#anikah writes

[heyitsani]

Self Love Retrospective

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2021. Tag as many creators as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Tagged by @nerd-by-definition

1. So Devoid of Color

This was actually my most popular story of the year. I wrote it for Dick Grayson week under the prompt of “Bruce hits Dick and doesn’t get away with it.” I enjoyed the exploration of the prompt because it came from Tim’s POV, so you didn’t get a lot of Dick mentally making excuses. And it was just a very emotionally raw piece.

The Cave went deathly silent in the aftermath.

For those 30 or so seconds immediately after the distinct sound of a fist hitting a cheekbone, it was like they had landed in a vacuum of sound.

It was such a startling contrast to the shouting that had led up to that exact moment. The fight between Dick and Bruce hadn’t been surprising. When Red Robin had called Nightwing on his private comm line to report that Robin had been shot on patrol, he had known the eldest would panic. And when he found out it was because Batman had made a mistake, Tim knew shit would hit the fan.

Quite literally.

2. I Just Want to Know You Better

This is probably in my top three favorite pieces of all time? It was a gift for two lovely friends for their birthdays and I wanted to branch out in a way I hadn’t before. So I changed up my style and I eliminated heroes and villains (though Gotham still had its issues) and kept parents alive. I got explore the lives of Jason and Dick if Bruce had never happened and if Dick hadn’t lost his parents. It’s my first and only circus fic thus far.

Gotham was a disgusting city.

Dick wouldn’t accept any other opinion because he knew, at the tender age of 10 years old, he was absolutely correct. It didn’t matter that the people of the city had a resilience and strength about them that he had noticed the very first time he remembered Haly’s had pitched their tents within the Gotham city limits. It didn’t matter the rich history of the city and the survival through years of corruption and evil. He didn’t care about those things.

No, he cared that the city seemed to bleed its life force into the ground it sat upon, into the mucky water at its shores. That each year they came, the city seemed grayer and sadder. More desperate. Where other cities sparked colors all around. Metropolis with it’s bright red and yellows, San Francisco with a rainbow of colors seeping into the very skin of each of the people wandering their limits, and even Star City with the dim, but ever-present greens and blues.

Dick hated it.

Until he didn’t.

3. Mr. Perfectly Fine

I think I would get in trouble if I didn’t include this one on the list because though it hasn’t received as much love as others, it was a favorite amongst my friends. It’s such a heartbreaking story of life after a breakup between Dick and Jason, exploring their life paths and how the one influences the other even years later. It’s an Au with actor!Dick and musician!Jason and spans over 20 years throughout the story.

And yes, it’s influenced by the Taylor Swift song.

“How long have you been in LA?”

“Just a few months,” a smooth voice sounded behind him, causing Dick to turn and find himself face to face with the man from the stage. The man with the voice that had literally demanded he come in off the street to see where it was coming from. “A celebrity in our dressing room, who would have thought that would ever happen?” There was a teasing glint in the man’s eyes that made Dick practically swoon.

Holding out a surprisingly steady hand, Dick licked his lips. “Dick Grayson,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t sound as breathless to them as it did in his own ears. The man smiled and took Dick’s hand in his larger one, giving a firm shake but not releasing it right away.

“Jason Todd.”

4. Weigh Down My Soul

Okay this one is kind of hit or miss. Jason being tricked by a Djinn and exploring life as he wishes Dick’s influence out of his. It kind of explores Dick’s manipulative side a bit because it’s a fight between him and Jason that sets the wishes in motion. But we also get to see how things would have been if Dick was removed from Gotham in various levels, what life for everyone would have been like.

Also, Orange Lantern!Dick makes an appearance and it’s *chef kiss*. Shoutout to @shannara810 for the idea.

“Are you fucking insane?!” Jason growled as he pulled off his helmet the moment he and Dick landed on a rooftop far enough away from the crime scene to not catch the attention of the cops, but close enough to be sure they got there in a timely manner. “Why the hell would you just give yourself over to them like that? We had it covered, we were good. Do you always have to be such a fucking masochist?!” He knew he wasn’t technically being fair, that things had been starting to go sideways, but he was still so pissed that Dick hadn’t even warned him. He had just jumped into the middle of the nest of criminals and “let them” get the drop on him.

“Why are you so upset? Everything worked out fine,” Dick pointed out, just making Jason’s temper flare hotter. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. And I don’t need you thinking you have any right to fight my battles for me!” He didn’t understand how the older man just didn’t get that people cared enough to not want him to sacrifice himself whenever he possibly could.

It made Jason want to put his fist through the brick wall to his left.

5. I Keep My Eyes Wide Open All the Time

Even though I started this one in 2020, I finished it in 2021 and I couldn’t not have my Past Lives AU mentioned. It’s my baby and through it I grew more and more in love with Damian as a character. In comics and fics. The first story explores a past life of Dick and Jason where a curse is put on them that forces them to live their life and all future lives in close proximity and in love, but never being allowed to be together. This is the sequel where Damian is given the chance to remember the lives that Dick and Jason now remember as well. Lives Damian was fully submerged in as well.

It’s kind of hard to explain without giving away the plot. But if you like time pieces and exploring familial bonds in and out of blood relation, give it a try.

“I have loved him for over a millennium, Dami, but we have never been allowed to be fully happy. Duty, law, or prejudice, along with a curse, has kept us from truly belonging to each other,” Richard explained. And Damian felt his heart clench at the thought of the two of them being close but never fully being able to give into their love. He thought of him and Jon. How he cared so deeply for the other man but feared what Father would think. Feared how he would react should anything happen to Jon because of him. But never had an outside force worked against the two of them. He couldn’t imagine how that would feel. “Now we can finally be together in the eyes of the law and I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“But me? Why not Father?”

Richard smile turned a little sad and Damian watched as he set his cup down before turning to look at Damian fully. “Because you were our son. Because you were of my blood and Jason loved you as though you were of his.” Dropping Richard’s gaze, Damian processed those words. “You were my son with a woman who was not kind or good, in any of her lives. She did some horrible things, but she also gave me you. And that love, that affection, has always been yours. Each and every lifetime, even though you are no longer my blood, you have always been mine.”

I have no idea who to tag that hasn’t already been tagged and/or done this already so I’ll just toss a few: @mlim8 @justtoarguewithyou @epistemologys @allthatsentimentalcandyfloss and anyone else who might want to show themselves some love.

[heyitsani]

Lawful Neutral and Chaotic Evil

Don’t judge me, I have layers.

I feel like there needs to be an author alignment chart

Chaotic Evil is writing on your phone in the dark with no glasses on (me)

[encryptedvisions]

I’ve got a question for people who speak and read more than one orally spoken language. I say orally because I am fluent in English but also Sign Language, which obviously isn’t spoken orally.

So my question is: when you translate from one language to another in Google Translate does it translate it word for word or does it make it grammatically and structurally correct as well?

Like for example: I’m pretty sure in Spanish, the way a question is written is structurally different from a question written in English. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I never took oral language in school, I learned Sign Language.

I’m just writing a book and there are some scenes where Greek is spoken and then translated later for the narrator by another character and I want to be sure it is correct on the page.

And I’m also just generally curious.

[dwindledglow]

001. MEET GREYSON

FULL NAME: greyson dominic northwood. PREFERRED NAME: greyson. NICKNAME/S: grey, g and north. DATE OF BIRTH: august 29th, 1992. GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis male & he/his. ORIENTATION: hetero. RELIGION: agnostic. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: married to leticia northwood. OCCUPATION: recording artist, music producer, model and entrepreneur. RESIDENCE: in between soho, new york city and quogue, suffolk county.

002. CHECK GREYSON’S BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: harlem, new york city, united states of america. NATIONALITY: american. ETHNIC BACKGROUND: afro-barbadian. LINGUISTICS: english which is his native language and spanish and french in a fluent level. EDUCATION: he has graduated from high-school. CRIMINAL RECORD: clean. BIRTH ORDER: second. FATHER: vince josiah northwood, born on march 3rd, 1966 in atlanta, georgia, currently residing in tribeca, new york city. he owns a couple bars in the different boroughs and neighborhoods and, still, works as a bartender on his first-bought bar in harlem. MOTHER: narissa gabrielle knowles, born on november 22nd, 1967 in houston, texas, currently residing in tribeca, new york city. she’s the owner of a cosmetology and skincare clinic, and does occasional work as a beautician. SISTER/S: naomi lenora nortwhood, born on october 6th, 1989 in harlem, new york, currently residing in los angeles, california and working as a neurosurgeon at UCLA medical center. gianna makayla northwood, born on june 18th, 1994 in harlem, new york, currently residing in rome, italy and working as a marketing and communications specialist for fendi. neah gabrielle northwood, born on february 26th, 1998 in harlem, new york, currently residing in los angeles, california where she attends UCLA school of theatre, film and television and studies to become an actress. BROTHER/S: jason malik northwood, born on may 22nd, 2004 in tribeca, new york where he still resides and studies. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: leticia northwood, née evans. CHILDREN: koda brooklyn northwood, born on january 1st, 2019 in southampton, new york and romi noor northwood, born on january 1st, 2019 in southampton, new york. OTHER RELEVANT FAMILY: trai smith, naomi’s husband thus brother-in-law. anikah lenora smith, naomi and trai’s daughter, niece. aaliyah ranee smith, naomi and trai’s daughter, niece. EX/ES: rita sisay and olivia laurent. PETS: coco maki, a chow chow, snoop and peaches, two bunnies.

003. GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

HEIGHT: 6′3″ or 193 cm. WEIGHT: between 178 lbs or 81 kg and 188 lbs or 85 kg. BODY BUILD: he’s slender, with an average weight for his height. despite not being too strict when it comes to diets or workout routines, greyson doesn’t have many issues keeping his average weight. he’s not lanky or overly slim, but he’s not out of shape either – he has a toned stomach and legs, and he has muscular arms. EYE COLOR: dark brown, depending on the lighting and weather their shade seems to vary from an earthy, coppery brown to black. EYESIGHT: his eyesight is impeccable, he has no vision-related issues so far HAIR COLOR & STYLE: if greyson was to leave his hair be and didn’t style it, he’d have a huge curly mess to deal with. on a daily basis, he keeps his hair braided into sections, tying the majority of the braids into a ponytail while leaving some of them loose. if he’s in the mood to change it up, he goes for two cornrows and if he really can’t be bothered with his hair, he’ll just braid it and leave it at that. that is, when his hair is as lengthy as it is now. when he cuts his hair and has it a little bit shorter than he has now, he either goes for center-parted cornrows or he just gets someone to braid his hair and ties it in a small ponytail. DOMINANT HAND: right. NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: his million-dollar smile has swiftly become his trademark, as well as his braided hair, and often those are the two thing people immediately notice. in an alike manner, some seem to notice his pristine skin, others tend to be distracted by his towering frame. amongst many other, those are perhaps his most notable traits. SCARS AND MARKS: here's a noticeable scar on his left cheek and a couple more scattered throughout his body as a result of every day's life. other than those, there's a birthmark on the inside of his left wrist and the occasional mole here and there. TATTOOS: he does have some ; he has ALT tattooed behind his ear which is the name of his first EP, the one that catapulted his career, and he has the word YLOHNU ( unholy backwards ) tattooed on the outer side of his left wrist. on the inside of his left arm, positioned where it’d be considered the inside of the elbow, he has LONDON and NEW YORK in uppercase, forming an upper arch, and forming a lower arch, he has TOKYO and LOS ANGELES also in uppercase - the four main cities that helped with him get where he is today. along his right hipbone, he has off the maps no hidden grids, i’m fleeing which was taken out of one of his songs from his latest album and is one of his favorite lyrics he ever wrote/sung. he has a blacklight tattoo saying i solemnly swear that i’m up to no good along with some footsteps on the inside of his right wrist. in white ink, and below his left pectoral, he has neah’s heartbeat and on his left ankle he has a small compass tattoo pointing north. on the side of his index finger from his right hand, he has a small rose ( his mother’s favorite flower ) and on the inside of his left wrist, he has VENI. VIDI. VICI. tattooed in uppercase. on his ring finger, he has the coordinates to where he and leticia got married tattooed in bold font. on very small scale/font, he has the quote i can be changed by what happens to me but i refuse to be reduced by it split in three parts on the right side of his ribcage. more recently, he has gotten XIII VIII MCMXVC - leticia’s birth date - tattooed alongside his left collarbone. besides that, there’s a KBN and a RNN - koda’s and romi’s initials respectively - micro-tattooed on his pressure point, just below his ear. PIERCINGS: he has a piercing on his left regular lobe. VOICECLAIM: asap rocky. ACCENT & INTENSITY: despite all the traveling around the world and residing in various locations over the past few years, greyson was born and raised in new york and his accent has remained intact all throughout. that being said, he has a really intense new york accent. ALLERGIES: apples, dust mite and he’s lactose intolerant. PHOBIAS & FEARS: losing himself. MENTAL & PHYSICAL ILLNESSES: none so far. ALCOHOL USE: socially, usually not to a point where he’s hammered. SMOKING: yes, mainly in situations of extreme stress. NARCOTICS USE: in the beginning of his career, greyson used to do lsd and lean but he has quit it a good while ago. these days, and mainly when he’s going through the creative process or looking to unwind, he does smoke weed. INDULGENT FOOD: on the rare. SPLURGE SPENDING: yes, occasionally. GAMBLING: no, never.

004. DIG DEEPER

CAN THEY DRIVE? yes, he can drive. CAN THEY COOK & BAKE? yes and not much. he can bake simple things but he can’t do any intricate dessert or cake or anything. CAN THEY CHANGE A FLAT TIRE? yes. CAN THEY TIE A TIE? yes. CAN THEY SWIM? yes. CAN THEY RIDE A BICYCLE? yes. CAN THEY JUMP START A CAR? yes. CAN THEY BRAID HAIR? no. CAN THEY PICK A LOCK? yes. EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED? extroverted. DISORGANIZED OR ORGANIZED? organized. CLOSE OR OPEN MINDED? open minded. CALM OR ANXIOUS? calm. PATIENT OR IMPATIENT? in between. OUTSPOKEN OR RESERVED? outspoken. LEADER OR FOLLOWER? leader. OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC? optimistic. TRADITIONAL OR MODERN? modern. HARD-WORKING OR LAZY? hard-working. CULTURED OR UNCULTURED? cultured. LOYAL OR DISLOYAL? loyal. FAITHFUL OR UNFAITHFUL? faithful. NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD? night owl. HEAVY OR LIGHT SLEEPER? light sleeper. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. DAY OR NIGHT? night. TAKING BATHS OR SHOWERS? showers. COCA COLA OR PEPSI? coca-cola. CATS OR DOGS? dogs. NETFLIX OR CINEMA? cinema. SHOWS OR MOVIES? movies. LAPTOP OR GAMING CONSOLE? both. HEALTHY OR JUNK FOOD? healthy food. ICE CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT? ice cream. PIZZA OR HAMBURGER? pizza. LOLLIPOPS OR GUMMY WORMS? gummy worms. BEACH OR POOL? beach. SNOWBALLS FIGHTING OR ICESKATING? snowballs fighting. LITERATURE OR SCIENCE? literature. HISTORY OR ART? art. CHOCOLATE BARS OR COTTON CANDY? cotton candy. XBOX OR PLAYSTATION? playstation. FACE-TO-FACE OR PHONE INTERACTIONS? face-to-face interactions. DRAMA OR SCI-FI? sci-fi. HORROR OR COMEDY? both.

005. GREYSON’S FAVORITES

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: song-writing, singing, recording... the whole process about making a song. FAVORITE ANIMAL: jaguar. FAVORITE BOOK: so far, greyson has no favorite book FAVORITE COLOR/S: grey. FAVORITE CUISINE: chinese, japanese, indian and thai. FAVORITE DISH/ES: chow mein, thai fried rice, phat khing, sashimi, panipura and kung pao chicken. FAVORITE DRINK/S: mint and ginger lemonade and vodka tonic. FAVORITE FLOWER/S: magnolia and cherry blossom FAVORITE GEM: aquamarine. FAVORITE MOVIE: hidden figures by theodore melfi. FAVORITE SONG: DNA. by kendrick lamar. FAVORITE SCENT/S: the scent of the rain, coconut, popcorn and melted chocolate. FAVORITE SHOW/S: he doesn’t have much time to keep up with television shows so he doesn’t have a favorite one. FAVORITE SPORT/S & TEAM THEY SUPPORT: basketball, he supports houston rockets and brooklyn nets, baseball, he supports new york yankees, and american football, he supports new york giants. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR: spring. VACATION DESTINATION: bagan, myanmar, hokkaido, japan and panjin, china.

[helloswiftie]

@taylorswift hi! you probably don’t know me so let me begin by saying I’ve been listening to your music since I was about eleven years old. I’ll be twenty at the end of this year, time flies, huh. anyway, I just wanted to say that even though you’ll never read this, or know my name, that I’ll never forget yours, and I’ll never stop reading the words you write and developing new connections to them with each year that passes. and finally, thank you, for being the person who understands me when it feels like the world is crumbling down. I framed these pictures because I may never be able to personally thank you, but these photos serve as a reminder that I’m never alone as long as I have you and your music. love always, anikah.

[heyitsani]

Oh man.

I like this a lot. The implication that someone might think I’m still in my early-ish 20s?

Fantastic.

I have two kids and a husband. I am a published author (no, you’ll never figure out what I’ve written because I keep my tumblr life VERY separate from my real life). And I write fanfic because it’s fun to not have to always create the characters entire history and motivational backstory. I spend months creating my characters before I write the story and fanfic gives me a break from that.

But you think I’m still that young? I’ll take it.

For the record: I’m in my 30s and I’m closer to 40 than 30 but I don’t think of myself as old. Heck, I was just crawling through a tent tunnel and playing with my oldest child’s RC Batmobile as if I were the one turning 4 in a few days 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m sorry but...ur telling me there’s actually people aged 30+ on here reading fanfic ... with whole families ..

I assume this is sarcasm lol

[heyitsani]

WIP Wednesday

Today's piece is from the Mail-Order-Bride AU I'm doing as my submission for the historical au for JayDick Week.  This story has been meticulously researched and the world has been built from historical accuracies but twisted to fit my own needs.  So keep that in mind.  As always, completely unedited but will mostly remain the same since this is the first meeting of Jason and Dick after having exchanged letters.  And Jason picked up a surprise addition along the way without telling Dick (and him finding Tim is the actual opening scene of the story, but I don’t have it to the point where I’m good sharing it yet).

Enjoy!

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

Jason stepped off the train and looked behind him to make sure Tim was right behind him before he started searching for the man Roy had described as unnaturally beautiful. There were a handful of older couples and even some kids running around on the platform, he didn’t see anyone who really fit the description he had been given.  At least not until a lean man with raven locks and startling blue eyes came running up the steps, breathing heavily as if he had run a few miles to get here.

“Come on, kid,” Jason said quietly, holding out his hand for Tim to take before leading him over to the man he assumed was Dick Grayson.  And the closer he got to him, the more Jason knew this had to be him. And fuck if Roy wasn’t spot on with the description of unnaturally beautiful.  He had never seen anyone as gorgeous as this man was.  No man or lady.  And though Jason was certainly larger than he was, the three piece suit he wore did nothing to hide the strong lines of his body.  He was the picture of youth and beauty, physically a catch for anyone who was given the chance to stake claim on him.  

And Jason allowed a moment of uncertainty to creep in.  Would this man renege on their contract when he saw Jason wasn’t nearly as beautiful as he was?  And with a face like that, how had he not already found himself a wife or husband? “Dick Grayson?”  Jason pushed the thoughts away and tried to steel himself. He could feel Tim shifting next to him, half his body hidden by Jason’s own form.

At the sound of his name, Jason watched Dick look over at him and freeze.  And as the man’s jaw literally dropped, Jason nudged Tim when the kid snickered at the reaction.  “Jason Todd?”  The breathless sound of Dick’s voice questioned, the man almost visibly shaking himself out of a stupor.  

Nodding, Jason held out his hand and waited for Dick to shake it.  He was pleasantly surprised by the warm, firm grip Dick had.  Another thing Roy had commented on.  Dick Grayson looked delicate and soft, but he was stronger than most and would easily knock down someone twice his size.

“Who is this?”  Dick questioned, trying to look around Jason to see Tim.  But the kid just moved further behind Jason and the older man sighed.

“This is Tim,” Jason offered, tugging the kid out from behind him to stand in front of him with both of Jason’s hands on his shoulder.  “We’re a package deal now.”  Dick’s eyebrows rose as he listened to the tone of authority Jason gave before he looked down and took in Tim’s appearance.  The new clothes Jason had bought for him actually fit, but it wasn’t hard to see the still healing bruising on his eye and neck.  And he was obviously undernourished.  But Jason didn’t know what Dick would make of all of that.

There was another beat of silence before Dick smiled.  “Well, welcome to California Tim.  And you too, Jason.  Of course.” And Jason felt himself relax just a bit at the words because he really didn’t know what he would have done if Dick had said no.  He didn’t exactly have a backup plan for his own living situation if the thing with Dick fell through.  But now he didn’t need to worry.

“Thank you, sir,” Tim said quietly, and Jason felt himself tense again in fear of what Dick would say in response.

But the man just laughed and reached forward to ruffle the kid’s hair.  “None of that sir stuff here,” he said, gesturing for Jason to give him the two bags he had.  “I walked here from the office, so I hope you two don’t mind?  We need to go sign a few papers before I take you both home,” he told Jason as he shouldered both bags on one side and headed down the platform.

“Seeing the town and stretching our legs would be nice, right Timmy?”  Tim rolled his eyes and moved to walk next to Dick, looking up at him curiously.  It hurt Jason’s heart a little to see how quickly the kid latched onto some positive attention.  It was different watching it from the outside in as opposed to experiencing it like he had when he had found the kid cowering in a dark alley.

Dick glanced at him over his shoulder, giving Jason a small smile, before he pointed out a building to Tim and explained how it was the local schoolhouse.  “We’ll get you fully settled before you need to worry about school, though,” Dick told him and though Jason couldn’t see his face, he could tell Tim’s shoulders relaxed a little at the thought of not being dropped right into the thick of it before he was ready.  It had only been a few days since his entire world had changed, Jason didn’t want him to have to navigate yet another change.  “How old are you, Timmy?”

“Thirteen,” the boy offered, and Jason cleared his throat, drawing both of their gazes.  But he kept his eyes on Tim and raised a brow.  “Eleven,” he muttered, and Dick chuckled easily. Like it didn’t matter that the kid had tried to lie about his age to him.  A kid he hadn’t even been expecting and yet seemed to be taking in stride.

Jason didn’t know what to make of that.

[mynewsworldblog]

Regina King to Star in Shirley Chisholm Biopic for Writer-Director John Ridley

Regina King to Star in Shirley Chisholm Biopic for Writer-Director John Ridley

Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Ridley will write and direct the biopic “Shirley” with Regina King set to star as the U.S.’s first Black Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Participant announced on Wednesday. Regina King and Reina King of Royal Ties Productions will produce. Jeff Skoll and Anikah McLaren will executive produce. Production is expected to begin later this year. “Shirley” centers…

[devin01world]

Bong Joon-ho to Produce an Immigration Drama “Sea Fog”

Academy Award Winner for Parasite, Bong Joon-ho is set to wear the producer’s hat for the Immigration drama venture “Sea Fog” under the banner of Participant Media.

Matt Palmer, famed director of “Calibre,” will pen the script for “Sea Fog” apart from directing it. Palmer’s script will be based on a draft written by Oren Moverman.

The film’s inspiration 2014 South Korean film of the same was directed by Shim Sung Bo. Bong Joon-ho had written a script for the film alongside Shim. Inspired by a true story, it followed a fishing-boat crew on a menacing task to smuggle a group of undocumented migrants from China to Korea. The earliest inspiration for Shim and Bong had been a 2007 stage play exploring this true event.

Bong Joon-ho has etched his name in the history after being the first foreign director ever to win an Academy Award for his world-renowned film Parasite. He made a statement about “Sea Fog” in which he praised the creative capabilities of Matt Palmer, especially with respect to the film “Calibre,” in which he brought forward people’s “true natures” by putting in extreme situations. In that same statement, he revealed his excitement for the project in which he will get to work with Palmer’s team.

Other producers who will collaborate on this project are Dooho Choi and Lewis Taewan Kim. From the side of Participant Media, Jeff Skoll and Anikah McLaren will executive produce the film.

Matt Palmer also enthused about this project, he enthused in a statement that while making “Sea Fog,” he will get to work with one of the modern cinema’s unique visionary talents Bong Joon-ho. He also spoke nice words about Participant Media and said that their track record of delivering content that is both “nerve-shredding” as well as deeply inspiring is a thing to look up to.

Calibre is now available on Netflix, having been released in 2018. The film received rave critical reviews and won the Michael Powell Award at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Palmer’s representatives are WME, and he works closely with 42 in managing his work. WME also represents Bong Joon-ho and Dooho Choi alongside Jonathan Gardner. Jerome Duboz manages all of Bong’s work.

Parasite won an academy award alongside the nominations Joker, 1917, Irishman, Ford vs Ferrari, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story, and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Devin Smith is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cybersecurity and utility software programs. He writes about the latest updates regarding mcafee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs, and websites.

Source:-https://blogs-world.com/bong-joon-ho-to-produce-an-immigration-drama-sea-fog/

[encryptedvisions]

Every.

Single.

Time.

Me: finally, my fic is done

AO3:

Me: not this again

[heyitsani]

So Devoid of Color

@dickgraysonweek Day 4: Bruce hits Dick and doesn’t get away with it

Word Count: 3161

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Off screen violence, Dami might say a bad word

Pairing: None

Summary: Tim, Jason, and Damian learn something about Bruce and Dick’s relationship that none of them are willing to let continue.

Notes: I think this is my second time writing from Tim’s POV and I’m still not certain I’ve got a good grasp on it.  But here it is all the same.

You can also read this on AO3 here

----------------------------------------------

The Cave went deathly silent in the aftermath.

For those 30 or so seconds immediately after the distinct sound of a fist hitting a cheekbone, it was like they had landed in a vacuum of sound.

It was such a startling contrast to the shouting that had led up to that exact moment.  The fight between Dick and Bruce hadn’t been surprising. When Red Robin had called Nightwing on his private comm line to report that Robin had been shot on patrol, he had known the eldest would panic.  And when he found out it was because Batman had made a mistake, Tim knew shit would hit the fan.

Quite literally.

But Tim hadn’t anticipated Bruce taking a swing at Dick when the latter had accused Bruce of purposefully using Damian as a shield so he could go after Two Face himself.  It wasn’t even one of the worst things he had heard Dick tell Bruce in the heat of an argument, but something about it had pushed Bruce over an edge none of them had realized he could go over.  Sure, Bruce could be a hard ass, but Tim had never seen him get to this point.  And a quick glance at Jason, who was coiled tight with his hands clenched tightly at his side, revealed that Tim wasn’t the only one caught off guard.

He expected Dick to swing back, to say something in retaliation, but instead he watched his brother straightened and wipe at the blood now dripping from his nose.  From this angle Tim could see the angry mark Bruce’s gauntlet had left on Dick’s cheekbone and it made him wonder if there was anything broken beneath the surface.

“That’s your one free hit, Bruce.  I’m not the kid you used to push around to win arguments anymore.  Nor am I emotionally compromised to the point that you can manipulate me into getting your way,” Dick spoke lowly, voice dangerous and anger simmering just below the surface.  It was rare to hear that particular tone come from Dick, but it never failed to send a shiver down his spine.  For all the sunshine Dick projected, most weren’t aware of the precision of the weapon he could be.  “I told you if you couldn’t protect him that I would.  He’s still legally mine.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m stating facts.  I may have been disposable to you over the years, but you are out of your fucking mind if you think I’ll let you hurt him the same way.”  Movement out of the corner of his eye pulled Tim’s surprised attention from the pair, finding Jason stalking forward.  And Tim knew that walk, he knew that look.  

Jason was pissed and that didn’t bode well for one or both of them.

“What the fuck did you mean by that?”  Jason demanded, grabbing Dick’s shoulder to turn him to face him instead of Bruce. But Dick didn’t respond, and Tim could see his jaw clench from here.  In fact, at this angle he could get a much better look at the damage Bruce had done and it was definitely looking like Dick’s cheek was starting to swell.  

“What on god’s green earth is going on out here?”  Alfred’s stern voice broke through the silence that had fallen over them again and Tim spared the elderly man a glance before he moved over to where Jason and Dick were still facing each other.  He could tell they were having one of their silent conversations, but that wouldn’t stop him.

“It’s nothing Alfred,” Bruce huffed, causing Dick and Jason to tense up even more.  “How is Damian?”

“Dick?”  Tim spoke softly, not wanting to pull too much attention to himself.  It took a moment before his brother looked over at him and Tim tensed at the look in his eyes.  It was unfamiliar and difficult to put a name to.  But there was something that concerned him there.  He placed a hand on Dick’s upper arm before looking to Jason, finding the other man already considering him with a curiosity that Tim knew well.

Jason’s eyes narrowed just slightly, and Tim gave him a nod before looking back to Dick and making a show of raising his hand to the bruise on his cheek so he would see it coming. “Not broken,” he muttered.  Dick nodded and Jason gave a huff of air while Tim continued to poke at the cheek in question.  “Who is going to get him?”  He whispered as he worked.  Dick jerked in surprise, eyebrows drawing down in confusion, but Tim knew Jason would get it.

“He’s more likely to come with me than you.  You ride with Goldie.  We’ll meet you.”  Tim as he let his hands fall away from Dick’s face, satisfied that nothing needed immediate attention.  It could wait until they got back one of the safehouses.  “Go to the one I showed you after that Penguin fight where Ivy showed.”

Remembering that night and what a mess it had been, Tim also remembered that it was one of the safehouses that Jason always kept stocked up on medical supplies.  If they were going to have Damian with a gunshot wound and Dick with his face, they needed supplies.  “All right,” he agreed, looking over his shoulder to see Bruce watching them with his eyes narrowed and Alfred frowning beside him.

“You two want to clue me in?”  Dick finally spoke up, voice just barely above a whisper and threaded tight with tension.  

Tim watched Jason give his shoulder a squeeze before sending Tim a look that spoke volumes.  “Come on, Dick.  Get your gear.  We’re leaving,” he told his brother as Jason walked away toward the other two men.

“Wait, Tim,” Dick protested, pulling his elbow out of the younger’s grip.  “I can’t just leave Damian.  Not while he’s hurt.”

Sighing, Tim stopped and looked up at Dick.  “We’re leaving.”  His tone gave no room for argument, but Tim also knew Dick was practically made to argue. “Trust me.  Trust Jason.”  Dick stared at him for a moment before looking toward the medbay where Damian was resting.  Tim knew he was considering the options and that whatever he decided now would say a lot about their relationship.

“Okay,” he finally agreed, and Tim gave him a nod before heading over to where he had left his gear, Dick’s not far from it.  There was a moment more of hesitation before Dick finally turned away and grabbed his own gloves and helmet.  “I’ll follow you?”

Where Tim would have usually thrown out a snarky remark and a smirk, he instead nodded and hopped onto his own motorcycle before turning the engine over.  Once he was sure Dick was set and ready to go, he gave one last glance behind them to see Jason and Bruce nose to nose and Alfred no where in sight.  He wasn’t sure what it meant for the situation, but he couldn’t find it in him to care at the moment.  Not when he had just seen his adoptive father punch one of his brothers.  Not when it wasn’t the first time, apparently. No.  He almost hoped Jason would return the favor and knock Bruce down on his ass.  Almost.

But that wasn’t a thought train he could go down at the moment.  He had more important things to do, like getting Dick out of there and fixing up his brother’s face once they got to the safehouse.  Which didn’t take as long as he thought it would.  Of course, with it still being the early hours of the day, most of Gotham was either still asleep or just waking up for the day.  It made it easier to store their bikes in Jason’s hiding spot and sneak into the building without anyone seeing.

“This is Jay’s?”  Dick looked around, frowning as they stepped inside and tugged off their helmets.  He paused and looked at one of the posters hanging on the wall.  “Roy must use it,” he muttered.  Tim let him wander around as he made his way into the kitchen to grab the supplies under the sink and an ice pack in the freezer.

“Here,” he called out, tossing the pack toward Dick who caught it easily and gave him a small smile of thanks. “Will you tell me what you meant?” Tim asked as he opened the medical kit and began digging through it to make sure they had the things they would need for Damian.  When no response came from his brother, he looked up and found Dick frowning as he stared out the window.  “Dick?”

Blinking, the older man looked over at him and waved a hand.  “Don’t worry about it, Timmy.  Ancient history, and all that.”  Unfortunately for Dick, Tim was too good at reading him now and knew when he was deflecting.  So Tim watched him, taking in all the signs he had memorized over the years.  The tight line of his shoulders, the clenched fist at his side, the white knuckles of the hand pressing the ice pack just a bit too hard to his bruised cheek.  They told Tim more than Dick was willing to at the moment.

“How many times.”

It wasn’t a question and Tim wasn’t going to let Dick get away with brushing it under the rug, not this time.  Not this topic.  “Just drop it, Tim.  I’m already going to have to fight Jason on this.  Just…it’s not important.”

Tim scoffed.  “It was important enough to use against Bruce.” Which, throwing back at Dick at the moment was probably a bit of a low blow, but sometimes you had to play dirty to get Dick to talk.

“Look, don’t act like you don’t know of at least one other time he used his fists against me.”  The words were accusatory, but the tone was defeated.  It made Tim furrow his brows, trying to think of what Dick could possibly mean.  “I know there’s no chance you haven’t come across Bruce’s cowl footage from after the Crime Syndicate, before I joined Spyral.”

But Tim had no idea what Dick was talking about.  And it must have shown on his face because soon enough Dick had closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

“A little help here,” Jason’s voice cut off anything either of them were planning on saying and Tim hurried over to take some of Damian’s weight from Jason.  A quick scan of the teen showed the blood seeping through the bandage at his shoulder and the light sheen of sweat on his forehead.  The ride must have been rough.  “Let’s get him on the bed.”

Dick rushed ahead of them and fussed over the bedding so they could get Damian comfortable with minimal effort from the pair carrying him.  Jason let out a grunt when they set Damian down, leaning just slightly upright on the pillows Dick had stacked.

“I’ll grab the kit and change the bandage,” Tim muttered, looking at Jason before leaving the room to grab the supply kit he had been looking through moments earlier.  He paused on his way back into the room to grab the ice pack Dick had been using but dropped to hurry and help get the bed ready for the youngest of them.  “Dick,” he called, handing the ice pack back to him as he moved onto the side of the bed where the wound was.  Dick frowned but took the pack, pressing it back to his cheek.

“What-”  Damian tried to speak as Tim went to work on the bandage. The teen cleared his throat and clenched his jaw for a moment before slowly releasing a breath through his nose, all signs of how much pain he was in without showing it on his face.  “What happened, Richard?”  He asked, voice a bit raspy with the pain he was fighting.

“Nothing.”

“Bruce.”

Tim looked between Dick and Jason as they both answered, Dick sounding calming and Jason with the expected anger.  Honestly, he expected this from both of them.  Dick would forever be shielding Damian from what little bad the teen hadn’t already been exposed to.  And Jason would never sugar coat anything that had to do with Bruce.  Even if their relationship had been improving up until this point.

He wasn’t foolish enough to think that would continue with what they witnessed tonight.

“Don’t,” Jason growled, pointing a finger at Dick who had opened his mouth to say something.  “You don’t get to lie or brush this off.  You suggested this wasn’t the first time and if that’s the case then we deserve to know.  He deserves to know.”

But Dick didn’t respond. Instead he turned his eyes onto Damian and Tim locked eyes with Jason.  The older man’s expression was grim and Tim felt his probably just looked exhausted. They had all dealt with Dick’s stubborn nature, but he wouldn’t win this time.  Not with all three of them pushing.

Not with what Dick had accidentally revealed before Jason and Damian had arrived.

“Tell us about after the Syndicate.”  Tim turned his eyes onto the bandages he was taping to Damian’s wound, which thankfully hadn’t torn any stitches.  The teen narrowed his eyes on him and Tim attempted to give him a smile.  He wasn’t Dick and he wasn’t good at comfort, but at least he and Damian had gotten over the feud they had suffered for so long. At least they trusted each other now.

With a shuffling sound, Tim glanced over to find Dick sitting on the edge of the bed near Damian’s feet with his eyes gazing off at a spot on the wall.  “I didn’t want to go.  I…” They watched him take a deep breath and release it slowly.  “I begged him to let me stay.  But he had already planned out the whole thing.  Had my funeral and told the world I had died.  Said it was the only way to make sure none of it happened to anyone else in the family.”

“But that has nothing to do with Bruce punching you tonight.”

“It doesn’t seem like it, but his words were not going to be enough to convince me,” Dick turned to Jason, who had moved to lean against the closest wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

“And by that you mean….?” Tim considered what Dick said earlier and what he was saying now.  “The cave was trashed after your funeral.  Alfred said he had never seen so much damage.  And how it almost seemed too much for one person to do.  Even Bruce.”

The silence blanketed them for the second time that night and this time it was suffocating.  Whereas the air felt sucked from them earlier, this time it felt like it was weighing him down to the point that it would crush him where he sat with a hand still on Damian’s shoulder.  

That point of contact clued him into the fact that Damian was shaking.  Small tremors rippling through his muscles.  A barely contained anger.  And Tim didn’t blame him.  Damian had been dead and Dick had been devastated.  He said it was the only reason the Syndicate had been able to get the drop on him to begin with.  That if he hadn’t been so destroyed by Damian’s death, his focus wouldn’t have been in pieces. That they would never have grabbed him without a fight.  And that was enough to make the teen upset, but then throw in this new piece of information?  

“He beat you into submission,” Jason’s voice finally broke the silence, cutting through it like one of Damian’s katanas cut through flesh.  Effortlessly and deadly.  “That’s what you’re not willing to just come out and say.  He took an emotionally compromised man who had been beaten and strapped to a literal bomb, and beat the ever loving shit out of him to get him to do what he wanted.”

“Richard,” Damian whispered.

“You know what the time was like, Jason.  Tim. You both know what everyone was like,” Dick tried to reason, ignoring Damian’s almost-plea.  “None of us were our real selves, Bruce especially.”

There was a loud crash and Tim jerked as he snapped his eyes onto Jason, finding him breathing heavily and his eyes rimmed green.  “Don’t make excuses for him!”  Jason pushed off the wall and Tim noticed a dent next to him, assuming the crash had been a fist hitting the wall.  “None of us might have been the real versions of us, but none of us beat the shit out of people we supposedly cared about just to get them to submit!  You don’t get to brush this off like it’s no big deal. You don’t get to do that because if this had happened to any of us, you wouldn’t let us.”

“That’s different.”

“The fuck it is,” Damian cut in.  Tim watched Dick’s eyes go wide as he looked at the teen.  “It’s only different because you think you are not worth the same as the rest of us.  You value your life less than ours, but the same cannot be said for us.”  When Damian’s hand landed on Tim’s arm, he looked over and immediately jumped to help him sit more upright.  “Father is not infallible and your loyalty to him is a disservice to yourself.  And I for one will not stand for it any longer.”

“I’m with the kid,” Jason interjected, crossing his arms over his chest again.  Tim noticed the green had faded from his eyes, but his body was still one large ball of tension.  “This stops now.  I can’t do anything about what happened in the past, but if he lays a finger on you again and I will put him in his own grave.”

“You know they’re right, Dick.”  Tim spoke softly, keeping his own emotions out of it because Damian and Jason had enough for all of them.  “There’s more than you’re telling us, we all know it.  But this can’t happen again.  And when we tell the girls and Duke, they’ll all say the same thing.”  In fact, Tim cringed inwardly thinking about how Cass and Barbara would react once they heard.

“No,” Dick turned his wide eyes on Tim.  “You can’t tell them.  They don’t need to know.”

Tim sighed and shook his head.  “They do. They might already know what happened tonight, who knows where Babs has her cameras and mics set up down there. But we’re a family and we don’t keep these kinds of secrets.  They always backfire on us.  It’s time we learned that lesson.”

Jason moved over and set a hand on Dick’s shoulder.  “You can’t preach the family line to the rest of us and not think we’ll use it against you.”

“Yeah, okay,” Dick nodded, looking between the three of them before settling on Damian.  “Okay.”

[heyitsani]

Is It the Look in Your Eyes

Word Count: 1,439

Rating: Teen and Up (for the use of the f-word lol)

Warnings: overload of fluff ahead

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson

Summary:  Dick surprises Jason while they're in NYC celebrating an anniversary. Jason has a surprise of his own, too.

Notes: This is for @nerd-by-definition who deserves more fluff in her life than this, but hopefully this will work for now.  Love you, Em!

You can also read it on AO3 here

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“Roy, I’m supposed to meet Dick in like twenty minutes down the street,” Jason complained, looking back in the direction he needed to be going in.  “Where the hell are you taking me?”  

Jason didn’t even know why he had agreed to follow Roy when they had come across each other on the street. He hadn’t even known his best friend was in New York City currently.  He and Dick had arrived earlier in the day for a weekend away to celebrate their anniversary and it was supposed to be just the two of them.  But Dick had gotten a call from an old friend who asked him to meet for coffee and Jason had said it was fine and that they could just meet at the restaurant.

But now Roy was here, and Jason was being pulled in the wrong direction so the redhead could show him something “amazing”.  Whatever the fuck that meant for Roy Harper.  Probably something explosive.  But whatever it was, it was taking him in the wrong direction and Jason was questioning why he had even agreed to something Roy promised to be “super quick”.

When Roy stopped in front of an old, abandoned looking theater, Jason found himself even more confused.  “The fuck are we doing here, Roy?”  He turned to his best friend, growing even more confused at the smile on his face.

“Trust me, you’re going to love this,” Roy said, opening the door and tugging Jason inside by his jacket sleeve.  Jason, confused as hell, reluctantly followed him and frowned at the dusty theater. There was no signs this place had been used in probably a decade, which was sad because it was beautiful.  He could almost picture crowds of people in their finest clothes coming to see Shakespeare being performed.  The structure looked as thought it was probably built in the early 1900s and he could have spent hours combing over every detail if Roy let him.

Instead, the man pulled him from the lobby into the house toward the stage.  Jason wanted to protest, but he could see something just in the shadows of the stage with the low lighting of the house on and his curiosity was now raging.  If he squinted, he could almost make out a stool.  But he had no idea why there would be a stool on the stage.

“Sit here,” Roy told him, pushing him into a seat a few rows back from the front and directly in the center. “I’ll be right back!”  The man rushed off, leaving Jason to stare after him dumbfounded.

“Fucking Harper,” he muttered, turning back to look at the stage.  Yeah, that was definitely a stool, he thought when the low lights of the house went out and he was plunged into darkness.  “What the hell?  Harper!” He shouted, starting to stand to find his way out, but froze when a spotlight came on.  It revealed the stool he had noticed with Dick seated on it holding an acoustic guitar.  “Uhhh…” Jason glanced around as he dropped back into the seat Roy pushed him into.  “Dick?”

Dick smiled at him, but it seemed off.  Almost nervous and that in turn made Jason nervous.  He knew something was about to happen and he had no idea what it was.  Considering Roy had been involved, he knew it couldn’t be bad at least.  Roy was Dick’s friend, but he was Jason’s best friend.  So Roy could be trusted.

Still Jason held his breath as Dick adjusted himself in the stool and shifted his fingers on the strings before starting to strum.  “It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do.  Hey baby, I think I want to marry you,” Dick started to sing and Jason felt his heart swoop.  He had heard Dick sing plenty of times before, he was a notorious shower crooner, but he had never heard Dick perform.  And it was a completely different experience from hearing his boyfriend singing a random pop song in the shower while Jason got the coffee brewing and breakfast started.

Not to mention the choice of song.

“Don’t say no, no, no, no, no.  Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  And we’ll go, go, go, go, go if you’re ready like I’m ready,” Dick sang, never dropping eye contact or that knowing smile.  Fucker.  Jason understood exactly what he was doing.

What he was asking.

And he knew what his answer was without having to think about it.

So he stood as Dick continued to sing, making his way out of the aisle and heading up the stairs leading to the stage, Dick’s amused eyes following him.  

“Is it the look in your eyes or is it this dancing juice?  Who cares baby?  I think I wanna marry you,” he finished off the song, strumming the final strands as Jason closed the distance between them.  And before the final note was done vibrating the strings, Dick was reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red velvet box which he popped open with one hand and let rest in his palm so Jason could see the band resting inside.

It made him want to cry and laugh at the same time because the whole thing was so Dick, showy and unique. But it was also a complete surprise.

“Well?”  Dick questioned, smiling as he looked up at Jason from his stool.  And Jason couldn’t hold back his laugh as he reached in his pocket and dropped to a knee in front of the man, brandishing a black velvet box of his own.  

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”  Roy’s voice shouted from the back of the theater, but both men ignored him to share a laugh between them.

Jason flipped open the box he held and showed Dick the black gold band sitting there, blood red ruby embedded into the band.  He had spent weeks looking for the perfect band that was unique like Dick but also marked the man has his and no one else’s.  When he had found this one, he hadn’t hesitated.  Even if it had cost him a pretty penny.

No one was worth it more than Dick.

“Does this answer your question?”  Jason asked once he and Dick had stopped laughing.  Dick, setting the guitar to the side, slid down to kneel in front of Jason and nodded.  With the hand not holding the ring box, Jason cupped the side of Dick’s face and pulled him in for a kiss.  He kept it simple, mindful of Roy still watching them, but also just wanting to keep it sweet.  “I was going to put it in a glass of champagne,” he admitted when he pulled back.

Dick just smiled and looked down at the ring with bright eyes.  And because Jason knew him so well, he could tell he was trying to compose himself so he didn’t start crying.  “I can’t believe we both planned this out for the same night.”

“I can.  We both knew it was time.  And we both knew this was it for us.”  He smiled at Dick before taking the ring out of the box, holding it up to slip onto Dick’s finger, and holding up his left hand so Dick could slip the white gold band with tiny sapphires blending in with an intricate pattern swirling around the band.  Dick let out a wet chuckle before removing the band and slipping it onto Jason’s finger as he offered his left hand to Jason to do the same.

Once the ring was on his finger, Jason took a moment to look at the delicate pattern and admire the stones. He smiled at the thought that Dick had wanted him to wear his colors just as much as Jason had wanted him to wear his.  “I love you,” he said, looking back to Dick to find the man almost reverently touching the band with his right hand.  When Dick looked up at him, Jason sucked in a breath at the emotion burning in Dick’s eyes. It was startling, the amount of love that shone there.

“I know I’ve done this before a couple of times, but it’s different with you, Jay.  It’s more,” Dick said quietly, face taking on that nervous look again.  “You’re more. You’re everything.  I just want you to know that.  I love you more than I even thought I could.”

“I know, Dick,” Jason cupped his face with both hands and swiped at a tear that fell from one eye. “I’ve always known.”  Leaning forward again, Jason reenforced his words with a kiss.

[heyitsani]

WIP Wednesday

I have been in the worst funk since the JD Exchange and yesterday, it finally lifted a little.  Enough that I spent the afternoon discussing an idea with @mlim8 and I managed to get a basic outline and a bit written.  Thanks to my history nerd side and the science part of my brain (bio chemist here), I have an obsession with Pompeii and it’s history.  This story is based on that fateful event that wiped them off the map.

Damian is an archeologist who is leading a team, that includes his husband Jon, that is uncovering a previously undisturbed portion of the city.  There they discover the preserved bones of two figures in the street, hands clasped.  This story will be told with Damian discovering pieces of the lives of the two, flashbacks to show us how the story played out.  

And yes, those skeletons belong to Dick and Jason.  This story shall hurt.  But in the meantime, have a snippet for WIP Wednesday.

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It was the shout of exclamation that caught Damian’s attention first.  He had been standing near a wall being cleaned, talking to the restoration expert, when it happened.  Green eyes glanced back in the direction of the house they had discovered a few weeks prior.  They had managed to remove the pyroclastic flow to reach the lapilli.  Last he had checked, the workers had begun removing the lapilli to try and reach the ground level of the house they were recovering.

“Damian!  Come quick!”  Jon’s excited voice called out from that direction and Damian excused himself from the conversation and quickly, carefully made his way over.  The moment he came into Jon’s view, Damian found himself being tugged to where a small circle of workers had gathered.  “It’s magnificent!  You’re going to love it.”

The breathless quality to his husband’s voice betrayed any attempt to hide his excitement and it made Damian even more curious.  So he said nothing and allowed Jon to pull him forward, the small circle parting to allow the two of them through.  

What he saw took his breath away.

���Two sets?”  He gasped, falling to his knees to examine the bones uncovered.  It was very clearly two hands clasped, bones clearly telling the story of two separate individuals given the size differences even he could spot.

“Two sets.”

Taking a pair of gloves from one of the workers, Damian pulled them on and carefully brushed some more of the layer surrounding the bones.  “Brilliant,” he whispered, leaning in close to examine what was most definitely a ring of some sort on the larger of hands.  “They are above the lapilli.”  He straightened and looked at the house they were uncovering.  “They tried to escape once it stopped?”  Standing, Damian handed back the brush and moved over to the house.

“Perhaps they thought the worst of it had finished and that they could escape?”  Jon questioned from his spot still crouching near the hands. He muttered something in Italian that Damian couldn’t quite make out before the crunch of his footsteps were heard as he came to stand with Damian.

It made the most sense, but Damian knew they would have to uncover more to really be able to discern their story.  

[heyitsani]

Imagine thinking that a sexual experience alone or with another person(s) can’t have any impact on plot.

Think about a person who suspects they’re asexual but isn’t quite sure. So they enter into a sexual situation and discover they are, in fact, sex repulsed, but go through with the act because they don’t want to disappoint their partner. That would still be a sex scene, but also incredibly impactful to the character’s self discovery.

For some, being sexual is as much a part of who they are as the clothes they wear. It’s not always about raunchy sex scenes. There’s love to be shown, affection, discovery, and so much more. Secrets get told (or realized) in the most intimate of times (sexual or not) and those are very important to plots.

"sex scenes have no narrative purpose" is such a funny take on so many levels. people will really believe that the whole human experience is valuable to portray artistically except sex, which of course has never held emotional weight or significance for anybody

[heyitsani]

Little Did I Know Chapter 1

@jaydick-week Day 1 fic: Historical AU

Word Count: 8,770

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Mentions of past child abuse (nothing graphic)

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson

Summary: After being dealt a poor hand for the first twenty years of his life, Jason take the opportunity of a new life as the spouse of Dick Grayson, a friend of Roy Harper’s. Along the road of adjusting to his life, he discovers new adventures and finds them both a family of their own along the way.

Notes: This is the first part of this story that is focused on character developing and relationship building.  The second part will introduce a few more familiar faces and give us our mystery.  No clue when I’ll have it finished, but I do have some of it done.  It will also shift to Dick’s POV.

I posted this on AO3 yesterday, but didn’t get onto tumblr until today so this is late here.

You can also read it on AO3 here

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The instant he stepped off the train at the first stop, he took the chance to glance around at the people who were either waiting for people to arrive or leave themselves.  A woman with two small children kept glancing down the line and Jason knew she was probably here to greet her husband.  The kid who looked like he was about sixteen or seventeen in ratty clothes was definitely looking to get on the train.  But the look of all the people told him one thing, this was a poor man’s town.  It made Jason think about all the money Dick had sent with his final letter, enough for a ticket and travel expenses, and how he could probably buy all of their tickets if he wanted.  And still have some left over.

But he also knew better than poking his nose into other people’s business.  So he pushed his hands into his pockets and made his way off the platform and onto the street.  He had a few hours before the train was ready to leave again, so he scanned the area for a place to get something warm to eat.  Something filling because the stale biscuits with the stew each meal were starting to grate on him.

“Hey kid,” he called over to a scrawny boy that was hiding just in the shadows of one of the alleyways. “You tell me where I can find some decent grub?”  He approached the boy but froze when he noticed the kid cowering back away from him. It wasn’t odd for people to be intimidated by the sheer size of him, but he couldn’t recall a kid ever feeling that way. “Kid?”

“I’m sorry, mister.  I cannot help you,” the boy muttered, pressing himself against a brick wall and glancing out into the street behind Jason. “Please.”

But Jason knew that look. He knew what drove a child to react to an adult like that.  And it made his blood boil.  But he pulled it in and knelt down, just outside of the shadow the boy was trying to hide in and looked him over.  His clothes were ratty, too short in length, and definitely not warm enough for the time of year.  It was concerning.  And though the shadow hid most of him from Jason’s full scrutiny, he could see the discoloration on his face.  Probably a few days old, from what he knew about bruising.

Glancing around the street, Jason tried to think of what he should do.  He had a feeling if he tried to find an authority, the boy would just end up back in the hands of whoever had done this to him.  So he had choice to ignore it and walk away or he fixed it.

“Are you hungry?” Jason asked, looking back to the boy. The kid frowned and leaned forward just a bit, considering him for a few moments.  Then Jason received a small nod and Jason stood up.  “Point me in the direction of a shop I can get a few things and I’ll bring some back to you.  And some clothes.  You have to be freezing.”  But the kid’s frown deepened, and he didn’t say anything.  “It’s not a trick.  I know you’re hiding from someone and I’m just looking to help you.  I’m passing through, on my way West.  I’ll help and then vanish.”

“But I cannot pay you.”

“I ain’t asking you to, kid. I have some extra money and if I can help you out just a little, then I would like to do it.”  And though the kid still looked wary, he stepped forward a bit more and pointed to a building across the street about five doors down.

“General store.  They have warm hand food.”  Jason glanced at the building and nodded before looking back down at the kid.  

He quickly glanced around the alley and frowned.  There wasn’t much cover, but Jason also knew there was no way he could bring the kid with him since people here probably knew him.  “If someone comes close, hide.”  The kid rolled his eyes and Jason let out a snort before he headed out and crossed the street to head to the shop the kid had directed him to.

Once inside, Jason easily made his way through some premade clothes that looked like they should mostly fit the kid.  But he could always find a way to alter the items once they got to California to fit better if they were too oversized.  Laying the basics down on the counter, Jason asked the man for one of the leather suitcases behind him and then a few of the hand food that was displayed. The merchant asked a few questions, seemed a little too curious for his own good, but Jason simply brushed him off saying he was from New York and traveling to California.  It didn’t explain the kid clothing and suitcase, but that wasn’t anything Jason was concerned about at the moment.  

All he cared about was getting this food and clothes to the kid and maybe convincing him to get on the train with him.  They could work out the details later.

So with the suitcase full of clothes and the bag of warm food in hand, Jason made his way back in the direction he had come in.  And since he wasn’t a fool who believed the merchant would keep his nose out of a stranger’s business, he simply glanced at the alley where the kid was hiding and gave a nod of his head toward the train station.  He didn’t pause to look back and see if the kid was following and he didn’t look back to see if the merchant was still watching him.  He simply went to the ticket window and paid for another ticket on the same train he would be boarding as soon as he was ready.

“What’s that for?” The kid spoke up as Jason turned away from the ticket window and found him standing a few feet away.  Jason ignored the question for a minute as he handed over the bag of food and set the suitcase next to him.

“It’s a proposition,” Jason said, holding onto the ticket as the kid started shoving food into his mouth. It made his chest ache to see him so consumed with the food.  Mostly because he knew what it was like.  He knew how an abusive parent could use basic survival against you and how hard it was to grasp when the danger was gone.  “I’m heading to California to get married to a man who is the Law.  The way I see it, you can come with me now and start a new life.  Or you can go home to whoever it is you’re hiding from and either end up back in the streets or on the train.”

The kid slowed his chewing and stared at Jason.  And though he hadn’t agreed, Jason knew the kid would come with him.  He knew he was just calculating the risk and Jason would come out favorable in the end.  He knew the look.  

“Name’s Timothy,” the kid finally told him.

“Nice to meet you Timothy, I’m Jason.”  Glancing over at the waiting train, he saw a few people boarding leisurely.  “Let’s get you on the train and you can use one of the lavatories to change out of those clothes and into the ones I got you.” Tim gave a smile around the food in his mouth and Jason just chuckled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and herding him toward the man checking tickets before they got on the train.

He gave no thought to the man he was planning to marry in California or whether this would change everything.

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

When Jason stepped off the train at their destination, he looked back to make sure Tim was right behind him before he started searching for the man Roy had described as unnaturally beautiful.  There were a handful of older couples and even some kids running around on the platform, but he didn’t see anyone who really fit the description he had been given. At least not until a lean man with raven locks and startling blue eyes came running up the steps, breathing heavily as if he had run a few miles to get here.

“Come on, kid,” Jason said quietly, holding out his hand for Tim to take before leading him over to the man he assumed was Dick Grayson.  And the closer he got to him; the more Jason knew this had to be him. And fuck if Roy wasn’t spot on with the description of unnaturally beautiful.  He had never seen anyone as gorgeous as this man was.  No man or lady.  And though Jason was certainly larger than he was, the three-piece suit he wore did nothing to hide the strong lines of his body.  He was the picture of youth and beauty, physically a catch for anyone who was given the chance to stake claim on him.  

And Jason allowed a moment of uncertainty to creep in.  Would this man renege on their contract when he saw Jason wasn’t nearly as beautiful as he was?  And with a face like that, how had he not already found himself a wife or husband? “Dick Grayson?”  Jason pushed the thoughts away and tried to steel himself. He could feel Tim shifting next to him, half his body hidden by Jason’s own form.

At the sound of his name, Jason watched Dick look over at him and freeze.  And as the man’s jaw literally dropped, Jason nudged Tim when the kid snickered at the reaction.  “Jason Todd?”  The breathless sound of Dick’s voice questioned, the man almost visibly shaking himself out of a stupor.  

Nodding, Jason held out his hand and waited for Dick to shake it.  He was pleasantly surprised by the warm, firm grip Dick had.  Another thing Roy had commented on.  Dick Grayson looked delicate and soft, but he was stronger than most and would easily knock down someone twice his size.

“Who is this?”  Dick questioned, trying to look around Jason to see Tim.  But the kid just moved further behind Jason and the older man sighed.

“This is Tim,” Jason offered, tugging the kid out from behind him to stand in front of him with both of Jason’s hands on his shoulder.  “We’re a package deal now.”  Dick’s eyebrows rose as he listened to the tone of authority Jason gave before he looked down and took in Tim’s appearance.  The new clothes Jason had bought for him actually fit, but it wasn’t hard to see the still healing bruising on his eye and neck.  And he was obviously undernourished.  But Jason didn’t know what Dick would make of all of that.

There was another beat of silence before Dick smiled.  “Well, welcome to California Tim.  And you too, Jason.  Of course.” And Jason felt himself relax just a bit at the words because he really didn’t know what he would have done if Dick had said no.  He didn’t exactly have a backup plan for his own living situation if the thing with Dick fell through.  But now he didn’t need to worry.

“Thank you, sir,” Tim said quietly, and Jason felt himself tense again in fear of what Dick would say in response.

But the man just laughed and reached forward to ruffle the kid’s hair.  “None of that sir stuff here,” he said, gesturing for Jason to give him the two bags he had.  “I walked here from the office, so I hope you two don’t mind?  We need to go sign a few papers before I take you both home,” he told Jason as he shouldered both bags on one side and headed down the platform.

“Seeing the town and stretching our legs would be nice, right Timmy?”  Tim rolled his eyes and moved to walk next to Dick, looking up at him curiously.  It hurt Jason’s heart a little to see how quickly the kid latched onto some positive attention.  It was different watching it from the outside in as opposed to experiencing it like he had when he had found the kid cowering in a dark alley.

Dick glanced at him over his shoulder, giving Jason a small smile, before he pointed out a building to Tim and explained how it was the local schoolhouse.  “We’ll get you fully settled before you need to worry about school, though,” Dick told him and though Jason couldn’t see his face, he could tell Tim’s shoulders relaxed a little at the thought of not being dropped right into the thick of it before he was ready.  It had only been a few days since his entire world had changed, Jason didn’t want him to have to navigate yet another change.  “How old are you, Timmy?”

“Thirteen,” the boy offered, and Jason cleared his throat, drawing both of their gazes.  But he kept his eyes on Tim and raised a brow. “Eleven,” he muttered, and Dick chuckled easily.  Like it didn’t matter that the kid had tried to lie about his age to him.  A kid he hadn’t even been expecting and yet seemed to be taking in stride.

Jason didn’t know what to make of that.

He didn’t know what to make of someone who could just let things slide off their back.  Roy had made it clear that Dick hadn’t had an easy life and that he had been orphaned at eight, being adopted by a family friend who had been there the night his parents had died.  Dick had apparently spent years mute, hiding away from everyone due to the trauma of watching his parents fall to their deaths during a trapeze act that traveled with a circus over in Europe.  It wasn’t until after Roy had met him that Dick actually started speaking again and opening up to people again.

But Dick had been gifted with a bit of a charmed life once he had been adopted thanks to his new father being old money from England and making quite the name for himself in America once he came across with Dick beside him.  Where most kids would have been left by the wayside if they had refused to speak, Dick had been provided with his every need.

Jason had struggled just to be sure his mother had enough medicine and he had at least one small meal a day, despite his father’s lack of effort to provide for any of their needs. And who knew what Tim had struggled with, but Jason could definitely make an educated guess just on the condition of the kid when he had met him.

“Do you have horses?” Tim’s voice pulled Jason out of his musings.

“Not in town,” Dick answered, glancing to the side before gesturing for them to cross the street. “My adoptive father, Bruce, lives outside of town and has a couple in his stables that are technically mine. Do you like horses?”

“Love them!”  Jason watched Tim bounce excitedly as he talked about how they had horses when he was younger, but that they had to sell them for some reason a few years ago.  Jason could guess what those reasons might be.  Very few people sold valuable items unless they had debts to pay.  But Jason kept his mouth shut and just let the pair in front of him continue to talk about horses as they made their way into a large building in what looked to be the center of the town.

“This is my work.  The county clerk is here, and we can sign the marriage papers before I take you both home.  I’ll need to return to work for a bit, but that will give you two some time to get settled without me around,” Dick explained as he led them to an office behind the front desk, which held a woman who regarded them both curiously.  The entire process was quicker and far less painful than Jason had been imaging and in less than an hour, the pair were officially married and Tim was their son.

Not that Tim seemed to care much, not once Dick showed him his office and the drawer of penny candies he kept there for his crew’s kids when they came in.  Dick had smiled innocently and told Jason that he liked being the favorite among the kids.

Jason couldn’t have held back the laugh if he had tried.  And he tried not too think too much about the fact that he could definitely get used to being around someone who seemed to be so open with their emotions.  It was startling to say the least.

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

By the time the three of them were walking through the front door of Dick’s far too large home a few blocks from the center of town, Jason was ready to fix some food and just settle in for the remainder of the day.  It was early afternoon and they had skipped lunch in favor of getting a few errands done, but now Tim was complaining of being hungry and Dick was glancing at his watch and saying he needed to head back to the office.

“Everything here is now yours too,” Dick said as they walked into the house.  He pointed out the sitting room, the library and office, and pointed down the hall to where the kitchen and pantry were located.  Jason marveled at the amount of space Dick had for just himself.  “I wanted to have a home for a family,” he shrugged when Jason asked.  “Timmy why don’t you pick out your room upstairs? The one at the very end of the hall is…ours.”  Jason looked at Dick, who had a soft dusting of pink across his cheeks and was avoiding Jason’s gaze.

“Neat!”  Tim called out as he ran up the stairs with thundering steps.  Jason shook his head at the sound of his footsteps as he ran from room to room, talking to himself as he tried to decide.

Jason took the chance to look around as Dick placed his and Tim’s bags at the foot of the stairs. For the most part the home was clean and uncluttered, but there was definitely a layer of dust covering everything Dick didn’t seem to use on the regular.  He knew he would need to go through each room and do a deep cleaning before he deemed the home really livable.

But when he made his way into the kitchen, he was pleasantly surprised at just how clean the room actually was.  And just how stocked it was.  Dick had just shrugged and mentioned that he wanted to be prepared for Jason’s arrival.

“I don’t cook much, but I know the importance of a clean area for cooking.  I just don’t have much time for cleaning the rest of the house.” Jason could understand that.  A Sheriff was important and had a lot of responsibilities.  Plus he couldn’t fault the man for not cleaning what he never used.

Running a finger along the stove top, Jason nodded.  “I like to cook,” he admitted.  “I’ll have supper ready for when you come home tonight.”  Dick looked somewhat surprised by that but Jason just waved a hand. “I’m not a housewife, but cleaning and cooking are two things I like to do.  Laundry is not.”

Dick chuckled.  “I employ a service.  We can keep that service easily enough.”  Oh, thank heavens, Jason thought.  Laundry had been something he had really never enjoyed. He hadn’t been looking forward to doing it for three when one had been boring enough.  “If there is something else you need or want, I’ll show you where I keep the money safe tonight.  I’ll also stop by the bank and have you added to my accounts so you can use them while in town.”

“But that’s your money.”

“What’s mine is yours now, Jason.  I have more than enough money to be sure you and Tim live a comfortable life.  One you haven’t had until now.”  That made Jason pause.  He didn’t know how much Roy had told Dick about his life, but he knew he had mentioned a bit.  And Jason knew even a fool could take a guess at what Tim had gone through based on his appearance alone.  But he hadn’t expected Dick to be the kind of person to just open his entire world to both of them immediately.

“Dick is the best kind of person, Jay.  He’s a bleeding heart through and through.”  Roy had told him one night as Jason revealed some reservation of moving West even though he had already agreed to go.

“I need to head back into work, but expect some knocks on the door.  The neighbors are nice, but nosy ones,” Dick laughed before going to the foot of the stairs.  “Bye Timmy! I’ll see you later!”

“Bye, Dick!  Thank you!”  The kid called back and Dick just chuckled despite Jason’s cringe at the rude behavior.  But a voice in the back of his mind whispered that this was how a kid should be allowed to act in his home.  Comfortable.

“Thank you, Jason.  I can’t tell you how happy I am that I’m not coming home to a dark, empty home tonight.”  Jason didn’t know what to say to that, so instead he just nodded and walked Dick to the door.

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

“So Tim…” Dick said as he sat down on the edge of the bed they were supposed to share, because married.  And Jason knew exactly what it was he was asking without actually asking.  And part of him wondered how much Roy had told Dick about Jason’s own experience.  But knowing his friend, he probably hadn’t said much because it wasn’t his place. “Was it the malnutrition or the bruises?”

“Both,” Jason admitted, not giving anything more.

Dick hummed and Jason sat down on what would be his side of the bed, watching the man tug off his boots and toss them in the corner.  Jason cringed at the basic lack of cleanliness, but his letters had admitted that part of wanting a spouse was wanting someone to help him clean because he just wasn’t good at it.

“You should take him into the tailor tomorrow to get him sized for some more clothes.  The few things he has now won’t last long.” Jason furrowed his brow at the easy acceptance of the whole situation and wondered, much like he had earlier that day, what was going through the man’s head.  His confusion must have been evident because Dick let out a laugh when he looked over his shoulder before standing and grabbing some clothes from the wardrobe.  “I like kids, Jason.  And I like that you couldn’t leave him to whatever it was he was enduring.  I have seen it plenty of times over the years. He would have either ended up on the train or…”

Or dead.

Dick didn’t have to say it. It was the exact reason why Jason had offered to let the kid join him on the journey.  And he had done it without pausing to think that it might cost them both a home once they reached California.  But Jason’s normal cynicism of people hadn’t applied to Dick Grayson. And he didn’t know what to make of that. He didn’t know what to make of Dick Grayson.

“I know we haven’t had much of a chance to get to know each other except for a few letters but I would like to.  I would like for us to be a family.  That’s what I wanted from the very beginning and adding a surprise child to the mix doesn’t change that.”  Jason frowned and looked at the wall as Dick talked.  Sure, he knew Dick had wanted a real marriage between them, but marriage and family were different.  At least they were in his experience.

Glancing over at Dick, who had managed to switch out of his work clothes and into his night clothes, Jason caught his eye for a moment.  And what he saw there was truth.  Just absolute truth and honesty.  “I’m not sure I know how to be a family,” Jason admitted quietly, and his chest ached at Dick’s frown.  “I don’t know how, but I suppose Timmy doesn’t either.  So maybe the two of us can learn from you.”

He watched Dick watch him, considering his words carefully before giving a single nod.  “I’d be more than honored to show you both.”

And Jason fell asleep a while later with Dick softly breathing beside him and those words circling around in his brain.

A real family.

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

It took a few days for Jason to adjust to the schedule Dick kept.  Not because he was an early riser or a night owl, but because he had the tendency to be in a constant rush.  And it left Jason in a constant state of unsettled.  Because he was the type of man who planned everything out and liked order, but Dick was the type who would stop to have a full 10-minute conversation with Tim at breakfast when he only had five minutes to eat before he had to run out the door to be at the station on time.  

Even though he was the boss and could get there whenever he wanted.

“It’s disrespectful if I demand they arrive on time for their shifts and yet I waltz in whenever I please,” Dick had told Jason one night when he had felt the courage to ask. And when Jason had asked why that mattered so much, Dick had just shrugged and said if he didn’t respect the people who worked for him then he couldn’t expect them to respect and trust him. “If there’s no respect or trust then the field becomes dangerous.  We’ve come a long way out here, but we are not New York or Boston.  We have a long way to go before we are settled, and things can go south quickly.”

And Jason was starting to see that Dick Grayson was self-sacrificing to a fault.  The wellbeing and lives of others would always matter more to him than his own.  He just hoped that wasn’t going to be a problem in the future.

“This is delicious,” Dick commented as he took another bite of the pastry Jason had learned to make at one of the jobs he had held in New York.  To Jason they were too sweet, but when he heard Dick liked sweets from a friend he had introduced Jason to a few days ago, he figured they were worth trying. And apparently it was worth it because Dick was grabbing a second before the first was fully chewed, trying to shrug on his suit coat at the same time.

With an amused snort, Jason grabbed the coat from Dick and circled his finger to tell Dick to turn around so Jason could help it.  With only a slight surprised hesitation, Dick did as he was told and held the pastry in his mouth as he slipped both his arms into the coat.  Carefully pulling it up, Jason smoothed his hands over the shoulders and down the back to sort out any winkles brought on by Dick’s attempts just moments earlier.

“Thanks,” Dick said, his voice sounding a bit like he had swallowed sand.  Looking into the man’s sapphire eyes, Jason wasn’t sure what emotion he was seeing.  He was too used to people hiding those from him.  But Dick was just so open with them, particularly the good ones.

“Can I go into town with you, Dick?”  Tim questioned as he walked into the kitchen, effectively and innocently breaking the moment between the two men.  

Dick turned and smiled at the kid, nodding his head.  “Of course, Timmy!  Do you have all your things?  Make sure to get a pastry for the walk.  They’re divine,” he said, glancing over at Jason with a much more playful look in his eye than before.  Jason held his eye for a moment before looking away as an unfamiliar feeling rose in his chest.  A heat he had never felt before, but was curious as to what it meant.  Maybe he’d have to write an embarrassing letter to Roy and see if the man had any idea what was wrong with him.

“Lunch,” Jason said to both men as he held out two separate lunch pails.  The two of them quickly took their respective tins with a thanks and Tim grabbed himself two pastries before giving Jason a side hug.  It was quite a change from the kid Jason had found huddled in the alleyway of some nowhere town just two weeks earlier.  

And Jason wasn’t simple enough to think it was because of him.  There was something about Dick that was just so bright and warm.  Tim had blossomed under it and even Jason felt as though he was more comfortable than he had ever been.

“I’ll be there to walk you home,” Jason told Tim as he walked with the pair to the front door. “We have an appointment with the tailor after school is done for the day.”  Tim gave him a smile and nodded before hurrying out the door.  

“Have a good day, Dear!” Dick called out teasingly as he bounded down the front steps and Jason hoped all that was powerful that his face wasn’t as red as it felt.  But he couldn’t help the small lift to the corners of his mouth at the tease.  And though he could see a few of their neighbors watching him curiously, he stayed out on the porch to watch the pair walk away until they rounded a corner and he couldn’t track them any longer.

It wasn’t until then that he had the courage to glance around and found two women watching him with wide smiles, looking like they were about to head his direction.  And since that was the last thing Jason wanted to deal with, he quickly retreated into the house and sighed.  

Cleaning was way more preferable than dealing with gossiping women.

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

Jason stood a few feet away, watching the tailor adjust the clothes he had made for Tim since the appointment a little over three weeks ago.  Dick had been right about the few items Jason had bought him that first day, they were already starting to wear out.  Between the work at the house and the somewhat harsher land of the town, even his leather shoes would need replacing soon.  Dick had only laughed and told Jason that he knew where the money was kept and to get the kid some better shoes if he needed them.

It was nerve wracking to have someone be so free with their hard-earned money.  

But at the same time, it was warming to know that even though he and Dick had only known each other for a month that he trusted the man enough to just let him spend as he saw fit. And, of course, Jason knew he wouldn’t spend it frivolously, but Dick hadn’t known that the first evening he had shown Jason how to work the safe he kept in the office on the first floor. But he had trusted Roy enough to trust Jason.  

“Mr. Grayson-Todd, are these to your liking?”  Jason jerked and looked over at Tim, who was examining the current outfit in the full-length mirror. “The other items will be altered to fit these articles if it is to your liking.”

“Timmy?”  Jason questioned instead of answering.  “What do you think?”  

The kid looked at himself for a bit longer before looking over at Jason and nodding.  The tailor smiled and gestured for Tim to change back out of the items and gave a warning to be careful of the pins.

“Should we pay you now?” Jason questioned, watching the man pack away his items.  

With a wave of his hand, the tailor placed his kit on a shelf behind his desk.  “Not until the items are finished.  And I have been instructed to just send the bill to your husband’s place of employment so he can direct the funds to me.”  Jason raised his eyebrows at that.  Dick hadn’t mentioned that when he had sent him and Tim to this tailor.  “Now, is there anything I might prepare for you?  Your husband was insistent that you both be taken care of.”

Frowning, Jason looked down at his own pants and shirt.  He would have been plain back home in New York, but here in San Francisco he seemed to fit in fairly well.  They lived a simpler life here and he enjoyed that.  More labor and less…fluff.

“Do you think it necessary?”

The old man looked him over before moving to circle him slowly as Tim walked out from behind the partition with a smirk on his face.  “You certainly fit in with the townsfolk, but your husband dresses above their standards given the family he comes from, and his employment status.  We could upgrade some of your pieces so that you are on the same level as him.”

“Oh yes, Pa,” Tim chimed in, drawing Jason’s eyes in surprise at the name.  It wasn’t the first time the kid had called him that, but the tone he said it in was much more confident this time.  “Dat would love to see you all dolled up.”  And Tim had certainly never called Dick “Dat” before. It left him too stunned to fight the tailor when the man tugged him over to the pedestal so he could take his measurements.

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

Jason was in the kitchen when Dick came home from work that day.  He could hear Tim’s voice floating in from down the hall as the kid told Dick all about their outing and how he had convinced Jason to be fitted for some new clothes after the tailor had been finished with him.  He could hear the treble of Dick’s voice, but he spoke to lowly to hear what he said.  And though Jason wasn’t actually trying to eavesdrop, he had to admit he liked listening to his husband and their kid just chatting away.

“He’s going to look so fine, Dat!  Just wait until you see that we picked out!”  Tim’s excitement was amusing, so much to the point that Jason didn’t think twice about what Tim had called Dick and was surprised to find Dick frozen in the doorway as he stared at Tim, who looked bashful and uncertain.

“Where did you learn that word?”  Dick’s voice was strained and hushed, but it didn’t sound angry.

Tim glanced over at Jason before looking down at the floor between him and Dick.  “Teacher Barbara said that you were Romani and that it’s what you call fathers in your language.”  Jason had known about Dick’s heritage since about a week after they had come together, but he wasn’t aware Tim had learned.  He also hadn’t known “Dat” was a Romani word, he just figured it was something from Tim’s own past.  But he should have known better because Tim was too smart and too observant for his own good most days.

But somedays that paid off.

“Dick?”  Jason prompted, drawing the man’s eyes from Tim to him.  Jason could see the tears brimming his sapphire eyes and there was a deep sadness, one he recognized from the night Dick had told him about his parents and his loss.  It made him want to step forward and gather him u in his arms, protect him from that hurt that still haunted him from all those years ago.  

But instead he watched Dick blink a few times before turning back to a wilting Tim.  “Teacher Barbara is right,” he told the kid softly.  Jason watched Tim turn his eyes upward to look at Dick when Dick placed a hand on his shoulder.  “I’m sorry, Timmy.  I just haven’t heard that word in a long time and I was the last person to say it.  It caught me by surprise.”

“I could not say it…”

“Oh no, I’d like it very much if you kept saying it.  Just give me a little time to get used to hearing it again, okay?”  The boy nodded and Jason breathed out a relieved sigh that he was being understanding without really understanding.  “Thank you, Timmy.  I’m honored you think of me as your Dat.”  Tim lunged forward and hugged Dick around his middle before shooting Jason a wide smile and shooting out of the room.  A moment later they could hear his loud footsteps heading upstairs.

Jason turned his eyes to watch Dick as he stared in the direction Tim had run off in.  “You okay?”  Jason asked softly, not wanting to disturb Dick’s thoughts but wanting to be sure.  “I was going to warn you when you got home, but he beat me to it.  He called you that at the tailor.”

“I know he’s been testing the waters with Pa and you, but I figured it would take a bit longer for him to come up with something for me.  If he ever did.”

“You’re having a go, right?” Jason laughed, turning back to the pot of stew on the stovetop.  “That kid’s own father was obviously the worst of the worst.  You come into his life and show him what a real father should be and think he’s not going to think of you as one?  I know you’re not that daft.”  He glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Dick, who just shrugged.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing most days.  I just keep pausing to think ‘what would Dat do, Dick?’ and hope that I’m making the right decision,” Dick said.  Jason hummed and put the spoon down before turning to face Dick fully.

With only a slight hesitation, Jason reached for Dick’s hand and gave it a small squeeze.  “If that’s what you’ve been doing, then keep doing it because it’s definitely working.  That kid adores you.”  Dick’s gaze turned grateful and Jason’s chest warmed at the sight.  “Now, you need to go get cleaned up.  You stink of work and supper is almost ready.”

Dick’s laugh was soft and bright as he allowed Jason to push him out of the kitchen.  And Jason was thankful for the moment alone so he could hide the smile Dick’s laugh had caused.

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

“Thank you again,” Jason said as he held the door of the barber open for Tim to head outside and him to follow.  With a deep breath, he took a look around and frowned at the crowd gathered at the station. “What do you suppose that’s about?” He asked, glancing over at Tim, who had the same frown on his face.

The kid shrugged and looked at him to see what he wanted to do.  So Jason let his curiosity lead him and they headed toward the crowd to see what exactly was happening.  The closer he got, the more understanding he gained.  From couples leading dirty children away from the area, to the tops of tiny heads he could see just above the heads of the crowd.

The Orphan Train had come into town.

“Pa?”

Looking down at Tim, he creased his brow.  Did he want to expose the kid to what could have been his life?  Or did he want to shield him from the truth?  He and Dick had given him a good home in the past few months.  He, and Jason, had gotten to experience what a good family was supposed to be like. But that didn’t mean old hurts were completely healed.

“If that blonde girl would let the other one go, I’d bring her home,” a man was grumbling as he passed, walking with another man away from the crowd.  “Not gettin’ involved in that rukus.”  That made Jason frown more.  Looking away from Tim he craned his neck to see if he could figure out what the man was referencing.  

Then he saw a small blonde girl clinging tightly to an even smaller black haired girl.  The final two on the stage.  And Jason knew exactly what he was about to do.  He just hoped Dick meant what he said when he mentioned he liked kids.

Gripping Tim’s hand, Jason pushed through the crowd and went to the person in charge.  

“I’ll take them both in,” he told the man who was still trying to convince people to take the girls. The man stopped and looked at him, eyes wide and frozen.  Jason knew he looked much more up to Dick’s standards now and the people of the town knew him as the Sheriff’s husband, making him respectable.

“Uh sir, perhaps you should speak with the Sheriff first.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed and he felt his temper rising, but he kept it under check.  “I said,” he ground out, “I’ll take both of them.  The Sheriff would back me up on this decision.” Releasing Tim’s hand, Jason pulled out his money clip and tossed some money at the man before walking up the stairs to speak to the two girls.  He stopped a few feet in front of them and looked them both other.  Both were skinny and dirty, but they didn’t look bruised or broken like Tim had when Jason had found him.  “My name is Jason and this is my boy, Tim,” Jason gestured to Tim who gave the two girls a wide smile that seemed to pique their curiosity.

“We ain’t leavin’ each other.”  The blonde glared at Jason and the man just laughed.  “What’s so funny?”

“I’m not asking you to separate.  I’m asking if you two would like to come home with us.  My husband and I have a room big enough for the pair of you and you’ll be safe.”  Both girls watched him for a moment before looking at each other, the black-haired girl rapidly moving her fingers in the most fascinating way.  He recognized it as sign language from one of his neighbors back in New York having been deaf and he learned a bit to be able to speak to the man, but he didn’t know much.  Apparently, though, the blonde girl did.

“I’m Stephanie and this is Cassandra,” the blonde finally spoke again, straightening her shoulders and giving Jason a nod.  “Cass doesn’t speak but she can hear just fine.  Her father was a bastard, and I stole her away from him.”  

That was curious.  

“Pa and I know a bit about bastard fathers,” Tim spoke up, stepping forward.  “He and Dat aren’t bastard fathers.”

With another glance shared between the two, Cass and Stephanie gave identical nods and Jason nodded back.  “All right, I suppose we should go break the news to Dick.  Do you have any belongings?”  The girls both held up small satchels that Jason hadn’t noticed before and he frowned.  He’d have to ask Dick to grab them a few premade items on his way home.  With a jerk of his head, he turned and headed toward the main road so they could drop in on Dick at his office.  Hopefully the man wasn’t too busy and none of the town gossips who had seen him already made a point to drop by.

Jason trusted the man with his life, but there were still a few things he didn’t know about Dick. And hearing big news like ‘surprise you’re a father of three now!’ was probably something that he didn’t want to hear from a random person.

Glancing back, he almost came to an abrupt stop when he saw Tim walking between the two girls with one of their hands clasped in each of his own.  Jason hadn’t bothered to think how Tim would take to him randomly adding to their family, but apparently he hadn’t needed to worry.  It made that warm feeling that had been taking up residence in his chest a lot more frequently since coming to California grow just a bit more.  It was a nice feeling, something he had only ever experienced with Roy and Lian, and he wondered if this was how home was supposed to feel.

“Here we are,” Jason heard Tim tell the girls as Jason grabbed the hand of the door and pulled it open so the three of them could go inside.  While Stephanie and Cassandra seemed a bit hesitant, Tim just walked them in with him with no hesitation.

“Timmy!”  Jason heard Dick’s voice call out before he had even stepped foot into the building himself.  “Is this a surprise visit?”  He questioned and Jason watched from near the door as Dick rounded the counter and moved over in front of the three kids.  “Are these your...friends…?”  Dick asked, eyes looking over at Jason with a bit of a curious look before his eyes widen slightly and he figured out what exactly was happening.  “Sisters, then.”

Tim nodded and introduced the two girls to Dick, who knelt down to get on their level and smiled at the pair.  “Pa said they could live with us.”  Dick looked over at him with an amused twinkle in his eyes and chuckled before looking back at the girls.

“Well, Pa is correct. We have more than enough room and I think you two seem like just the ones to join our little family.”  Jason could see the girls relaxing just a bit more as Dick stood and ran a hand over each of their heads.  “Timmy, why don’t you show them your stash in my desk while I talk to Pa for a moment.”

Without needing anymore prompting, the boy tugged the two of them around the front desk and toward the office in the back where Dick worked.  Once they were both sure the kids were out of earshot, Dick looked at Jason with an amused smile and raised eyebrows.

A shrug of his shoulders, Jason slipped his hands into his pockets.  “They wouldn’t be separated, and no one wanted both.  I didn’t get much out of them other than Cassandra doesn’t talk but knows sign language and can hear just fine.  I’m assuming the no talking has something to do with her father who Stephanie called a bastard.”  Dick hummed and looked back in the direction the kids had run off in.  Jason knew he wasn’t worried about what trouble they could get into, but more needed a moment to process.  The muteness probably hit close to home.

“They have nothing in way of the basics?”

“Not unless those small satchels are magical.”  Dick laughed and shook his head as he turned his back on Jason and leaned over the desk, displaying the long line of his back and the all too tempting ass perfectly as he grabbed a paper and pen.  When Dick turned around and Jason’s eyes were still where Dick’s ass had been, Dick smirked and Jason coughed, looking away and mentally begging for his blush to vanish.

“Make a list of what they need,” Dick handed over the paper and pen.  “I’ll leave a little early tonight and get enough to hold them over until you can get them to the tailor for a proper fitting.”  

Jason took the items but didn’t make a move to start writing, taking a moment really look at Dick. “Something’s wrong.”  It might have only been a few months, but Jason knew how to read the man in front of him.  Glancing around the station, he took in the fact that none of the usual paper pushers were around and the building was mostly silent.  “Where is everyone?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Dick tried to wave it off, but Jason just stared at him, unimpressed. It was a few more moments before Dick sighed and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. It pulled the white button up shirt he wore taut over the muscles of his chest and arms and Jason thought it wasn’t fair to have so much beauty in one man.  Especially a man he had to sleep next to each night but hadn’t gotten the courage to touch yet.  “There’s some trouble outside of town.  Sent some of the crew to go see what they could unfold.  The others are doing the regular patrols.”  There was a pause but Jason knew not to say anything because Dick had more to say, he was just trying to figure out how to say it.  “Just maybe…”  The man sighed and dropped his arms and Jason couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked in that moment.

And maybe he had looked tired for a while now but Jason had been too focused on the beauty of the man every day to notice the exhaustion, but he could definitely see it now.  The dark circles brushing his under eyes, the slump of his shoulders, and the paleness to his golden skin.  Had he been sleeping peacefully through Dick’s distress each night?  How long had this been going on?

“Just maybe stay away from the edge of town for a while.  You and the kids.  We don’t want to alarm anyone in town just yet, but I’d feel a lot better knowing my family wasn’t close to the danger.”  Jason considered the words and gave Dick a nod.  He could do that.  He could keep the Tim, and now the girls, close to home and not stray far from the center of town.  He could do that for their safety because Dick would know what that meant more than he would.

“Okay,” Jason agreed, moving forward to use the desk behind Dick as a writing surface.  He stood close to Dick and gave his upper arm a squeeze before leaning over and scratching out a quick list on the paper for Dick to use to get things for the girls.  “Kids!”  Jason called out once he had finished the list as best he could.  “Tim and I will move one of the beds from another room into the one across from his.  They don’t want to be separated, so they can share a room.”  

“That sounds good. They might even want to share a bed.” Jason hadn’t thought of that.  He would have to ask them on their way home. But at the sound of the three of them emerging from Dick’s office, penny candies in their hands and smiles on their faces, Jason turned his focus back to the list.

He waited for them to round the desk and Tim to say thanks to Dick, the older man ruffling Tim’s hair with a soft smile.  “Stephanie, Cassandra,” Jason addressed the girls, who went rigid and their smiled fading away.  “Dick is going to pick up some things for the two of you on his way home tonight.  For clothing would you prefer skirts and dresses or pants?”

The two girls seemed to relax again and look at each other before Cass was using her hands to communicate and Steph nodding along.  “Pants,” Stephanie turned back to them and stated.  Jason looked over at Dick, who was watching Cassandra with a curious gleam in his eyes.  Jason had learned that this particular look usually meant good things, but something he worked through on his own before he presented them.

“I will come home laden with goods, then,” Dick joked, looking over at Jason and smiling brightly. “Also, I do believe we are due a visit to B’s this weekend.  I will see if the crew can manage without me Saturday.”  The question was in Dick’s eyes and Jason just gave a nod in return. He wasn’t particularly fond of the lavish life of Bruce Wayne, but he was family and he could see the fondness and love between father and son when Bruce and Dick were around each other.

And Jason definitely enjoyed the company of Alfred, Bruce’s manservant who was actually more like a father to the man. Dick called him a grandpa.

“Come on kids, let’s head home.  It’s time for some lunch anyway.  You have yours?”  Jason asked Dick, who nodded and smiled fondly.  Jason gave his own nod and watched as Tim took up the girls’ hands again and led them out the door.

“Stay safe,” Dick called out just before Jason exited and Jason gave him one last smile that promised he would.

[heyitsani]

WIP Wednesday

I didn’t forget this week!  It’s a minor accomplishment, but still makes me happy.  Anyway, I’m queueing up a couple posts because next Wednesday I’ll be on vacation and can promise I won’t remember while scrambling to pack for myself and the gremlins. 

This week (and next week’s) are snippets from the fic I mentioned Saturday that is based on the song “Mr. Perfectly Fine”.  There is soooooo much angst and pain in this fic, I apologize in advance.  It will have a happy ending, but it is a painful ride.

@mlim8 requested some good dad!Bruce for this snippet so here we are.  This picks up right after Dick finds out that Barbara, his finacee, has been cheating on him while at a birthday party for Wally.  This fic also includes Clark as Dick’s agent, second father figure, and best friend to Bruce.

Completely unedited as always.

Enjoy!

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

“Did you tell B?”

“No,” Clark said, shaking his head as he pulled into the parking lot of his building.  “But I have no doubt that he had to have seen it by now. All the major gossip papers have the pictures.  If he hasn’t been called by WE public relations than one of your brothers have probably brought it to his attention.”  Cringing at the thought of Tim or Damian knowing, Dick shrunk a little into the seat. He wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with his family right then either.  Clark seeing him like this was enough.  He was an adult, a full grown man of almost 35, he could deal with this.  He could handle this.  “Speak of the devil,” Clark muttered as his phone began to ring as he pulled into his space.  “Bruce,” he greeted the caller.

“Where is he? He’s not answering his phone.” Clark looked over at Dick but Dick kept his eyes on the phone connected to Clark’s dash on speaker.  “Clark…where is my son?”

“I’m here, B,” Dick said, saving Clark from lying or coming up with an excuse.  

There was a whoosh of Bruce releasing a heavy breath.  “Are you okay?”  Dick closed his eyes and leaned his head back, ignoring the sound of Clark’s door opening and shutting, knowing the man was giving him some privacy.  “Dick?”

“No,” he admitted, swiping at the wetness starting to coat his cheeks.  “I was at Wally’s party when Clark called hoping to catch me before all the alerts went out.”  Bruce swore and Dick silently agreed.  “I got out as fast as I could and Clark came to get me.”

There was a beat of silence and Dick knew Bruce was trying to think of a way to say what Dick knew would be coming.  Since before he had confirmation if Bruce even knew, he knew his dad would insist he come home.

“I can’t come home, B.  I can’t. I have to finish the press tour for the new film.  I don’t think finding out that my fiancée was cheating on me is a good enough reason to cancel the last three legs,” he said before Bruce could ask.  

“You can’t blame me for wanting you to come home.  I remember what happened after Catalina.  I didn’t notice in time…”  Dick’s eyes closed again and he bit his lip to keep from sobbing.  Instead he covered his face with his hands and tried to take steady breaths.  “Please Dick, just ask Clark if it’s possible.”

“I can’t, B. You taught me to keep my commitments. You taught me to be dependable.  I can’t just turn that off after all these years.”

“A dad could hope.”

Dick let out a snort.

“Your brothers are going to bombard you soon.  I can hear them outside my office whispering.”  That was not something Dick was prepared to deal with.  “I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”

“Thanks, Dad.”