you or Grandfather would be up for that.”

Martha was the Bat.

Her life had never been a question of if she wanted to do something. She had to.

“Of course, I’m coming. I’d like to meet the rest of your siblings.”

“I’ll tell Alfred.”

Damian rushed out of her room – a guest room outside of the family wing of the manor – on silent feed. None of the people in Bruce’s family made a sound unless they wanted to. Martha hadn’t been able to stop herself from imagining what assets they must be on the battlefield.

Martha had never taken on a side-kick, or a hero in training, as the Justice League liked to call their junior members. Not that Martha was much of a hero or a vigilante with her poisons, syringes, knives and the League of Assassins on speed dial. She had worked together with the Justice League a few times when the whole world had been threatened by outside forces, but their methods didn’t agree with each other. She thought children were too young for Gotham, any city at all, and they hadn’t approved of the blood trail she left behind.

Martha got dressed. Alfred had rushed to a store after the first day so she could wear clothes that didn’t belong to her grandson’s ex-girlfriend. He had returned with a full batch of outfits, all similar in cut and style to what she used to wear.

Martha hadn’t had the heart to tell him she hadn’t worn a skirt in two decades.

After making sure she was presentable, she left to go to the dining room. Martha had gathered that they usually ate in the kitchen when only four members of the family were in the manor, but since her and Thomas’s arrival, they’d taken to eating in the dining room. With so many people attending – she’d heard a few names being dropped over the past days – they needed the space.

On her way across the manor, she encountered Thomas. He was finally clean-shaven and, wearing Bruce’s shirts, he appeared much younger than he had when they had first arrived.

They both mustered each other, but none of them really knew what to say.

“My room has a mural,” Thomas spoke up. “It’s a mix of spray painting and acrylics.”

Martha had seen a couple rooms decorated like that.

“I think that’s Damian and Duke’s work.”

“The meta?”

Her Thomas used to love giving speeches. He could talk for hours about what fascinated him without taking a break. When Bruce had been- He used to give Bruce biology lectures to fall asleep to.

This Thomas was talkative if he said more than ten words.

“Damian mentioned boding with Duke over art,” Martha continued. “Bruce allowed them free reign of the guest wing as long as they don’t make Alfred disapprove.”

“The manor’s messy enough by his standards already.”

Martha wouldn’t necessarily call the manor messy. It was just more lived-in than what the two of them were used to. There was a distinct lack of breakable vases, and many paintings had been taken down to be replaced by family portraits or paintings done by Damian.

The rugs on the ground weren’t as bright and clean as they used to, but Bruce had said that multiple of his children were friends with speedsters. She’d also found rations of non-perishable food hidden in different corners, an immeasurable amount of cats, a skateboard, toys, instruments, posters, stickers and everything else that belonged in a good home with happy children.

The closer the two got to the dining room, the louder did the voices become.

“And I’m standing there, baby vomit all over my uniform, still holding the kiddo and go ‘Sir, you just violated 34 laws and-‘”

“Timothy, I saw your schematic for a hoverboard, and I was wondering if you would-“

“-too much to ask for one mixed productions where a guy plays a female lead? If you don’t have enough men to cover all male roles, just mix it up completely, why can’t they-“

“Don’t even think of stealing my chocolate, I dare you.”

“-and the kid won’t stop crying. The guy is crying too. And I still had a date to go to.”

“I have multiple degrees and I’m ‘not qualified enough’. Just say you don’t want to hire a woman in a wheelchair and be done, but don’t waste my time.”

“-I’m a broke bitch these student loans can’t kill me-“

“You’re literally putting caviar on your eggs right now, Steph. I know Bruce gave you a credit card, what student loans-“

“Anyway, so I’m running an illegal betting pool at school-“

“Lively, aren’t they?”

Bruce was smiling, looking at his kids discussing heatedly at the table behind Thomas and Martha. Helena, who had been resting in his arms, was now wide awake and squirming. Bruce sat the toddler down and she rushed over to the rest of her siblings.

“The one picking Helena up is Jason, my second son and third eldest. You already met Duke and Damian and heard Tim when he checked the portals you arrived through for abnormalities. He’s the one falling asleep over his cereals. Steph is the blonde one talking to him, gesturing at her food. She was the one to lend you her clothes. The girl beside her is Cassandra, my first daughter and actually second eldest. You know Kate and Bette, I assume? Dick’s my oldest, and he’s the one reenacting the chokehold with the banana. The one who kept the water bottle from falling over next to him is Barbara.”

That had surprised Martha.

“The Commissioner’s daughter?”

Bruce nodded. “Yes. Jim pretends he doesn’t know and we give him space for plausible deniability. It makes holidays very interesting.”

The children kept talking, exchanging stories and snacks, and the tiny toddler in-between them. There was a warmth to their interaction Martha hadn’t felt in years.

“They are strong,” Thomas said.

“They are beautiful,” Martha added, though the term was a poor substitute for what she actually wanted to say.

They’re alive.

She hoped Bruce wouldn’t catch on, but his eyes were already narrowing in concern.

It was easy to forget she wasn’t the only Bat in Gotham anymore.

[sweetwriting]

TimKon Week 2020 Day 2: What was I expecting?

Category: Gen or Pre-slash

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Fandoms: DC Comics, Batverse, Teamverse

Continuity: Highschool AU - Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint inspired

Summary:   What was Tim expecting from his parents exactly? At this point nothing. Still he had hoped.

But friends can lift your spirits up.

Word Count: 1637

AN:  Welcome to round two.

I wanted to write more but I don't have the time and honestly my wrists are hurt so I can't write much without hurting. I tried to give it a cute open ending cause I don't like Angst without fluff.

Prompt: Highschool AU - Angst

Can be read on AO3

Tim couldn’t believe it. It had happened again.

He shouldn’t be surprised. Well he wasn’t actually surprised. He had expected it, but he had still hoped it wouldn’t happen.

His parents had forgotten they were supposed to come and get him for the weekend. They were supposed to come back from…wherever it was they were supposed to be. Last he checked they were in Dubai but they could have gone around the world three times by now.

It’s just that…they had actually tried to plan this. They had planned the time they should be there after getting off the plane. Usually that’s how he knows he’s gonna actually spend the weekend with his parents. It has never been foolproof as they had cancelled even some of those plans before. But it was fairly rare.

And all the members of the Wayne family made plans because he told them his parents were definitely going to be there. Even Alfred was going to be too busy for him. Everyone else’s parents had come to get them for the Weekend as the school usually frowned upon keeping the students there at this time of the week. Tim was the only one who sometimes stayed there in cases like this. Most of the time when they said they were coming Tim planned ahead to go to Dick’s or Bruce’s, sometimes even Barbara’s or Jason’s. He had met them because once his parents had taken him to a Wayne Gala and gotten sick so he stayed with Alfred while they were being taken care of.

He had already started going to the all-boys boarding school he was currently in back then and they already had the rule about kids going home on the weekend and during the holidays. So he went back home to their Penthouse within Gotham on his own and….well he was pretty reckless and often went on his own without realizing that his clothes were basically criminal bait. Luckily for him Jason Todd had been nearby and helped him out before taking him to Wayne Manor after hearing about his parents.

Which is how he met Dick Grayson for the first time. Well 2nd time really but Dick’s memories of their meeting had mostly been overtaken by a more tragic memory. After that he was often invited to the manor and the Waynes became more his family than his on ever was.

Point was, neither of his families was available and that meant he would probably spend his weekend on his laptop or reading comic books. The only people present at school beside him were the principal and the cleaning staff so as long as he didn’t cross path with any of them he was free to do pretty much anything he wanted.

Which is why he decided to go out to the nearby skate park in order to work on some tricks.

And that’s when he saw Cassie. She was a good friend of his because his dad was a huge archeology afficionado and her mom was a fairly well-known archeologist and museum curator. They had known each other for a while but had only let their kids meet the year before but even so Cassie was probably one of his best friends nonetheless. It was pretty rare for her to be around Gotham and usually her mom and her stayed close to whichever museum Helena Sandsmark was working. So her being here was very surprising. What was even more surprising was that she was accompanied by a pretty buff and good looking guy.

He only realized he might have been interrupting something after hailing her but then he figured what was done was done and he saw her rarely anyway so he wasn’t going to waste his time.

Cassie didn’t seem that bothered even if she did glare at him for 0.2s. Hopefully she was too happy to see him to be mad. The guy next to her didn’t even try to hide his pouting though. Neither from Tim nor from Cassie herself.

When Tim arrived next to them however, the guy seemed to try and let go of his annoyance but as Cassie hugged him, it came back with a vengeance.

Cassie turned to the boy with a big smile and, Tim might be a bit petty since he had never actually been interested in Cassie romantically, but he was pretty damn happy to be responsible for that kind of smile on her face.

“Conner, meet my best guy friend, Tim. Tim, this is Conner, he’s the younger brother of Clark Kent and since he had to interview my mom nearby we left them and wandered around.”

Tim smiled slightly as Conner’s shoulders relaxed, no longer threatened by the idea of a possible rival. They shook hands and Conner suddenly started to seem slightly awkward as they exchanged “Nice to meet you”s. Tim could feel his cheeks warm a little under the other guy’s gaze.

“But Tim, your place is in Gotham so what are you doing here?”

And now Tim had a hard time looking away from that guy’s arms. He had met Clark Kent before and both had a similar build so it wasn’t that surprising. It did not make it any easier though. Still he managed to do so within a timeframe that wouldn’t be too damning.

“My school’s 5 minutes away so I came here to work on some tricks”

He showed them his skateboard to prove his point. This surprised both teenagers but Conner was the first one to address it.

“But it’s noon on a Saturday and we’re fairly far from Gotham.”

“My school’s a boarding school so it’s not an issue.”

“What is an issue, Cassie interrupted, with a suspicious look, is that I thought your school didn’t let students stay for the weekend”.

Tim startled a bit. Cassie knew how things were with his parents. She tended to be quite annoyed every time she had to speak with them because of that. No matter how many times he told her it was perfectly understandable for them to be so busy. Actually it tended to annoy her more so he didn’t bring it up if he could help it anymore.

Conner seemed to notice something was wrong with Cassie so he turned to Tim whose cheeks warmed up again.

“Does that mean that you’ve got some free time to be a tour guide?”

“I’d love to but I’m afraid I mostly know the school grounds and it’s forbidden to go there. I only knew about this ‘cause I saw it through the window of my dad’s car. But I can teach you skateboarding."

Conner was all for it and the three of them shared Tim’s skateboard for the rest of the afternoon. Before they parted ways, Conner invited him for lunch with his dad, his best friend, Cassie and her mom while she pouted because she wanted to do it. Apparently his best friend, Bart, hadn’t been able to come because he was grounded but he would join them in the morning.

So Tim went home, well…to his school which, since he had been there for the past 5 years, was pretty much his home. He ate in the kitchen with the principal which was spent chatting amicably. For all the recklessness Tim could show, he tended to listen to authority as much as he could so he wouldn’t get in trouble. He didn’t want to get negative attention from his parents and he didn’t want to be on the staff’s radar negatively or they’d just always survey him. He also just generally liked to talk to people, he liked the attention and wasn’t gonna relish it unless he was forced to. Despite his awkwardness Tim knew he could be pretty charming.

When he went back to his room he looked at his phone he had left charging. There were two missed calls from his parents not even an hour before. There was one message.

Sorry can’t make it something came up but we will next time. Love You baby.

Tim looked at hit for a good five minutes before replying.

Don’t worry Cassie was there because her mom was interviewed nearby. Met one of her acquaintances. it was fun. Love you too

Tim was tired. Seeing Cassie always reminded him that unlike Helena who had put her archeology career on hold to raise Cassie until she was old enough to handle being on her own and even then checked in with her regularly, his own parents, even if they loved him, loved traveling even more. Maybe that’s why she was always mad at them. She realized that too. Not that he’d admit it out loud. He didn’t want to focus on the negative part of his non existing relationship with his parents. He never even came out to them. Not because he feared their reactions but because they just….weren’t there enough for him to share that part of his life. And he lived in an all-boy school. It didn’t take him long to realize he was attracted to guys like he was attracted to girls and he was hardly the only one.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to go to that lunch the next day. Being faced with parents who actually take their family with them when they go somewhere wasn’t the most fun. But if he managed to get past that he would probably enjoy it. So he tried to try thinking of more positive things. Like seeing Cassie again, and seeing that really, really good looking guy.

Now that was a nice thought. Granted the guy had seemed interested in Cassie at first. Oh Well. He was still nice eye candy. Turns out he couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

------------------------------------------

AN2: Tim is 17 here. We know from his origin story he started boarding school when he was 12 but Bruce took him out and put him in a normal school when his parents were attacked by the Obeah ManFor the first time ever, Kon is the first one to hit on Cassie. He's mostly doing it 'cause he likes the attention tho. Cassie's gonna be mad at Tim for like...10s, be extremely petty, have Cissie or someone else tell her she's overexaggerating and then admit her friends are perfect for each other and hug them tight (and give the shovel talk to Kon even tho he doesn't deserve it).Kon is actually Clark's kid but he was very young and broke up with his gf before either knew about the pregnancy. She didn't tell him until Kon was like 3yo. Anyway Clark wasn't ready nor wanted the responsability so Ma and Pa said they adopted him from Clark's biological parents. Kon figured out years ago even if he didn't tell anybody. At first he wondered why Clark wouldn't want him when he's perfectly fine having Jon. He realized things weren't that simple but it's still hard.The Waynes are:

Alfred and Bruce ofc.

Dick, Jason and Cass are all adopted. They have a similar backstory but without the vigilante part.

Thalia and Bruce were actually in love but broke up before either knew she was pregnant. Damian is much more adjusted without the whole Assassins stuff. He and Tim actually get along fairly well.

Cass is still one of Tim's favorite. She's currently dating his ex gf Stephanie Brown.

[hows-a-robin-like-a-writing-desk]

Camp Camp Batfam AU; T

so far I have at least, like, 3 ideas for Camp Camp AU’s cause I fell face first into the fandom, so here’s some ideas for one; AU-ccT.

-The one where Tim gets caught sneaking out to photograph Batman and Robin by his mother when he’s ten (or almost ten)

-he gets sent to Camp Campbell, a camp in Sleepy Peak NJ for the sake of this universe

-he’s on the bus with Neil and Nikki in episode 1, for photography camp.

-he’s never seen anywhere without his camera. Ever. 

rundown of the bare bones of most of his relationships in Camp Campbell under the cut, because It got long and most of you won’t care so I wouldn’t want to bother too much:

-He and Neil got along well on the ride over to camp; Tim nerds out with him about science. Neil finds the kid a little annoying at first, but the kid mellows out pretty quickly as they talk. He’ll seek Tim out for some actual intelligent conversation sometimes at camp. Sometimes, when he goes to ‘Science Camp’, there are Cursive notes in the comments of notes he left out, either comedic or cringy puns or actual helpful advice and suggestions. Also they’re both jewish, so there’s some solidarity there. 

-Sometimes, when Nikki is out on adventures by herself, He’ll appear in a tree and join her. They go hunting for cool things; Nikki will screw with them, and Tim will watch and take pictures and intervine if he thinks he has to. He’s saved her life a fair amount of times. He’ll spout random fun-facts about nature and entertain whatever weird conversation she wants to have. He’s cool enough when no one else is around, though kind of weird. He can climb trees better then her.

-Max doesn’t think of Tim much at all. Tim came on the bus with Neil and Nikki, but didn’t do much to make a lasting impression. He stayed close to Neil until Max started staging escape attempts, then he faded into the background. Max thinks he’s like a quieter, maybe smarter Dolph; an annoying naive kid who doesn’t know how fucked the world is. Sometimes he’ll try to screw with the kid. He’s stolen the Boy’s camera twice; both times the boy had it again within the hour, never even confronting Max. The third time he left a note politely asking him to stop. Despite Max’s best efforts, there isn’t a forth time, but on the 7th attempt a picture of Mr.Honeynuts was left on his bed in clear blackmail. Somethings up with that kid. Maybe he’ll give enough of a shit to figure out what someday.

-Tim isn’t really a good artist, but he and Dolph get along well enough he guesses. Dolph finds his photos inspiring, so Tim can trade in favours for cool pictures of one thing or another. Sometimes he’ll sit and watch Dolph do art silently, and no one talks to either of them. It’s great. Dolph tried talking to Tim at first, but Tim wouldn’t say much in response and would often leave quicker when Dolph talked a lot, so he tries to keep it down.

-Ered doesn’t care about Tim all that much, really. She has a spark of respect because he’s surprisingly ok at skateboarding, and he’ll fix up the half-pipe sometimes. every once in a while, the repairs even last longer then a day. Cool.

-Tim is skeptical of Harrison, and a little worried by his temper; he could actually be a meta and not really get it yet, and with his temper he could do some damage. Tim is more then familiar with the ‘keep your enemies closer’ mentality, and has a tentative friendship with the boy. He thinks he’s nice enough, but he’s certainly powerful. No one is allowed to touch Max’s camera, but Harrison especially. He tries to help Harrison figure out how to use and control his powers and Harrison appreciates it. Tim has never been the victim of a spell from Harrison.

-Nerris and Tim get along like a house on fucking fire. Tim is quiet, and usually just goes along with whatever campeign Nerris is running, but has a great time anyway. He always wanted to play D&D. They nerd out over Magic and Pokemon and LoTR etc. The only real fight they have is Star Wars Vs. Star Trek, and they get the whole camp involved somehow. She’s a very loud personality that he can’t handle being around all the time, but he appriciates their time together and all

-Tim is just one of those kids that are pegged as easily bulliable. Naturally, Nurf bullies him. Or, at least, he tries to. The kid has an annoying habit of slipping through his fingers and appearing in trees whenever Nerf tries to do any real damage. Tim hates Nurf. He seems so textbook Gotham it almost hurts, but Tim is probably one of the only people that understands why Nurf is the way he is, but is firm that it’s no excuse for his behavior. He ignores most verbal bullying, unless he deems it worth a quiet comeback that no one but Nerf hears that leave him baffled because that kid was supposed to be meek and probably neglected or something, not a snarky asshole. one of the few exceptions is when Nerf insults Tim’s mom, which results in a sudden uproarious laughter that is the loudest sound anyone at the camp has ever heard him make. It goes on long enough to worry David and creep most of the campers out. When asked what happens, he criptically answers ‘Gaylord said the first funny thing I’ve ever heard out of his damn mouth’, stunning the camp with the first curse they’ve heard the boy use, a rare insult from the boy, and Nurf especially from the use of his full name. What The Hell is with that kid?

-Preston will swear, until the day he dies, that Tim is a wonderful actor. Nobody beleives him. Nobody ever will. Once, Preston coerced him into preforming on stage, but he immediately faked an anxiety attack and was excused. When they’re alone, Tim is a brilliant actor. The time he tried to film it, the camera broke and Tim was there with a drawl of ‘I’m in Camera Camp why did you think that would work out for you’. Preston kind of hates him for it. Tim helps out backstage all the time though, and is the only one besides Dolph who stays to help after David’s demanded minimum clean up time. He’s recorded almost all of Preston’s shows, and Dolph, Preston, and Tim become an unexpected and unseen force to be reckoned with. Maybe. 

-Space Kid is a child and naive in a way Tim isn’t used to and doesn’t like. He’s kinda stupid and exceedingly nice, and Tim almost wants to provoke him. That would be counterproductive though, so he just ignores the kid for the most part. 

-David appriciates Tim. Tim is probably the only camper that really listens to him, never causes much of a ruckous, and even seems to enjoy camp! He’s a great example, if shy. David would like to say he payed attention to all of his campers equally but, at this camp, while he cared for them all, it couldn’t be ignored that Tim just...Didn’t need as much attention. He was self sufficent and surprisingly responsible, and David had to stop other kids from burning down the camp. He gave Tim extra desserts most of the time and asked for his input on this or that to keep Tm engaged, but has definetly not noticed Tim sneaking out of camp with a worrying frequency.

-Gwen doesn’t trust the little Gotham shit. He’s gotta be up to something. He’s too perfect, and she just feels that there’s something off about the kid. Tim confirms to her through purposefully cracks in the mask when its Just Gwen around once because he likes Gwen, or at least likes screwing with her. Now, if only Gwen could find it in her to care enough to expose this little shit, between homicidal campers and runaways and a platypus and- and Tim can wait a bit, ok? She’s a little busy.

-Tim is the only one who knows how to properly care for a platypus. Whenever he goes to feed it and such he drags Nikki along and lets her do most of the stuff so it inprints on her, because he does not want the creature following him around.

[hailsatanacab]

Jason thinks they're really making some headway.

He's been in the Principal's office for about half an hour (having been dragged out of the PTA conference for a 'private chat' and gee, wasn't that concerning?) and not only is he managing to piece together quite a bit about the Fenton’s home life, but he thinks he's beginning to understand some of what his 'son' is going through.

Pretty obviously negligent parents, a genius sister that he's constantly being compared to, struggling academically, of course it's a recipe for a broody teenager. Of course Danny is acting out.

He's yet to find out if that's all there is to it, however. They've not brought up Danny’s 'injuries' and it's starting to make him fidgety.

Dick and Tim are still laughing in his ear with everything he says about 'his' Danny. After a particularly pointed jibe about 'fatherly instincts' and 'adoption papers' and 'runs in the family', Jason resolves to take his earpiece out as soon as Ishiyama turns around—and also to loosen all the screws on Tim's skateboard.

There's a knock on the door and the Principal fixes Jason with a flat stare before calling for them to come in.

A small teenager, about Damian’s age but just a little shorter (if that's possible), peeks from behind the door. His shoulders are hunched and his gaze is on the floor, making him look smaller than he really is. The bags under his eyes and the paleness of his skin could put Timmy to shame, and that's somehow even more distressing.

So, this is Danny.

Jason's been around kids before. Kids in the worst kind of situation—hell, he's been one of them—and he's sworn to never let a child down if he can help it. So he's not surprised by the rush of protectiveness he feels when he looks at Danny, but...

But the size of it, the swell of it, the ferocious, all-consuming want, the need to put himself between this child and whatever he's facing is what surprises Jason. The Pit rolls inside him and he has to swallow hard to fight it down.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Principal Ishiyama, but Dad can't—oh." The boy catches sight of him and freezes.

Well, this has been fun, but the ruse is over now and he best be off before they call the cops. He can catch up with this Danny another time.

Jason's halfway out of his chair when the boy shivers, full body, and locks eyes with Jason, who prepares to book it. But instead, Danny's shoulders relax immediately and he waltzes straight into the room, grinning madly.

"Hi, Dad! I thought you said you couldn't make it?"

No wonder this kid is pinging so hard on his protection radar, it's like he has zero concept of self-preservation. Yeah, sure, kid, let's pretend this stranger is your dad.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, kiddo..." Either Jason has a twin he's not aware of or this kid is willing to put his life in the hands of a stranger pretending to be family rather than have his actual father here talking to the Principal. Jason doesn't know which is more concerning. (He does.)

Whispers and computer keys clacking come faintly through the earpiece. Looks like Dickie and Timberly are thinking the same thing. He'll leave the comms open for now, see what they come up with.

But Principal Ishiyama's talking again and he's back to playing his role of concerned parent. The boy plays his injuries off as the result of his new hobby, rock climbing. Not quite got the hang of it yet, apparently. Very clumsy, falls a lot.

Jason can tell from the fading yellow bruises creeping along his jaw and under his eye socket that he's not telling the truth, not unless the rocks have grown fists and he's been falling face first into them.

The Principal seems to accept it well enough, however (which is concerning in and of itself), so Jason decides to ask Danny later. He'll get to the bottom of it one way or another.

"Thank you again for coming in, Mr. Fenton. I'm glad we could have this talk and I hope we won't have to have another one."

Jason stands up to shake her hand.

"Yes, thank you, Principal Ishiyama, it's been very enlightening. You can rest assured that Danny and I will be having words. We'll get to the bottom of this."

There's Tim and Dick again, sniggering like schoolchildren. He needs an Oscar after this performance. Or at least some sort of medal after fighting so hard not to roll his eyes.

Danny's quiet as they make their way out of the building and it's only when they're in the car park that he tenses again and looks over Jason with a weary eye.

"Thanks for that, Amorpho. You did me a solid, but you know I can't have you running around outside, not after last time." He rifles around in his backpack and pulls out a busted old thermos that looks like its been used as a football one too many times. "Are you going to come quietly or do you need to be souped?"

"Uh..." Is the kid going to try and fight him? With a thermos? This is not what Jason expected to happen. Jason's not a hundred percent sure what's happening, to be honest.

"Also, come on, are you losing your touch? There's no way Dad's that buff, he hits the fudge not the gym. And I don't even remember the last time I saw Dad without his jumpsuit on..."

Danny stops and looks at him again, squinting up at him through tired eyes. "You're not Amorpho. And you're certainly not my dad. I'm sorry, what's happening?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

Short DPXDC Prompts #176

Jason Todd gets mistaken for Jack Fenton