#anyway kind of funny to think about how at the time Talia is hiding BOTH Jason and Damian from Bruce

[littlefankingdom]

~ Batman: No Man's Land

I have a love/hate relationship with this moment.

Hate, well, because you can witness right here how toxic masculinity impacts comics' writing, as you just witness abuse that is not painted as abuse. Talia slapping Bruce here is not meant to be seen as abusive, you can see it in how it is written, it is just a woman slapping her man because, well "a woman cannot hurt a man, because men are so much more strong than woman". This is an recurring issue in Batman's comics, to have him endure things that would be considered abuse or sexual assault if he had been a woman, but because he is a strong man, it's not for the narration.

It kills me, because I know that many people today would still not consider it abuse for Bruce to get slapped by one of his female love interests because he told her to leave his room (that she entered without his consent, btw). Like, I can hear the people being like "she's a queen, he shouldn't talk to her like that" and it makes me sick. But here, it's even worse, because Bruce is already is an awful state, he even spills blood as she slapped him, and yet, nobody who wrote that, draw that, validated that, went "Hey, that's kind of fucked up". Especially because it is the opening of a "romantic" scene, where they both show they love each others deeply! Nah, they probably went "that's fucked up, but they're both fucked up so it's okay." THAT'S ABUSE, them being weirdos don't change that it's abuse.

Anyway, love because, well, Talia learned about what happened in Gotham and that Bruce left, and she ran to him, to see how he is doing. She loves that man, and if he is turning away from Gotham, she wants him to come with her, for them to be finally together. But also because she loves him, she refuses to let him give up LIKE THIS. To have him loathe himself. She cannot stand seeing him hating himself and letting himself be miserable. That's not the man she fell in love with, however, she states she will stay with him regardless. She helps him stand up again, physically by taking care of his wound, and mentally by her speech. After that, Bruce will go back to Gotham as Batman, determined to save his city and his people, and that's all thanks to Talia.

And Bruce, he loves Talia too, but he made an oath to Gotham, to protect her. And that oath, Gotham, it prioritizes over his love life. If it wasn't for Gotham, he would be with her, that's what he is telling her. But they both know that he cannot be himself if he isn't protecting his city.

[therealcocoshady]

Recovery - Chapter 25

Eminem x FemReader Fanfiction

Summary : Em has trouble handling the breakup when Jamal shows up with bad news.

Tags : ANGST, Comfort

MARSHALL’S POV 

The hardest part about grieving his relationship with Y/N was that he didn’t really have anyone to talk to about it, since they hardly told anyone. The only people who knew about the breakup were Talia, Jamal and Hailie. For obvious reasons, he didn’t feel like telling his daughter how sad he was over a relationship she didn’t approve of. Jamal had actually reached out a couple of times, saying that he was sorry it was over with Y/N and that he was here if he needed to talk, but seeing as he was his ex’s roommate, Marshall didn’t feel too comfortable with the idea. 

Ever since the breakup, a couple weeks ago, he was in a state of constant mood swings : he would find himself in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling for hours, before being overcome by anger, followed by deep sadness. He was fifty-one, feeling like a heart-broken teenager, lonely and sad in a huge house whose every corner reminded him of Y/N. It was the most depressing place in the world and yet, there was nowhere else he’d rather be. This led him to do something extremely out of character : canceling studio sessions for two weeks and staying in bed most of the time. He also dodged most calls and failed to answer texts - not that he was too good at keeping up with it anyway. Most of the time, he wondered where Y/N was at, what she was doing, how she was feeling. The sadness he had seen in her eyes as they parted ways haunted him. 

It was sunday and, as usual, he was having his kids and their significant others over for family brunch. He tried his best to put on a happy face but to no avail. 

Dad ? Are you even listening to me ? Stevie asked, interrupting his train of thoughts. 

Sorry, I wasn’t, he admitted. Mind repeating ? 

I was thinking of getting a pet snake. I just don’t know which one yet. 

That made him chuckle for the first time in a week. Stevie and pets - a greater love story than most. 

Don’t you have enough of a zoo ? He asked. It’s a lot of work. And don’t forget school. 

I know, Dad. “School is important, blah, blah, blah”, she gestured imitating him. 

Well it’s my job to remind you, he shrugged. Anyway, don’t count on me for pet-sitting. 

Me neither, Hailie said with a hint of disgust. 

Neither, Alaina chimed in. 

Fine, Stevie said as she rolled her eyes. 

Marshall went back to his thoughts, letting his kids argue about what kind of unusual pet was the worst : spiders or snakes. He thought about Y/N and how she would feel about the debate, knowing full-well that she had a phobia of both. 

It’s probably not too wise to have a pet snake with a baby on the way, though, Stevie said. 

This caused Marshall to spit his orange juice. 

You’re pregnant ?! He blurted out. 

Now we’ve got your attention, she said with a grin as everyone laughed. I’m kidding. 

Very funny, he said sarcastically. Thanks for the heart attack by the way. I’m not ready to be a grandpa just yet. 

You do know that Hailie and I are older than you when you became a Dad, right ? Alaina asked. 

True, he hummed. Stevie is not, though. You can’t have a baby, you’re still one. 

I’m 21, she said as she rolled her eyes. But relax, I don’t want kids anyway. 

That’s my girl, he said with a smile. 

All I’m saying is that you could be a grandpa someday soon, Alaina continued. Now that we’re married, Matt and I might decide to start trying. 

You’d be good parents, he said with a smile. I mean, I’ll never be ready for that day, but I guess a new addition to the family would be welcome. Not a snake, though. 

How about you ? Stevie asked. 

What about me ? He hummed. 

Well you broke up with Nicole months ago, but maybe you’ll be the one bringing someone new to the family, she said. We’re out of the house and we don’t want you to be lonely, right ? I swear, it feels like you’re not even trying… 

He stared at Hailie who tried to hide a scoff by faking a cough. Obviously, she had been true to her words and hadn’t told her sisters anything - not that there was anything to say anymore… 

Let’s put it this way, he sighed. There’s more chances of me getting a pet snake than bringing a lady into this family. 

His tone was dry and sarcastic. Now that Y/N was gone, he felt like he might actually end up alone. But in the end, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be with anyone if he wasn’t with her. The perspective of even holding the hand of someone else was rebutting to him. Hailie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

We’re short on pancakes, she said. I’ll make some. Help me in the kitchen, Dad ? 

That was a lame excuse, but he followed her anyway. 

What’s wrong with you ? She asked with a worried face once they were alone. 

Nothing, he said. 

Dad… You haven’t paid attention all day, you look like you haven’t slept in ages and you implied that there’s nothing going on in your love life when we both know it’s not true, she stated. 

There’s nothing going on anymore, Hay, he said dryly. Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but I would appreciate it if you waited for me to leave the kitchen before you do some happy dance of celebration. 

Don’t snap at me, she said as her eyebrows furrowed. 

Sorry, he said as he pinched the area between his eyes. You’re right. I am tired and I shouldn’t be taking it out on anyone. 

So… It’s over ? She asked calmly. 

Yeah. 

He didn’t bother commenting on the circumstances of the breakup. 

Want to talk about it ? She offered. 

I’m good, he said as he took her in his arms. I just need some rest. I’m taking a small break from recording, that’ll do me some good. 

I thought you were close to being done with the new album ? 

It can wait, he said. I need to chill for a bit. 

I’m worried for you, Dad… 

Don’t. I’ll get over it, he said. 

“Chickens they come they go”, she playfully sung his lyrics. 

Thanks for quoting the clean version, he chuckled. 

They shared a laugh. In this moment, he was grateful for his family and especially his daughters. 

6 WEEKS LATER

The two week break ended up turning into a month and a half long one. He came up with various excuses but in the end, it didn’t really matter. He didn’t feel like seeing anyone besides his family and he was in no mood to work anyway. Everytime he tried to write something, it felt like a disaster. His inspiration seemed to have run dry. 

However, his friends were persistent and, once they understood that he was definitely screening the calls, they took turns showing up at his place to make sure he was alright. The official version was that he was a bit burnt-out. He was not sure if he should come clean about his breakup. He was starting to feel the need to talk about it, to talk about Y/N. She had tried to call him a couple of times but he did not pick up. Not that he didn’t want to, though. He just knew it would hurt too much.

Jamal had also reached out a couple more times but Marshall did not answer. He thought his friend got the hint, but he ended up showing up unannounced, late one night. 

Anyone dies ? Marshall asked after greeting him. 

Might as well be you, Jamal answered. We haven’t heard from you in ages, man. And no offense, but you look deceased, too. 

Well… You know. 

They stared at each other in agreement. 

Can I come in ? His friend finally asked. I brought you some stuff. 

You didn’t have to, man. 

It’s just a pack of red bull, food Talia made for you, some beats for you to listen to and a care package. 

A care package ? Marshall asked amused. What are you ? My great-aunt ? 

Actually, it’s from Y/N. 

Oh, he simply said. 

He gestured for Jamal to come in and they went to the living room. 

Thank Talia for me, he said as he rummaged through the bags his friends had brought. 

Will do. 

Should I wait for you to leave to open the mystery package ? He asked. 

Up to you, man, Jamal said. I mostly came to check up on you. We’re all worried about you. 

I appreciate it, man. Thanks. I’m good. I just need some time to adjust, you know ? He said. 

I bet, Jamal replied. It’s going to be weird, not having her hanging out at the studio anymore. We all got used to her being there. 

Well, we decided to remain friends, Marshall explained. So, she’s welcome anytime. I know everyone loves her and I don’t want it to be weird. 

Jamal looked at him with a confused expression. 

You really have unplugged, haven’t you ?

Sort of, yeah. Why ? 

His friend kept on staring at him for a few seconds. It was uncomfortable and it felt as if he was about to tell him that a zombie apocalypse had erupted. 

Man, I don’t know how to tell you this but…. She’s gone, Jamal said. 

What do you mean ? Marshall asked. 

Shit. I thought you knew, or at least that you had a vague idea… I know you didn’t pick up her calls, but she tried to text you. Several times, his friend explained. 

What does it fucking mean ? He asked as he was starting to lose his patience. What do you mean she’s gone ?! 

We drove her to the airport this afternoon, man. She’s moving back to France. She just handed her doctoral dissertation and she pulled something to convince them to let her do the defense thing remotely. 

Why would she do that ? Marshall scoffed. 

Dude, she’s a mess, Jamal said. She wouldn’t get out of her room for days. She barely ate, didn’t sleep. Talia had to help her showering and shit. We almost sent her to a psych ward. She stopped talking for weeks. 

Why didn’t you call me ?! He asked angrily. Why am I just finding out now ? 

She made me swear not to, man. She couldn’t face you. When she took the decision to move back, we convinced her to let you know, but I guess you didn’t see the texts… 

She’s… gone ? Marshall asked again, in disbelief. 

Yeah. You should check the package, Jamal said. When she didn’t get any response from you, she prepared it and told me to give it to you once she was gone. I have no idea what’s in there, though. 

Marshall wasted no time and tore up the carefully wrapped bow to unveil what was inside. There were a bunch of envelopes and two presents. 

I can leave you to it, if you want, Jamal offered. 

I don’t mind, Marshall shrugged as he kept on staring at the content of the box. Fuck. I had no idea she would fucking leave… 

He went back to his unboxing. He opened a first envelope, that contained a few pictures of them, that she had printed : a selfie of the whole crew, taken on the first day they met - she was shyly posing next to him as he flipped the camera -, two picture from their time in the hospital - a selfie of her as she pointed to him asleep in a chair next to her bed and a selfie of the two of them laying in bed next to each other - as well as the selfies they had taken as a couple. He looked at the pictures for a long time, failing to believe he wouldn’t see that face again and that she was in a whole different time zone. 

In the second envelope was a printing of the “acknowledgement” section of her dissertation. Everyone she knew from the studio was listed by name, including him, who had a whole paragraph that read “To MBMIII, thank you for welcoming me with open arms and believing in me. This work would not have been possible without your help and encouragement. Thank you for inspiring me to believe in my dreams and to lose myself in the moment and own it. In doing so, I found inspiration but also who I am. I am forever grateful for you, more than words will ever convey”. He read the paragraph at least ten times. He couldn’t believe she had actually quoted his lyrics to thank him. This made him smile and almost tear up. His heart was swelling with pride for her finally being done with her work, as well as sadness. 

The third envelope contained a handwritten letter : 

“Dear Marshall, 

By the time you read this, I will most likely be back in France. I wish I had the chance to say goodbye in person, but you wouldn’t pick up the phone. I am not sure why, but I guess I can’t blame you. Leaving Detroit, a place I have called home for the past few years has been a tough decision - probably the hardest one after leaving you. I knew I would have to go back home eventually, but I decided to leave early because I cannot see straight anymore. Every street, every corner, every stone reminds me of you. I cannot sleep in this bed knowing I won’t wake up next to you. I cannot keep breathing and existing in all the places you made me feel seen, loved and appreciated, knowing I can’t feel you near. Every little thing is a reminder of what once was and will not be again. And being reminded that I once had everything and lost it is too much pain. But in truth, I am not writing this letter to complain, but to say thank you. You walked into my life when I needed support, and you gave me exactly what I needed : love, encouragement and inspiration. Meeting you is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I will forever be grateful. Your generosity and everything that you are takes my breath away. But as I am writing this letter, I am reminded that I am only human, in desperate need of oxygen. I need to leave because I have to save myself from drowning. I cannot allow myself to hope that you will reach for me, as I foreswore that right - if I ever had it. I broke both of our hearts but I am hopeful that they can be mended. You deserve nothing but love, joy and happiness and I pray that you find it wherever you go, whatever you do, whoever you meet. 

I love you and I always will. 

Yours forever, 

Y/N

PS : I hope you don’t mind the cheesy quotation of your lyrics. I have been catching up on your music because I needed to hear your voice. Also, it is hard to exist without your talent and your way with words. 

PPS : I have finally listened to your whole catalog. Every single, every album, every feature. I did not think it was possible, but it makes me love you even more.”

Marshall could feel his heart sink as he read her letter. He could feel her sadness and her pain, her bleeding love in each word. He wished that he could reach her and pull her close to him. At that moment, he knew that letting her go was his biggest mistake. Tears welled up in his eyes. 

Fuck, he said. 

You good ? Jamal asked after a few seconds, reminding him of his presence. 

I… I guess. 

He finally opened the two presents. These were fancy packages from Montblanc. He scoffed, as he definitely didn’t deserve such a big gesture. If anything, he should be the one to treat her to the finer things in life, not the other way around. In the first package was a beautiful leather embossed notebook with a note written in pencil on the first page : “May you be inspired to fill these pages with good rhymes and good bars. I cannot wait to listen to the whole album. You got this and I believe in you.”. 

The second package contained a fancy, beautiful pen. From the looks of it, it was a collectible. The first thing he did with it was to write her name underneath her note, in ink. He needed her name to be there, permanently. 

By the time he was done opening the presents, he was openly sobbing and it didn’t matter that Jamal or anyone else was here. For the first time in ages, the pain in his chest was so real that he thought he would have a heart attack. He found himself bent in two, crouching on the couch, sobbing and feeling every bit of the pain he had tried to suppress. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply. He tried to focus on happy thoughts, but he couldn’t think of anything. The only image in his brain was her face. 

FUCK, he screamed into the nothingness. 

Every emotion he had ever felt, every moment of pain and grief seemed to hit him all at once. His mom, his bullies, Ronnie, Kim, Proof, his overdose, Y/N. 

Fuck, he whispered under his breath. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

It was all he would say. 

Marshall, he heard Jamal say in an echo. Do you need anything ? Anyone ? 

Y/N, he said as he kept sobbing. I need Y/N. I need her. I need to talk to her. My phone. Now. 

He heard Jamal hurry and rummage through the mess in his living room, trying to find his phone before handing it to him. He turned it on for the first time in days and he was immediately flooded by the incoming notifications that caused the phone to lag for a bit. He had about a hundred phone calls, a thousand unread emails and about fifty unread texts. Most of them were from his manager, his friends and his kids, but a few of them were from Y/N. She had really tried to reach out to him. 

From Y/N : I hope you’re doing well. I need to talk to you. Can you please call me back ? 

From Y/N : Please call back ? It’s important. 

From Y/N : I can’t reach you and I wish I didn’t have to tell you over a lousy text, but I’m leaving Detroit. I’m going back to France. My plane leaves on Tuesday night. 

From Y/N : I don’t know if you got my texts ? Or if you’re ignoring them ? I’d like to say goodbye. Can I come by ? 

From Y/N : You probably don’t want to see me. I’m sorry for disturbing you. In case you change your mind, my plane leaves at 6:35 PM. 

From Y/N : Boarding now. It’s my last text, I swear. Goodbye Marshall. I love you. 

There it was. Her last text. She had actually given him the opportunity to see her one last time. He could have held her. Maybe he could have convinced her to stay. But he blew it. He needed to call her and apologize. All he wanted was to crawl back to her. He needed her. To hear her voice. Anything. He tried calling but it went straight to voicemail. By looking at the time, he guessed she was on the plane and that her phone was on airplane mode. It was too late. 

He stared at the screen, feeling angry at himself. In a fit of rage, he threw the phone across the room and heard the screen break. Once he realized it meant he might not have her texts, he went to get it back. The screen was broken but still working. Once again, he felt mad. He punched the nearest wall. Then a painting. Then a mirror. In a matter of minutes, he found himself in a state, nearly trashing his living room. Jamal stopped him and held him for a long time before he stopped debating himself. Luckily, his friend was far taller and stronger than him, so he had no trouble containing him. 

Man, you need to calm down. Breathe. 

I can’t, Marshall replied panting. What the fuck’s happening to me ?! 

The tears started to flow again, as he realized he might be losing his mind. Jamal engulfed him in a hug - something different than their usual bro-hugs. This time, he felt like a small child crying in the arms of their parents. On any other day, he’d cringe, but he was deperate. 

I got you, bro, Jamal said. 

She’s gone. 

I know. 

It took a couple of minutes for him to be able to breathe normally and think straight again. 

Man, I know you’re my boss, but I’m talking as your friend here. Because I care. You need help. You’re not staying in this house by yourself, Jamal said. 

As much as he wanted to protest, Marshall found himself nodding. In the studio, Jamal acted as a soldier and did as he was told, but in real life, he had a presence to him and an authority that made people think twice before discussing his orders. 

It’s no Mathers Mansion, but you’re welcome to stay at my place, Jamal said. 

You don’t mind ? 

I don’t. You can take the couch or the guest bedroom. 

Ok. 

He went upstairs and started packing his stuff for a few days. As they stepped outside, he felt a sudden wave of relief. He had to get out of there. He needed to get away and recover, otherwise he would go crazy.

[alice-hazelwood]

Triple the Trouble

Ok so I came up with this idea a while ago and figured I might as well post it. 

Talia is a good mother; Ras is a grandfather. (That’s the best were going to get from him.) 

 So, in this story Marinette Danny and Damian are triplets. Damian is the oldest he looks exactly like Bruce with Talia's coloring then Danny who looks exactly like Bruce and then Mari looks like Talia with Bruce's coloring. Damian likes to draw, Danny likes to read, Mari likes to design clothes; All three of them like animals and learn to play music together Damian the violin, Danny the piano, Mari the harp.

Danny got his powers because Talia got dunked into the Lazarus pit before she found out she was pregnant, and it had side effects. And Mari has magic as a side effect of the Lazarus pit because the Lazarus pit was created by tiki and plagg during a wish when the earrings and ring were united.

All three of them cause a lot of trouble on a normal basis. Depending on the trouble depends on how they get out of it. If they get attacked or anything Damians the best at combat, if they're trying to hide from someone Dannys is amazing at espionage, if they need a plan or a quick fix Mari’s your girl.

They regularly play pranks depending on the way the story goes it could be around the league and as long as they're not caught, they will not be punished. (They were caught once after that they made sure they were never caught again.) Ra’s thought of it as an amusing lesson in espionage and deception. 

Scene1= Ra’s lets Talia keep the triplets (she is of course ecstatic but weary) the triplets grew up in the league until they were seven when Talia found out that Ra’s was planning to take over one of the boy's bodies and then marrying Mari keeping the bloodline pure in the process. After she found out she made plans to make it seem as if the triplets were kidnapped (or just disappeared) instead she sent them to Jason Todd to care for them.

Scene2= When Jason finds them, he originally tries to take them to Bruce but they all deny wanting to go. He tries to take them anyway so instead they run away Jason eventually finds them again surrounded by league minions, so he kills them all and decides to take care of them himself since they didn’t want to go to Bruce.

Scene3= Jason calls the three of them devils one time and Mari bursts into tears (fake) and grabs on to Damian crying about how Jason had called her evil, Damian and Danny catching on to her prank Danny starts to sniffle but not full-on cry like Mari. Damian acts like an overprotective brother (even though he is one) and glares at Jason while patting his siblings back; Jason just freezes and just kind of panics because now he has two crying kids and one who looks like he going to stab him (again) in the end he ends up apologizing and giving them ice cream to eat. He never called them demons or devils ever again.

Scene4= When the triplets turn ten Ra’s is killed and Jason and Talia decide it's best that the triplets live with Bruce now with Jason acting as their bodyguard since Deathstroke is now after them since they are technically the heirs to the League. In the end, both Talia and Jason have to drag the triplets there because they don't want to go so badly.

Scene5= The triplets don't want to go to Bruce because they think Batman is going to eat them. Jason finds it funny Bruce is concerned and confused (and secretly sad) and Talia is just exasperated and wants to know who told them that story.

All three of them are terrified of Bruce because he's Batman and Batman is known to not like Meta’s (what Danny is classified as) or magic (which Mari has) and Damian is super overprotective and afraid he will take his siblings away.

[dottie-wan-kenobi]

DOTTIE’S BATFAM FIC RECS

hi!! so, no one asked for this but,,, I wanted to make one anyway! I really love the batfam a lot and I see a lot of ppl in the fandom wishing it was easier to find good fics. this is by no means all of them but they are some of my faves, generally not too fanon-y! all fics are gen/family fluff with little to no ships (which are not bat/cest). 

feel free to message/ask me about triggers if you’re unsure!! and lmk if I forgot to tag anyone ❤️

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Homecoming by Ionaperidot / @iowriteswords on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10966704/chapters/24414906

Summary: “Your son’s grave. It’s been disturbed.” In which people actually notice when Jason breaks out of his grave, and Bruce finds him before Talia does.

My thoughts: Bruce’s voice in this is seriously perfect, plus Dick, Jason, and Tim are great as well!! This fic honestly helps inform me of my Tim characterization!

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The Wound Begins To Bleed by audreycritter / @audreycritter on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13295661

Summary: Now that Tim’s moved back to the manor, he just wants a few afternoons a week without Damian around. Funny how getting that was the catalyst for him becoming a better big brother.

My Thoughts: it makes me emotional okay it GETS me right in my HEART!!! both Dami and Tim are so so so good I can’t rec this enough

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just hold a smile by RecklessWriter

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22777705

Summary: That's the thing about smiles, Dick thinks. If you flash the right one, no one knows there's something more going on inside. Five times Dick faked a smile and one time someone saw through it.

My Thoughts: Dick & others, including Tim and Cass. Dick is really good at hiding his feelings from others, and I love how in this fic, a lot of times, he’s hiding them to “protect” whoever it is

(more under the cut!)

life, if well lived by CaptainOzone

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18378512

Summary: Jason wakes up from a time-travel mishap to find Thomas and Martha Wayne hovering over him. Just another day in the life, right? ...Not quite.

My Thoughts: this one had me crying like a baby!!! the characterization is great and I love CO’s Thomas and Martha

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one shot, two shots in the night by discowing / @dykewing on tumblr, @/wlwdiscowing on twitter

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871864/chapters/44792710

Summary: The New York Times ✓ @nytimes · 4h

“A Shot in the Dark” remains on our bestseller list for the fourth week in a row! Read our review of @brucewayne’s tell-all memoir here: nyti.ms/3Fs9k2E

My Thoughts: TALK ABT MAKING ME CRY. this gets me every time, and it’s absolutely worth ALL of the rereads. such a great Bruce.

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The View From Jade by lowflyingfruit

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11329791/chapters/25359972

Summary: Being transported to the past is not the sort of thing one normally expects. But this having happened, and with no easy way back, Jason's determined to make the most of it. Though the Bat still stalks Gotham's streets, the city's crime is run by the mobs instead of the rogues. There's no Joker yet. There's no Robin. Maybe there shouldn't be.

My Thoughts: Jason & Dick, and also Bruce somewhere in there too. this is SO! GOOD! I absolutely love Jason’s voice, and Dick is so in character. plus Bruce and Alfred are awesome as well!!!

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The Birds Who Smile by Raberba girl / @raberbagirl on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12972324/chapters/29656290

Summary: "Dark Nights: Metal" AU where Bruce adopts three of the Robins who once belonged to the Batman Who Laughs.

My Thoughts: I think this was the first fic that introduced me to Duke, actually! and while there are a LOT of characters involved, they’re all pretty great and realistic. they have their moments to shine and it’s,,, *chef’s kiss*

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The Thing about Apples and Trees by Cdelphiki / @cdelphiki on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192747

Summary: When Jason agreed to let Bruce adopt him, he thought that meant Jason felt happy and safe in Bruce's home. But when Jason's nightmares only increased, and his panic attacks and meltdowns started happening more often, Bruce was at a complete loss for what to do. But then, Jason finally opened up to him, and he was able to quell some of Jason's worse fears. Perhaps a midnight chat and a few hugs wouldn't fix everything, but it was a step in the right direction.

My Thoughts: this is part of a series but might be okay to read on it’s own? tho really I suggest the entire series, it’s amazing. but this fic specifically has great kid Jason characterization (and also made me cry, I think!)

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Kitten by lurkinglurkerwholurks / @lurkinglurkerwholurks on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18194294

Summary: Bruce opened his mouth, prepared to give the unemotional, no-nonsense explanation he had cobbled together between his walk to the car and now. Instead, his mouth went dry and nothing came out.

“Bruce?”

Bruce was saved from answering by the thin cry that cut through the silence. He winced, then reached back with one hand to shush the dimpled, kicking legs.

“Bruce, tell me I did not just hear what I thought I heard.”

My Thoughts: so so so cute! plus the gangs all here!!!

---

Yes Ma’am by lurkinglurkerwholurks

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22004695

Summary: Jason had shuffled into the bedroom and had just finished pulling his shirt over his head when he paused, arms still trapped in the fabric. A pair of eyes glowed at him from the bed, reflecting the dim light from the hall.

My Thoughts: I also have to include this one bc it was a gift to me, and it’s so cute & angsty & just dkjsfsdjkhfksjah I love it so much

---

The D-Word by AutumnHobbit / @autumnhobbit on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9597686

Summary: "See, Tim?" Jason called over his shoulder sardonically. "Dad agrees with me."

He turned back to his food for a moment before the thought suddenly occurred to him that the Cave had gone near silent. He cautiously glanced back at the others. Alfred was still working away at stitching Tim up. Tim looked a little pale and sweaty, but he was glancing over at Jason with a look that was a mixture of concern and confusion. Bruce was standing stock-still, seemingly staring off into space.

My Thoughts: I constantly reread this when I want funny and then heart breaking Jason & Bruce feels. I always know what’s coming and it STILL GETS ME

---

baby wonder by drakefeathers / @drakefeathers on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1887807

Summary: (baby!damian AU) Bruce dies, Dick becomes Batman. But the Damian that Talia leaves in his care isn’t a ten-year-old warrior, he’s a ten-month-old baby.

My Thoughts: oh my goddd this is so good, it hurts but it’s SO CUTE at the same time??? ugh dskjfhkjsadhf

---

a hat fashioned from tin foil by discowing

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356020

Summary: nightwang @karakurachou – 8 hours ago

jason todd is alive and faked his death so he could become robin: a conspiracy theory thread

Batfam conspiracy theories meet social media.

My Thoughts: !!!!!!! so good!!!! seriously one of the best social media fics I’ve ever read.

---

Bet Your Bottom Dollar by jerseydevious / @jerseydevious on tumblr and twitter

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17971160/chapters/42447017

Summary: Dick's been having kind of a hard time, recently. When it boils over, Bruce is there for him.

My Thoughts: I reread this one a LOT when I need Dick & Bruce feels

---

Metanoia by AlannaOfRoses / @alannaofroses on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21943249

Summary: Jason's bleeding out, Dick's overtired, and a half-serious offer turns into their new normal. Sometimes you just need somebody else around.

My Thoughts: this one was also a gift to me!! it’s got amazing brotherly bonding and it made me laugh a LOT

---

a hundred miles through the desert by acrobats

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18197330/chapters/43045388

Summary: Finding himself nearly three decades into the past hadn't been part of Jason's plans for the day, but he could manage. Having no idea how he got there, no clear path home and a recently orphaned Bruce Wayne determined to drag Jason into his search for his parents' killer - that might be a little more complicated.

My Thoughts: ughhh this is such good Jason content (and such amazing Jason voice, too) I adore it

---

oh, where do I begin? by LazuliQuetzal / @lazuliquetzal on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21988693

Summary: “No, no, nothing’s wrong,” Jason says. “We’re a-okay. Just peachy. Good times.”

“Oh,” Duke says, lamely, working himself out of crisis mode. There’s an awkward silence for a moment before he speaks up again. “Why did you call?”

“Right, right," Jason mumbles, which seemed a little out of character to Duke. His sort-of wayward brother was generally intimidating, even when he wasn't trying to be. "Uh, Dick said that you had a guinea pig when you were younger. How do you take care of a guinea pig?”

_____

AKA, not-exactly accidental guinea pig acquisition

My Thoughts: this was ALSO a gift to me but it’s so funny and sweet and there’s amazing Duke & Jason bonding so I absolutely must rec it

---

Latchkey by goldkirk / @goldkirk on tumblr

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21672928/chapters/51685639

Summary: or, How Tim Drake Found A Family, Became A Photojournalist, Learned To Love Coffee, and Grew Up, not necessarily in that order.

Tim Drake is thirteen, runs the famous BatWatch blog that has spiraled hilariously out of control, has absentee parents that suit his purposes just fine, is training himself to run the streets at night, and is doing absolutely peachy, thank you.

Alfred and Jason disagree, and get Dick and Bruce involved in figuring out their weird nextdoor neighbor kid’s life. Everything goes uphill from there.

My Thoughts: this is SO GOOOOD the Tim feels are amazing!!! the family interactions!!! everything! sdkjfhsjdfhksdhfajh

---

Blood in the Water by MishaBerry

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12734052/chapters/29037474

Summary: We all do stupid things when we are lonely, and in faraway lands, we hardly expect the consequences to follow us. Bruce certainly never thought twice about an American woman in Jaipur after one night with her. He hardly expected to see her ever again.

The universe, on the other hand, had different ideas, and the tides of time and chance brought Tim Drake to Bruce's life over and over again.

My Thoughts: this one is more AU than a lot of the others on here but it’s a lot of fun!! it has Tim & Damian & Jason feels, plus the rest of the family on a smaller scale

---

so these are just SOME, and honestly you should go and check out other works done by all of these authors!! also would like to suggest reading the fics of @renecdote , @caramelmachete , @redtruthed , @rredarrow , and @schweeeppess !!!

[astrologista]

jason stop dying

ooooook i just watched ditf. it was PRETTY GOOD.... i only wish there was MOOORE! watching this REALLY brought me back to 2011 times to see it and i think they did a good job with most of the character design and animations insofar as matching it to the original. (maybe i’m totally wrong but i thought it looked good for the most part... also i just really love these character designs in particular). obviously the budget is not what it would be on a feature, so there are a LOT of places where animation gets recycled and many still frames. some parts are basically a slideshow lol. but i only sort of came to that realization awhile after watching, so i think they did a fairly good job of masking this... ymmv

so let’s get into it!!! 

SPOILERS a-head! do not read until you’ve watched it because i’ll spoil everything

now obviously the thing to be aware of if you are not is the fact that this adaptation is not a panel-by-panel adaptation of the original death in the family comic. all references to jason’s mother (save one mention of her dying of illness) are completely removed, they go to bosnia instead of africa, and the circumstances around jason leaving are also heavily altered to fit the new narrative. this adaptation does slot perfectly into the universe established by the under the red hood animated movie from 2011 though, without which one would be pretty confused when watching this. it’s kind of a mystery as to why they didn’t just package this with utrh and release the entire thing as a collectors edition. instead they package it with like 4 or 5 unrelated dc showcase shorts which makes absolutely 0 sense but go off i guess. anyway

i liked that they took the time to adapt the scene from the original ditf where bruce is talking to alfred about jason! (i do not like that alfred didn’t get any lines. bad choice). tbh i can’t understand why they bothered showing us alfred, barbara and dick if they weren’t gonna give them any lines..... like come on........??

HOW INTENSE BRUCE LOOKS WHEN HE FINDS JASON IN SARAJEVO and just. grabs him lol. hes smad :)

ok so one two skip a few and we get to the first branch. instead of calling 1-900 we now get to choose whether jason lives or dies. there are 7 possible endings i think i got em all so let’s see what we got here.

“Hush” Route - Robin cheats death

hgrgdggr. i definitely think this is one of the more interesting endings, if not the most interesting one. this is also the only ending in which both bruce and jason survive the bombing. bruce is still too late, but this time jason barely clings to life and survives. as a hurt/comfort fan i was 100% on this shit from the word go but then jason? runs away from home lmao lmao i thought that was SO funny because 1) hes super messed up, how is he able to just literally run out the house that is SO funny to me and 2) implying that bruce would ever not be keeping an eye on him after that is just, lmao. it’s so zany. i call this the “hush” route because of the bandages but there are no other references to hush so ok. that’s fair. so anyway jason is now angsty for loosely explained reasons but the most fun part is yet to come.

when talia showed up, i really thought / was terrified for a second that they were gonna bring up certain “events” regarding damian’s parentage / who damian’s father is but then she mentioned bruce and i was like OH THANK GOD WE CAN STILL GO TO HEAVEN. i am so so grateful to the writers for NOT going there. cuz it was damn close ok. im not sure what the implication of this route is in terms of talia, jason and damian being a family unit but i want to believe talia sees jason as a son and damian’s brother (which is how she refers to him, damian’s brother) and not... yknow. i mean. jason raising a baby is kind of like a baby raising a baby...

no actually the reality of this scene is really dfuckin interesting like. they actually go with the “birth of the demon” (forget if it was birth of the demon or bride of the demon. one of those.) explanation for damian and that is something i’ve NEVER seen adapted so whoever wrote this can have a cookie and i kNOW this is something a certain someone will appreciate :)

not only that but the implications? are interesting? so talia’s claim is she miscarried so bruce won’t have to “choose” between damian and jason and idk if she’s supposed to be all on the-up-and-up in this universe but. i’m sitting here like GIRL YOU DON’T GOTTA DO THIS HE HAS A PRIVATE JET HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF SHARED CUSTODY and BETTER YET HE HAS A MANSION JUST GO ON MAURY AND GET THIS SORTED OUT RIGHT NOWwwww

i’m also LAUGHING at the implications of jason thinking theres anywhere on earth that he’s going to go and hide damian’s existence from bruce. because you already know he’s just going to be tearing the planet apart looking for jason so this is actually hilarious. imagine he finds jason in one piece and also a baby. his baby. he’d be like (@ talia) “OMG WHY WOULD YOU THINK I WOULDN’T WANT THEM BOTH u are tearing me apart talia......” BUT THEN HE WOULD BE SO FREAKING HAPPY BECAUSE HE HAS TWO ALIVE SONS AND HE THOUGHT THEY WERE BOTH DEAD / (lost to crime)!!!

please lord imagine all of jason’s angst probably just originating from the fact that he has a brain injury that hasn’t fully healed and the trauma of going through all those surgeries probably gave him a lot of fear / paranoia about bruce and associating him with the joker because his neural pathways are all messed up but after he leaves he starts slowly healing back and regaining some of his lost sanity and thats when he realizes he misses bruce so much... but hes also raising his child... and every day it gets more difficult for him not to just take damian and bring him home and i ;v;

anyway i thought this route, while it had a few inconsistencies in it, was really freaking interesting and it gave me feels and plot bunnies and is probably the one i want to write about the MOST despite the fact that baby damian looks like a character from one of those web flash games in this lol

“True” End - Jason Dies

now if you select that jason dies the route basically defaults to the canon of under the red hood and the fact that utrh does not come packaged with this movie is a rather mystifying choice to me as i don’t think this adaptation would stand on its own very well. like you need quite a bit of background to really get anything out of watching this on its own, which is probably why it’s classified as a “short” and not as its own movie.

instead of showing all of utrh, it seems they took the opportunity to give a ~30 minute recap of utrh with basically entirely reused animation but they allow bruce to sort of. give his dvd commentary over it.

the biggest feeling i have on this is that it’s sad that they had to waste 30 minutes like this that could’ve been used to do something new and much more interesting, but honestly i’m not mad. it seems kind of obvious that this choice was probably made for budget and/or runtime reasons because a short does not get the same budget set aside as a full length feature film does. so they basically took the option of recycling 30 minutes of animation from the movie and dubbing new audio over it.

in evangelion they ran out of budget and that’s why the last two episodes consist of nothing more than still pencil drawings and frames while the characters engage in philosophical debates concerning the nature of reality and human connection. and i really enjoyed that. and for the same reasons, i also really enjoyed this.

i enjoyed seeing the clark kent of this universe. i enjoyed that he was basically out on a date with bruce. i enjoyed that bruce was willing to open up for once and tell clark all of what happened with jason. but what really makes this segment shine bright are bruce greenwood’s line reads. there are SO MANY good line reads in here. and i LOVED how many times he said the word “son”. very wholesome. the way he describes how he felt during the final fight with jason? probs my favorite FUCKING part.

and then him and clark joking together about contingency plans and then they’re going to work together to find jason and i ;_; this is probably the closest thing to a “good” ending but as a continuation of utrh i thought it worked really well. i really want to believe that bruce and clark did find jason in this route and that there was some closure in the end even though we didn’t get to see it.

including clark in this was DEFINITELY the right move as well, considering that he played a rather large role in the original ditf so it’s a welcome nod.

The rest of the branches exist under a separate option where Bruce makes it in time to save Jason from the warehouse... but Bruce dies......... :O

let me tell you bout it... bruce’s fucking DEATH SCENE i don’t know WHAT my man bruce greenwood is on, but the freaking LINE READS in this dialogue had me making INHUMAN NOISES. LIKE NOT ONLY WAS THE DIALOGUE GOOD, NOT ONLY DID HE SAY “I LOVE YOU, SON”, but this man is just an amazing actor. not just voice actor, but actor. he really really really really gave it the most i don’t know how else to say it....... it was very very well done and punched me sideways in the heart and i haven’t recovered and i’m not going to recover. and

ok so once we get past that.... scene.... u have to choose whether you’re going to catch the joker or kill the joker. bruce asks jason to promise not to kill the joker but technically jason doesn’t promise so........

Let’s start by choosing to kill the Joker. Jason attends Bruce’s funeral and various members of the Justice League show up to talk with him and just generally hang out. He has Alfred, Dick and Barbara as his support system, but Jason has some other plans.

This leads to a scene in a cafe where Jason meets with a man who... something something Killing Joke, flashlight, more Barbara being used as a plot device when she deserves better, Jason kills the Joker with a butter knife.

Once you do this you can choose to surrender to the police, or retaliate and escape.

Jailbird Ending

basically if you surrender to the police jason ends up in prison where he can actually attack even more criminals so.... ya

If you retaliate and escape instead you go to the Red Robin route where Jason becomes a vigilante who kills people much like the Red Hood and you get a further choice in a fight with Two Face where you can control how Harvey’s coin lands. 

Tim Ending!

If you choose the coin to land clean face up, the thing rewards you by having Tim show up and I forgot what happened (wasn’t really paying attention lol) because i was so focused on TIM!

Prolly they felt sorry for him what with Jason stealing what is essentially his outfit (ok I know it was Jason’s first, but Tim made it cool) so they let a little baby tim have an appearance :) he’s very smol

I guess in this ending Jason gets reintegrated with the family somehow and Tim becomes “Bat-kid” which is hilarious to me but you know what it’s cute. CUTE.

The one ending where the coin lands scarred side up

i honestly forget what happens if you choose to have the coin land scarred side up but let me just say this is a FUCKED route to take, not only have you had jason survive and bruce die, you’ve now chosen to kill the joker against bruce’s dying wish, you’ve chosen to attack the police, and at the end of that you really are gonna choose harvey’s coin to be scarred face up???? choosing this made me feel like a DICK because here i am supporting jason’s whole fall to madness and villainy thing the way it wants me to and now he’s gonna die HERE? i hate it here.

interestingly enough he doesn’t actually die in this route. he ends up at home with barbara and dick while dealing with the fact that he killed the joker but the route ends with jason saying “i promise” so i guess this is supposed to be kinda sad. im so confused lol ok

So that is all the options if you choose to kill the joker, I believe. You can also make the choice to just catch him instead of killing him but amazingly enough, those routes are even more FUCKED up. 

If you do this option Jason goes home, mourns Bruce with Dick, Barbara and Alfred, and becomes Red Hood BUT with a twist, he’s entirely on a bloodless operation in line with Bruce’s wishes. OR.... IS HE?

Things then follow the events of UTRH until the scene on the bridge with the van and the guys. Jason finally confronts Joker, who reveals the truth. 

Apparently in this route Jason has actually been killing and decapitating his victims just like in the original movie, but he’s repressed it so as to not even realize to himself that he’s doing it.

that is FUCKED. also. i wanna cry because jason doing all of that stuff but not even realizing it ;------; jason blocking it out, because he wanted to honor bruce’s wishes for him not to kill anyone ;______; but he’s doing it anyway ;_____; he’s actually hearing voices telling him to kill ;____; like it’s a very cheap twist in a sense and also really quite cruel but.... damn, son.

There is a branch here where you can choose to spare or kill the Joker at this point (UNDERTALE???) but from what I can tell it seems to be totally meaningless what choice you pick because you end up at the exact same point either way, I think there’s a small variation in what happens after you make the choice but after that they just coalesce back together into the following two endings. Which seems incredibly cheap to me, I mean making a choice like that should alter Jason’s path completely but, it doesn’t! So... ooook....

Either way Jason ends up on the Wayne building and Talia shows up with a re-animated Bruce from the pit. Here’s another fun blast from the 2011 past with more gratuitous Grant Morrison dreck, remember that shit? Well, they’re gonna jam it down your throat here, too.

The reanimated Bruce is the Zur En Arrh Bruce and he’s already dead so this is all meaningless but basically Jason fights him and you get to choose whether everybody lives or dies.

Zur En Arrh - Everyone Lives!

if you pick this, jason actually gets the re-animated bruce back to the batcave and they lock him up down there because he’s still pit-mad and the prognosis is not great. but i’m not sure what they expected, he is the zur-en-arrh guy so I don’t think he’s getting better. 

Zur En Arrh - Everyone Dies!

pretty much there’s an explosion and all three of them die and that’s it

I think that should be all the possible endings there are.

By the way the different ways in which black mask dies in this was actually a fairly clever running gag lollll. let that mf burn we don’t need no water.

overall there are a couple of things i would have done to SIGNIFICANTLY improve this adaptation beyond some of the obvious ones.

- the fact that all of the branching options are branched exclusively under the “jason lives and bruce dies” branch is a huge wasted opportunity. imo this is the most egregious problem with this, i was really looking for a more balanced tree / explanation of different things. i am probably super biased though being a fic writer and used to fic, we’re the ones making huge ass trees every day lol.

- the fact that there is no “good” ending here is something i kind of expected but given the context of this is lackluster. i sort of get it though because granted, the original ditf ends in an unresolved manner but it’s distinctly unsatisfying here. i secretly wanted an ending where bruce, like, figures out about the different endings and hacks reality to try to find a good ending where jason lives and everything is fine lmao. like a bat mite ending.

- i was disappointed in a sense that the narrative given in here is so basically simplistic? maybe i’ve been spoiled by games like 999 and undertale where shit gets messy and that’s not what this is supposed to be but when i play something with multiple endings in this day and age, at least play with the concept a little bit and connect some of the branches together narratively. use different devices. i was also hoping some of the choices would be a little bit meatier like you could choose to “forgive bruce” or something cool like that lol. but it looks like the majority of choices have to do with who lives or dies. and i felt like they couldve been a bit more creative with that ya know? being able to control harvey’s coin was a GREAT example of having some more fun with this.

- it is a huge missed opportunity not to have a “secret ending” on something like this. like where. the fuck. is my secret ending for completing everything. come on. and in a similar vein there should’ve been at least something in terms of bruce and jason interacting in a “true ending”. even if very brief. the closest thing to an ending this has is the “jason died” route and then the ending where he’s talking to clark which i feel like was a REALLY nice good optimistic ending as far as this goes, but it comes off as kind of disappointing i guess

there were SO many interesting nuggets locked into this thing though. i can’t deny it bugs me how many wasted opportunities there were with how they chose to structure things but i guess it’s the best you can do with limited runtime. i thought it was really well done though, makes an interesting companion piece to the original utrh, and is definitely something that i will be re-watching again soon!! overall i give it a 7/10 and some parts an 8/10+!

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Is there any chance of you continuing the jason shagged the JL fic but with the titans or batfamily finding out? Like maybe Jason heads to the manor straight after and can't stop laughing (B is still talking cough *yelling* cough at his coworkers) and all the other bats are there for breakfast and Dick just innocently asks what ls so funny. Jason answer ls cause he assumes a. They know and b. It isn't a big deal. Que drama!

Oh sure. Why not 😉

PART 1

_____________________________________________________

PART 2

The zeta alert sounds throughout the building. Everyone looks at each other. Everyone who is supposed to be in Titans Tower is, and then some. 

Almost as one they rise and rush to the tubes.

Dick doesn't know what he's expecting really but he's prepared for pretty much anything.

Except, apparently, for Jason, bent at the waist, supporting himself with one hand on the control console and the other clutching his belly. Tears stream out of his eyes and Dick has already taken a step towards him to check for injuries when he realizes the younger man is just laughing.

Well not just laughing. Jason is wheezing, trying to catch his breath. The Titans and... Tim's team, whatever they're going by now, all exchange confused and cautious glances. 

"Jason?" Dick asks, taking another step forward. "Is everything alright?"

The younger vigilante looks up like he's only just realized he has a rather large audience. He straightens, wiping tears from his eyes and trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah," Jason practically gasps. "I'm fine. Bruce just made up for all his past bullshit in one fell swoop is all."

Christ, Dick doesn't like the sound of that at all. He trades a worried look with Tim who asks, "What happened?"

"He came from the Watchtower," Kon interjects and Dick really doesn't like the way sheer amusement plays across Jason's face when he focuses on the clone. "And it's been locked out now."

Jason starts laughing again and collapses back into a chair that Dick is certain he didn't know was there. 

"Jason, what's going on?" 

The urgency in Tim's voice mirrors the anxiety building in Dick's chest. What was Jason doing on the Watchtower? Why's it locked down? 

What on earth is so fucking funny?

"Sorry," Jason says through another bought of giggles. "Ok. It's just, Bruce must not want any of you interrupting their fight."

Everyone perks up at that and glances around the room. Usually fights between the members of the Justice League are a big deal. Like someone is brainwashed or mind controlled or something kind of big deal.

"He's definitely trying to kill them," Jason tacks on to the end of his comments with another uncontrollable chuckle.

"Jesus, Jay, are you serious?" Dick hisses as Tim slips into the seat between Jason and Kon and starts trying to find a way past the lockout. "What are you laughing about then?"

Finally catching his breath, Jason waves Tim off. "It's not like that. It's just..."

Jason pauses and looks around, noticing for the first time just how many people are looking at him. His teal eyes catch on Wally and Bart, Donna and Cassie, Garth, Conner again, and finally land on Kyle.

Then Jason flushes pink and seems to lose a little of his nerve.

Dick isn't--can't--let him off the hook that easily.  "It's just what, Jay?"

Jason chews on his tongue for a moment. "M-maybe we can talk a little more privately?" He mutters it so softly he must know the reaction he's going to get but thought it worth a partial try anyway.

"Not a chance," Kyle snaps down at him. "We all have mentors (or friends anyway) up there and we need to make sure you didn't do anything to them."

Something about the way Kyle phrased that amused Jason for a split second. A blink-and-you'll-miss it flicker of something in his eye before he gulps and straightens a little in his seat.

He keeps his attention on Dick, pretending no one else is in the room. Which certainly does not bode well.

"You remember a couple weeks ago I told you B found out about, uh..." Jason suddenly seems intensely focused on his boots but he continues, speaking even quieter, "about me and Slade. And Talia?"

Dick freezes. And so does the rest of the room. Tim's head snaps their direction. Slade's name draws the Titans' attentions. Talia's catches Tim's. 

It's not very likely Jason told Tim exactly what he's talking about. They're all probably thinking this is mask related business. Dick doesn't image Jason can hide the truth from everyone and still adequately explain.

"Yeah..." he hedges, unsure and uncomfortable with where this looks like it's going. 

"Well... he may have also found out about this, um, understanding I have with Luthor--"

"Jesus christ, Jason--" Dick hisses.

"And he may have tried to get the Justice League to stage an intervention," Jason continues, looking back up at Dick's face. He's red as a tomato but there's something... amused lingering in his expression despite the embarrassment. "He may have, uh, misjudged how interested they'd be in intervening."

It takes a whole long minute for Dick to realize what he's saying; for the implication to sink in. It's just too outrageous of thing to think of. Jason hooking up with villains for perks was a shock but... villains both seem like exactly Jason's style of rebellion and the types to take advantage of the offer. But the Justice League?

Dick just sits there blinking at him, jaw slightly agape, for several moments. 

Finally everything kicks into gear. 

"You're sleeping with the Justice League too?!" Dick all but shouts at him. 

It was reactionary and he regrets it immediately. Jason flinches at the sudden outburst but Tim falls out of the chair completely while the others crowd closer with shocked gasps and proclamations. 

"Who?" Donna asks, sounding more curious than anything.

"Which Leaguers?" Kyle demands simultaneously sounding a lot more jealous than he probably intends to.

Dick tosses Rayner a scowl as Jason's eyes flicker up to the young Green Lantern briefly before darting back down to his lap looking mortified. 

"Well, I promised Flash a date before B kicked me out, so... all of them, I guess," Jason mumbles. 

The room lapses into stunned silence as Dick sinks into a chair and flops back against it. He can't hardly believe it. His little brother is... 

Is...

"So..." Conner hums in a way that sounds amused, "you've fucked both my dads?"

Jason can't keep the little smirk off his face as he nods. 

His little brother is fucking Superman. Dick's mind reels from overexertion. 

"Who... who's the best?" Kyle asks, all previous venom in his tone evaporated. 

Jason turns a truly brilliant, irresistible smile up at the Green Lantern and it's suddenly easy to see how heroes and villains alike get sucked into Jason's sphere.

"Diana," he answers without hesitation. 

There's a brief pause as everyone digests that information.

Then Donna smirks. "I knew it."

[cdelphiki]

In For a Penny, deleted chapter

I’ve got a folder I call “discarded baby,” which refers to the scenes and sections I’ve cut from various projects.  (Therefore, throwing away my ‘baby,’ my writing).  Quite a bit of it I still like, even if it didn’t fit into its story, so I kinda want to share it. 

 I deleted an entire chapter from In For a Penny because it was from Dick’s POV and I ended up going with a straight-Bruce’s-POV for the final product.  It’s rough in nature and completely outside ‘canon’ for the story.  Think of it more as an alternate story-line.  

Bruce offers to adopt Dick, alternate version. 

Words: 2,400.

Dick loved the hour or so right after school, because Damian was usually asleep, meaning Bruce wasn’t focusing solely on the stupid little baby.  

He was trying, really, really hard not to be mad at a baby.  Because it was completely stupid.  Bruce was not his dad.  He told Bruce he didn’t want a new dad.  Bruce was his friend.  His partner. Not his dad.  He didn’t need a dad, so it was dumb to be jealous that Bruce had a son now and no longer needed Dick.

Completely and utterly stupid, because Dick never played the role of son.  

But still, that hour right after school was great, because Dick could forget all about Damian and pretend like it was just him and Bruce again.  

That is, if Bruce bothered to pay attention to him.  

“Hey Bruce,” Dick said, skipping into his office with a grin on his face, “Guess what we did at school today.”

Bruce looked up from the pile of paperwork in front of him and said flatly, “Hi, Dick.  Not right now, I’m really busy.”  

Frowning, Dick sat down on the couch across from Bruce’s desk and said, “Since when do you do paperwork?  Paperwork is boring.  We should play a game instead.”

“Dick,” Bruce said, sighing, “I usually do this while you’re at school, but Damian had a rough day and I got nothing accomplished.  Why don’t you go do your homework and we can play a game after dinner.”

“Why can’t you do your paperwork after dinner?” Dick demanded, scowling now at Bruce.  He’d been promised ‘after dinner,’ so many times in the past couple months, just to have every single plan be completely forgotten about once Damian woke up and distracted Bruce.  He was tired of hearing ‘after dinner.’  ‘Later, Dick.’  ‘Not right now.’ ‘Maybe tomorrow.’ 

Broken promises were all Bruce gave Dick anymore, and he was sick of it.  

It was all Damian’s fault.  

That stupid baby, stealing Bruce from him.  Making Bruce realize how pointless Dick was.  

Was…

Was Bruce regretting taking in Dick?  Probably.  He sure acted like it.  Acted like he didn’t like Dick anymore.  Didn’t need him.  Everything was all about Damian.  Damian this and Damian that.  And it was so hard to hate Damian, because the baby was cute.  He was nice and funny and loved playing with Dick.  

But Bruce didn’t. 

Bruce hated playing with Dick.  

“Dick,” Bruce said, rubbing at his face in exasperation, “Go do your homework.  I don’t have the time, I need to get this to Lucius by 5.”  

The only time Dick got anymore with Bruce was when they were Batman and Robin.  And Bruce probably only let Dick keep being Robin because Damian was too little to go out with Batman.  If Damian were older, Bruce would probably fire Dick for Damian.  And then Dick would have been kicked out.  

Scowling, Dick went to grab for his backpack so he could storm out of the room, when the babymonitor alerted them to Damian’s crying.  

With a massive sigh, Bruce stood up and turned the sound off on the device.  “Go do your homework, we will play a game later, okay chum?”

“Yeah, right,” Dick mumbled, crossing his arms to glare as Bruce left the room.  Left the room to go tend to Damian.

Dick asks to play a game and Bruce ignores him.  Damian makes one little sound and Bruce drops everything to go play with him. 

It was stupid.  

If only Damian had never been born.  How could Bruce do that?  Make a baby like that?  Bruce was Dick’s.  His. They were partners.  It was supposed to be just the two of them.  Not Bruce and Damian and Dick standing off to the side all alone. 

Poor sad orphan Dick.  No one loved him.  

“I hate you,” Dick mumbled, focusing his anger on the baby monitor.  Bruce would never let him say that to Damian himself, so this was as close as he could get.  It was mean to say that to babies, anyway. To anyone, really.

Grabbing a pillow off the couch, Dick hurled it at the monitor, growling as he did so.  

It was all Damian’s fault.  

Maybe once stupid Talia came and got the stupid baby, Bruce would go back to liking Dick.  

But probably not.  

Why would Bruce want him after he’s had a real son?  

He probably wouldn’t.

“Hey buddy,” the monitor crackled from the floor.  Apparently the fall had turned it back on. “Are you awake already?  You’re supposed to sleep until 5.”

The gentleness in Bruce’s voice, the adoration Dick could just hear over the monitor did nothing to help.  All it made him want to do was fling himself down on the couch and cry.  

Crying would make him a baby, though, so instead he just did the flinging part.  

“Dad’s got a lot of work to do, bud,” Bruce continued, his voice quieter now.  He was probably on the other side of the room or something, “Do you think you can sleep a little longer?  That’s it, close your eyes.  Shhh.”  

Why was Dick listening to this?  Torturing himself.  He already knew how much Bruce loved Damian.  There was no need to have it rubbed in his face.  Bruce had just been so rude to him, and now he’s being all sweet and kind to Damian.  

What did Dick expect?  Bruce wasn’t his dad.  

He knew that.

That was their deal, wasn’t it?  

Dick shoved his face into a pillow and resisted the urge to scream.  Stupid 9-year-old him.  He wanted Bruce to be his dad.  He wanted Bruce to love him just like he did Damian.  Why did stupid 9-year-old him have to make such a bad deal?  

He didn’t realize he was crying until a sob escaped his throat.  

Burying his face harder into the pillow, he tried his best to hide it.  He couldn’t let Bruce see him like this.  Or Alfred.  Then he’d have to explain, and if he explained, they’d just remind him that he wasn’t Bruce’s son and it didn’t matter what he wanted now.  Damian was here, so Bruce didn’t need Dick to be his son.  

“Shh, no none of that, no whining,” Bruce said in response to Damian letting out a cry, “Go on to sleep, bud.  I know you’re exhausted.”

When Bruce stopped talking, Damian started crying again, so Bruce continued, effectively silencing the baby, “You like it when I talk, don’t you?  Yeah, you do.  Guess who’s home from school now?  Your brother.  He’s downstairs right now doing his homework.  Do you want to play with him when you wake up?”

Dick froze, unsure whether he heard that right.  Was Bruce talking about him?  Who else would he be talking about?  Unless Bruce acquired another son today, Dick was the only other kid in the house.  

But why would Bruce call him Damian’s brother?

“Oh that gets you excited.  You love your big brother don’t you?”

At the sound of Bruce’s quiet, gentle laughter, Dick started crying again.  This time, though, the tears were caused more by confusion.  

Because none of it made sense. 

“So do I,” Bruce whispered, and that’s when Dick completely lost it.  He couldn’t hear anything else Bruce said, because he was crying so loud.  He couldn’t pull a coherent thought together enough to even understand why he was crying.  

And that was how Bruce found him Dick had no idea how much later.  Laying face down on the couch, crying his eyes out like a baby.  

“Dick?” Bruce said, his voice laden with concern as a hand was set on his back, “Dick, chum, what’s wrong?”

That just made it worse.  Because Dick was eleven.  He was Robin. He should not be crying so hard in front of Bruce.  In front of anyone.  At all.  Ever.

“Hey,” Bruce soothed, as he began rubbing circles in Dick’s back, “Shh.  Come on, kiddo.  Tell me what’s going on.”  

Shaking his head, Dick tried to sink further into the couch.  He was trying so hard to stop, but his body would not stop shaking.  

The hand was removed from his back, and Dick hadn’t realized how much he craved the comfort from Bruce.  But of course he’d quit.  Bruce didn’t like doing the emotions thing.  But a moment later, Bruce was back and pulling Dick away from the couch.  Bruce sat down where he’d had his head buried and tucked Dick into his side, wrapping both arms around him to rub at his back again.  “Shh,” he repeated, “it’s okay.  Tell me what’s wrong, chum.”

Shaking his head, Dick buried his face into Bruce’s shirt.  

“Whatever it is, chum, you can tell me.”  

“No,” Dick managed between sobs.  Bruce wouldn’t understand.  Or he would, and he’d remind Dick of their deal.  Or he’d get up and stop hugging him.  Or Damian would probably start crying again in a minute and Bruce would leave anyway.  

Bruce squeezed a little tighter and asked, “No you won’t tell me or no you can’t tell me?”

“Can’t,” Dick whispered, finally regaining control a little.  He turned his face out and swiped furiously at his eyes, trying his best to force the tears to stop.  He was eleven for crying out loud.  

“Why not?” Bruce pulled Dick back a little so he could bend over and look Dick straight in the eyes.  “You can tell me anything.”

Shaking his head, Dick buried his face back into Bruce’s chest.  He was going to take advantage of this.  He knew Bruce would probably never hug him like this again.  He wasn’t even sure why Bruce was doing it now.  

Instead of pressing, Bruce just wrapped his arms back around Dick and held him for several long minutes until Dick’s crying had ceased completely.  

“You’re not my dad,” Dick eventually mumbled, sniffing one last time.  

He’d been expecting it, but it was still painful when Bruce pulled him away again.  That’s what he got for reminding Bruce.  

“I know that,” Bruce said, frowning now as he examined Dick’s face, “is that why you won’t tell me?”

“No,” Dick said miserably, wrapping his arms around his body as he looked away from Bruce.  That’s when he noticed baby Damian standing in his playpen across the room, staring at them.  

Stupid baby.  

But even with the baby in the room, Bruce was sitting here with Dick instead.  So maybe Bruce didn’t completely hate him.  

Or maybe he just felt sorry for him and this was all pity.  

Scrubbing at his eyes, he looked back at Bruce to find him staring at him, obviously completely lost.  It was a look Dick had gotten a lot when he first moved in.  Back when he would throw fits all the time. 

“I don’t know how to help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” Bruce said slowly, hesitantly reaching his hand out to brush the bangs out of Dick’s eyes.  

“You- you called me his brother,” Dick whispered, pushing himself back into the couch as far as he could, “but you’re not my dad.”

Bruce’s hand paused in its caressing of his hair as he said, “Oh.”  After another minute, Bruce withdrew his hand completely and added, “I didn’t mean to upset you.  I know you loved your parents.  I would never try to replace your dad, okay?  I just—”

“I can have two dads,” Dick blurted out before he could think better of it.  When his brain caught up to his mouth, he could feel the blood drain from his face.  

This was it.  This would be when Bruce told him he didn’t mean anything by the brother comment.  He just didn’t have another word to describe Dick.  What did you call your ward in relation to your son?  Foster brother would be the term.  That’s all it was.  He’d just shortened foster brother.  Bruce would remind Dick of their relationship and tell him he didn’t need another son.  

Dick just wanted to shrivel up and die.  How could he say that to Bruce?  

“Sorry,” he mumbled, trying his best to melt into the couch.  He should probably get up and lock himself in his room.  That would be the best option.

Before he could, though, and instead of anything Dick expected, Bruce gently placed his hands on either side of Dick’s face and pulled him closer so he could plant a kiss on Dick’s forehead.  “Dick,” he whispered into his hair after pulling him in for another hug, “I love you very much.”  

“Bruce,” Dick choked out, already lost himself to the crying he thought he’d conquered.

“Shh,” Bruce said, squeezing a little tighter to silence Dick, “let me finish.  I don’t have to be your dad if you don’t want, but you’re my son no matter what, okay?  You’ve been my son for almost two years, and you’ll be my son forever.  Even if I’m never your dad.”

“I’m just your ward,” Dick protested, pressing the palm of his hand into the eye not hidden in Bruce’s shirt, “Damian is your son.”  

“It doesn’t matter what the papers say, Dick.”  

“But you’re not-”

“Do you want me to adopt you?” Bruce asked, loosening his hold on Dick as he twisted a bit to look straight into his eyes, “We can make it official.  I can adopt you and then you’ll be my legal son.”

“I-”

“You don’t have to take my name.  You can stay ‘Grayson,’ but you can take ‘Wayne’ if you want it.  Or you can hyphenate, ‘Grayson-Wayne.’  And you don’t have to call me ‘Dad.’  ‘Bruce’ is fine.  But this would make you my heir and mean we’d still have a legal connection once you turned 18.  I will never kick you out, though, so if you say ‘no’ its okay.  It won’t change anything.  I just thought maybe-”

“Bruce,” Dick interrupted, surprising even himself with a laugh, “Yes.”  

“Yes?” Bruce questioned as his face softened.  

Dick nodded and wrapped his arms around Bruce, finally hugging back, “Yes.  You can adopt me.”  

And Dick didn’t need to see Bruce’s face to know he was smiling.  Bruce wrapped his arms around Dick again and planted another kiss in his hair.  “I love you, chum.”  

“You’ve said that three times,” Dick pointed out, finally smiling widely. 

“I know,” Bruce said into his hair as his hold tightened. 

“You’ve never said it before.”

“I know,” he repeated, “I’ll try harder, okay?  I want you and Damian to know it.”  

Nodding against Bruce’s chest, Dick said, “I love you, too.”  

[unavenged-robin]

I wish you would write a fic where Robin!Dick is looking after Baby!Damian? Please?

I guess if you’re a batfam writer you’ll eventually end up writing the baby!Damian AU one way or the other, uh? Must be a law or something. Anyway, enjoy! 

"I’d like to say that this is the strangest evening of my life”, he confides to the baby currently squirming in his arms. "But between me and you, for now it doesn’t even makes the top ten. Although I have the strong impression that this is only gonna get weirder and weirder from now on, yeah? What do you say?"

The baby blows bubbles at him and doesn’t say anything. To be fair, he’s not even one year old and too amazed by the wonderful discoveries of his own fingers to pay attention to Dick’s nervous rambling. Which is a good thing. In his fifteen years on this Earth, Dick has met and played with a lot of children, including many babies, but he suspects that bouncing them on his knees and making weird faces at them for five minutes doesn’t really qualify him as a good babysitter.

Plus, there’s still the little matter of the unconscious Batman currently laying on the couch of his living room.

Dick had to catch him from face planting on the floor as soon as he opened the door, and it’s still unclear to him how the hell he managed to hold both the baby that was shoved without a warning into his arms, and the two hundred pounds of Dark Knight that immediately followed without dropping either of them. And Bruce had not been helpful in the slightest, by the way. In his defense, he looked, and still looks, so badly beaten that Dick winces in pain by just looking at him - and Bruce being still knocked out twenty minutes later does say a lot about how bad this is. Which is like, really bad.

So yeah, if the baby starts to cry, Dick is gonna lose it. More than he’s already losing it. Lucky for him, this particular baby doesn’t seem to be much of a crier. More of a hitter, if anything, since he seems to enjoy slapping the chubby hand he’s not too busy sucking, all over Dick’s face. Dick doesn’t mind. Like he doesn't mind the drool on his favorite shirt. The blood stains on the couch, on the other hand... but no, that's a problem for another day.

He pushes the baby’s wet fingers out of his mouth and bounces him a little on his hip.

“Are you angry, kiddo?”, he asks, pacing around the living room to soothe himself more than the kid, who’s now just gurgling quietly at himself. Dick side-eyes Bruce’s still form again and sighs. “I don’t reckon we’ll find baby formula in his utility belt, uh? I mean, with him you can never be sure about anything, but-”

He’s my son, Bruce had muttered against Dick’s shoulder while he was dragging him across the room. He’d added something else, but Dick was not able to catch it, his brain already short-circuiting. Batman’s son. Bruce’s son. And Dick didn’t knew anything about it. He still doesn’t know anything about it. Where the kid was, who the mother is, how Bruce find out about him in the first place, when he got him, who attacked them and why. He doesn’t know anything because he wasn’t there, and he wasn’t there because he and Bruce had been in this stupid fight for weeks now, and Dick’s been staying with the Titans since then, away from home, away from Bruce’s life which, apparently, is even more full of surprises than Dick ever imagined.

And now Bruce won’t wake up to explain anything.

Dick swallows back the deadly mix of fear and guilt gripping his guts and tries to think. Prioritize. Be Robin.

He should call Alfred. Or Clark. Check the perimeter, make sure that Batman wasn’t followed, that they’re not going to be under attack any moment soon. Find something for the baby to eat. And a diaper, since he doesn’t seem to be wearing one under the blanket he's wrapped in. The diaper first, probably.

“I don’t even know what your name is”, Dick realizes, stopping his restless pacing to actually look at the kid for the first time tonight. The baby squeals in response and looks back at him with big, bright green eyes full of curiosity. “I hope you already have one, because I’m gonna tell you in all honesty that Bruce is really shitty at naming things. He’ll probably just call you Batson or Batbaby, you know?”

For some reason, the idea makes him laugh. Well, it’s more a bark than a laugh but still. It’s not even funny, but Dick’s nervous, and scared, and he needs an outlet. He also really, really needs to call Alfred.

“I’m Dick, by the way”, he continues, still giggling, a little bit hysterically at this point. The baby, at least, seems very fascinated with the sound and tries to push his fingers inside Dick's mouth again. “I’m your- well, I have no idea what I am to you. Your brother, maybe. But Bruce’s not my dad, you see, he’s my partner. What would you call your father’s partner? An uncle? I kinda feel like Clark is my uncle sometimes. You’ll meet Clark soon enough, I think. He’s Superman. Very cool guy. But I think I’m too young to be an uncle, you know? So let’s say that we’ll decide what I am to you later, okay?”

He’s rambling again. And he’s kinda crying. Maybe. Just a little bit.

Is Bruce even breathing? Dick can’t scrape up enough courage to get closer to him and check out, but he has to, right? Because Bruce can’t die angry with him. Or thinking that Dick is angry with him. And there’s… well, there’s Batbaby to take care of, now. The same Batbaby who’s starting to whimper, little fists balled up around Dick’s drool-soaked t-shirt.

“Shhh, no please, don’t cry”, Dick tries to shush him, rocking him up and down. “Please, please, don’t cry, Batbaby. That’s, like, the last thing I need right now.”

“Damian.”

Dick jumps. He shouldn’t, what with being Robin and all, but he does it anyway: he jumps. Later he’s going to justify himself by saying that Bruce’s voice was so roughed up that he could barely recognize it, and anyway let’s be real: his Batman’s voice could very well be a villain’s voice. It was studied to be so.

“Bruce?”, Dick all but runs to him, crouching in front of the couch to help him sitting up. “Bruce, are you okay? What the hell happened? Who’s this baby? Is he really-”

“Damian”, Bruce repeats with a grunt, propping himself up on his elbow and failing at hiding a wince at the motion. “His name’s Damian. Not Batbaby.”

He manages to sound so offended at the idea, and Dick can’t help but laugh again. This is one of the things he could never explain to anyone, not even his friends, because saying out loud “Batman makes me laugh” and meaning it, makes everyone look at you like you were some kind of a lunatic. But it’s true. Bruce manages to make him laugh more times than Dick cares to admit. And it’s a good thing. It’s nice, and familiar.

“Well, excuse me”, he snorts, already a little bit more relaxed because Bruce is fine - battered up, but fine - and if Bruce is fine then everything else is gonna be fine too. It’s how the world works. “You do have a tendency of naming everything as Bat-something. Like, if I hadn't chosen Robin as my name, can you honestly say that you wouldn't have called me Bat Kid or something on the line?”

Bruce blinks down at him.

“Dick…”

“Nevermind, I know I’m right”, Dick interrupts him. “Now, are you going to answer my other questions? Who’s Batba- who’s Damian?”

Bruce’s gaze shifts to the baby in Dick’s arms, and the wrinkles around his mouth soften up into the hint of a smile.

“My son”, he answers, reaching up to take him.

And it’s definitely not the first time Batman holds a baby to his chest, but this looks somehow different to Dick’s eyes. Something in the way Bruce touches the kid, maybe. Not only extra careful, but also a bit hesitant. Like Bruce himself is not entirely sure this is real.

“Your son”, Dick repeats, sitting back on his heels and waiting for Bruce to elaborate. “Okay. That was clear enough.”

Weird and unexpected, but yeah, clear enough.

Bruce pushes back his cowl, smiles down at Damian and caresses the baby's cheek with exceptionally gentle fingers. Damian squirms and kicks his feet, apparently very happy to be fussed over.

“Mine and Talia’s”, Bruce adds after a moment, readjusting the squirming baby on his lap. The blanket in which Damian's wrapped in slips away a little, revealing a small bare shoulder. And on the shoulder, clear as daylight, Dick sees the bloody handprint Bruce’s now also staring at.

“Talia Al Ghul? The daughter or Ra's Al Ghul?”

It's baffling to even think about it. The blood on Damian’s skin is dry, Dick notices. And the handprint is slim and elongated, but little, clearly belonging to a woman’s hand.

“Talia Al Ghul”, Bruce confirms with a sigh, avoiding Dick's eyes. “She didn’t- I don’t think she had any intention of telling me about him anytime soon. I had to fight my way into the League’s compound to get to him. And then to get him out.”

Well, shit, Dick thinks.

“Well, shit”, he repeats out loud, standing up only to plop down on the couch next to Bruce.

For a while they just look in silence at Damian, who’s now fussing very loudly, trying to put Bruce’s fingers into his mouth, armored gauntlet and all.

“He’s kinda cute”, Dick decides. “To be your son, I mean.”

“I know.”

There’s the hint of a smile in Bruce’s voice. Dick frowns, reaches out an hand and boops the baby on the nose, making him chuckling in delight.

“I would’ve helped even if I was - am - still angry at you”, he adds accusingly. “You only had to ask me, and I would've come with you.”

“I know.”

“You always know everything”, Dick scoffs, but Bruce’s admission is already a win on its own in his book. “And yet here we are.”

“Here we are”, Bruce repeats. He doesn't sound as exasperated as Dick feels, though.

Bruce sinks back a little into the cushions, head tilted to the side, one arm still wrapped around the baby, the other one on the back of the couch, almost around Dick’s shoulders. His ribs must be killing him, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Truth to be told, underneath all the bruises, and the blood, and the dust, he looks kinda happy, which is always a good look on him, Dick believes.

He gently brushes a thumb over Damian’s shoulder, rubbing off the dry blood from the baby’s skin. He looks up at Bruce.

“I guess I’m coming back with you then, uh?”, he asks, hating the hesitation in his own voice. It’s not like Bruce would ever kick him out of the Manor, for god’s sake. And it’s only a flash, but Dick catches it anyway: the relief in Bruce’s eyes as he looks back at him.

“I…”, Bruce starts, voice unsure. Then he coughs and looks away. “That would be very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Dick.”

“Thoughtful”, Dick repeats with a dramatic sigh, resting his head on Bruce’s shoulder to get closer to Damian’s little, very chubby face. “Heard that, Batbaby? That’s an example of the shit you’re gonna get once you grow up, I hope you know that.”

“Language”, Bruce grumbles above them.

Dick ignores him altogether.

“Did you already call Alfred? Does he know yet?”

Bruce's face twists as if he had sucked on a lemon, which is enough of an answer for Dick.

“That’s gonna be so much fun”, he grins, leaning forwards to nuzzle his nose against Damian’s round one. “But only for me and Batbaby, of course.”

[ecotone99]

[MS] The Broken Man

The man who lived down the street, just six houses from us always wore a disappointed look on his face, halloween trick or treating was never fun as he always used to make us run off w/o as much as a dumb raisin. The neighbourhood kids hated him for that very reason, and I was no exception. I wondered often, what could he possibly own that made him so arrogant, so proud, so much so that even socialising with kids was beneath him? As I grew up, it turned out that adults were no exception either. This once I recall, all the adults of the society were to gather around for a meeting to review the rules and regulations of the society, everyone but the man who went by the name of Mr Steadler was in attendance. Noticing his absence, a triplet of the committee members was sent to his house to inquire why couldn't make it to the meet. Being the socialising wizard he was, he wasted no time in belittling the very existence of the committee and the clinginess of the members to get to his house uninvited, invading his personal space, and not letting him be.I remember asking my mom about Mr Steadler and why he was always in such a bad mood, and why he never talked to anyone, adult or child. To my disappointment, my mother had no answer either. It turned out, nobody in the neighbourhood knew anything about Mr Steadler apart from his address, his limping walk, and his charming personality. Being as curious as I was, I made it my mission to unravel the mystery that was Mr Steadler. I began by noticing Mr Steadler's routine for a week. Everyday he used to leave his house at 9 A.M. and return at 11 P.M. He never broke this pattern. At most he deviated for an hour or so but that could have very easily been the traffic holding him up. I also noted that between him leaving the house in the morning and entering it in the night, he never had so much as a grin on his face. I began to wonder if this guy ever really had a good day. He looked like he was about 45, maybe 46 years old, which made this even a sadder mystery to solve, to track the daily routine of a 46 year old man who never experienced a single day of happiness? It was getting depressing, even for a 15 year old. But I wasn't ready to give up just yet, I concluded that if I want to get to the bottom of this, I need to follow Mr Steadler around to know more about him. And so, upon the brink of Sunrise one Monday morning, my journey to become local detective had begun.I woke up early, freshened up quickly and waited anxiously on my bike for Mr Steadler to make a move on with his day. My parents weren't being very supportive of my actions, but like all heroes I knew that if I were to make it, I had to let go of them one day or the other.Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mr Steadler came out, locked the door behind him and drove off to wherever he used to drive off to. I followed him, maintaining quite a distance from him. With my helmet on, I was pretty sure it would be difficult for him to recognise me from this distance. I followed him to a mansion located just outside the city. It took us about 4 hours to reach there. Mr Steadler stepped out of his car and went inside the mansion while I stayed behind and set myself up at a nice vantage point with my pair of binoculars to give me a good view of what's happening inside the mansion through its windows. For the next 3 hours what I saw can only be called comedy in its truest form. I saw him cleaning the mansion from top to bottom while a guard kept poking him with a stick, saw him dance for, I'm assuming, the resident kids, saw him getting yelled at by possibly the owner of the mansion while he was on his knees. This was all too funny to miss. But then he did a very peculiar thing just before he left, he went to the adjacent garden, stood there for about 5 minutes and did the most abnormal thing he could possibly do - He smiled. Once he was done making a fool of himself, he got in his car and went off. I assumed we're off to our home and so I got on my bike and followed him from the same distance as before. But I was wrong. He made a turn I didn't recognise. I kept following him for another 90 minutes until we reached a graveyard. This took a dark turn real quick for me. I thought maybe Mr Steadler had spot me and now to protect his image he would take care of me here in the graveyard and dispose off my body in one of the graves. All sorts of horrible thoughts were circling in my head now, how he could use a stick, a hammer, or a jack to knock him unconscious, maybe rape me before killing me whole and then leave my naked body in a hole to rot for eternity? I wanted to run away but then I noticed him getting out of the car, standing at the gate of the cemetery and start crying. He wasn't here to kill me, he was here to grieve. But for whom?As he went inside, I closed in the distance so as to come within earshot of what he was about to say. I finally understood the importance of gravestones at that very moment. He went near a grave which I couldn't make out clearly of whom it belonged to, but I didn't care, all I wanted to do was listen. And so I did. What I heard next brought tears to my eyes. "Hey momma, I'm back. It's been 2530 days since you left. I know I say it every time I come here but I just don't know how to begin talking to you without saying how much everything changed since you left. The mansion in which we used to live in was taken over by dad, he kicked us all out and started his own family, completely abandoning us. Talia fell in love with a guy with connections to the underworld and lost her life to a don who enslaved her for 3 years. When she could no longer live with herself, she cut herself in the middle of a night and those monsters, instead of covering up her body and performing a proper funeral, left her naked cut body to rot in the streets for days until someone found it because of its foul smell. It took some time to identify her but when the media did, it broke me. To see my sister go through that filled me with rage and left me feeling so powerless because there was nothing I could do against these people. After some time had passed since Talia, I met this girl Alice in whom I found comfort. I confided in her and she embraced me with open arms. We went out for a couple of weeks before finding out she was already married to the same don responsible for Talia's murder. Thanks to our similar facial features, it wasn't hard for him to figure out who I was. As soon as he found out, he had me abducted from a fair I was attending and had me in front of a gun's barrel. He gave me two options, either die on the spot or live another day as one of his servants. I don't know why I chose the latter for the former would mean dying once but the latter would be to die everyday. Every single day he makes me clean his massive mansion with a small tooth brush. Everyday I fail to finish even a single floor for which he punishes me by making me stand in water filled with Piranhas. I have lost most of both my feet because of this, his wife, Alice yells at me horrible words just because I'm part Jewish, and keeps reminding me that me and my kind deserved the holocaust and what a whore my sister Talia was. It hurts more to know this is what she thinks of me now that we're over. To humiliate me further, the don would often fuck one of his sex slaves or his wife at times in front of me by tying my cock to a rope hung around a sensitive lever which would unleash the hounds on me should I get hard looking at them have a go at it. Once or twice an incident happened and I still have the scars all over my body. My life has gotten so sad that I'm afraid of making any friends whatsoever, I have to be rude to people, even kids all the time because I know that one little out for my emotions would mean a total breakdown for me, where I'd cry like a baby. Everyday before I leave that horrible mansion, I go over to their garden and smile that at least you guys are no longer here or you'd have it much worse than me. Heh, it's kind of ironic isn't it? Your death making me so sad while at the same time being a blessing. God, if there exists one, does work in mysterious ways, perhaps. I, anyway came here to tell you mom that, I'll be joining you soon. I want you to heat up whatever's leftover from last night because tomorrow I'm coming to you and Talia."Tomorrow he was going to his dead mother and sister? What did that mean? They're dead, how can he -Before I could finish processing that thought, I heard a cracker go off behind me. It was odd for a firecracker to go off at a cemetery. I sneaked a peek behind the gravestone I was hiding behind and saw Mr Steadler's skull all blown into several little pink pieces. The sound I heard wasn't of a firecracker... It was a gunshot.The gunshot had moved me, I didn't know what to do, all I knew was I had to get out of here otherwise it would be I who'd be in trouble. I made a run for my bike and cycled home as fast as I could. It was the longest journey I had ever embarked, from the cemetery to my place. All the events of the day kept going on repeat in my head. I reached home and went straight for a shower. I felt dirty, disgusted, and sad. I couldn't help but breakdown while in the shower. After a while it was difficult to tell how much of the liquid was actually water and how much were my tears. It's been 5 years since that one horrific night, nobody but me knows the tragic life that Mr. Steadler lead and now it's my burden to live out the rest of my days with that knowledge.

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