#Yes this means Damian’s attempt to stab Tim goes differently

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 213

“Hey spooks, is there an actual reason you never like, eat?” Hal ignored Superman’s rather expressive don’t motions, leaning over the meeting table. He also ignored how everyone else’s conversations quieted, staring straight at Batman instead. 

It was hard to tell if said vigilante was looking at him, what with the whited out eyes, but the sheer judgment that seemed to waft off of him did the job just fine. “Like, I get you’re paranoid and everything and- hey!” Batman stood up suddenly, practically striding out of the room mid conversation. Superman gave them all an unreadable look, shaking his head and following. Well. Touchy subject then.  Though it was another point to the vampire bet too.

“I understand not telling them anything about the situation, B, but there’s going to be rumors about this now, you know?” A hand rested on Bruce’s shoulder, the weight comforting to the deathly cold that always covered his skin. Kal. Clark. Whichever was better for work. 

He clicked, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “... the kids would like to see you again if you’re open.” 

Clark snorted, smiling softly. “You know you can just say you don’t want to be alone right now B…” Lies and slander. He was perfectly fine being alone for long stretches of time. Used to it even. He just also perhaps had been reminded of… other times. Better and worse ones. 

[capsoff2]

An Evening With The Bats(Wouldn’t Protest If Someone Filmed This And Sent It To Me On Here)

It’s a typical night at Wayne Manor, full of family arguments, family love, and avoiding the katanas held by a 10 year old boy.

JASON: (walks into the living room) Demon spawn, have you seen my, woah!

(he has to duck to avoid the pillow being chucked at his head)

DAMIAN: (shutting the TV off) Leave at once, Todd. No I have not seen any of your weapons.

JASON:(walking out of the room) Fine, guess I’ll check the other 50 assorted rooms of this place. (sticks his head back in) Wait, were you watching My Little Pony?

DAMIAN: N-no!

JASON: (gleefully) Demon watchs MLP, Demon watches MLP!

DAMIAN:(getting up and grabbing his katanas) I’ll teach you not to mock me Todd!

JASON: Oh hell naw..

(Jason runs out of the room faster than the nope train, followed by Damian screaming curses at him)

TIM: (sticking his head out of his bedroom door) Hey what’s going on...nope

(Tim slams his door shut, already preparing an escape route)

Now, Jason, like all the other Bat Family members, has very high endurance and stamina, but he is running out of steam

JASON: Gotta find a, gotta find a(sees his AK-47) gun, yes!

(Jason grabs the gun, and loading a clip into it. He cocks it and turns to face Damian, pointing the gun at him. Damian stops)

JASON: What’s the matter hellspawn, afraid of a gun?

DAMIAN: No, it’s just that my father is standing right behind you.

(Jason turns slowly, making a “meep” sound when he sees Bruce)

JASON: Oh.. hey, B-man….

BRUCE: (rubbing his temples) Jason, what have I told you about trying to murder Damian…

JASON: But I didn’t! BRUCE: And you wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been here?

JASON: No...well..ok fine, but he started it! DAMIAN: t-t, you sound like a whiny little child Todd, (mockingly) he started it Daddy, he started it, wa, wa, wah.

JASON:(ticked off) Why you little…umph!

(He is cut off as Nightwing drops down from above and lands on him)

RICHARD: Jason, what have I told you, Damian swears enough as it is, please don’t encourage him.

(He waits for an answer, before remembering that he is on top of Jason, and gets off)

RICHARD: Oh, sorry little wing.

JASON: How many times have I told you, don’t call me that?!

RICHARD:(counting off fingers) I’d say it's going on 100 now, but I just pretend not to notice.

TIM:(coming down the hallway) You guys seriously have got to stop fighting...one day you’re gonna cause some serious damage….to the house.

JASON: You’re more worried about the house than either of us?!

TIM: (shrugging) Property damage is a big pain, lots of paperwork, and usually you guys argue with Bruce when he grounds you..

JASON: I’m a grown adult! He can’t ground me!

DAMIAN:(smirking)Yet, you allow him to.

JASON: I….(realizing he can’t deny it, he stops)Ugh..whatever

ALFRED:(calmly walks down the hall, dusting a vase) Masters, dinner is awaiting you.

BRUCE:Yes, thank you, Alfred, we will be there in a moment.

ALFRED: And?

(the look he gives Bruce makes the younger man sigh, before handing over $20)

ALFRED: Thank you, Master Bruce(he walks briskly back down the hallway)

DAMIAN: Father, you and Pennyworth were betting on us?

BRUCE: Yes, and sadly, I lost. Now boys, we are not leaving this hallway until you both apologize to each other.

(Both boys begin to protest, but one quick bat glare stops them)

JASON: Fine...Demon...Damian, I am sorry for possibly trying to murder you if your father wasn’t there.

DAMIAN:Todd....Jason, I am sorry for attempting to murder you.

Bruce: There, now was that so hard?

(Both of them turn and give him a look)

Bruce: (sighs)I’m pushing my luck...well then I suggest we get dinner while its warm

(With that, the family walks down the hallway together towards the dining room, all conflict temporarily forgotten. Until of course, dinner is served)

Act II

Bruce barely stopped a fight between the most aggressive members of his family, but hw will he fare during….dinner?! A temporarily quiet dining room is entered by our five Waynes, as Alfred is placing down the food on an elegant, candlelit dining table

ALFRED: (setting down the food) Here you are, Masters Bruce, Grayson, Todd, Drake, and Wayne

BRUCE: Thank you, Alfred, this looks amazing(under his breath)Let’s see how long it lasts.

ALFRED: $20 it lasts an hour? Or do you think you can control them for longer?

BRUCE: I bet $50 on 2 hours!

ALFRED: Deal.

(The two shake hands and Alfred turns and leaves)

As the food is passed out, Bruce begins to reconsider his bet

BRUCE: Dang it Bruce what were you thinking? Two hours? More like two minutes. Alright, calm down Bruce, you can do this. Ok, here we go…

BRUCE: So...Damian…..how was school?

DAMIAN: It was the same as always, Father. Some dumb adults believing themselves to be the Albert Einstein's of our generation trying to cram useless knowledge into our minds. I had to correct several of them, even my honors English teacher who somehow confused Mark Twain with Shakespeare. I do not understand HOW, they pick the teachers but I’ll have a word with them about it, so help me….

BRUCE: Alright then….Note to self, talk with the Board of Education about replacing the 10th grade English Honors teacher...Honestly, Shakespeare with Twain? How, just how?

JASON: (who happens to enjoy Shakespeare, nearly chokes on his water) Shakespeare with Twain, why I outta….

Nightwing claps a hand over his mouth, muffling Jason’s obvious swear words

NIGHTWING: (pulling his hand off quickly) Did you just lick my hand?

JASON: I had to, I was dying with it there.

DAMIAN: Quick, Grayson, do it again! BRUCE: Damian…

JASON: Oh you wanna go, hellspawn(standing up, reaching for his gun)

BRUCE: (standing up, slapping the table) Everyone sit down!

Jason promptly ignores him, pulling out his gun and aiming it at Damian, who pulls out his katanas

DAMIAN: Bring it on, zombie boy.

JASON: Why you…

He shoots the gun twice at Damian, who promptly blocks both shots. Then, the fight truly develops, with the two of them running at each other, with Tim running to the kitchen for some popcorn, and Bruce putting his head in his hands, while Nightwing is ready to intervene if things get too ugly(ie. Someone loses a limb)

After a bit of fighting, Damian manages to get the gun away from Jason, and stabs his katanas non lethally through his arms, pinning him to the ground.

DAMIAN:(as Jason is on the floor in obvious pain) I don’t know why Father even bothered taking you back. If it were me, I would’ve shot you then and there and buried you in an unmarked grave.

BRUCE: Damian….

DAMIAN: (continuing) You couldn’t even stop yourself from getting blown up, could you! No, it was your own fault anyway. You’re a weak, good for nothing waste of space, and I wish you had never been born. You’re a freak, a worthless creature that even hell doesn’t want. You, Jason Peter Todd, are nothing. You always have been, and you always will be!

With that he walks away from Jason, leaving him pinned to the ground.

BRUCE: (roars, furious)Damian!!

Damian turns, and his eyes widen for a second when he sees how livid his father looks.

BRUCE: Never, in my however many years I’ve lived with you, have I….

But he cuts himself off as his head snaps to look at Jason, who’s breathing heavily. Nightwing is kneeling by him, along with Tim

NIGHTWING: Damian, you better have not hit anything important or so help me...

DAMIAN: Relax Grayson, I made sure to avoid any life threatening wounds. What’s wrong with him?

NIGHTWING: His eyes are wide, and they’re darting around. He looks….afraid….

He trails off as he realizes what is going on at the same time that Bruce does, and the two exchange glances, before the elder man walks briskly over and kneels next to Tim

DAMIAN: What’s going on?

BRUCE: Panic attack (to Jason) Jason, can you hear me? Ja…

But he’s cut off as Jason screams, thrashing around, trying desperately to get free

JASON: No… please….please stop! It hurts, it hurts so much! (softer)  I….I don’t wanna die….(loud again) Bruce, Bruce where are you? Bruce! Please! Make him stop! I can’t take it anymore!

He goes back to just screaming, but with noticeable tears in his eyes now

BRUCE: Damian, the med kit in the cave, bring it here. Now!

Damian, understanding that this is not a good time to argue, runs out to get it

BRUCE: Alright….now we have to wait

Bruce holds Jason still, and Nightwing and Tim gently, slowly pull out the katanas from Jason’s arms. Jason whimpers in pain and fear, and Bruce holds his head in his lap, stroking his hair out of his face

BRUCE: (to himself) It’s going to be alright Jason. I’m here. I will never leave you again. You are my son. I failed you once, I won’t do it again.

DAMIAN: (running back in with the kit) Here it is.

Bruce takes it and injects Jason, who is screaming less now but still thrashing, with a syringe full of sedatives. Jason flails for a few more minutes before going limp, unconscious.

DAMIAN: Will Todd be...alright?

BRUCE: He should be….Damian….

DAMIAN: I have one question: Did I trigger this?

BRUCE: It’s possible that your actions led up to it. We still don’t know the full extent of the torture that Jason went through, so we can’t be sure. It would be best if you leave now, Damian, we’ll talk more soon.

DAMIAN: I….yes, Father.

He turns and leaves, as Nightwing and Tim gently clean and bandage Jason’s katana wounds, before carrying him out the other door to bring him to his room.

Bruce sighs, and he too leaves the room, to head to his study.

DAMIAN:(In his room) Did I go too far? I mean, he tried to kill me, and it’s not like I haven’t insulted him before, but did I go too far? Did I trigger a memory, or possibly memories? I didn’t...I didn’t want for….mean for this to happen. My actions were possibly too harsh, and how could I call him that after all I went through with all different people saying things like that, even a few of the ones I said, to me? This made me no better than them. If I argue that I had a reason, well then so can they, and I don’t want that. Ugh.. I need to sleep on this.

With that, the youngest Wayne gets ready for bed and climbs in, waiting for sleep to overtake him.

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Hiding - recognition au

Characters: Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne Summary: They were free from the Court, but not from Dick. So...now what? A/N: This is just an angsty chat. But don’t worry - things frankly are just going to get worse from here. :3

Other Recognition AU stories

~~

To put it nicely – the building was a shithole.

Rundown and old. Abandoned and condemned to be demolished, whenever Gotham had the money to do so, or remembered.

The bodies of the homeless Dick had slayed to take over this spot were piled in the alleyway outside. Behind the dumpster.

But it wasn’t with the Court. It wasn’t a jail cell, and they were both alive, despite the duress they had, and continued, to endure.

So.

That was something.

“…So.” Tim whispered hoarsely, looking away from the broken window further down the wall – where the bodies were already beginning to smell – to stare back at Dick and Damian. Damian, who was leaned back against Dick’s chest, trapped between his knees, blinked stoically. His face was blank, as he clung to the clawed arms draped across his chest, and Tim knew he was trying to ignore the danger he was in, the person who was causing him so much fear and turmoil. The place he’d otherwise want to be, but right now couldn’t be far enough away if he tried. “Explain it to me again.”

“The Court never liked that I kept you alive.” Dick hummed boredly. “And they didn’t like how long it was taking to train you. I didn’t like it either, of course, but. You were always my experiment, not theirs. They have no say when you’re terminated. Only me.”

“…And you didn’t like that they ambushed us. Or tried to take your control away.” Tim surmised quietly, eyes glued on the youngest. “So now…?”

“Now we repay them in kind. They wanted to take us out for rebellion? Then we take them out.” Dick decided. “Only, unlike them, we succeed.”

“…Right.” Tim gulped. “And then?”

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“…Okay.” Tim whispered. “And…you never letting Damian out of your sight is part of this plan because…?”

Dick smiled, and Tim found himself starting to hate it. Hate everything about this man he once called his brother. “Because if I have him, I have you.”

“Blackmail.”

“A harsh term, but sure.” Dick squeezed Damian almost in a familiar hug, but Damian flinched under the attention. “I know you won’t ever leave him behind, even if it means walking into your own doom. It seems a better option than stabbing you in the leg.”

“Hm.” Tim frowned, and found himself unable to keep his barb back. “At least you’re smarter than you look.”

Dick dropped his grin, and he twisted his arm to wrap one of those clawed gloves around Damian’s arm. Not dangerous, not yet. A warning, for now.

“Careful.” Dick purred. “Any punishment you earn goes to him.”

“As if you could hurt me.” Damian whispered. It was an attempt at bravery, they all knew. Just as they all knew it didn’t work.

Dick’s grin returned as he curled tighter around Damian, and pressed their cheeks together. Almost like he used to, back when he was their brother, the one Tim and Damian loved more than anyone else. Back when he was a hero, the greatest human being to ever exist. Back before…before he was this.

“I believe,” He hummed in amusement. “I already have, little one.”

“Don’t.” Tim lashed out without thinking. Dick looked up at him and frowned. Damian’s eyes just widened. “God, just…use him against me, punch him in the face, whatever. He can take it, just…just not that. Don’t do the emotional shit.”

“…No?” Dick asked, almost innocently.

“No.” Tim growled. “Because you don’t even know what you’re mocking him with, so it’ll backfire on you anyway. And then you’ll just look stupid.”

Dick pursed his lips, stared for a moment, before glancing down at Damian.

“I think your brother is even stupider than I am.” He decided. Damian, keeping his eyes on Tim, nodded in faint agreement.

Tim only smiled.

“There you go.” Dick cooed pleasantly. “I knew you had a mean streak in you as well.”

“Well if that’s what you wanted all this time, all you had to do was ask.” Tim drawled, with a roll of his eyes. “So, what now? You said we take the Court out. How do we do that?”

“Lie low, for now.” Dick explained, glancing out the boarded window behind him. There was a small space between the wood, and light from the lowering sun cut across his face like a mask. “They’ll be angry and hunting now. We let them cool down a little bit first. Strike them when they least expect it.”

“That’s a…” Tim hesitated, debating. Pushed through anyway. “That’s a very Batman way of planning.” Dick looked back at him, but he didn’t look annoyed like Tim thought he might. Damian looked alarmed, though. “…So maybe Bruce Wayne’s house might be a better place to hide than here.”

“Is that so?” Dick asked, almost thoughtfully. Like he was considering it.

“You return us safely, and let us explain to him and our family that you actually saved us, they might even forgive you.” Tim tried. “But even if they didn’t, if you told them you were going after the Court, they’d be happy to join forces with you. And the more there are, the stronger we’d be, right?”

“In theory.” Dick agreed. He stopped, looking down at Damian. Damian carefully glanced up at him. Dick smiled, and god, Tim hated how dangerous that was now. “But no. We won’t be doing that.”

“…Oh.” Tim sighed. “Are you…sure?”

“Yes.” Dick looked back up, that smile still bright and deadly as he balanced his chin on Damian’s head. “Because I know for a fact that you don’t even know if Bruce Wayne is dead or not, and who am I to ruin the surprise?”

Tim couldn’t argue that.

“If you told us.” Damian whispered, closing his eyes. “We’d have less reason to run away from you. Part of the reason we want to leave you is to check on Father. So, if you just told us…”

“Oh, little one.” Dick squeezed Damian again, and Damian bit his lip. “You say that as if you could run away from me.” He leaned down to whisper in Damian’s ear, but loud enough for Tim to hear too. “I’d catch you and stab you in the spine before you got to the front door of this building.”

Tim silently grit his teeth.

“But that is neither here nor there.” Dick sighed, leaning back against the wall. “It is getting late, and you two need to sleep. You’re even more useless to me when you’re tired.”

“Are you going to sleep?” Tim drawled.

“Of course.” Dick nodded. “Though, unfortunately for you, I’m a light sleeper. So, try to escape, or take your brother from my arms, and I will slit his throat.”

And he said it in such a nonchalant way – Tim knew he would.

“So goodnight, little ones.” Dick hummed, closing his eyes. “Sleep well.”

Tim and Damian sat in silence until they sensed Dick’s breaths were even. Damian was exhausted, Tim could see it. Hell, he was exhausted himself. But he knew Damian wouldn’t dare let himself sleep until he felt safe. Until he felt at least some sense of security.

So carefully, slowly so as not to alarm Dick, he scooted closer to the pair. Twisted so he was sitting next to Dick, and carefully reached out for Damian’s hand.

Damian took it instantly.

“Get some sleep.” Tim whispered. Damian twisted his head to glare at him. “I will too, I promise.”

But before Damian could no doubt retort, there was a sound outside, like someone landing on a roof. Damian instantly squeezed Tim’s fingers, but Tim paid it no mind. Continued holding his little brother’s hand as he turned to glance out the boarded up window.

And he could barely hold in his gasp.

Because it wasn’t the Court. It wasn’t anyone looking for them, not really. Not technically.

It was Jason.

It was the Red Hood.

And he could tell by body language, Jason was just on patrol, not on their trail.

Cassandra landed behind him, then Steph. They talked for a moment. Cass pointed at something in the opposite direction of them. Jason went that way. Stephanie waited another moment before going a different way.

Tim lifted his free hand to the slit between the boards. Was going to slip his fingers between them. Wave, hit the board, do something to get her attention.

“Cass…” He whispered.

“Don’t.” Damian breathed, squeezing Tim’s hand impossibly tight. Pulled him subtly back. “Drake, please don’t.”

Tim looked at him. “She’s right there. If I can get her to look this way…”

Damian shook his head, and suddenly there were tears in his eyes. “He’ll kill her.”

“But-”

“He’ll kill her, Drake.” Damian gulped. “He’ll kill her, I know he will.”

Tim paused, but slowly took his hand away from the window.

“Please, don’t make him kill her.” Damian cried, a lone tear crawling down his face. “Don’t make him kill our sister.” A pause, then quieter. “…Please don’t make her kill him either.”

“…Okay.” Tim promised. He glanced back out the crack. Cass was gone now. He sighed, and turned back, placing his other hand over Damian’s, rubbing calming circles along the back of his palm. “Don’t worry, Damian. Just get some sleep. Everything’s okay.”

And he didn’t want to, but it was the only pillow he had. So, reluctantly, he leaned his head on Dick’s arm, and curled into his side – to be closer to Damian, if for nothing else.

“…Just get some sleep.”

Tim closed his eyes, and Damian did so too only seconds later.

They both missed Dick’s smug smirk.