#and todd looking at his sister like she's an idiot

[booasaur]

The Trades - 1x05

[timmydraker]

Everyone in the Bat Clan has been noticing something over the years, specially about Tim.

Every so often he will go to do something with his hands or even his entire body, such as swaying or shaking his hands, but always stops himself.

There’s almost this look of annoyance on his face that just barely hides discomfort, but he brushes it off quickly.

Bruce noticed and, thinking about Robin more than anything, offered some kind of fidgeting device to help him stay on task, only for Tim to snap at him for the first time. It was his usual snark or commenting on Bruce’s well being, but a real moment of lashing out.

He decided then not to bother Tim about his clear want to move around it play with something even if it’s just his hands, mainly because he was doing his job well.

Yet, as he starts to really try and be a good parent to his kids and realises that Tim is one of the places he messed up most by basically using him to cope with grief, he decides to ask the rest of the family what they think.

Dick says it could be ADHD and he needs movements, with Barbara backing it up with a few websites in agreement.

Damian says he should mediate and Cass so what agrees but says it probably won’t help someone like Tim that much.

Duke and Steph make up a somewhat chaotic plan of coercing him into telling them what he needs, out of love and somewhat aggressive care.

It’s Jason who just scoffs and says, “It’s stimming, you idiots. He has like, super messed up standards cause of his parents, right? They probably didn’t allow it but he’s got that like, autastic thing.”

Only Jason Todd could say something so smart followed by completely idiocy.

But he is right, very much so. It might also explain why sometimes he seemingly couldn’t handle touch but when he panicked he need to be squeezed as tightly as possible.

Naturally, with a family of emotionally repressed vigilantes, they decide to subtly let him know it’s okay.

Dick is the worst with it, speaking far too loudly about how Autism is okay and how he wants to learn to support autistic kids, while Bruce thinks nodding along to this helps.

Damian just stares at Tim for five minutes before bailing and running away.

When a month passes and Tim seem more like he’s even more ashamed than anything my, Cass smashes her hand on the table at dinner and drags him out of the room to talk to him.

Tim is forced to sit and listen to his sister, who may or may not be his favourite sibling, talk about how he’s not damaged or wrong for needing to stim and move his body. She calls him out on how he is being a hypocrite, for accepting people like Bart and Barbara and and her for their disabilities whether ADHD or something physical but not himself.

Tim wouldn’t have been moved by this if it was anyone else, but never in all the time he’s known her has he heard Cass say so many words in one go nor can see her cry so much. She’s loud when she cries, making up for her silence, but it’s only something any of them have seen twice and that was Bruce and Steph.

He doesn’t just magically accept that he’s neurodivergent, nor does he ever want a title as to what is different about him, but the difference is still noticeable.

A week later him and Dick are watching an episode of their show and something Tim adores, a comic series, is referenced. Instead of what he usually does, that being sitting there as still as he can, he bats his hands around a for a few seconds before pausing and waiting for Dicks reaction.

When Dick beams at him brighter than a sun he continues, smacking the couch and even Dicks arm in his excitement.

A few days later he makes a high pitched noice just to get to an itch in his throat and doesn’t realise that Jason is there, yet when the other responds with the same noice, given a bit deeper, Tim smile. Bruce walks in on them making strange noises at each other in a sort of echo.

It’s months later when it’s his birthday and his family has come together to buy him a new, stupidly expensive camera only to reveal they also added a red light room in the manner for him to print them that they really see how much safer he feels.

He flaps his hands aggressively and jumps in place, rumbling out words that don’t all much and thanking them over and over.

He squeals happily but only has a moment where he looks shamed before Bruce holds out a flat palm for him to smack excitedly.

Later, when he gets overwhelmed and crashes a little, Duke lies on top of him to give him pressure only for Steph to sit on him.

[dccomicsimagines]

A Sight for Sore Eyes - Jason Todd x Reader

Warning - Gun Violence

Requested by Anon - Can I have Jason Todd run into his ex-wife? Maybe the heat is still between them????!!

Author's Note - I finally finished something! Also this is more like an estranged wife than ex. Hope that's okay!

***

"Stay here," you whispered to the maid who was nervously biting her nails. "I'll take the tea in."

"You sure? I hate that man." She looked around the kitchen as if the walls had ears. They did, but you doubt they were listening to you now. Not with the big meeting going on.

"I'll be fine." You flashed her a smile to hide the butterflies in your stomach.

She added the last cup. "Thank you." She went to go sit in the corner with her head in her hands. Her face pale.

You understood her fear, trying not to feel it yourself. Touching the necklace around your neck, you pressed it against your collarbone. It took you a moment to gather your courage, but eventually you picked up the tray and headed out of the kitchen doors.

The Falcone residence oozed old wealth and a posh lifestyle. Almost like it wasn't funded by blood money.

You paused by the door and reached up to adjust the red rose pin on your shirt. Something Mario Falcone, the current head of the family after the blood bath that was the Holiday murders twenty years ago, added to all the Falcone servants' uniforms.

As if you needed a mark to prove you worked for Mario. You were literally in his penthouse serving tea.

You tapped the pin three times, hearing the slight beep of the recorder.

A lump formed in your throat as you prayed for any help from some higher power. You took a deep breath and quietly entered the office.

"And you want us to help you how?" Mario said from behind his desk. You walked across the plush Persian rug and set the tray on the desk. He gestured for you to stay. You backed into the far corner and folded your shaking hands behind your back.

The man in the other chair squawked. "I need men." You dared a peek. The Penguin looked older than you last saw him. He had a black eye. You wondered who punched him.

Mario leaned back in his seat, holding his fingers together. "What do you have to offer? I know Batman is breathing down your neck." He pursed his lips. "I'd rather not get that kind of attention."

The Penguin wiped sweat from his brow. You frowned slightly.

Mario motioned for you to pour the tea. You did, keeping your eyes on the floor.

"You see..." The Penguin took the cup of tea before you finished pouring. You stopped the tea just in time to barely miss his hand. He took a loud sip. You eyed him before pouring for Mario.

Mario raised an eyebrow. You added sugar to his tea and started to step back.

"If you don't give me men, I can't stop what they will do to you." The Penguin looked up with such genuine fear. Your heart stopped. From the widening of his eyes, you knew Mario's stopped as well.

"Who's they?" Mario glanced at you. He frowned. You quickly moved back to your place by the far wall.

The Penguin shook his head and dropped his cup. "I've already said too much." You stepped forward and knelt down to pick up the cup. Taking the towel you kept in your pocket out, you dabbed the tea stain.

The Falcones spilled. They were hot headed bunch after Carmine passed.

Although from what you knew of the Penguin, he never spilled. Your gut told you something was very wrong.

"Well, I can't help you." You heard Mario stand up. "Not if all you can give me is veiled threats."

"You don't understand." The Penguin stood up, almost hitting you with his cane. "This is your only chance, boy. Don't be a idiot."

You winced as you heard Mario take a sharp breath.

Glass shattered. You saw tea dripping down the far wall. "What did you call me?!"

Not again. You crawled back and stayed near the wall out of Mario's range.

Mario threw as many objects as his sister, Sophia. Neither had regard for who they might hit with those said objects. You had a cut on your arm to prove it.

"You stupid brat. As dumb as your father!" The Penguin's face flushed. "You just dug your own grave and probably mine."

Suddenly, screams echoed from inside the penthouse. The Penguin's face went white as a sheet. He flopped face first onto Mario's desk, spilling the rest of the tea tray.

You winced as everything shattered. Mario grabbed a gun from his desk drawer.

"(Y/N)." Mario tossed it to you. You caught it. It was heavy in your hands, bringing back old memories. You pushed them away as you swore you heard a gurgle on the other side of the door.

Mario took out another gun, loading it. He moved toward his fireplace. You watched as he pressed three different stones on it. A secret door next to it popped open. "Stay here and defend," Mario ordered.

"What?!" You watched him enter the secret room and shut the door. A lock whirled as it resealed. "Bastard," you mumbled.

You tapped the rose pin. "Help."

No response. You hoped it meant they were on their way. The office door rattled. You ducked into the shadows in the corner of the room.

Another scream echoed through the penthouse. The maid. You swallowed hard. You'd have to get to her.

Suddenly, the office door opened and an animal-like monster fell through. It had long claws, crawling on all fours. It sniffed at the Penguin.

You held your breath. It turned your way. It had an owl-like black mask that reveal part of it's jaw. You could see the bone. Zombie?

It let out a terrible shriek. You flinched. It saw the movement and sprang toward you.

You fired, getting it in the face. It flew back against the wall.

Not wasting a moment, you ran out of the room. Another scream came from the kitchen. You ran toward it, bursting through the door to find two more of the zombies surrounding the terrified maid.

Without hesitation, you shot both. They flew against the kitchen cabinets. You ran for the maid, grabbing her hand and going into the pantry.

She seemed to wake up from her shock to slam the door shut.

"Block it." You pointed your gun at the door. The maid ran, tossing bags of rice against the door. When she ran out, she grabbed everything off the shelves to add to the pile with no logical thought in her mind.

You let yourself feel the nausea in your stomach, the adrenaline shaking your very bones.

"What are those?" The maid whispered, freezing as more gunshots and screams echoed from somewhere else in the penthouse.

"I don't know." You swallowed hard, keeping your gun aimed at the door. "Do you have your phone?"

She nodded. "Should I call the cops?"

You shook your head. "I doubt they'd be much help." You held out your free hand. "Let me call a number I know."

The maid eyed you, but scratches on the door made her toss the phone into your hand. She got behind you, shivering.

You sighed and typed a number you knew by heart. It rang, much to your relief.

Your finger twitched on the trigger. The door began to rattle just as Oracle's voice came through the speaker.

***

Jason punched the last Talon. It spun before collapsing in a heap on the rooftop of the Gotham News building. "All clear here," Jason said, holding back a yawn.

He hadn't slept well. If anyone asked, he claimed it was the new bed, but he knew it was because you were no longer sleeping beside him.

Six months since you left. You hadn't bothered to contact him since walking out the door.

Jason stewed. "Red Hood, meet Batman and Robin at Falcone's penthouse. Talons are overrunning the place," Barbara said through his comm.

"Good riddance." Jason turned to look out over the city. The lights shined on the wet pavement. He took a deep breath of the damp air.

Barbara clicked her tongue. "Jason, (Y/N) is there."

Jason's blood ran cold. Your disappointed face flashed before his eyes. His feet were moving before his mind.

"Keep calm, Jason. I was just on the phone with her." Barbara's voice was faint. Jason grappled off the closest building, flying through the air before grappling to the next.

He didn't realize how fast he was moving until he saw Falcone's building in the distance. His legs burned, arms aching.

Jason couldn't let that disappointment be the last thing he remembered of you.

***

Nothing surprised Bruce much anymore. Years of being Batman had led him to expect the unexpected.

However, today was different.

He and Damian crashed through the skylight of Mario Falcone's penthouse to find a blood bath and several feral Talons.

What caused the Court of Owls to make a direct attack against the Falcone family? Why so many Talons? Why were they taking out everyone?

Questions he had to worry about later. Hopefully, you could shine some light on the subject. If he could find you.

Bruce threw a Talon against the far wall before dodging the blade of another. "Robin, find (Y/N)."

"TT." Damian's huff reached his ears just as the Talon next to Bruce shrieked. Bruce threw an ice grenade at the Talon. It exploded upon impact, freezing the Talon in place.

Damian ran out of the room, cutting down two Talons as he went with his katana.

More Talons crawled out of the vents. Bruce grimaced, catching a knife thrown by one of the Talons.

He let out a slow breath, calculating the best strategy before the far window shattered and a flash of red barreled in. The red took out three Talons from their momentum alone. Gunshots rang out quickly, almost making it impossible to identify them as separate shots.

Bruce's eyes widened. All the Talons fell. "Where's (Y/N)?" The flash of red turned toward Bruce. He finally could make out Red Hood, Jason.

Bruce nodded to the Talons. "That was...helpful."

Jason grunted. "Where is she?!"

"(Y/N)'s camera pinged in what looks to be the kitchen," Oracle said. "I'll lead you there."

Jason charged out of the room. Bruce followed, taking out a Talon hiding in the shadows of the hallway.

He hoped they weren't too late as they passed several fallen Falcone guards.

***

A fraction of the door broke off. A clawed hand reached through. The maid screamed. Everything in you wanted to shoot, but you held yourself back. You had two shots left, had to make them count if Bruce didn't make it in time.

Fuck Bruce for taking so long.

Please don't let Jason fall apart if you died. You doubted he was doing well since you left him, you couldn't imagine what he'd do if you died on a mission for Bruce.

"Grab something to fight with," you told the maid as she clung to the back of your shirt. "Anything."

She didn't listen, muttering prayers under her breath.

More chunks broke off the door. You let out a slow breath.

The first zombie started to crawl through, bending to squeeze through the small hole. You waited until it was halfway through before shooting it in the head.

The maid screamed. She pulled at your shirt. You had to fight to not fall back on her. The zombie went limp.

It blocked the hole, but soon it's body was pulled out and another zombie started to crawl through.

You shot that one in the head. It blocked the hole again, but the whole door started to shake. Scratches on the wood.

The other body was pulled out and just as claws enclosed on the edge of the hole, a shout came from the other room. Your heart skipped a beat. You lifted your hand to prepare to throw the gun.

You heard the slice of a katana followed closely by a remark of how disgusting this whole situation was. A smile pulled at your lips. "I think we're saved," you told the maid. She looked up at you before turning to throw up.

Gross, but you couldn't blame her. You wrinkled your nose and patted her back. "I'm sorry," she coughed. "You're so calm. Are you used to this?"

You bit your lip, wanting to say you married into it. However, all you could do is shake your head. "I'm not used to zombies. Not these kind anyway."

She looked confused, but you focused back on the door. "(Y/N)!" Jason's voice echoed from behind the door as it started to shake even more than before.

You froze. How did Jason get here? Bruce promised he'd keep him out of your mission. "Red?" You asked, raising your gun to throw just in case.

"Open the damn door. It's safe," Jason demanded. A rush of anger filled you.

The maid looked at you with wide eyes. "I thought you said you didn't call the cops."

"I didn't." You didn't look at her, keeping your eyes on the door. "How do I know it's you, Red?"

The irritated sigh that followed confirmed it for you. He did that to you a lot. One of the problems in your marriage actually.

"(Y/N), the area is secure." Damian's snotty voice made your anger cool. "You may exit now."

The maid grabbed your hand as you moved to shove things out of the way. She didn't help you, just squeezed your hand until you thought your bones broke.

You opened the door to find Red Hood flying forward to crush you against him. All the breath left your lungs.

Butterflies fluttered in your stomach, but this time it was for other reasons. Reasons you weren't going to think about for now.

"I'm fine, Red," you whispered to him.

"You better be." Jason pulled away when the maid cleared her throat.

"Robin, guide her to safety," Bruce ordered, nodding to the maid. The maid squeaked at being addressed.

Damian opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Bruce silenced him. "Come along," Damian said, taking the maid's arm.

"(Y/N)?" The maid looked at you wide eyed.

"I'll be fine." You flashed her a smile. "Don't worry. Robin will keep you safe."

She bit her lip, but let Robin drag her out of the room.

You looked around the kitchen at the zombie bodies on the floor. The counters were cracked, cupboards pulled down, glass from the dishes covered every surface. Luckily, you were wearing thick shoes.

"Report," Bruce said. You pursed your lips and looked at him. He looked no worse for wear.

Jason tensed. "Wait a minute." He shook his head. You wished you could see his face, but the helmet hid it. "Is this where you were this whole time? You were undercover for him?!" He was glaring at you. You hated when he did that with his helmet on.

"You aren't the only one who can disappear for months," you snapped, narrowing your eyes.

He flinched. "That's low."

"Oh that's low. Isn't it low to not tell your wife that you're running away to space with your ex?" You crossed your arms.

"Enough." Bruce stepped between you and Jason. "Work this out later." He turned toward you, giving Jason his back. "Report."

Jason huffed. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling at the sound. "Mario had a meeting with the Penguin." You tapped your pin. "I recorded it."

"Where are they?" Bruce studied you. You felt touched your sort of father-in-law cared enough to check you for injuries.

"In Mario's office. Penguin fainted once the attack started. The zombies left him alone for the most part." You gestured for them to follow you toward Mario's office.

Jason bullied his way in front of Bruce and next to you. "Talons, not zombies."

You hummed. "So this is the Court of Owls?" You glanced back at Bruce.

"The court has decided to come out of retirement." Bruce frowned. You stepped over a few bodies of Mario's guards. You knew them, but you didn't let yourself feel anything yet.

Jason touched your hand. You allowed yourself to take his hand for a moment before pulling away at doorway to Mario's office.

Penguin was stirring from in front of Mario's desk. Batman went over to him and dragged him up onto the chair.

You went over to Mario's secret door. It was untouched. "Mario is still here," you said.

Jason followed you. "He in a secret room or something?"

"Safe room. Left me out here to defend him." You bit your lip when Jason's head snapped to you. "Stop it."

"Were you his bodyguard?" Jason's shoulder tensed. "Or more?"

You gagged. "No, god. Don't even suggest it." You slapped his arm.

The Penguin squawked awake, blubbering as Bruce interrogated him.

"What am I supposed to think, (Y/N)? You walked out, said you needed space, but then disappeared for six months," Jason growled.

You pursed your lips, narrowing your eyes at him. "Now you know what I was thinking when you ran off with Starfire, huh?"

Jason flinched. It didn't feel as satisfying as you wished it did.

You knocked on the hidden door. "Mr. Falcone, it's (Y/N). It's safe to come out."

"Starfire isn't really my ex. We just slept together once," Jason grumbled. You rolled your eyes. He was making the same excuses he did six months ago. Nothing changed.

"Doesn't help your case." You punched his arm to shut him up.

Mario opened the door. He smiled when he saw you, but froze at the sight of Red Hood.

A unmanly shriek came out of Mario. He tried to close the door, but Jason grabbed the corner and ripped it open.

Mario backed into his safe room, eyes wide with terror. Jason followed him in. "(Y/N), did you call this thug? I'll have you burned alive." Mario spat, grabbing a gun and aiming it toward Jason. Jason kept walking toward him unbothered.

"I didn't call him specifically." You leaned against the doorway. The adrenaline was wearing off. Your hands trembled as everything sunk in. "By the way, I quit."

Mario shot Jason in the chest, but it bounced off his armor. You covered your ears. The gun shots echoed loudly in the small room.

Jason knocked the gun out of his hand and picked him up by the front of his shirt. He held him up until his feet were dangling off the ground.

You couldn't help feeling warm from seeing Jason was still as strong as ever.

"You don't threatened her." Jason's voice was colder than ice. "Forget her name, forget her face. She was never in your disgusting presence, do you understand?" Jason brought Mario's face close to his helmet. "Do you?"

"Yes." Mario shook like a leaf. You swore you saw the front of his pants darken.

A hand touched your shoulder. Bruce moved you out of the room. "Watch the Penguin. I want to have a word with Mr. Falcone."

You snorted, stepping out to find the Penguin unconscious on the floor. "What a rough day for you." You nudged his side with your toe as Mario screamed from his safe room. "A rough day for all of us."

You sat down in the chair and crossed your arms. Taking a shaky breath, you tried to keep your emotions locked up, but tears still filled your eyes anyway.

***

"Red Hood, wait outside," Bruce ordered. Jason dropped Mario. Mario crumbled to the floor, blubbering.

"Fine." Jason stomped out. He saw the Penguin unconsciousness on the floor. Worrying his lip, he saw the top of your head as you sat in an armchair facing away from him.

A sniffle came from you. Jason's stomach dropped.

He moved to your side and knelt beside the chair. You recoiled, quickly wiping your face with your hands.

His heart fell slightly. "You okay?"

"I'm tired." You sighed, "This was...a lot."

Jason nodded. He reached out and laid his hand on your knee. You relaxed under his touch. A little hope blossomed in his heart.

Even though he was madder than heck to know you were working for Bruce for six months. That Bruce didn't tell him and you didn't try to contact him at all. That you were with Falcone this whole time.

He still wanted you home. Still wanted you to be his wife, partner in life and beyond.

Bruce stomped out of the safe room. "We need to go. The police are on their way." You jumped up at the sound of his voice. Jason slowly stood, grabbing your hand. You let him.

"I should wait here for the cops," you said softly. Your hand trembled in his.

"Not necessary." Bruce pursed his lips. "I'll give a copy of your video recording to Gordon. It will be enough."

Jason squeezed your hand. "I'm taking her home." He stared at Bruce, daring him to say something.

You looked at him slightly surprised. "Our home?"

"Is there anywhere else, sweetheart?" Jason's voice cracked. He cursed his helmet for hiding what he hoped was the love in his face.

"No." Bruce laid a hand on Jason's shoulder. Jason tensed.

"What do you mean no?" Jason snarled. You squeezed his hand gently.

Bruce stepped closer. "It's best if (Y/N) is kept somewhere safe since she is a witness. You remember what the court does to witnesses." Jason pulled you into his side suddenly, his arm around your waist. You gasped, but relaxed into him.

"Our place is safe." Jason bit his lip. He tried not to think about you being pinned to a wall by Talons, bleeding to death as you screamed his name. A lump formed in his throat.

"It is, but you know the cave is safer." Bruce's lips pursed. "(Y/N) needs to be cleared for any trackers as well."

"He's right." Your voice shook. Jason studied you, noting your trembling lips, widening of your eyes, a sickly pallor overtaking your cheeks.

Jason swallowed hard. "Fine, but I'll take her."

Bruce nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Take the batmobile." He pressed the remote key to the batmobile into Jason's free hand. Jason looked at it before closing his fingers around it.

Jason started to lead you from the room, but you stopped. You pulled away from him. His arm felt empty without you. "Please make sure Mia is safe. She's the maid, she doesn't know anything,"

"She will be safe." Bruce rested his hand on your shoulder. You and Bruce shared a long look. Jason's stomach tightened at the sight. When had you and Bruce became so close? "Now go."

You nodded, quickly using your sleeve to wipe your face. Jason stepped toward you at the sight. You took a deep breath. "(Y/N)," Jason whispered, reaching out to you.

You flinched. "Not now." Brushing his arm away, you walk past him and out the door.

Jason watched you go with a sigh before quickly following you.

"Good luck," Bruce said so softly that Jason almost missed it. It was only the threat of leaving you alone that stopped him from going back in and unleashing his rage onto Bruce.

***

"Thank you, Alfred." You gave him a hug, even though you were only wearing a oversized robe. It did little to protect you from chill of the batcave, but you had to toss your clothes after going through several scans and a bug sweep.

"You're welcome, Miss (Y/N). It is good to have you home." Alfred patted your back before pulling away to look you in the eye. "Now head upstairs. I have clothes waiting in Master Jason's old room." You frowned slightly, but Alfred held up a hand. "And Master Jason knows not to enter unless you give him permission."

You smiled at the thought of Jason being locked out of his old room. "Thank you again." You turned and headed upstairs.

Bruce's study still looked the same. You paused at Bruce's desk as the grandfather clock door swung closed behind you.

The gold frame caught your eye. You traced it with one finger, smiling sadly. It was you and Jason on your wedding day. You were wearing a nice dress you got from Walmart, he in jeans and a button down.

That day had been magical. The beach was warm, sand soft under your feet. Jason had a boyish grin through the whole ceremony.

You shook your head. No point staying in the past now. You left Bruce's study and made your way upstairs.

The manor was quiet. You closed your eyes to enjoy the peace, the safety.

A lump formed in your throat as you remembered the blood, the bodies of people you gotten to know over six months.

Tears burned in your eyes. "Damn it." You covered your face and hurried to Jason's old room.

The room smelled of lemon and fresh laundry. You opened your eyes, taking in the familiar ACDC poster on the wall, the red comforter on the king sized bed. An old pair of pajamas was folded neatly on the bed.

You picked up the pjs and headed into the bathroom.

Turning the water as hot as it could go, you waited to let the steam fill the room before you let yourself grieve.

***

Jason carefully balanced the tray he prepared with one hand and knocked on door with the other. Steam rose from the mug of tea and bowl of soup he had made for you.

He hoped you would accept them. That you would let him in.

A long moment of silence followed his knock. "Come in," you said weakly. He heard the roughness of your voice. His heart ached at the thought you had been crying.

Jason turned the knob and slowly opened the door. You were sitting on the bed, towel draped over your head and his old pjs on. Warmth flooded his gut at the sight.

"I brought you something to eat and drink." He walked past you and set the tray on the side table. You pulled off the towel at his voice, staring at him with a calculated gaze. Your eyes were swollen and red.

"Thanks." Your gaze dropped to his body. Jason couldn't stop himself from blushing. "Did you lose weight?"

"Haven't been eating as much." Jason turned away. He went to stand by the window, looking out at the dark gardens below.

You hummed. He heard you sip from the mug of tea. The silence that fell was thick. Jason almost couldn't breathe.

"I see you are wearing your ring," you whispered.

"And you aren't wearing yours." Jason spun to face you. You cupped the mug in your hands, staring down into it.

"I was undercover, Jason. I couldn't have a wedding ring." You reached for your neck. Jason blinked when you pulled out a simple gold chain necklace with the ring attached. "But I had it on me."

Jason's voice caught in his throat. "Why did you go undercover and not tell me?"

You sighed. "It was only supposed to be for a few weeks. Mario Falcone was doing business in Italy. I came to Bruce and asked him if I could get away, he offered the job."

Jason sank onto the bed next to you, but left a decent distance between you and him. A distance that honestly hurt. "And it turned into six months?"

"I was working as a waitress at a cafe Mario was frequenting there. There was an attempt on his life. I saved him, he hired me on the spot." You sipped your tea. "I was still angry with you, so I took him up on it."

Jason leaned forward on his knees. "So you were being petty? Disappearing because I left you? At least I left you a fucking note."

"You left me a note saying you'll be gone for months in space with Kori." You narrowed your eyes. Jason scowled back at you. "On our anniversary."

"It wasn't our anniversary." Jason stood up and paced in front of you.

"Oh, right. It was the day before." Sarcasm slipped into your tone.

Something snapped inside Jason. "Nothing happened between me and Starfire! We slept together once a long time ago!"

"That's not even the point!" You set your mug back on the tray.

"Then what's the point, (Y/N)?!" Jason threw his arms in the air.

You grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him. Jason caught it easily. "You idiot! Maybe the point was that you didn't tell me in person?! That you didn't even discuss it with me! I'm your wife and you ran off to space without even bothering to check with me!" Tears filled your eyes.

"Fine, it was a mistake not to talk to you about it!" Jason threw the pillow back onto the bed. "But you don't get to just disappear on me! What happens if you died while you were with that bastard Falcone?! You would do that to me?! Leave me to find out from Bruce that you died on his mission!"

"Like you couldn't have died in space and did the same to me! At least I was on earth!" You straightened your shoulders.

Jason towered over you. You glared back at him.

The red faded from his vision. He dropped his shoulders, taking a step away from you. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

You sighed and turned away from him. "We're just going in circles."

Jason studied your back. He closed his eyes and took a soothing slow breath.

Alfred told him once after he started dating you that relationships sometimes meant swallowing your pride. Letting go to move on.

He also said sometimes an apology can fix more than you think.

"I'm sorry." The words left Jason's lips freely. "I messed up. You were right. I should have talked to you about going to space. Even if it wasn't with Kori, I should have discussed it with you."

You peeked over your shoulder at him. "I'm sorry too. I should have gotten a message to you. Let you know where I was and that I was as safe as I could be."

"You shouldn't have left in the first place. How were we supposed to work it out if you weren't here?" Jason grumbled, smiling when you let out a little laugh.

"I guess we're both to blame." You bit your lip. A moment of silence passed between you.

Jason wanted to ask you to come home, be his wife again...but what if that wasn't what you wanted? Maybe you didn't want him anymore? He rocked on his ankles.

"What should we do now?" you asked softly, eyes on the floor.

Jason put his hands in his pockets. "I don't know."

You pursed your lips and sank down onto the edge of the bed. "I don't want to give up on us."

Jason dropped to his knees as if you stole the air out of him. "Sweetheart, I don't want that either." He shuffled until he was knelt in front of you. You took his hands. He frowned at how cold you were, trying to rub warmth into them. "I love you. Always have, always will."

You looked at him with a glimmer of a smile on your lips. "I love you too."

Jason leaned forward. You met him halfway. The kiss shattered any resentment or anger Jason had left inside him. He could only think that you were here, you loved him, you wanted him.

You wrapped your arms around his neck. Jason picked you up, chuckling when you gasped in surprise. He kissed you again as he laid down on the bed with you.

***

You woke to the late afternoon sun shining through the window. Stretching, you felt Jason's callused hand on your bare hip. He squeezed gently before sliding his hand up around your waist to pull you back into him.

He was warm, a human furnace. You rolled over, opening your eyes to take him in.

Jason had dark circles under his eyes, his face thinner than it was before you left. However, he was still the same. You reached up to trace his lips with your thumb.

He mumbled in his sleep. You leaned forward to steal a quick kiss. Jason's eyes opened the moment your lips touched his. He rolled over, pulling you halfway onto his chest.

You laughed, grinning down at him. "Morning, handsome."

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Jason smirked back at you. His fingertips tickled your back slightly. "God, I missed you."

"I missed you too." You rested your chin on his chest, watching him. Jason's hand moved to the back of your neck. You blinked when you felt them touch the clasp of your necklace. "What are you doing?"

Jason undid the clasp and pulled your necklace off. Your wedding ring sparkled in the sunlight. "I want to put your ring back on your finger where it belongs."

Your heart melted. "Okay." You watched him slid the ring off the chain and take your hand. He slipped it on your finger. "I remember you missed my finger a few times during the ceremony."

"Because I was too busy looking at you." Jason sighed, holding up your hand to study your ring. "Beautiful."

Your face burned slightly. "Bruce has the photo on his desk."

Jason hummed. "How did he get a picture?"

"Must have made a copy of the one we gave Alfred." You closed your eyes, turning your head so your ear was pressed against his skin. His heartbeat soothing some of the worry in your belly.

Jason laid a hand in your hair. "Can we promise that if either one of us has to leave for a long mission, that we'll take the other with?"

You opened one eye to look at him. His jaw firm. "You're serious?"

"I am." He looked at you without wavering.

"Okay." You smiled, opening your other eye. "But I doubt I'll go undercover again. It sucked."

Jason hummed. "And space sucked. All the food was terrible and all the alien girls wanted to fuck me, but I told them I was married to the most beautiful woman in the universe who would kicked their asses if they laid a hand on me."

You snorted, kissing his chest. "Charmer." You sobered when you thought about last night. "What are we going to do about the Court of Owls?"

"Well..." Jason groaned, pulling you fully on top of him. You rolled your eyes when you felt how excited he was. "Right now, I think we should celebrate being together."

"You mean celebrate again?" You raised an eyebrow, sitting up as you straddled his hips.

"And maybe again afterward? If you're willing?" Jason smirked, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Then once we're completely done celebrating, we can see what intel they found last night."

You couldn't stop yourself from grinning back at him. "Fine." You leaned down to kiss his lips. "I love you."

"And I love you." Jason suddenly flipping you so he was on top. You laughed before you lost yourselves in each other.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Can Jay read me to sleep pls? Family holidays mean I need comfort

Same. This fucking blows. Here's not that, but some Jason anyway.

"Stephanie," Dick said taking a head count of the assembled ladies in the party, "where is Y/N? We seem to be missing one particularly charming beauty-"

"Is she not-" Stephanie looked around the crush and bit her lip, "Oh dear."

Dick traded looks with Tim as Cass glanced at Jason who's Jaw had tensed as he scanned the crowd. "What happened?"

"She must have stepped away for a moment. She said she wasn't feeling well and Miss Vivian and Mr. Graham- you know how very proud they are of their library-"

Jason felt his heart kick up a notch. The Library. Right next to the room where a bunch of lecherous old fools and idiotic young dandies would be drowning their common sense and their manners at the gaming tables with appalling amounts of alcohol. And you were by yourself?

That would never do. Before he could think, or even grab one of his sisters to drag with him, he's gone. Not entirely sure how or why he feels like you need to be protected but. Hell if he's going to let some old codger ruin you and then make you out to be a scheming little harlot.

He wound his way up the stairs and through the hall, forcing himself not to run. But the relief that washed over him when he realized you were still alone- it was short-lived.

"Y/N?" he called softly. The room was dim but for a the moon and the streetlamp's light coming through the window. "Are you-"

"I'm quite alright, I just- I'm sorry, Mr. Todd. I'll rejoin the party in a moment."

Jason edged closer the the sound of your voice, leaving the door ajar and took a deep breath. You didn't sound alright. You sounded desperately unhappy. And it needled. "Jason," he corrected, gently.

"I-I don't think-"

"I think," he said, forcing himself to keep his tone light as he worked toward your voice, "That my sisters will never stop scolding me if I don't give you permission to just call me Jason." You'd tucked yourself in a dark little corner, obviously intending to have a little cry, a sulk, or maybe just... a moment's peace but. He couldn't feel bad about interrupting you.

Not when you looked so much like a painting. Three weeks since he'd seen you. And all he could think about was how lovely you would look with a garnet necklace. And some less gentlemanly part of his brain added 'and nothing else'. Making him grateful for the darkness in the room so you couldn't see him blush.

"If you're sure-"

"Quite sure," he said, kneeling in front of your chair and offering a fresh handkerchief. "Don't cry, wildflower," he said, "Whatever it is-"

"It seems like every time we talk all I do is cry or faint," you murmur.

"Sometimes you make very funny jokes," he said. "Did someone ruin your slippers? Do I need to send Stephanie after them?"

"No I-" You break off and shake your head, "It's not serious. I shouldn't trouble you with it I just. I guess I'm being foolish-"

Before he could stop himself Jason gripped your free hand and bent his head to kiss it, "If you were being foolish you'd be crying in front of everyone and causing a scene," he said. He didn't add that you were foolish to be alone. Not now. Not when he was so close and the room was so quiet you hardly needed to do more than whisper. "Tell me?"

"I-it's going to sound so terrible."

"I promise it won't." Last night he'd tracked a murder suspect. And the night before he'd had to question a grieving widow.

"I- my Aunt and Uncle have decided that I'm to pay them back for my room and board. Which means that at the end of this Season I'll have no money and I just- what else is there?"

And when you start to cry in earnest, hiding your face in your hands, trying to make yourself smaller for comfort, Jason feels his heart twist. "Don't cry," he pleaded. "What else is there? Wildflower-" He stopped and pulled your hands from your face, tilting your chin up carefully and as he wiped your face, he couldn;t help it.

The air was thick. So heavy and full of the scent of your perfume that if he didn't do something- anything- Before he knew it his lips were claiming yours.

Not as tenderly as he wanted. Or as chastely. But when you squeak in surprise and then... melt. He can't stop. He just can't. You taste exactly as good as you smell. And your lips- like ripe, sweet fruit. All he can do is keep going.

And it's not untl he hears a crash that anything else registers at all.

[spidernuggets]

What about reader was a street kid that somehow ended up under hanks wing, she thinks of hank as a big brother, she ends up going to titans tower with hank and dawn, Jason thinks shes so cool and really likes her but idiot titans jason decides the best way to go about his feelings is to be a bit of a douchebag and to show off, Hank picks up what he's doing and literally lifts him off the ground with one hand and is like leave my sister alone, and then Jason's like oh shit your sister!? Basically just something silly and fun and also I bloody love hank and dawn so I had to include them ♡

Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

"Leave my sister alone, Todd."

Hank was walking through an alley, a shortcut on the way to a fast food place to meet up with Dawn, when he heard something hit the dumpsters. His fists clench, ready to fight whatever may cause harm.

What he didn't expect was a teenage girl with a pipe in her hands.

Without thinking, Hank took a couple steps closer. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt- OW, what the fuck!" He yelled, grabbing his head that you hit harshly with the pipe.

"Oh, my god, I'm sorry!" You exclaimed, not giving him the chance to finish his sentence, stating that he meant no danger to you. "I thought you were gonna stab me or something!" You jog up to him, supporting him by the shoulders, checking for any blood.

"No, no, my fault. Some big, scary, man stranger walking through an alley in the middle of the night isn't the most safest thing to walk across." He groans. He inseocts you for a few seconds, noticing the dirt and filth all over your clothes, and scratch marks around your face.

"Hey, kid, you live around here? Why are you even out so late?" Hank asks, regaining his posture.

"It's Y/n, firstly, not kid. And restaurants throw out some good food at the end of the day. I was just dumpster diving," you say casually, as if it was the norm. "And, yes and no? I live around here, but.. uhh, no permanent house."

Hank mentally groans. The last thing he wanted was to become like Dick, and taking in "strays" was one of Dick's main attributes. But you didn't have shelter, and you were eating food out of the dumpster.

"Hey, listen, I know I'm still big, scary man stranger, but I'm meeting up with my girlfriend at BatBurgers. How about we get you something to eat that doesn't have the possibility of getting you any diseases?" He offers.

You think for a moment. You had nothing to lose. Sure, this man might actually kidnap you, OR you might get a fresh, hot meal for the first time in a long while.

"Lead the way, mister," you say.

"You can call me Hank, kid," he smiles, walking the rest of the way to the diner.

"Oh, and who's this?" Dawn asks, crouching slightly to meet you at eye level.

"This is Y/n. She'll be joining us," Hank states as he opens the door. "Go on in," he says to you, nodding his head in.

The way you bounced in excitement had Hank smiling. "New friend?" Dawn asks, mirroring his grin.

"You can say so."

Hank and Dawn's talking was half tuned out, stuffing your face with a burger and fries. The couple had no judgement, acknowledging that it could've been a minute since you've eaten properly.

"I'll go to the bathroom," Dawn whispers to Hank as she shuffles out of the booth.

"She's the girlfriend?" You whisper, leaning forward to Hank, who was sat in front of you.

"Yeah, she is. She's Dawn." Hank replies

You nod, taking another bite of the burger. "She's pretty," you claim, voice muffled through the meat and cheese stuffed in your mouth.

"Alright, listen, real talk." Hank begins, gaining your attention. "You obviously weren't listening. So... Me and Dawn were thinking... how about you come stay with us. You clearly need a place to stay, a shower, food. We got what you need."

"Are you guys those Hawk and Dove people?" You ignore his new offer as his eyes widen.

"Wha-" He clears his throat. "No, no, no. We're not." He stammers, looking around the empty diner, seeing if anyone had heard you.

"We're not what?" Dawn asks, returning from the toilet.

"Dawn, tell her we are NOT Hawk and Dove," Hank says through gritted teeth.

Dawn turns to you. "Where'd you get that idea?" She says out of impressed curiosity.

You shrugged, sipping on your cola. "Hank and Dawn. Hawk and Dove. Sounds real similar. Plus he's not great at hiding the fact," you state nonchalantly while pointing at Hank.

"Plus, you guys are offering me a home. Better knowing you guys are superheroes rather than junkies trying to sell me through the black market, right?"

Hank and Dawn share a known look. "Alright, kid. We're only admitting this so you have a place to stay without any second thoughts in regard to your safety." Hank says, pointing back at you.

You shrug once more. "Then I guess I'm staying with you two. A shelter and supes to protect me? Double win," you crack a smile.

So, Hank and Dawn welcomed you into their home and into their lives. Though it was mostly Hank taking the wheel in this newfound relationship. Exceot for clothes shopping. That was Dawn's expertise.

But since you already knew both their secret identities, Hank wanted to train you in combat and stealth, wanting you to be able to protect yourself when you're home alone while the couple was out.

The longer you stayed with Hank, though, the more you saw him as family. As an older brother. And he can't lie, even though he hasn't known you for long, he likes to think of you as a little sister.

"Hey, kid, listen," Hank chimes, walking into the living room and taking a seat next to you on the couch while Dawn is perched on the arm rest beside him. It's almost been a year since you've stayed with Hank and Dawn, and you don't think life could get any better. "Me and Dawn have been thinking-"

"Uh oh, that's never a good sign," you joke with a snarky smirk.

"Hush, anyways. You've been getting so good at your training. We think that you would be a great contribution to... the Titans?" Hank says unsurely, not knowing how you'd react. "I called up Dick, telling him that we got a badass girl under our wing. Asked him to give you a shot. What do you think?"

After a few seconds of disbelief and processing, you spring up from the couch. "HOLY SHIT!" You exclaim. "A slot in the Titans, are you serious?!" A wide grin stretches along your face, hurting your cheeks.

"You can even get your own room there so you're never alone when me and Hank are out," Dawn smiles.

You pause. "But I like staying with the two of you."

Your little confession makes the couple's heart melt.

"Sis, we're still gonna be there with you around the tower. It's just gonna be a different change of scenery," Hank assures.

You take a breath. "So, when do we go?"

Upon arrival, you're close behind Hank, lightly grabbing onto his shirt while he leads the way. "What if they think I'm lame?" You ask nervously.

Hank laughs and looks down behind him. "They won't. Everyone's nice. Well.. except for that asshole, Jason."

"Hank," Dawn calls out, giving him a look that tells him to drop the attitude.

Before you can ask more about this apparent asshole, the elevator doors open, and you hide directly behind Hank's large frame. Everyone was already waiting for your arrival.

"Guy, this is Y/n- Y/n, would you get-" Hank grabs your shoulder, pushing you in front of him.

"Hi.." You queitly say while awkwardly waving towards the group.

"Hey, I'm Jason," a boy with loose and wild curls with a grin comes walking out to you, holding his hand out.

You completely forget about Hank's previous statement, already enchanted by the boy while shaking his hand.

"Nope." Hank says, lightly pushing Jason's shoulder, backing him away from you.

"Aw, come on, Hank, you know I'm not so bad." Jason smiles, feigning innocence.

Hank pushes you, determined for you to meet the rest of the group who isn't Jason.

Dick and Hank show you to your new room. While Dick returns to the others, Hank helps you unpack your little belongings.

Suddenly, you couldn't help but go up to Hank and give him a tight hug, taking him by surprise.

"Wow, okay, what's this, kid?" Hank says, an arm around your shoulders and hand protectively placed on your head.

"Just a thanks. For everything. You and Dawn did a lot for me. You're a great brother," you admit. Hank smiles, rubbing your back, telling you it's not a big deal.

Dick leads you to the training room, where Gar, Rachel,and Jason were already at. The three of them were sparring blindfolded, which shook you a lot, knowing that you were probably nowhere near that level of training yet. Sure, Hank has taught you the importance of losing senses while fighting and taught you how to fight without those senses, but still. When you see others doing it, you begin to rethink your training.

But Jason caught your eye once more. He seemed so flawless at this. Like he was born,with that kind of talent and skill.

"Alright, guys, wrap it up," Dick says.

"Aw, man, I was just about to beat these two losers!" Jason says, immediately shutting up after he sees you once he takes his blindfold off.

Gar lightly hits Jason with his wooden sword playfully while Jason just smiles.

"Gar," Dick calls out. "Spar with Y/n for a bit. We need to see what we're working with."

"Why can't I train with her?" Jason asks, a little annoyed as he wanted to get to know you better.

"Because Dick knows you'll cry about it if she beats you," Rachel mutters, Jason flipping her off.

"Gar knows when to hold back, Jason. Sit down," Hanks says, crossing his arms. "Let them do it blindfolded," he suggests as you and Dick look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

You chuckle awkwardly. "Aha.. no, no. No, no. That's not necessary. I will suck ass if I-"

"Blindfolded," Hank interrupts. He knows that you're underestimating yourself and that you're more capable than you realise.

"Blindfolded it is," Dick mutters, handing you a blindfold.

You take a breath, you and Gar getting into a stance, preparing yourselves. There were no weapons for this. Which is fine by you. You were always good at talking with your fists.

"Go!" Dick yells.

Gar charged forward, ready to attack. But you stayed where you were.

Listen, then go. You thought to yourself. With every step, every breath, every breeze that moved with his body, you can hear Gar's movement. Just as he was about to go in for a punch, you block him. You grab his arm, twisted it, then threw him over your shoulder.

Gar groaned on the floor, removing his blindfold. You removed yours slowly, staring at the green hair boy below you.

You turn to the others who were surprised at the sudden turn, except Hank, who had a cocky grin on his face. "Did... I do it right?" You quietly ask.

A small smile slowly formed across Dick's face. "Welcome to the Titans."

Dick had to pull Hank out of the training room, telling him that you're in good hands with the other three. But Hank didn't trust Jason. So Dick promised they'll just be in the other room. If things go south, he'll be quick to come to your safety.

"So, you wanna train with me?" Jason immediately asks you once Hank leaves the room. Gar and Rachel give each other a look, knowing that Jason is already down bad for you.

You take a step back, feeling a tad bit intimidated, especially after seeing how skilled he was. "I.. I don't know. I think you're too advanced for me."

Saying that this made Jason's ego sky rocket is an understatement.

"Ah, come on, babe. I'll go easy, trust me. I'll even teach ya how to improve," he offers, his hands resting on his hips.

Your face slightly flushed at the sudden nickname. You cleared your throat. "Yeah, okay."

Jason stretches his arms out, pointing to his chest. "Alright, go on, take a jab at me."

Going in for the punch, Jason steps to the side, avoiding the strike, grabbing your arm, pinning you to the ground, and holding your arm behind your back.

"Alright, alright. So you actually need to- hey, what the fuck! Put me down!" Just as Jason explains where you went wrong, his feet were dangling a few centimetres off the ground.

"Leave my sister alone, Todd," Hank growls, holding Jason in the air by his collar.

"Hank!" You yell, sitting up.

"Shit, that's your sister?" Jason asks, looking back and forth from you and Hank while Rachel takes her phone out to take a pic of the moment. "She single?" He boldly asks while your face heats up as he sends you a wink.

Hank was about to waste no time punching Jason in the face, when Dick walks in, telling him to put Jason down. It takes Hank a few moments and a couple of glares to comply.

"Stay away from her," he threatens one last time before taling you by the arm, pulling you out of the room.

But that was a before you sent Jason a smile and a wave goodbye, and he returned the smile and a nod of his head.

The two of you know that Jason is definitely not going to leave you alone during your stay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

soz, anon, there's less jason interaction than i anticipated 💔💔 still, hope you enjoy it 🥳🥳

[cjwelford-archive]

→ wren and jasper cantwell's home, claret park. self-para.

CJ had never felt like this in Wren’s home before. The living room in her spacious Claret Park home — an area that normally exuded warmth and comfort — was fraught with tension, not helped by Wren’s icy glare from where she stood, leaning against the grand bookcase opposite CJ, sandwiched in between uncomfortable seeming Emery and Jasper.

“Are you sure it’s a real marriage certificate?” She had asked, the first words spoken in over ten minutes when he had broken the news of him and Seb getting married.

“Yeah, it’s like stamped…and everything.” CJ confirmed, shifting slightly. Beside him, Jasper softly sighed. 

Wren squeezed her eyes shut for a second, opening them and shaking her head.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Ceej?” She demanded. He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off before he had a chance to explain himself. “No, you weren’t thinking. You never fucking think!” 

“Wren —,” Jasper began, and it almost sounded like he was about to defend his brother-in-law. However, her glower had him shut up quickly.

It made CJ’s gut churn uncomfortably then, because he did think. He thought about work, he thought about his family, he thought about his friends. 

“People do it all the time…” Was his only defense, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. And it wasn’t, because he and Seb were best friends and adults. Who cared that, according to the state of Nevada, they were husband and husband?

“So?!” Wren snapped, “The general American population is full of idiots, CJ!” She let out another sigh, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “Look, this would have been fucking cute or whatever if you were twenty-one, but my god, you are in your thirties now and it’s embarrassing.” 

“What does my age have to do with it?” CJ asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Emery next to him shook his head, as if to beg CJ not to pick a fight; always one to keep the peace, but it seemed like Wren had no patience for peace today.

“You’re thirty-two years old, Carter.” And he winced at the use of his full name. No one ever full-named him. “You’re a college dropout, you work two shitty dead-end jobs to pay for rent in a rundown shithole you share with two other people who are just as bad or as arguably worse in your stupid fucking antics. You have no basic skills such as cooking or cleaning, or insurance. Or savings. You come over every week high as shit and the stench of weed stuck to you lingers long after you leave. Not to mention the shit that you take when you have your stupid fuck-boy-frat-bro ragers that you are way too old for. And now you just got drunkenly married in Vegas! Your life is a fucking mess, Carter. You need to grow the fuck up!” As Wren listed everything allegedly wrong with CJ’s life, she pointed her finger at him for emphasis, each item causing him to flinch. He could recall briefly Emery and Jasper interjecting to calm her down, to no avail, but he couldn’t focus.

Wren had expressed her dissatisfaction with how he had been living his life recently, but he didn’t know how deep it ran. How each word in her voice was laced with resentment. He didn’t respond immediately, and she ran her fingers through her hair, nodding over at Jasper, who said he’d get the company lawyers to look into annulling the marriage, discussing covering the costs of it, just sat there mulling over her words.

If his own sister saw him that way, how did everyone else? His friends? His fucking roommates? Was the fucking mess what Todd saw all those months? For the first time in his entire life, CJ was struggling to breathe, but managed to stand, the shakiness of his legs unfamiliar and disconcerting.

“CJ, sit down.” Wren barked, but he set his jaw, shaking his head.

“No.”

She sighed, and he could see the comment as it whirred through her brain, traveling to leave her lips. Probably something about him being a petulant child. He spoke up before she could further hurt his feelings.

“You’re right, Wren, I’m thirty-two years old. And a lot of thirty-two year olds are still, like, figuring it the fuck out or whatever. But if you want me to grow up, then don’t help me. I can handle sorting my marriage with Seb out myself.” Somehow, he managed to make his way to the doorway of the living room, shooting his family an uncharacteristically dirty look.

“And for the record, there’s much worse people to be married to out there. I’m lucky I married my best friend, and not some dude who knocked me up in college.” It was a low blow, sure, but Wren had crossed the line first. He also wanted to point out Ty, who was scary, and Emmy, who was married, was also in Vegas that week, and both of them would have been much worse people to marry. 

“Ceej —,” Emery began, his own voice sounding shaky, like he was about to cry. CJ felt momentarily guilty, wondering if he was accidentally dredging up memories of their parents for the younger of the Welford siblings.

“CJ,” Wren said, voice sounding tired, but no less angry, “I swear, if you walk out that door —,”

“You’ll what, Wren? Cut me off? Call me names? Fuck you, I’m over it. I’m over you dictating over my life because you think you have authority because you’re the oldest.” He snapped. “Catch you later, Em. And Jasper it’s been…”

His brother-in-law shrugged in response. It was probably the most amicable the two had ever been.

And without another word, CJ stormed out of the house, ignoring Everly and Lydia — crouched on the upper landing attempting to spy in on the family meeting — calling after their uncle. It didn’t matter he didn’t have a ride home, that he’d have to trek back to the apartment by foot, he relished in the alone time to just think.

Was he wasting his life? Was he supposed to go on to do bigger and better things? Was he that much of an idiot he had found pleasure in the little things and a simple life?

CJ didn’t realize he was crying until he could taste the salt of the tears running down his cheeks to his mouth, sniffling all the way home, glad that neither Jeanie or Seb were in the living area when he eventually got home.

He hoped Jeanie would never kick him out. He didn’t know if he’d feel like he’d belong anywhere else. 

Climbing under his covers, uncaring if Professor Murderclaws had been in that day, hoping he had so he could blame his tears on his allergies, and stared up at his bedroom ceiling. Maybe it was all a sign, maybe he had to change. 

Become the person he was expected to be.

He sighed, thinking back to Seb in the next room. Step one, he thought to himself, annul the marriage. Frowning as he forced himself to drift off to sleep, he amended his plan. Step one, google what ‘annulment’ meant. Step two, annul his and Seb’s marriage. 

It’d all be okay in the end. For CJ, a true optimist no matter what, it simply had to be.

Or he just blew up his life for nothing.

[thedroneranger]

Beached. Part 14

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Précis: Kyle Jassen was looking for a quiet day at the beach, but a rogue football put her en route to a whirlwind romance with a hotshot naval fighter pilot

Note: I couldn’t help myself. This fic is cross-posted, and my first TGM fic. Since I was like an excited child and immediately began writing this fic after my first time watching TGM, some canon has been ignored. Another shorty but goodie.

Warnings: 18+ only—sexual content, contains adult themes and language; minors do not interact

Word count: 2.2k

I had volunteered to help set up for Asher and Maddie’s party. Lindsey took me up on my offer, but because they could hire help, it was a ploy for us to hang out before the festivities. Emma also came, and we drank Irish coffees on the patio. Primarily, I drank coffee while Emma and Lindsey chatted about the family. Every now and then I would be called upon to answer a question about California Jake.  

Lindsey sighed and sat her coffee on the table. “Those two idiots.” She was referring to her father and brother. “I’m just glad they didn’t rope Todd into boxing.” Lindsey pinched the bridge of her nose. “Normally Todd ends up wrapped in their shenanigans,” she explained.

“It’s never a dull moment with Jake.” I added, sipping my coffee. 

“Not much has changed.” Emma snorted. 

My eyes widened. “Do tell. I’d love some Jake anecdotes to hold against him later.”

I drank up every story as they spilled Jake’s adolescent antics. Well, the ones they knew about. My mind drifted, thinking about what he got into as the only boy—surely his sisters were spared that knowledge. 

The afternoon came too soon. Todd summoned Lindsey for hosting duties, and Emma was resigned to babysitting as her niece and nephew begged her to play with them. I took advantage of the alone time and continued to sip coffee. 

Jake had arrived but was busy reacquainting with cousins, aunts, uncles and longtime family friends. We already discussed that I was not expected to shake hands and kiss babies with him—we’d save that for the wedding the next evening.

I remained tucked away on the patio, not wanting to draw any attention, for as long as possible. After discreetly joining the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” and watch the twins open their gifts, I wandered back to my perch. 

Upon my return, I found Elma. “Hi!” I greeted her. 

“Come, sit!” She patted the cushion next to her. She had a full tea service with sandwiches sitting on the table. She readied me tea as I sat. With a grateful nod, I accepted the cup. “Are you enjoying your stay?” She asked as she sipped her beverage.

“It’s been lovely. Mostly,” I replied, mirroring her actions. 

She sighed. “I’m sorry about dinner. Thomas is often a Grade A ass.” Elma took a sip of tea.

“Why?” The question fell from my lips before I realized I had asked.

Elma’s shoulders rose toward her ears. “It’s hard to say. I think he needs Jake and is a little jealous that Jake managed to carve his own path instead of following Thomas’ wishes.”

Before Elma and I could dive any deeper, Jake appeared. “There you are.” His Seresin Smile™ beaming.

I smiled back. “Hey.” He sat down beside me and stole my tea. Elma scolded him while she prepared another one. I took the fresh one and shot him a glare. Happily sipping my, now his, tea, he pretended not to notice.

“How was your morning?” He looked at me. Elma also waited for me to respond.

I leaned back in my seat. “Mhmmm, I learned a lot about baby Jake.” His eyes widened. “Not from Elma, from your sisters. Although, I think Elma might have juicier stories.” I leaned over and winked at her. “We’ll have to chat later.” She chortled.

“Oh, boy.” He put his teacup to his lips. “I suppose it’s time for you to learn more Seresin family secrets, including our football plays.” My eyebrows rose. “I told you I needed you to throw the pigskin with my dad. It’s time for our family football game! Tradition at every birthday party.”

“You’re kidding.” I stated more than asked. Elma was shaking her head. 

He put his cup on the table, repeated his actions with mine and presented his hand to help me up. “Serious as a heart attack.” He kept hold of my hand as we neared a slew of people getting pinnies and being sorted into teams.

“What happened to a casual backyard toss around?” I inquired.

“It’ll start more casual than usual—there are kids in this game.” He lowered his sunglasses and winked.

Thomas and Jake served as the starting quarterbacks and captains. In the years of Jake’s absence, Todd had been serving as a captain. However, Thomas was quick to let his son-in-law know that his biological son was much more athletically inclined and would call the shots. 

It was fun cheering on the kids as they ran the ball like tiny drunk people down the field. The touchdown dances caused scores of laughter from kids and adults alike. Little did I know, Jake was beaming, watching me with his niece and nephew. At one point, they toppled me over and dogpiled on me. Everyone was unharmed, but Jake was quick to my rescue, tossing the pair over his shoulders.

Eventually, the kids got bored and it was time for the adults-only game. “Kyle.” I turned just in time to two-hand catch a ball that Jake spiraled right to me. “You’re up.”

“Excuse me?” Thomas looked between us.

Jake shrugged. “My team, I decide the positions. Kyle is QB.” Jake lined us up offensively for the first snap. Thomas quickly lined up his team to defend. “Enjoy the view.” As my center, Jake looked over his shoulder and winked as he crouched down in front of me to snap the ball. I rolled my eyes as I got into position. 

Since I was still learning the Seresin playbook, Jake called the play and hiked the ball. I caught it and watched everyone running in front me. I dropped back into the pocket and looked for an opening. Jake was streaking up the field, his dad, not even close, but the closest opponent to him. Aligning my fingers with the laces, I pulled my arm back behind my head and launched the ball. It spiraled perfectly and nestled in the crook of Jake’s elbow for him to run into the end zone. We all threw our arms up in celebration. 

Thomas stared at me as I jogged down to celebrate with Jake. Jake threw an arm around me as we walked back for the next snap. Thomas shrugged with a smug look on his face. “Lucky throw.” Unconsciously, a smile pulled the corners of my lips as I thought about how mad Thomas was going to be when every throw was just as lucky as the first one.

Now on defense, my team lined up. Our team had discussed the play. I had my route to cover the opposing receiver, which was Todd. The ball snapped, and I tracked his path. Thomas threw the ball, and I leapt to intercept it with one hand. Cradling the ball, I charged down the field, walking by the time I crossed the end zone. Jake was whooping and hollering along with the rest of our team. 

Thomas seemed incredulous as we walked back to reset. The next four drives all ended with me throwing to a receiver for a touchdown or me intercepting the ball for a pick six. It didn’t matter what play Thomas ran, I anticipated and countered. 

Not slouches themselves, Emma and Lindsey were very impressed with me. “Where did you find this machine?” They asked Jake. 

He laughed. “We didn’t name her MVP for nothing!” His arm hooked around my neck and kissed my sweaty temple.

Thomas was clearly unhappy with how the game was going.“Let’s mix up the teams—redraft!” Thomas yelled. 

“Redraft!” Everyone echoed. We all lined up. In addition, Thomas decided Todd could reclaim his captain position. Jake fell into line with the rest of us. Thomas allowed himself to choose first and selected Jake, so Todd picked his wife (of course!), and then Thomas chose his other daughter. Ever the good son-in-law, Todd played right into Thomas’ hand, choosing me next. 

My body shook with laughter. Thomas eyed me like he wanted to have me committed. “I assume Jake didn’t have time to tell you how we met as you were punching each other in the face?” His expression never changed. I shrugged my shoulders. “Your loss.”

Jake and I lined up across from each other. “We’re doing full contact?” I winked at him. He just shook his head in disbelief. I blew him a kiss in response. Todd began shouting the play. 

Through the entire quarter, every play, every position, I out ran, out jumped and out performed Jake or whoever else Thomas put in front of me. The icing on the cake was me sacking Thomas (it was a soft tackle!), forcing a fumble and recovering the ball for a touchdown. 

Thomas was still pouting on the ground after my team was done celebrating. I walked back and extended a hand to help him up. He stared at me hard for a minute and then accepted it. We locked eyes as he stood. Jake clearly inherited Thomas’ height as I looked up to keep eye contact. “Good game.” I smiled and walked away. 

Later, I learned I had cemented my claim as Elma’s second favorite human (behind Jake, of course). Emma and Lindsey were still in awe, and Linda was proud of how I handled Thomas. 

Jake, well, it was like the day we met all over again. However, this time, his behavior wasn’t at all reserved. 

As we returned to our cabin, my adrenaline was still soaring. That was my championship game. I managed to put Thomas in his place and further my rapport with the rest of the Seresins.

From behind, Jake’s hands hugged my hips and his face nestled into the crook of my neck. Quickly, I turned to face him, my hands resting on his chest. His sank to my ass. 

We stared at each other, and then I pushed myself onto my tiptoes so our lips met. One of his hands slipped to the base of my neck and the other stayed planted on my backside. My hands wandered south and dipped past the waistband of his shorts. 

Jake was already semi-hard. He growled as our lips separated. His jaw came to rest against my temple, and his hand stayed anchored on my neck. I looked between us and pulled his shorts away from his body just enough to allow a stream of saliva to drop into my hand. He purred as my hand worked along his length. Occasionally, I would run my thumb over his tip. Soft neck squeezes let me know he was enjoying himself.

A smile graced my lips as I listened to the string of curses and praises leaving Jake's mouth. I continued my work but guided his body to the closest surface, which happened to be the plush reading chair in the library nook. My hands left him just long enough to push him into the chair and then pull his shorts to his ankles. He wanted to step out, but I kept him shackled. 

Our gazes locked, me looking up at him through my lashes. I was still clothed, kneeling on the floor. I sat back on my calves to continue guiding my hands along him. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as he white-knuckled the chair arms. It was taking all his might not to buck his hips, which he knew would lead to me dragging out the handjob longer. 

I held his stare as my lips moved to his tip. My lips rested on it as I let spit pool and drip down his length, my hand helping spread it down his shaft. My tongue lapped the underside of his tip, and then traced the ridges. Eventually, I slipped the whole head in my mouth. Slowly, I began bobbing up and down, adding more of his length each time. Suddenly, I felt Jake take a deep breath. I watched, never faltering, as he remembered to breathe. 

My palms came to rest on the floor in front me as my mouth continued to work. At this point, I was in a rhythm, taking his whole length. Purposefully, I exaggerated some of my sounds to fulfill Jake’s favorite porn fantasies. Every so often—him plunged in the back of my throat—I’d hold him there and slide my tongue around his balls. 

He groaned. “Can I cum in your throat?” Always a gentleman, even on the brink of orgasm. Encouraging his release, I constricted my throat. He melted back into the chair and gripped the arms. I stayed with him as his hips bucked. We stilled as he twitched in my mouth. I watched his rollercoaster of facial expressions as his cum coated my esophagus. After a minute, I hollowed my cheeks and began to pull away. His tip came out with a pop, and I licked my lips. 

“A gift for my biggest fan.” I got off the floor and stood in front of him. He was spent—his bare chest sweaty and knees splayed but ankles together, cuffed by his shorts. His elbows rested on the chair arms and his forearms dangled off the sides. His body was low in the chair because his hips were still at the edge. He was relaxed, unguarded. After a few seconds, he looked at me. 

“God, you’re gorgeous.” In his post-orgasm haze, I’m sure I looked ethereal to him—lips swollen and cheeks flushed. A smile played across my face as I leaned forward and put my hands on the chair arms. 

Our faces were close. “Just wait until you see me cleaned up.”

Keep reading: Previous part | Next Part

Visit my masterlist for more | Sign up for my taglist!

A kind reminder: Likes work hard, but reblogs and comments work harder 😈

The Bradshaw Baddie™ Bunch: @cherrycola27, @roosterforme, @galaxy-of-stories, @taytaylala12, @malindacath, @violyn20, @awildewit, @potato-girl99981, @shanimallina87, @i-simp-much, @blue-aconite, @djs8891, @linkpk888, @furiousladyking, @daggerspare-standingby, @princess76179, @jstarr86, @hecate-steps-on-me, @darkheartcherry, @soulmates8, @roosters-girl, @dempy, @roostette, @mayhemmanaged, @blueoorchid, @desert-fern, @munsonswhore86, @hangmanscoming, @s-u-t, @mavrellover91, @chicomonks, @averyhotchner, @bradshawseresinbabe, @penguin876, @genius2050, @xoxabs88xox

[theunavenged]

Mommy Dearest

As the president of the Catherine Todd Protection Squad, and Founder of the AK!Jason Needs All of the Hugs organization, I am hereby giving Cathy a small bit of redemption from how she was portrayed in Arkham Knight: Genesis, therefore allowing Jason to get lots and lots of hugs and kisses as a kid ❤️ (Abusive Willis gets no redemption. Sorry bud.)

Also on AO3 (please comment & kudos if you enjoy!)

cw: domestic violence, child neglect, drug use/addiction, swearing

It was crying again. More like shrieking. Cathy rolled over in bed and wrapped a pillow around her head. She could fucking geld Willis for this. How hard was it to just pull his dick out and come on her back for a couple of weeks until she could get back on the pill? Too hard for her imbecile husband, apparently. 

As soon as she realized she was pregnant she wanted to get rid of it but Willis wouldn’t let her. That was when he hatched his idiotic scheme to sell a fucking newborn to a bunch of mobsters to pay off their drug debts. Dumbass. Now they were stuck with this 12 pound nightmare that never, ever shut the fuck up.

Willis kicked her in the side, so hard that she almost tumbled off the bed. He grabbed the pillow off of her head, yanking it out of her hands. “If you don’t shut that goddamn baby up then I will,” he growled before slamming the pillow back down in her face and rolling back over in bed.

He always threatened this. Last time she told him to go for it and he’d backhanded her so hard he knocked her to the floor. “Do I look like a fucking nanny? Deal with it!” She still had that bruise on her cheek.

She sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed her sunken bloodshot eyes, trying to find the willpower to stand up. It was December in Gotham and their gas was shut off because they’d smoked up the last payment (and the payment before that, and the payment before that, etcetera, etcetera…) Now they were making do with a couple of space heaters, but she was still freezing her ass off. The absolute last thing she wanted to do right now was crawl out of the warmth of her blankets to go beg a damn baby to stop crying.

She fantasized once again about taking a pillow and smothering it. But as much as she despised the thing she’d never actually do it. She was a good Catholic girl, and she didn’t want to burn in hell for murdering a baby. What does it want from me?? It wasn’t like she knew anything about raising a kid. She was only 19, practically a kid herself. None of her girlfriends who she could’ve turned to for advice even talked to her anymore—they didn’t want to associate with a junkie. Her sister had a brood, but she was on the other side of the country, wrapped up in some evangelical cult her nutjob husband sucked her into, and Cathy would rather suffer with her screaming kid than hear one more time about how she needed to embrace Jesus to be healed of her sinful addictions. She wished she had her mother to help her, but her parents cut her off when she dropped out of high school to run off with the dreamy Willis Todd, who was a decade older than she was, who’d failed out of high school and was too stupid to pass his GED. Worst mistake of my life, and she’d made a lot of them. She also didn’t have the luxury of delivering the baby in an air-conditioned hospital with a nice nurse to send her home with how-to instructions. Nope. She had the thing on a hot roof on a sweltering mid-August night, with Willis telling her to "push," while all she wanted to do was push him and his brat off the building. 

It was somehow shrieking even louder now. How the hell did it have this much energy? She could barely afford to feed herself, much less a kid. And as if everything else she had to deal with wasn’t enough, the damn thing wouldn’t breastfeed. Maybe it could tell that milk was poisoned. She hadn’t changed her lifestyle when she got knocked up or after it was born—why should I when I didn’t want the thing in the first place? Her drawn face softened, smoothing away her angry scowl. For some reason the thought of the baby going hungry made her sad all of a sudden, and for a moment she actually felt sorry for it. The kid didn’t ask to be born. And it certainly didn’t ask to be born to two dirt-poor fuckups. When she stopped by the kitchen to grab her cigarettes and an ashtray she’d make it a bottle. Maybe that would make it happy.

With a sigh, she finally pushed herself off the bed and stood up. She didn’t want to have to deal with Willis if he woke up again—she already had one whining kid to take care of right now. She wandered like a stoned zombie into their tiny kitchen. Their elderly neighbor had shown her how to swaddle the thing—she said it was like being back in the womb or something—but she’d been tweaked out of her mind then and now she couldn’t figure out what the lady had done. Goddamn kid. She’d told Willis over and over that they could dump it at a fire station and be rid of it once and for all, but the idiot was still convinced he could sell it, and there was no talking him out of something when he made his mind up. She’d thought about crawling back home to her parents and begging for a second chance, but she didn’t think she could give up dope for that. And besides, Willis would track her down and beg her to come back to him, and she’d do it. She hated herself for that, but that was how it was. She wasn’t gonna pretend it would be any different than all the other times he’d dragged her back to this shithole apartment.

She lit up a cigarette while she prepared the formula for the bottle. She’d thought all babies had blonde hair, but this one had a head full of black hair, just like her pig of a husband. And its eyes were baby blue now, but she just knew they’d eventually fade to that empty, soulless blue shade of his. You know, the least it could do after I carried it for 9 miserable months was actually look like me. But all she saw when she looked down at it was Willis. A carbon copy of the man. And it would probably grow up to be just like Willis, with his temper and his drugs and his gambling and his whores—another dumbass deadbeat in this godforsaken city. This poor kid was fucked every which way. He’d have no more hope of escaping Gotham’s gravity than she ever had.

She screwed the nipple back onto the bottle, slid the lit cigarette between her lips, and wandered over to the crib and her wailing baby. But… it wasn’t wailing. It had stopped when she entered the living room. Weird. Did the thing drop dead on her or something? That was all she needed right now. A dead baby. She sat the ashtray down with her cigarette, switched on a lamp, and leaned over the crib. 

The chubby little thing was on his back with his stubby arms and legs in the air like a turtle on its shell, and he was smiling up at her, with two huge robin’s egg blue eyes, and although he’d dragged her out of bed at 4 in the morning, she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Aww,” she said gently. “I’ve never seen you smile before.”

She reached in and touched him on his tiny hand and he laughed, and that little laugh was the cutest thing she’d heard or seen in years. She giggled back at him then picked him up and held him against her heart, cradling his head against her shoulder. “Did you just want to be held? Is that it?”

He burbled at her in response, and something cracked inside of her. She suddenly felt like the worst piece of shit human being to ever walk the planet. This was her son, her baby boy. Hers. And for four goddamn months of his short life she had treated him like an unwanted piece of trash. Yet, here he was smiling at her, reaching for her like he knew she was his mommy, knew that she was supposed to protect him and love him unconditionally. He didn’t give a shit that she was a high school dropout, or that she was married to a loser, or that she was a 19 year old jibhead who looked like she was 40, or even that she’d all but neglected him for his entire life—he still wanted her, when the same couldn’t be said of her girlfriends, or her husband, or even her own family. 

The poor thing didn’t even have clothes on, just a diaper. He was probably freezing to death in here. She tugged a ratty blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself and her son in it. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes and she hugged the tiny body against her chest like a teddy bear. “I’m sorry,” she cried as tears rolled down her sunken cheeks, cheeks that were spotted with angry red sores. She felt like a little girl again, and she desperately wanted her own mother to take her in her arms and tell her everything was going to be alright. She wanted her dad to take her away from this hell, to protect her from Willis’ rage. But that was a different life, a life she chose to walk away from so she could play house with a wannabe gangster. Now it was time for her to grow up and become the parent, the protector, the mama bear. She rubbed away the tears from her dark-ringed eyes with the back of her hand.

Her little Jaybird had drifted off to sleep in her arms, and she could feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and the soft yet steady beating of his tiny heart. Her own heart felt warm in her chest, warm enough to chase the frigid chill away. She lay her cheek against his soft head. He was such a fragile, helpless little thing, and he would need his mommy to protect him from everything this godforsaken city would throw at him. 

“Mommy’s gonna take care of you now, little one,” she whispered as she rocked him gently. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

And she meant it. It was a promise, an oath. One she hoped she had the strength to keep. For a moment she forgot who she was, who she was married to, where she was forced to live, or who she had become. Right then all that mattered to her was the little life nestled against her breast. Right then she swore that even if she couldn’t escape Gotham’s gravity, she’d do whatever it took to help her baby boy crawl out from beneath its weight.

She gave his black hair a tender kiss, and soon both mother and son were sound asleep.

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

Mary Todd pt15

ao3 Beginning Previous

“Wow! Did not expect to see you here!”

Marinette turned and saw a tall blonde woman with Asian features standing behind her. Artemis Crock, Roy’s pseudo-sister/in-law. They really hadn’t gotten much of a chance to talk at the diner, so Marinette smiled and shifted in a silent invitation. Artemis took it by claiming the barstool next to her. “Where did you expect me to be?” Marinette asked as she sipped her whiskey.

“I don’t know,” Artemis admitted, “Running with the bats, driving your brother nuts, climbing my brother.”

Marinette felt the light blush, but she only chuckled and shook her head as the other hero ordered her own drink. “I’m not even dating him yet and already we’re Gotham’s newest power couple.”

“Well, what did you expect when you took on a Rogue on your first date?” There was laughter in her voice, and Marinette accepted the ease of the conversation as easily as she were with Alya.

“It’s not like I planned it,” Marinette insisted. “Besides that’s not why I’m here.”

Artemis nodded. “Yeah, I overheard Jason complaining to Roy. Apparently he’s trying to decide whether or not he should kill my idiot brother for ‘trying to seduce the only pure one in the family,’ his words not mine, or encourage it cause he doesn’t want you to leave Gotham.”

Marinette groaned, knocking back the last of her drink before signaling for another one. “Ok first of all, I’m hardly pure.”

“Oh,” Artemis sang leaning forward, “Anyone I would know.”

“Not personally,” Marinette said playing with her glass, the faint smile of nostalgia lighting up her face, “Probably by reputation. But they’re dating each other now, so they’re hardly competition for Roy.”

Artemis chuckled, “Good to know. Now on any other night I’d ask you why Jay is so panicked about you leaving without him, but I have the feeling you didn’t come here to remember.”

Marinette groaned leaning back on her stool, and found herself staring at her reflection in the glass that revealed the rowdy but happy atmosphere she had found herself in. Big burly men playing pool. Slender women with mace on their key chains toasting each other in the booths. Working girls resting their feet before heading back out on the streets. Baby faced teenagers trying to convince the bar tender that they could handle their liquor. It wasn’t clean, and half of these people were probably criminals, but it was full of life and warmth and light. Marinette loved it.

She sighed as she turned back to her impromptu drinking companion, “How long have you known Jay-Jay?”

“Since he was Robin so close to…eight? Maybe ten years now. Probably longer, why?”

“I was three years old when we were separated,” Marinette said softly but not bitterly, “You know him better than I do. You’re probably more of his sister than I am.”

Artemis snorted and shook her head. “Hardly! I mean, yeah, I probably do know him better than you, but there’s nothing brotherly or sisterly about our relationship.”

“Have you too--?”

 Artemis gave a dry laugh, “No! He was just a kid when we met, and besides, me and my boyfriend…” A warm soft smile spread over Artemis’s face as she accepted her drink. Marinette knew that look. The brightening of her eyes, the glow on her face, the relaxing of her shoulders. This was a woman completely in love in the best way.

“What’s his name?” Marinette asked resting her chin in her hand.

“Wally,” Artemis said still smiling as she sipped her drink. “Wally West. My best friend, and a pain in my ass most days! I’m so lucky to have him. Especially after everything we’ve been through.”

“Is he…part of the community?” Marinette asked hesitantly.

Artemis tilted her head in a so-so motion before saying, “Off and on, when he needs to be. He’s mainly focused on his career though, which works. The city where we live doesn’t exactly need more heroes. Not like here and in Star City. So we can live quietly away from everything, living our lives until the red phone rings, so to speak.”

“That sounds nice,” Marinette said wistfully, and she tried to imagine it. A quiet life running her own boutique, working on commissions in the back room. A loving partner waiting for her at home with kids, and maybe a hamster. But…

The fantasy just didn’t feel right anymore. That was the fantasy of her childhood, the dream of her slightly crazy and stress riddled youth. So much had changed since then. So much had happened. She had killed a man. And she didn’t feel guilty. She had taken responsibility for the cosmic forces of the Earth, and in doing so had dedicated the rest of her life to running around the globe. And so when she dreamed of the future, a bright, warm, home with someone waiting for her…It just didn’t fit anymore.

She sighed as she sipped her drink, “Not to bring down the party, but I don’t know if that will work for me. I doubt I’ll stay anywhere longer than five to ten years, and then I’ll have no idea where the universe will call me to next. A quiet life as a redundant hero doesn’t really gel with that.”

Artemis nodded her understanding sipping her own drink quietly, “I get it. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the community who didn’t. The Bats never leave Gotham. The Lanterns jump around the galaxy. And all of our personal lives are as twisted and scrambled as a bowl of spaghetti.”

Marinette laughed and nodded, “Roy and Lian deserve better.”

“Oh, come on!” Artemis cried, “You haven’t even done the whole, ‘I have to ditch our date cause of a robbery’ routine yet!”

Marinette shook her head as she laughed, “Been there done that one too many times, thanks. Personally I’d like a relationship where I didn’t have to do that.”

“Then at least give Roy a shot,” Artemis said, “He’s a doof, but he’s a good one, and he’ll never ask you for anything that you aren’t willing to give.”

“And Lian?”

Artemis looked into her glass her expression darkening, “My sister, her mother…let’s just say there’s a reason Jade gave her to Roy and then skipped town. But she didn’t have to leave. She could have stayed. She could have tried, and we all knew it. But she didn’t.”

“I’m not going to have a choice,” Marinette said softly.

“I know,” Artemis said simply, “And that’s why I think you’ll be good for them.”

Marinette shook herself and turned to Artemis incredulously. “I’m sorry but how would me leaving them every other week to jet off around the world be good for them?”

Artemis looked at her calmly and full of understanding, “Because you would try. I’m sorry if this is overstepping, but Cassie has told me a lot about you. In fact, she pretty much raves about you every chance she gets. And if there’s one thing I got from all of her fangirling, it’s that you are a person who tries.

“You try, Marinette, when the world is caving in around you. When your friends are being hurt or misled. When everything seems to be falling apart, you always try. Roy and Lian don’t need someone who can effortlessly be there twenty-four seven, and solve all of their problems. They need someone who is willing to put in the hard work, and is not afraid of the difficulty.

“And you…and again stop me if I’m overstepping. But you seem to need someone who will let you be free. You can’t tie yourself to any one place because of your responsibilities. So you need someone who is willing to wait for you, give you a place to go home to when it’s all said and done. Am I wrong?”

Marinette shook her head and sipped her drink, “Are you some sort of therapist or something?”

“No,” Artemis scoffed, “But my best friend is a telepath and a therapist. I guess I might have picked some stuff up from her.”

Marinette sighed as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “I wish my life were simple. I wish I was just a regular vigilante, and I flew around the city with grappling hooks instead of a magic yoyo. I wish I could just cave to Hippolyta and let her make me an Amazon. I wish all I had to worry about was a single city, and a single team, with a single mission. But…" she sighed, "That’s not my life. It was never meant to be my life. I couldn’t fight it the same way you can’t fight the Earth from spinning on its axis.”

“Do you hate that?”

“No,” Marinette said simply, “Destiny is weird like that. You can’t stop the future designed for you, but at the same time it was the future you would have chosen anyway. I really can’t begrudge the roles I have, because looking back, I really can’t say I would have, or could have done anything different. I’m not a puppet, I chose this life as surely as it was chosen for me…I know that doesn’t make any sense, but—”

“Hey,” Artemis said with a sly smile, “Don’t worry about it. At this point I’ve just learned to shrug my shoulders and role with whatever comes next. So long as I can shoot whatever comes next in the face with an arrow.”

Marinette laughed and excepted the self-assured confidence of her companion. “Well, then tell me, what should I do about Jay-Jay?”

“What do you mean? Roy seemed to be under the impression that that was all settled. Something about him being some sort of divine executioner, or something?”

Marinette shook her head pursing her lips. “I suspect that he is the Executioner, but I have no idea if he actually is or not. We won’t know either way until the time actually comes. Until then all we can do is live our lives and wait for destiny to catch up with us, or vice versa.”

“What’s against him being the Executioner?”

“The Pit Madness for one,” Marinette said as she nocked back the last of her drink, “The Executioner is meant to be a calm and detached extension of the Arbiter’s will, and protector for the Guardian. At first I thought he might be the Executioner because he was so determined to protect me, and was so against the idea of me killing. But the more I think about it…”

“Yeah,” Artemis agreed knocking back her own drink, “Calm and detached never really described Jason even before the Lazarus Pit…Are there any other options?”

“Me,” Marinette admitted. And there was silence between the two women that was accentuated by the muffled sounds of the Bar around them. Finally, Marinette sighed and said, “Merde! Listen to me. I came out to get away from all the drab destiny talk, and now I’ve dragged you down with me. I barely know you!”

“It’s cool,” Artemis said with a laugh. “I don’t mind. We heroines have to stick together right. Lean on each other when the world gets us down. Groan and roll our eyes when the men are being especially stupid.”

“Ok,” Marinette said with a laugh. “So how do you recommend that we turn this party from sad ass to badass.”

Artemis laughed, “Ok you are definitely Jason’s sister! Now get on your phone and call Babs. I’ll call M’gann and Zatanna and see if we can’t get an impromptu girls night going. Maybe, Raquel's free?”

“Ok,” Marinette said with a smile, “Should I call Cass and Steph too?”

“They aren’t legal…wait, are you?”

“I am in Paris.”

“Then we’ll Zeta to Paris!”

“Ok,” Marinette said not even trying to fight the bemused smile that was growing over her face, “But I have to warn you, though, ever since I turned into the mystical keeper of balance within the universe, it has become very difficult for me to get drunk.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge!” Artemis exclaimed, as they paid their tab and left the bar.

“Wow! Did not expect to see you here!”

Kon looked up to see Wally, Jason, and Roy walking towards him. “I didn’t expect to be here,” the first Superboy said. He narrowed his eyes at the way Jason was shooting Roy death glares, while Roy was carefully not noticing them. Meanwhile Wally was walking between them, fidgeting as if he were walking down death row. “What’s wrong with you three?”

“Nothing,” Roy and Jason said simultaneously. Although Roy said it with an exasperated sigh, while Jason said it through gritted teeth.

Wally rolled his eyes and said, “Have you seen the #badassParischick thing going around.”

“Oh,” Kon said tilting his head, “You mean Roy’s new girlfriend?”

“She’s not his girlfriend!” Jason snapped.

“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Roy said whistfuly.

“Yeah,” Wally said bemused, “BadassParischick is Jason’s little sister.”

Kon blinked, stunned. “Bruce got another one?”

Roy and Wally snickered as Jason shot them both a glare, but he explained nonetheless, “No! She’s my biological sister. We were separated by CPS. And she’s Ladybug.”

“Wow,” Kon said stunned, “Your sister really is badass.”

“Yes! She is!” Roy exclaimed, “So can you please tell Jason to cut the over protective big brother routine! She’s a grown woman, who can make her own choices.”

“She’s eighteen!”

“She is a Cosmic powerhouse chosen by the universe to protect the world!”

“That doesn’t make me feel better!”

“They’ve been like this all morning,” Wally groaned. “Please make them stop!”

Kon shook his head and then narrowed his eyes. “So why are you all here?”

“Mari texted me,” Jason said turning from Roy in a huff, “Told me I needed to clean her bathroom and collect Babs. You?”

Kon held up his phone showing the strange text from M’gann he had gotten that morning. “It just says, ‘come get your woman’ and then this apartment building.”

“Mine says the same thing,” Wally said holding up his phone, “Only my text was from Artemis and it called me a dumbass.”

“Oh no,” Roy groaned as his eyes trailed to the apartment door, which now seemed extremely ominous. “I think I know what’s happening.”

Exchanging nervous glances, Jason led the boys over to the door and knocked. If the young woman who opened the door wasn’t Jason’s sister, then Kon would eat a bag of Kryptonite flavored chips. There was no way in hell, that they weren’t related via blood or Bruce. Still she smiled brightly at them, and in a hushed voice said,

“Hi! I assume you too are Kon and Wally? I’m Marinette. Your ladies are in here.”

She led them into a nice spacious apartment that was clearly meant for visiting, not for living in. Still Marinette had clearly been there long enough to make herself at home, as half of the living space had been cleared for a sewing machine, bundles of fabric, a cutting table, and a number of dress forms with half finished projects on them. However, the other half of the living room, was taken up by their girlfriends, plus Zatanna, Babs, and Rocket, who were all collapsed in various stages of dishevelment across the couch, armchairs, and floor. M’gann was even floating in her half human/half white Martian form.

“Girls Night,” Marinette explained as she sipped her steaming coffee. “I did warn them not to try and outdrink me, but Artemis was determined.”

“Yeah,” Wally said with a dopey grin, “That’s my girl.”

“Mari!” Jason said with an exasperated sigh, “You are eighteen what Gotham bar gave you drinks.”

“I’m not telling you that!” Marinette said with a smirk, “You’d shut them down. Besides we didn’t party here! We zetaed to Paris. You haven’t been clubbing till you’ve been clubbing in Paris!”

“Clubs!” Jason chocked as Kon snickered.

“I thought Berlin was the club scene of Europe?” Wally muttered.

“Yeah,” Marinette said to Jason as if it were obvious, “Kitty Section played pretty much all of them at one point or another. And technically, yes, Berlin is known for its clubs. But there’s just something about the Paris scene that just more…I don’t know, brighter. Call it hometown bias!”

Jason opened his mouth, probably to announce his clear displeasure at probably everything she had just said, but Kon decided he should intervene.

“Honor to meet you by the way,” he said shaking her head, “I’ve been a fan ever since your first Justice League meeting where you put both Big Blue and Bad Bats in their place with a single sentence. It was artistry.”

Marinette grimaced in embarcement but smiled saying, “Thanks, I wasn’t trying to be mean, but they really should have known better than to question my capabilities. But wait, isn’t Superman your father?”

Kon shook his head in exasperation, “I’m a clone. So technically yes, but…well…lets just say we didn’t get off on the right foot. But don’t worry, we’ve been doing a lot better since. Still, it’s always fun to see someone put him down so thoroughly, not many people have the guts to do that.”

Marinette nodded in understanding. “I think it’s the power. People perceive them as being better than they actually are because of it, and then are too afraid to tell them when they’re wrong. Never let that happen to me!” She said spinning to point at Jason and Roy.

“Don’t worry about it, Pixie. Now what are we supposed to do with them,” Jason said gesturing at the pile of unconscious superheroines.

Marinette smiled and clapped loudly, making Kon winced as all the girls jumped up with groans and shouts of protests. M’gann yelped and fell to the floor, making Kon laughed as he went to retrieve his girlfriend.

“What the hell, Mari?” Artemis groaned as she rubbed her head to sooth, what Kon assumed was, a pounding headache, “It’s too early for this!”

“It’s 11’o clock!” Marinette said as she went to pour the poor girls more coffee. “And I did warn you about trying to keep up with me! By the way your boytoy’s here.”

“Hey, Spitfire,” Wally said dashing over to her. He began rubbing her temples and she leaned into him with a contented smile on her face. Wally chuckled, “Please tell me we’re not banned from Paris? I have plans for that place.”

“Shh, not so loud,” Artemis said, “And for the record Mari is a demon. Seriously no one should be able to drink that much!”

“Here, here!” Rocket moaned as she and Zatanna supported each other.

“I would agree,” Zatanna said as she accepted the coffee from Marinette, “But I’m to scared of her pocket gods.”

The boys chuckled, as Jason helped Babs back into her wheelchair. “Well, at least tell me you had fun,” Kon said as he passed the coffee to M’gann

All of the girls chuckled wickedly, causing the boys to exchange worried glances. Before Marinette spoke up. “We had a blast. I think we all needed a little breather. By the way, Raquel, Zatanna, I didn’t know who to call for you. So I called Roy, so he can send you where you need to go. And Jason, you’re not going anywhere until you clean up my bathroom.”

“What why?”

“Someone,” Babs moaned as she took her coffee, “May have thrown up in there…May have been me…I think…”

“But why me? It’s your bathroom!”

“Technically,” Marinette said with a sly smile, “It’s Bruce’s bathroom. But he’s not here, and this is punishment.”

“For what?”

“Babs told me about your murder plans for Roy.”

“Dude!” Roy cried causing all of the hungover women to violently shush him. Roy put his hands up and whispered, “Dude, isn’t that going a little too far?”

“I second Roy,” Artemis grumbled.

“Here, here!” all of the other girls lazily cried. Jason scowled as Marinette, smiling in victory, tossed him the bathroom cleaner. Once he was gone, everyone began to laugh before the girls groaned in unison pressing fists to their throbbing foreheads.

Kon smiled lightly, as he watched Roy lean over the kitchen counter to speak with Marinette as she started a second coffeepot. Wally was gently tending to Artemis, and Raquel was laying her head on Barbara’s armrest. He nodded lightly and said, “Alright let’s go. Zatanna you can come with us. You wanted to talk to Clark, right?”

Zatanna groaned but stood. In a flash of magic, she was properly dressed, and her hangover seemed to be cured somewhat, prompting Raquel and Babs to flip her off. M’gann shook her head and also transformed into something more presentable, although she still leaned heavily on Kon’s arm. They said their goodbyes to Marinette, who was leaning as much towards Roy, as he was leaning towards her. Kon couldn’t help but smile at that. His friend deserved some happiness after everything he’d been through. Clones had to stick together after all.

“They do look cute together,” M’gann said in his mind.

“Yeah,” Kon thought back, “Do you think it will last?”

“Only if they try.”

“You guys know it’s rude to communicate telepathically while other people are around right?” Zatanna said jokingly. The couple rolled their eyes, but left the building in high spirits, resolving to support Marinette in whatever she needed.   

Next

@laurcad123 @craftgremlin @toodaloo-kangaroo @blackroserelina @maanae @kitsun369 @idkamt @aksartisticlife @its-maemain @iglowinggemma28 @officiallydarkgeek @meira-3919 @crazylittlemunchkin  @read-fantasy-to-escape-reality @raven-ette

[hamilstuck99]

Hello, Me

Characters: Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne - NO SHIPPING, ALL PLATONIC

Word count: 1,170 words

Warnings: Mention of death(it’s jason. of course.), mention of injuries(not described in detail), Jason has a panic attack but isn’t super descriptive, Jason just is so emotionally hurt, I decided to keep the thing where Bruce takes Jason to his death site(it was good angst.), characters may be ooc(im kinda rusty), angst

I can’t think of anything else, lmk if i should tag anything or add it to warnings :)

“Hello safehouse,” he started. “Hello bed,” he walked forward. “Hello pillow,” he plopped down to sit. “... Hello me,” he said, finishing his ritual. Looking up, he could see a ghost version of his 15 year old self. From when he died. Whenever he came back from a mission, he always did this, almost to make sure he was there, that he was real. He let out a sigh and the vision of his beaten, young self disappeared.

He could hear him though, not a full voice, but present enough for him to say, “Maybe we were better off dead.”

Jason gave a grim chuckle in response and said, “Yeah, maybe.” His fifteen year old self was gone for now. He was hunched over, looking down at his helmet in his hands, the white lenses staring back at him. He could see his reflection with a red tint. His white trauma streak, the scars littering his face, his once blue, but now green eyes. He hated it. He looked so different compared to how he looked before. He wasn’t even sure he was who he wanted to be, but Gotham got used to Red Hood. He’d do practically anything for this city. It wasn’t the best, but it was his home, where he was molded into a street kid who stole bread from the nearest bakery to being adopted by the richest man in Gotham and becoming Robin, while still stopping by Ms. Hernandez’s house from time to time for homemade tamales and pollo guisado. He was a good kid. Then he died, came back, and got involved in gang wars, weapon dealing, and trying to kill the Bats. As much as he hated to admit it, his family.

“What a fucking second life,” he said sighing. It was raining, the sound echoing through the safehouse. He could feel a presence on the ceiling. “Cass, I know you’re there. Don’t have to hide.” He heard the swoosh of her cape as she landed and walked towards her.

She looked him up and down. “You’re not well.”

“Cass I’m fine. No injuries, I promise. At least, no new ones,” he said, mumbling the last part.

“Not body,” she responded, poking his forehead, “Mind.” She saw him about to speak and gave him a quick and simple “no.”

He sighed as his sister sat down on a chair. “Listen, I know you guys are trying to watch out for me but I’m fine. I promise.” He sat down in the chair across from her, looking down at his hands in his lap. “I’m taking my meds and eating regularly. You don’t need to worry. It’s just that sometimes my brain happens and I can’t help it.”

They stayed silent for a bit, Jason now fidgeting a little under Cass’s intense stare. Cass finally broke the silence saying, “Idiot. You are never alone. Family is here to help you always.” Then she gave him a small envelope and left his safehouse.

He took in his sister’s words. Never alone. It was easier to be alone, that’s for sure. Not like they would let him, but it was easier. Less pain for others if he could distance himself. He couldn’t though. Was he selfish for that? Maybe. He didn’t notice he was crying until he felt warm tears fall on his folded hands. He quickly wiped them away and got up to make a meal. He put the letter to the side and started to cook.

The Gotham rain continued to pound the roof of his safe house. He washed up after patrol, then laid down on his bed. He had to wear a sweatshirt and pajama pants that night. He couldn’t stand being able to look at his scars. His eyes were glowing green as he stared at the ceiling in the dark, it was another side effect of being put in the Lazarus Pit. In the back of his mind he could hear his 15 year old self again. He was whispering, “We were supposed to stay dead.” Jason shut his eyes.

The voice was louder now, a normal speaking voice. “You aren’t supposed to be here.” Jason covered his ears.

The voice, he wasn’t sure who it was anymore, grew louder. It screamed at him, “I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.” He curled up into himself, shaking. He slowly opened his eyes.

All he could do was name everything he could physically sense. He kept on going until he could ground himself. The voice was gone by the end of it.

There was a knock at the door. He picked up one of his guns and walked towards it.

“Jason,” a deep voice said, “It’s me.”

Bruce. It was Bruce. Jason stood at the other side of the closed door, he didn’t really want to see anyone. Especially not Bruce. Not right now. He opened it anyway. He moved to the side letting Bruce in.

“You haven’t been answering your phone,” Bruce said as he closed his umbrella. Most people would’ve heard it as monotonous, but Jason knew. It was laced with the slightest bit of worry.

“It’s dead.”

“It’s been hours.”

“Oh yeah? I haven’t noticed,” Jason scoffed.

“We’ve been trying to contact you.”

“Cass dropped by a few hours ago. I’m assuming you’ve been trying to ask me about whatever this letter is about?” He asked, picking up the neatly sealed envelope.

“It’s… an invitation,” Bruce responded.

“For what? And it better not be a fucking gala, old man. People still think I’m…” he trailed off. Normally he could say it. Death, dead, died, that whole thing. Not today though, and Bruce recognized it.

“It’s not a gala. A family vacation.” Jason stared at Bruce with his eyebrows knitted. Bruce was a normally stoic man, but he could see how he was bracing himself for whatever negative reaction that could come his way. It came with knowing the man for years, whether he liked it or not.

“Is that code for something? Maybe another fun little field trip like when you took me to the place I fucking died?” Jason asked bitterly, “Which soldier died this time?” Bruce flinched a little, his lips pressing together and shoulders tensing.

“No. It’s an actual trip,” Bruce responded.

“The catch is…?”

“It is an actual trip. For the most part,” he said, pausing. He hesitated before saying, “We also have to gather intel on someone there. There’s an event we have been invited to, and luckily, our target is there.”

Jason just stared at him. Not realizing his face was betraying him. Not realizing the slight snarl forming on his lips. Bruce opened his mouth to say something, but Jason cut him off. “You know what? Fine. I’ll join this goddamn mission. What-fucking-ever, old man,” Jason said walking to the door, “Now, leave.”

Bruce’s face contorted into a look of worry, eyes stuck on Jason; how he hated it. “Jaylad, it’s not—“

“Go.”

Bruce lowered his gaze and walked out into the rain.

A/n: hiiiiiii long time no see :) I havent published anything in a long time and it’ll probably stay that way. I started this in like. 2021 i think. reworked a few things but not a lot, mainly focused on finishing it lol. i hope that if anyone sees this you enjoyed :) i really am very active but i seldom post any of my writing bc like. i barely finish anything lololol aha writing. gotta say im decently proud of this one. please do not follow me for my writing the last time i posted any of my fics was almost two years ago im just under it by a little over a week

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Fly Back Home (where the heart is)

by CrescentCyan

Damian swore to protect his older brother and sister. That meant watching them leave him behind.

Danny swore to live. Then he died.

Marinette swore that she would always tell her little brothers everything. One day, she couldn't. And after one horrid day that could have easily gone worse, she could. And she did.

Words: 1170, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Triumvirate

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Danny Fenton, Damian Wayne, Jack Fenton, Bruce Wayne, Sabine Cheng, Jason Todd, Luka Couffaine, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Lê Chiến Kim, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir

Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Danny Fenton, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Jack Fenton & Sabine Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Bruce Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Jason Todd, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jonathan Samuel Kent/Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd/Kara Zor-El

Additional Tags: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug and Damian Wayne are Twins, Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Twins, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug and Danny Fenton are Twins, Triplets, Protective Talia al Ghul, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Talia al Ghul Tries, She's doing what she can, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne Meet in the League of Assassins, Jack Fenton and Sabine Cheng are Childhood Friends, Adrien salt, he won't come out looking good, but he has the potential to get better, Lazarus Pit Madness (DCU), Clockwork's Sticky Notes, Clockwork is a Little Shit (Danny Phantom), But a Useful Little Shit, He Solves Problems, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Jack Fenton is a Good Parent, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, defenestration of canon, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Regrets Everything, Competent Jack Fenton, He just acts like an idiot, Jack Fenton Knows Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom, Sabine Cheng Knows Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is Ladybug

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/45887044

[ao3feed-timkon]

Fly Back Home (where the heart is)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/mrTtJao

by CrescentCyan

Damian swore to protect his older brother and sister. That meant watching them leave him behind.

Danny swore to live. Then he died.

Marinette swore that she would always tell her little brothers everything. One day, she couldn't. And after one horrid day that could have easily gone worse, she could. And she did.

Words: 1170, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Triumvirate

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug, Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Danny Fenton, Damian Wayne, Jack Fenton, Bruce Wayne, Sabine Cheng, Jason Todd, Luka Couffaine, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Lê Chiến Kim, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir

Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Danny Fenton, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Jack Fenton & Sabine Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Bruce Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Jason Todd, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jonathan Samuel Kent/Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd/Kara Zor-El

Additional Tags: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug and Damian Wayne are Twins, Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Twins, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug and Danny Fenton are Twins, Triplets, Protective Talia al Ghul, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Talia al Ghul Tries, She's doing what she can, Jason Todd and Damian Wayne Meet in the League of Assassins, Jack Fenton and Sabine Cheng are Childhood Friends, Adrien salt, he won't come out looking good, but he has the potential to get better, Lazarus Pit Madness (DCU), Clockwork's Sticky Notes, Clockwork is a Little Shit (Danny Phantom), But a Useful Little Shit, He Solves Problems, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Jack Fenton is a Good Parent, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, defenestration of canon, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Regrets Everything, Competent Jack Fenton, He just acts like an idiot, Jack Fenton Knows Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom, Sabine Cheng Knows Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is Ladybug

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/mrTtJao

[the-firebird69]

and I've had some experiences here with these people but this is one of the weirdest y'all can't understand what we're saying now it's very simple, we're raising our kju and having you fight over it so we can get away with it and you always do fight over you can't resist. I don't know why that's so tough. And also I'm trying to get my husband money and I'm pointing out who's in the way and people are beating the s*** out of you for a whole bunch of reasons and that reason. We're also enticing to go after information that our clans gathered so you can take it and or destroy it and Ken will be after you and others like him will and Bill and the max and after people who are stupid enough like Garth to ruin it and if they go ahead and ruin it it looks like Brad and they kill you because they don't want you doing that eventually you die and you miss it it's in the movie he thinks it's Woody harrelson and it is and that's how he does and you're right there with him. So he says well I don't know that's true too. The space shuttle explodes but the human bodies are protected and we're not sure how but they land in the water. There's a few other things that happen and it's in subsequent movies and if you know the character you understand who he is and why he does that way it's getting into fights with my husband on purpose and saying it's over a woman and that is how he dies and he goes to heaven inside a robot and he's flaming his sister wife who's actually responsible for it and kills him a few times once with the wrecking Ball and she got mangled and a lot of his clear and crushed by the wall and they're higher ups that's coming up too when you move those cranes a whole bunch of stuff happens it's people hate them for and they hate you going on the bridge and then what you dead. And it's not like you plan to do those weird things to my husband but others did and you are trying to make it look like them. Further you got nothing from it and you keep doing it cuz you're an idiot and it doesn't prove anything you're stupid that's what it says cuz I'm coming slaughter your people soon you'll be out I got nothing you got nothing so your brain gets shuffled around and then it gets crushed by RoboCop, and that is not busy that version is Todd langill and he hates you and he should you're a loser Dave even turned into a loser but boy you a massive loser it crashes it and liquefies because of the chemical put in there by your wife sister. And yeah she should get rid of you you're an imbecile and Becca was never that bad you're making a terrible having a safe stupid s*** and people will see you doing it cuz you're a loser and you need to go and you're going to now you're admitting you're a big homo fag

Hera

Zues

You don't get to say stuff unless I let you Brad on this you're going to die and you need to die you're an animal now you can't do anything right and you are spoiling your realm you and your jackasses and I accept the offer it's just that you're not doing it on purpose it's just that you're a massive loser

We know he's a huge loser and that was our son the last line but really these people won't shut up and I thought we using it on them and there's tons of news out now and people going after it and yeah Korean and Garth were threatening for the money and still are it came from Trump

Olympus

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Joey flinched as Becky continued to throw stuff around in a chaotic fashion. He and Charlie both noticed how Becky seemed to be frantically looking for someone. Her eyes darting everywhere in a rapid motion. She also looked like she was searching for someone while causing a mess at the same time. Joey and Charlie both glanced briefly at each other. Each suspecting the same reason behind Becky's actions. "Joey, what the heck is going on there?" Dr. Two Brains asked, sounding both worried and angry at the situation he was hearing. "I'm sorry boss." Joey tried to apologize. "I know you told me and Charlie that Becky looked different now. But she soon woke up and came downstairs while Charlie and I were distracted. We...kind of startled each other that's all. She is causing a huge mess in the lair. Charlie and I can't seem to calm her down. She is looking real upset boss. Charlie and I both think she is trying to find where you went." Dr. Two Brains sighed. He wasn't mad with his henchmen. They had difficulty handling Becky's powers even on a good day. Dr. Two Brains replied to his henchmen. "Look, just keep her from leaving the lair. I will rush back as quickly as possible. Try to avoid getting hit by anything she throws. Becky still has her powers. Any of those objects could turn into lethal projectiles." There was a pause on the end before Joey responded. "Okay boss. Um..what does lethal mean?" "Never mind that." Dr. Two Brains quickly responded as he figured it was best to not give the definition of that word to his already stressed henchmen. "Just take care of yourselves and try to make sure neither you two or Beck get hurt. Bye." Dr. Two Brains quickly hung up his phone and raced to his van, speeding off back to the lair. "Augh you stupid idiot." Dr. Two Brains scolded himself as he bonked his forehead. He should have suspected something more with that puppy pout Becky gave him last night when he was about to leave her alone for only a few moments. 'It would make sense she wouldn't want to be separated from me again after how long we last saw each other.' Two Brains' rationalized. The mad scientist frowned with a deep sigh as he drove on. 'I promise kiddo. I won't ever leave you.' "Come on Violet. Slow down." Todd 'Scoops' Ming whined as he exhaustedly tried to keep up with his fast running friend. Scoops wanted to meet up with Violet today to bring some comfort to his girlfriend and take her mind off of recent issues by doing some leisurely activities together. Violet on the other hand told him they were going to Dr. Two Brains' lair today and then the girl began to race their with strong determination. Leaving an exasperated Scoops to only chase off after her. The disappearance of Becky and Bob affected all who knew the two well. Though to Scoops, it seemed that Violet and Dr. Two Brains were the most affected by this occurrence. Scoops was also greatly saddened by his friend's vanishing, but that was nothing compared to how Violet had felt. She and Becky knew each other when they were only toddlers, far longer than he knew her. Those two were like sisters almost. Ever since Becky and Bob went missing. Violet was no longer the cheerful person she was. Her art now reflecting her distraught mood when she did draw. She had often joined the mad scientist and his henchmen in searching day after day for Becky. Even offering to make posters for the man. Scoops did his hardest to help search too, but he felt disheartened every day when there seemed to be no lead to follow for the ace reporter. Still Violet wasn't one to give up. Scoops just didn't know if his heart could take it seeing his girlfriend despondent again after another futile effort. Violet stopped running to let Scoops catch up to her. She turned to him with an apologetic and determined look. "I'm sorry Scoops, but we got to help Dr. Two Brains search for Becky again today since traffic was too busy yesterday for us to come here." Violet turned away and looked down towards the ground. Her fists clenched tightly. "I'm not going to waist any more time."

@melodythebunny

Fair City Vs The Facility RP

(here is my rp promise Melody 😈)

Dr. Two Brains blinked his bloodshot eyes as the alarm clock blared on his nightstand. It was another night of lack of sleep. Groaning, the mad scientist lazily reached his hand over and bonked the snooze button on the alarm. Two Brains slowly got up and out of bed. All the while clutching a pink unicorn plush toy tightly to his chest. He walked to his bathroom and rubbed his face with one glove, feeling the stubble and whiskers that had not been shaven as often as he did before. He placed the unicorn toy down in a safe spot before approaching the bathroom sink as he began to wash his face and brush his teeth. One of the small amount of hygiene practices he still has the energy and motivation to keep up with now a days. After cleaning his face and teeth, Dr. Two Brains just stared at the mirror for a bit, seeing a reflection that had seen brighter days. With a deep sigh, Dr. Two Brains left the bathroom and began to head out of his bedroom and into the living room of his evil lair. He paused mid step and stared back at the pink unicorn plush. With tender care, the villain picked up the toy and cradled it in his arms. He stared at the toy with affection, yet bitter pain in his red/pink eyes. Time seemed to stop for the mad scientist for an eternity, but only about 8 minutes had passed before the scientist placed the toy gently back on his bed. As he opened the door to his bedroom to leave, he turned back again to face the unicorn toy lying still on the bed, something he did many times before ever since that horrible moment in his life. "Don't worry Pawni." Dr. Two Brains spoke softly, again holding back sobs coming from his mouth, "I'll try to find her again today." He then closed the door behind him, leaving the toy and all the memories it held, in total darkness.

Joey and Charlie frowned with concern towards their boss as the mad scientist slowly ate his cheesy breakfast. The henchmen had to force their boss to not forgo his eating habits and to keep up his strength in spite of everything. They both sadly knew the source of their boss's new forlorn, depraved. and sorrowful state. It was about four months to this date that Becky and her pet monkey Bob had vanished from Fair City without a trace. At first, Dr. Two Brains didn't suspect anything was amiss when his daughter and her monkey had not come home one Friday evening for dinner. The mad scientist assumed that they were at a friend's house and he had forgotten or not heard Becky tell him of her plans which was typical for him especially since his brain had become scrambled due to his fusion with Squeaky. Even when The Butcher had successfully committed a crime the next day and Wordgirl nor Huggy had shown up to stop him was not too much cause for alarm. There were rare moments when Becky would be too busy in her civilian life to show up to a crime but she would always make it up later. What caused Dr. Two Brains to truly start to panic was later that same day when Chuck committed a crime but this time the new hero Kid Math showed up to stop him. When Chuck asked where Wordgirl and Captain Huggy Face were, to the villain's total surprise, Kid Math had no idea either. The boy said he tried visiting them at the spaceship hideout but they were not there. He was just about done searching the city for the duo when he saw Chuck committing a crime. Of course, distraught with the news Wordgirl and Huggy were missing, Chuck passed the news in the villain's chat room on his phone while in jail. The news soon reached Dr. Two Brains who was now becoming increasingly worried to his not knowing of his pinky's whereabout's, started calling the Ming's and the Heaslip's. He wanted to believe his earlier assumptions that his daughter was just being busy with her friends and taking a break from her hero duties. His heart only sank further and further when each parent proved him wrong. Dr. Two Brains then called Mrs. Botsford, one part for a last check to see if she was with the family and when again he was proven wrong, to asks the District Attorney's help to find his child and her monkey. Weeks passed, missing posters were put up, Becky and Bob's case ran on the news a few times. Violet and Scoops rounded up all the kids and teachers from Becky's school to help look. It was all for naught. When he was able to contact him, Two Brains and Kid Math worked out a facade to convince the citizens that Wordgirl and Huggy were just visiting Lexicon and Kid Math would take over until they came back. Only Scoops, Kid Math, Dr. Two Brains, and the rest of the EVA knew the truth from that lie. Dr. Two Brains began committing less and less crimes, his reputation as the #1 villain falling. But he didn't care. He would give anything to get his daughter back, anything to see her and Bob alive and well again. To the mad scientist's amazement in all this, Squeaky wasn't pushing Dr. Two Brains to steal cheese to satisfy their obsession. It seemed the mouse brain was also truly saddened by Becky's disappearance. It had been 4 months since Becky and Bob's disappearance, but Dr. Two Brains was not giving up until he found them. He just wanted his daughter back. The mad scientist finished his meal and slowly got up and headed towards the entrance of his lair. "I'm going to take the van and search again boys. Call me and let me know if you receive any phone calls concerning Becky and/or Bob." Dr. Two Brains commanded his men in a slightly emotionless voice. The henchmen just nodded solemnly. "You got it boss." Joey responded. "Take care out there." A small, grateful smile crept upon Two Brains' lips. He knew the henchmen were worried about Becky and Bob as well as his own health. Dr. Two Brains gave a slight nod and headed out the door to the van. He drove away into the city, continuing his search for his child and monkey. The only thing he left behind was his lab coat.

@melodythebunny (1st)

@drtwobrainsstuff (2nd)

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

Graveyard Siblings (5)

[Masterlink] (PART 1) (PART 4)

-----

Mari and Cass sometimes switch their suits as they have the same body type. Cass would sometimes go out in full Hellbat gear and give the appearance that Hellbat is out more often than she actually is.

So Orphan/Black Bat also sometimes uses guns.

This also helps with concealing secret identities. Maria was rescued by Hellbat from Joker’s Henchmen. (Vicki Vale was getting sus of the new Wayne and Hellbat.)

Unfortunately since Hellbat rarely comes out and she had already made all of her appearance for the month and it wasn’t a busy weekend, the public had come to the conclusion that Hellbat has a crush on the newest Wayne.

Basically everyone thought that Mari has a crush on herself. Which led to some teasing and escalated to Mari announcing that Jason had a crush on Red Hood on live TV.

It didn’t help that a video of Red Hood and Jason re-enacting Romeo and Juliet with Jason on his apartment balcony and Red Hood on the roof was posted on the internet a few days later. (Thank you, Trixx and Tim’s awesome video editing skills)

Sadly, it was taken down 24 hours later. (Tim and the others have multiple copies of it, on the cloud or hardware, hidden around in the manor and their respective safehouses in the US.)

Some people kidnapped Jason to hopefully gain leverage over the Red Hood and to their dismay and nightmares for years to come, Hellbat came instead.

One lucky and incredibly brave reporter asked why she was there instead of her brother.

Mari being a little shit, “Red Hood may be a tough and scary guy but when it comes to his feelings, my brother is a chicken.”

Pictures of Jason tackling Hellbat somehow never made it into any papers.

The criminal underworld hasn’t taken a hint and Jason has been kidnapped a few more times.

Other times Jason was kidnapped:

Robin: Red Hood made a fool of himself in front of Todd recently and he doesn’t dare to show his face.

Spoiler: He was taking too damn long checking his hair even though I told him that no one was going to see it under his helmet and he was so offended that he is currently sulking in the bathroom.

Red Robin: Red Hood can’t think straight when he is around Jason. I mean have you seen the dude.

Arsenal*during a rare visit to Gotham*: Red Hood owes me one now.

Dick finally ends it by going out as Red Hood and rescuing Jason. Gotham is happy that Redson (Red Hood x Jason) ship has finally sailed.

-------

Kate, Babs, Cass, Steph and Mari were out on Mari’s first girls’ night since her move to the manor.

This is set a little after she came back from Paris with Jason.

They watched rom-com movies, did hair and nails, gossip about the superhero community and bitch and vent to each other.

Marinette off-handedly mentioned the crazy shits she had done during her stint as Ladybug. It started with asking about the T-rex in the Batcave and she mentions jumping into the mouth of a live one before.

Everyone in the room was shocked and after a few more questions, it was obvious that she was very reckless and self-sacrificing. Yep, she was going to fit into this crazy family just fine.

And Holy Shit. There is so much trauma packed into this kid. She needs lots of therapy.

Babs finally decided that they all needed to get out and have some fun. All in their respective suits and they went out.

Joined by Harley, Ivy and Selina.

Plagg came along because I want Plagg to meet Selina.

It was a chaotic night and it was a miracle that Bruce didn’t find out about what the girls did.

-------

Batman and Red Hood were on patrol together when Selina jumped in front of them.

“Hello, Boys”

“What do you want, Catwoman?”

“I want to meet my new prodigy, Kitty Noire.”

Cue Marinette jumping down from her hiding spot, transformed with the Black Cat Miraculous. “Hiya.”

Red Hood carries her like a potato sack and points his gun at the other two.

“Nope, she’s my sister and I called dibs. I adopted her. She’s off limits.”

“Legally, she’s mine.” Batman coughed out.

“I did it first. Emotionally. She’s my emotional support sister. You have plenty kids already, B and Selina, get your own.”

“Hey, I am still here and can hear you.”- Maria

-------

Alya was worried for Lila. She had been acting weirdly for the past month.

She looked very out of sorts. Her clothes weren’t in order and her hair was in disarray. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes looked wild. Lila didn’t look like herself at all.

She jumped at any sound and flinched at really sudden movements.

Alya tried to find out what was wrong with Lila and received vague answers.

One time Lila said that Marinette is to blame.

Alya reaches the somewhat right conclusion that Marinette was haunting Lila and hurting her because Lila used to come to school with bruises and claims that Marinette did it.

Alya goes to Marinette’s grave to desecrate it. (Yeah, go anger the ghost that is haunting someone.)

Unfortunately, the moment she tries to do something, the sky turns dark, clouds appear and the wind begins whipping. A Lightning strike near her and there was a cloaked figure beside her with a scythe.

All Alya saw from the figure was the blood-red lips in a very sharp grin and glowing blue eyes, raising the scythe high before she ran away. The scythe swiped the air where her head once was.

Alya didn’t get far before she tripped and blacked out.

When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital with no idea how she got there.

She was told that somebody found her with a concussion in the park and took her to the hospital.

------

The next one on Mari’s hit list was Natalie.

She wasn’t as involved in the whole thing like Lila, Adrien or Gabriel but she still did it anyways.

Her punishment is a little mild compared to the others and was more of a warning to Gabriel.

Natalie woke up in the middle of the night to see a not-so-dead Ladybug sitting on her vanity chair with the moonlight from the windows illuminating her body and her neck. Her suit was torn exactly like the day of that battle with blood dripping down her arms and from her open wounds. The shadows kept her face hidden but glowing blue eyes stared at her.

Natalie was scared at first. But she regained her normal cool composure.

“I assume you are here to extract your revenge for aiding in your unfortunate demise. But before you kill me, I regret my part in my entire thing and I apologize for everything I have done against you even though I knew it was wrong.”

“At least you show remorse over what you have done. Visiting my grave when even my parents didn’t and leaving flowers. I love those purple hyacinths by the way. Did you know that they mean sorry in the language of the flowers?”

“Why are you stalling my death? Just kill me already.”

“Madam Sancouer. You just played a minor role in my downfall compared to what Adrien and Lila Rossi did to me. And you showed more guilt over your actions than they ever did and Adrien claimed to have loved me. And like I have told the Bats, Death is too swift of a punishment.”

“Who are the bats?”

“None of your concern. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Lila sees the ghosts of her past and they haunt her. Adrien is in a living nightmare and has no control over his actions and is despised by everyone. What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, since you show some guilt over your actions, let me tell you a little secret. I am not dead. Not really. I mean I did die. But there was a spell in the grimoire that revived me. It took a few days to work.”

Marinette changed to her normal form. It was a little jarring to see an older Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on her vanity chair like it was a throne. The Ladybug suit and the wounds were gone. She looked a little familiar.

“Why are you telling me this? What was the point?” Natalie faltered as she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Marinette moved closer and her face was fully illuminated by the moonlight.

“I intend to take everything by which I mean everything from Gabriel Agreste for what he did.”

“M. Agreste just wanted his wife back. You just gave him your Miraculous, you would still have everything.”

“What difference would it make? Sure I had friends and family before but they turned out to be disappointing. I might have become a famous designer like I dreamed of and can't achieve because I died. Besides, he never said about wanting his wife to come back in his tedious monologues. For all we knew back then, he wanted them for world domination. He showed that he would end the world for them. For kwamis’ sake, he nearly started World War III, just for a pair of earring and a ring. He was willing to kill me to have her back. No wait, he did that too. If he actually read the translated grimoire or asked the Guardian or at least someone with magic for help instead or maybe used his head and made some who can heal as his champion using the Butterfly, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. Face it, Mme Sancour, your boss is a power-hungry and very controlling maniac who is also thankfully an idiot.”

“But- he- he just-. You are just a child, what do you know? M. Agreste knew what he was doing.”

“A child who had a normal life up until he tried to ruin it with his idiotic schemes and hiring Lila to do it. A child who had to fight a war on her own.”

“I am sorry you had to go through that but I doubt you and your little revenge rampage is going to solve anything.”

Ghostly Chains wrapped around Natalie’s body, squeezing tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

“I was all for sparing you, you know. If you had actually listened to my side of the story, you would have spared from my ‘little revenge rampage’. This is going to be a little painful. Sorry about that.” In a tone that was definitely not sorry.

Pain coursed through Natalie’s body. Her skin crawled and itched as pitch back feathers grew out of it. Her bones turned to dust and reformed.

Where Natalie Sancour once was, there was a raven.

An omen of death and destruction for one Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette leaned down towards the raven. Natalie tried to peck her eye out but Marinette held the beak in a firm grip.

“Ah. ah ah. Luckily for you this is temporary. Mostly. Every night, you will assume this shape and each night the longer you will stay in this form. Slowly counting down the days until Gabriel’s downfall. Since you love helping him so much, you are going to help him know how long he has to live. The night you are a raven from sunset to sunrise, that sunrise starts the day Gabriel Agreste will be utterly destroyed.”

She released the beak and headed towards the window.

"Send him my regards."

With that, she was gone.

(Part 6)

[the-witches-you-couldnt-burn]

It started with a whisper

I originally wrote ‘Like I did with you’ as a one-shot but people wanted a sequel. This turned out to be waaaaay longer than expected (4.7k word count). Inspired by Everybody Talks by Neon Trees. I hope you lot enjoy!

Ao3

(Also this is Mari’s new outfit, all credits go to the original artist)

————

Two teens stood upon the balcony of a large banquet hall, exposed to the midsummer night air. The sky was a lilac blanket that hung over the Parisian buildings, speckled with glowing stars. The moon, with it’s crescent smile, beamed down of the young couple.

Hey, baby, won't you look my way?

Marinette’s eyes were closed as she rested her head upon his shoulder, relaxing after the night’s rapid escalation. Tonight she had arrived at the ball with the intent to be there for her friends, but somehow she found herself within the arms of Gotham’s (and probably Paris’) Ice Prince. She had overheard his nickname from the Gotham students, one of which being Jon, who was in the middle of mocking the young Wayne. She had never considered that nickname as suitable; sure he was temperamental & had a tendency to snap, but icey to the core? No.

I can be your new addiction

Damian was calm. For the first time in his life he felt like he could take a breath. His exhale was carried off by a small gust of wind, the bush over hanging the stone railing rustled. With his inhale, the scent of Marinette’s perfume became present once more. Mixed with the crisp night’s air, her usual scent of pastries was mixed with what could only be described as ambrosia. His phone vibrated within his pocket, it was never on volume due to the potential risk it caused during his heroic activities.

“Shit.” Notifications covered his screen, multiple tweets, Instagrams and Tiktoks in which he had been tagged in. But the alert came from his family’s private messaging chat. The whole thread was a shit storm, Grayson and Todd’s messages were completely capitalised (he learnt years ago this meant ‘to yell’ in writing form) and both had multiple ‘keyboard spasms’. Drake, like the thorough detective he is, had combed through the images and videos, investigating their validity. His honorary sisters had replied with ‘awwwww’(s) and ‘Omg we MUST meet this girl! I need to know how she tamed the demon!’. He could practically hear Brown’s shrill voice from across the ocean.

Hey, baby, what you gotta say?

No reply from his father or Alfred. The two of them were the only semblance of ‘normal’ paternal figures he had within his life, after the sham of a relationship he had previously held with his grandfather. Their silence unnerved him.

Marinette had noticed his attention had shifted to his phone, her own mobile was buzzing away within her baby pink purse. Messages, notifications of account tagging and comments galore. A sigh left her lips when she saw her parents seemed to be none the wiser. Good, she didn’t need to deal with future adoration for ‘The boy who swept our daughter off of her feet’ (or something along those lines).

Her cheeks regained some of the warmth they held before as she thought of her parent’s reaction. Scrolling through her Twitter she saw her friends had posted multiple images of the night’s events, majority being her shared dance.

Chloé Bourgeois @TheBestBourgeois

what kind of Disney shit is this? (Insert video of two teens dancing around an mostly empty dance floor.)

Alix Kubdel @Sk8trGirl

Replying to @TheBestBourgeois

I KNOW RIGHT?! THEY WERE FUCKING FLOATING!!!

All you're giving me is fiction

She was thankful that they hadn’t tagged her but she hadn’t been spared by others in attendance. Her post thread had blown up, thousands had commented and even more had viewed the evidence. There was no way she would come out of this unscathed.

“Has anyone been on Twitter today?” The blonde of the family asked as she walked into the dining room. Her eyes focused on her scrolling screen, brows furrowed in confusion. “Actually has anyone seen what’s happening on any of our socials?”

It was early in the afternoon and the family had recently returned home after a straining stakeout. The Joker had broken out of Arkham and the Batfam had to deal with his minions. Dick’s arm was in a sling (sprained from a grapple gone wrong), Jason was icing his hand, Alfred was stitching Bruce’s chest wounds while Tim and the girls escaped without severe injuries. All were still recuperating and finally able to recharge.

Alfred always enforced a strict ‘no devices at the dinner table’ rule; no matter how urgent it was, it could wait until after sustenance was consumed. Tim strongly opposed this, but there was no arguing with Agent A. This all surmises that probably no one had seen the crap storm on social media.

I'm a sorry sucker and this happens all the time

Bruce sighed, bringing his free arm up to rub his eyes. Tilting his head back to look at Steph, “Who was it this time?” Barbara quickly took out her phone to see what Stephanie was talking about, all the while glancing accusingly at Dick and Jason. Both of whom held up their arms (or in Dick’s case arm), declaring their innocence.

“It wasn’t fucking me!”

“Jason! Language!” Dick shot a glare at Jason and was met with one in return. “It wasn’t me either.”

“Then who-“ Bruce started before being cut off by his most rambunctious daughter.

I found out that everybody talks

Stephanie with a squeal, exclaimed that it was Damian. Visions of what the Wayne brat could have done flashed through the heads of everyone in the room. He had been sent overseas before the quarantines and lockdowns hit. During Damian’s first month in France he had been forced into online schooling and then finally when he got to go to in-person classes he hated it. Described the class as a kindergarten with petty and vindictive toddlers.

Had he broken someone’s arm? Was that person of such importance that it had spread over multiple social media platforms? France’s government had announced on June 15th, that teens were now being inoculated so him having COVID-19 was doubtful. Had he insulted the wrong person? Had he taken over the government? He certainly had the potential.

Everybody talks, everybody talks

What they saw stunned them, even Steph as she watched it for the 7th time. Damian Wayne was dancing. But not only that, he was dancing with a girl.

It started with a whisper

“What is this shit?”

No one verbally objected to Jason’s outburst but he was sent a harsh glare from Alfred, Dick and Bruce. Their focus soon returned to the images and videos before them. Babs’ and Steph’s phones were returned to them as the others ran to grab their own devices. They all met back at the table, comparing the posts and comparing their notes.

I can hear the chitchat

“There’s no way this can be real.”

“Jesus Tim,” Barbara rolls her eyes, “have you seen the amount of posts there are? You’d be an idiot to think otherwise.”

Take me to your love shack

“I’m with Tim, how do we know this isn’t some skit. I mean, Demon Spawn almost looks normal. That’s a matter of concern.” He almost dry heaved when he agreed with Tim. Damian couldn’t be capable of naturally exuding that amount of humanity unless there was something in it for him.

Mamas always gotta backtrack

“I was just saying Babs, that we should check the credibility of these images. For all we know they could be gorilla glued together and trying to get unstuck.” Tim cringed at his own reasoning, he really needed to either sleep (probably not going to happen anytime soon) or find his favourite coffee brand (which had been one of the first to vanish after the covid hoarders appeared).

When everybody talks back

Dick was too busy freaking out and spam messaging the youngest Wayne, to defend Damian’s humanity. The family saw this and followed suit, wanting to get information from the source.

Chat name: Alfred supremacy

BigBird: AHHHHHH DAMIAN!

BigBird: YOU LOOK SO CUTE!!!

BigBird: HAIFJDNDNFI

LittleWing: WTF HAPPENED DEMON SPAWN YOU LOOK ALMOST HUMAN

Babs: who knew the city of love would influence the brat

Blondie: they are so cuteeeeeee!

Blondie: We HAVE to meet her!

Silent-but-deadly: agreed.

Timbo: YO DEMON

Timbo: Apparently the videos are legit

Timbo: are you being blackmailed?

And it just devolved into more chaos from there, fueled by the fact that they saw Damian’s ‘Blood Son’ account appear online before vanishing once more. Dick shrieked, “I FOUND HER ACCOUNT!”

The family gathered around the eldest son, peering over his shoulder to view his iPhone 12max screen. They saw a young girl’s Instagram account. It was locked but they could see her profile pic, the girl had black hair and looked to be if Asian decent. They compared it to the videos but it was hard to see due to the hall’s lighting and the minimised facial features of the pfp. Alfred suggested that they search up her username and see who has tagged her, some might have other photos of her.

After research for awhile, the family began to get frustrated with lack of results.

Hey honey you could be my drug

You could be my new prescription

“Come on!” Jason complained, “What kind of teenage girl doesn’t post her life online?” He ignored the girls glares and went back to researching. How had the account by the name of ‘mariiiiinette’ to managed to prevent the entire Wayne clan from accessing it? Damn Instagram privacy settings. He groaned, dragging a hand down his face, “We are fucking stupid. Why don’t we just use the Bat-computer? It would be so much fucking easier.”

“It shouldn’t be used for civilian issues-“

Too much could be an overdose

“The girl could be a meta for all we know! We aren’t safe until we know who she is.” Jason points a finger at Tim, his paranoia flared up and even though he would never admit it, Jason would do anything to protect each member of his family (although Bruce is still debatable).

All this trash talk make me itching

Barbara and Tim took their usual positions as Oracle and Red Robin (who had been banned from patrol due to lack of sleep). The rest of the Batfam stood behind them either with arms crossed or still failing at researching.

Oh my my shit

“The account is owned by a girl called Marinette Dupian-Cheng. She is French-Chinese and her parents own a popular bakery. Also if it wasn’t already obvious, she goes to Collège Françoise Dupont, aka Damian’s French school.” Tim begun informing his nosy family, “But this account has been inactive for the past 6 months, which is strange due to her frequent posting schedule before hand. It seems she probably has a second account and this is her old one.”

Everybody talks, everybody talks

“Not only that,” Barbara interrupted. “There are unopened messages from other accounts that accuse her of being a bully. There is a whole Facebook page about this girl and how she has been hurting her old friends, but neither side seems reliable. The so called victims seem to be twisting the truth but there is barely any information about Marinette so we can’t disprove it either.”

“Read out some of the messages.” Bruce took a cup of coffee from Alfred and sipped it.

The main screen of the bat computer displayed a Facebook group with the banner picture being a photo of Marinette. “They are mostly complaints expected of teen girls when there is a girl they don’t like; ‘Marinette is such a know-it-all’, ‘She is constantly insulting Lila’s intelligence’. They go on to talk about how Marinette was briefly expelled from the Collège before being reinstated by the principle for a reason unknown to them.”

Everybody talks too much

“Her school reports up until this year were good. The newest one states, ‘While Marinette is a wonderful and bright student, I encourage her to settle her disagreements outside of class. This seems to only be a recent occurrence and I implore her to go to the guidance council if she is in need of help.’” A beat of silence echoes through the cave, Tim sighed. “Jason’s meta theory could be correct. She could have just recently started exhibiting her abilities and using them to get what she wants.”

“Bruce what do you want to do?”

“We’re going to Paris.”

She opened her eyes to the blaring morning light that streamed through the blinds. Her lashes still painted with mascara that refused to leave. She felt a pang of sorrow when she was removing her makeup and dress last night, she never wanted the night to end. She shuffled down the stairs to the kitchen, covering her mouth when she yawned. She greeted her mother as she entered the kitchen to get breakfast.

She glanced at her phone and there was the chaos that was started hours ago and it was still occurring. It was the weekend, she wouldn’t need to deal with her classmates until Monday. But she would still have to survive her parent’s interrogation. Out of the corner of her eye she caught her mother smirking at her.

Everybody talks

“Nadja told me some interesting news about last night.” Marinette held her breath, glaring at the toaster, willing it to hurry up so she could escape. “Well,” Sabine patted her shoulder before rubbing Mari’s back. “I know you didn’t want to go but I hope you had fun.”

With that she exited the kitchen, probably going to help her father in the bakery. The ravenette stared after her, eye widened in shock, jumping when the toaster went off. Buttering her toast she went over the conversation, her brows furrowed in confusion. She had expected a ‘When do I get to meet the oh so famous prince?’ or ‘Should I be expecting a new guest sometime in the near future?’ or at least a ‘Who was that young man, Bǎozàng (宝藏 it means treasure)?’ But she said nothing.

A small smile was plastered upon her face as she changed and went down to help her parents in the bakery. Her father didn’t say anything either, he gave her a knowing smile before continuing to kneed the dough. She sat at the the store front as the cashier whilst her parents were busy making ‘Paris’s Finest Pastries’.

Her musings slowly faded as she was brought back to reality by badly hushed whispers. Two young preteens were by the bread roll casing near the door. She had seen them come in before with their parents, the girls went to the prestigious international school over in the 16th arrondissement. The one with purple hair kept whispering to the brunette, both ‘subtly’ glancing towards her. Using her enhanced hearing she listened in on their conversation.

“That’s her, I swear that’s her in the video.”

The blonde’s face soured likes she sucked on a lemon. “No, it wasn’t good lighting there is no way he would dance with someone like her.”

Everybody talks

Marinette had tough skin but their words had an impact, only a small one due to her defence mechanism of repressing emotions. She stopped listening and went back to drawing in her sketchpad, she was in desperate need of a new school outfit.

The two girls eventually came up to the counter, goods in hand. Marinette rung up and bagged their items (paper because save the turtles sksksk) in a tired daze. A phone was shoved into her face, her eyes barely adjusted to view the screen before the blonde spoke.

“Is this your instagram?” She asked in a tone so snobbish that it should be illegal from a person her age. Marinette finally was able to view the screen that was barely an inch from her face. Her old Instagram ‘mariiiiinette’ was displayed on screen, she hesitantly nodded, gaze flicking back to the two in front of her.

The blonde’s nose scrunched up and the purple goth girl squealed in delight. They soon after left the store, their conversation had devolved into ‘See! I told you’ and ‘Yeah, yeah. You were right.’

Walking to school on Monday, she had finally come down from cloud nine. She still rode the tail end of her high as she rushed along her path to her campus, she wasn’t going to be late but she sure wasn’t going to be early. She had spent the better part of the weekend designing and sewing a brand new outfit. Her new look was composed of a black cropped singlet (L'amour gagne hemmed into it and it’s straps), paired matching peach plaid cropped overshirt and a-line miniskirt. Her hair was down, ballet flats were worn and her makeup was the usual with the added edition of a rose gold eyeshadow.

Even though her face was covered in a black and gold mask, she looked hot.

She reached the campus and the whispers started again, people were still buzzing from Friday night. Her classmates, the majority of her grade and the younger years seemed to gossiping before class about the formal’s events. She couldn’t spot any of her friends or the two Gotham transfers, so she was stuck listening the the chitchat. Why couldn’t she have been late like usual?

Damian had a fowl disposition and it showed in multiple icey glares (and that was before he even reached the collège). His family had made their appearance known in Paris at 1am Sunday morning. He could have used his dorm to escape but his family didn’t have the word ‘privacy’ within their vocabulary. He didn’t want to have to pay for a lock replacement due to his brothers’ (most likely Todd with Drake & Grayson laughing at him) lock picking habit.

The Ice Prince was back with full force. He had just been... influenced by all the other couples. Yes he did respect Dupain-Cheng and he appreciated her company & pleasant conversations. He would struggle to hide a small smile at the memory of the dance, even if he denied himself the happiness of normality, he felt content when reminiscing.

“Ooo the Ice Prince is here, did he have a fight with his princess or something?” The voice seemed to mock him.

“The Disney Magic is gone. The demon is back.”

Everybody talks

At the second jeer he shot a glare at the perpetrator. Jon held his hands up in an ‘I surrender manner’, laughing as he joined Damian at his side. The two entered the school’s large foyer and looked to see if any of the classes were open yet. Sadly they weren’t, before he was wrong and the his class was plain torture but this was truely hell.

He saw Dupain-Cheng sitting alone on the stairs, drawing within her sketchpad. He wondered how a girl like her, who always seemed to be involved in other’s lives (for the better) was ignoring all of the comments about her. She felt his focus centre on her, eyes flicking up to meet his, she provided him with a small wave before continuing to draw.

Jon nudged him with an elbow to his ribs and dragged him off to the side, into the boy’s locker rooms. Jon scowled at the door, “It’s a mad house out there. You’ve heard what some people are saying right?”

“Why would I care about these imbeciles?”

Jon jabbed Damian in the chest, causing the demon to stumble. Green eyes darted from blue eyes to the tan finger. “You care when lies hurt people you care about.”

The day began to rapidly decline once the two dance partners took their seats, next to each other. They had both been placed up the back of the class and them sitting together hadn’t been a problem until now apparently. She wasn’t even safe when the teacher started their lecture, whispers and glances were cast towards them. Once the two got to biology it was better, Ms Mendeleiev was a strict teacher and was able to control the class.

Everybody talks

But the recess came. When the bell rang she slowly started packing up her equipment, Alix and Max (who she shared biology with) waited for her; she watched as the Ice Prince left through the door. She knew she didn’t need to be concerned about her friends joining in with the gossiping, if anything they would dispel people and tell them to ‘Mind their own fucking business’ because this whole situations is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.

She did receive some slight teasing from Alix about being a Disney princess, but Marinette quipped back about the skater’s fairytale story being ‘Pinknette, the Geek and the Beast’. The three met up with the other two of their group, they had just come from geography. Kim was complaining that Argentina was a state in America.

“That’s Arkansas you idiot!” Chloe shrieked, lightly hitting his arm with her white handbag. Max held his head in his hand as he approached, how had his tutoring sessions failed so badly?

Chloe turned to Marinette, a smile forming from her glare. The blonde examined the designer’s clothing, nodding. “You look like you are about to have a hot girl summer.”

Marinette’s face burned, the tips of her ears coated in red. Alix chuckled and nudged her shoulder.

Everybody talks

“Look at her, she is so desperate for his attention that she probably copied those designs.”

“Why do you think he danced with her anyways? Maybe she has something on him? I mean, she forces him to sit next to her in class, who knows what else she has done.”

What. The. Fuck.

Chloe glowered towards Lila’s posy. “We have a fucking seating plan, those cretins-“ She made a motion to storm over but was caught by the ravenette, looking back to Mari, her rage decreased from a boil to a simmer.

“No Chlo. It’s fine, it’s not worth it.”

Everybody talks... back

The group walked out to the school’s front steps, it was a mad house... a mad courtyard? Students sitting on the stairs, on the grass and standing around mingling, all of them now were staring at her. She held her backpack close to her chest (she had swapped her signature coin-bag purse for the pastel pink bag), pretending its a shield. Her friends circled around her becoming an obstacle to prevent their stares. If people were afraid of a scowling Kim then they don’t know the scorn of Chloe or Alix’s bite. And Max, sweet quiet Max.... you better hope he doesn’t have blackmail on you (he probably does), he can dismantle your life with a single anonymous post.

Rushed footsteps approached them. The group was broken apart by a rude Wayne boy, he swept Mari away from the school and the gossip crowds within. Her four friends shouted at him and he kept walking, shooting a glare at them in response. He kept pushing Marinette forward with a hand placed on the small of her back, her backpack was now swung over his other shoulder.

They ended up in her favourite alcove. She had brought him here with the other Gotham transfers for a native’s tour of Paris. It had always been her safe place to be creative.

It started with a whisper (everybody talks, everybody talks)

“My apologises for our rushed departure but you seemed to want to get out of their anyhow.” His gruff tone danced through the silence, his head still peaking around the corner; watching for any unwelcome guests.

“Thank you.” She whispered, her voice almost being carried off by the gentle wind. A genuine smile illustrated upon her face.

“We weren’t able to converse after the events of the other night. I would like to formally apologise once more for my actions causing this adverse reaction. If I had kn-“

“You don’t need to apologise!” She squeaked, hiding her eyes behind her fisted hand. Her shoulders curled inwards as she tried to make herself seem as small as possible, a side effect of her common use of her secondary miraculous form: Multimouse.

“I chose to dance with you, you don’t need to apologise for my own actions.” He stared at her with confusion. He had taken the blame so she wouldn’t need to do so herself; but she had taken it anyways. He had given her an out. Why does she always take the blame, even for things out of her control?

“But if I hadn’t danced with you then you wouldn’t have been the focus of the entire school.”

Marinette stepped forward, her eyes hardened and blazing. “Damian Friday night I went there out of obligation to my friends, I didn’t want to be there. But dancing with you? That was the highlight of my week, probably my month too. I enjoyed our time together.” Her face softened, lips twitched downwards ever so slightly. “I don’t regret anything about that night, but do you?”

He was bad at comfort. Everyone in his family avoided him when they were in need, he plainly didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t visibly upset but he sensed that she is disappointed that he apparently didn’t share the same opinion of the night. The only thing he regretted about that night was letting Jon call him a coward, but then again if he didn’t he never would have danced with Dupa- Marinette.

He picked up her clenched hand, the tension in her body alleviated at his embrace. He remembered how Grayson would apologise to Kor’i or how his father interacted with Ms Kyle. He brought their hands up and placed a kiss upon her knuckles.

And that was when I kissed her (everybody talks, everybody talks)

“I do not regret anything either—“ he cleared his throat, “In fact, I’d appreciate if we would be able to interact more, especially outside of that cesspit.”

Was he...?

It didn’t matter.

She smiled the same dazzling smile she gave him at the dance. She nodded while laughing, “I’d love that.”

Everybody talks

The two stay talking, hidden within their secret alcove for the rest of the day. She texted her parents to say she was with a friend and would be back later that night. Damian didn’t bother texting his family, Marinette knew he had to be back soon due to his dorm’s curfew.

The sun was setting at they walked back together, he did the gentlemanly thing and dropped her off at her bakery door. She could see her mother behind the register inconspicuously looking over at the two of them. Damian’s lips quirked upwards, she was satisfied with his kinda-smile.

He walked back, hands in pockets and a neutral expression upon his face instead of a scowl. He reached his door and took his keys, he found that it was already open. Damn.

His family was splayed out within his two roomed dorm. Todd and Drake were fighting over a place to sit on his bed, whilst his father sat at his desk, watching the commotion. The three of them turned to him as he enter the room, they were the only family members able to attend on short notice; Cain had a ballet audition, Gordon & Brown had concert tickets for tomorrow, Grayson had to take care of Mar’i while Kor’i was on Tamaran and Alfred stayed to ensure no one died during their night time activities.

“We need to talk Damian.” His father stood, leaning onto the desk chair. “The school called and said you had an unexcused absence for half the day. Where were you Damian?”

Damian stared into his father’s eyes. He was fifteen, almost an adult, but was treated like he was ten again.

“I was with a friend.”

“Probably the girl from the dance. Marinette, right?” Todd mocked him. Damian snapped his head in the direction of his bed, glaring at both his brothers.

“That’s what I want to talk about with you Damian. Now I don’t know her personally but from what we’ve discovered through our investigation we have some concerns. What’s happened Damian?”

The youngest Wayne’s glare shifted off of his brothers to the floor, and then finally to his father; his family sitting in wait for his answer. Straightening his posture, his shoulders clicked as he rolled then back. His statement’s tone was sure and steady, “Everybody talks father.”

Everybody talks... back