#also yes i am so normal about de-aged fics being character studies

[the-stove-is-divorced]

OHHHH Congratulations for 100 subscribers!!! That's awesome!!❤❤❤

If it's allowed to ask about any of your fics, then what are your plans for all the time in the world or do you already have drafts for future chapters? I'm always fascinated by de-aged!Bruce fics and your foundation for the plot is something I've never seen before!! Would you like to share a quick peek into the future of that storyline?👀👀

Oh yay tysm, genuinely. (´꒳`)♡ And yes ofc!!! I'm happy to!!!

I will preface and admit literally anything I plan for any fic is 110% subject to change, especially if it doesn't feel right anymore or doesn't fit with how the story's progressing since I only write stories as I go. But with that being said, YEAH I OFC I WILL.

So as of this moment, the big plan is to jump around at different points in Bruce's life, around 4-7 different stages so it's not gonna stay stuck to his current rlly young age! (´꒳`)ゞ Bruce should jump in age in about 1-2 chapters, but entirely dependent on how the next chapter goes and that hasn't been finalized yet, much to my own internal agony, bleh. It's been such a pain in the ass to get right and the inner perfectionist in me is not helping, so it's taking longer than I want to. At the same time, I can also admit haven't decided if the next jump should be around 11-13 years old or more compellingly around 17 years old. I also wanna be careful not to make Alfred too perfect? He has the bias of hindsight in his favor, and is the main (and so far only) narrator, so I wanna get some clear contradictions in here.

Oh, and for the story's logic, the magic that de-aged him is unwinding in big ol' chunks, and won't come undone all at once, hence skipping forward! It will be 17 years old, either 18-19, either 20-21, and either 21-22 years old, with maybe an extra 13 years old so the switch from 9 to 17 isn't too jarring, if that makes sense. Plus, debating a bonus point around his late 20's/early 30's. And while I don't have a big ol' plot, as I write as I go, but there are moments I want to include if I'm able!

For example, 21 year old Bruce looks just like how old Bruce was when he took in Dick (but Dick misunderstands, Bruce was 23 when he took in 13 year old Dick), so I want to include a scene where Dick is so relieved there's finally a Bruce he understands is here, but he's still wrong. Dick might go in for a much needed hug, a beaming smile, but Bruce gives Dick a Brucie smile. Dick still a complete and utter stranger to him. The crushing plummet of hope after the first real sign of relief, being teased with the first fleeting glimpse of Bruce he knew to work around, how to behave around, only for him to treat him like a complete stranger and pull out Brucie mask on him? Horrible. I can't wait to write it.

If I'm feeling really angsty (which I probably will be), that late 20's/early 30's is Bruce before Jason died, and he's so much happier. There's a tension not found within him, a kind of wariness that hasn't been ingrained just yet, a joking, lighter tone he's more willing to display so openly. He's excited to see how his sons have grown, he wants to know what college Jason went to, what careers, he wants to know what Dick ended up doing, he's so hopeful he didn't fuck them up trying to raise them like he was so scared he would. They don't have it in their hearts to tell them what happened, I think they lie, or Alfred pointedly won't them say anything. He saw his son grieving once and he wants to savor this joy, this hope, this happiness that was buried when Jason died. He'd be furious if they revealed a damn thing right now.

But I do have chart to keep my idea for my personal understanding of Bruce's development, which I'll share below! It's not complete, and like anything, subject to change, especially at the 7-8, 9-10, and 11-13 yr old marks. But it's a general idea to keep my thoughts in order.

I hope that was satisfactory! Unfortunately, I don't have a finalized version of the next chapter done, so I can't share a sneaky peak of it (currently debating between a POV switch or continuing with Alfred) but I hope all my yapping makes up for it. TYSM for asking and showing interest. Still amazes me people like my stuff. (//▽//)

[imherongraystairstrash]

De-age Will Part II

I just realized I’m incapable of writing normal-sized fics ✌️

Part 1

(I just realized how weird the word “part” is lol)

...

Henry was walking past when he heard Charlotte’s voice speaking softly. He poked his head into the room and saw that she was reading a storybook, little Will pressed to the side of her body yawning tiredly and rubbing his eyes with his small fists. Henry leaned against the door and watched as Charlotte smiled while she read, not able to help keeping the same smile from spreading across his. 

Her voice was vibrant and fluctuating in tone as different characters spoke. Her eyes widened when she put extra empathizes on a word and whenever she turned a page, she would plant a kiss on Will’s forehead or cheek. She would also periodically rub his back or stroke his cheek, which never failed to make Will nuzzle closer to her, enough so that he rested his tiny fists on her abdomen. 

Henry’s heart yearned for Charlotte, so much so that each day he seemed to love her more and more. His Lottie. She may not love him the same way, but being able to call her his wife, to wake up every morning next to her, was the greatest blessing he could receive.

As he watched her reading to Will, it struck him how much he wanted a child. One with Charlotte. They had Jem, Jessamine, Will, Sophie and Thomas, but a baby would be different. A little child they could hold at night a fuss over and teach all sorts of things, like how to walk and talk. Henry knew, however he could never ask that of Charlotte, for she did not feel the same, and perhaps she didn’t share the same feelings over a child… Or, maybe she didn’t wish to bear his child. They could always adopt, but that would still require a certain level of affection towards each other, affection Charlotte didn’t hold for him. It would be easy for Charlotte to file for a divorce, if she wanted one, however, it got more complex once there was a child in the middle.

So, Henry just watched as Will’s eyes slowly closed and soon he was asleep against Charlotte’s shoulder. She kissed his forehead and gently tucked him into bed before following Henry out the door.

Henry cast a final look at little Will before closing the door behind him. 

Charlotte’s smile remained on her lips the entire walk back to their room. 

Henry wanted to put his arm around her, to hold her close as they walked through the empty institute halls. But, he loved her too dearly to ever do such a thing as make her uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and Charlotte looked up.

“You were wonderful with Will.” he said, blushing.

She blushed too as she replied. “I didn’t know how much I adored children until I had to take care of one.”

“I feel the same way.”

She glanced up at him, surprised. He looked down at her, tilting his head to the side.

Charlotte turned a dark shade of crimson as she spoke again.

“Do you wish to have a ch—” she cleared her throat. “A child?”

Now it was Henry’s turn to blush. “I guess I would, if you want one too.”

Charlotte looked up at him in wonder. “You would want a child?”

“A child with you, Lottie, would be a blessing.”

She turned her head in an attempt to hide her smile, but Henry already saw it.

“Likewise.” She whispered.

They reached their room and Henry opened the door to let her in. As she walked inside, Henry couldn’t help but think that sometimes, it felt as though Charlotte truly loved him.

She turned on her heels. “Do you want to try tonight?” she asked quietly.

“Try what?” Henry asked.

“To…Oh, never mind.” She said, clearly embarrassed.

“What is it Lottie?” Henry said, eyebrows furrowed worriedly. “What did you want to try?”

Charlotte looked at him, took a deep breath and spoke quickly: “To conceive a child.”

Henry was appalled and must have looked it, too, for Charlotte appeared to be horrified.

“Henry, no, I was—”

Henry crossed to the room and held her small hands in his. 

“Of course. Of course I want to.” He whispered. 

Charlotte looked up at him in wonder, a piece of hair escaping from where it was tied back. Henry took out the pins that held it into place. Her hair cascaded down to her shoulders, framing her lovely face.

“You’re beautiful.” Henry whispered. “Lovely Lottie, my angel from heaven.” 

Her lips pressed against his and for a moment, they seemed to forget. Forget that they thought the other didn’t love them, because that moment, and what was to follow, was nothing short of glorious.

… 

The next morning, Jem woke up to find a pair of dark blue eyes hovering over him. He yelled. Will put his small hands on Jem’s face and stared intently into his face. 

“Good morning, Will.” Jem said gruffly.

Will giggled and put his arms around Jem’s neck. Jem’s head fell back on his pillows and he closed his eyes, still very tired from tossing and turning all night, worried for his parabatai and the fading rune. It’s not that Jem needed the bond; Will would always be his other half, as though, before they came into this world, their souls made a pact that they would keep a part of the other, so that they would have find each other again in the mess of the earth, to give back what belonged to the other. But, Jem couldn’t imagine never getting to see Will as an adolescent ever again. Will was still Will, but Jem couldn’t lay beside him at night and speak of his worries. His Will was like his twin brother, not a little child. 

Jem sighed. This was too strange. He put an arm around Will and let him rest on his collarbone until Charlotte came inside.

“Oh, there he is, that little minx. He got away from me.”

Jem sat up and held Will out to Charlotte, but Will didn’t seem to want to be parted from Jem just yet, and made a fuss over the whole exchange until he was back in Jem’s arms.

“He’s much more spoiled, as a baby.” Jem said, regarding Will, who was smiling wide and embracing Jem furiously. For a toddler, he had a surprising strong grip.

“Yes, well.” Charlotte said. “I suggest you get dressed, Jem darling. Ragnor has agreed to come.”

“He has?” Jem asked, appalled.

“Yes, though he made it very clear that his schedule was busy and that he couldn’t stay for long.”

“In that case…Will,” he said, turning to the boy.  “Why don’t you go with Charlotte? I’ll be right down.” 

Will looked sad, but acquiesced, stretching his hands out to Charlotte. She took him in her arms.

“We’ll be downstairs.” She said, closing the door behind her.

Jem sighed and slowly got out of his pajamas and dressed in day’s clothes, trying (and failing) to not think too hard about Will. 

…

What entailed after Ragnor arrived at the Institute was simple. He deemed that Will would be fine and that the spell was temporary. Should Will not be back to normal in three days time, they could message Magnus Bane, who was not nearly as busy as Ragnor was.

“You’d think he’s the emperor.” Sophie said to Jem, “With how busy he is all the time.”

“I really wish he would just say he doesn’t enjoy our company.” Jem said. “It would require so much less effort.”

“I suppose he is being diplomatic.” Sophie said with a shrug. Will ran up to her and hugged her legs. “Oh,” Sophie said to Will. “What do you want, then?”

He put his fist up and Sophie held her hand out. Will dropped a piece of yarn into her palm and ran away.

“Why does he keep giving me these things?” Sophie asked, holding the yarn out in front of her.

Jem shrugged. 

…

Charlotte cursed in her head. Why is it that everybody feels the urge to pay the institute a visit when it’s the least convenient to her? 

“Mr. Lightwood!” She said pleasantly, as he came in. “What a surprise to see you here; we weren’t expecting you.”

“Let us skip the pleasantries, Charlotte, I have business to discuss with your husband and yourself.”

He walked past her and strode to the direction of the institute study.

…

Jem watched as Charlotte and Mr. Lightwood walked up the stairs and Sophie sped away to fetch Henry. Will was standing next to him and Jem didn’t know whether to hide him, or just pretend like it was normal to have a small replica of Will at his side. He decided that the latter might lead to questions he couldn’t answer, so he nudged Will towards the direction of the kitchen, where hopefully Agatha would keep an eye on him. 

Jem then watched as Gabriel strode over to him and, when he came to a stop, Jem couldn’t help but notice a bruise on Gabriel’s cheekbone. He must have been staring because Gabriel scowled and cleared his throat just as he was going to inquire about it. 

“Where’s the other idiot to your duo, then?” Gabriel asked. 

“He’s…out.” Said Jem.

“Out?”

“Yes, he’s having an…erm…episode?”

“Why am I not surprised?” said Gabriel dryly.

“Don’t say something you’ll regret, Gabriel.” Said Jem, darkly.

Gabriel side-eyed him. “What are you going to do? What with your debilitating sickness, I would assume—”

Miniature Will, like his older counterpart, seemed to know the exact worst timing to appear.

He ran at Gabriel and hit his leg with a spoon. Gabriel’s face softened but then quickly hardened into a grimace. Jem couldn’t help but wonder if Gabriel was fond of children and was trying to hide it.

“Who is this brat?” He spat. “By the Angel, the poor child looks like Herondale. How unfortunate for him.”

Jem stopped breathing as Gabriel took a closer look.

“Actually, he looks exactly like Herondale. The resemblance is quite uncanny.” Gabriel stopped and then a delighted smile stretched across his face. “Wait a moment. Is this Herondale’s bastard?”

“No!” Jem said, picking up Will—who was still attacking Gabriel with his spoon— and shoving him behind a door. Jem knew Gabriel wasn’t going to be so easily fooled by the Cartwright story so he improvised the best he could. “He’s Will’s cousin. His…sister brought him here.”

“His cousin?”

“Yes. And as a matter a fact, he is very territorial and doesn’t like meeting new people, so I suggest you leave.” 

Gabriel scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “His sister brought him here?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, how I pity that sister.” Gabriel said. “Imagine Herondale being your brother. And the poor fool who marries her. What if the children look like William? Oh Lord, now that would be a curse.” Gabriel shuddered. 

Jem was about to say something when Benedict Lightwood and Charlotte came back.

“Get in the carriage.” Benedict snapped at his son. “We’re leaving.”

Gabriel’s shoulders hunched ever so slightly as he trailed behind his father without so much as a wave goodbye to Jem. Hopefully, Gabriel was too preoccupied with his life to further inquire about this the next time they met.

Just as the Lightwoods were leaving, Will (somehow) managed to open the door and began chasing after them. Charlotte had barely managed to grab the collar of his shirt to keep him from running off. 

Benedict Lightwood must have heard the commotion and turned around. Jem tried to move in front of Will in an attempt to cover him up, but Benedict had already seen.

“Why is it that every time I come here, there’s more children? You’d think they’d created a cloning machine and activate it every time they realize their current children are failures.” He grumbled to himself.

Once he walked out, Thomas shut the heavy door closed with an air of finality and, everybody’s ramrod straight backs, relaxed.

Charlotte whirled around to face Will. “You better turn back into your old self again before you get us into any more trouble, do you understand me, young man?”

Will blinked at her. 

Charlotte sighed and turned around, perhaps too stressed to deal with this problem at the moment. Henry walked in and Charlotte pointed to Will.

“Jem, why don’t you take Will to the park or something. Benedict came in to give Henry and I a lot of work to do and it should take all morning.”

Jem nodded and held his finger out for Will to grab. The smaller boy gleefully wrapped his hand around his parabatai’s index finger. 

…

Will’s eyes darkened. “Duck.” he spat out.

Jem looked at the ducks that were standing idly by the pond. “Will, they’re not going to do anything.”

Will still looked mutinous. 

Jem sighed. Why couldn’t Will be like normal children, who could stare at ducks for hours on end? Better question yet: How is it that Will’s hatred for ducks ran so deep that even as a child, he despised them?

“Come here, Will. How about we sit down?” Jem crossed his legs and Will followed suit.

Jem had brought a biscuit for Will, and gave it to him while he stared out at the landscape in front of them. 

Jem sensed that there was something strange in the atmosphere, and it wasn’t London’s normal, filthy, city air. It was like the calm before the storm; something was brewing and it was about to explode. 

Before Jem could order further, a duck suddenly came from behind them and quacked before Jem could stop it. Will screamed and ran away, which caused the duck to chase after him. 

“Why do these sort of things always happen to me?” Jem grumbled, chasing after Will and the duck.

.....

Tagging some people who enjoyed the last part:

@autumnangel20 @heronstairs2014 @hitheresomeoneusingthus @itsdaughterofthemoon @carstairstessa @minaxcarstairs 

[angstandhappiness]

NEAT

OHHHH Congratulations for 100 subscribers!!! That's awesome!!❤❤❤

If it's allowed to ask about any of your fics, then what are your plans for all the time in the world or do you already have drafts for future chapters? I'm always fascinated by de-aged!Bruce fics and your foundation for the plot is something I've never seen before!! Would you like to share a quick peek into the future of that storyline?👀👀

Oh yay tysm, genuinely. (´꒳`)♡ And yes ofc!!! I'm happy to!!!

I will preface and admit literally anything I plan for any fic is 110% subject to change, especially if it doesn't feel right anymore or doesn't fit with how the story's progressing since I only write stories as I go. But with that being said, YEAH I OFC I WILL.

So as of this moment, the big plan is to jump around at different points in Bruce's life, around 4-7 different stages so it's not gonna stay stuck to his current rlly young age! (´꒳`)ゞ Bruce should jump in age in about 1-2 chapters, but entirely dependent on how the next chapter goes and that hasn't been finalized yet, much to my own internal agony, bleh. It's been such a pain in the ass to get right and the inner perfectionist in me is not helping, so it's taking longer than I want to. At the same time, I can also admit haven't decided if the next jump should be around 11-13 years old or more compellingly around 17 years old. I also wanna be careful not to make Alfred too perfect? He has the bias of hindsight in his favor, and is the main (and so far only) narrator, so I wanna get some clear contradictions in here.

Oh, and for the story's logic, the magic that de-aged him is unwinding in big ol' chunks, and won't come undone all at once, hence skipping forward! It will be 17 years old, either 18-19, either 20-21, and either 21-22 years old, with maybe an extra 13 years old so the switch from 9 to 17 isn't too jarring, if that makes sense. Plus, debating a bonus point around his late 20's/early 30's. And while I don't have a big ol' plot, as I write as I go, but there are moments I want to include if I'm able!

For example, 21 year old Bruce looks just like how old Bruce was when he took in Dick (but Dick misunderstands, Bruce was 23 when he took in 13 year old Dick), so I want to include a scene where Dick is so relieved there's finally a Bruce he understands is here, but he's still wrong. Dick might go in for a much needed hug, a beaming smile, but Bruce gives Dick a Brucie smile. Dick still a complete and utter stranger to him. The crushing plummet of hope after the first real sign of relief, being teased with the first fleeting glimpse of Bruce he knew to work around, how to behave around, only for him to treat him like a complete stranger and pull out Brucie mask on him? Horrible. I can't wait to write it.

If I'm feeling really angsty (which I probably will be), that late 20's/early 30's is Bruce before Jason died, and he's so much happier. There's a tension not found within him, a kind of wariness that hasn't been ingrained just yet, a joking, lighter tone he's more willing to display so openly. He's excited to see how his sons have grown, he wants to know what college Jason went to, what careers, he wants to know what Dick ended up doing, he's so hopeful he didn't fuck them up trying to raise them like he was so scared he would. They don't have it in their hearts to tell them what happened, I think they lie, or Alfred pointedly won't them say anything. He saw his son grieving once and he wants to savor this joy, this hope, this happiness that was buried when Jason died. He'd be furious if they revealed a damn thing right now.

But I do have chart to keep my idea for my personal understanding of Bruce's development, which I'll share below! It's not complete, and like anything, subject to change, especially at the 7-8, 9-10, and 11-13 yr old marks. But it's a general idea to keep my thoughts in order.

I hope that was satisfactory! Unfortunately, I don't have a finalized version of the next chapter done, so I can't share a sneaky peak of it (currently debating between a POV switch or continuing with Alfred) but I hope all my yapping makes up for it. TYSM for asking and showing interest. Still amazes me people like my stuff. (//▽//)