#also vampire king dick grayson???

[feralnightwing]

hey guys did you know that nightwing.

that dick grayson is. he is.

did you know nightwing is. he is so.

he is so pretty.

hmmngh

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 315

We all know the idea of Danny getting adopted by one of the batfam. But hear me out: Danny gets adopted by Vampire Dick Grayson. 

Danny honestly, did not mean to dimension hop, nor did he mean to get this injured in the first place, where his vision is spinning and there’s greenRedGreenGreenGREEN spilling from his body like he’s melting from the inside. He didn’t mean to get caught, he just didn’t want Dan to happen again, not again and the GIW had seen him flying and- 

And now he’s here, wherever here is, smoke in his lungs making it even harder to breathe than it was before. And there’s a shadow approaching, a flicker of crimson in his blurry vision, and there’s claws tilting his head and then something burns- 

Dick? Call it nostalgia perhaps, seeing this small child, so much like his little wing and baby bird once were, white streak and corpse-pale skin and all. He just wished for his dear brothers to join him, that’s all he wanted, and perhaps Damian won’t be so bitey if he got a friend…

[beesarekindaswag]

DC X DP

Ya know how we all collectively agree that the Lazarus pits are just ectoplasm? Well.. apparently it’s canon in DC Vs Vampires that the pits can reverse vampirism and turn someone back into a human…

Guys… GUYS -

Just imagine Danny wandering the ghost zone and ooh natural portal? Yoink.

It just so happens that the portal leads to the DC vs vampires dimension and well Vlad looks enough like a stereotypical vampire that when some dude with fangs tries to kill him who can fault Danny for a little ectoplasm blast?

And wait a minute- what just happened to the guy he shot? He’s… human now? H u h

Turns out when you shoot a vampire with ectoplasm it ALSO cures the vampirism…

The real question is : did Danny happen to land in the midst of a dramatic reveal of Dick Grayson as the vampire king and oops- no more vampire 🤩

[ehliena]

Vampire King Dick Grayson: I just wanted one of my brothers to join me. Is that so much to ask?

But also does this:

Maybe don't beat them to death first Dick.

[killakalx]

i wanna write for the evil sexy bitch that is vampire king!dick grayson but i also wanna write about him trying not to get desperate and greedy for your blood </3

on one hand, vamp!dick grayson’s the type to keep you for himself. more of a hostage situation i think. caressing and coercing you into his grasp, reminding you that your life is his, lest he decide it holds no value next to his possession of the throne. drawing blood from the delicate skin you still call your own until you’re lightheaded, whining and squirming and still having nothing but him to ground yourself.

he tugs harshly on a handful of hair and sinks sharp fangs into yet another patch of skin, blood leaking from your neck and defiling the vibrant skin that contrasts the paleness of his. “poor thing,” he’d coo between thirsty pants, feigning sympathy for the pathetic attempts of keeping consciousness. “you can hold out, can’t you? i don’t think you have a choice either way.”

on the other hand. my sweetie pie :((( he’ll never forgive himself for how badly he needs you. never draws blood without making sure you’re comfortable and letting you know he absolutely cherishes you. soft and tender kisses to your lips and neck and collarbone, admiring the soft and delicate skin before selfishly indulging himself. you cling to him when his fangs break skin because he keeps you safe, regardless of the lost blood starting to make you all hazy. "I know, doll," he's whining between open mouthed kisses tainted by scarlet red, "you're so good to me- so perfect, sweetheart."

poor thing can’t help moving back to your mouth, caressing your head and smearing your blood across your face as fangs graze your bottom lip and you flinch. “‘m sorry baby, please- feels like i’ll fucking die without you,” and you grant him your whole being as if you know for a fact that he will. i like this more bc it feels so true to his character, but the malice of vampire king!dick grayson is also very sexy…

[kassandrasdisciple]

BatFam X VtM

Time to combine another of my 2 hyperfixations of the month. I'm gonna match each Batfam member with what vsmpire the masquerade clan i think they would be and my reasonings. Some have multiple clans they could be so I've tried to narrow it down to 1 and reason why I didn't go with another. If this was an actual AU it would probably make more sense for them all to mainly be the same clan as Bruce but this menagerie of a coterie is more interesting and fits each character, so without further ado.

Bruce Wayne

Ventrue

The blue bloods, known for their honour and pride, they rule from up above, embracing CEOs and modern aristocrats alike. For the prince of Gotham, chairman of Wayne Enterprises, I don't think there's a more perfect fit. Bruce at his best and worse embodies the values the clan of kings holds. He's a ruler through lineage, ruling his subject from up high, but the clan compulsion of arrogance and belief of knowing best make him come across as stubborn and apathetic to others concerns if he's ruled on a matter already.

The only other clans I could maybe see for bruce would be Lasombra or Toreador, with the former being know for their obtenebration and the latter for their ability to play the games of socialites. However those aspects are more masks Bruce wears when playing either brucie wayne or batman, not truly who he is.

Dick grayson

Ravnos

This isn't because he's Romani in some iterations but it's a nice extra. No, Dick is a Ravnos because he's a perfect fit. The Ravnos are the daredevils of the vampire world, their blood literally compels them to tempt fate, they also can't sleep in the same place for more than a couple of nights; what clan would fit our ex-travelling circus acrobat than them?

Truly I think Ravnos is the best fit for Dick, however some versions of him are more well known for being a seducer, and have become part of his Fannon; because of that the argument could be made for Toreador.

Jason Todd

Banu Haqim

The Assamites, judged by western kindred as frothing diablerists when really they're guardians, warriors and judges of the corrupt. Really, it was when I got to Jason that I knew I had to write all these matches down. This is the perfect fit to the point that I'm sure others must've headcannoned it. Their compulsion is judgement, forcing them to punish anyone who breaks their moral code, they also chafe against their fellow vampires; falling to a bloodlist if they taste the vitae of another kindred.

If you were writing Jason with the Fannon pit madness I could see the argument for Malkavian, and if your specifically talking about when Jason was Robin I'd say he fits more closely to Brujah; being a spitfire. But as the Red Hood? Jason is a child of Haqim.

Tim drake

Tremere

Just as choosing Jason's sealed my need to write this post, trying to choose Tim's nearly made me give up. Tim is my least read character and as such it's harder to split Fannon from Cannon, so please bare with me. The Tremere are the second youngest clan, they're also know as the Usurpers. They weren't chosen by vampirism but rather they chose it. The Tremere are hated by several clans for this transgression, including the Banu Haqim, who see their blood magic as a knock-off of their own. The Tremere are perfectionists, constantly seeking new rituals and knowledge; isolating themselves in chantries until they've got their newest project just right. Is this not Tim Drake?

I do love the flavor text this creates, being the second youngest and having beef with Jason from the get go. But on a deeper level, choosing to be Robin, being a perfectionist and also being insecure in their status as a hero/vampire? I think this is a perfect match.

Other clans I could see for Tim would be Nosferatu, being secret keepers and traders alike, or another Ventrue like Bruce, since they both come from money. However I have a better fit for the Nossies and I want to avoid repeating clans if i can.

Damien Wayne-Al Ghul

Lasombra

Like the Ventrue the Lasombra are born rulers, however, unlike the bluebloods, for the Lasombra might makes right. You're embraced into the clan when you're put through a gauntlet that systematically destroys your life; if you get back up your embraced, if not? You're left to die. The night clan coat themselves in shadows, manipulating and striking from them. They have a penchant for religion, ruling over the masses, however their bane of callousness means that they have a hard time relating to humans, sometimes even other kindred, letting more and more of their humanity slip.

If this doesn't describe the heir of the demon, who grows up in a religious, assassin cult, where he has to kill or be killed then I dont know what clan will. He's literally from the league of shadows. I also think it would irk a Ventrue Bruce for his child to be more adept with shadows than himself.

I could see Damian as a Ventrue like his father, as his behavior can be read as arrogance rather than callousness, it would also be in line with his "true heir" hang up. Also, Nanda Parbat seems to just be a copy-paste of Alamut so, along with the Banu Haqim being assassins, I could also see the argument for them claiming Damien aswell, that would also feed my favorite trope of Damien and Jason having the best brotherly bond.

Barbara Gordon

Nosferatu

Second disclaimer of the post, this choice isn't due to her disability. The Nossies are the information brokers of kindred society. Living in abandoned places, yet lying in plan sight (like a massive clocktower) the clan of the hidden employ animalism to make spy's out of rat's and city birds, if there was ever a clan who embraced the modern world it's the nosferatu. Because of this The vagrants are the most tech savvy of the clans, creating Shrek net, the dark web for vampires.

Because of this I think our information queen would be at home with the Nossies. I think Barbara is the most single-clan character but maybe also Banu Haqim? They do embrace from law enforcement after all.

Stephanie Brown

Brujah

The rebels without a cause, they always want a cause to get behind, jumping from one to the other once one no longer fits. I think for Steph, who got into the vigilante game to spite her father (very much giving Troile the younger vibes), the clan of rebels would be the perfect home. She's also bounced between the most code names: spoiler, Robin, batgirl. She's always seeking the next goal. Furthermore she's not from money, she's a punk kid from Gotham who decided to fight back. Because of this Brujah is an easy choice.

If you wanted to go with the more feral™ energy she has in Fannon I could also see the argument for Gangrel, her being the wild child, but I think she's more the wild of rebellion rather than of the woods.

Cassandra Cain

Salubri

Hear me out. Not one of the 13 however I really do think it fits, the Salubri are constantly hunted, they're one of a kind and, in a society of killers, they suffer from affective empathy, making them want to resolve the hurts of others. Just kidding, I just described cass' upbringing, actually I described both. The unicorns also have access to the widest range of disciplines naturally, suiting our skilled assassin. Also the Salubri let their childe diablerize them, giving them the best headstart in life in the most bloody way possible, similar to how Lady Shiva has a very odd way of trying to make Cass stronger.

This is the one of the most out there ones. like alot of the BatFam, Cass could also be Banu Haqim but I do think her inherent character trait of renouncing her violent nature makes her a kindred (pun intended) spirit to the Salubri.

Duke Thomas

Kiasyd

Okay so this is fully a bloodline, but stay with me. The Kiasyd are a bloodline of the Lasombra with some Faery blood mixed in, this parallels Duke's metapowers causing him to stand apart from the rest of the family, just as faery blood causes the Kiasyds to stand apart from vampire society as a whole. They're also known for their magic using Mytherceria and Obtenebration, which together I think replicate Duke's meta abilities. Lastly the Kiasyd are oddballs, they act peculiar even for vampires, much like a crime-fighting vigilante being the only one to fight villains during the day.

This could be seen as a reach, but I think my justifications are valid. Really any clan that has magic could be a fair match, a fun alternative could also be Gargoyles, as they're the only clan that can naturally stay outside during the day.

And that finishes all the BatFam members I know well enough to assign clans to. If you have any ideas for Jaro, Bluebird, Kate Cane, or even the ones I covered but disagree with let me know! I'd like to have a member to cover each clan so we're missing Gangrel, Hecata/Giovanni, Malkavian, Set/Ministry, Toreador and Tzimisce. If you made it this far thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed.

[spider-jaysart]

Character Ask

Koriand’r aka Starfire

@paladin-of-nerd-fandom65

1. How I feel about this character:

A very sweet, kind, happy, and comforting girl, who is also actually a smart and strong warrior who won't put up with such bull and mistreatment though, no matter how nice her personality is

2. All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Dick Grayson

3. My non romantic otp for this character:

Raven, Beast boy and Cyborg

4. My unpopular opinion about this character:

Most fans don't like seeing her with different hairstyles, but I personally love seeing her trying out new ones, cause I think it's nice for her to change it up once in a while for fun

5. One thing I wish would happen/ had happened with this character in canon:

Can I list of few of them?

Get more respect >:(

Should've been the one to become a vampire leader with King vampire!Dick in DC vs vampires, instead of becoming his slave like his daydream showed while Barbara gets all the glory, cause WTF was that??? Like why specifically her for that kind of thing, especially with her terrible, similar past, huh??? So freaking disgusting😤 If she would've been turned, she would've totally slayed it as a vampire and her and Dick would've been an evil, unstoppable power couple together, which would've been cool and cute, but no, DC just couldn't handle her being an awesome Queen like that

I know she got her solo in 2016 already, but I wanna see more!!😭 She deserves more!!

Stop getting bullied by Barbara. Like girl back off and worry about yourself already, she way too jealous and insecure about her. Learn to mature up and leave Kory alone, cause the hateful behavior is ridiculous. That one comic (idk know the name of it) with them finally getting along is nice step into that direction though, so hopefully it can keep staying that way without a new writer going back to the old ways of their relationship

She and Dick should've been happily married and had their kids Mar'i and Jake. DC, stop being so scared, it would be FUN, CUTE, AND STILL GIVE GOOD NEW STORIES!!! D:<

Thanks for the ask, buddy!

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

If Chris and Jake were Halloween characters/creatures (like a vampire, werewolf, witch, literal monster, or whatever else like those for example) what would they be?

Chris, easily a would be a ghost given his canon self was born in the Phantom Zone. If I’m a more mystical creature AU though, like say if implemented in the early 1800s like say many Gothic tales, I envision him being the son of a prominent war hero who sadly perished during a nighttime siege in his family’s fortress and now roams the ruins of said fortress (which explains why he’s in nightclothes as a ghost), searching for a friend to talk to since his childhood while AU live was pretty heavily strict and lonely

Or alternatively, akin to Jon, he can also be a werewolf albeit hailing from a different clan/pack of them who hail from distant lands and the Pack Leader, Zod, is a brash sort, inadvertently leaving Chris behind during a pack voyage one stormy night, allowing the Kents to find and take him in

Then there’s Jake; I can see the Graysons being vampire rulers of a secret kingdom within the Balkans, who live in relative peace from the human world and Dick being the King of said realm. Kory descends from a Royal clan of vampires hailing from another corner of the globe, a clan notably for ironically blending in well with humans and can withstand sunlight unlike Dick’s clain can. Mar’i and Jake are the children of these Royal two, as Crown Princess and Prince respectively.

Despite having a literal thirst for blood, Dick has explicit rules for his kingdom to forbid human blood from being taken out of precaution in making sure their kingdom isn’t discovered and their existence under peril from the humans. Thankfully there location deep in the forests have a variety of wildlife they can fear from instead.

[zeroducks-2]

What’s your favourite controversial/not sunshine Dick Grayson plotline or AU? 

1. Vampire King!Dick

2. Deathstroke’s Apprentice!Dick

3. Ric Grayson!Dick

4. Gray Son/Talon!Dick

Personally I’m a slag for Talon Dick Grayson bc the court of owls are so fucking cool and I love the idea of Dick being an attack dog for some reason.

But Vampire King Dick Grayson from DC vs Vampires is actually criminally cool and sexy 😭

I took my time to think about it and I'm so torn between Apprentice!Dick and Talon!Dick actually. They're both full of darkness and lots of shit I like, kids being raised to be living weapons and gradually stripped of their humanity, getting to a point where it's hidden by so many layers it's hard to glimpse - but it's still there. And controversial relationships with their mentors/guardians? Fucking yes please. Both Slade and Thomas Wayne Jr. fill this role so well. Bastard old men who need to be brought behind the barn and shot ♥ especially if they also develop a twisted form of love and protectivity towards the kid they groomed into their attack dog.

I really like Vampire!Dick but I'm actually not the biggest fan of DC vs Vampires. Vampire King Dick Grayson is cool and sexy but he doesn't feel like Dick, you know? I enjoy it but up to a point.

And fuck Ric Grayson lol. Sorry but I really dislike that plotline, it's just not written well and it's so utterly pointless.

[cr1mson5returns]

So I've been enlightened to the fact that DC vs. Vampires is a thing that's happening, and I have feelings about it but I haven't read it yet. And the feelings boil down to: While I respect the many and varied angst possibilities of Vampire King Dick Grayson and how painful that is for everyone involved, I just think it can also be made incredibly funny.

Like....a world where Dick is turned into a vampire, and he has a good cry about it for a while when he comes down from the initial rush of thirst and need for blood. He's immortal now, he'll outlive everyone he cares about, he's fighting the urge to just turn all his friends and family because he doesn't want to be alone like this.

But then he sits up because he's Remembered A Thing. Flags Jason down and says, "Hey. We need to test if I can fly. For science. You get to record it." And Jason can't turn down blackmail material like that so of course he agrees to try this out. For science! (Dick can't fly, he crashes face-first into the gravel driveway, but Jason got it all on video and sent it to the family chat so everyone wins.)

Dick has a blast with being the vampire oldest brother because he gets to sniff his siblings like Bear from "Bear in the Big Blue House" and then declare, "Wow.....you're gross." He follows everyone around and politely suggests they go see a doctor tomorrow because their blood smells like anemia, or high white blood cell count, or something that just sounds sort of nasty "and what happens if you're the last person in the world who can give me blood, huh? You're so selfish." He argues with Tim every goddamn day about his dietary choices and why they're not doing him any favors when he's got no fucking spleen.

But also Dick is just....so sweet in the weirdest ways now. He quietly puts new items on Bruce's to-do list, like stocking up on AB and O-negative blood bags for transfusions and ordering more bloodborne pathogen tests. He nudges Damian to start eating more nutrient-rich foods so he'll get all his growth spurts in and be healthy. He exercises the most amazing self-control known to man when he sits with his siblings while they're getting wounds patched up and uses his newfound hypnotic abilities to dampen the pain for them.

He's still annoying as hell about family dinner nights, though.

[myfaveisfuckable]

1. i am always thinking about this man's tits

2. The fact that you can find actual articles talking about how iconic his ass is, is all you need. Not only is his ass caked up as hell, he also has that big juicy ass personality

(another rant) (long)

I don’t know why he is constantly more caked up than a busy downtown bakery and double-cheeked to high Heaven but I’m never gonna argue! Comic artists are unabashedly horny on main and usually that’s channeled into really unholy female anatomy but people who draw Dick Grayson obviously yearn to even the scales and we love feminist praxis and equality in this house 🥳. No matter what Nightwing comic it is he is slutted the hell up, he is yassified 💅🏽, he is ✨snatched✨. I don’t think there’s been a single artist for him that’s been normal about his ass and there never SHOULD be. There is a love, nay an OBSESSION, evident in the painstaking rendering those gloriously toned cheeks receive no matter the medium. It’s just become canon at this point that he has the best ass in Gotham, heroes recognize it, villains recognize it, the audience recognizes it! He just has that reputation now and artists go absolutely feral with it and the completely ridiculous and contrived reasons they can find to practically f r a m e his ass center panel. You could bounce that big fuck off penny in the Bat Cave off those cheeks 🥵. I’m surprised he gets any work done being a stealth hero cuz you can probably hear those things clapping like a sonic boom from about 4 blocks away. His suit practically looks like it’s PAINTED on and I for one am forever grateful to the troops (artists who clearly love/desire/care for him in the least heterosexual way possible regardless of what their own gender or sexuality may be) for endeavoring to right the wrongs of DC’s sexism by sexualizing the absolute fuck out of this man 24/7 365! He has an entire comic run I have not read but deeply need to where he’s a vampire and sure he’s killing everybody but we all have flaws and slutty caked up vampire king Dick Grayson can get it any day any way, you feel me 🥴??? Dick Grayson has been throwin it back with Instagram thirst trap level cheekage for quite literally decades and I humbly submit said cheeks for your tournament 😊

[uummi]

Written for @dicktimweek 2023

Day 3: Vampire King!Dick | Talon!Tim | Daemons AU

Words Count: 1668

Title: Delish

Pairing: Dick Grayson/Tim Drake

Warnings: Emotional Manipulation| Blood Drinking| Implied Hypnosis

Tim was sure that Dick had a problem

His older brother has been trying to stay away from the other people living in the mansion as much as possible for the last few days, usually preferring to spend his day in his room with closed curtains and a gloomy environment

And this was not a situation that he would ever identify with him

Tim could never claim that the young man had never been like that, of course, but if Dick had an incident that made him unhappy, he usually camped next to one of his younger brothers and watched their movements

Which often resulted in Tim finding himself between muscular arms that wanted to edge his entire body into and hide him from everything

Dick mentioned that the reason he visited Tim the most when he was feeling unhappy was because he was his little baby

He talked about how a voice from inside constantly whispers that he needs to protect his tiny body, and because there are moments when he refuses to fall asleep, that creates a desire to have a peaceful sleep in each other's warmth by holding him in his arms

Or even though he knows that Tim is capable enough to take care of himself, he said that he can't relax if he's not constantly ready to help

And although Tim blinked his nose that day and grumbled about being an adult, he didn't care much about being seen as younger and maybe a little more in need of help for most things than he was when he was listening to the older boy's laughter

Now, at the moment when he received a routine response from every person he asked that everything is good, Tim could not help being nervous

Because even though all of the people in the manor said there was nothing wrong, no one was letting him go near Dick

There must be a situation and everyone was hiding it from Tim

In short, he had to get to the bottom of the incident...

Although Dick refused to go out during the day, he mostly did not neglect to go out on patrol. However, he had told Alfred, who had left his breakfast on his doorstep in the morning, that he would not be going out for this evening

In short, if the young boy stated that he was ill and made a few movements indicating that he felt bad, no one would question why he did not go on patrol

After almost an hour had passed after everyone had gone down to the cave, he began to move towards Dick's room, knowing that no one could turn around and stop him anymore

He waited outside the door for a few seconds. He had a really bad feeling inside and that's why he could also feel his stomach starting to contract

But if Dick had a problem, Tim had to fix it

He would do anything for him...

He raised his hand, tapped the wood gently several times, and turned the knocker of the door. It was locked, another thing Dick wouldn't normally do

The young man never locked his door because he knew that Tim used to use his room after the nightmares he had when he was Robin. Tim, on the other hand, would use that situation to his advantage to get a more comfortable sleep in an environment where Dick's smell was widespread

The rapid breathing situations that continued to come from behind the wall suddenly stopped upon the forcing of the door. With the creaking of the bed and the sounds of broken wood coming from the floor, the body inside had stood up

'Dick, may I come in?'

There was silence again for a few seconds. Tim would start gnawing on the skin next to his fingertips from the tension

The door opened a little and only Dick's tangled hair and blue eyes appeared. His knuckles had whitened

'Can you promise me you won't be afraid of me if you come, Timmy? I can put up with anything but...'

The sentence was interrupted and a painful moaning sound was heard. Tim thereupon, without answering the sentence that was said, entered and took Dick's face between his hands, getting up on tiptoe

His older brother's face was white. Lips were torn apart from being bitten, irises were growing and shrinking erratically. At the same time, his thin fingers were constantly lifting up in the air as if he wanted to hold something, and then he was forcibly coming down

Tim began to gently stroke the face he was holding in his hands. Soft, the touch of the skin caused tears to fall from the blues

The only problem was that what was flowing was blood instead of water...

That's when he realized that everything made sense. A dark room with no sunlight, Dick's attempt to stay away from everyone else was only to protect himself and those who remained

He brought to his mind Bruce's conversation about vampires being captured a few months ago, and his lips moved with an uneasy curl

There must be someone who had been overlooked, and he had caught Dick unprepared and condemned him to this state

When he noticed that his brother started crying more and more as the silence got longer, he tried to come to his senses by shaking his head from side to side. It wasn't him who was important right now

He needed to show Dick that he would love him in any way...

Holding the hands of the tall man, whom he could not move if the other side did not allow, he sat them both on the bed

He picked up one of the napkins that was on the nightstand and tried to wipe off the red spots smeared on the whiteness. Dick smiled slightly at this effort, put his thin fingers between his hair and began to decouple the tangled strands

They continued to work in silence, and as soon as Tim believed he was clean enough, he stood up straight and tried to show that he was ready for a conversation

Dick understood his purpose, as usual, put on a serious face himself, and began to explain

He talked about how one of the captured vampires escaped and met him by chance and bit him, turning him into a monster, and most importantly, how Bruce and the others now believe that he is a danger to everyone and must be imprisoned

Tim frowned nervously. So that's why they were trying to prevent him from learning. Because it was a universal truth that Tim would not believe that Dick would harm anyone

His anger towards his family became more and more inflamed. They had confined Dick to his room and deprived him of a normal life

Yes, maybe he could be a vampire right now but this would not indicate that his eldest brother should be considered as a killing machine

If they believe there is a danger, then why is he allowed to patrol?

No, that wasn't the important question, the main issue was that he must show Dick that he would always be there for him and Tim would always believe that he would never lose control

And how could he show it?

Tim's fingers rested on the buttons of his shirt for a few seconds. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't afraid because he was too nervous

It would even have been considered madness for him to allow Dick to drink from himself by opening his neck

But the ice-blue-eyed youth noticed that during the time they were not see each other, the young man was getting weaker and thiner, it seemed that he had never been fed, which was the result that Bruce and the others found him after transforming

Ignoring Dick's confused yell, he tore off the buttons as if to rip them off and grabbed him by the cervix and guided him to his neck

He knew that his brother was trying to escape, but he wasn't moving much because he wasn't sure of the size of his strength yet, and Tim used this to his advantage and began stroking the black wavy hair

'I trust you Dick, I know you won't hurt me if you can but you are suffering and it makes me very sad. Please let me help you'

After a short period of waiting, he felt a burning-like pain inside his neck and tried to pull his toes inward with a reflex

At the same time, his body was constantly trying to escape, but Dick's arms wrapped around his waist area were preventing him from leaving

And with every draw of his blood, Tim was starting to ferment. It's like a piece of your soul is being pulled out

He knew that for no extra reason his dick was planted right on Dick's stomach, but neither of them did anything to fix it

When the swallowing sounds that filled the room for a few minutes stopped, Tim opened his closed eyes and looked at the young man opposite. Along with the kisses placed on his forehead and the rest of his body, he also felt that his eyelids were getting heavier

The last thing he saw before going to sleep was his big brother's warm smile

He didn't notice that Dick was smiling a little bit more when he put Tim in a suitable position on the bed and covered him up with a blanket or how when he opened the curtains and let the sun come in which didn't burn him with a dangerous grin

He was just feeling happy because he had helped the person he loved the most

Besides, how could he have known that a vampire drinking blood from his real mate would become immune to sunlight with extra power, or that everyone in the manor was under Dick's control expect him?

[fandom-friday]

Bound in Blood by newdog14. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/51271621) Miraculous Ladybug and Batman. Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Dick Grayson. Dick is the Vampire King and Marinette is a newly crowned Queen that is seeking aid to kick out the Empire that invaded her country. The solution? An arranged marriage of course! I enjoyed this fic, and was pleasantly suprised at how fleshed out the world was and wished there was more like it!

Alright, i will be the first to admit I know nothing about the Miraculous Ladybug fandom, but I must admit I find the summary of this fic captivating. I also love fics with excellent world-building, especially when it comes to alternate universes, and this fic absolutely looks like it scratches that itch. Thanks so much for sending it in!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

as the waves crash over me (again and again and again)

by Cake_Is_Cool Jason survives Ethiopa, Steph becomes Robin, and Tim somehow manages to befriend her and her superhero friends despite not being one himself. Everything’s in chaos . . . but it’s good chaos, right? Right? . . . One vampire, two sleepovers with superheroes, one supervillain, and roughly two kidnappings later, Tim isn’t so sure. Yeah. What happened to his life??? Words: 2835, Chapters: 1/20, Language: English Series: Part 1 of waves crash (but I can see the shore) Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Tim Drake (DCU), Jack Drake, Stephanie Brown, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Cassie Sandsmark, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Bart Allen, Cissie King-Jones, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain Relationships: Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Stephanie Brown, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown & Members of the Team (Young Justice), Tim Drake & Members of the Team (Young Justice), Stephanie Brown & Bart Allen & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark & Cissie King-Jones, Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, angst and shenanigans, Tim Drake Joins the Batfamily Late, Jason Todd Lives, Tim Drake-centric (DCU), Steph has several chapters too, but I don't think I know her quite well enough to say it's Steph-centric, because it really isn't, Stephanie Brown is Robin, Minor Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, canon is like uno: it is whatever I can convince everyone else it is, this wasn't supposed to be a crackfic but I'm pretty sure it turned into one soo, Crack and Angst, Crack Treated Seriously, but it's also not?? crack??, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent because this isn't canon, Suicidal Thoughts, It gets better before it gets worse, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake Friendship, Cassandra Cain is Batgirl, Fluff and Angst, Cassie Sandsmark is Wonder Girl, Kon-El | Conner Kent is Superboy, Bart Allen is Impulse, Cissie King-Jones is Arrowette, Tags May Change, too many tags whoops, Mediocre Parent Jack Drake, It won't let me change the suicidal thoughts tag to somewhere it fits better, it has no direct relation to the tag before it, ao3 just hates me via https://ift.tt/F1YynHw

[cocoabubbelle]

Unpopular Opinion:

I like Bruce Wayne/Batman and all, but I can’t help but roll my eyes whenever DC does some alternative continuities and of all the heroes that become more antagonistic, he comes out unscathed and is one of the most irrevocably good guys that has to take it upon himself to fight his former friends/associates/family.

(Spoilers under the cut.)

Earth 2? That’s mostly Thomas Wayne junior after the first crisis.

The Batman who Laughs? That’s pretty much The Joker injecting a portion of himself into Bruce’s brain and overriding/mutating his personality.

Justice Lords? I don’t know much about their comic versions if they have one, but in the JSL Animated Series, the Batman of that world was the one who redeemed himself and turned against his team mates.

Injustice? Batman will always be the good one and always do the right thing even if he was the one who killed the Joker in a what if scenario because he is humble enough to accept his punishment and even the good Superman he recruits admits could have done the same thing as his world’s Superman and yadda yadda yadda.

DC vs Vampires? They seriously made Batman the only one of the golden trio that never got turned, the one who is trusted to figure out the solution to combat the vampires, and made Dick Grayson/Nightwing the King of the Vampires??

The CW version if the DCU? That Batman only showed up once for all I know, and was a failed attempt to criticize Zack Snyder’s take on the SC universe.

White Knight? Batman was only seen as the antagonist for barely the first few issues before teaming up with Jack Napier to take down the bigger threat, was the hero again when Joker returned, and is currently still a good guy (I don’t hate it, but I feel the role reversal of Batman and Joker’s usual dynamic could have been explored more.)

The Dark Knights of Steel? This one I will let slide on its thin ice since the “Kal-El” who stabbed Bruce was later revealed to be a white martian scout or something. I don’t want to suspect the writers intending the Els to be the antagonists but backtracking and introducing the White martians when reception to yet another antagonistic Superman was negative — and who knows? Maybe they purposely played into that to make the reveal over the actual antagonists more interesting—, but still.

In my opinion, Zack Snyder’s versions of the Trinity was the most successful of introducing a Bruce Wayne/Batman who could be seen as a well-meaning antagonist who was —and later recognized— that he was wrong. (and redeemed himself later too.)

Wonder Woman also gets some of this special treatment at times (most of her Superwomen counter parts are shifted to Lois Lane or Donna Troy, and even Mary Marvel at some point; in the animated adaptation of Injustice, she has reservations from the start and later turns against Superman despite heavily influencing him in the games and comics.)

Why is Superman usually the go-to for making/twisting a genuinely good, idealistic and upright hero who would never abandon his morals into an easily influenced powerhouse who totally will sacrifice/ditch his moral compass when given the opportunity? Some may excuse some of these iterations as being placed with the wrong setting and people who raised him in story, but that could easily work for Diana of Themyscira and Bruce Wayne too if given the opportunity. With the latter two, usually they still develop into the recognizable heroes we know and love, while at best Clark is manipulated and misguided and at worst he willingly embraces his newfound villainy.

Bruce Wayne/Batman is not better than Clark Kent/Superman. Neither is Wonder Woman.

In my eyes, and from what I can tell from most of the golden/silver/bronze age of the comic book era, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman’s character arcs and story development lead them to be seen as EQUALS. Hence their most popular dynamic as a TRIO.

Is Superman arguably the most powerful one? Yes. Is Wonder Woman arguably the most skilled in combat? Yes. Is Batman arguably the most intelligent one? Yes. Do they all have strong convictions and morals? Yes. Do they ALL have weaknesses and the capacity to have momentary lapses of judgement? Yes. Do they all stand strong as both individuals and united teammates? Yes.

Am I saying that the Beware the Superman trope is an overused one? Yes and no. Yes I am sick of it popping up almost everywhere in most western media. No, I don’t think it is without potential to be used as an actually useful plot device/character arc, especially if it extends beyond the “Superman” character template and applies to all manner of superheroes.

That’s just my opinion though.

[ariaachillesaphrodisia]

The Red Means I Love You - DC Vs. Vampires Fanfiction

An alternate ending to DC vs. Vampires Issue #12, in which Barbara makes a very different choice.

WARNING - THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DC VS. VAMPIRES ISSUE #12, ALONG WITH THE REST OF DC VS. VAMPIRES.

She never knew a heart could beat this furiously until the moment she was walked into his castle.

She wanted to tell herself that it was nerves. That she was worried that her plan wouldn’t work. That something would go wrong, and either she would die, or Harley would die. That they wouldn’t be able to do what they came there to do. She wanted to tell herself maybe it was also partly that she was afraid. She could accept that. After all, they were marching into the home of the Vampire King, and being led around by his right-hand woman. Who also happened to be one of the strongest people she knew, even prior to becoming a vampire. Not only that, but since becoming one of the undead, Diana, AKA Wonder Woman, happened to have developed quite the taste for human blood, and for violence. She was honestly surprised that Diana hadn’t already attacked them. They were very clearly armed, her and Harley, and it wasn’t as though Diana didn’t know what they had come there to do. She wondered whether Diana wanted to kill them. Suspected she likely did. Whether out of loyalty to her king, or whether it was out of boredom, she wasn’t sure, but she was fairly certain that, if the king hadn’t ordered them to be brought alive… she wouldn’t be here dealing with her wildly pounding heart.

The Vampire King…

Nightwing…

Dick Grayson…

Her ex-boyfriend.

Her… her love.

She knew that was part of the reason why her heart was beating like a drum in her chest. She hated it. She wanted it to only be nerves or fear, but… but she knew it wasn’t. She… still loved him. And as much as she hated to admit it, and as much as she hated herself for it… part of her… was looking forward to seeing him again. She didn’t want it to be so. And part of her did dread seeing him again, because it wasn’t Dick. Not her Dick Grayson, at least. What he was now was something else. What he’d been for so long was someone else. He was a monster, she told herself. A murderer who killed without remorse. He hunted down people in Gotham for the fun of it. She should hate him more than anything. And she did. God, she hated him. But… she loved him too. And it didn’t matter how much she hated him and hated herself for loving him, she loved him all the same. Nothing could make it go away. She had tried. Oh, how she had tried. She told herself to stop thinking about him. Then she told herself to hate him. But even when doing either of those things… her heart still fluttered at the mention of his name. It sank and shattered too, but the flutters were still there. The image of his gentle eyes still came to mind at the mere mention of him. The sound of his sweet laugh. Memories of dates and moments they’d spent together before… everything. It all consumed her thoughts despite her best efforts to push them out. The dreams certainly didn’t help either. She was furious at Dick for those dreams. He already took up so much of her waking thoughts, so why couldn’t he just leave her sleeping ones alone?! She was owed that much, wasn’t she?

She couldn’t tell anyone about this dilemma, of course. What would she say? How could she ever explain to them that she was still in love with Dick, even after everything he’d done? She could barely admit it to herself, let alone figure out the rationality behind it. She supposed though that there likely wasn’t any. Was love rational? No, she thought, it wasn’t. So how was she supposed to deduce any rationality from her feelings for Dick? But it wasn’t as though that made it any better. She couldn’t simply tell them that she had no control over her feelings. Some might get it, and some might accept it but others… they would never look at her the same way. Damian… he’d hate her. Dick had killed the kid’s entire family in front of him. Had turned him into a vampire against his will. Damian would never forgive her for still having feelings for Dick, no matter how out of her control it was. And she didn’t blame him. If she was in his shoes, she’d never be able to forgive herself either. She hardly did in her own shoes.

So she was left alone with this secret. She’d told people about the dreams. Felt it was important. Dick was sending her messages, after all, and if they were going to have a shot at taking him down, all cards had to be laid out on the table. She’d left out the exact details of the dreams though. She didn’t feel they had to know those… and couldn’t bare the thought of how they’d look at her if she had told them everything. It was just another thing she’d have to deal with on her own. She was used to that now though.

There was so much she wanted to tell someone. Anyone. So much that she was keeping solely in her own head, and it was destroying her. She just wanted someone who could… help. Who she could talk to, and who understood her. But there was no one like that now, and so in silence she suffered. It was a small price to pay, she thought, compared to what so many others had lost. So, pay it she would. She could figure out what to do about her conflicting emotions later. Figure out what to feel about Dick later on. Right now… she had a job to do.

She, Harley and Diana entered a large, nearly empty room. There were tall windows covering the entire wall, and she thought that, perhaps once, it would have looked beautiful with the sun streaming in through them. But now there was no sun, and the windows only made the room feel colder. It didn’t help that there was very little in the room the distract her from the coldness of it all. She saw a couple pieces of furniture, along with a side table that had wine bottles and glasses on it. She shuddered at the thought of what could be in those glasses and tried to put them out of her mind. Instead, she turned her attention to the only area where a draft was coming in from. The balcony. She could see even from where she was standing that it overlooked nearly the entire city. She wasn’t surprised by this. He’d settle for nothing less, she thought to herself. She wasn’t surprised to see him standing on that balcony either. Always one for the dramatics.

“I’m so glad you finally made it, Barbara,” he called to her, turning to face them all. The second she saw his face, her heart gave that same flutter it did whenever someone mentioned his name, and she wanted to vomit. He looked… so much like he did before. For a moment… just a singular moment… she swore she could see those baby blue eyes she adored so much. The ones that were always so gentle and sweet. But then the moment passed, and they were replaced by the crimson color she despised. She snarled at him.

“I killed a lot of your kind to get here, Dick,” she spat. She expected this to get some sort of reaction from him, but he merely swirled the… liquid in his glass and looked over to her.

“As I knew you would,” was all he replied. He said nothing more on the matter, instead turning to Diana and saying, “Diana, you can go. And take Ms. Quinn with you, please.”

“She stays,” Barbara ordered without hesitation. She needed Harley there. Not only for her plan, but also because she needed Harley there for support. She… she wasn’t sure she could face Dick alone. Wasn’t sure she trusted herself enough to do that.

“My Lord, they are both armed…” Diana began to protest, but Dick cut her off swiftly.

“If Barbara wants her to stay, she can stay. Now leave us,” he instructed. Without another word, Diana left the room. Barbara had honestly expected her to put up a little bit more of a fight on either letting Harley stay in the room, or letting them both remain armed, but she supposed that Diana likely knew better than to fight Dick on this. He could be stubborn, she knew. Once upon a time, Barbara had loved that about him. There were so many things she’d loved about him before…

“Did you come here to kill me, Barbara?” Dick asked her.

“Is that why you are coming?”

The memory of the dream Barbara had had could not help but bubble to the surface, and Barbara shook her head. She had to focus. She couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. Not by her dreams. Not by her memories. Not by her feelings.

“I came here to stop you. If you can be stopped,” she admitted, seeing little to no point in lying to him about why they were there. She was surprised he even had to ask. She hesitated before speaking, unsure whether it was worth saying what she wanted to, but it was gnawing at her, and so she decided to ask, if only for her own resolution. “Dick, make it make sense to me. Please. How could you do all this?”

“How could I not? We have always surrounded ourselves with people who chose what was right and what was wrong, and used their strength to enforce their will. Am I really that different from Superman or Bruce?” Dick tried to argue, and Barbara felt her blood boiling.

“Bruce didn’t eat people,” she shot back.

“Who is Bruce?” she heard Harley call, and she was taken aback by this for a moment before realizing that it was an entirely fair question. She had forgotten in the heat of everything that not everyone knew that Batman was Bruce Wayne and vice versa. She contemplated answering, but then Dick began to speak again.

“No, he didn’t. But he didn’t need to, to survive. Do you remember our first date? You took me to Big Belly Burger. I don’t remember what you ordered, but you seemed to not mind eating those weaker and less intelligent…” he started, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of finishing that sentence.

“Stop it! It’s different and you know it!” she screamed at him. She wanted to punch him.

“Is it? We choose moral lines for ourselves. I eat people who are vicious and cruel to others,” he tried to justify, “You eat innocent cows and chickens that never did anything…” he continued on, and she scoffed at this. If she wasn’t so tired and fed up with him, she could have laughed at how ridiculous everything he was saying was.

“The people you’re killing, all of you are killing, they aren’t all villains. They’re not monsters,” she interjected. She expected him to continue arguing his point, but instead Dick just waved her off.

“Barbara, stop it. We’ve both been doing this long enough to know… these people you care about, they’re all just one bad day away from becoming everyone’s worst nightmare,” he said, and his voice was… softer now. He sounded tired almost. Some part of her was saddened by this. He sounded so much like her Dick Grayson in that moment, and it took everything in her to remind herself that he wasn’t.

“You’re proof of that,” she hissed at him. The sadness from before had been replaced by anger. Anger towards this fake Dick Grayson who had stolen away the man she loved and replaced him with a cold, dead husk of someone who used to be so… alive. Dick paused for a moment and drew in a sharp breath.

“That hurt. But you’re right. We were too aggressive with all this. I’ve thought it since the start. Even though I didn’t have the courage to say it. That’s why I need you. Your conscience. Your compassion. Think of how many people you could still save,” Dick said to her. It was Barbara’s turn to freeze. Save? What… what was he talking about? He sounded sincere. His voice was low and soft again. He could have been lying, of course. Trying to manipulate her… but… he didn’t… if he was… she wasn’t sure why. What he gained from this.

“What are you…” she began, but Harley interrupted her.

“Pull yourself together here, girl. He’s doing some dead-guy mind trick. Messing with your head,” she cut in, and Barbara sighed. She turned away from the balcony. Away from Dick. Harley was right, of course. He was just toying with her emotions. Playing off her feelings for him. That was all… wasn’t it?

But part of her couldn’t help but entertain the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth. Maybe he really did want to fix things. Maybe there was a part of him that wanted to change how things were. There was no saving the world. She knew that. They could turn it back to how it was before but… that wasn’t saving the world. That was just saving those lucky enough to not be turned currently. And what about those who had lost loved ones, either to the bite of a vampire or to being turned? How many people who had been turned against their will like Damian would die? They’d protect Damian if – when – the world turned back to normal. Make sure he was somewhere out of the sun. Ensure he could find food until they found a cure. But not everyone had those resources or the knowledge. How many would die if they did manage to turn things back? How many would die before they even got close to developing a usable cure?

“Help me find the path to where we can all coexist, in a humane way. If anyone can find it, it’s you,” Dick called to her from behind. Should she believe him? Believe he really did want to change the way things were? Believe that he truly did seek a way for humans and vampires to coexist? Maybe he knew that the casualties would be high should this war continue? For both sides. Regardless of whether her side won or his, the losses that both would suffer would be substantial, and perhaps he was aware of that? But still…

“You think you can just fix what you did?!” she snapped without turning towards him.

“I think we can. It might take years. Centuries even,” he elaborated. She was about to tell him that he could not undo the damage he had done. Even if he could in terms of what he’d done to the world, the emotional scars ran too deep for some quick fix. But something in his sentence caught her off guard.

“Centuries? But…” she began, trying to explain to him that she didn’t have centuries. He might. He might have all the time in the world, as far as she knew. So long as no one killed him, of course. But… but she didn’t. She was human. Did he… no… but… could he mean to…

“Babs, you damn idiot! He eats people!” screamed Harley as she flung herself through the air, pushing Barbara away from Dick and launching herself at him. Barbara’s eyes widened in horror as Dick caught her easily mid-air, grabbing Harley and hoisting her up by her throat.

“ENOUGH!” he growled. His long, sharp fangs were visible now. Despite her best efforts not to show it, Barbara could see the stark panic and fear in Harley’s expression as she looked over at the other woman.

“A little help, Barbie? We’re trying to kill the bad guy, remember?” Harley wheezed out, and Barbara raised the stake she had been carrying, aiming it at Dick. Part of her screamed at her not to do it, but she couldn’t let him kill Harley.

“Killing me will change nothing. Diana or Clark will just take my place,” Dick shouted at her, fangs still extended, “You’ve lost so much already. Think of what you can gain. Think of the good you can do if you join me.”

“I get it. He’s a pretty boy with a great ass. But he’s brainwashing you, lady,” Harley reasoned, but Barbara felt her hands quivering around the stake. Was he just lying to her? Brainwashing her, as Harley claimed? Or… was he being sincere? Could they… could she do good if she joined him? Could they make things better?

“Look in your heart, Barbara. You know I’m not. I would never do anything to control you,” Dick cooed. His voice was back to being sweet and gentle like before. It was so tempting to believe him. She wanted to believe him.

“But… my dreams…” she whispered, her grip on the stake still tight despite her shaking hands. She was looking down now, not trusting herself to look him in the eyes. The room was silent for a moment, only the sound of Harley’s wheezing and her own quick breaths breaking the stillness. Then, finally, Dick spoke.

“I visited you because I missed you. But I never made you do anything. And I never told you anything that wasn’t true. Because I love you,” he told her, and Barbara thought she might collapse right there and then. She’d prepared for so many things. A battle. Capture. An altercation. But not that. Not those words. Nothing could have prepared her for him saying those words to her. She fought tears and the rising nausea, and tried her best to keep her composure.

“Get off of her,” she hissed at him, trying to keep focused on the task at hand: saving Harley. To her shock and surprise, he did as she requested, dropping Harley to the floor without any hesitation.

“As you wish,” he responded, hands up in the air dramatically. He had one foot on a small side table, still standing close to Harley. However, despite the theatrics of it all, Barbara could tell he was keeping his distance to show her he would abide by her wishes. She was relieved by this. Harley, on the other hand, seemed less at ease.

“Took your time there,” she gasped, still trying to catch her breath. Her eyes were wide, and she was holding onto her throat. Barbara could imagine the adrenaline was still coursing through her body, and she couldn’t blame her for that panic either.

“What now? You kill me?” Dick asked her, hands still in the air. Barbara hesitated.

“I… I don’t know…” she answered in a quiet voice.

“I would never hurt you. You know that,” he tried to assure her, “But if you must kill me because of who I am…” he started, but she cut him off.

“Stop, Dick! Just stop,” she demanded, and this time, it was his turn to fall silent. “You just… you ruined everything. You took everything from me. My father. Bruce. Everyone I cared about. My whole world,” she breathed, removing her mask so she could let the tears, which were now flowing like waterfalls, fall freely. “I’m just so tired. So tired of fighting, Dick. So tired of losing,” she admitted. To him. And to herself.

“I know, Barbara. I am too,” he confided, and she knew he was telling the truth. She could hear it in his voice. The exhaustion. The heartbreak. The sorrow. All the things she was feeling… but had never been able to voice.

“Gordon, do it now!” Harley was shouting to her, and she knew she should but…

But she couldn’t.

She truly was so, so tired of fighting. She’d been so tired for so long. Couldn’t remember the last time she felt… free. She looked over at Harley, who was frantically motioning for her to stab Dick. Harley was counting on her to do it. Everyone was counting on her to do it. Everyone expected so much from her. The weight of all of it rested on her shoulders, but they were starting to ache. No, not starting. They’d been aching for so long, but everyone was counting on her, so she’d hid it from them. From all of them. Hid her pain. Her sorrow. Her fears. Her conflicting emotions. She had no one to confide in. Everyone had things they wanted from her but… no one cared about what she wanted. What she needed. She didn’t even have time to think about what it was she wanted and needed because she was just so busy doing what everyone else wanted her to do. Stop the vampire apocalypse. Save the world. Kill Dick. All these goals, all these expectations… all the pressure… and no one to confide in about any of it.

“I see how it is weighing on you, Barbara. I see the way it gnaws at you. I know that pain,” Dick told her, walking towards her now. She held the stake up defensively but didn’t move as he placed his hands softly on her arms. “I never asked for this. I was changed. I never desired this. I… I tried… tried to do the best I could…” he was looking at the ground now, and she swore she saw tears falling down onto his trench coat. “There was so much pressure. Everyone… expected so much from me. I was their King. They expected me to lead them. To be the symbol of their freedom, but I… I never asked for this life. Never wanted it. I just wanted…” Dick was silent for a moment before continuing on, “I just wanted my life back. But I knew once I’d become this… there was no going back. So, I gave into the pressure. To what they wanted. Embraced it because I thought it was my only option. Assumed it was all I could do,” he explained to her.

Then he reached up and took her hands in his. He made no effort to remove the stake from them. Didn’t even try to encourage her to drop it of her own free will either. He just clasped his hands around hers as a lover might do if their love was holding onto a cup or a phone or some other mundane object.

“But I never lost hope. Even… even when… when I thought… when I knew I could never be the man I once was… when I knew I was beyond saving… I had hope that maybe there was still a chance things could be better. I had hope that we could make it better,” he spoke in a tone that made her heart weep. “Barbara… I might be the King of Vampires, but I’m not strong. I was weak, and I cracked under the pressure. But you… look at you…” he started, and he lifted his face up to look into her eyes. His expression was one of admiration and devotion, and she could now see that he had, indeed been crying, “Despite all the pressure you have faced… all the battles you have had to fight… you came here. You fought your way here and never abandoned your fight. You never let the pressure break you. You risk your life for those you love time and time again. It is one of the many things I love about you,” he told her, and the twinkle in his eyes reminded her of the look of young love. “We can stop this, Barbara. Together we can end the fighting. The pain. The pressure. I want that for this world. I want it for us. And I know you want it too. I can see it in your eyes,” he said, his voice cracking and making it sound like a plea rather than a sentence.

“Dick…” Barbara began, but Dick gripped her hands tighter. Not enough to hurt or damage, but so that the hold was firm.

“Tell me I am wrong, Barbara. Tell me that I am wrong. Tell me that you don’t want that too. Tell me that you don’t want to try to change the world together. To fight side by side like before. Tell me that you don’t want to be by my side… and… and I shall not ask again,” he set out. The tears were streaming faster down his face now, and Barbara knew that they were doing the same on hers.

She wanted to tell him that he was wrong. She wanted to tell him that she hated him. That she wanted nothing to do with him. Wanted to tell him that she could fix the world without him, because it was true. She could. She had friends and allies who would help her. That is what they came there to do, right? Kill Dick and save the world. Bring back the sun and set things right. She could do it without him. It could be done without him. Even if he was right about him just being replaced by whoever was next in line, they could just kill them too. Keep going until whoever was in charge would listen to them. It would be exhausting work, but they could do it. There had to be some vampire who would work with them. Who could take over Dick’s position and be willing to assist them in trying to turn the world back to how it was before everything happened. But… but even though she knew it was possible…

She knew as well that she couldn’t tell him he was wrong, because it would be a lie. She did want that. She longed for it. She had tried to fight that truth for so long but now… with him right in front of her… it was hard enough just to breathe, never mind trying to convince herself she didn’t want this. Didn’t want him. Because she did. God, she did. She loved him. Wanted him. Craved him. It was wrong and she knew it was but that didn’t stop her from wanting, craving, and loving him. Didn’t stop her from wanting to accept his offer. Maybe he was telling the truth? If he was… then… then the fighting could stop. They wouldn’t have to kill anyone. They could work with the vampires to bring about a world where vampires and humans could live together in peace. If any tried to resist, Dick could simply order them to stand down. There would be no more need for bloodshed or death. No more fighting and killing. They could… finally rest. They could save the world together… help build a new, better one… and he didn’t have to die. He was offering her a way that she could still help everyone who was left to help… all while not having to sacrifice her desires to do it. He was offering her a way out. Out of the pain and misery. Of the overwhelming, crushing, suffocating pressure that threatened to destroy her. He was offering… everything.

“As you command, my Queen.”

It was true, wasn’t it? He really was prepared to give her the world, wasn’t he? He’d done everything she requested so far since they’d arrived. Had made no move to attack her or harm her. He’d been polite and kind to her. He’d been understanding. He… saw her pain in a way no one else did. She thought about the dream she’d had a while back. The one where he’d called her his queen. The one where he was going to turn her. She’d woken up in such a state of panic but not because she hadn’t enjoyed the dream… but rather because she had. She’d wanted him to do that. To turn her. To make her his queen so she could be by his side. Rule with him. She wanted it, and she despised herself for wanting it but… but here… standing in front of him in reality… with it playing out like the dreams she’d had so many times before… she wasn’t sure that she could resist it any longer. She was so tired. Of all of it. She just… wanted to give in to it.

And so, give in she did.

“Do it,” she whispered to him, and she watched as his eyes widened.

“What?” he stammered, and she had to hold back a laugh. He looked so confused and shocked. Goofy almost, like the old Dick Grayson. It seemed out of place with his whole “Vampire King” outfit, but it made it almost more amusing.

“Do it. I… I want you to do it,” she repeated, and she saw him smile.

“As you wish,” he softly spoke, and then he lifted her chin with one hand, tilting it to the side so he could have access to her neck. She expected him to go right in for the bite but instead he began to pepper her neck with passionate, gentle, loving kisses. His other hand rested on the small of her back, holding her close to him. Like a lover’s embrace. He left a few more kisses before moving back only a little bit. “Are you certain this is what you want?” he asked, and she nodded. She felt him nod as well, and then, gentle as he could, he sunk his teeth into her neck.

The pain was not as terrible as she had thought it would be. It stung at first, despite his best attempts to minimize her discomfort, but then the pain subsided. It was a strange sensation, feeling the blood leaving her body. Her head felt slightly light as he drank from her, and she was grateful that he was still holding her, as she wasn’t certain she’d be able to keep herself balanced without it. Time felt as though it was inching instead of moving at its normal pace, and while she was sure he was only drinking from her for a minute at the most, it felt much longer than that. Not only that but… the world around her seemed to fade into nothing. Before she could hear Harley’s shouts of protest but now… it was quiet. She did not feel the breeze from outside, nor did she hear the swishing of the curtains. It was as though the only things which existed in that moment were her, Dick, and her transformation.

Eventually, Dick stood up and stepped in front of Barbara. Barbara collapsed to the ground, suddenly feeling extremely weak. As though she had been starving for weeks. As though she had no nutrients in her body.  Her world felt as though it was spinning, and she groaned.

“You’re dying. Drink,” she heard Dick instruct. His voice sounded hazy and muffled, and when she looked up, her vision was blurred. She could make out the outline of his wrist though, and she fumbled around, managing to grab hold of it. She sunk her teeth, which were now as sharp as his, into his wrist, and heard him stifle a grunt of pain. She drank a little, the taste much sweeter than she’d expected. Her stomach growled for more, and so she indulged her thirst. He allowed her to continue for quite some time before gently tugging his wrist, signalling for her to let go. She did, and the change was instant. Her body felt alive. More alive than she’d felt in… well… ever.

“What did you do to her, you monster?”

Her attention was brought to Harley, who was looking at Dick with hatred and anger in her eyes. Dick snarled at her, fangs visible once more and anger in those dazzling crimson eyes of his. She saw him opening his mouth to speak, but she jumped in instead.

“He gave me what I wanted, Harley. What I’d asked him for,” Barbara told her, and Harley looked… betrayed. It was a look that stabbed Barbara deep in the heart.

“But…” Harley started, but Barbara raised her hand.

“I know… but this is for the best, Harley. We can help people this way. Make a better world,” she explained. Harley shook her head.

“Oh, Barbie… can’t ya see he’s playing you for a fool?” Harley winced, and Barbara shook her head. She wanted to explain everything, how she knew Dick wasn’t lying, how she trusted him… but she knew Harley would never understand. And she’d made her choice. There was no going back. She could only hope now that, with time, Harley would come to understand her decision. She looked to Dick, hoping he’d understand what she needed, and he nodded.

“Diana!” he called, and Wonder Woman entered the room. “Please see Ms. Quinn out. Ensure she and her companions make it safely out of the city and inform everyone that they are now off limits. Inform them that a truce has been made…” he began, before pulling Barbara close to him and kissing her passionately, “And tell them that they now have a Queen along with their King.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Diana replied, bowing her head before grabbing a protesting Harley Quinn and dragging her out of the room. Barbara looked down at the ground, the pain of seeing her companion so distraught over her decision still stinging deeply.

“She will understand. They all will. Once they see the good we will do, they will understand why you did what you did,” Dick comforted.

“You did mean what you said, right? About wanting to better this world?” she asked, and he nodded.

“I did. And with you here… I think we can do it,” he replied. She smiled, but then it turned into a frown as a question came to mind.

“Dick… if… if you… if you wanted to make a truce all along… to try and make things better… why not just tell me that? Why do the round-about thing and be so cryptic? Why not just tell me when you had visited me in my dreams?” she asked him, and he coughed awkwardly. He stepped back and rubbed his neck with one hand.

“About that… I was going to ask earlier but… dreams?” he responded, and she blinked in surprise and then furrowed her brows.

“Yes. Dreams. The ones you’ve been sending me. The ones about… well… this. You know. Me coming here to kill you. You telling me I didn’t actually come to kill you. You convincing me not to kill you. You biting me and turning me into the Vampire Queen…” she elaborated. She thought about what normally happened in the dream after that, and a deep blush covered her face. She figured that he likely didn’t need all those details. That he’d figure it out from what she’d said. But Dick only shook his head.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you are talking about,” he told her, and she gapped at this.

“What? But… you… you said you visited me!” she cried out, and he chuckled nervously.

“Yes… I… might have lied about that…” he admitted.

“WHAT?!??!”

“I had no idea what you were talking about, but if you recall, I was in the middle of dealing with Ms. Quinn, so I might have made up a small fib to… move things along…”

“Oh my gosh…” Barbara groaned in annoyance. She placed her head in her hands, took a moment to breathe, and then looked back up. When she did, she saw that Dick was smirking at her. It was an amused smirk.

“So… you were dreaming of me, were you?” he teased, and Barbara rolled her eyes.

“How are you still this irritating and immature? You are the Vampire King,” she shot back, and he gasped dramatically.

“Excuse me. I am not the one who assumed that her boyfriend was sending her magical dreams with his vampire powers to try and lure her to his castle,” he responded, and she groaned again.

“Well, when you say it like that…” she sighed, but that sigh was quickly cut off when he made his way towards her with impressive speed and pinned her to the wall behind her. He used one hand to lift her chin up, and his eyes sparkled in the dim lighting.

“I am curious though… earlier when you were talking about these dreams you’ve been having… you blushed quite deeply. Tell me…” he leaned in closer to whisper, “Was me turning you all that happened in those delectable dreams of yours?”

“I…” Barbara began, her mouth dry and her thoughts jumbled.

“Because if your blush was any indication, I would guess that becoming the Vampire Queen wasn’t the only desire that found its way into your dreams, was it?” he purred, and she bit her lip.

“Maybe not…” she half-admitted, and he chuckled. The sound seemed to bounce off every wall in the room and reverberate through every cell of her body.

“Well… seeing as you did come here to kill me… and I did convince you not to… and I did turn you, and now you are the Vampire Queen… I see no reason we can’t make all your dreams come true, my Queen,” he cooed sweetly, and she shivered. Memories of the dreams she’d had night after night came flooding back, and if her heart still beat, she was sure it would be fluttering madly. She swallowed hard, but then licked her lips, drew in a breath, and answered.

“I don’t see any reason we couldn’t do that either,” she whispered to him, and she felt him smirk against her skin. He moved back and then dove in for a passionate kiss. Barbara shut her eyes, allowing the world around her to fade away. Allowing herself to be entirely in the moment. As his lips pressed against hers, and hers against his, she let herself go. Let go of the pressure. Of the stress. Of the strain. She did not know what the future held for them. For the world. For anyone. But now… she didn’t have to. Now all she had to focus on was the here and now. The noise was drowned out by the serenity of the moment… and Barbara didn’t care if that moment would last a second or a lifetime. She didn’t worry about the future or the world outside that room. All she focused on was her and Dick and what they wanted to do, because she knew that they had an eternity now to figure out the rest. There was always a tomorrow, and now, thanks to what they’d done, they had plenty more of those to fix everything. So for now… Barbara was going to do what she wanted to. Tomorrow she could worry about everything but for today… for now… she was more than happy to be wrapped in the tender embrace of the man who she adored, and who adored her in kind.

She felt his fangs pierce her lip and when he pulled away from the kiss, she saw her blood on his lips. But the sight did not bother her, nor did it frighten her. For those fangs were no longer something she had to fear, but rather something they both had. The thirst for blood was no longer something alien to her, but now something they shared. The sight of blood was no longer something that bothered her, but rather now it was something that thrilled her. That made her crave more. But more so than that… when his tongue ran over that blood and he smiled at her… she knew it was not from hunger or blood-lust… but rather from love and affection. Tasting her blood meant “I love you”. The red of her blood… it wasn’t just food to him… no… now… with their new bond… their new connection… she knew what the red meant to them. What it meant now that they both shared a need for blood. Now that they were both forever changed. The red wasn’t just food… no…

The red meant “I love you.”

And with that thought in mind, she pulled him close, tasted her own blood upon his lips, kissed him deeply, and eagerly awaited what the night had in store for the Vampire King and his new Queen.