#big brother jason

[crybabycinna]

Pt 7 This is correct and no I will not take criticism

(I hope y’all know that I pull these out my ass and I love that y’all love these)

*jason currently in the league*

Jason: *panicking cause he can’t find his baby brother* oh my god moms gonna kill me

Talia: Jason

Jason: *gets scared* oh god! Hi mom

Talia: what’s the matter?

Jason: nothing

Talia: *sighs* don’t lie to your mother

Jason: *mumbles* I lost damian

Talia: speak up dear

Jason: mom I lost Damian!

Talia: what?

Jason: I lost my baby brother!

Talia: no you didn’t

Jason: ma I did

Talia: *turns Jason around and takes Damian off his back then turns him back around to face her*

Jason: DAMIAN!

Talia: you know he’s very attached to you

*bonus*

Jason: *tried calling rose in his panic when he was looking for Damian….she never answered* she doesn’t love me!

[welcometosasakiworld]

DPXDC prompt #4

Justice League and the batfamily had been investigating an abandoned city, or as it was more known… The Second Chernobyl, Amity Park.

They had been standing in the middle for a while, the only interesting thing being a strange stone statue of a teen hero sitting on the ground while staring at the sky, looking resigned and sadly accepting his fate. The creepy thing about it was that the statue looked too real to be an ordinary thing, and the heroes agreed with Red Hood when he said he had a feeling the thing was alive.

Everything seemed normal, and no explanation for why people abandoned the city in a hurry 50 years ago.

Until Red Hood got hurt while playing with one of his knives, his blood hitting the statue.

The stone started cracking and falling apart, blinding light coming out of the cracks. The heroes had to cover their eyes to not get permanently blinded when the light died.

The heroes were greeted by the sight of a glowing teen hero with white hair, tanned skin, and glowing green eyes, wearing a black and white kevlar jumpsuit. Rings of white light appeared around the teen, splitting and traveling through his body, changing him.

It looked like something out of anime.

The teen was unconscious when freed from his prison, almost falling into the ground if not for Red Hood.

Jason didn't know where this feeling came from, but he felt instantly protective of the boy.

(Idk what I'm doing... @stealingyourbones what do you think?)

[mochinek0]

Daminette December 2022: 2-Murder

I didn’t realize I had posted the 1st story a day early. It was a stressful day and I thought I was going to forget to post. I didn’t realize until the next morning. Sorry.

It was game night in the Wayne household. Damian had taken to bringing his new girlfriend, Marinette, to the manor. She had become a regular at Wayne Manor for close to a year now. Just about everyone in his family loved her. Bruce had become very selective on what games were allowed in the house after the Monopoly Incident and the Uno War. Tonight was a card game with questions; he thought he was prepared for anything. When it came to the boys, they always proved him wrong.

"Question, have you ever wanted to murder someone?" Dick read out.

'Who makes these cards?'

"Joker." Jason answered immediately.

"Yes. I have dibs on someone and I have the backing to get away with it." Marinette answered.

All the Waynes, except Damian, looked at the little sunshine who had graced their lives.

"What?" she asked, looking at them, confused, "You all live in Gotham. You can't tell me you haven't thought about it."

"Are they in Gotham?" questioned Bruce, carefully.

"Paris." she replied, handing the dice to Jason.

"Who pissed you off enough for you to want them dead?" Dick asked, "Look at you! You're like sunshine!"

Marinette shook her head, "I'm not telling. I have no doubt in my mind that Damian would go after them and as I said, I have dibs."

"You wouldn't go through with it." Damian implied.

She turned to him and smiled, "I applied to a bunch of scholarships to get away."

"How close were you?" Tim questioned.

"Your acceptance email popped up during my planning so I burned all the evidence and never looked back." she answered, "Congradulations, your email saved someone's life."

Damian scooted closer to his girlfriend, "Who do I have to kill?"

"This is a no killing household, I remind everyone." Bruce announced.

"Fuck you, I have dibs." Marinette replied, ignoring Bruce, "If anyone kills her, it's gonna be me!"

Game night was finally over and Damian had declared he was taking Marinette home.

"I still can't believe Demon Spawn is dating her." Todd declared.

"He takes after Bruce." Tim yawned.

"What does that mean?" Bruce asked.

The trio looked at each other and smiled.

Todd smirked, "If they end up together, she probably wouldn't bat an eye if he came home covered in blood. Honestly, probably wouldn't blink if we told her who we really are."

"She could kill him, too, at this point." Drake stated.

"You like dangerous women, B." Dick winced, "Sure, you put on an act for the media, but those gala ladies don't do it for you."

"Junior isn't that different from you." Jason commented.

"Well, maybe she'll become our legal sister." Tim commented, making the other two nod in approval.

"I call dibs on killing Demon Spawn if he breaks her heart!" Jason shouted.

Bruce sighed, "You can't kill your brother."

"I can protect my sister, though!" he shot back.

"She's not your sister." Bruce declared.

"Fuck you!" Jason stood up, "You adopted us; I can adopt her!"

The boys laughed, while Bruce just sighed.

'Why did I think game night was a good idea?'

Jason was quick to notice Marinette pouting in the Wayne kitchen; he didn't even know she was going to stop by. Usually, Damian told everyone as a precaution. He noticed the air of sadness around her. It was weird to see her looking like Tim when he ran out of coffee.

"What's with Pixie Pop?" he asked.

Damian chuckled, as he drank his black assam tea, "She's been in a bad mood since last night."

"Why?" Jason asked.

"Remember my dib?" Marinette questioned, continuing to pout.

"The murder one?" the older Wayne asked.

"Yeah." she sighed.

"What about it?" Jason groaned.

"She died." Damian declared.

"You killed someone?" Jason shouted.

Marinette glared at him, "You think I would be this pouty if I had done it? I would be baking a storm of macarons, right now!"

Damian smirked, "Bitch died of natural causes."

"Yeah, naturally spreading her legs open." Mari huffed, "Apparently, one of her many boy toys wasn't as faithful as she thought."

"So," Jason spoke looking at the down-hearted Marinette, "karma? How did you find out anyways?"

"She's trending on Parisian twitter." Mari answered, making the brothers chuckle, "Turns out the cause of death was written in her obituary. One of her boyfriends said he was gonna get tested. He was always faithful and wondered if it was from an ex and just never told her. He posted a tweet saying she was the best girlfriend he ever had and how long they had been toegther. Other guys started coming out of the woodworks claiming they were dating her. They started posting pictures and comparing dates. Let's just say it got quiet after awhile and they all started bashing on her afterwards. Her perfect saint picture was shattered and many things came into the light."

Jason walked over and patted her head, "Well, perhaps, those that threw you away will learn the truth."

"Who cares?" Mari answered, "I've been done with them for almost five years. They wanted their golden ticket. They just never noticed the spray paint cans."

"Go rest up." he called, turning to leave the room, "I'm sure sooner or later someone will come looking. They always do."

"They better not." she growled out.

The older Wayne turned and scrutinized her, "You have a whole hit list, don't you?"

Damian walked over and kissed his girlfriend's head, "She was at the top."

Todd smirked as he walked out of the room.

'I knew I liked her.'

"Let's go get you some cheesecake ice cream and you can plan homicide in your pajamas, where you're comfy." Damian declared.

Marinette smiled and kissed his cheek, "You know me best, Habibi."

TAG LIST: @maribat-calendar-events @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

Mary Todd pt 6

Beginning Previous

"Jay-Jay?" 

The old nickname froze the air as quickly as Frozer had frozen Paris. No one moved. No one could move. Ladybug could only stare in open faced shock at the man who claimed to be her brother, Red Hood. Red Hood was her brother? She couldn't believe it. She couldn't process it. She couldn't even blink as her mind spiraled in an attempt to make sense of this new information. Apparently Red Hood was going through the same process, because the moment those words left her lips, he started back as if he had been hit by a buss. Now he stood frozen and silent. His blank helmet gave no indication of what he was feeling, even though her every emotion was painted clearly on her face. "He knows my identity," some distant logical part of her brain thought. "He knows I'm Marinette. And Batman's here, now he knows."

Ladybug didn't dare look at Batman, not even from the corner of her eye. She just couldn't take her eyes away from Red Hood, away from her brother. Away from Jay-Jay. Ladybug felt the wave of relief and confusion wash over her. She had been prepared for a month long search. A marathon of research, travelling, and careful planning, in order to find even a shred of detail about her past. And now, not even one hour after typing in her name, here he was. Jay-Jay. There was so much they needed to talk about. There was so much she needed to say! She didn't even know his real name! Ladybug worked her mouth preparing her words carefully. 

BAM!!!

All three heroes jumped into fighting positions, as Wonder Woman burst through the doors. She didn't even wait for the automatics, she just slammed the doors open and caught one before it could swing back on her. She studied the room and the three occupants with a critical wariness, but Ladybug could only blink at her presence in confusion.

"Ladybug," Wonder Woman said tensely, "Is everything alright?" 

Ladybug caught a glimpse of Wonder Girl peeking out from behind her mentor, and Ladybug mentally cursed herself. Of course Cassie had gone to get Diana. After the display she and Batman had put on in the computer room, and the state Red Hood had entered in, naturally she (and probably every other Leaguer who saw them) was going to think something was amiss. The Spotted Hero rushed to reassure the Amazonian with a forced smile and consoling eyes. "Yes, everything's fine Diana. Thank you for worrying, but everything's fine. Batman, Red Hood, and I just had some personal matters to discuss. As a matter of fact, we..."

Her words drifted into nothing as Red Hood practically ran from the room, as Wonder Woman stepped further into it. Her eyes followed him long after he was gone, and she could not stop the pounding ache that was left in his wake. She had just found him. He was right there. Fifteen years! Fifteen years, and he had been right beside her! And just like that he was gone. 

Batman cleared his throat and finished Ladybug's sentence, "We were just finishing up. There was just a miscommunication regarding some personnel files. Ladybug..."

She turned to face the Dark Knight, and was momentarily shocked to see that his expression--though still as stoic as a boulder, had softened from a jagged rock about to crush her, to a complaisant stone content to let her be. Even his voice seemed to soften towards her when he said, "I hope that we can get this sorted as quickly as possible. I will speak with Hood and see if we can't speed along the process. Until then, I recommend that you do nothing. I will contact you through the League once we've made progress, and perhaps we can have this issue sorted in Paris."

He left without another word, and to anyone else, it would have seemed as if they had been talking about a run of the mill operation that required no more thought than a brief, "Huh, Ladybug and Batman, that's a weird team-up." 

But for Ladybug herself, every word the Dark Knight had said was a grating metal. "Do nothing?" He wanted her to step to the side and do nothing! She did not save Paris by doing nothing! She did not save the world by stepping aside and letting "Batman" take the lead! He had been trying to keep Jay-Jay away from her until a few minutes ago. If she let him control this, she had a feeling she would never see her brother again. After all, they knew who she was and hadn't reached out before. Not even a whisper. No! Batman had had his chance to reunite them. Now it was her turn. This was her mission, and she was going to do this her way!

So she turned to Diana, and did everything in her power to ease the Princess's mind. She did not need one of the greatest warriors in the League declaring war on Gotham. So they talked of everything and nothing, of when Ladybug would come to visit Themyscira, and how her magic training was going, and other such ramblings that Ladybug could answer without much thought. But in the back of her mind, in that part of her brain that was never really turned off no matter what was happening around her, the hero of Paris was making plans. Plans that would not be stopped even if the entire Batclan stood before her. And given the last thirty minutes, she didn't doubt that that was exactly what she was up against. 

Roy entered the Manor with a sigh. The fact that it had come to this was truly telling, and he hoped that Jason would realize that and snap out of whatever funk he was in. It had started in Paris. Ever since they had met Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Roy didn't think he would ever forget her name, even though he didn't think he would ever see her again) Jason had been dancing with Lazarus Pit in his head a little too close to the edge of sanity for anyone's comfort. Even the other Bats and Birds had noticed, which led Roy turning to Dick of all people in an attempt to find a solution. 

Of course Dick couldn't do anything without getting the entire family involved, which Roy couldn't really fault him for. At least he was trying to keep his family in one piece, unlike other members of the Batclan. Still, when Roy had gone to Dick he had assumed that their strategy would be something along the lines of getting Jason drunk and going on a bar crawl while Steph an Cass watched Lian. But the eldest Wayne kid had somehow talked everyone into a movie night featuring Pride and Prejudice. Roy didn't know how he had pulled it off, and if he was being honest, he was too afraid to ask. The big brother powers of Dick Grayson were one of the great mysteries of the universe. 

Still, Lian was excited. Jason was guaranteed to be there. And Alfred had banned all weapons for the night, so maybe the stubborn bastard could finally have a relaxing night. The guy needed it, especially if the rumors were true and Red Hood had gone up to the Watchtower that morning. Roy sighed again, he really needed to have a serious talk with his best friend.

When they entered the movie room, Lian immediately went to her aunties, and they in turn immediately began to spoil her. Roy's eye went directly to Jason, who was slumped dejectedly at the back of the small theater staring at the seat in front of him with vacant unblinking eyes. Roy winced at how pale he was, it was like Jason had literally become a zombie. "What happened?" Roy asked Dick in a low whisper. 

"I don't know," he answered casting worried looks at his little brother. "I got home from work, and Al told me not to go down into the cave. He said Jay and B had gone up to the Watchtower, and when they got back Jay was so deep in the madness they had to sedate him! When I tried to go down and help, Al said that it was a private matter and me being there would only make it worse."

Roy's eyebrows shot into his hair at that. Of all the Waynes the only people with a more calming presence than Dick were Cass and Alfred. And of all of the people most ill-suited to talk Jason out of a bout of pit madness, Bruce was probably the worst. Roy looked around the room to see if anyone else was acting unusually. Steph and Barbara were completely engrossed with Lian, not unusual except for the fact that it was borderline domestic. That was a little unusual for this house, but it was growing more common. Damian was scowling at the empty screen, muttering about this being a waste of time. Completely expected. Tim was on his phone. It would have to be something apocalyptic to get him to put it down. And Duke was already hogging the popcorn. Smart.

The only people who seemed to notice Jason's mood were himself, Dick, Cass, Bruce, and Alfred. However, only Bruce and Alfred seemed to be in the know as their hidden glances were a mix of pity and concern, where Cass seemed to be just as confused as him and Dick. "What happened?' Roy hissed again.

"I don't know?" Dick whispered harshly. "None of them will tell me anything."

Roy sighed, "Maybe it's a good thing we're not going on that bar crawl."

Dick gave a dry huff of a laugh. He watched his brother as if he might crumble into dust, but all they could do was stand there and wonder. Finally they were pulled from their thought's by Damian demanding,

"Are we going to get on with this tedious bit of frivolity or not? Grayson! Start the movie already! I want this finished as quickly as possible, and then return to Titus." 

"Alright! Alright!" Dick said with forced cheeriness. "One literature and movie classic coming up! Every one to your seats and we can---"

"EEEEEEIIIIIIII!" Tim screeched, causing everyone to jump to attention. But Tim didn't seem to notice, and he obviously did not care because he was holding his phone within an inch of his face beaming as if he had just won the lottery. "I can't believe it! I...I just...Oh my god!"

"Tim," Stephanie said, "Is everything ok?"

Tim jerked his head up, his smile never faltered for a moment, making everyone flinch. It was rare to see this much outright joy and excitement on the usually serious and sleep deprived Robin. "We've been accepted!" He cried.

"By what?" Bruce asked cautiously. 

"My favorite designer!" He yelled throwing his hands in the air. "I put us on their wait list years ago! And they've finally accepted our commission! They said that now their identity is out, they can start accepting more clients! And they chose us! Eeeeiiii!" he squealed again and began tapping his phone furiously. But before anyone could ask any questions, he was already speaking as he hacked the movie screen. "They're coming to Gotham to design our Winter Gala outfits! I can't believe they finally accepted! WE has been on the waiting list for years!"

"Who Tim?" Barbara demanded, "Who accepted?"

"My favorite designer!" He yelled again, "MDC!"

There was a whoosh as the picture on Tim's phone mirrored onto the movie screen. Roy blinked at the picture of Marinette Dupain-Cheng blushing on the red carpet of the Paris Hero's Gala as Jagged Stone and his children displayed her in a recreation of the Will Smith meme. Under her stunning red dress was the head line, "MDC Revealed: Marinette Dupain-Cheng Teenage Designer to the Stars!" Roy felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He briefly considered what it would take, to "accidently" bump into her at WE, when the loud slamming of a door shook him from his thoughts. Roy spun around and saw that Jason was missing, and Alfred and Bruce were hurrying after him. Roy looked back at the picture of the beautiful woman in the stunning red dress. And all he could think was, "What the hell is going on?" 

"I can't see her Bruce," Jason said curled up in the darkest, smallest corner of the library. "I can't!"

If Jason would look up, he would see that Bruce was kneeling, far enough away to not be a threat but close enough to hear the faintest whisper, with the most pained expression that had ever crossed the Dark Knight's face. Bruce looked up at Alfred standing sarenely behind him. The wise old man just shook his head in empathy and said nothing. Bruce took a deep breath and said, "Jason---"

"I CAN'T B!!! I CAN'T!!!" Jason yelled in a furry, his eyes tinged green. "I...I can't...I called her a bitch! And she knows...she knows what I am...that I'm Red Hood...I can't...I can't bare to see her hate me...I can't put her in that position...I can't put her in that kind of danger...I can't hurt her again...All I've ever done is hurt her...I just...can't."

Bruce closed his eyes and sighed. He thought over his next words carefully. finally he said, "I do not know Marinette. But I do know Ladybug. And what I know is this...I can't stop her. I have tried," He said before Jason could interrupt him, "I have. But no matter what the situation. No matter what the cause. If Ladybug thinks she's in the right, then nothing will stop her...We can't stop her from coming to Gotham, Jason. So we do what we can. What we do best."

Jason scoffed but turned to face Bruce. He was pale, and shaking, but determined. "Oh yeah," he said, "And what's that?"

"We plan." 

Next

Taglist: @laurcad123 @craftgremlin @toodaloo-kangaroo @blackroserelina @maanae @kitsun369 @idkamt @aksartisticlife @its-maemain @iglowinggemma28 @officiallydarkgeek

[leafykeen]

New chapter (finally). It's been written for close to a year, but I couldn't end it, and I'm still not happy with the ending, but it is finally done!

[awhitehead17]

Hanging by a thread, I am

Tim & Dick, Tim & Jason, Angst, Arguing, Canon Divergence, Upset!Tim, Big Brother Jason. 

Summary: Upset and angry, Tim doesn't react well when Dick asks him to give up the Robin mantle. After arguing with Dick, Tim storms away and bumps into an unlikely person who surprisingly supports him in the way Dick doesn’t. 

A/N: This idea came about when I thought ‘what if Dick asked Tim to give Damian robin’ and this is the result. It’s canon divergence and while Jason doesn’t necessarily get along with the bats he’s not completely separated from them. Title is from ‘Saviour’ by Onerepublic.

Enjoy! :D

For a moment Tim wonders if he had heard things right. There’s no way his brother is suggesting what Tim thinks he’s suggesting. Like hell was he giving that demon child the Robin mantle!

Tim blinks at Dick, utter disbelief written across his expression. “You’re joking right? This is just – wait, no. There’s no way you just asked me to give Damian Robin.”

Opposite him, where Dick is stood by the bat computer wearing the Batman suit with the cowl down, Dick lets out a heavy sigh and sends Tim a pleading look. “Look Tim, please listen to what I’m saying-”

Tim cuts Dick off before he could finish that sentence. “I don’t need to listen to what you have to say Dick! I won’t listen to you while you try to justify why you want me to give up Robin, I have put my heart and soul into this and now you’re asking me to give it up, to throw away everything I have worked for. It’s not happening!”

“Tim.” Dick’s voice now has a hard edge to it, his brother coming close to losing that infamous patience of his. “I understand why you’re upset about this but think about it rationally. We all have to move on. You are no longer a little boy who needs guidance or a mentor, you have the skill and experience to be more than a sidekick.”

“This has nothing to do with that.”

Dick, however, continues speaking like Tim never said anything. “I can’t look at you and see you as my protégé, I want you by my side as my equal. Damian, on the other hand, he’s going to-”

“It’s always about fucking Damian.” Tim shouts at him, throwing his hands up in disbelief. He starts pacing, his hands and arms moving erratically with each step. “It’s always about that snot-nosed brat. Ever since he's come into our lives it’s always about him. Are you forgetting when he almost killed me? Damian would never, never, understand the meaning of Robin, not in the way we do.

“I had to work my ass off to be accepted as Robin, I had to earn the right, Bruce was adamant about me not taking it on but I proved my worth. Now you want me to pass it over with a bow on top to someone who will abuse it.”

“Well Bruce isn’t here!”

Dick’s shout freezes Tim on the spot. The words washing over him like ice water chilling him to the bone. Opposite him Dick’s face is flushed and his hands are clenched at his sides, he’s looking at Tim with an expression he couldn’t read but Tim could hear the pain and defeat in his voice.

“Bruce isn’t here,” Dick repeats quietly, “not anymore. We all have to move on and this is the way to do it. I become Batman with Damian as my Robin. And you Tim, you on my other side as my Nightwing.”

The silence that settles around them is thick and suffocating. Tim could hear the way his heart is pounding inside his chest and he could hear every breath he takes. His hands are shaking and there’s sweat building up across his forehead. Inside himself Tim could still feel the rage stirring, despite Dick’s words and the meanings behind them Tim cannot accept them.

Deep down he knows this is wrong. Dick is wrong.

Tim shakes his head. “No,” he declares firmly, “you’re wrong. Bruce isn’t gone. How can you accept that? He isn’t gone.”

“Tim, please, we’ve been over this,” Dick sighs, running a hand down his face. “He’s gone, we’ve seen the footage. You’re in denial, a lot has happened over the last few months and I get why you are but see the facts.”

Gritting his teeth he sends Dick a dark look. A lot has happened, Dick isn’t wrong about that. Tim’s lost two of best friends, his girlfriend, his biological father and now, supposedly, his adoptive father.

“We can get you help Tim,” Dick says carefully, his tone purposefully soft and gentle as if talking to a frightened animal. “We can get through this.”

“Help?” Tim scoffs at the notion. “I don’t need help, what I need is to prove to you is that Bruce is alive. Damian isn’t getting shit from me. No matter how much, or how sweetly, you ask me to hand the mantle over.”

“You need to accept Bruce is gone!” Dick cries at him. “I don’t like it any more than you do but we can’t sit here doing nothing. He’s dead! He ain’t coming back!”

Tim scoffs again and decides he’s had enough of this conversation. They’re going around in circles simply riling each other up. Neither of them are going to achieve anything at this point. Dismissing Dick’s presence Tim turns and stalks away, he needs to go before anything else happens.

“All I’m asking you is to think about it Tim. Give Damian Robin and you can forge your own hero.”

Stopping in his tracks Tim turns back around and glares at the man. “I don’t need to think about it. The answer is no. I’m Robin and it’s going to stay that way. I can’t believe you’re asking me to give up something I have worked so hard for and something I have shaped to be my own.”

“Stop being so selfish!”

For a third time that evening Dick’s words make Tim freeze. First the question. Secondly how Dick truly seems to believe Bruce is dead. Now this.

“Selfish? How am I being selfish? I own Robin, I am Robin, I don’t have to do shit. And least of all I don’t have to give that demon child anything. He doesn’t even know Bruce, what right does he have to suddenly become an integral part of the family?”

Dick huffs out a sardonic laugh with a shake of his head. “I can’t believe you just said that. I’m not even going to answer that. I ask you to do one simple thing Tim. You’re blowing this completely out of proportion.”

“Simple? I’m blowing this out of proportion?” Tim repeats. “You’re the one insisting Bruce is dead.”  

“Because he is!” Dick explodes again. “You’re being delusional Tim! Listen to what you are saying, look at the evidence we have. Why are you insisting otherwise, you’re causing us more pain than what we already have.”

“You know what Dick,” Tim says, having had enough. It’s more than clear he’s alone in his corner, his brother choosing a psychotic ten year old over him. “Go fuck yourself.”

With that Tim turns and leaves. He ignores the calls Dick makes behind him and heads for the vehicle bay. He needs to get out of the cave as soon as possible or risk another argument with Dick. Not wasting a second he grabs his helmet, straddles his bike, turning it on he reeves the engine before zooming out of the cave. He has no destination in mind other than the further away the better.

Sometime later he’s speeding through the streets of Gotham, his mind completely occupied on what occurred in the cave earlier. He repeats their spoken words and instead of seeing the argument logically, it only riles Tim up more and his anger at the situation increases.

A piercing scream cuts through his thoughts and Tim jolts, with a wrench of the handlebars he swerves his bike to the side and narrowly avoids hitting a group of girls standing on the sidewalk. Once he's stable and back on the road Tim takes a deep breath and steadies himself. After almost causing an accident he knows he’s in no state to drive. Working out where he is in the city he comes up with a good hiding spot nearby in the back alleys between buildings, navigating himself there Tim turns off the engine and takes a moment to breathe in attempts to calm himself down.

He shouldn’t have been driving angry. It’s reckless and dangerous. He almost caused an accident because he isn’t in the right head space to be able to fully concentrate on what he’s doing and on his surroundings. Yanking off his helmet Tim climbs off the bike and begins to pace, unable to stay still any longer.

Dick’s words repeat themselves in his mind and they make it difficult to focus on anything else. Tim can’t believe Dick wants him to give up the Robin mantle. After everything he’s been through, Dick wants him to give up the one thing that’s keeping him sane. Tim's lost his father, Kon, Bart, Steph, and Bruce (no, he hasn’t, he’ll find him) and now Dick wants Tim to lose Robin too.

Dick’s told him he can come up with a new persona but he doesn’t want to, a new one wouldn’t be the same. He’s not ready for that.

He's not giving up Robin.

Tim feels the need to hit something as another wave of anger flows through him. With his fists clenched impossibly tight by his sides Tim ends up taking his anger out on his bike, the force of the kick he strikes the vehicle with causes it to fall over with a loud clatter. In the moment the damage done was the last thing on Tim's mind. As he steps back from the bike his eyes get drawn to an old metal pipe propped up against the wall, stalking over to it he grabs the pipe and weighs it in his hands, figuring it'll do he walks back to his bike and takes a swing at it. As the pipe collides with the rear breaks a loud clang could be heard. Tim swings again before moving to the front of the bike.

He loses track of how long he spends whacking his bike with the pipe. With every swing he lets out a swear followed by a curse against Dick. All of his anger and emotions bleed out in an unforgivable manner, all of the tension he’s been holding for months finally spilling out of him like water bursting through a broken dam.

By the time Tim is done he’s feeling exhausted. His arms and shoulders ache, his fingers are cramping from where he’s held onto the bar too tightly and for too long, his head is pounding and he’s breathing heavily.

Tim slumps down onto the ground and ducks his head to his chest as he tries to get his breathing under control. He doesn’t feel any better, his temper tantrum hasn’t solved anything because all the same problems will still be there when he goes back to the cave. All he’s achieved is damaging his bike which will likely take weeks to repair.

A loud thump coming from his right gets his attention. Despite feeling exhausted his body is still working through the adrenaline, instinctively Tim is back up onto his feet before he even thinks about it, his staff in his hands and he’s automatically in a defensive position facing an opponent.

It takes him a moment to realise who it is opposite him. Standing casually like Tim is no threat at all is the Red Hood. The man is stood in the middle of the alleyway with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and his red helmet in place, Tim could see guns and weapons stashed across his body but what Tim couldn’t work out is why he’s here.

Red Hood steps closer to him and Tim doesn’t soften his stance. “When one of my snitches told me there’s a disturbance in the area, I certainly didn’t expect it to be you, replacement. Done with your temper tantrum?”

Tim grits his teeth and stays quiet. He’s not in a good mood and seeing Jason Todd, another supposed family member whose tried to kill him, that day is souring his mood even more than before. He’s not falling into Hood’s baiting games.

“What no snarky comeback?” Hood taunts. The man comes even closer and peers down at his bike, taking in the damage Tim has done to it. “Isn’t that what Robin’s all about, witty comebacks and the sense of humour?”

At the mention of Robin Tim snaps. “Shut up and fuck off.” Tim knows he fell into the trap, it didn’t take much, but he couldn’t help it, it was the mention of the exact thing that’s caused his bad mood.

Hood whistles. “Oh, the little birdie has a bite after all.” He stops walking, choosing to stand opposite Tim with the bike between them. “Oh relax replacement, I ain’t going to do anything. You can put that stick of yours down.”

Tim narrows his eyes at the man and doesn’t move.

“Alright, whatever,” he hears Hood sigh with a shake of his head. The man then crosses his arms, “so what’s got you in the middle of the city throwing it down with your bike? Not like you to lose your temper easily.”

“It’s none of your business.” Tim says, his voice hard and cold. “There’s nothing to see here so you can bugger off back to where you came from.”

There's a pause and Tim could count every second that passes in silence by his rapid heartbeat. The man stays quiet as he crouches down to the vehicle and examines it more closely, fiddling with bits to see how bad the damage is. Tim allows him to do what he wants and he even drops the defensive stance and puts away his staff.

“Let me guess,” Hood drawls out while looking at the breaks, “you got into an argument with goldie? Or perhaps it was the new kid, Bruce’s biological one, that’s caused you to lose your shit? Maybe it was both!”

Tim has no idea how the hell Hood’s been able to hit the nail right on the head but Tim doesn't confirm or deny anything, he stays quiet and keeps an eagle eye on the man’s movements.

“Not going to answer that?” Hood enquiries, the man looks up and even though he’s wearing the stupid helmet, Tim could tell he’s looking straight at him. After a moment Hood snorts and shakes his head yet again. “Both it is then.��

“It’s none of your business.” Tim repeats his earlier words in the same cold tone, but there’s an underlying shakiness to it. It’s nerved him on how right Jason’s been able to guess the reason behind his mental breakdown.

“If you’re wondering how I guessed well most of it was a lucky guess. However the fact your half dressed also gave it away. You’re lucky no one else has come to check out what the noise was all about.”

Tim blinks before frowning. He looks down at himself and noticed for the first time the attire he’s adventured out in. He's still got his armoured pants and boots on, his utility belt is wrapped around his waist however he’s only wearing a thin cotton jumper he had put on once he got out of his Robin tunic. A surge of panic hits Tim and he reaches up to his face, the panic intensifies when he doesn’t feel anything but skin there. His eyes widen and he feels sick. He’s been out here in his robin gear openly showing his face. Anyone could work out his identity! He’s fucked up big time.

“Jesus christ, relax, replacement,” Hood’s robotic voice cuts through his thoughts. “I’ve already disabled any cameras nearby and have wiped out any footage of the last hour since you’ve been here. Whatever happened really fucked you up huh? Reckless driving. Vandalizing your own vehicle. Swearing as bad as a sailor. Almost blowing the whole family’s secret.”

“Yes, thank you!” Tim cuts in, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed at Hood’s response to list off everything he’s done wrong in the last hour. “How would you like it if I listed everything you’ve done wrong Hood? Have you got time, because we’ll be here all day.”

Jason’s own response was to snort in amusement. Obviously he’s not as bothered by it as Tim is. Huffing Tim walks to where his helmet lies on the floor, picking it up he dusts off the dirt and puts it on, at least no one will be able to see his face with this on.

“What do you want Hood? I’m evidently having a shitty day and you’re not improving it.” Tim says with a sigh, he’s tired and done with everything, all the fight having now left him. “If you have nothing to do and you’re only here to annoy me, can I ask you to do it on another day. I don’t have the energy.”

Now standing up right Hood stares at him and Tim stares back. When the man doesn't relent Tim looks away first, he changes his attention to his poor bike and starts to feel the regret of his childish actions.

To his surprise though Hood bends down and picks the bike up, using the handlebar to keep it balanced and steady. Miraculously it’s somehow standing, perhaps Tim hadn’t too much damage to it after all. Wordlessly the man starts guiding the bike down the alleyway leaving Tim blinking in confusion behind him.

“Uh Hood? What you doing?”

“Well you can’t get anywhere with the damage done to this. We’ll go to my garage and fix her up. Then you can go off and do whatever it is you need to do.”

Tim doesn't know what part of that to try and comprehend first.

“Why do you want to help me? Not long back you were trying to kill me.”

Hood shrugs. “Well today I fancy being a good Samaritan, sue me. Well, you could try but you can’t sue a dead man,” the man then pauses, “or can you?”

Tim is the most confused he’s been all night. “What? I don’t know. That’s not an answer.”

The other man doesn’t offer anything up so Tim quickly darts forward to catch up to him as Jason leads them through the narrow alleyways. The other part of what he said also sits in Tim’s mind, it’s like Jason already knows that Tim is planning on doing something about proving how Bruce isn’t dead. Like he knows Tim may go off to prove his point. Tim decides to not think about how well the man seems to read him despite them hardly ever interacting unless Jason’s actively trying to kill him.

The two of them remain silent the entire way to Jason’s garage. Tim should be weary of him and the situation but after the day he’s had he couldn’t quite bring himself to care, if Jason wants to try and kill him then he could go ahead, it’ll just be icing on the cake at this point. Hell Damian will end up having the Robin mantle if Jason kills him, then Dick will also get his wish. Two for one. Lucky them….

“Whatever it is, it’ll pass,” Hood mutters to him, it’s said so quietly Tim almost misses it, “I don’t know the situation or what’s happened between you and Dick but things have a way to sort themselves out.”

Tim doesn't offer a response to his words although Jason didn’t seem to be after one. The two of them eventually make their way to Jason’s garage and they instantly set up the bike onto the racks. Together they start making a log of what needs to be replaced and what can be fixed. It should scare Tim how well they work together when they’re not engaged in a fight but it doesn’t. In a weird way it feels right, of course he doesn’t comment on the situation, instead he silently accepts the helping hand Jason is offering.

No one needs to know how later that night, when Tim falls asleep on the old recliner Jason has in his garage, how Jason covers Tim with his jacket and leaves him to sleep while he works on the bike. The two of them in a comfortable silence like they’ve never experienced before.

Jason may or may not be starting to develop protective feelings for the kid who looks like he’s wearing the world on his shoulders. Learning to get past his previous feelings Jason figures that if the Bats are going to treat Tim like shit then he’ll will do his best to make sure the kid remembers that he isn’t alone.

[writerlovestropes]

Master list (all 28 prompts, 1 per chapter!)

Chapters: 28/28 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Characters: Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Jack Drake, Janet Drake, Original Male Character(s), Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth Additional Tags: Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, but fluff and humor too, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt Jason Todd, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Bad Parents Jack and Janet Drake, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, 5 year old Tim drake, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Dimension Travel, Blood and Injury, Panic Attacks, Rated T for Jason's swearing, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Lazarus Pit Side Effects (DCU) Series: Part 1 of A Second Chance at Happiness

Summary:

Job opening: Housekeeper/Babysitter/Bodyguard for five-year-old Timothy Drake

Requirements: None. Pretending to be Mrs. Mac's son won't even cause the Drakes to do a background check (they won't even bother to check if you're a crime lord that accidentally traveled from another dimension either)

Hours: Negotiable. No extended home visits. Must only drop off food and water twice a week because a five-year-old boy and a houseplant apparently have the same needs.

Start Date: Immediately

Or: An accidental interdimensional teleportation causes the Red Hood to end up pretending to be Jason Mac and being Timmy's babysitter.

This is my story for Febuwhump 2023. 28 Chapters of Whump, Hurt/comfort, Humor, and Fluff! Updated once every day of February.

[jotaroslooseeyebrowhair]

While he does take the food, he also then gives his siblings proper replacements (if they aren’t full) because he can’t see them go hungry the way he did in crime alley. He knows they’re all rich, he knows they all have access to almost anything in the world they want to eat, but old habits die hard when you grow up hungry and he just can’t let his siblings go hungry. He knows what that’s like. They don’t deserve to know. He makes sure they’re fed.

Jason is the kind of brother that would take any food the others don’t want and eat it.

Dick doesn’t want his second milkshake he ordered because he’s got a small appetite? Jason will take it, it’s a milkshake and he’s got a sweet tooth.

Tim doesn’t want the half a chili bowl he got but can’t eat because of the spice? Jason will eat it, he’s totally a guy who loves spicy food.

Steph doesn’t want her peanut butter and jelly because she starts to get a rash from the peanuts? Jason will eat it while he drives to get her some lotion.

Damian doesn’t want the chicken soup he was served by accident and he most definitely did not order? Jason will take it, he knows good soup when he sees it and won’t let it go to waste.

Duke doesn’t want the lobster he got because he doesn’t know how to eat fancy food ‘properly’? Jason will take it, he doesn’t care about being proper. It’s a dead crustacean what’s it gonna do.

Jason is a cool big bro (or little bro for Dick) that isn’t picky with his food and will gladly take your leftovers or unwanted meals.

[psychokatrixxxy]

Batfam AU

Damian was captured by some villain, and Dick just saved him.

Nightwing: Why didn't you send a distress signal? You could have gotten hurt. What if I didn't get here in time?

Robin: tt, stop your incessant nagging, Grayson. I can handle myself. Besides, I did send out a distress signal.

Nightwing: Really, cause I didn't get it, and neither did B.

Robin, realizing something: Ah, I believe I may have alerted someone else of my capture then...

Nightwing: who-

He's cut off as a red figure barrels through the window, shattering it.

Red Hood, guns cocked as he looks around the room: Who the fuck do I need to kill?

Robin, deadpan: Impeccable timing as always, Akhi.

[crybabycinna]

Pt 14 this is correct and no I will not take criticism

*set during Jason being in the league*

Jason: *sitting in the passenger seat* alright dami you ready?

Damian: *in the drivers seat* yup

Jason: what do we do first?

Damian: seatbelt

Jason: good *puts on his seatbelt* now what?

Damian: *puts on his seatbelt* start the car

Jason: mhm

Damian: *starts up the car*

Jason: now what?

Damian:….floor it

Jason: mhm very goo-Wait what?

Damian: FLOOR IT! *puts the car in drive and slams on the gas*

Jason: OH GOD MOMS GONNA KILL ME

*bonus*

Talia: so what happened to my car again?

Jason: I just wanted to teach him how to drive

Talia: JASON HES EIGHT! DAMIAN DOESNT NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DRIVE YET!

[farshootergotme]

Occasionally I picture Nightwing calling Red Hood "little wing" in front of others and people looking between this huge, 6'0 feet tall man with growing white hair, and then Nightwing, a shorter man who has flawless skin, probably around his 20's, and a fit but not too buff build and they just- don't know what's happening. Is it some kind of inside joke they aren't aware of? Why is Nightwing acting as if he's years older than Red-fucking jacked-Hood?

Nightwing: Little wing, you actually were decent in that fight! I'm impressed.

Hero, who was helping during this fight as well, listening in to the conversation: little...?

Red Hood: Wow, feeling very appreciated right now. Got any other backhanded compliments in there?

Hero: Wait, excuse me-

Nightwing: As a matter of fact-

Red Hood: Nope! I'm outta here. Screw you!

Nightwing: You know you love me!

Red Hood: In your dreams, dickhead!

Nightwing: Hey! We don't use that-

Red Hood: Not listening!

Nightwing: Jeez, kids these days...

Red Hood: I'm an adult and fuck you too!

Nightwing: What? Thought you weren't-

Red Hood: See you never, I'm out.

Hero: ...

Hero: what the actual fuck?

[aikoiya]

This is beautiful.

I wonder if he'd meet Jazz while there. I've been half obsessed with Anger Management lately.

Wrong Number AU

“I SWEAR TUCKER IF I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE “I WANNA END YOUR DAD, MARRY YOUR MOM, AND TURN YOU INTO MY EVIL STEPSON/HEIR AND IF YOU DONT IM JUST GONNA TRY CLONING YOU ONCE MORE” FRUITLOOP AGAIN FOR A SECOND TIME THIS WEEK I AM GOING TO LET MY ROUGES END ME, DONT CARE WHO, JUST GONNA LET THEM FINISH WHAT THE PORTAL ACCIDENT STARTED”

-sent by Unknown Number

When Jason Todd woke up that morning to check his texts. He wasn’t expecting this.

When Danny sent that rant text to what he thought was Tuckers number (his old phone got smashed in a recent ghost fight, Sam gave him a new one she wasn’t using, and Tucker was out of town for a while so he couldn’t help Danny transfer his data yet) he wasn’t expecting a rather cyptic response

“Wrong number kid. But just for my own curiosity and concern, who is and where can I find this Fruitloop? I just wanna have a chat with him.”

[littlefankingdom]

Bruce Wayne is canonically a very handsome man (he is called a "pretty boy" and he is in his 40s, for fuck's sake), and he is pretty famous as a rich philanthropist who doesn't want to leave his awful cursed crime infested city. So, there must be a ton of people thirsting over him on the internet. Fancams, edits, fanfics and imagines ("kidnapped with Bruce Wayne 😍 by a Gotham rogue"), the whole charade!

And anytime one of the batkids stumbles on a thirst post, they have the most dramatic disgusted reaction, loudly gagging, before sending the link to the batkids chat, because if they must suffer, then they should all suffer. Clicking on a link in this groupchat is like playing russian roulette, and getting rickrolled is a good ending.

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

Mary Todd pt 7

ao3 Beginning previous

It was raining in Gotham when Marinette arrived, which was far from unexpected. She heard sirens in the distance as she collected her bags, which was also in her realm of expectation. And yet there was something about Gotham that she did not expect despite having been warned about it, the darkness. Tikki and Plagg had explained it to her in great detail, but she had yet to wrap her mind around the situation until the plane had begun it's decent. For according to the kwami, part of what kept the word in balance were ley lines that collected and distributed magical energy throughout the world. Major cities and monuments always popped up where these ley lines intersected, draw to the magic being released. But what most people didn't know was what type of magic those lines were collecting at their intersections. Most believed that it was just magic at its purest form, but the kwamis told in plain words that that simply wasn't true.

Because the kwami's physical and mental states were bound to the miraculous, they could not release their power and energies into the world the way they were supposed to. So the kwami's had created the ley lines to distribute their magic, so that the world wouldn't simply stop functioning just because the will behind the power was no longer on the metaphysical plane. Thus, Each intersection naturally corresponded with a different kwami, and so the cities that had sprung up around these intersections reflected the corresponding entity. Paris's ley line's released Duusu's energy, which was why Paris had such a rich art history (and why Mayura's amoks were so powerful). London corresponded with Nooroo, which was why England, had been so fascinated with Imperialism. But Tikki's and Plagg's cities were unique even by those standards.

First there was Themyscira, the sacred island of the Amazon's was a paradise on Earth, and a large part of that was because of Tikki's creation energy seeping into the very soil and water of the island. Marinette couldn't wait to visit and train with the Amazon's who protected the access point of Tikki's raw power. They had already accepted her as an honorary sister, and she was eager to prove their trust in her. But then there was Plagg's city, Gotham. The destruction and darkness permeated the clouds, the mud, even the rain. Marinette didn't understand how anyone could stand it. She was surprised Gotham had survived this long, with such chaos suffocating her lungs. Marinette's respect for Batman instantly increased as she began to comprehend exactly how hard his uphill battle must be. What with the very forces of nature against him, it was a pure miracle that he had been able to protect even one person much less the entire city!

Marinette took a deep breath as she left the airport. Is this what Jay-Jay has been living with? she wondered, Has his life been nothing but chaos and destruction since the moment we are separated? If he's been working with Batman that there's no way he could avoid the effects...he must have been through so much... Her thoughts drifted as she tried to comprehend what living in Gotham must mean for someone who was actively fighting the destruction. And she was so engrossed by them that she almost missed her second surprise. The Waynes had sent a car for her. 

Marinette smiled at the elderly gentleman holding a sign with her name. He was dressed in a fashionable chauffer's uniform; and although he stood with a rigid formality and professionalism, there was a kind twinkle in his eye and a gentleness to his smile that warmed Marinette instantly. She held out her hand to him, as he introduced himself as Alfred Pennyworth, and explained that not only had Mr. Wayne and Mr. Drake-Wayne provided her with a car, but they also had arranged for her to stay at one of the apartments they kept for visiting business partners, who either needed or deserved more security and stability than a hotel room could offer. Marinette wasn't sure which category she fell into, until M. Pennyworth said kindly, but formally, 

"I assure Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, that all of the Mr. Waynes believe you deserve the very best we can offer you. After all they have been a great admire of your work for sometime. Master Tim especially. He was very excited when you decided to accept his commission."

Marinette cocked her head with a simple smile. There was double meaning to his words, but she couldn't find what it was so she just said, "Please give them my utmost gratitude. But please, just call me Marinette, M. Pennyworth, Mme. Dupain-Cheng is my mother. And I don't think I'm quiet ready to take her place just yet."

"Of course, Miss. Marinette, but in that case you must call me Alfred, it is only proper."

Again there seemed to be a double meaning to his words, but without context it was impossible for Marinette to figure it out. So, she just nodded and let Alfred load her bags into the car and drive her away. She texted her friends and family to let them know that she was alive and had not been attacked by a psychotic, color blind clown yet, and then turned to watch the city roll by as Alfred drove her in a comfortable silence that was a stark contrast against the chaos surrounding them. However, it did not last as Alfred spoke, "So, Miss. Marinette, what made you decide to take our commission? I understand from Master Tim that he had been waiting four years for you to design for the family."

Marinette smiled casually and said, "Are you close with the family, M. Alfred?"

"I raised, Master Bruce after the death of his parents," he said with both sadness and fondness. Marinette understood and did not push the question when she answered sheepishly, 

"Well then I'm sorry to say, but I originally had no intention of working with M. Bruce due to his public image and me being under age for the majority of my career. If I had know that it was M. Tim who had originally commissioned me, I probably would have been more generous."

Rather than being affronted Alfred seemed amused by her answer, but perhaps also a bit concerned when he said, "I understand how Master Bruce's public persona could give you the wrong impression of both himself and the family. But please let me assure you, that anything negative you might read about in the papers is not a true reflection on the reality of the situation. In fact, I might be so bold to say, that when it comes to anything in Gotham, things are not always as they first appear. And I encourage you to look beyond the public image as much as possible, if you want the true measure of a person."

Again there was that double meaning, that Marinette just could not decipher. Alfred didn't seem to be testing her per say...she was always passive aggressively tested anytime an adult realized that the professional they had been dealing with was a child, as Ladybug and MDC. She had hoped that that would change when she turned 18, but so far there was no such luck. But the current gentleman seemed to be using his coded words to encourage her rather than degrade her. It was puzzling, but Marinette sensed that it was kindly meant so she said with complete honesty,

"M. Alfred, I am no stranger to the dangers of a false image. Paris was just freed from a terrorist who used a false image to hide his depravity. And I personally had to combat a false image a particularly bad liar tried to force on me. I promise, that I will give the entire Wayne family the benefit of the doubt moving forward, and I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership between MDC and WE." 

Marinette could not see Alfred's silent response from her position in the back seat, but when she met his eyes in the mirror they were shining with joy and kindness. Marinette smiled. The darkness might have been overwhelming, but she believed that she could find joy here. 

Dick leaned against the batcomputer desk as he watched his father and brother whisper argue with each other. It was becoming physically impossible for him to restrain himself from just pouncing on them. Movie night had quickly spiraled into an unprecedented disaster once Jason had left, with Damian demanding that they switch their movie choice, the girls determined to just start the film, Tim jumping up and down with unnerving giddiness, and Duke just watching the chaos with popcorn. Under normal circumstances, Dick would have stepped into control the growing insanity, but he and Roy were too concerned about Jason to notice much of it. 

Roy had then confirmed that Jason had begun acting oddly when they had met Marinette Dupain-Cheng at the Paris Hero's Gala. Roy had then tried to recount exactly how Jason had been odd, but he admitted that the only thing he really remembered about the encounter was being impressed by the beautiful, young woman, and frustrated with Jason for being so rude to her. "At first, I thought it was because I was flirting with an 18 year old. But there's only a three year age gap, and it's not like Jason could talk considering some of his relationship age gaps."

"Yeah," Dick said, "But he was always the younger one in those situations. But if that was all it was, then he wouldn't be reacting this way! Do you think this could have anything to do with why he went up to the Watchtower?"

Roy shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm at a loss here man. There is something we're missing here. Something important, and it has to do with Marinette, Paris, and probably Ladybug. According to Laurel, Jason went up there to have it out with the Parisian and Batman. No one knows what they talked about, but Wonder Woman was pissed when she heard that Batman was confronting her by himself. Laurel said he stormed in with a storm above his head, and ran out as if the devil was on his heels."

Dick sighed and rubbed his head as he tried to make sense of everything that was going on. He was missing something and that had only become increasingly obvious the longer he watched his brother and father talk down in the Batcave. The whole thing put him on edge because they were getting along. They were actually getting along and talking with each other as they tried to plan for...whatever they were trying to plan for. Dick was trying to respect their boundaries, and let them come to him for help. But the longer their hushed planning beside the Batmobile continued, the closer Dick came to jumping in the Batcomupter's chair and doing a quick search on MDC before they could stop him. 

Finally something happened to distract him. True, Dick almost jumped out of his skin when the phone rang, but it was enough to keep him from tying his family to a chair and flat out demanding information. "Go for Nightwing," he said as casually as he could into the phone's receiver. He was not ready for the voice on the other end of the line. 

"Nightwing, this is Ladybug, hero of Paris. We haven't officially met yet, but let me just say I am a fan of your work. Your fashion sense is a little...off putting, but you have improved so I'm willing to forgive ad forget as they say."

"Uh," Dick said stiff and confused, "Thank you?"

"Now," Ladybug said with a deadly seriousness, "This is of the utmost importance, and you must answer with a clear yes or no. And please don't lie, I'll know if you do. So, tell me, is Batman there and is Red Hood with him?"

"Uh..." Dick hesitated, conflicted with what he should do. Curiosity and fear waged a war within him, but in the end he decided that it was probably best not to lie to the superhero. He had read the reports, and he had nothing but the utmost respect for her and Chat Noir, and maybe even a heathy amount of fear. "Yeah," he finally said, "Do you want me to put him on?" 

"On speaker if you please," Ladybug said. And Nightwing turned to the pair still whispering by the car oblivious to what was going on. 

"Hey B," Nightwing said trying to be casual, "Ladybug's on the line."

Both Bruce and Jason froze so stiffly and quickly that it would have been funny if it wasn't terrifying. Anything that had those two acting in sync could not be good for any of them. But, as if to add to the confusion, when Bruce groaned and moved forward, he used his "tired dad" groan, not his "this is another world ending disaster in the making" groan. It had Dick sending a questioning look to Jason, who just ignored him. Instead his little brother just stared at the phone in longing and in terror, as if that simple machine held all of his hope and fears at once. Dick didn't know what to make of it as he pressed the speaker button. 

With a shrill beep, the whole cave went silent until finally Batman spoke gruffly saying, "Ladybug, I thought I told you to stay in Paris."

"I thought about it," and there was a smile in Ladybug's voice when she said, "But sitting back and letting the 'big boys' handle things has never really worked for me. Not in any timestream. Besides you had your chance, now it's mine turn." 

"I'm not sure what you mean?" Batman responded. 

Ladybug scoffed through the phone, "Very well then I'll spell it out for you. You knew. I don't know how long you've known, but given the fact that Red Hood has been your ally for, ohhh...the last five to six years give or take, and probably longer, I'm guessing you've known for a while. And you did nothing. No, you did worse than nothing, you actively hid me from my brother! So I only have one question for you. Why?"

Nightwing stepped back at the rising anger in the young hero's voice. He didn't get a lot of it without context, but he did understand that they were talking about bio-families, and that Red Hood was somehow involved. He also knew that bio-family searches tended to get messy in the hero community, so he could understand why B might have decided to hide this girl if her brother was a part of Red Hood's organization. And it was probably why Jason had been acting so strange. He really did care about his people. He looked to Jason. Jason was just staring at Bruce with eyes that were both threatening and pleading. Dick hated that face, it made him look so desperate. He was pulled from his thoughts again when B said, "Why what?"

Ladybug gave an audible sigh, "Take your pick! Why lie? Why hide? Why not come and talk to me? Why try to bury me? Why wait? Why can't I see my brother?" 

"These questions are not for me to answer," Bruce said carefully, but the panic did not leave Jason's face, nor did the frustration leave Ladybug's voice when she said, 

"Then get me in touch with the person who can! I know you know how to find him, so just tell him...tell him I'm here. Tell him I want to meet. Tell him..." Ladybug sighed, and the frustration seeped from her voice, and a quiet pleading replaced it. "Tell him I just want to talk. Just once. And if he won't...if he can't...then just tell me that. I have been waiting for 15 years to see him again. So please, none of these half answers and empty promises. I'm in Gotham, so...if he wants to meet, tell him I'm here...if he doesn't then...tell me, and I'll be gone first thing in the morning."

"What about you're business in the city," Bruce said and Dick narrowed his eyes at the concern he heard in the man's voice.

Ladybug gave a dry laugh and said, "Of course you know about that. Don't worry about the Waynes they'll get their suits. I do most of my commissions online anyway, so it won't be a problem." Dick's eyes widened at that but he dared not speak as Ladybug, no...Marinette Dupain-Cheng kept talking, "The only reason I'm here is because I want the truth...you can respect that, can't you?"

"I can," Batman said gruffly, "But these truths are not---"

"Not yours to disclose, I know," Ladybug said with a sigh. "Look just put Nightwing on."

Dick blinked when Bruce and Jason turned to him with very different expressions but with the same message. Bruce seemed to be giving him a quiet warning, while Jason was just threatening. The message was clear, "Don't say anything unnecessary."  But the only thing Dick could think about was why Ladybug was pretending to not know she was on speaker, and that Red Hood was in the room. He soon got his answer when he cleared his throat and said, "This is Nightwing."

"Nightwing," Ladybug said quietly, almost desperately. "Your Batman's oldest partner, so I'm sure he's told you what's going on." Dick didn't say anything as he cast his father and brother a critical look. They didn't react and Ladybug continued, "So, I'm leaving this message with you, because I don't want anything lost in translation, and I have a feeling Batman isn't the most...emotionally in-tuned person."

Dick scoffed as Bruce flinched, but he said, "Yeah that's a fair assessment. So what's the message?"

Ladybug could be heard taking a deep breath through the phone, and Nightwing could almost see her squaring up in preparation. But whatever, Dick thought she was going to say, he was in no way prepared for what came next when she said, "Tell Red Hood...tell him...tell him I'm sorry. Tell him I never meant to leave. I never wanted to leave him. Tell him...tell him I still remember the stories, and that I try to live be them...I try to help people just like he told me to. I try to smile, just like he taught me...Tell him...I never wanted to leave...I never...Please, just tell him that...

"That I understand...I understand if he's disappointed, and never wants to see me again. I understand if he can't forgive me. And tell him...that I mean it...if he really can't stand me anymore then I'll leave, and I'll never look for him again. I'll force Batman to make sure we never have to see each other, if that's what he wants...but...I really hope that he doesn't want that...I really truly hope that...Just tell my brother that...I love him...and that I'm waiting for him...I'm waiting for you Jay-Jay." 

Silence filled the cave and Dick stared in shock at the phone as if he could see the voice coming out of it. Jason has sister! MDC is Ladybug! MDC is Jason's sister! JASON HAS A SISTER!" were the only thoughts in his head. He shook himself when he realized the silence was stretching, and cleared his throat. "So...ahem...How long does he have?"

"If I don't hear from you or Batman first," Ladybug said weakly, "Then I'll leave right after the Wayne Gala. If I don't hear anything from any of you by then, then...I'll go and we never have to speak of this again."

"Right...uh..." Dick said awkwardly, "That sounds reasonable. I'll make sure Hood gets your message. And I'll personally see that he gives you a proper response."

"Thank you Nightwing," and it sounded as if Ladybug's smile was back at least a little. "And thank Batman for me too, I know I'm not his favorite person, but I appreciate his discretion with the rest of the League. Anyway, I'll await your call. Bug out."

The call ended with a resounding tone. Dick turned to face his family. Bruce was staring and the droning machine over his steepled fingers with his regular practiced stoicism. While Jason had his back turned to them, as he leaned heavily on the consul. The silence was palpable for three solid seconds until Dick couldn't contain himself anymore. And he shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Next

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[duckysprouts]

big brother part 13

the boys stayed in a hotel that night

[trainer-sean]

I feel that Bruce is more immediately concerned that a pair of children have been forced to face against a villain and lost all their backup and mentor, and hes somehow hasn't heard of it all.

Jason:

Alfred:

Jason:

Alfred: No.

Jason: But Alfie!

Alfred: No, Master Jason. You can't just go out and adopt a sad teenager.

Jason, clutching Marinette: But why not? How is this any different than what Bruce does?

Marrinette, muffled: I'm not sad, I'm stressed and overworked and haven't had a full night's sleep in ages.

Tim: Sounds like she's practically already one of us.

Bruce: She might have parents, Jason.

Jason: As if that has stopped you before!

Marinette, still muffled: Yep, I actually have parents.

Dick: She's pretty adorable.

Jason: Right?!

Afred: Master Richard, please!

Cass: *koala hugs Marinette from the other side and gives Bruce a long stare*

Damian, spoiling some of the kwamis: I have decided that she shall join the family.

Jason: See? Even the brat claimed her as family and he barely wanted Dick!

Marinette, sandwiched between Jason and Cass and trying to speak louder: Actually I'm only here because I really think we might need help against our Parisian villain.

Bruce: You're fighting a villain? I assume you're a sidekick? Who's your mentor?

Alfred, dangerously low: Master Bruce.

Marinette: Not a sidekick. Since our Mentor lost his memories and our temporary heroes got exposed it's just my partner and I.

Bruce:

Alfred:

Bruce: So-

Alfred: OH FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!