#and like. She and tim are working SO HARD to fucking keep batman on the right track

[eyepatchdate]

My sister was SO AGAINST arkhamverse barbara/tim but i fucking GOT her while playing the dlcs in front of her

[autisticrosewilson]

"Oh Steph wouldn't like Jason just because they have similar backgrounds because he kills people/is a criminal/fights the bats!!"

This is in the 90's BEFORE he even tortured her. She doesn't go through with it, but she sees the evil he's capable of and its enough for her to justify it. She only doesn't because it "goes against what Batman taught her" but well.

That's the same man who would let her dad's friends infest her house for MONTHS until BLACK CANARY came to Gotham and handled it

A grown man who would go on to verbally degrade her, withhold the tools he gave everyone else, keep her intentionally isolated and then use her lack of resources against her.

So yeah. I'm sure Steph's faith in Batman and his teachings have wavered plenty. Just because DC casually discarded the way she was treated so she could play happy family with the boys, but she has NO REASON TO. Before she was aged down there was definite tension between her and Tim, and while Babs worked to get that relationship back, Bruce did no such thing. "Oh I'm just as proud of you as I was with the boys" when he thought she was dying doesn't fucking change how he treated her.

And of course, there's her own forray into betraying the family and being a criminal in The Next Batman series.

That's without getting into how she was compared to Jason, the way she watched a murdered east end kid be toted as another violent, reckless, idiot who didn't think and got himself killed.

"Oh but he tried to kill Tim!" First of all, you didn't read that comic. Jason was TESTING him, they were 2 years apart MAXIMUM, and Tim FOUGHT BACK. Jason gave him a little cut and a nose bleed that he slapped a bandage on and was fine. Damian also started his first meeting with Tim antagonistically and even though he was actively hostile to her, Steph still formed a close sibling bond. Her first meeting with Tim she threw a brick at him. He spent a not significant amount of time belittling her and telling her she wasn't cut out for hero work when she came back. This is the same guy who hallucinated Jason just so Jason could be like "Oh I got myself killed don't be like me!" Can we be real she doesn't give a shit. I guess you could count Hush but. I know they retconned it so that was Jason but when the fuck would he have had the time to do that between death, catanoia, the All-caste, and his murder tour.

Stephanie understands better than anyone that desperate circumstances lead to desperate people who do bad things. Stephanie understands being belittled and compared to a rich white boy who never had to fight to survive like you did. She understands being isolated from the hero community. She understands the evil that exists and the ways the system is corrupt, and that the bad guy never STAYS caught. And it's not like she has any big problem with people who kill, Babs said in 90's she would fucking LOVE Joker to drop dead and Dinah has killed multiple times. She literally switched places with Lady Shiva? These are both women Steph looks up to. You don't think Steph would feel any admiration at all for someone who gave Bruce a taste of what it feels like to be shown up? Someone who made Roman's life hell? Someone who made Tim put action behind his shit talking? An alley kid who came back and refused to be another statistic, who showed everyone who spent the last decade calling him stupid and reckless EXACTLY how cunning he can be? None? At all?

I just find it a little hard to believe.

[ynscrazylife]

THE BAT IN THE SHADOWS 🦇🕸️

— CHAPTER TWO

Summary: Bruce Wayne is the happiest he’s ever been in a while. He has a beautiful wife, amazing children, and is stopping crime left and right as Batman. All that shatters when you, his wife, mysteriously disappears.

Pairings: Bruce Wayne x Wife!Reader, Batfamily x Batman!Reader, Avengers x Reader (Platonic)

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Having to wait until morning to pull the security cam footage from nearby stores was hell. In the meantime, Bruce filled out a missing persons report (and nearly broke down whilst doing it). The worst part of it all was having to come home, alone, and face his family.

His kids and Alfred were exactly where he left them, all in the living room.

“Where’s Mom?” Dick was the first to ask, arms crossed. Neither he nor his brothers could hide the worry flickering across his face. Not even Alfred, who was usually so composed.

“I believe,” Bruce began, wanting to be strong for them. The image of your smiling face flashed in his mind and he slammed his hand against the nearby wall to steady himself. Get it together, he told himself. The weight of your shattered phone in his pocket felt like tons of bricks. “She’s been taken.”

He hated that that was all he could say on it. That was all he knew. He hated that he had to say it at all.

Five rounds of “What?!” echoed around the room. Bruce forced himself to look at Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. At their pain. Their shock.

“I only found her phone, broken. But we will bring her home,” Bruce said, knowing that there was no keeping his children out of this investigation. “I will take the lead. I’m going to go downstairs and start working. Anyone is free to join me, but I’d also suggest trying to sleep. If you can.”

He started towards the stairs. Then, half-way there, he stopped and turned around, opening up his arms. It took a second, but the boys came to him, and Bruce tucked them in his arms with a strong, tight hug. Alfred watched for a moment, then walked around and put his hand on Bruce’s shoulder.

“We will find her,” Bruce vowed.

And, he thought, if you were harmed in anyway, if a single hair was out of place, he’d destroy whoever had enough nerve to do this.

//

Standing by Commissioner Gordon’s side, Bruce peered over the employee sitting at his desk, who was starting up the footage on his computer. They found the closest store to the spot where your phone was found and as soon as the sign switched from closed to open, they walked in.

“Here you go,” the employee murmured, pressing play.

The footage was grainy and dark but with narrowed eyes, Bruce was determined to take in all that he could. As soon as you walked into frame, Bruce couldn’t help but tense up, nervous about what they were going to see.

Your pace started slowing as you took out your phone. Then, a jolt of electricity — where it was coming from was off-screen — hit your in the back. Bruce fixed his jaw, trying not to lash out or yell or even cry as he saw you fall. The thought of you, limp on the hard, dirty sidewalk . . .

Then, two figures came into frame, lean builds and wearing all black. Bruce watched how one stomped on your phone screen and he took a breath. They were saying something to each other, but the footage didn’t have audio. It was impossible to make out. He curled his fingers into a fist when they each took one of your arms, starting to drag you away. They didn’t seem to care at all that your head was bouncing off the ground and Bruce wanted to smash the screen.

He’d make them fucking pay, that was for sure.

Gordon did the talking, thanking the employee and whatnot. Bruce was in a daze, the footage playing over and over again in his head. He hadn’t even realized that Gordon wrapped up the conversation until he was pulled outside. They went a few stores down, trying to find more security camera footage of where they took you.

When they did, Gordon and Bruce watched as the kidnappers haphazardly tossed you into the car. As if you were nothing. As if you weren’t the most precious thing in Bruce’s life. He made fists again. They drove away and the one good thing was that the footage captured the license plate.

Gordon drove them to the police station and Bruce practically forced him to speed. A goddamn license plate, that was their only clue. Bruce’s only hope. He was pacing back and forth while the police actually ran the plate, never staying still for even a millisecond.

Finally, Gordon emerged. “They must’ve stolen the car. We’ll start sending patrol units out, contact other local departments . . . We will find this car. We’ll find them,” he said confidently.

//

While patrol units drove all around the city and beyond, Bruce did the same in his Batmobile. He spent every minute of every hour on the road, only returning for food and a couple hours of sleep after numerous calls from Alfred. It was the second time when he came home that he saw how much this was affecting his children. A wave of guilt hit, he knew that he hadn’t been paying as much attention to them as he should’ve.

You would’ve told Bruce to leave it to your fellow detectives, who were hellbent on getting you home. You would’ve told Bruce that he didn’t have to be Batman. He had to be home. God, you were so good, it sometimes hurt.

Bruce sat with his four boys on the couch, his arms wrapped around them. He updated them on the case, told them everything he knew. Of course, they asked to join him on patrol, but Bruce told them there was no need. He was going to take a few days off to spend with them.

It was after those few days that Bruce received a call from Gordon. They were in the middle of a somber dinner when his phone rang and the vigilante sprang up from his seat, nearly knocking his chair over. Everyone paused their eating.

“Gordon?” Bruce asked. The last few times, Gordon had nothing big to tell him, but Bruce answered his phone the same way every time.

“We got the car. It’s abandoned, but they drove out of the city. Parked near the woods.”

Dick, Tim, Jason, and Damian all wanted to go search with their father, but Alfred assured Bruce that he’d have them finish their dinners. Bruce gave each one of them a kiss on the head and promised to be home at a reasonable hour (which Alfred would hold him to, bless the man) before he rushed off.

It took a little while to get to the coordinates that Gordon sent, but when he did, he found detectives and cops and even civilian-organized search parties. It warmed Bruce’s heart, how much the city adored you. They knew you as Mrs Wayne, the kind and brave detective.

He joined the search as Batman, looking high and low. He got deep into the woods when finally, he found something. A group of costumed people all looking around, some confused, some awed. Bruce could tell they didn’t belong.

“Identify yourself,” he growled, coming out of the shadows and approaching them.

They all turned to him suddenly. No one moved or said anything for a second, until a redheaded woman came forward. She looked to be around your age, maybe a couple years older.

“This is probably going to come as a shock, but please, hear me out,” the woman began.

“I don’t ‘hear’ people out. Identify yourself, now,” Bruce demanded, in no mood for games.

The woman sighed softly. “Fine. You can call me te Black Widow. Back home, I — we — are known as the Avengers. We’re looking for someone named Y/N,” she told him.

[thegurlwhoisntthere]

Currently thinking about The Batfam and what Hogwarts houses people usually put them in vs what house I think they’re actually in, Let’s go:

Starting off with Dick Grayson, he’s the oldest and most of the fandom knows him as “the golden boy”! The original Robin and the mother hen mediator of his siblings… he works so very hard to keep this reputation, inside he is a feral feral child. Defo got some anger issues that he shoves down because he blames himself for Jason’s death of reasons. Most people put him in either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. As an adult, I agree he does fit these houses… however. The children of Hogwarts do not get sorted as fleshed out adults, they get sorted as feral 11 year olds. And 11 year old dick was as feral as they come. I think what house he’s in really depends on what age you think he was when his parents were murdered. The most accepted ages are 8-12, which means that there’s some wiggle room here. Pre-orphan hood I feel like he could swing that Gryffinpuff nature that many people believe him to be. However, if this is after the accident, I believe that it would be a toss up between Gryffindor and Slytherin depending on how long ago it happened. If it’s 8-9 I believe it’d be closer to Gryffindor because he’d have more time to settle into his role as Robin and maybe he’s starting to lean more toward Reckless and fun than “I will murder those that have wronged me” that early orphan-hood brought him. If he was 10-11 and still feeling that rage, then Slytherin.

Next we have Jason Todd-Wayne! Second Oldest… kinda, I think he and Cass are tied. Second Robin and first adopted, Jason grew up on the streets of Crime Alley and his tough skin showcased that. But! Don’t let his past fuel you, this boy is famous for his “Robin makes me Magic” quote (I’m so sorry if that’s not the actual quote, but I’m not doing research this is vibes and past knowledge only) and made Batman wait until he was finished with his homework to go on Patrol. Though Famous for his death, Resurrection and anger issues and murder, once again he did not die until 15/16, so we will be sorting him based on his 11 year old self. Now, honestly I don’t know where most people sort him beyond Ravenclaw because the Ravenclaw people are correct. This man has valued education since the day he was born. Pre-adoption or not, the moment he hears that Ravenclaw has a built in Library he was never going anywhere else.

Down the line we have Timothy “Tim” Drake-Wayne! Third Robin, ace photographer and Detective, he figured out who Batman was when he was 9. I don’t feel like Tim needs much explaination for me to say Slytherin, but I’ll give a bit anyway. It’s commonly believed that as an adult, Tim would be in Slytherin. It’s also commonly believed that the only reason he doesn’t kill is because Bruce doesn’t allow it. At 11 years old, not adopted by Bruce or in regular contact with him at all and criminally neglected, Tim has no super vision, resources, a brilliant mind, and too much time on his hands. When I say he would do anything to get what he wants, or what he thinks needs to happen, he fucking will.

Alright! Next up we have Stephanie Brown! Now I will be so honest, a lot of these next characters I don’t know a lot about them or their backgrounds, so I will be trying my best. This girl has ✨daddy issues✨, her dad is the knock off Riddler: Cluemaster. She grew up in Gotham proper, though I don’t know the specific neighborhood. She donned a mask costume to take him down herself, running into the third Robin, befriending him and eventually takes over for him a bit when his dad’s being a Debby downer. Valiantly refuses to be adopted by Batman. Very tough, very classy, I dub her a Gryffindor through and through… Although she can get into the Ravenclaw common room with ease.

Following her, we’ve got the legend herself Cassandra Cain-Wayne. Raised to be a living weapon by her father and escaped him after her first kill, she was never taught how to speak, only read body language. Found by Barbara Gordon at… 16? I think, she was eventually either taught how to sign and speak or had her brain magically rewired to understand speech and learned it alongside sign then. Again, don’t really understand her personality, but from what I’ve read she has a vicious sense of right and wrong and a mischievous streak just as long and wide and her brother’s, though the adults never suspect her. At 11 years old, I feel like she would find a home in Hufflepuff. She doesn’t quite know who she is, but she’s hard working and vicious like a badger if you fuck with her.

Finishing off the Batgirls, we have the original: Barbara Gordon! Originally Batgirl, now Oracle, I have no idea where people normally put her. I can see her going into any house: she’s hard working and kind like Hufflepuffs, Reckless and Brave like Gryffindor, Cunning and Resourceful like Slytherin, and Smart and Creative like Ravenclaw. I’m leaning toward Slytherin for her as an adult, but I don’t know a lot about her younger self to say anything too definitively. Maybe Gryffindor when she’s young and reckless, but grows into Slytherin more and more? Or maybe just Slytherin through and through.

And now, rounding off the Robins, we have Damian Al Ghul Wayne! Son of Talia Al Ghul and Bruce Wayne, Damian was raised to be the perfect assassin with the disposition and arrogance of a prince. His entrance to the family was rocky, but he’s grown more and more into his place as time passed. If he’s very new to the family at 11, Slytherin without any doubts. Two and a half years and on, I think he’s a Hufflepuff who’s got a lot of Slytherin habits. He was raised to beat down his kindness and natural loyalty, but being with Bruce, Dick and the rest of his family brings it out more and more with each year. So, the longer he’s with them, the more chance I think he has of being in Hufflepuff, though I do believe it’s really just down to him deciding, similar to Harry in the books.

And Last, but most certainly not least, we have the newest member of the family: Duke Thomas! Not yet adopted by Bruce (and maybe never, we don’t know) Duke is the only Metahuman member of the Batfamily. His parents were rendered insane by the Joker when he was young and he was pushed into the system… I think. For probably the fourth time in this post, I’m not as familiar with his character. I know at some point he either started a child gang or was one of the leaders of a child gang called “we are Robin”, so while he never had a Batman as Robin, he did don the symbol at some point. Now I know Duke like Poetry, was kind of a loner before he joined the Robin gang, and that a lot of people debate whether or not he’s chill or just as insane as his other siblings. In my opinion, he’s just as insane, but when he first got to the manor he was kinda nervous and accidentally conned everyone into thinking that he was normal, when in fact, he’s there for a reason. At 11, I believe that his parents had already been Jokered, so similar boat to baby Dick, but I feel like the toss up is between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, rather than Gryffindor (though that was briefly considered). Idk I think anyone who’s part of a child gang is gonna be cunning and Ambitious, but also I’ve read a lot of things where he’s quite creative, good at thinking outside the box, good at writing Poems, and good with Brain teasers, so I think he wouldn’t be out of place in Ravenclaw.

And those are my opinions on the batfamily and their Hogwarts houses. I forgot while writing the post that I could’ve included Bruce and Alfred, so: Bruce is Gryffindor, Alfred is Slytherin and I won’t be explaining that further. Good day and good night ���

Tell me ur opinions please please please please ple-

[ultimate-marysue]

My personal body headcanons for the Batfam

Bruce: He is a tank made of pure muscle. Like many other users have put forward (recommend especially @frownyalfred posts on the matter), that's not an easy feat to pull off. It is a testament to Bruce's willpower and dedication to Batman that he's even able to maintain it. Also, I think he took really good care of his scars in the beginning so they would be as inconspicuous as possible when sleeping around as Brucie. Once he gets older and leans more into the father persona he stops caring as much for anything that's going to be covered by his suits and shirts.

Barbara: I hated the fact that her disability got completely erased, so that's the first difference. If you want to have her be Batgirl again, you should do what Gotham Knights did and make it so there are lasting effects and limitations. I'm sorry, but it feels so cheap to me that they just erased disability rep cause they didn't know how to write a strong disabled woman. Skill issue. Also Barbara is built like a brick in my heart of hearts, she's a rectangle with the density of a neutron star. I also think she has one of the healthiest and normal diets of the Bats, mainly cause the physical requirements of Oracle aren't nearly as demanding.

Dick Grayson: I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here by saying Dick Grayson has the perfect acrobat's body. My headcanon is that he gets it naturally. Not that he can just do whatever you want, sadly with their line of work you need to meet a series of requirements. I mean it in the sense of 1) proportions 2) really high metabolism from constant exercise since he was a child, probably the fastest tied with Cass 3) he doesn't need to work out as much outside patrol as the rest to keep his body mass. Every single robin after him low-key hates him for creating a fighting style that only he can do effortlessly.

Cassandra Cain: like mother like daughter, my girl is thick. None of that waifish, delicate ballerina shit. She's short and she has muscles most humans haven't heard of. Average goon tries to knock this 5 feet nothing girl only to be met by an unmovable object. Also, probably contender for top most scarred bat of all. She just looks like she could fuck your shit up without breaking a sweat and that's probably because she could. Also I think she has short legs, giving her an even lower center of gravity. She's just a brick wall.

Jason Todd: my man is one of the few bitches in this family with a normal, healthy, percentage of body fat. He's built like a strong man instead of a body builder, and the fact that he can be sneaky with all that mass is terrifying. I think for a minute there he wondered what he was doing wrong and why he didn't look as lean as Bruce. Then he figured what Bruce had to do to keep Batman's body in line and Jason said "fuck that, I'm not doing all that". In his villain self destructive era that waist was snatched, but the second he started taking actual care of his body it did what body's do. Considering how he mixes so many fighting techniques I can see him building his fighting style around his needs instead of the other way around.

Steph: she's the curviest of the Batgirls, which is why she favors so much the "indistinct blob" silhouette. As any woman with a boobs size above an B cup will tell you: people get disgusting really quick. I think part of her struggles with Robin was trying to wrangle her developing body into a fighting style designed for a very naturally lean boy. Balancing is harder when you have a large set of bazonkers, they don't tell you this in the comics but it is the truth. She also lacks the super fast metabolism other Bats have, and I can see her trying really hard to fit in the mold only to realize as she grows older that she can do her own thing.

Tim: I think Tim, growing up as society kid and then forcing himself into the Robin role, never learned what eating healthy is. I headcanon him having some sort of ED (I think he would evolve through a few of them as he grew up), not because I like throwing angst at characters (though I do) but because it makes sense to me giving his background and personality. EDs are not only about "looking thin", but also about feeling in control. Also, Tim hanging onto the Robin title reminds me of child actors trying to force their developing body's to stop at a kid size so they can keep playing their character. I could write a whole post about it, but for what's relevant, the ED headcanon doesn't mean Tim is just super thin. I think his body is fluctuates the most out of any of the Bats, depending on where he's at mentally and age wise.

Duke Thomas: my boy is built for parkour. He's got the longest limbs in the family, he's got the reach. He keeps waiting for puberty to hit him like a train and give him Jason/Bruce levels of muscle mass, but he's just too tall. Like, yes, he can bench press Jason, but proportionally he's so much taller than all of them by then he just looks noodly. When he puts on the body armor though he makes Batman look like a Barbie doll. Anytime he's looming about, Jason accuses him of overcompensating. Duke just pretends to not be able to hear him from up above. Also pls DC give him long hair that floats around him in the same way Batman's cape does?? Pls, just give him magic girl hair that defies gravity.

Damian: I've said this before but this poor child grew up being told he'd one day be as huge as his dad but grows up to be Talia 2.0. I think he does inherit Bruce's height, but is distraught to never be hulking mountain of muscle like OG Batman. Little does he know Bruce isn't naturally that big either, and it's only through frankly unhealthy means he maintained that body. Everyone else agrees to never tell Damian about it so he won't even think to try it, and instead focus on reassuring him he's more than strong enough to inherit the title if that's what's bothering him. It ends up playing in his favor, Cass is proof that you don't need to be huge to instill the fear of God into people. And the way he moves, like a panther stalking his prey, is more than enough to make the rogues quake.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Keepsafes

Fandom: Batman, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Martha and Thomas survive, and they adopt the batkids.

Chapters: 53/?

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Dent, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, David Cain, Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake

Relationships: Thomas Wayne/Martha Wayne/Alfred Pennyworth, BruHarvey, BruTalia

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Hurt/Comfort, Bruce Wayne is Not Batman, Angst, Alfred Pennyworth Knows All, Bruce Wayne Only Has One Child, Bruce Wayne is Not An Only Child, Bi Bruce Wayne, Unsafe for Work

Chapter Fifty-Three: Body Shots

Bruce licked the salt off of Talia’s wrist, took a shot, and kissed her as he retrieved the lime from her mouth. He finally lay on her chest, laughing and panting after hours together. “Bruce,” Talia laughed. 

“I’m drunk,” Bruce giggled. Talia nodded as she tousled a hand through his sweaty hair. “You’re myyyyy moonlight love…” 

Talia laughed as she listened to him sing. She softened as he belted the words, soaking in the sweet sincerity of the song as he slurred the lyrics. The openness in which he expressed his excitement to be reunited with Talia, warmed her heart, swallowing up any darkness that followed her there. “You should sleep, beloved,” Talia whispered in her father’s tongue. Bruce’s singing faded to humming, and she repeated herself, wondering if he no longer understood her.

“We’ll meet in the moonlight again,” Bruce sang in the same language, and Talia stared up at the ceiling, smiling with a warmth that she specifically reserved for him. 

“We’re drunk,” Talia whispered.

“I know. I’m just… so happy to be with you,” Bruce mumbled, “I’ve missed you so much. I wish tonight could be forever.” 

“I will remember tonight forever, beloved,” Talia whispered. Bruce climbed up the bed until he could kiss her cheek. 

**

Bruce woke up early, his hair sticking up with salt, sugar, lime juice, and cocktails adhering to and staining his skin and scalp. He was naked and hard against her leg, so he rolled out of bed and started towards the bathroom before Talia stopped him. She ran her hands up his back as she rested her chin on his right shoulder. “Are you leaving?” Talia asked. 

“Hmm, I was gonna take a cold shower,” Bruce whispered. 

“Wouldn’t you rather have sex again?” Talia asked. Bruce got back in bed and laid on his back while Talia climbed on top facing him. Bruce raised his knees behind her, planting his feet as he moaned. Talia hooked her hands under his knees, and he held her waist to give her a little more leverage. “How was your reunion with Harvey?” 

“Hold on. Hold on, fuck… Um, Harvey,” Bruce panted as he held her hips in place. “Sex?”

“Yes,” Talia replied. Bruce laughed. “I’m curious.” 

“He was put off by the absence of my scar, but we went at it all night,” Bruce answered as he slowly started to lift her up. 

Talia tossed her head back as she bounced up and down faster and faster. “ Went at it? It sounds like you were fighting,” Talia laughed as one of Bruce’s hands strayed to her clit, circling with his thumb. “Keep going. Keep going.” Bruce couldn’t think any further as he approached his threshold. He came inside her as she rode him, and he held on until she came a little while after. His dick slipped out of her, along with some of his cum, and she lay on his chest. 

Bruce wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t wanna go, but I promised my sister,” Bruce whispered. He kissed her cheek as he chuckled. 

**

Bruce waltzed into the manor around six in the morning in his jogging sweats, humming as he sipped a coffee. Thomas turned around, and Bruce set his coffee down and grabbed Thomas’ hands, leading him in a dance. “I hear singing and there’s no one there,” Bruce sang as he danced with Thomas in the kitchen. 

“I called Harvey this morning. Where’d you go?” Thomas asked as Bruce glided across the floor, dragging him along. 

“I smell blossoms and the trees are bare,” Bruce sang, ignoring his father’s question. 

Thomas chuckled. “Come now, chum. Where’ve you been? I was worried about you,” Thomas attempted to chastise Bruce, but he couldn’t stop laughing. “Put an old man’s heart at ease. Have you been drinking?”

“I took a cab there and back. How’s it going, dear old Dad?” Bruce asked. 

“You’re scaring me, here. What’s going on?” Thomas questioned in reply. 

Bruce spun Thomas around and returned to their little dance. Martha and Alfred entered the room and watched, laughing. “Young man, can you unhand your father for a moment? We’ve been worried sick about you. You haven’t answered any of our texts,” Martha stated. Bruce traded dance partners, taking Martha on a waltz around the counter. “Bruce Thomas Wayne.”

“All day long I seem to walk on—.” 

“A woman,” Martha realized, “Love?” 

“I wonder why,” Bruce sang. He kissed Martha’s cheek. 

“Master Bruce,” Alfred chastised him, and Bruce took Alfred for a dance around the counter. Martha smiled and kissed Thomas’ cheek. “Master Bruce.”

Bruce giggled. “I actually need to talk to Dad in private later,” Bruce stated as he held a finger to his lips. “I’m still a little drunk.” 

Thomas sat down and laughed. “Drink your coffee and eat some of my toast. We’ll talk later on,” Thomas replied. Cassandra came into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes, and Bruce picked her up. 

“Did you ask Mom and Dad?” Bruce questioned. Cassandra nodded and smiled. “Let’s get started then.”

**

Thomas poked his head into Bruce’s room to see Bruce fast asleep on the floor. “Hey, Bruce?” Thomas whispered. Bruce stirred. “Bruce, at least get in—.”

“It’s serious,” Bruce mumbled. 

Thomas sat down on the ground, and Bruce lay over his lap. “What do you mean? Are you hurt?” Thomas questioned. 

“No… It’s the opposite. I um—. Last night, I—.” Bruce rolled onto his back and stared up at Thomas’ face. “Do you ever wish I’d turned out different?” 

“No. I wouldn’t change you for anything in this world. Why? Did you do something you think I’d be disappointed about?” Thomas asked. 

Bruce rolled off Thomas’ lap and lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. “I love her. I wouldn’t be so—. I love her,” Bruce whispered. 

“What happened?” Thomas asked. 

“I didn’t use a condom last night,” Bruce answered. 

“Bruce—.”

“I know it’s irresponsible, but she doesn’t—. I wouldn’t—.”

“Bruce. I’m not mad at you. You’re an adult. I worry about you. I worry that you’re a little extreme, but I trust you. I try not to interfere too much because you’re much too old for me to tell you what to do or how to do it,” Thomas reassured as he lay beside Bruce on the floor. “What’s she like?” 

“Oh, Dad… She’s unlike any woman I’d ever met. She has this way of making your blood run cold when she walks in the room, but you speak to her… She’s so—. She’s warm. She’s thoughtful, adventurous, and ambitious. I love her so much, Dad. Look at me,” Bruce whispered. 

Thomas chuckled. “Does Harvey know about her?” Thomas questioned. 

“Mhm. He knows her name and that I’d been holding a torch for her. I can’t explain it, but I know we were meant for each other. I haven’t felt like this about anyone other than Harvey,” Bruce whispered. Thomas smiled. “Oh! And I’m not sleeping on the job. Cassie’s slumber party is almost completely planned.” 

“Thank you for talking to her before you left last night. You made a big difference,” Thomas whispered. 

“It’s the least I could do. I know what it felt like to be weird growing up. No one at home ever made me feel bad for being different. I owe that to her now,” Bruce replied, “We’re both a little weird, but I’m glad she’s finding her way.”

“And Dick?” Thomas asked.

“He’s in high school now. What made him weird back then makes him popular now. Just wait until his junior year,” Bruce laughed. Thomas laughed and shook his head. 

“If you say so, Bruce,” Thomas smiled.

[cardcaptorsakura29]

Tim Drake HC if he never became robin

(Let's face it, no way he was normal. the brain rot is real)

He was thirteen when Jason died, and he was getting pretty concerned for Bruce, but also getting really off put by the violence becuase batman was never that violent

This pretty much culminates in THE INCIDENT

Tim isn't even taking pictures that night, he had after school detention, and because he knew gotham so well, was decently more muscular then the average person and very fast, he was taking his time

He watches batman almost kill someone. The man will never be able to walk again.

He calls the police, and continues hiding and following Bruce, because something was going on, and lets face it, he didn't really have any plans.

He doesn't know this, but lady shiva is in gotham, and doing the same thing

It turns out theres a villan AND hero intervention going on, where clark may or may not be guilt tripping bruce HARD into getting help

However, before Tim can trail him to the intervention, someone catches his eye

He's not that well dressed, Suit looks nice-ish, but the tie is obviously thrifted, and his watch is a little too good (classic signs of working for a gang, intimidation, spurts of money, clearly not knowing how to spend smart)

Tim decides that this is more important. Plus, what's he going to do tailing batman? Get caught while not even doing anything? No thank you

It turns out that guy worked falcon, and long story short, Tim ends up fighting a bunch of gang members in a wearhouse.

He takes out around half before, Oh lookie there, its batman, and he's rescheduled his intervention till the morning.

Tim is proper injured, a few good bruises and a couple generously bleeding cuts.

Then, because batman is fighting everyone in the warehouse, not just goons, because he doesn’t know what Tim is doing there, skewers him to the wall with a batarang.

Tim pretends to be knocked out but is going what the fuck batman inside his head

Shiva, who has been watching this entire encounter, and was very impressed by someone with little to no formal training goes and drops down menacingly from the rafters

She offers to train Tim and he's like sure ;-;

They go back to paris, and just to say, Tim's parents aren't just MIA. They straight up moved out of gotham and keep limated contact with tim, just making sure CPS doesn't get them into legal trouble

Tims fine with that too

So, in paris, Tim and lady shiva are kicking ass. Tim is learning to play dirty but also gains a strict code

He's very clear that he wont kill anyone, and that he believes keeping them alive is a sign of strength. that he wasn't so weak that killing them was his only option

They disagree but eventually Tim's pretty good at combat and Shiva sends him on his marry way (he beats her in a fight by drugging some food she ate four days prior and wouldn't set in until she was testing him)

Tim starts moonlighting league of assassins, just doing whatever really, and finds out the holly shit, Talia had a thing for bruce and his dead hero jason, brought jason back to life, send him and their secret love child to gotham, and also disrespected Ra's

He thinks shes so cool, and decides to drop by gotham, yk go home, throw in a public appearance with his parents, try the new zelda game

TURNS OUT HIS PARENTS DIE ON THE WAY OVER, ON HIS FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY

What the flip man, says Tim, on live television, reading a text finding out his parents are dead.

He doesn't say what the text was about though, so the people of gotham make a twitter meme about some rando kid at a gala

The whole things kinda a disaster anyway, so its fine (its later known as The Gala of [insert year])

Dick Grayson just got back from traveling (space) and finds out Jason and Dami are alive/exist, and tries hiding in the back, ending up in the same room as Tim

_______________

"Why are you back here?" Dick Grayson asks the black haired kid sitting at the table, playing what looks like a knock off of neopets. "My parents just died." He says sagely, not looking up from his phone. Dick doesn't really know how to respond to that but ask more questions. "How- uh how did they die?"

Black haired kid shrugs.

[suzukiblu]

gotham

Kon's in Gotham, which would be less of a problem if it were the right Gotham.

Possibly his reality doesn't exist anymore, is the thing. He's trying very, very hard not to concentrate on that fact until he gets more information, though.

Currently, he's standing in the middle of an emergency triage center with a few hundred more refugees from varying dimensions, and he can't do anything actually superhero-ish or even too noticeably useful because he's wearing a fucking gala-quality bespoke suit that Tim bought him. So, like, way too nicely dressed for a refugee situation or really just any damn normal situation.

If he had to end up in another reality, at least he could've been wearing his superhero costume or his work clothes from the farm, but no, this particular interdimensional crisis just had to pop up during "suffer through another ridiculously fancy Wayne gala on Tim's arm in the name of charity" date night.

Why not, right?

So yes, Kon's in a triage center, waiting to get "processed" as a refugee and hoping to high hell that the local Batman doesn't hate Supers and isn't a supervillain. He'd considered sneaking out of the center altogether to go and get a better idea of what's going on firsthand, but people in the crowd keep randomly freaking out and everyone's tense as hell and he's a little bit concerned that something might be about to go down. Like, it's Gotham, and this whole setup seems like a very tempting target for people with dubious morals to swoop in and start shit.

As far as Kon knows, he's the only refugee in this specific center who's not a standard civilian, and it's hard to just clear out and leave everyone here to the tender mercies of whatever random assholes feel like making trouble for no good reason. There's just so many older people and so many kids, is the thing. Kon is . . . well, physiologically twenty-two, at least, and is a very clear outlier in the group. Mostly it's people over sixty and kids under twelve, for whatever reason. And a whole lot of the kids keep crying on and off and the older people are all clearly stressed as fuck.

Which is fair, since again, possibly all their realities are gone.

. . . technically he probably does count as under twelve, come to think.

Hm.

Eh, whatever.

Kon has spent a whole hell of a lot of time cheering up frightened little kids and soothing panicked adults in the four hours he's been in this triage center and it has been fucking exhausting. At this point, if any Gotham rogue shows their face and even looks at a single one of these people, Kon's going to just fucking deck them. Like, fuck whatever the local Batman's rules about metas and vigilantes are, Kon does not have the patience for anything else.

Right now, though, he's currently just focused on the very distressed pair of identical little girls on either side of him who are not twins and are absolutely terrified of each other.

"Hey, it's okay, Mallory," he says gently, and the girls sniffle in perfect unison.

"But she's scary!" they both blurt, and then they both whimper in fright, and then they both start crying.

Not ideal, Kon thinks. The local version of Mallory is in the awkward position of having had two alternates of herself pop up from two different realities and both land in her family's apartment, and the local versions of her parents are currently arguing with the aid workers about not separating them from their alternate daughters. Kon's half-eavesdropping–they're not that far away, the workers couldn't convince them to break line of sight–and they're both insisting on at least one of them being allowed to stay in the refugee center with the Mallorys. The local Mallory looks a little worried about things, but not as much as her displaced alternates do.

Well, she's the one currently with her actual parents and still in her own definitely-not-destroyed reality, so yeah, that makes sense. The other two Mallorys are just hiding from their other selves on either side of Kon, who can't keep his damn nose out of anything.

Really, actually, Mallory is a pretty lucky kid. Kon didn't even get this good a reception to showing up unexpectedly in his home dimension, and he's heard a lot of horror stories about people getting attacked or chased off by freaked-out locals already today.

Kon had just popped up alone in the middle of an empty ballroom, himself. He'd had to talk to a couple of security guards, but they'd had the news on already and the emergency broadcast had explained what the fuck was going on pretty quick. One of them had given him a water bottle and a candy bar while the other'd called the emergency hotline listed on the TV to figure out where to send him and they'd really both just rolled with the whole situation. That'd been pretty nice of them, Kon had thought.

People are awful, sometimes, but also amazing sometimes.

"Listen," he says reassuringly, dropping into a crouch between the Mallorys, who both clutch anxiously at his weird fancy Tim-chosen jacket as he puts a hand on both of their backs. "It really is okay. I know it's scary, but your parents are gonna make sure you get taken care of, and the aid workers are gonna help them out."

"But–" they both start, and then both make frightened noises again and cover their mouths with their free hands. Whatever realities they happen to be from, they are clearly very similar ones. The local Mallory wasn't talking in unison with either of them, but they keep overlapping each other without meaning to, and she's wearing a pink corduroy dress but they're both in the same black denim overalls. Different shirts, at least, but their hair's identically braided and beaded where hers is in afro puffs.

"This is weird and crazy, but you're not alone," Kon says firmly, patting their backs. "Your mom and dad have your backs."

He wonders what that would be like, having not only parents but parents who'd just roll with alternate dimension versions of you to the point that they wouldn't leave them in a government-sponsored refugee center, but quickly shoves the thought aside to focus on the actual issue.

Maybe Ma and Pa would come get him if they knew, he thinks for a moment, the thought slipping through the cracks, and then feels like an idiot. He's not a teenager anymore. Was never even a kid, technically. And also he's a literal superhero anyway.

That'd be stupid, for them to bother doing that for an alternate version of the guy who spent a couple years crashing in their real kid's old room before running off to San Francisco.

Hell, for all he knows, this reality's version of them doesn't even know him at all.

Seems likelier than not.

[laiosynth]

remembering i can just post about whatever i want whenever i want

KABRU AND THE BATS AU HCS !!

(for context, an AU where kabru and tim have switched places in the multiverse at birth. i'll make tim's post soon)

- kabru was convinced dick was going to kill him when he first met him as nightwing and accidentally gave away that he knew their secret identities. ever since, dick has been unbelievably gentle with kabru while also being SO relentless in his teasing. kabru will always be known as "the crazy one" to dick and it confuses everyone else.

- kabru and bruce are literally exactly the same. kabru acts like a tiny version of bruce to everyone (in reality, he's just paranoid-- and also knows exactly how bruce's paranoia works, as well.)

- when kabru first arrives at wayne manor, dragged there LITERALLY carried by the scruff by dick, he still puts on his absolute best manners when greeting alfred at the door. alfred was ready to keep him right then and there.

- kabru freaks out, panics, and starts biting people whenever he accidentally acts like a real boy in front of the bats for the first month he knows them. real of him

- kabru has an entire complex view of the world and the people in it and himself-- he sees himself as a fox, wearing a mask to fit in with the world of hounds. a mask, to him, is a tool to survive.

- when kabru goes to save batman and nightwing from scarecrow, he doesn't take the robin suit. he just takes a domino. kabru doesn't take the title of robin like tim did.

- when jason attacks the titan tower, kabru survivors by using EXTENSIVE psychological warfare and then forcing the guy on a 5-day road trip from the west coast back to the east with him. this somehow works.

- jason hates kabru and also would kill and die for him. calls him "foxface" ever since kabru told him about the fox in a mask thing.

- kabru hates jason but also relies on him for literally all of his emotional needs and also would drop everything at any moment if jason asked

- jason has forced kabru to watch star wars and read the hobbit. kabru forced jason to read PJO

- when damian arrived, kabru was instructed "absolutely NO psychoanalysis". he did not listen

- damian, surprisingly, did not see kabru as that much of a threat. kabru took advantage of this big time

- they bonded surprisingly quickly. kabru showed damian how to use kohl, and they bonded over a shared interest in fashion and clothing as a tool

- kabru quickly became damian's favorite, to everyone's dismay

- when cass first arrived, she didn't like kabru that much. he had a lot to hide, and she didn't like that. she could sense the apprehension and careful precision in every movement of his, and she didn't trust it in the slightest.

- until she realized that he was just a weirdo, and resolved to fix his caution with Extreme Prejudice (lots and lots of love)

- kabru doesn't know what to think of cass at first, because she's... almost entirely unmasked. the only mask she wears is one that's entirely blank.

- she grows on him. aggressively.

- steph didn't like him very much for a long, long time. kabru could tell why- his mask was working too well. and she didn't like his mask at all. "mr perfect goody two-shoes" was her go-to nickname for him.

- the only thing that fixes the disconnect (because kabru's too scared to take OFF his mask, that's too far) is dick telling the story of the time kabru bit him. kabru is mortified. steph is delighted. and a bit disappointed she hadn't realized he was just a Freak earlier.

- duke figures out his act quickly and harshly. kabru is a bit worried, actually, until he realizes that people have just started chalking his entire mask and persona up to "bat weirdness"

- duke gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder when kabru realizes this crisis

- bruce is trying SO HARD at this point to bond with kabru any further than "batman and protege"-- pulls out all the stops! calls him chum, literally OFFERS TO ADOPT HIM. kabru is fucking oblivious to bruce's attempts.

- (he's in denial. everyone in the batfam has to get on their case to shake some sense into him)

uhhhh thatd all right now. yay

[luciusime]

Everyday I draw a little closer to writing an mla format very long essay on the complex and nuanced relationship between Bruce, Damian, and Dick. It infuriates and saddens me when people boil it down to Dick being Damian's father without considering the implications of that fatherhood and the conditions it was fostered under. Would you tell a kidnapping victim that they couldn't be a father to their son? No? Then why do people rob Bruce of the opportunity to be a father to Damian? Why does Dick get to be the oh so perfect golden child even when he's hurt at least two of his siblings with his actions from the time Jason first got to the manor, to the time he ripped all that was keeping Tim stable from his hands? If parents are allowed to fuck up, why isn't Bruce allowed to work his way back to, if not forgiveness, then at least stable ground for his less reprehensible actions.( not including things like killing his children, sending them on useless or unwanted quests/missions, or not avenging or correcting their deaths. The children are allowed to be upset and never forgive those things). Has anyone ever stopped to think about the implications of Dick being Damian's father? How if you add that on top of his unwanted stint as batman, it makes him uncomfortably close to being Bruce, something he has never wanted and will never want? Why do people only ever write nuanced and complex fics about Bruce's relationship with Tim and Jason? Why is it so hard to find fics of him being nice to Dick and Damian? Are they undeserving of having Bruce affirm his love for them? Why is Damian never treated like the traumatized child he is, when Cassandra, with a similar upbringing and background, is treated with so much tenderness in the few fics she has that center around her. Why is he labeled demon, murderer; a mindless, brainless 10 year old assassin with no morals? Is he not allowed time to heal from his time in a literal cult?

And while I'm rambling on, do people ever stop to consider the delicate tightrope work Talia must have had to do to be allowed to keep her son? Not even as just Ra's heir, but as her son. Talia has always been assassin before she was mother, and those two things don't mix well when you have the amount of enemies she does. And when one of those enemies is your own father? You learn quickly what will and will not fly. The designs she must have had to make, and the horrors she must have had to witness and inflict upon her child to keep them both from dying must have been immense.

I think about these topics alot. I could totally write a whole character study about it.

[toriafiction]

Another WIP (I have too many 😭)

After a universe is obliterated, collapsing in on itself like when a star devolves into a black hole, the two neighboring universes shift and collide. However, instead of completely destroying one or both of them, the two are merging. This means that instead of having two Batmen in this newly developing universe, the two men merge. This new Batman now has new memories for his entire life that is a nice seamless balance of the two different men he used to be, and he is none the wiser that this even happened.

This is how it is for everyone.

That's not great, but it doesn't sound too bad, right?

Except anyone who doesn't have a double is just disappearing altogether. People like Stephanie, who in the other universe died in her first couple of days as Spoiler before she ever even met the Bats. Or Dick, who died that awful night with his parents in Haly's circus.

Dick and Steph blink out of existence, and nobody knows because their new memories smooth it out like they never existed beyond the point of their deaths.

For everyone except Jason. Why does Jason remember when nobody else does? Unbeknownst to them, it's because of how he came back to life.

When Superboy-Prime alters reality from the paradise dimension in which he is trapped—his punches against the barrier keeping him from the rest of the universe causes temporal ripples that create an overlap of parallel timelines (Hypertime). This is what brings Jason back to life (as in the paradise dimension, he survives the Joker's assault).

Jason is already overlapped by another universe, and as such, when these two try to merge it affects him differently.

He wakes up in the parsonage of a church he is now apparently the priest of with two complete and separate sets of memories. In one set, he is simply Father Todd. In the other set, he remembers everything.

He remembers the moment the two universes started to merge. He and Dick had just been going to bed after a light and playful night of patrol. The downright joyful mood had easily flowed into the bedroom as they settled in. It had been a warm and loving moment full of adoration.

Then, everything changed in a fraction of a second. Dick had seized up, his eyes going wide and alarmed. He desperately clutched at Jason, gasping his name. Then, he just seemed to fade away slowly. Jason tried to hold on to him, but his body had lost all corporeality. It was like Dick had become a ghost right before his eyes, and Jason had never felt so helpless.

Jason tries going to Batman and the rest of the family, but everything is all wrong, and they don't know him. Batman is Batman, but Tim is going by a name he never has before. Damian is nowhere to be seen at first, but a little research shows that he spent a couple of months with Bruce before returning to his mother. Babs is Oracle and has turned Batgirl over to Cas.

Jason has no idea what the hell has happened or how to fix this when no one will give him the time of day. None of his contacts know who he is, so they won't deal with him.

Jason decides to play it the only way he really knows how. Brutally hard. If they don't want to listen, he will make them.

Jason breaks into the cave and fills an inflatable bag with gear, including an unadorned base layer of armor for Batman. He and Bruce are close enough in size he can make it work. He throws the bag into the cave's waterway. Jason knows where it will come out, and he will get it later. Still, this is too important to fuck up, so he slipped a tracker in the bag as well.

Then, he stays to confront Bruce again. He had played it safe the first time. Jason had met Batman on neutral ground on a Gotham rooftop and hadn't mentioned knowing who they were. This time, he isn't holding back.

It's ugly. It almost immediately turns into a fight. Jason does try to get through to Bruce. He tries so fucking hard! He needs Bruce on his side, but Bruce isn't listening.

Why won't Bruce ever just listen to him?!

He doesn't pull any punches, and as things continue to devolve, he strikes hurt.

"It wasn't your fault when you lost your family the first time. You were a helpless child then. This time, it will be. Fucking fight for your kids, Bruce!"

Bruce is freaked out that anyone managed to not only figure out their identities but also to break into his most fortified sanctuary. There will be time for questions and answers as soon as he has the threat secured in a cell and some form of control again.

Jason is more than holding his own against Bruce until both Tim and Cas enter the fight.

Jason doesn't know why he does it. Nothing he has said has triggered anything with any of them so far. But when Tim darts forward, going low while Bruce goes high (he has no idea where Cas is, and that's terrifying), he just shouts it out.

"Robin!"

But it's not Tim who jerks and freezes in place. Jason knows that Tim had built a considerable part of his life on and around Robin. Tim has integrated Robin into the foundation of himself on many different levels.

Hell, how could Robin mean more to anyone other than the boys who had made and worn, fought and bled, and, in Jason's case, even died in those colors?

But Bruce slams into a complete standstill, and his expression is so tortured as if that single word has entirely shattered him.

Who cares about Robin more than the boys themselves?

Bruce's episode is enough of a distraction for Jason to make his getaway, and it confirms that somewhere buried incredibly deep, the memories still exist.

They all love Dick, but the truth is he's been more crucial in some of their lives than he has been in others.

Could Jason get to Damian? Would having Damian on his side actually be any help? Would it be more productive to stay in Gotham and keep pushing at Bruce now that he has gotten a reaction from the man, or would it be better to give him some time and space and let him come to terms with whatever he has just experienced?

There is no logical reason for it, but Jason feels a near-desperate sense of urgency. It's like there is a lurid red timer ticking down until his world explodes again. Some part of him wants to freeze under the pressure, indecision weighing down on him, but that has never been Jason's style.

It's knowing what Dick would want that actually makes up his mind. Jason has been doing mental gymnastics to avoid thinking about it, but what if this can't be fixed? Damian is with the League of Assassins, being hurt, used, and brainwashed. Dick would never forgive him if he didn't save their youngest bird. Jason would never forgive himself.

He fishes his gear out of the river it has floated its way into. He pulls the tracker, not trusting that he is the only one who can trace it. He picks up a discarded plastic soda bottle, seals the tracker inside, and flings it back into the river. Hopefully, that will tie up at least one Bat for a little while.

Next, he procures himself an old cheap laptop from a second-hand electronics store. He uses it to book himself a flight. With no resources and nobody willing to talk to him he'll have to fly commercial. It'll be much slower, make him easy to track, and just a pain in the ass in general. The only luck he's had so far is that his first flight will leave early in the morning.

While he waits he spends a few hours setting the laptop up to send each Bat a message every day for the next month. He does his best to make them both personal and meaningful. He doesn't want to lose any ground he's gained with Bruce, and he also wants the others to remember.

They were all trained in detective skills, and part of that is remembering important information such as dates. And if there is one thing a Bat can't ignore, it's a mystery or a puzzle. If he gives them something to solve, then they will be thinking about it, and if they are actively thinking about it, then hopefully they'll remember something. So, quite a few of the messages contain dates with tiny hints as to what makes them special, but Jason is careful to keep a mixture of pointed questions, statements, and memorable quotes or nicknames in there as well.

A lot of the messages end up being the same for everyone. He sends them all birthday dates and the designs of the many different Robin suits, as well as the Nightwing, Spoiler, and Steph's Batgirl suits. He also sends them all the date for the night the first Robin flew by Batman's side for the first time. He did the same for Steph's first night as Robin and Batgirl.

He addresses most of Bruce's messages to Batdad even though here he hasn't adopted anyone and is only fostering Cas. Tim still lives alone in Drake Manor. It really pisses Jason off, but he is already doing the best thing he can by trying to fix this broken world.

Some of the messages that Jason sends solely to Bruce include the date for when he first brought Dick home. The date for when he (finally) officially adopted Dick, and the dates for Steph's first night as Robin as well as her last. Some of the questions he sends Bruce run along the lines of, "Have you ever held a tiny bird close to your side tucked beneath a bat's wing?"

"Who's going to swing from your chandeliers now?"

"Does the manor feel dark and empty with only Cas and Alfie? Do you expect more people when you round a corner or enter a room? Do the halls ring silent, devoid of their bright laughter and the pounding of running feet?"

"Have you ever paused in front of a door in the family wing because you know somebody should be in there?"

He addresses some of Tim's messages to baby bird. He sends him the date that he filed on the batcomputer as the one he figured out that Robin was Dick Grayson and from there who all the Bats were. The date of his first night as Robin and the date that Steph "died" followed immediately by the question, "Has love ever hit you like a brick to the face?"

Some of the others just for him are, "Who taught you how to fly, baby bird?"

"Have you ever surfed on a train?"

"There is a special kind of weight to being the middle child."

"Rooftop tag, you're it."

"Get in the car loser, we're going shopping" would be her soul words."

"Do you want a hug? Doesn't matter, octopus hold engaged."

"Glitter bombs."

He asks Babs who the "Boy Blunder" is. If she was ever lonely when working with B during her Batgirl days. Who she spent her movie nights with. He sent her two shades of purple and asked which one was right. He sent her a lot of really bad but highly memorable puns and quippy one-liners.

He does this for each of them, including Alfred.

It never once occurs to him to send them anything about himself.

This is the majority of what I have for this one. I have a couple more vague ideas for it, but nothing as put together or comprehensive. Which is why I haven't actually written it yet. 😆

Once I have the full picture, I'll go at it in earnest.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I was thinking and I got the conclusion that stalker!Tim works as an AU not because Tim is (while not a stalker) canonically a weirdo (he is) but because Bruce is canonically even more of a weirdo.

We know that just like his reaction to the fake uncle shit, after dealing with the shock that this kid figured out his identity and bonding more with his new Robin, Bruce would just compliment Tim stalker abilities and give him new ones.

And that's to say I need more of stalker Bruce creeping people up. We already have him knowing all JLA secret identities without them telling him. But we need more. I want him knowing Hal Jordan's favorite ice cream flavour or Diana's birthday or Dinah's food alergies without no one telling him. He figures Ollies favorite fucking arrow and Zatanna's favorite Barbie movie, he discovered Arthur favorite snack and how exactally Martha Kent made her fried chesse to give a perfect copy to Clark when he was missing Smallvile during a space mission. He discovered Barry's competitive pokemon team! Everyone on the JLA is freaked. They think he has a secret mind reading/guessing superpower he might not even know about but is just stalkish paranoia. The only person he can't figure things out (and it keeps he awake some nights) is Captain Marvel (he is still the first to discover Billy is a kid). Martian Manhunter is the only one that knows Bruce is just weird but he knows he has good intencions so he doesn't care.

And it isn't only with the League. He makes extensive background checks in all his kids friends. The Teen Titans (both Dick's and Damian's) are freaked out by it. The YJ is actually fine 'cause they are used to Tim and it makes sense Bruce would be like that. The Outsiders (both Jason's but also Cass and Duke's) make their personal quest to mislead him. Not to mention the civilian friends. He is less obvious about it but the kids know and it freaks them up. Steph has a serius discussion over bondaries the day Bruce asks about Crystal's dentist visit and Babs is annoyed af when he just knows things about Alysia. And not only the kids all the other batfam members! The Birds of Prey straight up told him to stop multiple times. Helena once asked Sage's help to trick Bruce, Kate just used Alfred to order him to stop. Barbara interceded in name of Montoya as if she wasn't even in the paranoid stalker game with Bruce and Tim (Babs is worse than Bruce actually). Jim Gordon thinks is cool actually. But Lucious Fox is just "kid, I love you, but Alfred needs to teach you bondaries" and "how did you know Tam's baby tooth was starting to fall before me??" (Yes Bruce does this stalker thing since he was a kid/teen)

He also does it with the Rogues. At first they don't notice it because it's normal that their oponent knows things about them but starts to get weird. Selina freaks out when Bruce tells her to say happy birthday for her cat n12 (Dollie, he called it by name) when she hadn't even introduced him to her cats yet. Riddler had a genuine breakdown when Bruce just gave him the exact perfect copy of his glasses prescrition and all to replace his broken ones during an interrogation (he needed Riddler's help against a copycat). Harley punched Bruce in the face after he correctly pointed out she had just started her period and offered heater packs for her cramps, a chocolate ice cream and some snacks while driving her to Arkham, Penguin stopped doing crime for a whole week after he had almost fainted (being a crime lord is hard) for not eating the whole day and having high blood pressure for stress reason and Bruce just gave him a snack, a bottle of water and his meds (except it wasn't his meds, Batman just had a pill of Penguin's prescription in hand and wtf), Scarecrow recomended him therapy when he somehow figure out Jon's favorite candy bar and tried to use it as a bargain for information, Joker felt very flaterred that Bruce not only knew that he made his own dye using two pre existing dye products and a mix of chemicals but had the formula including the recomended brands for everyhing.

The only person who had no reaction was Clark. Clark sees Bruce being a weird stalker as just a fact of life and no one knows how to deal with it. (It's better than Tim "I wanna be like that" and Babs "cool but I'm better " aproaches at least). Talia Al Ghul used to consider it impressive and have a flirty competition to see if Batman could figure details about her. After they stopped being an item they respected each other enough that he just stalks Talia if is related to Ra, crimes, Damian or the League.

[mattzerella-sticks]

doth protest - ao3 link

Batman fanfic, Jason Todd-centric, with Batfamily fluff & humor

Jason will show the others how 'not like Bruce' he is. Except even the best laid plans have their own way of coming undone.

Part I

            Jason is not the most like Bruce. He isn’t! It doesn’t matter that no one thought similarly, because they did this just to annoy him, because he’d been the first to say, to joke, that Tim was a miniature version of Bruce only for Tim to reverse it back onto him with everyone dogpiling on in seconds, so fast that it gave Jason whiplash.

            Except Jason was joking. The others weren’t.

            “You’re cunts. Cunts! The lot of you!”

            “You started it,” Stephanie says, hovering over his shoulder from behind the couch. Cass stands beside her, behind his other shoulder. “And don’t call us cunts because you can’t take what you try and dish.”

            “I can call whoever I want a cunt if I feel like it!”

            Damian sighs through his nose. “Real mature.”

            “I’m mature-er than you, shorty.”

            “I’m not the one pouting like a petulant little child,” Damian asks, briefly glancing up from his video game to smirk at him. “Am I, Todd?”

            “I’m not pouting.” Jason unfolds his arms and buries his hands into the couch cushions then he flattens his bottom lip, so it isn’t puckered and bulbous. “I’m saying that… you’ve got to be blinder than a –“ Don’t say it Don’t say it Don’t say it, “ – a bat –“ Dammit! “if you think that I’m anything like… like… him!”

            Tim leans against the arm of his chair to better peer at Jason, better creep him out and make his skin crawl, and he begins counting, listing his evidence using his fingers. “You two fight the same, look the same, brood the same… are the most stubborn, the most sensitive. I know you both happen to like that dumb vampire show that was based off those books but’ll never admit it when confronted.”

            “It’s not dumb!”

            “You’re the only two who order Neapolitan when we go out for ice cream,” Tim continues, “you both have the same taste in women –“

            “But not –“ “And men.”

            Tim waits, watching him with an arched brow and the barest hint of a curve to his mouth. Jason sinks deeper into the couch. He tells himself not to pout but he’s not sure if that works.

            “I can go on,” Tim says, “if you want me to, that is?”

            Jason huffs, “I think you’ve made your point…”

            “And you both can’t take a joke!” Stephanie slaps him on the shoulder, “That should���ve been the first thing you said, Tim.”

            “Well, it was so obvious…”

            “Like I said,” Jason rises and brushes his hands down his chest, flicking his hands at its creases, at imaginary dust, at them, “cunts. I’m surrounded by cunts.”

            “You’re the one acting like a cunt!” Stephanie slaps him again. Hard. It echoes in the lounge where they’d gathered and has Jason biting his cheek to keep from yelping. “So why don’t you quit acting like a brat and sit back down.”

            “No! Better I act like a bratty cunt than him.”

            “You say this as if Bruce doesn’t behave like a bratty cunt sometimes?” Cas asks him. She had enough genuine curiosity in her voice that Jason’s only response is to deflate and return to where he’d been sitting. His plop was louder than Stephanie’s slap. “Doesn’t he?”

            “Whatever,” Jason grumbles, low and under his breath, instead of answering. He folds his arms. He pouts, fuck what Damian might say, he pouts! “Would Bruce sit here and let himself be spoken to like this? I don’t think so…”

            Stephanie perches herself on his shoulder, brings her face close enough to his ear so that her whisper sends a shiver running across his spine worse than being in the same room as Mr. Freeze. “He absolutely would, and you know it.”

            She was right. Jason hated her for it. He hated pretty much everyone right then.

            Even Duke, who’d kept mostly silent until now.

            “It’s not a bad thing,” he said. “Being like Bruce.”

            “It is when I’ve spent so much of my life making my brand about how not Bruce I am!”

            “Must suck,” Stephanie chuckles, “Trying so hard to do a one-eighty that you ended up pulling a three-sixty.” She throws herself onto the couch next to Jason and drops her legs into his lap, wearing an awfully smug grin Jason wants nothing more than to claw off her face.

            He glares at her. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

            She says, “Can’t I?” and revels in how it causes the veins in his neck to twitch, to bulge, to almost burst.

            Cass soon drops onto his other side and layers her legs over Stephanie’s, probably because she anticipated how he would have thrown Stephanie onto the floor if she hadn’t intervened. His theory is confirmed with how Cass cocks her head at him and smiles bigger than Stephanie.

            “Face it, Jay,” Tim says, “you are… your father’s son.”

            He is not. He’s not! Jason is so much not like Bruce that he wants to scream it from the rooftops so loud they hear it in Metropolis, but he doesn’t since it wouldn’t matter to them how hoarse he became while denying it nor could his ego handle it if Clark heard his claim as a challenge and flew to Gotham for the sole purpose of lecturing him how admirable it was being compared to Bruce. Words wouldn’t make a difference.

            Actions however…

            “I’ll show you,” he says. Jason leaps to his feet and knocks both Stephanie’s and Cass’s legs off him. “I’ll show you all I’m not Bruce by doing something Bruce would never do.”

            “Killing?”

            “No. Not killing.” Jason rolls his eyes. For once, killing wasn’t the answer. “I’m gonna do something even better.” He leaves the room without revealing anything else, slamming the door as he exits.

            The group looks between themselves.

            “What do you think he means by that? Better than killing?”

            “Isn’t that… most things?”

            “I think the better question is,” Damian starts, this time maintaining his focus on his video game while he speaks, “do we really care enough about whatever harebrained scheme Jason whipped up to bore ourselves thinking about it?”

            No. They don’t. So, they return to what they’d been doing before Jason interrupted their day.

Part II

THE NEXT DAY

            Jason doesn’t feel very much like Bruce at this moment. In fact, he doesn’t feel much of anything other than a light, fluffy serenity that runs through his veins like molasses, that weighs heavily on his eyelids, and that stuffs his poor, dry mouth with cotton.

            Why is he standing again?

            “Right,” Jason mumbles to himself, remembering. “Water.”

            He floats out of his room, smoke trailing him as he makes his way down the manor hallway and towards the kitchen. It is an arduous journey. The manor is a humongous beast and, since Jason had last considered it, somehow grown larger between when he went inside his room and when he left it. His path seems longer than it should be, fraught with more twists and turns that threw his sense of direction into frenzy. His latest error has him shouldering open the door to the gym, stumbling inside it and catching Dick, who takes pictures of himself in the mirror, by surprise.

            “Jason!” Dick hisses. A warm blush colors his body, save the parts Jason can’t see covered by the flimsy pair of gym shorts he wears. “What are you doing here?”

            Jason ignores him. He glances around the room and mumbles, “This isn’t the kitchen.”

            “Course it’s not – what made you think this was the kitchen?”

            “I’m trying to get to the kitchen…”

            Dick strides over to Jason and studies him, their faces inches apart. Jason doesn’t blink. “Dude,” he says, scrunching his nose, “you reek. Are you high right now?”

            Jason scoffs, then laughs. “What? Why would you – are you high?”

            Dick isn’t high. He knows that. But Jason is, like Dick rightly suspected, very, very, very high. Which explains why he hadn’t thought of a better deflection than an accusation, and why he was in the gym and not the kitchen, though Jason isn’t able to understand this connection while he’s high.

            “You are,” Dick says. “You are high.” He takes a step back. “Why are you high?”

            He scoffs again and folds his arms across his chest. “Why do I need a reason to be high? Can’t I just be high… if I were. NotsayingthatIam. High.”

            “Wait. Does this have anything to do with yours and Tim’s fight yesterday?”

            “My…” It takes Jason a minute for Dick’s question to click. “How do you know about that,” he asks.

            “He texted me about it.”

            “About what?”

            “About your major meltdown from being called Bruce’s doppelganger.”

            “I’m not though,” Jason says, “because Bruce would never get high in the middle of the day. If at all.”

            “And you do?”

            Not recently. Not until now. But once the thought came to him yesterday he couldn’t deny its sound logic so during patrol last night he made a quick stop over at a dispensary – it’s legal here in Jersey – and purchased a few dubs worth of marijuana using cash he swiped off a would-be child abductor. No harm, no foul. The challenge was working up the nerve to actually follow through with his plan. He spent that entire morning staring at the pre-rolled joint, squeezing the orange bottle it came in, nervous since he wasn’t sure how smoking it would affect him. He’d never done anything harder than liquor before. It showed when he nearly hacked his lung onto the floor seconds after his first toke.

            He’d rather die than admit that, especially to his family.

            Jason chuckles and shrugs on a cocky expression, “I’m such a stoner that it took me twenty joints to even feel the slightest bit of a buzz. At least!”

            Dick’s gaze meets Jason’s. “Sure.” His skepticism was obvious. Jason still missed it.

            “Great. Glad we got that covered.” Jason jerks his thumb backwards, “If you don’t mind. I’m gonna head to the kitchen now.”

            He might trip over his feet as he exits, but only because he’s too cool to care about lifting his feet off the ground. Honest.

            Dick catches him before his face hits the floor. “Why don’t I go with you to the kitchen,” he suggests, “I was about to grab some lunch anyway.”

            Jason snorts and snickers and doesn’t think how coincidental Dick’s stomach was being. “Sure. That's where I was heading, too.”

            He assumes his search will take longer with Dick beside him. However, in his next blink, he realizes they’ve arrived at their destination.

            “Whoa,” he mumbled. “Was the kitchen always this close to the gym?”

            Dick brushes past him and towards the fridge. “Yeah. They’re actually the same room.”

            “They are?”

            He stifles a laugh and says, in his most exasperated tone, “Always. You don’t remember?”

            “No, I do… I do.”

            The kitchen and gym are actually two wholly separate rooms that exist on different floors, and Jason will realize this later on. Now, he believes what his brother told him and shuffles along to the fridge as Dick leaves it for the microwave.

            He opens the fridge door and stares. He stares. He stares for quite a while, the chill air caressing his face and the background hum causing Jason to forget exactly why he was in the kitchen to begin with. Jason smacks his tacky lips together in thought. He cannot recall his reason why.

            Then, Bruce enters the kitchen with a grunt and a passing “You’re up early,” from Dick and all that serenity Jason felt shatters into a puddle of broken glass at his feet.

            What is Bruce doing here in his own manor?

            Jason listens as Dick converses at Bruce while he putters around the kitchen, his grip on the door’s handle becoming tighter and tighter with every second that ticks by with Bruce in the room. He can’t do this. He can’t be near Bruce and high at the same time.

            Why should he be afraid? Jason is an adult. He can make choices that Bruce wouldn’t approve of. He has made choices that Bruce didn’t approve of! This is not unfamiliar territory for him.

            That doesn’t ease the paranoia gnawing on his brain in the slightest. Its teeth sink deeper into his grey matter, and it shakes its maw wildly, sneering, growling at Jason that if Bruce catches him high, catches onto the fact that he smoked in his manor, the worst thing ever will happen. What could that be? The worst, that voice says, so bad you don’t want to know what it is!

            Oh God.

            There’s a hand on his shoulder and Jason jumps. He whips around. It’s just Dick holding an empty bowl. When did he finish?

            “Dude,” he says, “you good?”

            Jason attempts to smile. “Course I am.” It was more of a grimace.

            Dick didn’t push. Rather, he asks, “What were you looking for?”

            “I was –“ The answer hits him with urgency, “– water! I came down here for water!”

            “Okay…” Dick glances over his shoulder, “Don’t you need a glass for that?”

            He does. Unfortunately, the glasses were in the cabinet Bruce was standing in front of like a gargoyle. If he goes for the glass, Bruce will surely see him and see how high he is and, and…

            So bad you don’t want to know what it is!

            “Earth to Jason? Hello?” Dick waves his hand in Jason’s face. “Seriously, space cadet – how much did you really smo –“

            “I’ll go get the glass!” Jason shouts and pushes Dick out of his way, hoping Bruce didn’t hear him.

            He hadn’t even flinched. Good.

            Jason can do this. He can walk to where Bruce was, excuse himself, grab his glass and maybe exchange a few words with the old man, make him laugh once or twice, then dart away to the fridge and to his room after he pours himself some water where he can smoke another of his joints to calm the nervous flutter of his heart. It’ll be easy.

            Bruce won’t know anything about him being high at all.

            Besides, he’s too busy staring at the toaster he –

            He becomes sidetracked by it, too. Jason frowns at the toaster, at the limp slices of bread sitting there not being cooked, instead of getting his glass. “What are you doing?”

            Bruce shrugs, “Making toast.”

            “You are?” Jason reaches for the lever in front and pushes it. The lever, and the toast, spring back up. Bruce takes a slice and complains that it’s not cooked to his liking, placing it inside the toaster once more. “I don’t think that’ll help,” Jason says.

            “Why not?”

            “Well… it’s not working.”

            “It’s not?” Bruce squints at the toaster, scratching his chin. “Why isn’t it working?”

            Jason spies the cord from the corner of his eye, the toaster’s plug sitting beneath the outlet forlornly. “I don’t think it’s plugged in.”

            “Huh?”

            “It’s not plugged in,” Jason repeats. He takes the plug and jams it into the outlet, then presses the lever again. It locks in place. The toaster glows orange as it cooks the bread.

            A smile appears on Bruce’s face. “I was wondering why that was taking forever.”

            “How long were you just standing here, waiting for toast?”

            “I… don’t know.”

            Jason turns to him and, when he does, he notices aspects of Bruce’s appearance, his expression, his attitude, and his posture that led to a certain conclusion Jason is unable to stop himself from screaming, “Hold on – you’re high, too!”

            Bruce panics, tenses, and begins backing away from Jason. “What? That’s – why would you…” Then, as if he finally digested what Jason said, he raises his own finger. “Too? Are you high?”

            Jason bites back his groan. He pales, “I – uh… no?”

            In the background Dick, who had seated himself on one of the center bar’s stools soon as Jason neared Bruce, laughs and goes for his phone. “Oh, this is… I’m telling the others what’s happening. They won’t believe…”

            Jason glares at Dick. “Don’t you dare tell them –“

            “Tell them, what?” Dick mocks. He talks while he lights the signal for everyone else, “That you are so much like Bruce that even the things you think he wouldn’t do, he does? That what you want me to keep secret?”

            “No, it’s –“

            Bruce sniffles at his side. “You want to be like me?”

            “No!” Jason denies as Bruce scoops him into a hug, “No! That wasn’t the point of this at all!”

            “This is adorable. I’m taking pictures.”

            “You do that and consider yourself dead, Dick!”

            “I’ve lived a good life,” he says. The flash goes off on his phone. “This is worth it.”

            Jason, trapped in Bruce’s arms, is helpless. All he can do is sulk and pout – he has every right to pout – and grumble to anyone who might listen that he is not like Bruce, no matter what anyone says, no matter that even he believes the tiniest bit that he and his father are similar. It’s the hill he’ll die on.

            Which, hopefully, will be soon. Before the others can flock to the kitchen and add to his misery. Jason at least deserves that dignity, doesn’t he?

[ectonurites]

thoughts on convergence batgirl?

ah yes i did mention i have problems with it in a tag last night which i imagine prompted you asking this.

on the one hand, in 2015 it was a 'made me cry out of joy to see Steph back in the Batgirl suit at all' sort of thing, so i'll always have a certain fondness for it. i do think it has some good moments (like the one in that above linked post) plus Steph & Cass as roommates my beloved.

BUT the major problem I have is that I think the premise is inherently flawed—I think it's way too out of character for Steph to quit being Batgirl/a vigilante the way she is shown to have done once the dome appeared. And that sorta bleeds into the whole story, it's a driving force behind how Steph & co are dealing with the Convergence situation.

Steph’s resilience and unwillingness to ever give up anything—no matter what the world threw at her—had pretty much always been a defining characteristic for her. The only times prior she’d ever ‘given it [being a hero] up’ were temporarily while she was pregnant (because. obviously) and when it was entirely not her choice post-War Games (because Leslie faked her death and brought her to Africa, but basically the second she got back to Gotham she was being Spoiler again).

Being a hero is something she had to work so hard for. It's something that she was told to stop doing over and over again—by Bruce, by Tim, by fucking everyone—but it's the thing she wanted to do and it's the way she wanted to help, so by god she was gonna do it!

And once she became Batgirl, that determination to be a hero only intensified:

(Bruce Wayne: The Road Home — Batgirl #1)

Like... this is her last page before the reboot:

(Batgirl (2009) #24)

Literally saying 'it's only the end if you want it to be' in rebuttal to Babs mentioning an end, and following it up with 'Here we go' as she swings off into the early morning to keep Batgirl-ing—in her last appearance before continuity is about to reboot and make her disappear entirely for a few years. This page is like the clearest example of showing how Stephanie Brown is a character that will carry on being a hero—doing what she loves and thinks is right—even if things are ending all around her.

So I just can't comprehend looking at that and saying 'yeah, when an emergency hits, she's gonna give all this up ASAP'. It just feels like it contradicts the very nature of Steph's attitude on being a hero and will always rub me the wrong way.

Then, a smaller thing that also bugged me on the reread of Convergence Batgirl I just did is how Tim/Steph was handled.

Because they were apparently together as Red Robin and Batgirl pre-dome which then led to the 'Tim ghosting Steph because she quit being Batgirl' breakup... but them being together was not the case nor really the trajectory things were headed towards last we saw the post-crisis versions of them. They had never gotten officially back together after Steph's death in War Games—like there were a few kisses and obvious feelings that were still present when she was revealed to be alive right around Batman RIP, but after the shit that went wrong at the end of Robin '93 they were very much so NOT together anymore. And when they had the chance to get back together during the Red Robin/Batgirl crossover they very specifically didn't.

So it just feels like... IDK, randomly added in drama for the sake of drama, that felt like it didn't add anything meaningful to the story besides... connecting an action to the already-seeming-ooc 'Steph Quit' plot point. But like, I think there easily could have been a story of rekindling their actual old relationship—without adding in this off-panel getting back together and breaking up thing—that would have made them getting back together again at the end feel way more satisfying.

[a-cacophony-of-silent-words]

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: Tim goes back in time to avert the end of the universe, but things quickly go awry and he’s left with an important decision to make: Carry through with the plan as he originally intended; Or make a risky play to change things for the better.

Argothia’s Notes: Sorry for the wait! In return have a 3379 word chapter. With the next chapter this fic will officially beat out A Cradle Song in word count!

.

Of the few things Bruce hasn’t been too much of a worrywart to let Jason do in the last few months, Jason’s probably most grateful that he’s had time to get used to the new motorcycles. It makes things just that much easier that he can use Bruce’s network of shortcut tunnels normally reserved for the Batmobile. The sound of the motorcycle’s engine echoes off the rock walls as he speeds towards the hidden exit behind one of Bruce’s safe houses.

As he zips out of the opening and the wall starts to lower behind him, Babs contacts him. “Welcome back, boy wonder.

He smiles. “Thanks, O.”

“I’ve got some news that’ll probably interest you.” She jumps straight to business, exactly what Jason wanted. “Lonnie Machin tried to break out of Juvie last night. Sounds like he would’ve gotten away with it too, nobody noticed he was gone until one of the guards found him tied up just outside the main entrance. In the security footage of them taking him back in you can hear him yelling about how he swears he didn’t know. He hasn’t told anyone one what exactly it is that he didn’t know yet though.”

“Shit.” That sucks. That sucks ass. Makes Jason feel pretty bad for Lonnie. Sure the kid needs to work some shit out, but his heart’s in the right place. Bruce even said as much, he tried to work out something better for Lonnie but some fucked up bureaucracy kept getting in the way. Now the kid’s gotten wrapped up in something so much worse than inciting a riot. It’s really not fair. Maybe Robin can help with that. “Hey, you’ve got contacts in the Juvie staff, right? Could you set up a meeting with him for me?”

“Easy.” She must set to work right away because Jason can hear the clack of her keyboard and a moment later she continues, “He’ll be waiting for you in the main office on the second floor. Security on first window on the north side of the building is disabled. Be prepared, he might not want to talk to anyone, especially not someone associated with Batman.”

Sliding the motorcycle around a tight turn to head in the direction of Juvie, Jason smirks. “Of course he won’t! But he’s not stupid either. It won’t take much to get him to talk to me.”

“Good luck then. I’ll keep an eye on Chiles and let you know if he makes a move.” And the line goes quiet.

Jason slows his bike to a stop in the alley across from the Juvie building and takes a deep breath as he lifts his helmet off his head. With his nerves suitably calmed he steals across the empty street and up to the building. Climbing to the second story is easy, he it barely feels like he was away from this at all. Makes him feel a little more confident as he opens the window and slips inside silently.

Lonnie is seated in front of a huge desk all alone in a folding chair. His head bowed, his left hand gripping his right forearm so tightly it’s definitely going to leave a mark. Deep in his own thoughts apparently, he doesn’t even notice when Jason closes the window only a few feet behind him. Keeps glancing at the door opposite the window like he expects it to explode.

At least that gives Jason a little more time to compose himself. He’s got something of a plan and he knows he has to approach this a bit more delicately than a lot of other interrogations he’s done in the past. It shouldn’t be too hard to work this out though, as long as Lonnie’s smart enough to have some self preservation instincts. Jason starts making his way around the room to the desk. “Hiya, Lonnie.”

With a startled yelp, Lonnie spins half around in his chair and stares at Jason. He looks about as confused as he does surprised.

“Listen, we don’t got a lot of time and I don’t got much patience.” Jason stops behind the desk, resting his hands flat on the wooden surface and leaning over ever so slightly. “I need your help.”

Lonnie’s eyes dart towards the door again then back to Jason. “Wh-what’re you talking about?”

“Look,” Jason sits down on the chair, heavily. “I need Nathaniel Chiles to go to jail for what he’s done and so do you. We both know he’d not the type to let a loose end just hanging there for too long and he’s gonna do everything in his power to pin everything on you. So you can help me put him away for good or you can put faith in Gotham’s legal system and hope you don’t get charged with conspiracy to commit murder.”

Biting his lip Lonnie looks down at his hands and doesn’t respond.

Dammit. Jason softens his tone a bit and tries again. “Lonnie, you don’t deserve to go be stuck in here ‘til you’re eighteen because some asshole lied to you.”

“…I really didn’t know,” he says at last, quietly. “He said if I helped him he’d get me out sooner. That he was trying to get DI shut down from the inside for a long time because they were exploiting people in third world nations. Which that last part was true.”

“Yeah, usually is.”

Lonnie shakes his head almost ruefully. “The money… he told me it was all going to local businesses around one of the factories that makes the parts that DI sells so the small businesses could employ more people and out compete the factory. I thought… I don’t know… he seemed like a good guy. And this place sucks so much, I just wanted to get out.”

With a nod Jason starts--

“I swear, if I’d known he was using the money to kill anybody – even the Drakes – I wouldn’t have touched it!” Lonnie insists, suddenly lifting his head to look right at Jason. Then the fire seeps out of him and he slumps back in the chair. “I don’t want to be a murderer.”

“I believe you, kid.” Jason tries to assure him, a little taken aback.

Lonnie’s expression twists slightly as he grumbles, “Then could you tell her that?!”

“Her?” Who the fuck is he talking about?

“Catwoman!” Lonnie answers, his voice cracking with frustration.

Jason can only stare for a couple of seconds before he finally manages to say, “What?”

“She’s the one who tied me up outside!”

That makes no sense. “Why the hell would Catwoman do that?”

Lonnie gestures irritably with his hands. “How should I know!? All she did was ask me who I got all the money for, then she tied me up and dumped back here.”

“O…kay.” Weird. Really fucking weird. Jason stands up and takes a business card out of his utility belt. “Call this lawyer, tell her, Robin said it’s paid, got it? Listen to her and don’t talk to cops! And don’t ever let me catch you getting in trouble again.”

That seems to confuse Lonnie even more, but he does pick up the card at least.

Jason doesn’t wait for thanks or response, he just heads back out through the window. He waits until he’s back on solid ground before he contacts Babs. “O, where’s Chiles?”

“He just left DI headquarters heading north,” she answers immediately. “Looks like he’s heading for his Penthouse in Gotham Heights. He booked the next flight to Russia out of Gotham International just before he left. He’s acting like something spooked him.”

“Yeah, probably Catwoman.” Jason says as he reaches the bike and grabs his helmet. “Lonnie says that’s who dumped him back in Juvie.”

She sounds just as confused as Jason was as she says, “Why would Catwoman…?

“I don’t know either and it doesn’t seem like she gave Lonnie any reason.” He starts up the bike and guns it back out onto the road. “But I got a feeling if I don’t get to Chiles first it ain’t the law that’ll get him out of our hair for good. Lonnie sounded pretty shook up by the whole thing.”

Babs’s laugh sounds half-hearted. “Yeah, I’d be pretty shook up if I pissed of Catwoman that bad too. I don’t envy you a collision course with her either. Be careful, Robin.”

“Will do.”

.

Jason doesn’t think Catwoman would be crazy enough to try anything while Chiles is on the road – Gotham traffic is fucked up on the best of days and they do not stop for god nor villain attacks – so he focuses on getting to Chiles’s penthouse ahead of both of them. Better than trying to find one car in the mess that is the main streets. He takes the backstreets and maybe a few unsanctioned shortcuts to reach the ritzy residential area of the city proper. All fancy apartment buildings and expensive cafes.

He’s sure Chiles isn’t too far behind as he parks the bike in a hidden space. It’s not as close as he’d like but, what the hell, it’s a decent chance to get back into the swing of… well, swinging. He checks to make sure the coast is clear then makes he heads for the rooftops. The climb is more difficult than he expected after scaling the Juvie building. Not too surprising he supposes, since it’s significantly further and training in an underground cave could only prepare him for so much. Still he’s not terribly winded when he hauls himself over the parapet and onto the rooftop. From here things get easier. There’s only two buildings between him and the penthouse now.

He shoots his grapple gun at the top of a nearby taller building. When he’s sure the claw opened properly and the line is secured around the neck of a sturdy gargoyle he takes a deep breath. Giving himself no time to second guess he takes a running leap out into thin air. The familiar rush of wind fills his ears as he swings in an arc over an entire building to the next rooftop. A wave of exhilaration washes over him in the same moment. Damn. It’s good to be back out here. He lands expertly and presses the button that recalls the grapple line.

As the line reels back in he scouts his next jump. Should be easy enough just hook the parapet and climb up to the penthouse. Piece of cake.

Except Jason just saw something fly across from another nearby building to a balcony lower down on the same building as the penthouse. Fuck. Jason moves as quickly as he can because that ‘something’ was way too big to be a bird and Jason’s the only rooftop hero in the city right now. He shoots a line and it hooks around a balcony railing as he takes another leap, swinging out just right. Momentum carries him around the building at thankfully the perfect time.

“Fuck off, Cat!” Is all the warning Jason gives before slamming into Catwoman’s side knocking her off the side of the building towards the rooftop she came from. The angle was perfect and he sees her grip slip from the wall. Everything should go fine, she’s skilled enough to catch herse--

An abrupt yank on his cape and with a startled yelp his grip on his grapple gun slips. All at once he’s tumbling through the air with Catwoman. Shit. He can’t get at his spare line fast enough. This is gonna hurt!

She wraps an arm around him suddenly and to his surprise their fall slows to a graceful swing. They touch down softly on the rooftop and Jason stumbles as Catwoman lets go of him. He turns quick and watches warily as she pulls the claws of her gloves free from the hem of his cape. Explains the yank at least.

For a long moment she just stares at him a look that might be awe on her face then before he can react she wraps her arms around him and squeezing him tightly to her. “You’re alive! Oh my god, he was right! You’re really alive!”

“Wha—” Jason freezes. How the fuck is he supposed to deal with this? What is she-- A hug? Why is she hugging him? Why would she? Doesn’t she not like him? He thought that was their whole thing. Wait… Fuck! He squirms free of her embrace and quickly checks his utility belt. Kinda surprised to find everything still there. Was that a real hug? This doesn’t make any sense. He glares at her though he knows he can’t look any less confused than he feels. “Of course I’m alive. Why the hell wouldn’t I be?”

With a sad smile she crosses her arms across her body and replies, “You were gone a long time, little bird. And Joker…”

As she falls silent and looks away, Jason feels his blood turn to ice at Joker’s name. Is he really alive then? Is he back already? Shit, Jason isn’t… he’s not--

“Joker’s men have been bragging that he killed you before he disappeared.” Catwoman says quietly as she seems to compose herself.

Releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding Jason runs a hand through his hair and tries to at least sound confident. “Yeah, well, what do they know? Joker didn’t do shit!”

“Thank goodness.” She looks like she might cry.

Feeling awkward, Jason tries a cocky smirk. “What? You really that worried about me?”

“We may not always be on the same side, little bird,” she begins as she steps a bit closer. “But I would never wish you harm.”

Fuck… she really means that, huh?

“Inconvenience? Yes. But never harm.” She continues with a smile as she reaches out and ruffles his hair fondly.

Embarrassed, Jason pushes her hand away and steps back. “Oh fuck you! Nevermind that! Why are you after Chiles?”

“Oh…” Catwoman looks up at the penthouse high above them. “Is that why you’re here? To protect that murderer from me?”

“He’s not a murderer yet!” Jason answers firmly, as he adjusts his cape. “And neither are you. Neither of those statements are going to change today if I have anything to say about it.”

With a laugh she rests a hand against the side of her face and tilts her head into it slightly. “Aw, are you worried about me crossing Batman’s line? You’re so sweet.”

“I…” Yet again Jason is thrown for a loop. “This is serious!”

“Deadly.” She agrees. “And you know as well as I do that Chiles is entirely capable of getting out of facing any consequences for what he’s… tried to do.”

Jason grimaces. Yeah, he knows that, but, “If he dies then all the blame for this could fall on the kid he tricked into this. Lonnie’s a brat but he doesn’t deserve that.”

The sunlight reflects off her goggle lenses and makes her expression a bit more difficult to read. Time feels like it stretches out impossibly long as Jason prepares himself to have to fight over this. She moves and Jason almost jumps out of his skin, but she just puts her hands on her hips. With a deep sigh, she says with resignation, “You’re a good kid, Robin.”

“No shit. That’s the job description.” Jason snorts incredulously, then puts up his arms in a tentative ready stance. “So are you gonna let me handle this or are we gonna have to brawl about it?”

She shakes her head and spreads her hands in surrender. “No brawls. We’ll do this Bat’s way. You handle Chiles and I’ll watch your back. Deal?”

“Deal.” Probably as good as it’s gonna get. Jason glances up at the penthouse and notes that there’s a light on in a window that was dark before. “Come on, I’ve got an idea.”

.

With more speed than care Nathaniel Chiles shovels belongings into his suitcases as he tries to maintain his composure. Shit. Shit shit shit. All his careful plans are going to hell. Calm down. Calm down. Just stay calm. The secretary said Batman was nosing around last night asking about Machin, but that doesn’t mean he’s put it all together yet. It’ll be fine. It’s fine.

It won’t be long before he does figure it all out though. If he knows that brat is up to something and goes to talk with him… Machin can’t keep his damned mouth shut. Fuck. He never should’ve relied on someone else for any part of this. He’d just needed to throw her off the scent at first. If she hadn’t… Yes! It’s all that bitch’s fault. None of this would’ve had to happen if she’d just kept her nose out of his fucking business. If she’d just kept to herself and stayed out of the way of his revenge then everything would’ve gone smoothly and maybe he’d even have left her and her bumbling husband and their stupid brat some of their fortune.

He slams the suitcase closed and zips it shut. Taking a deep breath he smooths his hair with trembling hand. Calm down, Nathaniel. There’s still a chance for this to work out alright. Besides he might’ve been just being paranoid about that shadow earlier. After all the Batman’s plane was seen leaving Gotham heading south only a few hours ago. Robin hasn’t been seen in months. No other vigilantes have been seen in Gotham for nearly as long. Even if Batman knows he’s prioritizing rescuing the bitch and her husband. There’s time. He can get away. Like they promised the mercenaries will wait until they spot authorities to finish their grisly job.

By the time anyone gets evidence enough against him to prove anything he’ll be thousands of miles away in Montenegro living in luxury off the rest of the money he stole – No, the money he earned – from that bastard judge’s company.

How dare that old man treat him so poorly after Nathaniel had gone to such trouble to keep the judge’s mafia connections a secret for him. God, it’s a wonder Jack’s the old fucker’s child and not that woman. Doesn’t matter. None of this matters. He’s got everything he needs.

On his way to the elevator he sneers at the view from his window. He won’t be missing this horrid view any time soon. For all that he’d rather have had more time to take his vengeance at least he won’t have to look at this disgusting city ever again. At long last he steps into the elevator and begins his journey to a new life. Just a little longer.

Ground floor, through the luxurious entry, a nod to the doorman. Once he’s en route to the airport he’ll know everything’s worked out perfectly. Just a little longer now. Down to the street where his car is waiting, the bodyguard spots him and opens the door. It figures right at the end of his employment this lout would finally start doing some part of his damned job. Can’t even wear his goddamn hat properly. No time for that.

Nathaniel bundles himself into the backseat, clutching his suitcase to his chest, his leg bouncing with nervous energy. The bodyguard takes his sweet time getting in the other side of course. Doesn’t matter to that boar that they’re on a deadline. Finally the lout is seated and Nathaniel jumps a little when the doors lock. The driver asks, “Where to now?”

An answer dies in Nathaniel’s throat as a realization strikes him. That was not his driver’s voice. Looking up quick he finds a masked woman staring back at him. He sits in stunned silence opening and closing his mouth in a futile attempt to form words.

“Damn, seems like the cat’s got your tongue, Mr Chiles.” The unfamiliar voice makes Nathaniel jerk his head to the right so fast he’s certain he’s given himself whiplash. Casually the person Nathaniel had mistaken for his bodyguard takes off his hat and spins it expertly on one finger. His face adorned with a cocky grin and a very recognizable domino mask. Robin leans back resting one arm over the back of the seat. “Can I make a suggestion?”

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Keepsafes

Fandom: Batman, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Martha and Thomas survive, and they adopt the batkids.

Chapters: 61/?

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Dent, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, David Cain, Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake

Relationships: Thomas Wayne/Martha Wayne/Alfred Pennyworth, BruHarvey, BruTalia

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Hurt/Comfort, Bruce Wayne is Not Batman, Angst, Alfred Pennyworth Knows All, Bruce Wayne Only Has One Child, Bruce Wayne is Not An Only Child, Bi Bruce Wayne, Unsafe for Work

Chapter Sixty-One: The Godfather

Talia fell asleep in Bruce’s room, lying on her side, hugging a body pillow while Bruce knocked on Harvey’s bedroom door. Harvey answered and shushed him. “Are you mad at—?” 

“I’m not anymore… Listen, I’m sorry I disappeared after the big news—.”

“Harvey, I’m sorry. I should’ve been more considerate of your feelings. I didn’t plan for this or anything. I wouldn’t do that to you,” Bruce whispered. 

“No. I know… I—. I can’t sleep either. I’ve been talking to Gilda, and I—. We’re so happy for you, Bruce. Besides, I think I at least wanna be married first before we start trying again. It’s not a race, and I don’t know a better guy—.” 

“Harvey? If anything ever happens, I want you to take care of my kid,” Bruce whispered. 

“Like a godparent?” Harvey asked. 

“Yeah… Like that,” Bruce smiled as his eyes strayed to Harvey’s lips. 

“What are you in heat?” Harvey teased. “Listen, Bruce… I wanna talk to you about something else. Can we go upstairs?” 

“Uh-huh. Is something—?” 

“No, not with us. We’re fine. It’s just a me thing,” Harvey replied as he shut the door behind him and followed Bruce to the home theater upstairs. 

Bruce reclined in one of the chairs, and he pulled Harvey into his lap. Pressing kisses up and down his neck, behind Harvey’s ear. “What’s wrong?” Bruce asked. 

“Why haven’t you said anything about me not being able to—?” 

“Because I figured it was just a little hiccup… Are you saying it’s an issue?” Bruce asked. 

“It’s the medication… It’s so awkward. Especially with you. With Gilda I can kind of play it off, but we’re both men. It’s hard not to feel a little jealous when you’re going a few rounds before I can even get my shit together,” Harvey replied. 

“I don’t care about that… I mean, I want you to feel good, but I—. What kind of switch did you do last time?” Bruce asked. 

“Cross-taper, but I think they’re gonna do a more conservative switch with me to see how I’m doing,” Harvey replied as Bruce pressed his face into the side of Harvey’s neck. “I hate the questions I have to answer. The bedwetting, the sex stuff, the—?” 

“Harvey, no one is judging you. For them, it’s the same thing as asking if you have a stomach ache… And the bedwetting isn’t that big of a deal. Trust me. It’s actually more common than you think,” Bruce replied. 

Harvey sighed. “Can you talk to me like a boyfriend that isn’t a doctor?” Harvey requested. 

“Okay… As your boyfriend, I’d like to say that I just want you to be comfortable,” Bruce whispered, “I’d never want you to feel like you can’t share something with me. There’s no shame between us… Except when I spat in your mouth that one time—.” 

“I told you, I wasn’t mad. I just didn’t expect you to do that,” Harvey replied, “Do you do that kind of stuff with Talia?” 

“Worse,” Bruce replied, “What about you? I know you and Gilda aren’t all vanilla over there.” 

“Actually, she asked to fuck me the other day,” Harvey replied, “Like how you do when you’re on top.” 

“Wow… Did you say yeah?” Bruce asked. 

“What? I told her I’d think about it—.”

“What’s the difference?” Bruce asked.

“Big difference. You don’t get to pick the joint you fuck me with. It’s not like I’ve been with other guys… And how do you—? Bruce, Jesus Christ, is this turning you on?” Harvey asked. Bruce bit his lip. Harvey turned around, straddling Bruce’s lap. 

“Please keep talking,” Bruce whispered as he closed his eyes. 

“What about that turns you on? Thinking about me getting railed? Do you like that? You little freak,” Harvey teased. Playfully grinding his hips against Bruce’s hard-on until he heard a moan. “How do you want me to take it? Do you want me on all fours? Or maybe you want me standing up, bent over the bed?” 

“Harvey, wait—.” 

“Should I moan like this?” Harvey whispered before moaning in a high pitch from the back of his throat. Bruce hid his face in Harvey’s shoulder. “Or maybe this.” Harvey offered a few quick gasps as he rolled his hips a little faster. 

He bore down and started grinding a little harder until Bruce grabbed his hips and pulled him down closer. Harvey bucked his hips as hard and fast as he could until Bruce came in his pajama pants. “You did that on purpose,” Bruce laughed as he rested his chin on Harvey’s shoulder. 

**

Bruce and Harvey came downstairs late in the morning to see Gilda and Talia whispering about something in the living room. Talia and Gilda glanced their way and started laughing. “What’s so funny?” Harvey asked. 

“It’s nothing bad. Come here,” Gilda smiled. Harvey rubbed his neck as he approached her. 

“Morning, honey,” Harvey whispered as he kissed her cheek. 

Bruce plopped down on the couch and tickled Talia as he asked what they were laughing about. Gilda moved closer to Talia, so Harvey could sit on her other side. “You look nice this morning, hon. I didn’t know you had turtlenecks here,” Gilda smiled, “You look cute in green.”

“Thank you,” Harvey whispered, “You look lovely, Gil’.” Gilda turned to kiss Harvey, and he leaned forward to take a sip of her tea. Bruce blinked hard, pulling Talia onto his lap as he stared at Harvey. 

“Harv, you hungry?” Bruce asked. 

“Not yet,” Harvey answered. 

**

Harvey and Gilda went home to grab a few things before returning to the manor. “Gilda, what were you laughing about?” Harvey asked. 

“What’s going on with you?” Gilda asked in reply. 

“I didn’t want to make a scene at Bruce’s house… But I’m in a really insecure place right now,” Harvey whispered. 

“About work?” Gilda asked. 

“Not about work. This is about you poking fun at me,” Harvey replied. 

“We were just talking about—.” 

“Us in the bedroom,” Harvey interrupted. Gilda frowned. “I figured so.” 

Gilda sat down. “Is this because I asked to fuck you?” Gilda asked. 

“Jesus,” Harvey whispered, “I haven’t had an orgasm since Thanksgiving. It takes too long, and I—. It’s embarrassing. I assumed that was why you wanted to stick me—.”

“Don’t be crude. I wanted to do it because I thought it would feel good for you, and I was curious about what it would be like. That’s all. I had no idea you just couldn’t orgasm. I thought I wasn’t making things interesting enough. I don’t want to fight, and I wasn’t belittling you. We were actually talking about how cute your moans were. That’s all. Girl talk. That’s all, honey. I would never make jokes at your expense. That’s cruel,” Gilda replied, “I didn’t know you were feeling insecure. I never—.” 

“You’re right. I’m sorry. You’ve never been cruel to me. I don’t know why I—. I’m losing it. Gil’, you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry,” Harvey frowned. Gilda reached for him, and he lay over her lap on the couch. “We could um… You can—. I just want to pick the size of it.” 

“So, wait… Is your hangup with this about the size? It’s not a—.” 

“No. It’s not completely about that. If we’re being completely honest, I like things best when you’re in charge,” Harvey whispered, “It’s tiring having to command attention and be the powerful one. Sometimes, I just wanna be held and told that someone else has got it… That they’ve got me…” 

Gilda leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I’ve got you,” Gilda whispered, “You know it’s okay… Don’t you? You don’t have to keep taking the medication if it makes you feel weird. I don’t want you to feel obligated to—.” 

“I don’t know—. I—. You don’t know how I am without—.” 

“I don’t care about that. I care about you and how you feel,” Gilda replied, “And if it makes you feel better, maybe we can stay with the Waynes for a little bit. I know they’re like family to you… And I think it’d be good for you to have a little extra support. I know they have the space… And Thomas loves you so much.” 

“Just for a little bit,” Harvey whispered. 

“Yeah,” Gilda smiled. 

“Okay,” Harvey whispered, “I think I wanna take a nap here for a minute, though.”

“That’s fine, honey,” Gilda replied.